~o~
Snake in the Grass
Ursa made her way outside, wrapped in her night robes. It was colder than usual tonight. Noren approached her and put his arm around her. Ursa was still shivering a little, but it subsided at the contact.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
Ursa smiled feebly, nodding. "I couldn't sleep." she told him.
Noren leaned in closer to comfort his wife with a small kiss to her forehead. "I know. At least Kiyi can find it in her to rest."
Ursa looked at him hopefully. "She's not shying away as much from me."
"No. It's taken her some time. I think she's getting used to this."
"She shouldn't have had to. If I'd only not been selfish, I - "
Noren shook his head, stunned by her words. "Ursa, no! You weren't being selfish!"
Ursa sighed, waving a dismissing hand. "Come on, Noren. Stop being supportive for two moments and really think about what this has done to our daughter!" Her voice softened when she saw how her comment may have hurt his feelings. "I keep doing it, don't I?"
"No. You're upset. It's hard to adjust and..." Noren smiled sadly. "You're trying. You're doing more than any mother can be asked to do."
Ursa smiled somewhat. "You really think so?"
"I do."
Shouting from behind him cut the discussion short; Ukano had been struggling his way past the guard outside the doorway of the palace.
"Get off me! My son's missing, and you're worried about palace protocol?" he shouted.
Zuko had been making his way toward the scene and the guard bowed to him once. "Apologies, Fire Lord! We asked him to wait, but - "
Zuko held up a hand to quiet the guard before he frowned at Ukano. "I don't know how you were released from prison, but you - Mai!"
Mai was there, watching the scene unfold for a few moments in silence. She had been visiting with Zuko and only reacted with a disappointed scowl when she saw Ukano.
"Father." she said, impassively.
Ukano looked at Mai gravely. "If he'd been with me, I would have guaranteed his safety!" he snapped, "You may hate me now, but you have to understand why I did it. You have to know why I formed the New Ozai Society! Zuko is weak! He's the reason the children are being taken!"
"That's absurd!" Mai couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You need to be quiet and we need to work together to find Tom-Tom!"
Ukano flashed a finger at Zuko. "Our 'Fire Lord' needs to grow a spine! Everybody knows the Spirit World begins to act up when the human world is weak!"
"That's not true!" Noren argued, now.
Ukano ignored him and scowled at Zuko. "Show that you're worthy, Zuko! Declare a curfew to keep your citizens safe! Then send out an elite task force to fight the dark spirits! Take down just one of them and we'll show the spirits that humans aren't to be trifled with!"
Mai threw her hands in the air. "This is insane," She looked at Zuko. "Listen, don't do what my lunatic of a father says." She ignored his wounded scowl and continued, determined to keep strong. "A curfew would only make things even worse! Plus, how can a 'task force' fight spirits? You can't use normal bending! Let's find Tom-Tom first before we do anything else. Leave the spirit stuff to the Avatar."
"Aang's not even here," Zuko reminded her. "He's with my sister and Sen."
"What? Why?"
"She's on a mission. I trust that Aang and Katara will help keep - "
Mai shook her head with a frown. "So you let her leave the Capital."
Zuko frowned back at her. "Yes, but that's not important right now," he argued, "What's important is the Kemurikage and why they're taking the kids. You need to tell me what you know about them."
"I've already told you. They're just an old legend."
Zuko nodded. "An old legend, huh? Then I have an idea about where to find out more."
Mai opened her mouth to argue, but a servant came rushing down the halls, shouting desperately for help. She startled the others before falling to her knees before Zuko, tear-streaked and begging for sympathy. He was stunned by the fit of emotion.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"Forgive me, Fire Lord! I didn't mean for it to happen!"
"What happened?" Zuko wanted to know and keep her calm at the same time.
"It's Kiyi!" the servant moaned, "They came and...put me to sleep somehow and they took her!"
At that, Ursa was already running for her chambers with Noren in tow. Zuko hurried behind her and the others followed behind them. When they entered Kiyi's room, they found it empty and the windows open. Ursa's eyes widened when she noticed one of the Kemurikage drifting away in the distance, cradling her sleeping daughter in one arm.
"Kiyi!" she shouted, desperately. "No! No, stop!"
The Kemurikage looked over her shoulder, watching them running toward her. She sighed gently, raising one hand and breathing out "sleep". Immediately, they collapsed to the ground in a heap and the spirit calmly drifted away into the darkness.
