Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Goodbye ❯ One-Shot

Goodbye

 

The funeral pyre was large and threatening. The air was dark and choked him as he watched the flames eat the body and the wood, but he refused to look away or allow himself any relief of it. It was almost punishment for not being able to stop this, this thing he'd met many times in his life.

 

Death was nothing new, but it hurt each time, with no sign of numbing.

 

He could feel them more than see them in the smoke filled night. The moon was covered, and the only light was from the flames. His eyes were hurting, his head was throbbing, and for the first time since he was seven he felt like curling up in a ball and just lying there, or maybe hide from it all.

 

They didn't say anything as they stood behind him, but slowly they walked away. It was something they all understood, something they'd all faced. It was something that should be handled in privacy.

 

He felt her lean over his shoulder, whispering into his ear. Then she stood up and left, letting him by himself.

 

Eventually the fire died, and the sun rose out of the ground. He huddled beneath a tree, closing his eyes in a disturbing sleep.

 

Never believe this is it, and never let another's death cause yours. The world ends everyday, but tomorrow it will begin anew.

 

“Goodbye, Uncle.”

 

Notes:

Written for Mako Iwamatsu (and I really hope that's right), who is sadly no longer with us. He was an amazing voice actor, played some of my favorite characters, and he will be missed.