WTF Lea? Wasn't this supposed to be on hiatus? Why are you updating a chapter then?

Well, it so happens, that this chapter practically tore its way from within me and wrote itself down. So yay! Early bonus?
Presenting Book 2 of Subterfuge. So what will this book look into? Exactly what the name suggests. Here, we will know more about the characters, especially the benders. Zuko, Katara, Aang, Toph, and Azula being the primary focuses of this. Suki and Sokka will also feature prominently, but they are supporting cast, the main cast comprises of those five powerful benders.

This book will also tell you more about their pasts, more of the world they live in, more of the general craziness that happens in this AU.
I would also like to mention that I am a horror writer. And my horror writing skills will be on full display in this book. It is going to be dark.

Trigger Warning: Gore and horror. PTSD.

BOOK 2 – POWERFUL BENDERS

Chapter 29

Zhei was a lazy man. He was not someone who had aspirations or desires. All he ever wanted was to have a steady job that did not tax him physically. But, much to his disconcertion, he was a Fire Bender. And by law, he was required to get into defense. But he neither had the grit nor did he have the inclination to join the army. Thus, to escape conscription, he had taken up the one job that he could do without breaking the law or working too hard. Patrolling the streets of Caldera City at night. Caldera City, the crown jewel of Fire Nation. Capital City. It was said that no other city in the entire world rivaled its beauty. Zhei supposed, aesthetically, it was true.

Laid out in interconnected blocks, the city was very well planned. Paved, well-lit streets, underground sewage system, strategically placed gigantic statues of the former Fire Lords, and of course, the Grand Road. The main highway. Shaded by a canopy of cherry blossoms, lit by strings of little lamp that looked like floating stars, Grand Road was a sight to behold. The canal that crisscrossed the city, with beautiful parks and walkways lining along its banks, only added to the beauty. Then there was the glittering royal palace. A magnificent work of architecture, that sat at the rim of the caldera, overlooking the entire city. Caldera City was truly a marvel.

But Zhei knew that not all was as it seemed. Beneath all this glitter and glamor was a carefully concealed dark underbelly that the gentrified population liked to pretend didn't exist. Drugs, illegal prostitution, rival gangs – all of them existed in the outer flanks of the city. As long as the rot did not seep into the magnificence of the upper class, the nobles were content to let the sore fester. Zhei, however, had to deal with it all. But being the lethargic man that he was, he often turned a blind eye to the happenings around him. He had learned early on that his black and gold uniform earned him some form of respect in the eyes of these vagrants. Soon enough, there emerged an unwritten understanding between them. As long as no one was getting hurt, he would not intervene. In turn, so long as he was around, people seemed to behave themselves. They operated on a 'live and let live' policy and up until that day, it had worked perfectly for both parties.

But that day, Zhei's idyllic and carefully built world came crashing around him. It all began when he stopped by the canal to light his customary shisha pipe. With the flick, he lit a flame on his finger and brought it close to the mouth of the pipe, when his eyes caught something large floating in the canal. Zhei clicked in frustration. Littering was the one thing that was absolutely not tolerated. Swearing under his breath, he pocketed the pipe and lit a flame in his hand to peer into the darkness. In the flickering light, his eyes caught something that sent a thrill of fear down his spine. Someone was floating in the canal.

"Agni!" he gasped and jumped into the water. If someone drowned on his watch, he was as good as done for. He would be dumped from the guard duty unceremoniously and left to rot in the one place he had no intentions of being in. Grabbing the person's hand, he swam to the shore and with a grunt, pushed the person over to the bank. He climbed out of the water and turned the person around to pump out the water that had gone into them. The sight that met him, however, made him scream.

The man Zhei had pulled from the canal had died long before his body had even touched the water. His body had been cut open, run through from the base of his neck down to his crotch. His innards were bulging out of his wound and had been nibbled by the fishes, leaving behind clumps of flesh. Worst was his face. Bloated, grey, and gnawed by the fishes. The screech of a nearby drunkard started Zhei out of the morbid fascination and the realization of what he was seeing sunk in. Zhei spun around and upchucked the contents of his stomach.

Aang paced back and forth, trying to stop the tremble rising in his body. He hugged himself, trying to contain the panic rising within him. In fact, he was doing all he could to not get into the Avatar state. Long Feng had lied to him? Katara was not with him? The spirits had told him that Katara was not in Ba Sing Se.

