Sleep always seemed to be so quick. It was a blissful escape of wonderous dreams and imaginations that was merely a short respite from the troubles of the real world. Sozin liked it a lot, but the morning always came to wake him up like running headfirst into a brick wall. Before he knew it, dawn had arrived, and soft morning sunlight was peering into the shadowed nook.

Sozin awoke early. Years of disciplined training and adherance to a strict routine had made it easy for him. As he stood up, rising forward from the roughness of the wall he'd been leaning against for the whole night, his eyes fell upon the sleeping form nearby. Kira was still curled up into a ball, her mouth ajar, head resting on a bent elbow, and face captured within a dozy slumber. She looked peaceful. Hearing his stomach grumble, Sozin wanted to start cooking so he could eat, but he thought it was better to wait until Kira was up, as that way, they could eat together.

He had nothing to do right now, and she was asleep. This would be a good time for him to get in some training in.

Sozin decided to retrace his steps on the stone path along the side of the cliff. He walked back far enough until he was sure that Kira couldn't hear him anymore. When he had found a nice spot in the cliff wall, he widened his stance and began to punch exactly how his master had taught him how to. It was a method to harden the fists and hone the mind. It all started to come back. A trip down memory lane.

Incessant blows.

Slow, but one after the other, after the other. It was almost like a ritual.

"You'll never amount to anything," his father said.

Steady.

Sozin's fist pounded into the wall. Chips of rock broke off. The bones in his hands were no longer fragile and did not beg to break nor splinter as they once had.

"You weirdo!" his brothers would say. "That's why you're always alone. No one wants to play with you!"

Every day...

Made him stronger.

Sozin rested his forehead on the wall, pressing into it with the weight of all his memories. He continued to punch like a machine. His fist pounded into the wall again, this time creating a devastating crack in the stone.

"Ew, him? Why would anyone want to be his friend?" an older girl said like he was less than human.

Unrelenting.

And all it had taken was the flip of a switch. The match of his father to the fuel that life had provided.

"You're just a loser!" others would call out in the schoolyard.

A crater formed in the stone wall on the next hit, a crushing impact that crumbled the very rock his bones smashed into. There was no pain, and no reaction on his part. He had not crawled himself from the brink of insanity to let any of that stop him today. He had gotten used to it. In fact, it seemed like he was always being tested. His thoughts especially.

If that's what he was, an underdog...

Then he was going to play that part to the best of his ability.

They wouldn't let him be anything else. It was time to start hitting back, and he would, indeed, start hitting back. It would begin the second they reach Tamura. They would never see him coming. He wanted them, every last one these people he was stuck with on this rotten Earth that deserved it, to feel every excruciating blow as it rips through their organs. The biggest targets were the Tamuran military and their associates.

He wanted them to feel a blow from the weak.

From the scorned.

From the disadvantaged.

From all the people who were never given a fair chance in life because of this war or for any other reason, he would be their representative in flesh, blood, and spirit because he himself had crawled his miserable soul out of those same abysses, and he would be damned if he was going to be denied this honor. This privilege. That torch was his to take in addition to the one he was carrying for his own personal freedom. He would show the world what happens when you push someone into a corner and don't give them a pleasurable way out.

Sozin stopped punching the wall. In the aftermath of his trance of thought and emotion, he inspected his scarred fists with a scrutinizing eye. They no longer bled, only scraped, and with that realization, he began to shake his head and chuckle villainously. He quietly returned to the cave with a smirk on his face.

Kira was still sleeping. Not wanting to disturb her, Sozin decided to take the opportunity as a chance to meditate to counteract the surge of energy and emotions he had built up in his body. The emptiness of his stomach stuck out like a knife in his gut, but he ignored it and sat down at the end of the ledge, cross-legged in front of the mouth of the nook. Rays of sunlight lit up one side of his squinting face. The cool breath of a winter day rising from another night of darkness met his warm skin. Buddha stood across from him, carved into the towering cliff wall on the other side of the ravine.

Sozin closed his eyes. It was time for meditation, so he brought his palms together in front of him like he was going to pray. He didn't have the idol his master had used anymore, but he thought he could easily make do with the gigantic Buddha statue that the Valley was providing for him. He let out a lengthy, controlled exhale and steadied his breathing into a calm rhythm. He didn't know when Kira was going to wake up, so he simply meditated for as long as he could.

Eventually, Sozin heard someone shuffling around behind him. It could be no one other than the woman. The sounds of her stirring awake were quickly followed by the approaching click-clack of her characteristic geta sandals, and then, finally, came that distinctive feminine voice he was beginning to know so well.

"Good morning, Sozin... " Kira yawned like a cat. Rubbing her bleary eyes, she said with grogginess, "Are you praying? I didn't know you were religious."

Without turning around, Sozin cracked open one of his crimson red eyes. "I'm a man of religion, Kira. Not because I believe in any sort of god, but because it's my way of honoring my dead master and because it makes me a better person. Prayer..."Sozin said curiously, "comforts the soul... calming its fears and anxieties."

"Mm," Kira hummed from the mouth of the nook. He was spouting his wisdom again. His words struck Kira as revealing even in her grogginess. "I didn't know you were dealing with those things."

"Sometimes..." Sozin said, not wanting to elaborate much.

Kira scratched her head, smacking her parched mouth. "Have you eaten already?"

Glancing over his shoulder, Sozin said, "No, actually, I was waiting for you."

"That's... rather thoughtful," Kira remarked. "Shall we eat then? I wouldn't want to keep you waiting."

Sozin rose from the ground. "It's no big deal..." he said as he brushed past Kira back into the nook. "I've gone for longer times without food when I was homeless in the streets."

"I'm sure..." Kira said as she followed him. "That must've been terrible. How did you manage?"

"I didn't manage," Sozin said. "I had no choice but to keep myself going somehow or just lie down and die. By some miracle, I chose the former."

"I see..." Kira said.

Sozin kneeled down to rummage through his supply basket. "Yeah, it was a tough time for me. Unfortunately, no one in the world really cares about some homeless man they don't know." As Sozin unsecured the lid to the basket and began to search for something to cook, realization crossed his face. "Ah, damn it..." he exclaimed.

"What?"

Sozin frowned. "We need water to cook, and we don't have enough. The only water in the area is down in the ravine, so... I guess we'll be having dry food this morning."

