Chapter XII:

Avatar Aang/Demitar Raya

Somewhere between the Earth Kingdome and the Fire Nation, Raya found that she couldn't keep her eyes open. She let the power of sleep wipe away the pain and exhaustion of her earthly body, and leaned back against the metal of the air ship. To say it was comfortable would have been a lie, but she was sure she could have fallen asleep on a bed of spikes at this point. The nothingness of sleep was irresistible.

"Raya?" The voice over her was soothing and concerned. She opened two bleary amber eyes and inspected the area around her. The walls were no longer made of metal, but instead finely crafted wood and stone. Her hands flexed, and she grasped at the plush fabric over and under herself. The fine linens were luxuriously soft and she lingered in the touch for a moment longer.

"Mm?" was all she could manage as her eyes came more into focus.

"Raya, it's me: Katara," the water tribe girl spoke softly as she pulled some of Raya's covers back. The exposure to the air of the room sent a sudden chill over the fire benders pale skin and she reached to pull them back. Her attempt to reclaim the covers was abruptly halted as a stinging pain shot, hard and fast, up her left arm. Her eyes opened wide, and she was so sharply aware of her surroundings that her head throbbed for a brief second. "Don't move, please. You may injure yourself more."

"Katara?" Raya used her legs to push herself up enough so that she was angled into a leaning position against her pillows, rather than laying directly on her back.

"I'm sorry for waking you, but Aang said your arm was broken. He was really worried," Katara said, gently taking the arm in question and laying it across the Demitar's exposed stomach. Raya realized she was in her under wraps, and absently glanced around to see if her clothes were in the room somewhere.

"Thank you for coming. I just hope that it can be healed." Raya looked down at her arm and saw the bloom of a black and purple bruise indicating where Ozai had gripped her arm mercilessly. Further up, above her elbow, more black, blue, and yellow blossoms were spreading; the break.

"I should be able to help," Katara said confidently. "I would have met you at the gates, but Zuko . . ." she let her words trail off into the emptiness of the room and pretended to be focusing with diligence on the broken arm.

"Zuko what?" Raya prodded, concerned.

"He was badly injured by Azula's lightning . . . I was finishing another healing session with him before I headed over here." She made her admission without her gaze leaving the arm.

"How bad?" Raya asked, trying to sit up more. Katara placed a gentle hand on the Demitar's shoulder and pushed her back into the bed.

"He's fine, Raya. He's going to be fine." Katara smiled and Raya could sense she was telling the truth. The water bender would have no reason to lie. Raya sighed and laid back. "This might hurt at first," Katara warned, and Raya realized she was finally prepared to work on the arm. Raya nodded as the water from a bowl at the benders side was drawn up into her hands.

Katara took the healing waters and pressed both hands along the Demitar's arm. Raya flinched as she felt the power of the healing waters seep into her skin. It looked as though the water would be cool and soothing, but as Katara began, it was stinging, and leaving a burning sensation in its wake. Raya felt her face scrunch up as she stared hard at the canopy above the bed.

"Sorry," Katara mumbled, clearly deep in concentration.

"S'okay," Raya allowed as she clenched and unclenched her right fist. There was a sudden jolt in her arm, and the pain subsided entirely. Raya felt the numbness in her left hand abate as warmth and feeling seeped back into it. She looked at the water bender with a smile, and noted the concentration in her eyes; the beads of sweat on her forehead.

"Well," she finally said, removing the healing waters and letting them fall back down into the bowl beside her.

"It's great," Raya said eagerly. She lifted her arm and flexed the fingers. Everything worked properly, but she noted a lingering soreness in the break area now that the healing waters were gone.

"I've done as much as I can, the rest will have to heal naturally. Here, let me bind it for you," she said, and Raya thought she must have made a face that revealed the soreness. Raya nodded in agreement and let the water tribe girl wrap bandages around her arm and bind it into a sling.

