the call

Everything had gone wrong that could’ve gone wrong. Hanuel had failed in the worst way possible. What was supposed to be a glorious, celebrated victory of the Avatar had resulted in her team needing to be rescued by the Gaoling police force. It was, above all else, embarrassing.

“Stop pacing.” Jitsuko ordered as Mikah healed a gash on her arm- just one of the many souvenirs gained from the fight. “It’s making me nervous.” It was only then that Hanuel realized she had been pacing across the small room. She sighed and adjusted her dust-coated sleeves- she was still dirty from the fight.

“Sorry…” The Avatar hastily replied. “I’m just thinking. It’s…..” She didn’t finish her sentence, not wanting to admit defeat in front of her friends.

“I’m sorry…” Mikah apologized. His voice was still rough from inhaling too much dust. “I… I should’ve helped more.”

“No, it’s not your fault that you’re a healer.” Hanuel sighed, putting her hand over her forehead. “I should’ve done more… I… I’m going to go call Mira.”

Jitsuko and Mikah glanced at each other and nodded solemnly. “Alright.” The firebender said. “Good luck.”

It took all the courage Hanuel had left to even leave the room her friends were in. By the time she was on hold she was a pit of desperation. Nothing had gone well. She had failed- her first major task as the Avatar and she had ruined it. The cheerful hold music only taunted her.

Mira’s going to kill me Though the thought was irrational, it was all that was going through Hanuel’s head.

“Prime Minister Mira’s office.” Came the forcibly-pleasant voice of Mira’s secretary. Chul was a young woman, only a few years older than Hanuel, and had been pleasant and kind every time they had met, if a bit professional. “Do you have an appointment?”

“It’s me, Chul.” Hanuel groaned, sounding harsher than she intended. She was too tired to go through all these formalities. “Just get me to the Prime Minister.”

Chul scoffed on the other side of the line. “You’re going to be more specific than that.”

Hanuel put a hand to her temple in frustration. “It’s Hanuel! Y’know, the Avatar? I really need to talk to the Prime Minister, so-”

“Fine, fine.” Chul sighed. “Relax. I’ll get her on the line.”

Hanuel sighed when Chul put her on hold once again, until she realized that she would be facing Mira alarmingly soon. Hanuel hastily prepared herself for the moment, rehearsing what she would say when Mira finally came on the line. Irrationally, she straightened the collar of her shirt and dusted off her skirt. Even if Mira couldn’t see her, she felt the need to be presentable in her presence.

When the Prime Minister did pick up, it caught Hanuel off-guard. “Good evening, Avatar.” The woman said, slowly and monotonously, every nuance of her voice on display. “I trust your mission went well?”

Hanuel hesitated to respond, the fear in her chest swelling. She was pretty sure she could hear her own heartbeat. “Uh… actually, we failed. The point we tracked them to turned out to be a trap and… and we were ambushed. We barely made it out with our lives.”

Mira left the phone to swear, though Hanuel still heard her loud enough to flinch. When the Prime Minister returned, she sounded more angry than Hanuel knew a person could be.

“Hanuel,” The woman said, forcing a pleasant tone, “What in the name of the spirits happened?”

“I don’t know!” Hanuel exclaimed. At the very least, the yelling would relieve her of the tension in her chest. “I can send you the report, but I don’t really know! We messed up!”

“This was supposed to be your grand debut as the Avatar!” Mira responded. “To show the world that it’s in capable hands- your hands! Is the world not in capable hands, Hanuel?!”

“It is, it is!” Hanuel glanced at her own hands- covered in dirt and cuts from the battle.

“Then why’d you fail?!”

“I’m telling you, it was a setup!” Hanuel pleaded. “It had to be! Things like that don’t just happen!”

Mira sighed. “Hanuel, you must understand how much this complicates things.”

“I understand.”

“I’m not sure you do. I cannot have you return to Ba Sing Se with such a failure on your shoulders. It’ll seem like I set you up for such a failure, and I’ve failed to raise a proper Avatar. I can’t have that.”

Hanuel nodded, even though Mira couldn’t see it. “Alright…”

“This would ruin me, it would ruin you, the image of your family. Public image is important, Hanuel. The people don’t want to know that their Avatar failed at tracking down dangerous criminals! You’re supposed to protect them!”

“What are you- we- going to do?”

Mira sighed. “You’re going to the Fire Nation.”

The simple sentence caught Hanuel so off-guard she had to brac herself on the table to keep from meeting the ground. “What?”

“You’re going to go to the Fire Nation and start your firebending training.” Mira repeated. “I’ll make the arrangements with Fire Lord Nozomi, and an airship with your belongings will be there to pick you up in a few days time. Am I clear?”

“Yeah- yes you are…” Hanuel stumbled over her words. This was the moment she had been waiting for for years, it was supposed to be a momentous occasion- her final graduation to the next element- but instead, she just felt sick. “I’m going to the Fire Nation….”

“There won’t be any press during your visit.” Mira explained. “By request of the Royal Family and my own personal order, you will only be accompanied by your companions. You will stay in Royal Caldera City, in the Royal Palace, and train under the tutelage of Ochako Tanaka.”

Ochako was Jitsuko’s older sister and a world-renowned firebending instructor. Her name gave Hanuel some relief. “How long will I be there?” She asked, not suspecting the visit to last beyond the coming winter. Mira needed her in the Earth Confederacy. She was an earth Avatar.

“You will be there until you master firebending.” Mira declared. “However long that takes. After that, we will discuss you moving onto air. Is that clear, Avatar?”

An idea struck Hanuel. “I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“I have a friend- Koto, she’s an airbender. I haven’t seen her in years, do you think I could invite her to come along with us?” Reuniting with her old friend would help Hanuel stay sane, and maybe she could even sneak in an early airbending lesson or two. They would be friends again, just like in the old days. Maybe, they would even be more again.

Mira didn’t respond immediately. “Hmm, I don’t see an issue with it. She’s Master Jinora’s daughter, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, I’ll send her word of it. Koto will meet you in the Fire Nation. But I don’t want this distracting you from your duties, Hanuel. Do you understand?”

Hanuel nodded, the reality of the situation taking a moment to sink in. “Yeah. I understand. I’m going to go tell the others about the plans.”

“Please do.” Mira said before hanging up. The line clicked off, leaving Hanuel alone in silence and regret.

fight or flight

“We’re getting stares.” Jae pointed out, discreetly gesturing to the other passersby who were very obviously watching them. Even though it was near nightfall, Gaoling was a busy enough city that there were people on the streets at nearly every time of day. Despite having left the inn only a few minutes ago, they had already been held up.

‘That doesn’t matter.” Tala replied, glaring at the passersby in an effort to intimidate them into leaving them alone. “Any updates on where the train station is?”

“Not really…” Hang sighed, keeping her focus on her roadmap. “Other than that I personally hate whoever designed this city.”

Haruko leaned back on the roadside bench she was sitting on, shielding her eyes from the bright evening sky. “Is there any other way we can leave this town? The more time we spend in Gaoling, the more I hate it.”

“Mhm.” Aazir grunted a noise of approval, his gaze catching something in the distance. Haruko followed his gaze to a green-and-silver clad man who seemed to be watching them with more intent than usual. “Hold up, I think there’s a cop over there.”

Haruko stood up alongside Hang, preparing to fight, or run. In the corner of her eye, Haruko could see Jae drawing his knife and Koto dropping into an airbending stance.

Tala calmly straightened their posture. “We don’t want to single ourselves out. Let’s leave as calmly as we can.” The firebender said softly.

“Too late.” Hang replied. The cop had already noticed them and was heading their way. Stealth was no longer an option. Haruko took off running.

Despite being the first to take off, Haruko was far from the fastest runner in the group, and was soon surpassed by both Jae and Koto. “Where are we going?” She grabbed Hang by the hand as they eclipsed each other,

“I don’t know!” Hang shouted as they ran, sparing more breath to run than to speak. “I think the piers.”

Of any place in Gaoling, Haruko had to admit heading to the piers wasn’t the best choice of an escape. “Are we going to steal a boat or something?” Hang only shrugged in response.

Haruko could barely keep sight of Jae and Koto infront of her, and didn’t dare look behind to see if Aazir and Tala were following. She heard the distinct sounds of earth-and firebending, that was all the confirmation she needed.

Koto and Jae rounded into an alleyway, a maneuver Hang and Haruko followed. As soon as Tala and Aazir were safe in the alley, Haruko and Aazir rose a wall of stone- cutting them off from the city. They were walled in.

“Where to?” Koto asked, out of breath.

“The piers.” Hang responded. “Hoping a boat ride is our best chance to get out of this place while we still can.”

Tala nodded. “Piers. Got it. And that is…?”

“They’re pretty close by, actually.” Jae pointed out. The boy had scaled one of the alley walls and was using the rooftop as a vantage point. “Direct south of here. Big cargo ships leaving soon, looks like our best bet.”

Haruko nodded and started to scale the same wall Jae was on. She saw what he was referring to- a large ship in the midst of leaving the port. “Do you think we’ll be able to make it?”

Jae started to walk over the roof. “We will if we run fast enough.” Following his lead, Haruko climbed to the top of the roof and started to run.

As she jumped from rooftop-to-rooftop, Haruko managed to steal a glance behind her. Her friends were following them, using their various elements to help propel their motion. They would definitely be spotted, but it was already too late for that.

Koto caught up to Haruko on one of the rooftops, close to the pier.

“How do you jump so high?” Haruko asked, bracing herself on her knees.

“It’s airbending.” Koto replied, opting for a briefer explanation given the circumstance. “You create jets of air beneath your feet as you walk.”

Haruko figured as much, but it didn’t hurt to ask. “Do you think I could do it?”

The airbender shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

The next gap that came between buildings, Haruko tried to propel herself with airbending the same way Koto did. The element was still foreign to her- extremely foreign- but she tried to remember what few airbending lessons she had been given. Guided by the wind of her own making, her next leap felt like she was walking on air. In a sense, she supposed she was.

Haruko only barely made it to the freighter on time, leaping onto the cargo portion of the ship just as it was departing. She wasn’t used to using her airbending to propel her movement like Koto was- she was barely used to airbending in the first place - and nearly crashed into a storage container when she attempted jumping onto the moving vehicle. Luckily for her, Koto had been there to cusion her fall.

“Thanks..” Haruko muttered as she massaged out a bruise she had gotten during the chase. She caught her breath as she and her friends formed a small circle. “We’re on a boat. Now what?” She sat down on the ship’s metal floor and let Pasha out of her hoodie.

Tala shrugged. “Go wherever this boat is taking us and leave from there, I suppose.”

Koto pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. “If I had my bison we would’ve already been in Republic City by now…. Wait…”

“Koto, if you suggest going to the air temples again, I’ll throw you overboard.” Hang warned as she set up her bedroll.

“No, no.” The airbender shook her head as she set down her own bag. “We are close to the southern temple, though.”

Jae and Tala exchanged a glance. “I mean, it depends on where this ship is headed, doesn’t it?” The firebender asked.

“I suppose so…” Koto sighed. “Though we are running out of money.”

“Yikes.” Aazir remarked, then flopped on his back to look at the stars. “Where are we even going?”

Hang shrugged. “Probably Agna Qel’a of all places, given our streak of luck.”

“Or the spirit world.” Jae laughed at his own joke.

“You can’t ride a boat to the spirit world, idiot.” Hang smiled.

Jae smirked. “What if I rode a boat into the spirit portal into the spirit world. Hah. Owned.”

Koto visibly relaxed, sitting next to Haruko. “That’s not how the spirit portal works.”

“I didn’t know you were an expert on spirit portals, Koto!” Haruko smirked.

Koto put a hand to her chest for dramatic emphasis. “Actually, my mom is a spiritual expert and was friends with the person who opened the portals so I know more than you guys, at least.” She paused. “Except for maybe Haruko, since her past life opened the portals.”

When everyone turned to Haruko, she put her hands up in defense. “I don’t know anything about spirit portals. I’ve never even seen them.”

“Really?” Jae said, sitting on the bedroll Hang had laid out. “My old apartment had a great view of the one Republic City. It’s yellow.”

Hang shoved Jae off her bedroll. “That’s nice, but have you considered that none of us have been to Republic City but you and Koto?”

Jae shrugged as he sat back up, now on the floor. “I suppose I have not.”

Aazir yawned. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m exhausted.” The young earthbender pulled his beanie over his eyes to block out the light.

Tala laughed and nodded as they rolled out their own bedroll. “Yeah, I’m gonna get to sleep too. Night, guys.”

Haruko couldn’t sleep, the slow rocking of the boat too jarring to her. When aboard Jun’s Sweet Lady Lotus all those months ago, the movement had been relaxing, but now it just reminded her of where she was- on a boat in the middle of nowhere, headed to a place she didn’t even know. It made her feel sick the more she thought about it. After an hour of trying and failing to rest, Haruko resigned herself to sleeplessness and climbed up the storage containers to do the one thing that set her mind at ease- stargazing.

The stars weren’t the same as they used to be. They reminded her of her father, a memory now tainted by what she knew. Haruko didn’t know what to think of the stars anymore. Things were changing faster than she could keep up with them. The staticity of the pin-lights above only taunted her.

The clanging sound of someone else climbing the storage containers interrupted her thoughts. Upon turning around, she saw that it was Jae. The nonbender had left his weapons and sunglasses on the ground and had even untied his hair, making him seem like almost an entirely different person in the moonlight. He seemed less sharp.

“Can’t sleep?” Jae asked softly, simply.

Haruko shook her head. “No… I’ve got too much to think about.”

“Really? Like what?”

Haruko sighed and looked up at the stars. It was easier to see them here than it had been in the cities they had been staying in lately. “Everything… I’m the….” She left the space blank, not wanting to acknowledge the fact herself. “And I didn’t even know. It feels wrong. Everything feels wrong. My father is alive and he’s out doing spirits-know-what, leading a criminal society dead-set on killing me, specifically! That’s a lot to think about.”

Jae sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I understand. I’d say I know how you feel, but I really don’t. I’m sorry, though.”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry about, it’s not your fault I’m in this mess.”

“Mhm.” Jae nodded. “Who’s is it, though?”

The question caught Haruko off-guard. “I… I don’t know. Everything’s too complicated right now to think about it.”

“I can understand that.” Jae tilted his head back to look at the stars. “I wonder where we’re headed.”

Haruko closed her eyes, trying to forget the world that existed outside of the storage container she sat on. “I don’t know. I hope it’s not somewhere bad.”

“With our luck, who knows.” Jae sighed. “We are headed south though.”

Haruko opened her eyes and turned to Jae. “Really?”

Jae pointed to a constellation in the dark sky above them. “That’s the moonfish constellation. See how it’s oriented? It only does that when you’re facing south. We’re facing the direction the ship’s travelling in, so we’re going south.”

“Huh…” Haruko muttered. Once, she had seen a mover where the protagonist had used the stars to navigate, but she had doubted its accuracy. “Maybe we’ll run into that air temple of Koto’s.”

“That would be nice.” Jae sighed. “It’s not the one my sister’s at, but it would be nice to finally see an air temple.”

Haruko nodded. She wanted to ask about Jae’s sister, but didn’t want to press him on the matter.

“Our parents died.” Jae stated.

“Uh……” Haruko stuttered. It didn’t make sense why Jae randomly stated such personal information.

“In case you wanted to know why Ji-Min became an air acolyte and I became a sailor, ‘specially cause we’re both so young. A lot of people wonder about it, I suppose you have too.”

“Oh, ok.” It would be a lie if Haruko said the question hadn’t crossed her mind before, but she hadn’t ever thought of actually asking it.

Jae sighed. “I figured you should know. I think that it’s important we teammates know about each other, right?”

Haruko shrugged. Despite how significant the use of teammates seemed, she ignored it. “I guess that makes sense.” She paused. “I’m sorry about your parents.”

“It happened a while ago…” Jae looked back at the sky. “I won’t say I’m ok, but I’ve learned to adapt to things. I figure that’s just what we need to do in all this. We just need to adapt to it”

Haruko nodded, not taking her eyes away from the sky.

“Guys, wake up!” Koto’s excited voice stirred Haruko from her sleep. “You won’t believe where we are!”

Haruko drowsily sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. After talking with Jae, she had returned to the small camp and instantly fallen asleep on her bedroll. The sun had risen a few hours ago, leaving the sky a pure, crystalline blue. Wherever they were, it was colder than she was used to.

Koto was standing on top of one of the storage containers, alongside Aazir and Jae. She held her hand above her eyes as she looked out, clearly excited about whatever she saw,

“You guys have to come see this!” Jae exclaimed.

After exchanging glances with Hang and Tala, Haruko climbed to the top of the storage container with the others. What she saw took her breath away.

In the far distance stood an island, covered by a majestic mountain range stretching into the sky. The peaks of the taller mountains weren’t visible from their vantage point, but the smaller peaks were decorated with small buildings and homes, forming a vertical city unlike anything Haruko had ever seen before. The paths of the city all seemed to lead to a mountain on the center of the island on top of which sat a blue and white temple, architecture so ancient and awe-inspiring it took Haruko’s breath away. She could faintly see the silhouettes of sky bison floating around the temple.

“Whoa….” Tala breathed. “Is that-”

“The Southern Air Temple!” Koto proudly declared.

According to Koto, the village around the temple was new, very new, and had been constructed only after the air nation was brought back from the brink of extinction. While there was housing for merchants, farmers, acolytes and airbenders who didn’t stay in the temple, most of the area was devoted to a marketplace.

“The old Air Nation was never really concerned with having an economic system, we believe in living a communal lifestyle,” Koto explained as she guided the team through the labyrinth-like market. “To be honest, we still aren’t super involved in it, but the temple’s in an ideal spot in between the Southern Water Tribe and the Earth Confederacy, and it helps build an Air Nation of more than just monks.”

Haruko ignored most of the airbender’s history lesson, choosing instead to take in the town. It was nothing like anything Haruko had seen before. There was a lack of most modern technology- especially vehicles. The walkways between stalls were covered by orange and yellow tarps, similar to the marketplace in Aringeru. Most of the stalls sold produce and handcrafted goods, everything from fur-lined Water Tribe parkas to golden Fire Nation jewelry. What was most striking, though, was the people.

Despite being significantly less crowded than the market districts in the Earth Confederacy, the marketplace was full of life. Haruko guessed that most of the people in orange and yellow robes were airbenders and acolytes, though there were a number of people wearing green, blue, and red. Haruko had never seen so many airbenders in her life.

“Sis!” A deep, loud voice called, accompanied by quick footsteps. “Hey, Koto!”

When Haruko turned her attention back to Koto, the airbender had been enveloped into a hug by a man she didn’t recognize. He was taller than all of them but Hang and had the same blue arrow tattoos on his forehead and hands that Koto wore. Despite having called Koto his sister, the two airbenders didn’t share any features other than their brown hair and eyes.

“Kel- let me go.” Koto released herself from the man’s grip. “Uh, this is brother, Kelsang!” She introduced. “Kelsang, these are my friends. They’re-” She gestured flippantly at the group. “Criminal types.”

Kelsang straightened his robes and extended his hand, Hang shook it. After introductions were made, he smiled. “How’d you all get mixed up with Koto?”

“Uh. It’s kind of a long story.” Haruko replied, stunned by the man’s joviality.

Kelsang shrugged, then turned to Koto. “You really have to get up to the temple- Uncle Meelo’s there. Spirits, we have to call mom, she’s been worried sick about you! Where have you been?”

“Yeah… That’s the same long story.” Koto sighed. “Speaking of mom, I really need to take Haruko to see her.”

Kelsang looked between the two girls. “Wait- are you two-”

“We’re not dating.” Koto interrupted. “It’s… complicated. And confidential.”

Kelsang shrugged. “Alright. I’ll leave you guys to it then.” He spun his robes as he turned around. “Come on, I’ll help get you guys to the temple and we can talk to Uncle Meelo.”

As they walked, Koto stepped back to keep pace with Haruko and Aazir. “Sorry about my brother, he can be a bit much.”

Aazir smiled. “I like him. He’s cool.”

Koto sighed. “Sure, whatever.” She turned to Haruko. “You doing alright?”

Haruko nodded. “Yeah… I’m glad to be somewhere safe, finally.”

Koto nodded and hummed in agreement. “Yeah. Things are looking up.”

the prince

Hanuel leaned on the railing, looking out the airship’s window. Having set off from Gaoling that morning, they had been traveling over the ocean for a few hours and were just now seeing the easternmost Fire Islands.

“That’s Ma’inka island.” Jitsuko pointed to the volcanic landmass they were currently travelling above. “And Shu Jing’s further that way.”

“Do you know all the islands?” Hanuel asked, impressed by Jitsuko’s geographic knowledge.

The firebender nodded. “Of course I do. It’s my homeland.”

“I’m from the Earth Confederacy and I don’t know every single square inch of land by heart!” Hanuel scoffed and turned to Mikah for support.

The waterbender raised his hands in defense. “I can’t say anything, I actually do know the geography of my tribe pretty well.”

“Well in your defense the Earth Confederacy is enormous.” Jitsuko remarked before turning back to the window. “Oh look, it’s Hukae.”

“Which one are you from, Jitsuko?” Mikah asked.

“Well, back before the Hundred Year War, the Fire Nation was divided into separate clans, each controlling separate regions.” Jitsuko explained. “I’m descended from the leaders of the Tanaka clan, who inhabited a small island on the north-western coast of the Capital Island”

Mikah glanced at Hanuel, regret in his eyes. Knowing Jitsuko, this little history lesson could go on for hours.

“I think I’ve heard of that before.” Hanuel commented. “Fire Lord Sozin got rid of the clans, right?”

“Fire Lord Zoryu, actually- about two hundred years before him. He reigned as Fire Lord during the early years of Avatar Kyoshi’s life.” Jitsuko explained. “By the time the war began, it had become all too easy for Sozin to just seize power and control everything. No one could do anything about it.”

“It’s not like that any more, right?” Mikah asked, his voice full of worry.

Jitsuko laughed. “Of course it isn't! Lord Zuko made government reforms years ago that severely limited the power of the Fire Lord. There’s no way anything like that could happen again.”

Hanuel glanced at Mikah and shrugged, not sure what to think of Jitsuko’s confidence. “If you say so.”

The Fire Nation capital was golden in the noon sunlight, like nothing Hanuel had ever seen before. It was like a box of gold caught in the sun, reflective and bright. Cities in the Earth Confederacy were typically made out of stone or silver-toned metals, always with green accents. Not to mention that cities in the Earth Confederacy weren’t typically built in volcanoes.

“You know, I’ve never actually been to the Fire Nation before.” Hanuel commented as she, Jitsuko and Mikah disembarked from their airship.

“Really?” Jitsuko asked, raising an eyebrow. “You picked a really bad time to come. The Fire Nation gets dismal during wintertime.”

Hanuel shrugged and focused her attention on the pair of figures approaching them. A man and a woman, both wearing fitted scarlet uniforms not too different from Jitsuko’s. They both had sharp features and jet black hair styled in topknots.

“Welcome to the Fire Nation, Avatar!” The man greeted boisterously as he met Hanuel, giving a deep, theatrical bow. The woman followed, albeit less dramatically. “It’s our pleasure to welcome you to our capital city.”

Hanuel returned the bow. “The pleasure’s all mine.”

The woman rose to her feet and gestured to herself and her companion. “I am Ochako Tanaka, Jitsuko’s older sister and your future firebending instructor.” She gave a warm smile. “And this is my brother, Crown Prince Teijo.”

Hanuel made eye contact with Teijo, then noticed his hairpiece. She recognized it as the hairpiece traditionally worn by whoever was next-in-line for the throne. Hanuel stole a glance at Jitsuko- the firebender had left out the very important detail that her brother was going to be the next Fire Lord.

Teijo cleared his throat, catching Hanuel’s attention. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Avatar.”

Hanuel nodded. It was her turn to make introductions. “You obviously already know Jitsuko, and this is Mikah, a master healer from the Northern Water Tribe.”

Mikah smiled and gave Teijo a polite bow.

Teijo returned the bow. “It’s not often we get visitors from the Northern Tribe. Come on, let’s go inside.”

Ochako and Teijo led them through the ornate halls of the Fire Palace, occasionally stopping to comment on a particular map or painting.

“Forgive my curiosity,” Hanuel asked, stumbling over the formalities, “But I thought the Fire Lord was going to greet us.”

“Ah, I figured you would be curious about that.” Teijo noted. “You must understand, Fire Lord Nozomi is… well she’s seen better days.”

“Teijo!” Ochako chided through gritted teeth. The man put his hands up in defense.

“It’s true! I’m not going to lie to the Avatar!” He turned back to Hanuel. “She barely survived the outbreak of the Sun Plague a few years ago.”

Hanuel only vaguely recognized the term Teijo had used. From what she knew, the Sun Plague was a disease that had ravaged the population of the Fire Nation years ago. It had taken Jitsuko’s parents, and apparently, threatened the life of the Fire Lord. “I thought the Sun Plague died out years ago.”

Teijo nodded. “It did, but Nozomi’s an old woman and was never too healthy to begin with.” Ochako looked like she was about to slap her brother, but he continued. “And since she never had children, she had to name someone as her successor. Apparently, I was the best candidate for the job.” His humility was all but genuine.

“Makes sense.” Hanuel replied. She looked back at her companions- Jitsuko looked to be explaining an old Fire Nation painting to Mikah. “I forgot to tell you, I’ve got another friend coming.”

“The airbender, right?” Ochako asked. “We’re expecting her arrival in a week’s time.”

Hanuel nodded, suddenly nervous at the prospect of seeing her friend again. It had been almost three years since she had seen Koto; she wondered how she had changed. “Alright, and when will I start my training?”

“We will begin in a few weeks,” Ochako reported. “To give you some time to adjust to life in the Fire Nation. I will warn you, firebending training is rigorous, but I have no doubt you’ll be able to get through it. You are the Avatar, after all.”

Hanuel smiled and nodded. “Thank you, once again. I’m so happy to be here.”

Teijo nodded. “Indeed. After what happened with the past two Avatars, it's time we got back to simple tradition.”

“What do you mean?” Hanuel raised an eyebrow.

“You recall the story of Avatar Aang,” Teijo gestured dramatically with his hands as he described the tale. “As he was in… unfortunate circumstances, he couldn’t learn the elements in a traditional way, he was traveling the world with a bunch of teenagers fighting a war! And Avatar Korra learned the elements from a compound in her home nation, save for air.”

“I’m not sure I follow.” Hanuel confessed.

“What I think my brother is trying to say,” Ochako interrupted, “Is that it’s been a while, almost an entire cycle, since an Avatar was trained in the traditional manner. We’re happy to have you here.”

Hanuel nodded, though still didn’t fully understand Teijo’s point. “Alright.”

Ochako gestured for Hanuel to follow her. “Come on, I’ll show you to the Avatar’s quarters. I’m sure you’ve had a long day of travel.”

Hanuel nodded and followed Ochako through the hallway. The firebender walked quickly, all too willing to get away from her brother.

the temple market

Haruko let herself sleep in at the Air Temple. It was the first place she ever felt like she could after leaving Jing Zi. Almost two weeks into their stay, she had become accustomed to the routine- or rather, lack thereof- at the temple. She had been given a warm bed in the acolyte’s quarters and had regular access to warm food. The promise of solutions to her problems was on the horizon, Koto and her Uncle Meelo having contacted Koto’s mother almost as soon as they arrived. She had no work to do, no daily commitments other than Meelo’s mandate that they should all ‘take a breather’ after having traveled so long. So Haruko slept in.

She was woken up mid-morning by the sound of children outside her window. After getting dressed and prepared for the day, Haruko left for the temple gardens, hoping to find Koto so they could practice airbending together in one of the more secluded areas of the temple, an activity that had become routine to them. Instead, she found Hang sitting under a tree, playing a song to the plants.

“Good morning.” Haruko greeted, sitting on the grass. Pasha almost immediately moved from her shoulder to her lap.

Hang paused her song to talk to Haruko. “Morning. How’re you?”

Haruko sighed and looked up at the sky. “I’m good. You?”

The waterbender smiled. “I’m the best I’ve ever been.” Her voice was completely genuine, and Haruko couldn’t help but agree. It seemed that for the first time, the world was smiling upon them.

“It’s so nice here.” Haruko sighed. “It’s almost surreal.”

Hang nodded. “Yeah. I’m surprised how right Koto was. Maybe we should’ve just gone to the air temples in the first place.”

Haruko took a moment to ponder how things would’ve turned out if they had gone to an air temple instead of Aringeru. “Things definitely would’ve turned out differently.”

“Suppose so.” Hang hummed in agreement and set aside her banjo. “I was thinking of going down to the market, I want to get some stuff. You wanna come with?”

Haruko leaned back on her wrists and took in the day. Despite the coming winter, the day was pleasant. “Yeah. Sounds good.”

“What exactly are we looking for?” Haruko asked as she and Hang milled about the busy agora. The market was just as lively as it had been the day they arrived. They had bought fried fruit skewers from a Fire Nation merchant and were now wandering around the maze of stalls. Haruko was pretty sure they were lost.

“I’m trying to find a good waterskin. Mine’s pretty old and doesn’t work very well anymore.” She paused in thought. “Maybe we should get you one too.”

“Why would we get me a waterskin? I'm not a waterbender- oh.” Haruko scoffed before the truth dawned on her. “I guess I am a waterbender. But still. We’re trying to keep this to ourselves for now. Outwardly proclaiming that I can bend water goes against everything we’ve been doing the past few months.” She still couldn’t believe they had known for months.

“Makes sense.” Hang mused, taking a bite of her fried lychee. “Who all knows?”

Haruko counted the people who knew in her head. “Same as last time- us, our friends and possibly Arnook.”

“Koto didn’t tell her uncle?”

“Nope, as far as I can tell.” Haruko absentmindedly let Pasha eat some of her food.

“Weird.” Hang looked off into the distance. “Ok, don’t get mad at me, but I think we’re lost.”

Haruko stifled a laugh. “I could’ve told you that five minuets ago… do you think we can retrace our steps to get back to the temple?” She glanced behind her, trying to spot the looming temple structure from their lower vantage point.

Hang sighed. “Yeah, I guess we could. I still wanna get that waterskin though…”

“Fine.” Haruko ran a hand through her hair. “Let’s go see if we can find a place that sells waterskins.

Surprisingly, they found a stall selling waterskins and other Water Tribe goods within a few minutes. Haruko couldn’t figure out if it was irony or luck, but she was thankful either way.

“You girls Water Tribe?” The merchant asked as Hang paid for her new waterskin.

Hang shrugged. “Kinda? I’m from the Foggy Swamp.”

“I’m not Water Tribe at all. I’m from the desert.” Haruko commented and shrugged.

“Really?!” The merchant smiled, completely ignoring Haruko. “I’m Nanook, I’m from the Southern Water tribe.” He extended his hand for Hang to shake it.

“I’m Hang.” The waterbender beamed as she replied.

Nanook gave a wide smile, then glanced over Hang. “Hold up, you look just like someone I know…”

Hang raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Nanook nodded. “She’s my neighbor, she’s a bit shorter than you, and has the same eyes. I think she immigrated from the swamp, about twelve years ago.”

“Really?” Hang’s voice rose in anticipation. “What’s her name?”

Nanook paused, whether in thought or shock Haruko couldn’t decipher. Eventually he stated, “Chau, her name’s Chau Thao.”

“That’s my mother!” Hang whispered, running a hand through her hair. She turned to face Haruko. “Haruko, that’s my mom! She’s alive!”

Haruko nodded, not knowing what to say.

“Wow.” Nanook ran a hand through his hair in astonishment. “That’s crazy! I didn’t even know Chau had a kid.”

Hang looked at her hands, then up at Haruko. “My mom is alive…. I need to go see her.”

“Guys!” Hang called as she and Haruko ran across the temple green. She stopped short of Jae, Aazir and Tala’s picnic. “You won’t believe what happened in the market!”

“You’re just in time for lunch.” Tala said, offering Hang a steamed bun

Haruko arrived a few minutes after Hang did. After catching her breath, she noticed something. “Where’s Koto?”

“She’s off talking to her uncle or something.” Aazir answered. “Why were you guys at the market?”

Haruko sat down on the grass next to her brother. “Hang wanted a-”

“Not important!” Hang intervened, gesturing wildly with her arms. “My mom is alive! She’s in the Southern Water Tribe!”

“Really?” Jae shot a doubtful glance at Haruko, who only shrugged in response. “Are you sure?”

“We met a merchant at the market who described someone who looks like Hang and was able to give her mother’s name.” Haruko explained.

Hang sat down next to Haruko, still clearly ecstatic. “This is incredible! I have to go see her- It’s been so long since I’ve seen her!”

“Wow…” Tala muttered, still eating their lunch. “That’s crazy. Do you think we should all go down south with you?”

“I’ll go with you.” Jae said. Haruko nodded. “It’s probably best if we don’t split up, seeing as we’re being tracked.”

“Do you think they’re still after us?” Aazir leaned back on his wrists. “I mean, Arnook and Ahsa could’ve gotten arrested or something.”

Haruko shrugged and was going to respond when she spotted two orange-clad figures in the distance, approaching them. As they neared the picic, Haruko could distinguish them as Koto and Meelo. The two airbenders seemed deep in conversation as they walked- Koto, especially, seemed troubled by whatever they were discussing.

“Hey Koto!” Haruko got to her feet as the airbenders approached. “What’s up?

Koto sighed. “We have some… news. Bad news.”

“We have news too, but ours is good!” Aazir piped up. “Hang’s mom is in the Southern Water Tribe!”

Koto exchanged a glance with her uncle. “Wow… that’s incredible.”

Meelo cleared his throat. “We’ve received word from Avatar Hanuel, she apparently wants Koto to accompany her to the Fire Nation.” He sent Koto a sympathetic glance, though Haruko couldn’t figure out why.

“Hanuel’s in the Fire Nation?” Jae asked.

Koto sighed. “Apparently, she’s starting her firebending training soon.”

“Well, we were thinking about going down to the South Pole,” Hang said, her voice full of doubt for the first time that morning, “To meet with my mom.”

Tala must’ve picked up on Hang’s worry, because they almost instantly added, “Can’t you just say no?”

Koto sighed. “It’s more complicated than that. The Prime Minister requested it personally, we can’t say no without risking war on our nation.”

“Especially with how trigger-happy Mira’s been getting lately.” Meelo scoffed. “We’ll have to contact Jinora about the change of schedule. I really am sorry.”

“So you’re going to the Fire Nation?” Haruko asked, her voice softer than she intended. It was easier for her to be soft around Koto.

Koto nodded solemnly, but seemed more frustrated than sad. “Yeah. I don’t know how long it will be, but you all should go to the Southern Water Tribe. I don’t want you all to do anything about the… situation… until I can be there to help”

Haruko nodded. She wasn’t sure she was ready to fully acknowledge the truth yet herself.

Tala stood up. “In that case, we should get to packing.”

The moment they were in the relative security of the hallways, Aazir confronted Koto. Haruko had never seen Aazir so outwardly angry, it was a rarity to see him express any emotion strongly.

“What’s going on?” The boy whisper-yelled. “You said you were going to keep us safe! You’re breaking your promises!”

