Chapter Text
For the first time in a hundred years, there was peace in the world.
The war had ended 3 months ago, with Firelord Zuko finally calling an end to the senseless violence that had ravaged countless lives. The world celebrated for weeks on end, with Caldera hosting the biggest festivities of them all. The air smelled so strongly of festival food for weeks in the Fire Nation city that eventually, everyone felt sick of them. However, it seemed that nothing could take away the joy of the people. The Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom, and Fire Nation were finally able to live in peace together. The world was finally starting to heal its wounds from war, albeit slowly.
The Gaang decided to stick around the Fire Nation to help the people get back on their feet after a lifetime of a brutal militaristic regime. However, each of them eventually had their own duties to attend to. Both Katara and Sokka decided that it would be best to help reparations to the Southern Tribe. Katara was itching to bring back waterbending to the Southern Tribe, while Sokka was interested in working in the more political aspects of running the tribe with his dad. Toph decided to follow in Katara’s footsteps (although she would loathe to admit it) and bring metal bending into the Earth Kingdom. After three 3 months of rebuilding and celebrating, both the siblings and Toph decided it was finally time to start helping their homelands.
Aang sniffed, looking at Katara with big round eyes, pleading for her to stay a little longer. “Come on Katara, I finally get to explore the Fire Nation after all these years, and now you want to leave?”
Katara raised an eyebrow. “You can do that without me though?”
“It’s not the same! We’re finally together! Like, romantically together!” Sokka interrupted his spiel, gagging and complaining about ‘oogies’. Katara rolled her eyes and shoved him to the side, before motioning Aang to continue. “ I just want to spend every second I have with you Katara, but now you have to go back to the Southern Water Tribe!”
Katara looked away, with a clear blush on her cheeks. “I’ll write to you every day Aang, and I’ll visit once a month, don’t worry. We won’t be apart for long.”
Aang grinned at that, then turned to Toph, “Are you sure you can’t stay any longer? I might need some more training.”
Toph punched Aang in the shoulder. “I think defeating the Firelord makes you a master in your own right, Twinkletoes. You won’t ever be as good as me, but you don’t need any more training. However, those wimps in the Earth Kingdom definitely need some guidance from the greatest earthbender on the planet.”
Aang nodded, but sighed, before finally turning to Sokka, “Are you sure you have to leave too? I heard Zuko needs some new ambassadors, and you’d be the perfect fit! You gotta stay in the Fire Nation with me Sokka!”
“And here I thought you forgot little old me. But that’s exactly why I’m going back home to the tribe. Dad said he’d teach me more about being an actual political leader, so hopefully I can come back and work here soon as an ambassador if Zuko lets me.”
Katara gave Sokka a flat look. “He’ll 100% let you, Mister certified genius.”
Aang sighed, even deeper than the last time, bringing attention to him once again. “I get it, we all have important things to do. Katara and Sokka with the Southern Water Tribe, Toph with metalbending, and Me, Suki, and Zuko working to fix the Fire Nation. It just sucks that we have to all stay apart now.”
“It’s just temporary,” Katara reassures.
“Speaking of Zuko, where is he? He said he cleared his schedule and that he’d be able to spend the entire day with us.” Sokka frowned.
Toph simply pointed to the heavy doors that led to the banquet hall, just in time for Suki and Zuko to burst in.
Zuko huffed, “I’m so sorry I’m late. Some noble was trying to convince me that he should still be allowed to not pay his taxes.” At hearing this, Aang managed to wilt even further, reminded he was now spending his time doing bureaucratic work. Sokka ignored Zuko, in favor of peppering Suki with kisses.
“Is it bad to say that I miss fighting the Fire Nation?”
“Not at all, Toph. Not at all.” Sokka shook his head, arm wrapped around Suki, and even Katara seemed to agree with the sentiment.
Suddenly, Aang froze.
“Aang? What’s wrong?” Katara rushed to him, while the rest of the Gaang stood on high alert.
