Kata

The metal was cool…

But victory was sweet as quiet blue eyes watched the men move on board the ship. She was out of breath and was grateful for the full moon's light as she looked for a place to hide. Nothing seemed particularly available, so she scampered between some crates and the iron of the side of the ship. She felt and heard the thundering of running feet up the waiting ramp and onto the deck. Her breath was held as the ship left the shore silently and she waited until there was more movement on deck before she trusted herself to breathe again.

She looked up at the now moving night sky and couldn't help but grin. Oh the rush of bending again! She had forgotten what wonderful things she could do with simple ice and snow. The moon pulled her spirit up and she couldn't help but relax with the soothing sailing motions of the boat. Katara had impressed herself with the display of power on the tundra. She had created her own tiny berg of ice right next to the ship and felt the water thrum through her veins. She knew that Hahn was no friend of the Fire Nation, and he would immediately suspect Zuko and wouldn't let them leave without a fight. When she saw the waterbenders chasing the figure in red, she threw in her experienced, yearning hand. As the two snowriders rode on their moving avalanches, with a simple yet elegant push followed by a sudden pull, she was able to completely demolish the base of their mounts. To ensure they would not continue to follow, she made sure that they were piled deep beneath the snow. With a deep stance like any self-respecting earthbender, she had forced the two sides of the plain apart when it seemed like Zuko still wouldn't make it. The familiar sweat of bending had begun to roll down her back and her arms had the wonderful ache of exertion, but she refused to stop the pull until she knew that the ship would receive her captain.

She still yearned to play with the water below, but that would definitely have to wait until she could figure out a delicate way to explain to the Fire Lord her actions, and more importantly the reasons behind those actions.

--

Iroh was definitely happy to see his nephew in one piece and even more ecstatic that he had done so without throwing any fire at his pursuers. Well, no fire to harm them anyway. His nephew stood in the bow, shadowed by the full moon that was climbing in the sky and he wondered how long it would take the Fire Lord to notice the small clouds of breath from behind the firewhisky crates.

--

Gold eyes scanned the waters around the ship, straining in even this bright night. Although the Fire Navy was unmatched, it would not take many waterbenders in silent canoes to bring their small troop back to the city. He let out a small growl of frustration.

Certainly the Northern Chief would not have sent those waterbenders after him. Could Hahn possibly have the clout and power to issue such an order? Or did Toph come to her right mind and tell the Avatar the truth? This was going to have serious ramifications and consequences on the unsteady treaty between the Fire Nation and Water Tribe at best. At worst…he shuddered, refusing to let his mind sink to such dismal thoughts.

When he fought to subdue his third yawn, he decided that it was time to retire, and so he began his nightly rounds. Although not as paranoid as he had been in his youth, he still felt it his duty to make sure that the ship was in proper order and that the soldiers were too. He began his search as he walked around the perimeter, noting that the ice from the city had made some unattractive scratches on his flagship. The anchor was clean as was its rope, and all of the life boats were in good repair. He noticed the crew's firewhisky crates on the starboard side and frowned. He did not want the crew drinking tonight, too many things needed watching.

As Zuko approached the large boxes, he noticed a small cloud coming from behind them in the chilly air. His immediate reaction froze him in his step. It could possibly be an assassin, sent to take out the young and now hunted Fire Lord. However, he was definitely within attack range, even the short range of a poisoned dagger, so that thought was wiped away. Then he rolled his golden eyes. After all, it was the firewhisky crate, and it was not uncommon to find a dozing cabin boy whenever there was work to be done, particularly this late at night. He strode over to the crates, ready to give the boy a harsh scalding scolding. But when he looked over the boxes, he froze.

And so did she.

And from across the deck, a dragon of the west encouraged the crew to keep their distance from their captain.

--

After the initial shock of suddenly seeing the angered Fire Lord, Katara was afraid that he was going to strike her. He definitely had that look in his eyes. She immediately put her hands up as she slowly rose from behind the boxes. She was slightly pleased that Zuko had accepted her gift, but was worried that he would burn in it right in front of her. She stepped away from the crates of explosive firewhisky but stayed close to the edge in case she needed to defend herself. Her eloquent dress was gone and replaced with a dark hunting outfit, similar to the one she used in tracking down her mother's killer. Her hair had been poorly bound and braided.

"Zuko," she said softly, "I can explain."

