Opera masks, Throwing knives, Lighters, and Fists
Or
Zuko's Angels
Summary: See the Prologue chapter
Disclaimer: See the Prologue
Chapter 1- 9 years later
She only had to bear this a little longer.
Despite the utter lack of any interest in the subject that was social studies. While politics was a somewhat interesting subject on its own, when coupled with obnoxious studies on society, the brunette could be hardly bothered to actually take these lessons to heed. So, like any perfect student, she researched other subjects that interested herself and would be much more useful further down the road than civics. What could mere homeroom teacher teach her that all her private tutors had taught her, even if this was a prestigious private all-girls school that only the cream of the crop could attend.
Letting out a quiet sigh, with neatly manicured hand she turned the page of her book.
While swordsmanship was seldom practical, her family's traditions were carved in stone, and it was only natural that she would be quite successful at it. However, it was fortunate that she liked the exercise. There was nothing more satisfying to see her enemies driven before her, their pleas of mercy and the lamentations of their minions as the she towered over them, bokken in hand. Still, it got stale and with her status on the top of the food chain was solidified there was little fun to be had in beating sons of middle management and her father's subsidiaries.
Only a little more, she thought, imagining her practice sword hitting the slightly balding man in front of her on the head. It would not take long until she would be free to carve her name into Japan's history and later in the world's. Until she was free of this smothering environment, the heiress of Agni Conglomerate was subjected to the whims of the teaching staff and what was called Japan's education system.
Though her father's money gave her some leeway, even Ozai wasn't as careless to allow Azula to grow too large a head. Look what happened to Lu Ten after Iroh spoilt him too much. Loss of a promising family member and the midlife crisis of a Dragon.
It was funny how these memories appeared in the most random of times.
What came with the memories of Lu Ten was the recollection of poor Zuzu.
Her lips twitched into a miniscule sneer as she recalled her brother. He had always been a cry-baby and mother's favourite. After her passing he had snapped and at her mother's funeral Father had made it clear in no uncertain terms that she was now considered the only child in the family and thus his only heir. It would have been a lie to say that she missed him, for there was too little memories of the boy who she had once called her brother.
"And that is all class but remember-" If the girl had started to pay attention to what her teacher was beginning to say, then now she immediately disregarded everything, but still automatically wrote it down. There was no way in hell that her grades would slip.
"Hey Azula-chan~" a perky voice called to her, and the prodigy leaned her head back at the source of the chipper sound. A girl of roughly the same age and a uniform that dangerously skirted the lines of regulations leaned on her desk looking at the heiress with big brown eyes.
"Ty Lee." she addressed her childhood friend, who beamed and procured a canned latte from behind her back.
"Ta-da" she regaled her with the beverage as if it was some treasure, but then again it might as well be, to reawaken her from the lesson induced sleepiness "Thought you'd need this. Can't have you falling asleep before we get lunch"
"You do have a point here, but I'll have to do something about that sad excuse of a teacher" Azula sneered as the back of the man disappeared out of the door and from her sight "The standards have been slipping ever since the headmaster stepped down"
"It's not all bad, he's rather docile and doesn't pay attention of how much we're learning"
"True, true" her friend's logic was ironclad and certainly they benefited more from his laxness than if the teacher assigned to them, was a workaholic. Not that the children needed the lessons when most of their families could offer more qualified tutors. However, this place was an excellent way of gathering contacts and networking from a very young age. Though there were no true peers her age that could measure up to her.
While Ty Lee was not quite a peer, she was closer than most.
Speaking of the Half-Chinese girl, she was rapaciously typing away in her smartphone and in behind the bubbly façade lied a very emotionally intelligent and fierce girl, one whose loyalty was without question. Azula never had to use unsavoury methods to ensure that she would listen to her when the situation would call for it. That and she had quite a career in showbusiness ahead of her, if Agni Conglomerate had to say about it.
"Wanna go see Mai-chan?" she asked, not looking up from her phone.
She was really overworked with the modelling gigs and appearances in tv series. While currently they weren't large roles, her work as a supporting cast member and stuntwoman was peerless.
