As of a few hours ago, this story now has one hundred reviews and as promised, here is an update for me to thank you guys. This is yet another chapter that didn't really turn out the way I planned, since I didn't intend on writing Abby into a crazy psychopath, that's just how it ended up happening. This chapter takes place the day after the last one, so not that much of a time skip.

Loose Cannon

Previously, on Blinding Horizon…

"What's wrong with you? Did you fall a little bit too hard?" the peasant asked. More like taunted.

"Stay out of this, peasant! This is between me and me only!" I yelled.

"You're crazy!" she called back.

"I am not!" I yelled.

~*•°•*~

I laughed again, even louder this time. "Drop the act, Sunshine. I overheard Moony and Loony talking. I know all about your little plan which by the way, never would've worked!"

Azula gave me that same, sinister smile that just made me want to burn the crap out of her. "What plan are you talking about?"

"You're plan of turning me in for treachery, which I have not committed! I've been loyal to the Fire Nation through and through. I bleed Fire Nation red. I wouldn't have gotten those three imbeciles for you if I wasn't loyal!" I yelled, with my hand against my chest.

~*•°•*~

She gave me a smug smile and stretched out her hands, "You must be that crazy firebender chick that they told me about."

My eyes widened in rage. Crazy? How dare they call me crazy!

"CRAZY! You wouldn't know crazy if it hit you in the head!" I shrieked.

~*•°•*~

"ENOUGH!" I shrieked while letting out a blast of fire, causing the birds and other animals that were surrounding me to run in any opposite direction, "I'm not pathetic. I'm not worthless. I'm not unwanted. I'm not a pawn. I'm not! I'm not! I'm not! I'm not! I'm not! I'm not!"

I must've said it over a hundred times before I once again wasn't paying attention to where I was going and tripped over a stray log. Angered by my carelessness, I set it on fire. I forced myself to get up, limping as I did so, and I cursed myself for once again hurting myself. At least it wasn't my legs, since I could deal with an ankle injury.

~*•°•*~

"I'm worried about her, Lils," Kenji whispered, but loud enough for me to here.

"Who, Abby?" Liling asked, causing me to raise my eyes. Why would Kenji be worried about me? What have I done to give him a reason to doubt my stability, other than my little moment back there?

"Ever since she has returned, something about her has just seemed different. I can't quite explain it, but she just seems off. I think that time away did her more harm than good," Kenji said.

"Ken, I'm sure that you're just being a worry wart. I've known Abby just as long as you have, and I see no reason for her to be a concern," Liling dismissed.

I nodded along with her as she spoke before Kenji continued, "You didn't see what I saw when I walked in. She was hunched over, with her arms wrapped around her body almost as if she was soothing herself. It was almost like she had lost sight of what was going on around her. And what caught my attention the most, her eyes were twitching in an unhealthy way."

~*•°•*~

"I was highly impressed with your idea for the War Zeppelin, as was Fire Lord Ozai and the two of us have come to an agreement," Daisuke continued.

"What agreement?" I asked hesitantly, unsure if I wanted to know what it was or not.

"For your unprecedented success, Fire Lord Ozai has given me permission to declare you, not only the Dragoness, but also General Abby," Daisuke announced.

~*•°•*~

When I woke up the next day, the first thing I did was pinch myself to see if what had actually happened did happen. I let out a sigh of relief when I realised that it did in fact happen, I was actually declared a Fire Nation General, the highest ranked position in the military. With this position, it made me more powerful than I could ever possibly imagine. I didn't even need my bending to be powerful because the title gave me power over practically any army in the Fire Nation. If people weren't afraid of me before, then they definitely had a good reason to be afraid of me now.

With my General robes on, I made my way to my new office that had been given to me as a gift. Even though I had no part in the designing process, it was just the way I wanted it to be with everything symbolising my greatness. I couldn't help but smirk to myself in satisfaction as I watched people around me cower in fear as I walked by, my influence already taking it's toll. I just loved being powerful and feared by people because it meant that I was powerful. If you didn't have that influence over people, then you have obviously been doing something wrong with yourself.

