The wind ruffled against their faces and the sun gleamed into their eyes. The water shimmered below, and everything was just fine. Katara smiled as she inhaled the fresh air.
"Aang, this is so great! Being in the air is amazing!"
The avatar nodded and smiled broadly. Zuko peered over the edge of the saddle and then recoiled back quickly. If it wasn't necessary to look down, he didn't have to.
"Yup. Being in the air," he stretched out his arms against the saddle, "is great."
He continued smiling broadly, and Katara laughed. Aang felt like he was soaring even higher than before. She was the first girl he had seen, and she was quite beautiful. Although she was a bit older than him he guessed. Suddenly, as Zuko turned back towards them, he put an arm over Katara's shoulders and she leaned against his chest. Aang's smile disappeared and instead there was an inquisitive frown on his face. It deepened when he saw Zuko kiss Katara's head lightly. She closed her eyes and smiled. Aang cleared his throat and she opened them again, sitting up against Zuko now.
"I was just watching the two of you, and I was wondering… are you two married?"
A blush spread over Katara's cheeks, and Zuko laughed mildly.
"No, no we're not married."
Aang's smile came back.
"But we might be soon,"
At Zuko's remark, both Katara and Aang looked at him wide eyed.
"you never know…"
He winked at Katara and she laughed her nerves away. For a moment she thought he was going to propose to her. Didn't he know she didn't want that yet? At least not now… Well she knew he was just teasing with her. However Aang could tell clearly that Katara was taken, and so he sighed deeply. Oh well… maybe he would see more girls like Katara sometime soon.
"So, Zuko, where are we going? I need to tell Appa to go in a specific direction."
Zuko nodded and pondered for a while before responding.
"We are going to the fire nation."
"What?" Both Katara and Aang looked at him wide eyed again.
"Katara, remember what I told you about my family?"
She nodded and Aang piped in confused.
"What about them?"
"I was banished from the fire nation because I supposedly played a very mean trick on my cousin, who so happens to be the Princess of the Fire nation."
Aang took the time to process the new information and then nodded.
"So I was hoping we could go take a visit to my dear cousin, Zula. I would like to earn my banishment, if you know what I mean…"
Zuko caught a gleam in Aang's eyes and then Katara frowned.
"Zuko, I don't know if this is such a good idea."
"Why not? We got your brother, didn't we?"
"Well yes… but that was what he deserved."
Zuko pulled away from her slightly and looked at her with a serious tone in his eyes.
"Don't worry Katara. Zula deserves this, just as much as Sokka did, and maybe even more."
She could tell that he was serious about this, so she smiled and agreed. Next stop: the Fire Nation capitol.
..:-:..
In the distance, Zuko saw the towering buildings and homes of the fire nation. Bitter memories replayed through his mind and inside he felt relieved to know that Katara and Aang were on his side. This time, he would leave home with a feeling of true self-earned banishment, of course with the help of an air, and water bender.
Appa glided over the towers, and the three of them jumped off, and hid in the shadows. The guards were all paying attention to the big flying bison heading away from city, so they all went after it, leaving a very open space for Katara, Zuko and Aang to get into their positions. Zuko smirked; he was back, and this time he would make sure Zula never thought again to ruin his life. But then again, because of it, he had met, and fallen in love with the most amazing woman he had met in his life. He looked over to Katara, and smiled. She looked curious as to why he was smiling at her, but she just laughed it off. Suddenly, the three of them froze as they heard footsteps coming down the hall. Zuko breathed in deeply, and readied himself.
Zula had just finished a rigorous training hour, and she was going back to her room to relax for a bit. Sure, it was fun kicking and beating the living daylights out of the nation's soldiers, but it was also nice to have some alone time while soaking in a tub full of warm water, maybe even with some bubbles. She was a girl of course; she wasn't fully evil.
She opened the door to her room and walked in, sighing as she slammed the door shut. It was so nice to be here, but something didn't seem quite right. Zula spun around to the door, and then let her arms fall to her sides after seeing that no one was there. She shrugged and proceeded to her bed where she took off her armor. Afterwards, she let her hair fall loosely to her shoulders.
Zula heard the slightest movement, and spun around just in time to see Zuko leaning against one wall, smirking. She was shocked, but it faded away quickly, and she too brought a smirk to her lips.
"So, after all this time, you finally decide to come back."
"Of course, how could I not visit my dear old cousin while stopping by?"
She laughed and sent fire towards him, which he just dodged with a wave of his arm. Zuko stepped forwards and smirked.
"Why Zula, I didn't know you were so kind and caring! We haven't seen each other for so long, and you greet me with a fight. I don't know what to say! It's such a wonderful and comforting way to greet me!"
Zula scoffed and stepped up to him.
