A/N:
BEWARE! THIS WILL BE RATED "M" FOR MATURE!
Zuko stirred in his sleep and woke, Katara still snuggled close to him, still held tightly in his arms. He huffed and tried to carefully move his arm out from under the waterbender without waking her. She had kept her head on that arm all night, causing him to wake up with it numb and tingling. Zuko hated this feeling, but decided he would allow Katara to continue using his arm for a pillow for a while, at least until the feeling became absolutely uncomfortable. He let out a long sigh as he slowly turned onto his back, keeping his left arm as still as he could. He figured it was so early in the morning that no one else had woken yet, it was so quiet he was sure he could hear the pitter-patter of small paws making their way across the floor of the cargo boat's storage area. He wondered when the mice had gotten onto the boat. They could have sailed up and down the Earth Kingdom shore a thousand times. Maybe the boat has also been to other places, like Whale Tale Island, Kyoshi Island, perhaps even a port in the Fire Nation. Those little rodents may have sailed across just about every sea on the map and not even know it.
The Fire Prince's attention was averted upwards, towards the air vent once he began to hear the sound of muffled voices. He hadn't heard footsteps, so he figured that the pirates had already been in that room all morning. Zuko groaned and slowly began to slide his arm out from under Katara's cheek. He paused halfway, suddenly noticing how beautiful and peaceful she looked. A small amount of light had begun to seep into the room from the stairway and fall perfectly onto her face. He turned towards her a bit and gently ran the back of his fingers over her cheek, brushing strands of hair out of her face. He froze when she wrinkled her nose and curled up into a tighter ball than she had already been in. Zuko bit his lip and watched, silently hoping that he hadn't woken her. He let out a sigh of relief when she relaxed. His eyes slowly trailed down her face to her neck, focusing on her necklace- her mother's necklace. He ran his thumb over the stone and thought about how lucky she was to have it. All he had left of of his mother were memories. Memories that no matter how often or hard he thought of about them, were beginning to blur and fade away.
He forced the thought out of his mind and finally managed to slip his arm out from under the girls head. He pushed himself up, still looking at Katara's sleeping figure. Slowly, he put an arm over her and shifted to where he was hovering above her. Before completely pushing himself up, he planted a small kiss on her cheek and watched as she coiled up even more, a small smile tugging on her lips. Zuko stood, still gazing at her when a smile came across his own lips and butterflies began to flutter in his stomach. He hadn't felt kind that sudden rush since he first saw Mai sitting quietly, still, and alone at a small ball held only for Royal and a few, most important Noblemen and their families. He forced that thought out of his mind as well.
Zuko slowly made his way to the vent, standing as tall as he could to try to hear better. It sounded like only two were speaking. They were probably the only ones awake, other than Zuko. This was perfect, without anyone else up and moving about, making noise, it was quiet enough that Zuko could make out what they were saying.
"I told you, we don't need a bigger boat! We're wasting our time!" One of them growled, Zuko could easily match the voice to the owner. It was Oh, the one who stood in front of the ship trying to lure people in to buy their oddities. Zuko knew he was high-ranking on this boat, perhaps the Captain's right hand man.
"No, that Sky Bison could fly off with this boat, or sink it if it wanted to. We've only got one cell, if we're expecting more prisoner's we're going to need more room." The Captain's voice rang out.
"Bah! We don't need the Sky Bison or the lemur, we're sure to make a living just off the avatar alone. We should have gotten him when we had the chance!"
"Nonsense, the more money the better. Why do you think I want to sell the Fire Nation boy to that crazy old Admiral Mao guy?" Zuko furrowed his brow and stood on his toes. They were planning to do what with him?
"I'm pretty sure that guy's name is Zhao. You're crazier than I thought if you think he's going to pay us anything to get the boy, why would he want him?"
"That's the Fire Prince. Fire Lord Ozai banished him, sent him off to search for the avatar for the rest of his life, never to come home and cause him further embarrassment. Ozai wouldn't give us anything for him, in fact he'd probably want us to keep him as our prisoner. But the Admiral see's him as a threat. The Admiral want's the avatar, but so does the boy. If Mao Zhao, whatever his name has the boy held as his prisoner, he has no one to get in his way of capturing the avatar, but what he won't know is that we will have the avatar, and we're going to turn him into the Fire Lord. If we get a bigger boat, we can hide the sky bison inside it, along with the lemur and the avatar. We'll be getting money for the boy, the avatar, and he's rare pets. A fortune."
