Okay, I feel stupid. I watched the Super Earth Kingdom Flashback Episode (Aka, Zuko Alone) and felt stupid because not only does it tell you Zuko's Mother's name (it's Ursa) but he practically yells it out to an entire village of earth kingdom peeps.
So I watched it, stared at the screen for about 40 seconds and then slammed my face into the table screaming "GOD! You moron!!!" at myself.
My sister came in and dumped ice water on my head with a completely relaxed "yo, chill out." as she wandered away.
I was not a happy camper. My response was something out of a very violent manga. Maybe Bleach…
Anyhow, enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 10: When You See The Other Side, Say Hello.
Kaido had been watching, carefully, over the last few days. After all, if the completely self-assured Katsuo thought he still had a chance, then perhaps he did.
Everything had been moving very quickly, the announcements of Mei's surrogacy went by in a blur, the staff and the residents of the palace city quickly adapting to a 'yes miss' rather than a 'yes sir'. It seemed like no time at all and they were back on the ship, in fact, Zuko hadn't even bothered unpacking anything, refill the water, get the extra food for the longer mission ahead, and be done with it.
Kaido also noticed the way Katsuo had been quieter; more concentrated on what he was doing, which was odd for the man. He usually wasn't that serious.
It was putting Kaido a bit on edge.
Despite what Kaido said about his aversion to spying and sneaking, he could be sly on occasion. If his father taught him anything, it was most certainly the advantages of playing dirty when it came to politics.
--
Kaido sat perfectly still, perfectly quiet, as the other generals talked. After all, he was an observer, a guest; he wasn't going to lose this position purely based on one small discrepancy. His father huffed and leaned towards him.
"Are you memorizing this?" Zhen asked him, voice low and quiet and Kaido didn't nod. In this room, everyone was an enemy, another cutthroat looking to better his position, nodding meant you knew something they didn't.
Knowing something they didn't could possibly lead to interrogation.
And interrogation didn't always involve just words. After all, everyone lies.
"Yes father." he answered, whispering so low even the person beside them couldn't hear. He kept his eyes on the other generals in the room. After all, you couldn't be too careful.
"Good, take special heed to anything about the 52nd division and any division trained by Admiral Cheng, I'm considering transferring him to my force." Zhen answered and Kaido glanced over at the other guest across the room. Kaido watched his lips as he whispered, reading them carefully for future reference.
"yes sir." he answered and sat back, sitting straight and listening intently for the specific information his father wanted, after all, there'd be a full briefing later.
--
Zhen was eating, Kaido didn't feel hungry. He probably should eat, but the idea of eating before studying over the two hundred or so soldiers' names, faces, and ranking from Admiral Cheng's training groups made him feel sick already.
He probably wasn't going to get any sleep.
"You have Archery at 8 tomorrow, swords at 10, then hand-to-hand combat training with Lo Tseng." his father stated, saying the schedule from memory which meant that the times were earlier than he was quoting. Kaido nodded. In the barracks it was safe to nod.
"Yes sir." he answered and Zhen continued on.
"Then you have afternoon classes and public speaking training. And after that, we have dinner with Fire Lord Azulon and his family." Zhen stated and cast a serious look at his son. "that's very important, dress nicely but not showy, prepare things to say and remember your etiquette."
"Yes sir." Kaido answered and Zhen grunted in approval.
"Don't try to be funny or wry. It just makes you look stupid, save that for the troops." the man continued on with his lecture and Kaido made note of the information.
"Yes sir." Kaido stated and the general stood.
"And remember, if you're ever to beat your degenerate brother, you'll need to work hard. He took the easy way, you're going by hard work and effort alone. Just because he's talented doesn't mean anything without the work to make good on your talent." Zhen declared and set a hand on his son's head. "You want to be better than deceit and laziness, don't you Kaido?"
"Yes father."
"Good. Make sure to finish the assignment I gave you, I'll see you in the morning." Zhen started then paused and looked back at him. "Have you… advanced any farther in your fire bending studies?"
