Welcome FanFic readers! I am so happy knowing that my story is being appreciated by many of you. Thank you those two people who reviewed, you guys have made my day. :) I have been reading a few stories and I recommend reading them, they are titled: Call me Katto, Dragon (or Dragon's) Secrets and Rise of the Ashes: The Sacrificial. If any of the authors who wrote one of these stories is reading this, I just want to say keep up the good work and I will be waiting for the next chapter. Now, enough stalling and let's proceed to chapter 10.
Disclaimer: From this chapter and the future one, I do not own ALTA. This disclaimer counts for all future chapters.
Katara's POV
I was walking around buying some fruit with Hama while Zuko was behind us carrying all the food and things Hama was buying. When Hama is buying, Zuko observes her suspiciously until she hands him something then he just smiles at her innocently even though it wasn't really necessary since we had cloaks to cover our faces in case someone recognizes us and hand us to Azula. I give him glares to stop watching Hama but of course he just ignores them. We had a talk earlier in the morning. Zuko came up to me saying that there was something creepy about the old ha- I mean Hama, he said that he bump into her wooden puppet collection. He also says that when he looks at her in the eye there is always a bad feeling inside of him. I try to convince him that she is a nice lady who invited us in her house although; it seemed more like I was trying to convince myself more than Zuko. I mean, it is a little weird that a defenseless elderly woman invites two complete strangers to her house, by all means we could have been thieves or assassins even. I can't help also feeling something weird when I am around her, like as if she knows what we are up to or something. I found a little girl with a boy making an angry face and then looked at me.
"Hey lady, do you want to know a story?" Not wanting to be rude I simply nodded.
"Well" she looked at the boy. "Once upon a time, there was a girl who wanted a drawing of a bunny on her tummy. She asked her brother to draw it, but then her brother told her that she had a big tummy and the drawing came out like this!" She pulled her shirt up and showed us the drawing. I didn't look like a bunny at all, more like a melon with canes stuck to the top of it. I just smiled at them and left.
I finished shopping but Hama told us that we could go ahead to her house while she continues to shop. She managed to find someone else to hold her stuff.
We entered her house and I left my groceries on her kitchen table, Zuko was going up the stairs saying that he is going to prove once and for all that something was off about Hama. I quickly stopped what I was doing and followed him. He showed me where he found the wooden puppets. I was a little freaked out at first but you can judge someone because of their puppet collection… right?
"Zuko, you can judge someone just because they have weird hobbies. For crying out loud! She gave us shelter! You can at least act normal!"
"Katara, haven't you notice how she looks at me?"
"No, but I notice how mean you look at her."
He went to another room, well, busted in another room since it was kind of locked. There wasn't much in the room except for a small box. Zuko went inside to get the box.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"I am going to open the box. I seems like there is something special about it."
I gave a huff, I give up. If Zuko wants to look in someone's privacy then I will let him look all he wants. I turned around headed to the door. I can hear him using a small metal stick to open the locked box.
"Do what you want Zuko, I don't want to-"
"I unlocked it!"
Out of instinct and curiosity I rushed over to him. Wanting to see what's in there. Zuko just looked at me with a smirk and I just rolled my eyes. He slowly opened the box.
"I see that you have found my special box." Hama said calmly.
Zuko and I froze in our place with a sudden fear that we got caught. We closed the lid and turned around. Zuko was going to hide it behind his box but I snatched it and gave it to Hama.
"Hama I- we are so so so sorry that we snuck and looked around your stuff. We should not have done it and-"But Hama stopped me before I could finish.
"It is all right my dear; I would have probably done the same." She said chuckling.
"If you really wanted to see what is inside all you have to do is ask. This is my most prized procession." She opened the lid and took out a very familiar comb.
Zuko looked really pissed off because he did all that work for a comb.
"A… comb?" Zuko muttered.
She held it up proudly.
"This is the only reminder I have from our home Katara, the Southern Water tribe." I gasped shocked at the news.
At first I thought she was crazy but by the look she gave me, she was serious. I was starting to have this happy feeling inside of me. I was happy that someone from home was here but, why is she here and how does she know I am from the Watertribe? I opened my mouth to ask her, but once again she interrupted me and said we should talk about it at dinner. While we were walking down the stairs I could smell something similar to sea prunes. Zuko and I sat down while Hama served the food.
"This is the closes thing to sea prunes in the Fire Nation."
It looked similar to sea prunes but tasted the same. I couldn't taste the difference; it made me smile since it reminded me of home. Zuko on the other hand, didn't touch his place. He looked at me with a cautious face.
"Katara" he whispered. "Are you sure these aren't slugs or something?" He said eyeing his meal once more.
"Stop being a big baby and what is wrong about trying something new?"