"What do you want Zuko? Why are you here?"
Inside, Zuko was gloating. His plan was coming along perfectly. Zula was dropping her guard each second.
"I just really missed your fun loving way of life Zula. I truly do miss… all the torture you put me through!"
At that moment, he gripped her wrists, and sent flames out of the palms of his hands. She screamed out in agony, and then he withdrew a feet back towards the wall to observe her. Zula wasn't able to hold onto either hand and all she could do was just feel the hot burning tears fall down her cheeks. She looked up from her eyes, to his, and gave Zuko a death glare.
"I swear to you, when my father learns of what you done…"
"Oh, my! Do you need some help there? Maybe I could heal that for you! It's such a nasty burn!"
Zula stopped dead sentence when she saw the girl walk into the room from some hidden place. The door hadn't opened, and it was like she appeared out of thin air. From the looks of it, she was a person from the water tribe. Probably someone her father had hired to heal people in need of it; like her. Zula smirked at Zuko as Katara approached her with a bowl of water.
"Of course you can! My stupid cousin has burned my wrists and I can't do anything about it, so you have to heal me, now!"
Katara put her hands into the bowl, and when Zula said this, her blue eyes shot up at her, and they were smirking.
"Wrong answer."
Zula was caught off guard, as the girl sent the water at her, and then she waved her hands so that the bowl of water froze on her wrists. Quickly, Katara froze the rest of her soaking form, all except for Zula's head.
"Zuko! Help me! This wretch is trying to kill me!"
Zuko stepped up next to Katara and put a hand on her shoulder. Katara smiled at him and Zuko the same. Zula was going nuts trying to figure out what was going on. Why was her cousin smiling at the intruder?
"So, are you saying you want me to do something to Katara?"
"YES! Tackle her down, do something! She doesn't deserve to be able to move a single muscle!"
"Oh! So you want me to do something to her!"
"Yes you idiot! Now!"
"Okay then, I will."
He turned to Katara, grabbed her tightly and she winced and yelped. Zula smirked but then was stunned when Zuko pulled the girl into a passionate embrace. Katara pulled away also stunned by his sudden touch of affection. Zuko winked at her and she laughed. Zula couldn't take it anymore. She felt like she was going to explode, and no muscle in her body could move because she was frozen in place. Suddenly, Zuko grabbed Katara aside, as a strong wind blew into the room. All Zula could do was close her eyes as she felt her body temperature drop rapidly. That was when it hit her. How stupid she had been.
Aang stepped next to Katara and Zuko smiling.
"So, can we go Zuko?"
At that moment though, Zula broke free of the ice around her, after she grew her body temperature back to a hot heat. In her eyes was pure vengeance.
"You are going to pay Zuko! I swear it!"
Quickly, she moved her body down to the ground, and even with burned wrists, she painfully spun them in circles creating two large spinning flames. They dove at Zuko, but he sent his own flames right back at her. Aang twirled his staff and sent the other flame directly back at Zula. She wasn't expecting this, and so she went flying back, forcefully hitting the iron wall behind her. Zula fell to the ground and didn't move, but they knew she was just taking her time. Zuko motioned for Katara and Aang to get ready to leave.
"Zula, I sincerely hope that one day, you will remember this, and that others will as well. I wish upon you mockery and unceasing discord from your humble fire nation followers. Good luck, I bid you only the worst."
He spit at the ground in front of her and sprinted out. When Zula picked up her head, the door was closed, and for a second she thought if she had just imagined it all. Then she felt the searing pain in her wrists and yelled out in fury.
"I'll get you Zuko! I swear it!"
..:-:..
Zuko, Katara and Aang didn't have too much trouble spotting the flying bison. He was approaching the tower quickly and the distant roars of angry men were coming closer. The three of them made sure the coast was clear, knocking down a few soldiers on the way. Appa landed down on the ramps and Aang and Zuko had to dodge the arrows and fire blasts that were headed towards them. They jumped up onto Appa with the help of Aang's air bending and then Appa started upwards towards the clouds. There was one last fire blast attempt, and Aang knocked it back with his staff. Each of them sighed with relief as they found themselves up within the mix of clouds again, soaring away from the city.
"That was so much fun Zuko! We should do it more often! Do you have any other friends we can go pay back?"
Aang punched one fist into the palm of his other hand in amusement. Katara laughed at this and Zuko smiled.
"We'll see Aang, we'll see. But for now, how about some rest? That was fun, but it did take a lot out of me, I don't know about you though. You're the avatar, and you probably have … a lot of strength…"
As he finished his statement, Zuko saw that Aang had fallen asleep automatically. Katara stifled her giggles and she cuddled up to Zuko. She yawned and he stroked her hair gently.
