Chapter five and final chapter! I know I said I was gonna do Day of Black Sun, but I haven't really been feeling the motivation for this fic after I finished chapter 3, so I'm gonna end this here and let you guys interpret what the rest of the series looks like.
Chapter 5
Infiltration
Zuko rubbed his forehead, trying to wipe away the headache he'd given himself. Since Aang started having all these nightmares, the others had been giving advice and treatments. He'd suggested a single, primal scream to the skies, but the only thing it had done for Aang was give him a sore throat and scare some koala sheep.
"What would Uncle suggest for nightmares?" he muttered to himself. A single laugh shot through the quiet he'd found himself in as he looked over the water. Toph made her way over to Zuko. "Make tea?" she suggested sarcastically. Zuko shrugged. "He did that for me a few times when we were exiled," he replied. "Though I don't think I make tea nearly as well as he does."
"I bet," Toph snickered. "So… whatcha doing here?" she asked. Zuko thought for a moment. "I'm not quite sure. Mostly I was trying to get away from the sheer insanity of what's going on," he replied. Toph nodded. "Totally get it." Then an idea flickered through her mind, and she grinned. "Wanna go further into the Fire Nation?" she asked.
Zuko threw her a confused look. "You mean move to the other side of the island? That's further into the Fire Nation." Toph shook her head. "No, Flameo. I mean further into the Fire Nation, as in the capital," Toph clarified. Zuko's eyes widened. "Are you crazy?! That could jeopardize the entire invasion plan, everything that's been going on!" he yelled.
"Relax, Hotman," Toph said. Zuko rolled his eyes. Ever since Aang brought up what was apparently Fire Nation slang when he wasn't frozen - something Zuko had never heard at all - Toph had been using it mercilessly as Zuko's nicknames. Never before had he wanted to throttle someone so much. "I was just thinking of scouting, sneaking around, maybe bust a street criminal or two," Toph continued.
Zuko stroked his chin, thinking of the benefits and risks. On one hand, two people knowing how to get through the city during the invasion would be helpful, and Zuko hadn't seen the capital in years. On the other hand, the chance of being spotted by civilians, guards, or worse, Azula, was high and could lead to their capture. Zuko wasn't entirely sure of what Azula had done after Team Avatar fled Ba Sing Se, but she'd likely grab what technology she could from the Dai Li.
"Alright," Zuko decided. "But we should tell the others about what we're going to do." Toph snorted. "Katara would likely tell us off and Sokka would flip his lid. And Aang… spirits know what he would do," she said. Zuko raised an eyebrow. "And this isn't going to end like the scams?" he asked.
Toph raised her index finger. "Now hang on. That one was Katara's idea, not mine. Just because Sparky Sparky Boom Man figured us out doesn't mean it was a bad idea." She slid up right next to Zuko. "Besides, the Runaway and… Aang mentioned something about you having an alias?"
"The Blue Spirit," Zuko muttered. Toph beamed. "Exactly! So, the Runaway and the Blue Spirit, sneaking through the capital, causing trouble… doesn't that sound fun? Or is fun something you aren't exactly used to?" Toph asked, and Zuko thought he heard the tiniest edge of a taunt in her voice.
"Alright, but I'd have to get a new mask," Zuko said. Toph grinned. "Good. What's life without a little stealing from a stand?" she asked rhetorically, then turned on her heel. "We'll grab Appa and leave in a little bit. Can't wait for this!" And as Toph walked away, Zuko got the feeling he'd been manipulated into helping Toph live out a fantasy. Zuko sighed. He could only hope Toph wouldn't decide to tear up the streets.
Azula leaned back on the couch, arms folded across her stomach and a bored expression on her face. The Royal Psychiatrist, a balding man with enormous eyebrows named Reng - or was Rang? Or Rong? - was scribbling on his notepad, writing down everything that had happened. Even the most trivial of movements, like brushing a hair aside or the rhythm she tapped her fingers against herself.
