"We are no more than candles burning in the wind." -Japanese Proverb

"I should kill you for what you've done!"

Her vision was fading, growing weak, until the Prince in front of her was only a blur. Just when Kiya thought she might fall unconscious, all of her breath spent, he loosed his fingers. She shoved his hand away, taking several steps before falling to her knees. She reached for her throat, massaging at her bruised windpipe, coughing as she gulped in lungfuls of fresh air.

"No," He said, ignoring her as she crouched on the ground, coughing and spitting. "I should kill you, but I can't. I don't know why, and it's infuriating, but I can't kill you." He sighed, his fingers trailing lightly over a lengthy cut on his right cheek. "I'm not even that mad. You know what I feel, more than anything?"

Her only answer was a glare, as she heaved, her arms wrapped around her stomach.

"I feel… a kind of a relief. Like now things are the way they're supposed to be, with me chasing after the Avatar again. I'm not sure if I'm even meant to catch him. I just…" He sighed. "I feel so tired. I'm so tired of constantly being on the move, of trying to catch him. Maybe it's best if I just let him go for a while."

Shakily, Kiya rose to her feet. "And you're only coming to this conclusion now?" She scowled at him, rubbing at her throat. Already, a ring of pale purple bruises was forming. "You couldn't have come to it before you tried to kill me?"

Zuko shrugged. "Sorry. I got caught up in the moment. Besides, this makes us even. You've tried to kill me several times now."

Kiya stared at him, her eyes practically falling out of her skull. "'I got caught up in the moment'? That's your excuse?"

He frowned, taking a step towards her. "I said I was sorry."

She danced away, out of his reach. "Don't touch me! I'm mad at you."

"You're mad? I'm the one who should be mad! You let the Avatar escape!"

"You tried to kill me!"

"You tried to kill me, too! Or did you forget that you were an assassin, sent to kill me?"

"Yes," A deep voice drawled. "Did you forget that?"

Kiya and Zuko slowly turned, their expressions matched in horror. Gyong and Onu were standing at the edge of the village, clearly recovered from their paralysis. Kiya gasped, unwillingly faltering and leaning against Zuko. He slipped an arm around her shoulder, steadying her and holding her up. Gyong's eyes narrowed at the sight of them.

"Clearly, you did forget," He growled, striding forwards with his thumbs hooked on his belt. "You have let your feelings for this boy cloud your mind, and you have lost sight of the objective." Gyong paused, shaking his head. "I am so sorry for what we have done to you. Clearly all of your time spent aboard his ship has warped your mind. You're unwell. Come back with us, and I promise, we will take care of you."

Kiya shook her head, unable to believe what she was hearing. Gyong thought she was sick? He thought that Zuko had brainwashed her, into helping the Avatar, and into staying by him? Was he mad?

"There's nothing wrong with me." She leaned closer against Zuko. "I'm not going back with you. Don't you see, Gyong? I've already won. The Avatar has escaped. Your plan has been foiled."

He only smiled. "There is always tomorrow."

"Why?" She shouted, pulling herself away from Zuko, and stomping towards her master. "Why are you doing this?"

"Kiya, I've already told you. The-"

"I know. But it really doesn't matter why, does it? All I know is that you need to be stopped." Kiya planted her feet, and pulled her daggers out of their sheaths, wrapping her fingers around the hilts tightly. Her heartbeat pounded in the pads of her fingers, noise rushing in her ears.

Gyong laughed out loud. "Are you challenging me? I taught you everything you know. Do you really think that you can beat me?"

No, she didn't. But she could die trying. Gyong had lied to her, and there was no way she was going to let him lie to the rest of the world. She was not going to let him orphan another person, just for money's sake. Just because the world seemed to face unbeatable odds.

"And what of the Fire Prince?" Gyong asked, raising one dark eyebrow. "Where do his loyalties lie?"

"You tried to have me killed." Zuko glared, raising his fists. "I think I'll stay where I am."

"With the one I sent to kill you?" Gyong laughed again, shrugging. "Suit yourself. Come, Onu. We fight."

Onu gaped, blinking several times. "But… you said…"

"I know what I said. And now I'm telling you that we're going to fight them."

Onu shook his head once, his face paling. He refused to look Kiya in the eyes, horror-stricken. She could see the battle raging inside of him, it was etched plainly on his face as his mouth twisted and his blue eyes filled with tears. "I can't." He finally said, turning and running. He dashed into the trees, disappearing into the woods.

Gyong shook his head, his face disgusted. "Pathetic boy. He needn't have run. This will be over quickly." He tore off his green tunic, throwing it to the ground. He planted his feet against the stone ground, breathing deeply through his nose as he swung his arms out in front of him, his taut palms facing the sky.

What few villagers who had surfaced from their homes scurried back inside, slamming their doors as they recognized another fight to begin. Kiya couldn't blame them. What was about to happen would surely end in bloodshed, for she was certain that there was no way she could beat Gyong.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Gyong called.

"Of co-" Kiya threw herself out of the way as he sent a chunk of stone flying towards her. Muttering darkly, she pulled herself to her feet, only to have to dodge out of the way once more. She rolled out of the way of another one, spinning onto her back as a particularly jagged one zipped overhead, crashing into a building on the other side of the square.

"What's the matter, Kiya?" Gyong taunted, his grin wide and mocking. "Can't keep your footing? Is it too rocky for you?"

Snarling, she leapt back to her feet, ducking down low as a boulder passed over her. She met Zuko's gaze, and the two of them ran forward, each brandishing daggers: hers of blade, and his of fire. Gyong slammed his right foot onto the ground, kicking huge boulders of rock and stone up, sending them spinning through the air with his fists at the two of them, his expression growing more and more furious as the two of them dodged every one.

With a great roar, he clapped both of his hands together, and four enormous stone panels, pulled up from the square, encased Kiya. She hissed as the rock pinched her skin, imprisoning her completely so that only her head was visible. "Zuko!" She yelled, as Gyong shifted his feet. "Watch out!"

The Prince shot a fireball at Gyong, and it grazed the side of his head, burning his cheek. The earth-bender howled, before kicking a pillar into the air, knocking Zuko off of his feet. As soon as Zuko hit the ground, it opened up and swallowed him.

Kiya's eyes widened, even as the rock surrounding her fell back into the earth. "No!"

"Now it's just you and me." Gyong wiped a trickle of blood out of his eye, his hand scraping over the burn that had his skin peeling. "As it should have been all along."

"Let him go!"

"Or what?" Suddenly, Gyong's brown eyes turned black and his long brown hair whirled around his face. "Have you forgotten who you are, Kiya? What you are? After all of the things I've done for you… Have you forgotten that I saved your life all those years ago? I raised you like my own child, and I did not have to. You owe me everything!"

"No." She shook her head, dropping her daggers to the ground. "You raised me as a murderer. I was never a child. You raised me as a perfect little copy who would one day inherit your legacy, but the empire you built was all lies, Gyong. No more. I owe you nothing."

"What are you doing?" He asked, frowning. "Pick up your weapons."

Kiya shook her head, dropping to her knees. "No. I surrender. I will not live in debt to you. Take the life back that you saved. Take it, and be damned." She raised her arms, placing her hands on the back of her head.

"Foolish, impudent-"

Her right arm swung down in an arc, to the coil at her back. She yanked it off her belt and curved it around, the lashes unrolling and writhing like snakes. The Viperstrike hissed through the air, two of the three metal heads slicing through Gyong's arm. With a strangled yell, he fell to his knees, his body fighting the paralyzing poison.

"Release Zuko. Now!" She shouted, yanking the Viperstrike back through the air.

"No…" Gyong's teeth were clenched, and he was twitching.

"Let… him… go!" CRACK! The whip shot through the air, all three heads slicing into Gyong this time, opening wounds on his chest and arms. Blood dripped down onto the ground, seeping from the open lacerations.

Jerking his chin just before he fell, the ground opened again and shot Zuko out. Gyong fell backwards, his legs splayed out at an awkward angle as if he were a corpse, his hands trapped behind his back. Zuko rolled onto his side, gasping and shaking. Kiya dropped the Viperstrike and ran to him, falling to her knees. "Are you okay?" She brushed his hair off of his face. He nodded, and she helped him up. The two of them, injured and beaten, stood supporting each other for a moment, before examining the earth-bender.

He was already squirming, and had propped himself up against a rock. His hands and legs were still useless, but he seemed to be recovering much faster than before, despite how many times she had hit him.

"How?" Kiya asked, frowning incredulously, as Zuko picked up her daggers and handed them to her.

Gyong narrowed his eyes. "Stupid girl. The more hits I take, the more my body builds up an immunity."

Kiya ignored the barb, pacing in front of him. She only had a few moments, and there was something that she needed to know. "You once told me that your hatred for the Fire Nation was unrivaled, because of what they had done to your land and your people. Because of what they had done to both Onu and I." She stared hard at him, anger bleeding into her words. Anger and hurt. "But that wasn't true, was it?"

