Okay, this time we get a look at what Kaiya was like. This is a kinda emo-ish chapter but it's one of my favorites.
Disclaimers. I own only my characters.
Enjoy!
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The River Lullaby
"Father!" Avaa cried as she watched her father fall to the ground. Tears rolled down her face. Hotaru, why?
"Avaa!" Avaa turned around to face her mother, Kaiya. "We have to leave," Kaiya told her daughter.
"But, Father!" she cried as her mother lead her away. Kaiya turned around.
"Honey, he-," Tears filled her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away so she wouldn't fighten her daughter more.
"I can't leave him behind," Avaa told her mother.
"Avaa, we have to leave. Don't ask questions just run." Kaiya said sternly. Avaa looked at her father again, then nodded at her mother. Both mother and daughter broke into a run out of the house, into the village square.
They both gasped at their village burning. Avaa stared in horror as her cousins and aunts were killed by her brother. Kaiya snapped out of the trance and ran for the river with her daughter in tow.
Kaiya stopped at the bank and knelt with her daughter in the reeds. She took the pendant from her neck and placed it around Avaa's.
"Mother, why did Hotaru do this?" Avaa asked.
"He's lost his way," Kaiya said. Avaa looked into her mother's eyes.
"Mother, I'm scared." Kaiya wiped a tear from her daughter's cheek.
"Follow the river. Follow it far away from here,"
"What about you?"
"Your life is more important than mine,"
"No, I won't go! Not without you!" Kaiya looked at her daughter. She hugged her while Avaa cried.
"Hush, now my baby. Be still ,love, don't cry. Sleep as you're rocked by the stream. Sleep and remember my last lullaby, so I'll be with you when you dream," Kaiya sang. She let go of her six-year-old and kissed her forehead. Avaa gave her mother one last look before slipping into the river and swimming away. "River,O river, flow gently for me. Such preicous cargo you bear. Do you know somewhere she can live free? River, deliver her there."
She heard Hotaru coming through the reeds but she made no attempt to run away. Hotaru grabbed her arm and brought her face level to his.
"Where is she?" he asked her quietly. Kaiya just narrowed her eyes and said nothing.
"WHERE IS SHE?!" Hotaru bellowed, " Where is the girl you made me call sister?!" Kaiya forced herself not to look down stream. She couldn't give her away. Hotaru screamed with rage and flung Kaiya on the ground.
He gave her a cold look before throwing fire at her, killing her instantly. He turned to the east, the way the river flowed, and whispered,
"I'll find you little sister. You can't hide forever."
Ten years later...
Zuko looked at Avaa again; she still stared into the distance, lost in her thoughts. She was starting to worry him, she usally talked with Iroh or hummed while she rode her ostrich-horse. But, today they rode in silence. Avaa caught his gaze; he gave her a worried look, which she replied with a very small smile. So small, the corners of her mouth barely twitched.
"Are you okay, Avaa?" he asked, "You've been really quiet,"
"I'm fine," She told him. He didn't believe it, but he knew he couldn't get anything else out of her. He had asked that question twice that day, already,and didn't get more than what she had just told him. "Uncle, do you know what's wrong with Avaa?" Iroh looked at the girl.
"It's today." he whispered.
"What is?" Iroh looked back at Zuko.
"The tenth anniversary of her family's death," Iroh told him. Zuko looked back at Avaa. "You know her family's origins, don't you?"
"Yes, her mother was Earth Kingdom and her father and half-brother were Fire Nation." Iroh nodded.
"Her brother was very angry with his father for marrying an Earth Kingdom woman. Hotaru believed his father was a tratior to the Fire Nation. Instead of sending him to a Fire Nation prison, he decided to kill everyone in their village relatated to him or his step-mother."
"Why would he do that?" Zuko asked.
"I've heard of Hotaru, he was close to a soldier that we knew once." Iroh waited for Zuko to guess who it was.
"Don't tell me it was Zaho," Zuko said after a moment's slience.
"It was," Iroh said. Zuko grimaced. " He killed most of the village in one night; and Zaho helped him."
Zuko's eyes narrowed as his blood boiled. "Avaa escaped because her mother snuck her to the river close to her village. She was never found by her brother."
"Her mother?"
"She was killed after Avaa escaped," Zuko loked back at Avaa who was wiping her eyes.
The sky had turned deep orange and the sun red.
"Do we find camp tonight?" Avaa asked.
"We'll keep riding," Iroh replied. As they rode, Zuko noticed Avaa take an interest in the river. Her eyes darted from rocks to trees. She looked up river and saw something that made her gasp.
"What's wrong?" Iroh asked her. She ignored him and continued to gaze at the unknown object in wonder.
"Avaa," Iroh said, trying to get her attention. She said nothing but speed up until both ostrich-horses were running. She stopped suddenly at a patch of reeds just like any other.
Avaa dismounted her ostirch-horse and stroked a tree.
"It's still here," she murmured.
"What is?" Zuko asked dismounting.
"The bridge," she replied, " The one Lira and I bulit." Zuko didn't say anything but looked at her with confusion. Her face fell when she looked across the bank. Zuko and Iroh followed her gaze to a area filled with cattails. She stepped across the bridge and looked sadly at the reeds. Zuko and Iroh followed her.
"What's wrong, Avaa?" Iroh asked. Zuko looked at her with concern. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again.
