Summary: Dangerous things are setting into motion. Zuko has visions of pieces of his prisoner's past...and maybe even her future but even that is as awful in comparison to what he experiences upon waking up to Ila by his side. And Katara meets an unlikely visitor after recalling something gruesome from her time with Hama.

Warning; sexual assault.

Smoke rose thick in the cabin, snaking between two pink lips. Only a single lantern was lit, dimming the room and casting an aura of intimidation. Shadows on the wall danced, silhouetting in the window three figures seated in the Captain's quarters. That's how Captain Hoshi liked it. How she enjoyed watching them squirm under her sinister gaze. A single green eye locked onto the person seated across from her oak carved desk. Hoshi brought the smoking pipe to her lips again, a not-so-kind smile crept on her face.

"So, Kanaaq was it? How noble of the Chieftain's own relative to meet me in person."

The middle-aged man before her shivered, despite his large, stony size. That was to be expected. Hoshi was well known for her ruthlessness. Not only because she was the Sea King's right hand but because she was well known for her merciless genocide of the Southern Water Tribe three years before. Carving a name for herself had gone a long way. Not that she cared for such trivial things, it was still pleasing to watch others cower in her presence. Being one of the most powerful earthbenders worked in her favor as well, having mastered beyond her element.

"Where is it?" Hoshi demanded, though with a cold coo to her tone. As if on cue her second in command stands up, making strides to their shaken guest and reaches out a hand. Qui was a thin man, well into his fifties; gray peppered his well kept beard and he wore a monocle on the right side of his eye. But he was not to be reckoned with, having the ability to sense when someone was lying.

Kanaaq fumbled to the purse secured to his sash, nearly dropping it several times before handing it to her second in command. Qui closes his fist over it, taking a step back without taking his gaze off the man. He drops it in Hoshi's open palm, the captain untying the purse and dumping the contents on the desk.

Hoshi whistled, rearranging the tiny pieces of diamonds for better examination. "You watertribe know how to negotiate. I swear, you're all the same. But it must be worth more to keep your pathetic lives than your pride."

The tribesman swallowed, closing his fists tight in his lap.

"It's a smart move, really. In exchange for the protection of your sorry town, you pay us generously. A ship will arrive at your port come two week's time. They will remain stationed until further notice. You are to welcome them and provide whatever necessities they request; shelter, weapons, food, pleasure..."

The tribesman was in disbelief, snapping an angry look at the captain. "You- You said that we would receive your protection, not entertain these pirates."

"I very much clarified what I meant earlier. Diamonds aren't enough. You and your people are now property of the Sea King and all that comes with you. You willingly volunteered by begging us to spare your town in exchange for all that you have, that means including you."

The tribesman jumped to his feet, roaring an angry growl. "We begged for your mercy, not to use us like slaves! We trusted you!"

"Trust? What a simple play on words." Hoshi exhales, smoke following. She snaps her fingers, ordering her second in command to leave. With a silent bow, he exits, quietly shutting the door but not without the eerie creak of it slicing through the room. "Should you? Have trusted me?" She asked, laying down her pipe and resting her forearms on the desk so that she could lean in; a gesture meant to let the person know that she was listening attentively.

"I-I-"

"Hmm? Speak up, I can't hear you."

"N-no, I don't think so."

Hoshi cackled, throwing herself back in her chair. "That's probably the best answer I've gotten so far."

There was no stopping the tears. What had he gotten himself into? "This...my people. How could I not have kept our dignity intact?"

"If you had any dignity left, you would not have given up so easily. I wonder how Central will react once they learn one of their cities had turned their 'trust' to the Sea King? I'm sure your Chieftain will be most displeased. Don't feel too bad, you're one of the many we've obtained. It won't be long before Arnook himself will be in that very chair, begging us to spare him."

"You bitch!"

