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Bitter Alliance	By : Looneyluna Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > Het - Male/Female > Katara/Zuko Views: 31138 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
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.

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Act III

Chapter Eight

--

A haze of death surrounds me. Unable to see where I am going due to the heavy fog, I guide the ship toward the shore by sound. I am exhausted, having “sailed” the ship, which is the size of one of my father’s warships, by bending the water beneath its bow. The fog is so thick that I can barely see the light of the full moon.

It is an eerie sensation. I feel as though I am floating over an abyss. The sound of the ocean should calm me, but I cannot seek comfort or rest until I am reunited with my children. I cannot accomplish that until I find Zuko.

The task is daunting. I have made it across the desert and the ocean, but now I must find my lover in a war zone. I hear a shout in the distance, and I stop propelling the boat across the water. I stand still, wondering if I am hearing things or if someone is nearby.

The momentum of the ship moves forward, the sound of water lapping the shore becomes louder. The wood creaks in protest as it drives into the sandy bottom. The ship lurches and tilts as it yields to momentum. I lose my footing and fly in the same direction, grasping for purchase along the splintered wood.

The ship settles on the beach. I take stock of my injuries as I try to stand. My hands are skinned with splinters, and I grazed my cheek on the railing. My injuries are not life threatening, but they are painful.

“Over here!” a faint voice calls in the distance. Other voices sound in the distance. It sounds as though I have landed in the middle of an army camp. I can only hope that I landed among friends and not foes.

Peering over the side of the ship, I shudder. I can hear the water. The movement of the ship tells me that it is beached. But I cannot see anything. The darkness that fell as I journeyed toward the Fire Nation seems thicker here – wherever here is. Did I even reach the Fire Nation?

Doubt bores tiny holes into my confidence. Loss of confidence leads to fear, an emotion that I have not yielded to for some time. I couldn’t allow myself to wallow in it for too long. Now, it consumes me. The very nature of fear renders me senseless as I question every step I take. Should I hide? Should I run? Should I –”

“This way!” a voice barks in the distance. It is louder. They obviously heard the sound of my ship as it crashed upon their shore.

“Stupid fog,” I whisper between clenched teeth. Somewhere in my panic, I decide to flee. I tie the flag that Pathik gave me around my waist. Hanging on to the prow, I pray that I land somewhere soft. My hands burn, protesting the demands I make upon them.

My ankle twists in the thick, damp sand, giving a resounding snap of grievous injury. Pain stacks on top of pain, coalescing with the fear, panic, and doubts that hinder me. I’ve come so far. How can I fail now? Kaya and Iroh need me. I must get back to them intact.

“The noise came from over here!” the voice insists as it draws closer.

“Are you sure?” a second voice answers. “Maybe it was a flock of turtle ducks or whale seals.”

I try to stand and run, but I fall backwards into the pounding surf. The salt water stings the wounds on my hands and scrape on my face, and I cry out.

“It’s a ship from the mainland.”

I can hear them climb aboard the tilted vessel.

“Do you suppose they sent us supplies?” the voice asked.

“Supplies would be nice,” the other voice answered. “But we need men more.”

They are walking back and forth on the deck, searching the wreckage. The first man snorted. “Men? I’d prefer women. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve –”

“Yes, I do.” I can hear the irritation in the second man’s voice. “Do you think you’re the only man who hasn’t gotten laid in over four years?”

I stare into the darkness, unable to move. I hide beneath the port side of the ship, the lean of it giving me a convenient hiding spot. Ignoring the waves that push me against it, I bite my lip to keep from crying. Their conversation alone tells me to be wary of them.

There is a large splash next to me, and I yelp.

“Nolan!” one of the men cries out.

A bright ball of fire shines to my left. I can’t fight. I can’t stand.

“I’ll be damned!” the one called Nolan exclaims. “Are you all right?” he asks softly.

I stare at the hand that he offers me, and I try to climb away from him. As another layer of pain washes over me, darkness consumes me. I try to fight the compulsion, but it is too great. I sink into the water, bemoaning my weakness and failure. I have failed Kaya and Iroh.

--

A myriad of emotions battle within me as I stare at the woman who has haunted my dreams. Katara. I know her name only because Jeong Jeong has spoken to me of her.

Mahari’s execution has been delayed… for now. The Seer’s visions aren’t as unreliable as she would have me believe them to be. I still don’t trust her.

The mother of my children rests fitfully, the only visible injury the raw, pink flesh of her cheek that Damuk healed. He had healed her hands and ankle. According to Nolan, she was lucky she didn’t drown.

This is a dream. Or is it a nightmare? I long to touch the woman, yet I have no rights to do so. Our history in my nightmares has shown me the truth. Surely, she despises me. Weak and unable to resist, I reach out to touch her soft hair, but pull back as the flickering light of the lone lantern spotlights the scars that cover my hands. Jeong Jeong assures me that this woman cares for me, but I am sure that will change once she sees how malformed I have become, not to mention the history that looms like an infinite abyss between us.

Her presence should frighten me, but it doesn’t. It soothes me. I feel different somehow. The pain of my life and the gray shroud that descended upon me have lifted, bringing raw emotions to the forefront of my pitiful existence. I had buried these emotions for so long that I hardly recognize them for what they are. My thoughts are disjointed, my reasoning flawed. They are my thoughts… not the omnipresent ramblings of the celestial harbinger that I am tied to.

The destructive nature of Sozin’s comet is a silent buzz in my mind. Her mere presence drowns the murmurings of madness out. I want to wake her up. I have to see the color of her eyes. Are they the same color as they are in my dreams? I have convinced myself that the timbre of her voice is delicate and pure. I want to hear it. I want to banish the images of my nightmares. Instead of tears and condemnation, I want to see tears of joy in her azure eyes and hear words of love from her soft lips.

