Art: Hobnob by Stephanie Cost

The thick dawn light coated their room in hues of gold. Anything with the slightest shimmer shined like diamonds under the light, this included the Yin and Yang necklace which laid on the table beside their bed.

A tan hand scooped up the piece of jewelry. It stretched across an equally tanned neck as the hands attempted to fasten it into place.

"I'm sorry I have to go," Kida sighed, her fingers still fumbling with the clasp. "But there are people I've left behind who need my attention now that the war is over."

The soft ruffle of sheets falling on the ground told her that her boyfriend had stood up from the bed behind her. In seconds, she felt his presence against her back. His hands replaced hers to secure the necklace.

His fingers soon disappeared against the nape of her neck but she felt pressure on her shoulders as he turned her body to look at him. As soon as they were face-to-face, he cupped her cheeks in his hands. A smile smoothed across her face and she closed her eyes, closing off her other senses to solely concentrate on his warm, rough touch.

Zuko smiled at the sight, brushing his thumb gently around the outline of her bottom lip. He meant to tease her but he ended up teasing himself as well. "Should I be worried about whom you're going to see, old boyfriends perhaps?"

She looked up at him once again, still smiling as she rolled her eyes and reached up to take his hands in hers. "An unsettling percentage of my ex's are dead," she said through a smile and a joking tone, but he noticed as her eyes darkened.

She kept a hold on one of his hands as she turned her body back towards her luggage, finally allowing her smile to drop but keeping her happy tone. "I think you should be more worried about what that means for you than if I'm going to go see the few still around."

He took a step closer and gripped the hand that was still in his as he wrapped his and her arms around her body, pulling her back to his chest. A titter of laughter came out of her mouth at the sudden movement. He leaned down to rest his chin on her shoulder and mumble in her ear. "I think that just means the universe believes it's stupid to let you go. Do you really think we should be ignoring the universe's warnings?"

She smiled again but didn't hold his hand as tightly as he held hers. A sigh fell out of her mouth and the smile became loose as her thoughts wandered. "I'm not sure how I'm going to face her. I got her brother killed."

Zuko's smile finally fell with hers, but he dug his chin deeper into the crook of her neck and pulled her in even tighter for comfort. "It wasn't your fault."

"Zuko, we've been over this. Don't lie to make me feel better," she urged.

"I'm not lying," he insisted. "It wasn't your fault, it was my sister's."

"Either way, Takumi asked me to take care of his sister. I don't know how long I'll be gone, but for a while, I'm going to have to put her needs first."

"Which is exactly why I love you," he responded before placing a sudden kiss on her cheek and making her involuntarily giggle once again.

She turned around to him as he finally pulled away. "I love you, too," she returned. She pushed herself up on her toes and closed the space between them once more, her lips pressed against his for a proper kiss.

"Write to me," she ordered once they had pulled away.

"Every day," he agreed.

One Year Later

At first what Kida and Zuko had told each other had been the truth. The letters rolled in nearly daily between the pair, until it became once a week, every other week, once a month... After almost seven months, neither of them even seemed to remember what writing was. Not to mention what was inside these letters.

They stayed honest with each other in the beginning, telling each other about their heartaches and asking for advice. Zuko couldn't bear to worry her though. He decided to keep the first assassination attempt on his life to himself—or at least until she got back. He didn't want to risk her leaving what she was doing just for him, not if she wasn't done.

He wasn't the only one guilty of this, however. Kida decided not to bother him with the troubles of raising a child on her own; or how much financial trouble she was getting into—they were only surviving on what she hunted or what she traded for the meat. She couldn't be a waterbender there either, considering the last one who was in the village tried to kidnap everyone.

Eventually their letters had just become merriments and small talk. What was the point of speaking when no one would actually say anything?

Four months had passed since they last spoken. The only time Kida got any news of the Fire Lord was through official announcements or town whispers. The last she heard, the Harmony Restoration Movement wasn't going as smoothly as hoped, but there were no real details.

Kida had been present to settle that deal with Earth King Kuei. They would remove every single one of the Fire Nation colonies. Kida had noticed the flaw in this. Many of the colonies were very old, older than the official war even. Removing them would be difficult; there was no wonder why it wasn't going smoothly.

"How was school?" Kida asked the young firebender girl as she passed her.

"Okay," the eight-year-old sighed. Kida was beginning to know the tone well.

"Stop," Kida ordered as she stepped between the girl and the path to the bedroom. She looked down at the child, only then noticing that she had been hiding behind her hair. There was a rather large abrasion near her lip. Kida fell to her knees to match the girl's height as she took her hands and began to inspect the cut. "You got into another fight?"

