Chapter 48

Blood and Spirits

Maddi

I walked through the poor town, trying to look like any other person wandering through the impoverished streets. Everything seemed to be grey or covered in mud and excrement.

"A coin for the poor miss?" A little girl asked, looking up at my with big eyes. My heart went out to the little girl, she couldn't have been more then five years old. Sighing I took out a coin and pressed it into the palm of her hand. It was all I could do at this point. The little girl smiled up at me, exposing a missing tooth.

"Thank you miss, thank you very much." I smiled tightly and nodded. There were far to many orphan children on the streets whose parents had passed away from the war, starvation (it was incredible how much food had been funnelled into the military), or illness from living in environments like this and a lack of overall health care. There was a lot that I was going to have to suggest to the earth king and Zuko once he was crowned. My suggestions could help a lot, the only issue would be implementing them.

From across the street I caught the eye of a familiar face and nodded at him. Su Sen nodded back and continued to talk to the group of men around him in a quiet voice. We had been doing this for over a week now. Splitting into groups of two we each took a nearby village and went around spreading the word, right down to where to meet. It was risky but what other choice did we have? We had also been careful to pair up in groups that wouldn't stick out to much. Myself with Su Sen, Jet with Iluq, Smellerbee and Longshot together, Katara with Kanan, Sokka with Toph or Zuko, and Aang with the one left over. More often then not though Aang's team would stay behind to work with the young airbender on his other bending forms.

While Su Sen continued to tell the men I noticed a few women standing to one side. I was well aware that women didn't fight often, the fire nation being one of the only nations that accepted it as long as the family had a son or another daughter who was already married and if the woman was not married herself. You weren't supposed to fight if you had a family of your own to care for. I walked over.

"Hello." I called. The women turned at my voice. One raised an eyebrow as she gazed at me. Most of these women were close to my age, sixteen to early twenties.

"who are you?" On woman asked sharply, her eyes wandering over my clothes which while nicer then most of the women's here were well worn.

"My name is Maddi." I replied, "I'm passing through with my family."

"We don't accept outsiders... especially colonial scum." One of the woman, a tall woman of about twenty hissed at me. Colonial, it wasn't the first time I had been called that.


Six days earlier

I gazed around the town built over the river. I recognized it right away despite not being cartoon. This was the village that Katara would pretend to be the painted lady, but I was beginning to wonder about helping her instead. All around me I could smell the sickness everywhere. It filled the air and made me want to breathe through my mouth to hide the smell but all that did was make me feel sick to my stomach.

"I can't believe my father allows his people to live like this." Zuko muttered, his eyes flicking about. I took his hand in mine and squeezed comfortingly, trying not to show my own feelings about this place.

"Causes." Jet hissed, his body tense beside us. Zuko flinched then glared at the offending earth kingdom citizen. I have to smile, Jet may have still held a grudge against the fire nation but at least he wasn't attacking everyone in sight. Baby steps, I told myself, baby steps.

"I can't believe anyone can live like this." Katara muttered, sadly glancing around.

"No kidding, I can bend a mountain out of this river."

"Its slurry from the factory just around the bend." I stated softly, pointing to the large black clouds that marked the placement of the weapon's factory, "its polluting this river, killing the fish who live here, which slowly kills the people." I was still battling within myself on whether to encourage or discourage Katara from playing the painted lady. Finally I shook my head. I'd leave it up to her, it was her choice after all.

"So what do you think about this village?" Kanan asked quietly.

"No, there aren't very many men, those that are still here can't fight." I felt my heart drop. These poor, poor people. In some places the river was so muddy it was like a small island had been formed.

"We have to help them." Karats stated, turning to Aang who was watching quietly.

"I want to but… how can we? We're not exactly the most inconspicuous group after all." He pointed out. I could see in his eyes that Aang was hurting just as much as we were. We all wanted to help, we just didn't know how. I stayed quiet in contemplation. I would let things run their course there's, in a world full of spirits the fire lord couldn't get that angry if one said enough was enough. After all, we had seen Hei-Bei things like that did exist.

"Ah you must be colonials, returned to the motherland. What brings you to our humble little village?" An old man, way to happy for the environment of this place asked. It was the ferryman who had gotten us to the town on the first place. We all shot each other looks. Well, at least our stories were safe.

That night I tried to stay awake to see what happened and whether Katara was planning on pretending to be the painted lady. I must have drifted off at some point because I was woken up by a twig snapping.

"Zuko? What are you doing?" I heard Katara's voice whisper.

"Going with you, do you want some help or not?" Zuko's voice replied.

"What are you wearing?" Katara questioned again. I flicked one eye open. Katara was standing in all her painted lady glory (where did she get the materials for the outfit anyway) and across from her was the blue spirit, his mask raised to expose his face. Quickly Zuko pulled the mask down and pulled his dual swords out.

"I think there is another spirit who has decided to help the painted lady." He added, his voice muffled from the thick wooden mask.

"Fine." Katara grumbled, "Let's go." I smiled softly as I watched the two of them leave. I hoped that everything would work out just fine.


