Episode: The Awakening (Book 3 E01)

A/N: This takes place when the Gaang tries to attempt a capture of a Fire Navy ship. Aang is no longer asleep, and healed, after his hit of lightning in the back by Azula. I would like to point out that unlike in the series, Katara is 18 and Zuko is 19 in this, which would also make Sokka 19.

ALSO I COULDN'T WAIT SO HERE IS THE UPDATED AND COMPLETELY REWRITTEN FIRST CHAPTER. As I start uploading the rest, you'll notice the plot stays the same but it is written a lot better with some new scenes and people and POVs. So I advise that even if you already read this through, read it again. (: More chapters will be posted soon. This is like my sneak peek to you. (:

CHAPTER 1

After successfully faking the Avatar's death, the Gaang needed to infiltrate a Fire Nation territory using the smarter path of hijacking one of their ships. There was no safer way to enter the well-protected nation than pretending to be one of them, after all. They were known to be fugitives to almost everyone in this foreign land, so really there was no easy way, only safer.

The Duke and Pipsqueak remained on Appa as they flew above, leaving Aang, Sokka, Hakoda, Toph, Katara, and Bato to land on the ship. Their landings weren't very quiet due to falling several feet until reaching the deck, which alerted several guards nearby and below. About seven men gathered up on the top level of the boat, not expecting the most wanted people in the world to be standing in wait for them. It was war the moment they had stepped foot on that ship.

The Gaang fought hard, as always, all using their bending and non-bender fighting skills. The fight didn't last long, but it left most everyone worn out after spending their all. But it was their mistake; underestimating the Fire Nation's abilities in being smart enough to contact a nearby ship. Another ship docked on the side and threw wood bridges over to the edge and ran across. Everything grew overwhelming for them all real quick, Katara in particular. Many of the men left the others to surround her into a corner. Katara hadn't known why, and no one else had noticed. With the mass of men and women surrounding her, her friends couldn't be seen through the dense amounts of clanking armor on all sides. Her water source was becoming scarce, and she started to use her own sweat to water whip a few of the men to send them flying. Katara tried to clear out a path so to be not stuck in a corner with the obvious disadvantage.

Just as a clear way out was created, a Fire Nation guard grabbed hold of her wrist and whipped her back to them. The pull and force of yanking her back caused an imbalance in her body, to which she collapsed onto the floor beneath them. Her kicks and scream filled with profanities didn't phase them one bit. The men were hysterical as this went on, and they grabbed both of her wrists and bound them together using warmed metal which sent shooting pain up her arms and into her shoulder. A man picked her up from the ground, and Katara attempt to writhe until eventually falling to the ground. Her kicks and cries influenced the chuckles from the people surrounding; laughter at her helplessness. They picked her up and started carrying her away from her friends

Sokka was the only one in audible distance who could hear Katara's screams drifting away from everyone. He ran from the fight to a group of men he saw trying to carry her away. He caught up quickly and was hit hard with a blunt to the head which sent him to his back. The wind crept from his lungs as he saw stars in his eyes. He tried to get up quickly and stumbled a bit before regaining his balance. His vision felt bright and his head was spinning.

"Katara!" He couldn't find where she had gone and continued to scream her name. Sokka ran to the edge of their ship as the other just started moving away from their own. His knees buckled in and his weight fell hard onto the ground. He held his head in his hands, feeling defeated. Everyone who had finished the fight started to walk over to him, not realizing what was exactly going on. Sokka cursed and cried out that he lost his sister to Fire Nation. Just like his mom.

"We'll find you Katara, I promise.." His words faded out as his voice felt caught in his throat. Sokka stood up quickly and ran to the wheel of the ship, hoping to direct the ship to follow the one Katara was on. Everyone stood outside of the windowed room staring at him with sadness in their eyes.

"Why isn't anyone doing anything?" Sokka yelled at his friends. He slammed his calloused hands against the wheel out of rage. Bato came up from behind him and rested his hand on Sokka's shoulder.

"We'll find her Sokka, but there are too many Fire Nation men on that ship, we would all be overwhelmed and possibly killed." Sokka nodded and fell back from the steering wheel. He looked out through his tear-soaked eyes to see his dad crying and hitting the side railing, leaving large dents behind.

He lost her.

Everyone but Hakoda, Sokka, and Bato realized they had also lost Aang as well.

