To serve my master
by Etherealstar

Author's notes: Thank you for the beautiful and rocking reviews. An itsy reminder, this chapter is angst-intoned.
Disclaimer: Avatar and Avatar Manga is owned by Nickelodeon and Sitcom. All rights reserved.
Chapter 14: The battle…

"Aang?" Katara called, completely surprised to see him.

"Wha-what are you doing?" she asked seeing the huge grin on his face.

"Busting you out of course. Stay right there, I'm coming to get you." Aang said. Flapping the wooden-paper kite in the air, the wind surfed beneath causing Aang to rise in the air.

Katara was speechless. Not to mention in a serious predicament.

After so long of trying with Zuko she finally had everything working and set for, but now, it seems as if the life she lead behind followed up and came back to have her. Though she considered Sokka and Aang very important, she couldn't exactly say she was missing right that moment. Right now, everything was making a hard turn causing Katara to wince at the soon to come, outcome.

Knowing that this was somewhat inevitable to prevent, she rendered it, why did she try to feign that her love ones wouldn't come looking for her.

Zuko on the other hand was confused. He heard the Avatar, but what was going on?

The door immediately flew open and a guard rushed in Zuko's room.

"Master Zuko, our fortress has been breached." Before the man could further on any longer, he was knocked unconscious by no other than. "Sokka?" Katara was shocked.

"Katara, whatever you do, no sudden movements" Sokka advised.

"What do you think I am?" Zuko hissed, "a snake"

"Hey, I don't exactly call the taking of somebody's sister friendly, if that's the terminology you use, then buddy you are a snake," Sokka rendered it.

Katara tried to find her tongue. Everything was falling apart. She needed to solve the situation.

"S-Sokka" she tried to tell her brother what was happening.

"Hush Katara, just quickly come to me," Sokka kept a menacing gaze on Zuko. Zuko on the other hand scowled at the boy.

Stopping Katara from going anywhere, he held her back into his confines.

"Back off Sokka boy" Zuko snarled with threatening eyes of silver slits.

"You going to do me something?" Sokka barked, "then go ahead, whose stopping you?"

Zuko tensed under the threat. Katara held a hand back at him. He looked down at her with questioning eyes. In her eyes he found she didn't like what was occurring. Backing down, Zuko wore grim features of ire.

"Get away from her" came a new voice.

"And I suppose you'd make me move, hmm Avatar?" Zuko asked.

"I'm warning you Zuko, if you don't move, I'll make you move" Aang for first time in so long whispered icily cold at his nemesis. He never looked at people under a hateful frame, but when people, like Zuko, pushed him to his ends and exerted him to sorrow, then he asked for it, he asked for a side he never saw

"And what are you going to do me Avatar?" Zuko knew Aang to be the soft type so just having him make lifeless threats didn't shake a bone in Zuko.

"I use to think of you as a man Zuko, but now I don't know where to categorize you any longer. Stealing young girls and threatening villages. You're no man, you're a demon, a damn demon who deserves nothing but live the cold life. You deserve nothing. You deserve no respect and no one. All you are is a lie…a fake, a monster. Look at yourself, and tell me, what you see" Aang gritted his teeth resentfully. Aang eyes filled with tears of rage and offense. He would not let Zuko take what made him smile, he would not take the one thing he loved, he would not let him have her. Just the mere sight of seeing him that close to her made him pain. 'Never will they take you apart from me Katara, never…'

"What do you know Avatar? You lived most your life in an ice jar, locked off from the world. While some of us were feeling, you happen to be preserved from all the emotions ever felt. I know what it means to hear people like you, victimize and insinuate feeble-minded theories of people like me." He paused, "but what do you know? I'll tell you, nothing" he whispered.

"Get away from her" Aang started to tremble as he raised the arrow to Zuko.

"I will never let her go" Zuko spoke concretely. He turned his face to Katara and allowed his eyes to soften on her delicate blues.

"I'm warning you Zuko" Aang trembled, his teeth gritting as his eyes slowly became blurred with tears.

"I will never let her go, not after what has happened, and believe me too much has happened" Zuko touched Katara's back.

She winced in pain, "Zuko"

"I'm giving you until three. One"

Zuko looks into her abysmal, bottomless pools of blue. Seeing a picture of beauty every time.

