Earth...Fire...Water...Air... This is the age of the new Avatar, and after many years of chaos, the world is poised to enter into a time of prosperity and peace. But every light casts a shadow, and in the days to come, the very balance of the universe will be in danger, and the true purpose of the Avatar will be revealed. The Avatar's name is Usagi, a warrior of love and justice, and despite all the great deeds she has accomplished, her story is not over yet!

AVATAR

The Celestial Sailors

BOOK THREE: DEATH

12: Interview with a Phoenix

The storm had abated, Artemis had returned, and the sun was rising swiftly, but there was still no sign of Usagi. Minako took to the skies with Luna, who had been hiding in the bison's thick fur this whole time, safe from rain and harm. She, at least, didn't seem concerned with Usagi's whereabouts. Meanwhile, Makoto carefully picked her way through the forest with their prisoner. They were still unnerved by last night's awful weather; a few trees were knocked down by the heavy winds, and one had been split in two by lightning. Makoto wanted to patch it up, but felt like her time would be better spent elsewhere.

"Usagiiiii!" Rei cupped her hands over her mouth as she shouted. "Uuuu-Saaaaa-Giiiii!" Dread bubbled in the pit of her stomach as day broke. Surely she wasn't dead! No! She had been through too much to die now—and besides, there was no sign of that shadowy creature, either. If Usagi had perished, that thing would've come straight for Mishkin. Rei's brow furrowed and her fist clenched as she thought about the cowardly traitor in their midst. Why was he still alive while Usagi was unaccounted for? It always seemed the way of the world to prematurely dispose of its heroes while the wicked and corrupt enjoyed long life. There was no use in lamenting injustice, though. All she could do was keep looking for her friend.

"USAGI!" Ami was out there too, retracing their steps, hoping to pick up some clues. Makoto had sent a messenger hawk to Reika, informing her that Mishkin was found, so there was only one unresolved matter to attend to before their mission was concluded. Rei kept calling out Usagi's name, desperately clinging to some hope—but then saw a geyser burst out from the canopy, and heard her name being called. Ami! Rei raced to the source just as Minako and Makoto met up with her. Ami stood at the edge of the bridge they had crossed—or rather, what was left of it. Broken bits of wood and severed rope hung precariously over the endless void. Usagi's tiara was wedged into a distant rock, scorched and slightly melted. The girls became squeamish; Rei covered her mouth in shock as her knees trembled. A tear found its way down her face.

"No..."

…...

A droplet of water fell onto the Death-Bender's face, and again, and again, slowly stirring it back to life. Its vision passed from inky blackness to a blurry gray. Blinking, it noticed a dim orange glow, a fire, and the fading outline of a person leaning over it. Another droplet of water touched its face, and the creature flinched, groaning.

"Oh, good, you're awake. How are you feeling?" The entity blinked again, clearing its vision. A young woman sat opposite her, long flaxen hair draped over her shoulders, cerulean eyes glistening in the firelight. Crude slings and splints were draped over the girl's limbs, and she sported more than a few bruises and scars. The Death-Bender recognized her and slowly sat up. Every bone and muscle in its body ached, but they would mend in time. Silence passed between them as the creature contemplated its situation.

"Why did you save me?"

"What do you mean?" the Avatar said, as if that were a silly question. "I couldn't let you fall and die."

"Why?"

"Because I can't stand to see people suffering!" she countered, exasperated. She looked down at the fire again. "That's why I hate the idea of killing people, even if everyone says they deserve it. You know, you shouldn't go around doing that."

"I have no choice."

"You always have a choice," the Avatar insisted. The Death-Bender scoffed.

"Did you have a choice in becoming the Avatar?"

"No, but—"

"Or a choice when it came to your birthplace, or gender, or economic status?"

"Okay, but you know what I mean. You don't have to kill people."

"And you don't have to be the Avatar." Usagi was about to make a rebuttal, but knew from the look in the creature's eye that it was a pointless endeavor. She decided to take another route.

"So why do you feel compelled to...do that?"

"I'm not compelled. It's my duty." The creature paused, and added in a softer voice, "It's a necessity."

"To murder people?"

"If they are evil...yes." It saw the look in the Avatar's eyes and relaxed. "I do not harm the innocent, nor I do not condemn those who can be redeemed. It is my calling to abolish the worst this world has to offer, those who have crossed beyond hope, beyond salvation. You cannot seriously think that every living creature can be saved."

"But I—"

"Did Beryl ask for this mercy? Or did Apsu? They were both given opportunities to mend their evil ways, and they both refused. What then? Would you still reach out to those who would squash your family and friends under their heel? Would you open your heart to someone who wished to purge this world of all living things? There is a time for life, Avatar, and there is a time for death. Without one, there cannot be the other."