Hoshi smirked, tilting her head to the left in time to avoid an icicle thrown in her direction, the sharp object pierced the wall behind her. She stands up, swinging around as Kanaaq lunges at her, encasing her chair instead with the water from his pouch, releasing it and bending it at her feet. He misses. He's already unsteady due to his size in the cramped room. All he can think about is crushing Hoshi's tiny figure with his bare hands. What could she do? There were no rocks to bend. Which, unfortunate for him, the miscalculation was a huge disadvantage considering he'd never fought an earthbender in his life. One he will come to regret.

A metal slab smacked over his mouth with a crack, breaking some teeth and forcing him to swallow his own blood. Kanaaq muffled a horrific cry, clawing at the slab and writhing on the floor. More cuffed his wrists, dragging him to a wall and hanging him dangling off his feet.

Blue eyes widen in terror. Hoshi made slow steps towards the large tribesman, balling her fist and encasing it with a sheet of nearby metal. "I knew you were pathetic but I didn't take you for being stupid." Her fists met his jaw without breaking a sweat. Kanaaq muffled a painful cry, head hanging low as she continued to deal blow after blow until he was black and bloody. The sheer thrill she was getting from seeing this burly man dangling from her power alone was enough to make her laugh out loud.

"Are you in need of assistance, Captain Hoshi?" She had been so caught up, she failed to hear Qui entering the room.

"Hardly, Qui. Though, I think he may require it." Qui nodded, snapping his fingers at the two crew members. Hoshi releases the tribesman, allowing him to fall on the floor.

Kannaq sobbed after the slab falls from his mouth, catching the blood and pieces of his teeth in his shaken palms. "Have mercy."

The Captain jerks his head up by the hair, upper lip coming up in a snarl. "I gave you mercy by making you my property but now you bit the hand that feeds you." She tears off the ragged cloth on her head, the very one covering her right eye. Behind it displayed a gruesome disfiguration; Hoshi's eye was missing, leaving a hollow space in the socket where it was meant to be. "The last time I gave a waterbender mercy, she took this from me. Escaping with it, of all things. But no worries." She sniffed, reaching for her pipe and inhaling sharply. "A lesson learned is a lesson earned, they say. And I've learned to end my problems right where they stand."

Kanaaq struggles as he is dragged away. "Please, please! Have mercy, have mercy!" His cries could be heard from down the halls until he's taken below deck. Where a final pitched scream rang through the ship followed by a sudden quiet. A satisfied captain takes a seat in front of her now destroyed cabin with an airy sigh.

"Qui?" Hoshi inquires. "How long do you think it will take to burn a watertribe town to ashes?"

Qui's always liked this game. "Give me until sunset."

"Princess..."

"That is lovely to hear…"

"His majesty of the North has agreed that you will marry Tonrar…"

Tonrar is a great man. I promise. I will be happy.

He can't see. All he can hear is his own heavy breathing, filling his ears with his heavy panting and the faint sound of static. Panic arose in his throat and he tries to call out, but nothing comes of it. This was a dream. This had to be a dream. All he had to do was will himself to wake up, then the darkness will disappear and after it, the morning light peeking through his window and into his chambers. Azula and Ryuu will be there, telling him that he had overslept. That his mother was alive, that the pirates weren't real, and the pain coursing through his body wasn't real, and that she wasn't real.

The pain thrummed harder and harder. In his fingers and toes. Hunger beat at him. His lips cracked and chapped and burning. Zuko sucked in a lungful of air, pinching his eyes shut before opening them again, and when he does, there's nothing but ocean and ice.

Zuko choked. He couldn't see past the wind and the snow. His throat felt as though sharp objects pierced the inside like shards. His toes and the tips of his fingers were so numb, it was hard to move without pain racking through him at every angle. Where was he? Zuko's cracked and bloodied lips quivered, taking in the sight around him. Nothing. Still only water and icebergs as far as the eye can see.

How did he get here? Wasn't he home? Or maybe he had flown off again, upset or angry, and ended up in the North without realizing it. It wouldn't be the first time. His mother always told him how risky it was, their kind already on the brink of extinction. Yet, there was something about the snow he found comforting. Once he even attempted to bury his face in it, wondering if it was soft and fluffy as clouds. Oh, how wrong he was.

