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Push and Pull	By : AngelaBlythe Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > Het - Male/Female > Katara/Zuko Views: 19400 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
A/N: This chapter’s got a
bit of foul language…just thought I’d warn you all…
PUSH AND PULL
CHAPTER 12: General Tzu-Ten
Part I
Katara was surprised – pleasantly surprised – to see that the so-called ‘interrogation rooms’ of the North Pole were actually comfortable. And they weren’t filled with instruments of torture or threatening-looking objects. They were small rooms with a low table. The natural heat of the current below heated the rooms, though they were still a bit chilly so a fire burned in the corner. Katara requested tea, cushions, and water from the doubtful-looking guards. Apparently, prisoner comfort really wasn’t on their to-do list. But Katara would do this her way, and she knew that if she was going to be ‘interrogated’ she would like it to be in a warm room with cushions and tea. And it was her ‘interrogation’ anyway so she would do it her way.
Zuko and Iroh had given her space after her little temper tantrum, and she’d moved about like nothing happened. But now they were standing in the darkness of the corner, hooded robes shadowing and obscuring their faces. They would not speak or reveal themselves for fear of being recognized – and no one must know of Zuko’s involvement in the North Pole under any circumstances. They stood still and silent as Katara settled herself on the blue cushion before the table, waiting for the next officer.
The first six or seven officers had not even spoken a word to her. She’d offered tea and water, asked after their health and if they were comfortable. She asked their names and their ranks, and had not lost her temper or been anything other than polite and courteous. The next officer – a captain by the look of his uniform (Katara was getting better at distinguishing uniforms thanks to Zuko and Iroh’s descriptions) – glared and called her a Water Tribe whore. The one after that knocked the teapot off the table – burning his hand. Katara had Zuko and Iroh hold him down as she healed the burn with glowing hands.
Very few of the officers that came through those doors were injured, but the few that were (or inflicted it upon themselves) Katara healed with patience. She was beginning to think this was all a horrible waste of time, until a stately man with well-groomed sideburns and a prominent chin strode into the room. He was in his late-forties, perhaps early-fifties, and his hair was just beginning to gray about the edges. His uniform was that of a higher-ranking officer – though Katara didn’t know what. His eyes were a sharp bronze color, and he observed the room with tiger-like aggressiveness, eyes resting on Zuko and Iroh in the corner, and the tea and cushion at his feet.
“Please, sir,” she said in the same respectful tone she offered all the officers. “Have a seat,” she invited, motioning to the cushion across the table from hers.
It wasn’t only his commanding presence that struck her, but also the fact that he actually did as she bid him and took a seat across from her. He sat properly, back straight, and seemed to measure every inch of her. Katara was suddenly scared and apprehensive at this bold man. He gave off the aura of a powerful bender, and a fearsome warrior. Katara was glad that the experienced healers of the Water Tribe had found a way to restrict the bending of the Fire Nation soldiers. By thin strips of metal on their wrists and ankles, the healers were able to block the flow of chi that allowed firebenders to manipulate their element. With the right pressure on the right spot, no flames could be formed. It reminded Katara of Ty Lee, the circus-freak with fast hands.
As he sat looking at her, Katara was sure to smile calmly, her hands on the table before her. “My name is Katara of the Southern Water Tribe,” she told him softly. “I’ve been given the job of overseeing the officers of the Fire Nation, checking on your health and well-being. I trust you’re well? Uninjured?”
“I am,” he responded in a low, dangerous voice.
“That’s good to hear,” she said softly. “And your accommodations? They’re satisfactory? You’re being fed regularly?”
“Yes,” he replied in the same dangerous tones.
Katara smiled pleasantly, despite the warning sensations rushing down her back. “Good,” she responded. Then, with a sigh, she motioned to the tea. “Would you like a cup of tea, sir? It’s ginseng, still hot.”
He looked at her suspiciously, his eyes flashing over the braids and opals in her hair, the necklace around her throat, and even briefly over her curves. He was probably trying to judge her age. She did her best to ignore this and grasped the corner of her sleeve as she poured the tea into his cup, and then into hers. She had not yet been privilege to tea, as no one seemed to think it was genuine when she offered it to them. Boldly, he did not wait for her to take a sip when he brought the tea to his lips. Katara smiled softly and blew on hers lightly before taking a drink.
