Note: This chapter has a lot of exposition, which I'm not very happy with. I also don't like flashbacks like this, so I'm trying to think of another way to convey the flashback. Also, this chapter has an epilogue/interlude that I'll post separately since it breaks the narrative of this chapter.
Arc 3: The Shattering Truth of it All
Chapter 12: The Ties That Bind
"No, no, NO!" Sokka shouted to his younger sister. He had just caught her inviting the weirdo Zuko Ryishi to Gran-Gran's Christmas party. She stared at him with large eyes, as if she was unaware of her serious offence, before rolling her eyes in annoyance. "Sokka, you know Gran-Gran loves meeting new people."
"We're already bringing Aang! Katara, Gran-Gran is old; why do you think we invite one stranger to her house each year? If she met two she could be hospitalized! Look at Ryishi, he's got that big, red thing on his face! A sight like that could even... well, you know..."
Katara looked at Zuko, noting the thin columns of steam emitting from his nostrils. "Sokka, whatever issues you may have with Ryishi, could you please put it aside for one night? It's not like he's going to stay over for the night!"
Ryishi, feeling as if he were invisible, offered a solution of peace to the two siblings. "Miss Reibu, it's quite all right. If inviting me to your grandmother's house would cause such—"
"Ignore him, Sokka is just acting like a little boy; you are still invited, don't worry," the waterbender assured sweetly.
The elder Reibu threw his arms in the air, emphasizing it with a stomp of the foot, "Fine! Katara, you'll see. Neither you nor Ryishi are coming to the party!" He sent an icy glare to Zuko, the firebender somewhat frightened at his gaze once again.
"He's bluffing," she commented after her brother left. Her companion, still shaky from the brother's glare, slowly nodded.
It was, as it happened, while Zuko was getting ready for the party that his cell phone rang. He thought, "Katara doesn't have to remind me about the party, so why is she calling, "before picking up the device.
"Hello?" he asked, his tone showing an unsure mood. Because of the volume of the person on the other end, he had to quickly retract the phone from his ear to prevent permanent damage. It was only after the person calmed down did he finally understand.
"I can't believe he left me!" Katara fumed. "Of all the immature—"
"Now what does this have to do with me?" Ryishi interrupted. As much as he loved listening to Katara complain—especially with one shoe untied—over the phone was not a good time for a conversation.
There was a brief silence from the girl, immediately followed by a burst of laughter. "Umm... did I miss something?" he asked himself. He had learned from his sister that when a girl laughs for no good reason, it cannot be a good sign.
"Miss Reibu...?"
"Oh, silly me! I must have forgotten to note that you are taking me to my Gran-Gran's house in your car," she ended her sentence with a raise in her tone, a sign that she was still laughing. (On the inside, Zuko supposed.)
Now it was Zuko's turn to laugh; it appeared that Katara had also forgotten that Ryishi doesn't have a car. "I must mention that I don't actually have a—" the line went dead. Ryishi though nonchalantly, "No matter, she'll find out eventually."
"I said to bring your car!" Katara crossed her arms as she saw Ryishi coming up in his motorbike.
He stared at her through the helmet, bright golden eyes on black, "And I said that I don't have one."
"No you didn't!"
"Well, I would have if you didn't hang up on me."
She huffed, "I'm not going on that thing!"
"Have you ever been on a motorcycle before?" She recollected her adventure with the Spirit; the heights, the sounds, all her emotions returning like a waterfall. She remembered how frightened she was and how she secretly vowed to never sit on such a machine as long as she lived. The sensation was not long, but was, however, long enough to be caught by Zuko Ryishi.
"Once!" The slight hesitance before she replied was enough for Ryishi to remember that he had to be oblivious to what happened that day. He remained without a word, causing an awkward silence. Katara was never fond of staying quiet, and could not comprehend how Ryishi could do it practically without effort. The longer this silence seemed to go on, the more uncomfortable she seemed to get. Zuko, on the other hand, was purposely extending it to receive a specific reaction from Reibu. Her feet shifted in a hesitant manner, her gaze scanning every part of her area of vision except for Ryishi. Through further inspection, Zuko could see that she seemed to also be holding her breath, possibly a nervous habit of hers.
