Chapter 10: Ghost Stories

Azula was well aware that Mai was bitter at her, ever since she'd broken up her and Zuko's little picnic on the mountainside. But it didn't bother her. Mai was always bitter about something, whether it was…well, Azula didn't really know what Mai was always bitter about. She never really gave it too much of a thought.

But she had a feeling that their little vacation would be changing all that. As the four teenagers sat on the deck of their small ship, pulled along the waves by the turtle seals, Azula had a creeping sensation that Ember Island would be messing with their heads a little too much.

Let it try, Azula thought to herself as she looked out at the waves and the sky. She'd heard plenty of urban legends about it, and in all the times she had been there, never did Ember Island have that 'cleansing' effect on her that everyone said that it did.

Azula just reasoned that they said that because it was one of the few times they were able to relax, and they equated that with the 'cleansing' nonsense they all talked about.

"I can't believe I had to leave those scrolls back at the palace," Ty Lee complained. "I just know that by the time we get back there, those scrolls will have been put away again and I'll probably have lost my place."

Ty Lee sulked, leaning her head against the lacquered railing of the boat. Then an idea popped into her head, lighting her up like a lantern. Spinning around, she beamed at Azula and said, "You think you could tell me the story some more?" she asked her. "About Tonantzin and that feathery dragon?"

"I might," Azula said, setting her steaming tea down on a nearby coffee table. "If I feel like it, that is."

"Well, do you feel like it?" Ty Lee asked. She went over and sat down beside Azula on the cushions, crossing her legs and placing her hands on her lap.

Azula looked away; the glimmer in Ty Lee's eyes was so sickeningly sweet.

"I guess…" Azula said bored-ly. "Where were you in the story?"

"Well," said Ty Lee, leaning in close to Azula, "She'd found the golden dragon egg, and she spent like a year trying to hatch the thing…and that's where I stopped…"

Mai turned to look at the two of them, watching them…bond?…over that specific story. Her shoulders and jaw slacked as she looked at them, the tension leaving her body. She wouldn't say that it looked peaceful, but it almost looked somewhat normal. Sort of.

"Well, after that, the dragon hatched and the first thing it did was bite her," Azula said, reaching for her tea cup and taking another long sip, "and she'd finished with that task. She only had two more to go. She bled and washed her wounds and bandaged them, then went to the dragon again, ready for her next task…"

Zuko groaned, slamming his fists into the railing. "How can you be so calm about this?" Zuko asked her, directing his shouts out towards the ocean. "How can you be so calm about being thrown out of the palace?"

"Zuko," Azula sighed, exasperated and rolling her eyes, "we're not being thrown out of the palace. We're going on a vacation." She turned back to Ty Lee, who was looking at Zuko with concern etched onto her face.

"Don't worry about him," Azula told Ty Lee. "He just needs some time." Even though she was speaking quietly, Mai and Zuko both could still hear them talking.

Mai wanted to go over and put a hand on his shoulder, help ease away the tension, but she felt like she had done enough for today.

She tried talking to him ever since he and Azula first got the notice that they were to leave for Ember Island by the Fire Lord's orders, and she had kissed him, rubbed his back, and it still didn't do much to help. He was retreating back into his angry former self, and Mai knew she wouldn't be able to handle that. She only hoped…prayed…that he wouldn't turn into…that…

But she still tried.

"Zuko," Mai said, taking a few steps towards him, "relax. It's just a vacation. There's nothing to worry about." Taking another step, she put a hand on his shoulder, and his tension left him.

But his worry, his angst, and his bitterness?

That was still there.

xoxo

Lo and Li had both fallen asleep just as the sun was starting to set.

Which meant that it was a perfect time for the teenagers to all gather around an outdoor fire pit in the middle of the night, half-naked and telling each other ghost stories. But only after Ty Lee made Azula finish the story of Tonantzin, the first firebender.

With that finished, it was onto the ghost stories.

"I'll go first," Ty Lee said, clapping her hands together.

Leaning forward, she gave them her best spooky face, and her best spooky voice. "A long, long time ago, four teenagers went down to the beach…"

"This isn't going to be a serial killer story, is it?" Mai asked.

