Star Wars: The Old Republic/Avatar: The Last Airbender
Shifting Tides
.~*~.
Disclaimer; What's supposed to go here, again? Hrm... I can't seem to remember... Oh yeah! I do not own ATLA, or SWTOR. I created Ca'tra and Tionas for these fictional worlds, so in a way, they do not even belong to me.
Author's Note; This story was written for t-rex989. The request was to write a Star Wars/Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover. If anyone up here would like to make a chapter story where a Jedi and his/her crew land on the Avatar world, and end up helping Team Avatar fight the Fire Nation, t-rex989 would like to hear from you.
I have not watched ATLA recently, so please forgive any mistakes I made with canon. Also; I noticed that I never talked about 2V after the duo is captured. It is because the characters never learn what happened to him, so I left it out. If you really want to know the mystery, his charge ran out, so he 'died.'
Please don't forget to review.
Have a nice day! :)
.~*~.
Shifting Tides
Ka'ra Ca'tra held onto the steering yoke with all of her strength, pulling it back. She refused to let her ship crash. Not here, not now. This planet wasn't even charted in the databases. If she crashed… How would she contact Zash? How would she go home?
The ship flew down anyways, skimming the top level of the trees. She felt the ship shaking underneath her as limbs snapped off of the trees, catching the metal, tearing it apart. She got out of the seat, reaching out to the Force to keep the yoke in place as she strode through the halls of her ship, making her way out. She opened the door, greeted by the trees.
"Master," 2V-R8 spoke. "I- I suggest that you use the escape pod. To preserve your life, Master."
Ka'ra rolled her eyes, turning to the droid. She might need it. A small smirk tugged at her lips as her short, dark hair whipped in the wind. She reached out, wrapping an arm around the gray robot, pulling it to her.
"Come on, buddy," she spoke, wrapping the Force protectively around them as she prepared to jump.
"But, Master," 2V protested. "What about-"
She jumped, holding her breath as they hurtled towards the ground. Ka'ra reached out, warping the air around them to slow their fall. 2V stopped protesting, and remained silent. Ka'ra bent her knees, getting ready to take the force of the fall. Her feet hit the ground, and she tumbled, letting go of the droid. After she slowed to a stop, she stood, brushing the dust off her dark leggings. She turned to see 2V shifting side to side on its back, trying to roll to its chest so that it could push itself up.
Ka'ra laughed, and pulled the droid to its feet before looking around at the trees, grimacing at the flames that licked at the top of them. She turned to 2V.
"Master," the droid stuttered. "I couldn't help but notice that you left Lord Tionas behind."
She gave a grin. "He can handle himself, 2V," she stated, waving a hand over her shoulder. "I've learned that from experience."
The droid's arms flailed as she began walking away. Off in the distance, there was an explosion.
"If he wasn't off the ship," she started, "he's out of luck."
"Lord Tionas was injured in the previous battle," 2V stated. "It was not kind to leave him to crash in the ship, and burn to death."
There was a whisper of darkness in the corner of Ka'ra's mind. Words formed, albeit slowly. "Ca'tra," she listened to his growl, and felt her temples pulse angrily in response. Urakto Tionas was an intimidating Human; he seemed to tower over any being, no matter how tall. Ka'ra tried not to let that bother her. "Where are you?"
'In a forest,' she answered, turning to 2V. 'I'm going towards the crash.'
"Is something wrong?" the droid asked, stepping towards her.
"Lord Tionas is fine," she stated, walking towards where the ship had gone, guided by the fire at the top of the trees, stark against the darkened sky. "Come on, 2V."
"I will head that way, as well," Tionas finally responded. "There are people out here. We may be followed."
'Are you hurt?' she asked as she continued, a hand landing on her belt. A heavy, comforting weight slapped her thigh with every step she took, reassuring her that the lightsaber still sat on the belt.
"Are you seriously asking me that question?" he spoke, a touch of amusement in his voice. When Ka'ra remained silent, she heard him give a sigh. "Never mind that."
They traveled in near silence, 2V making some remark or another about the plants that surrounded them. It had been a good idea to grab the droid.
"And I conclude that a wide variety of the plant matter on this planet is agreeable with your system," 2V cheerfully finished, squeaking to a stop.
