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Absolute Power	By : whirleeq Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > Het - Male/Female > Aang/Katara Views: 17984 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- 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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A/N: Thank you all for the reviews! They are very much appreciated – I can’t even begin to tell you how much I enjoy them (they’re like author’s crack), and how encouraging I find them. I’m floored that you’re all even reading this, being that AxK is such a sadly under-rated pairing.
Anway, on this chapter: There is not a lot happening here, but it is a pivotal chapter just the same. From here on out, Aang’s character will deviate somewhat from the show (as if I hadn’t done that already). The next two chapters after this one will mark the end of the first part of this story – a true chapter, per say -- after which there will be a transition.
This chapter is lime flavored, and not for the kiddies… a slightly edited version of this chapter is available on FFnet.
I hope you all still love me in the morning…
~*~
One Hundred and One Years ago…
“Aang, wake up! Wake up! Come on, Aang! You have to get up!”
Aang blinked his eyes several times and rolled over to his side, automatically shirking his shoulder in a sleepy attempt to dislodge the hand that was shaking him.
“Aang! Come on! You’re going to miss him!”
“Don’t wanna… sleeping.” He replied, one hand idly pulling his blanket up over his head.
“Aang, Come on! Shina’s here!”
The words penetrated through his sleep fogged brain, and Aang sat up, idly rubbing the sand out of his eyes as he looked at Pei in astonishment.
“Really? But I thought that he wasn’t allowed in the temple anymore?” He asked, confused. Surely the other boy was joking.
“Aang, his wife has had a son – they brought him here too!”
In an instant, Aang was out of his bed. Barefoot, he crossed over to the other side of his room and threw open his chest; an elaborate piece of furniture that, like most pieces in the temple monastery, had been a donation. Aang had taken a liking to it at once, since it had many tiny drawers where he could store the several sets of marbles he owned as well as two larger drawers that he used for his clothes. On each drawer, the symbol of air was etched into the wood, giving it character and making it wholly appropriate for Aang’s needs.
He pulled out a clean set of clothes and hastily began changing, completely unconcerned that the other boy was still in his room.
Pei looked at the chest with envy and just a little bit of spite. Aang was always treated favorably. Pei had desired the chest as well, but as per usual, it had been first offered to Aang. Still, he was too excited about his brother’s visit to let it bother him too much. He turned away from it and leaned against the wall, patiently waiting for Aang to finish dressing.
Finally he was done, and the two of them set off at a rapid pace; both of them using a little air bending to increase their speed. It was considered rude to run on temple grounds, but at the moment neither of them cared.
When they reached the temple’s inner sanctum, they both took a moment to catch their breaths.
Aang had a strange expression on his face. The last time he had been in this room, they had cast Shina out, for what he assumed would be forever. Now, they were letting him bring his son here. Why, exactly? But he didn’t have time to really think about it, because the council members entered the room one by one – each of them holding an incense scone and chanting, and like last time, Gyasto was the last to enter. Aang’s eyes briefly caught those of his mentor. Both his confusion and his curiousity increased when the older monk frowned, as if he didn’t want Aang to be there.
Finally, Shina came in through the same entrance way that he had come through nearly three years ago. Aang had to suppress a gasp when he saw him. The man in the doorway was not the same man who had proudly chosen a life outside of the monastery. This man’s eyes were trained on his feet, his shoulders were slumped, and he dragged his feet as he walked, looking for all the world like each step caused him pain.
Shina turned his head slightly when he passed them, sending a small, sad smile their way, his eyes filled with agony that he desperately tried to hide. The look in Shina’s eyes pierced straight through Aang’s heart, although he really didn’t understand why. He turned to Pei to ask him what was wrong, but his younger friend was smiling wholeheartedly – obviously not seeing the pain that Shina was feeling.
A pretty young woman entered after Shina, a small child carried reverently in her arms. Aang could not see her eyes since they were downcast and partially shielded by the hood of her robe, but he could hear the muffled sobs that she desperately tried to choke back. She was shaking as she walked; looking fragile to Aang, as if she could fall at any given time. Very, very slowly, she carried the child over to his father.
“Why do you think she’s crying?” Pei asked in a soft whisper.
