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Borealis: A Zutara Story	By : jaded_priceless Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > AU/AR - Alternate Universe/Alternate Reality Views: 33524 -:- 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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- 238
Chapter 234
Zuko was about to step into the water when it rose up to greet him. He watched as it circled the soap before weaving its way over him. He waited until a second stream rinsed him off before sinking into the tub.
“Close your eyes.”
Zuko turned toward the sound, Katara was standing on the other side of the privacy screen.
“Close your eyes.”
This time he obeyed her. He had seen her naked several times and it bothered him how Katara still hid herself from him. He heard the rustling of fabric then felt the water sink from chest high to waist level then rise again as Katara sat behind him. He fought he urge to turn around and look at her knowing it would only add to her mistrust. He wished they could share more unguarded moments like this afternoon when she had felt comfortable enough to bare herself. He sighed as Katara once again brought him and his father closer to understanding. He’d been twelve when his father had returned a pornographic scroll the servants had found in his room. He’d been expecting a beating or worse but Ozai had told him, “It is natural for a boy your age to be curious about the female form. It is perfectly fine to admire shapely hips and firm breasts but one day I hope you find someone who makes you realize the most beautiful part of a naked woman that you will ever see is her soul. Until then remember every issue is a potential prince or princess, do them proper honor and burn them.”
He closed his eyes as Katara’s hands began to knead his scalp, the transition to physical maturity would have been easier had be not been banished. Unlike his uncle who believed in free sex after the first sowing but self-control and discipline until then his father advocated self-release until he found the right woman. He had forgotten his father had been angered by his mother’s insistence upon chaining him like some animal so he wouldn’t touch himself and the venom in Ozai’s voice when he said “he would not interfere with the way Ursa raised her son.”
A few minutes later he felt Katara’s hand brush against his side reaching for the wash cloth he still held. He gave it to her without protest and continued to ponder the what-ifs. He was beginning to regret burning his father’s letter instead of re-reading once he had calmed down. There was something in it that stood out but he couldn’t quite remember the exact wording of the text. His father was a master wordsmith, relying on anything but the exact phrasing was dangerous. Those thoughts left his head and he moaned when he felt the soft gentle circles cleaning his back but no pain.
He turned and looked over his shoulder at Katara. Her breasts, hips, lips, thighs, skin, buttocks, arms, back, face, feet and every part were truly magnificent but he would not feel so strongly if something far more beautiful did not exist inside her. He met her gaze and stared into her eyes for several seconds before turning around.
Katara set the towel down and ran her fingers over Zuko’s skin. The moon was out and his circulatory system was primed from his recent orgasm and the hot water so it was easy to draw his blood to the surface in the places she felt lumps. “There are pebbles here. It will hurt to remove them.”
He nodded and drew his knees to his chest. He continued to stare at the water in front of him when he felt Katara rising.
Katara dried off and dressed then sat on the floor in the moon rays beneath the window to wait on Amayu. She stared into the sky hoping that Yue would come talk to her again. She had so many questions and needed a friend far more than her own counsel. Zuko had looked at her after she had asked him not to. He had turned and looked dead into her eyes, not at her breasts or the place where her legs separated but at her. He smiled softly but not lecherously and his gaze did not lower before he turned around.
Amnak had told her she had forgiven Bato’s many transgressions based upon how he looked at her and how he looked at other women. He looked at her and saw her, Amnak, the woman he’d chosen to spend his life with. He laid with other women but did not see them for who they were, only their ability to give him children. If he had ever looked at another woman and saw something more it would be the end of their marriage. At the time Amnak’s words had not made sense but now she understood; Zuko had looked at her and saw Katara, the person, not the naked woman.
The honesty of his gaze made him all the more frightening.

Zuko let the water cool around him as if that would somehow delay the inevitable. Amayu had detailed what would happen during the procedure while they were in the infirmary earlier. Katara didn’t have to tell him it would hurt; he knew it would be painful. He’d heard the screams onboard the Albatross when they ferried patients with blood poisoning. He could always tell which linens and bandages had been used during their treatments. Even after they’d been boiled in peroxide and ammonia they retained a dingy brownish hue. He heated the water once more time knowing the heat would draw the blood closer to his skin and he would bleed faster when they cut him. He never thought he’d wish more Fire Nation doctors had a fondness for elbow leeches.
