Earth...Fire...Water...Air... This is the age of the new Avatar, and after many years of chaos, the world is poised to enter into a time of prosperity and peace. But every light casts a shadow, and in the days to come, the very balance of the universe will be in danger, and the true purpose of the Avatar will be revealed. The Avatar's name is Usagi, a warrior of love and justice, and despite all the great deeds she has accomplished, her story is not over yet!

AVATAR

The Celestial Sailors

BOOK THREE: DEATH

3: Spirit Terror

As they flew away from the Black Cliffs, Usagi's friends contemplated everything she had reported to them—the logging disputes, the voyage to the Black Cliffs, the fights on the islands, her own battles against the bandits, all the way up to when she was saved by the two mysterious women. She explained that she had followed them, but was unable to make any meaningful contact before they slipped away.

"Anyway," she sighed, "the reinforcements arrived and captured the rest of the bandits. Then I had a day or so to myself before you guys showed up. There wasn't much celebrating, though. We paid a high cost to keep this place safe." She looked away sorrowfully, the others sharing in her somber mood, particularly Rei. Artemis groaned his sympathies as Luna curled a little closer in Usagi's lap.

"Well, at least their lives meant something," Rei offered. "Lord Kuni and Lady Iku will be relieved to hear of this. I...know it's not much consolation, Usagi, but I'm glad you're all right."

"More or less," she sighed. She closed her eyes, still remembering the faces of those who had fallen. She told herself that those men and women were prepared for the worst, and had fought bravely to protect their land from a great evil, and that there was nothing more she could have done. She also reminded herself that this sort of thing was happening all over the world, and she couldn't allow it to depress her, lest she be unable to handle the next fight. Usagi didn't want to grow inured to the deaths and the sacrifices, but she couldn't let them overload her, either. She had to balance the two, just as she had to balance everything else.

"So tell us about these two women you met," Makoto said, impeccably changing the subject. "You said that one was an air-bender and the other was a water-bender?"

"Yeah. I didn't even see the water-bender, but I actually caught up with the other one and spoke to her for awhile before she ran off."

"What did she look like?" Usagi described her. All eyes turned to Minako to see if she knew anything.

"I've never run into any monk, man or woman, with that style of clothing. Mostly it's just orange, yellow, and brown. She might be from the Southern Temple, though. It's right next door to the Fire Nation, which might explain what she was doing here, and I'm completely unfamiliar with their fashion."

"What, really?" Makoto grinned, giving her a playful nudge. "The great Minako, diva extraordinaire, unfamiliar with fashion? And air-bender fashion, no less?"

"I know, it's the end of days. What did you say her name was, Usagi?"

"Haruka. Female, twenty, air-bender. That's all I got. I have no idea what she was doing there or why she ran off after saving me." The others let all this sink in for a moment.

"At least you were able to thank her," Ami said. "But what I don't get is how she was able to evade you after you caught up to her. Even if she was better at air-bending than you, your Avatar abilities should have compensated." Usagi made a face, recalling the last moments she had shared with the enigmatic woman. It was difficult to talk about, or even think about, because when she did, everything was reenacted for her as vividly as if it had happened a minute ago.

"It's because...well, she...she kissed me!"

The others stared at her, amazed and a little bewildered. Minako craned her head around.

"And...?"

"That's it! She just kissed me and left!" Minako frowned.

"That's weird. Apparently it worked, though. Hmm, I'll have to remember that one for later." Rei was a little more upset about this news.

"I take it this wasn't something you asked for."

"Well, no, it just...came out of nowhere."

"Was it like a kiss on the forehead?" Minako asked. Rei fumed.

"Mina!" She gave Usagi a more sympathetic stare. "If she did that without your consent, that's a problem. In all likelihood, we'll never see her again, but if we do, you need to confront her about that."

"You don't understand!" Usagi insisted. "I got kissed by a girl! I...oh my goodness, I kissed a girl."

"Against your will," Rei stressed. Minako smirked.

"Was it nice?"

"Minako, I swear!"

"Sorry, sorry," she waved, "open foot, insert mouth. I promise I'll take this seriously. You really should have slapped her for that, you know, or at least said something."

