Sokka hated spirits.

This wasn't something that he had made an opinion on long ago, nor had he had any prior experience to have such an opinion. It was a thought he had just come up with now- although it was not entirely unfounded.

Ever since meeting Aang, all sorts of strange things had been happening. From super amazing warrior ladies who could easily kick his ass, all the way to that creepy Fire Nation general that really deserved a good punch in the face. He supposed that travelling with the Avatar was likely to attract all sorts of weirdo's, and Sokka had been fine with that… until the spirits came along.

It had been a perfectly normal day (for them, at least). Lots of flying, a burned down forest, everybody being angry at the Fire Nation. You know, ordinary stuff.

And then that damned old man just had to show up, and he had to realise that Aang was the Avatar, and he had to ask for their help. Now, Sokka was not against helping people, he had done so many times for the people of his tribe. And he certainly wasn't against kicking some stupid ash bringer's ass.

...Except it wasn't the Fire Nation that was being a problem. It was a spirit. A very angry, scary, violent spirit. The villager's had believed that, as the Avatar, Aang might be able to reason with the damn thing. Which, yeah, he was supposed to be the bridge between human and spirits, but like, he's twelve! And the only bending the poor kid had on him was Airbending, and he had said nothing about knowing about spirits. But, surprise surprise! Aang thought it would be wonderful to try and talk to the volatile spirit that was going around wrecking the town. Nothing about that could go wrong at all!

It started to go very wrong very, very quickly.

Although he can't remember what exactly happened, whatever did happen, seemed to devolve into chaos within about two minutes. For them, that was a new record!

Okay, so the idea of trying to just talk to the scary spirit might have not been a very smart one, but Sokka knew shit-all about spirits, so he could only really just stand there as Aang did his thing. And it did seem to work… for a few moments.

Then the chaos started. And also when Sokka's memories of the event became really fuzzy. He vaguely recalled lot's of shouting (mostly by Aang and Katara), many loud explosions and bright flashes (mostly thanks to the spirit), and high pitched screaming (definitely not coming from Sokka. At all). He wasn't sure when, but at one point, something grabbed hold of him, dragging him away. Soon, the loud noises and the shouts started to become fainter, and Sokka began to feel very light headed.

And then he blacked out.

When he came to, he had the world's biggest migraine, the urge to go to the bathroom and a panda bear was standing over him. No, he wasn't hallucinating. It was an actual panda bear. The two stared at each other in silence for a long time, before Sokka finally broke.

"Uh, hey there, big… guy?" His voice cracked from either confusion, nervousness or nervous confusion.

The panda bear, naturally, said nothing in return. Instead, it simply lowered its head and licked Sokka on his forehead. This caused the young Water Tribesman to let out another high pitched scream a yell and scramble away, getting to his feet.

"That is disgusting!" He wiped his sleeve over his forehead. "Bad panda bear. Very bad panda bear!"

The panda bear did not seem very dismayed by Sokka's reprimand, simply blinking at him once before turning around and walking away. It was during this moment that Sokka was able to properly observe his surroundings. He was in a small clearing of a forest, but all the colours around him seemed to be much brighter than they should be. There were strange plants and flowers that he had never seen before, and the mushrooms even glowed. And the sky? For some reason the sky was purple.

Looking at all of it, Sokka had to wonder if he had hit his head too hard or if one of those villagers had put something in his drink.

When he turned back to the panda bear, it had already made its way to the bushes, wandering far ahead of him. "Hey! Wait up, will you?"

Whatever or wherever this place was, Sokka did not want to travel alone, even if his companion was some random panda that he had just met. However, when he finally made his way through the thick foliage to where the panda bear had gone off into, he discovered that his new found friend (?) had suddenly disappeared into thin air.

"Oh, come on!"

{~}

"Stupid plants, stupid panda bear, stupid spirit nonsence!" Sokka had been repeating the same things for what felt like hours as he continued to hack his boomerang into any plant that got in his way.

His arms were starting to tire by this point, and he was starting to really want a bathroom. So far, he had found none.

He hoped Katara and Aang were alright, and they had not also been dragged off by crazy spirits to who knows where. The pair could take care of themselves, of course, but Sokka's big brother instincts were very strong, and they appeared to have started viewing the little Airbender as Sokka's brother as well. Which was… really nice, actually.

Yeah, Aang could be a little immature and childish, but it was still great to have another guy around. Don't get him wrong! Katara's a wonderful sister and Sokka wouldn't give her up for anything, but he still sometimes needed a little break from her. Growing up, Sokka had always been put out by the fact that he was the only boy his age in the village. It really sucked sometimes.

