A/N: Yeeaaaahh... I know... I'm slow as always :S. Or even slower. Ugh. I could flood you with a bunch of excuses why it took me that long again to post this chapter... but I shall spare you. Instead, I'm gonna flood you with some more important stuff :P... such as:
Zuko, baby, I'm sorry! I'm SO SORRY I can't even... omg I'm so sorry. There's no apology. Only the fact that I'm sorry. I swear I am. That, and a drama queen. But still. I'm so so sorry!

What didn't exactly help to make things LESS cruel was - this chapter was created in co-operation with my personal specialist for all sorts of sick, heartwrenching torture-scenes: xxTigerAvatarxx! And I will love her til the day I die for editing the first draft of this chapter, so it brought tears to my eyes and agony to my heart.

And as always, special thanks to my all-seeing beta Ersatz Einstein... who will take a break from betaing my story as of now, since she's just started with college, equals lots of time consuming stuff... so yeah... GOOD LUCK though! :)
SO IF ANYONE WANTS TO BECOME A PART OF THIS STORY BY HELPING OUT AS MY BETA, I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY GUYS!

Buuuuut anyway. For now, be warned, my readers! Intense stuff ahead!

-19-

THE DARKNESS LYING AHEAD

"Well, well... 'm increbly honored teh welcome yeh teh our 'umble fortress, Prince Zuko. Oh, mah apologies… 'sposed teh be former Prince Zuko, 'm I righ'? 's such a shame, really. Our deepest symp'thies on the loss of yer title. Although, it don' 'appen too often dat we're given the opperturnity teh 'ost such an impor'nt guest at our cozy des'rt ah-land. Let alone a 'igh-ranking guest dat's meant teh receive our veery extra special-treatment…"

The more than corpulent man contorted his unshaven, oily face into a malicious smirk, baring his rotten, horse-like teeth. The way he was standing in the doorway - legs spread, arms crossed, his eyes flashing with an air of superiority - left no doubt in the prince's mind that his position had to be something like the prison's warden.
With his hands still tied behind his back, Zuko could hardly suppress the urge to spit at him. Yeah, I got your 'extra special-treatment' right here, moron. Once again, he limited himself to scowling at his captor.

"So teh prop'rly dignify yer arrival, we arranged a li'l welcoming party fer yeh, my former prince." The warden gave a mocking bow, sinking low enough to brush the tip of his crooked nose against the filthy floor, before straightening and flashing Zuko a cheeky grin. "'f yed be so kind as teh follow meh now." His horrible laughter echoed eerily in the darkness as he turned and strode down the dimly lit corridor.

Only then did Zuko become aware of the other guards that had, thus far, been entirely hidden behind the warden's enormous silhouette. Nimbly, they took the firebender from the Fire Nation soldiers that had escorted him through the many gates and entrance control systems of the Boling Rock.
As the small group made its way further into the indestructible fortress of walls, gates, and locks, Zuko felt his courage dwindle. The cold steel biting into the flesh around his wrists, and the prison guards that outnumbered him four to one left him without the slightest chance of escape.

Passing through cell block after cell block, filing past rows upon rows of prison cells, hurrying up and down narrow staircases, Zuko became more and more certain that his "welcoming party" (oh, how he loathed the phrase and the overjoyed tone of the warden's voice when he said it!) would take place in the most isolated corner of the prison.

Someplace no one would hear him scream.

Eventually, they reached a shabby, square courtyard. The enormous height of the four surrounding walls almost made Zuko dizzy. The poor, dismal patch of grey sky above him felt as though it were endless miles away - completely out of reach. The sight made the lump in his throat grow to the point that it almost choked him.

