Eclipse (Avatar the Last Airbender)

Chapter 4: The Fortuneteller

Miyuki found herself face to face with an old woman who was evidently very well respected in this particular village. Her appearance was neat, silver streaked hair pulled up into an efficient updo and held in place by a golden, ornamental hairpin. Standard, red-painted lips. Clothing of fine cloth, the color was flashy, but not overly so. A well-off woman who was trying to stick to her roots then— A woman who didn't grow up wealthy, but became wealthy.

"I see that you are more content reading me than having me read you." The old woman smiled knowingly.

Miyuki nodded, generally unimpressed.

The old woman continued, "A young woman of intellect, I see. No amount of palm reading or tea leaf reading will convince you of my legitimacy, I'm sure. So why is it that you've come here?"

"Why else do people go to see fortune tellers?" Miyuki waved her hand to match her airy tone. "Curiosity."

The old woman hummed. "You and I, we are alike in the way that we can read people. You read others to see who they are and what they have done. You use that to guess what they are capable of. I read others to see who they are, what they are capable of, and what they will do long into the future." The old woman motioned to a jug of bones. "The most reliable method of telling your fortune is by bone. Go on and pick one, then throw it into the fire."

Miyuki did as she was told and watched as the bone began to heat up.

The woman continued, "The heat makes cracks in the bone and I read the cracks to tell your destiny."

Destiny. Miyuki had always rather disliked that word. There was no destiny in her mind. All there was in this world was chance, and a clash of wills.

The old woman hummed thoughtfully as cracks began to splinter down its side. "You set about your life determined to seize your own fate, and through this attitude, will achieve great success in any field that you choose. Others will envy you or brush it off as you being a 'genius,' but to call you as such would be giving you far too little credit for the work that you put into your chosen fields when no one is looking. You like to practice in secret so that no one will see your mistakes, but that will only lead to reinforcing this idea of undeserved mastery. Only those who are close to you see otherwise, and conversely, those who see your hard work become close to you. Through this, there is a great romance for you. The man you will marry is a powerful man. A powerful bender, powerful in society, powerful in spirit. Because of his fiery drive, your paths will diverge and converge several times. There are times when you will work together and times when you will be opposed, but rest assured, in the end, your lives will merge once and for all."

Miyuki glanced at the bones in the fire when there was a loud popping sound.

The woman continued, "You grew up surrounded by suitors, and that will not change even as you get into old age. In your youth, you are pursued for your beauty, but as you age, for your strength of character and skill. Despite this, you will have few love relationships, for you see such feelings as weakness."

Miyuki had to stop herself from inhaling sharply. No one knew about that, and the woman's wording almost seemed intentional. Still, perhaps it was mere coincidence. What the woman said wasn't particularly detailed.

"As a result, you are as protective of your heart in matters of love as you are your body in matters of physical conflict. Perhaps too protective. Learning to open your heart to others, to open yourself up to pain, will be a point of great struggle in your lifetime. Furthermore, due to your charisma, a weaker lover will doubt your fidelity. However, the man you will marry will be secure in your love for him, and you his. It will be a union of the sun and the moon. Opposing yet similar, you balance each other out and form the perfect team."