My body stirs as I struggle with the urge to take what I want most. The brutal slice of desire splits me in two. My groin aches and I rub the damaged flesh roughly, cursing the lust that harkens my disgrace.

I have no right to this woman. She has suffered enough by my hand.

My thoughts make me wary. Sitting next to her pallet, I close my eyes and meditate.

--

Breaking the surface of sleep is like breaking the surface of water. It is often disorienting and the first breath of surfacing is often one of affirmation. I am in a tattered tent, a setting that is disorienting enough if it weren’t for the panicked memories that play through my fuzzy memory. I am alive. Have I been captured?

I throw off the blanket and sit up.

“You’re safe,” a familiar voice whispers next to me.

The only light in the tent is the flickering flame from a small lantern. My heart aches as I studied the outline of the man before me. Even in the darkness, I can see the changes. The letter that Mahari had sent to Song had mentioned that he had been injured, but even my worst imaginings could not compare with the reality of his scars.

His hair is cropped close to his head in uneven, shaggy patterns. A new scar crosses the old one over his left eye. His mouth is misshapen, part of his thin lips missing. The shape of his bottom lip bleeds into his chin.

He shifts uncomfortably and clears his throat.

He wears a linen tunic that is cut in a sharp angle, which affords me a glimpse of his neck and part of his chest. His pale, flawless skin is now riddled with a network of angry scars. His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. I am surprised I can see the movement beneath the mangled skin on his neck. What I can see of his chest is pockmarked with rivulets of crisscrossed flesh. I move closer, intent on touching him, intent on verifying that he is real and not some wishful figment of my imagination.

Zuko grabs my wrist. “Don’t… touch me… please.”

Staring at his hand, I notice the scars there. “What did he do to you?” I whisper shakily.

He tries to pull away, but I will not let him retreat, and I grab hold of his hand.

--

I bear witness to the flood of emotions that cross her face – shock, sadness, pity, fear… Her eyes swim with tears. My body hardens, responding to her touch. My resolve slipping, I close my eyes and pretend that she looks at me without pity.

“He defended himself,” I answer, my voice tinged with lust. “I would have done the same thing.”

The phantom touch of her lips on my knuckles fans the flames of desire. “No, you wouldn’t have. You never would have harmed your son.”

Her words hold a conviction that shatters my illusion.

“Kaya and Iroh are safe,” she whispers reassuringly. The unshed tears that shimmered for so long spill onto her cheeks. “At least, I hope they are safe. I left them with Toph.”

I have heard those names before. I know that Kaya is my daughter and Iroh is my son. There are so many questions… so many gaps in my memories that I fear I shall never be whole. “Toph?”

Squeezing my hand, Katara smiles through her tears. “You know. Toph. A little on the short side, master Earthbender…”

--

Zuko stares at me, his gaze blank. I see hesitant recognition in his eyes, but it is clouded with restraint and fear. I can’t stop touching him. It is only through tactile sensation that I can reaffirm that he is alive. His hesitation puzzles me, and I realize that something is terribly wrong. “Zuko?”

Angry shouts and explosions sound in the distance. Zuko rolls away from me, grabs his armor, and climbs out of the tent. I crawl after him, surprised to see the sun peeking over the horizon.

“What is it?” Zuko asks a passing soldier.

“They’ve broken through the pass, sir!” answers the soldier. “We’re boxed in! There are too many to hold off!”

Yanking his armor on, he turns around in a circle and assesses the situation. “Make sure the wounded make it to the ship!” he barks, as an explosion goes off in the distance.

He grabs me, roughly shoving me toward the soldier. “Take her to the ship! We’ll hold them off as long as we can!”

I balk, pushing the soldier away. “I’m not leaving you! I left you before. I won’t do it again!”

My lover’s face pales. “Katara –”

“My lord, the wounded were loaded onto the ship an hour ago.”

Another explosion rips through the serenity of the morning sky, this time closer.

Zuko curses. “Where’s Mahari?”

The soldier looks nervous. “She left a few hours ago, my lord. She said you had instructed her to go north to seal off the catacombs.”

Biting his malformed, bottom lip, Zuko studies the mountains. “Sound the call for retreat. Go to the ship. Set sail for the Earth Kingdom. We’ll just have to take a chance that they won’t blow us out of the water before we reach their shores.”

I reach for the material that I had tied about my waste and heave a sigh of relief. I untie the flag. “Fly this. Pathik gave it to me. He said it would allow us safe passage.”

Zuko chuckles, clutching the material in his hand.

The soldier looks at Zuko, fearful that his lord has gone made.

I refuse to let the madness take him from me. I’ve come too far to abandon him now. Reaching out, I touch the shoulder of his armor. “What is it?”

Zuko’s golden gaze captures mine. Moisture clings to his eyelashes. “She said you would come. She said you would save us… that you would save me.”

Leaning into him, I press myself against his armor. Even through the armor, I can feel his heart pounding. He is rigid as I place a kiss upon his lips. “I’ve come to far to lose you now.”

Explosions draw closer, and Zuko steps away from me.

“Sound the retreat!” he commands the soldier, taking me by the hand and leading me toward the shore.

--

TBC

Author’s Notes: Whew! What a wild ride! I know everyone was expecting some spectacularly hot reunion scene, but I just didn’t feel like the timing was right for that. Their reunion will span out over this chapter and the next two chapters. Thanks to all who have reviewed, and to everyone for their patience while I nitpick through each chapter before sharing them. God bless!
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Bitter Alliance