I warn you now this is not a happy story, there is no Kataang or Zutara because none of the characters can afford to love in this world. This story is brutal, characters you love will die and those you learn to love may die as well. Im going to let this story naturally evolve as I write so i don't know where it will go. Im just going to enjoy writing it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the last airbender or any characters there in.

Chapter 1-Pain

These are the words of Lady Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. May you take my words to heart and I will pray with mine that…..with hope they are gone before you find this.

Five years it had been since the war ended. Five wonderful years when the four nations lived in an almost blissful harmony, thinking back now I was sure we had all been on crack or something…..funny how I never thought of stuff like that before it happened…before the dark days began.

They came from nowhere, giant ships in the sky moving across the skies casting shadows so great that entire cities were put into darkness….we just hadn't been prepared for any of it. The very possibility had not occurred to anyone, me included!

I still remembered when the first round had passed through my thigh…the burning pain of it!

I was in Ba Sing Se when that monster crept over the city. The great Iron beast we came to know as "Sky-Render!" or just "Render" and it certainly lived up to its name I can tell you.

I was with them, the first group to meet our new visitors. There features were different and odd yes but I didn't see anything wrong, I even though there leader was handsome with those weird eyes of his.

They demanded our surrender at once, no fucking around, no pretence just our immediate surrender…the king said no….the last thing he ever said.

It wasn't just the guns they had with them, it would be simple if it had. No they were Benders! Fucking Benders! And not just any benders…..Air Benders, you should have seen the look on Aang face just before one of them cut open his forehead. Its thanks to Aang that we call the "Skybenders" you know, he refused to call them airbenders. But you know what…I don't give a fuck what he says there airbenders ok and if you think they can't because airbender are cloud fucking freaks then your wrong!

Sokka and Mai died quickly…..they were cut down in the first round of gun fire. Toph had it best and I wish she hadn't because Gin went after her first…..Gin we've all learnt well to fear that name.

By the time the army had marshalled everything had gone wrong. Maybe if we had been more cautious with them we might have fought back better but no we were all so high on the peace Aang had given us.

The first shells destroyed the palace, the second the rail system, after that…they were just firing on everyone!

I was not there in the other cities so I don't know first had what they went through. I've heard of course, how the Northern Tribe held out an till the ice under the city came apart…how Bumi died holding his city up and then the fire nation…

Of all the people Ive felt sorry for in this war...Zuko is high on that list. Loosing Mai and then finding his city...like that...I remember when we went together to the Fire Nation to martial his nation, to find his city gone like that...comsumed by the volcano it was built over. The Zuko alive now...was not the one I remember saving my life...

So what now then do we give up, say they've won because let's be honest they have, were occupied…..NO WE FUCKING DON'T! Aang is alive out there fighting and so is Toph and so am I.

I'm leaving this here so anyone who wants to know can know that people still fight them and will keep fighting an till our bones are dust.

And Gin, Lord Gin if you read this then know this! Were coming for you! We are always coming for you! And we will kill you!

Katara Daughter of Kya (23)

Katara POV

Katara finished writing, she had used that last of her paper and most of her ink to finish it but she had needed to get this out. Besides….who was she going to sent a message to anyway?

She rolled up her message and placed it in a short piece of bamboo painted blue. She had sealed the ends lovingly and carved the water tribe crest into the side.

She looked around nervously, there was no one around. She crouched down and slipped the tube into a hole at the base of the wall in front of her. Standing she sighed placing her fingers to her lips then placing her fingers to the wall. She let one tear leak from her eyes them turned away and began walking to the south.

When she was far enough away she looked back, her face near expressionless as she looked back at the broken wall of Ba Sing Se in the fading sunlight. The black scorch marks were still there even with the rain of the past four years, she was starting to think that they would never go.

She turned away shouldering her bag and kept on walking…..this place depressed anyway.

Please review and just so you know, its about to become depressing...