A/N: Thank you, all you amazing readers! I'm blushing from all the love and reviews for the last chapter. Seriously, thank you, one and all.

In response to reviews from Chapter 25:

TPizzle50GK: This is like my perfect horror story! I love it! The demon that Katara dreamt of reminds me of the one from insidious! You are an amazing writer! Do you think you could give me some tips on mine More Than Just Friends?
= = = Thank you! I'm so glad I got the horror thing down – I've never written anything like this before, haha. I will PM you with a few tips I can think of, but really the best advice is to READ, READ, READ and never stop writing. Read the kind of stuff you like to write, see what makes it successful to you, and try to apply that to your own writing. I can see just looking back in my story, Electrify, that my writing has improved dramatically since the start of it – just through practice and lots of reading. So yeah. That's my biggest advice. Oh and, subscribe to writing blogs. Very helpful information there.

Zutara fan: Finally! A new chapter! And an excellent one at that.. You are amazing! The chapter's epic, and of course, you'll guess which one's my favorite part: the-katara-having-nigtmarea-and-ozai-cudding-her-part! My goodness, I wanted to SHOUT! And you're teasing me-i thought they were really going to kiss! When's that going to happen, eh? Don't worry.. no pressure intended. Just make your next chapters as romantic as ever! Thanks! P.S. everyday, I check if there's a new chapter, and if there's a new one, I literally SCREAM! I AM SO ADDICTED! Thank u awesome writer! I'm your die-hard fan! Keep 'em coming...and fast! (Joke..take your time)
= = = Thank you so much! It's quite a compliment that you literally scream when there's a new chapter – I LOVE IT! Made my day. And yeah, the part with Ozai and Katara cuddling was my favorite part to write too. Don't worry, there's plenty more where that came from ;-)

JuiceKingBlah: SQUEALING SO HARD! THE CUDDLE! ME LOVES!3 Oh Ozai, you're in love! What was that demon? A dark and restless soul aimed to haunt and scare the living? Or some sort of Demon King? XD I don't know! I just hope everyone's safe! Looking forward to the next one, very exhilarating!
= = = Haha, yeah I loved writing that scene. Definitely squeal-worthy. I'd rather leave the demon up to the interpretation of the reader to decide. It's more fun that way :) So… whatever you want it to be. Thanks so much for the review!

ox-Aviva-oz: Simply amazing. Can't wait for the next instalment! Xx
= = = Thanks so much!

LadyRavenclaw96: For many years now I have been browsing this site, and this is the first time I am commenting on a story. I made this account to do just that. First off, I am an avid fan of this show. I loved it so much when I watched it for the first time, however recently, I decided to re-watch the series, and love it even more now! There is just so much depth and story to this show, it's fantastic and I'd recommend it for people of all ages. After I watched it, I thought about reading fanfic for it, read quite a few fics. Then I stumbled upon your fanfic. And let me tell you this, it is a masterpiece. From the story, to the character development and grammar/punctuations, everything is top-notch. Even the pairing for this story which is unconventional, goes so well! I like it very much now because you actually make it work out! I applaud you for keeping most of the characters, and making them stay in-character. And this is the fault I have with reading other stories(not just avatar, also other shows/books/movies) is the inability of having the characters stay true to themselves(seriously, some of the stuff I've came across, this really bugged me). But you manage to handle the characters and situation very well. It's fun reading their dialogues, I can actually picture them doing that! Apologies for the long response, but this story is simply just too great! I love the pairing and their very realistic development(especially your portrayal of Ozai). Just fantastic, I can't wait to read more of this! Hope you update soon :)
= = = Wow, this may be the highest compliment I've received on this story. I certainly wouldn't say it's a masterpiece – it's far from that in my opinion and I'm still learning and improving as a writer all the time. But I appreciate the sentiment just the same! That you created an account just to review this story… Wow, that's amazing. Thank you so much! And it means a lot to know that I've stayed true to the characters. That's one of my pet peeves on here too, actually. I try to imagine how they'd say what they say, what their body language would be like for each character, etc. Glad to know I've succeeded! Oh and don't ever apologize for a long response. I LOVE getting thorough reviews. Thank you so much again!