"Two" the tears burned as much as they blinded him.

'And all I will ever need, is you' thought Zuko, knowing Katara was the piece to the puzzle that completed him whole. Alas his body was uniform and life finally…created sense.

"Threeee" Aang shrieked. The arrow escaped and it went flying.

As Zuko watched Katara, he smiled just for her. But then all that changed.

(Stab)

Zuko is jerked forward.

"Noooooo" she screams, her cry piercing the eyes silence.

Zuko drops to the floor. Bleeding.

He slowly turns to the Avatar with a smile of shock and surprise.

Katara covered her hands with her mouth as she saw the blood. Sokka personally knowing how Katara reacts in proximity with blood panicked himself. Her eyes were brimmed in tears as she cried hysterically to herself.

"Come on Katara, get away from that creep" Sokka spoke.

Katara screamed out seeing the fire lord groan in pain. Dropping to her knees she looked at Aang, "what have you done?" she bawled.

Stunned by her reaction everyone watched on in horror at the raw scene before them.

Katara scuttled to her lover's side. Turning him over, she laid his head on her lap.

"Z-Zuko" she whispered frantically.

"Shh!" he whispered.

"Zuko" she panicked when she saw him close his eyes.

"Shh onna," the same smirk on his face.

"Please don't leave me" she whispered painfully.

"It's only a scratch" he paused to show her the arrow that had gone through his right shoulder. "See"

Katara winced. "Don't move. The more you do, the more blood is lost"

"Katara?" Sokka called, amazed by all reason at what he happening.

"What's going on?"

"Go get me a doctor" she started.

"No. Tell me what's going on" Sokka pounded his feet into the ground.

"GET ME A DOCTOR" she screamed out at him.

Everyone gasped. They knew the relationship between Sokka and Katara was close, but right now those tender boundaries were destroyed blatantly.

As Katara continued to rock Zuko back and forth in her arms. Everyone was completely enthralled by the scene before them. No one expected this sudden behaviour of Katara. It truly was too much to take in at the one moment. Sokka watched on completely blown away. As he looked back at his sister, he shook his head when he saw this couldn't be her. The sister he had and (loved) was nothing to the woman that was scouring and weeping over the defeated fire-bender.

She fanned Zuko who was sweating and feeling the blood in his arm turn cold. Movement was becoming limited. He hardly had movement in his joints. And the pain in his shoulder, was absolutely blinding and devouring. He couldn't properly think, all he did know was that the room was turning darker and all he could hear were the cries of Katara and the slow rhythm of his heart beating.

Exerting a slow breath of life, he shallowly looked up at Katara. She sharply inhaled as she cried at the sight of her beloved.

Peeking through the door, Zuko's grand father a trained oriental doctor came through.

"Where do you think you're going old man?" one of men asked.

"Would you harm an old man, boy?" asked the aged man.

"Depends. All you Fire Nation people are alike. Unexpected." The man hissed.

"I would like to see my grand son, please"

"You wish!"

"Let him through" Katara spoke seriously.

"Katara?" Sokka asked.

"Zip it Sokka"

They allowed the old man to pass. The aged man came slowly settling his last steps to Zuko whose bright amber eyes were semi-opened.

"I see you're alive"

"I see you have no insults"

The man laughed but it slowly died. "The arrow needs to come out your shoulder Zuko. If it doesn't, the poison in the iron will kill you, going straight to your heart."

"What's it to you?"

"Zuko. I've put up with you far too long I could say. There are a lot of times people want to strangle you, but we love you. I wouldn't want to know my only grandson to be killed a most stupid death. So enough talk, brace yourself…"

Zuko nodded in affirmation as he took a deep breath. Katara petted his head while his grand father pulled the arrow out.

"AGHHHHHHH…" Zuko arched back into Katara's lap as the pain was simply excruciating.

A firm pluck made everyone notice that the arrow was out. But the blood, it freely sprouted from his wound.

Aang looked on, completely blown away. "K-Katara?"

She swallowed. 'You hurt him Aang. You hurt him…' hearing the sorrow in the young boy's voice she whispered. "Why'd you do it?"

"I-I thought you were in danger" came his weak reply.