"Maybe. Just wait and see," Ty Lee told her. Going back to her spooky voice, she said, "Four teenagers went down to the beach. It was late, and they had been up all night drinking saké. They decided to take a walk, near the waves. It was a moonless night…"

Azula sighed, leaning back into the sand. She expected this to be one boring, unimaginative story.

"It was a moonless night, and the drunk teenagers couldn't see where they were going. They didn't even know where they were. Which made them the perfect victims for the evil, wicked monsters who preyed on people just like them.

"The monster waited in the shadows while they all walked right into his trap…"

Mai yawned, but kept listening. She leaned against Zuko, resting her head on his shoulder, and Zuko leaned back into her. A small smile graced Mai's face, and she wondered if tonight would be a night they could be together without interruptions or bits of aggravation mucking it all up.

"Suddenly, all the stars went dark, and the wind got cold, and the monster sprung on them. He leapt out from the shadows, looking hideous. His teeth were sharp and pointy, and stained with blood, and he had claws as long as a dragon's tail. He was dripping saliva, his mouth watering at the sight of the feast in front of him.

"The teenagers tried to run, but they found themselves trapped as he slithered around them, trapping them all in." Ty Lee paused, glancing around at all their faces before continuing on. "His tail tightened around them all, squeezing them until they couldn't breathe, their ribs were breaking, their organs were crushed, and blood was seeping from their eyes. Just when they thought they would die, the monster uncurled his tail, leaving them dying on the sand. Just when they thought they were safe, the monster opened his huge draw, his fangs shining, and he snapped their heads off, one by one, before devouring them all."

"Definitely a gory story," Azula said, sitting back up. "But not really scary."

"Not scary?" Ty Lee said, putting a hand to her chest. "Are you kidding? When my sister first told me that story, I was terrified. I couldn't sleep well for weeks, and I wasn't able to come back to Ember Island without all my sisters dragging me along with them."

Still, it didn't really change their minds.

"I'm with Azula on this one," Mai said. "Definitely gory, I'll give you that. Has all the markers of a horror story, at least."

"Alright then," Ty Lee said, putting her hands on her hips. "Who's next? Who can do better?"

They were all quiet. Azula leaned forward and stoked the fire with a stick, swirling the orange glowing embers around before relighting them with her blue fire.

"I suppose I'll go next," Azula said, leaning back on the sand and gazing up at the stars.

"If you really wanna scare everyone, just tell them the story of the maids trying to potty train you," Zuko said, smirking at her. "That'll really terrify us!"

Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee all laughed at that while Azula's face got red in anger and embarrassment. Gritting her teeth, she shot a jet of blue flame directly at Zuko, which he easily blocked. She had to resist the urge to grab a clump of sand and throw it directly at him.

Azula glared at each of them in turn as their laughter died down. "Are you all done, yet?" Azula snapped at them. "Or are you fools still guffawing at Zuzu's little joke?!"

"We're sorry, Azula," Ty Lee said, taking Azula's hand and patting it. Azula snatched her hand away from Ty Lee, glaring at her.

"Yeah, we're sorry," Zuko repeated, still chuckling quietly.

Azula crossed her arms and pouted, looking down at the roaring blue fire. "Now I'm not sure I even want to tell you," she said.

"Oh come on," Ty Lee said. "It was just a little joke."

"Yeah," said Mai, "go on and terrify us with your tales of fear and pain and anguish."

Zuko said nothing, but still looked at her expectantly.

Huffing and uncrossing her arms, Azula said, "Alright then." She leaned back into the sand again, enjoying the heat and comfort of the beach, and took at deep breath. The wind was fresh and salty, and it sent blue sparks drifting in the air.

"Many years ago, in the Fire Nation palace, a woman was lusting after a man."

"Truly terrifying," Mai snarked.

Azula's eyes darted towards Mai for a brief second before going back to the sky. Mai pretended not to notice.

"She was a noblewoman, young and beautiful, and unmarried. He was a nobleman, just as young as her and just as unmarried as her," Azula continued.

"So the woman decided that she wanted to marry him. She went to him one night, and she asked him if he would be her lover. He agreed. Many months passed by, and the woman grew ever more devoted to him. One night, the man asked her to marry him, and she said yes, obviously overjoyed."

"This is the least terrifying thing I've ever heard," Mai said.

