A/N: So I decided to edit Blue Horizon, take it in a slightly different direction and expand on things I glossed over. I hope you enjoy this and sorry for taking so long that last year of college was a bitch.
Chapter I: Awakening
There are places in the Physical World that even the bravest souls would hesitate to approach because of the sheer and utter wrongness. Barak's Prison, a few scant miles from Laghima's Peak is one such place There countless legends surrounding locations such as these, from the emergence of cannibal tribes in the eastern Earth Kingdom to the great sea snake that prowls the waters of the Serpent's pass, but as dangerous as these places are in the Physical world this truth goes doubly so in Spirit World where concepts are given life. Its inhabitants and landscape can change with as quickly as an emotion can take over a human's mind.
The Fog of Lost Souls is the black mirror to the Physical World's Foggy Swamp. Where the Foggy Swamp seeks to guide those who wander through its water with illusions and visions of the future; the Fog of Lost Souls did the opposite. Like the Swamp, the Fog used mind games but instead of washing away the doubts that cloud mortal hearts it drowned any unfortunate to be trapped within its misty grasp with their own fears and insecurity.
For most Spirits to throw a mortal into this abysmal hell, the mortal must have done something genuinely horrendous like the slaying of the Moon Spirit's mortal form. But in some cases, fear drove the Spirits into action.
Azula had once been a threat to the Greater Balance when she killed the current Avatar and severed his connection to Raava, but that was back when her mind was sharp and her firebending unmatched. When she had stumbled into the Spirit World, her mind was neither keen nor firebending powerful. It was chaos, and it threatened to consume all Spirit affected by her insanity.
There was no great struggle when they decided to shepherd the broken princess into the Fog. No Avatar to find a better way to deal with the problem other than eternal torment.
"One, two, three, four." She sang without thought or conscience, surviving on sheer repetition. She drifted from one side of her Prison to the next like a leaf in the wind. The Fog consumed her. Letting the Fog consume her as it had done for so long. She could hear Zuzu laughing at her, he always laughed at her.
The Fog did too…
"Winter, Spring," She paused. Her body yearned to remember the seasons on her skin. "Summer and Fall." Her voice broke as that voice began to creep its way into her head once again.
'Azula.'
"Water," Was the flow of all things as they move through life. "Earth," Reality, shaped by that which flowed around it but never to be moved. "Fire," the spark of life that could be quickly snuffed out by the flow but manages to survive. "Air." Freedom, it feeds the fire and carries its embers safely over the water. Her nanny used to say that… until her father took her away.
'I love you.'
"Shut up." Her mind was returning her. Ursa would find her, she always did! Fingers dug into her cheeks as panic began to set in. She could smell the blood as Ursa approached her from within the Fog. Azula's golden eyes wildly darted in different directions as she tried to pinpoint exactly where her mother was approaching from when-
'I will always love you, Azula.' SHE COMES FROM BEHIND!
"SHUT UP!" She roared, azure fire spewed from her mouth like a stream. The Fog pulled away as if burned. For an instant, Azula couldn't hear the laughter, couldn't hear her bastard sibling laughing. Couldn't see Ursa hugging the girl instead of her. But more importantly, she couldn't feel her mother infecting her mind with her lies. Instinct found the correlation with the Fog and her mother, impulse drove her to the nearest wall.
"How couldn't I see it before?" Her pupils constricted and that all too familiar smile slid across her face. She put one foot in front of the other and blasted herself across Fog filled canyon. Azula used the forward momentum to launch her body as far up the towering wall of stone. Her heated nails dug into the rock.
Her muscles strained under her own weight, but that didn't stop her for long. Slowly but surely she began her long climb up to to the summit atop the gorge's wall. Her thoughts grew brighter as she ascended the canyon wall. She needed to focus on other things, like how oddly colored the sky was or how pathetic Ursa had to be to show her hand. If she wanted to keep Azula out of the way, she shouldn't have been so eager to lie to her.
Noriko clung to the forefront of her mind. The woman that was and wasn't Ursa, a paradox. She denied who she was, but Azula knew better, yet still, the woman admitted that Ursa had loved her or at least should have loved her. Then there was Kiyi, her replacement, she was unsure how to feel about the girl. Her mother's bastard was entirely too naïve, the child would be easy prey to those petty noble boys in the capitol. She could already imagine the scandal that would cause. When Zuko decided to name the girl a princess of the Fire Nation born out of the noble family would agitate Ozai loyalists.