We reentered town the next morning on our own 'boat'. There were children running around, laughing, people were eating and smiling. It was a drastic change from yesterday.

"What happened here?" Smellerbee asked, glancing at Longshot who just shrugged.

"The painted lady came." One of the townspeople said, overhearing the question, "she healed most of our sick and brought food!"

"Most?" I asked, stepping forward. The old woman who had spoken sighed and nodded.

"Whatever plagues Lee she was either unable to or unwilling to cure." I glance at Katara, I didn't remember that in the episode. Why couldn't she heal that man? Judging from the guilty look in her face she had tried and felt guilty at failing.

While the others went to explore the changed village I drag Katara to the side.

"So what happened?" She blinked and opened her mouth with a half-formed excuse before sighing.

"How much do you know?" She asked.

"You're the painted lady, you stole from the factory around the bend and you went with Zuko... in all honestly the last bit was only because I was awake last night." I smiled at the scathing glance I was getting from Katara.

"I tried... everything to heal him, every remedy and healing technique I know. His entire body felt... wrong like it was betraying him, like it didn't want to be healed. I flinched, an image of an old man laying unconscious on a bed. His face a sallow yellow as machines forced him to breath, eat, and drink. My grandfather had passed away from cancer and how he had died haunted me to this very day. I had just left the room when the machines were turned off and he was moved to hospice. Three days later he died. He hadn't woken up once since he had succumbed. It had started as liver cancer which spread into his bowels and then into his bones. By the time he had died his ribcage had been deformed from the cancer, creating bumps and lumps where his even chest should have been. He had been a heavy smoker, and that had been the cause of his cancer but I still remembered the event and how hard it had been on the family. The way Katara had said that his body was rebelling against him... it screamed cancer to me. Studies had found cancer cells in Egyptian mummies after all, it just wasn't as common as it was in the modern day with all the things we did to our bodies.

"Maddi? Are you okay?" Katara asked, placing a hand on my shoulder. I nodded mutely.

"Yeah," I finally stated, "that illness... it exists in my time... we don't really have a cure for it, not one that works well enough or on enough people. Its called cancer and you're right, it is literally the body going insane... my grandfather died from it." Katara closed her eyes, deeply upset by what she had heard.

"Well I may not have been able to help Lee, but at least I helped these people." She stated. I shook my head.

"The only way for them to have a better life is for the factory to stop and for them to clean the water." I admitted. Katara frowned but before she could say anything Aang came running up.

"Are you guys coming or what?" I looked at Katara who just smiled and followed Aang. I shook my head but followed before taking my place beside Zuko.

"You did good." I muttered. He jerked glancing at me before sighing and rubbing one hand across his forehead. I chuckled and pulled his free hand into my own.

Zuko glanced at me and shook his head but his hand tightened around my own. I squeezed back, trying to forget the memories that haunted me.


Current Time

"You don't have to accept me I just want to spread some news." I replied with an eye roll. The twenty year old woman scoffed at my words, disbelieving.

"I'm sure we have everything you need?"

"Oh so you know of thee rebellion then?" I asked. The woman rolled her eyes.

"That's old news."

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, where do your loyalties lie?" I questioned. The one woman snorted but the others shifted uncomfortably. Ha, gotcha.

"I've lost my husband, six of us have, some of us have even lost our children to this spirit damned war, where do you believe we stand." I smiled at the girl who had replied, she was two or so years younger than me.

"My name is Hoshi, the sour goat-horse there is Akemi." She added as an afterthought.

"Prince Zuko, that is soon to be Fire Lord Zuko, has not only joined by is helping in lead the rebellion, there are benders from every nation in the rebellion, even fire benders." I added, trying to sway them over.

"What can we do?" A girl Katara's age asked nervously, her eyes darting about, "we're just women."

"Women can fight," I pointed out, "if not women can go where men cannot, spread the news discreetly, women are strong enough to know what will protect their families and do what it takes to save their children." I persuaded. To my shock Akemi snarled and stepped into verbal debate.

"And risk the lives of our children while carrying out your dirty business? You think that we cannot tell that you're not one of us in more then one way? You're not a mother, I bet you aren't even married which gives you no place among us, no right to talk of what women can and cannot do."

"I'm engaged." I state firmly. It was a bit of a white lie but I had to regain the situation.

"I have already lost three children to illness and lack of food. I watched as my baby struggled to drink my milk through convulsions because all the best doctors are in the army, I watched as my father and brother marched off to war and then my husband. How can you understand the pain that we have to live through, how can you claim to know our pain?" Akemi was right, it stung but she was right about me, their situation, all of it. I couldn't imagine what she had to live through. Perhaps… the best way to win their favour was another method.

"Your right, I can't know, but I know one day I will have a child, and I want that baby to be born to peace. I want to never have to see a little child beg on the streets because she has lost her parents to this war. I want to stop mothers from watching their children die over and over. I want for this war to be over once and for all so that no one will have to suffer like that again." I replied. As I spoke my voice, still quiet became more fervent. I was telling the truth I just hoped the women here could see that. There was silence.