"What is it?" she asked, stopping to look at the droid.
"Are we going to the crash site, Master?"
She nodded. "We will meet up with Tionas there."
"If there are sentient life forms on this planet, the crash will certainly draw attention," the droid stated. "Will it not?"
She didn't answer for a few moments as she thought. "It would be easier to meet at a place that the both of us can find. And if sentient beings are there, we can try to ask for help. Or knowledge. It's only beneficial."
They continued walking, eventually stopping at the clump of metal, giant shards sticking out of the dark dirt.
'I'm here,' she stated, stretching her awareness. Oddly, she felt beings everywhere, all around her, and even inside her. Something was strange about the planet, and she hadn't realized it up until that point.
"So am I," she heard Tionas whisper as he jumped down from a tree, landing heavily on the ground, crashing to his knees. He held a hand against his side as he pushed to his feet, limping towards her. He looked up at her from under the curtain of his shaggy black hair, red eyes burning with the same intensity as the fire around them.
"This place is messing with my head," Ka'ra stated, walking towards him. "I can't tell what's real and what's not."
"Life is everywhere," he called. Urakto stumbled, and would have fallen if she hadn't caught him, an arm snaking around his waist. He looked at her, nodding his thanks as he pushed to stand on his own feet.
"You are bleeding," 2V remarked.
"I think I'm aware of that," he breathed.
"HALT," a voice shouted to them. "We have you surrounded. Surrender!"
Tionas pushed off of her, his hands reaching to his belt, grabbing his two lightsabers off of it, igniting them. He stood between Ka'ra and the wreckage. "If you see the opportunity, run," he instructed, readying his crimson blades.
Ca'tra readied her own lightsaber, shifting on her feet as she readied for a battle.
"I'm not leaving you to die."
He snorted. "Earlier proved different."
"I'm not leaving you, now," she spoke as people walked out from the woods, holding their fists out towards them as if they were weapons.
"I surrender," 2V called, raising his mechanical arms to the sky.
Maybe it wasn't the smartest idea to bring the droid along.
"This is your last warning," one of the people shouted, his eyes narrowing from behind the slits in his mask.
"It is a smart idea to surrender," 2V stated, unmoving. "My self preservation programs advise it."
Ka'ra looked between the men, and the warrior that stood in front of her. She shouted to the soldiers. "If we surrender, can you give him medical attention?"
A fist lowered, if only the fraction of a degree.
"Princess Azula wants them alive, at all costs," a voice nearly whispered.
"Yes," a figure spoke, his authoritative voice echoing through the open air. "If you surrender, we will help you heal."
She dropped her lightsaber, putting her hands towards the air. Slowly, Tionas lowered his arms, deactivating the blades. He looked down, and dropped the hilts. The soldiers immediately moved in, tying their arms behind their backs before pulling them away, back through the forest. It felt like hours before they finally reached a settlement; a giant, castle-like building with a large courtyard on one side.
They were dragged into the building, brought through the halls to a large room. Blue flames stretched towards the ceiling, threatening to burn the building to the ground. Where the flames stopped, a chair sat in the opening, a young woman seated upon it. Ka'ra's knees were kicked out from under her, forcing her to kneel.
"Princess Azula," a soldier greeted. "We have the intruders."
"Thank you," she purred, moving to her feet, stepping lightly towards them, "With the Fire Lord away, I have been trusted with keeping these grounds clear," she explained to them. "What do you think your punishment should be for stepping onto palace grounds?"
They both remained silent. Ka'ra glanced over to Tionas. His head was angled downwards; he had either passed out, or was simply looking at the ground.
'Urakto?'
There was no response. He had passed out, then. Not good.
The princess looked down at them with distaste. "You dress like you're from a circus, only with darker colors," she muttered. Then, after a moment, she spoke again. "Take the metal thing to the palace's prison. Take care of that one," she ordered, lifting a finger towards the warrior. "And mop the floors. I want to speak with her."
The guards turned, pulling the others out of the room.
"Who are you?" the young girl asked, still gazing down at her. "And what element can you bend? What nation are you alleged to? And your accomplices?"
