I've been thinking about Koori a lot lately. I need to finish her story.

!

Zuko woke up on the floor of his chambers. He scowled, grabbed his head, and hissed when three sharp pounds resounded throughout the room. He threw his boot at the door and it opened hesitantly. "Your Grace?" a small whisper questioned.

Zuko grunted to alert the intruder. The door opened wider and a small figure stepped through it. Zuko looked up to see the tan young woman. She bent down low and grabbed his boot. She then walked closer to the prince and offered him his shoe with a curtsy. Zuko grabbed his boot, put it back on his foot and stood slowly from the floor. His back hurt and he wrapped his arm around it to massage it himself. Something cool quickly enveloped him and he gawked at the tan waterbender, horrified.

The water cascaded onto the floor quickly once the girl saw the Fire Prince's face.

"What in Agni were you doing?" Zuko questioned quietly.

The girl backed herself into the door and Zuko shook his head. "I'm sorry, I am so very sorry, Your Grace."

Her jittery hands reached for the doorknob and Zuko stepped toward her. "Who are you?" Zuko asked curtly.

The girl's hand finally found the doorknob and she paused. Her head turned slightly and she reached for the water; it immediately wound its way through the air and entered the badger-mole skin pouch at her side. "Tula," she whispered. She corked the pouch. "I am very sorry. Your back was stiff; I was merely trying to help you."

Zuko rubbed his shoulder and nodded. He looked at her maroon outfit; it was a medical-styled outfit. "You belong to Dr. Agra," Zuko said. The girl hesitantly dipped her head. "What did you come here for?"

Tula cleared her throat. "They found her."

! Two hours ago !

Akira woke up with the sunrise. He looked down at his latest catch and smiled. He pulled his arms behind his head and stared at her sleeping form. Her breath moved in and out slowly which made her pale stomach rise slightly every so often. He chuckled evilly and grabbed her arm. Her eyes fluttered open immediately and he threw her off of the bed and to the other side of the room. She landed haphazardly on her stomach and side.

The old firebending Admiral rushed to her body in four quick strides. He kneeled down to her as she pulled herself off of the ground. "I am feeling quite dirty," he huffed. Koori winced when he grabbed her ankle and drug her across the room. She desperately fought to keep her shirt down to cover her womanhood. She glared at the back of his head as he happily sauntered across the room. He paused at a door and opened it. Koori could feel the floor change when her thigh passed through the doorway.

Once the two were in the room, Akira dropped her leg and Koori stared at the small figure in the corner. She retched; the small bathroom reeked of decay. Akira smiled and turned on the faucet to the bathtub. He pulled a lever up and a shower of water fell from the ceiling. Koori stared at the odd shower. The tub dipped down into the floor much like the tubs in the harem wing. Koori's attention shifted uneasily from the tub to the figure in the corner. Koori flipped her body over quickly once she realized that the figure in the corner was another human being.

!

Zuko pushed the waterbender out of the way and he barged through the door. Tula chased after him.

"You can't see her. She's destroyed."

Zuko paused. "Destroyed?" he asked.

!

Akira shoved Koori into the wall alongside the decaying woman. "Oh," he whispered, "what did she call herself?" he asked. He patted his chin with his index finger and then smiled. "Who in Agni cares? I had my fill with her and now she's dead. She was a pathetic piece of meat."

Koori held her breath and doubled over; the stench was intense. She glanced over at the dead girl. She was sitting upright with her back sagging limply against the bathroom wall. Flies and maggots poured out of her mouth and swelled around her open legs. She was naked and her skin was already wrinkling, emphasizing her bones in sharp points and unusual, inhuman angles. Koori felt something on the back of her neck and she flinched. Akira pulled her backward and tossed her into the searing water. Akira jumped alongside her.

He drew a black curtain that kept the cascading water in one area. Koori pressed her back against the wall and Akira pulled her close. Akira's quick fingers pulled off her soggy shirt; he tossed it across the room and it landed with a loud clap against the stone tile.