"They were making fun of Takumi," she admitted through clenched teeth as she refused to meet Kida's eyes.

"Kids can be cruel. They knew nothing of your family. They're just jealous because you're a firebender, and there aren't very many of those in this village."

"Why can't we move? Why can't we go where you're from?"

"Where I'm from is very far away, and you won't find any firebenders there either."

"What about that man that you used to send all those letters to?"

Kida stiffened. "How do you know I sent those letters to a man?"

Mitsuko suddenly became sheepish. "No reason."

The young woman sighed. "So, you were going through my letters."

"Only the ones with the pretty seals on them," the girl admitted.

"I have to get permission for you to stay with him, and we haven't spoken in a very long time... He's so busy..."

"Too busy for you?" questioned Mitsuko. Kida's eyes darted to the girl to see an uncertain curiosity swirling in her irises.

Kida sighed heavily. "He is too busy doing his job," she raised her hand to gently cup the child's cheek, "and I'm doing mine."

"Speaking of," Kida stood once again, "I'm working tonight, so you'll be spending the night with Nina again."

"Why can't you get a day job?" Mitsuko whined. "I'm at school all day and then you leave when I finally get home."

"I'll still be here for a few hours-" Kida tried to persuade.

"It's not the same," the child grumbled before finally pulling away from Kida's grasp. The woman had no chance in stopping the little girl as she pushed past before bolting for the bedroom.

"Mitsu!" Kida called after her. She began to follow but the door slamming shut in her face was a good enough sign to leave the girl alone.

Kida's blood began to bubble as her annoyance for the girls actions grew, but the outrage stopped short in her throat. She could never bring herself to yell at Mitsuko. For one, she had no relation to the child. Also, Mitsuko had been through enough, and Kida blamed herself for quite a bit of it. She couldn't yell at her.

The waterbender closed her eyes and rubbed the back of her neck, turning away from the hall. She took a deep breath and let her anger blow out.

Her brow was creased as she opened her eyes. She scanned over the small room that was both the living room and kitchen. At first, she was trying to figure out what she should be doing, until her eyes drifted over the box in the corner of the room.

Mitsuko's words had sparked something in her, and for the first time in months, she felt a strange urge to open that box.

After throwing a quick glance behind her to make sure the bedroom door was closed, she made her way to the small chest.

The wood planks squealed under the weight of her knees as she crouched on the floor. She didn't have to open it to know what was inside. There would be dozens of retied scrolls, each identical to one another—all on official palace parchment, and bits of the royal seal crumbling off at the opening.

When she opened the box that was exactly what she found.

There were a few more than she had expected, but she knew she had written one in return for every single one of his—even the most recent which he still hadn't responded to.

Staring at the brilliant pages, she had begun to second guess herself. He hadn't responded in so long—and she had barely thought about it herself until now. Did she really want to spend her night reminiscing on what she could feel slipping through her fingers?

Against her better judgment, she reached in and pulled out a random scroll. She dropped the lid on the chest with a loud thud before she could put the parchment back.

She bit her lip, still hesitant. Wasn't it easier to not think about it?

Probably...

She unrolled the scroll.

My Dearest, Kida

I know it sounds ridiculous, but I miss you already. Your siblings don't seem to notice your absence though; they almost seem used to it. I wonder why...

A smile cracked across Kida's mouth as Zuko's chuckle—which she knew had followed that sentence—came to her ears.

It's not that I don't have anything to do, my officials have me running around like a mad man, but I miss being able to talk to you in person. By the time I can get your advice on a matter, it's already passed. Maybe you can visit. You can bring Mitsuko along. I'd love to meet her.

I need to go. I can hear Takashi coming this way already. He does a lot more ordering around than advising if you ask me, but Uncle says he means well.

Anyways...

Yours always, Zuko

Kida snorted at the closing. He'd been making fun of her ever since she had unintentionally written those exact words at the end of a very mushy letter. It had been one of her earlier, more difficult days in town and she had been longing to be as far away as possible, especially if it was a place that included Zuko. He wouldn't drop it ever since.

She remembered being extremely on board with taking Mitsuko to see Zuko. That was until she had sat down to write the letter and remembered that Mitsuko had to go to school still. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't see a way to justify taking the child out of school. She promised to raise Mitsuko properly. Tugging her around as Kida followed whatever whim she felt seemed wrong. Above all, she wanted to raise Mitsuko as close to the way she would have been if her life had gone uninterrupted by the waterbending stranger.

