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.


Author's Note: July 6th release date just announced for Persona 3 Portable! Hopefully by then I'll be on the sequel to this -- wait, did I just admit something there?

"... where there's no rules. Take off the gloves, Ref, please step down. Gotta prove my skills so get down, my lyrical dempsey roll about to smack down now."

- P3FES

Lotus Juice feat. Yumi Kawamura

Chapter 9: Psyche

Katara fell unconscious to the ground as the sand around her began to churn, darkness from deep down below surging to the surface around the imposter. Her form was no longer so much like Katara.

The light from her eyes pierced them as the inky blackness enveloped her, and her body grew larger and larger. Azula fought to keep her footing as the sand they heaved angrily about. She could see a face emerging from the shadows, a face not unlike Katara's. However, blue and white scales, smooth and glimmering, seemed to be taking up much of her upper body.

The lower body looked like it belonged to a fish.

"What happened?" Toph asked. "She ticked it off, didn't she?"

"I am the True Self!" she said, smiling in absolute contented knowledge, "Why should I hide how I feel? Shouldn't we be true to how we feel inside?" She flicked her fishy tail out, kicking up sand. She dove down into the sand and emerged swimming as though she were in water. "You all just want to tell me how I should feel!"

"Katara!" Sokka was over by Katara's prone form in a flash, "What did you do to her, you monster?"

"She denied herself," Yue said, "Just like what I did. We have no choice, we have to stop it before it goes completely out of control!"

"Just like old times," Sokka muttered, "You know, we could have had like a month to get ready, that would have been great!"

"Stop complaining, Sokka," Azula said, eying the mermaid Katara steadily, "You heard Yue, let's put her under wraps."

"You're enjoying this way too much," Toph said. "So, let's do this, Sweetness." She put her fists up, to which the mermaid Katara laughed incredulously.

"Oh, you're too cute, Toph," she said, between a fit of giggling.

"Oh yeah? I'll beat you up for calling me a slab of stone!" She tore across the ground with her fists held up high and punched with all her might, only hitting nothing. "Where'd she go?"

The mermaid was doing a backstroke away from Toph, leisurely blowing out sand through her mouth. "You really don't have a chance, so I'd just give up now and just lay down and die. It'll save us all so much time."

"No way!" Toph shouted. "Come on, guys, let's get her!"

"Don't worry, Sokka," Yue said, kneeling besides Katara, "I'll take care of her. Just help everyone fight this imposter."

Sokka looked down at Katara's unconscious form, and then back at Yue, "Okay, be careful, Yue."

"Of course," she smiled, a little sadly.

Sokka drew his sword and stood besides Azula. She looked to him, and nodded. He frowned, and asked, "What's the battle plan?"

"I'm still working on it," she said, carefully, "I don't know exactly what she can do yet."

"Well, she has a fish for a leg, and enjoys long swims on the beach," Sokka said, "What more do you need to know?"

The mermaid Katara jumped up into the air and dove down into the sand, throwing a large ripple through the desert. The shockwave knocked the Bending Club to their knees and Azula looked pointedly at Sokka, "Okay, case in point. But still, can't you come up with anything?"

Azula looked across the desert and up at the sunless sky. "Where is she?"

"I can't see her," Yue said. "But she's still close. I can feel it in my bones."

"Encouraging," Azula said. "We'll spread out, maybe she's hiding."

"Somewhere," Toph muttered, "Like I could see anyway." She kicked the sand around, "I hate sand. It's so -- grainy."

"Tell me about it," Sokka muttered, "Just once, couldn't these things come with an excuse to take a cruise liner or something fancy? It'd be so much better than crashing our school dance or something."

"We can complain about this later," Zuko said. "Stay focused."

"Thank you Zuzu," Azula said, "That was appreciated." When he didn't respond, Azula turned to look for him. "Zuzu?" Still no response, "Now where did he go?"

A second later the desert burst open as the mermaid Katara emerged from it, dragging Zuko along by the leg with one of her long, spindly arms. His arms were flailing about and his swords were left forgotten on the sands.

"Zuko!" Yue cried, "She must have pulled him under when we weren't looking!"

"Sokka, knock him loose," Azula barked. Sokka reached for his boomerang and drew his arm back, waiting for an opportunity. Zuko grunted and moaned as he was buffetted across the sandy earth. "Hurry."

"I'm hurrying," Sokka muttered, "Hold on just a little bit longer, Zuko, old buddy." Sokka stucfk his tongue out as he concentrated on his shot. He drew his arm forward and the boomerang flew from his hand, arcing around and striking the mermaid Katara on the shoulder.

She squealed in pain and dropped Zuko, and she herself rolled across the sand. "Yue, check on Zuko, everyone else, keep on guard." She watched the massive Katara look-alike draw herself up off the ground before leaping forward, letting a gust of wind blow the sand up around the imposter.

"Nice shot, Snoozles."