"Did it ever occur to you I was alright?" she barked at him.

Aang stepped back. 'What's happened to you?' Where was the Katara he knew and loved? Hiccupping, a tear came falling down his face.

Another doctor of the fire nation came through under Katara's orders, where Zuko was attended with treatment.

As they bandaged his arm. Katara stood up. Subserviently interlacing her fingers she looked down.

"Sokka, Aang. I have something to tell you" she whispered.

"What is it?" Sokka asked, figuring he somehow knew what she was going to say.

"During the while I've been here, in the Fire Nations custody. I became a slave..for Zuko." She swallowed, "at first I hated Zuko for putting me through all these trails. All these pains, I sometimes asked myself, why was Zuko doing me this. And figured it out" she looked at Zuko.

"Everybody, I'm in love with Zuko"

She heard the groan and gasps of everyone. She swallowed hard. A tear came falling down her face, "I know Aang, that you may feel like your whole world is crumbling, but I love you." She turned, tears falling down her face, "just, just not as a lover. I-I love you as my friend" she stuttered, her lips quivering, "and I hope you could forgive me for my choices and reaccept me, and probably even love me, as your friend" she whispered breathlessly.

"K-Ka-ta-ra" her name was broken up. Screwing his eyes shut he felt the pain consume him in a rush. "I, I love you" was his simple whisper.

He sniffled. "Though you, you find yourself tied in a potential knot with Zuko, I just want you to know, to hate you for it would never solve anything. You've been my glow, my smile and my happiness. You've been everything I could ever want. B-But I, I couldn't have it. A-And its okay. I know something's are not meant Katara. But that doesn't mean I should stop loving you, as my friend. I'll always love you Katara. Because inside my heart, you are everything. Though you may not see it here and now, someday…you'll see it. I promise you" he ended, tears falling down his face.

"Oh Aang" she sniffled, running forward to hug him.

"I love you Katara" he whispered in her ear.

"I love you Aang." She breathed, "thank you"

"Hanng on here" Sokka tapped his feet completely blown away.

"I don't get it" Sokka started, "a minute ago we knew the enemy to be him, Zuko. But now I'm realizing that you're attracted to this creep? Come on Katara hold me back from making crazy assumptions"

"No Sokka, everything you've just heard and discovered is real."

"WHATTTT? How could you fall for a punk like that? Hello, he is the enemy. We run everyday of our lives from this maniac. Have you forgotten he wants to kill Aang and show him as a trophy? Have you forgotten that Aang's life is endangered over here?" Sokka was freaking out.

"Sokka" she called his name.

"Don't Sokka me. You've fraternized with the enemy. Tell me Katara, how could you even be cool about all of this?" Sokka questioned.

"I love him" was her dead conclusion.

"How could you love someone you barely know? You know nothing of their culture and freaky crap they have planned for us. For all we know he could be using you to get to Aang. Using your emotions…" Sokka whispered.

"No…Zuko would never do that" Katara gritted her teeth, looking at her brother in tears.

"And how do you know that?" Sokka asked.

"Because during the time we spent, I've learned to see my enemy's heart and mind and I can say I know who he has become and for what reasons. You barely understand what you see Sokka. But I've seen it all, every one of his flaws and perfections. Like you Sokka, Zuko is a man, and that part of him that is willing to live like a civil man, with peace and happiness in his heart, is the man I fell deeply in love with. Trust me Sokka, no matter what you say to me, can make me change my mind."

"Has he made you recite lines to secure your life?" Sokka found everything incredulous to believe.

"I've told you. I love Zuko…and he wouldn't do me these things because I know him."

"Alright! I'm convinced you love him, but what about him? Does he love you? What do you say burnt face?"

Zuko hissed at the name. "Yes, I can say I've grown attached to your sister, but heaven forbid me to ever be on good terms with you"

"What was that?" Sokka felt a nerve pop.

"Yame (stop) Sokka" she looked at her brother. "Zuko needs rest"

Aang sent the flat stone rippling over the water. The stone jumped three times before sinking into the sea.

Aang watched the dark sky and the moon that sadly reflected into the sea.

"Beautiful night isn't it?"

A feminine voice made him stiffen. Katara.

"Why aren't you with Zuko?"

