A/N: I've been home for a while but I never updated any of my fics. I'm sorry, guys. I'm really overdue for another drabble.
Title: Rising
Author: Red Hawk K'sani
Word Count: 241
Warnings: Aangst, Mentions of death
Characters/Pairings: Aang
Challenge: None
XXX
He sees the beginning: the fear of abandonment, the foolhardy decision, the terrible storm, the sinking bison, the glowing eyes, the water chilling around them—and, a hundred years later, the warm body holding his, the inquisitive eyes, the discovery: A war? What war? There definitely was no war… How long have I been away from the Temple?
He sees the journey: the capture, the rescue, the determination to master abilities, the strange feelings, the comet, the previous Avatar, the betrayals, the new friends, the siege, the teachers, the blind eyes, the long flights, the hell they descended into; and as he watched the sunset over the blazing rooftops: This is the capital? This is where it all ends? How fitting that it be so red.
He sees the battle: the rush, the infantry, the anger, the fire, the vengeance, the last stand, the death, the Spirit's rising that only leads to more death: What have I done…?
And as he sits amidst the carnage, he sees the end: the dead, the dying, the failed rebuilding, the famine, the pleas for his help, the feeling of helplessness, the knowledge that he cannot help them, the anger that the Spirit ignites within him, the anger that the Spirit unleashes, the anger of the Spirit that ends it all: That's going to happen? I can't let that happen. I won't let that happen. I…
But it's already too late: …What have I done?