"Ahh, I see, and what about the girl?" This question caused the Captain to burst into a fit of laughter before he answered.
"Seems as though she's been broken in well enough. I'd say it's time we have our own fun with her, don't you think?" Zuko gasped and stood flat on his feet, turning at his torso to look at Katara. They were going to begin using her themselves! Zuko clinched his fist and glared up towards the vent. He wanted so desperately to send a deadly blast of fire up it, but he knew better. They had to get out. They had to get out and off this boat. Today.
Zuko took in a deep breath and tried to calm himself before he slowly and carefully made his way over to Katara. She had turned over onto her back while he had been eavesdropping, so he placed a knee on either side of her hips before leaning down to nuzzle the crook of her neck, gently waking her from her slumber. She squeaked and stretched, slowly opening her eyes to look at the teen hovering over her. "Katara," He purred, still nuzzling her as he slipped his arms around her sides to pull her off the floor a bit, closer to him.
"Hm?" She hummed, still trying to wake up properly.
"Would you like to leave today?" He asked, relaxing his arms and turning to look her in the eyes. She furrowed her brow and used her elbows to prob herself up.
"What?" She breathed, glaring at him. How dare he tease her like that.
"We need to leave today. I've got a plan." She relaxed a bit, but raised her brow at him. "It doesn't matter which pirate it is, but whoever it is, we're going to lock him in this cell. We're getting out of here today."
Katara huffed and laid back down onto the floor. She looked at the cell door and tried to play out the scenario in her mind, how were they going pull it off? And what had made Zuko so determined to get out so soon? What had him so... spooked?
She let out a sigh and slowly looked back up to him. "Why today?"
"We just have to." She looked into his eyes and saw pure determination, with hints of something else. Worry? She pressed her lips together and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him close.
"Okay," Her voice trembled with nerves. She wondered how they were going to get off the boat and why hadn't her brother, Aang, and Iroh found them yet? Were they even still looking? Just thinking about everything gave her a terrible headache, and she tried to not worry about what was going on too much. Right now, she needed to focus and put all her energy to following Zuko's lead and getting off this blasted boat. They had both began to lose weight, and she tell that he had not only lost mental strength, but physical as well. His arms had already gotten smaller with lose of muscle, and without a shirt she could count his ribs and see that his stomach had begun to sink in just as his cheeks had. They were both starving and even though she had slept pretty well last night, she still felt absolutely exhausted.
Zuko sat up and pressed his back against the wall, pulling his knees up to his chest as always. He sat silently, watching Katara's facial expressions change through various emotions before stopping at one he placed as tired. She slowly sat up, scooting over to sit next to him before placing her cheek on his shoulder. He smiled lightly as he took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. He felt content, but he couldn't believe it. Being the situation he's in, he should be freaking out, literally worried sick, but he wasn't. He honestly felt pretty okay with Katara resting against him, her fingers locked between his.
He let out sigh, leaning his head back against the wall. What was going on? He shouldn't be feeling this way towards to her. She was a water peasant, he was a fire prince. Zuko frowned and rolled his eyes at himself. "You're just as low as I am right now" rang through his mind. She was right, he had lost his title a long time ago, and his ties with the Fire Nation had been cut. He no longer belonged to the Fire Nation, he wasn't needed, he wasn't wanted. For the first time in a very, very long time, he didn't want it either. At least, not it the way it was now. He had spent three long years hanging tight onto something, three long years fighting for something that wasn't there. He had been fighting for the great, happy, healthy Fire Nation that had been lost a long time ago. He'd be Fire Lord one day, he'd restore it's glory. It was his birth right, weather Azula or Ozai liked it or not.
Zuko's breath caught in his throat and he tensed up, he was honestly scaring himself. He bit his lip and realized just how fast everything was changing. Just about a week ago, his only goal was to capture the avatar, present him to his father and 'restore his honor'. Now it was as if he had a set of goals. Get off the boat with Katara, find his uncle and her brother and the avatar, join them and help them bring an end to the war, then return home and take his rightful place as Fire Lord.
