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Chapter Text

Legacy

[Summer 102 AG]

Flying through the sky, the wind whipping in her face, a small girl with dark, black hair and bright, golden eyes rides a dragon into battle. She holds up her mighty sword and commands her partner to bank downward. Her magnificent beast lands on the battlefield. She disembarks and gracefully approaches her enemy, a young boy in a blue mask.

She twirls the sword in her hands for a moment. Stepping away from her monster, her opponent mirrors her steps as they circle one another. She dawns a large grin and chides him, "I remember who I am! I am the Dragon Emperor! And there's only one way that this ends."

"You will not succeed!" He shouts back. "I shall put you back in your place!"

The two children charge at one another, wooden swords swinging wildly through the air. They attempt to parry each other's blows but the heavy wood is too much for their little arms. They feebly wave them at one another, but tire out quickly. The boy turns and tries to flee, his feet pushing through the sand. His younger sister gives chase and after a few feet he tries to turn and face her. Bodies crash into one another as she can't stop her forward momentum and they fall together onto the beach.

Pushing up and off of him she complains, "Zuzu, you shouldn't have stopped!"

"I was trying to turn and sword fight you, Azula!"

She stands up over him and dusts herself off. Dropping the wooden sword she reaches a hand down to offer to him. It's not much help, she's too small and scrawny to really pull him up, but Zuko takes it anyway. They stand in front of each other under the glow of the moonlight. The waves of the ocean at Ember Island crash to provide the sound. Walking a few paces back of them within eyesight are their parents, quietly and ideally discussing this year's rendition of the show.

Zuko whines, "Why do you always get to be the Dragon Emperor? You're not even a boy."

"Because I'm the better fighter! So I'm more deserving!"

"Nu-uh!"

"I am the Dragon Emperor," she proudly proclaims to the moon and sea. Azula stands with both arms raised and faces the water. "And you are just my little puppet!"

"No way, Azula! I want to be the Dragon Emperor," he replies as he playfully pushes her out of her victorious pose. "You can be the Dragon Empress instead."

Azula turns back to her brother as he walks forward and yells at him, "Eww, no Zuzu, you dummy! The Dragon Emperor and Empress got married."

He spins back to his sister and shouts, "That's not what I meant Azula! I just meant we would be a great team."

He crosses his arms and huffs as he walks forward. Azula feet churn through the sand and she steps to follow after him. "Oh yes, Zuzu, we would be the most powerful duo in the world!"

Zuko walks along the water, picking up seashells and tossing them back into the ocean as they go. Azula mimics her older brother, grabbing other ones and throwing them too. After a few moments of silence, she finally declares, "I hate the Dragon Empress."

Zuko turns his torso to the side to peer out at her with his left eye. "Why?"

Azula picks up a shell and launches it with her full force. "She has all this power, but she just hides it away."

Zuko tries to reason with her, "She wanted Noren to love her for herself, not because of her power."

Azula stares out across the moonlit ocean. She hears Zuzu's answer, but she does not accept it. She rejects this prospect, telling him, "If I ever had power like her, I wouldn't hide any of it."

Zuko looks at his sister, staring with such seriousness. For a moment he is drawn in by her confidence and charisma. He wants to agree with her, but they are but children, so instead he finds the whole thing very silly. "You're so weird, Azula."

She spins her head at him and scowls. "Not as weird as you!"

She sticks her tongue out at him. He sticks his own back out at her and they face off, their heads getting closer and their eyes narrowing at each other. Finally, Azula raises her wooden sword up again towards him and shouts, "How dare you insult the Dragon Empress!"

The sound of wood smacking echoes across the beachside. The children parry the blows two more times before their little arms get tired again. Once more, one of them runs off and the other gives chase. They run off through the sand, headed home, their adoring parents lagging behind, practically fading away in the dark of night.

A chorus of clicking noises fills the air. It is a loud, buzzing song that pulsates rapidly. The sound stirs up across numerous insects of the same variety, all singing together. A pleasant orchestra signifying summer and warm days. The girl at the bench reaches up and adjusts her matted black hair. She sits within the shade of an overhead tree, taking in the world around her. She is free and unafraid. Her jaded golden eyes trace down to her hands. She holds the smallest ration of bread she could rip off.

Her eyes look up at the overcast sky and feels the heat permeating through her clothing. It sticks to her skin in places, giving her no comfort. The weather has offered no respite to them in their journey. She is daydreaming again about sword fights on Ember Island; about seeing Love Amongst the Dragons with her parents. She dreams of her family and what once was, and what could never be again.

Absentmindedly she lifts her ration of bread and nibbles on it. She's found over the last month that if she eats it slowly she thinks she enjoys it more. For the former royalty, it is all about valuing what precious resources they have among them. She had once lived in decadence, now she savors the scraps she has left.

"Azula," a voice comes to her. She turns to the brunette a few feet from her. "Someone's asked for you."

She scowls at her right hand woman. Her brow furrows as she replies, "Soldiers?"

"No, he's," she starts, her voice filled with apprehension. "A local fisherman."

The former Crown Princess rises from her seat beneath a tree. She steps through the shadowy woodland towards her friend. Her voice is charged, her tone serious. Her golden eyes burn into the dark eyes of the girl she approaches. "What the spirits is this, Zirin? Some kind of trap?"

"No, Azula. I promise," she flinches slightly as Azula stops in front of her. Zirin's hands grip her pants, awaiting the next words, anticipating more accusations of disloyalty. "He came to us arms raised, we searched him, and he just knew you were here somehow."

Azula peers over the teen's shoulder towards the rest of their group. She clicks her tongue as she thinks. Her eyes return to the dark ones in front of her, awaiting her next commandment. Azula purses her lips and then calmly says, "Be prepared to subdue him. We can't know if he was followed."

"Of course." The girl quickly breathes out.

The leader cranes her neck to spot a disheveled, tan man through the gaps in the forest and her girls. Her mind calculates what this could be about and how he found them. She dawns a wry smile as a thought comes to her.

"Introduce me." She directs her subordinate.

"Ma'am?" Zirin asks, confusion and concern spiking.

"He already knows I'm here. He found us somehow. If he was sent by my brother, well, we might as well relish our last moments of freedom."

The girl nods in understanding. She turns on spot and leads her towards the invader.

Azula stops and stands as graciously as she can given the conditions. Her hair sticking to the back of her neck, she folds her arms in front of her. Zirin wipes her brow, standing a few feet back and to Azula's right. The remaining dozen girls stand in a semicircle, blocking escape.

The man before her is short and stout. He has a long, brown goatee and hair that almost comes down to his shoulders. He is just as humid as the young girls all around them, and at least twice their age. His clothes are ragged and ripped. His eyes dance about, but they always come back to the golden eyed leader of this pack of teenagers.

Zirin projects her voice to the gathering, "I am introducing Princess Azula. Bow before her."

The older man, seemingly surprised by this, does a double-take before bowing his head slightly. He quickly raises his head and returns his gaze to the Princess. Zirin had meant for him to bow to the ground, or at least kneel. She is mad at herself and worries that Azula will be more mad. Yet Azula is unconcerned. She takes stock of the man and quietly prepares her questions.

After a moment of pause Zirin cuts through the silence, "And who are you?"

Once again the man does a double-take, this time looking at Zirin like it's his first time seeing her. He stutters out, "Oh, apologies. Uh, well, my name is Lin."

"How did you find us?" Zirin starts by asking him.

He scoffs at this. He looks at the golden eyed beauty and says, "The world is far too small for a woman like Princess Azula to simply disappear."

After a brief pause to look around he adds, "No matter how deep she chooses to sink."

"What business do you have here, Lin?" Zirin questions him.

He turns his full attention to the brunette now as he accepts that Azula won't be addressing him. "I heard the rumors and wanted to come talk to her myself."

"What rumors?" Zirin demands.

He peaks at the young girls around him, then back to the second-in-command. "That a bunch of young girls were starving up in the woods near Jingchan," he starts. This draws some low murmurs and whispers among the girls around him. Uneasily, Zirin leans back on the balls of her feet, sweat beads dripping down her forehead. "Being led by a Firebender who dispatches anyone who gets too close."

He pauses a moment and his eyes turn to her. He says, "Being led by our former Crown Princess, Azula."

Zirin keeps hoping that Azula will step in and talk. Every second she doesn't weighs on her. She ventures onward, "Then you must know you'll be the next to be dispatched by us."

Realizing that they have taken his intrusion as an act of aggression, Lin quickly raises his hands in surrender. "No, no! That's not necessary. I don't come to bring you trouble."

"Then what do you bring?" Zirin asks him, her tone accusatory and doubting. She too now folds her arms in front of her.

He places his hands back down slowly and answers, "I come to ask your help."

Tilting her head to the side, Zirin's eyes quickly flash to Azula. She only looks at the back of her head before returning to Lin. She asks him, "And what exactly is it you need help with?"

Lin motions with his hands passively as he explains, "I am a fisherman off the coast of the Baochou Village. I've lived there most of my life. Last week some raiders and thieves sacked us. They stole my boat."

He allows a pregnant pause, expecting sympathy or condolences to be shared. When none are he awkwardly laughs and adds, "Not much work for a fisherman to get done without a boat."

Again, no one entertains him with pleasantries. No one chuckles or forces themself to laugh. The girls all around him stare with violent intentions. They are ready and prepared to immobilize him, if given even the slightest indication from their leader.

Zirin asks him, "Why us?"

He smiles at this, feeling the answer obvious. "Local authorities are too scared to do anything, nor are they very keen on the idea of revenge fueled vengeance. But you all operate outside the law."

Azula finally speaks, "Why should we help you?"

Lin finally turns back to her. He grimaces and offers, "Because it's the right thing to do?"

Azula doesn't even blink. No one is moved by this comment. They are hungry, desperate, and hot. Lin realizes that this answer won't suffice. He adds, "And I'll provide you transport whenever you should need it."

"That's hardly helpful for 'a bunch of girls starving up in the woods.'"

Lin nods his head in understanding. "I can feed you all with some of my remaining stock."

The girls all around once again begin whispering their excitement to one another. Even Zirin can't help but smile at the thought of fresh fish. She can't remember the last time she'd had a warm meal. Azula, however, narrows her eyes. She ends the fervor by saying, "It'll cost you more than some leftover fish."

Lin softly chuckles to himself and looks around him. He returns his green eyes to looking at Azula, "Well, I can't pay you. They took everything from me. Just feeding you all would clean me out of my remaining inventory."

The Fire Warriors are uneasy about this standoff. In Zirin's opinion, they should take the meal and make the deal. Yet Azula is in charge and she presses on, "You said yourself that these raiders and thieves cleaned out your entire village. We have 13 girls, only some of whom can firebend. You expect me to risk their lives and our freedom, for what? Some fish and a free boat ride whenever we need it? Hmm? We're taking on far more risk to help, and you don't seem to be offering anything of real value."

Previously swept up in the moment of a fresh meal, the young girls all around are now seeing what Azula sees. They grow agitated that this older man would so readily put them in harm's way for his own gain. He looks around and feels the walls closing in. What's more, he sees his opportunity disappearing. He had feared this may happen, but he came prepared.

"Princess Azula, I believe you should do it because there is more to life than getting paid."

"Is that so, Lin? Perhaps then you should go home yourself and do something else beside fishing. Do anything you please, seeing as there's more to life than getting paid."

He closes his eyes and shakes his head. He sees what she is saying but she's missing the point. "What I mean is that by doing this you can gain something far more valuable than money."

Genuinely curious now, Azula asks him, "How's that?"

Lin steps forward now. Confidently he tells her, "If you make yourself more than just a girl. If you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can't stop you, then you become something else entirely."

Narrowing her eyes only slightly Azula asks, "And what is that?"

"Legend, Azula. A lasting legacy in your name."

He delivers this with reverence. His eyes, Zirin's eyes, the twenty-four eyes of the Fire Warriors, all turn and fall upon the young girl. She stands tall and proud. She peers down at Lin from a standing position above him. She takes what he has said and turns it over in her mind. In a flash she is transported back to the moonlit oceanside. She remembers the play and her parents and her brother. She remembers arguing with Zuzu.

"If I ever had power like her, I wouldn't hide any of it."

Azula is the most powerful Firebender on Earth. She has the Fire Warriors and the Kemurikage at her command. She should not be hiding her power away in the woods, nibbling on stale bread to savor its taste. She always imagined herself flying a dragon, carrying a powerful sword, being this incredible warrior and leader. Charging forward bravely into the face of danger to bring glory and honor to the Fire Nation and the world.

Lin has stirred something deep within Azula. She nods her head at last in agreement, the smile curling on her lips. She shakes her head, "Not in my name."

Lin looks at her confused. Azula says, "I shall be the Dragon Empress."

The group of girls collectively nod their heads in equal parts wonder and agreement. Even Lin, with so many more years than them and more mature, recognizes that this specific moment is bigger than him.

Azula tilts her head and tells him, "We will help you. For the food and your services. We shall take back what was stolen from you."

Lin nods his head and recalls what Zirin had told him to start. He bows his head and bends one knee. He kneels before the Dragon Empress.

Chapter Text

The Mother of the Kemurikage

[Summer 102 AG]

"One last time, Azula, can we go over the plan?"

A young girl with ginger hair and soft lilac eyes raises a shaky hand-blade up to her leader. She feels sweat slipping down the side of her face from the intense heat. They are shrouded by the shady trees, but it simply delays the beating of the sun. She pulls the long, flowing black hair back and lifts the blade up with jittery hands, riddled with self-doubt. One wrong snip, one accidental slice and she could kill the woman sitting in front of her. The idea is paralyzing to her.

"Ruki," she calmly speaks her name. "If your hands shake because you're nervous, it'll only be worse."

The golden eyed girl tilts her head back and peaks at her young ward. After holding the eye contact for a moment Ruki nods her head. She steadies her hand. She moves forward and cuts the hair with confidence.

"That's better." The leader coos at her.

"Azula, hello?" The brunette with a single, braided ponytail says. "I asked to go over the plan again."

"Oh Zirin, calm down. We know the plan."

"Forgive me for being worried about how this will go, given all that we're risking."

"It's simple," Azula explains as Ruki pulls her head back and slices at different angles to cut the hair. "Eight of us infiltrate in disguise, five secure the perimeter of the village in case things get out of hand. We never expose ourselves or use the Kemurikage title, that way no one suspects a thing. We steal the boat back and sink any others so they don't realize it's retaliation solely for Lin. Assuming all goes according to plan, we meet the rest of the girls on the far side of the island and ride back to Baochou."

"And the other girls won't be using their bending, right?" Ruki asks from behind her.

"That's correct." Azula confirms.

"None of you will? Not even you?" Zirin questions.

Azula nods her head quickly and only slightly, so as to not disrupt the work that Ruki is doing. Zirin ponders another query, "So why not send just non-benders like me and Ruki? Why risk sending any benders in at all? We could use the benders to secure the perimeter."

"We need an emergency plan in case things go sideways inside the village."

"But we're not 'attacking' the village?"

"We'll terrorize them."

"But not harm?"

"Exactly."

"Because they aren't the raiders or thieves?"

"Yes."

"But they might be." Zirin counters.

"Guess we won't find out."

"Azula-"

"This isn't up for debate, Zirin." She commands.

All this time Ruki continues to work and slice. She does her best to get close, but ultimately she lacks the precision, skills, and necessary tools. Azula can sense the tension from all of the verbal fencing. She mentally traces her own thoughts on the matter and quickly tries to wrap them into something inspirational.

"The Dragon Empress is meant to help those in need, Zirin," she starts and then then pauses. "In this case, we are the ones in need. Lin is in need. We will take from others to better those of us in need. The people who hold positions of power over us, they will feel our fire. We will kindle them from below by inflaming the rage of the masses in need, and by the time they realize what we've done, it will be too late."

Ruki finishes cutting her hair and sits back. Zirin stands safely under a tree a few feet away. Azula's gold eyes stare out into space. Her followers watch her with reverence.

"Like a forest on fire, girls. They will think they can escape. They will try to put us out. But our numbers, the great people of the Fire Nation that we will inspire, will envelope them."

There is a pause. All three girls imagine it, albeit in different ways and with slightly different outcomes. They all see the same end goal though: Azula upon the throne. Finally Zirin speaks, "Ruki, can you give us a moment?"

The redhead quickly stands, bows, and walks away, back through the wooded area, to where the other girls awaited for her to come and cut their hair as well. When she is beyond earshot, Azula turns and looks right at the brunette and asks, "It's a glorious thought, isn't it? Watching them burn."

Zirin approaches her leader and stands before the sitting Empress. She weighs her words carefully. She says, "I follow you because I chose to, Azula. But I think we have more in common than you realize."

"How do you mean?"

Tilting her head to the side, Zirin says, "I didn't receive much warmth from my family growing up. It was not mine to have."

Zirin flashes back to a house that allowed no swearing. No acting out. No little girls with mental issues.

"No real parents."

She is reminded of her father leaving and never coming back. A mother who couldn't understand her.

"No support."

She recalls her first days at the institution. No one took the time to listen.

"No one who told me everything would be okay or help make sense of my pain."

Unconsciously she hugs herself, remembering the restricted feeling of the straight jacket.

"No one told me that they loved me."

The pain of being alone.

"I watched from afar as they shared that warmth with others."

She watched as her "normal" siblings received the attention and hugs that she never did. She comes out of her daze and stares at the woman in front of her.

"And I think you had a similar experience."

Azula doesn't respond. She gives no verbal or nonverbal cue to tell Zirin if she's correct. She simply lets her follower wonder. Zirin continues, "That's why it's so good to imagine them burning. I would burn them all down so I could finally feel their warmth."

Azula nods. She understands now. Zirin had come up from nothing. Azula was born in a palace. Zirin is just another one of her zealots. Azula is the Dragon Empress. They came from completely different worlds, but in a way they had lived the same experience. In any event, they had both ended up in that institution together.

"But those other girls?" Zirin says, gesturing towards where Ruki had walked towards. "You're their mother now, Azula."

Azula blinks back at Zirin, incredulous. "They look to you like a parent because it's the closest that they have ever had. They've never had someone that loves them."

"A parent, Zirin? Surely this is a joke of some sorts."

"It's not. For them, it's you. Someone to make the monsters go away. To keep them safe in the dark," she says kneeling before Azula. They are face to face. The gold of Azula's eyes search the dark of Zirin's. They are an endless expanse that she gets lost in. "I don't see you like that, but they do."

Azula quickly stands and strides away. She thinks about what Zirin has told her and what to make of it. What her girls think of her. She admits, "You're right, Zirin. I too had very little warmth from my life givers. I'd kill my own father if I saw him now. And my own mother walked out on me, and then replaced me."

Zirin stands and stares at the back of the Dragon Empress. Azula finishes her thought.

"I won't be that for anyone else."

The gathering clouds nearly block out all light from the moon. Insects and animals all around the village sing the lullaby of nightly slumber. The tiny village upon Shinzong Island is humming with the sounds of a humid, summer night. Only but a select few of their inhabitants are still awake. Most are tucked away in bed, dreaming of a better life and better days ahead.

High up above the sleeping dreamers are a dozen girls who dare to dream of their own better lives. They stand behind their master, who watches over the village, a porcelain mask resting on her head. The group is on a hill with an unobstructed view of the entire layout of the small, seaside community. The heavens groan with a build up of static. A rain that has been a longtime coming. The leader lowers the mask to block her face. Without needing another word, seven others behind her do the same.

"Remember: No bending."

The night air is filled with the shrill screeches of townsfolk. Men, women, and children run for their lives, driving themselves into dead ends in the darkness, never being sure where the specters will appear next. Under the cover of darkness, spirits infiltrated their homeland and now walk among them. Parents grip their children tightly, fearing that the ghost stories they have told and been told, have come to haunt them.

Not all of them run in fear though. Instead, a few brave men steal themselves and try to fight the ghosts. Finding them to not be translucent, but instead fully formed, they attempt to physically attack them. Their efforts are met with expert reactions and precise blows. The men fall and fear that they will join the dead, for all the dead lie down.

On the outskirts of the village, there is a small dock for watercrafts. There are a row of buildings that stand on the edge of that water. Up above the gathering clouds darken. A distant rumbling sound can be heard. While several of their townsfolk run for hiding, two grown men run to protect precious cargo. They dash inside one of the rundown warehouses, careful to not make too much noise but desperate to move quickly. They peak inside of the door. Straining their eyes in the darkness one of them spots the outline of a pair of the monsters terrorizing their town. They do a silent countdown together, then burst forth through the doorway, brandishing lead pipes.

Quietly trying to find keys in the darkness, the unsuspecting young girls barely have time to put their arms up in a defensive position before they are smacked by the weapons. They collapse onto the ground and their assailants are upon them. They subdue them and the girls screech muffled cries into the ground. No one hears them out in the boondocks of the village, and if they did they would only assume they were under duress from the monsters that they purported to be. The grown men remove the masks and toss them along the ground.

"What on Earth?" The older one with a goatee asks.

The younger, more muscular one adds, "They're just little boys?"

"Let us go!" One of the captives demands, voice strained.

"What are you doing here? What is this about?"

"I said let us go!"

"Hey now, are we sure you're boys?" The younger man says, running a hand through the short hair. He keeps one arm and knee on the back of his prisoner. "You a girl or a boy?"

"Let us up and let's find out." The other captive offers.

The younger man licks his lips and smiles vilely down. He determines it doesn't make a difference "What do you say, Mio? Think it matters if they're boys or girls when they're dead?"

"No, Jing, I don't suppose it will matter," he says, positioning himself. He kneels on their back. He brings his lead pipe to the base of their skull. He raises it up before quipping, "No one's going to miss a couple of thieves in masks!"

From out of the darkness a calm and demanding voice speaks to them, "Let them go."

Mio keeps his weapon raised up but looks around bewildered for the speaker. Jing uses his free hand to get his attention and then point towards the doorway they had come in through. He breathes, "Who the-"

From out of the shadows steps another masked figure. They take deliberate steps and walk towards them with grace. They come to a stop a few feet away, hands resting at their side. Mio commands them, "Don't you take another step or I'll bash your little friends skull in."

Jing reaches and grabs his own lead pipe, keeping his knees on the body of his prisoner, and uses one hand to push their head into the ground, preparing his own killing blow. He looks up at the masked figure and asks with an almost uncontrolled fury in his voice, "Who are you?"

Right outside the building two more girls come to a stop at the scene, just out of sight. Upon registering what's going on, the lilac eyed ginger takes a step forward to help intervene. She is stopped though, as the brunette with a cascading, braided ponytail beside her grabs her arm and pulls her back. Through their masks they make eye contact. After a second, Ruki nods to Zirin in acknowledgement. They will watch from the shadows.

Inside the building, Azula looks down at the girls on the ground. Their heads are painfully positioned in such a way that they look right up at her. Their necks are twisted and the weight on the small of their backs is making it harder to breathe with each passing second. They are maskless and defenseless, with a pleading look in their eyes. They need her. They need someone to make the monsters go away. They need someone to keep them safe in the dark. There is a hope in their eyes like Azula has never seen before. No one has ever looked at her the way the girls do right now.

Azula raises her hands up, palms exposed outwardly towards the men atop her followers. She feels a power ripping through her veins. Calmly, proudly, she tells them, "I'm their Mother."

Faster than a blink of an eye lightning strikes inside of the room. It explodes outwardly from the palms of the girl who has just spoken, and flies in two separate streams towards the men. It misses them, by design, and they duck away for cover instinctively.

"What the spirits!" Jing screams.

"How in Agni?" Mio yells.

Free from the massive body weight upon them, the two girls scramble to get up. They quickly pluck their masks off the ground nearby and put them back on. They cower behind their Mother. She stands before them and the men roll on the ground to face her. Azula notices on her peripheral vision a flickering of the limited light outside. Her girls have found the location. They are converging. High up above the heavens roar with thunder. Lighting strikes outside and briefly lights up the room. Azula smirks.

"Do you hear that?" She asks Mio and Jing. She takes a step towards them. They crawl backwards on the ground away from her, trying to create distance. "There's a storm coming. You and your friends better batten down the hatches."

After hearing this, Zirin and Ruki advance. They slip in through the doorway. From Mio and Jing's point of view they watch as two more of the masked children appear. From behind them another door creaks open and three more slip in the back, now blocking their escape.

"I don't understand?" Mio screams from the ground, delusional. "What do you want with our little village? There's no money here for you to steal!"

Azula stands above both men and comes to a halt. Behind her mask she smiles down at them. She tilts her head to the side and asks, "Oh really? Then why are you people here?"

Her eyes flicker to the fishing boat, docked within view, just outside the building. With a devilish smile she, and all of her Kemurikage, advance.

A brunette man with unkempt hair and a goatee that is quickly growing into a full blown beard goes about his daily routine. He makes his bed and bathes in some cold water. It is not all together pleasant, but he makes due with his means. His day is going about what he would expect, as he prepares to head down to the center of town to check in with the healers to see how their sick and ill are doing. He thinks of the pretty Ai Zhou, still recovering from her leg injury when the town was attacked. He mentally prepares some quick witted things he could say to try and woo her.

Last thing before leaving, the short and stout man opens his windows. He had closed them overnight when a thunderstorm had swept up the coast and drenched them in much-needed rain. He pushes open the wood panels and when he does he sees the top of a trio of heads coming up the hill towards his home. He stands up more straight, becomes more serious. He wonders what news they will bring. He walks out his door to greet them.

Three teenage girls approach Lin. A brunette, a ginger, and a black haired girl all come to a stop in front of him. He quickly bends his knee and kneels briefly before her, "Good morning, Dragon Empress! I hope your travels were, uh, fruitful?"

Azula holds an emotionless face. She gives him no reaction. She cocks an eyebrow at him and says, "Stand up, Lin."

He does a double take looking up before getting up off of his one knee and standing up straight. "I apologize, Empress, I just thought you'd want-"

"You thought right, but we have business to attend to."

"So the travels were fruitful?"

Azula turns her head to peer at Zirin. She nods her head at the burnette. Zirin replies, "We have secured your boat. It is safe."

"Excellent! I'm so-"

"But we are keeping everything of value that we found on it."

"Oh?"

"Indeed."

"Ah, well, can I keep the fishing lines and other equipment? Some of that will be of great use to me."

Zirin looks to Azula. The Dragon Empress agrees so she nods. Then she narrows her eyes and says, "Lin, you may have noticed that we are lacking in a permanent location."

Lin blinks in confusion. He slowly turns back to look at his shack of a home and then back at the girls in front of him, "Um, well, you are welcome to stay here, but I don't know if it'll fit all of us?"

The soft spoken, fiery violet eyed girl speaks up, "That's not what we mean, Lin."

He looks at Ruki now, more confusion spreading. "Then what do you mean?"

Ruki replies, "We're grateful for the meal you provided us, but we need… more."

Lin grows slightly agitated, but more so he grows fearful, "I fed you and have offered my boat for travel whenever you should need it. Now you've taken anything of value from it. What more could you need?"

Ruki puts her foot down, and tilts her head as she says, "It's not you we need more from."

Zirin chimes in, "We need money and infrastructure. A means to put a roof over our own heads, not simply stow away in yours."

Azula finishes, "We need more people in need of our services, Lin."

Each point making it clearer what is being asked, Lin now nods his head in understanding. "Ah. I see. You need more down on their luck fishermen to assist?"

Azula nods. Zirin says, "Fishermen. Blacksmiths. Warlords. Anyone who can give us the things in exchange for our help."

"What about pirates?"

Intrigued, Ruki asks, "Pirates?"

"Indeed, Pirates," Lin confirms. "I heard about it about a month ago when I was near Yu Dao. There are some pirates in the Mo Ce Sea willing to pay a hefty price for some powerful benders to keep them afloat."

"Go on," Zirin implores him.

"It's off the coast of the Wulong Forest, but it's impossible to dock there, the waters are too rocky. So they leave from near the Garsai District. They have water benders for the job, but their pirates, so they have to skirt around the law and other pirates attempting to claim the same prize."

"Prize?"

"I don't know the exact details, but some lost treasure. Lot of people have been looking for it for a while, apparently."

"How much are they paying?" Zirin asks.

"They don't pay anything until the job is done. Their reward is contingent on finding and returning the treasure, so they can't pay if they can't get it. But from what I've heard, they're being funded lucratively through a private source," he says turning his attention to Azula. "There's a lot of money to be made in this."

"I've heard enough," Azula says. "You'll take us to them. We leave at first light tomorrow, in your boat, Lin."

The small man smiles widely at this, "Of course! I have some business out that way anyway that's been delayed due to this situation, so I'll gladly take you."

Beaming and joyous he tells Azula, "I'm forever indebted to you, Empress. I don't know how I'll ever pay you back."

"I'm sure you'll figure something out eventually," Azula replies with a sly smile.

Without another word she turns and walks away. Zirin turns and leaves quickly. Ruki digs into her pocket and produces the keys to his boat. She smiles before turning to follow after her leaders. Lin stares down at the keys in his hand. He looks back up and feels the sun shining warmer upon him. He heads off to see Ai Zhou.

Rushing to catch up, Zirin demands answers from her Empress. "Azula, how can you be OK with this? This is not what we talked about last night."

"Zirin, this is exactly what we talked about."

"You heard Lin, they don't even know where it is! And we won't be paid unless they find it?" They walk in lockstep. Ruki speedwalks down the hill to catch up. "What if someone's already got it before we even arrive? How do we even know it'll still be there? He heard about this a month ago."

"Have a little faith, Zirin. We'll find it."

"I agree with Azula," Ruki says as she matches their pace.

"Shut it, Ruki."

"Thank you, Ruki."

"Yes, Empress." Ruki says, making a face at Zirin.

"I do love when people call me that. Empress. It's very fitting."

"You're dodging the issue, Azula. This could set us back time and not get us any closer to having the money or infrastructure we talked about."

"Zirin, it's perfect. We'll rendezvous with the pirates, help them steal the treasure, then keep that and the money for ourselves."

"We should just kill them while we're at it." Zirin replies coldly.

All of a sudden Azula comes to a stop. She turns and lifts a hand up and grabs Zirin by the collar. She pulls the brunette into her and brings their faces inches apart. She stares into her dark eyes and hisses, "No."

Zirin reaches her hands up. One grabs Azula's wrist around her collar and the other grabs Azula's collar, drawing them even closer. She grunts back, "Why the spirits not?"

Ruki stops and stares at the two girls about to come to blows. She isn't sure if she should intervene or let them fight it out. Ultimately she decides she doesn't want to get in front of an angry Dragon Empress, and decides to keep her hands to herself. Azula burns her golden eyes into the Zirin's black ones. She tells her, "We have one rule. We do not kill. Anyone. It's what separates us."

"That's a half-measure, Azula." Zirin spits back.

"I don't give a damn what it is, Zirin. We are a shadow group. We operate in the dark. We control my brother and the entire Fire Nation from a distance. We don't do that by killing the people we are serving."

"We're going to make enemies on this road, Azula. Big enemies. Powerful enemies. We can't keep them in their place if we have to keep looking over our shoulder for the last person we scorned, who might be coming to get us."

"We'll rob, and beat, and scare anyone and everyone. But we will not kill anyone."

"They'll just come after us," Zirin says, a resignation in her voice. She doesn't want to admit it but she knows. "The raiders from last night. The pirates next. If we keep doing all of these half-measures, Azula, eventually one of them will come back to bite us."

Their bodies are pressed together, still gripping one another, and a feverish rage flows through them. Azula, inexplicably, feels something hot in her belly, perhaps lower. She stares at Zirin's lips for reasons she doesn't know why. She feels feelings she isn't familiar with nor knows what to do about. Zirin knows what she feels but doesn't act on it. As the seconds pass she realizes that this will not come to blows or passion. She shakes her head slowly.

"No more half-measures." Zirin demands.

The Dragon Empress shakes her head back.

"No killing anyone." Azula commands.

Azula releases her hold on Zirin and pushes away so that Zirin lets go of her as well. They stare into each other's eyes for another second as Azula steps down the hill and then finally turns her head away. Zirin and Ruki stay in their spot as Azula gets further and further away. Zirin takes shallow breaths. She turns back to Ruki, who is smiling and staring right at her.

"What?" She asks the redhead.

"That was kind of hot."

Zirin groans, "Shut it, Ruki."

The Fire Lord enters his throne room, flanked by two of his most trusted bodyguards. All those already in the room stand and bow before him. The teenage boy takes his seat amongst his trusted generals and advisors. Meanwhile, the two teenage girls stand together, side by side, off to the side of the room. After nearly two years at this, they are quite familiar with the goings on of the Fire Nation and the politics of this meeting room.

Each general, responsible for a different region of the Fire Nation, gives their reports of any peculiarities. Quietly, just within earshot, the two girls whisper to one another about what is shared and what will impact them and the other Kyoshi Warriors. After delivering a splendid review of the north east region, Suki whispers quietly, "Give it a few more years and I bet Zuko shuts down the Boiling Rock entirely."

Ty Lee smirks at the idea. She whispers back, "Little by little remove support and funding, then just pull the plug when they don't appear to have a purpose anymore."

"Guan will act all furious."

"Like he doesn't already see the writing on the wall."

"Might even say he'll be boiling mad about it."

Ty Lee stifles a laugh, garnering a look from one of the generals sitting closest to the two girls. She stands up straight and looks forward, staring out into space. When the man turn back to Zuko, she whispers, "Sokka really rubbing off on you, I see."

Suki tries not to laugh as she replies, "You could say so."

Zuko projects over the room, "Chan Yu, what report do you have from the Southern region?"

The same man who had just been giving Ty Lee the ice cold stare sits up straight now. "Shinzong Island was attacked last night, Fire Lord. The villagers reported evil spirits in masks. We have reason to believe they were young boys."

Ears perking, Ty Lee whispers to Suki excitedly, perhaps a bit too loudly, "That sounds like Azula."

Agitated at her snickering a moment ago, now furious at her lack of decorum, Chan Yu turns and makes a scene of the Kyoshi Warriors, "Does the help have something they wish to proffer to the council?"

Zuko and all of those at the table turn to look at Ty Lee and Suki. Ty Lee stares dumbfounded at him, unsure of what to say. Suki nudges her into speaking. Tripping over her own words she says, "I, um, I-I, I just, I think it was probably a woman."

Huffing at this, Chan Yu replies for the whole room to hear, "No woman could do what was done to this village."

Ty Lee is instantly enraged by this comment. The audacity and underlying assumption that no woman could do this made her want to quickly step up and put him in his place. Her place in the room, physically and figuratively, kept her against the wall, beside Suki. She does not offer a rebuttal and feels incredibly small. Zuko throws her a lifeline, "Chan Yu, I don't know that I agree."

All heads in the room, in particular Ty Lee and Suki, turn to the Fire Lord. He continues, "Spirits in masks? That sounds exactly like the Kemurikage guise that Azula used in this very Capital just a few months ago. It's possible they could be a copycat. Shinzong isn't far from here, but then again there isn't much travel to and from. It's not exactly a vacation destination for citizens of Caldera City. Perhaps someone heard what Azula had done here and was mimicking it? Or perhaps, as my loyal guard and honored Kyoshi Warrior," Zuko reminds everyone of her place and title, "Ty Lee suggests, perhaps my sister and her followers have migrated to your region right under your nose, Chan Yu."

"No, Firelord," he assures Zuko. "That would not happen under my watch."

"Perhaps," Zuko wonders out loud. "Or perhaps not. If she's down South, I would expect you to find her. Or perhaps you'd need assistance from those Kyoshi Warriors to do so?"

"No sir," he replies. "That will not be necessary because she is not within our ranks. I would have known by now."

Suki and Ty Lee both smirk as Chan Yu sweats. Zuko asks, "When Azula's Kemurikage assaulted Caldera, they tended to use fire whips in their attacks. So, did anyone use any fire whips? Any fire bending at all? Or perhaps anyone with blue fire?"

Chan Yu looks down at his notes from the situation and sees a single word. He will not be shown up by some teenage girls in make up, carrying fans. "No Fire Lord. No fire whips or blue fire. No fire bending was reported at all."

"Hmmm," Zuko muses out loud. "That's disappointing. It seems we have a new problem on our hands if it's not my sister. Please, Chan Yu, investigate further into it and see what you can learn."

"Of course, Fire Lord." Chan Yu replies.

Ty Lee shares Zuko's disappointment. If it was Azula, they'd have a lead on her and could potentially follow up. Chase after her. She thinks, '"Chase the dragon," as they say.' Alas, the psychopath who manipulated and controlled her childhood, who still haunts her dreams and rules her fears, is still in the wind.

As the meeting moves on to the next officer, Chan Yu takes out his quill. He pulls his notes in closer to him and scratches out the word 'lightning?'

Chapter Text

Half-Measures

[Summer 102 AG]

Azula raises her hands up but quickly puts it back down. She had reached up to feel for her hair, like a phantom limb though it was gone. Her roughly shorn hair was feeling the wrath of the cool sea breeze. She stands amongst her Kemurikage girls on the pier of the Garsai District. The trek had been long to arrive here. Lin is striding towards them at last. She has absolute confidence that her proud wave will not be stilled here.

"Good news and bad news, Empress."

The Kemurikage girls, in their street clothes, all stop what they're doing and move closer to listen. Azula stands diametrically opposed to the short Lin. She crosses her arms and says, "This trip will not be for naught, Lin. Tell us the good news."

"The good news is that they will take you. All of you."

Sighs of reliefs, murmurs of excitement, general positive reactions echo across the gathering of short haired girls. Azula narrows her eyes at him. He takes this as his sign to go on. "But they said the reward won't change despite your numbers. They have a set amount they'll reward you, and it's still required that they actually succeed in the mission for any one to get paid. Them and you."

Relief finally washes over Azula and she releases the tension in her shoulders. She quickly replies, "That won't matter."

"What's the expected stay?" Zirin asks, striding up to stand beside the Empress.

"Uh, three days. Day and a half out, day and a half back."

"And you?" Zirin asks.

"By the time I'd make it back to Baochou, I'd be late to turn back around. It's probably better if I just conduct some business here. Maybe head to Yu Dao, or Dongshi. I have an old friend in Jang Hui, Dock. I can go visit him."

"But you'll be here when we return?" A ginger haired girl asks.

"Of course, Lady Ruki," he replies with a smile towards her. He turns to Azula now and adds, "I am bound by oath to the Dragon Empress, after all."

"In three days time we shall return with the payment and return to Baochou with you, Lin. You'll meet us at our previously agreed upon rendezvous point." Azula tells him.

"I would never doubt it," he replies with a nod. After a pause where no other comments or questions are shared, he turns and points before saying, "They're waiting at the end of the pier when you're ready."

Without another word Lin leaves them. Azula looks down the pier through the early morning rising sun. She motions for the girls to follow as she begins walking. As she does, she turns to Zirin and commands, "Introduce me when we get down there."

Before Zirin can accept Ruki squeals, "Oooh, can I do it instead?"

Both girls look at Ruki. Zirin looks to Azula for permission. She nods and the lilac eyes grow wide as the girl smiles from excitement at this honor.

"You stand before Azula, Princess of the Fire Nation, Mother of the Kemurikage, and the Dragon Empress."

The toothy middle-aged men standing opposite of Ruki and the gang all scoff and snicker. One of them, their leader perhaps, asks, "Princess? Mother? Which is it? And who the fook are the Chem… th-the what now?"

The present pirate crew starts mocking them, "No, no, Seker, she definitely said something about Kimera."

Another chimes in, "I heard her say 'gay,' is that right, now?

A third says, "Yes, Kimera-gay, I believe that's what she said."

Ruki wrinkles her nose at them and scowls. "The Kemurikage may not have much effect on you pirates, but children and warlords alike in the Fire Nation grow up fearing them."

The leader, Seker, replies, "Aye, so you scare babes in their crib, huh?"

The Mother steps forward, arms crossed over her chest. "In time, all will come to fear us. From Caldera to Ba Sing Se. From the North Pole to the tiniest, most obscure Southern Water Tribe."

Narrowing his blue eyes at Azula, Seker replies, "Ah yes. You're much more like a Princess."

"That's Empress to you," Zirin shoots from the back.

"Aye?" Seker says, turning back to his comrades. "A lil fight in this one. I like that."

He turns back around and Azula steps into his personal space. He doesn't react, doesn't move. He looks down at the Dragon Empress and she whispers to him, "If you like that, then you're gonna love us."

Seker's grin widens and he laughs heartily. "Ah Lin wasn't wrong, your crew'll fit right in."

Seker steps back and turns to the side, opening his arms to invite Azula and her whole crew forward. "Welcome aboard the Va Moata!"

A few hours into sailing and Azula is not at ease. It is foggy and perpetually overcast. The waters have been choppy, making for a wildly unpleasant experience as water routinely sloshes aboard the ship. None of her Kemurikage feel that they can trust the group they are with. They are, afterall, pirates. In a private conversation on the matter, Ruki was quick to point out to some of the other girls that they are all fugitives of the Fire Nation.

All of this is what leads Azula into Seker's wheelhouse. She strides in proudly, wanting to dig for information on the trip and what will be asked of them exactly. He is focused on the seas in front of him and doesn't acknowledge her immediately. She recalls an old exchange and tries to channel it here, "Tell me, Seker, do the tides command this ship?"

"Well, you know what they say about smooth seas."

Azula blinks. "I don't."

Seker side eyes her and smiles devilishly, "Guess you'll find out soon enough. Suffice it to say, we can't control everything."

Azula furrows her brow as the exchange had not gone how she had expected. "I've found in life that I can bend many things to my will."

"Aye? So a fire bender is bending the ocean to her will now?"

"I've bent you, haven't I? And you carry me across the seas now."

"Aye. And without much effort I'll have you tossed overboard as well. We'll see how you bend us then."

"I'd like to see you try."

"As would I."

At this comment Seker turns away from the sea for a second as they make eye contact. She knows that he enjoys the verbal jousting and indulges him. He appreciates having an intellectual equal around for a change, even if she is half his age.

"What is it you want, Empress?"

"I thought I was 'Princess,' to you?"

"Well I surely won't be calling you 'Mother.'"

"I would hope not, Captain."

He lightly chuckles at this but says nothing else. Azula finally picks up the conversation, "Lin told us some of what to expect but didn't know details. I'm coming to you for that information."

"I see," he replies without looking back at her. "You and the other fire girls should prepare for a fight."

"That's no problem for us. We're used to that."

"Aye, perhaps. But these aren't babes or men in castles. This'll be different."

"We can handle different," Azula assures him. "Just give me an idea of how different."

"We've lost men. Good men. Men with families. The others seeking out the bounty are closing in."

"Why's that?"

"Many of us have been on the hunt," he says while scratching the back of his head. "While now. Running out of places to look. So the circles getting smaller and the competition is getting larger."

"What's the bounty?"

"Can't share that with you, Princess."

"Hmm? Why not?"

"Are we paying you to ask questions? Or to sink enemy ships?"

"You're not paying us anything unless we find the bounty, so you may as well tell me what we're looking for?"

Azula braces herself as the ship bounces off of some rocky waves. "Don't you worry, Empress. We find that bounty, it'll be well worth your troubles."

"Sounds like this is something important to someone wealthy." Azula muses aloud.

Adjusting some instruments away from Azula, Seker simply replies, "Not exactly, but you're not wrong either."

Azula holds tighter to her grips as the ship sways. She asks him, "So you want us to sink your enemies' ships should we encounter them?"

"When we encounter them. I just want your Chemyuri girls to burn their wooden ships down. The ones who can firebend anyways. I've been at this a long time, and Firebenders aboard aren't common. I doubt they'll have anyone to save them."

"And that will leave them to drown at sea."

"Aye, Princess," Seker says while straining his eyes to see through the light glistening off of the water. "That's the point."

It's late in the evening and the boat still rocks precariously. Some of the Kemurikage have become seasick from all of the motion. Azula stands with Zirin after sunset, a soft twilight hanging over them. The stars are visible if you look for them. Zirin is latched onto a railing to steady herself as she outlines a plan for Azula about how to recruit more girls to their ranks, but the Dragon Empress' mind is elsewhere. She thinks about what Seker said earlier about smooth seas and what he wouldn't explain.

"-all under your leadership, as the Mother of Kemurikage. You can do it. You can be that catalyst for them."

Azula comes out of her daze and looks at the dark haired girl. She nods, "When we get back, you have my permission to go forward with executing."

Zirin swells with pride. "Thank you, Azula."

From behind them there are cautious, struggling steps. Azula turns away from the water and sees a ginger walking up to them. "You found us, Ruki. How goes it?"

"I'm not a fan of these pirates."

Zirin raises her eyebrows at this in agreement. Azula narrows her eyes and turns to Ruki again, this time asking, "What's going on?"

"They've been snickering and calling us a 'Feast for Dolphin Piranha,'" she explains. When neither girl replies she elaborates, "It means they think we're just dead weight waiting to be killed the first time we get into a fight, specifically since most of us can't bend."

Azula shakes her head and stares into the soft lilac of Ruki's eyes. "Don't let it get to you, or any of our girls. We all have a role. We'll prove our worth in time. All of my Kemurikage are worthy of being here."

Zirin stomps her foot. Both girls turn towards her. She shakes her head from side to side while staring out at the rising darkness. With a kilt of joy in her voice she says, "That's exactly the kind of thing I love to hear. That's exactly what will help us to grow and expand once we have enough money. You are exactly what we need, Azula."

She turns and they share eye contact. Azula smirks at this, bathing in the compliment. Ruki interrupts the moment to observe, "I can't believe they can even afford to pay us. Have you seen this ship?"

Zirin chuckles, "I feel like it's being held together by tape and glue."

"I did some digging on that earlier," Azula says. She crosses her arms and leans against the railing. "Whatever it is, it's important to someone important. They put out a bounty and it's attracted all this attention. Probably someone with a lot of money."

Ruki clenches her jaw. She anticipates blowback from one of these girls, nevertheless she will speak her mind. Tentatively she says, "Maybe we shouldn't rob them?"

Zirin shoots wide eyes at the younger girl. Azula tilts her head. Ruki goes on, "Of the treasure, I mean. We should still take the money. But if they can collect the reward from someone important, maybe we should let them? You said yourself, Azula. The Dragon Empress is meant for those in need. These guys aren't the ones we should be robbing of a better life."

Azula ponders the proposition. Seker's is clearly not trustworthy, but she can appreciate his plot of land in life isn't great. She almost respects him. He's doing his best and appears to be a good leader. She replies, "I'll consider it."

"No!" Zirin blurts out. She whines, "No more half-measures!"

Before Azula can say anything Ruki wheels on her, "You keep saying that, Zirin. But life isn't so black and white, you know? We can't always operate in extremes."

Zirin looks between the two girls. She can sense that Azula agrees with the affable, softer girl. She groans and storms off, muttering as she goes, "You don't get it."

Once the brunette is out of earshot, the purple eyed girl turns to her Mother figure and says, "She needs to calm down. That 'no half measures' stuff is getting irritating quickly. Like, I admire her passion, but she needs to fall in line."

Azula turns towards the water and grips the railing with both hands. She says, "Speaking of not operating in extremes: Seker wants us to sink the ships of any enemies we come across. We'll do what we have to survive, but if we can avoid-"

"I understand. I might even have an idea already."

Azula nods and smiles. They lean against the railing and stare out at the night sky.

The flames of the Throne Room dim as the night drags on. The only people left in the room are two teenage girls, dressed in green armor and white makeup, and a man who is meant to sit on the throne.

Fire Lord Zuko continues his work tirelessly, ever a diligent leader. He pushes forward despite the hour, thinking that a good leader should lead by example. He can't expect his guards and servants and people to sacrifice if he is not willing to do so himself. Moreover, he had been putting off having a delicate conversation. He decides to hesitate no longer.

"Suki," he says to start. It's been almost an hour in silence as the Fire Lord devised plans and filled out forms. Surprised by hearing her name, the brunette recovers to stand at attention. "Please leave us."

Once again surprised, Suki turns her head to her fellow guard. She makes eyes at her friend and winks before whispering, "Good luck."

She hastily makes her exit. Zuko says nothing as he watches her go. Once she exits he finally speaks again, "Ty Lee, please join me."

He extends his arm to a seat beside him. The former circus star cautiously steps towards the war table and then takes a seat next to the Fire Lord. Zuko bows his head slightly, pinching the bridge of his nose. He asks her, "How are you?"