"ARGH!" A branch that he had just cut suddenly swung up and smacked him hard in the face, making him lose his footing with surprise and fall back on his ass. Sokka groaned, glaring at the purple sky above him. He had the urge to yell his frustrations at it, but didn't want to risk attracting anything hostile to his presence.

"Now that is just pathetic."

The voice made Sokka jump up with surprise and alarm. "Who's there? Come out here and face me!"

The voice stayed silent, but a sharp breeze and a faint tingling on the back of Sokka's neck made the Water Tribe boy whirl around to look into the branches of a tree behind him. A shadowy figure loomed above him, inching closer and closer with an unsettling silence. Shadows seemed to lengthen, and the world around him started to shift and condense, as if his whole world had suddenly just been confined to that spot.

Eventually, a spot of light reached the figure, and a masked face appeared out of the darkness.

The mask was painted a deep red, with the dark features set in a permanent frown and the soulless eyes staring wide open. That alone was enough to make anyone startle with fright, however, it was the long, hooked nose that truly set alarm bells ringing in Sokka's head.

Gran-Gran always loved to tell stories of all sorts of things, describing the tiniest of details to make it seem that much more realistic for the young Sokka and Kataras' minds. But out of all her tales, the ones she spoke most of were that of the various spirits that had- and still do- existed throughout time. While he had always enjoyed listening to his Gran-Gran's tales, Sokka never truly expected to come face to face with a spirit that appeared often in those ancient stories.

He wasn't quite certain if it was good or bad that he knew exactly what kind of spirit he was in the presence of now was.

The Tengu crept further into full view, allowing its tall, avian body to truly unveil itself. Sokka, while extremely intimidated by the spirit in front of him, tried his best to not outwardly show that he was absolutely terrified. And was certain he had failed.

The Tengu's laugh at the young Tribesman's attempts of trying to look unwaveringly only further cemented this belief.

"A mortal child of water wandering about our realm all by his lonesome." The Tengu mused to himself. "How curious…"

Sokka opened his mouth to speak (and ask for directions to the nearest toilet), but found himself unable to move an inch, completely paralysed to the spot. This is really not my day!

The Tengu dropped to the ground with a swift movement, his large wings fluttering lightly behind him. Sokka strained his eyes to properly look the spirit in the face (mask?), unable to even tilt his head upwards. Although unable to actually see it, Sokka knew deep down that the expression on the Tengu's face was most likely one of absolut glee.

Like a predator having finally caught its prey in a trap.

Panic settled quickly and spread through Sokka's bones, making him feel like he had just been plunged back into the freezing waters of his homeland. And, oh, how he wished he were truly home right now! With the feeling of snow under his boots, wrapped up in his usual thick furs as he stood by La's ocean.

Unfortunately, that wasn't where he was right now. Instead, he was stuck in the middle of a spirit-cursed jungle filled with strange panda bears, evil plants and giant bird people! The worst part of it all was that it was becoming more and more likely that this Tengu was planning on eating him alive or something, and yet his main concern was that he still hadn't found anywhere to go relieve himself.

Talk about priorities.

The Tengu cocked his head to the side slightly, slowly reaching a clawed hand out towards him as Sokka mentally recoiled.

Oh spirits, Tui and La! Sokka mentally cried. Please forgive me for any way in which I might have offended you. I confess that last week, despite blaming it on Aang, it was actually I who nearly broke Katara's empty water skin by trying to see if I could fit Momo inside of it! It was wrong to do, but my curiosity won out in the end. Also, Momo was being super annoying, so he sort of deserved it- but that's not the point! I understand that it was perhaps slightly immoral, so please don't punish me by letting me get eaten by an ugly bird man! It really doesn't seem like an epic way to go, and it would likely make Katara cry if she ever found out. Trust me, you don't want to make my sister upset. Also, it would probably make Aang pretty upset too. Do you want that? For the Avatar to be upset? Cause I can tell you now, it isn't-

SLASH!

The sound of a sharp blade flying through the air and a pause in the Tengu's movements made Sokka snap back to reality.

Suddenly, Sokka felt like he could properly breathe again, but dared not to try and move just yet. Instead, he shifted his gaze over to the right, where he could now see a katana embedded in the tree closest to him.

Huh, that wasn't there before…

"Y-you…" The Tengu's trembling words were laced with both fury and terror, and when Sokka turned his gaze back to the spirit, it didn't take much to figure out why.

Where there was once a large clawed hand reaching out towards Sokka, a stump now only remained, leaking black blood onto the ground and causing a strange dark mist to rise up from it. The severed hand lay on the floor between them, twitching as it slowly evaporated into that same mist.

