Zuko and three of his advisers were standing around what looked like an enormous map of the Fire Nation. As he heard the door open, Zuko looked up and his good eye bugged out in utter shock, while the other narrowed even more than usual. Defying the laws of how faces worked, Zuko managed to look surprised and disapproving at the same time.
"This meeting is adjourned," he managed to say regally ( Sokka was sure his friend practiced that for ages with a badger-frog before he managed to pull it off). His advisers bowed and left the room taking the enormous map with them.
As soon as the door closed, Zuko went from composed Fire Lord into full melt-down mode in the blink of an eye.
"What is he doing here? You know better than disturb meetings on land-reclamation, Suki! And will someone tell me what is going on?"he said breathlessly, while waving his hands at all three of them in turn.
"Clearly, not here for the hospitality," their half-naked companion sneered.
"You really know this guy?" Suki asked surprised.
"Yes. He's one of the sun warriors we met with Aang. Hamgo or something."
"Ham Ghao. And you were not supposed to tell anyone," the sun warrior pointed a finger accusingly at Zuko.
"About what? I didn't tell anyone," Zuko shook his head quickly.
"I think he's talking about the dragons?" Sokka offered helpfully.
"Well, then how did he know?" Ham Ghao asked triumphantly like he just caught the Fire Lord in an obvious lie. Zuko glared at Sokka.
"That's just Sokka. And anyways it was Aang, not me. He told Sokka. Nobody else knows." Zuko was lying through his teeth. He was also really really bad at it. Even worse than Katara and Sokka never knew a more pathetic liar than his sister. That is until he met Zuko.
"Except Katara and Toph," Sokka reminded him.
"They are friends, they'd never tell anyone." Zuko insisted, his golden eyes darting murderous looks now in Sokka's direction.
"And Teo was there, Haru and The Duke." Sokka counted off on his fingers, undisturbed by his friend's disapproving glares. The situation was already confusing. A good investigation started with fact-finding. Everyone knew that.
"No, they weren't," Zuko frowned.
"They totally were, Zuko," Sokka shrugged.
"In any case, they wouldn't tell anyone."
"So how do you explain the attack and the missing eggs?" Ham Ghao asked impatiently.
"What eggs?" Zuko looked confused.
"Oh, you were good with the act. We are here to learn from the masters, but all you wanted to do was was steal dragon eggs," the sun warrior hissed.
"No, we didn't. I don't steal. Well, not anymore." Zuko looked a bit sheepish which gave way to more confusion. "Wait, the gem was a dragon egg?"
"Didn't it look like an egg?" Ham Ghao asked sarcastically.
"I suppose," Zuko admitted with a shrug.
"It looks like an egg, it quacks like an egg…"
"I'm pretty sure it didn't quack." Zuko shook his head vehemently. "Never mind...None of this makes sense. Where is your chief?"
"He was taken, with the eggs. Also the other warriors." Ham Ghao tapped his filthy foot on the hand-knotted silk rug for emphasis.
"Why didn't they take you?" Suki asked the man. She had a point. Suki was good at the investigation stuff. Maybe when Suki was done with protecting Zuko and Sokka was done doing his library research, they could set up a detective agency somewhere together.
"Well, it was… I was sneak..taking a walk… You know what, it's none of your business." Ham Ghao crossed his arms defensively across his chest.
"It kind of is. Did you see the attackers?" Sokka joined in the interrogation.
"They were silent, like shadows and had red paint around the eyes." The warrior imitated the shape of the paint.
"The Whispering Shadows." Zuko and Suki both said at once and gave each other a meaningful look. Sokka felt left out immediately having never heard anything about whispering ninjas.
"Wait? What is that? Why do you give everything such sinister names?"
"They are a splinter group of the Yu Yan Archers, trained to be assassins. They vanished at the end of the war, but every once in a while, they come out of the shadows and strike. Nobody knows how to find them," Zuko explained.
"Yeah, leave it to the Fire Nation to train super-ninja assassins and lose them," Sokka said sarcastically. Zuko gave him an apologetic shrug. Apologizing for stupid things the Fire Nation did when his dad was a Fire Lord seemed to be a big part of Zuko's job. Sokka did not envy him; it really seemed like a terrible job to have.
"You have to fix this," Ham Ghao urged Zuko.
"Why me?"
"Because without the eggs, there will be no more dragons. And without the dragons, firebending may die too." Well, don't sugarcoat it,Sokka thought . It looked like prototype ancient sun-warriors were just as dramatic bunch as the Fire Nation.
"May die?" Zuko looked at Ham Ghao sceptically.
