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Bitter Alliance	By : Looneyluna Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > Het - Male/Female > Katara/Zuko Views: 31138 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Act IV

Chapter Three

--

My world has started to unravel. From the moment the Fire Nation attacked our tribe, my life changed. I was thrust from childhood into adulthood in the rising and setting of one sun, a fateful fact I never dwelled on until now. I never wallowed in bitterness. I never lamented the loss of my childhood.

I wanted so much more for my children, but the dark-skinned man in front of me has shattered the illusion that they would ever lead normal lives. Fear has guided me to this day, my nightmares mocking my feeble attempts to prevent fate from taking Kaya away.

I cannot interfere. Kaya has a destiny, and she must be free to pursue it, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.

I glare at Pathik suspiciously, unable to determine the old seer’s true motivations. He is a stranger here, his mere presence violating the founding pact of our small community and my serenity. His dark gaze is unwavering as he sits on the floor, clutching a dusty scroll to his concave chest. I make no effort to conceal my thoughts, for I cannot quell my suspicions. Though he helped me rescue Zuko, I cannot trust the man. We have lived in peace for the last seven years; a peace that he has shattered.

“I know you do not trust me, young Waterbender,” he says softly, placing the scroll on the straw mat with reverence and care.

I scoff, not because he has stated the obvious, but because he called me young. I have a difficult time recalling my youth, my aspirations for the future mired in the tragedy of the past. “Can you blame me?” I reply.

Zuko covers my hand with his. “Though I am indebted to you for saving our lives, you cannot stay here. We do not let outsiders into the city. Everyone knows of Kaya. They know who and what she is and have sworn to protect her,” he informs Pathik.

“He isn’t staying, Daddy,” Kaya blurts from behind the thin screen before sliding the door open.

“Go to your room!” I command, furious that she has disobeyed our wishes.

Kaya is insistent, her shoulders squared with determination as she steps into the room. “I know why he’s here. He’s only trying to help. Did you honestly think we would live like this forever?” she asks me.

Her words strike at my fragile soul. Our lives have become commonplace and calm, even with the threat of my daughter’s destiny hanging over our heads. I want things to remain as they are. I want my children to have the things I never had. Is it selfish of me to do so? Is it selfish of me to sacrifice the fate of the world? Kaya is the Avatar, destined to restore balance to the world.

Kaya sits between Pathik and Zuko. I cannot see the expression on Kaya’s face, but I can hear the emotion in her words. “You will see your daughter again,” she whispers, grasping the old man’s weathered cheeks and kissing them.

His dark brown eyes shine with tears. “Thank you, child.”

Wiping his tears away with the sleeve of her robe, Kaya settles next to him. Pathik unrolls the scroll and clears his throat. “The Prophecy of the Destroyer.”

Bowing my head, I close my eyes and listen.

“No one knows how Kroni came to power, but his reign of terror is well documented,” the seer says, his voice thick with emotion. “There were volumes of his… deeds in the burned section of Wan Shi Tong’s library, but the Spirit of Knowledge would allow only this scroll to leave his library.”

“The library was buried long ago,” I hiss accusingly, jumping from my perch and bending the water from my leather bladder. Kaya shields Pathik, and Zuko grabs me from behind, his arms around me, causing the water to splash to the floor. “He’s a spy!”

“Katara,” Zuko growls, the edge in his voice and his touch soothing my nerves.

Pathik is shaken, his voice trembling as he defends himself. “The Great Spirit Owl came for me himself. He entrusted the knowledge contained in this scroll to me. I must return it to him by the rising of the full moon. If I fail to do so, my life is forfeit.”

I have difficulty believing what I am hearing. The full moon is tonight. One thing I know about the Spirit Owl is that he guards his knowledge with a zealot’s fervent passion and does not suffer fools lightly, if at all.

“Surely, he will make an exception,” Zuko says, a note of hope edging into his concern for the old seer.

Pathik smiles, but it does not reach his dark, chocolate eyes. “My fate is sealed. Rest easy, Lord Zuko. I am comfortable with it.”

“But you are supposed to see Mahari again,” protests Kaya.