"Now, Azula," Reng began, his strange accent clipping each word. "Let's go over your conquest of Ba Sing Se again." Azula rolled her eyes. "We went over it eleven times already!" she replied. Reng raised one of his eyebrows. "Are you, perhaps, not willing to speak of your achievements? Do you feel regret for what you did?"
Azula growled a little, but she knew that the psychiatrist knew what he was doing. Azula took a breath. "Very well. After I escaped Ba Sing Se, I made my way to the nearest Fire Nation outpost and sent orders for every Fire Nation battalion to abandon their posts and make their way towards Ba Sing Se. After a few doctors tended to my wounds, I led the charge, breaking through the walls."
"Yes, several tundra tanks were damaged to break through them," Reng added. Azula ignored him and continued. "The army surged through the streets, laying waste to everything, setting buildings on fire, burning a few civilians, but it was nothing much. Once we got to the palace, things changed. The Avatar hadn't been buried yet, for whatever reason, and his friends fought to escape. In the end, my treacherous brother blew up the Earth King's throne room with a few tons of blasting jelly and nearly killed me and the entire force, while somehow not devastating the palace."
"And the Avatar's friends escaped," Reng added. Azula snarled. "Yes, they did, but it doesn't matter. Without the Avatar, they stand no chance." Reng scribbled on his notepad again. "Yes, and your friends mentioned how ferociously you fought and how you rescued them," he mentioned off-handedly. Azula bolted up. "You spoke with Mai and Ty Lee?" she asked. Reng shrugged. "They are my patients, along with you. Their parents' and the Fire Lord's orders."
Azula flicked her fingers a little. "It was nothing, really," she said. "Just letting out some anger I was holding at the world. And the Earth Kingdom. And just in general." Azula immediately knew she said too much when Reng leaned forward. "In general? What else are you angry about?" he asked, intrigued. A small growl built in her throat. "Zuko being a traitor, Uncle escaping, my mother hating me for being a monster. But do you know what I'm most angry about?" she asked Reng. Reng shook his head. "What?"
"Being forced to suffer with you for days on end!" Azula snapped. Reng sighed. "Very well. I'll terminate today's session," he relented. Azula nodded stiffly. "Good. I suppose I have to see you tomorrow, Rung," she replied. Before Reng could correct her, Azula left the room. Reng sighed, removing the paper from his notepad and summoning for a messenger to take it to the Fire Lord. Reng rubbed his brow. This girl was nearly hopeless.
Again, Zuko muttered curses to himself as he pulled on his black suit, wishing he hadn't gotten rid of his mask. At least he still had his broadswords. Zuko packed a few provisions in a sack, then moved sneakily towards Appa, who was munching on some grass after Sokka got all the measurements he needed for the bison's armor. Sokka himself was currently hammering the helmet when Toph told him Katara was looking for him and it sounded urgent. Zuko almost laughed when Sokka bolted in the direction Toph pointed.
"I think I still pointed the wrong direction," Toph told Zuko when she walked over to him. Zuko smirked a little when she said that. "Okay, Appa, we're just going to head west a little bit," Zuko said reassuringly when he threw the stuff he packed on Appa's saddle. Toph earthbent herself to the top of Appa and stepped into the saddle. "Come on, Hotman! Let's go, before Squawka comes back!" she yelled. Zuko climbed behind Appa's head and grabbed the reins. "Yip yip!" he said, and Appa took to the sky, flying west towards the Fire Nation capital.
"So…" Toph began, leaning back in Appa's saddle. "How long do you think it's gonna be before we get there?" she asked. Zuko shrugged. "Depends. I wouldn't bet more than an hour, though. Try to enjoy the view," he suggested. Toph hmphed, then Zuko sighed. "Sorry. Forgot again." Toph chuckled. "No problem, Sparky. Just messing with you."
