Erose
01. Focus
Aang focuses hard, mends his thoughts tight, and thinks (strange) her hand soft, resting there—on his cheek.
02. Civilization
With civilizations came humans, and with humans, there came destruction, inevitable and annoying.
03. Sink
It took her a while, to let it sink, that the world was ending (and so was she).
04. Bullet
The sword came at her bullet-fast, pierced the air (and her flesh) and Azula cried, and Azula burned (up herself) till her hair, body, and not-soul were all gone up in smoke.
05. Count
Count your fortunes, count your ways, because the Fire Nation took them away—as eventual taxes, as in For Your Own Good.
06. Mental
He thinks he's going mental, lying awake breathing in the night, thinks of her face and her face, and soon, Sokka didn't have a face either—just like them.
07. Coast
"The coast is clear!" (whatever, however, that meant), too bad, they were slow and Azula's caught them at last.
08. Fence
A fence separated their houses and a lifetime separated them.
09. Circle
"We're going around in circles!" Toph cried, and no one heard (no one ever heard a deaf child).
10. Thin
She was becoming too thin, too fragile, and too much like a damn willow tree, because they were starving, and Song hated him.
11. Room
Outside the sun sent in long streaks of pain and light, but in the room, there was a dim sickness decaying all her bones—till one day, Song fell in the lake (like her mother, like her grandmother long, long ago).
12. Blaze
Let them come, let them run, I'll conjure up a blaze, and melt their fingers and limbs all together.
13. Thought
"It was just a thought," Zuko said, "Yeah, well, don't," Katara finished—weary and dead.
14. Jealous
I-am-not-jealous-of-you! —not,not jealous of a dead girl.
15. Sand
The sands along the southern beaches have all been painted black, and now, no one could recall if they were ever white, white for failure, for defeat.
16. Doll
Like a doll, her mother thought (damn you, Ty Lee's eyes burned with vivid hate).
17. Curl
Helpless, cunning-less, Iroh pretend-cowered into a tiny shell, and inside-laughed as saliva spilled down his belly.
18. Farewell
So long, farewell, till we meet again (in hell, when your wounds eternally bleed).
19. Story
"Tell me a story," she said, "Once Upon A Time, the world died."
20. Soft
The pads of Aang's fingers are soft, unlike Toph's, which were covered and mottled with a lifetime's worth of calluses and memories.
21. Pool
La & Tui have a secret conversation when everyone slept, and in their watery home they said: We have nothing to fear, we can never die (and the next day, the hearse came—reversed).
22. Serpent
A serpent laid underneath the scattered maple leaves, Azula bent down and kissed his head and cooed sweet, lulling words, and then bit into its neck.
23. Prey
Hunter and prey, which one are you, dear Prince Zu-Zu?
24. Friend
When everything had been said, when the million bodies buried and dead, friend and foe made no real difference, not anymore.
25. Still
Aunt Wu sat down and listened (for once) and heard the volcano sigh and cry all the years they missed, shared, and regretted.
26. Exhausted
The run, three days and three nights, and Katara kept having this perplexing look on her face: as if she was afraid they were still alive.
27. Bold
The inky strokes are bold and disparaging, and Azula crumbles up the paper in frustration, at herself, at why won't Mother love me?
28. Hook
He's got her hooked and chained, just like she wanted.
29. Attraction
Attractions called, attractions failed, and the barest attraction Zuko had was wasted on her, her Katara, who needed to be de-skinned.
30. Will
"My will is stronger," Mai giggled, drunk.
31. Bed
"Oh, Zu-Zu, come back to bed," she mocked, baring her teeth like a lioness starved (famished for blood and akin flesh).
32. Bell
The monks rang the bell feverishly, but the bisons all died, one by one.
33. Joy
Joy was not really a good thing because it deluded people into thinking there was goodness left (when they were surrounded and mutilated).
34. Decade
A decade passed, and a new regime began—so did prosperity and posterity.
35. Test
It'sjustatest, he yelled, but the lights danced haphazardly, flicker they go till he's consumed.
36. Gentle
Ursa was gentle while Ozai was not, but Ozai was the better parent (in the long run), and even she agreed.
37. Hunger
Jin felt her stomach cave and scream, but there was no food, and so, her face—resolute—remained gaunt.
38. Mute
Sometimes, Katara wished Toph was also mute, but only sometimes.
39. Quicken
Hurry hurry hurry, before the sun fell and the earth tilted on its axis and his scalp started to bleed again.
40. Absence
In his absence, Sokka entrusted Aang to care for his sister, without ever realizing that she was older, that she was ancient and spent.
41. Maze
Oma & Shu created a maze, so dreadfully long ago, and when they died, love was slain too.
42. Close
The armies closed in, from the east north south & west, till there was no escape, till he was forced to fight (yeah, as The Avatar).
43. Reign
A Reign of Terror, that Azula liked very much, if only Ozai would just die.
44. Crush
Crush your dreams, crush your heart, and watch it oxidize (last) and know that your lover is free—from you—at long last, free.
45. Run
Onji ran and stumbled and fell, and her mother reached for her hand, thin, fragile, Onji slipped through.
46. Art
The art of failing was a difficult one to master, but not for Zuko, who was a true advocate.
47. Pressure
Pressure increased as the sea grew deep, but high in the skis, Aang could feel his head bursting too—odd, that that should happen.
48. Echo
Azula called, and Ozai echoed (and never realized just who was manipulating who).
49. Heal
"I can heal that," Katara said, but her hands faltered as she touched his blistering, grim-ugly scar.
50. Clear
Without a single cloud, determent and demarcation, Appa took fight and took Momo along too—flying over little heads and sharing a rare, inhumane elation.