"Roaming inbetween the worlds of sleep and awake

Seems so far away from where I've been and untrue but unafraid

Intrusting -- my soul -- I know I must be taken to see the world that is

Not so far from now"

Living Inside The Shell

muted fate; chapter XVII:

"crying out for love at the center of the world" or

"the monster that shouted 'love' at the top of the world"

She sat up and looked at Zuko, "I think I'm almost ready,"

It was early in the morning, the sun was on the verge of rising and most likely, everyone else in the castle was asleep. Katara's hair was down and lying around her shoulders. She waddled out of bed (the weight of the child on her hips caused her once normal walk to altered greatly) and stood as she looked at herself. She then looked at Zuko, who had rolled over to see her.

"Ready for what?" Zuko asked.

"Birth, of course," Katara growled.

Zuko sleepily rolled over, "Just let me know ahead of time before anything major starts to happen,"

Katara made a face. Over the days, with the birth drawing closer, she had speculated on the birth. Most likely, there was going to be aid from a midwife or older female while Zuko would either be in the hallway, the next room, but not watching. 'My mother was right when she told me about men,' Katara thought, 'She always said 'Men could be used to bloodshed, carnage, and all sorts of things, and they rarily have the stomach to witness the flesh, blood, and mess of childbirth – what bought them into the world themselves,' Katara knew for a fact that as soon as it happen, Zuko would avoid being in the room – he lurched when she explained to him what would happen through childbirth.

The sun was rising in the sky – giving a crimson gold splash to the sky. Aang let out a sigh and rolled over in bed. Zula's eyes opened and she smiled at him.

"Hey there," Zula said, smiling. She then said to him, "Hwo do you think I'd look in a white and gold wedding gown?"

"Lovely," Aang breathed.

Zula let out a girlish giggle and rolled out of bed, starting to get dressed, "I can hardly wait! I'll really show up those royal bitches when I get married! Would you believe they said that I'd never get married because I'm far too boyish! Those idiots! But they're making up for it! Today, the other woman and I are going to one of the cabins to discuss ladies' things together – probably they want to apologize to me,"

Aang just smiled in reply and Zula often loved him even more for his simple silence and listening. But often, he still thought about Beelzebub, Morningstar, and Iwatansei. And thinking of Iwatansei pained him the most, because he reminded him of being alive and being an Avatar.

'But I'm Suryan now,' Aang thought, 'The demon and the lover of Zula. Aang was only a kid. A goofy little kid who had big ears and always hoped for the best when the worst was in front of him. Aang was an innocent child. A simple innocent child.'

(And he died. He was killed by The Shadow and his corpse is on an island somewhere along with Sokka. Aang is nothing but a distant memory – the Avatar who was a child and died obscurely, almost as he had came back after a hundred years absence.)

Aang often hoped to try some find of guidance in his loneliest moments, and tried to reach Avatar Roku, and hope he would guide him like he did before. He had even tried to reach the spirit world and find some sort of guidance, but alas, demons didn't dream and it was impossible without that.

"Good bye, sweetheart. I won't be back until tomorrow afternoon, sadly enough. I'll miss you," Zula said to him, kissing him on the cheek. She then left.

Aang was left alone in the room for the next couple of hours. He sat in a chair, and took out a scroll he had hidden under the bed from the old necromancer's tower, about the three unknown elements, and tried to make sense of it.

'It's so crpytic. I wish Beelzebub was here to help me understand most of it,' Aang thought as he looked at the scroll, 'There are three characters – five, six, and seven – but there's no explanation to what they do. It could be encoded or something, but I can't tell,' He paused in thought. 'Beelzebub said that they were forbidden elements – so that must mean being able to Bend them. There's fire, water, earth, and air – but there can't be anymore than that…can there?'

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Aang said. A servant came into the room, "What is it?"

"My lord," the servant said, "The Fire Lord requests that you come to the meeting room right away to speak to him about your engagement to his daughter,"

Aang nodded, "Thank you. You may go,"

"Thank you, my lord," the servant said, and left.

Aang hid the scroll within his robe, but could barely contain his excitement as he left the room and went to the meeting room, which he found easily enough. This was the momemtn he had been waiting for after all this time. He arrived at the large doors of the meeting room and pushed them apart. He found the Fire Lord himself sitting at the end of a large wooden table. Aang closed the doro and looked at the Fire Lord – attempting to not look intimidated. He flet his mouth go dry as he looked athe Fire Lord's serious face. 'Why am I panicking?' Aang realized, 'I'm not Aang – I'm Suryan now. He doesn't know me,'

"Take a seat, why don't you?" said Fire Lord Ozai. Aang sat. The Fire Lord then looked at him – as if measuring up the youth compared to him, "So, you want to marry my daughter, Zula?"