"Yeah, Kami knows I need her snark to get me through the day, that and she has always something interesting to say"
Mai was a daughter of the current Minister of Justice and a wealthy socialite coming from new money that had arisen with Japan's economic boom. If Ty Lee was a blazing sun, then Mai was a moonless night. Silent, dour, and consummately precise. While the second quality made her not a very popular girl for either gender, she was very good at slinking in the background, where she thrived. They had a clear understanding of where they stood and were comfortable within their boundaries.
That and they both liked more combative sports.
Together with her confidante, the Hono heiress left the classroom and headed towards the roof, where Mai had made her perch and didn't take kindly to intruders. Some cocky yankee transfer student had tried to muscle in on the territory, but inexplicably one day decided to transfer again, while avoiding the tall dark-haired girl like plague. Of course, the three girls knew what had transpired and kept their silence. Ty Lee because she was a friend and Azula saw no need to sacrifice such a loyal ally.
As the door to the roof opened, the brunette was hit with the gust of wind that blew around her, making her bangs billow in the air along with her skirt. The top of the Roku's Academy was covered with chain-link fences. Not that anyone had committed suicide there, but the school had wanted to be extra careful.
"Hi, Ty Lee" besides them a bored voice drawled addressing the two girls "Azula. I take it that you still haven't murdered your homeroom teacher"
"It's only a few months left, I can stomach this and who knows maybe he'll have an accident before the year is through" the golden eyed girl cut back and sat next to Mai on her bench. The taller girl casually continued to eat her salad, watching in the distance, but her lips slightly curled into a smile at the remark.
"Indeed" Mai spoke and let the silence become their surroundings. After Ty Lee's chattering all the way up, Azula almost preferred it. However, this was not a social visit and as antisocial Mai was, she was rather handy with things that a proper politician's daughter shouldn't be. Her throwing knives, hidden up the sleeves was only one such example.
"Say, is there anything interesting happening with the Student Council?" To her certain knowledge, the Student Council President was sleeping with his secretary, who just happened to be a girlfriend to the leader of the Boxing Club
"You mean that the Prez won't be re-elected after they find the embezzling and coercion?" This was why she found Mai useful, she knew as much as herself, perhaps even more, but lacked the personality and charisma to press her advantage.
"Oh my, wasn't his father a judge?"
"Yep"
"It's a damn shame" Azula sighed as Ty Lee put away her phone that was constantly buzzing from messages "If this wasn't our last year, we could've used him"
"You don't need such a slimeball Azula-chan!" the bubbly girl protested and while Azula inwardly disagreed, such snakes were always useful, Ty Lee's innocence was adorable to an extent. Though she had a point, Azula didn't need something as petty as a Student Council President as she had much more power backing her.
"Anyway, the hearing will take place day after tomorrow, so it should be a show. I predict he'll spend some time in hospital if-"
Whatever Mai was going to say, her sentence was interrupted by the ringing of her own phone, which had a distinct sound that even her cold friend couldn't ignore. Immediately grabbing her phone from her grey uniform blazer, Mai unlocked the screen and her eyes widened at the news. Now it was not usual to see her stoic friend exhibiting such emotion and that enough was cause of concern.
Leaning over her shoulder, while Ty Lee tried to slip between the two girls, Azula saw a headline that made her see red. In bold black letters in the Asashi Shimbun was a picture of a man in a bespoke suit being escorted by a squad of officers as the it read thusly:
"Zhao Ito, the CEO of Tui Shipping company Arrested! Tui Shipping, a Yakuza front?"
Azula saw red.
Zhao was father's right-hand man and ever since they had split the Dragon, fulfilled the less legal orders with unmatched loyalty and zeal. The fact that he was caught would not bode well for the Family if Zhao tattled. The very idea that he had been caught so suddenly reeked of betrayal and someone biting more than they could chew. While father told her nothing, she had read complaints and files sent to the main office, implying that someone was targeting them.
This obviously couldn't stand.
