Borealis: A Zutara Story

Chapter 132

Katara’s eyes fluttered when the water hit her. She could see a great void filled with shadows that were reaching for her. She knew instantly it was death. Yue stood between her and the shadows with her arms outstretched.

“Move Yue,” Katara said weakly as death’s grasping arms latched onto to pieces of her friend.  She tried to crawl forward into death’s embrace but there was something holding her back – Zuko.

Katara’s head lolled to the side. She couldn’t die without him. It took several tries, but she was eventually able to turn towards him. She kissed him, forcing more of the poison from her mouth to his, “Die with me.”

La and Agni both felt the spirit of the moon waning. They had already lost their first child once they immediately rushed to the mortal realm in spirit form. La found her first. He picked Yue up bridal style, “Foolish child. She is but a human. You are not yet strong enough to stand between one who wishes to die and death.  The shadows will consume both of you. Now who is so important you’re willing to throw away your chance at eternal life?”

“Katara,” Yue answered weakly.

“On a Fire Nation ship?” La questioned in surprise before then kneeling down to confirm it. 

Just as Yue said, his little Katara was dying. He raised his hand to vanquish death’s emissaries but the Waterbender looked directly at him and shook her head, “Want to go with you.”

La’s eyes widened. She could see him. Only those close to gateway of life and death could see spirits. “With me, Child? Do you know who you are speaking with?”

Katara’s head slumped forward, but the Great Spirit was able to read what was in her heart, “You are the Supreme Spirit of the Ocean, La. Thank you for watching over me, my family and my people. I am tired, I’ve fought with Fire Nation with all that I have but am unable to endure anymore.  Please end my suffering and grant me the one wish of taking my tormentor with me as I take my place in your everlasting waters.”

The La reached forward and touched Katara’s brow shifting into the form of a woman as it did so. The spirit had so many children in the Northern Tribe they were hard to keep up with but Little Katara in the South was special. She was the only one whose soul opened itself to his gifts in several generations. In the form of a woman La felt and understood Katara’s pain. She’d been violated repeatedly. She had bent the offender’s child out of her only to be told she may never have another one. She’d been abandoned by her brother and the Avatar.

She was hurting. La was merciful; the spirit placed its hand on Zuko’s head intending to answer Katara’ plea. 

The spirit smiled, the Firebender was a descended from the progeny of his last battle with Agni- a battle the sun spirit had won. Petty things like the death of humans were insignificant to such ancient spirits but this one’s death would bring great pleasure to him. The Firebender held the blood of Kesuk, whose powers were never fully awakened, and Nini who was every bit the witch people claimed her to be, as well as Avatar Roku. This little boy’s death would be counted as victory in his never ending competition with the sun.

“There you are,” Agni, also in the form of a woman, exclaimed lifting Yue from La’s embrace.  “I wasn’t expecting to find you on one of my children’s ships.  Why are you taxing yourself for a human? You are still an infant and do not hold the power to repel death at this stage of your development.”

Yue looked from La to Agni to the shrinking void behind them. The portal to the spirit world was disappearing simply because they were present. She’d fought it but it still continued to open. The moon spirit felt every bit her young age when she answered, “Katara was dying. I tried to save her.”

“Katara?” Agni asked. “The little Waterbender La’s always going on about? Yue, you are the moon, you have to learn to let go of mortal attachments. The girl is one of his favorites but you don’t see him doing anything to prevent her from dying.  If fact it felt like he was getting ready to count her soul among his personal collection.”

“I was. She wants to die. I was about to happily grant her dying wish.” La said nonchalantly.

“Really? The great ocean spirit was about to grant a human’s dying wish? I’ve got to see this girl,” Agni declared shrinking to a smaller form to fit in the space La had left before grabbing Katara’s chin and tilting her face upwards.

The sun spirit gave Katara a closer inspection and smiled before lovingly exclaiming, “You are found little one.”

Katara shuddered as her entire body warmed. This new spirit was the size of a child and glowed warmly like the sun yet it held the much larger Yue like a baby. The void behind them had stilled in La’s presence, now it seemed smaller. She reached for it but Yue took her hand and simply said, “Live Katara. This is not your time.”

In the presence of the sun and ocean that had created Tui, the original spirit of the moon, Yue was able to push Katara far enough away from death that she was no longer able to see into the spirit world.

The sun spirit turned towards its rival, friend and lover, “La you sneaky puddle, you knew all along this girl is part of the lost line I’ve spent millennia searching for! This is one of Sokkaya’s descendants.  Her flame has been diluted by the blood of your Waterbenders but after all this time the spark is still there. Shame on you; you were going to let her die without introducing us. So what was the dying wish you are so eager to grant?”

La shrugged, “She wants to die because the distorted seed we placed in Kesuk violated her. Her only wish was to take him with her.”

Agni laughed, the distorted seed of Kesuk could only be Ozai or Azula. They carried the blood of gods, but acted no better than criminals. Agni was about to let La end their life when the Waterbender spoke, “Yue please stop trying to save me. If we were ever friends allow me to enter the spirit world and drag Zuko with me.”

“Zuko? The distorted seed is Zuko?” Agni shrieked reaching inside Zuko to reinforce his inner flame and burn away all traces of death, “I’m sorry La. I can not let you have that one. Help yourself to any others you want so long as they are not Iroh or Zuko.”

“But he is who Katara wants. I have no use for any others. If he’s going to live so is she,” the ocean spirit pouted pulling the poison out of Katara and purifying the water in each of her cells so she’d completely heal.

Yue bowed to the older spirits, “Thank you both for interceding. Tui told me that Katara is very important. Hers is one of the few human lives that must be protected.”

“Really? Who are the others?” both older spirits asked in unison. In order to create Tui they gave up part of their spiritual identities and duties.  She was granted the supreme powers healing, protection, and divination for all the earth’s peoples.

Yue smiled, “It will be revealed in due time. Tui gave me strict instructions not to divulge their identities to you two.”