A/N: Originally written around January 2006, so I had only seen the first season of Avatar then. That's why the characters are only from the first season. It's a poem written to the tune of "The Grand Design" from the movie Balto 2: Wolf Quest. I only rewrote the lyrics a bit here and there. Mostly I liked the original lyrics and envisioned certain characters saying them. I had to repost this story since I'm not allowed to use script format for stories on this website. Every line within quotation marks is a rewritten line from the song. Everything not in quotation marks tells you who is doing the talking. Rated K+ for slightly scary bits.
Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Glad I don't, too. Otherwise I couldn't have been blindsided by the most awesome animated show ever! I also don't own the rights to the song "The Grand Design" or Balto 2: Wolf Quest. Those rights belong to . . . somebody else . . . I have no idea who. And I'm not making money off this story. If only it were that easy.
The Grand Design
"This world through which we wander," Roku began.
"Is wonderful and strange . . ." Iroh mused.
"The only truth we could really know," Shyu declared.
"Is that everything will change," Aang said.
"Is that everything will change," Zuko murmured in agreement.
"Like the rain that fills the ocean," Katara said.
"Like the storm that shakes the pine . . ." Sokka added enthusiastically.
"We are all a part of the grand design," Jeong Jeong declared.
"We will rule them forever!
This is how my nation sees.
We were born as those of fire,
And we filled the nights with screams," Ozai declared grandly.
"We must fight for what belongs to us,
What is yours and what is mine.
We are all masters of our own design," Zhao spoke arrogantly.
"We are all masters of our own design," Azula hissed, refusing to yield authority to anyone.
"The land no more belongs to us," Jeong Jeong objected.
"Than the bison owns the sky," Gyatso pointed out.
"Than the bison owns the sky," Aang repeated, quick to agree with his teacher.
"We must fight for our survival;
If we don't, we'll surely die," Jet contradicted bitterly.
"We are one with what surrounds us," Roku chanted, his voice calming and peaceful.
"Brothers to all we see," Bumi agreed energetically.
"We are men.
We take what we need," Zhao whispered delicately, self-assured of the correctness of his own argument.
"We take what we need
To stay alive and free," Jet stated, the only way that he knew how to live.
"The one thing we will surely learn
As we walk the path of time:
No one can rise above . . ." Iroh stressed, trying to force the truth of his statement upon his nephew.
"We're firebenders, the masters of!" Ozai snarled, secure in his power and royal lineage.
"We're firebenders, the masters of!" Azula repeated, entombed in the lies of her father's path, drunk with power.
"We are all a part of the grand design," Iroh whispered, rejoicing in the light of comprehension in Zuko's eyes.
"We are all a part of the grand design," Zuko repeated, finally accepting the truth that Iroh had always tried to tell him.
*The End*
A/N: Not very original, but I like it (and I hope you do too). Read and review, please!