For PurplePlatypusBear21

Hello everybody and happy Halloween! This idea has hit me a few days ago and I decided to turn this Crossover One-Shot into a little horror-touched one to celebrate Halloween. It's a bit more graphic than my usual stories, but I wanted to create a fitting atmosphere. I hope this little one creates some Halloween vibes. All of you a lot of fun and Happy Halloween!

Cursed Mask

Azula realized her mistake as soon as the strange wooden mask touched the skin of her face. It was a creepy horror, which was running down her spine. The touch of the wood was cold and somehow dark… sinister. No simple piece of wood should feel this way, like this mask did.

It was such an opposite to the bright and colorful look of this mask. And jet it wasn't. These disturbing yellow eyes, these spikes the mix of colors at all. It looked childlike and happy, but only on first sight. The whole thing was radiating something wicked, something… evil. Raw power, but only made for destruction. It was hidden behind this mask, no in this mask and Azula could feel it now. But now it was too late. Zuko has been on her heels, so she got careless for a moment. She had ignored this whispered warning in her head, as she had found this mask. She has only seen the power and has ignored the signs...

She was standing in this vast temple ruin near the overgrown pedestal like she was made out of the same stone as everything around her, trying to process the crawling horror, which was suddenly flooding her mind.

It wasn't worth the promised power.

She shouldn't wear this mask.

No one should.

Azula reacted fast and tried to take off the mask, but pure terror took over as her fingers touched the edge of this dreadful object. The mask itself came to life. Tendrils emerged from the mask, grabbing like strong tentacles at her face, forcing the object back at it. The Princess tried to rip it off, but the mask tighten its grip. She could feel the tendrils slithering around her head and neck, choking her, pressing with an unnatural burning cold in her skin. The feeling gnawed at the edges of her mind, with whispering, mocking laughters. She could feel the tentacles sliding in her ears, pressing into her skull. The pain became unbearable, prickling and stinging and she could feel her own blood running out of her ears, but she fought on. The sounds of the world around her were shifting, they got amplified, twisted and pitched. She could hear the laughters louder now, mocking her blind desire for power.

This thing must get off from her at all cost. She lighted a flame, ready to burn the mask, no matter if this object still was pressed on her own face and for a moment she found some hope, because the resistance of the mask got weaker and the object came off some inches.

But then more tendrils emerged, pressing in her nose, spreading like roost inside of her, taking her any air to breath.

And so Azula screamed in pure terror, pain and desperation, falling on the ground, jerking and spasming franticly, only to realize, that the scream was another mistake, as more tentacles conquered her mouth, choking her violently, forcing a way down her throat. She felt her strength fading as finer vines emerged to penetrate her eyes. Sharp cold stings, burning like ice and fire punctuated her eyeballs. Azula felt the crawling inside, the tightening grip at her body and mind. She recognized that her view didn't vanished, it only started to change. It was like she got driven out of her own head, forced to the sideline to watch the horror taking over.

A white pain flushed her mind and a tortured, defeated shriek filled the wide halls of the ruin as suddenly a figure stood above her, ripping at this dreadful mask. She felt how the tendrils got pulled out of her, cutting throat and skin as the object tried to maintain a grip on her. Azula forced her mind to fight against the will to surrender. Her own vision returned and she noticed the bloody vines leaving her body with wet slurps. She gaged and coughed violently as her mouth and nose came free at last, rolling to her side. The taste of iron and copper mixed itself with the sour taste of vomit as she emptied her stomach, shaken by uncontrolled cramps. Blood was running out of her eyes, ears, nose and mouth and the mask had left grim cuts on her neck and cheeks, but Azula didn't care. All what mattered now was, that this cursed mask was off her face.

She was on all fours, still coughing, but she turned her head to look at her savior, as a cold shock stabbed her heart. Zuko was standing some steps aside. He had turned the back to her, but he still had a grip at the mask. The object was definitely alive, the bloody tendrils lashing and swirling in the air. But the way how Zuko's body had stiffened was the source of Azula's worries.

"Zuko, burn it."

Her voice was rasp and hoarse and every breath, every syllable was like she forced razor blades through her lungs and throat. Azula noticed the slight jerk of Zuko's hand and he lighted a flame, but he didn't make a move to burn this cursed object. It let Azula's terror grew and she forced herself to crawl towards her brother. She had never truly begged him to do something, but she knew, that her pride had to stand aside here.

"Zuzu, please. Burn this thing. Burn it now."

Her brother brought his flame towards the lashing mask, observing the object and his flame… and suddenly he pressed the wooden object at his face.

Azula wasn't sure, which was causing her more pain, the tortured scream, which left her sore throat or the fact, that this mask has taken her brother. She only could watch him jerk and move helplessly, like some weird puppet master was pulling at strings of a new puppet, to get a feeling of how everything worked.

