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Borealis: A Zutara Story	By : jaded_priceless Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > AU/AR - Alternate Universe/Alternate Reality Views: 33555 -:- 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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Chapter 301

Bhumika arrived home in time to see three red clad figures approaching on ostrich horses. She had a strict rule about Fire Nations soldiers and uniforms - only one was welcome on her lands and in her home. She stomped her foot and screamed, "Don't you even think about setting one foot on my property wearing that!"

The twins used to such treatment pulled their reigns of their mounts to prevent crashing into the wall hastily made to keep Fire Nation soldiers off of her property and Mu quickly followed suit.

"Hey Granny! Nice to see you! Well it would be if I could see through walls!" Zhao 1 shouted back at her.

He was rewarded with a bag of clothes upside the head. "Get changed."

Five minutes later the wall disappeared and the twin’s younger sister came barreling towards them.

"Mu!"

Zhao 2 grabbed his little sister with one hand and tossed her onto his shoulders before she could make it to the object of what would have been a fervent childhood crush, if she were allowed to like boys that is. "Hey Mudbug!"

"Jun, put me down! I want to hug Mu!" the little girl squealed as she squirmed to get down.

"What, but I'm your favorite older brother" he whined as he pulled her into a crushing hug.

"Nah-uh, I don't have a favorite. I keep telling you and Guo I can't make up my mind,” she answered while putting her arms around her oldest brother.

"But you want to hug Mu?" Zhao 2 whined as he snatched his little sister from his twin.

"Yeah, he's cute," she muttered dreamily before squealing as she was affectionately tossed in the air and caught by strong loving arms that she easily settled into.

The twins greeted their mother and grandmother then walked into the house where they saw a man wearing a red uniform. They greeted their grandfather and Mu pretended not to see him as they sat down for lunch.

"Hey Granny, how come Pop-Pop gets to wear his uniform inside the house when we can't?" Zhao 2 asked while settling his sister in his lap.

"Your grandfather's uniform makes him look sexy. Yours make you look like a fool," their grandmother replied as she removed what both boys recognized as her traveling cloak.

"Come on Granny, it's not like we wanted to put this thing on," Zhao 1 insisted as she filled his plate with food.

Their mother groaned. She'd heard the conversation far too many times. She rose from the table, "Come on Mu and Jingfeng. Let's go eat outside before the walls come down."

They had finished their meal were playing in the stables by the time the walls did come down. Mu was looking at litter of kittens when the twin's grandfather entered. Mu quickly closed his eyes.

"Stop the foolishness brat, I kicked your Dad's rear and the rear of that she-demon he trusted you with, nobody expects you to stand a chance. Tell anyone that asks you last saw me crossing the Northern Plains heading west," the deserter said as he patted Mu's head affectionately. "Tell that other brat I said hello as well."

As much as Jeong Jeong would have loved to give Zuko a message about Iroh he cared too much to place either boy in that much danger. His old friend’s nephew was in many ways just as impulsive and out of control as Zhao; Zuko would no doubt make an outburst that was beyond anyone’s power to save him but…

Jeong Jeong sighed as he gathered his traveling companions and their gear deciding to wait on the edge of the property give his grandsons a proper farewell. He couldn’t tell Mu to tell Zuko that he’d seen Iroh, that hotheaded boy would no doubt get them all killed. But the girl traveling with him… the one Zuko had claimed as a concubine was a child wise beyond her years. She could handle such vital information without getting anyone killed. Mu would understand, eventually, for someone so smart he could be incredibly daft at times, but the deserter had no doubt that once Mu realized what he’d been told, the message and its real meaning would make it to its true recipient.

Zuko and Katara arrived from the East just as the twins are Mu were arriving from the West. They stopped before they reached the main group.

The twins handed Zuko a small basket, “Granny said to give you this. You’d understand.”

