Author's Note: Okay … so I got EXTREMELY discourage because I had 5 pages written for this chapter and my laptop died… erasing EVERYTHING. so I'm sorry if the passion is not there LOL. writers get angry when their babies die. :l But who knows. maybe it just meant that the direction it was going in was not… meant to be?

On another note… As many of you may know I am a college student and I am currently a nursing major, therefore! life is hard. Sometimes I will update quickly and sometimes I will update slow :( I was just seriously discouraged after losing 10 pages of work on this story.

Disclaimer: I will not now… nor ever own Avatar. I'm not cool enough for that.


Chapter 15: Counter words


Zuko's eyes opened slowly as morning sunk into his mind. The fire bender could feel the warmth of a certain water bender around him as her tiny frame hugged his body. He could barely recall the previous night, however, he remembered Katara's plead.

"Zuko, I know that you're mad," the water master said as the two of them sat on the edge of the bed, "I just hope that you understand where I am coming from."

"How can you just forgive him, Tara?"

"Because we've all been there before. We all lost someone important to us and reacted in a bad way. When… I lost my mom, the only thing I could think about was anger. I was angry at everything. My Gran Gran, Sokka, even the ability to bend water was frustrating… and trust me I let everyone know that I was upset. Yet, everyone deserves- needs, a second chance to make things better. Don't you think so?"

"I know that's what you think," The fire bender replied after a long silence, "But… What if it was worst than a small burn?"

"Then I hope you'll hold my hand and still love me at the end of the day… no matter what happens," She replied with a smile, "Even if I was ugly or gone."

"I'll always love you," Zuko said softly, "So… I'll try to forgive a part of Tai's actions."

"That's all I want."

The fire bender remained quiet, his usual routine of getting up right when his eyes opened disappeared from his train of thoughts. The truth was, he didn't want to get up at the crack of dawn, his body was just use to it. Lately, he felt out of his element. He had been dazing off at the office, letting small moves out of his firebending practice, and yesterday he put on two different shoes before Iroh had mentioned his unique ensemble for the day.

He knew that a few months ago, he would have believed that he was losing his touch. Maybe he was just tired or perhaps he was getting a cold. Yet, this was different. Whenever he had free time he would think about Katara. His mind was being intoxicated by the thought of a certain water bender and the impending matters of their wedding was drawing close.

"Warm…" He thought as he looked at the woman next to him.

He stared down at her face and smiled instantly. It had been a short while since they been together, but he wondered how he had lived without this moment. His hand grabbed onto hers softly so that she wouldn't wake up.

He watched as the water bender slept quietly. It wasn't the first time that he shared a bed with a girl. Mai and him had shared a bed numerous times, however, she was never one to be intimate. He stayed on the right side and she stayed on the left side. If she was going to cross over the imaginary line that separated their emotions, she would profusely apologized and the entire night would consist of "the butt."

The butt was the most annoying thing in the world. When Mai was unhappy she would turn, face the wall, and almost as though she was trying to taunt him, stick her butt out. Zuko, on the other hand, played it off to the fact that Mai could never do such a thing. After all, she was too proper to do something so… unladylike. Maybe it was his imagination or maybe he was just never invested emotionally to care.

Yet, as he moved his head slightly to kiss Katara's finger, he let out a soft sigh, "I hope you never give me that annoying butt…" He whispered.

He could see Katara's chest move up and down from her soft breathing. How long had it been since he was able to see her like this before the engagement?

When they were younger and on a journey to destroy his father, she hated him too much to even sleep near him at camp. She would have her tent on the far right and make him sleep on the far left of the camp fire. At the moment he never cared, he simply thought of her as an annoying peasant, but all of that changed when he learned where her hatred came from.

