Chapter 11

~Coming Storm Part 2~

Ghosts, being largely made of uncontained energy and emotion, rarely affected physical things, since they were made of matter. So when Azula jumped into the fountain behind the crumbling Siren manor she was surprised she made a splash and actually felt wet. As she sank lower into the murky water she had the compulsion to hold her breath, which she did. The fountain was deeper than Azula excepted. She sank down what felt like stories passed the bodies of the sirens' other victims to lean in a small cloud of gross at the slimy bottom. Azula felt watched as she looked for her ring around the pound scum and chains.

She wiped away some of the grime and paused finding claw marks deep into the tile. Realizing that this might not have been her best move Azula slowly turned to see a large break in the wall and looming with in the shadows were great big glowing eyes.

.o.

"Heroto!" Ira bellowed walking down the hall. "Heroto! I need to talk to you!"

A white hawk landed on the shoulder not occupied Puki. "You bellowed sir?"

"Yes, why are you a hawk?" Ira shook his head. "Never mind I don't want to know. You still smell like that wolf. Heroto, as much as this is going to pain me to ask do you know what has been going on while I rested? And I'm talking specifically about the two children living here."

"Well, I think it will be easy to find Sokka. He hasn't left his room, nor has the moon. Azula on the other hand had left the manor and I have little idea where she went. She spoke to Nix before she left and I think is saw her with a fire nation man."

Ira frowned, "That's not reassuring at all. Heroto go take a shower and join me in the library. Also wake the dead and drag Sokka down with you!" Ira watched the hawk fly off and patted Puki on the head. "You won't run off and get in trouble on me will you?"

The little spirit shook her head and patted Ira's face sympathetically.

"Thanks Pook."

Ira walked in to the library where among other things was a small soul orb floating in spirit water. He looked up at the large map of the world showing off not only the four nations ravaged by war and another set of four countries shown west of the Fire nation. He sighed.

"Azula, Azula, where did you run off to my little Azula? And who did you go with?"

"Maybe she went to find her ring?" Sokka offered walking in. He pulled a shirt over his head and his feet were still bare. "I mean she's always going on about it."

"Yes." Ira looked back at the map. "That would be in her nature though I wish she would have just waited for me to find it."

"That's not Azula's way." Sokka leaned against the desk his hand dangerously close to the water goblet. "Don't you have a way to find her? I mean you are a Lantern bearer."

Ira nodded. "Yes I do have a way and it's very technical too."

He grabbed a dart off his desk and threw it at the picture of the map. Sokka watched as the dart moved through the air like it had a mind of its own. The small metal javelin swerved through the air and then landed somewhere in the fire nation.

"Oh Fuck!"

Sokka jumped at Ira's sudden out burst of profanity knocking over the glass with the orb. Sokka cursed under his breath as he desperately tried to nonchalantly scoop the soul up with the goblet. "What's wrong Ira?" He asked trying to sound calm.

"Azula, she's at the Siren's Manor. This is bad, this is really bad." Ira turned at looked at Sokka trying to scoop the soul back up. "And that's bad too."

Puki jumped off Ira's shoulder and picked up the soul examining it for any damage. Satisfied that no damage had been done she showed the orb to Ira. Ira smiled. "Well I guess this person's all healed up and ready to wake up. Huh, it looks like they know you Sokka good. You deal with that I've got to go retrieve Azula before something bad happens." He picked up the orb and blew on it sending it into a dust that formed into a person like shape. "Cover the basics first Sokka!" Ira yelled before running out of the room with Puki hot on his heals.

.o.

Azula broke the water's surface and quickly moved to the edge of the pool where Lu Ten helped her out. She was shivering clutching at the remains of her injured arm. Lu Ten looked shocked.

"What happened to your arm?! Are you ok?"

"No! I'm not ok! My arm's been shattered by whatever is living at the bottom of that cursed fountain!" She tried to stand up. "We have to get out of here. It's coming up here to get us both."

