Art: The Fortuneteller by Stephanie Cost

"Oh, no," mumbled Sokka.

"What? What?" Toph urged.

"Zuko!"

Their 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 at 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.

Kida spun away from the image below to grab onto Suki's shoulders. "Get me to him now!"

"Kida!" Sokka warned, reaching towards his sister, prepared to restrain her.

"We can't just go in," Suki urged. "He knows I'm trying to stop him. He'll probably rush into it or have us shot down."

"Fine, we won't fly in, but you are getting me to him," Kida demanded.

Suki nodded quickly.

They landed the airship as close as they could get without being spotted, then ducked down behind some boulders as the troops passed.

"...So when he found out the Earth King had sent his army to remove the colonials from Yu Dao, Zuko decided to lead his own army there to defend them," Suki explained as they tried to stay unseen.

"An Earth Kingdom army fighting a Fire Nation army?" Sokka questioned. "Sounds like the beginning of an all-out war."

"That's why I went to get you guys," said Suki. "We have to stop Zuko's army before they reach the city gates."

"You think the four of us can stop an entire army?" Sokka scoffed.

"Hey, just three of us stopped an entire air fleet before, haven't we?" Suki reminded.

"Good point."

"So what's the plan, Sokka?" asked Toph.

"Ah, the burden of being the idea guy," sighed Sokka, a grin on his lips as he stroked his chin in thought. "All right. Step one: Toph, can you get us into one of those tanks undetected?"

"Not a problem," Toph agreed. Before long, they were going down an underground slide that led them directly underneath the Fire Nation army.

After a few girlish screams―courtesy of Sokka―Toph broke into one of the Fire Nation tanks, and the other three quickly followed behind.

"Step one complete," Toph declared with a triumphant grin. She had singlehandedly taken control of the tank and metalbent both of the soldiers who previously occupied it out of the way. "What's step two?"

"Not sure," Sokka admitted with a shrug. "I was sorta hoping step two would come to me while we were working on step one."

"Are you kidding me?" Toph exclaimed.

"Oh, I see," Sokka snapped right back, "let's all blame the idea guy!"

"Well, while you guys figure that out, I'm gonna try to get us to Zuko," spoke Suki as she took the controls. "If we could just talk to him..."

"What, you think some polite conversation can convince him not to turn evil?" Toph's harsh words earned Kida's instant glare. It wasn't until Kida realized that Toph couldn't see the malevolent gaze that she decided to give up.

"I don't know," Suki responded. Her voice became soft as she stared out the window at the army ahead of them. "He just seems so... so lonely."

Kida felt a chill run down her back. At that moment, she realized Toph must have felt Kida's glare because she was feeling very uncomfortable under Suki's subtle, side-ways glance.

Zuko feeling lonely didn't sound all that shocking to Kida. After a year away from everyone she loved, she could relate. She had Mitsuko, but sometimes that made it worse. The little girl just reminded her of her own little sister and how much she missed her.

"'Lonely' isn't the way I'd put it," Toph huffed. "More like 'screwy in the head.'"

"No, lonely is the right word," Kida spoke for the first time since they had found the Fire Nation army.

Suki hid her gaze less, but Kida wouldn't meet her eyes. She was too focused on the distant silhouette that only slightly resembled her fiancée.

All she wanted to do was reach him, to take off the stupid Phoenix King helmet he wore on his head and call him an idiot before she kissed him.

Only faintly did she hear the remnants of a plan unfolding around her. Her focus was too concentrated on Zuko to really care. However, she did hear something about Toph loosening bolts.

Itwasn't long until Kida noticedthat the tank she was in had reached and passed where Zuko rodealong with his commanders. "Wait!" she demanded, pushing herself towards the window. "What are you doing? You're passing him!"

"You'll talk to him, don't worry," Sokka assured. "Were you even listening to the plan?"

"I only hear monotones when you speak, brother," Kida responded without missing a beat.

She kept herself pushed up against the window. She knew the chance was unlikely, but she was hoping Zuko would see her. As long as she could see him, there was a chance he could see her.

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Even when you're a mess, you find a way to insult me."

