Chapter 13: Strength of a Waterbender

After crying her heart out bitterly, Katara thought she was ready for anything—that is, until she woke up next to a half naked Zuko. She wasn't ready for that one.

"Zuko?" she repeated, blinking her eyes in disbelief. She sat with her back towards him. He was leaning against a crate with his hands up in front of him, looking equally surprised.

"Uh…" he stammered. "This… isn't what it looks like." Zuko looked down at his bare chest, obviously not convinced with his own words. Katara stared at him. She didn't know what to say. "I-I was just trying to help you warm up—" his eyes grew wide and he stuttered again. "N-Not like that! Through transferring body heat! —I mean with my chi flow—" Zuko coughed awkwardly and covered his face with his hands. He groaned silently and peeked at her from in between his fingers. "I'm sorry." He mumbled.

Katara almost laughed at his awkwardness, but she was equally surprised with the sudden situation. As much as he stammered, she knew Zuko had good intentions. She shifted her body to face him and looked down. A large robe was draped over her legs. Katara let out a small laugh.

"Don't apologize," she replied, sliding the robe off her legs and draping it over her shoulders. "So… decided you didn't need a shirt?" she teasingly asked with a knowing smile. Zuko kept his hands on his face and lowered his face. She knew he was blushing. Heck—she was almost blushing. Zuko was cut. Even though he sat down, his perfectly shaped abdomen muscles peeked out at her. His chest and arm muscles pressed tightly together. She wondered how he was able to pull his arms so close to each other. Just what had he been doing to get himself that fit? Katara took this as a chance to secretly admire his body while he looked away.

She smiled and tossed his robe back to him. "I know you didn't mean any harm, Zuko. Don't worry." He took a quick breath, pulled his robe back on and glanced back at her.

"You're… uh, not cold anymore?" he asked quietly. His face was still slightly pink. She quickly shook her head and smiled at him. "Not anymore, no. Thanks to you."

Zuko nodded once, as he finished tying his robe together. "Then… are you feeling okay?" Katara almost gasped. She had completely forgotten her dream thanks to the big distraction that was Zuko.

"It's a full moon today, isn't it?" she cautiously asked.

"You're right… it is." He slowly confirmed, confused at the sudden change in topic.

"Er, well…" she started. "I know it sounds crazy, but every night of the full moon, I have this dream... The same one, every time."

"Okay," he responded, a small frown forming between his brows. Katara braced herself with the words she needed to explain with.

"Well, it was different tonight. Strange," she stammered. "I know this doesn't sound like a big deal but it just felt so real this time. As if this heavy feeling pressed on me in reality…"

"Tell me about your usual dream," he questioned. Katara looked up to see Zuko's face completely free of disbelief or laughter. He was taking her seriously. She smiled and let out a sigh of relief.

She could have smiled and looked at Zuko's face all night. He was exceptionally handsome, especially with the orange glow from the fire bouncing off his face. It made his eyes glow even more brightly than usual. His scar added the perfect character for him; it was something she honestly liked. Katara cleared her throat before looking away from his face.

She remembered the dreams as if it were a part of her own memory.

"Well, it always starts off at this enormous castle," she began to fidget with her fingers. "Lots of people are fighting each other and the castle erupts into flames. I'm walking through the castle walls when I come into an empty room. It's always the same beautiful room, but once I walk in, I feel my heart breaking…" She paused, closing her eyes and recalling the feeling. "I feel absolute anguish, hopelessness, and devastation… as if I had lost everything that was important to me." Her voice quieted. "And every time, I just wake up crying... Every night on the full moon this dream comes to me, and the feelings always seem to hit me anew."

Katara stopped speaking and looked back at Zuko. He seemed to be listening intently, absorbing every word she spoke. "And tonight?" he asked softly. Katara smiled, remembering her dream tonight.

"I was walking through this dark underground tunnel," she explained. "And there, I meet this girl. I remember she had the same golden eyes like you do. But, when I saw her, I felt… happy. This warm feeling began to spread through my body. It was like I was being pulled towards her." Katara quietly trailed off, letting the silence settle in between them. "After, I felt this strong force shake me to wake up…" Katara slowly shook her head at her own words. This was unbelievable; Zuko must think she was crazy.