"Well, my day has become much more interesting" the heiress grinned like a shark and Mai merely raised one neat eyebrow, before passing her the phone. Delving deeper Azula's hunch was correct, when the article had focused on the daring raid of the officers, who found the suspect with illicit substances and weapons that should only be in the hands of the military. There was nothing about how they had the information necessary to make the arrest and there was no way the man was careless enough to let it slip. It did not bode well for the company and that extended to her father, who undoubtedly was not happy with the news.
"Wasn't he one of your dad's subordinates?" Ty Lee asked without a smile as if reading the change of mood in both girls, Azula shook her head. It was better that she knew less as possible, but with Mai it was the opposite. As she had shaken her head, Azula had been careful enough to give a subtle non-verbal tick which, the black-haired girl immediately understood as opposite.
"He was a business partner though and with media being what they are, my father will face some scrutiny, but it's unavoidable that the those without power will look at those above them with envy and suspicion. A problem for a world, where the voices of the ignorant masses shape the future" the golden eyed girl's smile had returned, but it was crueller and more sardonic than the mischievous one that graced her cherubic features as she had climbed on the roof.
"That is a very interesting line of thinking, one that would be quite unpopular nowadays" Mai pointed out, the veiled criticism aimed directly at her. If she could be completely honest right now, then her views would have become even more jingoistic and right at home in the years before World War 2, a sentiment that had led the Conglomerate where they were now.
"What can I say, not all people are made equal" she stretched, which was another non-verbal sign that the subject at hand was to be ceased and the knife thrower obeyed.
Azula took out a cigarette pack from her bag and procured a lighter from her blazer. It had little to do with nicotine, she had realized quite early. The Hono heiress was more entranced by the fire. She realized that the practice itself was addicting and harmful in the long run, but she would drop the disgusting habit soon. After graduation, she promised.
Beside her, both girls wrinkled their noses at the smell, but said nothing.
Downstairs the bell rang, calling for their presence, but Azula and her companions knew that currently a different matter needed their attention, and the teachers would be spared their presence for today. No one batted an eye as two black cars with tinted windows drove into the school grounds, past the guards and waited as the three high school girls climbed into the vehicles and drove away from the secluded grounds and towards the more affluent districts of Tokyo.
When Azula arrived home, a spacious mansion complex outside the edges of Tokyo, she was unsurprised by the lack of her father's absence. The family patriarch spent most of his time in the Agni Tower in the centre of the city, surrounded by all the responsibilities that came with his status. It was not that she couldn't visit him, but after her 14th birthday, the girl had decided that she wouldn't interfere with her father's work as he had held their family together after grandfather's, mother's deaths and the abandonment of Iroh and vanishing of Zuko. He had raised her those nine years and for that Azula would be grateful.
As her black suited bodyguards opened the door to the mansion and ushered her inside the opulent hall, the high school girl was greeted by two wizened old crones- Li and Lo. Those old Chinese bats were descendants of the Chinese who had fled communism and sought refuge with Hono family's then patriarch Sozin, a former general in the Imperial Army. The two sisters ran the household while Ozai was absent and thus these past three years they poured every ounce of their energy and malice into her upbringing and the girl who had blossomed from it hated them with fiery passion. Still, she admitted that the old women were wise and capable adversaries, whenever her actions were contrary to their own views.
"Lady Azula" the two in their kimonos bowed "I trust you have heard about what happened to Zhao"
"Was there a leak?" without bidding them to rise, the teenager strode past them and took off her shoes slower than she usually would've as she waited for an answer. Li and Lo shook their head and shared a look of apprehension.
"We don't know exactly, child" Li began
Lo continued "A week before there had been a break-in that doused seven embers. An office in Kyoto was hit, servers ransacked, and legal paperwork stolen. At least nothing that belonged to Zhao and his operations"
Gears turned in the prodigy's head as she evaluated who the culprit might have been. Agni Conglomerate and the Dragon Organization had numerous enemies in South Asia. There was the Earth Hall triad in China, Moon and Ocean an eco-terrorist group from Koreas that opposed whaling and other sea-based endeavours and last, but not least was the Temple of Gales, a secret group of religious military officers, whom Sozin had taken care of personally. The Chinese were unlikely as the Japanese market was closed to them, same was with the terrorists, who preyed on their sea-faring vessels. Azula didn't even consider the Temple of Gales, for their members had been hunted down, houses bulldozed and wiped from the underworld's history books. They only remained as tall tales, which was their place in Japan.
