Fire and Ice

Secret

The next thing I heard was a gasp behind me. I turn around in shock, the fire going out as I see a Zuko standing in the kitchen doorway. "H-how much did you see?!"

"...all of it..."

We stood there in awkward silence. The tension was unbearable, until Zuko finally broke it.

"You're a bender?"
----------------------------------------------

I quietly poured two cups of tea and put them on the coffee table in the main room before going back and dragging Zuko and making him sit down on the couch.

I gave off a blank look as I quickly folded the blanket before sitting down beside him. "I found out about 3 years ago."

"Found out wh-" he stopped when I placed a finger gently on his lips. "Let me continue, Zuko." The fact that I used his actual name instead of his nickname was enough to keep him quiet for the time being as I continued speaking.

"Three years ago, the people who wanted to take me and my brother back before I first met you, they found me and chased after me. But I made multiple life threatening miscalculations, such as hesitating before running even when they were already bending towards me. ...that was because they had my brother... or more like my brother had become one of them, a bender and everything."

**Flash back**

I don't know where I am, maybe some kind of forest, but I feel like I'm being watched and it seems dangerous here. "Snap!"

I spin around fearfully to see a boy who was nearly identical to me other than his short hair and his clothes. His eyes and expression showed nothing but pure hatred and disgust.

"R-Rin? I-is that you? Are you ok? How've you been? I've missed y-"

"Don't you dare act like you actually cared! You wanted them to kill me, didn't you, you filthy wench!" His voice dripped with freezing venom and chilled me to the bone.

I couldn't understand why he was saying such things, but fear was obviously the only thing I was able to show right now.

The next thing I know, I was being chained by water and held down in a sitting position. My shock was mixing in with my fear now.

"Wait, you're a-?"

"Idiot, we were both benders from the very start. That's why they wanted us, just me and you, all because we're bender mutations. Honestly, just how cluelessly insolent are you?"

"Bender m-mutations?"

He smirked, an evil look appearing on his face. "Want me to show you?"

My eyes widened and my whole body became shaky as he does a fire bending motion and then swiftly goes into a water bending one. The next thing I knew, there was water and fire circling around me, practically caging me to the one spot.

I have to admit though, it was amazing, dare say it was even beautiful.

Unfortunately though, my amazement was short lived as I saw many men surrounding me. Still seeing the result of my brother's bending, a new feeling and sense of strength consumed me.

As the men started coming towards me, I felt my emotions drain from me as I kept my eyes directly at Rin. He bore the same emotionless expression as I was gaining now, and all he did was match my gaze but nothing else.

I raised my hands to either side of me, both with my fingers pointing down. With a quick flick to straighten my fingers with my hand, all the fire and water surrounding me turned to shards of themselves and were fired at the advancing men. The fire and water caused the men great damage, but not once did my gaze break from Rin's as I stood up.

"Brother, I've done nothing to have caused your cruel words. I can see that I'm hated, but I know not why." I walk up to him, placing my hands on his, knowing that he held a knife in his hand.

He stays quiet, but glares darkly at me, gripping the knife tightly in his right hand. I somehow manage to slip it out of his hands though and we just glare at each other.

"Idiot. Don't you remember, I may not be able to feel your pain but you've always felt mine. If you stab me then you'll feel it just as much as I will."

His glare increases the longer our little ' 'stare-off ' ' continues.

"What are you gonna do, stab me?" He remarks rather sarcastically. I just shake my head.

"No. Not you, or at least not directly." It was silent for a few minutes as I slowly lifted the knife and placed the sharp point aiming towards somewhere near my lower right hip area.

His eyes finally widen as realization dawns on him and fear and worry started to hint in his eyes.

"You're not really planing that... Tell me you're not going to-" he was cut off when he felt excruciating pain and his side. He saw the calculating look in my eyes before he looked down and saw my blood trickling out around the knife's blade.

"I care too much to hurt you, Rin, but I'd never think twice about hurting myself for you." I tilt my head and continued, "The only problem is that I'm used to this much pain at this point, but you don't seem to be."

I roughly yanked the blade out and placed it beside him as he crumbled to the ground in front of me, holding his nonexistent wound.

I turned around, trying to hide my wincing as I did so and continued running as far as I could before I too crumbled to the ground. In my last moments of consciousness I heard two pairs of footsteps and a young girl's voice yelling to their companion for help.

Then everything went black...

**end of flashback**

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Hey, I know it was mostly a flashback this time but I thought I'd just finish this part and publish it before my band competition. Wish me and my band luck, it's our last one of my first year!!!!

Published: Oct 10, 2015.  3:32 pm