So you may have noticed the slight title change. Well, I've recently become obsessed with a song of the same name and I think it fits the relationships between a lot of the characters, albeit in different ways.
And yeah, this one's kind of short, but there's a heck of a lot in it. I looked down at the word count when i finished and went, "Wait, that's it?" Yeah, so we wrap up the siege of the North here and that's the end of book one. Whoo! Yeah, not on to the Earth Kingdom. I'm on a roll now that I've gotten over my block and I've got ideas flying everywhere.
Keep the reviews coming, and I'll keep the updates coming!
"So… what do we do with him?"
Aang pushed himself to his feet and stared at Zuko, still sitting adjacent to Kyuri. She stood and picked up the remains of the rope she had cut away from Aang.
"He would take you prisoner," Kyuri said, pressing the rope into Aang's small, cold hands. "It's your choice. He's hunting you."
Aang looked from the rope in his eyes to Kyuri to Zuko. "What do you think I should do?"
Kyuri and Zuko locked eyes. "You're the Avatar, Aang. Justice is your department, not mine."
"But I don't know what I'm supposed to do!"
Kyuri sighed. "You're supposed to stop second-guessing yourself. Do you recall how skillfully you handled the two fighting clans and got us through the Great Divide? You have the ability Aang, just not the confidence."
Aang looked down at the ropes in his hands and up to Zuko one last time. "We'll take him back to the Water Tribe," he said decidedly. "Give him a raft and send him off. From there he's on his own."
"As you wish," Kyuri nodded. She gestured to the rope. "Do we tie him or not?"
"Are you going to attack us?" Aang asked Zuko. Kyuri's eyes closed for a moment.
"After all this, still so innocent."
"It's what will make him a great Avatar."
"Or a disgustingly naïve one."
"As you said, he just needs to stop second-guessing himself. He's proven himself capable of subterfuge should the occasion call for it," Sangilak reminded her.
Zuko's eyes flicked to Kyuri once more. "I don't think that would be in my best interests."
"Indeed not." Kyuri took the rope and coiled it tightly around one of Sangilak's spines. "Aang, are you ready for travel?"
"I'm fine," Aang smiled, hopping up and throwing out his hands as if to illustrate just how fine he was. Kyuri turned and hopped on Sangilak's back, Aang jumped up behind her. Zuko made to follow, but Sangilak whirled, teeth bared, and let out a vicious roar directly in his face, smoke trickling threateningly from his mouth.
"Sangilak would sooner die than let you ride him," Kyuri commented. "He has a deep grudge against your entire family. You'll be walking."
"Aang! Aang!"
Appa landed in a flurry of snow and immediately Sokka and Katara jumped down to the ground, water and boomerang readied, while Yue watched nervously form the saddle.
"Kyuri, look out!" Sokka cautioned.
"No, guys, it's okay," Aang said hastily, sliding down and stepping between his friends and his enemy. "Kyuri got me away from him. He's… sort of our prisoner, I guess?" Aang finished uncertainly.
Kyuri took over the explanation for him. "Aang's decided to take him back to the North Pole and-"
"Wait a minute, what?" Sokka burst out. "Yes, let's bring the guy who tried to kill us multiple times! And if he's a prisoner, shouldn't he be tied up?"
"I don't think he'll attack, not with all of us here," Aang said.
"I agree," Kyuri broke in. "Sokka, its Aang decision. He's the victim here; it's his right to decide his retribution. Mount up," she said to Zuko, nodding at Appa. The sky bison gave the Fire Prince a growl as well, but allowed him into the saddle.
The takeoff was normal, but the flight certainly wasn't. There was no friendly talk or planning going on. It was uncomfortably quiet, Katara and Sokka, who was holding Yue protectively, giving Zuko dark glares, which he returned full force.
"The spirits are in trouble," Aang said finally, his twitching making it clear that he could no longer handle the quiet. "We have to get to the oasis."
"What did you see in the Spirit World?" Katara asked, or rather, meant to ask. She didn't get very far into her question before the red light swept over them and the full moon vanished from the sky.