The guards around Zuko seemed to have been waiting for him to be distracted. In no time at all, countless arms were wrapped around him tightly, seizing his arms and shoulders to painfully restrain him until he could barely move. At the same time, greasy hands thrust themselves into his hair and snapped his head back; the tiny square of sky again filled his vision, although only for a second. Then, yet another hand blocked his view, pressing an olive-green bottle between his lips, and a burning, bitter fluid filled his mouth. Tears welling up in his eyes, he tried to shake his head and spit out whatever it was they were trying to make him drink, but that only forced more of the vile liquid into Zuko's mouth.

"Will yeh stop resistin' an' swallow it?" The warden hissed, flooding his captive's mouth with even more of the nauseating fluid.

Zuko's mouth was brimming over. The sensation made him gag and squirm in the merciless grip of his captors as tears of disgust ran from the corners of his eyes. When the warden suddenly threw the half-emptied bottle down and mercilessly slammed his hand over the prince's mouth and nose, Zuko couldn't help it any longer. The bitter, revolting liquid was unavoidably forced down his throat. A desperate, gargled moan escaped him in spite of the hand pressed over his mouth. Then a wave of nausea and dizziness made his vision blur and his stomach cramp frantically. Only the painfully tight grip of the guards kept him from collapsing.

Through the buzzing in his ears, he could hardly hear the warden's slimy voice. "Wha' s'matter, my former prince? We prepared such a rare welcomin' drink 'specially fer yeh, an' yeh don' like it? Don'cha think dat's a tad impolite? Cuz yeh know, the drink was cr'ated 'specially fer a firebender like yerself… its ingredients were well chosen teh... say, teh make yeh sligh'ly more accessible teh my troops, yeh see?" Although Zuko was at the verge of unconsciousness, the sick pleasure dripping from the man's voice caught his attention.

Wait, what does he mean? What did that stuff do to me?! Did that poison take away my bending? The chilling insight hit his clouded mind like a hammer. With newfound energy, his heavy muscles regained their strength, and with a quick spin and a couple of kicks and blows he was able to fight off the guards, who clearly hadn't expected a sudden attack.
Hurriedly, Zuko jumped into an offensive stance, inhaled deeply to gather all the chi he could take in, and with a sharp expiration of breath, he -
- suddenly found himself on his hands and knees, feeling as though the rug had been pulled out from under him.

No. NO... oh please, no! Trembling heavily, the prince clenched his teeth and struggled back to his feet. So it's true. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop trembling.

The world suddenly grew smaller; all the air was sucked from his lungs in an instant. Zuko gasped for breath, the realization of what these men had done to him hitting him as though he had been punched in the gut. The ground seemed to shake beneath him, throwing his entire universe out of balance. He felt sick to his stomach.

He couldn't firebend.

He couldn't firebend. He…

What was he without his bending?

He was alone – and so very, very small – standing before the guards with no means of fighting back and no plan of escape. Although the windows were hidden behind heavy bars through which no one could be seen, Zuko suddenly felt the presence of countless faces pressing themselves against the bars; countless eyes, eager to catch a glimpse of the prince's impending doom.

Swallowing hard, Zuko knew that he wouldn't be able to put off what awaited him any longer. The warden had brought him here for a reason, and as the former prince finally took in his surroundings, he barely suppressed a shudder at the image before him.
The contraption that stood in front of him could be best described as a human restraint system. As Zuko's eyes traced the various chains and iron cuffs swaying ominously from the rectangular wooden frame, he couldn't fight the feeling that this device had been… custom-made.

And a little ways away from the restraining frame, laid out perfectly atop a pristine white cloth, were...

Zuko choked, coughing up the bile that had built in the back of his throat. Although he'd unconsciously averted his eyes the moment they had fallen on the scene, the image of what was laid out on the table had been burned into his retinas. Glimmering softly, neatly laid out in a row, as if they were someone's prized possessions: scalpels, pliers, and blades, and -

He bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from screaming. This was his fate? To endure this cruelty? His mind ran a mile a minute, trying to place a time when he had done something – said something – worthy of this punishment. Of course, according to his father, he deserved every bit of it. A high-pitched, sardonic laugh, sounding more like a strangled sob, escaped him.