Kaido looked away from his father's eyes. After all, Kaido knew that was the one thing he failed at, the single thing he just couldn't grasp.
"No father." he answered and Zhen looked away in that way he had where he glared at nothing, which Kaido assumed was directed more at his mother than him.
"Hmm, pity. You'll just have to work even harder then, won't you?" Zhen declared, nodding once, and then walking away. Kaido looked down at the table, fists clenching into tight balls in front of him.
"Yes sir." he whispered to no one.
--
Kaido panted, clenching hands in the grass, anger swarming his thoughts.
"Why can't I do it?" he growled and a hand set on his shoulder as he glared up at his fire bending teacher.
"it's not your fault, some people simply don't have the talent to--" his teacher started, hesitantly, and Kaido slapped his hand away and drug himself to his feet.
"It is my fault! If I can't do it how am I ever going to--" Kaido started to yell at the man but his teacher crossed his arms, staring the boy down.
"Kaido, calm down, being angry isn't going to fix anything." he stated and Kaido tore his eyes away, gripping his hands in the fabric of his pants.
"What can I do to fix this?" he asked, voice level but still angry.
"there simply isn't anything to fix Kaido, some people are blessed with the ability, it's a natural talent, you have to be born into it." his teacher said and Kaido gripped his eyes shut, teeth gritting.
"Katsuo can… if he can then I can too, we're twins, I have to be able to--" he said softly to himself, his voice cracking a little. His teacher set his hand on his shoulder again and Kaido glared at him.
"Kaido, it's simply useless. Your only other alternative is to exceed in your other studies and hope it comes with age." his teacher stated and Kaido growled lowly.
"I can't just waste time wishing and hoping! I have to learn now or I'll never be anything more than a foot soldier! I am going to be a general, no matter what." Kaido declared and the man pursed his lips, arms crossed.
"You know, I've never seen a child more serious than you." he sighed and shook his head, raising his arms. "Alright, if you're not going to give up, you'll at least know the forms, even if you can't bend, they're extremely powerful as single strikes."
"Thank you teacher." Kaido smiled up at the man but got an irritated cowl in return.
--
Kaido walked, sore all over from exerting himself all day, and stopped, spotting his brother ahead of him, and he grit his teeth, running up to catch him before he disappeared.
"Katsuo." he said levelly, holding in his breathing to keep from looking tired. Katsuo looked at him and smiled.
"Hi Kaido." Katsuo smiled and Kaido frowned. When Katsuo smiled he was usually up to something.
Actually, Katsuo was always up to something…
"What are you doing?" Kaido asked and Katsuo leaned against the wall.
"just basic tailing on Zuko and My Lady, he's inside, I'm not allowed inside so I was waiting out here." Katsuo answered and Kaido nodded. He looked towards the door. He was expected inside, it wasn't every day that he and his father were invited to eat with the royal family.
He decided he had time.
"Are you studying fire bending?" Kaido asked the question truly on his mind and Katsuo scowled.
"Che, no. Not really. Mother showed me a few defensive moves but that was it, I think it's a waste of time." Katsuo scoffed and Kaido's eyes narrowed.
How could he waste ability like that? Kaido would kill to be able to bend and what does his brother do? Shrugs it off as unimportant.
It was infuriating.
"I think it's an idiotic move to have an ability and not use it." he declared and Katsuo frowned.
"but it's practically useless for operatives in-" he started and Kaido rolled his eyes.
"Are you completely stupid? If you have an ability you should obviously make use of it." he stated and Katsuo lifted an eyebrow at him.
"You sound like you're jealous." Katsuo stated, completely nonchalant, and Kaido seethed.
How dare he even think such a thing?!
"You're a fool Katsuo. I have everything you don't, what on earth could I possibly be jealous of that belongs to your filthy hands." Kaido sneered and Katsuo pointed at him accusingly.
