Sokkla Month Day 3: FMA:B AU
Tunnels
Fifth Laboratory
Central City
As soon as Envy started to brag about how Ty Lee couldn't bring herself to shoot her wife in the face and the look of shock on her face, Sokka knew by the way her entire body was tensing up that this was not going to end well for both sides. While Envy was still oblivious, Sokka braced himself for the screams that were sure to follow the smug laughs.
"Congratu-fucking-lations Envy, you've just played yourself." Azula coldly smirked, her face in a sort of grin that reminded Sokka way too much of Kimblee that it sent a chill down his spine. Pocketing her gloves to reveal a transmutation circle etched into the top of her hand, she turned to look Envy in the eye before snapping her fingers.
Instantly, the room was filled with the agonizing screams of the homunculus as its tongue was set ablaze in a flash of turquoise. Glaring at Azula, she merely remarked "Remarkable, isn't it? After all, the human tongue has a rather high percentage of fat, which makes it oh so easy to burn."
Turning to the rest of the assembled group, Azula barked "Go find this Father guy, me and the lieutenant will deal with this sack of shit."
"You heard the man, let's go."
"But-"
"That's an order." Sokka barked to Aang.
"Look kid, we don't got much time." one of the Chimeras urged. Reluctantly, they started to move deeper and deeper into the tunnels. Before Envy could even move to block, it found itself on the receiving end of another sapphire barrage, scorching it from head to toe.
"So, you're the one who burnt Lust to a crisp." it huffed and puffed, as it spent the lives the Philosopher's stone contained to regenerate its health.
"Then you know just what kind of fate awaits you."
Enraged, it abandoned its human disguise and took on it's true form, a massive green hulking beast that had a host of faces stretching against it's very skin, their death masks an unnerving sight.
"I was just going easy on you, but now I'll make sure you and your pretty little boytoy there is going to- AHHH!FUCK!"
"You truly are a special kind of dumbfuck aren't you? First you openly brag about killing my closest friend, now you give me a bigger target to hit?" she laughed, before zapping him with rapid strikes that soon filled the air with smoke, soot and the ever familiar smell of burning flash that for a brief moment, transported Sokka back to that hot, blood-soaked sands of Ishval.
Sensing that it probably wasn't the best idea to hang around in the place where Lust got fried by her, it chose the only sensible option and ran on all fours into the labyrinth.
"Sokka, stay here. This one's mine to settle."
"She was my friend too!"
"Lieutenant Sokka Hawkeye, this is a direct order from your superior to stand down."
"Fine."
Turning to face the tunnels, she strode in with a singular purpose and aim. To avenge the death of Ty Lee.
"Scar?"
"What is it?"
"I need to talk to you?"
"It's about the Colonel, isn't it?."
A nod. "I figured as much.", he sighed, "That face, the rage, I used to be like that long ago. The way I see it, she'll burn herself up long before she'll even get a chance to recover."
As if to emphasize his point, the sounds of Envy's tortured screams as it was relentlessly pursued echoed through the corridors. "Come, we need to keep moving." Reluctantly, Aang nodded and grit his teeth, steeling his heart to the blood curdling screams of someone getting burnt repeatedly.
"Show yourself, you freak! Weren't you all high and mighty, boasting about your exploits, hmm? Too scared to pick on someone your own size?" she taunted, eyes peeled for any sign of movement.
"Come out come out wherever you are...or else I'll burn off your skin, bit by teensy bit, you worthless piece of crap." she continued, her voice raising by several octaves and taking on an almost sadistic tone.. Hearing the echoing cries and the almost sing song taunts, Sokka could stand it no longer and headed down the tunnels, his pistol at the low ready.
Turning a corner, Azula heard an all too familiar voice call out "Hey there, Colonel." Snapping around, she saw Ty Lee standing in her uniform leaning nonchalantly against the wall, before she lunged at her. She won't dare to touch her, not if the-
Her thoughts were cut short as Azula's face, twisted with rage, blasted the lookalike with an unceasing torrent. For good measure, she even charred the cartilage in its left knee and burnt out the soles on the right foot in addition to singing its eyes.
"If you think I'm afraid of calling in fires danger close, need I give you a lesson in who I am?" her lips curling in a feral grin before blasting her once more. At this point, Envy knew better than to try and reason with her and ran. "So much for homunculi being the superior being." she tutted, her face stained with traces of soot and ash that left black streaks on her creamy white skin.
Taking respite in a mass of pipes, it spotted Sokka, who was looking for her, hoping against hope that she didn't completely lose herself. Even injured, it formed up a devious plan as it stalked him from the shadows.
"Fuck, this place is like a maze." he uttered, wandering through the tunnels. Hearing the sound of boots, he clung to the shadows. When the noise drew level, he aimed it at her face at the same time Azula pointed her fingers at him. For a brief moment, neither side let their guard down, before exhaling.
"Didn't I tell you to stay back?"
"I couldn't Colonel. Besides, someone needs to make sure you don't do something stupid."
"You're probably right. An extra set of eyes would be helpful."
Traveling a short distance, Sokka suddenly paused and leveled his gun at the back of her head.
