These Wars We Live

Full Summary: A deeper insight into the pasts of Katara, Sokka, Toph, Zuko, Azula, and Aang; all through the view of the most unlikely characters. Questions will be answered as new questions arise. Can be read in any order. Rated "T" for scenes and themes.

Author's Note: Thanks and kudos to my reviewers. You should have all received a reply.

This will hopefully be the last chapter for the dreadfully boring Book One. I can't wait for Book Two to start—trust me, it has a much better plot and much better "connection" scenes. It's really a shame that I couldn't make Book One more exciting...Katara is my favorite character. But let's face it: not much to write about on a block of ice.

I also apologize for the long wait that many of you had to go through…I lost interest in this story until I remembered Book Two was coming up and decided I had to at least get through Book One. I've had a lot of work to do, so you can imagine my stressing at the moment. Still, I hope you guys like this last chapter and review it.

-Scorpiored112

Book One: Water

Chapter 4: Leaving

The air in the South Pole is thick, almost like dark glue, spread about the central village. Katara feels extremely unsafe—as if something is missing. She remembers her father left only about a month ago and tears pierce at her cheeks. "No," she says firmly to herself. "I'm not going to cry anymore."

But it is an empty promise. She is a sensitive girl, perhaps too sensitive, and she knows this.

The air now smells like smoke, and Katara peeks out of the igloo.

No! No! It wasn't true! It couldn't be true! Not tonight! Not the soot!

But it is too late. There are Fire Nation soldiers everywhere, standing in dark, adulterated snow. They are terrorizing the village in only a matter of seconds. Igloos are set on fire. Furs and fats stored for the war are turned into ashes.

Katara looses her sense of direction. She can't remember getting out of the igloo, but suddenly she is up and running, looking for her mother.

"Mom! Mom!" A flash of flame licks Katara's left side and she turns sharply. Her feet freeze in their place. Suddenly everything she's learned at the Northern Docks has left her.

No! Where is her mom? Why isn't she here? Did they get her?

The Fire Nation soldier that had thrown the string of flame steps up, takes some sort of stance, and then strikes. But flames do not erupt from his fists. Instead, he is hit on the head with a lop-sided boomerang. The soldier falls flat as Sokka appears behind him.

"Where's mom? Where is she? Where's mom?" Katara's questions do not penetrate her brother. He grabs her hand and they start running away from the village.

"We have to find—mom! Look, Sokka! There she is!"

Their mother is exiting an igloo. Her long brown hair is still left frayed. Her blue eyes flash in the direction of her children. It's as if she doesn't realize that there is an attack. Kana is right behind her.

Kana moves quickly in Katara's direction, grabbing Kira's hand. Katara looks past them only to find a black and red mask.

With horns like the devil.

An element of hell.

Kira looks at her daughter's frightened face and lets loose of a weak smile, completely oblivious to the soldier behind her. "Dearest, I'm right here," she waves to her daughter and begins walking towards her.

Suddenly Katara feels extremely helpless. She cannot move toward her mother and she cannot run away. She can only watch and shiver.

The red and black mask shoots a string of fire straight through their mother's heart from behind. And her mother barely screams, but instantly hits the soot below her, as Sokka's boomerang hits the mask.

"MAMA!" Katara's groans are barbaric and aching. "MAMA!" Pain erupts from all of her body. Everything gets covered in soot.

Katara's body was wet with worry and anxiety. Her right hand was shaking and her left was clenched into a fist. Slowly she let out her breaths and tried to undo the night's horrors. Ever since that attack, the igloos didn't feel safe anymore. Nothing felt safe anymore.

This nightmare…how many times had it happened before? She couldn't remember. The soot still remained on certain parts of the village. It was a dirty memory many tried to forget. And still, many couldn't.

"Dearest, I'm right here."

"If only you could be here now," Katara said without noticing. She fell silent again, not wanting to wake her brother or Gran Gran.

How peaceful her mother was! Even in the war she was calm. Even when she was working she was calm. How wondrous her mother was. How pure.

How much Katara wanted to grow and be like her, to fit into the necklace she had given her only a month before the attack, the same night her father left. How pure Katara wanted to become, to rid herself of war.

"Mama," Katara whispered into her pillow. She didn't want to go back to sleep, yet dreams were the only place she could reach her parents. They had been such a perfect family before the war tore everything apart.

"Katara! You wanna come with me?"

"Where to?"

"Fishing," Sokka said proudly, revealing his new spear. "Only this time, I'm gonna catch something worth while."

Gran Gran laughed at his charisma. "Very good, dear," she said in good humor. "Katara can use a day off of chores."

Katara smiled at her grandmother. "Yeah, I guess I do deserve a day off," Katara said regretfully. Doing chores made her feel like her mother. In truth she didn't want to go with Sokka, but she guessed she could. There wasn't much to do at home anyway.

The siblings packed their things on their canoe and kissed their Gran Gran. "Be careful," she warned them. Unlike many children, they were sure to heed her words.

Soon they were off fishing, looking at the open water and skies again. They were the only two left, the only person that each other had.

"Been practicing lately?" Sokka asked. Katara beamed at him. She knew he hated her "magic". Usually he used it as a segway for other topics.

"Not much," Katara admitted.

He stopped rowing and looked at his sister. "I heard you…that one night when you woke up…and had that nightmare…"

Katara sat still, frozen. That had been nearly a year ago.

"I know it's hard," Sokka continued. "I know it is…but I guess we're just going to have to cope until dad gets back."

Katara swallowed. She wasn't going to let herself cry again. Not like the night the Fire Nation attacked. Not like the night her father left. Not anymore. "I know," she said bitterly.

Sokka grinned. "And since I'm in charge until dad gets back—"

Katara laughed. "Don't even start!" She told her brother. He returned to his rowing and Katara stared emotively at the water. It had been a long time since she had practiced…

They fished for the remainder of the hour. And later that day, they found some one that changed their lives forever.

And they left the South Pole, and left Gran Gran, and left the harsh memories of war behind them. Their destinies became intertwined with that of the Avatar, a new source of hope.

They placed a new goal ahead: to help the Avatar save the world. It would be fairly impossible, yes. But they felt they owed it to themselves, and they knew they would come back one day, just for kicks. They would see their home after it would be rebuilt and prideful again.

But maybe they wouldn't come back for a long time. After all, as their grandmother had known quite a while back…

It may have started out in the South Pole, but who knew where destiny would lead them.