AN: Hello! Wow, it has been a very long time coming but I have finally decided to start a Zutara fic. Let me make a few things clear before we continue. This fiction has an M rating for a reason people. Blood, sex, character death and other adult themes run rampant here. You have been warned. This is also not a down and dirty smutfic. As much as I enjoy those, and with as many lemons as I intend to write, this is going to be a story. A "fiction" if you will. So story there shall be. Oneshots are great for smut, and I could probably suggest some really excellent ones, but this is not going to be a oneshot. I only ask that you please be gentle as this is my first fanfic that is not a horribly written drabble from 2007. Constructive criticism always inspires me to write more! Thanks guys. And please enjoy!

AN (Remix): Also wanted to stay this starts right as Zuko and Katara are in the Crystal Catacombs. What if Aang and Iroh didn't make it there and the Gaang was captured? Welllllllp! Here we gooooooo!

The warmth of the fire glowing brightly in his callused palm paled in comparison to the warmth of the smooth mocha skin of the wrist he clutched in the other. He was angry, that much was obvious, but it was a slow anger, like a knife carving a masterpiece into wood. He wasn't used to this type of anger; he was used to rage that danced wildly off his tongue and eyes. This anger would not reach that high in his body. No, it would stay carving at his heart, clenching his stomach, forcing him to bite back the words that were like poison burning his mouth.

I hate you.

With a crying fierceness, he wanted to scream at her. He wanted to condemn her to a wallowing pathetic thing on the ground, begging for mercy at the sight his terrifying flames. He knew she would not, no matter what he did. She would cling to her composure. She was not an earthbender, but her façade was a stone. Her wrist in his hand did not quiver. He could almost feel her blood running through her and he wondered how someone could be so hard but so fluid at the same time. Her eyes were set in pods of blue ice as she stared into his. Her battle stance was harsh, her feet and hips were pointed at him in the way an expert sniper points his arrow.

Her hips…

It took an awful lot to make the banished prince feel vulnerable. He had nurtured a hard shell like a ground covered in hardened lava from a volcano that was long thought dormant. His mother had vanished, ripped from her home; his father extradited and humiliated him and his sister acted as a constant feed of torment and psychotic unadulterated loathing. Vulnerability was not an option. But here he stood, being gunned down by the eyes of a peasant. He felt so…naked, so exposed, so…

Violated.

He mentally shook the thought from his head as he tried to remain stoic, steadfast. He wouldn't be ravaged like this, like the women of his father's harem, like the prisoners of the Boiling Rock who begged for death. This was not his torment. His torment came from him and only him and he would not allow this to continue. If he were to be exposed to her, it would be by his choice, and he would flaunt. Making the first move in what felt like eons, he shoved the water bender as hard as he could onto the slick cave floor. In what could prove to be a fatal mistake, she swung her leg out behind her to try to hold her balance. Her foot slid out from under her, her ankle catching with a loud crack before she fell hard onto her tailbone.

"Zuko!" She wailed.

He reeled and turned away from her.

How did we get here?

He remembered that he had been thrown into the Crystal Catacombs after his capture. He had fallen unconscious and when he awoke, she was standing above him, ready to attack. He steadied her, and they spoke. Words. Real communication. Zuko had spoken to her before, yes, but never like this. She was angry with him as well, of course. He was her enemy. But they were on equal sides of the playing field in here. She told him of her mother, and he understood her.

Understood her?

Yet, she spat accusations about his intentions at him, screeching that he would stop at nothing to claim his honor and betray the Avatar to his father no matter how many innocent lives it destroyed. Somehow amongst the yelling and the talking and what felt like minutes but had really been hours, they spoke together about his scar.

"I have healing abilities."

"This is a scar. It cannot be healed."

"This is water from the Spirit Oasis…"

I have healing abilities…

He scoffed inwardly at the thought. Why would she help him? Why would she help, as she stated, the face of the enemy?

"Zuko, I don't understand you…"

He held the flame in his hand, and moved it behind his back, cupping it with his other palm and pouring it back and forth. He playfully poked at it, but he knew it was not for show, it was not for fun. If Zuko held the flame in her sight, letting it's light bounce off of her own two oceans tucked cleanly beneath her feminine lashes, she would know his threat was evident. She had touched his scar. A water tribe peasant had touched the face of the prince of the Fire Nation. Her most hated enemy. The face that represented everything she fought against.

I have healing abilities…

"Zuko," his name fell from her lips again.