“I chose a different path,” Pathik announces with a small shrug to his shoulders. “One that brings you this.” He motions toward the scroll. “Listen well…”

Crawling onto my lap, Kaya seeks comfort. Brave tears fall down her cheeks, tears shed for the fate of the old man that sits before us.

Unfurling the scroll, he begins to read.

“Hope shall die as destruction reigns,
The blood of Agni shall be consumed by His rays.

“Forged by fire and cleansed by blood,
Two shall be known only as one.

“One child shall see the truth,
And wield all elements with balanced couth.

“The other shall see only deceit,
Following it blindly as he shuffles his feet.

“Those who pass shall know no rest,
Until the gate is smashed within its nest.

“The sky shall bleed until the time,
When a mortal spirit is sacrificed on Kroni’s shrine.

“Fate shall play until it bends,
And all will seek destruction’s end.”

Pathik finishes the reading and closes his eyes.

“What does it mean?” I ask, my stomach clenching in dread as Kaya slides from my lap and studies a spot on the wall.

“The first part is about Ozai killing Aang,” my daughter cites with chilling accuracy. “Forged in fire and cleansed by blood… That is how the Fire sages knew of our birth. They forced Daddy to rape you. Iroh and I had to be born of a union between fire and water.”

“That isn’t true!” I protest, seeing the truth in Kaya’s eyes. I have never told my children of the circumstances surrounding their birth. The ugliness of what was forced upon us. “Your father and I have always loved one another.” Zuko moves to my side and wraps his arms around me.

My daughter pays no attention to my protestation. “Iroh and I were supposed to be one person. That’s why I’m not very good bending the elements.” It’s as though Kaya is in a daze. Her voice is a flat monotone, her words chillingly accurate. She turns, her blue gaze shimmering with unshed tears.

“Kaya?” I whisper shakily, witnessing the destruction of my daughter’s innocence. Something is terribly wrong.

Zuko tenses beside me. “What is it?”

The pool of unshed tears cede to gravity and spill down Kaya’s ashen cheeks. “Iroh’s gone. He’s the one who sees only deceit. Grandfather has tricked him.”

--

Running out of the room, Katara’s frantic voice calls out for Iroh. I am torn. Do I chase after my wife or offer comfort to my daughter. But the panicked calls from the street below capture my attention.

“Fire Lord Zuko!” Nolan’s voice is faint. “Come quickly!”

Looking out the window, my attention is drawn to the eerie glow of flames as they crawl across the rooftops, consuming everything and everyone in their path. I grab Kaya and run to the courtyard. Pathik follows. The fire is far from our villa and will not reach it.

“The fire is almost contained, my lord,” Nolan reports succinctly, he pauses. His face is covered in soot, hesitation etched in the youthful lines. He eyes Pathik warily.

“Tell me,” I command.

It is then I see the tears spill down his cheeks. “Jeong Jeong is dead, my lord…”

Kaya jerks in my arms and sobs relentlessly.

“…Killed by your son,” Nolan chokes, his gaze full of fear. He looks at Kaya. “I saw him, my lord. Saw it with my own eyes. Saw him run Jeong Jeong through with the broadswords. He looked at me and told me to give you a message. He said killing the general the way you killed him was only the beginning. Then he started the fire, and then… a winged beast swooped from the sky and carried him away.”

--

TBC

Author’s Notes—

Yeah, I’m alive! Thanks to all who sent well wishes! I made a New Year’s resolution that I would not have any surgeries this year. So far, so good. I won’t bore you with the details of my health, but I must get on my soapbox and get a little preachy. Take care of yourself now. You only have the parts that God gave you. If you think you are immortal or that things will never happen to you, you’ll be surprised and disappointed when you find out differently. Exercise. Eat right. Learn from your mistakes. In the end, you will thank yourself.

Sermon over. On with the story. As always, reviews are most welcome. Any mistakes are my own. No copyright infringement intended.

I welcome comments and criticism. Please feel free to email me or instant message me. I’m on AIM and looneyluna200 and YIM looneyluna2000@yahoo.com.
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Bitter Alliance