Koto quickly glanced around before turning to face Aazir. “Keep it down, these walls are thin.” The airbender said through gritted teeth. “It’s more delicate than it looks. I can’t just refuse the Avatar- Hanuel’s invitation without risking the safety of my nation and people. Prime Minister Mira doesn’t make empty threats.”

“What will she do to you if you refuse?” Hang muttered.

“She’s already tried to take away the land our temples are built on, I have no idea what she’d do next.” Koto replied gravely, then put her hand on Aazir’s shoulder. “Please, you have to understand. It’s not in my hands.”

“Alright.” Aazir muttered, looking at his shoes. “I’m going to go pack.”

Before Tala could leave with him, Koto stopped the firebender. “I need to talk to you and Haruko. Come on.” She led the two of them into Haruko’s room and closed the door behind them.

“What’s this about?” Tala asked as they sat on Haruko’s bed.

Koto sighed, though it didn’t seem to relieve her of any stress. “Tala, while you are in the South Pole, I need you to teach Haruko firebending.”

Tala seemed surprised, but didn’t object. “Alright…”

“Firebending?” Haruko near-whispered.

Koto nodded. “It’s the next element in the cycle, technically you should’ve learnt it before air, but we’re desperate. I don’t want to mess things up more than we already have.”

Haruko nodded. “Alright.”

“Why didn’t you tell your uncle?” Tala asked, stating Haruko’s thoughts for her.

Koto sighed again and pressed a hand to her temple, right next to her tattoo. “It’s like what I told Aazir… the world is in a very delicate state right now- it’s like a bridge made of straw. This…. This is the type of thing that could ruin all of that.”

“It’s like you threw a rock at the bridge.” Tala nodded.

“More like you lit it on fire.” Koto ran her fingers through her hair, upsetting her normally perfectly-done hairstyle. “This is very delicate information that could cause some very big issues if it’s in the wrong hands.”

“And you don’t trust your uncle with it?” Haruko cautiously asked.

“I don’t know.” Koto sighed. “I can only hope that things will turn out. Eventually.”

Tala glanced at Haruko, nothing but doubt in their eyes.

the return

There were few sights that filled Koto with more dread than the red-capped buildings of the Fire Nation capital. Despite being older, despite knowing better now, she couldn’t shake the sense of wrongness she felt flying above the caldera. It felt wrong to return.

Koto brought Cloud low, landing just outside the Fire Nation Palace. She was expected, the soldiers on the watchtowers did nothing to prevent her from landing in the courtyard. She was even greeted by a small group of nobles, most likely including Hanuel. It was almost ironic, how celebrated her arrival was.

Almost as soon as she dismounted from Cloud, Koto was swept into an embrace by none other than Hanuel Beifong. When she released her, Koto could fully take in the girl she had left three years ago.

Hanuel had barely changed in the three years since Koto had seen her. Her face was still delicate and youthful, her eyes still bright. One of the few things that had changed was that her hair had grown longer- she looked only slightly less like she was imitating Korra, though Koto was certain she still was. The bright look in Hanuel’s eyes and the girl’s resemblance to the past Avatar only stung more now that Koto knew the truth.

“I haven’t seen you in forever!” Hanuel beamed, holding Koto’s hands in her own. “Your hair grew back, it’s so pretty! You got rid of the ponytail, though.”

Koto sighed, reminded of the way she had styled her hair before becoming a master. Back then, she and Hanuel had worn matching ponytails, although hers was always shorter. After the fight they had before her anointment ceremony, it had never occurred to Koto to go back to the style once her hair grew back. “I like wearing it down. It’s mature.”

“You sound like your mom.” Hanuel deadpanned. “What happened in the last three years that made you such a bummer, where’s the Koto who would skydive off the temple spires with me?”

Koto didn’t have an answer for the question. “I guess I grew up. I have responsibility now, as a master airbender.”

Hanuel shrugged. “I guess that’s true. C’mon, you should meet everyone else.”

Taking her by the hand, Hanuel led Koto to a group of people who had congregated for her arrival. The party consisted of one Water Tribe man and three Fire Nation individuals, with features so similar they had to be siblings. Koto recognized them as what remained of the Tanaka family.

“This is Mikah” Hanuel put her hands around the water tribe man’s shoulders. “He’s a master healer from the Northern Water Tribe.”

Mikah extended his hand, which Koto gladly shook. “It’s nice to meet you, Master Koto.”

“It’s nice to meet you too!” Koto smiled. “But you don’t have to call me master.”

Hanuel directed Koto’s attention to the Tanaka siblings. “This is Teijo, Ochako and Jitsuko of the Tanaka family, Ochako’s going to teach me firebending!”

The realization hit Koto like a wave crashing to a cliff. She remembered why she was there in the first place. To everyone here, Hanuel was the Avatar and her learning firebending was a completely plausible thing to happen. More than that, they were expecting her to, depending on her to. It was wrong. Koto wanted to scream and cry about how wrong it was, to tell Hanuel what was wrong, but she couldn’t. She had to maintain composure, at least for now.

Koto could barely keep focus as she shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with the Tanaka family, until she got to Teijo. He was wearing the crown prince’s hairpiece. Koto hadn’t ever heard about Fire Lord Nozomi’s heir, but she was even more surprised to learn it was Teijo Tanaka.

“It’s my pleasure to meet you, Master Koto.” Teijo greeted, echoing the title Mikah had used. Both his hand and his voice were artificially warm. “I hope you enjoy your stay.”

Koto gave Teijo a stiff bow. “I’m here to accompany the Avatar while she learns firebending.”

Hanuel put her hand on Koto’s shoulder, turning her so their eyes would meet. “Koto, are you ok?”

Koto gave a reluctant nod. She couldn’t tell Hanuel the truth- at this moment, Hanuel was the worst possible person to tell her worries to. “I’m fine. I’m just a little tired from my trip.” She lied.

Hanuel frowned, genuine concern in her eyes. “You should come to rest, the staff will make sure Cloud is safe.” She put her hand around Koto’s shoulder and started to walk. “I forgot to mention, we’ve got dinner with the Fire Lord tonight to celebrate your arrival!”

Dinner with the Fire Lord was possibly the worst way Koto could’ve envisioned her evening. She had only met Fire Lord Nozomi a handful of times, including now, and while the woman had always been pleasant with her, there had always been a barrier between them. It didn’t help that Nozomi was one of the few people, outside her own family, who knew where she was from.

The only upside of the dinner was that it was small. It could’ve gone so, so much worse. Fire Lord Nozomi sat at the head of the table, flanked by Hanuel at her right and Teijo on the left. The table was very clearly split between the foreigners and the Fire Nation natives, with Hanuel, Koto and Mikah sitting on one side, opposite the Tanaka siblings.

Koto picked at her food, trying to ignore what was going on. It was delicious- Fire Nation cuisine was actually one of the things she could appreciate about the place- but she couldn’t stomach it. There was too much on her mind for her to enjoy a simple meal with her old friend- it wasn’t simple. Nothing was simple anymore.

“Koto, are you ok?” Ochako asked. She was sitting directly opposite Koto and seemed like she had been enjoying both the multiple-course meal and the pleasant tableside conversation. Her concern caught Koto off-guard, the woman sounded almost maternal. “You’ve barely eaten.”

Koto glanced down at her plate. She had done little but stir the noodles. “No, I’m fine.” She replied, straightening her posture. “I’m still a little tired.”

Ochako nodded. “Alright. You’ll want to sleep well tonight, then. We’re starting firebending training tomorrow.”

Koto didn’t respond, once again caught off-guard by the reminder of why they were here.

“We’re not even going to be firebending.” Mikah sighed, presumably speaking to Koto.

Koto relaxed, the waterbender’s friendly disposition putting her at ease. “I’m definitely not going to be doing any firebending.”

Mikah laughed. “So, how long have you known Hanuel?”

“Ever since we were kids.” Koto glanced at the earthbender, who was making polite conversation with the Fire Lord. “Before they named her the Avatar, even. Our families have a long history together.”

“Wow.” The waterbender responded. “I’m surprised we haven’t met before. What happened with you guys?” Koto took a glance over Mikah noting the White Lotus pin on his jacket lapel. So that was why he was one of Hanuel’s official companions- whoever was in charge of Haneul wanted her to have only the most respectable of friends, limiting the group to nobility and their own pawns.

Koto sighed. “We had a big fight right before I got my tattoos, and ever since then our separate jobs never really lined up and it didn’t make much sense to actively try to meet up, so….” She shrugged.

“That’s too bad.” Mikah sighed. “I think you’d fit into out friend group pretty well.”

Koto nodded, trying to not think of the friends she had left behind. “I guess so.”

Mikah must’ve sensed that the conversation was over, because it wasn’t long until the waterbender shifted his posture to talk to Jitsuko. Koto focused on listening to the conversation Hanuel was having with the Fire Lord.

“Hanuel, I don’t mean to pry, but I have a few questions.” Nozomi asked. As the Fire Lord, she was one of the few people with express permission to address Hanuel by her personal name in such a formal setting.

“Whatever you want to know.” Hanuel responded calmly. She had been trained just for situations like this, and it showed.

“To my understanding, the Earth Confederacy is in… a spiritual crisis, is it not?”

Hanuel’s calm demeanor faltered. “What do you mean?”

Nozomi cleared her throat. “Well, in only a few weeks, you’ve been able to see how the people of the Fire Nation have learned to coexist with the spirits. I’ve been told that it isn’t the same in your homeland.”

Koto recognized the issue Nozomi was referring to- her mother had been working to solve it ever since it came up. For whatever reason, the Earth Nation was almost completely devoid of spiritual activity. During the last few months, she had been able to see it up close. Unlike in Republic City, the spirits of the Earth Confederacy seemed to live in hiding and avoid any possible conflict with humans. While Koto was well acquainted with the problem, she was fairly certain this was the first Hanuel was hearing of it.

Hanuel paused in thought. “I…. I’ve never thought about that.”

“Oh.” Nozomi sat still for a moment. “I’ll have to talk to the Prime Minister the next time I see her, then.”

mother moon

Haruko had never, in her entire life, been anywhere as cold as the Southern Water Tribe. Even bundled up in her new winter parka, she could still feel the bitter wind that seemed to bite at her very being. Almost as soon as she had stepped off onto the pier, she decided she hated it. All her newfound distaste for the cold, however, couldn’t compete with Tala’s.

“Are you ok?” Jae snidely commented as they walked through the city’s streets. His voice was almost mocking, and it wasn’t hard to figure out why. Jae, of all their friends currently there, was the only one who had seen snow before.

“Shut up.” Tala grunted, burrowing their head in their coat as much as they could. Their motion reminded Haruko of a turtle duck trying to return to its shell.

“It’s so white…” Aazir whispered, paying more attention to the scenery around them than the cold. He was right, Harbor City seemed to be painted in an array of whites and pale blues. Every new place Haruko had been to in the past few months paled in comparison to the dreamlike world of the South Pole. Haruko could even see the southern spirit portal in the sky above them- a brilliant blue beam reaching into the heavens.

“Are all the buildings made of ice?” Haruko asked.

Jae looked around at the residential neighborhood they were currently travelling through. “I think so. It would definitely make sense.”

“They are.” Hang said, briefly checking her map. “Nanook said she should be on Nilgak Drive….” The waterbender muttered to herself. Of all the group, she was the most determined to reach their destination- understandably so.

“How come you aren’t cold?” Tala bitterly muttered.

“Don’t know, doesn’t matter.” Hang replied quickly. “Maybe I’m just not as dramatic as you are.”

Tala only huffed in response.

“If the buildings are made of ice, it’ll be harder to earthbend…” Aazir mused. “I don’t think my seismic sense will work as well on the snow.”

Haruko nodded. The lack of earth hadn’t occurred to her before. “Suppose that’s true. Hopefully we won’t be in any situations where we need to tear down buildings or whatever.”

Aazir shrugged in response, and looked like he was going to say more when Hang stopped in front of a townhouse. “This should be it. 6738 Nilgak Drive.”

“Alright.” Tala approached the building. “Let’s go meet Hang’s mom.”

Hang nodded and followed. After exchanging a glance with Aazir and Jae, Haruko met them in front of the door.

To Haruko’s surprise, Hang hesitated before knocking on the door, her fist suspended in the air. She seemed almost frozen in time.

Tala picked up on Hang’s unease and put their hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry about it.”

Hang nodded, and looked like she was going to respond, but didn’t. She knocked on the door and almost instant retracted her hand, holding it close to her chest.

Only moments later, the door opened, revealing a woman. She had the same features as Hang- the same ovaline face and ocean green eyes, but seemed much older and almost weary.

“How can I help- Hang?” The woman’s eyes went wide as she saw the waterbender.

Tears formed in Hang’s eyes. “Mom?” She whispered. “It-it’s me!”

The woman stood in shock for only a moment before embracing her daughter in a warm hug. “Hang… it’s been so long… I thought I would never see you again.”

“I know, Mom.” Hang said through her tears. “I know.”

Chau led them into the house and sat them all down in the living space, offering hot tea and warm blankets as she frantically cleaned up the place to accommodate five new people.

“I know how cold it is here, are you all doing alright?” The woman said as she handed out hot cups of chai. Chau spoke softly, and had the same gravelly voice as her daughter, as well as the same accent.

“No.” Tala said, sitting closest to the hearth and still bundled up. “But I’ll manage.”

Chau nodded and sat next to her daughter. “I can’t believe it…” she sighed. “Where have you been? What happened to Laman?”

Hang looked down at her hands. “They… they killed Dad after they took you away and put me in foster care. I ended up meeting these guys-” She gestured around the group. “And our travels led us to you.”

“Oh.” Chau nodded. “I can’t believe you’re alive, though. If you don’t mind me asking, what brought you all to the Southern Water Tribe?”

“Well… we’re criminals. Kind of.” Jae explained. “We’re on the run from the Earth Confederacy after we… well, it’s complicated.”

Haruko glanced at Tala, who only shrugged.

“On the run from the Earth Confederacy…” Chau repeated.

“We actually need to make contact with Master Jinora of the Air Nation.” Haruko blurted out. “We have… important information for her.”

“Master Jinora?” Chau looked at Hang in confusion.

“We were travelling with her daughter up until very recently.” The waterbender explained. “She had to go to the Fire Nation, which kind of ruined our plans of going to Republic City.”

Chau hesitantly nodded, as if she didn’t fully believe what her daughter was saying. “Alright… I don’t fully understand, but I’ll do all I can. I’m pretty sure Chief Saila’s close friends with Master Jinora. I think she’s our best bet.”

Haruko exchanged a glance with Aazir. Now in Koto’s absence, it fell to her to handle anything considering their ‘problem’. “Alright. That sounds good.”

“Can I ask why you need to contact her?” Chau hesitantly asked.

Haruko shook her head. “It’s very sensitive information.” She didn’t know what Chau would gather from her vague explanation, but she didn’t care.

Chau nodded. Thankfully, she didn’t pry any more. “Where are y’all from?”

“I’m actually from Republic City.” Jae replied. “I’m a sailor though, and I’ve been just about everywhere.”

“I’m from the Coral Isles.” Tala explained. “I’m a firebender.”

Chau turned to Haruko and Aazir. It was apparent that she recognized them as siblings.

Aazir responded before Haruko could. “We’re from the Si Wong desert. Both of us are earthbenders.” Haruko almost sighed in relief that he hadn’t let out her secret, but restrained herself enough not to.”

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you all.” Chau smiled pleasantly. “Any friends of Hang are welcome in my home.”

“Thanks, Ms. Thao.” Jae leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Speaking of that, what’s the plan?”

“We’re gonna talk to the Chief.” Haruko said. “And hope she can get us to Jinora.”

Hang nodded, then turned to her mother. “If we end up going to Republic City, I’m going to go with them, I made a promise.”

Chau put her hand on her daughter’s. “I understand. It’s enough to know that I haven’t lost you.” She turned to everyone else. “Contacting the chief will probably take a while, but you are welcome to stay here until then.”

Haruko sighed in relief, relaxing to a less-tense posture. “Thank you, Ms. Thao.”

“Psst. Haruko.” Tala whispered, “Get up.”

Haruko turned away from the firebender. Whatever Tala wanted to say, it could wait til morning. She kept the thick fur blanket close to her body, not wanting to expose any of her skin to the frigid night air. “Go away Tala, I’m trying to sleep.” She groaned.

Tala put their warm hand on Haruko’s shoulder and gently shook her. “Koto said that you need to learn firebending. It’s firebending time.”

Haruko grumbled and sat up, carefully moving quietly so she wouldn’t wake up Aazir or Pasha. She pulled her jacket around her to combat the cold. “Do we have to do it in the middle of the night?”

Tala shrugged. “I mean, if you want the entire Southern Water Tribe to know that you’re the Avatar…”

“Middle of the night it is.” Haruko quickly responded as she pulled on her parka over her jacket.

Tala led Haruko up to the townhouse’s roof, explaining that Chau had shown them the roof access earlier. When they climbed to the top of the building, they were confronted not only with the view of the city at night, but the sky above them.

Harbor City was beautiful at nightfall, the light of street lanterns bouncing off the ice lanterns, but it paled in comparison to the dancing lights in the sky above them- streaks of pink and violet that seemed to shift as they watched them.

“Wow….” Tala breathed, their eyes on the sky above them.

“It’s the Southern Lights.” Haruko noted, though she didn’t know where the knowledge was coming from. “The spirits dancing in the sky.”

“It’s beautiful.” Tala said, then turned to Haruko. “Alright. Let’s get firebending.”

Haruko nodded and faced Tala. “Ok.”

Tala dropped into a bending stance. “Firebending is all about power, will and drive. You have to be direct in your movement and will to even hope at producing flame.” As a demonstration, Tala raised their fist and shot a brilliant flame into the sky. Haruko couldn’t help but flinch as the tendrils of the flame neared her.

“Are you ok?” Tala asked, rushing over to her.

Haruko caught herself and reassumed her posture. “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just caught off-guard.”

Tala nodded. “Alright. I want you to try to create a flame, you should use an upward motion like this.” They demonstrated the movement without actually firebending.

Haruko nodded and imitated the motion. Nothing happened.

Tala sighed and put a hand to their temple. “That went wrong. You just punched the air.” They said matter-of-factly.

“What am I supposed to do?” Haruko sighed, then gestured to herself “You just told me to make fire! I don’t know how!”

Tala furrowed their brow. “I don’t get how it’s any different than bending anything else.”

“It’s completely different!’ Haruko exclaimed, not caring about the growing frustration in her voice. “I don’t have to make earth or water or air, I can feel them there and I can move them, that’s how bending works! It makes sense! Nothing about firebending makes sense to me!’

Tala frowned. “I don’t know how to teach you, either. But this is all we have.”

Haruko looked up at her friend.

“You’ve got to learn firebending at some time.” Tala continued. “And I believe you’ll get there eventually. We just have to work towards it. “

Haruko sighed and nodded, turning up to the serenity of the sky above them. “I guess we do.”

the chief

“Name and appointment time?” The receptionist deadpanned as soon as they approached her desk. The Southern Water Tribe capitol wasn’t busy this time of day, thankfully, and they had been able to cruise their way through security and approach the desk without question. Apparently, here was where things got rough.

“I’m Chau Thao.” Chau stated, “And this is my daughter, Hang, and her companions. We don’t exactly… have an appointment?”

The receptionist raised an eyebrow. “Chau Thao…..” she flipped through a notebook. “You definitely don’t have an appointment.”

Chau looked to the side. “And?”

“And if you don’t have an appointment, you can leave.”

Chau exchanged a glance with Hang, and then Haruko. Haruko only shrugged in response. “Please,” The woman continued. “We need to speak with the chief.”

The words seemed to offend the receptionist, who slammed her notebook shut in defiance. “Chief Saila is a very busy woman! We can’t just allow random people to barge into her offices without making an appointment!”

“Please!” Hang added. “It’s very important that we speak to the Chief, we’ve got critical information that she needs to hear!”

The receptionist looked like she was about to yawn, as if people came in daily with ‘critical information for the chief’. “And what might this information be?”

“It’s kind of… confidential?” Hang shrugged, sounding thoroughly unconvincing.

“In that case, I can’t allow it.” The receptionist replied. “It sounds to me like you’re just making things up.”

“We’re not making it up, I swear!” Tala interjected. “We really do have information for the chief!”

Jae glanced at Haruko, exaggerating his boredom and disbelief. Haruko almost laughed.

“A random woman shows up in the middle of the morning with a gaggle of teenagers and demands an audience with the chief and I’m supposed to just let you see her?” The receptionist sounded astounded as she spoke.

“Is there any way we could get an appointment?” Chau sighed.

The receptionist smiled, looking almost relieved, or at least victorious. “I’d thought you’d never ask!”

Chau turned to Haruko and the rest of the group. “You kids can go sit down. This might take a while.”

After exchanging a glance with her brother, Haruko gladly followed Chau’s suggestion and sat down on the benches nearing the receptionist’s desk. They were uncomfortable, but a step up from just standing around, and offered a nice view of the capitol building’s grand hall.

“You think the chandelier’s made of ice?” Aazir asked as he sat next to Haruko, gesturing at the massive blue light fixture hanging above them.

Haruko studied the chandelier. “Probably. A Lot of things are made of ice here.”

“Then how do they keep it from melting?” Aazir asked. Haruko could only shrug in response.

Tala sat down by Haruko’s other side. “What’re you guys talking about?”

“The lights.” Haruko responded. “It’s really boring, trust me.”

“Mhm.” The firebender responded. “Sounds like it. Say, are you gonna tell the chief?”

“Am I gonna tell her what?” Haruko couldn’t tell what Tala meant. “There’s a lot that I could tell her.”

Tala tapped the bench’s armrest in impatience. “You know… your thing.”

“Oh.” Haruko responded, the realization dawning on her. “Yeah, I don’t think I am. Koto told me to only tell her mom.”

Tala shrugged. “If you say so.”

“What do you mean?” Haruko asked. The statement was too vague to not have some hidden message.

“No- it’s nothing.” Tala shook their head. “It’s your decision to make, at the end of the day.”

Moments later, Chau approached the array of benches they had taken up residence in. “Alright, I have some good news and some bad news.”

“Ok….?” Jae prompted.

“It’s technically all the same news.” Chau explained. “We have an appointment, but not with the chief yet. We have to make an appointment to make an appointment with the chief. It’s all very complicated, I don’t really understand it.”

Aazir groaned and slouched in his seat. “This is soooo lame! What happens now?”

Chau sighed. “Now, we go to waiting room L3 and, well, we wait.”

Waiting room L3 was on the third level of the capitol building. It was filled with mostly benches and the occasional potted plant, as well as a window to a receptionist’s office. While Chau immediately walked over to the window, Haruko sat down on one of the benches.

There weren’t many people in the room- a few Water Tribe business people who ranged from being too engrossed in their own activities to even notice them to downright shocked at their arrival. One person stood out more than any of the rest- a pre-teen girl slouching as she played a game on a handheld console. She couldn’t have been more than twelve, and wore her dark brown hair in traditional Water-Tribe loops. Haruko sat relatively close to her, for no other reason than that the location gave her good visibility of the room.

Jae sat right next to the girl. “What’s up? I’m Jae.” He greeted.

The girl didn’t look up from her game. “I’m Inaluk.”

“Wow, that’s a cool name.” Jae smiled. “I haven’t ever met someone named Inaluk before. Whatcha playing?”

Haruko glanced at Tala, wondering if anyone else noticed Jae making friends with strangers. The firebender only shrugged.

“Geoblade 2” Inaluk replied monotonously. “I’m really good at it too.”

“Cool. I’ve never played it before.” Jae replied. Haruko was surprised how good with kids he was. “Say, what’re you doing in this boring waiting room?”

Inaluk dropped her console onto her lap and leaned back. “Ughhh it’s because of my mom, she works here. It’s so lame, my brothers get to go practice their waterbending but I have to stay here because I’m a nonbender. It’s stupid.”

“Aw, man I feel ya.” Jae sighed. “I’m a nonbender too, all my friends are benders so they’re always doing cool stuff that I can’t do. But you wanna know something I can do that they can’t?”

Inaluk looked up at Jae, her eyes wide. “What?”

Jae smiled confidently. “I can throw knives.” He beamed.

Haruko had to put her hand on Jae’s shoulder to catch his attention. “Don’t- don’t throw knives in here. They’d kick us out.” When Inaluk looked at her, she waved. “Hey, I’m Haruko. Jae’s friend.” Inaluk gave a small wave in return.

Jae sighed and nodded. “I suppose you’re right. We don’t want to get kicked out. By the way, Inaluk, what’s your mom do here?”

“Oh.” Inaluk frowned, disappointed in the change of topic. “She’s like, the chief.”

Jae turned to Haruko, who only shrugged. Tala, who must’ve been absentmindedly listening to the conversation, got up and approached them.

“Your mom is the chief?” Haruko repeated. The luck- the sheer coincidence of the fact, given that it was actually true- was astonishing.

“Yeah, that’s why she has so much work.” Inaluk sighed. “All of it’s boring, too. Like taxes. You’d think that being Chief is cool and all, but it’s like, ninety percent taxes.”

Tala exchanged a glance with Haruko and Jae. “Actually, that’s crazy!” The firebender said, trying to keep their voice as calm as possible. “Because we actually need to talk to the chief!”

“What’s happening?” Aazir whispered. Haruko hadn’t noticed her brother approaching them, but he must’ve heard what they were talking about. As she looked around, she could see Chau and Hang joining Inaluk’s little audience.

“Her mom’s the chief.” Haruko whispered back.

“Uh….” Inaluk stammered. “Are all you guys… why do you need to talk to my mom?”

Chau bent down to make eye contact with the girl. “We have some important information that your mom needs to hear. Can you take us to her?”

Inaluk hesitated. “Umm… I don’t know, that’s kind of against the rules…”

“If you get us to your mom, I’ll teach you how to throw knives.” Jae added.

A beaming smile grew on the girl’s face. “Really?! C’mon, let’s go!”

As the girl got up and walked out of the room, Jae turned to Haruko and shrugged.

Inaluk led them to the fifth floor of the building, to the only guarded door Haruko had seen so far. A plaque on the wall labeled it as Chief Saila’s Office. The two men guarding the door seemed only mildly concerned about the group approaching them.

“Your mother’s on a call right now.” One of the men stated, addressing Inaluk only.

“That’s ok.” The girl responded. “These guys want to talk to her.”

The two guards exchanged a glance and shrugged, then opened the door.

Chief Saila’s office was peculiar- walking the line between modest and extravagant. It looked like Saila put up with the grandiose decor as much as she had to, but had made changes to make the room more practical and welcoming. The large desk in the center of the room was so covered in paper, Haruko could barely see the actual desk. Behind it sat a woman, around the same age as Chau, with dark brown hair tied into a high bun and surprisingly, light green eyes, framed by smile lines and creases. She was on the phone with somebody, frantically searching her desk for something as she spoke.

“I know, but we aren’t- I know.” The woman at the desk looked up, noticing the other people in the room for the first time. “Y’know what? I’m going to have to call you back.” She promptly hung up the phone and turned to Inaluk. “Inaluk- What is going on?”

“These guys wanted to talk to you.” The girl deadpanned as she collapsed onto one of the plush, white couches set around the office. She pointed to Jae. “He’s gonna teach me about knives.”

The woman sighed and put a hand to the bridge of her nose. “Alright, alright. My daughter is incredibly easy to bribe. Why don’t you all sit down and we can all talk, this will be fine. It’s fine.”

Haruko sat down on one of the couches, next to Hang and Aazir. The woman sat down opposite her, next to her daughter. “I’m Chief Saila Sato. I presume you’ve already met my daughter, Inaluk.” Inaluk smiled innocently at the mention of her name.

“I’m Haruko Saeed, and these are my friends.” Haruko gestured to her companions, who all introduced themselves. “It’s uh, a pleasure to meet you.”

“Can I ask why- I presume you’re not from here- a bunch of foreign teenagers randomly appear in my office?” The Chief asked.

Chau cleared her throat. “I’ve lived here for the past twelve years and a few days ago, my long-lost daughter appeared on my doorstep with these people. They say they need to contact Master Jinora of the Air Nomads, so I thought it would be best to take them to you.”

Saila nodded in contemplation. “Alright…. May I ask why you need to talk with Jinora?”

Haruko exchanged a glance with her friends. “We were travelling with Jinora’s daughter- Koto- until she had to leave our group. We have very important information that Jinora needs to know.”

“Are you willing to tell me what that information is?

Haruko shook her head. “It’s confidential. I’m sorry.”

“No, no, it’s fine.” Saila shook her head. “Might I ask what you’re doing here in the south pole instead of one of the Air Temples? Other than family reunions?”

“We’re being pursued by a criminal group.” Aazir piped up.

Saila took a moment to respond. “Oh. I was aware of the criminal presence in the Earth Confederacy, but I never- I digress. Does the group of criminals you’re being encountered… Do they have a name?”

“They’re the Red Lotus.” Jae stated blankly. Haruko glanced at Tala, but the firebender’s gaze was fixated on the chief.

Saila blinked in shock. “The… the Red Lotus?”

Inaluk looked at her mother. “Mom, are you alright?” Saila hastily nodded in response, pressing a hand to her temple. “I heard that right, you said the Red Lotus?”

Haruko nodded. “Yep.”

Saila kept shaking her head. “Oh no, this isn’t good.” She muttered. “When I heard the name Saeed, I- this isn’t good.”

“Uh. Are you ok?” Hang asked.

Saila nodded. “Yes, it’s just- since you all are being pursued by a dangerous criminal group, it might be best that you stay with my family, so that I can ensure your safety for the time being. My mother and brother will be here from Republic City and will be visiting in a week, they’ll be able to help with this.”

Haruko nodded and exchanged a glance with her brother. Aazir looked just as worried as she did.

“Don’t- don’t worry about it.” Saila sighed. “This… this looks bad but we’ll be able to protect you all. I promise.”

Haruko nodded, though she couldn’t help but feel worried.

under storm

Despite her wishes to sleep in, Koto was rudely awoken at dawn to the sound of a sharp knock at her door. Grumbling, she got out of her bed and answered the door. She was greeted by the sight of Hanuel- wearing a flame-red training uniform and looking way too energized for this time of day.

“What’s up with you?” Koto yawned as she leaned on her doorframe. “It’s super early.”

“The sun’s up!” Hanuel beamed. “That means it’s firebending time!”

Despite her tiredness, Koto vaguely remembered that today was the day Hanuel officially started her firebending training. The thought only made her feel worse. “Oh. That’s today?”

“Of course it’s today!” Hanuel smiled, taking Koto by the hand. “Come on, we have to meet Ochako down by the training area in an hour!”

“Hold up.” Koto turned back into the guest room she had been occupying the last few days. “I’m not even dressed yet.”

“Fine.” Hanuel sighed, then turned away from the door. “But I’m gonna stay here so we can go together. I’m so excited!”

Koto hastily nodded and agreed before shutting the door on her friend. She considered falling to her knees and staying inside all day to avoid the massive problem that was everything, but settled on getting dressed. It was more practical.

After donning a semi-formal tunic suitable for the occasion and preparing for the day, Koto reunited with Hanuel outside her door.

“You ready?” Hanuel smiled, wrapping her hand around Koto’s arm.

“I suppose so..” Koto sighed as they started to walk down the hallway. The Fire Nation palace was beautiful, with it’s crimson walls and golden decor, but the dark empty hallways only made Koto miss her home more.

“I’m so excited to be finally learning fire.” Hanel said as they walked together, “I wonder what firebending’s like, compared to earth, What do you think?”

Koto shrugged. “The thought never really crossed my mind.”

“Of course you never thought about it, you’re just an airbender.” Hanuel laughed and continued. “By the way, what’s airbending like? Do you think I’ll struggle with it the most because I’m a native earthbender, like how Avatar Aang struggled with earth?”

Koto didn’t have a response. She couldn’t bear to break the news to Hanuel that it was all a lie. “Maybe. I’m not really an expert on those things.”

Hanuel frowned, seemingly disappointed in Koto’s response. “I guess so. So what’ve you been up to lately?”

The question caught Koto off-guard. “What do you mean?”

“You know,” Hanuel replied. “Ever since you got your mastery tattoos, you’ve been off doing Air Nomad things, what’s all that entail? Got any cool adventure stories?”

“Oh.” Koto hesitated before responding. “It’s just, y’know, airbender things. I mostly work in and around the northern Earth Confederacy.”

“Really? Why? What do you do?” Hanuel asked, seeming genuinely confused.

Koto couldn’t hide her shock. “We... We help small towns and communities in need. You know this, Hanuel.”

“Yeah, I know.” Hanuel muttered, looking at her toes. “I just.. I didn’t know that you were needed in the Earth Confederacy.”

Koto couldn’t respond. She wondered how much Mira protected Hanuel from the harsh truths of her own nation. Before she could think of anything to say, they arrived at the training area.

“There you two are!” Mikah waved and smiled as he greeted them. He, like Koto, had opted to dress in a more casual outfit, as opposed to the uniforms everyone else wore.

“You’re late.” Ochako bluntly stated, gently pulling Hanuel away from Koto. Gone was the soft, maternal disposition she had displayed earlier- now she had the temper of a dragon. Koto now understood how she had become a teacher at the Royal Fire Academy so young.

Mikah guided Koto over to a bench a reasonable ways away from the main training area. “I figure we wouldn’t want to get caught in the crossfire.” He laughed at his own pun.

Koto nodded, focusing more on the center of the field than Mikah. Ochako had led Hanuel into the center of the training ring, where Jitsuko was already standing. Teijo was nowhere to be found.

“Do you know where Teijo is?” Koto asked.

“Can’t say that I do.” Mikah responded. “Apparently he had a meeting with someone, though. Crown prince thing, I guess. I heard from some guards that he does most of the actual day-to-day governing around here.”

Koto nodded. There wasn’t anything inherently suspicious about the message, but it still stuck out. She watched as Ochako led Hanuel through a stance exercise that seemed to rely more on standing still in the hot sun than it did actually firebending. It seemed counteractive, then, that they were performing these activities on an overcast winter morning.

“They weren’t kidding when they said firebending training is intense.” Koto commented thirty minutes into the training session with no visible progress being made.

“Yeah, no joke.” Mikah replied. “Early waterbending training is all about stance training and understanding the properties of water, this seems more like getting sunburn than anything. What about air?”

“The only thing I can think of that resembles this is meditation.” Koto mused. “Though it’s never this intense.”

“Guess that’s the one thing you can rely on firebenders to be. Intense.” Mikah sighed. “Jitsuko’s certainly intense. Hanuel too. I bet she’ll be a good firebender.”

Koto nodded absentmindedly. “Ochako’s definitely an intense one.”

Mikah hummed in agreement. “She definitely is. I wasn’t expecting her to be so harsh. Don’t tell anyone- cause I’m pretty sure this could land me in Fire Jail or whatever they call it- but I think she would be a better Fire Lord than Teijo. She takes after Nozomi. Maternal, but tough, y’know?”

“I guess so.” Kot said. She would’ve been lying if she said the thought hadn’t crossed her mind. “That’s just the fault of monarchies, though.

