Kishi: Well, the beginning. Yep. Not much to say, but I do hope y'all enjoy!

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Kara-no

Chapter 1

Unrelated Circumstance

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The dawn came, cold and clear. It did little to warm the mountain peaks on which it shone, but many observers had always spoken of how majestic these mountains were when their snowcaps had become snow clothes, and the dawn light would strike, turning the mountain range into one long sparkling geode.

The one person, that day, who was in any position to comment was busy dreaming of the day when spring would tempt tender blooms from the trees down below, when warmth would return and his home would be rife with the heady aroma of pine. But alas, his dream could not continue forever. The sun streamed into the cave, hitting a smoke-blackened wall and shyly slid down the wall and across the floor, gradually illuminating the figure huddled against the wall. It finally arrived at his face, forcing him to sit up after a moment or so and rub furiously. Afterwards, he stood up and stretched, letting his long brown hair fall forward, obscuring his eyes again.

He noticed the remains of his fire smoldering in the corner, so he walked over, added small twigs, then gradually larger, and larger until the fire was of an appropriate size again. Then, with another stretch, he pulled on his garments – dirty, threadbare, loose cotton pants, a jacket of similar make and condition, a grass vest with blades long browned, and a pair of worn but reliable sandals.

Then, grabbing a long, roughly hewn walking stick, he stepped out of his cave, shifting aside the makeshift door that was really little more than dead branches laid across slats. After standing for a full minute and pondering his surroundings, he walked down the mountain, through the pines and the hibernal trees further down until he reached the frozen stream. It was wide enough, but not deep enough to be a full-fledged river. That didn't keep fish from swimming up into these heights and getting frozen, however. He walked along the banks, back up hill before finding a few silvery streaks frozen in place. He grinned, nodded to himself, and used his stick to start hacking into the ice.

It took the better part of an hour for each, but he needed the food. He continued upstream from there, finding two more intermittently. Then, with the sun just past noon, he trooped back to the cave with his catch, where he proceeded to thaw and cook them, smoking three of them for later. It wasn't much of a meal, but the fish were good, and at least he had extended his meager stores another day or so.

With the last of the day's dying light, he went out into the woods again to find any sort of wood he could use for the fire. He searched everywhere he could reach, but when nightfall came he had barely half an arm's load. Still, he reflected as he walked, this was no big thing. He was no stranger to lean winters. He got back to the cave, closed the door, added a stick to the fire and sat against the wall, staring into the flames and thinking before sleep finally came and took him.

All in all, it had been a good day.

---

"Hey guys?" Aang's voice chimed from the front. Sokka and Katara looked up. "I think Appa's a little tired," said the Air Bender. "I think we should set down and rest for the night."

"Good idea, Aang," said Katara. "Do you see a clearing?"

"Um… yeah. I'll take us down."

---

When he woke up again the next morning, everything seemed the same. He added wood, got dressed, grabbed his stick and stepped outside.

Nothing felt different. Nothing looked different. So he suspected nothing when he set out into the woods to look for rabbits.

---

"Get your beauty sleep?" was the affectionately smart comment Katara received when she woke up. She looked groggily at her brother and shook her head.

"No… doesn't look like you did, either."

Sokka mimed getting shot through the heart. "Good one!" In spite of herself, she couldn't help but grin as her mind continued to wake up. She looked around and saw that Aang was stirring in his sleeping bag as Sokka was stretching. "Well," he finally said, "I think I'm gonna go see if I can find anything out there. Can't count on supplies forever, especially with King Bumi's money running so low."

"I'll bet we could've taken some money from those pirates," said Aang thoughtfully.

"Yeah, Aang, we had so much time to just grab their stuff," said Sokka. "Or at least Katara did…"

"I love you too, Sokka," grated Katara. Sokka simply laughed again and wandered off into the trees.

She wasn't normally so snappish with her brother, not really. But the water scroll was still weighing heavily on her mind. She'd learned her lesson from the deed, she just needed to learn the techniques, but they'd set such a hard pace getting away from the pirates and the Fire Nation that she hadn't had the time to really practice.