Akira reached for some soap and lathered his hands with hazy white suds. His coarse fingers grabbed her shoulders and he placed her in front of him so her back was against her chest. He soaped up her arms and then greedily fondled her breasts. He washed her stomach and then roughly turned her around. He lathered her milky back and paused as the water ran down her body. He pushed her into the wall beside him and crushed her against it. He forced his lips onto her mouth and placed his hands on her hips. He wound his arms around her buttocks and lifted her off of the ground.

Koori bent her legs and wrapped her arms around his neck for support. She refused to do what he wanted –wrap her legs around his torso. Akira grinned and used one hand to force her leg around his torso. He lit up his free hand and Koori stared at the bright flames. The water cascading down her side was doing nothing to the flame in his hand. "I really don't want to hurt you," he muttered, "at least, not right now." Koori glared at him and wound her remaining leg around his torso. He smiled and kissed her heatedly.

Koori kept her eyes open; she knew that he enjoyed being watched while he worked. She felt him enter her hastily. She felt uncomfortable against the steel wall and shifted her back as he pounded into her. Suddenly, he dropped her and she fell to the floor. She let out a painful groan and attempted to stand quickly. Akira had other plans. He shoved her down into the water, face first. He kept his knee in her back as he turned off the shower. Water ran out of the tap and he plugged the drain. Koori struggled frantically to get out of the water. Akira grabbed her hair and pulled her head back. "I won't let you die. Drowning would be too quick for you," he groaned. Koori reached up to the sides of tub and pulled herself out of the water. She gasped haphazardly as water tricked down her face. Akira huffed and shoved her down so that she was kneeling in the scolding liquid.

He pulled back the curtain and walked across the room. Koori remained carefully still because she had no clue what he had in mind. He exited the room and returned, shaking his head. "I have only got a couple of more minutes," he whispered. "Let's make this quick."

!

Koori laid against the cold wood in Akira's quarters. He had left his room soon after he was finished with her in the bathroom. She shivered at the foul memory and glanced over to the door. She could almost smell the girl decaying and she gagged. "Oh Agni," she whimpered as she rattled the shackles on her arms, "I need you now more than ever." She bowed her head and waited.

!

Akira strolled into his room happily waving a piece of paper. He sat it gently on his desk and looked at the naked girl. "You are really starting to bore me," he whispered. "I think that it's time to kill you. Let's make this fun, okay?"

Koori pressed her back tight against the wall as Akira strutted calmly towards her with a key lodged between his fingers. He unlocked her left hand first and paused to kiss her shoulder blade before he unchained her right hand.

Koori quickly threw a punch of fire at his face. The flames caught his left cheek and Akira growled. He flung fire in all directions and Koori jumped behind Akira's desk chair for cover. She looked above the edge of the desk to see Akira seething and holding his cheek. "I will make you heal this damn burn before you die, you filthy little bitch." He threw a fireball at the desk and Koori screamed; she barrel-rolled across the floor and jumped towards a door across the room. She opened it quickly and jumped inside.

Koori breathed heavily as Akira pounded against the door. She held it shut and heated her hand against the doorknob. The knob and the lock melted, sealing her inside. She lit her fingertip and discovered that she was in Akira's closet. She looked at the armor and various weapons. She grabbed a dagger and held it awkwardly in her hand. She considered dropping the weapon but held it firmly as she gawked at the clothes surrounding her. She found an undershirt, threw it over her body, and smelled smoke.

Akira pushed his burning desk chair against his closet door. He was determined to smoke the concubine out of her hiding. If the smoke didn't kill her, he mused, he certainly would once the door was burned down. He kicked another burst of fire from his feet. The closet door quickly caught fire and he smiled at the screams and pleads resonating throughout his room. He took in the sound of the healer's frail voice and chuckled.

"No!" Koori screamed as she pounded against the door. "No! Agni, no!" She coughed and backed away from the smoke. She placed her hand carefully at the base of the door and attempted to control the fire and extinguish the flames but found that the fire was being controlled by Akira's rage. She sat on the floor and covered her mouth and nose with another piece of Akira's clothing. "Master!" she pleaded desperately, "Master, I need your help. Please, Master. Somebody—anybody—please help!"

!