"He just got a shot of morphine. He's out for the night I guess" she paused. "Can I take a seat?" she asked.

"Sure" his voice was small.

"So what are you doing out here, all alone?" she hugged her knees looking at Aang expectantly.

"I guess enjoying the solitude of the night" he whispered.

She blinked, "things don't have to seem as if they're going for the worst you know" she spoke.

He turned to her. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. Closing his eyes he turned away from her. It was so hard to explain what he felt right now. He shook his head, she would never understand it. He took a deep breath just looking at the world. Sometimes more than others he felt he tried too hard.

Skies of dark blue and black flew over his heard and the streaking stars shone luminously down on him. The silent crashing of the waves on the shores created the perfect ambience of loneliness and sadness. Why could he feel it so much? Why did he need to feel it when she doesn't? Closing his eyes he found the sigh so hard to contain.

Katara saw the emotions across his face race back and forth. Feeling somewhat ashamed of her choices she considered the fact this wasn't simple news that could be broken easily to her brother or Aang for that moment.

Casting her eyes toward the dark ocean, she wished so badly things wouldn't come crashing down like this. She wanted so much for things to be resolved and under good terms but right now that wasn't happening. First it was Sokka, he just couldn't believe she felt for Zuko and as a result he's really infuriated by her decision, now it was Aang. Unlike Sokka, Aang felt the pain based on relationship. For as long as Katara could remember she knew Aang did most things for her, to make her happy. Sometimes he tried a bit too hard for her notice him, truth be told, even when he tried or not, she noticed him –just as a friend. Not the way he thought.

Realizing it now, she wasn't a very good friend, she was making him suffer all because of her decisions. But Katara rendered she simply couldn't help the fact she was in love. In love with someone she thought she could never love. It was weird, how fate could bring things we barely understand, barely even give a hoot about, and allow us to make it a part of who were are. By understanding it, by faltering and even by loving it.

Katara shook her head, fate brought a lot things in her life from Aang to Zuko that it never ceased to amaze her.

Zooming back to reality, she saw Aang sit far away from her.

She swallowed. Was this going to be the new pattern how she lived? Her brother a mile and her best friend two miles from her? All because of Zuko? She shook her head.

"Aang" came her troubled voice.

He placed his toes into the sand and looked on at the ocean. No answer came from him.

"A-Aang, I know you're upset because of what happened, but would it help if we talked about it?" she asked, her brows knotting in worry and sadness.

He sighed closing his eyes in thought. "What's there to talk about?" he felt himself turn into a cold mood.

Katara took heed of the coldness in his voice. She couldn't exactly blame him for it.

"E-Everything. You're upset and it's because of me" she whispered. Her voice was small but the pain was big.

Her eyes watered when she saw him contemplating over everything. She knew she caused him pain but how she wished she could take it away, and no, not by giving away Zuko, but by other possible means.

Her lips quivered and her eyes shivered with tears. The face of peace and beauty was finally broken to pain.

"Well?" came her voice. Small and weak. A tight knot in her throat she saw him look at her. Then turned away.

The face she saw was not her Aang. A face of devoid welcome and cold invitation. It whispered silent pain so much like what she once seen and experienced with Zuko. Shrouded in his pain and agony he spoke icily, "and, your point is?"

She stiffened. The tears fell without any stopping it. She couldn't believe he just said that. This certainly was not the Aang she spent the upper part of her life knowing.

"H-how could you be this way?" her voice was broken.

"What does it matter Katara. You have what you need. You don't need me…or your brother. All you care about is Zuko." He fended off.

She shook her head. The tears falling down her face. "T-that's not true" she croaked, "I love you guys"

He turned to her, his eyes filled with tears but with coldness in them. Gritting his teeth he whispered, "go away from here"

"A-Aang.." she whispered.

"We won't bother you anymore Katara. Sokka or me. Don't worry, we'll be fine. Besides, we have our lives to carry on"

"Why are you speaking this way?" she shrieked. Tears falling down her red cheeks. She wanted to scream at him and tell him, he meant the world to her.

"Because you asked it upon yourself" he snapped back.

She hiccupped. "I love you. What else can I say to you, to make you understand that you're always in my heart?" her lips trembled.