Aang nodded, "Yes, sir,"

Fire Lord Ozai looked at him, "I heard of how you came here. I may not look towards the affairs of the women here, but I know they bring male concubines. You didn't knock up my daughter, did you?"

Aang shook his head, "No, sir,"

"Zula is my most favorite child. She is a Firebending prodigy. She will be great one dat in the future," Fire Lord Ozai said. He then glared at Aang, "Why whould I give her to you? Why should I let you into the royal family? I have several relatives who married their concubines, only to have them suck money from them and be a burden in the end. Why should I grant you your wishes?"

"Because I love her dearly," Aang answered.

"Love!" scoffed the Fire Lord, "What is love but an emotion, that makes men and boys weak in the knrees and causes pain for others and makes the smartest man an idiot," He then looked Aang in the eye, "What can you give me, boy? An acerage of land? Money? Grandchildren? I have that and more all the others. What makes you so special so think you'll be accepted?"

Aang paused. He then thought of something Zula had said to him the night they first met, "Like my father, I have a sixth sense," He felt a smile almost come to his face, but he forced himself to look serious towards the Fire Lord.

"I know things," Aang said quietly.

"A spy then? I have plenty of those," answered the Fire Lord.

"But I know about a specific thing," Aang stated, "I know about a murder,"

Fire Lord Ozai paused and Aang's fist clenched.

"I know a murder that took place months ago," Aang said, "of two young and innocent boys by a very powerful spirit – and the single girl that survived the massacre. I know that forbidden things were done in the name of a certain goal. A certain objective,"

The Fire Lord was still silent, but he turned pale.

Aang continued on, "And the big question right now is: why? Why? Why? WHY?" He stood up and shouted, "Why the blood? Why the pain? Why the sorrow? Why the chaos? Why the death? Why did people have to die! Answer me that!"

The Fire Lord was silent – silent as death.

Then, in one swift move, the Fire Lord sent a wave of flame in Aang's direction.

Aang parted it easily with cooling air.

"You can't kill what's already dead," Aang laughed. A grim smile plastered onto his face, "Do you hear me? Do you me, Fire Lord? You can't fucking kill what's already dead!"

The Fire Lord was left in a silence.

Then, he too laughed.

The crib was golden, forged from metals and decorated with elegant jewels. It was the most splendid of the gifts given and dwarfed all the other things given to the sacred mother by the people of the lower city. Katara marveled over the gift and then looked towards the three at the door.

"Thank you. You're far too kind," Katara said.

"Oh no, no, no," answered the man of them, "It's our own pleasure. Our people are natural gift givers,"

Three aristocrats had arrived at the palace, bearing gifts. A man dressed in fancy clothing (and oddly sporting a strange accent), a woman wrapped in a veil, and an adorable little girl dressed in a dark green velvet dress. The man claimed that they were "the people from down below" and came to the Fire Nation to seek the famous sacred mother. All three of them were pale ('A lot like that man Zula is marrying,' Katara thought, 'Maybe he's one of them,'). The woman, even thoughshe had a veil thatcovered her face and shaded most of her body, she had curly silver hair. The man had straight black hair. The little girl had curly black hair.

"This has really been too much, these past months," Katara said, "I was just a pregnant girl some months ago and now I'm the sacred mother all of a sudden! It's so hard to believe…"

"Seein' is believin'," said the man, "'n ya sure look like da sacred mother,"

"Well, I can't thank you two enough," Katara said, "What were your names again?"

"I'm Lord Eklepsis, ambassador fer da people from down below," said the man, "dis is my wife, Lady Chandran – I'm afraid tah say she doan speak ya tongue very well, 'n dis is our daughter, Rein," He then added. "Now, I'm lookin' fer a brother o' mine. Ya see, when we were travellin' here by sea, we were seperated in a storm 'n I've been meanin' tah find him. I hope nothin' bad has happened tah him. I believe he is called 'Lord Suryan' here…"

The Fire Lord smiled at Aang.

"My necromancer told me to watch out. He said one of my victims would come from beyond the grace and confront me, but I never expected you," the Fire Lord said, "Ah, that insane old man. He made prophecies before his death,"

"Death?" Aang asked, "What happened?"

"Necromancy is forbidden, you know. The penalty is death by burning at a stake," answered the Fire Lord.

