Authors Note!

The songs for this chapter are Bring Me to Life and Everybody's Fool by Evanescence, along with Haunted by Kelly Clarkson.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar, because if I did, there would be a Book 4: Air.

Enjoy the new story, and I'm still working on ITY, don't worry!

Elemental

He stepped out into the hallway and opened the door to the audition room.

"Sit down already, Zuzu."

He sighed and plopped down in the chair next to Mai, flicking his emo bangs out of his eyes.

{Nok, nok.}

"Come in."

A brown-haired guy with a blue headband walked in.

"Next."

A girl stepped in next, dressed all in white.

"We don't take Rebel Goths."

A brunette girl with huge pigtails shuffled in, wearing a pink and purple shirt and holding a fishing pole.

"I think you misunderstood. Bass, as in the instrument, not the fish. Next."

He flopped back into the couch and groaned.

"This is hopeless! We'll never get a bass player before tonight!"

"Hello?"

He sat up and stared at the girl in the doorway.

Sapphire eyes fixed on his face, probably looking at the scar that swooped from his left eye to his ear.

Her dark brown hair swirled around her coffee-colored face.

She wore an oversize deep blue t-shirt covered in silvery-blue swirls and belted with a black scarf. The hems of her jeans were decorated the same way, and she had silver hoop earrings in, along with two pairs of studs in each ear.

"Name, please?"

"Katara Kuruk. Do I just play, or…"

He brushed his bangs off of his face and smiled.

"Guys, I believe we've found our bass."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

She frowned, a confused look on her face.

"But I didn't even play."

"You don't have to. It's obvious by the way you act."

She grinned and set down the bass case.

"When do I start?"

"Tonight."

"Tonight?!"

He nodded.

"We have a gig tonight, but our bass quit this morning and it was too late to cancel. So you're going to play bass tonight. Got any other talents? We'd love to know them."

Mai picked up her drumsticks and began tapping out a rhythm on the table.

Ty Lee vaulted over the table and landed on the carpeted floor with a small thud, flipping upside-down and smiling at Katara.

Azula pulled her hood up over her head and gave him a thumbs up.

"Well, I can sing, but I don't know how well it is."

He walked over to the closet and took out a microphone and an amp, handing them to Katara.

She set them down and plugged the microphone into the amp.

"Can I get some music?"

Mai walked over to the wall partition and pulled it back to reveal a full drum set. Ty Lee cartwheeled over to the keyboard and turned it on, while Azula plugged in a blue electric guitar with lightning decals. Zuko walked over and handed her a microphone stand and a cord for her bass.

Katara flipped open her case and took out a light blue bass guitar with water-like decals.

..

..

..

Ty lee's hands flew over the keyboard, creating a sad melody.

"How…can you see into my eyes, like open doors?"

"Leading you down into my core, where I've become so numb."

Azula riffed on the guitar then began playing a melody.

"Without a soul, my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold!"

..

"Until you find it there and lead it, back, home."

Zuko stepped up to the mic as Mai beat at the drums in a pounding rhythm.

"Wake me up!"

"Wake me up inside!"

"I can't wake up!"

"Wake me up inside!"

"Save me!"

"Call my name and save me from the dark!"

"Wake me up!"

"Bid my blood to run!"

"I can't wake up!"

"Before I come undone!"

"Save me!"

"Save me from the nothing I've become!"

Zuko clicked the mic back into place and stepped back to watch Katara.

"Now, that I know what I'm without,"

"You can't just leave me!"

"Breathe, into me and make me real..."

"Bring...me...to…life."

Ty Lee finished a melody and flipped over the piano, landing next to Azula, who had set down her guitar and was sitting sideways in her chair.

"That was amazing!"

"You're definitely a good singer!"

"Better than good." Azula said, playing a melody on the guitar.

Zuko nodded.

"Katara."

She looked over at him. He held out a hand.

"Welcome to Blue Fire."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Katara POV

"Perfect, by nature. Icons, of self-indulgence. Just, what we all need! More lies, about a world that-"

The dark backstage made it hard for Katara to see, so she gasped in surprise when Mai seemingly appeared in front of her, the black, oversize T-shirt and belt camouflaging her in the night. A finger-less-gloved hand rested on her shoulder.

"Show's starting soon. Get ready. Zuko wants to see you when you're done."

She nodded and Mai disappeared into the black.

She quickly pulled her hair-loopies back and secured them with a circular hair-clip.

Clicking her guitar strap onto the deep blue bass guitar, she picked it up and headed in the direction Mai had disappeared into.

"Katara! Over here!"

She looked up and saw her brother, Sokka, standing with his girlfriend Suki, and Katara's adopted brother, Aang.

Katara walked over and gave Sokka a hug.

"What're you doing here, sis? Fangirling over a band?"

She scowled, softly punching his arm.

"No. I got a part in a band. Bassist."

He stood back, impressed.

"Nice! Which one? Did they tell you the name?"

She nodded.

"Blue Fire."

Suki gasped, and then threw her arms around Katara.

"Congratulations! That's a big gig to get!"

She smiled as Aang gave her a quick hug before leaving to find Toph, who she assumed was somewhere around.