For Kyuri, it was at first a feeling of great worry and fear that quickly chilled over and left a hollow feeling near her heart. It burned with cold fire, making her feel like she'd just been stabbed by an icicle. Her hand pressed over her heart tightly and she let out a small grunt, frowning. Under her, Sangilak's smooth wing strokes faltered slightly and a small whine pulled from his throat. On Appa, Aang was holding his head, his small face wrinkled up. Yue was making a similar face, long white hair blowing around her as Sokka fretted.
"What's wrong?" he asked nervously.
"I feel faint," she said weakly.
"I feel it too," Aang said, kneading his temples with the fingers of one hand. "The moon spirit is in trouble."
Kyuri nodded. That would explain it. Dragons were inherently spiritual creatures and their bond with their Dragora's was completely spiritual. Sangilak was sensitive to upsets in the Spirit World, and through him, so was Kyuri. They both knew when something caused a stir in the other world.
"I owe the moon spirit my life," Yue said softly.
"What do you mean?" Sokka asked, brushing her hair back behind her shoulder tenderly. Kyuri wondered how she'd missed the obvious affection between Sokka and Yue until now. Even she was not so blind as to miss it now.
"When I was born, I was very sick," Yue explained. "Most babies cry when they're born. I was born as if I was asleep, my eyes closed. The healers did everything they could. They told my parents I was going to die. My father prayed to the spirits. That night, under the full moon, he took me to the oasis and placed me in the pond. My dark hair turned white, I opened my eyes, and began to cry. That's why my mother named me Yue, for the moon."
"I understand now," Kyuri said. "I noticed that you felt very spiritual, that it's what attracted Alignak to you. I'll admit, I thought you were arrogant and stupid to name your dragon after the moon spirit. Doing such a thing can damage the bond between dragon and Dragora. Now I see- you have the life of the moon spirit inside you. If anyone has the right to use the moon spirit's name, it is you."
Yue smiled softly and locked gazes with Kyuri for the first time. "Thank you, Kyuri. It means to me. When we first met, I thought you hated me-"
"I did."
"-and now I know why. I was worried I'd offended you. I actually… sort of look up to you," Yue admitted. Kyuri's eyes widened slightly.
Zuko watched all this as an outsider. He had to admit, the bit about the Water Tribe princess was interesting, and he hadn't known she was a Dragora as well. Mostly he just pressed against the edge of the saddle and held on. Flying felt decidedly unnatural and he held no such illusions that no one there would rush to help him should he fall, except maybe that goody-two-shoes Avatar… and possibly Kyuri.
They arrived back in the oasis to find Zhao in the midst of some sort of power-induced trance. He stood by the pond surrounded by soldiers, one hand thrusting a wriggling bag into the sky. His face was one of pure ecstasy and greed, like a starving man presented with a feast
"They will call me Zhao the Conqueror! Zhao the Moon Slayer! Zhao the Invincible!"
Kyuri raised an eyebrow as Zhao the Invincible was attacked by Momo. His aura of oppressive grandeur was completely shattered as the soldiers surged around him, trying to remove the lemur.
"Ah, get it off, get it off!"
Momo jumped free and scampered across the grass, climbing Aang's ballooning pants leg to perch on his outstretched arm. Aang's expression was visibly furious, his eyes cold and chilling as he stared Zhao down. Yue, Kyuri, Sokka, and Katara held identical expressions of disgust. Appa growled and flames licked at the corners of Sangilak's lips. Bloodthirsty thoughts flowed into Kyuri's mind to the point where she found herself itching to sink her teeth into Zhao's neck and rip out his throat with her bare hands, only to set him ablaze and….
"Enough!"
Kyuri pushed against the tide of fury resolutely. Sangilak's emotions, which were blending with her own and working her into a vicious, primal state of bloodlust, backed off and she returned to herself.
"Don't bother," Zhao sneered when he saw them standing there, in line and ready for a fight to the death. He raised the wriggling sack, fist posed next to it. The threat was clear: attack and the moon spirit is set aflame.
"Zhao!" Aang said immediately, dropping his glide, his face going pleading and scared. "Don't!"