"That's fine," Kira said nonchalantly. Planting her hands on her lower back, she hovered behind the man, looking over his shoulder and into the basket with inquisitive eyes. "Whaddya got for us then?"

"Mochi rice cakes..." Sozin said as he pulled them out. The squares of gelatinous sweet rice were wrapped up in packages of four, and he handed one to Kira before taking one for himself. "Not very filling, but they'll get us by."

"Good enough for me," Kira smiled. "As long as I have something in my stomach to damper the alcohol..."

Sozin shook his head with a slight smirk.

After a quick and conversational breakfast of rice cakes and drink, the pair of warriors packed up their things and set off again for another day of arduous travel. It was bridge after bridge after bridge again for the next couple of hours, all the while, the sun ticked across the sky like the hand of a giant clock, providing a rough estimate of the time. Sozin thought it couldn't possibly move any slower than it already was, but when he focused on the position of the shadows, the sun seemed to stay frozen as though it was doing so solely to spite him.

Sozin stared mindlessly at his feet. He picked his head up when he noticed something falling from above. To his delight, a swath of dark clouds had moved in, creating gloom as they blotted out the sun and rained down a light snow. Powdery whiteness came down in small bits that flecked the sky and his clothes. With nothing better to do, he stuck his tongue out to catch a few flakes like a frivolous child to Kira's amusement. Miuran snow usually fell thick and thus the hearth ran with ash. They would know they've reached Tamura and civilization again when they spotted chimney smoke pluming high into the air.

Sozin considered himself a connoisseur of sightseeing since his profession, by nature, meant he got go to a lot of interesting places and see a lot of things. They weren't doing anything other than walking, so he had plenty of time to savor all the vistas and stave off some degree of boredom.

The Valley was incredibly beautiful in a grim and desolate sort of way, but it wasn't empty of life. Birds were the main attraction, flying overhead or nesting atop a collection of rocks. Sometimes they would pass a troop of snow monkeys, and Sozin would wave in hopes that one of them was smart enough to wave back. When one of them did, the more childish part of him came out—the real part, the original that had been mostly grinded away—and for a few tantalizing moments, it replaced his cold, calm, and calculating demeanor that years of maltreatment had crammed inside into a spirit where it didn't belong. Like a child who was just learning how to discover things, he had found himself enraptured. He was normally dark and brooding, so Kira simply smiled from beneath the brim of her hat as he told her what had happened, dignified but amused by his antics. As a people person, she was more interested in this new, brightly grinning man that was beginning to reveal himself than she was anything else. These past few days, she'd been given the privilege of witnessing more of that withdrawn side no one else got to see. It was a nice change of pace.

Their travels brought them to many twists and turns in the Valley, but the Valley, in its entirety, was heading in a single direction. At one point, they were walking off another bridge and starting into a short but shady tunnel of rock. The tunnel joined the two great cliffs making up the chasm. The river below followed along, passing underneath a large, naturally formed stone arch.

"Are we there yet?" Kira asked, her voice reverberating off the confines of the tunnel.

"You keep asking that," Sozin said with a tepid face. "No, we're not there yet."

"We should be," Kira said. "All this walking's got my feet aching. And I'm cold now."

Sozin glanced back momentarily at the woman. "We'll get there when we-" As he returned his attention to his front, Sozin's voice trailed off. He stopped talking and his eyes widened. Something had come into view and taken his breath away.

Kira sauntered up to Sozin, following the man's gaze curiously. Her face flickered in fearful astonishment once she saw what he was looking at. The other end of the tunnel had opened up into a spacious rift in the Valley that cut across the straightaway. To the left of them, in the corner of the rift and curled up around a spire of rock, a massive, slithery form was sleeping. It's scales, as big as dinner plates, were an ivory white against the washed out, stony gray of the Valley. The massive creature, built like a tube of muscle, gave a few breathy snorts from its slumber, curling up tighter around the spire of rock it had locked into a death grip.

The Great Serpent, Sozin thought!

"Oh my god, it's real..." Kira said in a low voice. "And huge..."

Far down below, the river of water had reached a cul-de-sac and coalesced into a large, tranquil pool. The bridge leading across the gap went right by the Serpent.

Sozin peered down over the edge of the tunnel and then looked to the bridge. "You think it's a heavy sleeper?"

"Are you saying you want to cross?"

"Well, if it wakes up and finds us, what are we going to do?"

Kira paused to consider his question for a moment. "Just die, I suppose," she said dryly.

Sozin gave a chuckle. His eyes fell upon the swaying bridge that connected to the tunnel exit. "Let's not dwell on that then. There's no other way around, so we should go while we still have the chance. I think we can sneak past if we're careful."

Being a generally prudent man, Sozin was still weighing the merits of that course of action when he stepped onto the bridge, keeping his attentive eyes locked onto the Great Serpent as Kira followed closely behind. Gripping the ropes, they shuffled along with an apprehensive gait.

Snap!

A loose plank broke off the bridge.

The sound came from behind Sozin.

Halfway across the bridge, Sozin stopped in his tracks. He slowly turned his head around and cast Kira the death glare of a thousand daggers. Sheepish, Kira merely smiled at him and returned his intense gaze. As a result of his shinobi training, he had the benefit of a light footstep, but it seemed the samurai did not. He supposed he couldn't blame her. Glancing at the Serpent, Sozin breathed a sigh of relief. It was still sleeping.

It seemed they were in the clear as the creature hadn't heard the noise, but then, not a second later, the plank finished falling and hit the water far below them. Thick and heavy, it slapped against the surface like a gunshot, and the sound resounded off the rocky silence of the Valley's cliff walls.

Sozin grimaced.

Oh, no...

The Serpent's eyes shot open, revealing black slits for pupils.

Immediately, Sozin froze in place, not daring to move even a single muscle. Kira had the same idea, and she warily followed his lead. Maybe it wouldn't be able to see them if they didn't move. Was that simply a myth? Sozin wasn't sure, but he got his answer pretty quick when the Serpent stared in their direction, watching their forms carefully. With unblinking reptilian eyes, the enormous creature tilted its head and reeled back like a cobra about to strike. Sozin knew enough about snakes to know what that meant.

"Jump!" Sozin screamed frantically. "Jump!"

The Serpent immediately aimed its snout at the yelling man, the most obvious target. Sozin's eyes flared in alarm. He leapt off into the air, kicking out a violent stream of wind from his leg to create distance from the bridge just as the Serpent shrieked and tore through it like paper.