Although Zuko was enjoying every second of Katara Reibu's discomfort in the situation, he knew it had to end sometime. "So, are you coming or what?"
It was at this time that Katara's respiratory system restarted. "Uh..."
The elder Reibu lay on the couch in his grandmother's house, enjoying a warm oatmeal cookie. His two guests sat opposite from him, both concerned about Katara's location.
"What did you do to Katara?" Toph asked frankly (with a hint of suspicion), her voice monotone, her eyes gazing right through him.
Sokka sat up, looking as innocent as possible (ignorant of the fact that Toph Bei Fong was blind); he looked around the room, as if to make sure that she was talking to him. "Toph, Toph, Toph, Toph. Do you truly believe that I did something to my only sister?"
Toph's expression remained unchanged (much to Sokka's dismay), "I believe that you are capable of many things."
"So..." Aang cut in, sensing the growing tension. "How long have you known your Gran-Gran?" The other two immediately turned to him, an "Are you serious?" expression on their faces. The boy then blushed out of embarrassment, although he did not know what to be embarrassed about. It was a mere question, after all.
The doorbell rang, startling the people inside the house. Sokka called out, "Don't worry, I'll get it!"
As he got up, Toph mumbled to herself, low enough that Aang could hear, "I was wondering when she'd show up."
"Who?" the vegetarian asked.
A smug grin made its way to the earthbender's face, "You'll see."
Aang cocked his head in puzzlement; what exactly would he see? In no more than a second later, a wave of water came crashing into the living room.
"You jerk!" She fumed, calling the water back to her hands for another blow.
Her brother stumbled back, frightened of his younger sister, "How did you possibly get here?"
Katara stared at her brother for a good long moment, "Since you asked, dear brother, I have something you don't: a Ryishi!"
"Katara! You've arrived! I knew that when Sokka told me you chose not to come, there was something amiss," the elderly woman pulled her granddaughter in a tight embrace. She then noticed the tall, dark-haired teen enter the house, "And who is your little friend...?" Her sentence trailed off, realization setting in.
"Why! You've grown to look just like your father!"
Everyone's gaze (save for Toph's) turned to Zuko. He himself was surprised; his legs grew weak, his throat suddenly dries. He tried to moisten his mouth before speaking, yet his voice still came out hoarse, "H-how do you know my father?"
The elderly woman had a faraway look in her eyes, the features on her face growing solemn. "My daughter, Kya, was a close friend of your mother."
Anger burned up inside Sokka. His mother was betrayed by a Fire Nation woman, and Zuko Ryishi was her son? No! He would not stand for this! He was already ready to go and say something, however Aang held him back.
"So does this make Ryishi and I siblings or something?" Sokka did not even have to rotate his head to know who it was. He already knew that his sister was one of the most confusing persons in the world. However, it was these sudden bursts of stupidity that made Sokka wonder if he really was adopted. Nah, he resembled his father enough to them to be related.
Toph slapped her forehead in frustration. Why did Katara decide to become a brainless princess now?
Kanna, however, appeared completely unaware of her granddaughter's outburst. "Now, you may be wondering why did a Fire Nation girl become friends with a girl from the Water Tribes? It was a strange set of circumstances that led to their meeting, and I'm still a bit fuzzy on how it all came to be. Your mother [to Sokka and Katara] was about six years old at the time. (Oh how I remember this day clearly.) We were on vacation somewhere near Kyoshi Island and I remember she was playing out it the yard. I didn't worry much because there weren't any dangerous creatures in that part of the world, so you can imagine my face when I saw her covered in dirt and grime telling me: 'Mommy, a dragon fell into the yard!'"
~Flashback~
Kanna
Inwardly I smiled. Of course I believed that this was all some sort of game she was playing. Honestly, the biggest surprise I had was the little Fire Nation girl lying in the grass. She appeared to be a bit older than Kya, she had beautiful raven hair (although some sticks and leaves stuck to it). She was apparently clutching her arm in pain. The poor thing. I immediately went to tending to the injury. She had intentionally moved her arm away in hesitation, glaring slightly at me with piercing golden eyes. The child was obviously from the Fire Nation. However, I was not one to be easily frightened by a mere child. I politely stared back at her until she gave up and let me tend to her. I believe that her surrender was due to the influence of little Kya, who had said to her happily, "Don't worry, my mommy will make your arm all better."
As I was placing some herbs to clean the bruise, my curiosity got the better of me. "So," I started very frankly. "How did you manage to get all the way here?"
It was obvious that the question caught the girl by surprise, "Um... well..."
"Don't you remember?" Kya cut in. She appeared to be quite puzzled by this point. "You were flying! There you were in the sky and you fell! You fell into the yard! I saw you!"
I gently turned my daughter towards me and spoke to her softly, "Little girls cannot fly, Kya. It is all in your very big imagination."
Her lower lip stuck out, her small hands rolling into fists, "But mommy, she's not a little girl; she's a little dragon!"
I heard a loud shushing noise from the girl, and I promptly turned back to her. She quickly noticed and gave me a toothy grin, with a nervous chuckle behind it. "Obviously," she began a-matter-of-factly, "she is hopelessly confused. I fell right out of that tree over there."
"And why were you up there in the first place?" I inquired.
"Well, I, uh... I suppose I was looking for someone."
"You suppose that you were looking for someone?"
"That's right."
"Interesting. And you don't suppose that knocking was a good idea? Hmm?"
"Well, about that... There is a logical explanation for that bit."
"Of course there is!" my eccentric daughter cut in. "Everybody knows that dragons are too big for the front door! They come through the chimney!"
"Or is it Santa Claus?" she mused sometime later.
"You have a very interesting daughter, Miss," the girl said with a hint of sarcasm in her tone. She looked to the side slightly, pressing her lips together before releasing a small sigh.
"Hey!" Kya suddenly exclaimed. "You called me the 's' word! That wasn't nice!"
The girl blinked, and said to herself, "I didn't say that out loud, did I?"
"You did!" She crossed her arms and pouted.
"What did you just call me?!" The girl opened her mouth in shock!
"I didn't call you anything!" She spat angrily. The girl stood up (completely against my wishes) and turned to me. "How can you allow your daughter to know such language?"
By this time you must understand that I was completely baffled. I hadn't heard a thing from the both of them. I voiced my thoughts and this was the reaction from the little girl, "If you didn't hear anything... Then that means... " Her eyes opened in realization. She turned to my daughter and quickly gave a small bow of respect. "My apologies. I was not aware that you are the one I have been looking for."
"Huh?" My daughter and I simultaneously asked.
She turned to me saying, "Well, I suppose that it's all good and well to tell you as well, seeing as you are her mother. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ursa Ryishi; the current Guardian of the Snow or Yuki no shugo-sha. It is truly an honor to finally meet the Keeper. Your daughter was not crazy when she called me a dragon. I was actually flying over the plain when I felt drawn to this place. I hid in the tree to get a better look when I lost my footing and fell."
All this time, little Kya was growing in excitement, "You see, I told you, mommy. I told you she was a dragon!"
"Kya, there are no such things are dragons." I loudly whispered to her.
"On the contrary, miss, I am, in fact, a remarkable specimen of the race your daughter speaks of. I can prove it to you, but..." Ursa looked around uneasily. "Would it be possible for me to enter your house? There are many in this world who would love to have a dragon hide."
~Flashback End~
"So," Sokka interrupted. "Was she really a dragon or was she just pulling on your strings?"
Kanna merely stared sternly at her grandson before saying, "Just let me finish the story."
~Flashback~
Kanna
As it turned out to be, the girl really was a dragon. As I think back now, I didn't seem to be quite surprised by the fact; I had always known that something strange would happen because of Kya. "Mommy, I was right! Now, I'll be the only girl in the whole tribe who is friends with a real dragon!"
Ursa immediately became uneasy, "Look, you can't tell anyone about me! No one! You see, you and I. We have a special connection to each other. Don't you see? We were able to hear each other's thoughts. You are a little too young to understand now, but someday, I'll explain everything."
"You sound like you're leaving," I pointed out. She nodded, but realized Kya's solemn expression. "Don't worry," she assured. "I'll come back."