"It's my destiny," Zhao said. Kyuri's eyes narrowed. Something in him had shifted, she could see it. For someone with ambition like him, power was a powerful drug. He was completely lost in power-mad dreams of fame and glory, honor given to his name. He was unstable at this point. To try and talk an ambitious man from power was like trying to talk a dehydrated man from a river. "To destroy the moon and the Water Tribe."
"Destroying the moon spirit won't hurt just the Water Tribe," Aang said softly. "It would hurt everybody, including you. Without the moon, everything would fall out of balance. You have no idea what kind of chaos that would unleash on the world!"
"He is right, Zhao!"
Kyuri's eyes flicked over to see General Iroh standing at the foot of the bridge, a Fire Nation cloak thrown over his shoulder. Behind her, she dimly registered Zuko taking a sharp breath and whispering, "Uncle."
"General Iroh," Zhao greeted calmly. "Why am I not surprised to learn of your treachery?"
"I'm no traitor Zhao," Iroh said, lowering his hood. "The Fire Nation needs the moon too. We all depend on its balance. Whatever you do to that spirit, I'll unleash tenfold on you! Let it go!"
That was the first time Kyuri ever felt a deep respect for the retired General, as he settled into a bending pose, aimed pointedly at Zhao. His face was twisted with rage as he stared Zhao down fearlessly. Kyuri saw for the first time the great Dragon of the West, the general that almost caused Ba Sing Se to fall to its knees. Iroh may seem like a mild-mannered, wise elder. In reality, he was still a soldier under all those years of peace.
Zhao paused at the end of the speech. Kyuri knew that no matter how confident Zhao appeared, he too held a healthy respect of the ability of Iroh. For a moment, he seemed determined to continue, but then his head dropped to his chest and he knelt, cloak fanning around him as he proffered the sack. The fish slipped into the water, returning to its circling. The moon reappeared in the sky, the red light fading.
The change that came over Zhao suddenly was palpable. The man who had come so close to having the power he desired had just given it up and now his ambition was rebelling at being commanded and brought down. With a roar, he stood and struck, his arm coming down in a mighty sweep. Fire blazed through the darkened oasis.
For a moment, Kyuri could almost taste the presence of evil. It was bitter and disgusting, coating her tongue in a thick, oily texture that made he want to wretch. It felt as though something had just been wrenched from inside of her and she knew in her heart that she was feeling the loss of the moon spirit, as every Waterbender would be. As every ex-Waterbender would be.
No one would ever bend the element of water again.
Kyuri crumpled against Sangilak weakly as Iroh surged forwards with a roar. His attacks struck hard and fast, knocking the soldiers to the ground with cruel efficiency and no mercy. Zhao knew then what he had done, who precisely he would have baying for his blood. An entire tribe of people, an unrivalled general and Firebender, a pair of Dragora, and the Avatar. As any smart man would have, he fled.
Iroh crouched at the edge of the pond. Lines between sides were lost in the gravity of the moment as they all crouched, every nation but the Earth Kingdom represented, together by the body of the moon spirit. Its white body seemed pristine, but the black spot that had adorned its head was now a charred blotch, spreading darkly across its face. It bobbed sadly in the ripples, the other fish, the ocean spirit, still circling. Its movements seemed frantic, agitated. It knew what had happened, it too was grieving as much as it could, but it was helpless in its mortal form.
Iroh raised the fish tenderly from the water.
"We have no hope," Yue said, turning and burying her face in Sokka's chest. He held her comfortingly, staring at the spirit in blank shock. He didn't seem to know how to react. "It's over."
"No, it's not."
Aang glowed, entering the Avatar state. He took a step forwards and Katara moved toward him, but Iroh cut her off, watching intently. Aang stepped into the pond, moving toward the middle where the fish had been circling. The ocean spirit stopped, bobbing slightly in the water to turn towards Aang. It looked almost as if they were communicating somehow.
An agreement seemed to be reached because only a second later the ocean spirit began to glow as well, its eyes and the white spot on its head gleaming the same pure blue as Aang's tattoos. With no more preamble, Aang simply dropped down into the water, vanishing beneath the surface.
