Disclaimer: I don't own the Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of its characters.

The Shadow of the Past

Chapter 11 – Puppet on Strings

Story by Last Butterfly

Summary: Modern AU, no bending. The first chapter is the background of the two characters, and it is the base of the story. How did Zuko gain his scar? What happened to Katara's and Sokka's mother? Read it to find out! - Zutara, Zuko x Katara

By the time Zuko got home he felt extremely tired. Even though he hated to admit it but at least the trio could work hard if they wanted to. And it only cost him some mild jokes, 'girl'-talk about things, he would have rather never heard about, and just a couple of embarrassing moments… which were unfortunately just a couple more than he wanted to face that day.

Of course his uncle did not return until the work was done. The new glass windows arrived earlier than expected so he was at least able to close the cleaned shop. It still needed renovating but most of the work was done.

After entering a house as no one answered to his voice, he realized that he was alone. Ursa mentioned to him that after taking Katara home she wanted to do some shopping; and if he guessed right then his sister had probably been with Ty Lee and Mai somewhere around town too.

He finally walked up to their only armchair, collapsing into it almost theatrically. When his bag reached the ground it gave a dull background noise. He bowed his head against the headboard, groaning while covering his face with both hands. Then he seemingly shuddered before letting his hands down.

Hama was the worst of that three. Well, now he was aware of that. In one moment she was a kind-looking old lady, chuckling and telling him not to worry about the three of them as they only had that little fun to sometimes tease 'young adults' like him. Then in the other she would make a comment about how fabulous he looked from behind just when he bent over to pick up a fallen broom.

…now that he thought about it, he doubted that that damned broom had been there accidentally.

He had been sitting there for minutes when he remembered how his uncle left hurriedly. And with that he reached in his bag, looking for the leaflet he had thrown into it. He was sure it fell out of his uncle's pocket. But what could have been so urgent for Iroh to go and check on Azula?

After finding what he was looking for Zuko finally folded the small paper open. He frowned upon the short message which only said: "Ladies first…"

He turned it whether it continued on the backside but that was all. He elbowed on one of his knees in thought. The hand-writing looked familiar to him but he did not know where to place it. But for a reason he could not explain he started to have a bad feeling too. Why would this stupid piece of paper worry Iroh at all? Maybe it were not kids who broke in the shop after all. But if not then who would…?

He was so lost in his thoughts that he did not seem to hear that his phone was ringing. But he smiled as he pulled it out of his pocket, seeing the name 'Katara' written on its screen.

He rubbed his neck before leaning backwards, picking it up. "You cannot imagine how much I've missed hearing your voice…" He spoke softly, slightly smirking as his voice came out rather huskily. But then, in a blink of an eye, all of his good feelings had been twisted and torn out.

"Well, well Zuko," His eyes rounded, hearing that voice again. His hands started gripping both the armrest and his phone as the cold chuckle reached his scarred ear from the other side of the line. And now he realized with horror who had written that short note, and who broke into the coffee shop. "I'd dare to say that was the most charming welcome I have heard for years…"

-- Earlier that day --

Ursa sighed while crossing the grass for the second time, holding a paper bag of fruits close to her. She hemmed a tune as she took the steps to the house Katara and her family lived in. She took a turn on the veranda towards the backdoor which way one could reach the kitchen directly.

When the wind bells tinkled behind her, she slowed down. She started frowning as she looked back at the half-moon-shaped glass pieces which twinkled in the sunlight. But then another breeze came, moving the tree's leaves in rhythm with it. The tinkling sound which made her smile for the first time she had come here felt… different. She suddenly felt uneasy. The following breeze sent a chill down her spine while she was standing there.

She shook her head, to get rid of that weird thought but just as she was about to turn towards her original direction, she was suddenly spun around.

The bag fell from her hand as an arm fell around her waist. She tried to let out a scream but a hand pressed against her mouth and nose, and she could barely make any noise. When she started struggling she had been pressed face against the building's wall; the arm holding her left her waist, allowing her to feel the complete male anatomy of his attacker from behind her. In this intimidating position the lower arm leaning beside her looked pale but truly muscular and from the corner of her eye she could see a tattoo… his tattoo: a dragon, surrounded by flames.

