"Here we are!" Excitedly announced Aang.
Azula looked down and gasped. The Eastern Air Temple loomed over them. The big white towers roofed with dark green made up most of the Temple.
"Appa yip yip."
The bison growled and landed onto the old cracked deck.
"So 'Zula, we are here to help you reach spiritual enlightenment. This might help you control your inner demon so to speak. I will set up camp and you can tour the grounds." He smiled at her.
The Avatar was 6.4 ft tall leaned muscled male. He had trade-mark arrow tattoos, a straight nose and slanted silver-grey eyes that glittered occasionally from pure joy.
Yet it was all a facade, to cover his sufferings brought by Katara and Zuko.
"Of course Zuzu would marry a Water Tribe peasant" she thought when she heard the news a month ago, " He always been a dishonor and failure to the Fire Nation."
When Aang found out about Katara's and Zuko's relationship, he disappeared for a week before returning with a smile and acted as if nothing happened. That fooled no one, and Zuko decided (with Iroh's and Katara's help) Aang needed to aid another person to begin his own healing. So Zuko asked Aang to help his sister regain her sanity and perhaps awaken the good inside her. Aang was wary about taking up the offer but Iroh told him that it be best if he would.
Azula wondered off as Aang began to prepare camp. The Temple was empty and broken down. Well, it made sense since no one lived here for over a century. Azula came across as shattered mirror, immediately she shut her eyes tight, alas, it was to late.
"Azula I love you, I really do."
"Mom, shut up, you think I'm a monster."
"No Azula, I really love you with all my heart."
Clenching her teeth, the Fire Nation princess punched the already shattered mirror, the voice didn't cease. Instead it was joined by others.
" I love Zuko more then I fear you."
"You miscalculated!"
"You are weak."
"STOP!" Screeched Azula at the top of her lungs.
Her voice echoes off the closed in walls of the Temple, silence. The Princess slid down the broken mirror and began to cry. Hot tears streamed from her eyes, making her vision blurry. She didn't notice the breeze pick up and gently kiss her wet cheeks. Desperately, Azula tries to regain her composure, she wasn't going to appear feeble in front of the Avatar. In front of the man she once nearly killed, in front of the man who is friends with her brother she almost murdered, in front of the man, who's in love with the women she tried to slay. Suddenly, a man in orange caught her attention.
"What are you doing here." She seethed.
The man didn't move, Azula narrowed her eyes and her jaw dropped. It wasn't the Avatar, it was an older man. About in his 20s. Something was off though, he looked two-dimensional. Rubbing her eyes, she looked up at him once more. He was staring down at her, his face expressionless. Azula could see the window through him.
"A ghost!" Hoping on her feet, the fire princess took a fighting stance, not that would do much against a ghost. The man cocked his head and motioned her to follow him. Without a word, he walked deeper into the temple leaving the stunned Azula behind.
"He wants me to follow him..." She stopped herself, why should she? Doesn't she have anything better to do? The man stopped walking and turned to her, Azula breathed in sharply, he had no eyes, just black holes that sent chills down her spine. He motioned towards her again. Should she get the Avatar, he might be interested in an Air Nomad ghost. But Azula's pride wouldn't let her, he'd probably think she was scared and she didn't need that right now. Straightening herself, Azula marched after the ghost. The ghost led her through an empty hallway, littered with who knows what.
"This place is a mess." Thought Azula.
The figure suddenly walked through a wall.
"Great," she hissed," Now what?"
As if he heard her, his face went through the wall and was inches before her own in a millisecond. Azula took a step back in surprise.
"That was uncalled for." She thought.
The man pointed at a collapsed wooden door to her left.
"Right, thanks for scaring me and making me feel like an idiot."
The man didn't answer, he simply disappeared. Azula crawled through the tiny entrance and froze. The room was covered in scorch marks and was littered in tiny bodies, bodies of children and babies. Her eyes began to sting, she always looked up at her great-grandfather Sozin but now she hated him. How could he do this, how could he just come and slaughter a race of people just because he was trying to kill the Avatar! But it occurred to her; if she was her old self, she'd do the same thing, maybe worse. The man stood across the nursery, he looked sad and empathetic.
"Is this what you wanted to show me!" Azula shouted.
"I am sorry for your loss, I am sorry for what I have done but I was young and reckless, on the wrong path, I am sorry for what I did, what my family did already. But I can't change that!"