Her voice seemed to snap him out of his shock. Zuko hadn't been frozen by anger, but now the warmth of rage began to boil inside of him. For the last day he had been mislead by those he thought were friends, nearly started an international incident himself, forced to be civil in the middle of an oasis full of critical, ignorant nobles and been practically swallowed by ice and snow. And it was all at the expense of this girl in front of him. For weeks he had worried himself sleepless over her situation, and since she was missing at the palace he had been planning a tracking strategy. All for what? So she could lie to him, stow away on his ship and cause another war?

He ripped off the now stifling cloak and let it fall heavily to the ground. When she saw his hand engulfed in flame she pulled a familiar whip of water from the ocean. The crew had taken advice and stepped away from the two masters, but looked on with desperate excitement. The battles between the female waterbender and the prince of firebenders had become legendary and for the first time in over half a decade, the two met on the battlefield once more. The two benders circled each other, silently watching the other. Their muscles were twitching with anticipation, waiting for the other to attack.

Zuko's fury soon grew too great and he launched a strong fire ball towards the girl. Katara easily dodged the flaming projectile and sent a tendril of cold water towards his hand. As the liquid reached, it formed to ice to seal his weapon.

The two paused again. The Fire Lord didn't even look at his hand. With a flexion magnified with fire, the ice shattered as he made a fist and began his offensive barrage once more. It had been ages since he had seriously fought another bender that did not control fire. Her techniques were so different and he could tell that he was out of practice in anticipating her moves. But so was she. There were only so many training exercises the woman could do alone and fighting a master firebender was not one of them. Blasts of flame and knives of ice shot through the air as the two retraced countless battles.

The fury of the Fire Lord grew with the progression of the battle. Katara had abandoned him and then expected him to act as a puppet to reinvent her nostalgic fantasies. She had put his crew, his uncle and himself in danger and she had done it all by sullying the name of the Fire Nation. His fists were engulfed in flame and he already had her on the defensive. Zuko would definitely have been happy with this progression if he had been in his strategic state of mind, and if he didn't know that her waterbending was more effective when used defensively.

The firebender did not slow his attack at all. He immediately noticed that her defensive maneuvers were getting more and more desperate. Zuko surmised somewhere in the back of his mind that she must not have had any training partners since she split paths with the Avatar. She was not as stable as she moved around the ship and her hands were moving slower than they were at the beginning. Eventually, a flame pushed through a thin sheet of ice and licked at her shoulder.

She cried out and backed away from the angry ruler. Katara gently held her shoulder, feeling the pain of the burn, but noting that it wasn't disabling. However, the fury that Zuko attacked her with was much scarier than any time they dueled before. When he was in exile, the prince would fight for all that he had to gain, but now he fought for all that he had to lose. The waterbender knew that the favor she asked of the Fire Lord was one of great risk but she hadn't moved without precautions and safeties in place.

Her planning was brought to a flashing stop as the man quickly closed the distance between them. He was punching and kicking before she could bring up any water to shield her, causing her to rely on her evasion skills. And penguin-seals weren't quite as quick as the Fire Lord. She decided that the closer to the edge she could get the better. If she could just get over the railing, she could quickly call the water to her aid. As she started to move the fight over to the edge, Zuko caught on. He leaped around her to forcibly herd her back to the center.

The fight for battleground was tiring out Katara quickly. His strikes were getting closer; the heat from his fire was almost burning her at every turn. But if there was one thing Zuko was guilty of in his fighting style was that it he got overly offensive and aggressive. As he pulled up his foot to catch her with his heel, she dropped and swept his single leg. The Fire Lord fell ungracefully and the waterbender took no time to watch him get back up.

She ran, nearly fearing for her life. This rage in Zuko was almost the rage that she'd seen in Aang in the Avatar state. She was also tiring very fast. Her vision was blurring, her techniques had lost their crispness, and the burn on her shoulder was beginning to affect the ability in her left arm.

Zuko never expected the sweep and his head hit on the deck with a loud crack. For a moment he saw blackness, then that faded into stars. He blinked a few times, then quickly got to his feet, expecting her to attack him while he'd been useless. When he didn't sense her in the immediate vicinity, he widened his visual search. The dark woman was running towards a life boat, her messy hair flying in the wind. This caused the animal in Zuko to go mad. He had hunted her before, and he would capture her this time.

Katara leapt up onto the boat hanging off the side as she felt the heat of fire across her back. She saw a bright flame fly past where she had been standing only seconds before. As she reached out her right hand to gather the precious liquid surrounding them, Zuko had landed on the boat as well, rocking the vessel back and forth and throwing Katara off of her base. She grabbed the side of the boat and threw a rear kick towards the man, using her handle to grant her a brace. Surprisingly, she caught him square in the torso, forcing him off the shaking boat.

