Categories > Cartoons > Avatar: The Last Airbender > Keepsake
Keepsake
Chapter V
Si Shen stood before them, glaring forward as he surveyed the landscape. In his wake the skies seemed darker, the earth eternally dead. In his shadow lay a darkness the raiders could never fathom.
His gaze lowered, searching through the faces. Looking nearly straight down, his attention stopped upon the leader.
"Mortal." His words were thick, as if a sentence alone could suffocate a man.
The axe fell from his hand, shaking with horror.
The awe she felt in the spirit's presence dissipated, her body moving forward almost involuntarily.
"You who have come to the doorsteps of my domain only to desecrate my image with violence." His words pierced through the souls of those so unfortunate as to hear them.
The conqueror fell to his knees, the fear nearly choking him.
Tashi lowered his gaze, clenching his teeth as he noticed Kyoshi approaching the spirit.
"If you were so eager to meet death, mortal...Then I shall claim you." The spirit lowered its head, its snout drawing closer to the defiler. There was no malice in his words, but rather a horrifying serenity.
"Kyoshi, no!" the airbender screamed through the silence.
Si Shen looked up toward the outburst, his eyes narrowing in curiosity. His attention turned back to the conqueror, noticing a new figure standing before him.
The Avatar stood between them, a cold terror filling each of her bones as she extended her arms to either side.
"Spirit of death! Si Shen!" she addressed him by name, wondering silently if her position permitted her to do so. "I ask that you spare this man!"
The spirit stared quietly, his words tearing through the silence. "There is a fine line between bravery and foolishness. I ask you girl; what is your intention in making so strange a request?"
"Only to guarantee the balance between this world and the spirit world!" her voice quivered as she spoke, hoping that her past lives would grant her courage.
"So bold. You are but a woman..."
"I am the Avatar!" she exclaimed, muscles tightening with the fear that this fact would only incur its wrath.
"The Avatar...?" he trailed off.
She stood before him, her arms still extended to either side.
"...It is no wonder your scent held some air of familiarity about it," Si Shen observed as he lowered his snout, sniffing at her. His breath was like ice, drawing all warmth and hope.
Kyoshi shivered with a mix of cold and terror, her eyes wide as she stared up at him.
"You defy me, Avatar. Where I guide others to their next destination, you walk your own path."
Tashi fought desperately to move, his muscles disobeying his every command.
"You bring balance between this world and ours. I bring balance as well, countering life. Bringing an end to all beginnings."
"Are you..." she asked quietly, her tone growing firmer in effort to appear confident. "Are you saying I cause unbalance?"
"No, Avatar. Only that you and I are both servants to scales. Your actions bring calm to this world, and permit harmony within ours. It is for that reason," he lowered his eyes to her once more.
Kyoshi shivered, her teeth clenching as she stared into his piercing gaze.
"That you, in many of your lives, and I...Have always been friends."
Shock thawed the fear that had frozen her, her arms lowering as she stared.
"It is out of that friendship that I will spare this fool. In exchange for this favor, I ask that you see to the repair of my temple."
"Y...Yes," she nodded quickly.
"What is your name, Avatar?"
"K...Kyoshi!" she called out.
"Avatar Kyoshi. We will meet again, as we do in each life. Until that day, I bid you good fortune." His body grew lighter, the shape altering as wisps of light descended back to the statue. It stood as it had before, as if no weapon had ever scarred it.
Tashi leapt to the ground, gripping his glider before rushing to Kyoshi.
"Are you alright?!" he asked hurriedly, resting a hand on her shoulder as he inspected her.
"I'm...I'm fine," she smiled, resting her hand on his. An excited energy coursed through her, the feeling inspiring an amazing reassurance within her that she would be able to handle the demands her role asked of her. "What of the raiders?" She turned her head, looking out to the penetrated wall.
The sound of fleeing warriors could be heard from their position by the temple, Pema growling loudly as she leapt over the wall, lumbering toward them.
"Running away," he grinned. "Guess they didn't want to be around to face the girl who's friends with the spirit of death."
She smirked, looking down toward the leader.
Driven beyond coherence, he simply trembled and lie on the ground as if his mind had deserted him.
"What're we doing with him?" Tashi looked to her, assuming the matter to be entirely in her hands at this point.
"We could leave him with the nearest village. I don't think he'll be trouble at this point," she observed. "Or would it be better to give him to the Earth King?"
"Nah, I don't want to go to Ba Sing Se. We'll just hand him off to the nearest village and send a messenger. Probably find someone to repair the shrine there, too." Gripping the back of the leader's armor, he hoisted him to his feet.
"Right," she nodded.
"Hey. That was your first Avatar thing, right?" he recalled the conversation with Yeshe and Goba.
"...Yes," she admitted quietly, hoping that had not wounded his confidence in her abilities.
"You're off to a great start then," he grinned, dragging the warrior toward the air bison.
"...Thank you," she smiled, watching after him as he walked away. Turning her attention back to the broken shrine, she watched it curiously.
A gentle calm passed through her, smiling softly as her past lives silently commended her. Turning, she hurried to Pema and Tashi.
