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Slow Heat	By : Spleef Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > General Views: 77367 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- 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
- 19
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Slow Heat

Chapter 20 – Attention

o0o0o9i
One Month, 9 Days BSC
(Early-Mid August 1101)
Katara

It was hard to not feel self-conscious under Aang's gaze as he asked me about Zuko. Not ashamed – I was over feeling that, and refused to feel it again – but I was fully aware of what might happen if others knew about my relationship with Zuko, especially Aang. He already had so much to worry about.
“Well... Zuko and I had a talk. We got past our differences and arrived at an understanding.” I replied. All of it was the truth, even if just part of it.
“... You did?” Aang asked, raising an eyebrow. “Just like that?”
“Uh... yes. We had a really big fight, and then you guys went off to see the Sun Warriors. And then by the time you came back, both of us had cooled down and thought about things. And we realized a few things. We have no more reason to be angry with one another. So we're getting along. Aren't you happy that we're not hating one another anymore?” I asked, almost challengingly.
“What? Uh, no! I mean, yes. We're all on the same side, after all!”
“Exactly.” I replied evenly before closing my eyes and laying back on the grass, hoping he'd take this as a cue to end the conversation. But he remained, flopping down in the grass. It seemed to me that Aang had been seeking out my company a lot more lately. There were times when Zuko and I would spar or Bend against one another, or simply do calisthenics, and Aang would pop up. Several times at night, when Zuko and I wanted to sneak off and be alone, Aang would follow me, saying that he wanted to take a walk with me or practice Bending. Zuko and I had to find ways to sneak around Aang when we wanted to be alone. Even having him around when we were doing something ordinary like sparring was grating, for I felt very self-conscious under his gaze. If Sokka watched, it was no big deal, but Aang always seemed to be watching me more than he was Zuko.
And at this moment, I found the Avatar's presence to be... grating. Before, I had thought the little romantic gestures to me or his bids for attention were sweet. But now that I was with Zuko, I had absolutely no want for them. Of course, it wasn't as if I could tell Aang to stop following me around, since he would want to know why. I couldn't help but think of Zuko asking me to stay in Fire Nation with him when the War was over. The very idea was daunting. Being his lover amidst our quest to bring about the end of the war was one thing. But to stay at his side as something more... it was something I wasn't sure I could handle. I was certain that once Zuko became Fire Lord, he'd settle down and want someone more... noble to serve as his partner.
I didn't know the rules of Fire Nation society or nobility. But it was safe to assume that if Zuko wanted me to stay with him, objections would be raised. Not just from his own people, but mine. Being allied was one thing, but if my father or brother knew how close I was with Zuko... I let out a soft sigh.
“Is something wrong?” Aang asked.
“No.”
“You sure?”
“Stop asking me questions!” I snapped, my voice harsher than I had intended. He blinked and suddenly looked downcast, the effect much like dark clouds moving over a bright sky.
“I'm sorry. I'm just feeling tired, that's all.” I murmured, looking away so I couldn't see the hurt in his big eyes.
“Anything I can do?” he asked eagerly.
“Just give me peace and quiet.” I whispered, closing my eyes.