"I'm still sorry," he whispered as he moved a strand of hair away from her face, "I wish I could have protected your childhood…"

He wasn't sure why, but when he found out he felt the need to help her. Maybe he missed his own mother or maybe he just wanted to do something good with his life for once, but whatever it was… he felt like he grew closer to her that night. In some ways, that night saved the both of them. It gave Katara the closure that she needed to move past the hatred of her past, but it also saved his own heart.

The fire bender never thought that he could do anything good with his own life. In fact, training the Avatar was his last salvation for any good that he could have done. Yet, as Katara ran to hug him that night, he felt something he haven't felt in a long time. A small glimpse of warmth and love that could be given to him. The reward that a good deed could present when he gave up a little bit of his time and effort.

"Thank you," he said as he landed a small peck on her cheek.

"You know… Fire Lord," The water bender whispered softly, "Kissing someone while they sleep could be considered harassment."

The fire bender chuckled as he heard his lovely fiance.

"I thought you were asleep," he said

"I woke up from your apology," she answered him, "which wasn't necessary by the way."

"I only say what comes to my mind,"

"Isn't that a wonderful change in your personality."

"Better than keeping it in and exploding at people later on," He remarked.

"I don't know, I rather liked you as a hot-head. It matched your element."

"You use to hate this hot-head," he whispered.

"Where did this use to come from?" The water master laughed, "Who knows… I may still dislike some stuff about-"

The Fire bender laughed at the comment as he flipped her over. He was now hovering over her as her hair messily framed her face. Taking his palm, he balanced his weight on his arm and used his left hand to pick up a strand of curls.

"I always liked your hair down," He said with a smirk, "When we traveled together I thought it always looked nice when you use to brush it at night time."

He lifted the strand to his lips and kissed it softly, the faint smell of cinnamon intoxicating his senses.

"Are you admitting that you use to have a crush on me, my lord? " The water bender asked in a soft seductive tone.

"Who knows," The fire bender answered back confidently, "What would you have done? Would I have been allowed in your tent?"

"Over Sokka's dead body," The water bender giggled, "And probably Aang's too."

"You know I could take your brother on any day…" The fire bender smiled as he looked down at the girl beneath him, "And I could take Aang on too."

"Obviously by the way you kept trying to kidnap him… you could have definitely taken Aang."

"Why my lady," Zuko growled, "I believe that remark deserves a punishment."

The fire bender latched onto Katara's neck, a place that he had pleasantly discovered was one of her weak spots. Trying to escape, Katara wiggled with all her might, her hands free, but waterless. Of course, she could have bend the air, but that would ruin the fun in the situation.

"What was it you were saying?" Zuko whispered as he kissed the skin of his bride.

"I- I- W-.. Was… OH," She groaned as she threw her head to the side.

The two master benders began to realized what position they were in. The moment was becoming dangerous and Zuko didn't know whether or not he could hold anything back any longer.

"It's been a while… since we been alone," Zuko whispered quietly.

"Because you have to leave early in the morning for the counsels,"

"And you have to do wedding errands,"

"And I guess we just missed one another until night time," Zuko added.

"But then we would be too tired to even talk…" The water bender responded.

"Are you tired now?"

"Not one bit…"

"Hello, Katara," Zuko said softly.

"Hi.. Zu-"

Before Katara could even answer Zuko crashed his lips onto hers. In that split moment, all their emotions poured into one another. Zuko haven't forgiven General Tai for what he had done, but Katara had nothing to do with his stupidity. Instead, he took this moment to show her how much he missed her and how much he needed her.

"Your wrist... doesn't hurt… does it?" He asked in between kisses.

"N..No."

The two of them were engulfed in the moment. It was as though everything that they were feeling was being released. Zuko slid his arms around Katara's waist as he tried to pull her in closer, her chest rubbing against his as the thin material of their robes left nothing to imagination.

As Katara tried to pull away for air, Zuko hungrily pulled her back in, "No...I need..you"

The water bender moaned softly at the phase that was so short, yet so seductive coming out of her lover's mouth. As she leaned her body into his, she could feel the hardening lump from Zuko's leg. Blushing slightly, Katara turned her head, the opportunity of kissing her neck never escaping Zuko's mind as he began to bite on the tender skin presented to him.