He puts his hand side and opens his gold eyes to look into her grey-brown ones. She replies, "I'm good. How have you been? This work seems important for you to be working this late"

He shrugs and looks around at some of the papers on the table as he replies, "All of this? No, it's not bad. I asked some architects to put together a preliminary sketch of a gift for Aang. They asked about costs and materials to work with so I've got to try and decide those things. We've got a serious… thing in a few months. There's some residual bender supremacist things in Cranefish Town…"

Zuko trails off, thinking that the girl sitting next to him probably doesn't care about this as much as he thinks she does. "Anyway, I was talking to Mai the other day-"

"Glad to hear that."

"Yeah, me too."

"You two just need to get back together already."

"It's not that simple."

"Your auras are a perfect match though."

"Well," uncertain of what to say Zuko settles on, "thanks for saying that."

Ty Lee smiles in response. He continues, "So she mentioned that you have a new patrol partner with the Kyoshi Warriors. I believe her name is Ayon?"

"Yes, Fire Lord."

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Of course."

"Is there anything going on between you and Ayon?"

Ty Lee bursts out laughing. "No. Spirits, no. I mean, she's gorgeous. But she likes boys. And I don't see her like that. She's more a sister to me than my own sisters."

"I see," Zuko smiles at her. "Well, I'm sure you'll find someone. In time."

"Thank you for saying that, Zuko. It brightens my aura."

There is a pause where the only sound to be heard is the flickering of the candles and flames all around the throne room. Ty Lee gulps and asks, "Did you keep me around privately to ask about my love life?"

Zuko huffs. "No. No, I don't suppose I did. I'm just delaying the inevitable."

"What's going on?" She asks, anxiety spiking as she awaits his news.

He turns back to her and looks her in the eye as he says, "You were right."

Ty Lee doesn't know exactly what he means and so she just blinks back at him and retraces her steps in her mind. Zuko can tell she is confused and continued, "I sent some confidants to investigate the Shinzong village attack from last week. They returned with first-hand accounts of someone who called herself a "Mother" of the attackers. They also said the 'Mother' seemed to summon lightning within a small building."

A wave of memory washes over Ty Lee, followed quickly by another wave of terror. "You think it's her? But she's not a mother… right? That's not-"

"I don't know, but it is odd. Still, it only makes sense that it be her."

"Do you want me to investigate? Go down South?"

"No. Not yet anyway. But I may. I want to investigate why Chan Yu lied first. I also want to flush her out, so I'm sending some Imperial Firebenders into various towns to poke around."

Zuko can tell that Ty Lee isn't assuaged. He assures his childhood friend, "She's down south. We know she is. We'll get her."

"So why is this a secret, Zuko? Why kick Suki out?"

Zuko laughs at his own expense. "Mai always said I loved my secrets more than her. But don't worry. Suki and others will be brought into the fold soon. For now though, just keep this between you and me."

Azula looks out across the foggy landscape and tries to imagine the collapse of an empire. She envisions how it might have played out. What led to it. How it happened. She wonders if it was easy or a difficult fight. She even imagines what might have been if it had gone different, or if she had been there to help.

Striding up behind her, she turns to see the familiar face of her right hand woman. Zirin stops beside her and stares out as well. Many knots away, rising high into the heavens, is a forest of rock pillars. Red-orange sediment formations, countless numbers of them, which are obscured by the early twilight, distance, and mist that clouds their rocking boat.

"Do you know what that is, Zirin?"

Shaking her head the girl replies, "No, Empress."

Azula sighs and furrows her brow. "That is the Wulong Forest. They say it's where the Avatar took my father's bending away."

Zirin's indifferent expression doesn't change. "He should've killed him."

Azula exhales through her nostrils. "I don't disagree. Ozai was a terrible man and a worse father."

"Do you think you could ever forgive him?"

Azula stares at the distant tower of rocks. She wonders which one of them the Avatar stood upon and did it. She wonders about where it occurred. She wants to be in that place. She wants to stand in it and try to imagine it. The fire leaving his veins. He had been nothing even when he had his fire. Now he is nothing without the fire. An old man, filled with regret, waiting to die alone.

"No."

Within a few hours, the ship comes to a halt and the passengers get to work. Seker has brought along two waterbenders, who go to either end of the boat. They work in tandem to bend a small whirlpool a bit of distance away from the boat. They push and pull over and again. Azula, Zirin, Ruki, the other Kemurikage, Seker and some of his crew not at work, all stand on the edge of the boat and watch this happen.

The water spins and spins. It goes further down, revealing more of what is below. They are purposeful in their approach. The whirlpool needs to be wide enough for observers up above on the ship to see down to the ocean floor, but not wide enough that the whole boat could be sucked into the whirlpool.

From behind Azula she hears one of her girls ask a pirate, "What makes you all so sure this is the place?"

He curtly replies, "We're not."

Azula peaks over her shoulder. It had been Ukuyi who had asked. The bald, golden eyed, fire bending girl wears a look of disappointment. Azula turns around to face her and the tall pirate who had answered. She tells them, "Captain Seker brought us here because he has faith. Remain vigilant, this will be the right location."

Azula promptly strides off. Ukuyi watches her leave with wonder, even the member of Seker's crew felt inspired by this. Zirin turns her head ever so slightly to watch Azula leave out of the corner of her eye. She marvels at the Empress' leadership.

Utter chaos upon the ship.

Under the cover of the dense fog and early morning light, another ship appeared out of thin air and a battle erupted. Despite being on the defensive, Seker's crew and Azula's girls had been caught unawares. The invading pirates are using Earth Benders and canons to fire at them. Seker's ship takes damage while Azula takes cover.

She peers out from behind the pillar and watches the enemy boat approaching. To her dismay, Seger had been wrong about one crucial detail: the attacking pirates had brought a metal boat, rather than wooden. Azula looks around and doesn't feel it safe to engage, but she also knows none of her Kemurikage will attack for her. She lunges out from behind cover and sends out a wave of blue fire from her fist.

Once this happens she sees other streams of red flame shoot out at the enemy, bathing it blue and red. The boat is unmoved though. It runs up beside them and metal planks drop down from above to crash onto the edge of the Va Moata. Azula comes out of cover fully, planning to blast a hole in the hull of their ship with her lightning but before she can get anywhere a large man falls from the sky lands next to her. He had swung upon a rope and flown towards her. He quickly turns to her with a dagger. Azula dodges two quick strikes but on his third swing he nicks her right forearm.

She spins and falls to the ground, grabbing the gash. Searing pain shoots up her arm. Water splashes up on the Va Moata. Feet clatter all about as the boarding party arrives at its destination. Azula turns and looks up at her assailant. He grins down at her and says, "They've got little girls helping them now, huh? Pretty low, even for them."

He reaches his blade back, ready to stab her. Azula prepares to shoot lightning at the man. Before either can occur a body comes rocketing at the man and shoulder charges him. He goes tumbling back to the edge of the boat. Another body comes flying and shoves the pirate over the edge!

Azula looks up and sees the dark skinned Captain Seker had come to her aid, and the secondary help had been Zirin. Seker reaches a hand down, "C'mon, Empress, ye've got work to do."

Azula grabs the hand and pulls herself up, grumbling as she stands, "I had that under control."

Azula takes stock of their situation. Seker charges off to fight invaders. Zirin grabs a sword off the ground and regroup beside the Empress. "Ruki and some other girls boarded their ship. Should we join them?"

"Why did she do that?"

"I don't know. Should we-"

Before another word can be uttered more pirates come rushing up to them. Zirin raises her sword and parries a blow. Azula feels fire rip through her veins before opening her palms. Lightning explodes and hits the ground in front of him. The man steps back, terrified of what's happened. Before he can recover, Azula steps up and delivers a blow to his chest. He staggers back and she throws her shoulder into him. Like the previous pirate, he tumbles over the railing and into the waters below.

When Azula turns around, Zirin and her attacker are gone. Jets of flame shoot up into the air. Rocks hurtle through the sky. Her mind races through what she should do and tries to calculate what to do next. She never hears a man sneak up behind her..

He reaches up to grab her head, but his hand slides off. She effectively has no hair, having had Ruki cut it off. She whips around to his shocked expression. He tries to raise his weapon to her but she grabs his forearm. With a single mental command lightning courses through her, into her hand and shocks him.

"Graah!" He moans as he collapses onto the deck.

When he falls Azula looks up and is horrified by a sight not far off. An invading pirate grips Ukuyi by the throat. She watches as he lofts her to the edge and then throws her overboard.

"NO!" Azula shouts.

She begins running at the man but before she can get to him, Seker appears and runs a sword through him! She runs to the edge and looks down at the waters below. Her eyes search through the darkness. She sees the bald head appear, retching for air, being dragged into the whirlpool the water benders had created.

"Empress." A voice says beside her.

"What!" She screams turning to Seker.

"Look!"

Azula turns back to the whirlpool. Ukuyi is being dragged further into it, but through the opening, down at the bottom of the ocean floor, she sees what he sees. Lodged into the ground was an object as black as midnight, yet somehow glistening through the dark all the same.

"That's it. That's what we're here for."

Azula steps away from Seker and vaults to the edge of the boat. She stands up and looks down at the whirlpool. "What are you doing?"

Azula looks down at the water below. Her memory flashes of a blue eyed girl who had encased her in a watery prison and chained her up. Water had been her downfall. Now she looks down and fears falling. She gulps.

She jumps.

Ukuyi was a late blooming Firebender. She had developed a nasty mean stroke from her mother, so when she began spitting flames from her palms it only made the destruction worse. She didn't have a normal childhood, ending up in the psych ward because of her rage and misery. Like many others she now travels with, she was denied basic experiences growing up, like learning how to swim. Now, desperate for air, flailing about, she looks up and sees a miracle.

Azula is floating down to her with blue flames under her feet. She reaches a hand and Ukuyi grabs it. With much effort, Azula pulls her up and out of the water. The Dragon Empress pulls her into her arms and cradles her like a child. Instead of turning towards the boat though, they float further out. Then they descend.

They hit the damp ground and Azula puts the girl down. "Azula, you came back for me?"

Azula approaches the object and replies, "A good mother would never leave her daughter to drown."

She stops in front of it. Sticking out of the ocean floor is a sword, black and bright. Sharp and undisturbed. Azula grabs the handle.

"What is that?" Ukuyi asks her.

Azula pulls it out of the ground. It is lightweight but feels powerful in her hand. She replies, "This is what we came for."

Azula floats back down to the Va Moata, holding Ukuyi in one hand and the sword in the other. Fighting still ensues but she quickly finds Seker. She shouts at him, "I've got it, Seker. Now get us out of here!"

Seker takes a second to scan the girl and sees that she holds the blade. He looks at her and smiles. Without a word he dashes off. Azula turns to Ukuyi, "Make sure Ruki and the others are on board. We're leaving!"

Both girls run off in separate directions. Azula wields the blade with ease, easily disarming an attacker. When he loses his weapon he quickly jumps overboard rather than continue to fight her. She goes looking for another enemy but suddenly the ship lurches forward. The water benders push the boat off at the command of Captain Seker. The whirlpool quickly dissipates and they traverse through it's now open waters to make their escape.

As soon as Azula begins to worry if Ruki made it back, she sees the girl celebrating with some of the other Kemurikage. Knowing they are safe, Azula turns back to the enemy boat. She prepares to finally blast it with lightning but she doesn't. The boat doesn't move. It stays perfectly still and does not chase them. As the Va Moata drifts off, she stares bewildered as it remains stationary and never follows them.

Cheers erupt all throughout the boat as total victory is realized among the crew.

The sun was high up above them in the afternoon light. It won't be long before the clouds grow violet and the sky becomes golden. Azula and Zirin walk up and stand beside Seker on a landing above the main deck. The three of them look down as the Kemurikage and the crew work in unison to bid farewell to the fallen crew members.

Azula's entire group had survived the onslaught. Partly due to luck, partly due to skill. Not all of Seker's crew has been so lucky though. However, all aboard had survived due to Ruki and her quick thinking. Seeing that it had been a metal boat, she took a few of the other non-bending girls and vaulted onto the enemy ship. They fought and snuck their way around before dropping the anchor of the ship and quickly breaking the mechanisms to raise it.

Technology had saved them from a wooden boat burning down, but it had also damned them with no recourse to Ruki's plan. Azula was quite proud of the younger girl, and all of her girls, for proving their worth to Seker and his crew.

Now they all stand side by side, the girls paying their respects, the men saying their goodbyes to friends. Azula notices no tears being spilled and quietly says to the Captain, "I'm impressed that your men are unmoved. They've been hardened by their journeys."

Seker wears a solemn expression. He prepares to join his men. He turns back to Azula and tells her, "That's just the thing, Empress. Smooth seas don't make skilled sailors. My men have endured rough seas. They've seen the absolute worst shit of the world. They've endured worse and they'll keep coming back, better than before."

He pauses and collects himself. Then he adds, "Until one day when they too will return to the ocean."

He walks off without another word, leaving the two alone. They stay there a few moments, standing in silence. Zirin ruminates on something before finally speaking. "I've been thinking a lot about what Lin said."

Azula chuckles and says, "Oh? What did he say?"

"About legacy. About leaving something behind that lives beyond us. I don't think we get to choose what stays and what fades away, Azula."

Azula listens. She takes in what Captain Seker and Zirin have both just said. She had almost lost one of her girls today. Now she feels like these ruminations on death would stay with her forevermore.

The next day, as they draw closer to the port of the Garsai District, Azula sits with Zirin, talking about nothing in particular. Ruki approaches and takes a seat beside them. She interrupts the conversation to say, "I have an idea."

The Dragon Empress gives her full attention to the ginger. "You, thinking? A dangerous concept if there ever was one, young Ruki."

Ruki ignores the chide and says, "I think we should separate the girls by bending or non-bending."

Zirin raises her eyebrows and so does Azula. She quips, "You didn't strike me for a bending supremacist, Ruki? I'll bite, what's the catch?"

Ruki summons her courage. "I think the Firebenders should remain as the Kemurikage and the non-benders should become the Fire Warriors."

Azula smirks at this idea. Zirin observes, "What's that, like the Kyoshi Warriors?"

"Exactly," Ruki replies with a smile. "Think about it! A legendary group of all-female, non-bending warriors, meant to protect the Fire Nation. When we rise in power, who could deny all the good that we would do?"

Azula's smile broadens. "I love it, Ruki. You'll make a fine leader for them as well."

Ruki looks distraught for a moment. Then her face solidifies and becomes resolute. She tells her, "No."

"No?" Azula questions, sitting up. Surprised, she continues, "Why the Agni not?"

"There will only be one Leader of the Fire Warriors. And that's you, Azula."

The gold of Azula's eyes dive deep into the lilac of Ruki's. Her compatriot has given this much thought. She is absolute in her belief of the Dragon Empress. She nods slowly as she says, "Thank you for choosing me to be your Leader, Ruki."

She extends her arm. Ruki looks down at it and then takes it. Rather than shaking hands, each latches onto the other's forearm and they shake it together. Zirin watches this whole exchange and adds, "I really admire you, Azula. I admire you for who you are right here, right now."

Releasing her grip of Ruki arm, Azula now turns to the dark eyed girl. "Is that so?"

They share eye contact. Zirin says, "I love the fire in your eyes and how it rages."

Azula says nothing in return. She finds this compliment odd at this exact moment because she doesn't see any light in the dark of Zirin's eyes. Before it can become awkward, Ruki interjects, "Hey Zirin, since we've got some time. How about you finally tell us why you say that thing about half-measures?"

"Ruki," Azula tried to object.

"Are you sure you want to know?"

Both Ruki and Azula look at the dark haired girl. They look back at one another and then to her again. Ruki replies, "You said before that we don't 'get it.' Help us."

Zirin collects herself. She closes her eyes. She takes a deep breath in through the nose, and exhales out through the mouth. She begins, "My father was a bastard."

The younger girls both lean in, hooked by the story. "My mother was a talker. She always loved to talk. We would be at the market and she would strike up a conversation with a total stranger. It was marvelous to behold."

Zirin grips her pants tightly. "She told me and my siblings all the time about how she was going to leave him. Like I said she could talk about anything with anyone. But what she couldn't do was fight."

Azula swallows and Ruki shifts in her seat. "So she would do this, or that, but when he beat her, she would never fight back."

Azula nods. Ruki wants to hug the girl. Zirin continues, "So, one day, I came home and I heard her muffled cries as he beat the living shit out of her. So, I grabbed a kitchen knife. I burst in the room and caught him off guard. I pinned him to the ground and put the knife to his throat."

Azula sits up straight. She feels excitement but also fear. Ruki only feels fear. Zirin says, "I told him I was going to kill him for hurting her. He swore that he didn't mean it. He swore he would never do it again. Said that he loved Mom and he loved me and all of my siblings."

Involuntarily Azula shakes her head. Zirin tells them, "So I put the knife down. That was a half-measure."

She looks up finally at both of the girls. She says, "Two weeks later, I was sent to the institute because of 'gender-betrayal thoughts.' Soon after Mom had an 'accident' and her head was cracked open."

Azula feels this heavy in her chest. She doesn't know what to say or how to react. Ruki barely holds back tears, a fury building within her.

Zirin stares out across the early morning light and the passing sea. She says to the abyss, "No more half-measures."

Azula nods in understanding. Ruki flies to the girl and latches onto her, resting her head on the back of Zirin's neck.

The boat comes to a landing at last. Azula sits on the main deck, wielding the sword in her hands. She stares down at it. Despite it's all black material, it still reflects light. She strains her eyes and even in the darkness of the blade she sees her own reflection. She reflects on all that they have done and all that has happened in the last few days. She thinks about what Ruki said about giving the bounty to Seker. She thinks about what Zirin said about no more half-measures. She admires the beauty of the weapon. She thinks it would make a fine weapon at her side.

The Kemurikage and the Fire Warriors all surround her, standing beside her in her seated position. Captain Seker approaches with a few of his burly pirates. He greets her, "Well, Dragon Empress, we've made it back! Safe an' sound. Yer girls proved us wrong and did a fine job at sea."

Without saying anything else he motions to the pirates beside him. They approach, carrying two large bags of coins. They put it down beside Zirin, clinking as they land. Azula looks at the bags and then the sword. She finally turns to Seker and says, "Thank you for the voyage and the coin. But we'll be keeping the sword as well."

The tension rises instantly. Seker turns his head to the side and says, "That wasn't the deal we set with Lin."

"I know what the deal was. I'm telling you what the deal is now."

"I've killed for that sword and I'll kill for it now."

"Like I said before, I'd like to see you try."

Azula stands up and spins the blade in her hand. The Kemurikage and the Fire Warriors brace themselves. Seker whistles for attention. The whole boat goes into a cacophony of flames and fists.

Captain Seker falls to the ground and lays there, exhausted. His face is bloodied and his pain is everywhere. Azula stands over him, heaving, but victorious. She turns to Ruki, "Grab the money, and anything that isn't nailed down. We're done here."

Seker mumbles something that Azula can't understand. She says, "Well, Captain. We'll be on our way now. It was a pleasure."

She wipes the sweat and blood off her face. Ruki leads the way to disembark. The other girls all exit as well, ahead of Azula and Zirin. With great difficulty, Seker rolls over onto his side. He watches as Azula begins to walk away. He shouts, "That doesn't belong to you!"

Azula comes to a stop. She is still breathing heavily. She looks over her shoulder at the bloody and defeated man on the deck of his own boat. "You wanted to know, right? Who sent us to do this? That sword belongs to Sokka, the leader of the Southern Water Tribe. It's his sword."

Zirin looks back from the solid land. Azula listens and thinks. She remembers that boy. The one with the Avatar. She thinks of how they had defeated her father. How his sister had defeated her. She wants to take the sword and run them all through with it. Yet when she looks at Zirin and Ruki and Ukuyi and all the others, she can't do it. Keeping the sword will only invite the challenge of the Avatar to come after her. Will only leave Seker and his men to chase after them. She can't put them all in danger.

She drops the sword onto the deck.

The Kemurikage and the Fire Warriors disembark onto the pier. They find shelter while Azula and Zirin head out to look for Lin in their meeting place. Once they are alone though, Zirin starts on her, "What the spirits was that all about, Azula?"

Azula huffs and doesn't reply, "You wouldn't understand."

"Oh, I understand perfectly! If we had just killed them, we'd have the money and the sword."

Azula stops and stares fireballs at Zirin. They are both exhausted, sweaty, sore, and deranged. Azula wishes she had the sword so she could cut Zirin open right now. "I said no kill-"

"And I said no more half-measures!"

"Oh just shove it, Zirin." She says taking a step towards the girl and standing nose-to-nose with her.

Zirin pushes Azula backwards and then steps up to her. "Shove it where exactly?"

Azula stares into the dark eyes, heaving for breath, emotions running high. Zirin feels a slight smirk dawn on her lips being this close to the Dragon Empress. Azula looks down at the smirk. She stares at the lips. Zirin wraps her arms around Azula and brings her to an embrace. Their mouths meet, their lips part.

Azula has very little experience with this but she uses that experience to the best of her ability right now. She quickly raises her hands up and runs them across the brunette's body. Zirin reaches her hands up and feels through the short hair of Azula. She tries to pull what little she can. They release their embrace and lock eyes, desperate for air.

The fire drives them back in again.

It takes about an hour or so, but the whole group is loaded onto Lin's boat, along with their new coin influx. As Lin starts it up, Azula comes and stands beside him. She takes a deep breath and says, "Take us home, Lin."

The stout, dark skinned man replies, "We can't exactly go home, Empress."

A bit shell shocked from everything else it takes a moment for it to register what he said. Azula turns to him and asks, "Why not?"

"While you were away I received a messenger hawk from Ai Zhou that Fire Nation soldiers were searching for a band of troubled girls."

"Oh Agni," Azula groans. She wonders when things would become easier.

"She didn't tell them anything, but she knew I was transporting a group with the same description and wanted me to know."

Azula huffs. Lin asks her, "So, where do you want to go now? Earth Kingdom, Ba Sing Se, South Pole, North Pole?"

"No. We go home. There's a village in North-Central Fire Nation. Legend says it used to be haunted by Moon Monster. Do you know where I'm talking about?"

"I do. It's near Ember Island. I believe it's the Xue Wu Village?"

"Exactly. Take us there," she replies. Lin begins to drive his boat. Azula adds, more to herself than to him, "We'll make a home for ourselves there."

At the back of Lin's boat, Zirin sits alone. She is daydreaming about the development of her relationship with Azula. If she concentrates, she can almost still taste her lips on her lips. Almost still taste her tongue on her tongue. She looks up and watches the Dragon Empress stand beside Lin, discussing where they will go next. She never hears the other individual come and sit beside her.

Beleaguered, Zirin looks at the lilac eyes that are next to her. Neither one says anything for a moment. Ruki looks back up at Azula, far beyond earshot. She turns back to Zirin. She narrows her eyes and whispers to the older girl.

"No more half-measures."

Chapter Text

The Day the Spirits Take You

[Winter/Spring 103 AG]

Ruki pulls the heavy weight through the fallen leaves. She and Ukuyi drag it along the forest ground for several minutes, never stopping, never slowing. Someone groans but nothing stops them from moving forward. Finally, they arrive at their destination and pull it up onto an empty road. They drag him until he is in the middle of the path and then drop him. Ukuyi steps back and behind Ruki.

The ginger girl, hair falling just below her ears now, stands above the body. Bloodied and disoriented, the man looks up at her. He can barely open his eyes from the pain and facial wounds. He asks her, "What is this?"

Ruki stands in the middle of the forest road and stares forward, waiting. She replies without looking at him, "Us about to make an example of you."

Coughing up blood, the man asks, "To who? You killed all the other guards at my post."

Without warning or hesitation, Ruki delivers a swift kick to his side. He rolls his head and coughs up more blood, which spills out onto the floor. Ruki looks back up at the road before her and waits. She stands, arms flexed, prepared for the moment she has been waiting so long for. Behind her, a caravan of Fire Warriors block the road.

Azula opens her eyes to a brand new world.

The light slips in through her window at the inn. She feels a warmth around her waist and feels a body pull itself into her. A moment later a nose nuzzles against the crook of her neck. She leans back into the body behind her. She whispers, "Good morning, Z. Happy birthday."

Smiling against the soft skin of the girl in her arms, Zirin replies, "Good morning, Empress, and thank you."

"How would you like to celebrate today?" Azula quietly talks to her girlfriend.

"More of the same with you," she replies softly. "But also, I've got a surprise for you today."

"A surprise? For me? Isn't it supposed to go the other way around?"

Zirin retracts her arms and rolls out of bed. She tells her, "I'm well aware, 'Zula. But today is special. We're going to be busy!"

Azula pulls herself out of bed and sits up while Zirin heads for the bathroom. She sits and bathes in the morning sunlight breaking through the window. She reflects on the time they've spent together.

It's been six months since they had left the Garsai Port with Lin. Azula and Zirin have formed an allegiance to one another which has borne much fruit. They'd arrived in the podunk village and found the "haunted" inn that had previously been run by some insane woman, who had imprisoned Firebenders a few years before with a rare type of bending.

Using most of the coin they had earned, they bought the inn from the local government. It provided them with housing, a small, steady income, and a means to launder the money they made in other ways. Azula had renamed it the Firelily Inn, for reasons she wouldn't disclose to Zirin. No matter, the inn has become their little headquarters, hiding in plain sight, right under the Capital's nose.

Under Zirin's leadership they'd successfully recruited about four dozen more girls, growing their size to more than sixty members. The majority of them were Fire Warriors, with maybe a third or less of them having the bending necessary to become Kemurikage.

Lin has become a ferry for them to send their girls out to help with various services. Most of them are brute force in nature, or otherwise are things people don't want to go to the Capital for help with. His travels for them have expanded his own network and enterprises. Things with Ai Zhou were becoming more serious as he was able to better provide for her and the rest of Baochou.

Azula stands up out of bed. She hears the faucet of the bath turn on and makes her own way to the bathroom. She asks as she walks towards it, "What about Ruki and the others?"

Rejoh exits the back of the transport along with three other guards. The driver, Mazo, hops down, making five of them. Rejoh leads the way, hands above his head. He has bright, brown hair and deep golden eyes. The rest of his comrades all have golden eyes and black hair and all keep their hands raised. All of them hold swords or other weaponry above their heads.

They walk out into the middle of the road and face off against a small girl, standing in their way with a group of her colleagues behind her. Laying on the ground in front of her, struggling to breath but living all the same, is what appears to be another Fire Nation guard.

When Rejoh and his group come to a stop, the ginger haired girl takes her cue. She shouts across the twenty or so yards separating them, "He's someone who was with a bunch of someone's who wouldn't listen."

Rejoh, keeping his sword above his head, offers, "Let's make a deal. Right here, right now."

Ruki relishes this response, she is unmoved and yells back, "Yes, let's! Let's start by you handing over everything you're transporting. Maybe then we won't have to kill you."

Rejoh slowly lowers his sword down. Behind him Mazo, Yemo, Akurom, and Deeku do the same. They grip their weapons in preparation to attack, but none are sure if Rejoh will do the deed or not. The girls across from them outnumber them two to one. There's at least one that is wearing the porcelain mask, near the leader girl. They knew that meant, amongst their ranks, that she is a Firebender.

Rejoh replies, "That's not going to work for us. In fact, my deal was going to ask you to give us everything you've got. Then we'll take you to the Boiling Rock with us peacefully. No one gets killed in our book, because that's just how generous we are."

Rejoh's deal hangs in the air for a moment. Ruki doesn't reply. No one attacks or retreats. Then, Ukuyi steps up towards Ruki. She stares at Rejoh and company as she approaches, peering out at them from under the mask. Mazo wonders if she is going to attack first, followed by the Fire Warriors. Instead, she stops in front of the beaten guard on the ground. She reaches into her robes and produces another Kemurikage mask. Shaking her head at Rejoh, she leans down and places the mask over the hostage lying down.

"Sorry," Ruki shouts to them, dragging their eyes up to her. "But my deal is the only deal. We don't negotiate."

Akurom steps up behind him and whispers, "How do you want to play this?"

Rejoh doesn't look away from Ruki, but he whispers back, "Not here. Not yet. We'll take them on our terms."

Rejoh tightens his grip around his sword. He raises his fingers in the air and twirls them around, signaling to his colleagues to return to the transport. They start walking backwards, eyes peeled on Ruki and her girls. He shouts back, "Well then we're leaving."

Ruki shakes her head at first before smiling broadly. She shouts back, "Okay friends!"

Rejoh and the others walk back slowly and Ruki adds, "There's plenty of ways to get where you're going."

Yemo, Akurom, and Deeku duck into the back of the transport, where they are shielded. Mazo gets back into the rider's seat of the carriage. Rejoh stops at the back door. He turns back to Ruki and thinks.

He calls to the teenage girl, "Do you want to make today the day the spirits take you?"

Ruki looks up into the sky. She watches some birds flutter away. She contemplates life and mortality. She reflects on a lifetime of abuse and torment. Here in this forest, she would not die by some trees. She looks back at him, "No, but that is a good thing to bring up. Think about it. What if it's the day the spirits take you? Or someone you love? What if that's true? Maybe you should be extra kind to the people in your little carriage there. Because you never know."

They stare at one from the distance, the wind blowing at Ruki's back. She adds, "Like you said. Like it's the day the spirits take you."

Rejoh looks at the small girl. She talks like she already knows the answer. He slowly nods his head. He shouts, "You do the same."

Rejoh ducks his head into the metal box and shuts it behind him. He locks it up tightly from the inside. Seeing this, Yemo double taps the inside of it to alert Meko that they are ready. He steers the horses to turn around. Ruki raises a hand and waves goodbye.

"Her hair is black, like a raven or midnight. She liked to wear it drawn up and held together as a top knot. She's slender, but not soft. She's a prodigy bender and also built like a world class fighter. She's 17 now, her birthday was a few months ago. She has very delicate features. Her eyes are like the sun at golden hour, but they're not a window to her soul like others. They're wide, but alert. Her lips are thin and small, especially without makeup. She has a seriousness in her eyes that is both direct and also chilling. She is always totally focused, yet almost entirely unreachable."

Ty Lee finally stops her description and looks around. She realizes that the other Kyoshi Warriors are staring at her dumbfounded and a little concerned. Suki blinks a few times in surprise. She had asked Ty Lee to help provide a description so their group would know what to look for, but she hadn't exactly expected that.

Standing up, Suki says, "Well, thank you, Ty Lee. I think we all have a very good idea of what we'll be looking for. Now, everyone, you know what to do. Fire Lord Zuko has entrusted us to search the entire Southern Fire Nation. You know what to do if you come across the Kemurikage of the Fire Warriors. Remain vigilant and aware."

She pauses for a beat and looks around. She nods her head at her girls, "Good luck."

Chairs scrape across the ground as the group disperses. Ty Lee awkwardly scratches the back of her head and stands at the front of the room. As many of the girls exit, another comes towards her, slipping between the people leaving. Hair a bright white and her eyes as blue as the ocean, she strides up to the brunette and says, "That was something, TL."

"Was that weird? I feel like that may have been weird. Everyone's auras are giving me weird vibes now."

"Oh, yeah," the girl in white makeup sarcastically shakes her head and produces a thumbs up. "Not weird at all."

"Shut up, Ayon." Ty Lee whispers.

The room empties and it's just the two partners and Suki left. They are slouched and relaxed but the moment they realize Suki is there to address them, they stand at attention. Their leader approaches and says, "Great job, Ty Lee. One note though: next time could you give a little more detail? Maybe which arms she sticks through her shirt first or how she likes her eggs in the morning?"

Ty Lee feels there is a real criticism underneath and sweats. "I'm really sorry, Suki, it's just… those are things I think about her right away. And you put me on the spot and-"

Ayon chimes in, "She's right, Suki, Ma'am. She can't help it that this girl is apparently a spirit of beauty incarnated."

Suki and Ayon share a further chuckle at Ty Lee's expense. She pleads, "Please, just tell us what village we're going to start with."

"How's about the Fire Fountain Village?" Suki asks, growing serious.

"Fire Fountain?" Ayon asks. "But that's up north?"

"I thought we were going South?"

"There's been some new intel to indicate she may be up North somewhere. Increased activity. You'll start at the Fire Fountain Village and make your way west."

Ty Lee injects, "But if it's just us going north, it'll take us weeks, probably months to cover the ground alone?"

Suki turns to walk away, "Then I hope you two like spending time together."

Ty Lee turns to Ayon, who just grimaces at her partner.

The transport comes to a halt suddenly. Rejoh looks around at the others in the metal containers. Yemo unlocks the slot and slides it open to gain access to the driver. He asks, "Meko, what's going on?"

Standing on his tippy toes, Yemo looks out to see what he can. Meko replies, "We've got more hostiles than before."

"That's not possible." Rejoh says, crossing the metal trailer.

Yemo stands aside and Rejoh looks out through the slot. In the distance he sees another blockade. This time there are twelve girls, including two in the porcelain masks.

"What do we do?" Meko asks.

Rejoh sweats a bit. They're more outnumbered here than before, with double the Firebenders. They should've fought the first time, but now it's too late. Still, he calculates that they can't have that many girls at their disposal. There must be some limit to their numbers, he rations.

He instructs Meko, "Turn it around and go back. We'll find another way."

Meko does as he's told. As they reverse course, one of the Kemurikage walks forward. She idly raises her palm into the sky and shoots red fire up. She's not attacking or trying to scare them. She's letting them know that she can and she will.

The transport comes to a halt again.

The five people in the trailer all look around at one another. Rejoh feels his hair matted against his neck. Before he can say anything the voice of Meko shouts, "Sir, I think you all ought to see this."

Rejoh again walks over, unlocks the viewing slot and looks through it. The sight is bizarre and unfamiliar. Yet there are no Kemurikage or Fire Warriors this time. He closes the slot and locks it again. He walks back to the front and unlocks their metal door. He and the other three all exit before closing the door. They walk out in front of the horse-drawn carriage. They all tightly grip their weapons and look through the forest for any enemies.

Blocking the road this time is not a group of teenage girls, but a line of five haybills. Tied to the front of each bill is a scarecrow, clad in red armor. Rejoh walks up to them and observes, confused. A concerned voice comes from behind him as Meko says, "Sir. Look at their armor."

Rejoh looks back at his driver and then at the scarecrow. He leans in and realizes that they're Fire Nation guard armor, with the insignia of the Taiyang Village. That village was hundreds of miles to the east of here. Rejoh feels extreme concern, seeing this symbol and not knowing what it means. He wonders briefly if the girls had already attacked and undercut other Fire Nation outposts further east.

Without warning fire explodes from the woods all around them. The horses carrying their transport panic and rear back. "Whoa! Whoa!" Meko tries to control them.

Yemo, Akurom, and Deeku all grip their weapons and flash them about. Surrounded by the woodland and a sun not clearly visible under the trees, they can not see where their assailants come from. With quick thinking Rejoh yells, "Let's go! Move these!"

The four men quickly push some of the haybills out of the way, clearing a path large enough for their horses and metal box. The flames come close but land either at their feet or rise high above their heads. Rejoh yells, "Back in the trailer! Quick!"

The three all rush back to the vehicle, flames flying out at them from five different directions. The flames strike the vehicle but don't damage it, as it was designed for such efforts. The men climb inside, slamming the door shut. Deeku quickly double taps and Meko let's the horses go. Flames fly out behind the horses as they charge forward. The trailer caroms off of the haybills and flies down the road without haste.

"Maybe if we backtrack towards Hing We Island, maybe we can go around them?"

"That won't work. She would expect-"

"Shut it." Yemo commands.

With very little lighting, the group reviews a map, discussing work around for their path. The only person not craning over it is Rejoh. He stands off to the side as the trailer bounces with each gallup. He works through a thought until he mutters to all of them, "This is exactly what they wanted."

Deeku looks back at him, "What?"

"They didn't shoot at us."

Deeku looks around at the others, incredulous. He looks at Rejoh and says, "Of course they did? Have you lost your mind?"

"No. They didn't," he mumbles. Everyone else looks up at Rejoh. "They shot at us but they didn't shoot at us. They were shooting low into the ground, or high above our heads."

This settles amongst the group. Rejoh adds, "They could've killed us. They had the jump, we couldn't even see them. They wanted us to rush through the blockade. We're on their path."

Deeku looks with wild eyes at Rejoh, realizing that he's right. He shakes his head. "No, no, no."

Deeku leans further over the map, looking for any alternative path. He mutters, "By now they have to realize we're late, right? They'll send out a search party for us, right?"

Yemo shakes his head slowly, "We didn't send out any notice we were departing early. They're not expecting us until tomorrow morning."

Akorum is older than all except Meko. He fought on the front lines of the Hundred Year's War. He has found that all of life is just one battle after another. In moments like these he has learned the importance of remaining composed. He calmly announces, "Yemo. We will get there and then we will get home."

Yemo looks through the dim light at his comrade. He nods. Akorum asks, "You have a girlfriend, yes? How long have you two been together now?"

"Five years. I… I'm going to propose."

This is followed by mumbles of excitement from the others. Akorum reassures him, "Damn right you are."

Next, Akorum slides open the viewing panel to the driver. "Hey Meko, you've got a whole family back in Caldera, right?"

"Two kids. Liko and my son Jamu," he starts. With a smile he shouts back to them, "And we've got another on the way!"

The group now shouts their approval. Someone shouts, "And you weren't going to tell us?"

Meko shouts back to the group, "Lot going on, didn't get around to it."

Akorum asks, "How'd Liko take that? I know when Jamu was born…"

He trails off. Meko thinks about his daughter running away from home when he delivered the news last week. "Not well. She'll come around though."

"Yes, she will," Akorum replies, shaking his head. He turns towards their leader now. "And Rejoh, your son, Chuma. He's a spitting image of you. You too will get home to him."

Deeku thinks about how he has no one back home for him. Rejoh doesn't register what is said. He just wonders if it's too late to return to the Capital

The carriage comes to a stop. Rejoh opens the slot.

Through the fading light he observes. Seventeen girls. Five masks. All holding weapons. All staring at them. All waiting.

He whispers to Meko, "We're going back."

Meko directs the horses to turn around.

The girls watch them go.

The carriage comes to a stop. "Rejoh, get out here."

The guards in the trailer exit and leave the bounty behind. They come out and walk out in front of the horses, the setting sun barely breaking through the dense forest they are surrounded by. They've retreated to the point where they crossed the haybill blockade, but the haybills are gone. Instead, there are felled trees blocking the path. Rejoh feels his pulse pounding as he realizes that they had blocked their route home. What scares all of them most though is what is in front of them.

Sitting on the ground, arms tied to the trees, is the nameless guard they had seen earlier, when they came across the first blockade. He wears the porcelain mask still and sits in a pool of his own blood. The girls had ruthlessly smashed apart his legs. Just looking at him Rejoh could tell he would never walk again, and may not even be alive at this moment.

Softly nearby they hear a crackling noise. Somewhere amongst the tree blockade they begin kindling. The trees begin to go up in flames. Rejoh and the others watch in horror as it begins rising.

Suddenly, a voice calls to them, "You're treating your people good, right?"

Rejoh and the others stand at attention, gripping their weapons, falling into a protective huddle. The girl from earlier, from their first blockade, speaks to them amongst the smoke and shadows.

"Like it was the day the spirits take you? Or maybe one of theirs?"

Arms shaking, fear spiking, the group prepares for an attack. They prepare for their unseen enemy to finally come and get them. They are not ready. None are ready for today to be the day.

"You better go. It's gonna get real hot. You go get where you're going."

The group retreats to their caravan and turn back up the road.

Sokka looks at his reflection in the sword. He thinks about all the people who fought, and killed, and died so he could get this back in his hands. Everyone who tried to be a hero, everyone who was just trying to make a living. Get to their next meal that day. Not long ago he had been in their place.

How much blood had been spilt to recover it from the bottom of the Mo Ce Sea and bring it to him in the Southern Water Tribe. There was a bill due for that sacrifice, and someday, someone would come to collect it from him.

He remembers the day a few months ago Captain Seker brought it to him. He had heard the story of how it was acquired. Seker hadn't been angry. He had been fearful.

They had lost so many men, while Azula lost no one.

She defeated his best sailors with ease & even her non-benders had shut down their enemies with tactical ingenuity.

Then, after all of that, by some grace of the spirits, she had the moral backbone to leave him the sword and not bankrupt them. Seker had told Sokka, 'She's a monster, but a monster with a conscience.'

Seker had said that he could live with knowing she was out there because he didn't think she'd double cross me again. That the sword had been a matter of circumstance and pride.

Sokka paid them extra for their troubles and ensured them safe passage back to Garsai District Port. In the time since that meeting with Captain Seker he had diluted the message to just one point:

'She's a monster.'

The carriage is stopped. The sun is all but gone beyond the horizon as long shadows cover the land. They are huddled together, trying to decide what to do. Their only path of retreat has been blocked, each route they've pursued has been met with more and more Fire Warriors and Kemurikage. They are just about out of options when an idea pops in Deeku's head. He ruminates on it for a few minutes and finally interrupts the conversation and arguments.

"Alright, so we know that they are in front of us, and probably behind us, right?"

There is a tense agreement to this.

"They know all of our paths and where the carriage can go or will go. But what they don't know is who is in the transport at any given moment."

The tension lifts at this suggestion, but the fear replaces it quickly.

"I suggest, once the sunsets and we're covered in darkness, that you all slip away into the woods with the bounty. I will take the horses from checkpoint to checkpoint so they believe they continue to have the upper hand. By the time they stop me, you'll all be long gone."

Rejoh shakes his head, "I can't let you do that. We won't leave anyone-"

"With all due respect, I think this is our only option. And it's my option. Let me see it through to the end."

Rejoh's voice is pained as he tells him, "They'll kill you."

The others share the same look as they all turn to Deeku. He replies, "I've lived a life of a coward. I ran from every responsibility that's ever come my way. If I am to die, let it be in service to our most glorious Nation."

This comment resonates amongst the group. Rejoh searches his eyes and finds a man ready to die for his brothers. He sticks his hand out and they shake. He tells Deeku, "Thank you… for everything."

Meko is thankful beyond belief that Deeku has volunteered for this. Once the shadows come, they won't be able to tell that they swapped the drivers. He knows he has been spared an unfortunate ending.

Yemo begins crying and hugs his comrade. While this goes on Akurom offers, "Are you sure? Deeku, I am willing-"

"Thank you, but I will be the one. I have nothing back home waiting for me. All of you do. And besides. You deserve a life that knows peace, old friend."

Akurom chortles. 'Peace?' He thinks. 'I don't know if I deserve that yet.'

The four soldiers quietly drag their cargo around the woods of the Northern Fire Nation. They are just a few miles away from their destination and the plan has worked flawlessly. No one dares to speak about the fate of Deeku. They occupy their minds with other discussion.

Akurom tells Rejoh, "Sending us Nonbenders, without protection made sense. It was unsuspecting. We left ahead of schedule. There was nothing special about it at all. If someone discovered our plans then there must have been a leak of some sort. We can figure that out when we get home."

Rejoh pulls his chain from the front along with Akurom. Meko and Yemo cover the rear, tightly gripping their own chains. Rejoh looks across the way at Akurom and shakes his head. The old veteran continues, "But for me, decision making is more important than the outcome. Fire Lord Zuko has great decision making abilities. This was the right decision, even if-"

From nearby they hear a crackling noise. Akurom stops talking instantly. They all freeze on spot. The crackling noise spreads, it grows. A flame appears in their peripheral. Smoke begins wafting out of the darkness towards them. All five men bend at the knee and swing around wildly looking for the sources. Rejoh panics. They have been found.

He shouts, "Go!"

The four men all run forward away from the smoke and shadows, away from the burning forest. They pull the body in chains and run for a few seconds through the darkness.

A massive fireball explodes out of the darkness right before Rejoh and his compatriots. It illuminates everything so they can see in the darkness. A single Kemurikage holds the flame before them as the smoke draws nearer. Branches crack now from all around them. The four men wander into an opening, encircling the fifth body at their center. They come to a stop and realize they are completely surrounded.

There must be fifty or more adolescent, teenage, or older girls surrounding them. Rejoh counts no fewer than fifteen of whom are wearing the Kemurikage mask. Meko spots amongst the Fire Warriors someone he knows too well. He shouts, "Liko?"

His daughter stares at him with spiteful eyes, never looking away. Quickly the father's mouth dries up. The soldiers try to take stock of their situation but it is utterly hopeless. They only wonder why the girls have not descended upon them already.

"Great! You made it!" An all too familiar voice greets them. Rejoh, sweating profusely, eyes up a ginger girl with lilac eyes. She approaches him with hands clasped. "Welcome to where you're going."

Rejoh looks at her and begs, "We can talk about-"

"We're done talking," Ruki tells him, changing tune. She drops the kind voice and adopts a serious look in her eyes. "Time to listen."

Turning to the girls all around her, Ruki announces, "Alright, let's get him unchained, and get them all on their knees."

Some of the older girls move in on them. They quickly disarm the soldiers. There is no fight. The men do not stop them. They watch as the girls take their swords and blades and step away. Four girls each take a chain of the prisoner. They search the soldiers without qualm and take the keys they each had on their person. They unlock the chains and then push the men forward.

Rejoh is the first into a clearing, being lit by some of the Firebenders. Rejoh quickly has his awe cracked open as he finds Deeku, on his knees already, whimpering. Right before them is the carriage and metal transport they had rode in all day. The horses are gone. There is another carriage that sits beside theirs, although this one has a covering that blocks the riders. The sort of seating you would see reserved for royalty. The crowd of girls encircle them.

Without warning Rejoh feels someone kick him in the back of the leg, then shove him down onto his knees. This is followed instantly by all of his fellow soldiers and the prisoner. They all kneel on the forest floor in front of the metal box, their carriage, and the royalty one.

Ruki strides out to the middle of the semicircle. She looks around at her six guests and she smiles benevolently. "Alright! Full house. Let's meet Mom."

She bangs twice on the royalty carriage. A moment later the door opens.

Azula follows Zirin out of the carriage they'd been sharing for the entire day. Her eyes struggle to adjust to the light initially but the flames dim and the darkness becomes easier to see. When the lighting is no longer jarring, the sight of what they have stepped into takes its place.

She stands in a clearing in the woods, late in the evening, with almost their entire collection of Fire Warriors and Kemurikage surrounding them. Standing before the pair of leaders are six men, all kneeling before her. Five of them are soldiers, traditional guards from what appears to be Caldera City itself. One has bright, brown hair but the rest have the traditional black hair and golden eyes. They sweat and fear and some of them cry.

The last man is what surprised Azula the most. On his knees before her, staring with absolute confidence, is a man she has seen most of her life. Even when he was out of it, he tormented her dreams and nightmares. Her own father, Ozai. His hair is longer and slightly more grey after a few years in prison. He had made her what she is today. He looks almost calm in this moment of peril.

"Zirin," Azula says quietly. "What is this?"

The short haired brunette doesn't reply. She simply entertains her guests. She walks around all of them before finally asking, "Do any of you know how much effort this took?"

None of the men reply. She continues, "We really pulled out all the stops for today. We had to use everything at our disposal to get you here. Just so we could show you what we are capable of."

Azula stands awkwardly in the background and doesn't say anything. She watches her girlfriend take charge. Almost as if on cue, Zirin points back to Azula, "Now I know you all know who she is."

Zirin unseaths a blade and steps forward, holding it to Deeku's neck. "Tell me, little man, what's her name?"

Squealing like a pig, Deeku quickly replies, "She's the Dragon Empress."

"That's right!" She says and steps away. Gleefully she looks down at the little man. "That's right."

She walks towards Azula now and stands beside her, turning to face the group. She announces, "You kneel before Princess Azula, the true ruler of the Fire Nation. The Mother of the Kemurikage. The Leader of the Fire Warriors. The Dragon Empress."

More quietly than even before Azula whispers, "Zirin, what the spirits is this?"

Zirin laughs obnoxiously loud. She tells everyone, "You'll have to forgive us a moment, boys. As all of our girls know, this is a surprise for our Empress. A precious gift from us to you."

Zirin steps forward again and waves her arms at the kneeling men. Azula looks on still with confusion. Zirin explains how they intercepted plans to move a 'high value target' from the Capital to the Boiling Rock. A last ditch effort by some bureaucrat to prove his little prison still had a purpose.

