MD: I lurve Halloween. I lurve Avatar. And bam! There go the plotbunnies. This is also being posted pretty much simultaneously on the Zutara LJ Community.

disclaimer: It's called "Fanfictiondotnet" for a reason, folks.

"Sit back, my friends, and listen to a tale
Of things not seen and hidden words
Doubt not a skeptical notion, the idea of
Whispers imagined and sounds misheard

For on a single day
And for a single night
Lose yourself in belief
And trust not in only sight

It is on a special occasion, full of mystery
Where the veil runs shallow and thin
And the spirits of another realm
May break into our own on a whim."

Sokka yawned dramatically, leaning back on his hands. Katara rolled her eyes at his display, resisting the desire to smack him upside the skull. He noticed her un-amused expression and shook his head. "Katara. Please tell me you don't believe that."

"How can you not, knowing there's a Spirit World, and that Aang's been there? More than once?"

"I'm not denying the existence of the Spirit World. I'm simply denying the fact that the spirits can come over and do whatever they want once a year. It's a ridiculous idea. If they really want to come over here that badly, who's stopping them?"

Aang spoke up. "Sokka. Can't you just play along? It's a nice idea. Spirits getting their own day without rules."

Sokka snorted. "Spirits have rules?"

A soft chuckle boomed from his left. Iroh smiled jovially at them, a cup up tea nestled in his hands. "Of course the Spirits have rules, dear Sokka."

"Please, uncle," Zuko grumbled. "Don't bother them with your theories about the Spirit World."

Toph giggled. "Actually, it sounds pretty interesting. Care to tell us a story, old man?"

"I would be honored!" Iroh said, nodding his head twice.

"No," Zuko deadpanned before his uncle could carry on. "It's getting late, and we need to get back to camp before it gets dark."

Katara stood up, stretching her arms. "It pains me to agree with him, but Zuko's right." She ignored the scowl that soon decorated his face. "We've been in town far too long. Early to bed, early to rise, right? We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Reluctantly and animatedly, depending on the person, everyone rose to his or her own feet. They tipped the storyteller and paid the bill, exiting the outdoor tavern to venture back to their makeshift house for the night.

After leaving Ba Sing Se, and joining up with Iroh and Zuko, the Avatar and his companions had stopped to rest on the outskirts of a quaint little village on the far side of the Earth Kingdom. A few days of relaxation was just what the doctor ordered, and the sextet relished in the feeling that they were safe right now; no one would be looking for them so soon. They discovered a little restaurant today and decided to splurge, receiving a good meal and entertainment. Unfortunately, tomorrow was the day to move on and continue their journey.

"It was a nice little story, though, wasn't it, Aang?" Katara asked, as they walked along the path, keeping an eye out for their off-trail campsite.

He nodded eagerly. "It made me think about the Spirit World. Especially what the spirits do there. You know, when I'm not around seeking guidance."

Toph snerked from somewhere behind them, pushing her way between the two to stand in the middle. "I'm sure they're thrilled when you're too busy to ask from their infinite wisdom."

"But what do they do when I'm not around?"

Toph shrugged. "Throw wild spirit parties? I've never been there, and it's not like I could give you feedback, unless there was loud music."

Katara shook her head, amused by their chatter. She slowed her pace to let them continue their bantering, finding herself falling into step with Zuko. He was silent, but didn't change his stepping rate to avoid her. Sokka could be heard discussing something with Iroh, but she didn't care to pay too much attention to it. So that left her only conversationalist to be Zuko – and he wasn't much of a conversationalist, anyway. Sighing, she resigned herself to a quiet trip back to camp.

"Ah, I think this is where we turn," said Aang, waving at a small opening between two rather large bushes. He plowed through, not bothering to look behind him. Toph pushed through next, and the other three let Iroh step first in respect. Refusing to leave Zuko and his sister without a chaperone, even though he knew they argued more than anything else, he ushered them through before himself.

When Aang finally looked behind him, they were all gone. His grey eyes blinked furiously in confusion. "Katara? Toph?" he turned back towards the bush, digging through leaves, but came up empty. "Anyone?"

Maybe he had been walking too fast. The best thing to do, he concluded, was to head back to their camp. That was where everyone was going, after all.

XD XD XD

MD: Forgive my lack of poetry skills at the beginning. DX So, please tell me what you think. It would mean a lot. There is more to come.