I have to answer a question. It was a red Chinese dress. That a was a typo. The dress was originally going to be black but I changed it. Thanks for pointing that out Dormant Darkness!
Fear Itself
Three days passed and Zuko barely said a word to Katara. Iroh, disappointed in the stop of the daily bickering, asked the young waterbender what was wrong. She merely looked away, sad, and said nothing. When the retired general asked his nephew, Zuko only turned around and trained even harder. Confusing as it was, Iroh decided to let it drop. He suppose it had something to do with the last bickering the two had before all the awkwardness. It was simple enough to decide to mind his own business however it was a completely different thing to actually do.
- - - - -
"Admiral Zhao." The firebending master looked behind him to see Ceres entering the room. He nodded to the soldiers he was talking to, dismissing them from the brief meeting. She narrowed her eyes as the soldiers passed her and waited until she heard the door close before she spoke. "Zhao, you wanted to speak to me?" Zhao nodded and sat down. It was the same room that the two had struck the bargain in. He motioned for her to sit down across from him. Once Ceres had done so Zhao spoke.
"You are said to be immune from everything yet you are weak against fire. That is a well known fact for it was Avatar Senku who sealed you away." Ceres squeezed her hand into a fist, trying to keep her temper.
"Senku? So that's what the bastard's name was!" Her pupil narrowed as she gained more demonic features from her temper. Growing fangs and a snake tongue, Ceres breathed heavily in rage. After a moment, she remembered where she was and calmed herself, returning her looks back to normal. "Why do you bring this up?"
"How did you loose immunity from the comet?" Ceres closed her eyes with a light smirk.
"The bastard used his Avatar spirit to pull out part of my dark power. He transferred it into a comet. I believe that this comet is now known as Sozen's comet . . . . anyway, the old fool exhausted himself by doing that alone. Sealing me in that lava is not what killed him. He had to use the rest of his Avatar's spirit to put up those wards after creating my prison. That's what killed him."
- - - - -
"Does anyone want some tea?" Iroh smiled brightly as Katara played Pai Chow with him. She looked up, brought out of her deep thought, and shook her head. Zuko grunted a no as he spun around and kicked. The three were out on deck. Since Katara was a quick learner and new blood, Iroh had taken a liking to playing with her. Iroh narrowed his eyes while Katara went back to staring at the board, trying to figure out which tile she would move next. He had to do something about the two stubborn teenagers! It was driving him mad. Something had happened between the two and he would be darned if he didn't find out! Forget trying to leave them be! Perhaps . . . . . a conversation that would spark Zuko's interest? Something about Katara . . . . anything about Katara . .. . . hell, Iroh couldn't think of anything specifically that would spark Zuko's interest. But if the old man had to go through everything about the girl to find something that caught his nephew's attention then he would!
"So . . . . what age are you Katara?" Once more Katara looked up, this time surprised by the sudden conversation.
". . . . I just turned 15 a few weeks around." Iroh smiled when Zuko paused briefly in a kick. Apparently that answer had surprised the young prince.
"Ah! Prince Zuko will be turning 17 in several months." Katara nodded as she moved a tile across the board. "By then this whole ordeal will be over with. You must come to his birthday party!"
"UNCLE!" Iroh turned to look at Zuko with a face red from anger.
"What?" The old man watched as Zuko calmed himself down. By now, even Katara was used to his temper.
"Just go back to playing your game." Zuko growled out. Shrugging, Iroh turned back to his game seeing as it was his move. Zuko let out a barraged of punches. Fire spewed forth before he dropped down and kicked out his imaginary opponent's feet. 'Why did that bother me?' The fire prince asked himself. 'Why? Why does she bother me?' Glancing over his shoulder at the two, Zuko paused for a moment. However, he quickly returned to his fiery kicks and punches. 'What is it about her that bothers me so? Why was I bothered when she touched my scar? Why was I bothered when she even looked at it?' With a sigh Zuko stopped his training and looked back to see Katara and Iroh playing their game. ". . . . I'm taking a shower."
- - - - -
"How will you gain immunity from the comet?" Ceres smirked as she crossed her legs.