Zhao sat outside of Akira's door. He watched it angrily. He wanted the dark mahogany door to crumble and burn before him. He wanted to tear Akira's skin off, feed it to him, and then rip each of his bones out one by one. He heard a horrifying mess that was a muddled scream. He clenched his fist tightly until he could feel blood rush through the crescent-shaped cuts in his hands. He opened his eyes and looked down at the flesh that covered his hand. The shackles around his arms and legs quickly disappeared and he looked at the door. He smiled and kicked it across Akira's room.

!

Zuko flung himself down the hallway with Tula chasing after him. He tossed guards, maids, and commanding officers to the side in order to get to the hospital wing as quick as he could. He saw the entrance and barreled through it. He saw her, surrounded by the entire hospital staff. He pushed people out of the way until he could clearly see her. Tula was right. She was destroyed.

!

Zhao's fist quickly found Akira's face. Akira rolled to the side and let out a small, terrifying scream. "You died," he stammered. Before Akira could say much more, fire erupted out of Zhao's fingertips and Akira threw himself behind his bed. He pressed himself against the floor on the opposite side of his bed, breathing heavily as fire engulfed his quarters. Zhao quickly glanced over the top of the bed to see the Admiral cowering.

Pounding continued on the closet door. "Help!" Koori coughed. Zhao swatted at the fire until his fingers reached the doorknob. He pulled on it, ignoring the fact that his palms were on fire. The door wouldn't budge and the pounding grew faint.

"Koori!" Zhao screamed. "Koori…" he attempted to grasp the doorknob with his unburnt hand. The flames rose higher and he found it to be impossible to get to the door without catching on fire. "Koori! Put out the flames!"

Akira came at him again, tossing fire in all directions. Zhao missed most of it, but a chunk of fire caught his shoulder; the flames burned straight through his peasant clothing and he hissed at his black, smoldering skin. He shot more fire at whatever he could see through the smoke. He inhaled and coughed out the foul, grey smoke that had entered his lungs. His eyes glanced back at the closet and he fought through the flames once more to pull on the doorknob. He closed his burned hands and pounded on the door.

"Put out the flames!" Zhao screamed. He pounded on the door once more. He could see nothing but the flames which seemed to engulf the closet. Zhao backed away when his pants caught on fire; he turned to see Akira, smiling.

"That bitch is going to die," he grumbled.

Akira lunged at the supposedly deceased man; he threw walls of fire at him. Zhao didn't even bother to dodge the fire. He turned his back on the enraged Admiral and grabbed the flaming desk chair. He hurled the chair at Akira and once again set fire to the door; he kicked the door in and pulled the pieces out of his way. He felt coarse fingers on his neck.

Akira pulled him down to the ground and kicked at his stomach. "That bitch will die," Akira grunted between blows. Zhao grimaced and caught Akira's foot; he shoved the man to the side of the room and bolted from his position on the ground.

Zhao sprinted to the door and found her. Her skin was black with smoke and she was barely breathing. Zhao quickly removed the fabric that she had been clutching onto. "Koori," Zhao whispered. "Come on." The dead man shook the concubine hastily. "Wake up," Zhao begged.

Akira hit Zhao across the head with a silver candelabrum from his desk. Zhao collapsed, clasping his head and writhing in pain; his vision quickly darkened and he fell against the ground, limp. Akira pulled Koori out of Zhao's grasp and punched the concubine in the head repeatedly. He stood from her and a fire whip formed in his hand. He watched her golden eyes flutter open and he smiled. The fire whip crashed against her skin and Koori howled. She curled into a ball as the blows continued to crash against her skin. Akira hit her repeatedly; he was counting.

Ten…Eleven…Twelve…

Akira slashed her face with fire; he was angry. Sixteen…Seventeen…Eighteen…

He grew bored with the whip and looked around his room. He needed something with substance; something that would cause irreparable damage. He did not want her to look like herself when he set her once beautiful body completely on fire. His evil eyes found what he needed. Just outside of his closet, he found a dagger; the concubine must have been holding it when Zhao drug her out. He reached for it and smiled. Koori was struggling to get out of his reach. Her burnt skin tore into pieces at her struggles. She extended her battered arm to Zhao.

"Ma…s…" Koori croaked. The complete word didn't even pass her lips before Akira shoved his dagger through her hand. Koori's scream was deafening.