He was pulled from his thoughts at the sound of cooing and a stirring from within his parka. Opening it up, he was shocked to find an infant swaddled in furred animal skin.

"He's hungry." A frail, shaky voice informed him.

Zuko looks up to find a withered old woman staring blankly at him, her paleness unnatural to her features. She was shivering uncontrollable, the space around her eyes were purpled and hollowed. Bruises covered her face and you could see the darkened veins at the temples of her forehead. She looked like the dead.

"You...you remember what…I taught you? Hmm, yuka? Massage the breast with your palm."

Zuko's gasp caught in his throat. What ?

He removes a glove, hands moving of their own accord, like he was in a dream and someone else was commanding his body. The tips of his fingers were white and stiff, shaking uncontrollably as they shifted his parka and robe open for the eager mouth of the little boy cradled in his arms.

"T-that's g-g-good...he's ready t-to eat n-now."

"Gran Gran. A-are you okay?" Zuko forced himself to ask. Speaking suddenly became too intense, too painful to do. He did not know this woman, unsure of how he conjured her name, but he had come to care for her very, very deeply.

"Of course, child...I-I will be just...fine...n-now take care of t-that baby." The old woman gave a reassuring smile. It was less than convincing. Zuko had to stop himself from crying. A single tear shed could lead to further dehydration.

Why was she in such a state? She needed a healer, fast. Zuko ignores the odd tingling of the baby latching his mouth to- Agni, he couldn't bring himself to look, and shuts his eyes again. She's dying, he knows she is. Why was this happening? Who was this child?

No. Please. Leave us be!

Zuko was brought back with the sharp sound the infant crying. His eyes snapping open and his teeth clenching in utter agony. It wasn't even seconds after opening his eyes that he's met with a fist to the face. He hugs the baby even tighter to his chest as he is pulled up by the hair until his feet are dangling off the ground. He's kicking, screaming and spitting curses. The wind is knocked out of him once again, blood rushing down his face. The urge to retaliate burned within him, anger making his fingers twitch and curl unnaturally until there's only the sound of bones popping and muscles twisting in an unholy manner.

"Witch! She's a witch!" Someone cried. It's too late before he notices the broad sword coming down on his face.

Please. No more. Let this be it.

"Zuko? Earth to Zuko?"

"Mmm. Where-" He groans.

"Zuko! I swear this is why I tell you not to fall asleep in the hot springs."

Zuko came to his senses, recognizing the voice that shook him. He comes face to face with the waterbender; wet hair cascading down her back and clinging to her neck and shoulders. She's standing so close, her face inches from him. Blue eyes examined him carefully, searching. Searching for what, he can't tell. Zuko's brows knit, keeping a steady gaze back at those alluring cerulean orbs. She cocks her head, reaching out to caress his scarred cheek.

She's topless, a sarasha the only thing decent on her. It was hard to stray his gaze away from her supple breasts. Dark, dusky nipples exposed for viewing pleasure behind waves of long chocolate hair. Katara seemed unfazed by this fact aside from the concern overtaking her lovely features. His inner dragon purrs, her proximity setting him off. Zuko, on the other hand, held his breath when she leans over to inspect him further.

"Are you okay? Your skin is red, maybe going to the hot springs after what happened wasn't such a good idea. I can get Azula or Ryuu to help me carry you to bed." She suggested. She then bites the corner of her lip nervously, capturing Zuko's attention fully; his heart jump started in his chest. "Or- You had that dream didn't you?"

Zuko shook his head, brows pinched, not understanding what she was referring to.

"It's okay, Zuko. I'm here, I'm fine. Nothing bad happened to me." She wraps her arm around his neck; so gentle, so sweet. It was hard not to take in her intoxicating scent.

Zuko shudders.

Katara caresses the ridges just below his damaged eye. Her lips parted in concentration as she examined further, coming back to brush the hair curling around his marred ear.

Zuko snatches her wrist. "What are you doing, Siren?" He growled, tone low and raspy. Water splashes as he stands up abruptly, pushing Katara off and towering over the waterbender, exposing sharp, white teeth. Did she use her powers to lure him without his knowledge? Not only that, he was stark naked and...aroused. Unbearably aroused. His nether regions stirred and his heavy cock brushed the inside of her thigh.