"So, what did you think of my cousin?"
She gave another yawn and closed her eyes, smiling.
"Zula? I'd say she definitely was really nice and warm hearted. After all, I just love getting shot at with fire, it's how you almost greeted me."
He laughed slightly at her sarcasm and then tilted his head to rest upon hers. Appa wasn't flying as fast as before, and the calmness of their surroundings was so peaceful, that they soon fell sound asleep.
..:-:..
Zula pushed herself up as she heard her father's yells coming down the hall.
"Where is she? Where is Zula?"
She winced at hearing his loud and booming voice. Sometimes, she feared it, she feared him. After all, he was the fire lord. The next thing she knew, he was in the doorway, standing there, his eyes gleaming with anger.
"Zula, what is the meaning of this? The whole east side of the palace is destroyed!"
She bowed her head down, as she knelt down before him. Zula couldn't respond, and this only made him angrier.
"Answer me!"
She looked up slowly, and her voice was barely as loud as a whisper.
"It was … Zuko, father. He and the avatar, and his foul water bending girlfriend!"
He was a bit shocked at her last statement, and he didn't respond right away. No one knew the avatar was back, but everyone knew that it was an air bender, which clearly Zula knew he was. And no one knew that Zuko had a girl friend either.
"So, you're telling me, that Zuko was here, with you?"
"Yes father! Look what he did to me!"
She had changed tactics. Maybe if she would play the hurt little girl like before, then maybe he wouldn't blame it on her. Zula showed him her wrists, and he grabbed them, so that she yelled out in pain. She was now eye level with him.
"So you're telling me that you were weak enough to allow him to do this, and escape?"
"But he had help!"
"I don't care if he had a whole army with him! You should have protected your nation and won! You don't deserve to have these burns healed. I'll make sure of that!"
The next thing she knew, her eyes widened and her scream was silent, as her father did the exact same thing as Zuko did. Now her wrists would forever be scarred.
..:-:..
The sun was beginning to set, and the three people on the flying bison were beginning to wake up. Ahead of them, the forest grew thin and there seemed to be a small village down there. Aang put a hand up to his stomach as it growled loudly.
"Um, guys? Is it okay if we stop to get something to eat? I'm starving!"
At the mention of food, both Katara's and Zuko's stomach growled from hunger as well. They smiled weakly and nodded.
"Okay then! Appa, let's go get some food!"
They landed in the thick forest so that Appa wouldn't be questioned. When they got down, Katara's legs started to wobble and Zuko had to help her walk. He smiled suddenly, when he decided to pick her up in his arms. This time she was fully awake and conscious so she laughed and squealed at the sudden height between her and the ground. Aang was flying up and down on his glider, heading towards the village. When they got to the entrance, he stopped flying and made the glider into its regular staff position. Katara insisted that she could walk again.
"Zuko put me down! I can walk just fine!"
"Oh really? I don't think so!"
"Yes I can! Aang, tell him I can!"
"Uh, Zuko, Katara can walk on her own two legs!"
He smiled broadly and Zuko just chuckled.
"Okay, fine."
He let go of Katara completely, sending her rapidly towards the ground. Aang reacted just in time, and bended the air between the two, so that she landed on the ground softly. He helped her get up, and then when she did, Katara marched up to Zuko angrily.
"What was that for?"
"What? You said you could walk on your own! I didn't do anything wrong!"
He laughed, and she turned away from him fuming. They began to walk through the village.
"Katara, come on! I didn't mean it! Can't you take a joke?"
Aang was too busy looking at the cart with the bison whistles to notice that Katara and Zuko were still fighting.
"No! Because that wasn't a joke! It wasn't funny at all!"
She crossed her arms, and Zuko came up from behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. Katara pushed him away angrily, but he persisted, until he was in front of her. He wrapped his arms around her, and she couldn't get away from him. She stopped struggling when she felt his hot breath on her neck.
"Katara, please forgive me. I'm sorry. I just wanted to see how fast Aang could react. He is a good friend, isn't he?"
At this she looked up at Zuko's face and a small smile crept up on her lips.
"Yeah, I guess he is."
Zuko took her aside into an alley and he kissed her passionately. His lips licked hers delicately and Katara wrapped her arms around his neck and back. It felt so nice to just be with him alone. Aang was such a nuisance sometimes, but at least they had a flying bison as transportation. After a few minutes, they stopped and decided to go back to see what Aang was up to. Zuko didn't think much of it, but he walked in front of Katara. When he got to the entrance of the alley, he stopped.
"Katara, where do you think he went?"
There was no answer. Zuko spun around and his eyes widened when he saw the blue kimono disappearing into the back of the alley.
"Katara!"
