Chapter 11: The Spy and Seven Swords
The following morning after Orochi had joined the Black Lotus, all the members were currently waiting for their breakfast to be made by Shayu and Xiezao… All the while complaining to each other about their two leaders' very active sex lives.
"I'm telling you, I can barely focus on my work peacefully with those two going at it!" Bakudan ranted in frustration.
"What are you even talking about, Nendo?" Xian questioned. He always called the blonde by his last name.
"What I'm talking about, Xian, is that our boss and his girlfriend have been screwing each other so much that some of us can barely work properly!" The clay bender exclaimed.
"Hey! We ladies have needs, you know!" Xiezao barked as she chopped some vegetables.
"Oh put a sock in it, ya bitch!" Hidan snapped.
"... You know I just realized something." Ningyo said.
"What?" Shayu asked with his face resting in one hand after wrapping some sushi in unagi eel.
"Didn't Oboro mention that Azula was technically his… Cousin?" The redhead questioned. That caused everyone to pause in realization.
"... Yeah, but didn't he say that he was also created in a lab or something?" The sharkman asked. "I highly doubt there would be a familial bond with that kind of setup." He added.
"Oh I assure you, there isn't." Orochi chimed in creepily, crossing his left leg over his right. "I was the one who cloned him, so I chose how his genetics would develop. Simply put: his genetics are, in majority, that of Tai Tsung. The first Fire Lord, and the remaining quarter or so is of Lu Ten, Son of Iroh. So their familial connection by blood is… minimal at best."
"... You know what? Let's just leave that alone until we can process all of it." Ningyo decided with a sigh.
"Agreed." The rest chorused in unison.
(Elsewhere)
In the quarters of said couple, Oboro slowly turned over and hugged his blue dragon from behind, before he started softly kissing her neck.
"I love that you're always the first thing I see when I wake up." He whispered to her in her ear, nibbling on her earlobe and breathing in her scent from her hair.
"I love how you're the first thing I feel when I wake up." Azula sighed in content. Turning over to face him she captured his lips in a passionate kiss, which led to them playing tonsil hockey with their tongues… Until they were interrupted by the front door of the library being knocked on.
"What the…?" Oboro muttered in confusion as he got up and dressed himself up before investigating.
"Someone's outside, boss, but we don't know who it is." Bakudan told him.
"Well don't just stand there, open the door!" The Dark Avatar ordered.
Bakudan did as ordered and opened the doors. The person on the other side of the door surprised them considerably.
It was a man in a black cloak, white pants, black sandals, and had a Venus flytrap surrounding his head. His face was black with a white eye and black hair, and white with a blue eye with brownish green hair. It was Netsu.
"...You think we scared them?" Shirō Netsu asked his other half.
"We're not exactly a common sight, so we probably did." Kuro Netsu replied with a small shrug.
"Uh… What am I looking at here?" Oboro asked Shayu.
"I… I can't even begin to come up with an answer to that question." The sharkman replied, feeling just as baffled.
"Who and what are you, exactly?" Hidan asked Netsu in a weirded out tone.
"We are Kuro and Shirō Netsu, the scrying spirits." Kuro introduced.
"But you can just call us Netsu, if you want to." Shirō added nervously.
"Ooookaayyy…" Oboro drawled, unsure of what else to say. "Why are you here?" He then asked.
"We're here to join your group, the Black Lotus." Kuro stated.
"And what role do you intend to fill in this group?" Azula questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"The role of a spy." Shiro replied. This caused Oboro to think.
'Having a spy would be exceptionally helpful in the long run. I'll have to be careful though, since he's a spirit.' He thought before turning to the pseudo plantman. "Alright, then. Welcome to the group." He told him.
"Good. Also we should probably note, the White Lotus Master, Paku of the Northern Water Tribe, has started a manhunt for the remaining six of the Seven Legendary Swordsmen." Kuro told them while directing the statement at Shayu. Said swordsman snarled at the information.
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" He growled before turning to Oboro. "Would it be alright if we brought the rest of the Seven Swordsman here?" He asked.
"Those guys are apparently some of the deadliest warriors in the water Tribe, so I think it'd be a good idea to have them on our side." The boy nodded. "Bring them in." He added.
"You got it." Shayu replied with a nod.
(Elsewhere)
In the palace of the Fire Lord, Zuko was becoming increasingly more irritated with reports that came in about riots at the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom. His people were being treated like some sort of sickness, and it infuriated him.
Luckily though, he had his level headed Air Nomad friend with him as he rifled through the reports.
"I guess there are still some people who still have issues after the war..." Aang sighed as he finished reading another report.
"Well that's to be expected, but this 'harmony now' movement? How can people be so narrow minded? My people are trying to coexist with them in peace and this is how they're treated in return?!" Zuko ranted as he slammed his fists on his table.
Aang looked at the elemental necklace he fashioned to connect to his other lives, and sighed. "Avatar Roku told me that the nation's should always be four and separate, but Guru Member Tich told me that they are one and are strongest as a union…." He then looked up at his friend. "I'm not sure what we should do but, I think it would be wrong to keep the colonists from trying to work together with the other nations by forcing them to leave." He continued.