"Katara…" he quietly called. She perked up at his voice. He paused and seemed hesitant to say anything. "Did… uh, anything unusual happen in the past?" He cleared his throat again. "I mean—like situations like this—"

Katara's face darkened. She looked down at her hands and sighed quietly. "I… when I was 5, Sokka told me that our parents died in some crazy accident. And we couldn't go back to our homeland because of it…" A frown appeared on her face as she thought about his words. "But he won't tell me about it—no, it's more that I can't bear to ask him. Every time I bring it up, he just looks so pained…"

"Which is why you keep moving?" he faintly asked. Katara nodded her head.

"But…" she began. "The weird thing is, I just feel like we're running away from something." She let out a frustrated sigh. "There's times when we had to leave in the middle of the night, or camp out in deserted places. I can't even argue with him anymore."

Zuko sat there silently, watching her. She knew he wasn't good with emotional demanding situations, but she felt strangely comforted by his presence.

"I'm sorry," he finally said. "It… must have been hard on you." Katara nodded, and slightly smiled.

"What about you?" She asked. Even though she's been with Zuko all this time, it felt like she didn't know anything about him at all. She turned her body to face him.

"Well," he said. "I lost my parents to a fire incident when I was 2… which is also where I got this." He pointed to his scar with his thumb. "But I've been with my uncle ever since. He's like my father, really…" Zuko trailed off.

"I'm sorry about your uncle," Katara whispered. He shook his head and looked back up at her.

"No, I'm sorry about Sokka," he responded. "We'll get him back and get out of here soon." Katara almost sighed in depression with her brother's situation.

"Do you think he's here?" she mumbled. Katara was honestly lost. She had no idea what she was going to do from now own. Everything had happened so quickly. She could never forget the soldier's snarling words in the mountains. Hand over the girl.

She shuddered. What did they want with her? Guilt burned holes in her stomach. She silently groaned and closed her eyes. Sokka… she knew they would use him against her. And as mush as she wanted to be strong, she knew it would work. There were blanks in her memory, and Katara felt overwhelmed.

"We'll find him," Zuko replied. She flipped her face back to look at his. He seemed troubled and hesitant. Katara simply nodded, glad for his words. I wonder what he's thinking about. Does he feel burdened because he has to always look out for me? She gritted her teeth and frowned. No, not again. I won't be a baggage he has to carry around. I need to take my problems into my own hands.

Katara took a deep breath and pulled herself into a more comfortable position. "Thanks, Zuko," she murmured. He gave her a small smile. "You should get some sleep."

She nodded at him and closed her eyes, feeling the steady rocking of the ship.

Katara waited.

The waves seem to call out to her and the moon filled her with nostalgic energy. She was going to take action tonight. She slowly opened her eyes to see Zuko in front of her. His breathing was steady, and his chest elevated slightly with every breath. She continued listening until she heard a quiet sound of swirling water. No, not water. It seemed much thicker, and came with a soft thump. Katara's eyes grew wide.

It was Zuko's heartbeat. Was this even possible? Why hadn't she ever noticed it before? She shut her eyes and listened intently. His blood flow felt real, tangible, as if she could command it like water. Katara almost slapped herself. How could she ever think of something like that? It was immoral. Impossible. She would never want to do something like that. The mere thought of it was ridiculous.

Before Katara's thoughts could give her any more bad ideas, she quietly rose from her seat, careful to not wake Zuko. She strapped on her armor and slid her faceplate into the helmet. The full moon filled her with wild power, waiting to be released. This kind of opportunity wouldn't come for another month. She took a deep breath and steadied herself. It was midnight; she would only have a few hours to roam before the sun came up.

She quietly walked out of the room and began to walk upstairs. A few men were situated in the hallway, staying guard. As she walked closer, she noticed their eyes were closed, sleeping. Katara almost rolled her eyes, so much for looking out.

There were empty rooms throughout the hall with small cots that looked unoccupied for some time. Where was Sokka? She was almost sure he was taken on the ship. Blades of guilt continued to stab at her heart as she walked by empty rooms. Katara sighed inwardly and momentarily stopped her search. According to what she knew, there were three floors to the ship, the deck, the middle floor with all the other soldiers, and the bottom floor with the crates. Was there something she missed? It felt as if she had checked every room in the ship. Her disappointment and anxiety increased with every empty room she passed by.

