(A/N: Just a warning, this chapter is also one of the deleted scenes from the movie. For those that haven't seen it, I'll explain the deleted scene at the end.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 7: The Ceremony

"I'm begging you, Prince Zuko, please reconsider your decision!" Iroh cried. "You can't go through with this!"

Iroh, Aang, and Mai had been trying to dissuade him since he announced what he was going t do. "I have to do this."

But Iroh wouldn't give up. "Do you have any idea of how dangerous this is? If you fail, it won't just affect your life, but your very soul. It can never be undone. There are even those of the Water Tribe who have suffered this fate."

Aang nodded in agreement. "He's right, Zuko. It's too risky. You've done enough. Just let it go."

"Before it's too late." Mai added, still sounding bored, even though she was being serious.

"It's my choice," Zuko told them, "and I'm doing it."

"What are you trying to prove? Iroh asked. "Once they find out the Fire Nation's intentions, we'll be branded as traitors. They'll never accept us." He couldn't put it off any longer. "You can never truly be with her!"

Zuko froze as the reality of Iroh's words hit him. He knew it was true, had known it all along, but he had ignored the truth. There was no real future for him there.

Sighing, Zuko slowly turned to them. "Do you know what I was told to do? My father and Zhao sent me out here to find out how to defeat the Water Tribe."

Aang hung his head, hearing what he and Iroh always suspected from Zuko. "Oh man."

"But that was then and this is now." Zuko continued. "I'm not that person anymore."

Iroh placed a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "We know that Zuko. But you have to understand that going through with this ceremony won't change anything."

"I know that."

"Then why are you doing it?"

Zuko looked up at him, his eyes filled with determination and desperation. "Because if I don't, I can never see her again."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Zuko was nervous. Standing before the pond of La and Tui, he prepared to receive his vision. This was his first time entering the sacred oasis. He realized that what he had thought was a yin-yang from when he was flying on his bison were actually koi fish, one black, one white, swimming around each other.

"You know what you have to do." Katara told him.

Zuko nodded. He knew how dangerous it was, and he also knew the consequences if he failed, but he was going to go through with it anyway.

He sat down and looked at the two fish swimming around each other, letting his mind go blank. Around him, the spiritualists, led by Aunt Wu, chanted, asking the spirits to give him a vision.

As La and Tui continued swimming, their eyes began to glow. Zuko's vision began to blur as the two fish seemed to merge together, forming an actual yin-yang. His head felt funny and his body tingled. Slowly the color seemed to drain from the world, and Zuko felt himself collapse.

But he didn't, he was still sitting up. That was strange since he had felt himself topple over.

Looking down, he was shocked to find his body lying motionless on the ground, glowing with a faint light. But if his body was down there, then how was he up here?

He looked down and received a shock. He had two bodies. One was lying on the ground, the other one was him. Only this second body was transparent, and somewhat devoid of color, just like the area around him.

He had made it to the Spirit World.

His body began to float away. He seemed to be pulled by an unseen force. Zuko let himself be pulled along, watching as the land passed by below him. He was carried to a mountain, over to the mouth of a cave. He touched down at the entrance, and was left there to move about freely.

"Ok, now what?" he wondered out loud.

He heard movement behind him and turned around. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was only a monkey.

"How'd you get up here, little guy?" he asked.

The monkey turned to face him and Zuko received a shock. The monkey's face was gone. It had no eyes, nose, or mouth, just flesh covering where its face should have been.

Fear filled Zuko as he turned his attention to the cave. He took a minute to regain his composure before stepping inside.

It was dark and hard to see, though he could still make things out. He looked around, trying to see what he came here for.

He didn't have to wait long. As if having expected him, something moved out of the shadows. It appeared to be a giant centipede, but where its head should have been was instead a single eye, or what should gave been an eye. When the eyelids opened, Zuko saw that there was no eyeball behind them, but a face, a human face.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" the creature remarked. "A Firebender, huh. That's rare for these parts."

Zuko tried to keep his face as emotionless as possible. "Are you Koh?"

"I am." The centipede replied. "Also known as the Face Stealer. Although," he grinned, "it's been a while since I've added a human face to my collection."

He blinked, and when his eyelids opened again, the face had changed to that of a blue-nosed mandrill. Zuko briefly wondered if this was the very faceless monkey he had seen outside the cave.

"Great spirit Koh," said Zuko, "I have come to you because-"

"I know why you are here." Koh replied, blinking again, his face changing to that of a young woman. It seemed that every time he blinked, his face changed. "You are Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, here to ask me for a vision." Blink, face of a dog. "That's very brave of you, boy. Even among the Water Tribe, there are not many who dare to face me out of fear of losing their own face."

Zuko could understand that. He knew the risks of coming before Koh. If he showed the slightest bit of emotion, Koh would steal his face. It was, perhaps, a fate worse than death.

