Man oh man I've been working overtime all week and I really hope that you like this chapter if you don't, the few of you who have actually read my story, then feel free to criticize me. Oh and there is a surprise waiting on you at the end! And Oh Oh Oh…there is some Zutara definitely going on this chapter so I know it will make up for any parts that sux!
"Nephew, I warned you about playing around with other people's feelings. Now look at this mess you have made. Katara and Mai which woman are you in love with Zuko? Which woman do you wish to spend eternity with? Who do you see yourself having children and growing old with? That is the woman you should choose and choose her because you love her and when you say those vows stand by them and stay true to your word!" Iroh fussed and all that Zuko could do was nod and it pissed his uncle off, how could he have nothing to say?
"Zuko, you searched three years for someone who had not been seen for 100 years! You had a purpose and a will to take on the task at hand where is that passionate person? You are grown now Zuko and you are Fire Lord it is about time you begun acting like it!" Iroh was standing and shouting now. Zuko noted that through all of the hollering and rocking not one drop of tea had spilled.
"What do you want me to say uncle I don't know I'm so confused and frustrated!" Zuko slammed the teapot onto the ground and Iroh made a dramatic groan that made both men uncomfortable. Zuko was torn inside his heart only beat for the sake of seeing Katara he wanted to smell her scent and breathe the air she breathes. His body felt like a useless piece of clay whenever she was not around. But when he thought about seeing Mai hurt and heartbroken it made him feel the same the angst was enough to drive him insane. Zuko did not know which woman he should choose and he definitely did not want to end up with the wrong one.
Then again he may not even have a choice due to his scene earlier. Why did things have to be so complicated all of the time? Why couldn't he just have them both? Zuko walked away from his uncle and tried to clear his head.
"How in the hell could she, he, how could they do this to me? What in the hell did I do wrong to him? I was always there for the two of them and this is how they repay me? I will not accept this treachery! Zuko you better watch out Zuko, I am coming for you!" Mai whispered into the mirror and she slammed her brush into the mirror and it broke into pieces. Mai was just like that mirror broken into thousands of pieces not sure if she would ever be whole again. But then again she was never fully completed her parents had ruined her life and made her into the perfect little aristocrat, but for what cost?
"Suki, after all of this drama and playing around what's next for me? Should I return to the South Pole and start my water bending training school? He already chose Mai so why would I stick around and become his bitter and desperate has been? You know what I am leaving for the South Pole first hot air balloon out of here!" Katara was pacing back and forth in her room and Suki wanted to burst into tears. Now that Katara was no longer just her sister in law she was pretty fun to be around but she didn't want to live in the South Pole it was so cold and boring.
"Do they have any sexy men in the South Pole?" Suki asked remembering the rumors about the men of the water tribes, the real men not Sokka.
"You bet they do, Suki are you planning on turning the South Pole upside down?" Katara asked smiling and Suki innocently nodded her head she was planning her attack already. The girls parted their ways laughing and getting ready to pack their clothes for their relocation. Maybe this change of scenery would be good for the three of them? Katara had hoped she was doing the right thing because as of now things felt like they weren't meant to be. What could she do if he chose Mai over her? Why in the hell would she wait on him to make up his mind if he wanted her? She was worth way more than that and in hindsight she sold herself kind of short for him.
The next hot air balloon would not be ready until morning so Suki and Katara decided to say their goodbyes to those who mattered. Katara knew that Suki simply wanted to finish things up with Haru before she went out to conquer the South Pole. Things had been so hectic and dramatic that Katara didn't even know that Toph and Aang had left and went to the Earth Kingdom to settle some sort of dispute. Sokka had left as well in search of Wan Shi Tong's library to see if he could talk him in to raising his library once again.
Katara walked around the palace trying to think of someone to say goodbye to. After two long hours of walking she had made up her mind who she would say her goodbyes to. Katara knocked on the big black door and opened it once she heard a raspy voice say come in. The room was a total mess and Katara didn't know why it was so dark in there.
"Before you say anything hear me out," Katara stepped over the glass and folded her arms across her chest and exhaled deeply.
"I never meant to come between the two of you, I just thought that maybe I could have what you two have and I took it too far. I am going to go back home and leave you to your man with no distractions from me. I wish you two the best of luck and I hope that we can overcome our differences." Katara did not need to hear anything Mai said and with her last word she stepped back over the glass and exited her room.
It was extremely hard for Katara to do what she did but Katara felt it was the right thing to do, at that moment. Katara walked back to her room and looked in front of her mirror at her beautiful body. Beautiful, extravagant, extraordinary, unmatched, and yet not good enough for him; her self-esteem had taken a major hit due to this. She wanted to be sure of herself again and she wanted to feel loved and know that she was attractive to someone.
This is how men turn good girls bad and everyone knows that when a good girl goes bad she's gone forever. The young water bender decided to take one last stroll of the place because she was never going to return to this awful place.
"Why does life have to be so complicated for me? What did I do to deserve this torture? I know that it is up to me to make the right decision but who do I make it for?" Zuko had begun talking to himself as he practiced fire bending drills. He grew bored with fighting nothing and talking to himself so he headed back in to get clean and hopefully fall peacefully to sleep. Zuko had ripped his shirt when he was working out so he was bare chest but hell he was the king of this castle who could stop him.
Zuko stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a sad young woman strolling through the palace taking it all in. Their eyes met and locked and at that moment Zuko felt as though he'd been shot by lightning all over again. He felt his body hurl over and every bit of his guts launch themselves towards the floor. Zuko screamed out in pain as the tears ran down his eyes. Katara had run over to him to help but her skull felt as though it had been split open and all she saw was a maniacal smile before she passed out.
The two were thrown over a shoulder and carried out of the castle as if they were nothing. The only proof that they were ever there was the blood and vomit that loitered the floor. No one knew that they were even missing and in their condition they had no idea who had done this to them. It was days before the two of them woke up and got a chance to look at their surroundings. Before now when one of them would snap to they'd be hit across the head almost immediately after they opened their eyes.
Whoever it was that had taken them had planned it flawlessly; the two of them didn't even know that one another was there. Katara was the first one to come to and as she looked around she noticed that she was inside of a stone prison. Katara heard someone sigh and she almost jumped out of her skin and when she turned around and saw that it was Zuko her anger overpowered her confusion. This had to be his fault in some way shape form or fashion. Bad things always happened to her with him around, not to mention the shit he'd just put her through. The water bender in Katara made her want to rush over to him and see that he was ok and the woman in her wanted him to suffer. So…they knew she was a girl before they knew she was a water bender.
Katara tried her best to feel the push and pull of the water but she only felt a few feint traces of water. Those few she knew all too well but Katara was so well and malnourished she could not call out to it. Katara tried to feel the power of the moon but as she called out to Yue she did not answer back. Katara tried to stand but found that her knees were too weak to support her weight so she ended up crawling over to Zuko.
"Wake up!" she shouted to him as she gently slapped him across his face. The Fire Lord sat up and looked around at his surroundings and when he noticed that he was trapped in a stone prison with Katara he immediately suspected Suki. The Fire Lord slowly stood and Katara watched him wince all the way up to his feet. He was weak as well but Katara figured his ego would not let him fall back down to the ground. Katara would not give him the satisfaction of her kicking him down so that his body could rest he was a man now he could stand it.
"Do you feel the power of the sun?" Katara finally asked and Zuko looked down to her for the first time. His mind mentally replayed her question and then he looked up to the top of their prison as if he could see the sun. Come to think of it the only part of her he could see was her silhouette, his mind just filled her in to the best of his memory. Zuko inhaled and exhaled slowly raising his inner warmth each time he did so.
"Yes, I do but how is that going to get us out of here?" he asked in his usual irritated voice and he knew that Katara had rolled her eyes. Zuko looked over to the woman kneeling on the stone cold floor and he saw her shivering slightly. Who could blame her she was wearing a half of a shirt that was shaped like a kimono and a skirt that only came to her knees. Zuko put his hand down on the floor and heated the marble but it ended up burning her knees.
"Ouch! What is wrong with you?" Katara yelled as she jumped to her feet and launched herself at him. Her flail was so weak that he barely had to dodge it but he was so weak he could barely dodge it. The two of them were starving and Katara had to admit she was cold but taking her anger out on Zuko made her feel a bit better.
"Katara, I know you are cold so please just let me warm you up," Zuko pleaded and Katara had half the mind to say no but her body was speaking for her now so she moseyed on over to him and allowed him to wrap his arms around her. Katara instantly felt warmer and she wanted to let her guard down but she was a great fighter and she knew better.
"Why do you think we are here Zuko?" Katara asked leaning against him picking through her fingernails.
"I'm thinking it is Suki you know trying to teach me a lesson and get us back to where we were on good terms." Zuko stated sounding very sure of himself but of course Katara had to disagree.
"I had Azula pegged perfectly for something like this but since she is no longer hear to torment us I'm thinking it is Yue and Agni," Katara's idea sounded way more likely than Zuko's and he gave it some serious thought. How could he have betrayed Agni like that, he had totally forgotten that he was supposed to make things work with Katara? He was too busy listening to his uncle telling him to choose what he felt was right for himself, which was still Katara, but he just could not hurt Mai. Zuko wondered if no matter what direction Sozin, Aang, and himself would have taken he and Katara would have crossed paths. Zuko reached in his pocket and pulled out some blubbered seal jerky and he almost lost his breathe when Katara turned around and looked up at him.
"I forgot that I had ordered some of this for you and when I saw you that day I stuck em in my pocket." Zuko explained and together they shared one piece of jerky. Zuko thought it best that they sanctioned off their food because they didn't know what was going on or if they were going to be fed at all.
"Do you think that you could find us some water?" Zuko asked and Katara turned around on her knees and leaned into his lap.
"Blow," she commanded and Zuko cocked his head in confusion so she scooted closer to him.
"Blow!" she demanded a little more sternly this time and the Fire Lord obediently blew his breath and Katara turned the moisture in his breath to water and gave it back to him.
"Tastes like spit," Zuko complained and Katara rolled her eyes before turning back around and leaning on him.
"I know something that you like to eat that would get your mouth wet," Katara whispered and then plastered a huge grin on her face as he thought over what she was talking about. For him to be a smart ass he sure could be dumb sometimes. Zuko tickled her side when he finally caught on and Katara began to laugh things felt normal in that moment but the knock at the door snapped them back into reality.
Ok so does anybody have a clue as to what is going on or who is knocking at the door at least? I mean who knox at the door of the people that they are holding captive? Any who I am going to start back typing tomorrow after work to try and have another chapter up next week! Review please!