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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
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Slow Heat

Chapter 23 – Convergence

The Usual Disclaimer – Avatar isn't mine. I thought it would be fun to give Chit Sang a good backstory, so that's why I did what I did last chapter, I liked him on the cartoon and was disappointed they didn't elaborate on him especially after they did one close=up on his gray-blue eyes. Feedback is always appreciated and welcome, please review.

o0o0o0o
One Month, 3 Days BSC
Katara

I lay there in the tent with Zuko, both of us in a tangle of limbs, basking in the afterglow of our passion. I murmured softly and snuggled closer, having already Bended our sweat into ice so we'd stay cool and comfortable. The cold beads on our skin served as an pleasant contrast to the heat that glowed from within us.
We had done a lot of bonding within the last few days, and we had Chit Sang to thank for that, which was a source of both gratitude and amusement. Chit Sang had told me about Jiang, the woman he loved and hoped to see once again.
Zuko and I had already talked with the rest of the group about asking him to join our army. After a bit of talking, everyone agreed. He spoke the truth about himself.
I was silent as Zuko closed his eyes, falling asleep. I savored his closeness for a while before I carefully slipped away, doing what I always did after our lovemaking before getting dressed and crawling out of the tent. It had rained a bit before we went into the tent, but it now stopped.
For a while now, I had been thinking about my relationship with Zuko. there was no denying that I enjoyed my time with him. He was a excellent opponent when it came to sparring, and he had told me about 'seeing' with his element like Toph did, so it was something I was trying along with him. We'd practice on one another, closing our eyes. I liked just being with him, the silence between us comfortable. Our conversations were infrequent but meaningful. And of course, there was the intimacy. I sighed softly. I didn't want to give any of that up. But staying with Zuko in Fire Nation was a daunting idea for me. Who would have ever guessed that I would become lover to the Fire Prince – the man who would become Fire Lord once this war was over? For so long the Fire Nation had represented nothing but bad things.
I remembered the conversations we had about our respective cultures. He had told me some of the folklore and tales, as well as asking any questions I might have had about Court life or Fire Nation in general, and I responded to his own questions about the Water Tribes in kind.
A life with Zuko would actually be enjoyable, if we were always this comfortable around one another. Given how well we were getting along, I felt that this would happen. But it was one thing to be with a Firebender, another thing entirely to marry the King of them all. What would Sokka say if he knew? Oh, I didn't even want to think about that! And my father. And my tribe...
Would I be betraying my mother's memory, and the memories of all who had died or suffered at the hands of the Fire Nation? I heard footsteps in the grass. Who could it be? Aang? Chit Sang? Zuko?
“Tara.” I heard the whisper before I felt strong arms wrap around me. I did not protest or pull away as he settled down behind me, nestling my body against his.
“What were you doing out here? Is something wrong?” he asked gently. I was silent.
“... Tara. Are you angry with me?” he asked. I shook my head.
“No, Zuko. How could I be angry with you?” I asked as he tightened his embrace.
“You're upset about something.” he shot back softly. We had always been honest with one another.
“I was thinking about my mother.” I murmured. Zuko had already told me about the circumstances around his mother's disappearance and how he missed her. I on the other hand had not been as forthcoming about my own mother.
“You never told me exactly what happened to her.” he murmured as I felt a hand rub the back of my neck gently. I nibbled my own lip for a few moments, thinking about what had happened before I looked up at him, making the decision to share my story.