Aang frowned, “I’m not exactly sure,” He hesitated, seemingly rolling the words on his tongue before finally deciding to spit it out. “It's just- this room feels oddly spiritual now. Like the barrier between the spirit realm and the physical world just weakened.”
Hearing that, Sokka threw his hands up and groaned.“You’re kidding. We just defeated the Fire Lord and now we have to deal with the Spirit World? Again?”
However, as soon as Aang mentioned it, the air in the banquet hall did seem far more oppressive. The air seemed heavier and almost seemed to hum with energy. Faint sounds of water and wind whistled through doors. If someone looked closely, they could notice a faint white fog slowly start to creep from the walls themselves.
“It does feel like the Spirit Oasis,” Katara worried her lip, before deciding on something. She clasped the lid of her water pouch and shifted her feet into a waterbending stance. “Let’s stand our ground. We haven’t done anything to upset any spirits. In fact, we’ve been mending our relations with them the entire time we traveled the world! Whatever spirit it is, we can face it head-on.”
“But why here? If we were in the Fire Temple, it would make sense. But the Palace has been the least spiritual part of the country, since… well since a hundred years ago.”
Toph started to wobble, and Sokka quickly grabbed her arm to steady her. “None of that matters! Whatever spiritual mumbo jumbo it is is here now ! The floors don’t even feel like earth anymore. It feels like Appa’s fur! ” The rest of the Gaang looked at each other bewildered, before quickly looking down. That's when they noticed the floor being replaced with a thick white fog, one that was slowly wrapping around their feet.
Sokka stuck his hand right into the fog. “Toph’s right! The floor just vanished!” Katara swiped her hands, attempting to bend the fog away, but the fog continued to wrap around each person, tightening around their ankles. Zuko then tried to send a burst of flame at the mist, but his hand simply sputtered, only leaving a trail of smoke.
“If bending doesn’t work, that means we aren’t even in the physical world anymore!”
Suki then gasped, diverting the Gaang’s attention from the quickly encroaching mist. “The walls! They’re breaking apart!”
The walls of the banquet hall began to break off into cubes, revealing a dim sun and an eternally cloudy sky. A faint whisper began to speak, though it felt more like it was almost singing, and the whistle of the wind in the trees was its instrument. The voice seemed to guide trees and vines, causing them to rapidly burst from the carpet of fog, narrowly avoiding the Gaang, tearing up the rest of the hall instead. The mist then took the vague shape of a person while whispering even louder, its unintelligible words feeling like agony itself. The fog continued to coil around the Gaang, restricting their movements like a python-cat ready to swallow them whole. The Gaang's cries were muffled as they tried to fight against the relentless onslaught of fog, but one by one, they were pulled under the fog, surrendering to the overwhelming power of the spirit.
Aang looked the spirit in the eyes (or where he assumed the eyes were) as the fog began to pull everyone under. “What do you want with my friends? What do you want with me? Let them go and I’ll do what you want! Please !”
The spirit laughed, “I just want to show you how far you’ve come.”
Before Aang could get any answers, he too was pulled under.
***
Zuko groaned, waking up to a splitting headache. He stumbled into a sitting position, trying to catch his breath. The room spun, and black spots danced in the corners of his eyes. Once the pain dissipated, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, trying to right his vision. Even though he had just woken up, exhaustion settled over Zuko. He slowed down his breathing, ready to relax and hopefully fall back asleep when he remembered just what happened. Zuko stood with a jolt and dug his nails into what seemed to be a couch. He frantically ran his eyes over the room, before locking eyes with Suki’s prone body.
“Suki!” He began to shake her, and Suki woke with a start, fist inches away from Zuko’s eyes.
“Zuko! You’re alright!” Suki shook her hand before settling it down. “Didn’t mean to almost punch you, Fire Lord.” Suki bowed her head and placed her hand on her heart, before shooting a smile at Zuko.
