The fire you kindle for your enemy often burns yourself more than them. -Chinese Proverb

Kiya paused along the path, kept out of sight by the thick copse of trees. A slight breeze pulled some scarlet strands out of her braid, tickling her cheek. Birds were trilling cheerfully, and the air smelled fragrant, like the beginning of spring. The sun was making its descent over the mountains, as twilight encased the earth. The sky was a dusky purple, tinged with orange, and delightfully free of clouds. It had been a perfect day for sailing.

And it would be a perfect night for murder.

Both she and Onu had left the underground headquarters of the Black Vipers two days prior, setting out after Prince Zuko on a tip from a spy who had seen his ship docked at a small town nearby. They had been following his trail since then, and had finally caught up with him. Now, they were ready.

"So you know the plan, right?" Kiya asked, looking at Onu over her shoulder.

He nodded, shaking his light hair out of his eyes. Despite his childish looks, she knew her friend was a force to be reckoned with. He was a powerful Waterbender, and there was no one at the Vipers compound who could beat him with a staff. She, personally, preferred a sharper weapon.

She tightened her gloves, and dropped her hands to the daggers she carried. One on each hip. They had been her first weapons, given to her by Gyong. The one she wore on her left hip was named Death-Omen, and had been the one she had used to make her very first kill. It had a bone handle; a crude, macabre symbol of what was to come for her victims. The other one was much nicer. Shadow-Song was the dagger she wore on her right hip, and it was slightly longer than Death-Omen. The blade itself was made of obsidian, taken from a volcano centuries before, and the handle was mother-of-pearl. It was a beautiful weapon, and looked far too lovely to take lives, but it did its job well and Kiya would never find it in her heart to complain.

Death-Omen and Shadow-Song would feast well in just a few short minutes.

"There!" Onu exclaimed in a whisper, pointing through the trees. Kiya swiveled, turning her head towards the beach, towards the expanse of water that lay before them.

Prince Zuko's Fire Nation vessel had just sailed slowly into view. Kiya's heart leapt in her chest. It has to be him, she thought. Our information cannot be wrong.

"Are you ready, Kiya?"

She nodded. "Are you?"

Onu just rolled his eyes at her. "Oh, please. This is the easy part. This I could do in my sleep."

"Good. Make sure you stay awake, anyways!" She snapped her purple hood over her head, hiding her face and hair. She slid from between the trees like a shadow and raced down the beach as fast as she could, her light feet barely making any impressions in the soft, warm sand. When she reached the edge of the ocean, she threw herself inside, ducking beneath the dark blanket of waves.

A bubble surrounded her as soon as she submerged, allowing her to breathe and move. Onu was doing his job, hidden by the tree line. The perks of being friends with a Waterbender, she thought with a dark smile, as she swam as quickly as she could towards the moving ship.

Darkness fell, as the sun disappeared behind the distant mountains. Stars blinked to life in the sudden gloom, and the moon began rising, permeating the sky with its milky glow. The bubble around her widened and she felt herself moving faster. Onu's bending was benefiting from the celestial body, and he was using the advantage to help her in more ways than one.

Moments later, she was consumed by the shadow of the vessel. Following the ship, she broke upwards through the water and turned back towards the distant shore. Clicking her tongue, she whistled, making the sound of a bird. And then she waited. Seconds later, water gurgled beneath her, and it lifted her up into the air. When it was as high as the side of the top deck, she jumped over and landed into a stealthy crouch. She heard the loud splash as the twisting column fell back into the ocean, and she shook wet strands of her hair out of her eyes. Onu would be on his way soon.

There were only two Fire Nation soldiers on the top deck. She smiled, knowing exactly what this situation called for. She reached behind her, beneath her purple cloak and pulled out the wrapped coil on her belt. She let it unroll, watching as it grew into a whip that was ten feet in length, separating off into three different lashes, each one with a metal tip. Each tip was filled with a paralyzing poison that would knock out the target… too many strikes, and it would kill the target. Each Black Viper was given a whip of the same kind when they graduated to Master rank. Only two people in the underground colony had one: Gyong, and Kiya. The whips were known Viperstrikes, and had been labeled as a mythological weapon by more than one culture.

Sliding along one shadowy edge of the top deck, Kiya snuck within striking range. Throwing her arm back, she spun and whipped the lashes through the air. There was a cracking sound as one metal head struck the Fire Nation guard closest to her, catching him at his neck, between his helmet and his chest plate. He opened his mouth to cry out, but the poison quickly entered his bloodstream, and he crumbled to the deck.