If they were still alive, she'd make sure that they'd cease to be.
"How many perpetrators were there? Perhaps they were lazy and left some evidence" she paced around, the idea of heading to her rooms completely forgotten. It was an exhilarating feeling, the teenager concluded as she imagined the face of her father as she brought forth the chained perpetrators. This scum would regret going against her family!
Yet, the silence of the twins gave her pause.
"What?" she snapped at them "Is there anything I shouldn't know?!"
"Err, Lady Azula" Li and Lo once more shared looks between themselves "We believe that it was a single assailant"
What?
"Pardon me? Did I hear correctly?! A single assailant did this much damage?!" now her explosive temper was alit once more. It sought someone to take itself out on and these two old bats would fit just fine.
Taking a deep breath, the heiress forced to calm herself, drawing her hands into closed fists as she refused to look at the two governesses. Instead, she pore over her watch and decided that there was enough time for herself to investigate this matter and prepare for her daily practice.
"It's fine, notify me if there are new developments"
Smirking smugly to herself she waved her hand instead of the spectre of Nobunaga looming over her, Azula was once more a charming young lady, who gracefully strolled further into mansion and towards her chamber complex, where she would scheme and plot.
"Before I forget, I want everything on that incident sent to me within an hour"
"Understood, it will be done" the elderly women bowed and vanished from her sight, walking towards the mansion library and offices. The Heiress herself was in no rush, but she preferred her own rooms and the privacy it gave to her. For all her ambition and capabilities, Azula was still a teenage girl.
Stepping out of the shower, the prodigy slid the crimson silk bathrobe over her body and looked at herself in the mirror. Her skin was without blemishes and imperfections, while housing incredible power within. When puberty had hit, the brunette had been jealous of Mai's posterior and Ty Lee's large bust, but in time she realized that she did not need to have them as she had already perfectly proportioned body that turned heads wherever she went. In the mirror Azula smiled back at herself, before exiting the shower.
Her bedroom was spacious, larger than most people's apartments in Tokyo. Not to mention that it was adjacent to her personal walk-in closet, a private gym, and a bathroom. However out of everything, the girl liked her desk the most. Therein she kept all her treasures, cherished memories, and trophies from her vanquished obstacles.
Though currently all that interested her was what would arrive in her e-mail.
Climbing into the large leather armchair that served as her office chair, Azula leaned back and pulled the keyboard into her lap. Within minutes, she was inside her e-mail and internal network of Agni Conglomerate and with a grin that would have belonged to a Kitsune, the golden eyed girl clicked on the notification that informed that she had been granted access to some quite sensitive files.
Clicking on them, she was sucked into a world of date. Like spellbound Azula checked every hacking attempt that had the same structure as the most damaging one and to her horror she looked at the correlated data. There were hundreds of attempts annually starting from 3 years ago and while most were deterred, some always succeeded and while most hackers would steal company's legal secrets, this one targeted specifically the Blue and Red Dragons- their bases, members and livelihoods. At first her thoughts were that it was some foolish, self-styled "hero of justice" that had stumbled on an open secret, but there was an inkling that there had to be more to these attempts. She compared the data of that was stolen and the arrests made that year it grew clear to her that the perpetrator was using the information to help the policemen catch the more reprehensible satellites of the Conglomerate's hidden hand. Some of the information stolen was pertaining some higher-level members like Zhao and CEO's of other subsidiaries, but seemingly never acted upon the data. As if there was an escalation in the targets this pest chose. Zhao had been the largest.
If they knew anything about the power Agni Conglomerate wielded, then they would lay low for the foreseeable future. However, it wouldn't save them from her.
Saving her conclusions in a hidden folder, the brunette slid her fingers further along the keyboard and opened the e-mail she had been awaiting.
From: LoLing
To: AzHono
Subject: Break in at PouSec HQ, Kyoto
"The perpetrator struck a week ago on March the 20th. Attached to the email are the site for the recordings. It is a company secret, so sharing it would be unadvisable.
Should you wish to see the perpetrator skip to 23:31:09
Lo Ling"
Azula scoffed at the last line. Who was she to dicate what she could do with this data?! She was loyal to the company and if any fool doubted her, she'd have their head for it. Squashing the simmering rage, she clicked on the link and the 24 hours of the Break in of the PouSec HQ.
00:00:00
Everything was normal in the cameras and nothing out of ordinary was seen, either from the outside or inside the building. PouSec or Pouhai Security Company was one of the security companies that were founded after World War 2 with Sozin at the helm, but it was her grandfather who turned the small group of investigators in what could be a private platoon that could go toe to toe with special services and even exceed some countries snipers in marksmanship. Whoever it was that had achieved such a feat was either incredibly lucky or extremely skilled, the latter being the more worrying. After all such skilled individuals couldn't be acting on their own.
Almost gluing her eyes to the screens, the girl continued to watch.
After an hour passed, she got impatient and skipped through the recordings. Nothing was out of ordinary, and it irritated her. There was no way an assailant had infiltrated the building during the night with no previous reconnaissance!
Promising herself to return to the day's footage, she skipped ahead to the aforementioned time.
23:15:00
It was raining in Kyoto. The heavy rain made it impossible for much to be seen in the cameras. Not counting scant civilians and few cars, the outside of the building was perfectly visible and there was no signs of the attacker.
Azula awaited with anticipation after all this was the most interesting thing that had happened to her during the past three months, and she would enjoy this to the very last. As she checked through the relevant cameras, she found that there was nothing that indicated that this mystery assailant was there. Sighing, she paused the video and rose from the chair still clad in her bathrobe. Returning with a glass of water, the heiress sat back, unpaused the video and continued to watch.
23:24:30
In one of the security cameras in the underground car park, A trunk of a sportscar was stealthily opened and for what seemed like a brief second, a shadow blinked out of the field of vision of the camera.
"No way" her eyes widened realizing what was happening there. There was no way the downstairs security wasn't connected to the upstairs one. Then she pinched the bridge of her nose as in the report it was stated that shortly before the assault, the building's security systems had a bit of a lag
After a minute, the door to parking security room opened and closed on its own.
Next time she saw the perpetrator was at the precise timestamp Li had sent her.
23:31:09
The figure was dressed in what could only be described as black ninja garb and a blue oni mask, as ridiculous as it seemed, with two telescopic batons hanging from his-
She decided that the person in question was a man, by the way he moved and the bone structure that lied underneath the ninja getup. Even if the brunette was wrong, she refused to entertain the idea.
-belt, with clear goal in mind the figure moved through the hallways to the server room and even if the guards noticed him, then they wouldn't at first believe such a ridiculous sight at first. To her amazement the door to server room was not locked, but this mistake redeemed itself as the motion sensor alarms started blaring and four Pousec guards rushed to the scene of the crime. In the server room, the Blue Oni had connected his device to the server and plugged in an USB stick, drawn his batons as he was seemingly aware of the confrontation that was inevitable.
Placing the keyboard on the surface of the desk, she gripped the armrest, adrenaline racing through her veins. While she had not sparred with these agents, Father had assured that her own bodyguards were of the same calibre. Her tutors praised her, saying that she will be a master in no time if she kept up her training regimen. Now she would see whether or not they were as good as they were rumoured to be.
The Blue Oni The Blue Spirit
Azula decided that the perpetrator was too ethereal to be an Oni
The Blue Spirit took out something else from his backpack and dropped it on the ground. Smoke filled the area, obscuring his form and in another monitor the guards entered the room pistols drawn. With hand signals two decided to venture in first. A silhouette was seen hitting another and the guards refused to fire. Then out of the mist one of the guards was almost thrown into his fellows, hard enough that their aim was unfocussed for a split second and it was when the Blue Spirit struck. Leaping out of the mist, he brought his baton down onto the wrists and with a sickening crunch and howls of pain, the criminal had disarmed his foes and thrown the weapons far out of their reach, before delivering the knockout blow.