"You monster," Aang breathed, "You used that old man and you killed him!"

"I maybe a monster, but I am a powerful one,"

"But why? Was my death and Sokka's worth your lust for power?"

"Sacrifices msut be made, but it shall pay off in the end,"

"But how did you do it?"

Fire Lord Ozai's smile widened, "So, you want the truth from me, hmm? The cause and the reason for your death? I suppose all ghosts want to know that…."

It began ordinarly enough. I was in my personal study, reading up about the legends written of previous Avatars. I was convinced there was some sort of weakness to them – a way to inflict their godly power. Death only led to rebirth and Bending was useless against them. I had been locked up in my study for days trying to figure it out but it was futile.. A puzzle missing a piece. An enigma made of shadows. There was no way to figure out the weakness of the Avatar and no way to conquer him. And then I was faced with a dillemma – if there was no weakness to the Avatar, then how could I possibly capture him and bend him to my will? Let alone defeat him.

'You'll never get it that way,' a voice said to me.

I thought I was losing my mind until I saw a shadow creep up in front of me. It had glowing red eyes – like fresh embers and it was as tall as I was maybe, even taller. I could not tell what it had been in its past life, for its shape was a giant shadow itself and shifted upon its form. As a child, I had a terrible fever that had almost brought me to the edge of death. But I survived in the end, but after that, I became sensitive to the unknown forces – ghosts mainly. This was a powerful spirit, I could sense then and I still feel that power now.

'What do you want, spirit?' I asked it.

'To aid. To help,' it answered.

I was always wary of bargaining with the unknown forces – demons, spirits, imps, and the like, but I had skill in the trade from years and years of experience. And I could sense the power from the spirit – this was no ordinary thing that had approached me, and I had grown desperate over time, – so I decided to at least explore it's offer.

'What do you offer me?' I asked.

The spirit loomed over the various scrolls and books I had pulled out and then looked at me, making a motion as if a teacher would shake his head at the student that missed the lesson entirely.

'Useless. This shall not aid you,' it said to me, 'The Avatar is a holy person – a god made flesh – to the peple. To capture or harm him would make the people act against you. It would be blasphemy to them. No, you do not need an Avatar you can capture and bring him to his knees. Oh no…that is not the way. What you need is an Avatar that you can control. An Avatar of your own. A puppet god,'

His proposal intrigued me, so I let him continue.

'An Avatar has one weakness – his humanity. An Avatar is born into the world by the flesh and blood of mortals but installed with a divine spirit that gives him the ability to bend all four elements. What experiences the Avatar has a child shapes his future as the adult. An innocent childhood shall lead a pure Avatar. A horrid childhood will twist the Avatar's mind until it snaps, and make him The Devil.'

It's speech grasped my mind with interest. I begged it to continue on.

'I have been watching you, Fire Lord Ozai. Watching you for a very long time, and you are the only man I have seen in my years that comes close enough to his goal. Now listen to me closely when I say this…'

It paused and then spoke again.

'An Avatar in your direct line would obey you because not only are you the Fire Lord, but an elder to them! You could train the Avatar in your own ways, teach them and groom them to fit your own will. A godly puppet controlled by a mortal. With that kind of power on your side, the people will bow to you willingly! If the Avatar is on your side, there is nothing that shall oppose you! You will not only control these lands, but the entire world! You will no longer be the Fire Lord, no, but World Emperor! The Fire Nation shall become The Empire of Fire!'

I had never even thought so far intot he futre. World Emperor Ozai – ruler of all of the world. The Empire of Fire – the greatest nation of all. It sounded like a great dream.

'Tell me!' I said, 'How do I accomplish such a feat?'

'Kill the current Avatar and kill him now,' it hissed, 'I have seen him and he is but a weak child. A simple sneak attack is needed – poisoning in the food, pushed off a cliff, a snapped kneck while sleeping peacefully…all will work well as long as we are discreet about it. Then, we must make sure the next Avatar born is sired from your line,'

Then the planning began from that point on. I summoned a necromaner to bring the spirit to it's original glory.

'The way you spirits strike your deals is an exchange,' I said to it after it had been summoned, 'You have given me the pathway to ruling these lands, but what do you want in return,'

The spirit wavered at this and I saw a strange tinge of sorrow in it's eyes.

'I was once an Avatar, long ago,' said the spirit, 'but I was so tortured by it. This was before the people understood the power of an Avatar – monster they called me, freak, mutant, a demon made flesh. I wanted to help them, but they hated me. I went mad, and killed many before they finally struck me down and burned alive at a stake for all to see. Then they took my remains – my charred bones – and hid them and never gave me a proper burial. No one even mourned my loss - there was a celebration instead.

