Title: Midsummer Madness
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Author: BurningIce
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Rating: M
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Summary: Katara learns that there are both advantages and drawbacks to being a female water bending master, and pays back a favor to an old friend.
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Pairing: Zutara, Aanzula, Taang, . . . you know what? Screw it, no more pairing hints!
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Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar. If I did it would have been considerably less awesome, but Katara and Zuko would have totally gotten together, so I guess it's a toss up.
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Chapter 12: The Fire Princess
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The Water Tribesman sat on the grass, it had taken him a while to calm down after the impromptu visit from the assassin. The Kyoshi Warriors had been on a code 'testosterone', and were assigned in shifts to watch him as he kept packing his things, planning to storm off to Omashu to scold his sister or kill Zuko. They weren't quite sure which.
Sokka in fact planned to do both.
Ty Lee and her new best 'gal pal' were sitting nearby, they were technically guarding him while Suki practiced with the younger girls, but since all he did was sulk, they had started talking to one another, hands touching now and then.
Ugh, why don't they just make out already?! Sokka glowered at them. Not only were they practically hostaging him, but they were also refusing to publicly make out like hot lesbians should.
They were talking about Mai, apparently the girl had asked Ty Lee back, and the gymnast had refused. She had since stormed off and Ty Lee was worried about her exgirlfriend.
" . . . I don't know, maybe she just needs to cool off and she'll take Zuko back." Kisa was saying.
"Probably, it's what her family would expect her to do." Ty Lee was playing with her fan, spinning it in a circle prettily.
"What's that got to do with anything?"
"In the Fire Nation aristocracy, it's all about what your family wants you to do. Particularly your father, especially if he is a high ranking noble."
"You think your father would approve of me?" Kisa asked innocently enough, though the question was loaded.
"Well . . . no, maybe, I don't know." Ty Lee tapped her chin, "Our culture, lesbianism is fine, when you're young, it's sort of a . . . phase, or thought to be, you can 'play on the girl's volleyball team' as much as you want when you're a teenager, but then, you're expected to grow out of it, marry, and pop out a few boys."
"Why?"
"I think, it started as the Fire Nation needed more soldiers. They needed everyone to breed up some boys to join the army, so they outlawed the betrothal of two women or two men, and now, nearly a century later, well, its just tradition, and Mai is a stickler for tradition. I think she is expecting one day to just outgrow it, like she has been schooled she will."
"Denial," Kisa made a face, the same face she made when someone said something about man parts.
"I don't know, she seems to genuinely love Zuko, she said it often enough, though I don't know, maybe she was just never attracted to him, I usually have to read her aura to get a hint about how she is feeling." Ty Lee shrugged, "She was never a very loyal person, and I am worried that now that she is angry at Zuko, she is going to do something stupid . . ."
"That's not fair! She saved me and Zuko's life!" Both girls turned to look at Sokka, and he regretted saying anything. Apparently he was obligated to sit within ear shot but was not supposed to listen in on their conversations while they kept an eye on him, "Suki's too."
"She did, but she also betrayed her mother's trust by not making sure her brother was safe, she left me for another man because it was proper, she never followed Azula's orders, she actively helped you escape because she didn't want Azula to kill her brother, she wouldn't even bother to fight to guard Bosco, she just let you and Toph, the Avatar's earth bending teacher waltz out of Ba Sing Se. Mai does what Mai wants to."
Sokka looked proud, "Yea, we really taught you a lesson, Ty Lee."
"Actually it was Toph who beat me, she was the one who taught me the lesson." Ty Lee giggled, "You just danced with me, remember? It was soooooo cute."
Sokka reddened, deciding that the acrobat should have the decency to be embarrassed about her old crush on him.
"What can I say, I am irresistible to lesbians."
Kisa leaned into Ty Lee and whispered something, Sokka couldn't hear them, so he went back to sulking.
"More like he turns girls INTO lesbians."
"Among other things . . ." Ty Lee giggled again, and both girls stole conspiring glances at Sokka.
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"So . . . what happened to my things?" Azula reached up and caressed the silk she had used to tie him.