"So we set a trap for them," she tells the gathered. "And now here, we present to you, Empress Azula, the deposed Fire Lord Ozai."

He grins up at her maliciously, "You'll refer to me as the Phoenix King."

Azula narrows her eyes at him but looks away from her father. She looks at her second in command and asks, "Why did you do this, Zirin?"

"Enough of this, Daughter. Tell them to release me so we can get back to work. Together."

This registers with Azula. The idea of working together again. It's something she had always wanted. She had strove for it, fought for it. She had been imprisoned for it. A different time, a different life, a different Azula would have dove head first into the idea. Not the Dragon Empress. She knew it was a lie. A fabrication, a manipulation by the man to get something he wants.

"Empress, you told me, Ruki, all of us, at every turn, that if you could kill him finally you would. We are making that dream come true."

"Stop this, Azula. I am the Phoenix King. If I have proven nothing to you it is that I am always reborn anew. I can not die."

The ginger girl who had tormented Rejoh and his men steps up to Ozai. She spits at him and tells him, "You will die alone."

Azula looks at her third in command. She appreciates her standing up to the man, but finds the idea of 'dying alone' disturbing. Zirin closes the gap between them and offers her a handheld blade. "This is what it means to take no more half-measures, Azula. To hold a blade to your father's neck and finally have the strength to do it. To take the leap of faith."

The flames illuminating the dark flicker across the blade. Azula looks down at it. She has waited for this moment. She has wanted it for she was in the mental institute she dreamed of it. It was always in different ways and places. Always with different speeches. For his failings as a leader, as the Fire Lord, and as a father. For his refusal to be warm with her. For turning her into a monster.

It could be done here and now. With just one thrust, or one slice, or one jab. She could end him and open a new chapter in her life. Faster and quicker than almost anything else she has done in her life. Yet now that she stands at the precipes, she can't bring herself to do it. The road she will go down if she does this, she knows there is no coming back from it.

As much as she wants it, she can't have it.

"No." Azula tells her. She stares into those black, lifeless eyes. "I love you, Zirin. But I won't. Not even him."

Zirin stares into those sunset eyes. She sucks a deep breath in through her nose. Mentally she collects herself. She exhales through the mouth and tells her, "Then I will."

She unseaths the blade and turns away from Azula. She moves towards him. She closes the gap and tells him, "As Ruki said, you'll die alone!"

Ozai doesn't even blink. He mutters, "Insolent child."

In a flash, the moment Zirin stops her momentum to rear back the blade, he is up off of his knees. He rises up and shoves her to the ground. He collapses on top of her and grabs the blade off the ground. It happens so fast that Ruki can barely react. The Fire Warriors and Kemurikage advance but it's too late. He lifts it up above her head!

"ARGHHHH!" They screech into the nothing.

The knife clatters to the ground. The body collapses and all of the girls stop. They stare in shock. Ozai's body shakes momentarily on top of Zirin, before going still. She quickly shoves him off of her. Ruki advances to help pull the dead weight away. All eyes turn to Azula.

The Dragon Empress stands, hand outstretched towards her now dead father. She stares at the dead body with surprise in herself. Zirin had been a moment from death and Azula had saved her. Lightning had exploded from her hand and struck him down.

Zirin makes eye contact with Ruki and shakes her head. The brunette rises up and quickly runs to her dark haired girlfriend. She envelopes her in her arms. Azula feels nothing. Though she physically feels Zirin against her body, she doesn't hear or see anything except the lifeless body of her father. Face down, unmoving. She replays the sequence over and over again in her head.

"You did! You did it. You killed him! You did it!" Zirin hushes into her ears.

It worries her that it had been so easy.

It worries her more that it made her feel so… good.

Chapter Text

The Eyes of Avatar Aang

[Winter/Spring 104 AG]

Mio approaches the prisoners and stands before them. His fellow acolytes stand in the area and make space for him. He looks down at the three people in masks that they'd managed to capture at long last.

"So what do we have here?" He asks his henchmen.

One of them replies, "They were trying to steal something from the village and we caught them. They work for the Princess."

Mio nods his head. "Jing and I have first hand experience with these types."

He leans down until he is face to face with one of the masks. He tells them, "Your people have killed a bunch of our people."

The Kemurikage does not flinch. They do not reply. It's almost like the question doesn't even register. He stares at her and grows furious. "Do you have any idea how fucked up that is?"

Swiftly he hits her across the face. She doesn't groan or cry. She absorbs it and turns back to him. This makes him angrier and he rips her mask off. Underneath she has blue eyes, freckles, and a steely resolve. Once again he winds up and hits her. Once again, she does not cry.

He leans back, "And when we sent more of our people to kill your people for killing our people? You killed more of our people!"

They sit in a fortified cave prison. Ukuyi rises again to face him. There are two others in Kemurikage masks behind her. There are no fewer than seven men standing around her cell. Both Ukuyi and her colleagues have their arms tied behind their back, bound by rope. There had been bags placed over their head when they were captured, so now she has no idea where she is being held.

Despite all of this, she remains steadfast. She is calm. She knows that her Mother is with her always, and no harm shall come to her. Mio looks into her ocean blues again, "You're a pretty girl. How'd you end up working for the Dragon Bitch?"

No answer comes. Another man offers her, "If you cooperate we can keep you safe. Just tell us what we want to know."

Ukuyi turns her head to the side at this and tells him, eyes buried into his, "I'm not the one you should be worried about. All of you should take care."

With a loud smack Mio slaps her. She turns back to him and they stare each other down. He says, "Lot of loyalty in you. I get that, I can appreciate that. But if you don't tell us where she's holed up, we're going to start making holes in you."

He produces a knife and brandishes it before her. Still as a statue, Ukuyi does not reply. She puts her faith in the Mother of the Kemurikage. Another second passes with no reply. He clicks his tongue loudly.

"Hmm. Nothing to say? Koh's got your tongue?" He leans down. He clutches her face with one hand and pushes the blade against her cheek with the other, prepared to cut her. "Don't worry, he'll get more than that when we're through with you."

The third Kemurikage, the girl in the back, interrupts. Her voice is loud, confident, and dripping with malicious intent.

"Maybe she's wondering why you're asking for someone who's already here?"

Mio releases Ukuyi's face. He stands up stock still and looks at the masked girl who had spoken. She sits tall on her knees, just like Ukuyi, and looks right at him. In the shadows of the cave he strains his eyes to look through the eye slits. He swears he sees a flicker of light. With a jerk of the arm he motions for the others to grab her.

Two of the guards quickly descend on the Kemurikage in the back. They pull her forward and hold her on her knees in front of Mio. He crouches down until he's on her level and looks at the decorated, porcelain mask. He slowly raises a hand up and pulls it off. When the mask is removed he stares into the golden eyes of the Dragon Empress.

Her hair is down to her shoulders now. She searches his eyes and calmly says, "I remember you."

"You should've killed us when you had the chance."

She quirks her eyebrows in response. "I agree. Instead, I gave you advice."

He nods slowly in response. He tells her, "You told us to batten down the hatches."

"You should've listened while you had the chance."

Mio chuckles at this. "Maybe that mask stopped the blood from going to your brain. You're our prisoner."

"Am I now?" Azula asks, eyes lazily tracing around the room and to all the men before her.

"Don't tell me getting caught was somehow part of your plan?" Mio asks, incredulous.

Azula smiles at him, feeling the weight of the two guards each pushing her shoulders down. She tells him, "Of course!"

He shakes his head, "Not even you can be so delusional as to think you have the upper hand right now."

Azula stifles a laugh.

"A true puppet master clutches all of the strings offstage. You wouldn't know if I had the upper hand, even if you looked," her eyes trail to the cave ceiling. Mio cautiously follows, as does everyone in the room.

When all eyes are pulled upwards, Azula turns her palms to face the captors holding her down. Power rips through her veins as the fire courses through them. The men holding her hostage stare at a dark ceiling as the last thing they see on Earth.

There is something truly disgusting but undeniably satisfying about the smell of death.

At least that's how Azula feels about it. She walks through the caves and the stench wafts. Burnt meat, excrement, piss. They never tell you in the stories how some men soil themselves after they die. Azula hasn't exactly kept track over the last year, but she would surmise that it was nearly half of them. Probably less than half of the people she's killed or been around shortly after they died. It creates such a malodorous situation that most people run from, but not Azula. She almost revels in it at this point.

"Ughh." Someone groans, crawling on the ground.

Ukuyi and Chyn both make eye contact then turn to their Mother. She strides past them and walks up towards the body. The soft crunch of her footsteps along the ground alert the crawler of her presence. They softly mumble to themself, "No, no, no."

She strides past them and then stands in their way. She recognizes that it's the man from the Shinzong Village. The assumed leader of this little group of dead misfits. She smirks down at him but he doesn't look up at her yet. He is defeated, all his comrades are dead, and he knows he will be joining them soon. The Dragon Empress had shown him mercy once. Lightning would not strike twice.

"Oh dear, what an awkward situation."

Mio knows what comes next. Although he had spent much of his life fearing this moment, he arrives at its doorstep now and embraces it. If she is to send him to an early grave, then he will not go silently. He pushes off of the ground and lifts himself up to face her.

"You can kill me, but the King of Faces will get you eventually."

Azula doesn't laugh or smile or give any reaction. Electricity crackles at her fingertips.

"Whoever he is? He'll die alone," she tells him. She extends her hand towards the man. "As will you."

"RAH!" He screams.

She watches the light fade from his eyes and he never moves again.

The return trip is quiet. They stalk through the countryside, angling to a pickup location along the shore where Lin should be waiting. There is certainly satisfaction for the job accomplished, but Chyn is uneasy. The final words of a deadman bounce around her head. Leading the way home, she asks her Mother a question that is burning in her mind.

"Empress, do you think we should worry about this 'King of Faces' person?"

Trying to save her from embarrassment and shame, Ukuyi interjects, "Of course not. There is no man on Earth who can defeat the Dragon Empress."

Not realizing the gift that Ukuyi has tried to offer her, Chyn goes again. "Surely. But perhaps we should've questioned him more? Or brought him back with us?"

Azula stops. Ukuyi and Chyn do as well. She turns back to them and her golden eyes bury into Chyn. She speaks.

"Those in power have always abused their power and leveraged it against those not in their seats. I watched it first hand. I saw a Fire Lord and a King who was a terrible man, husband, and father. But now…"

Both girls hold their breath. Azula stares out into the early night sky. She contemplates what to say next and neither Ukuyi nor Chyn dares interrupt. Azula speaking about her late father was not normal. In the last year, neither girl can remember it happening more than in an offhand comment. Azula comes to a logical conclusion.

"Now, in the world we'll build together, there will be no rulers abusing their power. No Kings. No Avatars. No Fire Lords," she says with a smile. The stars poke out across the velvet sky. She looks back at the girls.

"Only woman."

A brunette with grey eyes and a white haired girl with ocean blues walk in through the front door and a little bell rings. They approach the front desk and a teenage girl greets them with a smile.

"Welcome to the Firelily Inn! My name is Tasu and I'll be helping you today. Do you already have a reservation with us?"

"No, we do not. We've been traveling for a few days now and we're hoping you had an empty room?" Ayon replies.

"I believe we do!" The black haired girl replies, pulling a log book out. "Let me just check for one second."

The desk worker begins turning pages. Ayon turns to her partner, "We should get some rest and food, TL. It's a long trip from here back to Kyoshi Island."

Ty Lee is busy admiring all of the little decorations and attention to details paid in the entry room of the inn. Neither girl notices the desk worker idly doing nothing as she eavesdrops on their conversation. The former Circus star finally turns to her partner and says, "I used to love fire lilies as a kid. They're so pretty and romantic. They're full of good chi."

Interrupting their conversation, Tasu offers, "The owner of the Inn renamed it that because of all the fire lilies that grow in the fields surrounding our little village."

Both girls smile at Tasu. She goes on, "I don't believe you see many of those near, I believe you said, Kyoshi Island? So does that mean you two are Kyoshi Warriors?"

She whispers these last two words like they're a secret. Ty Lee and Ayon were not foolish enough, a year into their search now, to wear the iconic green outfits as they milled around the various villages and towns of the Fire Nation. As Azula's criminal dealings rose in the last nearly two years, there came a resistance from the common folk to help the Kyoshi Warriors or the Fire Nation soldiers to hunt them down. Azula was helping the everyday person more than Zuko was at this point, and folks let them know it when they would ask if anyone knew anything about the 'Mother to the Kemurikage,' as they believe she was being called now.

Ayon holds a finger up to her mouth in a shushing motion and gives a playful wink to Tasu. "We are! We're headed home tomorrow and we just need somewhere to sleep for the night."

"Oh, of course!" Tasu says quietly but excitedly. "We'd be happy to host any friend of Fire Lord Zuko's. We've never had any Kyoshi Warriors stay here so this is very exciting!"

The two weary travelers smile down at the younger girl marvelling at them. Ty Lee says, "Well this is a very nice little inn you have, so we're happy to be the first. I get a great feeling from this place. It's whole aura is radiating red!"

Tasu laughs and says, "I guess I'll take that as a compliment!"

Hearing that no other Kyoshi Warriors had come through yet, Ayon ventures to ask, "Say, we've been tasked with a job. We've been stationed in and out of this area for a while now, over a year, and we just haven't had any luck."

"I'm very sorry to hear that."

"Ayon." Ty Lee feels this is an exercise in futility.

"Hold on, hold on," she tells her partner. "Do you know anything about the former Princess Azula?"

Ty Lee rolls her eyes. Nearly 15 months of fruitless efforts have led her to being dismissive of the idea of finding Azula's secret lair. Tasu grows excited. She looks around and then leans in, "Well, yes and no."

Ty Lee's ears prick. She turns towards the girl and leans in herself, "We haven't seen her personally but my friends in the Southern Fire Nation say that they've met her!"

Ayon smiles widely, clearly disappointed but willing to work with that. "Can you give us some of their names and where they live so we can have some other folks follow up on that?"

"Sure thing! But first, I just need a little information from you all before I can give you your keys."

Tasu collects the mundane information from them including their names, how they would pay, and where they could send any luggage that was left behind. She feeds them names and locations in the Southern Fire Nation to answer their questions. As their conversation wraps up, Tasu offers to them, "Oh and by the way! You should venture into town tonight if you're up for it. It's the Avatar Day Festival and our local community has been working really hard to put together a special night. There will be music, and dancing, and fireworks, and so much more!"

"Thank you," Ty Lee replies with a warm smile. "Maybe we will!"

If Azula could stop the fire from spreading she would. She can't though, so instead it rages and burns down everything in its path.

The Puppetmaster sits upon a bench on the hillside watching a forest fire dozens of miles away. It consumes the trees and smoke billows up above. Her girls hadn't created it so she wonders why it started. She contemplates the flames and how unnatural it was to destroy something so beautiful. Sitting beneath the tree, she felt safe and unafraid. She is mid-thought when she hears the soft crunch of feet approaching.

"Empress," Ruki says. "Pardon my intrusion."

Staring off into the distance all the same, Azula says nothing. Ruki picks up after the quiet. "I've brought one of the girls from the village with me."

Azula does not make eye contact. She watches the fire and smoke building in the distance.

"It's Tasu, Empress. She was working the front desk at Firelily. Those Kyoshi Warriors who have been searching for us? They're here."

"How many?" Azula asks.

Ruki turns to Tasu, who cautiously steps forward. Azula doesn't greet her. Her eyes dart to Ruki who gives her an encouraging nod. Tasu clears her throat and says, "Two girls. One with white bright white hair and blue eyes. Another with brown hair and grey eyes."

Azula turns and looks Tasu in the eyes. She holds the eye contact. Tasu feels paralyzed to her spot, as if she had been turned to stone by just staring into those golden orbs.

"What were their names?"

"One was named Ayon," Tasu says quickly. Her mind blanks.

"And the other?"

"Umm," she searches the recesses of her mind. She recalls the girl commenting about the fire lilies. It triggers a chain reaction in her memory. "Her name was Ty Lee."

The Dragon Empress rises. She strides towards the younger girl and towers over her.

"Tell me everything."

"-just feels like a huge waste of time, is all I'm saying."

"I know. I understand why Zuko is having us do it, but it just… I don't know, Ayon. I feel like we blew our chance before any of us even got started on this thing."

"Yeah, you've said that before. How you wish he had just sent us down South from the jump instead of sending others first."

The two girls lay on their twin-size beds and stare at the ceiling as they chat. Ty Lee knows she needs to bathe and she knows Ayon won't be the first so she has to lead the way. She just doesn't want to get up. So she continues to chit chat.

"What sucks the most is that we'll get redeployed after a few months when a new rumor crops up."

"Ugh, I know," Ayon rolls her eyes. She twists in the bed and looks at the brunette next to her. "Say, where do you think she really is? What do you think she's up to right now?"

"Oh, I don't know, A."

"C'mon. You spent, like, your whole childhood with her. You travelled with her. You fought with her. Shit, you toppled an entire country with her. If anyone knows her and how she thinks, it's you."

Ty Lee bites her lip. Ayon asks her, "Don't you think about it?"

"All the time, A! All the Agni damn time."

"Then where is she? What's your guess?"

"Okay, okay." She says, sitting up on the edge of the bed. "So let's start with what we know: She escaped after Zuko's search for Ursa. Then she came back a few months later with the Kemurikage girls and tried to kidnap the kids. Then she was down South, that whole 'Mother' and lightning thing. The Southern Water Tribe reported that she attempted to rob some of their sailors."

"Sailors? I thought they were pirates?"

"Same thing."

"No, but okay."

"Then, a few months later, Ozai goes missing while being transported to the Boiling Rock. He never makes it and his whole bender-less transport disappears into thin air."

"That's speculation, we don't know that she was involved with that."

"It's Ozai, Ayon."

"He was a dictator, TL. Emphasis on the 'dick.' There are plenty of people who would've wanted him dead. If he's even dead. Who knows, maybe he escaped."

"He's dead, Ayon. And she killed him. I know it."

"Alright. I don't think I agree. But alright," she concedes. "Now, where is she?"

Ty Lee stands up and walks to the window. Outside, in the far off distance, she sees a forest fire raging. "She might be right here."

"Ha! Now that's funny."

"Really," Ty Lee says, eyes transfixed on the raging flames. "It was her idea to dress as the Kyoshi Warriors in Ba Sing Se. She likes to hide in plain sight."

"That sure would be something. After all this searching? To find her here, in the middle of nowhere?"

Ty Lee absentmindedly fiddles with the collar of her shirt as she thinks about it. The flames and smoke in the distance reflect off of her eyes. Finally, she looks away and says, "Yeah, I don't know. But I do know that we both stink and need to bathe, so I'm going to go first."

She walks towards the connecting bathroom and swiftly lifts her shirt off over her head. This draws a catcall from her friend, "Woo! Mama likey."

"Shut up." Ty Lee replies, not breaking stride.

"Hey wait," Ayon calls her back. "I've got a serious question for you."

Ty Lee doesn't stop. She walks to the doorway to the bath and turns at it. She leans against the doorframe in her bra. "Mhm?"

"We've been at this for over a year now," Ayon says, ocean blues burying into Ty Lee. A devilish smile dawns on her lips, "How come we've never hooked up after all this time together?"

Incredulous and caught off guard, Ty Lee stands a little taller and her mouth hangs open. She tilts her head and responds, "Did you want to? You're straight and you have Bilaa waiting for you back home."

"Yeah, I don't think I would want to. I don't know. I just think about it from time to time. You've never made a pass at me, but I mean-"

"You're my partner, A. I," Ty Lee stumbles over her words, unsure of what to say next. "I've just always wanted to be respectful of that."

"Well thanks for that," Ayon smiles at the girl, her brightest blues glistening from across the room. After another pause she says, "How about we go to that Avatar Festival tonight? Get some cactus juice. Maybe find some no name villager girl for you to bring back here?"

Ty Lee chuckles at this. She turns to enter the bathroom, "We can go get a drink, but never in your wildest dreams am I bringing someone home tonight."

"We can handle them, Empress," Ruki assures her. "They're staying at our inn. We can slip in overnight and slit their throats."

"No," Azula commands her. "I want to monitor them myself."

Standing a little taller, shoulders leaning back, Ruki asks the question on her mind. "Are you going to kill them?"

Azula doesn't hesitate. "I haven't decided yet."

Ruki hems and haws. "Empress, we can do it. You don't-"

"Ruki," Azula interrupts her. She stares into her soul. "Zirin is on a recruitment visit to the western shores. I am bored. I will do as I please. I don't know if I'm going to kill them, but if you raise even one more objection to this plan then I promise I will kill you."

Ruki gulps and doesn't reply. Azula steps closer to the girl. She invades her personal bubble and stands inches away from her.

"Am I understood?"

Ruki stares back into those golden eyes. She nods affirmatively, more confident now.

"Excellent," Azula says, stepping past her. She walks back towards the village. "Gather some Kemurikage and travel with them to put out that forest fire. It's unnatural. Plus, we wouldn't want the smoke to block out the fireworks later tonight."

Ty Lee applies the last bit of makeup that she has and looks over at her friend. She teases the girl, "Ayon, I'm not gonna wait around all night while you write in your diary."

Without looking up from her book she replies, "It's a journal not a diary, TL."

It's been an hour or so since Ty Lee walked into the bathroom. Golden hour passed without pausing and night has descended on their little village. The brunette tells her, "Well you better get up and get going. I'm probably going to head to the bar we passed in town."

Ayon closes her book suddenly. Cheerfully she replies, "Sounds perfect. It doesn't take me nearly as long to get ready as you. So get us a seat and some drinks and I'll catch up to you in no time."

Ty Lee gathers herself and heads for the door. Ayon heads for the bathroom. "Oh, I know. You drink like a fish."

They share a laugh at this. As Ty Lee grabs the handle she says, "I'll do some exploring to kill time before I go in!"

Ayon shouts back from the bathroom, "See you soon!"

Ty Lee walks out of the Firelily Inn and out into the night air. She stretches her arms out and then swings them around. She breathes in the smells of the festival. The village had seemed like a ghost town when they first arrived, yet now it was flooded with people. Vendors from the surrounding area have arrived and set up shop.

She listens to the revelry and bounces forward to investigate. She also finds it odd to see the face of Kyoshi all around her. The festival was celebrating the Avatars, and that meant plastic masks with some of their faces on them. Along with Kyoshi there was also Roku, Kuruk, and even Ty Lee's personal friend Aang had his face made into a mask. Mostly it is children running around with them on, but some adults partake as well.

A few feet away, hidden amongst the crowd, a girl with hair as dark as a raven watches. Slowly she steps out from the shadows and falls into a trail of the brunette with grey eyes. She is careful and deliberate in her following. She holds a plastic mask in her right hand of a young Airbender with a blue arrow pointing down across his forehead. Gripping with her left hand inside her jacket is a switchblade with a red handle. She keeps her distance and keeps her eyes on the girl.

She watches as her childhood 'friend' bops around the village, her village. All the parts of this town that Azula had revitalized with her inn and her base of operations and her girls and her money. All that Ty Lee sees and touches is because of Azula. She follows for several minutes, watching the back of her head. She wonders what the girl is thinking about. She wonders what is going on in her head. Perhaps she could crack it open and find out.

The Leader of the Fire Warriors stops when Ty Lee stops. She walks when she walks. After a little bit she puts the mask on so she can get closer. She watches as the mesmerizing girl admires a pearl necklace with one vendor, before ultimately leaving. She is transfixed when the Circus Freak tries a perfume. 'It's too expensive for me,' she hears her say before moving on. Finally, Azula can't keep her eyes off of her when she examines a periwinkle top. It's made from the finest threads in the whole Fire Nation.

Ty Lee simply can not afford it and walks away.

Ayon's steps creak against the floorboards as she descends the staircase. She skips the last few, hitting the landing lightly, her momentum carrying her forward with a childlike spring in her step.

"Have a good night!" She shouts to Tasu at the front desk.

"Good night," Tasu replies. As Ayon disappears out the door she whispers under breath, "And good luck."

'How long has it been? How many lunar cycles? And yet still, despite the distance that separated us, we shared the moonlight.'

The brunette walks away from the crowds and towards a bar. She pulls open the door and enters, disappearing from view. The door opening floods the outside with light, washing over the Puppetmaster. Azula pulls the mask off of her face. She licks her lips as she considers it. This is her town. If Ty Lee asks about Azula, they will simply deny any knowledge. And if Azula walks in, they won't even acknowledge her. Ty Lee is a fly trapped in her spiderweb.

Maybe she'll go in and hide in a dark corner. Let her pretty friend get a few drinks in. Maybe she'll follow her into the bathroom. Get her alone for the first time since the Boiling Rock. Take her hostage. Take her home. Tie her down.

Azula could feel herself getting hot and bothered just thinking about it.

Ayon could spot that single ponytail braid from a mile away. In this case, she sees it illuminating in the dark as she squeezes between the crowds. She comes into a small clearing and watches her partner approaching the bar, just beyond earshot. She smiles at her friend.

'We're gonna make tonight special for you, TL!'

The crowd disappears. Ty Lee disappears through the door. As Ayon goes to take a step, the light pours outside and washes over the darkness. Ayon looks at the light and follows it's path before it stops her in her tracks.

Standing on the other side of the street, directly across from the bar was a figure that looked so familiar. They remove a mask and hold it idly. She observes her, trying to place how she knows this complete stranger. Suddenly she is overcome by a memory of Ty Lee speaking to a room full of Kyoshi Warriors.

'Her hair is black, like a raven or midnight…She's slender, but not soft… She has very delicate features… Her eyes are like the sun at golden hour.'

Ayon feels her pulse quicken. Oddly she feels a vein in her neck pounding. Her heart beats against her chest. The Fire Nation is overflowing with girls with black hair and gold eyes. She tries to convince herself it's a coincidence. The hair isn't in a top knot like Ty Lee said it would be. It was short, barely off the scalp. Ayon looks around and then carefully moves towards her.

Azula cranes her neck and strains her eyes through the darkness. She sees through the windows as Ty Lee sits down with her back to the door. Azula contemplates her options. She knows she should go home and avoid detection. She decides to chase the dragon anyway. She steps off the curb and heads for the bar.

"Excuse me!" A voice suddenly comes to her.

She stops and looks at another girl stepping in front of her. The girl has bright white hair and eyes bluer than the sky itself. She stares at her a moment and tries to place why she recognizes this person.

"Umm, yeah, I was just wondering, where did you get your jacket? It looks so nice!" Ayon complements Azula. "Did you get it at one of these shops? Could you show me maybe? Or maybe do you want to join me for a drink?"

She waves her hand towards the bar across the street. Ayon's instincts had been to protect Ty Lee, but now she regrets it. She should've just let her walk into the bar and followed her. She had the element of surprise on her side and she blew it.

Azula stares right into her eyes. She remembers the description that Tasu had given earlier. She grits her teeth. She doesn't say anything. Her eyes briefly flicker to the brunette in the bar window. She steps back for a moment before turning and slowly walking away.

"Hey!" Ayon tries to stop her, but Azula is striding away, each step quicker than the last.

Ayon panics. She turns quickly to the bar. Ty Lee is seated near the door, she could grab her. She turns back to look for Azula and she barely catches a glimpse of her disappearing into the crowd. Ayon gulps as her mind replays more than a year's worth of travel in search of the deposed Princess. Her eyes flick back to Ty Lee and then back to Azula. She knows she should go back for Ty Lee. She chases Azula anyway. She walks away from the bar with hurried steps.

"Excuse me, do you have a quill and piece of parchment?"

"What the spirits, no."

Ayon's eyes peel back to the back of Azula's head. She gets further ahead but never turns back to look at Ayon. She steps faster and when someone passes the other way she tries to ask them.

"Excuse me-"

"I don't have any money for you."

She looks for Azula, several more steps ahead than before. She steps faster. A child in a Kyoshi mask goes to pass her the other way. She says a quick prayer to the Avatar that looks over her.

"Excuse me-"

"Ahhh!"

'Screw you too, Kyoshi.'

She looks up, black hair fading into the night. She huffs breaths as she steps. An old woman goes the other way.

"Excuse me," she starts and the woman doesn't stop her. "Do you have a quill and perhaps a piece of parchment I could use?"

The elderly woman smiles warmly. She reaches into her pockets and retrieves them, "I surely do, dear!"

Ayon gulps and looks up. Azula has stopped and is talking to a girl with no hair on her head. The woman offers the items to Ayon. She snatches them and quickly scribbles a note. She looks back at the woman and asks, "Umm, can you do me another favor?"

"My Spirits, you must be in dire straits. Luckily for you today I was incredibly blessed, so I am happy to repay the debt I owe to Agni."

Ayon strains at the awkwardness of this encounter. She notices that the bald girl is gone and she can barely see the top of Azula's head disappearing further into the town. "Do you mind delivering this to the bar around the corner? My friend is waiting for me there. She has brown hair and it's in this ponytail, braid thing. You can't miss it. This is just a note that I ran into an old friend and I'll catch up with her later."

The woman smiles at her and takes the note and her quill back. "Of course!"

"Agni bless your soul, thank you so much!"

Before the woman can elongate the conversation Ayon takes off sprinting after Azula.

"Excuse me, miss?"

Ty Lee turns in her seat, away from the quarter glass of cactus juice on the rocks that she's nursing. It is an older woman, with bright grey hair. She smiles at the younger girl. "A woman with white hair out on the street asked me to bring this to you."

"Huh? Ayon?" Ty Lee asks in confusion.

She takes the piece of paper, folded on itself. As she unfolds it she asks the woman, "Did she say why?"

"She did not," the woman replies. "She was in an awful hurry to be honest with you."

Ty Lee finishes unfolding the note and looks away from the woman. The note is crinkled and the ink is smudged but the writing is huge across the segment of paper.

SHE'S HERE! I'm following her! - A

Ty Lee's jaw hangs down. Her mind races and she stares down at the first two words. Her mouth becomes dry and her tongue feels like sandpaper. She feels suddenly like she has been swimming in the beaches of Ember Island all day and just got out of the water. She looks up at the older woman. Blinking multiple times, she tilts her pretty head and asks a question.

"I'm sorry, but, um, where exactly was she and which direction did she go?"

A moment later the former circus star explodes out of the doors, slipping past the older woman.

Ayon is in a full out sprint as Azula gets further and further away. She is bumping partiers and townsfolk alike. She shouts when she realizes that Azula is running too, "HEY!"

The sky lights up with fireworks. The streets light up with blue, red, green, and purple. Azula disappears around a dark corner she knows has no overhead lights. Ayon speeds around it as well. Fireworks illuminate the dark. She stares into the eyes of Avatar Aang as she feels the wind knocked out of her.

Hours fade away. Ty Lee searches the entire village. She never finds her partner. The crowded streets and massive town-wide party made it impossible for her to sort through them. She wants to keep searching, but her feet hurt, her legs are exhausted and she can't do this alone.

'If she found her? If she got captured? I need help if I'm going to get her back.'

Ty Lee walks towards the Firelily Inn. When she sees the sight she stops dead in her tracks. Sitting on a bench outside the Inn, slouched with hands folded in her lap, is her partner. She wore one of the plastic Aang masks, but Ty Lee could spot that white hair from across a crowded village. She runs towards her friend and shouts, "Ayon! Ayon!"

When she gets closer she sees it. The slits in her shirt. The stained liquid against the dark material. The red liquid matted onto her hands. Deranged, she screams into the night.

"AYON! AYON!"

She collapses at her feet but her friend does not move. She rips the mask off and her once brightest blues were nothing but a dull aqua. They are vacant and empty. Ty Lee begins crying hot and furious tears.

"Ayon, please. Ayon." She begs. She never moves again.

"Welcome home, Lee." Suki greets solemnly.

The brunette doesn't react.

"I heard waters were rocky on the way back."

There's a certain resignation in her grey eyes.

"Do you want to talk about it, Lee?"

"What's there to talk about? You wanted me back on Kyoshi Island. I'm back."

Suki knew the decision would be unpopular with her friend. She anticipated this reaction. "Lee, your partner was stabbed nineteen times. We're lucky they didn't get both of you."

Ty Lee feels the cool breeze in her face. The memory flashes. She replies, "She had a name. Say her name."

Suki blinks at her and nods. "Okay. Ayon. Ayon was stabbed nineteen times."

"And now I'm here. 'Home.' Instead of looking for her in the hills of the Fire Nation."

"You need to be protected. She might've come after you if she knew you were in that town too."

Ty Lee doesn't react. Suki understands. She asks, "What are you going to do, Ty Lee?"

The Kyoshi Warrior exhales through her nostrils. She stares up at the bit of sun breaking through the treeline that surrounds the village. She had several days in the village while waiting for Suki's messenger hawk to arrive with the order to return home. She had several days on a boat through rough waters to reach here. She has thought it over the entire time. What she'll do when she gets her. She knows what her answer is and so she speaks it.

"I'm going to find and I'm going to kill her with my bare hands."

A knock comes at her door. Sitting staring at the one painting she had of Ayon, Ty Lee puts it down and goes to see what it is about. She opens and finds another Kyoshi Warrior. The girl bows and offers her condolences. Ty Lee thanks them and asks what their business is here. The girl informs her that the luggage she left behind at the village is here now.

Confused, Ty Lee replies, "But I didn't have any luggage?"

The girl apologizes but explains she was just told to bring it to Ty Lee's home. She didn't have any other instructions from the messenger hawk mail office. She said it arrived before she even returned to Kyoshi Island. Confused, Ty Lee just takes it, resigned to figure it out without the intruder girl.

Ty Lee carries the cloth bag into her bedroom. She opens it carelessly and when she does she is shocked to find a paper box sitting on top of other items. She opens the box and inside she finds a perfume. It smells like cinnamon and warms her, yet something feels wrong about it. She feels it happening again. Like she'd been swimming all day long. She puts it down. At the bottom of the bag lies a periwinkle top and a small note card. She reaches down and grabs the cardstock. When she reads it her hand shakes until she drops it and screams.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

The card reads just two harrowing words.

Sorry, baby.

Chapter Text

Don't Run

[Spring 104 AG]

Under the cover of darkness, Ty Lee gathers the small assembly. They all know what they're facing. They know, she tries to convince herself. It's a smattering of fellow Kyoshi Warriors, about two or three, and far more Firebending soldiers from the local communications tower. She takes a deep breath and composes herself.

"Alright everyone, we all know what's at stake," she tells them. "This is the best shot the Fire Nation has had at apprehending her in years. If she really shows up, we can all go down in history. The world will remember us for capturing Princess Azula."

The eyes of the many nod their heads in acknowledgement. Ty Lee continues, "We have to be careful in approaching her. She is very dangerous. She can summon lightning without even winding up anymore. Do not underestimate her."

Ty Lee then directs the Fire Nation soldiers to enter the bar first. They are to go in, order drinks, be casual, and wait. The Kyoshi girls are all dressed down, but inconspicuously armed with their fans. Ty Lee will remain outside as recon, but also because if she gets too close they may spook her.

She gives them as much advice as she can and then gathers the girls for a prayer to Kyoshi to watch over them. The men go on ahead, while Ty Lee gathers the rest into a circle. They hold hands as Lo Vang, the most spiritual of the group, leads them. The girls depart and Ty Lee is left with just her thoughts.

It's been almost three months since Suki grounded her. She'd been itching to get back into the hunt for Azula, but there was nothing to be done in the motherland.

'Not like Azula was going to show up at my doorstep.'

She had kept her mind and hands active, reorganizing and redecorating her home. She put more time into physical training. She was waking up earlier, staying up later. She thought she would have Ayon's face burned into her memory. Instead, she had Azula's. The raven locks and sunset eyes. She wanted to reach towards those eyes and strangle the light from them.

Then, just yesterday morning, like a gift from Agni, a messenger hawk arrived from one of their informants in the Baochou Village. He had given a detailed explanation of how Azula would be at The Idle Grove on Whaletail Island. The Kyoshi Warriors quickly wrote to Zuko and Suki for instruction. They were many days, if not weeks away. Ty Lee was summarily let off the leash.

She positions herself on a hill in the darkness nearby, eyes peeled to the door of the lowlife bar.

Azula pushes open the doors and finds a poorly lit bar. Two girls play pool by the entrance, a handful of off-duty Fire Nation soldiers are littered around the room. Some more barely-legal girls are sitting around with drinks in front of them, but clearly not drinking them.

She instantly can tell something is wrong. They had chosen The Idle Grove because of its relative isolation. The space was far too active given that she just so happened to walk in. Her eyes scan around the room before falling on the man sitting alone in front of a Pai Sho board. She approaches and sits down across from him.

"Hello weary traveler," the elderly, dark skinned man greets her. "What can I do for you?"

Azula sits down gracefully across from him. She grips the arms of her chair. She remembers it all clearly but wonders if now is the best time given her environment. She decides to see how things play out. She asks him, "May I have this game?"

He nods, "The guest has the first move."

Azula reaches into her pocket and produces a single white lotus chip. She places it in the center of the board. The old man nods, "I see you favor the white lotus gambit. Not many still cling to the ancient ways."

Azula nods and leans in, "Those who do may be trapped replaying the same battle forever."

He nods approvingly, "Then let us play."

They instantly begin playing the pieces, one after another, almost simultaneously, without saying a word. They don't even look at what their opponent plays. On any given night no one would notice this or care, but tonight eyes follow this and ears strain in vain to listen. When they are done the tiles on the board form the shape of an inverted lotus flower.

"Your strategy is wise, weary traveler." The man says in a hushed tone.

Azula leans closer and they whisper across the board from each other. "I had hoped for us to play Pai Sho alone, but it appears tonight that we have an audience."

His eyes do not move. Their blackness stays focused on Azula as he says, "I concur, I much prefer to play in quiet."

The men around the room have stopped pretending to drink. She crooks her eyebrows at the one sitting across from her. "I must say though, I don't feel that our game would've gone on for long regardless. I don't think we are of the same skill level."

The girls without their uniforms sweat. The man nods. "We could still play? Yes, our endgame may be similar, but only our strategies differ."

Azula looks at the pool players. One of them nods to her. She looks back at the man across from her. "Yes. Yours is that designed by men of little minds and little action. Mine is one of only woman."

The messenger looks confused. He lacks decorum as he asks, "Only woman?"

Azula smiles. She leans in close and motions for the man to lean in as well. He does so and she moves to his ear, with all eyes on them, the ginger girl playing pool takes an extra stick and silently moves towards the bar doors. Out of the corner of her eye, Azula sees her slide the pool sticks through the door handles to lock them in.

She raises a hand and grips the back of his neck. He grows stiff and fraught. The wandering eyes around the room grow wide with fear. She whispers into his ear, "Tell your leader to come see me when he decides to take this shit seriously."

With one fluid motion Azula slams his head into the Pai Sho table. The pieces fly up into the air and he instantly lies unconscious on the ground. Chairs screech backwards and Azula stands up swiftly. The Fire Nation soldiers assume aggressive stances. Azula shouts above all of the commotion, "You thought I was trapped in here with you."

She extends her hands out around her. The soldiers prepare to fight. The Kyoshi Girls pull their fans out and all of them turn to face the Mother of the Kemurikage. She looks around with a malicious smile. The ginger girl and purple eyes positions herself to block the door. A brunette with black eyes and a single braided ponytail quietly moves behind one of the guards.

"But you're trapped in here with us!"

The last word stuns the room. The next sound is not the floom of fire bending or the crackle of electricity. Instead, it's the crack of Zirin's pool stick hitting a Fire Nation soldier over the head.

Ty Lee inhales suddenly. From her position in hiding she can see clearly as a girl with short black hair approaches The Idle Grove. They push the doors open and disappear inside. Ty Lee feels like she's suffocating by the time she finally exhales. She watches the windowless building and waits.

There is silence for a few minutes. Ty Lee listens to the ocean lapping against the rocky shores. She wonders many things as the waves crash against the nearby cliffs and the sound crashes against her ears. 'Why did she come here? For what purpose? Why did she come alone? How did she get here? What is she thinking? Why is she doing this?'

Ty Lee wants to kill her for what she did to Ayon. But moreover, she wants to understand her. Sit her down, in chains, and pick her apart. Learn what makes her tick. If only she could just pull at the strings, perhaps she could watch her unravel. Maybe then she'd see the horror that she's perpetrated.

Almost as if on cue, she hears new sounds. Distinct from the rushing water, the sounds of fire and lightning comes from within the bar. After just a few seconds the noise stops. Ty Lee holds her breath once again. She grips her clothes tightly, worried that they've killed her in the fire fight. In the eerie silence she wonders if they had subdued her, or if Azula had known they were there. Her mind races away from her.

The next moment the bar doors fly open and the girl with short black hair comes sprinting out at full speed. Ty Lee involuntarily stands up and completely vacates her tactical advantage. She looks at the bar doors waiting for someone, anyone to exit. Her eyes peel back to the girl disappearing across the field and night air. Ty Lee can't see what's happened inside, but she can see her one chance to capture the girl slipping away. She takes off running after the Princess.

There are several factors working in Ty Lee's favor. The first is that Azula had run right in her direction when she came out of the bar. The second is that the terrain of Whaletail Island is mostly flat. They are running on a slow decline, going downhill, making her chase easier. Another thing is that these are open fields. There are no strangers to interfere or dark corners for the Princess to disappear down.

Next, Azula may be fit & a picture of physical perfection, but Ty Lee is no slouch herself. She has trained just as much as the girl she now chases, and she was always physically stronger than her old friend. Finally, the island is tiny. Azula is running away from the direction she came. Either she was in such a hurry that she got lost, or she is leading Ty Lee directly to her true origin.

No matter what it is, Ty Lee is on her and gaining. Azula peeks over her shoulder every few seconds and sees a figure chasing her. She just doesn't know who it is yet. It doesn't matter to her though, because her finish line is within sight: the island cliffside. She slows as she approaches it until she comes to a stop. Looking over the edge, she guesses that it's a hundred foot drop or so to the water.

"This is it!" A voice calls from behind her. "No where else to run now, Azula."

The Puppetmaster stands facing the water. She sees the moonlight reflecting off the surface of the South Sea. Everything has gone according to plan. She smiles to herself, preparing to face whoever has chased her down. She opens her palms as she slowly turns around.

The sight surprises them both. It's the first time that Ty Lee has seen the raven haired girl in years. On the other hand, Azula followed the brunette around the Xue Wu Village, but never talked to her.

"It's over. Turn yourself in, Azula," she tells her. Ty Lee holds her hands out on either side of her. "You can stop running."

A twisted smile spreads across Azula's face. She doesn't respond. She doesn't say anything. Instead, she slowly lifts her left palm up and out, extending it towards Ty Lee. The girl with grey eyes watches as the electricity sparks in her hands. She knows what may come next. A flash of light and then she would feel nothing.

Ty Lee tightens her muscles. Her hands fall to her side and ball into fists. She stands a little taller. If Azula is going to kill her, Ty Lee will not beg for her life. She will go with grace. She will not give Azula the satisfaction of watching her cry out as she goes.

Completely stunned, Azula watches Ty Lee dig-in. She doesn't fear Azula. She doesn't cower in the face of death. She is prepared for it. She will take it if Azula decides. She feels like a god at this moment. Not even death will dissuade the true believer. So, instead of threatening Ty Lee, Azula threatens the one thing she wants more than anything else:

Herself.

She extends two fingers in her left hand, then slowly drags the fingers to point at the side of her head. Electricity ripples along her fingertips. She prepares to shoot her own head full of lightning.

Ty Lee watches her raise her hands up. She curls two fingers out and points her attack at herself. The idea of the girl killing herself elicits a physical reaction from the young acrobat. She throws her hands out and takes a step towards her, screaming as loud as she can, "NO!"

To the acrobat's surprise, Azula laughs. She bursts out laughing at this reaction. She smiles widely, like a lunatic, and shakes her head. Ty Lee realizes it was a cruel tease. A fake-out to scare her. Azula has gotten all of the information she needed from just this moment. She points her fingers towards Ty Lee's feet. Lightning flashes and a half-second later the sound cracks and echoes across the island. Ty Lee jumps back, but the blast never would've hit her. Azula doesn't miss, yet she had this time.

When Ty Lee looks up, Azula is gone. The Princess has vanished into thin air.

It takes him completely off-guard but Lin finally notices that Azula was flying through the air towards him. In the black of night it was hard to see her, but the blue flames emanating from her feet stood out. He could tell she was trying to limit her output so make her less noticeable. He stands on the edge of the boat and watches as she approaches and slows her descent. Finally she lands on the boat beside him.

"So I take it things went exactly according to plan?" The short, stout man jokes.

"We were made before I even walked through the door."

Lin begins pulling the lines off of the dock to take their small boat back out. He shakes his head, "Do you think it was Zaso?"

"I'm not sure. He seemed surprised too, but if it wasn't him then it just becomes murkier."

Lin steps to the motor to start it up. He sighs, "We can return home and try to conduct an investigation."

"That'll take forever and could turn up nothing."

"Yes, Empress. Did you have something in mind?"

Azula clicks her tongue as he starts the engine. He goes to the wheel and starts to pull out of the dock. He eyes her oddly. He can see on her face the wheels turning in her brain. He offers, "Shall we go to Tuzi Island for the night? Will Zirin and Ruki be waiting for us there?"

Azula connects some dots. She knows what they should do. She tells him, "I told them to get to Namo and go on without us if we're not there by morning. But no. Take us to Chin Village."

He instantly sees the genius of it, "Ah! Smart, Empress. They don't have a proper port so they can't document that we were there."

Azula narrows her eyes and smiles. "That's not why we're going there."

Ty Lee pulls out the key to her home and unlocks it. She enters the two story building and locks the door behind her. She exhales and puts her keys in the bowl by the door. She walks towards the kitchen, starving after having not eaten all day long.

It had been a difficult day. She'd let Azula slip between her fingers. Then she returned to the Idle Grove and was met with unimaginable horrors. The men had all been killed. All of the Kyoshi Warriors had been knocked unconscious. There was only one man who survived. He answered all the questions they had then took his leave. After the girls came to, they informed Ty Lee and the others that the lone surviving male was the one who had come to meet with Azula in the first place. No one had gotten a name or address. Like Azula, he too had simply vanished.

She had spent all day answering questions about how she had failed the operation. Then came the scolding messenger hawk from Suki and the 'not mad, just disappointed' hawk from Zuko. She met with the families of the slain men in the bar. Now, with the sunset once again, she finally returns home.

She pours herself a shot of cactus juice and takes it down in one gulp. She pours another and stares at it. 'Screw it.' She leaves the shot on the counter and walks away with the bottle instead, chugging from it recklessly. The young girl may be an "adult" and "Warrior" and capable of incredible acrobatic feats, but she is still not much mass. The cactus juice goes straight through her. Her throat burns as each gulp goes down.

She notices a small, thin package on her kitchen table. She picks it up and opens it. A pearl necklace is inside. 'Probably the same one from the festival,' she thinks. One of the other girls must have dropped the package off while she was out. She wants to put it with the rest of the 'gifts' she received. She carefully climbs the twelve or so steps. At the top she sips again from the glass container in her hand. Her gait is less tight than normal as she strides into her bedroom.

Piled on the corner of a dresser are the perfume, blouse, and note from Azula. She places the pearl necklace down with it. She sips from the bottle and looks down at them. Ty Lee is not dainty, but she doesn't weigh much either. The cactus juice is already hitting her harder than she realizes. She drinks again. She puts the bottle down and picks up the perfume. She examines it, then sprays a tiny bit on her wrist. She rubs her other wrist on it and then takes a whiff.

Cinnamon.

'That smells so Agni damn good.'

She sprays it on her neck and let's it settle for a few seconds. She picks her bottle back up and walks back towards the door, ready to make something to eat. As she does she hears some clatter of noise, but it doesn't click in her brain instantly.

Ty Lee takes a few steps down the stairs before she looks down to the landing. Standing at the bottom of the steps, looking a bit lost and confused, is a girl with raven hair that is only a few inches off of her scalp. Ty Lee freezes. She gasps. That little noise is what finally attracts the attention of the girl at the landing. Those old, familiar gold eyes turn to her and they stare at one another for barely a second of silence. Azula speaks just two words.

"Don't run."

Ty Lee reacts on instinct alone. She screams.

"AHHHHHH!"

She turns to run back up the stairs and the glass vase slips out of her hand, crashing onto the steps. Azula rolls her eyes and immediately gives chase. She sprints up the steps after the brunette.