It was Katara's turn to shudder. "Oh, so we're playing this game again." Her sweet smile turned to that of a mischievous smirk. "I like this game." She said in a sultry tone.

What in Agni's name was going on?

Unable to sort these feelings, never having been aroused before, let alone erect, Zuko panics, swinging Katara around and twisting her arm behind her back in defense, then wedges a knee between her legs. She moans, despite not figuring out that he was having a total freak out.

A surge of raging hormones crashed through him. It wasn't like him to get excited. Was he losing his damn mind?

The dark descends once again, cloaking his surroundings and even Katara, until it's pitch black.

"I'm sorry, Zuko. I did this to you. I'm-"

He heard a sob in the distance, his heart breaking and his dragon calling. Don't cry, mate. Please, don't cry.

"I'm scared…"

Katara was in front of him now. Her eyes aglow and her face, filled with terror, was encased in ice.

Zuko blinked back sleep and groaned, both groggy and dazed by the trance he had put over himself. His limbs were heavy, burning with a dull ache he wouldn't wish on his worst enemies. His hazy gaze moved around the four corners of his office, sprawled out on the ottoman by one of the large windows looking out directly at the volcanoes behind the castle.

He's covered in a silk blanket, hands staged neatly on his chest. The coolness coming from the blanket felt good against his bare, sweat soaked chest.

Bare chest?

Zuko tries to sit up, hissing between clenched teeth because the burning in his muscles has intensified, refusing to allow him any freedom to move. He looked down at his person, aware that he was in an open was even more humiliating than his current state of weakness was the hard on he was sporting. He shakes his head, panting. His chest heaving up and down as he tries to regain his breath. He was spent. Maybe he put too much into putting the waterbender to sleep.

The waterbender!

Like that it all came rushing back to him. The dark, the biting cold, the baby in his arms, and...the horror struck on Katara's face as she looked back at him. Zuko shakes his head again trying to rid himself of the nightmare. Dreams were rare. Dragons didn't dream. But visions...that was a different story. Zuko contemplated it all, trying to put the puzzle pieces together.

Obviously, it was about Katara. He was sure now more than ever that their meeting was, indeed, fate.

It's her. Our mate. His dragon said excitingly. She has come to us.

Zuko didn't know if that was a case. But, no, their meeting wasn't purely by coincidence. It was the pull of two people on different sides of the world. Two halves of one soul, and Katara carried the one. That wasn't so much the part that set him on edge. What bothered him most was the fact that she was a Siren. It wasn't exactly unheard of for a dragon to find a mate in a human. As time went by, it became even more common, resulting in the dwindling of the dragon clan and the magic the most powerful dragons had ever harbored. Humans, unfortunately, did not live long and one half of a soul could not very well live without the other. When one met their end, so did the other perish with them.

This certainly was a rare occurrence. After all these years, no one has seen or heard from Siren, with the exception of the one Zuko had run into some years ago. The woman was already old and brittle, no doubt she's met her end by now. Katara was young, freshly young considering the many years a Siren could live. She lacked any real control, which told Zuko she had little experience. Sirens, ones who were at the full extent of their powers, had abilities that rivaled even that of the strongest dragon. They were considered dangerous. Skillfully luring in weak minded humans and controlling them to do their bidding until they sucked the very life out of them.

But...that's only what he's heard. Katara didn't seem like some blood thirsty witch bent on dominating men like the stories told. Well, she had tried to use her Siren call to get him to let her go, other than that she didn't seem intent on harming him. Her speech about the refugees shared a piece about her, and her undying loyalty to protecting those who couldn't protect themselves.

Zuko sort of envied her. He used to be just like that, always looking out for those in need. Refusing to leave anyone behind, Fire Nation or otherwise. He actually wanted to make a difference in the world. His mother's death changed that and he was desperate to protect what he had left. They were on the verge of extinction. Eventually, his people will become nothing but fairytales.

