Burn My Dread FES

By Iain R. Lewis

Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games.

"Whatever you do it's always gonna come back, so living by gun's gonna get get the gun clap."

- Burn My Dread - Final Battle - Reincarnation

Lotus Juice

Chapter 1: Labyrinth

"Who -- who are you?"

Azula tried to focus, but the hazy, smoky light made it difficult to see, let alone concentrate on the person who sat across from her. She gripped at the seat she found herself in, and tried to remember sitting down. "Where am I? What is going on?"

"Azula, please calm down --"

"Why do you know my name?" she asked.

"You -- you don't know me?" the boy asked, surprised. He reached to touch his face, and his fingers actually moved through the mask, as if it wasn't even there. "I feel like myself," the boy said, talking to himself in a hushed voice, "Then why doesn't she -- oh!"

"Oh, he says," Azula drawled, her patience on its last vestiges. "Who are you!"

"Well, I could tell you," the boy said, "But I believe that would rob you of a very important learning experience. For now, just call me -- uh -- give me a second."

Azula watched bemused as the boy began to say, aloud, several names that sounded, strangely, familiar to her. "No, that's just not right. Call me, er, Lee!"

"Lee," Azula said, incredulous. "You expect me to believe your name is Lee?"

"Yes," the now-named Lee said, "I totally do."

"Fine," Azula said. "Okay, 'Lee,' where are we?"

"Well, you're actually asleep right now, so this is all just a dream," Lee said. "But I'm sort of a guide. You may have already noticed that you can bend again."

"Yeah," Azula said, "Thanks for the heads up." She crossed her arms. "Is there a point to all this. I do not suffer fools, Lee, and all I'm seeing here is a foolish boy who is wasting my own personal time."

"I hope you don't mind," Lee said, "But yes, there's a point. I'm here because the Avatar Spirit has granted you a special gift. The Avatar Spirit is acting through you now, you control its will and can bend all four elements."

"Okay," Azula said, her brow arching, "You've got my attention."

"You're trapped in a place between time and memory," Lee continued, "That creature was only the first that you'll face in the Labyrinth --"

"Stop right there," Azula said. "What labyrinth?"

"The one beneath the dorm," Lee said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Oh, I guess you haven't been there yet. I'm sorry, this is the first time I've had to do this, so I'm a little rusty."

"That's fine," Azula said, tiredly, examining her nails, "Just be quick and don't bore me with pointless exposition."

"I don't know exactly how, but a maze has formed underneath the dorm. It's a bit strange," he said, "But you're going to have to find your way through it if you want to get out of the dorm. This maze isn't a part of the normal world, it's somewhere between the Spirit World and your world, and it has qualities of both in it."

"All right," Azula said.

"I know your memories aren't really clear," Lee said, "But you must trust your friends if you want to ever escape the Labyrinth and see daylight again."

"You seem to know an awful lot about me, Lee," Azula said, harshly, "How do I know you're not like that little girl?"

"What little girl?"

"The one who made me sign that contract," Azula said.

"Oh," Lee said, producing a familiar looking booklet, "This contract, you mean?"

"How did you get that?" Azula demanded, rising from her seat. "I demand answers!"

"And you'll get them, in time," Lee said, the contract placed on the table. "This contract was just the same as one Aang signed when he began his journey. You'll have to discover what it means for yourself, though."

"How do you know Aang?" Azula asked, sitting down slowly. "Where is he? Is this his fault?"

"Well --" Lee sighed. The smoke seemed to thicken and things became hazier. Lee looked at her helplessly.

"I'm sorry, you're waking up. We don't have much time to talk, and I need to tell you something very important. Beware the moon's twin. The garden holds many surprises." He placed something on the table, and Azula, compelled, picked it up. It was a key.

"Why are you giving me this?" she asked.

"It's a key to a door in the labyrinth," Lee said. "We'll meet again when you've discovered the garden's hidden truth."

"Wait, what do you mean --" Azula called out in frustration just as her voice caught and the world was swallowed up in black. She heard voices, talking in hushed, frightened tones, and she noticed that she was no longer sitting, but laying down on a couch.