Blue lines of power, the same color as the glowing spirits, spider-webbed through the water, reaching out beyond the island and bathing the entire city in an eerie glow that bleached everything of color. The Waterbenders were a dark-skinned people, but they looked pale and dead in the light as it swept through the canals. The water rocked in its confines, rising up and making waves of its own accord.
Those on the island watched as a huge wave rose out of the sea. It molded itself into the shape of a fish, an image of the ocean spirit. Barbells flowed gracefully at the sides of its mouth. A dot of the blue glow rested on top of its head, mirror in its white spot. A similar spot rested in the center of its chest, where Aang floated, still glowing, and seemingly dead to the world.
Kyuri was awed. Such a display of power… she knew very well that this was something no one else could do and felt honored and humbled to even be near as Aang channeled and vented the ocean spirits righteous anger it its compatriot's murder. Chills shuddered down her spine and she was glad Sangilak stood beside her, or she might not have been able to keep upright.
Aang's movements mirrored the fish's. He was controlling the spirits wrath, unleashing it in full force on the invading Firebenders. The Waterbenders would come through unharmed. They no longer had need to fear with their spirit on their side whole-heartedly fighting for them. There was one man who should be terrified though, cowering in a corner and pleading for his life.
Of one thing Kyuri was certain. Admiral Zhao would not survive this moonless night.
Iroh knelt, placing the fish back in the water. The once-proud creature bobbed limply, reduced to nothing more than a clump of flesh. Its power was gone.
"It's too late," Katara said, placing a hand on Iroh's arm. "It's too late."
Iroh nodded in understanding. He felt the loss as keenly as any of the Water Tribe members. His eyes caught and held on something though. Yue's white hair. He looked up in surprise.
"You have been touched by the moon spirit!" he realized. "Some of its life is in you!"
"Yes," Yue nodded. "It gave me life." Her eyes opened, full of sad acceptance, but also a determination Kyuri had never seen the likes of before. She knew what this look was though. This was the look a martyr would wear, one who would die for their cause, march to the gallows without complaint and hold their head high. "Maybe I can give it back."
Yue stood, moving towads the fish. Sokka's hand caught hers. Yue paused, but did not turn to him.
"No! You don't have to do that!" Sokka protested.
"It's my duty, Sokka."
"I won't let you! Your father told me to protect you."
"I have to do this."
Yue's hand slid free of Sokka's as she took a final step towards the moon spirit. Her hands rested delicately over the black burn mark. She showed no fear, only resolution and contentment. The body under her hands glowed brilliantly. Yue's eyes closed weakly and the glow faded. She fell, her final breath leaving her lips in a small groan.
"No!" Sokka wailed, lunging forwards and catching her before she could hit the ground. He clutched her to him tightly, as if he was afraid even her body might slip away from him. "She's gone," he whispered broken-heartedly. "She's gone."
Yue truly was gone. In the next moment, her body vanished from Sokka's arms, leaving behind nothing. The moon spirit glowed once more. Iroh placed it in the pond it began to circle again, as if always would. The glow of its body spread through the water of the pond and a shape bloomed out of it. Yue, transparent and clad in flowing white robes, floated there. Her face was peaceful, calm, yet filled with sadness. Fabric and long, white hair dancing around her in an invisible wind. She floated forwards, her hand resting on Sokka's cheek.
"Goodbye Sokka," she said, her voice echoing with power and the cold comfort of the moon. "I'll always be with you." He lips pressed to his and Sokka's hand rose to lie on her cheek for a moment before she faded away. Overhead, the moon bloomed once more in the sky, like a white lily opening for the first time.
An agonized roar split the air. It was a wailing, frenzied sound filled with nothing but sadness that could not be comprehended until one truly felt it themselves. It was a sound of heart-break and loss, a sound a thousand times more painful than Sokka's cry. It was a sound that sent chills down their spines, that had Sokka and Katara covering their ears and staring around frantically.
"What is that?" Katara whispered.