Now the matter was, how does he tell this woman he barely knows that she was destined for him? Could she accept it? Could he?

I need her. His dragon stirred. Do not let her leave us.

You can't possibly be infatuated with this...Siren. Zuko argued.

Her lineage means little as long as we can have her. She smells like sweet water and her brown skin is smooth and luminous.

Calm down you horny excuse for a dragon.

Do not let her leave. Do not let anyone touch her like that wretched guard. His dragon's riled up again. Just thinking about it sets Zuko's teeth on edge. If he wasn't so weak at the time, he would have torn that guard to shreds. He was thankful, though, not being in his right mind. He needed to control these newfound emotions better.

He's parched, searching for water. There's a pitcher on the stand right next to the ottoman. The problem was, he was still paralyzed.

It seems that his prayers are answered when a cup is brought to his lips. He doesn't question it as he opens his mouth to the refreshing rush of water running down his chin and neck. He drinks until it's empty, sighing loudly as his thirst subsides. "Fuck." He was enveloped by a pounding headache.

"You are awake, my King."

Zuko licks his lips. He stills, troubled to find Ila had entered his office with a cloth and a basin. He could not fight off the guilt of having undeniable attraction towards another woman. No doubt everyone had learned of Katara and the fact that she was his destined bondmate. Not after she...expressed that unintentionally.

"You were sweating profusely, your majesty, after tossing and turning like you were trapped in some sort of nightmare. I tried to wake you several times but I'm afraid the spell you casted on yourself was quite strong. Eventually you settled down."

Ila comes to her knees in front of the ottoman, dipping the white cloth in cool water. She doesn't meet Zuko's eyes, for good reason. His body responded to her in revolt, a sign of rejection Ila wasn't willing to face. Not yet.

She wringes the rag in the basin before dabbing it over his forehead and cheek. Zuko had little strength in him to protest, his body not responding well. Her touch was clammy to him, churning his gut. It doesn't go unnoticed by Ila, the way he jolts back from her touch. His eyes said he was sorry but his body responded to her negatively.

"If you are wondering about the Siren," Ila started, "she is well. Ryuu has made sure she is secure and safe."

She tries to hide the shaking in her voice, concentrating solely on cleaning the cold sweat on Zuko's brow.

"Yet...and yet, you are here before me?"

"Yes." She replied slowly, as though that was the silliest thing he's ever brought up. "And why would I not?"

"You know who she is." Zuko pointed. "Not even I can deny that. Pretending will not make this easy."

Ila paused, hand hovering over his forehead. She bites her lip, hard, drawing blood and retreating her hand to her chest. Zuko should have saved her the heartache long ago, as soon as he had felt Katara from afar. Yet, he had no idea who she was, he knew from the get go that Ila was not his other half. In a way, he had hoped. In a way, he wanted to keep as much distance between him and his actual soulmate and avoid the terrible fate that eventually shattered his mother and slowly killed her.

"Is that what you want?" Ila asked, finally coming straightforward and looking up to meet Zuko's eyes. They were hard, those sharp dark orbs. No one looked at him with an intense glare since he broke up with Mai back at the Fire Nation palace when he was sixteen. They cut like knives much like the stiletto the governor's daughter cut through his arm. "You can reject her." She suggested.

"And if she does not accept it?" Zuko inquired. "You know it's not that easy."

"You want her then?"

"What?! I- I...I don't know…" Zuko admitted, no longer able to hold eye contact anymore, casting his gaze anywhere but Ila's face.

Ila clenched her teeth, hatred contorting her lovely features. Her thin, red lips curled into a snarl, her eyes narrowed and her manicured nails buried into the cuff of her robe. "I don't understand. She is a siren, a peasant even, and you would give her the position of queen so easily? You don't know what this woman is capable of. She is not of our world."

"Don't you think I know that." The young King finally snapped. Ila took aback because Zuko had never raised a voice to her before. "Don't you think I haven't thought of every possible outcome or reason to reject her. My mind is telling me not to let this creature take the throne next to me but every fiber of my being keeps telling me I can't live without her. I indirectly rejected her and look what happened!"

