Prince Zhang Wei and a small contingency of guards that equaled the number of people Hanzo brought with him led their uninvited guests through the palace toward a room more suitable for their intended duel. They walked in tense, untrusting silence and it didn't escape Genji's notice that the guards had been careful to position themselves both at the front with their prince and at the entourage's rear. It would be a difficult trap to overcome should the prince order them to spring it in the confining halls of the palace.

That Hanzo had managed to convince the prince to agree to the duel at all was a surprise to him. Maybe those diplomacy classes he'd avoided in his youth actually paid off? Well, if holding a drawn bow to his father's head counted as diplomacy. He hoped the prince had agreed to fight in the belief Hanzo was a man of honor, and not because he was certain Hanzo would lose. Above all, he hoped Hanzo's newly-won bliss wasn't clouding his judgment. Not once in their sparring matches over the past week had his brother managed to produce more than a candle's flame. He wasn't optimistic about the odds.

Genji edged himself closer to his brother, aware of the guards' gazes boring into his back, in order to whisper to him, "you said you would let mefight if it came to it."

"I said I would let you fight the king," Hanzo replied matter-of-factly. It sounded like he was trying to set his mind at ease with his weird brand of humor, but it wasn't going to be that simple.

"This isn't about wording!" the fire prince hissed impatiently.

"Do you think I would take part in a duel I'm sure to lose?"

"You agreed to duel me when you couldn't bend at all, remember?"

Hanzo grunted at the retort, but didn't offer a reply at first. After a pause, he let out a long sigh.

"You will have to trust I am no longer that man." The finality of the statement spoke of a confidence Genji couldn't find himself sharing, but he knew it was a signal the conversation was over. Reluctantly, he let himself fall back to the position in the group he had before the futile attempt to argue his brother's logic.

None of the rest of their party had spoken up about the dim situation ahead of them, not even the ever-protective Commander Morrison. He tried to take comfort in that knowledge, attempting to place the same trust in him and his judgment as Hanzo had as they proceeded further in, away from the outer walls McCree would be able to create a hole in for their escape. But maybe he just didn't know exactly how weak Hanzo's bending had remained. He soon felt Zenyatta at his side, as if the monk had been able to see the disquiet in him hovering over his head like a waiting storm cloud.

"Have faith," he said quietly, "and concentrate. Be aware of that which surrounds us."

Not entirely sure what he meant, Genji tried. He furtively glanced around them. More walls and pillars, all of earthy tan and green coloring. He switched his focus to smells. Clean, as their own palace had always smelled, but with the faintest scent of incense. He wasn't sure what he expected. He looked at the guards traveling ahead of them. There was a slight glimmer on the backs of their necks, the glisten of sweat. It wasn't hot...in fact it was a cooler time of year, in his opinion. They walked stiffly. He felt an aura of distrust, as he already knew...but there was also anxiety.

They weren't confident, that much was certain. The intruders were easily outnumbered and far, far behind enemy lines. The Earth Kingdom's guards had no reason to be anxious. He glanced over at Zenyatta, who was, as always, entirely at peace. He looked at his brother, dressed in the rich reds of their nation for the first time since their reunion. He certainly looked the part of fire lord. That's right; to them, he was "Fire Lord Hanzo".

To him, Hanzo was just the kid who used to knock him on his ass every time they sparred, prompting the completely appropriate retaliation of ink in his tea before his most important classes. When the guards looked at him they saw the all-powerful god among men his predecessors had worked so hard to create through ages of propaganda and intimidation. Fear was a weapon in and of itself, and it was one they had with them then. At least if Hanzo had decided to firebend in their presence before throwing the challenge at their prince's feet the guards would know what to expect. They were clueless and it made them afraid. That was something Genji could trust.

They found themselves being led into a less populated section of the palace, before arriving at very plain, unloved grey stone stairway that disappeared deep underground. They descended into a large chamber that looked more like a natural cavern than a wing of the palace. There were structures built throughout, but they seemed to be mere additions to a cave that had already existed beneath the enormous city. The pillars and walls were old and sprouted beautiful glowing crystals, prompting Angela to gasp from somewhere behind him.

Water cascaded from some unknown source at the roof of the cavern, down into carved pools that fed into manmade streams. The light created by the crystals refracted as it passed through the gently flowing waters, lighting the cavern naturally with a bluish green radiance. The presence of water tested Genji's nerves once again. It wasn't hard to assume Zhang Wei had chosen the cavern for that exact reason; a sort of exploitable insurance against Hanzo's victory.

His brother seemed unconcerned by the river as he stripped off his outer robes and shirt, something that had become a custom in the Fire Nation a long time ago, no doubt a result of too many fine clothes being burned to crisps. Zhang Wei raised an eyebrow at it, before deciding it might be a good idea to do the same. Due to the prince's ignorance to the Fire Nation's dueling ceremonies, Hanzo decided to forego them and took a position at one side of the plaza while the prince took the other, facing him.

Genji's jaw was clenched hard, until he heard the strangely reverent rumble of Reinhardt's voice: "a powerful scene," he murmured, "think of the wars that could have been avoided had such a scene taken place long ago." The fire prince glanced back at him, finally realizing why Hanzo had chosen to do what he did. It wasn't just a way to beat Zhang Wei for the wrongs he'd committed against him.

If the earth prince were able to understand the importance of the Agni Kai, it could be an end to wars between their two nations for centuries to come. The giant's comment didn't go unnoticed by the prince's guards either, many of which looked either pleasantly surprised or even more nervous than they did before. Genji wondered what they were thinking, and if the Earth Kingdom had any analog to the Agni Kai to lend them understanding.

Genji watched Hanzo take the familiar stance, hoping beyond all hopes he hadn't been brought there to witness his brother's execution. Zhang Wei spread his feet, taking an earthbending stance Genji had never seen before, though he supposed McCree's was unique, having been developed by a bored teenager over the past few years. Their earthbender's style was concerning in that he tended to keep his maneuvers below ground until it was too late to dodge. The guards he'd avoided while climbing the wall didn't seem to share that tendency, but that didn't say much. As the Fire Nation's royal family had its secret style, he didn't doubt the Earth Kingdom had its own.

In that moment of rising doubt and worry, Hanzo's eyes shot over to meet his, a stern look in them that reminded him of their father's. He supposed that should have made him uncomfortable, but it didn't. In fact, he felt the exact opposite. He could feel the calming presence of his spirit dragon coiling its serpentine body around him in a protective embrace. He held on to that feeling, and could barely make out the intense blue aura of Hanzo's nod its enormous head at him before disappearing from view. Did the others see that?

The period of motionless silence that followed left every one wondering which of the combatants would attack first, but the reassurance of their brother dragons kept Genji weirdly confident as he waited. It seemed like ages before Hanzo slowly slid one foot to his right, prompting his opponent to do the same to keep them apart. Genji heard McCree suck in a breath, just before the ground behind the fire lord erupted with the sudden appearance of a slanted pillar that rushed straight for the back of Hanzo's head from a deceptive distance.

Hanzo twisted away, alerted only by the sound of it, but was soon met with another stone risen to block his path. Backpedaling, he found himself being shoved forward by a third, herding him toward the others. Genji could see where it was going before the fourth rose from the ground and trapped his brother in a squared tent of rock. Zhang Wei brought both of his fists to the ground to collapse it on him, encasing him in stone.

"Wh-!" McCree started, before being shut up by a swift shove in the gut from Genji's direction. There was nothing that dictated a participant in an Agni Kai couldn't kill his foe during the fight, and it wasn't likely McCree knew that. He'd heard the indignation in his voice and had to shut it down before he could interfere. Clearly, the earth prince was pleased with himself, but only for a second or two before his stance began to quiver with effort and his face contorted in confused frustration.

Genji looked back at McCree to make sure he wasn't doing exactly what he thought he'd stopped to save Hanzo, but he stood normally, if not a little stiffer than usual. He then sensed the heat, a moment before the roof of the rock case melted inward until a hole large enough for Hanzo to leap out appeared. Grimacing, the prince readjusted his position to face him again, clearly annoyed the battle wouldn't be won so quickly.

Hanzo let out a huff and checked to see if the molten rock had burned his arms. It hadn't. That was the catch of the Agni Kai; a firebender could lose by burning himself, a clear sign of inferior control and skill. As if the odds weren't already rough. At least it was clear Hanzo had regained some of his abilities, if not his speed. Genji figured the old Hanzo would have pulled forth a dragon by then and driven Zhang Wei hard until he tired.

"Not bad," the fire lord said, a compliment the prince chose to acknowledge with a short grunt.

Genji waited eagerly for Hanzo to go on the attack, but he refrained, giving Zhang Wei the chance to pull a volley of rocks from the ground, sending them flying toward his opponent in quick succession with an impressive series of spinning kicks. Hanzo dodged each gracefully, a skill that seemed to have never changed, before slipping under the last one with a slide. He planted the foremost of his feet, allowing his momentum to spin him around in a low kick of his own that sent an arc of flame swirling toward the prince's knees.

Zhang Wei avoided the attack by jumping over it, but failed to see it was meant as a distraction before Hanzo had closed the distance between them. Genji clenched his teeth again, remembering distance had always been Hanzo's strength. But he couldn't avoid smiling when he spotted a familiar set of close-quarter blows punctuated by intense bursts of flame, a seeming fusion of Hanzo's old techniques and Genji's unarmed style. He'd been learning from their sparring sessions, bending or not.

Zhang Wei was caught by surprise, too, though he didn't seem quite as amused. He had his teeth bared in a momentary show of worry while trying to keep up with Hanzo's quick strikes, dodging what he could and blocking what he couldn't. At last, he managed to pivot away from him long enough to stamp hard in the stone beneath him, swiping his foot up afterward to ripple the rock floor and throw Hanzo backward. The fire lord grunted and slammed his heel down behind him to avoid being knocked over, riding the wave until the ground was stable again.

Unexpectedly, the prince waited to attack again until he was steady on his feet. Hanzo was hard after him again, but he managed to maintain his distance by running along the carved stream, bringing up defensive walls when he needed them. Finally, he stopped beside the waterfall and slapped both palms to the ground. At first, nothing happened, prompting Hanzo to hesitate in case of a new attack.

The pause was long enough for Zhang Wei to bump the ground beneath the river with enough force to send a wave crashing down on Hanzo's head. Surrounded by the heat of his art, the fire lord found himself momentarily stifled by the rising steam, the unexpected moisture in the air adjacent to his body making it hard to produce a flame in the mist. The prince took the opportunity to strike again, this time the ripple of rock so large it caused the ground to remain cracked and disheveled after it passed.

The rushing wall of stone was too wide to dodge and too high to jump over. Genji's heart pounded in his chest. He knew Hanzo's best move would be to use their family technique to melt through it and come out unscathed, but he was only just beginning to summon flame after being drenched. In the pace of the battle, even those few milliseconds had made him too vulnerable. He looked from the coming attack to Hanzo, who looked a little too calm.

The fire lord snapped his feet together and brought his hands up toward his chest, the two first fingers extended on both of them. He wasn't going to try that, was he? It was a rare art that he knew Hanzo had always dreamt of learning, but he'd only ever seen one of their trainers manage it, and he'd nearly killed himself in the process. Yet, his brother was apparently going through with it.

Hanzo slid his foot out, sending the arm of the same side out with it. There was a crackle and Genji felt his hair stand on end, then in a flash of light the prince cried out and fell to his knees. With him, the wall of rock collapsed in one sudden drop. He groaned painfully, pawing at his shoulder where the lightning had hit him after zipping straight through the stone with a precision only Hanzo was capable of.

"Well, I'll be damned," McCree murmured with a low whistle.

The fire lord released his stance while the electricity played at his fingertips shortly before disappearing completely. He walked over to the prince, who glared defiantly up at him.

"I find gloating tiresome," Zhang Wei growled, "just get it over with." The prince flinched when Hanzo moved his hand, offering it to him.

"Our conflict is settled," he told him, still holding his hand out to him, "now, we can talk."

Zhang Wei's brow twisted in disbelief. "Just like that?"

"It was never my intention to assassinate you," Hanzo replied, "clearly, I can view you as a man of honor. I hope you can see me the same way."

The prince hesitated, trying to discern Hanzo's hidden motives in the features of his face, before letting out a sigh and taking his hand. The fire lord pulled him to his feet. "I have waterbenders in my company," Hanzo said, "they can see to your wound, if you ask politely."

"Why?"

"I hope you don't mean 'why should I ask politely'."

"You've beaten me...you can defeat my father...your people are clearly skilled. I wish I could see you as a man of honor and not the fire lord, but this is your chance to seize Ba Sing Se; that hasn't escaped my notice."

Although the prince was almost directly calling him a liar, Hanzo chuckled. "I don't want your city," he replied amusedly, "I want your cooperation. That is something far more valuable."

Zhang Wei didn't find it so funny. "Make your demands."

Hanzo shook his head and gestured toward the onlookers. "Once you have been healed we'll discuss what's to be done."

The prince grimaced, still clearly distrustful despite Hanzo's uncharacteristically light tone. Genji knew he was trying hard to put him at ease, but to what end? He hoped he wasn't actually trying to deceive him; it'd only prove the prejudiced prince right.

[next]

Jesse sat opposite Genji in the parlor of one of the apartments their unwilling hosts had granted them during the negotiation process. Hanzo was still talking to the prince, in a room made of stone that unsettled Jesse to no end. It irked him so much he had done nothing but sit with his arms crossed over his chest for the past few hours, worrying, but he didn't want to risk leaving in case news would be brought out while he was gone.

His surroundings were finer than anything he'd laid eyes on in his entire life, and he wasn't even sure what he would do if he hadn't chosen to pout. The parlor was easily as large as his entire house in Omashu. There were more pretty green cushions with glimmering gold trimmings than would ever be necessary for a group of their size, and that wasn't even including the soft chair he was sitting in, nor the couch Genji lounged in on the other side of the low, polished table between them.

The table's legs were decoratively carved with geometrically stylized images of badger moles climbing the cliffs that rose up to the surface of the table. He was even more perplexed by what sat upon it. The candle made sense, but why was there an empty gold bowl? What was the purpose of the tiny, shiny gong? The little golden figurine of some old man sitting upon a dais? Yes, it was an incense burner, but it all seemed too excessive. And there just wasn't enough dirt. Not a spot of it.

Genji was lying with his head propped on the arm of the couch, tossing a rubber ball he'd found somewhere straight up into the air to catch it again when it fell back down to him. Jesse heard the prince puff out a cheekful of air and knew he was bored.

Finally, the earthbender decided to say something, "why's it takin' so long?"

"Why do you think I invited you out?" Genji replied.

"You knew it would?"

Genji grunted and sat up, setting his ball on the table between them. "It always does," he muttered, "Father could be locked in negotiation for days sometimes."

"Days?" Jesse repeated incredulously, "don't they gotta sleep?"

"Of course! But that doesn't mean Hanzo will come and talk to us. He needs to focus and strategize."

The earthbender groaned, unfolding his arms at last to put a hand to his pipe. "I guess I'm glad I don't have Jack's job. Still, it don't sit right with me. Could all be a trap. That prince and his guard captain could bring the whole room down on 'em."

"I do not think they will," Genji replied with a shrug.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Would you attack Hanzo after seeing what he could do?"

"First off," Jesse began, leaning forward with his elbow on his knee, "attackin' someone's the worst way to woo 'em."

"Woo?" Genji teased him, an eyebrow cocked.

"Want me to say 'get in their pants' instead?" Jesse chuckled at the face Genji made in response. "But, yeah, I guess if I were the prince I wouldn't want a second dose o' that lightnin'. I ain't seen somethin' like that before."

"It's...an uncommon skill. And very dangerous. I'm still angry with him for even trying it."

"So he mentioned," Jesse mused with a nod, "he told me I'd be the first one to see it once he learned it, but he didn't say a word to me."

"I think this was his first time trying it in earnest."

"Wait." Jesse pulled his pipe from his lips and narrowed his eyes at the prince across from him. "You better not be sayin' he didn't learn it beforehand."

Genji put on a toothy grin and shrugged.

"Why do you think I'm so angry with him?" He let out what sounded like a mix between a sigh, a laugh, and a growl. "That bastard could have killed himself before the earth prince even had a chance."

Jesse pursed his lips, shifting his pipe around in his fingers with narrowed eyes and furrowed brow. That goddamn idiot. That absolutely infuriating, beautiful idiot. He groaned out a breath while taking a pinch of tobacco his father had yet to confiscate from his pouch and sprinkling it in his pipe. He reached up to tip up his hat and stick his pipe back in his mouth with one motion.

"I'm liable to agree with ya, yer Highness."

"How shall we punish him?"

Jesse grunted a laugh at that, grinning from ear to ear. "Assumin' havin' to sit through these meetin's ain't enough?"

"Assuming so," Genji replied with a nod, "you could always propose marriage to him in public. He would despise that."

"Don't tempt me, now," the earthbender warned him, reaching toward the candle. Genji shook his head and leaned forward to light his pipe with a snap of his fingers. Jesse nodded his thanks cordially.

"For now, public humiliation might be too detrimental toward our end goals," the prince hummed, leaning back in the couch again to put a pensive finger to his lips, "we must come up with a devious plan to enact at a less harmful time."

"Sounds like the sort of plan best discussed over a stiff drink," Jesse murmured, puffing a cloud of smoke out above his head, "responsibly, o' course. Probably shouldn't wander too far, neither."

"I am far ahead of you." The prince leaned forward to strike the little gong gently, then sat back with a grin, puzzling Jesse even further as to the ornament's purpose.

Not long after, two servants pushed their way into the room, carrying trays. The first set his down, revealing a warm bottle of sake and two cups. The other set his tray next to the first, providing them with a platter of bread and fruits. Genji nodded his thanks to the servants, who bowed their heads and left, then took a cherry from the platter.

"Huh," Jesse grunted interestedly, "I think I might grow to like palace life."