Last time Kuvira discovered something her rational mind has problems to understand..and guilty feelings again, that's guilt for you...a deep and nagging feeling...I hope she gets better.

Different time

Kuvira woke up with a small headche and dry mouth. She hadn't suffered nigthmares, not as the ones before anyway.

"Good morning, Kuvira!" Mako exclaimed for the bed, his lips were up and looked as he was holding his laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing...ha...ah well...It's just a dream" the firebeneder laughed a little and at Kuvira gaze decided to elavorate "I was under the sea, on the court of a big yellow cat with two hats, ha! One above the other! And then the White Moon Princess offered me tea, but it went up..with the flow! Ah but that isn't the most funny thing, the cat had lost his hats and called out like a dozen of fishes and then glared at them and said 'something here is fishy! Where is miau hat?'..." Mako began laughing as if was incredibly funny, and somehow Kuvira joined him.

Children dreams really lacked rationallity and were wild. She had too, when she was young in more than body, it was a nice break for the awful week.

The calm was disturbed by a loud scream and both ran to the entrance. A big man with a mustache and earth kingdom army clothes stood on the door alongside three men a little bit slimer. One of them was holding Li shirt, the kind woman was trembling a few meters away.

"What are you doing?" Mako asked bluntly and Kuvira forced herself to stay calm even if she found her charge lack of tact annoying.

"Another brave one? If you feel so adult then maybe you should join the Earth Kingdom army too!" the captain barked. The metalbender knew he was joking but the idea of a child on the battlefield was attrocius when the raw true was cruel. She would die before letting Mako endure the war.

"You too little girl? Want to joint the army too?" Kuvira put her arm in front of Mako, he was tense and frowing, she was too and so took a deep breath to relax. The one who gets mad lost, and she had just recovered of fever to try to temp luck.

Before she could process it a burst of fire passed near her head and landed on the soldier chest, making him fall on the ground. Mako had clenched teeth and his fist was up. He blinked twice and looked perflexed at what he had done. The man that had Li released the boy and went head on against Kuvira and Mako with a sword.

She could feel the cheap metal of the handle and with a movement of her wrist she bended the weapon out of the man hand. The guy yelped when he saw that Kuvira was bending his weapon and dashed off followed by the other soldier. The captain looked at them wearily and followed his men a seconds later. Kuvira cleaned the drops of blood on her shirt fastly and without being noticed.

"Whoau! You can bend metal!and he...he...he firebended...he is FIRE NATION!" Li words morphed from awe to disgust and Kuvira felt Mako tensing up "It's your fault my dad and mom are dead! And that my brother is at the war! Go away!"

The woman went to his brother side and hugged him, her eyes were teary but she too was looking at Mako as if he were a monster.

"He is just a child! He has no commited the sin of her people" Kuvira sentenced as she got in middle of Mako and the earth nation family.

"Go away, please" the woman whispered, Kuvira was going to keep pushing for her cause but Mako took her shoulder and negated with his head. He looked tired, not ready to journey again, it wasn't safe to move so she dreaded what he would say, because she would agree.

"Let's go, please"

They were just walking without destiny. At least they had enough supplies for a few days.

It wasn't even migday but Kuvira felt extremly tired.

"Do you hate firebenders?" Mako asked her keeping his eyes on the road and the metalbender shugred, she didn't harvored ill feelings for firebenders just a little of mistrust. The Fire Nation had done a lot of bad to her country and then stolen its land. Or they would if Kuvira didn't act to stop them. The kid looked at the sky, his fist clenched and then let out a sigh "I see"

She almost could hear the silent apology, and felt tored apart with the desire of embracing the child and tell him that she was indefferent to firebenders, that she had worked alongside them, but was unable to, her mind had gone in distress, the ghost of Baatar keep following her, when Bolin mixed heritage was reason of his betrayal alongside the southern Varrick. She wanted to bury those ill feelings with all her forces, but was unable.

Because their betrayal everything went wrong.

She had been near of succes, the Avatar wasn't really a match, the metalbender had even defeated her once but then the Colossuss exploted. Kuvira had been so near of building a safe world for everyone on her lands. If the Avatar had not intruded, if Bolin and Varrick hadn't...Kuvira scolded herself, the fault had been only hers.

