To serve my master
by Etherealstar

Author's notes: My first fanfiction is coming to an end. If you would like the 15 chapters or more please tell me. I am open to all ideas.
Disclaimer: Avatar and Avatar Manga is owned by Nickelodean and Sitcom. All rights reserved.
Chapter 10:I feel…

9 am

'I keep my brain working and my body active, I keep the feeling of being a hunter preserved in my veins. I keep the fact that I am the best always number one in my mind, I keep knowing that I will rise again as my diehard slogan.'

Zuko slams the stick into the dummy violently.

'And the yearn to show my father that I can capture the Avatar is tremendous and insatiable to describe'

Sweat falls from his brow.

'I want to be the best'

Zuko flips in the air sending a fireball racing into the dummy. 'I am the best'

"Ah, Warlord Zuko" spoke a voice

Zuko turned.

Maine.

The young boy who Zuko kept a particular glare on was now in his presence once again.

"Ready for another demonstration?"

"Yes milord. I've been practicing with my spear as you've taught us. I think I'm better at it"

The boy around fourteen or so, was exceptionally skilled. He was very receptive and he did a perfect execution of all his katas and combos virtually error free. What also intrigued Zuko about this boy was the fact he was so quick to adapt to a person's techniques. Impressed that the boy was so cheery and skillful made Zuko very interested at the odds.

"Is that so? Well you know there's only one way to prove that" Zuko paused, "fight me"

"Are you sure?"

For a moment Zuko felt insulted. Did this boy just dare his superiority? Oh this was too good and all funny.

"Fight me. Our rules will be based under spear-fighting, where the winner will stab their blade into the shoulder of their opponent."

The boy swallowed, "I-I, I'm not ready for this master Zuko"

"Don't be a wimp Maine, I've trained my soldiers to the best by exhibiting the best, don't go failing on me now Maine"

The boy shook his head uncertainly, "as you wish milord"

Zuko picked up two spears. Throwing one to the boy he gave a firm nod.

"Stances in ready"

They both kneeled deeply into the ground. The boy placed one foot parallel from the next, containing a tiger's pounce. Zuko on the other hand did it somewhat likewise, but his spear was in a different position, behind his back in a horizontal manner.

"Begin"

They both went forward using their spears to protect them. The boy sent his spear in a forward pattern only to have Zuko slam it to the ground. Zuko wasted no time slamming the back of his spear on the boy's back.

"Come on, I've trained you better than this. Arise"

The boy groaned at the pain. But he wouldn't quit.

Standing on his own two feet in a square stance he spun the spear around in his right hand. Leaning into a stance with the spear vertically behind his back, he gritted his teeth at the anticipated outcome.

"To fight me, you must see my loopholes" Zuko spoke.

The boy charged in on Zuko with a diagonal slash. Zuko countered, slamming the boy with a roundhouse kick into the wall.

"To fight me, you must think faster than I would, you must always be one move ahead of me." Zuko whispered.

In pain the blood slid down the wall, his back in pain but his ego unbroken.

"If you want to fight me Maine, never be at my standard be at a standard I can never reach, it is then you become a winner and I become subdued. Otherwise, your talent is lost and lifeless." He paused, "fight me Maine, if you can"

The boy stumbled to his feet, ridden in pain and soars. He could tell his back was in blood but he wouldn't let that dissuade his ultimate goal of showing Zuko he was as great as could be.

"I'm ready" the boy whispered.

"So you say" Zuko breathed in deeply. Gathering all the positive chi into his body, he closed his eyes and waited for the young boy to come crashing into him. And as exactly as what he predicted it was coming to pass. The young boy came racing forward screaming out with everything he had. Sending his spear in a criss-cross pattern Zuko conceived his blow. Sending his blade into the boy's shoulder, the boy countered by blocking with his left hand. Sending his left hand into Zuko's gut, Zuko blocked, but was completely off guard when Maine's spear came crashing into Zuko's face.

Zuko flew back, seeing blood was spilt.

"Very good Maine. You're beginning to anticipate my moves. Excellent, but lets see if you'll get lucky twice in a row" Zuko went forward, flying within the air with his spear behind his back. Maine waited for Zuko. Raising the spear within the air, Zuko dodged, landing awkwardly on the ground. Maine wasted no time running into Zuko. Using the back of spear, he slammed it into Zuko's back. Zuko groaned, but he countered by slamming his spear into the boys gut. The boy growled in pain.