o0o0o0o
Zuko

I lowered my swords, giving Sokka the signal to stop. Today, he wasn't paying as much attention to our sparring as he usually did. He did work hard in fighting me off, but I had trained with him long enough to see that his mind wasn't completely into it.
“You tired?” he asked, lowering his sword.
“No, but you're distracted.” I replied shortly.
“No, I'm fine. Come on, let's continue practicing.” Sokka replied quickly. I frowned slightly. He had looked somewhat disturbed this morning, though he tried his best to hide it.
“I will not train with you while you have your mind elsewhere.” I replied sternly, sheathing my swords. He stared at me for several moments before putting his sword down.
“What is it?” I asked calmly.
“I don't want to talk about it.”
“Ok, look. I'm not going to make you talk if you don't want to. But I am here if you need someone to talk to.” Normally, this wouldn't have occurred to me. I'd have left him alone to stew, as I myself had done so often in the past. But then, Uncle had always offered a ear. And now Katara did too. I now understood how good – not to mention important – it felt to sometimes let go of things that had been bottled up inside.
Sokka stared at me for several long moments. I offered a level stare, waiting for him to make his next move.
“If I tell you something, you'll keep it in confidence?” he asked after several more moments. I nodded.
“I swear on my honor that it will stay between us.” I stated. He sighed softly and sat down in the thick grass.
“Your sister... well, I saw what she did to your uncle, and I wonder about her doing it to other people...” he murmured. I frowned slightly. Was he worried about Azula coming after him?
Well. It was a legitimate concern. My sister was known for her viciousness, which made her all the more dangerous since she was often subtle about it, so her victim often wouldn't know she was about to strike until the last possible moment.
“You're right, but why are you so worried now?” I asked, sitting down as well. He let out a slow sigh, clearly reluctant to discuss things.
“Look, I'll leave you alone if you want...” I said, starting to get up.
“No, it's just... hard to think about.” he said. I waited patiently, staring off at the sky as he gathered his thoughts.
“I had a nightmare last night. About your sister. And my girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend?” I asked quietly.
“You do know that she captured the Kyoshian Warriors?” he replied. I nodded. It had been discussed in Ba Sing Se, after it was revealed that my sister and her friends had taken on their guise.
“My girlfriend... Suki.... she's their leader. I've been worried about her for so long. And then in the nightmare, Azula did to her what she did to your Uncle.”
I set my jaw. What was I supposed to say to Sokka about the girl he cared about? It would be wrong to give him false hope, but I didn't want to sound pessimistic either and drive Sokka further into despair. After all, if something happened to Katara... well, I understood all too well what her brother was feeling.
“Her chances aren't good, are they?” he asked, his voice tight. I looked away.
When we were younger, there was one nobleman – a very distant relative of our line – who had betrayed my father. It went without saying that betraying the Fire Lord was an offense that merited the most severe punishments. He had been brought to Court in chains, pleading his case all the while and denying his guilt. He was barely given a chance to make his case before my father had decided that he was to die the death of a thousand cuts.
Understand that this is a extreme form of punishment. To this day, I have no idea if the nobleman did betray my father, or if what he had done was as severe as it had been made out to be. He could have been lying about his innocence, but then, my father might have been right to punish him. Either way, I will never forget the look of terror on his face when the punishment was handed down. There were many far better ways to die. Seppuku, beating, dismemberment, hanging, beheading, even starvation was a better way to die.
The optimal method of doing the thousand cuts was to ensure that it took at least several days for the victim to die. He would be fed and watered just enough to keep him alive, and be fed stimulants so it would be very difficult for him to pass out or otherwise shut himself off from the pain. His flesh would be taken off bit by bit. One day, the last section of his fingers and toes – just below the last joint – would be cut off. Wait a bit, then the next part would be cut off. Wait some more, let the victim suffer, and then cut off the rest of his fingers. Then his hands. And so on and so forth. Ears, nose, fatty parts of the flesh, even muscles would also come off, and the vital organs would be saved for last. An expert in this method would find many ways to cut before the vitals were reached. I couldn't imagine performing this task myself, and to this day, the mere thought of it makes me shudder.
But what struck me most about the experience was my sister's reactions to it. I remember seeing this twisted little smile on her face as she sat next to me, hands folded neatly in her lap. When Court was dismissed, she turned to our sire.
“Most august father, it would bring me great honor to be able to watch.” Azula said, her head bowed, her voice surprisingly smooth and mature-sounding for someone who was but ten years old.
“You would enjoy watching, wouldn't you?” he asked, his lips twisted in that small, cruel smirk that Azula had on her face but a moment ago. She nodded.
“That man betrayed you, and he must be punished. I would like to see your will being exercised.” It was the correct answer – Azula always had such a way with words – and a pleased smile spread across the Fire Lord's face.
“Very well. It will be a good lesson for you both.” he said. My heart thudded. It was gruesome enough to just know about the punishment, but to watch... I wanted to object, but I knew that if I did, Azula would tease me mercilessly, and my father would be disappointed in me for being weak.