Luna de Papel: Methinks Ozai really liked waking up like that, and we already know how Katara feels. The forest demon did help Ozai put something into perspective although I don't think he realized exactly what As for the Gaang, they appear to be in much more trouble than our runaways! Please update soon :)
= = = Glad to have you back, Luna! Thanks for all the reviews on the preceding chapters too! Trouble is definitely a-brewing for all involved ;-) Thanks for reviewing!

Ozai's face was frozen, numb. The condensation from his breath clung to his skin and beard in tiny crystals of ice. He pulled his cloak tighter and tried to steel himself again the biting winds. His feet were starting to lose feeling as he and Katara trudged through the snow that had fallen deep and heavy over the past day. At least a foot if he had to guess, and still coming down in thick white sheets. He clenched his jaw and cursed inwardly. This was what he had strived so desperately to avoid. He had known his time was short before the onset of winter, but he had thought he would make it. That was before all the setbacks and obstacles. And the mountains. He was terribly unaccustomed to snow and cold weather, to say nothing of the peaks' subzero temperatures and frequent blizzards. Even Katara, with her natural affinity to the cold, seemed vastly uncomfortable.

They traveled for hours without speaking, saving their breath and energy for the grueling work of their bodies. The land was a desert of white. So bleak and forsaken that the essence of it was not even that of sorrow. There was a hint of laughter in it, but of a laughter more terrible than any sorrow – a laughter as mirthless as winter itself, as bitter as frostbite and just as deadly.

At a steep precipice, Ozai hoisted himself up and then extended his hand down to Katara. She squinted her eyes against the icy pellets and placed her hand in his. Grasping her arm with his other hand, he helped her scale the sharp incline. Reaching the top, her foot slipped and Ozai stumbled back slightly, catching her as she fell into his arms. Their eyes locked in an electrical embrace. Ozai felt his insides warm at the way her lips parted in a subtle, unintended display of longing. His throat tightened and he tried to swallow past the ache inside.

Against his will, he broke the gaze and steadied her feet. Turning to walk on, he dared one last glance and realized her hand still occupied his. Quickly, he pulled away and started off again, shoving his hands inside his cloak. Cursing his weakness, he reminded himself of his resolve not to be drawn in by her.

An hour went by in silence, and then another hour. The pale light of the sunless day was beginning to drain from the sky when something caught in Ozai's vision. He waved his hand at Katara to get her attention and put a silencing finger to his lips. Pointing off in the distance, he nodded toward a dark shape in the colorless void up ahead, faint and hazy amidst the thick cloud of white. Her eyes locked onto it and then shot back to him, the unspoken question on her lips. Something was moving in the snowy woods. A single spot of color.

Ozai dragged her behind a nearby tree and flattened himself against it, peering around the side. Whatever it was did not seem to be moving too quickly. Hopefully they would have time to distance themselves before it got much closer. He examined the landscape for the quickest and most concealed route from its trajectory. It might be nothing, debris carried by the wind maybe, but he was not willing to wait around to find out.

His mouth hovered over Katara's ear in a whisper. "We'll cut through at a diagonal and pick up our trail further on, once we've passed it," he said, pointing out the route. "I think it's best to play it safe knowing what we know now." She nodded in agreement. Ozai tightened his cloak and peered around the tree once more before setting out.

They trekked through the snow as quickly as they could. Small, stinging pellets of ice swirled in the wind, biting their faces as snow crunched beneath their feet. Dusk was descending rapidly amidst the thick tree cover and visibility was growing poor, but there was no sign of the dark object behind them. Whatever it was, it seemed they had lost it. Ozai and Katara slowed their pace slightly to catch their breath. When darkness was complete, they finally stopped beneath a cluster of barren trees and set up camp. A hollow, overturned tree served as their shelter.

"I'll take the first shift and keep a lookout," Ozai volunteered, taking a seat inside the tree. He waved her toward her sleeping bag next to him. "You're exhausted. Get some rest."

Katara did not argue. They said nothing more and the next time he turned to her, she was asleep.

The howl of the cutting wind was muffled within the tree's concave walls. Inside, the air was stale, filled with the smell of decaying bark and dead leaves and the brightness of fresh snow that had blown in. Ozai picked up a skeletal twig and turned it in his fingers as he peered from their pitiable shelter into the night.