Ka'ra shook her head, looking down at the floor. "I'm Ka'ra Ca'tra, he was Urakto Tionas, and the droid was 2V-R8." She fell silent.
"Well?" the princess hissed. "Water, Earth, or Fire?"
"I," she paused. "I do not know what you mean."
Azula held out her hand, a small blue flame sprouting from her palm, dancing towards the air. "This is bending. You must have lived such a sheltered life…"
"I do not bend," she spoke.
"What is the range of your abilities?"
"Once Tionas is well, we can spar," she responded. "And you can see for yourself."
Ka'ra needed to bargain for her life, to show that she was worthy of this new world. What if there was no way back off the planet? They needed somewhere to be.
"An acceptable bargain," she remarked, stepping back towards the chair. She sat down in it, resting her elbows on the arms of the chair, her hands folded in front of her mouth. "Take her away."
The soldiers lifted her to her feet, walked her down the hallways, down a flight of stairs, and into a room. They untied her hands before they shut and locked the metal door. She could get out, but that wasn't something she thought the girl would like to hear from her soldiers.
The room- who was she kidding? The cell had no light. She closed her eyes, stretching her awareness to walls of the room. There was a bed in one corner, and a pot in another. And that was it. She reached out farther, ignoring the wandering souls that drifted through the walls.
'Urakto? Are you there?'
Silence filled the room. There was little movement on his end of their mental bond. She might dare to say that she barely even felt him there, his mind struggling to connect to hers. There were whispers, but she couldn't make out the words.
All Ka'ra could do was lay down on the bed. She covered herself up in the thin blankets, and looked towards the ceiling. She hadn't intended to fall asleep, yet found herself awakened by shouts. She sat up, and looked around the room. Her head pounded. It took her a few moments to realize that the shouting was inside her head.
'I'm here,' she eventually responded, laying back down on the bedroll. It was just Urakto. 'Are you alright?'
"For the moment," he formally answered. She could imagine the Sith sitting on the floor, looking around at his similarly dark room. "Are you alright? You weren't answering."
'I'm fine,' she spoke, rolling to her side, drawing the blankets to her chin. 'I just… fell asleep.'
There was a moment of silence. Then, "You had me worried all over nothing." He sounded disappointed.
'Tionas?' she called, remembering the deal from earlier. 'I bought us some time. We have until you heal. Then the princess wants us to spar, and she will decide what to do with us from there.'
She heard him sigh. "It's like I'm with Darth Baras all over again." There was a pause. "I am so glad that we decided to take that mission when all of our companions were out. I'd hate to see them here."
Ka'ra didn't speak, and the conversation ended. She went back to sleep. The next time she woke, it was to the sound of footsteps clanging on the floor outside of her cell. She sat up, and waited as they grew louder and louder, stopping once they were in front of her door. The door opened, and a soldier walked inside, his hand gripping onto a metal staff.
"Ca'tra," he greeted with a nod. "Come with us."
She stood, and walked out of the room, following the soldiers down the halls. They stopped at a metal door, like all the others that were on the floor. The soldiers opened the door, and let her inside.
"He is not responding," the one with the staff spoke.
She stepped into the room. Tionas sat cross-legged on the floor, hands folded. Bandages crossed over his chest and arms, explaining for the absence of his shirt. His eyes were closed, his dark hair dangling over his face. She reached out to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. She gave a gentle shake.
"Urakto?"
He must have been meditating. But… Ka'ra had walked into the room while he meditated before, and he was immediately responsive and alert at her entrance. Something was wrong. She closed her eyes, feeling for his mind. It wasn't there. He was sitting in front of her, but his mind wasn't in his body.
She made a fist, gently knocking on his forehead. "Hello? Anybody home?"
His mind seemed to snap back into his body, his eyes fluttered open. Blue looked up at her, not the usual red. His head tilted to the side.
"Are you okay?" she asked, moving backwards, sitting on the ground.
He nodded, moving to stand. He gave a cold nod to the soldiers, hands dangling at his sides. Ka'ra drew to her feet, remaining at his side.
"Follow us," the one with the staff commanded. So they did. The group walked back up the stairs, and through the grand halls. They were led out a large arch, and into the courtyard. The princess stood, balancing an invisible object on her chin as she looked down at them over her nose. Her hands were clasped behind her back.