Poor little Zuzu would undoubtedly be driven to madness within the month.
Sweat dripped down her from her hair dripping onto the faraway floor. Her muscles had become unaccustomed to the stress, weeks of limping around in that Fog weakened her. Ursa had weakened her and almost destroyed her. The climb was slow and painful, but she persevered.
When she pulled herself out of the abyss that had swallowed her for spirits knew how long she was met with a red sky. She had traversed the Earth Kingdom and had never seen a sky so red. Her knees buckled under her own weight, and she fell. Blacks spots marred her vision, but she managed to muster enough strength to flip herself onto her back.
Her clothes were drenched in sweat and felt heavy on her skin. Her stomach felt oddly empty, yet it did not yearn to be filled. "I must be sick." She muttered to herself. The lack of sunlight had inevitably weakened her natural defense against infection and the like. Black spots filled her vision as she struggled with her breath. "You must be happy, mother." She managed to mutter. "Seeing me like this."
To Azula's surprise, Ursa remained quiet. She still felt the woman's presence, but it felt farther away as if she were lurking behind the tree line. The silence was a welcome change; it would give her time to plan. There was no doubt in her mind that as soon as Zuko heard news of her return, she would be hunted for her attack on Noriko.
She had no reason to go after Noriko, she didn't remember being Ursa and as she had already stated had admitted Ursa's faults. Besides going after Noriko was certainly too predictable and could end with her bending being stripped away.
She couldn't risk that.
She needed somewhere safe somewhere she could regain her strength before she would be discovered. "But where…"
One thing she knew for sure was the need to get as far away from the pit as she could, but her body rebelled at the very thought of motion. Her arms and legs spasmed until she forced them to relax. Azula stared at the empty red sky and wished she could see those beautiful stars she had seen back on Ember Island with her closest friends… and Zuko.
"They betrayed you." She reminded herself softly. It was more of a whimper than the confident declaration it should have been Her eyes drifted close, but for a second she could have sworn she had seen the flickering of stars. Finally, her body exhausted from the climb, she drifted into a dreamless sleep.
o0o0o0o0o
Half a world away, Iroh was having tea with new friends. Thanks to the joint efforts of his nephew and the Avatar, the world had entered a good peace. He'd heard great things about the duo creating a republic for the four nations to share history would be very to the now-retired Fire Lord. It was a shame about Azula, even when she'd been lost in her madness, he had thought that with the proper guidance she could have helped the world. But for some reason, she had continued to goad her brother until she vanished. Still, he heard from the nature spirits that every once in a while, there was a shadow that clung around Zuko.
"I worry about my nephew," Iroh told the table. "The memory of his sister clings to him as a camel-tick clings to a komodo rhino tail. Her anger and madness have left an impression in his Spirit."
Spirit that took the form of one of Wan Shi Tong's seekers tried to reassure Iroh. "Humans at such a late stage of life rarely alter their ways. You've guided him well in his youth, you must trust him to make the right choices."
Another spirit heatedly disagreed, this one took the shape of a humanoid lemur. "In my experience, humans were always too indecisive about having set ways. One moment they want to farm, the next want to wage war. How can you claim that the memory of this girl won't lead him astray?"
The vulpine Spirit's ears lowered, and it bared its rather sharp teeth. "When was the last time you spent time in their world? Nine thousand years ago or was it ten?" The lemur stood to meet the fox's challenge.
"Peace, my friends." Iroh placated. "I did not mean to bring my conflict to this table. My worries are my own, I should not have burdened you with them."
"Nonsense." A third spirit said as she slowly drank her tea. She wore a red dress and a long straw hat that covered most of her face. "It is our duty to listen to friends needs."
"I would like to dedicate a toast to your nephew." The fox said. "And-" Another fox sprinted across the nearby stream and barreled towards the fox.