"Yeah, and today's my first night. I'm singing, too."

Sokka smiled, surprised.

"They must really like you."

Katara glanced down at her watch."

"They might not after this. I'm late!"

She said a quick bye and ran down the hall; apologizing to random musicians she bumped into. Skidding, she stumbled onto the stage. Thankfully, no one had walked in to see her embarrass herself except for the members of Blue Fire.

"You're late."

She smiled sheepishly and pulled her bass guitar out.

"Sorry. My brother's performing here tonight and I wanted to say hi."

Zuko stood up, impressed.

"Is your whole family into music?"

She nodded, tuning the strings of the bass guitar.

"My dad's in a band. He travels a lot. He's currently performing in Chameleon Bay. And, um…my mom's not something I want to talk about."

Zuko nodded.

"Chameleon Bay's far. Do you see your dad often?"

"No, not much. He's in the band Ocean Warriors. Heard of it?"

Zuko almost dropped his microphone.

"Really?! The Ocean Warriors? That's an epic dad you have!"

Katara smiled.

"Yeah."

Azula walked up to the pair, her blue guitar in her hands. She wore a loose, red, above-the-knee dress with a gold belt and black leggings. Black boots without heels finished it off. Her hair was out of its ponytail and she had the air of a princess. The scary kind.

"We've got a show to do. Take your places."

They all walked back into the wings as people began to file into the room. Azula smirked and slung her black guitar strap over her head.

Ty Lee stepped out of the dark with a small violin and Mai followed, hair held up in a bun by four drumsticks. Zuko smiled and flicked his bangs out of the way.

Azula smiled and walked confidently out to the mic, grabbing it with one hand and adjusting her guitar strap with the other.

"Good evening. We're Blue Fire and we're going to play you a couple songs. Hopefully we can take the roof down."

The crowd burst into cheers. That was their cue to walk onstage. Zuko went first, fangirl shrieks starting the second he appeared.

Mai, Ty Lee and Katara stepped out next. There were gasps as she stepped onstage. She had worn her best gig clothes tonight.

An asymmetrical shirt so dark blue it was almost black, a pair of super-skinny jeans painted with the same swirling design she painted on all her jeans, and silver sandals. Her three piercings in each ear gave off the threatening bit, and blue eyes kept it soft. Her hair was curly and perfectly styled, and she wore only her mother's locket around her neck.

She watched Azula close her eyes, golden orbs that gleamed in the spotlight.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Azula POV

I close my eyes and the music begins to play. I step up to the mic and hand my guitar to Zuko.

"Louder, louder, the voices in my head. Whispers, taunting, all the things you said."

Dark shadows flash past my eyelids and I see my mother, standing behind me, on the other side of the mirror.

"Faster the days go by, and I'm still stuck in this moment of wanting you here."

She smiles. "How wonderful. You always had such a beautiful voice."

"Time, in the blink of an eye. You held my hand, you held me tight!"

"Now you're gone and I'm still crying. Shocked, broken. I'm dying inside."

She lowers her head. "I love you, Azula. I do."

"Inside…"

Mai bursts into the chorus and I sing out, my emotions making it powerful and sad.

"I love you, Azula."

"Where are you? I need you! Don't leave me here on my own!"

"I do."

"Speak to me! Be near me! I can't survive without you near me!"

I open my eyes. A brown-haired guy with a green shirt is staring intently at me.

"Shadows linger, only to my eye. I see you, I feel you, don't leave my side."

"What is wrong with that child?"

"It's not fair, just when I found my world, they took you, they broke you, they tore out your heart!"

"Who's going to make me? Mom?"

"I miss you, you hurt me, you left with a smile. Mistaken, your sadness was hiding inside."

"No. I love you, Azula."

'Now all that's left are the pieces to find the mystery you kept, the soul behind a guise!"

As the pace of the song speeds up, the long haired guy mouths "Haru."

"You were smiling…"

I smile and clutch the microphone.

"Where are you?! I need you! Don't leave me here on my own!"

He grins as I make the crowd-surf signal.

"Speak to me! Be near me! I can't survive unless I know you're with me!"

The cymbals clash and that is my cue.

"Why did you go? All these questions run through my mind. I wish I couldn't feel at all."

I walk to the edge of the stage and take a breath.

"Let me be numb! I'm starting to fall!"

I turn around and let the microphone fall from my hands, falling from the stage and into the crowd.

As I pass Haru, I whisper into the crowd.

"Azula."

I am passed back to the stage, where I scoop up the microphone, setting it back into the stand as I sing.

"Where are you? I need you."

"Don't leave me here on my own! Speak to me! Be near me! I can't survive unless I know you're with me!"

"Where..." "Where are you?"

"Are…" "I need you!

"You?!" "Don't leave me here on my own."

I clutch the microphone and step up on the circle amplifier.

"Where. Are. You."

"I can't survive unless I know you're with me."

"You were smiling…"

"What are you doing here?!"

"You, were smiling."

"I didn't want to miss my own daughter's graduation."

"You, were, smiling…"

"I love you, Azula."

I open my eyes as the guitar fades out and a tear runs down my cheek.

"I do…"

End of Elemental: 1