Prompt by @atlawritingprompts: 1 - Zuko asks Katara about bloodbending... finally.
The waves washed over the shores of the Ember Island. The Comet was getting nearer by the day, and they pushed harder than before to be ready.
But even in all the haze, all the practiceā¦ something kept bugging him. He didnāt have the courage to ask before. What kind of power was that? Where did it come from?
He wasnāt even sure he wanted to know.
Katara was standing at the shore, still in the Fire Nation reds. The sun was slowly setting. He walked closer to her.
āWhat are you doing here?ā she asked, no hostile, but curious.
āIā¦ā Suddenly, he wasnāt sure, what to say. He took a deep breath. āI wanted to ask about something. Since ourā¦ trip.ā
Katara sighed and turned away, stepping forward. He couldnāt see her face anymore, so he followed her, stepping into the water. The small waves washed over his ankles.
āI was just curious. But if you donāt want to talk about itā¦ā
āDid you ask the others?ā she whispered. āDo they know I did it?ā
āWhy would I?ā he shook his head. āI wanted do ask you.ā
āThanks for thatā¦ā She sighed, walking further into the sea. āI swore to myself I would never do it again. But I didā¦ on an innocent person. I guess I really am not much better than Hama after all.ā
āIām sort of lost.ā
āAfter Ba Sing Seā¦ after Aang got betterā¦ we ended up separated from the rest of our Tribe. So we decided to make it to the Capital on our own and meet them there. We travelled through the Fire Nation for a whileā¦ā She paused. He didnāt say anything. āWe met this old woman ā Hama. She isā¦ well, probably more like was, another bender from my Tribe. She was captured by the Fire Nation decades ago and escaped. And in that, she discovered a new way to bend water.ā Another pause. Her voice was getting angrier. āItās called Bloodbending. I think the name speaks for itself. Itās horrible and it can only be done under full moon ā as far as I know. Iāve never tried it otherwise.ā
She went silent, covering her face with her hands.
āI didnāt want to learn it.ā she whispered. āBut she forced me ā sheā¦ she bent me. And the others.ā Katara was shaking. After a moment, she stilled. āI had no choice. And I swore to myself I would never do it again.ā
She continued into the waves. He noticed his feet were almost out of water ā the tide was falling.
āYou must think Iām a hypocrite. Calling you and the Fire Nation monsters, when I can do something like that.ā
āWhy would you be a monster?ā he asked, confused. āNo bending is inherently evil.ā
He dared to make one step further. The sun was almost gone now.
āCorrect me, if Iām wrong, butā¦ I think I understand, how you feel,ā he said after a while. āWhen I left the Fire Nation, after the eclipseā¦ I felt so much guilt ā over leaving and even more over what I did before I realized how so Agni damn stupid it all was. I finally saw Fire Nation for what it was ā destructive and uncontrollable power. Andā¦ I felt like the element itself was to blame.ā
Katara didnāt reply. She looked at the sun, which was far enough behind the horizon for it to be possible.
āBut thatās not true. Itās not about the element. Itās about who is controlling it. Just try and think of how many uses it could have ā uses that arenāt bad in any way.ā
āI donāt think there are many,ā she shook her head.
āDo you think it could someone from bleeding out? Restart a heart?ā he asked. āThink of how many lives it could save ā if the right person was in control.ā
āYou think I could be that person?ā
āI couldnāt think of anyone better.ā
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