Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. It is the property of the almighty Nickelodeon, just as Katara is the property of the great Avatar Aang -runs away from rabid Zutara fans-
200 years past
One hundred long years of bloodbaths and grief has brought with it a millennia's worth of hatred and distrust between the Fire Nation and the rest of the world.
And at long last, the never-ending conflict has ended, in gratitude of Avatar Aang, the person whose very absence prolonged the wretched war.
However, neither Avatar Aang nor his friends realized how fragile that peace was. For no one –not even the Avatar- could erase a century's worth of misery…
"…O' flame of life wither away,
It's embers aglow in destiny's hands
Though the flame may end, and the light may fade
'Tis merely, a new beginning…"
Koryu sang faintly, his hoarse voice almost cracking in the dark, cold night. With every syllable verbalized, Koryu could see white mist floating out of his lips, later disappearing into the clear night sky. In finishing the song, his body started to shiver, longing for the warmth it was denied of. Koryu looked up into the night sky, and there, he spotted the full moon. He went down to his knees and clapped his hands together, closing his eyes in anticipation.
"Please Moon Spirit… with all due respect, can you please make tonight warm so that I don't shrivel up and die?"
A cold breeze blew against Koryu, as if an answer to his prayer.
Koryu scoffed at the moon, but he decided that it was better not to anger the Moon Spirit –not now at least- when he was cold and hungry. As Koryu tugged on his thin shirt –his only protection from the malevolent winds- he once again began to sing the song, to keep his mind off the searing cold. It was a song regarding the Avatar's immortal life, but the only verse he ever knew was that - the verse that tells of the Avatar's ability to revive into another body after death. Koryu liked the melody. He liked to listen to it, even more so when his mother sang it to him as she tucked him into bed.
He sighed, allowing his body to fall flat onto the cold floor of dirt. Having one last look at the moon, Koryu turned his back against it and slept, making sure to face away from its 'lunar goodness'.
--
"Well, I'll see you guys around,"
Maku placed a piece of paper onto a wooden table, but suddenly realized that her hand would not let go of it. Hesitation. What if she was not ready? What if it was only after it was too late that Maku realizes that she had chosen to tread upon the wrong path?
"Relax…" she forced herself. And with a resolute pull of her hand, the paper remained motionless upon the table. The only thing she left behind for her family to remember her by. Maku turned around, now facing a gargantuan portrait. It was the painting of a man whose handsome features remained the same upon the canvass – a part of him preserved forever. Maku hung her head low and bowed to the portrait.
"Give me strength," she prayed, and hint of sadness in her tone. With that, she slung her backpack and crept out of the house, not once looking back to what she left behind.
A/N:
If any of you are able to understand the song, that's great! Because I can't! hahahaha... -is shot- Yes, I am well aware that it was I who made it... but shit happens.
And my apologies for naming my characters terribly. Even though I'm Asian, I don't speak Chinese, and that's why the names suck. So if you speak Chinese and demand better naming proficiency, please PLEASE tell me! All help will be appreciated muchly... XD