"Come on Maine, finish me off or I'll be happy to finish you off" Zuko spat the blood from his mouth.

"You underestimate me warlord Zuko" the boy dropped his spear.

Running into Zuko, Zuko was completely shocked by the boy's reactions. Sending his blade into the boy, Maine ducked slamming Zuko into the ground. Zuko rolled, but Maine came following. Slamming his fists into Maine's face, the boy screamed out but he wouldn't go down with so little ease. Maine rolled on the ground taking his spear up aiming it at Zuko's shoulder. Zuko did likewise.

(Stab)

Blood.

It was on Zuko's shoulder. The spear was quarter way through his shoulder.

But what about Maine?

"Aokk" a painful whisper exerted through Maine's lips.

The boy was in pain. It seemed Zuko missed Maine's shoulder by a mile, he instead aimed for his stomach.

"You win, m-master Zuko"

"No" 'Iie'

"Irohhhhh!" Zuko shouted.

Rushing through the doors were countless boys and men.

"Make way, make way" Iroh came crashing through the crowd.

There on the ground was Zuko and Maine. Maine was bleeding terribly.

"I need a doctor, get one quickly" Zuko shouted at his soldiers, a couple of the boys ran for a doctor while Iroh came to Zuko's side.

"Oh my! Maybe we should take this out" Iroh spoke.

"Yes"

Iroh took hold of the spear and began pulling it out.

"AGHHHHHHH!" the boy bawled.

"Come on Maine you have to be strong"

"Master Zuko it hurts"

"You must stay still Maine, the more you panic and twist, the more you endanger yourself"

But the boy couldn't help it. He screamed and bawled. Zuko saw pain in his eyes.

Can you kill and not feel? Can you?

Katara's words haunt him.

Closing his eyes, he tried to find the peace, the freedom from the guilt.

'Why me sometimes?'

Indeed, why?

Katara hadn't seen Zuko all morning, according to rumors (trust her, there are lots of those), someone got hurt. Even though Zuko had a way with himself of being the type not to be hurt, he was still susceptible to blows and wounds. Worried that something may have happened she sat on his bed waiting on him. For hours she sat on his bed waiting and waiting. The sun cast its shadow on her all through the day and still no sign of Zuko. Yet, she waited on, knowing he was safe and he would come.

The sound of shouting soldier's from the lunchtime break to the evening's chirping of the birds made Katara reckon she was letting her day stop all thanks to Zuko. Selfishly he would never open his eyes and see what he had done to her. Even though she was a mere two years younger than him, she felt this whole big block of emotions. Something so incomprehensible was built on her shoulders never to eradicate with ease. So many times Katara wish Zuko would sit down, pause to breathe and listen to her speak, but so many times that fantasy was broken by cold reality. Her fantasies were mere fallacies, and for that they were never real. She wished that Zuko could alas see what he's been doing to her.

She realized that for a while she'd been thinking of him differently. Ever since the day he threw her on the bed and made her emotions twitched up, she never had control of what she felt. If fire was something suppose to burn, then Katara agreed, Zuko's fire was one that burned her both physically and mentally. He was the type of man who loved to put people under rigorous testing and trails to test wit specifically. She figured that's what he'd been testing her for. True, she'd live up to his tests, but in the meanwhile, her heart was in pain. Part of her heart was shaded in wanting to be away from him, return to her friends and Aang, but part of her was reaching for his irresistible fire that called to her hauntingly. In the night she would wake up at awkward hours, having a dream that would make her sweat and burn in want. Yet wants was all she could ask but never have.

'What is it about you Zuko that I find myself attracted to but completely compelled to?'

Was it the flame of fierceness and feistiness that attracted her to him? Was it the fact he made himself different, wild and uncontained that made him a hard catch. A hard earning? Something a girl as feisty as her would pursue?

'Why do I find myself staring into your eyes and seeing a splitting image of you and me? Why have you seated yourself so deep in my heart? Why can't I rip my heart out and feed it to the dogs to be done of you once and for all? Why have you corrupted my senses and made me weak? Why do I taste you in my water and dream of you in my self-created worlds? Why have you possessed me with your self-influential self?'

