Charred //ZUTARA

Chapter 16 - ''Get your hand off her.''

Katara was in shock. She couldn't move. 

Zuko was staring at her. She was staring at him. 

Nobody was breathing. Even Aang's chest was still at her back. His flesh still pressed against her, suddenly even closer than before.

''What is your problem?'' Katara hissed. Sokka shot her a look. 

The Fire Lord said nothing. His eyes moved lower, to her neck. She knew what he saw there. The evidence of her foolishness. 

He stood like a rock. Unmoving. Unyielding. Wearing red trousers with black shirt on top.

''Fire Lord Zuko!'' Chan's voice sounded through the room. Everyone except Toph turned to look in his direction. With a solid face, he pointed at one of the guards now standing next to him. ''I'm gonna need you to come take a look at this.''

''Not now, Chan,'' he growled. 

Aang let go of Katara and stood in front of her. His eyes were suspiciously scanning Zuko. ''Are you not happy for us, Zuko?'' the Avatar asked. 

The air became dense. Katara could barely breathe. She avoided her brother's damning look as if he too, noticed the mark on her neck and connected the dots. Whether Aang has seen it too, he didn't let on.

Chan suddenly appeared next to Katara. Panting, he grabbed her wrist. She whipped towards him. So did Aang, ready to defend her. Chan did not seem to care. ''I'm gonna need you too, Lady Katara.''

''Get your hand off her,'' Aang huffed. His jaw was clenched. Chan did no such thing. Seemed he wasn't afraid of the Avatar. Whether it was a mistake or not, Katara did not want to wait to find out. 

''What for?'' the waterbender asked encouragingly. She would do anything to disappear from here right now. 

The Captain's arms dropped. ''It's a sensitive subject. I'm going to ask you two,'' he indicated Zuko and Katara. ''To come with me,'' he bowed his head slightly. 

''You do not give me orders, Captain,'' Zuko finally took his eyes off Katara. She loosened a little. 

''It's about Taimo,'' Chan said, sighing. ''I was hoping Lady Katara could shed some light into the situation. Especially since I've gotten a message a moment ago saying he has gotten worse.''

''What?'' the Fire Lord exhaled.

 His fingers stroked through his hair. He seemed worries so Katara automatically stepped in. ''I'll go. Lead the way.''

''Katara, wait...'' Sokka begged but Katara turned his back on him. 

She rushed out of the room along Zuko and Chan. She would not think about it now. She needed to clear her head before attending to someone who clearly needed her attention. 

Even if the Fire Lord's presence and his pretentious behavior were in front of her boyfriend were hard to ignore. 

..........................................

The silence between three benders was more than awkward. Katara kept by herself, back and away from Zuko. 

How could he do that? How did he dare? 

How would she explain it to Aang?

From what she could tell, they were now in the North wing of the Palace. Chan opened the double door that seemed impossibly huge. 

He uncovered something that made Katara's heart strain. 

In the white colored room, there was thirty beds that she's counted.