"This is to keep them safe." she whispered, "It's for their own good."
O
Teng was curled up at the edge of the cliff side, watching the moon above them. Hina was sleeping beside him and he spent a moment watching the human child, a small chuckle escaping him.
Sen eventually joined him and sighed, disappointed. "I'm sorry," she said, "Maybe bending lightning is something I can't do. Azula's still trying to get it and I have faith in her. Maybe it's not enough."
Teng sighed slowly and his movement stirred Hina from sleep. She blinked a little, looked around before smiling up at the dragon.
"I'm sorry. I was tired from the trip." she said.
Teng looked down at Sen. "You're a warrior made for killing," he explained, "You were not taught to love someone else. You were always at war not just with the nations, but within yourself. Your mother wanted you to be better than that and so, the storm raged on. You're pulled toward one life, but you want the other."
Sen's eyes widened in surprise when Hina translated his words. "How do you know that?"
"The spirit world is restless, as of late," Teng replied, "You must understand. The shadows are stirring. There's an anger on the wind." He paused now, eyes narrowing toward the distance. "You need to leave. Return home to the Fire Nation Capital. Something is wrong."
Hina looked worried now and looked to Aang, who had already begun sensing the change as well. "He's right. We need to go back."
Azula let out a frustrated shout and struggled to produce lightning. "This is ridiculous!" she spat.
Sen looked back at her worriedly before she approached and Hina soon followed. While she was trying to comfort Azula, Katara looked at Aang.
"What's wrong?" Katara asked, her voice low.
"The spirits are restless and..." Aang's eyes widened, unsettled. "They're angry. REALLY angry."
"Why are they angry?"
"I don't know. But we need to go back. I think they're in trouble."
Azula scowled, pulling away from Sen. Her eyes were wide, her breathing uneven as she formulated a frustrated stream of words.
"I can't just NOT BEND lightning, Sen!"
"I understand it's important to you, Azula. I really do, but we - "
Azula thrust a finger in her face. "No, you don't! I can't just...NOT BEND LIGHTNING!" she spat, her voice high with rage.
"Azula, calm down!" Katara snapped, stepping up to them. "We will figure this out and we'll do whatever it takes. But you need to SHUT UP and think about how YOUR YELLING might be UPSETTING other people."
Azula was ready to offer a nasty retort of her own until she noticed that Hina looked worried; her eyes relaxed and she took a moment to even her breathing before she nodded.
"Right." she said, with a curt sound. "Of course."
Teng clicked his teeth with a small hiss before he moved closer to Azula, regarding her with a thoughtful sound to follow.
"Princess Azula, you will never bend lightning if you cannot calm the storm in your head." he said, while Hina spoke his words once more, "For you to do that, you have to release the strings of your father's influence. You have to be more than a creature of war. You have to find a new purpose."
Azula didn't know what that purpose had to be. She was searching for a 'hobby', but she had ultimately failed in that regard. She didn't understand what other purpose she could serve if not for being royalty.
"Guys!" Aang was already moving to Appa's saddle, "We need to go!" He looked at Sen and Azula apologetically. "I'm sorry."
"Oh, well, if the Avatar is sorry, that makes it all better, doesn't it?" Azula hissed, waving a dismissing hand.
Teng looked at Aang. "I don't pretend to understand or hope for more from humans but..." He sighed slightly. "You have my sympathies, Avatar."
"We'll come back for you." Aang promised. "Thanks for trying to help Azula."
Teng's eyes softened slightly. "The Princess can only help herself."
They climbed into Appa's saddle and took to the skies. Teng watched them go and turned, making out the sounds of soft hissing behind him. He looked back, spotting the snake spirit who watched the scene with an amused chuckle. Teng's eyes narrowed at the sight of him.
"You knew, didn't you?"
The snake laughed a little. "Well, I've been bored, Teng. The human woman came to me, first."
"You wanted to stir chaos. Of course. Such is your way."
The snake slithered closer to him, curious. "I thought you'd be happy with my involvement? She asked for a deadly poison, so I gave it to her. The Fire Nation will fall and your species will be avenged."
Teng didn't answer. It was true. He could have felt peace with that, but he didn't.
"We will just see how it plays out, won't we?" the snake told him, with a small laugh to follow.
O
Everyone had awoken in the street.
