So, here it is, chapter 12! I'm a little iffy on this chapter...and by 'a little' I mean 'a lot'. Hopefully, I've managed to make the quasi-romance plausible...it wasn't easy. Writing Zutara is like writing against the natural order of things. ;P
Chapter 12: "A Confusion"
Zuko's eyes traveled along the shore, looking for any place for their boat to take shelter. At last he found what he was looking for: a small inlet on the coast of the island, its waters relatively unmolested by the storm. Finally, some luck in their favor! Zuko steered their boat towards the tiny cove, careful to avoid hitting any rocks along the way. As they sailed into the inlet, Zuko noticed the boat's rocking decreased significantly. The waters were still choppy, but at least they wouldn't have to worry about their boat capsizing or sinking. Zuko pulled a lever off to the side of the wheel, which opened a trapdoor in the boat and lowered the anchor. Once the boat was secured, Zuko stepped out from the small covered space around the ship's wheel and went below deck.
The warm, still air below deck was a welcome change from the cold, blustery air on deck. Katara had let the engine's fires die down since they were no longer moving, and the coals inside the engine smouldered slowly, heating the small room pleasantly. Zuko slumped into a sitting position, his body screaming at him for his carelessness. He winced slightly and moved into a more comfortable position, which was difficult to find, considering the beating he had taken from Zhao and the storm. The firebender prince let out a long breath and tried to organize his thoughts. He needed to come up with some sort of plan that would help them deal with these new circumstances. His brain, however, refused to cooperate, and his thoughts stayed scattered.
"Where are we?" Katara asked quietly.
"In the cove of some island," he answered without opening his eyes, "We should be safe here. For now."
"Ah," she answered softly. Katara studied him for a minute and said, "You look terrible. Would...you like me to heal some of your wounds with my waterbending again?"
Zuko opened his eyes, regarding her for a moment. She must have been exhausted from using so much of her waterbending in one day, yet she was still offering to heal him using her bending powers? After a short pause, he quietly answered, "Yes." Katara blinked, a little surprised he didn't put up more resistance. As he scooted more towards the center of the room, Katara opened the door leading up to the deck a little to let some rainwater in. When she had collected a sufficient amount, she closed the door and walked over to where Zuko now sat. Sitting down herself, Katara isolated a small part of the water she now held, and formed it into a ball. "Here," she said, "Drink this. Although you've probably had more than enough water for one day, huh?" Zuko weakly tried to return her smile, but it came out a grimace instead. He bent forward and drank from the water-ball she levitated, finding the act strangely intimate. After he had had his fill, he turned around and unlatched his chest armor and took off his shirt, signaling to Katara to begin her water healing.
The icy-cool of the water was a wonderful relief to the ache of his bruises, burns, and cuts. Zuko couldn't keep a sigh of gratitude from escaping him. The cold water worked softly over his wounds, numbing the pains of his previous battle. The burn marks on his skin slowly began to disappear, and the bruises became a little fainter. While her water worked its healing powers on him, Zuko found his mind dwelling on Katara and how she had rescued him from drowning. What could have motivated her to do that? The question nagged persistently at him, until he could keep it to himself no more.
"Why did you save me? You could have been helping your friends escape," He finally asked, breaking the silence.
Zuko couldn't see her face, but he knew she was smiling. "My friends were already on Appa when I jumped overboard. They didn't really need my help."
Zuko frowned. In a more demanding tone, he asked, "So, you could've left with your friends and flown to safety, but instead chose to save me. Why?"
Her hand paused on his shoulder blade. "It's like I said before, when we were on Zhao's ship. I don't abandon people. I couldn't just leave you." She waited a moment, seeing if he would answer, but Zuko stayed silent. Assuming his silence meant the conversation was over, Katara went back to water-healing.
For Zuko, however, it was far from over. His mind was in an flurry, trying to figure Katara out. She had saved his life on Zhao's sinking ship, provided him with water-healing, helped him steal a boat, saved them both from being arrested by that one Fire Nation vessel, had saved his life again by rescuing him from drowning, and here she was now, water-healing him once more! Why did she do all this? Certainly, they were both on the same side at the moment, but that didn't obligate her to do a fraction of what she did! Like saving him earlier—she could have flown away with her friends. And with him drowning, she would have had one less enemy! Why? There was absolutely nothing for her to gain by helping him! People didn't just do something for nothing. The only person who had ever done something without expecting anything in return was his uncle, but that was because he cared...for...him...