"I don't know," Aang glared, "Zuko must have moved them, you should let me up Azula and come quietly back to the asylum."
"Mmm . . ." She crawled up onto the huge bed, and Aang noticed that her attire was singed, ashy, and hung from her in rags. He could however, make out the green tone of the gown that the inmates of the asylum wore, and the cut was the same, short sleeve, oversized, and hemmed at mid calf. It barley covered essential parts of her anatomy, her hair was tussled, and her eyes were wild.
"Let me up, Azula! Or I'll take away your bending."
"Oh . . . I'm so terrified of the little tiny Avatar." She straddled his stomach, pointing a long nailed finger at his neck, "Tiny, delicate, defenseless little boy." She crooned, "Where is your mama?"
Aang took a gulp of air and blew, knocking her backwards off the bed. She grunted as her butt hit the floor, and he began yelling for Toph. Azula had bolted back over to him and slapped him across the face, splitting his lip. A quick pivot on the ball of her foot and she brought her bare heel down on his solar plexus, and all the air slammed out of his lungs, leaving him gasping, unsure if all his ribs were still intact.
"TO-ohh ow . . ." Aang twisted, coughing.
Azula crossed her arms, her voice becoming bossy, "Don't bother really, the walls are thick enough sound won't carry from room to room, those ties are fireproof, guess the servants thought they were part of my bed when they cleared out my things, and the door is barred."
"Why are you here? What do you want?"
Azula crawled back down the length of his bed, her shoulder blades apparent in the full moonlight shining in through the open terrace doors. They moved as she crawled, and he felt as though some breed of giant cat was stalking toward him across the covers. She had lost weight staying in the asylum, her cheeks more hollow than they had been, though before she had been the pampered favorite of the previous Fire Lord, not an insane inmate in a local madhouse. Her gold eyes glowed in the moonlight, making her seem more feline, and more deadly.
"Well, I want my kingdom and my crown," She straddled his stomach again, playing with the fabric of his robe, "I want my brother and you kneeling at my feet, and I want my father back." Her hair hung wildly in her face, and she pulled up the hem of the nearly shredded thigh length hospital gown, and for an instant, Aang panicked, thinking that she was going to take it off.
"But right now, I just wanted my cloths and weapons."
Instead she revealed a upper thigh sheath, a dagger, and a pair of the smallest undergarments he had ever seen. She unsheathed the dagger and then looked up and growled, grabbing his jaw with her free hand.
"You like the view, you vile cad?" She leaned her weight onto her hand, making Aang gasp as she started crushing his windpipe.
"I . . er . . umm . . . I don't know . . . no . . .yes . . ." he wheezed out.
"So you DON'T like the view?" the pressure on his neck increased.
"YES!" Aang rasped, "Yes . . . I like the view!!"
"Fucking pervert." She hit him again and Aang tasted blood, but at least released his neck.
He blinked, trying to dissipate the stars dancing in front of his eyes and took several deep breaths.
"Where is my brother?" she dragged the knife blade across his skin, then put the tip to her lips, blowing on it. It started turning red.
"I won't tell you!" Aang hissed, "I won't tell you anything, so you might as well give up."
Azula touched the tip of her knife to his chest, "Mai told me about the water bender, Its such a pity . . ."
Aang hissed, trying to wriggle away from her, to duck away from the heat of the knife.
"Seems like a silly thing you both did, to break up over a kiss, but she'll have plenty of time to explain it to me. You too, though I don't really care, you're nothing." She traced the tip into the characters that spelled her name, his flesh reddening underneath the metal.
"You leave Mai alone!" Aang glared, he was mad at the goth for hurting Katara, but she didn't deserve Azula's wrath by any means
"You can tell my brother, I'll treat her better than he ever did." Azula grinned, leaning backwards, her head lolling back, "Not that I ever really had a thing for girls, but, I'll try anything once."
This was making no sense, Azula was insane. Azula was lying. Azula always lied. Aang blew another blast at her, but this time she clamped her knees down on his sides and he didn't unseat her.
"You really want to play rough?" She pressed the now only warm blade into his cheek, "You have such pretty eyes, Avatar Aang, and I could gouge them out; take them home with me."
