Chapter Twenty-One

Answers

The stench of the prison cells tangled through Zuko's nostrils, twisting his stomach in knots. He squared his shoulders as his hands clenched at his sides. He tried to ignore the scent of the stale air and the lingering traces of rot and decay clinging to it, but they had triggered unpleasant memories… His whole family, it seemed, had at one time or another served out a sentence in the Fire Nation prisons. Azula and his father had been transferred to Boiling Rock–the most prestigious and fortified prison system in all the nations combined. Zuko knew that if the Royal Court went easy on her during trial, she'd be fated to spending the rest of her life there. Fortunately for him, she was still easily accessible.

His cousin was currently being contained in the last cell at the end of the stone corridor. What remained of her rebel army was divided throughout the prison where they were forced to share cramped quarters until their official sentencing. Meili, being that she was still technically a part of the royal family, was granted her own cell. Zuko turned in front of it now, sensing the presence of the two guards at his back. In the soft orange glow of the lantern, Zuko could just make out the shape of her silhouette resting against the cot. She was lying on her back, face turned towards the stone ceiling.

"Meili," Zuko addressed her in a quiet tone.

"Back so soon, Zuko?" Slowly, Meili rolled her face towards him in the dark, but made no move to get off her cot. "I suppose you hashed out the details of our little arrangement with your egregious councilmen and have come to tell me that we can't strike a deal."

Zuko's breath hitched momentarily, but he kept his expression neutral. He didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing that she'd caught him off guard.

At the sound of his silence, Meili chuckled. "You forget I know how these things work, cousin. I too was once a part of the royal council back when your father held rule over what was once a great nation." Meili sat up, soundlessly placing her feet on the stone floor as she braced her arms against the edge of the thin mattress. "Still, I know how much finding your mother means to you, Zuko. This is why I know you aren't going to let your councilmen stand in the way of our bargain."

The corner of Zuko's mouth twitched. "You're wrong." The words left his lips flatly, and Zuko could tell that the low, practiced tone of his had begun to seep into the cracks of Meili's armor. The manic smile on her face vanished as a shadow passed behind her eyes. "As Fire Lord of this great nation, I refuse to enter an accord with a traitor."

Meili rose up from her cot and strode over to the bars, wrapping her hands around them as if to get herself as close to Zuko as the metal would allow. "And here I thought you were still the young sentimental Fire Prince of the past," she scoffed. "I guess I was wrong. Pity really… Ursa is so much closer than you realize."

Fleetingly, Zuko thought of turning his back and storming away from his infuriating cousin. June couldn't have gone too far in the last few days. He could always track her down and give her shirshu something to scent that had belonged to his mother. Of course, scent fades, and Ursa had been gone a very long time... As much as he wanted to credit the shirshu, he knew it was probably a useless feat. "Let me tell you how this is going to go," Zuko said, stepping toe to toe with her. If either had wanted, they could have reached through the bars and choked the life from each other's lungs. "I'm going to give you a chance to tell me where my mother is, or I'll have no choice but to allow Captain Ju-long to extract the information from you."

Firelight blazed behind Meili's eyes as a smile split her face. "You really have changed, Zuko. I'm impressed… Perhaps I neglected to see the similarities between you and Fire Lord Ozai because of your alliance with the Avatar. There was so much talk of peace that I nearly passed out from boredom just having to listen to it–you see, Zuko, I was there the day of your coronation. I witnessed the Nation accept you and the Avatar with open arms and I knew something had to be done to stop you from ruining what Ozai had created."

Zuko wouldn't allow himself to become distracted by her words. She was baiting him, and he simply wasn't biting. "Tell me where my mother is," he stated evenly. His cool deliverance was akin to the edge of a sharpened blade.

Meili's features came together at a sharp point. "Torture me Zuko. I'll gladly bleed to death or go up in flame before I ever give you what you want." Her words were like venom, seeping through the fissures of his skin until rage poisoned every muscle in his body. He wanted to react. He wanted to challenge her to another Agni Kai and watch her suffer at his hands, but Zuko was not his rage. Not anymore.

