Smoke and Mirrors

by

Kitsune-Bot

She thinks for a while that it was his betrayal that hurt the most, but as she stands there, every fiber of her being taunt with revenge, she knows the bitter sting of truth. Secretly, she has always believed that they should be the perfect union: his fire to her water, royalty to peasantry, yang and yin. Yet somewhere along the lines they have missed one another and her mothering nature has translated into his overwhelming desire to please and his anger is now her torch to bear. Now, amongst the raindrops wavering precariously under her command, she holds the ice at bay and allows her new understanding to wash through her like a tide over her oldest enemy.

They only bring out the worst in one another. He allows her to be vengeful where she should be compassionate and she makes him weak in the face of her anger. Their youth is transparent when they stand side-by-side. The pain in Aang's eyes when he asks her "when" and "when" and "when" is too much to face and so she looks away in shame, but the knowledge that her answer is not meant for him hurts her the most. "Now's not the right time."