The man's face again became emotionless, he signaled her and left the room through an open archway. Azula cautiously followed him, suspicious of what else he planned to show her. The man waited for her at the end of the corridor.
"Watch." He instructed, his voice as chilling as the wind that bit her even if she was wearing a specially made jacket.
And Azula saw all...
"You got to get out of here!" The man shouted to woman, she was close to tears.
"I won't abandon you!"
"Your pregnant Dela, I can't risk loosing you!"
There was a loud cry, the sky was ablaze, Sozin's comet. Azula recognized the man, he was the ghost except he looked a lot more alive. He kissed his wife, or so assumed Azula, and ran off. Soon he came across several Fire Nation soilders. Swiping with his glider, the man send the soilders over the edge of the mountain. WHOOSH!
The man dodged all of the blows sent by Fire Nation soilders, it occurred to Azula that he was a very proficient bender. And oddly when she saw his sweaty face, he looked a lot like the Avatar.
"Dema!" He shouted, "I thought I told you to leave!"
"The bison, the woman cried, they escaped."
The man looked panicked, "Get inside for cover!"
The woman didn't move, frozen by fear. The man glanced upward and his face whitened. Azula tilted her head and gasped, Sozin flew at them on his blue dragon, he had a malicious smirk on his face. The woman ran into the corridor hiding behind as wall as her husband prepared to fight. The dragon opened its mouth and a stream of blazing hot fire shot towards the young Air Nomad, he didn't hesitate. He formed a shield around himself, deflecting the Dragons' attack. Sozin was taken aback but decided that perhaps it was time to see how good the Air Bender was. Jumping off the dragon, Sozin shot a large fireball at the Air Nomad, he evaded the attack and struck back at Sozin. Sozin was blown backwards into the rubble. The man's wife cheered. The Firelord climbed out of the rubble and leered towards the Nomad.
"I see I'm dealing with a prodigy, let's see how good you are."
Blow after blow, Sozin and the Nomad fought, everyone else in that part of the temple stopped fighting to see how their Fire Lord would fare against the Air Nomad prodigy. Azula could plainly see that the Air Bender had the upper hand and was fighting well, he'd win. Sozin was enraged, he was getting beaten by a pathetic nomad in front of his men. He suddenly smirked and Azula knew it meant trouble. The Fire Lord went through the all familiar forms and The Air Bender got into a fighting position. Suddenly, the wife caught Sozin's eye and he shot his lighting at her. Turning, the man realized what he was going to do but alas, she was too far away, out of his reach but he lunged anyway. Azula bit her fingers, it was a trap! Sozin somehow grabbed the lighting and changed its course towards the Air Nomad and he was hit in the chest. Every Nomad in the perimeter screamed. The wife began sobbing as her husband collapsed into the ground in a heap. His corpse smoked as Sozin smiled.
"Maybe you aren't good as you thought you were!" He taunted.
Azula just realized she was screaming, her cry piercing the air as she tugged at her hair.
"Jorge!" The wife screamed.
The entire courtyard lit up by the evening light and she saw a skeleton sticking out of the dry bushes in from to her. Azula ran towards it, the bones were black, and it was amazing that it didn't corrode. Azula began to weep, she felt sorrowful for him, she knew that the wife died a terribly painful death.
"Honey?"
"Mother!" Azula glanced up to see her mother, she was dressed in her royal robes and looked sadder then ever.
"What do you want mother?" Demanded the princess.
"Do you understand why you saw Jorge's death?"
"..."
"He was trying to tell you to forgive yourself, he couldn't forgive himself and that is why he couldn't join his wife in the spirit world. He doesn't want you to suffer like he did."
"Mother why? Why does it matter to him about me, me the great-grand-daughter of the man who slaughtered his people."
"Sometimes helping others is the best way to help yourself." She vanished.
Suddenly, it all made sense, the reason she felt terrible was because she was ashamed of herself, believing herself unworthy for forgiveness. She needs to let her pain go.
"Azula!"
Azula turned to find Aang a few feet from her, he was searching for her probably.
"I'm over here!"
Jorge watched as the Fire Princess ran to the Avatar. He shook his head, it was time to join Dema and Ali in the spirit world. And he disappeared, the atmosphere lightened and tranquil peace filled the Temple.