"When you speak with him, you must be careful, to show NO emotion at all; Not the slightest expression. Or-"

"He is very dangerous. They call him... The Face-Stealer."

"-He will steal your face."

The dark realm was grisly and cold; The spiritual light of the mangrove swamp and the ornate beauty of the library was not replicated her. And yet it was here, leaping across stacks of pillars, that Ty Lee was, her acrobatic form dashing from rocky pillar to pillar, occasionally stopping now and then to observe a titanic wolf, larger then an Elephant Koi, walk around, and her destination was the gnarled, grisly form of a titanic tree that stretched into the sky. It held no leaves; Only black death.

The gymnast felt the tingling of fear at her. It was much worse then her fear of Wan Shi Tong, whom had proven to be friendly. No, within that tree was something that even the mighty owl would fear, a monster of malicious cruelty, beyond anything the physical world would ever know. She remembered what the owl had told her:

"Emotion will result in your doom at his hands. You must not show him even the slightest expression. Or you will nothing more then another in his vile collection. But if you can hold strong, then he can gift you all the answers you will need. Of course, remember this: He will try to scare you, try to manipulate, try anything to make you show emotion. He may use the face of a mere baby, or a savage creature, all designed to make you give yourself away to his intent. Hold strong, my dear, and he cannot have you. Hold strong."

But as she left, she had been struck by something, and asked the great owl:

"Um... what... what do you know about... insanity?"

She had received no reply, and with that, she had left.

The sensation of nervousness in the owl was what really unnerved Ty Lee. She didn't know what Koh looked like, but what thing could scare even it's fellow spirits, could scare the Avatar? Something horrible, that's for sure.

But Ty Lee had no choice. Either visit Koh, or risk being trapped here forever.

The pink girl was soon to reach the bottom of the tree; This world had not affected her speed in any negative passion. Glancing around the great ravine nervously, Ty Lee took a deep breath, and forced all emotion from her face. It was hard; Fear, worry, nervousness. They all bit at her. But she had lived with Mai and Az- Ah, Mai. She had lived with Mai before, it was easy to imitate Mai's constant expression of boredom. Her grey eyes scanned the are again, noting the terrifyingly dark cave before her, and the gnarled bark of the great tree, the misty oblivion over the edge, and the great branches spanning across the sky. There was light. And it may be the last time she ever saw light again.

With a deep breath, she forced herself to look like Mai, and slowly walked towards the mouth of the cave. Into the heart of the abyss.

It was dark. Very dark. Her eyes could only just make out floor and wall and steeps and ceiling. And even then, only blurs. She treaded very carefully; One wrong slip would lead to falling, falling would lead to pain, and pain would lead to expression.

She didn't want to think about what expression would lead to.

"No fear." She murmured dispassionately to herself. "Just a cave."

"Not so much the cave, my dear, but what lies within."

She took a deep breath as a voice, older then time, enriched with ancient power and a tad of malicious amusement, sounded from the depths of the depths. It could only be him. So, waling forward all the while, Ty Lee mustered her courage and asked: "I need your help, Great Spirit."

"Yes, most people do." The voice replied coolly. "Many journey to the tree. Some become seeds and leave it, to flourish in their new knowledge. Some become roots and are trapped, only here to feed me. All had their moments. So, little one: What do you need?"

It took more effort then it should not to shudder, as Ty Lee felt her outstretched foot, ready for another step, suddenly brush a limb, something moving. A vile cold spread through her, but the acrobat was more resilient then one might think. She had taught her that...

"I need to find a way back to the Physical World." Ty Lee murmured, placing her hands into a traditional bowing gesture, and tilting her body forward. Perhaps respect might earn her however slight a respite from the being. Something moved in front, a blur of darkness, arching behind her. Keep your head. Don't panic. He won't hurt you...

"Yes, you do."

The voice was right on her ear, and Ty Lee suppressed a shiver as hard, jagged claws gently stroked at her shoulders, the gesture of one who would help, was compassionate. But also, a warning: Do not leave. A thick sliver moved in the shadows, an the faint scuttling of insectoid legs reached her ears, but she ignored this. Instead, she found herself gazing at an Aura beyond anything she had ever seen.

She was amazed and horrified. There, within the slivers of emotional energy, she saw... she didn't know. She saw time, life, space, death. Everything and anything, all swirling in colours, colours, colours she didn't even know existed. Energy beyond energy, the energy of a spirit beyond anything. And she found it was easy, easy to keep herself emotionless, strong, calm, simply by focusing on the being's Aura. Only one Aura she had seen before was as glorious as this-

A shiver of darkness, a flash of faint light, and she saw Koh.

All that kept her from screaming was an even greater fear of what would happen if she did. The creature was monstrous. The thick, armoured, segmented body, like a giant centipede-spider, sharp clawed legs supporting the coiled body, surrounding her in a dead enclosure of coil and power. The front of the beast was like an eye: Four claws on top, four on the bottom, all curled and razor-sharp, and between these claws sat the face of a white clown, like those at her old circus, but more horrifying, like an eye. The lips turned up into a small smile, and Koh spoke:

"While I am flattered that you seem to enjoy admiring my Aura and form, I think that is not your purpose here. Though, not that I mind; It has been a long time since an Aura Reader has visited me. Now, tell me: How can I help you?"

Ty Lee regained her train of thought, and spoke, her voice shaking slightly, but not enough to betray her: "I need to get back to the-"

"Oh yes, you told me that already. But that is not your true purpose here."

Confusion swept through Ty Lee, but only beneath the surface. What did he-

"Ah, you haven't figured it out yet." Koh mused, amusement in his voice, as the eye closed in, and the clown face was gone, replaced by the face of an old man, wrinkled skin and brown eyes, with a small white moustache and long eyebrows. It was disturbing. "Not that that is of any doubt to your intellect, my dear. But I must say, that you don't know still surprises me. It had been most certainly on your mind when you visited the great Knowledge."