"So that's it? You leave me for that-that low-life?!"

"You will not raise your voice at me." Zuko's voice lowered, deep and dangerous. It made Ila cower with fear and arousal. "I've let this go on long enough. I take full responsibility for not being an honest man and telling you how I truly felt about our union. It shouldn't have come until now to tell you this. Aside from the fact that Katara is my bondmate-" Katara! Ila seethed at the way he said her name so casually. "-there was never a future for us in the cards."

"Please, Zuko, it can't end like this." Ila wraps her arms around his neck, burying her face into his chest.

He sighs heavily. "You're making this harder than it should be. You are a beautiful and devoted person, Ila. You're bound to find your true mate, if not, any man would be lucky to have you. I'm just not the one." He was truly being sincere. Zuko knew when to admit his mistakes. He truly did not want to end things on bad terms, and Ila was a good person.

Unfortunate for him, his judgement wasn't all that spot on.

"I beg you, you're majesty, reconsider. I've put my everything into this for you, only for you. My heart, my soul, my very being. Don't turn me away." Ila was starting to suffocate him. When he tries to pull away, she only clings tighter, lifting her head and pulling him harshly at his neck. She brings him close enough so that her lips could capture his. Zuko doesn't have time to process what's going on before her mouth is moving against his. He attempts to jerk back only to be held tightly by the back of his head, her sharp nails penetrating his scalp.

"Stop!" He muffled. But his plea fell on deaf ears. She pressed only further, reaching to unravel his already loose robe and running a hand all over his chest. Disgust rolled in his stomach. Never has Zuko felt so violated. No one dared to touch him without permission, let alone overstep their boundaries. He was powerless, weak in his state. Ila invaded his mouth and his innocence, this being his very first kiss; his very first involvement in anything intimate for that matter, and Ila was stealing it from him in front of his very eyes.

"I said STOP!"

"Ah!" Ila cries out loud, clapping her hands over her mouth. Shock and horror washes over her face, body shaken and stirred, tears surfacing in her eyes. Blood escaped the wound on her bottom lip where Zuko had bitten her. His teeth having lengthened, leaving a mark that would forever stay with her.

"You-" How could she? He put his trust in her. He gave her privilege and power within his council. He thought Ila stood by him out of genuinity. And though he feared breaking her heart, the last thing he presumed was her doing this. Why? Why was he so blind? "Get. Out." Zuko bared his teeth again in warning. Gold eyes glowing, the blood from her wound dripping from his the corner of his mouth.

"But-"

His dragon follows, roaring to be unleashed so he could tear the woman before him apart.

OUT!

Ila was gone in a flash, fear of what might happen if she stayed a second longer hastening her feet. Several of his guards are dumbfounded by her sudden exit, peeking in the office to see blood running down their King's chin. Zuko doesn't pay any heed as they bombard the room, surrounding him and raising their fists up in arms with the assumption that an intruder had come to harm him. All he can feel right now is rage beyond anything he ever felt.

"Where have you brought me, Hama?!" A frantic 17-year-old Katara stared sharply at the elderly woman. She had no visual against the dark that surrounded her. The air was thin and cold and suffocating. The waterbender reaches out, her hands hoping to grasp some kind of leverage. The space around her felt wide open, like a large pit. Panic rose as she began to wonder if he was truly alone because she had yet to get a reply from the bitterly old siren.

"Calm yourself, child." Hama frowned, tugging Katara's arm right when her hand felt the warmth of something in front of her. "Before you do something stupid again."

Opening a portal and taking me to La knows where. For all I know, you could be trying to kill me.

Hama's dark chuckle echoed in Katara's mind, the young waterbender forgetting to shield her thoughts. "If I wanted you dead, I'd have done it at the snap of a finger. Need I remind you that siren's are competitive creatures. We would not hesitate to take out one another if we thought either was a threat. With great luck, at my age, I care little of eliminating you. Our line is on the brink, and thanks to the selfish ways of our people- who were once powerful, thriving, intelligent and highly worshiped- they dwindled down to nothing but crazed and hungry creatures."