Gyong sighed, fruitlessly trying to move his hands from behind his back. It didn't work. "Kiya, try and understand. The Fire Lord cannot be beaten. Not by the Avatar, who is only an inexperienced twelve-year-old boy, and not by all the armies in this world. He is too powerful. I have learned over the years that it is better to fall in with him, than to rise against him."

Her voice shook when she spoke again, and she kept her fists clenched at her sides, within reach of her daggers. "You didn't answer my question."

"No, it's not true. Or, at least, not for you. Fire Nation soldiers did kill Onu's parents, but he accepted the changing ways of the world, or so I had thought. You, on the other hand…" Gyong shook his head. "You were but a tiny child when I found you. You couldn't have been more than two years old. I had been passing through the Earth Kingdom village where you were, with some other refugees. The place had been ransacked, and there was one building still standing, but it was on fire. The others had an idea to loot the place and move on. Something drew me to that tiny house, though, and I made my way over to it."

"I couldn't explain my weird fascination with it. Instead, I turned away, to return to my people. That was when I heard you crying. I knew then that I had to save you. I kicked in the door, and flames rushed out at me. Covering myself with earth, I ran inside, searching for you. You were on the ground, in a small bed lined with furs, wrapped in a green blanket. It had your name embroidered on it. I quickly scooped you up, and ran from the house. It collapsed only seconds after I made it through the door."

"What about my parents? You told me they were murdered by the Fire Nation."

"And they were." Gyong's brown eyes softened, and his words were quieter as he gasped for air, his injuries paining him. "But Kiya… you must understand, I kept this from you in the hopes that would grow up to be a better person. I kept this from you for your own good."

"Kept what from me?" Every breath she took was laced with ice, her lungs aching from the cold she felt. Something wasn't right.

"Your entire village was killed for a reason. There was one other survivor besides you, a woman who was babbling nonsense. She eventually died afterwards from burns, but before she did, she said that they had come for Rika and Xano, your parents. They had come for revenge, she said, and had slaughtered everyone. 'Nobody leaves', she kept saying, 'They were making a statement. Nobody leaves.'

Kiya licked her lips, tasting blood. "What did she mean?"

Gyong sighed through his nose. "Your entire village was killed by the Fire Nation because your parents were Fire Nation."

She would've laughed. She would have smiled, and cracked up, knowing that Gyong was joking. A cruel joke, sure, but a joke that was untrue nonetheless. He was only trying to make the moments pass, so he could free himself and kill her. Surely, that was the reason for his words. After all, there was no way. She had hated the Fire Nation her entire life. There was no possible way that she hated her own blood, her own nationality. She was from the Earth Kingdom. She had been wrapped in a green blanket, in an Earth Kingdom village. He'd said so himself. She would have imagined it was all a frightful dream, if Zuko hadn't said anything at all.

"Xano…" He murmured, tapping his chin with one forefinger in thought. "Xano. Where do I know that name?" His good eye widened. "Yes! Xano was one of my grandfather's generals! He disappeared around the time that I was born. People used to talk about him sometimes…" He slide a sideways glance at Kiya. "But it can't be the same one, can it?"

Gyong nodded. "The very same. I saw him in the burning house. He was dead already, as was Rika, his wife, and so there was nothing I could do for them. I recognized his face from the wanted posters all over the Earth Kingdom cities. He had become an expatriate, running away with his pregnant wife to the Earth Kingdom, where they settled and tried to forget that they were Fire Nation. Nobody leaves, Kiya. Nobody leaves the Fire Nation." He shrugged. "They were found no more than two years later, and they were punished."

"I can't believe it," Zuko said, his voice hushed. "Xano was your father. Kiya… do you know what this means?"

Somewhere it registered that he was talking to her, but she couldn't reply. Her jaw was locked, her teeth melded together. A lump formed in her throat, a disbelief that made her choke. It couldn't be true. It couldn't be. They were lying. They had to be... right?

Instead of Zuko, it was Gyong who said, "You're Fire Nation."

"YOU!" Furious, she spun towards Gyong, her purple cape swirling out behind her. "You kept this from me! All of the years, you lied to me. Who I am…" She emitted a dry sob, her body shaking. "I don't know myself anymore. I'm not the person you said I was. I'm not the person I said I was." Does anyone know me? Or am I simply nobody now, a remnant of a betrayal long since past? An orphaned child of the Fire Nation, who knows she doesn't belong?

You're Fire Nation. Fire Nation Fire Nation Fire Nation Fire Nation Fire Nation Fire Nation Fire Nation Fire Nation Fire Nation Fire Nation Fire Nation Fire Nation. The words echoed in her head, blending and repeating until they had no meaning, and until her heart was numb, but there it was still: the knowledge that she was what she had always feared. Her nightmare, the one with her seeing herself in the mirror, a part of the Fire Nation… it had come true.

"How could you?" She choked out. "How?"

Gyong smiled grimly, pulling forth one hand from behind his back. "It was easy. I just-"

Her arm moved like a scythe, to her side and then back up through the air. Gyong's eyes widened as the dagger whistled through the air before piercing his chest. It sank into his skin with a sickening squelching sound. Blood filled between his teeth, and the smile died on his lips. His eyes faded, the color dulling to a matte brown as his life evaporated. His head fell slowly forward, his chin against his chest. A crimson flower blossomed on his chest in a circle around the dagger, spilling down his skin in flowing rivulets. Wordlessly, they watched as the last breath left him, and he died right there in the Earth Kingdom village.

Silence followed. An eerie, weighty thing that floated around in the empty corners of the village, coming to life like shadows. The afternoon sun was shining on them, but all Kiya felt was a chilling calm, a clarity that washed over her sense and made her feel hollowed and dark. Somewhere behind her, a door opened. There were murmured voices as more and more people found it was once again safe to leave their homes. Someone gasped, no doubt pointing at the dead man. A bird chirped, singing cheerfully from its perch. A warm breeze sailed through the village, dipping down low over Kiya and out to the woods, where it whispered through the shadowy trees.

The world kept turning. A blow had been delivered to her, a stunning hit that would continue to leave her bruised for days, maybe even months to come. A weight had been dropped on her life, and she wasn't even sure who she was anymore. And yet, the world kept spinning, as if nothing had even happened. As if her life didn't feel like it was about to end. As if she actually knew what she was going to do next.

A hand was on her shoulder, a concerned body behind her. "Kiya?"

They were alone. The villagers were all talking amongst themselves, wondering what had happened. Wondering who the exhausted, injured teenagers were. They were in their own little world, confused and entertained by all of the excitement. Kiya felt like she and Zuko were in an entirely different dimension, parallel to that of the villagers, where there was no color, and there was no sound besides the two of them breathing and their words. The Fire Nation soldiers of Zuko's crew were gone, the komodo-rhinoceros' were gone, and it was just the two of them, lost in their own little world made up of grays.

"I need…" She shook her head, the words falling from her focus.

"What do you need?" It was Zuko, and his voice was soft. So soft. Like a dream that she could fall into. One that wasn't a memory of her parents death, for she knew now that was exactly what she had been seeing and hearing when she slept for months. Somehow, subconsciously, she had known all along.

You're Fire Nation.

She didn't want to look at him. She didn't want to see the pity that she already knew was written on his face. She shook his hand off. "I need my knife…" She mumbled. She took two steps to retrieve Death-Omen. Took two steps and fell, collapsing as she fainted.

The last thing she felt before slipping away was someone catching her just before she hit the ground.

Zuko sighed through his nose, leaning against the wall of his quarters. He hurt all over, and it was hard for him to put weight on his left leg. There was a cut on his right cheek, and he could feel the skin stretched taut where the blood had dried there. When he raised one hand to brush his hair out of his face, he saw it tremble with exhaustion.

His Uncle had collected them, just after Kiya had fainted. He had wanted to know what had happened, as there was no Avatar in sight and a handful of unconscious Fire Nation soldiers, plus a dead earth-bender. But Zuko didn't have an answer for him. Instead, they had all returned to the ship, silent and tense.

He hadn't really known what had happened. He still didn't. All he knew was that Kiya had been forced to kill the very man who had raised her, after finding out not only that he had betrayed her, but that he had lied to her about her heritage. She was Fire Nation. No wonder he had seen so much of Irada in her. What he had originally thought was true now, there was no doubt about it. He would need to send another letter to her, and let her know that he had found her twin sister… He sighed again, shaking his head. Not now. Now, he had to help Kiya, however he could.

She still hadn't come around. She was lying on her sleeping pad, motionless. She barely even seemed to be alive, her breaths tiny and shallow. He stepped forward, wincing as his leg twinged. "Kiya?"

She didn't say anything, didn't move to give any indication that she'd heard him. She just lay there, her eyes closed in what appeared to be sleep. Warnings went off in Zuko's head. She should have woken up by now. She should be awake, her eyes open. What's wrong with her?

Hobbling across the room, he managed to sit down beside her, just on the edge of her sleeping pad. He leaned over her, examining her face. She was deathly pale, her skin almost gray. Her lips even seemed blue, and yet, she was breathing. So why did she look like she was dead? He stroked her cheek with two fingers, before pulling his hand back suddenly like he'd been bitten. Her skin was ice cold.