"I will use my powers to pull out the part that was sealed away." Zhao narrowed his eyes as he studied the demon.
". . . . no one in the Fire Nation truly knows what your powers are. Just rumors." Raising an eyebrow, Ceres smirked.
"Really? I would have thought that a Nation such as the Fire Nation would not have forgotten so easily." Zhao pounded his fist onto the table.
"Dammit! Do not play games with me!" He snarled as Ceres chuckled softly.
"Very well. My body does not sustain harm from anything. At least, that was until my power was partly sealed into that comet. Now only fire can damage it."
"What else?" Ceres thought for a moment.
"Well . . . . there is my supernatural strength. And I do know how to cast spells." Ceres shrugged, boredom evident on her face. Admiral Zhao stared at her, confused.
"But . . . you kept an entire world in fear of you. How can there be so little! Why, you're barely able to do anything!" Pupil slitted and fangs grew as Ceres stood. Red took over green in her irises and her gloves were ripped as she grew claws. In an instant she had Zhao by the throat.
"Insignificant fool!" Ceres rasped, her voice taking inhuman qualities. "I don't think you know who I am!" The light in the room flickered as a shadow emerged from behind Ceres. Red eyes opened on the shadow as Ceres spoke. "I am Ceres." She hissed. "The earth trembles before me! The wind bows down to my command! The sea is at my every whim! And soon, very soon, fire will once more extinguish itself at my very thought!" She dropped him onto the ground and glared down at him, along with the shadow. "Do you not understand me, mortal! The elements do my bidding!"
- - - - -
Katara fought back a blush as Zuko entered the room, toweling off the last of the water from his shower. Katara smiled at Iroh who nodded and left. It was silent as Zuko turned his back for her to change. Night had fallen.
"Done." Zuko turned and glanced at Katara before going over to the bed and crawling into it. Katara followed him and did the same. Soon the two feel asleep.
- - - - -
Katara sat up in bed and looked beside her. Zuko wasn't there. Katara felt beside her, hoping that Zuko had only been gone for a moment. The side Zuko usually slept on was cold. She looked around the room, hoping to see Zuko sitting in a chair, reading a map or a book. No one else was in the room.
"Where . . ." Bitting her lip, Katara stepped out of the bed. The floor was freezing. Quickly she pulled her foot back in surprise. Shaking her head Katara laughed at her silliness. Had she been in warm weather so long that the cold was foreign to her? Katara did not bother to change before she left the room. The young waterbender wandered through the halls of the small battleship. By now she had gotten used to the maze and knew how to get to wherever she wanted. True she was used to Zuko being there to lead the way, but she knew which turns he would take and which he would not. Katara rubbed her arms. It was getting colder. The hallways were empty. It seemed like all signs of life were gone. Cobwebs that would never had formed hugged the ceiling and draped down into her path. Dust hung in the air. Katara felt her heart start to race as her breath became visible. Chairs were pulled out and over turned, the wood had rotten. The metal was red from rust. Everything was barren and lonely. Suddenly, a clank echoes through the hallway. "Who's there?" Katara listened for an answer Nothing. Frowning, Katara looked around the ship more only to find no one anywhere. It was deserted. A ghost ship. Katara brushed hair away from her face as she stepped out onto the deck.
Clank!
Whipping around, Katara looked for any sign of life.
"Where . . . . where is everyone?" She whispered to herself. She scanned over the deck once more, hoping that someone would suddenly appear. But her hope was cast aside as no one appeared. The bitter reality struck her. She was all alone.
Clank!
Katara strained her ears to try and find the source of the noise. Silence drowned out everything. She heard nothing. With a heavy sigh, and a shiver from the cold, Katara leaned against the hatch door. Slowly she dropped to the ground and hugged her knees. She was alone. All alone.
Clank!
Katara's head snapped up at the sound. She stood up and rubbed her arms, trying to stay warm. Something was there. The young woman didn't know what it was but something was there. Looking around the deck once more, Katara tried to find the source of the sound.
Clank!