"I'm inclined to agree too, and if I send some troops to protect the colonists, it'll send the wrong message." The Fire Lord sighed.
"Right, which means we'd need to send a neutral party, but someone who isn't close to either you or me to avoid bias…" Aang nodded thoughtfully.
"Hmmm…" The scarred teen hummed as he looked over another report. "What the-?" He said in confusion as he read it again.
"What is it?" The Nomad asked.
"Apparently one of the riots was broken up by seven guys in black cloaks, who had orange hair, odd piercings all over them, and red eyes with ripple patterns in them." Zuko explained. "And apparently, they were strong."
"How strong were they?" The Avatar asked.
"Strong, one of them was able to send a group of protesters flying several feet without even touching them." The Fire Lord informed.
This made Aang's eyes widen. "The Seven Gates of Pain…" He whispered in realization.
"Huh?" Zuko asked.
"I can't be sure right now but, I think we're dealing with a reincarnation of the Sage of the Seven Gates." The monk told him seriously.
(Elsewhere)
"I cannot thank you enough for agreeing to come with me on this mission, Piandao." Paku said to his swordsman companion as they searched a forest on Kyoshi Island.
"It is of no problem. If the Seven Swordsman are as bad as you say they are, then they must be dealt with as soon as possible." The man nodded.
As the two continued their search though, a very thick mist suddenly rolled in out of nowhere, and it soon became colder.
"Strange change in weather, were you aware that Kyoshi Island had such changes?" Piandao asked the water bender.
"This is no natural phenomenon, and there's only one person I know who uses a technique like this…" The elderly man said before he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. "Get down!" He yelled as he tackled his companion to the ground just as a giant sword suddenly flew over their heads and became lodged in a tree behind them.
"Well well well. I didn't expect you, of all people, to come here, Paku." A deep male voice growled. Standing on the handle of the sword was a boy around Shayu's age but was two heads taller than him with dark mocha skin, navy blue hair, grey-blue eyes, and was extremely well built. His attire was a pair of dark pants, sandals, and white camouflage baggy arm sleeves. Lastly he had bandages covering his mouth.
"Zabu, The Demon of the Northern Water Tribe." The old man spat. "Where's your protege, Haiku? You two are almost never apart."
"That's none of your concern." The boy replied defensively, jumping down and catching his sword as it dropped. The Executioner's Guillotine Blade as it was called, was a giant sword with a butcher-knife-like appearance, the wielder can use the semi-circle on the blade to decapitate an opponent's head, hence the name. The sword has an ability to regenerate using the iron absorbed from the blood of those it cuts down. "Why are you here? Trying to kill me off to prevent any potential problems?" He questioned.
"You already know that, Zabu. Now where are the others?" The water bending Master questioned further.
"You actually expect me to answer that? I may not be able to stand them, but I won't endanger their lives regardless of that." The Guillotine blade wielder shot back. It was a true fact. He may not be able to stand the other swordsman, but he didn't want them dead.
"That's one thing I'm glad you all retained, your sense of fellowship." Paku sighed. "Alright, I guess we'll have to use you to draw them out." He added, getting into a fighting stance while Piandao drew his sword.
"Don't expect me to make it easy for you." Zabu retorted as he got into a battle stance. He then tossed his sword into the air and did several sweeping moves with his arms, causing water to gather out of the mist, and he then slammed his fists together. "Water Clone Technique!" He intoned as several translucent water doubles formed from the water. He then caught his falling blade and resumed his stance.
"This looks like it could be trouble." Piandao muttered, his own sword at the ready.
"Yes, it seems he's gotten stronger." Paku nodded as the clones charged at them.
They were in for one mean fight.
(Elsewhere)
Shayu was riding atop one of his larger sharks to the location that Netsu said the other Swordsmen were at. He had been doing so for the past few hours, and he was starting to wonder if Paku had already found them.
'If he has, then there's gonna be hell to pay!' He growled in his thoughts. As he thought that, Kyoshi Island came into view, and it was shrouded in mist on one of its beaches, and as he got closer, he could hear around eight people fighting. "Mist and the sounds of fighting… Definitely Zabu's doing. Better get in there and back him up." He muttered. The second he was near the mist, he jumped off his shark and landed near his fellow swordsman, who turned his attention to him in surprise.
"Shayu? Where have you been?" He asked before shaking his head. "Doesn't matter right now. I could use a hand." He stated.
"Sorry, been busy. Where're the others?" The Shark man asked. Right as he said this, five more people joined them as they tried to avoid a large water whip attack from Paku.
"That answer your question?" Zabu asked irritably.
"Yep." Shayu nodded as he deflected an attack from Piandao.
"When'd you get here, Shark boy?" Ameyuri, a girl with red hair which was swept up at both sides asked as she held her dual swords: Kiba, up.
"Just now. There's someone that would like to meet all of you." The sharkman replied, holding Samehada up. As the mist started to clear, Piandao and Paku breathed heavily as the Swordsmen now stood regrouped.