"You want to take the risk?" The sun warrior retorted with his eyebrow raised. Zuko's silent grimace and sigh was the only answer they needed. "I didn't think so," gloated the half-naked guy.
Zuko called for the servants and asked them to take care of the sun warrior. When he finally left the room, they looked at each other perplexed.
"What do we do?" Suki asked.
"Well, I can't send the army. We don't want the word about the dragons get around. It's too dangerous. We have to do this ourselves." Zuko paced nervously in the study.
"We should send for Aang."
"Aang is busy sorting out the conflict between Omashu and Ba Sing Se and prevent a civil war in the Earth Kindom," Zuko grimaced. "We can't afford to send him on a dragon-egg hunt."
"How about the scary chick with the ugly mole?" Sokka suggested hopefully.
"June? Nayla needs a smell sample to work with," Zuko shook his head.
"But if we can't find these shadow-freaks - where do we even start?"
"I have an idea," Zuko said quietly, but his face remained grim. He must not have liked the idea very much.
"Any chance I will like it?" Sokka asked anyway.
"No. Not a chance." Zuko confirmed his fears.
"OK, let's go." Suki nodded.
Zuko changed out of the formal regalia into his normal tunic and led the way through the corridors to a back entrance where a balloon was docked on a launch pad. Sokka guessed it was there to provide the Firelord a discreet way to travel without his usual royal retenue, which seemed to be the thing Zuko most resented about becoming the Fire Lord.
"Why are we taking a war balloon?" Sokka asked.
"It's not a war balloon." Zuko retorted. "There is no war anymore."
"Right. So what do you call it now? A peace balloon?" Sokka chuckled at his own joke, but both Suki and Zuko just groaned.
"Just a balloon." Zuko got into the basket. He blasted fire in the furnace and the balloon rose into the azure sky.
"So are you going to tell me where we are going?" Sokka asked when it became obvious that his friend would not volunteer the information.
"My sister." Zuko muttered, visibly uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you right." Sokka couldn't believe his ears. Why would they go to see Zuko's crazy sister who personally tried to murder every single one of them? "Are you completely mad? Zuko, this is crazy. She's the last person you want to ask."
"She is the last person." Zuko snapped back. "She's not so bad. She changed."
At Suki's sceptical expression he added more quietly. "A little."
"And anyways, last I heard she was in the loony place."
"Mental hospital." Zuko corrected Sokka. "But she's not there anymore. We are trying something else."
"We. Why weren't I consulted?" Sokka did not like where this was heading. Not one bit.
"I talked to Aang. And anyways, it's family business," Zuko gruffed.
"No, it's not. When your sister tries to kill my sister, you don't get to claim family business," Sokka snapped.
"Well, it's done, and we are here," Zuko lowered the balloon as the contours of the little island with rocky shores appeared in the haze. "You'll see it for yourself."
-0-
They climbed the long path up to the simple, but elegant villa; the sole building on the island. It was kind of a halfway house, a compromise they struck once Azula realized that she was much better off cooperating with the staff of the mental institution than trying to set them on fire. The heavily guarded, remote island was a test of sorts; she got more freedom than in the hospital - a garden to walk in, a household to run, a place to practice firebending - and a chance to show that she could be trusted not to hurt people.
Azula was waiting for them on the top of the path, standing tall, her shiny black hair loose in the wind. She always managed to look regal, even in her plain clothes.
"Who died?" she asked sardonically.
"What?" Zuko arched his eyebrow.
"There has to be a reason my brother visits my humble home when it is not the last Friday of the month. Bringing such illustrious guests - Suki and …" she cast a scornful glance in Sokka's direction, "...Socket?"
"Sokka,"the water-tribe boy protested immediately glaring at Azula, who just shrugged a little smirk.
"Well, don't just stand there," she invited them into the house. "Do tell me what brought you here."
They entered the living room. The wall was covered with paintings of black and red blotches, crisscrossed with blue. Zuko didn't remember seeing these at his last visit.
"What are these?" he waved at the pictures.
"I paint. The doctors think self-expression is healthy," Azula shrugged, but the way she said those words made it very clear that she did not have a high opinion about the therapeutic value of artistic expression.
"It looks..." Zuko paused, searching for words.
"Soothing?" Azula asked wryly without missing a beat. She was so much like her old self again, and on most days Zuko couldn't tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing.
"...original," he finished the sentence.
Azula prepared a pot and put cups on the table. "Here, have some tea. I was told it's calming. Uncle keeps sending me new blends all the time. I think this one is called dragon-tears. Quite dramatic, don't you think?"