Her voice was quivering, but not from fear. He had failed to terrorize her once again. Her passion boiled within her, sending vibrations to her vocal chords. Her voice rang in his ears, long after she had spoken. Passion was her tool of motivation, her weapon against him.

I have healing abilities…

She offered to help him and he repays her like this? By turning her into a rag doll and trying to break her like a child's plaything?

This is water from the Spirit Oasis...

No, it's a bribe. Don't fall for it.

She just wanted him out of the way. She wanted him gone so her and her precious Avatar can erase all the progress that he has made. She hated him, of course she hated him, and she could never want to help him. It didn't make sense.

But maybe…

Something was crying in his head, banging against the iron doors of his subconscious.

No! What am I thinking? Maybe? Possibly? If I capture the Avatar, I can use him, bring him to my father, who will accept me graciously as he strikes the Avatar down. He will restore my honor. That is definite. That is sure. No more of this 'maybe' nonsense. I know what I must do, and I know what I will earn if I continue. I know I must continue. I must…Musn't I?

Zuko let out an angry, guttural groan of frustration. He had been pacing back and forth in front of the waterbender. His thoughts had built up a fire, a rage, controlled but fleeting, that burned in his hands and his feet. It burned and smoldered like embers and forced charred footprints to litter the cave floor. All the while, he was watched. The waterbender had pulled her good leg up underneath her chin, letting her other stay extended out in front of her. With the position she was in, her skirting had lifted up slightly, exposing a tone and defined leg that Zuko had to applaud. How could she look so fragile and so strong at the same time? Her face was still bold, carved into a shape of amusement around her lips and cheeks, but something else welled up in her eyes…disappointment?

Yes, Zuko knew that look well. It was how he had been looked at most often by his father, his sister and his uncle, all three for completely different reasons. He wondered what her reason was. Was she disappointed that he had aimed to strike her? Was she disappointed that he did not let her heal him? Was she disappointed that he did not want to help her and the Avatar bring peace to the nations? He pondered quietly, scoffed, then let out a like chuckle.

"What?" She blurted it out, as if she was upset he was no longer on his private tirade. Like she had been watching a play and the curtain had fallen.

"Nothing, peasant." He glared at her as he took on her same position, mocking her from the opposite wall of the cave. His eyes never leaving hers. Her face twisted into a scowl. A low grumbling noise vibrated through the cave. The waterbender glanced up quickly, tucking her leg in closer to her.

If this cave falls into the earth, she prayed, oh, Spirits, take me with it.

Azula stood tall. She always stood tall. Like a tower of cackling terror, she rose above the prisoners at her feet.

"Well isn't this a surprise. Hello, Uncle."

Iroh's head tilted slightly upward, as if he dared not look anywhere else above the feet of his captor.

"Azula."

"How is the Dragon of the West? Finding chains to be a bit overbearing?" She grinned wildly.

He did not reply, only bowed his head back down in sadness.

"The others, where are they? Don't tell me they got away," She barked at the man in the green and tan garb next to her. Dai Li operatives had scoped every inch of the city in search of the Avatar. She would not accept defeat.

"My lady, they are being held in a more secure location. I shall escort you there."

Azula stared down at Iroh. She was loving this, really, she was. Her uncle, her own flesh and blood, bowing in chains at her feet. She knelt down in front of him, careful to not get too close, and placed a slender finger under his chin, pulling his gaze up to meet hers. His eyes were strong, despite everything. Azula stared into them, hard, as if trying to bend lightning through them and take the color out of them. They were unwavering. Azula grunted, and opened her palm. She let her hand flail wildly in a spasm as it ripped across the face of the Dragon of the West, a thin red welt already forming. She beamed.

"M-my lad-dy?"

The Dai Li agent stood next to her and spoke in a wavering voice. Azula rocketed up to her feet and turned to face him.

"Ah, yes, the others," Azula nodded, "tell me," she snapped her fingers before the Dai Li Agent could turn to get her the reins of the nearest ostrich horse. "Tell me, how long is the walk to the Earth Kingdom palace?" Her eyes were glossy, as if tears were trapped behind them. They were angled as she spoke, like they were narrowing on a target and the target was everyone.

"Uh- well…It would be almost an hour if we walked there, my Lady. We can ride the ostrich horses to get there in half that."

"No, let the beasts rest. It is the slow knife, the one that waits, that pierces the deepest."

The Dai Li agent nodded, slightly confused, but in full agreement of whatever she would say. He turned and lead the ostrich horse down the street. Azula followed suit, walking slowly, the rest of the Dai Li agents following behind her in a parade of terror through the streets of Ba Sing Se.