He ran back and when he got closer, he could make out three figures circling Katara. One had tied a cloth around her mouth, another was holding her arms back, and the last one was laughing manically as he slithered his dirty hand around her neck. He was beginning to slip his hand down her neck, and down her chest. Everything in Zuko snapped. His anger came to a full boil, and he exploded with rage.
"Get your dirty hands off of her you bastard!"
The man turned around viscously and gave Zuko an angry look. It so happened that Zuko had interrupted the man's best catch for the day, and he was going to pay. From behind him, he could see Katara's wide blue eyes, calling out to him. Zuko yelled with fury as he charged towards the man. The old dirty man didn't expect for Zuko to send a fire blast at him, and so he was knocked down automatically. The other two saw how powerful Zuko was, and so they ran away down the rest of the alley. Zuko quickly ran to Katara, and untied her hands. Then he untied the cloth in her mouth, and when he did, Katara hugged him, and held onto him fiercely. She sobbed into his chest, and all Zuko did was caress her in his arms.
"Zuko… oh Zuko, I don't know what would have happened if not for you…"
"Shh… it's okay. I'm here. I'll always be here for you, you know that…"
She nodded and they started to make their way out of the alley. As they did, Katara kicked the old man in the ribs.
"Don't ever mess with any other girls, you filthy bastard! Or I'll send the fire lord to get you!"
When they got out into the light of the setting sun, Katara laughed.
"Why did you tell him that? You know my uncle would never do that."
"Oh, I know. But he doesn't."
He smiled and kissed her softly on the lips.
"I don't know what my life would be like if not for you."
"Oh Zuko, I could tell you."
"Really?"
"Yeah. You would be stuck in the freezing water of the northern water tribe, because Yue would have said so."
He grabbed her by the waist and tickled her. She laughed and pushed him away.
"Stop! Zuko, stop it!"
He did and smirked. Aang came up to them suddenly, and made each of them jump.
"Oh! Aang, it's only you!"
"Yeah, it's me! Who else did you think it could be?"
Katara and Zuko gave each other a look, but Katara smiled.
"No one I guess. So, did you get everything?"
"No! But check this out! It's a bison whistle!"
Zuko rolled his eyes and Katara laughed.
"Aang, instead of food, you bought a whistle?"
"Yeah! It's so cool!"
He blew on the whistle, and was left standing, as Zuko and Katara walked over to the food cart next to them. Aang frowned, but let it go, and decided to walk up to them. Zuko paid for the food and when they turned around, an unexpected visitor greeted them. Aang smiled broadly.
"Appa!"
He climbed up onto the saddle, and motioned for Zuko and Katara to do the same. Quickly, Appa rose into the air and the three of them waved good-bye to all the on lookers down below. When they were out of sight, they began to dig in to the food. After a while, and after rationizing the food for the next day, they found a forest farther away, and made camp for the night.
"I think I'm going to sleep right… here…"
Aang fell onto a pile of leaves and fell to sleep right away. Katara smiled and Zuko did the same. He started a fire and then Katara went to go sit down next to him. She leaned on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. They watched the fire crackle and spurt out small flickering sparks.
"Katara… I always thought I wasn't lucky. But now I think I am."
She looked up at his eyes and smiled.
"Because I have you."
Katara leaned up her hand to his cheek and kissed him gently.
"Don't worry Zuko. Remember, I'm not going anywhere."
He smiled and waved a hand over the fire so that it died out. Katara cuddled up to him, and Zuko pulled her in close to him. The moonlight shined down on the two of them as they fell asleep. Two people who had met under unique circumstances, and even though it wasn't allowed, even though they were so different, they fought the rules and found a way to fall in love.
ENDING AUTHOR'S NOTE – IMPORTANT PLEASE READ!
Yes, this is the last author's note for Captured Hearts! I just want to thank every single person that read this, and I wanted to especially thank those of you that reviewed! And even more, for those who continuously showed their support, giving me numerous reviews! If it weren't for that, I don't know if this would have been possible! THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!
Now, for a special announcement! (Hopefully) Next weekend, I will have up my new Zutara fic! It is called Secrets and it will be set as a normal fic, (no special circumstances like here, where Katara was a princess lol) For those of you who like my fics to be longer (yes, I know, some of you are probably really sad that this fic only had ten chapters) WELL… Secrets is going to have… 15 chapters! Yup! I've planned it out… and I think it's going to be great! So be sure to look out for that!
Finally, I'd just like to say what a hard thing it is for me to write this much! I never in a million years, thought I would write such a long fic! (44,000 words plus!) I can't believe how much support I've had! Close to 5000 hits, and over 100 reviews! I'm amazed that you guys like it so much, and I am really really grateful that you support me! Thank you so much!
And I wish for you, TO HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY! Until next time,
-Monika-