Though out of the darkness, the remaining guard dove at the perpetrator.
This was getting interesting, she had to admit and scratched her chest, but as her finger accidentally brushed against her nipple, there was a familiar sensation rising in her stomach. Azula freely admitted that she was attracted by strength and even with this bizarre criminal dressed as a ninja, whose muscles at times stretched the fabric awakened something in her. She blamed it on Sailor Moon and kabuki dramas, but as the two circled one another, the heiress of Agni Conglomerate pinched her nipple with one hand and slithered her other one downwards.
A punch was thrown, which the ninja blocked by batting it aside and elbowing the guard in the face. Retaliating, his foe kicked the ninja backwards and jumped at him.
Her breath hitched as her fingers caressed her short dark curls, before her soft fingertips touched the outer folds. By Kami, she didn't do it often, but she could only imagine this mysterious man dangling from chains before her as she had bested him.
Two bodies were colliding through the smoke- throwing kicks, punches, and jabs at one another. Though, who was who was impossible to see.
"Oh Gods" she breathed heavily as she imagined him laying before her, beaten, and broken. Rubbing herself, she suppressed the shudder as the images flashed before her very eyes. Biting her lip, she continued her ministrations as the two fought.
One of the bodies fell and after a brief moment the Blue Spirit had emerged as the victor, though his outfit had suffered a tear and a bruised, but muscled pectoral could be seen through the cameras wherever he could be seen.
It would be a shock for the old bats and all those miserable tutors to see such a well-behaved girl in such a state, but not a single one of them would find out. Azula thought this as she pushed a finger inside and pinched her left nipple harder as her right arm pressed the other, much neglected breast closer to herself.
"Fuck" she panted as she picked up the pace as the object of her desire prepared his escape as he meticulously collected his weapons, tools and even a handgun for one of the guards
In different cameras more guards were approaching and fast. The Blue Spirit procured another grenade and threw it just as three more guards rushed out of the elevator guns blazing. The athletic criminal threw another small canister at the approaching squad and just as they were about to shoot, the ball of smoke filled the entirety of the hallway. In the elevator, the Blue Spirit used the hatch to stay out of sight after he had pressed the button that would take him to the ground floor so that he could escape.
24:00:05
As she slipped another finger inside herself and rocked her hips against her palm, Azula still within the haze of pleasure missed the small drop that fell onto the floor. She noticed that the ninja got off on the ground floor and instead of escaping through the garage as he had entered, the criminal would escape through the first floor. However, the outside had a different scene.
"How will you escape now?" she teased and moaned quietly as she knew that she would come soon. Then she'd forget about this weakness on her part.
Head darting from left to right, the ninja quickly found a solution and ran as far as he could from the front entrance. On his way picking up a fire extinguisher. Coming up on the appropriate window, with ferocious strength hit the glass first time.
In another angle the policemen with dogs, PouSec men with them entered the building.
With each hit the golden eyed girl with hitched breath picked up the pace uncaring now how loud or quiet she was. Her maids had a strict regiment that they had to obey, and she was certain that there wouldn't be a single soul that would hear her fucking herself because of an extremely talented criminal.
He continued to hit at the glass, that refused to shatter as easily that of a normal window. His pursuers drew even nearer within the second.
Unable to contain herself, Azula came, her fingers slick with her own come, her breath heavy.
The Blue Spirit having finished making his exit, vanished through it and melded with the night rain, leaving behind destruction and the beautiful Azula Hono, filthy and disgusted at her behaviour as clarity returned.
A.N:
I'm a filthy bastard and I acknowledge that. If I wrote Azula out of character feel free to challenge me to an Agni Kai. So the lore seems quite messy, but I'll straighten it out in an exposition dump or more organically. Ozai would love to rant about family history, I think.
How did you like the chapter? Leave a review/comment and lemme know!
-Spook