Burn My Dread FES
By Iain R. Lewis
Disclaimer: Characters and concepts belong to Nickelodeon, some of the concepts are similarly inspired by Persona 3 and Persona 4, property of ATLUS games.
"Sunday morning I touch the sky, next morning I touch your heart, was the start."
- Deep Breath Deep Breath - Reincarnation -
Lotus Juice
Chapter Five: Modern Young Life Cabbageway
Cavernous walls and quiet, clinging mist casting shadows across narrow, long passageways. The Labyrinth of Lethe, unfamiliar and unwelcoming, stretched beyond them. There was no way back to the garden, and there was only the one path ahead of them.
Yue looked so tired, but with her eyes a brilliant white, she could see far beyond what the others saw. The passages, though long, weren't endless, and though there was a limit to how far she could sense, she could feel something shimmering like a beacon in the dark.
"We need to keep moving forward," she said, "There's something out there, I don't know what it is."
"Could it be another doorway?" Katara asked. "I wish we knew what was going on."
"We've been through worse," Zuko grunted, in response, dismissing Katara completely. Azula rolled her eyes and just focused on the present. Everyone was tired, and if there were more of those creatures, like the one that hid as Yue in that garden --
But wasn't that Yue?
Yue herself said it was, a piece of her, but still, a part of her.
She couldn't sit down and focus. She needed to. She needed time to sort what she was seeing and learning and figure out something that would make sense of the pieces that shot out like frayed ends.
The garden was a maze, and the end had led deeper into the labyrinth beneath the dormitory, she was certain of that, and Yue could all but confirm this. But the deeper mystery lied in doorway that hid deep within the garden.
The past, or at least a startlingly complete facsimile, lay behind it, stretching out to cover the entire North Pole capital. And when that past was disturbed, in this case through Katara's meddling, the entire thing shattered like glass on a car window after a crash.
And yet, that had let them return to their own time and the strange garden that had entrapped them.
And, she mused wryly, if that wasn't enough to swallow, there was the matter of Aang. The others remained tight-lipped. Katara especially would raise objections as they moved through the empty corridors, using Yue as a convenient excuse. saying "She's too tired, we need to find a safe place to rest," or, "Let's just focus on making sure Yue's okay for now, okay?"
Azula couldn't figure out why the water tribe girl was so particular about her not learning Aang's current whereabouts. It wasn't that she didn't have theories, on this or any of the other problems, it's just that she had far too many to sift through while keeping alert for ambushes.
In regards to Aang, the two she'd felt most likely was that in some way or form, Aang had died, or that Katara did not want Azula impeding on her territory. While she wouldn't ever refer to Katara as territorial, she made an exception where Azula was involved.
Yue seemed to be more and more tired as they walked, and they finally took a brief break at a fork in the path. Azula sat on watch while the others crowded around Yue, whispering between themselves, and Azula caught brief snippets here and there.
"So, you really saw the North Pole?"
"Was it cold?"
"Oh, yeah. I can't believe Azula didn't even shiver once."
"Firebending can be pretty effective at keeping someone warm."
"I know, but you should have seen her flame when she tried burning up that gross plant. It was puny."
Oh, yes, Azula said, reminded of her amazing failure in the maze. It was surprising that she managed to catch onto Waterbending so quickly, but a part of her doubted she'd really managed to grasp it, considering how sopping wet she ended up.
"You know she can hear us, right?"
Ah, Toph, though her abrasive attitude did often make her less than desirable company, it was her moments of pure, pretense-less honesty that Azula had missed.
"Oh, uh," Katara called out, "Azula, what do you think?"
"About?" she asked, looking over at Katara briefly before turning back down the passages. It was unearthly quiet in the maze.
"About the North Pole?"
"I don't know."
"You haven't got any ideas what it could mean?" Katara asked.