People had started to gather in the streets. No soldier, no army, as they all followed her. An older man selling cabbages had taken refuge to fix his broken cart on one of the shoulders of the avenue. Azula smiled wickedly at him and he paused, shuddered, and threw himself behind his cart. Men who had peered through windows to see who was disturbing their peace shut them defiantly. Mothers who had gathered in the lane to do their shopping hugged their children close and turned them away. No matter what street they turned down, the reaction was the same. Fear.

They were hers.

The Earth Kingdom palace was protected by a large wall. The wall was guarded by two large earthbenders at the front. There was no opening, no gate. As the caravan approached, one of the guards pushed his right leg out behind him, and his left fist in front of him, aiming it at Azula. She almost laughed. Raising her hand, she snapped and a small flame licked her fingers. She pointed it at the guard, who's partner had since abandoned his post. The guard growled in anger, but he did not falter at all. Azula opened her hand and let the fire scatter itself in wild patches up her arm. She casually placed her hand on the forehead of the guard. At first he stood confused as to why he was not burning, but then it began. Azula felt the familiar tinge of heat roar up in her stomach. Firebending was a full- body experience and she liked it that way. The flames gathered in a heated cluster in her palm, and the smell of burning flesh had twisted in the air. The guard dropped to his knees and fell forward. Azula was not sure if he had screamed or not. Her mind had shut everything out. She was at peace, blissful in her victory, so much so that the air around her clung like vacuums in her ears. Without hesitation, four Dai Li agents stepped forward from the crowd. Two men unceremoniously dragged the body of the guard away and the other two took their new position at the wall. They bowed to Azula, low, shaming bows, and stood erect. They bent their arms upwards as if they were mountains, and the earthen wall behind them groaned as an opening rose like a gate, welcoming the princess in.

Azula started forward, head held high as she basked in the glow of the sun. The walk through the courtyard was long and slow, but she wanted her prisoners to have time. Time to think about where they were. Time to think about who had captured them. Time to think about what might be done to them. Time to fear…

The doors of the palace stood out among the rest of the great walls and windows. They were large, metal, overcompensating doors. Azula placed her hand on one, closing her eyes. The feeling of metal was like home for her. She shoved the door open and her eyes lit up.

On the floor in the entrance of the palace was three small frames, kneeling and facing the throne, their backs turned to the door. Azula cackled. Was it her birthday already? What had she done to deserve such gifts? Oh, right…

She sauntered in front of the prisoners in a mocking stance, and stopped in front of the first. A young man from the Southern Water Tribe. His clothes had been tattered and his face was dirty as he looked up at her. Defiantly, he spat. Azula did not flinch. She felt no rage build up inside her. No matter what they did, no matter how they tried to rebel, they were hers…

They were hers…

"You're the waterbender's brother, right?" She didn't wait for a reply, "she is currently down in the Crystal Catacombs awaiting execution with my brother. He's probably singed half of her skin off by now. Heh, Zuko… I may wait though," she paused thoughtfully, "I like the idea that you all, all of you, will have a slow death." She moved on to the young earthbender in the middle, whose hands were encompassed in special metal shackles to prevent her from bending. "And you, your people…Don't worry, little earthbender, this is a great day for your nation. You will now know the glory the victory that awaits you at the Fire Nation's side." The earthbender sat motionless, boring Azula who moved on to her last prisoner. As she approached the Avatar, she noticed how broken and hurt he looked. She glowered in this thought. A guard approached and shoved Iroh onto the ground beside the Water Tribe warrior at the end. Azula nodded at him and he backed away. "Avatar," she started, "master of all four elements, huh? I've only got one, and yet here you are. No, no, Azula, don't get cocky yet. I'm not finished. This ends today."

She laughed and turned away from them, snapping at another Dai Li Agent. He nodded in understanding and revealed three brown sacks he had been holding behind his back. He walked over to the prisoners and placed a sack over each of the heads of the Avatar, the Water Tribe warrior and the Dragon of the West. A few guards came and lifted Sokka, Iroh and Toph, moving them over to one side of the ornate room. The Avatar was alone in the center of the room, alone and waiting. The guards who gripped the hair of each of the prisoners formed rock daggers out of the floor below them, holding them to the necks of their respective captive.

There was silence for a long while, until it was broken. Aang stood. The Dai Li agents started forward but Azula only held up her hand to give them pause. "Let them go," he demanded.

"Oh, no, we know that won't happen, little Avatar." She said flatly. "Any other demands?"

"Azula, let them go. These people, my friends, let them go."

