CHAPTER RATING: T (Language, Violence)

A/N:

Inspired by the T.V show Supernatural, Season 3, Episode 11, "Mystery Spot."

Chapter 20: Aang's Endless Day in Ba Sing Se

Aang opened his eyes to the rose-red ceiling of the odd, out of place room in the small inn. He looked to his side, and saw no one there.

"Katara?!" He called out in a panic to no answer. His blood ran cold. I knew something was wrong with this place. Gathering himself, he put on his clothes, and began walking towards the door.

That's when he heard the lock of the door click, he sighed with relief as she stepped into the room.

"Aang, you're up." She smiled with a tray of food in her hands. "Breakfast?"

"Y-Yeah. Thanks." He stuttered.

"Is something wrong?" She placed the tray onto a nearby table. "You seem nervous."

"Well, I-" He collected himself with a deep sigh. "When I woke up, and I didn't see you next to me, I just..." She nodded in silence, waiting for his entire answer. "I was scared that something had happened to you." His head sunk as he let out the answer.

"It's okay, Aang." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. If anyone tries to hurt me, remember what I can do." His fingers began to twitch, and then loosened, he smiled and nodded. "Now, let's eat."

"Yeah, sure. What is it?"

"I let the hostess know you're on a strict vegetarian diet, so she had the kitchen cook this up for you." Katara lifted the lid off the first tray. "...Icicle cabbage and ginger root stew, with blood apples and jasmine tea."

"What did you get?"

"I got…" She lifted the cover from her plate. "…Blackened south-pole salmon, with 'organic' seaweed salad, and of course…jasmine tea." She held up the small tea cup and took a sip of the warming water.

"Jasmine tea." He laughed and took the apple into his hand. "Do you think that has anything with the fact that Zuko's uncle Iroh is essentially the King of Ba Sing Se?"

"Probably." She returned his laughter with her own. "Why do you think this is called a 'blood' apple?"

"I'm not sure." He tossed the apple into the air, catching it as it fell back into the palm of his hand. "I guess I'll find out soon enough." He took a bite.

"Aang, is something wrong?" A red liquid ran down his chin.

"No." He answered with a mouthful of the apple before showing it to her.

"The center is filled with, what is that?"

"It tastes like a sweet, smooth syrup." He swallowed. "Would you like to try some?" He offered her the apple with an open palm.

"I'd love to." He froze and watched as she moved closer and kissed him, letting her tongue slide across his lips, tasting the syrup from his chin. "Delicious." Her tone of voice made his heart skip a beat. And for a moment, he lost himself in her glowing blue eyes and her heavenly laughter. "Is something wrong?" She asked after a long silence.

"Nothing's wrong." A smile crept across his lips. "I don't think I could be any happier than I am right now."

…

Aang heard Katara slide the keys over the counter to the hostess. She was still dressed in the same long robe that matched her eyes. He heard the whispers of their conversation, and waited for her at the door. Moments later, Katara rushed back to him and took his hand.

"What did you two...Talk about?" He stuttered.

"It's a secret." She hushed, and smiled before stepping out of the door. He followed, shrugging off her silence.

...

"I got it right here for ya!" The Blacksmith twirled Aang's staff and slammed it into the ground. "She's a beauty, ain't she?" He boasted.

"It is." Aang took the staff in his hand, and pushing the button at its center, smiled with pride as it opened up to show it's wings. "Mind if I test it?"

"How?" The Blacksmith asked.

Aang smiled and nodded at Katara. She walked up to him, locked her hands around his chest, rested her arms on his shoulders, and held on tight.

"Like this." Their footsteps imprinted the sand like a running leopard, chasing it's prey. "Ready?" She nodded. "Jump!" They took to the air like an eagle, soaring across the sky, in between the winding package delivery system and above the people of Ba Sing Se.

Heat ran across his back, his heart pumping as her grip tightened around him. He felt her face bury itself in his back, and wished that she would never let him go. She would hold onto him, and he would never let her fall, no matter what.

He would die for her.

He landed on a rooftop, and took a seat on the green tiles.

"Is something wrong, Aang?" Katara asked.

"..." He took a deep breath. "Yes, Katara. Something is wrong."