Aang stilled, staring at the metal, "No, please, I like my eyes where they are,"
"Then thank me for not ripping them out." Azula put her hands on her hips.
"Umm . . . thank you, Azula."
"PRINCESS Azula." She corrected.
Another figure swung over the railing of his balcony, and Aang recognized Mai.
"What is taking so long, Azula? I thought you said you just needed to get a few things out of your secret-" Mai stopped, her eyes resting on Aang.
"We hit an unexpected opportunity." Azula stretched out along the monk, and Aang blushed as the princess's chest pressed against his cheek.
"Quit messing around." Mai ordered softly, "Get your stuff and come on."
"Go on ahead, I want to stay and play." Azula draped a leg over the bound air bender to make a point.
"Azula, you're not thinking straight." Mai told her, walking over to a bag sitting next to an open secret hatch in the wall and heaving it up over her shoulder, "We don't want to get caught."
Azula hissed, and glared, a battle of wills going on, "We have already been 'caught', Aang knows we're on the run."
Mai turned away, "Fine, meet me at the house when you're done." She carried the bag to the balcony and disappeared over the railing.
It seemed Azula was still the alpha female, insane or not.
Barely.
"Now . . . Where were we?" Azula drew her nails down Aang's jaw line and he shuddered in terror. And some other feelings that were confusing.
Aang yanked hard on his binding, lighting them on fire, but the fibers would not catch, apparently Azula was prepared to tie up fire benders in her bed for some reason.
She pressed her mouth to his ear, her hand toying with the fabric of his robes, she whispered, "You are to tell my brother I have escaped. You are to tell him that Mai was the one who sprung me. You are to tell him I am going to find Ursa, and I am going to kill her unless he hands over Father."
Aang's strained away from her, and she replaced the leg over his stomach, clamping him against her, using his discomfort to her advantage.
"No, I won't do anything for you!"
"It would be pretty irresponsible to neglect telling the Fire Lord that his homocidal sister has escaped from her confinement. Isn't it?" Her left hand slipped under the sash of his robe and Aang stiffened as her nails danced across his chest.
"Isn't it?"
He clamped his mouth shut, and Azula propped her head up on her right hand, still holding the dagger with it.
"ANSWER ME!!" She dug in her nails hard and opened up three long scratches across the Avatar's chest.
Aang twisted, and wiggled, trying to get out from under her leg, he felt his wrists and elbows pop as he strained against the ties. They didn't give or tighten, Azula obviously knew how to restrain someone properly so that the ties wouldn't tighten and cut off the blood flow.
Aang looked away, she would lose interest if he stopped 'playing' back. She would get tired of toying with him and go away and he could scream for Toph without getting slapped until his retinas were knocked from his eyes.
Like a viper, the princess was on him again, tearing the robes from his body. This time her inner thighs were pressed skin to skin with his stomach, he could feel her . . . place, pressing against his stomach. Her legs were clammy from the night air but warm against him, and she clamped them, making him gasp and stare at her mesmerized. She raised her bloody nails to her mouth and sucked the blood off of them. It was a show, he knew it, a show to turn his stomach, and it worked. He felt the bile in his stomach rise as he watched her tongue dart out and lap up the sticky red substance coating her fingers. As he watched in fascination, to his horror, he felt something else rise as well.
"Ha! Maybe not a little boy much longer!" She grinned, a fierce, calculating leer, her teeth stained red with blood. Then she bent over him and was licking the wound she had created, her long, black hair tumbling across his neck and face.
Aang took another deep breath to blow her off him, but without even looking up the girl brought her elbow hard into his ribcage. He coughed it out, chest heaving. Azula raised her head, and Aang's stomach turned, there was a smear of blood across her nose and cheek, and her lips were dripping with it.
She tilted her head back, and drips of it trickled down her chin and dripped onto the shirt that barely clung to her. Aang's eyes followed the drips and realized that the collar had dipped so far down one of her arms that it had exposed part of her chest. He blushed and stiffened, trying to wriggle away.
"What's wrong Avatar?" Azula looked down and seemed to notice her bare chest for the first time. She giggled, a cracking, harsh giggle, "My body terrifies you more than a dagger? Oh that is too cute . . . ." she rocked her hips against him once, in a sickening, mock tease.