Aang had tried to be kind and hadn't so much as touched the scroll. But that only made her feel worse. She knew in her mind that he was under the same time constraint that she was, but she couldn't help but feel responsible, like it was all on her that he couldn't move on.

She looked over at him, smiled slightly at the sleepy expression on his face. She stretched and sat back, considering what to cook for breakfast when Aang looked past her and his eyes widened.

"Um… Katara?"

"Yes, Aang?"

He began to stand up. "Behind you!"

What? She turned and gasped. Standing there, silent as a ghost, was a wild man. His hair was long and unkempt, overflowing and covering his eyes in shadow. He also had a long beard stretching down to his chest. His garments were dirty, dusty, worn. They might have been black, but it was hard to say.

Upon noticing that he himself had been noticed, he reached out a hand. His mouth moved, but instead of sound there emerged an incoherent groan. He coughed.

Katara frowned, trying to gauge the odds. It was two benders against a man who was possibly insane – or worse, diseased. He didn't look as if he'd eaten very much in a long time, so he was probably weak as well.

Suddenly, he stepped aside, and Sokka stumbled past, the force of his swing carrying him forward.

"Sokka? What—"

"Don't worry, sis, I got this one."

Sokka swung again, a lateral strike that the man blocked easily enough with his stick. The man looked at him, and though Katara couldn't see his eyes, he seemed to have a questioning look. Sokka withdrew and swung low this time, aiming for the knee. Again, the stick blocked, but this time the man drew his left foot up at the same time and kicked, sending the hapless warrior sprawling.

As they all three readied themselves to fight the man shook his head. His hands went up, and this time the dull rasp of his throat formed a word: "Wait." The three looked at him quizzically as he looked around. Then he crouched, gathered some snow in his hand and put it to his mouth. His eyes closed briefly as his mouth worked the snow and swallowed, then he looked at the three.

"Forgive me," said the man, his voice a bit less raspy and containing traces of a baritone. "It's been a while since I've been able to find clean snow to drink."

As he crouched down and repeated the gesture, the two Water Tribesmen paused at its familiarity. Finally he stood up, having cleared a lot of snow away from the tree.

"You aren't a bandit, are you?" asked Aang.

"No," said the man, his voice lacking a rasp. "I live further up."

"Lucky!" said Aang. "I bet you get to slide a lot."

"Don't I wish," said the man, shaking his head. He seemed bemused.

"Yeah, well," said Sokka, "it's been nice meeting you, but I think we're going to have to get out of here soon, so…"

"Oh, I don't think so," said the man. "You see those clouds?"

That was when the group of travelers noticed that the sunlight had dimmed, hidden by the cloudy pillars that were rapidly approaching from the north and east.

"Yes," said the man. "I for one think it would be unwise to travel with that sort of weather. But that's just me."

"Do you think Appa could make it?" Katara asked.

"If we'd gotten started sooner," said Aang. "I don't think we'll make it in time, though. We should try to get to shelter."

"There is my cave, you know," said the man. "It's not much, but it should be enough for all of us. We might even be able to squeeze your beast in."

"Oh, I dunno about that," said Sokka. The bison stood suddenly, his arrow pattern now showing.

The man looked at it, speculating. "Perhaps not," he said, finally. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," said Aang. "You'll be fine, won't you boy?" The bison grunted, which was about as good a confirmation as any.

"Well, then, if you please," said the man. He watched as they put out the fire and gathered their sleeping bags, then set off up the mountain. The skies continued to darken, and the wind began to pick up as well. Snow began to fly off of the drifts, more and more until a blizzard formed, clouds of snow interrupting their path.

"It's just a little farther!" called the man. They struggled up the hill, Katara leaning on Sokka, Aang on his glider. The bison trudged on as if it was all in a day's work.

Finally they reached a clearing. The man shifted aside a wall of branches, showing a cave.

"Quickly!" called out the man. "Everybody in!"

