Disclaimer: mvn and I, happyzuko, own nothing!
Katara went to her bedroom. She opened the door, and didn't see Yukio so she quickly began packing her things in a bag. Katara packed her mothers necklace and left her betroval necklace from Yukio on the dresser. Once she has packed her clothes she closed the bag, then she heard a voice from the doorway.
"What are you doing?" Asked Yukio, as he stood in the doorway with a skeptical expression on his face. Katara tensed, then turned to him, and quickly thought up a lie.
"I am going to the earth kingdom to help Avatar Aang." She lied.
"The earth kingdom, what about our wedding? Yukio said, with anger showing through his voice.
"Yes, the earth kingdom." She said as she ignored his second question. Yukio grew angry.
"You didn't even ask me!" He scolded.
"I don't need to ask you." She said calmly.
"I won't allow you to leave." Yukio commanded her, and then began to walk towards her. Katara drew a water whip from the ground and strikes Yukio across the face with it. He ignored the pain, and turned to her showing anger on his face. "You don't want to fight me." He told her.
"Get out of my way." She commanded, she grabbed her bag and walked towards the door.
"You aren't going anywhere!" Yukio told her as he snatched her bag from her hands and threw it onto the bed. "Put your things back!" He yelled and pointed at the bag sitting on the bed.
"No! I am going to see my friend!" She yelled just before he grabbed her shoulders and threw her to the floor. Katara hit the floor and she winced in pain. She quickly stood up, and ran to the bed, she grabbed her bag and began running towards the door as fast as she could. Yukio grabbed her wrist and pulled her back in front of him.
"Did you hear me?" He said as he threw her bag to the ground. He then hit her across the face with his hard fist. Then he grabbed her by her hair and forced her face down in front of her bag that lay on the floor. "Pick it up!" He commanded her and pulled her hair as hard as he could. Katara blinked back her tears, but didn't pick up the bag.
"You are useless." He said before he threw her into the wall. She hit the wall and fell to the floor then let out a small whimper of pain. Yukio walked towards her and kicked her in the stomach. She curled up and grabbed her stomach in pain. Yukio put his face towards her.
"Now do you understand?" He yelled. Katara again blinked back her tears. "Huh?" He asked her again. After Katara didn't answer he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up. She managed to answer him with a slight nod. Yukio looked to the bag that was sitting on the floor and threw her onto it. She winced as she hit the floor.
"Now put your stuff away." He commanded, after she took a deep breathe to hold back her tears she stood up, picked up the bag and walked to the dresser. She began putting her stuff away. Yukio walked up behind her and put her hair behind her ear. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I've got to go but I will be back soon." He whispered into her ear.
"… Fine." She managed to say before he walked out of the room with a smirk on his face. Once Yukio left the room, she threw herself onto the bed and began to cry.
Back on the ship Zuko has been waiting over an hour for her to come. He realized something is wrong and decided to find her. Zuko ran off the ship and into the palace, he searched the hallways. He then decided to see if she is in her bedroom. Katara was still crying on the bed, then she heard footsteps coming towards the room, she quickly wiped her tears away. She turned to see Zuko enter the room. Katara let a sigh of relief.
"Katara, are you alright?" He asked her, and ran to her side. Katara wiped the last of her tears.
"I'm not alright." She told him truthfully.
"What happened?" Zuko asked as he sat on the bed beside her.
"He beat me, again." She managed to say through the pain. Zuko became furious. He jumped off the bed.
"Where is he?" Zuko asked with anger in his voice. Katara looked at him.
"I don't know." She told him. Then Zuko let a sigh of anger. He looked at her.
"Are we still going to leave?" He asked her.
"Yeah, we are leaving." She said. Zuko nodded, he realized that she was hurt so he decided to carry her to the ship. He carefully picked her up and they leave the bedroom. Katara was afraid Yukio would see them. Zuko ran her to the ship. They arrived on the ship and the water tribe soldiers cast them out to sea. Katara's eyes begin to drift shut so Zuko carefully walks her into a room with a bed and placed her gently on the pillow. He then sat in the chair beside the bed. After a while his eyes drift shut.
Later that day Katara wakes up from a nightmare, she forgot where she was and looked around. She saw Zuko he was still sitting beside the bed.
"What's wrong?" He asked her. Katara breathed a sigh.
"Nightmare…" She told him. Zuko was concerned for her.
"Don't worry, you are safe." He told her reassuringly. Then he gave her a small smile. She gave him a slight smile back. Zuko leaned back in his chair. After a few moments of silence between the two of them, Katara asked him something.
"Do you think I am paranoid because I think he is going to find me?" She asked him. Then Zuko looked at her.
"No." He told her. "He probably will find you, but I will be there." He told her.
"Okay…" She said, and looked at the wall. Zuko then got out of his chair and walked onto the deck. Katara sighed then followed him. Zuko looked to the north.
"We should be there in a day or two." He informed her. Katara wondered why he wasn't yelling at her to go back to bed.
"Alright." She told him.
"Yeah…" Zuko said. He then turned to her; she was watching the waves rolls beside the ship. Zuko then noticed the bruise that was covering her cheek. Katara was used to the bruises and ignored this one. Katara glanced at Zuko and knew what he was looking at. She put her hand to her face, and thought of something to say.