Once I had reached my office, I strode through the doors with my arms hanging out as I sauntered into the room, immediately catching everyone's attention. I had requested for the painters to be waiting for me in the office so that they could paint my first official portrait, since now that I was a General I deserved to have one that displayed my greatness for everyone to see.

"Well, well, well, it's lovely to see you all here, on time," I said as I walked into the room.

"But, this was the time that you told us to be here. In fact, you specifically said that we better be early or else you'll throw us into the nearest volcano," the head painter, Ichirou pointed out.

I snapped my head towards him and glared at him, "Don't back-talk me!"

I could see the fear on his face as he gulped, backing away slowly, "My apologies, General Abby."

"Much better. Simply treat me with the same respect you would to any other general and we shouldn't have any problems. However, if there are any problems you can expect to be thrown into the nearest volcano," I declared.

They all looked at each other, almost as if they were afraid to even respond to me and I smirked to myself, satisfied with their reaction. A superior quality for any leader to have is the ability to strike fire into their followers at one glance, and I've managed to perfect that skill over the past few years. One of the other painters, Mizuki was the first to react.

"Where would you like the painting to be?" she asked hesitantly.

"I want me, sitting in front of my desk. Looking as fearful as ever so if I'm not scaring the fire out of you, then make it so that the picture does but I will try my best so that you don't have to do an exaggeration," I replied as I sauntered towards my desk that had an elaborate chair behind it.

"Would you like any refreshments before we begin?" one of the servants, Noburu asked.

I thought for a moment before giving him my answer, "I want a bottle of Fire Whiskey and three bags of Fire Flakes. We could be here for a while."

"But, you're barely even sixteen," Mizuki pointed out, since in the Fire Nation you had to at least be eighteen before you could drink alcoholic beverages, but I had had Fire Whiskey when I was thirteen, so I saw no problem in having it now.

"Don't you dare question my authority! If I want to drink Fire Whiskey, I will drink Fire Whiskey. Now go get it," I ordered, saying the last three words in a dangerously deep voice.

Noburu shared a look with Mizuki that I wasn't able to decipher before accepting my request, "Very well. I will fetch them for you quickly."

"Good. Now let me just situate myself perfectly," I mused as I took a seat on my chair, giving the most deathly look that I could while I clenched my fists to intensify my intimidation. Once I was ready, I expected them to start painting, but they just stood there, doing nothing which only increased my already jumpy temper.

"What are you morons doing just standing there? Do your job and paint my portrait to exhibit my likeness. And make sure that everything is symmetrical. I won't have my first official portrait marred by asymmetricity!" I spat.

That was enough to snap them into action and they quickly started painting away, muttering to themselves as they did so but I heard that all painters did that. Something about motivating the genius? Whatever, I wouldn't care about it as long as my portrait came out just the way I wanted it to. If it was wrong, then they would just have to do it again.

~*•°•*~

After three failed attempts, those moronic painters finally produced a portrait that I was satisfied with. The first one, my brow was too stretched apart and that simply would not do in my eyes, in the second one, my shoulders looked far too bulky, so it did not match the rest of my physique and lastly, the colours for my hair did not match my actual hair so after that, they were finally able to live up to their name and give me something that didn't make me want to throw them into the nearest volcano. Or send them to the coal mines, whatever seemed most appropriate to me. The point is, I went through five bottles of Fire Whiskey and seven pockets of Fire Flakes and I didn't even feel slightly phased by it. Just a little bit weary but I had been experiencing that feeling a lot recently.

Currently, I was busy organising the delivery department, since the Tatakai Stronghold was responsible for the creation of numerous weapons and other goods used in the Fire Nation. It was a job that I hadn't yet experienced and a job that I was not enjoying. Up until now, I had never realised how idiotic some of these simpletons were until this moment. These people failed to understand basic instructions that made me want to pull my hair out. If I was Daisuke, I would not want this job, so I was looking forward to when I could actually do stuff that I wanted to do for my nation, in all of its glory.

I was busy checking off the requirements for today when I felt someone approaching me from behind and I turned around to see one of the attendants, Kyou standing there.

"What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy enough already?" I asked impatiently.

