Zutara Week 2015

July 20-26

Day 7: Maelstrom

Author's Note: Last prompt! Wooh! Thank you to everyone who read this fic and reviewed! You guys helped me get through all my troubles. Thanks a bunch! I'm listening to "Spectrum" by Florence and the Machine! Give it a listen sometime!

"Mama, it's the Blue Spirit! He's gonna protect us from the soldiers!"

"Bless you, spirit. Thank you for saving my granddaughter."

"Are you really a spirit? That's amazing! I'll be sure to pray to you tonight!"

Zuko's mind was muggy with recollections of his night out as his alter persona. He cut down a few guards so they wouldn't see the brightly burning lanterns he'd given to the families living nearby. He liked seeing the toothless smiles on the babies being swaddled by their shivering mothers, whose tired eyes radiated with gratitude.

There were a few people who likened him to Katara, who had also supplied families across the tribes with dried fire wood, spark rocks, and coals, as well as free healings. They called her an angel, a goddess, a gift from the universe.

Katara had done so much for the world since she was a girl. It was in her nature to be loving and selfless. But Zuko? Zuko was a storm of mixed emotions. He did good things to get something in return. He turned away people that tried to help him.

Zuko didn't deserve love. He didn't deserve Katara.

How could he let her admit that she killed Arnuk? She had been in prison when it happened, according the soldiers that attacked them. She had an air-tight alibi. If anyone was guilty, it had to be him. He was the domino that knocked over the rest, leading into a catalyst of violent and dangerous situations. Katara was the blue domino at the end, waiting to be overturned.

It wasn't going to happen. The Fire Lord would fight till his last breath before they took her away.

Katara collapsed suddenly during battle while Zuko watched in horror as blood dripped from her lips. Had she been struck? It wasn't clear, but he had to get her out of there before she paid for a crime she didn't commit.

He just hoped she'd still be alive by the time he got to her.

Millions of colors exploded behind Katara's eyelids as she started to come to. Blinking, she let her eyes roam over her surroundings.

She was naked, suspended by the waist in a flat stream of purple, swirly water that shined with the entire cosmos. It seemed to split her in two. She could see her legs as though peering through a window. All around her is was black and empty, a void. Puzzled, and downright scared, Katara called out, "Is there anyone here? Help!"

A tiny white speck appeared in the distance, glowing brightly. The master water bender squinted at the speck, watching as it grew larger as it came closer. It was an iridescent orb now, floating closer to Katara's head.

A soft hum rang in her ears as she studied the orb. She could feel the light energy swirling around it, becoming entranced with the way it moved. It was somewhat familiar.

The orb faded around a female figure. Her face was shining like the stars and her beautiful white hair shimmered with the intensity of a lunar solstices. The frills of her dress rippled with endless chi. Her expression was calm, the visage of an ancient, all-wise, kind deity.

"Yue…?" Katara whispered, still in complete awe.

The goddess of the moon smiled excitedly at the water bender, like a girl who hadn't seen her friend in years. "Hello, Katara," she greeted, her voice smoother than water. "It's good to see you again."

Tears jerked at the brunette's eyes. "It's been years," she breathed, a lump forming in her throat.

Giggling, Yue replied, "Not really. You're a water bender, remember? I'm always with you."

Katara laughed despite the tears streaming down her face. She still couldn't believe she was seeing her dead friend-turned-goddess after six years. Of course, she always thought of Yue when she saw the moon, whether it was full or just a thin sliver in the sky. But this was different—she was here, in front of her, speaking to her.

"I guess I forgot about that, huh?" She said.

"I've seen what happened in my tribe," the moon deity said, expression suddenly forlorn. "My father should have moved on. I had such high hopes for him, for my people. This is awful."

The water bender sighed guiltily. Even after death, Yue still held her former birthplace close to her heart. She was still full of love, even for her father, who in the end lost his heart to hatred and despair.

"Yue, I tried…I really did, but things got complicated….." Katara sputtered. "I wish I could change what happened. I really do."

Yue studied the brunette's face and leaned in close. "You're hurting," she observed. "It's in your eyes."

Nodding, Katara looked down at the purple water, "I messed up. Bad. I hurt Zuko, and your tribe. I just want to make things right."

"I see," the moon goddess replied. She raised her arms to her head and pressed her fingers and thumbs together, leaving a gap shaped like a diamond in the center of her forehead. A black diamond appeared there, shining brightly. It dazzled Katara to the point where she was crying again, out of sheer awe.

There was a massive splash behind the water bender. Something with a long black tail thrashed and flayed inside the water. Katara stared at it long and hard, realizing that it was in fact the beast that ate Zuko. And the white marking on its head that matched Yue's proved her initial deductions right.

It was La, god of the ocean.

He thrashed viciously inside the water, but he wasn't making any progress. Katara could see he wanted to be free, to move on, but it was caught in an invisible web. He was trapped.

The master water bender glanced up at Yue, exclaiming, "He needs help!"

Yue looked saddened, saying, "He does. But I cannot help him. He needs someone who understands what he's going through, someone who still feels human emotion in its most organic form. You have to help him, Katara."