"Z-Zuko.. Are you.. S-SURE there's enough t-t-time?"

"There will be if we're quick," He groaned as he tried to desperately free his member from his pants, "Katara please…"

The water bender understood and as she tried to keep in her moans, her hand traveled down Zuko's side. Slowly and softly, she found the hard rod that was growing in the fire bender's robe and took it into her hand. The silk from his garments was the only thing separating her and this hard body part.

As he felt her fingers lace themself across the surface, he let out a sharp groan at the impact. He wanted so much for her to reach her hand in and pull out his cock. He wanted her to take it into her mouth and to push it down her throat, but he had to wait. He didn't know when the next time they would have a moment like this would be and he didn't want to ruin it.

Taking one of his hand, Zuko began to knead Katara's left breast, the soft mound melting into his palm as he felt the hard circle of her nipple began to form.

"Someone's getting turned on," he smirked as he began to nibble on her ear.

Katara moaned and her hand suddenly gripped around Zuko's member, "S-shut up."

The fire bender pulled back for a moment and began to take off Katara's robe, her breast falling out as he took in the sight before him. He could never get tired of this moment, the pure image of the water bender beneath him, breathing heavily, and naked.

He leaned back down, his mouth placed on hers as he tried to stop himself from pulling his cock out to thrust deep inside of Katara. Yet, as she let out soft moans, he couldn't help, but take his dick and thrust against her panties, the wet fabric seeping through to robe as he smirked.

"I want you so much, Katara," He whispered as his hand began to travel from her breast to her stomach.

He didn't stop there. Instead, he continued to go further until he was at the delicate folds between her legs. He took his index finger and gently rubbed against the wet fabric before moving them aside. Taking a short moment, he took her lips against his and stick his finger in.

The water bender drew back, her breath stopping at the sudden impact. They had done it once before, but that was a while back and she was still not use to the sensation. Her senses were draining as she could feel Zuko's finger slide in and out of her, moans escaping her lips as she threw her head back.

"Z-Z-Zuko," She groaned.

Her voice turned Zuko on as he continued to thrust his finger deep inside her, he was trying to prepare her again, his mind fully understanding that this was going to be the same sensation he felt the first time they had done it. He wanted so badly for his cock to be wrapped in the tightness of her womanhood, however he didn't want to hurt her. Instead, he threw another finger inside, his motions quick and short as the moans grew into a rapid pant.

The two young adults melted into one another, their lips crashing into each other as Zuko continued to thrust his fingers into his lover. Katara's back bended. She couldn't think at the moment. Her senses were being clouded by the momentum of Zuko's actions. She wanted to say something, to move, but every moment was distracting to her.

The fire bender grinned at Katara's response, but a small problem was growing bigger by the moment. It didn't help either that Katara was lightly gripping his cock every 5 seconds either. He continued to feel the wetness form around his fingers as he closed his eyes, a hiss escaping his mouth occasionally as his dick rubbed against his clothing.

"I need to do something…" The water master thought as she tried to clear her mind for 10 seconds.

Being impulsive, and perhaps trying to distract Zuko's movement, Katara's small hands slid into his robe, her fingers lacing over his cock as she took the huge member into her hands. Move\ing slowly up and down, she heard a sharp growl come from Zuko as his hand stopped thrusting into her. Pleased, she continued to grip his length, her hands moving at a steady pace as she heard him moan louder and louder.

She remembered that Zuko loved when she had done this last and decided that she shouldn't be the only person getting all the pleasure.

"Urg… Katara," He mumbled into her ear, "g..god."

The positive response was reassuring and almost as though she knew what she was doing, she started to slide up and down his member faster, pausing for a few seconds to give it a nice squeeze before continuing. She could see Zuko throw his head back as he took in the moment. Now it was her turn to be in control.