About an hour later, they came across the capital island of the Fire Nation. Zuko directed Appa to land on the rear half of the volcano, out of sight of most guards and patrols, near a lava tube. It took all of Zuko's and Toph's convincing power to talk Appa into hiding in the lava tube. "The volcano's been dead for centuries!" Zuko had pointed out. In the end, Appa reluctantly curled up in the tube and started to snooze.
"I can't feel any flat land for a big city," Toph said. "Are you sure we're in the right place?" Zuko nodded. "Yeah, we are. We just need to climb the side of the volcano." Toph snorted. "Climb? When you've got the greatest earthbender in the world? Don't count on it, Hotman." Quickly, Toph earthbent the ground beneath them to act as a platform, racing up the side of the volcano, stopping just short of the edge of the hole. "You're welcome… Zuko?"
Zuko didn't reply as he looked over the city in all its splendor, the red and gold buildings, the Royal Palace, the homes of other nobles and officials… Despite how he had changed over the course of three years, the city still looked almost the same.
"Zuko!" Toph yelped, making Zuko jump a little. He cleared his throat. "Right. We'll grab some masks and things and we'll begin poking around." Toph snorted. "You need a mask, for sure. Me, on the other hand…" Toph took off her headdress, letting her dark hair spill over her shoulders. "I've heard changing hair is a good way to disguise yourself."
Zuko nodded. "Alright. Just get us down to the street level and I'll swipe a blue mask for myself." Toph smirked as she earthbent their platform to the street of the city, just behind a mask vendor who was looking away. Quickly, Zuko swiped the mask and put it over his face. Toph chuckled. "Congratulations, you look no different to me than you did before," she snarked. Zuko sighed. "Let's go. Stay out of sight, in the shadows, and I want to make a quick stop before we go anywhere else."
Toph nodded. "Okay, then. You're the tour guide, after all." Zuko sighed again. "I'm not ever going to hear the end of your nicknames, am I?" he asked dejectedly. Toph elbowed him. "Hey, it's all in good fun. C'mon, let's go, before people start giving us weird looks. The two slipped into the shadows just before a guard patrol made their way towards where Zuko and Toph were just a minute ago.
"Where are we stopping?" Toph asked. Zuko smiled sadly to himself. "An old friend's house. Someone I should have apologized to a while ago." Toph giggled a little. "The way you said that makes me think it's your girlfriend," she replied. Zuko blushed a little under his suit as the two made their way through the shadows. "Yeah… If we were able to properly develop it, and I hadn't been scarred," he replied, his hand subconsciously moving to his eye.
"Sounds rough," Toph replied. "Were your parents really that bad?" she asked. Zuko paused for a moment, causing Toph to bump into him. "My father, yes. My mother, though… she wasn't. She was kind, loving, and always looking out for me. Then one night, she said goodbye to me, and I haven't seen her since. I don't know if she's alive or dead, or if she even remembers me…"
"And I thought my parents were bad," Toph muttered. "I mean, they stifled me and always babied me, but they were never like that." She patted Zuko's arm. "At least your uncle is good." Zuko nodded. "Yeah. If it wasn't for Uncle, I'd be more like my father. Uncle Iroh was the only one who stood with me after my mother disappeared."
They stood still for a moment, then Toph patted Zuko's arm. "I'm really sorry about all of that, Zuko," she said. "You know, when all of this is over, I should bring you to see my parents and we can talk to them. Who knows, they might start pampering you."
Zuko smiled a little under his mask. "Yeah, maybe… Didn't you once mention something about your parents sending bounty hunters after you, though?" he asked. Toph shrugged. "Yeah, but if it weren't for those two dunderheads, I wouldn't have learned to metalbend." Zuko nodded. "Makes enough sense, like some kind of silver lining on a cloud."
The two stood awkwardly for another moment before a slight shriek caught their attention. "Check it out?" Toph asked. Zuko nodded. "Might as well." The two crept towards the sound and peeked around the corner. A mugger was blocking a woman, threatening her with a knife and backing her against a wall. The woman, panicking, threw all her money towards him. "Here! Take it! Leave me alone!" she yelled. The mugger chuckled darkly. "I don't think so. Not just yet," he said sinisterly, switching his knife to his left hand and summoned a fireball in his right. "Now, I'mma give you a choice. Either do as I say, or get stabbed and burned. One will hurt terribly, the other will hurt excruciatingly. What'll it be?"