She opened her eyes, and looked around.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Sokka said, as she drew herself upright. "Looks like you were running on empty there. Come on, Sushi?" he offered her a plate. She put up a hand, and he put it down. "Well, you're probably a little disoriented, but don't worry, no one's exactly sure what's going on right now."

"What hit me?" she asked.

"Nothing, actually," Sokka seemed quite a bit more jovial company than her brother, and Azula looked over at him, furrowing her brow. "Well, okay, it's probably the fact that you've been in a bed for four months and then just happen to run all the way from the hospital over to here in like two hours."

"I was in a hurry,' she admitted, "That boy was getting away."

"What boy is this, exactly?" Sokka asked.

"Some -- never mind," she said. "I'm probably just crazy."

"Don't say that," Sokka said. "No one's crazy who can admit it. Or something." He took a bite of the sushi she'd been offered, and looked back over, "I think Katara's still checking to see if the windows will open, but looks like we're stuck here for a while."

"The windows won't open?"

"Doors won't, either," he added. "Even the one with the broken lock. This is great."

"What?" Azula asked. "Do you like being trapped in our dorm?"

"No," Sokka said, "But I do like a good puzzle. Ever since Aang stopped the Unification, things have been kind of boring, but this? This is some sort of occult super-mystery, and I'm all over that."

He added, "And I think your mystery boy may be part of it. He showed up, and a second later, we had a giant spirit trying to kill us."

"You saw it too?" she asked. "Then -- this isn't one of the delusions?"

"Azula," Sokka said, "We've fought a giant moon amoeba, a were-badger mole, and a planet sized fire god, right now, mysterious shadow boy seems to be par for the course."

"I suppose," Azula said. "Has anyone checked the basement yet?"

"No," Sokka said. "But that's a good idea. Maybe there's a way out through there."

"I think there may be," Azula said.

She smirked, watching Sokka leave. Well, she wouldn't be the one stupid enough to fall for that line about a maze beneath the dorm. She suffered delusions and hallucinations, yes, but she wasn't quite crazy enough to believe them.

Sokka called out "Guys!"

Azula shot to her feet and ran towards the basement door. Sokka was standing just in front of it, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Azula, I don't know how you knew about this, but -- this is huge."

"Yes, it is," she agreed.

The old steps stopped abruptly and were replaced by a long, silvery brick patterned floor. The passageway went forward, much further than the actual building did, and stopped in a fork ahead. Large, imposing statues were built into the walls, horrific shaped monsters with large eagle wings and claws.

"You think it goes further?" Sokka asked. "And what happened to our laundry room?"

"Only one way to find out," Azula answered, stepping forward. She felt Sokka's hand grab her arm and she reared upon him, snorting up enough air to knock him clean back into the room. "Oh, right, airbenidng. I nearly forgot about that."

"Yeah," Sokka muttered, "I didn't want to bring that up just yet. But I guess you remember so, what's the deal?" He rubbed his head as he stood up. "And you're not going in alone and that's final."

"Fine," Azula muttered. "And I can't really say. Maybe the Avatar Spirit is smiling upon me for once in its miserable existence."

Sokka furrowed his brow. "Giving Azula Avatar Powers," he said, "Azula - One, Cosmic Awareness - Zero."

"And what, precisely, do you mean by that?"

"Nothing!"

"That's what I thought," she said, haughtily sticking her nose in the air. "Still," she began, "I agree, it is rather odd that the Avatar Spirit would help me of all people."

"Sokka!" Katara shouted, "What was that noise -- oh, Azula's awake. That explains everything."

"Oh, Katara, you've returned from your expedition to find a window. Did you have any luck. Remember, they're square, made of glass, and can be opened to let in air."

"You know, I almost felt sorry for you, Azula. Almost. I mean, really, you were more likeable in a coma."

"Would both of you stop it," Sokka said, angrily. "Do you think Aang would want us fighitng each other when clearly, something's happening with the Spirit World? After what Aang did, all he gave up to stop that, we can't ignore this."

"What do I care what Aang gave up. He's not here now," Azula said, "Good riddance."

There was perhaps, in Katara's mind, an actual, audible snapping sound as her temper finally broke. Her eyes narrowed into slits, and she, by force of habit, fell into a waterbending stance. Azula scoffed, "What are you going to do, splash me?"

"I'll show you a splash!" Katara shouted.