"What's wrong is that I wouldn't be surprised if it starts moving around in my bowl." I just rolled my eyes and continued eating.
He picked one with some chopsticks but the sea prune slid of and plopped back in the bowl causing some bits to splash on his face. He looked disgusted as he wiped it off his face. He tried again and took a small bite, his eyes widen as he tried to swallow it down. He pushed his plate stating that he wasn't hungry anymore but Hama told him it wasn't healthy for a growing boy to skip his meals and she got a spoon full of sea prunes and shoved them in his mouth. He was kind of offended that she had the nerve to do that but he was more focused on chewing down the sea prunes. He quickly stood up saying that he was full and sat next to me. His face was kind of green and he laid his head on the table. I chuckled at his childish actions. He noticed and blush stating that it was not funny. Hama served herself and sat a cross from us.
"So Katara, how is the Watertribe doing?"
"Well, they are doing okay but we are struggling. All the men left to go to the war leaving women and children behind."
"If only the Fire Nation could open there eye and realize that they cause destruction where ever they go." She said it while looking at Zuko. She looked at me with a smile plastered on her face. "Are there any more benders?" she asked hopefully.
"Uh, I am the last Southern waterbender left."
"So you have never had a teacher?"
"No, but I've dreamt of going to the North and learn."
"Why go all the way up there if you could learn right here, right now?"
Zuko and I looked at each other with curious looks wondering what the heck this lady is talking about.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I am not just a Watertribes women, I am also a waterbender and one of the lasts I am guessing." She raised her right arm and water from a cup followed her command. I, once again was shocked.
If you like, I could teach you Southern style waterbending." She said with a grin.
"Absolutely!" I could practically hug the woman.
Zuko's POV
I watched as Katara practically bouncing off her seat full of joy. Her eyes are full of excitement. I don't know why but, seeing her happy just makes me happy. Why? I don't know. Do I care? Not really, it's probably something normal, right? I didn't notice that I was staring until Katara asked me if I was okay. I felt as the heat rose to my cheek as I said I just spaced out. Katara wanted to know more about Hama so they left off somewhere. I looked at the sea prunes; I felt my stomach twist in disgust. I left to find actually food in the market when I heard Katara calling me.
"Zuko, where are you going?"
"I am going to the market."
"Oh, uh Hama and I will be near the woods, she is going to train me." She said holding her hands together tightly while smiling.
"Okay."
I left with a frown. I didn't like the thought of Katara hanging around Hama. Watertribe or not, it doesn't explain the coldness in her eyes. I feared that something bad might happen to her. Why am I thinking about this? Sure she is pretty, smart, nice, fair- once again I feel heat running mildly to my cheeks. I can't like her, can I?
Of course you can't, she is water and you are fire. There is nothing that you have in common.
Me, confused why a sudden voice appeared, agreed. She and I are opposite.
But as they say, opposites attract.
I was really weird out but interested in the conversation… or my conversation.
She is a mere peasant and what about Lady Mai.
Just a small crush, nothing compare to this.
But you don't really have feelings for her, and she doesn't have feelings for you.
What about yesterday? Your faces were really close. If it wasn't for that Han Tsu guy, you would have kissed her.
She would never kiss you, did you see the scar on your face.
She didn't seem to mind and she was leaning in also.
Getting uncomfortable, I shook my head. It was almost dark, I must have been distracted that I because I was in the middle of the woods. I smack my forehead and I sat down. It was cold but my inner fire kept me warm. After sulking at the trees which surprisingly relaxed me, I got up knowing that I wasn't far from the village and stated walking. Five minutes passed and in the corner of my eye, I saw the old man from Fire Fountain City (A/N: The old man appears to him near the beginning of chapter 6.). I stopped walking and faced him. He greeted me with a bow but didn't say a word. I bowed back and he gave me a sad smile. He walked further into the woods then he turned around and signaled me to follow him. We were walking for about twenty minutes when we stopped at a cave. I heard screaming in the cave, it sounded like people screaming for help. I turned around but once again, the guy left me. I walked into the cave as fast as I can. I heard people calling for help. When I made it to the noise, I found a bunch of people tied up as prisoners. There were people of different ages, from children to elderly. When they saw me they looked scared, probably because I wore a hood and they couldn't see my face. I lifted the hood just high enough to see the bottom half of my face. The prisoners seem to relax and asked me to help them. I finish breaking chains, cuffs and untying ropes.
"What happen, why is there an underground secret prison?" I asked stupidly.
"It was that witch, Hama." A guy said.
"What?" I knew something was off about Hama.
"Every full moon she sneaks upon a person and manipulates there body." Said another guy. "She is a bloodbender. She bends the water in your blood and has full control over you. Then she takes you here and keeps you as a prisoner."