His companion almost shouted in surprise, but Kiya downed him before he could alert anyone. Standing to her full height, she turned back to whistle to Onu, but a wet hand suddenly appeared, and she watched as another one of his geysers shot into view. Onu flipped in mid-air, and landed on the top deck, his feet making no sound. He pulled the water out of their clothes and hair, drying them off, before looking over at the two guards.

"Nice work. Will they wake up anytime soon?"

Kiya shook her head no. "This is where things will get difficult for you. Just hold on as long as possible. Stay here. I'll be back."

"Okay."

"And do something about those soldiers!" She called over her shoulder, as she quickly ran for the hatch that would lead her below deck. She slipped inside, sliding down the ladder and landing on all fours, like a cat. After getting on the ship, everything else was simple. All she had left to do was subdue all of the crew members, and kill Zuko. The rest until then was up to Onu.

Her golden-haired companion smiled wickedly, as he watched her descend into the ship. The smile stayed on Onu's face, as he grabbed one of the soldiers beneath his armpits and began dragging him towards the edge of the ship.


Prince Zuko had slept. He had slept for little more than a few hours, at the insistence of his uncle. Blissfully, he had dreamt of nothing, much to his relief. When he had finally woken up, he had felt more refreshed, but the flames inside of him burned ever higher. He had slept away valuable hours of daylight that could've been spent searching for the Avatar.

"Prince Zuko!"

Zuko paused, one hand frozen in the act of straightening his Fire Armor gauntlets. Was his exhausted mind catching up with him, or had he really just heard someone calling his name?

"Show yourself, Prince Zuko!"

Zuko's mouth tightened, as he straightened the red bracer. No, it was not his imagination. Was it the Avatar, finally showing himself and giving in to his inevitable fate? The Fire Prince finished dressing, and quickly ascended to the top deck. What he saw made him smile with derision.

It was just a boy. A small, thin boy not much younger than the Prince, with yellow hair and big, baby blue eyes. He was holding a staff, and glowering at the Fire Prince with as much anger as he could muster.

"You're the prince?"

Zuko nodded.

The boy slammed his staff against the deck, and the sound rang out across the ocean. "Then I challenge you!" He pointed the long weapon at Zuko. "You will pay for your crimes against the world, Prince. You will pay for the murder of my parents!"

Zuko almost laughed. "Well, you clearly know who I am. But who are you?"

The boy smiled. "Your worst nightmare."

Zuko snorted, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. This little kid was challenging him to a fight, on his own ship? Insulting. He would have to teach the brat some manners. Do not underestimate him, Prince Zuko. He heard the voice of his uncle Iroh in his head, despite how much he wanted to block it out. Remember the last time you underestimated a fighter's abilities based on their age.

Oh, Zuko remembered. Aang's childish face haunted his every waking moment; his insides burned with hatred for the idiotic boy. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

"Fine," Zuko said, assuming his battle stance. "Do your worst."

The young boy grinned, doing the same, holding his hands out before him. Before Zuko could ask what the child was waiting for, he saw the great wave as it rose over the side of his vessel. A wind whipped up as the wall of water grew higher, frozen in place by the tiny person in front of him.

Of course, Zuko thought, glaring at the child. His fingertips glowed to life. A Waterbender. This should be fun.


It was hard not to reach out and kill Zuko as he ran past where she was hiding. Her hands immediately went to her hips, closing around the hilts of the daggers that had been her saviors for so many years. She had gritted her teeth, fighting to control herself as he disappeared from view. Kiya knew there was one other person to subdue, before she and Onu could complete their mission, and that knowledge allowed her to hold on.

Surely the prince's uncle, the great General Iroh, had heard the shout calling his nephew. Kiya could not allow the man to interfere with her plan, so she slipped from the shadows and ran on feather-light feet to the General's quarters.

She met him just as he was coming out of the door and into the hallway. His eyes opened wide in surprise, but she clapped a hand over his mouth and held Death-Omen to his throat. Before he had a chance to bend, she hit him over the head with the hilt of Death-Omen, and he was down, knocked out by the force of her blow. She quickly tied his hands and feet with some twine she'd had on her belt, and left him there, turning back the way she had come.

Now. She was ready.

Kiya arrived on deck just in time to see Onu knocked to the ground, a blast of fire knocking him off his feet. Every instinct inside of her was screaming to join him-to help him-but she knew her orders. She had faith in her friend's abilities. Her eyes went to Zuko, and she melded against the wall, hoping to remain invisible in the shadows.

He brushed a hand against his armor, an evil smirk playing on his lips. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with fire?"

Onu struggled back to his feet, his face pained.

Zuko chuckled mirthlessly at his own joke. "Oh, right. I guess not… because my people killed her!"