"I was aiming for her wrist," he muttered.

Waving the sand away from her face, the imposter coughed out, between angry snarlings, "Sokka! Daddy always told you to play nice with your sister!"

"Hey, you're the one who hurt my sister, I should be angry with you."

She snarled as the sand began to rise up with her arms, splitting into four massive sandy tendrils. Azula frowned, "She's waterbending."

"But that's not water," Sokka said.

"It may as well be," Azula said. "Move!"

The tendrils raised up into the air and slammed down at the point where they stood. As they ducked away, the sand that formed the tendril spilled loose, washing over them with as much force as many pounds of sand can muster.

Another dropped where they landed, knocking them around more. "Can't see straight," Sokka murmured, "Yue, are you okay?"

Yue screamed as a tendril washed over towards her and she put herself over Zuko and Katara's prone forms. A glimmer of moonlight formed around them and the sand fell to pieces overhead, showering them with loose grains.

"Hey, leave her alone!" Toph shouted.

"Are you jealous that I'm not poring over you with my undivided attention, Toph?" the mermaid laughed, "I never knew! How about we play now?"

"Huh? What are you --"

The sand underneath Toph's feet began to move, churning into a small bog of quicksand. Toph shrieked in fright as her feet sunk into it. "Toph!" Sokka ran over to grab Toph's hand, but she was sinking faster and faster.

"No, no, this won't do. Don't interrupt us!" Katara's other self yelled. She slammed one of her slender arms into the sand and a large, sandy hand grabbed Sokka's leg, pulling him back. "You never let me have any fun!"

A gunshot rang out, and Katara's other self looked over towards Azula. "Didn't work, I take it."

"Why do you even bring that thing?" Sokka asked, tiredly. "It never helps, ever, and it scares me to think that you have a license for it."

"Why would you shoot at me, Azula?" she grinned, wryly, "Weren't we best of friends?"

"Were we?" Azula frowned, "I see how this goes, Katara. This is your domain, so you have complete control over it, don't you?"

"So, you really are as smart as you act? And I always thought you cheated on your tests."

"Why pick on Toph?" Azula asked. "Wouldn't you rather torment me?"

Toph looked over at Azula, trying her best to keep her head above the sand, "She said what now?"

"I don't think I heard that right," Sokka said, "What are you, crazy? She's going to kill you, Azula!"

"I know what I'm dong," Azula said, pointedly, nodding her head to the side a little, "So what about it, Katara? Or are you just afraid that I'll beat you in this, too."

The other Katara looked over at Azula, her eyes glowing with white-hot rage. "You always do that, somehow you always try and make me look bad. But remember, Azula, Aang liked me best!"

Azula's level expression faltered briefly. "Don't even say that name to me --"

"Aang. Aang, Aang Aang Aang, Aang Aang, like, Aanging Aangly." The Katara imposter's smile grinned, but it was clear she was furious. "Do you want me to say it some more, 'Zula?"

"Are they really going to do this? Come on, guys, get me out of here -- huh?"

"Zuko," Sokka managed to say, quietly, "Good timing."

"I can see that,' he said. He was battered and bruised, and his good eye seemed to be developing a shiner, but he grabbed Toph by the back of her uniform and pulled her up.

"Wait, that was a distraction?" Toph muttered.

"Yeah," Sokka said.

"You totally didn't know that until now, did you?"

"I did! She told me," Sokka said.

"Before or after you got worried for her?"

"Um, no comment," Sokka said.

Unfortunately, the fake Katara's attention was now turned towards them, and her eyes gave off a light, soothing cerulean that soon turned stormy. The sands picked up as more encircled her in large torrent. "Azula!"

"Oh, now she's mad at me," Azula muttered. She steadied herself, and prepared to move. Whatever Katara's dark self was going to do now, she didn't really want to stick around to find out. Calculating the situation, Azula was ready.

The sands around her churned treacherously, like a whirlpool around her. Azula's face darkened with the realization that she was now surrounded by the treacherous sands around her and the massive monster in front of her.

"You have always been jealous of me, Azula!" she shrieked, "Always! Ever since we met!"

Azula didn't know where to make her first step. The sands were emotionless and treacherous, picking up speed, she'd soon be pulled under if she stayed, but the monster was emotional and furious, and she didn't fancy her chances against the spirit's mobility in this desert.

However, she pondered, that in and of itself presented some possibilities. A sly smile spread across her face. "Oh? I think your memory is getting faulty, Katara. It was you who envied me, you said so yourself."

"Of what you had, yeah, so I was," she said, suddenly defensive, "But of who you were? Never! I always knew you were a snake!"

"A snake, am I?" Azula said. She leapt forward, hoping that she'd caught the dark Katara's attention enough, "Don't make me laugh. You were the one planning against me, or don't you remember? Yes, Katara, I knew about your little secrets, snooping around Zhao's files looking for information. It suited me to let you think me a fool, but as I'm sure you are aware by now, I don't let anyone get the best of me."