Worried now, he grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently. "Kiya, wake up. Kiya!"

She groaned, opening her eyes the tiniest fraction. He gasped. She was staring past him, her eyes dull and unseeing. They had changed from their usual vivid emerald to a glazed gray, and he knew by the pallor of her skin exactly what was going on. She'd gone into the Blank State. She'd descended inside of herself, to escape the reality of what was happening beyond the shell of her body. That was not good, Zuko knew. She could get lost inside of herself, get too comfortable in that husk where nothing could hurt her. She could give up, and fall into a deep coma where no one, not even the most experienced healer, would be able to reach her.

What can I do? He thought, panicking. He'd only ever heard things about the Blank State, not particulars on what to do when someone goes in, or how to get them out.

"Kiya, don't do this." He pulled her up, raising her, cradling her as he tried to get her to sit up. "Come on, I need you to stay with me." He grabbed her hands; they were frozen. He held her hands tightly, rubbing along her arms and cupping her face to try and warm her.

She said nothing, her eyes still frozen in that unseeing stare. Not knowing what else to do, he warmed his lips until they tingled with heat, before pressing them against hers in a soft kiss. Her mouth opened for him in a rush of cold breath, and he breathed his warmth into her, desperately trying to reach her. When she pushed away from him suddenly, gasping for breath, he knew he had done it. Relief washed through his body, as her eyes darkened again to their natural green, and her cheeks went pink. She stared at him, at the hands he had around her wrists, and he watched with horror as her eyes filled not with tears, but with a numbing emptiness that chilled him to his core.

"They lied to me," She whispered, her voice hollowed with despair. "They lied to me, and they betrayed me."

"Yes," He said, nodding. "But you got your vengeance for your parents. You paid the debt."

Her words were a pain-filled gasp. "Then why don't I feel any better? Why do I feel jagged, like I've just been cut open?" Her eyes suddenly faded to that colorless wasteland again, and Zuko reacted. He tightened his hold on her already bruised wrists and pulled her against him.

"You have to stay with me." How could he explain in that moment how much he needed her? How could he explain how much he had come to depend on her presence, on her humor and the way she enjoyed baiting him? And how could he tell her that he knew as well as she did that she needed him too? How could he convey the feelings that he were twisting inside of him like a dragon, too warm to be kept inside?

"Why?" Her voice was haunting, like she was fading fast into some dark twilight realm where he wouldn't be able to follow her. "Why even bother? Inside I don't feel this. Inside I can sleep. Inside I won't dream."

"You can't do that to yourself. You have to feel."

"Why?" She asked again, her eyes locked on him. "This pain… I've never felt anything like it. I don't want to take it. It would just be better if I left…" Her eyes fluttered closed.

He had felt pain like that. He had felt all of his father's scorn and disapproval along the edge of his face. He had felt the pain of his mother's abandonment, time and time again in nightmares that seemed to never end. He had gone through pain like that-was still going through pain like that-and yet, he was alive. It reminded him that there was still life in him yet, and that was something that they could never take away from him.

"No!" He shouted, shaking her hard enough so that she opened her eyes wide again. "You can't do that. There are good things in this world, good things worth staying for. This is just another moment, another heartbreak, but it will pass. There are better feelings than this. Trust me."

"Like what?" Her voice was ashen. Her sleepy, clouded eyes remained fixed on his face, and he found he couldn't look away, as they fought a desperate dance, green mingling with gray. She was trying so hard, but if he didn't do something soon, he'd lose her.

And he found that was something he didn't want.

"Like…" He paused. Clarity made his eyes open wide, as he realized what he had to do. There was only one way to pull her out of her agony, and somehow, he'd known it all along. He relaxed against her, dipping to kiss her, really kiss her. "Like this."

It was soft, a feather light touch that may have not even existed. Warming himself all over, he let go of her wrists and brushed his fingers through her tangled, loosed hair. The strands clung to his fingers, crackling with electricity. Her arms went around his waist, and she sighed, melting against him. He kissed her again, at the corner of her mouth. He kissed her jaw, her cheek, her forehead, her closed eyes, before trailing back down to her mouth. Hugging her against him and enveloping her in his heat, he kissed her cold mouth until it no longer held that icy chill, and until he was sure her eyes were green.

"Zuko," She murmured, her voice a tender sigh.

After that, she fell promptly asleep, her breathing loud and her cheeks pink. He too fell into an exhausted sleep with her in his arms, his heart tangled up with hers.

:O
One more chapter left after this!