And what was more, Zuko was well aware that this was supposed to be only the tip of the iceberg. Ozai's promise had been 'a life in hell, suffering forevermore', since death would be 'too merciful a penalty for treason.' So what lay ahead of Zuko wasn't just inevitable... it was only the beginning. And everyone around him seemed to be eagerly, spitefully, greedily awaiting it. As if they knew they'd finally found a steady source for their sick pleasure - something that would keep them entertained and distracted from their own poor excuses for lives.

He desperately struggled to maintain the last remains of his self-composure, to at least keep up his apparent indifference. He forced himself to slow down his breath, to make his hasty, hiccuping gasps sound less like he was on the verge of tears. Out of the corner of his eye, Zuko noticed that the disgustingly fat warden had already taken his place beside the frame, leering at him. A sneer was plastered on the man's greasy face; a whip restlessly scraping the palm of his right hand as he twisted the rope excitedly in his grip.

Slamming his eyes shut, pressing the lids together as tightly as he could, was all Zuko could do to keep himself from buckling under the weight of the impressions raining down on him.

Uncle, it doesn't work! I- I can't… my head's almost bursting, it's – it's killing me! I don't know what to do. I don't want this to happen, I don't want to be here! My mind's everything but empty. And I can't - I can't even firebend anymore. I'm so… scared. Please, I don't want this to happen! Uncle! Where are you?!

He was answered by nothing but the warden's callous laughter, reverberating off of the high, towering walls with chilling finality.

No matter how tightly the prince shut his eyes, he couldn't escape the fear. His mind was playing memories inside his eyelids, bright and vivid and so, so real. Father, no! I promise I didn't mean it! I meant no disrespect! The fire was burning, his face was on fire, and he couldn't see. He couldn't see and the world was laughing at him. They didn't care that he was in pain; they couldn't be bothered with the scar in the young prince's face, to say nothing of his very soul. And above it all was the cold and merciless gaze of his fa-

With a jerk, Zuko's eyes flew open. The room blurred and swam before him as the flashback dissipated into reality. His father's figure was replaced by the far more corpulent silhouette of the warden, and the arena was swallowed whole by the confining walls of the courtyard.

But Zuko's fear remained.

For this wasn't merely an illusion created by his horrified mind. This was real.

There was no escape.

x-x-x

In the darkness of the Fire Nation freighter's hold, time had soon become nonexistent. So had direction. It had become impossible to estimate where the ship was going and how long they'd been on their forced journey.

The only thing that still mattered was the realization that hit them after the freighter's second stop.

"They're separating us. They're taking us on a damn round trip, from prison to prison, and every time they pick only a few of us. And since we have no clue where this ship is going and where it stops, we can't tell where the others have been taken. And, what's more, we can't join forces again. Those cowardly Fire Nation bastards," Hakoda hissed, struggling to keep his temper.

Once they'd been left in darkness once more, their group reduced to maybe a third of its original size, he was the first to voice everyone's thoughts. His ground out words couldn't cover his rage, which was far from the only emotion preying on his mind. Even from the other side of the hold, Sureen could feel that Hakoda's inner turmoil was a matter of more than just hatred of the Fire Nation. Hours after the captain had fallen silent, Sureen still couldn't feel the slightest lessening of his consternation.

With some effort, the girl struggled to her feet; a tough job with her hands tied behind her back and the ground unsteady beneath her. She stumbled towards what she guessed was the freighter's opposite wall. After almost tripping over something soft, Sureen flopped down on the floor, concluding she'd found her captain, or at least one of the men sitting next to him. Even without her sight, she could soon recognize him by the sheer intensity of pent-up emotions inside him.

