It lives! Yes, true to my word to ML7, (to whom you owe the posting of this chapter) I have no excuse for the lateness of this chapter. Except that I'm a lazy jerkwad who deserves to be shot for the trauma I must have caused everyone. Two words. I sowwy. . . . . But you know that this stint away has gained me 28 reviews for the last chapter. . . Hmm . . .
Gets smacked for even thinking like that I'm Sorry!
Honor.
Zuko was sitting in his room, waiting for mid-day. He had his head bowed, his hands were clasped in front of him. The frown hadn't left his face for even a second. The tension was beginning to show through his calm form, the princes jaw was clenched and his knuckles where white under his pale skin. The door opened and he looked up, still glaring.
Iroh entered the room and stood in front of his nephew, his own face creased with worry. "He is ready." the general said, watching Zuko's unmoving face. "Remember what I have taught you. I believe in you." Zuko had stood up and was walking past his uncle up the stairs, towards the fight he had asked for. The prince looked back at Iroh, at his companion in exile, his guardian, and the father he had always wanted.
The prince stood there for a second, looking impassively at Iroh. He loved his uncle more than he realized, Iroh was his guider and father, the one person who stood by him thick or thin. Zuko bowed his head and shifting, continued up the stairs. "I need to do this on my own. Please. Don't do anything." The teenage boy was at the doorway that led to the deck when he stopped again and looked back, this time turning fully around. He bowed to his uncle. "Thank you." He muttered, his eyes half-lidded. "But even if I am about to die." he paused slightly, still bent down. "I must still ask to be allowed to do this on my own." Zuko rose up and headed back up the stairs, not looking back a second time.
The old firebender smiled and bowed to the now-empty staircase. "Thank you Zuko." he muttered and then followed his nephew upstairs, somehow less worried than when he had entered the princes room.
On deck the guards that held Katara had relaxed some, assuming that since she had not struggled since the beginning of her capture, almost an hour ago, she was no threat. Katara had played her position demurely, hanging her head and half way closing her eyes, acting the reserved girl that women where expected to become. Inside, however, her mind ran through the scenario over and over, raging like a waterfall just beneath the surface.
She didn't know how this would end out. Aang was too different to be used as a bending comparison next to Zuko, and she had never seen Zhou fight, at least not all out. She looked over at Zhou, standing up with the ceremonial cloth over his shoulders waiting for Zuko to appear. She frowned slightly. This was not good.
Katara glanced up, noticing Zuko coming onto the deck, and watched the young man walk over to Zhou. A quick exchange of thinly veiled insults and they went to opposite ends of the deck. Zuko knelt down slowly, concentrating on the various tactics and bending moves he might use.
Iroh walked up behind him, watching Zhou. He opened his mouth to pass on a few words of advice to his nephew but then stopped. Iroh nodded and smiled. The elder bender made his way over to the middle of the makeshift stadium across from the soldiers holding Katara between the two combatants. He looked up at the sun then at the two firebenders.
"Begin!"
Zuko opened his eyes and stood up slowly. He turned and the maroon fabric fell off his shoulders. His right foot was in front, his left foot behind him, most of his weight on his back leg. Zhou had already moved, running forward quickly, his arms trailing behind him, fireballs forming in his hands.
A flash and the two collided, Zuko's fire-daggers blocking Zhou's close-range attacks. Zhou pushed himself forward, a snarl on his face. Zuko narrowed his eyes, his arms crossed, still defending against the growing heat from Zhou's palms. The prince leaned back and let the general fall forward. The younger bender used Zhou's strength to roll the commander onto his spine, the wind knocked out of him. Zuko too, was on his back but he recovered quickly from his maneuver, spinning around and knocking Zhou back on the deck from where he had attempted to stand up.
Zhou winced visibly, the skin on his upper abdomen an angry red from where Zuko's foot had pushed him back down onto the deck. His eyes widened as the prince sent a fire blast directly at his face. Zhou quickly ducked and swung his own leg around, repaying the attack done by Zuko.
This time it was Zuko's turn to fall to the ground. He reacted quickly and rolled out of the way of Zhou's attacks, panting on the deck a few feet away from the charred iron. Zhou too was out of breath, smoke issued from his hands. The elder of the two winced and clutched his chest.
Zuko's eyes narrowed and he spun around on the deck, fire forming in his hands for momentum. He created a large whip from his right foot and hit out at Zhou, aiming for his shoulder. Zhou quickly stepped aside and Zuko stopped his rotations, kneeling on the deck ten meters away from the general.
