Chapt.2

Lightning cracked and thunder rumbled. It was music to Azula's ears. The rain felt pleasant against her skin. It was rejuvenating. She sighed happily as she stepped down the steps.

"Come," commanded the Princess to the Spirit. "We must head over to the Royal Palace and reconquer Ba Sing Se." She made a gesture with her hand for her counterpart to follow; however, her counterpart looked at her reflection in a puddle. She gasped as she saw Ozai's face. She hoped that Azula wouldn't notice.

Azula scowled and tugged on "her" shoulder. "Come on," she snapped. "I know I'm beautiful, but I'm not that shallow. Now, we have to infiltrate the Palace; by "we," I mean you."

Ozai hissed as he gripped her wrist and twisted it, grinning as he heard her whimpers of pain.

"You're right," he said. "We must take over Ba Sing Se and "you're" going to help "me."

Azula gritted her teeth. "I'm afraid YOU'RE mistaken. It is not "I" who will help "YOU", it is "YOU" who will help "ME"!"

Ozai cringed his brow. "Wrong!" He then started to burn her wrist.
"Ow! Father, you're hurting me!"

"Good, that means you're learning your lesson…Maybe you need a more "strict" teaching experience." His smile grew more gruesome. "I've decided that I'm gonna work alone; you're not worthy enough to live!" Ozai increased his fire power, burning her wrist more.

Azula shut her eyes, the pain too much for her to handle, when suddenly, it stopped. The burning sensation had subsided; replaced by a warm embrace.

"Shhh," cooed the voice. "It's all right, I won't let him hurt you anymore. I love you, Azula, I do."

Azula's eyes widened. She recognized the voice. "Mother?!" she squeaked. "N-no, no that's not…n-no…GET AWAY FROM ME!" She whipped a wave of blue flames: they neither scorched nor burned Ursa.

"Please, settle down, sweetie. You're not well."

"What are you doing here? I thought I got rid of you!"

"Oh, honey, you could never get rid of me. I'm always with you."

"I never asked for your company."

"I don't think I need your permission, Azu. I am your mother after all, so—"

"Stop! Just stop! What is wrong with you?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Why are you suddenly taking notice of me? You never did before, you thought I was a monster."

"Azu, that's not true, I—"

"It is true!" Azula then recomposed herself. "I don't need this; I don't need you. If you'll excuse me, I have a city to reconquer….Good day."

"Azula, don't," came the voice of the Spirit. "You need me more than you know."

Azula paused then said: "I don't need anyone…Ta-Ta."

The Other glared and snarled. "Have it your way then. I just hope you realize what you're getting into."

Azula ignored the Other and just kept walking…her pace becoming slower and slower because with each step she took, she felt her memories slipping away. What was going on She had just gotten them back, now she was forgetting? It just didn't make sense.

Just ahead, something even more terrifying awaited. Azula ran to the grave. "What? How can this be?"

The grave read:

"Here lies Ty Lee.

The Girl who just wanted to be happy.

The girl who touched everyone's lives."

"Ty Lee…d-dead? This…this isn't happening…"

Suddenly, a skeletal hand shot up from the ground. Azula jumped. The bony fingers clawed at the earth as they pulled the rest of the body through. The features were horrifying and grotesque.

Cobwebs covered the decaying skeleton. The bones were black as if they had been burned. Turtle-flies still lingered on them, still feasting on the burnt, decaying flesh. Ty Lee's skull, however, was the most gruesome. The eyes were tiny, hollow holes; the nose supplied a patch of rotting flesh; the mouth—oh, the mouth—the mouth was the creepiest of all, for it still held Ty Lee's brilliant smile, only the teeth were rotted.

"Azula," the Ty Lee skeleton spoke. "Why did you do this to me? What did I ever do to you to make you burn me alive? I only wanted to be happy…didn't you want me to be happy?" Her jaw hung—the joints not as a strong as they used to be.

"Ty Lee, I-I didn't…w-wouldn't…" she gripped the bony wrists, fearfully. "Ty Lee, what's going on?" The bones rattled and shook, then fell apart; turned to dust. Darkness shrouded Azula like a cloak of night, wrapping itself tightly around her like a cocoon. Now she feels herself falling. She is falling faster and faster, her stomach in knots, down the dark abyss. The darkness is dense, she feels like she'll never reach the bottom until she lands with a painful thud.