The bridge snapped in two and gave way under Kira. She suddenly found herself weightless and falling. A scream of pure terror came out, and she flailed helplessly without a clue in the world about how to save herself as she tumbled towards the water's surface. She accelerated like a cannonball, the rushing air rippling her loose, black robes. With a booming splash, she slammed into the water back first, the surface now like concrete at such high speeds. The stop was so abrupt, it jerked Kira's head back and forth as though it was a whip being cracked. In that instant, she'd expected her own death, but the basket of supplies she was carrying on her back had broken her fall into the water, and to her surprise, she was still conscious.

Lingering like a leaf in the breeze, Sozin was still in the air. He had delayed his fall somewhat with his windbending, but he couldn't fly. Realizing how fast he was falling, he threw off the straps of his own supply basket in midair to lighten himself. As the water's surface approached, his second nature kicked in, and he stiffened himself out, straightening into a blade. A mere blip on the water's surface as he made contact, he slipped into the dark depths of the pool as smooth as a knife through butter.

The water had been turned frigid by the icy tendrils of winter. It was colder than anything Sozin had ever experienced before. The temperatures shocked his body to the core, chilling his racing heart. Staying calm, he felt himself acclimatize, relaxed, and then focused on taking the breath that could not be taken. He forced himself to breath in, letting the cold pain of freezing water fill his lungs and energize every inch of his body. When he exhaled, what came out was not more water, but bubbles of air.

Sozin chose to let himself sink, falling deeper into the darkness but not so deep that he couldn't see beyond the water's surface anymore. He lingered there at that optimal depth. His vision was blurry and distorted, but he could tell that the snake was slithering about, looking for them from amongst the rocks.

Sozin waited a brief moment. When the snake's head was pointed elsewhere, he sucked in a large, watery breath to help himself rise and drifted to the surface, slowly poking his head above the water. In the distance, not too far away, he spied the mouth of a cave where the water's edge stopped short of. He didn't see Kira though.

Kira!

She couldn't swim, he remembered!

Sozin dipped back down into the murky waters, compelled by a sense of urgency for his comrade. As soon as he had sunk deep enough for the snake not to detect any disturbances on the surface, he began kicking, shooting out air from his feet and traversing the dark depths in large bursts. He recalled hearing a loud splash somewhere in the area, so Kira had to be close.

Sozin searched as best as he could. He wasn't sure where exactly to look besides in a general direction, so he could only hope that he ended up in the right spot. As it turned out, she wasn't very far. She was unconscious. He spotted her just in time—a blurry, dark form, motionless and sinking, about to slip too far beyond the light's reach into total blackness, death's clutches, where he wouldn't have been able to find her.

Swimming up to her before she could sink any further, Sozin fingers worked to undo the straps of her supply basket. When it was off, he seized a fistful of cloth within his hand, latching onto the nape of her black robes, and took off in a hurry. He dragged her limp body along fast like as he blasted his way towards the protection of the cave.

His heart raced.

The snake was watching and saw as Sozin broke from the water's surface and onto the enclosed shallows leading up to the cave. He had no time to wait for an opportune moment to move. Kira wasn't breathing. Her dead weight was hanging from his arm. He wasn't sure how long a person could go without oxygen, but his instincts told him not very long, and in this case, he was especially willing to trust his gut feelings. There was no time to think, and they had a habit of being right when they needed to.

As Sozin dragged Kira into the mouth of the cave, the stony walls tapered closer and closer, sheltering them. The snake pounded into cave entrance with its snout just as they had gotten far enough inside the safety of the walls that it couldn't reach them anymore. The head of the snake was simply too wide.

The snake pounded a few more times, attempting to reach them inside the cave, but for all its size and strength, it was useless trying to strike into such a small, confined space. Seemingly angered by their escape, the snake erupted into a throe of spasms, shrieking and smashing into the rocks with such might and rage that it shook the entire Valley. It kept trying to get at them. Loose pebbles in the cavern trickled down the cave's interior as Sozin set Kira onto the clammy cave floor, not wanting to waste any more precious seconds of her dwindling life.

If it was that smart, it the seemed the snake was trying collapse the cavern as a way to kill them. Spirits could be fairly intelligent, so Sozin didn't put it beside him. Ignoring the snake, he sat Kira upright and brought her into a forwards slump. He planted his bracing hand flatly onto her chest so that she was leaning into it. With force and speed, he delivered several swift blows to her backside and water immediately came spurting out. Kira took a reflex breath. Her eyes fluttered open in shock as she doubled over, planting her hands onto the ground into a vicious fit of coughing that nearly caused her to hack up her lungs.

Sozin patted her on the back as she got the last bits of water out from her system. Both of their clothes were drenched and they were dripping from end to end. Meanwhile, the snake was still working up a storm outside, it's defeaning shrieks ringing out in the Valley and throughout the cave. It was as though they were experiencing an earthquake.

A pained expression of confusion washed over Kira's face. Finding the ability to speak again, she spoke over the noise and shouted, "What's going on?"

Sozin grinned, an expression so unbefitting of the situation that Kira found his amusement to be rather strange. "The snake's a little mad!" he said.

The rocky ground they were kneeling on shook with force. They had no choice but to sit there and wait with their hands covering their ears as it sounded like hell was freezing over the Valley. The chaos going on outside eventually quieted down after a while and a harrowing silence took over in its wake.

"Did it leave?" Sozin asked.

"I don't know. Go check," Kira said.

It seemed the snake had gotten all of its anger out. Sozin went to the mouth of the cave to look outside, but it was still there. It was curled around the spire again and looking right at him. Sozin cursed as they made deadly eye contact before he turned back around. He assumed it waiting for them to leave. For a snake, it was pretty smart.

"Looks like we won't be going out that way," he said as he returned to Kira. "I don't think the Serpent wants us to leave."

"It's still there?"

"Yes... It's still there," Sozin said, more annoyed and disappointed than he was afraid.

Kira glanced towards inner workings of the cavern. "We should check out the cave. Maybe there's another exit to the surface."

"Are you sure? What if we get lost?"

"We won't get lost. I know my way around places," Kira said nonchalantly. She coughed a few more times and cleared her throat, still feeling some residual water in her lungs. "Thanks for the save by the way. Before I passed out, I thought I was going to drown."

