A/N: Now I'm the villain in your history. Love and be loved. Read… and review!

Those in Need

[Summer 106 AG]

They'd bought the home all coin. No loan from a bank. No hidden backer, although after using Ukuyi as the buyer she'd be open to a counter-argument. The home went up for sale soon after the end of the war but no one wanted to buy it. It was rather remote for being "beach front," and no one in the 'New' Fire Nation wanted to sully their names by buying it off a disgraced former Navy Admiral. So it was left on the market. For five years the holiday home sat quietly, collecting dust and saltwater.

'Until it was bought by me.'

The Puppetmaster stands out on the balcony in the early morning sun. She stares out as the water laps up and rolls back. She sips her tea and smiles. A beautiful start to the day ahead of an important trip up north. Her shoulder length hair blows slightly with the sea breeze. It's almost long enough again to put in a top knot, a few months away. Although she hasn't worn the top knot in many years and isn't sure if she even wants to go back to that.

It's unusual to spend time in the summer here. Too many people, too much exposure. This morning is a stopover from the night before to make the trip ahead a shorter one. She hears the sliding door behind her open. Feet patter behind her until soft arms envelope her from behind. A nose nuzzles into the crook of her neck. The voice whispers in her ear.

"We're going to be late if we don't set out soon."

Azula turns and faces Zirin. One hand clutches her tea cup, the other to the girl's face. She pulls her in for a kiss. When they part, Zirin lifts an eyebrow.

"What was that for?"

She smirks. "Just stealing back some bad memories."

The black eyed girl shakes her head, "Whatever, let's go meet Lin on the dock."

As Azula follows her back into the house she coos at her, "How many times do I need to remind you that it's not Lin. Namo is taking us to Shanglan Island."

As they walk through the home, Zirin asks, "Ah. I keep forgetting. Why is that again?"

"His wife, Ai Zhou, is due next week. I didn't want him to miss it in case she went into labor early."

"How benevolent of you." Zirin blunts.

"What are you trying to say, Zirin?" Azula says as they walk out the front door and she locks up the house.

Zirin waits for her and they walk in lockstep together. "I just think it's a mistake. He's our most trusted asset."

"It's my decision, Zirin," Azula says without looking at her. "And not even you can question that."

As they approach the dock, Zirin huffs. "Yes, Empress."

The single braided ponytail lightly smacks against her back. The twenty year old stops to take in a deep breath. She reaches one hand up over her head and stretches the arm. She folds it and pulls the elbow tighter in. She sweats through her soft, light pink top. Her billowing pants give her legs room to breathe in the unbearable summer heat.

"If this doesn't work," she mumbles to herself. There is a song of clicking noises all around her. The buzzing noise pulsates through the air. "I don't know what I'll do."

She marches forward into the town. Her grey eyes face forward, determined and resolute. They dart to a town sign that she reads. She has come this far on her own volition. She goes forward without support anymore. Not Suki, not the Kyoshi Warriors, and certainly not Zuko. Now armed with the research, the free time, and the determination, she steps through the tall grass into the rejuvenated fishing spot.

The sign she passes reads, 'Baochou Village.'

"You stand in the presence of the Dragon Empress. Rightful ruler of the Fire Nation. The Prodigy with Blue Fire. Mother of the Kemurikage. Leader of the Fire Warriors. The Puppetmaster. Ruler of all she surveys."

Ruki delivers the introduction to their attending audience. Two men stand opposed to them. One that Ruki recognizes from a few years ago, he has dark skin and dark eyes. He is short and thin. The other is unfamiliar to her, but he is similarly dark skinned from a life in the Earth Kingdom. He is tall and slender. He keeps his eyes and head down, listening intently. The wind blows fiercely at Ruki's back and into his bald, bowed head. He raises his chin finally and stares at the Empress upon her throne. His eyes are grey, but sharp. His arms are folded across his body and he steps forward. He speaks with a low, strained voice.

"Let's not stand on ceremony," he starts with a pause. He tilts his head slightly as he speaks. "Azula."

Stunned to hear her real name by a stranger, the Leader of the Fire Warriors never lets it show on her face. The last few years they had phased using her real name out of her introductory titles. It was done to create some separation from Zuko and establish more mystique. It's possible that word spread to the Earth Kingdom, or perhaps it's too late now to hide from herself. All the same, Azula makes a note that this man knows more than she expected.