"I'm getting to the scary parts," Azula snapped at her. "You wouldn't be able to figure out what's happening unless I tell you the beginning!"

"You sure? We're pretty smart after all," Mai said, quirking an eyebrow.

"I was referring to your relatively short attention span, Mai," Azula said.

"Oh snap!" Ty Lee said.

The two glared at each other for a minute before Ty Lee's laughter broke through the tension. "Oh come on, you guys! It's all just some good teasing," she said, looking back and forth between the two of them.

Mai leaned back again Zuko, and Ty Lee hoped that that was a smile she saw on her face. Hell, she'd settle for a smirk.

Azula sighed and laid back down.

"So Azula," Ty Lee said. "Then what happened? The man asked the woman to marry him, and she said yes. Then what?"

"The man did ask the woman to marry him, but the man had a secret. He did not want her; he wanted her servant. Many nights, he would corner her in the dark, staring at her until she ran off into the night. But the servant girl said nothing, not wanting to anger her mistress. But when the man and the noblewoman were finally married, he decided to pounce on her.

"The servant girl struggled, biting him, scratching him, drawing blood from him. Not knowing what else to do, she grabbed a knife, slicing his face apart, and then swung at his neck, blood spurting from his wounds. When the noblewoman came in, drawn by the sounds of a struggle and her husband's cries for help, she witnessed a scene of gore and betrayal. She saw the blood and she saw the servant woman's torn clothes, and she knew what had happened.

"She became so enraged that her body began to melt away. Her teeth became long and sharp, her skin turned to scales, and she was consumed in a fire so large, so scaldingly hot, so terrible to witness. Her skin melted off her bones and her blood boiled.

"Out from that fire came the noblewoman, her rage having turned her into a horrible black dragon, as large as a volcano, as fiery as a volcano, and in so much pain that the entire world felt the tremors of her body, and earthquakes shook the land. She broke and burned so many houses, killed so many people, and she killed both her husband and the servant girl, all in one slice, severing their spines.

"The servant girl became a ghost, haunting the palace and the entire city surrounding it. Sometimes in the night, on the anniversary of her death, people say they can hear screaming and crying from a far off place, begging for mercy and crying for help, screaming in pain and agony and fear.

"When her unavenged spirit cries, the walls start to bleed, fountains of water turn red, bubbling with blood fresh with the scent of death, and strange fires are lit, consuming houses so quickly that entire families die before they even smell the smoke, having been burned alive before they could escape from their nightmares.

"And the man was pulled into the Spirit World, his soul writhing in pain, as if it were still on fire. For his wicked, horrible deeds, he was cast into a hellish pit of torment, where the spirits of hate and pain and despair and evil tore him apart, piece by piece, slowly until his soul became so broken that he turned to dust, still screaming in agony even after all the years went by."

No one said anything after that. Not for a long time.

The only sound was the chirping of crickets, the crackling of the fire, and the crash of the ocean waves against the shore. The wind stirred around them, amplifying the deathly quiet that had settled in all around them.

Ty Lee was the one to break the silence. "Is…is that a true story?" she whispered.

"Yes. Of course," Azula said. "That's why the Fire Nation had to change the location of the Royal Palace. That palace…it's abandoned now. It's far in the southwest, and people are afraid to go near it."

More silence.

And crashing waves.

And crackling fire.

More chirping crickets.

And whispering sea breezes.

And more silence.

With a huff, Azula finally sat upright, looking around at her small circle of friends. "Alright, who's next?" she asked, her voice somber. She looked at her brother, whose arm was slung around Mai's waist, leaning into her body, the two cuddling together tightly to ward off the sudden cold they felt.

"Zuzu, what about you?" she asked, her voice still as somber as the dead. "Do you think you could top my story?"

Zuko didn't say anything; he just stared at the blue fire, deep in thought. He pulled Mai closer to him, tightening his grip. He wanted to kiss her, for no other reason than to drive the thoughts from his head.

He sighed, softly, slowly, and he turned to look at Mai.

She gave him one of the weakest, most pained smiles he'd ever seen in his life, and without thinking, he pulled her forward and kissed her on the forehead. Mai closed her eyes and melted into him, wanting his touch more than anything right now.

"Zuzu…?" Azula asked, trying not to grimace at those two.

"You were right, Azula," he said at last. "No one could top your story. Let's all just turn in."