Right as he moved closer, a broadsword leapt out of the darkness and slashed the knife right out of the mugger's hand. The mugger, now only armed with his fireball, blasted into the darkness, but his flames only washed over a rock that rushed out and slammed him into a wall three times. The rock wall receded and the mugger fell over, eyes rolling up and groaning. The woman quickly grabbed her money and ran away, not noticing her saviors coming out of the shadows. Toph laughed. "That felt good," she commented, flexing her arms. Zuko picked up his sword, took her arm and pulled her back into the shadows.
"Chances are likely there'll be guards coming soon," Zuko said, pulling Toph further into the shadows. "We need to keep moving." Toph shook herself out of Zuko's grasp. "I've got an idea. What's one place in the entire Fire Nation where guards wouldn't think to look for two vigilantes?" she asked, a mischievous grin on her face. Zuko shrugged. "By the turtle-ducks?"
Toph facepalmed. "No. The palace! And who knows, maybe while we're there, we could, I don't know, destroy some things?" she added as her grin grew. Zuko thought about it a moment, then nodded. "Alright. But strictly reconnaissance. We don't want to leave too many telltale signs." Toph sighed. "Fine, then, Prince Buzz-Kill. Let's go." The two began moving towards the palace through the shadows.
"Princess?" a courier began as he approached Azula, who was in the middle of getting her hair done. She flicked an eye open. "Yes?" she asked. The courier stammered a little. "Your father sent me to remind you that the war meeting starts in half an hour's time."
"I am aware," Azula replied. "As are the people in my inner circle, and my hairdressers currently working for me. I shall be on time." She waved him off. "You can tell my father as much. I'm certain he will understand." The courier bowed. "Un-understood, Princess," he stammered. Azula smirked. "Now, off with you. You're ruining the atmosphere." Her smirk grew as the courier scurried off and out of the room. Azula's eyes flickered to the girls combing out her hair. "You have ten minutes," she declared. "Make sure you get it done in that timeframe, or else you will hear from my father and me." The pace quickened immediately.
Azula sighed, relaxing for probably the first time in weeks. Ever since she secretly hired the assassin to take out the Avatar's friends, she'd gotten a message back saying the Avatar was alive. She'd been tense for days on end when she got the message, afraid of what would happen if her father found out. It wasn't until a week later did she decide to burn the message.
Ten minutes later, Azula let her servants help get her new royal armor on as she admired the dark ebony plating. Quickly making sure she had full range of movement in the new armor, she nodded as her servants opened the doors for her, Mai and Ty Lee standing by the doors. Ty Lee smiled widely. "You look so intimidating!" she complimented. Mai chuckled darkly. "If I were an enemy, I'd need to change my robes," she commented. Azula smirked. "Luckily, we won't have to deal with that. Right?"
Her friends nodded, then the three made their way through the royal palace. Mai briefly stopped by the courtyard, gazing wistfully at the fountain. "Oh, Zuko," she sighed as she remembered when the two had fallen in. Azula glanced back. "You're not still hung up on my brother, are you?" she asked. Mai shrugged. "Maybe… just enjoying memories." Ty Lee giggled a little. "Oh, come on, Azula. Someday, you look back on that boy's house we trashed and think, "Man, that was fun." I know I will."
"That was fun," Azula replied. "Maybe you're right, Ty Lee. Maybe enough to sigh wistfully." Mai nudged Azula gently and the three continued, blissfully unaware of the two benders directly above them.
"Mai," Zuko whispered wistfully. Toph repressed a chuckle. "Is she the one who sighs a lot? Makes sense that you'd fall in love with her." Zuko elbowed her. "Shush. We don't want to be spotted. Remember the reason we came here in the first place. Recon."
