"You're right, Master Osamu. Her body is functioning normally," Katara said as she returned the glowing water to her pouch.

"Then…you don't have any idea what's wrong?" Noren asked miserably, gripping Ursa's hand.

Katara snapped her pouch shut. "Actually, I do. I believe she's in the Spirit World."

Noren's mouth fell open. "The…Spirit World? I thought only the Avatar could go there."

"Most people do," the head healer, Osamu, replied. "But General Iroh insists he's visited the place himself."

Katara nodded her head. "I'm not sure how or why she would be there, though," she confessed.

"Well, I've got a 'bridge between the worlds' right here if you want to borrow him," Sokka teased, grabbing Aang by the shoulders and shoving him forward.

Aang shrugged out of his grip and bowed to Noren. "I'd be more than happy to search for Ursa in the Spirit World," he said respectfully.

"Thank you, Avatar Aang. And Master Katara," Noren said sincerely, thought he still felt despondent.

Aang sat cross-legged on the floor next to the bed and began to meditate. "Wait," Noren said suddenly. "It could be…it may help to ask the Mother of Faces, if you can. Ursa has had that spirit's power worked upon her twice now…I feel this must be related to it."

Aang nodded, then closed his eyes again. Within minutes, they glowed.


When Ursa awoke, she found herself in darkness. She stood and reached out to orient herself. Her hands met a rough, earthen wall. Trailing her fingertips along the surface, she realized she was trapped in some kind of cave.

She felt her way carefully in the darkness. After several hours, caution had turned to desperation as she ran blindly, always finding a barrier and never an escape. She tripped over the rough ground, crying out as she rolled into a shallow ditch. She remained lying there, squeezing her eyes against the blackness, and wept.

"Oh, my, what a pretty face."

Ursa opened her eyes. Did I fall asleep? She thought, noticing how a dim light now illuminated the cave. She heard what sounded like dozens of creeping legs trailing the walls.

"My mother really did quite a nice job on that one," the voice continued.

The Mother of Faces…Aang said her son was called Koh, Ursa realized. She'd learned enough from the Avatar to know how this particular spirit worked. She quickly wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and climbed out of the ditch, standing firmly.

The monster emerged quickly from the shadows, a ghostly female mask with long grey eyes and bright lips staring at her from inches away. Ursa looked at it blankly.

"Hmm, not even a flinch. So you know who I am," the face said deeply.

Ursa didn't respond. The centipede-like creature blinked, replacing the masked face with a human one with long black hair and golden eyes, much like her own. The young woman's gaze bore into her as the spirit curled around her body. Ursa stiffened, but otherwise didn't react.

"I have quite the taste for your kind of look," Koh said sickly, the face's tongue licking its lips before running along Ursa's jaw. She forced her revulsion back into her gut, her gaze remaining passive and unfocused on the jagged cave wall.

He blinked again suddenly, the face of a pale girl screaming in her ear. Ursa simply closed her eyes. The scream deepened as Koh slithered away into the darkness. A moment later he emerged slowly, a stunning Southern Water Tribe woman's face on his head. "I already have more beautiful faces than yours, anyway," he mocked, though his voice dripped with irritation.

Ursa turned towards the suddenly growing light behind her. As she walked away, she replied, "Don't feel bad, Koh. I just know someone more frightening that you."


Mai stepped through the hole in the floor of the wagon—the one Kei Lo had made by prying floorboards away with one of her knives during the bumpy trip up the mountain path. Crouching in the shadows, they waited for their chance to duck away unseen into an alleyway.

They moved silently in the backstreets, keeping to the shadows. Mai soon took the lead, winding her way through the familiar city, moving unconsciously towards the last place she wanted to be.

An hour later, they were close enough to spot the palace walls. She guided them slowly towards an enormous house close to the palace entrance. They climbed the fence carefully and ducked behind the bushes along the wall.

Kei Lo came up next to her and leaned in close. "Do you know who lives here? What if we're caught?" he whispered.

"I think my dad will go easy on us," she said dully. Kei Lo's eyes widened as he took in the mansion before them.

She watched the house for about ten minutes, but there was no movement. I should have seen the servants moving around at least. Looks abandoned, she reasoned, feeling curious. She grabbed Kei Lo's hand and led them around to the servant's entrance. The door was locked, but she pulled out one of her stilettos and handed it to him. He had the lock picked in seconds. Instead of handing it back to her, however, he took her wrist gently and fastened the small dagger back himself. His fingertips brushed her wrist lightly; his breath was warm against her neck.

She was grateful the darkness was hiding her blush.

Inside, they moved through the dark rooms cautiously towards her father's study. Once they reached it, she fumbled around for a minute before managing to light a candle. She turned to Kei Lo. "Hold this. I'm going to take a look around." She starting scanning over the documents laid out on the desk.

"Hey babe, um, why are we here?" Kei Lo asked tentatively.

Mai stopped what she was doing and sighed. "Well…if you're right about my father possibly being involved in all this…" She bit her lip and looked away. "Then it couldn't hurt to just…check."

When she looked back up at him, Kei Lo was smiling at her, like he'd been planning this all along. Stop being cute, she thought half-irritably as she turned around to dig through the filing cabinet. He walked around the desk and brought the candle up beside her, meeting her eyes. It was like déjà vu from the night before—when Zuko had been holding the light for her. Ugh, why did I have to think about that! she thought, scowling.

"What's wrong?" Kei Lo asked as his face fell.

She shook her head. "It's nothing, just worried about…Tom-Tom." And suddenly, she really was.

Kei Lo touched her jaw and kissed her gently. "We'll find him, Mai." She felt a new, pleasant wave of affection begin to sweep over her. No! I can't get too attached. I can't let myself get hurt again, she thought desperately. But when he kissed her again, she didn't turn away.