"I don't recall." Ty Lee murmured, focusing on the intense Aura of Koh. It was easier to withstand then his monstrous appearance, anyway.

The old man was replaced by the face of a young man, with black sideburns similar to Uncle Iroh, and the spirit spoke once more: "You asked the wise Wan Shi Tong if he knew of insanity. I seem to recall that a friend of yours suffers it. How noble of you; Seeking to aid her with this grievous matter."

Ty Lee had to fight to keep the expression of realisation of her face. Yes, yes, she did ask the giant owl that question: What did he know of insanity? But he had not answered. And the acrobat replied: "I remember now. But he did not answer."

"That is because he tires of people always asking him, when they have only betrayed him again and again." The monstrous insectoid replied, sounding slightly amused at the other spirit's anger, his face suddenly switching to that of a young girl with black hair and blue eyes. "The spirits have always answered to mortality, but mortality fails them, and they do not offer second chances. Not often."

Ty Lee noted that Koh had spoke of the spirits as if... as if they were different. Was Koh not a spirit? Was he something else? Something unlike this world? And she asked: "I am sorry that he feels that way. But if that is what I cam to ask, so be it: What do you know of insanity?"

"The true question is: What isn't insanity." Koh replied, his face changing to that of a watchful black-and-white cat, golden eyes narrowed at the acrobat, his massive body coiled so close that it grazed the edges of her clothing, though his face was always looking at her. "It is not safety. It is not forgiving. It is not the state of which a mind should be. It is, however, something that can be removed, at least temporarily. No matter how many times a crow-hyena is chased from a corpse, it will always return to peck at it. And that is insanity. The pecking of wrong against right, the stripping of logic from flesh."

"How does one cure it?" The acrobat asked. She was getting close to having an answer to something she had always hoped to know about.

Koh smirked to himself. It was easy; She had distracted herself from learning how to return to her world. How delightful. But she had asked him a reasonable question, and he answered: "The Fire Nation's daughter has forgone all logic to perfection, but in perfection, there is flaw, and when the flaw is revealed to all, it strips the logic. But thankfully, there has been one other certainty to her mind. And that was you, my dear."

Focus on his Aura. Don't show surprise. Ask him: "Me? How?"

"You always stood by her, of course." Koh replied almost cheerfully, as though he found it sweet or something. "She learned to depended on you for always being at her side, always serving. A fire-moth to her flame. She has always been expected to be perfect, but you only expected her to simply be. And she was grateful. But without you, her logic revealed it's flaw, and that flaw stripped her perfection, and the second flaw, the claw in that her father cared, was revealed as well. And she was gone. But if you were to, say, chase away the crow-hyena, perhaps you can give her logic again. It can work."

Ty Lee was silent, as she contemplated this, Koh circling her with infinite patience as he waited for anything else she may have to say.

Though she would not show him, Ty Lee was astounded. Az-Azula... Azula could be helped. Azula could be saved. She could help her, she could save her! She-

Stop. Restrain yourself. Be like Mai.

"Thank you, great Spirit." Ty Lee murmured, bowing respectfully. "But how do I return to the physical world?"

Koh smiled, impressed by her resilience. He had honestly expected her to crack at that part; Her soft little love... Regardless, he answered: "Let me explain. That which brought you here, Energybending, brought you here to survive."

"Survive?"

"Yes. Your spirit was being forced to be what it is not to be. But your spirit was willing and acceptant, and it was safe. But it was still not right, and thus, it came here, to be safe among spirits and its natural energy, while your body recovered from what it is not to be, while it changed. Your spirit is communing here in peace and power, while your body is joining with the elements themselves. But what element will it be?" Koh's face changed to that of an angry looking man with a brown moustache. as his tone became amused. "Your blood blazes with Fire. You feel passion, energy and strength. That is Fire. Yet, there is soft fragility, a sense of freedom, spiritual care, the ability to see past the clouds, and into the peace. This, my dear, is Air. And there is fluidity, the ability to adapt and change, from soothing care, to frigid determination. This is Water. Only Earth has eluded you, but the remaining three bow to you. But which shall triumph? This is the struggle your spirit has come here to survive, to wait until one is victorious, and it can safely return."

Ty Lee's head burned with awe and amazement of just how much the great being knew. Imagine what was happening to her right now! When she awoke, she may feel Fire, or Air, or Water! She was amazed, but her logic returned to her and she asked: "How do I return?"

"That will come in time." Koh replied casually, his face returning to the girl with black hair. "But I must ask you this: What do you see in your Princess?"

The acrobat hesitated, her mind struggling to keep itself from showing it's thoughts on her face. Azula... Azula, who was so wonderful, so amazing, so beautiful, so perfect, so brave, so confident, so admirable, so, so, so... caring. Someone had not seen her as a seventh, but a first, someone who could see her for someone who wanted to be accepted and individual. Someone dark, misunderstood, someone who was always worried about how perfect they were...

"Much, I see." Koh mused, earning a flicker of surprise from Ty Lee, but thankfully, thankfully, he wasn't paying attention, and she covered her emotions up again. "Such a shame. Such a shame..."

Ty Lee felt a horrible sense of foreboding at that, but held it down and asked: "What?"

He turned to face her, his face now that of the clown, somehow the worst of all in comparison to the body, and he whispered to her:

"She loved you as well."

And Ty Lee could not stop herself from gasping, emotion flooding her and spilling form her, and tears fell from her, and before she could try and run, the massive body tightened around her, and the razor sharp claws moved in for her, and she screamed, and Koh smiled and-