Zuko's thoughts abruptly halted as he came to a tentative conclusion. Did Katara care for him? It seemed highly unlikely at first, they were enemies after all, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Before he had been banished, and was still living at the palace, people used to go out of their way to do nice things for him. But, of course, they always had ulterior motives: they wanted to gain favor with his father, or were planning to get in good graces with the future Fire Lord, or were hoping to profit off his position, or something of the like.
It had irritated him, everyone being so false all the time, and he remembered the day he had finally snapped while playing Pai Sho with his uncle.
"Uncle, why are you bothering to play this stupid game with me?" he had demanded.
His uncle frowned. "Prince Zuko, Pai Sho is not a 'stupid' game, it is a game that employs strategy and–"
"But why are you playing with me?" The younger Zuko folded his arms and shot his uncle a nasty look. "If you think my father is going to reward you for spending time with me, you can think again."
He remembered the very sad look his uncle had given him. "Prince Zuko, I do not expect nor want any reward from my brother. Being with you is reward enough."
They had been close ever since.
Zuko's mind came back to the present. Was it the same with Katara? Did she do all those selfless deeds because she had affection for him?
You're a person before you're a firebender.
Her words from before which had so strangely touched him came back into mind. What did that mean, exactly? That she saw him as more than a firebender? More than a prince? That she viewed him as a person? As himself? And cared for him? Zuko felt his chest clench a little. He had never received genuine affection from anyone outside his uncle–not even from his own father. The thought of another person, someone of his own age—someone he respected—cared for him that way... Zuko felt another clench in his chest, this one harder.
He suddenly become acutely aware of Katara's movements. He felt the way the water smoothly glided along his skin, its cool feeling relieving the ache from his earlier battles. Her fingertips brushed against him every once in a while, and after a while, it was hard to discern Katara's touch from the water. A droplet of water trickled down his spine. Zuko swallowed thickly.
"Well, that's the best I can do," Katara said with a sigh. "Hope you feel a little better, at least." Zuko turned and stared at Katara. The waterbender looked nervous at the strange expression on his face. "Uh...you okay?"
"Did you mean it?"
The waterbender tilted her head to the side, confused. "Huh? Mean what?"
"That you see me as a person."
Katara's brow beetled slightly. "Yes..."
"And all those things you did–saving my life and healing me–you did them because you cared?" Zuko pressed.
Katara hesitated, not exactly sure how to answer the question. What exactly what Prince Zuko getting at? "Well, yeah...but I always–"
Her answer was cut short as she suddenly found herself in close proximity with Zuko. Katara tried to back away, alarmed, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her close.
"For me?"
Katara stayed silent a long time, stunned. Finally, she found her voice. "W...what?" she stammered.
"I asked...do you care for me?"
"General," Captain Himoto addressed Iroh as she approached, "We have been making excellent time. However, there is a storm passing up ahead. It will be mostly over by the time we get there, but I would like to slow the ship's speed down all the same. For safety's sake."
"Yes, yes, of course, captain," Iroh replied cordially. "I do not mind if we slow the ship a little while we enter rougher waters."
"The storm ahead has been moving quickly. If Zhao was heading south, there is a good chance he was caught in the storm. This may have delayed him, and might have given us a chance to catch up," the captain added.
Iroh started, surprised to find the captain thinking the same thoughts as he. "Well, we can certainly hope," he responded, keeping his tone light.
The captain nodded her head. "I merely wished to keep you up to date. If you'll excuse me, I have other business to attend." Himoto made a short bow and walked off.
Iroh turned and watched the dark clouds as they lumbered across the sky. If Zhao was indeed caught up in the storm, they would undoubtedly catch up to him within the day, possibly within a few hours. Iroh walked over to his men, who stayed in a group on deck, out of the way of Captain Himoto and her crew. They had managed to get some rest to recover from yesterday, as well as receive medical treatment from the ship's doctors. All in all, they looked wholly better.
The expression on Iroh's face immediately alerted the men to attention. They stayed silent, waiting for Iroh to speak. "It seems," he said quietly, making sure he was out of earshot of Himoto's crew, "That there is a good chance we will be meeting up with Zhao today." Disgruntled mutters came from his men. "If that is the case, then there is also the problem of the Avatar being discovered," he continued, eyes shifting across the deck, "We need to find a way to make certain the Avatar does not stay prisoner..."
"But sir," Lietenant Jee countered, "Don't we want the Avatar captured?"
