To Rule a Nation
Katara was late. Zuko frowned and drummed his fingers against the table. A pot of tea and a light snack had been prepared. The Pai Sho board had already been set up and only needed the other player to arrive so a game could begin. Except he had no idea where his would-be opponent had gone. His brow creased in faint lines. This wasn't like her. Katara had been the one who had got all of this organised; she had said she would be waiting for him in the garden. Where was she?
One of the guards—Nobu, who was normally on night duty—cleared his throat. "Uh, Fire Lord Zuko, we could send someone to—"
"It's fine," Zuko cut in a bit gruffly.
His cheeks felt too warm. The other guard coughed and said he was sure Lady Katara would turn up soon. Zuko's blush darkened. Even his guards had picked up on the fact he'd been jilted. At least Sokka wasn't around to tease him now; the other boy had gone off to spend time with his family. Small consolations were better than nothing.
Zuko sighed and went back to drumming his fingers against the table. Movement from near the columns by the garden entrance made him perk up; his shoulders slumped again when he saw cherry-pink robes. It was just a female servant. The guard stationed at the entrance blocked her path.
"I have a message from Lady Katara," the servant said in a clear, carrying voice.
Zuko sat up straighter, though not just because Katara's name had been mentioned. That was Mayumi's voice. He frowned and got to his feet. The firebender stationed to follow her was nowhere in sight, though that didn't necessarily mean anything; the point of that man's role was not to be seen. Zuko moved closer to the pair. The guard was busy telling Mayumi to give him the message so he could pass it on; only those authorised were allowed in the garden today.
"Wait," Zuko said, holding up his hand. "Let her through."
Mayumi's gaze flickered to his. The guard stepped aside without a word, allowing her to enter the garden.
"Fire Lord Zuko," she murmured, lowering into a bow.
His expression remained neutral. "You have a message for me from Katara?"
"Yes." She reached into her sleeve. "It's right here."
Her hand whipped out from her sleeve. Zuko caught her wrist in a crushing grip; a thin blade glinted between her fingers. It would have been jabbed into his neck had he been a second slower.
"Don't think I'll make it that easy for you," he hissed.
Her nostrils flared. Shouts started up from the guards as they realised what was happening. Mayumi twitched and then her free hand moved—too fast for him to stop her this time. There was a soft clink as something hit the pebbled path. Zuko barely had a chance to react; light exploded in a blinding flare, clawing right into his eye sockets. He squeezed his eyes shut, but the damage had been done. His world had become a painful blur of white flashes. No doubt the guards had suffered similarly.
"Fire Lord Zuko!"
"Damn it, I can't see!"
"Get to the Fire Lord!"
The shouts were all around him. Zuko tuned the voices out and zeroed in on the soft puffs of breath he could hear in front of him—on the rustle of fabric and the crunch of a boot against pebbles. There! He sidestepped and blocked just as she aimed a kick for his groin. Quick as a flash, he tugged her forward with the grip he had on her wrist and then shoved hard, knocking her clean off her feet and pushing her down against the ground. She struggled viciously. His vision was still a blurred mess. Something slashed through his sleeve, just nicking his skin. In seconds, the area went numb. Zuko swore. The paralysis effect was already beginning to spread.
"It's over for you," she said with a little laugh. "That's shirshu venom. One touch is all it takes."
Zuko knew from experience that this was true. Given no choice, he desperately called upon his inner fire and pushed it out from his body in a shield of flames. Mayumi shrieked and shoved him off her just as his muscles turned useless and he became as limp as a boneless fish. Zuko's heart pounded sickeningly. Her form flickered before him in a blur of cherry-pink, slowly solidifying into a clearer image. Of course, his vision chose that moment to get better.
She tightened her grip on the knives she now held in each hand and moved to straddle him. Her exposed skin was covered in burns and a part of her hair and robes were still smoking, but she didn't seem to care. If anything, her eyes just gleamed with a fractured sort of hate; it was so similar to how his sister had looked before she'd shot lightning at him—before he'd had to redirect it back at her and force her madness into submission—that it made his heart turn to ice. What had he done to deserve this animosity?
"Stand down!" Nobu yelled.
The guards had recovered their vision and moved to surround Mayumi, fire glowing around their fists. She only laughed.
"Go ahead," she taunted. "Do you think you'll be faster?"
Nobu's mouth twisted; unlike them, she had nothing to lose. Zuko closed his eyes in resignation. He couldn't move, but he could still breathe. So he exhaled a breath of flames. The scream that was ripped from her made him wince to his core. He knew her pain; he knew it intimately. But she had backed him into a corner. Zuko would not choose death just to spare her. The guards took advantage of her distraction and knocked her off him with a wave of fireballs.
"Surrender!" Nobu ordered.
Killing her would mean losing the information she carried; there was nothing to be gained from such a move. Still, lethal force would be used if it came to that.