"Then recon away, oh Spymaster," Toph said sarcastically. "It's not like I can see much anyway. Oh, wait! I can't see anything at all!" Zuko elbowed her again. "Listen."
"So this is a war meeting you're going to?" Ty Lee was saying. The two heard Azula chuckle. "Not just any war meeting. One of the last ones before Sozin's Comet arrives. And after that… Well, my plan will give us a new slate to work on."
"Care to give us any information?" Mai asked in her usual monotone. Azula hummed a minute, then responded. "No. Just in case you get captured and the enemy decides to torture it out of you." Zuko glanced over to Toph as he heard Mai shrug. "Guess it was worth a shot," Mai relented.
"You hear that?" Zuko whispered urgently to Toph. Toph nodded. "A war meeting… Well, we're already here. Might as well sneak in," she responded, cracking her knuckles. Zuko shook his head, the grin on his mask the opposite of how he felt. "It's going to be tricky, and there are very few places to hide in there. Not to mention-"
"You forget you have the only metalbender in the world - as of right now, at least - with you?" she asked rhetorically. "Just lead me in the right direction and I'll get us in. We'll listen, gasp at doomsday plans, then run back to the rest of the team and no one will be the wiser." Toph smirked a little when she heard Zuko sigh. "Fine. Let's do it. Take my hand," he said. Toph reached out and grabbed his hand tightly, and the two ran off across the roof towards the central palace.
They ran until Zuko stopped on one of the roofs. "Alright, open a hole right here. This should lead to the ceiling," Zuko explained. "We'll hide in the rafters." Toph nodded, stretching out her hands and flexing her fingers. The metal roof tore itself open, and the two jumped down into some rafters that were directly above the giant map on the floor. Toph quickly closed the hole as generals and officials started moving their way into the room.
"I'm hearing a lot of voices," Toph muttered. "It would be pretty bad if any of them saw us." Zuko shushed her. "Don't jinx us," he muttered back before turning his attention to Azula making her way to the Fire Lord's left side.
"I welcome you all to my chambers," Ozai began the meeting. "Now, General Shinu, your report." The general in question stood, bowed, and made his way around to face the Fire Lord. "Ba Sing Se is still under our control. However, earthbender rebellions have prevented us from achieving total victory in the Earth Kingdom," he said.
Ozai leaned forward, left eyebrow raised. "What is your recommendation?" he asked. Shinu straightened. "Our army is spread too thin, but once the eclipse is over and the invasion defeated, we should transfer more domestic forces into the Earth Kingdom," the general answered.
"Hmm," Ozai began, then turned to his left. "Princess, you've conquered several Earth Kingdom commoners, yes? Do you think adding more troops will stop any rebellions?" he asked. Azula stood. "As much as I'd like to say yes, that is not the case. For example, after I took Ba Sing Se, several commoners began throwing things at me and my troops. They still had some deluded hope they could succeed. I'd recommend destroying their hope… and destroying the entire Kingdom itself. Burn the land and their hope to ash."
"Yes… Yes, you're right, Azula," Ozai said, and Azula smirked. Ozai stood and walked to the world map. "Sozin's Comet is almost upon us, and on that day, it will endow us with the strength and power of a hundred suns. No bender will stand a chance against us."
"What are you suggesting, sir?" General Shinu asked. Ozai smirked. "When the comet last came, my grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin, used it to wipe out the Air Nomads. Now, I will use its power to end the Earth Kingdom... permanently," he explained as he walked to the center. "From our airships, we will rain fire over their lands, a fire that will destroy everything; and out of the ashes, a new world will be born, a world in which all the lands are Fire Nation and I am the supreme ruler of everything!"
The generals stood and applauded, but no sound came from the two shocked members of Team Avatar hidden in the rafters. "No…" Zuko whispered, horrified. Toph's face set in a stony-like grimace. "We need to get out of here! Now!" she yell-whispered at Zuko as she metalbent a hole in the roof. Zuko shook himself out of his trance and helped heave Toph onto the roof before climbing out himself. Toph closed the hole, and the two ran across the rooftops.