"Where are you, Katara? Where are you?"

Aang flopped down on the ground and held his head in hand. Katara. His Katara. The day he first saw her was etched in his mind. An indelible moment that he has unpacked many times, living every moment over and over again.
"Finally!" Aang said and flicked the reins. With a grunt, Appa descended on a patch of snow. With a loud whoop, Aang jumped off the bison's head, only to land on a patch of ice. His foot slid from under him, making him smack his head on ice. Stars winked in front of his eyes. Just as his vision cleared, he saw something that stole his breath. A vision in blue! The most beautiful girl he had ever seen was looking at him with concern written in her large blue eyes.

"Will you marry me?" Was the first thing that came out of his lips.

At that, she laughed and said, "Don't you think we should be a little older for that?"

He sat up, rubbing his head and grinned, "Yes, but no harm making up one's mind early on."

Katara giggled and said, "Yes, that's for sure."

"Wait up!" A boy's voice cut through. "What are you doing proposing my sister for marriage when you don't even have a mustache?"

Aang looked up to find a boy standing in front of the girl, his arms outstretched. The girl thwacked the boy on his head and said, "Sokka! You're being rude."

"Katara! A stranger is asking to marry you!"

"Sokka! I'm not marrying him. I'm fourteen, for Tui's sake. And this boy is not even that!"

Aang stood up and brushed the snow. "I'm Aang. I am the Avatar."

Sokka's eyes grew wide, "Wow! That's awesome. But that doesn't mean you can marry my sister."

Katara laughed and swatted Sokka. She then hooked her arm through Aang's and said, "Ignore him. Come let's go inside. It's cold outside."

Over the next few days, Aang could not tear his eyes off Katara. He learned that she was a Water Bender, the only Water Bender in the tribe, save for Hama who was essentially a frail old woman. For reasons he could not fully understand, the South had been harder hit by the war than the North, with the last raid being nine years ago. Which meant that Katara was left untouched by the war. The first person he had met who did not see the ugly face of war. Her smiles were unencumbered by the ugliness of the world. Her caring, nurturing nature in stark contrast with the constant demands placed on Aang's shoulders just because he was the Avatar. Katara gave selflessly. A pure and gentle soul who was too good to be true.

As the two learned Water Bending from both Hama and Pakku, Aang was in awe. Not only was she the most beautiful woman he had seen, but she was also the best Water Bender he had ever seen. She was already the master of Southern Water Bending and had mastered Northern style in less than a year. Aang, on the other hand, took two years to master the Southern style and he never got the hang of Blood Bending. Which was just as well because he had no intention of using something that unholy. Katara, being the talented bender that she was, had picked up Blood Bending. But as something that unholy is wont to do, it almost corrupted Katara. Almost, but she fought against it and her purity won. For Aang, the two years he spent in the Southern Water Tribe were the best days of his life.

Even though he moved to Omashu to learn Earth Bending from King Bumi and Fire Bending from Master Jeong Jeong, Aang made it a point to come to the South Pole for Katara's birthday each year, more if he could. Being the Avatar, he had a lot on his plate. He found himself getting more and more tied up, but his bond with Katara remained strong as ever. In the eight years that he had known her, she had been there for him, welcoming him with a smile and a hug.

Sitting alone, under the tree, Aang wept. "Where are you Katara?"

The words of Guru Pathik rose through his muddled mind, invisible strings connect us. Invisible strings. Energies. As the Guru had explained, all life was connected by their spiritual energies. Bonds, Guru Pathik had said, once formed cannot be broken. The stronger the bond, the more prominent the invisible strings of energies.

Struck by a sudden inspiration, Aang sat down cross-legged and lay his hands palm-up on his knees. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate on her. He pulled on to some rocks and focused all his energies on rotating them over his palms. Slowly, his mind cleared of the clutter and he began to see her. She was next to a lake, sitting on a rock and pulling on a ribbon of water and dropping it, and pulling it back again. But then, she startled, as though someone called her. She smiled, but it was a strained one and Aang could see sadness around her. Aang opened his eyes and sighed, "I know, Katara. I miss you too. I'm coming for you."

"Katara?" Zuko's voice permeated through her slumber. "Katara, wake up."