o0o0o0o

For a good while, the Southern Water Tribe hadn't been raided or otherwise attacked. The elders hoped that the Fire Nation had no more interest in us. The last of the Waterbenders had been taken away years ago.
When I had started Waterbending, my parents sprung into action. I was instructed to never Waterbend outside. Mother would let me Bend with jugs of water in our igloo, and Sokka was instructed to never tell anyone that his sister could Bend. My parents impressed onto me that my gift was precious and they were not ashamed of me, but it was for my own safety that I needed to keep it private. So I obeyed, and refrained from doing it outside. A few years later, the elders knew that I was a Waterbender, but they all promised to keep it under wraps. They wanted me to be safe as much as my parents did.
One day, the snow became black. And then the Fire Navy ships came. The warriors rushed forward, and I was told to hide. So I did. I ran into out hut, where my mother was. There was a man standing above her, with the thickest sideburns I would ever see on any man. When my mother sent me away, I thought she would be okay. Of course, she wasn't. When Dad and I got back to her, she was fatally wounded. Nothing would save her, even though Sokka had run off to get the healer.
She managed to tell us that the Firebender had asked her where the last Waterbender was. So she had told him it was herself, thinking she'd be taken prisoner. She also said that the man had gotten this information from someone in the Tribe. We had a traitor within our clan.
We had a funeral for Mom; the only casualty in this entire raid. Of course, quite a few Warriors were injured, but all of them had managed to stay alive. Dad revealed to the Elders what Mom had managed to tell us before she died. Naturally, this brought about much consternation among them, and a investigation went underway. Such a offense to the Clan would not go unpunished.
It turned out that the granddson of one elder – Kinto by name – was the one responsible for the raid. One of the elders admitted that he had caught Kinto eavesdropping during one of his conversations with the other elders, turns out he had a penchant to listen in on conversations. What was troubling was that Kinto already had a reputation for being a troublemaker, so the elders quickly figured out that it was him. A couple of weeks before the raid, he had gone on a fishing trip and was gone for a week. It was then that he had contacted a Fire Nation lieutenant in exchange for money and protection.
The elders remained quiet about my Waterbending, but they had no compunctions in telling the clan that Kinto had sold out his clan. His family disowned him, and his grandfather refused to offer him mercy. He was taken out of the village, had his limbs broken, and was left to starve to death unless a wild animal reached him first.
Of course, none of this was gonna bring Mom back. I would have to wake up and know that I'd never see her face again. I'd never feel her warm arms around me, hugging me tight. I'd never hear her sing to me, or give me one of her smiles. I had lost my mother forever, and there was not a single thing I could do about it.

o0o0o0o

I felt tears stream down my cheeks before Zuko wiped them with his fingers.
“Tara. If I could bring her back, you know I would. I'm so sorry.” He hugged me more tightly, rocking me. I twisted around so that I could wrap my arms around his neck. He murmured comforting words to me as he rubbed my back, hugging me tightly.
After a while, he stopped and looked down at me.
“Katara, who was the man who did that to your mother? Can you describe him?” he asked. I nodded and told him that he was the man we had encountered a couple of times through our travels, such as Crescent Island where Avatar Roku's temple was, or when we had met Jeong Jeong. He gave out a soft snort.
“The Ocean Spirit took him at the end of the Siege of the North. The Spirits punish him now.” he explained. I let out a slow exhale of breath. It would have been satisfying to confront the man who had killed my mother, and hurt him. But at least now he was being punished. Zuko continued to hold me for a while, stroking my face and wiping away the remnants of my tears.
“You okay?” he asked gently as he stroked my arm. I nodded. The man who killed my mother had received divine justice. If I couldn't have confronted him myself, this was the next best thing. We stayed outside a while longer before he carried me back to his tent.

o0o0o0o
Zuko

Katara was quiet as she started to eat her breakfast, and I picked up my bowl, wandering over to the area she was sitting. Chit Sang already was sitting at one side, a couple of feet away as they chatted a bit. I noticed the Avatar make his way towards Katara, and I quickened my step. Right before Aang could sit down, I slid onto the grass a couple of feet away from her, close enough to keep the kid from squeezing in.
“Hey, I was gonna sit there!” he said as he frowned down at me slightly.
“That spot over there is good a spot as anywhere else.” I replied, waving over to the empty area between Toph and myself.
“Hmph.” he muttered, sitting down in said area. Toph chuckled a bit before Aang scowled in her direction. Saying nothing, she shoveled some eggs and rice into her mouth. As a group last night – excepting Chit Sang – we had decided to ask him to join Hakoda's army this morning.
“So... how long do you think you want to travel with us?” Sokka asked casually.
“Oh, am I causing a problem or disrupting your group?” Chit Sang asked with concern. I couldn't help but smile just a bit to myself.
“Not at all.” Sokka waved his arm casually before narrowing his eyes slightly, “But we've been talking, and we have a proposition for you...”
“I'm all ears.” Chit Sang replied, imitating Sokka's shrewd tone as he leaned forward.
“How'd you like to stick it to the Fire Lord and bring peace to the world?” Sokka replied. Chit Sang was silent for a few moments before he smirked.
“So that's what you're doing here.” he replied. He glanced over at me.
“I guessed that your names were fake a while ago, but I wasn't gonna ask. I'd think you were nuts for taking on the Fire Lord, but then...” he glanced over at Aang. Aang stared back, obviously a bit confused. I sighed and rose from my seat.
“He knows you're the Avatar.” I stated simply. He sputtered for a bit and jumped to his feet, but I put up my hand before he could speak.
“He's known for a couple of days now. We... “ here, I nodded to Katara, “have been spending time with him and getting to know him. We trust him.”
“So do I.” Toph replied.
“Thanks, Poppy.” Chit Sang smiled. It was almost funny to think of Toph as a flower, but she had said it was her mother's name, and since poppies were red, it was also a nice Fire Nation name, to use as part of her disguise. Of course, Toph would know if Chit Sang was lying to us, and he hadn't been doing anything of the sort.
“He's cool.” Sokka replied nonchalantly. “But the point is... Okay, look, it's not just us. We're meeting up with my dad's army in a few days, and together, we're gonna storm the Fire Nation capitol during the eclipse. So what we're asking you is if you'd like to be part of that army. We got the Avatar on our side, and the Fire Nation Princes.”
“The Dragon of the West? I've heard stories about him, in and out of prison. And the exiled Prince? It all sounds good, but how do I know that this is worth my time? I mean, okay, I like you guys and I'd like to see the War end, but what if we're captured and that kind of crap?”
“That's a possibility all of us have to consider. But no one – except us and a few people in Dad's army – knows that the Avatar is alive. So they won't be expecting Aang, especially when the Ba Sing Se forces were already captured. When the War is over, you won't have to worry about being a fugitive.” Sokka quickly glanced at me.
“Your record will be wiped clean. I would see to it that you are paid in full for what was confiscated from you when you were arrested. You could go anywhere you wanted.”
“And how will you do that for me?” Chit Sang asked.
“Because I am Zuko.” I replied, surprised at how calm I was to reveal this. He stared for several moments before glancing at everybody else. We all glanced back impassively.
“Shit. I've been traveling with the Avatar and the Prince! Is there anyone else in this group with a whopper like this?” he asked.
“Well, I am the Earth Rumble champion.” Toph replied casually.
“You're a Earthbender?”
“Damn straight.” she replied cheekily.
“Could I sit down and have a few minutes to process all of this?” he asked.
“Of course.” Katara replied kindly. “Would you like more rice and eggs?”

