She can't tell if Lee knew Zhao was out of his cell or not.
That isn't what's dominating her thoughts right now. Katara meets Zhao's eyes – dark, hungry, sadistic – and she starts scrambling back. The blanket makes her movements sloppy but eventually she meets the coldness of metal. Her palms scraps against the floor and her slippers slide so she pushes herself of to her hands and knees for better grip and crawls away from him.
He's watching her. Amused.
Zhao grips the back of her tunic and pulls her back, Katara digs her nails into the floor to try to get away but he easily slides her down. When she's back at his feet, he hauls her up. Katara stands on shaky legs, breath quick and heart racing and she's shivering.
What was he doing out of the cell? How did he get out?
By the door where he is on his knees, Lee shoots a fireball in Zhao's direction. The former captain quickly turns and the flames hit her instead of the intended target.
She screams as her tunic is caught on fire and the flames lick at her skin. Her hands slam down on the fabric. Suffocate the flames - oh Spirits it hurts.
Zhao shoots a stream of fire back at Lee. Katara's eyes widen in panic just before the guard leaps out of the way, rolling on the floor with his legs tangling in her blanket as he lands.
"Now Lee, let's not hurt the little waterbender too badly, okay? We can't have her dying on my watch." Zhao shifts his grip on her so that his hand is on the stomach burn and he draws the fire away from the tunic and absorbs it in his hand.
Katara exhales in relief. Her skin is burning but at least she isn't. Her legs shake underneath her as she feels her blood surge to her abdomen to heal what it can. When Zhao wraps his large hand around her wrist and then grabs the other in the same grip, she winces but doesn't fight against him. If she waits, she can catch him off guard…
"Son of a bitch." Lee growls. Katara's eyes flicker up to him and sees that he's still in his fighter stance. He's scared. Lee's heart is racing. His face doesn't give it away but she just knows.
"I knew there was a rat on my ship. Zuko knew far too much and he showed up at the most opportune times for me not to suspect it. I should have known it was you all along. I have to commend you on a job well done. Didn't suspect you for a moment."
Lee's cheeks redden and his eyes darken but he doesn't reply. Zhao grips her a little tighter against his chest. His other hand wraps around her neck and he squeezes in warning. Slowly, the former Captain moves towards the door and Lee mirrors it, stepping to get closer to the bed so that Zhao is in his view the entire time.
"I'm going to have to ask you to lead the way to Zuko's bedchamber. Don't do anything stupid – I'll burn her. Don't worry though. I won't kill her so that she can feel the pain." Katara starts trying to move away from him but he squeezes, hand growing warmer, and she stills.
Lee straightens, a scowl on his face and Katara notices that his hand accidentally slips under the pillow on the floor when he stands. He slows – she can't breathe – and she nods her head just a little. Lee moves again and Katara wonders if Zhao noticed the glint of the knife in the dim light.
He doesn't seem to. The man holding her with the too-warm hand on her neck doesn't say another word to Lee as he walks out of the room. Zhao prods her forward with his knee pressing into her thighs. She's proud she only stumbles a little.
When they reach Zuko's room, Lee stops, his hand frozen over the handle like he's thinking about just trying to make a break for it. Zhao flares his fire and Katara can't help but whimper out loud at the uncomfortable heat on her throat. Lee stiffens his shoulders and opens the door.
The room is pitch-black until Zhao lets go of her throat for a moment to light a fire in the palm of his hand. Katara instantly shies away from it, the heat crackling in her ear and warming her for too much for her comfort. Zhao's chest rumbles as she laughs at her.
"Wha –" Katara hears Zuko mumble. Zhao's flames leap out to the candle by Zuko's bed and she finally sees him. He's sitting up, his eyes wide and his hair rumpled loosely around his face. The bleariness from his eyes clears and he instantly hardens when he sees Zhao and Katara.
"You thought you were the only on with friends on other ships?" Zhao says and she can hear his smirk. It infuriates her just as much as it had before. Zuko leaps out of the bed, his hands already forming a ball of fire and Zhao moves his hand with the fire closer to Katara. She squeezes her eyes closed, turning her face away from it. "Let's not get hasty, now."
Katara can feel Zuko's heart. It's significantly calmer than her's and Lee's, but not as calm as Zhao's. She can tell from the quickening and then the slowing that he's struggling to keep himself under control.