With a groan, she sat up. The blazing sun hurt her eyes, making her flinch. Even though Zuko had placed her under the shadow of a rocky outcrop, the Sun was still beating down in its full glory.

"Here, drink some water," he said, holding up her water skin to her lips.

She took a tentative sip and sighed at the feeling of her element passing through her parched throat. She drank in deeply before wiping her lips.

"Here, have something," saying so, he handed her a handful of berries. "Sorry, I know it's not much, but nothing grows here. I couldn't find anything."

"It's okay. Not the first time I'd go hungry," Katara said and bit on the berries. Living in the South Pole and in utter penury, food was a luxury at times. Especially in the harsh winters. Children in the poles learned to cope with hunger before they learn to talk.

Zuko sighed and settled down next to her, leaning against the rock and settling his elbows on his knees. "I feel shitty saying this, but I have never dealt with hunger," he paused and grimaced. "Fuck. I sound so spoiled."

Katara sighed and held out the berries she had in her hand to him. "Have it. I'll be fine."

"No," he pushed her hand away. "I have had my share. You eat up. Besides, you need your strength."

"You're sure these are not poisonous, right?"

"No, Matsu taught me about Earth Kingdom plants," Zuko said and instantly frowned. "Matsu. Oh, Agni."

Katara wanted to reach out to him and hug him, but her body refused to obey her wishes. It took all her strength to even chew on the meager meal she had in her hand. The two of them sat silently for a while before she remembered something.

"How long was I unconscious?"

"About a day," he responded and drank a sip. "It will be night in a couple of hours."

Another spell of silence settled between them as Katara became aware of soreness in her shoulder, where the recently healed bite was throbbing. With her left hand, she kneaded the muscle, groaning at the stab of pain shoot through her.

"What are you doing?" he asked a little urgently.

"My wound," she replied. "It's hurting."

"It's a recent wound. Of course, it hurts," he grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. "Here, let me ease the muscles a bit."

"It hurts to massage," Katara said.

"It won't. I'll ease it up," he assured her. Unable to argue, she simply nodded. "You may have to undo a button or two at the top."

Katara did not even think as she opened the buttons to loosen the shirt. Zuko pulled the collar down and laid a heated palm against her wound. She gasped in relief, her back arching as the muscles eased.

"Better?"

She nodded, "Thank you."

He waved it off and resumed his position against the rock. Katara leaned into him and he draped an arm around her, bringing her closer to him. She lay his head on his shoulder, feeling his heart beating under her hand. She felt him lay a small peck on top of her head. His other hand found hers over his heart and curled around it.

"Katara?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you okay?"

She sighed, unsurprised that he was asking this question. He had witnessed her at her absolute and terrifying worse. In fact, coming to think of it, she dreaded to even imagine what would have happened if he were not around. He had saved her. Again.

"I don't know," she whispered. "I'm too tired to even think. There's just so much…"

When she didn't continue, he lay his cheek on her hair and tightened his arm around her. After a while, he said, "You were incredible."

Katara stilled. "What?"

"What you did at the camp? That was by far the most impressive bending display I have ever seen."

Katara sat up, pulling herself out of his embrace and looked at him aghast. "Blood Bending is unholy!" her voice was squeaky as she grabbed fistfuls of her hair, "How can you call it impressive? I killed Jet with it! Almost killed Utakata. Vamik is dead because of me. It was not impressive. It was abhorrent! It was disgusting!" she rubbed her hands together, feeling tears pressing against her eyes, "There's blood on my hands!"

He sat in silence, looking at her as Katara began to scrape her hands against the ground. There was blood on it. So much blood. She needed it off. NOW.

"Katara," his voice was soft yet firm as he grabbed her hands. "Stop. Stop. Enough."

The weight of her actions began to crash on her and Katara's breath came out in short ragged gasps. The world was closing in on her, suffocating her. Darkness clouded her vision as she saw Vamik's headless body drop to the ground.

"Katara!" Zuko's voice came from somewhere far off, calling for her. But she could not respond to him. All around her were the dead. The dead were staring at her, calling her. Waiting for her. Kala. Jet. Vamik. They were all waiting for her. To devour her. Consume her whole.

A/N: In case it's not clear, this picks up almost 24 hours after the escape.