Zuko stood up and went back into his ready position, feet spread. Katara let out a deep breath. This wasn't exactly the most ideal situation for the young prince, and she could tell. Even though he had injured Zhou, the general had a higher stamina and the most Zuko was doing was leveling the playing field.
Zhou smirked. Zuko stepped back slightly, a little startled by the change in expression. Quickly, Zhou leapt into the air, kicking out at Zuko. The prince ducked under the kick and brought his fist into Zhou, right where his foot had connected before. Zuko forgot where Zhou's hands were and as the general landed he grabbed hold of Zuko's left shoulder, bringing his fiery palm into the tender flesh just beneath the collarbone.
Zuko gasped and gripped Zhou's wrist, trying to pull the burning hand off his shoulder. Zhou smirked and let go of Zuko, stepping back to examine the injury he had caused. Zuko sank to his knees, his left shoulder, collarbone, and forearm a massive interlacing of burns, blisters and peeling skin.
"Zuko!"
The prince looked up. He saw his uncle standing on the sidelines, his mouth in a tight line. Katara, however, had resumed struggling against the guards, fighting to get towards Zuko.
"Let me go! Look at that wound! Let me go!" the girl screamed, wrestling against the burly men. Her eyes flashed, and she streamed water over the edge of the boat, knocking a guard back with a water whip and the other with a wave that flowed over the side of the ship. She ran over to Zuko, still kneeling on the deck.
"Here," she muttered, issuing water over her hands, making them glow.
Zhou had stepped back from the pair, smirking. He knew that he had won. Even Zuko would not continue fighting with a wound like that, if the prince continued the Agni Kai he would risk damaging the nerve endings further, possibly resulting in paralysis. The general turned, heading back to his ship.
Zuko's eyes narrowed, he pushed Katara's hands away from his injured shoulder and stood up. Katara's eyes were wide. "What are you doing?" she hissed, standing up and talking into the princes ear. "You can't seriously think that you can firebend with that injury."
"I can." the prince said, watching Zhou's retreating back. "And I will."
Iroh had come over to his nephew. "This has gone on long enough."
Zuko narrowed his eyes and stepped out of the range of either his uncle or Katara. "It has not."
Zhou turned and looked at Zuko. He smirked and then shifted again, walking purposefully back towards his ship, his back to the prince, the arrogant voice taunting Zuko. "You are beaten. Don't make me kill you."
A fireball flew past Zhou's left ear, singing his hair. The general turned around, the smirk replaced by a snarl. "Do you want to die boy?" he asked, growling.
"I want your respect." Zuko said, his eyes narrowed. Katara shook with rage and Iroh stepped back as the guards recovered themselves and dragged her back to the railing.
"I'll never forgive you if you die Zuko! Not ever!" Katara screamed, struggling to get away from the guards, her eyes on the injured prince. "I swear if you die I'll never forgive you!"
Zuko wasn't paying attention to Katara anymore. All his rage, his hatred, his agony, focused onto Zhou. "I want your respect commander. That's all I have ever wanted! I will prove I'm not the spoiled prince you think you know! I am a man who deserves your respect! And I will earn that respect, one way or another!"
Zhou shook his head slightly, a confused expression on his face. He didn't understand why Zuko would care so much. The prince never had in the past, but now it seemed like Zuko was giving an explanation for his rivalry with him.
"Why are you so concerned with whether or not I respect you, my prince?" Zhou asked, emphasizing the title of royalty with an undertone that made Zuko flinch.
"If I cannot even gain your respect, how will I convince my father that I am worthy of my honor? If I cannot prove to you that I am honorable, I cannot expect to be able to tell my father that I should be able to regain my position. This is not about you and I anymore! This is about my country, my honor, my throne and my father! I will not let you stand in my way!"
Zhou snarled and stepped forward, Zuko clenched his fists and glared evenly at the advancing commander. He didn't care anymore. If he died fighting he would die trying to win the respect of a formidable opponent. Zhou came up to Zuko, standing a few feet away from the younger bender.
Zhou looked at Zuko calmly, regaining his temper and thinking about what to say. It wouldn't be fair to start the fight over, not with Zuko so injured. Zhou sighed and bowed slightly, more inclining his head downwards than anything else.
The prince frowned and stepped back slightly. Zhou rose from his position of humility and looked at Zuko, his eyes hard. Then he turned and walked back to his ship, nodding at the guards to release Katara. They did and followed Zhou while Katara ran over to Zuko, still concerned with the possible paralytic injury.
