Inutenshi: Hihi peoples! Okay! Quick note: I've noticed that in many stories, Zuko has a nice fancy room, nice bed, and all that good stuff.I've always thought that the room he meditates in, in the show, was his actual bedroom. Just recently I've discovered that they areindeed seperate rooms, but just for the sake of this story I'm going to merge them.
Zuko: Why?
Inutenshi: Because here...I AM GOD! MUWAHAHAHAHA!
Zuko: Eep! (hides behind Katara)
Katara: Baby...
Zuko: But...but she's evil! Here she can make me fall in love with your brother...
Inutenshi: Ew! No! That's gross! No offense to yoai fans. I'm one AT TIMES and, but for this...no...
Zuko: Phew...
Inutenshi: Also! I may have to change the rating. I have my overly gorey and potty mouth moments.
Katara: Really? I haven't noticed. (washes her mouth after every chapter from her swearing)
Zuko: Okay! Onto the-
Inutenshi: One more thing! (Zuko groans) The next chapter may take a while. These four were already typed and just needed editing. I can't say how long chapter five will be.
Zuko: You done? (Inutenshi nods) Okay! Onto the story!
Why Won't You Trust Me?
Zuko knew he should've listened to his uncle. He knew he should've, but he was too proud to submit to the old man. The wound was irritating him and it was getting harder to concentrate on the words the captain was spewing at him. On top of it all, he was getting a migraine.
"If we head north we should reach Kasasagi Port by tomorrow afternoon, but..."
The captain drew his finger across to the east side of the map on the table.
"If we head east, there are more likely to be rumors heard of the Avatar's trail."
Zuko stated blankly at the map.
"Sir?"
Stare...
"Your majesty?"
Stare...
"Prince Zuko!" Iroh raised his voiced, clapping Zuko on the shoulder
He jumped slightly, looking at his uncle, who nodded towards the captain.
"Oh...Oh yeah! Um...Lets head to Kasasagi." The tired prince said rubbing his right temple.
Iroh smiled and patted his nephew's back.
"A wise choice my young prince. Even if we were to find the Avatar, you're in no condition to fight."
Zuko groaned and shooed the old man's hand away. Not even praise would alleviate the pressure in his temples. The frantic knock on the metal door did little to help his ever growing head ache. Iroh saw that the irritated prince wasn't about to answer it nor permit who ever was out there to come in. So he stood, shaking out his old, creaking bones, and opened the door to a very distraught soldier Zuko had sent to check on the girl.
"Private Hyde?" Iroh stared quizzically at the pale new soldier who was not much older than the prince. "What ails you? I thought you'd been sent to check on our...guest."
The soldier's eyes were wide and small beads of sweat rolled down his light tan face.
"I did sir...but..."
Hyde held his hands up to the old man. They were stained with watered down blood.
"Dear fire gods..."
Prince Zuko glanced up at the pair in the door way and every trace of his migraine disappeared. He shot up, grabbed the shaking boy's hands, and looked them over.
"Who's is it?" He demanded.
"I...I just went in to check on her sir. It was quiet and there was no light so I thought that maybe she was asleep and I didn't want to disturb her."
Hyde swallowed the lump in his throat.
"But when I was about to leave...I saw it...I saw blood leaking through the crack under the door. When I opened it, I saw that the blood had come from a basin that had tipped over..."
"And what of the girl!" Zuko yelled.
"I thought she was dead sir. She was lying face down on the floor. When I went to see if she was alright, I grabbed the wound on her wrist and the blood gushed everywhere!"
Zuko's face twisted in fear then anger.
"Uncle! Send for the doctor!" He ordered before bolting out of the room.
When he reached his room, he found the door half open with the bloody water flowing out from it. Opening door the rest of the way, he walked into the pitch dark. The menacing eyes of the dragon altar glistened against the light pouring in from the door. Lighting the single candle atop the dragon's crown he discovered that Katara was exact as Hyde had said, lying face down on the hard metal floor.
There were signs that she'd tried to leave: smeared, bloody handprints on the wall and dresser, the tipped over table where white candles had fallen into the spill of crimson. The basin lay near her feet. She'd probably tipped it over in her attempt. To do what?...He didn't know. But he did know that this mess was her fault and right now she needed his help.
While quickly approaching her, he'd stepped on something hard and nearly slipped. Lifting his foot, he found the dagger Katara had used on herself. The blade was stained with blood, hers no less, and further inspection showed that it had been previously heated.
"What the hell?"
A weak moan made him look up. Katara was pushing herself onto her hands and knees. Once she was sitting up, the dagger landed less than inches from her hand and she fell backwards with a scream. She looked from the blade to the fuming prince before her.