Kida was still trying to catch sight of Zuko as she spoke. "It's a talent."

Zuko finally became completely obscured from Kida's sight. She cursed under her breath.

"You'll talk to him," Suki persisted when Kida finally stepped away from the window.

The waterbender didn't listen. Her eyes darted around the small cabin before spotting the opening to the tank overhead. She was about to reach for the handle when a piece of metal sheeting from the roof peeled off to latch onto the girl's wrist, holding her in place.

"Sit tight, Sparky Lover. You'll talk to him," Toph assured.

"He looks like his father," Kida spoke her thoughts out loud.

Everyone became silent. Toph didn't move. Suki didn't take her eyes off the window as she became overly concentrated on steering the tank. Meanwhile, Sokka was the only one looking at his sister. His annoyed expression had gone slack as only sympathy swirled in his eyes. He hated seeing his sister in pain, and he knew this hurt her.

"Let's just get to Aang," Sokka mumbled, breaking the stiff quiet, "then we'll deal with Zuko."

Eventually, they got to the front of Zuko's army as they had planned. Sokka and Toph stepped out of the tank to greet Aang and Katara while Suki stayed behind with the restrained Kida.

"Sokka? Toph?" Kida heard her sister's voice.

"Suki and Kida, too," Toph informed. "Suki's driving, Kida's being difficult."

"You're the one keeping me from helping!" Kida snapped up at them.

Kida's shouts were ignored. Sokka climbed fully out of the tank to shut the lid on her before she could say anything else.

"You little prat!" Kida bellowed, beginning to beat on the metal hatch.

"He isn't becoming his father, Kida," Suki's voice broke through Kida's growing rage.

"What?" Kida snapped, turning towards the Kyoshi Warrior.

Suki's expression was soft, forcing Kida to calm down some as she looked into her sincere eyes. However, Kida didn't want to be soft. She wanted to be angry. She wanted to yell and scream and slap Zuko across the face for being an idiot.

"What? You play his guard for a few months, and you suddenly think you know him?" Kida huffed. She turned back to the hatch to start hammering on it again.

She only got one thud through before Suki had jumped up to grab her bruising fist. "I don't know him as well as you do, but don't you know him well enough to know he wouldn't just become evil?"

Kida stared into Suki's eyes. She kept her brow furrowed and expression hard, trying not to give in to the warrior's pleading gaze. She was able to keep her face stiff, but her limbs had lost the heat which drove them to keep fighting.

"Zuko and I had started to make a life for each other in Ba Sing Se," Kida spoke tenderly. "And just when we had reached the happiest we had ever been, he threw it away..."

Suki took a step away, releasing Kida's fist.

Kida sighed heavily and nodded. "Yes, I completely believe Zuko is capable of this. That's why we have each other. Because I am just as capable, and he is supposed to be there to stop me. Exactly how I should have been there to stop him."

Suki shook her head rapidly as if she was trying to shake out the thought that Kida was the reason this was happening. "You can't put his decisions on yourself, Kida. He's his own person; so are you."

"I'mnot," Kida assured bluntly. "His actions and decisions are his own. Thatdoesn't mean I couldn't have been there, so he would at least have someone totalk to about them. I'mgoing to be his wife, Suki. That means we're supposed to be there foreach other, for better or for worse. This is part of his worse. I should have beenthere."

"Does that mean that once we get all of this figured out," Suki hesitated, debating whether the answer to her question was worth Kida's response, "you'll stay?"

Kida's eyes darted towards the other girl. She opened her mouth to respond but closed it just as quickly. What would be the point of lying?

"So you say this is your fault for leaving, but you're just going to leave again as soon as it's over?" Suki pressed. It was her turn to get angry. "I thought you would have changed in a year, but apparently, you still like to contradict yourself."

"This is my fault for leaving," Kida agreed, "but that doesn't mean I can change the fact that I had to leave. I made a promise to a dying man – a promise which affects the life of a child. I can't turn my back on that."

Suki shook her head. "You say he needs you, but honestly, I think you need him more because he's the only person who knows how to put up with you."

