Suite: Hearts - represent love and affection. Write about someone falling in love with someone they're supposed to hate.

Prompts:

Easy (catastrophe)

Medium (disbelief)

Hard ("Pride and excess bring disaster for man" - Xun Zi)

Word count: 3496 (and I had to cut out over 400 words to get it there! very sad)

Two villages, honorable and just
War and death, brothers spilling their own blood
Divided by a mountain and distrust
Until, there a forbidden love did bud

Together in secret, paths made unseen
Through the darkness, just to be together
Ignoring the mountain there in between
But as tragedy comes, bonds must sever

Broken love found against a broken heart
Terrible power rose up in anger
Ready to tear the whole mountain apart
And all those below begged for her favor

And this gentle soul, though drowned in her tears
Declared the end of many war-torn years

-0-

The Tale of Omashu

She was collecting herbs and spices up on the mountain, the kind that only grew at the very top, and she had to climb nearly all day to reach them. It was a hard road to reach the top, but truly, Oma didn't mind. She could see all the valley below from up where she was. And there was no one here to bother her, or call for her, or ask of her. It was noisy down in her village. The valley pressed them in, kept them close together, and there was little space just for herself.

It was near midday when Oma had finally found what she was looking for. She stopped by a stream to refresh herself, and ate of the wild berries to sate her hunger. At the very top, she slipped out of her shoes and let her feet sink into the soft grass as she sat beneath the single tree that grew so high, admiring the clouds drifting way up above.

There was a snap of a branch. Oma turned, saw a man standing naught ten feet away, looking just as surprised as she. Her heart leapt and she jumped up, giving a small yelp as her basket went flying and all her collected plants fell about on the ground. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" the man cried, holding up his hands. "Here, let me help you-" He got down on his knees, collecting her things and placing them back in the woven basket. Oma just stared at him with wide eyes, trying to place his face but not recognizing him. Probably he was from their cousin village, just a little north of theirs, with whom they only had seldom trades, and the soldiers of course.

The man stood, looking quite sheepish as he handed her the basket. "Sorry," he repeated. "Didn't mean to startle you. Didn't know there was someone up here to startle."

"Um...no. I mean, I was just being jumpy is all," Oma mumbled back, feeling nervous with herself.

The man smiled. "Even so, it is never proper for a man of myself to startle a lady such as you." He bowed, and Oma noticed that he had the wrong fist palmed into the wrong hand. Or had she simply always been bowing wrong?

"Well, um, th-thank you?" This man was too kindly. "I mean, it's okay. Just...don't do it again, I suppose." She was horrified with her response, but then the man only laughed with good humor.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Lady...ah, what was your name?"

"O-Oma."

"Lady Oma, then. And I am known as Shu," he said, bowing again. "A most high pleasure, meeting you Lady Oma."

"I-I'm not a lady," Oma murmured faintly in protest, but Shu didn't seem to hear her. He was looking up at the sky, noticing the sun nearing its high point.

"Ah, but I've been out too long," Shu sighed. He looked towards her, a small, hopeful smile on his lips as he asked, "May I see you again, Lady Oma? Tomorrow, perhaps? Here, the same time?

"I-I suppose," she answered. She would have to climb the mountain again anyway.

"Good," Shu nodded with a wider grin. He bowed one last time and said, "Till tomorrow, then." And Oma watched him leave, her head titled to the side in slight confusion, before blinking and leaving herself.

"Till tomorrow, then," she said to herself as she made her way home.

-0-

Shu was already there when Oma had reached the spot beneath the tree. Her basket, this time, held bread and a waterskin as well as her chore, though why she grabbed it before she left she still could not figure why.

Shu was leaning against the single tree, tossing a small token into the air as he waited. When he heard her approach he shoved it away into his pocket, and, of course, bowed, greeting her with a kind, "Good mid-morning, Lady Oma."

