The amount of love and support I got in the last chapter. An overwhelming majority said that I should continue the next arc here. So that's what I'm doing. I have changed the title of the first chapter as 'Book 1: The Deception.' Once this arc ends, I will start 'Book 2: Powerful Benders' here.

This chapter is where the escape plan starts taking a more concrete shape. As does the Zutara relationship. As usual, R&R.
Trigger Warning: Blood Bending

Chapter 25

After spotting the poster of the Fire Prince's banishment, Utakata had exchanged the carriage for an eel hound. No other animal ran faster than an eel hound and he needed to be in the camp as soon as possible. He clambered on to the animal and cracked the reins. With a hiss, the animal reared and began running. Wind whizzed past him, whistling in his ears. His eyes teared up from the speed at which the animal raced through the dry, barren lands.

Sometime near the evening, he pulled on the reins to bring the hound to a stop near a small pond. He led the hound to the water, allowing the animal to drink. To ease his aching back, Utakata lowered himself to the ground in the shade of a tree. He undid the bag of supplies and threw an apple at the hound, that caught it deftly. He himself pulled out a rice ball and popped it into his mouth. He was on his third rice ball when he heard the squawk of a messenger hawk overhead. Using a hand to shield his eyes from the glare of sun, he looked up. The bird circled above him, slowly descending before abruptly increasing its speed and zooming at him.

Who is writing to me?

The rebels did not use messenger hawks, so seeing the bird approaching him was a surprise. Utakata dug into his bag and pulled out a piece of cured meat. He held his other hand out and the bird landed on his wrist. The Earthbender held out the cured meat and the bird gobbled it up greedily. While the hawk was busy enjoying its treat, Utakata pried the message tied to the bird. Freed of his its load, the bird ruffled its feathers and took off. Being a Beifong, he had seen his share of ornate canisters to carry letters, but the one he held in his hand beat all of them.

For starters, it was made of silver, inlaid with intricate gold filigree, studded with diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires. With his brows disappearing into his hairline, he unscrewed the cap and pulled out the paper, surprised to learn that it wasn't paper that he was holding. No. In hand, he was holding a piece of the finest of silks, rolled like a scroll. Growing curiouser and curiouser, he opened the piece of cloth. On the corner was the emblem of Fire Lord Ozai, a three-pronged flame encasing a lightning bolt. He immediately recognized that the emblem was stitched with thread of gold while the lightning, with a silver thread. The borders of the cloth was decorated with an elaborate design made with gold and silver thread. In the center, in elegant calligraphy, with excessive flourish, was one word – NO.

Sokka bowed to the nomads. In return, the three of them hugged him. As annoying as their company had been, they had helped him and for that reason alone, Sokka could not bring himself to quite hate them. Upon learning that the spirit of the swamp had asked him to go to Master Piandao, the nomads had changed their plan and led him to Chin, where the famed swords master currently resided.

Swallowing the ball of anxiety in his throat, he raised his hand and rapped the brass knocker. Moments later, the door opened and a old man dressed in typical Fire Nation outfit, stood there. "Yes?"

"I'm Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe. I'm here…"

"Ah yes, come on in. We have been waiting for you. I'm Fat."

Sokka cocked his head and studied him carefully, wondering why the man was telling him something that random, "But… you are of average build. Why would you call yourself fat?"

The old man shook his head and said, "I am not saying that I am fat. I mean my name is Fat."

"Oh. Yes, that makes more sense."

The two of them walked through an elaborate, beautiful garden. His first thought was that Suki would have loved the garden. His throat constricted painfully, and Sokka had to swallow a couple of times to dislodge the tightness. To distract himself, he picked on the first thought that came to his mind. "You said you were waiting for me?"

The answer came from some ten feet away, "Indeed. The same power that sent you here, is the one that told me to wait for you."

Sokka peered from behind Fat to see a dark-skinned, slim man waiting at the door of the mansion, with a smile on his face. "Master Piandao?"

"Yes. That's me. Come Sokka. We have much to do."

Love. That explained so much. Every question that had kept her awake late in the night suddenly had an answer. The tingly feeling she had when he looked at her, the fear that gripped her when he was taken away to be beaten, why she allowed Jet to have his way with her just to make sure he was safe, why all her anxiety, her nervousness, her fear disappeared with a single touch from him, why his eyes burned her down to her core, why his pain took precedence over everything. The reason for all of that was a single, four-lettered word. Love.

Before Zuko walked into the prison, she was caught in a frightening mix of pain, humiliation, disgust, fear, anger, helplessness. Seeing him, relief washed over her and without a worry, she flew into his arms. In his embrace, her tumultuous emotions found an outlet and Katara broke down.

She had no idea how long she sat in his embrace, lost in her own pain. She was stuck in the moment, over and over again, reliving the moment when Jet had forced her. Through the veil of her own pain, thoughts of her mother's last moments came to haunt her. She was at the same time the five-year-old who did not quite understand what had happened to her mother, and the woman who was only now fully realizing the horror her mother must have gone through. How must she have screamed? How much pain had her mother endured before she had embraced the blissfulness oblivion of death? For the first time in her life, Katara was glad that her mother was dead. She could not even imagine what life would have been for her mother if she were to stay alive after what had happened to her. All her life, she had bemoaned the death of her mother, wondering why it had happened to her. She always wondered why it had happened to her. But at that moment, she realized that what had happened to Kya, could have happened to anyone. Men like Jet, who viewed women as nothing more than a body for them to be enjoyed, existed everywhere.