It took strength and resolve he did not know he possessed to keep his eyes open. Ozai was not sure how long he had been sitting there, struggling to stay awake, but it must have been hours. And he was in dire want of sleep. Leaning over, he gently shook Katara awake.

"Sorry," he mumbled, not sure why he was apologizing to her.

She rubbed her eyes and sat up slowly. "It's okay," she said, her voice still lost in sleep. "It's your turn to rest."

Katara took his place at the lookout and rubbed her face in her hands. Ozai felt a pang of pity for her as he crawled into his sleeping bag beside her. She looked so pathetic and exhausted. But he knew he could not last much longer awake and someone had to keep watch. He would take over after a few hours of rest.

.:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:.

Blood. There was blood everywhere. Ozai wanted to scream. The agony was excruciating, unbearable. But he could not move, could not utter a sound.

Something tore into the flesh of his arm again and the pain ripped through him. His eyes moved to see a ghastly hag of a woman, emaciated, a thin layer of skin stretched across bone. From her jagged teeth hung shreds of his own flesh, tattered and dripping with blood. The hag moaned in ecstasy, eyes rolling to white, as though relishing the taste of his flesh. Ozai could only watch in horror as she bit into him again, tearing muscle from bone, blood spilling in a torrent from the cavernous wound. He prayed for death to come quickly, to end his suffering. But death would not come.

And then slowly, inexplicably, the old woman began fading into the night. Her form grew transparent until it was nothing more than a shadow above him.

The silent scream inside him was building, and as the last of her gruesome shape diminished, Ozai sat up with a sharp cry, coming out of the nightmare with a jolt. It was a moment before he remembered where he was. He rubbed his hand feverishly over his arm to find the skin as it had always been. Smooth. In tact. Sweat streamed down his chest despite the bitter chill. Letting out his breath, he raked shaking hands back through his hair and dragged in air. Blinking away the panic, he noticed that the place Katara had been seated was vacant.

Something stirred beside him. Ozai looked down to see her then, asleep, roused slightly by his outburst. The exhaustion must have taken her suddenly because she was not even in her sleeping bag. She was huddled next to him, shivering against the cold. Her skin had paled, her lips drained of their natural blush. Ozai felt a chill just looking at her. Instinctively, she nestled closer to him to find warmth.

His body tensed. He did not have the heart to wake her and he was far too weary to take watch. Against his better judgment, he wrapped his cloak around her and pulled her into him. Just this one night. He could let go of his inhibitions this once for the sake of survival. He needed her alive. There was nothing more to it than that, he told himself.

Nothing more at all.

Zuko tossed and turned beneath a restless sleep. His dreams were absent, filled with a black void of nothingness, but the undulation of a deep whirring sound in his ear kept him from the tide of sleep. Like the wings of a thousand bats beating in the darkness. It would fade, and slumber would start to take him, but then the keening would rise higher, pulling him back up again. It was maddening. He understood now why sleep deprivation was used as a form of torture.

A flurry of motion enveloped him suddenly, dark, fluttering, painful. He tried to wake himself from whatever strange nightmare was ravaging him. But he found himself trapped in a place between sleep and wake, conscious yet unable to stop it. A prisoner in his own body. His skin stung all over as though he were being bitten in a thousand places. Zuko writhed against the pain for what felt like hours until eventually it released him and faded away. Still, as his heartbeat slowed, he could only lie there in his sleeping bag, powerless, unable to bring himself out of his waking coma.

His eyes opened again with the first light of dawn. As Zuko emerged into consciousness, he thought he heard something like the keening of bats fleeing away. His eyes felt weighted, his whole body aching from the night's torment. Crawling out of his sleeping bag, he winced at a sudden stinging on his abdomen. Lifting his shirt, his blood turned cold at what he saw. Hundreds of tiny scratches marred his flesh. Most were superficial but some had cut deeper, crusted with dried blood. He examined the rest of him – his arms, legs. Every inch of skin seemed to bear the same nicks and scratches. The realization hit him like a physical blow. It hadn't been a dream. Something had attacked him in the night.

His thoughts turned to his friends. Had they suffered the attack too? Or had he been the sole target? And what about Katara? His heart fell at the thought of her lying hurt, terrified, the victim of an unseen evil. They had to find her and get out of this abominable place while they still could. It could have his father as far as he was concerned. He belonged in such a hell.

