CHAPTER RATING: M (Language, Sexually Suggestive Situations, Sexually Suggestive Dialogue)
A/N: As a reader of my own fan fiction, and when comparing it to my other stories, I have three words for myself: "That took FOREVER!"
This chapter turned out longer than I could have imagined, and longer than I planned. I promise that I'll try to keep them shorter. I personally don't like reading long chapters because they seem to drag on for too long.
I apologize in advance.
Special thanks to Malevolent Dark Reflection, Kingg6, and Akatsuki Leader13, for the praise, and the criticism.
Chapter 6: "Then, you need passion..."
He turned and began to walk out of her room, just as he was about to feel the night's cool breeze, he heard her voice.
"Avatar." It was stern, but not hostile. He turned to face her. "Don't tell the waterbender about this meeting."
He nodded.
"Goodnight...Sifu." He thought he saw a faint smile, but shrugged it off before he bowed and continued to his room.
…
With only a few hours of sleep, he found eagerness that he thought was gone. With a focused breath, he saw the sun's rays peaking over the cliff; he could feel the sun, the power, the fire in him.
"Up early, aren't you?" Aang heard Zuko.
"I used to wake up like this all the time." He replied with a grin. "Morning meditations."
"Really?" Zuko took a seat next to him."So, how'd it go?" He whispered.
Aang took a deep breath, held open his hand, and presented Zuko with a dancing ball of flame.
"How'd you do it?" Zuko continued.
"Desire." Another breath exited his lungs, his mind focused on his one desire. "That's what she taught me."
"She taught you well. It's the same thing that Uncle taught me." Zuko smiled as he recalled the lesson.
"Do me a favor?" Aang looked over to Zuko.
"What?"
"If Katara asks, tell her that you taught me."
"Right."
...
"Good morning, everyone!" Sokka extended his arms to his sides and yawned as his muscles extended. The sun was higher now; he looked around and saw that everyone was already awake.
"I thought you were the one who was always ahead of schedule." Suki offered him a cynical look. He replied with misery in his eyes. "Relax." She cheered. "I was only teasing."
He laughed it off, and walked out in shock.
"What happened to the food?! A tipped bowl sat near the cliff's ledge, a brown, pungent stain spilled against the rock.
Sokka looked over at Azula.
"What?" She replied, offended. "You think I did that?" A silence followed. "So what if I did?" Her flat, careless, and confident tone made him grind his teeth. "That mess you made last night was disgusting." She continued.
"So what do you, Fire Nation Princess, suggest we do?"
Azula rose to her feet. Her confident stride weakened his stance.
"Do you have a brush?" Toph slammed her foot into the ground; Azula caught a stylus, and nodded at the blind earthbender. "And a piece of paper?" Toph shrugged, smacked the floor with her foot again, and produced a thin tablet of stone. "Good enough."
"What's this?" Sokka asked.
"What's it look like?" She mocked "Bring those ingredients, and you'll be thanking me tonight on a full stomach. It shouldn't cost much."
"...Fine." He took the list into his hand, and felt the jingle of silver coins on his belt. "Who's coming with me?"
"I'll go!" Suki shouted. Appa roared, and Toph nodded.
"…This better be as good as you say it is." Sokka spat. His eyes as sharp as daggers as they peered at her.
"It will be, now get moving." Azula spat back, her gaze was even sharper than his.
They shot nasty looks at each other until Sokka turned towards Appa.
"Yip! Yip!" The sky bison took off at the command.
…
"I knew you would figure it out." Katara watched the flame that moved in Aang's hand. "I'm proud of you." She hugged him, her warmth eased his nerves.
"Thanks Katara." He whispered, returning her embrace. He opened his eyes, and saw Zuko, arms crossed, looking towards them. "I think Zuko's waiting for me." Damn it. He flinched.
"O-of course." She stuttered with a flushed face. "I'll see you later."
"Y-yeah." His head hung low as he walked towards his trainer.
...
"So, she taught you how to get your hands on fire." He spoke with a harsh tone. "But let's see how good you are at using it." Zuko drew his hands into fists, gauntlets of flame surrounded them.
He lunged forward, sending a fireball towards his pupil. Aang planted his feet into the ground and moved to dodge the projectile. But it vanished before his eyes as Zuko opened his palm, and shot forth with a kick.
Aang brought his hands to his head, blocking the blow with his forearms. The force of the attack sent him skidding across the stone ground, where he caught himself in an air pocket along the wall of the temple.
"Come on, Avatar!" Zuko shouted. "You can't run forever! What did you learn about being a firebender?" Aang pictured in his mind the image of what he wanted. The only thing he wanted. The only person he wanted.
Zuko lunged again; Aang leapt up, planted his feet into the wall, and launched himself towards Zuko. In an instant, Zuko ducked the human fireball just hurled at him, and fell to the ground. The searing heat forced his eyes closed. When he managed to get back onto his feet, Aang was gone.
A cry of victory came from behind him, Zuko flinched at the incoming flames, but nothing struck him.
"Huh...?" Aang gasped, with a leg sweep, He brought the Avatar flat onto his back with a crash against the stone floor. "What happened?" Aang asked as Zuko offered him a hand.