"Get off me Azula!!" Aang ordered, bringing up a leg to knee her in the back. She leaned forward to avoid his attack and kissed him, prying his mouth open with her fingers so she could taste him, and he could not bite.
Aang pressed his head back into the mattress, trying to escape her attentions. He could taste his blood dripping from her mouth onto him, and she forced her tongue further into his mouth, expertly running it over a point on the roof of his mouth that tickled in the most amazing . . . unsettling way.
Aang gagged.
Azula sucked on his split lip.
"Maybe I'll keep you as a pet when I am Fire Lord." Azula teased, adjusting her long shirt so that she no longer fell out of it.
Aang took a deep breath while she was distracted, aimed carefully, and let out a blast of air bending. Azula slammed into the wall that separated his and Toph's room.
"TOPH!!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, "TOPH!! TOPH HELP!!" then Azula was on top of him again, her hand covering his mouth. He bit her, but she didn't remove it.
He heard Toph's door open.
"Fuck!" The princess swore, then leaned over him, body flush against him, "I'll be back, our game isn't over." She whispered, licking his lips, then leaping off the bed, slinking off into the shadows. For a few terrifying seconds there was nothing, then the familiar sound of feet pounding, the door being slammed, then the metal bended down.
"Twinkle Toes, what happened? I felt a huge crash!! Why is the bed vibrating?"
"Toph!! Azula's here!!"
Toph frowned, "There is nobody . . . ." her nostrils flared, " . . . . She WAS here . . . You're bleeding! What happened?!" the blind girl rushed over to the bed and began groping until she found the ties.
"She . . . She . . . I . . . and then . . . she . . .ow!! Careful! She, she scratched me, Mai helped break her out. She said she was going to . . . ow! Umm . . . they were going to seize control, she wanted Ozai. Cant you go any faster Toph?"
"I'm trying! I can't actually see what I am undoing." The earth bender put her head down and sunk her teeth into the knot, tugging it loose.
Aang gulped, uncomfortable with his instructer's mouth pressed so close to his wrist. After she yanked the knot loose, he rolled over and pulled the other one free, thankful she couldn't see his blood smeared face or torn robes.
"Okay Aang, tell me what exactly happened." She tugged the cord near the bed, and then waited patently for his explanation.
Taking a deep breath, the Avatar launched into an abridged version of it, how she had tied him to her bed, how she had gotten her weapons, how she had scratched and hit him, and what she had said.
Toph was livid, but tried to keep her voice calm, "So Sparky's ex let her go? That's it, she is out of the friend circle."
"That's mean Toph."
"Avatar Aang?" The servant stepped inside and bowed, pretending he didn't notice the trashed room or the bloody sheets, "You summoned me?"
"I need a messenger hawk, one that is trained to fly to the Earth Kingdom Swamp and back." Aang padded over to the desk, his hands shaking as he tried to uncork the ink bottle.
"Umm, sir?"
"Yes?"
"We don't have any birds trained to fly to the Swamp. Nobody has ever wanted to send a message there. We have ones that fly to Omashu, and ones that fly to Kyoshi Island."
"Umm . . . Kyoshi Island then, fetch me the fastest one." Aang began shakily writing on a small scroll, halfway through he accidentally dripped on his writing, and he put his head in his hands, not sure whether he wanted to scream, or cry, or hide.
"You should go see a surgeon." Toph suggested, putting a hand on his back, "Not write a letter."
"I'm fine, all she did was scratch my chest and split my lip." Aang's voice cracked.
"You're lying." Toph crossed her arms.
Aang rallied and redipped his brush into the ink, scrawling out the rest of his letter.
"Aang!"
He ignored her, blowing on the ink, drying it.
"AANG!!"
"I'm going to take this down to the aviary." He rolled it up and jumped off the chair, bolting out the door.
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Zuko propped himself on his elbow, gazing down at the sleeping water bender in his bed. He had been awake for a little over an hour, but just didn't feel like getting up. He wondered if Katara would be weirded out that he was watching her sleep. He reasoned that as long as she was naked in his bed, he had the right to enjoy the view.