Zhao woke. He grabbed a sharp chunk of wood from the door and slammed it into Akira's back. Blood squirted into Zhao's eyes. Akira's dagger sliced through the air, narrowly missing Zhao's neck. The dead Admiral shoved the piece of wood deep into Akira's chest. Akira dropped his weapon and grabbed Zhao's burnt shoulder. Blood poured out of Akira's mouth and his grip steadily loosened on Zhao's shoulder.

"You…" he sputtered, "should have…" more blood poured out, "killed...her."

Akira collapsed to the ground. Blood poured out of his mouth and his various wounds. Zhao winced as he dealt another blow across Akira's face. He wanted to make sure that the Admiral was dead; he had been dead before.

He heard a whimper. "Koori!" Zhao screamed. He crawled over to her and grabbed her face. It was broken, beaten beyond recognition; destroyed. Slowly, Zhao could feel his body disappear and he could no longer feel pain. He was still looking at his concubine but he could no longer touch her.

!

Zuko stared, devastated. He didn't know what to do; he feared touching her body because he didn't know where to touch without causing her more harm. "Koori," he whispered.

"Traitor." Zuko turned to see his father holding pieces of parchment. "She is a traitor to the Fire Nation; she is an abomination."

"What? Why?" Zuko asked. Ozai handed his son the pieces of paper. Zuko glanced over them and his face paled when he saw Akira in the next bed. "What are you going to do?"

Ozai glared at the girl. "I am going to finish what my father set out to do. She is going to die."

Zuko found himself going through several different emotions; he was angry, fearful, and depressed. "How?" he asked.

Ozai smiled. "Publically."

!

Zuko walked slowly down the hallway of the prison; he paused at his uncle's cell for a short while and continued forward. He had to see her again; the last time that he had looked upon her face, she was destroyed. Ashes, burns, and welts had enveloped her body. The Palace doctor thought that she was a miracle; her burns had healed almost immediately upon his inspection, but her body was still broken.

Once Koori had regained consciousness, she was drug haphazardly to a high-security prison. Upon permission from the Fire Lord, the Palace doctor was still making frequent check-ups on his new favorite patient. Tula, the doctor's waterbending servant and assistant, kept Zuko up-to-date on Koori's condition. The waterbending healer had recently told him that the doctor was causing Koori pain and that he planned on visiting the firebending concubine soon.

Zuko paused at the door and heard a muffled moan; he had planned on catching the doctor in the act. He barged into the room and found Dr. Agra inspecting a fresh burn. Koori was slumped against the bars of her cell. The doctor did not notice that Zuko was standing in the doorway.

"What in the hell do you think that you are doing?" Zuko asked suddenly. His fists were clenched tightly.

Dr. Agra gasped at the Prince. "Oh!"

Zuko seemed baffled for a second. Had the doctor not heard him? "What in the hell are you doing?"

The doctor smiled pleasantly. "She can heal. I only wish to know how. And besides, she is my patient. Fire Lord Ozai has given me exclusive permission to conduct any test I want."

Zuko huffed. "Get out!" he screamed. "If I ever see you back here I will…"

Agra's eyes widened. "Your father will certainly hear about this, Your Majesty." Agra quickly packed his belongings and scoffed as he exited the cell, closing the barred door securely behind him. He paused in the doorway that housed the prisoner. "She shouldn't mean anything to you. She's an abomination. Fire Lord Ozai plans to kill her and you need to understand that she's a threat to our Nation. Do you understand that, Prince Zuko?" He tilted his head in order to see the pained expression on the Fire Prince's face. "Ah, I see," the doctor whispered as he exited the room. "Forget her," the doctor huffed, "She will only cause you pain."

Zuko collapsed to his knees in front of Koori's cell. He peered inside but Koori was pressed against the furthest wall, hidden in the shadows. He could see a bruised and dirtied foot but the moment his eyes glanced at her appendage, she pulled it toward her.

"I don't know what to say," Zuko whispered. Koori didn't say anything, but he could hear her faint exhales. He pressed his face against the bars. "Can you talk?"