He sighed and looked down to Katara. Thing's hadn't okay with Mai for a while, they hadn't spoken in so long. His feelings for her had also began to change. He wasn't even sure if he'd say they were still together, or if she even would. He loved Mai, he knew he did, be he also knew he needed Katara and cared for her greatly. Thing's wouldn't ever be the same between him and Mai again. Three years at sea and the situation he was in now had been changing him greatly, and he knew she would never be able to understand the things he had seen or gone through. He could tell her every little detail, he could paint pictures for her, but there would always be a wall there. The only person who would ever fully know and understand what he was going through was sitting, sleeping peacefully right next to him.
That's exactly where he wanted her to be. Right next to him. Just her, only her. He'd get himself and her off this boat safely, and he'd continue to stay with her afterwards. She was the only one he needed right now, and the only one he wanted.
Zuko sat silent and still, allowing Katara to continue sleeping. He had woken her up rather early, and she was going to need all the rest she could get for the plan he had for later today. Hours past by and he was sure it was the usual time that one of the pirates would come down and collect them, but they didn't. Zuko wondered what they were up to. They were probably trying to send a signal out to Zhao, letting him know that they had his biggest competition on board their boat. Maybe they were out looking for the avatar. Whatever it was they were doing, it sure was taking a long time.
Katara stirred in her sleep and woke rubbing her eyes. "What time do you think it is, Zuko?" She asked, yawning.
"Some time in the late afternoon. You've been sleeping a long time."
"Oh, so... what's the plan?" She asked, turning to look at him.
"When someone comes down to get us, I'll pull him in, you'll have to freeze him to the wall and somehow get a way to keep him quite." Katara pressed her lips together and looked away from him.
"You think I could freeze him to the wall?" She asked, doubting herself.
"You've been practicing, haven't you?" He leaned down closer to her.
"On a very small scale!" She pointed out, looking back up at him. He could tell she was worried by the look on her face.
"It's still practice." He assured, putting an arm around her.
They sat patiently, waiting for someone to come down. They had been waiting for hours, they were sure it was nearly dusk by the time they finally heard footsteps making their way down the stairs. It wasn't the clumsy man they had targeted earlier, but at least it was someone. Zuko nudged Katara with his arm and motioned towards the pirate making his way down the stairs. She looked up at him before looking at Zuko. He nodded and stood just as the man was putting the key into the lock.
"Eager, are ya?" The buccaneer asked, opening the door. Katara stood as Zuko slowly took a step towards the pirate. Just as Zuko had slipped past him, he grabbed his arm and flung him into the cell. "Hey!" He yelled. Katara immediately seeped a blob of water from the air and turned into a good sized block of ice. She pushed her arm forwards, sending the ice into the pirates mouth, leaving him unable to speak. He brought his hands up to his mouth and she took more water from the air, using it to freeze his wrists together, pulling the ice cuffs upwards, she forced him to hold his hands above his head. She took a step forward, pushing the ice up against the wall and freezing it against the steel. The man kicked violently before she cuffed and froze his legs to the wall as well.
Katara didn't even get a second to examine her work before Zuko had a hand wrapped firmly around her wrist, pulling her up the stairs behind him. They rushed onto the deck of the cargo boat, luckily, no one was there. Before anyone could realize they had escaped the cell, they had jumped off the side of the boat and into the river. They made it to the shore and bolted towards the forest that surrounded the river.
"I did it!" Katara exclaimed, having a hard time keeping up with Zuko.
"That's great!" He said, suddenly making a sharp turn to avoid running straight into a thorn bush. Katara hadn't noticed, and fell face first into it.
She let out a cry and rolled out of it and down onto her back. She hissed in pain and sat up, noticing a wad of white fur stuck into the bush. She tilted her head and reached for it. Just as she was about to grab it, Zuko came and grabbed her wrist, pulling her up to continue running.
"Come on! We have to put as much distance between us and them as we can!"
Katara continued to run with him as fast as she could, dodging other thorn bushes, tree limbs and stumps. She couldn't help but wonder what animal had gotten it's fur stuck in that bush. It couldn't possibly be Appa's or Momo's, could it? No, they would have flown over the forest.
Zuko slid to a stop when he realized he had ran into a clearing, an ally way to be exact. He held his arm out and caught Katara before she ran out too far. He stood in the shadow, watching people pass by the opening between two buildings. By the look and sound of things, there was some kind of celebration going on.
