Chapter 15

"Assassin"

Zuko walked down the halls, the hem of his robes trailing slightly on the stone floor, his footsteps soft and nearly silent. The portraits of all the previous Fire Lords looked down at him.

He tugged at his collar, trying to get the itchy feeling off his neck.

The painted gazes seemed to stifle him, pressing down on him.

Honorless…. Liar…

The Avatar was dead. He had to be. Azula had hit him right in the back. Zuko had seen the lightning travel out of his body. Not even the Avatar was immortal, not even in the Avatar state. Aang had fallen. He wasn't moving when Katara took him out.

But still, Zuko hadn't been able to sleep.

"This is water from the oasis at the North Pole."

Zuko had felt how sacred that ground was. He had seen the Moon and Ocean Spirits there. He knew waterbenders could heal.

Had she managed to bring him back from the dead?

No… that should be impossible. It couldn't happen…

He glanced up at the last painting. Fire Lord Ozai. The painting only captured a fraction of the calculating, cold look in his eyes.

If a firebender could be so cold hearted, then maybe… maybe anything was possible.

He stiffened, his stomach dropping as his mind finally put to words what his heart knew.

Aang was still alive.

And with the Avatar still alive… No. He had to stop that. He couldn't be banished again, couldn't go through all that shame again, there had to be something, someone, anything—

He hurried to his room, the collar of his shirt scratching at his neck, the sensation only worsened by the sweat running down his skin.

There was someone he could meet. Someone who could take the Avatar out. He'd heard whisperings of the rumors of this man. Zuko couldn't leave the capital without raising suspicion, but this man could hunt. And he would find the Avatar.

-0-

The ship stopped with a jolt, making Toph bolt upright.

"What's going on?" She called, running into the hall, sensing Bato nearby.

The water warrior smiled. "Nothing to worry about. We're just picking up a few friends."

She frowned. "O…kay?"

"Is that who I think it is?" Sokka said excitedly, running up and pushing past Toph to get to the deck. She held out her foot as he pushed past, and he tripped, falling face first to the floor. She laughed.

Sokka was too excited, and he just jumped up again, running out. "Hey!" He called, laughing as he helped a few people on board. "Great to see you guys again!"

Toph frowned as she stepped onto the deck, getting a feel for the unfamiliar footsteps. One of the people was big, his musculature thick and massive. The other pair of footsteps came from a much smaller person, someone who had to be even shorter than her.

"Good to see you too, Sokka," said the larger person, his voice as deep as he was big.

"Wow!" The smaller person said, wandering around. "I never thought we'd be on a real Fire Nation ship!"

"Not unless we were prisoners," the bigger one guffawed, and Sokka laughed with him.

"Good one, Pipsqueak," he laughed. "Lemme show you around."

Toph stood there, arms folded, one eyebrow raised. "These friends of yours?"

"Yeah!" Sokka said, leading them over to her. "We worked with them a few months ago. Pipsqueak and Duke."

"The Duke," the smaller one grumbled.

She snickered, pointing to the large one. "You're Pipsqueak?"

"You got it," he laughed.

Toph laughed as well. "I'm Toph. We've just got an endless supply of weirdos, huh? Some force to fight the Fire Nation."

"I mean, I did call them a ragtag group of our closest friends," Sokka laughed, nudging her. Toph rolled her eyes. "Come on. I'll show you guys to your rooms and we'll get you some uniforms."

"Bye, Toph," The Duke said, waving as they walked past and further into the ship.

Toph waved, her head turned towards the side of the ship, where Bato and Hakoda were working. "Hey, are we by the shore at all?" She called, running up to them.

"We are," Hakoda said, straightening. "We were about to raise the gangplank and cast off."

"Could ya wait a few minutes?" She asked, and ran down before he could object. She could hear Bato chuckling as she nearly dove into the earth.

Toph laid in the dirt, just breathing deeply and relishing the clear vision she had now. It had only been a few days since they left Chameleon Bay, but she felt almost naked without that healthy coating of earth all over her.

"You look quite content," Bato said, walking up to her.

"Mmhm," she said, speaking into the ground.

"Let's bring some back onto the ship," he suggested.

She lifted her head in surprise. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yes. I believe we will need it, should we ever get into a fight. Other Fire Nation ships have their catapults, but we had to destroy this one."

Toph grinned. "You've got a human catapult right here."

Bato chuckled. "You read my mind."

She jumped to her feet, cracking her knuckles. "Alright, stand back. It's time to load The Toph."

-0-

Zuko lowered his hood as he walked to the meeting spot, looking around. Nerves made his stomach clench, but he kept his breathing steady. Don't show an ounce of fear or uncertainty. Remain calm, and steady, like the earth.

A pang of guilt shot through his chest, but he squashed that down as well. Toph would be fine as long as she accepted his offer to return to the palace. No need to worry about the small earth girl.

A heavy metal footstep jolted him out of his thoughts, and he turned, facing the muscle mountain of a man before him.

"You sure you weren't followed?" Zuko asked, determined to get the first word in, doing his best to sound in control and in charge.

The man said nothing, just looked at the crown prince with an intense stare.

Zuko stared back, the silence stretching out for a few moments before he spoke again.

"I've heard about you. They say you're good at what you do. And even better at keeping secrets."

He let the assumed order and subsequent threat hang in the air for a few moments, highlighting its importance. If word were to get out that the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation had hired an assassin, someone would start asking some very uncomfortable questions.

"The Avatar is alive," he continued, watching the man's face carefully. He betrayed no sign of emotion or surprise at the statement. "I want you to find him. And end him."

The assassin, whose name Zuko had not been able to find out, nodded once. In the dim moonlight, Zuko could see the strange tattoo on the man's forehead—a stylized third eye, running up and down, and flanked with red bars. This man was no ordinary bender, and even just seeing the tattoo made chills run up Zuko's spine.

The large man turned and left, vanishing into the shadows. Zuko pulled his hood up and walked out of the industrial yard; only then did he let out a shaky breath.

This had to be the right choice. Once the assassin came back and the Avatar truly killed, then Zuko would be able to rest easy, his honor intact.

Hopefully.

:)

Don't worry. I haven't abandoned this story.