"A human has escaped from the Fog of Lost Souls!" It shouted. "Wan Shi Tong wants us to know everything." The fox that was previously enjoying tea with Iroh glared at the seemingly younger fox; clearly, such news was not meant to be heard by those not under the great Spirit of wisdom's control. The older fox turned back to the table and excused himself, Iroh understood the need to follow orders, yet he still found it rude that the small reunion was interrupted so unceremoniously. The foxes disappeared into the forest, and the atmosphere had clearly soured. The other spirits soon dispersed, leaving the old man alone.
It didn't take Iroh long to ready another kettle. He had a feeling he would need it soon enough.
o0o0o0o0o
Azula awoke both tired and sore. Clearly, royalty was not made to sleep on the bare ground. Even when she had impersonated those so-called Kyoshi warriors, she had a comfortable bedroll where she could rest her head. Azula stared at the sky and noted that there were no changes. No clouds had formed nor had the light grown or dwindled.
With a groan, Azula slowly lifted herself, and for the first, she was able to examine her state of dress. Her formerly well-fitted fire navy uniform was in tatters. Seams were torn, and there was evidence that indicated she had been dragged. "When did that happen?" She asked herself as she studied the damage.
She shook her head in an effort to free herself some of the Fog that clouded her thoughts, before slowly creeping towards the enormous gorge that had served as her captor. Azula stood at the edge of the cliff and stared down at the Fog filled canyon where she had been held, prisoner. The longer she studied the Fog, the more she felt that it was looking back at her with hunger.
For a brief instant, Azula felt fear creep into her heart. She took one step back and then another and another until her slow retreat became a wild sprint. A Fire Lord did not know fear, more importantly, Azula wasn't supposed to know fear. That luxury had been stolen from her years before Zuzu had been banished. It was supposed to be a tool for her to wield, but at that moment as she ran away, it was absolutely cutting.
She ran through the thick forest foliage wildly.
As she ran, she noted the trees began bending into awkward angels, and how they slowly became bare, grass shrunk until her boots were scraping against dry earth, and the light was slowly faded into pitch black night.
Azula was terrified. For the life of her, she didn't know why. She was the conqueror of Ba Sing Se, she had killed the Avatar, and survived Ursa's constant plots. How could a bit of Fog do that to a proud princess of the Fire Nation?
'I have to leave! Leave! I have to leave!' She screamed at herself. The trees closed the path in front other. Azula ignited her hands, basting away a collapsed tree that had blocked the tail. She jumped over the flaming wood with as much grace as she could muster. As soon as one foot touched the dry earthen path, the ground gave way.
Azula fell for what felt like an eternity. A single streak of blue light surrounded by black nothingness.
The rational part of her brain wondered if this fall would be her end. She pondered if this if there would be someone to mourn her passing… Ty Lee wouldn't, neither would Mai, Zuko may feel briefly saddened, but the relief he would feel would quickly drown that emotion. At least she would be free of Ursa.
She closed her eyes and waited for the impact.
The air around her stilled, and she felt the warmth of the sun touch her face. Slowly she opened her eyes to see herself hovering a few feet off the ground. There were floating rocks everywhere the only thing of any real note was the large dead tree that had rooted itself over a cave.
"Where in Agni's name am I?!" Nothing in this world made sense! The sun didn't just snuff itself out nor did falling take her to a place where gravity seemed to be a null! The sky changed to mark the time, but not there, it stayed still meaning that time wasn't a factor anymore.
Azula shifted until her back was towards the ground and fired into the sky. Slowly but surely she felt herself growing closer to the earth and with its gravity. "How long have I been here, Mother?!" She screamed when she touched the ground. "How long have you kept me in this infernal place?!" Just like before Ursa did not deign it necessary to answer her daughter's desperate pleas.
"Your mother isn't here, child." The smooth voice said from the cave. "But you already know that…" She could practically feel the smile on the creatures face. "So why do you ask when no one can answer you?"
"Who are you?" Azula had no interest in the man, but she lacked information.
"Little Dragon, do your people no longer speak of me?" The voice asked, clearly amused. "Do they not whisper how I took princess Chihiro's face? How Hasook failed to kill me?"