“What’s your angle?” he finally asked her with firm directness. Katara was waiting patiently for him to stop studying her. She could tell he had wanted to speak, and she would let him get to it in his own time. She had drunk most of her tea by the time he did, however. “You can’t be more than fifteen or sixteen. Is it torture you enjoy? Or just mind games?”
Katara bit back a laugh. “As I said, I’m here to supervise your health and comfort, make sure your rights as a prisoner aren’t being abused. I don’t want to torture you, and I don’t particularly enjoy mind games, either. I’m interested in your name, your rank, and perhaps how long you’ve served, but not much else.” Then, with a pause, “More tea, sir?”
After a moment of prolonged silence, the man spoke. “I am General Tzu-Ten.”
Katara bowed her head respectfully. “More tea, General?”
She poured him another cup. “Who are they?” he asked pointedly, eyes flashing to Zuko and Iroh in the corner.
Katara smiled prettily. “They aren’t really important. They’re just here to protect me.”
“Against what?” he laughed.
“You, of course,” she replied, not really understanding why he had to ask this. Wasn’t it obvious?
“I have a hard time thinking you need protection, Miss Katara of the Southern Water Tribe,” he replied, taking a drink of tea.
Katara raised an eyebrow. “How so, General?”
He frowned and placed his cup on the table. Then, after a long, hard look into her eyes, he replied. “You’re obviously not the innocent, concerned hostess you make yourself out to be,” he began in a harsh voice. “You’re from the Southern Water Tribe, so you’re most likely a peasant. You’re dressed in nice clothes, however, and you have jewels in your hair denoting rank. But you aren’t royalty, though you might be engaged to it,” he continued, motioning to her necklace. “So you must be a master, and a powerful one since they’re letting you play hostess to some of the most dangerous firebenders outside of the Fire Nation. So don’t play innocent with me, Miss Katara – or should I say Master Katara – because I’m not a general for nothing, and your façade is growing tiresome.”
Katara returned this tirade with a sweet smile. “You’re very knowledgeable about Water Tribe culture, General Tzu-Ten,” she complimented him gently.
“And you seem to have that infuriating outer-calm that waterbending masters acquire,” he added nastily.
In the corner Zuko snorted. Katara had the sudden urge to turn and glare at him. She restrained herself, however, and said, “Thank you,” with a small incline of her head. “Although you were wrong on just one account.”
General Tzu-Ten gave her a sarcastic look, raising his eyebrow.
She touched her necklace softly. “This is just an heirloom. I’m not yet engaged.”
“Well, the day is young,” he replied sarcastically. “If you get a head start you might get proposed to before dinner.”
Katara laughed lightly. “I certainly hope not, General,” she said. “This necklace is my last line of defense. If it fails me now I’ll have to start relying on my brother to fend off suitors.”
“Was he one of those warriors running around with face paint and waving a mace that attacked my fortress?” he asked dully.
“No,” Katara said briefly. “He’s in the Earth Kingdom.”
“Fighting?”
“He’s…” she looked for the right word. “He’s on a quest,” she finished vaguely.
General Tzu-Ten scoffed. “How dull.”
Katara didn’t respond for a while. “You seem to know a lot about me, General,” she said quietly. “Though I know very little about you. How long have you served in his majesty’s army?”
“Thirty-two years,” he replied shortly.
“And how long have you been in the Earth Kingdom?”
“Twenty.”
She nodded. “That’s a long way from home for a long time,” she commented. “Did you ever marry? Have children?”
“I have three sons and a daughter. The oldest two were stationed at New Ozai last I heard, and my youngest son was in my fortress.” He took another disinterested sip of tea.
“I can inquire after your children, General,” Katara offered. “If you give me their names and ranks, perhaps a description…”
“No,” he replied sharply. “I won’t let you use my children against me.”
Katara frowned. “General Tzu-Ten…I think we both know I won’t do any such thing.”
He looked at her carefully. “Not you...” he said in a low voice. “No, not you, Miss Katara. You I think are a little too innocent for that. But the rest of the waterbenders… I have my doubts.”