"That's a lie!" she shrieked, her long limbs slamming into the sand, sending ripples throughout the desert. "You were the one who betrayed us."

"That's a matter of perspective!" she shouted, holding onto her footing with some difficulty. "As far as I was concerned, you were the ones betraying me!"

"What are those girls doing?" Toph sighed, angrily.

"While usually I'd be all for cat-fights, that's a big ugly monstrous version of my sister up there!" Sokka said, "Azula, change tactics, it isn't working!"

Azula was certain that it was. She pressed on, disregarding Sokka's call. "So, what now? Are you going to say I always belittled you? It was me who bought you your prom dress, remember. I always looked out for you."

"Liar," the other Katara snarled, "We never believed you!"

She was making mistakes, leaving openings, Azula reasoned, that was why she continued. Not the thrill of trading barbs with Katara. There was absolutely no ulterior motives for this, not even relieving her anger at and jealousy towards Katara -- there was none at all! "So what? I took care of you, invited you into this club to let you get a chance to find out what happened to your mother."

There was the kill-switch, Azula thought in glee, bringing up mothers always left Katara a bumbling mess. She just hoped this double was the same way.

She looked for her opening -- and found none.

The torrent of sand washed upon her, buffetting her on the wind, and knocked her prone to the ground. "You always loved bringing up my mother, didn't you?" This Katara was calm, and composed. "I thought about that for a long time, and I think you said something once that made it all click."

Azula squirmed, she could feel the sand left nasty cuts, she was probably bleeding, but she couldn't tell from behind her clenched eyes.

Katara swam towards her, wrapping her long finned body around where Azula stood, leaning her massive, smiling face over Azula, cerulean glow brightening in anticipation of the killing blow, "Your mother never loved you, did she? Mine died for me, you know, she loved me! You don't even know how that feels, do you?"

Ripples of anger brought Azula the strength to stand, to open her eyes, and stare at Katara's monstrously large eyes. "You --"

"You know, you admitted I was right," she grinned. "Like a wounded animal, you squirm, but you're finished, Azula. You don't have any power over me."

She had to find something, quickly, or it was over. Katara had complete control of the sands. Geysers of it erupted about, the others were too far away to reach her, to rescue her in time, not with the churning depths threatening to pull them low.

They looked helplessly on, trying to find a way, but Azula doubted they'd find one. She closed her eyes. If the mother issue was out, she had to find something, someone that she could leverage against her.

This other Katara was not one to wait, the sands were already threatening to devour her, not even slowly, she figured, this would be time for a scream before her lungs became full with sand.

Sokka? Toph? No, Katara was honest and open about them. She spoke every word she felt about all of them so willingly, all of them --

Except for one.

Azula grimaced. She wasn't particularly ready to face this yet, but she had to give it a shot. "Did you ever tell Aang that you loved him?"

The change in the other Katara was instant. She howled in such amazing rage and dived deep into the sand. The geysers slowly died as the fissures above where Katara swam moved further away.

"Azula!" Sokka was there in a second, "Are you crazy? What were you thinking?"

"Thought that I knew her better," she admitted, "She's changed since I last saw her --"

"Of course, I was trying to tell you that!"

"Azula," her brother said, and she ignored him, even though his low tones were plaintive and honest.

"We need to pursue her. We can't let her get away. Katara is counting on us."

Yue frowned, "She's nearby, at least, she didn't go far in that direction."

"How deep is she?"

"Very," she said, "And it's making it even harder to sense where she's gotten to. She could attempt to pull us under again."

"I won't let that happen," Sokka said.

"Wow, Snoozles, you're alert today."

"If you feel her surfacing, tell us," Azula said.

"Azula!"

"Zuzu, I don't want to hear it right now," she said. Her gaze was intense, and though Zuko's gaze met it in intensity, he saw she wasn't backing down and looked away, anger written on his face. "We need to work as a team."

"No, really?" Toph muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, stop being sarcastic," Sokka moaned, "I'm the sarcastic one."

"You're jealous of my awesome, is all, Snoozles."

"We need to remind her of Aang," Azula continued. "What do you remember of the last time she saw him?"

"Um," Toph suddenly looked a bit uncomfortable, "You really don't want to know."

"Why not?"

"Well, you and your thing and Katara and Aang's thing and the whole, y'know," Toph suddenly looked a bit red. Typical, Azula thought, she was a person completely unused to human relations.

"I'm well aware of Aang's feelings in the matter," she said, "Believe me." It came across as more bitter than she thought it would in her head.

"Well," Toph said, "She and him, they, well, you know, confessed and then he took his big nap. He hasn't woken up since."

"I see."

"You think -- you think that's important?" Toph asked. "She's had like a bazillion boyfriends since then."

"She never had one before," Azula said. "I see, so that's the root of this. Yue, try and wake Katara. Get her to admit how she feels about Aang."