Suki jolted awake to a distant crack. She gasped, trying to remember where she was. She looked down at the blanket that had fallen off her lap, then back up when Zuko grabbed her arm.

"We're still on the way back," he whispered before leaning over her to look out the window. "That sound…it was almost like—"

CRAAACK! They pressed their faces against the window and saw several small slivers of lightning ricocheting against the night sky. Zuko swore quietly, his breath hot against her cheek.

"It's Azula. I won't let her get away this time," he said, stone-faced as he reached for the door. Just as he grasped the handle, Suki saw a bright flash from behind them. She managed to pull Zuko to the floor a split-second before lightning broke through the windows above them. They flinched as shards of glass pelted down on them from all directions.

"Suki! Are you alright!?" Their faces inches apart, she saw several small flecks of blood beginning to pool against his skin. "Your cheek is—"

"I'm fine!" she exhaled, wiping the blood dripping from her face with the back of her hand. "We need to get you out of here!"

He glanced up at the windows. "But…how did she get behind—" Suki couldn't hear him anymore over the sudden shouts from the guards outside and another high-pitched clap of thunder.

"Come on!" she yelled, grabbing her shield with one hand and his elbow with the other, pulling him out the door opposite the commotion.

Outside, she could just make out the waterline down to their right. Industrial buildings and smoke stacks towered before them. We're still in Harbor City, she noted before realizing, suddenly, that everything had gone silent. Stealing a glance around the carriage, she saw several of the guards and komodo rhinos lying on the ground, small sparks of lightning radiating away from their bodies. No…she thought. How did she...are they all… She swallowed hard against the burning in her throat.

"Zuko, we need to—" she whispered, but stopped after turning around and seeing him, one fist thrust forward and the other back beside his face in a defensive stance. Two Kemurikage approached them from the shadows. She raised her shield beside him and pulled out one of her fans.

The hooded figures stopped several paces away and stood absolutely still, the only movement coming from their ragged cloaks swirling across the ground with the breeze.

"Azula! Show yourself!" Zuko demanded.

They didn't respond.

"Where are the kids you've been taking?!"

Silence.

"ANSWER ME!" he yelled as he shot fire from both fists simultaneously. The bright glow of the flames was quickly engulfed in a thick blanket of white smoke that billowed upwards and crept quickly towards them.

At that moment, Suki heard a panicked roar come from one of the komodo rhinos pulling the carriage. She turned and saw both his companion and their two riders lying on the ground. The animal was frantically trying to escape his bindings. An idea formed in her mind just as everything was encompassed in smoke.

Within moments, the thick mist was stinging her eyes and making her wheeze. Not this again! she thought furiously as she began to cough. The beast beside her was grunting loudly and shaking the carriage like mad. Suddenly, she felt someone grab her armor and she turned sharply before two hands grasped her upper arms.

"It's me," Zuko choked out before going into a coughing fit himself. She grabbed his wrist and guided him over beside the thrashing beast. Up close, she could see the blurry outlines of the rhino as she attempted to mount. She finally got a foot in the stirrup and pulled herself up, throwing her arm back down for Zuko. His arm shot out of the mist and she hoisted him up.

Once Zuko was settled behind her, she pulled out her sword and cut the animal's harness on each side. Zuko managed to reach around her and grab the front of the saddle just as their ride bolted forward. Still coughing violently, she tried desperately to feel for the reins. As the smoke began to clear and she could open her eyes fully, she grabbed them and brought the rhino under some control. She guided the sprinting animal up the slope towards the winding path leading to Caldera City.

Suddenly, she felt the strong warmth of a fire blast behind her. She looked back; Zuko was bending a thick blaze into the dark street behind them.

"They're right behind us! How are they keeping up?!" he exclaimed as the flames dissolved into blackness.

Suki turned back around and was about to give the rhino another kick when a bolt of lightning struck the ground just ahead of them. The beast roared out in fear and reared up on its hindquarters. She gasped as she felt herself fall back hard against Zuko's chest. His free arm curled tightly over her waist as he managed to keep his grip on the saddle with the other, grunting against the strain.

Once the rhino dropped back heavily on its front legs, they found themselves surrounded by three of the hooded kidnappers. All at once, the assailants bent their knees as fire burst from their outstretched hands, forming a wall of flames around them. Well, they can't keep that up and fight us at the same time, Suki thought to herself as she quickly jumped out of her seat and ran at their nearest attacker. Just as she drew out her fan to strike, her opponent's arms flew forward, shooting streams of fire at her face. She blocked the attack with her shield, sweating as the flames licked over the edges. In her peripheral, she could see that Zuko had followed suit as he batted away flames from the two remaining fighters with careful form.

As the fire coming at her died down, Suki took the chance to move into closer range. She jabbed at the assaulter's side, knees, neck, anything she could reach, but the masked woman always managed to block her. Behind her, Suki heard the static buildup of a lightning strike. She finally landed a hard blow to her foe's stomach, allowing her to turn back and see Zuko absorbing the bolt from one of his attackers. His body was glowing blue, his hair flying out of the headpiece and robes flapping madly.

She heard another craaack and turned to see lightning forming around Zuko's second attacker. What?! she thought frantically. Can they both bend—but she froze as the assailant's arms were coming together, two fingers of each hand directed at Zuko, who was still working to redirect the first attack.

"NO!" Suki shouted, throwing all her strength into propelling her disk-shaped shield through the air at the enemy's head. Just as the shield left her hand, she felt a horrible, searing pain hit her left shoulder. Crying out, she fell to her knees.

Everything went black.