"Alignak," Kyuri said, her voice dripping with that same sadness. Her hand reached out, pressing tightly against Sangilak's neck as she leaned on his torso. His wing flared out, shadowing her. Her blue eyes burned from the shade, watery and compassionate. "What you hear is the sound of someone who has lost their other half, who has lost a part of themselves, a part of their soul to the blackness of death. It is the sound one of us will make one day, when the other passes," Kyuri said, burying her face in Sangilak's neck. She didn't want to be seen as she rubbed away the tear sliding down her cheek. Overhead, a dark shape shot off into the tundra, fire trailing around it as it continued to roar. "Alignak will not return until his heart has healed. Yue was his first Dragora. That pain is always the worst."
Kyuri would forever remember that sound. It would be etched into her memory until the day she died, along with the accompanying mental cry that she, Sangilak, and all other dragons and Dragora there might be would have heard echoing across the world, no matter where they were. An agonized cry of disbelief and denial.
"No!"
It was strangely calm after the battle. As Kyuri had predicted, Alignak was nowhere to be seen. She knew he was grieving deeply. Every now and then she or Sangilak would pause in whatever they were doing or saying as a particularly violent mental cry tore through the air.
Kyuri went to the practice field the next morning, seeking a sense of normality and peace that was familiar and safe. She had assumed that it would be empty as everyone doctored wounds and began rebuilding. She was surprised to find Pakak and Akna at the head of a small group of her students, all dressed in loose clothes suitable for training.
"We didn't know if you'd be here, so we came anyway," Pakak began slowly. "I mean, if you don't want to teach today, that's fine, but we just thought-"
"No, it's fine," Kyuri said. She recognized on all their faces a need she shared, a need for something mind-numbing and time-consuming. "Huka," she said to a tall, burly man who was one of her most avid students. His upper arm was wrapped in bandages but her seemed otherwise unharmed. "Divide out by skill and spar to warm up." Huka nodded and began divvying up the talents in the group. Pakak made to join them but Kyuri caught his arm, pulling him away.
"Is everything okay?" he asked as Kyuri bit her lip, unsure as to how to begin. She knew it had to be done, but she also knew it would trigger an emotional response from the boy and she wasn't quite sure she was ready to deal with emotional responses from anyone yet.
"It's fine," Kyuri said, soothing his nerves. "But I do have something I need to ask you."
"What is it?" Pakak pressed her.
"It's…" Kyuri swallowed, trying to find words, then sighed and turned to look out over the town, past the damaged city and onto the ocean. "I will be leaving with the Avatar soon. We've done what we came to do. Katara and Aang are well on their way to true mastery and the Fire Nation will not dare return for a long while. So it's time for us to go."
"Oh," Pakak said softly, lowering his head. "So… I guess this will be over."
"No," Kyuri said slowly, cutting him off. "I can't do that. I've started something here you see, brought the women out of their traditional rolls, started others down the path towards a life as a fighter. I can't abandon people halfway down that path. However, I must, so I have to leave behind someone to continue my work." She turned back to him, raising an eyebrow. "You will be taking over these people. If you wish, that is."
Pakak stared at her, eyes huge. "You mean… wait… me?"
"You."
"But… But I'm so young! There's others here, they're older and more experienced, and they're better fighters, and I'm just-"
"just the only one here that I truly turned into a fighter," Kyuri said calmly. It had taken her quite a while. Someone like Huka, brave, strong, and a soldier already would have been the obvious choice of successor, but that wasn't quite what she wanted to leave behind. "The others came to me with preconceived notions of fighting, even the women. They had heard their husbands talk, had handled their weapons some. You were the only one who knew nothing when you came to me and who had really absorbed everything I taught. In short, you are the only real legacy of mine here. I can trust you to continue my teaching without skewing my lessons towards what you knew before. Therefore, logically, you will take over as I go off with the others to-"
Kyuri was cut off as a pair of cold, chapped lips crashed down on hers. They were only thee for a moment, and then were gone in an instant and Pakak recoiled, eyes wide with horror as he stared at her.