'I had not given a proper burial – not even buried in the ground. No, I was burned at a stake. Because of this, I wasn't allowed into Heaven or Hell. No eternal damnation or bliss. Simple existance for all of eternity. Even my fellow Avatar spirits rejected me, saying that I had soured the name of the Avatar, and stripped me of my humanity – leaving me like this. I..I was a handsome person…but now…I…I don't…even…remember…what I…look like…'

If that spirt could had shed a tear, it would have done it then. Then it looked at me, as if pleading.

'I want my bones! I want my bones back! I want to be reborn so I can start all over again! Then…then when I die, I can go to Heaven or at least Hell. I don't want to be in eternal limbo like I am now. I…I want another chance…but not as the Avatar, but as a mortal. If I cannot be reborn, at least let my burial be proper. Let me be buried in the earth, so I can may at least suffer in Hell than stay like this. I know my bones are somewhere around here – I can sense them, feel them, but, alas, I cannot touch them because I am but a spirit. A mortal must give me a burial. You must find my bones,'

Most spirits requested money or women or other materialistic things such as that, but not this one. There was something underneath the surface besides an urge for revenge – a need for redemption. After he was summoned, I sent out several groups of my finest historians and the like to search for the bones.

The spirit did most of the work in the final plan. He used his previous Earthbending and Waterbending skills to part the sea and raise up an island from the sands below the waves. He made sure the island was in your direct path so that you would land on it. Then, he would kill you and any others there, but leave the girl accompanying you alive. He then made sure my exiled son reached the island by using Earthbending to move it.

The plan was complicated, but it has worked out so far and here you are faced with me now.

Aang was silent. For a few moments, he simply couldn't say anything. Finally, he found something to say.

"So it was planned…right from the beginning," Aang breathed. He then glared at the Fire Lord, "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill your right now for what you did,"

Fire Lord Ozai smiled, "I'm afraid I have none to give you," He then yelled. "GUARDS!"

Guards came sweeping into the room and they quickly gripped Aang like a common prisoner.

"This man is a spy for the Earth Kingdom. Take him to the dungeons," said the Fire Lord.

"You bastard!" Aang breathed, "I'm innocent and you know it!" He then felt one of the guards punch him the stomach. Aang still fought the guards, but he was still no match for them and was dragged away.

"Daddie, I wanna glass o' water," whined Rein for the third time as she tugged on Lord Eklepsis's sleeve, "Daddie, I'm thirsty!"

"Stop it, Lillith, or I'm goin' tah pop ya," Lord Eklepsis growled, as they walked down the hallway.

"She's just thristy," Lady Chandran answered.

"I know, but buggin' me about it en't gonna make it go away," answered Lord Eklepsis.

"Mommie–" Rein said to Lady Chandran.

"Just wait a little while longer, sweetie," Lady Chandran said.

"My good sir," said Lord Eklepsis to a noble man, walking down the hallway, "could you perchance tell us da location of Fire Lord Ozai? We are da nobles of da people from down below 'n we're here on a diplomacy mission,"

"He was last seen talking to Lord Suryan,"

"Lord Suryan? Really now?"

Aang grumbled. 'Another fine mess,' he thought. He was chained down in the dark and dirty dungeon. There were huge silver chains on his wrists and ankles. While the silver chains were not heavy, they burned his skin and caused it to blister and bleed. The dungeon had a single lamp in it – only to show him the disgusting area he was in. The Fire Lord watched him squirm with a smile placed on his face. He looked at Aang between the iron bars.

"Does it burn, spirit?" The Fire Lord asked, regarding the iron on Aang's skin.

Aang didn't reply. The dungeon floor was wet – the floor sludgy with gods know what and hay tossed onto it. Aang sat on a pile of dirty hay. It smelled, but it was a little bit better than sitting on the wet floor. He made sure he didn't keep eye contact with the Fire Lord – he didn't want to give him the satisfaction of his intense misery.

"I know for a fact that silver burns you creatures badly. Maybe I'll be kind to you and let you sample more of it, while I torture you," The Fire Lord chuckled.

Aang still didn't reply. The iron dungeon door creaked open. The Fire Lord looked towards the servant that entered.

"What is it?" The Fire Lord demanded.

"Sir, some ambassadors are here to speak to Lord Suryan," whispered the servant, sounding very nervous.