Sokka had risen and was munching on some moose jerky when he glanced over at Zuko. A furrowed brow replaced his calm expression.

"You look terrible," he said. "Are you feeling okay?"

Zuko wanted to laugh. He could always count on Sokka to say exactly what he was thinking.

"Couldn't sleep," he shrugged, not wanting to draw unnecessary worry.

A frown creased his friend's face. "Is that all?" he pressed further. "You don't look so good."

Zuko hesitated, wondering if he should speak of the night's assault, but thought better of it. He would know soon enough whether he had been the primary focus. Unwarranted fear would only breed panic and that could be a death trap in these labyrinthine mountains.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

To his relief Sokka dropped it, but Zuko could tell by his expression he was not satisfied with the answer. He knew him far too well to slip something by him so easily.

After breakfast, they packed up and summoned another vision. The heavy snow had long since erased the trail of footsteps they had been following. Genshi led the way on a slightly altered course. The terrain was more hostile, jagged and unpredictable, as though the land itself was against them, laughing as it thwarted their progress. For every step forward, they seemed to take three steps back. They learned to take every stride with caution or else risk falling into a hidden crevice. Zuko could feel the grip of despair growing stronger. They would never make enough headway at this speed. What if they never found Katara? What if they never made it out of here alive?

The five of them struggled up a steep, nearly vertical, incline. No one said anything about the nooses that were starting to appear more frequently on the trees along their route, but he was sure they didn't go unnoticed. He supposed there was not much use in talking about it. They were far beyond the point of no return.

Appa dragged behind them, snorting out weary breaths. Zuko had noticed an unsettling change in the bison since their entrance into the mountains. Appa had always been more sensitive to the things unseen, but it seemed the darkness of this place was leeching into him, slowly draining his life force away. He did not have the energy to take flight anymore and could barely keep pace with them on foot. Zuko did not want to alarm anyone, but he could see in Appa the first signs of what this place might do to them if they did not get out soon.

The steep path finally plateaued into a level area forested by a thick grove of trees. As Zuko struggled to catch his breath, his eyes locked onto something swaying gently in the wind between the trees. Something large. He swallowed the lump in his throat and signaled the others to stay put as he crept closer to investigate. A gust of wind drove a cloud of icy flakes into his face, stinging his skin. He forced his eyes into a squint and peered harder through the trees.

For a moment he was not sure he was seeing correctly. Zuko blinked and wiped the snow from his eyes. And then suddenly, he felt the breath sucked from his lungs, like a blow to the stomach. There in the middle of the grove, where a cluster of trees formed a near perfect circle, hung the badly decomposed bodies of six corpses. Their heads were slumped over at an unnatural angle, clothes hanging like a sheet from their wasted bodies. What remained of their faces still held a glimpse of their last moments – mouths agape in shock, eyes bulging as the horror set in, expressions twisted into a terror only those meeting death could know.

Zuko felt his stomach clench and thought he might gag. He opened his mouth to call out to his friends but the words wouldn't come. As he started to turn around, his body felt weighted, his head heavy. The world around him was growing darker and darker, closing in. He felt his body sinking to the ground. And just before the last of the darkness swallowed his vision, he was sure he saw the head of one of the corpses turn to him. Its face was twisted into a wicked grin. Holding up an emaciated arm, it gestured with a finger for him to come closer.

Somewhere, far away, he could hear familiar voices calling out to him. But they were not real. Not to him. Not in this time or place. All he could feel, all that mattered to him, was the strong pull toward the phantom that beckoned. An urge to obey the call, a yearning for what awaited him beyond.

"He's not breathing!" a voice echoed.

"What's happening to him? We can't lose him like this!"

A blow to the side of the head dispelled the darkness. Zuko came out of his trance with a groan, holding his head as he rolled on the ground.

"Quick thinking, Toph," Sokka said.

Zuko cradled his head and tried to sit up. "Wh– What happened?" he mumbled.

Beside him, the shrill of Suki's scream was an ice pick to his head.

"The trees! There's dead people hanging from them!"

Heads turned with a resounding gasp. Zuko just tried to massage his aching temples. They must have been too distracted with him to take notice before.