Zuko was confused as he looked through its contents, food, probably the same as what was in the one larger baskets strapped to the twin’s rhinos; soap, which he knew was exactly the same; a pair of socks too short and wide to fit his feet and rock tied to a piece of cloth.

Katara’s eyes widened when she saw the last item that was removed. It was a piece of the platform where Aang finally fell asleep that Toph had kept for good luck. He was startled when they tried to wake him and inadvertently knocked it loose. The sight of Aang Earthbending upon waking to what he believed was a threat delighted Toph to no end.

Katara reached for the stone, fingered it gently, before closing it in her palm.

Zuko called her name and she extended her hand, “Do you know where this is from?”

He lifted the trinket, turning it over and answered, “No, but this cloth kinda reminds me of your clothes, the blue ones….” Zuko’s voice faded, “the ones that I ruined.”

Katara nodded.

Zuko looked at the sock again. It was too short for his foot and wide, wide and short but clean. He lifted it, brought it to his nose and grimaced. Despite having been washed a trace of Uncle remained. Zuko inhaled deeply once more sending himself into a fit of coughs. He held the sock against his knees as he bent over and gasped for air.

Mu glanced at the sock and rock. His father was trained by General Iroh and like all trainees had been subject to laundry duty. One subject that never failed to come up during a drunken reunion of his fellow sufferers was the smell of their commander’s boots after a survival hike and the reason for the odor. The inebriated group would chant in voices that somehow boomed and creaked, “One thing you need to know about fighting Earthbenders is that you never ever take off your shoes. No matter how much the boots hurt your feet, do not take them off. Doing so will allow even a five year old Earthbender to kill you. They will roughen the ground to tear your soles use your own blood to track you. They will break your toes so you can’t run. They will impale you. These boots are heavy and sturdy for a reason. Your life depends on them.”

The twin’s grandfather had said to tell anyone that asked he was last seen crossing the Northern Plains heading west, but Jeong Jeong had accompanied them South several miles before heading East. Mu glanced at the sock made for a short fat foot and the stone from the Black Cliffs where his family would release their koala sheep every few summers to breed with the wild stock wrapped in blue cloth like clothes Katara once wore.

Mu’s stomach churned once he realized what Jeong Jeong had chosen to trust him with. He blurted, “I’m going to be sick”, before dismounting and running northwest to throw up. He knew the twins or Zuko wouldn’t follow but Katara would; kindhearted Katara whom he’d screamed and cursed as a gold digging whore would follow because she was kindhearted and a healer. He did throw up when she placed her hand on his back, choking once more on his foul words and ill treatment of her.

After rinsing his mouth with water she’d bent toward him he spoke, “General Iroh and your Earthbender, they went this direction. The twin’s grandfather told me to tell anyone who’d ask that he was last seen crossing the Northern Plains heading West but he and his followers accompanied us South for a while before heading east. He wasn’t talking about people trying to find him. Jeong Jeong knew no one would ask the twins about him; they work in torture and can hold information. They would ask me and I would give them an answer that they’d wouldn’t be able to discern was true. I’m a nobleman in good standing so it would take written permission from the Fire Lord to allow me to be tortured. My father…”

Katara stepped back as Mu threw up again.

He wiped his mouth with his hand, “My father trained the Fire Lord’s personal mounts and the mounts of military leadership. My mother is an apothecary and provides medicines for the military. My uncles talk in riddles. They would ask me and I could tell the truth but it wouldn’t be credible.”

Katara wove water around Mu’s hand to clean it and held more in front of him to rinse his mouth.

She waited for him to catch his breath before walking to the others. Halfway back Mu stopped and pointed at the ground. He kneeled as if picking something up then looked up at her, “I have no right to ask this of you but please, don’t tell Zuko.”

He didn’t wait for a response before lifting a large centipede and walking back to his friends.

Katara remained still watching Mu carry the insect away. His words echoed in her head, “Don’t tell Zuko”. Don’t tell Zuko they were close to his uncle and knew where he was going. They’d had no news of Toph or Iroh for months and now that they knew something, two pieces of information in the same day, the most crucial part was to be withheld from the one person who had the power to do something about it.

“Katara?” Zuko calling her name and caressing her face broke her away from her thoughts.

“I ah, Mu was sick. He said eating one of those things would help with the nausea.”

Zuko rolled his eyes, “Those don’t do a thing for nausea, but they are delicious roasted. Do you see any others?”

Katara shuddered in disgust. It wasn’t like she hadn’t eaten bugs before. She had, due to severe hunger, but never once as they chomped on Buzzard Wasp while crossing the Si Wong did she ever think they or any of the other creepy crawly things they’d managed to catch was delicious.

The approach of the group led by Chu-hua put an end to the search. Zuko roasted the centipede and they shared it before reboarding the train and continuing the journey North.

The caravan stopped before nightfall and made camp at another newly formed Fire Nation installation. Unlike the last outpost commander, this one was all too happy to make use of Azula’s Dai Li. She had thick latticed walls built around the city in several directions to slow the prairie winds and didn’t begrudge Chu-hua’s demands to build something practical, like sleeping areas.

That night as she lie beneath Zuko, covered in sweat and with him softening inside her Katara whispered, “I know where they are. Your uncle and Toph.”

Zuko lifted his head from her shoulder as she repeated herself, “Your uncle and Toph. I know where they are or at least where they are going.”

“They went this direction,” Katara explained lifting the hand linked with hers and pointing northwest.

“What? How?” Zuko murmured. The post orgasmic sleepy haze cleared as his eyes fell on the basket from the twin’s grandmother and the short fat sock lying next to it and he yelled, “Katara!”

Zuko pushed himself off of her and began getting dressed. He tossed her clothes to her and whispered frantically, “Hurry up! We have to catch them. They won’t miss us until morning if we leave now. We can take one, no two of the eelhounds. They’re on foot. We should be able to find them within a day or so. I know all the places Uncle is likely to go!”

Katara watched as Zuko buttoned his shirt and strapped on his swords. His boots were already laced when he grabbed her, “Don’t just sit there. Get dressed we have to go!”

Katara shook her head as Zuko roughly bound her breasts and a knot he’d most likely would have to burn off to get it undone. She pushed him away as he shoved a shirt over her head. “Zuko stop! What are you doing? We can’t leave.”

Zuko stepped away from her, his face a mixture of surprise and hurt, “Why can’t we? This is the chance we’ve been waiting on. We know where Uncle and your Earthbender are…or at least the direction they’ve gone. Why can’t we find them? What’s wrong with you? Don’t you want to leave?”

Tears came to her eyes as she nodded. She wanted to leave, wanted to go to get away from the Fire Nation, from Zuko, from everything but she unlike Zuko, had things she couldn’t leave behind.

“So let’s go,” Zuko growled throwing her pants at her.

“I can’t,” Katara whispered.

“Why can’t you? Katara this is probably the best chance we’ll have. Let’s go,” Zuko insisted as he tossed her lower wraps and right boot her direction.

Katara closed her eyes, pushing back her tears and opening them slowly as she shook her head resolutely, “No.”

“Katara,” Zuko called her name impatiently but she remained on the bed, undressed. He grabbed the shirt attempting to force it over her head again only to be pushed away once more. “What’s wrong with you, Katara? We can leave. Let’s go!”

“Fine.” Zuko snarled, “I’m going.”

He took one step toward the door, and another, and another but Katara remained on the bed undressed. She curled over sobbing as he opened it and stepped out.

Four steps into the hallway Zuko paused. He could still taste Katara, could feel the press of her thighs against his ears as he had licked her. Her scent filled his nostrils with each inhalation. Every movement caused his hastily tossed on overshirt to rub against the scratches she’d left on him and each step served to remind him just how empty his balls were as they swung freely inside his pants. He’d forgotten to put on underwear in his haste to just go. And he was leaving her…

Zuko rubbed his forehead. He needed to find his uncle, but he couldn’t leave Katara. He couldn’t. He loved her too much to leave her behind and knew full well she would no longer exist by the time he returned. If he left, she would die. She would slowly and miserably and it would be his fault for leaving her behind. He would lose the one thing he loved most in the world if he decided to chase his own freedom.

His stomach knotted as he understood Katara’s refusal to leave with him.

Zuko knocked softly on the door and called Katara’s name as he opened it. She still sat curled into a ball half-dressed and crying. Zuko closed and locked the door then wrapped the sheet around her and pulled her into his lap. “Together.”

“When we leave, we’ll go together, me, you, your brother, the Avatar and the bison. When we leave, we’ll leave together. I won’t let anyone hurt you and I won’t let anyone hurt them. I’m sorry for being so selfish,” Zuko whispered as he buried his face in Katara’s hair. “I won’t leave you. I’ll never leave you and I know you won’t leave them. I’m sorry for trying to make you. We’ll leave together. We’ll find Uncle and your Earthbender again and we’ll all leave together.”

Katara sobbed harder as she nodded against his shoulder. He came back. Zuko came back. He came back for her and he wasn’t supposed to. He was supposed to leave. The cruel prince of the Fire Nation was supposed to abandon her to her fate as he chased after his uncle. He wasn’t supposed to come back for her or realize why she wouldn’t leave. Zuko wasn’t supposed to come back, he wasn’t supposed to keep the promise he made to protect Aang and Sokka. He wasn’t supposed to know her so well to be able to discern her reasons for not going so easily. He wasn’t supposed to know her so well; to come back for her - for them - and make good on his promise to protect them. He wasn’t supposed to give up his own goal when it was so close to help her achieve hers or make her feel so happy, loved and secure while doing so.

She wasn’t supposed to feel such joy in her heart and warmth spreading throughout her body that he’d done so.

The previous night’s joy soon faded. Aang’s eyes were glassy and unaware as they loaded his cage onto the train; the chains on his wrist and torso kept him upright but there was nothing to keep his head from lolling about with each motion. Unlike Aang, Sokka’s eyes were all too aware. There were bags beneath them as if he’d been kept awake all night but his face bore no signs of beating. His movements were lethargic but without stiffness Katara had learned to search for.

Her concern for them was abated when Zuko nuzzled her ear angling his head to remind her that one of the Zhao twins was getting into the cars that carried her brother and friend. He whispered a single word, his breath warm as he disguised the movement of his lips by nibbling on the shell, “Together.”

Katara linked her hand with his as they stepped into their car on the train.

“Oh look Mai, Loser Zuzu’s done something to make the Waterbender want to hold onto him. I’ll bet a kingdom it’s something he’s never done for you,” Azula teased as Katara and Zuko took seats across from them.

Zuko laughed sarcastically, “Really Azula? I’m sure you’ve done the same thing but not as well considering there’s no one who wants to hold onto you.”

Mai turned sideways in her seat to look out of the window. Zuko had rolled his tongue as he teased his sister. He was right, Azula had done that to her but he’d never done so. The closest he’d come was to kiss her thighs as his fingers rooted around inside of her as he tried to convince her to have sex. Mai grit her teeth and forced away the burning behind her eyelids. Zuko had never begged for her, he’d asked and demanded, but he’d never begged - at least not for her. It was a cruel truth she’d realized when she’d listened outside their doorway. That same day, it was insinuated he’d given husband’s kiss to the Waterbender. She’s speculated and wondered if that was truly what she was hearing but now seeing him roll his tongue against the Waterbender’s skin while saying it was something Azula had done also was too much.

Mai was grateful Ty Lee took a spot beside next to her and began yelling at the royal siblings for being gross. As the fifth daughter in a house of seven Ty Lee knew how to command attention just as well as Mai knew how to use the shadows of others to hide her quiet tears
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Borealis: A Zutara Story