"I've got ideas," she muttered. She felt a little insulted by that comment, and it was typical that it would be Katara to suggest such a thing. Azula Houou was never without ideas. "I just don't know what it means, yet."
"That means she's got nothing," Toph muttered. And Azula was quickly reminded of the abrasive attitude.
"What about Yue?" she asked, looking over at Yue and trying to gauge her. Yue's reaction was cool, and a little confused.
"I don't know what you're talking about, though," she answered, looking at Katara, "I don't remember meeting someone that resembled you at the North Pole ten years ago, but I do remember the incident with my minder getting disciplined for losing me."
"So?" Sokka wondered, "What does that mean?"
"The strangest thing," Yue said, startled, "I know I should remember more of that, but I just can't, it's like it's gone blank."
"It was just a long time ago," Katara said, comfortingly, "You forget things like that over time."
"It's just so strange," Yue continued, "It's like I can remember there being something, but when I try and see it in my head, it just goes black, completely black."
Azula frowned.
That brought up another concern. Her own memory wasn't quite so vivid as it used to be. The last thing she remembered was -- falling, yes, that she was certain. She was falling, and then, she stopped falling but she didn't hit the ground.
And she remembered a dragon of some sort.
But that was it, only bits and pieces of her memory remained, the rest black and murky, until she woke up in the hospital.
It reminded her, though, of the three strange, and inexplicable people she kept getting involved with. The first was that girl, the one who claimed no name and always seemed particularly keen on Azula's attention and friendship. It was very creepy, the way the little girl would look at her with those golden, soulless eyes, and say, "Since it's you."
The other was the boy, Lee, who wore the sunny mask. He seemed surprised that he had a mask -- no, surprised that she saw a mask. The boy himself didn't appear to perceive himself wearing one. The room she met him in, that Indigo Lodge, it seemed almost dreamlike. Perhaps that mask was just part of the dream.
Both he and the girl seemed to appear only to her. She wouldn't mention those to the others, for fear that they would deem her insane. The last one, however, was --
-- Standing in the middle of the corridor, watching them. It was the first time she ever got a good look at him. His eyes, those blue orbs that radiated light, were the only discernable features on his face. The nose, the mouth, they were all there, but they seemed more a trick of the shadows that moved around him like smoky wisp.
"Azula, what is it?" Katara asked, and she noticed that Yue was also staring. Following their gaze, she murmured, quietly, "It's him again."
He wore the Phoenix School uniform, and seemed to be a first year. He stared back at them for a while, and the others daren't move, in case he would take off again, further into the maze. Who he was, what he was doing there, the mysteries around him seemed the most tantalizing to Azula.
She was certain that unravelling the mystery of the labyrinth would certainly be centered around him. It was he who led her to the dormitory, and it was he who had led them to the garden. Just who was he?
"What is that?" Yue wondered, aloud, and the spell was broken. The boy turned around and Yue suddenly seemed siezed by some great pain. "What is he doing to me?" she wondered aloud.
The boy started down the hall, vanishing behind a wall that rose up from the stone. "Yue, are you all right?" Sokka asked, chivalrous as ever, Azula sneered.
"Yes, I'm fine now," she said, "But we need to be alert. I sense spirits coming this way."
"Everytime that guy shows up!" Toph muttered. "What's the big idea, anyway?"
"Be ready!" Azula shouted.
Those halls were no longer quiet. There was a noise, ghastly and inhuman, as the spirit appeared from down the hall. Its lupine face was attached to a decidedly feline body, moving forward with cat-like grace, and a predatory gleam in its glassy eyes.
"We shouldn't linger here," Yue said, "We need to keep moving. The way that boy went -- we need to follow it."
"Why?" Toph wondered, buckling in her stance. "What's so important about following him?"
"I don't know," Yue admitted. "I'm sorry, this is too much for me to process right now."
"It's okay," Katara said.
Azula focused on the wolf spirit. "Let's get rid of this thing first, then move."
