Chapter 114
In the aftermath of her remarkable victory in the world championship finals, Azula was not allowed to savor the moment of the spectators chanting her name as much as she would have liked it. Once Azula was done waving to the crowd, she had run over to where Yue and Katara were embracing and dancing with joy. Azula and her girlfriends had exchanged the kind of gestures of affection that left no illusions to the true nature of their relationship to the crowd of spectators, but the reaction of the public had not changed, if anything some pockets of the audience had cheered even louder at them embracing and kissing. Shortly afterwards, however, the tournament officials had showed up to drag a very reluctant Azula away to face the reporters in a press conference.
As she sat down to face the reporters, Azula was not surprised that the chair to her right was empty. Ozai had no intentions of submitting himself to the double humiliation of having to answer questions about both his devastating final round collapse and his treasonous arms dealings. Piandao was sitting to Azula's left, the old grandmaster having eked out a draw in his final round game against Aang. Even though Zuko had destroyed Zhao and caught up to Piandao on points, Piandao was still placed above Zuko because of a better head-to-head record.
Azula was not amused when the first round of questions that she had to deal with all concerned the stories circulating about her father. At Azula's request, Toph had started this avalanche which had then come crashing down on Ozai's head, but Azula did not want to brag about having anything to do with it. She answered the questions with trite one liners, vapid smiles and shrugs, pretending to have little understanding of politics, and she was happy when Piandao finally jumped into the discussion, using the opportunity to unload on Ozai for not only being complicit in a bloody military conflict that had cost too many lives of good Fire Nation soldiers, but also for bringing both the Fire Nation and the International Pai Sho federations in disrepute with his actions. Piandao was calling for an immediate purge of both organizations from Ozai and his sycophants. Azula had to laugh inwardly at how many of the federation officials present were left cringing and looking distinctively uncomfortable at Piandao's ranting, probably already plotting how to distance themselves from Ozai and save their own skins.
Azula was a little annoyed that not too many questions were asked about the actual match of the last round. As far as Azula was convinced, she had played one of the best games of her life, and the fact that she had chosen such a controversial opening in the final round when she had needed a win would surely in time be viewed as a legendary achievement. However, Azula had shed much of her vanity, and she understood that the events in the world at large were too pivotal to be ignored. The Dai Li manipulated Earth Kingdom government had fallen. The general public of the Fire Nation was in an uproar and purges in the highest levels of government appeared imminent. The world around her was changing, and Azula wanted to believe that the change she had helped to bring about would be a positive one, without Ozai pulling strings from the shadows, like the sinister puppet master that he was.
"We have just received breaking news that the interim government of the Earth Kingdom has issued an immediate ceasefire," a breathless sounding reporter who had joined the press conference late spoke to them. "If the Fire Army leadership accepts this gesture, this could pave the way to peace," he added, giving both Azula and Piandao expectant stares, failing to realize that he hadn't actually asked a question.
"Well, I hope that the Fire Army leadership accepts the ceasefire," Azula said. "All of us long for peace, don't we? I don't even remember what this war was supposed to be about…" she added with an awkward chuckle, but the somewhat confused and uncertain reaction from the reporters was telling. "I think we are all in agreement that there were no good reasons for this war to occur or continue this long," she finished, earning herself nods and smiles.
"The young lady is assuredly correct," Piandao was quick to give her an approving nod. "Those responsible for inciting and prolonging this war should be called to answer for their crimes. You know damn well who I'm talking about," he added with a stern look on his face.
"I fully agree with Master Piandao," Azula said, smiling at the old grandmaster, sensing an opportunity to bring up something she had wanted to address now that the eyes of the Pai Sho world were on her. "My father should be investigated, but not only for his involvement in the illegal arms trading. I have the sincerest hope that the International Pai Sho federation will launch a full investigation in the actions of Ozai Nakamura and review every decision made while he was presiding over the board of the federation." Following Azula's statement, there were a lot of supportive nods around the room from both the reporters and the federation officials.
"And in particular, I would like to draw attention to the events of the previous world championship finals two years ago," Azula continued. "Investigation was launched back then, but blocked simply because of the influence of my father, and we all know why he did that. Those of us who have seen the tapes, know that Ozai Nakamura violated the touch and move rule, and he should have been awarded a loss in his game against Katara Enuaraq. This injustice should be corrected. I demand that an honest investigation of these events is launched, and Katara Enuaraq be awarded her title of a world Pai Sho champion, title that she deservedly won on merit."