Heading in only two weeks into war against Republic City had been a mistake.

But if she didn't attack Republic City after they sent Bolin to rescue Suyin, then the Empire wouldn't ever been respected. She had been clear with her backlash against those who attacked her country. And now everything she had done, everyone hopes..all was for nothing in the forsaken past.

What had prompted her to believe she could play with spirits? certainlly the whole thing of being on the past was due Kuvira deeds and a punishment of the spirits.

The metalbender felt a heavy hotness pushing against her ribcabe and could feel pressure on her head, without noticing she screamed and felt on the ground, Mako dashed to her side and put his small hand on her back.

"What's wrong?" he asked alarmed.

"Everything!" she said as her forehead touched the ground "Everything..was for nothing..if just the Colosuss.." she hadn't finished the sentence when she was already sobbing, all her toughs buzzing caotically on her head.

"Don't worry" Mako soothed "...I know you liked the Great Uniter...but she was evil. She needed to be stopped because she went too far...She hurt a lot of my friends" Kuvira couldn't believe Mako words, they stabbed her on the way not even swords were cappable. She wanted to lash at him or run away. She had almost forgotten he was from Republic City, the Great Uniter probably even destroyed his orphanage or hideout..she had only wanted to build a better world.

The metalbender hugged herself without raising her face of the ground. How low had she fallen?

"Is everything alrigth?" the voice of a man asked nearly, even with damp eyes Kuvira could see that he was a white beard-bald old man, she believed his face was familiar but she was overwhelmed by dizziness "Let's have some tea" he said with a smile.

"Your sister has a little fever" the man explained to Mako, and had Kuvira not feel so tired she would have laughed, instead she rested above a mant on the hard ground "Why are two young kids travelling alone?"

"Can you cure her?" Mako was standing behind the old man with apprehension, almost waiting for a sign that everything was an oax.

"In this case, rest is the best medicine, youngling" he gave the kid a softly smile and covered Kuvira with a mantle that smelled as old people "Where were you going?"

"Why are you helping us?" the kid said with a scold on his face, he was growing suspicius and Kuvira feared he would act reckless as a few hours prior.

"Because you needed help" the man smiled and gave Mako a cup of tea, but there was some kind of pity on his voice, Kuvira knew that he was someone with a heavy guilt "That's all" after that no one spoke any other word.

A few hours later the metalbender was better and Mako looked more pale, but his distrust for the grandpa had grow stronger, he even had his arms crossed. She wondered how many people had abused of him to have him acting so wary at kindness of strangers. It was a wise mindset, but it was sad for a child to have.

They were all sitted around a small fire, and it was just about the 16:00 hours, so the sun was still up on the sky warming everything.

"Where are you and your brother heading, young lady?" Kuvira looked at the old man again, and finally recognized his face. Iroh, the Dragon of the West, if she could remember well then he should be travelling alongside his nephew Lord Zuko, the teen that was alone just a day algo.

She wondered if it had been like that on her time or if her pressence was the cause, but she was not profficent on biographies of Fire Nation people.

"Nowhere" she answered "And you mister?"

"I'm searching for my nephew, so where he is" Iroh laughed and Mako went to Kuvira side, touching her back, he was definitely scared of the older firebender, she understood and raised up and thanked the man, wished him a good journey and headed to the east, to Ba Sing Se.

It had been a decition born after metting the old man, she was reminded of the safest city during the 100 years old war, she needed to keep Mako safe after all.

They walked about two hours, until the child got tired and had to rest on a rock.

"That cloud look as a serpant-tiger!" Mako laughed as he pointed at the twiligth sky that was flowed with all sort of clouds, Kuvira couldn't see it, he seemed as a carefree child, as someone undisturbed, but he was breaking as Kuvira, even if his reasons were nothing like hers.

"Can I ask what happened to your parents?" she felt it was neccesary to adress his past to help him to not break.

Mako blanched a little and his hand tried to grip something on his shirt, or maybe he was just puting a fist on his chest. "They died...it was long ago. It doesn't matter" he began and he looked at the ground and closed his eyes, as if wanting to erase a memory, he glanzed at Kuvira with a little of remorse, but keep talking "After it...we were alone, on the streets..."