"But how?" The brunette questioned, utterly lost. How could she help such a mighty being? She didn't know the first thing about spiritual affairs. Why couldn't the Avatar do it?

With a soft sigh, glittering tear drop fell from Yue's eyelash and dropped into the vast purple stream around Katara. It rippled for what seemed like ages, until the ripples reached the brunette's skin. They washed over her like new knowledge, like inspiration. Katara closed her eyes and reveled in it.

When it was over, the water bender blinked a few times and looked up at the moon goddess, who'd folded her hands together and watched her patiently.

"I know what I have to do," Katara told her.

Yue raised an eyebrow and asked, "Then what are you waiting for?"

Understanding, the master water bender turned and sliced one arm through the water, the other arm following suit. She swam rapidly towards La, her toned arms and legs carrying her as fast as she could go. It was strange, if not frightening, that whenever Katara ducked her head into the purple water to gain speed, she would catch a glimpse of the universe as viewed by the gods. She saw the world moving at the speed of light, she saw the very essence of emotion, what it was like to laugh or cry or smile. It was raw. It was powerful.

She even thought to herself, "This must be what it's like to have an orgasm."

As she neared La, Katara mustered up a game plan in her mind. She started for him, bringing up a hand to touch his scales, when he slammed his tail into her and nearly knocked her out of the water.

Other spirits, coming in different shapes and sizes, came swarming towards them. The water bender could sense the dark energy approaching and realized they were trying to avenge her. She put her hands up and shouted, "Don't hurt him! He's just in pain! Please, don't hurt him!"

Thankfully, they listened. The spirits faded into the void, leaving the water bender alone with La.

The ocean spirit continued to thrash violently, desperate to get out. Katara watched him in pity and swam forward, this time more cautious. When she was close enough, she traced his scales gently, letting go of the weight she'd been carrying as she did it. At first, La was alarmed by her touch and writhed angrily in response. However, as Katara continued, his fury diminished.

His taut muscles relaxed under the gentle caress of her fingers. The master water bender made her way up his body and towards his enormous head.

She knew exactly what she had to do.

With a flick of her wrist, Katara water bent herself up in a small spout. She was pleased to find that this water was much easier to bend than regular earth water.

Using the spout, Katara found herself touching the crown of his head, hand in the center of the white diamond. There was a tumultuous, chaotic source of energy there, and it was so deeply rooted and painful. This was the pain Katara felt when she remembered Yon Rha and her mother. This was the pain she felt when she thought of Zuko. It reminded her of Zuko. This was the pain she had to let go of.

Inhaling deeply, the master water bender allowed the energy to flow out of her and out of La. It felt like rain drizzling gently from the sky, before the thunder started rolling and the lightning crashed which led to the downpour.

Light glistened from La's body and he went limp under her touch. Katara would have been very afraid if not for the fact that Yue appeared next to him. The water bender watched as the moon goddess revived her mate, using bright lunar energy to bend the waves around him. It swayed the beast's form back and forth until two black, beady eyes opened up and focused on Katara.

Without warning, La dove into the water and swam downwards until the brunette couldn't see him. In seconds, the god of the moon shattered through the surface of the water behind Katara, his tail snapping back and forth as he leapt through the air. He did this several more times, swimming away with joy exuding from his presence.

Yue smiled wide, her pearly white teeth even whiter against the stark black of the universe. "He says thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," Katara replied, still very star struck.

The purple water rose like a high tide, submerging the brunette completely. She puffed her cheeks out, thinking she couldn't breathe, but soon realized she was inhaling it just fine. The water bender raised her head to find moonlight breaching the surface of the water.

"Now you've got your answer," the goddess told her. "Can you make things right?"

Katara realized she was being heaved out of the water by invisible hands before she could reply. She was swept through space and time rapidly. It made her so dizzy she clenched her eyes shut and tried to shush her upset stomach.

When she opened her eyes again, she was laying in the snow. Her brain was fuzzy with pain. Something wet coated her face. She reached up to touch it, and her hand came back warm and red. Her eyes widened.

A scream echoed through the freezing air and Katara shot straight up, recognizing the voice as Zuko's. She looked up and found the soldiers raging against Zuko, each taking turns whipping him as the Fire Lord tried to keep up.

For a moment, Katara was entranced by the steam that filled the air when the fire and water collided. But then Zuko shouted and she was on her feet, racing to him with her muscles seizing every particle of ice in the vicinity. The soldiers didn't see her coming.

She had the entire army swept up in a blizzard. She suspended them in the air like puppets, moving her arms in a way that swirled the men around in a flurry. Katara reveled in the sounds of their screams as she played with them like dolls.

"Katara!" Zuko yelled, grasping his abdomen.

The water bender heard him and dropped her opponents without a second thought. They landed in the snow with a hard thump.

Katara ran to Zuko and threw her arms around him and squeezed like she hadn't seen him in years. "Are you hurt?" She asked sincerely, genuinely.