Once again, her words were met with approving nods, giving Azula hope that this time something would be done to reverse the injustice. Azula knew that as the reigning world champion she was going to have considerable influence in the Pai Sho circles. She duly intended to use it to get justice for Katara.
"We have time for two more questions, ladies and gentlemen," the official in charge of the press conference told the reporters. Azula was getting a little tired from facing the press, but she had a statement of her own to make, before the officials dragged her away for the next publicity event on the agenda.
"Azula, who do you think your main challengers will be in the next championship cycle?" one of the reporters asked. Azula found herself grinning at the question, because it set up her statement perfectly. And that the question was posed at the very end of the press conference was ideal.
"I believe that in the finals two years from now, the title will be decided between my brother Zuko and Aang Jetsun," Azula replied. "Although I can't rule out the other challengers from the younger generation, they are all very talented."
The reporter who had asked the question looked rather confused, and so did many others in the room. "You don't have faith in your own abilities to defend the title you have only just won?" the same reporter asked again.
"I have faith in my abilities, but the truth is that I do not intend to defend my title," Azula replied with a smug grin. "I have already played my final game of professional Pai Sho," she added. The crowd of reporters went absolutely wild at the bomb she had just dropped, shouting more and more questions over each other, but Azula had no intentions to indulge them any further. "I'm sorry, but that was the last question. Thank you," she spoke into the microphone. Then Azula rose and turned to walk away, leaving a crowd of perplexed reporters unable to calm down and still trying to shout their questions at her, but Azula was already gone, leaving behind a complete pandemonium as she reveled in her spectacular drama queen exit.
Following Azula's grand victory, the next few hours for Katara felt like a blurry but happy haze. At first, they had intended to wait for Azula at the theatre house, but then someone, probably Mai or Ty Lee, had come up with the idea to throw Azula a victory party as soon as all the boring formalities were concluded and she was released by the tournament officials. Sokka, Katara, Yue, Mai and Ty Lee had then returned to the cottage, while Aang and Zuko had remained at the theatre, also having to take part in some of the boring publicity events, and obviously Suki was busy documenting everything for The Harmony Ring. Neither Katara nor Yue had much recollection of how they had made it back to the cottage, because the two of them felt almost like utterly smashed from happiness and they had lost all ability to act or reason rationally.
Sokka had inquired with some of the local restaurants and clubs about securing a private venue for the evening, but considering the extremely late notice and the fact that it was still prime tourist season on Ember Island, it had been a no go and they had been forced to stick with the cottage. Holding a party down by the beach would have been amazing as well, but they were all worried that now that Azula had become the world champion, their private party might be raided by groups of Pai Sho fans or some reporters who would probably be even less respectful. Sokka and Suki had brought up the idea of arranging a private party for Azula ahead of time, counting on her to win the final round game, but Yue and Katara had flatly shot down that idea, not wanting to jinx Azula.
So, once Katara and Yue had snapped out of their daze and had finally managed to accept the fact that Azula had realized her most coveted dream and had become the world champion, humiliating her father in the process, they had joined Sokka, Ty Lee and Mai in their efforts to bring a party atmosphere to the cottage before the others returned to join them. Katara thought that they had done a passable job with what little resources they had at hand, and together with Yue and Sokka, they had even managed to make a rather cute colored paper crown to place on Azula's head once she returned to the cottage to be properly toasted. Ty Lee and Mai had also made a mad dash to some of the local bakers and wine shops before returning with a couple of wicker baskets full of goodies that were bound to make the hastily organized party a rousing success.
They were close to finishing their preparations, when Suki arrived at the cottage all by herself. "I think that Azula, Zuko and Aang will take at least another half an hour. Those photo shoots always last a crazy amount of time," Suki explained when pressed for information on the whereabouts of their other friends. "Guys, you'll want to know what happened in the press conference, though… and that's assuming that you didn't already know. In which case, I'm never forgiving you for not giving me that scoop."
"What are you talking about, Suki?" Yue asked, looking just as confused as Katara felt.
"You didn't know that Azula was planning to retire from the pro tour?" Suki asked. Katara and Yue exchanged stunned stares. Katara's head was starting to spin a bit and she had to reach out and steady herself against the back of a chair. "Okay, I guess you didn't know," Suki said. "But yeah, that's what she told the reporters, that she has already played her final game as a pro."