Zhou boarded the ship, the platform cranking up to raise him up to the deck. The commander turned to look at Zuko before receding from sight. Zuko nodded and turned away to go to his cabins, but was blocked by Katara.
"Where do you think you're going with that wound?" she asked, her face in a frown.
"My room. The healers will see to me." Zuko said, sidestepping the girl and going down into the innards of the ship. Katara stood out on deck and after watching Zuko leave, turned and looked out towards Zhous' ship, already disappearing on the horizon.
Iroh shook his head and smiled wryly, he looked around and saw that the Agni Kai had gathered a fair few viewers. The general flapped his hands at them. "You all saw what happened! Now go back to your regular duties, the Prince will need rest for that injury to heal!"
Slowly the crowd dispersed, leaving Iroh and Katara on deck alone, save for the cleaning boy scrubbing the ash marks off the deck. The girl turned to Iroh and shook her head. "Are all Fire Nation men so weird?" she asked.
Iroh laughed. "No, with power comes insanity. But come, let us see to Zuko. I fear he may be injured more than we think." the general said, ushering Katara down to Zuko's chamber, where already a throng of soldiers had gathered. The military men moved aside to admit both Katara and Iroh.
Zuko was sitting up on his bed, a healer cleaning the burn with cold, clean water. Katara stepped up to the healers side. "May I help?" she asked, not looking at the prince who was giving her a glare fit to kill. The healer nodded and moved aside, reaching for the clean dressings he had set out. Kneeling, the girl bent the water out of her pouch and pooled it in front of her.
Katara frowned. She didn't want to risk using her newfound healing power unless she knew the full extent of the injury, and her healing limits. She bit her lips and slowly streamed water over the burn and winced as she heard the sizzling of the burned flesh cool down under the cold liquid.
Zuko had his head turned away from the waterbender, gritting his teeth. The healer reached over and took over from Katara, dressing the wound neatly. The healer stood up after tying all the bandages together so that they wouldn't fall apart. Looking at Zuko the healer stood and tucked the rest of his supplies into a bag, leaving Katara, Zuko and Iroh in the room.
Slowly, the men outside left, Iroh walking along with them.
Katara was still sitting next Zuko's knee, her legs tucked under her. The prince had his fists clenched on his lap, his left hand loose on his thigh.
"Why don't you just give up?" Katara whispered, staring at her own lap.
"Why don't you give up on me?"
Katara looked up at Zuko, her eyes narrowed. The prince was still looking away from the girl, staring at a small fine nation pattern that bordered his walls.
"What makes you think I ever believed in you?"
Zuko shook his head, smiling slightly. Katara was taken aback. Zuko actually smiling? The injury must be a lot worse than she first assumed and Katara's first coherent thought was to check to see if the burn had begun to bleed.
"You said you wouldn't forgive me if I died. I didn't die, so it implies that you have forgiven me of something that you had given up on. I don't know exactly what," the prince shrugged and then winced visibly, his right hand flying to his shoulder but not touching the bandages, instead lingering over burnt area, his hand hovering over his arm. "But that doesn't really matter, does it?" Zuko said, lowering his hand back onto his thigh.
Katara sighed and narrowed her eyes, annoyed and confused.
Damn him.
Standing up, she brushed off the front of her tunic and stepped away from the prince, who had shifted his attention from the wall to her. Katara was about to leave without a backwards glance when Zuko stood up as well, although his legs where weakened by pain and fatigue. She stopped as he stepped forward, closer towards her.
Katara's eyes narrowed as he came closer and closer, his legs unsteady as the prince stepped towards the girl. Zuko was directly in front of her, his eyes unreadable, a small blush forming on Katara's cheeks. He bent down slowly, giving her time to leave, to run away from him and his implied forgiveness, to run away from the offense that had to come before his forgiveness.
She didn't back down. Maybe she should have. She probably should have. That's what she thought later that night, curled under the blanket in her dark, cold cell that didn't seem so cold anymore, her lips still burning from that single, simple kiss.
Fin! And I end the chapter with fluff! Yay for fluff! Anywho's, you know the drill, read, freview, re-read, maybe log onto a different account and review some more. . .
The next chapter will be up a hell of a lot sooner than this one was. School is now out! Or it will be in a week, so I'll have free time galore. Hopefully. ;;
Word Bender! Away!