His amber eyes glistened with tears as he gazed at her face. He grazed a thumb across her lower lip, wiping away some of the blood. "It doesn't matter," he murmured.

"Of course it does," the brunette responded. She leaned up and pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek. "You matter a lot to me."

Blushing, Zuko tried and failed to hide his smile. Katara found herself smiling, too. They would have remained like that, arms tangled together and eyes locked, if Iroh hadn't called out to them.

"Nephew! Master Katara! Follow me, quickly before they come to!"

The three of them fled the scene as fast as their legs could carry them, arm in arm, towards the palace.

Zuko saw their destination from the distance and exclaimed, "Why are we going back there?"

Katara stopped running and glanced at him, panting hard. "We're clearing your name," she said, pulling out the letter from her pocket.

The Fire Lord eyed it suspiciously. "I never gave that back to you," he observed.

Nodding, the water bender responded, "It was found on Arnuk's body. It wasn't you, though. I know that now. In fact, I know exactly who it was."

"Who?"

Katara replied, "Who else? Kahn was angry with you because of the death of his son. But who promised his son to Yue? Arnuk, of course. If Hahn wasn't engaged to Yue he never would have had to protect her."

Zuko vaguely recalled a young man foolishly run on deck of his ship, only to be thrown overboard by Zhao. "He brought it on himself," he said.

When Katara put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow at him, he shrugged. Hey, he was being honest!

"But how are you sure it was Kahn?" Iroh questioned, folding his arms in his tunic.

The sun was setting at that moment, and the moon was just starting to fade into the backdrop of the dark sky. A ray of moonlight focused on Katara and the water bender smiled knowingly, waving amicably at the celestial body. The moonlight seemed to flicker in response.

Zuko grinned in amazement and swept the brunette up in a hug, twirling her around. "So that's where you went!" He exclaimed.

Katara squealed, giggling, "She says 'hi', by the way!"

Iroh bowed towards the moon and said, "Many thanks to the honorable moon goddess for protecting this remarkable young woman."

It seemed for a moment they were all lost in the influence of the lunar deity, because neither of them noticed the crowd gathering around them until someone shouted, "It's Master Katara!"

The couple froze, staring in fear and shock at the audience. Everyone was there, every citizen in the tribe it seemed. Everyone held a brightly lit lantern or torch and a very serious expression.

Zuko put an arm in front of Katara and rested the other on the handles of his swords. He knew he wouldn't be able to take them all, not at once, but he could distract them long enough to let Katara and Iroh get out, "Before you do anything, remember what this woman did for all of you," he warned.

"We know exactly what she did!" One man yelled.

The master water bender crumpled the letter in her hand subtly, hiding it in her parka. She would make it easier form Zuko and Iroh to escape.

The man continued, "She saved us!"

Zuko and Katara's jaws dropped to the ground as they exchanged bewildered glances. The crowd exploded into applause and cheering, calling Katara "their savior".

A little girl rushed up to the brunette and nearly knocked her over as she wrapped her arms around her hips. "Thank you for thaving my famiwy, Mathter Katara!"

"You're very welcome!" Katara replied, blinking away tears.

"South Pole! South Pole! South Pole!" The audience chanted, separating down the middle to allow her passage.

The little girl grabbed Katara's hand and began yanking her forward. Before she was completely dragged away, the water bender reached for Zuko's hand and laughed when he gave her a puzzled look.

"They're not angry?" He asked, raising his voice above the noise.

"Does it sound like they are?" Katara replied, laughing. "They were suffering under Arnuk! They're free now! That's something to celebrate!"

Zuko raised his eyebrows. "So….?"

Shrugging, the water bender said, "The Northern Water Tribe is a strong community, they'll survive!"

Frowning, the Fire Lord asked, "And the new chief?"

Katara squeezed his hand and replied, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there!"

The crowd carried them away like a pair of gods, throwing rice at their feet and cheering their names with the intent of celebrating for the rest of the night.

Iroh was left standing in the snow, with his arms folded cozily in the sleeves of his green tunic. A gentle smile spread across his face as a moonbeam bathed his skin.

"He rises with the sun, she rises with the moon," he spoke, intentionally aloud. "You planned this, didn't you?"

The lunar gleam flickered and the general retorted, "Of course I wanted this! I brought Zuko here, didn't I?"

Moonlight shined against one of his eyes and he shielded his eyes, exclaiming, "Alright, I am sorry! My goodness, you deities really get cranky! Sometimes I wonder if you know what you're doing up there!"

The sun set completely and the moon's full face was shining. The single beam of lunar light started following Iroh as he waddled away, towards to where the tribe marched off. "Wait for me!" He shouted.

Author's Note: Oh my god, I love Iroh. So, what did you think? Was it everything you wanted? I know not everything was resolved, but if I write anymore, I'm afraid my fingers will fall off. Let's just say Katara and Zuko do clear their names and find Kahn, Iqniq and Palo trying to flee the tribe, wherein they get their treasonous asses kicked. Then a new chief is elected and Zuko and Katara get married and have beautiful steam babies and everyone is happy! Happy (late) Zutara week and see you next year!