Just then, she felt an unfamiliar touch on her shoulder. That small contact had sent spasms of horror coursing through her. The hand belonged to Jet. The hand was of her mother's rapists. That hand was of a man who wanted to use her. With a terrified yelp, she had taken refuge in Zuko. Zuko, her anchor. Zuko, who was the light in the darkness surrounding her. Zuko. The one who had shown her what it was like to be supported, respected, honored and treated like a person. Like an equal. Something she had never experienced in her own home. He was bringing to light what she had neglected to see all her life. That as a woman in Water Tribe, she was perennially the second-class citizen. Always having to prove her worth over and over again, only to be discarded to the side when men didn't have any use for her. Or traded like property, in exchange for some coins or blankets.

"Katara, he's gone. He's gone."

Zuko's raspy voice cut through her mist of agony. She was wasn't surprised when he had figured out what Jet was doing. His anger didn't surprise her either. When he leaned over to kiss her, Katara felt as though it was meant to happen. They were meant to happen. It was as though she had found the part of her that she was missing all her life. His kiss wiped away all the filth that Jet had left in her. With that simple act, Zuko purified her.

With one hand around her waist, he held her close and with the other, he caressed her cheek. His lips molded on hers, fitting perfectly against her. His tongue brushed against her lower lip, making her sigh. She met his tongue with her own and felt a tremble run through him. His touch, his smell, his taste, his moans, his face – all her five senses were filled with him, and Katara welcomed him. When they broke apart, Katara melted into him. She felt his chin on her head while his arms tightened around her. He seemed unwilling to let her go and Katara was not keen on putting any distance between them either.

When he spoke, his voice trembled, "Katara, don't do it again, please. Don't let Jet do this to you again."

"I can't see you getting beaten up, not when I can do something about it."

"No," he growled, pulling her into him, such that there was no space between their bodies. "No. You… No. Just no. I can't see you like this again."

With trembling fingers, she raised her hand to the scarred side of his face and touched it, "You've suffered enough."

He shook his head, "As have you. But this… this is not okay. No. I promised I would keep you safe. Now, let me keep that promise. I'll fight them off. You concentrate on our escape plan. You're the only one who can do that."

Before Katara could respond, the wall opened and Haru walked in. Not wanting to look at any other man at that moment, Katara closed her eyes and put her head on Zuko's shoulder. He lay a hand on her back and looked at Haru.

"Did Vamik tell you?"

Katara heard the Earthbender sigh and drop on the floor. "He did. I… I'm so sorry, Katara."

Being addressed directly, she turned to look at him, her head still on Zuko's shoulder. "I don't need your apologies."

Haru's brows knit into a frown. He licked his lips and pulled out paper from his clothes, "I may not be able to help you directly, but I can give you this."

Zuko took the paper with a frown, "What's this?"

"A map. I have marked where we are. When you escape, you need to know where you are and where to go to get out of this camp. Anything else I can get you?"

"A waterskin for me," Katara said.

"A pair of dual dao swords for me."

"Done," Haru said. "Also, we just got the message from a carrier pigeon, Utakata would be here, either late tonight or early tomorrow morning. I have to go now, but I will come back after Utakata gets here."

Zuko nodded. Once Haru left, he turned to her and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, "How many days to full moon? Three, right?"

Katara wiped the residue of tears from her eyes and nodded. "Three more days of this?"

"Not a chance," Zuko opened the map and lay it in front of them. As Haru had promised, he had marked their position as X. With a series of dots, he showed the path they could take to safety.

"We're in the Great Divide," Katara said. "In the tunnel, we moved south-west."

"We can go here," Zuko said, pointing at a trading village nearby, "And from there, get a ride and head back to Ba Sing Se?"

"That's where Utakata will be expecting us," Katara said. "I don't know if we should go there."

"My entire troop is there, Katara. I can't abandon them. I don't know what has happened to them in my absence. The best we can hope for is that one of the Generals has led them to the Fire Nation. But… I have to know, right?"

Katara licked her lips and nodded, "Yes, I understand. Okay. So, from the village, we go around the great divide to the Serpent's Pass?"

"Oh no! We go through the Full Moon Bay. Serpent's pass is a very dangerous place."

"There is one problem though. We don't have any money."

Zuko clucked and folded the map, "I don't even have my crown with me. Or else wee could have traded that for some money. But… yeah, I think I'll nab Utakata's coin purse."

Katara nodded, "That should work. But I still have to ask, what do we do tomorrow? What happens if J.. j…"

When her words faltered, Zuko reached over and pulled her into his arms. "No. I won't let him touch you again."

Of their own accord, her eyes drifted shut and she lay her head on his chest, the steady beating of his heart providing her comfort. "We're breaking out tomorrow," he said abruptly.