What followed next made her freeze. The man inhaled deeply, her scent filling his senses after all those years. Nights he had spent alone in a dark, stinky cell… With his free hand he brushed her raven hair behind her ear which was closer to him but he could no longer hold back. He felt her whole body shiver as he whispered against the delicate skin below her ear. "Have you missed me?"

The edge of Ozai's lips curled upwards as his wife whimpered against his hand. Her fingers tried to clench against the wall, scratching into the plaster before spreading halfway out again. After she went limp in his arms he first did not let go, thinking she was only faking. But as her heartbeat slowed down and she did not make another sound did he realize that she fainted in his arms.

"Hn," His lips turned into a narrow line in disappointment. Before getting into action many possibilities ran through his mind but this did not happen in any of them. One of his hands brushed a feather away from her forehead as he lowly spoke. "How utterly disappointing, darling…"

He picked Ursa up in bridal style, narrowing his eyes as he turned towards the direction he came from. Taking her to his Sedan would have been easy as most of the neighbors spent their time away from home that early in the afternoon. But after taking the first step he peeked behind. Then suddenly a full smirk appeared on his face.

He turned around then moved hurriedly towards the backdoor of the house, desperately calling out for help…

---

"Help! Somebody…!" She dropped the piece of grocery what was in her hands, whirling around when he heard a male voice, nearing the door. By the time she took two steps, a pale man appeared in the doorway, carrying Zuko's mother in his arms. "Thank God; do you know her?"

Katara gasped, placing her hand to her mouth before hurrying up to them. "Oh my, yes!" She started hurriedly, realizing how Ursa was not conscious. "What happened?"

"I've found her on the veranda, she probably fainted." He spoke while taking deeper breaths. His hair was up in a ponytail so one could easily see his amber eyes, which had been the typical characteristic of the people from the Fire Nation. She was not sure about that but this man looked somehow familiar…

The sudden shock seemed to slow down the girl's thoughts so Ozai adjusted his hold on the woman's body, asking calmly. "Could I lay her down somewhere?"

The blue eyed girl blinked, shaking her head once to clear her thoughts. "Of-of course, just follow me." She turned on her heels, leading the man towards the living room. She did not notice the low noise as he pushed the door close behind him with his leg and only then did he follow her inside…

She moved the pillows on the couch so that he could put Ursa down without trouble. Katara appeared beside the woman at once, placing a hand to her forehead then checking her wrist for her pulse. "I do not know what could have caused this. She has never fainted before. I'm not even sure whether she has ever been sick since I know her…!" She had been so occupied that she did not even look up at the man behind her. "Have you seen what happened?"

As the man did not answer to her, Katara frowned. "Mr…?" She started while slowly turning around, only to find him beside the phone, looking her way. She opened her mouth to tell him to call an ambulance but as her gaze moved down his arm to see the wires within his hand her voice remained in the back of her throat. He was not there to help them. He was not going to use that phone. And he just made it sure that she would not either.

Ozai let a smirk come to his face only after her blue orbs returned to meet his glance. "Have I seen it? Not quite…" The girl did not dare to move as one of his hands disappeared behind his back, pulling a hand-gun out from his baggy jeans. "I'd rather say that I am the one who have caused it."

-- NOW --

"…are you still there?" The cold voice was intended to mock him and he could just as easily imagine the evil smile on his father's face. He had seen it enough to memorize it.

With the phone still in his hand, the scarred teen stood up so fast that the armchair almost tilted over behind him. His expressions quickly changed from shock to anger, his face darkening as he asked. "How can you have that phone? What have you done to her?!" His voice rose with each sentence but the answer he gained with them silenced him rather soon.

"Tch. Tch. I would think twice what to say if I were you," Ozai spoke calmly, making the hair on his neck stood up. "Someone you icherish greatly/i might get hurt easily."