She hated those situations. She really detested them. The moments in which she could feel someone else's emotions as if they were her own, knowing at the same time that the other person wasn't aware of it in the slightest. It left her almost unable to react. What could she say? What was she supposed to do? Was there anything that would actually help the other, or would she only make things worse because there simply was no suitable reaction?
But if there was anything she hated more than frantically pondering such questions, it was sitting and waiting and watching instead of taking action. Inhaling deeply, Sureen realized that she'd already made a decision.

"Captain Hakoda, sir." Although she didn't dare raise her voice above a whisper, the urgency in her tone couldn't be missed. "Please, I just… um… You see, everyone who joined you on this mission made the decision on their own. We all came with you because we wanted to contribute to stopping the Fire Lord and ending the war. And we knew from the outset that it was risky and that things could go wrong at any time. I mean, seriously, invading the Fire Palace isn't exactly a walk in the park – that's obvious as hell. Everyone was perfectly aware of the situation and the dangers this mission held. And no matter if we're going to jail or getting separated or something else happens: everyone in the invasion force will only blame themselves for the consequences. N-no one will ever blame… you." With that last sentence, her voice almost cracked – she knew she'd touched a sensitive issue. Swallowing hard, she hurried to continue.

"I mean… remember? The night before the invasion, I promised you that we wouldn't mess things up and all. That there was no need to worry. So… this isn't your fault, Sir. It's not your responsibility. If we decide to go for something and then things go wrong… it's our fault. Like, our collective fault. It can't be attributed to only one person, 'cause that's… I dunno, it's just not true."

Sureen took some shuddering breaths to steady her nerves. Listening to the silence that followed her words, she honestly hoped it had been the right decision to speak her mind. The situation uncomfortably reminded her of the silence after their last conversation – her little lecture about how everyone was supposed to be fully awake and focused for the Day of the Black Sun. In both instances, the moment after springing her opinions on her captain, she wished the ground would open up and swallow her. Luckily, Hakoda was quick at repartee. His sharp reply finished the awkward moment in the blink of an eye.

"You think? Well, your point of view does you credit. But it also shows your irgnorance of the rules and responsibilities of the Water Tribe forces in times of war. You see, I'm the leader of the invasion troops. Their spearhead, if you will. I'm the one who searched for soldiers willing to support me, I'm the one who called for you to join this mission. It was I who put the plan into action. It was I who issued the orders. Thus, by virtue of my role in this invasion-"

"Yeah, so what? You asked us to join you, sure… but we agreed. We volunteered for this! Because we wanted to try and change things for the better. Because we WANTED to join you! Otherwise none of us would be here right now. None of us would've gone to jail. None of us would be in this situation. I don't care about your 'role in this invasion'. I don't care about roles at all, to be honest! Right now, I only care about THE FACTS. And the facts are that we made this decision by ourselves, why can't you see th-"

"By virtue of my position, I'M to blame for what happened! I ALONE! THAT'S THE ONE AND ONLY FACT IN THIS GAME! NOTHING ELSE!"

It was the first time Hakoda had ever yelled at a subordinate.

Unseen in the darkness enveloping them, Sureen couldn't help but flinch from her captain's unexpected fit of temper. But what she expected even less was the low yet determined voice that suddenly jumped in.

"Um... excuse me for interrupting your argument, Captain… but I think the girl's right. Of course, there are mandatory rules for Water Tribe forces. But even those rules should apply only to a certain extent. In other words, one shouldn't lose sight of the moments when it's necessary to favor the dictates of common sense over the superficial rules of the military. And evidently, this is one of those moments, Sir. Apart from that, you're simply voted down, for I'm convinced I'm speaking on behalf of every member of the invasion force. You may be our superior officer, but your voice most definitely doesn't count more than our combined conviction."

The unforeseen endorsement of one of the other fleet captains squatting on the floor next to them made Sureen's eyes grew wide.

"Th-thank you," she stuttered. The darkness was too thick to reveal who had sided with her. It didn't really matter, anyway.