Shifting softly, he ran his fingertips across her bare stomach . . . to make sure she wasn't cold of course . . . and admired her dark complexion against his pale one. She sighed happily and curled closer against him. She felt a little oily from the dried sweat still clinging to her from the previous night, but he wasn't put off by it, after all, they had worked up a sweat together.
He had woken up at sunrise with a strange high he recognized was happiness and a hard on, and it had taken him a few panicked seconds to remember why there was a brunette water bender curled up against him instead of his ebony haired ex. The events of the night before had come crashing back, and he had relaxed. He felt confused, he had never fallen madly in bed with someone before, and although he knew there was something between them, he wasn't sure if she would be appreciative of his advances morning after.
He hoped what the handler said about fillies being too tired to bite after a hard ride was true.
The temple was only just starting to come alive, even though it was late morning. He could hear the sound of people slipping out of rooms, splashing in the lake, and walking and talking across the green.
He pressed his lips to her ear, "'Tara . . ."
She growled and covered her ears, trying to roll over. Zuko's arms encircled her waist, and he pulled her back onto her back. He pressed against her, enjoying the friction through the leather he still wore.
"Come on, people are getting up."
Katara sat up, stretching, then noticed she was still without her cloths. She heard the mat in her room shift and Yeo's voice, "Come on Katara!! . . . Hey Lee . . . Has Katara already-" the mat between their rooms opened and Yeo stepped through.
"Ah, there y'all are!" Yeo, raised an eyebrow, "Look'n like y'all had one hell of a night!"
For the first time, Katara surveyed the room, the chair was overturned, when she had thrown her top it had knocked Zuko's razor, comb, and soaps to the floor. The ceramic walls were smeared with blue and red paint, and it still clung to them in many spots, turning a royal purple from the contact.
"We were . . ." Katara grasped at straws, "Sparring."
Yeo laughed, doubling over and hitting her knee, "Did ya get your cloths burned off?"
Katara huffed.
"Y'all don't need to be ashamed, y'all had fun! Last night everyone did! A lil' roll in the grass with a man ya like is somthin to be proud of! Plus, last night, the moon spirit seemed to cheer and took a man! She'll start to pull on us even harder now that she is no longer depressed, you'll really start feelin the power flow soon!"
As the preistess in training talked, Katara made the short walk of shame, got out of bed, grabbed her skirt off the floor where Zuko had dropped it, and yanked it on.
Yeo picked up her top and handed it to her, then winked at them, "Katara, y'all can meet me to wash 'n eat in a few minutes? Vel wants to have another session with you now that ya might be feeling a little more 'emotionally balanced'."
"Okay." Katara began fastening her top as the other teenager strolled out, fingers laced behind her head in amusement.
Zuko stood, "I . . . about last night . . . I didn't plan it . . . I really-"
Katara went up on her toes and kissed him quickly, still holding her top closed, "I am not mad, jeez Zuko, don't worry, you don't have to walk on eggshells. We're cool . . . I guess I have to go have a lesson,"
"Yea,"
"You want to come?"
"What?"
"To my lesson. Do you want to come with me to my lesson?"
He blushed, and shook his head, "I'm going to clean up my room and get some lunch."
"Oh, yea, I'm sorry . . .we kinda trashed it, You want help picking up?"
"No, it's fine, you go ahead, you shouldn't keep your instructor waiting. I want you to learn this technique. The sooner you do, the sooner we can leave."
Katara nodded, but didn't move, feeling guilty. Finally she sighed, ran her fingers through her hair, and slunk back into her room. Zuko listened as she rummaged in her pack, then swept out into the hallway.
Instead of tidying right away, he splashed some water onto his face, and rinsed out his mouth, then sat back on his bed, head pillowed on one of his arms. He thought back to the night, his fingers touching his mouth as he reviewed the memory. It was the hottest night he had ever had with a woman, even though it had been foreplay, the way she had writhed, moaned, and called out his name . . . .
Zuko realized suddenly that Mai had not set the bar very high.