Chapter V
Si Shen stood before them, glaring forward as he surveyed the landscape. In his wake the skies seemed darker, the earth eternally dead. In his shadow lay a darkness the raiders could never fathom.
His gaze lowered, searching through the faces. Looking nearly straight down, his attention stopped upon the leader.
"Mortal." His words were thick, as if a sentence alone could suffocate a man.
The axe fell from his hand, shaking with horror.
The awe she felt in the spirit's presence dissipated, her body moving forward almost involuntarily.
"You who have come to the doorsteps of my domain only to desecrate my image with violence." His words pierced through the souls of those so unfortunate as to hear them.
The conqueror fell to his knees, the fear nearly choking him.
Tashi lowered his gaze, clenching his teeth as he noticed Kyoshi approaching the spirit.
"If you were so eager to meet death, mortal...Then I shall claim you." The spirit lowered its head, its snout drawing closer to the defiler. There was no malice in his words, but rather a horrifying serenity.
"Kyoshi, no!" the airbender screamed through the silence.
Si Shen looked up toward the outburst, his eyes narrowing in curiosity. His attention turned back to the conqueror, noticing a new figure standing before him.
The Avatar stood between them, a cold terror filling each of her bones as she extended her arms to either side.
"Spirit of death! Si Shen!" she addressed him by name, wondering silently if her position permitted her to do so. "I ask that you spare this man!"
The spirit stared quietly, his words tearing through the silence. "There is a fine line between bravery and foolishness. I ask you girl; what is your intention in making so strange a request?"
"Only to guarantee the balance between this world and the spirit world!" her voice quivered as she spoke, hoping that her past lives would grant her courage.
"So bold. You are but a woman..."
"I am the Avatar!" she exclaimed, muscles tightening with the fear that this fact would only incur its wrath.
"The Avatar...?" he trailed off.
She stood before him, her arms still extended to either side.
"...It is no wonder your scent held some air of familiarity about it," Si Shen observed as he lowered his snout, sniffing at her. His breath was like ice, drawing all warmth and hope.
Kyoshi shivered with a mix of cold and terror, her eyes wide as she stared up at him.
"You defy me, Avatar. Where I guide others to their next destination, you walk your own path."
Tashi fought desperately to move, his muscles disobeying his every command.
"You bring balance between this world and ours. I bring balance as well, countering life. Bringing an end to all beginnings."
"Are you..." she asked quietly, her tone growing firmer in effort to appear confident. "Are you saying I cause unbalance?"
"No, Avatar. Only that you and I are both servants to scales. Your actions bring calm to this world, and permit harmony within ours. It is for that reason," he lowered his eyes to her once more.
Kyoshi shivered, her teeth clenching as she stared into his piercing gaze.
"That you, in many of your lives, and I...Have always been friends."
Shock thawed the fear that had frozen her, her arms lowering as she stared.
"It is out of that friendship that I will spare this fool. In exchange for this favor, I ask that you see to the repair of my temple."
"Y...Yes," she nodded quickly.
"What is your name, Avatar?"
"K...Kyoshi!" she called out.
"Avatar Kyoshi. We will meet again, as we do in each life. Until that day, I bid you good fortune." His body grew lighter, the shape altering as wisps of light descended back to the statue. It stood as it had before, as if no weapon had ever scarred it.
Tashi leapt to the ground, gripping his glider before rushing to Kyoshi.
"Are you alright?!" he asked hurriedly, resting a hand on her shoulder as he inspected her.
"I'm...I'm fine," she smiled, resting her hand on his. An excited energy coursed through her, the feeling inspiring an amazing reassurance within her that she would be able to handle the demands her role asked of her. "What of the raiders?" She turned her head, looking out to the penetrated wall.
The sound of fleeing warriors could be heard from their position by the temple, Pema growling loudly as she leapt over the wall, lumbering toward them.
"Running away," he grinned. "Guess they didn't want to be around to face the girl who's friends with the spirit of death."
She smirked, looking down toward the leader.
Driven beyond coherence, he simply trembled and lie on the ground as if his mind had deserted him.
"What're we doing with him?" Tashi looked to her, assuming the matter to be entirely in her hands at this point.
"We could leave him with the nearest village. I don't think he'll be trouble at this point," she observed. "Or would it be better to give him to the Earth King?"
"Nah, I don't want to go to Ba Sing Se. We'll just hand him off to the nearest village and send a messenger. Probably find someone to repair the shrine there, too." Gripping the back of the leader's armor, he hoisted him to his feet.
"Right," she nodded.
"Hey. That was your first Avatar thing, right?" he recalled the conversation with Yeshe and Goba.
"...Yes," she admitted quietly, hoping that had not wounded his confidence in her abilities.
"You're off to a great start then," he grinned, dragging the warrior toward the air bison.
"...Thank you," she smiled, watching after him as he walked away. Turning her attention back to the broken shrine, she watched it curiously.
A gentle calm passed through her, smiling softly as her past lives silently commended her. Turning, she hurried to Pema and Tashi.
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