disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!

Beauty is Horror's Lightest Form

"Welcome, Avatar Aang!"

She yawned widely and stretched her arms to the sky, shaking her head of now-messy black hair before boredly regarding the esteemed General Fong that had voiced his boisterous greeting.

"I am General Fong; and welcome to all you great heroes! Appa, Momo, Brave Sokka, Beautiful Mariko, the Mighty Katara!" He exclaimed, seeming to signal a round of fireworks to go off in the distance.

"'Mighty Katara'? I like that." The waterbender smiled proudly despite herself, crossing her arms.

The firebender smirked smoothly, "Aww, General you tease." She chuckled, turning to watch more fireworks sail high overhead to explode in various colors and formations.

The quartet were soon seated on a flat rock slab in the general's meeting room, four or so earthbenders stationed by the columns that were on either side of the main aisle of the large and spacious 'office'.

"Avatar Aang, we were all amazed at the stories of how you single-handedly wiped out an entire Fire Navy fleet at the North Pole. I can't imagine what it feels like to wield such devastating power. It must be an awesome responsibility." Fong stated, his words meant for the airbender.

He shrugged, "I try not to think about it too much."

"Avatar, I think you're ready to face the Fire Lord now." Fong smiled placidly as if that was the simplest thing in the world.

"What!? No I'm not!" Aang balked slightly.

Mariko cleared her throat, "General, if I might, Aang hasn't even mastered earth- or firebending, and you want him to just go up against Fire Lord Ozai unprepared?" She asked carefully, starting to get the distinct feeling that this man didn't have his head screwed on right.

"Mariko's right, Aang still has to master all four elements." Katara agreed from her seat on the boy's left side.

Fong was almost giddy about his epiphany, "Why? With the kind of power he possesses, power enough to destroy hundreds of battleships in a number of minutes, he could defeat the Fire Lord now!"

"But sir, the thing is, Aang can only do those things when he's in the Avatar State." Sokka cut in, seeming to share in the firebender's wariness.

As Aang began to explain what it was, Fong cut in rather abruptly, "I'm well aware." He said, "Your eyes and tattoos glow, and you're able to summon unbelievable power. Without you, we'd be slaughtered before we ever reach their shores… But with you leading the way, as the ultimate weapon, we could cut a swath right to the heart of the Fire Nation." He said as he had stood and was gesturing on the map, pointing from the heart of the Earth Kingdom in a straight line to what appeared to be Caldera.

"Right… but I don't know how to get in or out of the Avatar State, much less when I'm there." Aang mused, lowering his eyes.

"So it's settled, then; I'll help you figure out how to get into the Avatar State, and then you'll face your destiny." Fong said as he faced the quartet again as they straightened.

Katara spoke up, "No, nothing's decided! We already have a plan: Aang's pursuing his destiny his way."

Fong huffed slightly, "Well, while you take your time learning the elements, the war goes on. May I show you something?" He gestured to one window of the room and they shuffled over with him to look below and see what appeared to be an infirmary. "That's the infirmary, and those soldiers are the lucky ones. They came back… Every day the Fire Nation takes lives; people are dying, Aang! You could end it, now!"

Mariko wanted to hit him, silently seething at his audacity toward using the pity card; instead her upper lip curled and she closed her eyes, counting down from ten in the back of her head to control her anger.

::::::::dOb::::::::

At catching whiff of smoke, Katara lifted her head from the pillow, seeing a thin and almost-translucent wisp of smoke rising from Mariko's cot; she rubbed sand from her eyes, noting the older girl was mumbling under her breath as well. "Mari?"

"What is it?" Mariko bit out softly, the mumble mantra halted as she lifted her head a little.

"Are you burning something?" The younger girl asked.

She looked down to see her palms were exuding soft wisps of smoke from their grip they had on her sword she'd been polishing to vainly get herself to sleep; she inhaled deeply, exhaling and lowering the weapon next to her on the cot. "No, it's just a habit of mine; sorry. I was trying to get to sleep but I suppose I'm too pissed to get some rest. Don't worry, Kat, just go back to sleep." She replied quietly.

She nodded a little and lowered her head to the pillow. "Okay…" The room would've gone back to its peaceful quietness had Aang not chosen that moment to return from wherever it was he'd gone to.

"I told the General I'd help him by going into the Avatar State." Aang announced quietly as he shuffled back to sit on his cot.

Katara was the first to protest, "No, Aang! This isn't the right way…"

"Why not; remember when he took out the Fire Navy? He was incredible!" Sokka said from his cot.

"There's a right way to do this: practice, study, and discipline." Katara tried again.

Sokka shrugged nonchalantly, "Or just glow it up and stomp that Fire Lord."

Mariko snorted, "Like it's that easy! Ozai's many things, but he's no pushover." She mused grimly.