"Oh, come on, Zuzu," Azula said, trying to make her voice sound light and unbothered. "Tell us a story."

"Yeah, Zuko," Ty Lee said, joining in even though her heart wasn't in it. Honestly, turning in right now sounded prefect to her. "Don't leave us wanting."

Zuko looked from Ty Lee, to Azula, then back to Ty Lee. Then he looked at Mai. They were all waiting, expecting something. But he could see the tiredness on their faces, and the jitteriness in their bodies.

"Alright," he said, figuring, Why the hell not?

"Okay, so, several months ago, I was at the North Pole. The climate there is harsh and brutal and bitter and cold and…really just awful all around. So when the temperature drops so low, your skin stars peeling with frostbite, your heart slows down, you can barely breathe without your lungs turning icy. Eventually, if you stay out in the frozen tundra long enough, your blood gets cold and your muscles start spasming. I know because I got that cold once…

"And in the Arctic, where the Northern Water Tribe tribespeople live, they'll sometimes resort to cannibalism. Y'know, if it gets really cold.

"I mean, people would…like…unbury dead bodies, and cook what little they can, before eating the dead almost raw. And sometimes, when they don't have corpses to eat when they get hungry, they'll take someone and they'll kill them and eat them raw.

"When I got to the North Pole, I knew that I was basically dealing with cannibals, but I went into the tundra without a fear, into the driving snow and the bitter cold and icy winds, almost blinded by the blizzard, my skin freezing, bruising as I walked…"

Azula yawned. Quite honestly, she didn't want to hear about Zuko's failures. But on the other hand, it did sound slightly unnerving. And, despite the heat of the night, she could feel goosebumps appearing on her skin.

She'd never been to either of the poles, but she'd been North before, and the cold was something she wasn't fond of. She glanced down at her blue fire, and it felt cold somehow. She bent some more fire into the fire pit, leaning forward so the extreme heat kissed her skin.

"And eventually I came to a cave. I saw some bones sticking out of ice, so I figured…" Zuko was saying, but Mai cut him off.

"Zuko, there's no cannibals in the North and you know it," she said. "They may not be the most civilized people, but no one's been a cannibal for hundreds of years…"

"Maybe even thousands," Ty Lee muttered.

"No, definitely not thousands," Mai mumbled. "I mean, there was that story of that one boy who killed and ate his sister…"

"Oh, Mai, is this your ghost story?" Ty Lee asked her. "I think I know who you're talking about… That teenager who was possessed…or just really angry…I can't remember which…"

"It was a little Fire Nation boy named Ven…or Vo… He claimed that he served some dark spirit called Vaatu who told him to eat her," Mai said. "I can't remember. I was so young when I heard it."

"When did you hear it?" Ty Lee asked.

"I don't know," Mai said with a sigh. "I really don't care to remember…"

Azula and Zuko both had tuned the girls out.

Zuko watched as his sister leaned towards the fire, trying to thaw herself from the phantom cold that she felt. He sighed, looking at the blue bonfire she had made, watching the fire cast eerie shadows on the sand.

"Let's turn in for the night," Azula said, yawning and stretching.

"I'm with her," Mai said, giving Zuko's thigh a small squeeze.

"Yeah," Zuko said, staring into the fire. "It's getting late."

With that, all four of them got up and went back into the beach house. Ty Lee poured sand onto the fire, waiting until the smoldering stopped before following the others inside.

xoxo

That night, Mai and Zuko didn't care who knew or who saw. They climbed into bed together, bundling up underneath the covers, grasping each others hands tightly and putting their foreheads together. Neither Azula nor Ty Lee said anything or even gave them an odd look as they saw the couple turn in together.

They could even partially understand.

Ty Lee and Azula looked at each other before they went to bed, and Azula put her hand on Ty Lee's shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze before turning away from her and sliding underneath the covers, fast asleep within a minute's time.

Ty Lee slid underneath the covers, looking up at the ceiling. With a deep, soothing sigh, she turned her head to look at Azula, sleeping peacefully in her bed, and then to Zuko's bed where he and Mai were bundled up together. With another soothing sigh, she rolled over onto her side and closed her eyes.

It must be nice to have a relationship like that, Ty Lee thought to herself right before she fell asleep.