Zutara Week 2012
Day 3
Prompt: Transcend
A/N: This is told from Katara's point of view.I really really really loved writing this one :3
Transcend: [tran-send] v. to rise above or go beyond; overpass; exceed
Red scales, tinged with gold; a surprisingly sinuous body graced with impressive wings. The dragon was mere feet away from me, but somehow I wasn't afraid; its eyes were a muted gold, like Zuko's, and that was enough.
It leaned in, closer; the hot steam that left its nostrils tickled my skin. Some friendships are so strong, they can even transcend lifetimes.
The dragon bowed its head, its nose lightly touching my breast, before everything went black.
The cold air bit at my cheeks, chapped my lips in a matter of seconds. The dazzling white landscape blinded me.
"Sana!" At the mystifyingly familiar call, I turned around, found a tall man ambling towards me. As he came closer, I caught sight of his features; long hair in the color of chocolate, a squared jaw, kind blue eyes.
"Nilak," I whispered, the name somehow jumping to my lips, my hand reaching up to cup his tanned cheek tenderly. As he pulled me in for an embrace, everything went black again; but not before I noticed the broadswords he carried on his back.
I was a man, and an angry one at that. She was sitting on my doorstep, her shoulders hunched so that her black hair formed a silk curtain that obscured her face. Though I couldn't yet remember her name, a surge of irritation rose in my chest.
"What are you doing here?"
She looked up at my voice; her eyes were huge and moist. "I.. I waited out here all night."
The irritation shifted into a surprisingly strong regret, tinged with tenderness. Mayur stood, her expression beseeching. "Please, Osam. Will you help me?"
My frown melted into a small smile. "I'll never turn my back on someone who needs me."
The misty morning vanished, making way for the interior of a clean house with sturdy columns. The new emerald and bronze furnishings were to my liking, I decided, as I walked into my home after a particularily long absence. I glanced down at myself; I was clad in heavy armor, and dirt still clung to the soles of my shoes.
"Salin!" My wife's shriek reached my ears from the end of the hall; and before I could properly respond, she had catapulted herself into my arms. "Salin, you're home."
"Jaya." I buried my hand in her hair, my other arm holding her flush against my body, keeping her from falling. She looked up at me; golden eyes awash with tenderness.
"I missed you."
I pressed my lips to hers, my eyes slipping closed of their own accord. "I missed you, too."
When I opened my eyes again, my lungs were burning.
I gazed down at myself; relieved, even as I ran, to find that I was a girl again. I was clad in a plain tunic and trousers made of a coarse material, in the very color of blood.
"Hurry, Ava!" In front of me, a girl clad in a mirror image of my suit paused in her sprint to beckon me; and, feeling a strong pull towards her, I answered her call.
When I reached her, she glanced at me; a silent, beseeching, frightened exchange. I swallowed, knowing somehow that whatever was chasing us was something fierce indeed.
"Shit!" My partner exclaimed; we'd reached the edge of a cliff. Waves crashed against the jagged rocks beneath us.
"Rae." My heart was beating impossibly fast in my chest. "What are we gonna do?"
Before she could answer, we heard a bellow behind us; a man chasing a shirshu burst into view. We exchanged a desperate glance.
"We can't go back," Rae told me, tone filled with finality.
I swallowed. "I know."
Rae chanced a glance back at the shirshu, then met my eyes. For the first time, I noticed her features. Pale skin, a mop of raven hair; her nose and chin formed delicate planes. She was a feminine version of Zuko.
"Let's jump," she whispered fervently. "They can't find us if we jump."
Tears blurred my vision. "We'll be together?"
Rae nodded fervently, grasping my hand tightly. "I'll always love you, Ava."
The last thing I heard was the roar of the water as we plummeted towards it.
A light autumn breeze kicked up my yellow robe, exposing my bare feet. I was standing on a balcony, in what appeared to be an Air Nomad monastery. I breathed in, inhaling the fresh air, before turning and entering my bedroom.
Spare, but comfortable; somehow, I was used to it, used to the man who slept on the thin mattress. I crawled up the bed, propping myself up on my elbow so that I could stare down at him; in the shadows, I took in his bald head, the Air Nomad tattoos. Then, compelled by something instictual, I pressed my lips to his forehead.
When I drew away, I saw not Kalden, but Zuko.
A heartbeat, a clash, a white canvas. The dragon was back. I registered mere surprise at that; but I was truly surprised at the sadness that overwhelmed me at the realization that my journey had seemingly ended.
Don't be saddened. The dragon nuzzled me. Some relationships are so strong, their love can transcend lifetimes.
I'd always known that our relationship, our love, transcended physical barriers, transcended expectations, transcended the confining caliber of words, transcended moments. But now, as I gazed into the dragon's eyes, I realized that we transcended time itself.
Subconsciously, I reached for Zuko; and, drawn to his warmth, I buried my head in his chest. Even in the throes of my prophetic dream, I felt safer, somehow; secure in the knowledge that I would never really lose Zuko. As the dragon bid me farewell with its knowing eyes, I breathed out the smallest of sighs; little glass wings unfolding from my ribcage.