"I knew I'd be able to draw you all out sooner or later." Paku panted, before noticing the design of Shayu's robes. "You're a member of the Black Lotus?" He uttered in surprise.
"That's right, Master, and we've grown in numbers in the past few months. And now that we're done gathering members, we're going to be moving on to phase two." The Shark boy stated, resting his sword on his shoulder.
"That phase being…?" Piandao asked warily. Shayu just grinned in response.
"Now that would be telling, wouldn't it?" He said. He then looked back at the water and saw a very large dorsal fin heading their way. "Right on cue. Guys, when I say jump, get ready to jump." Shayu told his comrades.
"You got an escape plan?" Zabu asked.
"That I do." The shark boy replied as he watched the fin get closer before… "JUMP!" He yelled as he leapt to the shark, the others following him.
Moments later, a massive ninety foot long Megalodon leapt out of the water and …
CHOMP!
Immediately swallowed the Swordsmen before crashing back into the water out of the reach of the two masters.
"... Did our problem just solve itself?" The elderly swordsman asked, unsure if he saw that correctly. Paku just shook his head in response.
"Shayu is bonded to a shark spirit. There's no way all of them are dead just like that because a giant shark ate them." He stated, knowing that the Swordsmen were still kicking.
"Then it seems that our fight is only just beginning." Piandao sighed.
(Elsewhere)
At the Black Lotus hideout several hours later, the Megalodon from earlier slowly surfaced in Shayu's Shark pool and opened its mouth, allowing the Swordsmen to walk out and see the rest of the Order standing there waiting for them.
"Glad to see you all made it back in one piece." Oboro smiled.
"It wasn't all that hard to get out of there." Shayu shrugged before turning to his fellow swordsmen. "Alright, gang. Introduce yourselves." He told them.
"I'll go first." Zabu said. "I'm Zabu, the Demon of the Northern Water Tribe." He introduced.
"I'm Kushima." A blonde who was wearing a warrior's outfit similar to Sokka's and wearing a wolf mask stated. His sword was a needle like one with a thin cord attached to it.
"Jinpa." A man with long blonde hair said, his sword was a single edged sword with a scroll attached to it.
"Ameyuri." The redhead smirked while sending a flirty wink at Bakudan. This caused said man to blush.
"Mangetsu." A young boy with light platinum hair, pearly eyes, and pale skin. His sword was a A bandaged double-handled sword.
"And I'm Jinlin." The last man, a man with a long black beard, his sword was a cleaver which was chained to a giant hammer.
"I'm Oboro, the Dark Avatar and leader of the Black Lotus." The black flame user introduced himself. "Come on. You can get acquainted with everyone else as we eat. I'm sure you guys feel hungry right now." He said as he beckoned them to follow. The Swordsmen eagerly followed since they were pretty hungry after what had happened today.
(Elsewhere)
"What do you mean by Sage of the Seven Gates?" Zuko asked. The Fire Lord was currently in the war room and his Uncle, the rest of Team Avatar and the White Lotus were in attendance.
"It's an old tale, so I don't expect it to be common knowledge. It basically tells of eyes that are so powerful, the landscape of the user would be drastically altered." The Air Nomad explained.
"The Sage's Powers were renowned and just as revered as the Avatar, and it is said that the user of its eyes will be either a god of creation or destruction." Iroh nodded.
"If there's a new incarnation, then this may be a blessing or a curse." Jong Jong said ruefully.
"That may be a problem, boys." Bumi chimed in. "Because I think I may know this incarnation of the Seven Gates." He continued, causing everyone to look at him.
"Who would this incarnation be, then?" Zuko questioned.
"A young boy named Baan. Descendant of an Air Temple monk who left the temples half a century before the war began." The King of Omashu told them. Aang looked at him in shock.
"Another Air Bender?" He uttered in disbelief.
"A late bloomer, but yes." Bumi nodded.
"And he's apparently a member of the Black Lotus… Great." Zuko groaned.
"And they have the Swordsmen, too." Katara added.
"Well, we're screwed." Sokka stated.
No one disagreed. They were screwed. And with Mai in the hall, she held a letter of invitation, it was from Oboro and Azula, they were inviting them to Ember Island, though she didn't know why.
ThermalsniperN7: Well, Netsu's joined the Black Lotus and Shau's brought the rest of the Swordsmen into the fold.
Dragon Emperor0: I think Sokka said it best, these guys are screwed. And we haven't even revealed the technique that Oboro's been working on this whole time. Don't worry though, you'll all see it next chapter.
ThermalsniperN7: Also, can we just take a moment to admire that Shayu has a MEGALODON for a pet? That's fucking awesome!
Dragon Emperor0: Yeah it is! Also guys, I'd like to ask you guys, in the beach episode that's coming up before the finale, what kind of stuff should happen? Personally I was thinking of a Bikini contest with all the girls.
ThermalsniperN7: And maybe a muscle contest with the guys. Let's be real: That would happen.
Dragon Emperor0: And as for the finale… Expect around… Two, possibly three major character deaths. And some massive collateral damage to the Fire Nation.
ThermalsniperN7: Yeah. It's gonna be total chaos. Anyway, see you guys next time.