"Last chance," he breathed, his voice barely audible in the space between them.

"You can go to hell," she bit out through clenched teeth.

Zuko stared at his cousin, molars grinding as his jaw clamped down tight. "Very well."

~xXx~

"She refused to tell me anything," Zuko fumed, pacing back and forth in front of the window in his chamber suite. Katara sat on the edge of the bed, legs tucked beneath her with her hands resting on her thighs. The lush petal of her lower lip parted, eyes expanding as she watched the storm that was Zuko wearing a spot on the ornate carpet from his relentless stride.

Katara blinked, pushing the covers away from her as she shoved up from the bed. It was early morning, and Katara wondered what time the Fire Lord had arisen and slipped out without her knowing. She went to him now, reaching for his shoulders to stop him from moving. The contour of his muscle was tense beneath her fingers, knotted and rigid like iron. "Zuko," she breathed his name, "we knew this was probably going to be the outcome."

His gaze cut to hers, and Katara could see the conflict blazing through his golden irises. "She willingly chose to be interrogated by force. She told me she'd rather die than tell me where my mother is. She's smart Katara; she knows she's going to spend the rest of her life in a cage. She'd rather die than subject herself to that path of suffering."

"You don't want Ju-long to… interrogate… her," Katara said carefully.

Zuko's shoulders slumped beneath Katara's palms as a glimmer of sympathy passed across his eyes. "She's still family."

"Family that tried to kill you," Katara reminded him. "She would still kill you at the slightest of chances, Zuko. She can't be trusted."

"I know that Katara." There was a snap in his tone worthy of a man that ruled a nation, and Katara visibly stiffened under the weight of it. She dropped her hands to her sides, but didn't move away from him. "I'm sorry–I didn't mean to direct my frustration towards you." Zuko squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

"You need to rest, Zuko." Katara frowned up at him.

"What I need is answers," Zuko countered. He inhaled deeply and reached out to cover Katara's biceps with his palms. He bent forward, planting a kiss above her brow. "Besides," he said, "I'm not tired."

"I envy your strength reserve," Katara told him, crossing her arms. Outside the window, birds were chirping and flitting about the tree branches in the gardens. The world was awake it seemed, and with it Katara would rise too. "All right," she sighed, "what can I do to help?"

The corners of Zuko's lips lifted into a coy grin. "I can think of a few things."

Katara's eyes narrowed but she couldn't keep the images of more intimate things from infiltrating her mind. They were in the honeymoon phase of their relationship, and they couldn't seem to get enough of each other. At every meal, Zuko's hand would slide beneath the table, fingertips tracing the soft skin of her inner thigh. She'd taken to wearing dresses and skirts to meals for that reason alone, longing to be teased and touched by him. She wasn't sure how, but every time seemed better than the last, and Katara was growing less shy about her body and the impact she had on Zuko. When he looked at her a certain way, or touched her, Katara's belly engulfed in the flame of thrill and desire. She hoped that never went away; realistically, when the newness wore off, she knew they wouldn't always be so ravenous for one another.

But now was not that time.

"We really should shower and get dressed for the day," Katara said. "I have a feeling that things are going to get heated with the trial looming and Meili refusing to help."

Zuko murmured against her neck as he bent to wrap his hands around her waist, teeth nipping the soft skin of her earlobe.

"Zuko…" Katara protested halfheartedly as her hands anchored his hips. She needed the balance because everything about him was making her dizzy.

"Two birds," he whispered, lips trailing against the curve of her jaw, "one stone." Slowly, Zuko began leading her to the private bathroom in his chamber suite, adept fingers working the ties at the front of her tunic. Katara closed her eyes as his hand skimmed across the laces that had parted over her breasts. She had a fleeting thought about how convenient bed clothes were and then her mind was derailed by the sensation of his fingers gently squeezing. She gasped, flattening her spine against his chest as his mouth came down on the curve of her neck.

"All right, you've convinced me," she said breathily.