I wasn't sure how many days I had been stuck on the ship. After day seven I stopped counting, accepting my impending doom. I was always stuck in my room, never allowed to step out into the fresh air to breathe in the smell of the comforting ocean waves. Everything I would need was already in here, unincluding the food they occasionally slipped underneath the door. Almost every night I had dreams of my friends, and was reminded of the good memories that I would always hold close to me no matter what happened. After day 5, my body became numb and my tears wouldn't come out anymore. I felt nothing, nor did I do anything other than sleep and stare off, dreaming of a place away from here.

On this particular night, I dreamt of my first agonizing night here, leaving me in more distress over seeing this bad memory.

The same man who had originally cuffed me had shoved me into a barely lit room. My hands caught the weight of my body before my head hit the cold ground. He shut and locked the door immediately behind me as I cursed at him under my breath. I ran back towards the door, and tried to pry it open with my weak fingers, to no avail. I was trapped and there was nothing to be done about it.

I walked to the back and fell onto the rock hard bed. My head fell into my hands as I sobbed silently. I curled my knees into my chest and held them close. At this point, I was terrified. Not knowing why they kidnapped me and what waited for me beyond this room had me feeling anxious and scared. This was a nightmare I never thought I would ever go through myself; a nightmare I had never been able to even fathom. These feelings which stirred inside of me for were unfamiliar and unwelcomed.

I heard a chuckle from the far back corner of the room which startled me. I sat up looking in the direction of which the sound emitted from. My eyes couldn't make out much with it being so dark in that corner, only the small shape of a person. This person walked out from their hidden place in the shadows, and who it was caught me by complete surprise.

One of the few people I despised more than anything appeared holding an evil grin on their face.

"I wouldn't waste your energy crying. It makes you weak, and it will only cause you more pain by the time we get off this ship. However, continue if you like. Hearing your cries is a delightful sound to my ears." Azula. The psychotic Fire Nation Princess who was hated by everyone who crossed paths with her. The Fire Lord's most trusted loyal daughter and servant. Without even have seen her, I could point out her vile and mocking voice anywhere.

I stepped away from the bed, prepared to attack, only to remember that my wrists were bound so tightly. She took my place on the bed and rested her hands on her now-crossed legs.

"What do you want from me?" I growled at the deviously-smiling princess. She laughed at me and then sighed.

"Is that really how you should treat your captor?" Azula scanned her nails as she spoke, "Why he wants you, I don't really know. There are thousands of available and rebellious girls. But anyways, I don't care for you in the slightest; I want nothing to do with you. It's my father who has need for you. I actually came here in search of you, but what luck did I have also finding the Avatar alive. It was quite a surprise for everyone."

My eyes widened and I stood in shock. They weren't supposed to know he was alive. They had captured Aang, my one big hope of finding a way out of here. I attempted to lunge at her, but failed. She grabbed me & spun me around, holding me in a choke hold.

"Why does he want me of all people?" I snarled at her, feeling defeated.

"Because Father needs a new harem girl. He's gotten, well, tired of the other ones. He's bored; they enjoy it too much. But with you, you're a rebel, and have fight in you."

Azula laughed and then released me from her grip, tossing me forward. She walked towards the door and smirked at me as she knocked and waited for it to open.

"I'm going to take a little trip to see the Avatar. When we arrive you will be taken to the harem. And for giving me attitude, Father will have a special punishment waiting for you." With that, she left, finally.

As I stood there feeling helpless, someone entered the room immediately after she had shut the door. I backed away quickly when a man shoved his way in. He walked to me as I shook nervously, and proceeded to melt the metal from my wrists. The pain was extravagantly unpleasant and I yelped out loud. He cackled at me. I held my wrists up and saw blisters were beginning to form, and my skin looked raw and broken.

He took me by surprise and shoved me back against the bed. His eyes held no anger, no sadness, nor happiness, but hunger in it's crazed form. He knew he would get what he wanted, and began to strip the armor from his body as I laid there completely frozen.

I knew exactly what was about to happen, and I tried to escape his reach and dodge his rugged hands. However, he yanked my arm back and I was forced down onto the bed. He climbed on top of me and held me down with an incredible strength. I tried to squirm underneath him to no resolve.

He leaned forward and whispered into my ear, "If you continue to fight me, I will hurt you even worse." Panic had overwhelmed my mind completely, but I couldn't just sit there and do nothing. I lifted my head and bit his ear, ripping some skin off. He whipped his head away from me quickly and smacked me as a growl escaped his chapped lips.

"How dare you treat me with such disrespect!" The man was now enraged, and began to fuel fire in his palm. He grabbed my arm and held his palm against my . Searing pain flooded through me and I screamed in agony. I started to shake violently, barely able to hold in my cries. He finally stopped, and I knew then and there I was powerless to whatever was about to happen. He ripped off my water tribe clothing and threw it the ground.