"It looks like you can't actually use fire yet." Zuko observed. "But you'll get there eventually." Zuko offered Aang a hand.
To do that...I'll probably have to see Azula again tonight. He sighed. Both in slight anxiety, and oddly, he felt...in anticipation.
...
"Zuko. I need to talk to you." Azula called to her brother. She invited him to sit down next to him.
"What is it?" He sat down next to her.
"Your sparring session with the Avatar was impressive." He saw what he believed to be a smile. A genuine smile across her lips. "I know you aren't trying to capture him anymore, so I need you to deliver another message to him."
"Sure." He felt conflicted with her insulting compliment.
"I know of an herb on the coast." She looked towards the white mist, and brought her eyes to the horizon. "It can help him with his training. I need him to take me down on his glider."
A long silence broke the conversation.
"Fine. I'll tell him." Zuko let out a breath. "But before that, answer a question for me."
"What is it?"
"Why do you care so much about helping the Avatar?"
"I know you have little reason to trust me." He thought he heard regret in her tone. "I guess the reason why I've been such a...a heartless bitch." She sighed. "Was because I was jealous, I always thought that she loved you more."
He didn't know what to say.
"I was never brave enough to tell you, but the day you received that scar...I felt a part of myself...Disappear." She placed her hand over his left eye.
"Do you really feel that way?" His voice was cracking, and he saw a sight he'd never thought he'd see.
She was crying.
"I'm...I'm sorry." She wiped her eyes. "It took long...Far too long, for me to realize this." She took a breath. "But Father must be stopped, after all he's done to this world, after all he's done to our family. And now I realize that I must help the Avatar do so."
He sat silent, and then held out his arms, and she accepted his embrace.
"I've changed my way." He tried to comfort her. "I know you can too."
...
"He what?!" Katara's voice echoed through the cliffs surrounding the temple.
"Look, I'll be honest with you." Zuko pleaded. "I didn't teach the Avatar how to hold fire, Azula did."
"If she hurts him..."
"Look, I'm sure she was serious about helping him. Something has changed in her."
"IF she hurts him..." Worry rushed through his veins as her eyes met his. "I will end your entire bloodline with my own bare hands, do you understand?"
"I promise you." He gulped. "She won't do anything."
...
"So... What are we looking for again?" Aang landed on the white sand of the coast. Azula caught herself on her feet as he came down.
"The Blue Dragon Lotus." Azula answered. "It should help you focus on our next lesson." They walked across the shore, footsteps dragging along the white sand.
"Zuko never told me about any herb that could help me with training."
"He doesn't know about it." She eyed the inner foliage of the shore. "Being exiled will do that." She turned towards a palm tree, and looked at its roots. "I learned things that he didn't."
He nodded his understanding while she reached down and pulled a flower with azure petals.
"We can brew this into a tea, but first, we need to dry out the petals."
"On it." Aang created a small pothole in the sand, a stone grill with rock, and held his hands underneath it. "We can do it this way." He smiled.
"Why don't we just make a fire?"
"I can control the heat better this way." He motioned for her to place the flower onto the grill. She tore off the petals and laid them down.
"It's going to take a while." She added.
"I can wait."
Minutes of awkward silence passed before Aang decided to speak his mind.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."Azula answered.
"Zuko told me that you said you wanted me to stop the Fire Lord."
"What about it?"
"Well it sounds like you're serious about this. And I was wondering..." He rubbed his neck as he spoke. "Why did you give Sokka such a hard time this morning?"
"I had to." She admitted. "I always need to be strong. Even when I'm not, I have to act like I am. If I don't, people will see it as a weakness, vulnerability. And I can't let everyone see that."
"You don't have to be like that anymore, you're with us. You can be yourself."
"I don't even know who I am anymore." Her eyes were still glued to the blue petals as they began to compress. "Besides, if I can't even trust myself, how can I expect anyone to trust me?"
"Well...for what it's worth, I trust you." He smiled. The flame in his hand growing as the words left him. He shook his head, the flame weakened, and he refocused. "Uh... Yeah, so, is it done yet?"
"Soon." She whispered.
...
"Moosehog leg, garlic, green peppers, salt, onions, carrots, squash, cilantro, parsley, basil, rice noodles, white rice. What else was there, Suki?" Sokka tore through the plastic bags.
"No, I-I'm pretty sure that's it."
"Alright, Princess! Let's see how good your food really is!"
Azula pushed through him and scoffed at his insolence. She placed the large bowl onto the ready-made fire and began cooking.
"I'll show you how they make it at the royal palace." She grinned.
…
"I know you're worried, Katara. But believe me when I say that I'll be fine." He tried his best to reassure her. "It's thanks to her that I can do this." His hand opened to a fiery palm.
"Aang, I'm just worried about you. I spent weeks trying to heal you, and-"
He interrupted her with a soft kiss.
"I haven't told anyone this. But I'll let you know." Blood rushed to his face. "There's only one thing... One person that gives me the ability to produce this fire." The flame grew larger, and brighter.