Azula was fast off her feet, the wind swirling at her toes, as she brought it up in a great gale. The winds buffetted the creature back and landed it in just the right position for her next strike. She followed the airbending forms as well as she could duplicate them, and launched herself at it with a forward kick.
The creature leapt at her and the two collided mid-air.
The unfortunate part, Azula realized, was that it was able to position itself on top in this way, and its breath stunk. "A little help," she muttered.
"Did I just hear Azula ask for help?" Toph said, grinning wide and proud. "I'm sure she did!"
"Yep," Sokka said. "Should we?"
"Very funny," Azula snapped. The creature snapped too, only with a powerful, wolf-like jaw. The smell was briefly relieved.
"I hate to say it, but we probably should," Katara said, reluctantly. Sokka nodded, and gripped his boomerang. Aiming it, he brought his arm back and threw it. It hit the creature square on the jaw, causing it to jump back.
The momentary distraction was enough for Azula to wrest her feet underneath its stomach and push it off. Scrambling to her feet, she resumed her stance, and glanced back. "Good timing," she said, "Its breath stunk almost as bad as Sokka's."
"Hey, I resent that!"
"Your breath does smell, Snoozles," Toph said.
"We shouldn't sit around here," Yue urged. "There are more approaching."
"Then let's move!" Sokka said. Azula was about to protest when she felt Zuko's hand grab her wrist and pull her along.
"Just give me five seconds," Azula said, wresting her wrist back. "That's all I need to finisht his one off."
The creature yelped as the gales knocked it back against the wall, but it was swift to recover and pounced upon her. This time, however, she was ready. She drew her gun and shot it clean between the eyes before it could react.
Holstering the gun, she turned to catch up with the rest when a creaking sound caught her attention. Something crept across the floor, its hands dragging it forward. She turned around, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever it was, but saw nothing.
The creature, completely composed of hands, waited until she was gone before continuing to slowly stalk after them.
"The maze sure seems more alive every time that guy shows up," Sokka moaned. "What's the deal with him anyway? Ooh, I'm so creepy and scary, I'm just going to stare at you until you say something."
"It was certainly strange," Yue admitted, "So, this is how it always happens?"
"Yep," Toph said, "We stand around looking dumb while he just wanders off down further into this deathtrap."
Azula said nothing.
The maze's stone corridors wound further into the shadows, but with Yue's directions, they seemed to be making some progress. "At least we don't have to worry about getting lost in this maze," Katara said. "Thank you so much, Yue, what would we do without you?"
"Wander around aimlessly and get ourselves trapped by strange Yue lookalikes," Sokka said, matter-of-factly, "I thought we established that in the garden."
Yue giggled, clearly amused by Sokka's wit. Azula was not quite so enthused. It was too convenient, them finding Yue in that maze. Whoever was behind this trapped them all in here with some sinister purpose in mind, that was clear.
"So, how much further?" Sokka asked.
"Not far," Yue answered, "Just a few more corridors to pass through." The corridors were certainly long, however. The sounds and activity of the spirits hiding in the labyrinth had died down, but the sculptures along the corridors held tensions high.
They were increasingly bizarre. Creatures with no faces, but a thousand eyes, and masses of squirming tendons and shapes with no real form replicated imperfectly in stone, but still casting uneasiness.
Certainly, the tunnels were weaving towards some destination, none of the Bending Club would deny that, but except for Yue, there were doubts as to what destination that might be. Yue, for her part, kept optimistic.
It became alarmingly clear how much facing that other side of herself had taken out of her. Everyone saw it. She stumbled more often than she walked, and needed constantly to be propped against someone, but she just smiled whenever anyone asked her if she needed some rest.
"I'm just fine," she said, this time, waving off Azula's comment, "Thanks for your concern, Azula. We're nearly there, anyway. It's at the end of this passage."
And there it was, indeed. A doorway at the end of the hall, floating in mid air. The doorway seemed to be similar to the one within the garden, and when they approached, it opened, creakily, invitingly.
