AN: Sorry for the dozens of mood whiplashes within this chapter, but hopefully it sheds some light onto characterizations and motivations and all the -ations.
Chapter Eleven
It was nice to walk down the streets in the moonlight. Everyone was asleep and it was completely dark. The silence was soothing. She could only hear the sound of her feet on the pavement. Soon, that pavement turned to dirt. The city, to fields. That's when it started to rain.
Aurora tilted her head up to feel the sweet raindrops fall on her and closed her eyes. The rain was warm, almost like bathwater. But when she opened her eyes, she gasped as she realized it wasn't rain. It was fire. It was literally raining fire.
She spun around to see the great city of Ba Sing Sei was no longer behind her. Instead, was a village. She ran to see Firebenders burning houses, killing people. Aurora couldn't stand the sight any longer so she closed her eyes. That's when she heard the laugh.
"Scared are we, little Aurora?"
The golden-haired girl opened her eyes to see she was in a dark forest. No rain... No light... She spun around to see she was face to face with her.
"I'm sorry, did I frighten you?"
Slowly, Aurora backed away. "You're in prison! You can't possibly be here!"
Azula stepped forward as Aurora stepped back. Aurora could see now that she was shifting between her ten-year-old form and the older-looking picture she recognized from posters and newspapers. "Is it truly impossible? Maybe I am here. Maybe I'm not. Maybe you're right. Or maybe you truly are going insane like you thought."
Her smile was deadly and menacing. She lit her fingers with blue fire and held it up, watching it dance.
"I'm not crazy! I know you're in jail and this is some kind of sick dream!" She was becoming desperate. She tried to firebend but nothing happened.
"Did I mention that I have all the power here?" the imprisoned princess asked.
Aurora turned to run but found herself in the middle of a wedding. This dream is becoming stranger and stranger, she thought.
She froze as she saw Zuko standing at the alter. When she turned, Mai was walking down the isle.
"Doesn't she look pretty?"
She turned to find Azula leaning against a column, smirking.
"Now you're just messing with me..."
"No, actually." She straightened and walked towards Aurora. "This is part of your actual nightmare. You're afraid that you'll lose your beloved Zuzu forever. Aren't you?"
"Shut up!"
She shut her eyes one more time. When she opened them, it was someplace she did not want to be. She was surrounded by bodies, dead bodies. There were ice shards piercing and holding them against the trees around her. Aurora backed up into someone.
"You did this, didn't you? They said they were going to kill him. But you got to them first," Azula's cold voice whispered in her ear. "This is your true fear, isn't it? You're afraid of becoming like me."
"I-I didn't mean to... They... They were going to..."
"Yes, yes, I know. But they didn't. And now? Now they're dead. Isn't it great? Over ten people killed to save one?"
Aurora spun around. "I know what you're trying to do! You're trying to make me think I'm evil! I'm not evil!" she screamed.
"Don't worry. You don't have to be. Because I'm going to tell you something." She smirked and lit another blue flame. "I'll return. I'll return, and you know it."
Aurora screamed as her world was engulfed in blue fire.
She woke up screaming but stopped as soon as she realized it was a dream. She was shaking all over as she sat up. She's a liar, she thought to herself. She's a liar and don't believe a word she says. You're nothing like her...
Aurora rolled over and shut her eyes, far from convinced.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
It was very quiet. The whole city had gone to bed, leaving only a quietly falling snow and the soft crunch of footsteps.
Min sat on the steps and waited. She didn't quite know what she was waiting for, but she knew she was waiting for something.
She looked out at the city. It was gorgeous. The Northern Water Tribe. Just as she had imagined, earlier that day, and now she was here...
Slowly but surely, the lights in the houses went out, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
A figure approached her, though it was hard to tell in the darkness who exactly it was.
Oddly, for the cold weather, he was wearing normal Fire Nation clothing, though there was a sense about him that suggested he was a soldier.