Katara nodded. “If by chance I hear something, General, I will tell you.”
“Thank you, Miss Katara.”
There was a vicious silence in the room.
“I wish to be taken back to my cell now,” the general said in a low voice.
Katara bowed to him as two guards escorted him out of the room. Katara leaned back and sighed deeply. “I rather wish he hadn’t told me all that,” she said to Zuko and Iroh.
She didn’t see anyone after that. She couldn’t. She was tired, and she feared another officer like General Tzu-Ten – who was both human and animal, trapping her within her own concern. What a complex man, she thought to herself. Zuko and Iroh followed her silently. She certainly hoped his children were safe. If they were firebenders she might run into them during her ‘interrogations’ and not even realize it. Perhaps there would be a familial resemblance…
When she reached their rooms she wrapped her arms around Zuko suddenly. She startled him, since she didn’t often do this and she’d had that little temper tantrum earlier that day. Katara just wanted to feel something that wasn’t pain or misery or rage. She sighed as Zuko ran a hand down her back, comforted her. She ate dinner quietly and without much interest. She just wanted to go to sleep and forget all of this.
Part II
Zuko stood over Katara with crossed arms. Soon after dinner she had fallen asleep during a bad attempt to get all the opals and braids out of her hair. That one evening of questioning prisoners had taken more out of her than a whole day of healing. He looked down on her with a hard expression on his face. She slept soundly, her arms flung above her head and half-covered in furs. It was looking at her like this, watching her sleep with hair falling over her face and lips slightly parted, that he realized something.
During the past few weeks – ever since he’d saved her really – she’d made him feel things and think things he’d never felt or thought. She fought with him when he needed to be fought with, kissed him when he needed to be kissed, healed him when he needed to be healed, and stayed by his side when he needed her to be there. Her passion was fiery, and her desire for him strong. She was amazingly beautiful, incredibly skilled and powerful, and had the uncanny ability to get under any firebender’s skin. With all this and more in mind, Zuko was fairly certain he was in love with Katara of the Southern Water Tribe.
It wasn’t such a startling or terrifying of a revelation as he would have thought. It didn’t fill him with fear to feel so much for one person. In fact, it made him brave. It made him hopeful. It made him honorable.
He’d known when he’d woken up in her arms that he never wanted to wake up another way ever again. He should have realized his love then, but he was stupid. He should have realized it long ago. But he was just too stupid.
She sighed a little in her sleep, nuzzling into the furs. Zuko smiled a rare smile just then, as an opal fell out of her hair. He knelt down to collect them out of her hand and hair, undoing the rest of her braids and tucking her safely under the pelts before joining his uncle at the table. He’d lit a few candles, and was drinking tea with a dark expression on his face. Zuko knew his uncle well enough to know when he was serious. And just then Uncle Iroh was as serious as a heart attack.
His uncle sighed, taking a drink of tea. “Zuko…do you know who that man is?”
Of course he knew. He knew the moment General Tzu-Ten walked in the room. He’d fought to keep his cool, fought to display no emotion, fought to let Katara handle the situation without Zuko getting involved. But to see her speak with him so civilly, to become concerned over the man’s family, to laugh at his sarcasm, all made Zuko want to explode with fire and aggression. But he couldn’t tell her. She could never know that the man…what he had done…who he had done it to… She could never know who he was.
So, yes. Yes, he knew who General Tzu-Ten was. “Of course, I know, Uncle,” he replied darkly, casting a look at Katara to make sure she slept. She could never know. It would tear her apart.
His uncle sighed deeply, closing his eyes. “The man is a monster,” he said. “No fair jury will ever give him anything but death.”
“Katara can’t know,” Zuko whispered urgently. “She can NEVER know,” he insisted at the pained look on his uncle’s face.
“Zuko…” his uncle began. “She’s going to find out sooner or later…”
“He killed everyone she loved. He slaughtered them on a crazy whim, a mad suspicion,” Zuko hissed into the dark. “If she ever found out…” He paused, trying to help his uncle understand. “I promised to never hurt her. This would hurt her.”
His uncle raised an eyebrow. “And what if she finds out you withheld this information from her? How much more hurt will she be then?”
