And here you go! Order up, chapter 21! Haha. Hope you all like it!
~nightfall26
"Katara! KATARA! Wake up!" I heard anxious cries reaching into the endless darkness, pulling me with them. A hard slap accompanied it.
With a gasp, I shot upright, my eyes springing open.
Zuko was sitting on my bed, his eyes wild with worry, and his hair disheveled. I blinked once.
"What... What happened?" I whispered, my voice hoarse. I touched a finger to my throat, wondering as to why it hurt so much. Zuko swallowed.
"You were having a nightmare. Screaming, thrashing around, and finally started bending in your sleep. You knocked over a few things..." I looked beyond him, and saw that puddles of water were everywhere. A few bookcases had toppled over, as well as my nightstand. I took a deep, shuddering breath, and leaned my head against Zuko's shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me, and stroked his long fingers through my hair.
"Shh... It was just a dream." He murmured. I nodded a little.
Neither of us heard the whisper on the wind, telling me how real that dream had been....
KATARA POV
Zuko rocked me back and forth slowly, his arms fitted about my torso. His lips were held chaste against my throat. Every so often, a few mumbled words reached my ears.
"It's okay... It's over." I caught the few strands of comfort, sighing at them and clinging to him for dear life. My hands fisted in the back of his robe, and I leaned my head on his shoulder to rid myself of the great weight settling upon me. I heaved a great sob, shuddering a little. Zuko stroked my back with long, slow movements.
"Katara." He murmured, his voice a low rasp. I sniffled once in response.
"Zuko." I muttered, between bouts of tears. He lifted my head to face him, and tilted my chin upwards.
"What happened?" He caressed my cheekbones with the pads of his thumbs, his golden eyes appraising me softly. I shook my head violently, and threw my arms around him.
"I'm... I'm so glad you're alive...." I pressed my cheek to his shoulder, and Zuko brushed a kiss to my forehead.
"Of course I'm alive, Katara, why wouldn't I be?" The low response was enough to rouse tears from me again, and with a wail, I buried my face in the crook of his neck.
"You were dead... I watched you die... It was so horrible." I gasped, the tears preventing a more rational response. The gentle caution he had been preferring suddenly vanished. Almost roughly, he pressed me as close as we could bear.
It seemed like hours before either of us moved even a little.
The wracking sobs slowed, and I released a final, weary sigh. It was then that I noticed how we were wrapped around each other. I was nestled in Zuko's lap, my arms tightened in a chokehold about his neck. Firm arms encircled my waist, and his fingers dug into the skin of my back. His face was buried in my hair- Mine was pressed to the smooth skin of his shoulder. The warmth that emanated from him only made me want to grip him tighter to me.
"Are you alright?" Zuko murmured. I nodded slowly, and lifted my head to stare into his golden eyes. They were a buttery color in the faint morning light, warm with affection. He leaned down, tilting his forehead against my own. My heart began to pulse violently beneath the skin of my chest, and he smirked.
"I can hear that." He chuckled. I smiled shyly, not being able to hide the blush that streaked my cheeks. Zuko smoothed his fingers against my face.
"Don't be embarrassed." He gathered my hand in his, and pressed it to his chest. His heart beat as swiftly as mine. I grinned now, taking sweet comfort in the lessening amount of space between us. The lips that pressed against my own were careful, not like in my dream. The kiss was unbearably short, and when we broke apart, Zuko kissed the tip of my nose.
"My servants will be coming soon... They'll wonder where I am." He whispered, nuzzling my nose with his. I giggled a little, uncharacteristically, and closed my eyes lazily.
"Alright... Will I see you at breakfast?" I asked softly.
"Of course, Katara." My name flowed from his tongue like it had been sung. I smiled.
"Good." I breathed. Zuko pressed one last kiss to my forehead before loosening his grip from about me. I clutched desperately to his hand, feeling utterly childish. He only released my fingertips from his, and stepped away. He righted my bookshelves and my nightstand, and smiled over his shoulder at me.
And then he was gone.
I bended the water on the floor into the basin on my dresser, sighing and burrowing back down into the covers. I felt something crinkle from beneath me, and I frowned.
"What's this...?" I found myself staring a note, slighly rumpled. It was the same note that had been in my dream.
Where had that dream begun, anyways? I didn't recall falling asleep. I turned it over, and noticed the Northern Water Tribe insignia was gone. I chewed on my lip in frustration, and shoved the piece of paper beneath my pillow.
"Stupid note." I grumbled, tossing onto my side and snuggling under the thick comforter.
It wasn't long before I heard a knock at my door, and I groaned.
"Who is it?" I called, turning to look. The door opened with a soft click, and when nobody entered, I grew anxious.
"Who is it...?" I repeated, sitting up a little bit and readying myself to lash out with my bending. The door swung open a little further, and I snapped my wrist forward. Water drenched the person who was creeping into my room, and I heard a groan.
"Jumpy, Sweetness?"
It was Toph. I yelped in surprise, hurrying to bend the water off of her and leaping off of the bed. I threw my arms around the smaller girl.
"I missed you so much, Toph!" I cried, hugging the little girl with as much strength as I could muster. Toph patted me awkwardly, and chuckled a little.
"Yeah, yeah, I missed you too." She muttered. I released her, smiling hugely.
"Where have you been?" I asked. She sighed.
"I haven't left the Fire Nation, Sweetness. I should ask you where you've been." Her lips curved downward disapprovingly. I crossed my arms over my chest and huffed.