Kida sighed. "I won't disagree."

Loud clanking sounds outside the tank disrupted their conversation.

"Sounds like the next part of the plan worked," Suki commented.

Suki went past Kida to open the hatch and push herself out, leaving Kida behind, still restrained to the roof of the tank.

"Ha, ha!" Kida heard her brother howling. "Look at that! Idea guy's still got the touch."

"Hey, what the hell is going on out there?" Kida yelled through the newly opened hatch.

"Quickly, Earth Kingdom troops, while the Fire Nation is in disarray!" a voice Kida knew but couldn't name yelled out. "By royal decree, enter Yu Dao and arrest the colonials."

Arrest? Kida thought to herself. Why would they arrest the colonials? They weren't criminals.

"Toph, let me out of here right now!" Kida bellowed.

Her words were drowned out by the rumbling of the Earth Kingdom army and Zuko's own decree. "Soldiers of the Fire Nation, defend our people in the city of Yu Dao. Your Fire Lord commands you!" The rumbles turned to thunder as the Fire Nation armies ran forward to meet the Earth Kingdom forces.

"Damnit!" Kida roared. She pulled on her arm, her other hand pushing against the ceiling in hopes of budging the metal cuff. It was no use.

She could freeze it and break it open, but she didn't have any water. Her eyes fell upon the two soldiers who were awake and similarly restrainedto the other side of the tank.

A disgusting thought filled her mind.

She quickly shook it out of her head before concentrating on her hand once more. If she couldn't break the metal, then she'd have to break something else.

She took a deep breath. "I hope neither of you are squeamish," she muttered before reaching her other hand towards the restrained one.

With an unsettling crack, Kida was free.

Kida didn't waste a second to climb out of the tank. Just as she climbed out, she saw one of the worst images she could imagine.

Against the background of battling Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom soldiers, Zuko shrank away from a fully enraged Avatar. The wind howled around them as Aang hovered in the air, his tattoos and eyes glowing with the full force of the Avatar State. "The Harmony Restoration Movement was such a simple plan!" Aang bellowed. "Why couldn't you just follow it through?"

"No!" Kida screamed, reaching towards the pair.

Before it could get worse, a blue streak went racing through the sky. It wasn't until the wind stopped that Kida could see that the Avatar was no longer in the air but dragged away by her sister.

"Kida?" Kida's attention was turned towards her name. Zuko stared at her. His amber eyes were wide. It looked as if he was about to climb down from the kimono rhino he rode until Kida was sharply pulled away.

"How'd you get out?" questioned her brother before he looked down at her hands. Her right thumb was beginning to bruise. "You broke your own thumb!"

"Toph wouldn't let me out," Kida snarled.

"We were about to come back for you. Come on!" He started to drag her away. She fought against him at first but gave in when she realized she wouldn't win.

Sokka brought her to the wall of the city with the others. Toph brought them up to the top of the wall just as Aang took off on his glider, leaving Katara behind.

"If you want Zuko to stop this, then why won't you just let me talk to him?" Kida snarled, pulling away from her brother to join their sister on the wall.

"You're too much of a wild card, Kida, sorry," Sokka responded.

"Wild card?" Kida repeated. "Do you think I'm gonna join him or something?"

"I wouldn't doubt it, considering what this is all about," Katara spoke up.

Kida turned to face her sister. "I haven't seen you for a year, and you already doubt me? And what do you mean, 'considering what this is all about?' I thought this was about Zuko not keeping up his end of the Harmony Restoration Movement."

"It is!" Toph agreed.

"I don't think it's that simple, actually," Katara argued. "There are families here. Families that aren't Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom they're..." Katara paused to look up at her older sister, "they're both."

Kida narrowed her eyes at her sister. What was she talking about?

Kida shook her head. "Back up," she urged. "Before you start trying to persuade me of something, explain to me what is actually going on. Clearly, I don't understand, or you all would have let me speak to Zuko already."

Katara nodded. "That's fair..."

***

"Let me see if I got this," Kida sighed. "The protestors and the Earth Kingdom army want the colonials to go, the Fire Nation army wants the colonials to stay, and the Yu Dao resistance just want their city to be left alone?"