"What?"

"Trust me," she said.

"Oh, oh," Yue fretted.

"And I'll --"

"She's coming!" Yue yelled.

"Where?" Azula's eyes shot across the field. The dark, empty skies seemed merciless -- familiar -- and deadly. "I don't see her --"

"Near! Right below us!"

"Move!" Azula shouted. It was the last sound the others heard from her. A blue, scaly hand wrapped around her leg and pulled her hard and down into the sand. She could feel it slamming against her and she found it increasingly difficult to breathe.

This, she reasoned, must be how it feels to be buried alive.

It was only be focusing on the path that was being cut by the other Katara that she was able to fight off a sudden onset of claustrophobia. The path seemed to have been dug out in advance, and led to a large, hollow area, where stone structures still remained. The shadows about it seemed viscous, and Azula swore it was clinging to her skin as she rolled through them.

"This is it, Azula," the other Katara said, "This is your tomb."

"Cozy," Azula coughed, though she wasn't sure where her bravado was coming from. The area around certainly seemed like a tomb. Empty, forsaken in the deep earth. "Are you here to keep me company?"

"I've got the others to deal with, for now, Azula. Just stay here and die!"

She burrowed up into the sand and left Azula to stare upwards. Limited air, she reasoned, with how densely packed the sand was. She may have a few hours, she may have less, she wasn't fully studied in how it would be to die buried under hundreds of yards of sand.

The ruins made up a temple, with inscriptions that looked like waves and people, and Azula studied them for a minute, trying to at least get her mind jogged and prepared to find an exit. The few doors that remained were totally filled in with sand, even the way that the other Katara had come. It was a miracle this place wasn't already filled.

Her contemplations were put to the wayside when she realized she was no longer alone.

"Who's there?" she called.

She knew who it was before she even answered, "Hello again!"

"Xiao," she said.

"That's my name, don't wear it out!" the girl tittered happily. "I always wanted to say that. Didn't you?"

"No," Azula said.

"Naughty, lying to me!" she laughed, "Oh well, I'll forgive you since --"

"Since it's me," Azula said, "I know. If you don't mind telling me how you got here, maybe I can find a way out before we run out of air."

"I'm always with you," the girl said, "Even when it seems like you're alone, I'm there."

Well, Azula thought, that didn't sound remotely creepy at all. "Just what do you want? To keep me company?"

"I just thought I'd remind you that the end is coming. If you're going to die here, you'll miss it and that'd be a real pity. I want you to survive, or else the end just won't be the same."

"I'm not planning on dying," she snapped. The little girl laughed.

"You're looking really funny," Xiao said, "You've got sand everywhere!"

"If you didn't notice, there's sand everywhere," Azula answered, testily. What was this girl's point, anyway?

"Not everywhere, nope!" she said.

"Okay, then where?"

"Well, there's the ceiling and there's the floor. Those are made of stone, right?"

Azula didn't look pleased. Of course they were made of stone, but if she removed one from the ceiling, she'd be buried in the stuff before too long.

"And there's that oasis, too!" Xiao said, "That's water!"

Why hadn't Katara, a waterbender, gone near that water, Azula wondered. Perhaps there was a reason, perhaps something she could use against her? She took a deep breath, and then said, "Well, do you have any other ideas?"

"Well," Xiao said, "I wonder if there's sand under those stones."

Azula glowered. Going deeper to find a way out didn't seem very appealing, but at least she wouldn't have gravity working against her. "I don't suppose you have some other brilliant insights for me." She looked for a stone loose enough that she could pry it up. The building was made out of sturdy materials, but it was eroded and a couple of the stones seemed like they could be pulled up.

"Look upon my works ye mighty and tremble," she muttered, hefting one up, "Indeed."

"Every grain of sand is a secret, keep enough secrets and soon enough, you'll be buried in them!"

Azula looked at Xiao, "You know, I think I understood that one."

Xiao smiled, "I knew you would, since it's you!"

So, she looked at the viscous darkness that surrounded them, and she looked down at the empty blackness beneath the stone she'd lifted apprehensively. "What I wouldn't give for some firebending right around now."

"Well, if you don't take a risk, you'll never get out of here!"

"I know," she said, "But that doesn't make what I'm about to do any less insane. Perhaps I really am crazy."

"You're not crazy!"

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"I just do."

"All right, fine," Azula said, snippily. She gave one last apprehensive glance at the blackness beneath her and leapt in.

Toph was knocked through the air by the sand blasted up from beneath Katara's tail. The massive fins slapped back down into the grains and she laughed, the sand bending around her fingertips as she turned towards Zuko.

She looked on him with such pity, "Why are you fighting, Zuko? I thought you hated it!"

He didn't respond just slicing down through the air, hoping to cut into her. All he hit was sand, as her arm fell off into the air as little more than a sandy breeze. She dug her arm back into the sand and it emerged, unscarred. "Oh, silly Zuzu, you should know you have to do better than that."

