Didn't See That Coming
by Rebirth of the Phoenix
Hi, special thanks to those who reviewed me, I loved your positive feedback. I'm procrastinating on my portfolio, so I've taken this time to get the next chapter out. I'm not entirely sure where this story is going. I did get quite a cool idea to use in the future, so I hope it works. My idea calls for quite a complex setting, so I'm gonna work on that and hopefully it'll be good. Won't say say more now except for – review and enjoy!
Disclaimer – The only thing I own in this story is the plot. If anybody out there is shocked by this news, then may I suggest a good psychiatrist.
Katara felt someone shake her roughly awake. She opened her eyes groggily and looked up to see Zuko's scowling face. She yelped and tumbled backwards of the bed away from Zuko. She pushed herself to her feet and stood across from Zuko, the mattress between the two. Her heart was beating furiously. She didn't know why, but waking up to see Zuko standing over her effected her somewhat. Her shock quickly subsided and in its place was anger.
"What the hell are you doing? Do you get a kick out of watching people sleep?"
Zuko was as equally as angry. "Get real wench! I wasn't watching you sleep, I came in here to sleep, seeing as this is my room. So I think the real question is, what the hell are doing in my room?"
Katara stared at Zuko blankly for a moment. "Your room? But Iroh put me in here and told me that I'd sleep in here from now on."
Zuko stared back at her. 'Uncle' he thought. 'What the hell is your game?'
He snapped out of his thoughts. "Wait here." He growled at Katara. He turned around and walked back onto the deck, leaving a confused Katara in his wake.
Zuko stormed across the deck and into the Captain's hold. Sure enough, there was Iroh sitting at a small table and sipping tea.
Zuko turned to the Captain and the few other members of the crew in the hold. "Leave us!" He snapped.
The crew hurried to obey his order and they left Zuko and Iroh in privacy.
Iroh smiled up at his nephew. "Ah, Zuko. What can I do for you? Is there a problem?" He asked innocently.
"A problem Uncle? Oh no! Every thing's fine, apart from the fact that you have put the prisoner in my bedroom and told her that she's going to be sleeping in there from now on!"
"Her name is Katara, and I fail to see the problem, Zuko."
Zuko stared at is uncle incredulously. "Fail to see the problem? Uncle there is one bed in that room and now there are two people in the room. Do you see where I'm going with this?"
Iroh chuckled. "Zuko I had no choice. There are no spare rooms on board. You yourself said she couldn't be expected to sleep anywhere near the men. I couldn't very well put her in the crew dormitory with fifty other men could I? The only private rooms on the ship belong to me, the Captain, Lieutenant Lee, Officer Hai and yourself. I quickly ruled out myself, the Captain, Lee and Hai seeing as we're all old enough to be Katara's father. Well, in my case, I'm old enough to be her grandfather, but that's beside the point. That only left you and it seemed to be the perfect choice." Iroh continued to chuckle.
Zuko failed to see the humor. "The perfect choice, how so?"
"Well you and Katara are similar ages, there is barely two years between the pair of you. She told me a bit about herself when we had tea and you both seem to have quite a bit in common."
Zuko looked at his uncle. "Have things in common, with her? I don't think so Uncle."
Iroh shrugged. "Find out for yourself. I also put her in your room because she will be safest with you. If she were put back in the brig or in someone else's room she could be in danger from the crew. Therefore you were the perfect choice Zuko, there shouldn't be a problem as long as you can control yourself."
"Control myself!" Zuko spluttered. "What are you talking about?"
Iroh grinned. "Well she is a beautiful young lady. I mean two teenagers alone at night, you never know do you?"
Zuko glared at his Uncle, bright red. "Neither you or the girl have anything to fear Uncle. I assure you I have not and never will have any interest in a water peasant. Now if you don't mind I'm going to sleep for a while before dinner. I shall send the girl to you while I sleep."
Iroh nodded his head curtly and went back to his tea.
Zuko walked back to his room and found Katara sitting on his bed.
She looked up at him expectantly. "Well, where am I staying now?"
Zuko hesitated. "Here. There are no other rooms and my Uncle felt you would be safest seeping in here."
Katara was not pleased. "Oh no, there is now way I am sharing a room with you."
"Do you think I'm happy about this? Don't flatter yourself, if I had my say you'd be back in the brig. Now if you don't mind I want to sleep for a hour or so before dinner and I'd rather not have you in the room. My Uncle is up in the Captain's hold, you are welcome to go sit with him. Maybe I can get some peace for a while."
Katara looked at Zuko with hate filled eyes. "I hate you!" She spat the words out disgustedly.
Zuko was completely thrown by her sudden words. "What are you talking about?"
"I hate you, hate this ship, hate everything you stand for!" Tears were streaming down her face now. "Your precious Fire Nation has taken everything away from me. My mother, my father, my brother and Aang. They're all gone because of you. Dead, away at war, on the run! In some way or another they've been taken away from me by you and your country's stupid war!"