"I can't help you, and I won't. But I won't tell anyone about this." Akemi decided. She turned and walked away. I watched as a good seven women walked away agreeing with Akemi. Hoshi and three others stayed.

"I'll help." Hoshi stated with a tiny smile. I returned it and the four of us began to discuss what each woman could do to help the rebellion.

A few moments later I'm touched on the shoulder. Jumping I spin, terrified that someone had heard what we were discussing. Luckily its just Su Sen. The men he was talking to had vanished to I assumed he had finished his task in this village.

"Maddison, we need to go." He stated, gesturing at the sky which had begun a slow decent from noon. I nodded, the entire group had agreed to meet back an hour after noon.

"Be careful." I warned the three women before following Su Sen out of the village.

We walked together in silence. The camp was a good half an hour walk from the village we had been visiting, for others it would be longer.

Katara was making lunch when we returned. She glanced up for a moment and waved before beginning to stir the soup again. A litter farther away Aang and Zuko were working on their bending. Aang was doing really well with firebending, it made sense after all, both firebending and airbending relied upon breath control as a key component. A few moments later Aang wandered over to a rock and lay down, breathing heavily. Chuckling I walked over to him, sitting beside his head.

"Everything alright Aang?"

"I'm fine." He stated tiredly, "But Toph is determined to teach me metalbending, I keep telling her the avatar can't master the secondary bending types but she won't listen."

"Secondary bending types?" I echoed confusion wrinkling my brow. Aang nodded.

"Each bending ability has a secondary type, for fire its lightening, for earth its metal. Both the water and air secondary types are forbidden, they're too dangerous." He replied. I frowned. Something Aang said was giving me a strong sense of Deja Vu. I closed my eyes and tried to think about where I had heard something like that before.

"Wait," I suddenly remembered, "back when we were fighting Azula on the drill... you commented about metalbending. Toph hadn't even begun that yet." Aang sat up and gave me a guilty grin. Momo flew overhead and landed on the boy's head, chittering for attention.

"Yeah... Toph didn't create metalbending, it existed before I was born. The thing is... very few people learned it and those that did... they kept the bending style to themselves, they didn't take on apprentices. By the time I was born most of them had died out. I'm not surprised that it was completely forgotten in the hundred years that I was stuck in that iceberg. I whistled appreciatively, that was impressive.

"Are you planning on telling Toph?" I asked. Aang shrugged.

"I don't know, I mean she was really proud about creating an entirely new bending form, I don't want to take that away from her." I nodded thoughtfully.

"Well even so, I don't think she would be that disappointed, this is Toph after all, it would take a miracle to deflate that ego." Aang snickered at my words and nodded.

"Speaking of Toph I need to go work on my earthbending now." He said, noticing the earthbending girl walk in with Iluq. I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Take a break, you've been working non-stop for over a week. Even the avatar deserves some rest." I pointed out causing him to grin weakly at me and begin tickling Momo's tummy. The little animal groaned in delight and stretched out across Aang's lap, delighted to be getting the attention he had been starved of for a while. Grinning I stood again and wandered over to Zuko.

"How is he doing?" I asked, glancing at Aang.

"Really well," Zuko admitted, "I'm still not sure I'm the right person to be teaching him though, my uncle would have been a much better choice."

"Maybe," I agreed, "but maybe you aren't giving yourself enough credit." He nodded and opened his mouth to enter when Smellerbee and Longshot arrive. I glance around. While I was talking to Aang everyone else had arrived, they were the last group.

"Everyone! I need to talk to you!" Smellerbee calls, her voice loud and clear, but still husky for a females. I wondered what had happened to make her voice sound like that or if she had been born that way. We all left our places and walked over. Jet got there first, he seemed really worried, not that I blamed him, after all Smellerbee and Longshot were his closest companions. They were his family.

"What's going on?" Sokka asked, looking at the worried expression on the girl's face. Smellerbee glanced at Longshot then looked back at us.

"The town we were in was very nervous, everyone was scared. Longshot and I asked around to find out why and apparently people have gone missing from that town."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Jet asked, looking around at the rest of us.

"Fifteen people have vanished over the last season." Smellerbee replied, "This is serious and from the sounds of it it's an angry spirit that takes one person every full moon." The blood drained out of my face. Hamma. Oh god, it was Hamma. My companions instantly noticed the change in my demeanour.

"Maddi?" Aang asked, "What is it." I shook my head. I didn't want to face this, Hamma had creeped me out when I was on the other side of the screen, before this was real life.

"Its not a spirit." I explained, I realized my hands were shaking, "Its a person." There was silence as everyone thought about what I had just said. The silence was deafening.

"We're going." Katara stated determinedly, "I'm not going to stand by and watch this happen."

"I agree." Zuko stated before looking at me, "Maddi what can you tell us of this?" I sighed.

"I promised myself I wouldn't rely on my knowledge anymore." I muttered before shaking my head. Hama was extremely dangerous, my companions needed to know just what they were taking on. With a deep sigh I continued.

