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Apparently it's impossible for me to do Zutara Week without doing something Stormbenders related. Welp, happy Transcend Tuesday!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inspired by this part of Ch. 15 of Stormbeders By Fandomme

"My heart," Zuko said, after a moment. "I want you to try to stop it."

"I'll have a hard time catching it, if it keeps racing so fast."

He almost laughed. "Just come over here, before we lose our nerve."

Her feet were heavy, until she took that first step. And then she was standing over him – she couldn't see him, just hear his light breathing and feel his heartbeat like a live animal inside her awareness. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Here goes." She reached over and let her bending guide her hand over his ribs. For a strange moment, she found herself reminded of Momo and missed him powerfully: his purring and his warmth and his chattering. And that memory gave her the peace to do what she had to next: squeeze.

He let out a surprised "Oh," and then all the vessels and passages in his heart went suddenly silent and still. It was like seeing a perfect map of an area for just a second before it burned up – she was reminded of what Sokka had said about Master Piandao's trials. And then she splayed her fingers and released the heart and the blood inside it, and he let out a shuddering sigh and she sat down on the bed before she could fall.

"You did it," he said.

"Yeah," she said. "Hey, let me have some light."

A little ball of fire started in his palm, and he sent it to the sconce. He looked none the worse for wear, although maybe a little paler. (Then again, who wouldn't be?) He was even smiling. "No headache, this time?"

"Just a little dizzy," Katara said. "Let me have another look at your blood. I just want to make sure I didn't do any permanent damage."

"It's a little late now, isn't it?" he asked.

"Honestly, Zuko, we really have to work on your attitude…" She plunged her awareness into his blood. No clots, no broken vessels, no strain, just his heart picking up speed as her hands wove over him.

"I'm okay," he said, and tried edging away.

"Sit still," she said, and bent his arms back down. She noticed the blue at his wrist and reached over to fix the slipping fabric – her pendant had come loose of its binding on his wrist and she couldn't stop herself from tucking it back in.

When she turned her attention back to him, she was aware of two things. The first was that in her haste she had accidentally bent his right arm up at a funny angle, so that his right hand had glued itself to the span of her ribs her uniform didn't cover. The second was the heat from that hand on her skin. She gulped. "You're really warm."

"Fever," he said.

She looked him over. "You do seem kind of flushed," she said, and took a deep breath. And when she exhaled icy vapor across his skin she told herself it was like blowing on hot soup. But then he clenched his teeth and bit something back and arched up a little and his blood lurched, went tidal, as though it had bent itself. His hand on her skin kneaded her helplessly. And something told her that the simple act of creating mist from her mouth wouldn't be ordinary or familiar, any longer. It would always be colored by this moment and that sound and those fingers, and whatever happened next.

"You need to let my hands go," Zuko said in a tight voice. "Right now. Please."

She freed them. He didn't move, right away. She saw his throat working as he swallowed and raised his right hand, skimmed it up along her ribs, raising goosebumps along the way, until it was on the left side of her face, with his thumb over her mouth and his fingers in her hair – like the night Li and Lo poisoned him, like Ba Sing Se. I know now what I should have done then.

"I don't know what to do, next," Katara said, in a hushed voice. His thumb tasted of salt.

"It's like bending," Zuko said. "You picture what you want, and then you just…make it happen."

She smiled. "Just like that, huh?"

He nodded. "Just like that."

"Oh." She started moving. "Well, here goes, then." And then her lips landed on his forehead. She caught two different textures, rough and smooth, where the seam of the scar met his skin. She travelled from there, over his good eyebrow and down the temple and across to his nose, and the very tip of it. "This is how you did it, isn't it?" she asked, pleased with herself. "You were the perfect gentleman. I should really return the favor."

"Katara, if you don't – oh."

Under her lips the scar was oddly smooth. She had thought it would be rough and it was, where it had rippled, but between the seams it was glossy as melted ash. He had no eyelashes, there, and no eyebrow, but the eye itself twitched under her mouth before she pulled back.

His good eye looked bright. "You're not pretending, are you?" He swallowed. "Because I'm not. This whole time, it's been me-"

So, transcend because bloodbending? Yes.

Also, if you want to know where they are, why Zuko has Katara's necklace on his wrist, why Katara is practicing bloodbending/heartstopping on Zuko, and why Katara is in that outfit, first of all SHAME ON YOU for being a Zutarian who hasn't read Stormbenders, and I highly recommend it. I'm not a big fanfic reader, but this one I've read at least 8 times.