"If you two meatheads wanna throw away everything we've worked for, then glow it up!" Katara added bitingly as she lifted her arms in exasperation, starting to pace.

"Katara, I'm just being realistic! I don't have time to do this the right way." Aang protested albeit weakly, looking away as he seemed troubled by his decision.

Mariko lowered her gaze as well, sheathing the katana quietly in the black scabbard.

The earthen slab the desk was on pelted forward at the boy, sending him flying out of the office the crash had created.

"Aang!" Sokka and Mariko exclaimed in chorus and made to jump in when the two guards in Fong's office caught them from behind and held their arms behind their backs as Fong strode out to go fight against the boy.

"Let go, you idiots!" The girl growled as she struggled against the guard, biting back an oath when his hand dug deeper into her wrist to the point where it hurt; the sound of crashing rocks and Aang's desperate plea for the guards to back down came from the courtyard. Well damn. "Sokka, now!" She used her extended right foot to bend her knee sharply back so she hit the guard in his groin hard, forcing him to let her free as he swore colorfully; having already kicked the shin of his own guard, he sprinted to the opening in the room's wall to look down at the scene.

"We've gotta do something… Mari wait! Mariko!" Sokka cried as the firebender took off on her fire-rockets, making a beeline for the center where a blur of yellow and orange was fending off the various slabs of rock that were sent in his direction.

"AANG GET DOWN!" Mariko commanded as her body swerved and twisted in mid-air, forming a large and wide cartwheel of flames to take down as many soldiers as possible while she landed neatly next to the boy who'd ducked low in time.

"Men, don't hold back on that firebender!" Fong crowed to his remaining forces, sending a hulking slab of rock jetting towards the new threat.

"I have something special for you," she smirked humorlessly in his direction, leaping into the air to narrowly avoid the piece of earth aimed for where she stood, left foot and right fist swinging out to deliver a vicious blast of fire that screamed at where the general stood, twirling on her right heel to swing her left leg down sharply and send another bout of fire to chase the previous blast, landing in a crouched position.

Three soldiers riding ostrich-horses flew forward to apprehend the firebender; she narrowed her eyes angrily.

A slap was heard as a narrow whip of water smacked one soldier off his steed, another being wrapped in the same whip of water that sent him flying back. Blue met amber as both girls shared a nod, standing back to back, a whip of water in one hand and a whip of fire in the other.

"Maybe you can avoid me, but they can't!" Fong proclaimed to the airbender that had skidded to a halt as several rock-discs formed and circled the two girls.

Katara struck first, the water whip flying in his direction and it would've hit had he not summoned a bit of earth to render the whip into nothing but sand.

Mariko growled and sprinted for him at top speed, the whip cracking and aiming for his face if she didn't feel the ground beneath her start to creep up and attempt to take her left ankle; she hopped up and summoned the fire-rockets again, evading the would-be attack, leaving the waterbender on her own. She perked up alertly to see the earth having taken hold of her, grabbing onto her legs below the knee. "Katara!" She barked.

"Don't hurt her!" Aang begged as she cried out 'I can't move', looking to the general and sending a gust of wind to throw him off his footing before a slab of rock rose up to block the attack.

"Katara, no!" Sokka declared as he rode forward on the ostrich-horse, yelping as the ground caught onto one of the ankles of the steed and sent him flying to be caught in the center of one of the upturned discs.

"Sokka!" Mariko jetted down to help him and yelped slightly when a large rock was sent up at her, deftly swerving to the side, looking on the scene in a mixture of anger and helplessness that only fueled her anger.

"You could save her if you were in the Avatar State!" Fong threatened as Aang grabbed onto his wrist.

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Aang cried, tears starting to well in his eyes.

Katara yelped as she sank lower into the ground.

"I don't see glowing!" Fong sang lowly.

"Aang, please!" The girl cried as she was now neck-deep into the ground.

"Please, you don't have to do this!" Aang shouted.

Fong closed his hand, "Apparently I do."

Katara gave a strangled yelp as she soon disappeared beneath the ground, Aang's hands narrowly missing her head.

The tension that had arisen in the air was deafening as Aang's tattoos glowed vibrantly and his eyes turned white with the same power, rage screaming in his features.

"It worked!" Fong laughed in spite of himself, bracing against the sharp slap of wind that was sent in his direction.

"Aang!" Mariko shouted as she'd landed to help Sokka out of the disc, looking at the scene in surprise; for once she felt fear, fear she thought she had forsaken long ago, fear for her friends, for Aang.

It was true, then: the Avatar State was both beautiful and horrific at the same time… And she felt pity for him because he had to keep that in balance along with everything else.

Aang.

A/N: season two officially starts, gents. and a small hint regarding the next chapter...

'Nah, for all she knew, Mai was far away, safely in the Fire Nation… She had to be.'