I'm sorry for not writing anything for ages. First there was Humans vs. Zombies, then a friend of mine gave me the next 70 episodes of Bleach. I blame Bleach for being so damn addictive. Curse you, Kubo Tite, for creating something so amazing and allowing it to be made into an anime.

And the Arrancar arc is bitching, if I do say so myself. Maybe I should write a Bleach fic after I've finished this one and started the zombie one...


Vivisection

Chapter 55 - Summons


I lay on what passed for my bed, staring at the ceiling.

It had gotten to the point where I wasn't exactly sure how many days had passed. It seemed almost like I had sealed myself inside a sort of imperturbable bubble, in which the real world - this world - ceased to exist.

I tried not to feel anything. That was the greatest danger. I wanted to keep myself sane, to remain myself up until what could very well be my impending death. And if I felt anything, if I remembered how to feel - goodbye sanity.

I didn't wake up in the mornings any more. I remembered reading somewhere, back when my life made sense, that the human body slipped into a twenty-five hour cycle without clocks to guide it. Whenever I did wake up I did a test of my mental extremities, to check that everything was still there. It was a familiar ritual. It was something I'd done after getting out of the hospital, and before that after Jimi had dumped me.

I laughed, and the sound echoed hollowly. The girl who'd cried and been hopelessly depressed after being abandoned by her boyfriend seemed rather pitiful, not to mention pathetic. It was hard to believe that that girl had been me.

The familiar sound of the holding cell doors opening reached me, and with it, irrational hope. The thought that Katara and Aang might be back to tell me I was saved - forgiven whispered my traitor mind - filled my head, slamming me back into reality with a forceful thud.

I heard the metallic chink of armour moving against bodies, and realised that Fire Nation soldiers were approaching my cell.

I sat up, turning to face the front, and saw a figure in messenger's uniform standing in front of me. He was flanked by soldiers on either side, and as I looked closer I saw that he was a boy, younger than me. I put my guess at fifteen, sixteen at most.

'Nemi Turunen, I am here to deliver a message from Fire Lord Zuko and his governing council,' the messenger said. His voice was thin and reedy.

Something jolted inside my chest at his name, internal organs twisting into a knot. Zuko, the fickle part of my mind murmured. I pushed it down, and forced my hand to move as the messenger boy passed me the scroll through the bars.

My eyes lingered on the seal. I knew already that this wasn't a private letter from Zuko. It was nothing so personal. The wax, crimson and still a little warm from the messenger's hand, was a testament to that.

'I was ordered to remain here while you read it,' the messenger interrupted, sounding a little apologetic.

I wondered at the inflection in his voice. It was almost sympathetic, and that made my insides twist again. Could this be my death sentence?

My eyes stung, and I wiped them angrily with the back of my hand. I was being stupid, I knew that much. As much as Zuko hated me at the moment, Aang was his ally, and Aang was the Avatar. While Aang was trying to help me, Zuko wouldn't have me killed.

Or so I hoped.

My nails picked clumsily at the seal, taking an age to unfasten it. When I got the scroll open I unrolled it impatiently, mentally translating the kanji-like characters into English.

At first I was so busy trying to understand the words themselves that their meaning completely escaped me. It was only when the messenger cleared his throat, as if waiting for me to finish, that it started to make sense.

'It's a summons.'

My voice was a croak, and I wondered if that was disuse. The last time I'd spoken had been in my altercation with Azula, and I had no idea how long ago that had been.

'That is correct.' The messenger paused. 'The council have decided that since you are an Earth Kingdom citizen, your crime will be judged according to the laws of the Earth Kingdom.'

By a Fire Nation court? I wondered, but remained silent.

'You are to be given a trial, in which you may call witnesses to testify in your defence, or they may independently decide to present evidence to argue your case. The trial will be held in four days, in the second chamber of the northernmost wing of the palace. Do you understand everything I have explained to you?'

I realised that the messenger's job hadn't been just to hand over the summons. He was supposed to explain everything to me now, so I couldn't complain about an unfair trial later.

'I understand,' I replied.

'I have been assigned to give a message to anyone you might wish to call as a witness,' the messenger continued. 'Will you require me to do this?'

I thought. Aside from Jilan, no one had known about my decision to find Ursa, no one except Jun, who was probably long gone by now. Then I remembered Azula's confession, and the sentries who'd heard the whole thing.

Even as hope flared up again, I suppressed it. I didn't even know the names of the men who'd been on duty that day. Even if I did, there was no guarantee that they'd want to testify for me. If they were inclined to, doubtless they'd be in trouble with whoever their commanding officer was.

'Miss Turunen?' The messenger looked at me.

I shook my head slowly. 'No. I've already arranged for a message to be sent to someone.' I paused, wondering if he'd answer the question I had. 'Would you - happen to know if the Avatar's received any messages from Jilan Aizen?'

'The captain? No.' The messenger shook his head. 'I have no idea. But Miss Turunen -' He paused, as if wondering whether his next words would get him in trouble. 'I wish you luck in your trial.'

'Thank you,' I said sincerely. 'That means a lot.'

The messenger bowed, and turned to leave.

'Wait,' I said, biting my lip. 'Do you know -' I thought about how to phrase my next question, then finally decided to just come out and say it. 'Is the council still considering the death penalty?'

The messenger said nothing, and for a while I thought he was just going to continue on his way out of the cell. Then he spoke.

'At this stage the death penalty is still a possibility.' He sounded genuinely regretful. 'I'm sorry, Miss Turunen.'

'It's not your fault,' I replied, but he'd already walked past my cell and gone through the door. The guards followed him, and the door closed behind them with a resounding clang.

I heard a sigh from the direction of Azula's cell, and ignored it. I wasn't buying her readiness to confess, or her apparent change of heart. I knew enough about Azula by now to know that manipulating people was what she was good at.

As far as I was concerned, I was alone down here.