"Will three silver pieces get me the night, darling?" he asked when he was close enough.
Min didn't quite know what he was asking. She rose to face him. "I don't-"
He grabbed her by the arm. "You need the money, sweet stuff, and it's only one night."
"Let go of me-"
"Only once," he repeated. "I'll up it to four. Such a pretty face as yours-"
She tugged away and fell backwards.
She found herself standing on one hand, holding both of her swords in the other. It was hot, despite the still-falling snow, and stuffy, though they were outdoors.
Except now they weren't. The Fire Nation man was still standing there. She couldn't see his face clearly, or if she could, she couldn't remember it. He was holding a whip.
"More, girl!" he shouted at her. "I've got a crowd to please! Give me more!"
"I'm trying!" she begged, panting, sweat streaming down her face. "This is all I can do!"
Somebody spat fire at her, and she tried to deflect it with a sword. She almost got it, except a small amount, which managed to catch her hair on fire.
She screamed and almost lost her balance as the fire rapidly spread from her hair to her shirt, but somebody tossed water on her just in time.
"Dammit, girl, I took you in and I can kick you out just as fast! I got some little bastard promising a crowd for a dual-bender! And I'm not about to displease the crowd!" He emphasized the last few words, cracking his whip again.
"I'm not a firebender! Or a waterbender! I'm not! Please!" she sobbed, but the whip only cracked above her head again.
"You'd better learn, girl, because if you don't I'll leave you on the streets of whatever plague-ridden slum we see next!"
Crack, crack.
Crackle, crackle.
She was still doing her handstand, but she had somehow left the tent in favor of a small campfire.
She quietly sat and somebody passed her a bowl of rice. She ate it hungrily, though no matter how much she ate, she was never really satisfied.
It took her a minute to identify the faces around the campfire.
Aurora was there, and on either side of her were Hiryu, in his Water Tribe clothes, and Yuan. This Yuan was much different than the one she'd known- he was taller, more bulky. Older.
"Come on my dear," he invited. His voice was smooth and everything she had imagined. "Sit by me. You seem frightened."
"Min?" Hiryu asked. "I thought you said you'd give me a chance."
Aurora was twirling her hair idly. "Choices choices," she said. Her voice was dark and thick with some sort of malice.
"Min," Yuan said, "think about it. My necklace. Your necklace. You still wear it. You still love me. You think about me every day..."
"Min!" Hiryu said, exasperated. "I thought we had something. We danced. I took you out on a date. We made plans. I know it's early, but you've gotta just give me a chance."
Min looked between them, faced with a choice she never wanted to make.
She eventually turned to Aurora for some sort of advice. But the golden-haired girl simply sighed. "I suppose I could help you. But why? Why on earth would I help you?"
Min blinked. She supposed she should be crying now. But she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Aurora went on. "We're not so different, you and I. We've both been hurt. We've both been teased, by others, because of our parents. But look at me- I've got ties with the Fire Lord. I can buy what I'd like on a whim. And look at yourself. Some little circus freak without a copper to her name. Living on scraps at the bottom of the barrel. Think about it, Ta Min. What's so different about us?"
Min backed up, but Aurora stood and, by some inexplicable means, firebended a ring around them. "I have everything you want," she drawled, taking steps closer to Min. "Why is that? Why is it that two little Fire Nation refugees, all alone in the world, why is it that we're so similar and yet so different? Why is it that you're working a minimum wage job and I'm rich? That you don't have time for love and I'm screwing the Fire Lord!"
Min continued to take steps back, until she was so close to the ring of fire that her hair and shirt caught.
She was jolted awake, forgetting parts of the dream even as her eyelids moved.
Quietly, she got up and decided some tea would be nice right about now.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
He walked down the crowded streets of Ba Sing Sei, shopping. Zuko was surprised to see so many people out so late at night. People were calling out, trying to sell their products to passers-by. The streets were lit with lanterns and lights all around, almost as if a fair was going on. He found himself looking around and making a list of things for Mai in his head.