Ty Lee runs into her bedroom and shuts the door behind her. She locks it. She hastily springs into action looking for anything to help defend herself. Azula bangs on the door, "Let me in!"

Ty Lee mumbles to herself incoherently. She has no windows in her bedroom, she has no escape. She searches for something she can use to fight. On the other side of the door, Azula shouts, "I'm not going to kill you."

Ty Lee searches and searches but she has nothing. "Open the door now."

Not even a spare fan lying around. "I'm giving you to the count of three!"

She is frantic and slightly drunk already and unsure of what to do. "One…"

She grabs a pillow off her bed. "Two…"

She looks for something to load it with. "Two and a half…"

There's nothing available. She sees a book on the ground. She leans down to pick it up but loses her balance and falls on her hands and knees.

The door bursts open, wood shards flying as Azula kicks it open. Ty Lee looks up in horror and screeches louder.

"Ahhhh!"

She gets up on her knees and throws the pillow at Azula. The Leader of the Fire Warriors swats it away, then strides towards the girl. The terror filled grey eyes look up as her former friend gets down on top of her and pins her to the ground. Azula carefully grabs her arms and puts her weight down on her so as to not hurt her.

"Ahhhhh!"

Ty Lee screams louder but no one hears it. Her house is isolated from the others, no one will come for her. This will be where she dies. Azula tries to shut her up by yelling at her, "Stop screaming!"

Ty Lee only screams louder. The last thing she'll see is those golden eyes and black hair. Azula yells at her, "Stop it! Stop!"

Finally Azula yells so loudly that Ty Lee hears her over her screams, "I just want to eat with you!"

Ty Lee's screaming dies down. She stares up at the girl on top of her. Azula gets progressively quieter with each sentence, "I just want to eat. Have some dinner. Chat over food."

Ty Lee stares up in total bewilderment. As the brunette becomes silent and sullen, Azula stares down at her. She asks, "Will you have dinner with me?"

Ty Lee can't keep her eyes straight. The cactus juice has hit her hard, but so has her adrenaline. The fight or flight instincts in her are now firmly stuck in 'freeze.' Azula stands a few feet away, by the kitchen table, staring intently at her. She stands over the stove heating up rice and chicken. Every few seconds Ty Lee's eyes dart to the dark haired girl, and every time she immediately averts them when she realizes that Azula is staring right at her. The skillet finishes and Ty Lee slowly, cautiously plates the food. She hobbles over to the table.

"Here, allow me." Azula says, pulling a chair out for her.

"T-thank you?" Ty Lee says as she sits down with the dishes.

The silverware is right there, including a sharp knife at her side. Azula sits down beside her and smiles. She picks up her chopsticks and digs in. Despite all of her hunger, Ty Lee can't bring herself to touch the food. Now she is the one who stares. She can't believe that Azula is so calm. As if they had been together for the last few years and dinner at home was just another normal occurrence.

Azula looks up from her food and chuckles at Ty Lee. She says, "It's so nice to see you again."

Ty Lee blinks at her and offers, "You too?"

Azula goes back to happily eating. Ty Lee figures if she's going to pretend like this is nothing, then she may as well ask her the questions she's thinking. "Why are you in my house?"

"I love this, is this your recipe?"

Ty Lee blinks and stares. She grows hostile. "It's my friend Suki's."

"Mhm," Azula hums as she swallows. "Her house is really nice. I like the yellow door."

This makes Ty Lee uneasy, because the underlying message was that Azula knows where Suki lives and where to find her. She keeps her composure and presses on, "Why are you here?"

"I needed to see you."

"Why?" Ty Lee is determined to get to the root of this.

Azula puts her utensils down and stares at her food. Ty Lee watches her zone out momentarily as she concentrates. Finally she looks up at Ty Lee, eyes glassy and water shimmering on the edge of pouring out. Her voice is scratchy as she says, "I need your help, Ty Lee."

Ty Lee holds her breath. She couldn't remember ever seeing Azula cry, yet here she was, about to unleash. Her mouth dries up and she briefly licks her lips as she listens.

"I don't want to keep doing this," Azula tells her, eyes searching. "I didn't mean to… I know what I've done… I'm just… I'm so sorry, Lee… I didn't mean to… and Agni, Ayon… Please, Ty Lee, I have nowhere to go. I need help. Ty Lee, please. I am so sorry."

Ty Lee has listened but the words seem so hollow. Killing Ayon, the attitude she had just a moment ago about Suki, how controlled she's been in every encounter. None of it adds up now. Her eyes narrow, she furrows her brow.

"Bullshit. Bullshit," Ty Lee tells her.

At first Azula stares at her with confusion and hurt. As the staring contest extends for a few seconds she realizes that her old friend is smarter than she gave her credit for. She drops the facade, abandoning the sniffling, teary eyed look. Ty Lee grows more angry as this happens.

"Agni, you're an asshole," she says and Azula finally looks away. She picks up her chopsticks and goes back to eating, ignoring Ty Lee. The grey eyed girl decides to prod her, "Dragon Empress."

Azula looks back at her, realizing that Ty Lee shouldn't know about that name. She chuckles at this to play it off. She asks the girl, "You're really proud of yourself, aren't you?"

Ty Lee is desperate to prove herself. "I know more than that."

Azula doesn't reply. She just crooks one eyebrow at her.

"I know you're the Mother to the Kemurikage."

"Of."

"Of?"

"It's 'Mother of the Kemurikage.'"

Undeterred, Ty Lee continues, "I know you robbed some sailors that were working for Sokka."

"They were pirates," she corrects her. "And I left them their sword."

"I know you killed Ozai."

Azula tilts her head but doesn't reply. Ty Lee continues, "Or you set him free, that's the other popular theory. But I know you. I know you and I know you killed him."

Azula crosses her arms and leans back into her chair. She narrows her own eyes at the brunette. She begs her to go on, "What else do you know about me?"

Ty Lee grows sad. "You killed… my partner."

Azula frowns too and shrugs. "If it helps, she didn't die screaming like the others."

Ty Lee shakes in her seat. Meekly she asks, "Are you here to kill me?"

Azula shakes her head subtly as she picks up her chopsticks and goes back to eating finally. "I just want you to know that I'm watching you."

"Why? Why are you doing all of this?"

"I'm helping the common folks that you and Zuko have forgotten about."

"You think you're helping people?"

"Do you think you're helping people?"

"Yes."

"Do you?"

More hesitantly now Ty Lee responds, "Yes."

Azula senses her weakness. "I think if you asked those ordinary people, you'll find out who really helps make their lives better. Who really helps those in need."

"What was the meeting about at the Idle Grove?"

"Introductions to some potential new business partners."

"Why are you killing all of these people?"

"I'm not killing people. I'm killing men."

"Ayon was not-"

"She was my first. I think she'll be the last but I'm not sure yet."

"But why?"

Azula smiles condescendingly. She places her hand on Ty Lee's left hand, sitting on the table. "She was just getting in between us."

Ty Lee grows furious. Her rage breaks through her inebriation. She looks at the knife on the table by her right hand. Azula cuts into her thought process, "Don't do it."

Ty Lee looks back quickly at Azula. She shakes her head, hand still on Ty Lee's, she repeats, "Don't do it."

Ty Lee does it anyway.

Her chair screeches backwards, she grabs the knife and stands up straight, thrusting it towards Azula. The Dragon Empress is too agile for her. She stands quickly, dodges the jab, grabs hold of the hand, and then pushes her body. Ty Lee crashes into a wall behind her, Azula still pressed against her. In all of the commotion, Azula rips the knife out of Ty Lee's hand. Now she holds the blade up and just inches from Ty Lee's neck.

"How did you know where to find me?" Azula asks calmly.

Ty Lee hyperventilates, the knife lightly touching the exposed skin near her collar bones. Their bodies are pressed against each other, their faces just inches apart. Exhausted, inebriated, defeated, and held at knife point, she worries about what Azula will do. She does not answer the question, annoying the Mother of the Kemurikage. She lowers the blade until it is pointed at her heart. She pushes it ever so slightly into the skin. Azula coos at her.

"It's worse when I push it in slowly."

Terrified, Ty Lee rasps, "A-a man. From the Baochou Village, down south in the Fire Nation. He told us his various connections had allowed him to know what you were up to."

'Lin?!' Azula fears.

"His name. What was his name?"

Ty Lee sweats and doesn't answer. She considers trying to fight. Azula raises her free hand up and smacks the wall beside her. Ty Lee closes her eyes and confesses.

"Yon Rha! His name was Yon Rha." She shouts into Azula's face. "He used to be a Southern Raider. He killed Katara's mother when she was a girl so he's indebted to Zuko and the others. He was trying to curry favor with them by passing what he knows about you."

"Yon Rha…"

'It wasn't Lin.'

"... betrayed me?"

Azula doesn't know who this Yon Rha is, but she would find out in short order. Suddenly though, being so close to her old friend, she smells something. It was very familiar to her. She sticks her nose in closer to Ty Lee's neck and sniffs. It smells like cinnamon. She backs away, the acrobat looking confused and alarmed.

"Are you wearing it?"

Ty Lee stares in disillusion.

"You keep surprising me, Ty Lee." She says with a devilish smile.

Azula backs away. She holds the knife still against her heart. She grabs a glass vase off the table and shoves it into Ty Lee's hands.

"Drink up, old friend."

The grey eyed girl looks down at what remains of the cactus juice. At first she's confused, but then she realizes what's happening. She raises it to her lips but stops to say, "Before this is over, I'm going to find you. I'm going to find the most important thing to you, and I'm going to kill it."

"Big words from a tiny person. Now drink up."

Ty Lee does as she's told. She chugs a few gulps of it as Azula holds the blade out in front of her. She pulls the vase down and wipes her mouth. It doesn't take more than thirty seconds. She feels woozy and the room spins around her. Azula holds the blade near her and whispers.

"Sleep tight, my little Circus Freak."

A minute or so passes before Ty Lee can't see straight. Azula guides her to the couch and collapses her onto it, lying her on her side. Without another word she walks out and leaves the acrobat to her long awaited trip to dreamland.

When Ty Lee wakes, she battles a terrible hangover but rushes to the post office. She sends word that Yon Rha is in danger. She finds out in the next few days that he was dead before her message even left Kyoshi Island.

Around the same time she was stumbling into the messenger hawk station, Fire Nation guards were responding to a hysterical mother in the Baochou Village. Her son had been found dead, his throat slit with a note pinned to his chest. It read a simple message.

You're welcome, Kat. - Mother to the Kemurikage

Chapter Text

Those in Need

[Summer 106 AG]

They'd bought the home all coin. No loan from a bank. No hidden backer, although after using Ukuyi as the buyer she'd be open to a counter-argument. The home went up for sale soon after the end of the war but no one wanted to buy it. It was rather remote for being "beach front," and no one in the 'New' Fire Nation wanted to sully their names by buying it off a disgraced former Navy Admiral. So it was left on the market. For five years the holiday home sat quietly, collecting dust and saltwater.

'Until it was bought by me.'

The Puppetmaster stands out on the balcony in the early morning sun. She stares out as the water laps up and rolls back. She sips her tea and smiles. A beautiful start to the day ahead of an important trip up north. Her shoulder length hair blows slightly with the sea breeze. It's almost long enough again to put in a top knot, a few months away. Although she hasn't worn the top knot in many years and isn't sure if she even wants to go back to that.

It's unusual to spend time in the summer here. Too many people, too much exposure. This morning is a stopover from the night before to make the trip ahead a shorter one. She hears the sliding door behind her open. Feet patter behind her until soft arms envelope her from behind. A nose nuzzles into the crook of her neck. The voice whispers in her ear.

"We're going to be late if we don't set out soon."

Azula turns and faces Zirin. One hand clutches her tea cup, the other to the girl's face. She pulls her in for a kiss. When they part, Zirin lifts an eyebrow.

"What was that for?"

She smirks. "Just stealing back some bad memories."

The black eyed girl shakes her head, "Whatever, let's go meet Lin on the dock."

As Azula follows her back into the house she coos at her, "How many times do I need to remind you that it's not Lin. Namo is taking us to Shanglan Island."

As they walk through the home, Zirin asks, "Ah. I keep forgetting. Why is that again?"

"His wife, Ai Zhou, is due next week. I didn't want him to miss it in case she went into labor early."

"How benevolent of you." Zirin blunts.

"What are you trying to say, Zirin?" Azula says as they walk out the front door and she locks up the house.

Zirin waits for her and they walk in lockstep together. "I just think it's a mistake. He's our most trusted asset."

"It's my decision, Zirin," Azula says without looking at her. "And not even you can question that."

As they approach the dock, Zirin huffs. "Yes, Empress."

The single braided ponytail lightly smacks against her back. The twenty year old stops to take in a deep breath. She reaches one hand up over her head and stretches the arm. She folds it and pulls the elbow tighter in. She sweats through her soft, light pink top. Her billowing pants give her legs room to breathe in the unbearable summer heat.

"If this doesn't work," she mumbles to herself. There is a song of clicking noises all around her. The buzzing noise pulsates through the air. "I don't know what I'll do."

She marches forward into the town. Her grey eyes face forward, determined and resolute. They dart to a town sign that she reads. She has come this far on her own volition. She goes forward without support anymore. Not Suki, not the Kyoshi Warriors, and certainly not Zuko. Now armed with the research, the free time, and the determination, she steps through the tall grass into the rejuvenated fishing spot.

The sign she passes reads, 'Baochou Village.'

"You stand in the presence of the Dragon Empress. Rightful ruler of the Fire Nation. The Prodigy with Blue Fire. Mother of the Kemurikage. Leader of the Fire Warriors. The Puppetmaster. Ruler of all she surveys."

Ruki delivers the introduction to their attending audience. Two men stand opposed to them. One that Ruki recognizes from a few years ago, he has dark skin and dark eyes. He is short and thin. The other is unfamiliar to her, but he is similarly dark skinned from a life in the Earth Kingdom. He is tall and slender. He keeps his eyes and head down, listening intently. The wind blows fiercely at Ruki's back and into his bald, bowed head. He raises his chin finally and stares at the Empress upon her throne. His eyes are grey, but sharp. His arms are folded across his body and he steps forward. He speaks with a low, strained voice.

"Let's not stand on ceremony," he starts with a pause. He tilts his head slightly as he speaks. "Azula."

Stunned to hear her real name by a stranger, the Leader of the Fire Warriors never lets it show on her face. The last few years they had phased using her real name out of her introductory titles. It was done to create some separation from Zuko and establish more mystique. It's possible that word spread to the Earth Kingdom, or perhaps it's too late now to hide from herself. All the same, Azula makes a note that this man knows more than she expected.

This grand meeting required a grand setting, according to the Puppetmaster. She sits upon a stone throne on the edge of the cliff within the Western Air Temple. Her audience views her sitting with hands folded in, legs crossed over, eyes narrowed, with the picturesque mountain sides looming in the distance. It serves many purposes, most pressing right now is imposing the image that they stand in the presence of something much larger than themselves.

After another second pause, Zirin cuts in. "It is customary to bend the knee in the presence of the Empress."

The two men turn their eyes to the brunette but do not change their facial expression. They turn back to Azula in unison. The taller one, who knows her, says, "We bow to no one."

Azula chides them. "Hollow words coming from a man who finds himself kneeling before the Avatar like a dog, answering to his every beck and call."

"Perhaps we won't for much longer, but we will not trade one slave driver for another. You shall not rule over us, Dragon Empress."

Azula finally stands from her stone throne. She steps towards them, the wind continuing to howl at her back. She smirks, arms crossed over her chest, and comments on their surroundings. "Tell me, do you know why I chose the Western Air Temple for this meeting?"

The men stare blankly at her. She is perturbed. "Oh come now, I'm sure you have guesses."

The man she had assaulted at the Idle Grove two years ago offers a response. "Quick disposal of us if we do not agree to terms?"

Azula laughs out loud at this. "On the contrary, Zaso. We bring you no harm and offer you no threats. It is fully up to you if you desire to attempt to push us off the ledge."

There is a pregnant pause. Azula extends her arms out. "But just know that when we come back from the fall, it is you who will have been the aggressor. It will be you we come for because you pushed us."

Another pregnant pause overcomes the silence of the group. Azula steps backwards towards the edge. She takes a step back, up to the lip of it. Her arms extended out, a gust blows her hair all about and threatens to pull her off the ledge. Ruki and Zirin face forward. They know their leader better and know she will not be killed by some damn wind.

"So, Xai Bau," Azula shouts over the wind. The taller man, the one who had known her name, now turns his head slightly. A small smirk develops on his face. "Will you attempt to push me over the edge?"

A second passes by. He can't help but smile before shaking his head to say 'no.' Azula smiles back. She steps down from the ledge and walks towards him. She stops a foot away.

"In that case, let's do as you suggested," she starts, crossing her arms once more. "Let's not stand on ceremony."

"The best defense is a good offense."

"Spoken like a woman who rushes to her death."

Azula and Xai Bau sit opposed to each other playing Pai Sho on the large table within the Temple. Zirin, Ruki, and Zaso have been dismissed to give them privacy and trade secrets. Azula plays an offensive strategy, but is very careful of Xai Bau's highly defensive maneuvers. She feels that he is concealing a great plan of attack just below the surface. He speaks what is on his mind.

"I want to play a game."

"Oh?" Azula chuckles. "I thought we were doing that already."

"The rules are simple. You tell me something and in exchange I tell you something."

"I don't suppose we both traveled all this way just to play a board game."

"Indeed," Xai Bau says, making his move.

"Or perhaps you just want to distract me." Azula muses.

"I won't need to do that to defeat you," he replies while countering.

She nods at him. "Fine. We're in agreement."

"Excellent. Now, how did you come to possess this place?"

Azula moves a piece into attacking position, "Two years ago the Air Acolytes contacted the local village and requested them to investigate the remains to see how much of it could be saved. It's 'viability for restoration.' It was a suicide mission."

"So they perished?"

"Of course not," she blunts. "They reached out to us. We investigated and then bombed it out. Forged a legitimate report for them that it was beyond redemption. The Avatar himself came to investigate and saw it was, indeed, beyond saving. Once we knew he and the Acolytes weren't coming for it, we fixed it ourselves as a far northern base of operation."

"Wise beyond your years, young Azula."

She nods as they exchange moves. "My turn: why form the Pale Lotus?"

He sits and rubs his chin as he thinks through what his next move will be. He explains to her, "I have been with the White Lotus for many years. I was recruited when I was younger than you are now for my connection to the Spirit World. I believed in our values once, but now we are as you said: dogs at the feet of the Avatar."

"That's all?"

"Agni no, that's just the beginning. I wanted Ozai out of the picture as much as anyone, but I did not agree with the decision to come out of hiding."

"You weren't the first to wish death upon my Father."

"Is it true that you were the last?"

Azula takes a piece, which Xai Bau quickly recovers, but she gains some positioning. She can't help but feel like he allowed her to do it for some unseen reason. She looks up from across the board. They lock eyes.

"I was."

He nods and then returns his eyes to the board. She asks him, "So you don't agree with my Uncle's decisions and now you're trying to form a counter group?"

"The Pale Lotus is much more than a counter group. We are spiritually endowed in ways that the White Lotus never will be."

"Then why me? I'm far from spiritual."

Xai Bau moves his piece into position. "You have status and influence that we need to move the Pale Lotus forward. We're not looking to build a 'new' government. The people should rule each other. The rumors are that you agree with that mindset. We are looking to break away from the White Lotus but to build ourselves up we need people outside of them to grow."

Taking advantage of a mistake, Azula takes a piece with no recourse. She knows what rumors he speaks of. 'No Kings. No Avatars, No Fire Lords. Only women.' She observes, "So you compromise your spiritual values to share my value with the common folks in the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom."

"I assure you, Azula," he starts, raising his eyes to meet hers. "Nothing about the Pale Lotus will ever be compromised in our spiritual connection. I have more knowledge of the Spirit World than any member of the White Lotus has, had, or ever will have."

Azula blunders a move, caught up in the awe of his belief. She asks, "What makes you so sure?"

Taking advantage of her mistake he tells her, "I have spoken to Spirits that only legends speak of."

Azula finally feels that she understands the man who is ten years her elder. She can finally read him. His aversion to governments. His disdain for royalty and her titles. His faith in the Spirit World yet realistic respect for her influence in this world. She looks down at their endgame and sees the final moves unfolding in her mind. She moves her piece and places him in a precarious situation. She looks up from the board and speaks to him.

"Avatar's, White Lotus, Fire Lord's, Earth Kings and Queens, Water Nation Chiefs. They're all just spokes on a wheel."

She lifts her fingers up and does a spinning motion, stopping the motion with each turn as she says, "First this one is on top, then that one is on top, and on and on it spins, crushing those on the ground."

He nods in agreement. "So you see our dream then? To stop the wheel?"

He moves his piece, not seeing her strategy. She plays a critical move. She tells him, "We're not going to stop the wheel. We're going to break it."

Xai Bau sees now that he's lost. He looks up from the board. His grey eyes stare into her golden ones. Despite losing he can't help but smile. She smiles devilishly back at him. She tells him, "You shall have my hand in your efforts to restore balance to the world."

The group's stand by Azula's stone throne now. They've shared a meal together and exchanged information on ways to work together. Azula has agreed to become a co-founder of the Pale Lotus, but she offers a new idea.

"Why the Pale Lotus?"

"Did you have something else in mind?" Zaso asks her.

"I did, actually." Azula replies.

She stares amusingly at the matching blood colored outfits that her party wears. She stares at Ruki's ginger hair. The bright flames that light the corridors of the temple. She offers an alternative title.

The group gathers the next morning, preparing to head off in their own directions. Azula provides one last twist.

"I have a parting gift for you, Xai Bau."

He tilts his head subtly. "Oh? What is that?"

Azula spreads her arms all around her. "You're standing in it."

Zirin didn't agree with this idea when it was suggested but she is thankful to have the precarious location off her hands. She looks away as Azula continues. "A new base of operations for the Red Lotus. Right under the nose of the Avatar, located remotely in the Earth Kingdom, but close enough to Caldera. You and Zaso can build your enterprises starting right here."

"This is most generous of you, Azula." Zaso replies, bowing his head.

"I would be at a loss for words," Xai Bau starts. "If not that I have my own parting gift for you."

"Oh?"

"A new title for you to add to your collection."

"My titles are growing and vast, Xai Bau. I prefer they come from the people, just as you prefer them to govern themselves."

"This title supersedes them all. It speaks to who you are, at your core."

Azula decides to indulge him. "Well then, what did you have in mind?"

He nods his head and smiles mischievously.

"The Immortal Soldier."

Zirin doesn't speak her mind the whole way to the boat. The three heads of Azula's empire travel for a couple of hours before getting into Namo's boat. The muscular man takes them out to sea as they begin the return trip. Once they are several miles out to sea, she finally opens up.

"Are you certain this was the right decision, Azula?"

Azula had expected this. She looks out at the horizon as they travel through the late afternoon waters. "You think I've made a mistake."

"Xai Bau is not someone I would trust. His goals are to sow discord and upend the system that we've gamed."

"Zirin, you have been in charge of our finances for a year or so now. No one knows that system we've built better than you. However, let me ask you this: what if he succeeds? Would we be better off in his graces or outside of them?"

Zirin shakes her head. "He's a terrorist, Azula. Everything he represents stands in opposition to what the Dragon Empress is meant to stand for."

Azula finally turns her gold eyes to the black of Zirin's. "It was you who once told me that we would make many enemies on this path. Big enemies. Powerful enemies, I believe you called them."

"I did."

"And now, instead of killing him, I've captured him. He's indebted to us. We won't have to look over our shoulder for Xai Bau ever again."

"If he never rises to power through, then we never would've had to worry about him to begin with. Giving him these resources, empowering him, I think this was a mistake."

Zirin has rarely ever so openly called Azula's judgement into question. The Leader of the Fire Warriors stares out at the horizon. She reflects on this and on what Zirin is worried about on this matter. She speaks to the passing seas.

"Should the world ever belong to the Red Lotus, they will look to someone to guide them. It is the natural state of man to kneel. That is when the world will find me, ready to take charge."

She turns back to Zirin and Ruki. "Should the Red Lotus fail to take footing in this world, then all I will have lost is an air temple that will surely be reclaimed by the Avatar at some point in his lifetime anyway."

Ruki finally speaks. "It's a no lose situation for you, Mother."

She nods at the lilac eyed girl. She turns back to Zirin. She repeats the words back to her girlfriend.

"No half measures, right?"

The girl with grey eyes walks down the sloping hill towards the tiny pier in the village. She has spent nearly two days in Baochou now and has spoken to just about every single local. The sun hangs low, casting a perfect golden light all across the water and landscape. The last person on her trip that she'll speak with is an anxious and expecting father, who cleans his boat obsessively to keep his hands busy.

He looks up and sees a pretty, young girl approaching him. She asks him, "Excuse me, but is your name Lin?"

The man wraps a rope around his forearm and stares at the stranger. Over the last few years it was not unusual for the Puppetmaster to send messengers he didn't recognize, almost always exactly like this one: young girls from the Fire Nation. This one, he noted, had strikingly beautiful eyes. It didn't make sense to him, however, for the Empress to be sending him any messages right now, unless something had gone horribly wrong.

"I am," he responds with a sigh. "And who might you be?"

"My name is Ty Lee and I'm a Kyoshi Warrior," she replies. Lin internally goes stiff as a board, his anxiety spiking instantly. "I'm passing through your village and I've just been asking everyone here some questions."

"Oh?" He asks, perhaps a little too quickly. "Awfully far for a single Kyoshi Warrior to wander."

"Well, I'm here on a personal journey," she says while shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "I've been asking everyone in town for the last day-and-a-half what they think about the Dragon Empress."

"Oh, of course," Lin starts. He takes a seat on his boat, facing Ty Lee. She stands on the dock and looks at him. This isn't the first time this has happened to Lin but it's been two or more years so he needs to settle himself. "She has been most kind to those of us who struggle."

Ty Lee smiles and shrugs. She looks out at the sunsets. "That feels like the same thing I've heard from everyone else. Almost like it's scripted. She told me that people would say that, and now it's all I hear."

Lin nods but doesn't reply. She grimaces. "But doesn't it bother you at all the way she's gone about it? Killing people and stealing? She's built this sprawling criminal organization with blood and dust."

"I think it's more like with fire and lightning, Ms. Lee," Lin chuckles and doesn't look away from her. He continues, "And to be honest with you, it doesn't bother me."

Ty Lee turns her head at him, imploring him to go on. "The Fire Lord isn't down here trying to help us. He's too busy with building that shining city on a hill of his."

Ty Lee is aware of the recent work on Cranefish Town and the efforts to 'modernize' it. She doesn't stop him. "I even heard he's commissioned some massive statue of the Avatar, in honor of his love for the boy. Meanwhile, his Fire Nation soldiers harass us, take our taxes, and then enlist our boys. They're not helping us."

The short, portly man motions with his hands as he goes on. "Maybe people are dying, but it's different people now. Before it was us. Our people were the people dying. From starvation and raiders and just from being poor. People were dying before, you just didn't care because they were the right people."

This point makes a lot of sense and deflates Ty Lee. She is starting to see what Azula had meant when she said she was helping people while Zuko and the Warriors were not. She decides to move on. She confronts the fisherman at last.

"Some folks up in town seem to think that you know the Dragon Empress well."

"I do." He admits.

Ty Lee is stunned. "You do?"

"Indeed. I was one of the first people she helped."

"You were?"

"Yes. I don't know why me," he lies, "but my boat, this boat, was stolen, and she took it back for me. Someone told her I needed help and she said, 'the Dragon Empress will forever be a friend to those in need.'"

"That's quite the story," Ty Lee wonders aloud. "So you never talked to her? Never got to know her? Didn't owe her anything?"

"She asked for a home cooked meal for her and her girls. See they were starving themselves," Lin tells the truth. "I obliged them and then they went on their merry way, off to help the next person in need."

"She didn't ask anything more?"

"I couldn't have paid her anything more, Ms. Lee," he assures her. Again, he lies, "I haven't had any dealings with her since then."

Ty Lee feels like this version of Azula is benevolent, but also that it seems too good to be true. Lin cuts into her reflection with a question.

"So what's this all about then? Why are you after her? She's just trying to do a little good in the world. Trying to spread her legacy."

Ty Lee weighs her options for responding. She feels like he could tell her more but isn't sure how to get that out of him. She decides that being honest may be the best way to get an honest response.

"She's somebody that I used to know. We were childhood friends. We grew up together. Did everything together. We were really close. Now I've spent the last two years searching for her and no one ever knows where she is. She's elusive, yet I feel called to find her."

Realization sets upon Lin faster than the sun setting just beyond the horizon. He now knows that this isn't just any Kyoshi Warrior. This is the one.

He asks her, "Why do you think that is?"

Ty Lee purses her lips. Her answer is blunt, "Because she's an arrogant piece of shit and she keeps me up at night."

Lin laughs heartily at this. He knows how important this girl is to the Empress. He smiles and continues to chuckle as he replies, "I see."

There are several seconds of awkward silence as neither knows where to go from here. Ty Lee determines that it's the end of the line for her. She needs to get back, get food, and prepare for the long trip back to Kyoshi Island tomorrow.

"Well, sadly for me I think I've hit a dead end and wasted my time coming here. I'll need to get going, but thank you for your time!"

Her single braided ponytail swings around as she turns and begins walking away. Lin watches her go but he feels conflicted. It makes no Agni damn sense, but he feels compelled to call her back. He can't explain it except that he felt destiny was calling to him to stop her.

"Ms. Lee!" He shouts, standing up finally.

She spins around gracefully on spot.

"I did hear a rumor once. About where she stays. I can't know for sure but maybe it'll help you in your quest."

Ty Lee knew being honest would get her more information. She remains collected as she replies, "I've heard a lot of rumors about where she is and where she goes. What makes this any different?"

"Nothing, I suppose. But do you mind if I share it with you anyway?"

"I'll never turn down more information."

"I heard a rumor a while ago that she spends her winter and early spring months somewhere warm," he tells her with a brief pause. "Somewhere she's familiar with."

"Hmmm," the brunette wonders. "Any idea where?"

"Oh no, Ms. Lee, I wouldn't pretend to know all about that," he replies. He will not blatantly betray her. "There's lots of places that are warm in the Fire Nation, even during winter."

Ty Lee nods her head. She furrows her brow, "But somewhere she's familiar with?"

"That's what I've heard."

Slowly nodding her head more vigorously now she responds, "Thank you, Lin. This has helped a lot."

Ty Lee walks off as the sun sets in the distance. Her mind turns through the sand and her memories wash over her like a wave.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

The Faceless Demon

[Winter/Spring 110 AG]

The black expanse of the forest emerges into view. Blemished not with the fires and greasy smoke of the battle raging all around them. The flames in the distance cast a low, orange glow over the trees which she had often traversed with Ty Lee and all the others. The birthplace of her many adventures, the origins of her belief, the bedrock of her childhood. Happy memories, filling her heart with a pleasant warmth.

They are here, sullying the beautiful woodland of her homeland with their malevolence.

Kyoshi Island is under siege. Rain pours down relentlessly from above as the sirens across the islands blare to alert villagers to seek shelter and fighters to the front lines. The pirates and raiders had come again by night and Suki's girls had not been prepared this time. Thunder booms and lightning illuminates the dark as Suki surges through the woods to the shores of the island.

When she finally arrives she watches in the distance of the South Sea as a large pirate ship awaits escaping, smaller row boats. She mutters curses under her breath, knowing she had been too late. The thunderstorm and fog had provided a perfect cover for them. Suki watches as a smaller island burns, black smoke billowing upwards. She wonders how much more they can take.

"Suki," a voice approaches from behind.

She turns around to face one of her fellow warriors. They are solemn but look determined.

"We got one."

Somehow a few warriors from a smaller island had managed to isolate and subdue one of the raiders. Suki had commanded them to bring him to the mainland and rough him up. She's let him stew for a good long while now and plans to show him some 'grace.' She enters what is traditionally their dojo and finds him chained to a wall, sitting on the ground, dried blood on his face and clothes. She grabs a chair from the corner of the room and walks it up to him.

"Here, let's get you off the ground."

She places the chair beside him. He looks up at it cautiously and then back to her. He worries about this kindness but doesn't want to sit on the floor anymore either. Worriedly he moves into the chair and sits. Suki takes a slug of fresh water from her waterskin. When she's done she offers it to him. Concerned and confused, the man does not reject the offer. He takes it from her and greedily gulps down the little bit that Suki had filled up.

"That's good, right?"

He stops trying to suck it dry and looks at her with confusion.

"I can get you more," she leans in. "Just tell me what I want to know."

He huffs through his nostrils. The small, portly, bearded man with dark skin and darker eyes tells her, "Nothing to say to you."

"You're our prisoner. We're not just going to let you go. Not without getting a little bit out of you first, anyway. That can be done the easy way, or the not easy way. It's for you to decide."

He doesn't say anything. Suki snaps her fingers. One of the warriors runs in and hands her a paper cup and a pitcher of water. "How's about this," she says once they depart. "You answer one of my questions, and I'll pour you a drink."

He doesn't blink. She pours a cup. "Let's start with your name. I'm Suki. What about you?"

He stares blankly at her. Suki gives him a few moments to say something. When he doesn't answer, she tips the cup over and spills it out into the floor in front of him. He watches it go, visibly shaken. She pours another cup.

"Let's try another one. Why our villages?"

Licking his lips, he's less determined this time but still remains quiet. Suki let's another moment pass in silence before she tips it over again and pours out the drink.

"When will they come back?"

More of the same. He looks distraught, but stands his ground. Suki pours more water out. Seeing that he won't answer she pivots.

"Let's try this another way. I'll tell you what we already know about your group. You tell me more of what I want to know and maybe we can work something out to make you more comfortable."

He blinks back at her. She pushes forward.

"We know you call yourselves 'Koh's Disciples.' We know that your endgame is to 'cover the world in faceless people.'"

He doesn't respond.

"I've buried a lot of dead over the last two months. It's not something I enjoy doing," the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors leans in, her anger building. "You all cut the faces off everyone you kill as some kind of offering to your namesake. Something like that, right?"

"Something like that," he finally replies.

"So you do have something to say to me then, hm?"

"If you're going to speak on Koh then you better be correct."

"Koh is an interesting choice. It's a specific choice. One that is devoted to ancient beliefs. Rigid structure. Conservatism. A devotion to life without emotion. Am I right about all of that?"

He returns to giving her the silent treatment. Suki grows frustrated and rolls her eyes.

"Playing shy again? Yeah, well, that's alright. Our namesake could destroy yours. Avatar Kyoshi is one of the greatest legends to ever walk the Earth. You should fear her."

"We fear no Avatar. We fear nothing."

"Hmm? I don't think that's true. I've heard you fear something very much."

He looks doubtful at her. He doesn't believe her. Suki shows her hand.

"The Faceless Demon? Ever heard of him?"

The prisoner leans back and physically tries to create distance between them. He shakes his head. He mutters quietly. So quiet that Suki almost doesn't hear.

"Not a 'him.'"

A soft, single braided ponytail bounces against her back as she practically skips through the massive lobby. The brunette approaches the front desk, a small bag around her shoulder. The manager smiles at the twenty-something year old woman who approaches.

"Welcome to the Grand Botou City Inn! How may we serve you today?"

"Hello!" She warmly greets him. "I have a reservation for Room #3. It should be under the name 'Ty Lee.'"

The dark hair, golden eyed man briefly inspects the logbook in front of him before finding it. "Ah yes, Ms. Lee, there you are!"

He retrieves the keys from behind the desk, "And here these are. Your husband arrived not long ago!"

"Wonderful. It's been so long since I've seen him. Thank you so much." She hums.

"Excellent, well, enjoy your stay with us!" He says.

She smiles as she turns around. Before walking away though she turns back to him. "I just wanted to say, you have a fantastic aura! So bright and bubbly!"

The man isn't quite sure how to take this. He looks into her golden eyes and says, "Thank you, Ms. Lee. I hope you're still saying that by the end of your stay with us!"

She smiles cheerfully and finally walks away. She smiles deviously as she makes her way for Room 3. As she does she makes sure to greet every staff member she sees, waves to anyone she crosses, and smiles broadly for the whole world. She catches the eye of all who pass her from her bright pink, tight fitting outfit. She has thick lipstick on and heavy eyeshadow. Her cinnamon perfume is thick and wafts through the hallways. She finds the room and keys in.

As she enters she finds a man in an ornate outfit. The golden eyed brunette asks him, "Are you Asanok?"

"Yes I am," he says, a villainous smile spreading across his lips. He moves towards her. "And you must be Ty Lee?"

She approaches him, putting her bag down, pulling on her ponytail. "Please, call me 'Azula.'"

"'Azula?' Isn't that the disgraced sister of the Fire Lord?"

She stops in front of him and fiddles with the collar of his outfit. "Exactly. It's a Royalty kink."

He becomes hot and bothered. "That's fine with me, Azula."

He reaches down and grabs her between the legs. She coos in his ear, "Is it true what they say about you?"

He reaches his other hand down and grabs her backside. "What do they say about me?"

He pulls her towards the bed but before they can reach it she pushes him with full force and he falls backwards onto it. She climbs up and straddles him. "They say you're an absolute savage."

She pulls a cloth belt off of her waist. She lies down on him, pulls his hands up, and quickly ties him to the bed posts. "They say you're a ruthless businessman."

His mouth salivates as she rises up and towers over him. "They say you need to be punished."

"Oh yes, Azula," he begs her. She begins tying his legs down as well. "Please punish me. I've been very bad."

She smirks down at him, ponytail trailing between her flat chest. In one fluid motion she pulls her shirt up over her head. When she does he notices a massive scar in her lower abdomen. Alarmed at the sight he drops the charade and asks her a question. "Uh, um, did another man give you that?"

She looks down at the three-year old scar and smiles at the memory. She says, "A woman."

Incredulous, he replies, "A woman? But women don't stab people. That's ridiculous."

She smiles warmly as she reminisces on it. She tells him, "I know. It surprised me too. But she did it to show me how much she loves me."

The man chuckles a little and shakes his head from down on the mattress. "That's insane."

Head snapping down at him, her eyes shoot flames at him. "No, it's not."

His eyes grow wide in surprise. She continues, "Sometimes when you love someone you will do crazy things for them."

Her head lazily returns to staring out into space and daydreaming. She posits, "I know her better than anyone. Better than she knows herself."

She looks down at the monster under her. She balls her shirt up and stuffs it down his throat. He looks on with wanting eyes as she smiles down at him. Quirkily she says, "Oh! I almost forgot! I brought you a gift."

Mouth filled, arms and legs tied, he can't say or do anything. She stands up, walks to the bag she'd brought with her. He can't see as she pulls out a sharp blade. Azula walks back to the man, concealing the blade. When she reveals it his screams are drowned out by the shirt in his throat. His squirming goes nowhere. She reaches up to her scalp and carefully removes the heavy wig, letting it fall to the floor. She smiles down at him.

"You said it yourself, Asanok. You've been very bad," she points the tip of the blade into his crotch.

"And you need to be punished."

Suki sits in the makeshift "war room" and reviews the mess of papers spread out before her. Lomin enters the poorly lit room, which normally functions as lounge space for the girls, and hands Suki a scroll.

"Just in from Omashu."

Suki unravels the parchment and reads the update. She doesn't show any emotion as she goes through it. Towards the end she chuckles at one note regarding the matter. She shakes her head and looks back at Lomin, "At least this is well timed."

"So you're really gonna try to go through with it then?"

There are two quick, successive knocks on the door and then it opens. A small grouping of girls come in. She whispers to Lomin, "I've already sent the Messenger Hawk."

She lifts a finger up to her mouth to indicate that this be kept quiet. Lomin nods her bushel of black hair. The room fills with Kyoshi Warriors until there are 8 of them cramped in the tiny room. Finally, the ninth and final girl, with brown hair and grey eyes, wanders in at last and takes a seat where she can find it by the door.

Suki looks around the room before looking back down at her papers. Closing her eyes, she takes a deep breath in through the nose and then exhales.

"This will be all of us today. Neken and Kare are with Zuko in Cranefish Town or whatever the fuck they're calling it now. They sent word earlier today that he will not be sending any Fire Nation troops."

There is a group reaction to this, all of which being furious. Talking over the council, Suki continues. "We also will not be receiving any help from the Earth Kingdom or the Southern Water Tribe."

"What's the fucking point of you fucking their leader if they won't help us when we fucking need it most?" One girl interjects.

Turning her attention to the girl, Suki says, "Mavanag, I know things are tense and we're all stretched thin right now, but if you take that tone with me again I will excommunicate you without another word. I don't care if we'll have even less people. I'd rather have loyal, fewer people than that shit."

"I'm sorry, Suki," she apologizes, head bowed. "I spoke out of turn, you're right, I just-"

"You're frustrated. I'm frustrated. Zuko nor Sokka can send troops across sovereign borders without it being seen as an act of war. Things are… precarious right now. King Kuei isn't putting up with their shit while they build that damn city and he doesn't like being told how to govern his own kingdom. It's a fucked situation."

"What about the Avatar?" Wiya asks.

"Aang is busy with the city too and can't just permanently relocate here. Especially given the fact that he's got a newborn that isn't even two yet. He wrote me himself saying as soon as he can come-"

"But if he waits any longer then Kyoshi Island will fall." Someone interrupts her and the group grows loud again.

All throughout this Ty Lee remains silent, observing, thinking. Suki looks across the room at her, their eyes finally meeting. Suki narrows them as she makes a face. Ty Lee doesn't understand what she's trying to say with her body language. She presses harder to read it but still can't.

"Have we gotten anything from the prisoner?" Hoyo asks.

"We have," Lomin answers. "We learned more about the enemy of Koh's Disciples."

"The Faceless Demon?" Wiya asks.

"Indeed," Suki replies. She finally looks away from Ty Lee, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend. So we are going to recruit the Faceless Demon to help us against them."

"Oh sure," Hoyo says. "Yeah, we can totally do that. Should've thought of that sooner."

"How, Suki?" Mavanag asks, exasperated. "How will we convince this Faceless Demon thing to fight for us? Do we even know who or what it is?"

"We do," Suki replies, stealing another quick glance at the girl with grey eyes. "But we know her by a different name."

This silences the group. Eyes quickly scan one another looking for answers. They dart all about before finally returning to Suki. She closes her eyes and sighs loudly. She opens them again and looks directly at Ty Lee.

"The Dragon Empress." Suki says.

"Oh my Agni."

"Kyoshi help us."

"What the shit."

"Not this bitch again."

"How is that even possible?"

"Her? Her! Why her?"

"Is Faceless Demon one of her titles? I hadn't heard that before?"

Suki raises a single fist into the air and all grow quiet. She speaks, "I have an idea. Not all of you are going to like it."

Speaking for the first time, Ty Lee says clearly and loudly, "Absolutely not."

The group again becomes silent as all eyes fall on the girl who hunted her down. Suki clears her throat and says, "Ladies, please give us the room."

Mumbling their discontent, the few chairs in the room scrape backwards as everyone except Ty Lee, Suki, and Lomin file out of the room. When they are all gone, Lomin tries to start.

"Ty, please, just-"

"Shut up, Lomin." Ty Lee tells the girl with black hair and red eyes.

Suki tells her, "This is the perfect answer to our predicament, Ty Lee."

"Getting in bed with a terrorist? That's our perfect answer?"

"Our friends can not help us. The politics at play, the timing, the manner in which we're being assaulted, the sort of enemy, the unavailability of Aang. It's the perfect storm."

"So we do what we always do and we figure it out."

"Azula doesn't operate within any of these rules that are restricting us right now. She doesn't adhere to rules, or laws, or international borders. She's a free agent with an army we all estimate to be larger than the Southern Water Tribe's at her disposal."

"This is ludicrous. Worse, it's suicide."

"These guys are terrified of her, Ty. For whatever reason. You should've seen that Disciple we captured. It was like he'd seen a damn spirit walking," she tries to impress. Ty Lee rolls her eyes and looks away. Suki forges on, "And most importantly, we have an ace in the hole."

Crossing her arms Ty Lee looks at Suki. "What's that?"

"You. You two are obsessed with each other."

Ty Lee looks away. Suki turns to Lomin, "Show her the scroll."

Lomin slides the scroll from Omashu across the 'war table' towards the acrobat. Ty Lee reluctantly leans forward and grabs it. When she unfurls it she reads about how a woman named Ty Lee, with a brown, single braided ponytail, and wearing all-pink, had arrived at an Inn and murdered a businessman just outside of Omashu last night. She shakes her head.

"That's not even the first time!" Lomin stresses. "It's the third. All across the Earth Kingdom. She's using your name and likeness to send a message."

"Well, that's too bad," Ty Lee tells them. "Because it's been three years and she'll probably kill me on sight. And how are we just going to brush aside that this Asanok guy is dead."

Suki rolls her eyes. "Ty please. He was under investigation by the Earth Kingdom for sex-trafficking young women and girls. Plus, she exposed him as an adultress. He thought he was meeting a prostitute and instead his dick met with her cold, sharp steel. Honestly, it sounds like she did the world a favor."

"How can you say that?" Ty Lee shouts. "No one should be okay with killing! All life is precious."

"All of life is about perspective, Ty Lee. Avatar Kyoshi was not above killing those who deserved it."

"So what? So now we just hire her to do the killing for us? Can't beat 'em, so join 'em?"

"Lee," Lomin interjects.

"If you hadn't noticed," Suki says, growing hostile. "We are being slaughtered by Koh's Disciples. Our people are dying. We are in need and the people who have helped us for the last ten years are mired in a geopolitical battle that has enveloped them like quicksand."

Ty Lee knows she's lost now. When Suki gets on a roll like this, it tends to snowball. She presses on, "I am the leader of these Warriors, Ty Lee. You may have adopted Kyoshi Island as your new home, but this Island adopted me. These people raised me and made me who I am. And every time Koh's Disciples come knocking, we lose more people. And I bury more friends and neighbors who raised me. What would you have me do? We are losing, Ty Lee. We are going to lose. Unless something major comes along and changes that."

She pauses to cool off for a second, but she's not done. "The Faceless Demon. That's our 'something major.'"

There's no reply given after this. Ty Lee takes it all and then let's her rest for a few seconds. Finally she sighs and says, "Okay. Okay. So where do we go from here?"

"I sent the Messenger Hawk already requesting an audience. Given that she was in Omashu last night, I'm hoping we hear back soon. Before Koh's Disciples come back around."

Ty Lee stands and looks out the window at the early morning light. "I hate this but it's not my call to make. You're in charge, Suki."

"I'm glad you can put aside your personal feelings and see the thought process," Suki replies. She stands and walks to be beside her. "Because you're going to be the key to getting her on board and saving Kyoshi Island."

Chapter Text

The Eyes of Avatar Kyoshi

[Winter/Spring 110 AG]

In the early morning light, Suki stops walking just outside the stone building. Ty Lee and Lomin both stop as well. They already know they're being watched. They can't turn back now. They look at her with confusion.

"Lomin, you go on ahead. I need to chat with Ty Lee for a second."

Without another word the dark haired girl nods and approaches the door. Just as they were told, she knocks twice, pauses, then knocks twice more. The door opens and the young girl is startled by the Kemurikage mask waiting on the other side. They do not attack or say anything. They are just there to greet them and remind them of where they are. Lomin takes in a hushed breath and then slides past them. The masked girl at the door peers out at Ty Lee and Suki for a moment before shutting the door.

After watching this, Ty Lee looks back to Suki. "What is it?"

"I just want to remind you that much of what's about to happen rests on your shoulders."

Ty Lee shifts her weight to her other foot. She doesn't reply. She just stares, determined at her leader. The woman she follows into war and today into the dark side streets of Waijao City. Azula had promptly agreed to the meeting, but on her terms. They would meet at a halfway point between Kyoshi Island and Omashu. Ty Lee hates it all. Feels like they're walking into certain doom. Nonetheless, she nods.

"Whatever happens, whatever she says, we need her. I need you to do whatever it takes to get her."

Ty Lee solemnly nods. "You say that like I wasn't going to do that already."

A gust of wind blows as the two girls look at one another. Suki nods confidently, "I know you will."

They turn together and follow where Lomin has gone.