"That's why were travelling as a pair, right? Even someone like me's gotta admit there's an advantage to numbers." Sozin brightened up, but then the warmth on his face faded slightly in seriousness. "You really need to learn how to swim though. It was so dark down there, that if I hadn't found you when I did, I would've never been able to."

"Duly noted. I'll put it on the bucket list then," Kira said.

They continued to talk about her dangerous lack of swimming skills as they went deeper. The cave system felt like a maze to Sozin, but Kira didn't seem to have any problem navigating it. Inside, the tunnels were wide and varied, leading to many different chambers, some small and others big. The tunnels were dark and dimly lit, so Kira firebended a small flame in the palm of her hand for them to see. They were occasionally graced with stray light from the day above that peered through cracks in the ceiling where stalagmites and bats roosted. Stagnant pools of water had collected in some places and a dull, incessant plop could always be heard, a constant drip, sporadic pitters and sometimes another patter echoing out from the darkness. Sozin could see how one might go mad with those sounds. Softly, the low howl of a drafty cavern running well into the cliffside whispered into his ears.

Kira shivered in her skin. Judging from how vigorously she was rubbing her shoulders, she was definitely feeling the cold too. She seemed to be handling it worse than him but hadn't said a word up to this point which he couldn't help but notice. There was nothing more uncomfortable than the sensation of cold, soggy clothes soaked in murky river water to go along with a frigid cave chill, and were it not socially taboo, Sozin would've most certainly taken them off. Soon, Kira's teeth began to chatter, and he couldn't help but say something about it.

"I can firebend too," Sozin spoke up. "You want me to bend a flame for you to get warm? It'll help dry you off."

"Don't bother," Kira chattered, clutching her sides. "That'll take too much energy. You'll tire yourself out making a flame big enough to do any good."

"All right..." Sozin said, his words resounding off the cave walls. Even though he wanted to do something to help, it would be disrespectful to coddle someone like her, so he let it go without further insistence. He wasn't done talking though and turned to her again when he thought of something else to say. "Are you scared of caves?" he added.

"No, but it is kind of creepy in here..." Kira said with a sideways glance. "Are you?"

"Maybe a little." Sozin gave a nervous grin. "We could get lost and no one would ever find us. Isn't that scary to you? You remember how to get back to the surface, right?"

"Don't worry about that," Kira reassured him. "I have a good memory. Just trust me..."

"If you say so..." Sozin relented. "We lost all our supplies so it wouldn't do us any good to stick around."

They continued to get deeper and deeper into the cavern system. The shuffle of Sozin's waraji and clack of Kira's geta sandals were like clockwork. Without the sun to keep track, he wasn't even sure how much time had passed when he decided to stop for a break.

"Hey, hold on a second," Sozin said as he came to a halt. "I need to take a piss. Could you look the other way?"

Kira pointed to another chamber of the cavern. "Just go around the corner. I'll wait for you here."

Sozin paused. He hesitated to agree but promptly gave in. "Okay..." he said breathily. For some reason, he was reluctant to leave Kira's side completely, feeling compelled to stay with her by some strange force, but did so anyway. He rounded the corner, found a nice spot that would do for his business, and lowered the front of his hakama to deliver a golden stream of yellow.

Sozin let out a long sigh.

Then he simply stared at the ceiling.

It was awkward knowing Kira could hear him not too far away. The sound of his liquidy release was incredibly clear, but he didn't dwell too much on that fact lest he become self-conscious. He hated being self-conscious. When he was done, he threw the front of his hakama over his groin and started walking back to Kira, however, when he rounded the corner again, she was nowhere to be seen.

What?

The cavern had changed completely. It looked entirely different to the one he had been in with Kira just moments earlier.

"Kira?" Sozin said as he glanced down both ends, tension in his darting eyes.

Where did she go?

"Hey! Kira!" Sozin said again, this time yelling. "Are you messing with me? This shit isn't funny!"

It was like she vanished into thin air. He couldn't see her anywhere and couldn't smell her either. Her scent had disappeared, not like she had left but as though she had never been around in the first place. The lack of bends in the tunnel and things to hide behind meant she couldn't actually be hiding from him even if she wanted to.

"Kira!" Sozin called out desperately one last time.

He waited, apprehension curling his fingers, but there was no response. All that came back were the eerie murmurs of the cave responding for her.

"Fucking hell..." Sozin whispered with frantic undertone. "People don't just disappear."

There was no way she could've left him behind. She was no shinobi, and he would've heard the clacking of her geta sandals as they trailed off. Besides, he was in a different location now.

That didn't add up.

Something wasn't quite right.

Moments later, the stench of death came—thick and redolent of rotting flesh.

"What the hell is that?" Sozin said, pinching his nose.

Strong as it wafted throughout the cavern, it forced a grimace as it took hold over Sozin's senses so suddenly. He had no idea where it had come from.

Bewildered, Sozin began to follow the stench to its source down the cavern, wondering how it could just appear out of nowhere when he had been walking in the area for a while already and hadn't caught whiff of it before. The entire cavern had changed on him and now this new smell had appeared. The normal logic of the universe didn't seem to be applying. That was something characteristic of genjutsu—illusion techniques often used by certain shinobi to befuddle their opponents—but that didn't make any sense. There was no one else around to cast an illusion onto him besides Kira, and as a samurai, it was unlikely she had any real idea of how to do that. Why would she even do that in the first place?

"I'm starting to regret coming down here. Dying in a cave is a really terrible way to go," Sozin said.

"I'm watching over you, brother," Wolf said from the spirit realm. "Believe me, your time has not come yet."

Sozin's face perked up in interest."You know when I'm going to die?"

"Indeed," Wolf said. "Every last detail about it too..."

"How do I die?"

Wolf laughed. "It's forbidden for me to tell you. If I did, it would change the course of your destiny. As your spirit guide, that would be irresponsible of me, wouldn't it? All you need to know is that everyone has a role to play in this world."

"I suppose we're on a need-to-know basis then?" Sozin muttered.

"Yeah..." Wolf said. "Sorry, bro, I want to tell you, but it's for your own good... Just keep following that weird smell. You'll figure something out. Seems like it'll lead us somewhere."

And, as it turns out, it did.

Down the cavern and around a bend, the cave opened up into a lofty, hollowed out chamber that was as big as an auditorium. As he entered the hollow, bats that had gathered near entrance gave a flurry of squeaks and took off at the first sign of the man, startling him as he entered. There were other entrances—multiple tunnels leading into the hollow from different directions and some beyond reach from ground level. The smell of death was incredibly strong here, but as far as he could tell, it seemed to be a just another normal section of the cavern.