"What is it?" She took a seat next to him. "I'm here for you. You can talk to me about anything."

"That, I'm not so sure about." He shook his head.

"Try me." She offered.

"I...I can't stop thinking about Azula." He watched her eyes widen, and her smile fade. "...Unless I'm with you." He admitted.

"Aang, you told me that you love me..."

"I do! I swear that I do!" It pained him to say this. He knew it was the truth, but not the whole truth."Azula did something to me. She changed the way I think. She's manipulated my mind somehow." He took another breath, his head fell into his hands. "Before we left the temple, I had a conversation with...With Azula."

He saw Katara rear back.

"I could swear that she was standing there as I spoke to her." He pushed his hand into his chest. "Evey time I open my eyes, I-" He lost himself. There, standing in front of him, was Azula. Her golden eyes burned a gaze into his soul.

He froze.

"Aang?"

"You weren't supposed to tell anyone." Her arms wrapped around his neck as she moved behind him. "Especially her. I thought I was clear." Her breath fell in his ear. "This was supposed to be our little secret." Her lips touched his cheek, the warmth of her kiss expanded to his entire being. "I'm hurt." Her voice called to him. "I thought I could trust you."

"Aang!" She shook him.

"Katara, I'm sorry, but she's here right now. I need you're help."

"What can I do?"

"Please, is there anyway that you could...Erase my memory?" He pleaded. "There has to be a way that you could manipulate my blood to block out this image of her." His voice began to crack. "I need to forget. There has to be a way to forget."

"Aang the only person we know that can deal with lightning is on the upper-ring." She nodded. We have to go there. We need to go now. "

"Okay. But before that, let's go say thanks to the man who made this." He felt her arms around him again, silence hung in the air with uncertainty.

"I'll see you again. The real me. Very soon." The image of Azula whispered before fading.

He took off.

Something was wrong.

The staff began to creak. With a snap, it broke. Aang and Katara began to plummet towards the ground. He panicked as they fell faster than he could respond.

So he did exactly what he said he would.

"It's okay." He whispered to her. "Don't worry." He could only save her, but that's all he wanted. In a flash, he spun himself around, and created an air bubble just below her, just enough to break her fall.

She shook her head. No. Don't do this. He read her speechless lips, and pushed off her. He ensured that she would be safe, the cushion she has would be stronger, but the force sent him careening downward faster.

His back struck the rough, dirt ground. His head bounced off with the impact, knocking him out. His spine snapped with the fall, ensuring that he would never wake up again.

But he did.

...

Aang opened his eyes to the rose-red ceiling of the odd, out of place room in the small inn. He looked to his side, and saw no one there.

"K-Katara?" He stuttered out in more confusion than panic. He put on his clothes, and walked up to the door.

The door clicked open.

"Aang, you're up." Katara smiled with a tray of food in her hands.

"Breakfast?" He asked.

"How did you know? Well, I guess it's because it is morning."

"Yeah. That's why."

"Great!" She placed the tray on the table. "I told the hostess that you were on a strict vegetarian diet." She placed her hand on the lid of the cover. "So I got you-"

"Icicle cabbage and ginger root stew, with blood apples, and jasmine tea."

"How did you know?" She lifted the lid to reveal the familiar sight of the meal he had just eaten.

"I guess I'm just lucky." He smiled and took the apple into his hand. "And I'm guessing that you got...blackened south-pole salmon with an 'organic' seaweed salad."

"You're right." She sighed. "Is something wrong?"

"Something is wrong." He dropped the apple. "I've seen this before. I've...I've lived this before."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I've seen everything that's going to happen today." He sighed. "Do you know why this is called a 'blood' apple?"

Katara shrugged.

"This is why." He waved his hand, and created a small tornado that cut the apple in half. "Blood red syrup that is inside the core."

"Okay. But let's have breakfast, and then we'll figure this out."

"Alright. The apple didn't kill me last time." He sighed, and took a bite.

Something was wrong.

As soon as he swallowed the apple, his body seized up. The last thing he saw was Katara hunched over him, calling his name. His eyes closed, and everything went black.

Until he woke up again.

…

Aang opened his eyes to the rose-red ceiling of the odd, out of place room in the small inn. He looked to his side, and saw no one there.

"Okay." He rubbed his head. "Something is definitely wrong here." He put on his clothes and waited.

Sure enough, a few seconds afterward, the door clicked, and Katara stepped through with a tray of food in her hands.

"Hey, Aang-"

"I'm awake." He interrupted. "And you have breakfast. In fact, you have icicle cabbage and ginger root stew, blood apples, blackened south-pole salmon, an 'organic' seaweed salad, and jasmine tea."

"That's right." She removed the lids and placed them on the table. "How did you-"

"We don't have any more time. I'm stuck here, and I can't get out until I figure out what's wrong. We need to leave. Now."

"No breakfast?" She placed the tray on the table.

"No." He stared at the blood apple. "No breakfast."

…

Running down the stairs, he looked at the hostess, still wearing her green robe that matched her eyes. He nodded to her, slid the keys across the counter, and burst through the door.

"Aang, what's the rush?" She pulled away from him.

"I need to get out of this city, now." He answered. "If I don't then this is going to keep happening to me. I'm stuck in a loop, and I need to figure a way out."

"Okay, let's slow down here. You're stuck in a loop? What does that mean?"

"It means." He took a deep breath. "I wake up to this same day, and I go through with it. It's happened twice now. I die, and then I wake up, and the cycle starts over."

"Are you hearing yourself?" She asked. "That sounds ridiculous."

"I know it does, but you have to trust me. Please, trust me." He pleaded. "I think the only way out of this is by getting out of the city. That's it. Then I can be free."

"Okay, but shouldn't we get your glider first?"

"No. That's the first thing that killed me."

"And the reason why you didn't eat breakfast-"

"That's the second thing that killed me. I just need to go. I think if I get out of the city, I'll find a way, and I'll find who's doing this." He shrugged at how ridiculous all of this was. "I know it's hard to believe, but-"

"I trust you, Aang." She placed a hand on his cheek, and brought him to face her. "Let's go."

They ran through the crowded streets to the main gate. The guards lowered the earthen wall. But as they stepped into the open, the wall itself began to crack. A massive fragment of earth began to fall.

Aang saw the massive boulder dropping, and in a panic, he pushed Katara out of the way. The fall brought pain to his side, and as he looked up, he saw that it was going to happen again. The boulder crushed him under a ton of rock, gravel, and sand.

And yet…

Aang opened his eyes to the rose-red ceiling of the odd, out of place room in the small inn. He looked to his side, and saw no one there.

…

For hundreds of days, he woke up to the same scenario. Icicle cabbage and ginger root stew. Hostess with green eyes and robe, blacksmith, roof.

Some days the staff didn't break. Some days the blacksmith killed Aang. Some days they slipped off the roof. Some days, he stayed in the room. Some days, he didn't make it out of the bed.

Different things happened, but the end result was the same, he would die, and he'd come back.

For hundreds of days, he woke to the same day. And he grew tired of it. Nothing ever changed. Only the way he died. But he died. He always died.

…

Disheartened, he walked down the steps, and shot a look towards the hostess.

Something was wrong.

Her green dress was still there, as always. But her eyes…

Her eyes were red. Hundreds of days had passed, her eyes were always green, but now they were red.

"Katara…Go on ahead." He whispered. "I need to talk to the hostess."

"Wait, Aang, where am I suppose-"

"The blacksmith. Like every other day." He watched her walk out the door, and turned around.

"Can I help you?" She smiled.

"Yes." He vaulted over the counter, and pushed her up against the wall. His forearm pushed up into her throat. "Who are you?"

"Take it easy, Avatar." Her smile widened. "Did you enjoy your night with her?"

That question took him aback, and when he blinked, she had vanished, and he wasn't inside the small inn anymore. He wasn't in Ba Sing Se. He wasn't even in the physical world.

In place of the real world, he stood in a grassy green field, with a clear blue sky. And there she was again. Materializing before him, she floated above the ground, a mischievous smile spread across her lips.

"So, did you enjoy it?"

"If I answer your question, will you answer my question?"

"Of course!" She nodded.

"I..." He took a deep breath. "I did."

"It's so interesting! Humans are so intriguing!" Her smile widened. "How was it?" She leaned in closer to him.