"Um, likewise," she said, for she was caught off guard by the unfamiliar greeting. "Where you waiting for me long?"

"No, no," he assured her. "But if I did, I wouldn't mind. This is probably to be the most interesting part of my day."

"Boring back at home?" Oma asked with slight curiosity.

"Quite, quite," he sighed ruefully. "Father continues to nag me about becoming a soldier, and mother continues to nag me about marriage prospects. Unfortunately, to her a good match is whoever can give the largest dowry."

Oma didn't know what a dowry was, or what he meant by "marriage prospects," but she feared sounding ignorant so she only nodded and sat beneath the tree, Shu joining her a moment later. "But enough of my woes. How do you fair, Lady Oma?"

Not knowing how to reply, she only shrugged. In desperate need of something to say, she reached for her basket and said, "I brought bread. That is, I mean, if you're hungry." She pulled out the loaf, breaking it in half without a knife to cut it, and Shu immediately reached for the smaller portion before she could do otherwise.

"Hm, I should have brought jam," he said, nodding in thanks to her.

"What's jam?" Oma asked, before biting her lip.

"You've never had jam before?" Shu asked, looking at her in disbelief.

"N-no?"

"Well, you simply must try it! It makes even stale bread tolerable to eat," Shu told her, taking a bite of his half and chewing thoughtfully.

"What does it taste like?" Oma asked, curious despite herself. The only thing she knew was good for putting on bread was butter, and that itself was a scarce commodity that they only rarely had.

"Well, it is sweet like a strawberry, of course," Shu explained. Oma had never even heard of a strawberry before, much less tasted one, but she nodded anyway. "Hm, but it is a bit hard to describe. Tart, but not too much so. A bit sticky too."

"I didn't know bread could taste good sweet," Oma commented lightly.

"That is the only way to eat bread!" Shu exclaimed. "Everything tastes better sweet."

"Well, maybe not everything," Oma replied softly, looking down at her lap. She didn't think eggs would taste better sweet.

Shu hadn't heard her. He had an odd look on his face, and after setting the rest of his bread aside he caught her eye and asked gently, "Does something trouble you?"

"What? No! no, of course not," Oma answered quickly, looking up and shaking her head. Seeing his look, she added, "I guess I just don't smile very much, I suppose."

"Well that is no good!" Shu declared. "I'll just have to make you smile then!"

"What? I mean, you don't have to-"

But Shu was already on his feet, briefly giving a dramatic bow before looking around. Noticing a bright red flower growing a the top of the tree, he declared, "I will retrieve that flower, in the hopes that I may make the Lady Oma smile!"

"Oh, please don't get hurt!" Oma cried as he grabbed the lowest branch and pulled himself up. She stood as he climbed, her anxious eyes following his rather jerky body. It was clear that he had never climbed a tree before. As he neared the top, his tunic snagged on a branch, and suddenly a loud rip sounded through the air. But he must have been more caught then he realized, because in the next moment Shu had slipped and fell backwards, his legs still hooked on the branch leaving him hanging upside down, arms flailing and hair a small tuft reaching for the ground.

"Well that didn't work so well," Shu commented when he had stopped swinging. And Oma, who had her hand over her mouth, hiding a grin, burst out laughing. "Hey!" he called, but not resentfully. "I made you smile!"

"Yes, I suppose you did," Oma conceded, a grin still on her face. "Now come down, before you hurt yourself."

"Yes, yes, um..." Shu swung himself upward, trying vainly to reach a branch to pull himself up. After his third try, he let himself hang and crossed his arms. "I seem to have run into bit of a problem." He narrowed his eyes at the branch he was currently hanging from, mumbling to himself. "Hmm..." He reached up for the branch, and what ensued afterward was an inelegant struggle of trying to right himself on top. Oma had to cover her mouth again to hide her grin, another laugh building up until Shu somehow found himself hanging on the same branch, only this time by his arms. "Well...we've made some progress, at least," he commented as a small chuckle escaped Oma's lips. "At least someone is enjoying this," he added in response.