Even if he had been able to talk before, Sokka was now completely shocked into silence as the Tengu stared at his leaking arm, and then as he slowly turned his head towards the direction from where the katana flew from.

As opposed to previously, where everything around Sokka seemed to slow down and condense, the whole world suddenly expanded again, and the following events happened at rapid speed.

The Tengu, with his remaining hand, quickly held up his spear in defense as a dark figure came rushing out of trees towards him. He was not quick enough, however, as the dark figure easily swiped away the spear with a flick of their sword and then proceeded to grab the Tengu by his neck and lift him from the ground.

Some sort of self-preservation instinct seemed to remain within Sokka, as he unthinkingly stumbled back against the nearest tree, keeping as far away from the confrontation without actually running as he could.

The Tengu flapped his wings furiously and struggled in his attacker's strong grip, but nothing seemed to work as he continued to be held above the ground. He knew he should probably be running for the hills right about now, but Sokka's legs could only seem to manage a small stumble backwards before deciding that they didn't want to move right now. So, he was only really left with the option of staying completely still and praying that the newcomer would not notice him.

This hope did not last long, unfortunately, as while the Tengu's struggles began to slow down slightly, the dark figure holding him in place quickly whipped their head around to stare at him. A great lightheadedness suddenly overcame him, and Sokka could soon feel his body tilting over as his vision began to darken.

And then, nothing.

{~}

A few weeks earlier

Four years.

In some cases, that could be seen as no time at all, and in others, it could be an eternity. For Lu Ten, it was both.

It had been four years since the failed sige at Ba Sing Se, not long enough in his opinion. The memories of that time were still fresh in his mind, never ceasing to truly retreat.

But, it had also been four years since he had lost the ability to bend, and since… he had last seen his father.

The first of those was bad enough. His Firebending had been everything to him, his drive and his life. Since losing it, he had only felt a cold, empty ache within his chest. He still isn't sure how it happened. One moment he was using large bursts of flame against Earthbenders, and then the next, he's waking up in a make-shift infirmary, unable to produce even a spark. The men who found him had been soldiers on their way back from the siege, retreating back to the capital. When his father had thought him dead, the siege was called off, and the Fire Nation soldiers walked back in defeat. And yet, somehow, he had survived, found half-alive upon the banks of a river.

The look his uncle the Fire Lord had given him when he returned home, defeated and without his fire… well, Lu Ten thought it was the closest he had ever seen the man to joy. It only got worse when he was informed of his father's disappearance.

Vanished when the battle was called off, people said, driven mad with grief.

Lu Ten could not help but feel anything but shame upon hearing those words. He had failed his people, his comrades, and most importantly, he had failed his father.

With his inability to bend, Lu Ten was deemed 'unfit' to hold any sort of power in the Fire Nation, and he was stripped of his title as Crown Prince- a title that had passed to him when his grandfather died. He was still a prince, royal blood still flowed through his veins, but it was not the same. When his father had not returned to the Fire Nation and Lu Ten was believed dead, the throne and all responsibility fell to Ozai, and he took it all too happily.

Lu Ten suspected foul play, but never dared to say it out loud. His grandfather was not young, but he wasn't frail or weak either. For him to drop dead suddenly whilst both he and his father were missing was all too convenient. And let's not get him started on his aunt's mysterious disappearance…

Lu Ten sighed and shook his head, banishing all those thoughts from his mind as he finished polishing his sword. It was a simple yet beautiful thing, with a plain, sharp edge and a golden hilt. It had been a gift from his father, given to him before the beginning of the sige. It was one of the last times they had been able to be alone together, and it was a memory that Lu Ten liked to revisit often.

General Iroh kept his back to him as he rummaged around in the large chest, quietly murmuring to himself as he did so. General Iroh- it was difficult to address his father that way, but informalities were not tolerated on the battlefield, blood related or not.

Lu Ten shifted from one foot to the other, still slightly uncomfortable in his armour. He had worn armour before, but it was usually more ornamental and not as tight. Still, he could suffer it if it meant not getting crushed by a boulder.

"Ah!" His fath-General Iroh's voice pulled him from his thoughts. "Here it is."

He turned around, holding a long object that was wrapped in a black cloth, and set it upon the table in front of him. He unraveled the cloth, revealing a clean, familiar blade.

"This is your sword- Yugen." Lu Ten breathed, tracing the leather hilt.

The general gave him a smile and pushed the blade towards him. "It's yours now."

"Wha…?"

General Iroh chuckled at his astonishment. "I figured it was time that you be given a true blade, not just be stuck swinging around a nameless one."

Lu Ten felt a warmth settle within him at his- the generals faith in him. He gave a low, traditional bow to show his respect and gratitude. "I am most grateful, general, that you honoured me with this blade. I swear to always be worthy of it."