"Aang, you're not saying..."
"You're the one who keeps this small flame burning." She moved forward, and met his lips with hers again, pushing him up against the wall.
"Her guys! Come try this! Azula's cooking is-" Sokka's head ducked into the room. "-great..." He raised an eyebrow. His sister while they stood next to each other with forced smiles and embarrassed looks. His head tilted, and the retracted out of the room.
"He ruins everything." Katara whispered.
"It's okay." He stepped forward. "Just…Take my hand." She blushed, and accepted.
...
The night was still, filled with the same air from the previous. The same moon shone in the sky. The only warm lights came from the main campfire, and the small brazier in Aang's room.
Her steps were quiet, but to his ears, it was as if she was stomping in the echo chamber. The crackling flames continually played in his ears until he heard her voice.
"Are you ready for your second lesson?" Her voice, just as soft as the sheets that lined his bed. He looked up, and met her golden eyes, the reflection burning a dancing fire within them. In her hand, a steaming cup of tea.
"Is that...?" Azula nodded to answer him.
"Drink it." She ordered. "It's hot, so be careful." He took the cup from her hand, and sipped at it until he found it bearable, then he drank the entire cup.
She sat down next to him.
"Now, you're next lesson," The tea brought warmth to his chest, a warmth that spread through his body. "After you have desire, you need something to drive you to that desire. You need passion."
"The monks taught me to leave behind all attachments." He whispered back. "To learn how to let go."
"Do you really want to let go?"
"No..." He had to admit.
"The air nomads had their way. You are an airbender. But more so, you're the Avatar."
He took in a deep breath, meditating on her words.
"To be a firebender, you need passion..."
Something felt strange. The warmth was comforting, but he felt lightheaded. He closed his eyes, and confusion took over as he lost all focus of the world around him.
...
"And you need to show your passion." He heard her speak.
"Katara...?" He whispered before she silenced him. He felt her lips caress his. He focused, and looked into her deep, sapphire eyes.
"Yes, Aang. It's me." He watched with awe, admiring her caramel skin as her robe dropped to the ground. "Show me, Aang." His heart was pumping. "Show me how passionate you are." Her tongue moved against his, taking his breath with her embrace.
Katara bit down on his lip, sending a soft shock across his nerves, and laying him onto his back. Her hand ran down, across the crimson scar on his chest. She opened his robe, letting it fall to his sides.
"I'll show you a secret." Her breath ran hot against his ear; her hand hovering over his pelvis. With a teasing tug, she pulled down his pants while moving her other hand; heat built in his core as she continued.
He let out a breath with a weakened expression while feeling the blood flowing in his veins. The blood flowing into his growing erection. He shivered with her touch, feeling every finger come into cool and shocking contact with him. Through deep breaths, and shallow moans he could feel his heartbeat in her hand. Her grasp sending thunder roaring through his temples.
"K-Katara...Wait..." He cried out, she moved again to silence him with her lips. And with a wave of her hand, he felt his arms shoot up above his head, immobilized. She continued, caressing him, pushing him ever closer to his limit.
"How's it feel?" She whispered into his ear, he squirmed with her flirtatious tone, and provocative words. "Are you close?" He nodded, his mind blank. "Then, go ahead."
Aang's muscles tightened and his back arched. the frantic breath he took in was sucked out of his lungs when Katara moved again, caressing his tongue with hers. She released her enticing grip, and electricity surged through him as he climaxed.
With all his strength gone in a single moment of ecstasy, his muscles loosened. He fell flat on his back, and hung by the force that restrained his arms.
"What do you want most Aang...?" Her voice trailed off in his ears.
"I...I want..." Shallow breaths interrupted him. "I want you, Katara." She waved her hands, and his arms fell to his sides. He rested on his elbows, watching as Katara disrobed further. She kissed him again, her lips tasted different, her kiss was sweet, like the morning dew of a firelily.
"Show me, Aang. Show me how passionate you are." She whispered and moved to straddle him. Despite his exhaustion, she manipulated him again with a single command, and new life came to him.
She held him with one hand, her other, resting on his chest. They both let out soft moans when she began to descend. Chills shot up his spine when he felt her.
Worry rose in him as she flinched at a brief pain, before pleasure moved to take her. He began to speak, but threw his head back in euphoria, feeling himself move deeper into her.
"A-Aang!" she cried out, and took him in entirely. With a gasp, any thoughts he had hopes of expressing disappeared. Katara began to move her hips, moving in a circular motion. He felt his climax building up again as she cried out in pleasure.
She collapsed under the wave of bliss that took her. Feeling him inside her while her muscles shuddered with the ecstasy of her own climax. He accepted her into an embrace, and held her close. Aang felt Katara's breath, dissipating on his ear as they held each other.
"I love you Katara." He whispered through shallow breaths.
"I love you, Aang." She kissed his cheek, and in a quieter voice, added:
"...And if you love her like that, she'll love you, too."
His stone-grey eyes met her azure-infused eyes, and in them, he saw something that was never there before.
Lightning.
PUBLISHED ON: 8/3/2014
A/N: You are gonna hate me. I'm sorry.