"Wait!" Zuko exclaimed after they had gotten off of the palace roofs and onto the ground. Toph skidded to a halt. "What?" she asked, clearly anxious. Zuko pulled a piece of paper out of his suit. "I'm leaving this for Mai. Hopefully, she'll read it and maybe join up with us," he explained. Toph felt like slapping him. "If the conversation we heard her having with Azula is right, she's not joining us any time soon. We need to warn the others!"
"This'll only take a few minutes!" Zuko promised as he ran towards Mai's house. Toph rolled her eyes as she began to follow him, listening to the sounds of his footsteps.
Zuko scaled the walls of Mai's house, the note held loosely in his hand. After a moment of climbing, he rolled through the window into Mai's room and, after taking a moment to breathe and look around, placed the slightly crumpled letter on Mai's bed, then quickly leapt out the window and landed with a roll, coming smoothly to his feet. Toph clapped sarcastically. "I couldn't see it, but I guess you did something dramatic," she said dryly. Zuko rolled his eyes. "Sure. Let's go." The two snuck into the shadows around the city, finally reaching the edge of the volcano. Toph earthbent the volcanic rock into a platform and lifted them both to the rim of the caldera.
"We're lucky we weren't spotted," Toph remarked as the two made their way to Appa. Zuko pulled off his Blue Spirit mask and hung it on his side. "Yeah… lucky," he replied. "Toph, you realize this plan they were making… it could destroy everything." Toph scoffed a little. "We'll invade and stop the Fire Lord before the Comet arrives. And if that doesn't work, we'll stop him before that. We don't need to worry much."
The flight back to camp was silent as the two individually pondered and worried about what Ozai was plotting. When Appa finally touched down on the island, the sun was beginning to set and the shadows were growing long. Toph and Zuko quickly slipped off of Appa and started sneaking towards the camp… only for Katara and Sokka to appear from behind a herd of koala-sheep, disapproving frowns on their faces and shears in their hands.
Zuko gulped. "Hey, guys," he stammered nervously. "What's going on?" Katara raised an eyebrow and pointed her shears at Zuko and Toph. "I should be asking you that," she said, her voice kept neutral and even. Sokka's frown grew. "Did you two go further into the Fire Nation?" he asked. Toph blinked a little. "Well… we may have gotten to the Capital," she began before Sokka squawked in indignance.
"The Capital!? Are you trying to ruin the invasion plan?!" Sokka's yells turned shrill as he started to rant about how everything was jeopardized and Aang could be found out about. Katara sighed. "At least you're both okay," she said over Sokka's squawks. "But you still need to be punished. As it happens, we have a lot of koala-sheep to shear and it just so happens that Sokka and I need a break."
"Wait, before you do that-" Zuko began, but he was cut off by Katara dropping the shears in his and Toph's hands. "We can talk after you finish shearing," she said sternly. "But-" Toph yelped as Katara silenced her with a glare. "Get to work, you two. This needs to be done before dark," she said as she walked off, Sokka following her.
Zuko and Toph dropped to their knees. "Y'know, if it weren't for the fact we had information that could decide the fate of the world, I wouldn't say anything just to spite them," Toph said. Zuko sighed. "Let's just get this over with. If we're lucky, that information won't be needed."
"Zuko…" Toph began. Zuko turned to her. "Thanks. For a memorable day. And after we're done with all this, I'm going to talk to my parents. Properly. Face-to-face. Who knows, we might make up for lost time," she said with a small smile. Zuko smiled back. "No problem. Glad I could help." And with that, the two began shearing the koala-sheep as the sun began to sink lower and lower.
Well, this is the last chapter, guys. This fic was fun for a bit, but all good things must come to an end. As always, stay safe, healthy, and don't let cats scratch you.