Miwa is lovely.
Sozin chooses her out of the long train of brides, bored out of his mind enough that this one choice is random. The faces blur after a time, delicate hands and demure eyes a constant presence. Izumi, Chiyoko, Misake⦠What do their names matter?
She will be the mother of his son, and that is all Sozin cares for.
And Miwa is just like every other one of them, quiet and simple; only with no want or need for advancement. She eyes the clothes he sends her the morning after their wedding, trimmed in gold and saffron- as befits a Fire Lady- with no little amount of trepidation. Rarely does she speak out against his words or actions, and she never advances her own opinions.
Fear shines in her dragon-gold eyes, and he only smirks at the incongruity of the world. His wife fears him, and survives; Roku does not, and is killed. Ta Min enters the Capital days after Roku's death, and sees the preparations for the Invasion.
The outrage in her eyes scalds his soul and warms his heart.
Before she can speak, though, and he can get the satisfaction of burning her lovely face out of existence (her screams will be wonderful) Miwa is there, guiding Ta Min away with a murmured word and a wan smile.
His own fury hurts inside.
He channels it into killing the next Avatar.
When he returns from searing the Air Nomads out of existence, Ta Min is gone. Miwa's eyes hold more grief than fear, however, and she dares to touch his shoulder in what might be comfort. He slaps her, hard, and retreats to his study.
With a word, he can find out where Roku's wife has gone. But he stays his hand, and wonders if Miwa understands the apology he cannot (will not) make. At night, he crawls into bed and determinedly refuses to look back at his wife. Regret scrawls novels between them, and he wants to take a fragile step across that chasm covered in words and paper, before he remembers:
(He is fire. And paper burns brighter than anything else.)
When Azulon is born, she holds him tight for the first two years.
Then he commands her to let him go, and she does so with nothing more than a whispered word of defiance. On his death bed, years after her own death, he asks Azulon what she said.
Azulon smiles bitterly and whispers, "Kismet."
Sozin dies with a laugh on his lips and a new-found hatred in his heart.
So this fic is about Sozin's wife, who in this fic is named Miwa. Miwa is Japanese for beauty, harmony, or cycle. I thought it was appropriate...
And kismet means destiny or fate. If anyone was wondering.
This is the first in a three-part or four-part of one-shots; I will probably have the next one (Ilah!) up tomorrow. Ursa, Zuko's wife, Izumi are all undone as of right now, but should be a quick series. Don't know exactly how far I'm going to take it.
Read and review!
-Dialux