Suki, Ty Lee, and Lomin are hopelessly surrounded. As the two of them stride into the room Suki scans the room and believes they're outnumbered four to one, maybe five to one. Half of them are Kemurikage, half of them are Fire Warriors. The windows and blinds are all drawn, blocking most light from coming in. The Kemurikage from the door and two more Fire Warriors follow in behind them, the latter of which has been following them since they had gotten within a few blocks of the meeting location. Finally, sitting dead center in the only chair in the room, is the woman herself.

Azula wears a pensive look on her face, flanked on her right by a girl with brown hair, a single braided ponytail, and black eyes. Ty Lee wonders if she too was wearing a wig to match her own look or if her hair was natural. On Azula's left is a fierce looking girl with purple eyes and red hair. She steps forward and is the first to speak.

"You stand in the presence of the Empress Azula. Rightful ruler of the Fire Nation. Rightful heir to the throne. The Prodigy with Blue Fire. Mother of the Kemurikage. Leader of the Fire Warriors. The Puppetmaster. The Immortal Soldier. The Dragon Empress. Ruler of all she surveys."

After a brief pause where nothing is said, the red haired girl spits out, "It is customary to kneel before the Empress."

Lomin and Ty Lee look at Suki, both preparing to bend their knees. Suki does not. She tells them, "Kyoshi Warriors kneel before no one. Not even the Fire Lord."

The girl with Ty Lee's hair and black eyes speaks now, saying, "Then perhaps you should go to your Fire Lord with your request? If you won't kneel-"

"That's enough Zirin," Ruki interrupts her. Her eyes linger on the Empress' girlfriend another moment. Finally, she turns back to the Kyoshi Warriors. "If they wish to discard decorum, that is their own decision. We will not forget our place as gracious hosts just because our guests forget theirs."

"Now," Ruki starts again. "In your own words, please relay your request. We have it in writing already, but let's hear it in-person."

Suki turns to Azula. She starts, "You have many-"

Before she can say anything else, she's cut off by the redhead again. "Do not speak to her. You will speak to me."

Suki purses her lips, obviously annoyed with such frivolity. "Fine. Azula," she says her real name to piss them all off. "Has many names. We recently learned of a new one that I doubt even she knows of: 'The Faceless Demon.'"

Some eyes look around the room at this news. Azula leans forward but otherwise her facial expression does not change.

"We are at war with a band of pirates and pillagers named 'Koh's Disciples.' For the last few months they have made our home the front lines. The Avatar and the Earth Kingdom have turned their back on us. So now we come to her for help."

"Yes, it does appear that you are the forsaken," Ruki starts. "But what of this name?"

"Koh's Disciples only fear one thing. The Faceless Demon. We've known that for a little while now. We recently captured a prisoner, just the other day, but the only thing we've gotten out of him is information on the Demon."

"And?"

"He described the 'Faceless Demon' as a siren woman, with hair as dark as midnight, and eyes like gold coins. She breathes blue fire, can summon lightning at will, and…" Suki trails off.

After waiting a second and not hearing her go on, Ruki asks, "And?"

"Pardon me, it's just a bit silly is all. Or perhaps incredible if it's true."

"What is it?" Ruki asks.

Stifling a giggle, Suki says, "They believe she can transform into a dragon on the battlefield and devour her enemies whole. They say she burns with such a fire that not even bones are left of a man."

Ruki shakes her head, "Incredible."

Azula stands up and declares, "Enough."

All eyes turn to her. She stares right at Ty Lee. "Everyone out except for her. Now."

Ty Lee and Zirin shout in unison, "No!"

Azula ignores Ty Lee and turns to her girlfriend. She tells her, "That was not a request, Zirin."

"Azula, please." Zirin begs.

"Suki, please." Ty Lee pleads.

Behind them the door they came in through opens. Suki stares right at Azula, who looks back. When they make eye contact, Suki smirks knowingly. Ty Lee turns to the former Princess. "How can I trust that they'll be alright? That you aren't going to take Suki and Lomin and kill them as soon as they're out of the room?"

"Oh please," Azula dismisses the concern. "If we wanted to kill you we would've done it long ago."

A joke pops in her mind and she quickly adds, "What you should really fear is if we take them hostage and make you do all kinds of weird sex things or else then we'll kill them."

"You heard Mother, everyone out." Ruki commands. "Take a walk, but don't wander too far."

Suki grabs Ty Lee's hand and briefly squeezes it. They look at one another and she whispers, "Remember what we talked about."

Lomin waits for Suki and together they file out of the room along with all of the Kemurikage and Fire Warriors. Zirin steals a frantic final look as Ruki exits just behind her and closes the door. She locks it from the outside and locks the childhood friends in together.

Alone together for the first time in years, Azula stands with her arms crossed over her chest. "You've been so distracted lately, I was afraid you'd forgotten about me."

Ty Lee chuckles. "No, just a lot going on at home."

Azula strides across the room towards her. Ty Lee tries to relax but instead her muscles tense up. Azula stops a couple of feet in front of her. "I should be more mean to you after what you did to me last time."

Ty Lee nods to this. "You should be."

Glowering up at her, Azula asks, "Are you scared?"

Ty Lee answers truthfully. "No."

"You should be. You almost killed me and now I have you all alone."

She extends her hands and gestures about the empty room. There are no witnesses, no help, they are more than a day's ride from home. Yet she feels confident that Azula won't kill her. She steps forward and into Azula's personal bubble.

"I think about that day all the time. Do you think about it?"

Ty Lee is sincere. Azula averts her gaze. They are a few inches apart, just like they were when they lied together in the Ember Island bedroom. Ty Lee reaches her hand up and gently touches her face. Softly she redirects Azula to look at her. The Puppetmaster's hands fall to her side.

"All the time." Azula confesses.

Ty Lee is here on a mission but the mission has been forgotten. Her heart beats heavy and swiftly against her chest. She can feel her pulse in her head and in her wrists and on the tip of her tongue. She licks her lips.

"I-I need your help," she rasps. "This is important to me."

Separated by miles and years and opposite sides of the law, Azula closes the gap between them. Her left hand clasps the back of Ty Lee's shoulder. She smiles warmly, which is when Ty Lee gasps. She looks down.

Pressed into her abdomen is the tip of a switchblade with a red handle. Azula tightens her grip on Ty Lee's back. Her right hand remains steady.

"I'm not cheap, Ty Lee."

She looks away from the blade and back into those golden eyes. Even in the shadowy light, they shine brightly. Ty Lee raises a hand to grab the forearm of Azula's left hand.

"I know."

"Will you give me everything I want?"

They are practically nose to nose. Ty Lee draws a hushed breath. "I will."

Azula smiles. She removes the blade but remains holding Ty Lee flush against her body. Her golden eyes search those familiar grey ones. She smirks briefly before stifling a giggle. She asks a question.

"Shall we begin?"

The girls running drills stop what they're doing. The ones inside the homes crane their necks to see. Those who happen to already be on the street become paralyzed. They numbly stare and blink as Ty Lee, Suki, and Lomin walk through the village square. The pass right by the statue of Avatar Kyoshi and in tow among them are three other unknown figures.

No one stops them. No one says anything to them. The entire village whispers to one another as the Dragon Empress passes through their village in broad daylight. Zirin hates the stares and hushed tones. Ruki adores it, the little people and their provincial lives. Azula looks at the brunette walking in front of her. She asks her a question.

"Are you sure this is legal, Ty Lee?"

The entire group comes to a stop. The former circus star turns around to look at her, surprised and incredulous. "Really? You of all people? What do you care if it's legal or not?"

Azula admits it's awkward. Her answer is honest. "I'm just trying to look out for you."

A gust of wind blows. Kyoshi Warriors throughout the village stop to watch, unable to hear. Azula and Ty Lee hold their eye contact for a second. Ty Lee doesn't know how to respond, so she doesn't. She simply purses her lips and nods. They turn back around and continue walking them through the village, right into the room that used to be their dojo.

The prisoner looks up from his place on the ground. The leader woman walks in, flanked by the black haired girl and a brunette he doesn't recognize. This time though he notes that there are even more people walking in behind them. He slouches as they enter and wonders if this will be another attempt to beat him into submission.

Suki steps up into the center of the room. "I've brought someone for you to meet. Before that though, I'll give you one final chance to tell us what you know."

The man looks up at Suki and they stare at one another a moment. He rears his head back, like he's thinking. Then he juts it forward and spits across the room at her. He misses by several feet. Suki sighs in disappointment. She turns to the black haired girl behind her and gestures that the floor is hers. He watches as she approaches. Arms crossed over her chest she looks down at him.

"You know who I am." She tells him.

He chuckles and scowls at her.

"Say my name." She commands him.

He stares more intently at her now.

"Yes, that's right. Look closer. You know who I am."

He gulps. He blinks a couple of times. Then he shakes his head.

"Yes. You know who I am."

"No," he mutters, shaking his head more vigorously. "No."

She puts out both of her palms. Her left palm glows with static electricity. His pulse quickens seeing this. Her right palm lights a flame of blue fire.

"NO," he shouts. "NO, PLEASE. NO!"

"Say my name."

"You're the Faceless Demon!" He shouts, hiding his face, trying to shrink away. "You're the Prodigy with Blue Fire!"

The electricity dies. The blue flame goes out.

"You're Agni damn right."

The grown man in chains is audibly crying. The smell of urine permeates the room. Azula snickers at the scene. She's never even met this man, yet the legend of Azula had extended to the point that he now cries and pees himself at her very presence. She turns back and motions to Suki. She approaches.

Suki kneels down to his level and whispers things to him. Azula turns back around and strides towards the others. She whispers to Ruki, Zirin, Ty Lee, and Lomin, "You don't have to stay for this."

"Thank you, Empress." Ruki bows her head.

Ty Lee looks down at the man on the floor and how terrified he is. She looks up at Azula, who looks right at her. There is a look in her eyes. Azula knows what comes next and she doesn't want Ty Lee to see it. Ty Lee reluctantly nods. She joins Ruki and Lomin as they all exit. Zirin remains, arms crossed. Azula turns back around and approaches the prisoner, Suki offering to spare him if he tells them what they want to know.

Ty Lee, Lomin, and Ruki all loiter about the statue of Kyoshi. Lomin is giving a lesson on the island to a fascinated Ruki. One arm of the statue holds a fan while the other is extended out. Ty Lee stares up at it and the eyes of Kyoshi fall upon her. This place, at the foot of the statue, has always been a holy place. She loves to come here to feel at peace. Being under her eye is tranquil. In this plot of land, Ty Lee has never found it easier to smooth out her aura.

Closing her eyes again, she is in the middle of pushing it into a light orange when she hears feet approaching. She opens them and sees a golden eyed ex-Princess approaching, flanked by Suki and the one they call 'Zirin.' Suki looks more stressed than when they started. The group of leaders all come together and share what they've learned.

The prisoner's name is Jekin. Much to everyone's surprise, Koh's Disciples originate in the Fire Nation. Jekin claims they view the war with the Kyoshi Warriors to be a holy crusade to 'exterminate women without virtue.' Finally, they serve 'The King of Faces.'

Suki asks Azula, "You seemed to know who that was?"

"Mhm, sort of."

"You do?" Zirin asks.

"Yes. It was five or six years ago now. Me, Chyn, and Ukuyi infiltrated the rapists and War Lord's who were still lauding over Baochou. Before I killed the last of them he said the King of Faces would get me eventually."

"Rapists and War Lord's in Baochuo?" Lomin asks, incredulous. "How have we never heard about this?"

Zirin quickly cuts in, "Because we took care of them."

Ty Lee is unnerved at how Azula casually says she 'killed the last of them.' Suki asks, "Did you get anything else from them about this King?"

"No, I," she pauses and recalls how Chyn had worried about not pressing for more information. "I didn't think it would matter."

"Rightfully so, Empress," Ruki states. "Until now we hardly had any reason to believe he posed a threat."

Suki looks around the group and tells them, "We also learned from him that their next assault should occur within two week."

"It'll happen sooner than that," Azula tells them.

Ty Lee asks her, "Why do you think that?"

"Because it's what I would do," she shrugs. There's a brief pause before she finishes. "Especially if I left a rat behind. I'd come much sooner."

Azula and Suki sit down alone, each with a cup of tea. They each sip it from across the table in the tiny, cramped, disheveled 'war room.' There was much to discuss and Azula had decided to leave all other voices out of the negotiations.

"So, what will it take to solicit your help in this war with Koh's Disciples."

"I suppose we should start with what you need."

"We need bodies. Fighters. They outnumber us and then strike at different times, catching us off guard."

"Then people you may have. I will lend you as many of my Fire Warriors as we can gather. They're less disciplined than your Warriors, so perhaps you could include them in training exercises you're so famous for."

Suki finds this shockingly agreeable. A pleasant compromise. Azula continues, "That's not all though. Zirin, Ruki, and myself will all remain on the island and see this through."

"You're going to halt your entire criminal operation to help us? You and your top two will all stay here?"

Azula hums a little. "You really misunderstand me. 'The Dragon Empress will forever be a friend to those in need.' That's our ethos. And you are in desperate need. We are simply providing our services."

"How generous?"

"We'll all need a place to stay of course. And I'll warn you now: Should Zuko, the Avatar, or anyone else happen to show up, try to intervene, or attempt to capture us, my Kemurikage will advance on this island with a wrath so powerful that you'll wish Koh's Disciples were still your only problem. They will leave nothing standing and you will rule over a graveyard."

Suki nods. "Very well. Fire Warriors, trained alongside the Kyoshi Warriors. You and your two best lieutenants. A place to stay for everyone. Ty Lee also mentioned you're expensive."

Azula narrows her eyes and nods. Suki confesses.

"I'm afraid that's where this becomes problematic. I don't know how much we can really pay you."

"Suki, my dear. There's more to life than getting paid."

Stunned and confused Suki asks, "What do you mean? You… you're not going to charge us?"

"I'm doing this for something far more valuable than money."

"I see?" Suki replies without really seeing.

"There is one small cost though, and it's precisely why I wanted to meet just the two of us."

"I knew it couldn't be that simple."

"You will tell everyone that you can't afford us, but are taking on our services anyway because you need our help. No Avatars, no Fire Lord's, no Earth King's, no one is coming so you have enlisted the Dragon Empress instead. You will accommodate all that we've already agreed on, and you will house me, and me alone, with Ty Lee. Finally, you will tell no one that I requested such terms."

Suki laughs out loud.

"So let me get this straight. You want me to tell everyone we're going into debt to you, but you won't actually charge us anything. In exchange, we train your Fire Warriors, put them, Zirin, and Ruki all in living quarters, and I put you in Ty Lee's house and claim the whole thing was my idea. And for all of that, assuming Aang and Zuko and the rest of them don't swing by, you're going to save us from the brink of annihilation?"

"That's right."

"You're insane."

"You're turning me down?"

"Absolutely not. I couldn't have imagined more agreeable terms in my wildest dreams."

"Then we're in agreement?"

"Yes, we are."

"Best to inform the others then." Azula stands up and walks towards the door.

"Just one last question."

"I can still change the terms if you dare to speak out of turn."

"I wouldn't dare."

"Well then?"

"What is it about her?"

Azula turns away from Suki's eye contact and stares out into space. She thinks about the brunette with soft, giant, grey eyes. She confesses with a lopsided smile on her face.

"We are the same."

Moments after the announcement is made, amid the hoopla and handshaking, two girls approach their respective leaders. They express their concerns and ask questions. They wonder how this agreement was made and why. They wish they had been in the room when it happened so they could know how the deal had been struck.

"Are you sure we can trust them?" Ty Lee asks Suki.

"We don't have much choice," she tells her. She places a hand on the chi blockers shoulder. "I also have something else in mind. Once again, I don't think you're going to like it."

Ty Lee turns her head in confusion. Outside the room, as they walk and discuss arrangements for the Fire Warriors and Kemurikage, Zirin cautions her girlfriend on this particular murder mission.

"Empress, you need to be careful. I know she's important to you because of your shared childhood, but just," she trails off momentarily. "Just don't put yourself in danger for her."

"Why do you worry, Zirin? What about 'no half-measures?'"

Ruki walks faster to catch up. Zirin replies, "If you die then it's all for nothing. You have to live. If you die, what will we be left with?"

Ruki now walks in lockstep with the other two. Azula smiles and chuckles. She slides her hand down and interlocks their fingers. "Oh Zirin, you underestimate yourself. I have absolute faith that should I ever pass from this world, you would no doubt step up into my spot and take full control of my empire."

Ty Lee's home is a two story house away from the rest of the village. She had requested 'relative' solitude when she first moved, in case she decided to ever drop out it would be easier to slip away. Over the years she has loved and hated it. She hates being away from all of her friends and fellow warriors. On the other hand, she loves being able to detach and get some time to herself when she goes home. Right now though she'd rather be anywhere else.

"Hey there roomie!" The Mother of the Kemurikage says to her as she approaches.

She carries a small cloth bag with her spare clothes and belongings. She smiles like she doesn't have a care in the world. It infuriates the brunette as the girl who once killed her partner now publicly approaches her, in her homeland, without repercussion.

"This will be our first sleepover since we were kids!" Azula tells her as she stops in front of Ty Lee, just outside the home. "Although this time I don't think Mai will be interrupting our alone time."

She winks at the taller girl then walks in without an invitation. The decor is slightly different but the layout is the same. The cup for keys is still along the wall on the left when you walk in. The tiny living room with a couch is still through the door on her right after entering. Back behind it the living room is the kitchen. She drops her cloth bag on the floor and drinks in the smell of cinnamon. Ty Lee enters the room.

"How long has it been since I was last here?" Azula asks, turning to her but staying in place. "Almost six years if I recall, right?"

"Yes, that's right." Ty Lee replies curtly. "Six years since you broke in, kicked down my bedroom door, and held me at knife point."

Azula gets a look on her face and smirks. "If I recall you only had the one bed up there. Will we be sharing that?"

"No," Ty Lee insists. She points as she says, "You'll sleep on the couch."

Azula eyes the couch a few feet away. She walks over to it. She makes a show to dramatically look from the couch to Ty Lee multiple times. Then she says, "Are you sure?"

Ty Lee crosses her arms and puffs herself up. "Yes. You are not sleeping in my bed with me."

"You don't want to finish what we started at Ember Island?"

Ty Lee huffs through her nostrils. She rolls her eyes and walks away, going up the stairs to get away from the former Princess. Azula shouts up to her as she goes.

"I brought some fish for dinner tonight. My treat!"

When she hears the bedroom door slam shut, she chuckles to herself. She takes a seat on the couch, and spreads her legs wide. The sunlight cuts through the window blinds and stripes her body in shadows and light. She smiles deviously to herself and mutters under her breath.

"Oh yes. We'll be sharing that bed in no time, Ty Lee."

"How's your dinner?"

Ty Lee remains silent. She can't admit that it's good because that means admitting that Azula had made a good meal. She had been convinced that Azula was a princess in a tower, unable to accomplish basic tasks like cooking. She was sure someone had been making her meals for her for the last eight plus years. Admitting it tasted good meant admitting that she was wrong about Azula.

The first night, Ty Lee simply refused to eat with her. She had wandered into town and paid for a meal instead. The whole time she thought about Azula and how this made her feel. Yet she just couldn't do it. Then, earlier this morning, Suki gave her a stern warning that she was needed to keep Azula happy so that they could continue to afford her services.

Azula hums to herself. She couldn't tell if the brunette liked the meal or not. She was determined to make the most of this limited time together.

"You know," she starts. "This reminds me of when we were chasing Zuko and the Avatar and being in Ba Sing Se."

Ty Lee doesn't reply. She pushes the food around on her plate. Against her better judgement, she goes back in her mind to those early days.

"We would eat together, just like this," Azula muses. "Mai would brood in the corner. We'd watch the stars and plot and talk about life. And now life has brought us back together again."

Ty Lee can't take it anymore. Without saying a word she pushes back from the table. She gets up and leaves. She hurdles off, up the stairs, into her room, and shuts the door again. Azula huffs in disappointment. She places the dishes in the sink and determines that she'll clean them later.

Ty Lee lies in her bed and tries to not think about the murderer in her house. Yet her mind cycles around her like water down a drain. She thinks about her smell, about her cooking, about their memories. She rolls over. She thinks about Azula's titles and how she's helping the Kyoshi Warriors. She thinks about their time in that room alone and how Ty Lee convinced her to come. She rolls. She thinks about how Azula could've killed her but didn't. How Azula holds all the power, but doesn't wield it. How Suki thought it would be best to put them together again for everyone else's protection. She rolls. She knows that Azula is bad for her. But she's drawn to her all the same. The way a moth wasp is drawn to the same flame that will ultimately kill it.

Azula rises up, gasping for air. She fumbles about with panicked breath. She tries to ensure she is alive and all there. She remembers that she is on the couch in Ty Lee's living room on Kyoshi Island. All that she had just experienced was but a dream. Looking out the window she sees the sun just beyond the horizon. She gets up, stretches, and begins her day. She wonders if she awoke because she always wakes before the sun rises, or because her nightmare had spooked her.

After dressing for the day, she sets out through the front door. Off to see what preparations need to be made for the battle. She reflects on her dream and what it means. She's been having this particular one for a while now. She can't place when it first started, but she's woken up from it more than a few times. After several minutes she finally arrives at the center of the main village on Kyoshi Island. She stops by the large statue of the former Avatar. She takes a moment to sit beneath the eyes of Kyoshi. She turns back around and observes.

It has been a few days, but now she watches Kyoshi Warriors and Fire Warriors exit homes together in consort. They chatter and engage. In a different time there would be animosity and struggle. Now though, there is only kinship. After all, they share many of the same elements. Destitute girls forsaken by the world, who have found meaning in something larger than themselves. Both groups fight for something bigger than themselves.

'And now they fight together against an even greater enemy.'

There is a soft crunch of feet behind her. There is no alarm for the Puppetmaster; she doesn't worry about someone stabbing her in the back. Striding to stand beside her is the leader of these Kyoshi Warriors.

"Good morning, Suki. Get much sleep?"

"Not at all. You?"

"Nightmares woke me."

Suki chortles. "The Dragon Empress has nightmares?"

"And why shouldn't I? Am I not human after all? Do you think of me as a Demon the way Koh's Disciples do?"

"Almost," Suki replies sincerely. "It's just weird to think about. You're almost all-powerful, so it's hard to imagine what would keep you up at night."

"Hm," she huffs. "Well, if you must know, I dreamt I was a bird."

"A bird?"

"A caged bird."

"Well, on the bright side," Suki starts with a lilt in her voice. "You're Fire Warriors aren't caged and you're with Ty Lee now. Everything you wanted."

"That's true. It's only been a few days but," Azula looks as girls from different worlds run drills together and run in packs. "This is working? Far better than I imagined anyway."

"Makes you really think," Suki says, as they turn their heads to look at one another. "What could we accomplish if we worked together all the time?"

Ruki hits the floor, defeated once more. Quickly the fiery redhead climbs to her feet and turns to face her opponent. The brunette with grey eyes smiles condescendingly at her. The woman with violet eyes grows angry and barks at her. "Do not underestimate me! You will regret it!"

"I'm not underestimating you, Ruki," Ty Lee replies. Assuming a defensive stance, she chides her, "I'm estimating you exactly where you are."

"URGH!" Ruki screams as she dashes at her.

Too easily, Ty Lee predicts her movements and counters them. The first few sparring sessions Ruki had the advantage of surprise, but now Ty Lee had learned her techniques and tendencies. They'd been practicing sparring and Ty Lee had been giving her individual lessons on chi blocking. Now though, Ruki was seeing red from being teased and wouldn't last very long.

"You lack focus," Ty Lee tells her as she dodges a punch. "You're not precise enough."

Ty Lee leans back away from an attempted uppercut. Ruki heaves. "It's the same with your chi blocking. Most of the time you're missing the sweet spot of the chakras. When that happens you've just doomed yourself."

Stepping back and reaching for a waterskin Ruki replies, "Who cares if I don't hit it exactly on? If you can chi block them for just a minute, that's long enough."

Ty Lee shakes her head in frustration as she comes to sit on a bench beside Ruki. "I'm telling you, Ruki, if you don't learn the fundamentals, you'll get in trouble for it some day."

Ruki sits down beside her and they each catch their breath. To try and make conversation, Ty Lee asks her, "So, where are you from, Ruki?"

The girl snorts through her nostrils. "The Fire Nation, just like you."

"Yeah, no, I mean, like where exactly?"

The red head leans back and replies, "Harbor City."

"Oh, really? That's a rough area." Ty Lee blurts out.

"Ok? You think I didn't already know that?" Ruki replies.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean-"

"It's fine. Not like I haven't heard that my entire life."

A silence falls on them. Ty Lee thinks of another question. "If you don't mind me asking, how did someone from Harbor City come to advise Azula?"

The lilac eyed girl stares out into space and smiles broadly in reflection. "She rescued me."

Ty Lee gives her a look to implore her to go on. Ruki continues, "We were in that psych ward together with Zirin and all the other original girls. I was chained down and she set me free."

"That was awfully good of her," Ty Lee says. Then she challenges her, "Of course, now you're chained to her, aren't you?"

Ruki doesn't hesitate, "I serve our Mother because I want to serve her. Because I believe in her."

"And if you told her tomorrow that you wanted to become a Kyoshi Warrior?"

"I wouldn't." Ruki says in stride.

"But let's say you did. Let's say a day came where you did?" Ty Lee continues to push the questions.

Ruki ponders it a moment. Then she answers, "I imagine she'd hunt me down like a traitor and I'd deserve it."

Shocked by this reply, Ty Lee asks, "You really believe that? That you'd deserve it?"

"I know it. If I abandoned her it is because I lacked faith. All of us who serve her, from all over the three nations, do so because we believe in her. Because we believe she has the will to act," Ruki replies. She stops talking for a moment but a final thought comes to her and she adds, "She's not our Empress because she's the daughter of some nobility we never knew. She's the leader we chose."

Ty Lee nods her head. Ruki shakes her waterskin and it is empty. "Excuse me," she says as she leaves to refill it.

Ty Lee is left wondering about what Ruki said. She'd heard the commoners speak about benefiting from Azula's influence. Hearing from her third in command was a completely different experience. Ty Lee almost felt… inspired.

Azula enters the Kyoshi Library. Just as Lomin had said, she finds the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. The fading sun breaks through the windows and stripes the table in light and shadows. Azula approaches and Suki looks up at her from a table full of texts. Azula says, "I can't remember the last time someone summoned me somewhere. Really bold of you to think you can just ask your lackeys to order me around."

Suki ignores the attempt to chide her, "Thank you for coming."

Eyeing the various books skewed across the massive table, Azula asks, "What's this all about? Looking for some hidden spirits to summon? The Faceless Demon isn't enough?"

Suki chuckles at this. "No. I'm consulting texts about Kyoshi for guidance in this trying time."

"I don't imagine a dead girl has much by way to offer you."

"You'd be surprised. Kyoshi was an exceptional fighter. And there are many answers to present quandaries that can be found in the past."

"Wise words," Azula quips.

"Thank you," Suki replies. "Besides, I'm surprised you aren't more into Kyoshi. What with the similarities between her and Rangi and you and, well…"

Suki trails off. Azula looks at her confused. "Me and who? And whose Rangi?"

"You don't-?! You don't know about Kyoshi and Rangi?"

Azula doesn't say anything. She just shrugs. Suki says, "Um, well, let me try to keep it simple for you so you can see what I mean. It's a lot more complicated than this, but basically Avatar Kyoshi was this fierce, fighting, woman, who kind of had a bad shake from the world. And Rangi was her Fire Nation girlfriend who was a ranking officer in the Fire Nation army."

"Girlfriend as in?" Azula asks, almost hopeful.

"Like, her girlfriend, girlfriend, Azula."

"Hmm," Azula humms. "I didn't know any of this. Only thing I knew before coming here was that Avatar Kyoshi lived for like 200 years."

"You don't know much about any of the Avatars huh?" Suki jokes.

"I know I'm the only person in history to kill one while they were in their precious Avatar State."

Suki spends several seconds suppressing her rage. Azula raises her eyebrows at the girl, almost goading her into attacking. Suki doesn't take the bait. She takes deep breaths in and out of her nose. Finally she calms down and says, "In any case, I thought you'd know about Kyoshi and Rangi. Or maybe Avatar Asuna."

Azula's mind blanks again. She'd never heard that name before. It wasn't unusual, given there have been nearly a hundred different avatars throughout the history of the world. She sincerely asks, "Who's Avatar Asuna?"

"You don't know who Avatar Asuna is?"

"Should I?"

"I mean, yes? She was a female avatar originally from the Fire Nation. I kind of assumed you were named after her, honestly."

"No, I was named after my grandfather, Fire Lord Azulon."

"I see."

"Wait there was a female Fire avatar?"

"That's right. A while ago," Suki says. She tries to go back in her mind. She adds, "Before Roku. Maybe even before the one before him. But if rumors are to be believed, she was also a 'gender betrayer' as they call it."

"I'm starting to see a pattern of powerful women in the history of Fire Nation," Azula jokes. This extracts a real, true, chuckle from Suki. Azula tries to suppress her own smile but Suki laughs is contagious. She smiles for a moment before genuinely asking, "Why have I never heard of her?"

Suki shrugs her shoulders as she replies, "That's a question for your prodigious education system in the Fire Nation. Maybe if you lived somewhere else you'd know more about her."

"Maybe there should just be schools where they teach about her instead," Azula retorts. It isn't attacking though. It's a serious suggestion. She ponders on the thought a second longer and stares out into space. After another moment she notices a clock on the wall. "Well, I need to get going. Have to make dinner for my roommate and such. This was fun though, I'd love to hear more about this in the future."

Azula turns and walks away. Suki interrupts her, "About that."

The Dragon Empress stops at the door. She turns to face the burnette. Suki stands up from her seat. "That's why I asked Lomin to send you here in the first place."

Azula had completely forgotten that she'd been 'summoned' here. She shifts the weight of her foot and raises an eyebrow to Suki. The brunette summons her courage and says, "I was serious this morning. We could do a lot of good if we worked together."

Azula giggles. "So you want me to join you now?"

"I'm just asking you to think about it. With your strength and our discipline? We could accomplish a lot together."

"I don't know Suki. The food here is good, but I don't know what it's like year-round." With a sly smile she turns around, "See you tomorrow."

"How's your dinner?"

Ty Lee pushes some of her remaining food around. She admits, "It's good."

"You say that like you're surprised?"

"I am surprised," she tells her. "The fact that you can cook? Very surprising."

"Good. I like surprising. Keeps things fresh. Like you."

"I'm fresh?"

"You're surprising. It's what I like about you."

Ty Lee doesn't respond but her expression begets a response from Azula.

"Life is so predictable, Ty Lee."

The brunette puts her utensils down. Azula continues.

"Everything bores me. Helping people bores me. It's all so easy. For the last eight years, I've been helping people but every single time someone comes to me I just think, 'Ugh. This again? We have to kill another bad guy, again?'"

Ty Lee marvels at her.

"What's so annoying too is that no one else seems to understand. No one else is bored. The harder I seem to try to feel something, the less I feel. I can't change. I want something, so I buy it. Once I have it, I don't want it anymore. I hurt myself, but I don't feel any pain. It's just all so… predictable."

Mouth dry, stunned and trying to understand, Ty Lee asks her, "You don't feel anything?"

Azula leans forward, across the dinner table. She reaches her hand out and clasps Ty Lee's. The Kyoshi Warrior looks down at it but doesn't pull it away. She tells her, "I feel something when I'm with you."

Ty Lee gulps. She retracts her hand. "What about Zirin?"

Azula puckers her lips, tilts her head, and narrows her eyes. "I'm not with her, when I'm with her."

"But haven't you two been together for a while?"

Azula sighs. "Zirin loves me exactly as I am right now. She loves The Dragon Empress. If I ever were to change…"

Ty Lee stares right at Azula, who can't look back at her. She looks down at her plate and imagines how Zirin would react to her changing. When Azula doesn't look back at her, Ty Lee scrapes her chair back. This gets her attention. She stands and they look at one another for a moment, not saying anything. Finally, Ty Lee turns away and heads upstairs.

When she's gone, Azula looks at the dishes piling up again. She puts them away and then lies down on the couch. She misses Zirin. She misses Ty Lee. The touch of her hand. Those soft grey eyes. Being in her home, being around her, Azula feels a rush of blood. She thinks about the brunette and imagines doing things with her. She peaks upstairs before finally her willpower succumbs to her desires, alone on the couch.

Upstairs, Ty Lee tosses and turns thinking about the girl on her couch. She felt like they'd had a breakthrough today. Azula said things, sincere things, and meant them. Yet some of those things repulsed Ty Lee. The way she sees Zirin as just an object upsets her. Yet Ty Lee isn't in that relationship, she has no idea what it's really like.

'What if Zirin really doesn't love her for her? What if she's right? How would I know? Who am I to judge her?'

Ty Lee wonders what it would be like to be with Azula. In a relationship with Azula. In public with Azula. In private with Azula. In bed with Azula. She tosses and turns and thinks about all that's happened. She thinks about Ayon and that village. She thinks about holding Azula at knifepoint and stabbing her. How Azula held her twice at knifepoint and didn't stab her either time. She thinks about the conversation with the fisherman as she searched for Azula. All the people all over the world who told her that she's helped them. How she's helping them right now. Yet how none of it made her feel anything. How she feels nothing.

'Except when she's with me.'

Ty Lee doesn't realize it until it's too late. The sun rises over the hill. Out in the hallway, under her door, she sees the creeping light, alerting her of morning. She hadn't slept at all. She was too busy thinking about her roommate.

Azula strides across the village square and stops nearby to listen to Ty Lee teaching Fire Warriors and young Kyoshi Warriors how to chi block.

"-focus, strike precisely, and make contact with their chakras. You can hurt them if you miss, which isn't terrible, but given that you're shooting to disarm, you can't afford to miss."

Azula interrupts her, speaking loudly so the group of learners can all hear. "I always wanted to learn. Perhaps you could teach me as well?"

Ty Lee huffs an annoyed breath and stares at the regal girl. She dismisses her out of hand, "You don't need to learn this. You already have your bending."

She turns away from the spectacle to return to teaching, but Azula isn't done with her. "Then perhaps I could be an example?"

The girls in the group become hushed. Their eyes dart between the Leader of the Fire Warriors and the Teacher of Chi Blocking. Ty Lee narrows her eyes and knows that the girl won't be going away. She nods and Azula approaches. Closing the gap between them, she asks the brunette, "So what are we working on right now?"

"How to get out of chokeholds and turn the tables on your assailant."

"I'll be happy to help. What do you want me to do?"

Ty Lee steps back from her a foot or so until her back is flush against the side of a building. She carefully rests against the brick wall and stares into Azula's golden eyes. She commands the girl.

"Grab my neck and choke me."

Azula tries to not smirk at this. She tries very hard. But she can hardly conceal her excitement. She steps forward, attempting to suppress a giant, dopey smile, and failing spectacularly. She reaches her hands up and grips Ty Lee's neck. She pushed her against the building, slightly lifting the taller girl up from her lower position. She tries to not actually strangle her.

Ty Lee announces for the Kyoshi and Fire Warriors. "Now, as you can all see she's got me flush against the wall, all ten fingers wrapped around my neck. This looks like certain doom for me, correct?

None of the girls respond, but many of them nod.

"First thing I'm going to do is compact my body. Drop my chin into her hands and raise my shoulders. This will help to keep her hands in place. That doesn't seem like what we want, but trust me, it is."

Azula feels pressure against her hands. She leans a little closer to the girl and drinks in the smell of her sweat.

"Next, I'm going to take my hand up and grab her right arm. You want to keep your thumb in, because if you try to wrap it around her wrist, it's easier for her to escape. The idea isn't to push, but to pull. Pull her arm in so the force won't let her escape later."

Ty Lee does exactly as she says. Azula licks her lips. She thinks about applying pressure to her throat. Suffocating her, just a little bit. Watching her beg for mercy. Watching her beg Azula. Her mouth waters as she imagines watching the air leave her body.

"Now, you're going to reach up to your shoulder, and pull any finger you can get. Doesn't matter which one, they all hurt the same for her, so just pull. Like this!"

Azula feels her right index finger pulled backwards with great force. She shouts in instant pain. "Ah! Ah!"

She releases her grasp around the neck and her body twists as Ty Lee pulls the finger further back, nearly breaking the bone.

"Now we're going to turn the tables, quickly!"

Ty Lee lets go of the finger, and quickly uses Azula's odd body contour to spin her around.

"And then just like we discussed-"

Azula feels two wacks and then her arms go limp. She falls on her knees before her roommate.

"-you hit her chakras, and now," Ty Lee walks around to stand in front of her. The entire village stops and stares in stunned silence. The Dragon Empress, without her bending, has been brought to her knees by a nobody.

"She's at my mercy."

Azula stares up at the girl, perturbed. She smiles wryly and then swiftly stands up and stands right against Ty Lee. Their chests against each other, Azula's head barely clears Ty Lee's bosom. She stands opposed to her just as she had at Ember Island.

She turns, arms sagging and looks all around at those who watch. She announces to all of them, "And when Koh's Disciples come, you will show them no mercy. They have shown none to the girls who live here, nor their homeland. Just as Ty Lee has done to me, we will bring them to heel."

In unison, the Fire Warriors collectively shout back, "Yes, Empress!"

The world goes back to spinning. Sound seems to resume all at once. The busy village and the training exercises continue. Ty Lee commands the girls to practice escaping chokeholds together, without breaking fingers. Once they do, still standing beside her, arms slowly regaining feeling, Azula whispers to Ty Lee, "You really ought to teach me how to do it. You never know, it might come in handy someday."

Ty Lee chuckles and whispers back, "Only in your wildest dreams, Zula."

"Oh Lee," she laughs. "You don't want to know what I think about you in my wildest dreams."

Ty Lee groans, rolls her eyes, and walks away. Not far off, Zirin stares at their apparent flirting with fury and homicidal intention.

Azula is snooping around the house.

While Ty Lee finishes in town, Azula cleans and cooks. Yet over these few days she's also taken to sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. It started tame, by going through Ty Lee's undergarments, lingerie, and dresses. That was innocent enough. As she's gone on though, she's gotten more intimate. Today she's going through Ty Lee's book collection, the paintings she hasn't hung up, and other various mementos.

She opens a dresser drawer that hasn't been opened in years. Sitting on top of some old documents is a small object that Azula vaguely recalls. She picks up the scarlet fabric with a golden loop and holds it in her hands. Small, but stretchy, it was the choker necklace that Ty Lee had worn to the party on Ember Island, almost a lifetime ago. She recounts and realizes that it was just 10 years ago that they attended that party.

Azula isn't sure when she realized that she liked women. Zirin helped her to realize she only liked women. Yet something forever sticks in her mind. A distant, but clear memory of grey eyes, brown hair, and a long, slender arm extended beside her.

'Hey there Sweet Sugar Cakes, how ya liking this here party?'

In retrospect, Azula has always been a 'gender betrayer.' Spending her childhood being surrounded by Ty Lee only drove it deeper. That night at the party was the last straw. She smiles fondly at the memory. She pockets the choker and shuts the drawer.

"How's your dinner?"

No response. Ty Lee puts her utensils down and stares at her. It has been a not altogether terrible 24 hours for Ty Lee. Azula had managed to make a breakthrough of sorts last night. Their public display of chokeholds and chiblocking had almost been fun. It certainly reminded her of their younger days, traveling the world together.

But Ty Lee is exhausted. She didn't sleep at all, then went out and led rigorous training exercises in the sun and heat. She wants to finish eating and go to bed. She is not in the mood for Azula's dinner table games.

When Ty Lee doesn't answer, Azula looks for something else to talk about. She looks at the massive amount of dishes from the meal tonight, and the piled up dishes she hadn't done from last night. She doesn't want to start them yet. She asks, "How's about dessert?"

Ty Lee doesn't answer again.

"Why don't we both say what we want on the count of three?" She asks. "Ready? One… two… three!"

"I don't get you."

"Strawberries."

There is a heavy, tense silence that falls between them.

"Frozen strawberries," Azula tries to explain. "They're quite good, actually."

"I don't understand you."

"Ty Lee-"

"I mean, I used to. I used to know you."

"-want to do this-"

"Your habits, your views of the world. How often you'd clip your nails, how you laughed, the foods you liked, the way your mind worked."

"And?"

"And I don't know who you are anymore. Now? Now you're just somebody that I used to know."

"So now I'm some sort of new person? Have I so thoroughly changed? Am I as they say, am I just a faceless demon to you?"

"Yes!" Ty Lee shouts, exasperated. "You are. You have. You're the Dragon Empress now. You're the Prodigy with Blue Fire. The Faceless Demon. You're not the Azula I grew up with. You're different."

Azula sneers. "I'm no different than you, Ty Lee."

"What? Of course you are. We are very different."

"How so?"

"I protect your brother and defend this island."

"And what exactly does it look like I'm doing right fucking now? Hmm? Saving Zuko from having to deal with this and defending this island."

"Agni, give me a break, Azula. We're paying you. It's completely different."

"Something tells me even if I did it for free you still wouldn't accept me."

"I don't know. And we'll never know because you're not doing it for free. We're going into irreparable debt to you just to save ourselves. And isn't that just like you? Only helping people so they owe you something."

"You're wrong about me."

"Am I? You will never know how much harder it is to be nice and normal and decent than it is to be like you."

Azula scowls. "You mean like us."

Ty Lee laughs out loud. "You think we're the same? We couldn't be-"

"Don't do that. Don't talk like you're one of them. You're not. I like you, Ty Lee. But I don't like you that much."

Ty Lee gulps. Azula sits back in her chair. "You and I? We're more alike than you want to admit. I accept the dark sides of you because I accept you, Ty Lee, for exactly who you are. No matter what you do, no matter what happens, I accept you, even the bad things. I don't care that you're vindictive, or that you have mean streaks, or that you'd stab a woman in cold blood."

Ty Lee grows furious. "You want to know what the difference between us is?"

Azula leans forward and narrows her eyes. Ty Lee spits, "I would die for my fellow Kyoshi Warriors. Would you die for any of your girls?"

Azula doesn't answer. She knows what she would say but she doesn't speak it because she doesn't think the girl will believe her.

Ty Lee scrapes her chair back. She looks down at the Dragon Empress. "See? I believe in my fellow Kyoshi Warriors. You don't believe in anything."

She turns away to leave. Before she can reach the stairs Azula replies.

"I believe in you, Ty Lee."

She stops at the stairs, hand on the handrail. She thinks about turning back. She goes up the stairs, closing her bedroom door shut behind her. Once she's in her room she throws herself on her bed. She lashes and beats her body against the pillows and sheets. She punches out her fury. She keeps hearing quotes from Azula echoing in her mind. Her lack of sleep catches up to her. Exhaustion takes her.

Azula gets up. She wants to punch something. Set fire to the house. Burn it all down to get that moment back. As the seconds pass and she has nothing to do with her hands and body she looks around instead. All of the dishes piling up. Everything that needs to be cleaned. She decides to make use of her energy. She washes nearly three days worth of dishes. She stands on her feet for over two hours doing it. When she finishes she collapses on the couch. She replays the conversation in her mind over and over until she finally passes out.

Azula wakes from her nightmare. She had been caged again, but something was different this time. In her dream, she opened her mouth to scream and instead a blaring noise came out.

As she sits up on the couch, it dawns on her that she still lies in relative darkness. Darker than any early morning twilight. Sight comes before sound. She realizes that the blaring sound is still going.

She jumps up and listens to the wailing of sirens in the distance. She goes to the window and she sees it now. The soft glow of orange and red against the trees. The forest around Kyoshi Island has been set ablaze. Billowing smoke rises up above, into the darker skies.

Koh's Disciples have come in the dark of night. Now the Immortal Soldier must come out.

She rushes up the stairs. She pulls on the door handle and it opens. Ty Lee lies asleep in her bed. Azula approaches quickly and shakes her. The brunette opens her eyes and nearly screams. Azula holds a single finger up to her mouth, with wide eyes. She pushes back on her elbows.

"They're here." Azula tells her.

Ty Lee blinks and rubs her eyes quickly. "No," she replies. "The sirens would've-"

"Listen."

The acrobat does as she's told and realizes that she's right. They are here.

In short order, the childhood best friends are outside and running side by side through the darkness towards the main village. Ty Lee curses her distance from the village a thousand times. Azula's mind processes what to do next and she grabs Ty Lee's elbow. They duck into the cover of some woods. Hidden beneath darkness and trees they advance towards the town square where a loud commotion can be heard. In the distance, the Mother of the Kemurikage hears screaming. She fears for her girls.

"Stop!"

Ty Lee pulls Azula's arm and they stop abruptly.

"Look!"

Azula turns to where Ty Lee is pointing. Through the thick of the woods she sees it. A collection of older men hold a group hostage right by the statue of Avatar Kyoshi. They silently move through the cover to get as close as they can. Their worst fears are confirmed. As they approach Azula can already see dead Fire Warriors, faces carved off. Yet she is not prepared for what she sees next.

At the foot of the statue, she sees the island's leadership. Suki, Zirin, Ruki, Lomin, and several others are on their knees, hands bound behind their backs. They've clearly been beaten already, bloody and bruised. Koh's Disciples have found them, rounded them up, and brought them here to be slaughtered.

There are dozens of men surrounding them, all with blades in hand. A single man stands before the kneeling girls, brandishing a machete. He approaches Suki, forcing her to look at him, cutting her cheek a tiny bit and then after a few moments he hits her! Whatever they say to each other is indiscernible from this distance. Off in the distance, screams and cries for help are heard. Ty Lee stares at the scene, pulse pounding, uncertain of what to do. Her eyes dart all around at the invaders and murderers. Her hands and body shake as she fears any second now someone will appear and grab her.

Suddenly, she feels something warm touch her hand. She nearly jumps as she looks up at Azula. The Firebender silently raises her finger up to her mouth. She motions for Ty Lee to stay still, and remain quiet. Azula slowly backs away, and recedes into the darkness. As she backs up she whispers.

"Whatever you do, don't come out."

She disappears into the shadows. Ty Lee gets low to the ground and looks back towards the scene at the statue.

Siram approaches the girl they've identified as the leader of the entire operation. All of the girls cower before him except for this one and another. He points his machete at her chest. She struggles to breathe and looks away from the blade. Slowly he drags the tip of his blade upwards. Suki's eyes lazily drag up as well until she looks him in the eye.

His voice is low and gruff. "I thought you would be more difficult to kill."

He drags the tip of the blade against her cheek and applies just an ounce of pressure. He slices her cheek and blood runs down in a single line.

"But you bleed just like any woman."

"I'm gonna kill you." Suki mumbles.

"Sorry, didn't catch that."

Speaking louder, Suki says, "I'm gonna kill you. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But someday, I'm gonna kill you."

Siram laughs and looks around. Suddenly, mid-laugh, he turns on Suki and punches her right across the cheek. Her head ricochets and she falls to the ground.

Mocking her, he repeats, "'I'm gonna kill you?' Are you fucking kidding me? Do you see what's happening all around you? Do you see what we've done?"

He gestures with his machete to the village in ruin. After another second he wails on her again, hitting her again, and again, and again. In the distance Siram hears people screaming. He revels in it. Suki spits up blood.

"I bet you thought you were all gonna grow old together. Live out your little lives in this village." He kicks her and she spits up more blood, her one eye shutting from the force of blows to the head. "Nope. Doesn't work like that. Not anymore. We are going to torch your little island to the ground and salt the earth behind us."

He uses his foot to roll her body so she has to weakly look up at him. Lomin and Ruki cry loudly as they watch this unfold. Zirin stares in disbelief, fear beginning to etch onto her face. Siram points the machete at her eyeball. She chuckles slightly.

"And what is so funny?"

Her arm can barely move but she points to the statue that rises above all of them. "I sit beneath the eyes of Kyoshi. No harm can come to me here."

Siram looks briefly at the statue directly above them. Then he looks back at the girl on the ground. He shakes his head. He raises his machete above him, "I'm not so sure about that."

Sight comes before sound.

A giant flash of bright white explodes from somewhere nearby. A split second later the massive boom of thunder roars into the ear drums of everyone in the area. The grown men cower at the sound momentarily, while Siram looks around, wielding his machete in preparation for an attack of some sort.

Appearing out of the dark, striding towards Siram and the others is a twenty something year old woman. Her arms are both extended outwardly, her legs close together. She is approaching them with a challenge. Inviting them to attack her. She walks towards them and shouts.