He winced. Turning at her, he snapped, "how could you do this Katara? We traveled for days to find you and this is what was happening? You know it hurts that we love you and lost you to Zuko, but it hurts way more when we understand that you love him and traded us for him" he paused, "it doesn't matter anymore Katara because life goes on" he stood up and began walking away.

"Stop. Just stop" she shouted out at him.

He heeded.

"You think I didn't wish you here Aang? Everyday, every single day I would think of you guys. Wish that you guys would come save me. I really did Aang. I wanted nothing more than to be with you guys. I would ask Kami why he punished me, why I was stuck with Zuko, out of all the people in the world. And I waited, and waited. Knowing that…" She paused, "I love you Aang and I guess…you don't quite feel the same way" she paused at her revelation.

"Could I?"

She shook her head and laughed the tears, "you said you were my friend. You said you would love me and that hating me wouldn't solve the situation, but right now you're contradicting everything you said. If you truly loved me Aang, if you truly did consider me your happiness you would understand…"

"Understand you love a bastard?"

"I wasn't finish talking. I mean to say you would understand that I love you in a way so special, not even Zuko has that"

He turned to her, "what are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to tell you Aang, that I love you because of the person you are in my life. I've grown with you Aang, to understand that you can't keep a grudge to your heart"

"Obviously you don't know me very well" he snapped back into his jaded queue.

"Really Aang? Really can you a hold a grudge to your heart, when that grudge is against a person you loves you so much? Can you hate me for a choice I think is right? Can you truly walk away from me and not give a damn?" she cried, "if you can, and if you will, you're really not my friend or a friend for that matter. People and friends who love each other don't leave each other's sides because of the choices we make. They actually become stronger and stick to together a little more. Love isn't shallow Aang, and nobody said it would be easy. Love like life is a test. It is deep and it is designed to test you. If you allow the love we had as friends to die…then that's your choice. And that I'm sorry you would throw away memories over what could have been a new beginning"

He swallowed. "A beginning for you Katara, not for me"

"No Aang. A beginning for all of us. Because I'm in love with Zuko doesn't make you any less loved. You're in my heart Aang because you've sunk so deep in it that I can't depart you even if I wanted to. And I don't want you to ever leave me because of a choice. I would only wish you to stay at my side as my friend and grow and laugh…and cry with me. I don't ask for anything else, but everything else doesn't matter. It's only who you are to me that matters and I wish somehow you could see that" she whispered with so much truth and conviction.

He looked down. "I don't want you to stop loving me Katara, I really don't want that." He started, "but its, its so hard. As you've said we've grown together, and my heart has grown to love you so much. I guess the reason I can't reckon with what you did is because the love I had for you, was converted into a form of hate. But I don't want to hate you Katara because I'd never forgive myself if I did." He whispered.

"Aang" she whispered.

The wind howled blew between them setting the mood on unease. The crickets chirped and the stars began to fade.

He looked up at her, deep into her eyes, "if you want to be with Zuko then love him, smile with him, grow with him its alright Katara. I mean he'll be the one to kiss on her cheeks and bring you up, and cover you with his arms when you're cold, hush you when you're pain and give you memories that will survive through and through. I know I can't be a part of those things because there is a line drawn of where I should be, and where you are. Because that lines exits, I would only have to wish you the best and that I hope you would remember what we had. Precious little memories." He trailed off into a whisper.

She cried.

"I love you Katara. As corny as this is going to sound, I will never stop loving you because everything I am is because of you." He walked forward.

"O-Oh Aang" she ran forward hugging him. "I love you" she whispered in his ear.

"Katara" he whispers in a tiny voice

"Aa-Aang" she cried in his ear.

She took in a deep breath of air and cried. All she could do was cry. It hurts to have the only people we take a lifetime to know to hate us. It's a bad feeling of knowing you're unloved and forgotten. It leaves a mark on the heart, one that never really fades even with time. But, thank Kami she didn't have to go through that.

Aang pat her back. All he could be to her right now was her friend. And a true friend he'd be.

Savouring the moment of having his Katara in his hands, Aang smiled. 'Tomorrow is another day, just another day for me to wish you were mine.'

To be continued… final chapter next.
Last update on 5th Thursday, Jan 06