Aang shook his head, not really sure himself, as he watched as the woman gently place the child on his feet. The young boy lifted his hands and whimpered; obviously wanting his mother to pick him back up, but she didn’t. Instead, her tears started to fall in earnest. Finally, the woman shook her head a couple of times, whispered something to Shina, and then nearly ran out the back door, her sobs increasing in volume with each step.
The child started to follow her, taking only a few clumsy steps before he fell to the ground, landing on his bottom. Shina turned and picked up his now crying son in his arms and turned back to the council. And when he finally spoke, his voice was shaky and meek.
“I must apologize for my wife. She’s… having a difficult time with this.”
Monk Rantu, who somehow seemed even frailer than he did three years ago, slowly approached Shina, one of the newly initiated monks by his side.
“It is understandable… it is much that we ask. However, we have a great need. The winds speak to us of dark times approaching.”
Shina said nothing, merely tried to comfort the child in his arms.
“This is the child, then?”
Again, Shina said nothing, but after a moment he nodded his head. The action was almost hesitant, as if he didn’t really want to answer.
“How old is the boy?”
“A year and a month, Monk Rantu.”
Rantu nodded sagely, indicating to the monk by his side to come forward.
“And the child’s name?”
“Sopa.” Shina’s voice was strained; his answer almost a whisper.
“A good name.” Rantu said, nodding his head in agreement. “Monk Tenzin will care for the boy, and see to his training. Tenzin was your friend, I believe?”
At Shina’s nod, Rantu smiled and clasped his hands together.
“Good, good. I do want you to feel comfortable.” Rantu paused, and looked at the young child as if he was examining a donated piece of furniture. “I’m sure, considering his parentage, that he’ll be quite gifted.”
Tenzin had made his way over to Shina’s side. He gently took the child from Shina’s now trembling arms. Once he had the child in his hands, he nodded to both Shina and Rantu before leaving the room. Aang could hear the child’s cries echoing through the temple as he was separated from his father, only quieting down when Tenzin had taken the child out through the large entranceway to the temple and presumably towards the monastery.
Rantu nodded at Shina once more, a small, satisfied smile appearing on his mouth.
Aang watched in horrified confusion as Shina was summarily dismissed. The former acolyte nodded his head before swiftly exiting the temple, not daring to meet anyone's eyes as he left..
“Isn’t it great, Aang? Sopa’s a bender! I’ll have a cousin here!” Pei said excitedly from his side.
“Yeah, that’s great.” Aang answered quietly. But his heart wasn’t in it, since the rebellious organ had detached itself from its place within his chest and wormed its place up into his throat when the former acolyte he once looked up to walked out the temple doors a broken man.
That night, while lying awake in his bed and staring idly at the symbol of air engraved into his chest on the other side of the room, Aang tried to come to terms with how the temple monks had managed to take something Shina loved away from him after all.
~*~
Aang didn’t know why he kissed her – he was just giving in to an impulse that was far too strong for him to resist.
Subconsciously, he knew that part of it had stemmed from his need to ensure himself that she wasn’t going to leave him, and that her promises just hadn’t been enough to help heal the unbearable pain he felt in his heart at the very thought. But another, far more primitive part of his brain wanted to erase the day entirely, including -- perhaps especially -- the image of Koru’s lips on hers.
That image had burned into his retinas, and even though he had done his best to attempt to block it out, it kept pushing forward into the forefront of his consciousness; igniting a fierce, possessive and nearly feral drive to somehow reassure himself that Katara was his.
And not Koru, not anyone was going to take her away from him.
The need to touch her, to taste her, had been overwhelming and had he not witnessed the kiss she had shared with Koru earlier, he wouldn’t have known where to even begin.
The kiss… it was the most incredible thing he’d ever felt in his life, and for a moment he forgot how to breathe. His heart rate accelerated and he shivered… the feel of her lips seemed to echo throughout every nerve ending in his entire body, drawing him into a euphoric, heady haze of love, desire, and need. The kiss ignited that same spark of fire inside of him that he had been able to reach earlier, except instead of a raging inferno, this time he had a slow, teasing, and almost unbearable burn. He pushed closer to her, desperately needing to increase their contact, but not knowing how to do it.
Katara for her part was trembling. Again, she was confused and breathless, but with this kiss she couldn’t say she didn’t feel anything – she’d only be lying to herself if she did. Aang’s kiss was filled with all the enthusiasm that he did everything else with, and in response her heart starting fluttering wildly. But it even though his kiss was enthusiastic, she was quickly reminded of his youth and inexperience with such things. For one, his nose kept bumping against hers, and for two, he had done nothing other than press their lips together.
