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Borealis: A Zutara Story	By : jaded_priceless Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > AU/AR - Alternate Universe/Alternate Reality Views: 34026 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, Avatar: The Legend of Korra, any historical figures or events, or easily recognizable persons, places or things. I make no profit from this work of fanfiction

Chapter List
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- 179
Chapter 175
By the time Katara woke Zuko had finished the riceballs Ty Lee had brought to him. She was surprised to see the two tubs of water in the middle of the room. She commented, “This must be why I was able to sleep so well?”
Zuko smiled at her, “You were bending.”
“Huh?” Katara asked reaching beneath the sheets to right her clothing.
“You were bending in your sleep. I was taking a bath and the water started moving,” he replied.
“And I didn’t drown you?” she managed to retort before giving into the overwhelming urge to yawn. Her brief nap had done nothing to improve her mood.
“I got out of the water pretty quickly. I was afraid you would,” Zuko replied.
Katara finished her stretch then rolled out of the bed. She chose an outfit then went to the restroom. Zuko stared as the door was cracked a few minutes later and the clean water from the tub lifted into the air and flew through it. He brought a tiny flame to his hand and opened the door to the hallway before thinking better of it. He had set one of the Ursa’s lounge chairs on fire attempting to mimic her bending. He would never the end of Azula’s laughter if he accidently set the hotel on fire so he settled on guiding a small fire whip inside the room.
He was still attempting to manipulate his element without touching the walls when Katara emerged fully dressed from the bathroom. She lifted his soiled water from the tub and easily snuffed his flames. Zuko stared into the tub. There were several inches of what looked like clean water remaining behind and he realized Katara somehow only removed his dirty bathwater, “How did you?”
“Waterbender, remember?” She rolled her eyes at him and put her dirty clothes in the water, “Dump your dirty clothes in it”.
Zuko continued to stare at the clean water and his inaction was rewarded with a harsh, “NOW!”
He dumped in his clothes and soon became grateful he shortened his bath when she was sleep bending earlier. As soon as their clothes were in the tub the water began to churn vigorously. She stared at him and Zuko could tell by her angry gaze their clothes were receiving a thrashing that was meant for him. Katara inhaled deeply and the water began to slow. She frowned at him and jerked her head sideways, “Go open the window.”
“You’re grouchier than normal this morning,” Zuko muttered as he obeyed.
“Is anyone down there?” she asked gruffly.
“No. Damnit Katara, watch what you’re doing!” Zuko huffed while barely dodging the dirty water whizzing past him.
“Did you really think all is forgiven because I did your laundry? It stank, Zuko, I got tired of smelling it!” She threw the wet clothes at him. “Make yourself useful and dry it.”
“Why don’t you…” Zuko began then stopped in the middle of heaving the heavy wet clothing back at her. Katara was leaning over the tub running her fingers over her bruises. “You know what, nevermind. I don’t want to argue with you.”
Zuko slowly and carefully heated his hands the way Taiga’s mother had taught him then began running them over the clothes until they were only slightly damp. He then hung the smaller pieces over the chairs and spread the larger ones over the rest of the furniture. He watched Katara for a moment before sitting beside her, “Heal yourself, Katara. They’ve healed enough most people won’t notice.”
Katara shook her head, “You’re just saying that because you’re tired of pretending to feel guilty. I’m not going to let you off the hook that easily.”
“I could live to be as old as the Avatar and I would still feel guilty. I’m tired of seeing you hurting,” Zuko corrected quietly.
“And I’m tired of hearing you lie,” Katara sighed as she placed her hands on the edge of the tub and slowly pushed herself up. “I want to see my brother and I’m hungry.”
Zuko followed her out of the door. He placed his hand on the small of her back when they reached the bottom of the stairs. He called her name in frustration when she flinched, “Katara.”
Katara glared at him but didn’t try to pull away from him when he snaked his around her, “I’m not stupid Zuko. I know it’s time to play the good little Waterbender. I’m not going to jeopardize Sokka’s life again by being difficult.”