Day1 Day2 Day3[you are here]

Day 3 2008: [link]
Day 3 2009: [link]
Day 3 2010: [link]
Day 3 2011: [link]

Tumblr rebloggable version: [link]

Description
Apparently it's impossible for me to do Zutara Week without doing something Stormbenders related. Welp, happy Transcend Tuesday!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inspired by this part of Ch. 15 of Stormbeders By Fandomme

"My heart," Zuko said, after a moment. "I want you to try to stop it."

"I'll have a hard time catching it, if it keeps racing so fast."

He almost laughed. "Just come over here, before we lose our nerve."

Her feet were heavy, until she took that first step. And then she was standing over him – she couldn't see him, just hear his light breathing and feel his heartbeat like a live animal inside her awareness. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Here goes." She reached over and let her bending guide her hand over his ribs. For a strange moment, she found herself reminded of Momo and missed him powerfully: his purring and his warmth and his chattering. And that memory gave her the peace to do what she had to next: squeeze.

He let out a surprised "Oh," and then all the vessels and passages in his heart went suddenly silent and still. It was like seeing a perfect map of an area for just a second before it burned up – she was reminded of what Sokka had said about Master Piandao's trials. And then she splayed her fingers and released the heart and the blood inside it, and he let out a shuddering sigh and she sat down on the bed before she could fall.

"You did it," he said.

"Yeah," she said. "Hey, let me have some light."

A little ball of fire started in his palm, and he sent it to the sconce. He looked none the worse for wear, although maybe a little paler. (Then again, who wouldn't be?) He was even smiling. "No headache, this time?"

"Just a little dizzy," Katara said. "Let me have another look at your blood. I just want to make sure I didn't do any permanent damage."

"It's a little late now, isn't it?" he asked.

"Honestly, Zuko, we really have to work on your attitude…" She plunged her awareness into his blood. No clots, no broken vessels, no strain, just his heart picking up speed as her hands wove over him.

"I'm okay," he said, and tried edging away.

"Sit still," she said, and bent his arms back down. She noticed the blue at his wrist and reached over to fix the slipping fabric – her pendant had come loose of its binding on his wrist and she couldn't stop herself from tucking it back in.

When she turned her attention back to him, she was aware of two things. The first was that in her haste she had accidentally bent his right arm up at a funny angle, so that his right hand had glued itself to the span of her ribs her uniform didn't cover. The second was the heat from that hand on her skin. She gulped. "You're really warm."

"Fever," he said.

She looked him over. "You do seem kind of flushed," she said, and took a deep breath. And when she exhaled icy vapor across his skin she told herself it was like blowing on hot soup. But then he clenched his teeth and bit something back and arched up a little and his blood lurched, went tidal, as though it had bent itself. His hand on her skin kneaded her helplessly. And something told her that the simple act of creating mist from her mouth wouldn't be ordinary or familiar, any longer. It would always be colored by this moment and that sound and those fingers, and whatever happened next.

"You need to let my hands go," Zuko said in a tight voice. "Right now. Please."

She freed them. He didn't move, right away. She saw his throat working as he swallowed and raised his right hand, skimmed it up along her ribs, raising goosebumps along the way, until it was on the left side of her face, with his thumb over her mouth and his fingers in her hair – like the night Li and Lo poisoned him, like Ba Sing Se. I know now what I should have done then.

"I don't know what to do, next," Katara said, in a hushed voice. His thumb tasted of salt.

"It's like bending," Zuko said. "You picture what you want, and then you just…make it happen."

She smiled. "Just like that, huh?"

He nodded. "Just like that."

"Oh." She started moving. "Well, here goes, then." And then her lips landed on his forehead. She caught two different textures, rough and smooth, where the seam of the scar met his skin. She travelled from there, over his good eyebrow and down the temple and across to his nose, and the very tip of it. "This is how you did it, isn't it?" she asked, pleased with herself. "You were the perfect gentleman. I should really return the favor."

"Katara, if you don't – oh."

Under her lips the scar was oddly smooth. She had thought it would be rough and it was, where it had rippled, but between the seams it was glossy as melted ash. He had no eyelashes, there, and no eyebrow, but the eye itself twitched under her mouth before she pulled back.

His good eye looked bright. "You're not pretending, are you?" He swallowed. "Because I'm not. This whole time, it's been me-"

So, transcend because bloodbending? Yes.

Also, if you want to know where they are, why Zuko has Katara's necklace on his wrist, why Katara is practicing bloodbending/heartstopping on Zuko, and why Katara is in that outfit, first of all SHAME ON YOU for being a Zutarian who hasn't read Stormbenders, and I highly recommend it. I'm not a big fanfic reader, but this one I've read at least 8 times.

Day1 Day2 Day3[you are here]

Day 3 2008: [link]
Day 3 2009: [link]
Day 3 2010: [link]
Day 3 2011: [link]

Tumblr rebloggable version: [link]