That is, until he looked up at least.

Sozin's eyes followed the bats as they flew up and away towards the ceiling of the hollow. Hanging from amongst the stalagmites high above were dozens upon dozens of decaying bodies cocooned in a layer of webs. Bits of flesh stuck to them, still rotting away. Any exposed bone had been yellowed from exposure to the air. Some were skeletons entirely and had spiders crawling in and out of their eye sockets.

Alarms immediately went off in Sozin's mind. The bodies weren't bothering him so much as something else was. The cave brought with it a sense of dread and despair for some reason. He was about to turn the other way and leave, but something heavy slammed into the ground behind him. He froze instantly. Slight worry flickered across Sozin's face as his eyeballs tried to look around the side of his head. It sounded like a person had landed. Hesitating for a moment, he managed to muster up some courage and turned around to find out what it was, keeping a dark, unsmiling look on his face.

In front of him, he was greeted with a most unexpected sight. A tall, towering woman, slender and with thin black hair, was standing only a few strides away. Her bat-like wings, broad and stretched out for flight, fluttered to a close. She looked down upon his dwarfed form. Her skin was a pale grayish, as though she had been sculpted from clay, and she'd been given a voluptuous figure to match. Her black hole pupils—black like an abyss and endlessly cavernous to look at—were surrounded by a lambent ring of orange. Unlike Sozin's eyes which were more subdued, hers glowed eeriely in the bleak lighting that bled into the chamber from a breach in the upper wall of the cave. She wore a hood, but her outfit was somewhat revealing—a silky, sheening, dark purple dress exposing her shoulders, cleavage, midriff, and legs, all of which had been tattooed with demonic markings in black ink. It struck a healthy medium between being revealing and still leaving something to the imagination.

Something resembling shock crossed Sozin's stony face. There was only one thing that came to his mind.

Yokai...

And a succubus nonetheless. He understood now why things had gotten so strange all of a sudden. He was in her domain. The dark energies of this place must've been messing with him. Succubus were known to lead men astray, and seeing as he had felt something unnerving earlier, now he was finally able to put his finger on what exactly was the cause of it.

"You shouldn't be in here, boy..." The woman gave a sinister smile. Her lips were wide in lecherous desire. They were painted a maroon, irony red that seemed to be more the color of blood than it was lipstick.

"Demon..." Sozin murmured. The smell of death must've masked her scent otherwise he would've detected her and could've avoided this situation. He reached behind his head for the sword on his back, gripping it tightly like a security blanket as it rested in its sheath. He had heard stories of succubus, but at this point, he wasn't entirely sure of what was going to happen.

Looming closer, the woman clicked the black nails of her hand together. Much like claws, they were long and thin with sharp points at the end. "How cute..." she said. "You really think that sword is going to hurt me? Men can't hurt me. In your hands, it's nothing more than a toy."

"Who are you?" Sozin asked in a soft voice. He didn't want to risk offending the demon too much, so he let go of his weapon and decided to watch how he spoke.

"I... am Kurai On'na. I'm the one thing men like you should never run into. You're unlucky..."

"You don't scare me..." Sozin murmured.

"Don't get comfortable so quickly," Kurai warned sharply. "I'm afraid you're more lost than you realize. I haven't had a visitor in a long time, and I want to play. It's been boring by myself."

"I didn't mean to disturb you," Sozin said. "I just want to leave and be on my way."

"That's not going to happen. Normally, I have to drag your kind back to this place as they scream and kick, but you..." she leered in dark satisfaction. "You're already here..."

Sozin eyed the woman's mouth. "I've been wondering something. Is that lipstick... or blood?"

"You have a sharp eye for a man..." she remarked with intent. "It's the blood of men. Men are a pestilence on this Earth. For thousands of years, they've done nothing but spread war and misery across the land. They need to be rooted out and destroyed like the foul disease they are. Like you are..."

"So you intend to kill me?" Sozin asked frankly. "I thought you wanted to play."

"I meant playing with your life." Kurai grinned like a cheshire cat and gave a low, lascivious hum of a amusement. "I'm glad you've come, young wolf. Twice the souls, double the pleasure."

The succubus neared even closer now. She drifted over on the stilts of her red geta so exruciatingly close that Sozin could smell the stench of plague and death that she carried. The nefarious energies of the cave were conspiring against him, and they compelled him not to move. Her eyes as well. It was like they were locking him into place with some dark power as she put her willowy hands on his shoulders and squeezed, massaging with a blood-curdling grip that was strong enough to send a shiver up his spine. Her hands were heavy and cold. Even through his clothes, he could tell they were eager to melt his life force and leech it out from him like candy.

"Your death won't happen just yet..." Kurai continued, stroking the man's cheek with the back of her fingers. "First, we can play, and I assure you, it won't be fun for anyone but me. I'm going to make you bleed. The blood of your kind keeps me young." Kurai licked her lips, slurping with her slimy, black tongue.

Sozin's face remained solemn and uncompromising, but his eyes flared, turning psychotic. "I don't want to play with you," he said as he stared into her bottomless pits with his own.

"Too bad," Kurai said. "You won't have a choice."

She beckoned with her fingers like she was tugging on a dog leash. Again, Sozin's body was seized by the energies permeating from the cave and all around the demon. By the beckon of her fingers, he could tell she commanded them with total control and precision. They compelled Sozin to walk along Kurai's side as she led him to the edge of the chamber where there was rocky seat that resembled a throne.

"I can't control my limbs..." Sozin said inwardly.

"Looks like you're gonna have to talk your way out of this one, brother," Wolf said.

"You're saying that to the most socially awkward guy on this planet. You and me both," Sozin corrected. "Because you are as well..."

"Just try," Wolf said. "You—we—understand how people work."

"Understanding and getting along with are two entirely different things, Wolf," Sozin said. "I don't know if I've got it in me."

"It's worth a shot," Wolf said. "Don't try and fight her. As a man, you'll die for sure against an opponent like this."

"Maybe I can run away..." Sozin said. "I'm good at that. I just have to create an opening."

It was strange feeling his own body move without him willing it to do so. Sozin felt himself sit down at the throne. Even if he could, he wouldn't dare make a move as she straddled his lap and watched him like a hawk. The air around her became cold and dark with her presence as she sank into him and threw her arms around his neck. She was incredibly heavy for a man his size. Her body was much bigger than his and it made him look like a child in comparison.

Sozin's eyes drooped glumly. "This is incredibly emasculating..." he said inwardly.

"Get used to it. Not our fault, but we were born small and weak," Wolf said.

"Doesn't mean I can't complain," Sozin said. "I've been short and skinny all my life just like you."

Sozin turned his attention back to the real world.

As Kurai relaxed into her newfound seat, the grip her dark energy had on him lessened slightly. "Most men are used to flaunting their strength over women..." Kurai On'na sneered. "But that won't work on me..." She took in the expression on Sozin's face as he soaked up the gravity of the situation. "That's right... How does it feel?"

She misunderstood the situation. She thought he was afraid? Sozin grinned back defiantly and then gave a few black, mirthless giggles. There was not a single trace of consternation on his face. An amused sense of insanity smeared his voice, and he said, "You really think women are any better, demon?" The man's words dropped into a quiet intensity, and he stared into Kurai's penetrating eyes with ones of his own. "My own mother used to beat me..." he spat in pure venom, baring his teeth. "In fact... she even gave me the scars on my cheek to remember her by. I hate women like you... I hate them all with a passion."

"Awww... Someone's been rejected a lot, hasn't he?" Kurai brought one of her arms back from around his neck and cradled his chin with two patronizing fingers. "Do you want me to take care of you, little man?"

Years of neglect by the opposite sex had been pent up inside him. Sozin let out a savage growl as he snatched Kurai's arm by the wrist, but she swiftly deflected his attempt to stop her and pinned the offending appendage against the rocky throne.

"Stop resisting!" Kurai snarled. "I'm in control here!"

Wild-eyed, Sozin grinned like a jester that had gone insane. He giggled at the level of power a mere change in perspective could bring. It was truly amazing. She couldn't do anything to him if he had nothing to lose. "You can play these games with me all you want, but you won't break me..." he said.

"I won't. It seems someone or something else has already done that," Kurai said. "But that doesn't mean you can't feel pain anymore. What do you think?"

"I think Adam should've kept his rib to himself," Sozin snickered like the cynical and bitter runt of a stray wolf that he was.

With a blur of her hand, Kurai latched onto Sozin's face and dug her nails under the skin of Sozin's cheek. She drew crimson blood that cascaded down against his light complexion and silenced him. "I suggest you watch your tongue, boy... unless you want me to cut it out and give you another scar," Kurai said.

An eerie calm fell upon Sozin's face. He knew himself better than anyone, and he was always in control of his every emotion if push came to shove. His inhibitions were self-imposed. He could be as wild or as unleashed as he wanted himself to be, and in this moment, he chose to be perfectly calm, like a falling hammer that had stopped just short of a pane of glass. "Only my father used to call me boy..." he said with disdain.

"I'm millenia old. That's all you are to me," Kurai talked as though he was worth less than the dirt and dust on the cave floor.

"Millenia, huh?" Sozin pondered. "So you're like the ultimate cougar then? I wouldn't be surprised if you bite my head off like a praying mantis or something."

"That would be too easy," Kurai said. "I won't be showing you such lenience."

"Trust me, you don't want my body," Sozin said. "I'm a virgin."

"I know..." Kurai said scathingly. "But that's even better... The freshest fruit is always the tastiest."

"Tell me," Sozin said. "Are the legends true? I hear penetrating a succubus is akin to penetrating a cavern of ice spikes."

"Why don't you find out?" Kurai said in a low, threatening murmur.

"No thanks," Sozin shrugged with his face. "Sorry, but I jacked off this morning."

That one managed to get a short chuckle out of the demon, but her sense of humor quickly passed. "Monks should know better than to lie," she smirked darkly. "You're a bad liar... Several years bad... If you won't play along, then I'll do it myself."

Sozin felt the energy within his body loosen again. Her grip on him had relaxed further. He had enough freedom for him to maneuever his arm, and it seemed to be just in time too.

Oh, believe me, I am playing along, he thought.

Kurai's icy fingers clutched at the waistband of Sozin's hakama. He had to make a move now before she realized he was free and seized control over him again. She had his right hand physically pinned, but his left was still lurking under his cape. Screw talking his way out. The smoke bombs were still there. That was good since he had a hunch that her powers worked by way of sight. Discreetly, he conjured up a quiet flame onto the tips of his index and middle, and it began to sear straight through the protective covering of one of the bombs.

"You ever smoked before?" Sozin asked innocently.

A puzzled look washed over Kurai's face. She stopped just as she was about to grip him by his vulnerables with her claws. "What?" she uttered.

The man gave a deranged smile. "I didn't think so..."

Sozin snapped his eyes shut and held his breath. The bomb under his cape exploded, expanding with a poofy boom that filled their corner of the hollow. Kurai let out a stunned cry, and there was a break in the chains she had him in. It should keep her busy long enough. Acting quickly, Sozin shoved Kurai off of him and bolted for the closest tunnel under the cover of the smoke. It was the one where he had come from. The smoke's range only extended so far, and the entrance into the tunnel leading out of the hollow was beyond its protection. With no other choice, Sozin slipped out of the smoke to disappear into the dark tunnel.

Sozin lurched into a backwards lean.

His feet began dragging as his limbs froze for a second time. He tried to resist, but he was pulled along like a puppet that was having its strings yanked a little too hard.

Kurai had recovered.

Faster than he thought she would.

"Being naughty, are we?" Kurai seethed. Her voice exploded into the pits of wrath. "I don't have patience for bad guests!"

Sozin's feet suddenly left the ground as she dragged him nearer and higher. She raised him well into the air, and then the crushing started. With her controlling hand, Kurai curled her fingers inwards and twisted viciously, eliciting a short, shocked scream from Sozin. His flesh squelched as it was crushed. He felt like his limbs were going to cave in from the pressure she was exerting, and he yelled more in excruciating pain. Like a ragdoll that had gone haywire, his body suddenly twisted and contorted in ways it wasn't supposed to with pops, and rips, and crippling sounds. His neck, too, had begun to twist beyond its limits, nearly more than it could without killing him.

"You thought were going to escape?" Kurai boomed. "You'll never find your way out of here. Once you're in, men can't leave!"

"Come on, brother! Fight! FIIIIIIIIIGHT!" Wolf raged with bared teeth.