"I can bend, you can't, obviously you'd be jealous. You covet my natural talent brother, because if only you had my ability you'd have a shot at being a general. As it is you're going to be a foot soldier for the rest of your--" Katsuo was cut off by having to dodge Kaido's lunging punch at his head, Katsuo ducked and Kaido hit the wall then swiped out, trying to catch Katsuo but failing as the boy moved lithely out of reach of his blows. Kaido growled then stood and straightened his uniform, pushing his hair back and glaring at Katsuo.
"I have an engagement, I can't be bothered to be part of your ridiculous arguments." Kaido declared with an icy glare and pushed aside the curtains to the next room. He paused then looked back to Katsuo. "What kind of body guard can't even enter the dining room? Pathetic."
Katsuo glared but didn't say anything and Kaido smiled, declaring himself the unverified victor.
Kaido entered and his father gave him a look that promised punishment for being late (said punishment would probably be latrine duty, again…) and he bowed and saluted the royal family before looking directly at them.
"Please pardon my tardiness, my informal duties ran a little longer than expected." Kaido stated then stood straight and took his place at the table beside his father, sitting straight and looking over at Azula and Zuko, Azula viciously attacking whatever piece of meat she had on her plate with her knife and Zuko poking at the vegetables on his plate with absolute disinterest.
And Kaido settled in for a long and boring evening.
--
It wasn't until Zuko spoke out of turn in the war meeting that Kaido had thought anything of him. He was just another face he had to bow to in an endless sea of faces he was bowing to. Just another name on a list, a statistic.
Who knew he had a soul?
Kaido had been as shocked, if not more so, than his father when Zuko had spoken out against the plan in question, admittedly, Kaido felt the same about a useless waste of troops but the adamancy, the absolute infuriated passion that had crossed Zuko's face as he said that it was wrong, as he fought against a plan that Kaido had seen put into effect before, with unanimous agreement from these men and no objection…
It was an uplifting and condemning look. It had really make Kaido feel he was in the wrong for thinking it the best plan of action.
Unfortunately, it was the best plan of action and despite Zuko's words, and despite the after lying effects of those words, that battalion was still put as a sacrifice to the front to distract the enemy, but loss was limited, after all, the pincer attack did have a second strike, and that battalion was the best in the army.
They couldn't exactly afford to lose that particular battle.
Either way, Kaido had watched Zuko be beaten, banished, and branded for all time with that mark on his face, at the time bleeding and pathetic, but in his own way, Kaido still respected the boy, and admired him, because even in his weakest moments, Zuko had a dignity that couldn't be earned, bought, or traded.
It had to be god given.
--
Kaido looked up as Katsuo and Zuko passed by him, Zuko too busy arguing about something with the spy, who looked a bit depressed, to give him a look.
Kaido crossed his arms and watched them walk, completely absorbed in each other, and scoffed, walking back the other way to talk to Keiichi about the various procedures that needed to be done before takeoff the next morning.
Had a chance my left ass cheek. If Katsuo honestly thought for a second that he hadn't already won, he didn't deserve Zuko.
--
"You were totally crying." Zuko stated, smirking a little. Katsuo groaned again. It was the same loop; they'd been going through this for close to an hour.
"I wasn't! How many times do I have to say it was the air? My eyes got dry, so they watered, it's a normal occurrence." Katsuo declared, looking back at Zuko who was still smirking.
"You were crying." Zuko repeated and Katsuo threw his hands in the air in irritation.
"And if I was, what about? Hmm? Answer that." Katsuo challenged and Zuko crossed his arms.
"How would I know? You won't even admit that you were, let alone tell me why." Zuko stated and Katsuo fumed at his attitude.
"Oh? And here I was under the impression that you knew everything. What with being so adamant over my emotional status." Katsuo grumbled and Zuko chuckled. Katsuo glared up at him. "What the hell are you finding so hilarious?"
"You were right; it is fun to mess with people." Zuko smirked and Katsuo stared at him. Katsuo took a breath to reply then stopped and reconsidered. Katsuo sighed and hung his head.
"I lost." he stated and Zuko frowned at him.