Despite being a man in his thirties, I could see Kyou shaking in his boots and I couldn't help but scoff at his behaviour. Don't get me wrong, I love being feared by people because it makes me superior to them, but this was embarrassing for him.

"W-well, I just w-wanted t-to ch-check –" Kyou started, but I cut him off.

"Try asking in completely words, you imbecile. Do you want me to send you to the coal mines?" I threatened.

Kyou's eyes widened as he spoke, "N-no. Besides, you don't really have the authority to do that."

I instantly quirked my head towards Kyou, glaring at him as his eyes widened once again once he realised his mistake, "You dare question my authority?"

At that, I could feel that everyone's eyes on us, watching intently as I raged at Kyou while he cowered in fear, "My deepest apologies, Abby. I forgot, please, forgive me."

I continued to glare at him as I could feel everyone looking at me, waiting for my reaction. After a few moments of silence, I finally made my judgement, "Since I love it when people cower in front of me, I will react kindly. You are terminated, leave the Tatakai Stronghold immediately."

Kyou's eyes widened in shock at my declaration, and I could feel the other workers looking at me with the same reaction, "W-what?"

"You heard me, terminated. As in goodbye, as in see ya and get out of my face and never show your sorry self around here ever again!" I yelled as I pointed my finger at the door.

Kyou closed his eyes and nodded his head before turning around and leaving the room, closing the door behind him. I smiled to myself in satisfaction, proud to have displayed my power in such an authoritative way. These other weaklings better take notice because I won't hesitate to give them the same punishment for disobeying me. I could still feel them staring at me in shock, which I wasn't going to have since they had much more important things to do.

"What are you miscreants looking at? We have work that needs to be done!" I exclaimed and upon getting no reaction, I spoke in a much more louder, demanding voice, "NOW!"

That seemed to do the trick as everyone scrambled to do whatever they could, not wanting to receive the same treatment as Kyou. I added an extra threat in there for good measure, "And the next person who steps out of line will receive a far worse punishment than that!"

~*•°•*~

The rest of my day remained uneventful, since everyone seemed to take my threat seriously and merely did what I said with no question. One thing that I loved about being a General now was that nobody could question my commands, since I had the authority to give them. Another thing that I loved about my new position was just how powerful it made me feel. I had command over thousands of Fire Nation soldiers and just knowing that I could make them do whatever I wanted to do when I felt like it gave me more power than I had ever felt.

Although I thrived in doing what I did, I was quite relieved to finally go to bed after an exhausting day of dealing with these morons that I'm forced to put up with. I had changed into my more comfortable robes that I had severely missed during my time away, since I was forced to sleep in the same clothes day in and day out. I never ever wanted to have to go through something like that again and with my title as General, I knew that I wouldn't have to.

As I laid down in bed with my head rested on my pillow, I couldn't help but think about what was to come. Once Daisuke returned from the War Zeppelin launch, I would be moved to a more permanent base which would certainly change my career options. I just still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I had made history in becoming the first ever female General and the youngest General in Fire Nation history. Either way, my name would be going down in the history books and people would continue to study my successes generations from now. With thoughts from today still buzzing through my mind, I closed my eyes and waited for sleep to come to me.

Unfortunately for me, it never did.

Just my luck, those Agni forsaken voices decided to return. Except this time, they were different than the other times. They were all jumbled up, muttering obscurities in a whispering tone that made it impossible for me to even get a wink of sleep. Despite how much I had tried to just shut my eyes and rest, it never happened. I even tried holding my pillow over my ears or over my face in a vain attempt to stop their nonsense but like I said, they were all in vain.

The voices continued getting louder and louder the more I tried to ignore them, so eventually it got to the point where I decided to just sit there and let them bother me. I laid down on my bed with my arms sprawled out, waiting for daybreak to arrive so that I could have a renewal of energy from the sun. Night seems to go by a lot slower when you're actually waiting for it to pass. At one point, the voices started to become louder and more clearer which only made it worse once I could recognise what they were saying.

Failure. Weak. Vile. Psychotic. Spoilt. Undeserving. Imperfect.