Zuko released his hold on her as he reached into the stone shower and turned on the nozzle. A spray of water descended from the spout, splattering the ceramic tile of the shower floor. A cloud of steam lifted as Zuko undressed, and Katara's breath shortened in her lungs. She traced the line of his sternum, dragging her fingers lightly and slowly until they circled his navel. Zuko grabbed her wrist, guiding her hand to more sensitive places.

She liked that he wanted her to touch him that way. She liked watching the muscle in his jaw flex and his eyes close from the pleasure she invoked. Zuko lifted her shift over her head and pulled her into the steamy shower. Playfully, Katara bent the water around them in a swirl of silky warmth. Zuko pulled her to his chest, mouth coming down on hers as his tongue parted her lips. Katara moaned into his mouth, wrapping her arms around his neck to bring herself as tight as she could against him. She could feel his erection press into her lower belly, and it sent a spark of want and need pulsing in her lower abdomen.

Zuko broke the kiss, turning Katara by the shoulder and gently pressed her against the stone wall. Katara braced herself, flattening her palms against the stone as Zuko slowly slid into her from behind. She gasped, pressing her chest and cheek to the cool wall–shivering from the contrast of hot and cold.

"Are you all right?" he breathed against her ear.

She responded by arching her lower back and leaning into him. She heard his masculine moan and then she was lost to the rhythm of yet another new experience. His right hand squeezed her shoulder while his left anchored her hip. It wasn't long before fire began building in her core–a delicious burn that consumed her from the inside. He slowed his rhythm, sliding his length nearly all the way out before pushing back in, over and over and over. The slow motion was a sweet, tantalizing torture. Heat bloomed through her veins until the corners of her eyes glittered with stars and she cried out, scraping her nails against the stone.

Zuko's pleasure followed shortly after, and he bent to rest his cheek on the top of Katara's head, breath heavy in his lungs. She turned in his arms, wrapping her arms around his middle as she pressed a kiss to his sternum.

"I didn't hurt you did I?"

"No," Katara answered. "That was… exhilarating," she decided on the word.

Zuko chuckled, tightening his arms around her. He attempted to push her hair away from her damp cheek, tucking it behind her ear as he kissed her forehead.

Katara reached for a bottle of jasmine scented soap and lifted her eyebrows in question. "Two birds, right?" She grinned up at him. Zuko didn't protest when Katara lathered the soap between her hands and massaged them into his chest.

"This could be dangerous," he said, tilting his head back as her hands worked up the front of his neck.

"Maybe that's what I'm hoping for." She explored the planes of his skin, enjoying the feel of his lean musculature beneath her fingertips.

"You're too much of a temptation for your own good." Zuko reached for the bottle of soap, taking his turn in lathering her body. Katara felt so good to him–her body supple in his hands. "I want to tell you something, Katara."

"You can tell me anything," she encouraged.

"I don't want you to respond even if you feel the same way…" His hands paused on her shoulders. "Promise me?"

"But–"

Zuko moved his finger to her lips to keep her from speaking. "Promise me," he repeated.

Katara nodded slowly.

Zuko gazed at the woman in his arms, swallowing as he worked up the courage to tell her what was lying so heavy on his heart. He stared into her sapphire eyes; so like the ocean, he thought–so capable and vast that he could lose himself in them. And that's exactly what he wanted, for as long as he lived. "I love you, Katara." And I always will, he thought.

Katara's lips parted as she gazed up at the Fire Lord; her chest clinging tight to the air inside her lungs. She wanted to breathe, but she was too afraid that what he said wouldn't be real. She waited for him to take it back–waited to wake up from a dream. But the sound of water slowly registered in her eardrums, and the heat surrounding her didn't change. She wanted to tell him that she had fallen for him–body and soul, but he'd made her promise not to say anything.

But since when had Katara ever been good at taking orders?

She pushed up on her toes, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulled his mouth to hers and kissed him with a passion that could only be met by two people who were in love. She was as weightless as a bird in the wind. "I love you, too, Zuko," she breathed against his mouth.

"You promised–"

"–Shh," she hushed him. "Life is too short, Zuko. We know that better than most. Better to say it now and risk your disappointment then to never get the chance to say it at all."