This grand meeting required a grand setting, according to the Puppetmaster. She sits upon a stone throne on the edge of the cliff within the Western Air Temple. Her audience views her sitting with hands folded in, legs crossed over, eyes narrowed, with the picturesque mountain sides looming in the distance. It serves many purposes, most pressing right now is imposing the image that they stand in the presence of something much larger than themselves.

After another second pause, Zirin cuts in. "It is customary to bend the knee in the presence of the Empress."

The two men turn their eyes to the brunette but do not change their facial expression. They turn back to Azula in unison. The taller one, who knows her, says, "We bow to no one."

Azula chides them. "Hollow words coming from a man who finds himself kneeling before the Avatar like a dog, answering to his every beck and call."

"Perhaps we won't for much longer, but we will not trade one slave driver for another. You shall not rule over us, Dragon Empress."

Azula finally stands from her stone throne. She steps towards them, the wind continuing to howl at her back. She smirks, arms crossed over her chest, and comments on their surroundings. "Tell me, do you know why I chose the Western Air Temple for this meeting?"

The men stare blankly at her. She is perturbed. "Oh come now, I'm sure you have guesses."

The man she had assaulted at the Idle Grove two years ago offers a response. "Quick disposal of us if we do not agree to terms?"

Azula laughs out loud at this. "On the contrary, Zaso. We bring you no harm and offer you no threats. It is fully up to you if you desire to attempt to push us off the ledge."

There is a pregnant pause. Azula extends her arms out. "But just know that when we come back from the fall, it is you who will have been the aggressor. It will be you we come for because you pushed us."

Another pregnant pause overcomes the silence of the group. Azula steps backwards towards the edge. She takes a step back, up to the lip of it. Her arms extended out, a gust blows her hair all about and threatens to pull her off the ledge. Ruki and Zirin face forward. They know their leader better and know she will not be killed by some damn wind.

"So, Xai Bau," Azula shouts over the wind. The taller man, the one who had known her name, now turns his head slightly. A small smirk develops on his face. "Will you attempt to push me over the edge?"

A second passes by. He can't help but smile before shaking his head to say 'no.' Azula smiles back. She steps down from the ledge and walks towards him. She stops a foot away.

"In that case, let's do as you suggested," she starts, crossing her arms once more. "Let's not stand on ceremony."

"The best defense is a good offense."

"Spoken like a woman who rushes to her death."

Azula and Xai Bau sit opposed to each other playing Pai Sho on the large table within the Temple. Zirin, Ruki, and Zaso have been dismissed to give them privacy and trade secrets. Azula plays an offensive strategy, but is very careful of Xai Bau's highly defensive maneuvers. She feels that he is concealing a great plan of attack just below the surface. He speaks what is on his mind.

"I want to play a game."

"Oh?" Azula chuckles. "I thought we were doing that already."

"The rules are simple. You tell me something and in exchange I tell you something."

"I don't suppose we both traveled all this way just to play a board game."

"Indeed," Xai Bau says, making his move.

"Or perhaps you just want to distract me." Azula muses.

"I won't need to do that to defeat you," he replies while countering.

She nods at him. "Fine. We're in agreement."

"Excellent. Now, how did you come to possess this place?"

Azula moves a piece into attacking position, "Two years ago the Air Acolytes contacted the local village and requested them to investigate the remains to see how much of it could be saved. It's 'viability for restoration.' It was a suicide mission."

"So they perished?"

"Of course not," she blunts. "They reached out to us. We investigated and then bombed it out. Forged a legitimate report for them that it was beyond redemption. The Avatar himself came to investigate and saw it was, indeed, beyond saving. Once we knew he and the Acolytes weren't coming for it, we fixed it ourselves as a far northern base of operation."

"Wise beyond your years, young Azula."

She nods as they exchange moves. "My turn: why form the Pale Lotus?"

He sits and rubs his chin as he thinks through what his next move will be. He explains to her, "I have been with the White Lotus for many years. I was recruited when I was younger than you are now for my connection to the Spirit World. I believed in our values once, but now we are as you said: dogs at the feet of the Avatar."

"That's all?"

