Fall of the White Lotus [Zutara/Taang]

30 | Pomegranate

Music: Protectors of the Earth, Two Steps From Hell

                    Katara cringed as the solid door slammed shut in her face and she found herself in yet another small cell, this time in the basement of a house belonging to the Dai Li. Here, she and Zuko would wait as the pirates decided on their respective fates.

When she turned around, her desperate, hollow gaze was drawn to the small ray of light that peeked through a tiny hole in the wall close to the ceiling. There was something reassuring about it, and she kept staring at it a few moments longer until she realized that the slight beam came from the streetlights Zuko had lit for her. She averted her eyes, drawn back to the moment when dozens of tiny fire bolts had whirled around her in the darkness, reaching to awaken the dead lanterns that probably hadn't been lit for more than a decade.

Her heart made a painful jolt as she remembered his reassuring smile afterwards. The warm expression on Zuko's otherwise blank features had sparked some hope in her, foolish though it may be, that there was still a small part of him inside that could resurface in time. That was, when she succeeded in getting them out of here.

Katara scanned her surroundings, not prepared to give up fighting despite her exhaustion. Apparently, someone had cared enough to provide them with some fresh straw, but no water. Oh, how she wished she had her bending water with her! This was a house of very solid construction, and she'd already noticed that, contrary to the soaked wooden ship, not a drop of water could be found in this cell. Weiting had known exactly where to keep them imprisoned now that only the Water Princess still posed a threat to him, Katara thought grimly.

"Perfect."

The sound of a very familiar husky voice breaking the silence gave Katara a start and she spun around. Her eyes widened.

Zuko was looking around their cell, his amber eyes suddenly lucid and very alert.

"Zuko?" she asked hesitantly as she carefully came up to him, her gaze wary.

A shadow of remorse passed over the Fire Nation man's features. She'd endured so much over the past twenty-four hours on his account. Her eyes were rimmed with dark circles and teary smears covered her cheeks. Still, she looked so beautiful with the muted light of the street lantern peeking in and casting a golden glow on her chestnut hair and tan skin. She was looking at him with a searching gaze, and he could see that she was upset with him.

"I'm not under their influence," he explained in response to the unspoken question he read in her eyes, realizing that she wasn't going to say anything before he did. "In fact, I've never been. When they tried to break my concentration by bringing you into the interrogation room, I decided to play along."

"But...but how...?" Katara stammered as she shook her head in confusion. This was all far too much to process after hours of agonizing over him and sleep deprivation.

Zuko awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm a firebender, so I was able to withstand the light circling around me so long as I concentrated. I can also dilate my pupils at will. It has something to do with my inner fire."

Katara turned this over in her mind and suddenly her eyes were blazing. "And you couldn't have let me know that...you were still there?" she hissed.

It had been a long time since he'd seen her scowl at him like this. If she'd had her bending water with her he would have been pinned against the wall, for sure. She was furious with him. And she had every right to be.

At this moment, Zuko wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and comfort her, but he had to respect she was incensed with him, so he settled for remorsefully shaking his head instead. "No, I couldn't. I had to leave you under the impression that I was under hypnosis to make it more believable. I was afraid they would do something to you. They had your neck in one of those gloves, Katara. One little movement and they would have snapped it."