The fire moves away and Katara opens her eyes again. Zuko's hands are by his side.
Zhao moves the hand at her wrist to drape across her front. His arm is over hers so she still can't move but… her wrists are free. Her palms are open.
Katara spots a few potted plants throughout the room.
A guard appears at the door and for a moment, Katara is actually elated to see a firebender. But when the man immediately turns to Zhao and gives him a low bow, her heart drops to her stomach and Zuko's pounding heart is the only thing she can hear.
"…Bring me General Iroh," is all she manages to catch from Zhao. The guard nods and quickly leaves. Zuko is being betrayed… by some of his own men. This was something that she expected from a man like Zhao – his own crew appeared mutinous when Zuko took over – but she hadn't anticipated Zuko's men turning against him.
From the way Zuko's heart was beating, she imagines that he was thinking the same. For a moment, she can't help but feel sorry for him. His face ranges from sad to shock to furious and she knows that he's clearly trying to get it under control but he can't seem to. Everything is plain on his face.
Zhao still hasn't let go of her. Katara tries to hide the revulsion she feels from being so close to a man that tortured her – literally tried to boil her alive – but it's hard so she focuses all of her attention on the wall behind Zuko's head.
The door closes abruptly and Katara's head snaps over to see that the traitor soldier and General Iroh are standing in the room. The older man doesn't looked concerned at all. In fact, he's expressionless as he ties the bindings around his robe and rests his hands on top of his stomach.
Katara hopes that Zuko wasn't lying about his uncle being a firebender. It's hard to imagine this man with his strong love of tea a master at anything other than making people feel at ease.
"Good. Now that we're all here, perhaps we should get down to business. You – Iroh – stand over in that corner but don't say a single word to Zuko or anyone else. I'll burn the waterbender's neck clear off. You precious nephew won't have any chance of getting back in his father's graces if I do that.
Iroh goes quietly. He is the perfect opposite of the Prince, whose eyes are darkening while his fists clench tightly at his side. Where Iroh's heartbeat is steady and slow, Zuko's is wild.
Zhao presses down on her shoulders and Katara sinks to her knees. A bombardment of images and feelings from the previous time she did this floods her. She visibly recoils away and can practically feel the flames licking at her back.
She digs her nails into her fists and squeezes them in between her thighs. She can't lose her cool – not yet. She must stay calm as long as possible.
Hand still on her neck, Zhao clears his throat. "There's no use fighting here. We're all supposed to be allies – friends! We're from the Fire Nation for Spirits' sake. Finding the Avatar will benefit us all, no?" He squeezes. "And now we have this young thing here who could tell us exactly where she is. So why don't' we all agree to play nice and work together on this?"
"And let you get all the credit?" Zuko snaps. "I don't think so."
Katara decides that one of the reasons why the Fire Nation sucks is because of conversations like these taking place between two extremely ambitious and competitive men. This never would have happened in the Southern Tribes.
"I'm willing to share." Zhao says cryptically and Katara isn't so sure if he means just the glory… Her own heart pounds in her chest but she remains quiet. She does manage to open her eyes though.
Zuko is glaring at Zhao. "You'll just wind up killing her like you almost did. Then where will we be? Nowhere. You don't have the nation's best interest at heart – only your own!"
His eyes burn as brightly as his fire.
"My interests are the nation's interests. Sure, my interrogation techniques are a little….rough around the edges but given enough time and I can assure you that they'll work –"
"No. You might be willing to risk that but I'm not. There's too much at stake here."
"I have far more experience in this than you do, Prince. Allow me just an hour with her and I can guarantee you that she'll be telling us everything that she knows about the Avatar. Hell, I'll get her to sing."
Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Lee shift. He's got the knife in his pocket. Is he going to attack without bending?
"I am taking her the Capital so that she can be interrogated correctly."
Zhao laughs. The sound makes Katara's blood freeze and boil at the same time. "You think their techniques are any different? Where did you think I learned them from, boy? Think all you want about the Capital but I can guarantee that it'll be the same there as it is on this ship. At least here, I do have some other motives for keeping her alive. They won't there. Not unless the Fire Lord takes an interest."
Now, Katara really does shiver. She knows exactly the type of motive he's talking about. Her stomach turns and she resists the urge to start bending right then and there. Zuko looks down at her for a second before he goes back to Zhao. Was he trying to tell her something?