"Wow," She said, noticing how happy everyone seemed to be. "I wonder what's going on."
"I don't know," He said, slowly taking a couple steps forward, peeking out from behind the corner of the building. "Looks like some kind of masked celebration. This place is crawling with Fire Nation soldiers, though. They'll probably recognize me. Go get a couple of masks for us." Katara furrowed her brow and looked at him.
"Word has probably spread that your ship was blown to bits, Zuko. They all probably think you're dead."
"Yeah, and I'd like to keep it that way." He growled, scowling down at her. She raised her brow at him, but stepped out of the ally way to retrieve a pair of masks for them.
"Excuse me," She called, getting the attention of the mask kiosk owner. He looked over to her and smiled, silently asking if he could help her. "How much are these?" She asked, pointing to the masks.
"Oh, they're free. Are you traveling through here?" He asked, handing her a mask he thought she'd might like.
"Oh, yes, sir. What's the celebration for?" She ran her thumb over the blue paint of the mask, and picked a second one out for Zuko.
"Since the war usually causes so much sorrow, we try to keep it happy here, celebrating when ever we can. See, something went wrong with one of the cargo boats that was supposed to bring in new fabrics and foods, but when they sent in a different boat to make up for our lose, they accidentally sent in two boats, so we got double of we needed! Tons of extra merchandise is on sale, some even free. There would have been a fire work show tonight, had the avatar and his crazy friends not come through and blow them all up! But hey, at least Admiral Zhao has a lead on the boy, aye? And there will still be another stage show tonight, if you're intending on staying that long."
Katara's eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. She pressed her lips together in attempt to not look so suddenly alarmed. Aang had been through here! Sokka and Iroh! They were here! It had been Appa or Momo's fur stuck in the thorn bush! Of course, Aang wouldn't have flown over a village that was crawling with Fire Nation soldiers. He must have told them to make their way through the forest, out of sight while he, Sokka, and Iroh put on masks and casually slipped through the village, right under everyone's nose.
"Oh, wow." She squeaked out. "T-thank you, sir. I appreciate it, have a good night!" She said, turning on her heel to return to Zuko.
She rushed to the ally way and handed Zuko his mask. He could tell by her rushed actions that something had happened and he asked what was up. "Aang has been through here, Zuko. Sokka, your uncle! We're sure to find them soon!" She exclaimed, jumping up a bit in glee. She couldn't believe they were so close!
"Oh, what did the merchant say?" Zuko asked, pulling the mask over his face. Katara's face and shoulders fell, he didn't seem too excited about the great news.
"Most things are free today, due to extra merchandise." She informed in a dull voice, unhappy with his unhappiness.
"Good, than we can hopefully find a change of clothes, and a bag to fill with food." He turned and stepped out of the ally way and into the street, looking around to figure out which shop he wanted to stop at first. He hated shopping.
Katara came up to his side, and motioned towards a shop that was obviously selling clothes. He nodded and made his way over, her following not far behind.
"Well, hey there!" The shop owner greeted loudly, waving at the two. Zuko groaned and rolled his eyes behind the mask. One of the most annoying things about shopping were the employee's. "Everything on this side is free." He said, pointing to the right side of the shop. Zuko picked out simple shirts and pants he figured would fit him, while Katara examined each item of clothing, carefully choosing the ones she liked that would fit her. He knew she was going to take her time, so he spotted a food stall and told he'd grab some, then return to her afterwards.
Zuko wasn't sure which foods she liked, but he was careful to pick things that could last a couple of days, mainly fruits and vegetables, taking only a small bag of fire flakes and another with jerky in as a treat. 'Luxury'. As long as they kept moving as much as they could and at a steady pace he figured they should be at the Northern shoreline in a few days.
He made his way back over to Katara, picking up a bag for the food and the extra changes of clothes she had picked out for herself. He nudged her arm to get her attention and motioned towards the back of the village, back into the woods. He opened the bag for her to put the clothes in, she folded them carefully and placed them into the bag before stepping forwards, making her way through the crowd with Zuko trailing not far behind. He slung the strap over his shoulder and quickened his pace to walk beside her.
Slowly, they walked passed a large wooden crate that had scorch marks all over it, this must have been where Aang had somehow managed to ignite the fireworks. Perhaps Iroh had done it as a distraction, she figured.