Zuko couldn't argue with that. Instead, he bent, cradling her chin as he kissed her deeply and showed her that sometimes actions spoke louder still.

~xXx~

Meili was strapped to a chair in a dark room. Her ankles were shackled to the chair legs, wrists in manacles on the arms. A rope had been tied around her middle to keep her upright, and she'd been left to sit there for hours with two guards posted at her door. Zuko had hoped to scare her–thought that the waiting and knowing what was to come would be enough to jump-start the fear process. He wanted it to torment her mind–to gnaw at the edges of her resolve until she confessed where his mother was, but his cousin shared his DNA and he knew that it would take more than a dark, quiet room and being strapped to a chair to really get the message across. He hoped that it would at least push her over the edge.

Across the room, Ju-long waited for his signal. Zuko's jaw clenched, but he managed a stiff nod for the captain. A sinister smile flitted across his lips as he picked up a chair and began making his way towards Meili. The sounds of his footsteps were inaudible. When he reached her, he slammed the chair down in front of her, but the firebender didn't even jump. Meili looked up at the man, her face entirely neutral.

"It's about time," Meili said, "I was growing terribly bored."

Ju-long snickered. He sat down on the chair, leaning on the edge of his seat as he drew a knife from the side holster on his leg and spun it so the metal caught in the glow of the firelight. It was a fine blade, thin and sharp–a blade that could inflict serious damage with minimal effort. Ju-long tossed it in the air, catching the hilt as it came back down. "Tell me," he said, still gazing adoringly at his knife, "where the former queen of the Fire Nation is residing."

"No."

Ju-long grabbed Meili's hand, straightening her fingers as he pressed the tip of the blade beneath the nailbed of her index finger. It wasn't far, but it was enough to make her mouth twitch and her eyebrows furrow above her eyes. "You said she was close," Ju-long repeated the information that Zuko had given him. "Is she in the Fire Nation?"

A bead of sweat was forming at her brow, the breath hitching inside her nostrils. Her lips pressed together, skin going pale as Ju-long pressed the blade a fraction deeper under her skin. A scarlet bud had begun to collect at the tip of her finger, seeping out onto his knife.

Zuko was concealed in the shadows, hands clenched into fists at his sides. He hated this. He hated that he had agreed to subject her to this torture, but he knew that it was the way of the nation… She was a traitor who had tried to kill him, and what she represented was a threat to everything he stood for as a ruler. Still, the tendon in his jaw worked over the edge of his jawbone as he watched Ju-long backhand Meili across the face. Just tell us what we want to know and this will stop, Zuko thought desperately. Was she really that sadistic and that she would choose to suffer through the pain?

Slowly, Meili rolled her head back to center, drew a breath and spat in Ju-long's face. Blood splattered the side of his cheek. "I won't tell you anything. You might as well just kill me."

Ju-long, eyes bulging with anger, raised his hand to hit her again when a voice in the back of the room yelled at him to stop. The voice was laced with authority, strong and feminine. Ju-long dropped his hand, glancing back over his shoulder–surprised to see the Fire Lord's waterbender standing just inside the glow of firelight. She was dressed in slim black leggings, wearing a blue silk brocade that matched the exact color of her eyes. She lifted her chin, squaring her shoulders in a way that commanded her presence. Ju-long didn't like it. His nostrils flared, the corners of his mouth pulling into a sneer as he glared at her.

"Katara?" Zuko appeared from the shadows, a look of concern and confusion dancing behind his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I know where she is, Zuko," Katara paused, "I know where to find your mom."

Oh man! I'm leaving you with a bit of a cliffhanger! Hopefully I made up for it a little by also giving you another romance scene. ;)

Sorry it's taken me a while to get this chapter out. Things are almost wrapped up with my novel, so my attention won't be divided too much longer.

It was really cool to sign on and see that I gained a new follower and they left a comment on every single chapter! Thank you 8annie81 for all the feedback! I enjoyed hearing from you. :)

Also want to thank CeaShax, GODISAWESOME, TreasuredHope, and ko-chan-the-blueberry-donut for your feedback as well! You guys make this so much fun for me!

Stay tuned, and happy reading!

~Sparrow