The man started to kiss down my jawline.

When he was finished with me, he gathered his armor and covered his body again with the dark red and grey metal. He grabbed my clothes, letting me know that I wouldn't be needing them from here on out.

I felt like I couldn't move, and I was stuck where I was; paralyzed. There wasn't anymore more pain or fear hiding in my mind, I felt nothing but the sense of being numb. Every part of me was so sore and I felt uncomfortable in my own skin. All I wanted to do was wash my body clean of the feel of his touch, and cleanse my body of the smell which wreaked of him. Tears started to drain down my already tear-soaked face, and I just wanted to be home. Not even that, I wanted to die. What I felt was unbearable. My mind felt stunned by what happened, yet was racing with what felt like never-ending suicidal thoughts. But I couldn't do that. Not just yet. Not when my family could be trying to rescue me at this very moment.

It had been a month since I had been put on this ship. Or at least, that's what it had felt like as time went by so slowly. Today was the day that we finally docked onto Fire Nation land. Still, I had no clothes to wear since the guard had taken them away on my first day. My body was tired and worn out, more than it had ever been before. At least every day there was a minimum of one man or women that would come into the room and hurt me. It eventually reached the point, after about a week, where I was so exhausted both mentally and physically, that I didn't cry or scream, and I didn't bother to fight. Fighting would only cause them to hurt me more, and I didn't need more pain than I was already going through. I couldn't remember the last time I had smiled. What little hope I had hardly remained. My mind felt frozen.

I was greeted by a guard standing in the doorway. "Come with me." I got up from my bed without saying a word and followed him out. The feeling being naked didn't phase me anymore, almost everyone had seen me. What was once sacred, now felt like a public amenity.

Three men walked in front of me, as well as two following on my rear. They escorted me off the ship and onto land. I missed the feeling of not constantly being in motion, and standing still. I took a moment to stop walking, and felt the hard ground beneath my toes; I relished in it. The feeling of standing still, with the wind whipping through my hair, and the smell of food ahead was ravishing. The moment didn't last long, as one of the guards shoved me forward to keep moving.

Every passerby that I walked by stared at me. I felt humiliation at my beaten and broken body. The stares crept into my spine as I felt every eye of the people we passed watched me. Some snickered and whispered to whoever stood beside them, while others looked at me with a grim face, feeling empathy towards me. If they only knew I was Water Tribe, maybe those feeling grief for me wouldn't be feeling that way.

After several minutes of walking, we arrived at the steps of the palace, finally reaching our destination. Walking made me more weak than I already felt. My legs were sore and tired, anything looked comfortable to lay on at this point. We made our way to what I assumed was the throne room. As I walked by, I looked over to make brief eye contact with Zuko. He looked me up and down and his eyes held melancholy heavily. His look grew into what I thought could've been anger, but I wasn't sure.

"Cancel tonight's meeting, I'm going to be having a banquet with my daughter who has returned home." The Fire Lord's voice echoed throughout the mostly empty room, and bounced off of every wall. He shooed away whoever he'd been talking to and then looked directly into my eyes.

"You caught her." His voice held a sinister excitement, and he eyed my body up and down.

"She wasn't that hard to catch, Lord Ozai. Did you expect any less of me?" Azula bowed her head before she spoke and held a nasty smile on her elated face. With the looks the Ozai was giving me, I knew he already had dirty ideas of what would be done with me. "I am also pleased to tell you that we found and captured the Avatar as well." Ozai sat up straight in his seat, growing even more eager as two guards were dragging Aang's lifeless-looking body forward.

I couldn't bare to see my friend so beaten and hurt. He had dried and fresh blood all over his body. Instead, I stared at my tan feet against the red flooring, trying to place my mind into a better place.

"Take her to the harem, and make sure to let that old women know that she is mine. Nobody is allowed to make use of her until I have had her." With that, the guards started to lead me out of the room, just as I heard Zuko speak up from in front of me.

"Father, wait!" He walked forward with urgency, and a look of determination written all over him. His fists were balled and he now stood still. "Let me have her." I was shocked.

I stared at my tan feet compared to the red flooring.

"Let us talk and we will see." The guards continued to drag me out of the room and to the harem. Great. Now Zuko wants to use me.