Zuko shook his head and laughed. “I should have known better than to catch a Kiyoshi Warrior off guard.” Suki snorted, covering her mouth with her hands. “But if you’re here, that means that everyone else should be here too.”
Suki straightened and began to search the room for anyone else. She came across Katara, her brows furrowed as though she was having a nightmare. Suki gently tapped Katara’s shoulder, causing her eyelids to flutter open and her hand to shoot straight to her water pouch. Zuko quickly found Toph, and was in the middle of waking her, when Sokka rose from behind the couch, clearly caught off guard.
“I just had an absolutely insane dream that some weird spirit person trapped us with some weird spirit fog.”
Zuko looked pensive off to the side, “It was no dream. It trapped us here in this room.”
Katara frowned, “But this room looks so normal! This place looks like the Earth Kingdom house we stayed at in Ba Sing Se!” She waved her hand to try to bend her water, but the water gave a small wobble before falling back to the jug. “I guess it still is the Spirit World…”
Toph wobbled, gripping the couch to get her bearings. “It's made of earth too! I can finally see again!” Toph threw up her hands in celebration. “But this place is huge. There’s a dining area, as well as bedrooms and bathrooms.”
“I don’t see any doors though. Are you sure it's that big?” Suki tilted her head.
“When have my senses ever been wrong? But speaking of my senses, I don’t see Aang anywhere.”
As soon as she said that, Aang dropped in from the ceiling, directly on the couch. Katara rushed toward him, shaking him awake.
“My head…” Aang put a hand to his forehead, slowly getting up. “What- What happened? Did that spirit get us?” Katara nodded.
It looks like everyone is here. Good. A voice seemed to come out from all sides of the room.
The Gaang immediately changed their stance, tense and in their respective fighting stance.
Aang spoke first. “Who are you? What do you want with us?”
I mean no harm.
Toph scoffed. “It sure looked like it when you dragged us to your creepy room with creepy fog singing with your creepy voice!”
You yourself saw that this room had nothing dangerous, Toph. This room is filled with everything a human requires. Aang looked at Toph to confirm, and she reluctantly nodded. As for the fog and my voice… I’m afraid I simply have a knack for dramatics. Forgive me, but it gets awfully boring waiting for the Avatar.
But as for who I am, I am a spirit of time. I cannot reverse it, as I’m sure many of you hoped. However, I have the ability to make it so people can review their past. Raava, the Avatar Spirit, made me her servant, deeming that the ability to review one’s past is beneficial for the Avatar. While I normally do this once the Avatar has died, I made a special exception for you, Avatar Aang.
“So, I’m not dead, or going to die anytime soon right? And what do you mean Raava’s the Avatar Spirit?”
The spirit laughed. No, you will not. I decided to make this exception for my own personal amusement I’m afraid. I found you and your friends' adventure quite thrilling, and wish for you all to see how far you have come. Not many have had growth quite profound as you all in this short of a time. As for Raava… she is not someone you will need to know in this lifetime Aang.
“You’ve seen the Avatar after me?” Aang clasped his hands in excitement, while the rest of the Gaang cringed at the implications.
Indeed. If you wish to see your next life, I will show you, but we shall discuss this after you have viewed your own story. This opportunity to witness your past will help guide you in any future endeavors you and your friends will partake in the future. However, since this isn’t your time to review your past, or that your friends shouldn’t really be here, if you wish to leave, I will allow it.
“How much of our past are you exactly showing? We spent a year fighting the Fire Nation alone, but would you also show each of our childhoods? Are you going to show the three months we spent after?” Katara frowned. “We could be stuck here forever!”
Smart girl. I’ll be showing your time fighting the Fire Nation, with snippets from your past If deemed fit. I’ll also be cutting any of the mundane, or unnecessary bits from your past. Overall it should take 1403 minutes, or about a day, if you take no breaks. However, this area is in fact, designed for you all to take breaks. Doors appeared in the walls of the room. There are bedrooms, bathrooms, as well as a dining room, where I’ll provide whatever food you wish for. While you don’t need to eat, drink, use the bathroom, or sleep in my domain, I find that humans appreciate a routine. Time also won’t pass in the physical world for as long as you are here, so you may take your time watching your past.
