You and I both know, that the house is haunted.
You and I both know, that the ghost is me.

Dearly Departed
Chapter One: Haunted

Azula never thought that she'd ever set foot in her family's beach home ever again. She hadn't been in the building since she was eight - the summer before her mother disappeared. Well, that wasn't entirely true. There was that beach party with Mai, Ty Lee, and her brother. They had all briefly entered the house to search for objects to burn in their makeshift bonfire. Even then, Azula made it a point to be in and out of the place as quickly as possible. Being inside made her uncomfortable, though she couldn't quite place why.

Maybe it was because everything inside was coated in layers of dust and grime, due to no one actively living there in nearly a decade. All the furniture and decorations remained - but was abandoned. The wooden walls and floor would creak and moan with age, and cobwebs coated the corners. It was dreary. She'd burn it down if she wasn't the Fire Nation's most wanted criminal. Torching her childhood vacation home would absolutely alert her brother - The Fire Lord - to her presence. Besides, the building was needed as shelter from the raging storm outside

Lightning flashed, quickly followed by roaring thunder. The rain steadily drummed on the rooftop, echoing throughout the home, and accompanied by a howling wind. She never liked the rain. Her firebending became weaker when it rained, and the bigger the storm, the less powerful she'd be. This storm was only going to get heavier as the night went on, which meant she would be stuck here alone for the foreseeable future.

Azula paced around the living room, trying to find a good place to settle in for the night. The task was proving to be more difficult than it should have been. It wasn't enough that the couches and chairs were too dusty to be comfortable. No, it felt like every object was layered with memories she'd rather not think about. She almost wondered if she would have been better off seeking shelter in a cave.

Another flash of lightning, followed by angry thunder. Azula flinched. It wasn't as if the thunder scared her. Of course not, she was a master of lightning. She wasn't afraid of a little storm. She flinched because being in this place put her on edge. Or at least, more on edge than usual.

It was getting cold.

There was a fireplace, but Azula didn't dare to use it. This house was supposed to be abandoned - if anyone saw smoke coming from the chimney, people might get suspicious. She couldn't be too careful, given her situation. Zuko was using every resource available to track her down after her little stunt with the Kemurikage. It was the same reason she didn't light any of the torches that decorated the walls - she couldn't risk someone unintentionally seeing the glow from outside.

The wind's righteous howl was getting louder, nearly shaking the house with its force. Azula pulled her black cloak tighter around her body. It was only going to get colder from here. Maybe it would be best if she found some other methods of staying warm - she had a feeling that it was going to be a long night alone.

She was pretty sure she had some old blankets in her old room. Of course, that meant that she'd actually have to go into her old room - which she wasn't particularly keen on doing. But the drumming of the rain was getting louder and faster in rhythm, and the wind outside sounded like screaming. Goosebumps were starting to form on her arms...from the cold, of course.

If she was a more superstitious person, she might say that the house felt haunted. It was haunted by memories if nothing else. She sighed, turning to walk down the hall that led to her former bedroom. She wasn't about to spend the night freezing just because she didn't feel like reminiscing.

The hallway was dark and winding, the old floorboards loudly creaking with every small movement. Elegant portraits of various members of the royal family lined the walls, all seemingly staring at her. To add to the eerie environment, none of her ancestors looked particularly happy in their pictures. Maybe that was just a family trait. Still, walking down the hall, it felt like the portraits were judging her for her string of recent failures, failures that tarnished their great family legacy.

Or maybe she was self-projecting. She kept walking. She could see the bedrooms.

Oddly enough, none of the doors were fully closed, all cracked open ever so slightly. As she walked, she couldn't stop herself from glancing inside each room.

Iroh's room was first - and it was empty, for the most part. Large, floral paintings decorated the walls, and a vase holding some very withered flowers. A portrait of Iroh and Lu Ten hung proudly over the bed, their expressions just as stern as the other portraits. She moved on.

Next was her father's room. Even at their vacation home, it looked like a war-room. Weapons and armor and flags decorated the walls. She quickly turned away. If her father had caught her peaking into his room as a kid, she'd receive more than an earful. Even though he was in a prison miles away, instinct told her to move on.