Zuko mouthed wordlessly at her. He had never expected that the girl was so angry inside. Whenever he'd seen her she had always either been happy with the Avatar or taking pleasure in helping to hinder Zuko's plans.
"Got nothing to say have you! There's nothing to say, you've destroyed my life and I'm seriously doubting that it's worth living through all this crap!" Katara screamed. She turned on her heel and rushed out of the room.
Zuko ran to the door, expecting her to run up to the deck. Instead he saw her plunge deeper into the bowels of the ship. He stared dumbly after her. She had practically threatened to kill herself. Soon he felt himself becoming angry. How dare she yell at him like that! It wasn't his fault she'd decided to help the Avatar and he didn't originally start the war, so it wasn't his fault her father was fighting in it. As for her mother, well he had certainly never killed her. He couldn't be be held responsible for every little thing the Fire Nation had done.
Scowling he turned back to his bed. He lay down on it and closed his eyes. He lay there and couldn't stop himself hearing Katara's words play in his mind. In his mind's eye he could see her running down into the lower decks and sat up. She was running around the ship on her own. Zuko had said himself that his crew couldn't be trusted. His scowl intensified as he dragged himself off the bed. She may be a loudmouthed water peasant but she's still a girl and she was most certainly not safe being alone on this ship.
Katara ran away from Zuko as fast as she could. She ran deeper into the shadows below deck, welcoming the seclusion they gave her. She didn't know why she had erupted at Zuko. It was something to do with the fact that he was complaining about her being around him; he was the one that had kidnapped her after all! She continued to sob as her feet blindly pounded the corridors. She stopped when she came face to face with a dead end. She looked back and saw a small corridor branching of the one she was in. She darted down it and found it to be a dead end also. The corridor seemed to serve the purpose of a storage room. There were various boxes and other bits of junk pushed against the walls. Katara walked further down the corridor. It was fairly narrow, two people could probably walk down it comfortably, but it probably would have been a squeeze. Half way down the corridor she stopped and sat on a wooden crate. She was still crying but she stifled her sobs. She had found the perfect pace to have a little solitude and she didn't want to be found. Katara tilted her head back and rested her head on the wall behind her.
She could still see Zuko's surprised face and felt a little guilty about putting all of the blame on him. Her thoughts then turned to Sokka, Aang, her father and... her mother. She had spent so little time with her mother and wished that fate had been more forgiving. A dry sob escaped from Katara's throat and a fresh wave of tears burned at the back of he eyes. She closed her eyes and willed the tears to subside. She sat in silence, then her ears picked up the sound of footsteps. She opened her eyes but didn't move. She listened more closely and heard voices.
"Did you just hear something or was it me?" A man's voice asked.
Another man answered. "I heard it, someone crying. Now that's somethin' ya don't hear too often on a Fire Navy ship."
"Well it's sparked my interest,it came from down here didn't it?"
Katara saw shadows fall across the floor, approaching her hiding place. 'Damn it. They heard you cry, you've blew it now you know. They're going to take you back to Zuko and good luck getting any time to think with him ranting at you. Why couldn't you have kept your mouth shut?'
Katara shook her head pushing the voice out of her head. She watched as the two men came into view. The men froze and stared at Katara, they were most definitely not expecting to find a woman sitting in the corridor.
They were both extremely tall compared to Katara and looked very strong. The tallest man wore a helmet in addition to his armor, whilst the other did not. The helmeted man whispered something to his companion and they both nodded. They both walked toward Katara, the corridor was barely big enough to fit the pair. Katara stood up and the men stopped three feet away from her. She felt her stomach sink as she realized the corridor was a dead end and the men blocked her only escape route. She really didn't want to be taken back to Zuko yet.
The shorter man looked Katara up and down. "Well, this is something we don't see everyday, a lady on our ship. You must be the girl Prince Zuko captured eh?"
Katara nodded stiffly, she didn't like the way the men were looking at her. Zuko's words drifted back through her head: "You're on a ship full of men that haven't see a member of the opposite sex since they left home. I'm sure you can imagine what they'll think about now that you're on board. "
Katara started to panic. These men probably weren't sent to find her by Zuko. They had been surprised to see her sitting alone in the corridor. They had found her alright though, and they had her trapped.
The taller man took a step forward. "You seem upset my dear," He ginned wickedly at Katara. "Perhaps myself and my friend here can make you feel better."
Katara took a step backwards, and the men started towards her. She knew there was nowhere to go. The corridor behind her was littered with metal pipes, buckets and boxes. The exit in front of her was blocked by the two men bearing down on the young girl. Katara's basic instincts came into process. Flight of fight. Well, there was nowhere to run and there wasn't any water to bend. Katara decided to do the only thing left in her power...scream.
Her scream was cut short by one of the men's hands flying at her face. It made contact and Katara was flung into the wall. She crashed into various bits of pipes and boxes. The resulting crash echoed around her and Katara felt a sharp pain as her back connected with the floor.
Zuko wandered through the lower corridors of the ship looking for the water peasant. 'Stupid girl! Here I am looking for her when I could be asleep. Why the hell am I looking for her anyways? It's not like she'll appreciate it.'