They stepped into the forest and after a short while noticed a beat down trail in the ground, leading them to a small stream, surrounded with little shacks scattered over the small slopes. Somehow, during their trek their fingers had intertwined together and Katara squeezed his hand when she head a voice calling out. She stopped and looked over shoulder, taking her mask off with her free hand.
"Hey, you two." A scruffy looking man called, stepping out a tent. "Where do you think you're going?" He asked, putting all his weight on one leg as he examined the two. He didn't sound angry, or even look too bothered.
"Oh, sorry." Katara breathed out. "We're just passing through!" She assured, taking a step forward, tugging at Zuko. He stood still, though. She paused and looked at him over her shoulder.
"Maybe they passed through here." He whispered, motioning towards the guy standing a good ways away from them.
"Hey, by any chance," She began, fidgeting. "Has the avatar passed through here?" That wasn't one of the safest questions to ask someone.
"Maybe he has, maybe he hasn't. Who are you to know?" The man asked, leaning towards her.
"I've been traveling with him, and so has my brother and his uncle." She said, nodding her head towards Zuko. "We were separated and we're trying to find them."
"Ah huh." He held his chin up and looked away from her, unimpressed.
"I'm Katara, Aang is one of my best friends, please, we need to know if he's been through here with my brother Sokka and his uncle Iroh."
"Iroh? General Iroh?" The guy asked, stepping towards Katara and Zuko. They both nodded. "Yeah, man, they passed through here not too long ago! They headed that way," He said, pointing North.
Katara nodded and thanked him before turning to continue making their way through the forest.
They walked for hours into the night through the forest before finally coming to a clearing. Katara huffed and suggested that they should rest there for the night.
"No," Zuko protested, standing still. "It looks like there's a small house up on the hill. We should at least make it past this place before we stop." He said, slipping his fingers from hers to begin making his way up the hill without her. She huffed again, but followed him anyways. Her feet were aching and going up the hill nearly seemed like she was going up a mountain, she was so exhausted, but it wasn't long before the made it to the top, realizing it was a small, scattered village of houses and personal, family farms. "Come on," Zuko called, holding his hand out to her. She took it, but paused, noticing a stream of light appearing on the grass before her.
"Hey, there!" An old woman's voice called out. Katara and Zuko both turned to look in the direction it was coming from. A woman had opened her back door and noticed the two trekking through her back property.
"Sorry!" Katara called out. "We're just passing through!" She started walking, pulling on Zuko again. She turned to look at him. He hadn't budged. "Zuko," She growled under her breath, pulling on his arm.
"Nonsense, you two." The old lady walked out into her back yard towards them. She came up to them and stopped, gawking at Zuko's wound covered arms. "You two look like you've been through it all. Come on in for the night, I don't mind." The woman turned on her heel and motioned for the two to follow her. Katara and Zuko looked at each other before shrugging in agreement and making their way down the hill a bit to the woman's home.
Katara stepped in and her mouth immediately began to water at the smell of fresh food. It was deep into the night, what on earth was this crazy old lady doing up and cooking? Zuko also smiled at the aroma of food as he carefully placed their bag down next to a shoe rack.
"I stay up at all odd hours of the night," The woman began. "So it's just about lunch time for me." She said, leading them into a small dining room. "It should be ready soon." She pulled a chair out and went into the kitchen. Zuko motioned for Katara to take the chair the woman had pulled out while he pulled another and sat, next to her.
They sat silently and waited until the woman came back in, a plate in either hand, covered with food.
"Oh, we couldn't possibly-" Katara started, looking up the woman.
"Nonsense, child. It'd be rude of me not to serve my guests, wouldn't it?"
"Ma'am, we were just passing through and-"
"We haven't had a decent meal in days, and also need a place to stay for the night." Zuko butted in, attempting to take full advantage of the woman's good deeds. Katara frowned and glared up at Zuko, silently scolding him.
"I really appreciate this ma'am, but I-" She tried to protest again.
"Call me Azumi, and please, I always make too much and end up having so much left overs, I usually don't even get to finish it all before it spoils. I still haven't gotten used to being the only one here, and you'd be helping me a great deal by eating with me tonight." Azumi smiled and patted Katara on the shoulder before disappearing into the kitchen to get drinks and her own plate of food.
