This is a pretty long chapter, but I feel it's really important for how Koya's story will progress

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Koya looked dazedly at the dry earth beneath him, his feet slowly shuffling and kicking up dust in his wake

Koya looked dazedly at the dry earth beneath him, his feet slowly shuffling and kicking up dust in his wake. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was dry and dusty. He glanced up at the taller figure of Sonya ahead of him, determinedly pushing onward into the desert.

"Four days of almost no water, no food, barely any rest," Koya thought grimly. He looked up again, this time at the blazing sky. The sun shone bright hot, almost mocking Koya as he straggled through the caked earth.

The sound of wheels and hooves startled Koya, and he looked around, noticing an old man driving a cart pulled by an ostrich horse.

"Sonya, look!" Koya said excitedly, his dry throat making his voice raspy.

Sonya whipped around in surprise and saw the cart as well, his face turning from surprise to relief.

"Looks like you two could use a ride," the old man said with a smile, eyeing their tattered clothes and exhausted expressions. He motioned for them to join him on the cart, to which they gladly obliged. "I'm Shi Fu by the way," he added courteously.

"I'm Sonya, and this is my friend Koya," Sonya told him as they climbed into the cart.

"So where are you headed then, Sonya and Koya?" Shi Fu asked, striking the reigns.

"We're headed to the nearest Earth Kingdom camp or fort, if you can take us to one," Sonya responded. Next to him, Koya was gazing lustfully at the water sacs and meat in the back of the cart.

"I can take you as far as Yin Yan camp," Shi Fu told Sonya. "You know you can help yourself to what you like," he added kindly to Koya. At his queue, Koya took a sac of water and began chugging it down feverishly, while Sonya took a parcel of meat and started to devour it. Shi Fu let them eat and drink for a few minutes before asking more questions.

"So where are you two from?" He asked when they finished.

"The Southern Water Tribe," Sonya responded. Koya looked anxiously at him, not wanting Sonya to reveal too much about them. How did he know this old man wasn't Fire Nation?

"Ah, well you're quite far from home if that's where you two are from," Shi Fu deduced. "I hope you didn't come all this way for the war!" He exclaimed jokingly.

"No, we're here because of the war," Koya stated darkly, speaking up for the first time.

"I see… the Fire Nation prison camps," Shi Fu realized, and he noticed Koya's face turn to fury. "You two are waterbenders, aren't you?" He asked rhetorically, his pity and compassion showing in his face.

"Yeah, we are," Koya said, looking down at the floor of the cart. He lost consciousness of the world around him and he thought back on everything the Fire Nation had taken from him, the pain and suffering they had put himself and his people through. "-what they deserve," he remembered Sonya saying, justifying him killing the firebenders. "What they deserve," Koya whispered quietly.

"Where are you headed then, Shi Fu?" Sonya asked the old man as Koya roused from his train of thought.

"Me? Oh, I'm going to Ba Sing Se," he responded. "I've had enough of this ugly war and I hear it's the safest place to be right now. I also want to start up my business there."

"Oh, what do you do?" Sonya inquired.

"Well, some would call me a fortuneteller, but I don't believe in absurd things like reading the skies simply to find if someone will marry." Shi Fu explained to them. "No, I do real readings about people. I can reveal things about people that they would never imagine about themselves," he continued. "For instance you, Sonya," he said, letting go of the reigns and turning to face him. "I can see that you're an experienced waterbender, though you know that already. You hate the Fire Nation for what they have done to you, and you will never forgive them."

"Is that it?" Sonya asked, doubting Shi Fu's self-proclaimed abilities.

"Do you want to know more? Know that you may not like what you hear." Sonya nodded vigorously.

"Very well," Shi Fu agreed. "You want revenge, which is why you want to fight in the war. However, war is a horrible ordeal. If you continue your pursuit of vengeance, it is very possible that your hate will overcome you. Men lose their lives following hate like that."