Zuko turned his head away, eyes resting on the sleeping form of Katara. “She’ll forgive me,” he said quietly. “She’ll understand.”
“I certainly hope so,” his uncle murmured darkly into his tea.
Zuko was late that night meditating. Though, truthfully, his meditation was severely interrupted by his thoughts on the future. Katara would follow him into the depths of hell if he asked – if he let her. He should quit being selfish and let her rejoin her brother and the Avatar. Something stayed his hand; something kept him from doing this. It was for his country, his concern for the soldiers and officers, that he did so. He knew his presence – and Katara’s presence – ensured their safety and good treatment. If he left with Katara who knew what malicious atrocities would befall his people? But he was hurting Katara. He knew she wanted to return to her brother and the Avatar, but he kept her here. He realized he would always be hurting her…why did he do this?
As soon as she’d seen all the officers they would leave. One of these Water Tribe captains would just have to sail them up and down the coast until Zuko found Master Jeong Jeong and the Avatar. There they could train and be far away from the cold and General Tzu-Ten.
Zuko slept fitfully that night.
Part III
Zuko held the man down as he thrashed. His uncle Iroh was on the other side, pinning the very strong, very outraged Fire Nation lieutenant to the floor.
“This would be easier if you would just stop this foolishness,” Katara was saying in a voice that meant business.
Zuko increased pressure on the flailing lieutenant’s arms, having pinned his leg at an awkward angle when he’d leapt on the man. Thankfully his hood was still on his face – though the lieutenant didn’t seem too interested in Zuko or his uncle. He was furiously yelling at Katara at the moment as she pulled his uniform up to his chest.
“My, my, this is messy,” she said softly, fingers tracing the oozing, bloody, slightly greenish wound.
“Don’t touch me, whore! Stupid Water Tribe slut!”
Zuko lashed out and backhanded the man across the mouth. Katara looked up at him. “I suppose I can let that one heal on its own,” she murmured.
She let the water flow over her hands, then pressed them against the lieutenant’s wound. He cried out as her finger’s touched the gash – it was probably pretty painful. Good, Zuko thought.
He was appalled at the behavior of some of these officers. They were supposed to be gentlemen. Instead they were rude, crass, vulgar, and completely without honor. Even if he had been captured by his enemies he would not act with such disgrace! And Katara just ignored these comments, healed them without question, kept her patience, and never let their words affect her. He would never have known these days bothered her if it wasn’t for the fact that at night she would hold him so tenderly, so closely. She didn’t move to kiss him, didn’t want anything more than to hug him around the waist and stay there.
When the man’s stomach wound was healed he spat bloody saliva at Katara, hitting her in the face. Katara narrowed her eyes as she wiped it away. “Whore!” the man repeated. “Bet you liked that, didn’t you, little cunt!?”
Then Zuko saw her do something she hadn’t done before. With a whip of her hand water filled the man’s mouth and she froze it. “Flattery, Lieutenant,” she said softly, standing over him with crossed arms, “will get you nowhere.”
Then she sighed and sat across the table on the cushion. “I’m through with Lieutenant Sunshine. Take him back to his cell.”
Zuko and Iroh assisted as two Water Tribe warriors escorted Lieutenant Sunshine out of the room. When Zuko returned he saw Katara had her head on the table and she was breathing slowly and deeply. “Send in my next guest,” she said dully.
“Maybe you should take a rest, Katara,” Zuko’s uncle said softly.
It was a little past noon, and they’d been doing this for at least five hours. Yesterday hadn’t been too bad – much like today. They were probably a few hours away from finishing, and they’d only had one or two other big talkers like Tzu-Ten. Most officers were quiet, or gave only their name and rank. Almost none accepted tea, and many insulted her. It was difficult to watch, and ever man that came through the door made Zuko seethe with hatred.
“No,” she replied, sitting up straight and smoothing out her robes. “Just send the next one in.”
The next few men were silent as spirits, and Zuko was glad for this, because the next person who walked through the door was a Water Tribe warrior with a seriously disturbing message.
“He wants what?” Katara asked, her surprise apparent in her voice.