"Don't they know he is a spy?" The Fire Lord asked.

"I told them that, my lord, but they said it was a mistake and they demanded that they see him. It appears that Lord Suryan is one of their brothers," replied the servant.

The Fire Lord let out a low curse and said, "Let them in then,"

"Yes, my lord. Right away,"

After the servant had left, the Fire Lord turned his rage against Aang. Aang had barely picked up his head after hearing the conversation. 'What? Ambassadors? It's probably a mistake..' Aang thought.

"So! You're of nobleblood after all, eh?" said The Fire Lord to Aang, "Or are you just impersonating the dead son of a noblelady?"

Aang said nothing and the door opened once again. Three people stepped in – an elegantly dressed man, a woman shrouded in a veil, and a lavishly dressed little girl. Aang instantly recognized the man and the woman from the aura. 'Beelzebub! Morningstar!' Aang thought. The man made brief eye contact with Aang and gave him a knowing wink and then approached Fire Lord Ozai.

"I am Lord Eklepsis, ambassador tah da people from down below," the man said, smiling, "Dis is my wife Lady Chandran 'n my daughter Rein. We came here from afar tah see da sacred mother 'n greet da famous Fire Lord in person,"

Fire Lord Ozai shook hands with Lord Eklepsis. As the two shook hands, they curiously looked at each other, as if they were measuring each other.

"Brother!" Lord Eklepsis said to Aang, rushing over to the bars. He looked at the Fire Lord, "What is my younger brother doing in jail?"

"I.." the Fire Lord began. He then spoke through clenched teeth, "I mistook your brother for a spy," He then spoke to a servant standing near the open dungeon door, "Let him go,"

As soon as Aang was unchained, he went with Lord Eklepsis and the others and showed them to his and Zula's room.

"Nice room," Lord Eklepsis, Beelzebub in disguise, said as he sat in a chair and stretched.

"It's hard to believe it's you two," Aang said to Beelzebub and Morningstar.

"It's been a long time," Morningstar replied. He sat on the bed with Rein sitting in his lap. Aang marveled at how well Morningstar played a woman. His voice was soft spoken and with his face hidden away by the veil he was wrapped in, it was almost impossible to tell he was really a male underneath.

"But who's this?" Aang asked as he looked towards the little girl, Rein, sitting in Morningstar's lap, "She's not human, I can tell,"

Rein was a lovely looking little girl. Fully ruby lips, dark eyes, curly dark hair, and ivory skin, but Aang could tell there was something abnormal about her. He could see the tiny points of horns sticking through her hair.

"It's rude tah stare," the little girl said to Aang.

"She's our Lillith, though she's Rein tah everyone else," said Beelzebub, patting Rein/Lillith on the head.

"You mean you adopted here?" Aang asked.

"We made her," corrected Morningstar.

"Made?" Aang asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Lillith is a demon," Beelzebub said, "Morningstar 'n me made her," He smiled. "Demons can have kids two ways – you can knock up a girl, or you can make them using some simple magic,"

"How does that work?" Aang asked.

"Two strands of hair from each of the parents, wrapped in a sprig of mandrake, and buried in the ground under the light of a full moon," Morningstar said, "and nursed with it's mother's blood for seven days, add a little magic to keep it healthy, and you have a demon infant,"

"Really? That sounds simple," Aang said as he looked at Lillith.

"It's not that easy," Morningstar said, "especially wheny ou're the one giving up tons of blood in the process. It's draining,"

"Is her tongue silver like your's, Beelzebub?" Aang asked.

"No, she just has a lisp," Beelzebub answered.

"Does she still take blood?" Aang asked.

Morningstar paused, "Yes and no. Lillith can eat food and it doesn't bother her but she still needs some blood. She's too young to hunt on her own right now, so she often give it to her,"

While the image of cute little Lillith feeding on people did disturb Aang a little bit on many levels, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous towards Beelzebub and his new family.

In her spare time, Katara often sat in bed and read letters from Seyvan, Pepper, and Ashes. Their training wasn't only fighting but also consisted of reading and writing skills, which they often tested by writing Katara. She would often send them things back. Zuko entered the room and looked at her.

"Zuko, I'm worried about Seyvan and Pepper," Katara said to him after reaidng their most recent letters.

"What happened? Did they get into a fight or something?" Zuko asked as he sat beside her.

"No, it's nothing like that," Katara answered.

"Then what?" Zuko asked.

Katara sighed, "Zuko, I have a confession to make. I didn't want to tell you from before because I was afraid you would overreact," She paused. "You see, one of Seyvan's trainers started sending me letters months ago about how Seyvan is acting towards Pepper and she's concerned because they're supposedly brother and sister,"

Zuko blinked, "…so?"

"Zuko, before we adopted them, do you remember anything a little strange between Pepper and the other boys? Anything, a little bit noticeable towards how they were with each other?"

When he truly thought about it, Zuko did. Even though he didn't spend too much time around them, he sensed that there was some sort of ongoing rivalry between Seyvan and FourEyes – mainly because that no matter where Pepper often went, they would try and follow her, while Pepper laughed and smiled, oblivious to what was really going on. He also remembered FourEyes and Pepper going off somewhere else in the house while they were on Hishigata Island and returning.

"Uh oh…" Zuko realized.

"Zuko, do you remember how Pepper told us that all of them had been raised in the same village together for the longest time? And they had been orphans together for the longest time?" Katara said, "Sometimes, when a boy and girl are together for a certain amount of time, they start to develop feelings for each other…"

"…but they're brother and sister!"

"But they both know that they're not really related to begin with, and yet they know that they're brother and sister now, and I think it's frustrating them. Also, I think it's gotten even worse since Seyvan is older now and Pepper will be too, soon,"

Zuko sighed, "Fine, I'll talk to Seyvan when they come home. They'll be here within a few days anyway,"

"Don't be too harsh towards him. He's still a little boy,"

Zuko grumbled in reply. The sun had begun to set and thunder boomed outside as rain began to pour. Katara looked out the window.

"The monsoon season must be here," Zuko sighed, "With everything else going on, I almost forgot,"

"You have monsoons here?" asked Katara.

Zuko nodded, "Yes. There's three seasons – dry, moonson, and mud. Most of the Fire Nation is actuallly swamp and desert. You can't really tell because everything in the upper city is paved over, but if you go down to the lower city, it's awful during this time of year,"

"By the way, where have you been all day?" Katara said, "It was like you dissappeared or something!"

"Oh, just here and there," Zuko answered.

In truth, he had actually been talking to some of the generals. The large comet sent into the sky by Fire Lord Ozai had returned with the recent end of the summer and struck the Earth Kingdom – decimating most of the capital, andmaking it ripe for conquest. The Fire Nation forces were moving out and closing in on the city. With the Earth Kingdom taken, their goal was in sight. The other concern ws within the lower city – there had been an increased amount of mutilated animals and peasants in the fields – their blood drained away by puncture wounds or their chest cavities opened up and the hearts removed. Bloody footprints nearby suggested some sort of cannibal feeding frenzy. The third concern was with Aunt Sutashia, who seemed to pop out of nowhere at random moments in time and abuse him with her fan for varied reasons, and he had to devise a plan to avoid her as much as possible.

But it was getting late now. They were both tired and the upcoming dreary monsoon season wasn't making it any better. They settled into bed with the lamp light extinquished as rain heavily poured onto the rooftop and echoed through the rooms and hallways.

Beelzebub, Morningstar, and Lillith didn't leave until late into the night. Before they left, Beelzebub had some words with Aang in private.

"Kid, that Fire Lord knows what we are," Beelzebub said, "He touched me 'n he knew I was a high demon. He could probably sense it in Morningstar too. Be careful around him, kid,"

"I will," Aang said.

"Remember, you're one of da people from down below," Beelzebub said with a wink, "Come tah da outskirts of da lower city sometimes 'n you'll see. Dere's a whole cluster of us there – living as rich as ya could get! Men, women, 'n children – all demons,"

"I'm fine here," Aang answered, "but I'll keep it in mind. Goodbye, Beelzebub,"

"Goodbye, kid. Take care of yaself, okay?"

And Aang was left alone to await Zula's return from her venture with the other noble women.

'So we're at a stalemate, Fire Lord? Isn't that ironic?' Aang thought, 'I can't touch you without giving myself away. You can't touch me without angering my high demon friends. No where to go. No forward. No back. No enter. No return. No escape. The eternal loop. Double or nothing. All or none. Isn't that a fucking kick in the pants?'

So he would wait. And the Fire Lrod would wait. None of them unable to move until the other. An eternal stalemate for the both of them.

The rain continued on for the next two days. The cobblestone streets were covered over with grime and sludge from people's muddy feet. Everyone mostly stayed inside. No one would dare venture outside into the rains. Katara laid in bed on the second night, some hours after midnight. Zuko was lying asleep next to her, but she couldn't fall asleep. It was as if her body was forcing her to stay awake. The sound of rain echoed through the room.