"Why kill people when you can kill a demon?"

Siram and the entire group all turn to the girl with black hair and golden eyes. Siram shouts back to her, "I don't know where you came from but you are going to regret coming here."

She stops, arms still extended and tells all of the men present, "You know who I am."

Siram looks at all those around him and laughs. They laugh as well. He turns back to her, "We definitely do not, but I don't think it's gonna matter in a few seconds."

"Say. My. Name."

Azula opens her palms and another second later two roaring flames of blue fire fly out, reaching for the sky.

"Holy Agni Almighty!" Siram yells as the men all take a step back.

"That's right," she yells with a vicious smile. "I am the Faceless Demon."

"This shit can not be real." Siram yells, completely stunned.

"But it is," she says as the blue flames go out. "Now, you can take all of their faces, or mine. But not both."

"You… you're surrendering yourself?"

"I'm trading."

"With your life?"

"This island for my life."

"What if we say no?"

"Then you will have chosen war with a Demon and I will rip your entire group out, root and stem."

Siram can't believe any of this is real. He continues to barter as he contemplates his options. "What's to stop us from killing them and destroying this island once we have you?"

Azula puts her arms down. She approaches Siram. She calmly answers. "You have no idea what I'm capable of. You've heard the legends, but you've never seen me in action."

She pauses for dramatic effect. "If you should touch them, I assure you that the Fire Warriors, the Kemurikage, my entire empire of fire and lightning will reign down upon you. I will become the dragon myself and spew fire upon your souls."

She pauses again to let them think it over. "You say you'll salt the Earth on this island? I will burn your bodies down, salt the bones. Nothing will be left of you when I am finished, not even dust."

She stops and Siram is left with a decision to make. He looks down at the groaning, bloody, and defeated Suki. Siram thinks about what His Grace will say if Siram could present Him with the Faceless Demon. The opportunity is too great. He turns to his men.

"Knock them all out. We're leaving now and we're taking her with us."

The girls shout their dismay but it doesn't last. The men all advance on them and deliver blows to the head that blindsided them. The last thing Zirin sees are Azula's golden eyes. She feels intense desire as she believes Azula has done this to save her life. The next moment however she feels nothing as a man drives the handle of his blade into the back of her head and she immediately goes unconscious.

Azula holds up her end of the bargain. She allows them to bind her hands behind her back. They forcibly remove her and leave the girls all on the ground beside Avatar Kyoshi. Only Suki remains conscious, but only barely. She struggles to see. She rolls over to look at Lomin and the others.

Suddenly a figure appears in her vision in the distance. Quickly approaching her is a girl taller than herself with brown hair. She comes running up to her when all of the Disciples are gone.

"Lee… is that?"

Her vision is blurred and her speech is impaired. She is only barely holding onto consciousness as the brunette inspects her. She says many things but Suki only catches the tail end.

"-sure she's okay. I'm sorry!"

Suddenly, Ty Lee moves away from her. She quickly recedes into the dawning twilight. Suki struggles to keep her eyes open, but she watches Ty Lee chase after where Koh's Disciples had taken Azula. When she is gone, even Suki succumbs to the pain and passes out.

Through the rising light, Ty Lee carefully and swiftly follows the invaders. They sloppily execute a rushed retreat upon command from their highest ranking officer. They leave the island in ruin, reboard their ship, and quickly flee through the South Sea. No one notices the woman with grey eyes sneak aboard their vessel before it can raise anchor.

Chapter Text

A Girl

[Winter/Spring 110 AG]

Azula still remembers it so clearly. The helplessness. The panic. The fear. She was drowning and she was chained. The day her entire life changed. Arms locked up behind her back, kneeling on the ground, alone and in the dark, she finds herself in the same position now. Aboard Koh's Disciples' ship, she is in chains again. The only differences today are that she's already in a prison cell, and these men were smart enough to also muzzle her. There would be no breathing fire, and any kind of bending is out of the question.

One of the men enters the room. He leers down at her in the cell. "Ready to meet your maker?"

Azula stares up at him but doesn't respond. This no name soldier would not be the death of her, she is certain. They wouldn't have brought her all this way just to kill her in this cell.

'No. If it was me, I would make a show of it.'

She calculates the length of time in the ship. She thinks about the course they've taken, the smoothness of the seas. They've been docked for thirty minutes or so now. She guesstimates their location.

"What are we doing off the coast of Whaletail Island?"

"We're not off the coast of Whaletail Island, dumb cunt."

"Fine. Gou Island then is it?"

The soldier opens his mouth to rebuttal but stops. That's all the confirmation Azula needs.

"Gou Island it is."

He takes the keys and unlocks her cell door. He steps up and leans down until he's on her eye level. "You've killed a lot of my friends over the years. So if I was you, I'd shut the fuck up before I decide that you had a little accident."

Azula smirks through her muzzle.

"Why don't you tell me their names," she coos at him. "I'll tell you which ones soiled themselves after they died."

The soldier looks at her with a screwy expression. He raises his fist, "Why you little-"

"Reezu."

He freezes in place. Azula leans to the side to look past him. It's the man she had negotiated with before.

"Finally, someone who's in charge."

"Reezu, just collect her. He's waiting."

"Ah, about time. Is this your fabled 'King of Faces?'"

The man named Reezu, gets to work on detaching her chains from the ground. The man from the Kyoshi statue approaches. "You sure are excited. Rushing off to get killed. Chained like a dog. Is this how you imagined dying?"

Reezu finishes his work and forces her to stand up. She looks into the golden eyes of the man before her. She speaks with confidence and malice.

"Tell me, how do you want to die?"

He chuckles at her. She chuckles too. She tells him, "It's funny because I can make it happen. However you want to go, I can do it for you. Quick, drawn out, with fire, buried alive, drowned. However you want. Even painless."

"Awfully generous of you. Too bad you won't be the one to do it," he turns to Reezu. "Let's go."

Her world is shrouded in darkness as black cloth bag is thrown over her head. He pushes her forward and they all set off.

Azula walks blindly for a while. She feels herself going uphill for a long time. Finally Reezu grabs her and holds her steady. He removes the head cover.

All eyes are upon her.

They are at the mouth of a cave. Azula is marched down a sloping hill into it, through a sea of men. Dozens and dozens of them, all of them watching her. Silent and awestruck. As she goes she hears some of them whispering to each other about their disbelief. Surely this couldn't be the Faceless Demon herself. They wonder how she had been captured and why she was on the island in the first place.

All of Koh's Disciples file into the cave. Two men stay behind to stand guard. When the opportunity presents itself, six swift strikes to the back and head disarm them, and knock them out. The grey eyed girl cautiously makes her way down the slope.

Azula is sent tumbling to the ground. The room is roaring with life. She couldn't count them all but if she had to guess it was well north of 100 of them, maybe even more than 200 men. They are in a large clearing in the cave. She is sprawled on the gravel ground, struggling against her chains to fix herself, when a pair of feet come into view.

"What is it you always say again?" A voice speaks to her.

She looks up at the man standing over her. He is bald and dark skinned. His arms are crossed over his chest. He looks down at her with a smug smile.

"Ah yes," he remembers. "Welcome… to where you're going."

She sits herself up on her knees before him. He is buff and his clothes are tattered. If given the whole room to choose, she would not have picked him as the "king." He seems like any other man here, perhaps with more time spent on his body.

"You're the King of Faces? You're big."

"For you." He replies. He shows no emotion as he says, "For a girl."

Furrowing her brow, Azula asks through her muzzle, "'For a girl?' You mean to insult me with that? I'd return the joust if I thought you were a man."

"I've waited a long time for this moment."

Azula twists her head to side so her hair gets out of her face, "It's weird that you spend all this time thinking about me, but I don't even know who you are."

His voice is high pitched for a man so large, as well as oddly raspy. She finds it an odd juxtaposition. He gloats over her. "You rose from nothing like a sunrise. You represent a great power."

She nods her head. He kneels down to look her in the face. "But all power must be challenged, for total power corrupts totally."

He stands back up. "So we too rise, to match you and restore the natural order of the world. Man's place over women. And now, you come to us in chains. We will watch you fade like the sunset. You rose from nothing and to nothing you shall return."

The crowd grows restless. They were patient at first, but they've become louder, making it harder for each person to hear their King's dialogue with the prisoner.

Azula strains to look up at him.

"I assure you, the sun will never set on my Empire," she says confidently. "But with all of my titles, why the 'Faceless Demon?' Why create your own?"

The King of Faces steps back and picks up a broadsword. He grips it tightly and stares at it while he speaks to her. "That was not my decision. My disciples named you that when they realized you could blend into any crowd."

He turns to her finally. "They were convinced that not even Koh could steal your face. As you continued to defy us over the years, the legend only grew."

Azula looks around, trying to establish her surroundings. She continues to bide her time. "So you call yourself the 'King of Faces,' but I am sculpting a world without kings. Without Fire Lord's. Without Avatars. Only woman."

On the perimeter, a single guard with a helmet stands near the exit. He feels a hand cover his mouth. Before he can scream he receives several punches to the back, grows instantly weak, and then a blow to the head knocks him unconscious. He is dragged out of sight before anyone knows what's happened.

"A woman's place is at the feet of men, serving them. As you are now."

Azula smirks. These non-benders have her hands in chains and mouth muzzled to stop her from attacking. Then he goes and talks about feet without even realizing.

"I am at your feet, and I come bearing a gift."

"Oh?"

"Your lives."

"You jest."

"No, it's true," Azula tells him. "I won't kill you, or any of them. All you have to do is let me go, swear fealty to the Dragon Empress, and never touch Kyoshi Island again."

He chuckles. "I had heard legends of your arrogance, but it is all the more stunning in-person."

"Short of this and I will have no choice but to do as I told your clansmen: I will rip your entire clan out. Root and stem." She tells him matter of factly.

He leans in and whispers into her muzzle. "We will bathe in your blood and water our gardens with it."

Azula sits up higher, getting closer to him. "Now send me back home, I have an empire to build. Or you'll scream when you die, like the last King I killed."

A stranger approaches from the side. They move silently and carefully so as to not draw attention, wearing a spiked helmet, and carrying a Labrys.

He shakes his head at her. "I did not believe my men. The Faceless Demon? On Kyoshi Island? Surrendering herself? The only thing I want to know before we kill you is why? Why give yourself up? We will simply eradicate that depleted island once you are gone."

It feels like the entire cave goes silent. All of the audio is sucked out of the room and there is only quiet. She thinks back to the scene beneath the statue. She knew that they could shoot their way out. She knew that her childhood friend would die for them. Azula simply couldn't let that happen. She speaks plainly and truthfully.

"It was for a girl."

The noise returns as the crowd erupts. The Faceless Demon openly admits to gender betrayal in front of 200 conservative Fire Nation zealot men, all with fantasies of killing her and bathing in her blood before that admission. Azula looks all around them as they rouse and jeer, becoming rabid. Somehow, though, the King of Faces is unperturbed.

"Ha! You'd kill yourself just to save her?"

Azula turns back to him. She turns her head to the side and furrows her brow.

"I would," she tells him sincerely. "I'd kill you, myself, her whole village. I'd burn down a thousand villages, and a thousand kings, and a thousand pillagers for her."

The way she says this genuinely scares him. He leans back, away from her. Concerned, he asks her, "Why are you telling us this?"

"Because you asked," Azula says straight away. She smiles through the muzzle. "And because you won't be around to tell it yourself."

He is thoroughly disturbed by this. Of all that he expected from his mortal enemy, this was not something. He tells her, "That's enough."

She has had plenty of time and now she needs to decide her plan of attack. He looks all around him and announces to the room at large, arms waving, "LET'S EXORCISE A DEMON!"

The crowd roars to life. The stranger approaches the center of the room. They find the thinnest collection between them and the prisoner. They're only a few people deep. They can't push through. They back away.

The King of Faces stands back, and positions his broadsword on her shoulder. The cool steel feels nice on her hot skin. She imagines stabbing him with his own blade. The stranger spins their double sided axe in their hands. Azula cycles through all the iterations of how this can go. She has to wait for the exact right moment. Roll onto her back, kick up and burn him alive. He can't move though, she needs him to lift the sword off her shoulders. The stranger doesn't wait. They sprint forward, and just before the crowd they bend at the knees. They launch themselves as high as possible through the air.

"Ahhh!"

They soar over the crowd and land a few feet away. Their momentum carries them forward to close the distance. They raise their labrys. The King reacts quickly, backing away and raising the broadsword to parry the blow. All of the momentum behind them gives them more force than he's ready for. His body twists away from the assailant, who delivers a quick kick to him and sends the King of Faces to the ground. The stranger's helmet tumbles to the ground.

Shooting up and stepping back the King screams, "What the spirits is this? Some trick?"

Azula's head is heavy on her shoulders, but with effort she turns to see her savior. A head full of soft brown hair leads to a twisting, single, braided ponytail. It cascades down her back. Her chest heaves. Glistening with sweat, Ty Lee grips the labrys tighter. She switches positions, dancing backwards. She does a sweeping motion to stand beside Azula.

"Get up," she tells the prisoner. "Quick."

Azula stands beside her childhood friend. She looks at her in astonishment. Somehow, someway, this girl had come to rescue her. She looks at the mechanism blocking her hands. No key. No problem. She holds the labrys in one hand and rears the other back. With a swift strike she cracks the hand block. She rears it back again. The King of Faces looks at the demon girls.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" He screams. "KILL THEM!"

Ty Lee strikes again, this time the crack is clean. The crowd advances. Ty Lee grips both hands onto the labrys. Azula closes her eyes and focuses all of her effort into her wrists and shoulders. She pulls in opposite directions and the block breaks clean off. The advancing men try to stop at this sight but the crowd surges them forward. Her arms come flying around her free, just as she opens her eyes.

The brunette intruder wearing their armor and carrying a double sided axe. The Faceless Demon, face muzzled, arms raised, as lightning begins spinning around her. In the darkness of the cave, in the flash of a moment, it almost looks like her eyes are made of lightning itself. They stand side by side and no one dares oppose their will.

For the first time in many moons, the great warriors go to war together.

Azula opens her palm and lightning blasts forth, surging through multiple bodies, killing the men instantly. The others fill in the gaps. Ty Lee moves forward and raises her weapon to block an incoming machete. She pushes back after parrying the blow and then kicks him in the chest. Her legs contain such force that she shatters his rib cage. He collapses into a heap. She watches him go and almost doesn't see another sword coming at her suddenly.

Azula tosses a few more bolts of lightning around the room before resorting to blue fire. The men had once feared her as a mythical beast. Now that they nearly had her dead they charge with renewed vigor. The sights and smells of death quickly fill the cave.

Ty Lee loses her labrys and goes tumbling away. She hasn't fought in a battle like this since she was 14, yet it comes back to her easily. She tumbles and jumps, away from wayward blades and hands, until she finds favorable positioning. She strikes chakras swiftly and then dodges more attacks. She delivers precise blows to arms and legs when she can, focusing first on survival and second on disarming her enemies.

Azula notices that fewer men are advancing. She focuses her energy into her feet. She rises up and spews fire down below. She's careful to not blast near where Ty Lee has slipped off towards. From her raised position she can see now that not all of the men are brave enough to face death head on. They now begin running for the exit. This brief moment of looking away costs her. Someone jumps up and grabs her foot. She is knocked off balance by the pull and then tumbles to the ground.

Ty Lee dances around her enemies, as they grow thin quickly. Surprised she realizes that no one is around her anymore as they all fall down. She looks back to Azula; The former Crown Princess briefly stares off into the distance. Hovering in the air, arms outstretched, she looked every bit the mythical figure these men believed her to be. The next moment though she falls from the sky as someone launches up and grabs her foot, pulling her down. Ty Lee doesn't hesitate. She sprints and begins flipping back to where they started.

Azula's head ricochets off a sharp rock. She is instantly dazed. The brave soul who had brought her down crawls to her quickly. Ty Lee lands nearby and sees it all unfolding. Azula groaning momentarily, the man trying to mount her. She finds her labrys on the ground again. She picks it up, spins around and then launches herself towards them both.

Azula looks up and sees him. The King of Faces is on top of her. He pushes her hands down, his whole body weight kneeling on top of her next. He puts both of his hands on her neck and begins strangling the life from her.

"No. More. Demons."

Azula opens her palms. He can't see it but she's about to electrocute him from point blank range. Suddenly Ty Lee appears behind him. She comes to a stop and rests the edge of the labrys into the back of his neck. He freezes. Azula freezes. Even Ty Lee freezes. They all think the same thing.

'Will she really do it?'

"Let her go!" She commands him.

He looks around. The last of his men run out the exit. The ones that are alive and can move anyway. He groans. 'Agni damn cowards.'

He tells her, "First she dies, and then you do."

"Ty Lee, listen to me." Azula gets her attention. She gambles with her own life. She's finding it harder to breathe. "You have to do it. Please, Ty Lee, please do it. He's going to kill us, Ty Lee."

Ty Lee's mouth is dry. Azula's face grows bluer as he suffocates her. All around her the men she has chiblocked are slowly regaining movement. She looks down. Azula's hands are pinned down. She can't use the lesson that Ty Lee taught her. The walls are closing in.

"Please."

"Shut up!"

"P-please!"

Azula's eyes roll into the back of her head. Ty Lee should drop the labrys and chiblock him. Something stops her. The King of Faces looks down upon the dying Faceless Demon. Dying by his hand at long last. Ty Lee rears back. The next moment, he loosens his grip involuntarily. He feels a giant shove into his shoulder. His head and upper body shakes. He looks down and sees a double sided axe buried into his neck.

"Ahhh!" Ty Lee screams in agony, fear, and resentment. She pulls with all of her power and retracts the blade. She rears it back again.

Breath returning to her, Azula opens her eyes. She watches something drop from his mouth like drool. She smiles as his blood splatters on her. His face and body are going into shock and Azula relishes it. She reaches up, grabs his robes, and holds him in place. Ty Lee sinks the axe into him again, this time driving it deeper into his shoulder and lower neck. She pulls him in.

Azula whispers in his ear, "Now you'll scream for me."

She looks up to the manic, terrified woman above her. "Ty Lee, you have to finish it."

"I-I can't."

"Ty Lee, if we don't kill him, he's going to come after us. They're all going to come after us."

She is sobbing as she holds the axe into his shoulder. He is in too much pain to interject on the topic. Azula pleads, "Please, Ty. We have to cut the head off the snake so it can't bite at our heels when we turn away."

Ty Lee lifts a hand up to wipe her tears. Her eyes roam all around. Fear and concern swirl around her. She reluctantly nods. With effort she retracts the axe from his shoulder. Blood gushes out, onto his clothes and it drips from the axe onto Azula.

She rolls him over onto his back and crawls up to stand behind Ty Lee. She leans closer to the brunette. He finally says something.

"No. Please."

"Do it, Ty Lee. Finish him!"

"No."

Ty Lee spins the labrys in her hand, unsure of what to do now that he pleads for his life.

"Please."

"He will hunt us where we hide. He'll come for Kyoshi Island. You heard them at town square and you heard them here. They will 'torch the island and salt the earth.' They'll bathe in Suki's blood and water their gardens with Lomin's."

She pauses for a beat to let this sink in. "But not if we end this now."

Ty Lee thinks about all the fellow warriors and friends she lost. How much they've sacrificed to bring Azula and her group to the island and how Azula has helped her to reach this point; to end Koh's Disciples.

' "No one should be okay with killing! All life is precious."

"All of life is about perspective, Ty Lee. Avatar Kyoshi was not above killing those who deserved it." '

She is a Kyoshi Warrior.

"Do it."

"Please-"

She raises the axe above her head. He does as Azula said he would.

He screams.

Two women race across the landscape of Gou Island. The black haired one leads the way, dragging the sullen brunette by the hand forward. Azula looks around in the morning sunlight. She's hot and bothered and all turned around. They had blindfolded her, so she isn't sure where she's going. One thing is certain though: wherever she is going, she is going with Ty Lee.

She lets go of the hand and wanders forward a bit to get a look around. She turns back and Ty Lee is clearly still shaken by what has just happened. She tries to break the ice.

"What do you want for dinner?" She asks sincerely.

Ty Lee comes out of her daze briefly at this question. She realizes that she doesn't know where she is and tries to process what's been asked. She keeps seeing the King of Faces. She keeps seeing the blood.

"Dinner?"

"Yes, maybe some tender beef and rice?" She asks with a smile. She turns back around, facing the sun and envelopes in the warmth and light. She thinks about the red meat. Ty Lee reaches up and wipes a fleck of something off her cheek. When she looks down she finds the smidge of blood on her hands.

Azula interjects over her thoughts. "I was thinking we could go to the Southern Water Tribe. Have you ever been? I haven't, but I've seen paintings and it's always looked so beautiful."

Ty Lee looks at her, her mind bouncing all over the place. She can't hold onto anything for more than a few seconds. She keeps seeing his face. She keeps hearing his scream.

"We could get a cabin, or maybe an igloo!" She says excitedly, the idea just now coming to her. A new idea comes to mind of something else she'd always secretly wanted. "Or maybe we could go to the middle of nowhere in the Earth Kingdom. No one would find us. We could be normal! And I have so much money that not even Zirin knows about, so we don't have to worry about any of that."

"Ok." Ty Lee replies, dumbfounded.

Azula stops and turns towards her. She recognizes that Ty Lee is not herself. She approaches her. Ty Lee had been staring out into the distant ocean, now she looks at Azula as she closes the distance between them. The former Crown Princess reaches down and clasps her hands. She speaks with a reassuring tone.

"You killed someone for the first time, so you're a little shocked. But you'll get better in no time," she says. She looks in her eyes. Gold mixes with grey. A kindness is conveyed in her voice, "I will take care of you."

Ty Lee blinks at her and doesn't move. Slowly her facial expression fades into a scowl. She retracts her hands. Azula notices but doesn't think anything of it. Her head is in the clouds. She's sky high off of adrenaline and overwhelming joy. They'd snuffed out Koh's Disciples and killed the King of Faces. Yet this was not just another page in Azula's legacy. Instead, this one was accomplished side by side with Ty Lee. No twisting of arms. No ill intent. Nothing.

Azula wanders close to a cliffside and looks down. Thirty feet below water splashes against the island. She sees no pirate ship anywhere within view. She surmises that the vessel that brought them here must be on the other side of the island. She must've taken a wrong turn somewhere. Staring out into the beautiful ocean view, she daydreams about what they've just done. What they'll do. She can still see his face. She can still hear his scream.

She turns to face the brunette with a lopsided smile. Absentmindedly she says, "I'm proud of you."

Ty Lee's eyes almost bulge out of her head. She wears a look of disgust as she asks, "You're proud of me?"

Azula stands up more straight, smile not fading. "We're safe because of you. Because you had the courage to act."

"What are you talking about?" Ty Lee asks, incredulous and genuinely confused.

"They're going to hunt us down now," Azula tells her. "Koh's Disciples aren't just something you can get rid of that easily. They're insects. They appeared because I existed. They're not going to go away with me alive. So they'll hunt us. But we will survive and endure."

Ty Lee tilts her head all the way to the side. She is starting to read between the lines and can't believe what she's hearing. "What do you think is happening right now?"

Azula tilts her head to the side now too. She approaches her childhood friend. She reaches for her hands and holds them again. "We have so much ahead of us. Our whole lives."

Ty Lee retracts her hands with force. This time Azula notices. Ty Lee squints as if it's difficult for her to see what she's hearing. She stutters as she speaks. "Y-you think I'm just going to join you now? Become some kind of girl friend in your criminal empire? Or some kind of what? What? Retirement? Like were fucking Kyoshi and Rangi?"

Azula is deeply hurt by this. She grits her teeth and strides past her, leaving the cliffside and heading back down the hill. "Stop it, Ty Lee. You're ruining the moment."

"I see now."

Azula stops and looks back at her, upset and brow furrowed. Ty Lee looks at her with new eyes. Enlightenment has found her. "You want me to be a mess. You want me to be scared."

Azula's head retracts in reproach. Ty Lee grows angrier and louder. She steps towards the Dragon Empress. She points at her own chest as she tells her, "But I'm like you now: I'm not afraid of anything. This is what you wanted!"

Azula steps towards her, nearly tearing up, a furious rage exploding from places she doesn't recognize. She yells in her face, "This is what you wanted!"

Azula is fighting back tears at all costs now. Ty Lee finally understands. She backs away from the Puppetmaster.

Azula clears her throat. She speaks with a voice that is obviously feigning confidence. She tells Ty Lee, "You love me."

"No." The response comes instantly and with true confidence.

"I love you."

"No." Ty Lee shakes her head.

"I do." Azula tells her with a broken voice and absolute confidence. Ty Lee steps further back.

"You don't understand what that is." She tells the Faceless Demon.

"I do! You're mine."

"No." Ty Lee looks with sad, grey eyes.

"You are," Azula tells her. She screams her fury out, "YOU'RE MINE!"

The acrobat turns away from the former Crown Princess. She steps to the cliffside and looks out at the ocean. She can't look at the black haired girl anymore.

Azula stares at the back of her head with pain and heartache; with fury and a raging fire. She blinks away tears. She had once wondered what it would be like to crack Ty Lee's head open and see what was inside. She lifts her hand out and speaks while a soft floom ignites. A fireball glows in her palm.

"Ty Lee," she pauses. The blue flame grows. "I thought you were special."

She does it before she can change her mind. The flame explodes and from only a few feet it quickly overwhelms the woman in armor. She goes up in flame and the blue fire is all that Azula sees. It consumes what it touches and scorches the earth. Azula doesn't know how long she holds the fire but eventually it fades and she realizes that no one is there anymore. The fire had left nothing standing. Not even the bones were left.

She lets the tears slide down her face. She turns away and goes home.

Chapter Text

It's Shit

[Winter/Spring 113 AG]

Just as the morning light is preparing to break above the horizon, a black haired beauty realizes she is conscious. She does not go to move. She lets the sun win today's race. More often than not lately that's been happening. As a teenager she prided herself on being up and about before the sun rose. Even a few years ago she would never be caught in bed while the sun ascended into the sky, unless she was dead. Now that she is older, and assuredly wiser, she knows that all that needs to be done can be accomplished with even a modicum of effort and a few hours of concentration.

'No need to rise up early when I get it all done in the end anyway.'

Today at least she concedes that she's got an excuse. She rolls in bed to look at the woman beside her. Never one to rise with the sun herself, Zirin is facing the other way, topless, her bare back exposed to Azula. Etched into the canvas of her skin are claw marks. The signs of Azula's work on Zirin's birthday last night. She used to lay here and trace the lines for hours. Now she just blinks at it blandly. She rolls back over and climbs out of bed finally.

She lazily slips a bra and tank top on and walks out of the Master Bedroom of the Firelily Inn. She heads downstairs and collects tea from the communal kitchen. As she heads back past the front desk, towards the staircase, the Innkeeper makes a show to bow before her and properly address the Dragon Empress. The poor girl had embarrassed herself yesterday when she had attempted to charge Azula for the room.

Under Ruki and Zirin's leadership, their enterprises have expanded significantly. The manager of the Firelily Inn, Olimo, had never even met Azula before, despite 'working for her' for almost two years now. She knew of the Empress, but her highest level of dealings had been a brief interview with Ruki before being hired soon after. Azula waves her off and returns to the bedroom.

She takes a quick glance at the woman in bed, who doesn't move. She goes and stands at the window. She looks down at her hands holding the cup. Her fingers are so thin and brittle. More so than she can remember since she was much younger. She wonders if they'll keep whittling away until they fade to nothing. Until she fades to nothing.

Azula believes in monsters. She always has. She believes in ghosts and demons too. All of them live within her. They ruled her will for so long. They wrestle within her for control and for several years they won time and again. Now she keeps them at bay. She tames the monsters.

Her eyes drag up and she looks out at Xue Wu Village. The clouds look heavy and she thinks that rain may be coming. Perhaps it's raining elsewhere, she wonders. She'll ask Ruki when she gets into town if she had to fight through any rough weather. She thinks about Ruki and about Zirin and the trio's journey together over the last 11 years.

All the good they'd done for young girls, for women, and the world.

How a younger Azula would be proud.

If the girl in the woods outside of Jingchan, sweating, hungry, and on the run, could see all that she's done, all that she's become, she would be so happy.

'But the woman I am today isn't-'

A body weight crashed into her from behind. A left hand wraps around her. A seductive voice whispers in her ear.

"Good morning, my darling. Last night was wonderful."

"Was it now?"

"Mhm," she hums. "One of my best nights ever. How was it for you?"

She looks out across a colorless world. It reflects as much outside as she feels inside. She replies.

"I've never been happier."

There had been rain on the road, and Ruki had brought it all with her. Azula had wanted them to be out and about, walking around town, being seen by the loyal townsfolk. Given the weather, she had instead taken them to the mountain fortress, where they now sat drinking tea together.

These chambers had once been a prison of Fire Nation civilians from the village. In their many years since then they had reclaimed it and made it their home, complete with a throne for Azula. The rain pours down above, but it is but a distant, white noise. Azula sits at her royal place, with Ruki on her left hand side. It's just the two of them, reviewing details of their next important endeavor. Zirin wasn't feeling well after last night and had been excused. A belated birthday gift from her girlfriend.

Azula is droning on about some minutiae details when she realizes that Ruki's eyes are distant and glossed over.

"Do I bore you, Ruki? Are you so unconcerned with our enterprises? Or have you just become so used to our success?

"Hmm? Oh no, Empress, I apologize. It's just. Well," she hesitates. Finally she says, "I'll admit I'm a bit distracted."

"I couldn't tell," she quips. "What's occupying your mind?"

"I… don't know how to say this, Empress."

"Hmm?"

"It's embarrassing."

This catches Azula off guard. The two girls, despite over a decade of working together, had few emotional conversations, and they were far between. Something softer flourishes forth from the Dragon Empress.

"Ruki, you are one of my oldest, most faithful friends. There is nothing you can share with me that would bring shame to yourself or which I would dishonor you for."

Ruki hems and haws. Her mouth moves but no words come out. She shuts her eyes and tries to force it out. She blurts out, "I was recently scorned by a lover."

Azula blinks and her head retracts in reproach. "Oh. I see."

"I knew I shouldn't have spoken. I'm sorry, Empress."

"No, no. It's fine. I was unaware that you were even involved with anyone."

"I wasn't. I'm not. I'm, ergh, it's complicated."

"I see that."

"It's just," she hems and haws again. Her voice is sad but passionate at the same time. "When you love someone and they don't love you back? I, well, I don't know what it is, but it's worse than-"

"It's shit." Azula blunts out in total recognition. Her voice isn't excited. She just understands.

"Yes!" Ruki exclaims in agreement. Her voice flattens as she calms down. Emotion leaves her as the reality returns. "It's shit."

A heavy silence befalls them. Azula empathizes with the redhead beside her, yet she doesn't feel that she can say anything. Ruki has known her since the beginning. She's had a front row seat to her relationship with Zirin. She remains quiet and uncomforting of her longtime friend.

The girl with violet eyes sighs. She apologizes, "Sorry about all of that. We should return to the business."

"Yes," Azula agrees. "Let's do that."

More confidently now, Ruki speaks, "Ultimately, you're the Puppetmaster. I needn't do anything and this will still go according to plan."

"Don't say that, Ruki," Azula politely accosts her. "We've talked about this: I don't want someone who will just say all of my ideas are perfect. We've learned over the years to always ask questions. I need you to be that for me. My unilateral authority is how we lost so many Fire Warriors."

"Hmm. Do you ever regret it?"

"Regret what?"

"Saving them."

"From Koh's Disciples?"

"And their Face King."

"Hmm," she pretends to think for a moment. She knows the answer. She lies anyway. "All the time, Ruki. I should've let them reap that Island and sowed it. We could've ripped them out at any point."

"We lost many girls that night when you saved us. Most that survived abandoned our cause to fight alongside the Kyoshi Warriors after that."

"Indeed. On the one hand they are traitors and cowards," Azula tells her. "But on the other hand they were young and scared. We once we're like them. I might have made a similar choice if I'd been in their position. It's why we have our no-kill order on them."

"An unpopular decision if you've ever made one."

"Ruki you know as well as I do that the mantle of leadership is always accompanied by criticism and doubt," she tells her. There's a pause as nothing is said. Azula takes this as a time to course correct. "Now let's get back to discussing this move to, uh, what's it-"

"Republic City."

"Ah yes, I'm still not used to that. Old Cranefish Town, as it were. In any case, our next steps will be to build out our Republic City Empire."

"Forgive me, Empress," Ruki cuts in, repositioning to better face Azula. "But this will be your first time actively in the field in some time, yes? Months? Years?"

Azula knows exactly how long it's been. So does Ruki. She plays along.

"Something like that. You said it yourself: As the Puppetmaster, I need not be involved anymore. I can rule through fear, from afar."

"Indeed," Ruki concedes. "But it will be good to have you back in the fold. Especially as we've heard that those Kyoshi Warriors are involved with the city police."

"Then we surely have nothing to worry about."

Ruki insists, "They're sending their very best."

"No!" Azula shouts over her. "I killed the last great Kyoshi Warrior. I burned her with such a fire that not even bones were left."

Ruki sips from her tea. She does not rebuttal. She does not dare say the name.

The Nokizo Village Island was once a hidden gem of the Southern Sea. Whether it's visitors were seafarers headed towards the Southern Water Tribe or the Si Wong Desert, or safe recluse from the clutches of the unagi, many could find the warm welcome of the Nokizo Village Island. It had been a splendid place to stopover or a scenic view as one passed it. All of which ended during the Hundred Year's War.

Tourism dried up over the decades. After Avatar Aang arrived in the nearby Kyoshi Island in late 99 AG, all of the remaining warriors were called home to aid in the efforts to fight against the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. Forgotten during war time, ravaged by economic failure, the 'hidden gem' lost all of its luster. What's more, just a few years earlier it had been pillaged by pirates who slain nearly all of its inhabitants on their way to a larger prize. In such a small village, word travels swiftly. The rumor was that those men who killed their friends and kin got what was coming to them, from a real life dragon no less.

Today, the Nokizo Village is nothing more than a forgotten stepchild of Kyoshi Island. Some of the more superfluous girls on the mainland, both warriors and otherwise, have dubbed it the 'No-One Village Island' because of its tiny population of just 41. It consists primarily of the few living ancestors of the land, recluses, older folks from Kyoshi who had come to retire in quiet, and a single Kyoshi Warrior assigned to protect it.

The role of the Nokizo Village protector was not a desirable task. It wasn't something that people wanted or sought out. No one trained on Kyoshi with the intention of asking to be stationed at Nokizo Village. It was a punishment. A serviceable death sentence to careers. A place to put warriors who had acted out of line, or who needed to be retired. A place to put them to permanently reconsider their choices. As the sole defender you had no help, no partner, no one you reported to on a daily basis. A weekly, sometimes even monthly messenger hawk to Kyoshi Island was all that was expected. A simple report detailing the status quo was still intact.

The days of the island getting lavish visitors from all over the area have long since passed. Equally so, the Kyoshi Warrior who stands guard over the village is deep into retirement themself, waiting for their watch to end. Wondering when their watch will end. Hoping for their watch to end.

Normally, she sits at the top of her watch tower at the highest point on the island and watches the golden sun slip beyond the horizon. Long past her time of departure, she would watch it set and then head for home. Eat whatever she has around and then go to bed. Do it all again the next day. However, none of that happens today.

Today it rains.

All across the Earth Kingdom. Probably all over the world it rains in droves. So instead, she sits at her post, beneath an awning, and contemplates life. How she got here. What she'll eat for dinner. Her hand reaches up and idly plays with her hair. Twisting it into braids. Stopping when she remembers. She peeks at her hand. Her fingers are so thin and brittle. More so than she can remember since she was much younger. She wonders if they'll keep whittling away until they fade to nothing. Until she fades to nothing.

The hours pass by until the time comes to go home. She stands up under the awning and lifts her umbrella over her head. The wind threatens to yank it right out of her tender fingertips. She grips it tighter as she walks home. A little less than halfway a strong gust of wind blows and the umbrella shoots upward, snapping. She still holds on to it, but it's broken. She doesn't bother to lightly jog back. She just walks through it, getting drenched in the storm.

She bursts through the door to her home and quickly shuts the rain out. She walks into her kitchen and falls into a chair. The wind howls outside, and all of her drawn in window sills rattle. Water drips off of her and onto the kitchen floor, her Kyoshi makeup running down her face. As she listens to the wind and waits to dry off, her mind wanders again.

She doesn't know how long she's been here. The time has passed so quickly, yet so slowly. Every day is the same, from beginning to end. It doesn't even really feel like days are going by or that she is living her life. Every day she is alive, but she doesn't think of herself as living. She is simply existing. Simply sifting through the static of every single day. She lies down in the sands of time as they pass over her. Those sands overcome her and make her feel like she is buried alive. Completely trapped by the circumstances of her life. No matter how much she tries to move or fight against it, the weight never shifts. It just remains heavy and holds her down, never giving her room to breathe.

When she first came here, her friends and allies had wanted to protect her. Make sure she was safe, away from the eyes of the world. They hid her in plain sight, but in doing so, just like Nokizo Village, she was forgotten with time. Now, no one can find her. No one is looking for her.

She's tired and wants to rest, but all she's done the last few years is rest. She's been so lonely. She's grown boney and frail from the diet out on the island. All she knows is this island, as if it's been her entire life. Whatever the reason she originally became a Kyoshi Warrior, it's been forgotten now. Her purpose has been lost and now there is only the island. Now there is only her watch and waiting for it to end, wanting it to end. Now there is only the rain and the rattling windows.

A sudden knock on her door startles her and jerks her out of her trance. She looks to the front door with surprise and anxiety. She rises, and slowly ambles towards the door. She wonders if the Fire Warriors have finally been activated and are descending on her.

A voice shouts over the rain, "Hello?"

She tries to steel herself as she approaches it. The voice speaks her name.

"Ty Lee?"

She hears her name for the first time in recent memory.

"It's me. It's Suki."

She blinks, struggling to believe as she stands at the door.

"You weren't at your post and there aren't really any other places to go?"

The brunette can hear the voice clearly now. She believes. She reaches for the handle and pulls it open. The chain on the door keeps it at just a crack. Through the crevice she sees her leader and old friend.

"Suki?"

"Hey there!" She greets her warmly. "Mind if I come in? It's terrible out here."

Coming to her senses, Ty Lee quickly nods. She closes the door and reaches for the latch. She pauses a moment. There's a small part of her that still fears this is a trap. A clever ploy whereby she'll let her guard down and get killed at long last.

"Ty?"

The voice reaches her and she comes to her senses again. She unchains the lock and opens the door.

Ty Lee settles in at the kitchen table again with a cup of hot leaf juice, because she was sure it couldn't be called tea. Suki takes one sip, grimaces as she swallows, and decides that will be her last sip. Ty Lee drinks it despite the quality because she has nothing else. Suki offers a platitude.

"So, how long has it been since I was last here? A couple of months?"

The twenty-seven year old woman with grey eyes quickly but meekly replies, "It's been a year, Suki."

"No," Suki dismisses her out of hand. She looks around the room as she holds her cup. "No, it hasn't. I was just here, feels like the other day."

It's been over a year. Suki blocks that out. Ty Lee doesn't want to fight with her leader about it. Suki begins curbing the conversation.

"The world is becoming bigger, Ty. You can't stay hidden forever."

"You put me here?" Ty Lee asks with honest confusion.

"I've told you many times that you can leave when you're ready, Ty. You just don't want to."

This is also true, but Ty Lee has also blocked it out. She doesn't know how to respond to this. She doesn't think Suki is right, but she knows she's not wrong. She tries to move along.

"Well. You're here now. What have you come for?"

Growing serious Suki says, "I've come to ask for your help"

"With what?"

Suki looks right into those grey eyes.

"She's back, Ty."

"No."

"Ty Lee-"

"I don't care. I don't want to hear it, Suki."

This is going nowhere fast. Suki had anticipated as much and came prepared. She pivots.

"I know what you care about. Have you seen-"

"No. I told you, Suki, I am done with her."

There's a brief pause as Suki let's her breathe. A small smile dawns on her lips as she says, "I was going to ask if you've seen Republic City yet."

"Oh. Oh, well, umm, no. I haven't," Ty Lee awkwardly admits.

"It's beautiful," Suki says while daydreaming about it. "High rising concrete towers that touch the clouds. Spectacular architecture. It's unlike anything I've ever seen."

"I… can't even imagine it."

"Best of all. They have this state of the art police academy."

"Oh?"

"And they want us to help with it."

"Build it?" Ty Lee asks, incredulous.

"Sort of," Suki nods. "Build it up. They want the Kyoshi Warriors to train the non-benders so they can chiblock and fight and defend the people of the city."

"Sounds like a great opportunity."

"It is," Suki agrees. "And I want you by my side for it."

Ty Lee chuckles. "Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not?"

"I've wasted away on this island. I'm no good to you anymore," she says. Quietly she adds, "I'm no good to anyone."

Suki's hands are quicker than Ty Lee can react. They leave the mug and reach up to grab Ty Lee's face. She cups her cheeks in her palms. She stares into those grey eyes for a while. She's searching for something. Ty Lee hasn't had this much physical touch with another human in years. After a few more seconds, Suki smiles.

"Nope." She tells her, releasing the cheeks.

Ty Lee stares blankly.

"That's not true, Ty Lee."

Ty Lee still is confused. The look in her eyes implores Suki to go on.

"You're a living legend amongst the Kyoshi Warriors. You taught us chiblocking. You were instrumental in rescuing those children in the Capital. You saved us from Koh's Disciples. We need you way more than you need us."

One word sticks to the brunette.

"Legend?" She asks.

"Yes, Ty." Suki says, sensing the tides changing in her favor. "Your legacy isn't this island. Your legacy is a lasting impact on the Kyoshi Warriors and the world that will be felt for evermore."

Ty Lee feels that her mouth is dry. Her pulse is quick. She hangs off of every word.

"So come back. Take my hand and come back with me," she says, offering her hand. "Come to Republic City, help us train these green recruits."

Ty Lee looks down at the hand. She considers leaving the island. She considers joining Suki. The two teenage friends, back on the beat of a magical, futuristic city. Suki whispers a little bonus to her.

"And along the way, maybe we'll catch that bitch who put you in the ocean," she says with a wry smile. "There's no one better in the world than you to do it."

Ty Lee smiles. She takes Suki's hand.

Chapter Text

Choke Her

[Summer 113 AG]

The clatter of her shoes against the ground are the only noise that echoes across the room. She enters from a side door and finds her faithful third in command standing at attention. The ginger girl greets her with a warm smile and a slight bow of the head. The motherly figure crosses the space and takes a seat in her throne. Juxtaposed to the heat of summer in the city, the iron feels cool to the touch as she grips the arm rests. She feels the smoothness and the icy feeling in her fingertips. She relishes the brief moment of tranquility before the next order of business.

She finally looks up at the lilac eyes that rest upon her. She nods in affirmation. The girl with fiery hair turns to the Fire Warriors at the door, partially hidden in the shadows. They pull the doors open. Azula crosses her legs over each other. She raises her fingers up and folds them into steeples in front of her. She narrows her eyes and waits.

Anxious and measured steps precede a man entering the room. He steps through the shadows and darkness and into the throne room. High up on the top floor of the skyscraper in the Downtown of Republic City, he looks cautiously around the room, eyes quickly darting all about, hands rubbing together. He has grey hair, tan skin, and dark brown eyes. He is much older than anyone else in the room. He shrinks his body into itself to take up less space. Ruki speaks loudly and clearly.

"You stand in the presence of Empress Azula, first of her name. Rightful heir to the throne of the Fire Lord. Rightful ruler of the Fire Nation. The Seed of Sozin. The Prodigy with Blue Fire. The Mother of the Kemurikage. Leader of the Fire Warriors. Founder of the Red Lotus. The Faceless Demon. The Immortal Soldier. The Puppetmaster. The Dragon Empress. Ruler of all she surveys."

The man looks from Ruki to Azula and doesn't say anything at first. Realizing that he is meant to talk he offers his name.

"I-I'm Lee Gan-Lan," he says with a pause. He wonders if they're waiting for more as no one says anything and just stares at him. He awkwardly adds, "I'm the cabbage merchant."

Lee had heard from others that it was expected that he kneel before the Empress so he does so instantly. Azula smiles at his bowed head, appreciating that he knows his place. After a moment he cautiously looks up and around before finally rising.

"Indeed, you are the cabbage merchant," Ruki says. When he is at his full height again she speaks. "Now, in your own words, please explain your request. We have it in writing already, but we would like you to describe it in-person."

"Yes, of course," Lee Gan-Lan says. "Well, I guess the short of it is that I'm looking for a long-term investment to turn my cabbage business into a corporation. I, uh, I have a plan, it's a good plan, I think. But with the weather in this last season, I've lost a lot of my crops."

"Your cabbages, you mean?" Ruki interrupts.

"That's right," he tells her. "My cabbages."

"And your whole business is built off of them?"

"Th-that's right, ma'am."

"And you lost most of them?"

"I, uh, I'm afraid so."

"I see."

"But it-it's not all about cabbages. It's about new technologies, and motorized vehicles for both commercialized and-"

"And you can't accomplish any of it because you have nothing left. No cabbages, no capital, no corporation."

Defeated, he sighs. "Yes. The banks won't give me any loans for the same reasons."

"I can't imagine why not." Ruki deadpans.

"Tell me," Azula cuts through the silence. "Everything."

Ruki turns her head to the side and looks at the Leader of the Fire Warriors in her peripheral vision. Lee looks up at her with glittering eyes. "Everything? But I-"

"I read the report, Lee. Tell me what you really know. Not what you could write down. What do you see this becoming? What's the endgame? What will Cabbage Corporation look like in 5, 10, 20, 50 years from now?"

Ruki is in disbelief. Lee Gan-Lan discovers newfound self-confidence. He launches into an impassioned answer to her questions.

"Can anybody else do what you do?"

"No, ma'am. Not right now at least, and I doubt in the future-"

"How big is your team?"

"Right now I'm working alone, but I plan to outsource the supply procurement, and more. I think my greatest strength will lie in managing the entire-"

"Alright, I've heard enough." Azula finally stops him.

"Oh?" He asks nervously. "And what do you think?"

Azula takes in a dramatic, drawn out breath. She lets him stew just a few seconds longer. Finally she announces, "I want a 35% stake in your company. It will be an iron clad agreement. Something to stand in perpetuity. We'll sign the contract in blood if we have to."

Lee is completely stunned. Hesitantly he replies, "Madam Empress, ma'am, I, well, uh, I can't do that."

"You can't or you won't?"

"I, my company, I-I, for that kind of control, I-I won't survive off what I requested. The funds, the resources, the help, I just-"

"You're not understanding, Gan-Lan. I'm not going to give you what you requested."

Lee licks his lips, heart pounding, he averts his eyes, anxiety spiking. The legends speak of a ruthless woman and now he is preparing to meet with the brunt of her full force. He wonders if he'll regret this decision for the rest of his life.

"I'm going to give you whatever you need, and more."

Ruki interjects, "Empress!"

"Y-you're… what?" Lee Gan-Lan is dumbfounded.

"I've read over your proposal. I've listened to you, and it's excellent. It's meticulous. You're passionate, and driven, and you're pioneering a new world, one fit for this city. You plan for every possible shortfall along the way. It reminds me of myself when I'm at my best."

"Empress," Ruki says in a hushed tone. "We can not possibly afford-"

"Shut it, Ruki." Azula says, eyes still on the cabbage merchant. "I have more money than Agni himself."

"B-but, Madam Dragon, I mean Empress, it's, but, 35% share?"

"Indeed," Azula replies. "To keep you afloat I'm thinking we'll have it vest in 5 years. That will give you time to get your legs under you and then, once you're established, I'll come in as the majority stakeholder."

"But Empress," Ruki again tries to interfere. "What if you're deposed? What if you no longer care for the investment? Or we relocate to the other side of the world? Will you really want to be involved with this company?"

"That's precisely why this will be in perpetuity," Azula replies quickly. "Even if I die, control will simply go to my next in command. In this case, you, Ruki."

Ruki stops suddenly at this. She had expected her to say Zirin. This throws a wrench into her plans.