That's all they would say, just simple, one worded sentences that were the opposite of how I saw myself and I had to keep on telling myself that I wasn't what they were saying I was. I was not a failure, I was a success. I was not weak, I was strong. I was not vile, I was reasonably virtuous. I was not psychotic, I was impeccably sane. I was not spoilt, I received everything that I deserved. I was not undeserving, I was just as deserving as anyone else. I was not imperfect. In fact, I was the exact opposite. Perfect, just what I wanted to be and just what I was. Nobody, not even these nagging voices in my head could convince me otherwise.

Are you sure about that?

Ugh, you again?

Yes, me again. Don't act like you don't appreciate me.

Well, I don't now fuck off. It's not like I have enough to deal with already.

Oh, yes. I can see your sanity falling apart like never before. It's only a matter of time before you end up having a mental breakdown and lose everything.

Just shut up and leave me alone!

That voice seemed to take the message, but the others still remained and went back to going off just like they were before, faint and unreadable. It wasn't just my own head that was turning against me, my eyes were as well. Every time I closed them, there was something there, something that I couldn't quite make out, but nevertheless, scared the living daylight out of me. All I could do was just lie there while my own body tormented myself, with no way to stop it. I could only hope that the voices and those visions would just stop, but at this rate it seemed like I was going to be lying like this for a long time.

~*•°•*~

When morning came about, and the sun rose, I was still just like I had been the same night, tossing and turning while I tried to rid myself of those voices and visions, but to no avail. There was nothing more that I wanted to do than sleep, but I knew that I couldn't given the position that I was in. It took almost all of the energy that I had to force myself out of bed. Even Agni's blessing couldn't help me right now, I was that out of it. I clumsily put on my robes, struggling to find my sleeves several times before my frustration reached its peak and I grabbed the nearest pair of scissors and simply cut them off, reducing my robes to a mere vest.

I examined the piece of clothing, not even caring about how messy it was as I easily put it over my body. If anybody asked, I would simply say that they were seeing things and that it was how it had always been. Once I was dressed somewhat appropriately and looked like I hadn't just been tossing and turning all night, I opened the door to my room and headed out, only to be immediately greeted by Liling, who stared confusedly at me.

"Nurse Liling? What is the meaning of this?" I demanded.

Liling stood up straight, looking at me directly in the eyes as she spoke, "I came to see if you were doing alright, after hearing about what happened yesterday with Kyou. But those robes… didn't they have sleeves on them before?"

I scoffed, "I'm doing just fine, thank you very much. And these robes were always like this. You must've been seeing things."

Liling didn't seem to be convinced though but nevertheless, she accepted my response, "Very well. I must say… You seem a little on edge. Are you sure that you're doing okay?"

"How could I possibly be on edge? I'm as fine as I could possibly be! Trust me when I say that there is absolutely positively no reason to worry about me. Your concern is appreciated though, just not necessary," I replied as I stepped past Liling.

"If you say so. One more thing, I suggest that you take it easy for the morning, to prepare yourself for the afternoon," Liling said.

I immediately turned to face her, not understanding what she meant, "What? Why?"

"General Bujing will be stopping by sometime this afternoon. I suppose this is General Daisuke's way of keeping you in order. I thought that you would've bene informed," Liling answered.

I turned around, glaring at the floor, "I guess I wasn't important enough."

"Well, I will be heading off now, Abby. Make sure you take it easy," Liling said before leaving me to myself.

"Ugh, why don't these dingbats ever tell me anything?" I muttered to myself as I stalked off towards the Communications Tower, where I was needed first.

The Communications Tower was located on the far-right side of the building and it's where the messenger hawks were breed and trained before either being sold off to other cities or being used for our own communication. I had yet to visit the Communications Tower following my promotion and I needed to make sure that those morons were keeping the place intact without Daisuke around, so I wouldn't have to pay for it myself. I also had my own message to send, which made my visit just the more worthwhile.

When I arrived, it was reasonably busy with messenger hawks bustling around while the caretakers tried their best to monitor them. There was added chaos with other birds flying in with their own messages that would then be transported to the delivery system, so the correct recipient would receive their mail. I was quick to make my presence known upon entering the room, getting everybody's attention.

Yuu, the head care taker was the first to address me with a startled expression on his face, "General Abby, we weren't expecting you here."