"I had suspicions that she might do something like that," Yue finally admitted, much to Katara's surprise. Katara had somehow not suspected this at all. Azula had always been so passionate, living and breathing Pai Sho. Katara was immediately concerned about Azula's reasons for making this decision. She resolved to make sure that Azula was not sacrificing something precious to her just because she thought that it was what her girlfriends wanted.
"I had no idea," Katara confessed. "Did she say why?"
Suki shook her head at that. "Nope, it was the final question and then she fled without any further comments," the Kyoshi Island girl said. "And Katara, you might be interested in something else Azula said during the press conference."
"What did she say?" Katara demanded.
"Azula called for an investigation into Ozai's actions as a board member of the International Pai Sho Federation," Suki replied. "Azula demanded a real investigation and not a sham. And she specifically called for a review of the world championship finals from two years ago."
Katara gasped in shock. "She shouldn't have!" she exclaimed. Katara had tried her best to make peace with the fact that she hadn't been crowned the world Pai Sho champion even though she had earned the title. Still, as hard as she may have tried, the unfairness of it all still bothered her now and then, and it wasn't because she wanted to be able to brag and show off her title. It was simply the principle of the thing. She had been the best player during that tournament and she had won it fair and square. She had been cheated out of something that was rightfully hers, but still, Katara hoped that Azula would not end up making more enemies because she wanted to press with this investigation.
"I think it's wonderfully sweet that she wants to do it, and I think that she should push for it," Yue clearly disagreed. "Azula's title will now give her a lot of influence in the Pai Sho circles, Kat. This is something worth using her newfound influence on, trust me."
"Well, okay… I suppose I'll let her try, but honestly, I won't be disappointed if nothing came of it. I've made my peace with not being the champion," Katara said, aware that she was not being entirely truthful. Now that she had been made aware of possibly being awarded the title that she so richly deserved, she couldn't stop herself from hoping that the results of the finals from two years ago would be reversed.
"But you know that you deserve it, Kat," Yue wouldn't let go. Katara gave her a soft smile, feeling grateful for the support. Yue leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "You'll always be a world champion in my eyes, Kat, whether this investigation changes anything or not," Yue whispered to her.
With Suki's arrival, the party preparations kicked into a new gear. With less than half an hour to go before Azula returned to the cottage together with Zuko and Aang, there wasn't much time left, but with Suki now taking charge and organizing things, Katara was happy to admit that their friends had done a great job transforming the slightly worn-down cottage into a festive party place with banners and everything.
On this occasion, Katara and Yue proved quite useless in assisting with the party preparations. The two Water Tribe girls were still giddy and overwhelmed with emotions of pure joy from having watched their beloved girlfriend realizing her longtime dream. The news that Azula had both announced her retirement from professional Pai Sho, and that she was determined to make sure that Katara also received her stolen title had further agitated both Katara and Yue. With the two of them being useless and getting in everyone's way, Sokka had eventually chased them out of the cottage, and now they were standing on the porch, holding hands and watching the gravel path leading up to the cottage, hoping to spot Azula arriving any moment now.
Eventually, they spotted Azula as she appeared on the path, walking just ahead of Aang and Zuko, looking perfect as always in her flared red pants and matching short sleeved tunic. Katara and Yue both immediately charged down the gravel path, their excited shouting appearing to startle Azula, but then the two Water Tribe girls caught up with their girlfriend and pulled Azula into a heated exchange of hugs and kisses that made Aang and Zuko discreetly sneak past them and hastily make their way up to the cottage, leaving the three amorous fools behind.
"I think I've said it before already, but I'm so proud of you, Zula," Yue was the first to speak after they had all calmed down slightly.
"Likewise," Katara said, not letting go of Azula's waist. "Also, Suki said that you have some news you might want to share with us," she added, giving Azula a meaningful waggle of eyebrows.
"Haha, Kat, let Azula catch her breath before we interrogate her," Yue intervened quickly. "Zula, let's get you inside and have you seated. We have prepared a little welcoming party for you, nothing too fancy, but trust me when I say that it all comes from our hearts." Azula looked both grateful and intrigued by Yue's words, allowing her Water Tribe loves to lead her up to the cottage.