"Yes!" Katara agreed.

"So, where's Aang flying off to, then?" Sokka questioned.

"He needs a place to be calm, to figure things out," Katara answered her brother.

"To figure out whether or not to kill Zuko?" Kida hissed.

Once again, silence fell.

"Sorry," Suki spoke up, "I thought she had the right to know."

Katara sighed heavily but nodded nonetheless. "If it's any consolation, Kida, I don't think he'll do it."

"Well, if he wants harmony—" Toph was cut off.

"Look, I trust him," Katara urged. "And after all that we've been through, you ought to, too! So for now, we need to keep all those people down there from killing each other, kind of like what Aang's fan club is trying to do."

"Aang has a fan club now?" Kida scoffed. She followed everyone's gaze to look down below where several girls dressed like airbenders—including the shaved heads and what appeared to be tattoos that they had covered—were trying to keep the soldiers from fighting one another.

"Make peace, combatants!"

"Let your grievances depart from you like leaves in the wind!"

"Pretty impressive for a bunch of non-bending bald girls," Sokka commented, smirking at the show below.

"We need to split up," Katara claimed. "Toph and Suki, you disarm as many Fire nation troops as you can. I'll work on the Earth Kingdom soldiers."

"And I'll take care of the protesters," Sokka suggested.

"What about me?" Kida questioned. "Do I get to talk to Zuko finally?"

"No," Katara spoke quickly. "I think you should go with Sokka."

"How dangerous are protestors?" Kida scoffed.

"There's something you need to see," Katara urged. "Trust me, just go."

"Alright," Sokka agreed, "but how are we supposed to get down there?"

Toph had the answer this time. With the loud crumbling sound of rock moving, a massive slide erected from the earth beside the wall. "Here you go."

"Aw, not another one," Sokka grumbled.

"Come on," Kida huffed, pushing her brother forward.

With another squeal, the Water Tribe warrior flew down the slide on his back. Kida paused for a moment before following, glancing back at her sister.

"What exactly is it that I'm supposed to be seeing?" she questioned.

"You'll know it when you see it," Katara assured.

All of the longing to see her siblings for the past year had already dissipated in the few minutes she had once again seen them. She always hated how Katara made her figure things out for herself. It seemed like such a waste of time.

Kida reluctantly followed her brother. However, her descent was far more graceful. She took some of the moisture out of the air to make her feet slick enough to surf down the shoot. When she got to the bottom, Sokka was sitting on the ground speaking some sort of nonsense. Not able to slow herself down quick enough, she plowed right into her brother, knocking him into the dirt while she came to a stuttering halt.

"Alright, what the hell is going on here?" she demanded once she was finally still.

"No, I'm okay, don't worry about me!" Sokka exclaimed, pulling his face from the dust.

"I wasn't," Kida responded.

She finally centered her attention on the scene before her. Three familiar faces were standing there, two of which she had seen more recently than the other.

A clear picture was painted inside her head. A limp Jet on the ground, Smellerbee crying as she used all of her strength to try to bring him with them. Meanwhile, Longshot trying to urge her away while also trying to defend them all from the Dai Li. It was a horrid and graphic picture that was still instilled in her brain.

"Smellerbee, Longshot? What are you doing here?" she questioned.

"Kida!" Smellerbee exclaimed. "Thank the spirits. Maybe you can knock some sense into Sneers."

Kida looked to the boy Smellerbee was referring to. He looked just the same as she remembered, maybe a little older, but that was it.

"What did he do?"

"Yeah," Sokka finally stood up, brushing the dirt off his shirt, "I thought you guys were friends."

"We were," Smellerbee agreed, "until Sneers decided to date an ash maker."

Kida's chest began to heat. She instantly knew what Smellerbee's slur referred to, and she was the last person who would put up with hearing it.

Kida was about to reprimand her when Sokka's loud astonishment caught her off guard, "Whoa!" Kida looked to her brother to see he had followed Smellerbee's pointing finger. "You're his girlfriend?"

