"No, oh-so-great Firelord, I will not mention how you betrayed us down here," muttered Sokka, rolling his eyes.

The entire gang looked uncomfortable at these words; bad memories floated into each of their minds, poisoning their thoughts from shadows of the past. They all formed a circle, each casting nervous glances at the person who walked in the center. Zuko looked out silently over the beautiful crystals that had formed in the catacombs beneath Ba-Sing-Se, and found himself wondering why he'd picked this particular spot.

"Okay… so… how long are we staying here again?" asked Toph, sounding bored already.

"Oh, however long Zuzu wants, I'm sure," said Azula sarcastically. "I would personally rather be back at the mental hospital, where I can in my room in… silence."

Zuko felt sure that she was about to say 'peace', but that she'd probably realized that she wasn't exactly peaceful anymore. But then, that was why they were down there; to help her. It had been Iroh's recommendation that they go camping with Azula just to see how she would cope with being out and about again. He sighed; his uncle had the strangest ideas. He should be governing the fire nation, and Aang should've been safeguarding the world or whatever else the Avatar was supposed to be doing.

"Remind me why we're here?" asked Suki, yawning. "Ty Lee and I should be working to put down rebellions with the other Kyoshi warriors, not babysitting the loony firebender."

"Again, I didn't want to come here anyway, peasant," hissed Azula, golden eyes flashing.

"Well, I'm not complaining!" exclaimed Ty Lee. She beamed. "I think it's a good idea to help 'Zula. I think she can be a very good person."

"Speak for yourself," muttered Mai. Azula just chuckled quietly, before muttering to herself again. Zuko winced inwardly. Azula appeared to be sane, but sometimes she had these… fits, where she couldn't seem to hear anyone.

They arrived in the enormous room, where he had learned that he and Katara were not so different after all… and where he had betrayed her. Where Azula herself had brought Aang to within an inch of death. He noticed her stiffen slightly, as though she actually felt guilty for it. Zuko knew better, though.

"Here- this looks like a good spot," said Katara. She shrugged her sleeping bag off her shoulders, smiling to herself. "It's just like old times, right? When we were just camping everywhere."

She'd chosen a small place surrounding by the glowing green crystal, on all sides except one. It was an area that was large enough for all of them. They broke their formation around Azula, proceeding to set up camp. Toph and Sokka got in an argument about where they were sleeping, which Ty Lee quickly resolved- mainly by jabbing them in the hips, so they could no longer stand upright.

They all struck up quick conversations while they unpacked. Zuko found himself talking to Aang about a new firebending tactic they'd been working on, Katara was discussing the rebuilding of the Southern Water Tribe with Suki. He couldn't help but agree with Katara; this did feel similar to camping out after he had joined the Avatar. The only difference was that his sister was there.

"I don't need help! Go away, leave me alone, I don't want to…" everyone had abruptly stopped talking, as Azula's unearthly wail rose above their voices. She stared into space, wild-eyed, tears streaming down her cheeks. She stopped crying suddenly, turning around and glaring at her companions.

"What?" she snapped. "What are you all looking at?" Comprehension dawned on her face. "Did I have another episode?"

Zuko sighed; this was one of the problems Azula now faced. She had moments where she lost contact with reality, usually talking to someone who wasn't there. The fact was, however, that Azula could never remember these moments. She was well aware that she had them, but they never left an imprint in her memory.

Zuko had to admit that she was getting better. The number of episodes a week was decreasing, and she seemed calmer when she was 'in the real world' too.

"Hey… guys come have a look at this," called Toph. She pointed into a crevice between two of the crystals. "I thought I sensed parchment, but I wasn't sure…"

Zuko came over, and saw that there was not one, but quite a few scrolls stuffed into the space. He could tell that they were old- very old. Careful not to damage them, he removed the rolled up parchment from the crevice, brushing off what was probably hundreds of years of dust.

"What is it, Zuko?" asked Ty Lee, her eyes round with curiosity. She attempted to snatch them from him, but he held them back and handed them to Katara.

"Here. You can read it," he said.

Katara blinked a few times, but decided not to argue. Azula cackled a bit, before falling silent after receiving a look from Mai.

"Wow," Katara murmured. "This is really old writing. I can still read it, though… it says, 'The Story of the Great War of Chin the Conqueror'. Where've I heard that before?" she mused.

"Ummm… does people trying to kill Aang for Kyoshi's 'crime' ring a bell?" asked Sokka.

"That's right!" exclaimed Aang. "That was the war that Kyoshi fought in."

Suki nodded. "We've learned a bit about it before. Read on, Katara."

Katara cleared her throat. "Well," she said. "It's going to be a long story…"

Foreword: At last, after five years worth of hard research, journeying to other nations… it is finished.

The following is the full and complete story of the War of Chin the Conqueror, a tyrant that nearly succeeded in taking over the Earth Kingdom. The great Avatar of the time, Kyoshi, was the one who defeated him in the end, simultaneously creating Kyoshi Island. Her daughter, Koko, and I remain good friends.

But it wasn't just Kyoshi who was the hero of this war. There were others who helped take down the great evil, and they weren't just earthbenders. I had to include everyone's story- whether they were of the Fire Nation, the Water Tribe, or the Air Nomads. I put together this compilation in order to teach future generations that war is not the answer. Our proud kingdom was devastated by this ordeal, in such a way that has not been seen for years.

I have buried this in the catacombs of my home, Ba-Sing-Se. I had to hide it, in the hope that someone more worthy than the corrupt Dai-Li will find it, and learn from our story. Who knows- it may be discovered tomorrow, or thousands of years from now. So read on, if you wish, and learn about one of the greatest wars in our history.

Signed,

Anno, the 47th Earth King

Contributions made by: Jae Dinn, High General of the Fire Nation; Kari and Theio, Air Nomad sages; Koko, leader of Kyoshi Island; Avatar Kyoshi; Syan, Southern Water Tribe waterbending master, and countless others.