"Excuse me?" he asked, leaning forwards just a little. Katsuo smirked under his mask and surged forwards, stealing a kiss and pressing against Zuko until the young Fire Lord was trapped between him and the wall. Zuko let out a small noise, eerily close to a moan, and Katsuo pulled away, staying close but not quite close enough.
"I hold long grudges you know." Katsuo stated and Zuko lifted an eyebrow.
"Really? I haven't seen that in action since I met you." Zuko half accused, his voice a little breathier than he would have liked.
"I try to keep business grudges separate from my personal life." Katsuo said softly, down at Zuko that small bit. "And you're my personal life, so obviously you haven't noticed."
"I see." Zuko stated, swallowing thickly and grabbing a handful of Katsuo's shirt. Zuko watched Katsuo's eyes for a moment and saw a strange look cross them then Katsuo turned away, looking down the hallway and stepping back, his shirt even slipping from Zuko's fingers.
"People are coming." Katsuo stated and Zuko stood off the wall, gathering his balance and sighing a little to himself.
"right." he stated and looked distastefully down at his rumpled robes.
"We should finish preparing for the journey." Katsuo said softly and Zuko gripped his arm.
"Katsuo, if you were hurt, you'd tell me. Right?" Zuko asked, feeling stupid and hesitant, and Katsuo blinked back at him.
"If I was hurt I think you'd notice. I don't take punishment very well, in case you couldn't tell from the month long recuperation for a minor muscle problem." Katsuo answered and Zuko scowled, looking away.
"I'm not talking about physical pain Katsuo." Zuko grumbled and Katsuo couldn't help but laugh. He set a hand on Zuko's head affectionately and shook his own.
"If I was emotionally wounded, you'd never notice the difference Zuko. I've been emotionally scarred for a long time. Comes with the territory of being a killing machine at age 5." Katsuo smiled at him in his generally good-natured way then slipped his arm out of Zuko's grip. "Thanks for the concern, I almost don't deserve you."
And with that Katsuo rushed off and Zuko scowled to himself, walking the opposite direction, ignoring Sokka and Suki when they called out to him.
He felt caught. Trapped in some kind of inescapable enigma. Completely wrapped up in a relationship neither wished for nor entirely wanted.
And for some reason, it didn't quite matter to him, he was actually a bit, he dared to think, happy.
He just wished Katsuo didn't run away so much.
--
Katsuo was breathing heavily. He wasn't sure why, but he felt a strange constriction in his chest. He just felt… out of control. He was a mess right now and being around Zuko was making him lose his grip on things.
He hated remembering.
He scowled and released the hand over his chest, smoothing out his shirt and pushing his hair from his face.
"Keep it together. When did I become a fragile little bitch huh?" Katsuo grumbled to himself and took a few deep calming breaths. He forced himself to relax and then stood straighter, walking down the hallway and towards the hidden library.
He had a few things to get before the trip still.
It had absolutely nothing to do with avoiding Zuko for a while, or at least that's what he told himself.
--
"And there's this, and these, and that's the last of them." Keiichi smiled and Sokka shifted under the weight of the paperwork he'd been laden down with.
"Um, is all this really necessary?" Suki asked, Sokka nodding himself, still too overwhelmed to speak. Keiichi nodded.
"Yes. Everything has to be filled out and filed in the proper places otherwise the bureaucrats are going to walk all over you because you're foreign." he answered knowledgably. "Just do what I told you and if you think you've forgotten anything look at the lists in my office in the palace commons."
"I'm starting to get why Zuko wanted to get out of here so bad…" Mei sighed heavily, arms crossed over her chest and an unreadable expression on her face.
"Hmm. Yes." Keiichi frowned a little then waved it off. "Either way, we'll keep in contact via messenger hawk on a generally regular basis. If it takes longer than a week for the message to get to you assume it was intercepted and possibly tampered with."
"Um, we're not in wartime anymore, do we really have to worry about that?"
"Sokka, peace is the only time anyone gets to use any real subterfuge, and trust me, they've been itching for it. So even if it's purely out of boredom, you may have some trouble. You should also speak to Katsuo about the secret army and what their chain of command is going to be like while he's gone as well." Keiichi answered, completely serious, and Toph frowned.
"Whoa, hold up, you're saying that jerky ghost is in charge?" she asked, slightly incredulous, and honestly, Sokka was a bit shocked himself.
"Ghost?" Keiichi asked, looking to Sokka who sighed.
"Long story." he answered and Keiichi nodded a little, looking back to the young Earth Bender.
"Um, well, yes as a matter of fact, Katsuo is the head of the secret army. Lately they've been doing nothing but out service bodyguard work for the various nobles since we aren't sending anyone outside of the country." Keiichi started then frowned. "well, at least that's what I think they've been doing. It nearly impossible to know, after all, they are secret for a reason."
"So then I ask Katsuo?" Sokka started and Keiichi nodded.
"yes." he stated curtly and Sokka chuckled sheepishly.
"So where s he?" he asked and Keiichi went still.
"Um…" he started only to have a wish of black fabric drop from the ceiling.
"Yo." Katsuo stated abruptly.
"AHH!!!!" Sokka screamed the papers he'd been holding flying in all directions as everyone went on guard and Keiichi looked like he'd had a heart attack.
"Why did you scream?" Katsuo frowned at them and Sokka bristled.
"WHY'D YOU DROP FROM THE CEILING?!" he yelled and Katsuo set a hand on his hip.
"I do that, he knows." Katsuo stated with a jab in Keiichi's general, and currently unconscious, direction before he glanced at him and frowned again. "I'm surprised he freaked out but then again, the guy's kinda high strung. I heard my name, what do you need?"
"Um, I was told that I need to talk to you about the secret army?" Sokka answered, feeling just a bit freaked out that the man had supernaturally heard his name and came running. Or something similar…
Katsuo hissed and looked to the ceiling.
"oh yeah, that's right. I'll talk to them then have the guy I put in charge visit you sometime tonight and tell you how to do things and what procedures to do." Katsuo promised and Sokka smiled.
"No paperwork?" he asked and Katsuo waved it off.
"I hardly know the word." he declared and Sokka chuckled.
"Thank god for small favors…" Suki smiled and helped Sokka gather the papers he'd drop as Toph nudged Keiichi with her foot.
"hey, he's breathing but I think he might still be dead." Toph stated and Katsuo chuckled.
"Dump some water on him, he'll be fine. See ya." he stated and rushed off, disappearing in a blur and Sokka sighed, helping Suki with the remaining papers.
"Poor Zuko." he muttered and Suki frowned.
"Hmm?" she inquired and Sokka shook his head.
"nothing." he answered.
--
"Well now, don't you look spiffy." Juyoi smirked when Zuko entered the bridge, wearing his normal clothes and doing away with the robes he'd been forced to wear before.
"how's everything going?" he asked, smiling a little at the captain.
"We're read and prepped, get some sleep, we take off for lands unknown tomorrow." Juyoi answered in his traditional gruff way. Zuko nodded and went to leave then paused.
"Captain, why'd you agree to go on this mission?" he asked and Juyoi huffed.
"The adventure of course! Don't think it's cause I like you cause it's not! I've been itching to get out of the palace since the Avatar took out your father!" he declared adamantly and Zuko blinked, then laughed.
"Good enough." he smiled and Juyoi nodded a bit.
"I do though." he grunted and Zuko glanced back to him.
"What?" he asked and Juyoi, countenance still rough and unmoved, arms firmly crossed, grunted vaguely.
"Like you, you're so much better than your pompous ass father." he stated after a seconds stalling and Zuko smiled a little.
"I'm going to bed. Wake me up for take off in the morning." Zuko stated and the captain shrugged noncommittally.
"Sure." Juyoi grunted and Zuko smiled a little and left for his room, hoping Katsuo was there. They had some things to talk about.
End chapter.
It faltered a bit at the end, and Zuko didn't respond exactly how I'd liked, but it's all good. I'm sure it'll improve next chapter.
Ja.