Zuko felt as his mouth went dry. His fingers ran to his hair, clenching into his own locks desperately. Out of all the times why couldn't he keep his temper at bay right then?

"I am waiting…"

"Alright. A-alright, just… just don't do…" He found himself stuttering, looking around feverishly to find something which might prove he was only dreaming. But the chill in his bones, and the impatient voice of his father erased all his hopes in that direction.

"I will act on behalf of what you force upon me, Zuko." He swallowed hard as his name rolled off the other's tongue. His breathing became shallow. Only now did he let his hand fall back by his side.

Did he have another choice he would have cursed, letting out his rage but the threat of Ozai froze his boiling temper. He stopped his racing mind, focusing his thoughts to finally have a clear head. It was not the time to fight back. It was the time to play by his father's rules.

"I… would not wish to disappoint you." The teen said. Especially not now... His cool voice sounded somehow alien from his own. The calmest tone he could ever muster seemed to please the man at the other end of the phone.

"I want to believe you. I truly do… but I'm afraid I know you enough not to trust you." His good eye turned round once again. "Maybe I should prove a point to you here…"

"No, wait!" Zuko's hand grasped the cell-phone like his life depended on it. "Wait, I'll… I'll do as you say."

There was a silent pause, making his fingers itch out of powerlessness. If he did not act the way Ozai expected him to do then who knew what would happen to Katara. His Katara…

The silence must have not been longer than a mere minute but for him even this had been agonizing. He could hear his crazily beating heart in his ears. It was like the ticking of a timer on the most dangerous kind of bombs.

The scarred teen let out a shaky breath while closing his eyes then bowed his head in defeat. "I'll do anything you ask of me…"

"Well, well…" His father must have enjoyed this indeed. Satisfaction rang from every single word that left his mouth. "It seems to me you finally know your place."

Zuko clenched his teeth, sneering as he forced himself not to growl.

"I am going to hand the phone over to someone," The teen snapped his head up, holding his breath as the man said this. "She is going to tell you what you should do next."

He felt a drop of sweat ran down his forehead but did nothing to remove it. He faintly heard Ozai's voice again then somebody took a deep breath. "Hello…?"

From the burning feeling Zuko guessed his good eye started to fill with tears. "Katara? Katara, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

She spoke lowly, hesitantly. Her voice made his heart clench. She did not sound fine. What would he have given to hold her right then…

He wanted to keep his composure but the words slipped through his lips as if he hadn't been in control of them. "I love you," His voice was rusty and it suddenly became more difficult to form the words. But he wanted her to know… to believe that he would handle this. God, how he hoped he could handle it! "It's gonna be all right. I promise to you."

He heard her sniffing once. She then blew out a bigger amount of breath before speaking. "Zuko, listen closely to what I'm about to say," Her voice sounded more firm this time. "He… wants you to come to our house. Alone…" Another inhale of breath but what followed was definitely not what Ozai told her. "But he has a gun! Don't even think about doing what he-" She hurried with the words to finish before his captor would take action.

When she had been interrupted with a loud slap Zuko cried out in unison with her scream. "No! Katara…!" As no one answered to him, panic overwhelmed him. He felt like a swimmer who had been pulled under the icy depths with nothing to hold onto. He yelled her name over and over again but only a low, angered male voice sounded from the distance. He hurt her. I couldn't stop the bastard and he hurt her! When she just tried to help, my brave Katara… "Katara! Katara!!!"

As his voice cracked he was finally stopped by the cold one of his father one more time. "I understand now what you saw in her," The way Ozai said these words suddenly made him feel nauseous. If he dared to hit her once then he would not hesitate to do so again… The sinking feeling in his stomach only strengthened with each of his following words. "She should have been taught a lesson or two."