"What in the seven heavens were you thinking?" He shouted grabbing her arm and pulling her to her feet.
She resisted him, trying desperately to wrench herself free, but his grip was too strong.
"Answer me!"
Tears were coming back, but Katara refused to let them fall. She kept fighting him with the little strength she had.
"You could've killed yourself you idiot!" Zuko grabbed her other arm and shook her fiercely.
She screamed, sobbed, and beat at him like she had only an hour ago. Her leg shot out and kicked his knee, temporarily distracting him and giving her the time she needed to run. Two guards were coming down the hall, but she easily avoided them by sliding under the biggest one. Zuko bolted passed them mere seconds later.
They looked at each other in utter confusion.
Katara had almost lost herself in the corridors of the foreign ship. The halls were long and winding. She would've cried with joy if the warm sun had greeted her on deck, but there were only dark clouds, cold rain, and crackling thunder. She had to leave. There'd never be another chance for her if Prince Zuko caught her. The fierce rain pelted her angrily and drenched the ladder she was climbing, making it slippery. The loud bang of the deck door sounded over the thunder and she climbed faster. No need to ask who had come on of it.
Zuko shielded his eyes and looked around the deck. The waterbender was no where in sight.
Had she jumped overboard?
He looked up at the large metal smoke stack of this ship where a women's scream had caught his ears. A giant wave grew and towered over head, and time seemed to stop as it crashed down onto the ship. Zuko held fast to the door as the water threatened to sweep him away. The wave passed and Zuko looked up to where the previous scream came from. Katara dangled one handed from the ladder as the wind lashed and threw her about like a doll. Zuko cursed when he realized what she might be planning. Taking hold of the ladder, he climbed after her.
Katara heard the clank of metal against metal and knew who it was before she had looked. Swinging her body over, she managed to grab the ladder with both hands and resumed climbing. The hard rain and bright lightning blinded her as she reached the top of the stack. The metal was thick enough for her to stand on and not slip. She balanced herself and reached the other side of where the black smoke was pouring out. Looking down at the deck, she pondered if this was the right choice.
Could her life really come to an end with a single step? How would Aang and Sokka react if they found out? Did she seriously have the courage to jump and let her body smash onto the metal deck below? Or would the ravenous storm beat her to the punch?
The ship gave a violent shudder, nearly sending her off the side if a strong arm hadn't wrapped itself around her. Zuko held her tightly to his armor covered chest, crouching and hanging onto the second ladder as the waves rocked the ship like a play toy.
"Please! Just let me die!" Katara pleaded over the wind.
The storm seemed to increase the more she struggled. That was when Zuko realized that her waterbending was making the storm stronger.
"You have to stop! You don't have to do this!" He yelled.
"I have no choice! There's nothing left for me to live for!" She cried struggling more and unconsciously raising waves that grew by the second.
"What about your brother and the Avatar! What about your tribe!"
"I'm dead to them!"
"Well then what about me?"
Katara looked back into his face.
"What about you! I'm nothing, but a tool for capturing the Avatar to you!"
"Saving you was my choice! It was my choice to bring you aboard my ship and make sure you were taken care of! Yes, I was planning on using you to catch the Avatar, but that's not the point right now! If I didn't care about your well being, I would've left you to rot in a prison cell! If I didn't care, I would've thrown you off myself and let your body crash on deck!"
Katara blinked.
Were those words actually coming from Zuko's mouth?
"I look at you not as an enemy, but as a fellow bender and someone who has also been traumatized by something that cannot be changed! You are the only person other than my uncle to ever show me any trace of concern or compassion! If I let you die, it would just be another nightmare that will haunt me for the rest of my days!"
There was no lie in Zuko's words and Katara knew it. She slumped against him and the storm weakened. The rain stopped and the waves settled until only a strong breeze swayed them. The sun peeked through the clouds and sparkled glumly on the murky ocean surface. Soldiers came pouring on deck to assess the damage.
"Hold onto me. We're going down." Zuko said and turned her to face him.
Katara did more than she was told. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed hysterically against his shoulder. This made Zuko deeply confused and blushing to the point his face almost set a flame.
"Don't let me go." She whimpered, shivering in his embrace like a child awoken from a bad dream.
The scarred prince had no idea what to do...
...except to hold her...and pray that the tears would stop.
"I won't..." He whispered.
Iroh was there at the end of the ladder, to greet them as his nephew climbed down with the girl on his back.
"Are you both alright?" The old general asked.
Zuko merely nodded before opening the deck door and disappearing inside.
"Come on Aang." Sokka whined. "We've been searching all day! Appas exhausted and we haven't eaten in two days!"