Hama snapped her fingers, a glow vibrating from her open palm and the cave lit up. Light bounced off solid ice walls, so smooth without a hint of frost that you could see your own reflection.

But that wasn't why Katara was in awe. A painful, dark ball formed in her chest. That suffocating feeling came ten times harder and she blinked in disbelief. Sculptures. Tall, glorious cystal sculptures scattered in the cave as far as Katara could see. As beautiful as they were, there was something awfully disturbing about them. And when Katara decides to take a closer look, slow steps coming towards the nearest one, her heart falls into her stomach and she gasps, clasping her hands over her mouth.

Her rushing thoughts are interrupted when she bumps into an object, turning around quickly and face flushing pale. An outreached hand encased in crystal had hit Katara's back. Behind it was a young woman not much older than her, eyes blank white and features twisted in horror.

Hyperventilating, the cave spins around Katara, realizing now that these were not sculptures at all but women of tribal descent crystallized, all expressions the same white eyes and terror, as if their attempt to escape was futile and were doomed to their fate forever stilled in time. She fell to her knees, clutching her stomach.

"This will become your future." Hama finally spoke.

"You- You did this!" Katara accused, scooting away from Hama.

"Of course not, you foolish girl. They met their fates on their own accord by their own hand. They're inability and lack of determination to control their powers led to their crystallization. With our elders gone and unable to teach them, they were doomed from the start. I tried to make it to as many as possible, only to discover it was too late, and brought them here for safe keeping."

Katara shuddered, shaking her head.

"They're young. All of them, no guidance or idea who they were. They succumbed to their inner desires and anger, sucking the lives out of anyone they came across and eventually losing themselves. Hundreds of years…" Hama's speech turned to mumbling and after that, all Katara heard was silence.

Katara's eyes flutter open, her small companion nudging her hand and whining. She's still shaken with distress, at least able to lift a finger enough to caress Haku's snout and the little dragon purrs in response.

Katara trembled, pinching her eyes shut before slowly opening them again. Recalling those crystals and all those water tribe women- She had tried to suppress that horrific day for three years now. Yet, every time her siren powers grew to be too much, she was reminded of that time once again.

You have to get a hold of yourself, Katara reminded herself.

She was, after all, the reason why she failed to continue her lessons with Hama, and though she exceeded the woman at blood bending, she still had trouble controlling her emotions when her powers overtook her.

Katara couldn't stay with Hama. Not when people needed her and not when Hama's methods were both disgusting and immoral. She lived and breathed on using people. Katara just couldn't stand seeing Hama make them do her sinister biddings. She mocked and insulted sirens who drained men and women like succubus when she herself was no different; using her bloodbending to lure others and enslave them.

Katara had lit her inn on fire while she was still inside after setting free Hama's slaves. Hama wasn't dead, that would be wishful thinking. No doubt, the elderly women would have it out for her and Katara would very much lose but nor would she stand by while witnessing injustices regardless of losing a teacher.

She learned on her own, and she made due with what knowledge she could gather about her Siren bloodline.

OUT!

A roar echoed in her mind, so fearsome, it made Katara cower. It was so harsh, and deep, the waterbender's blood ran cold. No one could possibly have that kind of voice...at least, no one human. It rang like a beast in rage, a bone chilling hiss like that of a serpent followed after before silence clouded her mind.

Katara's breath stilled. Her lungs burned fast as she was too afraid to exhale too soon. That same feeling, that same eeriness that Zuko guy exhibited when he rendered her powerless, came flooding back. It wasn't just the fact that he was not human or even that he was a creature of great skill and ability. No. Something else resided in him. One just as terrifying, if not, more powerful.

When things seem to be at ease, Katara exhales noting the copper taste of blood and is overcome with anger. Not hers, of course. She had exhausted herself of all her anger right before Zuko placed her under another trance. Katara then recalls what took place right when he looked deep within her eyes. Those deep swirls of amber and gold provoked her legs to quake. Whether or not he knew it, they were very enchanting, with or without using them for his benefit.