There was a pause. Water kept dripping into the crevasse.

"I know that," Usagi mumbled emptily. "And I know...that...sometimes you have to...you have to cut your losses. I do understand that. But you don't have the right to make those kinds of judgments."

"Why not? You certainly do. I do as well; otherwise I wouldn't make them. And I promise you that I have saved lives through my actions, Avatar. Many who would undergo oppression, pain, suffering, and their own little corner of death were spared all that because of me."

"I don't doubt it," Usagi whispered, deeply crestfallen. "All I'm saying is that...life is precious. You can't just..."

"So tell that to those who would enslave people, drive them into squalor, indenture them into grueling servitude, rob them of their health..." The Death-Bender drew in a deep breath, shaking its head. "Enough. We both understand each other's views on the matter. Personally, I find yours just as extreme, but let us agree to cease judgment. Your views have as much validation as mine." Usagi didn't fully agree to that, but she was at least willing to drop the matter. She'd never be able to talk this...thing out of her ways, just as nobody would ever be able to sway Usagi from hers.

So they sat there in silence again. Finally the Death-Bender smiled.

"Regardless, thank you for saving me." Usagi smiled back.

"You're welcome. You heal awfully fast, you know."

"A benefit of my situation. I heal quickly, don't ever get sick, and I seldom feel tired."

"Sounds like a sweet deal. I still have to worry about all that stuff." She grinned, indicating her bruises, wincing as she shifted in place. "Are you thirsty? There's plenty of water here." To demonstrate, Usagi indicated a puddle, bending a sliver out of it and holding it aloft. The Death-Bender gratefully accepted a drink; it was cold and refreshing.

"Is there anything to eat?"

"Nah, not unless you like rocks or bugs."

"I don't eat much anyway," the creature shrugged. Usagi leaned in close, wary of her bruises.

"Say, what's your name? I don't even know what to call you."

"I have no name," it replied. "I'm Death."

"Come on, don't give me that."

"It's true," it replied, shaking its head. "If I ever had a name, it was lost. I am the Death-Bender now, the destroyer, the end of all things. Call me Ereshkigal, Anubis, Donn, Thanatos, Yama, Shiva, Surtur..."

"You've got to have a name!" Usagi insisted. "You're not just some harbinger of death! Think! What did your parents call you?"

"I have no mother or father."

"Of course you do! You didn't just...poof into existence! Even the Ancient Mariner had a mother. Who were your parents? Who were you? Try and remember!" The Death-Bender didn't see the point of such an exercise, but decided to humor the Avatar and closed their eyes. At first there was nothing but familiar darkness, the crackling of fire, the sporadic drip-drip of water. Before that, battles, chases, the surgical slaughter of diseases. Death, darkness, darkness, death. Before that, her purpose, her reason for being, given to her by the Primordial Yanluo. Before that? Nothing.

Nothing. Nothing. But what was before that? Was there something that came even earlier? Did Yanluo create the Death-Bender, or did it have a different origin? The entity had never given it any thought, because knowledge of their past was unnecessary—a hindrance, a distraction. But now? Now it was genuinely searching for answers. What came before the Great Nothing? How long had they been the Death-Bender, and how long had they been on this world? The darkness held no answers but it knew there had to be something there, hidden and elusive but there all the same, buried beneath untold layers of black void and silence. But what? The more it tried to focus, the more frustrating it seemed to be.

Pale greenish-yellowy lights appeared in the furthest reaches of their memory—just lights, moving slowly, never very high or low. One fell gently into its hand, moving, tickling softly. It flickered and flew away. Three more appeared overhead; the Death-Bender seemed to give chase, plodding clumsily, gasping for air and...laughing? Was this a...memory? But whose? Theirs? From where, and when? Two more of the lights found their way into its hand. This time it could hear voices: muted, vague, distant, but...familiar, maybe? The lights had a name, they definitely had a name; the Death-Bender was reaching for the wispy wake of some long-forgotten word that it knew, a word that was important, held significance...

And then it knew.

"I can remember...fireflies." Fireflies, that was their name. Recalling the word now brought the voices into clarity.

(Look. She caught another. Be gentle with them, sweetie, they're very delicate.)

(Can I keep them, daddy?)

(Just for a little while, then you have to let them go. They have a home too.)

(But I like them.)

(That's good, honey. But you can like them and let them go at the same time. Go on, watch them fly.)

(Mommy, why do they glow like that? Is it magic?)