"Yes." The one who spoke was a slender girl with bronze, almond-shaped eyes—a Fire Nation trait—and tanned complexion—an Earth Kingdom trait. Her brown hair was wrapped up in a red ribbon which matched her shawl and belt but contrasted greatly with the green top and pants that she wore.

"Who are you?" Kida demanded, the lack of gentleness in her voice putting the other girl on edge.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" she snarled. "You are the one invading my town."

Kida's brow creased. She scanned the girl up and down once more. Her eyes gradually left the girl to rake over the city they stood in. The odd girl wasn't the only one dressed in both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom garb. Nearly every citizen had a little bit of red or green on their person, and many had physical features that were usually traits from one nation or the other.

"Who are you?" Kida repeated, her voice nearly pleading now as each word came out like its own sentence.

The girl appeared to soften at the change of her tone. There was uncertainty in her eyes, but she answered nonetheless. "My name is Kori Morishita," she answered.

"No." Kida stepped forward, putting Kori back on guard, but Kida acted as if she didn't notice. She reached out to lift the edge of the red shawl, gesturing it towards the girl's face. "What. Are. You?"

Kori straightened, eyes narrowed into a glare as she met the waterbender's gaze. "I'm the daughter of Mayor Morishita, a Fire Nation citizen, and his wife, an earthbender," she gestured behind her towards a man and woman, both in similar garb, watching the conflict unfold before them. "I'm an earthbender," she answered, finally understanding the question, "and a Fire Nation citizen."

Kida's eyes went back to the piece of red cloth between her fingers. Katara's words were beginning to make sense.

"I don't think it's that simple, actually," Katara argued. "There are families here. Families that aren't Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom they're..." Katara paused to look up at her older sister, "they're both..."

She was right. Kida had needed to see this. She needed to see her future. The future she'd been running from.

An image appeared in Kida's mind. In place of Kori's parents, she saw herself and Zuko with children at their hips clad in reds and blues. This was the image she had been avoiding.

She'd been playing Fire Nation commoner for so long in hopes that she'd somehow actually become one, in hopes that she and Zuko would never have to face the issues that Yu Dao was now facing. What would happen if a waterbender married the Fire Lord anyway? How would that ever work? What if their children were waterbenders? How could a waterbender be the leader of the Fire Nation? How could she force Zuko to go through that? How could she force his nation to go through that?

She had stumbled away from Kori, her head still spinning.

"Oh," Sokka muttered. The amazement that had been in his eyes at seeing a boy like Sneers with a girl like Kori had vanished. He, too, understood what their younger sister had meant.

"What is it?" Smellerbee urged. "What's wrong with her?"

Sokka stepped towards his sister, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Kida?"

"What do I do?" her voice came out on a breath. She hadn't meant to speak out loud, but only Sokka had heard her.

"You're gonna help him, aren't you?" Sokka sighed as if he already knew the answer.

Kida looked up to her brother. Was she? Was she going to suddenly switch sides and help Zuko? Was he right?

The next realization which hit her was Zuko's true motives. He hadn't done this because he was becoming his father. He was doing this for her. But was that any better?

He was about to start a war for them.

"The nations should remain separate."

"Kida, you can't be serious-"

"She's right, Sokka," Smellerbee declared. "It has to go back to the way it was before if we're going to have peace."

Sneers stepped forward, shaking his head rapidly. "I know you don't believe that, Kida," he urged. "You and your siblings saved that village from Jet because you knew it wasn't all black and white. This isn't any different. They aren't Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom."

"We're both," Kori corrected.

Kida shook her head, taking another step back. "It's not possible to be both."

Kori copied Kida's step, rage filling the smaller girl. "Are you saying I don't exist because here I am," she snarled, "and I am telling you I am both!"

Kida didn't have the chance to respond. A deep voice boomed from nearby, "Surrender, Rebels!"

The group turned to see General How, the Earth King's top commander, leading a charge towards them. "The city is once again under the Earth King's protection! Surrender peacefully, and you shall be treated with mercy!"

"Never!" cried Kori. She released a stone, meteor hammer on the forces, but the general cracked it against his fist upon impact.