Sokka put his hand on her wrist and pulled her upright. "Are you crazy?" he asked. "First off, you're letting Azula provoke you?"

"She -- she --"

"Secondly, did you forget she can bend and you can't?"

"Yes, that's an important thing to remember, Katara," Azula said. "For the time being, you need me, so let's be all good friends, all right?"

"You really are heartless," Katara said. "I thought, after what you did for Aang, you were better, but now I get it. It was all some big lie."

"What I did for Aang? I haven't a clue what you're talking about."

"Never mind," Katara said. "You're a real piece of work, Azula."

Around this time, Toph and Zuko came down the stairs. "The roof's out," Zuko said. "And something weird's happened to the meeting room. Most of the rooms are open, but --"

"Aang's," Katara said. "I can't get it open."

"Well," Azula said, "How interesting. My dream is coming true, piece by piece."

"What dream?" Zuko asked. He looked at Azula's hand, and asked, "What do you have there?"

"A key of some kind." She noticed the number eighteen written on it. "Certainly is an odd looking key." There were no 'teeth' like on a normal key. It almost looked more like a metal card of some kind. The handle formed a crescent where the number was inscribed.

"It doesn't look like a key at all," Katara muttered, "Maybe you should have stayed in the psych ward."

"Katara," Zuko grumbled in a low voice, and Katara closed her mouth. Azula arched her brow. While Katara had always been confrontational with her, this was a slightly different wrinkle in their relationship.

"So," Sokka said, "Now that we're all here and done picking fights, I'd like to draw our attention to what Azula found."

"What's that?" Toph asked, "I can't, you know, see?"

"I was getting to it," Sokka said. "Down these stairs, there's a maze."

"A maze?" Katara asked, peeking down the basement stairs. She frowned, "Oh, no. This is like Yomi all over again. And we don't have Yue to guide us around and find the quickest route to the top."

"That's bad," Toph said. "So, are there monsters in there, too?"

"Yes," Azula said, "They're there, somewhere. More like the one we fought."

"We're forced to relive our old lives the day we were going to say goodbye to them forever," Zuko said. "Well, this is just great."

"You're right!" Sokka said, enthusiastically.

"That was sarcasm," Zuko corrected.

"I know, but I chose to ignore that,' Sokka said. "This is it, the last chapter of the Avatar Squad?"

"Avatar Squad?" Azula scoffed, "I liked Bending Club better."

"Well, whatever we're calling ourselves," Toph said, "What do we do? I mean, it's been hours since we've been locked in here. The others will be wondering why they can't get in."

"That's a good point," Sokka said. He looked at the clock. "Hey, Zuko, what's your watch say."

Zuko looked at Sokka and shrugged. "It's broken. Keeps saying it's nine."

"Yeah, that's funny," Sokka said. "What are the chances that every clock and watch in this place say nine?"

"Very unlikely," Azula scoffed. "It seems like we really are trapped here."

"Okay, time may not be marching forward, but," Sokka frowned, "I'm still hungry."

"Eat the sushi," Azula said, rolling her eyes.

"We don't know how long we'll be in here," Zuko said, "And Sokka's right, I'm feeling a little hungry myself. The sushi can last us only so long, and it's not very filling. We need to get supplies somehow."

"In my dream, there was something about a garden," Azula said, "Maybe we can find that in there. And maybe, just maybe, there'll be something substantial."

"But that's not meat!" Sokka whined.

"Too bad. I'm going to look for a garden down there," Azula said, "You're welcome to join me, or just wait here."

"I told you, you're not going alone. We should probably take some weapons," Sokka said, "Get ready, and in about ten minutes, we'll meet down here."

"Oh, ten minutes," Toph said, "I'll just guess when that's up."

"Well, let's go get prepared," Azula said. "Then, we'll discover this so-called garden."

"Come on, Katara," Toph said, "Let's go. I'll feel safer around Spice Girl if you have that whip of yours."

"Yeah," Katara agreed, "Me too."

The two girls headed up the stairs, and Azula frowned as they went. She looked back at Sokka, and frowned. "Why did you defend me?" she asked. "I know you hate me just as much as anyone else here."