“True.” Mikah remarked. “The local tabloids are obsessed with her, though. Almost as much as the ones in the Earth Confederacy are obsessed with Hanuel. Apparently she’s expecting.”

“Really?” Koto glanced at Mikah. She was surprised, both at the news and the fact that Mikah- Hanuel’s kind, virtuous, White-Lotus chaperone was a fan of tabloid gossip. “I didn’t even know she was married.”

Mikah nodded sagely. “She wed a few years ago, to another noble named Yasuaki. You’ll probably see him around at some point.

Koto hummed in agreement and turned back to the training court just in time to see Hanuel sloppily imitate a fire-fist form.

“Say, Mikah.” Koto turned to face the waterbender. “What if Hanuel can’t firebend?”

“What do you mean?” Mikah laughed. “She’s the Avatar, of course she’s gonna firebend.”

Koto hesitated. “But what if she can’t?”

Mikah frowned. “She might struggle with it, don’t all the Avatars struggle with at least one element? But she’s gonna firebend sometime.”

Koto bit her bottom lip, not knowing how to phrase the question. “But what if there’s a possibility she can’t?”

“I don’t follow.” The waterbender replied. “Hanuel’s the Avatar.”

Before Koto could reply, their attention was caught by the sight of a brilliant golden flame. It wasn’t Hanuel’s, of course, but Jitsuko’s. Ochako must’ve called for a demonstration.

Koto and Mikah watched as Hanuel imitated the movement Jitsuko had demonstrated, minus the fire. Koto glanced at the waterbender, measuring his expression. Nothing in Mikah’s face had changed. Before she could continue the conversation, Koto’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of something approaching them.

“Hey Koto! Hey Mikah!” Hanuel beamed as she neared the bench. “How’re you guys?”

Koto shrugged. “I’ve been better. I’m glad it isn’t summertime, this place would be unbearable.”

Hanuel nodded. “Yeah, Ochako mentioned that it’s kinda unfortunate my training started in the middle of the winter, since firebending’s strongest in the summertime or something.”

“That makes sense.” Mikah said. “Waterbending’s actually strongest during the wintertime.”

“Huh.” Hanuel responded. “I never knew that. Anyways, training’s going good. Ochako says I shouldn’t worry about making flames yet, which is honestly kind of disappointing. Breathing exercises are so boring.”

“I’m sure you’ll get to make fire soon enough.” Mikah smiled reassuringly.

Koto nodded. “Yeah. I bet you’ll have mastered firebending before you know it.” She lied.

whispers

After hours that seemed like a year, Ochako finally called the training off for the morning. Koto couldn’t figure out if Hanuel was disappointed, relieved, or still excited as she approached her and Mikah by the bench. She stood uncharacteristically silent, staring at the blanket of white above them.

“Ochako says we can get lunch now.” Jitsuko stated as she approached the three of them. “We’re gonna have another training session at sundown, but we have the afternoon off.”

“You mean you guys have the afternoon off.” Hanuel sighed. “I’ve gotta meet up with some Fire Sage guy to do history homework about Avatar Szeto or something. Boring.”

“I thought you were here to learn firebending, not history.” Mikah responded as they walked into the ornate halls of the palace. “Haven’t you learned all that already?”

Hanuel could only shrug in response. Now that she had spoken, her snappish disposition was as clear as day to Koto. It wasn’t typical for Hanuel to be so pessimistic or so outwardly annoyed. In all the time Koto had known her she had only gotten this upset a few times. Koto glanced at Mikah, hoping that her newer friends had an explanation for her behavior. The waterbender returned her worried glance, just as concerned as she was.

Jitsuko cleared her throat to ease the tension of the moment. “Ahem. Let’s go get lunch, I’m sure the royal chef has prepared us something good.” Koto felt sick every time their location was brought up. There was something so inherently wrong about it to her. As Koto dwelled on it more, she recognized it as the petrifying shame she had grown up with. She swallowed her feelings and stood up, inviting Mikah to stand next to her.

“I haven’t ever had much Fire Nation food.” Mikah noted as the four of them exited the training grounds. As far as Koto knew, he had grown up within the walls of Agna Q’ela, a city which had only recently lifted its isolationist mandates. Apparently, that hadn’t been long enough for cultural diffusion to set in.

“Really?” Hanuel replied, seeming genuinely baffled, though Koto wasn’t surprised. It was a little known fact among the public, but anyone who knew her would agree that Hanuel Beifong was as dense as rock. “It’s pretty common in the Earth Confederation, especially along the eastern coast. Dunno if any of it is authentic, though.”

“We mostly just have Water Tribe food in the North.” Mikah shrugged. “Y’know, cause it’s the Water Tribe. Spices don’t grow that well in the cold.”

Jitsuko turned to Koto, her gaze a knife on Koto’s throat- a threat waiting to happen. “What about you, Koto? You’re from Republic City, right? You’ve probably had food from all the Nations on a regular basis.”

Koto hesitated to reply, unsure what kind of response Jitsuko wanted to hear. “Uh. I mostly just stayed around the temple, and we usually just had Air Nomad food.”

Jitsuko seemed to think on the topic. “That makes a lot of sense, actually. I’ve never had Air Nomad food before, is it good?”

If Koto had been worse at controlling her emotions, she would’ve broken down crying right then and there. It took all her willpower not to, not to release all the tension that had been building inside her ever since she arrived at the Fire Nation. Everything was wrong and Jitsuko had the nerve to act like it was right. Her very nerve was a ticking bomb, but she could stall the timer for at least a moment more. Koto collected herself with a shaking breath, assuring herself that the firebender likely didn’t know any better. “I’m not sure if you’d like it, it’s pretty different from Fire Nation cuisine.”

“Shame.” Jitsuko replied, her voice too monotone for Koto to decipher anything. “Still, I’d like to try it one day.”

Koto couldn’t respond, creating enough empty space that Mikah spoke up, though not to her.

“Hanuel, are you doing alright?” The waterbender asked, making Koto realize that Hanuel had stayed silent for a majority of their walk.

Hanuel raised a hand in between herself and Mikah, as if to silence him. “I- I’m fine. I’m just thinking.”

“You seem stressed.” Mikah offered. “Maybe you should-”

“I’m fine!” Hanuel snapped. Koto and Jitsuko, who had been leading the group, both turned around to face her. The last time Koto had heard Hanuel raise her voice was just over three years ago, before she got her tattoos, during their fight. The sound was jarring.

Koto was the first to dare to speak up. “Hanuel, you’re going to burn yourself out.”

Hanuel didn’t respond and stood perfectly still, allowing Jitsuko to approach her and take her by the hand. “Come on. Let’s go get something to eat, it’ll take your mind off things,.”

“Alright.” Hanuel nodded, allowing Jitsuko to guide her down the hallway. As the two other girls disappeared down the corridor, Mikah turned to Koto.

“Do you want to come with us?” He said. “I’d appreciate your company.”

Koto shook her head, wanting nothing less than to spend time with Hanuel Beifong and Jitsuko Tanaka. “I think I’m going to find a place to meditate. I need to clear my head.” She wasn’t even lying this time. The simple act of being in the Fire Nation was taxing.

Mikah nodded, her answer satisfactory. “Alright. I heard there was a rock garden somewhere in the palace. You should check that out.”

“Maybe I will.” Koto replied. She had heard of the many gardens in the Fire Nation Royal palace, and she would be lying if she said they didn’t intrigue her

“Do you want me to save you anything?” Mikah put his hands in his pockets as he turned to leave.

“No, I’m good.” Koto started walking backwards down the hallway. “I’ll see you later, I guess.”

Mikah only waved instead of giving a verbal response.

Unsurprisingly, it was extremely easy for Koto to get lost in the Fire Nation Palace. She had been too caught up in her own thoughts and ended up taking many, many wrong turns. While she had set off looking for the palace gardens, it soon became apparent that she didn’t know where they were, and before Koto could fully register it, she found herself in a part of the palace she didn’t recognize.

On the surface, it looked like every other grandiose, obnoxiously red hallway she had passed through while on her visit, but certain things stood out. Koto hadn’t passed another person- whether they be a noble or servant- in the past twenty minutes, making her feel like the only person in the palace. The walls were painted a darker shade of crimson than she thought was typical, a shade eerily close to blood. Koto had determined that she was somewhere close to the center of the building, due to the absence of windows, but she was certain she was still on the first floor. The only timepiece she had passed was a large bronze clock that indicated the time as sometime mid-afternoon, Koto couldn’t remember exactly, as she had been much more interested in reading about the Sei’naka craftsman who designed the device. She was fairly certain it was early evening by now, though the corridor was so dimly lit Koto could’ve mistaken it for midnight.

Koto paused in front of one of the display cases, the glass box holding ornate golden hairpieces. The plaque below the case described the jewelry as being common five-hundred years ago, around the time of Avatar Kyoshi. Supposedly, this artifact in particular was rumored to belong to firebending master Rangi of the Sei'naka clan, the wife and lifelong companion of the past earth Avatar. The mention of Kyoshi reminded Koto of Haruko. She absentmindedly traced the characters of the characters past Avatar’s name as she thought.

A low thud sounded somewhere down the hallway, causing Koto to look up from her reading. It sounded like someone had dropped a large book or something equivalent in weight. Ever since she had entered the hallway, her footsteps had been the only sound she had heard. Koto suddenly became aware that she wasn’t alone in the hall, and instinctively followed the sound.

The noise led Koto to an office door, cracked open to let out nothing but a sliver of golden lamplight and the sound of two men’s voices. She hesitated next to the door, pressing her back to the wall in an effort to not be found, staying stealthy out of instinct. The habits, survival tactics she had picked up from Tala and Hang over the past few months, were proving useful once again.

“Pick that up.” One of the men said, clearly frustrated. “Pick that up!” He repeated himself, more forcibly the second time.

“Yes, your Majesty.” The other man replied, the title laced with both distaste and fear. “Please forgive me.”

“Shut up.” The first man replied. The more he spoke, the more apparent it became that this man was none other than Teijo Tanaka, Jitsuko’s brother and the current heir to the Fire Nation throne.. The revelation only made Koto feel worse.

The other man, who’s voice Koto didn’t recognize, hesitated to respond in what Koto assumed to be nerves.. “So. The Avatar’s here.”

“Mhm.” Teijo hummed. “That she is.”

“And this doesn’t complicate anything?”

“Shey, I want you to consider why the Avatar’s presence would complicate our plans.” Teijo barked.

The newly dubbed ‘Shey’ cleared his throat before continuing. “I just thought- Avatar Hanuel, she grew up around both earthbenders and airbenders, it wouldn’t surprise me if she ends up not liking the idea of-”

“Avatar Hanuel is from the Earth Confederation. It does not matter what she thinks of the matter because she cannot do anything about it.” Teijo paused. “Though it would do us well to get her on our side. It shouldn’t be too hard, Mira’s probably already filled her head with that ‘Unified Earth Nation’ propaganda. It shouldn’t be too hard to explain to her that the same concept applies to the Fire Nation- that we need a pure population to truly be our nation.”

“I understand.” Shey replied. He paused. “I, for one, can’t wait til this is all over and all those dirty foreigners are out of our lands.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Teijo said, a smile in his voice. “It’s not too long til this is all over. Once I’m Fire Lord, we’ll be able to fix things, for good.”

Koto felt lightheaded, her heart going a mile-a-minute as she realized what Teijo was trying to do- was he really going to rid the Fire Nation of the other elements? Did he even have the power to do that? He was just the Prince now, but even she could tell of Nozomi’s ill health. It was only a matter of time til Teijo would become a true world leader, welcome to all the unchecked power the Fire Lord title gave. The circumstance seemed almost ironic to her, given where she was and where she was from. It was sickening. Koto didn’t know any of the answers to her questions, the only thing she knew for certain was that everything was wrong.

family reunions

To say that the dinner table was awkward would be a severe understatement. Haruko’s only relief was that nobody seemed hostile.

At the head of the table sat Chief Saila, all done up in traditional Water Tribe apparel, from her fur-lined boots to her intricately braided hair. To her right sat her husband Kopak, who, according to Saila herself, was a shy, calm healer from the north, and to her left her brother, Hayata Sato. Inaluk had described her uncle as a former-probending star who had retired a few years ago and now lived off his fame. The young girl herself sat next to her father and the older of her two brothers, Kahnok, who was more interested in showing his younger sister a tableside waterbending trick than eating. The youngest Sato, Kuruk, sat next to Chau. Both young boys were waterbenders like their father and were enrolled in the local waterbending academy. At fourteen, Kahnok was only a year younger than Aazir- it struck Haruko that her brother should’ve been back home instead of galavanting across the nations with her. Chau, in turn, sat next to Hang, the two talking and laughing amongst themselves. In between Hang and Haruko was Aazir, staring at the Chief and picking at his sea prunes. To Haruko’s right was Tala, then Jae and then Saila’s mother- the famed Asami Sato. The older woman had soft gray hair, a straight posture, and the same eyes as her daughter and emanated a sense of familiarity to Haruko. She tried to keep her staring to a minimum.

“Haruko don’t stare at her.” Tala elbowed her. “It’s rude.”

“Sorry.” Haruko muttered, looking down into her drink.

“You should really apologize to her.” The firebender scoffed. Their devotion to table-side etiquette was surprising, considering their criminal upbringing. Haruko supposed it was their grandmother’s influence. She could definitely imagine Tuli scolding them for the same poor manners.

Haruko ignored Tala’s comment and looked up to see what Asami was doing- taking with her family.

“Saila, I don’t mean to be rude.” Asami turned to her daughter. “But can I ask about our... guests?”

Saila set down her glass and nodded. “Yes, I should’ve told you earlier. These six- or at least the five teenagers, are being pursued by the, er, Red Lotus.”

Asami took a moment to respond, her voice timid and shaky when she did. “The… the Red Lotus?”

“Yes,” Saila responded gravely. “At least according to them.”

“We aren’t lying.” Jae interrupted, his voice dead serious.

“Oh.” Asami nodded to herself and stared into her soup.

Saila cleared her throat then turned to her husband. “You should take the kids out.”

Kopak nodded and got up to leave, his three children following close behind him. Moments later he returned to the table, alone.

Saila cleared her throat. “Why don’t you all introduce yourselves.” She gestured vaguely at Haruko and her friends.

After exchanging names with the group, Asami turned to Jae. “You… you said it was the Red Lotus? How can you be sure?”

Hang responded instead of Jae. “We were traveling with Jinora’s daughter, Koto, until she had to leave for the Fire Nation, she found it out and told us.”

“Also,” Tala awkwardly cleared their throat. “I used to be part of the group, I can vouch for who they are.” It was the first time Tala had mentioned their past allegiance ever since they had found out. If they were worried about confessing it in front of a world leader, they didn’t show it.

Asami glanced at Saila, worry painted across her features. The Chief lowered both her voice and her body as she prepared to tell a secret. Haruko couldn’t decipher what she had said.

“Oh,” Asami replied, her face as pale as snow. “As in…?”

Saila didn’t respond, but only shrugged. “It could be a common surname.”

“Uhm, we’re very sorry if this causes you any inconvenience.” Aazir interrupted.

“Yes,” Chau interrupted. “I can always take them back to my home. You don’t have to-”

“No, I’m afraid we do.” Saila sighed as she placed a hand to her forehead, a motion Haruko had learned was a family habit. “These are… very dangerous criminals. If they’re pursuing you all it’s for a reason, and for now, it’s better we don’t find out.”

Hayata turned to Asami. “Mom, you’ve dealt with these guys before, right?”

Asami nodded thoughtfully. “Years ago. Though I doubt they’re the same specific people.” She laughed, though it seemed to be out of disbelief more than anything. “And I agree. We should put effort into keeping you all safe and secure until we can properly deal with this threat.”

“What’s all that entail?” Hang asked. “And why aren’t we doing whatever it is now?”

Saila cleared her throat. “You wanted to meet with Jinora, right? Because if that takes priority-”

“It does.” Haruko nodded, putting her hands on the table as she leaned forward, not completely aware of how forceful she had sounded until after the moment had passed.

The members of the Sato family exchanged worried glances, a conversation exchanged through looks alone. Eventually, Asami turned to make eye contact with Haruko. “I know you want to speak with Jinora in person, but that might not be possible due to our safety concerns. Would you be willing to tell us what it is so we can relay the information to her?”

Haruko shook her head. She had been expecting the response. “No, Koto told me specifically that I needed to talk to her mother.” Haruko hesitated. “If it’s possible, I’d like to have her present too.”

Asami gave her daughter a worried glance but quickly turned back to Haruko. “Alright. Saila and I can contact Jinora and Nozomi and see if we can arrange a meeting with them, either here or in Republic City. We can also discuss how to deal with this issue further.”

“I think that works.” Saila nodded. “Haruko, is that ok?”

Haruko nodded and fell back into her seat. She nodded, her heart racing in quiet anticipation. They were so close to the moment but it still felt years away.

As the conversation returned to normal, Aazir elbowed Haruko to catch her attention. “Hey.” He whispered, though his voice was intense. “Why aren’t you just telling them?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Haruko replied, returning to her food. “It’s not your problem to worry about.”

“I don’t see why we have to keep training in the middle of the night.” Haruko sighed in complaint as Tala led her through a breathing exercise. They had woken her up once again to run firebending drills in the middle of the night, under the near-full moon. It seemed like a better time to learn to bend water instead of fire.

“Again, you wanna firebend in the middle of the day and get caught by literally everyone?” Tala responded, pausing to correct Haruko’s form.

“I mean it’s not really a problem since I can’t even firebend.” Haruko scoffed as she threw an upward punch into the air and produced no flame. “Aren’t all these conditions ideal for waterbending, you know, the opposite element?”

Tala shrugged. “We’re working with what we’ve got. And it’s not like the moon cancels out fire.” They lit a small fire in their palm as if to prove their point.

Haruko frowned and dismissed Tala’s display. “Why do I have to learn fire now anyways? If everything goes to plan, I’ll just be able to learn it later.”

“You’ve gotta prove you're the Avatar somehow.” Tala shrugged as they led Haruko through another exercise.

“I can bend water and air, I don’t see why-” Before Haruko could respond, she was caught off-guard by the sight of a golden flame hurling towards her. She instinctively dropped into a bending stance and pulled up the snow around her to form a watery shield, counteracting the fire. Within moments, the water froze around her, though she couldn’t tell if it had been because of her own bending reflex. “What was that for?!”

“I was trying to get you to redirect the flame.” Tala scoffed, visibly disappointed.

Haruko looked at her hands, then at the ice formation she had made between them. “Did I do it?” She asked, despite knowing that the answer was no.

“Well, you certainly did something.” Someone said as they entered the courtyard. Their voice was low, gravelly, and mature- distinctly Chau’s. Haruko spun on her heels to face the woman.

Chau’s face was aghast as she hesitantly approached them. “Haruko,” She whispered, saying the words slowly and cautiously. “Could you explain why I just saw you waterbend?”

Haruko hesitated to respond, putting her hand to the back of her neck. She could feel warmth to her face, a stark contrast from the cold night air. “It’s… it’s complicated, you know? I’m… uh. I’m-”

“She’s the Avatar.” Tala stated, finishing the statement for her. Haruko gave them a glance of thanks, she still wasn’t used to the title herself.

“The Avatar?” Chau stuttered, repeatedly looking over Haruko as if there was something she had missed. “Are you sure? What about-”

“We’re sure.” Haruko hastily nodded. “I’ve bent earth, air, and water, so there’s not much denying it.” The truth felt harsh on her voice.

“She also entered the Avatar State one time.” Tala added, keeping their voice low and calm. “We don’t exactly know what’s up with Hanuel, or what’s going to happen next. That’s why we're going to Jinora.”

“Oh.” Chau put a hand to her forehead in disbelief. “Oh. Were you practicing firebending?”

Haruko nodded.

“And... “ Chau said, struggling to make eye contact with either Haruko or Tala. “Does Hang know about this?”

“She does- the people that know are us two, Hang, Aazir, Jae, our airbender friend Koto, and now, you.” Tala said, counting off the people on their fingers- seven people including Haruko herself.

“I’m assuming you don’t want me to tell anyone else?” Chau asked.

“No- please don’t.” Haruko replied, putting her hands in front of her in a gesture of surrender. “It’s… it’s new.” She stared at her shoes, unaware of how she could possibly put her feelings into words. Everything about this was new. Haruko’s thoughts were interrupted by Chau putting her hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, your secret is safe.” The woman gave a reassuring, maternal smile that reminded Haruko of her own mother. “I don’t quite understand how you’re feeling, but if keeping it to myself helps, that’s the least I can do.”

Haruko managed to look Chau in the eyes. Fighting back tears, she managed to whisper, “Thank you.”

interlude: red

The entire home smelled like spice as Kahoru hovered over the pot of soup, balancing her three-year-old daughter in her arms as she tried to season the noodles.

“Koto, sweetie,” Kahoru sighed as she sat the small girl down on the counter. “I’m going to set you here while I work, ok?”

Koto nodded. “Ok, Mama,” Kahoru sighed in thanks that her child was soft-spoken and well-mannered, she had heard horror stories of burning beds from the other village women. Koto, thankfully, probably wasn’t a firebender. If the spirits looked on them kindly, her daughter had been born a nonbender like her.

Before turning back to her cooking, Kahoru paused to wipe the sweat off her brow, only then noticing how hot it had got in the kitchen. “Hold up.” She muttered, in part to herself. “I’ve got to open a window in here…”

As Kahoru leaned over her wok and opened a window, Koto turned her attention to what Kahoru assumed was the outside village noise It seemed like the teens of the town liked to practice their firebending directly outside their house.

“What’re you listening to?” Kahoru asked as she returned to her cooking.

Koto extended her small hand to the window. “I’m feeling the wind.”

“The wind, huh?” At times, Kahoru’s husband, Daizo, would mention being able to feel the air he bent around himself, but it never made much sense to Kahoru- in part because the only other bender she knew well was her firebending brother.

Within an instant, Koto had propelled herself backward, almost falling off the counter had Kahoru not caught her. It took her a moment to fully comprehend what had happened, she had only really seen her daughter falling off the counter and had acted out of instinct. Panting, she asked. “Koto… what happened?”

Koto responded with an ecstatic smile. “I’m an airbender! Like Papa!” She clapped her hands in pride as Kahoru set her down on the kitchen floor.

Kahoru ran a hand through her hair. “I guess you are.”

“Koto’s an airbender…. Who would’ve guessed.” Daizo almost laughed as he took in the news, he kept adjusting the way his glasses sat on his face. Kahoru could tell he was still taking in the news.

“I mean, I’m a nonbender and you’re an airbender.” Kahoru stroked her sleeping daughter’s hair. “There wasn’t much else she could be.”

Daizo leaned back on the couch and sighed. “She could’ve inherited fire from that brother of yours.”

Kahoru shrugged in response. “I guess so.”

“That probably would’ve been for the better.” Daizo sighed as he put a hand over his eyes, moving his glasses to his forehead. “This…. This isn’t very good news. The fire nation isn’t safe for airbenders.”

Kahoru put her hand on her husband’s. “You were able to survive it, weren’t you?”

Daizo grumbled in response. “I don’t know, it’s hard. I don’t want Koto to grow up in that.”

“I understand.” Kahoru looked down at her sleeping daughter. Still a child, Koto’s features were soft and delicate, her skin so easily broken. Even earlier this day she had nearly tumbled off a counter when accidentally airbending. She was all too precious and all too fragile. “Maybe…. We should take her up to the Eastern Air Temple. There are people there that could take her in and help her.”

“No.” Daizo shook his head, causing his hair to bounce in the quickness of the motion. “I’m not going to give up my daughter to a bunch of strangers. We’ll… we’ll move to the United Republic. We’ll be able to take care of her there.”

“Are you sure?” Kahoru whispered. “The money… Daizo, I don’t think we can afford that.”

“We’ll save up. I’ll work extra time at the piers.” Her husband insisted. “It’ll be better for Koto. I can’t have her grow up here.”

Kahoru put one hand around Koto’s and the other on Daizo’s, intending to hold them both forever. “We won’t let that happen.”

One night in late summer, Daizo didn’t return home. It had been just over two years since they had discovered Koto’s bending, and they had spent the time slowly adjusting to the new reality of their life. Koto had started at the village elementary school and for a brief moment, it seemed like life was going right for the three of them, until Daizo didn’t come home from his work at the piers.

Koto had insisted on staying up to wait for him, but the now five-year-old girl had fallen asleep on the living room couch a few hours ago, leaving Kahoru alone with her memories. She instinctively checked the clock- it had barely changed from the last time she checked it two minutes ago, still two hours past midnight. The room felt silent and still as she waited, time passing at a fraction of the rate it normally did. The loudest sound was the rapid beat of Kahoru’s own heart as she waited.

A knock sounded at the door. Kahoru summoned all her courage and went to open it, though she doubted she would be pleased by what she saw. If Daizo had returned, he wouldn’t need to knock on the door.

Upon opening the door, Kahoru was greeted by one of the worse sights she could’ve imagined- two of the village police officers, Zoryu and Liu. “Can I help you?”

Zoryu removed his hat as he greeted her. “This is the Miyamoto residence, correct?”

Kahoru nodded cautiously, gripping the doorframe. “Yes. I am Kahoru Miyamoto.” The officers knew who she was, it was a small town. They were only asking out of pleasantry, or worse- they needed her to legally state her identity.

The two officers exchanged a glance. Once again, Zoryu spoke. “Ms. Miyamoto… I’m so sorry to tell you this, but your husband…..”

“What about Daizo?” Kahoru asked. He must’ve been injured during his work, or maybe got caught in a scuffle. Crime rates were going up around the piers. At worst he was in the hospital up in Mizuki, he couldn’t be-

“He’s dead. We think it was a murder” Liu stated, too bluntly for Kahoru to take it in.

Kahoru put a hand to her mouth to stop herself from screaming. She braced herself on the doorframe. “I-”

Liu put his hand on her shoulder. “I’m so sorry. We found his body down on the west side. It looked like he was the victim of a hate crime.”

“I can’t…. I can’t….” Kahoru stuttered. She vaguely remembered Daizo mentioning threats he had gotten at work due to his element, but despite her wishes, he had gone to work anyways. They needed the money, they had a young child. They needed to save money to move to Republic City, they were so close-

“Is there anything we can do for you, Kahoru?” Zoryu asked, his voice worn yet gentle.

Kahoru shook her head, closing the door. “I…. I need some time to think.”

The two officers exchanged yet another glance before leaving. Kahoru shut the door behind them before falling to her knees. She almost broke out sobbing but stopped herself. She didn’t want to wake Koto.

Koto did not wake to the soft blankets of her bed, or even the strangely rough texture of the corduroy-covered couch. She woke to the unfamiliar sounds of the city and cold concrete. It was only when she opened her eyes did she realize where she was- she was completely alone, abandoned in a foreign city. The realization dawned on her that she had been abandoned, though she didn’t know why. A small child as she was, she could do nothing but cry.

the uncovering

It took all of Koto’s effort to drag herself out of bed and face the upcoming day. There was nothing she wanted more to do than disappear into the crimson sheets and pretend that she was back at home, but there was too much riding on her situation for her to do so. Begrudgingly, Koto got up and prepared herself for the day.

The guest room they had put her in was large- too large for her liking. Every furnishing was blood red- from the wood tiling on the floor to the heavy curtains covering the windows. It was so different from the places Koto usually found herself in, and despite her better judgment, she hated it with every ounce of her body. It was impersonal- she would’ve described it as cold if the entire palace hadn’t been oppressively stuffy. The room’s only redeeming feature was that it was adjacent to her own personal bathroom.

Koto couldn’t help but catch her reflection in the mirror when she passed it. Growing up in the Air Temples, she didn’t spend much time in front of mirrors- no more than she had to. They simply weren’t common in the temples- it wasn’t part of their culture. It wasn’t until she started traveling the Earth Confederation that she noticed the prevalence of mirrors in the other nations. They were absolutely everywhere in the Fire Nation.

Her features were unmistakably fire nation- features that made her stand out amongst her family. Once, her brother Tenki had pointed out that she bore a resemblance to the Fire Princess Azula, one of the many enemies their great-grandfather, Avatar Aang had fought against during the hundred-year war. Koto had broken out in tears and the subject was never brought up again. She could see now that her brother had a point, though it still sickened her to think about it. As the thought crossed her mind, Koto pulled up her hair into a high ponytail, an imitation of the way Fire Nationals wore their hair, but couldn’t bear to look at that reflection of herself for more than a moment. There was something so wrong about that version of her- a version that was so close to being reality had things not gone the way they did. Koto sighed and let her hair fall. She looked at her hands- at the delicate blue tattoos adorning them- for only a moment before carrying on with her routine.

The dining room was arranged and decorated for a formal breakfast, which was a surprise to Koto. During her short time at the Fire Nation Palace, she hadn't experienced many formal meals other than her initial welcome dinner. The formal seating and large array of dishes seemed only to spell doom for her.

“Over here, Master Koto.” One of the servants directed her to a seat. As they neared it, Koto realized it was the place of honor- directly next to the Fire Lord. Not only that, she was seated alongside the Fire Nationals instead of with her fellow foreigners like she had during the dinner. Hanuel sat directly in front of her, and to her right sat Teijo, in the Fire Lord’s chair. It struck Koto that all this was his doing.

“Good morning, Master Airbender.” Teijo greeted. Hanuel echoed him, though with actual sincerity in her voice as opposed to the lies in Teijo’s.

“Good morning.” Koto responded through forced politeness. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s all this for?”

“Well, it’s for you!” Teijo flashed the fakest smile Koto had ever seen. When she looked at Hanuel, the earthbender only shrugged.

“You already threw a welcoming dinner for me, I don’t need this.” Koto leaned forward to make eye contact with Teijo, pushing unnatural force into her voice. “Where’s the Fire Lord?”

“That doesn’t matter.” Teijo dismissed her with a gesture of his hand, then extended his arms around you. “We’re welcoming you home!”

Koto stumbled back, her head hitting the back of the tall chair she sat in. She looked at the table, then back at Teijo. “Y- you know about that?”

“How come you never told me you were from the Fire Nation, Koto?” Hanuel smiled. It was clear she didn’t fully understand the situation.

“Because it’s personal information!” Koto replied, sounding harsher than she intended to. She turned to Teijo, all the composure she previously had now gone. “How did you know about that?!”

Teijo smiled in false innocence. “It’s all in the citizen’s records- records your adoptive mother helped create. We keep lists of every citizen in the Fire Nation, especially those of other elements. You were listed alongside a Daizo Miyamoto, a poor fisherman with the ability to airbend. He died just around thirteen years ago but had a five-year-old daughter who shared his element- a daughter named Koto. He was your father, Koto.”

Koto couldn’t respond, frozen in fear. Everything she had spent years covering up was being exposed right in front of her. Like a rotten corpse being cut open on top of the table, it reeked.

“What’s going on?” Jitsuko asked as she and Ochako entered the room. Koto had barely taken account of their absence.

“Koto’s from the Fire Nation!” Hanuel turned to her friend as she sat down next to her. “Hey, where’s Mikah?”

“He’s healing up one of the guards or something.” Jitsuko shrugged before turning to Koto. “You’re Fire Nation? That’s incredible! Why’d you join the Air Nomads, though?”

Koto could barely keep eye contact with the firebender as she spoke. “I joined my people because I’m an airbender like them, it’s my culture.” She paused. “And because my parents left me on the streets. They abandoned me.”

Jitsuko recoiled. “They did? We don’t-”

“They threw me away like I was garbage, Jitsuko!” Koto got to her feet, toppling the chair she was sitting on. It fell to the ground with a deafening thud. “I was five years old and they threw me out onto the street! I was a child!”

Jitsuko struggled to respond, looking at her hands and the people around her. “But they couldn’t have- we’re better than this!”

“Apparently that was a lie.” Koto huffed before heading to the door. She didn’t care about the noise it made when she slammed it shut behind her.

“What were you thinking, Koto?!” Jitsuko yelled. “You can’t just cause a scene like that!”

Koto sighed and pressed a hand to her temple. Jitsuko had the audacity to follow her after what had happened. “What do you want, Jitsuko? I told you what happened so just leave me alone.”

“What?! You can’t just-” Jitsuko stuttered. “Why did you lie? Why are you lying?!”

Koto spun around to face Jitsuko, heat rising in her voice. “I’m not lying! They threw me out! They left me for dead! I only survived because my dad found me!”

“They couldn’t have!” Jitsuko retorted. The air around them grew warmer. “People in the Fire Nation don’t do that, we’re better than that!”

“Oh really?” Koto scoffed. “You have a lot of confidence in a nation that literally exterminated my entire culture.”

“That happened over two centuries ago!” Jitsuko replied, standing upward to make herself seem more intimidating. “You’ve recovered now, you’re a nation again! The tattoos on your forehead are living proof of that!”

“You can't possibly imagine all the work we’ve done to rebuild our culture. You don’t understand what it’s like to have the hope of a generation on your shoulders. Our people will never be the same again, because of you! And you have the audacity to say that I should want a part in that?!” Koto paused after she spoke, letting her words linger in the air.

Jitsuko took a moment to reply. When she did, her voice was softer. “Koto, I don’t understand why your parents did what they did or why it still hurts you, but the people of the Fire Nation are good. My people are good. You’ve been holding onto these grievances for so long, wouldn’t it be easier just to let it go.”

Koto stood up straight and turned to leave. “Your ignorance really speaks for itself when you say things like that. I’m done. I’m leaving. Goodbye.”

As soon as Koto had spoken, she turned on her heels and left the hall into a random library. It didn’t matter where she ended up, only that she was alone. Once Koto had assured herself that the door was locked behind her, she fell to her knees and wept.

the apparation

“Keep your eyes on the target, your footwork steady, and…” Jae cautioned, guiding Inaluk’s posture. “Now!”

Inaluk thrust forward, tossing a stiletto knife into the block of soft stone Aazir had raised for their practice. Her accomplishment was met with applause from across the courtyard.

“You did great, sweetie!” Kopak, Inaluk’s father, smiled before turning to his wife. “Are you sure we should be letting her do this?”

Saila smiled and shrugged. “It’s no more dangerous than waterbending, training. Right, Mom?”

Asami only shrugged in response. “I don’t see the problem with it.”

Haruko pulled her knees in an effort to keep warm. “It’s so cold here…” She said to her friends.

“That’s what I’ve been saying this entire time!” Tala huffed, keeping their steaming cup of tea close to their face. “It’s terrible.”

Hang laughed. Despite being from a warm climate like the rest of them, she seemed perfectly at home in the Tribe. “It is winter. In the South Pole. It’s gonna be cold.”

Tala didn’t respond. If Haruko knew the firebender as well as she thought, it was out of spite.

“I once heard somewhere,” Aazir asked, looking in between Hang and Tala. “That firebenders are more sensitive to the cold and that waterbenders are more resistant towards it. Is that true?”

Tala and Hang exchanged a glance. “Sure seems like it.” The firebender huffed, bundling themself into their coat even more. They looked almost like a ferret-bunny burrowing for warmth.

Aazir glanced at Haruko for a response, though she could only shrug.