The Avatar glared over his shoulder at the tired, hungry warrior. Momo lay sleepily on his stomach.
"We're going to keep looking until we find her. Yip yip!"
Appa roared tiredly and decreased his altitude.
"I said 'Yip yip'!" Aang yelled, snapping the reigns.
Appa disobeyed and slowly dropped to rest on the nearest tree.
"God dammit Appa!" He yelled, throwing the reigns and jumping off to continue on foot.
"Aang!" Sokka called, leaping from Appa and following after.
"Shut up! I'm going to find Katara and I'm not letting your slow asses hold me up!"
The bison roared mournfully to his master, but the avatar did not respond.
"If you ask me, I'd say your being the ass around here!" Sokka yelled. Momo screeched from his perch on the warrior's soldier.
Aang, turned on his heel and faced the warrior that insulted him.
"Well I wasn't asking you now was I you weak, pathetic, uncoordinated, gluttonous, self conscious, sad excuse of a warrior!"
Sokka stopped in his tracks and stared in awe at his young friend. His expression quickly changed to pure anger.
"Fine! Then don't expect a warm welcome from us when you return!" He yelled, climbing back up the tree to rest with Appa.
Aang scoffed and continued on his way.
He'd find Katara on his own. He didn't need them.
Not Sokka. Not Appa. Not even Momo.
Katara's smooth hair slipped through Zuko's fingers as he braided it to her liking. Why he was doing it, he didn't quite know himself, but the silence and the waterbender's presence was somewhat calming. They'd barely spoken since they'd returned to the room. The blood had been washed from the walls, the floors mopped, the candles that had fallen into the bloody water were reset, and the weapons removed. They were both clean and tired, but their adrenaline refused them the bliss of sleep.
"So," said Katara. "Who taught you to braid?"
Zuko paused.
"Why does it matter?" He asked, resuming the task at hand.
"I was just wondering." She sighed.
"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."
"I never wanted to say anything." He snarled as he continued overlapping the groups of hair.
"Well, since I'm gonna be here for a while, I'd thought we'd at least learn a little something about each other."
Zuko cocked his good eyebrow.
"Hair styling abilities are hardly relevant to your stay here."
"Even irrelevant things count." She said smiling.
"Why can't you just be quiet?" Zuko sighed.
Her smile was destroyed.
"Why can't you act like a normal person and engage in a friendly conversation?"
"Since when is a prince a 'normal' person?"
"What's wrong with acting normal?"
"For me, everything. Why do you insist on asking stupid questions?"
"What else is there to do around here?"
"What would there be on a ship that doesn't involve escaping?"
"It's your ship. Why don't you tell me?"
Each question, comment, and answer, fuel their frustration against each other. Katara hissed and her anger increased with every sharp tug on her hair. Zuko smirked in momentary satisfaction.
"Nothing I can think of for a woman such as yourself."
"Then what am I gonna do the whole time!"
Now Katara was pissed.
"Are you that desperate to get to the Avatar!" She yelled.
"And if I am?"
"Why can't you give a straight answer?"
"Why can't you just leave me alone!
"What is your problem! Are you like a complete anti-people person?"
'Naw! What makes you think that?" He asked, his voice heavy with sarcasm
"It makes life easier when you have someone to vent on. If you don't let your feelings out, you'll become nothing but an empty shell inside."
Zuko wanted to laugh.
"Or…I could try to kill myself."
Katara gasped and cast him a shocked look over her shoulder.
"You wouldn't really do that…"
"Who says I wouldn't? Nothing stopped you."
"Why can't you just let that go and forget it ever happened?"
"Kind of hard to do when it happened only an hour ago."
She gritted her teeth and spun around to face him fully.
"Why won't you listen to your own advice and put it behind you!"
"Why can't you find another alternative to let out your depression?"
"Because it was better than dying at the hands of a firebender like my mother did!"
"What makes you think I would kill you?"
"You give me no reason not to think otherwise."
"I already explained myself when you were trying to make a rice patty of yourself on my deck and still you think I'm nothing more than a heartless monster! Why can't you understand my words! WHY WON'T YOU TRUST ME?"
Katara shrunk back from the fire prince's out burst. His angry eyes pierced into her soul, seemingly on fire, making her feel bare and vulnerable. She suddenly felt terrible for arguing about the whole thing.
"Fine. Let's just…not talk about it anymore…" She said with a sigh and turned her back to him.
"Fine."
He grabbed the unfinished braid and proceeded with his work. An uneasy silence filled the room, making them before extremely uncomfortable.
"That rude, spoiled asshole! He doesn't even deserve my trust, yet he demands it like he's saved me from certain death!" Katara thought angrily.
