Words Hands Hearts (by Yellowcard)

Like no one's words were good enough, to define what we fear
And no one's words were strong enough, to fix what happened here
Like no one's hands are big enough, to hold on to this fear
And no one's hands are strong enough, to fix what happened here
Like no one's heart is full enough, to keep away this fear
And no one's heart is strong enough, to fix what happened here

A fifty-strong specially trained mobilized troop against two benders, the former composed and ready to attack, whilst the latter were hurt, fatigue set in them. Any spectator would clearly see that this wasn't a fair fight. But who were they to say, if they hadn't met Azula before?

"Katara."

'The river is only a couple of feet away,' Katara mused, planning an escape route in her head.

"Katara." The voice was more strained and urgent.

'Run for it, bend the water to lift me up, and use the advantage of the source of water to form a shield around me.'

"Katara," Zuko hissed, glancing sideways at her. He was obviously not used to being ignored.

'And then escape up the waterfall. Freedom.'

Katara hesitated for a moment.

'How about Zuko?'

She turned to Zuko, his face pinched and exhausted. His remaining eyebrow was singed, and a long streak of blood dripped off the left side of his face. His nose was also bruised, but his eyes were by far, the most painful to look at. There was hurt and anguish reflecting back at her in those golden pupils and they no longer shone brightly, but only with fatigue and fear.

"We can't handle them all. We need to escape." His words were bundled together in one short breath. Before Katara could answer, she was cut off by a rude interruption.

"What are you waiting for? Attack them! I want no prisoners today!" Azula bellowed at the Dai Li agents, her eyes shining with fury. Her golden eyes flicked over at Zuko, and she hesitated.

For a mad, magical moment, everyone in the catacombs thought she felt sympathy for wanting to get rid of her own brother, and that even a cold-hearted person like her couldn't even carry out such an odious duty. Azula stepped forward, her face unreadable. Suddenly, she flashed an actual genuine smile.

"Katara," she began, the very first time she actually said her proper name. "I would really like to join the Avatar's group." Katara's eyes widened, and then narrowed in disbelief.

"Wait, it didn't work?" Azula turned to face Zuko. 'Well, Zuzu, how did you say it?' Her sentence dripped with sarcasm and contempt, and even Zuko flinched back at the fact that a living human like her could have no heart at all.

"Hmm, what would be something Father would say?" she placed a finger on chin lightly, and for the slight moment, she looked innocent; almost human. Then her lips curled up, forming a sadistic grin. "Oh yes. It would be something following the words of 'permanent lesson'." She leaned in and spat the last two words in his face, smiling a satisfied grin.

Inside, Zuko flared up, but bit his lip before he shouted anything that would bring about their early demise.

Keeping a calm composure, he looked her in the eyes, squaring his shoulders.

"Here I thought, that with such a horrible father, his children would be just like him. But Mother balanced that. I guess you were just too imbalanced in your sanity that even the most caring person in the world…' he paused, almost choking on the last sentence as he was reminded of the person who he loved so dearly. "…couldn't tame the heartless."

Azula threw her head back, laughing bitterly, and walked away. "Oh Zuzu, how little you know me." She glanced back and smirked. "How very little you do."

While walking back, she gave instructions to the Dai Li agents. "I'm bored of watching people die. Torture the both of them instead, and then throw them into the cooler, I'm feeling really sympathetic today."

Two Dai Li agents appeared from the back, swooping down and locking both of them in an Earth cage. She turned around to look at their bewildered faces.

"And by the cooler, I meant the cooler in the hotter," Azula explained, her trademark sadistic grin still plastered to her face.

Katara looked at Zuko, her face creased with worry. "Zuko, what does she mean?" Her words were soft, and it sounded resigned. As though she had given up all her sense of hope.

"She means the Boiling Rock," Zuko replied, sounding the same as Katara's feeble voice. "The most guarded prison for the worst criminals in Fire Nation." He looked to the ground, trying to contain his pride, and swallowed down his own fear.

'We're – I'm not from the Fire Nation,' Katara whispered, her voice barely audible.

"She knows that." Katara's cerulean eyes filled with tears, unable to comprehend what he meant. As tears trickled down her cheeks, she pursed her lips.

'I'm going to be strong. I have to be.' She kept replaying those two sentences over and over, trying to rid any other unpleasant ones.

The cage started moving, the Dai Li agents bending the earth below to ease it along.

"I'm going to torture the lowly peasant. I'm going to torture her so painfully that she'll break down and tell me where the Avatar is. She'll be so scarred for life, she won't know how happiness will feel anymore. I'll rip out all the hope inside of her, and burn it all down to nothing," Azula spat, her voice enunciated with clarity, each syllable echoing throughout the cavern.

Zuko flinched at every word, feeling unbearable pain for Katara, whom the latter stayed silent, gazing at the floor of the cage. Ignoring his pride, he glanced at her, trying to search her eyes for any signs that could be read, realising that it was that much he could do if nothing else.

As much as his golden eyes searched Katara's cerulean ones, he found nothing.