“Do you wanna go inside, maybe?” Hang laughed, clearly making fun of Tala. “It’ll probably be warmer there.”

Tala abruptly nodded and stood up. “Absolutely.”

Hang shrugged, glanced at Jae, then stood up. “See ya later. I think my mom’s inside.”

“Take Pasha with you.” Haruko said, handing her meer-fox to the waterbender. “She doesn’t like the cold.”

“Sure thing.” Hang replied. Pasha yelped in either surprise or discomfort as the waterbender picked her up, but eventually settled in the fur of her collar.

“I’ll come with you.” Aazir got up, waving goodbye to his sister before leaving with the other two, leaving Haruko alone in the courtyard.

Haruko curled into a ball and watched as Jae continued to instruct Inaluk in knife-throwing. The girl’s form was shakier and less graceful than Jae’s, but she seemed to get the fundamentals down, as far as Haruko could tell,

“You’re Haruko, right?” Someone greeted. Even though she didn’t immediately recognize the voice, she soon found out that it was none other than Asami. Somehow, she hadn’t noticed the woman sitting next to her.

“Yeah.” Haruko nodded, making awkward eye contact for only a second before returning her gaze to her feet.

“I’m Asami Sato, though you probably already know that.” Asami paused. “I understand that you’re from the Si Wong Desert?”

Haruko nodded. “Yeah, I am. I’m from the Najma tribe.” She added, though she doubted Asami recognized the name. The people who settled near the desert never bothered to learn the names of its native inhabitants, Haruko doubted someone from a completely separate nation would care.

“What’s it like?” Asami asked. “I’ve been to the desert multiple times, but I always wondered how your people survive in those conditions.”

“We manage.” Haruko said. “We’ve been doing it for a pretty long time. At least we were managing, before they moved us all out.”

“I’ve heard about that…” Asami trailed off. Before she could respond, she was interrupted by a loud commotion. Hang burst into the courtyard a frantic mess.

“They’re here!” The waterbender shouted, helping Haruko and Asami to their feet. Pasha was no longer on her shoulder, Haruko could only guess she was with Aazir. “We have to get out now, they’re here.”

“Who’s here?” Asami asked worriedly.

“Them. The Red Lotus.” Hang said, already moving towards the door.

Saila got up and stopped Hang in her tracks. “How do you know?”

“I just do!” Hang scoffed, gesturing at nothing. “We have to-”

“We’re under attack!” One of the guards shouted, confirming Hang’s frantic worries. There weren’t too many guards stationed at the palace, definitely not enough to overpower the Red Lotus. They had to move fast.

Before anyone could move or respond, they were all caught off-guard by someone jumping down into the courtyard- a blur of dark blue. They hit the ground with an impact of snow, and it was only after the white dust cleared that Haruko could clearly see that it was Arnook. He didn’t look much different from the last time she had seen him, if a bit more bundled up.

“We have to leave!” Hang shouted, thrusting a blast of water at the man before taking Saila by the arm. “Get your family out of the palace, we can hold them off.”

“But-” The chief stuttered.

“You’re more important than we are. Go!”

Saila reluctantly nodded and turned to her mother, taking the older woman by the hand and guiding her children to a nearby exit. Kopak, Asami, and the children were all able to escape before Arnook collapsed the ice wall in on itself, trapping Saila in the courtyard. He froze the woman chest-high in a block of the same ice.

“Where is he?” The man demanded, his voice more low and resonant than Haruko remembered.

“Where is who?” Saila replied, frantically trying to break free of the ice. She wielded a boomerang that, while she had seen on her belt, Haruko had never seen in action before.

While Arnook waited for more of a response, Hang didn’t, running forward and freeing Saila from the ice. She took the woman by the arm and ran towards the exit she had come from, not pausing to see that Haruko had followed them. As they entered the hallway, Haruko raised a pillar of stone in front of the doorway, separating Arnook from the three of them. It ruined the house, but Haruko had more important things to worry about.

“Where are the others?” Haruko hastily turned to Hang as they started to jog down the hallway.

“Evacuating the staff.” Hang hastily replied, then turned to Saila. “Do you know where your family is headed?”

Saila nodded. “They should be heading to the safe house in the basement. If we’re lucky they’ve already intercepted my brother by now.”

“He’s with my mom evacuating the staff.” Hang replied. “Now, let’s get to that safe-”

“Ahhh, you didn’t think you were really getting away.” Called out a voice- haughty and confident and unmistakably belonging to Ahsa. Haruko spun around and raised the earth below them to throw off the firebender, but she dodged it, sending a blast of flame down the hallway.

“Who is that?!” Saila exclaimed.

“She’s one of them.” Haruko replied, deflecting Ahsa’s fire blast with a wall of stone. “Get Saila to the safe house! I can hold her off!”

Hang hesitated. “But Haruko-”

“Just go!” Haruko shouted, thrusting the wall of stone at Ahsa. As soon as Hang and Saila had disappeared down the hallway, Haruko blocked it off with another wall of stone and ran off into a different direction, closing herself in. She found herself in an area of the palace she didn’t recognize, but she had no choice but to keep running.

After a few turns and dead ends, Haruko ran into the worst possible person she could’ve run into.

Her father looked noticeably older and was wearing his now much longer hair tied into a loose braid, but Haruko had no doubt it was him. He had the same strong features as she did, the same square jaw and heavy brow. They had the same eyes.

“D-Dad?!” Haruko stumbled to a stop. It took all her composure to not lose herself into her emotion and inevitably enter the Avatar State.

Zahrun took a moment to respond, moving backwards in shock. The saif blade on his belt jostled against whatever else he was carrying, momentarily drawing Haruko’s attention to it. He was armed. “Hadiyah…. What are you doing in the South Pole?”

“What are you doing in the South Pole?!” Haruko exclaimed, her worst fears coming true all over again. She barely even registered the name he had called her- her real name. The name she had lost. “Why are you here? Where have you been?”

“That’s not important- I’m looking for a man named Tanaka- do you know where he is?”

“Tanaka?!” Haruko shouted. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” She glanced at her hands, then back up at her father. “Where have you been?”

“Dammit.” Zahrun cursed. He put his hand on her shoulder. “Arnook said he’d be here. Now, Hadiyah, I’m sure this looks really, really bad, but-”

Haruko searched her father’s face for any sincere emotion. “Wh- where have you been?” Tears grew in her eyes and started to travel across her cheeks.

Zahrun hesitated, but removed his hand from Haruko’s shoulder. “I should go.” He turned around and started to sprint down the hall.

“Wait!” Haruko cried. She extended her arm and, out of reflex, collapsed the hallway around her. She almost instantly recognized her mistake- the building was almost entirely ice. She couldn’t do anything but watch as the rubble fell, her father nowhere in sight.

Haruko heard the footsteps of an approaching guard and turned around, now aware of the tears running down her face.

“What happened here?” The guard asked, gesturing at the mess Haruko had made.

“The waterbender was here.” Haruko lied. “He got away.”

The guard inspected the rubble- ice chunks from the roof spread all across the ornate hallway- before returning her gaze to Haruko. “Are you ok?”

Haruko looked at her hands, unsure how to answer the question.

the recovery

By the dawn of the next day, they had company.

Haruko put her hand to her eyes as she stared at the sky, a futile attempt to shield herself from the sun. Her only relief was that it was cloudy out.

“They’re from the Fire Nation, right?” Haruko asked as she, her friends, and the Sato family watched a sky bison slowly descend from the heavens.

“They are.” Chau, the person closest to her, replied. “That’s what I heard from the Chief. Apparently, the Avatar is also coming.” The woman cleared her throat awkwardly.

“Huh.” Haruko replied as she watched the bison land on the snow-covered ground. Now close enough to it, she could decently make out who was riding.

“Hanuel!” Inaluk, Kahnok, and Kuruk all ran forward as who Haruko presumed was Hanuel jumped down from the bison. She had long black hair tied in a ponytail and was wearing the same fine clothing she always wore on the vidset, though she was much taller than Haruko expected. Her very existence filled Haruko with a certain, specific dread- as if their meeting would result in tragedy.

As Saila’s children embraced Hanuel, four other people followed her- a Water Tribe man Haruko didn’t recognize, two Fire Nation individuals with appearances close enough to be siblings, and Koto. Against all odds, it was Koto.

The airbender was dressed in a long, vibrant red cloak Haruko had never seen her wear before and honestly seemed more on-edge than anything, but nothing stopped her from feeling relieved the moment she made eye contact with her friend.

“Haruko!” Koto ran up to meet her at the same time Haruko moved to approach her, causing them to meet halfway. “It’s so good to see you- are you ok? I heard about the attack.”

Before Haruko could respond, she was interrupted by Jae running up to Koto and tackling her in a hug. He was soon followed by the rest of their group, who formed a semi-circle around Koto.

“So what’s new?” Tala said, their voice hushed. “I thought you were supposed to be in the Fire Nation.”

Koto sighed frustratedly, casting a glance to the Fire Nation man. “I was supposed to be, but Hanuel wanted to come down here after the attack, so here we are.”

“Really?” Hang raised an eyebrow. “I could’ve sword Saila didn’t tell anyone about the attack yet.”

When Aazir shot Koto a worried glance, the airbender groaned. “I swear-”

“Hey Koto,” Someone behind Haruko greeted. When Haruko turned around, she saw it was Hanuel. “Who’re these guys?”

“Heyyyyy, Hanuel!” Koto forced a fake smile. “These are… these are my friends, I traveled with them for a few months. Everybody, this is… Avatar Hanuel!”

“Wow, cool, it’s the Avatar.” Aazir deadpanned, turning to Haruko. If she wasn’t sure they were being watched by two foreign dignitaries, she would’ve tackled him.

Haruko put her hand on her brother’s shoulder. “I’m Haruko, and this is my brother, Aazir.” She forced out, offering Hanuel her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Hanuel shook Haruko’s hand and turned to the rest of everyone.

“I’m Hang.” The waterbender said dryly. “That’s Tala, and Jae.”

“Alright…” Hanuel nodded as she took in everybody’s names and appearances. “Koto, where did you meet these people again?”

“The Earth Confederation.” Koto briefly replied. “We were all in the southern Earth Confederation and ran into each other.”

“What were you doing in the southern Earth Confederation, I thought you-”

Koto took Hanuel’s hand in her own. “Let’s go inside with the others. It looks like it might start snowing.”

Despite looking like she wanted to say more, Hanuel quietly obliged and followed Koto inside the capitol building. After sharing a glance with her friends, Haruko did the same.

For some reason, Saila had seated them all in a formal meeting room on one of the tops floors of the building. Haruko suspected it had something to do with diplomacy with the visiting dignitaries, but it didn’t explain why she, a fugitive from a different nation, was here.

Haruko quickly found a seat in between Koto and Hang, opposite the two Fire Nation siblings, whom she had since learned were named Jitsuko and Teijo Tanaka, both important Fire Nation nobility.

“Where’s the Water Tribe guy?” Hang whispered to both Haruko and Koto. “The one that came with you.”

“Mikah’s babysitting the kids.” Koto replied, her voice hushed. “They’re his cousins. He’s from the Northern Water Tribe, so he doesn’t technically need to be here.” Haruko didn’t ask why the Fire Nation siblings, or even Koto, were present at the meeting.

As Water Tribe dignitaries and elders filed into the room, Koto turned to Haruko. “I need to tell you something- when I was-” She cut herself off, turning right in front of her to make eye contact with Teijo. When Haruko followed her gaze, she saw that Teijo was definitely watching them.

“I’ll tell you later.” Koto said, maintaining eye contact with Teijo but not showing any emotion. Haruko knew Koto well enough to understand the subtle fear in her voice.

Before Haruko could respond, Saila stood up, calling the meeting to attention. After a lengthy introduction process, she sat back into her seat and pressed a hand to her temple. “I’m sure everyone here knows this, but less than twenty-four hours ago my home and family were attacked by a group known as the Red Lotus.”

Jitsuko was quick to respond. “What happened? Where are they now? What did they want?” Her questions were silenced by her brother’s hand on her shoulder.

“They destroyed my home and ran off.” Saila sighed. “We don’t know why they were here or what they were after, but we assume that whatever- rather, whoever it was, they didn’t find them.”

Asami cleared her throat. “They mentioned being after someone specific, but didn’t ever mention a name. I presume they never found whoever it was.”

Haruko bit the inside of her cheek, remembering the name her father had dropped- Tanaka. It seemed like all too much of a coincidence that there were two people with the same name in front of her.

“Furthermore,” Saila continued. “We have reason to believe that this group of teenagers were being targeted by the group, for undisclosed reasons, but they didn’t seem to be the focus of the attack.”

“Ah, so that’s why there’s a bunch of dirt people at the table.” Teijo commented, flashing a smile. His remark was met by an angry glare from his sister. Tala looked like they were about to attack the man.

Hanuel, who was sitting adjacent to Saila, turned to her. “Can we help in any way? If we get the Earth Confederation military involved-”

Saila gently put her hand on Hanuel’s shoulder. “I’m not going to get the Earth Confederation military involved in a Southern Water Tribe internal affair. Thank you for the support, though.”

Hanuel seemed hesitant to agree. “But our nations are allies. If you need help-”

Koto abruptly stood up, bringing the room’s attention to her and ending the conversation. “I want to have a private audience with the chief!”

Saila took a moment to respond, frozen in shock. “Alright.” She stood up and turned to Hanuel, the Fire Nationals, and her advisors. “You are all dismissed.”

Once the others had left the room, Saila turned to those left in the room- Haruko, her friends, and Chau. “I assume this has to do with you all?”

Koto turned to Haruko. “Does she know?” Haruko shook her head, to which Koto sighed. She turned back to the Chief. “It does. Sort of.”

Saila nodded. “Keep going.”

Koto cleared her throat, her facade breaking. “Wh-while I was in the Fire Nation, I overheard Teijo Tanaka saying some things to his colleagues… he plans to outlaw other forms of bending in the Fire Nation.”

Chau glanced at Saila, then back at Koto. “He can’t do that, can he?”

Haruko looked at her friend, searching her face for any explanation. Koto, surprisingly, looked as apprehensive as she felt.

Saila pressed a hand to her temple. “I don’t know how much power Teijo holds, or if he’s able to do that, but that’s… that’s definitely bad.”

“Is there anything we can do?” Hang asked, looking towards her mother.

“Legally, no!” Saila shook her head. “It’s a Fire Nation affair, and you found out about it by eavesdropping!”

Asami stood up and put her hand on Koto’s shoulder. “Koto, I know this subject is personal to you, but I don’t think-”

“It’s not just personal!” Koto exclaimed. “If he passes this law, it’ll affect hundreds of people. I can’t let that happen. And… I think he might be doing something to the Fire Lord.”

Asami hesitated. “Oh. What sort of thing?”

“I… I don’t know.” Koto frowned, adjusting her cloak out of nerves. “But I’m going to go back to the Fire Nation and I’m going to find out what it is.”

“You shouldn’t go alone.” Aazir piped up, adjusting the way Pasha sat on his shoulders. “If this guy really is as dangerous as you’re saying… someone should be there to help you out if needed.”

The room fell silent. “We could go to the Fire Nation and act as backup if anything happens.” Tala suggested, leaning on their arm. “At the very least I could, I’m a firebender so I would blend in.”

Jae nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like it could work. If Koto keeps this up, it’s just a waiting game until she’s found out. We should be there to help her when things inevitably go wrong.”

“I don’t know…” Chau said. “It seems like a bad idea.”

Haruko nodded. “Yeah, weren’t we supposed to go up to Republic City and talk to Jinora?”

“We have to do something!” Koto pleaded, looking Asami in the eyes. “Please, if we can do this for even a few months I can find out what I need to know about what Teijo’s doing, and we can all plan what the next steps are. I have to do this.”

Asami took a breath to steady herself. “Koto, if you really think that it’ll help-”

“I do.”

“Then I can’t stop you from doing anything.” Asami said, straightening her posture to speak. “I’ll do anything I can to help.”

“While I don’t exactly agree with any of this,” Saila added, “I can provide transportation into the Fire Nation and out if needed. For the next two months, there will always be a Southern Water Tribe ship docked in the Royal Harbor, if you need to escape that’ll be your best bet. This is only surveillance, though. I don’t condone you taking any direct action.”

Koto nodded. “I understand.”

Chau turned to Tala, and then to her daughter. “And you all are going to the Fire Nation?’

“Yeah. In case worse comes to worst, we want to be able to get Koto out as fast as possible.” Tala explained.

Haruko exchanged a glance with Hang. The waterbender seemed to share her worry, but didn’t say anything.

Saila fell back into her seat. “This is very, very bad. We’re risking a lot by getting this involved in it, I hope you know that.”

“I’m not just going to let Teijo get away with this,” Koto said.

“I’m with you.” Haruko looked up at Koto.

“Alright. It seems like we’re settled, then?” Asami asked as she returned to her seat.

“I think that we are.” Koto said, turning to Haruko. “I’m so, so sorry about this,”

“Don’t be.” Haruko put her hands over Koto’s. “If Teijo’s really up to… whatever he’s up to, we should know. We should be able to stop him.”

Koto sighed and closed her eyes. “I just hope things don’t fall apart as soon as they’re set in motion.”

Haruko nodded, trying to ignore her doubt.

misty shores

Haruko once again found herself on a boat, and now she could safely say she didn’t have much taste for them. While she wasn’t especially bothered by the sea, the ocean beneath her seemed to taunt her in a way she didn’t quite understand. Looking at the ocean was only slightly better than trying to engage with the other travelers aboard the ship. Having departed from the Southern Water Tribe that morning, they had been traveling by passenger boat for a few hours and had not yet reached the southernmost Fire Isles.

“Looking at the water?” Tala asked as they sat down next to her. “Careful, you don’t want to fall in.”

“Ughhhh, don’t make me think about it.” Haruko groaned as she sat down in her seat. “This is already nerve-wracking enough, I don’t need a fear of the ocean on top of it.”

“Fair enough.” Tala shrugged and offered Haruko one of the cups they were carrying. On closer inspection, they held some sort of snack food. “Fire flakes?”

“Sure.” Haruko shrugged, taking the cup. After struggling to keep Pasha away from them, Haruko tried the fire flakes. “Pretty spicy.”

“That’s Fire Nation food for ya.” Tala shrugged. “You should get used to it.”

“Is everything in the Fire Nation named after fire?” Hang asked, leaning over to make eye contact with the firebender.

Tala took a moment to think and nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

Haruko adjusted the arm wraps she had donned to cover up her tattoos. While the weather would be considered hot in the Southern Water Tribe, the air still held a distinctive winter chill, and her new red tunic wasn’t made to withstand the cold. “So, has anyone here actually been to the Fire Nation? Or are we all just flying blind?”

“I have!” Jae exclaimed. Of all of them, he looked the second most comfortable in his red clothes and high ponytail, after only Tala. “Once, when I was little, we went to go see our cousins who lived on Ember Island. It was before the Sun Plague though, so I was only four.”

Hang scoffed as she adjusted her hair. “Great, the only account we have is what, twelve years old? That’ll be a great help.” Aazir laughed alongside her before complaining about not looking good in red.

Haruko took a moment to watch the other passengers aboard the ship. Other than in eye color and facial features, they didn’t stand out too much from the crowd. Their disguises were working. She turned to Tala, who apparently was acting as their Fire Nation expert. “Why do we have to wear our hair up, again? Mine’s barely long enough for a ponytail.”

“It has to do with honor or something.” Tala shrugged, adjusting their own hair, which looked the same as before, at least to Haruko. “We’re trying to blend in with the locals, which means that it’s in our best interests to adopt local custom and blend in as much as we can.”

Haruko sighed and slumped backwards in her seat. Back when they had been traveling the Earth Confederation, it had been much easier to blend in, at least for her. Trying to blend in while in the Fire Nation felt like adopting a completely different identity.

“We’re all pretending to be nonbenders, right?” Aazir asked, earning himself an annoyed glance from Jae. “All of us who are already benders?”

Tala nodded. “Yeah, except for Jae and I. Based on what Koto said, it doesn’t seem like other elements are all too welcome in the Fire Islands, so it’ll probably be for the best.”

“Great.” Hang smiled sarcastically. “If we get in a fight, you and Jae will be the only ones able to do anything, unless Haruko’s firebending’s getting any better.”

“It’s not.” Haruko stated. She shrugged when Tala gave her an annoyed glance. “Though we should probably keep that one to ourselves for now? Just for safety’s sake.”

Hang gave a halfhearted thumbs up, emphasizing how little she cared about Haruko’s worry. “Sure thing, fire girl.”

Before Haruko could respond, Jae abruptly stood up on his seat. “Look! You can see the coastline from here!”

Haruko turned around in her seat to see the city they were slowly approaching- forming out of the thick fog like a spirit. From this distance, it looked almost exactly like Gangbei did, an ironic reminder of the snake pit they were descending into. “What city is it, again?” Haruko asked Tala, not turning from the horizon.

“Amagi. Apparently, it’s a pretty old port city.” Hang replied in the firebender’s stead. She put her hand on Haruko’s shoulder and looked out onto the skyline. “You ready?”

Haruko nodded, though she wasn’t sure what she was preparing herself for. “Yep. Ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Passport and identification.” The customs secretary ordered as Haruko approached the desk. She was only second in line of their group, after Jae and Tala, and feared that her presence might cause the most scandal. It would cause more scandal if she didn’t provide an identification and passport, though, so Haruko obliged, putting both items on the countertop between them.

The secretary grimaced as she read over Haruko’s passport. “Saeed?’

“It’s a common name in the Earth Confederation.” Haruko hastily replied, trying her hardest not to sound alarmed.

“And you're an earthbender…” The secretary sounded almost disgusted.

“Affirmative. Yes. I am.” Haruko replied. Technically, it wasn’t even a lie.

The secretary nodded as she looked at Haruko once over, then returned her identification card and passport back to her. “Welcome to the Fire Nation.”

“Thank you.” Haruko hastily replied as she put her passport and identification card back in her wallet before meeting up with Tala and Jae,

“That went better than expected.” Jae laughed.

“Yeah, it still didn’t go well.” Haruko sighed as she watched Aazir go through the exact process she did. Upon reading Aazir’s identification, the secretary shot Haruko a glance, maintaining it until Aazit next spoke, clearly saying something along the lines of ‘she’s my sister’. Not too long after, Aazir and Hang joined the three of them near the pole they had congregated by.

“So. What’s the plan?” Jae asked as he leaned against the pole.

Haruko turned to Hang for an answer. The waterbender sighed and begrudgingly pulled out a map. It was difficult to see in the dim light of the station, but Haruko could make out the shape of the Fire Nation. “We’ve just arrived in Amagi, which is on this island.” She pointed to a small island on the far southeast of the archipelago.

“Cool,” Aazir remarked, then pointed at the capital island. “I’m assuming that’s where we need to go?”

Hang nodded. “Yep. It should be easy enough to catch train rides and boat trips up to the capital, especially since the Fire Nation is so much smaller than the Earth Confederation.”

“Hate to bring this up.” Jae adjusted his sunglasses. “But what are we going to do in the capital once we get there?”

Hang glared at Jae for a brief moment before continuing. “Well, if you were paying attention during the meeting you would’ve known that we’re going to rent a room and hang out there until Koto needs us.”

“Oh.” Jae replied. “Well, I remember it now.” He patted the bag at his side. “And when Koto needs us, she’ll call us on this baby.” Jae said, referring to the radio at his side.

“Right.” Haruko nodded, affirming the plan in her mind. “It’s a simple plan. A good plan.”

“What if Koto gets in trouble before we get to the capital?” Aazir asked.

Hang shrugged. “Then we’re in trouble. Chief Saila, Koto and I all agree that this was the best plan to maximize safety and minimize getting caught. Koto’s good at stealth, she’ll be alright.”

“I don’t like it.” Tala glared at Hang, their voice measured and monotonous.

Hang only gave them a simple response. “That’s why I’m in charge and you aren’t.”

“We should head out.” Tala said, already moving to the building's exit. Haruko shrugged and followed, keeping pace with Tala as they left the building.

“Not a lot of cars.” Haruko remarked as they walked through the streets of Amagi. To her surprise, the decently sized city didn’t have too many roads, just cobblestone pathways built more for foot travel than anything. Unlike cities in the Earth Confederation, the buildings tended to be made of wood rather than stone, which made sense, given the lack of earthbending. Amagi was a port city like Aringeru and Gangbei, and in many ways, it reminded Haruko of the two other cities. The air was thick with moisture, but not oppressively hot due to the coming winter. The fog around the small food stalls and carts, shrouding them in foreboding mystery.

“Nope.” Jae replied as he fidgeted with his sleeves. “Probably because of the islands- hard to build highways over water.”

“I never considered that.” Haruko replied, returning her gaze to her surroundings. What little of the Fire Nation she had seen was overwhelming- if for nothing but the sheer amount of red. The vibrant color was everywhere, even if muted. Haruko had never seen so much of it. She wondered if foreigners had the same experience in the Earth Confederation with green.

“We’re being watched.” Jae pointed out as they continued to walk. As soon as he said it, Haruko noticed he was right. The citizens of the Fire Nation were giving them looks, looks more hostile than the off-hand judging glances their party had received in the Earth Confederation. These people looked at them like they were elephant-rats to be exterminated. The eyes of the Fire Nation were on them.

“Yikes.” Haruko replied. She noticed that out of all of them, Jae blended in the most with the crowd, though even he seemed out of place. “Might be hard to keep a low profile, when-”

“Haruko.” Aazir whispered, tugging on her sleeve. Jae quickly stepped out of the way to allow the two siblings to talk.

“What’s up?” Haruko asked as she took Pasha from Aazir’s shoulder and put the meerfox on her own.

“The attack…” Aazir muttered. “I know you’re not telling me everything.”

Haruko looked at her feet, at the brand new Fire Nation boots she was wearing. Unlike her regular boots, the toes formed an upward pointing tip. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Haruko, quit lying to me!” Aazir’s voice was intense even when hushed.

Haruko took a breath to steady herself and to stall. “Look, Aazir. Things are really, really complicated right now. I don’t want to keep secrets, but I have to protect you.”

“What if I don’t need your protection?” Aazir scoffed.

“Look.” Haruko pointed out something in the distance to distract herself from the conversation. “There’s the train station.”

Aazir didn’t reply to her statement other than returning to where he had been before.

lost friends

Instead of having to attend yet another failed firebending session, Koto had convinced Ochako to let her wander the palace, under the guise of education. Either the firebender was starting to see the impracticality of having an airbender present at a firebending training session, or she felt sorry for Koto. While Koto didn’t care much either way, she hoped it wasn’t the latter. She didn’t want anyone’s pity, much less a Fire Nation noble with as high of a standing as Ochako Tanaka.

After returning to the Fire Nation, life had gone back to the routine it had become, except for one major difference- now, Koto had a mission. No matter what, she had to find out what Teijo Tanaka was up to. But first, she had to find out where in the palace she was.

“I swear, this place is like a maze…” Koto muttered to herself as she took in her surroundings- had she already passed that calligraphy scroll? The palace had the decor and atmosphere of a museum, if no one visited said museum. It seemed no matter what time it was, the Fire Nation Palace existed in perpetual twilight, the orange light of the fire-lit lamps doing nothing to damper the atmosphere. Koto supposed the mysterious atmosphere might be appealing to some, but it just gave her a headache.

Koto managed to stop one of the house staff- a short woman carrying a basket of stationary. “Hello, miss? Do you know where in the palace we are?”

“East wing of the palace, Master Koto.” The woman said with a respectful bow and an accent Koto didn’t recognize. “Can I do anything for you?”

Koto initially shook her head, but then reconsidered. “Actually, could you tell me how to-”

“Koto!” Hanuel approached her with a running start, though it was more of a light jog due to palace etiquette Hanuel had probably been forced to memorize. “I was looking for you!”

Koto made eye contact with Hanuel and politely dismissed the woman she had been talking to. “Hey, Hanuel!” She gave a wide, false smile. “What’re you doing here?”

“I miss you, I don’t see you as much anymore.” Hanuel frowned. Koto couldn’t deny that Hanuel was telling the truth, the palace was big enough they didn’t often run into each other outside of scheduled mealtimes.

“Well, I’m here now.” Koto clasped her hands in front of her pleasantly. “So, what do you wanna do together?’

“Wanna see my firebending?” Hanuel smiled. The sentence caught Koto off-guard. She couldn’t have possibly firebent, and besides, the news would’ve definitely reached her by now.

Before Koto could fully react, Hanuel sighed. “I’m still not, y’know, actually creating flame, but I’ve improved my stances a ton, you should come see!”

Koto almost sighed in relief. “Oh. Ok. Sure, I’d love to see that.”

“Brilliant!” Hanuel clapped, taking Koto by the hand and leading her down the hallway. “Let’s go!”

Koto couldn’t deny that Hanuel’s forms had improved. While not personally familiar with firebending, even she could see how Hanuel’s movements had gone from the blocky and firm stances associated with earthbending to more powerful, fluid stances common in traditional firebending- and it was definitely traditional firebending Hanuel was being taught. The form was so different from the vagabond, street style firebending Koto had gotten used to seeing. She wondered what Tala would think of the practice.

As Haneul finished a set of fire fists- perfect except for the lack of flame- Koto clapped. Hanuel’s forms were genuinely good, which made the truth only hurt more. “You’re really good at it!” The airbender smiled.

“Thanks!” Hanuel replied, jogging towards the bench Koto had claimed for herself. “Ochako’s really helped me make my stances more fluid. It’s so different to earth… I guess air will be even harder.”

“Really?” Koto asked, forcing disbelief into her voice. She had no doubt that air would be just as tough as fire was for Hanuel, if their lie lasted long enough to even get there. She hoped it wouldn’t, for Hanuel’s sake more than hers.

“It’s the opposite element, right?” Hanuel shrugged. “Didn’t your great-grandpa struggle with earth the most, since he was an airbender?”

Koto nodded, briefly surprised in the way Hanuel had referred to Avatar Aang- she would’ve assumed he would be her predecessor first in Hanuel’s mind, not Koto’s relative. “Yeah, I think I remember my mom telling me that. But that’s not a given rule.”

“I guess it isn’t…” Hanuel looked at her shoes.

Koto cleared her throat. She didn’t want to get any deeper into the lie than she had to, but she also didn’t want to hurt her friend in this moment than she already had. “I mean. Avatar Korra struggled with air the most, right? And the legends said that Avatar Kyoshi struggled the most with earth, her native element.” Koto tried to keep any emotion, especially reassurance, out of her voice.

“Yeah…” Hanuel smiled. “That makes sense. Maybe fire is mine- I’m just really bad at it for now, and once I get it the other two will be a breeze!”

“That’s not what I-” Koto cautioned.

“Get it? Cause airbending?” Hanuel laughed at her own joke as she sat down next to Koto. “Anyways, I’ve been thinking…”

“What about?” Koto asked. For what seemed like the first time since they had been friends, Hanuel was completely unreadable.

Hanuel leaned back to look at the sky. “You know… what Teijo said that one morning… about your parents….”

Koto’s heart skipped a beat. It had been weeks since she had thought about the conversation- later that day, they had received the news of the raid on the Southern Water Tribe. Koto only barely managed to stammer out a response. “What…. Wh… that doesn’t matter, Hanuel. You should focus on your training.”

“It does, Koto.” Hanuel put her hand over Koto’s. “This… Do Kai and Jinora know about this? Do your brothers?”

“Of course they know!” Koto scoffed, pulling her hand away from Hanuel’s, “They’re the only reason I’m alive!”

“I just-” Hanuel stammered. “I don’t- do my parents know?”

“I don’t know.” Koto replied.

Hanuel looked at her hands, then at Koto. “How come you never told me?”

“It’s personal.” Koto looked at her feet. “And it doesn’t really matter in the long run. I’m an Air Nomad, I’m an airbender, it shouldn’t matter where I was born or who my parents are.”

“Except it does!” Hanuel responded, stressing her words. “It matters where people are from! You’re a Fire National and I never even knew!”

“First of all, I’m not a Fire National. I’m not a citizen here and haven’t lived here since I was five.”

“You’re my best friend, Koto!” Hanuel pleaded, putting her hand around Koto’s arm. “Why would you lie to me?”

“We should go inside.” Koto replied, looking at the sky. “It looks like it might rain.”

provocation

Haruko leaned on the side of her seat as she watched the people of the Fire Nation go by. A week into their journey across the islands, they had managed to traverse across the majority of the nation and now were in a small city called Kizoka, only a few miles away from the capital. The town itself seemed no different from any other Fire Nation town they had traveled through so far- if a bit smaller. After arriving in the downtown pier that morning, Haruko and her friends had since found a small restaurant to eat at before setting off to the capital. While they waited, Haruko busied herself by watching pedestrians go by. Despite it being nearly midday, the sun above was covered by a thick blanket of clouds, making their choice of outdoor seating less than ideal.

“Might rain soon.” Haruko commented as she turned around in her seat to see a large map sprawled across the table.

“Not a problem, we’re under an umbrella,” Hang muttered as she traced a route across the area. Upon closer inspection, Haruko could tell that it depicted Kizoka and the surrounding area.

“You gonna pack up soon?” Tala asked as they leaned over the map. “Our server’s coming over soon and I don’t want to eat over your map.”

Hang only replied by shoving the firebender away from her map. “I need to focus right now.”

Only moments later, a disgruntled woman approached their table. The nametag pinned to her chest labeled her both as ‘Ahn’ and as an employee of the restaurant. “Can I get you kids anything to drink?” The woman asked, not paying much attention to the map covering most of the table.

“I’ll have a water,” Hang said, still devoting her attention to the map.

“Me too.” Tala replied as the woman turned to them.

After Jae, Aazir had ordered a bubble tea, a soda and a water respectively, Ahn asked, “So where are you kids from? Cause you’re clearly not from here.”

“Oh, you know,” Haruko replied, looking at her menu to avoid eye contact. “Around.”

“Sweet.” Ahn nodded, clearly not paying Haruko’s response much mind. “Well, I’ll get those drinks out for you in a pinch.” With that, the woman turned around and left for the doorway inside the actual restaurant.

Haruko turned to Hang. “What are you trying to find?”

“She got us lost.” Aazir shot Haruko a sarcastic smirk, to which she let out a laugh.

“I didn’t get us lost-” Hang corrected, lifting one finger as she continued to examine the map. “Technically. We just ended up in an unforeseen circumstance.”

“She totally got us lost.” Jae smiled, leaning over the map. “What’s even the situation? You just pulled out the map and then started pulling out your hair.”

Hang pointed to a point on the map. “Here’s where we are- Kizoka.” She moved her finger to the capital. “And here’s where we need to be- Royal Caldera City.”

“Is that a volcano?”Aazir exclaimed, pointing out a detail Haruko hadn’t noticed. The Fire Nation capital did seem to be built right on top- or even inside- a volcano.

“Yep. Not the point.” Hang replied, quickly getting back on track. “Anyways, the problem is that the Fire Nation really doesn’t want you to get from here to here.”

“How?” Tala leaned over the map. “It seems like a pretty clean trip to me.”

“I don’t know why, but there isn’t any transportation between the two cities. We’d have to go all the way to Mekong and take the ferry to Harbor City, which could take a week, tops.”