She slapped her hand around, a blast of sand interposing itself between her and a charging Sokka. "Sokka, bro, you really do suck."

"She's not even injured," Yue gasped, "Come on, Katara, please, wake up!"

Toph landed in the sand with a heavy sound and a grunt. She rolled around, trying to get to her feet quickly, "Ow."

"That one looked like it hurt," Sokka said, buried in the sand and struggling to break free, "She's just too much here."

"You ever try and fight Katara in water?" Toph wondered.

"No, why would I?"

"Me neither. But I kind of imagine it'd be like this."

"Yeah, probably," Sokka grunted. "Still, Zuko's doing pretty okay for himself."

"Well, that's because Zuko, unlike you, is awesome."

"Ow, Toph, so honest."

"It's what I do. Man, I bet he's doing some crazy acrobatics stuff like he always does."

"That's all that Firebending training for you," he said, "They get those fancy kicks."

Zuko was moving quick enough to avoid being blasted by sand, but Katara's double just seemed to take it with a bit of bemused mirth, especially at his silence, "Oh, come on, Zuzu, tell me how you really feel. I mean, I think you can do much better than Mai."

"Ooh boy," Toph said, "Low blow, attacking the girlfriend."

"Hey, maybe you could give me a hand instead of running commentary," Sokka snapped.

"Oh, fine. Baby."

Zuko snarled in rage, striking with a wide arc. Katara's cerulean eyes widened, "You always had a temper!" she slammed him in his side as he recovered from the swing, knocking him down into the sand. It rose up like a cage around him, snapping down across his arms and shoulders, pushing him down, "Now you're finished!"

"No!" Yue cried out, "Someone, help Zuko!"

"No one cares about your battle suggestions, Yue!" Katara's other self said, "Really. No one wanted to say, but you're really kind of useless in a fight."

"Katara, you don't mean that! Ooh, that's it, I'm giving you a long lecture on being polite when you wake up, little miss not-very-nice."

"Some help would be appreciated," Zuko grunted.

"You heard him, Snoozles," Toph said, pulling him out of the sand drift, "Get him out of there."

"Me? What about you."

"Someone's got to keep fish-butt here busy."

"Oh man," Sokka said, overtaken with giggles, "Fish-butt!"

"Go!" Toph yelled, pushing him. Katara's other self turned and looked at Toph, her expression puzzled.

"Okay, what can a blind girl do against me? You were never good with sand to begin with, I know that, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, shut up and I'll show you."

"This should be good."

Toph cleared her throat, took a deep breath, and then shouted, "What was with your last boyfriend anyway? I swear he would peek on us when we were changing all year. It was embarrassing enough, and then you go out with him? And number two lasted, what, five minutes?"

"I, I don't need to defend my decisions there," the spirit said, looking a bit pale, "What are you talking about? It wasn't that short --"

"You're right, you're right. It was shorter! You walked like five feet, turned around, and said, 'Okay, you're dumped.' What's the problem, Katara, can't find a guy bald enough to date?"

Toph grinned at the snarl that she heard come from deep within the spirit's body. "That's a low blow, Toph. You've never had a boyfriend as far as I know. People are even saying you're dating that cripple kid in secret."

"Hey, leave Teo alone," Toph said, "We're here to talk about your problems, remember, not his. Though he has a lot, I'll tell you that."

Whatever she expected in the murky depths of these ruins, this was certainly not it. There was a very light drip of water from the ceiling, and the blackness ebbed away as she walked down the narrow passageway. From the looks of the thing, it was either an old underground aqueduct or, perhaps, a sewer.

The moist, muggy air in the passage was about all Azula could focus on. Skittering shadows moved away from her, frightened, perhaps they felt the massive spirit above them that Katara had made from whatever she was repressing.

She had a pretty good idea what it was now, but she needed the real Katara to accept it so they could finally leave this place.

The others were busy fighting that spirit off, but something told her that they weren't having much luck. If her instinct was right, though, she'd finally have a way to beat her.

But the passage seemed endless. Drips of water echoed from all over the passage, and it was getting more and more difficult to look back. Xiao had stayed behind, typical of her, honestly. Despite her claims that she was always there, she only seemed to appear when it was convenient for her.

The empty passage seemed to be quieter because of her absence, though.

She continued onwards.

Though the darkness left her blind down there, in the distance, she saw two small points of light, and as she approached, she saw they were a part of a larger, blackened mass. Even closer, she could see a nose, a mouth, hair, and a body.

There was that boy, standing in front of her. He stared straight into her. "You." The boy turned and started away. "Wait! Who are you!"

The boy turned his head to stare straight into her. She knew that face, she thought, from somewhere. And this whole situation felt so much like back in the hospital, where this all began. She grew tense, and the boy stopped, turning to look at her.