"Katara," Zuko growled under his breath as he leaned over to his right to get closer to her. "We need this."
"This is wrong, Zuko."
"No, it's not. She offered." Zuko cleared his throat and sat up straight as Azumi glided back into the room, a picture of tea in one hand her own plate of food in the other. Zuko looked around the small table and noticed that three glasses and place mats had already been arranged onto the table. "Looks as though you were expecting us." He said, motioning towards the arrangement.
"Oh, no." Azumi began softly. "My husband passed long ago, and a few years ago my daughter left to travel around with a young Fire Nation soldier. Even though they're gone, I still like to set the table up for the three of us. We are still a family, after all." Azumi smiled sweetly and took a bite of her midnight snack, or for her, lunch. "You know, she was about your age when she ran off." She said, motioning towards Katara. "I've become very doubtful of her return. You two may stay in her room for the night. First room down the hall."
"I'm sorry for your lose, we appreciate your help greatly." Katara said as she bowed her head in gratitude towards the aged woman before her.
They sat around the table, slowly eating the food to avoid irritating their stomachs too much. It had been a long time since either Zuko or Katara had a decent meal. Azumi had asked what had happened to Zuko's arms, why the were traveling at such late hours, and why they both looked so rugged. They explained vaguely about how they had been held prisoners on a stolen cargo boat, and that the pirates had beaten Zuko repeatedly, and even left Katara's left shoulder bruised and damaged, skipping over the sexual parts entirely. Azumi expressed that she felt for them and she wished them the best of luck.
Finishing their midnight lunch, they stood and helped Azumi clear the table and do the dishes.
"Are you two together? Would you like for me to run you a bath?" She asked, placing the final plate in the cupboard. Zuko nodded and stood still as Azumi pressed pass him before making her way down a hall to what Zuko figured was the bathroom. She came back into the kitchen to tell them when the water was ready. "I'll be in the back garden if you need anything." She said, opening the back door before pausing to look at them.
"We'll probably go lay down for the night afterwards," Katara informed. "We'll be sure to leave first thing in the morning." Azumi waved her off and assured her that they hadn't been a bother. Katara thanked her once again before making her way to the bathroom, Zuko following close.
She stripped down to nothing and dipped her fingers into the water, it wasn't exactly warm, but it wasn't too cold either. She placed in leg in after the other and slowly submerged herself into the large tub of water up to her chin. She closed her eyes and leaned back, trying to relax.
"Ugh," She heard Zuko cry out. "It's freezing!" She smiled and opened her eyes to watch him settle down into the water, raising the temperature as he did. He paused, wondering if it was getting too hot for her. "This okay?" He asked, scooting over to her. She nodded and placed her head on his shoulder just as she done earlier that morning.
She closed her eyes once again and tried to relax. They were so close to being reunited with the other half of the group, she couldn't believe it. They were probably only a few hours behind them. But wait. Once they were clear of the village with Fire Nation troops and the forest, Aang had probably called for Appa with his bison whistle. Appa could fly much faster than Zuko and her could walk. With the direction she was told they had been heading in, she figured they were headed North, perhaps they were planning on going to the North Pole. They had continued without her, and they were probably already halfway to the shoreline by now, and Appa could fly all night, while her and Zuko had to rest. Once they were out over the sea, there would be no way they would ever be able to catch up with the others. At this realization, she sat up and opened her eyes, struck with worry.
"What's wrong?" Zuko asked, gently placing a hand on the back of her good shoulder.
"They're going to the North Pole." She breathed, still looking forwards. "Without me." She bit her lip and tried not to cry. Why would they do such a thing? For all they know, she was still on that boat. Why hadn't they continued looking for her? Sokka and Aang both knew it was her dream to go to the North Pole and try to master waterbending, how dare they betray her and leave her behind! She covered her face with her hands and began to cry into them.
"Katara," Zuko called, turning her to face him as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him. "The river still went up a ways past the village, they're probably following it a good distance." Zuko could feel her shaking her head in disagreement against his chest, and a new thought came to him. He took her cheeks into his palms and made her look at him as he spoke. "My uncle knows that I wouldn't be putting up with a bunch of grimy pirates telling me what to do for too long, and your brother and the avatar know you're a fighter. They probably think that we'd be escaping soon and know that since the original plan was to go to the North Pole, you'd head there and meet them if you were ever separated, which you were. They're trying to follow you." Katara's cries had calmed to a sniffle, and she held his wrists in her hands as she listened to him. This was good theory, and there was a great possibility that he was right, but this made a new worry come to her.