Azula smirks at the look on her face. She turns back to Gan-Lan. "Now, we're going to sign this contract, today. I've let Ruki and others run my finances for nearly a decade now, but I want my hand on this personally. It may take them a few weeks, maybe even months, to get you all the coin, but if we take care of the details today, the sooner you can move forward with your plans."

Gan-Lan doesn't move. He stares in disbelief. He finally utters, "Why me? I'm nobody?"

The Dragon Empress rises from her throne. She crosses the room and approaches. She stops a foot from him.

"Look at you. Look at all you've overcome. Everything you've sacrificed. All so you could get here, stand before me, and try to make a name for yourself."

There's a pregnant pause. The room of Fire Warriors, criminal masterminds, and a single cabbage merchant is silent. Azula sticks her hand out. He looks between her eyes and her hand. Finally he takes it. She speaks for the whole world to hear.

"I'm going to make you famous, Lee."

Azula, Ruki, and a few of the Fire Warriors are lounging about in the Empress' penthouse apartment, idly chatting. The business with Lee Gan-Lan has been done for a few hours and now they are home, relaxing. Ruki is still trying to think through how she's going to explain all of this to Zirin when the girl herself bursts through the doors. The brunette with black eyes shoves the front door open with power. She shouts into the living room as she storms across it.

"You killed her, right? That's what you said?"

Her question is directed at Azula. The smile that was on the Empress' face fades as her girlfriend charges towards her. Ruki looks lost at this, and one of the Fire Warriors asks bluntly, "Killed who? 'Her' who?"

"She's knows exactly who I'm talking about. Her."

Zirin comes to a stop, arms crossed over her chest, eyes wide, teeth bared. Azula sits up straight in her chair by the window and looks right at her, concern growing, confusion spreading. She answers confidently.

"Yes."

Zirin shakes her head in frustration and disappointment. "She's alive."

Azula smiles. She curtly replies, "No."

Zirin looks exasperated. She waves her arms about. Azula continues, "That's not possible. I burned her alive."

Zirin balls her hands into fists and rests them on her hips. "I saw her with my own eyes."

Strange things begin happening to Azula. She promptly feels out of breath. Her arms feel very heavy, hard to hold up. Her mouth becomes dry and her tongue is very sensitive to touch all of a sudden. Her teeth now feel sharp, so sharp they could cut her tongue. She sits but still her knees feel weak.

"You didn't go back to check for the body? When you get emotional, you just start seeing red and you get tunnel-"

Azula can hear Zirin is still talking, but she's not listening anymore. She hears her own heartbeat in her ears. Zirin's body language and tone get angrier. She does not like watching the Empress zone out. Ruki tries to make sense of it. Azula finally snaps out of it.

"Everybody leave."

Zirin stops mid-sentence. Ruki looks on disapprovingly. The Fire Warriors move to exit immediately. Zirin's mouth hangs open and she just stares at her girlfriend. Azula looks around as her two trusted advisors don't move.

"Now."

No one says a word. They all go without argument, although Zirin and Ruki begin whispering to one as they slip out. Once the door is closed, Azula rises from her seat. Her mind races. She looks out the massive window. She presses her hand to it and leans against it. She rests her forehead on it and looks down at the sprawling Republic City. She wonders where she could be and what she was doing. She's struck with a memory and stands up straight.

She turns towards the bedroom and runs into it. She opens a dresser. She digs through it to the very bottom. Hidden away, she pulls out an object made of fabric.

Late in the evening on a cool summer afternoon, a woman walks out of the Republic City Police Headquarters. She smiles from ear to ear and it almost hurts her face. She walks down the steps leading to the building but jumps down the last few. Her momentum carries her into a skip as she walks down the street away from her workplace. She heads for home after another successful day.

Ty Lee's muscles are sore. She is still getting her stamina back, after nearly 3 years of little physical exertion, and can hardly keep up with the young recruits. She hasn't been getting much sleep because she wakes so early and stays so late. She barely has time to eat before she's back in bed so she can get up a few hours later and do it all again. Her days are mostly scripted, just as they were on the Nokizo Village Island, but a different kind of script. One that allows for improvisation and unexpected twists. Tonight, she decides, she'll take an unexpected walk through the park.

There's the massive City Park right outside of City Hall, but that's a few blocks away. Instead, she cuts through a smaller park that's near the Police HQ. The night is young, the lights are low, and the sounds are swarming. The sounds of a sprawling, growing city. Construction on roads, hoofprints clopping as carriages are drawn, water spurting from a fountain, birds chirping and insects buzzing. She spins around as she walks and takes in the whole city. Finally, she finds a bench beneath a tree, across from the fountain, and she sits down.

From her seat she can see in one direction the city skyline. The skyscrapers and the offices and the various buildings that make up the futuristic city. In the other direction, looming in the distance, is a statue larger than life itself. Her own personal friend, Avatar Aang watches over Yue Bay and all of the city. It all felt surreal and so different than where she thought her life was headed a few months ago.

Ty Lee reflects on the arc of her life. She had been a nameless child, one of seven identical sisters. She transformed her talents into being a circus star. She became a war criminal, responsible for the fall of an entire kingdom. A traitor to her country and more importantly her friend. Perhaps her most important role is that of a Kyoshi Warrior. She travelled across the Fire Nation chasing the Dragon Empress. She found her, lost her, then recruited her. She lived with her, ate with her, trained with her. She killed with her. Then she hid from her. She lost herself and for a while she didn't know who she was anymore. Perhaps in a different timeline, she stayed on that island forever.

Fate had different plans for her.

Now, she is back. As a Kyoshi Warrior, training chi blocking again to nonbenders. She is living, really living again. She is free of weight, free of mind, free of stress, free of fear. Her aura hasn't been this pink in years. She drinks up the sights and sounds of Republic City. The running water fountain, the hue of the lights in all of the buildings, the scuffle of feet behind her.

Striding up to her, sitting safely beneath a tree in the park, is a woman. She has long flowing black hair and eyes as gold as sunrise. She is finely dressed and keeps her hands in her pockets. She stares in awe at the brunette. It dawns in her peripheral vision that this stranger is looking right at her. She turns her grey eyes to the woman. Her jaw drops and she instantly returns to the ocean.

Smiling down at her, standing there so casually, is Azula. She speaks sweetly.

"Hi Ty Lee."

For one singular moment the world stands still. The water fountain doesn't run. The insects don't hum. The city lights don't illuminate the dark. Azula wants to sit beside her. Sit beneath a tree together and both be unafraid. Be happy and together. Ty Lee's eyes begin to bulge. Her face twists. All of her rage is unlocked. She rises up off her seat and screams at the top of her lungs.

"AHHH!"

The moment of daydreaming about sitting and talking completely evaporates. The grey eyes, brown hair, and innocent face get larger as the girl flies up towards her. Azula quickly pulls her hands out of her pockets to defend herself. Ty Lee pushes her back but Azula is already backing up anyway. She swings wildly and Azula's hands stay up to block the force of the blows.

"Hey! HEY!"

Azula turns in a semicircle as Ty Lee goes into a fit of rage trying to hit her. Chi blocking isn't even on her mind. She screams as she swings and swats, every step Azula knocking her hands away at the last second. Ty Lee sees red. She sees the woman who tried to burn her and inadvertently instead almost sent her to a watery grave. She sees the thirty foot drop into the ocean. She sees the woman standing in front of her. She sees her neck. She tries to grab it. She wants to choke her. She wants to choke the life from her.

"I'm not doing it anymore, Ty Lee. Any of it!"

Ty Lee doesn't care. Her twisted words and her mind games and her tricks. She swings a hand and finally Azula fails to block it. She smacks the former Crown Princess right on the top of the head.

"Ow!"

Up until this moment, Azula had not been trying. She had been letting Ty Lee work it out of her system. Keeping her at bay, but not fighting back. Getting hit in the head is the end of the fun and games. Ty Lee swings her hand up and Azula catches it this time. She uses her emotions and her motion against her. She uses Ty Lee's forward momentum to spin around and send the girl flying. Ty Lee crashes into the bench she had been sitting on. Azula pounces on her.

Ty Lee lays with her back on the bench and immediately feels a weight on top of her. Azula straddles her and pins her one arm down with her knee. Before the brunette can react, Azula grabs her other wrist and yanks it in. She leans down, on top of her old roommate, and lifts her forearm up to her throat. Her head against the wooden bench, she is forced down and can't move. Azula uses her free hand to shove some hair out of her face and then leans down low, until she is inches from her face. Ty Lee struggles and grumbles obscenities at her.

"Ty Lee. Ty Lee!" Azula yells in her face and the grey-eyed girl grows quiet. "I have a gift for you."

Ty Lee stops struggling. She heaves and sighs but she can't move. Azula's free hand reaches into her pocket. She pulls out a small, scarlet object made of fabric, with a golden loop. Ty Lee looks and sees that it is an old accessory of hers.

A choker she wore to a party at Ember Island, many years ago.

With swiftness, Azula repositions the arm holding Ty Lee's neck down. She exposes more of the neck. She leans closer. She loops one end around her neck and then the other. With this new location of her hand, and her free hand, she just barely ties it around the back of her neck. Without realizing it, Azula has released her hold on the girl. Their faces are inches apart. Ty Lee looks up into those sunset eyes. Azula gets lost in those grey orbs once more.

Ty Lee moves first. She cranes her neck and moves her face up. She closes her eyes and their lips meet to the total surprise of Azula. There is no tongue, there is no excessive desire. There is just a final meeting of the lips. It sends shockwaves through their systems.

She pulls away and Azula can't believe it. She searches the grey. Dives into it and swims about. She lets out half a sigh as it finally registers what happened. Ty Lee stares at the raven haired girl on top of her. At that moment, Azula didn't want to be anywhere else. At that moment, her forearm came up slightly off of Ty Lee. Still staring into her eyes, Ty Lee rears her head back. She slingshots it and headbutts the girl on top of her.

"Oof!"

Azula's world swings about wildly as she falls off the girl and rolls on the ground by the water fountain. Ty Lee's head ricochets back into the bench and she hears a ringing in her ear. All of the lights appear brighter. The women lie dazed and confused for a few moments, the force of the blow disorienting them both.

Ty Lee hears something as she groans and covers her eyes. The running water fountain, the hue of the lights in all of the buildings blinding her, and the scuffle of feet behind her.

When she finally uncovers her eyes and her vision adjusts, the girl is gone. There is no Dragon Empress anymore.

Chapter Text

Love

[Summer 113 AG]

It's early in the morning. Azula stands in her makeshift throne room alone. She stands at the window and looks out at the sunrise just below the horizon. She's come here early to meet in secret at the request of her friend. Just as she's thinking of her, the doors creak open and the redhead quietly enters. With an awkward wave she approaches and stands beside her, facing the window.

"Good morning, Empress."

"Good morning, Ruki. I've been wondering what could be so important as to meet before sunrise. My best guess is that either you're pregnant or dying. I'd rather it be one than the other."

With a heavy sigh Ruki says, "Thank you for seeing me without Zirin. I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed in me."

"So you are pregnant?" Azula deadpans.

"No, no," Ruki replies earnestly. "Not that. Something came to my attention yesterday and I just need to talk about it right away"

"Well then? What is it?"

"It's just," she pauses for a beat. With a deflated tone she continues, "I'm so tired, Mother."

Azula is caught off guard. That title was so rarely used by the ginger. She typically reserved it for when she was asking for something. This makes the Mother of the Kemurikage uneasy. She says, "Ruki, I hardly believe that's what you've come to talk to me about."

"No, I know. It's just. Well, aren't you tired?"

"No." She lies.

Ruki frowns a little and narrows her eyes. She doesn't really believe her but she moves on. "Do you remember a few months ago? I told you about my lover who scorned me?"

"I recall. Men really do not deserve you, Ruki."

"I'm flattered. Well, Empress, I spoke with him yesterday."

"You did? In person? Not a messenger hawk?"

"He's visiting family in Republic City. And he wanted to see me. Me, Empress! Me!"

Ruki rides the wave of excitement for a few seconds longer. Slowly it ebbs and she comes crashing back down. More solemnly she continues, "We talked. Something he said stood out. He said he couldn't be with me while I'm involved in this life. He can't reconcile it with his conscience."

Ruki abruptly stops talking.

Azula changes the weight of her feet. She gives Ruki a look imploring her to go on, but the redhead doesn't see it. She stares out the window at the city below. Azula offers, "Oh? And so what does that mean?"

Hesitantly Ruki goes on, "I just- I. Um. Empress, have you ever wondered about what if we weren't in this life anymore?"

There is a pregnant pause. Ruki's lungs feel like they're made of iron. She licks her lips, her eyes moving all around the room. Finally she returns them to Azula, who is looking at her with an open mouth and bated breath. A question years in the making is asked.

"Would you hate me for wanting to get out?"

The weight of pressure shifts to the queenpin. Everything she has done for the last eleven plus years has been to build and grow her empire. All of it was done for her girls, or the people of the Fire Nation, or for women. Ruki had once stood beside her in the woods outside of Jingchan, sweating and starving, without a purpose or direction. She had faithfully stood beside her through the years and the travels. The Dragon's empire wouldn't be what it is without the lilac eyed girl with hair on fire. The same girl who now stands before her and summons the courage to whisper about leaving it all behind.

Azula steals a glance at the city. Her heart beats quickly and it feels like she's tilting over the edge of the window, about to fall from the sky. As she mentally fights the nerves she replies, "This isn't a life we can escape from, Ruki. I've thought a lot recently…"

Azula trails off. Her mind goes blank as her mouth becomes dry. Ruki tries to give her a chance to collect herself but when she doesn't, she interjects, "So you've thought about getting out too?"

Azula looks all around. Anywhere but at Ruki. Finally she stammers, "I, well, I'm, um. I-I-I don't have a plan. I've just spent time thinking recently, Ruki, that there is no escape from this life for us. There's no retirement. We either do this, or we die."

Ruki takes a step towards Azula. The Puppetmaster looks up at those purple eyes. Her friend whispers to the Leader of the Fire Warriors, "You know, if you got out, you'd have to leave everything. Including her."

Too quickly, averting her eyes, Azula replies with false bravado, "I know."

Azula draws her inner strength. She measures these next words carefully. She whispers to her old friend. "If you decide to go, I won't chase you."

There is a new found hope in those lilac eyes. "I could try to impede them. I can't promise they won't catch you, but I won't make it easy."

Ruki draws in a hushed breath. Azula urges her, "If you go, then you just go. You run, and run, and run, and you never look back. They'll keep chasing you, forever, even if I told them to stop. They will never stop looking for a traitor."

"Yes, of course. But, where would you go, Azula?"

She knows what her answer is, but she won't say it. Not even to Ruki.

"If you've learned nothing from me over the years, it's that the best place to hide is in plain sight."

Ruki lets out a small giggle at this. She reaches out and places a hand on Azula's. "Yes, I have. Thank you, Empress."

Azula looks into her eyes and gives a subtle nod. Ruki lets go and stands up straight. In a much more controlled tone she says, "Well, you do have some business to attend to today. Shouldn't you get going?"

Azula nods more vigorously this time. She recalls the plan she has made for the day. She steps away from the window. With a devious smile she says, "Indeed. It's time to visit an old friend."

"Excuse me!"

A brunette with soft, grey eyes huffs as she sprints past strangers in the hallway, carrying a long, thin pole in her hands.

"Sorry," she shouts. "Coming through!"

The former acrobat slips through the nurses and visitors. She streaks down the halls of Sweet Blossom Hospital. Her hurried breaths are the only thing she hears as she twists and turns. Finally, she turns one last corner and runs smack into a blockade of familiar faces.

"Whoa there, Ty! Where do you think you're going?"

The Kyoshi Warrior comes to a stop, holding up her umbrella as she nearly crashes into them. She's confronted with her dark haired friend and boss, Suki. She holds a hand up, blocking her path. Behind Suki stands a massive political figure and the leader of the Southern Water Tribe, Sokka. Finally, back against the wall, staring out to nowhere, is the Chief of Police, Toph Beifong. Only Suki blocks her way, the others do not intervene.

"Suki, please. I need-"

"We're not allowed back there yet, Ty. There's nothing to see."

"I completely agree. Nothing to see at all." Toph quips.

"Good one," Sokka quietly adds.

"Oh, sorry Toph. I didn't-"

"Please, can I just-? She's-"

Sokka starts, "Ty Lee, we really can't-"

Suki speaks, "It's nothing against you. We just have to be patient."

"But-"

"Don't worry, Pokey. I think she'll be alright. And when she is, it's officially a police matter, so I'm gonna get the first chance to talk to her," Toph says while cracking her knuckles.

Hemming and hawing, Ty Lee paces in front of the group. Her mind races with questions. "How did this happen? What healers are with her? Does Zuko know yet? What was she doing? Why-"

"Listen, Pokey, maybe you should sit down. All that movement of yours is making me anxious."

Toph steps towards her and puts her hands up to guide Ty Lee away. Ty doesn't want to go but she also doesn't fight, conceding that this is likely best. She mumbles as Sokka and Suki follow, "She's just so important to me."

"I know she is, Pokey."

"We all know, Ty. You two have been through so much together," Suki says as Ty Lee sits down.

"Yeah, all that shared trauma." Sokka comments. "Must've been hard being controlled by that monster together."

"She isn't- that- what?" Ty Lee mumbles in response but doesn't really ask anything. Finally she says, "Healer. Her healer? Whose-"

"The very best in the world, Ty." Suki reassures her.

"Eghhhh." Both Sokka and Toph say at the same time.

"Would you two cut it out, she doesn't need this right now."

"Katara? It's Katara? She's here? She's seeing-"

"Yes. She rode Appa into the city as soon as they got word and arrived maybe a minute or two before you. She's with Mai now."

"And Zuko?" Ty Lee asks, hopeful.

"His boyfriend is on his way to collect him now." Toph replies with a snicker.

"Huh?" Ty Lee asks. It's been a few years since she was at the palace but she's been quite confident that Zuko didn't have a boyfriend before.

"Stop it, Toph," Suki commands harshly. "Can't you tell she's distraught?"

Suki kneels before Ty Lee and holds her hands. "She's referring to Aang. He took Bakunawa and flew straight to Ba Sing Se, since it would be faster than sending a messenger hawk. We expect they'll arrive riding those giant dragons of theirs in a few hours. Hopefully not much longer than that."

Ty Lee tries to control her breathing. Fire Lady Mai was maybe only a few feet away, in another room, being treated by one of the best healers on Earth. There's nothing more that Ty Lee could or would be able to do.

Ty Lee looks down at the ground and tries to blank her mind. She tries to relax. Idle chit chat between the other three fills the air for a brief few minutes. A nurse appears and approaches. Ty Lee has almost finished smoothing over her aura when the nurse asks the group, "Are you all here for the Fire Lady?"

Ty Lee's eyes fly open and she rises up towards the grey haired girl who is near her age, "Yes we are! Is she okay?"

"Umm," she stammers as the collection of high profile individuals move towards her. "Master Katara says that it will be a while. She is doing what she can for the Fire Lady but-"

"But what?" Toph asks when the girl hesitates.

"Forgive me, she wasn't sure herself and I don't know that I can parlay it very well. She's unsure of how this damage came about and is trying to understand better. She can't explain it and something about it doesn't make any sense."

"But will she be okay? When can we see her?" Ty Lee is anxious for an answer.

"I don't know yet. Master Katara was uncertain about all of it."

Sokka tries to pry, "Did she say if she thinks-"

"I'm sorry, please forgive me, Chief Sokka, but I simply do not know. And I am desperately needed elsewhere."

"Okay, okay, yes, please, do your duty." Suki replies. The nurse begins walking away. Suki adds, mostly to herself, "We'll be okay out here."

When they're left alone, Toph turns to the rest of the group and tells them, "I just want to be clear: when she turns out fine, I'm in charge. I ask the questions, and if she doesn't want any of you there, then you have to beat it."

The group expresses their resigned acknowledgement to Toph's decree. After milling about, the group sits back down and settles in for a much longer than anticipated wait. Sokka and Toph exchange gossip and nonsense stories. Suki goes off to write a messenger hawk to Lomin back at Kyoshi Island. When Sokka goes off on a particularly long-winded story, Toph falls asleep in the seat next to him. He doesn't realize this until he is done with that story and halfway through his next one. At first he's annoyed but eventually he falls asleep too, their heads lightly resting against one another as they doze off. When Suki returns she just shakes her head at them and sits down beside him. She never dozes off, but she daydreams enough that she's not really there.

Ty Lee sits by herself and is left alone with her thoughts. Her mind swims in a mixture of things. It came to her then that every time she waved goodbye to Mai, or anyone, it could be the last time she does. The waiting room smells of a mixture of piss and cleaning products. She listens to the thunderstorm outside. Ty Lee tries to find solace in getting any update through the nurse from Katara. 'Any news is better than bad news, right?' she thinks. Nonetheless, she can't help but dread the worst.

She reminisces on some of their adventures and the time they spent together. Growing up together. Attending the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. Roaming the world with Azula in search of Zuko and Aang. The Boiling Rock and going to prison together. The breakup with Zuko and eventually watching them rebuild their relationship from afar. Their engagement and regal wedding. The hope of what their relationship would bring in the future.

Rising to the top of her memories is a hot spring night, so long ago, during their travels with Azula. Mai talked about her love for Tom-Tom, and how she wanted to see him grow up and become something great. Something that made him happy. At the time, Mai had told her, 'True love is watching someone else grow up.' It made so much sense and is so logical.

Now that Ty Lee is in a waiting room and fearing for Mai's life and what reason put her in here, Ty Lee disagrees. She feels that in actuality love is much more difficult than watching someone grow up. True love is watching someone die. Being the person who stays beside them as they leave this world. It's so much harder to watch the spirits take them than it is to watch them live their lives, with all of their potential and dreams still ahead of them.

'This is love.'

Nearly two hours later, Ty Lee finally hears the scuffle of footsteps. When she looks up, a neutral face of a mother approaches. Her brown skin and bright blue eyes pierce the Kyoshi Warrior and leave her paralyzed. Suki comes out of her own trance. She quickly shakes Sokka. His movement chain reacts to waking up Toph. Following Ty Lee's lead, they all stand and approach Katara. The world's best healer stops before them and sighs deeply. The weight of the world falls upon her lips. The silence suffocates the room.

The slightest hint of a smile dawns on her lips as she says, "She's alright."

Relief washes over the room instantly. Ty Lee will get another chance to wave goodbye. 'I'll get many chances. I'll never take them for granted again.'

"Can we see her?" Ty Lee asks.

"Can you all see her." Toph instinctively jokes.

"Yes." Katara replies without breaking stride.

Toph and Sokka groggily pull themselves together as Ty Lee bounds behind Katara, leaving her umbrella behind, and Suki takes up the rear. When they get to the room, Ty Lee pounces on her as Katara instantly announces her displeasure with this show of affection.

"Take it easy on her!"

Through a broken and weak voice, Mai replies, "It's okay, I'm okay, she's okay."

Ty Lee bursts into tears and clings for life to the dark haired Fire Lady. Mai tries to assuage her with promises that she's okay and won't be going anywhere. Through sobs, Ty Lee says something about waving goodbye, which Mai doesn't understand. Nonetheless she assures her there will be many waves in the future. Katara, initially annoyed with the brunette, begins melting at the sight as she watches her friends hold one another. She rubs her own eyes dry.

After giving it a few minutes, Toph finally declares, "This is great, and gross, and all of that, but it's time some questions were answered."

"Of course." Mai replies. Ty Lee dries her eyes and reluctantly backs away.

Toph approaches and stares out into nothing as she says, "Do you want anyone else here? Or would you prefer it just be you and me?"

"I don't know Toph. I hardly know any of these people."

The larger group giggles, but Toph is about her business. "This will be a police record. Are you sure? I need your consent for them to be present for this."

"That's fine. I understand."

"Alright, I asked the stupid questions, so let's get to it. First thing, what can you remember happening?"

"Ah well, so I left City Hall and I was headed for the Fire Nation Embassy. It was raining pretty hard, harder than it sounds like right now. But I took the carriage and they dropped me off on the side, by the security checkpoint like they're supposed to do. We were rushing to get inside because of the rain. But as soon as I got into the hallway I knew something was wrong."

"Why do you say that?" Toph asks.

"No one was there. It was so odd. The whole entrance was empty. We briefly discussed going back outside and wandering to the front, but it was raining and we didn't want to get wet and yeah."

"Okay. And then?"

"We eventually just walked in on our own. It was just odd and we thought we'd find someone."

"What did you find?"

"As soon as we turned a corner the torches in the hallway all were extinguished. Before Jizu or Chazo could reignite the lights I heard…"

Mai stops. Toph waits. Then she asks, "What did you hear?"

She gulps. "I heard a squelch noise. And I think they tried to scream, but it sounded like someone covered their mouths."

Toph gulps now. "What happened next, Mai? What else do you remember?"

"I… I couldn't move."

"Why not? Did someone grab you? Were you held down?"

"No. None of that. I just… couldn't move. I was paralyzed and it was so dark. I couldn't see anything and I couldn't get my knives out."

Toph rears up to keep asking about the paralyzation. Katara steps up behind her and whispers into her ear something that no one else can hear. Toph nods. She pivots. "What happened after that, Mai?"

Out in the hallway there is a commotion. The nurses try to calm someone down who is rushing through the halls.

"That's when I heard it."

"Heard what?"

"Someone whispered to me in the dark."

"Did you hear what they said?"

"Yes."

"What did they say?"

"They said, 'Welcome to where you're going.'"

Toph huffs in disappointment. Katara pinches her nose. Sokka grows angry. Suki rolls her eyes. Ty Lee shakes her head.

"Then I saw the mask. It appeared to me in the dark."

"What happened after that?"

"I felt something heavy hit me in the back of the head."

A voice out in the hallway shouts, "She's over here?"

"The next thing I know I'm being rushed here."

The door to Mai's room flies open. The whole room turns to the entrance. A man stands huffing for breath, soaking wet. The entire group freezes in place. Ty Lee, Katara, Sokka, and Suki all wait with bated breath. The Fire Lord looks around the room and then towards the bed. He licks his lips and tries to crane his neck.

He asks, "Umm, Toph, can you move?"

"What?" Toph asks, not realizing that she's in the middle of this grand moment. "No. I'm conducting an interview here. You don't get to interrupt that just because you're the Head Flamey-O Hotman."

The room bursts into laughter. Toph tries to suppress her own laugh before she says, "Oh okay, fine, I got everything I needed."

She steps aside. Zuko sees his wife for the first time. Mai tries to not smile. She fails. Zuko crosses the room and envelopes her. It only takes barely a second before Mai is yelling, "Ugh you're wet, nevermind, get off of me."

The sounds of the room's laughter drowns out the footsteps of the bald man entering the room. He smiles with a giant, goofy grin at the scene before him. He speaks. "C'mon all, let's leave these two alone."

The whole group turns and for the first time they see The Avatar. He is also soaked by the rain, but he doesn't seem bothered by it at all. He stands tall and proud and his presence lightens the room. The group agrees with him and begins exiting, leaving just Aang, Katara, Zuko, and Mai.

"I'll be right there, I need to stay and talk to them about something," Katara tells her husband.

"Well it's good to see you too." Aang chides her.

A small smile appears on her face. She quickly pecks him on the lips. She tells him, "I'll just be a minute."

Aang nods. He finally turns and leaves them alone. He follows after the group of his friends, back to the waiting room.

Back in the waiting room, finally armed with the information, the group discusses. Sokka is the first to speak and he announces for all to hear, "I knew it was that bitch!"

"Why are you congratulating yourself? Even I saw that one coming." Toph retorts.

Speaking quickly and with confidence, Ty Lee replies, "I don't think it was her."

Suki's head juts back in reproach. "Ty? What?"

The acrobat stands in a circle amongst her friends. They stare at her in surprise. She tells them, "I can't explain it, but it wasn't her."

With grey hairs growing greyer by this turn in conversation, Sokka crosses his arms and asks, "Are you out of your mind?"

Aang enters the room and takes the role of an audience watching the debate. Suki tried to reason with her. "Ty, she wore the mask and she said the quote."

Ty Lee throws her hands up and to her side. She gestures wildly as she says, "First of all, every single one of her former Warriors and Kemurikage have told us that the quote is only used in special circumstances when-"

"Oh? So I guess going after her only other childhood friend isn't a 'special circumstance?'" Toph interrupts.

"I wasn't finished." Ty Lee says. She pauses as the group blinks back in surprise at the force shown from the brunette. She swallows and licks her lips. "It's only used in special circumstances when they are killing someone. And Mai is a woman. Azula doesn't kill women, nor would she use the quote. Especially when they didn't even kill her."

Suki grows concerned and it's heard in her voice as she says, "Ty, no offense, but what in the name of Kyoshi are you talking about? She killed Ayon."

"That was different," Ty Lee rebels instantly. "Ayon is the only woman she's ever killed, and it was because Ayon made her somehow."

"My goodness," Sokka moans. "Are you even listening to yourself?"

Suki lightly pushes back again. "Ty, I think you're in over your head. You need to step back. I mean, you're defending Ayon's murder. You don't really mean that, right?"

"No, I mean, yes, I mean, I, ugh!"

Aang speaks for the first time. "I agree with Ty Lee."

"Huh?!" Toph shouts.

Suki again juts her head back in reproach, turning to face the Avatar.

"Not you too!" Sokka cries.

Ty Lee looks into his grey eyes. She senses his sincerity. She can feel his aura reaching out to her. She holds the gaze a moment before nodding. She says out loud, "Thank you."

At that moment Katara entered the room as well. She doesn't say anything or announce her presence, she just stands beside her husband and best friend on the outskirts of the room as the others debate. Aang whispers to her, "Where's Zuko? Everything alright?"

"This is ridiculous!" Toph shouts at Ty Lee. "It was Mai. They always feuded. And the masks. And the quotes. And nevermind that her bodyguards haven't been found. They weren't taken to the Fire Nation Embassy like she thinks they were. Azula's girls had her the moment they all got into the carriage."

Katara whispers back to Aang, "He and Mai are busy celebrating the fact that they're going to have their first child."

"First - !"

"Exactly! Exactly, Toph. All of those things are true. None of it makes sense."

Eyes bulging out of his head, Aang tries to turn to leave and congratulate them. Katara grabs the Avatar and father of their child and prevents him from leaving. She whispers, "Focus, Aang."

"It makes all of the sense!" Sokka groans.

"No," Ty Lee replies. "She wouldn't. It's too risky, too close to home. She knows she can't go after Mai."

"Ty," Suki sighs. "Of course she can go after Mai. Maybe she did this to torture you? Or Zuko?"

"No. Not like this. She knows she's off limits. It would result in exactly this. All of us, the entire gang together, finally putting all of our efforts into going after her."

"Yes, exactly, that's what I've wanted to do for years," Sokka says. "Let's finally do it. Let's go get her!"

Katara finally speaks to the whole room. She announces, "It absolutely was her."

All eyes turn towards her. Ty Lee shakes her head softly and replies, "No."

Surprised, Aang tilts his head and asks his wife, "Really? Why do you say that?"

"The paralyzing feeling that she described is odd and I can't… it just doesn't make sense. No matter how I wrap my head around it, it just doesn't. But the rest of it is spot on for Azula. I think this is her first move to try and finally take the throne from Zuko."

"No!" Ty Lee pleads. "She doesn't care about any of that! You just want any excuse to paint the target on her back."

Katara lets out a resigned chuckle. She thinks Ty Lee may have a point.

"Maybe I do," she admits. "But that doesn't change the facts. Even if it wasn't her personally, it's not like any of her girls have a history of acting out of line. She may not have attacked Mai, but she knew about it and she sent the Kemurikage after her."

Quietly beside her, Aang thinks to himself that it's all perhaps too spot on. Sokka smiles at his sister. "Perfect. Now let's plan how we're finally going to take down the Dragon Empress!"

Ty Lee, on the verge of tears and bubbling with rage and defeat, closes her eyes. She should try to smooth out her aura. Instead, she lets it wash over her. It starts as fuschia and then bleeds into a scarlet. She will not be part of this if they will not listen to reason. She turns and walks to her original seat to grab her umbrella.

Knowing her well enough, Suki says loud enough for all to hear, "Just because you don't want it to be her, doesn't mean it wasn't her."

Ty Lee shakes her head vigorously. She grabs her umbrella and turns back to the gang. "Well it wasn't."

Ty Lee heads for the exit. Suki shrugs as she tells the Fire Nation girl, "She's a perfect killing machine. That's all she's good for. That's all she knows."

Ty Lee stops at the exit. She turns back and looks at Suki, across the room, across all of their friends. In her mind's eye she envisions the former Crown Princess. All the times that she didn't kill Ty Lee. The time she tried to. The bed at Ember Island. The park in Republic City. Their conversations over dinner. Traveling the world, from Omashu to Ba Sing Se to Caldera and everywhere else. Trading her life for all those on Kyoshi Island. She remembers the black haired girl finding her at the circus. Finally, all the way back, traveling to the furthest recess of her mind. Sitting down with a lonely, golden eyed girl at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. Everyone was so scared of her then and didn't want to be around her. Everyone is still scared of her now. They make her into something she's not so they can justify why they hate her.

Ty Lee shakes her head subtly, a confused smile on her face. She tells Suki, "I don't think so."

She stares out into space for another moment, thinking about those golden eyes. The next moment she turns away from them and walks out. She leaves them all behind.

Azula locks the apartment door behind her. She walks in and tosses the keys in the cup by the door. She puts her umbrella down by the door so it doesn't drip all over the place. As she walks through the penthouse she huffs in exhaustion. As she enters the living room, finely lit with candles after the summer sunset, she finds a pretty, braided pigtails brunette splayed out on her couch. The girl is under some blankets, reading a book.

"Hey," she says as she approaches. "Make some space."

"No," Zirin playfully protests. "I'm so comfy here, don't ruin my position."

"Ugh," Azula groans as she sits down beside her. She begins laying down on the freckled girl. "Fine, I'll just have to settle for lying on top of you."

"Hmmm, I don't know Azula. You don't usually last very long on top. You lack the stamina."

"Shut up and snuggle me." Azula demands.

"As you command, Empress." Zirin obliges, twisting her body so that Azula can have a space with her.

The Mother of the Kemurikage rests her tired head in Zirin's lap. Zirin holds her book in one hand and continues to read, while her other hand idly massages Azula's scalp and plays with her hair. Azula purrs with contentment and reflects on her day. She lets out a long sigh as the memories flash through her mind.

"Hey Azula."

"Hmm?"

"I know you've told me before, but I forget every time," Zirin's hand tugs at the simple gold headpiece in her hair. "What is it with you royalty and these top knots? Why does any of this matter again?"

"You're right, you have asked me about this before."

"Forgive me."

"No."

"Fair enough."

Azula chuckles a little. "The top knots and the headpieces are separate but inextricably linked things."

"Don't call me big words, you know I don't know what they mean."

Azula chuckles more this time. "You're so stupid."

"See, that's more like it, I know those words."

"You want me to explain this or not?"

"I didn't ask so you could just call me 'stupid.'"

Zirin puts her book down. Her original hand continues to play with Azula's hair while her free hand now wraps around Azula's shoulder and neck. Azula explains, "Okay, so in the simplest terms, your top knot means respect, or as my brother always used to say, your honor."

"Zuko would say the top knot was his honor?"

"No, not exactly like that. Nevermind." Azula sighs as her joke didn't land with this audience. "Anyway, there's all of these examples in the history of the royalty where someone would cut off their top knot as a sign of dishonor."

"But you've cut your hair a lot over the years?"

"It's not just for dishonor. Sometimes it's to reject your nobility. There's a lot of things, it's just traditionally reserved for dishonor. Mine has been done in order to survive. I have to cut it so we can blend in."

"Well, it's awfully long now. What happens if someone else cuts it? Like against their will?"

Azula makes a noise of surprise. "There's only a few of those in the history of the Fire Nation. Usually the people in those positions didn't make it out alive afterwards. I can't think of any that have anyway."

"So interesting. The things they didn't teach me in school."

"I was going to say, I'm surprised you didn't learn about this?"

"Not all of us were so privileged to attend the Royal Fire Academy for Girls."

"That's true."

"While you were busy in your palace, I was dumpster diving in Caldera to get food for me and my siblings."

"It was a nice palace."

Zirin hits her on the top of the head. "Ow! Bitch, that hurt."

"You deserved it," Zirin replies quickly. "Now, tell me about the headpiece."

Azula rubs the top of her head where she'd been struck. "The headpieces are a necessary part of holding the top knots together."

"Yeah, I get that. But is there anything special about them?"

"Sure. The Fire Lord always wears a really fancy one. Zuko and I wore the three-pronged one you can see there, shaped like a flame."

"So if someone took this from you?"

"It would be a great dishonor as well."

"Do you care so much for it?"

"I do." She says, growing nostalgic for the Fire Nation. "It's pretty much the only thing I've held on to from my life in the palace."

Azula feels a tug in her hair. In one fluid motion, Zirin pulls the headpiece out. Azula's view of the living room disappears as her mess of hair falls down into her face. She protests, "Hey!"

"Oh? Did I take the headpiece from the big bad Dragon Empress Azula?"

"That's not funny, Zirin." Azula says, huffing hair out of her face. She rolls over slightly and reaches a hand up. "Give it back. Now."

"Okay, okay. Here you go," Zirin says handing it back. Once she does, Azula rolls back over. "Little brat."

Azula is quiet for a moment. She squeezes the gold headpiece in her hand. She decides to tell Zirin about her day. "I saw Lin today for the first time in a while."

"Did you? What's he doing here?"

"He's working on building up his business in Yue Bay."

"That's good. He's always been ambitious. Have to be if you go and dig 'Princess Azula' from her grave in the Jingchan woods."

"Yes, he has been. He thinks he can be established there in a few months. Once that happens, my money is on him, Ai Zhou, Akolu, and Rimuk moving to Republic City."

"Mhm," Zirin hums, preparing to bring up a new topic. "Did you hear what happened to the Fire Lady?"

Azula's anxiety spikes with this topic. She gets uneasy. The whole mood of the conversation swings to an extreme. The air feels thicker. It's harder to breathe. She replies, "I did. It's a terrible thing."

Zirin runs one hand through Azula's long hair while the other continues to hold the smaller girl against her body. She coos at her, "It's okay. You don't have to admit it was you, Empress. I know."

Azula blows a raspberry briefly. "It wasn't me."

"Like I said, you don't have to admit it. If it's easier for you to cope with it by denying, then that's fine."

Azula is silent. She doesn't fight her. She thinks about this morning's conversation with Ruki in the throne room. She contemplates how to word this next question. She works up the courage. "Zirin," she starts. "What do you think of these lives we have here?"

"We run this city, Azula. We live in the lap of luxury. You sit upon a throne, rule with an iron grip, and control all of the strings of destiny. As a child, I could've never dreamed of a better life for myself."

Azula is defeated by this. She feels the hand combing through her hair. "Does it ever bother you that everyone fears us?"

"Not at all." Zirin replies immediately. "Do you remember Nurse Soh at the psyche ward?"

"Of course. 'Soh of the Sun' as I recall we named her."

"Yes. Soh of the Sun. She was an abomination on this earth."

"Indeed."

The hand runs through her hair. "She terrorized us long before you came to be with us."

Zirin pauses as she flashes back. "But she did say something once that stuck with me."

Azula gulps. "What was that?"

"One day when she beat me senseless, I spit some blood at her and said no one would ever love her. She told me 'everyone loves me.' I was so confused. I wondered if she was delusional or hallucinating. Maybe she should be in one of the straightjackets with the rest of us, ya know?"

Zirin pauses again. "Then she said, 'Love is at the center of fear.'"

Azula stares through her veil of hair, out into space, listening and trying to imagine it. A bloody Zirin. A vicious old woman. How horrifying it must've been. Zirin continues, "If people can fear you, then they must hold you in some regard emotionally. They are scared of you. They don't want to get on your bad side. They want to stand in your light. In that way, they love you. Love is at the center of fear."

Zirin runs her hand through the Puppetmaster's hair. "I loved Soh of the Sun just as I love you. Everyone loves you, Empress, because everyone fears you."

Licking her lips, trying to calm herself, Azula asks, "What if they didn't anymore? What if I was different?"

"Is there something about this life that you don't like anymore, Empress?"

Azula's voice is deflated. She has a hard time getting the words out. "I've killed so many people."

Zirin pets her hair. "I know you have. You're a beautiful monster, Azula."

Azula whimpers, "A beautiful…"

"You're like a forest fire. You're destructive and clear everything away in your path. But it's beautiful in it's own way. That's what you are, Azula. A beautiful monster."

The emotions overwhelm the Dragon Empress and she feels an odd sensation. A stinging in her eyes, something leaking down her cheek.

"Everything alright?"

"Yes. I'm fine." She says with a heavy sigh. "I think I'm just tired."

Zirin feels she is lying. Hidden beneath the cover of her raven black hair, Zirin does not see or feel the tears running down Azula's face. She doesn't know what to say about this moment. She knows that pointing out Azula's sadness would mean acknowledging weakness. Something that the Dragon Empress would never allow.

Out of respect, Zirin says nothing. Head in her lap, she just continues running her hand through the Empress' hair, as the tears silently fall from Azula's eyes.

Chapter Text

Exit Interview

[Fall 113 AG]

Ty Lee settles into the uncomfortable metal chair with a cup of tea. She sits across the interrogation table from a blind girl and a much younger, much smaller scribe. A clock on the wall ticks as they sit and stare in silence. She knew it would eventually come to this, but now that she's here it's not quite what she expected. The Chief of Police stretches her arms and cracks her neck. Her bare feet rub into the ground. Toph gets comfortable while Ty Lee mentally prepares what she will say. She rehearses her answers. Finally everyone stops moving and making noise. Only the ticking of the clock fills the air. Ty Lee asks a question.

"Shall we begin?"

Slipping between the crowded streets of Republic City, a woman pulls her hood closer over her face. She stops and looks around for anyone following her. She approaches her destination slowly but surely. She circles the same routes three times over, always looking over her shoulder. She took the train going the wrong way, got lost in a crowd, then got back on the train going the other way. It's vital that she not be caught or found out. If this is going to happen, if she's going to make it work, no one can know where she is right now.

Not Zirin, not Ruki, not anyone.

"We're going to ask you some questions, as part of your exit interview with the Republic City Police Department. But you can think of it more as a friendly little chat. As a reminder, I will be using my seismic sense to ensure all answers are truthful."

"Of course. No problem with that."

"Kiph Oro here will be taking notes throughout since I certainly won't be doing so."

Ty Lee lets a small chuckle escape her lips. "Hello Kiph Oro, it's nice to meet you."

The meak girl squeaks out, "It's very nice to meet you finally as well, Ms. Ty Lee, ma'am."

"Please just call me Ty Lee."

"Yes ma'am."

"Alright, Ty Lee, let's get started. Why are you leaving the RCPD?"

"Toph, you already know."

"For the purposes of this interview please act like I do not know already. These are for official records and such."

"Okay, okay," she replies, exasperated already. "I'm leaving the RCPD and returning to Kyoshi Island, per our instructions from the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, Suki. After the last half-year Suki, as well as the Republic City Council, believe that the RCPD no longer needs the presence of the Kyoshi Warriors to operate autonomously."

"Thank you. Our next question is a simple yes or no. Did you feel you were equipped to do your job well?"

Ty Lee blinks and thinks back upon all the good she's been able to do. "Yes."

"Excellent. How would you describe the culture of the RCPD?"

Ty Lee doesn't see a point in lying. "It could be better. I'd say people are eager, maybe over eager. I'm hoping the nonbenders we've trained can help de-escalate matters that don't necessitate the presence of your metalbenders."

"Thank you for your honesty." Toph replies sincerely. "Did you consider staying on the RCPD and leaving the Kyoshi Warriors to do so?"

"No. Never seriously considered that."

"Was there anything we could've done to keep you here?"

"I honestly don't think so. I spent a lot of formative years in Caldera and on Kyoshi Island. I don't think I could ever feel at home somewhere else."

"How can the RCPD improve our training and development?"

Ty Lee takes a sip of her tea as she thinks about it. "I suppose what I said earlier, focusing more on non-benders."

Sensing that Ty Lee is withholding something, Toph asks, "Can you expand on that?"

Groaning, Ty Lee hems and haws a moment before answering. "Back when this place was just Cranefish Town there was all that Bender Supremacist stuff going on. I think people in leadership try to pretend like Liling wasn't a thing, but the common folks haven't forgotten about her. The highest level of influence secretly pulling the strings against their interests, all while smiling to their face and saying the nice things. Non-benders need to be in positions of power. They need to be seen as equal. So if there's anything RCPD can do, it's to give them more opportunities to succeed and to be in the public eye."

"Thank you for that long-winded answer, Ty Lee."

The brunette can tell that Toph is growing bored of the exit interview, if she was ever engaged with it to begin with. She asks the next question, "Would you consider coming back to work here in the future? Simple yes or no."

Ty Lee smiles. "Yes, I can see myself doing that."

"In what area or function?"

"I'd like to work the beat. I don't mind training new non-benders, and I'm glad I got to do some cases, but I think being on the beat and in the community would have been great."

"Thank you," Toph says as Kiph Oro transcribes on her notepad. "Speaking of your cases, tell us about the ones you've been working on that will now be reassigned. We have your notes, but what else do we need to know that we won't find in the notes?"

"The open cases I was on include a woman who was assaulted in the Industrial Sector, a series of robberies in Midtown, and probably most interesting is the defacement of Zuko's statue at the Central City Station. Let's start with the woman, Nilloro. Some things not in my case notes would include that I personally think she's fabricating the whole thing. Every time she tells us the story about her assailant, it's exactly the same. Like it's scripted. It's easier to keep a lie straight than it is to remember exact details when they're happening to you."

"Maybe I ought to have a chat with her."

"You have bigger things to worry about, Toph. But if she makes more noise then yes, that would probably put it all to rest."

"Okay. What about the robberies and the vandalism?"

"Robberies, non-case note things, hmm. Well, I personally think they're all connected."

"You think it's serial?"

"I do. I don't have enough evidence to that effect yet, which is why we haven't put out the notice to the community. But I've noticed it's every third week. So if that trend continues next week, it's something to consider."

Toph nods. She tilts her head to Kiph Oro, "Make a note that I want Lo Ranuo to look into that before next week."

Kiph Oro nods and jots it down. Toph asks, "And the vandalism?"

"Not much else to say about that, honestly. Probably some teenagers that are smart enough to get away with it so far, is my best guess."

"Excellent." Toph says. Kiph Oro finishes the last note. When Toph feels her finish writing she says, "Well, last formal question for your exit interview: is there anything else you'd like to share or add that you think we should know or be aware of before you leave?"

"Yes, actually." Ty Lee replies immediately

Suki had told her this would be the last question. She also cautioned Ty Lee against going off on this tangent. She decides to do it anyway.

"Azula is the key to collapsing the whole house of cards."

"Oh brother," Toph groans. "Give me a break with the Azula shit."

Kiph Oro begins scribbling notes. Toph interrupts her, "Don't write any of this down, KO."

"No, no, please write it down." Ty Lee puts Kiph Oro in a very awkward position. She decides to write it out in case something comes of it. "She is so close to all of us, we have all of these connections to her. If we can just get her to come to our side, we can expose a whole world of criminal activity."

"Do you ever think of anything else?" Toph asks, exasperated.

"Yes. Plenty of things," Ty Lee answers, perhaps too quickly.

"Ha," Toph laughs and points a finger at her. "You're lying!"

Kiph Oro is now furiously scribbling her notes to try and keep up. Ty Lee grumbles and pulls herself closer to the table. "Just hear me out."

"Fine," Toph crosses her arms. "One last time won't change the first three-hundred."

Ty Lee sighs. She's formulated the words very carefully over the last few months, maybe even years. She sits up more straight. "I just always felt like Azula was two steps behind me."

"Don't you mean two steps ahead?"

"No, I mean I think she was always right behind me. Like, she always had her eyes on me, always lurking, right behind, just out of sight, in the shadows. But every time I turn around, she's gone."

"Is this because she snuck up on you in the park a couple of months ago?"

"She just walked right up to me, Toph," Ty Lee chuckles. "I probably could've had a normal conversation if I didn't try to kill her on the spot."

"Speaking of killing, Suki mentioned you have a theory about that?"