~Flashback End~
"She did come back and visit—every year, as a matter of fact. No matter where we seemed to be at the time, that girl would always find us. Eventually her visits became a lot more frequent as she and Kya grew closer together."
"And when she had Mom's complete trust, she turned around and betrayed her," Sokka finished. Zuko began feel anger running through him, "She would never do that!"
Sokka rolled his eyes, "And how would you know?"
"You don't know her!"
The blue-eyed boy grinned smugly, "And what about you? Didn't she abandon you ten years ago? You don't know what kind of person she truly was."
The firebender couldn't hold in his rage any longer. Sokka Reibu had gone too far, and would pay for what he said. Zuko pulled his hand back, ready to throw it into the boy's face, however stopped himself before he could do so. Only Toph had noticed this act of self-control and said to herself, "Wow, Sparky, that took a lot, didn't it?" Tears began to form in his golden eyes, and he simply rushed out of the house.
Katara tried to follow him, but as she watched the motorcycle and heard the fading motor ring, she knew she was too late. "Sokka!" She shouted, raising her hand to smack him. Instead, she scoffed and said, "You know what? You're not even worth it." Katara left the room, going upstairs to her bedroom. They could hear her heavy steps as she climbed.
Aang looked up at Sokka, "Sokka, I know you don't like Zuko very much, but you went too far." Toph merely nodded; although she had wanted Zuko to punch Sokka in the face, she knew why he didn't. It would cause the tension between him and the Reibu family to strain even more.
Kanna took her grandson firmly by the shoulder and led him to the kitchen. "Sokka, you had no right to say what you did."
"I believe I had all the right, Gran-Gran, how could you let that woman's son into your own house when she took away your daughter!"
She placed a hand to her forehead, taking a step back, "It-it's too soon... I can't tell you now."
Katara walked in, her hand lightly on the door frame, "Tell him what?"
Aang and Toph were left alone in the den. They didn't speak a word to each other, which unsettled Aang. When he looked at Toph, it was very difficult for him to know how she was feeling. What she was thinking. She appeared as completely blank to the outside world, perhaps because of her blindness she was unable to react or show emotion to certain things that required sight. The silence did not appeal to him, and he desperately wished to see Katara—she looked very upset and he wanted to try and console her. "If his mom was a dragon, doesn't that make Ryishi a half-dragon?" the blind girl finally spoke. Aang blinked, the question coming a bit out of the blue. He though for a moment. It was just a story, right? Something Gran-Gran made up. It couldn't possibly be real. But there was one thing that got him thinking. Toph had told him that she could tell if a person was lying or not. If she knew that the story was a lie, why would she ask him that?
Maybe Toph knew something that he didn't. Maybe the story was true.
If so, then the possibility of Zuko being a dragon (or at least a half dragon) was extremely high. Shortly after, a small smile made its way to the girl's face. Aang didn't like that smile very much. In fact—he was a bit frightened. She was thinking something. Something that had to do with Zuko Ryishi.
Kanna felt the tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn't hide this from her grandchildren any longer. They had to know. "It was your mother's choice.
"After the Avatar, it is the duty of the Keepers and the Guardians to keep the balance of the world. The original thought was that the Avatar cycle was broken when the Air Avatar never appeared; however, he had been put into an eternal sleep. A state of suspended animation. He could not be freed without someone taking his place. Ursa begged Kya not to do it, but..."
"No," Sokka said just above a whisper.
Kanna continued, "It was for the sake of the world."
It was then Sokka realized how stupid he had been for talking out of turn like that. He had to swallow his pride. He would have to admit that he was wrong.
"So what about Ursa?" asked Katara. "What happened to her?"
"That, my dear, I do not know. But with the both of them gone. There is the need for a new Keeper and Guardian. When they choose to accept their destiny, I will always be here to assist them in any way I can." Katara knew who she was referring to. Because of Sokka, Zuko had left prematurely. She hoped dearly that wherever he was, he was pulling himself together.
Iroh heard a knock at his door. Strange. It was almost 10:00. Who would come and visit so late? He lowered the flame of the tea he was brewing and slowly opened his door, the cold winter air streaming into the room.
"Hey, uncle. I'm back."
