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Katara marched down the hallways of the Fire Nation palace. She was determined to find General Suoh, and defend her country. Though she was pregnant with Zuko's child, she knew that she could use her water bending skills to defeat anyone that was a threat to her or her country. The Southern Water Tribe was her home for her whole life, she knew that she had to defend it at any cost… maybe even the cost of her child's life.
Katara eyes scanned the halls for any sign of Suoh, then she looked to the gardens to see the large man. Suoh stood in the courtyard garden. His attention was on another general with which he was having a conversation with. Katara took a deep breathe before stepping off the stone walkway and onto the soft grass.
"You want to destroy the Southern Water Tribe?" Katara said as she marched to the two men. Suoh had his back to the young women, but he heard her words. Suoh spoke to the general with whom he had been speaking to. The other man smirked and walked away with his eyes on the young women. Katara watched the man leave, then heard Suoh's cold words.
"Is that what he told you?" Suoh calmly said and smirked to himself. His back remained turned to her.
"Yes." Katara replied, and stood facing the man.
"My dear, he is lying to you." He said, while still facing the opposite way.
"No, Zuko would never lie to me." Katara said and thought for a moment. Suoh heard her silence and turned to finally face the young women.
"Don't be too sure." Suoh said with a smirk across his face. Katara noticed his smirk and glared back at him with her piercing blue eyes.
"I don't believe you!" Katara screamed at him, and tears formed in her eyes at the thought of her lover lying to her.
"Believe it." Suoh said and turned away to leave the courtyard. With those last words Katara's emotions reached their capacity and she reached for the nearby pond. She drew a water whip from the surface of the water. Katara whipped Suoh's right shoulder.
Suoh quickly turned to see the southern women in a fighting stance, with a determined look on her face. Suoh glared at her as the flames appeared in each of his large fists.
When Katara saw the flames she quickly reached to the pond and held a stream of water near her legs. Suoh quickly fired multiple blasts at her. Her eyes grew large when she saw the flames spiraling towards her.
With her first instincts she brought the stream of water into a large shield that stopped the flames in their path. Once Katara realized she stopped the fire blasts she quickly turned the water shield into multiple ice daggers in which she shot across the grass within seconds of each other.
Suoh dodged the ice daggers, ran towards her and jumped in the air creating a large blast of flames that ran through the air directly at Katara. She did the best she could to make a small shield to block her small body from the large flames that broke through her tiny shield.
Katara flew through the air with her back hitting a large tree. She screamed in pain as the rough tree scraped her back and broke the skin. Her hair fell from her braid and rested on her shoulders. The flames burnt her dress and the smell of burning clothes filled her nose as she opened her eyes to see the large man walking towards her.
"You southern wench, you will never be accepted as Fire Lady!" Suoh yelled to her. With his words a tear rolled down Katara's face.
Just then General Iroh ran into the courtyard to see Suoh and Zuko's fiancé. Iroh marched to the old man, with a glare on his face.
"General what are you doing?" Iroh said in a hard voice as he walked to Katara.
"She attacked me; I did what I had to do." Suoh said and watched Iroh offer his hand to Katara.
"Do you want me to get my nephew here?" He threatened Suoh, and grabbed Katara's small hand. Iroh helped Katara to her feet, and Katara felt the blood run down her back.
"No, we are finished here." Suoh said and began to turn away.
"General, stay where you are." Iroh commanded and walked Katara to a bench that was beside the tree. Katara gave Iroh a smile of appreciation. Iroh returned the smile and sent a guard to get the Fire Lord.
A few minutes passed before Lord Zuko arrived in the courtyard, he glanced from Katara to Suoh and he knew what happened. Zuko took a deep breathe before walking farther into the courtyard. He stood beside Iroh and ignored Katara who was still sitting on the bench. She watched Zuko stand beside Iroh.
"What's going on?" Zuko asked his uncle, then looked to the general.
"General Suoh claims that Katara attacked him." Iroh said and looked at Suoh then to his nephew. Zuko looked to Katara who was still sitting on the bench. She looked at Zuko then to her hands that rested in her lap. She felt the blood pouring from her wounds staining her dress. Zuko looked back to Suoh.
"I'm sorry general." Zuko said, but he really didn't mean what he said. He knew that Suoh deserved it.
"Keep that woman under control!" Suoh commanded and turned to leave.
"I will." Zuko said and glanced back to Katara. She looked back at Zuko, she sighed and blew the hair out of her face.
General Suoh left the courtyard. Iroh felt the tension between Katara and Zuko, he also left the courtyard. Zuko looked to Katara with a disappointed look on his face. Katara looked back at him and felt tears pour down her face.
Zuko walked to Katara and sat beside her. The tears continued to fall down her face and she looked to him. Zuko saw her tears and placed his face on her face.
She blinked and another tear left her eyes. Zuko began to wrap his arms around her, but he stopped when he felt her tense from the pain of her wounds.
"You're hurt." Zuko told her and took his hands from her back. He looked at them and saw blood. Katara saw the blood too, she nodded and slowly stood up.
Zuko helped Katara to her feet. He held her hand and walked her to their bedroom. The walk to the room was silent, neither of them spoke.
Zuko helped Katara sit on the bed, she sat and winced in pain as she felt her wounds open and close. Zuko got a towel and a bowl of water, he then walked back to the bed. He sat behind her and placed the bowl beside him.
Zuko began to dampen the towel while Katara took off the top of her dress. She slowly took off her undergarment and exposed her breasts. She brought the blankets to her chest and covered them. She then continued to wipe her tears.
Zuko heated the water with his fire bending and watched the steam rise from the towel. Katara anticipated the pain, then when the warm towel touched her wounds she cringed in pain. Another tear formed in her eye but she remained calm and after she was used to the heat Zuko began to clean her wounds.
Katara wiped her final tears and sighed as he slowly ran the towel up and down her back. Zuko brought the towel off her wounds and placed it into the water he watched the blood flow out from the towel and into the clear water.
"If you want me to leave, I understand." Katara said quietly. Zuko brought the towel out of the bowl and squeezed the water from it.
"I don't want you to leave." Zuko said and slowly placed the towel on her wounds again. She took a deep breathe to control the pain, then spoke again.
"I assaulted one of your generals. What if I have to leave?" Katara asked and felt the warm towel trace up her spine.
"If you leave, I will never see you again." Zuko answered, and brought the towel to the scrapes on her shoulder blades, Katara sighed.
"Before I fought Suoh you said that if I did… I would just be an embarrassment to you." Katara confessed and became silent. Zuko thought for a moment, then sighed.
"You also said that if I fought him, our wedding wouldn't happen." Katara said. Zuko just sighed he took the towel from her back and looked away.
"What?" Katara asked while she slowly turned around to face him. Zuko sadly looked up at her face, he noticed the red betroval necklace.
"I don't want you to leave." Zuko confessed and she looked back into his eyes.
"I know you don't want me to." Katara answered, and placed her hand on his. Zuko looked back into her eyes.
"Then why are you?" Zuko asked her, Katara thought but she couldn't think of an answer. Zuko knew she didn't have an answer, he placed the towel in the bloody water and got off the bed. Katara watched him stand. Zuko walked to the door, he opened it. Zuko took one last look at her, he knew that he would never see her again.
Katara watched him leave, then she also got out of bed. She walked to the dresser and put on clean clothes. She got a bag and began to pack her things.