Her mother's room was next. At their vacation home, her parents slept in different rooms. Another reminder that their marriage had always been loveless. The room was baron now, though she remembered that as a kid, it was filled to the brim with various flowers and plants from all over the world. It was almost like a garden.

Lu Ten's room was next. It was one of the bigger bedrooms in the house - the benefit of being the crown prince. As a kid, she and Zuko would play in there all the time. Lu Ten had always been more than willing to play Dragon King or Cops and Robbers or whatever game the two younger cousins wanted. Now, most of the room was packed in boxes. Servants had been sent to collect his things after he died. Azula guessed they never finished the job.

Finally, she reached her old room. She took in a deep breath, before pushing the door open.

The first thing that stood out to her was the various small scorch-marks that stained her walls. They were the result of spending her nights practicing her firebending forms in the middle of the night. Even as a kid on vacation, she never let herself have a day of rest. Besides, it wasn't as if she was going to sleep anyways. She'd always had trouble falling asleep at night, even as a kid. It made more sense to be productive.

There were many nights where Zuko would come in and yell at her to keep it down - that he was trying to sleep. Of course, she would always refuse. Though the two would try their best to keep their argument quiet - their mother would inevitably wake up and get involved, and of course she'd take Zuko's side. As their mother scolded her, their father would wake up and step in. They'd argue for hours, sometimes until the sun started to rise.

This would end in one of three ways. Most of the time, she'd be able to slip away and continue her training in peace somewhere else. Sometimes, Lu Ten would shuffle herself and Zuko into his room, and try and keep the two distracted while their parents fought through the walls. The worst was when she couldn't get away, and she'd be forced to witness the argument in its entirety. Her parents would scream words she'd never dare to repeat, and eventually, her father would reduce her mother to tears. She'd storm out of Azula's bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of the windows suddenly opening. Azula yelped, jumping into a firebending stance to take on any would-be attacker, only to realize it was the wind that blew the window open. She took a deep breath, collecting herself. This was place was stressing her out. She quickly went to close the window; the last thing this place needed was a draft.

She needed to get the blankets and get out of there. She approached her bed - two stuffed animals sat neatly on top of her pillows. The first was a black and red stuffed turtleduck - Ty Lee had given it to her on her eighth birthday - the day before her family left for vacation.

"His name is Ping!" Ty Lee had excitedly told her. Azula gingerly picked up the stuffed turtleduck, brushing the dust off of it. She nad slept with the turtleduck by her side each night of that vacation. A smile started to form on her lips.

The other stuffed animal was an oversized, fluffy pink platypus bear with big sparkling eyes - she'd won it while playing a carnival game (which, she may or may not have cheated at). The moment she saw it, she knew it would be the perfect present for Ty Lee. Pink was Ty Lee's favorite color, and platypus bears were her favorite animal. On top of that, it was so big and fluffy, it was perfect for hugging. Ty Lee loved hugging cute things.

But then her father heard her plan. He forbade her from giving it to her friend.

"She's a commoner, Azula," he scowled, "princesses do not give gifts to commoners."

She set Ping down, before yanking the blankets off her bed. She was done being in this room. She made her way to the door, before…

"We should be safe in here," the voice faintly echoed down the hallway. Zuko's voice. She dropped the blankets from her hand. Shit. She quickly stepped away from the door, putting her back against the wall. It looked like she was about to put her stealth skills to the test.

She took a deep breath, listening. The floor outside was creaking way too much for Zuko to be alone, and she needed to know exactly how many people she'd have to avoid.

"Thank goodness we made it out of that storm before it got any worse," another familiar voice - Suki, leader of the Kyoshi Warriors and Zuko's personal bodyguard. And if one of the Kyoshi Warriors was here, did that mean that…

"It's kinda creepy in here," there was no mistaking it, that was Ty Lee's voice, "Zuko, can you light the torches?"

A faint glow entered the room - most likely Zuko lighting the torches in the living room. "That's much better!" she heard Ty Lee chirp.

It looked like she wouldn't be spending the night alone after all.

Author's Note:
This started out as a one-shot, but I was so engrossed in writing it that now it will be a story in four parts. It's loosely based off the Shakey Graves song, but not enough that I'd call it a songfic. Anyways, thank you so much for reading!