“Oh! What about bending? Is there a way to bend again?” Katara jumped, excited at the prospect of being able to use waterbending again.
You’re still in the spirit world, so I’m not able to give your bending back. The benders of the team wilted. However, this domain is much closer to the physical world, making it so that you’re able to bend minuscule amounts. It’s why you were able to slightly move the water in your pouch, and why Toph is able to use seismic sense. Zuko should be able to produce a slight amount of heat from his person, as well as make a small amount of smoke. As for the non-benders, you have your weapons, but they’ve been significantly dulled.
Zuko attempted to do both and nodded once he verified the spirit's claims. Sokka tried slicing the couch with his new boomerang, but it bounced off, not causing a scratch.
“Well, how am I supposed to see it?” Toph waved her hands in her face.
Don’t worry, I had many a visitor here, and you are not the only one with a disability that caused me to think outside the box. I made it so that the screen will simulate the earth, so you’ll be able to use seismic sense to see. In the part where you all were in the North and South poles, I’ve made it so it appears as earth for you, instead of ice. You still won’t be able to see anything in the air or water, but it’s better than nothing.
“Sweet.”
Any more questions?
Everyone shook their heads.
Good. I shall allow you all to decide whether you wish to continue. You may explore this area in the meantime. If you have any more questions, feel free to call out.
The presence seemed to fade from the room, leaving the Gaang by themselves.
“Well? What do you all think? For me, it shouldn’t be too big of a deal, but I know that this war could bring some bad memories for you all.” Sokka looked wildly at Suki, knowing that she stayed at the hands of the Fire Nation for months.
“Same here, the only personal problems I had were with my parents, and most of you already know what happened with that.” Toph shrugged. “I don’t mind if Sparky and Honey over here see what happened either.”
“Toph, are you sure? You don’t have to put on a tough front you know.”
“Quit nagging Sugar Queen. I mean, I know you mean well, but trust me, it's ok. Frankly, you guys should be asking yourselves if you’re cool with it.”
Sokka looked over to Katara, watching her fiddle with her necklace. He got up and sat next to her, watching the warring emotions of hope and anguish cross her face. “Sokka… what should we do?”
“The spirit did say that they’d show snippets of our past… It could include Mom.” Katara sniffed. “Our local spirit guy also seems to trust them, so they probably aren’t lying.” Sokka jabbed a thumb in Aang's direction, where he was sitting cross-legged, looking contemplative into his hands. “It's up to you.”
“I think… After the war ended I’m a bit more at peace. Plus after my ‘field trip’ with Zuko and all…” Katara trailed off, trying to decide what she was going to say next. “ I guess what I’m trying to say is that if we do see it happen, It’ll still hurt, but I’ve finally begun to slowly move on. Plus, I trust everyone here. They can all see. But what about you Sokka? She was your mom too.”
Sokka looked taken aback and took a moment to orient himself before responding. “Honestly, I want to see Mom, no matter the situation.” Katara grimly nodded. “Are you sure you’ll be ok, Katara?”
“I will. And even if I’m not, I’ll have you Sokka.” Sokka beamed. “But what about… about Yue? ” Katara whispered.
Sokka took a deep breath and leaned on Katara’s shoulder. “Same thing you said. It’ll hurt, but I have my little sister with me. I’ll be fine.”