"Yeah?" Sokka asked, "The way I see it, if Aang thinks there's something good in you, I'm going to believe him. That doesn't mean I trust you, and that doesn't mean I feel any safer than they do around you."

"A wise fool," Azula said.

"You know, you need to lose the attitude, Azula. You're making everyone nervous, and we don't need you bringing up Aang like that, not after what happened."

"What happened?" she asked.

"Would it matter if we told you?" Zuko asked. "Come on, Sokka, you need something more substantial than a baseball bat against these things."

"That was my favorite bat, too!" he complained.

The two walked away, leaving Azula feeling small and alone. She looked down the maze, and looked at her uniform. She did not have her gun holster hidden under her skirt, She felt exposed without it, and headed up the staircase.

Sokka was talking loudly across the hall to Zuko while they went through their room, and Azula stopped, and crept back a few steps, to remain hidden and listen to them. "Your sister sure has it our for Azula," Zuko muttered.

"You should have seen them earlier. I think with Aang gone, she's just," Sokka sighed, "I feel like I can't do anything to protect her and I'm her big brother, that's my job."

"Yeah," Zuko frowned.

"How do you protect your little sister from herself, that's what I want to know."

"Welcome to my world," Zuko grunted.

"Hey, you did everything you could," Sokka said, "She's just going to take time to come around. Knowing you, she started yelling and you just clammed up."

Zuko grunted wordlessly.

"Come on, you visited her every day before and after class. What more can you do?"

"I should have taken her with us," Zuko said, "I should have known she couldn't stop all those spirits alone."

"You didn't know that, and she wasn't alone. The Blue Spirit, that Kyoshi Warrior, all of those spirits who helped us, they were there too."

"I should have done more," Zuko said.

Azula rolled her eyes, and began to walk up the stairs to the girl's floor. She stopped when she saw Katara and Toph going the other way. "Oh, it's you," Katara said. "Come on Toph."

Katara brushed by and Toph pushed past, and Azula stared back at them as they walked off. She scowled, and hurried to her room. Opening the door, she found most of her things had been packaged away in boxes with her name written on it. She recognized the penmanship as Zuko's.

Still, the room looked much the same as she left it. She scoffed, opening one of her boxes, she saw her clothes thrown in with apparent care. She opened another, and looking at the label, scrounged through it.

She found, at the bottom, a small metal case. Opening it, she found a spare holster and gun, along with ammunition, that she had always kept just in case. She spent a minute adjusting the holster on her leg so to keep it unobtrusive, loaded the weapon, and placed it in her holster.

Guns, by and far, were elegant weapons befitting someone such as her, in her mind. Whereas Katara went with that ridiculous whip she could hardly use -- typical Katara dn her over-reliance on bending -- and Toph did not even bother getting a real weapon, she had mastered marksmanship as part of her training.

At the bottom of the case, there was a strip of red cloth, an old armband that all members of the Bending Club used to wear. She looked at it, nostalgically, and with a shrug, placed it around her shoulder.

She drew the weapon and aimed it in practice. Muscle memory did not forget, even after months of disuse. She replaced it in its holster and headed downstairs.

The others were all down there waiting for her when she arrived. To her surprise, they also wore the same armbands. A force of habit, maybe, Azula reasoned. "Late as usual," Toph muttered.

"Hey, she's on time," Sokka said. "I mean, she is leading this expedition, isn't she?"

"That's quite right," Azula said. "Follow me, and we will crush anything that dares impede our path to victory and freedom."

"Oh," Sokka drawled, "Kay."

"This is a bad idea," Toph muttered.

"We don't have a choice. We either go into the labyrinth, or we stay here and starve. What's it going to be?" Zuko asked.

"When you put it like that," Toph sighed.

"Well, the longer we wait, the weaker we'll feel," Katara said. She gripped her whip tightly. "Let's go."

They stepped into the labyrinth, and into the shadows.

They walked down the main hall for the better part of five minutes, it seemed, and the way never became any clearer. The fork at the end of the passage fast approached, and they stopped, looking at the two passages that split off of the main passage.

"Which way?" Sokka asked, looking to Azula. Azula placed her hand on the right wall and began to move to the right.

"As long as we follow the right wall, we'll eventually reach the end," Azula said. "So we must be patient."