"Captain Hakoda...," she continued hesitatingly. "At this point, there are certainly more serious things to focus on than a stupid quarrel. And I'm sure none of us is keen on having an argument right now. Or at least, I'm not. I'm sorry. So, um, please don't be mad at us for speaking our minds."

"Mad at you? I'm not - um, I- ... it's just that -" Hakoda's incoherent response was ultimately interrupted by a deep sigh. "I am sorry. Each of you has the right and my express permission to speak your minds. It's just... I admit that I find it hard to acknowledge it. Although your combined conviction presumably does vote down mine. For all that, my apologies for losing my temper. I guess that was... rather uncalled for." Another sigh escaped his lips before he fell silent.

Despite his rueful apology, Sureen could tell that his thoughts hadn't simmered down in the slightest.

"Well… maybe my idea to raise this issue was equally uncalled for, Sir." The voice that had assertively echoed through the freighter's hold only minutes ago was reduced to a careful whisper again. "It's just… I-I know the feeling."

"Huh?" She could practically hear his eyebrow lifting in surprise.

"The feeling that you have to bear the blame for things that went wrong. That you were unable to change the course of events, that you should've seen it coming. And being faced with the aftermath, knowing it was you who - who caused it. Who's responsible. Who's… guilty." Sureen's voice had become so low it was almost drowned out by the freighter engine's noise. "But this… this is different. It's, I dunno, a misunderstanding of sorts. It's not- not what it seems. It's different from how you feel about it, Captain."

"I... well, I understand your point. But I wonder... how could you possibly claim to know how I feel about it."

"Um, I..."

It was almost with relief that Sureen noticed the rapidly stomping steps that approached, making all the captives catch their breath. Mere seconds later, the heavy metal doors of the hold opened with an prolonged creak. The flood of blinding white daylight pouring into their prison's darkness made everyone double over in an unsuccessful attempt to shield their eyes from the all-consuming brightness.

x-x-x

Rain.

Nothing but rain, pouring on him for what felt like endless hours, mercilessly soaking him to the skin. The flood of icy raindrops stung his countless fresh wounds like pinpricks, causing them to reopen and torment him anew.
The slick, dripping walls of the courtyard provided no shelter for the prince, and the ground had long since turned into mud. Slowly, the area around the place Zuko had collapsed took on a dirty shade of red. But he was too weak to worry about it, and besides, his vision was too blurred to take it in. His mind consumed by the sensation of the hammering raindrops on his skin and the damp cold pervading his tortured body, there was only so much he could do to keep his head above the ground so he wouldn't drown in the mud.

Hours (or maybe days?) after he'd woken up on his cot – his entire body in agony; cuts, bruises and burns covering his skin from head to toe, and every move making him wince with pain – they came back to drag him out of the cell, along the corridor. Telling him he'd 'get his filthy, stinking body into a shower now.' When he realized they were taking him back to the courtyard (no, not back there! Not again! I- I can't... I CAN'T!), his heart sped up and his whole body cramped with panic. But he was in no shape to fight them off.

They locked him in the courtyard in the middle of a thunderstorm. Without shelter from the endless floods and the flogging hail.

And as he used every last ounce of energy to fight against unconsciousness, his perception blurred - merging his shivering body, his chattering teeth, and the pouring rain that was ceaselessly hammering against his skin and steadily hitting the surface of the puddle around him. And then, being on the very verge of fainting, he suddenly felt -

- the rhythm. The consistent beat of all the sensations around him. He felt his heartbeat, his shuddering breath, and the raindrops as clearly as never before. And he became a part of it all.