Using her free hand, she moved Zuko's palm, his fingers wet from her juices as a tint came over her face. Instead of stopping, however, she merely flipped the fire bender over, her body now over his as blue eyes stared into flaming lust.

"Let me return the favor," She said softly as her lips began to trail down his body.

"She.. She couldn't be," Zuko thought with wide eyes

She planted a small kiss on his lips before she moved to his neck, her teeth lightly grazing over his skin before making its way to his chest. She continued her butterfly pecks until she reached the spot she wanted to the most, his cock.

"Oh god," he mumbled

The water bender had forgotten how big Zuko was and for a moment was taken aback once more, however, with the Fire Lord's eyes slammed shut, she took a breathe in, pulled his undergarments down and gripped his penis once more. Her hands continued the motion they were in before, up down up down up down. She took her tongue and licked the tip of Zuko's cock, a hiss coming from him as the first impact send shivers through his body.

"KATARA," He exclaimed as he tried to fight the urge to push her head down.

The water bender continued this slow, tortuous action. She continued to stroke him until he was as stiff as a board.O nly the tip has been introduced to her mouth, yet, as her hand went further down, her head followed suit.

"Ahh…" Zuko moaned as he could feel Katara's lip go down his length.

Her mouth was warm and every move send electricity through Zuko's blood. He began to thrust his hips up and down in hopes of getting more from the moment. He was giving into pleasure, yet, at the same time, tried to fight the idea of coming inside the water bender's mouth.

Katara's hand worked the end of Zuko's dick as her mouth continued to slid up and down the entire length. She tried her best to take in as much as she could and each depth released a different noise from her lover. As she felt Zuko's body move with her own she got use to the sensation and tried to push her own limitations.

"K.. K.. Katara, Urg, don't- don't," Zuko tried to get out, but nothing would form complete sentences.

The water master, however, didn't mind and continued to suck on Zuko's cock. She could see Zuko covering his eyes with his arm as he tried hard not to let out a scream. It was a sight that was amusing to her and intimate. A side of her fiance that no one else will ever see, but her. Instantaneously, he grabbed her to stop, his eyes blazing gold as he crashed his lips onto hers once more. Every movement was full of passion and frustration as she could taste the desire on his lips.

Taken back and aroused, Katara felt down on the bed once more. No longer hesitating, Zuko positioned himself at the entrance of Katara's womanhood.

"I can't wait anymore.." he whispered as he continued to remove the final pieces of clothing that hung off their body, "I want you so much."

Katara blushed at the words and merely closed her eyes. She turned her head to the side and gave a slight nod. Taking the approval, Zuko slowly pressed the tip of his cock into Katara's pussy. She let out a sharp cry as the huge object tried to press pass her barriers once again.

"Tell me.. i-if it hurts," Zuko moaned as he tried to move slowly.

Truthfully, Zuko didn't want to stop and he wasn't sure if he was going to be able too. Only the tip of his head was in at the moment, but, he could feel how tight Katara was around him. He almost wanted to cum at that very moment, but wanted to make the sex pleasurable to both ends.

"It's… it's okay,"

The fire lord continued to push himself in. The deeper he slid inside the more Katara's grip tighten around him. He didn't mind, but he could feel the slight pinch of her nails dig into his skin as his cock went all the way in. He waited for a moment, his mind taking in the ecstasy that was filling his sense as he could feel Katara relax underneath him.

"I love you, Katara," Zuko groaned as he pumped himself in and out of her pussy.

He could tell that Katara couldn't say anything. Her eyes were closed, but her mouth was partly open, moans and cries escaping from her as she buckled her hips against his He could feel her getting wet around him as he continued to thrust himself deep inside her. He wanted to stop time at this moment, allow them to stay like this forever, but he knew it was going to come to an end soon. .

"Oh.. Yes, Z- Zuko!"