The harrowing inspiration in his brother's voice sent a chill up Sozin's spine. He gritted his own teeth, grimacing and fighting with all his strength to resist the demon's control. He could delay his death, but not prevent it. It was soon going to be of no use to resist. His muscles were being torn into cement.

Then he remembered somebody.

"KIRA!" Sozin cried out, hoarse with desperation. "HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!"

"Oh," Kurai said, intrigued by this particular outburst. Her voice paid not even the slightest amount of attention to the man's suffering. "You came here with a woman?"

Kurai squeezed her fingers tighter. His breath seized, and Sozin found his tongue hitching in the back of his throat like a broken recorder as she flung him to the side as though he was trash. Her grip released but something was ripped away as she let go. Fortunately, nothing snapped or got broken, but all of the man's energy was instantly drained, and Sozin hit the ground in a heap with an oof, unable to save himself from the splash onto the hard cave rock. Facedown, his eyelids drooped as he sprawled out and scraped the floor with his cheek.

Sozin groaned in pain. He was barely conscious and felt like falling asleep, but saw through his heavy eyes as a hatted black form with red highlights jumped down spectacularly from one of the tunnels in the cave.

Sozin grinned weakly. "Ye-a-aaah!" he gave in a feeble cheer, barely speaking louder than a murmur. His lips started into a sad chuckle, and then he coughed up blood. His arm tried to move to give a fist pump but it didn't work. If he knew his mythology right, the succubus's powers probably didn't have an effect on other women, so Kira was on even ground.

Kira gripped her twin katana in her hands, the blades splaying low in front of her. "Let him go," she commanded sternly. She hadn't yelled or raised her voice at all, and yet, her words had the audible presence of one.

"Really, honey? This misogynist trash?" Kurai On'na chuckled. "One woman to another, what could you possibly see in him? Just let him die, darling. You're not protecting anything important."

"That's not for you to decide." Kira's eyes darted towards Sozin's beaten up form.

"Does he mean that much to you?" Kurai said in frustrated disbelief.

Kira took an aggressive step forward. "He saved my life."

"For selfish reasons, I'm sure. If his worthless value as a man means that much to you, then you're a fool! You will die along with him!" Kurai shouted angrily.

Kurai spread her wings, rising high into the air with a blast of dust off the floor. Going for a something fast, she shot out the palm of her hand and fired a circular shockwave of purple energy in Kira's direction, delivering the next one in quick succession from the other hand, and then another, and another like a piston, quickly alternating between hands to send a slamfire of danger rocketing in her direction. Kira recognized the attacks as similar to one of her own. Using that knowledge, she cut through the middle of the first shockwave, creating a safe pocket of air where both sides of the shockwave veered away from her as they split. She did the same with the ones that followed and the shockwaves collided into the rocks behind her, dispersing harmlessly.

In the art of swordsmanship, there existed many stances, but Kira had an affinity for a few in particular. Edging forward into a slight lean, she adjusted her arms from her defensive stance and settled into her feet into a new one as was natural for her by now. Facing sideways, she held the hilt of her left sword by the neck, the blade itself extending behind her while the right-hand sword did the same from the end of her outstretched arm. Crouching Tiger was much more aggressive than her more open, forward-facing stance, Praying Mantis, where both her swords were primed to intercept any attack in front of her like the projecting teeth of a two-tined prong. In this stance, the sword by the neck would primarily defend while the one near the hip would be ready to exploit any particular opening that may arise during battle. Crouching Tiger was one of the most balanced stances a dual-wielding samurai could take, but compared to Praying Mantis, it seemed aggressive because it wasn't entirely defense-based.

Glowering, Kurai On'na didn't look too happy to see that Kira had some skill and was going to present a problem. "Seems you're more than I'd like to deal with right now. We can fix that."

Kurai snapped open her voracious jaws, revealing a pestilent tongue and rows of sharp fangs. An acid-covered sword arose from the depths of her black throat. In less than a second, she was already diving at Kira with the sword still lodged in her esophagus. Eyes flaring, Kira saw the attack coming and rolled away from it just in time. Kurai blew past and touched down elegantly onto the tips of her stilt sandals.

Exiting the roll, Kira imbued her swords in a sheath of brilliant fire with a flaunt. Demons were powerful, and it could be difficult to control their power, but the light and burn of flame was their achilles heel. It would weaken the demon, but also, potentially, herself as well. She would have to be careful not to tire herself out since elementbending was taxing on the body, and for that reason, it was rarely the main method of attack for any warrior. On the other hand, a blade didn't run on energy would never run out no matter how much you swung it.

Charging her arm back, Kira unleashed the full wrath of her power onto Kurai in a single, violent slice that ripped through the air. Her flaming slash cut across violently, creating a blanket as she spun around with the momentum of her attack and then followed up by kicking out a blast of raging fire from her foot.

All the while, some distance away, Kurai hovered just above the floor and used her wings to weave in-between the strikes as they both came. She finished reguritating the sword in her throat into her hands and slashed wildly with it, initiating an onslaught against Kira as her stilts met the ground again in front of the woman.

Getting into a groove, Kira deflected every attack, the pitch rising into a crescendo at the final blow—a perfect deflection that rattled her eardrums. There was an opening. Kira slammed her foot into the ground and a chunk of rock burst up from the floor where Kurai was standing. Kira had hoped it would unbalance the demon, but Kurai bounded into the air with the force of the rock, threw her sword aside, splayed both her hands outwards, and began raining down a hailstorm of piercing fingernails from the ends of her ten fingers as she arched overhead.

Like shrapnel from a bomb, the tiny spikes whizzed everywhere in Kira's direction—left, right, and center. Kira was forced to turn around as she blocked furiously using her flaming swords, trying to keep up with so many small, speedy little things that were intending to perforate her into a bloody mass of swiss cheese.

Kurai hit the ground a second later. A crater exploded from Kurai's epicenter as she practically imploded into the rock floor with a level of weight unbefitting of anything other than a large boulder. The cave boomed in protest. Kicking up dust, the force of the landing generated a huge gust of wind that was strong enough to blow Kira away, whisking her off her feet. Kira gave an utter of surprise. She found herself tumbling over, head over heels once, and then landed flat on her face with a grunt.

Flying low to the ground, Kurai sped for Kira like an oncoming train of death. "This is where you die!" she screamed harshly.