"Oh spirits, I'm sorry, you're going to kill me now aren't you? I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking I was just-"
"Breathe," Kyuri said calmly, cutting him off. Her fingers rose and touched her lips in amusement. She'd never been kissed before… It was an oddly pleasant experience, even if his teeth had clacked against her and he'd accidently nipped at her lip. "It's important for continued survival, you know. And no, I won't kill you. But do try and be somewhat more contained. I can't leave you behind to teach these people if you're going to go around kissing them every time something you like happens. Huka would kill you after the first time."
Pakak's expression went from terrified to green. "I'd kill myself…"
"Yes, I expect you would. Now, let's go inform the others of who they'll be following from now on."
They received a royal sendoff. The entirely of the Northern Tribe, barring the elderly or injured, turned out to watch as they loaded up Sangilak and Appa and made ready to go.
"Kyuri!"
Kyuri turned and staggered slightly as a small body slammed into her, wrapping around her calves. She looked down in surprise to see Akna curled around her, looking up at her with watery blue eyes. She looked up to see a harried-looking Pakak emerging from the crowd. He blushed a bit when he saw her, but she disregarded it.
"Don't go," Akna pleaded, tugging at the sash holding her meteor hammer and knives. "I'll miss you."
"And I'll miss you," Kyuri admitted, and was startled to realize it was true. She had come to know a certain fondness for the little girl with big blue eyes. She had always thought she'd be a rather poor mother. Affection had never been her strong suit and she'd decided that she'd never had children, either that or she'd simply have them out of wedlock and not bother with a husband.
However, after unlocking her maternal side with Akna in the past few days, and her first kiss on her mind, she found herself wondering if she was so right in her ideas that she was not cut out for marriage and mothering. She found herself almost… excited by the prospect of a family, of children to teach and a husband to love.
Kyuri stared down in awe at the little girl who had wrought this change in her unknowingly. Akna pulled back in confusion, looking up at her nervously.
"Kyuri?" she asked hesitantly. She suddenly found herself being crushed in strong arms covered in black leather and Akna's eyes widened as she realized Kyuri was on her knees, hugging her tightly and stroking her hair. Behind her, Katara, Sokka, and Aang were gaping at the usually stoic girl.
"I will come back and see you," Kyuri swore, and she meant it. "Come hell or high water I'll come back to visit." She could not ever abandon this girl who'd so opened her eyes, she realized.
"I made you something," Akna said softly. She seemed to realize how big it was for Kyuri to hug her and she was hesitant to break it up, but there was something she really wanted to do.
Kyuri pulled back and looked at the girl curiously. Akna reached into a pouch on her belt and lifting out a necklace. It was simple and rough, obviously made by the girl herself and with materials she had scrounged up in a short amount of time. The string was thin but strong, and from it dangled a bone carving of a dragon.
"I remembered you saying that ladies should wear long necklaces, because people can grab them and strangle you," Akna spoke up in a tiny voice. She was scared Kyuri wouldn't like the gift. It was small and kind of childish and she suddenly felt very foolish for giving it to her. Kyuri was staring at it like she'd never seen anything like it. "If you don't like it, it's fine, I won't be-"
Akna found herself crushed into another hug.
"I love it," Kyuri whispered to her. She pulled away and pressed the necklace back into Akna's hands, turning her back to the little girl. "Put it on me?"
Akna squealed in delight and fixed the catch behind Kyuri's neck. Kyuri looked down at the pendant hanging just between her collarbones. It was tight enough that it would take some work for an opponent to get their fingers around it to use it against her. It was not a liability and already she was thinking that she'd never take it off. Contemplating motherhood, kissing a boy, wearing jewelry. What was happening to her?
"I've… never seen her hug anyone since she came back," Sokka realized as Kyuri said her final goodbyes to a little girl who had given her a necklace.
"She's hugged me," Katara admitted. "But I've never seen her actually… you know… initiate a hug."
"What do you think changed?" Aang asked, looking up at them curiously.
"I don't know," Katara said, shaking her head. "But I bet that little girl had something to do with it. She's a miracle worker."