Zuko's Geography Lessons | By : vickiso Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > Het - Male/Female > Katara/Zuko Views: 9990 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- 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. |
Challenge #8: In an Earth Kingdom Prison
Title: Vicki’s Geography Lessons - Empathy
Author: vickiso
Media: fiction
Challenge Type: biweekly
Warnings: rape, violence, Zutara, fluff
Zuko pried his sticky eyes open, his head throbbing from the lumps he’d accrued back at the ostrich-horse stable. At least his captors had the decency to dress him in the clothes he’d arrived with before he had tangled himself in the farm girl’s web.
He slowly sat up, groaning, but found his movement restricted. His hands and feet were cuffed together, his fingers linked together within closed gauntlets to prevent him from Firebending. His ankles were attached to the floor by a short length of chain. He looked about: iron bars and steel plates surrounded him on all sides. Not good.
“Oh. You’re awake.”
Though a little hoarse from disuse, the voice sounded vaguely familiar. The prince peered into the darkness, letting his eyes adjust, when a figure in blue sidled up to the bars the adjacent cell shared with his.
It was the Waterbender who traveled with the Avatar, the one he had fought with back at the North Pole. Katara.
Zuko found himself flooded with mixed emotions. On the one hand, seeing a familiar face in this cold and lonely place after traveling on his own for so long overwhelmed him with gratitude; but on the other hand, this particular face was not one he would have chosen to welcome him, pretty as it was. She had bested him twice, after all, and had been a hindrance to his mission ever since he’d met her.
But she didn’t smirk down at him or laugh or even look upon him with pity. Her eyes looked dead and a little sunken, her lips pale and thin in the moonlight shafting from the tiny window above.
“How are you feeling?” She asked, the ghost of a smile passing over her face.
Zuko shifted and grumbled. “Fine.”
She flinched at the hardness of his reply. “You’re…” she trailed off. “I like your hair.”
The prince cocked an eyebrow at her.
“They dragged you in here a few hours ago,” she explained, “I wasn’t sure it was you at first. You didn’t have the armour and stuff…” she blushed and fidgeted with the ends of her braid. “Actually, you didn’t have anything on at all.”
Zuko found himself unable to suppress the heat flushing through him. The girl had seen him naked? He was overly curious to find out what she thought of the rest of him, though he couldn’t care less what she thought.
“So why are you here?” He found himself asking sullenly. His mouth felt detached from his brain. Every fiber of his being didn’t want to be talking to this girl, this peasant, but he couldn’t not talk to her – that would just be rude.
“I… I got caught trying to steal something.” She stared down at her hands.
The Firebender’s lips twitched. “Be grateful. In the Fire Nation, theft is punishable by amputation of the fingers or hands.”
Katara said nothing.
Zuko rocked back on his heels and sighed tiredly, trying to figure out his next step. He settled down to meditate, studying his cell and all its minutiae in order to formulate some kind of escape plan. In his peripheral vision, he could see the water girl standing by the bars, staring at him with wide eyes that seemed to devour his whole being. Every inch of his skin crawled (pleasantly) at her scrutiny.
“Could you please stop that?” He murmured finally.
“What?”
“Stop staring at me like I’m some kind of freak show.”
“You’re not a freak show.” She said shyly. “And I wasn’t staring. I was thinking.”
“About what?”
“Well,” she sat down. “We haven’t seen you since the North Pole. I… we were starting to wonder if you had died, or something.” He noted the hint of remorse in her voice and was strangely warmed by it. The Avatar and his friends had thought about him?
“I’m fine. I don’t need your concern. I can take care of myself.” He said sharply, concealing his strange, private pleasure. He expected her to lash out at him, to yell at him for being bull-headed and callous – even anger would be better than that owl-eyed gawp – but she didn’t respond. It was as though the fire in her spirit had been put out.
“Yeah,” she murmured, resting her forehead on her knees. “I know.”
He blinked at her demureness. It was if she had retreated within herself, like a frightened turtleduck ineffectually tucking itself into its shell. Where was the Waterbender who had defied him at the North Pole? The one who had dispatched him in the middle of the frozen tundra without a second thought? She had been so proud and strong once, but now she looked like a caged and beaten animal, her head hanging low, her eyes downcast, ashamed. What could have happened to make her like this?
The external door of the jail opened and a hairy, burly Earth Kingdom man strode in. Zuko looked up at him and was instantly reminded of a greasy cross between a hog-monkey and a platypus-bear.
“Well, well, our new guest is awake!” Monkeybear Man bellowed haughtily. “Are you enjoying your accommodations, your Highness?”
Katara tucked herself into the shadows and pressed herself into a corner.
Zuko narrowed his eyes. “Fairly comfortable, thank you,” he said, inclining his chin.
“And I supposed the company’s good too?” He chuckled over at the water girl, who stared at him with wide, fearful eyes. “If you’re a good guest, I might just let you have a piece of her too, hmm?”
Zuko’s stomach dropped. Oh gods, he didn’t…
“What do you plan to do with me?” He growled to draw attention away from the girl. He studied the warden, the door, and the visible portion of the room beyond, adding the details to his blueprint for escape.
“Do? Well, there are quite a few options,” Monkeybear Man strode to the bars. “I could take you to Ba Seng Sei. You’d be put on public display. Tortured for information, maybe. Probably executed in the end. I’d be touted as a hero for that, you know.” He paced, gesturing airily with a hammy hand. “But then there’s this wanted poster circulating about. It says there’s a huge reward for whoever finds you and turns you over to the Fire Nation.” The warden stroked his beard. “It makes me wonder what you did to earn your own family’s wrath… but it won’t bother my conscience. What’s it like, anyhow? Being hunted as a fugitive and traitor by everyone in the world?”
Zuko said nothing and looked down, not to hide his shame, but to concentrate.
The prison warden laughed heartily. “Oh how the mighty have fallen. But don’t worry, your Highness. I would not deny someone of Fire Nation royal lineage the comforts of home.” He strode toward Katara’s cell and opened the door. The girl whimpered, and Zuko watched in horror as he grabbed the girl by the hair and began pulling off her clothes. His heart stuck in his throat, and he found himself unable to shout out. The Waterbender cried and begged him to stop, but her robe was torn off and thrown into a heap on the ground, the strips of her breast band yanked off. The warden wrestled her out of the cell, opened Zuko’s, and shoved her in.
The bars slammed shut. Katara sobbed and pushed herself into the corner behind the prince, hugging her knees and hiding her body.
“Enjoy yourself, Prince Zuko,” the warden laughed and walked away, closing the outside door behind him.
Zuko stared at the man’s back, shaking with fury and disgust. That monster would pay for this.
Katara’s sniffling from the corner of the cell sapped away some of the rage and he turned his attention upon her. He looked at her sideways and tried not to gawp at the smooth dark skin of her thigh, the only part of her visible in the thin veil of moonlight.
“Why didn’t you fight him? You’re a Waterbender!” He hissed, staring at the far wall.
“He…” she hiccupped. “He has Toph. He said he’d hurt her if I didn’t do what he said.”
Zuko gritted his teeth. Bile rose to his throat and he bit back a howl of rage. This proud, noble girl had been violated in the worst way possible; even if she was once the enemy, he couldn’t abide by this kind of treatment.
“We have to get out of here.” He said. “Katara—”
It was odd to say her name out loud. It really was a pretty name. He cocked his head and continued.
“Katara,” He repeated slowly, turning. She yelped.
“Don’t look at me!” She wailed.
He snapped his head back to face the far wall, closing his eyes. “I…” he had to be careful. The next few words would make it or break it. If he wanted to escape, he would need her help, and to get it, he needed her to trust him. “I won’t hurt you. Whatever you think I am, whatever you think of me… I’m not that person anymore.” He paused, and more words tumbled from his mouth: “I don’t know what I am…”
The truth made his heart palpitate, his eyes widened. He swallowed thickly, clearing his throat. He turned his head slightly.
“Don’t look at me,” Katara repeated quietly. “Please, don’t look at me.”
The prince locked his gaze on the far wall, imagining the Waterbender curled up in fetal position in his cell. He felt anger and pity. He wanted to cry for her, but tears did not come; they rarely came, even for himself. He felt her shame, her humiliation; emotions that were not his own, but ones which were undeniably bothering him, swirling in an ever-growing vortex of angst and loathing. Disgrace seemed to radiate off her in waves. She was fragile, ready to shatter at the slightest touch as she sat there, trembling, clutching at her skin as if to hold herself together, to keep herself from flying apart at the seams.
He knew how that had felt once. Alone in a dark room, mirrors smashed, the only home he’d ever know at his back, hundred of miles across the sea…
And suddenly, he knew what she wanted to hear.
“I think… you’re very beautiful, Katara.” Zuko said quietly.
In his mind, it seemed like the nicest possible thing he could say, and he prayed it would win her over. He ignored the surge within him, that undeniable wave of relief and joy that came with telling the truth.
The effect was remarkable. Though she said nothing, he could hear the sharp intake of breath, and sensed the flood of body heat. Zuko smiled. He had her hooked.
“Take my shirt.” He said.
Katara’s head snapped up. “Y-your shirt? But… I won’t be able to get it off you, your hands are cuffed.”
“Come here. I know a trick.”
He could hear her chewing her lip. “I can’t.”
“Please.” What an odd word. “Trust me. I’ll keep my eyes closed. I won’t look. I swear on my honour.” He did so, sitting up on his knees, waiting.
There was a moment of hesitation, but he heard her slide out and shuffle toward him. It was just too cold in that metal cell for her to say no. He could sense her proximity, catching the sweet tang of unwashed girl close by. It stirred a wholly inappropriate response in him. Be gallant, dammit, now’s not the time to be a teenage boy.
A hand brushed his side and he stiffened. “Okay. What do I do?”
Zuko cleared his throat. “Loosen the tie at the waist and flip the back up over my head. Right, just like that.” He felt her pull at the robe, and it came up over his head. The sleeves unrolled out and he felt the cold air nip his bare chest. Katara’s fingers delicately brushed his skin. An electric thrill of pleasure pulsed through him and he stifled a smile as he imagined her naked body pressed close to him.
“Wait, what about you? Won’t you be cold?”
“I’ll be fine.” Zuko smirked. “Firebender, remember?”
There was a bit of a snort. He liked to think he had made her laugh. There was more tugging. “I can’t get it off you,” Katara said blandly as she worked over the cross-tangled sleeves.
“Sorry, this is as good as it gets. Just drape it over you and tie it closed.” Even as he said it, he imagined the closeness of those curves. In this position, she would be facing him, trapped in the circle of his cuffed arms. He thought she might refuse and prefer to go naked, but to his delight, she quietly slipped into his embrace and pulled the robe tightly around her.
He suddenly remembered a dream he’d had. A very vivid one. She had been in his arms, just like this, slowly drowning him in kisses, and he could only breathe by kissing her back, except it made so little sense to him in the dreamscape that the world around him dissolved…
“Okay. You can open her eyes.”
Zuko slowly opened his eyes and found himself almost nose to nose with the shivering Waterbender. He leaned back, trying to give her room, but the length of his arms didn’t give them much breathing space.
“Are…” his voice cracked. “Are you okay?”
Katara nodded slowly. “Yeah. This is better. Thank you.”
Zuko set his mouth into a firm line and thought about a hundred very unsexy things from Zhao in the bathtub to Uncle Iroh’s singing. It only took the thought of Katara being manhandled by Monkeybear Man to kill his erection. A surge of fire traced through his veins, burning away lust and replacing it with wrath.
He looked down at Katara, inspecting the bare flesh of her delicate neck. There didn’t appear to be any bruises, which was encouraging. At least she hadn’t been beaten. He worded his next words very carefully. “Are you… hurt at all?” He did his best to sound genuinely concerned.
There was a long pause. She looked down. “He likes to watch.” Katara explained quietly. “He roughs me up a bit and… touches me, but he prefers to watch. I’m still a…” she trailed off, biting her lip, eyes brimming with tears.
Zuko didn’t know what to say. He wanted to pull her closer and comfort her, but didn’t feel right about it. He should be disgusted; he shouldn’t feel anything for this girl. But this whole situation felt wrong to him. She was just a girl. By all rights, he was just a boy. Two kids caught up in a hundred-year war that pitted his people against hers. Two teens who were now the victims of a third entity, worse than any tactless soldier or murderous general he’d ever met.
It was all wrong. As wrong as the deployment of the 41st division.
“They’ll find us soon. Me and Toph. They’ll find us soon.” She whispered, the note of desperation airy between her lips.
Zuko looked into her face, feeling his heart surge with sympathy. This wasn’t right. None of it was right.
After a few minutes, the Firebender’s knees began to ache from kneeling on the cold metal floor. He asked to sit down and Katara agreed, except that their awkward positioning would force her into his lap. She didn’t seem to care, though; her bare knees weren’t any more comfortable than his clothed ones. As the prince eased himself down, their mouths bumped, and Zuko cut his lip on his own teeth.
“Ow!” He made to hold his face, but forgetting momentarily about the cuffs, ended up pulling the girl into his chest. She pushed away awkwardly, and the robe opened, exposing her front. As she scrambled to hide her nakedness and untangle herself, they stumbled to the ground, Katara falling on top of Zuko’s bare chest.
“Oof!” Zuko felt the wind go out of him, not only because the Waterbender had just crushed his lungs, but because he could feel her warm skin pressed against him. He lay very still for a moment, frozen, his brain screaming a million things at once as he felt the pitter-patter of her heart, beating out a little tattoo against his chest. Get up! Don’t get up! Don’t touch her! Help her up! Cop a feel!
Gradually, he eased his head up to find himself staring into the girl’s hungry blue eyes, her cheeks flushed. His gaze roamed down and he caught an eyeful of cleavage, her pert breasts mashed against him. He gulped, but didn’t move as she crawled closer to inspect him.
“You’re bleeding,” she said hollowly, her lips a mere centimeter from his. She eased herself up, holding the robe closed with one hand, using her body to help leverage him into a sitting position. Katara crawled into his lap, gingerly pressing her slight weight against his thighs, practically straddling him. Zuko prayed his erection would die. Anytime now…
A hand came up and touched the cut on his lip. He flinched.
“I’m sorry. I don’t have any water to heal it with.” The Waterbender said. She moved closer and took up some of the loose robe in her hand, dabbing at the cut. Zuko watched in fascination as she soberly cleaned his face, her delicate digits trailing over his chin and mouth. Her azure eyes seemed to glow as she studied him, darkening into midnight as an inscrutable look passed over her face. Every touch sent another thrill through him and he longed to pull her down and kiss her pain away, kiss the fire back into her soul.
But now wasn’t the time to be seducing naked young women, as much as his body ached to feel her. They had to escape, both of them. Who knew when the warden would return? Eventually, he would no longer be satisfied with just watching...
“We have to get out of here.” Zuko said sternly, looking pointedly into her face. Her eyes seemed to lighten a fraction, the shadow of fire playing across her features. “I have a plan, and I need your help.”
While AFF and its agents attempt to remove all illegal works from the site as quickly and thoroughly as possible, there is always the possibility that some submissions may be overlooked or dismissed in error. The AFF system includes a rigorous and complex abuse control system in order to prevent improper use of the AFF service, and we hope that its deployment indicates a good-faith effort to eliminate any illegal material on the site in a fair and unbiased manner. This abuse control system is run in accordance with the strict guidelines specified above.
All works displayed here, whether pictorial or literary, are the property of their owners and not Adult-FanFiction.org. Opinions stated in profiles of users may not reflect the opinions or views of Adult-FanFiction.org or any of its owners, agents, or related entities.
Website Domain ©2002-2017 by Apollo. PHP scripting, CSS style sheets, Database layout & Original artwork ©2005-2017 C. Kennington. Restructured Database & Forum skins ©2007-2017 J. Salva. Images, coding, and any other potentially liftable content may not be used without express written permission from their respective creator(s). Thank you for visiting!
Powered by Fiction Portal 2.0
Modifications © Manta2g, DemonGoddess
Site Owner - Apollo