Zuko knew,however, that it would be wrong and dishonorable to let the girl fall prey to a member of his crew. Not everyone valued the honor in things as much as Zuko did.
There was no sign of the girl and Zuko was beginning to get annoyed. He was about to turn right into a new corridor when he heard it.
A scream, quickly silenced and immediately followed by a loud crash.
Zuko spun around and started running in the direction of the noise.
Fear gripped Katara. She tried in vain to get up off the floor but the shorter man knelt beside her and gripped her wrists. With one hand he held them above her head. Katara was about to scream again when the man's other hand clasped over her mouth. The taller man stood over Katara, his feet planted on either side of her. He reached down and gripped the material of Katara's robe. He yanked at it and the upper part of her robe ripped, displaying her undershirt.
Katara knew what was coming, but she wasn't going to let it happen without putting up a fight. Katara bit down onto the hand over her mouth. The man yelled in pain and yanked his hand away. Katara took the opportunity to scream again. A hand whipped across her face and Katara felt as though her eye would explode. The hand was replaced across her mouth, more firmly than before. The man standing over her lowered himself to his knees. Katara could feel the pressure on her stomach where he rested. Katara began to cry, there was no defense available and no one to hear her screams. As the man reached down to grab the bottom of her robe one thought passed through her head. 'Zuko, you offered me protection from this. Please help me.'
Katara closed her eyes, letting all hope go. She heard the man on top of her laugh evilly. 'This is it' she thought. Then, through the darkness of her eyelids she saw a blaze of light and felt a flare of heat. The man above her yelled out in pain and the hands on her mouth and wrists let go of her. Katara opened her eyes and saw the man on top of her yelling in pain. His shoulder was smoking and bleeding, a fresh scorch mark rested there. Looking past him she saw, with a thrill of elation, the last person she ever expected to feel happy to see... Zuko... and he looked furious.
Zuko stood in the maze of corridors, unsure of where to go. The noise had come from this level of the ship and he knew he was close. He stood stock still listening. Suddenly he heard a deep yell of pain, a scream and the sound of a heavy hand making contact with skin. Zuko took a left and found himself at a dead end. Looking around he saw a corridor branching off and could hear sounds of movement coming from there. He raced into the corridor and froze at what he saw. Two men were knelt over a petite figure... Katara. One binding her hands and covering her mouth, the other on top of her reaching for the bottom of her robe. Zuko felt sickened and livid all at once. He drew back his hand and formed a fireball and shot it at the man on top of Katara. It hit his shoulder, the man yelled in pain and looked around while the other man released Katara and got to his feet upon sighting his Prince. Zuko strode forward and grabbed the man who still straddled Katara by his injured shoulder. The man yelled in pain again and Zuko threw him to the side. The man's head hit the metal wall and he lost consciousness. Zuko looked at the other man. He dropped to his knees and bowed his head at Zuko.
"My Lord, please it is not what it looks like. Besides she is just a peasant and a prisoner, she means nothing."
Zuko grabbed the man by the collar and looked into his eyes. "She is a woman, she deserves to be treated with respect. Nobody has the right to dishonor her." Zuko then punched the man square in the face and he too fell to the floor, unconscious.
Zuko turned to look at Katara. She was lying curled up on the floor. Zuko approached her and gently lifted her into his arms. He carried her bridal style back towards his room. He felt he lean loser into his chest as her breathing evened out. He looked down at her and saw that she had dropped into unconsciousness. She looked terrible; her right eye was swollen, her lip was cut, and there was blood matted in her hair from cut on the back of her head. Her robe was ripped open showing her undershirt and Zuko could feel a lump on her lower back, no doubt a bruise. He also noticed her wrists were bruised where she had been held down.
Zuko felt the strong urge to kick something. She didn't deserve this. 'She's so happy despite all the torment she's been through.' He felt for her because he'd experienced pain like hers; loss and loneliness.
Zuko reached his room and pushed the door open with his foot. He lay Katara gently on the bed and knelt by her side. She didn't wake up and Zuko realized how peaceful she looked. He felt a wave of guilt wash over him and he lent in close to Katara's ear.
"Katara," he whispered. "I know you can't hear me but want you to know I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what my country has put you through, I'm sorry for what those two men put you through. Most of all I'm sorry for what I've put you through; and as Agni as my witness I'll try to protect you from now on."
Zuko stood up and looked down at Katara. He meant it, he'd try to protect her from people like those men and anything else that tried to hurt her. The only thing that worried him was that he wouldn't be able to protect her from himself.
Yay! Zuko to the rescue! I don't care what anyone says but if there is one thing that Zuko values it is honor. You can tell in the show don't you agree? Also in the show he never seems to take pleasure in hunting the Avatar. In The Blue Spirit, when Aang runs off at the end, his face softens slightly as if he was thinking abut what Aang said about being friends. You do know what I mean right?
Gah!Still haven't done any drama work! I really must pull my finger out and get some work done.
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