Suddenly, she sat up and felt rapid movement coming from within her. Thunder bellowed as she felt another and grabbed her sotmach. Tears ran down her cheeks as she yelped at the increasing pain coming from within.

Zuko stirred, "Katara? What's wrong?"

Katara groaned and gasped, "Oh gods…Zuko, I think I'm ready to have the baby,"

Zuko rolled over sleepily, "Okay, that's nice," It took at least two minuets for what Katara had said to sink into his mind. "WHAT?"

Katara gasped and panted, "…baby…now…"

Zuko then realized three things: one – his wife was going into labor and two – there was no midwife available at the moment because of the rains which meant that three – he was going to have to ask someone for help and he knew only one person, which made him groan. 'It's for Katara…it's for Katara…' Zuko repeated in his head over and over again as he approached the tower door. It was raining heavily outside, making the entire courtyard have an inch of rain over it. He knocked at the heavy wooden door loudly and after a few minuets, it opened.

"What the hell do you want? It's two hours after midnight! I need my beauty sleep!" yelled Aunt Sutashia.

"Hello, Aunt Sutashia…" Zuko breathed.

"Boy, it's the middle of the fucking night! What the hell do you want?" yelled Aunt Sutashia.

"Katara went into labor," Zuko breathed, "and I need your help,"

At hearing this, Aunt Sutashia ran towards the main palace, almost knocking Zuko over, "Then what are you standing here for? We have to help her, you idiot!"

The pain was almost too much for Katara. She fought to stay conscious but it was too difficult. She took it raspy breaths as Zuko and Aunt Sutashia entered the room. Aunt Sutashia sat next to Katara and looked at her.

"She's in rough shape for a healthy girl," Aunt Sutashia said, "but it is her first delivery," She glared at Zuko. "No thanks to you,"

"I told you already, it's not my fault," Zuko growled, "How much longer?"

"I'd say five more hours," Aunt Sutashia said.

"That long?"

Aunt Sutashia then proceeded to whack Zuko with her fan at hearing this statement, "Don't be such an air head! Childbirth is like pushing a watermeleon through your legs – which is about as painful as taking your lip and stretching it to the back of your neck! Would you like me to simulate that pain for you?"

"No, that's okay. I'll use my imagination," Zuko growled.

"Good then! Now make use of yourself and boil some water, get some rags, and get ready to catch!"

"I understood everything exepct for that last part, "

"Don't be stupid! I'm not going to get my clothes dirty catching your baby! You're the father! Take some responsibility!"

"But – but I really don't want to–"

Aunt Sutashia, once again, started to whack him with her fan as she yelled at him, "Oh, all you men are the same! You can stand to look up a girl's skirt but when your child comes out, you don't want to be in the room! Now grow some balls and get ready! What are you waiting for? Get moving!"

"Yes, Aunt Sutashia…" Zuko groaned as he went to do as he was told.

The next three hours were grueling for all three in the room. Finally, there came that final moment when blood was splashed everywhere – on the bed sheets, on the floor, and onto Zuok and the cried of a wailing infant went through the room. Zuko – his face flecked with Katara's blood – looked athe small child. Katara panted and passed out – her energy gone.

"It's a girl," Zuko breathed, trying not to sound dissappointed.

"A joyous day indeed!" Aunt Sutashia said, smiling, "You finally did something right, nephew!"

Katara laid silent, but she had heard and she found herself smiling.

The first sunlight that laid on the baby's soft skin outlined her features. There was small mop of hair on the head. For having just been born some hours ago, she moved often – legs kicked, arms flailed, and the like. However, there were some things that concerned Katara and Zuko greatly.

The eyes were mismatched – one yellow and one blue. The hair had streaks of both black and silver. The baby would twitch, writhe, and even attempt to bite if held by anyone else that wasn't Zuko and Katara. Aunt Sutashia tried to hold the infant, but she instantly wailed and screamed until returned to Katara's arms. Also, she had teeth – a row of very sharp, pointy, little teeth and when she bit things, she bit very hard, though she didn't bite Katara or Zuko. The last thing – which severly creeped Zuko out – was how she looked at the adults around her, as if there was some sort of spark of understanding in the baby's eyes whenever they spoke.

The two of them sat in the bedroom, after cleaning up the mess of the birth, and observed the baby. Aunt Sutashia decided to leave the two alone to be with their infant.

'She maybe the Avatar, but she's still of mixed blood, and it shows,' Zuko thought.