"Soldiers, arrest them!"

Kida still had no water to defend herself. She was beginning to search for an alternative when a wave of heat flashed in front of them.

"General How," a voice Kida' knew too well roared, "withdraw your troops immediately."

"With all due respect, Fire Lord Zuko, you stand on Earth Kingdom soil," How rebuked, lifting large boulders above his head. "Here, your words have no authority."

Instinct kicked in. Kida felt the nearest source of water which happened to be a fruit stand nearby. Each piece of produce was sucked dry of its liquid. It flew towards Kida, surrounding her as she prepared to step into action.

Just as she was about to block General How's advances on her fiancé, everyone stopped. She turned to where they all stared. In the distance, a massive beam of blue light shot into the sky.

She already knew what that could mean.

In a matter of seconds, a figure surrounded by rings of all four elements came barreling towards them. It hovered over Zuko, its tattoos and eyes glowing.

"Aang, I know how this looks," Zuko urged, "but I swear to you, in my heart..."

Kida could barely process his voice. All she could focus on was what she knew Aang was about to do. She watched as Zuko appeared to give in. He lifted off his helmet, seemingly about to bow in surrender.

"NO!" Kida bellowed. She had started to run towards Zuko, but her actions had clearly not gone unnoticed by the Avatar.

The earth split between her and Zuko, forcing her to come to a halt.

She, herself, had barely stopped before going into the abyss. Zuko, on the other hand, was much closer to the edge.

Kida's body ran cold.

"Fire Lord!" General How called, reaching out to the other man.

One of the general's soldiers grabbed Kida around the waist before she could go after Zuko. It was clear he regretted it when he began to yell in pain. The soldier crumpled to his knees, holding onto his limbs as they were returned to his control once she was free.

Kida continued to run forward, ready to jump into the canyon after Zuko. Only narrowly did she stop herself in time to see the Avatar flying down after him.

She hesitated just long enough to witness Aang grab the Fire Lord by the wrist and pull him back out. They landed on the other side of the fissure.

Kida didn't waste time, using the fruit juice she had previously cultivated to create a bridge and join them.

She darted towards the monk and Fire Lord. All of the anger which blistered in her body told her to go straight for the bald boy and make him pay for doing such a thing, but her legs carried her to her fiancé instead.

The girl fell to her knees beside the boy. She collapsed the moment she felt his body in her arms. His warmth melted every piece of ice she hadn't realized she'd been holding onto.

It took Zuko a moment to comprehend what was happening. He could feel her entire body trembling on top of him, her arms nearly crushing his neck.

He slowly lifted a hand to her head. "Kida?" he muttered, still shaken and uncertain. He felt her nod into the crook of his neck.

"It's me, it's me," her words shook as much as her body.

Her voice finally called back his stability. His arms instantly flung around her shoulders, pulling her even tighter to his chest. Both were now shaking, tears welling in their eyes but never quite falling. They had just been moments away from being separated permanently.

"Earth King Kuei, look at who you're fighting," Aang spoke, finally calling the pair away from one another.

They didn't separate but looked back towards the Avatar as he spoke. "Fire Nation, yes," he agreed, "but also Earth kingdom, Water Tribe, and now, Air Nomad." Aang continued, "This is who stands against your army."

"And against the Fire Nation army, too," Sneers added.

"It took me a while, but I finally understand," Aang admitted. "You're not just fighting a colony. You're fighting a whole new kind of world."

The protesters continued to chant. Smellerbee at the lead as she screamed, "Don't listen to that ash-maker propaganda, Earth King Kuei. Harmony now!"

The king, who had been brought down from his war balloon by Katara, held up a hand. "Quiet! Quiet!" he demanded. "I need to see what I... what I... I just need to see."

Zuko began to stir from under Kida. She finally pulled away so they could both stand. "...So I was right, then...?" he muttered.

"Zuko...?" Aang turned.

He wobbled as he forced himself upright. "...All along...my decision...was right....?"

Kida reached back out towards the Fire Lord, but it was too late. He collapsed once more, this time losing his consciousness completely.

"Zuko!"