"Its not a spirit, its a woman, a woman named Hama. She's from the southern water tribe, one of the waterbenders who were taken as prisoners of war before Katara was born. She's taking her anger out on the firenation by kidnapping villagers on the night of every full moon." It was Katara's turn to go pale. I could almost see the thoughts running through her head.

"We have to help. Maybe I can talk to her, convince her that not everyone in the fire nation is evil." Katara stated. Just like that it was decided.

"We should all go." Su Sen added, "We don't want to risk the wrong thing getting out at the wrong time," he glanced at Zuko, "no offence but with you being the next in line for the fire nation throne, that makes you an ideal target. You don't mind being called Lee again, do you?" Zuko shook his head.

"No, I don't and I agree, we should all go together. There is safety in numbers."


We went to sleep early that night and woke up early in the morning. Quietly, we packed up camp and left, leaving Appa and Momo to stay in the place where we had been camping partially for discretion and partly to keep them safe.

Unlike the other villages we had come across in the last few days this one was almost thriving in comparison. It was eerie. What was even more eerie was the way all the villagers acted. Most eyed us sceptically, some even backed away.

"What is going on?" I muttered. Aang, who had been standing to my left shrugged at my words.

"I don't know but they're all really scared."

"Could this just be from the disappearances?" I asked from the corner of my mouth, "or something else?"

"Well the full moon was quite recent. They might be suspicious of one another?" Aang suggested. I shrugged. I had no answers.

"Either way we need to do something." Katara muttered, coming up from behind to join the conversation, "Do you have any ideas?"

"Not really." I admitted quietly, "I was hoping that I wouldn't have to deal with her. She..." I trailed off then sighed, "she scared me more then any other villainous character. I mean I hate Zhao and Ozai but her... I was – am actually afraid of her." I shifted uncomfortably, not liking the amount of sharing that I was doing. Katara nodded. We fell silent for a moment, taking in the town's environment and feeling. I felt a prickle at the back of my neck. Spinning I looked for anyone. No one was looking at me. I looked away and instantly I felt a prickle at the back of my neck again. This time when I spun I did see someone.

It was a young man, about Sokka's age, staring at me with blank eyes. He had pale skin... pale for even a firenation man, which I assumed he was as he had the familiar black hair and gold eyes. His skin looked like paper. His eyes widened when he realized that I was looking at him. He stepped forward. There was a pale blue glow around him... a spirit?

"Aang." I called, catching the young airbender's attention. Aang turned to look at me questioningly before his eyes landed on the man who was suddenly a great deal closer to us then he had been before. Aang's eyes widened as he glanced between the young man and me but when he moved towards the spirit... the young man vanished into thin air.

"Aang, Pala? What's going on?" Katara asked in confusion.

"I think... I think we just saw a ghost." Aang said


We found a nice inn to stay in that night which had neither Hamma or the young man's spirit. Or so I thought.

It was completely dark, nothing but darkness. I knew I was asleep but it was a strange self-awareness. Then before me the young man from the village appeared.

"Who are you?" I asked. He didn't move, didn't blink. He just stared at me and then turned and began to walk away.

"Wait! Where are you going? Who are you? Why are you here?" I cried. I hadn't been contacted by spirits in a long time and for some reason it was a strange relief to see one again, even if he was a human once.

He turned to abruptly I almost got an afterimage of his back. He just stared at me blankly until something dark trickled from his eyes. At first I thought they were tears then I realized that tears didn't come that thick… or dark. It wasn't until a similar liquid started running from his nose that I realized what it was.

Blood.

I recoiled in shock and fear as blood began to dribble from the other side of his eyes as well. He reached for me flipping over his hands to reveal a precise hole the size of pinky drilled where all the major veins connected his arm to his hand.

I jerked awake with a scream that could put horror films to shame, although the in all truth I felt like I was in one. In my ears another voice echoed my own scream. Aang.

"Pala what-" Katara began, I bolted from the room, ignoring both her words and the choice swears coming from Smellerbee and Toph's mouths. Aang seemed to have had the same idea as we met halfway between the two rooms, a few of our companions blearily following us.

"Did you?" Aang began.

"The boy from before right?" I added, looking for what I already knew would be an agreement.

"Yes. Did you see-"

"What are you doing?" We turned to look at Sokka who had the strangest expression on his face that I had ever seen.

"Maybe we should explain to everyone." I suggested to Aang who nodded.

We went back to our respective rooms to wake anyone else who was still sleeping (which earned me a dagger to the face from a pissed off Smellerbee) before joining together in the men's room as it was larger. I stayed quiet while Aang told the story of our dream and the vision of the spirit who had contacted us earlier in the day.

"I've heard of this." Iluq stated, catching our attention.

"You have?" Sokka questioned, echoing my thoughts exactly.

"When a spirit has business left over, vengeance, a lost love, something that ties them to the world they'll wait until someone comes along who has the ability to help them. In this case that's you too. Whoever he is he won't move on until you help him finish what he needs to."