Inside, Azula was jumped by an even larger group of friends eager to congratulate the Fire Nation girl on her amazing success. A while later, Azula was seated at a table laden with party snacks, having been forced to let her hair all the way down so that she could wear the cute paper crown of the world champion. Katara had always found Azula astonishingly beautiful, even when she was all messy haired and snoring loudly into a drool-stained pillow, but on this particular occasion, Azula seemed to possess the kind of ethereal beauty that cut straight to Katara's heart.
"This is amazing," Azula remarked, happily gorging on the party treats. "Those assholes of the tournament organizing committee put us through all these formal events without ever thinking to feed us, aside from a tepid cup of tea and a couple of boring biscuits," Azula complained. Katara was glad that Azula was not shy about displaying a healthy appetite. Despite Katara always trying to make sure that Azula maintained healthy eating habits, Azula always ended up losing a lot of weight during the tournaments. The finals had lasted for six long weeks and the experience had been far more stressful than the average tournament. Azula had looked a little worn down towards the final stages of the tournament, so Katara felt quite relieved to see her now taking a large bite out of a tasty looking profiterole.
"So, Azula, not to rush you or anything, but I think your girlfriends are kind of anxious to hear about some of the bombs you dropped during that press conference," Suki spoke up once it seemed that Azula had satisfied her immediate hunger and was now enjoying her victory champagne that Sokka had poured in for her. "And I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't interested in hearing the news from a firsthand source," Suki added with a grin.
"What exactly do you want to hear from me?" Azula asked, sipping her champagne and looking perfectly content with life right now.
"When did you decide to retire?" Katara blurted out impatiently. "And why didn't you let us know beforehand?"
"Was it really a spur of the moment thing?" Yue added. "Because if it is, how can you be sure that you won't miss the game too much and it won't make you reconsider?"
"I'm sorry for not telling you before, girls," Azula sighed, looking genuinely apologetic. "But I didn't want to say anything because that decision hinged completely on whether I won against my father or not. I didn't want to say anything in advance because-"
"Because you thought you would jinx yourself?" Yue laughed. "That's so rich coming from the ever-logical Azula Nakamura who doesn't believe in jinxes," she added, looking beyond amused.
"Hey, I can understand that," Katara protested. "But are you sure that you'll be happy and in peace with this decision, Zula?"
"Honestly, I wasn't completely sure until I said those words, and then it just felt so liberating," Azula replied, sounding like she meant it. "I had been thinking about it before, but I hadn't realized just how much of my motivation was tied into defeating my father. And now that I have done that, I think I'll be comfortable with ending my Pai Sho career. Besides, what could be better than going out on the top? I've already reached the peak and there are no other, higher peaks for me to climb. I don't care about winning multiple world titles like father did, it was like a status symbol he wanted to maintain. No, the more I think about this decision, the better I feel about it," Azula said, nodding to herself.
"Well, as long as you're certain, Zula," Yue said, unable to contain her smile.
"Yes, I agree," Katara nodded. "I really couldn't have imagined that all three of us would have retired from Pai Sho at the age of twenty-four, but maybe it's not that surprising. There's more to life than Pai Sho."
"What are you going to do if you're not going to play Pai Sho, Azula?" Aang asked.
Azula shrugged. "I don't really want to think about that just yet," she replied. "The world is my oyster, isn't that what they say? Besides, the title I just won will place a lot of responsibilities on me for the next two years, until someone else wins the next finals. I'll have a lot of publicity stuff to do for the Pai Sho tour and everything. As for other things, I really have no plan… and for once, I'm alright with that," Azula said, looking more relaxed than Katara could remember seeing her in years.
"Well, you can always make good use of your journalism degree," Suki winked at her, no doubt savoring the idea of Azula potentially working for The Harmony Ring again.
"I appreciate the subtle hint, Suki, but with this title of the world champion in my pocket, simply working as a humble reporter… I don't know if that's for me," Azula replied. "I do like to write, though. Maybe I could pen a book or something? It would probably sell."
"As long as you're careful what you write about," Zuko muttered, looking a little concerned. "Anyway, thank you for saying that Aang and I are the big favorites for the next cycle. I'm not sure I appreciate the pressure you just put me under, but still, thanks for the nod, I guess."
"Yeah, that was nice of you to say," Aang smiled at Azula. "Zuko and I will have one heck of a battle next cycle, I'm sure."
