Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or any of its characters. I own Koima.

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Chapter 11

"He killed you"

I awoke to throbbing pain and raw tenderness in my lower back, making my wince, "That really hurts." I croaked.

I didn't move from my sleeping position as not to make my back hurt more. The room was dark, but only a single torch was lit to cast a faint illumination for me to see by. It was still night I could tell. I remembered what had happened; burning fire, pain, and darkness…. I had passed out or died…but since I could feel pain I decided that I had passed out from the pain.

My throat felt raw also, and dry.. I needed water, I needed something…

"Col…" I moaned hoping that he was around and was able to hear me. Col came out from another room and smiled, "I'm here. You're awake I can see. How do you feel?" He asked.

"Horrible," I grunted, "Can I have a drink please?"

He nodded and filled a cup of tea with me and gave it to me, "You'll be pleased to hear that your tattoos are now nonexistent. Be careful when you drink this it doesn't taste very good, but it will help lessen the pain."

I took the steaming cup and with the best grace I could muster I drank it. The horrible taste of dill invaded my senses and I coughed, wincing at the acrid taste of the tea.

"Can I have regular water?" I asked after finishing the vile liquid. Col handed me the water and I drank it gratefully, washing away the bad tea.

"I'm going to need to dress the burn again Koi. Aloe will help keep it moist and it will heal faster with little discomfort." Col brought the aloe bowl over and took the cloth off of my burn. The rush of cool air on the raw skin made me gasp, it felt as if I had no skin whatsoever and it brought tears to my eyes.

"I know it hurts." Col murmured as he dabbed aloe on the burn, "bare with me, it will feel better when it is covered up but this way it won't turn out like Prince Zuko's scar. At least you can cover it up?" He said, trying to cheer me up, that was hard to do considering that it feels like he was peeling of layer after layer of skin off my back.

"Thank you." I managed to say despite my pain. Doing this was probably not on his top ten things he wanted to do tonight.

"You are most welcome Koi. I hope you feel better. I'll stay up in case you need anything else." I shook my head, it was nice of him to do that for me but it would not be necessary, "No, I'm fine. You can sleep. I won't need anything more. Thank you for the offer though."

Col frowned, no doubt debating what he should do, "Are you sure? Prince Zuko will be angry at me if you are not given the best of care."

"Yes, I'll be fine Col. You need your sleep too. How much longer till dawn do you know?" I asked. Even from where I was I could see that it was still dark from out the porthole window. Its either late night or early morning.

"Dawn is in a few hours. It's one in the morning right now."

"Sleep, I'll do fine. Good nigh- er- Good morning." I laid my head back down and fell fast asleep.

(Dream)

I was with mother! She was alive, she's not dead! I hugged mother tightly, burying my face in her shawl, breathing in the smell of her cooking and perfume. It was all a dream! Master…. He didn't exist! But neither did Zuko or Iroh… Col…They all weren't real! I was home… So was Father!

"Where have you been my little fish?" He asked, patting my head tenderly, "You missed dinner."

"Sorry Father," I said, hugging him, "I won't be late next time." I smiled up at him, his amber eyes twinkling down at me.

Then, suddenly, everything ceased. Screams erupted from outside, ones of pain and terror. Father ran to the window and looked out, his eyes went wide with horror, "RUN!" He shouted to Mama and me, "Hide! They're coming!"

Mama grabbed my hand, "RUN KOI!" She tried to pull me but my feet were rooted to the ground as if trapped in stone. I couldn't move, I screamed, "MAMA!" Mama pulled but then she vanished then Papa, leaving me by myself. The walls around me that was my home melted to the ground and disappeared, I was surrounded by fire, I screamed at the heat burned my face and hurting my eyes. I could see figures in the fire…

Master stepped forward, grinning evilly as the flames cast demonic shadows on his face, "Biiiird," he sang playfully, "I found you."

His words chilled me to the bone, No, NO! That was all a dream! He is not real! I'm home! He's not real!

"No!" I cried, shaking my head in terror, "You aren't real!"

Another figure came out of the fire… Papa!

"Papa!" I cried, running towards him, but Zhao got to him first; he grabbed Papa by the neck with one hand, holding him fast, "Let him go!" I screamed.

Papa looked at me with sad eyes, "Koi…I'm sorry…" he said.

"No!" I tried to go to him. Zhao jerked father's head…A loud snap echoed through my head, remaining with me for all eternity. Zhao dropped father's limp body to the ground, father's his head hanging the wrong way. Zhao had broken Papa's neck.

"Papa! Nooo!" I crumbled to the ground, staring at my father's empty eyes that gazed into mine. No more will those eyes smile at me, radiating love and kindness. No longer will Papa sing to me to sleep…or play with me when others won't. He was gone.

Two more figures came out of the fire: Prince Zuko! And the Man in the Blue Mask!

A jade Panda lily appeared, floating in front of me. I reached out a hand to touch it, my finger touched a petal and the flower cracked and shattered into a million pieces, falling to disappear into the ground. I heard Zuko's voice in my mind, but Zuko's lips weren't moving. "A.Z…Admiral Zhao, he did this to you didn't he? You'll never see him again, I promise"

"He didn't keep his promise," Zhao laughed, "Come to me Bird, I won't beat you…hard…"

"NO!"