"Terribly sorry, I don't mean to laugh," Oma tried to apologize, but Shu simply shook his head.

"I look like an oaf." He looked down, eyeing the ground thoughtfully. "You know, it isn't that far down."

"Wha-"

Oma didn't have a chance to protest because in the next moment Shu had dropped himself and landed hard on his feet, his legs buckling as he fell into a messy heap. Jumping up, he brushed himself off and declared, "I meant to do that."

To this, Oma did burst out laughing, because it was just so ridiculous. Shu had leaves sticking out of his hair, and there was a giant tear in his tunic, and there was a scratch on his cheek, and yet he still stood so straight, brushing himself off without a second thought. "I have made you laugh again!" Shu exclaimed with joy. "I am doing quite well, I think."

"Perhaps. It that helps you to sleep," Oma teased before she could think to stop herself.

Shu only laughed. "Yes, I think it will." She smiled again, and that seemed to make him grin all the wider. But then Oma looked away awkwardly, because she didn't know what else to say. Shu looked up and gave a sad sigh. "But the hour is late," he stated with a frown. "And Mother expects me home for dinner."

Shu palmed his left fist into his right, bowing low. "May I see you again tomorrow? Same time?"

"Hm, well only if you stop bowing," Oma answered. "You're giving me a headache.

Straightening quickly, Shu chuckled and said, "Very well, Lady Oma."

"And stop calling me 'lady' too. Just Oma is fine."

Shu nodded. "Oma then. Till tomorrow."

"Till tomorrow," she agreed, giving a slight nod of her head in farewell. He turned to leave first, and she watched him go down the mountain a bit, waving back when he turned around one last time. "Till tomorrow," she whispered to herself, then turned away to head home.

The signs were all there, really. Oma should've seen them. The different way he talked, the different foods he ate, the clashing of cultures that was really too obvious not to notice. And, of course, the fact that Shu always went down the mountain on the eastern side. Maybe Oma really was just an ignorant fool. Or maybe she had refused to face the facts, in view of the truth. But there was no way she could ignore it now.

"Y-you're from the Mong Ka-Gu village," Oma whispered.

Shu stared down at his feet. He could only nod in reply. Months it had been. And she had been with the enemy the whole time. If he had figured it out earlier, she didn't know. How long had he know that she was, in fact, of the Kaipu-Laite, the village of his bitter enemies?

"I...I can't believe this," Oma muttered, pressing her palms to her temple. "How could I...and you...and me...and, I just thought..." Her thoughts were rushing everywhere at once. He...he was the enemy. She should be running. Calling for help, or maybe kicking him down first so that he didn't try and follow her. Though she doubted she was strong enough to do that.

And then her heart was telling her so many different things, treasonous things, reminding her of the hidden smiles, easy laughs, the games and stories and just relaxing days under the sun, enjoying one another's company, completely unaware that they were supposed to hate each other. Why? her heart seemed to scream at her. Why do you have to hate him? You l- "Stop it!" She nearly screamed it aloud, because she was so confused, and there were tears in her eyes threatening to fall. She hadn't cried since she was eight. When she watched as houses burned and her father left and never came back, and her mother became an empty shell until the next raid finished her off.

"Oma-" Shu reached out, but she pulled away.

"W-we're enemies!" she tried vainly, her voice shaken as a tear spilled down her cheek. "We can't...I mean-"

He cut her off by leaning forward and ending the world. Oma froze, eyes widened in shock and surprise, his lips on hers. She had never imagined what her first kiss would be like. She had never really thought about it, instead wondering if she'd simply stay a girl of 19 forever, going up the mountain every day to collect herbs and ingredients for her village while the world around her aged and she stayed the same.

But now it was like it could never be anything else. Her eyes closed as her lips matched his, and her basket fell from her fingers as she wrapped them around his neck. He pulled her closer and suddenly it didn't matter that they lived on opposite sides of the mountain, because this was here and real and now, and Oma never wanted it to be any different.