"Why me? Not that I'm complaining but why would he also contact me when he has Aang?" I asked, looking around at my friends. I could tell that no one knew the answer to that question. Sighing I stood.

"Well then, Aang, you and I have a job tomorrow, as does everyone else." Su Sen nodded.

"You mentioned that Hama kept captives in a cave in the woods, we'll go looking for them, during the day of course." Katara sighed, realizing what that meant if we were following the discussion from dinner.

"Fine, I'll go try to find her. But I don't like the idea of training under someone like that." She admitted.

"Hama has some useful techniques, plus, it may help us find the captives earlier." I pointed out, earning a glare from Katara. I looked away quickly as the young waterbender stood up in a huff and left. Smellerbee and Toph followed her, eager to go back to sleep. I was the last to leave, not feeling tired anymore. I lay in bed later that night, staring up at the wooden ceiling. And trying to reach out to any of the major spirits I had been contacted by before, only to be ignored.


The next morning each of us went on our own way. Katara to look for Hama, Su Sen, Zuko, Sokka and the rest to search the woods and Aang and I to meditate and try to call up the spirit of the young man from before.

The dew soaked into the black leggings I wore as I tried to focus on a calm mind and not fall asleep. He didn't come. Finally when the sun hit its zenith I stood up. Aang cracked an eye open to see what the movement was about.

"What's wrong?" He asked, standing himself.

"Its not working, this clearly isn't going to attract that spirit. We should go through town again, perhaps he's stuck somewhere there and can't leave." Aang nodded and the two of us left the quiet grove and entered back into town. The town was unusually quiet for being midday but then again with people vanishing every month it made sense so many were terrified out of their minds.

"Aang! Pala!" Katara's voice caught my attention.

"Hi, any luck?" I asked. Katara shook her head.

"No, but apparently Hama was the eighth disappearance, I think you're wrong about this one." I stared at Katara blankly. Hamma was the eighth disappearance? That didn't make any sense at all. Frowning deep in thought I tried to realize what was going on. Katara ignored me though, walking past me to greet Aang and then leave to join the others on their search. My mind was spinning, spirits, Hamma going missing, something was very different here compared to the episodes. I began to feel a crawling sense of dread. What if I was wrong entirely and Hama was innocent? I shook my head. My effects had never changed what had already happened. Hama had been taking people for a long time, almost before this journey started, there was no way my existence could change her that drastically. She had to have vanished to take suspicion off her or something, to mark her as a 'poor victim' I felt a tingle of fear run down my spine as I realized what else it allowed her to do. With her as a 'victim' she could have all the time she wanted to hurt or torture those she had kidnapped. I turned towards Aang only to realize that Katara had left while I had been thinking and someone else had arrived.

It was the young man again. He seemed desperate this time, his eyes never looked at us, he walked in the same direction Katara had gone, moving at a brisk pace. I glanced at Aang who nodded and we followed him. He never turned around, never stumbled or seemed to think, he just kept moving straight ahead until the edge of town where he suddenly, once again, vanished into thin air.


Katara

The walk towards the forest was warm and uncomfortable. I didn't like the sheer excess heat of the fire nation but I had to ignore it, I had to continue on as if nothing was wrong. If I complained I might threaten the entire group by exposing us. That poor old woman, we were all suspecting her of being the criminal when she had been taken as well. A brush rustled nearby and I froze. Turning. The back of an old lady, bending down.

"Hello, ma'am?" I called, hoping to gain her attention. The woman turned. Long white hair pinned up in a large bun, a well wrinkled face and shining blue eyes. I froze. No way... the woman looked terrified for a split second and she scrambled away from me.

"Wait, I'm not going to hurt you... are you Hama?" I asked. She blinked and stood before nodding.

"Yes, and you are?"

"My names Katara, I'm from the southern water tribe, my friends and I are trying to find out what's gonging on in this town." I explained. Her face lit up.

"I'm from the southern water tribe as well." She stated, her face breaking out into a smile. It was so easy to slip into conversation with Hama.

"When I heard people were disappearing I vanished too. I didn't want to end up like the poor people who came into town on the full moon. Its a spirit I'm sure of it, wreaking vengeance for some unknown crime." She explained as she poured tea into a cup she had given me... using waterbending. I smiled brightly as our conversation grew and she promised to teach me a few things she had learned while here in the fire nation.


Maddi

Aang and I were making dinner when the rest of the group entered, minus Katara. Worry spiked through me as I quickly approached Sokka.

"Did Katara meet up with you?" Sokka shook his head.

"No, why? Was she supposed to. I thought she was looking for Hama?"

"She was but Hama wasn't in town so she was going to join up with you guys." The alarmed looks that were shared instantly told me everything. Katara hadn't met up with them... she was missing. Cussing with a few choice words of my own I strode towards the door... only for it to swing open and Katara entered. I sighed in relief at her appearance. She was okay.

"Are you okay?" Sokka cried rushing up to his sister to check on her, leaving her very annoyed.

"I'm fine Sokka, I met Hama." Then she looked at me.

"I can't believe You had me suspecting that poor old woman." Katara cried.