"Yes, well, I have my own message to send and I figured that I might as well see how you are all doing. This hardly seems like an ordered workplace, simply with chaos and lack of order," I observed as I looked around the room.

Yuu gulped, "Well, it is always hectic like this in the morning when the birds wake up. It is also when we receive most of our deliveries."

"I will not have this place being this disorganised under my leadership! So, I would highly recommend that you do your job and control those nuisances. Do you want to have the same fate as Kyou?" I threatened.

Yuu widened his eyes and shook his head, "No, General Abby, I do not. I'll do my best to control the birds."

"Good. Now, which one would be best suitable for my message? I'm not sure how long it's going to take to get there," I said.

"What is your intended destination?" Yuu asked, slightly terrified as he should be.

I quirked my head towards him, "Is that any of your business, Yuu?"

"No, it would just be easier for me to help you if I knew how far the message needed to go so I could provide you with the best Messenger Hawk," Yuu replied.

In that moment, I glanced down at the messily rolled up piece of paper in my hand and decided that it wasn't worth it. There was no point in sending this message since I doubted that it would do me any good, especially since I had no idea where to send it to. Someone just needed to teach Yuu a lesson about staying out of other people's business and I decided that I would be the person to do that.

"Well, that is my business and my business only! I suggest that you learn to keep your busty nose out from where it doesn't belong, or those birds will be the very least of your problems," I threatened as I sneakily picked up a nearby knife before throwing it towards Yuu, with it narrowly missing his head.

Yuu looked at me, terrified as he spoke, "I hope that was an accident."

I scoffed, "Does it look like one? If my words weren't enough incentive, then maybe that was. I suggest that you take my advice otherwise next time, I won't miss!"

And with that, I turned around and left the Communications Tower, burning my message as I did so since it was of no importance to me anymore. Now all I had to worry about was General Bujing's visit, which was sure to be eventful.

~*•°•*~

Soon enough, the afternoon came, and I sat myself in my office as I waited for General Bujing's arrival. If the man really wanted to see me, he would come to my office himself. Besides, given the fact that he's one of the oldest Generals in the Fire Nation, he could use a little more movement. Gotta keep those old bones in shape. For the time being, I spent time preparing myself for when he would eventually arrive, knowing that this would be no picnic for me.

It's not like it's been a picnic for you so far.

Are you kidding me? Are you actually going to show up now, of all times?

Yep, just like you I have incredible timing. So, this is your new set up? I like it.

Yes, it is quite magnificent and perfectly fit for me. Now, if you don't leave I could end up losing it!

Oh please, haven't you wondered why Daisuke sent General Bujing to check up on you? Answer: he doesn't have faith in you! Did you really expect him to trust you, of all people to keep this place intact?

Well, like he's always said, I am his best student. Or was, since I am now past that.

Sure, go on the power trip. It's only a matter of time before the power gets the best of you, which it already is. I mean, have you seen how you look recently?

Just shut up and leave me alone. Now is not the time for this nonsense. You can bug me later for all I care, just not now!

Hm, I think I'll stay and watch you crash and burn.

"I will not crash and burn! I will rise like a true phoenix!" I exclaimed, standing up as I punched my desk out of frustration.

Suddenly, the doors to my office slowly opened to reveal Chao, my newly appointed advisor standing there with a hesitant expression on his face. I mentally scolded myself for my outburst, realising that he must've heard me.

"What is it that you want, Chao?" I asked.

"I just came to inform you that General Bujing has arrived and is ready to see you," Chao replied.

I nodded, somewhat expecting this, "Very well, send him here."

The doors shut, and I patiently waited for General Bujing to enter my office. Any conflicting thoughts that crossed my mind were pushed aside, since I decided that I would deal with them later. In a matter of minutes, the doors opened once again except this time, General Bujing walked inside with Chao following him behind along with a tray in his hands.

"Abby, it is good to see you again," Bujing greeted me as he took the tray from Chao who excused himself, leaving just us two in the room.

"It's General Abby now, sir," I corrected him.

"Right, how could I forget your controversial promotion. I'm sure that you're wondering why I am here to see you?" Bujing asked.

I resisted the urge to scoff, "Here to check up on me, hm?"