Ursa was panicking, pacing around while Noren attempted to comfort her. Zuko wasn't sure what to do to try and ease his mother's mind, but he knew that finding the kids was a priority and he had to act now.
"There were four more kidnappings this month!" Ukano shouted, "And now, Ursa's daughter is gone! Our citizens are so frightened that many are planning to leave the city before sunrise."
Zuko shook his head. "I don't blame them."
"I know. But we'll find them. We'll find all of them." Mai promised.
One of the guards looked up and pointed behind them. "Wait, what's that?" he asked, uneasy.
Everyone turned and were stunned to see the thick fog from the distant village making its way slowly toward the Capital. Soft, ghostly whispers reverberated through the air and Zuko's eyes widened.
Meanwhile, Kiyi was waking up in the room where the kidnapped children were being kept. Each one of them seemed to be passing the time in different ways; two of the kids were sitting on the lower bunk of a bed, reading a book together; another two, both girls, played with dolls, while still two more play a game of Go. Away from the others, another group played with toys.
Kiyi noticed Tom-Tom sitting nearby, playing with a toy Komodo Rhino. She made her way up to him and took a seat. He smiled when he saw her.
"Hi!" he said, "Want to play?"
"Where are we?" Kiyi asked.
"The ladies in masks brought us here," Tom-Tom told her. "They're really nice. They give us food, toys and stuff."
Kiyi frowned, confused. "But they took us away from our parents."
Tom-Tom was unsure about that for a moment. "Yeah, but the one lady said she's doing it to keep us safe from the bad people."
"What bad people?"
"I don't know. But they're not bad, like my sister said they were."
Then, the children looked up as one of the Kemurikage appeared in the room in a swirl of smoke. But it seemed that it wasn't meant to scare them. She spoke in a soothing, gentle voice.
"Are you hungry, children?" she asked.
Most of them were excited to eat, but Kiyi didn't seem sure. She stood there, watching as the spirit drifted out of the way as the children made their way to a basket filled with food for them to eat. She didn't like this and she certainly wouldn't eat what a spirit offered.
She only wanted to go home, but she had a feeling these spirits wouldn't let them.
One of the Kemurikage drifted silently toward another and leaned in close, whispering for a moment. The one who had spoken nodded briefly and departed from the room in a drift of smoke. Kiyi was curious, so she wandered toward the wall and peeked through a small hole, spotting the spirit being addressed by a human woman.
Cho.
"You have them, good." Cho said, setting her cloak aside on a nearby table. "Enenra, was it?"
The Kemurikage nodded. "You saw my name at my grave. Where you've taken my totem."
Cho smiled at her, shrugging her shoulders. "I had learned much from the snake spirit. You take the children as I ask of you and stir a little fear in the hearts of the superstitious. It gets me what I want and you can have the little ones the warlords took from you."
The Kemurikage sighed, lowering her head. Her tone was even, but a thinly veiled bitterness crept in. "You know the price for utilizing the spirit world for selfish gain."
"Oh, yes, but the snake spirit gave me his full reassurance that the price will not be paid," Cho continued, confident in herself.
A small chuckle from the spirit. "And you believe him?"
Cho sighed, waving a dismissing hand in the air. "Just get out and do what I told you and your ladies to do."
"As you wish."
And with that, the spirit was gone in a swirl of smoke.
O
The fog was thick when Aang and the others returned to the Capital; there was no one on the docks and it seemed to have been abandoned in a hurry. There were spears lying on the ground, along with discarded baskets of fish and other cargo.
Hina made an uneasy sound, Azula squinted and Sen tensed.
Appa let out a small groan and Hina looked at him sharply. Aang caught the look and stared at Hina with concern. "What is it? What's he saying?"
"He can't fly over the fog," Hina said. She squinted at Appa for a second before nodding. "He says the fog keeps him from seeing where he's going. The people in the fog might hurt him."
They reacted with unease.
Aang closed his eyes, catching the faint whispers around him; the spirits were here in droves, but their rage was strong and it nearly stole the breath from his lungs.
"Guys, this is bad. This is really bad," he told them, "These spirits are angry. We need to get to the palace and find Zuko and the others. We need to make sure they're safe. This spirit fog will start affecting people inside of it for long."
"Affect them?" Katara was concerned.
"Seeing things, hearing things," Aang explained, "The spirits can affect us in different ways and we shouldn't stick around to test them."