“Talk to you,” the warrior repeated. Zuko recognized him…he was that guard that they’d seen their first day in the North Pole. With the big hair. What was his name? Haku?
Katara pinched the bridge of her nose. “I suppose you can send him in…”
Zuko clenched his fists as the general entered the room. Katara gave him a respectful bow, though she appeared a little surprised still. She motioned for him to sit.
“I trust you’re well, General Tzu-Ten,” she asked politely.
“I am, Miss Katara,” he replied, his eyes looking over Katara in a way that made Zuko’s blood boil.
“I’ll admit to being a little…mystified…about your request to see me again,” she said lightly, folding her hands on the table. “May I inquire to the reason?”
“Ginseng tea,” the general replied. “And your lovely company, Miss Katara.”
Katara smiled a deceptively sweet smile. Zuko was furious. This man – this psychopath – was actually enjoying the fact, reveling in the knowledge, that Katara was one of the few surviving members of the tribe he had annihilated. And the fact that she served him tea, smiled kindly, spoke to him as an equal, and had absolutely no idea who he was or what he’d done was like some kind of sick fantasy.
She was pouring a slow cup of tea, holding the sleeve of her robe properly, as she spoke. “Well, thank you, General Tzu-Ten. I don’t get a lot of…return officers. Most seem content at meeting me once.”
Zuko growled when the general’s fingers brushed Katara’s as he took the cup of tea. Katara reached her hand back swiftly, folding it in her lap with the other. The general smiled like he didn’t notice. But his smile told Zuko he DID notice, and he’d enjoyed it. Zuko felt his uncle’s hand on his shoulder briefly. He forced himself calm.
“They do not know what they are missing then,” the general was saying.
“How are you being treated?” she inquired politely, taking a sip of tea.
“I cannot complain. I have never been a captive before, and I did not expect…such hospitality…from the Water Tribe.”
She nodded. “War is not pretty, General. I’m sure you know. But the Water Tribe will continue to house and feed you, your fellow officers, and the soldiers until such time as it is over.”
“It would not be the same if our positions were switched, Miss Katara,” General Tzu-Ten replied darkly.
Katara looked away. “I know.”
Tzu-Ten seemed to enjoy her pained silence. “And when the war is over – if that ever happens – what will happen to us?”
She took a sip of tea. “I suppose the soldiers will be returned to their homes. Many have been fighting their whole lives…I’m sure they’d like to see their wives and children. You and your fellow officers, however, will be put on trial by a jury of all nations.”
Tzu-Ten seemed to find this particularly amusing. “Truly,” he said in a soft voice. “Why?”
“Because I have requested it,” she replied vaguely.
Tzu-Ten snorted. “You must have great powers indeed to make such a demand on the rest of the world, Miss Katara. I think there is more behind this ‘request’ than meets the eye.”
Katara merely smiled into her tea.
“You should have been a politician,” the older general said bitterly.
She seemed to think this was particularly funny. “I have no patience for politics, General Tzu-Ten.” Her laugh died on her lips. “Besides, I have compassion for people. Politicians have no hearts. And if they do they pump sewage.”
Tzu-Ten seemed to be rankled at her refusal to offer up information. Zuko realized Katara was a master of getting under the skin of firebenders. Tzu-Ten took a moment to regain his composure. “After the war,” he continued, “and after these trials,” he added dryly, “what will you do, Miss Katara?”
“Go into politics, of course,” she replied.
Zuko jumped to attention as Tzu-Ten shattered his teacup in his hand. Katara started at once, backing away from the table and towards Zuko and his uncle. The general’s face was blank with fury, and the fire in the corner of the room blazed up unexpectedly. Nevertheless, he stayed sitting, his jaw set. “You must forgive me, Miss Katara,” he growled in threatening tones. “I have little patience for games.”
“Guards!” Katara called. Zuko heard the panic in her voice and stepped in front of her.
The guards entered and hoisted General Tzu-Ten up. “Thank you for the tea, Miss Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. You and I shall meet again, my lovely waterbender,” the general said in a calm, dead voice as the guards escorted him away.
When the guards closed the doors Katara threw her arms around Zuko and cried. Zuko did his best to sooth her and made up his mind right then and there. They would leave with the morning tide.
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Push and Pull