Sonya stared at Shi Fu for a moment, frowning, worried by what the old man had said about him.

"How about you, Koya?" Shi Fu posed, turning away from the distressed face of Sonya.

"Sure, why not," Koya consented sullenly with a worried look at Sonya.

"That's strange," Shi Fu stated, looking more intently at Koya. "I don't see anything." However, Koya noticed a strange look of complete understanding, even fear, in Shi Fu's eyes. Sonya, still distressed, was staring blankly into the distance, oblivious to what was going on.

"It's getting dark," Shi Fu said quickly, turning away from Koya. "We should stop for the night."

Shi Fu pulled the cart to the side of the road, and unloaded three blankets. Koya went off to search for wood to make a fire while Sonya gathered some meat from the cart. Koya returned several minutes later with a small bundle of flimsy twigs and set about striking a fire. After the fire was started, the three travelers cooked and ate the meat in silence, each of them deep in thought. When he had finished eating, Sonya grabbed a blanket and went to sleep, acknowledging Koya and Shi Fu with a simple, "Nite."

"What did you really see in my future, Shi Fu?" Koya asked once Sonya was fast asleep and snoring.

Shi Fu was silent for a moment, staring at the flickering fire. "I saw a very conflicted soul," he said finally.

"I don't understand."

"Ever since the Fire Nation took you from the South Pole, all you have known is loss. You lost your family, your home, your hope," Shi Fu explained, "and your love." Koya winced at the last word, remembering Jin. "And even with everything you've experienced, you never once wished retribution on the Fire Nation. Even when you escaped the prison camp, when you had a perfect chance for revenge, you didn't take it, instead you ran…"

"How do you know all this stuff about my past!" Koya interrupted, his voice rising.

"I told you, I can see the past, present, and future of people, as well as their intentions and souls" Shi Fu explained. "Do you want me to continue or not?"

Koya scowled, but nodded.

"Where was I? Ah, yes, you escaped the prison without seeking revenge," he remembered. "However, now you have a conflict raging within you. Sonya has voiced his vengeful ideas to you, and you think that as a waterbender you have to hate the Fire Nation. Unfortunately, I see even more struggle and suffering in your future. All of your experiences and hardships will lead you conflict of mind. You will have to face a crossroad that will define your destiny. One road will offer love, a beautiful wife, a family, and happiness. The other road will offer revenge, anger, and terrifying power. However, as I told Sonya, that path only leads to death, pain, and destruction."

Koya remained silent after Shi Fu finished. "That's an easy choice though, isn't it?" Koya asked. "Why would I choose destruction and death over love and happiness?"

"You would be surprised how many people would choose power and destruction," Shi Fu stated grimly, the dying fire casting flickering light across his face. "You should get some sleep."

Koya got under the blanket, still thinking deeply about what Shi Fu had said. "I would choose love and happiness, I know I would, I know I would…"

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The next day, they made it to Yin Yan camp. Sonya and Koya thanked Shi Fu for all his help and kindness and wished him the best of luck in Ba Sing Se. As they watched him ride off, they both thought unhappily about the prophecies he had made about them.

"I assume you two want to enlist," said a voice behind them.

They turned around and saw the Earth Kingdom soldier who had spoken.

"That's right," Sonya said, shrugging off Shi Fu's prophecy and regaining his composure.

"Well what are you? Earthbender or nonbender?" the Soldier asked, pulling out a sheet of paper.

"We're both waterbenders." The soldier looked up in slight surprise, his eyebrows raised. "Well you two want to be in Camp Xiang, that's where the waterbender auxiliaries are fighting. Your in luck though, the next convoy there leaves tomorrow, midday. Sign in at the command tent, it's the big one with the Earth Kingdom flag on top, and get some new clothes." he instructed. "And welcome to the Earth Kingdom Army!" he added, smiling sarcastically.

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As always, please give reviews, they really do help!