To serve my master
by Etherealstar

Author's notes: Thanks a whole bunch everyone for your supportive comments. Please work with me a little, there is reason Zuko is mean and you'll see why later on. And yes it's a Zuko and Katara fic. Zutara as you guys call it, right?
Disclaimer: Avatar is owned by (looks around nervously) somebody? And sure that somebody wouldn't mine if I played with their characters, right? Anyways, this fanfiction is for non-profit, its just for fun—and a bit of evilness.

Chapter 3: The meaning of slave…

"Hey Aang, I think that's enough wind-bending for one day," Sokka shouted out to the young bender who was practicing under a blue sky of a lovely beach. For miles the beached stretched with free open arms. The water was calm as it quietly crashed on the shores.

"Hhahah!" the cheery voice of Aang could be heard. "This is funnn, wow, uh-oh, uh-ohhh…SOUKAAAAA" Aang shouted out as he practically went flying intothe sand. Aang and his horsing around never ceased to amaze Sokka.

Sokka shook his head. "Come on Aang quit playing around, you know how Katara gets when we're late. No late returns." Sokka spoke. In a way he feared he was beginning to talk like Katara. 'Gosh, surely Katara is getting the better of us'

"Alright Sokka"

As Aang slowly got up from his seat in the sand, he began walking to the incredibly big bison. Appa. "Ready for another journey boy?" asked Aang, walking toward the beast.

The furred covered animal yawned out in laziness. How typical!

As Aang walked forward a last time, something pierced into his foot.

"Ouchhhh!" he immediately withdrew his foot, checking it for blood. Thankfully there wasn't any. Stooping down to pick up the object, he saw it was a perfect little shell. Immediately the soft blue colour reminded him of somebody's eyes. Katara.

'This will make a perfect gift to you Katara.'

"Aang hurry up!" Sokka was becoming impatient.

Aang smiled, 'Yes I think you'll like it a lot' he thought of Katara. Taking into a mighty leap, he bended within the air only to land on the huge animal.

"Off we go Appa, back to the village" Sokka pat the creature. Lazily the animal ascended into the heavens taking them back to village.

Zuko in a rage placed on his Gi (Japanese/Chinese shirt), completely forgetting to tie it shut when the door drew open.

"Warlord Zuko, the girl is in the common room ready for your sentence," spoke his General who grimly looked at his young master.

"Good"

Zuko took into a brisk stride as he came closer and closer to the common room. 'Bloody water-bender. She already got herself into trouble by becoming my slave, but now she's at it again? Really, and I thought she was the type to get a hint'

As Zuko walked down the poorly lit hall, he could make out the silhouettes of his guards alongside the wall. Walking forward, he saw a light piercing from beneath a door. Two guards lay outside the door protectively keeping watch.

Zuko stopped seeing both, "Good night warlord Zuko" they in unison spoke. Opening the door to the common room he saw her, Katara. She was lying down on the ground, her hair was scattered as she looked on with eyes of horror and sadness. Her face was dirty and she was shivering.

"Screaming like a little girl who's afraid of dark are we?" came the cruel sardonic question.

She sobbed.

"Feh, get her up," complained the young lord.

A guard quickly picked her up by the hair where she cried out from his vehement hold. The guard pulled her to her knees where she was literally bowing to Zuko. Fitting, absolutely fitting thought Zuko with a smug smirk on his features.

"Why cry Katara when you've asked this upon yourself?" the amusing question was asked.

She gritted her teeth, sometimes his cruelty exceeded the fact he was cold. Sometimes he was just too much that you felt like charging out on him, slapping him solid for every nasty thing he's said. And that smirk. She hated it passionately. The way he smirk made her feel invaded and not to mention belittled over him.

"The village is safe, the people are alive…what more could you have wanted?" he paused to look at her, "nothing" "You see Katara, none of this would have ever happened if the Avatar never left. Now because I don't know where in hell's name he is, I'm left over you useless corpse which isn't doing me any good. Some slave you turned out to be." Sarcasm, always present in his voice made her growl at him.

"Why are you so cruel Zuko, do you have nothing in your heart? No emotion at all?" she paused, tears still in her eyes, "can you kill and not feel, can't you see your darkness is destroying you?" she whispered.

"Perhaps. Perhaps I can kill and not feel. Perhaps I've allowed the darkness to sink in me and lay its egg of evil in me. Perhaps what you say is true, but it all happened for a reason. A reason I don't have to explain." He informed.

"Ah, what a pity though!" the words escaped her lips the same way cruel laughter would enter his ears.

"What's that?" he snarled.