“And we don’t have that time.” Haruko finished. “Koto’s counting on us.”

Hang nodded. “Yep. The best option honestly seems to walk through this all this farmland and catch a bus to the Capital in the suburbs.”

“Wouldn’t that take just as long?” Tala remarked.

“Not if the ferry’s shut down,” Jae commented. “Probably why they’re shutting down the trains from here too. The capital’s on lockdown.”

“I guess we’re walking to the capital then…” Tala groaned. “This won’t be fun.”

Haruko was going to respond when something across the street caught her eye-a group of people quickly approaching them. As she stood up and made her way to the other side of the table, Haruko maintained eye contact with who she assumed to be the leader of the group. “We’ve got company,” Haruko stated, trying to keep her voice cool.

The man in front- the one Haruko had assumed to be the leader- climbed over the metal barrier and sat where Haruko had been. Now that they were closer, Haruko could distinguish more of the man’s appearance-jet black hair cut in a choppy mullet and tied into a messy topknot, gold piercings on his ears and nose. All three members of the group wore more black than they did red, a choice that wasn’t too common in the Fire Nation. Haruko noticed that each member wore a serpent-shaped enamel pin on their coats.

“Do you know who I am?” The leader snarled, leaning back in the chair by putting his boots on the table.

Haruko exchanged a look with her friends- all looking both as fearful and as angry as she did. Jae put his hand on his knife in preparation for a fight. Likewise, Hang hovered her hand over a partially concealed waterskin.

“We don’t,” Tala replied, their voice as dry as desert sand. “We aren’t from here.”

“Exactly.” The man smiled with confidence bordering on narcissism.”Because if you were from this town you’d know that I’m Kovit. And I own this town.”

“Do you?” Hang scoffed and stifled a laugh. “If you want us to leave, we’re already out. We weren’t going to stay anyways.”

Kovit stood up and paced around the table in mock diplomacy, resting his hand on Aazir’s shoulder. “It’s more complicated than that. I can’t just let you ruin my reputation, damage my honor.”

Tala leaned forward, their face only inches from Kovit’s. “I don’t care about your honor, you should let us leave.” They said through gritted teeth.

Korvit smiled and almost laughed, shoving Aazir away. Haruko caught her brother before he could fall then refocused her attention on Korvit, who was playing into Tala’s theatrics. The air itself seemed still as the world lay in wait to see who would strike first. When Haruko spared a glance at the other restaurant-goers and passers-by, she found that they had drawn an audience.

“If you care about your friends, you will.” Korvit taunted. “So, what’s the verdict?”

“What’re the options?” Tala replied, somehow keeping calm under pressure.

“You can go back where you came-”

“Literally what we were going to do.” Hang interrupted. Korvit shot her a glare before continuing.

“You can go back where you came from, or we can fight for it. Agni Kai.”

Tala crossed their arms and leaned back in their seat. “You’re on.”

Korvit smiled. “Didn’t know you were even a bender. See you at sunset, then.” After giving a mocking salute, he climbed back over the barrier and disappeared into the crowd with the thugs he had come with.

“What’s an Angi Kai?” Aazir asked, though his question was promptly ignored.

“Really, Tala?” Hang sighed, packing up her map. “He was probably going to let us leave.”

Tala scoffed as they stood up. “He might’ve, but I’m not letting him leave. I’m winning that fight. It’ll just give us more of an excuse to leave this town.”

Haruko exchanged a worried glance with Hang before getting up with her, unable to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach.

the duel

In an effort to ignore their thoughts, Tala focused fully and completely on wrapping their hands. Korvit’s gang had provided the five of them with a small room to prepare for the fight and everything Tala needed to make it a formal Agni Kai- armbands, hair ribbons, and the ceremonial cloak that made whatever result they settled on official. It seemed so foreign to Tala- they had grown up hearing stories about the duels and every other aspect of Fire Nation culture, but the duels had never really seeped into the lifestyle of the Coral Isles. They were flying completely blind into a fire.

“Getting close to sundown,” Haruko muttered as she peeked out the window. Pasha scrambled over her shoulders, sensing nerves not apparent on the girl’s face. “He’s gonna call time now.”

Tala grunted a reply. They suspected that Haruko didn’t know much about the duels, but now was not an opportune time for a history lesson. Tala wrapped their hand in rhythm with the sound of Jae’s footsteps as he paced across the small room.

“Would you stop that?” Hang snapped. “It’s tense enough already.”

“Sorry, I just think that a duel against a gang leader isn’t the best idea we’ve had!” Jae stressed his words, clearly aiming them at Tala.

“If I don’t beat the guy he’ll just track us down for hurting his honor or whatever,” Tala grunted. The armbands they were wearing were thicker than the ones they normally wore and went over the palm instead of just the wrist- clearly made for combat and combat only. “This is the only way to settle this quickly.”

“What even is an Agni Kai?” Aazir sighed, leaning on Tala’s shoulder. “I still don’t know.”

“Fire duel.” Tala briefly responded, moving on to tying up their hair. “To settle grievances. Whoever gets burnt first loses.”

“They’re also illegal,” Jae added, his voice still harsh. “And dangerous.”

“Like that’s ever stopped us.” Tala scoffed.

“Tala, you can’t think this is a good idea,” Jae replied, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“It’s not a good idea.” Tala looked at their feet- bare, in accordance with the custom. “But it’s our only option. I’m a good firebender, I’ll be able to get through it.”

The room fell silent in absence of a response from anyone. It wasn’t until a knock sounded at the door did the still air seem to move.

One of Korvit’s thugs, a young woman with artificially bright red hair, walked into the room. “Fight’s starting soon. You ready?”

Tala nodded and stood up, pulling the ceremonial cloak around themself. They swallowed their fear, made eye contact with the woman, and nodded.

“Rad.” She deadpanned, then turned to the rest of the group, namely Jae. “You all can go sit in the stands to watch, you get priority seating since you’re with the challenger. You should totally stick around to watch, even if your friend is going to get wrecked.”

Without saying a word, Hang, Jae, Haruko and Aazir all filed out of the room, leaving only Tala and the woman.

“Follow me,” The woman gestured to the door. “Don’t wanna keep Korvit waiting, You know the rules, right?”

Ignoring the fear and dread creeping up on them, Tala casually shrugged as they left the room. “I get the feeling you’re gonna tell me anyways.”

The woman laughed. “I like your spirit. Anyways, no rough play, no headshots- fight ends when either of you gets burnt- no lightning, but I doubt you can generate it anyways.”

Tala didn’t reply.

“Anyways,” The woman continued. “Follow me, your starting spot is this way.”

The sun beat hard on Tala’s back as they awaited the sound of a gong- the symbol of the fight’s beginning. Although it couldn’t have been more than a minute since they arrived at their side of the long dueling ground, it felt like an eternity, the heat of the sun only making it worse. Spirits, wasn’t it supposed to be winter?. One of Korvit’s accomplices had long since announced the two competitors- the great Korvit Takehashi of the Red Blood, and Tala Hira, representing an unaffiliated party. While the dueling ground was in no way formal- it seemed to be an abandoned parking lot- it was clear the locals took this tradition very seriously, a large crowd of them gathering to watch the spectacle. It was clear whose side the audience was on.

Just as Tala was starting to suspect the officiants were stalling for dramatic effect, the gong sounded- a tone low and loud enough to be heard above the audience’s chatter. Tala rose to their feet and turned around, non-ceremoniously shedding their robe and leaving their tattooed shoulders bare. Across the dueling ground. Korvit did the same, though with more dramatic emphasis.

It only took a moment for the fight to really begin. Moments after Tala’s robe had fallen to the floor, they took the first strike, sending a blast of flame at Korvit. The man easily dodged it, having anticipated their move, and returned a blast of equal capacity.

Tala blocked and dispersed their opponent’s flame with a blocking motion- similar to what earthbending they had seen Haruko and Aazir perform before. Moments after the golden tendrils around him disappeared into the air, Tala summoned their energy and thrust a burst of flame at Korvit, aiming for his chest.

Korvit once again dodged the strike, though more sloppily the second time. The awkward motion sent him stumbling backward, though it wasn’t long before he regained his stance and- with a sweeping kick- sent a low blade of flame at Tala’s knees. Just before the flame hit them, Tala propelled themself upward with jets of fire. When Tala hit the ground, they sprinted towards Korvit. If Tala was right, then the man had been trained only in the classic bending arts and not how to fight close-quarters.

Not expecting the change of pace, Korvit sent rapid bolts of flame at Tala, trying to regain any upper ground he had. Tala swiftly dodged the small bursts, but ultimately ended up stumbling and falling to the rough floor, creating a large gash across their shoulder. It didn’t count as a victory, though. Neither of them won until the other’s flesh burnt by their flame.

Tala leapt to their feet and sent a blaze of light towards Korvit. The man was in such a close range that it surprised Tala when he was able to dodge it by leaning backwards. When Korvit returned to an upright posture, he paused for only a moment- allowing Tala to take in his rage- before breathing fire onto them.

Tala only just managed to dodge the blast of golden heat, quickly making his way behind Korvit as he spat the last of his fire. Before the man could spin around to throw a fire fist at them, Tala took hold of Korvit’s arm, holding it tightly. As far as they knew, there wasn’t any rule about physical contact during duels.

As Korvit struggled to break free of Tala’s grip, they concentrated, passively heating up the man’s skin until it burnt. Korvit screamed in slow agony as it happened, clutching his forearm when Tala released it and falling to his knees. The fight had finished- Korvit had been brutally scarred across the forearm.

“We have a winner!” Someone announced- the same person who had announced their names and titles only moments earlier.

Tala took a moment to bask both in the cheers of the audience and the glow of the setting sun, raising their fist in the air in a motion of triumph.

“You won….” Korvit stammered, shakily standing up. “You actually won.”

After a brief moment of hesitation, Tala nodded. “I did.”

“What are you going to do now?” The man asked, cradling his wounded arm.

“I’m going to leave with my friends. Goodbye, Korvit” Tala stated, entirely sure of their words. They gave a slight respectful nod before leaving to join their friends by the stands.

the full moon

Haruko tilted her head back, looking at the sky as she pet Pasha, the small meerfox asleep in her lap. Even through the thick clouds obscured most of the sky, she could still make out the near-full moon above them. After Tala had won their Agni Kai, they had all ditched the town of Kizoka out of principle. After a few hours of traveling through fields, they had settled on making camp under the stars and leaving before dawn the next day. While the wind and growing fog gave Haruko chills, she felt warm and safe as she sat by the fire Tala had built.

“And that’s when I sock the leader right in the face!” Jae exclaimed, demonstrating the motion as he concluded a story Haruko hadn’t been paying much attention to. Even so, the tale was met with a round of applause, if only from Aazir.

“You sure you didn’t dream that one?” Hang gave Jae a sly smile as she healed the cut Tala had gotten during the fight.

“Nonsense.” Jae declared with dramatized pride. “I never lie. You should know this by now.”

Haruko, alongside Tala and Hang, laughed. “Good to know.” Tala smiled, leaning back on the seat Haruko had earthbent for them. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”

“Couldja keep still a moment?” Hang lightheartedly chided. “I can’t heal you if you keep moving around.”

“Sure thing, doc.” Tala smirked.

“Don’t call me that.” Hang replied as she returned to healing. “You’re lucky it’s a full moon, I’m usually not that good of a healer.”

“You know, I’ve always wondered.” Jae leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “How does that work? Can you feel the moon?”

“Jae, don’t ask her that.” Aazir chided, lightly punching Jae in the shoulder to scold him. “It’s not polite. I think.”

Ignoring Aazir’s comment, Hang shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I do. I can definitely tell when it’s full, even when I don’t look at it.” She pulled the water away from Tala’s shoulder and returned it to her waterskin. “You’re all patched up now. Don’t do that again,”

Tala smiled and gave Hang a confident thumbs-up, to which she shook her head and sighed.

“Actually, I was wondering something. ” Haruko leaned forward to make eye contact with Hang, painfully aware of how fast her heart was beating. “Since it’s a full moon and all, do you think you could teach me some waterbending?”

“Aren’t you supposed to learn the elements in order?” Aazir asked, caution and worry painted all over his face. “Water is the last one in the cycle.”

“Yeah, Haruko.” Jae added mockingly. “Aren’t you supposed to learn the elements in order? Koto’s gonna get mad at you.”

“It’s not like I haven’t waterbent already. We’re already doing this all wrong” Haruko scoffed. “Plus, it’s not like my firebending training is getting anywhere.”

“Koto can’t be mad if she’s not here.” Tala shrugged, turning to Hang, who had yet to answer.

“I don’t see much of a problem with it.” Hang said as she stood up. She turned to Haruko. “Let’s go bend some water!”

Hang led Haruko, as well as the rest of the group, to a small irrigation creek they had passed on their way through the farmland. After removing their socks and shoes, Hang and Haruko waded into the water until they were both standing ankle-deep, facing one another.

The water was colder than Haruko expected, a reminder of the perils of winter still yet to come. Tala had extinguished the campfire and not bothered to light a new one, leaving them all with the moon as their only light and their clothes on their backs as warmth.

Hang rose her arms above her in a stretch. “Alright, you’ve already manipulated and moved water, right?”

“Yeah.” Haruko mimicked Hang’s stretch. “A few times now.”

“She keeps accidentally making ice when we train firebending!” Tala called from where they and the boys were sitting on the shoreline.

“That’s weird.” Hang remarked before dropping into a bending stance and pulling a bubble of liquid from the stream. Haruko had seen Hang bend before, and it was clear that she was exaggerating her motions so that Haruko could better imitate them. “Your turn.”

Haruko nodded and swallowed her nerves before imitating Hang’s motion. When she focused on the water around her, it was easy to pull out a sphere of water as Hang had. The water glistened in the moonlight as Haruko held it suspended in the air in front of it.

“Good job.” Hang smiled, though it was hard to tell in the dim light. “You’ve got a lot of strength for a beginner. Your forms are a bit stiff, though. We should work on your fluidity.”

“Fluidity. Got it.” Haruko mused as she moved the water in a spiraling shape with gentle movements of her hands. “It feels more like guiding than forcing.”

“‘Spose it does.” Hang remarked. “Can you feel the moon?”

Haruko nearly dropped the water she had been bending, only to catch it before it fell back into the stream. “The moon?”

“It’s a full moon.” Hang replied, gesturing at the sky above them. Sure enough, the moon was still bright and full above them, if obscured by the cover of clouds. . “Isn’t that why you wanted to train anyways?”

“It is but….” Haruko stammered. “I don’t know if I can feel it. How do you even feel the moon?”

The waterbender shrugged in response, then moved on to spin the water around her in a slow ring, a demonstration of strength. “It’s easier to waterbend now than in the day, right? You should feel stronger, more connected to the water. That’s how I feel.”

Haruko paused and focused on the water she was bending. It was easy to forget what she was doing, the fluid motions putting her at ease. “I guess I do feel it. Huh.”

Hang smiled. “That’s good. You’re a pretty good waterbender.”

As she let the light of the moon wash over her, Haruko smiled, in a moment at pure ease with who she was.

Despite the quietness of the night, Aazir could not ignore the pace of his heartbeat as he watched his sister do the impossible and bend water. It was still hard for him to believe the truth of it all, that everything they had known about each other was a lie.

Aazir pulled his knees closer to his body. The night air was cold, and the ground uncomfortable to sit on.

“Heya, Aazir!” Jae smiled as he sat next to Aazir and took Pasha from his shoulders. “Whatcha think of all this waterbending?”

“I don’t know…” Aazir looked up to the river- shimmering in the moonlight, then back at the cold, damp, dark earth. “It sounds so confusing to me… it’s so different from earth.”

Jae leaned back on his hands. "Yeah, I don’t know much about that either. I don’t get the whole moon connection thing. There’s nothing like that in earthbending, right?”

Aazir shook his head.

“There is in firebending, actually.” Tala interrupted, sitting down on the other side of Jae. “We get our power from the sun. That’s why lunar eclipses completely knock out the element.”

“Huh. I’ve heard of that before, but I didn’t ever know if it was true or not.” Jae remarked, elbowing Aazir to catch his attention. “Isn’t that cool, Az?”

Aazir snapped out of his thoughts. “Oh, yeah. Yeah. It’s pretty cool.”

Jae put his hand on Aazir’s shoulder. “You ok? You seem quiet.”

Aazir pulled his knees closer to his body, in want of both warmth and to hide from the world. “I’m just… Things are moving faster than I can adapt to them. I’m scared.”

“Don’t- don’t be scared.” Jae moved his arm around Aazir in a gesture of support. “I’m really bad at this. But what I’m trying to say is, we’re all scared in this. It’s a pretty scary time.”

“Wow.” Aazir deadpanned, his gaze fixated on the moon above. “Reassuring.”

“Hey, I’m trying my best!” Jae laughed, then paused. His voice grew softer as he leaned towards Aazir. “At least we don’t have to be scared alone.”

“Three more stops and then we’re at our hotel.” Hang announced as the bus they were riding pulled in for yet another stop. “Not at our hotel, specifically, but close enough to walk.”

“Great!” Jae beamed. “It’s a fancy hotel, right? Ooo, maybe they’ll have free soaps!”

“It’s pretty close to the capitol.” Hang shrugged in reply. “So yeah, it’s pretty fancy. We’re on the twelfth floor with a good view of the capital, thanks to the Chief's funding”

“What if it has one of those cool indoor heated pools? If we aren’t saving Koto at the moment can we go swimming?” Jae turned to Aazir, who only shrugged.

It was easy for Haruko to drown out her friends’ conversation as she gazed out the window. When they had arrived in the city at noon, the sky had been a crisp white sheet of paper, but now only hours later it had started to drizzle- soft droplets of rain racing down the bus window Haruko pressed her face against. The city looked so forgeign, the red and gold architecture harshly juxtaposed against the slate grays and whites of the rain and fog. The rain felt foreign in the Fire Nation, even to someone who had never been there before.

“What’re you thinking about?” Tala asked. Somehow, out of all her friends, Haruko had ended up sitting next to them.

“The rain.” Haruko answered as the bus started again.

“Really?” Tala replied. “Is that a waterbending thing?”

Haruko laughed and turned from the window. “Don’t think so, especially because I was just thinking about how it doesn’t look good on Fire Nation architecture.”

Tala leaned forward to look out the window. “Huh… it really doesn’t….” They paused. “Hey, can I be real with you for a second?”

Haruko shrugged. “Go ahead.”

A moment passed before Tala spoke. “Is it weird that I’m in the Fire Nation?”

Haruko hesitated. “Why would it be weird? It’s not any weirder than the rest of us being here.”

Tala leaned against the bus seat, their eyes on the ceiling. “I guess so. Maybe I’m just overthinking it. It’s just…. I’ve never been this surrounded by my element. Here, I’m the one who fits in. Is that weird?”

“No- I totally get that.” Hang leaned over the seat separating her from them. “Before I knew maybe three other waterbenders, but when we got to the south pole every other person was a waterbender like me. I get what you’re talking about.”

Tala sighed and smiled. “Glad to know that, at least. Honesty, I can’t wait to leave this place for good.”

Haruko laughed in agreement. “You aren’t alone on that one, for sure.”

the bleeding house

Koto tried to ignore the raging thunderstorm outside as she walked down the palace corridors. Somehow, the long hallways became even more foreboding when it rained, and much, much colder. Outside, a fiery lightning storm raged, all too uncommon in the Fire Nation, but inside, Koto didn’t have to worry about getting wet. She had more important things to concern herself with.

Despite Hanuel’s outdoor training lessons being cancelled, she still had history tutors to appease, and her companions were both willing to help her with the homework. Koto had given the same hasty excuse she had for the past few months- wanting to explore the palace- and had disappeared into the depths of the inner halls. .

Koto paused by the case that held the five-hundred year old hairpieces, noting them from the last few times she had been in the area. If she was remembering correctly, Teijo’s office was behind only a few bends. Koto paused to orient herself for only a moment before a thundercrack startled her out of her thoughts, the sound reverberating down the hall like the crack of a whip, the surprise of it sending Koto to the floor. After Koto collected herself, she continued down the hall.

Teijo had left his office door open, and, to both Koto’s fear and relief, it was completely empty. Like many rooms in the historic palace, the office wasn’t fitted with electric lights and instead had a few gas lamps positioned on the walls. On the wall opposite to the door, there was a small window, the curtains opened to reveal nothing but rain. Koto stepped lightly as she slowly opened the door, careful to not make any sound.

Koto left the door ajar as she entered the office, quickly making her way to the desk. The desktop was covered in papers, organized into small but messy piles. After quickly discovering that most of the files on the table were simple legislature and too complicated and dull to go over in what little time she had, Koto turned to the desk’s drawers.

From every account Koto could make, Teijo’s desk was made of a very fine, dark wood, most likely handcrafted by the best of the Fire Nation and much older than she. The over-the-top finery displayed in his choice of solid gold handle knobs made Koto only distrust the man more. The desk didn’t have too many built-in drawers, most of them holding the same legislature and stationary on the desk, but the third drawer Koto opened sparked her interest.

Instead of paper or ink pens, the drawer held an array of small glass jars that clinked when Koto pulled it open. The jars held small powders of what Koto assumed to be herbs, or crushed up flowers, though she didn’t recognize any of them by scent. On top of the jars lay a small notebook, bound in black leather. Koto was almost afraid to pick it up, but she did anyway.

The page Koto opened up to listed ingredients and numbers, most of which Koto didn’t recognize. Every word was written black ink, scrawled out in neat, delicate handwriting. While it was easy to attribute the characters to Teijo, the content puzzled her. Koto picked up one of the jars- one with a filling of fine blue powder. When she held it up to the light, she noticed a small tag labeling the jar as number thirty two. Koto referred back to the small notebook, finding that the jar labeled the powder as ‘hydrangea petals’.

“Teijo’s an herbalist?” Koto whispered in surprise as she returned the vial to the drawer and returned to the notebook. She wouldn’t have attributed the domestic hobby to someone of Teijo’s standing and personality. Regardless, Koto continued reading. As she flipped through the extensive list of ingredients, her eye caught a name- Nozomi.

Koto traced the Fire Lord’s name with her fingers, hesitant to read on. She did anyway, promising herself it was for the greater good. Teijo had attached a piece of paper cut out from a textbook, detailing the ingredients to a poison. The text described it as ‘slow acting and merciful’. All of Teijo’s handwritten notes had been hastily blacked out with fresh ink, but it didn’t take long for Koto to figure out what was happening.

Teijo was poisoning the Fire Lord. Koto didn’t know any of the details, but she knew enough. She had all the evidence she needed.

“Master Koto! I can’t say I’m not surprised to see you here.” Teijo’s voice startled Koto out of her thoughts, then sent a cold shiver running up her spine. It only took her a few moments to figure out that he was standing in the doorway. He was here, against the odds. He had seen her.

Koto jumped to her feet and held the notebook behind her back. She glanced at the open drawer, then at Teijo. “You…” she stuttered, now holding the notebook infront of her like a threat. There was no point of lying here. “You’re poisoning the Fire Lord!”

Teijo slowly walked across the room, Koto following his every motion until he paused directly opposite her. They were both equal distance from both exits, a position favorable for a duel, and only a duel. “I was wondering when you’d find out about this, with all the snooping you’ve been doing.” Teijo flashed a fake smile.

Koto glanced at the door, then back at Teijo.”Why are you doing this, Teijo?” She demanded. She needed to stall, until someone else came down the hallway. It would take a while, especially since the hall was one of the emptiest in the palace.

Teijo let out a cackling laugh, extending his hands around him as he spoke. “This, all of this... is for the Fire Nation.”

“What?” Koto stuttered. “How could poisoning your nation’s leader possibly be good?”

“Nozomi is weak! She refuses to allow the Fire Nation to return to its former, rightful glory!” Teijo moved forward so that he stood only inches from Koto. “Under my rule, our Nation will prosper once again!”

“You aren’t going to get away with this.” Koto stammered as she slowly made her way to the door, maintaining eye contact with Teijo. His brow furrowed as Koto moved ever closer to the door. He raised his hand in front of him, though Koto couldn’t tell what for.

Koto hovered her hand over the door knob, a moment’s action away from opening it and sprinting down the hall. She knew she could outrun Teijo if she tried, and she held all the evidence she needed. She had the upper hand, but for some reason she hesitated.

In her brief moment of pause, Teijo dashed towards Koto and wrapped his hand around her forearm. Before Koto could react, she felt a burning, searing pain in her skin, digging deeper into her arm by the second. She grasped at Teijo’s hand, trying to remove it from herself to no avail. The pain just kept coming.

“Shut up.” Teijo said through gritted teeth as he opened the door, pulling Koto out into the hall. She stumbled to keep up with him. “You will do as I say, or the consequences will be far worse.”

Koto couldn’t respond through the pain, the heat more present in her senses than her sight. She kept blinking away the tears that formed in her eyes.

Teijo smiled. “Good. Follow me.” He strutted down the hall, dragging Koto behind him and not dulling the heat pressure on her arm for even a moment.

“Wh-what are you doing?” Koto heaved, managing to summon enough energy to speak. “Why are you trying to- to outlaw-”

“Shut up.” Teijo replied as they walked, not bothering to turn and make eye contact with Koto. “We’re in public.”

Teijo walked with a set determination as he made his way through the hallway, not impeded in the slightest by the person he was dragging or the stares he got from the palace staff.

“You can’t- ignore your people like-” Koto stammered before another searing sensation silenced her. Teijo had intensified the heat applied to her arm. Koto grit her teeth and closed her eyes as Teijo dragged her down the hall, wanting nothing more than to disappear.

Koto barely caught herself enough to not fall after Teijo threw her into her guest room. He stood in the doorway, his pointed shoulder pads taking up enough of the doorway to prevent any chance of escape. As Koto cradled her wounded arm in her hand, Teijo entered the room and closed the heavy wooden door behind him.

“You know nothing about the Fire Nation!” Teijo shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Koto. “You don’t understand how complicated this situation is! I’m doing what’s right!”

“You’re going to put hundreds of lives at risk!” Koto retorted, only barely managing to summon enough strength to do so. “Your people will suffer from this! People who are part of the Fire Nation! You’re going to tear apart families!”

Teijo laughed haughtily, a piercing sound that Koto was starting to despise. “Koto, you of all people should know that the Four Nations are supposed to be just that- four! The elements are supposed to stay separate, which means no waterbenders, or earthbenders- or airbenders- in the Fire Nation! It’s simple math, above anything else!”

“Things have changed, Teijo!” Koto pleaded, aware of the tears now streaming down her face, though she didn’t know what pain they were caused by. “You’ll have to learn to live in the modern age.”

“That’s ironic, coming from you.” Teijo smiled. He was mocking her. “Seeing as you're an airbender, who, while originally hailing from the Fire Nation, left your home to” He pretended to gasp- “Join the Air Nation to be with benders like yourself!”

“It’s not like that.” Koto hissed, still clutching her arm. Despite being roughly the same height as Teijo, she bent over in pain, putting her in a position of forced submission.

Teijo took a moment to stare at her, taking in the pain he had inflicted before spinning on his heels and leaving the room. As soon as the door closed, Koto ran up to it to open it, but she was too late. The door was already locked shut.

Koto fell to the ground in defeat. If she hadn’t been injured, she could’ve probably glided out to safety, but for now she only had one good arm and one good option. She had to call her team. Koto stood up and stumbled to her satchel bag. It was hard to dig around her bag with only one arm, but she eventually found what she was looking for- the small portable radio Chief Saila had given her before her departure. Jae was given a matching one, and they were both told of the radios only purpose- they were supposed to call each other when- not if- Koto got found out. It seemed like the time had finally come.

“Come on, come on…” Koto muttered as she waited for Jae to pick up, not receiving any answer. “Come on….”

The sound of conversation outside her door startled Koto from her thoughts. She heard Haneul’s voice, but she couldn’t discern what she was saying. Koto put down the radio and hid it underneath her pillow before the door opened and Hanuel walked in. Koto caught a brief glance of the guards stationed outside her door before the door fully closed again.

“Koto, what’s going on?” Hanuel asked, her voice wary. “They said that you’ve been arrested, what did you do?”

Koto took a breath to steady herself. “Hanuel, this is going to sound really, really bad, but I need you to believe me.”

Hanuel cast a glance at the door behind her.

“Please.” Koto pleaded, emphasizing her words with motions as much as she could.

Hanule nodded. “Ok. I believe you.”

“I think…” Koto stated, “I know that Teijo is poisoning the Fire Lord. I think he might be trying to stage a coup.”

“What?!” Hanuel’s voice rose. “How do you- You’re lying!”

“I have proof! Please, believe me!” Koto pleaded, wincing when she put too much strain on her injured arm.

Hanuel stepped back. “Koto… why are you acting like this?”

Koto blinked, too weary to make any real response. “What?”

“You’ve been acting weird…” Hanuel continued. “At first I wanted to believe it was just because we hadn’t spent much time together lately, but it’s been getting weirder. It feels like you’re keeping something from me.”

Koto couldn’t respond. She stared at the floor, not even bothering to look up when she heard Hanuel start to cry.

“Koto, please!” Hanuel begged. “Just tell me the truth!” When she was met by silence once again, Hanuel left the room. The door locked behind her.

Koto fell to her knees and wept. She could do nothing but cry.

the incursion

Hang glanced up from her banjo just in time to see the crack of lightning splintering across the sky. In just a few days, the slight drizzle over the Fire Nation capital had become a raging thunderstorm, the likes of which Hang hadn’t seen since she was a child. She had to remind herself that they were safe as long as they stayed inside their luxurious hotel room.

Haruko hadn’t left the window ever since the thunder started, entranced by it. While the floor-to-ceiling window offered a picturesque, almost dramatic view of the city, Hang doubted that was why Haruko sat by it. “Cool thunderstorm, huh?” She asked, setting aside her banjo to stare at the pane of glass.

“Yeah…” Haruko mumbled, putting her hand to the window before flinching at the sound of thunder.

“You don’t get a lot of these ragers out in Si Wong…” Hang sighed. “Reminds me of the swamp, almost. Out there you could feel the lightning in the air in a good summer storm.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a lightning storm before…” Haruko put her hand to the glass, as if it was the only thing preventing her from reaching out into the storm. “At least not one with rain. We got dry thunder all the time out in the real desert.”

Despite her want to know more about the sandbender’s past, Hang resisted asking any further questions. “Figures. It is a desert.” She hesitated. “You scared of it?”

“Hah. No.” Haruko scoffed, then flinched again as another bolt of lightning cracked across the sky. “I take that back, apparently. It’s not really that I’m scared, though. It’s just unsettling... It’s familiar, almost. In a bad way.”

Hang leaned back on the luxury, black leather couch she had been sitting on. “Sounds like another weird Avatar thing to me.”

Haruko hesitated to respond, keeping her hand on the glass. “Maybe. What about you?”

“Nah, I’m not scared of a little rain.” Hang smirked. “Just more water. I’m ‘in my element’.”

Haruko groaned. “Wow. Good one.”

Hang was about to respond when the door opened on the other side of the hotel room and a drenched pair of teenage boys walked in, each carrying soaked paper bags.

“We got the groceries.” Aazir huffed as he dumped his bag on the coffee table in front of Hang. “Canned soup, canned beans, canned rice.”

“Canned rice? That’s disgusting!” Tala scoffed as they walked over to inspect the bags, having been awoken from their nap. They had said earlier that they were going to sleep off the rain, but apparently criticizing Jae’s choice of groceries took priority.

“All the stores were out of regular rice.” Jae remarked as he put down his own bag, full of similar canned goods. “It’s either canned rice or no rice at all.”

“I think I would’ve preferred no rice.” Hang deadpanned then smiled when Jae glared at her. “I’m just messin’ with ya. We’ll be able to make it work.”

Haruko looked like she was about to respond when she was interrupted by a sharp, metallic noise. It didn’t take long for Hang to discern where it was coming from, in part due to Jae’s quick reaction.

“That’s the emergency radio.” The boy stated as he spun around to grab the clunky device and set it on the table, knocking the pile of cans to the floor.

Haruko leapt to her feet and hovered over Jae. “Is it Koto? Is she in trouble?”

“Hold on, I have to get her online.” Jae snapped as he frantically turned the dials on the radio. Of all five of them, he had been the only one willing to learn how the radio worked and was placed in charge of operating it. It seemed that, despite his inexperience with it, Jae knew what he was doing with the radio. In only moments, Koto’s voice came crackling over the radio.

“Hello? Is anyone there? Hello?” The airbender seemed weaker, though Hang couldn’t pinpoint why. Maybe it was the strain in her voice.

“Koto!” Haruko leapt forward, taking the receiver from a disgruntled Jae. “What happened? Are you alright?”

“I was found out by Teijo. He burnt me and I can’t make an escape, I need some of you to come help me so we can get to Cloud and get out of here.” Koto replied.

“I’ll go. I can heal you up there.” Hang volunteered, speaking loud enough so that she could be sure Koto could hear her. While she wasn’t the best healer in the world, it sounded like Koto needed all the help she could get.

“I’ll come too.” Haruko stated, glancing at Hang with a fierce, recognizable determination.

It took Koto a moment to respond. “Alright- I’m on the west wing on the fifth floor of the palace, try to get there. Once you’re here-”

A loud knock sounded at the door, followed by another, then another, then another. “I think we’ve been found.” Tala near-shouted as they dragged the dining table over to block the door.

“It’s Teijo!” Koto cursed, her voice cracking over the radio as it peaked. “He’s tracking the call- I have to leave now. Good luck.”

“Wait-” Haruko exclaimed, but Koto had already hung up. She turned to Jae and her brother, assuming a role of power she only ever did when things went south. “You- call the South Pole and tell them what’s going on. Aazir, you help Tala fight off whoever's behind that doorway.”

A look of worry flashed across Aazir’s face. “But-”

“Don’t.” Haruko’s gaze intensified as she turned to Hang, moving slowly, as if she was made of stone itself. The set determination in her voice nearly scared Hang stiff. It was then she noticed the flickering white glow behind the girl’s eyes and over her tattoos. “You’re coming with me. Can you get us out of here?”

Hang hesitated, glancing out the window at the storming abyss beyond. Theoretically, she could carry the two of them across in a water stream, using the rain to her advantage. It was far from the safest viable option, but it definitely was the quickest. “Yeah, but-”

“Good. Get ready.” Haruko interrupted, quickly lowering herself into a bending stance reminiscent of Koto’s airbending. In an outward, powerful thrust, Haruko created a gust of wind that completely blew out the glass panes, letting the rain and the scent of ozone into the room. By the time she stood up straight, Haruko’s eyes bled a brilliant white light- the unmistakable sign of the Avatar State.

After a brief moment of pause, Haruko turned to Hang, extending her arm. “Let’s go.” She stated- she demanded- her voice echoing upon itself tenfold. Hang almost hesitated before taking Haruko’s hand in her own.

Hang nodded, and led the two of them forward, holding Haruko with one hand and bending a steady stream of water as she carried them across the clouds.

Haruko tried not to consider the overwhelming terror that crept into her head as she held onto the back of Hang’s cloak, the two of them streaming the clouds thanks to the efforts of their combined waterbending skill. It was terrifying, both because Haruko still didn’t trust her skill in the element and because of what awaited them. For better or worse, Haruko had left the Avatar State moments after they took flight, leaving her alone but able to focus without the constant ringing in her ears.

The heavy rain beat down on the back of Haruko’s head, covering her face in what felt like cold tears. She had to tilt her head down to keep the water from getting into her eyes, but that only reminded her of how high up they were. The light of the city seemed to sparkle in Haruko’s blurred vision. She instinctively tightened her grip around Hang’s belt.

“You ok?” Hang shouted, her voice a whisper suppressed by the wind.

Haruko nodded, then realized Hang couldn’t see her. “Yeah!” She yelled back. “Just a little wet!”

Hang didn’t reply for a moment though her body shook in the motion of a laugh. “We’re almost to the palace, hold on!”

Only moments later, Hang directed the water stream keeping them aloft downwards, slowly enough to catch their fall but quicker than the pace they had been going at before. Haruko’s heart raced as they descended, and nearly stopped when she made contact with the fifth-floor balcony Hang had dropped them on. Even in the few minutes it had taken them to arrive, Haruko felt as if she had forgotten the feeling of the ground beneath her feet. Solid ground was a gift from the spirits of the earth. They had come almost completely unnoticed, the palace guards too preoccupied by the storm to notice.

Haruko took a moment to catch her breath, realizing just how drenched she was. She turned to Hang, the waterbender surveying the palace yard they overlooked. “We’re in the right place?”

Hang shrugged. “As far as I can tell. We’re at least on the right floor.” She glanced at the door. “You ready?”

Haruko nodded, punching the door inward with a gust of self-generated wind. Airbending, like water, was still overwhelmingly foreign to her, but she was getting used to it.

To Haruko’s surprise and joy, luck was on their side. The room they had burst into was sparsely decorated, and seemed to be a bedroom of sorts. Standing next to the door was none other than Koto. Against all odds, it was Koto.

Koto looked worse for wear, cradling an injured arm wrapped in a makeshift bandage, but Haruko couldn’t have been happier to see her in the state she was in. She was a lamp in the dark, diluted by the rain but still lit. Haruko ran from the balcony and embraced the airbender in a hug, being careful of the other girl’s injury. “You’re ok!”

“You’re here!” Koto put her good hand on Haruko’s head, relief lacing her voice. “I can’t believe you got here so fast.”

“We managed.” Hang smiled, walking into the room as she wrung out the water from her braided hair. “You want me to check out that wound for you?

Haruko reluctantly broke from the hug to face both her companions at once, letting Hang inspect the wound over Koto’s arm. The airbender shook her head. “No, not right now. I can manage without it. Right now, we need to-”

Before Koto could finish her sentence, the interior door opened, letting in a platoon of what Haruko assumed to be Fire Nation royal guards- wearing sanguine armor and headpieces. The guards filed around the room and assumed bending stances, surrounding the three girls. A man walked into the room, clapping cheerfully as he did. His shadow and presence loomed over the room as he laughed. They had fallen right into a trap.

“Well, Master Koto.” Teijo Tanaka smiled wryly. “It seems you’ve invited some friends over!”

the run

Haruko kept glancing around the room, desperately trying not to panic. They were surrounded by guards on all sides, with no way out but the way they came. She moved so that she was protecting both Koto and Hang from getting hit from the back, and noticed her companions were both doing the same.

“Any ideas?” Hang whispered as they waited for the inevitable attack.

Koto shook her head. “I can’t bend, at least not well.” She turned to Haruko in a panic.

“I think I’ve got something.” Haruko assumed a bending stance, keeping her palms open. There wasn’t much exposed earth in reach, leaving her with only her non-native elements. She couldn’t effectively use both without exposing herself to the entire Fire Nation, so she chose the one she was better at. The guards facing her recognized her motion, at least in some sense, and straightened their own postures, but Haruko didn’t give them a chance to blast any fire her way before she knocked them over with a spiraling windstorm, contained almost entirely within the room.

In the moment it took for the guards to recover from the sudden, intense wind, Hang drew the rainwater from the still-open doorway and thrust it at the guards closer to her, freezing three or four of them in cold, crystalline, ice.

“Seize them!” Teijo shouted. Haruko spun around to face him and reflexively pushed him out into the hall with a gust of wind, her airbending as natural to her as her native element. As the guards recovered from the event, Haruko took Koto’s hand in her own and dashed into the hallway, Hang following close behind.

“Where are we headed?” Hang asked as she froze the doorway shut behind them.

Koto put her hand to her temple. “The- the stables. We need to get to Cloud.”

“And where is that?” Haruko said as she led the way through a palace she didn’t know the layout of. As another guard approached them, she blasted him back with a gust of wind strong enough that it knocked over a few art displays in the hall.

“Downstairs. Near the palace entrance.” Koto hurriedly replied, directing Haruko through a corridor. “We have to get to the stairs. They should be down this hall”

“Guys? We’ve got trouble!” Hang shouted as she trailed behind the group. Haruko spun around to see Teijo, fully recovered and trailing them. His hair had come almost completely undone.

“I don’t want to have to do this, Koto!” He shouted before sending a glowing inferno of white- almost blue- fire down the hallway. Haruko barely managed to bring herself and Koto down to avoid getting burnt. Teijo’s flame lit the wooden wall and floor aflame, smoke slowly filling the small space. Haruko had to keep reminding herself where she was.

Once Teijo’s fire blast had surpassed them, Koto leapt to her feet and helped Haruko up, leading both her and Haruko down a stairwell away from the fire. Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, Haruko spun around to lock eyes with Hanuel Beifong.

Hanuel stepped back in surprise. “Who are you- wait- Koto?”

Koto put her hand into Haruko’s and gestured in what direction they needed to go. “Sorry, we’re a bit busy right now.” Haruko replied as they ran, sending another gust of wind down the hall.

“You’re an airbender?” Hanuel asked, grabbing Haruko by the shoulder. Haruko stopped long enough for Hang to push Hanuel away.

“Let’s keep it moving!” Hang shouted as she ushered Haruko and Koto further down the hallway.

Haruko spared a glance back to see Hanuel standing up and running towards them. She stood in front of them with her arms extended, stopping them from going down the hallway.

“Can someone tell me what’s going on?!” She cried, nothing but desperation in her voice.

Haruko brushed past Hanuel without giving her a second glance, holding on to Koto’s arm. “We really have to go.” She turned to Koto. “Where to next?”

Koto stammered. “I- I don’t know-”

Haruko turned back to Hanuel. “Hey you, do you know where the stables are?”

“The stables?” Hanuel’s voice faltered as she reluctantly approached Haruko. “I think they’re on the lower floors, near the palace entrance. Why-”

“Can you get us there?” Haruko asked, putting all her effort into sounding as pleading, as desperate as possible.

Hanuel reluctantly nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I can. If it’ll help Koto, I will.”

“Thanks, kid.” Hang briefly put her hand on Hanuel’s shoulder. “Means a lot.”

A look of fear darted across Hanuel’s face. She nodded again, then walked down the hallway. “This way.”

Every thought in Haruko’s mind was interrupted by the steady, foreboding sound of metallic boots on the wooden floor, walking at a slow, almost methodical pace.

“I suppose it’s a day of betrayals all around.” Teijo clapped as he walked. “Is there anyone else I should worry about backstabbing me?”

“I’m not a traitor!” Hanuel wept. Haruko had to put her hand on the girl’s shoulder and guide her further down the hallway to keep her from breaking down.

“The stables, Hanuel. We have to get to the stables.” Haruko reminded her, keeping her voice soft and low.

Before Hanuel could respond, they were both forced to duck down to avoid another blast of flames the color of ice. Even after the blast had subsided, the flame danced across the ground, consuming the fine rug beneath their feet. Hanuel jumped to her feet, helping both Koto and Haruko escape the flames. “You’re airbenders, right?”

Haruko hastily nodded. “Yeah, sure. Why?”

Hanuel gestured to the window on the far side of the hall. “You think you can survive that height?”

Haruko nodded, following Hanuel’s line of logic. “Alright. I think so. What about Hang?” She glanced at the waterbender, who was maneuvering through the flames.

“I should be fine. I think.” Hang replied as she approached Haruko. “Lot’s of rainwater to work with.”

Haruko nodded and was going to make a verbal response when she was interrupted by another blast of fire sent by Teijo. It danced across the sky for a brief moment until it was intercepted by Hang’s water whip.

“That’s the last of my water.” Hang said as she backed up, slowly starting to run.

“Not much of a problem anymore!” Koto replied as the four of them reached the window. With Hanuel’s help, she opened the window to expose the hallway to the elements, or more specifically, the rain.

Haruko gave Hanuel an approving, thankful nod as she climbed into the window frame, taking Koto’s hand into her own. “Thanks. I mean it.”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ll do anything I can to help.” Hanuel replied, stepping back to let Hang reach the window.

Haruko exchanged a glance with her friends as she prepared to jump. “You ready?”

Koto nodded, then spared a single glance back at Teijo. “Yep. Let’s go.”

Moments after Haruko leapt off the windowsill with Koto in her arms, she heard Hang shriek in pain, then surprise. She barely had time to look back and see Teijo restraining the girl and dragging her away from the window.

Haruko barely managed to cusion her fall before falling face-first onto the wet grass of the palace yard. Even still, she nearly collapsed upon reaching the ground.

Koto helped Haruko stand up and guided her across the yard. Haruko could barely see through the rainwater in her eyes, but she trusted in Koto’s guidance. “H- Hang!”

“I know.” Koto shouted over the rain. “There’s nothing we can do now! We have to leave!”

“Anyone coming in? This is team- hey, Aazir, do you know if we have a name?” Jae looked up from the radio.

“Kinda busy here!” Aazir replied as he and Tala shoved a couch onto the mountain of furniture in front of their hotel door. Somehow, they had avoided conflict entirely by simply preventing the law enforcement from entering their room.

“I kinda feel bad for the hotel staff…” Tala dusted their hands off on their pants as they looked at the blockade.

“It’s for our survival.” Aazir shrugged. “And like, the greater good.”

Tala couldn’t reply before being interrupted by a low, rumbling roar. “What was that?” The firebender asked.

“It’s a sky bison!” Aazir smiled, rushing to the still-open window just in time to see Cloud hovering in front of the window. Pasha perked up at the sight of Haruko, who sat in the saddle. His sister held her knees close to her body and was drenched in rainwater.

“Get on!” Koto shouted over the sound of the rain. Aazir nodded and- despite his fear of heights- climbed onto Cloud’s saddle and watched as Tala and Jae did the same. It was only when they were all sitting in a circle that he noticed someone was missing.

“Where’s Hang?” Aazir had meant to whisper the question, but he could barely hear himself even when shouting.

Haruko waited until Koto had started flying away from the hotel tower to respond. “She was captured.”

The air seemed to still around them as the truth set in.

“Oh.” Tala replied. “What now?”

Haruko buried her head in her hands. Her shoulders started to shake even when Aazir put his hand on her. “I don’t know.”

healing

The first thing Haruko did upon arriving in the South Pole was rest. As one of the most injured from the raid, she was permitted to do so while the others did their best to explain what had happened. Haruko had gotten healed up, showered, and fallen asleep within hours of her arrival.

After what must’ve been a few days of rest, Haruko woke. She hadn’t paid much attention to her surroundings upon arrival, having prioritized getting warm and getting to sleep, but now she could take in the room. It was small, and well furnished, with a city- facing window and a single bed, the same guest room she had been staying in before leaving for the Fire Nation. Her clothes had been almost frozen to her when she had arrived, and Chau had to help her remove them without injuring herself. Moments after getting settled in the warm blue robe she now wore, Haruko had passed out on her bed and drifted into a thankfully dreamless sleep.

As Haruko stood up, she stretched. It had been a while since she had slept so long- during the time they spent in the Fire Nation, they had gone to bed late and left early to maximize available travel time, a practice encouraged mostly by Hang.

The absence of Haruko’s friend stung more than she expected. A wash of grief ran over her as she stood in her room, staring at the floor. Hang was gone- they had no idea if she was alright or even if she was still alive. It took all Haruko’s willpower not to cry, but to stand up, get dressed and leave her bedroom.

Jae was in the hallway, waiting for her. “Morning.”

“Good morning.” Haruko replied. It took her a moment to orient herself in the hall, but she eventually set out in the direction of the living room. Jae followed.

“You were out for a few days.” He commented as they walked down the hallway. “Two to be exact. How do you feel?”

Haruko sighed. “To be honest, I still feel terrible.”

Jae stifled a laugh. “Well, at least you look better.”

“How’s everyone else?”

“Eh, we’ve all been better. Koto’s arm is almost completely fixed now, which is good.”
Haruko shuddered thinking about the burn across the airbender’s arm. The pain had prevented her from moving. “That’s good.”

Jae nodded. “Yeah... it is.” He hesitated before the closed door, behind which their friends and hosts certainly sat waiting. “We told Saila everything we knew, but you might have to provide more details.”

“Alright.” Haruko was expecting the situation- she had been there. Whatever account her friends could make, it would fall short of the firsthand account she had witnessed. She opened the door. “Let’s go.”

An air of tension hung in the living room as Jae and Haruko entered it. As far as she could tell, they were the last people to enter the room. Saila’s children were nowhere to be found, but she sat with her husband and mother on one of the couches, her head in her hands. Opposite her sat Chau and Koto, talking quietly amongst themselves. Aazir sat curled up on a leather armchair opposite the doorway. Pasha rested on his shoulders but perked up at the sight of Haruko. Behind Aazir, Tala frantically paced the room, possibly causing the room to grow hotter with their stress. Despite the warmness of the room’s decor- oil lamps lit the small space and furs hung on the wall in the traditional Water Tribe style- the air was still and silent, save for hushed murmurs and the shuffle of cloth. It was as if a spell had been cast over the room.

“Good morning, Haruko.” Koto greeted as Haruko sat next to her. A fresh bandage had been wrapped over the girl’s arm, hiding her wound. “Did you sleep well?”

Haruko nodded. “Yeah, I think so. You?”

Koto flexed her injured hand as a demonstration, her movement stilted but a visible improvement to when Haruko had last seen her. “Yeah. Waterbending’s worked miracles before. Kopak says I’ll make a full recovery in a few weeks.” She gave the man an affirming nod from across the room.

After a still, silent moment, Saila gathered herself and cleared her throat, catching the room’s attention. “I’d like to thank you all for coming here.” She spoke awkwardly, her tone more appropriate for a press conference than whatever this was. The Chief flashed a forced smile in efforts to reassure the small crowd. “And I’m glad that you are all safe and well.”

A warm hand touched Haruko gently on the shoulder. “Please,” Chau near-whispered, leaning across Koto. The desperation in her voice was familiar- she sounded just like Hang. “Where is my daughter?”

Haruko struggled to think of a response- she struggled to even make eye contact with Chau, the mother whose daughter she had lost. “I- I don’t- I’m sorry-”

“As far as we know, Hang was taken prisoner by the Fire Nation. Haruko, is that correct?” Asami asked. It was clear she was trying to ease the topic of conversation by changing it. Somehow, out of wisdom or age, her voice remained calm.

Haruko nodded. “As far as we know. The last we saw of her-“

“She’s not a prisoner, she’s a hostage.” Tala stopped their pacing to scoff and stare at the floor.

Saila cleared her throat. “According to the law, she’s being rightfully held captive as a foreign criminal.”

Tala scoffed again and pointed an accusing finger at Saila but only stuttered in response.

“I think we’re all forgetting that the person currently in charge of Fire Nation law is being poisoned?!” Koto exclaimed, leaning forward for emphasis. She winced at her injury but kept speaking. “We have to do something!”

“We can’t do anything!” Saila pressed her hand to her temple as she collapsed back onto her seat. Kopak put his hand on her shoulder in a motion of support.

“We have to do something.” Koto demanded, jumping to her feet. “We can’t just let the Fire Lord die!”

“I’m with Koto on this one.” Jae added. “We were in the Fire Nation to find out what Tanaka was up to, and we did. We should act on what we found and not let the last few months of work go to a waste.”

Saila sighed in defeat. “Teijo’s a terrible person, clearly, but it’s not like we can- he’s the crown prince!”

“We have all the evidence!” Koto replied, digging around her pockets for a moment before producing a small, leather-bound notebook. “We have it right here!”

Koto must’ve already told the others what the contents of the book were, because the revelation of it silenced the small crowd for a moment. Saila stood up and put her hand on Koto’s shoulder. “Koto, I believe you. But the world right now operates on a very delicate system of truths supported by each nation. If the Fire Nation falls, the rest of the nations will follow.”
Tala, Aazir, Jae and Chau all shot Haruko worried glances, nearly simultaneously, at Saila’s words- a message communicated in looks alone. If the balance between the nations was really that delicate, nothing would ruin it more than the true identity of the Avatar being revealed. And it was all her fault.

“I know.” Koto said. Haruko had almost forgotten where they were and what they were initially talking about. “We have to do something.”

Saila hesitated. “I know we do. It’ll just take time to come up with an actual plan instead of just flying in blind. That’s how we got in this mess in the first place.”

Koto nodded and took Saila’s hand off her shoulder. “Alright. I understand.” She turned to Haruko. “Come on. I need your help brushing Cloud.”

Koto led Haruko through the Southern Water Tribe palace by the forearm. She led her to a part of the building Haruko had never been to with a fierce determination- one that could only mean there was something on her mind.

They ended up in a small enclave of the palace stables- a warmer part of the building despite being closer to the outside. The room was full of animals and lit by lamplight, most of the space being used to hold Koto’s sky bison, Cloud.

Haruko hadn’t seen the bison in a while, but Cloud apparently remembered her as she was greeted with a gentle shove.

“She likes you.” Koto laughed, helping Haruko stand up and handing her a large fur brush. “Come on, let’s get to work.”

After Koto had shown her the basics of bison grooming, Haruko quickly fell into a rhythm of work. The menial, repetitive task made it easy to forget what had been troubling her and fall into a sway of motion. The softness of Cloud’s fur only helped.

“Who’s a good girl, who’s a big soft baby girl?” Koto cooed as she scratched Cloud behind the ears. “Who’s the softest baby girl in the world?”

Haruko took a moment to smile at her friend, thankful for a brief moment of peace between them. In the time they had spent together, they hadn’t had much time to relax with one another. There was still so much she wanted to know about Koto.

“So...” Koto cleared her throat and turned to Haruko. The tone of her voice deepened. “What do you think about all of this?”

Haruko hesitated to respond, slowly taking in their conversation’s shift in tone. “I don’t really know. I’m worried about Hang.”

Koto hummed in response. “I am too, but.... I can’t help but feel like Saila is right. We shouldn’t rush into this. It’s what got us in trouble in the first place. We weren’t thinking and we fell headfirst into a trap.”

“We have to do something, or else the world will fall apart. We can’t let Teijo get away with this sort of thing.” Haruko scoffed.

“That’s the exact reason we can’t do anything yet- everything will fall apart. The world’s top delicate right now.” Koto paused. “That’s why I don’t want to tell anyone about... you know... yet. It would ruin everything.” The way she referred to Haruko’s Avatarhood made it seem more like a curse than the blessing it was apparently supposed to be.

“I know.” Haruko stared at her feet. “It would ruin everything.”

“It would ruin you.” Koto replied simply. She couldn’t elaborate on the statement before the stable door opened and Tala walked in.

“You’ll never guess who’s here.” The firebender gave a sarcastic, dry smile as they leaned on the doorway.

“Oh no.” Koto put a hand to her forehead as she dropped her brush, slightly disturbing Cloud, who roared in complaint. “Don’t tell me it’s Teijo.”

“It’s Teijo.” Tala replied half heartedly and shrugged. “He’s brought a whole entourage with him, including Hanuel.”

“What does he want here?” Haruko asked in disbelief. There weren't any ties to lead Teijo to the South Pole, unless he was better at detective work than she knew.

Tala shrugged. “Honestly, I have half the nerve to go up to him and demand an Agni Kai. Would probably settle this matter.”

“Don’t- don’t do that.” Koto stuttered. “I can’t stress how bad of an idea that is.”

“Worth a shot.” Tala gave a half smile. “Anyways, Saila kicked us all out from the main palace area since we’re wanted fugitives and all. Wanna go spy on their meeting with me?”

“Sure.” Haruko shrugged, ignoring Koto’s look of disgruntled disappointment. “Let’s go.”

The meeting took place in the living room, most likely due to how unexpected it was. Even from Haruko’s obscured vantage point in the hallway, she could tell how disgusted Teijo was with the circumstance.

During their fight and even during their brief meeting before, Haruko never had the chance to watch Teijo, especially not while he was at ease. Here, he seemed almost comfortable in his position, save for the disgusted glares he gave the decor.

“I hope you like ginseng tea, it’s all we had prepared on such a short notice.” Saila said as she set down a metallic tray, the nuances in her voice and the syllables she stressed gave away just how uncomfortable she, too, was with the situation. While Haruko couldn’t see the Chief, she could hear her clearly. Her voice was laced with passive aggressiveness as she taunted the future leader of the Fire Nation. From what Haruko could tell, she had chosen to greet the guests alone.

“It’s perfect.” Teijo replied hastily, then turned to his companions. Neither Hanuel or his sister- the only two people who had accompanied him- had spoken yet. Teijo clapped his hands in front of him. “First things first, let’s get to business.”

Saila sat down. “Let’s. You still haven’t explained why you’re here.”

“I thought the reason was clear.” Teijo put his hands together in a gesture of innocence. “You’re harboring criminals that tried to assassinate me.”

So that was the lie he was going with. Haruko bent closer to the wall to hear better but was ultimately stopped by Tala’s hand on her shoulder.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Saila replied, her voice admirably calm.
Teijo scoffed and imitated what Saila said, albeit under his breath. “You know what I’m talking about. You’ve been harboring them all along!”

“Say their names, then.” Saila responded, her words like ice in contrast to the inferno that was Teijo’s mounting rage. “Who is it that you’re looking for?”

Teijo nearly jumped out of his seat, but stopped himself. He turned to his left, where Hanuel was seated just out of Haruko’s field of view. After a frantic moment, he extended his hands in a mockery of warmth. “Saila, you know I can’t let you lie to me about this. It’s for the safety of both our nations.”

“I’m not lying. You’ve barely told me anything. I didn’t even know there was an attempt on your life. My condolences, might I add.”

Teijo took a breath to try and steady himself. “The Fire Lord will hear of this.”

“I’m sure she will.”

“Chief Saila, are you sure this is the path you want to go down?” Teijo became an actor as he moved, his words and movements a stage play. “There is only one ending in sight, and I don’t believe your little Water Tribe militia would fare well against the Fire Navy. We all know how it went last time our nations feuded.”

“Leave.” Saila stood up, rattling the tea tray still on the table, untouched since its arrival. “Go back to your homeland.”

Teijo smiled. “You’re scared of us.”

“Know your place, Tanaka, and rid yourself from my sight.”

“It’s not worth it, Teijo.” Jitsuko whispered, just loud enough that Haruko could hear her. “We should go home.”
“
Alright. Alright!” Teijo looked like he was about to laugh as he stood up. “It’s been nice speaking to you, Chief Saila. I look forward to seeing you again soon.”

As Teijo and his party filed out the other door, Haruko turned to Tala, only to see her own look of fear mirrored on their face.

interlude: wilt

Hang couldn’t figure out what was worse- watching her friends disappear into the storm without her, or the scathing burn of Teijo’s arm across hers. She didn’t have to take in the former for too long, thanks only to her captor restraining her and pulling her away from the window.

His skin was iron hot against hers- this had to be what he had done to incapacitate Koto. Hang couldn’t feel her fingers, only the pain across her forearms. She succumbed to her knees but was lifted up by Teijo.

Through her tear- and rain-blurred vision, Hang could make out the silhouettes of two palace guards approaching them, though she couldn’t distinguish their faces to see if they were the ones Haruko had knocked over before she fled out the window.

“Get this out of my sight.” Teijo snarled, tossing Hang towards the guards. Moments after she caught herself, the two men restrained her, tying her hands behind her back. She stared at the ground and bit her lip- even though Teijo was no longer actively burning her, the pain still stung, especially as the metal bindings the guards cuffed her with abraised her now-burnt skin.

“Alright.” The first guard stated, his companion echoing him. “Should I take her to the-“

“Take her to the southern prison.” Teijo stated, adjusting the way his robes draped over his body, trying to cover up any evidence of the fight. “And find someone to clean up this mess.”

The guards didn’t let Hang shower to clean off the dirt and blood on her body. She figured it was a necessary precaution on their part, given she was a waterbender, but the way they told it to her made her feel like they were doing it just to make her more miserable.

They took away her belongings- her shoes, her hair ribbons, her belt and waterskin, the jewelry her mother had given her and the pendants she had carved herself. Hang was grateful she had left her bag and banjo in the hotel room with the others, she didn’t want to think about what they’d do to the last memories of her father.

Once she was in nothing but her borrowed, drenched crimson tunic, one of the guards thrust a wad of cloth at her. “Change.”

It took a moment for Hang to realize that the mess of coarse fabric she was holding was actually an outfit- a simple shirt and pants both made of a dry, red material. It felt like a grain sack more than anything fit to wear. “H-here?” She stuttered. There were about seven or eight guards stationed around the room, staring at her.

“Yes. Get changed.” The guard demanded, her hand going to the sword on her hip in a show of strength more than anything. “Don’t make this more difficult than it has to be.”

Hang nodded and swallowed her pride. If she closed her eyes, maybe she could forget about it.

On Hang’s seventeenth birthday, she slept underneath the stars- or rather, underneath the dense layer of smog in between Jing Zi’s streets and the stars. It had been a whole year since she had been kicked out of her foster home, and despite not yet being a legal adult for one more year, Mr. Sang’s lawyers cared so little about her well-being he was able to convince the court to let her go freely into the world as an adult. As if there was anywhere for her to go.

Hang couldn’t sleep outside. The desert air was too cool at night for her simple tunic. She couldn’t tell what time of night it was, though it was probably well past midnight. As Hang picked herself up from the gravely alleyway she had tried to sleep in, her eyes were drawn to the sky above.

Shrouded by thin desert clouds, the moon above was full, piercing the blanket of night and taunting Hang with the promise of power. When she had been a child- before now but after the death of her father- she had always hated looking at the moon and it’s constant reminder of who she really was.

Hang hated her element and all the shame it brought to her. Everything bad that had happened to her happened because she was a waterbender.But whether she liked it or not, water was all she had left. The only part of her that they weren’t able to take away was her bending. It was the only thing that was truly hers.

Hang closed her eyes and gathered her belongings. If she couldn’t sleep here, under the light of the moon and the reminder of her ancestors, there wasn’t any point in staying.

After Hang had changed clothes, the guards took hold of her once again, restraining her arms behind her. She couldn’t move if she tried, the pain of her burn wounds still too sharp and intense to bear.

One of the guards walked to the center of the group as the rest filed into formation around Hang. The woman at the front wore a golden crest on her headband. Hang wondered if that meant she was in charge.

The guard captain briefly departed from the room, only to return moments later with a clipboard in hand. “State your name, age and element.” She demanded.

“Hang. Hang Thao.” Hang replied, struggling to even say her name. The guards didn’t deserve it. “I’m nineteen. And I’m a waterbender.” The first part was close to a lie. Her birthday was coming up, wasn’t it? Sooner or later, she would have been in this world for twenty years- two whole decades and nothing good made of them.

The guard captain copied down what information Hang had given her, then snickered and whispered something to her teammates. The guard laughed back. Hang didn’t catch what had been said, but she got the feeling she wouldn’t like it.

“She’s in cell block thirty-three,” the guard captain read out to her squad. “Near the dehydrator, of course. Let’s get her there.”

The guards surrounding Hang gave murmured affirmations and started walking out of the room, leading Hang with them. She could only stare at her bare feet as they walked, noticing the tan lines from her sandales and the freckles from exposure to the sun. As they shuffled through the prison compound, the floor they walked on transformed from gray concrete chilled by winter to a metal grate over a pit of fire. The air around them grew hotter and drier- much drier. Hang only dared to lift her head when she noticed the guards around her were shuffling backwards. She was immediately confronted with the sight of a cell in front of her, suspended above a fire pit. As she gazed upward, she took note of the mechanism that would move the cell to be further from the walkway they stood on and more centered above the fire. There wasn’t any water in sight- Hang could already feel the walls of her throat closing.

“Get in.” The guard captain stood closest to the cell and gestured for Hang to enter it. Not given any other option, Hang complied.

The cell was too small for someone of Hang’s stature- it was too small for anyone. From what she could tell, the box was a four-foot by four-foot metal cube, the sides being made of bars instead of solid metal walls. The metal floor was rusted from age; it scraped against Hang’s bare skin. Once she had crawled into the small space, the door was shut behind her.

Hang’s stomach lurched as the cell was abruptly lifted into the air. It swung as it slowed to a stop, only making her feel worse. She had to brace herself on the metal bars to stop herself from falling, but almost instantly retracted due to the heat of the metal.

All the cells around hers were empty. The air around her grew thick from the smoke as one of the guards intensified the flame with firebending. Hang had to sit cross-legged to prevent the soles of her feet from getting burnt. She bit her tongue to stop from screaming. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of hearing her in pain.

As the group of guards shuffled back to their break room, Hang buried her head in her hands. She couldn’t cry, the air to dry for her tears to even form.

what's left unsaid

The South Pole was too cold for Haruko’s tastes. While she preferred it to the constant thunderstorms and rain she had experienced in the Fire Nation, she could now say with certainty that she didn’t like snow. It might’ve just been the overhanging dread of everything else that put a damper on her mood, but Haruko focused her energy on hating something tangible- the cold.

“Only a few more shipments and then we’re done.” Hayata huffed, wiping some of the snow from his face with a gloved hand. Saila’s younger brother had enlisted Haruko and Tala’s help moving supply crates from the piers to the palace’s storage center. They had been working so long, it had started to snow. The sky was a slate gray above them, nearly blending in with the ice-whites and blues of Harbor City’s skyline. It was so cold and clear that the air seemed cleansing, as if nothing could pierce the blanket of white around them.

“Good. It’s cold out.” Haruko huffed, pulling her fur-lined hood over her head.

Hayata simply laughed and patted her on the shoulder as he wrote something down on his clipboard. “Might get some storms soon, according to the news.”

“You’re telling me this isn’t a storm?” Tala groaned as they approached the truck, carrying a large wooden crate. Their boots crunched on the small clusters of snow as they took heavy steps, weighted both by the weight of their crates and the amount of cloth on their body.

“Nah, this is pleasant weather. Are all you kids from the tropic or something?”

“More or less.” Tala shrugged and loaded the crate into the truck with the others. They gestured to Haruko. “She and her brother are from the desert, though.”

Hayata looked surprised for only a moment before turning to the horizon at the sound of his name. When Haruko followed his gaze, she saw two young boys running towards them, dressed in royal blue parkas that stood out against the white of the snow.

“Uncle Hayata!” Kuruk exclaimed, jumping towards his uncle and hiding behind him. Tala stifled a laugh.

“What’s up, little dude?” Hayata laughed, struggling to turn around and face his nephew.

“No fair, you can’t hide behind people.” Kahnok, Kuruk’s older brother, scoffed as he approached them. When met with confused stares from Haruko and Tala, Kahnok explained. “We’re playing snow tag. And someone’s cheating.”

“You are too! You can’t keep using waterbending to win!” Kuruk protested.

“That’s the whole point of snow tag!”

Tala cleared their throat. “Ok, am I missing something? What’s snow tag?”

“It’s a game.” Hayata explained, stepping away from his younger nephew. “Basically like a snowball fight and tag combined. I used to beat Saila at it all the time when we were kids.” He leaned down and put one hand over the side of his mouth to disguise what he was saying. “Don’t ask her about it though, she’ll say she won.”

Haruko snickered at the thought of a young Chief Saila playing in the snow. “Sounds fun.”

As Kahnok and Kuruk ran off to go play, Hayata turned to Haruko and Tala. He glanced at the truck, now full of crates. “I think that’s the rest of the deliveries. If you kids want to head inside, I can take these down to the storage center myself.”

“Sounds great.” Haruko glanced at Tala. “Is that good with you?”

Tala nodded. “Yep. I’m already sick of the cold.”

“Hey Haruko!” Aazir smiled in greeting as she and Tala walked into the living space. He stood up from the Pai Sho table he and Asmai were sitting at to greet them. “Was it cold out?”

Haruko took off her parka and draped it over one of the chairs. Tala did the same. “Yeah, too cold for me. What’ve you been doing all morning?”

“Asami’s been teaching me Pai Sho.” Aazir leaned back and forth on his heel. He pointed at Tala. “I’m going to beat you someday.”

Tala shrugged and collapsed onto one of the couches. “Good luck with that.”

Haruko whispered ‘sorry’ to Asami and was met with polite laughter before sitting on the couch next to Koto.

“So how’ve you been?” Haruko asked. Koto looked fine- her health had improved from rest and waterbending, to the point where she almost looked back to normal.

“I’m doing better.” Koto sighed. She picked at the bandage still around her injured arm. “I can move well enough, but I haven’t tried bending yet.”

“That’s great.” Haruko smiled.“You’ve improved a lot, it’s only been a few weeks.”

“I know, I know…” Koto sighed. “We’re still waiting.”

“We are.”

“And you aren’t bothered by it?”

“I don’t know….” Haruko hesitated, she bit her lip. “I know we’re doing the right thing, but I’m worried about Hang.” It felt like a crime to be able to relax with their friend gone.

Koto nodded. “I know. I-” She didn’t finish the thought, letting the sentence hang in the air.

Comfortable in their silence and at the end of their conversation, Haruko looked around the room. Aazir and Asami seemed completely engrossed in their game of Pai Sho, which surprised Haruko, as she had never known her brother to be interested in the game. Jae was sitting next to Tala, the two talking softly about something Haruko couldn’t decipher. Next to her sat Chau, nestled in a mess of wooden and metallic beads around her. Although she was unfamiliar with the craft, it was easy for Haruko to figure out that she was making jewelry.

“I like your… uh, art.” She commented.

Chau smiled and briefly paused her beadwork. “Thank you. I sell these down by the piers for the tourists, although I save the special ones for friends and loved ones. It’s a tradition down in the swamp, bead-making.”

“It is in the desert, too.” Haruko pulled out her bone pendant to show Chau. “My father gave this to me when I was young. It’s for protection.”

Chau admired the pendant with the caring, delicate touch of an artisan. “It’s beautiful. Our people aren’t as different as they say, y’know. They only say that to seperate us, ‘cause they know we’re stronger when we’re together.”

Haruko nodded and put her pendant back on. She didn’t know what to make of Chau’s statement. It sounded like a message her father would believe in.

“So who are you making that for?” Haruko asked, gesturing to the necklace Chau had in her hands. “Assuming it’s not just to sell.”

Chau rubbed her fingers over the golden beads, admiring the delicate carvings. “It’s for Hang.” She said, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “I… I figured they must’ve… taken away the jewelry I gave her before, so I decided to make her some new necklaces.”