Although he'd always used chi to fuel his firebending as a matter of course, he'd never really understood its true nature. Until this very moment.
He felt - he became - the energy around him, and at the same time, he was gone. No, better to say that he knew he was still there, but he was detached from the pained, debased, humiliated body crouching in the mud. He understood everything it felt, but at the same time, he didn't care. It wasn't important any more. It was not part of... that which truly mattered. He didn't think. There was no need to think. Thinking was no longer a part of him. He was reduced – extended – to pure existence. He was the rain, the trembling surface of the puddle, the puddle itself… he was the wind and the cold, he was the soaking wetness and the pinpricks on his skin. He was everything, but also nothing particular.

His features relaxed. Effortlessly, he sat up, crossed his legs, stretched his back, and closed his eyes. As he began to meditate, merging with the rhythm and the energy around him even more deeply, there was a subtle flicker of a smile on his face –

Emptiness of mind. Uncle, I think I found it.

x-x-x

The Fire Nation soldiers were well-aware of the effect the dazzling daylight had on their captives and the moment of dominance it brought them. They didn't waste a second in nimbly slipping into the hold. Each of them grabbed one of the prisoners, hurriedly gagged and blindfolded them, then forced them to their feet and pushed them along – out of the hold, across the ship's deck, and down the gangway. Neither of the soldiers wasted a word dragging the six remaining members of the invasion force outside.
No sooner had the captives stepped on solid ground then they were shoved into another vehicle. Unable to see a thing, they could merely guess it was a rather small box, but without a roof, and bordered only by a waist-high "wall" that actually felt more like some sort of railing.

As in the metal caterpillar during the invasion, they were cooped up in a space too narrow and too dark, not knowing where they were being taken. The déjà-vu brought a lump to Sureen's throat. She once more felt everyone's unsettledness and jumpiness all too clearly. Struggling for composure, the girl dug her nails into the wickerwork railing and clenched her teeth. There was no use in panicking - for any of them.

Shortly thereafter, their roofless cage began to float gently and weightlessly, accompanied by an occasional hissing, blowing sound. Only then did Sureen realize they were continuing their involuntary journey in a war balloon.

As the hours drifted uneventfully by – the heavy silence was interrupted only by the gusts of wind and the sound of the flame blowing hot air into the balloon – everyone's nerves slowly calmed down. After all, it wasn't that much different from being captured in the freighter's hold. Only more exposed and way more cramped.

And again, time became nonexistent.

x-x-x

No. Just... NO! She wouldn't accept this. She wouldn't surrender. C'mon, THINK, the girl urged herself.

There has to be a way to escape them! Maybe it's like back in the catacombs: there's never just ONE corridor… there are certainly more! Some hidden, dark, side corridors. I just need to watch out and find one of them and RUN. Run all the way back to - to… oh, fuck it. Even if I could shake off those three creeps... Sureen's eyes flashed with helpless rage as she glared at the two guards flanking her. The third one – pressing her wrist against her back with an armlock that would inevitably dislocate her joints if she so much as twitched – could count himself lucky that she didn't have eyes in the back of her head.

Even if I managed to escape, I'd have no clue where to run. 'Cause I don't know where they took him… where they took anyone… those calculating bastards! And I don't even know my way around. Plus it's a PRISON, so it's not like running away would take me anywhere. And why is this damn place so huge? Spirits, and how many cell blocks are there? And why are they taking me to the fucking farthest corner of the whole thing? Like, yeah, of course. Make sure that I'm completely, totaly separated from Hakoda and the others. Putting MILES between us absolutely makes sense when I've got no orientation and I'm absolutely lost – oh, and also CAPTURED – anyway! So yeah, sure thing. You brainiacs just drag me along from one end to the other of this hellhole. Damn idiots! Stop it right now and take me back to Captain Hakoda. 'Cause I promised… I-I promised Katara… she told me to take care of him… and now I can't! I fucking can't! Just one more thing that I've messed up 'cause obviously I'm just perfect at letting everyone down. Why can't I… just for once-

Sureen just barely managed to stop her train of thoughts, already feeling the tears welling up in her eyes. She took a deep, shuddering breath to steady her nerves. This certainly wasn't the right time to wallow in self-pity.