"It's a pity Zuko, that you grew weak and allowed your anger and darkness control you and not the other away around. I thought of you once to be a strong man Zuko, but today that became all wrong, now didn't it?" there was a point in Katara's life she stood up for herself because she felt she should, but there were points in her life when her standing-up for herself got the better of her, meaning she went too far.

Fires of every kind, every hue of amber and gold, glowed in glorified horror within his eyes. His expression was anticipated of both anger and shock, but what really made her praying for her safety was the way his eyes had flamed with such electricity.

For a moment Katara felt as if she saw a part of Zuko she never had. A part of him, she wasn't sure was even alive, but undoubtedly, it lived.

Shifting his eyes swiftly, he realized his soldiers were beginning to look at him oddly. Realizing that she had done something to him, trance him in her dirty little hex of words, he slapped her solid across the face. She lied against the floor, completely worn of this torture.

Zuko was merciless. How dare the water-bended say what she said? 'Who in bloody name do you feel you are?'

"I have had it Katara-chan, really I have. Nobody dare speaks or insults me this way, for that your punishment is death. General"

The General that did everything the young boy asked of, went forward unsheathing his long dai (blade). Readying himself in a square stance, he centered the blade in front his body. Raising the blade straight into the air, he waited for Zuko to give the go.

"Any last words?" asked Zuko…

Katara took pity on him. Screwing her eyes shut, she nodded. There were no more words of the awesome Katara.

As Zuko was about to give his go, a flashback recurred. : "Stop using everything from one angle, but turn the situation around and see something from another angle. To reach the Avatar is a case of how you stratify yourself, and you miboy will never catch the Avatar if you constantly stick with one method…":

Almost immediately Zuko went into a thinking mode. If he killed Katara then the Avatar would just take revenge. He also needed to keep the flame of the Avatar alive by not killing Katara. Zuko knew the connection between Katara and Aang had grown during the years, but its confusing as to why. A water and wind bender? Zuko thought it odd and wrong.

Rallying out that killing Katara would be the wisest of choices he closed his eyes.

"Yami (Stop) General. Katara-chan here will be put to another form of punishment, not death, but something else I'd like to call getting personal. Madam Tristle" he called.

Immediately an old woman around in her forties came forward to her young lord.

"Yes my lord?" she answered.

"See to it here that this onna (woman) gets a change of clothes as she will soon see she will become my little slave. In maid apparels, I want to see her serve me. As of tomorrow morning Katara-chan hereby will become my slave. If she disobeys you will tell me and surely I will deal with her." He paused, "prepare yourself onna (woman) for my torture" he mused leaving the room with his men following behind.

The guards left the room, leaving the maids to attend to Katara.

Zuko returned to his room knowing that something had happened to him. Something had happened but heaven knows what exactly.

As he looked at himself he frowned. 'What a day, first I lose the Avatar now this…really, what more could a prince ask for?'

Taking off his Gi, he dropped it on the chair. Jumping into his black sheets, he lied against them letting out a sigh of comfort. Tomorrow was another day and that's all he needed to remember.

6:25am

Sunrays filtered through the windows settling on the bed, Katara awoke from the burning sensation on her skin. Groaning out at the hard surface she was sleeping on, she uncurled herself from the position, stretching out wide-armed. Slowly opening her eyes she saw the sight of huge green eyes looking down at her. A scream was already on its brink of escaping her lips. Closing her eyes to wish whoever it was away she kept silent.

"Are you awake?" was a meek voice. It sounded like a girl's.

Half cracking open her eye just for safety, Katara saw it was a young girl.

"Time to get up sleepy-head," the young girl spoke.

Katara leaned back into her headboard watching the girl who was currently moving away to a small table. Picking up the tray she brought it to Katara.

"Breakfast is served," a gentle smile wavered.

"Than-thank you" Katara felt appeased by the girl's actions.

The girl sweetly nodded waiting for Katara to chow down. Katara wasted no time digging in. She hadn't eaten the night before and she was absolutely starved. Helping herself to the delicious meal in front of her, she felt eyes staring back at her. Feeling a bit awkward, Katara stopped.

"Something wrong?" Katara looked up.

"No, no." the girl giggled.

'O-kayyy' Katara arched a brow.

"It's just, I heard you're a water-bender. It must be so incredible controlling water. Oh, I could almost imagine myself being a water-bender. Oh, that'd be so amazing." The girl day-dreamed.

"Well, its not really that incredible," Katara spoke.

"Why so? I always thought otherwise," the girl spoke.

"Well, unlike Zuko, who's perfected his fire-bending, I haven't even perfected water basics. I'm now learning to bend water and I'm telling you its not easy." She paused, "especially since I'm always on the run with my friends" she trailed into a whisper remembering Sokka and –and 'Aang'

"Something wrong?" the girl saw Katara bow her head.