The Fire Lord saw the kick but could not avoid it, so although he'd been hit, he was much more prepared for it than the earlier sweep. He jumped backwards onto the deck as he was kicked to minimize damage and to gain a stronger base when he landed. She looked over her shoulder at him as he roared in rage. He leapt up and began to spin into a crescent kick.

When Katara saw him jump, she knew she was in a bad position. But when she stood, the fatigue finally caught up to her. Her vision blurred for a moment, but just a moment was all that the travel on his kick needed. His foot connected with the side of her head and it was the waterbender's turn to see darkness.

Zuko felt his foot hit something solid but it didn't register that he had landed his kick past the fury. He finished his spin and ignited his hands once more, ready to defend himself from the many openings he had just created. But the waterbender did not move at all. Her arms stayed limp by her sides and her eyes stared forward, unfocused. The Fire Lord saw her descent in slow motion.

She stumbled back slightly and her fingers brushed against the side of the boat. Her body moved as if she was going to take a seat, but the disconnected motion caused Zuko to leap forward. As he stepped in the boat, she stumbled again; only this time gravity pulled her body down to the black ocean that she loved so much. Her back bowed over the edge, almost like a diving leopard seal. The firebender launched himself from the side of the boat to grab her arm.

The searing pain from the fiery hand woke Katara with a scream. Zuko's fire that he had failed to extinguish burned quickly through her wraps and into her skin. He doused the flame right after her scream and immediately pulled her up into the boat.

--

Bright blue eyes surrounded by fur watched the entire scene, bored but transfixed. Although both benders had grown in skill in the past years, they were both very rusty in their fighting. The onlooker couldn't imagine that the Fire Lord would not attend to his daily training, but gave the excuse that firebending and waterbending were opposite styles. And the rumor that Fire Lord Zuko had hundreds of concubines from all of the nations was most likely false, so there weren't many waterbenders on his warm little island.

When the woman had made the man fall with a sneaky leg sweep, the watcher almost rejoiced. The look on the firebender's face was nearly priceless. But the man with the bright blue eyes stayed silent and reveled only in internal celebration.

It had only been an hour since Lieutenant Hahn had given the order to restrain the Fire Lord and keep him in the Northern City. Despite the arguments of the Avatar and Master Bei Fong, the young impetuous man would not listen to reason outside of his prejudice. The four elite guards that accompanied the King of the North, trained by Pakku himself, were sent out to fetch the young ruler, but when they came back, defeated and distraught, almost the entire navy was dispatched.

The problem with Hahn and his navy, however, was that they had limited relations with the Fire Nation and their technology, including their ships and the movements that they made. Unlike canoes, kayaks, or large ferries, the Fire Navy's engines caused shorter waves that rippled out faster than the slower moving vessels. This knowledge was pivotal in pinpointing a ship's direction and destination.

There was one who had a head start, keeping an eye on the iron maiden before she could even leave the shipyard. When the old man had arrived at the dock but not the Fire Lord, it was obvious that there was going to be a chase and the onlooker wondered how the young firebender was going to outmaneuver waterbenders on grounds made of ice.

When the snowriders first appeared, the hidden blue-eyed watcher thought that an appearance was needed. But a smirk found its way out when the two benders conveniently lost their balance. And when the entire tundra began breaking apart, a wide grinned scout could just barely be found in a single kayak. It was the season that glaciers could break after all, and waterbenders of any rank should be able to feel unsteady ice.

With an extra waterbending passenger, the iron ship began to move south, followed by a silent lone kayak. It was nearly half an hour before the battle ensued, but once it did, the sailing soldiers were so distracted that it was no hassle for their stalker to attach a pull line to their anchor.

When Master Katara had taken the kick and nearly fallen overboard, the onlooker was already half undressed, ready to dive into the water and grab the foolish woman. But as the Fire Lord pulled her into the life boat, a sigh of relief resounded over the quiet waters. Blue eyes changed from entertained to determined as they began to look for the easiest way to climb aboard the Fire Navy ship.

--

She sprawled in the bottom of the life boat and began to try and pull away from him. She flailed when he tried to reach out to her and almost kicked him in the jaw. Barely saving himself from falling out of the boat, he stepped back and let her refocus.

She was breathing fast and he worried that she would hyperventilate. Her unfocused eyes became sharp again but never left him. It was a look that he had never seen from Katara before. There had been many times during battle that she had been worried she would lose, determined not to, and even torn between fighting him and helping her other friends. Outside of battle she would grow angry with him, be impatient and sarcastic with him, even motherly demanding of him.