"Here," Yue whispered, "This doorway."
She nearly collapsed having reached their destination, and Zuko and Sokka provided enough support for her to maintain some dignity, "A doorway," Azula answered, clearly not impressed. "I suppose it's better than nothing."
"Do you think it leads to the past?" Katara wondered, "Or to another maze."
Something about the door made it seem different than the one to the garden. It was open, for one thing, and there was nothing on the door to differentiate it from a normal doorway -- excusing, of course, the fact that it was floating just a little bit above the ground as an anamoly of reality.
"We'll find out," Azula answered.
The group braced themselves, as they opened the door. Whatever awaited beyond, they were ready to face it.
Azula pulled the door opened, and her eyes widened, "Oh no."
"What?" Yue said, looking up, "What's wrong?"
"It's -- it's --" Toph's eye twitched, "I know that music. I know that music all too well."
"Mod-Ern Young Life Cabb-Age-Way!" a familiar, pre-recorded voice sang across an intercom. A different, living voice called out in an artifically cheerful manner once the recording stopped, "Today, there's a special on General Fong's carbonated beverages! General Fong's, Different and Bold."
Tinny, repetitive music assaulted them through the speakers.
"Well," Sokka said, his eyes brightening, "At least we don't have to worry about starving!"
"Make that music stop!" Toph cried.
Cabbageway's.
Azula never liked the place. Bright, sterile, and filled with grating music that would just never stop. Still, compared to the long, narrow expanses of the labyrinth behind them, it seemed peaceful.
The door lingered in mid air behind them, with people passing right through it as if nothing was there. Not that many people came this way, as it was lodged in a barely visited corner of the store.
Cabbageway's was one of the few companies big enough to not be a part of the Phoenix Group, and as such, Azula always associated them with being the enemy. Not that she minded their fire flakes, and she knew Katara used to go shopping for groceries here.
It was that music that was making this more miserable than the garden.
"Is there a place I could sit down?" Yue asked, looking around. "I don't believe I ever got a chance to visit this place."
"Yeah, come on," Sokka said, "We should go to the food court."
Cabbageway's was a department store, first and foremost. It sprouted from a grocery chain. That grocery chain reputedly sprouted from a traveling cabbage vendor. Azula sincerely doubted this was anything more than flavor. The friendly cabbage merchant, the store's mascot, smiled lifelessly. The statues were hanging near the door, greeting everyone coming in.
It was kind of creepy, more than anything.
"I wonder when we are," Katara said. Azula shrugged. It was a good question. Cabbageway's wasn't exactly the huge chain it became back ten years ago. It was a little more low-key back in those days.
The food court, on the second floor, looked down on the lights and sights of the first floor, where everyone walked around, preparing for the holidays.
"Do you think we'll run into ourselves?" Sokka asked, suddenly.
"I do not know," Yue murmured, "I'm so tired I can barely think straight."
"What was that, anyway?" Zuko asked. "That garden, that other Yue, all of that just doesn't make any sense. It's like, I could accept the Spirit World. I mean, sure it was a myth, but it was a myth I knew. I never heard of any maze like this, and no gardens, either."
Azula looked at Zuko, and grinned.
"Are you afraid there is some other you in this maze, somewhere, waiting to replace you?" she asked, her grin widening at his sudden change in expression.
"You think there is one?" Katara asked, looking at the food in front of her like it was a grand feast. "Do you guys mind if I --"
"Go ahead," Toph said, "Sokka's already going at his."
"Mmph -- hey, I told you, I was starved --"
"Shut up, Snoozles. So, Zuko, what do you think? Another Zuko somewhere in that big ole maze just waiting for the chance?"
"I don't know! But if there were," he frowned, "Even knowing that it's made up of a piece of myself, I don't know if I could face that."
"Oh? It's easy," Azula said, "I accept you, other me. You are indeed a part of me."