"You -- I know you," she said, with sudden realization. "That's impossible!"

The boy motioned for her to follow, and having no other choice, she followed him. Whatever his reasons, she felt that she could trust him implicitly. Could it really be him? She quietly called after the boy, "Aang?"

He didn't answer, he merely led her forward, and he walked towards a large, sand-covered stairway. He pointed upwards, and she looked at him. "But, aren't you --"

The boy said nothing, just watching her. She hesitated. She didn't know how to react, too afraid to reach out to him in case she passed right through him, as though he was just a fragment of a waking dream.

She looked at the stairs. They were covered in sand, almost absolutely buried in it. And she realized she'd have to climb her way through the sand before she could make it. She couldn't hold her breath long enough to climb out.

"That's impossible!" she shouted, but the boy was gone. She was alone again. He'd broken his promise again.

How was she going to get out of this.

"Every grain of sand is a secret, if you keep enough secrets you'll be buried in them," she repeated her herself, "Isn't that what Xiao said? I wonder." She approached the sand, placing her feet on top of it, letting them sink deep into it.

If she could let go of some of her own secrets, she wondered, would she be able to pass through?

"When I was four years old, I stole Zuko's favorite toy and broke it, blaming it on the rhinos," she said, "I once cheated on a pop quiz because I'd spent all night fighting spirits in the Spirit World." It wasn't doing enough. The sands just stood there, blocking her.

Azula groaned.

Perhaps, if she dug deeper. She hesitated, reluctant to speak. "I wish I could be as honest as Toph. She doesn't seem afraid of hurting anyone's feelings and yet no one seems to dislike her. I would kill for that."

The sand around her ankles began to sink, ebbing like the ocean at low tide.

"I've always admired Sokka's cunning, even though I thought he was an idiot."

This was addictive, Azula thought, she kept spouting these deep-seeded secrets left and right, and she walked through the sand, watching it drain away quicker and quicker. "I once went to one of Ty Lee's gymnastics competitions just to heckle her because she made me feel neglected when she went to Mai's birthday party without me. Almost there," she said. She looked at the steps, and how far she'd come.

"I wished I could have run away from everything like my brother did more times than I can remember! Yue made me wish I was a born a real princess. I always wanted to pet Momo, but I never did. I actually quite admired Suki, she was probably the only senpai I actually respected."

She closed her eyes, "Katara -- Katara may have been my enemy, but even when we fought I found myself wishing that we could go back to the way things were, before Aang came. She," Azula hesitated.

She didn't think she could admit that secret yet.

The sands didn't sink away. Azula scowled. she needed to find something to reveal. Logic and emotion fought it out, and Azula was not one to let her emotions get the better of her. Awkwardly, she continued.

"She was the one who made that dorm feel almost more home than home."

The sands shifted as she spoke, washing down the stairs. The dark sky with its blackened sun stared down at her. Azula blinked, adjusting her eyes to the light, as blackened as it might have been.

It was time to get back at the imposter Katara.

Katara's imposter shrieked as she raised her arm to slam Toph into the ground, the blind girl continuing to ridicule her parade of ex-boyfriends, oblivious to what the monstrous mermaid was about to do.

"Stop it! You're such a brat!" she yelled.

It left her open, and that was what she'd been counting on. She only hoped that Zuko and Sokka were ready, since she would happily admit, she had no idea what Katara's other-self was about to do. Unfortunately, Zuko was nowhere near free.

The sand bound him down and though Sokka managed to cut through some of the strands the sand had formed, there were still too many for him to move. Zuko looked at the imposter, and narrowed his eyes. "I'm fine," Zuko grunted as he wrested his arm free from the chains of sand, "Get over there and help Toph, I'll take care of the rest."

"Got it, buddy," Sokka said, readjusting his grip on his sword. He turned and charged at the fake Katara, slicing at her with enough force to force her to reel back. The cut was immediately covered with sand and the wound fixed, but her expression let him know she was still feeling it. He grimaced, "Look, I don't like this either, Katara."

"That hurt!"

"Sorry?" He was backhanded and she turned her attention back onto Toph. Her scowl deepened.

"Hey, pay attention to me, not him," she said, "Or can't you take the heat."

"Like, bored of talking, Bye bye now," the other-Katara said as she raised her hands up, sand parting underneath Toph's feet and rising up into the air. Zuko struggled to break free, and Sokka tried to shake off the disorientation he was feeling.

Toph showed no fear even as she felt the sands rising up around her.

The sands circled the air around Katara's hands, and she looked set to drop it all on top of Toph. The dry wind picked up grains and they drifted slowly through the air as the silence was broken by a loud ringing.

Katara's eyes widened, the cool cerulean glow turning stormy again. "Azula." The sand shot out in the direction of the gunshot, a deadly, cutting breeze that met with empty air. In the air above, Azula eclipsed the blackened sun and descended with a large gust of wind. It blow up the sand around the imposter, and she covered her face from the barrage.