With a cry of rage, Onu charged the prince with everything he had, bringing down another wave upon his cocky head. It didn't do much, as Zuko recovered quickly with a swift kick that knocked Onu back to the ground. He was up again a second later, managing to land some blows with his staff.

Kiya watched anxiously. All she needed was her window of opportunity: Prince Zuko's back to her, and Onu to distract him long enough for her to swoop in and make the kill.

She saw it the next time Zuko knocked her small friend to the ground. Feigning weakness, Onu crawled away on all fours, leaning against the opposite side of the deck. He was breathing hard, and sweat was dripping down his face. Zuko stood in front of him, his fingertips glowing with fire. This was her chance.

Ducking into a crouch, Kiya pulled her daggers out of their sheaths and made her way across the deck. Her heart was pounding so loudly that she expected Zuko to hear it, and discover her. She could already picture how it would happen in her head: she would come up behind him, grab him and slit his throat in one swipe. It would be painfully easy. She was right behind him-close enough to see her reflection in his armor-when her entire world shattered around her. In the reflection, she could see not only herself, but General Iroh, right as he threw a fireball at her head.

She threw herself out of the way, crashing onto the deck as the flames went spinning past them and out of sight. She was back on her feet in a second, barely even fazed, but she was no longer operating under stealth. That didn't bother her; she raised her arms, stepping forward to finish what she had come to do.

Zuko spun around, his face twisting as he caught sight of her. His eyes widened with disbelief, and his mouth dropped open. "Irada?"

Kiya froze. Irada? Who the hell is Irada? Glancing down, she realized her cloth mask had come off when she had fallen, and now the prince had a spectacular view of her face. So much for anonymity.

Zuko seemed stunned, and he reached for her with one hand. "No… it can't be…" He stepped forward, inspecting her closely.

She wouldn't have stopped at all, but the way Prince Zuko was looking at her was odd. It was he like he knew her-or thought he knew her. He didn't even seem to notice the daggers in her hands, or the fact that she was about to kill him. His hand kept reaching for her face, and right as he was about to brush her cheek, there was a shout from behind them.

"Zuko! Behind you!"

Onu had gotten back to his feet, and had his staff raised above his head, about to hit the young Firebender.

Iroh's yell was just what the prince needed. Snapping out of his reverie, Zuko spun around with a kick. To Kiya's horror, it caught Onu in the chest and knocked him right over the edge of the ship. The world seemed to stop, as she watched her friend-her very best friend-fall from sight. There was a distant splash, and then nothing.

His staff clattered loudly on the deck, forgotten.

"ONU!" Kiya screamed, scrambling forward to look over the edge. There was nothing but water, a boundless view of water as far as the eye could see. No Onu, and certainly no indication that he was even alive. She wanted to scream again, she wanted to cry, she wanted to leap off the deck herself and look for him-

She emitted a cry as a hand grabbed her hood, and yanked her backwards by the purple cloth. It was Zuko. Her eyes watered as he tightened his grip, his fingers securing around her braid.

"Uncle! Are you all right?"

Iroh nodded, picking bits of singed rope off of his shoulders and arms. "I am fine, Zuko. What has happened here? I remember someone calling your name… and then I remember waking up in the corridor. Who is this?"

"This," Zuko shook Kiya slightly, and she gasped in pain, "is an assassin. A Black Viper, by the uniform. She was sent here to kill me. That boy was an accomplice of hers, but now he's gone."

Tears were streaming down Kiya's face now, and not all of them were because Zuko was hurting her. She had known Onu since she was a child. They had trained hard together under Gyong's rule, and had been there for each other through everything. He had always been the one to quiet her whimpers when she woke up from yet another nightmare; he had been the one to hold her close, despite her being older than him. The two of them had done everything together, and now he was just… gone.

"I'm taking her to the brig," Zuko was saying, as he forced the daggers out of Kiya's hands. She let them drop to the deck, not even willing to fight back. "Uncle, you see if you can revive some of the crewmen. We need to keep moving. Remember," He pulled Kiya away, towards the hatch. "We still have to find the Avatar."

Kiya let herself be dragged to the lowest deck, where the brig was. All she could think about was Onu. If only I hadn't hesitated. If only I had killed Zuko. Then we'd be out of here, underwater and laughing about how Gyong would be so proud of us… he'd probably promote Onu to master now. It's all my fault. I've lost him and it's all my fault.

Some of the guards below had awoken from their unconscious sleep. A few barked commands from Zuko had them standing at attention once more, and he instructed them to remove her weapons and armor. She was given cloth pants and a tunic to wear, and her feet were left bare.

It wasn't until she had been thrown in her cell and the door had clanged shut behind her that she truly began to cry in earnest. And even then, she let no one see the tears falling down her face.