A groan escapes her and she's filled with utter embarrassment. Surely she wasn't developing an attraction to her capturer. Granted, she couldn't dismiss the fact that he was an attractive individual. Not only that, he was a powerful figurehead, any girl is bound to flock to him. There also was this overwhelming need to be with him at all cost. Logic told her she had gone insane but her body was screaming for her to snatch him up and never let go.

Remembering the woman who stared her down in the previous room she was held in, the one with dark eyes and posed as though she owned the place, Katara wondered just who she was to Zuko. From the familiar and intimate way she touched him, the waterbender could only guess they were lovers. Marriage was inconclusive since no married man in his right mind would do what Zuko did to Katara; staying by her side, personally providing her food, and all in a room he owned himself.

She shuddered. Katara could still feel his hot fingers tracing her scar. It throbbed, despite not having any feeling in it for years. No, he definitely wasn't married, or at least she hoped. Zuko's lust filled eyes and sweet caress made his interest clear to her. Deeply. Not even the lovers Katara invited to her bed looked at her with such intensity, as though she was the only woman in the world.

"I need to get the hell out of here." Katara shook herself out of her swoon. She was surely losing her mind being in this place and Katara was beginning to chock it up to her injuries. People are bound to become delusional in her state, right? It was nothing more.

Haku's sudden growling startled her. Katara's muscles tensed, no one having announced themselves entering the room nor was there anyone there when she had awakened. The little dragon bared his teeth when a shadow in the dark moved.

Katara remained silent, observant, narrowing her eyes in the dark. She heard a creak, snapping her head to the corner of the room where she noticed the wall was coming opening. Unmistakable bright, gold eyes blinked in the dark. Katara heard a soft whimper and cocked an eyebrow.

Was that a little girl?

"Hello." Katara gives out a gentle greeting. Maybe she was lost, but that hardly explained how she wandered into her room through a hidden door in the wall.

Silence was the girl's only reply. She blinks once, looking around her before making slow steps into the moonlight shining through the window. Her gaze finally landed on Katara, wide with...curiosity? Katara means to get up, wanting to gently escort the little girl out because who-knows-what kind of trouble she could get into if children were found with her.

"Dammit." She cursed. Katara huffed, hating the situation she was in.

The little girl must've noticed Katara was immobile because she walks cautiously to her, studying her along the way, before finishing the last remaining feet between them with a jog. She stops at the side of the bed, her eyes even wider with wonder when she notices Haku, the dragon now cowering under Katara's arm.

"You shouldn't be here." Katara scolded her gently. "What will your parents think?" The last thing the waterbender needed was to deal with children, she was already in a state of panic and couldn't lose her cool when it wasn't the little girl's fault that Katara was here.

The girl's face scrunches, scratching her head a little too aggressively and groans.

She's autistic, Katara figured out. She's dealt with enough children as a healer back in the Southern Water Tribe to know. Parents were often disappointed when Katara would inform them that it was not a medical condition but a developmental disorder. It was very rare but sad to see when Northern parents dealt with it in the wrong way; with little patience and understanding or often going to another healer to solve their 'problem'.

"Sweetie, do you know where you are?"

She cocks her head as if registering what Katara was trying to say. "Mmm." She replies, leaning in to touch the blue trinket of Katara's betrothal necklace, fascinated by the glistening stone, a color she had never seen before. A faint smile crosses her lips, enchanted and soothed by the beautiful designs carved in the stone.

The little girl turns her gaze back to Katara, her smile widening. Small fingers came up to caress Katara's cheek and the waterbender gasped. A sudden burst of energy rushes through her bloodstream and her body comes to life. Katara sits up abruptly, looking down at her hands and flexing her fingers.

Amazed, Katara looks at the little girl. Her face is familiar, though Katara knows they've never met.

They hear the door handle to the bedroom jiggle, diverting their attention. The little girl immediately runs to the hidden door without a single glance.

"Wait!" Katara calls out softly in the dark.

No. Brother will know. A voice echoed to Katara before the waterbender was once again left alone in the room with Haku, grateful and very much bewildered.