Ever since the war balloon had landed on the prison island and the Fire Nation soldiers had removed their gags and blindfolds, Sureen's thoughts had been reeling.
What prison was this? Why was it in the middle of a lake? Was there any way to escape there? Unfortunately, neither Hakoda nor any of the other invasion fleet captains was a bender, so they couldn't rely on any additional skills to get away. And her own abilites were definitely of no help in breaking out of jail.

She was so lost in thought that she scarcely noticed the approaching guards, a seperate group for each of them, ready to take them into custody. The procedure was being supervised by a man whose enormous, round silhouette stood out from the crowd. A self-satisfied smirk was plastered on his stubbled, disgustingly fat face. It was only when their group had become torn apart that Sureen had realized what was going on.
She saw the shock flickering in her companions' eyes, heard them grunt and swear in wild protest, felt the horror that gripped their hearts. Just as she had, everyone twisted and turned in the steely grip of the guards, and their heads desperately spun to catch one last glimpse of their captain, who looked just as shell-shocked and helpless as they did.

As they were all marched off in different directions, the fat supervisor's malicious laughter echoed from the walls.

It was the last time Sureen saw her comrades. When would they meet again? If not to say, would they ever...? The thought brought a lump to her throat. Luckily, she wasn't given the opportunity to ponder further. The guard behind her forced her to turn left, and one of the other guards unlocked the grated door in front of her. A second later, she felt a heavy push from behind and found herself on the wet, moldy floor, the door was slammed shut behind her and locked with a metallic rattling.

"Ow... Not only creepy, but no manners. Yeah, take your damn hands off me and fuck off," the girl muttered under her breath as she struggled back to her feet and watched her captors leave.

It wasn't before she began to scan the dark prison cell that she noticed she wasn't alone.

She recognized the outline of another prisoner huddled against the opposite wall. Her breath caught – are they- is he dead? 'Cause I can't feel… anything. No thoughts, no memories, no emotions. And living people always think and feel, right? I mean, that's the problem. That's why I end up knowing everything, even though I don't want to. Great. So they put me in a cell with a DEAD BODY, what the- are they kidding me?! Sureen's blood ran cold.

What ultimately made her jump out of her skin, though, was when the 'dead body' moved. It folded its arms in front of its chest and lifted its head to look at the girl.

With bated breath, moving in slow motion, Sureen sneaked further into the darkness of the prison cell, carefully approaching the figure. When she was close enough to make out the prisoner's features in the hints of torchlight from the poorly lit corridor, the man averted his eyes again, turning his head to the right.

That was when Sureen's legs caved in.

"No! How... w-why?"

Her breath coming in hurried, ragged thrusts, she sank to her knees, putting herself level with the man.

She could only press her hands over her mouth to bite back the sobs when she recognized the scar on the face across from hers.

x-x-x

Song for this chapter: "Way back home" by Bag Raiders

A/N: Since my personal experience with meditation was pretty nonexistent before I wrote this chapter, I decided to at least gather some more background info on it - to write the according bit of this chapter more convincingly :P. And omg, I ended up spending HOURS with online research. I came across that whole mind-emptiness - mindfulness approach, which actually belongs to the basics of buddhism... and it's a real huge, endless, but also super fascinating topic :). So I feel like I researched the hell outta the internet for this chapter. And while I still don't have any personal experience with meditation now :P, at least its theoretic descriptions sounded pretty convincing to me. And hopefully at least I learned enough so this chapter includes a close-to-reality-kind-of summary of everything I read. ;)

And nhhköartajfglsrtIHZRTÜSHFJjlsdßr next chapter's gonna be the whole Zuko-Sureen-reunion-thing... oh gaaawd guys I'm scared... AND looking freakin' forward to writing it, hehe! X]

Oh and as I mentioned earlier, I urgently need a new beta reader! Feel free to send me a PM in case you're interested! =)