"Tell me what you want, Tara," He hissed

The water bender couldn't think straight. Her entire being was being stretched apart by Zuko's cock and as time passed, his thrust became harder and quicker. It was more hunger and aggressive, but at the same time seductive and pleasing.

"I-i - Oh- OH," She groaned, "I want you, I need you. Dont stop.. please don't-"

Zuko kissed her lips and in that moment pushed himself all the way inside. He continued to pump himself in and out of the water bender until he pulled out.

The action left Katara feeling empty and wanting more. As she looked at the fire bender she could see him smirk. His eyes were glistening with lust as he stared at her like an animal hunting his prey.

"Get on your knees Katara," He commanded as he motioned her to get on all fours.

Katara knew what was coming and the anticipation was causing her to grew even wetter. She flipped over and followed his command, his dick standing straight from the arousal he was getting.

Zuko didn't waste any time. He pushed himself in slowly from behind as Katara cried out once more. He would pull out slowly and made sure only his tip was out before pushing himself back inside.

"You like being fucked like this?" he asked with a smirk, "Someone's a naughty girl."

"Ah.. Zuko.. ZUKO... "

"Katara I'm going to cum soon…"

The fire lord could feel himself at his limits. Katara was too tight, too fresh for him to hold back anymore. as he continued to push himself inside her he could feel her body shaking, the feeling too intense to ignore anymore. As Zuko's pace quicken and Katara's moan grew louder, Zuko let out a loud groan as his seed filled Katara's pussy, his chest huffing as he pulled out of his water bender.

A few moments had passed and the two benders laid in bed. They didn't say anything to one another, but after what had just happened, what can they say? The silence wasn't awkward, however, instead it was peaceful. It was a peace that was welcomed by both ends.

"This is the first time that someone didn't come knocking on the door," Zuko said softly.

"Yeah…" Katara answered with a slight tint on her cheeks, "it's nice."

She turned slightly to hug the body next to her. The fire bender was always warm, even when it was cold out. It must be his element running through his blood. It was nice, almost like being hugged by a big puppy. She let out a small laugh at the thought of Zuko being a dog and the small gesture caused the Fire Lord to look at her with a strange, questioning expression.

"What's so funny?"

"You're just always warm, it's nice…"

"Like a bear?" He asked in a cocky tone.

"No," She said jokingly, "Kind of like a poodle."

"A poodle? Have you seen those things? They're small and tiny.. they don't even have hair!" Zuko exclaimed.

That was something that rarely changed in the fire bender. He may have matured by ruling a country, however, sometimes he let his immature side slip. He always took things seriously and the more he cared about you, the more he believed almost everything you said.

"I love that about you, Zuko," She said suddenly.

The fire bender was taken back. Instead of saying something back he just smiled, "Love you too."

The two of them wanted to stay in bed longer, yet, before any of them could even add on to the conversation a small knock was heard from the door.

"Lady Katara, Fire Lord Zuko, breakfast is ready to be served…. you didn't come down on time, are you guys okay?"

The two of them let out a quiet laugh as they looked at one another. Zuko left a small peck on his lovers forehead before clearing his throat.

"We were just getting ready," he let out loudly as he walked toward the door, "Please wait for us in the dining area."

"Will Lady Katara need help getting ready?"

"No," The fire bender said, " I can help her get ready for the morning."

As he heard the footsteps slowly go away, he turned back to the bed and smiled. It wasn't a nice smile, but more like a smirk that came with devious actions. He was about to pounce on his prey, when suddenly-

"ZUKO!"

"Everytime…"

"ARE YOU AWAKE?"

"It's like he has the place bugged."

"I came to get you guys before breakfast gets cold!"

The water bender giggled at the moment. It was always nice when something like this had happened.

"IROH," Zuko yelled as he threw on his robe and opened the door.

The bender stepped outside as he argued with the old man on the other side. Katara smiled, her hand running through her hair as she got up to grab a change of clothes.