(Yes, sweetheart. They're magic.)

Three voices: a man's, a woman's, and a girl's. But was this the Death-Bender's memory? It silenced its mind and continued prodding.

(Do you know what they're called, honey? Those are fireflies.)

(Fireflies?)

(Yes. That name is very special. Do you know why?)

(No. Why's it special, mommy?)

(Because that's your name, too. Yes. The name...means 'firefly'.)

A name? What name? What did this have to do with...

(That's your name, too. That name is very special. It means 'firefly'.)

(...HO...)

(...TA...)

(...RU...)

(That's your name. Hotaru.)

And then she whispered her name, "Ho...ta...ru. My name is...Hotaru."

Tears fell down Hotaru's face as the memories came back to her. She was now fully lit up by the fire, a girl only a few years younger than Usagi, thin and petite, pale as porcelain, with delicate lavender eyes and short black hair. This was no death-bender but a human, a young lady, beautiful and demure, trembling and crying as her lost life came flooding back to her.

"Hotaru Tomoe!" she gasped, as her tears fell to the ground. "My name is Hotaru Tomoe!"

Usagi's face glowed with love and triumph. "That's a very pretty name. It's nice to meet you, Hotaru. I'm Usagi Tsukino." Hotaru sniffled, wiping her eyes as she laughed and wept for joy.

"I...it's n-nice to m-m-meet you too, Avatar Usagi."

…...

"So, how do we get out of here?"

Hotaru stared up at the small cleft in the earth they had fallen into. They were so deep that no light could penetrate their lair, save a thin gray shaft far above them. Usagi grunted, still too injured to move around. She patted the hard surface with her hands.

"I should be able to earth-bend our way out. I'm in no shape to climb, that's for certain."

"Couldn't you have just done that from the start?" Usagi grinned sheepishly as Hotaru frowned at her.

"Yeah, but then I wouldn't have had the chance to talk to you. Besides, I needed the rest." Hotaru let out a frustrated sigh before smiling. Honestly, she was glad they had taken the time to chat. The two of them may have had their differences in ideology, but Usagi was still pleasant to be around—and of course, Hotaru might never have uncovered her identity without her. All in all, not a waste of time.

"All right, Usagi, but could you please get us out of here?" Usagi grunted.

"Yeah, but on one condition."

"I won't stop killing people, Usagi. I can't. I may as well ask you to stop being the Avatar."

"I know...but could you at least hold off on killing Mishkin? Let the Air Nomads figure out what to do with him. I agree he needs to pay for what he did, but death's not the answer." Hotaru snorted in exasperation, but ultimately relented.

"Very well. But if he receives no punishment at all, then I will return for him." Usagi still couldn't agree to that, but it was the best she could hope for, so she nodded.

"Also, could you come to me before you feel, uh, compelled to...you know?"

"You want me to seek out your approval?" she countered bitterly.

"No, no, I just want to hear the full story. I am supposed to be a mediator, after all, so I might be able to work out some alternative. At least give it some thought." Hotaru closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Usagi was naive, almost foolish, and she was asking for something that was nearly impossible. Not all those found guilty were punished, and those who should be executed by all accounts were often released—and by corruption, not mercy. Against her better judgment, however, Hotaru agreed.

"Very well. I will seek your council if the matter presents itself. However, if I must kill to save innocent lives, then I will do it without your approval. Is that understood?"

"Just do everything you can to avoid that scenario," Usagi begged her. Hotaru sighed again before standing up straight, crossing an arm over her chest.

"Upon the name of Hotaru Tomoe, I swear I will only kill as a last resort. Does that satisfy you?"

"Yeah," Usagi smiled weakly, "that's good enough for me. I can't ask for anything better." She closed her eyes and focused on the crevasse around them, widening the gap as she lifted them up. The pit was deep; it took them a while before they broke out into the surface, squinting in the blinding sunlight. Usagi was completely drained by that point, so Hotaru had to support her; together they hobbled away and found a large, smooth stone to rest on.

"Are you all right?" Hotaru asked. Usagi was sweating and hissing in pain. She clutched her body but tried to appear cheerful.

"Yeah, nothing some time and a bit of Ami's healing won't fix. Once I catch my breath, I'll send out a signal to my friends—they're probably worried sick about me. Hey, you should join us. I'll bet they'd...ow, ow...love to meet you." Hotaru shook her head.

"That would be a very bad idea. People are rarely kind or accommodating to me. Besides, I have business elsewhere. Don't worry," she said, smiling as she noticed Usagi's concerned expression, "I'll keep my word. I'd just like to investigate something."