The soldiers remained at the edge of the courtyard.
"He seems well," Azula remarked, stepping towards them. "I have called the two of you here to battle."
They nodded, walking to the center of the courtyard. Then, they turned to face one another. Tionas' eyes were still blue. Was that his natural eye color?
"Begin when ready," the princess commanded.
Ka'ra nodded at him, raising her hands into a guard; their lightsabers were still in the possession of the soldiers. Or maybe Azula had them, now.
Tionas lifted his hands as a frown distorted the scar that stretched over his face, and down his neck. He turned, and ran away, towards the wall of the castle. Ka'ra stood, and waited; it was his usual tactic, gain momentum to attack with. He ran up the wall. Ka'ra closed her eyes for a brief moment, letting the Force flow through her. She let power build inside her chest until it felt ready to explode. She opened her eyes to see Tionas kicking off the roof of the building, twisting in midair to face her.
Ka'ra spun, raising a hand. Lightning flew from her fingers towards the Sith. He reached down, warping the air around him, allowing him to soar over the bolt of electricity and land lightly on the ground, easily continuing to run towards her. He reached her, throwing a punch. Ka'ra easily blocked it, waiting for the blindingly fast roundhouse kick that she was certain followed; they had trained enough together to easily anticipate what the other would do next. She raised a hand to block the kick, shifting to take the impact.
Warriors were the brunt force of any attack while Inquisitors served to manipulate the battlefield in any way they saw fit.
Ka'ra ducked under his next punch, spinning around him to gain some distance. He quickly pivoted to face her as she stepped away, arms still raised. He stepped towards her, aiming a kick to drive her backwards. She grabbed his ankle with the Force, tugging him towards her. He fell, twisting back, putting his hands to the ground, flipping back to his feet.
Urakto crouched on the ground, looking up at her. "Two can play at that game," he wearily teased, raising his hand as he swiftly moved to charge her. She felt herself pushed back before he even tackled her, slamming her to the ground. He straddled her, raising his fist to angle it down towards her face. "If I had my lightsaber, that would be to your neck."
Ka'ra glared as the princess clapped.
"You wielded lightning," she stated. "I thought you said that you cannot bend." There was a pause. "And I assume that you can manipulate- what- each other?"
"We cannot bend," Ka'ra responded, grabbing Urakto's fist, rolling to her side in an attempt to push him off. Sadly, he didn't budge. "We manipulate the Force."
"What is the Force?"
Urakto stood, lowering a hand to help Ka'ra to her feet.
"The Force is a source of power generated by life," he explained after he pulled her up. "It is harnessed through beings that are attuned to it, like Ka'ra and I, and we do what we wish with its unlimited power."
"I can't see it," Azula stated, dropping her hands to her sides, an eyebrow raising in confusion.
"You aren't meant to," Urakto spoke, turning to the princess. "And neither are we. It's something you feel around you, like ribbons dancing around your fingertips, brushing against your skin."
"Poetic," the princess remarked, walking towards them. She looked towards Ka'ra. "Do you use the Force to make lightning?" Once she nodded, the woman continued. "Can you do it again?"
Ka'ra reached out a hand, guiding lightning to the floor. The princess seemed delighted.
"At this finding, your punishment is partially lifted," Azula began, trying to hide a devious smile. "You are to assist me in training. You will remain living in the prison quarters until I have reason to trust you."
There. They had a roof over their heads, and the promise of life. Ka'ra sighed in relief. Urakto glanced at her. He hadn't been the same after she had shaken him out of meditation.
"May we have some time out here?" Ka'ra hesitantly asked.
The princess remained silent for a moment, looking over to the side. She bit her lip as she contemplated the proposal.
"Trust," Ka'ra slowly began. "Is a two way road. We need to be able to have you show us trust, so that we may trust you to fulfill your end of the bargain."
"How do I know that you will not escape?"
"You have my word. And our weapons."
The princess nodded after a moment, her cold eyes calculating the risk. "I will leave my guards."
"Thank you," she whispered as the princess walked away, back into the palace. Urakto looked over at her.
"Are you alright?" he asked, swiftly moving to sit on the ground.