"Zuko," She sniffled. "If we do find them-"
"When, we find them." He interrupted to assure her that they would indeed find them.
"When we find them, what are we going to do?" Zuko furrowed his brow and tilted his head.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you'd say that we're together now, right?" She asked, looking into his amber eyes. He nodded and hummed, telling her he would. "How are we going to tell that to Sokka?"
Zuko smirked and brought his lips to hers, giving her a small kiss before pulling back and saying, "We won't, he'll figure it out on his own." Katara scoffed and rolled her eyes at him light-heartedly before straightening up and giving him a small kiss on the lips before she pulled back to tell him,
"You can kiss me when we're outside of a shower or tub, you know that, right?" She asked, teasing him over the fact he hadn't really kissed her outside of the showers. He smiled and pulled her close, covering her mouth with his, kissing her slowly. She hummed in delight and melted into the water, slowly breaking the kiss. She opened her eyes and examined his arms and upper torso. "Is there anything you'd like me to heal?" She asked, looking up at him.
"No, the more people feel sorry for the more chances we have of finding a decent place to stay for free."
"That's terrible, Zuko."
"What we went through was terrible, Katara." She huffed, he was right but she didn't like taking part in using people like that.
Once she had 'cleansed herself of her previous owners filth' she stepped out of the bath and noticed Azumi had laid out a fresh change of clothes for the both of them and even a pair of scissors and a band of ribbon for Katara to fix her hair. She put on her wrappings and figured she'd let the rest of her body air-dry while she took the scissors to her hair, cutting it even shorter but thinning it out and tapering it as she watched closely through a mirror on the bathroom wall above the sink. Now it didn't look so hacked off, and now that it was thinner it wouldn't make the heat as unbearable as it had before. She pulled her hair up into a high ponytail, unable to braid it properly due to the layers. It was okay, she figured as she examined her work, it didn't look too bad.
She took the robe and pulled it over her shoulder carefully, still watching herself in the mirror, she caught a glimpse of Zuko standing and getting out of the tub. She quickly averted her eyes and look away from him as a blush crept up onto her cheeks at the sight of him. She finished putting on the robe and went back to examining herself in the mirror. The robe was a little bit loose on her, even after tying the belt around her waist. The sleeves covered her hands completely and the length of the robe covered her feet and pooled around them. She would have to fix that if she didn't want to be tripping all over the place. But then she figured she'd wear the robe for the night and then change into a pair of clothes that she had personally picked out for herself while she was at the celebrating village in the morning.
Katara turned and noticed Zuko had already dressed and he had already been at the door, waiting for her to finish. She smiled and made her way to him. "Tired?" She asked, pressing past him, leading him to Azumi's daughter's room. She pressed the door opened and waited for him to enter. She watched as he placed a hand on the mattress before slowly and carefully rolling onto it, laying onto his back. She noticed his face twist in pain, his cuts must still be hurting him badly. "Are you okay?" She asked, sitting down onto the bed next to him. He nodded and shifted to get comfortable. One he laid still, she lowered herself down next to him and pulled the covers over them both, stopping at her chin.
"Wow," He began, stretching his limbs a bit, pressing himself further into the mattress. "I haven't been on an actual bed in years."
"Then you should sleep well tonight." She said, placing her cheek on his chest as she placed a hand on his stomach. That was something else he hadn't done in years. He hoped he would sleep well as he felt her begin to run her fingers up his stomach to his chest, then back down, stopping just above his navel. "Are you sure there's nothing you want me to heal?" She asked, lifting her head to look at him. She had been tracing the crooked trial of broken skin she had left on him.
"No." He said simply, closing his eyes. She huffed and placed her head back onto his chest. She wondered if he was a deep sleeper, perhaps she could heal it in the night against his will. She took her hand off his stomach and curled it under her chin. She hated those cuts she had given him. She absolutely hated them.
She sighed and tried to not worry about it and let sleep come over her.
A/N: I was going to write what was going on with Aang's group, but I think it's told pretty clear through Katara and Zuko. Please leave a review and tell me what you think! Azumi means "safe residence".