The plants feel more inviting than ever.
"How about this then, since you're so unwilling to work together for the common, greater good: I'll let you and your uncle walk free off this boat and onto another so that you can land on Earth Kingdom soil, alive and unburned with a few provisions in exchange for your cooperation in giving me the waterbender."
His hand on her shoulder squeezes. Katara watches the Prince carefully. She doesn't think Iroh will accept… but she's not for sure. Zuko, however… Well she has no idea what he'll do. Looking at him, she can see and feel in the beat of his heart that he's uncomfortable.
"No."
The answer surprises her and Zhao.
Zhao waits. He's giving Zuko time to take back his answer. But the Prince stares him down and lifts his chin a little higher. Katara feels like she can't breathe.
The hand on her shoulder is getting warmer and more uncomfortable. Katara tries to lower herself away from it – Zhao's angry and his heart is starting to speed up and he's becoming warmer and warmer. She thinks she knows what's going to happen next and she would rather not be in the line of fire.
Zhao has other plans. He seems to sense her slying away because the next second, she's hauled back into place and he's got his foot on her back, pushing her down onto her hands and knees on the floor. Katara tries not to break under his weight, forcing herself to stay up as best as she can.
Katara can't see what's going on behind her, but when Zhao move his booted foot off of her, she's relieved.
Until the traitorous guard lashes her back with a fire whip.
She cries out – it was unexpected and she wasn't ready and it was so hot.
Katara can feel Zuko and Lee shift towards Zhao but they're instantly stopped. Zhao has his arm wrapped around her neck and she's hauled up against him like she was before, sitting on her knees with him lowered beside her and his breath on her ear.
"Move again and I'll scar her skin even more. Let me tell you that I'll make it as painful and prolonged as possible, too." Zhao commands. The waterbender opens her eyes and sees Zuko staring wide-eyed at her. He may be her enemy, but he's helpless just like she is right now.
Zhao lets her go but she remains upright. He moves from behind her, stepping closer to Zuko and the guard that was beside Lee comes up to her so that she can't try to get free, either.
"You thought you won earlier, didn't you?" Zhao is saying to Zuko. The Prince stiffens. The General's face grows stern as he watches the Captain speak to his nephew.
Out of the corner of her eye, she catches a glint and she shifts her eyes to Lee. He's got the knife in his hands and the guard's back is turned to him.
"How does it feel now? I've got your crew, your ship, your prize and your honor all in the palm of my hand."
Zuko's heart has never raced so fast before.
Katara motions to Lee and he gives her a nod. He looks to the guard who is watching Zhao torment Zuko and then throws the knife to Katara. She catches it easily, rising up and spinning to stab the guard in the chest up to the hilt.
Blood – hotter than normal – pours onto her hands and she yanks the weapon out to stab through again. The body falls to the floor and Katara drops the knife. It's no longer useful to her.
So much red. But she can't think about that - she spins to face Zhao and tries to ignore how warm her fingers are.
"How about we all just –" Zhao starts to speak but the thump of the guard's body on the ground interrupts him. He's surprised and she's able to twist her torso around to face him as her hands and arms start to move. The water from the plants is free – she can feel the death deep in her blood but she ignores it – and she coats her arms in the liquid, holding them in front of her so that she's ready.
"How about we not." Katara snaps. Her arms shoot forward and some of the water shoots out. She's aiming for a kill – sharpening the point into ice and Zhao barely has time to block it with fire over his hands.
Soaking back up the water that didn't evaporate, Katara recoils and suddenly multiple, tiny ice-discs are heading towards Zhao.
Lee and Zuko seem to understand – Zhao is having to battle off the three different attacks. She's relentless, pulling and yanking before throwing the water back at him in various forms. He fumbles at first, Katara slices his neck with an ice dagger, but he throws a fire stream at Lee. The guard is thrown back into the wall and hits his head, falling down onto the floor as his eyes struggle not to close.
Katara sneers and her attacks become more deadly. But Zhao is able to fend them off with the fire and she's running low on water. It won't be too long before she's out completely. By the look on Zhao's face, she's not sure how long she'll last if that happens.
General Iroh is watching it all with a blank stare.
Zuko and Katara manage to get Zhao in a corner. The door is opened and Katara makes a run for it, making an ice shield with the little water that she still has so that Zhao's barrage of fire missiles are absorbed.