Sokka sniffed at the teapot with suspicion.
Azula scoffed and poured a cup for herself. "Oh, come on. It's not poisoned. Do you really think I would do that to my only brother?"
"Yes, that's exactly what we think." Sokka affirmed.
"Well, I'm disappointed in you. If I wanted to kill dear Zuko here, I would never do something quite so...unimaginative," she sneered.
"Cut it out, Azula." Zuko closed the argument short by taking the cup and tasting the brew. She actually made really good tea, he thought with sudden irritation. Even with his teashop training, Zuko could never get it quite right, but apparently Azula was a natural. Like in everything. The thought was petty and absurd and Zuko shoved it into the back of his mind. There was no reason to make a competition out of everything, but old habits died hard.
"Sure. So let's get down to business," she smiled magnanimously.
"The Whispering Shadows. How do I find them?" Zuko asked, cutting to the heart of the matter. Azula's expression remained that of detached amusement.
She shook her head. "You don't. We trained them too well for that."
"You are lying. I know Father sent them on jobs."
"I'm not lying, Zuko." Azula waved her hand as if her ever bending the truth was a truly preposterous notion. " You don't find them. Theyfind you. Why are you looking for them anyway?"
"They took something important. Something that puts the balance of the world at risk," he replied evasively.
Azula rolled her eyes. "Oh, your precious balance. We wouldn't want that to happen, would we?"
"So how do I get them find me?" Zuko asked impatiently.
"You want to go after them yourself? Don't you have armies to command?"
"It's a super-secret mission," Sokka interjected.
"I could tell you. But I have a condition," she smiled like a predator feeling the scent of blood.
"You are not in a position to make conditions." Sokka slammed his fist on the table for emphasis.
"Yet, here you are, looking for answers, only I can give." Nobody could contradict her astute assessment.
Looking at her triumphant smile, Zuko suddenly remembered why this was a terrible idea. He jumped to his feet and huffed, "Fine. I'll figure it out my way"
Azula hurried after him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, Dum-Dum. No need to be so dramatic." Her voice was soft, soothing. As she got older she didn't only look like, but also sounded more and more like their mother, which just added extra knots to the confusing mess Zuko felt about her. "Look, I'm not crazy, not anymore. I… know it's in my best interest to cooperate. And so far - I've behaved."
"I know. Which is why they agreed to let you out of the institution and to this island. I wanted you to be more comfortable," Zuko replied, his anger dissipating.
"And I appreciate it. I do. But I'm bored, Zuko. There is only so many paintings, only so many pai sho games one can suffer through. I want to do something. I need to do something useful. I want to go with you." This was as close as Azula ever came to pleading.
Zuko hesitated. He wanted to believe she could change, but he also had a long experience with her mind games and manipulation. "That's a lot you're asking me to trust you after everything."
"I know it is. But I can help you. Just take me back with you and I'll prove it to you… I want to help you, Zuko," she added, her honey-coloured eyes serious.
"Why?" Zuko frowned, his resistance weakening.
"Because I have nothing better to do," she smirked, sensing her victory.
"At the first sign of betrayal or if you hurt any of my friends…" Zuko felt necessary to lay down his terms.
Azula held up her hands with a bored expression, "Yeah. I know, you don't have to spell it out. You won't regret it."
Zuko really, really hoped he didn't just make the worst mistake of his life.
-0-
The Palace looked different; brighter, more peaceful. Zuko apparently had time in between all the peace conferences and babysitting the Avatar for some redecoration. It mostly involved getting rid of all of the Sozin-portraits and other symbolic art that celebrated the conquests of the empire. Well, it was no wonder Zuzu developed simplistic tastes having lived for so long like a commoner .
Azula walked with her head held high, ignoring the silently hostile stares of the servants, or the way the hands of the royal guard were kept ready to bend at any moment. Their fear was exhilarating. She felt so helpless for such a long time, but their unease made her feel in control. It was an incredible feeling to be back - she didn't think it would be so easy. Trust and family was apparently still Zuko's weakness. Her foolish, soft, big brother, she thought with a mixture of fondness and contempt. No wonder he was being eaten alive in the political arena.
"This way," she marched towards Ozai's old study, which stood unused. Apparently, Zuko did not have the stomach to take residence in their father's old space. She walked to the bookshelf and placed a burning palm on a carved dragon head on the wall. The bookcase slid aside, exposing a secret staircase.
"I never knew it was there," Zuko frowned.
"You should have come exploring with me more," Azula replied lightly. She knew from early childhood that information was power, something Zuko failed to understand fully.