She laughed wildly. "And why would I do that?! I have everything I want, but there is one last thing I must do and I am so close. Avatar, do you really think that your words mean anything to me?"

"If you won't let them go, then I'll…I'll…" But his mind drew a blank. She really had him here. All the people of this great city were hostage. His friends stood before him, struggling against their captors. He stared at them as small red beads started to form on the gathering of the sacks at their necks.

"I won't help you win this war, Azula."

"You think I brought you here today to help me? That's funny. Avatar, I didn't need your help to conquer Ba Sing Se. In fact, you were here, the whole time, working against me and I still overtook you. You really don't have a leg to stand on so I will make my demands once and only once." She smiled and motioned for the guard holding the earthbender captive. He grabbed the young girl by her chains and tugged her forward, slightly closer. Aang watched in horror as the Dai Li agent pushed the point of the dagger into her temple, staining the burlap over her head even more. Toph squirmed beneath, whimpering slightly. Aang closed his eyes, trying to shut out his friend, but as her cries grew louder and more desperate, Aang could feel the frustration in her voice. She was trying not to scream. Desperately. And Aang had wondered how she would sound if she just let loose and wailed, feeling all of the pain through shoot up through her vocal chords and take flight on the air in the hall.

Finally he cried out and the guard stopped torturing Toph.

"What do you need me to do?" Aang had stopped struggling. He was beaten. He would not allow any more violence. That was not his way. Sighing, he dropped himself to the floor.

"You are going to enter the Avatar state and I am going to kill you."

Aang looked up, shocked.

She was asking him to destroy himself. To destroy the Nations' hope of reaching peace. But if he did not do what she asked, she would kill his friends. He longed to know if Katara was safe. He longed to feel her presence lighting up the entire room with her smile. He longed to hear the voices of the monks, telling him what he needed to do. Should he die, here, now, and end the Avatar Spirit, the hope of the world to save his friends? They wouldn't want that. But then again, if he didn't do what Azula said she would kill them and although her plans would change she would still win. Aang thought about his fate and the fate if the world if he lived today. Would she just kill him anyways? Would she bring him to her father? Would she use him as a weapon to fuel her rage and tirade? No, he would not let that happen. He sighed again.

"I accept."

Shocked cries and anger came pouring out of the prisoners on the opposite side of the room as trills of battle and celebration jumped out of the Dai Li agents. Azula's eyes were as bright as the sun that stood above the palace, the sun Aang would not see again. Azula waited. It felt like an hour before everyone had calmed down, but really it had only been a few moments. Aang turned to his friends, muttering apologies one after the other as tears streamed down his face. They should not see him like this, no. It was for the best that they could not know the twisted agony on his face as he plummeted into death. He started to glance around, his head unmoving. Come on, Aang, what are you doing? You've made it out of stickier situations, right? He looked at his friends again who were now slumped, defeated. Come on, come up with something, you aren't going to die here today…are you? He paused and thought, long and hard. If he were to die in the Avatar State, he would break the cycle of the Avatar and there would be no more hope for those poor families in Ba Sing Se…No more hope for his friends to return to the Southern Water Tribe and greet their families…No more hope for Appa and Momo to wander through fields and feel the warm sun on their backs as they grazed…No more hope for anyone…

They were hers.

Finally, it clicked.

"Can I at least say goodbye?" He struggled to get the sentence out, to show no anger, no excitement, no emotion. Azula scoffed, then sighed.

"Fine." She couldn't believe she was allowing this, but she just rolled her eyes then flicked them back to the Avatar, watching closely as he slowly walked towards the prisoners. All eyes were on him.

Toph squirmed. The others knew he was walking towards them. They could hear his feet hitting the ground. Toph could feel him. All of him. His feet connecting with the ground made her heart pulsate in her chest. His warmth was getting closer to her. She stayed quiet. He was still far away but if she was silent it was like he was there…in her arms...Then her heart started beating faster. And faster. He was running now. Azula gasped and the guard behind Toph readied himself. He dropped his grip on her and pushed the dagger outward.

"No! You fool!" Azula screeched, but it was too late. Toph felt trickles of blood drop onto her shoulders as Aang's warm abdomen pressed against her kneeling frame. He collapsed, draping his head on her shoulder. He whispered something to her, so low, so quiet that she wouldn't be able to hear it if she had leant any of her senses to sight. The guard had his dagger out just long enough…

For the Avatar to run himself through.

AN: Okay so I revised it. Felt too rushed at the end…Added an extra 1,000 words almost. Hope it is a bit better than before.

-Kalloen