"It isn't that easy," Yue whispered, her eyes closed, "I never really acknowledged that part of me. If you'd asked me beforehand, I would have thought you were making things up. I felt it, but I didn't want to admit that was what it was, if that makes any sense."
Toph took a bite of her rice cake, and, spitting out pieces of rice as she spoke, "Well, that's just great. So even though we know we got to accept it, we can't just say it?"
"She was a part of me," Yue said, "I can still sense her inside me, if that makes any sense."
"Yue, you should rest up," Zuko said.
"Yes, I will just rest my head here, on the table," she whispered, and she laid it down, mumbling something further before making a light noise.
"Yue snores, good to know," Toph said.
Sokka's face stuffed with food, he looked up at Azula and said, "Mrph-snuht-mm, this is really good! You know, they stopped serving this like a year ago, and you gotta have some of this, Toph --"
"Were you trying to say something before that wonderful aside?" Azula asked, resting her head on her hand, eyelids lulled ever so slightly.
"Well, yeah, s'not that bad, I mean," Sokka said, "I mean, Yue did it, and I think we can too."
"What makes you think that everyone's got one?" Katara asked, "I mean, what makes you think that I've got some dark other side I'm trying to hide from everyone. And Toph! I mean, look at her, she's the most honest person in the world!"
"That I am," Toph agreed.
"If anyone's got another side, it's Azula," she said.
Azula smirked, "I hate to disappoint you, but I'm not one for repressing anything. You, on the other hand, are the most repressed individual I've ever met."
"What was that?" Katara's eyes narrowed as she focused on Azula's smug face. "Me? Repressed?"
"Would you both stop it?" Zuko said, "Yue's trying to get some rest."
"She started it!" the two of them cried out.
"You know, I missed this, I really did," Toph said, "Spicegirl and Sugar Queen, all-out brawl for supremacy. Should put it on TV and charge fifteen-hundred en per person."
"Look," Zuko said, "Let's just accept that everybody's got something to hide."
"Right," Sokka said, "Except for me and my lemur."
The group fell silent.
The crowds in the food court didn't seem to notice them, they weren't being bothered, though the clock raced slowly forward, it seemed that, once in a while, the clock would start ticking backwards. Perhaps it was just a trick of the light, Azula reasoned.
It felt, strangely enough, like a normal day after school.
There they were, all in their uniforms, excepting Yue, who looked a little out of place in flowing, shimmering white robes. Still, no one seemed to really mind the sleeping girl, she just looked like she'd walked out of a convention building for those action shows her brother used to watch when they were younger.
"So, we should get supplies while we're here," she said, breaking the silence. "Water, some snacks, prepare for anything."
The group agreed.
"You know," Sokka said, "This is almost like the good old days. I wish Aang were here --"
The group fell silent again, everyone glancing at Sokka anxiously.
"I'm going to get on that," Katara said, "Grabbing the supplies, I mean. I'll be back soon." She excused herself, leaving her meal, which previously she was devouring, half eaten. Azula frowned.
"Well, I suppose that is a convenient segue," she said, once Katara was gone. "Where has Aang gone to."
Zuko looked nervous, Sokka anxious, and Toph was just blank. None of them wanted to say anything, Azula reasoned, which made this all the more fun.
"Oh, I could just go on blindly," she said, "But considering that Sokka has been coming up with nothing as to what is behind all of this, you'd be only hurting yourself witholding information."
"You think this has something to do with Aang?" Sokka blinked.
"When hasn't everything revolved around him?" Azula retorted. People gravitated to him, and he changed the entire equation the moment he stepped into their lives, he was the center of everything, as far as Azula was concerned.
There was no doubt in her mind that the Avatar was a very real part of this maze.
"Aang is -- well --" Zuko stuttered.
"It's just he's gone," Toph said, "And he's not coming back."