o0o0o0o
Katara

After the dishes were put away, Chit Sang approached me. I smiled at him to help him relax.
“I've decided.” he said as he glanced down at me.
“And?” I asked, still smiling.
“I wanna join.”
“Great!” I rose to my feet and gave him a quick hug. He seemed surprised, but he relaxed quickly and gave me a bear hug. I laughed softly as he swung me around just a bit before setting me back down. I saw Zuko glancing at us curiously, and I smiled back at him.
“It feels a little weird knowing you're a Prince.”
“It's nothing.” Zuko replied with a shrug. How humble he had become since that fateful day when his ship had barged onto my village!
“Nothing? Are you kidding? From what I've seen, you'll make a good Fire Lord. I...” He stiffened a bit, becoming more serious. “I would like to pledge my loyalty to you. I won't ask for anything more than what you already promised me. But it'd be a honor to have you as Fire Lord.”
“I appreciate that. You're a good man.” Zuko replied simply. Chit Sang extended his hand. Zuko actually looked surprised for a moment, but he reached out, the two of them grasping hands firmly.

o0o0o0o
Chit Sang

I was full and contented after dinner, and lay on the grass, looking up at the twilight sky. Poppy – well, Toph – was sitting nearby, chewing on a piece of grass. I could tell she had a crush on Sokka. I actually liked the name Sokka better than Wang Fire.
“What's up?” I asked, placing my hands behind my head.
“Nothing.” She shrugged. I had seen her blush a bit when Sokka had sat next to her at dinner. So I decided to say something while the two of us were alone.
“So, that Sokka's a cool guy, isn't he?” I ventured. She kept chewing on the grass as she shrugged.
“You two would make a cute couple.” I said in as light and gentle of a tone as I could, not wanting to make her feel embarrassed.
“Nah.” she spat out the grass and wiggled her toes.
“Why not? You're both sarcastic and funny. Give it a try.” I replied with a smile, even though I knew she couldn't see it.
“Nah, he has a lot of other girls who like him.”
“Are any of them around?” I countered evenly.
“... No.”
“Don't be afraid. If people were never brave enough to go to the ones they liked, then what do you think would happen? Certainly a mighty Earthbender like you can handle a boy like Sokka.” I thought about Zuko and Katara – who had been the first one to make a move? – and my own wooing of Jiang. I rose to my feet and walked over to her, giving her a reassuring pat on her shoulder.
“Thanks.” she said, and even in this darkening light I saw she was blushing a bit.
“More than welcome. Good night.”
“Night. Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite.”
“As if you'd let them.” I replied. She laughed.

o0o0o0o
One Month BSC
(Late August, 1101)
Zuko

Now that Chit Sang was fully on our side, we didn't need to hide anymore. Toph didn't have to find a private place to Earthbend, and Aang could practice whatever he pleased. Chit Sang and I had even ganged up on him for practice, so he could train with two Firebenders at the same time. Everything was going along peachy – aside the whole approaching battle – and it was like this that we arrived at the Black Cliffs Island to wait for Hakoda and his men.
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