She would keep that promise, even if it meant she and Zuko couldn't be with each other.

***

"Thank you, Nina," Kida sighed. Her eyes trailed after the pouting eight-year-old who had walked into the house without as much as a 'goodbye'.

The old woman smiled in return, though it was forced. "It's no problem," she muttered. "Did something happen between you two?"

Kida shook her head, "Tough day at school."

The woman's smile became more genuine. "I'll speak to her if you'd like."

Kida's eyes snapped to the woman before gratitude began to swell in her chest. "Please, she listens to you better than me."

"Of course." She gave one last smile before beginning to close the door. "Have a good night."

"You too."

Kida turned away from the small house. The brisk air sent a chill down her back as she walked away. Her loose bangs wisped in the soft breeze as she instinctually wrapped her arms around her body—after nearly two years away from the South Pole, her tolerance for the cold had decreased significantly.

Her night job was a fair walk from Nina's house; an establishment such as where Kida worked was better kept away from where children played, but it payed the bills.

She started to make her way towards the forest, taking the normal short cut, when something in the corner of her eye caught her attention.

A royal Fire Nation air ship was drifting above the town square.

The cool, calm night suddenly became like icy electricity against Kida's skin, charging her body. She couldn't believe it. He had finally come for her.

She should have expected it. It was always when she started to give up when he would suddenly pull her from the edge. It was one of the things she loved about him.

Her legs carried her forward. Without a thought about work or the reason she was even in that town. All she cared about was getting to him. All she cared about was being in his arms again.

Kida's body was weary by the time she had reached the center of the town, but her brain refused to process it.

People had come out of their houses to see what was going on. Crowds were circled around the bottom of the ship, keeping Zuko out of Kida's sights. She felt no need to be polite. She barreled through the many people whom she lived alongside, not letting out a single apology as she went.

Just as quickly as she had gotten to the center of the circle, and her joy had finally welled up to a crescendo, she had lost it all.

The person who had been standing beside the rope ladder which hung from the air ship wasn't wearing red.

"Suki?" Kida muttered half hoping her eyes were deceiving her.

The Kyoshi warrior spun around at her name. Suki's painted face broke out into a large grin as Kida's fell even more.

"Kida!" Suddenly, Kida had Suki's arms wrapped around her neck in a tight, one-sided embrace.

"Oh!" Suki released the waterbender to look at her face. "Do you go by a different name here?" she spoke in a muffled whisper.

Kida nodded, "It's Yin."

"Well, Yin," Suki let go of Kida completely, "you're needed." The warrior's smile had fallen as an expression that spoke with all seriousness replaced it.

Kida's brow creased. "What happened?"

"Zuko needs help." Murmurs flew around the crowd.

Kida's heart thudded a little faster once more. The feeling of hope was suddenly overcome by the heat which blistered in her limbs. She took a step back. "Then why didn't he come here himself?"

"Because he doesn't realize he needs help."

Kida shook her head and took another step away. "I told you all, I have to stay here."

"Kida," Suki jumped forward to grab the waterbender's hands before she could get any farther away, "he's about to start another war."

***

"Tell me this again," Kida demanded. Suki's threat of another war had been sufficient enough to get Kida to finally leave. After a quick stop at Nina's, she was on the ship with Suki, supposedly going to a former Fire Nation colony named Yu Dao.

"Yu Dao is one of the Fire Nation colonies. Zuko is going there with his forces to keep the people there from being forced out by the earth king and his army."

"But the Harmony Restoration means that all colonials must go back to the Fire Nation," Kida said as if Suki hadn't been there when it was written as well. "He agreed on that. Why would he do this?"

"Yu Dao is one of the oldest Fire Nation colonies, older than the war itself. A lot of the people there might technically be Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom citizens but they don't really consider themselves to be either."

"What is Aang saying about all of this?"

Suki shrugged, "I don't know, I haven't seen him. Zuko seems worried though. He says he had Aang make a promise to him."

Kida's brow creased, eyeing the girl beside her. There was something about the way Suki was refusing to look at Kida now. She knew whatever this promise was couldn't have been good. "Suki," Kida warned, "what's really been going on? What promise?"

Suki finally met Kida's gaze. "He made Aang promise to kill him if he ever stepped out of line."

"What!" Kida snapped. "That hypocrite!"

"What?" Suki questioned, obviously confused.

Kida rolled her eyes before turning to grab the railing of the platform. "Nothing," she hissed. "If someone is going to kill that idiot then it's going to be me."