Zuko remembered the last time that he had seen her face. It was covered in cuts and a foul combination of multi-colored bruises; he didn't recognize her when the palace guards carefully and swiftly evacuated her from the palace hospital. Tula had told him that the smoke had caused some damage to her esophagus and that it would take time to heal properly. He was hoping to hear the sound of her voice, but she remained silent.

"I'm so sorry," Zuko began. "I should have been there. He's dead, you know."

Zuko watched Koori's shadow move slightly. It looked like she pulled her knees up to her chin and laid her head carefully against the shallow pit between her legs.

He heard a small sniffle. "Please leave," she mumbled hoarsely.

Zuko's mouth opened slightly. He pulled himself up and turned toward the door. He knew what it felt like; there was a point after his Agni Kai where all he wanted to do was be alone. He lived in the shadows for a while, but he couldn't watch her do the same.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk, if I just sit here, is that okay?" Zuko asked, peering in the shadows.

"No," Koori whimpered.

Zuko's golden irises pitifully searched for Koori in the shadows. "There's a guard; a female guard," Zuko began clumsily, "I asked her to watch over you. If you need me, please tell her and she will send a messenger immediately. Tula, the waterbending assistant to Dr. Agra, has also agreed to help if you want."

Koori stumbled to stand in the shadows. She clutched at her side, supporting a broken rib with a sprained wrist. A bare foot entered the sunlight and Zuko once again pressed himself against the bars of Koori's cell. He watched the bruised foot edge closer to the cell bars. He could see a pair of bare legs that sported blue, green, and yellow welts. She was wearing a pair of training shorts that were unusually short. He could see her midriff thanks to a shirt that pooled right above her belly button. Her once milky stomach looked like somebody had punched it a few times. He stared at her bandaged hand. Blood accumulated on either side of the once white gauze and he held his breath. She stopped coming towards him. He knew that her face was marred almost beyond recognition.

"Tula," she whispered slowly. "Please."

Zuko nodded and rushed out of the prison. He sprinted to the medical center and grasped the young waterbender by the shoulder. She nodded hesitantly under the brutal eye of Agra.

When she entered Koori's cell room, she pulled a small key from her waist-pocket and inserted it into the small lock. The waterbender entered the cell and securely shut the door behind her. Zuko sat against a far wall and noticed that Koori had returned to her position in the shadows. Her heard Tula gasp as she neared Koori's body.

"Oh, Koori!" Tula whispered. "Lay down. Please. Oh, I'm so sorry. I wish that I would have come sooner."

The firebending prisoner did her best to lay flat on the ground as the water circled her stomach in an icy glow. Koori groaned and winced as Tula healed as much as she could, but some of the bruises could not be healed completely. When Tula was finished, she noticed that it was dark. The firebending Prince had fallen asleep in the corner and Tula slowly helped Koori to a small blanket in the corner of the room. She wrapped her tightly and exited the cell. The clang of the door woke the Prince and they exited the room quietly.

"She'll need many more sessions. I couldn't get them all. Her face," Tula whispered, "it's horrible." Tula clasped her moleskin pouch and stared at the Prince. "You need to go; she needs rest." Zuko didn't want to leave but it seemed that the waterbender wasn't going to leave until he did. He started to walk down the hall with the waterbender walking deftly beside him. He paused slightly at his uncle's cell entranceway but kept walking.

!

Tula had been kind enough to wrap her in a small blanket but she peeled it off of her skin and attempted to stand. She got to her knees first; her toes were splayed under her feet for balance. She put her hand out in front of her for more balance. She pulled her previously sprained wrist that Tula had spent nearly thirty minutes on close to her stomach and managed to get one foot completely under her body. Koori rose haphazardly and fell. Her fingers managed to close around the bars of her cell for support. She stared at her hand and sighed. Tula had worked so hard to heal her bruises but all of her memories could not be healed.

She could remember his breath against her neck, his coarse fingers against her back, the pain of his erection deep inside her, his animalistic excitement at her struggles, the putrid smell of the decaying girl in his closet, and the unusual comfort of Zhao's physical reappearance.

"Master?" her voice was faint. Every word hurt her throat but she needed a familiar presence. She didn't want Zuko around. The thought of him made her stomach retch.