So... A new knife, extra sharp. Some fruit tarts. Strike that, a lot of fruit tarts. And...
"Fire Lilies! Get your Fire Lilies here!"
Fire Lilies. Wait, what?
Zuko broke from his train of thought and looked toward the man who was shouting. He had a large cart filled with beautiful red flowers that seemed to be on fire in the light of his lantern.
Those are Aurora's favorite, his inner-voice reminded him.
"You'll have to choose sooner or later."
The Fire Lord turned to see Aang sitting nearby, at a table. The dark-haired boy joined the young monk.
"Aang? What are you doing in Ba Sing Sei?"
"Ba Sing Sei? Is that where I am? Huh. I was wondering about that. It is your dream after all."
The Fire Lord blinked. "Dream?"
"Well no duh! How else do you think I'm here? I'm supposed to be currently restoring the Air Temples!"
Zuko groaned. "So now you can go into other people's dreams?"
The young boy laughed. "Of course not! I'm a figment of your imagination! Be thankful, your subconscious could have made me Sokka."
"Okay, so, why are you here?"
"I dunno, you tell me."
"Well," he said, thinking. "I guess it might be to help me with my..." Oh boy. He knew this would sound pathetic. But, he had to say it. "Girl problems?"
Aang froze mid-stretch. "Oh. Um... Okay. So... What do you need my help with? Aren't you with Mai?"
"I'm supposed to be, but... This girl I liked when I was little showed up. Now Mai's mad even though I didn't do anything wrong! It was Auro-"
Now don't you start blaming her again!
"I mean... It was my fault. But she won't let me explain! She's being stubborn."
"I see," said the young Avatar, stroking an invisible beard. "I think what you need is a therapist!"
Suddenly, Sokka appeared next to Aang, wearing his fake beard.
Zuko hung his head in his hands. "Get him out of here."
Aang blew on the picture of Sokka and it blew away. "Okay, no therapist. Let's see what I can do... Who did you like first?"
"That's easy, Aurora. But I've known Mai longer."
"I see... Then, who do you like right now?"
"Uh... Mai?"
"You don't sound very sure."
"I'm not."
"Then... Who makes you happier?"
"I don't know!"
Aang sighed. "This might take a while. Who do you know more about?"
Zuko thought about it for a minute. "I guess I don't know anymore."
Aang groaned. "You're hopeless! If you can't find a single thing that you can answer surely, you're doomed! For crying out loud! You are going to drive me nuts!"
"Aren't you supposed to be helping me?"
"I'm trying!" he whined. "This isn't easy!"
"Just ask more questions!"
"Gah! Fine! Who makes you laugh more? Just pick the first one that pops into your head! don't even think about it!"
"Aurora."
"Good! Now... Who trusts you more?"
"Aurora."
"Who has stood by you longer?"
Zuko, without thinking, answered. "Aurora."
"Now we're getting somewhere! Who did you kiss first?"
"Mai."
"Oh. Um... Let's try this one again. Who do you know more about?"
"Mai."
"Uh... Who were you shopping for just now?"
"Mai."
Aang groned. "Forget this! Just wake up!"
Zuko opened his eyes to find himself in the bed of his house. He seriously needed help. The Fire Lord decided to grab something to eat before trying sleep again. No young Avatar came to his aid.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoO
There's an old Earth Kingdom proverb that goes, 'Revenge is a dish best served cold.'
But she never found that to be the case.
In fact, she found quite the opposite to be true. Revenge was best served very, very hot.
It was a dish to be served hot, but also very slowly. It had many courses. It was something to be drawn out, so that the recipient may be able to properly appreciate it and all the work that went into it.
Revenge was a dish to be carefully crafted, so that the personal message made itself very clear.
That was her reasoning. If one was going to go to all the trouble to get revenge, one might as well go about it the right way.