Haruko couldn’t respond. From the first time she had met Hang, the waterbender had worn jewelry from her tribe- earrings and pendants and bracelets crafted in the swamp tradition, as if she was carrying around her culture with her. The prisons of the Fire Nation, most likely, would have no tolerance for the practice. That is, if they had been merciful enough to send her to prison.

“I….” Haruko stuttered. She looked at her hands. “I’m so sorry.” Before her stood a woman with nothing left but her daughter, and Haruko had let that disappear. She knew what she had to do.

Haruko turned to Koto. “Hey, I need to talk to you about something.”

“You want to what?!” Koto near-shouted, her voice just loud enough for the small library Haruko had pulled her into. “You can’t be… are you serious?”

Haruko glanced at the door, making sure it was still closed. “Keep your voice down, these walls aren’t soundproof.”

“Redundant, much?” Koto scoffed. “You’re literally suggesting we tell everyone about… you know.”

“I want to tell them at the right time, not have Inaluk pass through the hall and hear us.” Haruko explained. “I was thinking about tonight, at dinner.”

Koto put her hand to her forehead as if to fix a stray strand of hair, but just rested her hand there. “Do… Do you have a reason why?”

Haruko nodded slowly and stared at her feet. She lowered her voice. “Yeah… I want to tell them because… I think it will help us get Hang back sooner.”

“Oh.”

“Do you understand?”

Koto nodded. She hesitated “I do…”

“Do you agree with me? Will it help us get Hang back?”

“I don’t know what will help or not. I think it’s up to you to figure out what’s best.” She paused. “You are the Avatar, after all, not me. It’s your choice to make.”

fragments of lies

Haruko was absolutely certain that her heart had never beaten harder than it did as she waited for dinner to start. The entire world seemed to slow to a complete, static, stop as she waited for something she knew was completely in her control.

She didn’t take her eyes away from the table as the main course was served- some type of roasted fish and vegetable stew, she hadn’t been paying attention when the plate had been placed in front of her. Haruko was sure that to everyone else in the room, she looked sickly.

After a blessing was given by Chief Saila and the meal officially started, Haruko ate. She probably needed the nourishment, if for nothing but to prepare herself for what was to come.

She was going to do it. She was actually going to tell them. She was going to confess to the world the truth about this entire mess of events, and for the first time ever she was going to utter those three terrible words herself.

“You’re going to have to say it yourself.” Koto had said to her, hours earlier when their secret was still safe behind library walls. “This is your decision. You have to own up to it.”

At the time, Haruko had agreed to the sentiment- it was her destiny to be the Avatar, or something. She would have to own up to the fact someday, but now, she was having regrets.

She couldn’t back out now- there was too much riding on this very moment, this very confession, for Haruko to back out. If anything, the emotional momentum she was building up would make her sick if not released.

A memory of Hang came to Haruko’s mind- her soft smile, her gentle laugh. The waterbender had been the third person- Arnook notwithstanding, they didn’t even know if he really knew- to find out her secret. She was one of Haruko’s closest friends. And Haruko had left her in the arms of the enemy, literally. If this was for anyone, it was for Hang.

The table was silent, though for what reason Haruko couldn’t decipher. She doubted they all had world-breaking confessions they planned on making during the meal.

Haruko looked up from her plate of stew, trying to figure out if her choice of seating was at all strategic or beneficial. She figured once she told her secret, the table would descend into chaos. Haruko sat next to Koto and Jae- directly opposite the Chief. At least she could make a clear line of sight with just about everyone she needed to.

Koto leaned towards Haruko and lowered her voice to a whisper. “So, are you going to…?”

Haruko nodded solemnly and stared at her reflection in the soup bowl.

“Wait, what’s Haruko doing?” Jae whispered, evidently having overheard the conversation. Koto shushed him in response.

Haruko took a breath to steady herself, ignoring how it didn’t work. She cleared her throat and stood up. “Uhm. I have an announcement to make.”

Every set of eyes in the room turned to Haruko. She faltered, almost falling backwards. A moment into her confession and things were already going south.

Saila glanced around the room, searching the faces of her family for an answer. She cleared her throat. “Go on.”

Haruko glanced at her friends- all staring at her wide-eyed or muttering amongst themselves. The only thing that brought her strength was Koto’s hand over hers.

To avoid the gazes sent at her, Haruko closed her eyes. “As you probably know, my friends and I were initially trying to go to Republic City to meet with Koto’s mother, Master Jinora.” She paused. Even though she had rehearsed this very script in her head, she found it hard to continue. “However, I never specified why I needed to see Jinora in the first place.” She paused. “I believe now is the right time to tell you.”

An air of silence fell over the room. Nobody even dared to breathe in anticipation of the moment.

Haruko opened her eyes only long enough to glance around the room and make eye contact with every person in the room. “I- I am the Avatar.”

Her confession was met with neither applause nor booing, but complete and utter silence. Haruko opened her eyes to see what reaction she had caused. Her friends looked surprised. Saila’s family did too, but for a different reason and on a more extreme level. Koto only looked at her with determination.

Saila was the first to pierce the veil of silence with a laughing, astonished remark. “That’s ridiculous. You can’t be- Hanuel-” She looked at Asami. “Mom, tell her she’s lying.”

Asami glanced at Saila, then returned her gaze to Haruko. “Haruko, are you sure?”

Haruko nodded frantically. “I am. I can prove it.” She glanced at her cup of water on the table and, slowly and deliberately- pulled the liquid out of the cup with waterbending. Haruko let it hang in the air for a moment to let the world witness her impossible feat before returning the water to the cup. When she glanced back at the table, she was met with nothing but wide-eyed stares.

“H-Haruko….” Asami stuttered, her hand still on her daughter’s. Haruko had never seen the woman’s resolve break. “Haruko. You’re-”

“Spirits, she really is the Avatar.” Saila buried her face in her hands. “Oh no. Oh no. This is bad. You waterbent-” She turned to her husband. “Haruko waterbent! She’s the- oh no.” Kopak could only shrug in response and cast a worried glance at Haruko.

“Does this mean that Hanuel’s been lying to us?” Inaluk asked. Her voice was as dry as it ever was, though Haruko could detect the slightest bit of fear in it.

Saila frantically turned to her daughter but hesitated to respond. “I- I don’t think Hanuel is lying to us. I don’t think Hanuel knows.”

“She doesn’t.” Koto nodded as she stood up and put her hand on Haruko’s shoulder, a gesture of defense and solidarity.

“Alright. Alright.” Saila glanced at Haruko and the rest of the room. “Who of you all knew about this beforehand?”

Aazir, Tala, Jae, Koto and Chau all raised their hands. “Hang knows too.” Tala added.

“Spirits…” Saila looked like she might explode. “You’re really the Avatar… seventeen years old, earthbender… it lines up…” She glanced at Asami. “Mom… what are we going to do?”

For the first time, Asami seemed at odds for an answer. “I… I don’t know.”

Haruko felt like she was going to fall over if not for Koto’s support. She took a step backwards. “I- I’m going to go. I need to-”

Saila stood up, jostling the array of cups and bowls on the table. “Wait-”

Haruko walked further back. She needed nothing but to leave. This had been a mistake. It had all been a mistake. She put her hand on the door before completely leaving the room. “I’m sorry.”

Haruko rinsed her face with frigid tap water, trying to wake herself up from the experience. Despite the coldness of the water she covered her face in awaking her senses, she couldn’t get the feeling of fear out of her head. Everything had gone wrong- she knew it was going to go wrong and somehow it had gone even worse than she thought it would. She had ruined everything. She couldn’t even bear to look at her reflection in the mirror, afraid of what would be looking back at her.

Just as Haruko turned around to leave the small bathroom, she was met with a sight that nearly stopped her heart- Asami, standing just outside the doorway. Haruko had left the door open, planning only to wash her face then collapse onto her bed in tears. She wasn’t expecting to have been followed, especially not by Asami Sato. She figured it had been an oversight on her part- she had caused a scene in the middle of dinner then left. It was only natural that someone at the table would want to know more.

“Uhm. Hey, Ms. Sato.” Haruko stammered. She stared at her shoes and took a moment to respond. There was no point in lying or avoiding the truth now. “You want to talk with me?”

Asami nodded. “Yes, if you’re ok with it. I… I think we should talk about it. Come on, we should go sit down.”

Asami led Haruko out of the bathroom and into one of the palace’s libraries, one Haruko hadn’t been to before. The entire room smelled warm, like ink and parchment and a distant memory. Asami sat down on one of the couches, facing the fireplace. She gestured for Haruko to sit with her. The moment, somehow, felt almost calm.

“Do you want me to start a fire?” Haruko asked. The room was neither dark nor cold, but the palace’s heat lamps provided half of what a roaring fire could.

“You can firebend?” Asami asked. She seemed half-surprised.

Haruko shook her head. Fire was still the only element she hadn’t even bent. “No. Not yet. But I do know how to build a fire, if you want.”

Asami shook her head. “No. It’s fine. We can just talk.”

Haruko nodded and stared at her knuckles. “Alright.”

“Korra died seventeen years ago.” Asami breathed, as if she was afraid to say it. “Of course, you could’ve probably figured that one out. She and I were married for… it must’ve been about twenty five years. And then she was just… gone.”

Haruko didn’t respond. She knew that Avatar Korra had died suddenly and mysteriously, and her cause of death had never been identified. The popular rumor was that she had been murdered by a rogue terrorist seeking justice.

Asami continued. “I think that after Korra passed, we were all too eager to get her back. I think… I think that this is all of our mistake except for yours, and Hanuel’s. I’m so sorry.”

“What are we going to do?”

“I don’t know.” The older woman hesitated. “Do you- what elements can you bend? Just earth and water?”

“Air too. I don’t know air or water that well yet, I’m still working on it. I- I can’t firebend at all yet.” Haruko opened her palms to look at them. “I only found out last fall, it’s all so… new to me.”

“Alright.” Asami nodded, though she seemed like she was trying to reassure herself more than anything. “We’ll figure something out for you, and to get your friend back. I promise.”

Haruko nodded, unsure how well Asami could keep that promise.

the scarred man

It was hard to tell how much time had passed since Hang arrived at the Fire Nation prison- or rather, since she had been left there. She couldn’t see the sun from the tiny cell they had stuck her in, suspended over the fire pit. As far as she could tell, the prison operated on a shift system, with routine guards. Hang couldn’t tell how long the shifts were, her internal clock had fallen apart after the first time she slept in her cell. Every third guard shift they would lower her cell, bind her limbs, and force-feed her a cup of brackish, bitter water and potato gruel, just enough to keep her alive the next time they fed her. She never got to stand up or walk around or see any of the other prisoners. Hang wasn’t even sure there were any other prisoners, or if it was just her alone. With every passing moment, she became more certain that she had been left for dead.

One time, when the guards left for their shift change, the shift of new guards didn’t return. Teijo did.

He was dressed in clothes too fine for the miserable, rusty prison- a red suit no doubt made from dragon silk or elephant-eel skin leather or any other luxury material she had never seen in person before. The gold and bronze of Teijo’s hairpiece sparkled in the dim light of the prison- it was the one thing Hang could see clearly with all the soot and smoke in her eyes.

“Lower her down, I need to talk.” Teijo snapped and looked behind him. Hang presumed he was talking to someone.

Minutes- seconds later, Hang’s cage made a jolting swing as it shifted downward, landing in its joint like a hammer. If Hang had anything in her stomach, she would’ve retched.

“Hang Thao…” Teijo murumerd. He didn’t have the right to say her name. He stressed the wrong syllables, accented the wrong tones. He didn’t have the right to butcher yet another part of her identity. “We finally know who you are now.”

Hang stared at the rusted iron floor below her. It was the same thing she had been looking at for anything from a week to a few months, but Teijo deserved nothing from her, even the satisfaction of eye contact.

“Hang Thao of the Foggy Swamp Tribe…. Hang Thao, daughter of the late revolutionary Laman Thao… the man who wanted to liberate his people.” There was a fake smile to Teijo’s voice. “You’re quite the legend among your little tribe, a princess, almost. That’s cute.”

Hang glanced up at Teijo, but only at his boots. They were made of fine leather and seemed to be accented with gold. From what she could tell, they cost enough to feed her entire village, or at least what was left of it.

Teijo bent down to face her, a movement so jarring it made Hang jump back in repulsion. His golden eyes seemed to glow in the same light that illuminated the gold on his clothes. “You’re nothing, swamp rat. You’re not Earth Kingdom, you’re not Water Tribe, and you certainly aren’t from here. You’re a dirty imposter that crawled out of the mud to pretend you’re a god.”

Hang looked over Teijo’s face. She was afraid, though she couldn’t tell why. The smoke must’ve been getting to her head.

“You’re not.” Teijo concluded, standing up and raising his arms around him. “You have no idea what it is to be truly powerful and to know what is just and right for the world.” His laugh echoed in the prison, a triumph only met by dead silence.

He looked back down at Hang. “Now, I have some questions for you. Who were the criminals you were affiliated with?”

Hang didn’t answer. She looked at her feet- still bare, but now covered in scabs and burns from the rough metal floor. Blood had crusted over the entire back of her foot.

“Answer me!” Teijo demanded. His order was met only by silence and his own echoing voice. It wasn’t like his guards could reply, no. He was speaking to Hang and Hang only. “They abandoned you here, you have no commitments to them! Answer me!”

Another set of boots approached the platform Teijo stood on- the standard burgundy guard shoes with accents of black. “The prison is under attack, your highness. We have to leave.

Teijo turned the face to the guard for only a moment before storming away from the platform. “Put her back, and reschedule my visit. I’m not stopping till I get answers”

Before Hang could completely make sense of what she had just heard, the cell moved back up. Thrusted backwards by its movement, Hang hit her head against one of the cell bars and collapsed onto the floor, weakened by dehydration and starvation. She couldn’t hear anything but the unreal ringing of a bell in her ear.

Hang awoke to the most pleasant sound she had ever heard-running water. As she slowly drifted to consciousness, she became aware that she was laying in a soft bed in a cool room. The wounds across her body had been healed up, for the most part. For a moment too long, she was sure she had died and passed to the Spirit World, or wherever it was people went when they died.

She was sure of her reality though, when the thirst set in.

“Whoa- whoa.” A soft, paternal voice chided as Hang struggled to get her bearings, reaching for water anywhere around her. “Relax, you’ve had a rough few nights. You want some water?”

Hang nodded and grasped the hand of the person aiding her, aware now that he was helping her up.

The man with the soft voice delicately lifted a wooden bowl to Hang’s lips. She had never tasted nectar sweeter than that clear water. After she had drunk the entire bowl, she looked at the man. Now that her vision was clearing, she could take in his features.

He was old enough to be her father, if her father hadn’t been dead for years, and looked to be of Si Wong origin like Haruko and Aazir. The man had wrinkles around his eyes, smile lines at his mouth, and a deep-cut scar running from his hairline to his chin, across his eye, nose, his lips. He seemed kind, and gentle, and the more Hang looked at him, the more certain she became that this man had the same face as Haruko. They even had similar scars.

“I’m Zahrun Saeed.” The man introduced himself by putting one hand to his chest and extending the other for a handshake. “You might’ve heard of me before.”

Hang took Zahrun’s hand- he had a firm, strong handshake. “I think I have… are you Haruko and Aazir’s dad?”

Zahrun smiled. “You know my kids! Aren’t they great? I had heard that they had made friends with a swampbender, and when I heard that Tanaka was keeping one prisoner, I thought it might be you! Lucky guess, right?”

Hang cautiously took her hand back. The siblings had only mentioned their absent father on rare occasions, and then Ahsa had said that he was the leader of their group. Hang made a quick check of the room to make sure no other Red Lotus members were there. They were alone. The room was small- a hotel bedroom or something like it- with nothing but the bed she was in, the chair Zahrun sat in, and a small bedside table covered in bowls, bottles and syringes.

“You ok?” Zahrun asked. He sounded genuine. He sounded caring.

Hang nodded absentmindedly then shook her head to wake herself up. “I’m- why’d you rescue me?”

“It’s the right thing to do.” Zahrun shrugged. “Tanaka was torturing you and was using your imprisonment as leverage to start a war against the Southern Water Tribe, it’s the least we could do to stop that.”

Hang coughed and was met with more water. After she drank it, she looked Zahrun in the eye. “But you’re- I thought you were-”

“Anarchistic terrorists focused soley on murder?” Zahrun laughed. “Yeah, they’ll tell that to you. We are anarchists, but our focus is more on… deliberate change to benefit the people. Does that include a little murder here and there? Maybe, but only when it’s absolutely necessary. Our primary mission is to help people, like you.”

Hang looked at her hands, at a loss for words. “You- you healed me up? How?”

“We have a pretty good waterbender on our team.” Zahrun whistled and leaned back in his chair, looking at the window Hang’s back was to. Hang took note of the sheathed sword on his belt- adorned in gold patterns. She had never heard of an earthbender using a sword before, at least not in modern times. “With Arnook’s skills and the power of medicine, you were back to normal in no time. I would suggest not walking for a bit, though- those burns on your feet were pretty severe.”

Hang nodded. Of all the pain she had endured, the only she could still feel was the burns across her feet and hands. “Thank you- so much.”

“No problem.” Zahrun smiled warmly. “The only thing I ask is a few questions.”

Hang shrugged. It was a small debt to pay to the people she owed her life too, even if they were anarchists.

Zahrun nodded and took a small booklet off the table. “Alright. What do you know of Project Vine?”

Hang shrugged. “I’ve heard the name before, but I can’t remember where from.”

“Damnit.” Zahrun muttered, writing something down in his notebook. “Tala said one of you knew about it… Teijo Tanaka then. What do you know about him?”

“I hate him.” Hang responded cooly, telling the complete truth. “I want to see him burn. I want to see him die.”

Zahrun looked up from the notebook to give her a smile. “That’s it. That’s what I wanna see.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “How do you feel about taking him out with us?”

Hang made eye contact with Zahrun but couldn’t respond. “What?”

“Do you want to help us… dispose… of Crown Prince Teijo Tanaka?” Zahrun urged, his grip on Hang’s shoulder growing firmer. He hovered his hand over the table, grabbing a syringe.

“What?” Hang repeated, glancing back and forth between Zahrun’s face and the needle in his hands. “I don’t- I can’t-”

“Alright.” Zahrun stated. His voice grew heavier. “I’m sorry.”

Before Hang could respond, Zahrun plunged the needle into her arm. She was out cold before she hit the bed.

the coup

It hadn’t stopped raining since the break-in. Hanuel was starting to think it was because the world was ashamed of what had happened. Almost an entire month had passed, and the storm hadn’t let up. She couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Koto had run away- she had run away only because she was being chased by Teijo Tanaka- she had said he was poisoning the Fire Lord. Her new friends had been there- that Haruko girl was an airbender, and Hanuel hadn’t even known it. The thought struck her that Haruko could be the airbending fugitive they were looking for back in the Earth Confederacy- that would mean Koto was affiliated with criminals. Why was she affiliated with criminals?

“What’s on your mind, Hanuel?” Jitsuko chided as they walked through the palace, headed to firebending practice. Most of the mess from the break in had yet to be cleaned up. “I can tell you’re upset about something.”

Hanuel shook her head to rid herself of the images in her mind- the look on Koto’s face, the tears in her eyes, the way she cradled her wounded arm and flinched when she had tried to touch it. “I- I’m fine.” She paused. “Do you think Koto was right?”

Jitsuko took a step back in shock. “About Teijo?”

Hanuel nodded.

“She- she can’t be. My brother wouldn’t do that. He’s a good person- he wouldn’t do that.”

Hanuel tried to make eye contact with Jitsuko, but all she could see was the image of the waterbender girl- the one that couldn’t make it. Teijo had grabbed her by the arms and burnt her into submission, the guards had dragged her away. Teijo hadn’t told Hanuel what had become of the girl. During the entire situation, she hadn’t been able to do anything, frozen completely in her fear. Teijo could’ve killed her right there in front of her and she wouldn’t have been able to do anything. She was the Avatar- she was supposed to help people. She hadn’t been able to help anyone then, meaning she had to do all she could to help now.

“Please.” Jitsuko put her hands over Hanuels. They had stopped walking and now stood in the hall. The ceiling above them had been damaged during the fight, letting in a draft of light from the floors above. It was as if time had stopped as Jitsuko contemplated what to say next. “I know my brother is a good person. I just know it. He wouldn’t try to hurt anyone like that.

Hanuel felt her chest tense as she fought back emotions, though what she couldn’t tell. “I want to believe that, but I trust Koto, too.”

Jitsuko sent her a worried glance. “Are- are you sure you’re being rational about this? Koto doesn’t seem like the most trustworthy person in the world.”

She was right. The more Hanuel had spent time with her old friend the more she became convinced that she was a liar. Everything she had said was covered in a veil of doubt, and Hanuel didn’t even know why. Hanuel shook her head. “Koto’s my best friend, I have to be able to trust her. And-”

“What?” Jitsuko whispered.

“She didn’t sound like she was lying.” Hanuel knew what Koto’s lies sounded like, the smile forced into her voice. “She sounded like she was in pain.”

Jitsuko hesitated. She put her hand to her chin, then over her mouth. She wasn’t able to respond before Mikah approached them both.

“Hey Hanuel, Jitsuko.” The waterbender smiled before reading the tone set by the looks on their faces. “Is everything alright?”

Jitsuko hastily nodded and turned to Mikah. “Yeah. Yeah, we were just headed to Hanuel’s firebending training. Wanna come?”

“Actually, I need your guy’s help with something.” Mikah gestured back the way he had come. “I need to get some herbs from the supply closets but the power’s been out in the service areas since the break-in, and I couldn’t find a lamp, and-”

“You need a light. Got it.” Jitsuko cut him off. “Sure. I’ll help you look.” She turned to Hanuel. “You can get to the training ground by yourself, right? My sister will be there waiting for you.”

Hanuel nodded, then turned to watch as her two friends disappeared down the hallway, lingering for a moment before continuing on her own journey down the empty hallway. It was harder to ignore the cold draft from far away open-windows when she was walking alone. Hanuel walked fast, so she wouldn’t have to dwell in the cold much longer.

The sound of voices stopped Hanuel before she could enter the training area. Normally, she wouldn’t have paid the occurrence any mind, but she had been on edge ever since the break-in. She decided to employ the only philosophy she knew- neutral jing, the foundation of earthbending, and waited, taking position opposite the door to wait and listen.

As Hanuel listened to the conversation more, she began to recognize the voices as belonging to Teijo and Ochako, and from what she could tell, they were angry with each other, angrier than Hanuel had ever seen them before. Teijo, especially, sounded like he was about to explode.

“This isn’t good, Ochako!” Teijo snapped. “We’re ruined! It’s over! We’re done!”

“Teijo…” Ochako near-whispered. “Keep it down, please-”

“The prisoner escaped, Ochako! We might as well arrange our funerals right here and now, we’re doomed.”

“What are you talking about? One prisoner escaped, so what? It’s not like she-”

“That girl- that rat holds information that would destroy our family’s reputation! And we just let her go! How are we the most powerful nation yet our troops so incopenent!”

“Wh- what does that girl know, Teijo?!”

“Ochako- don’t get mad at me-’

“What does she know?!”

“I can’t tell you. Not here.”

“Oh no.” Ochako sounded as if she was realizing the truth at the same time Hanuel was. Koto had been right, Teijo was giving her as much of a confession as he could without actually saying the truth. Koto had been right, and Hanuel didn’t believe her. Koto had been right, and that meant that Teijo was staging a coup.

Hanuel left her hiding spot and ran.

She ran into Jitsuko and Mikah a few feet down the hallway, who both seemed surprised to see her.

“H- Hanuel?” Mikah sputtered, nearly dropping the box he had been carrying.

Hanuel shushed her two friends as she glanced over her shoulder to see if she had been followed. Once she found that the coast was clear, she guided them into a side room- an office or library or sitting room of some kind.

“What’s going on, Hanuel?” Jitsuko asked as soon as Hanuel shut the door behind them. None of them had sat down on any of the plush seats around the room, the tension too thick to allow even slight relaxation.

Hanuel took a breath to steady herself, bracing herself on the sturdy wood of the door. “Koto was right.”

Mikah dared to respond first. “About…?”

“About Teijo.” Hanuel breathed, her words heavy with the weight of a confession that wasn’t hers to make. “About everything.”

“How do you know?” Jitsuko asked. She seemed afraid, more afraid than Hanuel had ever heard her before.

“I heard him- I heard him confess to everything.”

“Oh...” Mikah ran a hand through his hair, combing back his bangs. “Oh. Oh no.”

“What are we going to do?” Jitsuko asked. Her voice was soft.

Hanuel looked at her feet. This was it- the moment where it all came together. Everything came down to her. “I don’t know, but we have to do something.”

calm before the storm

It took only two weeks for Haruko’s life to turn over itself after she confessed. Saila gave her a training regime to work on with Tala- at least two firebending sessions per day until she could produce flame. She had dedicated parts of her guard regime to watching over Haruko while she slept, made sure that she was being watched over when she was reading in the library or talking with Asami about what to do. Per Haruko’s own request, none of them were told the actual reason she had to be guarded, only that she was ‘important’ and that they’d all know soon enough. Haruko figured Saila paid her guards well, because they all accepted the task without question, they never even asked her about it. The amount of people who knew her secret still remained a formal dinnertable’s worth of individuals, a fact that gave Haruko a bit of solace.

After wishing good morning to her door guard, Haruko met with Koto and Aazir on their way to breakfast, an event that had become routine in the time they had spent at the Southern Water Tribe. Haruko didn’t like that they had stayed long enough to develop routines, it just meant more time spent here when they could’ve been out getting Hang.

“Morning, Haruko.” Koto smiled. By now, her wound had healed all it was going to and she had removed the bandages, exposing a nasty burn scar over her forearm. According to Koto, though, she didn’t feel any pain anymore, which made Haruko feel better. “How’d you sleep?”

Haruko shrugged and moved her bangs out of her field of view. “As good as I ever do.” When Aazir tried to take Pasha from her shoulders, she shoved him away. “She likes me more than you anyways.” Aazir shrugged in defeat.

“Has she ever told you about her weird dreams?” Aazir turned to Koto as they started walking down the hall.

Koto shook her head. “I don’t think she ever has.”

When Koto turned to Haruko for a response, she put her hand to the back of her head. “Oh, it’s nothing special. Pretty boring, to be honest. There’s better things to talk about.”

Aazir sent her a mocking glance and stifled his giggles. Haruko shoved him to the side. “Anyways, any updates on… anything?”

“I don’t know.” Koto sighed and looked at her feet. “Saila won’t make plans with me about Teijo until my mom gets here, apparently telling her about… you know… takes precedence over the issue.”

Haruko nodded. Immediately after she had told the Chief, Saila had made arrangements to bring Koto’s mother down to the south and tell her about the situation, but apparently the message was still in transit, because it had been half a month and they still hadn’t gotten a response.

“Morning, everyone!” Tala cheered as they, Chau and Jae approached them in the hallway. “What’s new with all of you?”

“Not much, because the last time we talked with you guys was last night.” Aazir deadpanned then received a lighthearted punch in the shoulder from Jae.

“Hey, Ms. Thao.” Haruko greeted, giving Hang’s mother a polite wave.

Chau politely smiled in response. “Please, just call me Chau. Good morning.”

“Seriously though.” Jae smiled as they formed a circle to see each other better, Chau filling the space Hang would’ve if she was there. “Is there any news?” He looked at Koto.

“We were just talking about that, and no.” The airbender responded, a slightly haughty tone to her voice. “Saila wants to wait until my mom gets here to do anything, mostly because of-” she gestured at Haruko, letting her silence fill the gap in her sentence. “And my mom hasn’t responded yet.”

Tala nodded. “Great. Sounds fantastic, five more weeks of waiting while Hang’s probably dead.”

Chau stiffened at the mention of her daughter. “I can’t believe- she has to do something.”

“I get what she’s coming from.” Haruko sighed, glancing around the hall out of instinct. “I mean, she’s going about this as carefully as she can. We’ve got two pieces of information that each could destroy international affairs the way we know them. It makes sense that she wants to be cautious.”

“We’ve also got a missing nineteen year old waterbender who’s being held by the enemy, and for all we know could be dead.” Jae added dryly, looking Haruko dead in the eye.

Haruko nodded hesitantly. “We’ve also got that. We have to save Hang, but we should try and be rational about this, at least a bit.”

Chau put her hand over her eyes, as if she was wiping away tears. Aazir put his hand over the woman’s shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

“That’s it.” Koto declared, putting her fist over an open palm. “We’re going to go save Hang.”

Judging by the rest of the group’s reactions, Haruko wasn’t alone in her surprise. Tala stepped back. “Koto- are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” Koto snapped back. “We can’t just sit around while our friend is missing. I’m not going to just sit passively while these things happen.”

“I’m with you.” Aazir nodded at Koto. Jae soon followed.

“I’m with you, of course.” Tala put their hands in their pockets. “I’m just a bit taken aback that it’s you.”

“I’m with you too.” Haruko added. “I might not fully agree with everything, but we need to get Hang back. She’s our friend.”

Chau gathered herself. “I’m coming too. I’m going to get my daughter back.”

“This is great and all, but I think we’re all overlooking something kind of important?” Jae looked around the group. “How are we gonna get there? I don’t think Saila’s gonna rent us a boat again.”

Koto smiled. “You forgot that I have a flying bison, didn’t you?”

Only once did they take flight did Haruko realize that she had never truly traveled by air- at least not when she could appreciate it. The two other times had been a short flight above her hometown and a trip where she had been so weary and battle worn she couldn’t focus on the flight- not to mention that it had been storming. Now that she could fully appreciate the sensation, she was terrified. Or at least she would’ve been, if not for the adrenaline in her veins.

“Ok everyone.” Haruko turned from the sky view to the rest of the group. Pasha chirped at her when she moved. Everyone was wearing their finest battleware- which amounted to Koto wearing her wingsuit, Chau carrying a water skin and Jae having his knives at the ready, save for the one he was sharpening. They didn’t look ready to face any army, much less what was rumored to be the best in the world, but they didn’t have a choice. “What’s our plan?”

Tala glanced around the saddle everyone sat on, as if they were taking each person into account. “Based on everyone’s skill sets, I’d say our best bet of survival is a stealth operation.”

“Best bet of achieving the goal, too.” Aazir added. “Since we’re trying to find Hang.”

“Gonna be hard to do stealth with a giant sky bison.” Jae scoffed.

“First of all, Cloud’s small for a bison.” Koto turned around to face the rest of the group. “Second of all, we can land somewhere in town and sneak in. We’ve also got the cover of the storm.”

“It’s still raining over there?” Aazir remarked. Where they were now, the sky was a clear slate of white fog.

Koto nodded. “Yep. I’ve been following the weather news, they’ve been hit with a massive storm. Not important.”

“We could land in Ty Lee park and leave Koto there with the bison, it’s only a short walk away from the servants entrance to the palace.” Chau noted. “We should be able to sneak in and out undetected, or at least not detected by many people.”

Haruko smiled. “Sounds like a plan to me.” When met with nods from everyone else in the group, she turned to Koto. “That’s good with you?”

The airbender nodded sagely. “Yep, that works out. Just be careful.”

Haruko nodded, unsure how well she could fulfill that promise.

Night fell before Haruko knew it. Despite leaving mid-morning and travelling all day, the Fire Nation was so distant it took over a day to travel. Before long, the rest of the group had fallen asleep leaning against backpacks and grain sacks, leaving Haruko and Koto awake, alone.

“Sleepy?” Haruko whispered.

“Nah, I’ve been trained to stay awake for a while on long trips like these. Cloud has to.” Koto replied, then moved over so Haruko could sit next to her. “Come on, sit with me.”

Not knowing what else to do, Haruko climbed over the saddle walls and sat next to Koto. She looked at the sky, open and expansive above them. The last time she had a chance to look at the sky, she was with Hang, and Koto had been the missing one. The sky seemed more open then it should’ve, as if it was going to consume her. Everything around her was sky.

“You ok?” Koto whispered.

Haruko shook her head. “I- I don’t know. I’m afraid.”

Koto paused. “I am too. We’re going to win at this.” She took her hand off the reins and put it on Haruko’s. “We have to.”

“I know.”

It was hard to tell when dawn came, but Haruko woke when she heard Tala’s worried calls. Somehow the rain hadn’t woken her, and she woke by the time they had arrived at the Fire Nation capital. From what she could tell through her rain-blurred vision, Koto was flying circles around the park they were supposed to be landing in.

“What’s happening?” Haruko asked, crawling over to the side Tala and everyone else were looking out from.

“Riots in the park we’re supposed to be in.” Tala briefly explained, gesturing downward. After Haruko wiped the rain from her eyes again, she could make out firelight and a large crowd of people.

“What’s even going on down there…” Aazir muttered, putting his hand over his eyes to shield them from the rain.

“Can’t tell, not important.” Tala turned to Koto. “Land down there, a bit aways from the crowd. We’ll just blend in with the protestors.”

Koto hesitated. “Are you sure? We don't want to get involved in the-”

“I’m sure.” Tala briefly responded before turning back to the crowd. “I wonder what’s happening.”

After she let Pasha hide in her jacket, Haruko looked at the assembled mass of people. As they descended, it became easier to hear their chant- “Stand With Tanaka.”

“Tanaka….” Chau muttered. “That’s-”

“Our guy, yeah.” Jae commented. “He’s the one who’s got Hang.”

“Oh.” Chau replied.

Cloud hit the ground heavily, weighed by the rain, the protestors surrounding them backed away to allow them space. Haruko was the first to jump off the bison, taking a moment to survey those closest to her. They didn’t seem afraid or shocked, but angry. A few of them approached her.

Haruko barely heard Jae shout “Run!” before someone slammed her to the wet, grass covered ground. She couldn’t tell who they were or what had happened- all she could feel was her face being pressed into the grass, a gloved hand on her head and something cold and metallic to her neck. Around her the rest of the protestors scattered. She couldn’t make out anything else before her vision went dark.

the ambush

Haruko awoke to the sound of a voice- equal parts terrifyingly unknown and hauntingly familiar to her. The more she came to, the more she recognized the voice as belonging to Teijo- an impressive feat, seeing as she had only met the man once or twice. Teijo’s tone was measured yet with a certain dramatic flair, a mocking confidence unaffected by reality.

It took a while for Haruko where she was, her senses attuned only to Teijo’s voice. She was in a fine library, with red and gold furnishings on the walls and filled bookshelves and scroll-cases lining the walls. A single, glass-paneled wall directly across from her let in nothing but a glimpse outside into the night storm and the sound of rain. Around her, her friends lay comatose- it became clear to Haruko that she had been the first to come to. Her hands were bound behind her back in what felt like metallic restraints- even if she had been able to firebend, she wouldn’t be able to burn her way through them.

Teijo briefly stopped his rambling to look over his hostages. When Haruko focused her vision, she could make out the man’s figure- he had draped his long body over a chaise lounge and seemed to be admiring a piece of jewelry in the firelight- a large golden hair pin shaped like an upward-facing flower, or a flame. Haruko was certain she had seen the piece before, but she couldn’t place where.