"I told you this would happen," Genshi cried through rasping breaths. "We're doomed."

"Shut up, Genshi!" Sokka spat. "Zuko, what happened to you?"

"I– I don't know. Everything just went dark, I didn't have control anymore. And then it was like I was somewhere else. In a different time. Like I wasn't me."

Silence bespoke the group's trepidation. Eyebrows raised in uneasy glances.

"Look, let's just keep moving," Hakoda urged. "I think we'd all be comfortable and think more clearly somewhere else."

"You said it," Suki piped up. "I'm gonna have nightmares tonight, for sure."

Hakoda and Sokka each took one of Zuko's arms to help him along but he shook them off.

"I'm fine," he snapped, staggering to catch his balance. He sighed and shot them a desperate look. "Really. I'm fine. Let's just go." The two men exchanged hesitant expressions but reluctantly released him from their grasp.

Straightening his shoulders, Zuko cast a last glance behind him at the bodies. They all looked just as they had before. Lifeless, heads bowed toward the earth. There wasn't any sign they had moved the way he had imagined it. Maybe he was going crazy. The idea was oddly comforting. He would much prefer that over what he had imagined and felt in that moment of darkness.

They walked over snowbanks and ice-covered slopes. A burst of wind blew swirls of snow in their path and sliced at Zuko's face. His breath sawed at his throat, lungs aching from the cold air. The energy was seeping from his body with every step. Like a tiny crack spreading through a giant dam, weakening it to inevitable collapse. He squinted, pushing harder into the wind, and tried to put it from his mind. All that mattered was Katara, he chanted to himself. Katara. Katara.

They passed a clearing that Zuko might have paid no mind to had it not been for the knots of charred logs protruding from the snow. Around it, specks of black soot dotted the blanket of white. Someone had built a fire here. Not long ago.

"They were here," he shouted over the wind. The others stopped and turned, grey clouds of their breath whisked away by the wind. Zuko directed their gaze toward the remnant camp site. "We're on the right track."

"How can you be sure it was them?" Sokka shouted back.

"The char on the logs is still fresh. Who else would come through these mountains in the dead of winter?" The warrior nodded his agreement. "This can only mean one thing…" Zuko continued. "We're getting closer."

Katara awakened from a quiet sleep to the wind whispering outside their shelter. It was the first restful sleep she could remember having in far too long. Pale light streamed in through a crack in the hollow tree. It seemed morning had come without a single disturbance in the night. A welcomed reprieve. If the turmoil could slow enough for them to gather their wits about them, maybe they would have a chance to get out of this place.

She drew a deep breath into her lungs and became suddenly aware of the strong arm wrapped tightly around her. The warm body pressed against her back. Ozai. The breath caught in her throat. She could not remember falling asleep with him. How had she ended up in his arms?

A soft wisp of breath warmed her neck and made her heart flutter. Was he awake? Or was he still sleeping, oblivious to the way they were intertwined? She stirred slightly to test his reaction. He didn't move. Probably sleeping. Her muscles relaxed a bit. Good. She was in no hurry to get up anyway. It was warm and cozy beside him and her head was still foggy with sleep. But the side of her body that had been lying on the hard, knobby shell of the tree all night was sore and aching. She turned slowly, so as not to wake him, until they were face to face. With a silent sigh, she was about to settle back in when her heart jumped into her throat. Ozai's eyes were open and drilling into her. A hint of a smirk danced behind them.

"How long have you been awake?" she gasped as the wind rushed from her lungs.

"Long enough," he lilted. "Making yourself comfortable?"

Katara's face burned with a deep blush.

"I'm sorry," she stammered, scurrying to sit up. "I don't know how…"

"It's okay." Ozai interrupted her broken rambling and sat up beside her. Katara could not bring herself to face him. "Though normally there would be consequences for someone who abandons their post."

She heard the smile in his voice and looked up to see his mouth turned up in a smirk. Katara searched his eyes for a moment. There were flecks of different golds and browns she had never noticed in his irises. They were beautiful.

"I found you asleep," he clarified. "You were completely comatose and starting to freeze. Literally."