She sat down with him as the guards made a circle around them, watching the two from a small distance. They weren't out of eavesdropping distance, close enough to act if they needed to.
"I was going to ask you the same thing," she stated in a whisper, leaning forward. "For one, you hadn't responded to me while you meditated, and now, your eyes are blue."
He sat back, surprise crossing his face. "They are?"
"What happened?"
Urakto leaned in. "I went to meditate, and the next thing I knew, I was walking through the forest we crashed in, with odd creatures at my sides," he quietly whispered. "They felt things, and made me feel them. They didn't talk, but they made me see…"
"You're going crazy," Ka'ra whispered.
"I'm not," he hissed. Then, after a moment, he put his head in his hands. "All those beings we felt," he began, almost too quiet to hear. "They live in another world overlapping this one."
Strangely, it made sense.
"How is that even possible…?" she asked.
"I don't know," he stated, quickly falling silent.
"Oh," was all she could say, looking at the ground. Ka'ra stood, reaching a hand down to help Tionas to his feet. He took her hand, and stood, lacing his fingers through hers. She gave a small, reassuring squeeze.
"I am going crazy," he stated, looking down at the ground. "I need to stop fighting it."
Slowly, he let go of her hand, his fingers slipping away.
The guards walked them inside.
.~*~.
Over the next few weeks, Azula had the two teach her various techniques. And then one day, she led them into a metal blimp.
Urakto glanced at her from where he sat, adjusting the heavy armor that sat on his shoulders. Azula had given them what her soldiers wore, and had let them practice while wearing it.
"We're being pulled into a war, aren't we?" he asked, resting his wrists on his knees. He jiggled his legs, showing his anxiety.
Azula gave a grin. "Perceptive, aren't we?"
He looked away, guilt written on his face. He wasn't the same warrior that had crashed onto the planet. Something in that overlapping world was changing him. He spoke of a boy with an arrow on his forehead in that world; Ka'ra believed that he was changing Urakto.
For the rest of the ride, they remained in silence.
"We're here, Princess," a soldier stated.
A predatory grin crossed the girl's face, and she began walking, tossing a glance over her shoulders at them. "Aren't you coming?"
They both stood at the same time. Urakto nodded at her. She walked ahead of him, her gaze lingering on him before she turned to follow Azula.
"We are trying to bring the world to peace by uniting every nation under one banner," Azula stated as they walked to a ladder. She began climbing before she spoke again. "These people are resisting the peace that we have offered. They divide us."
From the corner of her eye, she watched Urakto make a face. The child had helped them, healed them, fed them. She put a roof over their heads, and given them time to themselves. There was nothing to explain his lack of trust in the girl.
Ka'ra climbed up the ladder, following Azula to the top of the rungs. The girl climbed out, holding open the cap for them. They followed, standing with her on the top of the balloon. The latch was closed.
"Kill them if you can," she instructed.
Ka'ra held on tightly to the staff she had received with the armor, her fingers clenching onto it until her knuckles turned white. Urakto stood beside her, holding onto his staff with one hand, looking out over the abyss that they stood above. She looked up to see what appeared to be a house, built upside-down over the chasm. That seemed to be where the target was located.
They waited until the balloon was level with the ground, slowly rising above it.
A group sat on the ground around a fire, talking to one another. They looked up at them in alarm, swiftly moving to their feet, retreating. The attack began. They bombarded the group as they moved to shut blinds, hiding behind them like cowards. She threw lightning towards it, hoping that it would budge. When each sliding panel began falling, Urakto finally moved.
He whirled the staff in his hands, raising it to strike. The staff slammed into Ka'ra, knocking her to the sloped ground. She began sliding, but was halted by the Sith; he grabbed her by the collar of her armor, pulling her up the side of the blimp to the flattest level. He looked down at her, eyes filling with sadness, and regret.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, moving to raise the staff. He moved to swing it down, but seemed to hesitate.
"No," she responded. The way of the Sith was the way of betrayal. Why was she surprised? "You're not."
He frowned, swinging the staff down. It slammed into her temples, and instantly, everything was dark.
She was vaguely aware of a hand shaking her shoulder, pulling her across the ground.
"Get up," it growled, slapping her face. "Get up!"