"He's like asleep but not, you know, kind of mostly-dead," Sokka managed to garble out. Azula looked at all of them. Individually, perhaps she could have pieced something together of Aang's fate, or, at least, what they were trying to say.
But, when they all spoke in unison like that, it was probably safer to just ask them to repeat themselves one at a time.
"Sokka, you begin," she said.
"Well, it's like this," Sokka said. "Agni, the Spirit of Fire, was supposedly called by the despair of the human race to end their world so a new one could begin. That was the Unification." Sokka sighed. "Iroh Houou's experiment jump-started the whole thing, like, he tied a string around the worlds and tugged."
"All right," Azula said, "What does this have to do with Aang?"
"I'm getting to that! Okay, so, worlds colliding, that's right," Sokka said, "The two worlds were going to become one world, and Agni, responding to all that pent up despair, was ready to prepare the world and clean away all of the old stuff. Including people. You should know this, you were there on the day it happened!"
"I don't recall," Azula answered.
"Okay, fine, anyway, you almost stopped us from reaching Iroh in time. That's the bad news," he said, "The worse news is that it didn't matter because Agni wasn't just cleaning up the Spirit World, he'd become the Spirit World. He was huge! And Aang somehow managed to seal him away."
Azula frowned. "And this caused what?"
"Still getting to that," Sokka said. "Okay, so we stopped Agni, but the worlds were still about to make like cars on the Ba Sing Se highway and crash. Aang, he stopped that, he gave up his spirit to make a barrier, but his human body would become like a Spiritless here."
"So, he went into a state not unlike me," Azula said, shivering. The thought of lying, prone in that bed, like a corpse, it still sent shivers down her spine even now.
"Well, yes, but first he made us all forget," he said. "Like, we didn't remember what happened, we just remembered that we were friends and we lived together and went to school together. You know, normal stuff. And for a whole month, all of us just acted like nothing had happened."
"All that power," Azula paused, trying to gather her thoughts, "And he used it to live a normal, boring high school life?"
"Yep," Sokka said, "But after that month passed, we all remembered as the two worlds got farther apart, according to Yue. The barrier made it so the two worlds would remain apart. That's when Aang finally went into that big sleep and he's been like that since."
"I see," Azula said. She tried to process this information. Aang wished to live a normal life, but gave that up. Why anyone would do that was beyond her. With his power, couldn't he have made some more temporary solution?
"I don't expect you to understand," Zuko said, looking at her critically, Azula returned his glare, wondering if somehow he'd managed to read her thoughts. "It would be nice if you showed some compassion."
"I don't see why I should," she answered, curtly.
"We know how you felt about him," Toph said, "Don't try and lie to us."
"What are you talking about?" Azula's face turned crimson. She could remember the times they spent together. They were comforting memories, something that she treasured, although she would never admit it aloud.
"Talk about repression," Toph muttered.
"I have no idea what you mean!" Azula protested.
"Doesn't matter, he's gone now," Toph said, "Ain't coming back, so don't even dare talk bad about him. I'll make you regret it."
"Anyway, did that help you any?" Sokka asked. "It isn't exactly like I enjoy remembering all of that. It's easier just to move on."
It did, actually, Azula wanted to say. The idea of memories being rewritten, and the point about the worlds being separate, they all seemed to point to something involving Aang, but she couldn't precisely figure what. If the two worlds were separate, how did this place come to be?
"No, not yet, anyway," Azula said, "We're still missing something critical, I think."
"Oh," Sokka said, his face falling. "Well, we got a lot to digest. Other-selves, mazes upon mazes, paths into the past, we're full swing in another mystery. It'd be nice if we could just find out way back to the dorm, though."
"Mm, possible," Yue murmured, opening her eyes.
"Morning," Toph said.
"Hi," Yue muttered, quietly. "So, what do we do now? Do we have any idea how to get further into this maze, or do we just follow whatever I can sense for now?"