"I didn't get a chance to heal myself, yet." She told him. "I tried to stop him but I couldn't." Katara told him. Zuko felt grief.
"I should have been there." He told her, he looked at her bruise again. "You don't have to worry about him anymore." He told her, and gave her a reassuring smile.
"It is in the past I have to forget about it." She told herself and Zuko.
"Yeah." Zuko agreed. He grabbed her hand. Katara tensed for a moment, he quickly pulled his hand away. "… I'm sorry." He apologized, and looked at the water below.
"It's okay; I guess I still have some trust issues." She confessed.
"I understand." Zuko told her sadly.
"…Okay." She said and also looked at the water, after a few moments passed, Zuko yawned. Katara knew that he had also had a hard day. He decided to get some sleep; he walked into the bedroom and sat in the chair. After a few minutes Katara walked into the room and saw Zuko asleep in the chair. She rested on the bed.
Later that night, Zuko woke up and looked around. He saw Katara lying on the bed, her eyes were open. She picked up her head and saw he was awake.
"Hey." She said to Zuko. Zuko rubbed his eyes.
"Hey." He said in return.
"It's night time." Katara told him. He looked out the door and saw the night sky.
"Oh…" He said and stretched his arms. "Did you sleep?" He asked her and ended his stretch.
"No." She told him, while she rested her chin on the pillow, still looking at him.
"Oh" He said again. Zuko looked out the door and stood up. He then grabbed a blanket from the edge of the bed and wrapped it around himself and walked onto the deck of the ship. Katara sat up and followed him.
"So… are we almost to the Fire Nation?" She asked him and looked stood next to him.
"We should be there in the morning." He said as he was looking at the reflection of the moon on the top of the water. Katara also looked at the water.
"That's good." Katara said, and slightly smiles. Zuko saw her smile and also smiled knowing that she is happy. "I bet Iroh will be happy when you get back." She told Zuko. Then Zuko thought for a moment.
"He was the one that told me to leave, and find you." He confessed.
"Oh… well… He will probably force us to drink tea." She said jokingly. Zuko slightly laughed and Katara smiled. "I wonder what Sokka will be like when he finds out I left." She said, after a few moments of thought.
"He won't be happy." He told her. She thought for a second.
"Yeah, he will probably blame you for my disappearance. She told him.
"Probably." Zuko said.
"I will just tell him the truth." She said.
"Hopefully he will believe you." Zuko told her.
"… If not?" She asked.
"Don't worry about it." He told her and she slightly nodded. Then she looked to the ocean. She shivered due to the cold breeze that swept over the ocean. Zuko realizes she is cold and took the blanket from around his shoulders and offers it to her.
"No thanks." She said. "You can keep the blanket I'm going inside." Katara told him and she walked to the room. Zuko put the blanket over his shoulders again.
Meanwhile in the Southern Water Tribe Sokka began to wonder where is sister was. He decides to ask Gran Gran.
"Have you seen Katara?" He asked his grandmother.
"No, I haven't seen her." She told him. Then Sokka saw Yukio walking by. Sokka stopped him.
"Yukio, have you seen Katara?" Sokka asked.
"No." Yukio replied quickly, and then looked at Gran Gran.
"Tell the truth, Yukio." She said to him. Yukio thought for a moment.
"I saw her last night." Yukio told both of them.
"Then where is she?" Sokka asked Yukio.
"What caused her to leave?" Gran Gran asked him. Yukio then came up with a lie.
"Her Fire Nation friend must have kidnapped her!" Yukio lied.
"Zuko!" Sokka said. Gran Gran didn't believe him.
"Are you sure, are you sure you two didn't get in a fight?" She asked him questionably. Yukio becomes defensive.
"No, that's not it." Yukio told her with anger in his voice. Sokka thought for a second.
"Zuko must have taken her!" Sokka exclaimed.
"I have noticed Katara hasn't been the same since you came around." She told Yukio.
"I can't believe you think she left because of me!" Yukio said with innocence in his voice.
"Gran Gran, can't you see it is Zuko?" Sokka asked his grandmother.
"It wasn't Zuko, Sokka." She told him. Sokka thought for a moment.
"Then why else would she leave?" Sokka asked her.
"I have had suspicions of Yukio, abusing her." Gran Gran stated. Yukio got very defensive.
"What that is crazy! Katara and I love each other!" He told them both. Gran Gran didn't believe him. "Why would she accept my proposal if she didn't love me?" He argued.
"Katara knew that she had to accept before her sixteenth birthday and time was running out. She had no choice." She told him. Yukio ignores her reason.
"She was going to marry me, she loves me." Yukio told them. Sokka began to believe him.
"I think she is afraid of you." Gran Gran told Yukio.
"I don't need this! Sokka will you come with me to rescue Katara?" Yukio asked him. Sokka thought for a while before answering.
"Yeah, let's go." He told Yukio. Gran Gran looked at Sokka with disappointment. Yukio nods.
"Come on Sokka." He said, and they left the room. Gran Gran was disappointed in Sokka.
Author's Note: Will Katara ever be free of Yukio? Will Sokka figure out the truth?