"Um…Actually, he pretty much did. Had he showed up any later than he had, you would be fat and carrying a bastard child for the next 9 months." The tiny voice in her head echoed.
"…Yeah…He did. Goddesses...I feel like such a bitch."
Zuko was having similar thoughts in his own little world.
"That prissy, ungrateful bitch! I saved her life TWICE, had her treated, clothed, and fed, yet still she doesn't offer me any trust!" Zuko wanted so bad to burn something.
"Well, you are the enemy of her best friend. And apparently, you're people killed her mother. And you kidnapped her. And…" The little voice was cut off.
"Alright! Enough!"
"Haha! You just mad because you know it's true!"
"…You're right…Gods, I feel like such an asshole."
Blocking out the little voice, Zuko proceeded to think alone. All the girl had wanted was someone to talk to and he'd flicked her off like a bug on his shoulder, demanding she'd stay away and give him her trust all at once. The quiet was becoming irritating very quickly. He had to do or say something before one of them screamed.
"My mother taught me." Zuko said, finishing the braid and placing it over Katara's shoulder.
"Hmm?"
She turned to look at him again, twisting the end of the braid around her finger as he continued.
"My mother was the one who taught me to braid. She had really long hair, longer than yours, and she used to put it in braids all around her head. When I was younger she'd sometimes braid my ponytail."
Katara smiled. He was opening up to her.
"What was your relationship with your parents?"
He paused to think.
"We were close, my mother and I. We did almost everything, but train together. My teachers and father helped me with that."
Looking at his palm, he remembered the day he promised his mother and smiled sadly. The kiss she'd blown that he caught would always remain.
"Were you like that with your father? Did you and your parents ever just do stuff together?" She asked, placing a smaller hand in his for comfort.
Zuko scoffed, his weak smile changing to a smirk of anger and regret.
"My father was too busy with his Fire Lord duties to do anything, but train with me when I turned 11. As for our time together, he spent his free time arguing with my mother, having his fun, or beating her."
He balled the hand Katara wasn't holding into a fist. She saw this and reached out for it. The cool feeling of her fingers against his fiery flesh caused a puff of steam to rise and dissipate. The pain he held inside was clearly visible in his expression.
"What did your mother do after your father…well..."
"Most of the time she cried." Much like you did today. "One day, I found her in their room and that day she made me promise never to disobey or upset my father."
Zuko's head ache was coming back from the day's events and how tightly he'd fastened his pony tail. Reaching behind his head, he found the knot and untied the offending ribbon. A few of the released strands fell in front of his face, caressing the burn over his left eye as he turned his gaze to the floor watching his fingers idly wrap themselves in the ribbon .
"Prince Zuko? I have one last question, if you don't mind…" She said uncertainly.
"What?"
The sudden cool touch to his painful memory made him jump and pull away. The waterbender hesitated, but reached out once again, placing a hand on either side of his face and drawing him slowly closer. His eyes slowly closed as her delicate finger tips brushed against every inch of the vibrant mark almost like if she were engraving it into her memory.
Not one person, beside the doctors, had dared to touch it. It felt odd, yet soothing how gently and boldly this young woman stroked his scar. Then, he knew what it was she was going to ask.
"Who would do such a thing to you?" She asked her voice sad and confused.
Zuko's larger, rough hands came up and covered hers, closing around them and pulling them away. He placed the soft appendages in her lap and squeezed them gently. His brow was furrowed slightly. Katara understood.
"Not ready to talk about it?" She asked.
A small nod was her answer and a smile was her reply.
"That's alright. Don't tell me anything you don't feel comfortable with."
The small comfort she'd given him made his chest warm. He felt much better having someone to listen to him. Maybe she was right. Venting on someone was a great way to clear your head. Now he realized how hungry he was.
"You want something to eat?" He asked.
Her eyes widened and she flung her arms around his middle, burying her face in the soft, dark red shirt.
"I'd love that! Please? I'll be your best friend." She sounded like a child begging for candy.
He flushed with embarrassment and couldn't stop the smile that graced his lips. With a small grunt he stood, pulling her up by the uninjured wrist. He grabbed two robes off their closet hangers, draping one across her shoulders before retying up his ponytail and pulling one around himself. She whispered her thanks as he led her from the room, walking side by side, hands just barely brushing.
Inutenshi: Ha! How's that for dramatic!
Zuko: Geez Katara...Attempting suicide again?
Katara: I was PMSing!
Zuko: Ewww! Didn't need to know!
(Inutenshi and Katara talk about the process of getting pregnantto birth)
Zuko: AAAHHHH!1 MY EARS!
Next Chapter: Smile of an Angel, Voice of a Goddess