"Thank you, Katara." Raya smiled at her sincerely and sat up entirely from the bed. Raya turned her head to the window then. "What day is it?"

"Coronation day," Katara answered plainly.

"What time is it?" Raya tried not to sound worried.

"The sun has only been up for about an hour; that's why I apologized for waking you," Katara said as she got up and moved to the door.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Raya said, and she relaxed slightly.

"Zuko said that palace staff would come for you when it was time. You and Aang will be standing with Zuko at the coronation," Katara informed her as she pulled the door back.

"Thank you. For everything," Raya said, and she watched the water bender smile genuinely and pull the door shut behind her. Once Raya was sure she was alone, she felt for Aang's presence. He was sleeping somewhere in the palace. His spirit was gentle and calm; the first quality nights rest he had had in ages.

She pulled her mind back, not wanting to disturb him, and was aware that she was alone with her own thoughts. She stood and walked to the window. It over looked the face of the palace, and she took note of a woman walking quickly from the palace and toward a carriage. Her long black hair was flowing out behind her like inked silk, and as she stepped up into her transportation, Raya could have sworn she saw the mar of tears across her cheeks.

The Demitar stepped away from the window, and crossed the room to search for her clothing. As she did so, she caught the image of her reflection out of the corner of her eye. This caused her to back track and pause fully in the mirror. Her body was bruised in some places, and she felt the stiffness of her muscles confirm this damage.

She ran delicate hands across the newly damaged skin and contemplated the fact that time would wash these blemishes away, causing it to seem as though none of it ever happened. But it did happen, and she would never forget it; the world would never forget it. There was nothing that time could not erase, but Aang and Raya's stories would be told far and wide for years to come.

She looked at her face and noticed that her jaw had grown sharper, her face a little older. She contemplated the fact that she hardly recognized herself anymore. She was not the fifteen year old girl that woke from a hundred year slumber in stasis a year prior. She was now a sixteen year old fully recognized Demitar. The weight of the world officially rested across her shoulders, and Aangs. She touched her face absently, and realized that some of the hair over her shoulder was singed. It stood out all the more for the fact that her hair was stark white.

She pulled at it a little and looked back into the mirror. Did she dare consider the possibility of cutting it?

Flipping the hair over her shoulder she moved away from the mirror, leaving the idea of cutting her hair behind. Long hair was a symbol of status and power in the fire nation; now was a dangerous time to relinquish power. Her mind drifted over the possibilities of the future from here. The Fire Nation was not going to be an easy place to be, or control peacefully, for many years to come. Zuko was going to need all the help he could get.

When this is all over, meet me in the western garden of the Fire Palace on the morning of coronation. The words he had spoken to her before she went to meet her destiny echoed in her mind at the thought of him. She felt her heartbeat quicken as she looked out at the light spilling through the slightly ajar window. A delicate breeze tossed the light red curtains loosely about.

X

She had looked high and low for her clothes, but they were nowhere to be found. Raya had been forced to open the wardrobe within the room to find that it was fully stocked with freshly laundered clothing; all of which were traditional fire nation robes and fittings. She had picked through everything within to find that none of it was anything less than the finest.

In defeat, and with no other clothing options other than waltzing around the palace in her under wraps, she had picked out the simplest looking traditional robe. It hugged her curves gently, and combined with her pinned and combed hair she could have passed for Fire Nation royalty. Pushing these thoughts quickly from her mind, she pressed on into the western corridors of the Fire Nation palace slowly.

She was waiting to be stopped at every turn by the staff; directed away, told what she should be doing, but no one paid her any mind other than to bow their respects. She nodded her head back to each of them in acknowledgement, and as she placed her hands on the handle of the wester garden doors, she felt her breath catch. This was so unlike her; the person waiting for her on the other side of those doors was someone she knew well, and someone she had even come to care for deeply. Why now did she find herself paralyzed by the unknown?

