Last time Mako and Kuvira got sick and had to be rescued by the Avatar.
A revelation
"I'm glad that I was helpful for our cause, Great Uniter...for the peace of our homeland" she died with a smile on her face, her hand grip fading away as the echo of her words. She had died so Kuvira could succed in bringing peace to the Earth Kingdom.
Baatar caressed Kuvira check and took her to the camp, where the Great Uniter could cry freely for those who had gone.
Far away she could see the ravaged city, burned to the ground by orders of a warlord who had ties with Republic City. She clenched her teeth.
Kuvira would do it: save her country, for everyone of them.
"Why?" the voice of her soldier asked from behind "I died for you! For our country! Why did you surrended? Why did you give up"
Kuvira found herself on a field of corpses, the smell of iron strong in the air. A yellow beam raising from a distant point.
"It's your fault" a child corpse raised among every other, his green clothes dirty with ashes and his brown skin marred "You failed us! You gave up!"
"No! I didn't"
The Avatar looked at her from above a pile of bodies, her blue eyes tainted red, along her were Bolin, Varrick, the Sato woman, Suyin and...Baatar. He walked to Kuvira and everyone of his allies smiled smughly.
"You killed me for nothing!"
"The Avatar said..." Kuvira began but she didn't really knew how to excuse her crimes.
"The Avatar is in the Spirit World, she leaved everyone" someone said from behind the metal bender "As you did!"
Kuvira turned around and could see Mako at the hands of his kidnappers, he looked disgusted, but he was dead.
Evrrything felt cold and she just wanted to wake up!
"Are you fine?" a young woman asked as her hands pushed Kuvira down.
The metalbender asseted the situation. She was on a bed, in a room made of wood. It was midday and the weather outside was nice. She could see insects playing on the window.
"Mako?" she asked with rusty voice.
"Your brother? He is there" the woman signaled with her face to the left, there was a bed with someone small sleeping "He has fever, like you...But the water tribe girl gave us medicine. All will be alright"
"The Avatar?" Kuvira concience was fadding but she needed to ask.
"I'm not sure" the woman smiled kindly "Rest. Don't worry"
One day and a half was what it took to Kuvira to get back on her feet. The woman had to buy more herbs for Mako and leaved a eleven years old kid called Li in charge of the house, him and a mysterious teen who had arrived a few hours prior but who Kuvira had not meet yet.
She could barelly stand up, because of that she had choose to look at Mako raged breath instead of meeting the teen to decide if he was a danger.
The metalbender forced herself to eat the rice the woman had left, it tasted bad but she was still gratefull. She didn't knew where they were, only it wasn't Omashu, they should stop going there anyway, at least alone.
"Teach me how to use them!" Li voice came from outside the window and Kuvira felt curiosity spark. She raised herself up and looked to outside.
A thin teen was wielding two swords at the same time, demostrating the child how to figth. Peasants customs were not Kuvira favorite coup of tea. Bending was something and weapons another, but who was she to judge a boy using dangerous swords.
Kuvira eyes widended when she realized something. Mako himself knew a deadly, dangerous move, one that could potentially kill him if used wrong. Even when used rigth it was knew to be taxing to chi reserves and a cause of premature deaths and she hadn't tough in forbidding him to use it. She felt the guilty building in her stomach.
Maybe his fever was due he using lightbending. The attack that she had let him use.
She went to his side and touched the boy forehead with the back of her hand, the skin was burning. The metalbender took Mako hand and leaned closed to him, she wanted to apologize and promise him everything would be alright, but she had heard of kids diying due fevers. He was hot and the only thing Kuvira knew was that the woman has taking a lot of time. And he was dying and Kuvira didn't knew how to stop it.
He was young, a child, she had failed him, as she did to her people.
She didn't knew how long she lied at Mako side, watching as he went worse and remembering herself to be patient, until a high voice disturbed her and almost made her skin crawl out.
"Is your brother fine?" Li asked outside the door frame, the teen beside the child looked troubled.
"We aren't related" Kuvira said fastly with what she had of breath
"Sure?" the white skined teen asked from behind Lee. His lips were dry and his short hair was dirty but what catched Kuvira eyes was his scar on the rigth side of his face, resembling the one of Fire Lord Zuko.
The teeneger recoiled from Kuvira sight and his lips turned down.
"My dad says isn't nice to stare!" the child chirped happily at Kuvira as he walked to Mako side.
"When would they return? He needs aid!" the metalbender said as she stod up, feeling tired for keeping her position for too long and trying to keep her eyes on the child and not the older boy.
"Are you the Avatar friends?"
Kuvira felt her chest and face burn when she remembered the Avatar, the one who never cared for the Earth Kingdom or raise a finger to help anyone outside her friends.
"No!" she spatted without thinking it "Only a fool would trust the Avatar"
The boy looked at Kuvira as she was crazy and then faced his friend as if searching help. The teen seemed frezeed by the girl outburst and on the room settled a thin mantle of ice.
The woman and the father returned before anyone could figure out what happened.