The darkness still remained. Azula felt around blindly like a Badger-Mole, checking her surroundings. There was nothing solid in front of her, nor in the back, nor on either side, just endless darkness. Then, she saw two feet before her. Her gaze shifted up to see…

"Mai?"

Mai's expression was blank and empty. "You took advantage of my fear, Azula."

"What are you talking about?"

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe I wanted to stay in Omashu?"

"You…you wanted to come though."

"No, I was willing to help a friend, but—like always—you kept me away from the people I love. Look what you did to my brother!" She held up Tom-Tom. His face was mutilated, for it was on fire! Azula could smell the burning flesh, it was too much for her to handle; she had to look away. But his screams, so demonic and dreadful, it pierced her ears.

Azula's body trembled. "I-I didn't…I would never…Mai, you've got to believe me!"

Mai stood stiff. Her skin peeled away, in such a gruesome display too horrifying to describe. Again, the body turned to dust and blew away. Then the ground split open, consuming Azula whole. She fell again and landed hard in the courtyard of the palace.

Azula tried to move, but her limbs were numb. Zuko stood before her in a fighting stance.

"You runed my life, Azula," he said.

Azula strained to respond, but her lips wouldn't budge.

"I should've ended you when I had the chance!" he yelled, blasting a remarkable display of fire-bending, much like he did in the Crystal Catacombs of Ba Sing Se against the Avatar.

She grunted and mumbled screams that just wouldn't come out. She closed her eyes, just waiting…waiting for it to all end, but nothing ever came.

Everything was silent again…everything was cloaked in darkness.

Azula regained control of her limbs; she gasped for air. She saw nothing as she looked around, except above her. A hand came down and it led to Chan's smiling face. Oh, how she missed Chan. Azula smiled and took his hand. As she was pulled up, though, Chan's face morphed into Ozai's face. Her smile drpped, but she was not afraid. He gestured his hand for her to look down. She did. She saw people in a pit of fire, but as she looked closer, she saw that the people in there were her friends and Zuko!

"No! Ty Lee! Mai! Zuko!" Her eyes cringed; tears overflowed.

Ozai let out an evil laugh that shook the air. Then, he pushed her over the edge. "There can only be one Phoenix King; and that's me! Good-bye, Azula!"

Azula screamed. She could feel the flames growing hotter and hotter. She was sure now that she would die. But as the flames were about to consume her, something stopped her.

She was in someone's arms. The person was humming and stroking Azula's hair. "Shhh," they cooed, "I'm here. Shhh, I'm here, it's all right; you're safe now."

Azula looked up; it was Ursa. More tears spilled down her face. "Mom! Oh my gosh, please…d-don't let me go…don't let m-me go."

"Shhh, I won't let you go, sweetie." She held Azula tighter.

"M-Mom, I-I-I am…I'm a monster. I'm a horrible…'horrible' monster. I hurt all my friends and…" she sobbed, "and I didn't even care! I just…I just absorbed it and…"

"Azula, quiet, listen to me. You are not a monster. You were lost and corrupted by lies. Your philosophy was brought on by your father. He made you believe that you were supposed to be perfect; nothing less." Ursa's thumbs wiped the tears from Azula's eyes. "All your life, you used fear to control people. What you saw was nothing more than your greatest fears revealed to you. They were meant to open your eyes, and now you must choose." The form of Ursa vanished.

"Mom? Mom! D-don't leave me…I-I…I need you!"

A light flickered on the ground. A blue-flame that was threatening to extinguish. Azula bent down and picked it up. She held it and it grew. The dim blue became and even more brilliant blue. She smiled, softly. The flame wasn't fueled by hate, it was fueled with life.

'Azu, you can open your eyes. I told you I'd never leave you. C'mon, wake up.'

Azula shot up, breathing heavily, sweating profusely. She felt her face, her bedding, her walls. She was back. She had returned to reality. Overwhelmed with a melting pot of emotions, she wept into her palms—happy that her living hell was finally over.