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"No fucking way. I am not promising you that." Zuko jerks back, and without the support of his legs, Katara's head taps the ground. She's numb and can barely feel it. The dust of the ground mixes into her dark hair, the dirt massaging her scalp.
His expression is furious; his eyes scream in rage as the gold glistens, melting in the sun. A familiar snarl that Katara hasn't seen since those early days is back, narrowing his features. The grass tickles her ears and weaves its way into her hair along with the dirt. How quickly his mask can be applied.
"Why not?" she asks, honestly confused.
"I'm not a murderer, Katara. And I would never harm someone I lo- who means the world to me." A frustrated hand grabs at his inky hair that spills over his forehead and around the collar of his shirt.
"If I'm killing everyone around me, no one would even consider it murder."
Zuko stops his pacing, kneeling down. "I would feel like a murderer. Do you know what that would do to me, if I was the one to end you, to have you leave me? Agni, Katara, do you ever think?"
There is fire in her eyes, as she leans her face closer to his. Zuko's frustrated breath washes over her features. "Why are you being selfish?"
"Why are you being inconsiderate? It's not just me either; why aren't you thinking of your brother and the Avatar?"
Tears collect in her blue eyes, spilling onto her cheeks. "I asked you this because I don't want to kill them! I don't want to kill you, Zuko! I love you too much!"
He stares, his gold eyes blinking repeatedly. His head falls onto her shoulder. "No one's ever told me that before."
"What?"
"That they love me, besides my mother of course." Clear tears slide down his cheeks, collecting in the ridges of his scar.
"I mean it, Zuko; I have loved you for a long time now, and I will never stop."
"Thank you," he whispers into her collarbone, his lips puckering on her smooth brown skin.
The breeze tickles their skin, weaving through their hair as they lean into each other, drawing on each other's strength and bravery. Breathing is all Katara can hear, as his breaths continuously whisper past her ear. His body is warm against hers, and she tries not to melt into him, wanting to surrender and stay together in the sunny patch of grass.
Where nothing but their feelings for each other matter.
Where the threat of bending and the impending world destruction doesn't matter.
Until her brain comes out of its impromptu haze, and these thoughts start to leak through the block, coming full force to the front of her mind, overwhelming her. She starts to whimper and cry as the stress presses down on her body. As the fear of her bending starts to press down on her limbs. Zuko's arms wrap tighter around her as Katara's body starts to sag from the weight, her body becoming limp.
"Shh," he soothes, rubbing a warm hand up and down her back. "Everything will be okay."
Empty words. Her nose is buried in his hair, the longer strands tickling her as she breathes in and out. His scent enveloping her, of spices and of a crackling fire. His unique smell that he hasn't lost even with being in the woods for many months.
"I-I don't understand. I thought I was better, but here I am blubbering because I can't bend. I'm going in circles, and it's getting old. I want to be fixed!"
"You're not broken, Katara. Far from it. You may be bent but not broken. Not broken like me or my family or this world."
Katara finds her vision filled with molten gold, a brightness that would rival the sun. "If I can't bend-"
"Bending does not make a person. Your brother is a non bender, my sister's friends are non benders. I've taught you how to use swords, and I can teach you more advance skills if you're interested. Maybe it's time to forget about waterbending," Zuko says.
"No!" Katara yells, "I am the last waterbender of the Southern Tribe. The legacy will not end with me just because I was too weak to control myself. Just because one method didn't work, doesn't mean another won't." She finally breathes. "You said so yourself that your uncle could help, that the spirits would help."
"Katara," he starts gently. His hands are on her arms; goose bumps travel up her skin as he pushes her to an arms reach. He dips his head. "The Painted Lady did say you would have to learn control. But she wasn't very helpful. It seemed like you had to do it without otherworldly help."
"But she told you that Yue was supposed to talk to me. I have to find her, find a way to communicate with the moon spirit. Let's leave this place. You're as sick of it as I am."
When they venture back into Jaya's house Katara can sense the thickness of unspoken words descending upon her like a second, suffocating skin. Jaya frowns, as if she knows the waterbending didn't work. Lily, with her stuffed platypus bear, has a sad glint in her eyes, like she knows Katara and Zuko will be leaving soon. She runs up to them as soon as Zuko enters her vision, hugging onto his two legs, stopping any forward motion. Everyone's laughs does nothing to ease the tension.
Drauka is nowhere to be found.
"Where will you go from here?" Jaya begins the questioning as a pot is stirred over the fire. Zuko peels some carrots off to the side, the tiny peeling knife hidden in his large hand.
"Ba Sing Se. That's where all the refugees go," Katara supplies. The smell of the stew bombards Katara's nostrils as the bubbles floating on the liquid surface of the meal start to pop from the heat of the fire underneath the metal pot.
"We're hoping to find my uncle, though it will be a slim possibility at be-"
"Lee is just a pessimist," Katara begins, trying to smile. "I, on the other hand, do believe that we will find his uncle in the uhh... very large city."
"Well," Jaya says, gathering the plates. "I will wish the best of luck to both of you, and I hope that you will be able to find happiness in this messed up world together."