She immediately breaks for the deck – Zuko's calling out after her and Zhao is growling but she ignores them. The moon – it's close! The ocean – she'll be able to get off this damned ship and –
Something heavy and hot smashes against her side and she's thrown into the wall. Her shoulder screams out in pain and she gnashes her teeth together, fists flying at her assailant and she has to duck to avoid a flare.
"You're not –" Katara buries her knee in his stomach, smashes his face against the wall and he's quiet. She's panting, blood boiling under her skin in warning. She's – they're – under attack but this time it's from the inside. She doesn't know who to trust, who is on whose side. She's more than confused even though it all makes sense somehow and –
The moonlight on her skin feels like she's died and gone to nirvana. A surge of power washes through her body and Katara closes her eyes, tiling her face up to the moon to soak in as much as possible. Her palms are no longer itching – her heart now longer pounding – she can breathe and she isn't burning and she feels alive.
The fighting in the ship doesn't concern her as she is entranced by the moon and the power. She feels like she's one at last, she's a whole person, and everything is perfect and right and it doesn't matter anymore what is going on in the ship.
She's powerful again. She's a real waterbender once more.
Senses heightened, Katara hears the heartbeats of the dozens of firebenders in the ship behind her before they start to pour onto the deck. Katara turns away from the moon, stepping back closer to the edge of the ship furthest from the door to give herself plenty of room.
Zuko is first – and his eyes widen when he sees that she's in the moon. She's sure that there's a huge grin on her face and that's affirmed when he starts to look… afraid.
"Help me fight Zhao," he hisses, stepping closer to her slowly. Katara doesn't move back. She's the powerful one now. He's begging her for help after imprisoning her and that feels almost as good as the moon on her skin. "Help me fight Zhao and I'll let you free."
She can't help it – she laughs. She laughs until more firebenders pour onto the deck and they all pause to watch her laugh in their Prince's face.
"You'll let me free?" She taunts. Her arms curl up at her sides and before anyone can stop her, the ship is surrounded on all sides by towering waves of water. Zuko takes a step back but he doesn't look away from her eyes. "What makes you think you can stop me if I go now? I hope you can swim, firebender."
"Katara!" She hears Lee cry out and that makes her pause. It's just enough time for Zuko to attack her with a firewhip and she drops the waves – the boat rises considerably, knocking a few soldiers off balance – so that she can take a large stream from the ocean and block it.
Katara wraps the ocean water around her waist, dropping into a fighting stance and watches Zuko watch her.
"I can drown this whole ship right now. There's nothing you can do to stop me." Katara smiles again.
"No – Katara you don't have to do that," Lee is pushing through groups of men to get closer to her and he steps in between Zuko and her. "Please – Please don't do that. There are good men on board – it's Zhao. Zhao is the one you should be fighting. He's coming – Katara, he's coming and he's going to kill you –"
A wave of fire divides the crowd and Lee and Zuko barely have enough time to throw themselves out of the way. Katara easily makes her own wall of water from the ocean. Through the water, she can see that there are several charred bodies that were in the path and behind them, there's Zhao.
More firebenders come up from behind him.
A battle breaks.
Zhao is propelling fire dart after fire dart, each getting progressively stronger and she wonders how he's still strong after being out of the sun for so long. Katara's wall of water absorbs the fire easily and he's getting agitated, coming closer and closer to where she stands at the bow.
Two firebenders get to Lee and Zuko and they're fighting. Everyone's fighting - those who are loyal to Zhao clearly outnumbering those who are on Zuko's side - and now is her perfect time to dive into the water but she can't. Zhao is finally close enough to kill and she feels so powerful with the moon at her back that she can't bear to turn away.
After being so powerless for so long, feeling it surge in abundance through her veins is the best feeling in the world and she's not going to waste it.
She twists her wrists and arms. The wave that has blocked the attacks crashes on the deck of the ship. Firebenders are downed everywhere and she quickly freezes them in place before she takes the water that's around her waist to shoot at Zhao.
He's desperately pulling at his legs to get free from the ice that is trapping him but he can't. He is forced to block her attack and then he's firing a flaming bullet back at her. Katara gets more water, catches the bullet, then twists and circles before shooting it all back towards him.
When he deflects her attack, Katara moves the ice that surrounds his ankles up to cover his legs. She hardens it, making sure that he won't be able to burn himself out of it but she has to stop just as he sends another fire ball her way.