One frantic glance later, and there was a rush in Kira's veins. It kicked her into gear, and she started scrambling off the floor messily but as quickly as she could. In that split second, she still had enough composure to realize that Kurai didn't have a sword anymore.

Kurai shouted and clawed for Kira's throat.

But Kira was already bursting from the floor. In one, flaming slash, she severed the attacking arm at the fore as she rose. Shock instantly flickered across Kurai's face. Before the arm even had time to fall, Kira spun around, dextrous hands flipping her swords into a reverse grip, and sank both of their blades deep into the demon's chest. There was a hitch in Kurai's voice. Demons weren't immortal. Straining, Kira hoisted Kurai's body into the air and threw it over her with a thud onto the ground. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, she smashed the demon's brains in with a stomp that sent red bits and brains flying everywhere.

That was it.

It was over.

With a brandish of her swords, Kira extinguished the flames on her blades. "Never bring nails to a sword fight," she said, smooth and dignified.

Kira sheathed the blades with a conclusive shing. Her own nails were plain, unpainted, and even cracked in some places, but they never shied away from being useful. She inspected them with a brief smirk before remembering that she hadn't come here alone.

Hurried footsteps made their way over to Sozin's sprawled body. He was damaged, but conscious as he watched her approach. There were red splotches on the cave floor where he had been coughing up blood as he watched the fight happen.

"You good, Sozin?" Kira exclaimed in a soft voice as she crouched down by his side.

Sozin swallowed and let out a lengthy huff. "Y'know..." he started slowly in a weak voice, "when I fantasized about two women fighting over me, this is not how I imagined it. She nearly raped me."

Kira shrugged. "Crazy bitches, am I right?"

"You can say that again."

Kira's nose chuffed in amusement. "You look terrible," she said plainly.

"I think I'm fine now that you've killed her..." Chuckling, Sozin coughed a few more times. "I'm still a little fucked up, but I feel like a weight's been lifted off my shoulders."

"I'll say..." Kira said. "I was looking for you everywhere. I thought you abandoned me."

"Abandoned you?" Sozin said with a puzzled expression. He groaned as he began to clamber onto his feet, and Kira helped him. "I didn't mean to. I don't know how, but I got lost. That succubus lady had some weird kind of curse on this place that only affects men. I don't feel it anymore, but I'm sticking by your side from now on until we get out of here."

Kira patted Sozin on the shoulder, a positive warmth on her face. "Well, the important thing is... you're safe."

Sozin gave a weak smile, his voice fluttering. He gripped his shoulder with the other hand and was slumping in his posture. "Man, I'm exhausted..." he said.

"You sure look like it," Kira replied.

The two warriors exchanged a mutual gaze of relief.

Catching her off guard, Sozin pulled Kira into a swift hug using whatever energy he had left. He wrapped his arms around her with zero inhibition.

"Oh!" Kira blurted out in pleasant surprise. A cheerful grin brightened her expression, and she let out a few light, breathy laughs. "This is unexpected." Intensely aware, she could feel her boobs pressing into his chest from underneath her robes and wraps, but he didn't seem to notice or care much about that. He was simply thanking her.

Sozin hugged the woman tight. "You know, I would've made this journey alone, but now I'm really glad you came along. Otherwise, it would've ended here," he chuckled.

Her arms were squished at her sides by Sozin's own, but Kira wriggled them out from under his pressure and returned the hug with a strained voice. "No problem..." she croaked slightly, shifting in his embrace. Still wet and cold, Sozin's warmer body was more than welcoming to Kira's own, soggy clothes and all.

Sozin's nose caught scent of something. He pulled back from the hug with a jostle so he could see Kira's face, her loose, inky black hair swishing gently from the motion. Bewildered, he sniffed the woman's neck. "Hm..." he pondered. "Why do you smell like that?"

"What? Do I smell bad?" Kira asked from beneath her hat.

Sozin sniffed again, consideration crossing his face. "No, you smell fresh..." he said gleefully. "Like glistening dew on a cool spring morning."

Kira's brow crinkled as she considered his words for a brief moment. Flattered, but also intrigued, she said, "That's oddly specific... and... poetic..."

"Must be the river water. I have a strong nose." Sozin let Kira go and gave her some breathing room. He glanced up to the numerous dead bodies strung across the cave ceiling like holiday streamers. "I suppose this makes us even again, not that I'm counting. Let's get out of here now... This place makes me uncomfortable..."

Sozin started to walk away, taking an eager step.

"Hold on a second," Kira spoke up, stretching her arm out to stop him.

"What?"

Uncertainty mixed in with a crinkling of Kira' features. She turned pensive. "Are you... really a misogynist, Sozin?"

"Is that what you're thinking about?"

"Yes..."

Sozin sniffled. It was clear that he hadn't expected this question, so he took a heavy second to think of a good but honest response. "Not entirely... if that's any consolation," he said after a pause.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean..." Sozin's eyes flickered away for a moment. "You're the only woman I don't hate..."

"But I don't understand that. A misogynist hates women..." Kira said. She splayed her fingers onto her chest, gesturing to herself. Her voice fell into sad disappointment. "And, I'm a woman..."

"I know, but I don't hate you, Kira. I haven't known you very long, but I've never treated you bad, have I?"

"No, but still..." Kira said. "It kind of bothers me."

"You're not women though, Kira. You're 'a' woman. You're... a unicorn..." Sozin gave a flustered chuckle. "The distinction is important," he added as he stuck his hands into the pockets of his hakama.

Kira crossed her arms. "A unicorn?"

"Yeah, I would say that's an accurate descriptor."

"Never been called that one before, and I've been called a lot of things by men."

Sozin nestled the tip of his thumb between his outer lips, his other arm propping the elbow up. His eyes turned contemplating and seemed to glaze over for a second or two. "It's a very particular word for a very particular woman..." he murmured, nodding slowly to himself. Snapping back to reality, he continued, saying "Listen, just know that I have my reasons for my misogyny."

"Very well..." Kira said. "I can't complain since I probably hate men more than you hate women."

"Do you really?" Sozin asked.

"Yep..." Kira said casually. "I hate everyone."

"Hey, me too!" Sozin cheered, throwing his arms open like it was a fun surprise. "Maybe women a little more, but I guess that actually makes me a misanthropist then."

Kira shook her head and laughed. "I suppose we all have our reasons for things. Let's get out of here, Sozin."

"Oh yeah, I'm right behind you," Sozin said.