Mayumi lurched to her feet. One side of her face was raw and ruined; she must have turned at the last second to avoid a direct hit. The blades were still in her hands and she bared her teeth like a hissing, spitting thing that looked more animal than human. Suddenly, she threw one of the knives and got Nobu in the neck. He gasped and gurgled, clutching at his throat. Blood spilled between his fingers. Zuko could only watch, helpless. Some of the feeling had returned to his limbs—not enough venom had got into his system to keep him down for long—but it wasn't enough. It wasn't enough at all.
The two other guards attacked. Mayumi dodged the flames like an airbender, twisting and weaving through the fire before lashing out in a slash of venom-coated metal. It was impressive she could still do so much; Zuko knew how much pain she had to be in, but it seemed her determination was enough to numb her injuries. Another guard fell. She spun around to face the remaining firebender, her body shifting into a predatory crouch.
"Stop," Zuko choked out. "Enough of this. I'm the one you want. You don't need to hurt anyone else."
"You would sacrifice yourself for your guards?" A laugh escaped her. "As if I would believe that."
Zuko struggled against the paralysis, arms trembling as he tried to push himself up. "I'll fight you myself."
The lone guard stood protectively in front of him. Toshiyuki was his name. Zuko remembered; he'd made a point to learn all their names. It was the least he could do for the men who had sworn to give up their lives to protect him.
"Stay back," Toshiyuki urged. "It is my duty to keep you safe."
"Fuck your duty!" Zuko managed to get onto his knees. His body felt like lead, but he had to straighten. He had to. "Do you think it'll mean anything if you die for me now? It's just a waste of life, and I won't have that, so you stay back! That's an order!"
The guard didn't budge from his position. Instead, he shot off a stream of fire. Mayumi dodged the attack and went for the kill. Zuko growled in frustration and forced himself to move; he strained against every protesting muscle, every bit of venom still lingering in his system, just so he could grab onto the back of Toshiyuki's robe. With another growl, he yanked hard.
"I said stay back!" he hissed.
Everything happened all at once: Toshiyuki landed on the ground in a graceless heap, pain surged through Zuko's wakening nerves, and Mayumi froze. Her knife had been stopped with Zuko's hand, piercing right through his palm. Blood seeped free and trailed down his skin. Sweet spirits. That hadn't been intentional; he'd been aiming to grab her wrist. The shock of it made him dizzy.
"You," she said in disbelief. "You actually risked yourself to protect him?"
Zuko pulled himself together and swiped at her with his uninjured hand in a fire-shadowed fist; he'd barely moved his arm when his body gave out on him. Damn it, the paralysis still hadn't completely worn off. He stumbled to his knees, sluggish and weak. The burst of adrenaline had left him like smoke vanishing into the air. Pain throbbed through his hand in nauseating waves; the knife was still impaling his palm.
"No!" Toshiyuki scrambled to his feet.
"Don't!" Zuko snarled. "Just stay there!"
He wouldn't have another life on his hands. He wouldn't let another senseless death happen just because this woman wanted him dead.
"I'm your target," he gritted out, holding Mayumi's gaze. "Toshiyuki has nothing to do with this. Don't kill him."
Mayumi's lip curled. It was then that he noticed the bo shuriken in her hand. Quick as lightning, she threw the blade and struck Toshiyuki's thigh. More shirshu venom must have coated the tip, as the guard collapsed and stopped struggling in an instant.
"Very well, Fire Lord Zuko," she said calmly, though the whole effect was just eerie since her face was half-ruined and she was covered in burns. "Consider him spared."
Toshiyuki yelled and demanded that she fight him instead—begged that she not do anything to harm Zuko. The man's distress was palpable, and it made a lump form in Zuko's throat. There was no mistaking Toshiyuki's sincerity: this wasn't about fulfilling a duty; the guard just didn't want to see Zuko get killed.
"Shut up!" Mayumi snapped. "This boy who dares to call himself our ruler deserves to die!"
Zuko looked up at her from where he sat slumped at her feet, blood pooling from his hand. "Why?" he asked. "What have I done to earn so much hate?"
Her face twisted into a snarl. "The fact you even have to ask is sickening!"
She shifted to attack. He held his uninjured hand up in a gesture for her to wait.
"I just want to understand," he said quickly. "If you're going to kill me anyway, at least let me know what I did wrong."
Mayumi stared straight into his eyes. Though she did not wear the red demon mask in that moment, he could see its awful expression captured in her features: a consuming rage, an endless sorrow, like a scream that would never end. Zuko bit his lip and prayed that she would take the bait. Please, please let her keep talking. His body needed a little more time to recover from the shirshu venom. Dying was not an option. There were so many things he still needed to do—so many things he had barely started to experience. If he died here, he would never see Katara again or get to tell her that he loved her. He would never even see their baby. The thought made everything in him recoil.
Somehow, he had to live.
Mayumi removed a new blade from her sleeve; it glinted in the light. "I had a daughter, you know," she said softly. "Aoi. She was beautiful—had the most infectious laugh. I could listen to it all day." Her grip tightened on the knife. "But she got sick. A lot of people in my town got sick. The water was polluted, there wasn't enough food. People starved, disease was rife, and though we kept pleading and pleading, no help came from the capital." Her lips curled into an ugly smile. "Ring any bells now?"