"May I assist you, Demitar Raya?" A young palace servant had approached her, his face pleasantly masking the concern he felt at the Demitar's strange behavior. Her hands were still planted firmly on the door handles and she looked over at him, startled. It was as though she had momentarily forgotten that other people inhabited the world around her.

"N-no. I mean," she cleared her throat and straightened. "No, thank you." She tried to instill an air of dignity about herself as she smiled and pulled the handles of the large doors back, letting the sun outside spill forth into the corridor. She let it kiss her skin and illuminate the soft amber irises.

"Enjoy the gardens, Demitar Raya," the servant said, now bowing low to her. She nodded and moved forward into the gardens. As the doors began to close behind her - the servant pulling them back into place - she called out:

"Raya, will be fine from now on."

The gardens were stunning. Summer was in full swing in the Fire Nation, and the gardens had flourished in the intensity of the sun. She took in the myriad colors that surrounded her and breathed deeply the snap dragons and fire orchids that dappled the edges of the stone path she now stood on. The stones led through the flora and into a large white stone gazebo.

The stone was brilliantly white, and from its railings hung organized tangles of vines. From the vines bloomed orange and red fire lilies, and Raya found herself taken by their beauty. The inner platform of the gazebo was decorated with a large stone flower planter - more flora spilling forth from its open top – and around the edges, stone benches. Against the far edge of the gazebo, a tall man stood with his back turned away from her.

His hair was left down and shagged loosely around his shoulders and the nape of his neck. He was in a casual fire nation robe, and Raya was suddenly jealous that she didn't have had access to one. However, it was clear why this person was able to attain more casual clothing; the Fire Prince was bound to have a greater selection of clothes at his disposal in his own home.

Raya felt her heart quicken as she stepped up into the white stone shelter, leaving the heat of the suns direct light behind her. Her feet made no sound as she stepped up to the Fire Prince, but hesitated instead of coming to stand directly behind him. Her silence was no match for Zuko's trained ear, however, and she found him turning to face her.

His robe was open, leaving his pants and bandaged chest exposed. Raya took in the thick bandages and looked up to meet his eyes with concern.

"I'm alright," Zuko said as he inspected her arm in return. It was bandaged and held up against her in a sling, leaving her left sleeve empty.

"It'll heal," she said, easing the worry he tried to hide on his face. Before she could concern herself with what to say next, she watched Zuko take two steps toward her. Closing the distance between them she felt his strong arms wrap unabashedly around her. This pressed her broken arm against her chest uncomfortably, the soreness becoming a dull ache, but she wrapped her good arm around his waist in return and let him hold her there.

"We did it," she said finally. It seemed like the only thing to say at this point.

"You did it," Zuko said, his lips moving in her white hair. This sent tingles up her spine, and she quelled the urge to bury her face deeper into his chest. Instead, she pulled back and he allowed her the small space.

"I'd never have been able to do it without everyone standing with me, though. Even you," she said, letting her hands absently fix the folds of his robes, even though they were aimlessly hanging from his shoulders.

"Heh . . . you give me too much credit. I wouldn't even have defeated Azula if it wasn't for Katara," Zuko admitted.

"I can see that," Raya said, stroking the center of his bandages gently. "We all need help once in a while, and that's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I'm not ashamed," Zuko corrected. "I'm worried. This country is about to look to me for all of its needs. How do I handle it all? Where does this nation go from here?" Zuko began to spout question after question and Raya raised a slender finger to his lips, silencing him. His face was covered in a crimson blush as he watched her carefully. She withdrew her finger slowly and looked deeply into his matching amber eyes; the trademark of Fire Nation children.

"I don't know much about many things, but I do know that you don't have to do it alone, Zuko."

"You remind me so much of Uncle . . ." Zuko said softly, then blushed and closed his eyes. "That came out wrong."

"I'm flattered; your uncle is a wise man," Raya said, trying not to laugh at the Prince's blunder.