Zhao went to the Man in the Blue Mask, standing right beside him, "This is the person who 'saved' you isn't it? Let's see whose under the mask-!" Zhao pulled off the mask—Zuko disappeared in a blast of fire. There was no face… nothing was there, only a black hole.

"Prince Zuko!" IO screamed. Zuko's face appeared in the flames, his skin melting off, exposing blackening bone underneath. I watched in horror as the black bone turned into ash and disappeared.

I screamed in hysteria, "NOOOO! NOOOO!"

"Koi! Koima wake up!"

(End)

I was brought out of the nightmare by Zuko's voice yelling for me to wake up, "Wake Up! It's not real Koi!"

My eyes flew open and saw Zuko's face two inches from mine. I blinked in surprise. Zuko was kneeling on the floor beside my bed, he was the one who awoke me.

"Prince…Zuko?" It was all a dream, thank the spirits it was just a dream! I cried in relief, Zuko was not dead, Master is not here.

"Koi? Koima?" Zuko said worriedly.

"What's wrong with her?" I heard Iroh's voice.

; Zuko;

" I don't know. I think it was a bad dream." Zuko sat by Koima, not knowing what to do, why was she acting like this?

Koima's shoulders shook with her sobs, "He killed Papa!" She cried, "He killed you!"

"What?" 'He killed me?… Zhao…' Zuko sighed.

"Who killed Zuko?" Iroh asked, coming to the bed.

Koima sobbed, "M-Master Z-" She couldn't continue, she cried into the pillow. Zuko looked at his uncle angrily, "Go outside Uncle. I'll speak with you later." Uncle realized that tone with Zuko, it was dangerously low. Iroh left. No one was in the room besides him and Koima.

"It's okay Koi." Zuko said, sitting beside Koima on the bed, "It was a dream, I'm alive. He's not here. It's okay." He tried to soothe her tears.

Slowly, Koi's tears slackened off, but she turned her face away from Zuko, "Don't look at me. I'm weak." She mewed, "I hate crying, it's weakness Master says-"

"It is not a sign of weakness." Zuko set a hand on her shoulder softly, "Stop believing that. You are not weak Koi, don't ever think you are." Zuko didn't know what else to say but he hoped he said enough. Koima turned to face him, her cheeks tearstained, "you are not weak," She said, "You have beaten 'him.' You don't know what it's like to be punished everyday, to be humiliated till the point that you wish you were dead."

"Yes I do.." Zuko said softly.

Koima looked at him, "What..." She was quiet as Zuko told her his past, "Do you know how I got this scar?" He asked, his hand tracing the outline of the rough burned skin.

"No…" Koima said.

"My father gave this to me, my father Fire Lord Ozai…" He told her what had happened more then two years ago. He had spoken up at his father's war chamber and had to duel him. But he had thought that he was going to duel the General that he had insulted, but it was his father that he had to duel. But Zuko didn't fight him, but begged for forgiveness, his father scarred him, then banished him. Zuko could only come back home after he captured the Avatar. Koima listened to his tale and he finished.

"I know what it's like, but I haven't been through what you have experienced." Zuko said, glad that he hadn't but sad that Koima had.

Koima blinked back her tears, "I-I am sorry what happened to you Prince Zuko-"

"You can call me Zuko, just as I call you Koi."

She smiled faintly and Zuko found himself smiling back. Col came in and saw them and told Zuko that he had to change Koi's dressings. Zuko nodded and looked at Koima as he got up, "Good bye Koi." He said before leaving. Now he had Uncle to deal with.

"Bye." He heard Koima whisper. He left the infirmary, his anger returning as he went to find his uncle. He found Uncle Iroh in the Navigation room, playing his favorite Pai Sho game with one of the crewmembers.

"How is Koima?" His uncle asked, not looking up from his game board.

"Fine, "Zuko snapped, "But no thanks to you Uncle! I told you not to ask her, its too painful for her! Yet you did and she almost went into a Goddamn panic fit!" The crewmember Iroh was playing against 'suddenly remembered' that he had something very important to do and left with all speed. Uncle Iroh looked down at his Pai Sho board, feeling horribly ashamed, "Nephew, I wanted to find out who he is so that I know which man to kill." He said in a hushed whisper.

"So-Do-I!" Zuko said, and he meant it with all his heart. He had always wanted to kill Zhao, before he ever learned about Koima. But now since he did know what Zhao did, his anger was renewed twenty fold from what he originally felt.

"I would love to kill him Uncle!" He said angrily, "To get rid of him so Koima doesn't live in constant fear of him finding her and beating her again and killing her! I care about what happens to Koima, Uncle!"

Uncle Iroh always had seen Zuko act selfishly, caring only about himself…but once Koima came into their lives, he noticed a change in Zuko. He started to put his needs last and Koima first, taking care of her instead of himself. And now… Iroh smiled. Zuko stopped his rant to stare at his uncle, "Why are you smiling?"


I made it a bit longer. There are many questions in this chapter as you all have found out. I hope everyone is having a good weekend. I was finally able to watch "Beauty Shop" and "The Corpse Bride" This weekend. They were both very good. Please Review.