'All you are Zuko is nothing but a weak little boy, who's taunted in your past and living your father's image. You are tired of living in the shadow of shame that you drive yourself into the extremes. You use hate as your friend, thinking that it would help you through your problems. But under the contrary it destroys you piece by piece, surely it begins to chip your sanity and before you know it you're gone from the sane. Would you ever wake up Zuko and smell the roses? Why Zuko, why can't you ever see what I'm showing you, why?'

As the screams went off in her mind violently, Katara fell back on his bed.

Weakness.

She felt it. 'And all I would ever be to you, is some weak little slave's girl who must do her master's biddings. Why not move the mask from your heart and let our hearts communicate?'

And before she could think any further a picture of Aang came to her mind.

Cringing she huddled herself in a foetus (a ball - how babies huddle in a woman's womb)

'Have I betrayed everyone? Have I gone too far? Why have I done this? ZUKOOO!' she screamed within her mind.

Betrayal was the worse feeling she felt and she hated it. Before she came here, she loved Aang and her brother. She use to think of them everyday. There journeys, trouble, craziness. She couldn't believe the fun they had, the insane trio-posse. But ever since she was taken under Fire Nation arms and became personal property to them, her foresights had changed. From wanting to be free and with her friends, she exchanged it to be with Zuko and fiery ends.

Katara cried. There were so many times she wanted to go home when she was in the Fire Nations home but she knew she didn't have a choice. She thought of Sokka and Aang, more particularly Aang, because he was younger and because she loved him tremendously as a friend. But coming to terms that she forgot that for dark holds from a fire lord made her want to die. She cringed, tears falling down her face.

It just had to stop. All the insane madness, all the taunting and fetishes. Everything just had to stop. If Zuko felt anything, anything at all he would tell her, but if he didn't then she betrayed her friends for a nothing. An absolute nothing. Making her more of an idiot and giving her only one option left, to end it all. I'll kill myself…

She lied on his bed, letting the shadows of the day pass her by and the afternoon's wind shuffle her hair messily. She let the day blink before her eyes as she waited patiently to know the truth. One answer was all the kept her from death.

Around five that afternoon Zuko came to his room. He hadn't seen Katara around, but then who would want to see his ugly face.

On his bed, lying in his black silks was Katara. The first sight to reach his eyes was the young girl.

Immediately Katara perked up.

Their eyes caught in a delicate hold but he broke it off.

'What are you fighting me off Zuko?'

"I didn't see you today" came his baritone young voice.

"I-I was here…" she paused to take a breath, "waiting for you"

He groaned, as he held his shoulder.

"You're hurt?"

"I was sparring"

"Must you be so reckless?"

Zuko arched a brow. Walking over to his bed, Katara came following.

"What in hell's name is it to you onna?"

She pushed him over on the bed, leaning over she whispered with tears in her eyes, "everything"

Zuko's first impression, was did she snap? But then he saw in those geometrical eyes a fire that once filled his. A fire long gone but never really blown out. He tried to push forward, but she wouldn't budge.

And for the first time Zuko's reaction wasn't about hostility, it was more of shock and letting whatever comes, come.

Leaning over into his ear she begged, "let me take care of you, my master, Zuko" she pleaded, her heart truly hurting.

Zuko caught her face in his hand.

"You are only enthralled by a shadow of a man you barely know" he whispered.

Her eyes shone like a starry night, but he wiped them away. "But if you want a pain of a man you barely know then I'd allow you to taste it, indulge it, refine it, in both sin and lust" he paused, letting go of her jaw.

"Clean my wounds…Katara" for the first time in such a long time he called her, her name.

She got off of him. Leaning him forward, she got herself in the draws (he instructed her to go in) where she got linens and rubbing alcohol.

Undoing the poor wrapped bandages around his arm, Katara leaned back to examine his wounds. 'Oh damn'

"Does it hurt?"

"More than you could imagine"

"Oh, well if you think that hurts, taste a bit of alcohol would you"

He grimaced.