She continued to walk upstairs until she stepped onto the deck. The icy air blew against her heavily. If it weren't for her armor weighing her down, the sudden pressure would have thrown her back.

"Hey," someone called out. Katara instinctively turned around and raised her arms to prepare for an attack. "Whoa! Hold on." Another soldier stepped back in surprise. Katara recognized him as the baby-faced soldier that she and Zuko first met.

"What is it?" she asked. Her voice vibrated quietly through her helmet. The man slowly scratched his head and laughed weakly.

"I just didn't know you guys also guard at night," he said slowly. Katara stood there quietly, looking at the man. It had hit her. There were two types of soldiers on board, the firebenders and the regular soldiers, easily distinguishable with the difference in armor. She cursed silently, just her luck.

"Special orders," she dully replied. When did she get so good at acting? The man pursed his lips and nodded.

"Makes sense. We probably need the extra watch because of the prisoner." Katara's eyes widened at the statement. She breathed carefully and steadied herself before speaking impulsively.

"Yeah," she replied smoothly. Could he be talking about Sokka? It seemed unmistakable. "Where'd they put him anyways? I haven't seen him around."

The man nodded and let out a nervous laugh. "Well," he said, lowering his voice. "From what I've heard, Princess Azula put him in a secret compartment of the ship that can only be opened with powerful firebending."

She frowned behind the helmet. Of course, they wouldn't just leave him out in the open rooms. But the firebending would be a problem, how was she going to get to him? She began to chew on her bottom lip and contemplated before speaking. "Really? Did you get to see it?"

Disappointment ran across his face as his mouth turned to a small frown. "Nah… we don't get to do stuff like that." He paused before smirking, "Well, it's not like he's going to get away, being all weak and beaten up."

Katara felt her rage build up insider her. She clenched her jaw and steeled her eyes, thankful that her faceplate covered her. Don't hurt him. Don't hurt him. You'll blow the cover. Just keep walking on. She nodded curtly and tried to walk past him.

"Ah, wait!" he suddenly yelled and threw out his arm in front of her. His arm guard caught under the hook of her mask. Katara quietly cursed as she felt the faceplate loosen and slip out from the lock of her helmet. The plate plummeted to the metal deck with a loud crash. Katara froze.

"Oh man—I'm so sorry," he stuttered, quickly bending down and picking up the white mask. He lifted his gaze back to Katara's face and froze, wide eyed. "D-Dude… what's up with your eyes…?"

It was now or never. Apologizing under her breath, Katara quickly called a stream of ocean water to the palm of her hand, and shot it at the soldier's mouth, freezing it around his head. The water seemed to obey and move fluidly through the air, smoother than anytime Katara had bended before.

"Mmmmhhmm!" he uselessly cried at the sudden impact. He jumped back at stared wide eyed at Katara. She could hear his heart beat frantically against his chest.

"Sorry," she whispered. A wave of water crashed down on the soldier, forming an orb of water around him. She extended out her hands, commanding the water to lift the soldier from the deck and move him overboard. Had bending always been this easy? Even with the vast amount of water she suspended in the air, she still felt full of energy. Katara rapidly solidified the water with a clamp of her hand, and dropped the large ice ball into the ocean. It broke into the surface with a loud crash. The ship moved faster than Katara had thought, and left behind the unlucky soldier in the ocean depths.

Heavy footsteps and distant shouts quickly approached her location. Katara quickly snapped back to reality, grabbed her faceplate from the floor and nimbly sprinted off the deck. She grumbled to herself. Great job, Katara, just making more problems than actually helping.

"What was that?" a voice shouted.

"It might be an intruder! Report to the princess!"

"Who was assigned to guard the deck?"

"There's no one here!"

Another scurry of footsteps echoed throughout ship. Katara stood silent on the other side of the deck hidden against the shadows. Informing the princess would be bad. She witnessed Princess Azula's skills, and no matter how much she wanted to deny it, the princess was incredibly gifted in firebending.

Before Katara could move, she heard the sound again. The sound of their heartbeats. She recognized and found the flow of blood the same way she located rivers and streams in the mountain. The ability felt innate. The noise seemed to grow closer and amplify towards her location. One of the soldiers was coming her way. Katara braced herself to attack. She couldn't allow them to reach the princess; it would only bring more trouble.

As he approached, she quickly stepped out from the shadows and shot a stream of salt water on the soldier's face, freezing it to ice. Before he could reach up to the sudden obstruction on his face, she called a wave of water to crash down on the dock once again, flooding the top floor with an icy wave.

"Wha—" a startled soldier cried out, before getting overrun by a wave of water.

Katara stepped out into the open, where the full moon seemed to illuminate the dock, light bouncing off the metal and the water. There were five soldiers caught in her attack, struggling to stay afloat in their armor. Water poured out from the sides of the ship, as if the entire thing had emerged from the ocean.

"Hey!" a soldier managed to call out to her. "Help!"

Katara raised her hand, eager to seal his mouth.

She felt brutal. When did she start becoming so bloodthirsty to eliminate people? A heavy force seemed to press on her shoulders as she struggled with her sudden emotions. With a frustrated snarl, Katara finally molded the surrounding water into thick ice beams, and thrust them towards the soldiers, knocking them overboard. A line of surprised screams echoed through the night, and splashed down into the ocean.

Katara breathed hard. She felt the frustrated, pent up feelings that seemed to erupt suddenly. What was going on? Her own body seemed uncontrollable. She closed her eyes and breathed. Although she was still full of energy, her body trembled against her will.

The remaining seawater on the deck still stood up to her ankles. Before it could leak anywhere, Katara quickly lifted the layer of water and bended it into the ocean. After briefly inspecting that she left no trace, she bolted towards the stairwell and dashed down the steps.

Her hands trembled against her chest as she descended down the last few steps and into the bottom floor. What was wrong with her? She took a last turn into the back of the room and saw Zuko sitting on the floor.

He was still. Peacefully sleeping against the crates. He must have been seriously tired. Seeing him, Katara dropped to the floor as quietly as possible. She felt breathless and worn out. Nothing seemed to come to her mind. She sat there motionless, until a sharp pain in her head caused her to groan in pain. She strapped off the armor with much difficulty, still trembling as she set them aside.

She slowly settled her face against the cold metal ground, feeling her head throb. Was this a side effect of bending recklessly? It had never been like this when she had exhausted herself before. She felt unusually sick. There was an uncomfortable feeling in the bottom of her stomach, as if she had forgotten something important, but didn't know what it was. Katara hated this unexplainable feeling. Her head continued to pulse painfully as she forced her eyes to shut, and tried to forget about her reality.

There was a dark room, barely lit by a small fire. Two men stood against each other, the tension level between them was undoubtedly intense.

"Which one is it?" a deep voice demanded.

"We don't know what you're talking about." The other man responded. "Take your army and leave this place at once!"

"You cannot fool me," the first man snarled. "If you care about your tribe, chief Hakoda, give me the child. Now." There was a moment of silence as the second man hesitated with his words.

"No one knows. Please, I ask you to call back your soldiers!"

Fire suddenly erupted from the first man's fists. His golden eyes gleamed erringly in the darkness, and a wicked smile stretched across his face. "Then you leave me no choice."

The room suddenly flared orange, as the fire began to rapidly eat away the surroundings.

"No!" a woman's voice cried out. "Stop! Don't do this!" Ear shattering screams echoed outside, as the sound of hundreds of footsteps encased them. Many people ran in every direction, trying to avoid the ring of fire that was slowly surrounding them, licking at their skin. It was hot. The air seemed sparse and everything radiated a blazing orange. Screams of agony pierced the usual silence of the night.

The world suddenly seemed to go black. A psychotic laugh of the first man resounded through the air as he spoke. "So… it's you!"

A/N: Wow, I haven't updated in a long time, my apologies. I finally got the cast off my finger and can actually type without accidentally pressing multiple keys. *sigh*
For my atonement, I made this chapter about 600 words longer than usual! C: I'm thinking of keeping it at a longer length while updating bi-weekly.
Anyways, how was Katara's POV? I have to admit, this chapter was really difficult to write while trying not to reveal too much. It'll go back to Zuko's POV next chapter. Speaking of the next chapter... Iroh will be making his appearance! Finally, right? And I know the last part of this chapter was a bit confusing, so to clear things up a little, the italicized part is in Katara's mind. Not another occurrence happening somewhere else.

Don't forget to review! I'll do my best to reply to all the comments and questions as I get them. See you soon (: