Didn't See That Coming
by Rebirth of the Phoenix
Hey! Thanks for all of the reviews, I really appreciate them. School's as boring as ever for me so writing another chapter for you guys should make me feel better! So, on with the story. I hope you enjoy it, remember to review!
Disclaimer: I did own Avatar... but my dog ate it.
- - - - - - -
Katara looked at Zuko with wide eyes. "A cemetery? What do you mean?"
Zuko shook his head. "I don't know, it's just everything about this place. The fact that this place has been cut off from the rest of the town, and the poem." Zuko gestured towards the large, inscripted stone in front of them. "The whole place feels wrong, like we shouldn't be here."
He stood up and put his hand out for Katara. Katara nodded and let him help her to her feet. They turned and started back towards the log. They had barely taken two steps when the large stones that lay around the edge of the island pulled out of the ground. They reared up from the earth, ten feet in height; sticking out of the ground like jagged teeth. They were trapped.
Katara moved closer to Zuko. "What's happening?" She whispered.
Zuko squeezed her hand. "I don't know. Come on, we're getting out of here."
Before they could move a chilling voice cut through the air. "Oh I don't think so. You're never getting out of here."
- - - - - - -
As the sun dipped behind the trees surrounding the town, Iroh sighed. Zuko and Katara had been gone for quite a while, and they were nowhere in sight. He had checked in the tailors but the tailor said he hadn't seen the young Prince or the young girl. Iroh had taken Katara's clothes and sent them, and the rest of the crew, back to ship, along with Iroh's many purchases. Iroh now stood in the town square in the gathering dusk, waiting for the two teenagers. Thinking that they were probably doing some hormone driven activity he chuckled to himself. Suddenly he heard the sound of pounding feet behind him. He turned and saw a rather scared looking man running from the edge of the town.
"Is something the matter, my good sir?" Iroh called as the man approached him.
The man stopped in front of Iroh, bent double and trying to catch his breath.
"Just... saw...going...forest...two...people...great...danger!"
Iroh looked at the man bemusedly. "Catch your breath, sir."
The man took deep, steadying breaths. "I just saw two people, teenagers to be exact, going into the forest. I tried to call them back but they didn't hear me. Now I fear they are in great danger."
"Teenagers?" Iroh snapped to attention. "Was one a boy in Fire Nation Armor, and the other a girl with a braid?"
The man nodded frantically.
Iroh was confused. "But I don't understand How are they in danger?"
"There are many spirits in his world, sir. But none so vengeful as the one in that forest."
"Spirit?" Iroh questioned.
"Yes, the spirit Kaen is very angry and bloodthirsty. Many generations ago she lived in this town. She was a very powerful Earthbender, very powerful indeed. She would often not be able to control her powers and could cause great problems, like earthquakes and landslides, so she was ridiculed and widely hated. Her life was riddled with pain, her family was killed when she was very young and she never really had anyone to care for her. Bad luck seemed to follow her around and things always seemed to turn out in the worst possible way. She spent much of her life alone, although she was once deeply in love, but her lover left her when he found out she was with child. She was left pregnant and unmarried. The people of this town scorned her and she was run out of town. Legend says that when her child did not survive past birth, Kaen sank into madness. She blamed the ancient people of this town for her suffering. She came back to this town and released a terrible curse on this town."
"Curse?"
"Yes. She called it The Seven Fears. She told how she had spent her life in fear of seven things. Her haunted past, her miserable present, her unsure future, her unbearable loneliness, her failure in life, the truth that she was hated and the loss of all those she had ever loved. She told the townspeople that they, and all those that came after them, would have to suffer these Seven Fears as she did. She then took her own life and her spilled blood sealed the curse. The people of this town took her words seriously and buried her body deep in the forest surrounding the town. They blessed the earth to contain Kaen's spirit and curse within the confines of the forest. They dug a deep trench around the burial site to stop anyone treading on the cursed ground. Many year passed and Kaen's curse never seemed to come into action. Her spirit was never seen either. The people of the town decided that they should try to appease Kaen to continue to keep her wrath at bay. A log was lain across the trench so people could go and pay homage to her. Nothing bad happened until one day a group of people went to pray for Kaen, but only one returned. He told of how he had refused to step into the graveyard and had waited for his friends. He had heard shouting and one of his friends told him that an inscription had been etched onto the stone that marked where Kaen was buried. It was a chilling poem called 'Your Damnation'. The boy said the protective stones around the island had rose up into the air blocking his friends from view. He heard screaming and had run back to the town. The townspeople knew then that Kaen had returned from the spirit world to unleash her curse."
Iroh listened in fascination. "What happened in the graveyard?"
The man shook his head. "No one knows. When some people found the courage to go back to the grave site they saw that seven stones had appeared on the ground; there was no sign of any bodies. It was unexplainable but the town thought that Kaen had somehow maintained her Earthbending abilities. People of this town now think that Kaen returned as a powerful demon,not just a mere spirit."