"I'm sorry"

"Don't. It was long ago" he sighed and shaked his head "Where are we going anyway? This isn't the road to Omashu and in the contrary way to Republic City!" he began to walk at fast speed, and Kuvira followed suit. He was running away, his past was a sore point and he hated it. Kuvira could relate a little and decided to wait until the nigth, he would be more open about everything when he felt sleepy, it was human nature.

Settled with that plan she keep her eyes on the road full of the afternoon shadows

A few minutes later they crossed a baner that proclaimed proudly how the Fire Nation had overtaken Omashu "The New Ozai", Kuvira felt a deep sickness at the characters and keep walking faster, Mako took a few moments more on every word, but for the metalbender this was unbereable.

It didn't matter. She would protect her kingdom be in the past or the future.

A blast of fire landed at the rigth side of her feet and she turned around fastly with one hand raised in front of her chest, the other ready to strike. Two meters away from her Mako standed, teeth clenched, with checks burning, his two fists up. His golden eyes were shadowed by his eyebrows and all his frame was shaking.

"You are the Great Uniter!" he screamed with fury "Aren't you?!"

"How did you.."

Before Kuvira could finish her sentence Mako fired again without warning, she didn't move. Unable to understand what was happening even if the firebender did.

The blast went above her head and even then she could feel it's torching warm. If the boy had aimed for her face she would have ended up with an ugly scar the size of an adult hand.

She stared at Mako, the smart kid who knew how to lightbend, that was from the future as her and talked about his childhood as a distant memory. Maybe if she hadn't been feverish and dumbed by guilt she would have saw all the clues on the morning.

The metalbender didn't want to believe it even as she prepared herself to counterattack. Just sending a wave to earth to his feet to make him fall. She just had to wait for an oppening

"You tried to kill us! You almost killed my brother! You are a Monster!" he snarled and punched without will, his fire landing on the left side of the road "Why don't you attack! Do it! You did before! On Republic City! Remeber? You aimed a lasser beam against us!"

The earthbender made Mako slip with a fast move of her wrist and even if it reopened the scars she raised both hands to encast the firebender on the earth. He resembled Korra not less than a month ago, unable to defeat Kuvira and failing misserably. Even then her mind could not provide her info about Mako. He was talented enough to be on the task force of the Avatar. He had talked about her as a friend, the ones at fault of her defeat.

"Were you on the team that took out the Colossus?" Kuvira asked with eery voice.

"I took down the thing! Stupid!" he answered with cookines even on his defenseless possition, the metalbender raised a big chunk of earth and launched it forward, to him.

Mako closed his eyes until the chunk hit the ground with a loud sound, Kuvira wanted to hurt him, to make the Avatar friend pay, but she was simply unable when he had a high pitted voice and a lose tooth.

"You are just a murdered!" he exclaimed and with a powerfull blast exploted his prison "You tried to kill Bolin, my brother! And everyone!...and" he put both hands on his head and closed his eyes thigly "Just leave!"

The metalbender stared at him, she was the one who had been backstabbed by him and he had the gal to felt hurt. He was so selfish, Kuvira had risked her neck and stuck at his side even when it was hard and he was playing to feel offended? The blood began to flow hot on Kuvira.

"That's why everyone leaves: you are annoying" she said with the full intent of hurting him " You are useless and unworthy of anyone kindness, you know that, don't you? That's why you hate to live and everytime play the sacrifical marthir in hopes of dying...Know this. No ONE cares about you!"

"Just leave!" he said again with trembling lips, standing firm, his long shadow touching Kuvira feet.

She turned around and began walking, feeling mad and hurt. She didn't do it because he asked but because Kuvira herself feel sick about everything. All they had do together, as two childs that could pass for siblings. The metalbender gave a last glanze behind her.

Mako was no longer standing, he was sat on the ground and his left hand was clutched on the left side of his chest. She felt mad enough to keep walking even as his sobs became screams.

She headed into the nigth, leaving Mako behind.

Another true revelead...and all blows up! Friendships and hearts were broken..

Would Mako survive alone? Would Kuvira?