"Haven't you heard? Aang tried to kill Zuko to get at me." I muttered, looking at the floor. Toph gasped.
"No! He wouldn't ever do something like that..." Her voice trailed off, and something finally registered in her mind.
"Wait a second... You and Zuko?"
"Yeah." I spoke softly. Toph laughed, tilting her head back and putting her hands on her hips.
"No way! This is going to be great!" She snorted a little. I shook my head at her, and chuckled a little.
"I have to get dressed, do you mind?" I asked, walking to my armoire.
"Sweetness, may I again remind you of the small fact.... that I'm BLIND?" Toph drawled. I giggled a little and shed my nightgown to replace it with a Fire Nation dress. Toph made her way over to my bed and plopped down, crossing her legs and putting her arms behind her head.
"Comfortable. Seems like good ol' Sparky is giving you the royal treatment." Toph called, as I began to brush out my hair. I flushed a little.
"Don't deny it!" Toph pointed to me, and I grinned.
"Not denying!" I replied, giggling. It felt good to be around a girl my age again. Especially Toph. I had missed the feeling of gossiping, the laughter that came only with 'girl talk', and even Toph's teasing.
By the time I had gotten myself ready, it was time for breakfast. Toph and I walked down to the dining hall, teasing each other the whole way there. Once we arrived, Toph waved at Zuko.
"Hey, Sparky! Looking good!" She called. I poked her in the arm.
"Toph, you're..." I began.
"Blind, yes, I know. But does he?" Toph said mysteriously, waggling her fingers around.
"Toph, you're blind." Zuko replied idly, sipping some juice. Toph slumped.
"Foiled again...." She muttered, stalking over to get some food. I sat next to Zuko, and smiled at him. He twined our fingers together.
"Good morning." He said gently, his eyes lit with happiness. I squeezed his hand once.
"Good morning, your majesty." I teased. My stomach rumbled a little, and Zuko laughed.
"Get some food, Katara. You sound hungry."
"Fine... Fine." I stuck my tongue out at him, and stood up, dancing over to the food. Toph had stacked her plate with piles of food, and was looking at the rest with passionate desire in her eyes.
"Come on, Toph. You can't eat it all." I gave her a little shove in the opposite direction, laughing a little at her. Once I sat down with the three of them, we exchanged jokes and laughter.
It seemed like everything was going well.
Until Zuko got a message.
He scanned over the piece of paper, his eyes growing with each passing moment. I leaned over the table to prod his hand.
"Zuko, what is it?" I asked. He didn't respond.
"Zuko...?" I repeated.
"Sparky?" Toph looked worried. Finally, Zuko snapped out of his stupor to look at us.
"Someone's attacked and killed all the men in one of my barracks. They left this note." Zuko tossed a small, crumpled paper down on the table. I scooped it up and smoothed it out, reading it out loud.
"To whom it may concern. This is a warning. You have something that doesn't belong to you, Fire Lord. I will kill every last person in your army until I reach her. The Shadow Bender." When I finished, I froze.
I knew who it was talking about.
But did Zuko?
ZUKO
As my eyes scanned over the page hurriedly, a heavy sense of dread spread through my body. I knew exactly what this meant. The answers had come in a dream. It had been a short dream, but a revealing one.
I had questioned my sanity when I had awoken, true, and perhaps even tried to shake it off. But now I realized how very real that dream had been as soon as I had read this paper.
I had fallen asleep, thoughts of Katara sending me into a deep sleep...
Flashback to the Dream
It was cold. The air around me was as brittle and icy as if Katara had frozen it. I opened my eyes, and found myself to be standing in an endless darkness. I scoured the blackness dancing beyond my eyes with desperation, hoping to find something lurking in its depths.
"Hello?" I called, my voice barely more than a whisper. It echoed, as if I was standing in a cave. Nothing greeted me.
And then, just beyond the edges of my vision, I noticed the inky black was receding.
"Good evening, Fire Lord." The voice that called to me was bitter. I stood my ground, reaching my arms out in a defensive position.
"Don't even try bending. It will only end in your demise, I'm afraid." It was a male voice, edged in malice.
"Who are you?" I replied, my eyes narrowing.
"Don't bother with those kind of questions. You know who I am." As soon as the area surrounding me began to light, I noticed a man standing in front of me. He wore all black armor, with long white hair dripping from a sharp face. His silver eyes, cold and calculating, cut through my soul.
"Actually, I don't." I hissed, my muscles tensing. He raised an eyebrow before changing the subject.
"You know a Lady Katara, do you not?" I froze.
"Well? Do you?" He asked, an amused smirk curving his lips upward. He began to circle around me, like a vulture that has spotted its prey. I didn't answer. I only glared at him.
"Ahh, so you do. Excellent. Then my message is simple, Fire Lord." The strange man came closer, and I noticed he had a small, sharp blade in his right hand. It reminded me vaguely of Mai. He got closer still, until I could feel his breath upon my face.
"I will take her from you. And then you will know the meaning of pain."
With that, he bared his teeth at me in a snarl before whipping his arms out to the sides. The dream world vanished, and I woke to the sound of Katara screaming.
Shadow bender.
It all made sense now.
He could bend shadows... and he could bend dreams.
This could prove to be a difficult enemy to defeat.
Ooohhh, suspense!!
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Thank you!!!
~nightfall26