"Maybe," Usagi murmured, "but it all happened so fast. It was...shocking."

And, she had to admit, not entirely unpleasant. Coming to that realization made Usagi wonder whether she would have really consented to it or not, if given a choice. She thought about it so intensely that she froze, confused, teetering on an edge she never thought she'd be on. Rei saw the glassy look in her friend's eye and scooted closer, touching her hand.

"Are you okay? If...you need to talk..." Usagi snapped out of her haze and blinked, offering a feeble smile.

"What? Huh? Oh, yeah, uh, I'm fine. Sorry for spacing out like that. I just...can't believe I got kissed by a girl." Minako snickered.

"You need to sort out your priorities, bun-head. It's one thing to get smooched when you don't want it, but kissing another girl is not a big deal. I've kissed a few before."

Usagi's eyes bulged as she blushed hotly. "You have?!"

"Yeah, four of em'. Remember Blie Xhu? She was one." Usagi's eyes bulged even wider, if it were possible, and she pursed her lips tightly.

"Ah...r-really? Th-that many?"

"Yeah, I like girls, too. Girls and boys. People can do that, you know!"

"I know!" Usagi blurted loudly, grabbing Artemis's fur a little too tightly. He moaned softly and she relented. "It's just...not something I've ever been exposed to."

"Well, you have now, and I'm not the only air-bender who works that way. I've known guys who only like other guys, girls who only like other girls, and people who like both. 'The world is big and full of wonders', as Avatar K'ung Ming would say." Usagi took a moment to quietly process this, and slowly nodded her head. She was in love with Mamoru, no mistake about that, but after today...well, she was beginning to wonder just where on that spectrum she fell.

"Mina's right," Makoto chimed in, "it's no big deal. Even I've kissed a girl before." Usagi whirled around abruptly (so did Minako), staring in astonishment. Ami blushed but said nothing.

"What, seriously?!" the blondes shrieked. Makoto nodded nonchalantly.

"Just one, though, and I swore to keep her identity a secret."

"When did this happen?!" Minako insisted. Makoto crossed her arms defensively.

"That's a secret, too." Minako pouted, but ultimately shrugged it off. Suddenly, Ami chirped up:

"Um...I-I've kissed a girl too. I...I like girls...ah, exclusively, I mean...and it was...well, I mean, I enjoyed it, but, um...Mina's right, you know. I mean, it's a big deal if it's with someone you love, but, ah..." Now everyone was staring, even Rei. Whether she was overwhelmed with all these surprises, or was finally settling into the idea, Usagi relaxed and smiled warmly at her meek friend.

"I guess if even Ami says so, then it must not be an issue. I'm sorry for overreacting. Still, these lips are only reserved for Mamoru, so if I ever see this Haruka character again, I'll pop her one in the mouth!"

"That's the spirit," Makoto laughed. She noticed that Minako was looking at her queerly, before shifting her eyes to Ami. Had she already figured out Makoto's secret? If she had, she just shrugged and kept silent. Minako could respect other people's personal affairs...when she wanted to. Makoto took in a deep breath and faced their fire-bender. "What about you, Rei? Have you ever kissed another girl?"

Rei shook her head. "I've never kissed anyone before."

"Say what?" Usagi shrieked, almost barreling into her as she stared at the dark-haired girl. "Why? How?! You're so beautiful and elegant and...and cultured, and self-assured! I'd have thought boys were fighting tooth and nail over you!" Rei couldn't help but feel her ego inflating, and brushed her long hair aside proudly.

"While I am all those things and more, I haven't had the time or the capacity to engage myself in those pursuits. Besides, I'm not really interested in that sort of relationship."

"You're not?!" Rei nodded confidently, but Usagi seemed grief-stricken. Ami smiled, however.

"There's nothing wrong with that. People define their own happiness. Usagi has Mamoru, Makoto has Motoki, Rei likes being single, I prefer other girls, and Minako..."

"Thunderbirds only get the best fish by dipping their beaks in two lakes," she grinned. Ami giggled.

"Not how I'd put it, but yes." Usagi looked at Rei dejectedly, but the other girl simply offered her a countenance of peace and contentment.