"That is a nifty design." Sokka said appreciatively, examining the mechanics of the systems.
"What's down there?" Suki asked.
"Dad's secret archive." Azula opened her palm lighting a small blue flame. Zuko sucked in a sharp breath, but did not comment. Another small victory, she thought watching the dancing light. She spun on her heels and headed down the stairs.
"What are we looking for?" Sokka asked looking around the chamber that held three big chests filled with scrolls.
Azula opened the first chest. "A map. Every adventure starts with a map."
Sokka gave her a grimace. The papers rustled as they opened scroll after scroll.
"Well, look, here it is," Azula smiled triumphantly after a few minutes of searching, opening a scroll marked with the insignia of the Whispering Shadows.
"So that's it? That's where they are?" Sokka pointed to one of the locations marked with red circles.
"No. These are drop sites. We drop a message and they'll find us." Azula corrected him.
"Simple," he said picking up the map.
"Except, of course, you need to know the code," Azula added lightly.
"Which is?" Suki stepped closer.
"If I tell you, what stops you from leaving me behind?"
"Azula," Zuko warned.
"I like to be valuable," she winked at them.
"What is she talking about?" Sokka demanded.
Zuko gave an exasperated sigh. "We'll talk about it later. Uncle will be here for dinner. I need to take care of something before."
"There is no way she's coming with us," Sokka insisted.
"We'll talk about it later," Zuko repeated with apparent annoyance and headed up the stairs. Azula gave the gaping water-tribe boy a boastful look and followed after her brother.
They walked together to her old rooms in silence. She pretended not to see the eight guards who followed them at a not-so-discreet distance.
"Well, home sweet home," he gestured inside. "I had your mirror fixed, but otherwise nothing's been touched."
Azula felt something catch in her throat. Did that mean that Zuko expected her to be back at some point? Or probably he was just too dumb to even think that he could comb the room for useful information. It didn't matter either way. "If you don't mind, I'd like to rest now."
Zuko nodded and headed towards the door, but lingered in the doorway, hesitantly. "Azula, Uncle is coming for dinner. I'd appreciate…"
"Don't worry. I'll behave. Thanks, Zuko."
"Don't make me regret this, Azula." The warning was clear in Zuko's voice. The door closed behind him.
Finally, thought Azula, as she looked around the familiar space. Here she was. One step closer. To what? Well, that was a bit blurry still. Greatness, of course. She would make it up as they went along. She would figure out something, after all, her mind was her own again.
Or was it? She turned towards the mirror with apprehension and let out a sigh of relief when no trace of her mother appeared on the shining surface.
-0-
"Uncle." Zuko exclaimed and tackled Iroh into an embrace as soon as the old man climbed off the airship.
"Uncle." Sokka yelled at the same time, and made it a three-way hug.
Zuko felt a slight irritation that somehow, somewhere along the way, Iroh ceased to be his uncle only and became the uncle of the entire team Avatar. Aang used his tea-shop for all kinds of spiritual gatherings, Iroh listened patiently to Toph's grumbling whenever she went over for dinner, he corresponded with Katara about politics, brought things over from the Earth Kingdom for Suki and the Kyoshi warriors and he was teaching Sokka how to play pai sho.
"Well, it's nice that you have company, Zuko. It makes for a livelier dinner," he grinned. "I hope you asked the cook to prepare a roast duck with the plum glaze."
"There's a situation, Uncle." Zuko said trying to ease Iroh into the mess they somehow managed to find themselves in.
"Oh. Something happened to the roast duck?" Iroh frowned with apparent dismay.
"No, it's not about the roast duck." Zuko replied irritably. "It's a long, complicated story."
"A half-naked guy showed up in the palace claiming that Zuko needs to find some stolen dragon eggs that were taken by evil shadow ninjas impossible to find. Zuko had the brilliant idea of visiting Princess Nuts for some answers, but instead of answers she sweet-talked herself into coming back to the palace and now she wants to come along to our super-secret mission as well. And if we fail, it may or may not be the end of all firebending." Sokka sputtered without taking a breath. "On the upside, we have a map."
"So I was wondering if you could take over firelording for a little while?" Zuko added hopefully. "Only until we take care of the egg-problem?"
Iroh seemed speechless for a moment, which was definitely a bad thing. Zuko knew from having spent three long years with him, stuck on a boat that Uncle never really ran out of things to say. He looked questioningly between the two boys, and when he seemed satisfied that it was not an elaborate prank at his expense, he sighed. "Why don't we discuss this a little more over dinner?"