"Okay," Katara said, "Whatever you say, Princess."

"It's quiet," Zuko muttered, "Too quiet."

"Why did you have to say that?" Sokka moaned, "Here I was thinking, everything is going to be fine as long as someone doesn't say anything, and you go and say something!"

Zuko rolled his eyes. "We haven't been attacked yet, but if Azula's right, we will be. We need to be alert and prepared for that possibility."

"Okay, okay, sure, fine. I got you. But at least this place isn't a spirit magnet like the tower was."

"Now who's jinxing us," Toph muttered.

Hand still on the right wall, Azula moved forward, ignoring the chatter behind her. She remained focused only one what she saw ahead of her. She put up her arm, and the group stopped, like well trained little soldiers, she wryly thought.

"Up ahead," she whispered.

"It's that boy again," Katara whispered right back. Azula rolled her eyes.

"No, it's some other mysterious shadow boy," Azula said, "With the exception of Toph, we're not blind."

"Hey!" Toph shouted. The boy turned and his piercing blue eyes stared right through them. The blue, while it seemed to start at his irises, extended through the whole eye, the glow bleeding out through the entire eye.

"Way to go, Toph," Sokka muttered, "Now he's seen us."

Azula stared the boy down, and for a minute, it seemed like the boy smirked, the shadows that formed his face swirling around and reshaping, then, without a word, he turned and began to walk down the hall.

He pressed his hand against a wall, and a door appeared.

He stepped through without opening it.

"Hey, come back!" Katara called out, running after the boy. Azula lashed her arm out and grabbed Katara by her arm. The girl didn't stop, and Azula pulled her back with no gentle movement. "Ow!" Katara cried. "What's the big idea, Azula?"

"Are you stupid or something?" Azula scowled. "Or did you forget about the monster that showed up the last time that boy appeared."

"That's no excuse for that, Azula," Sokka said, coming to his sister's defense. Azula smirked at him. And drew her gun. "Whoa, where'd you sneak one of those in here?"

"I have my ways," Azula said. She pointed the gun forward. "Let's proceed slowly. That door has me interested."

"Remember what we're here for," Zuko said. Azula sighed, always serious, never curious, Zuko was predictable as ever. Still, predictable had its uses, she thought. She turned her head to look back at him. He'd drawn his Dao Blades. She smirked. She didn't remember the last time she saw him use those, even after she returned them to him not so long ago.

"Good to see you're finally fighting seriously."

"I always fight seriously," Zuko snorted. Azula turned back to the passage. It was long, and the door was straight ahead, by all appearances. However, Azula had long since learned to trust appearances at her discretion.

She stepped forward, and the walls began to raise and lower around her. "This is," she looked for a word, "Discouraging."

"Move forward, now," Sokka said, "We might be able to get ahead before --"

A wall burst out in front of the door, closing shut the passage, and opening two new passages around them. "Any other ideas, professor?" Azula asked, rolling her eyes.

"Well," Sokka said. "We need to get to that door."

"Do we?" Zuko asked, "We have no idea if that door will lead to the garden."

"Call it woman's intuition," Azula asserted. "That's the way to the garden, I'm positive."

"And who are we to doubt the great and wise Princess Azula," Toph muttered.

"Guys!" Sokka shouted. "We're in a crazy maze with walls that come to life and evil shadow boys that leave behind monsters, do you think we can focus on being angry at one of those things, instead of at each other?"

"I never figured you for the peace-keeper," Azula said, "But I can't deny that you're right. Let's focus our anger." She smirked, "Make it useful."

They proceeded down the hall until they reached the intersection. Azula felt the wall in front of them, and sighed, looking over at Toph. "Unfortunately, it seems I'm not really ready to bend more than Air right now."

"I doubt you could bend that well even if you could," Toph snorted. "You don't have the mentality for Earthbending. Always plotting and scheming, you don't take things head on."

"Oh?" Azula said, her smile growing wider. "Well, we'll see about that. Anyhow," she looked down the two passages, "We have a decision to make. We can keep following the right path, which I suggest, or, perhaps, you'd like to go to the left."

"Why are you asking us?" Katara asked. "Aren't you playing pretend-leader now?"