"And how would you like us to do that, Avatar?" Azula said, with a frown. "Walk through this fog in a single file line?"
Aang smiled a little. "Actually, that's a good idea, Azula." He began to explain. "We can get lost easily in this fog if we're not careful. We should stay together as close as we can. But we can't separate, no matter what. If we do, we get lost and you don't want to end up lost in this fog."
Katara looked around, catching whispers that made her shiver. "Sokka and Toph left for home before this fog hit."
"Good. Then we know they're safe." Aang said.
He held out his hand to Katara and she took it. Then, Sen took Katara's and Azula took Sen's. Hina took hers and they made their way into the fog. Aang attempting to use airbending in front of them to make their way through it.
"Stay together," Aang whispered, "The village these spirits came from...they've brought other spirits with them. We have to be careful and not talk to any of them. They'll try to trick us."
They immediately stopped when something darted through the fog. Hina let out a yelp of fright before crouching in a bending stance. Everyone stood, back-to-back and ready to bend.
"What is that?" Sen whispered.
A giggle and Aang noticed the form of a man standing in the street, arms behind his back. His position was confident and not at all what he expected. This spirit wasn't a human spirit. This one was stronger, perhaps dangerous to them. Whatever this spirit was, he had to be careful to show respect. Maybe it wouldn't -
"Good evening, Avatar."
The voice was low, menacing and two sets of eyes opened through the fog. A chuckle escaped the being standing there and Aang pointed his staff at him.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"Just a monk. Nothing more."
But his tone suggested he was much more than that. Aang could hear the power in his voice and feel the strength that radiated from his shadowy frame.
"Why are you here with these vengeful spirits?" Aang asked, "If I can just talk to them, I can help them."
"They don't want your help," the spirit explained, with amusement, "They want revenge on the previous Fire Lord for their deaths. Their rage festered and corrupted the village, poisoning the earth and choking the light away. Their cries for blood called to us, drawing my siblings and I to it. I think you know who we are, don't you?"
It was true. Aang knew of the malicious spirits that roamed the Spirit World. He knew that he would never want to encounter them. It was in their nature to be malevolent as it was in his nature to maintain the balance. There could be no good without evil.
"What do they want with Ozai?" he asked.
"Ozai left their village to burn," the spirit explained, "They refused to fight his war and attempted to rise against him. He didn't like that, you know..." His voice was almost smooth and seductive as he continued to explain. "Not one. Little. Bit. So he sealed them away and burned their world to the ground. Let them have their fun, Avatar. Do they not deserve it?"
"No! That won't bring them back! They need to be put to rest!"
The spirit made a thoughtful sound. "Such a typical Avatar thing to say. Speaking from wisdom, but not understanding. Like Azula, really. She plays the part of power, but she won't ever understand its language. Oh! You should go find her. One tends to lose oneself in the fog and she isn't exactly holding on with a firm grasp."
At that, Aang looked over his shoulder before his eyes widened when he saw they were gone. "GUYS!"
O
Ursa continued pacing around the chamber.
Zuko and the guards had barricaded the palace doors and several civilians they'd been able to get inside were crowded in the throne room. Everyone was speaking nervously to one another until Zuko turned to address them.
"You're safe here." he told them.
"For how long?" someone from the crowd cried.
Zuko wasn't sure, but Mai stepped beside him and took his hand. "We know there's spirits in the fog," she told the crowds, "We don't know what they want or why they're here, but we're going to find out."
Mai looked at him when they stepped aside to speak. "How are we doing that, Zuko? We can't just walk out into that fog without a plan."
Zuko nodded his head. "Aang can help us when we find him." he assured her, "But there's a temple. The Fire Sage's Capital Temple. Remember? We can look for clues there. It's not far."
Mai laughed a little. "Right. You thought it'd be romantic to share a meal over the burial site of your ancestors."
"And I was right. It was romantic."
Mai chuckled for a moment before she approached Noren and Ursa. Immediately, Ursa looked at her, frantic.
"So? What's the plan?" she asked.
"Zuko and I are going out there." Mai explained, "We're going to the Temple to find clues on how to track and stop the Kemurikage. We might find something that can help us find the lost kids. You need to stay here and watch over these people."
Ursa nodded, though she wasn't mentally prepared to do so. The idea of her son leaving into the fog made her even more worried. She couldn't lose another child.