"Are you sure I can't find someone to hook you up with?" Usagi wailed. Rei sighed.

"Yes, Usagi, I'm positive. I really am happy the way I am now, but thank you for your consideration." That still didn't seem to satisfy her, until Rei softened and touched her hand again. "Really, thank you, Usagi. I'm happy to know you're looking out for me." Usagi finally smiled and held onto Rei's thumb until they landed in the Patola region.

…...

The Patola Mountains were part of the Southern Air Temple, formed in antiquity when (as legend put it) Avatar Vamana reclaimed the world from an evil spirit. According to the story, the seventh Avatar, also the shortest ever recorded, bargained with this spirit to allow him possession of however much land he could cover in three steps. Thinking the diminutive man's efforts would be pitifully insignificant, the spirit agreed—and then Vamana took three colossal leaps into the sky, covering the entire globe and landing before an infuriated spirit (simultaneously proving the world was round). The spirit wanted to retaliate, but it was bound by its word, and relented. The Patola region was where Vamana had concluded his global tour, shattering the land so hard that he kicked up an immense mountain range.

Rumors of a "spirit terror" had only been circulating here for a month or so, but they were concerning enough for the Avatar to investigate. One of the reports actually came from Ishtar, one of Suen's crew; she had grown up in the area and had provided a wealth of information and detail. Aside from geopolitical, social, cultural, and wildlife information, Ishtar was familiar with several of the guardian spirits who sometimes appeared. Most of them were benevolent, and came out during festivals or holy days; a few were nasty one-off creatures several local heroes had fought or repelled. Based on all the other reports and rumors floating around, Ishtar had guessed that a Spirit of Shadows was the culprit in question. While not an especially terrible customer, Ishtar had warned Usagi's crew not to take it lightly.

"They're usually little blobby creatures, but also kind of wispy, if that makes sense," she had told them. "Once a month, whenever there's a full moon, they get big and fairly dangerous. The locals observe a strict curfew where they put out all fires and lights to drive them away, but sometimes an exo-something priest-type person has to drive them off." ("You mean an exorcist?" Ami had said, which Ishtar confirmed. All eyes had turned to Rei, the spiritual expert of the group) When Rei inquired about their strengths and weaknesses, Ishtar explained that the shadow spirits didn't fear the light so much as consume it, hence why the locals forbade fires when the moon's glow was its strongest. They lived in shadows, or made shadows; Ishtar wasn't too sure.

"People say they bring about winters, overcast skies, and help conceal thieves and killers," Ishtar had resumed. "Homes have gone completely dark in an instant when they're around. They hang around the Water Tribes, where sunlight is strongest, and hibernate every six months or so. I've seen a few, but they usually don't hurt people unless they're provoked."

Usagi had thought it odd that a creature of shadow would be attracted to light and driven off by its own element, but their behavior made sense: whenever it consumed lights, the shadows strengthened. Without any source of light to snuff out, the only thing they could do was move on to a more illuminated location. Rei was taking all of this into consideration as Artemis flew them south; when they landed, a few monks and locals greeted them, and filled them in on the situation. Their reports matched Ishtar's description, but this one was enormous in size, as big as a badger-mole, and it had already rampaged through two villages and a farm, ripping buildings apart and killing livestock.

"When does it usually attack?" Rei asked. Three of the monks glanced at each other.

"That's the strange part: it's been spotted more often in the daytime. They're always strongest at night, but during the day, they're harmless little wisps slinking out of sight. This one runs around willy-nilly. Che Xi can show you its tracks." An older man pointed them to a blackened path that carried a foul odor to it. Dried puddles of ooze dotted along the path, and anything that had once grown there was now dust. Makoto carefully bent down and scooped a dirt sample into a wooden bowl. Even with her inferior earth-bending abilities, she could tell that the land was withered and lifeless.

"Do these spirits of shadow always do this?" she asked, showing the crumbled earth to the monks. They shook their heads.

"No. They rarely touch the ground at all, and even when they do, it just makes that area look darker for awhile."