"You still fear Kaen?"
"Of course! Whenever anyone has ventured back into that grave site, whether it be by accident, or because they wanted to prove Kaen did not exist, they have never returned. That is why it is so unfortunate that those two teenagers have wandered into the forest For now Kaen will lure them to her so she may take vengeance once again!"
Iroh looked frantic. "Those two teenagers are my nephew and his friend! Come, we must help them!"
The man shook his head and smiled grimly. "I am sorry sir but once Kaen has someone in their clutches they do not return. For all anyone knows, it may be possible to defeat Kaen in some way, but no one had ever done so."
Iroh turned and looked at the now black forest. "Zuko..." He whispered.
- - - - - - -
Zuko and Katara whipped around. On the opposite side of the island stood a ghastly site. It was a woman, but no woman of this earth. She was skeletal and emaciated, her face lit with a insane smile. Her black hair and torn, black robes were constantly moving in the still air, as though stirred by a non-existent breeze. Her eyes were pure black surrounded by red and her teeth were slightly pointed.
The creature smirked at the two before her. "You heard me, you will never escape from this place alive, and you will never escape from me, even in death." Her voice was like ice, it held no human warmth or emotion.
"What are you?" Zuko hissed.
The creature laughed mirthlessly. "You don't know me? Well, you obviously aren't from the village. I am Kaen, the demon of this forest and the creator and maintainer of The Seven Fears."
"Seven Fears?" Zuko asked. Katara seemed to have lost her voice. She was huddled close to Zuko, staring terrified at Kaen.
The demon gestured to the seven flat stones that lay between her and the two companions. "Yes. Past, Present, Future, Loneliness, Failure, Truth and Loss. The Seven Fears, the things which ruled and destroyed my life. The things which will destroy your life, and your little girlfriend's too." She motioned to Katara.
Zuko, feeling fear but not wiling to show it, scoffed. "Get real, you are not hurting either of us, I'll make sure of that. Let's see how impressive your little demon powers are. Fight me, right now, so we can get out of here."
Kaen smirked even more. "You're a fast study boy. The only way for you to escape from here is to fight me. I, however, will not fight you until you have passed through The Seven Fears. Only then will I deem you worthy enough to destroy personally. You can either pass through The Seven Fears and put up a fight for your lives now, or I can kill you where you stand and send both your souls to eternal damnation."
Zuko nodded stiffly. "Fine, but let Katara go. I'll pass through your little test."
Kaen scowled. "Get lost! You have both trespassed here so both of your souls are at stake. But I'll tell you what I'll do. As you both seem to depend on each other so much, you can both go through The Seven Fears together. Think carefully now. By going together you can help each other fight your fears, but you must also face the other person's fears as well as your own. Besides, if I send you through together I can see you both get killed quicker."
"What do you mean 'face our fears'?" Zuko scowled.
"While passing through The Seven Fears your fears become reality. You enter into a world where both you and your fears are physical. That means that you can be destroyed by your fears literally." Kaen sad with a relish. "If you make it through the first six fears alive; which has never happened before, you must then face me. On the Seventh Fear, which is Loss, you must fight me for fear of your life. But don't worry, no one has ever survived past the second fear, so you probably won't have to fight me at all."
Zuko weighed their chances and looked at Katara. They could either go through the fears alone and fight solo, or they could help each other through it. It must be easier to defeat your fears if someone's there to help you. He couldn't risk letting Katara go in alone he would never forgive himself if she died when he could have saved her.
He turned to Kaen. "Fine, we'll go through together. I'll help Katara survive, she'll help me survive and we'll both kill you together!"
The demon grinned displaying her pointed teeth. "Excellent, I haven't had anyone go through with someone else before, this could be interesting. I wonder which fear will destroy you in the end? Shall we begin?"
Zuko looked down at Katara. She offered him a weak smile and clutched his hand more tightly. "Yes, we're ready, which one of us faces or fear first?"
Kaen smiled evilly. "That's a surprise. The first fear is the Past. I'm not telling you who faces it first, but you will face the same fear one after the other. So for example, my dear boy, if you face your Past first and survive, you'll have to move onto your girlfriend's Past straight after. Only after both Pasts have been faced can you move onto the next fear. Do you still want to go together?"
Zuko nodded fiercely. "Just shut up and tell us how we get into the first fear!"
Kaen grimaced. "Eager to die aren't you? Fine, step right into hell."
She waved a hand and the stone directly in front of Zuko was emblazoned with glowing red letters that said 'Past'.
Zuko and Katara looked at each other again and nodded once at each other. Keeping a tight grip on each other's hands they stepped onto the stone; and the nightmare began.
- - - - - - -
Another chapter over. I know I left it hanging but I want to turn each fear they face into a chapter, so there will be at least seven more chapters. There will be more than seven more chapters in the end, probably. I might write a sequel, what do you think, would you like to see a sequel?
Let me know with some reviews!
Hope you enjoyed it!