"Well, ignore Toph at your own peril. And the other upcoming challengers are no less dangerous," Azula warned. "Besides, if you two become too arrogant, I can always make a comeback to take you down a peg or two. Hmm, or even better, Katara and I could help Yue make a comeback and win the title, so that we can have a world champion threesome."
Yue actually looked really excited about that idea. "That would be awesome!" she exclaimed, before forcing herself to tone down the excitement. "I mean, not anytime soon, obviously, but maybe at some point in the future," she said.
"That might be exciting, yes," Katara agreed readily. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I appreciate that you are campaigning for me to be awarded the title which I rightfully won, but there are no guarantees that the investigation will change anything."
"You're going to be a world champion, Kat. You already are, and nothing will change my mind on that," Azula said sternly. "I just want to make sure that the whole world recognizes it as well."
Katara felt her heart melting into a puddle at Azula's passionate declaration, but she couldn't help remaining a little worried. "Your father will probably continue to oppose your efforts," she said.
Azula snorted at that. "I think Ozai will have more pressing matters on his mind in the near future," she stated confidently.
"The way he stormed off was just crazy," Aang shook his head. "He's always been a very scary man, but right then I wouldn't have wanted to be in his way."
"Like that tournament official," Zuko said, shrugging. "I think he's still searching for some of his teeth."
"What do you think will happen with your father now?" Sokka asked, looking from Zuko to Azula and back. "Can he survive this fall from grace?"
"I don't think so," Zuko shook his head. "I suspect he's done."
Azula frowned at Zuko's words. Katara could see that deep down Azula was still worried and nervous. As horrible as Ozai had been to Zuko and Ursa, he had dug his claws into Azula much deeper, so it made sense that she struggled to believe that she could finally be free of Ozai's shadow for good. "I'd like to think as you do, Zuko," Azula said eventually. "But I just don't know. I don't want to assume anything. Maybe he has another backup plan, such as… I don't know, taking over the Fire Nation directly?"
"Could he even do that?" Suki gasped.
"I don't know," Azula shrugged. "I don't want to rule out anything when it comes to Ozai."
"I think we should stop discussing topics that bring down the party mood," Mai said, as she entered the room together with Ty Lee. The two had disappeared a few minutes earlier, but now they returned carrying a large chocolate cake which they somewhat unexpectedly placed on the table in front of Katara.
"What's this?" Katara wondered. She was feeling quite perplexed. "Surely this is for Azula."
"Nope," Ty Lee grinned, shaking her head. "Remember how the other half of your birthday party was ruined, Katara?" she asked. "Well, Mai and I decided that you deserve some kind of compensation for that. So, today we celebrate both Azula becoming a world champion, but also your birthday, Katara."
"That's an amazing idea," Yue cheered, Azula nodding her head and smiling, not looking upset at all about sharing the spotlight.
Katara felt overwhelmed by the wonderful and unexpected gesture. She got up from her seat to hug both Ty Lee and Mai. "I'm absolutely speechless. I didn't expect this at all! Thank you so much!" she smiled, watching her friends all as one raising a toast to her, Suki coming to help with cutting the cake. This gesture felt particularly touching since it had come from Mai and Ty Lee, the two girls in the group that Katara had bonded with the least, Mai in particular. It had taken a lot of time for them all to grow close, but now Katara felt that finally there were ties of genuine friendship between all of them, with the only potential tension being the issue of Jet between Suki and Ty Lee.
It was many hours of fun and festivities later, with Aang, Mai and Ty Lee having returned to their own cottage, when the threesome finally made it back to their bedroom. All three of them were just tipsy enough to not care that the walls of the cottage were fairly thin and hardly soundproof. And it was just as well that the amount of champagne and wine consumed had set any shyness and hesitancy aside, because with so many reasons to celebrate, it was inevitable that all three of them wanted to cap the day off with a spectacular encounter between the sheets.
As it was usual for them, their making out sessions started out slowly, with long drawn and savored kisses that gradually built heat up to insufferable levels that demanded release. Articles of clothing fell by the wayside one by one, until they were down to their undergarments. Katara took over smooching with Azula as Yue sat back on her haunches and observed them with a hungry look on her face.
"Damn, I never thought I'd have the privilege of watching two world Pai Sho champions making out like that," Yue commented with amusement and eagerness in her voice.