"Plants and grasses feed off sunlight to grow," Makoto added, tossing the dirt away. "If it consumes light, it might be stealing energy from the foliage around here. It looks like things just got personal for me, too." She looked at Rei and rolled her sleeves up, exposing her muscular arms. With a trail laid blatantly before them, finding the shadow spirit was no longer an issue. It cut a clear swath across the land, over rivers and through lakes, up the imposing mountains and back down again, even dipping into the ocean before coming to a stop at a nearby town. The girls spotted its rampage even from high above; Artemis swooped in and rammed the thing with his huge forehead, knocking it back as the girls leaped off. Artemis immediately let out a cry of pain as he struck the spirit and the fur covering his forehead wilted. Minako's heart caught in her throat as she heard his keening and stayed behind to help tend to him; meanwhile the spirit made its retreat.

"I'll stay, too," Ami said, opening a wine skin full of water she always kept with her. She applied her healing touch to the air-bison, soothing the burn. As she was working, she looked tentatively to her other friends. "Will you be all right without us for awhile?"

"I'm pretty sure we can handle one spirit," Makoto said confidently. Ami offered a relieved smile and resumed her care; as she focused the water around Artemis's injury, she felt Minako touch her hand.

"Thank you," she whispered. Ami blushed, trying not to look too deeply in the other girl's eyes.

"Don't mention it."

The shadow spirit was an amorphous black mass of wriggling indefinable shapes, grown bulbous and huge from gluttony. It was in the process of breaking open a grain silo when a cluster of maple branches bent down and yanked it away. Two more trees, a pine and a birch, bent low and formed a cage with their countless wooden fingers, effectively trapping it. Makoto dusted off her hands as she approached the spirit while Rei prepared her ofudas. Usagi was already reforming the silo brick by brick, and anything else she could repair.

"Spirit of Shadows, hear my voice!" the priestess called. "You are unwanted here! You are a pestilence and a fear to these people. In the name of the Avatar, I banish you back to your own world. In the name of the Enflamed Stallion, I banish you. In the name of Fire Lord Kuni and Fire Lady Iku, I ban—"

"You don't understand!" came a wretched noise, gurgling and hissing out of the spirit's mouth. It strained against the branches surrounding it, breaking some but remaining a prisoner. "Let me go, I beg of you! I'll die if I stay here any longer." Rei and Makoto stared at each other in wonder. They didn't expect this creature to be capable of speech, and definitely hadn't counted on it begging for mercy. Rei continued pressing her advantage, waving the ofudas in accordance to ancient practices.

"I am banishing you to the spirit realm, great shadow. There you will be among your own kind. That is where you belong. I banish you swiftly—"

"Stop!" it screeched, flailing against the arboreal cage. "Just let me go! You're killing me if you keep me here!"

"What do you think I'm trying to do?!" Rei demanded. "I want you returned to the spirit world just as much as you do!"

"No," it groaned helplessly, "not there. There is Death in the spirit world for me. Here there is life, or a chance of it. Just let me feed a little more and I'll leave, you have my word. I just need more food."

"Haven't you had enough already?" Makoto countered. "Look at you! I've seen skinnier sloth-pigs in my time!"

"Just a little bit more," it insisted, as its fighting spirit waned. Eventually it stopped trying to break itself out. "Please, just one more village, one more forest, one more countryside. I just need a little more. I'll go into hiding for a hundred years when I've had my fill. You have my word."

"Hiding from what?" Rei said. "Tell us what you're running away from. Is it a mortal? Is it another spirit? We know about the Fomoriians, if that's what you're afraid of." The spirit gave a start at that, and for a moment, an expression of melancholy and awe could almost be seen on its shapeless features. But it soon wriggled away in despair.