"I don't know," Azula answered. "Did you say it was possible to find out way back to the dorm?"
"It is certainly possible," Yue said, "But it's really hard to explain, when I try and get a sense of this place, it's like walking through a room with the lights turned off, I can sort of make out things, but unless they're really familiar to me, I don't know what they are. It's kind of scary, when one of those things might be a really scary spirit."
She yawned, "It's just so tiring in there, I can't overdo it."
"I understand," Azula said, nodding. "Well, we have a lot to figure out, and unfortunately, the only place for answers is back inside that maze. Perhaps we should track down Katara ourselves before she gets lost."
"Mind if I stay here just a little bit longer?" Yue asked, "I'm still so sleepy."
"That's fine," Azula said, "Sokka, stay with her. We won't be long."
"Okay, understood."
Toph stretched her arms up above her heads, and snidely grinned, tilting her head in the direction she last heard Azula's voice. Azula didn't seem to notice or care that she was looking at her.
"So, you still hot for him?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Azula answered, level and calm. She would not be beaten by the blind girl's taunts.
Running through Toph's mind was a very similar thought. She wasn't about to let the firebender win, especially when she was about as unsubtle as a brick. Lingering near him whenever she could find an excuse, singling him out for assignments that would involve her spending time with him, and the fact that around him, she even tried to be nice.
It was sickeningly obvious. "Okay, so let me break it down for you. Back before you went total psycho, you had a crush on Aang, and everyone and your brother knew it."
"Please just leave me out of this," Zuko muttered.
"Do I have to explain everything I do to you in very small words for you to understand, Toph?" Azula bristled in response.
"Oh, please do, I just love watching you act condescending."
"I was using him," Azula retorted, staccato and with rising anger. "There, I've admitted my evil plan to you, oh, about three months after I finally acted on it."
"Sure, keep telling yourself that," Toph said, "It's not like you didn't get all flustered when he said you had nice hair."
Azula stopped mid-step.
"He never told me that," she lied.
"Oh yes he did," Toph teased. "While you were going full-bore mental breakdown, he said you had nice hair. I remembe that."
"I think you've gone delusional, Toph."
Zuko rubbed his temples and scanned the stores for any signs of Katara. He was desperate to find an end to this conversation. The two could argue intensely, and they were more likely to dismiss him than stop if he called them on it.
The irritating tune that played over the speakers did little to help the situation either. "Mod-Ern Young Life Cabb-Age-Way! Everyday at Cabbageway's is like Avatar Week. We are offering brand new Phoenix Pharmaceutical brand face cleanser pads at half price! Perfect for the teenager about to start the new semester!"
"Wow, Katara, you look awful. What happened today with Azula?"
"I don't know, I just --"
"Did you two get into a fight like in those cartoon programs? I bet she was trained to be a ninja."
"I'm sorry, but what are you talking about?"
"Katara, don't you remember? You nearly got into a huge argument with Azula today? Wow, you're forgetful, too. Did you hurt your head? And what are you doing with your hair. I mean I like it, it makes you look so much more mature, but --"
"I always wear my hair like this."
"You had it tied back this morning at school."
"I found Katara," Zuko grunted, "Looks like she's met her school friends."
"Hey! Sugar Queen! Over here!" Toph waved her hands up high in the air, and from behind the group of three second year students, Katara breathed a visible sigh of relief.
"Is that Toph? The first year? Who's she talking to?"
"That'd be me," Katara said, "Excuse me, I've got to go."
"That is Toph, and Azula? And who's that next to them? That can't be -- the Delinquent Prince?"
"Er, his name's Zuko, actually," Katara said, pushing aside. "And I totally made my peace with Azula about whatever happened earlier."
"Really?" her friends looked conspiratorially at each other, "Did she make it up by introducing you to tall, dark, and handsome?"
"What? Zuko? He's a total dweeb," Katara said, dismissively. "Besides, it's -- I don't want to talk about it."