It oddly didn't feel like an end when Shu pulled away, his eyes searching her own as he whispered in a near-silent voice, "I don't care where you come from. I don't care if we're supposed to be enemies. I...I love you Oma."

She couldn't help but let a small smile appear on her face. "I-I love you too," she replied, and she didn't regret her words. Nor anything else, because she realized that she didn't care either.

Shu's smile turned into a grin; a wide, ridiculously happy grin, and he looked about to say something equally ridiculous when a voice rang out across the mountain. "Shu?! Shu, are you here? Mother's getting worried!"

"My brother!" Shu hissed, as Oma glanced up at the sky in alarm. They had stayed out later than usual. Much later.

"What do we-"

Oma didn't have time to finish, because in the next moment Shu had grabbed her arm and was dragging her down the opposite way his brother called. "C'mon!" he hurried, leading her through the brush.

"Shu? Shu, is that you? Father's going to be really angry with you when we get home. Shu!" Poor boy. Oma glanced back, not seeing the young Mao (as Shu had spoken of his younger brother before), but knowing that he was probably very displeased that Shu seemed to be intentionally avoiding him. Which he was.

"Down here!" Shu told her, and turned into the mouth a large cave, leading off into the mountainside and darkness. Unfortunately, they could still hear Mao's voice calling after them.

"Farther in!" Oma suggested, and in they went, still hand in hand. They walked until they couldn't hear Mao anymore, and by then it was so dark they could only see the vague outline of each other's silhouette. "I never knew there were caves under the mountain," Oma commented softly, as if the darkness would hear her and swallow her whole.

"I didn't either," Shu admitted. "You'd think somebody would've found them by now." A pause, then, "Did you hear that?"

"Hear wha-" But then she did hear it. And it was getting louder. "Sh-Shu..." Oma screamed and jumped back into Shu when something burst through the cave wall, a giant, furry thing that leaned forward, sniffing them... "Wh-What is it?" Oma cried.

"Incredible," Shu whispered, holding her against him. "It's a badgermole. I thought they were only a myth."

"You mean...the earth-movers?"

Shu nodded. "Earthbenders, they were called. Creatures who bent the will of the ground itself."

The badgermole seemed harmless enough. It finished sniffing them then turned towards the tunnel, moving its paw as Oma watched in awe as dirt cleared seemingly by magic, or even spirits! Something tugged within her, something she had only ever felt when she let her toes dig into the dirt, or tended to the little garden she kept. Feeling a sudden bout of courage, she stepped away from Shu and towards the creature, slowly approaching it as it seemed to decide which way it wanted to go. It turned to her when it noticed her presence, and that was when she noticed the milky, blind eyes staring back at her. "Incredible," she whispered, using the same word Shu used not moments before, because there was really no other way to describe it.

The badgermole looked at the seemingly solid wall, but with a simple flick of its paw, more dirt was cleared away, creating a brand new tunnel. Oma looked upon a small pile of dirt, perplexed, and flexed her hand. Something within her seemed to move, like something had just been awakened within her. Oma held her breath and moved her arm in the same way the badgermole had. And...the dirt actually moved with her!

"Oma!" Shu exclaimed, disbelief in his voice.

The badgermole seemed to nod, before snuffling her again and pointing its nose at the wall. Oma understood. Copying what the earthbender had done only a moment ago, she reached out and pushed. She felt the rock push pack, so she pushed all the harder, her breath hitching with the effort. And then, suddenly, she felt another force by her side, and looking over she saw Shu next her and pushing as well, brow creased in concentration. With a final shove, they burst through the wall, creating a hole that spread out from the main tunnel. The badgermole nodded again and returned to its digging.