The Fire Nation Crown. The disembodied voice of her memories told her. He’s holding the Fire Nation Royal Crown, worn only by the Fire Lord. The knowledge only made her more confused.

When Teijo caught her stare, he smiled and placed the hairpiece on the table beside him. He got up and walked over to her, crouching down so that they could see eye-to-eye.

“Well, look who woke up first.” Teijo smirked. His eyes crinkled as he studied her face. “You know, I’m glad that it’s you who’s awake first. It gives us the opportunity to talk. You puzzle me.”

The statement startled Haruko. She wasn’t expecting Teijo to have given even a second thought about her, especially not with the apparent history and mutual resentment he shared with Koto- she glanced to her side to see that the airbender was still out, leaning into her side.

Teijo grabbed ahold of her jaw and forced her to look at him, pulling her face so that they locked eyes. “Look at me.” He studied her face, giving her no choice but to look into his cold, unforgiving bronze eyes. “Who are you?”

Haruko didn’t answer. She bit her tongue, ignoring what minimal pain it caused. Teijo would have to suffer through her silence.

Teijo’s brow furrowed. His grip on her jaw grew tighter. “Just some girl from nowhere.. the Si Wong desert, by the looks of it. Your nose, your hair… you really can’t hide it, can you? Spirits know how you effectively hid here, among our populations.” His thumb traced the scar over her lips, leading down to her chin. “But you’re more than that- I can see it in your eyes. There’s something behind those eyes. You’re not from nowhere, are you? You come from somewhere- you come from somebody important.”

Before Teijo could say another vague proverb or inferred half-truth, she bit him across the hand, hoping it would shut him up. He almost instantly fell backwards, holding his injured hand and drenched in the thralls of indignant shock. “What in the- YOU!”

His words rang out and echoed against the walls of the room, stirring the others. “Haruko?” Aazir muttered, leaning into her as he woke. “Where are we..?”

Teijo quickly regained his composition and stood up, still tenderly holding his own hand. “I’m glad you asked. You’re here, in the Fire Nation Palace. You’ve failed.”

Haruko looked down, trying to connect the dots- had Teijo known about their plan to rescue Hang all along? From what she knew of the man, she wouldn’t put the action past him.

“And don’t bother trying to escape- I’ve got guards on every exit.” Teijo huffed, pacing the floor in front of them. His golden-soled shoes clacked on the laminated floor. While he rambled, Haruko did a quick head count, making sure that everyone was waking.

“What are we going to do?” Aazir whispered, both to her and Jae, who sat on his other side.

“I don’t know…” Jae grunted, then paused. “I don’t know.”

Teijo extended his arms around him. “Tonight is the night where I make history and turn the tables for the better, tonight is the night where I join the ranks of the legends.”

His crescendo was met with nothing but a dead silence, punctured only by a whimper. Haruko turned to see the noise had come from Chau- the woman looking down at the floor as her undone hair hung around her, as if it was anchoring her to the ground. “Please… is my daughter alright?” Her words reminded Haruko of why they were there- a stinging reminder of the truth that hurt almost as much as her wounds.

Teijo stopped moving, slowly lowering his arms back to his sides. “Wh- what?” When he was answered by silence, he started to laugh, running his hands through his silken black hair and threatening to undo his topknot. “Really? Are you serious? I’m about to take the throne of the Fire Lord and you’re concerned about- why would I know? Why would I care?”

“You’re going to what?!” Koto cried out, apparently having mustered enough strength to shout. “You can’t- that’s why you’ve been poisoning Nozomi?!”

To Haruko’s surprise, Teijo didn’t deny the accusation. He shrugged, and flashed the same smile he had before- like he was pretending to be innocent. “I’m doing what has to be done, Koto. You’d’ve understood that if you could see things like me, like the rest of your people.”

Haruko didn’t understand the statement, but it had apparently struck a chord with Koto, because the airbender lunged forward as if to attack Teijo. “You don’t speak for your people! You speak for yourself, you- selfish liar!” Her insult didn’t land like she intended it to.

Teijo smirked. “The thousands of protestors outside the palace walls would disagree with you, Koto. All those people-” he faked a gasp- “Want me on the throne, because I’ll bring lasting peace.”

“You’ll bring lasting oppression.” Tala huffed. Haruko didn’t know they had fully come to, and was startled by the strength in their voice. “I know your type- you think that just because something helps you it’ll help everyone. Hate to break it to you, but you're wrong.”

Teijo turned around to face Tala. He studied them. “Wise words coming from… you.”

Tala glared in response but didn’t say a word. Koto filled the empty space for them. “You won’t get away with this Teijo.”

Teijo rolled his head back and laughed, the sound like metal scraping on Haruko’s ears. “Thanks for the input, but you’re a little late to be making suggestions.”

firefight

Hanuel hovered close to the wall, listening to Teijo’s muffled monologue. The guard’s hadn’t allowed her and her friends to linger outside the library's door, but they had been permitted to spy through the walls of the adjacent office space. Teijo was speaking to someone- no doubt the unconscious ‘prisoners’ his guards had dragged through the halls earlier. Hanuel hadn’t seen them, only heard about the incident from a few alarmed house staff, but now that the only thing separating her from the hostages was a thin wooden wall, she could make out individual voices- one of them belonged to Koto.

Her heart nearly stopped. Koto was right there- right beyond the wall. She had failed as an Avatar and as a friend, to let Koto fall right into the hands of her enemy- a man who, up until a few days ago, she trusted. She had failed then, which meant she had no choice but to succeed now. Hanuel turned to Mikah and Jitsuko.

“Alright.” She whispered. It was of utmost importance that Teijo didn’t hear them. “It all comes down to this- to right now. Teijo’s staging a coup, and we need to stop him.”

Jitsuko nodded sharply- apparently her dedication to justice was stronger than her family ties, a fact that surprised Hanuel. Jitsuko had never taken such a definitive stance against order before, cementing the graveness of the situation. “I agree. We need to stop him before things get out of hand.” She looked up at Hanuel. “So how do we do that?”

Hanuel turned to Mikah, only to be met with the same worried gaze. They were both looking to her for the answers- she was the Avatar. She was their leader. It was up to her to make a plan. Hanuel braced herself on the wall and gathered herself. “Alright- we need to make a plan.” She turned to the waterbender. “Do you know where Fire Lord Nozomi’s chambers are?”

Mikah nodded, worriedly clutching the leather strap of his waterskin. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Good.” Hanuel nodded. “If Teijo’s doing what I think he’s doing, he’s planned it so the poison kills Nozomi tonight, so that he can seize power while staging it as an accident. I need you to find Nozomi and heal her up as much as you can. You should be able to bypass any guards by saying that I sent you.”

“My sister should be there, too.” Jitsuko added. “You should tell her what’s going on.”

After casting a worried glance to the door, Mikah returned his gaze to Hanuel and Jitsuko. “Alright. What about you two?”

Hanuel glanced at the wall, in the direction of Teijo’s monologuing voice. “I’m going to confront Teijo. And I’m going to put an end to this.”

To Hanuel’s surprise, Teijo’s guards were all too willing to let her and Jitsuko enter the library- she suspected it had little to do with how much they respected her and more to do with how much they feared her. While Hanuel knew that most of their fear was arbitrary- she could still only bend one element- the title of the Avatar struck fear into the hearts of her enemies, and she would use it to its fullest potential. Men who had previously been unwilling to let her pass quickly moved out of her way when they saw the determination in her eyes, in her stance. Before she and Jitsuko entered the library room, Hanuel took an ornate sword from the wall display. She didn’t exactly know how to use it, but it would be handy given the lack of earth in the palace, even if it would inevitably be ruined due to her metalbending.

Hanuel rested her hand on the doorknob, but glanced at Jitsuko before opening it. “You ready?”

Jitsuko nodded, and assumed a bending stance. It was an answer enough.

The moment Hanuel opened the door, Jitsuko lunged into the room and shot a burst of fire at her brother. He redirected it, but was caught off-guard long enough that Hanuel was able to approach the hostages and start removing their restraints.

Hanuel recognized most of the people- Koto’s new friends from the south pole, and a woman that looked to be the waterbender’s mother. The waterbender herself was nowhere to be found, but the airbender girl that was at the break-in was, sitting in between Koto and a young boy who looked like he must be her little brother. Hanuel released the waterbenders mother first, and didn’t wait for the timid ‘thank you’ she was given before moving onto the next person- one of Koto’s friends, a teen with a stocky build and curly dark hair.

“Wh- Hanuel?” They asked as she bent away the metal restricting their hands. Hanuel didn’t ask how they knew her name, and instead helped them to their feet.

“I’m here to help you.” She said briefly, before moving onto Koto. The person nodded and spun around and assumed a low form. Before Hanuel could really understand what was happening, a brilliant flash of white-blue light shot from their fingertips to Teijo- they were a firebender, and more than that, a lightning bender.

Teijo caught the bolt of light and redirected it to the window, shattering the glass and letting in the rainfall. The move had no strategic importance, especially when he could’ve just sent the bolt back to its sender, but to intimidate.

Once she was free, Koto got to her feet and turned to the two boys on the far side of the line, completely surpassing the airbender girl. Hanuel undid their restraints with a flick of their wrist.

“Aazir, Jae, you’re coming with me.” She stated, grabbing the Si Wong boy by the hand and leading him to the door. “We need to find Hang and get to Cloud.” Before she had completely left, Koto turned to Hanuel. “Thanks.”

The only person left restrained was the airbender girl. Hanuel bent down to undo the girl’s handcuffs and was surprised when she jumped to her feet and spun around, blasting a gust of air in the direction Hanuel had come. It was only when Hanuel turned around to see what the girl had attacked did she notice the guards filing into the room.

Hanuel briefly turned behind her to check on Jitsuko- her friend was locked in combat with her brother, accompanied by the firebender Hanuel had released earlier. Despite the latter’s unusual, almost earthbending-like movements, the two made a surprisingly good tag team. The waterbender’s mother- apparently also a waterbender, had made her way to the window and pulled the rainwater around her into a shield.

“You-” the airbender girl grabbed Hanuel by the arm and refocused her attention on the guards. “You’re with me.”

Hanuel nodded and dropped into a bending stance, trying to get a grasp on the guard’s armor. “Who are you, by the way?”

“Haruko.” The girl briefly stated before sending a gust of air at the guards. It knocked about half of them, the other Hanuel tossed back into the hall with her metalbending. She noticed how jerky and awkward Haruko’s movements were, at least compared to the fluid motions she had seen Koto perform before.

The room grew hotter around them. Hanuel and Haruko both turned around to see the entire library had been set ablaze- the texts burning by Teijo’s signature blue-white flame. Haruko nearly froze in place- Hanuel had to support her with a hand to the shoulder.

“You-” Teijo panted, bracing himself on his knees. He pointed at Jitsuko. “You betrayed me!”

Jitsuko didn’t respond, only turning to the firebender she had been fighting with.

Teijo ran his hands through his hair- by now, his topknot had come undone. “You’ve ruined me!”

“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” A voice- completely unfamiliar to Hanuel- rang out over the crackle of the fire. Hanuel turned around to see the source of the words- a woman, maybe in her late twenties, with bleached-white hair and a long, tattered cape at her back. Hanuel had never seen her before, but Haruko had. She stepped forward to confront the woman.

“Ahsa? What are you doing here?”

shattered glass

Mikah ran as fast as he could, turning corners and barley checking hallway directories to make sure he was going in the right direction. He hadn’t even turned back to see if Hanuel and Jitsuko had made it into the room with Teijo. He tried not to think about what might be happening to them as he ran through the halls, searching for the Fire Lord’s chambers. He had to stay focused.

Fire Lord Nozomi’s personal chambers were on one of the higher floors of the palace, even compared to the fourth-floor library Mikah had left. From an architectural standpoint, the placement was chosen to remove the Fire Lord’s personal life from their duties while upholding their honor and giving them their due respect. Mikah had learned all this years ago, it was common knowledge among the White Lotus. If this circumstance had not been what it was- if Mikah was simply walking around the palace with his friends- he could’ve dwelled on this information further. He could’ve marveled at the fine arts of the Fire Nation donning every surface of the walls. He could’ve thought about something other than the impending sense of doom and dread that came with the sheer thought about what was happening right now. He had to remind himself that he was doing all he could.

Mikah was out of breath by the time he reached the outer doors of Nozomi’s chambers, nearly keeling over in exhaustion. One of the guards standing in front of the door approached him- not close enough to touch him but an unmistakable sign of concern. “Uh, are you alright?”

Mikah summoned what strength he had and stood up straight. “I need to see the Fire Lord. Her life is in danger, and I can help.”

The guard exchanged a glance with his partner, who shrugged. “Fire Lord Nozomi isn’t seeing anyone at this time, I’m-”

“Please-” Mikah stepped forward, holding his hands out in surrender, in pleading. “Her life is in danger- she’s being poisoned and I need to help. Avatar Hanuel sent me.”

The guard that had approached him glanced between Mikah and his partner before opening the heavy wooden door. He touched Mikah on the shoulder before he had fully entered the room. “Good luck.”

As soon as Mikah entered the Fire Lord’s chambers, he was met by the person he was hoping to see- Ochako Tanaka. Jitsuko’s sister looked weary- the dark circles under her eyes sourced from a lack of sleep but only intensified by the low light. Her normally updone hair was worn mostly loose, save for the traditional Fire Nation topknot.

“Master Mikah?” Ochako stuttered. She stepped back. “What are you doing here?”

“Please-” Mikah approached Ochako, then looked behind her to see Nozomi, asleep in her bed. The Fire Lord looked weak, her hair wasn’t even tied up. Even though he was Water Tribe, Mikah knew how important hair was to Fire Nationals. “The Fire Lord is being poisoned. I need to help.”

“Poisoned?” Ochako stumbled backwards. Mikah caught her. “What do you-”

“I was sent by Avatar Hanuel and your sister.” Mikah explained, looking behind Ochako again to see the doctors attending the Fire Lord. Nonbending doctors could do a lot, but Nozomi wouldn’t last the night without his help. “Please, trust me.”

Ochako nodded hesitantly, then stepped out of the way so Mikah could attend to Nozomi. “Is there anything I can do to help you?”

“Water.” Mikah answered. “Get me some water.”

“Alright.” Ochako nodded before turning away. The doctors attending Nozomi stepped away, letting Mikah see her. If they knew anything about Water Tribe iconography, they could tell from the decals on his coat that he was considered one of the best healers in the world, and even if they couldn’t, a waterbender could likely do more than whatever they could.

When Mikah reached Nozomi, he put his hand over her forehead, only to find she was warm with a fever. After uttering a prayer of thanks that it was, somehow, a full moon, Mikah gently cooled the fluids in Fire Lord’s body to ease the fever and slow her bodily functions, being careful not to overdo it and freeze the woman to death.

“What are you doing?” Ochako asked as she approached Mikah with a wooden bowl of water.

“I cooled down her body to ease the fever and help the pain.” Mikah briefly explained as he pulled water from the bowl and applied it to Nozomi’s forehead. “It’s an old trick in cases like these.”

Ochako watched intently as Mikah healed Nozomi. By now, the poison was already in her bloodstream and he had to do anything he could to stop it. The light of the moon empowered him, guiding his spirit and his motions as he put all his effort into healing Nozomi. It was all he could think about. “Stay with us, Nozomi…” He muttered, more to himself than anyone. “Stay with us…”

A sharp cracking knock sounded, reverberating across the large room and stirring Mikah from his thoughts and his work. Mikah looked up to see where the noise had come from- a large window on the opposite side of the room that he had initially overlooked. It was hard to make out a clear image against the storm, but Mikah was sure there were two figures, standing in the window.

In one sudden moment, the glass of the window shattered and the men stepped into the light.

The first man who walked into the room held his hands in a bending posture, outstretched and clenched, as if he had been the one to bring down the window. Mikah guessed he had-he had heard tales of earthbenders being able to apply their bending to glass before, this had to be it. The earthbender wore layered robes of beige and brown, impractical dress for a storm but characteristic of the desert. He wore his long, dark hair in a low ponytail and a scar running from his hairline to his chin. As soon as he had entered the room, he put his hand to the sword at his belt and drew it.

The sight of the second person nearly made Mikah’s heart stop. The man had a square face and neatly-trimmed beard, not unlike his companion, but the flat nose, downturned nose and wide-set features distinguished him as Water Tribe, as did the fur-lined coat and traditional braids he wore. It suddenly became clear to Mikah that he was crossing paths with Arnook Nakasuk- the Arnook Nakasuk who, despite his prodigious waterbending skills and once-in-a-generation spiritual connection, had left the north pole to pursue a life of criminal anarchy. He was a legend- he was presumed dead twenty-five years ago- and here he was, right in front of him. Mikah would’ve been starstruck if he wasn’t terrified.

The first man angled his sword towards Mikah. “Hands up, we have some questions for all of you.” He spoke in a clear, dry voice thick with a Si Wong accent.

The doctors and Ockako all dropped what they were doing and put up their hands. Mikah did the same, warily eyeing Nozomi to make sure she was still breathing.

“Alright, that was easy.” The first man smiled at Arnook, looking up due to the latter’s height. “My name is Zahrun Saeed. My companion and I have business here.”

Mikah was almost certain he had heard the name before. Judging by the gasps coming from Ochako and the other doctors, he wasn’t alone.

Zahrun’s smile grew, as if he took pleasure in how much fear the mere sound of his name caused. “Good, we’re off to a great start. Which of you knows Tanaka?”

Ochako stammered and lost her footing. “Wh- what do you want?”

“You know him?” Zahrun lowered his sword, relaxing for a brief moment.

“Teijo?” Ochako stammered, then clamped her hand over her mouth. She had said too much.

Zahrun stepped closer to the Fire Lord’s bed, lifting his sword back up to its former position. “Tell me where it is, or she gets it.” He angled the tip of his sword over Nozomi’s body. Mikah instinctively moved to protect the sleeping woman.

“Ah, we’ve got a fighter here.” Zahrun smiled tauntingly. “Say, healer boy. Do you know where Teijo Tanaka is?”

“He’s in a library on the fourth floor.” Mikah confessed. The truth felt like betrayal, even though he knew it was a sacrifice he had to be made.

Zahrun resheathed his sword and smiled. “See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” His voice was mockingly genuine. Zahrun turned to Arnook. “Let’s go.”

Once Arnook and Zahrun’s footsteps had disappeared down the hallway, Mikah checked on Nozomi. He didn’t put his hand on her forehead like before, but on her chest, to check for a pulse. He was met with silence. They had been too late.

the storm

The sight of Ahsa nearly made Haruko fall to her feet. Ahsa was there, right in front of her, which meant that her father was- she shook her head to get the thought out of her head. “What are you doing here?”

“Work, obviously.” Ahsa shrugged, as if it was the most mundane night any of them would ever experience. Haruko took a moment to glance back at Hanuel and everybody else. It was like the entire world had frozen upon Ahsa’s arrival. Tala, of any of them, seemed the most distressed, but remained silent.

Hanuel angled her sword towards Ahsa, albeit sloppily, while extending her other hand for metalbending. “Who are you, what do you want?”

“It’s not about what I want, it’s about what you’re willing to give up for her.” Ahsa stepped carefully backwards to give Tehreem enough space to be seen by everyone in the room. She brought Hang along with her.

Hang looked bad- better than what Haruko had been expecting, but still bad. Her braid was undone, there were bruises across her face and scars across her limbs. She was wearing a simple maroon tunic that almost disguised the deep tones of the blood soaked into it and stood hunched over, weak and afraid. Tehreem hovered her electrified glove near Hang’s arm, as if she was just waiting to incapacitate the girl.

“The prisoner!” Teijo exclaimed and lunged forward, as if to attack.

“Hang?” Chau whispered, gathering herself and ran forward to embrace her daughter. “Hang!”

“Ah- don’t wanna get your kid hurt.” Tehreem chided as she moved her hand closer to Hang’s arm. The waterbender flinched in response.

“What do you want?” Haruko growled, putting her arm around Chau.

Ahsa and Tehreem exchanged a glance. “We were actually hoping you’d hand over Tanaka over there, but it seems like you’ve got him taken care of.” The firebender gestured to Teijo with a motion that could’ve produced flame, had she wanted it to.

Jitsuko stepped away from her brother just in time to dodge the breath of fire Teijo spat at his opponents.

“Get down!” Haruko cried, pulling Chau down fast enough that the fire barely grazed the tops of their heads. Once the flame had subsided, Haruko looked up, only to see that Ahsa and Tehreem had left the area to fight Teijo. Hang was completely unguarded

Haruko gathered herself and sat up. She ran her hands through her hair. Suddenly, Haruko was a child again and everything had fallen apart around her- the literal room around her was burning, just like her memories and dreams. She was going to burn up, waste away under the flames.

“Are you ok?” Hanuel put her hand over Haruko’s shoulder. The touch gave her no reassurance, only reminding her of what was going on around her.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She looked at the fight still raging behind her, then to Hang and Chau’s embrace.

“Are you alright? Are you safe?” Chau brushed Hang’s hair out of her face, holding onto her as if she was afraid to let go. “What happened to you?”

“I am. I think.” Hang nodded frantically. “I’ll be alright.”

Haruko glanced back at Tala, who was in the midst of redirecting Teijo’s fire blasts. They didn’t fight against Ahsa and Tehreem, but with them. It surprised Haruko that Teijo was still standing after all that had happened to him.

“Haruko-” Hang coughed. “What are we going to do?”

Haruko shook her head. “I don’t know. I think Koto, Aazir and Jae are getting Cloud but…” She stumbled.

Hanuel stood up and picked up her sword. “Well, we have to do something.”

Haruko followed. “Alright, then.” She turned to Hang, who was being helped up by her mother. “Are you strong enough to bend?”

Hang nodded and stood up straight. “I should be fine, I think.”

“Good. You and your mom should try and extinguish some of these flames. I’ll clear out the smoke.” After exchanging a single, knowing glance with Hang, she looked to Hanuel. “I need you to find Koto and my friends.”

Hanuel frowned. “But I can-”

“There’s not much earth here and I really need you to find my friends, tell them where we are.” Haruko said, putting her hand on Hanuel’s shoulder. “Can you do that for me?”

Hanuel nodded gravely. “Alright. I can do that.” Before leaving, she paused. “Good luck.”

Haruko nodded before turning back to the fight. Over the course of the fight, the air had grown dense with smoke, but it was easy for Haruko to clear it out with sweeping gestures of air. If Ahsa and Tehreem noticed her bending an element other than her native one, they didn’t show it.

As the smoke cleared from the room, Haruko turned to check on Hang and Chau- the two waterbenders had opened the window and were drawing rainwater from outside to extinguish the flame. Haruko dashed closer to the window, directing the smoke to it.

“You good?” Haruko asked when Hang’s posture faltered.

Hang regained her strength and stood up straight. “Yep. I’m fine.”

Haruko glanced back at Teijo only long enough to see him breaking free of a chokehold Tala had put him in. Once he stumbled to his feet, his gaze landed on Hang. “You!”

Before Haruko could move to protect, her friend, Teijo shot a jet of white flame at her. Hang dodged it, but just barely.

Chau reacted to the attack before Haruko had even comprehended what had happened, thrusting the rainwater she was bending at Teijo. The impact sent him backwards only a moment, before he lunged forward. He didn’t assume a traditional firebending stance like before, but held his hands extended in the air, pointing two fingers on each hand.

It took Haruko all too long to realize what was happening before a bolt of lightning stretched from Teijo’s fingertips to Chau’s chest.

The flash of light was nearly blinding. Hang could barely fathom what was happening before her mother’s lifeless body collapsed into hers. Teijo had- had he killed her? It was hard to tell.

Hang didn’t have enough time to check her mother’s pulse before she was near-blinded once again by Teijo shooting another charge of lightning at her. Hang dropped to her feet and laid her mother on the floor before running to the only escape she could find- the window.

It was hard for Hang to remain grounded on the rain-slick tiling of the roof. As she climbed away from the window, she took a moment to glance up at the full moon above her. It was almost ironic, the fact it was a full moon.

Hang cast a spared glance back at the window she had left, only to see that Teijo was climbing out of it. His jet black hair blew in the wind, sticking to his face. Even though he was only illuminated by the light of the room behind him, Hang could make out the golden glint of his near-ruined armor and the silvery-bronze of the sword he brandished.

Hang stumbled backwards, gathering a water whip around her to attack Teijo. She locked eyes with him, not saying a word.

Teijo’s brow furrowed, he bared his teeth and in that moment it was as if Hang could read his mind. All he thought was ‘how dare she- how dare she act like the equal to me’.

Teijo stepped forward, making a steady pace over the tiles and hiding the times he stumbled over the unsteady surface. Hang backed up, bending the rainwater into a shield around her.

She stumbled backwards, nearly losing her footing on the rooftop. “Please, I-”

“Shut up!” Teijo shouted. He thrust his blade forward, but cut through only water. Hang jumped downward, riding down the slope of the roof to the one a floor down. There was a courtyard not far away, with a large pond- not that she needed any more water.

Teijo followed her, stopping when he got to the ledge of the roof she had left, pausing so that he was above her. He looked up at the moon above, obscured by storm clouds, and let out a crackling laugh. “It’s ironic, isn’t it? You have all the power in the world right now, you have every hand and-” He ran a hand through his hair, hair so wet it clung to his face. “And yet, you fear me.”

Hang didn’t respond, except by pulling water around her to form a shield. Teijo assumed the same position he had before he shot down her mother and sent a flash of white lightning at her. Hang barely managed to dodge it and reassume her position a few feet away.

Teijo jumped down, landing on the lower roof with a sickening clatter. Hang sent the water she had gathered at him before turning around and descending further. She didn’t know where she was running to, only that she had to run. The rain around her begged her to fall down, weighing her down. The only thing keeping her up was the light of the moon above and her own adrenaline.

Once he had recovered from her attack, Teijo followed Hang down. He didn’t send another bolt of lightning at her, but thrust forward, angling his sword at her chest. Hang stumbled backwards, falling off the roof into the courtyard pond before. She only barely managed to soften her fall by bending the water around her.

Teijo laughed as he climbed down to the courtyard, making a much more gracious descent than Hang had. As she tried to pick herself up from the impact, he stepped into the pond and stood over her, pointing his sword at her chest, preventing her from moving.

“I admire your persistence, swamp rat.” Teijo laughed. He didn’t even know her name. He was so dedicated to seeing her dead, and he had forgotten her name. “It’s a shame that it had to come to this. I was hoping to give you a more dignified execution.” He pressed the point of his sword into Hang’s chest, then moved it away, lifting the blade to his shoulder like a club. “It will be over soon, don’t worry. You’ll see your mother soon.”

Hang closed her eyes and focused. There had to be something she could do- there was always something she could do. She had the moon to guide her, there was water all around her- above her and below her and around her, even coursing through Teijo’s veins. There was water in Teijo’s veins. She could bend the water in Teijo’s body.

Teijo involuntarily stiffened as Hang took hold of his body. She stood up and gathered herself, making sure not to allow him the slightest movement he could use against her. “What are you- you monster-” Teijo spat through the grit of his teeth. His sword fell out of his hand and into the water.

Hang hovered her hand over Teijo’s chest, close to his heart. “Do you know who I am?”

Teijo didn’t answer, even though she was letting him.

“Answer me! Do you know who I am?” Hang barked, her voice cracking as it peaked. When Teijo answered her with silence again, she pressed her hand to his heart and cooled it, forcing the water to chill slowly enough that she was aware of the moment his heart stopped beating.

When Teijo’s corpse fell over, she picked up his sword and wiped the water from her eyes. She couldn’t tell whether it was her tears or the rain.

After Hang and Teijo had disappeared out the window, Haruko had jumped to the window to follow them, or at least watch- but she was too late and was met by nothing but rain.

“Here’s hoping she off’s him.” Ahsa deadpanned as she leaned on the window with Haruko.

“What?” Haruko replied, looking over Ahsa.

The firebender shrugged. “That’s what we’re here for. Thought you gathered that. Personally, I’m not complaining if your friend does my job for me.”

Haruko took in a breath and turned back to the rest of the room, at first closing her eyes to brace herself for what she was about to see. She, Ahsa, Tehreem, Jitsuko and Tala were the only ones left in the ruined library, not counting Chau’s body.

Tala stood over the woman, alternating between checking her pulse on her wrist and her neck. Haruko walked over next to them.

“She’s gone.” They whispered, as if it was a secret she had to keep, or something they didn’t want to admit. “She’s really gone.”

The only response Haruko could muster was, “Oh.”

“Hey, your friends are coming back.” Jitsuko called out, standing close to the door. She pointed at Haruko and Tala. “Your friends, not theirs.”

Tehreem scoffed and exchanged a glance with her girlfriend.

Haruko stood up and turned to the door just as Hanuel, Koto, Aazir and Jae burst through it. The sight of her friends brought her relief- Pasha was even sitting on Aazir’s shoulder.

“What happened, are you ok?” Koto rushed up to Haruko and put her hands on her shoulders. “Where’re Hang and Teijo?”

Haruko could feel the tears forming in the corners of her eyes. To her relief, Tala filled in for her. “Teijo killed Chau then chased Hang out the window. We haven’t seen either since.”

“Oh.” Koto cast a glance around the room, notably at Tehreem and Ahsa. ‘

“Also, they’re here now.” Tala explained, not sparing their former comrades even a glance. Apparently they wanted to …. assassinate Teijo.”

Hanuel put her hand over her mouth. “I- I’m so sorry.”

Aazir put his hand on Hanuel’s to respond, but was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. When Haruko turned around to see who had come, she was confronted by one of the worst sights- the face of her father. It didn’t even matter that he was with Arnook. He was here.

Zahrun awkwardly paused in the doorway, putting his hand on the hilt of his sword. He wasn’t used to having this many eyes on him. “Uh- Ahsa, Tehreem, we’re leaving. Fire Lord’s dead, I assume you handled Tanaka?”

Ahsa and Tehreem both got up and joined him in the doorway. Ahsa tapped Tala on the shoulder as she left, a semblance of a goodbye.

Someone tugged on Haruko’s sleeve, it was Aazir. He looked to her, his eyes wide and almost tearing. “Hadiyah, it’s Dad.”

Haruko looked back at their father. He waved. “Hey Hadiyah, Aazir. Nice to, uh, see you again!” He gave a forced smile.

Aazir kept looking between Zahrun and Haruko. “Dad- You’re alive?!”

Zahrun hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Yep. I am.” He turned to Tala. “Hey, Tala, you coming with us?”

The firebender shook their stepping backwards, away from Zahrun.

“Fine by me.” Zahrun shrugged, then turned to the rest of his group. “Let’s go.”

Once the sound of footsteps had disappeared, Koto turned to the rest of the group. “We should- we should leave.”

“Koto-” Hanuel interrupted, only to be silenced by a weary glance.

“We’re leaving. That’s final.” Koto stated. “We’ll find Hang and then we’ll get going.”

Tala nodded, then turned to Hanuel and Jitsuko. “Can you two make sure Chau has a proper funeral? She deserves it.”

Jitsuko looked to Hanuel then nodded. “I think we can do that.” She hesitated. “I- I don’t know you guys, but good luck, with whatever you’re doing.”

“It’s appreciated.” Jae replied, before turning to the door. “Come on, let’s go.”

Haruko followed. She would’ve been relieved that the fight was over, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that they had failed.

epilogue

For most of the ride home- or at least back from the Fire Nation- they all stayed silent. To Jae, at least, it felt like they had to. They endured the heavy rainfall and the weight of the last few hour’s events on their own, each individually, until the sun had risen again and the sky had cleared.

It was hard to face his friends- the faces of the people he was so sure he had let down. They all were battle worn- carrying more than just the wounds on their bodies- but none more than Hang. The waterbender had wrapped her arms around her long legs in an almost-childlike defensive pose and hid her face from view. Occasionally, she would shake or whimper, giving indication that she was sobbing. All Jae could do was put his hand on her shoulder in a semblance of comfort.

Tala sat on Hang’s other side, but seemed more interested in the scenic ocean view than helping their distressed friend. Jae had known Tala long enough to know that there was something on their mind, but he decided against asking about it. Like the rest of them, Tala had suffered from physical injuries during the fight, the least of which including the loss of their hairband- Tala’s long, dark hair fell around their shoulders and blew slightly in the wind. It was a jarring sight, at least to Jae, who had never seen Tala with their hair down.

On the opposite side of the bison’s saddle sat Haruko and Aazir, deep into a conversation spoken in what Jae assumed to be their native tongue, the sandbender dialect of their tribe. He couldn’t decipher what was being said, save for a few repeated words, one of which being ‘Avatar’. It was clear that both siblings were angry, and it was easy for Jae to guess why when reflecting on the night’s events- if he had gone through what they had, he would be angry too.

Furthest from him sat the airbender Koto, both physically and almost spiritually distanced from the rest of them. Since she had her back to them, it was hard to tell her emotion or condition. He would’ve moved over to ask if she was ok, but he decided against it and instead checked on Hang.

“Hey, you ok?” He put his hand over Hang’s shoulder, as gently as he could.

Hang nodded and looked up. She put one of her hands on the sword beside her- a sword she had, allegedly, stolen from the Crown Prince Teijo after killing him. “Yeah.” She sniffled, then paused. “I… I don’t really know.”

Jae looked out onto the horizon as the sky slowly changed from a rosey pink to a near-blue tone. “Well, judging by how cold it’s getting, we’re getting close to the south pole.”

The minute they landed in the south pole, they were met by a group of Saila’s guards, who instantly recognized how injured they were and ushered them into the medical wing. It all felt like a daze to Haruko, in part because of the pain medication they put her on, and in part because she was still thinking about everything that happened back there. She was just thankful she had the chance to rest for a moment, away from the others.

At some point- it could’ve been anything between a few hours and a few days since her arrival, Haruko was visited by Asami. The older woman sat next to her and hesitated before speaking, as if she was afraid. “So. Are you feeling any better?”

Haruko nodded and propped herself up on her bed, as if to prove it. “Yeah. I’m better.” The statement was only half a lie.

“That’s good.” Asami looked off into the distance, as if there was something on her mind. “The Fire Lord and Crown Prince are both dead, but I suppose you already knew that, since you were there.”

Haruko nodded. They still haven’t told Asami, or any of the others, what had happened at the Fire Nation- that Hang had been the one to kill Teijo.

“Ochako Tanaka’s going to be crowned Fire Lord in a few weeks, but she’s inheriting quite a mess.” Asami continued. Haruko caught her drift- now was not the time to introduce information that would break international affairs, namely, the identity of the Avatar.

“What are we going to do?” Haruko asked, warily.

Asami paused before answering. “I’m not sure, I don’t think the Southern Water Tribe is all too safe for you or your friends right now, all things considered. I think sending you to Republic City might be our best option, just to lay low for a while, until these circumstances blow over more.”

Haruko nodded and looked at her hands. She had never been to Republic City before, even though it had been the original destination on their journey. It was ironic that she was only going there now, after everything.

“Are you ok, Haruko?” Asami asked, concern lacing her words.

“Yeah. I’m ok. You should probably tell the others.” Haruko said as she leaned back on her bed, thoughts of her father still on her mind.