"Pama, this is the Fire Lord's new toy. There are strict orders for no one else to have her but him, until after he's done with her." Pama was a very old woman, and she held a disgusted frown. Her wrinkles shaped her face so well, you could tell this woman hadn't known happiness in a long while. She had what you would call, a permanent resting bitch face. She pulled me in the room quickly and nodded to the guards they could leave. The door slammed shut and Pama let out an exasperated groan. A vast room surrounded me and giggling girls stood around, old makeup covered with fresh makeup covered each one of their faces. Some of them could be seen sweeping and cleaning, while others stood in front of mirrors admiring themselves. They didn't wear much clothing on their bodies, and you could tell they enjoyed what they did. Surprisingly, they all looked like they were fed and taken care of well. Though some had bruises and scars almost covering their bodies. In the corner of the room were lots of pillows covering the ground, and it looked so comfortable.

"Great, another one. Just another selfish little girl." Pama grabbed me by the arm and pulled me in front of all the girls. "This is the Fire Lord's girl. Make her look somewhat decent and pretty, and share your clothes with her until I can grab extra ones in town today." This old woman was so mean for her being so old. Her grip released my arm and she walked away into another room.

"She's so hideous. Who would want her?" Did they get pride out of shaming other girls? I knew that I was beautiful, I didn't need reassurance from anyone, nor did I need this negativity after everything I'd been through. I was utterly shocked at how these girls strived to look nice for the people who wanted them. I couldn't imagine living my life to have sex with men and women.

Ignoring the horrid comments, I walked forward through them to go and sit down, when one of the girls next to me placed her foot in front of me, which sent me straight to the ground. Thankfully, my hands caught me, and I stayed for a minute, trying to push past the thought of going against them. Causing trouble could mean more trouble for me, and I held my tongue. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see a girl staring down at me. She offered her hand, and pulled me up from the ground, shooting a glare towards the other girls. She tugged me along to a different room, and then shut a curtain behind us. I stood there confused as she walked through a doorway which led into a bathing room. I heard the sound of running water and entered the room and watched her heat up the water as it came out. Steam developed and rose to the ceiling as she did this.

"Let's get you all cleaned up." Her voice was calm and soothing, and she was definitely one of the nicest people I'd come across since being taken. I nodded, blinking quickly to hold back tears which suddenly arose from nowhere.

As soon as I dipped my legs into the almost scalding water, the stress floated away from my body. Everything which had been bothering me was put away, and I let my shoulders relax as I slid into the water. The water touched my chin, and I laid there in bliss. I could feel the sting on some of my cuts, and I didn't let the pain affect my enjoyment. The hot water subdued all the depression which engrossed my mind, and was slowly fading away into nothingness.

I looked to my left a saw a washcloth and saw her picking up a washcloth as she approached me. "That's okay, let me." She nodded and handed it over to me. I plunged it into the water, and started rubbing it softly along my skin. The dirt and grime could be seen coming off and blending in with the water around it. The girl sat on the side of the tub with her knees curled into her chest.

"My name's Yue, by the way." Yue, I recognized that name. It belonged to Sokka's first love who now resided with the moon. "Ignore the girls out there, they are the 'harem whores' that everyone talks about. Don't bother listening to anything they try to tell you. When the men come in here to choose someone, the more disgusting you look, the less they will want you, unless you enjoy it." I shook my head.

"I think I'm safe. I'm the Fire Lord's girl." I spoke with an unpleasantness to my voice. Yue sat their almost horrified.

"I am so sorry." Her words were sincere. "Even the other girls here don't want to sleep with him. He hurts girls, badly. My friend Min once got chosen by him, and she returned with a fat lip, blistered wrists and ankles, and had a deep gash along her spine which was bleeding badly. It was so awful they had to carry her back to us. She ended up passing away, as the wound was so deep and gruesome. We all thought she had taken a knife to the back." Shock wasn't even close to how I felt right now. If I thought the people on the ship were bad, this was worse. He only wanted me for one time, probably because he knew I wouldn't survive it. I feared for my life now more than ever. Hopefully Zuko had changed his mind though, since he did want me now.

"Does Zuko ever come in here for girls?" I tried to push the thought of Ozai out of my mind. Yue shook her head, which had me feeling somewhat relieved.

"Never." Now all I had to hope for was that he would get me instead. If he never came in here for girls normally, I did question what he was planning. "Let's get some clothes on you."

Yue left the room, and I finished getting all the dirt off of my body. I also tried to comb through my hair with a comb sitting beside the tub. When she returned, she was holding a blazing red top, and a short red skirt which looked like too well of a fit.

"Sorry, we don't really have clothes in here that are decent. This the least provocative outfit we have." What she wore was just about as appropriate as mine was. I also realized she hadn't given me any undergarment, which I shouldn't have expected. Why would they give undergarments to whores who would be removing them anyways?