Katara blocks it with a shield of water and before she can blink, she's attacked by more fireballs and missiles. Looking up, she sees that most of the firebenders are attacking her now.
Idiots – she might have left them alone if they hadn't –
A ball breaks through her water and grazes her cheek. Katara recoils at the heat and her eyes open just in time to see Zhao and a few others break out of the ice. She turns her water shield into dozens of tiny ice missiles and she hurls them forward indiscriminately. If they're going to attack her, she will attack them.
Zhao's second wall of fire crashes against hers. Katara takes a step back to ground herself better and she pushes it back. They're both sustaining their walls – she's gritting her teeth and he's furrowing his brow and she isn't nearly strong enough just yet to keep it up for much longer.
A dozen fire whips are heading for Zhao and he has no choice but to let his wall break to her water in an attempt to deflect them. Katara lets her wave crash down on that half of the deck and Zhao falls under the pressure – sliding back along the deck and into a few of his soldiers bodies. He sits up, drenched and steam coming off his body and he looks furious.
Katara forms a blade of ice from the remaining water on the deck and flicks her wrist, her arms push forward and the ice is buried in Zhao's chest.
His mouth gapes open.
She pushes more and more blades through his skin. Two, then three are stuck in his chest and stomach before she stops.
The soldiers that are Zhao's allies send fire attacks her way, some stepping to shield Zhao's body. Katara brings water from the ocean and lets it tower in front of her to absorb the attacks so that she can –
"No, Katara," Lee pleads. Katara's eyes flicker down and he's in front of her. Zuko is racing towards her, arm outstretched and she tenses, thinking that he's going to attack her. When she raises her own hand to stop him, Lee grabs onto her wrist and she snaps her head to glare at him. "Don't do this. Don't kill them."
Katara's eyes soften despite her resolve. Lee, he's helped her so much these past few days with the water and she can't… she can't just leave the soldiers here! They'll come after her, after the Avatar and she'll just have to fight them all again before they can kill anyone else.
But… Lee is begging her to let them live.
"They're only soldiers. They're just following orders. Don't, please."
A fire missile pierces through the shield and she doesn't have enough time to stop it – but Zuko does, and he deflects it easily. Katara's eyes betray her confusion and she steps back.
"Go. I'd rather you be out there than with Zhao. You'll die when the sun comes up if you stay any longer." Zuko says as he deflects another missile. Her shield has been up too long and she hasn't sustained it enough. It's getting weaker.
Despite her new-found power, it's still the weak period before the full moon. She glances down at her palms, itching to feel the surge of water rushing through her and she closes her eyes.
Katara is so confused and none of this is helping and she just can't. Zuko is defending her and Lee is begging her. It's all too much. Her head swims and she can't breathe. She should kill these soldiers but –
They're only soldiers. They're just following orders.
Katara opens her eyes. She tugs her hand out of Lee's and give him a firm look. "Just this time, firebender."
Relief spreads through his face and he nods. He quickly turns to help Zuko, Katara turns to the sea. She puts one foot on the side and then the other. The ocean is calling to her.
She looks back to see Zuko and Lee fending off attacks.
"Go with her, Prince," Lee mutters as he shoots a fireball at one of the soldiers. "If Zhao gets you, you're dead."
Zuko is sending one long fire lash towards a group of soldiers when he gives Lee an incredulous look. Katara freezes where she is on the railing. "I can't leave my men or my uncle. They'll –"
"You know Zhao will never hurt General Iroh! He won't be able to if he even tried. Just go!"
If the Fire Prince goes with her… She can take him to her father and they'll have a bargaining chip for once… Katara turns to watch the two men fight. The water shield is getting weaker from all of the fire and there's steam everywhere.
"A good Captain –"
" – knows when he's lost, now go." Seeing that the Prince isn't moving other than to shoot fireballs, Lee growls and shoots Katara a look. The waterbender gets a stream from the ocean and curls it around the Prince's waist, pulling him towards her.
"Stop!" He tries to obliterate the water with his fire but Katara has an endless supply of water and a reason to take him with her. "Lee!"
"Go!"
Her last image is a fire whip catching Lee's tunic on fire when she rocks forward and dives into the ocean, letting the water rise up to suck her and Zuko in.
-/-