"Azula?" Toph sounded perplexed, "Where'd you come from?"

"Long story," the girl said, adjusting her hair so she was perfectly preened and ready. She smirked, enjoying her big heroic entrance a little too much from the sound of her voice. Toph rolled her eyes.

"Hey, it's Azula. Yue, it's Azula!" Sokka said, looking a little punch-drunk."

"Yes, I see that, Sokka, thank you," Yue said, patiently, with a smile on her face, "We're relieved you're back."

"Get ready to move," Azula said, "I have an idea."

"Working on it," Sokka said. "Zuko, how are you doing?"

"Fine," Zuko said, slicing away at another chain of sand, "I'm just peachy."

"Get him free, Sokka," Azula said, "In the meantime, I'll see if I can lead her after me."

"Where are you going?" Yue wondered, astonished as Azula took off in a dash. "Azula, wait!"

Katara's imposter roared with rage, and threw the sand about her, "Running away already, Azula? And here I wanted to play with you ... privately," she snarled. Jumping into the sand, she kicked up fissures scross the sand as she swam after Azula.

"Get me loose," Zuko barked, "Azula may need us."

"I'm doing it as fast as I can, man," Sokka muttered, slicing at the chains, "But I think Azula can handle herself."

"She's headed towards the oasis," Yue said, perplexed, "But why would she be leading Katara's other self towards water?"

Zuko looked at Sokka, critically.

"Okay, so maybe she's gone completely crazy, how was I supposed to know?"

Just as the oasis seemed in sight, the ground in front of Azula burst open as Katara's massive mermaid form surfaced, slamming her with a concentrated blast of sand. Azula rolled back, reacting as best she could. "Here I was nice enough to give you a private little tomb to die in, and you somehow clawed your way up? How totally rude."

"Okay, Katara," she said, "What are you going to do now?" She needed to get Katara into that oasis, she just knew it, but she could see in Katara's eyes that she was already aware of her intent.

She was waiting for a way to turn this around.

"Like, hadn't decided. I just knew that I couldn't let you come all the way here and take my prime sunbathing spot."

"Well, decide quick," Azula said, striking with concentrated blasts of air. She tried to unsteady the massive mermaid, but she was too rooted into the sand. "Oh, I'm sorry, you never could make up your mind until it was too late. My mistake."

Katara's left eye twitched, she was sure of it.

However, there was still no way to get her into that oasis like this. Azula gripped her hands tight into fists, and looked for a route to the oasis. "And here I thought you loved water," she said, casually, hoping for a way around her.

"Maybe I do," she said, "But that's a secret!"

"Now you're getting evasive. What, I thought you wanted to lay it all bare," Azula said. "Unless you're scared."

"Scared, no? And, like, I'm no ditz, either. I know what you're thinking, but it won't work."

"Won't it?" Azula asked. She was right, it wasn't going to work. She couldn't bring her into the oasis, even by tricking her. However, her mind whirred into high gear, there was something else that could work, and with a confident smirk, she slid into stance.

"What are you doing, a waterbending stance? I've seen you waterbend, you're totally, like, a real loser at it."

"I know," Azula said.

She smirked, and Katara's other self narrowed her eyes, "You're not going to trick me. I know you're trying to fake me out and junk, but it isn't going to work!"

Azula knew she was in touch with the oasis's water, she could feel it moving behind Katara's massive mer-form, and in just a second, if she didn't move, things would fall perfectly into place. "Don't even think about it, you won't do it. I mean, all you ever do is splash yourself no matter where you are."

Azula flashed the imposter Katara a toothy, malicious grin.

Watching the pieces fall into place on the mer-Katara's face was the most satisfying part of the precedings. The water whipped up and rebelled against Azula's harsh, domineering stance, and the whole oasis seemed to rise up to strike her down.

The simple pleasure of watching the first droplets land against Katara's back, causing her to shriek in sheer agony, and through that pain the dawning realization of one detail she'd failed to put together.

She had blocked Azula off from the oasis, and, ergo, she had blocked the oasis off from Azula. "Oh, you have no idea how much I hate you right now, naughty girl," Katara said in a sultry tone as the water rushed forward.

Along the rise, the others stared in fascination as the wave contacted the massive mermaid, and the shrieks of agony kept raising in octave, becoming more and more shrill as the sand began to turn muddy and started to crack along her body. Shadows burst out of the fractures, and as more water splashed against her, seeping into the sand, the blackness seemed to radiate, just like a nova in the sky.

"Oh my," Yue squeaked.

The long, slender arms shattered into damp, dark sand and fell to the ground, her fin started to molt its sandy scales and reveal her legs beneath them, and the other-Katara fell to the ground, forced out of her body by the radiating puffs of black.

Collapsed, and utterly drained, she looked up at Azula one more time before falling to the ground in the puddle, the remains of her outer shell casting a shadow on her as the sun began to dry out the sand.