The memory had made him hard again, and he listened again to make sure that Katara was gone, and reached to untie his snakeskin loincloth. Closing his eyes, he remembered the water bender straddling his lap, kissing him, remembered how her chest looked, the way it had jiggled when she had shuddered.
His fingers circled his shaft, teasing along it's length before flicking his thumb over the head.
For the next quarter of a candle mark, he lost himself in fantasies, reliving the previous night in his minds eye. All too soon, he finished, doubling over and taking a few deep breaths to mask his moans.
He lay back, closing his eyes, relaxing, but the sound of people talking in the hallways had him on his feet and cleaning himself up. He toweled off the body paint from both his skin and the wall, replaced his swamp cloths, righted the chair, and reorganized the items on his table.
As he was combing the braids out of his hair, he heard someone calling for him.
"Hey Lee, ya in 'n decent?"
"Yes." Zuko combed another of the small braids out with his fingers. They were difficult to find among his hair and he hoped he had gotten them all.
"Where's th' master water bender? Ya two have a fight?" It was the boy who had been stirring the pot of dye, Zuko couldn't recall his name.
"No."
"Really? Ya'll're not mad at her?"
"No."
"Wow, ya really aren't steamed?"
"No. Why would I be?"
"Well, I heard it through the swamp vine that she called out the wrong name last night. I heard she screamed for someone named 'Zuko'." The boy looked smug, "Seems like that would make a fella a little angry . . ."
Zuko stiffened.
The boy crossed his arms, looking amused "Y'all know that by tonight everyone is goin' know, Ya might as well drop the codename."
"Will the priestesses be angry?"
The man laughed, "Are ya kiddin? Ya thought the flirtin was bad before when ya'll were the new boy that everyone wanted the first ride from . . ."
Zuko shook his head, the women here would be considered horrible tramps back in the Fire Nation, but here, the culture was matriarchal, and he guessed that the women who were so open had the same attitude that the men who juggled courtesans, mistresses, and wives in the Fire Nation did. Only them men didn't seem to care they were being juggled. Everything was so spiritual, so natural.
It was part of the culture. They got lusty at the full moon. They had sex. Simple.
Why was it everywhere else was so complicated?
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Mai paced back and forth in the parlor of her parent's house, becoming more and more anxious as the minutes passed. Azula should have gotten there by now, she decided, and she wondered if the Avatar had escaped and beaten her after all. If that was the case, she should be using her time to get as far away as possible.
There was a bang on the door.
Mai peeked through the curtains, and was relieved to see the former princess on the doorstep. She opened the door, and Azula swept inside.
"Did anyone see you?" Mai asked, sticking her head out and looking both ways down the street.
"By this time tomorrow, it won't matter, everyone will know." Azula sank down in one of the chairs and crossed her legs, "You said you had something for me?"
"Yes." Mai walked across the room and opened the doorway to the hall. Two men stepped through, blue lightening bolts painted on their faces.
"I found these two after interrogating a few supporters, they're the leaders of the Ozai supporters. They want to put you back on the throne." Mai looked pleased with herself.
The two men knelt down, trying not to stare at the princess's disheveled appearance. Even though she looked like she had crawled through a muddy trench, she was still terrifying.
"No."
"What?" Mai looked surprised.
"No, I have no use for them, or you, I cant trust anyone, I have to do everything myself this time, to make sure everything goes smoothly." Azula waved her hand, dismissing them.
"Fire Lord Azula!! We are your loyal servants!!"
"But Azula!" Mai protested, "You can't take over the Fire Nation by yourself!"
Azula frowned, then stood, walking over to the two guerillas, and leaned in close.
"I just need the right leverage." Azula grinned.
"Azula." Mai rolled her eyes, "You really think it's a good idea to shun your supporters?"
Azula frowned, thinking hard in a moment of lucidness, then crouched down, "Maintain your positions, I'll send for you if I need you."
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Katara followed the older priestess through the woods, not really paying attention to the path that they were following. Her mind was still whirling with the moon ritual, she wanted to ask questions about what had happened, but wasn't sure it was okay.
"Please go ahead and ask, we welcome everyone wishing to learn, no man, woman, or creature from any nation, tribe, or religion is ever turned away unless we sense darkness in their heart."