"Just to see if you have successfully managed to maintain the order that Daisuke helped create," Bujing said.

"Well, it has been no easy job so far, but I can assure you that everything has remained under control," I said.

"Really? Then would you care to explain to me why you fired Lieutenant Kyou yesterday?" Bujing asked.

"He was being an insolent coward who failed to understand basic orders which I would simply not tolerate. I made it known that anyone who failed to do their job would receive the same punishment. It was rightfully justified if you ask me," I replied.

"What is this that I hear about you throwing a pocket knife at one of the care takers earlier today and proceeding to threaten him?" Bujing asked.

I growled to myself, making a mental note to find out who had told him that, "The care taker, Yuu was also failing to do his job. He was also putting his nose where it didn't belong in my business. Isn't it common knowledge not to question your superior's intentions?"

"I suppose that is somewhat justified, just not all of the reaction. A simple threat would've been appropriate," Bujing replied.

"Not in my eyes. Those workers are still yet to understand that now I am the one they should rightfully fear, and I want to make it known that they should," I said.

"Listen to me closely, girl. General Daisuke has bestowed such a monumental position upon you. One that takes years to achieve. I can speak from experience, having only achieved my title as General until I was forty-years-old, while you received yours at sixteen without even surpassing any ranks," Bujing said.

"What is it that you are trying to say, General Bujing?" I asked.

"The title of General is not one to be taken lightly. While it does give you much power, there are many responsibilities that come with it, which you seem to be forgetting. Just like you did to that care taker, I should remind you where you place truly is. You have only been a General for a day and a half and while you still have much to experience, that title and position could be just as easily taken away from you if you fail to live up to your expectations. Don't waste it," Bujing replied, looking at me directly in the eyes as he spoke.

"Don't you worry, I won't be wasting this opportunity. I can promise you that, General Bujing," I reassured him.

"Very well. That is all that I needed to say to you, General Abby. There will come a time for our paths to cross again and I suggest that next time, you are truly prepared," Bujing said before departing my office, leaving me to my own devices.

When I heard the sound of the door shutting and could no longer hear footsteps from outside, I was quick to rise from my seat, following the direction that General Bujing had left in. I didn't intend on following the man, I just wanted to find out who had blown the whistle on me and squealed to him. Then I would deal with them… appropriately.

Just as I was about to turn a different corner, I heard two hushed voices talking ahead. With my curiosity getting the best of me, I slowly made my way to the corner, wanting to hear more of the conversation for my own benefit. As I got closer, I recognised the voices coming from Bujing and Cheng, one of my newly appointed advisors which only intensified my curiosity.

"Is she as bad as I've heard she is?" Cheng asked, and I rolled my eyes, immediately knowing that they were talking about me because who else would they be referring to?

"Yes, she is quite literally hanging on by a thread. It is only a matter of time before she snaps completely and destroys this entire operation," Bujing replied. Me, snap? Yeah right.

"Honestly, I do not think it was wise for Daisuke to appoint her as a General. She is clearly going on a power trip and I don't see her lasting long before she goes completely insane," Cheng noted.

Me, insane? That's preposterous! I'm about as sane as they come. There is nothing wrong with me! How dare they question my sanity. If I was insane, I would've just marched up to them right now but I'm not and I won't. Instead, I'll just listen to the rest of their conversation.

"Until that does happen, you need to monitor her every movement. Make sure that she doesn't ruin everything that we've worked for," Bujing said.

"It's hard to keep track of her, given how fast she's moving. I can't really do much since she would probably fire me on the spot if I questioned any of her motives. She's a loose cannon, I'm telling you now," Cheng said.

"Daisuke should have never given her this much of a powerful position, but I will admit that it was a smart idea to keep her loyalty intact," Bujing admitted.

I raised my eyebrows and snapped my head towards their direction. Idea? What idea is he talking about? Why would they need to keep my loyalty intact when I'm as loyal as ever!

"Perhaps his most ingenious plan yet. I must say, I was surprised when he presented it to us since I did not expect something like that from him. I thought that he held Abby with the highest regards," Cheng said.