"That's another thing..."

Kida looked back over her shoulder. "What else?"

"I think that the reason he's acting like this is because there've been a few assassination attempts on him and he's paranoid."

Kida released the railing to spin back around and face Suki. "How many is a few?"

Suki seemed reluctant but answered all the same. "Six."

Kida's eyes grew to the size of platters. Her chest began to restrict as if it was trying to calm her thudding heart. "He never..." she had to lick her drying lips, "he never told me." Her eyes began to burn and she started to blink rapidly to keep away the threatening moister.

Suki reached out to put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "He didn't want to worry you."

Kida swatted away the touch. "I'm his fiancée. I have a right to be worried!"

"What?" Suki breathed. Kida's anger faded as she realized her mistake. "You two... you two are engaged?"

Kida opened her mouth to deny it but knew it was already too late. "Not officially. We decided to wait till I came back."

"You didn't seem like you had any intentions of coming back-"

"I was coming back!" Kida snapped nearly before Suki could finish her sentence. She looked away from Suki again as she felt her chest tighten once more. "Or he could have come and gotten me."

There was a beat of silence.

"If you started to think he didn't care about you then you should know he talked about you all the time."

"What do you mean?"

"Whenever he makes decisions, he considers what you would do."

"Obviously he didn't consider what I would do for this one."

Suki took a deep breath as if she was trying to get the courage to say something she knew wouldn't earn herself favor with Kida. "I think all he's thinking about right now is you."

"What do you mean?"

Suki shook her head. "You'll see when we get there, but first," a grin stretched across her lips, "we need to make one more stop."

Kida narrowed her eyes at the girl.

Before long they had arrived at a building not far from the city limits of Yu Dao. It wasn't until she heard their voices that Kida realized who they were stopping for.

"Ah quit your kissy-kissy bellyaching, Sokka. Appa's here!" The blind girl's voice met Kida's ears as she climbed down the ladder after Suki.

"No, not Appa!" exclaimed an even better known voice. "Someone way prettier and a lot less hairy!" As if Kida didn't exist, Sokka sprinted towards Suki. Before his girlfriend's feet had even touched the ground, he had swept her up in his arms and began to kiss her.

"Um," Toph grumbled. "Can I just say 'oogie'?"

Kida laughed at the word she had heard her brother say many times whenever she or her sister kissed their boyfriends in front of him.

"Kida?" Toph questioned, hearing her laugh before she stepped on the ground.

"The one and only," Kida sighed.

Sokka finally pulled away from making out with his girlfriend to look at his older sister over Suki's shoulder. "Kida!" Suddenly, Kida was enveloped in a hug, her feet once again nearly leaving the floor. "I was beginning to wonder if having a second sister was a figment of my imagination or something."

Kida scoffed as she was finally released. "You can dream."

"I do," he sighed longingly.

"Oh shut up," Kida scolded teasingly, punching the boy's shoulder.

"So what are you guys doing here?" Toph inquired.

"We need some help," Suki informed.

"How'd you even know we were here?" questioned Sokka.

"A group of us are serving as Zuko's palace guards," Suki answered. "We just received an official complaint from a firebending instructor about a 'dirt girl' and a 'snow savage' taking over his school."

"Kunyo," Toph and Sokka chorused.

"Do we wanna know?" Kida questioned.

"They can tell us later," Suki interrupted, "we need to go." She started to climb the ladder back up to the ship.

"You're leaving already?" exclaimed Sokka as he chased after her.

"So are you," Suki urged. "Come on, I need both of you."

They all hurried to climb up into the ship. Toph was the last, hesitating when a couple of kids came out begging to come with. Kida wasn't sure who they were until she saw a little girl metalbending a helmet; they must have been Toph's new metalbending students.

"So what's this about, Suki?" Sokka asked once they had finally gotten away.

Suki glanced down over the edge of the ship. Her face fell and her eyes became dark. "See for yourself."

"Oh, no," mumbled Sokka.

"What? What?" Toph urged.

"Zuko!"

They're words had become muffled in Kida's ears. She had followed Suki's gaze before she had even spoken and was already frozen in her place.

There he was, the man she had been longing to see for a year, the man she loved. It was in that moment that, for the first time, she wished she couldn't see him.

On top of a komodo rhino sat a man, leading an entire army dressed in battle armor. He didn't look like Zuko; he looked like his father.

---

Part of this story is based off of the Last Airbender comics  (The Promise, The Search, and Smoke and Shadow). If you don't want spoilers then do not read. I'd highly advise reading them first!