"I told you last week to just wait for us in the dining area,"

"I know you did, but you always leave me behind," Iroh said

"I don't leave you behind, you're just too slow and we finish by the time you get down there."

"I came early today so I wouldn't miss out."

"Now you're TOO Early!"

"Better early than late, Let's g shall we!"

"Katara needs to get ready!"

"She's a big girl, she doesn't need you attacking her as she gets dressed"

"UNCLE!"

Katara laughed at the bickering in the hallway. She made a note to get dress quickly and left to start her day. She didn't know whether or not she should be nervous. Should she prepare herself to interview new generals or plan a funeral before the wedding hit. Either way, she knew that she trusted Zuko and if he told her that he would be kind, he would be.

Grabbing a quick change of clothes she looked in the mirror. She didn't do anything to herself, but she knew the maids would disapprove regardless of what she came out with. Smiling, she ran her hands across the blue silk robe she had on and walked toward the door.

"Now now boys, let's go," She said softly as she greeted the two benders once again.


Zuko sat at his office as he stared at the large metal door in front of him. In just a few General Tai would walk through the door and he would have to confront him. He would have to try his best to not throw a fireball at his face and watch him burn from pain and agony. Somehow the idea didn't seem pleasing to him, however, when he looked back to why he was meeting with Tai, his blood began to boil.

The fire master sighed, his hands resting on his chin as he remembered back to the morning he just had. He smiled, it was a small smile, but he felt every ounce of happiness that came with the small movement. He knew Katara didn't want Tai to get in trouble, but there has to be consequences for his actions. Exile would have been the best option and now he had to rattle his own mind to come up with something less dire, but equally diabolic.

After a few moments of silence, there was a faint knock on the door. It was more quiet than the sounds that usually came from the other end of the metal, however, he knew why.

"Who is it?" The Fire lord asked.

There was a small pause before a masculine voice replied, "General Tai, My Lord."

As soon as the answer came, the door opened slowly. The small faint glow of the lights in the hallway invaded the room before darkness took over once again. Tai closed the door, his feet heavy as he walked to the middle of the room. There was no chairs in the office, there was never any need for chairs. No one came to visit Zuko and when they did they merely dropped things off and left. This place was just a small room in his mind and now he was dealing with the biggest pain he had inside it.

"I'm sure you know why I called you here," The fire master spoke slowly.

"I do."

"Is there anything you want to say before we begin?"

"Is Lady Katara Okay," He said quietly.

"She healed what she could after breakfast. It will take a few tries, however, it is something that she can do," The fire lord answered proudly as he noted how powerful his fiance truly was.

"I am sorry, I understand and will accept any punishment that you may bestow on me. I know what I have done was a sin in this country and I expect no less than what I deserve."

His feet remained planted onto the large rug in the center of the room and as he waited for a response from his ruler, he stared out at the distance in front of him.

Zuko watched every behavior, something he had grown to do as time had passed. It was his way in trying to see what people were truly thinking. He knew that in this world, people lied. People try to get what they want from you by any means necessary, however, what doesn't lie are actions. He could see Tai looking at a distance. His eyes were not focused on anything in particular, instead, he seemed to be avoiding any personal staring. His breathing was not soft, but it was not panicked either. The only thing that was off about his General was the fact that he was fiddling with his fingers, the only indicator that told him he was nervous.

"Damn," Zuko thought.

The fire lord looked back at his conversation with his water bender before leaving and after an intense lecture that started with "Do not kill him," she mentioned that if Tai seemed to be sincere, the punishment should not be dire. After All, he learned his lesson and is truly scared. Zuko, on the other hand, told her that would not be possible and that Tai was going to come in and expect the lesser punishment.

"She's always right," he mumbled.

Tai looked at the fire lord and was about to speak, but closed his mouth.

"I want to know why you did what you done. I know that something is affecting your mind, I cannot have someone on my team be instable."

A long silence had passed and Tai had diverted his eyes toward the ground. Zuko got up from his desk, his Fire Lord robes dragging on the ground as he moved to stand in front of his old friend.

"Just between men," He said, "You can tell me."

Tai stood in the dimly lit room. It was like he was trying to debate whether or not he wanted to say something. Zuko was patient, however, this was only one event in his day and he more things to do.

"I am a busy man, General Tai, if you do not want to defend your case than I will give you a punishment that I see fit without reasoning."

Zuko was about to turn to head back to his paperwork when he heard the soft clearing of Tai's throat.

"My lord," General Tai said, "have you ever ever had someone smile at you and felt like everything was going to be okay?"

Zuko thought about this for a moment and not even a moment passed that Katara's face flashed through his mind. He didn't answer, however, instead he remained quiet and waited to see what direction this conversation would head in.

"Have you ever held someone in your arms and thought for one minute that everything was fine… even when you knew that they weren't?"

The fire lord stood his ground. It was true that before he would never understand anything that Tai was asking him, but now, everything he brought up was something that he had the honor of experiencing.

"You give your entire being to someone who you thought loved you as much as you loved them, but that's not the case. Feelings change and people drift apart. Just because someone smiles at you, doesn't mean they care about you… and just because someone holds you doesn't mean that they love you."

The fire bender looked at the man in front of him. The person who would command an entire army looked so small in his present, however, Zuko couldn't comprehend where this conversation was coming from. What had happened to Tai that made him give up on any type of love and trust from the opposite sex.

"You might even think it's crazy, but it's true. How long have you and Lady Katara known one another?"

"Years now…" Zuko finally said, "But we were never on good terms."

"However, it was never love at first site?"

"To be honest, I never thought that we would be in the position we are now," The fire lord answered.

"For me, it took just 3 seconds. Three seconds was all I needed to fall in love with someone for the first time, yet, no matter how hard I tried… I could not forget about her in three seconds... Not 3 seconds or even 3 years."

"Who are you talking about?" Zuko asked in a curious tone.

"A woman," General Tai said softly, "A love so absurbed that it didn't matter if It was crazy. All that mattered at the moment was that I loved her and because I loved her… everything was okay."

General Tai turned away from the fire bender, his hands resting by his side as Zuko took in the silence. He was never good at the emotional talks. If he knew it was going to be serious, he would not have come with the anticipation of yelling at General Tai until his voice went coarse.

"If you loved her, why is it past tense?"

"Because," The general said slowly, "I killed her."

Zuko looked at the back of the man in front of him. He was no longer shocked by many of the things that would come up in his life, however, this one poked his brain.

"Killed?" He asked.

"Yes, I killed her because of who she was and because I loved her. You may not know yet Lord Zuko because your love is still new, But people like Katara… People like her and Kana… they live to make people happy. They infect people with their personalities and make everyone love them."

"It was always something I adored about Katara," Zuko added with confidence.

"You adore that? You adore a quality that could kill the very romance you are building?"

"It can't kill something unless I let it," The fire bender answered swiftly.

"Listen to you… acting like some sort of miracle is going to come from the union of a firebender and a water bender. Who are you to-"

"You know what is a miracle, General Tai?" Zuko said as he interrupted the bender in front of him, "A miracle… is being able to make the heart of someone you love beat."

The elder looked at the young man in front of him and for a moment his hand clenched into a fist.

"You just figured out what love was," He spoked, "And you want to talk down to me already?!"

"Pull your head out of your ass," Zuko yelled as his tone was no longer quiet.

The general was taken aback by the sudden outburst. He knew Zuko had a hot tempered, but ever since Katara had been around, the angry side of him had been suppressed. However, he had stared death in the face numerous time and had often caused death on his own account.