***
Zuko leaned against the wall, debating whether or not he should go through with it. Everyone else seemed to move into their own spaces - Sokka and Katara still on the couch, Aang by the dining table, and Suki in the bathroom. It’s not that he didn’t trust everyone here, they were basically his family! They’ve seen him at his worst, back when he was stuck on that metal trash bucket full of anger and despair, desperately trying to win back his father’s approval. However, he has yet to tell them how exactly he got his scar, and frankly, was keen on avoiding that conversation as long as possible. They’re all aware that his father is the absolute worst, but they still don’t know how far his abuse went. Don’t get Zuko wrong, he would’ve told them eventually, and he wanted to tell them before anyone else did, but this spirit was going to show what happened. And seeing your friend’s face burned off is extremely different than just hearing about it. They would hear his agonized screams, and if the spirit was especially cruel, smell his burning flesh. Zuko slid down the wall and buried his head in his hands, feeling bile crawl up his throat at the thought. He was so distracted that he barely noticed Toph plop down right next to him.
“Worried Sparky?”
Zuko chuckled, “Understatement of the century. I'm terrified.”
“About seeing your dad?” Zuko hummed noncommittally.
“We’ve all heard bits and pieces about what happened to your scar if that's what you’re really worried about. No one told us anything definite, but we all know it was really rough, and that it wasn’t a training accident.”
“How, exactly, is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“Uh, because…” For the first time since Zuko knew her, Toph sounded unsure. “We won’t be too freaked out?”
“But hearing is different from seeing Toph. I don’t want any of you to actually see what happened. Frankly, I didn’t want you to hear how I got my scar either.”
“I’m sure seeing is different from hearing, Zuko.” Zuko swiveled to level a flat look at Toph, before realizing she didn’t even see it. “And I told you, we all don’t know the whole story. We just heard it from palace gossip. Also, this whole ‘watching our past thing’ isn’t exactly supposed to be comfortable anyway. It’s supposed to shove your problems in your face. But now you have your friends here, who really want to help you, Zuko. We can all work out your problems, and you’ll help us with ours. Plus, you can’t deprive me of seeing ‘Angry Ponytail Freak’.”
Zuko groaned and slammed his head against the wall. “You made me not want to see it even more.”
“Come on! You have to! You don’t want to let the poor blind girl have any fun?”
“You’re evil, Toph.”
Toph snorted. “Think about what I said, Sparky. We’re all here for you.”
“When did you get so wise?”
“Hey, hanging out with your old man does pay off.”
Zuko smiled at the mention of Iroh. “You really want me to see this, huh?” Toph nodded.
“If anything, you gotta see me learn to metalbend.”
“I'll think about it.” Toph seemed ready to argue, wanting to push Zuko even more, before deciding to drop it.
“Make sure you think real hard, Sparky.” She walked off, deciding to check out the bedrooms, picking her nose all the while.
***
Aang stared into his hands, tossing around the idea of viewing his past in his head. He seriously does want to see how much he and his friends have grown. Seeing Katara barely able to bend a puddle, Sokka trying to command a bunch of 7-year-olds, and Zuko’s dumb ponytail would be amazing. However… the spirit mentioning that their pasts would be shown rang in his head. It’s already painful reliving his memories of his people in his head, but now he would actually see them? See Gyatso? Alive? It’s too much. He’d see his people suffer, all because he wasn’t there.
I see you’re having some trouble deciding. Do you have anything that you want clarified?
“Will I see my people again?”
I already mentioned that you will see snippets of your past, Aang. That includes seeing the Air Nomads. However, I assume there’s more to that question that you’re not telling me.
Aang's hand trembled, and his eyes were filled with unshed tears. His voice was wet, and he spoke with a hushed tone, afraid that someone would hear him. “Will I have to see them suffer?”
Aang… The voice sounded almost motherly, speaking with a tone of warmth instead of their usual emotionless cadence. You are young. Your friends are young. I won’t show you something that horrible. I won’t show any of you any extreme acts of violence. You may tell your friends that as well, as I’m sure they share your worry. As I said before, this experience is simply meant to show your growth, not to cause you further harm.
Aang sniffed. “Thank you.” He opened his mouth to talk with the spirit more, but it vanished before he could say anything.
The door to the dining room opened slightly, and Katara’s head poked through. Aang gave a wobbly smile and patted at the chair next to him.
Katara clasped her hand around Aangs, and stared deeply into his eyes, looking for something. They stayed like that for 5 minutes before she spoke.