Dabbing a cloth strip with some of the alcohol she readied Zuko. "Oh just get it over with"

"Suit yourself"

Placing the cloth to his wound, he shouted out. Adding pressure to the wound, Zuko gripped his hand in the sheets to keep himself from throwing Katara off.

"It's alright Zuko, it'll go away, all the pain. Shh" she whispered softly in his air. It's been a while he heard a calming voice like that, that could actually make him become undone to meek ends.

She cleaned the wound with stray hissings but hey, it beat the hella-of those shouts any day. Like a true humble Samaritan she attended to his wounds whispering affectionate words in his ear.

Sometimes this was all he needed to hear. Instead of people victimizing him and always asking him if something was wrong, couldn't they say something nice instead?

But here in Katara's soft welcome, he found solace and peace. Something she freely gave him.

After applying some ointment, she began tying the bandages around his arm.

Zuko looked at her as she bandaged his arm. 'What do you see in me?'

It troubled him.

He stopped her. "Katara" he whispered in a small voice. "Yes Zuko"

"I don't understand"

"Don't understand what Zuko?"

"Don't understand what you're pursuing? What do you see in me?"

"Something the faint-hearted would never see"

"But after everything I've done?"

"Zuko, I realized that to understand you I needed to get into your mind. And the reason for your anger and pain was because you loved your father. In fact, you allowed that knowledge of your cruel father shape you. You became your father Zuko, unconsciously, and as each day went by the idea of appeasing him was all that resolute in your heart. No longer were you thinking as old Zuko should. And because you lived your life in anger and returning honour to your father and his Nation, your shadowed your life that you could never be happy, and you aren't Zuko" she whispered.

"How could you have seen this, in such a short time?" he was truly amazed.

"My whole life Zuko, I lived on the run and away from home. For the first couple of years, I had no family (This isn't true.), and then the second half of my life I was running from you. During both painful intervals, I met strange people and I developed insights on who was friend from foe. It so happened my insight brought me to another conclusion."

Zuko smirked, but the smirk died.

"Sometimes wrong isn't it?"

He got up.

"All this time I was becoming my father Katara. All this time I was turning into what he was…" he whispered.

"And what is that?"

"A beast"

Katara sighed.

"Don't be too hard on yourself…"

"Why not, I've been like it to everyone else" he paused, "why shouldn't I discriminate who I've become?"

"Because you're different Zuko"

"Oh, and I suppose you're going to say our heart's is what makes us different"

"Part of it is your heart. But even your heart is similar to your father's. 'See, what makes you different from somebody is your choice and decision, your personality and character. You're a good person Zuko. When last you kidnapped me you weren't about hostility, you were about understanding, but now this time around, everything changed. Changed for the worst" she paused, "you let everything trouble you Zuko, you let it get the better of you…"

"What would you know? The pressure is phenomenal. The pain is real Katara. All so real. I loved my father, I loved the life I had and I'd do anything to have that life back. To have the honour I lost." He paused, "I failed you know. I failed everyone and myself ultimately, but what I wouldn't do to have back all that's gone"

"There is one way you know"

He listened…

"Share your burdens" she whispered.

"Believe me I've tried"

"No Zuko, you've chosen the wrong persons to tell your life to. You need someone else…"

"Like whom?" he turned to her, watching her incredulously.

"Me…"

He swallowed. "You're the enemy" was his cold words.

"Am I Zuko, am I really the enemy?" she asked.

"I – I don't know"

She sighed, "Zuko, more than ever I can see you need a friend"

"I don't need it"

"Yes you do"

"I don't"

"Zuko stop being so stubborn"

"I DON'T NEED YOUR PITY" he shouted out.

Katara stopped.

"Why even bother with me?" he asked, his voice breaking.

"Because unlike a lot of people Zuko, I care…" she said

"Can you care for your enemy?"

"Damn it Zuko, you're not the enemy, I'm not the enemy. If you were my enemy I'd kill you long ago. Really I would, but because you aren't, I'd like to be your friend and I'd like to care for you, take care of you" she whispered.

Zuko turned to her, "I- I need time"

She smiled, "take all the time you need"

He looked at her, "Katara"

"Yes Zuko?"

".…..Thank you" was his first nice words to her.

A smile that never came to her face finally bloomed. Truly happy she whispered, "your welcome…"

To be continued…