His eyes grew wide when he felt strong hands gently grip his arms, bringing him out of his bow and making him look the general in his eyes.

"I do not give this to you as a general," Iroh said, a strange sadness in his eyes. "But as a father who is so, so proud of his son, and wishes for him to know that. I will always be proud of you, never doubt that."

Lu Ten took the blade and strapped it to his side, recalling how he had almost balled his eyes out when his father had said those words to him all those years ago.

Never doubt that.

He breathed in and let out a sigh, letting sadness overtake him. His room was completely bare now, looking as cold and unwelcoming as the rest of the Fire Palace. He was glad to be finally leaving the stifling place behind, along with all the bad memories that come with it.

He smiled when he heard the door open, turning around to face his unexpected but welcome guest. There were only three people in the entirety of all the Fire Nation that would dare enter Lu Ten's room without even knocking. The first was his father, who was, well, not around at the moment. The second was the Fire Lord, but he would summon Lu Ten if he wanted to speak to him, not go to the young man himself. Which only left…

"Azula! What brings my favourite cousin to my room?"

The fourteen year old raised an eyebrow, giving him a knowing smirk. "I'm your only cousin, Lulu."

He huffed a laugh. "And the only one I could ever want. But really, what brings you here? I have to leave soon."

"'We'. We shall be leaving soon." She rolled her eyes when he tried to protest. "Come now, cousin. You didn't think I would let you go by yourself, did you."

Lu Ten frowned. "'Zula, you don't even know why I am leaving. Nor can I believe that the Fire Lord decided to send you with me."

She flipped her dark hair over her shoulder, inspecting one of the paintings on the wall. "One, I was going to pester you about that later. Two, I can be very convincing."

Truth be told, Lu Ten didn't think that Ozai cared all too much about what his daughter did. He never has. Still…

"I can't guarantee that it will be safe. That you will be safe."

She waved off his concerns. "Worry not, cousin dear, I can take care of myself thank you very much. And besides, Ty Lee and Mai are coming with us."

"Of course they are." It was a rare thing to see the now Crown Princess without her two friends, the three making a deadly trio.

She sighed at his words. "Face it Lu Ten, you're stuck with us."

He said nothing, simply passing her a small smile as he went to grab the rest of his belongings. "Well then. I hope you three have packed well; we have quite the journey ahead of us."

That certainly got her interest. "Oh? And pray tell what are we doing?"

He stopped at the door, giving her a look as he turned to face her again. "We are going to go and find the Avatar."

{~}

"Things certainly are different this time. I did not expect such drastic changes so soon." A feminine voice remarked.

"You remember now? Strange, I thought you would be the first of all of us." A masculine voice spoke up.

"Oh? And why is that?"

"It was mostly your idea in the first place."

"I don't see how that determines anything." A pause. "Who was the first?"

"Bayu."

"Really?"

"That seems odd to you?"

"...No, I suppose it doesn't. When did you remember?"

"When the Avatar reached Kyoshi island. It was quite the shock."

"No kidding." She sighed. "I know most of it. The 'why' and 'how' we are here, but the details of everything else are still fuzzy."

"It's the same for me. The only thing that seems constant for all of it is a girl with snow-white hair."

"The princess? That would make sense, she was there as well, wasn't she? So- oh."

"Yes. 'Oh.'"

"I'm sorry." Silence. "The only thing I keep remembering is Agni's moping face."

He snorted. "Agni is always moping."

"True." The moon reflected brightly upon the still ocean's waters. "Tui?"

"Yes?"

"We were right in our decision. Weren't we?"

The moon spirit hummed. "I suppose we shall find out, won't we?"

"Yes," La agreed. "I suppose we will."


Am I going to try my best and make sure that Azula gets support and doesn't go insane? Absolutely!

You might be wondering what the hell I've done with Zuko... and I'm not going to tell you just yet. Don't worry, he'll show up soon!

Lu Ten is extremely difficult to write in the way that I literally have nothing to base him off of. We don't really ever get a sense of what he was like. Thankfully, this also means that I can do whatever I want with him.

Much like Zuko, Iroh is also nowhere to be found. And no, I'm not going to tell you where he is. For now.

Thanks to LoK, we got to a bit of an expansion on the spirit realm and how it works as well as dark spirits. The closest we got to seeing of them in TLA was Hei Bai, and that was sort of it for dark spirits. So, I've decided to implement more of that into this story, because I can. Hence the Tengu.

I have read the first Kyoshi novel and am about to start the second, so you might see a few references to events from that in this fic.

If anyone has any questions, they are free to ask me. Comments are always welcome and wanted!

Thank you!