"No, none of that. I'm running from something much worse...though truth be told, I don't know what exactly. But it...EATS my kind." Before Rei or Makoto could prod further, the shadow spirit let out a low thundering scream, and battered its body against the branches until it forced itself through—not by breaking them but by disseminating its own body into smaller puddles of goo, then reforming. The effort took a great toll on it, though, and it could only move with what could be considered a limp. Makoto cleared the trees from their path as they pursued it through the village orchard and out to the local fishing-pond. There they spotted the spirit stooped partially into the water, heaving huge draughts into a formless maw (it was drinking the light reflecting on the surface, though, not the water or its wildlife). They sprinted towards it for a few paces before the whole world lit up in a blinding flash, and stumbled to the ground, wincing in pain as they covered their eyes. Through the slits between their fingers, they watched as what could only be described as a vaguely humanoid figure rose out of the water, pointed a sword of sheer white fire at the spirit, and evaporated it as the rising sun evaporates night.

The dazzling figure hovered there for a moment, looking at the girls. Its luminescence was so blinding that the girls couldn't bear to look at it. They were on their knees as the brilliant entity touched down on the surface and approached them, but before it could get very far, it was disturbed by the arrival of a third party. Artemis had finally recovered from his wound and was racing to rejoin his friends, bearing Minako, Ami, Usagi, and Luna. Acting out of pure animal instinct, Artemis sent a blast of air against the creature, sending it flying into the air where it vanished in the clouds. The light dimmed almost instantly, leaving the girls perplexed and stunned. Makoto and Rei blinked until their eyes regained focus.

"Just what the heck was that?!" Usagi demanded. Makoto winced as she rubbed the last of the blindness out of her.

"Your guess is as good as ours. Whatever it was, it destroyed that shadow spirit." They then explained their earlier exchange with the creature, and the pursuit that led them here. The others were understandably baffled (neither Luna nor Artemis would go near the place the dazzling entity had touched down on).

"Do you think it was running from that radiant being?" Ami suggested. Rei nodded.

"That would be a sound assumption." Makoto shivered from the experience.

"It said that there was 'death in the spirit world'. Is that where those bright things came from?" They all looked to Usagi, who was peering closely at the place where the illuminated being had trod upon. She looked back at them, confused.

"What?"

"You have the best connection to the spirit world out of all of us," Rei said. "You should go there and do some investigating. Maybe Kalkin or your other selves might have some ideas, too." Usagi nodded slowly; she was still digesting all of this.

"Okay. I'll stay here and check it out. The rest of you should head back to the village to make sure everything's okay."

"Do you want some company?" Makoto asked. Usagi smiled as her cat curled up to her.

"Nah, I've got Luna here with me." Minako decided to leave Artemis with her, just in case, and the four girls walked back through the orchard and left Usagi to her meditations. Thanks to her time spent training under Vainamoinen, Usagi could pass over the barrier separating the physical world from the ethereal as easily as walking across a bridge. Shifting over felt like submerging herself in water, where sight and sound and movement changed, but with some patience and practice she could master the sensations. Without anything restraining her physical body, she levitated into the air and guided her astral form over the landscape, keeping an eye out for anything unusual.

Of course, since this was the spirit world, everything appeared unusual to her.

Usagi didn't need to look far to notice that something was amiss—and she didn't even need to use her eyes. The screams came at her from all over, rising as one gargantuan wall of torment. One moment she was floating in the usual chaotic tranquility the spirit world had to offer; the next, and it was all wailing and gnashing of teeth. The screams were so loud that they became physically painful, and she backed off, both hands pressed firmly against her ears. As she landed, she saw a wriggling mass of darkness darting in her direction. At first she thought it was running towards her, but soon she realized it was running away from something. Before it could get much closer, a blinding flash of light overcame her vision, and a sound like magma cascading against ice pierced the air. When she looked, an entity very similar to the one she had seen at the pond—similar, but distinct—appeared before her, wielding what looked like a flaming sword. There was nothing left of the mass of darkness. She opened her mouth to speak, but was forcefully repulsed by the entity, and broke abruptly from her meditations. She sat cross-legged on the grass for a moment, breathing heavily, her pulse going wild. Artemis brayed softly while Luna mewled fretfully. As Usagi slowly regained her senses, she instinctively caressed Luna's dark fur, more to assure herself than her cat. What was that all about?

When she tried to enter the spirit world again, she found that she couldn't—or rather, something was preventing her. Not knowing what else to do, she picked up her cat and headed through the orchard to rejoin her friends.

The end of "Spirit Terror"

Next time: "Ports and Portends"