"You talk like you know what we've been through, General Tai," The fire bender said softly, "but you have no clue. You live in the past. You let your memories affect your judgement. Me? I may have been a tyranted prince, but I took everything that I been through and made myself better. Everyday use to be filled with the thought of killing the Avatar. I wanted my father to accept me so much that every moment become hell to me. I didn't even care if I died, but now? Now that's different. Not because I am the fire lord, but because I have Katara with me. You may hate her for whatever reason, but regardless of why you dislike her so much, if you touch a single hair on her one more time I promise you that I will kill you."

"I see…" Tai said after a long moment of silence, "I do not wish to anger my lord and have no plans on damaging our future Fire Lady. I was merely experiencing… a moment of relapse."

The older man took a tone that was both robotic and unbelievable, however, seeing as this conversation had taken much longer than Zuko had anticipated… he decided to let it go. He would keep Tai under surveillance and at the first sign of mutiny, kill him.

"If that is all you have to say, this conversation is over. By our future Lady's good will, you will not be banished from the palace, however, you will be on watch until further notice."

"I Understand."

"Now get out of my sight," Zuko growled as the toll of the entire experience had began to sink in.

From around the corner, however, both bender had failed to notice another old man standing near the door. Iroh had come to speak to Zuko on the matters of food for the wedding, however, when hearing the two voices come from the other side, he had stopped. Never in his life had he expected to hear anything that he had, but, knowing this new information about his staff, he felt the need to look into it further. Taking a step back, Iroh took a deep breathe in and focused his eyes on the darkness ahead. Without a moment to lose he set forth for the library where he was determined to discover the truth behind what was going on within the palace.


Katara stepped out of the Fire Counsel's office as her entire body felt drained of all its energy. She hated her weekly meetings with those old farts and even though Zuko would normally escort her to these chats, she knew he was busy talking to General Tai.

Without the Fire Lord by her side, the older men were already critical about everything that she did. Today they even nitpicked at her outfit, the one their own staff had chosen for her. She felt like she looked rather nice. Her hair was down in loose curls as her body was draped with a light red robe. It had gold flowers sewn into the sleeves and ran down the back of the fabric. Over the red robed was a light yellow vest that had a black sash tied around her waist to outline her hourglass figure. Due to the ensembled being so elaborate, the maids had made her make up simple. The only thing that had color was her lips which were a ruby red shade.

"Every time I go into that room I feel like I lose 5 years of my life…" The water master mumbled.

Katara was honestly drained. Today she was assigned a new list of things to do and half of them involved going into town to visit local businesses. If it wasn't a publicity stunt, they had her meeting with people or, better yet, had her running errands.

"These robes are pretty though," She whispered to herself as she felt the soft material under her fingers, "But I'm never going to be able to move around freely in these."

She had promised Iroh that she would tell him when she was going into town. She wanted to get Zuko something for not killing General Tai and needed the opinion of a male to eliminate any girlier options. The water master was so focused on trying to de-robe herself, however, that she did not notice the approaching footsteps that ran through the halls like wind.

"How the heck did they tie this sash on…" she groaned as she finally gave up on casualizing herself, "I'll just deal with it for the -"

"You look very pretty, Lady Katara,"

The water bender turned around before a napkin was slipped over her mouth. Before she surrendered to the darkness that was calling her name she looked up at the man who had caught her loosely in his arms. Losing the sound of her voice she closed her eyes, the last thing to escape from her lips was the one person she never thought she would see,

"Jet…"


-Author note
And that's the end of it ! The next chapter is better… more concise and more less scattered. THere has been a lot of testing in my college and as I move into clinicals it's been a whole nother' story. On another note I've been requested a story to write so As the new chapter comes up, that will also be available!


Coming to Chapter 16 !
"Why? Why would you do this?"

"Because you ruined everything I ever wanted. You left me to die and left me for the enemy. Now, I'm going to destroy your life and his happiness. Starting with, " He said with an evil expression, "Taking the person that makes him the most happy."

As he approached Katara, she could feel her heart stopping. She knew what was going to happen, but as her hands are binding in Metal squares, she couldn't bend to save her own life. She closed her eyes and expected the worst to come.