"Oh? What is it? Maybe we can check it out with you once all this blows over." Hotaru smiled sweetly, but backed away.

"Something tells me we'll meet again regardless. Our encounter yesterday was not by chance, Usagi. Until then."

"Wait!" Hotaru was nearly out of earshot as Usagi called out to her. She stood up in spite of the pain it caused her and waved. "Take care of yourself, all right? We're friends from now on, got it?" Hotaru's face flashed in surprise; she blushed and beamed before offering a lady's curtsy. Usagi winced as her bones and muscles throbbed, and she sat back down until the pain subsided. The girl who could bend death itself was long gone by then. A moment later, an intertwining spiral of air, earth, water, and fire shot into the sky, a beacon for four very fretful friends to find.

A few minutes later, Artemis touched down. Rei was the first to hop off; she ran over to Usagi, tears of fury in her eyes, and bopped her smartly on the head.

"Ow!"

"That's for making us worry about you!" She then threw her arms around Usagi, squeezing hard, sobbing with relief. Usagi smiled and returned the embrace delicately.

"Rei, ah...y-you're kind of hurting me there. I may have broken some bones in that fall..."

"So put up with it, dummy!" She buried her face in the crook of Usagi's neck; Usagi happily dealt with the pain until she withdrew. The others were a little less harsh with their affections.

"I'll bet you've got a story to tell," Makoto said, kneeling down. She combed her fingers through Usagi's hair, which had completely frayed during her ordeal. Usagi laughed gently.

"Oh yeah, and you won't believe it. Is Mishkin all right?"

"Yeah, Reika's people took him into custody. We stayed behind to look for you."

"Sorry I worried you," she gushed. Makoto nodded, weeping, and put her forehead against the other girl's.

"That's all right," she whispered, "you're safe now. That's all that matters."

"You're hurt," Ami observed. She knelt down, taking dew from the surrounding grass and caressing it over Usagi's wounds. "Goodness, you're really banged up. Where does it hurt the most?"

"Everywhere," Usagi winced, though she said it in good spirits. "I may have broken a bone or two. Guess I'll be out of commission for awhile."

"You're tougher than you give yourself credit for," Ami said proudly. She tested Usagi's arms and legs, then her shoulders, back, and ribs before giving her diagnosis. "Hmm, there's a broken rib and a few fractures on your right ulna and scapula. Your left femur, tibia, and fibula took some damage, but they'll be all right. Skull's intact, and no vertebrae were damaged, so that's lucky. All in all, you'll be back in fighting shape in about a week."

"Yeah, I figured," Usagi grunted. Ami promised to give her the best of care in Mokusei; meanwhile, Minako and Makoto were obliged to attend Mishkin's trial. Rei decided to stay with Ami and Usagi, noting playfully that "someone has to make sure you don't do anything reckless again".

"Duly noted," Usagi saluted. She was gently lifted onto Artemis and flown to Mokusei's best hospital, where she told her entire story to four very stunned girls. None of them really had anything to say once they processed it all, so Minako and Makoto bade a fond farewell and set off. Before leaving, though, Minako paused, walked up to Ami, embraced her, and kissed her in front of everyone.

"Watch over her for me," she said, caressing the girl's cerulean hair. "She's the only Avatar we have." Ami's face beamed with love.

"I will. Fly safe and keep in touch." She kissed Minako twice, and the two parted. Makoto gave her best friend a peculiar stare as Artemis lifted off.

"Soooo...what was that all about?"

"We're an item," she answered plainly. Makoto blinked in amazement. Silence fell, and she held her hair down as the wind flew with them.

"I guess this means we have something to talk about on the way there."

…...

Hotaru Tomoe stood transfixed atop the highest pinnacle of the Kolau Mountains, with nothing but the sound of a whipping breeze to break the stillness. Supported by her glaive, she looked out across the wide world, over a third of the southern Earth Kingdom visible from her perch. The souls of those wronged by evildoers still cried out to her, but she weathered their pleas. Doing nothing pained her, but she had given her word. Besides, a far greater threat was looming on the northern horizon. With a sight beyond human comprehension, she saw the spirit world emptying as more of its denizens fled their safe haven. Something was chasing them out and even following them here, a Light to extinguish their Darkness, as much her opposite as the Avatar—but fouler, pitiless, and unyielding. Hotaru had promised she would not kill, but in this case, she didn't think Usagi would object.

A shadow fell over the mountains as clouds slowly drifted overhead. When they passed, she had went with them, the peaks bared once more.

The End of "Interview with a Phoenix"

Next time: "The Sky, the Sea, and the Serpent"