Happy Belated Birthday my dearest irrel. I'm so grateful to have such a gifted, humorous, and sweet friend like you. Thanks for ... however many months it's been of friendship ... and may we have lots more sweets♥. (Hope ya like the "Rent" reference. )

Will You Light My Candle?

by KawaiiLyn

Her boots trudged through the thick falling snow, taking her to the outskirts of the Watertribe.

Why did she have to get the fire? That's men's work! Still, she was curious what the FireStarter would look like.

She had never seen one, and their existence was all but extinct, ever since the start of the war and the Fire Nation's defeat from the Avatar 100 years ago. Nobody knew the details, but apparently the Fire Lord took the lives of his nation with him in his defeat. Some think he killed them all, them proving their loyalty to his cause and rebellion against "this world." Others think they all ran off, somewhere in hiding under his teachings from some new successor—regrouping, waiting, preparing for a new war...not many knew what became of them, and in 100 years, their history was forgotten, culture lost, people rare.

Why one chose to live in the outskirts of the Southern Water Tribe no one knew. Story had it he just came out of nowhere, spoke with the chief, and was granted to live nearby in exchange for his services...as their FireStarter.

They only had two seasons, winter and colder winter. During the colder winter, the snow never stopped falling, the ice never melted, the terrain always changed. One only had about 30 minutes of exposure to it before the end came in a peacefully chilling sleep. The head of each household's family would visit the FireStarter once a day in the early hours of the morning, bearing a special sturdy candle made from whale blubber. The trek to the FireStarter's home took 10 minutes getting there, 15 coming back, (they had to tread carefully so as to not let the flame die.) Women weren't allowed to visit the FireStarter.

However, Katara's brother had fallen ill the other day after falling into a peculiar ice pond. How water was able to stay in its liquid state was a mystery to the whole tribe, but none doubted Katara's safety as she became Sokka's temporary replacement. She was the prodigy Waterbender of their tribe, predicted to be a master within the year. The daughter of the chief's ambassador, currently traveling to the Earth Kingdom on important assignments. If anyone was more trusted, or safer, on the trek to the FireStarter's home...it'd be her.

So they thought.

XXX

After all the FireFetchers had come for the morning, it was time for him to practice his Firebending. No one knew of his secret practices of this ancient art, he preferred it that way. The tribe members might get restless, worried, and who knew what else if they found out. But since they never bothered him past noon, he had the rest of the day to himself.

Arriving at his favorite practice spot, he began his warm up stretches and exercises— interrupted by a loud splash nearby.

Probably just a penguin. He began going through his stances.

Another loud splash...a bit fainter than the first.

Several penguins together. He inhaled deeply preparing for a difficult move.

"...someone...help...pl...ease..." said a voice.

...OH AGNI! SOMEONE IS HURT!

XXX

Her heavy eyes opened to find herself inside someplace...warm. Really warm. Nothing like her home, or her neighbors' homes, or anything else in the entire village. To be truly warm in the entire home...this was something she wasn't used to. But it was nice.

She continued to take in her surroundings as she sat up. The red and gold emblems, symbols, and oddly extravagant décor held her curious attention. A sturdy wooden desk made from the finest mahogany, scrolls and books and inks and quills...whoever lived here was quite educated. Wall scrolls with the same flame-like symbol, peculiar armor, a set of swords, and a once delicate and expensive tea set—now worn with overuse.

Where am I?

"Are you alright?" asked a foreign voice behind her. Turning to see the pale features and peculiar characteristics (is that a scar?) of a foreign man—everything made sense now: the warmth, the peculiar furnishings, this strange otherworldly being—this was the FireStarter's home.

XXX

He really didn't know what a girl was doing this far out of the town. Surely she couldn't be a FireFetcher...the fragile looking thing would never last five minutes out there. But...he still didn't understand the repetitive splashes...or her ability to stay alive and conscious for so long...and her quick recovery. Perhaps...perhaps...

She stirred.

He'll question her later after he made sure she was feeling well.

XXX

Trekking against the snow storm in the direction of the FireStarter's home, her hands focused on guarding the precious flesh-warming flame, her feet focused on getting back before too much frostbite settled in—and her mind wandered to the strange man she had encountered in a series of awkward events.

"I...I'm a temporary FireFetcher." she blurted out when their eyes met; his eyebrow-raise beared resemblance to her brother's. She told him of the temporary arrangements made.

"Isn't it against your laws for a girl to come here?" was the only thing he said; his voice, she noted, was a bit on the raspy voice...with a slight lisp perhaps?

She couldn't tell him of her status, as that would be walking into the unknown enemy's lair with all weapons visible, and she couldn't tell him she was a Waterbender—this was, however, for personal reasons.

"I didn't want to hinder anyone else with such a task," was the lie she came up with. Whether he bought it or not, he wouldn't let on.

He took her candle, quickly lit it—accompanied with a gasp of awe on her part, and a resulting smirk on his—and handed it to her. Pointing to the door, he retired out of view to another room.

Not a man of many words, but perhaps one with many tales and...secrets.

XXX

Her Gran-gran's relieved face, (What took you so long?) her brother's confused face, (You did WHAT?) and her welcoming bed (You know you want some of this.) were all it took to end her musing thoughts for the day. She slept through lunch and dinner, drowsily aware of the energy she drained during her waterbending efforts to stay alive, to guard a candle, and to arrive and depart a peculiar foreigner's home.