She tried to obey, and it was moments before she managed to pull her eyes open. Azula was dragging her towards the port in the top of the blimp. She opened it with one hand, the other keeping a hold on her armor. The girl began climbing down the ladder, pulling her closer to the gaping hole.
Ka'ra forced her tongue to work. "It's okay," she whispered, patting the smooth hand that clutched onto her. "I can get down on my own."
Azula nodded, and disappeared down the hole, descending into darkness. Ka'ra followed, her sluggish limbs taking her down each rung after clumsily locking the port. Urakto betrayed her. For… the boy with the arrow. She stepped onto the cold metal floor, feeling anger bubbling inside her as she silently followed the girl.
Azula began barking orders, but Ka'ra couldn't hear her speaking. Her hands formed fists, her knuckles popping with the pressure.
Urakto was going to pay for his betrayal. She was going to make him suffer.
.~*~.
It was the last fight. All or nothing. Ka'ra wrapped the darkness around her, aiming a hand to the nearest soldier. He fell to a lightning bolt, shrieking in pain. It only made the darkness easier to grasp. It was then that she saw Urakto on the battlefield, wearing a hat made out of an animal that she didn't recognize, dressed in blue clothes. It had been easy to see him, to pick him out of the group when everyone else was dressed in red. He was sickening.
Ka'ra growled, aiming for him. She shot lightning at the man that she had once considered her friend. He turned, lifted his hand, and the lightning dissipated before it even reached him. He gave a heavy sigh before turning back to battle, easily knocking out a soldier with his staff.
He wasn't afraid. Why wasn't he afraid?
She wrapped the darkness around her, tugging the wisps closer to her skin. She finally understood why he had done it so many times; it was empowering, intimidating, and it just felt good. Ka'ra leapt into battle, shoving past the soldiers she commanded. It was simple. It was easy. They moved around her until she had forged a path to Urakto.
Her staff rose to swing at him, and he turned from the soldier he was fighting, catching it easily in one hand.
"Ka'ra," he softly greeted, giving a small, warm smile. He never smiled. "I missed you."
She snarled, lunging at him. The soldier that had been fighting him took a few steps back to give them space. All of the soldiers did. Smart. Urakto easily evaded her, using her momentum to push her away. She turned back, aiming her staff, throwing it towards him. With the Force, she guided the speared tip to be level with his heart. He raised a fist, angling his wrist to catch it. The spear slid over his shoulder, landing in the ground behind him. The cloth was torn, revealing a large metal cuff encasing his forearm.
"I guess you didn't miss me," he stated, grimacing.
She charged him, tackling him to the ground, taking out a blade to slice at his chest. He grabbed at her wrists, forcing her hands far enough away to stop her from making a fatal blow.
"What happened to you?" he asked, a flick of his wrist sending the blade flying from her hands. He took a deep breath, that same sickening regret flashing in his disgustingly blue eyes. He slowly exhaled, and easily pushed her off of him, gracefully drawing to his feet, leaving the hat on the ground. She stood, pulling the darkness even closer.
For once in her life, Ka'ra towered over Urakto.
And for once in his life, he didn't care.
.~*~.
The battle was over.
Urakto Tionas stood in the crowd with the waterbender's family. Hakoda had forced a small smile before enveloping his daughter in his arms. They had lost so much, because of one person. It may as well have been him. He had taken so many lives, uncaring of the consequences, leaving so many children orphaned, and so many parents without their children.
He gave a sigh, looking towards the ground as the crowd cheered around him.
In this world, he had fought against who he was, and had become who he had vowed to destroy. And strangely, he was okay with it.
A hand tugged at his shirt. He turned, finding himself looking down at the blind earthbender.
"Smile," she teased. "You look so gloomy."
He gave a small laugh. Toph grabbed his wrist in her hand, pulling him back to the group. Urakto felt like he was intruding; this group of people was more than just a group. They were a family. He didn't belong.
The moment Toph let go of his wrist, he took a step back. They looked so happy. Surely no one would notice if he just slipped away…
"Join us," Sokka cheerfully commanded, his free hand reaching out towards him as he leaned heavily on the crutch. "You have a place here."
He walked towards the young man.
