Looks can be deceiving
Etherealstar


Author's notes: Thanks for the lovely comments, they're appreciated so much. As a token of my appreciatation, I made Zuko and Katara's welcome a bit…unconventional. It'll definitely have you cheering, so stick around and see what I mean.
Disclaimer: Avatar and Avatar Manga is owned by Nickelodeon and Sitcom. All rights reserved.


Chapter 9: Trouble

A beautiful woman stands in the distance, her blue ornate kimono swaying in the wind. Refine sapphire eyes shine a light that can do both enthralling and yet, it's insatiable enough to kill a man. Beautiful flowers hang from her hair while red lips and dark kohl eyes show that the woman before the world is more than just some simple geisha…but something far different.

In the distance a caravan could be seen approaching the beauty and her friends. It didn't take long for the driver to arrive, and on his arrival he warmly smiled at each of the girls. Calling their names one by one, a certain blue eye girl waited for Yue's name to be called. Explaining that there was replacement due to the sickness of her friend, the Geisha mistress in turn gave her post to her. The man listened to the excuse and nodded. In replacement of Yue's finely worn name was Katara.

Sighing that she took her friend's position, she felt she owed her, but with Yue smiling and backing her up all the way, she knew Yue wouldn't let her decline. It just wasn't Yue. And for that Katara swore on working ten times harder.

Five pretty geishas, along with the other five chosen geishas made their way to the Fire Nation Empire. At around seven minutes past twelve the caravan was making its way through a dessert. At first many of the girls were puzzled that they were heading off into nothing but arid lands of dust, but peering closer they could make out the structure of tall walls, and iron gates. It was then they realized, "The Fire Nation…is dead girls" said Suki aloud.

Katara averted her eyes and couldn't help but whistle at the magnitude of the gates. They stretched to the heavens and never seem to end. She figured for whatever reason those gates were build, they must have been to keep people out, or whatever it was behind the wall most protected. Smirking that the fools lived their lives in great luxury and security, she reckoned they hadn't even began to think of the odds of a young girl who entertains among them all, while on the contrary, she is a snake in their midst, ready to uncoil and surely – kill. Pursing her lips at the thought, she was jolted out of thought by the sudden halt of the caravan. The girls went jerking forward most vigorously which rendered complaints and small cries. The driver apologized but his words were taken away when another voice intercepted.

A masculine voice spoke to the driver and barely understanding anything he was saying, Katara readied the girls to be quiet. The man approached the caravan inspecting the bottom of the vehicle for what seem to be enemies. Opening the door, he inspected all of the girls with a small description from each. Checking the caravan for any one who wasn't suppose to be on the list, he allowed the driver free passage to carry on.

Katara saw gates of metal path in the center, for passage to roam. The gates slowly caved way presenting something she had never anticipated much less, felt ready to battle. Standing on either side of her caravan were some thousand soldiers of the Fire Nation. Feeling impeccably small and most stunned, Katara couldn't believe she thought of making a difference. Coming to think of it, she hadn't even thought about slaying some thousand men. Sighing that she had gotten way above her head, she almost cringed knowing that the odds now, were slim to none.

"Katara-san…" called a voice.

Katara grew startled. "Yes Suki?"

"You look a bit..pale, is everything alright?"

Katara could see worry on the girls face. Knowing she couldn't work her friend up for her miscalculations, she nodded.

"Everything's fine Suki. Thanks" she gave a small smile.

The girl nodded and returned to look out her window.

Dead ahead in front of all the soldiers was two prisoners tied from a beam. Katara placed a hand to her heart. 'Aang, Sokka'

Worry and fear panged deep within on seeing the people she loved treated so noxiously and rash. Knowing she could do nothing but bite her lips for their safe-being, she prayed silently that everything would turn out a-okay. The caravan slowly came to a halt and before the Fire Nation, ten geishas exited. One by one a creation of perfect beauty gracefully walked toward the leaders of the Fire Nation. The number ten geisha wasn't hard to miss, as Katara took from the caravan and gracefully walked to the platform. She was to meet all the officials, wearing a face full of friendliness and graciousness, a terrible waste she thought, especially when all she wanted to do was sneer and scowl at the demons they were.

Her eyes trailed to her brother and friend who by this time were lowering their faces in defeat. Thankfully they hadn't been hurt, and if they had, Katara didn't know what she would have done.

Slowly collecting herself, Katara gracefully walked to the royal highnesses of the Fire Nation.

Being introduced to Ozai, Katara crafted her most beautiful smile while her eyes of blue slowly averted to his, taking in his every feature to always remember the sole contributor of her family's death. Ozai was amazed at the beauty of this young girl, in fact the thing that really had him stunned, was her eyes.