Azula, drenched by the water herself, just fell to her knees and looked stunned.

"She did it," Sokka said, amazed. "I don't believe it, that actually worked."

"Sokka?"

The four of them turned at the sound of Katara's groggy voice, and saw the girl rising from her deep unconsciousness. "Sis!" Sokka pulled her into a tight hug, "You're okay! You don't know how relieved that makes me. Now I don't have to tell dad!"

"Did something happen?" she said. "I feel like I got hit with a brick."

"You rejected your other self," Yue said, "Remember?"

"I think so -- what happened afterwards?"

"You went night-night, sister," Toph said, "Bam! KO'd."

"Yeah, I think I remember now," she said.

"No time for celebrations yet," Zuko said. "She's getting up."

"What? That didn't put her down?" Toph shouted, "That scream could have woken the dead!"

The other Katara rose to her feet, looking so desperate and mad as she stood up and stared at Azula. "Look at me!" she shouted. Her eyes shifted to the others, the soulless eyes shimmering, and she shouted as loud as she could. "Look at me!"

Katara looked down at herself. And held herself in her arms. She stood up and walked down the slope. "Katara? What are you doing?" Sokka shouted, "She's dangerous."

"No," Yue said, "Let her go. She's ready now."

"Huh?" Sokka looked at Yue and saw her smiling, "What do you mean?"

"Don't you see it? Katara's reached a better understanding of herself. Even without my senses, I can see how calm she is."

She didn't hesitate once walking towards her other self. The girl choked out a sob, looking so pathetic in her revealing attire and running make-up, she looked like a little girl trying so desperately to be taken as an adult.

She managed a weak, final, "Look at me," before she fell to the ground, sobbing.

"I am," Katara said, "I see you now. I'm so sorry," she pulled herself close, "I'm so, so sorry. You've been suffering all this time because of me and I never even recognized it."

"Katara? You --" Azula said, before stopping herself, watching Katara rock her own other self like a child.

"I kept you locked up, all of my insecurities, all of my fears and my anger and every petty little thing I didn't want to face, and I just kept you away because I had to be strong for everyone's sake, ever since I was small. I never had a chance to really let myself be sad."

The other self looked up into Katara's eyes, and nodded her head slowly.

"But that's okay, now. You're a part of me, and it's going to be okay now, I know it."

The other Katara faded into with the light, as clouds began to fill the sky and at first, there was a light pattering of rain, but soon, all too quickly, it began to downpour. The rain ran down her face, but through it all, Katara smiled.

"Katara?" Azula said, getting to her feet, "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she said. "I'm okay now. Azula, I need to tell you something --"

"Guys!" Sokka said, running down the slope, "We got to get that key she had and get out of here on the double!"

"What?" Azula snapped, turning to Sokka. "She had the key? Katara, we need to find it, now." She looked around the muddying sands.

"Here it is!" Katara said, grabbing it from the ground beneath the massive mermaid sand construct that lay like a rotting carcass, "So, why do we got to hurry?"

There was a low rumbling under their feet.

"Oh," Azula said, calmly, with a good deal of understanding, "The aqueducts."

"The what?"

Spouts of water surged to the surface, buffetting them about and forcing them into a powerful current downstream as the roaring sound of waves of water began to wash over them. Azula could hear Katara shout something, and she tried to keep her head above water to see what she was doing.

However, the course of the flood was too quick, and she was pulled under.

The next thing she saw, when she opened her eyes, was a small room, comfortable, yet unlived in, with a small table and a boy in a sun mask who consulted with a deck of cards, which were placed on the table with apparent care.

He looked up, and his mask seemed to smile even wider.

"Oh, welcome back. It's been a while, hasn't it? I can't tell you how eager I've been to talk to you again. We have a lot to discuss and, unfortunately, not much time. So, shall we get right to it, then?"

"Lee?" Azula said, shaken. "Is that you?"

He nodded, "Still using that name? All right, that's okay! So, what have you learned so far."

...Lee was the last thing on my mind, however, as I kept getting drawn back to that strange boy and how, through the shadows that covered his body from head to toe, I swore I could see Aang's face, just like I remembered it before --

But that left me dwelling on less-than-pleasant memories. I couldn't afford to follow that line of thought any further. Katara's other-self was an encounter I didn't particularly like to think about, since it brought up feelings of inadequacies that were, frankly, ludcrous. How a girl like that could ever be more liked than I was, it baffled me.

And yet, in retrospect, I knew I felt the same way, that I wished I had her life, sometimes, just like she wished she had mine. In my delirious state, the sands seemed to be just as harsh to me as they were to anyone else, even someone just as brutally honest as Toph. Did that mean Toph had some secrets of her own?

What did Toph have to hide?

It did not take me long to learn to regret that curiosity. In the Labyrinth of Lethe, those secrets tend to turn deadly.

To be continued.