An Uneven Trade For the Real World
The silence was deafening. Katara resisted the urge to fidget a she sat next to Zuko and across from Brenda with Iroh at the head of the table. The three firebenders she was sharing her meal with were all quiet, each one in their own world as they ate their noodles. Finally, Brenda broke the silence.
"The noodles are good." The young waterbender fought back a twitch in her eye. That's all the woman had to say!
"Yes, the chief is good. Not as good as the one in the palace, though." Zuko muttered before returning to his noodles. Katara stared at the two as they returned to silence. Iroh had looked up and frowned.
"So, Katara," It appeared that he too could not take the silence either."What do you intend to do once the war is over?" Katara blinked, surprised. Both Brenda and Zuko looked up, also surprised but curious to hear her answer.
". . . I'm not sure." Zuko slowly returned his gaze to his noodles as Brenda watched Iroh out of the corner of her eye. She understood his subtle attempt to make conversation. And she supposed that she would comply with his wishes.
". . . . I, myself, am going to relax." Brenda announced, drawing the attention away from Katara and to herself. She could tell that the girl wasn't too fond of getting so much attention. Katara silently thanked her. "My crew and I are tired of the sea. Perhaps, after awhile, I will take return to the sea again and sail around, trying to find some excitement." Iroh grinned at his younger sister.
"You always try to avoid boring things, don't you?" Shrugging, Brenda turned her gaze towards her nephew.
"I hate boring things. But enough about me, what are you going to do, Zuko?" Zuko looked up, surprised at informal address. But then again . . . she was trying to mend their family.
". . . . I'll probably be too busy ruling the Fire Nation." He mumbled before eating his noodles once more. Brenda frowned and surprised him with her next question, causing him to almost choke on his food.
"No time for romance?" Zuko sent her a dry glare as he blushed slightly.
"Aunt Brenda . . ." Zuko growled but Brenda had turned her eyes towards Iroh.
"What are you going to do, big brother?" Iroh tapped his chin in thought.
"Well, I have been wishing that I could go back and shop in a few Fire Nation markets. Then there are my old friends I played Pai Cho with." Smiling, Brenda put down her chop sticks and stood.
"Well, I think it is time to have some tea, brother." Her golden eyes rested on Katara and Zuko. "Zuko, you hate tea so we'll leave the two of you alone." Before Zuko could protest, Brenda and Iroh were gone. Zuko cursed and slammed his fist on the table.
"Dammit!" Katara did not flinch at his outburst. She was used to them. "Why do they always have to meddle!" He demanded from no one in particular. He turned his head when he sensed Katara move but he was not prepared for her course of action. She had closed her eyes and gently pressed her lips against his.
- - - - -
"How much longer?" Iroh looked over at Brenda, surprised as her sudden question.
"What do you mean, Brenda?" She turned to him, a serious look in her eyes.
"How much longer do you think those two will take?" Brenda asked as she crossed her arms in annoyance. Iroh smiled as they walked down the hallway to Iroh's tea room.
"They say that love is blind. In this case it is also as slow as an iceberg."
- - - - -
Zuko's eyes widened in surprise before her wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer while closing his eyes. Zuko rolled to the side, taking Katara with him, and stopped so he was on top of her. Katara's only response was to wrap her arms around his neck and deepen the kiss. Zuko held his weight up on an arm beside Katara's head. He pulled her closer to him with his arm around her waist and tried to put as much passion into the kiss as he could. Finally, the two broke apart to breathe. After Zuko caught his breath, he dipped his head down and kissed her neck, causing Katara to moan. Zuko smirked against her skin when he heard her.
"I love you Zuko." She whispered in her daze, causing Zuko's heart to feel a tug. He still couldn't believe it. How could she love someone as hideous as him?
"How?" He asked, his breath warm against her skin, causing her to shiver. "I'm . . . hideous." Katara pulled him put so that she could look at him. Her eyes searched his face and she smiled.
"No . . . to me, you're the most handsome man in the world."
- - - - -
Five weeks passed and the daily routines became predictable. Zuko would train for most of the morning and then share a few kisses with Katara after he showered and changed. Then Brenda would come over and spend time with Iroh, both of which meddle with the two teenagers' relationship. After Zuko chased the two off he and Katara would spend time together alone. Everything seemed to become easy to predict. But that was before it happened. It happened when Zuko and Katara were walking across the deck, his hand brushing against hers. He wouldn't outright hold her hand in public, not unless she instigated the hand holding. He was . . . shy like that. It was then that the ship let out a large groan and seemed to tilt in one direction. Zuko grabbed Katara and kept her from falling.
"Are you alright?" The prince of fire asked her, only to have her point and sputter. "Wha-" Zuko had followed his gaze only to see a giant spider.
"B-b-b-b-big bug." Katara squeaked, barely able to stand staring at it. It was a black widow except the colors were reversed, the marking on its back was black yet the rest of it was red. It was ten feet tall, at least. While Katara had dealt with large bugs before, they were never dripping venom from their fangs like this one was. Nor were their glassy eyes honed in on her automatically. The large spider began to lumber towards the two benders when a blast of fire blindsided it. Brenda and Iroh appeared next to the two as Brenda sent another blast of fire towards the spider.
"Not just any bug, my dear. That is a demonic spider." Iroh corrected Katara. Brenda cursed when the spider swatted away her ball of fire.
"Damn!" Brenda turned her gaze to Katara. "Get out of here. That thing was obviously sent by Ceres." She looked at Zuko next. "Go with her!"
"No. My honor will not allow me to run away!" Zuko snapped and was about to send a blast of fire towards the spider when Brenda's hand struck him across the face.