"What do you mean?" I questioned, my heart sinking. I should have seen this coming.

"She ran off because she was scared of being attacked herself and to draw the real attacker out in the open!"

"I'll admit," I stated calmly, "it was clever of her to pretend to be a victim, I didn't see that coming."

"You didn't see that coming or the story didn't?" I recoiled as if slapped. Everyone else looked shocked as well. Zuko even took a step forward but was held back by Kanan.

"Excuse me?" I cried, striding forwards so that Katara and I were facing each other, inches apart.

"You heard me, you act all high and mighty because you know the future but because of you we're fighting for our lives!" Katara shouted. I felt sick, what was she accusing me of?

"I didn't cause this war!" I shouted.

"No but it was you who changed our destinies, why do you get the right to waltz in here and say what was fine as it was and what needed changing! It's because of your manipulation that so many people are dead!" I froze and where my body had felt hot and fiery it was suddenly filled with ice. I knew what she was talking about now and it was something that I had tried desperately to forget over the last weeks.

None of us had seen it coming.

Instead of a couple of soldiers to teeing the villagers and entire brigade of troops, fire nation soldiers arrived. I still didn't know why what I had done to change that, was it the schedule when we arrived verses when we would have? Was it something else? Either way we had gone to sleep that night content that in the morning we would help clean the river and be gone and instead we were woken to the sounds of screams, crackling fire, and steel meeting steel.

I jerked out of my sleeping bag my heart in my stomach. Looking at the sky I could see ash and smoke. I lurched towards the river town, only to be restrained by Su Sen glancing around I realized that everyone else had woken up too. Katara was thrashing against her brother's hold, screaming bloody murder. There was a yelp from Sokka and suddenly she was running, her brother groaning on the ground in pain. I aimed for a slightly lesser damage and crushed Su Sen's foot, breaking free and taking off at her heels.

"Pala! Katara!" I heard Sokka shout but I paid no mind. I crested the ridge only to freeze.

The entire town was on fire. Soldiers paraded through the burning wood, cutting down anything that moved. In the river anyone who tried to swim to safety were mowed down by the equivalent of a skidoo.

My legs collapsed under me at the carnage, tears stained my face. I knew that the images I was seeing and the faces of all those people would haunt me until the day I died.

I stared at Katara, my voice choking. Mutely I turned and ran, fleeing the scene in front of me and the eyes that knew I was accountable for those deaths.

There was a knock on my door.

"Maddi."

"Zuko not now." I snapped, brushing tears away. There was silence.

"Call me if you need me." He stated softly before leaving.

I sat there quietly on my bed, shaking. All that death, was it because I intervened or was it always going to exist? After all death had been just not mentioned in the show but that last town... none of them even came close to dying in the show. It hurt. Had my changes done that?

Another knock came to my door.

"Zuko, not now." I called back. I needed time to think.

"Its not Zuko." Sokka's voice echoed. I paused then slowly walked to the door. I opened it only to find myself face to face with both Sokka and Katara.

"What-" Sokka stepped in, pushing Katara in as well before sitting against the door.

"I'm not moving until you apologize" He stated firmly, staring at his sister. I stared at Sokka in shock, the determination in his eyes. He was serious.

Katara and I awkwardly stared at each other. I swore someone could kick the wall that stood between us. It felt as solid as actual brick. I looked away then moved to sit on my bed.

"I'm... Sorry." Katara stated. I snorted.

"No, you're not." Katara jerked at my cold words and looked up at me in surprise.

"That's not true... I..." She looked away. My heart twisted. It was my sister and I all over again.

"Katara... I... what you said. It hurt. A lot." I heard the waver in my voice before swallowing it back. Katara scuffed her shoe against the ground.

"I know. I didn't mean it."

"No, at the time you did, but now you regret it." Katara looked shocked before timidly nodding.

"You're not the only one who's done something like this you know." I told her, "It doesn't mean I'll forgive you but... I understand where you're coming from." I gave a weak smile.

"It wasn't all that long ago that I was doing the same."

"But we agreed that we were family, family doesn't-"

"Family does." I disagreed, catching her off guard.

"Katara I had a little sister remember. The two of us treated each other awfully at times. I hate to say it but in that case... I was the one who did the worst. I told her that she wasn't important to me, that I didn't care what happened to her and some book was better then she was." The echoes of that fight flitted back into my mind.

"It nearly destroyed our relationship, all because I wouldn't step down from my pride." Katara looked at me shocked. It was the first time I had ever mentioned how bad my sister and my relationship had gotten.

"If I could go back and change one thing in my past that would be on the top ten list. Thing is I mess up, a lot, I'm not perfect but I hold myself to brutal standards because," I choked, "if I am so strict on myself maybe I won't make my old mistakes again." Katara was silent.

"You and I? Unfortunately we're a lot alike. We get so worked up about something we just spew whatever we can to hurt someone, to prove ourselves right." Katara nodded slow and sat down beside me. The song thirteen year old me ran though my head. That was practically the relationship between Katara and I. She was in many ways a younger version of myself. And it scared me. I hadn't become wise to my bad traits until I was fifteen and it took me another year before I had even improved upon it enough that there was a difference.