"Agni no, that's just the beginning. I wanted Ozai out of the picture as much as anyone, but I did not agree with the decision to come out of hiding."

"You weren't the first to wish death upon my Father."

"Is it true that you were the last?"

Azula takes a piece, which Xai Bau quickly recovers, but she gains some positioning. She can't help but feel like he allowed her to do it for some unseen reason. She looks up from across the board. They lock eyes.

"I was."

He nods and then returns his eyes to the board. She asks him, "So you don't agree with my Uncle's decisions and now you're trying to form a counter group?"

"The Pale Lotus is much more than a counter group. We are spiritually endowed in ways that the White Lotus never will be."

"Then why me? I'm far from spiritual."

Xai Bau moves his piece into position. "You have status and influence that we need to move the Pale Lotus forward. We're not looking to build a 'new' government. The people should rule each other. The rumors are that you agree with that mindset. We are looking to break away from the White Lotus but to build ourselves up we need people outside of them to grow."

Taking advantage of a mistake, Azula takes a piece with no recourse. She knows what rumors he speaks of. 'No Kings. No Avatars, No Fire Lords. Only women.' She observes, "So you compromise your spiritual values to share my value with the common folks in the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom."

"I assure you, Azula," he starts, raising his eyes to meet hers. "Nothing about the Pale Lotus will ever be compromised in our spiritual connection. I have more knowledge of the Spirit World than any member of the White Lotus has, had, or ever will have."

Azula blunders a move, caught up in the awe of his belief. She asks, "What makes you so sure?"

Taking advantage of her mistake he tells her, "I have spoken to Spirits that only legends speak of."

Azula finally feels that she understands the man who is ten years her elder. She can finally read him. His aversion to governments. His disdain for royalty and her titles. His faith in the Spirit World yet realistic respect for her influence in this world. She looks down at their endgame and sees the final moves unfolding in her mind. She moves her piece and places him in a precarious situation. She looks up from the board and speaks to him.

"Avatar's, White Lotus, Fire Lord's, Earth Kings and Queens, Water Nation Chiefs. They're all just spokes on a wheel."

She lifts her fingers up and does a spinning motion, stopping the motion with each turn as she says, "First this one is on top, then that one is on top, and on and on it spins, crushing those on the ground."

He nods in agreement. "So you see our dream then? To stop the wheel?"

He moves his piece, not seeing her strategy. She plays a critical move. She tells him, "We're not going to stop the wheel. We're going to break it."

Xai Bau sees now that he's lost. He looks up from the board. His grey eyes stare into her golden ones. Despite losing he can't help but smile. She smiles devilishly back at him. She tells him, "You shall have my hand in your efforts to restore balance to the world."

The group's stand by Azula's stone throne now. They've shared a meal together and exchanged information on ways to work together. Azula has agreed to become a co-founder of the Pale Lotus, but she offers a new idea.

"Why the Pale Lotus?"

"Did you have something else in mind?" Zaso asks her.

"I did, actually." Azula replies.

She stares amusingly at the matching blood colored outfits that her party wears. She stares at Ruki's ginger hair. The bright flames that light the corridors of the temple. She offers an alternative title.

The group gathers the next morning, preparing to head off in their own directions. Azula provides one last twist.

"I have a parting gift for you, Xai Bau."

He tilts his head subtly. "Oh? What is that?"

Azula spreads her arms all around her. "You're standing in it."

Zirin didn't agree with this idea when it was suggested but she is thankful to have the precarious location off her hands. She looks away as Azula continues. "A new base of operations for the Red Lotus. Right under the nose of the Avatar, located remotely in the Earth Kingdom, but close enough to Caldera. You and Zaso can build your enterprises starting right here."

"This is most generous of you, Azula." Zaso replies, bowing his head.

"I would be at a loss for words," Xai Bau starts. "If not that I have my own parting gift for you."

"Oh?"

"A new title for you to add to your collection."

"My titles are growing and vast, Xai Bau. I prefer they come from the people, just as you prefer them to govern themselves."

"This title supersedes them all. It speaks to who you are, at your core."

Azula decides to indulge him. "Well then, what did you have in mind?"

He nods his head and smiles mischievously.

"The Immortal Soldier."