There! Katara raced over to the edge of the deck and peered over the railing. That's where the noise was coming from. It had to be. But the second Katara looked over the edge she wished she hadn't. A clawed hand shot out from the darkness over the railing and wrapped itself around her throat. A deep laughter echoed through the darkness that overtook everything. Rising from the dark, Ceres smirked. With a wicked laugh Ceres used her other hand to brush some hair out of Katara's face.
"Ah, don't be so sad." The snake tongue slithered out of her mouth and flicked Katara's face. The little breaths Katara could take were small clouds. The demon's fangs were exposed as Ceres's lips pulled back into a cruel grin. "I'm here!" Katara let out a bloodcurling scream as Ceres laughed right before opening its mouth to devour her soul.
- - - - -
Katara sat up, breathing heavily as cold sweat poured down her face. Zuko was sitting up in an instant with a flame in his hand. He looked around the room wildly, trying to find out what the source of her panic was. After a moment it dawned on him that it was just a bad dream. The flame in his hand extinguished and he looked at Katara uncertainly. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. The fire prince gently placed a hand on her back only to have her fling herself into his arms, sobbing. Zuko stared down at her, surprised. The image of his mother holding him after a nightmare flashed before his eyes and Zuko hesitantly wrapped his arms around her.
"I-it's alright." Zuko mental kicked himself for stuttering. He was glad that he had put out his small flame, otherwise Katara might see his reddened face. The waterbender sniffed and sobbed harder. Bitting his lip, he tried to remember what his mother did. Well, he certainly couldn't kiss her on the forehead. He was not that bold. Not that he had any reason to be bold. 'I'm just protecting her from Ceres. Why am I comforting her?' He asked himself, surprise that he would comfort a water peasant.
"P-please don't leave me!" Katara sobbed as she held onto Zuko even tighter. Zuko remembered his mother's actions when he woke up crying from a nightmare once. He rubbed her back soothingly and hushed her.
"It was just a nightmare." He reassured her while rubbing her back. After a few minutes Katara calmed down and only sniffed once or twice. "Do you want to talk about it?" He felt her nod against his chest. "What happened?" Slowly but surly the waterbender told the firebender the pain of her nightmare. Zuko waited patiently for her to finish.
". . . ."
"Is there something else?" Once more Katara nodded as she held onto him. He had become her lifeline.
". . . . promise me . . ." She muttered the rest into his chest causing him to miss her words.
"What was that?" He whispered quietly, trying to keep her calm.
". . . . promise me that you'll protect me . . ." The prince felt his heart skip a beat. He was unsure of why. He felt his insides crumble at the weakness that the usually strong willed girl displayed. He did not know why.
"I promise you that I will protect you." He wanted to add 'from Ceres' but something stopped him. He couldn't place it. But something inside of him told him not to add that. That he would protect her period. He had no idea why. It did not make sense. He wanted to protect her from everything.
". . . . thank you." Those to words made his cold heart melt. The prince nodded, even though she couldn't see him. And maybe, he didn't want her to see him. He was suppose to be a cold hearted prince of the Fire Nation, the Nation that was trying to take over the world. He was suppose to be the prince who was trying to reclaim his honor. The prince that would stop at nothing to capture the Avatar. He was suppose to be the prince trying to take away the only hope the world had. But in all honesty . . . . he wasn't that prince anymore.
- - - - -
Woohoo! I'm almost over the writer's block. I was having a lot of trouble with a lot of different parts. But at the end, it all just would not stop coming. Truthfully, there were a few times when all I could write was 'the' and even then I deleted it, screaming that it wasn't right. That earned a lot of strange looks from my family. I hope you liked the chapter. Don't worry, there will be more Zutara! This is one of the pushes they need. And I guess you already know the other push there will be coughcoughIrohcoughcough. Yay, I'm also done with that stupid book! I just gotta read this other book. And then there's the college crap I gotta go through . . . . I'll just be happy when I get done with all my work. And I also have a lot of time because my boss has to train two new assistant managers and there's a manager from another store so that means that there's no hours for me! Grr . . . but that just means I have more time to do all this personal work which means that I also have more time to write. Alrighty then, I hope you guys like this chapter and the next one. Please review, ja ne!