"You have to find her. She says that she found a young girl to take her footsteps, she will teach her bloodbending to continue her era of pain and suffering. "
Oh shit, Katara! I ran as fast as I could out of the cave and in the woods finding Katara. I was yelling her name.
Katara's POV (moments earlier)
Hama and I agreed to start training near the woods were these beautiful flowers bloomed. She said that these were called Fire Lilies. She told me that water was everywhere, even in the air. She waved her hand and water began to form around her fingers. They traveled to each finger and froze the water making it look like long fingernails. After teaching me a few beginner techniques, she taught me more advance moves.
"Katara, you are probably one of the best waterbender I have ever seen in all my life."
I just smiled as she continued. "Seriously, you master technique the minute they teach it to you."
After being taught new moves and mastering them, I notice that it would be getting dark soon. Even if we spent hours training, I wasn't tired one bit. The more advance moves were much harder but I got a hang of it. She told me that she was skipping many basic moves wanting me to try more difficult and advance moves.
"Now I know you probably just began training but I need to carry on the Southerntribe's waterbending style since I do not have much time in the world." Feeling sad at that statement I just continued. "It is a good thing that you have so much potential and determination, I may run out of things to teach you. Lucky for us, there is a full moon tonight."
"As some say, waterbenders rise with the moon." Remembering Zuko saying that. I remembered that this morning Zuko had a small tint of pink in his cheeks. He looked so cute when he blushes.
"Now, this is a useful technique in were we extract water from the plants."
She took her stance and started to move her arms. Pulling her hands in a circular motion, she drained the water from the plants. It looked beautiful until I saw the result of the poor Fire Lilies. Instead of their bright green and red colors, they were replaced with a brown and yucky green color.
"Amazing, but poor Fire Lilies."
"Don't worry dear, they are just simple flowers, we must do everything to survive this hostile land."
I just nodded freaked out a bit by that statement.
"I have one more technique to teach you, it can only be used during a full moon when waterbenders are at their absolute peek."
"Are you sure we should be out here alone. There have been many disappearances at night."
I was kind of scared; I've heard people in the market talking about how their relatives mysteriously disappeared at night during a full moon. I hope Zuko is okay and not wandering around in the woods, honestly, I wouldn't know what to do without him. I laughed at the thought. I remembered that, weeks ago I despised even sharing the same air with him. I guess he kind of grew on me. Every time I try to hate him… I can't. My thoughts were interrupted when Hama began teaching.
"You see Katara; I invented this technique long ago. When I was young, the Fire Nation captured many waterbenders during the raids against our village. Over time, our numbers were dropping until I was the last waterbender standing. In the end, they managed to capture me too."
She stopped talking and led me into the woods. We stopped and it was already dark with the full moon above us. I was scared but managed to calm down knowing that Hama was by my side. She turned to face me and continued her story.
"While we were imprisoned, the guards kept us away from any water by pumping dry air and tying our hands and legs before giving us any water, suddenly, I realized that all living things contained water. So, while the moon was full, I manipulated the water in the blood of the rats that were found in the cells. I called this technique bloodbending. After years of practice, I manage to have full control over a guard and had my freedom."
I gave a gasp, this isn't just some simple technique this is a dark art. Zuko was right; this lady is a nut job.
"Hama, I really don't like the idea of controlling someone against their one will."
"I am sorry Katara but this isn't your choice, we must put vengeance on the Fire Nation for nearly putting us in extinction."
"Wait, it was you. You are the one who has been causing the disappearances haven't you." Hama gave me a smirk which game me goose bumps.
"And you just figured that out?"
"It doesn't have to be this way."
"Oh yes it does, the Fire Nation must pay for what they have done."
"But you can't solve this by kidnapping every innocent person who is from the Fire Nation."
"They aren't innocent, they are slaughtering monsters!"
"NO, you are the monster here. What you are doing is far worse than what the Fire Nation has ever done."
"Like killing you mother!"
I felt like that I wanted to pull out every hair out of her head and choke her with my bare hands.
"Not all Fire Nation is bad, please understand."
"I thought you felt the same way- wait." Her eyes widen. "It's the boy isn't it? The firebender you've been traveling with. You must have fallen hard for him haven't you?" I stayed quiet. She started to laugh.
"You! You have fallen for a FIREbender? Delightful, just delightful. I wonder what will happen if something terrible falls upon him." My blood started to boil.
"You leave him out of this!"
Without thinking, I shot a blast of water at her head. She dodges it and redirected it to me. It hit me on the stomach.
"I see that you don't have any purpose left for me."
As I was about to attack, Hama lifted her arms up and clenched her hands like a puppet master. I felt my blood stopping at every part of my body losing control over itself. She starts to move and my blood does as she commands. Pain, there was so much pain. Blood wasn't accessing through my body. My muscles twisted and turned forcing me to the ground. I was in the verge of tears. I then realized that I too gain power from the moon. I try with all my might to gain control. Hama was laughing like a maniac.