Katara shot out of his arms and stared at him, "Zuko! Tomorrow is not full moon. I need blood-bending to escape from here. And I… I have only once bended blood without full moon, that too for healing. I haven't used it in battle. How can I…"

Zuko pursed his lips and nodded, "Almost full moon is not full moon, is it?"

"No. We can't rely on my uncertain powers."

"Then, we have to make it certain, right?"

"What are you getting at? How can I do that?"

"Practice. The moon is almost out, try your hand at combative blood bending now."

Katara shook her head and said, "Zuko, how am I supposed to that? I can't quite blood bend myself to practice combat, can I?"

He smiled and shook his head, "No. But you can bend my blood."

Katara's eyes widened in evident horror as she shot to her feet, "No!" she gasped, looking waxen. "No way! I… I can never… what are you even saying?"

"Katara, think about it," Zuko pushed himself from the ground and walked over to her. "Think about it, Katara. The longer we stay here, the more vulnerable we become. I'm not going to let Jet lay another finger on you."

"I'm not going to blood bend you, Zuko," she said, shaking her head. "I can't hurt you."

How did I not see this before? How did I not understand just how much I love this woman? Aloud he said, "You won't. I know you won't. I trust you."

Katara's lower lip trembled as she shook head, fresh tears pooling into her eyes. "No. I won't. No. No. You… you can't ask me to do this."

Zuko covered the distance between them and thumbed her tears off. With a sob, she lay her head on his shoulder. He draped an arm around her, while the other rested on her waist. He kissed the top of her head, running his fingers through her hair.

"Hama."

"What?"

She sniffled slightly and said, "The person who taught me blood bending. She was a prisoner of Fire Nation, taken at the beginning of the war. She spent ten years in the Fire Nation prison, and hated all the Fire Benders. She had killed multiple people during her escape from the prison. On her way back to Southern Water Tribe, she killed any Fire Nation citizen she saw. She reached the South Pole when I was about seven. She taught me Water Bending. And when I turned fifteen, she explained the concept of blood bending to me. The idea controlling someone's blood, making them move like a puppet… the idea was abhorrent to me. I refused to actually do it."

Zuko had a feeling she was not telling him everything. He was about to ask her about it when he noticed that an eye lash had landed on her cheek. Reaching over and brushing it away was something he did instinctively, without a thought. It was only when Katara's cheeks took a delicate hue that he realized what he had done. Pleased at the reaction his touch had invoked, he stepped closer and let his fingers linger. In the softest of voice, he said, "Then?"

Closing her eyes, she took a deep steadying breath before speaking, "In order to make me blood bend, she took control of Aang and Sokka and began to make them fight against each other. To save them, I took control of her blood. But… I went too far. I… I almost ended up killing her. I had stopped her heart. It was only Sokka's timely intervention that saved Hama."

Zuko understood what she was feeling. This guilt, this doubt, he had felt it too when he had killed Fa. The difference between them was that Hama was alive, even if it was with her brother's intervention. "I know what you're feeling. I understand. But it was an accident. You were fifteen. You're older now… Umm… I never asked, but how old are you?"

"Twenty-two."

"I'm sure you have more control on your bending now," Zuko said. "You managed to bend your own blood, under waxing moon. You will be able to control your bending. I know. Go on. Let's get this over with. We can't afford to make mistakes tomorrow."

"I… I hate this."

"I know. But I'm volunteering. This is my decision, Katara. Practice it so that tomorrow, you can do what is needed."

Katara closed her eyes and took a deep breath before taking a step back. She stood bathed in the moonlight tricking from the tiny window. Several moments passed in tense silence before she raised both her hands. Her thumbs were bent inward, while her fingers were splayed. When she opened her eyes, all the warmth and gentleness he had been seeing in them were gone. Icy cold eyes looked at him and for the first time, Zuko felt a trickle of fear in his heart. Had e made a mistake? But then, time to rethink was gone as she flicked her fingers up. Zuko's entire body seized. She slowly lowered her hand. Like a puppet being controlled by strings, he got down on his knees. Unbidden, a gasp escaped his lips. Instantly, his body was back under his control. Before he knew what was happening, Katara was kneeling in front of him, sobbing.

"Katara –"

His words were cut off by her lips on his. With a soft sigh, he complied. As he moved against her mouth, he realized that kissing her was going to be an addiction. Her taste, her smell and her touch were more intoxicating than any mead that he had ever had. Her eyes still closed, she pulled back and sighed. Her flushed face was a sight to behold.

"Zuko… we need to talk."

"Hmm?"

"About us," she said gesturing between them. "We need to talk."

"Hmm," he said and leaned forward to kiss her again. He felt her tremble under his touch. He pulled her flush against him, asking an unspoken question with his kiss. She answered by throwing her arms around his neck and opening up to him. Ideally, kneeling on the ground like this, holding her like this, should have been uncomfortable. But neither seemed to be paying any attention. They kissed, each demanding complete surrender, while the other gave it freely. Drawing back, he lay her forehead on hers and said, "Do we still need to talk?"

A/N: Ozai's wonderful letter idea was given by Frostbite1144