"Will you honor allow you to abandon the girl you love!" Brenda demanded as she turned back to the spider. "If so, then you don't deserve to be in love!" She moved in front of the two teenagers and dropped into a powerful bending stand. Breathing in, she shot her hands forward and allow a enormous wave of fire to spew forth. After a moment, she ended the flow of fire and breathed out steadily. Turning her cold eyes back to her nephew, she spoke calmly and collectedly. "Trust me Prince Zuko, there are somethings that are worth running away for. Love is one of them." She looked back to see the spider crawling out of the flames she and sent towards it. Other firebenders had made their way to the deck and were blasting it with fire. Nothing seemed to stop it.
- - - - -
Aang and Sokka were silent with joy. Aang had finally mastered Earthbending and the two were going to find Zuko's ship. True, it had been awhile since they were last in contact with Zuko and Katara so they only had rumors to where the two were, but they would be found eventually. Aang felt a chill run up his back. Stiffening, Aang looked over at Sokka who was steering Appa.
". . . . did you feel that?"
"Feel what?" Sokka glanced at Aang. Aang was about to shake it off and say nothing he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he saw the last person he excepted to see. Lady Leila floated beside Appa.
"Please hurry!" Her soft voice entered his ears alone. "Ms. Katara has been attacked! I'll lead you to them!"
"Sokka! Katara's been attacked!" Sokka looked back at Aang sharply.
"How do you know that?" He demanded, his overprotective nature getting the best of him.
"I'll tell you on the way!" Aang raced forward and took the reigns from Sokka who crawled back into the saddle.
- - - - -
By the time Aang and Sokka got the the two Fire Nation ships, it was too late.
"What happened?" Sokka demanded the second Appa landed on Zuko's ship. Brenda looked up, away from the flames that were being put out. She had a gash down her cheek and she was holding her ribs as she leaned on the railing. Iroh was covered in bruises and a few burns. The old man looked like he would collapse if he wasn't so busy helping everyone put out the flames. Brenda coughed and hissed in pain. She had probably cracked a rib from when the spider knocked her aside.
"We . . . Ceres attack."
"How?" Aang asked, finding it impossible. They were at sea. There's no way Ceres could find them and leave so easily. Especially when she was vulnerable to fire.
"Where's my sister?" Sokka demanded, not caring how Ceres got there or left. Brenda bowed her head in shame.
"She . . . . Ceres sent a demon spider and it bit her. We don't know what it did. But . . . we think it might have taken her soul to Ceres."
"What?" Sokka whispered, his disbelief almost strong enough to stop the tears from threatening to spill. Almost. Brenda looked up as she cradled her ribs and shifted her eyes to the hatch door that lead below deck.
"Her . . . . her body is working on its own . . . it's like she's asleep." Brenda sighed and looked back at Sokka. The boy was shaking with rage.
"He said he would protect her." Sokka hissed. Brenda blinked in surprise before she realized what he meant. Her eyes soften.
"No one could have protected her from the spider." Sokka looked up at Brenda, his face contorted with anger.
"That's a lie! Had she been with us-" Brenda cut him off.
"The spider would have come one way or another." Sokka shook his head.
"But with us-"
"Sokka," Aang interrupted him this time. "Don't blame Zuko. It's my fault. Had I listened to my instincts in the first place then I wouldn't have landed on the island." Brenda opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by a soldier.
"Admiral!" She turned her head to the soldier to show she was listening. "There are Fire Nation ships coming!" Her eyes widened in shock before she looked at Iroh. Her older brother had heard also.
"How many?" The retired general asked.
"Too many to count!"
- - - - -
Zuko laid Katara's body on his bed. There was no emotion on his face as he did this. He simply went about tucking her into the bed. Once the sheets were covering her thin body, Zuko sat down in a chair near the bed. He could feel a prickle at the back of his eyes but he fought it. Now wasn't the time to cry. It was never the time to cry. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and leaned back into the chair. A hand reached up and brushed over his scar, making his wince. It didn't hurt. But the memory did. Katara was the only one that could touch it. For some reason whenever she touched the scar he didn't think of how he got it. But the thought of Katara made anger flood his system. Any icy rage filled his veins as he opened his eyes and narrowed them. The air heated up around him as the flames in the room grew. He needed a target for his anger. And he had one. A slimy, filthy, spiteful being known as Ceres. The demon that had come into his life and hurt Katara. He wanted, no, he needed to hurt Ceres back. He lusted for revenge. Ceres had come into his life and broken it once more. With Katara, his world, no matter how ruined, seemed perfect. But his utopia had been destroyed by Ceres.
"Katara . . . ." Zuko whispered as he stood up. He clenched his hands into fists and glared at the ground. "I swear, I will find Ceres for what it has done to you." He looked up, his scar making him seem more vicious. A dangerous smirk played on his lips at the thought of finding Ceres. Anger flashed in his eyes when he looked down at Katara. Silently, Zuko shook with rage. "And then, with my own hands, I'll kill the demonic bitch." Zuko turned and left the room. He spared a glance over his shoulder at the sleeping form of Katara. Yes, he would kill Ceres. He would kill the demon for harming the girl he loved. He would kill the demon for ruining his already broken life.
- - - - -
Wow! How do you like that? Poor, poor Zuko. Ceres came and took Katara away from him. Well, please review so I know what to fix . . . . er . . . other than my grammar. I stink at grammar, I know. But it isn't that bad, I hope. But more importantly, tell me what you like, dislike, etc. about this chapter. Thank you! ;)