"You are weak against my power; you should have deceived me after you mastered the technique. And how sweet, your little boyfriend never showed up. You are under my control."
"No." I clenched my teeth; I could feel that I was regaining control over myself. "Not… any… MORE!"
I stood up and collected water from the trees and used at my strength against Hama while she stood there in shock. She was hit but quickly recovered. I cursed at myself for not being able to kill that fucking witch with my attack. She made icicles and threw them at me. I was dodging most but one stabbed me in the leg. Blood trickled down my leg; I gathered at much water and turned them into ice disks. I threw them and she blocked them with water. One managed to hit her shoulder.
"Katara, I taught you everything you know but, I didn't teach you everything I know."
She surrounded water around me, looking like a whirlpool. I got smaller and it closed around my neck, entering my mouth and cutting out the air. I try to stop it but my hands and legs were surrounded tightly by water. I couldn't breathe and I don't know how long I can take it. She stopped, making me fall to the ground catching as much air as I can. I was coughing out all the water in my system. When I finally regained myself, Hama was babbling about revenge or something. I thought about was I could do, I then remembered that move I made by watching a fish. (A/N: She invented this move near the end of chapter 8.) I got up and shot another blast of water. When she was about to block it, I moved half of the water to the left going around her while the other half followed. I then hit her back making her fall. I shot another blast of water, with one hand I controlled a half and with the other hand I controlled the other half, all without separating the two halves. I motioned a half to hit her back and the other hitting her stomach. Still on the ground, Hama shot more icicles but I quickly dodged them. I kept on using the two moves Hama didn't know.
"Where did you learn that move?"
"By some fish who by the way, are better teachers than you!"
She gave me a confused face then replaced it with an angered face. Having advantage of my physical form and that Hama was down, giving me the upper hand. She motioned water behind me and smacked it behind my knees causing me to fall. I made an ice boomerang (inspired by Sokka, my brother.) Not really knowing how it works, I threw it at a random direction. I bent it and made it hit Hama's head. She cried in pain. Then I heard a familiar voice.
"Katara!" I saw Zuko running towards me. He made it to me and grabbed my shoulders while catching his breath.
"Katara, Hama is the one who caused the disappearances. She had prisoners of all ages locked up in a secret cave."
Just about when I was going to tell him that I all ready knew, I turned completely forgotten about Hama.
"Oh, I see you finally managed to join us." Hama raised her hands in a familiar stance and Zuko stiffened.
His golden eyes widen and he arched his back. His arms twisted and his body rose from the ground. I hear the sound of his muscles unwillingly moving and shutting his eyelids he made sounds of pain. I was scared, scared for Zuko. My eyes were going burst in tears.
"Leave him alone."
"Not a chance." She moved her arms around causing him to make even more sounds of pain.
"Do it Katara, save your friend before I make his heart burst!"
She clenched her hands even more. I lift my arms without thinking. Drawing power from the moon, I took control of Hama. I could feel the power, the power of bloodbending. I lift her up and threw her down. Feeling that Zuko had control over himself, I threw Hama on a tree, then to another and another until I made her fall. Some villagers came and got Hama, tying her wrists together. They were the people who were imprisoned by Hama. While they took care of that, I ran to Zuko. He was panting and probably dizzy. I helped him up and wrapped my arms around him. He stiffened but then relaxed and wrapped his hands around my waist. I blushed, and closed my eye happy that I could hear his heart beat.
"I was so worried; worried that Hama could have killed you." I said while my head rested on his chest.
"I'd rather me than you."
"Zuko, don't say that. You are just as important as me."
"Katara, I care about you. I don't know what I would have done without you." I looked up to his eyes looking for a sign of him lying. Finding none, I smiled.
"And I care a lot about you to." I said while I blushed. He was about to say something when Hama interrupted.
"You might have thought you have won but you didn't." I looked at her, confused at her words. She just smirked. Before the villagers took her away she stated.
"Congratulations Katara, you are now a bloodbender!" She then laughed as they took her away.
I sat on my knees and started to cry. How did I get in this mess? Now, I am a master of a terrible dark art. I felt Zuko sit down and hugging me.
"I am a monster." I say crying on his chest.
"No, you're not. Whatever you do or say, you will never be a monster to me." I smile as I stay in his arms.
Well, that's the end of this chapter. I am sorry if the moves that Katara invented are hard to understand. If you have any questions or ideas go ahead and send them to me. Did you like this chapter? Was that enough Zutara? Also, I would like to tell you guys that my sister and I are writing a story together. It is about Toph's fieldtrip with Zuko, the story is called Everything has a price. Please review!