"Your face is very interesting." Koh continued. Blink, face of an old man. "It's unique. Most faces are symmetrical. But not yours. Yes, your face will be a fine addition to my collection." Blink, face of an otter-penguin.

Zuko couldn't help but ask. "Why do you take other's faces?"

Koh turned away. "Why does the bee sting? Why do the birds migrate? Why does the dog bark? Why do you benders bend? It is just our nature." There was the sound of him blinking. "But you haven't come here to discuss the behavior of the things in this world." He spun around, sticking his face, that was now to that of a blue-faced demon, right in front of Zuko, attempting to startle him. "Have you?"

He had startled Zuko, but he was able to keep his face neutral. "No, great spirit Koh. I have come requesting a vision of fate."

Blink, face of an owl. "Yes, that's the test, isn't it? You do, however, know that the future is uncertain. I can give you a vision of your fate, but you must be the one to make it happen." Blink, a white humanoid face, that of a female Noh, with large dark shadows under and over the eyes and red lips. "However, you may not like what you see. It could destroy you. Are you sure this is what you want?" Blink, face of a fish.

Zuko nodded. "It is."

Koh once again pressed his face, that had changed to that of a young man, into Zuko's face. "Then look into my eyes."

Zuko was afraid that this may be another trick for the sadistic spirit to steal his face. But from what he was told, Koh was neither good or bad, simply amoral, yet bound by sacred laws like all spirits. Though he tended to speak in riddles, it was Koh's responsibility to answer those that came before him.

Taking a moment to compose himself, Zuko looked into Koh's eyes. The spirit's eyes began to glow and Zuko felt a fuzzy feeling in his head. Soon the only thing he could see was the light coming from Koh's eyes. It consumed his vision, blinding him from all else.

But from within the light, blurry object soon came into focus. They became less fuzzy, and soon Zuko was able to make out what he was seeing. He was standing at the top of a glacier, overlooking the Water Tribe. He heard a growl behind him as a large shadow fell over him.

Turning around, he saw the massive form of a lion-turtle standing over him. It roared loudly, sounding and looking furious. Turning around again, he saw why. The Water Tribe was engulfed in flames. The houses of ice, even the palace itself, were melted down to nothing. Trees burned, and bodies littered the ground.

Then the scene changed. He was floating over the oasis. It too was burning. Standing over the pond of La and Tui was a red demon. Raising its hand, it threw a ball of fire at the white koi fish.

An anguished cry cut through the night. Looking up, Zuko saw a beautiful white haired ghostly woman emerge from the moon. A tear ran down her cheek and she faded away. A moment later, as if it were a mere candle, the moon went out, enveloping the land in darkness.

Suddenly Zuko was standing at the other end of the pond of La and Tui. The white fish floated dead in the water while the black one swam around it. The red demon stood over it, and Zuko feared it might attack the black fish as well.

Instead, the demon pointed at Zuko and a bolt of lightning flew out of its finger, striking Zuko in the chest. He fell to his hands and knees and, for the first time, caught sight of his reflection in the water. His face was that of a blue demon, similar to the face of Koh, only more demonic.

Then the blue demon face was the one of Koh, and it was no longer in the reflection of water, but right in front of Zuko's face. He was back in the cave with Koh, and it seemed as if the Face Stealer had tried one last time to startle a reaction out of him, but Zuko's expression remained unchanged.

"You have received your vision." Koh told him. "Now you may go."

But what Zuko had seen had confused and scared him. "Wait, what does it mean? Is that what will happen in the future?"

Blink, face of an old man. "It was merely a vision of the future. Your future. Whether it comes to pass is up to you. Goodbye Fire Prince Zuko."

He felt a pull at his back, and suddenly he was flying backwards. Then he was back in his body, sitting before the pool of La and Tui. Both fish were perfectly fine, still swimming around each other like nothing happened.

Feeling exhausted, Zuko fell over. He was immediately supported by members of the Water Tribe.

"It is finished." Said Aunt Wu.

Things that happened after that were a blur to Zuko, still disorientated from his trip to the Spirit World. But something happened that he would never forget. He stood before the entire Water Tribe. Hakoda approached him and placed his hands on his shoulders.

"From this day forward," the chief declared, "you are now and forever shall be a member of the Water Tribe. You are now one of the people."

From there, people began reaching out to touch him. Those that could not reach him placed their hands on those closet to him. Even Jet seemed to accept him as he placed his hand on Zuko's shoulder. But the young Firebender's attention was on the woman touching his other shoulder. Katara was smiling at him proudly, her eyes wet with tears. But for some reason, Zuko couldn't help but think that she looked rather sad.

(A/N: Ok then, explanation time. In the movie, Jake underwent a dangerous ceremony where he eats a venomous worm and gets stung by a deadly wasp. It took him to the verge of death and showed him a vision of the future. Jake saw the forest burning with Toruk flying overhead. For my adaptation, I had Zuko face Koh and receive his vision from him instead. You know, it's really upsetting that they cut that scene out; it was a great scene.)