The Princess knew better, but she kept crawling towards her brother. She knew it was too late as the jerking stopped, but she had to try it anyway. The flame in Zuko's hand was still burning, so maybe…

"Interesting..."

She had almost reached her brothers ankle as she stopped in motion. The voice she heard was only a faint reminiscent of her brother. A hidden hint was to be found in it, but Azula noticed that something evil, something merciless was speaking now. The same voice, that had laughed in her ears moments ago. She saw the flame growing and dancing on Zuko's palm and her brother observed his fire with curiosity.

"Yes, I already have hundreds of games in mind, we can play with that power."

Azula's blood ran cold as Zuko turned his head towards her. The eyes of the mask seem to glow. It was horrifying.

"We'll never be alone anymore. It'll be so much fun."

Zuko threw his flame at Azula and she barely managed to block the strike. She screamed in pain as the flames broke her defense, biting and leaking at her arms. She could feel her skin blister and crack in the heat of the flame, could hear the awful swizzling as a biting smell of burned fabric, skin and flesh started to bite in her nose. Hot tears, mixed with her own blood streamed down her cheeks as she rolled on her side, pressing the burned arm at her chest. She could hear the wicked amused laughter behind her.

"Zuzu, fight. This isn't you!"

The laughter turned into an hysterical one. Her brother laid back in the air and was suddenly hovering, like an Airbender, slapping with his hand on his upper leg in amusement.

"Oh Azula, Azula. You would be surprised. It's not him alone anymore. I offer chances. Power. Company. Fun..."

The mask was staring at her and it wasn't possible, but the Princess could almost see a wicked smile behind it. A smile forced upon Zuko's face from this mask. From whatever lived inside this object. An amused chuckle remained.

"Jealous? Now he's mine. My dear Zuzu. Cut off from your puppet strings..."

This quote hit her harder than anything before, it pushed the pain aside with burning anger.

"And tight on yours. Zuzu fight. It's only telling lies!"

The laughter was more terrifying than anything Azula had heard before. It wasn't human and seem to grow deeper and higher at the same time, filling the ruin with a demonic presence.

"Wrong! Azula always lies. I offer revenge!"

She wanted to answer, but her voice died in her throat as Zuko, driven by the mask, grabbed her at her throat. She kicked and jerked, but it was like hitting cold iron. She was gagging again, desperately trying to get some air passing the way down to her lungs, but it seemed to be impossible. Her brother lifted her up with an unnatural strength, like she was weighting nothing and she noticed, that he was pushing her towards a wall, while he was raising her and himself higher and higher towards the ceiling of the ruin.

"Dear Zuzu has enough of these lies, of the dirty schemes and ticks, of the loathing, of being called weak, stupid and worthless. He is tired of being alone."

He let his head falling aside, the yellow eyes of the mask glowed even more dangerous.

"I know how he feels. I understand him. I'll help him to get revenge. Today payback time starts for all of them. We'll have so much fun and none of us must ever be alone again."

The color was draining from Azula's sight. She felt her blood rushing through her veins, her pulse hammering in her ears. Her jerks and kicks became more and more frantic, but they already started to lack strength and the faint rest of precision they had at the start. The eyes of the mask seem to grow. She saw Zuko opening his topknot. The parts of his crown piece floated towards Azula and he closed her hand around it with his other.

"I want to play a game Azula. Zuzu remembers a great stunt of yours. You fell off an airship and you have saved yourself with your crown piece."

Zuzu looked down and even with her sight getting smaller Azula noticed how high they were in this temple ruin. She wouldn't survive a fall if he would let go now.

"I really hope you can pull this stunt again. This would be… Fun."

A wicked chuckle was all she heard as Zuko let go. Everything happened like in slow motion. Azula felt herself falling. She felt the air coming back to her lungs and her sight returned to full, like the pain and the coughing. Her instincts tried to react, but the lack of air and her injuries denied her the needed strength. She noticed, that she had no power, no precision and no time, still she tried to ram the crown piece into the wall, but it only scrapped along the cold stones, before it jammed in the wall and got ripped out of her grip.

She closed her eyes in defeat, hearing this awful chuckle.

And suddenly she was pushed to the side, caught by another person, who was wrapping his arms around her. Azula was safe on the floor, coughing and gasping for air and barely recognizing the commotion, which was starting to leave the ruins. She felt firm hands pressing her to the ground and suddenly a soothing tickle crawled up and down her body. She tried to fight it, but only got pushed back to the ground.

"Don't move, instead you prefer scars."

She obeyed at the commanding voice, too shocked and too weak to keep up the resistance. She faintly recognized the water witch starting to treat her wounds as she passed out on the ground.