Lu Ten pun an arm around her waist and helped pull her away from the edge as a monstrous arm rose out of the water. Azula screamed trying to get away pulling Lu Ten with her. Suddenly a black fire enveloped the limb and wheat ever was lurking in the depth of the fountain retreated. Lu Ten looked in shock trying to find the source of the black flame. His eye caught a white flame dancing closer.

"North Star? Is that you?"

Azula looked in the same direction. "Ira?"

"Not quiet children." A man looking about the same age Ira did walked out of the shadows a lantern flame burning from the top of a scythe. "Not quiet."

Lu Ten stepped back. "W-Who are you?"

The man took off his hat reviling blond hair tied back in a braid and an eye patch covering his left eye. "I am Anubis Lafeatte."

Azula still holding her stub of an arm. "Who?"

"Pardon, I am the Lantern Bearer for those who die of old age, which you two did not." His black eyes focused on Azula. "But you seem to be in need of my assistance anyway."

Lu Ten stepped between the two. "You're the spirit of shadows, the north star's brother. Why would you help us?"

"Ah, you belong to him, huh? Well no matter, this poor soul is in quite the predicament, please let me help."

Still frowning Lu Ten stepped away and let Anubis examine Azula's arm. Azula looked dubious but let him look at it. It was like looking at china dolls are that had been smashed to pieces, both very painful and some how artificial too. Anubis frowned.

"I'm guessing the pieces are in there." He looked at the fountain and Azula nodded. "Well, not even I want to take on a pissed off leviathan so let's add new instead of healing old."

He summoned a shadow and as if he was working with clay sculpted a new arm with delicate fingers and a strong yet refined wrist. He waved his hand over the new limb after it attaching it to Azula. Designs like constellations lit up on her new arm.

"There now try to move it. Make a fist"

Azula looked at the arm and concentrated on Anubis's request. The fingers moved gracefully to her delight. Her new hand, and for that matter whole arm, felt strong and unbreakable. She tried to someone fire and jumped back as her whole arm became a black flame. It reset almost as soon as she jumped.

Anubis chuckled. "Your new arm is made out of shadows dear, you can't fire bend with it you shadow bend or don't bend at all seeing as unless you two are planning on haunting this place."

Lu Ten forced a smile and put his arms on Azula's shoulders. "No sir we are not. Now if you excuse us we should be going."

Anubis nodded and glanced to the side. "As should I."

"You're not going anywhere Anubis." Ira said sternly looking angrier than ever. "Not until you explain what you did to one of my children."

.o.

Sokka sighed watching Jet pace back and forth mumbling under his breath only to suddenly scream out at random.

"Jet?….Jet! Could you please stop pacing it won't let you accept death any faster."

The other boy grabbed Sokka's collar. "I'm not dead! And you're not dead! This is a Fire Nation trick! They're trying to trick us into thinking we're dead so they can kill us!"

Sokka removed Jet's hands and looked at the other queerly. "Do you even hear yourself? Like really? They're going to convince us we're dead so that they can kill us?"

"Yes! And then they're going to take over our tea shops and dump us for pretty Earth Nation girls!"

"Ira please get back soon!" Sokka groaned. "I'm not qualified to deal with this!"

"Is Ira that one eyed Fire Nation guy?"

Sokka scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess but he's not really Fire Nation, I think he's more nu-"

"He's the overlord trying to brain wash us into thinking there's no war in Ba Sing Say! He's going to drag us under a lake!"

Sokka rubbed his temples. "Oh, boy. Starting to think I took dying way too well. I'm owed a wolf-bat shit crazy freak out." He crossed his arms. "I feel a little bit cheated." He uncrossed his arms. "But I do have Yue so that balances things out."

"Who's Yue? Is she a spy? Yue sounds like a spy name. She's definitely a spy. Don't trust her Sokka! She's a spy who's going to betray you and heat up her tea with fire bending and then attack you with swords."

Sokka just slowly blinked. "She's the moon and my girlfriend."

Jet suddenly seemed to calm down. "And you look at me like I'm nuts."

A/N Thanks for reading guys comment if you feel so compelled! I'll see you all later hope you enjoyed. Also if you want to see more or less of Jet in the future let me know. Thanks bye!