"How did you know I was thinking about it?"
"I have the gift. I can usually hear what is in people's hearts and minds if I listen." The priestess looked around, caught sight of a bird in the trees and addressed it, "If you don't mind, we would like to practice here."
The bird screamed a human scream and then took off through the tree branches.
The woman eased herself onto a fallen log, groaning as her joints complained, "Now, little sister, hopefully you will concentrate better today, now that you have paid tribute to your earth mother and grounded yourself."
Katara blushed, tucking a strand of hair back into her bun.
"Ah well, we will start the lesson." The woman began drawing in the mud with her walking stick, she drew a human profile outline and then the brain inside, she sectioned off the areas of the brain, named them, and then told Katara what their purposes were. She explained how there were fluids inside the brain that could pull things out against the patient's wishes, but that she shouldn't try to bend it. That it was just too easy to damage the tissues inside the person's head, and she could inadvertently destroy the information that she was looking for.
Vel then began explaining different ways to get around mental blocks that the person would put up, and just how hard she could push before the person would suffer brain damage. That is was mostly a battle of wills, and that she was a guest in the person's head, that they were the ones that reigned supreme in there.
Katara was starting to realize what a chore it would be to sift through all of Ozai's memories for a hint on Ursa. She knew he would fight her every second of the way, and Katara wondered briefly if she shouldn't send Aang to learn the technique and pay back the favor to Zuko.
"That will not work." Vel told her, "The Avatar is powerful because he has control of all four elements. The problem is that he cannot MASTER any of the elements to the extent that one of us can. He will never be as good a water bender as you are, and never be as good a fire bender as the Fire Lord is . . . well, the Fire Lord will be when he figures out what he wants."
Katara frowned, did Vel know? How did Vel know?
"I apologize, the full moon makes me stronger, and I pick up things that are not necessarily things I people want me to know." Vel shrugged, "Everyone will know soon anyways, there are no secrets in the swamp."
"So, how long do you think before I can use the technique?"
"It will take practice, practice all you can on as many people who will let you." Vel shrugged, "The waters whisper that you will not master the form here. That I will not be your . . . what's your word for it? Sifu?"
Katara sat down on a huge mushroom, "How can you tell these things?! I met this fortune teller once, and she could read palms, but you don't even read palms!"
"I read the currents of fate." The woman frowned, as though it were difficult to explain, "I am a Moerae, It is a very old word for 'fates', that is what we do, we read the past and the future, we worship the moon and her triple faces, we dance, we guard the swamp and it's secrets from those who would harm it. Our water bending creed is not combat centric, it is wisdom centric, because from our knowledge comes our power."
Katara sighed, the style was so different, she didn't understand what the crone meant.
Arca Vel heaved herself up, "I want you to stay here and meditate until the swamp gives you a vision. It is quite safe, the mammoth swamp pythons have retreated to the south desert side of the swamp because of all the rain we had a few weeks ago, its flooded, and there is new pray to be found, so nothing will come eat you."
"So how will I find my way back?" Katara looked uncertain.
"Ask the swamp." Vel patted the girl's shoulder, then ambled off into the woods.
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Woah 13, Hope everyone liked!! Sorry it was shorter than the others, this was just the best cutting point for a long long while.
But here we are, in honor of over 20,000 views, you guys rock!!
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Well, as far as Azula goes, remember what Zuko said about her when he and Katara were playing guessing games while riding . . .
So yes, she would indeed both think of and have the necessary tools to tie up an Avatar in her room.
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As for the lovin, I have been trying to put a new twist on a cliché plot, and that includes the naughty bits. So hopefully things will be unexpected if not original.
Zuko is very shy. Talented but shy. I tried to hint that his experiences with Mai were less than passionate, so he has a bit of a skewed idea of the 'give and take' of it.
As in there is no 'take'.
Oh, and the swamp men were neither referring to his face nor his chest. :wink:
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So R&R, questions, comments, criticisms, predictions, links to your story you think I should read.
I am surprised, I don't think I have gotten any flames, this is a first! You Flamers should get on that!!
:mutters about how flamers these days are such slackers: