PART XXV:

"Nothing. The soldiers stationed at the entrance to the tunnel say they saw and heard nothing," Mak said, pacing the floor.

"Do you believe them?" Zuko asked.

"I don't know," Mak replied, his fist hammering against his thigh. "We've taken them off duty and they'll be detained indefinitely. At least until we can figure out what the truth is. I've put another set of guards on the entrance and I have others in there looking for more passages that might branch off from that one."

"We didn't find anything, but it could be well hidden," Mei Lin said, looking dusty and exhausted from searching the tunnel in the darkness. "Those soldiers certainly looked shocked to see Qing and Xiuying and I come out of there, that's for sure."

"But you didn't find anything?" Zuko prompted. Xiuying shook her head.

"No. I'm sorry," she said regretfully. Zuko nodded, feeling sick, frustrated and useless.

"Sire, I...I have the documents you requested," Fen suddenly said from the doorway of Zuko's sitting room, his eyes huge as he clutched the official-looking documents in his arms. Zuko gestured for the women to let him through, and Rin stepped aside, allowing Fen to walk hesitantly into the room.

Zuko swallowed, pressing his hands down flat on the surface of his desk, where he had been making an impressive set of scorch marks for the past twenty minutes.

"Bring them here," he said in a calm voice. He wasn't feeling calm though. Inside he was raging. He wanted to be doing something already. He wanted to hunt down the people who had taken Suki from him and make them pay.

Fen hesitated, clutching the papers against his chest. "Are you sure about this, Zuko?"

"I've made my decision."

"Then I have to protest," General Mak spoke up from his position in front of the balcony doors. The General looked thunderous and Zuko knew that he'd barely been holding his tongue since his arrival. "As the highest ranking military official here, I have to tell you that I think you're wrong for doing this, Fire Lord Zuko."

"And you'd have me leave Suki to Shura, when she's already proven that she has no problem torturing and killing? She's not making idle threats, Mak. She'll murder Suki if I don't do what she wants."

"I'm not saying we should leave the Captain to die, but there has to be a way to do this without you abdicating or pardoning the Smoke Demons. Once you sign those papers, my men will be bound by law to stop hunting them. You'll be letting them get away with their crimes, Zuko!"

"AND WHAT OTHER CHOICES DO I HAVE? HUH? I'D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR SUGGESTIONS!"

"We could just announce that you've abdicated, Zuko. You don't have to really do it!" Fen said in a desperate voice. "How is Lady Shura going to know the truth or not?"

"Lady Shura is able to get in and out of this palace unseen and unmolested. She has an army of spies at her command. How do I know she isn't going to learn that I'm only faking signing these documents ten minutes from now? Huh? Who do I trust? None of you... I'm sorry, but none of you."

"Zuko-" Chao-Ahn started, but Zuko brought his fists down on his desk with a hard slam.

"She's taken my safety, my trust, my Council, my bodyguards, my home... But I won't let her take Suki from me. If she wants my throne, she can fucking have it. I won't let anyone else pay for her greed or to protect me. I can't. Not Suki."

"This is madness, Zuko. You can't give up the throne—the Nation!– for one woman!"

Mak's words rang through the room like a slap in the face. Zuko tasted fire in his mouth and just barely refrained from unleashing it upon the General.

He swallowed, rolling the words in his mouth, tasting them through the heat. Then he said, almost apologetically, "I love her. Mak, I love her."

Mak started to say something, and then stopped when he looked Zuko directly in the eye. He must have seen something in Zuko's expression; the truth, the hopelessness, the anger, the emotion overwhelming him—it didn't matter. Whatever Mak saw it stopped his argument, a pained, almost pitying expression of his own overcoming his features. The General stared Zuko down and then nodded.

"I understand, I do, Zuko. All I'm asking is that you give my men a chance to find these Demons. There are only so many places they could be. If we can take them by surprise-"

"I can't allow that, Mak. If your men attack, she'll kill Suki."

"You don't know that-"

"I do. Shura is desperate...and I know that she hates Suki. She killed Aiko just to rub it in Suki's face. She was taunting her, taunting me."

"So what then? You sign those documents, give up your throne, pardon Shura and her people and then what? She didn't demand you name her as Fire Lord. She'll want something else, Zuko."

"And what could that be? I don't have anything else."

"You won't, but Iroh will," Mai said from the doorway. Zuko started, surprised to see her there. Her long hair was pulled back from her face in a haphazard bun, and she looked pale beneath the bruises and bandages. Zuko started forward, catching her under the arm as she stumbled a little. He and Kikki helped her down into a chair. Mai looked annoyed at the help, but didn't look as if she were in a position to fight it.

"What are you doing up? You should be laying down, you have a concussion," Zuko said, crouching before her.

"I heard about Suki," Mai said and then sighed. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"Yes, it is. Shura used me again. As a distraction this time. She sends me to you bleeding and wounded with a fantastic tale about Shura's army, knowing you'd start preparing for a battle, start looking outward for her forces but not inside. And it worked, just like she thought it would."

Zuko lowered his head. "She's smarter than I've ever given her credit, but she's desperate now, Mai."

"Is she?"

"We've ruined all of her plans so far. Nothing has gone the way she's meant them to."

"Maybe not, but I don't think she's desperate right now. I think you've forced her into a corner...but she's smart enough to see a way out."

"And what's that? If she kills Suki, I'll find her and destroy her and she knows it."

"And how will you get Suki back, huh? Once you give her what she wants, she'll demand you come to collect Suki yourself. And what then? What do you think she'll do?"

Zuko's hands clenched, because Mai's words struck something deep within him, a truth he'd been afraid to look at too closely, afraid to face it so baldly because he knew that it would destroy him. The trap that was waiting for him was plain for anyone to see. "She'll threaten Suki again and then take me hostage when I stand down to prevent it. Then she'll kill Suki in front of me simply because she can, and because she hates her and because she'll want to hurt me."

"And then she'll use you as bait for Iroh. Your Uncle would do anything for you. He'd marry that old witch to protect you and you know it."

"If he does that, his life is as forfeit as mine and Suki's. She'll kill him, or have him killed, and the throne will be hers."

"She did the same thing to Aiko," Tam spoke up softly, making Zuko turn toward her. "She used her love of her mother to turn her against her friends, her oaths as a Kyoshi Warrior. And when she wasn't useful any longer, she just destroyed her. She tossed her aside like a broken tool."

"She'll do the same thing to you, Zuko. And Captain Suki. And Iroh," Mak said as he crossed his arms over his muscular chest. "You can't negotiate with her."

"And I can't let Suki get hurt," he said heavily, sitting down on the floor with a sigh. He ran his hands through his hair. He thought a long moment, eyes closing as Suki's face popped up in his mind. He thought of her hands, the way they touched him, her laughter, the way she whispered his name between kisses, the blue of her eyes, the curve of her body, her scent, her taste, a future he had only just begun to hope for.

An ache formed within him, deep and bottomless and as precious as heartbeats. He clenched his fists and bit his lip to blood. Finally, he stood on legs that didn't seem to belong to him any longer, and spoke.

"Fen, bring me the documents."

He heard Mak curse under his breath and then kick over a chair, but he ignored the man. His mind had been made up the moment Suki had been taken, and he knew it. At least he knew what the stakes were.

"Zuko..." Mai started, grabbing his hand. He looked down at it for a moment and then squeezed her fingers. He let go and walked over to the desk, where Fen was busy laying out one of the pieces of paper.

Zuko sat down in the chair, grasped the brush and dipped it into the ink pot. His hand didn't tremble. He felt numb, even though every bit of him was burning with hatred and fear.

"Are you sure?" Fen whispered, catching his eye.

"I am."

Fen sighed and then gestured to the first document he'd laid out. "This is the Royal pardon. I've written it to include anyone who can claim to be conspiring with the Smoke Demons, including Lady Shura and her sons."

"This means we'll have to release Yukishima and the others we arrested," Mak spoke up. "It also pardons Osamu and Aiko."

"I know," Zuko said and quickly signed the document in his neat hand.

Fen's hand clenched at his side for a moment, then he dusted the wet ink with sank to dry it. He slowly slid the document off of the desk and Zuko stared at the scorched wood, feeling flames beneath his skin that wanted to break free.

His secretary put the next document before him. He scanned it, recognizing it as being similar to the document he'd signed so long ago removing his father from the Royal line of succession. This one was for Azula, and would strip her of her title as Princess, and all of her rights to the throne. He felt a little sick, thinking of his sister, and the haunted light in her eyes. He thought of what Sokka had told him about the incident in Rinchaka Falls, what that might mean and the mysteries of what had happened to his sister during her long absence in his life. This would be another blow, maybe too much of one. What would it do to her, to think he had carelessly tossed her aside?

He had no choice. He signed the document and dipped his brush again, as Fen slid it away, only to replace it with an official decree of banishment, barring Azula from ever entering the Fire Nation again, under penalty of death. Bitterly, he signed that one too.

The next one was a document naming Iroh as his sole heir. He studied the document for a long moment. He had never officially declared an heir, though his Council had attempted to get him to name Iroh before, at least until he had children of his own, which they had been after him about relentlessly. He'd known that his uncle would not want the crown though.

He took a deep breath and signed his name. Fen slid it away, leaving Zuko waiting for the last paper he held in his hands. When Fen didn't produce it, he glanced up at his secretary solemnly.

"Fen?"

"Sire, you can't abdicate. Please."

"Fen."

His fiddly, fussy secretary broke then, slamming the paper down on the desk before him with an angry expression on his face. Zuko didn't bother reading the paper. He signed it without hesitation, and then pushed it away.

"It's done," he said out loud to everyone gathered there.

"YOU ASSHOLE!"

Fen slapped him full across the face, shocking him, and everyone else. Qing was across the room within seconds, grasping Fen by the arm and hauling him back. Zuko held up his hand though, gesturing for her to let him go. She did, roughly, allowing Fen to stumble a little bit. Zuko got up and caught him by the shoulders.

He stared into Fen's eyes for a long moment and Fen stared back. Finally, he seemed to crumple and sniffed back tears.

"I'm sorry," Fen mumbled. "But you are an asshole."

"I know," he said heavily, nodding his head. He glanced over at Mai, who was staring at the floor dispassionately. Mak was looking mutinous and all of the Kyoshi Warriors seemed lost, as if they didn't know what to do. "Mak, Fen, please see that the public is aware of what I've done tonight. I want it spread throughout the city by dawn. Wherever she is, I need Shura to know I've done as she's asked."

Mak bowed his head and walked to the door. He hesitated, as if he wanted to say something, but thought better of it. He walked out, leaving Fen to collect the documents. He rolled them up neatly as the silence in the room grew almost aggressive. He was very aware of the way the Kyoshi Warriors were watching him.

Fen walked out of the room without looking at him again, though he held his head up high, his back straight, and an odd expression on his face that Zuko couldn't read. The moment the door closed on him, Zuko let out a breath and ran his hands through his hair, only to run afoul of the crown inserted into his topnotch.

He pulled it out and stared at it for a long moment. The firelight gleamed off of the gold, mocking him. He remembered too well how he had wanted to be free of its heavy weight in his youth. A little laugh left him and then he tossed it down on the desk with a careless clatter.

All around him the Kyoshi Warriors were getting to their feet, looks of determination on their painted faces. Zuko stared at his bodyguards one by one, meeting the intensity of their gazes and knowing that their rage was reflected in his own gaze. That rage filled the room like a warm wind and swept through all of them, fueling them, firing them, empowering them.

"I need all of you to understand something," he said carefully. "I've just pardoned the Smoke Demons for their crimes. If I go after them, I'll be arrested. No one in the Fire Nation can legally go after them."

The Warriors looked at each other, bloodthirsty grins on their faces. Qing smirked at him. "Good thing we're not from the Fire Nation."

Zuko fought a grin. "You don't have to do this. I'm not the Fire Lord any longer. I don't need your protection."

"Aiko's dead. Ty Lee nearly died and our Captain is being held captive by the woman responsible for it all," spunky little Kikki spoke up, whipping open her fan and waving it demurely at her face. "With all due respect, Zuko, you're going to have to tie us all up to stop us from going after her."

"And we'd kick your ass so damned hard," Tam said, cracking her knuckles.

Zuko pulled a half-smile. "Glad to hear it, because I'm going to need every single one of you when I go after her."

"How?"

"Whoever took Suki came through that passageway. There has to be a second way out of it other than the entrance in the stables and I'm willing to bet it goes to wherever Shura's hiding Suki. There are too many soldiers around the palace, the Caldera and the Capitol right now. They wouldn't want to risk being seen."

"But we didn't find anything," Mei Lin piped up.

"We'll find it," Zuko said softly. "We have to."

"Then we will," Mai said, getting to her feet.

"Mai, you're hurt-" he started, but she shook her head. She looked paler than usual, but as determined as he'd ever seen her. He knew that look well enough. She'd had it on her face the last time they'd broken up; there would be no dissuading her. He'd learned that lesson well.

"Shura played me. It's time we turned the tables on her."

Zuko nodded at her, "And while she's gloating over her victory, we're going to destroy her. If she wants my uncle and the throne, she's going to have to go through me to get it."

Despite what must have been the late hour, judging by the light slanting in from the grimy windows, there was a lot of activity going on in the warehouse the Smoke Demons had made into their headquarters. Suki watched the masked men and women, all of whom proudly sported the familiar tattooed black flame insignia.

They hadn't blindfolded her again, and Shura didn't seem to mind that she was watching the warehouse, clocking everything that was going on.

She'd been trying to count Shura's men and had come up with a little over a hundred and fifty so far. It was a massive warehouse though, built during the war to house multiple war balloons. There were only two there now, though they looked well-stocked and well-manned.

Lady Shura had spared no expense, and with little wonder, given her wealth. She saw dozens of crates of weapons being carted past, what looked like a group of earthbenders, and a group of firebenders practicing at the other end of the warehouse well away from the airships, the hot, bright flash of their flames lighting up the darkened corners.

More men and women worked together in the center, sparring. With a knowing eye, she watched their technique and recognized it. The assassin that had tried to kill them on the balcony that night had fought like that.

It put a sour taste in her dry mouth, or maybe that was just the gag they had yet to remove. The cloth was really cutting into the corners of her lips now, and she tried dropping her head to get some slack, but it wasn't much better that way.

Her arms ached, especially the shoulder that had taken a knife that night on the balcony. The wound had been healing well and had barely given her much of a twinge in days, but now the half-healed tissues was being stretched beyond its limit. It made pain rattle down her frame, making her already strained muscles quiver.

Sweat spread on her back, in part because of the strain, and the other because of the unbearable, muggy heat of the place. The weeks of scorching heat had been temporarily abated by the rain that had swept through, but the rain had ended hours ago, leaving everything muggy, the air like thick soup. It settled on her skin like a wet blanket, sapping her energy as much as the pain in her shoulder and the position she'd been tied up in.

Frustration made her head tilt back, as she stared again at the hook dangling from the machinery above her head. The rope on her bound hands had been placed on the hook, and the hook itself had been raised high enough that she couldn't get enough leverage to jerk it off again. She was just too short. Even lifting to her tiptoes did nothing but made her bones ache.

She hated feeling helpless, hated that she had let her guard down, hated that she had left Zuko when she had. If only she'd stayed...

She hated most of all that she couldn't be there to protect Zuko right now. What was he doing?

Probably something dangerous and stupid.

Suki dropped her head and took a ragged breath around the damp, nasty rag in her mouth. She jerked on the ropes, but they didn't give. She closed her eyes shut tightly.

Hold on, Zuko. I don't know how, but I'm going to get out of here... And then I'm going to make these bastards pay.