One last meal is shared together, and soon Jaya is hugging Katara, mumbling regrets into her ear. Zuko slings a pack over shoulder, filled with new supplies and medicine. He places a couple of extra coins in the older woman's hand ignoring her protests.
"I'm sorry we were a burden," he says. "I hope these compensate for the extra food and materials that were spent on us."
Jaya stares at the engraved golden coins, her finger tracing the grooves. "This is more than enough. I am sorry to see that you have to go so soon, and I'm equally sorry to know that nothing was accomplished here."
Katara ducks her head, feeling Jaya's eyes on her.
"I only wish that I got to learn more from you, as you have learned from us. But you," Jaya says, her piercing gaze lands on Zuko who is standing in the doorway, his back facing the dirt road. "Become the ruler I know you can be, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation."
Katara's feet are making impressions in the loose dirt soil as Zuko's jaw still hangs low in disbelief. She tries not to laugh.
"You knew that she knew, didn't you?" he speaks for the first time since leaving Jaya's residence- which in reality was less than two minutes ago.
"Maybe. It accidently came up in conversation one day. She seemed fine with it, excited even to be serving royalty."
The dirt path leads to the town's market, a place they haven't been to since the day Katara collapsed a couple of weeks ago. She hopes everyone has forgotten about that moment, as this is the only way to Ba Sing Se. Very few people are crowding around the equally empty market stalls. A crumpled piece of parchment runs over Katara's boots and she jumps. Everything is too quiet, even the birds have stopped singing.
"Something's wrong," Zuko states before a hand latches onto Katara's wrist.
Her body whirls around, staring into the dark but fiery eyes of Daruka. "Going without saying goodbye?" he spits.
Katara's hand flies to the hilt of her dagger before Zuko has time to unsheathe his swords. The tip of the metal presses into Daruka's soft skin under his chin. A thin trail of blood pools on the tip of the dagger and making its way down Daruka's sun kissed skin. Her hand shakes when she sees the blood; something calls from inside of her, singing a haunting tune in her ears. "What did you do?" Katara growls, and Zuko sneers next to her.
"What I should've done sooner," Daruka somehow gloats though he is the one at knife point.
The unmistakable clanking of armor fills the tiny square, and the remaining people scatter. A flash of red and orange, and soon the ground around them is bursting into flames, corralling them into a circle. The dagger digs a little deeper into Daruka's skin as her eyes blaze with hatred, mirroring the ferocity of the fire. Twenty or so Fire Nation soldiers surround them as well, their beady eyes hidden by the light of the fire. The leader of the group hits Zuko on the back of his head before he can swing around with a kick; he lands on his knees, kneeling and dazed. Blood trickles from his mouth.
A gauntleted hand grips Katara's writs crushing and bending it until she hears the bones snap- or was that her screaming?- making her drop the dagger. The words of inspiration are scuffed over with dirt as one of the soldiers proceeds to kick the weapon into the fire.
"Thank you," Daruka praises. "But couldn't you have gotten here sooner?" he asks, rubbing the cut on his neck; it has stopped bleeding.
"Watch it, kid. Or we'll start asking how you knew these criminals so well." Criminals? Katara thought Zuko and her were fugitives.
"Hey," he stammers, "I was just being a good citizen, reporting when I saw them walking through the village one day. Nothing more."
"Traitor," Katara seathes, both wrists now held by a soldier and drawn behind her back. The man's hot breath slides down her back.
But in the back of her mind, she is confused. There is no sign of a crazy princess and her crazy friends. Over the head of one of the soldiers, she sees a prison cart and has to wonder exactly what Daruka told these men. Through these lagging seconds, it is obvious that they do not know that one of the 'criminals' is the banished prince of the Fire Nation. Either way, she hopes Daruka rots in hell.
The flames begin to part and the soldier starts to drag her through the dirt. She tries to bite at the man's skin but every inch is covered in metal plated armor. He pulls at her hair, and tears water in her eyes. His hands encase her waist and is not above brushing one hand over her breasts. Katara's afraid.
"Zuko, help me! Hel-" A soldier clamps his meaty hand over her mouth, muffling her last call. And at Zuko's name, all of the soldiers' eyes bulge, looking at their kneeling prince, struggling to stand.
A boot pounds into his back as Zuko begins to struggle; his face grinds into the dirt, his pale skin painted a darker color. He can't firebend; he can't reach his swords. But with the determination shining in his eyes, she knows he just wants to save her but is helpless. "Katara," he screams, spitting out dirt clumps, "you have to do it. Use your bending!"
"No," she whimpers as her hands begin to feel the encasement of cold metal handcuffs on the way to the prison carriage. "I can't. I can't. I'm sorry!"
I can't believe the one year anniversary of this story is this Sunday! It's crazy, I know, so to celebrate, here is another chapter:) Hope you all enjoy.
I have a question to ask all of you:
There is about ten chapters left in this story, so would you like to end it with an epilogue (which may seem rushed)?
or
Would you rather have me extend it 10 or 15 chapters more because I got a really cool idea to continue this story into season three (but I also don't want it to become too boring and dragging on)?
Please help me figure out what to do! I know which way I'm leaning but I would like to hear from my readers.
Please Review/Follow/Favorite:)