Oma huffed, amazed and excited. "Shu. We're-

"-earthbenders," he completed, looking just as shocked. The both turned to look at each other, eyes widened in the dim light. Euphoria built up in their throats, and in the next moment they were laughing with each other at their new-found abilities. They were earthbenders!

Oma had rushed as fast as she could, tearing through their labyrinth to reach Shu in time. But she hadn't been told of the attack until nearly a day late, and she knew she wouldn't get there fast enough. Bursting out from the mountain, she saw everything aflame, her people fighting Shu's people, and blood everywhere as the horror filled her senses. "Shu!" It was desperate. How could she ever find him in this chaos? "Shu!" she called again, tears in her voice, and she began to run through the fighting, hearing shouts and yells and cries but not caring.

Her feet found him. After months, she could recognize the form of his body anywhere, echoing through the ground. And she already knew it was too late. Because she didn't feel a heartbeat either.

He was lying bloodied on the ground, an arrow in his chest, eyes opened and unseeing to the grey sky. "Shu..." One of the soldiers from her village recognized her. Shouted at her. Questions and scorns and screams all around. A tear slid down Oma's cheek. "Stop it," she whispered, but nobody heard. How could they? Their ears were clogged with blood and rage, hatred born from nowhere as the battle raged on. "P-please. Stop it!" She was shaking now, clutching Shu's body to her chest. With a final roar, she stood and whirled around, shouting "STOP IT!" Her hands were out, feet apart, and the entire ground answered to her call. Everyone froze, terror on their face as earth flew without cause, dust swirled in their eyes, and the entire mountain trembled. Oma raised herself up, Shu protectively behind her as she glared down at the murderers before her. How dare they? She should crush them all! She should grind their bones into ash and return them to the mountainside!

But then Oma looked back at the fallen body behind her, and her fingers shook. This violence...this catastrophe all around her, building up and slowly destroying their world.
Gently, she lowered herself, calming the earth and returning the dust. Around her, some stared in awe. Others cried for mercy and few ran for their very lives. Oma looked at each one, some of them she knew, others complete strangers. And the dead littering the ground, where brother killed brother and souls wept for the lost. All this pride and excess, and all it brought was disaster for man.

Oma's voice was a whisper, but everyone heard her as she muttered, "This war is over." And she lowered her head, letting the tears fall as every last man dropped their weapon to the ground.

So I don't do romance very well, so hopefully that was good and not too cliche for you all. When I saw the hearts prompt, I of course immediately thought of Zuko and Katara, but then frowned because of how overused that was and the high possibility that every other team was going to do that for that suite. And then I remembered the original Zutara, and this was born! It'd be longer, except I have a word limit with I am seriously pressing it already.

Anyway, a few notes:

First of, the villages? Kaipu-Laite is where Oma is from. That's Chinese (roughly) for Capulet. If you don't know what that is, then read some Shakespeare. Mong Ka-Gu is Chinese (again, roughly) for Montague, although I did change the spelling a bit to better match how it actually sounded (there were some accent marks or something so it was actually, Meng Ta Gu, but it sounded like Mong Ka Gu). Anyway, that's also according to Google Translate, so both of those could be totally wrong.

Also, Mao (Shu's little brother) is shortened from Mao Qui Xi Ao, or, in other words, Mercutio. Again, if you don't know who that is, then take a literature class.

Okay, my last note. That little bit at the top? The poem? That right there would be a sonnet. And for those of you who don't know, sonnets are among the most difficult kinds of poems to write. Including this one, I've only ever written two in my life. And I'm a person who writes poetry often. The one I have here is an English sonnet, meaning three quatrains and one couplet following, ten syllables exactly per line, as well as an abab, cdcd, efef, gg rhyme (if you don't know what any of that means, then take a poetry course). I do admit that this sonnet is not really in iambic pentameter, but y'know, they don't absolutely have to be, and we're not all Shakespeares, okay! (seriously, Shakespeare could, like, come up with these monstrosities on the spot...it took me a good half hour to forty minutes to write this one)