"Wait a minute!" said Katara. She raced to the saddle and began to take out a bunch of jugs. Sokka and Aang ran to assist, and began to walk back to the cave. The man held the door in place as the wind continued to go faster, faster, until they all exhaustedly crawled into the cave. The man pulled the door into place, and sat down. The warmth of the fire spread throughout the cave as the group lay, panting on the floor.

"It just occurred to me," said the man. "I've got three smoked fish. No way that'll be enough for all of us."

"No problem," said Katara. "We were bringing in supplies."

"Eh?" The man sniffed. "Food. You have food."

"Yeah. You know, stuff you eat?" said Sokka.

"It's been a lean winter," replied the man. "I haven't seen copious amounts of food in a long time."

They rested a minute or so longer before they finally wearily rose and set about the business of cooking. Soon, the cave was filled with the smell of meat and vegetables and rice. Katara had learned a lot about the domestic arts, and the men weren't entirely useless either.

As they sat down to eat, the man said, "So, two Water Tribesmen and an Air Nomad. Not exactly a common group."

"You're not exactly common yourself," pointed out Sokka. "For instance, that makeshift chimney that you hollowed out." He pointed above the fire to the small hole where the smoke swirled. "You don't seem to have any tools. How'd you do it?"

The man grinned. "I have my ways."

"Great," groused Sokka. "Another Earth Bender."

The man seemed content to let the issue lie, because he said then, "But what about you? What is such an assemblage doing in a place like this?"

"We're on our way to the North Pole, to study Water Bending," said Aang.

"You and she both?"

Aang nodded. "But if an Air Nomad can even consider the idea," said the man, "then he or she could only be the Avatar… am I correct?"

"Yep!"

Katara's eyebrows twitched. He caught that one pretty quick, she thought.

"You don't go to pains to keep that a secret, do you?" asked the man, his voice containing a trace of amusement.

"Why should I?" asked Aang. "The appearance of the Avatar is a good thing, right?"

"Definitely," said the man. "But the appearance of a good thing is the sort of thing that evil frowns upon." He shrugged. "But you should know that better than anyone."

Aang nodded. "I know. But does one exist without the other?"

The man stared for a second. "A fair answer," he said. "I would take up the debate with you, but night comes early out here, and I imagine your friends could think of other things to do than listen to us go on."

"You're probably right," said Aang. "I think I'll go to sleep, then."

They rolled out the sleeping bags. "Are you sure you'll be all right?" asked Katara.

"You forget I've been out here longer than you have," said the man. "I'll manage." He smiled in gratitude, however.

They curled up into their sleeping bags, and the last thing Katara saw before closing her eyes was the man sitting against the wall, eyes intently on the blaze.

---

The prow of a small Fire Nation ship jutted cruelly into the harbor, the black metal in bleak contrast with the bright blue sky. The port of call was technically a town, but it was really little more than a village, a collection of dwellings and a wall on the shores of a mighty river. The villagers moved with haste, scrambling to resupply the ship of their new masters.

Zuko scowled. It wasn't that he was scornful of the people or their homeland. It was the burn marks on the buildings, the browned husks of shelters, the blackened craters, and the furrows ripped in the ground. The town was a shambles, almost in ruins.

This place is small, he thought. Isolated. There can't have been a large garrison here, if there was one at all. But whoever attacked struck with the idea of destroying this place completely. His fists clenched, but since his arms were crossed, nobody noticed. Where, he snarled in his mind, is the honor in killing peasants!

"Prince Zuko!" called a voice. He looked back along the docks to see his uncle, Airoh, approaching at an unhurried pace.

"What are you doing out here, Uncle?" he asked.

"I am standing and listening to your question," replied Airoh. Zuko scowled as Airoh went on, whimsically, "I also thought I'd like to stretch my land legs a bit."

"Don't get too comfortable," said Zuko. "As soon as the supplies are loaded, we're setting sail."

"You aren't going to stay to admire Zhao's handiwork?"

"You're saying Zhao was behind this?" asked Zuko, his voice taking a decidedly foul tone.