~*~*~
Katara’s stomach dropped when she only saw Aang and no sign of Sokka through the window of the jail. She lingered outside the door, unable to move, while Zuko stormed in and demanded his whereabouts. The flustered town official told them he’d been taken to the stable the Dai Li had enlarged. Katara didn’t wait for Zuko to come out and took off the direction the jailer had pointed. She needed to know Chu-hua had not harmed him. When she saw Sokka, - whole and healthy not the victim of a staged accident - she tackled him into the hay he’d been shoveling. She picked up his hands and made sure he wasn’t missing any fingers then checked to make sure that both of his ears were intact. She was in the process of pulling off his boots when he grabbed her hands, “Katara what is wrong with you?”
“She said she would poison you. She said she would cut off Aang’s limbs so he couldn’t bend. She had a finger. She put her sword at my neck and cut my throat. She said she’d kill you and make it look like an accident,” Katara blubbered as she desperately clung to her bother. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back like he had done when they were younger and she was upset.
Zuko’s hands balled into fist while he pieced together the fractured words hidden in Katara’s broken sobs as she revealed everything that Chu-hua had said and done to her. He stepped back outside of the barn and punched the wall several times in frustration. If it had been any other admiral, any other general, any other person in the Fire Nation military but her he would have some recourse but he had none against Chu-hua. Chu-hua knew too many of his secrets and was one of his father’s few favorites who actually had the knowledge to do her job.
If he retaliated he would be lucky to wind up spending his life in prison. Even if Chu-hua wasn’t ruthlessly effective she was one of his father’s precious links to his mother. She could kill him and maim Azula and his father mostly likely wouldn’t care. His beloved Ursa worshiped Chu-hua as an older sister for that very reason alone Fire Lord Ozai was fond of her. But like him, his father was also in Chu-hua’s debt. He had heard too many stories from his parents that began with “Do you remember the time Chu-hua was supposed to be chaperoning us?” to know she had not run the standard interference to prevent unofficially betrothed couples from becoming intimate.
He was born six months after his parent’s betrothal ceremony and five months after their wedding so he knew for a fact Chu-hua had given them the time to they needed to bond and build trust as a couple, sparing them the awkward trauma of making love for the first time in a room full of sages and Azulon. He knew how singularly important privacy was. It had taken more than a year for his uncle to trust him alone at the brothel; until that time all Iroh kept watch over his activities to ensure he remained a virgin. The sheet covering his lower half while whore tended to him did nothing to lessen the humiliation. It was difficult to meet the gazes of those strangers so he could not imagine the strain his parents would have faced. Unlike normal couples whose consummations were shielded by a privacy screen with only sages in the room, his father was a prince; there would have been twice as many sages, no privacy screen, only a sheet to cover them and Azulon would have monitored his mother’s expression to be certain a maidenhead was torn during the initial penetration. His mother probably would have been a different woman.
Zuko remained outside until he stopped trembling. When he finally managed to calm down he went back inside to collect Katara. She was still crying on her brother’s shoulder and he was saying something in Water Tribe to her. Every now and then she would nod; that was followed by a sniffle and swipe at her tears. Zuko gave them as much time as possible but there were approaching soldiers. He knelt beside them and placed his hand on Katara’s shoulder, “Someone is coming.”
Sokka nodded continuing to speak in their native language and slowly began disentangling himself from Katara, “They heard you, Katara. The men from the Northern Tribe heard you and got away. I overheard some of the Fire Nation soldiers talking about it. They got away. They know that was a Southern call and it came from a female. They’ll tell Dad and he’ll come for us. We just have to be strong until then. “
She nodded, “Haru and Tyro before they…I told them were on the Ursa. I told them we were on the Ursa and we were in trouble. They were killed for it. They were killed because I asked them to help us. What if I got those …?”
“Katara stop. There’s nothing that can stop a warrior from the Water Tribe. You know that. They’ll get to Dad,” Sokka said as much for his benefit as hers.
“Katara, I’m sorry but we have to go. Sokka you might want to…” Zuko let his words trail off as he gestured to a pile of dung.
Sokka nodded getting the hint as to what the prince was implying. When Zuko pulled Katara away and ushered her out of the barn Sokka picked up some of the foul substance and placed it into the pockets of his prisoner’s uniform. He resumed his shoveling duties. When the Fire Nation soldiers arrived he pretended they scared him so much he tripped over his feet and landed in the manure pile. They had their laugh and much to Sokka’s relief moved on.
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Borealis: A Zutara Story