But never had she looked at him with complete fear. The blind fear that took over her blue eyes was a look that should only have been reserved for Azula. Zuko instantly sobered and began to softly say her name and try to comfort her.

Katara remained frozen in place, trying to get her bearings. She could no longer feel pain in her wrist because she could no longer feel her wrist. This caused her panic to rise. She kept her eyes on Zuko, waiting for his fuzzy form to become sharp again and realized she was on the floor of the life boat. When he moved toward her, she brought up her leg to prepare a kick, but he froze as she did.

"Katara," he said softly. "It's alright, I won't hurt you."

The waterbender did not trust the dangerous man in front of her but allowed him to reach over to her uninjured shoulder to pull her to a sitting position. He was kneeling beside her in the boat and traced her face with his hand.

"The fight is over. I've won." Had the Fire Lord been the prince that he once was, he would have held onto that statement to feed his honor. But he knew that the price of his friend was too high to sink that low.

She touched his hand that was resting on his cheek. It was warm, but not burning like it had been only moments ago. She sighed deeply and nuzzled into his palm, taking in the comfort of the contact. Zuko shivered at this intimate action and forced a blush not to show. He was also grateful that the crew was on the other side of the ship and the two benders were hidden by the life boat.

The Fire Lord gently grabbed her unharmed wrist and pulled her to an unsteady standing position beside him. He stepped out of the boat, turned around and grabbed her by the waist. She put her hands on his shoulders as he picked her up and placed her gently on the deck. Katara refused his arm as he led her back towards the middle of the boat, assessing all of her injuries. Besides her wrist and shoulder burns and some bumps from landing hard in the boat, there didn't seem to be anything broken.

The soldiers saw that the battle was over and slowly and quietly came out of their protective positions behind the control tower. Although the men were satisfied with the fiery, icy show, they had expected it to last much longer. The Dragon of the West had been most concerned when the waterbender had almost fallen to icy waters, but he was almost more concerned with what his nephew would do now.

Zuko picked up his discarded cloak and flung it around her shoulders. Although Katara no longer looked like a child, she was dwarfed in the large red garment. "I can't go back," she whispered. "Zuko," she pleaded, looking up at him with large blue eyes, "I can't go back there."

The Fire Lord gently held her shoulders. "But they are your people. Your family."

"And I love my family very much," she insisted. "But my people…" She sighed and looked towards the bright full moon. "They stifle me. The entire tribe feels that I need to stop my training and focus on healing and starting a family." Katara looked back at the firebender. "Do you wish about the old days?"

He was slow to answer the question. "How can I miss days filled with war and death? How can I want to return to a time when my own family would not look at me; when my own country shunned me?" She looked away, almost ashamed. "However," he said, dropping his voice, "every once in a while, I wish for a sparring partner that throws something other than fire. When I am stuck in the palace, I want to hop on the furry beast and find some small village festival to lose myself and my responsibilities."

Katara smiled. "It's not that I want to run away from my responsibilities, I just want to choose my own responsibilities. I'm not ready to be confined to a city for the rest of my life. And I am too young to become a mother." Her face contorted in a disgusted expression, "especially Hahn!"

Zuko laughed loud and full and warm. "I understand Katara. But I cannot take you with me. Do you think that the Northern Water Tribe is going to abandon its only female Master? To the Fire Nation nonetheless?"

She snorted. "Yeah, they'll be so upset that the waterbender they didn't even allow to bend isn't there."

"It's the status. It doesn't matter whether you do split apart glaciers," he said with a smirk. "It's that you can. You are a symbol of strength to the Water Tribe, especially since the war."

"Master Katara," an old man interrupted. "Since you are talking with the Fire Lord, I take it the battle is over."

Iroh placed a hand on her singed shoulder and she tried to hide her wince. "Thank you Uncle Iroh for your concern," she said as he raised an eyebrow.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" he asked.

"Nothing worse than what I've had before," she admitted.

The Dragon frowned. "You've had some pretty serious wounds if memory serves me correctly," he muttered as he gently moved the red cloak aside to uncover her red blistered wrist.

"It's just a burn," Katara said. "I can heal it in an instant." And with that, she pulled a line of water from the ocean and created the familiar healing glove. She held her own wrist and the water began to glow. Her wrist started to tingle and then feel cool and as the water dripped away, she held up a perfect brown arm to display her work. Not a speck of soot was there to show the mess that had been present only moments before.

Zuko's attention stayed on the smug waterbender as she showed off her efforts. He knew very well how much energy the healing took from her and was glad that he was attentive when the woman promptly passed out.