Azula kept her face impassive as the realization dawned on her. Lo or Li had told her this story shortly before teaching her firebending. Chihiro had been the crowned princess nearly nine hundred years ago, Sozin had banned the ballads that had originated before he had become fire lord, but the text still remained. Hidden but intact. Chihiro had loved the Avatar, and so she had made a wager with the Face Stealer, while Hasook remained loyal to Chihiro Koh would protect him from harm, but if the Avatar were to break his vow, Koh would take the princess's face. The princess's beauty was so great that Koh did not wish to lose it. So he lent a face to a girl that had fallen for the handsome Avatar, upon seeing her Hasook fell for her outer beauty and his vow of love and loyalty was forgotten for a night whose pleasures would be lost with the rising of the sun. Obviously, Koh collected, and the Avatar swore revenge. Moral of the story? People will always betray you. "Koh."
"Excellent, Little Dragon. For a moment, I feared your people had forgotten about me." Koh stepped out of his cave, revealing his grotesque centipede form. Still, Azula's expression remained impassive. "What can Koh do for you, Little Dragon?"
"What are you offering?" Azula knew she was far too weak even dream of scratching the ancient Spirit, let alone complete what the Avatar had left unfinished. "What's your price?"
"I offer you a way to return to your world." The monster coiled around Azula. Its face shifting into one belonging to an old man. "As for the price for my assistance… it has already been paid." He laughed. "Fate or chance, something has brought you to me and you, Little Dragon, will have to play your role soon." With that said, Koh lifted Azula with its legs and scurried over the nearby cliff. The speed at which the great Spirit traveled made her dizzy. "But the question you should ask little dragon, is 'what role am I going to play?' "
o0o0o0o0o
Hours passed, and Azula found herself zooming through deep jungle. Her captor had never stopped or slowed as he traversed innumerable lands. But the forest was familiar, yet Azula did not know why. She saw blue animals hide as Koh drew near. The Spirit had avoided notice until he reached the jungle. He stopped caring as they drew closer to their goal or at least his.
Azula had eventually admitted to herself that she was indeed in the spirit world and that Koh was her only chance of escaping it. That didn't mean she trusted him, the Spirit was reaping some reward from it, and it seemed enough to compel him into action. Whoever thought she would be indebted to them because they had helped her must have been confused Azula with her brother.
Azula was surprised when a black and white monstrosity smashed into Koh's body. The face stealer cradled Azula, absorbing most of the impact. He dropped Azula and proceeded to meet the creature. The monster moved like an ape but with six limbs. His body gave him an advantage over their attacker.
Dexterity over brute strength, she wasn't very keen on watching them fight. Azula retreated into the shadows and waited for them to finish their fight. Koh would either find her or he wouldn't, and she would find her way back home on her own.
"You lowly animal!" She heard Koh yell. "You have no busyness here Hei Bai!" the now named Hei Bai roared, blue energy blasted out of its mouth. Azula caught only a glimpse of the blast, but she was sure that it would not be the end of the Face Stealer. Azula retreated farther into the forest.
Azula felt like all she had been doing since she had escaped the Fog was running away. There was no shame in retreat, it sometimes ensured ultimate victory while other time it merely ensured that a person could see the sun for another day. Azula ran until her legs gave way just as she entered a familiar clearing.
"You have returned." Azula sat on knees and stared at the great Spirit before her. The Mother of Faces stood in all her glory before her, and unlike the last time, she had seen the Spirit, she was captured by her beauty. "It is that time of the season were I bestow my one favor on a mortal, what do you wish of me?"
It was too convenient. To run into Koh, to meet the Mother of Faces just as she was departing, it stank worse than komodo rhino dung. Still, if it could get her out… she just needed to word it carefully. "Take me to my mother's house." She couldn't help the bite that slithered into her tone. The Mother of Faces gathered the tired firebender into her vine-like hands and clutched her to her chest, not unlike Koh, and dove into the pool. With any luck, Zuko had taken the whole family back to the capitol, and she could rest in the shack Ursa had called home.
Safe for the moment Azula drifted into sleep an uncomfortable sleep.
o0o0o0o0o
A/N: Thank you for reading this. Review (and I mean actually review because no matter how much I love seeing people ask me for more I love it when they tell me their opinions… as long as they keep it respectful of course.)
Just to let you know this is happening about four months before the start of Legend of Korra. We'll meet some familiar faces, but it'll be a few chapters before we reach the Team. Basically, I finished Smoke and Shadows and was really disappointed with them using Azula as the villain again after the end of the Search.
Happy trails until we meet again.