Disclaimer: I dont own the Avatar or Zuko...aw man..
Katara walked slowly along the creaking dock, trying to savor every memory she had in her village. The boat supporters of the dock were covered in sea moss and barnacles. At the end of the docks, three broad ropes were strung across five boat supporters, such the size of the ship.
It was made of dull black steel and and was gigantic from one end to the other. A large pipe protruded from the deck and rose several feet above the highest floor of the ship, emitting grey stacks of smoke. There was a long ramp dropped from one side of the ship.
Katara glanced at the gentle ocean from her beautiful village, she stopped walking and listened to its gentle movements. The fresh salt air soothed her feelings and she sighed peacefully.
But something at the end of the dock caught her eye. On the last boat supporter, a light blue ribbon was tied as it whipped around in the tundra air.
A memory flashed back quicker then a heartbeat.
Katara giggled childishly upon her father's shoulders as he lightly tickled the bottoms of her feet. She was only five years of age then, still unknown to the troubles of the world.
Her father sighed beneath her as they both stared out over the dock. "Katara, I know you can't understand most of what I say, but I think you should hear this anyway." His large hands picked her up off his shoulders and rested her in the crook of her arms.
Katara looked at her father's eyes and she could tell something was wrong.
"What's wrong, father?" She asked in a low voice.
He turned to face her and gazed at her blue eyes, just like her mother's eyes. Katara remembered his face so clearly. The tan skin, the high cheekbones, his think lips, and of course, his big dark brown eyes that always danced with emotion.
He gently turned her gaze onto the ocean where the sun was setting along the horizon.
"I want you to remember something for me, Katara. This is your home, this land is where you were placed on this Earth. No matter what happens or who is here, it is your home, your land." Ichiro said in a calm but firm voice.
"Father, I know my home is in the hut with you, Mother, and Sokka." She said, seemingly to understand her father.
Ichiro held his tears in front of his daughter and turned her around so she was facing him. He hugged Katara tightly and he stroked her dark hair. Instinctively, she wrapped her tiny arms around her fathers body.
When he realeased her, he set his young daughter at the edge of the wooden dock. Katara stood listening to the waves, something that she had done since she was old enough to understand.
Warm fingers laced through her hair, untying the ribbon at the bottom. He dangled the light blue ribbon in front of her face and listened to her laughter as she tried to grab it.
Once again he picked her up and lead her to the last boat supporter on the left side of the dock. Ichiro placed her down gently and toyed with her ribbon. Katara smiled and hugged his leg. He resisted the urge to cry in front of her, he didn't want to worry her, especially now.
Ichiro grasped the ribbon and tied it onto the boat supporter, letting the neds flow in the breeze.
"This is your home, and now everyone will know." He took her hand and held it firmly in his own.
Katara woke up early at sunrise the next day to find her father coevered by his blankets. Kana sat on her knees sobbing uncontrollably next to the body.
"Mother?" Katara asked sleepily. "What's wrong with daddy?"
Kana looked up and motioned for her to give her a hug. Katara smiled half heartily and gave her mother a warm hug, she looked to her mother's eyes and saw tears falling freely.
Another person emerged in the doorway, holding a fishing pole.
Sokka grinned eagerly and said loudly, "Father! Get up! It's time to take me fishing, just like you promised!"
When no reply came except for the sounds of Kana's sobs, Sokka looked around and saw the scene in front of him. His face paled noticeably as his gaze darted between the body and his family.
Shakily, Sokka walked to his mother and fell to his knees. He clutched her parka for desperate salvation and nuzzled his face into it. Tears fell from his eyes and onto his mother, but he wouldn't let any sound escape from his trembling lips.
Katara had no idea what was going on and stood up, looking at the bed. Why wasn't her father wiping away their tears and trying to comfort them like he always did?
She felt the soft blankets under her hands and pulled.
Kana screamed and scrambled to try and cover it from her children's eyes. Sokka cried out and a fresh wave of tears fell onto the wooden floors.
Katara didn't notice any of it, one tear escaped from her eyes, and at that, she fell backwards and fainted.
The soldier behind Katara yanked furiously at her ropes. He easily grew impatient with her mindless daydreaming and pulled the rope towards him with a soldier's strength.
Katara was forced back into reality when the ropes about her wrists quickly rubbed against her skin and as she turned around, the man yanked roughly again. Her body was yanked by the side as the soldier grunted. Katara landed on her ribs with her bound wrists turned upwards.
Jolts of bursting pain shot through her body, especially though her left wrist and her ribs. The wind was knocked out of her and she had a violent coughing fit from the sudden lack of air.
When Katara's glare looked directly into the soldier's apathetic face, he pulled the rope again and half-dragged her body a few feet.
"Get up." He said in a harsh tone.
Katara stood up with some difficulty and raised her chin in defiance. The soldier scowled and pulled the rope in the direction of the ramp.
Katara looked to the floor and sighed, remembering her mother's words.
"Get to safety! They're coming! Hide! Live!" Kana's desperate yells slowly faded.
"I can't die, I'm the only one I have left." Katara thought submissively in her mind.
sorry it took a while to update..ive got my exams coming up so ive been studying at home and writing during school. ironic much? lots more to come!
-Serenity of the Elements