"Zhao believes in total victory, or at least his subordinates do," said Airoh. "No battle is complete until the enemy is broken at your feet."

"That's fine for enemy armies," said Zuko. "They knew the risks when they signed on. But peasants have enough troubles with their lives without this ruin."

"All soldiers start as peasants," said Airoh. "No peasants now means no soldiers later."

Zuko glanced at his uncle's expression, and noted that the usual hint of a fanciful smile was absent. He knew enough about his uncle to know that he was whimsical and erratic, but this lack of whimsical erraticity pointed to something else.

"No peasants now means no farmers or craftsmen either," Zuko answered carefully.

"Correct," said Airoh. "I'm glad to see you pay attention."

Zuko shrugged. "I must be the best, so I pay attention. And in any case, it only proves that Zhao's a fool. He gets a victory now and cripples himself later."

"Perhaps," said Airoh, as the line of supplies continued to move.

This reflects poorly on you, father, thought the young prince. Do you permit this slaughter? Is this how you would unite the world?

"Watch out!" cried out a voice. Airoh and Zuko turned to see that the thin line of guards had been overwhelmed, and a group of three Earth peasants were running toward them. They had knives in their hands and the looks on their faces clearly outlined their intentions.

Zuko and Airoh waited quietly as the assassins advanced before stomping forward, letting twin gouts of flame erupt from their hands. The assassins were blown back by the heat and slid to a stop just as guards came running from the ship. The assassins sat up only to have the spears of the Fire Nation pressed to their throats.

"Dogs of the Fire Nation!" spat the one in the middle. He was the stereotypical Earth Kingdom type, dressed in drab greens and browns, with a face tanned and lined from working in the fields.

"I could have you killed with a moment's notice, peasant," said Zuko, his voice conveying his disdain. "Choose your words carefully."

The man swallowed, but his eyes were still livid.

"The penalty for assassination is death," said Zuko. "I could carry it out right now, in front of all these others. You would be an example of all who stand in my way. Why shouldn't I kill you?"

The would-be assassins remained quiet, sullen, offering no justification.

"Prince Zuko," Airoh muttered, "you can't kill them."

"And why not?" growled Zuko.

"Because if you do, you only prove that Zhao's methods are correct."

The insight flashed in his mind, and he swore. But his uncle did have a point. "It seems that today, the Heavens favor you," said Zuko. "You get to live." He turned to the guards. "Take them to the Brig!"

As they nodded and stood the assassins up, he turned to the source of the voice that had warned. She was on her knees, face down in the dirt. Her silvery hair suggested an old woman, although her hands remained without wrinkles.

"And you, woman," he said imperiously. "Why did you help me?"

She lifted her face to him, and he was surprised by two things – that the grandmotherly figure he'd expected was, in fact, a girl who couldn't have been older than he; and that instead of the deep brown eyes of an Earth woman, hers were a luminous silvery shade.

"I tire of the bloodshed, milord," she said. "If you died, we would have suffered. I didn't want to see anybody die today." She put her face back to the ground.

"So you spoke up to help everybody else." Zuko stared at her, considering. "You," he said, finally, "have shown an aptitude for service. I wouldn't have you serving anyone else. You will come with us, as a reward for your actions."

She looked up, her face surprised. "I… but… milord…"

"Does something keep you here? Family? Lands?"

"Neither, milord," she said. "I work under the innkeeper, as a maid. But how have I earned such a reward?"

"You saved my life," Zuko said, bluntly. "What higher merit would you seek, girl?"

"None, milord. I am content."

Zuko nodded. "Very well, then." He turned to one of the guards and instructed him to run off to the inn to inform about the transfer of employment, then turned and walked up the dock. Airoh was close behind.

"You can't call her girl all the time," Airoh said in an idle tone.

"Why not? She's a servant."

"Does she not warrant more than 'girl?'"

Zuko sighed, then turned back to the girl, who had quietly followed them. "What is your name?" he asked, his voice not unkind.