X

Aang was waiting at the edge of the curtain that separated them from the public waiting for them in the small square of the Fire Palace. He was adorned entirely in the traditional attire of an airbending master, all the way down to the wooden carved necklace. He was sitting patiently, his head down – eyes closed. Raya approached silently, but her presence was not easily hidden from the Avatar.

"Raya," Aang greeted her as he opened his eyes and looked up at the Demitar. Raya smiled gently and nodded a greeting in return. Aang stood and hugged her, taking care not to press too hard on her bandaged arm. As she drew back from his embrace, Raya noted how much older he suddenly looked. She applied to him what she had been considering of herself earlier; how much have we changed?

No longer were they the people who had fallen out of their time traps all those months ago. They were two new people entirely; strangers in a new world.

"I can't believe a year ago, my purpose in life was hunting you down . . ." Raya heard the Fire Prince step up beside her as he spoke, his eyes fixed on the young Avatar.

"And now we're friends," Aang said, finishing his thought for him. Zuko smiled and hugged Aang with brotherly affection. Raya smiled at the warmth that surrounded her, and felt as light as she ever had in this new era.

"Yeah . . . We are friends," Zuko said as he stepped back and took in the formal coronation robes that adorned Raya. Someone had helped her tuck her arm neatly into the folds of the robe so that they didn't look terribly displace. Her hair was braided in places and laid intricately down her back; her top bun fitted perfectly. Zuko couldn't help but notice that she still wore the crowned prince's ornament he had given her so long ago.

He too was now dressed in formal robes fitting for the soon to be Fire Lord. His previously freely laying locks of dark brown hair were now pulled up and fitted into a circular hair piece; soon it would be complete with the fitting of the Fire Lord's hair ornament. Raya blushed slightly as she took in his appearance. He cleaned up well, and she could tell that his becoming the Fire Lord was in his blood. Not because Ozai was his father, but because he had weathered the test of life and come out stronger.

"I can't believe a year ago I was still frozen in a block of ice," Aang added.

"And I in a ball of energy," Raya said.

"The worlds so different now," Aang said, pensive.

"And it's gonna be even more different; when we build it together," Zuko said, his hands coming to rest gently, one each, on Aang and Raya's shoulders. With one last reassuring smile, Zuko turned toward the heavy red velvet curtain that led to the stage of the coronation. Raya followed with Aang at her side.

Outside, the large stone staircase led down into a crowd divided into four rows; fire, water, foggy swamp, and earth. The crowd waited patiently for the honorary members to appear at the head of the stair case. The sky was clear, and blue, and Raya thought for a moment that it might be taken as a symbol of the future to come. She could feel Aang agreeing silently at her side.

The ceremonial gong of the Fire Sages rang out to their left as Zuko stepped forth to face the crowd. Raya and Aang came to stand off to the right, watching him thoughtfully. The crowd applauded excitedly as they laid eyes on the soon to be Fire Lord, and Zuko raised a hand in silence.

"Please," he said humbly, "The real heroes are the Avatar, and Demitar." He turned and held out a gracious hand toward the pair. Aang and Raya looked at each other for less than a second and stepped forward to share the stage with the Fire Prince. The crowd cheered even more loudly and Aang and Raya smiled toward Zuko.

"Today, this war is finally over," Zuko continued with the Avatar and Demitar by his side. More cheering echoed out through the square as Zuko pressed on. "I promised my uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation – and I will. The road ahead of us is challenging; a hundred years of fighting has left the world scared, and divided. But with the help of the Avatar, and Demitar, we can get it back on the right path." Zuko exchanged sincere looks with both Aang and Raya as he spoke. "And begin a new era of love, and peace," he finished, his eyes locking with Raya's at the words 'love and peace'. She blushed and turned her face out to the crowd; Zuko doing the same.

Fire Prince Zuko kneeled, then, and a fire sage walked up behind him with the ceremonial ornament. He raised the Fire Lord's ornament and lowered it into the kneeling prince's hair. Fire Lord Zuko rose to face his audience as the sage spoke, "All hail, Fire Lord Zuko!" The crowd below cheered wildly as Zuko stepped forward to the top step, and motioned for Raya and Aang to stand by his side.