Eyes that glowed just as vicious and alive as any fire, seem to be…wild of the colour blue in her eyes. To him it was a rarity seeing young girls with pretty eyes and all the more, prettier features, but the girl before him…was a sight to behold.

"Prince Zuko" called a voice. "This is Katara" said the commentator.

Katara made her way from Ozai's stare of death, to that of a young man. Giving a small smile, she looked at her young prince and was amazed at the face she saw. Never in her wildest dreams had she envisioned the face of the prince to be so…serious. Those deep, abysmal amber eyes glowed in all its horror at her, and with what seem to be a burnt mark over his left eye simply left her agape. Amazingly, the combination of stone features and a royal birthmark, made Zuko - as he was called, become someone to tickle her senses with. For one, he was a strangely different young man with eyes that weaken its prey. She couldn't breathe in that second, knowing that all she felt was this…this fever of heat. A heat of being seen inside-out and having all her secrets exposed. Every hair stood tall, and her body was going into a terrible melt-down. How could a man, with no power even begin to make her feel so exposed?

His handsome features were not dull, Katara noted, as he wore them upfront and center, and before her weakening body, he smirked to say: your eyes…are amazing.

The sound of his deep, brusque voice, sent shivers down her spine, making her grit her teeth in weakness. Feeling like she had caused herself great commotion, standing still and stupefied, she nodded. Slowly she began walking away but their eyes refused to let go of the other. It was a clash of fire verses ice, where neither could let go of the bottomless pits in their eyes. Katara made her way to the side feeling like she had lost. She hadn't even started her oh-so-great plan, but standing here, and reflecting her little interval with the prince, she couldn't help that the eyes of the man she was to kill, would do the reverse. And though she didn't want to die from just a mere gaze, she rendered in sorrow, her mission was in dire need of being executed.

Regardless the colour of his eyes, or the way he's makes her feel, she simply could not let the prince get away with it.

With that sworn, Katara looked up at the officials, a look of defiance flashing from eyes as she knew whatever came her way, she'd deal with it. After a couple minutes of welcoming and hearty salutations, the girls were lead to their separate chambers. As was expected Katara began her plan by not obeying. She went searching for the building that Zuko and the other officials stayed at. To her surprise, just finding a proper hall and window was difficult. The place was vastly large, with room after room lining any hall.

"Hey baby" called the voice of a man.

Katara jerked around to see a young man staring most distastefully at her.

She tried to be quiet and easy as any female or geisha would do, but what he didn't know, was that, being a pathetic little female is far from who she truly is.

"Konnichiwa (hello)" she bowed at the man.

"You're an awfully pretty woman." He took advantage of the situation by leering forward on Katara, pinning her on the adjacent wall. Caught out of breath from his audacious action, she pleaded for him to let her go.

"But you're so pretty baby…" he touched her cheek. At first Katara felt like slapping the man for being so rude to touch her, but she allowed him. She would allow him to feed himself in her rich beauty before giving him what was well due.

"You're gorgeous" his words never fail to commend her.

"Why don't you come back to my room, gorgeous" his statement was now filled of disgust and lewd intones, one should would not stand for. Slowly he let his hand fall from her petite waist to her buttocks. Immediately Katara's eyes widen and the slap that she was keeping from exploding, came straight across his face in a mighty force. He quickly clutched his stinging cheek, shouting out at the geisha who stood for her morals.

Katara left the man to be, but that didn't mean the problems stopped there. That whole afternoon instead of locating the Lords of the Fire Nation, she found herself attracting the wrong crowd. Many young Fire Nation boys found the invitation of a solitaire geisha absolutely interesting, fun…and plain ravishing. She'd slapped about ten boys that afternoon for trying to touch her bottom, but she'd shun them away with some hurtful slaps and a quick running.

Lost of breath running from hall to hall, Katara listened carefully for the sounds of masculine laughter knowing they would follow her. Stuck in a dead-end hall, Katara searched for ideas but nothing was coming to mind. She needed to hide but problem was, where. Knowing that her only luck now lied behind one of the rooms, she began checking for an empty room to hide. Seeing them in the distance, she knew she didn't have time to go through every door. Clutching the knob of the last door, Katara entered the dark room only to listen for the footsteps to fade. Feeling a hand touch her, she turned around sharply, slapping the person a fiery smack.

"How dare you?"

Realizing she hadn't slapped one of the normal boys of the Fire Nation, Katara swallowed. The lights were flipped on and to her amazement the person she slapped was none other than…

"Prince Zuko?"


To be continued