"I just don't see how Hama can be evil." Katara stated, "She's just an old, scared woman... like gran-gran... I didn't mean what I said."

"I know." I told her. I remembered myself all too many times just telling people cruel things just so they felt bad. I understood Katara's actions far too well.

Now that I was on the other side of it I realized just why it had been so hard for me to make friends back in middle school.

"I can't 'just forgive you', but... I'll try." I told her softly.

"I'll... I'll try to not do this anymore." She replied.

"Unfortunately, we're family. We're going to fight more viciously then anyone else." I pointed out. Katara nodded. There were no smiles, no hugs. What had been said couldn't be forgotten. But perhaps, overtime, forgiven.


Over the next few days Katara and I avoided each other besides the occasional word or two. It was awkward between us, which was to be expected. It had taken months before my sister and I had been able to fall into our old relationship once again. Everyone else was also acting distant from Katara. Only Sokka and Aang were acting as though things were normal. Aang because he had forgiven Katara the second I told her that I would work towards moving past what had happened, and Sokka because he had been sitting against the door the whole time and had heard the whole conversation. It had shocked him, my admittance that I had done similar things when I was younger but apparently the description was accurate. He had approached me sometime later asking about Katara and what it was like to live like I had. I was honest, that it was our faults for refusing to admit that we could be wrong, that our pride got in the way far too often and it wasn't until we made a mistake that could ruin a relationship we cared greatly for that we would realize our mistakes.

I didn't tell any of them how Katara's words effected me. All I could see when I closed my eyes was the mutilated bodies floating in the river, the fire, the charred remains. The screams echoed in my ears. My nightmares returned with a viciousness that I had never faced before, the faces of every dead person I had seen floating before me, screaming that it was my fault that they were dead. That their families were mourning them. It was on the night of the second day in the midst of one of those nightmares that the young man came again.

He stood before me, once again surrounded by darkness. I wasn't scared any more. After all I had seen in my nightmares I didn't think there was anything he could do to scare me. He watched me, face expressionless until he strode forward, hands up, exposing the drilled holes on his arms again. I didn't move. For the first time his face changed to smile. Reaching forward, he placed his hand on my forehead.

He stood before me, once again surrounded by darkness. I wasn't scared any more. After all I had seen in my nightmares I didn't think there was anything he could do to scare me. He watched me, face expressionless until he strode forward, hands up, exposing the drilled holes on his arms again. I didn't move. For the first time his face changed to smile. Reaching forward, he placed his hand on my forehead.

A jolt of electricity ran through my body. It didn't hurt at all, just surprised me. He vanished from before my eyes. Suddenly I felt as if my body was moving on its own, I looked around. My eyes were open, I was awake but this wasn't the bedroom I had been in before. This was a stranger's room. I wandered out of the room into the main room of the small house. Out the door and into the street. Then I felt panic. I struggled, tried to scream but I was trapped in my own body. Glancing up at the sky (my eyes were the only part of me I could move) I saw that it was a full moon tonight. Fear spiked through me. I knew what this was. Hama. I walked to the forest, now I was really panicking. I tried to fight, but failed. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw a pool of water. The reflection I saw made me pause. It wasn't me... this body was the body young man spirit. Now I knew what had happened to him. He was a victim of Hama.

I woke up with a cry. Shooting out of bed I rushed into the hallway. No one was around and I could tell that it was night. Rushing outside I looked up at the sky and a feeling of dread filled me. It was a full moon tonight. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why did I do that? Why didn't I move past the argument and the guilt, accept it and move on? Because you're a coward I told myself harshly, you're all fine and dandy until you have to be accountable for something bad. I rushed through the town, into the woods. To my surprise the spirit of the young man appeared to my left. Spinning on my heel I followed him. I could hear the shouts now, cries of anger and warning. Su Sen rushed by me.

"Maddi watch out!" I ducked, just missing his sword, as it sailed over me. Damn, how many of my companions were under that witch's control? I avoided another swing from Su Sen and a punch from Kanan. Lunging out of the woods and into the open I froze. Hama was controlling everyone but Iluq and Katara, both waterbenders fighting viciously. Iluq just barely keeping control of his own body while Katara lashed out, attacking with a intensity I had never seen from her before. I froze and backed away, hoping Hama hadn't spotted me. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed the young man spirit rise up into the treetops. Watching carefully I realized that one of my companions was up there, struggling. It was Longshot, trying desperately not to shoot. The spirit vanished into Longshot's body. Longshot stiffened, his bow angle changed and he let loose. I was distracted by Kanan's cry.

"Maddi! Watch out!" I dodged again, just missing an attack. Hama's head turned, her sights setting on me, just in time for Longshot's arrow to run into her shoulder. Hama screamed in agony. Her hand reached out and I felt my body stiffen as I lost control. I tried to fight, tried to struggle but nothing happened.

"If you want to release your friends you'll have to bloodbend." Hama cackled.