"Do you know who your gun is pointed at?"
"Who? Don't make me laugh, when it's just us, the Colonel calls me by my first name." Turning to face her, Envy (who was disguised as Azula) smirked. "So you two really are that close huh." Letting out a small breath, Sokka executed a double tap to the chest and one to the head before replying "I lied."
Shrugging off his shots, Envy got back up and tried to rush him, but Sokka calmly slammed two rounds into the kneecaps, making it kneel on the ground as he leisurely holstered his dry gun and drew two more from his back, knocking out its arms and wrists before finally unslinging the rifle and giving the homunculus a dose of high speed lead poisoning.
Thoroughly pissed off, Envy lashed out and stabbed his shoulder, making him drop the rifle before it wrapped an appendage around him and smacked him upside the head. Before it could paint the walls with his grey matter, the real Colonel Azula arrived and toasted Envy, rendering its grip on him a pile of soot and ash.
"You truly are a glutton for punishment aren't you? First you kill my friend and boast about it, now you hurt my lieutenant? I swear I will burn you until you're nothing but a pile of ash and dust. And I've got all the time in the world, you miserable rat." Even as she spoke, her fingers snapped like a machine gun setting it ablaze over and over again.
"How many lives you've got left? Six? Sixty? Six hundred? No matter, it's all the same to me. Tell me, how does it feel to get your ass roasted by the very same person who killed Lust in the very same way?"
"Why you-GAH!"
"Stop, please!"
"What, not hot enough? I'll gladly crank up the heat. Stay back lieutenant, it's going to get a little toasty in here." Like a well oiled machine, her snap came almost naturally and any humanoid form of Envy was finally turned into cinders, whilst the tip of her gloves were starting to char and smoke. From the ashes, a green six legged slug-esque creature crawled away, it's squeaking voice lamenting at having been reduced to this form once again.
Without hesitation, Azula applied pressure on the offending creature, before commenting "So this is your true form. What a pathetic little being."
"P-Please-don't kill me!" it begged.
"Envy means jealousy, does it not? Well then, you won't have anything to be jealous of very shortly."
"Nooo please I don't want to die, not like this!" it screeched.
Before Azula could turn the hapless homunculus into the next life, a sound of a hammer being cocked gave her paused.
"And just what do you think you're doing?"
"That's far enough. I'll handle it"
"What does it matter if it's me or you that deals the final blow? The fucker is going to die regardless, so lower your weapon."
"No. I cannot obey that."
"I will not ask again."
"Put your damn hands in the air, now!"
A burst of alchemically created earth wave soon took the decision making away from them as it launched it right into Aang's hand, who kept a vice like grip on it.
"Nice of you to drop by. Now hand it over."
"No."
"This is a direct order by a superior officer, hand it over."
"No."
"Are you asking for a fight and a court martial?"
"Bring it on by all means. But take a good look at yourself and ask, is this the face you want to lead Amestris with?!"
"Kill it if you wish, what right do I have as someone who has done the same. But I shudder to think what kind of world such a person held prisoner by their desire for vengeance would create." Scar added.
"Colonel, I have no intention of letting that slimeball live to see the next sunrise but please, this is not your fight anymore."
"No, you don't understand! I finally ran the bastard down, the bastard who killed Ty Lee! I-"
"But still, I cannot let you do something so reckless! Justice is what she needed, not this blind hatred for her killer. If this is how you act if one person wrongs you, what then will you do if a region or hell, another nation crosses you? Will you turn it into another Ishval? No, I will not let you."
"Please, let it go. I know you're better than that, Azula. I'm begging you, please!"
"Go on, do what you need to. Then what?"
"Then it'll be the second last shot I'll ever take. After that, what else is there to live for?"
"No, that won't happen. That can never happen." Summoning her rage, she loosed off an intense jet that blackened the walls of a nearby tunnel, it's heat making everyone sweat like a hot August day.
Looking at the people around her, she remarked "Ironic, isn't it? Scolded by a child, lectured by a man who has all the right to seek vengeance against me for the crimes against his people and you, you-"
"-I've done it again." she ended mournfully. Clasping the hand that was still pointing at her, she gently lowered it down, saying "I've hurt you. Please, forgive me.", before kneeling at his feet, covering her face as the waterworks were out in full force. Holstering his derringer, he too dropped to his knees, and held her in his arms as she cried into his shoulders.
"Azula, I forgive you." he whispered in her ear, all caution and decorum thrown right out of the window as he rubbed her back in small circles.
"Really?" she looked up with red rimmed golden eyes.
"Really."
"Thank you, Sokka. For pulling me back from the abyss. I love you."
"I love you too, my little firecracker."
"Goddamnit Lieutenant, I can't believe you lied to me!" Envy squeaked.
"Shut up you pipsqueak, who gave you the right to speak!" Aang scolded, making it shrink back in fear.
"Hey Azula?"
"Yes?"
"We still got a transmutation circle to stop."
"Right."
"The usual place, 8 pm tomorrow evening?"
"As long as you're the one footing the bill."
"Deal. Now let's go."