X

The gentle sounds of a tsungi horn drifted through the tea shop, occupied by a private party. The horn stopped playing suddenly as a tea cup was placed at the side of the player. Uncle Iroh reach out and accepted the cup, smiling proudly at his nephew. Zuko smiled in return and continued around Iroh's tea shop, handing out fresh cups of tea.

Sokka was sitting at a table with a stick of ink and a mild look of concentration on his face; tongue sticking out of his mouth. Suki was sitting near him, admiring his dedication. Aang was seated on the floor, legs folded, watching his friends move around him. Katara and Toph were talking lightly about where their lives would next lead them, and Raya was standing at a table on the far side of the room, tending to the brewing tea as Zuko had showed her.

"Could everyone please hold still? I'm trying to capture the moment," Sokka said with mock irritation as he made a few more marks on his parchment. Suki raised her brow and looked down at the paper in amusement.

"You're drawing us?"

"I thought it might be nice to remember this," Sokka said as he looked around at the contentedness of his companions.

"That was very thoughtful of you Sokka. Wait. Why'd you draw me with Momo's ears?" Katara asked suddenly.

"Those are your hair loopies," Sokka corrected.

"At least you don't look like a porcupine," Zuko said as he looked at Sokka's rendition of him. Raya stepped up to Zuko's side and looked down at the drawing.

"Why am I sitting on a scribbled out circle?" Raya asked.

"You're riding air scooters with Aang," Sokka said matter-of-factly.

"I thought you said you were capturing the moment?" Katara prodded.

"And why am I fire bending?" Suki added quickly.

"I thought it made it more exciting,"Sokka said, defending his artistic choices and looking around at his companions. Momo hopped up on the table and made chattering sounds, causing Sokka to glare at him. "Oh, what? You think you can do a better job, Momo?"

Raya noticed that Aang was the only one not to come up and join the others around Sokka's painting. He stood and instead walked out the front doors to stand at the bottom of the stone steps, looking out toward the sunset. Raya could feel the utter contentedness of his soul, and watched as Katara stepped out to join him. She blocked their connection quickly to afford him more privacy; she also didn't want to have to feel their moment through Aang's spirit.

As she blocked their connection, she walked back over to the table that held the tea pot and, using her firebending, lowered fire beneath it to let it steep. She felt Zuko step up beside her and her heart quickened as he sat his tray down. His hand came to rest atop hers as she used it to brace her weight lightly against the table. She straightened suddenly at his touch and looked into his eyes. Leaving her hand in his she turned to face him, and he stepped closer to her.

The other people in the room began to melt away suddenly, and it was as though she were standing alone in the world with Zuko as her only point of anchor. He looked down into her eyes; his filled with an overwhelming amount of sincerity and compassion. She returned his intensity with her own, and wished she could extend her non injured hand up to touch his face.

It was in this moment that Raya kissed Zuko for the second time, only this time it was filled with love and tenderness, instead of the fearful urgency of their first kiss. Zuko cupped her cheek with his free hand, his other still holding the hand of her uninjured arm, and stepped forward slightly so that there was no space between them. It was Raya who finally pulled away, slowly remembering that there were other people at the other end of the room, and looked up at him gently,

"I used to be so afraid of what the future held for me," Zuko said as he tucked a stray strand of white hair behind Raya's ear. "But now I look forward to each new day, and I have you to thank for that."

"I only did my duty; to serve the people. To bring balance back to the world. You shape your own destiny, Zuko," Raya said, giving his hand a light squeeze.

"You've made that destiny worth shaping."

[A/N: To my troopers who have made it this far: thank you so much for reading. I've enjoyed every second of writing this story. Stay tuned for a prologue, and know that a book two is in the works. As always reviews are so greatly appreciated. Cheers.]