"Bitch!" I shrieked at her. Hama ignored my cry, still leering at Katara.

Katara looked up anger and pure unadulterated hate. I could feel a ripple rush through my body as Katara grabbed hold of not only me but everyone else too. I could feel Hama and Katara both battling for dominance inside my body. It was such a strange feeling, as if I was a single knot on a giant tug of war rope, moving back and forth to their will.

"Why are you doing this?" Katara shouted at Hama, "What did those people do to you?"

"What did those people do! The entire fire nation is made of scum! They kidnapped me for their own, took away my bending, my family, and then when I was hopeless and restrained passed me about for their pleasuring! I was nothing. I learned how to bloodbend using the rats that lived there. I freed myself and I swore that they would suffer, the entire nation would suffer. Do you think that this is the first village I've desecrated? One day I will make everything in this damn country know my suffering!"

"I know that you lost your child-" Katara began causing me to do a double take. Her child? Since when-

"I didn't lose it, the vermin was born healthy. I made sure it suffered just like the man who should have fathered it." Katara flinched and gaped at the woman. She had killed her own child just for being born half-fire nation? It wasn't uncommon now that I thought about it. The majority of rape victims in my world had abortions, in this world they didn't have that technology and very few women would raise a child when they were raped by its father.

Suddenly all pressure from one side of the tug-of-war vanished. I turned. Hama was choking, her eyes wide as she fell to the side, body limp. An arrow sticking out of her left temple.

I hit the ground as I was released. Around me I could hear the thumps as the others did the same. Aang, who had been under Katara's influence flopped on the ground beside Jet who he had been battling. For a while we were all quiet, breathing heavily. After a few moments Sokka stood, looking pale.

"We need to see if there are any survivors in the caves." I staggered to my feet, the others following suit. Longshot's body fell from the tree, still stiff. To my surprise the young man spirit emerged from within him and smiling at me turned towards a cave I hadn't noticed until now.

"This way." I called, following the young man. Aang came to stand at my side while the rest of our companions followed.

The cave was a long set of tunnels that connected to a huge underground cavern. Inside was a scene to put horror shows to shame. Bodies, hundreds of bodies hung from the ceiling, walls and stalagmites. Illuminated by the fire Zuko bent for us. The smell was overwhelming. Death was everywhere.

My eyes were caught by the body of one particular young man, hung by his wrists from the roof. I recognized him immediately. This was the spirit who had been following us since we had entered this village.

"What happened?" Su Sen muttered gazing at a young woman. I approached and carefully examined an old man. Something about the appearance of all the dead seemed familiar. Then I remembered. When I was fourteen my parents had taken our family to a special Egyptian exhibit at a nearby museum where they had a few mummies without any wrappings. These people looked like those long dead. They had been dried like fruit, stripped of any moisture. I staggered over to one side and vomited up whatever I had in my stomach.

"Are you okay?" Zuko asked, coming over and pulling my braid away from any danger of vomit. I shook my head, tears pouring from my eyes.

"She drained them." I explained quietly, my voice echoing in the large chamber, "She completely drained them of blood when they were still alive."


A/N:
Please read this Author's Note!

First off I want to apologize for the long time it took for me to get this chapter out. Secondly I want to point out that, in case you didn't notice this chapter is the longest I have ever written and personally I think it is one of the best. Now I have some news in regards to this story. There are seven chapters left and based on the time there is left I will not have these finished by September so there are some changes to my plan.

First off all the stories I have listed to come out in September are now coming in December(maybe November, whenever my winter break starts). I will use the time between to finish both Change the World and Ripples in the World, as well as to get ahead on Life Never Ends, the sequel to the series. This actually works out better as this allows me to get ahead on Life Never Ends so that none of you will have to deal with the sporadic updates that came with Change the World. My goal is to have a minimum of eight chapters written before I publish a story. This will be a bumper in case of writers block or some sort of problem stopping me from writing(something we all have experienced).

Secondly because of this change I'm going to do something I never thought I would do, I'm writing a preview for Life Never Ends right here. So please read and enjoy.


Now for the preview for Life Never Ends

All stories must end but what most people forget is life doesn't. Even an end for one person is a beginning for another. For Maddi, Zuko, and the rest of the Gaang the defeat of Ozai was just he beginning. Politics, assassinations, rebellions, budding romances, and children are just the beginning of the next adventure. Life as adults, rulers, war heroes, and parents.

- follows comic plot line and after.

"Azula, please, you're my sister, I don't want to lose the last member of my family." - Zuko

"We can't win let another war break out! We have given everything for peace!" - Maddi

"Welcome to Toph Bei Fong's metal bending academy!" - Toph

"Suki, I love you, but I don't know what to do anymore." - Sokka

"That was avatar Yang Chen! I think she's trying to warn me!" - Aang

"Aang, I'm pregnant." - Katara

"I am blessed to have lived to see this beautiful sight." - Iroh

"I will not give up everything I live for to be your wife." - Suki

Warning the above sentences have been taken out of context and therefore make assumptions at your own risk.