"We're all entering into a new mission, and I think, as leader, I should establish some measure of trust with each of you," she said. It was a simple lesson she'd learned from her father. Give your subordinates some freedom and learn to discern which ideas are worth listening to, these two things combined would yield amazing results.

"Well," Sokka said, "The right path seems to be the most sensible, but." He pointed to the left hall, "This way. I got a hunch."

"Yeah, sounds good," Toph said, "Anything that isn't Azula's idea is good by me."

"I hate to say it, but let's go right," Katara added. "If it's a dead end, we'll come around this way anyway, so why not?"

Zuko grunted, looked at all of them, and started down the left path. "Zuko, I order you to stop right there."

"Yeah," Zuko said, "I'm making a decision for you, Azula. We go left. If this were any normal maze, you may be right, but this is not a normal maze at all." He motioned to the wall, "These things move. It may be impossible to find our way around."

Azula stopped, looking dumbfounded. "Zuko, that's," she looked for some word, some way to put him down and cut him down to size, but she couldn't find anything. He was absolutely right. This was hardly a normal maze. "Very well. Left it is."

Zuko led the group down the left passage with Azula standing just behind him. She spoke softly, so only he could hear, "While I am impressed, don't undermine my authority again. I'm leading this expedition."

"Only because you're the only one who can bend," he paused, "For now, anyway."

"Are you saying you don't trust me?" Azula asked.

"No," he said, "I'm saying that you don't know how to lead. Yeah, sure, you got the books that tell you how to lead a group, the training from Dad, I know that." He smirked, "But you lack that something that made Aang a great leader."

"And, what's that?" Azula asked.

"If you have to ask, you didn't know Aang," Zuko said.

Puzzled, Azula slowed down, and furrowed her brow. Something she lacked that Aang had. Well, it couldn't be the Avatar Spirit, strange as it was, she could feel it inside her now that she knew it was there. It must have been different to be a part of it, but she felt like she could feel the cosmos if she just focused hard enough.

And it certainly wasn't experience. She'd been leader before he came along.

In front of them, the shadowy figure seemed to appear just out of the corner of their eyes to disappear again. Another figment of their imagination, Azula supposed.. But as they passed these shadows, small spirits seemed to drip out of it like water.

They swam through the air towards the Bending Club.

"Guys, do you hear something?" Toph asked, suddenly.

"Sounds like someone left the faucet on," Sokka said, turning around. The fish spirits looked at him, and he looked back. "Oh, hi."

"Oh, hi?" Katara blinked, "Who are you talking to -- oh no. Azula, spirits!"

Azula turned around just as they pelted themselves at Sokka knocking him down with ease and regrouping as they did . They turned their attention to Katara. She barely moved out of the way, and she looked back, "Do something!"

"Do something? Me?" Azula asked, looking quite smug.

"Azula," Zuko said, in a low, warning tone. He drew his Dao Blades and moved to strike the spirits. They weaved around his strikes as if they weren't there, and rained down on him, knocking him into the wall.

"We can't fight back without bending," Katara moaned. "Toph, to your right!"

"What the -- ow!" she was struck and fell to the ground, "This is embarrassing."

"I guess it's up to me," Azula said, tiredly.

She hadn't tried Airbending since that incident, there hadn't been time, so she desperately tried to remember the katas in the old scrolls the Phoenix Group had discovered. Circular movements, always moving, never standing. She remembered how Aang moved when he airbended, so light that his feet barely touched the ground.

She smirked, she could do that, easily.

The air around her feet swirled as she kicked, knocking the strange fish monsters into the wall where the splashed ineffectually to the ground. "This is too easy," she smirked. They began to reform, and one, acting as a leader of sorts, led the charge on her.

She knocked it aside, moving out of the way of the next, and with an acrobatic twirl, she flew through the air. Her heart skipped a beat. Airbending, unlike Firebending, made her feel at harmony with the air around her. It seemed a constant ally, understanding and it took care of her as she sailed through the air and landed, feet on the wall. The fish spirits slowed to turn, and Sokka tore through one with his boomerang.

"What are you doing, Azula?" Sokka asked, "We can't fight these as well as you."

"Well, excuse me for having a taste for a little flair," Azula said, launching herself off the wall with great force. She spun around, the air whipping like a tornado around her and slashing the fish spirits into little bubbles. "And that," she said, "Is that."