"No, nothing is wrong. Everything is just, just fine" was it a question or the truth?

"Are you sure?"

'I don't know…' "I'm sure" Katara gave a reassuring smile, "I'm positively sure Ms…urh, come to think of it I don't know your name" Katara bit her lips in expectancy.

"Oh, my apologiesfor bad manners, I'm Lily Cazardo."

"Pleasure. Katara…"

"I know who you are. Everyone knows who you are, you and your friends. Hey, when Zuko gets a fit, he screams the secret loud"

They both giggled. Slowly they stopped.

"You're pretty young. How long have you been here?"

And for the first time Katara saw a sadness in the girl's face. Lily, as she calls herself, could be seen like a sunshine daisy, always perky in the wind, ready to be carefree, but now, she's acting differently.

"I've been here since I was eight. I'm sixteen now and I profession as a maid…and not just" she took a breath to breathe, "and not just any maid, but…a specific maid"

Katara didn't understand, "forgive me if I don't pick up easily, its because I'm fourteen and I have no idea what you're trying to say. What are you saying?"

"You know the story of Master Zuko?" she looked down swallowing, fumbling with her fingers.

"Actually I just know that Zuko was kicked out the Fire Nation and he created his own version of it. That's about it, but what does that have to do with anything?" Katara thought.

"A-lot. Think about it, a specific type of maid, I'm sixteen, the same age with Master Zuko, I'm…young…vulnerable, easy, weak…" and a tear came falling from her eyes… "so many things I have seen and I'm only sixteen" she wiped the tear away taking a breath, "I'm sorry. I-I shouldn't have worked myself up. Your duty begins from today, you will serve Master Zuko a way similar as I have done. You will give him all meals, wash all his clothes, take all his orders regardless what they are and a word of caution, don't dare back answer him, it's the last thing you'll want to do" she paused, "your clothes are in the cubby. Quickly get ready, you wouldn't want Madam Tristle to see us speaking instead of working, now would you?"

Katara was a bit confused, from everything the girl had said. She never saw a person's reactions change that quickly. Nodding, Katara got out of her sheets going to the cupboard where her freshly lay black and white outfit lay.

Katara opened out the outfit. It was a bit surprising what she saw. "I—I can't wear this" spoke Katara flatly.

"Oh and why is that?"

"Take a look at it, its way too short." Katara said.

"Remembered what I told you about back-answering?"

"Yes,"

"Well, the Fire Nation has its reasons for even the shortest of clothes, for the youngest of girls. If you disobey instructions Katara, you're asking for trouble and knowing that you're Master Zuko's personal maid means you're in double the trouble." She informed.

Katara groaned. "But its so short, it makes me look so—so, revealing" she grimaced.

"Welcome to my world" Lily pat Katara's back.

The door suddenly was then opened to a tall old woman.

"Madam Tristle," the words escaped Lily's lips.

"Ahh, so this is where you've been, hiding along in the new maid's room I see, well that won't work. You still have walls and floors to scrub missy" the brute woman went forward grabbing Lily's hair, "when I give you orders you will follow them and don't try to evade me else its back in the beds where those dirty men wait" the woman gruffly pushed the girl along, who's eyes were serious but filled of tears.

Katara swallowed the lump, was this the world she ingested? Foreign bodies all hurting, breaking, fighting and dying?

"And you girl, get ready, you have a job to do. Get to it!" the woman ordered slamming the door shut.

Katara looked at the door in horror, 'what crazed dream is this Kami (God)?)

Katara looked either side of the hall. She didn't want anyone to see her in this, "compulsive dress" she whispered to herself.

The dress was structured like one of the original maid dresses. Black and white linens. There were white frills but the garment was incredibly short to call it approved.

Walking down the hall she went in search of Zuko's room. Lost like hell as to where his room could be, Katara followed the sunlight down the hall. As she kept walking down, she heard voices. Shouting, fighting, the clashing of blades. Running forward in a haste, she looked out the huge window. Gasping at the sight of a huge army all logo in the name of Fire Nation, Katara grew scared. 'So this is what Zuko's been training all along. Hell, what an army!' was her expression as she saw loyal elites all training together in perfect unison. The army was beautiful and deathly. Graceful with stances and blades, they remained fatal with expressions all describing their passion to kill all those who opposed them.

Enthralled by the army, she hadn't realized that someone was watching. Eyes sparkled at the young girl in front of him.

"You," came a deep voice.

Katara became startled. With a gasp escaped from her lips she realized she was caught. 'Opps…'

"Well turn around, right this moment" came the hasty command…

Katara cringed, turning around slowly she blinked back at who she saw. Not exactly Zuko—she wondered who in God's namewas he?

To be continued…