Zirin doesn't speak her mind the whole way to the boat. The three heads of Azula's empire travel for a couple of hours before getting into Namo's boat. The muscular man takes them out to sea as they begin the return trip. Once they are several miles out to sea, she finally opens up.

"Are you certain this was the right decision, Azula?"

Azula had expected this. She looks out at the horizon as they travel through the late afternoon waters. "You think I've made a mistake."

"Xai Bau is not someone I would trust. His goals are to sow discord and upend the system that we've gamed."

"Zirin, you have been in charge of our finances for a year or so now. No one knows that system we've built better than you. However, let me ask you this: what if he succeeds? Would we be better off in his graces or outside of them?"

Zirin shakes her head. "He's a terrorist, Azula. Everything he represents stands in opposition to what the Dragon Empress is meant to stand for."

Azula finally turns her gold eyes to the black of Zirin's. "It was you who once told me that we would make many enemies on this path. Big enemies. Powerful enemies, I believe you called them."

"I did."

"And now, instead of killing him, I've captured him. He's indebted to us. We won't have to look over our shoulder for Xai Bau ever again."

"If he never rises to power through, then we never would've had to worry about him to begin with. Giving him these resources, empowering him, I think this was a mistake."

Zirin has rarely ever so openly called Azula's judgement into question. The Leader of the Fire Warriors stares out at the horizon. She reflects on this and on what Zirin is worried about on this matter. She speaks to the passing seas.

"Should the world ever belong to the Red Lotus, they will look to someone to guide them. It is the natural state of man to kneel. That is when the world will find me, ready to take charge."

She turns back to Zirin and Ruki. "Should the Red Lotus fail to take footing in this world, then all I will have lost is an air temple that will surely be reclaimed by the Avatar at some point in his lifetime anyway."

Ruki finally speaks. "It's a no lose situation for you, Mother."

She nods at the lilac eyed girl. She turns back to Zirin. She repeats the words back to her girlfriend.

"No half measures, right?"

The girl with grey eyes walks down the sloping hill towards the tiny pier in the village. She has spent nearly two days in Baochou now and has spoken to just about every single local. The sun hangs low, casting a perfect golden light all across the water and landscape. The last person on her trip that she'll speak with is an anxious and expecting father, who cleans his boat obsessively to keep his hands busy.

He looks up and sees a pretty, young girl approaching him. She asks him, "Excuse me, but is your name Lin?"

The man wraps a rope around his forearm and stares at the stranger. Over the last few years it was not unusual for the Puppetmaster to send messengers he didn't recognize, almost always exactly like this one: young girls from the Fire Nation. This one, he noted, had strikingly beautiful eyes. It didn't make sense to him, however, for the Empress to be sending him any messages right now, unless something had gone horribly wrong.

"I am," he responds with a sigh. "And who might you be?"

"My name is Ty Lee and I'm a Kyoshi Warrior," she replies. Lin internally goes stiff as a board, his anxiety spiking instantly. "I'm passing through your village and I've just been asking everyone here some questions."

"Oh?" He asks, perhaps a little too quickly. "Awfully far for a single Kyoshi Warrior to wander."

"Well, I'm here on a personal journey," she says while shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "I've been asking everyone in town for the last day-and-a-half what they think about the Dragon Empress."

"Oh, of course," Lin starts. He takes a seat on his boat, facing Ty Lee. She stands on the dock and looks at him. This isn't the first time this has happened to Lin but it's been two or more years so he needs to settle himself. "She has been most kind to those of us who struggle."

Ty Lee smiles and shrugs. She looks out at the sunsets. "That feels like the same thing I've heard from everyone else. Almost like it's scripted. She told me that people would say that, and now it's all I hear."

Lin nods but doesn't reply. She grimaces. "But doesn't it bother you at all the way she's gone about it? Killing people and stealing? She's built this sprawling criminal organization with blood and dust."

"I think it's more like with fire and lightning, Ms. Lee," Lin chuckles and doesn't look away from her. He continues, "And to be honest with you, it doesn't bother me."

Ty Lee turns her head at him, imploring him to go on. "The Fire Lord isn't down here trying to help us. He's too busy with building that shining city on a hill of his."