"Avaa-" Zuko started but Avaa cut him off by saying,
"My village is down that way," They followed her finger and saw a cluster of small wooden houses. Zuko immediently knew the source of her sadness. She said nothing and started walking toward her village. Zuko looked to his uncle, unsure if they should follow. Iroh nodded and they followed Avaa down the old dirt path.
Zuko could see the village alot better now, it looked like any other Earth Kingdom village. The houses were made of wood, the roof tops were green. He turned to Avaa. She was looking straight ahead, at her former home.
As they walked through the village some of the older women glared at them. Young mothers ushered their children away and gave them fearful looks.
"What's going on?" Zuko asked Iroh and Avaa. Iroh turned his palms up.
"I don't know," Avaa told him, clearly just as confused as he was.
"Now you show up," a bitter voice said. They turned left and saw a young woman, no older than Avaa and Zuko, glaring at them. Avaa smiled at the woman ignoring her glare.
"Lira!" Lira had bright sea-green eyes and short dark brown hair.
"You have alot of guts coming back here, Avaa," she snarled. Avaa looked at her old friend strangely.
"What are you talking about?"
"It's your family's fault that we suffered," Avaa still looked confused. "Your brother killed my little sister to get information out of my mother and almost killed me,"
"How is that my fault?"
"Your's and your mother's. If she hadn't married Suoh and had you, Hotaru wouldn't have gone crazy and I would still have a father!" Avaa's eyes narrowed.
"Don't you dare blame my mother! She had no control over Hotaru's actions,"
"Your mother set Hotaru off, and I don't balme him. Kaiya betrayed us by marrying Fire Nation scum," Avaa's eyes were slits. "We all lost family because of your brother, and we all balme you and your family." The once good friends glared at each other. Avaa turned away and walked down the road, still scowling.
Zuko looked at Avaa, tears filled her brown eyes.
"Don't listen to her," he told her," She doesn't know what she's talking about." Avaa said nothing, but let a few tears run down her cheeks.
"Ouch!" Avaa cried. They spun around to see a young boy with a handful of rocks. He threw another at Avaa and said,
"Go away! We don't want you here!" Zuko glared at the boy.
"Leave her alone," The boy glared back and threw a rock at Zuko before running off. Zuko clentched his fists and turned away. They continued to walk down the road.
Zuko felt a raindrop hit his head. Avaa turned right and Zuko and Iroh followed. They approached a house, it looked abandoned. Avaa walked up the steps and opened the door. It was raining harder now and they went inside. The room had a large layer of dust on everything.
"Is this-?" Iroh began.
"My house," Avaa finished. Zuko looked around, it looked like it was very welcoming when it was new. He imagined a younger Avaa laughing and playing here. Happy, and with her mother and father. She must have been remembering the same thing because she stared into space with a small smile on her lips. She came out of her trace when she felt his gaze on her. Avaa smiled at him weakly before walking down a dark hallway. Zuko followed her into a bedroom. The sheets on the bed were rumpled, like somone had forgotten to make their bed. He spotted a few old toys in the corner of the room. This was Avaa's room. She ran her fingers across her pillow.
Zuko wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say. She walked across the room and picked up a picture and smiled. Zuko walked to side, she let him see it. Her family. Her father and brother looked alot alike. Avaa looked alot like her father espically her eyes.
"Your mother is very beautiful," he told her. Avaa smiled but didn't take her eyes off the photo.
"Avaa," Zuko and Avaa turned to the doorway where Iroh was standing. "I found your parents' graves," he said quietly. Avaa and Zuko followed Iroh to the garden, which was full of weeds and wildflowers. A pond was filled with leaves and algae. Under a cheery tree sat a upright marble slab covered in weeds.
Iroh and Zuko hung back while Avaa knelt infront of the marker. She ran her fingers over the names. Zuko stepped foreword to her side.
Souh & Kaiya
Mother and Father to Avaa and Hotaru.
Zuko heard Avaa sob. He knelt beside her and took her hand. She looked at him in surprise, but Zuko's expression didn't change.
"I'm sorry," he told her quietly. She sobbed again and threw her arms around him. Zuko recoiled at first, but then wrapped his arms around her. The rain poured down on them as they knelt infront of the graves. Iroh put a hand on her shoulder.
"You're lucky that's there," Avaa let go of Zuko and turned to face Lira, standing under an umberella. Avaa's eyes narrowed and she stood up.
"Why can't you leave us alone, Lira?" Avaa asked bitterly," I've wanted to come back here for ten years, but now, I can't stand being here."
"Go then," Lira told her. She held her hand out to the street, "You're not wanted here anyway."
"I know that, but I'm going to stay longer," Avaa told in matter-of-factly tone. Lira's sneer turned into a scowl. "You have no right to run me out of my house." Iroh and Zuko smiled at Lira as she stomped away. Which was a bad idea, because she got soaked in the process. Avaa turned back to her parnets' graves and started pulling weeds. Iroh and Zuko bent over and helped her.
Once they were finished Avaa pressed her fingers to her lips, then set them onto the marble marker.
"I love you," She turned to the two men. "Let's go," As they walked out of the garden Zuko saw Avaa wipe her eye.
"Are you okay?," he asked her. She nodded.
"I'm fine," He belived it this time.
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