The dead Admiral stood in the doorway. His chains had reappeared the moment Akira had died. He held them limply at his side as he entered Koori's cell. His body passed through the bars and he stood in front of his former slave.

He didn't say anything but his face was contorted. Seeing Koori's battered body and massacred face mentally tormented him. He purposefully hadn't seen his slave since he watched the palace guards pull her from the wreckage that was Akira's quarters. He had waited outside of whatever room she was in, waiting for her call. But the moment he looked into her eyes, he wanted to walk away. He failed her. For the longest time, she had looked to him for guidance, but at her time of need, he couldn't be there.

He watched, horrified as her weight shifted. She attempted to stand freely, without the bars for support. Small footsteps made her stand closer to his ghostly form. Her free hand, the one not clutching her broken rib, rose slowly. She rested it against his transparent cheek. "Thank you," she whispered.

Zhao collapsed to his knees and Koori followed. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her. She could feel his icy form enveloping her body and her breath quickened. Foul memories resurfaced and she shook desperately. He stopped hugging her and moved away quickly. "I'm sorry," Zhao started, "I didn't think…I didn't know…"

Koori's eyes watered. She wanted to be held by him and comforted but when he did it, she couldn't stand the feeling. She hugged herself and let the tears fall. Zhao turned his head and crawled backwards. He passed through the bars and stood to leave.

"No," Koori whispered. "Can you stay?" Every word she spoke hurt. But the thought of being alone was too painful to bear. She needed companionship and answers.

Zhao turned back around and sat down against the far wall. "Go to sleep. You need your rest," he whispered.

Koori shook her head. "No," she struggled to say. "You lied to me."

Zhao cocked his head to the side. "About what?" he asked.

"Me, Jeong Jeong, you, everything," she listed. "I need to know the truth, tell me."

Zhao looked up. He looked into her irises and shook his head. "You don't need to know everything right now."

Koori scoffed. "Being uninformed almost killed me, Master." Her fist pounded the ground once. She glared at him. "You owe me the truth."

Zhao sneered. "I owe you nothing. I kept you safe. I fed you, taught you to read, taught you how to firebend. I owe you nothing." The dead Admiral lowered his eyes and sighed when he looked at the bruises covering her legs and stomach. She was right, she almost died. He looked away.

"I had been dubious about the war since I was Jeong Jeong's student. He had an unusual way of training and thought he could change my attitude. I suppose he succeeded somewhat." Zhao stood and walked through the bars to sit in front of Koori. He reached to put his hand on her thigh but his hand paused and he returned it to his lap. "Jeong Jeong was the most unusual person I'd ever met. He cared for the Fire Nation desperately but hated the very idea of our expansion. He said that the other Nations would seek us out if they wanted our help; it wasn't our place to invade and force our way in.

"It took me a long time to realize what he meant. But before my epiphany, I had done a lot of horrible things. I killed, tortured, and maimed quite a few people. I rose up the ranks quickly because of my ambitions. I needed power. I needed…more power." He stared at his hands. "You remember the Library?" Koori nodded. "I found the information in it extremely entertaining. Weaknesses, lists upon lists of weaknesses from every nation. Of course, the Air Nomads had been destroyed before I was born. Nobody cared about them. Logically, it was too early to try and attempt a massive invasion of the Earth Kingdom, even though General Iroh managed to nearly break the wall of Ba Sing Se—the Earth Kingdom's only real stronghold. I knew that the Water Tribe had to be next for our domination. The Southern Water Tribe had nearly been wiped out. I realized quickly that it was my duty to destroy the Northern Water Tribe. I read everything I could find and presented it to Fire Lord Azulon. He was interested and very impressed, but held faith in his son. He really thought that Iroh could break through the wall. Then," Zhao huffed, "Prince Lu Ten died."

Zhao looked uncomfortable. "He was a good man."

"You knew him?" Koori whispered.

"I met him a few times in strategy meetings. But when he died, General Iroh was broken. He pulled out of Ba Sing Se with the intentions of coming home, burying his son, and regaining his birthright as second-in-line for the throne."