"Yes," Iroh said slowly, "But we want him captured by Prince Zuko. Should Captain Himoto or Admiral Zhao or anyone else turn the Avatar over to the Fire Lord, Zuko's only chance to regain his honor will be lost. Meaning, if we do come across the Avatar in Zhao's possession, we may be forced to resort to sabotage to ensure the Avatar escapes to freedom..." Of course, this too was only a half truth. Iroh was no more eager to see Zuko turn in the Avatar than anyone else. However, he wasn't ready to admit that to his men, especially while on one of the Fire Navy's ships.
"So, what are we going to do?" one of the men asked.
Iroh sighed. " I am not sure. We will have to wait and see. We'll decide what to do when and if Zhao and the Avatar are found..."
The general nodded, indicating the discussion was over. The men went back to whatever they were previously engaged in, and Iroh went back to casually strolling around the deck, as if nothing had happened.
Below deck, directly underneath where Iroh had informed his men had spoken, stood a soldier with his ear pressed to an empty drainage pipe. Behind him stood Captain Himoto, arms crossed and a stern look on her face. "Well?" she prompted.
"From what I've heard," the soldier began, "It looks as though Admiral Zhao has the Avatar in his possession." He relayed the rest of what he heard to her, nearly word for word what the old general had said.
"Hmm. I knew this whole situation sounded a bit strange...It appears I was wise in putting General Iroh under close supervision. Keep an eye on him. I shall have the men readied for when we meet Admiral Zhao...and his captives..." Captain Himoto turned and walked away, her boots echoing lightly in the small metal hallway.
Sokka peered down at the island below. He could see the it was mostly covered in trees. If Appa was going to land, they needed to find a clearing. At last he managed to discern a lighter patch of green amongst the trees. He shook Appa's reins and guided the bison down, squinting against the rain. The bison landed in the small field, a bit harder than they all would have liked. Appa groaned an rolled over, clearly in pain. "It's okay, buddy," Aang said, petting Appa's head after he had hopped off, "You did great!" Appa groaned in response.
"Well, Appa's not going to get any better sitting here like this!" Sokka remarked. "Let's get him under the trees and out of the wind and rain." Aang grabbed Appa's reins and led the bison out of the clearing and into the wooded area where the branches provided meager shelter.
Somewhat out of the rain, Appa sank down to the ground with a grunt. "How ya doing?" Aang asked, petting his head again. The bison gave a quick shake of his body, drenching everyone near him with excess water from his fur. Momo quickly scampered underneath Appa's head, using the giant's bulk as shelter. Sokka and Aang followed, feeling a bit guilty for Appa. "Don't worry, boy," Aang said as cheerfully as he could manage, "This storm should be over soon. We'll get you all checked out in the morning." Appa moaned his appreciation.
"And we'll start our search for Katara," Sokka added pointedly. Aang smiled weakly. The nearest island to Zhao's ship was this one. It was too far to swim, and Aang was pretty sure Katara didn't have spare flying bison. Nor had he seen any boat around Zhao's while he was fighting the firebenders. Did she make it back on Zhao's ship? What did she jump overboard for? Aang put his chin on his knees. He didn't know.
Katara stared, completely dumbfounded, at Zuko. "What?" she asked again.
"Do I need to repeat myself?" he hissed, irritated. Katara opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. She looked down and stayed silent for a while. "Well?" he asked.
She tugged her wrist free. "Ah...well...I care," she stuttered, "but I don't care for you... in that way..."
Zuko blinked. He looked as though he had been hit. The expression on her face, as though the thought having any affection for him was utterly ludicrous, stung. The prince stood up quickly, trying to think of what he was going to say next. When he saw the waterbender flinch slightly, he thought, Does she actually think I'm actually going to hurt her? A scowl set deep on his face, Zuko grabbed his shirt and pulled it on. He left his armor on the floor and laid down on the far side of the room. "We should get some rest. Go to sleep."
"But..."
"Goodnight."
Katara stared at his back for a moment, uncertain. Finally, she found a sleeping spot on the floor and quietly laid down to sleep.
Zuko stared sullenly at the wall. Why did her answer hurt? He shouldn't have gotten carried away and assumed...but what the hell was he supposed to think? She had done all that stuff for his sake...how was he not supposed to think she had feelings for him? Zuko shifted uncomfortably—his chest felt tight.
Well, forget it. If things weren't that way, so be it. He could go back to the old animosity with no problem at all. Zuko closed his eyes and went into a troubled sleep.
Gone. The Avatar and Prince Zuko were gone.
DAMMIT!