It was so easy to mingle with the group. They talked, hugged one another. When someone finally hugged him, he felt his world finally fall together. Here, he helped people. He made a difference. Here, he belonged. The galaxy he came from was so much better off without him. And the planet he found would miss him if he left.
Urakto Tionas was finally happy.
.~*~.
He silently stepped into the room, looking at the bars that sat between them. She drew on the darkness, fed on it like he had, so long ago. She looked up at him, eyes burning a furious red. They used to be a shining emerald. He missed that. He stopped walking in front of the bars, folding his hands over the light blue clothes he proudly wore.
She spat on his boots, growling at him.
"Ka'ra," he softly began, moving to kneel. The darkness shifted, gravitating towards her, and away from him. "Let me help you."
She looked up at him.
The woman that sat on the floor was not the one he had known. He gave a small sigh. He reached his hands into the cage, and grabbed hers, holding them gently between his palms. Her hands were as cold as ice, biting into his skin. She looked down at them, a blank expression on her face.
"Ka'ra," he spoke again. "Please…"
She moved closer to the bars, the darkness slipping out from between them the metal rods. The darkness wrapped around him, suffocating him. She let go of his hands, reaching through the bars, taking his face into her hands. Her cold fingers caress his skin.
"You changed," she hoarsely whispered, leaning closer to peer into his eyes.
He felt the stench of death on her. It flipped his stomach, begged him to leave.
"You changed."
He reached up, grabbing her hands, gently guiding them away from his face, and back into the cage.
"I'm not the only one," he whispered, moving to stand. He backed away, turning to walk towards the door. Once he reached it, he hesitated before opening it. He looked back over his shoulder. Ka'ra still sat on the ground, gazing up at him, her harsh eyes glowing in the darkness.
He felt his heart fill with sadness. He had to leave her. He was going to leave her alone in the darkness.
Her glowing red eyes seemed to be pleading with him. Every time she looked at him, he felt as if they were begging him to help her. But he couldn't. He didn't know how. He could show her the Spirit World, but she wouldn't understand. She wouldn't understand that life was around them, moving through them, changing the world without them knowing. That was what the Force really was. Life.
"I love you," he spoke not to the eyes that glowed in the darkness, but to the memory of who she had been. He forced himself to look away, biting his lip. He moved out the door, slowly closing it behind him.
"You changed," had been the last words she had ever spoken.
Urakto had visited her in the cell, far too many times for it to have been healthy, coming back to the same conclusion every time. He couldn't help her. Her words echoed in his head every night before he slept. You changed. A small smile crossed her face as she sat with him, looking towards him with her dazzling green eyes. Her mouth opened to voice her amusement, but only two dark, cold words drifted from her mouth. You changed.
And that was why he kept going back. Day after day. Night after night. He remembered the young woman, so full of promise, so full of life…
He had to keep on moving, live with a world that had accepted him without any questions asked. He grew with the people around them, watching as they married, and raised their children.
In the end, many things changed. But… that was alright. Sometimes, things changed for the better of the people, and the world they lived in. And sometimes, the people in the world never changed for the better, no matter how hard anyone tried. And no matter how hard he tried, nothing would ever work.
Urakto just had to learn to accept that.
He moved on with his life, traveling around the world with Katara. They had gone to the Northern Water Tribe. While she had spoken to the leaders of the nation, he had wandered through the ice village, speaking to each person he passed. That was how he met his girlfriend, and future wife.
He remembered sitting with his girlfriend around the fire; Team Avatar had gathered to remember, to talk about the life that was, and the life they had found. Sokka had patted him on the back, a grin on his face. They talked through the night. The darkness slowly faded away; the world wasn't so scary when you could see it illuminated by the sparkling stars.
The echoes faded.
She had passed months ago, and a weight lifted off his shoulders. Her voice no longer plagued him, no longer lulled him to sleep at night.
The day his daughter was born had been one of the best days of his life. The girl grew, spending her time traveling with her parents between the poles, learning from her mother how to move the waters. Water was life. And so was she. A gifted bender, she understood that life surrounded them, and even when she couldn't see it, she felt it around her, in the very air she breathed. Her blue eyes were bright, sparkling with hope.
Her name was Kara.