What were these old gasbags talking about? What is this plan that they are referring to and what does it have to do with me? I needed answers, but I simply couldn't just walk up to them and demand what I wanted, now could I?

"So, did I, but her recent endeavours have made it difficult for anyone to take her seriously. But she is an integral part of the Fire Nation and we cannot risk her starting a revolt. What we need to do now is just keep her at bay until the time is right," Bujing added.

"When will we be moving forward with our plans?" Cheng asked.

"Daisuke told me that he will be sending her on a suicide mission shortly after he returns. I'm not sure what exactly, but he just said that it would be enough to remove her as an issue and she won't see it coming," Bujing replied.

"Besides, it's not like she was officially declared a general. Daisuke just gave her a title and that was enough to keep her happy. In my eyes, she's still merely a spoilt brat and that's what she'll always be," Cheng commented.

At that final comment, I felt the energy from my face drain as my shoulders slumped. What… did they just say? This was all… just a plan? I was never actually a General? It couldn't be. There had to be a misunderstanding, I just couldn't be dumped like this. But the more I tried to deny it, I knew that it made sense and as much as it pained me to admit it, I knew that it was true.

Angered, I immediately stormed off, not wanting to hear anymore of their conversation. As much as I wanted to deny it, I knew that it was true. This had all be just some ploy to keep my loyalty, even though they didn't need to. I was already loyal! Hadn't I proved it enough? Why couldn't they just have faith in me and then there wouldn't be any need for this!

But what alerted me the most was the fact that Daisuke planned on sending me to a suicide mission to get rid of me. That meant that he really did want to get rid of me, which I certainly didn't understand. There was no way that I was going to allow that to happen. I wouldn't allow them to do that. They wouldn't be able to do that, I was going to make sure of it. I would lock myself in my office if I had to. There was no way I was losing everything that I had worked for.

I was going to make sure of that.

Looks like things have just gone from bad to worse for Abby and let me just say, it won't be getting any easier for her from here on out. In case you missed it, General Bujing was the guy from the Storm who's plan Zuko spoke out against that resulted in his banishment. I was getting lazy from trying to find names, so I remembered him and put him in there.

Now for some translations and there are a lot of them. Ichirou is a Japanese name with ichi meaning one and rou meaning son. Mizuki is a Japanese name with Mizu meaning felicitous omen and ki meaning hope. Noburu is a Japanese name that means extend. Kyou is a Japanese name meaning unite or cooperate. Yuu is a Japanese name that means excellence. Chao is a Chinese name that means surpass or leap over. Cheng is a Chinese name that means completed or finished.

SPECIAL MENTIONS

Fallingoverstars: Well, that it is yet to be revealed but given what she's just found out, it really could go either way. Abby's certainly not going to let anyone push her around or back down without a fight though.

Krahenhexe: First off, thank you for the long review since those really do make my day and I appreciate your evaluation of Abby since she's such a complex character to write. In all honesty, I didn't intend on writing her into a psychotic bitch but its just sort of happened and I'm kinda glad because it's fun to write. There is definitely more to Abby and Daiuske's relationship than what meets the eye which I have already subtlety implied in earlier chapters. Similar to Azula, Abby practically begs you to hate her since she loves being hated but just like Azula, you can't help but feel sorry for her. I also take more enjoyment than I should from writing Abby's psychotic breakdowns as well as her interactions with Azula that I always look forward to. I'm not sure if you'd define these recent revelations as Abby having the rug pulled out from under her, but I'll leave that up to you to decide. Again, thanks for the long review and I'm really glad that you enjoy the story and I hope that you continue to do so.

Guest: To be honest, I was kind of inspired to write that bit about Abby by that moment since I wasn't really sure what to do once she got back to the Tatakai Stronghold, but once I set out the plan I liked the direction it was going in. Also, it pretty much replicates Ozai's declaration and the way he snaps at Azula with Daisuke and Abby respectively. You can set the mood by playing the Phoenix King music at that moment since it matches perfectly, lol.

Just Some Guest: Like always, I'm not going to give too much away but that won't be the last we see of Saori. She'll be making another appearance with Abby very soon and even after that she'll pop up every so often cause like I said, Saori is her spirit guardian and she can't be her spirit guardian if she isn't there.