"Don't hurt her," He did not ask. He was pleading. God, he made an oath never to beg to him but in that moment oaths were not important. Unfortunately, nor were pleas. "Please, just don't h-…"

"Quit whining!" Zuko bit his lip but looking around once again he felt dizzy. The whole room seemed to whirl around while he was standing in the middle of it. "Do as you were told but if you talked about this to anyone, or God forbid you would think about calling the cops…"

"I won't," It's taking all out of him not to scream, he could not allow that to himself. For Katara's sake… "I swear I won't." He repeated himself and his strangely cool voice hurt his ears, but not as much as the click and the short beeps of the phone call's end.

---

Why do movies never show how kidnapping truly affects people…?

Zuko groaned once more, bowing above the sink before finally washing out his mouth.

I guess it would lower the number of audience with a great deal.

It had only been minutes after he put the phone down but he still could not think straight. But that was something he could not allow. Not this time. If he made the wrong move…

When his cell rang again, he almost fell across the bathroom rug he tripped on. But when he looked at it and it had been his uncle on the line, he only frowned. Should he answer it? …should he ask for help through him?

He finally picked it up. But in the same moment his brain seemed to shut down.

"Zuko, is everything all right?" Iroh asked which he suddenly felt ironical.

"It depends on the angle you're looking at it."

"…what?"

He let out a half sigh-half scoff. "I just threw up."

"Oh," The old man did not expect that kind of answer. "I'm sorry to hear that." The difference between his voice and Ozai's made him think for a moment. Even when Iroh was yelling at him, his words could never have had half of the effect as his father's.

The teen was torn by this simple call. He should have told his uncle what happened. He should have yelled about how Katara was in danger, how Ozai had been back and who knew what else he had already planned for him. Yet he only wondered whether his own voice sounded more like his or more like the one's whose blood was actually running in his veins…

When he finally said anything, he spoke about something entirely different. "You've left me."

Gods, his brain was dead.

"Nephew, I don't think I understand…"

"With the trio." He went on; the strange heaviness of his own chest making it clear that he was still not completely himself. "In the shop."

"Oh," There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Z-zuko, they didn't do anything to you, right? I mean I knew they could be a bit crazy if you were around but I believed that they would never actually…" Iroh's voice was worried and this suddenly made him nauseous again. He was directly making the old man feel guilty even though his true problem had nothing to do with him.

"No, nothing happened. I… it's just the stress…" The scarred teen spoke, finally his brain returning to his original trail of thoughts. His uncle went on about how he should lie down and should not eat anything just to be safe. Knowing how the old man cared about him made this whole thing only harder. He felt as if he had gone back in time, looking for guidance like a foolish teenaged boy… When he finally spoke he cut in the middle of Iroh's sentence. "Uncle?"

"Yes Zuko?"

He felt horrible. He felt weak. And he felt disgusted with himself.

He could not tell him. Iroh could not help him. He lately had heart troubles too. Of course he believed that only his mother had known about that but he overheard a phone call once accidentally. And when one heard the word 'hospital' they had to listen into it a bit more.

If anything happened to his uncle because he broke under pressure… or rather, if anything happened to his girlfriend because he could not keep his mouth shut…

Iroh was not an option. Ozai was there with Katara; with a gun he was not afraid to use if anyone dared to interfere. His rules were the only ones one had to learn and follow… or else everything would come to a bitter end. He was just wasting his time with this call. And he tested his father's patience….

He shut his eyes closed, all of his muscles tensing as everything moved into place in his mind. Maybe he could carefully give away some of the information without breaking his father's rules...

When he finally spoke, he thought out well what he said. "Ozai is out of prison, right?"

There was a tired sigh before the old man asked. "How did you figure it out?"

Oh, he personally informed me. "That's not important," Zuko spoke on a cool voice. He could not know that that tone made his uncle frown fully.

For a moment the teen chewed his lower lip before adding one thing. "I'll be at Katara's place if anyone was looking for me."

Iroh was asking something else but he pulled the phone away from his ear, ending the call. Then the worst of all thoughts flooded into his mind.

What if this had been the last conversation he could have had with his uncle…?

A/N: Ah, if this won't make you review then nothing will. XD

Oh-ho-ho, - and kids: this is why you never let strangers into your house. You can never know who they really are...

The next chapter's title is: ~Face to face~