Zhao stood, heaving, on the deck of his ship. The Avatar had long since flown off, and both Prince Zuko and the blue-eyed girl had gone overboard. Now he was right back to where he had started after his ship had blown up. He cursed having ever arrested Zuko. No prince, however much Zhao hated him, was worth this much trouble.
Not to be deterred, however, Zhao decided his best chance of making it out of this terrible situation was to go after the Avatar. That flying monstrosity was wounded, plus there was the storm to contend with, so they couldn't have gone very far. He and his men would check every island, if they had to, to find that wretched boy. Zhao barked the order to his men to get the ship moving, as well as to have any maps of the Fire Nation on this ship brought to him.
However, his orders were interrupted by the shouts of one of his men. "Sir," the soldier called, his eye peering into Prince Zuko's telescope, "There appears to be a ship approaching!"
Zhao swore at his persistent bad luck. A ship? Now? Well, they were far enough away from his sunk battleship to avoid any questioning on that part. Perhaps, if he could smooth talk his way out of any suspicions, the other, larger vessel would leave them be and he could continue on his hunt for the Avatar. The ship hailed him with their horn and came astride Zuko's vessel. Zhao hoped that he and Zuko's ship wouldn't be recognized.
However, as a certain face came into view over the railing of the other ship, all hope of that happening vanished.
As Iroh looked down on Zhao's horrified and outraged face, the former general couldn't help but feel a deep satisfaction inside. Captain Himoto, once she had confirmed with Iroh this was the ship they were looking for, immediately ordered for Zuko's ship to boarded and Zhao, along with all his men, to be arrested. Her orders were carried out, and met with little resistance, except on Zhao's part. When Iroh stepped aboard Zuko's ship with Captain Himoto, Zhao was absolutely livid.
There was also no Avatar to be found. Iroh noticed, however, that there were signs of a struggle. It appeared the Avatar had escaped. Iroh cheered inwardly, while keeping his face set in a stern expression. Now, if he could just find out about Prince Zuko...
"Release me!" Zhao shouted to Iroh.
"Ah, admiral, excellent to see you again," Iroh responded pleasantly.
"You have no authority to arrest me..."
"On the contrary," Captain Himoto interrupted. "Stealing a Fire Nation vessel, while fleeing and withholding valuable information is more than enough to have you arrested, admiral or no."
"I didn't steal this vessel, captain," Zhao spat, "I commandeered it. And as for withholding information, General Iroh is about twice as guilty as I." He gave a twisted smile. "I haven't heard one word of the Avatar spoken so far. I bet he conveniently failed to mention that, didn't he?"
"What Avatar?" Iroh said with a frown, as if addressing someone who had gone out of their mind. Himoto watched Iroh out of the corner of her eye.
"'What Avatar?' Look at the damage on this ship! Where do you think it came from? The Avatar and Prince Zuko!"
"Prince Zuko?" Iroh cried. Captain Himoto's eyebrows shot up. "He's still alive?" Iroh demanded.
Zhao smiled nastily. " I doubt it. He was washed overboard in the storm, along with the little waterbender peasant."
Both Iroh and Captain Himoto started. Prince Zuko was washed overboard? There was a waterbender with him? Now Iroh understood how Prince Zuko had managed to escape Zhao's battleship in time. The waterbender girl had helped him! And if she had been able to get the two of them off that sinking vessel, perhaps she could have found a way for them to survive being washed overboard. Iroh was filled with hope. He must search for his nephew! However, he needed to convince Captain Himoto to allow him to take Prince Zuko's ship and look for his nephew before Zhao spouted off too much information and got him in trouble...
The former general put a hand on Himoto's shoulder and led her aside. In a quiet voice, he said, "Captain, if my nephew was indeed thrown over with a captive waterbender, there may still be chance he's alive. With your permission, of course, I'd like to take Prince Zuko's ship and search for him."
"Unfortunately, I cannot allow that," Himoto answered slowly. A look of shock crossed Iroh's face. The captain snapped her fingers, and Iroh was grabbed and chained up by her firebenders before he even had time to react.
"Captain!" Iroh cried, "What is the meaning of this?"
Himoto gave him a cold look. "I'm placing you under arrest, general, for the same reasons as Admiral Zhao–-treason and withholding information."
Boy, I feel sorry for Prince Zuko. Family life must have sucked if he confuses Katara's general niceness/sense of morals with affection. Poor guy.
Well, lemme know what you thought about this chapter. Constructive criticism is always welcome!