Dear Agni, it was something I never wanted to see again, and it was but the first stage of the cutting. Azula was watching intently, even going so far as to ask the executioner questions. He even seemed shocked that she was showing such interest in such a gruesome procedure. It went without saying that she would come back every day to watch more cutting until the poor man died.
I had nightmares for many nights afterwards of having my body parts cut off by my own sister.
“At least you're not offering me false hope.” Sokka muttered, cutting into my thoughts. I felt frustrated at not being able to offer him reassurances on Suki's fate.
“What do you want me to say?” I asked.
“I don't know.” he muttered.
“Well. You have my word that... when I become Fire Lord, all war prisoners will be released. And that means the Kyoshians too. And rest assured, I will not be letting my sister off easy.” I wasn't going to speculate on what condition these girls would be in, since they were Azula's prisoners. And in an unexpected thought, I saw my sister going through the thousand cuts. It'd be a fitting punishment for her, I thought darkly.
“Thanks.” Sokka murmured. I simply nodded. I could have offered more reassurance, like telling him that I understood how he felt. But then he'd wonder who I had feelings for.
“I'll leave you alone, then?” I asked. He nodded slowly.
“We can spar later, right?”
“Sure.” I replied as I rose to my feet.
As I wandered through the area, I saw the Avatar sitting near Katara, who was at that moment turned away from him. He was staring at her, and I frowned slightly. I had noticed that the more Katara and I would look for opportunities to sneak off, or the more she avoided his somewhat awkward attempts at courting, the more fervent he became in gaining her attentions.
I set my jaw as I started down the slope, and the boy looked up at me with what I could almost swear was defiance.
“What are you doing here?” he asked. Katara looked up at me. Since Aang was there, she didn't offer me a smile or anything like that, but I saw her eyes soften a bit. At Aang's question, I shrugged.
“I need to talk with her.” I replied nonchalantly. I had already asked Toph about how she saw with the earth, during our sparring session this morning. She seemed surprised but pleased, and sat down with me to talk about her experiences as she did her best to explain her Earthsight to me. I explained to her how I wanted to see if I could “see” with my own element. She was rather enthusiastic about it, and told me outright that she didn't see any reason why I couldn't develop “Fire-sight” if I tried hard enough. Being with the Sun Warriors had given me so much insight and opened my eyes and mind. We talked some more about her Earthsight, and I even closed my eyes and took off my boots to get a feel of what it was like to have to see through the earth. Of course there was no way I could duplicate her gift, but I was able to gain a vague idea of what Toph went through as I felt for her footsteps. I was eager to share my idea with Katara. And if it worked, then Aang could apply it to his own element. That is, when he learned to stop being such a pest.
“About what?” he asked. I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes.
“Is that any of your business?” I shot back.
“Well... I was with her first.” he argued back, sounding much like a little boy.
“Aang. If Zuko has something important to talk about with me, then we should discuss it.” Katara retorted.
He stared at us both for several long moments, as if debating with himself as to whether or not to leave us alone. The tension in the air was so thick I could almost feel it press around me.
“Fine.” he murmured as he rose to his feet.
I had to resist the urge to shake my head as Aang disappeared into the trees and stared forward as I sat down a couple of feet away. Even though I knew that Katara had made her choice about who she wanted to be with, it still rankled deeply to see her having to deal with the Avatar's bids for attention.
I wanted to close the gap between us and wrap my arm around her middle, so I could feel her warm body against mine. But the hair on the back of my neck prickled, telling me that we were being watched. Of course, after being dismissed so quickly from Katara's company, the Avatar should wonder why...
“Well, I had made an interesting observation a while ago...” I started explaining to her about trying to see with our elements, and what that could do and would do for both of us. It was torture to not be able to move any closer, or take her hand or touch her arm, or to press my lips to her cheek or temple in a gesture of affection. I spoke in a voice loud enough for just Katara to hear, to ensure that our uninvited companion would not be able to listen to us. Her eyes lit up in surprise and enthusiasm before becoming half-lidded in concentration and thought.
We started to lean in closer to one another after a good while, but I stiffened and shook my head slightly, still feeling that prickle at the back of my neck.
“Tonight.” she whispered. I nodded slowly and relaxed.
“You know, you look handsome in the light of the setting sun.” she murmured.
“And you look beautiful.” I whispered back, resisting the urge to lean in and kiss her.
“You know what else you looked beautiful in?” I added, asking her as an unexpected but pleasant memory hit me. She shook her head.
“Your Painted Lady disguise. You under the moonlight, with these red stripes and swirls on your skin.” I dropped my voice to a heated whisper. A soft blush spread across her cheeks.
“You look beautiful anywhere, in anything.” I concluded softly, my hand itching to reach across and take hers.
“Tonight.” she affirmed, and again I nodded. “By that turn in the creek.”
“As the lady wishes.”

o0o0o0o

Everyone else was asleep as I crept through the woods, my pulse racing with anticipation. I wasn't being followed.
“Zuko.” I heard her voice from behind a tree as I came to a moonlit clearing. A lithe shadow moved into the light, and I saw nothing on Katara's body save for red swirls and stripes along her dark flesh. I did not speak as she approached me, my eyes moving up and down before meeting her eyes again. Dear Agni, I would never forget the sight before me. And never would I want to.
Her arm moved, and I saw my Blue Spirit mask in her hand. She gave me a flirtatious smile. The smile on my face became wider than hers.
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