Ty Lee is aware of the recent work on Cranefish Town and the efforts to 'modernize' it. She doesn't stop him. "I even heard he's commissioned some massive statue of the Avatar, in honor of his love for the boy. Meanwhile, his Fire Nation soldiers harass us, take our taxes, and then enlist our boys. They're not helping us."

The short, portly man motions with his hands as he goes on. "Maybe people are dying, but it's different people now. Before it was us. Our people were the people dying. From starvation and raiders and just from being poor. People were dying before, you just didn't care because they were the right people."

This point makes a lot of sense and deflates Ty Lee. She is starting to see what Azula had meant when she said she was helping people while Zuko and the Warriors were not. She decides to move on. She confronts the fisherman at last.

"Some folks up in town seem to think that you know the Dragon Empress well."

"I do." He admits.

Ty Lee is stunned. "You do?"

"Indeed. I was one of the first people she helped."

"You were?"

"Yes. I don't know why me," he lies, "but my boat, this boat, was stolen, and she took it back for me. Someone told her I needed help and she said, 'the Dragon Empress will forever be a friend to those in need.'"

"That's quite the story," Ty Lee wonders aloud. "So you never talked to her? Never got to know her? Didn't owe her anything?"

"She asked for a home cooked meal for her and her girls. See they were starving themselves," Lin tells the truth. "I obliged them and then they went on their merry way, off to help the next person in need."

"She didn't ask anything more?"

"I couldn't have paid her anything more, Ms. Lee," he assures her. Again, he lies, "I haven't had any dealings with her since then."

Ty Lee feels like this version of Azula is benevolent, but also that it seems too good to be true. Lin cuts into her reflection with a question.

"So what's this all about then? Why are you after her? She's just trying to do a little good in the world. Trying to spread her legacy."

Ty Lee weighs her options for responding. She feels like he could tell her more but isn't sure how to get that out of him. She decides that being honest may be the best way to get an honest response.

"She's somebody that I used to know. We were childhood friends. We grew up together. Did everything together. We were really close. Now I've spent the last two years searching for her and no one ever knows where she is. She's elusive, yet I feel called to find her."

Realization sets upon Lin faster than the sun setting just beyond the horizon. He now knows that this isn't just any Kyoshi Warrior. This is the one.

He asks her, "Why do you think that is?"

Ty Lee purses her lips. Her answer is blunt, "Because she's an arrogant piece of shit and she keeps me up at night."

Lin laughs heartily at this. He knows how important this girl is to the Empress. He smiles and continues to chuckle as he replies, "I see."

There are several seconds of awkward silence as neither knows where to go from here. Ty Lee determines that it's the end of the line for her. She needs to get back, get food, and prepare for the long trip back to Kyoshi Island tomorrow.

"Well, sadly for me I think I've hit a dead end and wasted my time coming here. I'll need to get going, but thank you for your time!"

Her single braided ponytail swings around as she turns and begins walking away. Lin watches her go but he feels conflicted. It makes no Agni damn sense, but he feels compelled to call her back. He can't explain it except that he felt destiny was calling to him to stop her.

"Ms. Lee!" He shouts, standing up finally.

She spins around gracefully on spot.

"I did hear a rumor once. About where she stays. I can't know for sure but maybe it'll help you in your quest."

Ty Lee knew being honest would get her more information. She remains collected as she replies, "I've heard a lot of rumors about where she is and where she goes. What makes this any different?"

"Nothing, I suppose. But do you mind if I share it with you anyway?"

"I'll never turn down more information."

"I heard a rumor a while ago that she spends her winter and early spring months somewhere warm," he tells her with a brief pause. "Somewhere she's familiar with."

"Hmmm," the brunette wonders. "Any idea where?"

"Oh no, Ms. Lee, I wouldn't pretend to know all about that," he replies. He will not blatantly betray her. "There's lots of places that are warm in the Fire Nation, even during winter."

Ty Lee nods her head. She furrows her brow, "But somewhere she's familiar with?"

"That's what I've heard."

Slowly nodding her head more vigorously now she responds, "Thank you, Lin. This has helped a lot."

Ty Lee walks off as the sun sets in the distance. Her mind turns through the sand and her memories wash over her like a wave.

A/N: This chapter's OST is "Hello Zepp" by Charlie Clouser.

Love always. Tyzula forever.

Notorious