All the breath seemed to vanish from Zuko's lungs. Mayumi laughed without humour.
"Of course you know my town isn't the only one like that," she continued. "There are so many others—Shin Ra, Jang Hui. The Fire Lords swore an oath to protect the people of the Fire Nation, and instead they abandoned them to die. They've been letting them die for a hundred years."
He closed his eyes. "I'm trying to change that, but the war just ended and—"
"Trying?" A snarl escaped her lips. "Don't you dare say you've been trying! The petitions are still coming in; the people are still dying! They're poor, starving, drinking contaminated water every day that only makes them sicker! And what have you done, Fire Lord Zuko? What have you done?" She got right up in his face, her own burnt and vicious. "You've thrown celebrations. You've lived in luxury, and all the nobles around you have enjoyed that luxury with you. You're no better than any other Fire Lord, content to bleed the people dry and build a kingdom upon the corpses of those you swore to serve!"
Zuko met her gaze. "That's not true," he said quietly. "When I heard about Shin Ra, I gave the order to send food and clean water to the town, along with a team of our best healers. I did the same for all the others that have been suffering. The officials told me we didn't have the money or the resources; they disparaged me and called me an idealistic child behind my back—said I would ruin this nation before a month was out."
Mayumi looked as if she had been slapped.
"And the truth is we really don't have the resources," Zuko continued. "My father put all of the nation's wealth into developing war machines and funding the army and navy; we're facing heavy reparations from the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes, and our crops haven't been good this season." He balled his uninjured hand into a fist. "But I know these towns and villages are depending on me. I swore an oath to protect all of the Fire Nation when I became Fire Lord, so I gave the orders anyway. We've been selling royal treasures to fund everything for the most part, but Katara has offered to assemble groups of waterbenders to come and work with her to purify the water in stricken areas, like she did for Jang Hui, and—"
"Stop!" Mayumi pointed the blade at him; her hand trembled. "You—this can't be true. He said that—he said you'd been—"
"I don't know what Hisao has told you, but I would never abandon my people."
She stilled and her eyes narrowed. "Hisao? What do you—"
A fan suddenly knocked the blade out of her hand. A hiss escaped her lips and she spun to confront the newcomer—too late. Blasts of fire knocked her backwards, the force of which made her soar through the air and crash against the cherry tree with a sickening thunk.
"Zuko!"
Suki came running. Behind her was a line of palace guards. No doubt they had been alerted to the situation by all the shouting and fire.
"Thank goodness," Suki murmured, pausing to catch her breath. "I thought we were too late."
Zuko opened his mouth to speak, but then another flash bomb went off near the cherry tree. He shielded his eyes. When the light faded and his vision cleared, Mayumi was gone. He couldn't even bring himself to be surprised; he was pretty sure she was one of the legendary Yuyan assassins.
"Damn it!" one the guards hissed. "I can't believe she got away. Is that woman really a demon?"
Zuko got to his feet. His body had at last recovered full functionality, though his right hand was still useless. "Tend to the injured!" he ordered, signalling to some of the guards. "The rest of you come with me. She can't have got far!"
They couldn't afford to lose her now. Dangerous as she was, she was still just the puppet in this scheme. It was the real mastermind they needed. The guards moved to carry out his orders, but Suki stopped Zuko from leaving by placing her hand on his arm.
"You should get that treated first," she said, gesturing at the knife impaling his palm. "Lucky you have Katara to—
Zuko froze. It felt like his heart had turned to ice as well.
"I have a message from Lady Katara."
"No," he breathed. "No, no, no."
Everyone stared at him in a mixture of confusion and alarm.
"What?" Suki demanded. "What's wrong?"
"Katara!" Zuko exclaimed. "She didn't come here to meet me, and then—"
But he couldn't finish his sentence. Instead, he wrenched the knife out of his hand with a choked hiss and tossed it away from him. Then he was running, ignoring the pain, ignoring the shouts of his guards, ignoring Suki's demands for him to wait up. All he could do was keep moving. An awful suspicion had entered his mind, and there was only way to banish it.
"Mayumi," he growled under his breath. "What have you done?"
oOo
It was so quiet. Katara lay on her side, still bound and trapped in a contorted position. Her skin felt raw from where she'd rubbed against and tried to slip free of the ropes. Nothing had budged. Gritting her teeth, she continued her slow shuffle towards the other room, dragging herself centimetre by painful centimetre on the floor. Maybe she could find something in there to cut the ropes. Calling for help hadn't worked; all she'd achieved was a sore throat. It was possible that all the houses in the area were abandoned. Or maybe someone had heard her shouting, but they just didn't want to get involved. Fear did strange things to people.
Katara paused to catch her breath. Moving like this was hard work. A muffled noise drifted to her ears. She froze, heart pounding. That was the first sound she'd heard outside her own making in what felt like hours. It sounded like it was coming from inside the house as well.