"I-I can't give you any details! It's too personal!" He blushed. "Now, I answered your question, you answer mine!"

"Okay." She laughed and hovered down into the ground. "My name is Zhéng Gú Shén."

"I know that name." His jaw dropped. "You are the trickster spirit. One of the strongest entities in the universe. You can-" He thought back to everything that had happened. "You can bend reality to your will, and make worlds from nothing."

"That's right! I didn't think I was that famous." She hopped into the air. "What else do you know about me?!" Her eyes were glowing like clear white diamonds.

"Well, I was always told that you were..." He shrunk as he spoke. "Malevolent, ruthless, and insane." He gritted his teeth. "You are never to be trusted. Only avoided." She nodded. "And anyone who crossed paths with you...Are trapped for an eternity." His voice faded as he finished the thought.

"Ding! Ding! Ding!" She appeared behind him, and continued. "But what they never told you, is that there's always a method to my madness."

"And what does that mean?" He turned around. "What's the point? What's the reason for making me live this day over and over. Watching me die again, and again. Is this fun for you?"

"Well for one thing, it is fun. But it's not fun because I enjoy suffering. It's fun to see you work through the problem! It's fun to see how you find the solution." Aang found himself sitting in a seat, she was sitting next to him. "So, did you figure it out yet?"

"No." He sighed. "I don't know what to do."

"Think about it!" She exclaimed. "What was it that kept killing you? When the glider broke, when the wall crumbled, when the blacksmith's assistant went crazy. What was it that you kept trying to do?" His eyes widened.

"I was always trying to protect Katara."

"That's right. So what is the solution, to end this day?"

"I need to stop protecting Katara." Aang breathed out.

"You can't always protect her, Aang. She can keep herself safe. Don't worry about her."

"I love her. I have to keep her safe."

"I know you do. But she's not the only person you love, is she?" Hovering around him, her smile only grew with her prodding. "You love Azula just as much as Katara, don't you?" He looked away. "Look." Her face shifted into a stern, but playful expression. "If you had to make a choice. Water or Fire?"

"I can't make that choice." He admitted. "If I had any say in this. I would become two different people. And be with them both. I want to make them both happy. Because they make me happy."

"Ah. Thinking outside the box, eh? That's quite an interesting choice. Perhaps in the future, it will happen." She walked in front of him again, and smiled. "You know what to do if you want to end this repeating nightmare."

"I do."

"Perhaps we'll meet again, Avatar Aang. Zhéng Gú Shén loves reunions."

She snapped her fingers.

And he found himself standing in the courtyard of the Earth Kingdom Palace.

"Come on, Aang! Zuko and the others are waiting for us." Katara's voice came from behind him. She grabbed his hand and dragged him along.

"Wait-" He pulled her back. "Katara, before anything happens. I want you to know that..." He grabbed her, and brought her lips into an embrace. She relented from his touch, but then pushed back into his kiss.

"What was that for?" She blushed.

"I love you, Katara. And I would do anything for you."

"I know, Aang. I know." She pulled his arm closer, and led him into the palace.

They walked into the massive halls, three figures stood in front of the Earth King's throne. Azula, flanked by her brother, and her uncle.

"I'm sorry, Avatar." Iroh's voice echoed through the hall. It felt like time froze to him. Azula stood from her throne, lightning skipped across her fingers.

Aang readied himself, but a thought rang through his mind.

You can't always protect her, Aang. She can keep herself safe. Don't worry about her.

He didn't act, and only watched as the lightning shot forth.

But she wasn't able to protect herself.

He watched, helpless as the lightning struck her, the fabric from her clothes burning, her face frozen in fear, and her body sinking onto the cold ground.

She died right before him.

He fell to his knees and closed his eyes.

...

He awoke, expecting to see what he had seen for the last hundred days. Instead, he was met with a pleasant surprise.

When he woke up, he saw her glowing, beautiful, blue eyes, relief washed over him.

Today was going to be different

PUBLISHED ON: 10/09/2014

A/N:

It seems like a stand-alone one-shot, but I assure you, Zhéng Gú Shén will make a return. Because in this chapter. Aang was you, the reader. And Zhéng Gú Shén was me. Take (her/his/it's) word as mine.

Thanks for reading!