“What do you think Aang?”
He sighed, clenching his free hand into a fist. “I really do think this would be a nice experience for everyone, me included. But seeing all my people again… I know I would’ve died at the Southern Air Temple, and that it really was fate that we met, but I still can’t help thinking of the what ifs.”
“All of us can’t help but wonder about what ifs, Aang. I’ve always wondered, if I was a better waterbender, a stronger waterbender, I would’ve probably been able to save my mother.” Out of habit, her hand rubbed her betrothal necklace pendant.
“Katara, you were already at the best of your abilities at the time, with no Southern waterbenders there to train you. You were already strong, but you were just a kid! There’s no way you could’ve stopped the Fire Nation.”
Katara's eyes shined with warmth, and she smiled knowingly. Aang’s mouth formed an ‘o’ shape, realizing her point.
He chuckled. “I see your point. It’ll still be painful seeing everyone, but who knows? I could see good moments too.” Aang steeled himself. “ I want to see it, Katara. I want to see our past.”
Katara flashed a smile so blinding, Aang felt that he had to shield his eyes. She stood up, hand still in Aang’s, and tugged him to the door. “Let's talk it over with everyone then.”
***
Katara and Aang joined the rest of the Gaang in the living room, interrupting the casual conversation. Everyone glanced at each other, knowing that it was finally time to decide whether or not they’d go through with watching their past.
Aang cleared his throat, before looking determinedly at everyone else. “I’m ready to see it. I want to. But if anyone here decides they don’t want to see their past, then we can all leave.”
“Well, I already told you all my choice. You all already heard all of my problems already. Plus you have to see me create metalbending.” Toph crossed her arms.
“I’m good with it too. I’m really curious about what happened to you all after you left Kyoshi Island. That play we saw made me curious,” The Gaang groaned at the mention of the play, while Suki and Toph laughed. “And I don’t mind if they show me at Boiling Rock anyways, I wasn’t tortured or anything.” Suki put her hand on Sokka’s arm to provide him some reassurance. He still couldn’t help but look at her with worry, but decided to stay quiet.
Aang’s eyes widened at hearing that, suddenly remembering what the spirit told him. “The spirit told me that no unnecessary or extreme violence would be shown, in case that was anyone’s worry.” Several sighs of relief sounded out as soon as he said that.
“Me and Sokka also agreed to see it. We both wanted to see how far we’ve come,”. Katara fiddled with her necklace before continuing. “And if we get the chance to see Mom again then…”. She stopped, and Aang rubbed her shoulder blade in an attempt to comfort her.
“It’ll be a good chance to see people we’ve lost. For everyone. At least that's what me and Katara think. What about you Zuko?” Sokka turned to Zuko, and Zuko couldn't help but look away, feeling that his soul was being pried into by everyone.
“I also… I also want to see it. Toph told me that facing our past wouldn’t be easy, and she’s right. But I have you all to help me, and I’ll be here to help all of you.” The smiles Zuko got in return rivaled the sun, and he couldn’t help but smile back. Toph gave him a soft punch on the shoulder, before smiling at him.
“Glad you took my advice Sparky.”
Aang yelled out into the living room. “Spirit person! Thing? Whatever! We have our answer!”
What a rude way of referring to an all-knowing spirit.
“You never told us your name though.”
… I see. You may refer to me as… Hm. Just refer to me as a spirit person, I suppose.
“You seriously don’t have a name?” Aang frowned.
Names are unimportant to someone like me. But you were saying you-
“I got one! Wooshy Fog Spirit!” Sokka wiped his nose, impressed with his natural talent for coming up with names.
“I like that one! Wooshy Fog Spirit!” Aang cheered.
I… No matter. Call me what you wish, Avatar. Their tone, however, conveys immense distaste. You were saying you made a decision?
Aang straightened up, remembering why he called on the spirit in the first place.“I want to see our past. All of us do.”
Wonderful. Then we shall get started.