Zuko frowned, and Sokka shrugged. "Well," Sokka finally said, "That's dealt with."

"We'll need someone to watch the rear," Azula said. She felt a little light-headed, but she put that down to adrenaline. She wondered if this was how Aang lived every day, feeling a high from the sheer freedom of airbending. "Zuko, would you please take care of that?"

"Please?"

"Yes, you all seemed to forget manners, so I feel I should lead by example," Azula said, smugly. The others grumbled.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Zuko muttered.

"If I had my waterbending," she muttered, "Why is it Azula can bend but we can't?"

"Who knows," Zuko said. "Could be any number of reasons."

Katara frowned, "I tried bending after Azula did that. I was, I was excited to think that I could again. It's so disappointing. I want to bend, it even feels like I could, I feel it inside me, but when I try, something blocks it."

"Maybe it's all in your head," Zuko said. Though, he shifted, and looked a bit uncomfortable, "But I think you're right. I can feel it in me, too."

"Me too," Toph muttered, "If I could, I'd be able to find my way around on my own."

Azula looked back at them, and frowned, "Are you trying to be left behind?" The three suddenly stood erect, and moved rigidly quicker after the group. "Better!"

"I hate her," Toph muttered.

"Me too," Katara said. "Zuko, I know she's your sister, but you can't seriously --"

"This is the only way she knows," Zuko said. "Be patient with her."

Toph sighed, "He's going to side with his sister, just great. She sold you out, remember?"

"I remember what she did," Zuko said, "But I forgive her for it. At least, I'm trying to."

He hurried on forward, and Katara sighed, "He's right, though. She's set in her ways. We should just try and be civil."

"You can try that, I'm going to watch my back."

"I didn't say I was going to trust her, but this isn't going to be easy if we're always at each other's throats," Katara elaborated.

"Good luck with that."

She sighed. It did sound impossible.

The door was ornately carved, with the number eighteen written into its wooden body. Above it was the picture of a moon, and Azula noticed that through the gap underneath it, pale light seemed to pour in.

"Is that moonlight?" Katara wondered, approaching the door.

Azula touched the door tentatively, to see if it was real. It felt solid enough, and the key in her hand seemed to react to it. "This is most unusual," she said. "Most unusual indeed."

"Well?" Zuko asked. Azula tested the door, and found it wouldn't budge. "Locked, huh?"

"And we have a key," Azula answered. She looked for a keyhole or any signs of something to remove the lock. Beneath the handle there was nothing, and the engraving seemed to leave no room for a hidden keyhole.

"But no lock to put it in," Sokka added.

Toph muttered, "Wish I could see this door you're going on about. It isn't like we're in our spirit bodies. I could see there."

Azula put the key to the door, and watched as it sunk into the doorway, and the door began to open of its own accord.

And they stood, in a darkened, underground labyrinth, staring through the door into a vast garden resting on a hill top, where the full moon seemed to shine light bright enough to make it seem like day.

Katara breathed a sigh, "Wow." She walked forward, and Azula moved with her, looking around at the plants that seemed to tower above their heads. Zuko and Sokka helped Toph over the step, and onto the stone path. A stairway led downwards and the garden wrapped around like a maze beneath them. Large canopies of climbing vines covered the passages, and ripe, hanging fruit seemed to hang mockingly out of reach.

"I got this," Sokka said, He tossed his boomerang at a bow of moon peaches, and the fruit landed on the ground with a nasty squashing sound. They looked down at the fruit, and saw the insects scurrying out of it.

"Ew," Azula managed, in a dignified voice.

"They're overripe," Zuko muttered, "Most of them must be. No good."

"Let's head back," Azula said, "Maybe we missed something, another way through this maze."

Katara was about to turn when she heard something coming from the maze. It was familiar, an old lullaby that her Gran Gran had sung when she was little. She looked down at the maze, "Is someone in there?"

"What?" Azula asked, stopping. "What do you mean, is someone in there?"

"I hear someone," she said, "Maybe we should investigate this."

"We don't have much of a choice," Sokka said, "There's no way out of here. That door's totally gone."

"Then that makes this simple," Azula said. "We proceed into the garden."

To be continued.