"Zuko, please." she pleaded, putting her arms around him. "Be careful. Find Kiyi. Find those children and come home to me safe."
Zuko smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, I will."
He addressed the crowds in the throne room. "I'm going to fix this, I give you my word." he promised them, "Whatever these spirits want from the Fire Nation, we'll find it and get your families back together."
Mai looked at Zuko after a few uncertain mumbles from those around them. "Are you sure about that? Do you even know where Aang is?"
"No." Zuko answered. "But these people are scared and safe here for now. That's what matters."
They made their way outside into the night, peering around through the fog. There were whispers around them and they spotted shapes move swiftly at the corners of their eyes. Mai drew her knives and Zuko stood in a bending stance. Two shadowy forms were moving around them, hissing softly.
Zuko and Mai could see them as they stood, flanked on both sides. Their heads were lowered and they were wearing peasant clothing of the Fire Nation. Their bodies were grey and lifeless and their eyes were cold, full of purpose. They didn't seem to be interested much in the two.
"Just go..." Zuko whispered, to Mai, "Slowly. Don't attack them."
Mai nodded and the two slowly made their way through the fog, staying close to the walls to keep themselves from getting lost. The spirits watched them, eyes narrowed. But they made no move to attack.
"Help!"
Zuko and Mai looked up, spotting Great Sage Shyu standing nearby, holding himself and shaking. His eyes looked distant, horrified. He was mumbling to himself, shaking his head back and forth until Zuko approached him, putting his hands on his shoulders.
"Great Sage Shyu!" he gasped. "Are you alright? It's me! Snap out of it!"
Shyu blinked and he let out a sharp gasp, focusing on the two. "Fire Lord! Forgive me, I was...lost." He squinted slightly, as if confused. "I thought I heard my father. But that isn't possible."
"This fog affects us differently," Zuko explained, "We have to stay together. Can you take us below? We might be able to find clues there."
Shyu nodded his head, still uncertain. "Of course, Fire Lord."
O
"Azula! Hina!"
Sen ran through the fog, desperately searching for her friends and family. She couldn't stop her heart racing, her mind screaming. She could see nothing through the fog.
"Where are you?!" Sen shrieked, at the top of her lungs.
She heard the sounds of shouts, followed by water splashing before she followed the noise toward a warehouse. Katara was there, water whips striking at air. She was angry, attacking something that was clearly not there. Sen rushed up to her and she let out a cry, striking the woman in the midsection and sending her stumbling.
"Sen!" Katara cried, snapping out of her reverie.
She rushed to the woman, who held herself, groaning. "Ow..." Sen griped, "There were two sides to that water whip and they both hurt."
"I'm sorry, here..." Katara helped her stand by taking her hand. "I just...I thought you were him."
Sen frowned at her. "Him? Who?"
"The man who killed my mother I..." Katara shook her head rapidly. "Nevermind. This fog's messing with my head. We have to find Aang and the others. We got lost somehow when..."
Sen nodded her head. "We have to find Hina and Azula. Hina's a child! She's alone in this fog." Her eyes filled. "I can't let her go through that alone."
Katara put her hands on her shoulders. "Sen, don't worry. We will find her. I promise."
Sen smiled tearfully, nodding her head.
"Let's stay close and keep moving." Katara assured her. "Remember what Aang said; don't let the fog get to you. They're just lies."
Sen nodded in response. She was only focused on finding her family.
Meanwhile, Cho was making her way into the fog with Katsu beside her. They were wearing masks to protect themselves from the fog's influence.
"Don't worry, my dear husband." Cho assured him. "They won't harm us. Their interest is only in the Fire Lord. We have to find Sen."
"The spirits are real!" Katsu whispered. "I thought that village curse was a myth."
"And that is why we used it!" Cho said, with a small laugh. "This world is full of the superstitious. They would have kept away from it. That is how we were able to pull this off."
"Did you know?" Katsu asked.
"Of course! Remember. The snake talked to me. It gave me the tools I needed to craft the perfect poison." Cho was reverent in her words. "He allowed me the chance to get back at her for taking everything from me. My son. My legacy. So I think she should suffer the same. It is...only fair."
"Sen's still family, too."
Cho looked at him before scoffing. "Oh, please. She forfeitted that right the moment she was born."
"That isn't her fault."
"No, but killing my son and taking from me is. And I will have justice."
Katsu sighed softly, but nodded. "Very well."
It was going to be a long night.