"It's not a theory," Ty Lee replies with conviction. "I know. She hasn't killed anyone in three years. Since we fought our way out of that cave on Gou Island."

"I think the trail of dead bodies connected to the Dragon Empress would beg to differ."

"No," Ty Lee shakes her head. "No, that might be her people or something else. Zirin, or Ruki, or someone else. Copy cats, or people just trying to connect her to it while doing something else. She told me herself in the park that night, Toph. She said, 'I'm not doing it anymore.'"

"Well, when we prosecute her for all her war crimes eventually, I'm sure she'll call you as a star witness in her defense."

"I was a war criminal too, Toph. Yet here I am, talking to you. The Fire Nation said you and Aang and Katara and Sokka were war criminals. That doesn't mean any of you were actually bad people. Just like it doesn't for me. Just like it doesn't for her." Ty Lee replies. After a second of pause she adds, "All of life is about perspective."

"And my perspective is that I'm going to put her away for life. This is my city now. Sokka has a plan to draw her out. I've got Aang's support. Have no doubt about it, Pokey, I will find her. There is nowhere on this Earth that she can hide where I won't find her."

"And what are you going to do when you find her?"

"I'm going to ask Aang to take her bending away, just like her stupid Dad. Then she'll be nothing."

Ty Lee snorts in response.

"What's so funny, Pokey?"

"You think taking her bending away will change anything? She'll still be Azula. If she lost her bending, she'd still be herself."

"I guess we'll see about that."

A woman stops outside the entrance to her meeting place. This is her fourth time passing it. She is certain no one has followed her here. Absolutely certain. She takes one last long look around the back alley. She takes a deep breath and removes her hood. The Dragon Empress enters the rundown building.

"I'm telling you, Toph, she is out of the organized crime business. More and more Fire Warriors have been dropping out to join the Kyoshi Warriors. Suki says we may need to ramp up our production schedule on new homes for them. We've even started talking about some of them joining the RCPD, or really embodying the Fire Warrior name and going home to the Fire Nation. And she just let's them. No one gets killed for defecting."

Kiph Oro is frantically trying to shorthand everything as their near-screaming match reaches new heights. Toph yells back at her, "Everyone knows that's just to maintain her grip on the Island and the Earth Kingdom. If you start putting them in Republic City and the Fire Nation, you're just doing the work for her and endangering the welfare of communities all over the world!"

The Mother of Kemurikage walks into the dark establishment. Immediately she finds the stadium style seating going down. She takes her steps down, not seeing anyone. Down below, in the pit, there are some fighters practicing. She eyes them cautiously, trying to not be seen. She steps away and begins walking around, looking for someone.

"The Kemurikage have been hemorrhaging members since before the move to Republic City. We don't even have an accurate record of her allowing them to kidnap any kids because it's been so long. Three plus years, maybe longer."

"Oh, excuse them for not stealing children, they're busy with rival gangs and such here in the city. You just said yourself that you think they're the ones killing people, with or without her direction."

Kiph Oro doesn't say anything as they desperately try to catch up on the last few exchanges. Neither woman keeps the shouting match going. They both huff a few seconds and try to calm down in their own ways. Finally, Toph fixes her hair and says, in a more controlled tone, "Speaking of those rival gangs, Suki mentioned that you think there's someone we should be worried about?"

The Founder of the Red Lotus finally spots them. Sitting on the outskirts of the arena seating, in a dark corner, their back turned to her. Slowly, the Immortal Soldier sneaks up on the Kyoshi Warrior.

"Yes," Ty Lee replies. "When I mentioned the 'house of cards' earlier, he's part of that. I think and I hope she knows something about him and could help bring him in. He's still rising, but it's just odd. He's a non-bender, but it's very similar to those early days of Azula's empire building. Feels like he's just getting his feet wet."

Kiph Oro finally catches up and stops writing. Toph nods along, curious as ever about this new potential threat.

"What's his name?"

The Leader of the Fire Warriors comes to a stop beside the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. The brunette turns and faces the golden eyed girl. She smirks up at her and snarkily says, "Welcome to where you're going."

Azula raises her eyebrows at this. She waves her hand towards the arena down below and says, "Bending cage matches? A little over-dramatic, don't you think, Suki?"

"Sokka and I are getting dinner, then coming here for some matches. Not really our scene, I think it's more fitting for you, but we thought we'd check it out," she pauses. Azula sits down beside her. Suki continues, "When you asked to meet, I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone."

Azula nods and stares down at the fighters working out and practicing with each other. She doesn't say anything so Suki asks, "What do you want, Dragon Empress?"

Azula smirks and feigns bravado. "I want to know how the food is year-round."

"Here?" Suki asks.

Azula shakes her head. "Kyoshi Island."

Suki, getting mixed signals, answers seriously. "It's heavily fish-based. Sometimes we branch out and do some chicken. I've actually got a recipe for chicken and rice. Very popular."

There is silence again. Suki side-eyes her. She asks, "What do you want?"

Azula sighs. "I want to accept your offer. You once said 'imagine if we always worked together.' I want to become one of the good guys."

"Are things not working out with Zirin?"

"Zirin? No, Zirin loves me," she replies instinctively. "Yeah, we're doing some really cool stuff, you know? One of my guys is making waves in the port in Yue Bay."

"That's great!" Suki feigns enthusiasm.

"I know!" Azula says, not picking up the sarcasm. "Zirin, she's really happy with me. Everyone is."

"But?"

"I'm looking for a new challenge."

"So you want to kill for us now?" Suki asks, very seriously.

Azula can't contain her chuckle. She shakes her head immediately, "No."

"I'm confused," Suki admits. Azula looks at her, concern growing. "What would you do for us?"

Azula searches her black eyes to confirm that she's looking for a genuine answer. When she gets it, she looks away. She shrugs and her mind rifles through some options. Staring down at the arena she offers, "I could be a Kyoshi Warrior. Defend your island and your honor. Help the police. Pass along information. Be a part of your Avatar gang. Like Zuko did."

Suki nods briefly and thinks. She asks her, "Who attacked Mai?"

Azula scoffs instantly. She looks at Suki, and answers sincerely, "I don't know."

"Who is Yakone?"

"What?"

"Poor start to a job interview, Puppetmaster."

Blinking in disbelief, Azula asks her, "You're turning me down?"

Suki shrugs now and replies, "I don't know what it is you're offering. You've been known for one thing and one thing only. If you can't do that, then what good are you to me? To anyone?"

"I can change." Azula tells her.

Suki nods her head but doesn't believe her. She replies, "If the Dragon Empress has retired, then what's left? Hmm? Just Azula?"

The weight begins sinking into Azula's chest.

"I can't see that working for Aang. Or the Kyoshi Warriors. Can you?"

Azula doesn't reply. She doesn't want to believe it's true. This was her exit strategy, and it was disappearing right in front of her. Suki looks down at her watch.

"I've got to get going. I suggest you get out of here before the arena starts filling up. Not sure the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe will let public enemy number one just walk out the door."

Suki collects her belongings and stands up. She can tell that the girl is shocked by this outcome. Before walking away she offers, "Good luck, Dragon Empress."

With that Suki leaves and Azula is left with nothing.

The sun has set and a brunette with a braided ponytail waits on the docks of Yue Bay. A ferry boat is preparing to welcome passengers. It will spend nearly two days crossing the Mo Ce Sea, down into the Silver Sea, and eventually drop her off at the port on the wrong side of Kyoshi Island. From there, she'll have a few hours trek through the woodlands until she reaches home. She sighs and looks out at the statue standing over the bay. The eyes of Avatar Aang watch out over the whole of Republic City. She boards the ferry boat and prepares for the long trip home.

The former circus star is so preoccupied with her own thoughts, she never noticed a familiar face join her onboard. A girl with ginger hair and violet eyes had followed her from the police headquarters, bought a ticket, and now joins her on the trip to Kyoshi Island. She has every intention of following Ty Lee all the way home.

Chapter Text

No Bending

[Winter/Spring 110 AG]

Ty Lee fell from the sky.

She felt a blast of heat behind her and she went right over the edge to avoid it. She didn't have anywhere else to go after all. As she watched the water draw closer and saw her life flash before her eyes, she tried to scream. Nothing came out. She fell over 30 feet into the ocean below. She splashed down and her momentum took her further down below. The water instantly began rocking her back and forth.

It was natural, having just seen her life flash before her eyes, that she now contemplated death. She wondered if it would be better or easier to just stay down and let the water wash over her. Could she just be carried away by the water? Could it be easier than living? Was this better than facing the wrath of Azula's fire? She thought about all of these things and more. She could've stayed right there and died. But something stopped her though.

Was she fated for something more? Perhaps. Or perhaps it was just self-preservation.

She rose up.

By some grace of Agni there happened to be an alcove of shore not far. She swam her way to it and upon its beach she rolled onto her back, trying to breathe. She was stranded and completely alone. She was injured and her lungs filled with water. Nevertheless, she rose up.

She looked to the sun and rose up.

[Fall 113 AG]

Ty Lee looks up to the sun but sees only the treeline. The fading light breaking through the trees, the birds chirping all around. She feels her clothing sticking to her skin from the heat. She's been walking for an hour or maybe a little more now. The sun was setting again as she is barely an hour away from the village now. When she got off the boat on the other side of the island, there were a handful of people from the ferry who also got off. Most of them were headed to Chin Village and thus had to catch another boat. A couple of them followed her into the woods and across the island.

It's been a while now and at this point it's pretty clear to her that someone has been following her. She hoped they would peel off at some point but they haven't. She stops. A split second later she hears them stop.

"If you're trying to stalk me, you could be doing a lot better." She announces to her shadow.

Ty Lee turns around and there is no one behind her. She stays and waits. After a moment, a pair of hands, palms towards the sky, lead the way out from behind a tree a few yards behind her. They're followed by the arms, body, and head of a girl that Ty Lee recognizes all too well. She'd know that red hair and purple eyes from anywhere on earth.

"Holy Agni in the sky!" She shouts. "Ruki? What are you doing?"

The ginger approaches, hands raised still as a sign of peace. "I'm sorry I didn't approach you before this, but I thought you would reject me."

"What is going on. Reject you for what?"

"I'd… I'd like to join you."

"Join me? What do you mean?"

Ruki stops in front of the brunette, palms still to the sky. "I want to become a Kyoshi Warrior."

"You what?" Ty Lee shouts at her.

"Please," she begs. "I need to escape. I have a lover and I need to get out and I need your help."

Stammering, shocked, Ty Lee asks, "Does Azula know you left? Did anyone follow you?"

"Yes, and no," Ruki replies, hands coming down. "I told Azula in secret a few months ago that I wanted to leave. And no one followed me."

"And she didn't kill you on the spot?" Ty Lee asks, still stunned by what's happening.

"She told me to run and never look back."

Ty Lee, looking to buy time and figure out what is happening, noticed a cloth bag hanging around the lilac eyed girl's shoulder. "What's in the bag?"

Pulling the bag tighter, Ruki replies, "This is, it's everything I own that I could take with me."

Ty Lee eyes it for a moment. "Do you want to inspect it? You can! Here," Ruki says while stepping forward. She opens the cloth bag to show Ty Lee the contents.

Putting a hand out to decline, Ty Lee replies, "No, no, that's fine, I believe you."

Ty Lee stares at the Fire Warrior. She looks so innocent in the fading Fall light. Covered in sunshine and shadows, the acrobat contemplates her. She wants to get Azula back. Get her to switch sides and come back. It would collapse the entire criminal infrastructure of Republic City. But more importantly she could get the former Crown Princess back. Maybe this would be how it starts, by taking Ruki back and harboring her.

'This is it. This is everything I need to prove she isn't too far gone.' Ty Lee thinks.

"Alright. Come on."

Azula watches the sun on it's descent. It's not quite golden hour but it's getting closer. She can't remember the last time she sat and watched the sunset. It seems lovely, and yet entirely unattainable. It's been less than 48 hours since Suki left her deflated in the cage fighting arena. Her head rests on her hand, sitting on her throne, staring out the windows. She hears the door creak open and her eyes flutter to it. Carefully closing it behind her is a brunette with a single braided ponytail. She turns around and Azula rises from her seat when she sees the freckled girl.

"Zirin! Where have you been?" She approaches her girlfriend. "I was so worried. You and Ruki have been missing for almost two days!"

Zirin runs to her and envelopes her in a hug. She whispers in her ear, "Apologies, Empress, I was dealing with something. The Avatar and his crew are hunting us. Then Ruki, well, she should be dealt with soon as well."

Breaking away from the contact Azula asks her, "What does that mean?"

"I don't want to say until I know for sure, Empress," Zirin replies in hushed tones. "But just know that I've been trying to gather as much information as possible before acting."

"Zirin, please, there's something on my mind," Azula says. She has been wondering for two days, she has to ask now. "Who is Yakone? Do you know anything about him?"

Jaw hanging open, Zirin is shocked. She asks, "D-did you know I was coming to talk to you about him?"

"No, but tell me everything."

"Of course, Empress. We haven't been updating you about him because we thought we could take care of him ourselves. He's just a nonbender. A nobody. But somehow he's been slowly taking our territories out from under us for months now. He has some sort of influence over others. His organization is small compared to us, yet still they exert great power."

Flabbergasted, Azula asks her, "Why didn't you tell me before now? Why were you hiding this?"

"I thought we could handle it," Zirin replies, averting her eyes. Softly she adds, "I didn't want to disappoint you."

Frustrated but trying to sooth the black eyed girl, Azula grabs her hands. She replies sternly but affectionately, "Zirin, I don't care about that. I always want to know what's happening in our enterprises."

"I'm sorry, Empress." Zirin apologizes.

"Where is this Yakone?" Azula asks. "Have we tried to eliminate him?"

Gulping, Zirin replies, "He broadcasts his location openly for anyone to know. We could easily go to him. And I'm sorry to say that we have tried and failed."

Azula steps back from her girlfriend. She smiles mischievously. She holds her right hand out and looks down at the palm. She summons sparks of lightning and mutters, "Fine. I'll do it myself."

She looks Zirin in the eyes and then strides past her to make her leave. Zirin stays in place and watches her approach the door. She watches Azula's topknot bounce as she bounds towards the exit. She stops her in her tracks by calling out to her. "Empress."

Azula stops in place and turns back. Zirin stammers before saying, "It's just that you've been so preoccupied with her."

Azula knows who she's talking about. She doesn't nod but she makes eye contact with Zirin. The brunette continues, "Rumor has it she left the city the other day after her exit interview. She was said to be sad, with a look in her eyes that she was missing something. Like she wished for something more."

Now Azula is the one who gulps. She swallows something heavy in her throat. She licks her lips and replies, "It's nothing, Zirin. She's gone. Now she's just somebody that I used to know."

The gold of the setting sun begins peaking into the throne room. They stare at one another without saying anything. Zirin challenges her.

"Tell me, Empress, do you love her?"

No sound fills the void. Nothing saves Azula from the wave of guilt rising above her head. Any second it would crash down upon her.

"No," she scoffs. "I love you, Zirin."

Without another word, Azula turns and leaves. She swings open the door to the throne room and exits.

Alone at last, Zirin watches her go. Dejected, she mutters to herself, "You always were the best liar."

Darkness approaches. Zirin gave directions to the driver of the carriage. They bounce through the streets of Republic City as the golden hour fills the streets. Azula can't watch the sunset and no one says anything as they sit and wait. The Mother of the Kemurikage watches the streets slowly fade. She thinks about what she had said in the throne room. It had felt like the kind of thing the Dragon Empress would say. Now that she was facing the reality with every passing street, she's not sure it's something Azula would say. She hasn't killed anyone in over three years. She's lost the nerve for it. She's avoided it wherever possible.

'I don't want to do this anymore,' she thinks to herself.

Azula flashes back. She stood on a boat and stared across a foggy landscape with the girl beside her. So many years have passed, yet she remembers it so clearly all the same. The Wulong Forest, where an empire fell from the sky. She wonders if she could do the same now. Instead of killing her enemies, perhaps she could do like what the Avatar did to her father. Subdue her enemies. Defeat them, but not kill them. For the first time in a long time, she thinks that perhaps redemption is still within reach for her.

'And it starts with defeating Yakone.'

They climb up a slope as the golden light encompasses them. Ty Lee listens as Ruki drones on, all the while keeping her eyes open as they approach dangerous territory.

"-been interested in being a Kyoshi Warrior. Knowing Azula won't come hunting me here, it just all made-"

"Not to cut you off," Ty Lee says while fully intending to cut her off. "But there's a steep gorge drop up ahead. And we're losing light fast so I don't want-"

"Okay yes, definitely!" The chatty girl replies. She immediately jumps right back into her monologue. "I also wanted to join because of you, Ty Lee! Do you remember my time on the island?"

Ty Lee lets out an exaggerated laugh as she leads the way. "How could I forget? Azula nearly killed me."

"Yes, I remember my time so fondly," she says. Ty Lee wonders if the girl ever stops talking. "I remember those individual lessons you gave me on chi blocking too!"

Ty Lee steps into a clearing near the gorge. They are effectively at a cliffside with trees overhead. Suddenly she hears two steps behind her.

"WATCH OUT!" Ruki screams in her ear.

Before Ty Lee can react there are two whacks to her back and she falls to the ground.

Azula hops out of the carriage and stands beside Zirin. Zirin, preparing for a fight and no bending of her own, carries a five foot metal staff with her. The sun has set and they are left in the soft, velvet twilight before darkness comes. Azula looks up at a massive, hulking complex in front of her. It's located at the end of a pier.

"What is this?" She asks her girlfriend.

"His base of operations is inside this construction zone," Zirin tells her. "They're building this to be an arena."

"An arena? For what? Fighting?"

"Sort of. They're talking about making bending into a sport."

"A sport?" Azula asks, incredulous. She looks back up at the massive complex. "The world is truly changing, Zirin."

"Indeed."

"So he just hides in here?"

"His crew is the one building it, so he controls the schedule and production and no one bothers him. He stations himself near the roof."

Azula bites her lip. "How do you know all of this?"

Zirin sighs. "We scouted it months ago. I sent some girls up there after him the other day. It… didn't go well."

"I see," Azula sighs as well. She takes a step and leads the way. As she does she tells her, "Alright. Come on."

Ty Lee is dazed and confused. She can't feel her arms but she hears a rustling of leaves. The light is fading quickly into twilight on Kyoshi Island. In a matter of minutes it will be pitch dark. She can't move but the rustling of leaves tells her someone is nearby. She asks the shadows, "What is going on? What's happening?"

An empty cloth bag falls on the floor in front of her. Immediately afterwards a pair of feet appear in her vision.

"I told you, Ty Lee. I told you once not to underestimate me."

Ruki looks down at the brunette maliciously. She unravels some rope until it hits the forest floor. She walks to the cliffside and throws part of it over a low hanging branch. She gets to work fastening it.

"My entire life, everyone has always underestimated me. I play the quiet follower so well. Do this, do that. But in silence I move. I do the little things that no one else has the will to do. Did you know I was the one who came up with the 'Welcome to where you're going' line? No one gives me credit for that."

Azula and Zirin walk right through the doors. There are guards playing cards. Lackeys milling about. Some construction workers are getting some extra work in. Dozens of them just stay and watch as the two women walk right past them. No one tries to stop them. They just watch as they begin ascending the stairs.

Ty Lee can feel one of her arms and most of her lower back. She shouts to the redhead, "What are you doing?"

Ruki replies, "You can't see it, but this little drop right here? I'm gonna hang you over it."

Ruki adjusts the rope and ties a knot on a noose.

"Why? Wha-why? I thought you wanted to escape? What about your lover? You said you wanted to become a Kyoshi Warrior."

As they climb the stairs, Azula asks, "Why aren't they doing anything? Why aren't they stopping us?"

"This happened to the other girls, Empress. We must be careful. They don't think anyone is a true threat to Yakone."

"They what?" Azula asks, stunned as they continue to climb, higher and higher.

"Their hubris will be their end." Zirin tells her.

"No, silly! I don't want any of that. I want you to die. And I want it to look like a suicide."

"Why?! WHY?" Ty Lee shouts from the ground, unable to fully move and afraid to try yet.

"That poor old acrobat? She got sent home to Kyoshi and just couldn't handle it," Ruki monologues over Ty Lee's screams. "Knowing that Azula was out there somewhere, she just couldn't live anymore. So she went out and killed herself rather than keep living in fear."

Satisfied with the job she's done to secure the rope and noose, Ruki hoists Ty Lee's body up. She leans her against a waist-high rock.

They are nearly at the top.

"Well, Zirin, we'll show them. Together!"

Zirin turns her head and looks at those familiar golden eyes. She spins the staff in her hand, "Yes, we will."

Ty Lee is finally in a favorable position. Ruki turns and steps away. She grabs the noose. She turns back and steps towards the Kyoshi Warrior. Ty Lee tells her, "I remember teaching you chi blocking."

"That right?" Ruki says. She throws the noose over Ty Lee's head. She pulls it tight, fastening it around her neck. She smiles, admiring her handiwork a moment, hands still on the rope.

"Yeah," Ty Lee says, "I remember how bad you were at it."

In the blink of an eye, Ty Lee swings both of her arms up and boxes Ruki on both sides of her head at the same time. She hits her ears square on. Immediately Ruki falls to the floor. She becomes disoriented. Everything is brighter and her hearing is clogged. Ty Lee swiftly removes the rope from around her own neck. She leans down and loops it over the ginger's head.

Zirin pushes open a large metal door. They enter a massive, sprawling room. It's wider than any auditorium Azula has ever seen, larger than anything in the palace. It's an empty construction space as they are clearly working above the rest of the building. Azula estimates that this is near or just about at the ceiling of the building. The main area in front of them is illuminated by some lanterns. There's just one person in the room. Pouring over some blueprints and maps is a single man. He has tan skin and gray hair. Looking up from his papers he smirks. The girls enter the room.

Ty Lee eyes the chakras exactly. She delivers precise blows. Then she pulls the noose tightly against the girl's neck. As she does this she whispers with fury into her ears, "I told you, Ruki, you never followed the fundamentals. I told you that would get you in trouble some day."

Stepping back, Ty Lee pulls the rope. Coming out of her disoriented state, Ruki feels her lifeless body pulled along the forest floor, towards the edge, being pulled up off the ground. She screams. "Wait! WAIT! STOP!"

"You stand in the presence of Empress Azula, first of her name. Rightful heir to the throne of the Fire Lord. Rightful ruler of the Fire Nation. The Seed of Sozin. The Prodigy with Blue Fire. The Mother of the Kemurikage. Leader of the Fire Warriors. Founder of the Red Lotus. The Faceless Demon. The Immortal Soldier. The Puppetmaster. The Dragon Empress. Ruler of all she surveys."

Ruki is on the edge of the cliff. She stands on her tippy toes to keep her feet on the ground. She can't move her arms to grab the rope or do anything about it. Ty Lee ties the rope to a tree branch. After she's done she approaches the girl.

"Don't do this," Ruki begs her. "You can't do this."

Ty Lee furrows her brow. "You're wrong. I can do this. I have done this."

She remembers the King of Faces begging for his life. The way Ruki begs now.

"But I won't do this, because I'm not a killer. I'm going to take you back to the village and you're going to tell us everything."

"Let's not stand on ceremony, Azula." He replies to the introduction.

Yakone smiles menacingly at her. He offers, "You must've come a long way. I hope the trip up here was smooth, Princess?"

Zirin clears her throat. "Perhaps you misheard? I have a Caldera accent, I know. But she is an Empress. She is above kings, queens, lords, princes, and princesses."

He stands up. He raises his chin up and looks down at her. He stifles a chuckle.

"All the power and titles in the world doesn't change the fact that she's still Princess fucking Azula."

"Was this Azula's idea? Did she tell you to do this? Who sent you?" Ty Lee spits at her.

Trying to bide her time until her arms come back, Ruki says, "You're pretty tough, you know that?"

Ty Lee scowls at her. Ruki smiles mischievously.

"Your friend with the knives didn't put up this much of a fight."

Face slowly falling, Ty Lee feels her fury sapped from her. She asks, "What did you just say?"

"I'm going to give you one chance. Bend the knee now and swear allegiance to me. Or don't, and face my wrath." Azula demands.

Yakone just chuckles. "Not sure that's going to work for me."

Desperate to get more time, Ruki knows she's got her attention now.

"That's right. By now your little Dragon Empress is probably dead too."

All prior emotions are gone. Ty Lee only feels fear. A wave rises high above her head and she is not sure what the crash will carry. Dumbfounded, she asks, "What did you do?"

"I don't want to kill you, Yakone," Azula says. She balls her fists. "But I will defeat you."

He shrugs and tells her, "I'm not much of a fighter myself. I've never lifted a hand to anyone who crossed me before."

Azula takes a step towards him, "Well, I have."

He takes a step as well. They are teen feet apart. He tells her, "Good luck doing that this time, Princess."

Ruki starts to feel her arms again. If they can work she can grab the girl. Ty Lee is barely a foot in front of her. Then she can just toss her off the ledge. She continues to confess to save time.

"I got her to admit that she wanted to leave the empire life. But she was right, no one leaves this life. No one. So we switched sides."

Azula assumes a fighting stance, "Alright, Zirin, you know what we say."

"No half measures." Zirin replies calmly.

Azula lifts her arms up in an attacking motion. Zirin takes a step forward, winds up and swings her staff with all of her force. She smashes the metal right into Azula's arched back.

"And now she's dead. She's dead, you hear me? JUST LIKE YOU!"

Ruki tries to seize her moment. She lifts her arms up but they don't go far enough. She is still partially chi blocked.

"Argh! Uh!" She stretches out but her arms remain mostly at her sides. She can't reach the acrobat.

Ty Lee looks at Ruki's hands and then up to her face. The lilac eyes burrow into the grey ones. Ty Lee lifts her hands up to Ruki's shoulders. With a few pounds of force she shoves her right over the edge.

Ruki's body goes flying off of the ledge. The rope secures around her neck, the tree branch shakes but holds. She kicks momentarily and gurgles her last breaths. Her restricted arms try to move to the rope but can't reach it. Within seconds she is dead.

Azula falls flat onto her stomach and reaches for her back and shoulders in pain. She rolls up while screaming.

"Argh! Ahh! Zirin?"

Yakone is practically giddy. He hollers, "Look at this! The Immortal Soldier has come to die!"

Zirin stares down at her with a scowl. She steps towards her and winds up again. Instinctually, Azula lifts her arms up to block her head and body. Zirin swings the staff and connects it right into Azula's kneecap.

"AGHHH!"

Azula screams as loud as she can. Her vision goes all white for a moment as the pain is blinding. She rolls and now grabs her knee.

"ZIRIN! WHY?"

Zirin stands over her and looks down sadly. "I was quiet for so long, so that I could keep you. Now you can't be so naive to not know why this is happening."

Without hesitation or warning, Zirin does half of a stroke and smashes the staff into Azula's side, bruising her kidney. Azula feels the wind knocked out of her. Her back, knee, and side all hurt but suddenly she is just trying to breathe. She sees the brunette standing over her, still looking down upon her. She tries to crawl away, using her palms to push against the ground. Anything to try and escape.

Zirin slowly takes steps towards her. She tells her, "I must be truly worthless in your eyes."

Azula watches her girlfriend raise the staff up above her head. She quickly compacts her body and rolls away just as Zirin begins her swing. The staff crashes into the ground and a loud clang echoes across the massive space. Azula begins pushing back on the ground to escape the mad woman. She pleads with her, "Zirin! Stop it. You're not worthless to me. Please! PLEASE!"

Zirin swings the staff again and again at Azula, who barely dodges it by scattering backwards. As she does so, Zirin screams at her, "I loved you at your worst, lowest moment. I was the one beside you, starving, sweating, ready to die for you. NOT HER! I was the one!"

She swings and misses.

"But I guess none of that mattered. Because I know everything, Azula. I've known all along. 'Your' empire has been mine from the start. I know you wanted to leave. Ruki told me everything. I know you met with Suki. FOR HER!"

She swings and Azula scatters back along the ground, knocking over some empty, plastic barrels. "ZIRIN! Please! Let me explain!"

Zirin throws the staff away. She climbs down onto the floor and on top of Azula. She straddles her, and grips her collar. She pulls Azula in and screams in her face.

"NO! No more lies! You'll do and say whatever it takes to survive. But you're a TRAITOR, Azula. I stood by you for the last eleven years and it meant nothing to you! Because I'm not her, I'll never be her, and that means I'll never be good enough!"

They are nose to nose and Azula is in so much pain it's hard to focus on anything besides survival. She grabs hold of the girl on top of her. She grips her shoulders and babbles, "That's not, that's not, Zir-"

Zirin pushes her forehead into Azula's. She leans into her and looks into her golden eyes. She speaks softly as she tells her, "But don't you worry, baby. You said it yourself once. In your place, I'll step up and take control of the empire. Some of the girls, sure they'll leave, but we'll hunt them down and kill them. Just like you."

Zirin yanks Azula in and kisses her on the lips briefly before throwing her away. Azula clatters to the ground and watches as Zirin stands up and walks away. She yells to Yakone, still in his original place, "Where's my knife?"

"Over there." He points.

Azula watches from the ground, sitting on her forearms again and looking for any exit. She backs up but Zirin is already walking back towards her. She begs her, "Zirin, no. Zirin. Stop. I don't want- Zirin, please. ZIRIN!"

Zirin spins a 4-inch blade in her hand. She closes the gap between them. In that moment, Azula flashes back throughout their relationship. The time at the asylum. Going back for her and Ruki and Ukuyi and the others. The New Ozai Society and creating the Kemurikage. The summer heat, the trip on the boat. The screaming matches, fighting, the fierce kissing. The first chapter of her life had been ruled by Ozai. The second chapter had been Zirin's. Those black eyes and brown hair and the way she knew everything about Azula. And now she comes at her with a knife, about to slit her throat. Azula has not killed in three years. She cares for Zirin, which makes burning her all the harder. Azula closes her eyes, shields her face, and throws her right hand up at her girlfriend.

Zirin stops in her tracks and leans back. She prepares to be engulfed in flames. The fire never comes. After a moment Azula looks back. There is nothing. No blue fire. No red fire. No fire at all.

"You see, here's the thing, Princess," a voice speaks to her. Appearing behind Zirin is Yakone. He walks up and stops a few feet back. He smirks down at her. "The sun has set on your empire. And as a fire bender, I believe that means your power is gone. Or do I have my facts wrong?"

Azula tries to retract her hand to attack again. She can't. She can't firebend. She can't move her hand at all. She wonders if she'd somehow been chiblocked. She is frozen in place, completely paralyzed. Zirin looks with even more hurt in her eyes.

"You fucking monster! You'd kill me?" She walks towards her, Azula breathes heavily and tries to move. She can't go anywhere. "You betray me on every level and then try to kill me?"

Zirin leans down and with a few pounds of force she jabs the knife through Azula's outstretched palm. Something splatters in Azula's eye and in her hair. She blinks and when she opens her eyes she sees the tip of the blade, bloodied, sticking out through the other side of her hand. In an unexplainable twist, no blood spills out the back of her hand. She doesn't feel her palm get wet. Her blood stays still around the blade. There are so many disillusioning things happening at once that Azula doesn't have time to comprehend it. Zirin pulls the blade out.

Yakone laughs from the background. He shouts, "It's funny because you call yourself the 'Puppetmaster,' but now we're clutching all of your strings like you're in suspended animation."

Zirin knocks Azula's hand away. She leans over and grabs her shoulders. She rolls the girl over. Azula can't move herself. She's just as Yakone said, nothing but a puppet, being moved as Zirin commands. She lays on her stomach. Zirin pushes her arms and hands down onto the floor. Softly she pulls her head back.

If Azula was in a different place, it would look like she was stretching herself out into a pose. Almost as if she was an acrobat at the circus. Instead, she is rearing her head back and exposing her neck. Zirin places the cool, sharp steel against her neck and Azula begins hyperventilating. She can't catch her breath, she can't move, she can't do anything. She just feels the prickling of the blade against her throat. Her eyes dart around the room, looking for anything to help.

"Wait, wait!" Yakone yells from the back. "Wait, don't kill her yet. Give me that thing in her hair."

"Oh this? You want it as a trophy?"

Zirin rips the headpiece out and Azula's black hair falls in front of her eyes. She can't move it out of the way. She's paralyzed and she cries and she doesn't know what to do to escape.

"No, her head is gonna be the trophy," Yakone replies. "I just don't want any more blood to get on it."

"Hold on, first this." Zirin says.

Suddenly Azula's vision is returned to her. Strand by strand her hair is pulled out of her face. Zirin pulls it tightly. With eyes open wide, Azula can see a small opening up ahead in the dark. Zirin removes the blade from her neck. The next second though Azula feels her hair tugged tighter before releasing all together. Zirin has cut her top knot off. The next second she cuts most of Azula's hair off, slicing the blade through the base of her hair.

She leans in and whispers in her ear. "You're going to die alone. Without your headpiece. Without your top knot. Without your honor."

She stands up, turns to Yakone and shouts, "Catch."

She tosses the headpiece but misses wildly. Azula hears it clatter and bounce away in the distance. Yakone yells at her, "Go pick that up. Bring that shit to me right now."

Zirin groans but steps away. She walks a few feet away and Yakone watches her go. Azula feels her hand get wet. Her head bobs down and she looks at the blood gushing out of her right hand. She realizes she moved her neck and she can move all of her limbs. She quickly turns her head back and looks at Zirin, looking for the headpiece. She looks back to the opening in the shadows. She pulls her lower body forward, quietly, with her hands. Her bloody hand drags across the sawdust and dirt until she gets a few feet away. She pulls herself up and takes off running, knocking something over as she disappears into the dark.

"Here it is!" Zirin shouts.

She picks up the headpiece and then she hears something fall. She turns back and sees that Azula is gone. She turns to the mobster a few feet away and complains, "I thought you were going to hold her?"

"Fuck! You broke my concentration by throwing that thing away. I was trying to spot it in the dark too. Alright, hold on, I'll get her."

"No. Don't." Zirin commands him. She spins the blade again. She begins walking towards the dark construction area. "This is more fun. Give her a little hope that she's going to escape. I'll take that from her first."

"Damn," Yakone comments. "She really burned you, huh?"

"That's a great word for it," Zirin says, walking away. "Just stop her bending and I'll take care of the rest."

Darkness came for her. Now she limps blindly through the dark. She moves as fast and as far as she can, but in the blackness she keeps running into things. Her knee cap prevents her from running, her back hunches her over, her side makes every step sting. She holds her right hand with her left to stop the bleeding, and as a result she can't use either to summon any fire to guide her. She is tumbling through the darkness when she hears it.

A distant, drawn out, two-tone whistle. 'Whew-whew.' Then a voice calling to her.

"Azula. A-zul-a? Come out, come out, wherever you are."

The high pitch first whistle that seemed to last forever, followed immediately by the low, quick pitch second one.

Azula limps further into the dark. She has no idea where she's going.

"Remember: No bending."

High pitch blowing. Then the next. Getting louder.

"C'mere little bird. I'm gonna set you free!"

Azula trips and falls through something wooden. She climbs to her feet and keeps going. In the darkness she couldn't read it saying, 'KEEP OUT!'

The first blow of the whistle sounds like it's right behind her. The second blow is practically in her ear.

She hyperventilates again, unable to breathe properly. In the smallest tinge of purple light, she spots it just in time. Azula stops all of her momentum at the edge of a deep, massive drop. A huge empty space. It's like a well of darkness, the very end of the world itself. She turns around and in that same dark light she sees the reaper appear before her. Zirin comes into the clearing and stands before her, spinning the blade in her hand. She whispers to the Dragon Empress.

"Welcome to where you're going."

Azula stands with her back to the drop, crying uncontrollably. She sobs and sticks a hand out defensively. Trying to keep the brunette away from her. Smiling wickedly, Zirin whispers to her, "Oh, Azula. Don't cry. C'mere baby. I'll make all the pain go away."

Azula sobs and retracts her hand. She balls her fists. Through tears and through the dark light she looks at her girlfriend. The person who has stood beside her loyally for so much. She shakes her head and sees only a villain now. She furrows her brow and channels her rage. She whimpers, "I'm… I'm… I'm gonna kill you."

Pursing her lips and smiling condescendingly, Zirin tells her, "Oh, of course you are. So go ahead, take your best shot."

Zirin raises her arms up and out, extended out to her sides. She offers Azula a free shot at her. The former Crown Princess looks on in shock and horror. She knows it's a trap, yet she has nowhere to go. Nowhere to run. She looks back over her shoulder at the drop. She turns back and looks at those familiar black eyes.

When Azula doesn't attack, Zirin slowly lowers her arm. She tightens her grip on the hilt of her knife. She mutters low, almost under her breath, "I hope that you burn."

Zirin steps forward and swings her knife at Azula's neck. The Dragon Empress does the only thing she can. She falls backwards into darkness.

Azula fell from the sky.

She saw Zirin lunge at her and she went right over the edge to avoid it. She didn't have anywhere else to go after all. As she fell she saw the face of her lover shrink away quickly. She tried to scream, but nothing came out. She fell for almost three full seconds. In that brief time she believed she would hit the ground and die instantly. She tried to use the fire in her feet to rocket herself up, but she couldn't feel it. She couldn't feel the fire coursing through her veins. Suddenly she splashed down and her momentum took her further down below. A liquid quickly filled her lungs. The water began rocking her back and forth.

It was natural, having just seen her life flash before her eyes, that she now contemplates death. She wonders if it would be better or easier to just stay down and let the water wash over her. Could she just be carried away by the water? Could it be easier than living? Was this better than facing the wrath of Zirin's blade? She thought about all of these things and more. She could've stayed right there and died. But something stopped her though.

Was she fated for something more? Perhaps. Or perhaps it was just self-preservation.

She rose up.

By some grace of Agni there happened to be a metal landing of sorts not far. She swam her way to it, pulled herself up out of the water, and rolled onto her back, trying to breathe. She was stranded and completely alone. She was injured and her lungs filled with water. Nevertheless, she rose up.

She looked to the sky and rose up.

Zirin steps forward and swings her knife at Azula's neck. The Dragon Empress does the only thing she can. She falls backwards into the darkness. Zirin, shocked, leans forward. She watches her disappear into nothing. She waits to hear a 'thud' that never comes. She doesn't hear anything. She steps back away from the drop.

"Oh Agni," she huffs. Turning around she calls back, "Yakone!"

Coming closer to her the man yells back, "What?"

Knowing this won't end well she asks anyway, "Can you still feel her? Is she dead?"

He walks through the darkness towards the voice, "Is she dead? You don't know?"

Sighing, Zirin replies, "She… fell."

"Fell where?" He gets closer.

"Down some hole thing, I don't know."

"Wait," he says, arriving. "That thing goes all the way to the bottom. We haven't even begun any real work down there yet."

Shrugging, Zirin asks him, "Well is she dead? Can you sense her?"

He shakes his head, "No, I can't sense her."

"So she's dead then, yeah?"

"Or she's out of my range. That drop is like 12 stories or more. I can control at a distance, but not so great when it comes to different heights."

"I need to confirm it. I'm gonna go down there."

"She's dead, kid. No one could survive a fall like that."

Zirin begins walks away. She insists, "I need to confirm it."

"Listen to me," he says. Suddenly her legs stop moving. "I'm in charge now, and I'm telling you, she's dead."

He lets her go and she almost falls down. She turns back to him furious but trying to bargain. "So let's get the body and confirm it. I'll cut her head off just like you asked and we can make it a trophy for anyone who opposes us."

"If she hit the ground down there then her whole body is mush now. She's gone, and so is my trophy. All because you wanted to play with your food."

"Me? If you had just paid attention a few seconds longer she wouldn't have escaped."

"Enough," he commands. "This conversation is over. I entertained you and your little ginger girlfriend in your revenge game. Now it's time for business. No more bullshit."

Zirin huffs and wants to fight back. She doesn't say anything so he says, "Now you go home and tell your girls that you're in charge now, and that you all work for me."

He turns and walks past her. Zirin asks, "And where are you going?"

"I'm gonna go get the word out."

"What word?"

As he disappears into the shadows he replies, "I'm gonna tell the world how the last dragon is dead."

It's late in the evening and the rumors have spread quickly. Like a forest fire engulfing all of Republic City, the people whisper to one another. Some raise toasts to the death of a demon with no face, while others are devastated by the loss of someone who helped the poor. The upper class have not heard yet, people like the Chief of Police, or the Avatar or his wife. The rumors haven't reached them yet. It won't take much longer before a RCPD officer catches wind of it and passes it up the chain. Some are crediting the newcomer, Yakone, for it, while others say it was an inside job. A power play made by those under her. Reactions and facts are mixed up already, creating a swirl of confusion and conflicting stories. They all have one thing in common though: The Dragon Empress is dead.

Along the docks of Yue Bay, a stranger hobbles along with a bad knee. This woman in her late 20's pulls a dark, wet cloak tight around herself. She has no money on her so she can't afford a ferry out of town. She approaches a fisherman and appeals to his humanity, begging him to let her stowaway on his boat for safety.

He asks for coin or anything of value she has. She tells him she has nothing. He tells her to get lost. She hides her face and approaches another. Before she can even finish asking, the man yells that she's a prostitute and to get away. She can't attack him or draw any attention to herself so she hobbles away. At this point she would trade her empire for a boat. She wanders away and feels completely lost.

Going to the police will result in her arrest, or worse: drawing attention to her location for Zirin or Yakone. She can't turn to her Kemurikage or Fire Warriors because they belong to Zirin. She doesn't know that she can trust the Red Lotus for the same reasons. They valued her because she had power. If Zirin controls her empire, then she has no allies to turn to now. A scuffle of feet behind her alerts her to the presence of another.

"Ma'am, what are you doing down here? Is everything alright?"

The port authority tries to look in her eyes but she shields them, turning away from him. "I'm fine. I'm just…"

"I saw you limping. Do you need any help?"

Azula licks her lips and gulps. She sweats and worries. She doesn't answer. The man before her can tell something is wrong. He stands up tall. He asks her with a commanding voice, "Ma'am, do you have any identification on you?"

Another patter of feet draws close.

"I-"

"Sorry about that, B'jing! She's with me."

An older man, short and portly, wraps an arm around her bruised and damaged shoulders and starts leading her away. Azula's cloak blocks her view. When she looks at him, his head is turned back to look at the port authority.

Shocked by this, B'jing asks him, "Lin?"

"All my fault," Lin shouts back. "I shouldn't have left her alone. This is my niece, Taiyah."

"Eh?" B'jing shouts back to him as they hobble away. "I didn't know you had a niece?"

Laughing, Lin shouts, "I'm a man of many surprises!"

Finally satisfied, Lin turns and gives a sideways glance at Azula. They step cautiously, carefully away from B'jing. "C'mon, Empress. We should get you out of here before word spreads about a dead woman walking around the pier."

He looks down at her holding her hand and sees a lot of blood. He can feel her limping at his side, wincing with each step. He tacks on, "I've got a healer on board. Nothing special, but she'll get the job done."

Lin's boat bounces against the waves as they progress through the night, hours out of Yue Bay. Azula finally leaves the healer's attention, with a slight limp still. She no longer wants to collapse with every step. Her shoulders are stiff and painful, but not overwhelmingly so. Finally, the healer had stopped the bleeding in her hand, but warned her that she may have a permanent scar in her palm. She walks across the familiar boat and heads towards the aft. Lin loves this boat because the wheelhouse is starboard. She finds the familiar face and he smiles at her as she enters.

She offers, "I don't know how I could ever repay you."

He smirks but keeps his eyes on the sea, "You know, I said that to you once. I guess this makes us even."

Azula sits down behind him. She tells him, "They took everything from me, Lin. They almost killed me."

"Aye, but they didn't, did they?"

She closes her eyes and rests her head on the paneling in the wheelhouse. "What am I without my titles, Lin? If I'm not a symbol?"

Despite the heaviness of the moment, Lin remains upbeat. He keeps steering but replies, "You're still the Dragon Empress, Azula. Perhaps the dragon just needs to rest for a little?"

Azula doesn't answer. She's not sure if he means she should sleep or if he means more seriously that she should lay low. 'Probably both,' she thinks. Lin hums to himself while reminiscing. He tells her with a smile, "All I know is that the world is too small for a woman like Azula to simply disappear. No matter how deep she chooses to sink."

Azula opens her eyes. Those words echoed across time and space. He had said them to her before, in a different place and setting. She rises up and stands beside him, watching the night passing. After letting the silence between them settle, he asks her, "Azula?"

"Lin?"

"Can I offer you some free advice?"

"I'll happily take your counsel."

"If you intend to go after Zirin and this, um, Yakone, then you should start by digging three graves."

"Three graves?" Azula asks, truly confused. He nods.

"One for each of them, and one for yourself," he explains. The thought crashes down on her. "If you go after them, even if you succeed, you'll just end up killing yourself along the way. Revenge will consume you."

"So what then? Just let them win?"

"They'll get theirs in due course, I'm sure of it," he says, looking at her sideways. "Let them."

Azula nods. She knows there is much wisdom in what he's said. She asks him, "What should I do now, Lin? Where do I go from here?"

He looks back out at the sea and hums again. "We're chartered for a small fishing village off the coast of the Si Wong Desert. I suggest you cross it and seek refuge in Ba Sing Se. You've had some success there before."

She chuckles. "That was many moons ago."

"You could disappear into the masses. Your brother and uncle did that once, if rumors are to be believed."

"Zuko and Iroh?" She asks but then she recalls. She remembers finding them hiding in the city.

"Yes, Empress." He replies.

Azula gives him a look, and then without another word she exits. She limps to the edge of the boat and stares out at the passing landscape. Her hand wrapped in bandages and nursing her injuries. Defeated, dethroned, and 'dead' to the world outside of Lin and his crew. She thinks about Zuko and her uncle. She thinks about Zirin and Yakone. She thinks about Ba Sing Se. She thinks about many things.

She decides where she will go.

Ty Lee wasn't really sleeping anyway. She hadn't the night before either.

She'd hung Ruki out in the forest a few miles from the village and then returned home. Word had arrived earlier in the morning from Republic City. Suki pulled Ty Lee into the dojo and told her it had happened. The rumors were spreading all over the city. Suki said three words and Ty Lee was hollow inside.

"Azula is dead."

They'd killed her, but Ty Lee got Ruki. Now she knows they'll send someone. But Ty Lee didn't tell Suki that. Not yet at least. Maybe it's shock or fear, but she didn't say anything yet. Suki had sent her home for a few days, to cope with the news. So she had nothing but time to wait, and if someone else is going to come for her, she almost wants them to come.

She'll kill them.

She'll kill them all.

She'll kill everyone for what they did to her.

Lying awake in bed she hears a clatter outside. Rising from her bed instantly she exits her room. She lays low and approaches a window in the hallway. She looks out the back and sees nothing. She silently steps towards the other side and peaks out the front-facing window. Nothing again.

Carefully and quietly she descends her stairs, wielding one of her Kyoshi fans. As she nears the bottom she hears something else. It's right outside her door, off to the side. She wonders if someone is trying to break in. She tries to think how quickly the Kemurikage would've gotten word that Ruki was dead. The only logical explanation is that another girl on Kyoshi was a spy for them and had found Ruki hanging and sent a messenger hawk.

Ty Lee quietly opens the front door. She slinks out, careful to remain silent and focused. She listens to a rustling on the side of her home. It's close, almost within reach. There's a lamp above the side, providing light. She sees a small shadow around a corner, and the noise is close. She steels herself and steadies her breathing. In one fluid motion she spins around the corner and whips the fan out.

No one is there.

A tiny patter of noise down low approaches her. Out of the shadows a small, thin, orange cat approaches. The 'intruder' was an alleycat, knocking things over outside her house. The cat stops at her feet and looks up at her.

"Meow!"

Ty Lee holds the fan out a second longer and then sighs heavily. She leans forward and extends the fan towards it. The cat sniffs the tip of it briefly before rubbing its face against it, using the fan as a makeshift scratcher. Ty Lee smiles, glad to have been wrong about the attacker.

"Good girl," she whispers, giving it a scratch on the top of it's head.

She stands back up to her fullest height. Without the fan or hand to pet her, the cat turns and wanders away. Ty Lee watches it go and exhales the breath she'd been holding in. She turns to go back into her home.

Two steps behind, standing at her door in the dark of night, covered in bandages and tattered clothes, is Azula.