After several moments of this, he pressed so hard that her she nicked the inside of her upper lip on her teeth. The coppery taste of her own blood brought her back into focus. Her eyes snapped open, and she found herself a little startled that Aang was so… close.
Aang’s eyes were lidded halfway and his whole face was flushed. Somehow, he had gotten so close to her that her hands were pinned against her side, and she had a struggle a little to get them free. Gently, so as not to hurt him – she’d done far too much of that earlier – she pushed him away.
Startled, Aang’s eyes snapped open and sought out Katara’s. For a moment his eyes were cloudy, filled with an emotion that he couldn’t put a name to, since he hadn’t ever experienced it before. All he knew was that he had been kissing Katara, and she had pushed him away. The haze in his eyes cleared; rapidly replaced by hurt, thinking that she had rejected him. He started to pull away from her, feeling once again the need to run, when he felt a gentle hand on his upper arm. Confused, he looked at her… or more specifically, at her lips. They looked… bruised.
He winced.
“I… Katara, I’m sorry, I…”
Katara cut his apology off with a slight shake of her head.
“Open your mouth, Aang, when… uh…” She murmured softly, her cheeks reddened with embarassment. And even as she began to lean towards him again, a little voice in the back of her mind started whispering to her incessantly.
‘This… this is wrong, shouldn’t have let Aang kiss me, shouldn’t want to kiss him again… shouldn’t feel anything, he’s too young, he’s the Avatar, could ruin everything, shouldn’t—‘
Aang looked at her, his eyes wide with confusion, before he shrugged and opened his mouth wide enough to catch flies.
The ridiculousness of the image startled Katara out of her thoughts and she laughed, heartily, her reservations temporarily forgotten as her heart swelled with affection for Aang. He was so very innocent at times, it was endearing. Smiling, she leaned forward a little more and gently placed a hand on his chin, slowly pushing his jaw up until his lips were only slightly parted. “Like this…” She whispered, before dipping her head and slowly pulling his bottom lip in between her own.
Aang seemed to have forgotten how to move. He remained stock still, as if in a trance. That is, until she gently coaxed his mouth open a little further, and gently traced the contour of his lips with her tongue. At this, a tremor passed through Aang that even Katara could feel, since her hand was still gently cupping his chin. A sound escaped the Avatar’s throat, sounding suspiciously like a whimper, before Katara found herself suddenly pushed backwards, Aang’s arms cradling her, and his tongue feverishly mapping out the soft tissue on the inside of her lips.
She gasped, and his kiss deepened, coaxing her tongue out to mingle with his. It was amazing, the intensity with which he kissed her, and she found it difficult to breathe. He rolled them so that they were both on their sides, somehow doing so without breaking the kiss. Absently, she noticed that even in his fervor, he had managed not to jostle her ankle when he moved her – as if instinctually protecting her from anything that would cause her further injury; even himself.
She felt safe, and yet at the same time, the voice that had been whispering incessantly now was screaming.
‘Danger… this is dangerous, Katara… you don’t know what you’re doing, you need to stop this, he’s the Avatar, you can’t let him fall —‘
He was close, he was so close, she almost could feel the entire length of his body as he lay besides her, one hand buried in her still bound hair, the other idly skimming her side. She kissed him back with just as much enthusiasm, feeling a mixture of exhilaration, dizziness, confusion, and…
And then he pulled her flush against him; a small hiss escaping his lips at the contact.
Katara’s eyes flew open with a jolt.
Arousal. That’s what she was feeling… she suddenly became painfully aware that he was feeling it too.
‘No. Too fast… way, way too fast… this… this is wrong!’
She broke away, and turned her head to the side, taking several deep breaths in an attempt to clear her mind, expecting Aang to pull away as well. But he didn’t. Instead, she felt his lips trailing open mouth kisses on the exposed part of her neck, his hot breath ghosting over her skin and making her shiver. She sucked in a breath, and when she exhaled, his name fell from her lips. This time, when he shivered, the ground shook underneath them.
Blinking, she turned her head, confused… did he just do that?
“Aang, wha-“ She started to ask, but was cut off when he caught her in a deep stare, his eyes darker than she had ever seen them before.
“You’re beautiful, Katara…” He whispered, something older and far more knowledgeable in his eyes as he leaned in to capture her lips in another searing kiss, not even waiting for a response.
Katara… was numb, suddenly unable to move again, as the words fell over her like a gentle caress.
His free hand absently traveled down to rest against her hip, his lips breaking away from hers to travel the side of her face, up the other side of her neck, and to her delicate ear, where he gently took the tender flesh of the lobe in between his lips and nibbled slightly. Her breathes were coming out in soft pants, she was shivering, burning, feeling a maelstrom of emotions building up inside of her.
That soft, incessant voice inside of her grew louder.
‘Stop this, you have to stop this Katara, this isn’t right, Aang’s your friend, he’s the Avatar, you can’t let him get this close, stop, stop, stop…’
The hand that was on her hip suddenly traveled lower, gently cupping the curve of her soft rear, and then with a swift tug, Aang pulled her against him hard; desperately seeking to increase their contact. He wanted… he didn’t even know what he wanted. His every nerve was swimming with the feel of Katara against him. He nuzzled his nose against her neck and inhaled her sweet scent. She was so soft, so very, very soft… so everything, and –
Katara could feel his hardness against her, pressing against her groin and the spot between her legs began to tingle, even through the fabric of her dress. When he started grinding into her, she gasped, throwing her head back in unexpected pleasure as something strange, searing and exotic reverberated from that place between her legs. She could feel herself getting thoroughly damp in that area, aroused, and then he bit her neck; lightly, his hand finding a way underneath her dress to gently stroke the smooth skin of her thigh. She wanted, oh, she wanted, but she couldn’t, needed to stop, stop… stop…
“STOP!”
Aang found himself violently shoved away from her. The force of it pushed him off the bed, and his back hit the floor, hard.
The sharp pain he felt pulled him right out of whatever haze he had been in before and he winced.
“Owww… Katara, what did you do that for?” He asked, between deep gasps. The fall had knocked the wind right out of him. When he was able, he got to his feet and looked over to her, startled at what he saw.
‘Did I do that to her?’
Katara was flushed, her blue dress wrinkled and sticking to her body in interesting places, a thin layer of perspiration covering her face. Her hands were tightly clasped into fists, hanging idly by her side while she took several, deep heaving breaths, her chest rising and falling with each one. His eyes clouded over at the site, and despite the fact that she had just pushed him away, he found himself getting back on the bed and leaning towards her again anyway.
“Aang… no.” She said, softly this time, her hand held out, gently pushing at his chest in order to keep him at bay. She was tired, emotionally exhausted and seriously confused. Had she been able to, she most likely would have run, and she cursed herself for her injury.
Aang blinked his eyes a couple of times, before frowning, the expression on his face a mixture of disappointment and confusion. What had he done wrong? He had kissed her… boy, had he kissed her… and it had been the best thing he ever felt. He was sure that she had enjoyed it too, so why was she now pushing him away? A shadow flickered through his eyes as he considered the question, eventually replaced with a scowl as he narrowed his eyes and regarded Katara once more.
Katara watched the emotions play over Aang’s face, wondering what he was thinking. She really didn’t know how to explain why she had pushed him away. Fear of intimacy, fear of changing their relationship – although at this point, it was probably far too late to do anything about that one. Fear of losing herself in him, fear of stepping off that precipice, fear of her own heart – all these fears echoed through her, yet she couldn’t put it into words and explain it to him. That, and he may not have known what that sort of kissing eventually culminated in, but at the rate they were going she was sure that he would have figured it out instinctively, And then there would have been no turning back. She wasn’t ready to give up her life, her innocence, her heart, herself to anyone.
She opened her mouth to say something – an apology, a comfort, she did not know, but was cut off by the look on his face. It scared her.
“Aang?”
“It’s because of Koru, isn’t it?”
‘What?’
She was so stunned by the sudden vehemence of his accusation that she couldn’t even find the words to respond to it. Unfortunately, Aang took her non-response as an affirmation, and his scowl deepened.
“I bet he was the one who taught you how to kiss like that, wasn’t he, Katara?”
Her eyes wide, she scooted backwards a bit, wincing when the heel of her foot dug into the bed, further aggravating her ankle. Involuntarily, she let out a little cry of pain.
And then the fierce, accusatory look melted from Aang’s face, rapidly replaced by concern.
“You shouldn’t move it Katara, it’ll only make it worse.”
Anger… a wild, uncontrollable anger filled her now, and before she could stop herself, she slapped him.
He looked at her, bewildered.
“You… you can’t do that, Aang! You can’t just kiss me like that, tell me that I’m beautiful, accuse me of... of who knows what, and then act like nothing’s wrong! You… you’re scaring me, Aang!”
His eyes went wide and filled with tears. One of them fell over and trickled down the side of his cheek, and the anger Katara felt was instantly replaced with guilt. What had she done? She was making Aang cry. He never cried, not even on that day when he told her that he thought he'd failed the world. But now, now he was desperately trying to hold the tears back, and failing miserably. He was just as confused as she was, if not more so.
She felt… low. Lower than low. She felt like an eel-worm.
“I’m sorry, Katara… I’m just afraid… so very afraid of losing you. I – It makes me say things, think things that I know are crazy, but… I can’t help it. I… loveyoutoomuch…”
His stuttered confession shocked her, and she was once again numb. Absently, she wondered on how he was able to so easily invoke all of her emotions like that. Peripherally, she noticed he was looking at her nervously, expectantly, and she couldn’t – no, wouldn’t answer him… not now. She turned her head away, not willing to meet his eyes… but opened her arms to him all the same.
He practically dove into her embrace, and they stayed like that for a while, each of them wrapped around the other and locked in their own thoughts. Eventually, Katara lay down and Aang followed her, the silence between them deafening, yet somehow weirdly comforting at the same time. At some point, Katara fell asleep, thoroughly exhausted both physically and emotionally, one hand under her own head, the other wrapped around Aang’s shoulders. Aang soon followed; his head against Katara’s chest and both arms wrapped around her waist.
And that was the position that a startled Sokka found them in when he entered the hut after giving Appa the medicine he brought back with him, about an hour later.
~*~
She had watched the fire nation soldiers getting on and off the ship all day long. Most of them were crude, brash, and looking for a good time. But none of them would serve her purpose. It was obvious that not a single one so far had possessed any rank, and thus there would be no worthwhile information derived from them.
The old man that kept getting on and off the ship with a bevy of purchases seemed to have rank and might have been suitable, but there were just some things she wouldn’t do – not even for Koru. She had a few standards left, at least.
She had almost given up hope that there would be anyone on board who’d do for her purposes... and that’s when she saw him.
He was young, perhaps even younger than Koru. All of his hair had been shaved off except for a patch on top, which was long and had been pulled up into a top knot. Handsome, too – at least in profile. Juri skirted forward to get a better look, pushing two other girls from the local brothel away in the process. They glared at her, but she didn’t care. If they tried to fight her for positioning, she would win and they knew it.
Grumbling, they stood in behind her, muttering under their breath how once again that rogue earth bender and his lackeys were getting in the way of their livelihood.
She ignored them. Instead, she adjusted the front of her dress in a way that helped highlight her ample chest and when the young soldier started walking past her with several officers in tow, she smiled brilliantly, one hand reaching out and lightly touching his arm.
“Care for some… company?” She asked, her voice intentionally low and husky and filled with innuendos.
Slowly, the young man turned to look at her. She had to stifle a gasp – he was badly burned across the whole of the left side of his face, and from what Scar had told her that could only mean that the boy in front of her was actually –
“I have no need of your services.” He said coldly, his golden eyes narrowed in distaste. He brushed past her quickly, and she scowled, burning from the rejection and his haughtiness. The bastard! Well, whatever. His loss -- she’d find another way on the ship.
She was so caught up in her thoughts that she almost didn’t see that one of his officers had fallen back. She looked over the tall man briefly, deciding that he would have to do. At the very least, it was possible that he was close enough to the Prince to know of his plans. Koru would be very angry with her if she returned without finding out exactly why he was docked here. But first –
“Let me see the color of your money,” She said with a resigned sigh.
~*~
A/N: Next chapter: HERESY ;) C’mon, one of you by now has to have the naming pattern down... into the void, sin, the fragile, hurt, closer, and heresy. What do all these names have in common? 10 points, people! 10 whole points!!
-- Tenzin is actually the first name of the first Dalai Lama. It means ‘holder of Buddhist doctrine’.
-- Sopa is a Tibetan name meaning ‘patience’.
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Absolute Power