XXX

A mistake in her underdeveloped healing abilities assured Sokka's stay to his bed for a longer period than was originally predicted. (It's as if you're trying to kill me, Katara.) he joked after her ump-teenth apology. Healing and basic home-caring aside...she had business to attend to. She had to make yet another visit to the FireFetcher.

XXX

"How long has your brother been sick? Shouldn't he be fine now?" asked a slightly annoyed FireStarter as he handed her her newly-lit candle. She was always his last FireFetcher these days. Women were always slow and weak. How this frail-looking girl continued to make it was beyond him, but her continued appearances were beginning to form room for concern in his easily annoyed meditations.

What if she never returned back one day? Would the village accuse him? Would they delve into his darkened history for a clue? Would his attempts for this life be in vain? This life with an alias, a solitary environment, and his dark secrets buried as deep as the ground in the snow—would they emerge once more as the blooming spring once did back in the short but peaceful times in the Underground Fire Nation?

Would he be found out?

"There's a funny story to that," she chuckled with an embarrassed smile. "I tried to heal him, but it sort of...backfired...so now he has two black eyes, a constantly bleeding nose, and wheezes whenever he talks."

This of course, would've made sense if he'd known she had tried to use combat waterbending techniques in her healings...but he was lost for an answer to how she achieved such products from healing. He hadn't been lost for an answer in a while: the last time being...what he'd call a habitual response to many of the things his uncle i used /i to say.

All amusement in his eyes were clouded at the memory. He dismissed her with a quick motion of the hand as he walked away to his room.

XXX

Of course, he just has to make such a dramatical exit every time I come over. She thought with annoyance as she trekked back—all forgotten when she heard the snow-packed ice beneath her crack and shake with her last step. Freezing on the spot, she remembered her first trek to his home, the instances similar to this. A telling tale of what most likely happened to Sokka. How is there liquid water down here? Concentrating on freezing the liquid beneath her, she made the journey home a bit slower than normal—unaware of a pair of golden eyes that followed her originally out of self-absorbent worry, but now in a state of thoughtless stupor as he witnessed the familiar movements of...of a Waterbender.

Little did she know she had just answered the FireFetcher's most pressing, but never asked, questions.

XXX

"Have you ever sparred with anyone before?" he asked nonchalantly while handing her her candle. Unprepared for his question, she nearly dropped the candle.

Does he know?

"...not...really." she answered cautiously. Of the dozens of mini-conversations they've shared over the past month...this one was by far the most—different. What was he getting at? "Why?"

"I figured you must've learned how to give your brother those black eyes from somewhere. Combat bending is usually the most popular—and fitting—conclusion." he turned away and departed to his room, leaving her still in a daze of sorts. How she was able to arrive home with her mind distorted in hundreds of directions is something she'll look back on as being somewhat miraculous.

Should she tell someone he knew? Was there any harm in him knowing? What did it matter anyway?

...What's with his question? Of course she had sparred before! Holy Tui he was beginning to infuriate her.

XXX

"I was wondering what your question yesterday meant?" she queried while handing him the candle.

"It meant exactly what I asked. Do you need help interpreting it?" he smirked when he returned her candle.

"...you're the one who makes the ice melt, aren't you? You're practicing your bending when the villagers don't know it. Is this part of your terms of stay? Does the chief know about your secret practice sessions? Did you know you're the reason my brother originally became sick? Did you know your the reason why, on our first meeting, I had fallen into ice-stinging water?"

"..."

"I'll be sure to alert the chief of this."

"I can't let you do that."

XXX

Defeating him was of course, in her favor. Surrounded by an entire continent of snow, the sun 99 of the time blocked from view, him a bit tired from lighting so many candles earlier. It was a simple matter of running to the tribe, returning with the warriors, them surprised to find him already unconscious, (to which she herself smirked at), and him to be charged for violating the agreed conditions and exiled from the tribe.

It wasn't until after all these events had taken place, when he was being escorted to his home for the last time to remove his things for his departure—when his eyes locked on hers for a brief moment—he was taken away.

She had recognized something in them. Something only familiar in he eyes of those she healed, (or tried to heal,) something...akin to pain.

She had never seen so much of it in one pair of eyes in her life.

The fact that he had always guarded his eyes from betraying any emotions was due to his protective shell—now shattered and open.

Did I do the right thing?

XXX

Escorting him out to sea had been appointed to the tribe's best, and only on-hand, Waterbender. Pushing and pulling the waves around the two boats to escape the South Pole's current, the silence remained the only thing they had to share. Her speculations she never voiced, his growing troubles never heard.

But when it came time to release hold of his boat, and to turn her own around, she uttered the only thing that seemed fitting, spoken barely above a whisper since their boats were still touching...

"I'm sorry."

His startled face she assumed would be her only answer; he assumed she was too weak to think of him. Both proved the other wrong.

"Don't be, I've done much worse."

Releasing his sails and preparing for his departure, he left—leaving behind a much colder Watertribe, a still-warm kiss on a disheartened Waterbender's cheek, and a story that never really had a beginning, nor an end, but somewhat...a middle.

It didn't even give the characters names.