Zhao's gaze once again turned to Koori's yellowed bruises. "Before General Iroh returned, I met with Fire Lord Azulon and Prince Ozai. They told me about this silly prophecy. They had sent Jeong Jeong on reconnaissance missions for a while trying to find you. It took them a long time to decide, but they thought that it was best if you were killed."

"But why kill me? I was so small."

"You were a threat. It doesn't matter how small a threat can be; threats can grow." He laughed a little bit. "You definitely grew. I remember when you were so small." He held his hand up in the air and smiled. His smile disappeared quickly.

"So they sent me off with a small crew to kill you. But before I could, Jeong Jeong contacted me. He told me to keep you alive, no matter the risk; I needed to keep you safe and he said he would make it worth my while. Jeong Jeong didn't lie about that. He had me promoted and gave me all the resources I needed to start planning for my invasion. He led me to the right people and kept in contact even after he deserted the Fire Nation."

"I wrote about you a lot. He asked a lot of questions. He thought that if the Avatar never returned, you would be the world's best bet for salvation. I thought that he was crazy. You were so weak; so small and feeble-minded. There was no way you could save whatever would be left of the world."

Koori leaned against the wall of her cell. She grabbed the blanket and put it over her torso and legs. Zhao's staring and story was starting to make her ill but she knew that she needed to hear everything that he had to say.

"You were supposed to die that day. Everybody was; but especially you. Azulon entrusted me with killing a four-year-old girl." He glared at the floor. "A four-year old girl," he repeated. "Do you remember that day?"

Koori nodded slowly. "It's hard to forget."

Zhao's lips tightened. "I had my troops stationed in the forest. We watched your village for a little while and attacked at night. I sent my soldiers to the surrounding houses but ordered them to stay out of yours. But…two overzealous men didn't listen."

"They killed my parents."

Zhao nodded. "And while they killed your parents, I watched your brother jump out his window. I watched you run down the hallway of your house through the windows. You were scared; you saw the fire, you heard the screaming, you could smell the acrid aroma of burning flesh. I had to sprint to make it to the house before those men killed you too."

"You killed them," Koori remembered. "You beheaded them."

"Yes. I couldn't have anybody see that I was taking you. I had to hide you. You were so small, so easy to conceal. You just walked out of the house at my nudge."

"You kept information about my brother. You kept in contact with Jeong Jeong. You kept so many secrets from me!"

"I was trying to protect you."

Koori was angry. If she had the strength, she would have punched at Zhao's transparent form. Instead, her face scrunched up and she hissed as a cut reopened on her cheek.

Zhao kneeled and peered at the bleeding cut on her face. "It's not terrible, it'll heal on its own with time."

"Is that all of your secrets?" Koori asked.

"Absolutely not. Some secrets are best to take to the grave."

"But you are dead." Koori stated pointedly.

"Cruel."

"Fine. But you owe me the truth from now on. Whenever I ask for it." Koori leaned down on the ground. She needed to sleep. Although she didn't move during Tula's treatments, they were exhausting. Koori pulled herself to her side and wrapped her right arm under her head for a pillow. She closed her eyes.

"There's a house," Zhao said. "I bought it for you a while ago."

"What?"

"I was going to take you there when I was finished with the Northern Water Tribe. It's under a bogus name as is most of my salary. I saved every copper piece I could for you. I was going to retire after a few more years and settle down. I wanted a family. I wanted you. And keeping you constantly in my apartments on ships or in command towers was unsafe and stupid. If Jeong Jeong was right, and that you were the last hope, I was being naïve. Somebody was going to find out and take you away; or worse…kill you."

Zhao leaned down to the ground and shifted to his side to lay on the ground opposite his slave. He looked longingly into her eyes. "I don't understand," Koori muttered.

"I don't know if you've ever noticed, but I'm jealous, headstrong brute." Koori laughed. It was faint but it made Zhao smile slightly. "I wanted you away from all of this. And if things would have gone according to plan, you would be in that house by now; safe and sound, beautiful, and pregnant with my child."

"But I never wanted that. You didn't ask me."

The corner of Zhao's mouth twitched. "At the time, I never cared what you wanted. Everything was about me. That's enough secrets for today. Go to sleep. I'll watch over you."

!

I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender.