I apologize for the long wait. I had many other fan fictions to attend to and with Christmas coming up, family dinners have been keeping me away from my computer. Along with that, I'm a little dazed right now. I've just seen the film, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," and it's a total mind fuck. I swear to God, my brain was hurting from all those surreally graphic scenes. It's just DARK the shit that goes on in that film.
But enough about my pain, now it's time to reveal what happens next in the newest thrilling chapter for A method to the Madness. I hope you all enjoy. Here it is.
The stars were particularly wonderful around winter time in Ba Sing Se. they always seemed to have a more lustrous glow to them when the days grew shorter and the nights grew longer. If someone were to lie down on his or her back, one could possibly count all the stars in the solar system. Now, even though Zuko was on his back at the moment, counting the stars was not his personal agenda. Rather, his focus was directly intent on escaping the clutches of the chains which he was bond to by the Rock outside the Earth Kingdom Capitol's outer walls. Both him and Katarra groaned in agony as they pulled the chains with all their might, and were rejected countless times from escape. The metal had started to dig into their wrists, and cause some severe bleeding to occur. It wasn't enough to faze them in the least, but it sure was a hell of a lot of blood. Pools of it were beginning to trickle.
As Zuko laid his sweaty moppy hair back onto the dusty ground beside the rock, as he looked up to the stars again in helplessness, he released a faint cry of humility, anger, and all around defeat.
"This is, by far, the worst night of my life." Zuko stated.
"Tell me about it," Katarra replied breathlessly in assurance and companionship. "I was planning on just staying home, sleeping with Aang, and going to bed. Being strapped to a rock on possibly the scariest places on earth wasn't what I had in mind on how to unwind from my stressful day."
"ugg," Zuko screeched again as he bolted upright, tugging with all his force to demolish the chains. Once again, he failed spectacularly. Falling on the ground once more, he proclaimed, "What are we going to do? I mean, we can't simply just call for help."
This struck Katarra in the most interesting fashion ever. "….well, why not?" she inquired curiously. "What's to stop us? Screaming may be our only solution."
Zuko tumbled around on the dirt like a wild animal as he tried to somehow silence the girl beside him. Massive dust clouds were beginning to form where Zuko started to kick up the sandy-like texture of the ground. If Katarra were to have screamed, she might've unleashed a hell that would've doomed them all. She had to know what was at stake here.
"The thing stopping us is my sister," Zuko forcefully and powerfully proclaimed with a stern voice. "I know you've fought her before, but you have no idea what tactics she can use against us. She knows this city better than we do."
"And that's just sad," Katarra interjected quietly.
"She's intelligent, vindictive," Zuko continued listing off the attributes that made Azula an opponent to be reckoned with. "And most of all, she's unstoppable. She will continue fighting until she has obtained what she quested after. She's cruel, forceful, and will never, ever, stop."
"That still doesn't answer my question." Katarra replied in a grunt as she tugged on the wrists cuffs once more.
"You have no clue how deep my sister thought this plan out," Zuko counteracted with. "I mean, what if she hired someone outside the walls to kill us if we were to scream. We don't know if we did or not, but it's best to be cautious. This is my sister we are referring to."
Katarra huffed as a strain of her hair fell, covering one eye. As she whimsically removed the hair from her eyes through breath, Katarra groused, "I'm starting to wonder who the paranoid twin is really."
Then suddenly, that all too familiar and recognizable animalist coo that belonged to Appa began to rang out in the night sky. Both the fire bender and the water bender's attentions were caught almost immediately. They started bleakly in the night sky, knowing that the princess of insanity had returned. And, apparently, she returned with a new outfit to boot. Because, when she landed and jumped off the hairy air bison, the two were not expecting Azula to be dressed as a bride's maid. Once her feet squarely struck the ground, she turned towards her brother with a mad smile.
Zuko answered with a scowl.
For some reason, this caused Azula to cock her head to the side; as if to wonder why her brother seemed so angry. She walked over in small paces; each one more excruciating than the last. Once she was in front of her brother, she began to speak. Her voice was laced with sarcastic sensitivity. "Why so serious?" she asked, fully knowing he was.
Stretching his arm one last to, to the point of unbearable pain, Zuko finally gave up on pulling the shackles, and fell back on his back. He glared at Azula with no intent whatsoever. He had no idea what to do, but his anger at this point was uncontrollable. If one were to take that factor into account, they would not be as surprised by Zuko's actions unlike Katarra, who gawked in horror as Zuko unleashed his anger and bared his soul upon his malicious sister.
"I'M SERIOUS BECAUSE I'M PISSED!" Zuko belted in utter sarcasm. Then, like any complainer would do, he listed off his excuses for his unhealthy attitude. "first of all, My wife and my best friend are all alone at home right now-"
Azula interrupted with a smirk. "I wouldn't say that. There is a certain device that's keeping them company."
"YEAH, A TIME BOMB!" Zuko spat back without reserve. Instinctively, he pulled on the chains once more. The metal dug into his skin brutally, causing more blood loss. Azula took note of this, realizing that if Zuko continued to do this, he would die, and that was bad news. She still needed him for her plan. So, instead of adding her own opinion into the conversation Zuko unleashed, rather, she stood back, and decided to let her brother fret out his frustrations.
"Secondly, another one of my best friend's is blindly walking through a dangerous, dark forest in women's clothing," Zuko continued, referring to Sokka and others as well. "I'm naked out in the moon light in one of the most dangerous places ever. I lost a lot of blood….."
Then, Zuko's eyes darted towards the wall. Even in the darkness of the night, Zuko was still able to make out shapes. Fire benders tend to have the best eyesight ever. Zuko was able to make out the silhouette of some strange man, crouched over himself, rocking back and forth, to a froe. Wondering if visual aid would add to his argument, Zuko gestured his head towards the strange shadow, and made note of it in his conversation. "And apparently, there's some strange homeless guy over there."
Azula darted her eyes towards the outer wall. She too did immediately spot the narcotic hobo silently yet manically calming his thoughts on the outer wall. She would never admit this, but a small part of her sympathized with the strange man. She was in constant emotional pain throughout most of her teenage life, and could understand where the homeless man came from. Suddenly, a small and meaningless thought popped into her head. However, being as insane as she was known for, she automatically latched on to this idea and placed it to the trial that was upon her with speaking to her brother.
"You're worried about him?" Azula asked in fake amazement. "I mean what's so troublesome about him?"
"All I know is that his presence scares and disturbs me." Zuko replied without thinking.
Azula mockingly gasped, and followed it up with an uproarious and hysterical laugh. "My. My," she said. "You're a man of the people and yet you are filled with prejudice." She stated with no amount of sickened thoughts upon this revelation. "how can you lead truthfully and fairly, if you fear one man over the other?" before Zuko could even have a chance to repent and explain his reasoning, Azula opened her mouth once more, and spewed something that caught everyone off guard. "You know, if I were you, I would offer that homeless man a job. It would be perfect publicity."
There was a momentary pause of shock, grief, and dread as everyone took a breath. It was one of those rare moments were people find stressful, yet calming time to recollect themselves amidst a crises situation. Then, as Zuko's mind reeled in the information he revived, he gave forth his argument. Strangely, he went in a completely different direction than what Azula was expecting to collect. His mind was stuck on the worst possible outcome of tonight's events: death. Realizing this and adding it onto what Azula had announced earlier, Zuko believed that she was going to kill him off, in placement of the Homeless man. Thus, why he feared this situation, and felt compelled to not 'give the man a job.'
"You can't replace me." Zuko stated in a low volume, yet with an authoritative tone. "You need us."
Azula replied to his rebellion, with a simple lift of her brow. "Really Zuzu," she stated like a bewildered and disappointed friend.
Then, she attacked.
She leaped down from her upright position in the moonlight, and grabbed Zuko under his arms, and yanked him off the ground with such force, that finally, the chains shattered. She held him up to her face, and stared down his yellow eyes, with her yellow eyes. It scared the living daylights out of him. It seemed as if Azula was staring into his soul. At this moment, she swiftly and quickly reached behind her, and in no less than a millisecond, one of the blades she brought along with her was up against his throat.
With a demonic growl which oozed saliva all over his face, she snarled out in rage, "Let me just show you how replaceable you really are." Then, tossing a stunned Fire Lord to the ground, she laughed, "Grab you clothes off the back of Appa, and come with me."
Daisuke was a bitter old man who slept on the outer rim of Ba Sing Se. his life never turned out the way he wanted it to. While that is a fact of life that most have to come to terms with, no one understood just how bad Daisuke's life had became. Within a simple 2 years, his life did a complete 180. He was now homeless had no job, no money, and barley any clothes. He worn the same disregarded shirt and torn pants for years. And he was cold, oh so very cold on this night.
His mind inflicted brutal mental torture upon his poor soul. This would happen occasionally from time to time. He would be carrying on about his day, moping along and sobbing contently, when his mind would start to provide vivid disturbing and graphic visions. Sometimes, these episodes were so intense, that he would occasionally scream. He knew that whatever was wrong with him was out of the ordinary, but he was not insane. He was not insane! He just couldn't be!
Suddenly, a newer and stranger vision approached him. This one was not laced in pretty patterns and surrealistic nightmarish colors. It did not contain that hallucinogenic swagger that most of his visions had acquired over the years. Rather, this one was clearer, and darker, yet not overwhelming. He saw two figures in the dark walking towards him. One was feminine and the other was defiantly masculine. The female shadow walked with a strange electric surge. Her strides were smooth, casual, and her steps defined the fact that she was on a mission, but it seemed as if though her body was reacting to everything in the air. The male shadow was timid. This shadow knew that something bad was about to happen; but acted as if though it was a normal occurrence. It still troubled the male shadow none the less, but there was nothing he could do about it. He was walking faster too, to keep up with the feminine silhouette.
As they got into the moonlight, Daisuke had obtained at that moment, a better outlook on the two characters. They obviously knew each other. They obviously were interested in Daisuke himself, and they were whispering back and forth. With the yellow light now shinning down upon the lady, Daisuke could vibrantly see that the lady was demented as he was. Then, he noticed her bright red lips moving, and his ears picked up sound. She was speaking to him.
"Hey you?" the lady asked.
Gradually, Daisuke stopped his constant rocking and began to stand. He greeted the lady with a bow and one of his signature almost toothless grins. "Yes?"
Suddenly, she launched forward, blade in hand. Daisuke had no time to scream. Metal was now touching his trembling throat. He saw nothing but yellow eyes and grimacing hatred growling in front of him. It was at this moment, that Daisuke had an epiphany. Maybe this was no vision like the billions before. If it were, he would've clearly died by now. No, this was too horrific and terrifying to be fake. It was real. This was reality…..or was it?
"Do you want to die?" the lady with the yellow eyes barked viscously as she pushed the blade a little more, adding more pressure. She watched as the terror enveloped his face. She laughed in nostalgia. That's why she killed with knives. Tank fire and standard fire sometimes were just too quick, and one couldn't savor the little emotions that were released when one dies. In their final moments, people show who they really are. No more tricks, no more smoke and mirrors, just simple terrifying truth.
And Daiskue was no exception. Without hesitation, he proclaimed. "Yes!"
The 54 year old homeless beggar watched, as the lady's eyes changed their emotions. The animalistic rage had now shifted itself into standard curiosity. He felt the blade retreat from his throat, and he watched as the lady stood back, and began to stroke her chin. She moaned in curiously, and then asked, "Ok, now I'm intrigued. I usually don't receive this as an answer. Why do you want to die?"
Daisuke cleared his throat, and began his tear jerking sob fest of a life story.
"Well, about two years ago, I was fired from my job for inappropriate interactions with a female coworker. My wife left me after she found out about said inappropriate interactions with a female coworker. She took my daughter. Her last words to me were, 'I hope daddy burns.' After the divorce, the alimonies, and just the general lack of income, the earth nation took my home. You see, there's this minor thing I forgot to mention called, 'tax evasion.' It was only a simple misunderstanding. And I would've gladly paid them, it just slipped my mind, and then my house was slipped out from under me. I traveled with my friend, a cabbage salesman, and I use to sleep under his cabbage kart. But some fucking kid with a blue arrow on his head kept destroying the damn thing, and he eventually lost hope and left me alone to defend myself. I can't sleep, I sometimes have to eat random carcasses, and I live on the ground outside the wall. So…..yeah. Pretty much, I wish I was dead." Daisuke hung his head low, and didn't sob, but let his body shook as if though he were about to.
Azula smiled gleefully and patted this new stranger on the cheek. "What's your name?" she asked in an almost political tone.
That question was left in the air for a few moments as Daisuke tried to remember who he actually was. "…Daisuke." He replied.
Azula turned around and held her hand out in front of her brother. "Give me your coin satchel." She commanded.
Zuko did as he was told, reaching into the pocket of his tunic, (which was the only article of clothing Azula allowed him to wear), and pulled out the small brown burlap bag which contained his gold coins.
Without looking into her hands, she dumped whatever money that was in the bag, into her open palm. Staring at Daisuke, she asked with an almost ecstatic cheerful voice, "How would you like to make one hundred-"
It was at this moment that Azula's eye finally darted down towards her hand, and she notice just exactly how much money she acquired from her brother. With a cocked brow and a voice thick with disappointment, she turned to her brother, and stated, "2 Gold coins? Really Zuzu?"
"Hey, that's all I had on me when you attacked." Zuko made his excuse. "Besides, I have a large bank account."
She sighed and grumbled out an incoherent reply. Then, she turned back around to Daisuke, and made her offer. "Two gold coins?"
Daisuke looked rather befuddled at this situation and stared into Azula's open hand for a long time. He seemed as if though he was lost in a trance. When he looked back into Azula's eyes, she automatically recognized the hesitation. "…..I don't have to take my pants off do I?" Daisuke asked.
Azula chuckled darkly as she patted his back and began to make him walk alongside with her. "Of course not!" she replied. "You're going to help us document tonight's events."
"….what exactly will I be documenting? Again, I don't have to take my pants off do I?" Daisuke trembling proclaimed.
"Please keep your pants on," Zuko worrisomely ordered the strange homeless man.
"Get your minds out of the gutter, the both of you." Azula sighed in annoyance as she ordered the two buffoons.
"Well, I sometimes sleep in a gutter." Daisuke simply answered.
"Well, not anymore." Azula told him as they started to walk towards the giant beast out in the distance. The moonlight cascaded down its furry back, filling the homeless man with awestruck and wonderment. "You're going to remember this night for the rest of your life." Then, she broke out in a sprint, as she screeched at the top of her lungs, "LETS GO!" The men took off right behind her.
Azula felt particularly wonderful as Appa flew and back breaking speeds. In fact, all day she felt elated which was a rare commodity. The reason as to why she was so happy was mainly because she had no reason to feel doubtful and or disturbed at the moment. Things were progressing smoothly and every detail in her plan was in order. Things were going off without a hitch. And, thanks to Katarra's new found ability as well as Azula's own ability to fly Appa at the fastest he's ever been, they were keeping time. As she stared into the moon and measured its distance within the sky, she could calculate that it was approximately an hour until minute; until the fireworks. She was compelled to almost cheer. She had never felt so sure of herself in her life. It was a glorious moment.
And it would've last longer, only if Daisuke hadn't have cut into her 'happy time,' and ask her this question. "Where are we going?"
"It's a surprise." Azula stated, far off into the reaches of her own mindless abyss.
"Will there be danger?" Daisuke timidly asked.
Azula returned to the real world for just a second, smiling gleefully and laughing fully heartedly. She turned to the homeless man with a wicked grin, and proclaimed, "probably.'
There was a pause for the longest time as Azula savored the wind blowing in her hair. It blew violently and the wind itself made it almost hard for her to hear anything. That didn't necessarily bother her. She wanted to be lost in her own world for the moment.
But even though the wind drowned out most of the sound, if someone were to lean in close to her ear, she could pick out a whisper. Daisuke did just that, as the 52 year old man bent down, and asked so softly, "If there's going to be danger, may I have a weapon?"
Azula spun around and shot the most interesting face she had ever produced. She pondered Daisuke's request for a long time. Then, when the light bulb clicked on, she reached into her pockets, and pulled out a small mini Katana. "I don't see why not." She replied.
Zuko, witnessing, seeing, and hearing all of the motions transcribing before him, made his opinion clear from the back of Appa. "Oh, that's ok." Zuko sarcastically spat. "Let's give the homeless deviant who has a death wish, a weapon. Nice Idea sis! Hey, by the way, since the holidays are upon us, may I have a fucking spear!"
Azula paid no attention to the ranting and ravings of what she considered her idiot brother, and instead, watched as Daisuke's face lit up as she handed him the weapon. He grasped the steel in wonderment and his eyes danced with amazement. She smiled slyly at this reaction. She remembered her first time she picked up a weapon. Even at such a young age, she clearly realized how empowering it was to hold something that could kill. It was awesome.
"Feels great doesn't it," she whispered into the old man's ear. She was like the evil demon in his head, whispering naughty evil thoughts, resting upon his shoulder, guiding his inner darkness. "You feel like no one can say shit to you. You have all the power you need to get by. I bet you wished you had one of those when you lost your job, or your house, or your family, or you cabbage stand."
"It wasn't my cabbage stand," Daisuke told Azula as he played with the blade with in his fingers. "It was my friend's cabbage stand."
"That's not the point," Azula stated as she shook her head and closed her eyes.
Meanwhile, Zuko added his own two cents to the conversation, when he ordered the man, "Can you please stop spinning the blade around like a narcotic idiot?"
As Daisuke turned his head to face the fire lord, the blade spun out of his grasp, and fell off of Appa, tumbling all the way to the ground. Azula followed the blade as it plummeted towards the earth. She was about to tell Daisuke that he lost all his weapon's privileges, when all of a sudden, she saw it. LIGHTS! Glorious lamps lit up the pathway towards the religious ceremony. AND THE BUILDING! Oh, that beautiful sacramental building stood tall and proud.
"We have arrived!" Azula cheered as she jumped up and down without reserve, almost losing her balance. She patted Katarra on the back several times, loosing every bit of her viciousness, and politely asked her to land. This stunned the entire gang onboard Appa for several moments. But, decided to not inquire why she was so happy in fear of her evil self returning, Katarra landed the beast as she was ordered to do.
On the ground, Azula immediately hopped off and was about to make her way to the lamp filled pathway glowing in the dark. But before she did, she turned to everyone on the saddle and asked, "Well, how do I look." She gestured her hands all the way down and back up again through her bridesmaid dress.
Lying, Zuko replied with a smile, "Terrific."
Also lying, Katarra told her she looked, "Marvelous."
Not lying, Daisuke proclaimed, "Splendid."
"Aw, shucks guys." Azula said with a smile as she turned away and wiggled in sheer bliss for a few moments. She then looked back at the pathway before her and began to run in it's direction which it lead. But, just like before, she stood tall and still almost immediately and then made her way back towards the air bison.
"I almost forgot," she proclaimed as she reached into one of the pockets onboard the giant saddle.
Out of nowhere, a humongous sword unsheathed itself from the pocket of the saddle. As she gripped the end of the blade tightly, she smiled. Looking up at the astonished figures looking down, she proclaimed, "It's a wedding gift," and then ran towards the wedding.
Zuko's jaw was slack and held open for the longest time, as the firelord was simply spellbound. Then, without reserves, he screamed.
"WAIT! THERE WAS A BLADE ON APPA! THE ENTIRE FUCKING TIME!"
And there you have it; the newest chapter of "A method to the Madness." I hope you all enjoyed, and I hope you pass this along to all your friends as well. Please review! Also, I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.
With many regards,
Welcometofightclub.