"She needs a name," Katara said as she held her tiny daughter. Zuko was more worried about the defects in the baby but in Katara's eyes, she was perfect the way she was and had no fear holding or coddling the infnat.

"You were right about her being a girl," Zuko said, "So you pick,"

The child looked at her parents and moved around a bit in Katara's arms. Katar kissed the baby on her soft cheek.

"Sadako," she whispered. The child looked at Katara and suddenly wailed.

"What's wrong?" Zuko asked.

"She's a little tired, I guess," Katara said as she rocked the infant.

Zuko suddenly felt the ground start to move underneath him and he saw one of the glass windows in the room start to splinter and crack. A glass cup filled with water in the room shattered instantly. Katara rocked the baby and put her in the golden crib, brought in from the other room. The infant ceased wailing and fell asleep.

"She looks like a little angel when she's asleep…" Katara breathed as she admired small Sadako.

"Katara," Zuko said as he gestured to the almost cracked window and shattered glass cup. He looked pale, "I think there's something a little strange about the baby…"

Katara's eyes widened, but small Sadako slept on peacefully in her crib. Sadly, she didn't continue on sleepin, for Fire Lord Ozai stepped intot he room. Katara glared at him. As soon as the Fire Lord entered the room, Sadako snapped her eyes open and looked up at her grandfather.

"What are you doing in here?" Katara sked.

"To see my grandchild, of course," answered the Fire Lord as he walked over to the crib. He observed the infant and smiled at it. Then, in one single move, snatched Sadako from the crib.

"SADAKO!" Katara yelled. She would have grabbed her child back if soldiers hadn't ushered themselves into the room – the ends of their metal spears pointed at Katara and Zuko's throats.

"You bastard…" Zuko hissed at the Fire Lord.

"Sacrifices must be made, my son," said the Fire Lord, "and I surely cannot raise the new Avatar with her parents getting in the way," He shook his head. "The peasants shall be sad to hear the sacred mother died in childbirth and her sire killed himself because of it,"

"You can't do this!" Katara protested.

"Of course I can. I'm the Fire Lord," answered Fire Lord Ozai, with a smile. He then said to the guards, "Kill them both,"

Zuko may have yelled something, but it went unheard of, for Sadako screeched at this point. It was a cry so loud that all the windows in the room shattered instantly. The metal ends of the spears twisted, split, warped, and bend. The room shook andbrick and tile fell from the ceiling. Several guards' ears began to bleed; some of them began to develop open wounds on her palms and bleed from the eyes and mouth. They dropped their weapons and backed away from Zuko and Katara.

"It's the power of the gods!" gapsed one soldier. Then he and other guards simultaneouslyswallowed their tongues and blood burst from their mouths and splattered onto Zuko and Katara, who were frozen in horror at what was going on.

Sadako's tantrum continued on as she kicked and screamed in the Fire Lord's arms, refusing him entirely. In an attempt to hush the angered infant, the Fire Lord tried to cover her mouth, but Sadako bit the hand and drew blood. The Fire Lord screeched and let go of Sadako. Zuko jumped forward and grabbed the infant, even before she could touch the ground.

The Fire Lord staggered back, his hand heavily bleeding from the deep, teeth marks. As soon as Sadako entered Zuko's arms, she ceased crying. The room stopped shaking and all the guards laid on the ground dead, lying in pools of their own dark blood. Zuko stood up and glanced at his father as he gave Sadako over to a shaken Katara.

"I admit defeat. You may keep your precious baby," the Fire Lordsnarled and left the room, clutching his bloody hand.

After he was gone, Katara rested on the bed and cradled small Sadako, who had settled into a deep sleep.

"What are we going to do?" Katara breathed, as she started to cry, "Zuko, your father was going to kill us and take Sadako,"

"It's okay, Katara. I feel like crying myself," Zuko sighed, "but we can't live in fear of him. My father saw how Sadako reacted to being seperated from us. He knows now that we're the only ones who Sadako accepts. You saw what she did to the guards, and he knows that. We're at a stalemate now. He can't touch us and he can't touch Sadako,"

Zuko sat next to Katara, admist the chaos and the blood. Sadako suddenly opened her eyes and cooed at him, smiling a little bit as she outstretched her hands towards her parnets. Bright sunlight filtered out of the cracked remains of one of the windows – splintering the light into different parts and displaying it on the walls beside the bits of blood splattered from before.

If anyone has any questions, don't fear to e-mal me and I'll reply. Also,don't ask me how Katara and Zuko are going to get rid of the bodies. (wink)– Zerosoul