"You were totally lying, weren't you? You did have a summer boyfriend!"
"No! I got to go, club business," Katara said, pushing past them. She had some small snacks in a basket, and looked absolutely relieved to see the group. Azula didn't miss a beat.
"Start of the semester, as I recall, you were upset at me, as usual." Azula didn't bat an eyelash, "Probably over nothing, as was your usual behavior."
"I don't remember exactly," Katara blinked, "They're wondering what I'm doing hanging around with Toph and the 'cute stranger' right now, I just know it."
"Cute stranger?" Zuko asked, looking around.
"That'd be you, Matchstick," Toph retorted, "Let 'em wonder. It's not like I even got a chance to roll out my A-Game that early in the semester."
"So this really is the past," Zuko muttered.
"I was just about to get some bottles of water," Katara said, "But I got ambushed."
"We'll help carry everything," Zuko continued. "We've reached a wall on our deductions."
"Thanks."
"At least this place hasn't gone crack yet," Katara sighed, with relief. "The last time that happened, I was terrified I'd broken something."
"It ended up working to our advantage," Azula calmly retorted, "So I wouldn't worry. Perhaps because we're expected to be here, things are a a bit less likely to shatter."
"Crack?"
"Yeah," Katara said, looking to Toph, "Like it were made out of glass."
"I don't get it," Toph answered. She furrowed her brow and let her bangs cover her eyes. "How'd you crack the past?"
"It is rather unusual," Azula said, "But I believe it was likely to do with the fact that she interacted in a way she wasn't supposed to."
"What did it do?"
"I don't know, Zuko," Azula answered.
"No one seemed to notice it except for us, though. It was as if the cracks weren't there to them. The way they moved through the cracks was the sickest part."
"I don't think I like this past traveling thing," Toph muttered.
"Hopefully we won't have to," Azula said, "But if it's necessary, we will manage. This is a very convenient place to wind up, though. A store with plenty of food, only a school year before our time."
"Yes, a bit too convenient," Zuko grunted.
"So someone is watching out for us?" Katara asked. "I'm okay with that. It'd be some good news for a change!"
"I guess. It's never that easy though. Never."
"Zuko, stop being so negative," Azula said. "Whether this is some dastardly trap or not is irrelevent. We needed food, and even if we could find the dorm, there's no way to leave through the building."
"I guess," he grunted, unable to argue against that.
"Well, let's get the rest of the supplies," Katara said, shrugging. "If it's a trap, we'll be ready."
Azula nodded, "I'm going to see about ammunition."
"I really doubt Cabbageway's sells handgun ammunition," Zuko muttered.
"We'll see," Azula responded, grinning. It hardly mattered if they did or did not. She knew they did, though it was unlikely they'd sell to her, as a student. But that wasn't the intent. "Anyhow, we'll meet up at the food court."
"Okay," Katara said, "See you soon, Azula."
Azula left them and hurried towards the back of the store. Among the sporting goods there was a section dedicated to hunting. The forests and mountains of the Earth Kingdom were suited to hunting in the fall seasons, and though Azula never saw the point in hunting animals, she did see the point in self-preservation.
The store was quieter here. Few people in downtown Ba Sing Se had much need for hunting equipment. The few people licensed to carry a gun would come around from time to time, but it was rare to see a crowd.
Though it was true that ammo was beginning to become a concern -- she didn't particularly save much for her reserve weapon -- she came here to be alone. Seeing that the store was empty in this aisle, she walked down it.
She was certain she wasn't alone, though.
"You can come out."
No answer. Azula paused. Was this just a delusion, after all?
No, that was impossible. After the garden, she was certain that it was much more than that. "There's no one here, and we need to talk."
There was a sound. Footsteps, coming from small feet in soft soled shoes. They came from behind, walking down the aisle closer and closer.
"Since it's you, I guess we can talk. What do you need?"
The girl in black smiled.
To be continued.