"Oh, sorry," she muttered, shaking her head. She turned away, embarrassed, but a warm hand on her arm drew her gaze back again. Katara opened her mouth to speak but the words eluded her. There was a glint of something in his eyes that made her insides burn. She blinked at the surprise of it and tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

Slowly, almost subtly, his fingers slid up her arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps blooming in their wake. His eyes flicked to her lips and then locked onto hers again. Katara's heart drummed erratically in her chest.

"Listen, Katara…" he began. His voice was almost a whisper, low and gravelly. But his lips pressed into a frown and she felt him draw his hand back as he averted his eyes. He started to pull away when she found herself reaching out to place her hand on his, encouraging him to stay. Their eyes met again, timid, uncertain.

Katara didn't mean to lean forward. It was as though an unseen force was drawing her into him and she was powerless to stop it. Or perhaps she did not want to stop it. But what did it matter? A warm wisp of his breath grazed her face as Ozai leaned into her, slowly, hesitantly. And before she had time to think, her lips were upon his in the slightest brush of a kiss. Her eyes fluttered closed as their lips met, gentle and soft and startled.

His mouth moved slowly at first, with a softness and uncertainty that belied his callous nature. A tentative hand came up to cup her face, his thumb sweeping across her skin. Katara drank him in, relishing in the rapture of his touch, the softness of his lips. She brought her own hand to rest on his as a wave of longing crashed over her. She tilted her head and parted her lips to deepen the kiss. Ozai took her cue and drew her into him, his lips crushing hers with a growing hunger. His hand moved with purpose from her face to her neck, entwining his fingers in her hair to hold her there.

A soft moan escaped her lips as Katara wrapped her arms around his neck, raking her hands through silky, ebony hair. She took in his smell, that distinct scent of smoldering firewood. It was intoxicating. Ozai broke away from her lips and kissed her jaw, nibbling softly before descending to her neck. He peppered kisses down her throat, drawing a gasp of pleasure from her as her heart raced wildly.

He made his way back up and crashed his lips upon hers once more when a loud crack from outside their shelter startled them apart. Katara's heart was still racing and her head was in a fog as she tried to discern the source of the sound. For several moments it was quiet. She raised an eyebrow at Ozai but he shook his head, uncertain.

And then it came again, louder this time, followed by a deafening crash. The intensity of it made her jump. Exchanging a quick glance, they scrambled to their feet and rushed from the shelter. They stopped short with a sudden gasp and Katara's stomach turned to ice. A huge tree had inexplicably broken in half, the top half lying on its side next to their shelter. But it was something else entirely that made her blood run cold. Painted in a thick, tarry substance on every tree that circled their campsite were the most evil, disturbing faces she had ever seen. And they were smiling. Each face was more sinister than the last.

"Oh my gods," she managed under her breath. "Ozai…"

He didn't respond. Katara tried to remember if she had noticed them the night before. It was dark. It was possible she had missed them. But somehow she didn't think so. Even in the dark, she was certain she would have noticed something like that. And what could explain that giant tree spontaneously breaking in half like that?

"I think we should leave. Now." Her voice wavered in a frightened whisper.

Ozai nodded. "Let's go."

They had never packed up their gear in such a hurry. Before long, they had put the spine-chilling sight behind them and trekked through the snow-covered mountains once more. The sea of trees seemed to be thinning somewhat. And maybe it was her imagination, but the terrain seemed to be on a slight decline. They were on their way down! With a smile, Katara glanced behind her as though to bid the mountains an early farewell. But as she turned around, the smile melted off her face. In dismay, she felt her heart drop.

"Ozai!" she cried out. "There's that… thing again."

The black form they had seen in the distance yesterday had appeared again, only this time is was closer. Unnervingly closer. It was still impossible to discern what it was, but it was obvious that it was humanoid.

"Whatever it is is following us." She pointed in its direction. Ozai nodded sternly.

"We have no choice but to keep moving," he said. "Try to lose it. If it catches up to us… well, we'll just have to deal with it then."

"But, Ozai –"

"Listen!" he interrupted her protest. His voice softened again. "It'll be okay. We'll make it."

He took hold of her arm and let his fingers run down it until they reached her hand, clasping it with a quiet tenacity.

"Let's just get the hell out of these mountains."

A/N: BAM! And there's your kiss scene, people :) About time, right? Hope you all enjoyed. There may be more from where that came from later. You'll just have to keep reading to find out ;-)