Amayu returned three hours later. The moon was at its zenith and Zuko had been lying with his head in Katara’s lap as she meditated by the window. The feel of her fingers sliding along his back mapping each bruise had been comforting even though pain rippled along the edge of his awareness. It meant she was serious about his treatment and committed to his survival. He would hurt, but he would not die tonight.
He winced as he pushed himself to his forearms to open the door for the doctor. She too had bathed and changed. She carried a second medical bag even though she had sent one earlier. The physician sat the bowl on the dresser and looked around the room. A small fire burned in the hearth, the moonlight came through the open curtains and the opposite corner contained an unlit torch. After making her assessment she declared, “It’s too dark. Even once that is lit we’ll need more light. It would be better if we had another torch or lantern.”
“Prince Zuko are you certain you do not want to do this in the infirmary? This room is not sterile,” she asked looking around again.
“What do we need to do to sterilize it?” Katara inquired she perused it as well. The room was clean, there was no dust, cobwebs or signs of neglect.
Amayu opened reached inside the bag she had brought to reveal antiseptic. She explained, “The walls, ceiling, and floor need to be washed with this. The bed linens need to be soaked and boiled in it. You are a Waterbender and he bends fire so I’m not really concerned about that part but the window is unscreened. I was only able to get a small amount of netting. You need fresh air and the scent of blood will draw insects.
You will be extremely weak for the next two days. This bed is not equipped for a bedpan and Katara is not strong enough to lift you when the time comes for you to answer the call of nature. The rest of the 58^th is slowly arriving but we cannot be certain they will not draw the attention of the Earth army. We could be attacked and this hotel will not be as well protected as the infirmary. Are you certain you wish for the procedure to be done here?” Amayu repeated.
“Yes,” Zuko and Katara replied at the same time.
Zuko looked at Katara in question. Her lips were pulled to one side as if she were biting the inside of it. Katara turned her gaze from him towards Amayu. She too had wondered if maybe it would be better for Zuko to go to the infirmary. Blood poisoning was an infection, the air was frequently dusty and if not for the diligence of the hotel workers the rooms would be as well. All it would take to kill him was for a simple bit of dust to land in one of his wounds.
Katara nodded in confirmation, “I am able to care for him. I can tend to all of his needs even those you questioned. If we place a wet sheet over the window it will keep out the dust and insects. We can attach it to the shutters. I can use my bending to sterilize the room. Zuko can heat the antiseptic to boiling to remove the impurities in the air.”
Zuko looked around the room; all that was left was the darkness. “Katara, if we moved the torch here could you anchor it to the wall with ice?”
Katara nodded, “There is enough water in the bathtub to do that.”
Once the plan was in place Katara ran antiseptic over every surface of the room. She soaked it into their bed linens and mattress then guided the puddle towards Zuko. It exploded into a fireball his first attempt to heat it.
Amayu laughed, “I haven’t seen that since my medical schooling.”
She poured some into a basin she had removed from her bag. “Gradually heat this,” she instructed while placing the instruments she would use inside it. While that was heating she called Katara over, “Did you bathe as well?”
Katara replied in the affirmative and Amayu nodded, “Good, now we must prepare the final process.”
Katara followed Amayu’s lead and pulled back her hair then washed her arms and face with mixture of antiseptic and purified water she’d asked them to boil earlier. She placed a mask over her face and put on an apron. She jumped when Katara washed the garments she was wearing with antiseptic as well.
Amayu instructed Zuko to step behind the privacy screen and dress down to his loincloth. He emerged with a towel around his waist and shuddered. Amayu had placed another towel on the dresser and was lifting the instruments with forceps whose handles she’d deliberately left out of the water. A chair covered in towels had been placed next to it and a sheet lay on the floor.
“Have a seat Prince Zuko.”
Zuko sat in the chair backwards and leaned over it to fully expose and extend his back.
The doctor handed him a cup, “Drink this. It contains some of the liver broth, an antibiotic and a painkiller.”
Zuko finished the concoction and to his surprise Katara began massaging his hands while Amayu placed a warm towel on his back. The first towel cooled and a second took its place. Katara’s hands had worked their way from his hands to his shoulders. The towels changed again and Katara had completed massaging his face and scalp. The Waterbender sterilized her hands again when Amayu announced, “It is time.”
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Borealis: A Zutara Story