"Reiko, milord," she said.

Zuko nodded, gave his uncle a meaningful look and started walking again.

"She's pretty cute, too."

"Uncle," warned Zuko, but his mind couldn't help but wander back to the girl. Her face was fair, her features delicate, her body slender, and she moved like a willow in the wind, her long silvery hair dimly reflecting the sunlight.

---

When they had fallen asleep in the cave, it hadn't been much past midday. So they awoke on towards the evening, feeling refreshed. The man still sat there, staring at the flames, his features suggesting contemplation.

"Have you been sitting there this entire time?" asked Katara.

He shrugged. "It's hard to do otherwise with all the wind and snow," he said.

Sokka sighed as he sat up. "Great. If that blizzard's still going, there's no way we're leaving tonight."

"No worries. I don't mind the company."

"But we're kind of in a hurry," said Aang. "See, there's this comet coming by the end of the Summer. The Fire Nation intends to draw power off of it and use it to get even stronger. They'll take over the whole world."

"Hmm. Have you mastered any of the elements yet?"

"Just air," sighed Aang. "I'm working on water, but I can only learn so much until we get to the North Pole."

"Well, your progress isn't bad," said the man, thoughtfully. "It'd be pretty close, but I think you can do it."

They sat, listening to the wind howl. Finally, the man spoke again. "I'd like to travel with you, if I may."

"Why would you want to do something like that?" asked Katara.

"Because you have food," said the man. "And, to be honest about it, I feel utterly sick of leaving the world to stew in its affairs. Perhaps I'm being too idealistic, but I'm sure that if I travel with you, I'll be able to make a difference."

"Could you give us a minute?" asked Katara, looking meaningfully at Sokka and Aang. The man nodded and turned back to the fire as the other three squatted close.

"What do you think?"

"I think he's a nice guy," said Aang. "And he seems really smart. I think we could use a guy like him."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" asked Sokka. Aang smiled disarmingly. Sokka shook his head. "Anyway, I'm not sure about this. First of all, we don't even know his name. Second of all, we found him here living all alone on a mountain. What sort of guy does that? And third," he said, ticking it off on his finger, "he smells."

Katara looked at him. "What's your name?" she asked, turning to the man.

"Shin," he replied.

"Why were you out here?"

"It wasn't punishment, if that's what you're getting at. I came out here just to get away, but the years started adding on."

"Do you bathe?"

"When I can. I go to the river and dunk myself, but that hasn't been possible for some time now."

Katara looked back at Sokka, almost smug.

"All right. Bathe, and you've got a deal," Sokka finally conceded.

"Good. Thank you," said the man. He bowed his head and turned back to the flames, but this time Sokka thought for a second that he saw the flames dance across silvery depths.

---

Kishi: Yeah, I guess that's about it, really. There's not a whole lot else to think about, really. I do, however, have one question.

:the author dons a pair of coke-bottle frames:

Kishi: According to my studies of Asian language, some of the names and their spellings and pronunciations don't seem to compute.

Example: Water Tribe names are all apparently based on the Japanese language. If such is the case, they should follow the pronunciation rules. Sokka should be 'Sow-ka,' with a hard K. Katara should be 'Ka-ta-ra,' not 'Kuh-TAR-uh.' Aang should be 'ahng,' not 'Eang.'

The Fire Nation also suffers this phenomenon.

Example: The character Iroh's name is pronounced 'Aye-row.' But if that's the case, the spelling of his name should be 'Airoh' to preserve the sound; his name would otherwise be pronounced 'ee-row.' Others include Shinu (Shainu) and Shiyu (Shaiyu).

Kishi: It's just a curiosity of mine that I wonder about. Take it as you wish.

Avatar: The Last Air Bender is copyrighted to people who aren't me. I don't know who they are, otherwise, I'd give 'em credit.

The only things I own in this story are those things that I perceive as being original, and thusly are mine. If you recognize something that you came up with first, all credit goes to you.

I have no clue where you can contact me. I think the address is in my profile…