The dinner was cold and Kuvira needed all her will to not glance at the extranger with the scar, but the resemblance to the one of Lord Zuko was enormous and it was kind of amazing that no one pointed it out. Had Mako be more childish she would desire he was there; nothing as a 8 years old making the awkward asks.
"Where are you and your brother from?" Li asked withi his mouth full of rice.
"From Rock and Roll" Kuvira lied with practiced easiness, the teen unerved her enough as to be seecretive.
"I have a brother too, he is figthing in the war. But he will return" the boy explained "Do you have family in the army?"
Images of blood splashed on Kuvira mind and she felt a deep cold in her body that wasn't due her fever.
"Li, stop disturbing our guest" the grandpa scolded and the mysterious teen almost bleached. It looked as everyone had skeletons in the closet, but she couldn't help a nagging feeling form on her neck that she was forgetting something.
After eating the woman asked Kuvira help to bath Mako in cold water to drive out the fever. He had more or less woke up, but was deliring a little.
"Li told me you don't like the Avatar" the lady began as she dried off Mako hair, he stirred a little before leaning against the woman muttering something about a scarf "Why don't you like him?"
"Him?"
"Yes, Avatar Aang" the woman reafirmed and Kuvira felt confussed.
She had no possitive nor negative toughs of the past Avatar, the one who had stoped the Fire Nation and let the monsters with Earth Kingdom Land, but taking in account Korra things seemed to change.
"I don't have ill feelings for him" she half lied to the Avatar worshiper who was helping Mako.
"He is our only hope, you know?"
Kuvira looked at the woman eyes trying to figure out the scam.
She kept wiselly silent until Mako was tucked inside the bed.
At the nigth, when she stared at the roof, she realized what was wrong all along. The true that had been obvius if her mind had been less rational.
The woman talked about the war as if it had been happening from long ago, before she was even born, or the Cave of Two Lovers looking as in an old book, even the city that they had been two days ago resembled the one where Baatar claimed he had millenary roots in an expedition one year ago.
The woman closed her eyes and without wanting the memory of the teeneger with the scar came to view. And taking in account the armors that were 70 years old being used by Fire Nation soldiers Kuvira had an idea of who was he and where was she.
The metalbender bitted her inner lip and hold her desire to scream.
She couldn't sleep now thinking about the demential situation. Was she dead? In the past? Was everything just a dream?
If they were indeed on the past then everything was worse. They were facing an invation at the hands of a country that made genocide. Did it matter? If everything was false why bother?
"Mom.."Mako whispered in his dreams and Kuvira was pulled outside her toughs "Sorry..mom..no..."
The metalbender went to Mako bed and touched his hot forehead with the back of her hand, his hand raised to her wrist and holded it with sweaty fingers "...don't go..."
"I'm here" Kuvira almost recoiled, but instead grabbed the boy hand and made up her mind. It was real.
They were on the past in the middle of the battle against the Fire Nation, her people were diying (as Lee brother) and no one was safe, not her and much less young kids as the one of her dreams, as Mako.
She looked outside, everything seemed bleak, but somehow she would figure things out.
"Are you prince Zuko?" Kuvira asked the teen when he was packing, he almost slipped and the metalbender rolled her eyes at the skills of the friend of the Avatar "Where is the Avatar?"
"Who are you" he said as he raised his sword against Kuvira "Did Azula sent you?"
"So you don't" the metalbender felt sick about hoping on a firebender leading her to the answers. This whole been at the past must had something to do with the Avatar. The golden eyes of the Fire Lord reminded her of the portal, of her failure "Go away! You aren't welcomed on this land!" she sentenced with icy voice and headed back to the house, hands in fists.
Mako was sat on a shair, eating the breakfast with glee, his eyes were sleepy and was shivering a little.
She ran to him and hugged him, pulling hm against her chest, feeling his warm and the way his breathing ragged. But he was awake finally.
"I'm glad you are fine" she whispered as he hugged her back.
.
.
Alco felt the dry air on his mouth and looked again at Rot, his subordinate. The man was watching from the hill to the village where an air bison had been spotted and two kids were said to be leaved a few days ago.
"Someone is coming! Just a man and no signal of the kids!" Rot dropped to the ground at Alco side and both waited for the guy to pass them. It was safer that way.
Alco saw an odd teen in an ostrich-horse, his face had an ugly scar and somewhere on his mind he knew he was someone important, but even then didn't feel as attacking him to seek answers. He couldn't set the kids off.
Maybe sent Rot to investigate, or capture him. The golden eyes were always unnerving, and he was tired of Fire Nation rats on his land. The Avatar interference showed how the only trustworthy to protect the Kingdom was Lord Piet. He glared one last time to the guy and scolded, he needed to keep himself in check, he couldn't afford to lose the boy again.
His time was already out and he was living a lend time, he had called reinforcements and just had to wait two days. He would succed, for the Earth Kingdom.
A true was discovered finally.
This one was wrote thanks to everyone reviews. Thanks anon 1, anon 2 and Fire Anon, as always corrections, sugerences, opinions and critics are welcomed.
Thanks for reading.