"Hey!" she yelled, though her voice came out hoarse. "Is someone there?"
The sound came again, still muted. Was that human? A groan?
"Damn it," she hissed under her breath.
She tried to increase her pace, but it was so hard to even move while her hands were bound to her ankles. If only she could get her hands free.
"Hey!" she tried again. "Can you hear me?"
There was a sound that might have been a moan or a yes; it was too slurred to tell. Still, that was definitely human. Relief swept through her. She wasn't alone in this place, but it didn't sound like her companion was in good condition.
"I'm trying to get to you," Katara explained, "but I'm tied up and can't move very fast. What about you? Are you hurt? Can you move?"
More muffled noises. Then a voice came: older than her, male, and clearly in pain.
"Lady Katara, is—is that you?"
Her eyes widened. "Kenta?"
"Thank the spirits you're alive." Some coughing. "I can't move; neither of us can. I only just managed to get the gag off."
"There's someone else with you?"
"Yes. It's—"
The sound of the front door opening and shutting made Katara freeze. She twisted her neck and stared up at the man who had entered. His face was hidden in shadow, but when he stepped into the light, all she could do was recoil. It was like looking at a nightmare from the past: in her mind, she saw the Spirit Oasis and the firebender who had tried to kill the Moon Spirit—that monster who had forced Yue to sacrifice her life. Same square jaw, same brown eyes, same cruel determination. The similarity had never been so strong, but now she wasn't surprised by the knowledge she had learnt since their first meeting; this man and Zhao were indeed brothers. It seemed they might even be of the same ilk.
"Yuji," she said, putting a name to the face. "You—what are you—"
"Lady Katara," he greeted, lowering his head in a mocking bow.
"No!" Kenta yelled. "Stay away from her, you bastard!"
Yuji laughed. "I see the pests have woken. How's that old fool Hisao? Still alive?"
Kenta swore and the groans—the pained noises she realised were now coming from Minister Hisao—started up again. Her stomach twisted. This was all wrong. Yuji had seemed polite and courteous whenever he had spoken to her, but then she should have learnt by now that appearances could be deceiving. A smile could just as easily turn into a snarl.
"What are you going to do with us?" she asked.
It was surprising how calmly she could speak. She knew she was afraid. Unease prickled all over her skin. The scent of danger was thick in the air, getting in her nostrils, her throat. It clawed its way into her chest and made her heart jump and flutter—warned her to stay far away from this man. It reminded her that she was bound and helpless, and Kenta and Hisao were in no position to fight either.
"Well," Yuji said, letting his hand glow with flames, "by now Mayumi should have completed her task. That just leaves me to finish this farce."
"Farce?"
She refused to accept or even acknowledge the former part of his words.
"Yes." Yuji's face twisted in disgust. "Pretending to be your supporter has been so tedious. You and the Fire Lord both." He spat on the ground near her knee; she supposed she should be glad the bit of spittle didn't actually get on her. "To think that he tainted himself and his bloodline with a Water Tribe peasant like you. It just goes to show that his father was right: Fire Lord Zuko is worthless. All it took was you spreading your legs for him to make him lose his way."
Anger pulsed inside her, deep like a blood-pounding drum. "You're wrong."
"Oh?" Yuji's voice, if it was possible, became even crueller. "How so? We all know the only reason you got engaged to the Fire Lord is because he fucked you like the little whore you are and got you pregnant. It's called damage control." He eyed her in a measuring way. "Then again, maybe you calculated that. Maybe it was your plan all along to get with his child. It must have been easy for you to seduce him with your—"
"Shut up!"
Katara's chest heaved. She wished she could get free. She wished she could smack the leer off his face with the biggest water whip she could create. The way he looked at her: sizing her up—making her feel naked and dirty and objectified—repulsed her to the core. He had no right to speak about her that way. He had no right to reduce her relationship with Zuko into something so calculating and—and degrading. Sure, the first time they'd had sex had arisen from impulses and had ended on a sour note, but Yuji had no idea what he was talking about. She would have never used Zuko in such a way. Not ever.
"You're disgusting!" she spat, glaring at him.
His eyes glinted. "On the contrary, the only disgusting thing here is you. It sickens me to think what has become of this nation because of your influence. All this talk of unions and harmony between the Fire Nation and Water Tribes—I refuse to accept it! Fire Lord Zuko has proven himself unfit to be our ruler, and you and that abomination growing inside you will never get anywhere near the throne if I can help it!"
Rage swelled in her chest. "So, that's it?" she demanded. "That's your reason for doing all this? Because I'm Water Tribe?"
"What other reason do I need?"
Katara opened her mouth to respond, but Kenta got there before her; the guard screamed profanities and threats from where he was trapped in the other room, enraged that Yuji had spoken such foul things and now planned to do her harm. That was reassuring. At least someone was on her side. Still, Katara was confused.
"Mayumi wanted to keep me safe," she pointed out. "Aren't you two working together? She won't be pleased if you hurt me."
He smiled unnervingly. "That woman is a convenient tool and nothing more. She took it into her head that you and the child could be spared, and I encouraged her because I knew it would be so much easier to finish you off once she brought you here." A glint of distaste entered his eyes and his smile faded. "Still, imagine my surprise when my assassin started pleading for your life—you, a Water Tribe piece of filth."
Katara swallowed at the look in his eyes. Those eyes promised murder. Her heart hammered against her ribs. She struggled desperately at the ropes—even just to get her fingers free. The prickles of danger were getting worse by the second.
"It really is sickening," he continued, stepping forward, "but no matter. I don't have to hold back anymore. Everything is in place now: Mayumi will take care of the Fire Lord, Hisao made himself the perfect scapegoat to take the fall for your death with all his idiotic outspokenness, and I will be free to continue with my plans."
"You're insane," she said, barely able to comprehend how this man's mind worked.
"I'm not."
Except that was exactly how he looked: eyes intense and flickering with a crazed sort of determination. He really was a mirror image of his brother.
"I just know there's only one way to deal with the likes of you." He took another step closer. "You're like a disease; you'll contaminate everything if we let you live. Just look at how you've corrupted the Fire Lord. Even the opposition to your marriage has begun to decrease." His fingers dug into her hair, pulling her up from the ground. "That's why I'm going to finish what my brother started. I won't let Zhao's death be in vain!"
Katara's heart seemed to get stuck in her throat, but she didn't let her fear show in her eyes. She confronted him boldly and spat in his face; it was all she had left to show her defiance. Yuji growled and raised his flame-encased hand to strike. The fire was hot against her skin—a caress without contact that promised of all the pain to come.
Is this it? her mind thought in sick resignation. Is this how it ends?
Bound. Unable to even fight back. Kenta shouted and Hisao groaned, not even within her sight. The reminder of their presence was not comforting. The two men would be next; she could see it in Yuji's face. His grip on her hair tightened, tugging on her scalp and making tears prickle in the corners of her eyes.
"Die," he said coldly.
Katara's breathing hitched. Suddenly, there was a sickening thwack. He jolted forward, eyes widening. Blood spurted and splattered on her face—little drops of red that painted her skin. An arrow had pierced through his neck. A second thwack sounded, followed by another and another. The fire vanished from his hand and the grip on Katara's hair relaxed, letting her collapse against the ground in an awkward heap. She struggled to make sense of what was happening.
"B-bitch," Yuji choked out, blood bubbling from his lips as he tried to twist around to face his attacker. "You—you dare to—"
But he couldn't get the words out; his voice trailed off into a gargled mess and he fell forward, landing face first on the floor. His body twitched. Arrows stuck out of his shoulder, legs and neck. Mayumi stood in the doorway and lowered her bow. She was covered in burns, her face a jarring mess of ravaged flesh. Katara was too frozen to do more than blink.
"I'm sorry," Mayumi said simply.
Breath returned to Katara's lungs. It cleared her head—made time unstick and her body remember how to move. In the background, Kenta was demanding to know what had happened. Neither she nor Mayumi responded to him. Instead, Katara's gaze remained fixed on the assassin in front of her.
"Zuko?" she asked.
"Alive."
Relief swept through her, making her feel a bit lightheaded and like her heart could finally return to its natural rhythm. She had not realised how scared she had been for him until that moment.
"He'll come for you soon," Mayumi said, turning the other way. "I made sure to lead them here."
"Wait! Don't just—"
But the woman had apparently done all she had intended and was just as swift to leave as she had appeared. Katara was left staring at the open door. She didn't know how to feel. Mayumi had tried to kill Zuko multiple times—had lied to her and betrayed her—but the woman had also just saved her life. It was too confusing.
Fortunately, Mayumi had not been lying about help being on the way; Zuko did arrive not long after, along with Suki and some of his elite guard. Katara wasn't prepared for the lump of emotion that got stuck in her throat when she caught sight of him, or how good it felt when he cut through the ropes and pulled her into his arms. The embrace was almost crushing, but it was exactly what she needed. His warmth, the strong thrum of his heartbeat. Tears spilled down her cheeks and she buried her face into his shoulder, breathing in his scent. Dimly, she was aware of Suki heading into the other room to help Kenta and Hisao while some of the other guards dealt with Yuji's body.
"I thought I lost you," Zuko murmured. His voice was so small and vulnerable it barely seemed to belong to him. "Don't scare me like that."
A tiny, hiccup-like laugh escaped her lips. "Shouldn't I be saying that to you?"
Zuko just held her tighter. Neither of them wanted to let go. It wasn't until Suki cleared her throat that Katara finally pulled back. A smile curved the Kyoshi Warrior's mouth. Zuko went a bit pink, but Katara refused to be embarrassed. She stood up with him and went to grip his hand, not wanting to lose contact. Her palm brushed against fabric and he flinched a little. Surprised, she saw what looked like a ripped portion of his robe wrapped around his hand; the cloth was soaked in blood.
"You're hurt!" she exclaimed. "Why did you come here injured? Why didn't you say anything?"
His brow furrowed. "You were more important."
He said it like it was a fact—just a simple thing that should have been obvious. Katara felt heat bloom on her cheeks and spread to the roots of her hair. Sometimes, he was so awkward, but when he came out with statements like that as if it was nothing, it always took her off guard. There was no doubt he meant every word.
"Idiot," she murmured.
She unwrapped the bandage and saw the ugly wound underneath. It was bad—the kind that could cause a lot of nerve damage and complications. The big dummy should have got it treated straight away. In fact, Katara could have hit him in frustration for being so careless, but instead she gloved her hands in water and began healing the wound. It would take more than one session to get his mobility back to normal, but at least she could seal up everything. Once finished, she kissed his palm, treasuring the moment of knowing he was okay—that they were both okay. He seemed to understand her feeling because he leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers.
"Thanks," he said softly.
Their eyes met. Again, Suki cleared her throat.
"You can undress each other with your eyes—or, heck, just undress each other—as much as you like once we're back at the palace and you're alone," Suki said with a hint of amusement. "In the meantime, Katara, we could do with your healing powers. Minister Hisao is in bad shape."
Right. There were still people who needed her help.
Katara squeezed Zuko's hand one last time before letting go to tend to Hisao. The minister looked battered and had a swollen lump on his head; he was also suffering from a nasty concussion. She tried to get him to follow her finger, but he could hardly focus on the digit. Frowning, she set to work. It wasn't easy—injuries to the head were so much trickier—but she soon had him sitting up a bit straighter and the awareness returning to his eyes.
"Thank you," he said once she was finished.
The words surprised her. Hisao had made it clear he had never approved of her or her engagement to Zuko, but just then he had almost sounded sincere. Albeit, even if it did look as if he'd swallowed a whole lemon just to get the words out.
She nodded in acknowledgement. Hisao grasped her wrist before she could move away. His touch was oddly hesitant.
"Yes?" she asked. "Are you hurt somewhere else?"
Hisao struggled for a moment. "I was wrong."
A blank stare.
"About you," he elaborated. "You—you might just be what this nation needs. You and Fire Lord Zuko."
Her breath caught and then a warm smile curved her lips. "I hope so."
The man didn't smile in return, but she could see the acceptance in his eyes. He didn't even look like he was sucking on lemons now. Somehow, it was enough.
She left him to be fussed over by the guards and went to heal Kenta. The firebender was explaining to Zuko how he had ended up captured with Hisao. She only caught the end part—where Kenta had tried to help Hisao, who was being attacked, and had got hit from behind with a paralysis dart.
"They seem to be pretty fond of those," Zuko said in a wry tone.
Katara wasn't sure what Zuko meant by that, but he didn't bother to explain and just sighed. It was obvious he was still frustrated by how things had ended. Resolving this matter wasn't going to be easy since Yuji was dead and Mayumi was gone; it was something they all understood. Still, Katara was just glad they were alive and together again.
She slipped her hand in Zuko's and glanced up at his face. "It's going to be okay," she said.
The look in his eyes hinted there were many things he wanted to tell her, but all he did was tighten his grip. "Right."
Suki joined them and suggested they head back to the palace. There was nothing more to be gained from sticking around in this place. No one argued. Katara, if she was to be honest, still felt a bit jittery and her skin crawled when she saw the spots of blood on the ground where Yuji's body had fallen and had since been removed. It was a reminder of how close she had come to death. Not that she let a peep of her disquiet escape; she didn't want people to think her weak. It was bad enough she had been unable to protect herself—bad enough that she had walked right into the trap. Better to just leave this place and put the whole thing behind her. Plus, she really did believe everything was going to be okay. Or maybe she just hoped.
On the way back, while seated in the carriages that had been arranged for them, Zuko asked Hisao what had really happened between the minister and Mayumi earlier that morning. There were some things that still troubled him about the whole affair.
"You have to admit," Zuko pointed out, "it did look suspicious."
Hisao turned up his nose. "I'm offended that you would think I'd betray you, Fire Lord Zuko."
"I never said that," Zuko said hastily.
Though it was obvious he had thought it. Hisao hadn't been subtle with his disapproval. Yuji had pointed out quite correctly that the man had been one of the more vocal voices of opposition to many of Zuko's mandates, not to mention had been especially critical of the wisdom of marrying a girl from the Water Tribes. It was why Yuji had tried to use the minister as a scapegoat. Why would people have suspected Yuji—the guy who was always quick to defend Katara and Zuko—when someone like Hisao was going around saying all sorts of disparaging things?
"Yuji's father was one of my friends," Hisao admitted after a moment, not meeting anyone's gaze. "He died when Zhao and Yuji were still young. I took it upon myself to keep an eye on the boys, but, well, we all know what happened with Zhao. As for Yuji—" a sigh escaped his lips "—he changed after his brother's death. I saw him a few times with that servant woman; I thought they were lovers."
Zuko pressed his palm to his forehead. "I see."
Hisao looked a bit embarrassed. "Well, I knew Yuji wouldn't listen to me if I told him not to get involved with a peasant, so I tried to warn the woman off instead."
Except Mayumi and Yuji had not been lovers—at least, Katara did not think that had been the case. Mayumi had just been his assassin: a tool Yuji had manipulated by using her anger and grief against her. The whole thing left a bad taste in Katara's mouth. Perhaps the others felt the same, as no one much felt like speaking after that. She didn't even want to think about it anymore, so she shifted closer to Zuko and intertwined their fingers. Then she closed her eyes and blocked out the world. Unfortunately, it didn't stop the memories from replaying in her mind.
Fire. Arrows. A face ravaged by burns. The images continued to haunt her for a long time.
oOo
It was a new moon that night, though the sky was so clouded with the rain that had set in that it made no difference there was no moon. Katara couldn't even see the stars. Her bending was a bit weaker as well—it always was during this phase of the lunar cycle—but the rain helped to mitigate her unease. Water was her element and the pitter-patter of droplets was a soothing lullaby after the day's stress. It felt like it was washing everything away: the fear, the tension.
So much had gone wrong so quickly, yet they had also been lucky. The death toll of the day was only one: Yuji himself. Nobu and the other guard who had been taken down by Mayumi had been in a critical condition, but Master Pakku had attempted to heal the men—a shock in itself considering his views about gender and bending roles—and Katara had been able to do the rest upon her return. It would be a while before either of them resumed their duties, but at least they were alive. Two other guards, along with the man who had been assigned to follow Mayumi, had been found bound within the palace; their pride was the only thing that had been injured. None of them could forgive themselves for failing to stop Mayumi. Not that Zuko or Katara had held it against them. Mayumi was a skilled assassin; both were just glad no one had been killed. Still, it was much harder for Katara to forgive herself.
She moved closer to the balcony's edge. The rain created wet trails against her skin and dampened her robe. Katara breathed in deeply.
"You're getting wet."
She stilled at the sound of Zuko's voice. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his hands on her stomach where a baby bump would eventually form. She closed her eyes and relaxed into the embrace. Her hands settled on top of his.
"Now you are too," she replied.
His lips curved against her neck. "I know."
They stood in silence for a while, raindrops falling around them. It was reassuring to have him close like this. She could feel his heartbeat against her back, strong and steady. His touch was warm and chased the tension from her limbs. Yet even then there was a part of her that felt like it was still trapped in that house; it remembered being bound and helpless, and how nothing she had been able to do had stopped Yuji from coming closer. It remembered being weak.
"I can't stand it," she confided in a whisper—so small it was more like an exhalation of air.
"Hrm?"
"Yuji. I couldn't stop him; he was going to kill me, and I couldn't fight back or do anything. I was even stupid enough to fall for Mayumi's lies, and I—"
"Hey." He turned her around in his arms so she was facing him, and then his hands were on her face. "Where's all this coming from all of a sudden?"
"Because I should have been able to stop him! I've trained for so long not to be weak like this—so I'd be able to fight and protect the people I love—but I messed up; I just made myself a burden, and I—"
"So you got caught off guard. So what?" His thumb brushed her cheek. "You're strong, Katara. One of the strongest benders I know. If you hadn't been tied up, you would have defeated him easily."
She trembled and lowered her gaze. "But I was tied up. I was so stupid, and I almost got myself and our baby killed because of it, and—"
"But you didn't."
She shook her head. "It was just luck Mayumi turned up when she did and—"
"Katara."
"And—"
Zuko crashed his mouth against hers. She stilled in surprise. His lips were wet from the rain, soft yet bruising. Instinctively, her eyes fluttered shut. She could feel all he had been bottling up inside him in the kiss: all the fear he had felt when she had gone missing, the relief when they had been reunited, and how, right now, he just wanted her to shut up and listen.
Listen, because there were words to be heard in the silence.
The pads of his fingers traced her skin and slipped into her hair. Soft, so softly, as if to erase from her memory the awful grip Yuji had taken on the same strands. The slight pull when he did tangle his fingers into her hair as they kissed didn't put her off—it wasn't rough or painful. Zuko was anchoring himself to her. He was seeking her like a drowning man: instinctive touches that whispered she was the tether to which he wanted to be tied; that he would bind himself to her completely if it meant they didn't have to part.
You are my safety.
Her blood pounded in her ears. Everything in her seemed to be thudding and thudding in time to the beating of her heart. It was human nature to hold back just a little—to hide away the most vulnerable part of one's heart so as not to be crushed. Zuko was not hiding. He pressed his other hand into the small of her back and pulled her close. Their chests collided, bodies touching and moulding together through dampened cloth. His lithe limbs were built for fighting, but then so were hers now. War had changed her from that soft, untested girl who had looked with fear upon a scarred prince and his hulking, metal ship; there was strength in her thighs, in her arms. Becoming a master waterbender had refined her. When he kissed her again, she felt that. Heard his reprimand for beating herself up over what had happened today.
You are my equal. You could never be weak.
Their tongues met in an exchange of breath. Silent words, silken caresses. He spoke of pleasure and desire: of how there was no fire more intense, more powerful than the one she made burn inside him. She was an element he could not control—did not want to control—because she made his body come alive, and he would always want to share that with her: to be skin on skin, to let their hearts beat in time with one another and their pulses quicken.
You are my passion.
Katara moved back with him towards the bed. Clothes were discarded as their hands sought each other and their lips touched, slanting and parting all over again in a need to be closer. It wasn't enough. The realisation was a tattoo being pounded into her core, into her very soul. Zuko had stirred something in her with his honesty that could not be denied. It was something that could only be satisfied when there was no more space between them—when all the barriers were gone and they had reached beyond unseen planes to the intrinsic.
I am yours and you are mine.
They both sighed in relief when he finally joined with her, sheathing himself as deep as he could go. Their bodies had been designed for this. When they moved together, it was like the world was fitting into place. All the confusion, the fear, the self-doubt—it all just melted away. This was how it was meant to be. Zuko kissed her with all he had and let her feel everything—let her hear all he had been trying to say. Because he needed her. She was his strength, his home. There was no one else he wanted to rule this nation with him, and nothing was going to change that.
"I love you," he murmured as they lay together afterwards.
She stilled, not sure if she had heard correctly. Sometimes things just slipped out during sex—words, at least on her part, she knew that she would be too embarrassed to say if she weren't caught up in an orgasm. But this was different. For one, he wasn't in the middle of climaxing; for another, he'd never said those three words to her. Not once.
Zuko had been tracing lazy circles on her back, but now he shifted his hand to cup her face. His eyes were mesmerising gold and he had never looked more serious. "I love you," he repeated. "I think I've been in love with you since Ba Sing Se. I just wanted you to know."
Katara felt like she had been suckerpunched to the heart. "W-what?"
A tinge of colour spread on his cheeks. "You really need me to say it again?"
Maybe she did. He'd let her see into his heart tonight, but she'd still not expected this. She'd not expected to feel so—so—
"One more time," she pleaded.
His blush darkened, but the beginnings of a smile curved his lips as well. "I love you," he whispered. He nuzzled into her neck and pressed a kiss to the sensitive skin by her ear. "I love you, Katara."
She closed her eyes and couldn't help but smile. She probably looked like an idiot, but she didn't care. Once, those words would have made her shy off. Too soon, she would have thought. Too much. Now, it was like the last pieces of a puzzle had fallen into place. His words were her words; they had been the whole night. There was only one thing she could do in response.
"I think—" she licked her dry lips "—I think I love you too."
A hint of playfulness entered his eyes. "What was that?"
Katara almost rolled her eyes. Oh, so now he wanted to tease her. She made a big show of sighing and acting like it was a chore to please him, only to change tactics last second and pull him in for a kiss. "I love you," she said, grinning up at him.
Zuko's eyes warmed and his smile widened. The expression was so happy, so pure that it made heat spread all over her body in a giddy flush. She had never thought he could make such an expression for her. But then so much had changed since their first meeting when all he had done was scowl and show anger. They were going to become husband and wife; they were going to become parents to the child growing inside her, and they were going to rule a nation together. It was a lot to ask of two teenagers. Still, as they kissed again and held each other close—as she realised how far they had come—she knew they were going to be okay.
Battles were not always won through bending and strength alone. Sometimes, it took kindness, forgiveness, and a whole lot of patience. Even today had proven that. She had not been able to beat Yuji, nor had Zuko truly won his fight in the garden, but it was because they had both softened Mayumi's rage that they were able to be together now. Maybe, just maybe, they could do the same for the Fire Nation.
I hope you like your fluff extra fluffy. There be lots of it here. Also, Final Fantasy VII fans should have got my "Shin Ra" reference, but for those who didn't, it's from a video game. Good stuff. Highly recommend.
I don't know if I should say this or not because it might leave some people disappointed, but this chapter is actually the result of a massive condensing of my original story plan (which I realised was going to turn this story into something way, way lengthier than I wanted). Basically, I was going to do the whole lot more with Hisao and Yuji—especially Yuji—to help build everything up to the reveal, yadda yadda. But in the end I decided it wasn't all that necessary. WSS is a romance first with the assassin subplot being second, so yeah; I have condensed the "let's learn Yuji is a huge arsehole" arc (she says, but mostly had just been thinking "NOT ANOTHER 25+ CHAPTERED FIC!").
Ahem. And now that I have officially regressed into referring to myself in third person, it's time for sleep.
Next up: wherefore art thou, Mayumi? Oh, and royal weddings are kind of a big deal.
(Random side note: Mayumi or 真弓 means "true bow" in Japanese. So, all along her name was a clue. I'm almost tempted to write a spin-off one-shot about her, because her backstory is pretty interesting. But then I don't particularly like writing only about OCs for fanfic, so if people are interested in reading that then I might go ahead, but otherwise her backstory shall stay for my own pleasure in my head.)