"Not a world champion yet-" Katara just about managed to exclaim, before Azula recaptured her lips again with a hungry whine.
"You're as good as, I promise," Azula said, eventually breaking the kiss. "Does that turn you on, Yue?" she looked up at their girlfriend, having noticed that Yue had failed to resist the urge to touch herself.
"You bet it does," Yue sighed dreamily. "It's kind of ridiculous, I mean, we've been together for what… four and a half years? But watching you two going at it still makes me insanely horny," she managed, letting out an excited giggle.
Katara and Azula both reached out at the same time to pull Yue down on the bed with them. "We're not going to let you just watch, you know that, right?" Azula smirked. "You're about to find out what it's like to be taken care of by two world champions at once."
Yue had no issue whatsoever with said promise, not then, nor throughout the rest of the very busy night.
Ozai Nakamura was becoming more and more frustrated as the evening grew late. He had been working the phones for many hours now, but at the end of the day he still didn't have much to show for it. The attempt to throw Zhao and the top executives of Nakamura Industries under the bus did not appear to be working. Some of them had fled, one had driven his car off from a two hundred feet tall drop down the mountain, and Zhao seemed to be looking to cut a deal with the prosecutor's office. Ozai had tried to prevent it from happening, but his own contacts at the prosecutor's office were not returning his calls.
This was a story that had been repeating throughout the whole day. Most people on his payroll were suddenly busy and unavailable, failing to answer his calls. Those who answered obviously swore their undying loyalty to him as he barked his commands at them, but more often than not, there was no follow through on his requests. The whole situation was becoming maddening for Ozai as he began to feel the ground shaking under his feet.
For the past half an hour, Ozai had been trying to get through to the parliamentary secretary at the Ministry of Defense, one of his most valuable assets, a man by the name of Liang. He had been instrumental in greasing the wheels of the war, making sure that the higher ups in the army command all received their cut from war profiteering and could enjoy themselves like pigs in the mud. Ozai was just about to conclude that Liang had also decided to cut and run, almost ready to give up, when his phone call was suddenly answered, but not by Liang. Instead, he heard the voice of a very severe sounding woman.
"I don't know who the hell you are, but get Liang on the line for me right now," Ozai bellowed irately.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible," the woman replied, keeping her voice low and dangerous. "Parliamentary secretary Liang has gone out for a walk."
"For fuck's sake," Ozai swore angrily, cursing Liang's decision to go for a walk at the most inopportune time. "Tell that idiot that he is to call Ozai Nakamura immediately upon his return," Ozai snapped.
"I don't think he's coming back from his walk, Mr. Nakamura," the woman replied, sounding irritatingly droll. "You see, parliamentary secretary Liang went for a walk by opening his office window and then stepping outside, but considering that his office is located on the thirty-sixth floor… like I said, he's not in a state to come back, Mr. Nakamura."
"You think this is funny, bitch?" Ozai yelled.
"It is to me," the woman said. Ozai was about to hang up on this cunt of epic proportions before the bitch spoke up again. "Mr. Nakamura, are you still on your Ember Island property?"
"What is it to you?" Ozai snapped.
"I'll take that as a yes," the woman replied, suddenly becoming all businesslike. "I would advise you to stay put, Sir. Some of my colleagues are already on their way to… have a talk with you, Mr. Nakamura. They will arrive at your location in roughly twenty minutes."
"I don't know who the hell you think you are, but if you think you can intimidate me-"
"There is no need for such hostility, Mr. Nakamura," the woman replied smugly. "My colleagues merely wish to ask you a few questions. And unfortunately for you, they have all the necessary clearances and permissions to ensure your full cooperation."
"Fuck you! I'll send them to hell full of led!" Ozai shouted before slamming down the receiver and shoving the phone aside as it fell to the floor. Ozai then pulled out his desk drawer and fumbled around in search of his 9mm Beretta, eventually managing to find the weapon. He poured himself a large glass of whiskey and walked up to his office window to look outside. The sky had darkened some time ago, and he could see the headlights of several cars in the distance, closely following each other as they seemed to be making their way towards the estate.
It flattered Ozai that they had sent such a considerable force to seize him. They still saw him and his private security detail as a threat. But at the same time, Ozai felt incredibly annoyed at having to admit that he had no chance to fend off these government agents once they had zeroed in on him. Perhaps he could prevail in a shootout with this group, but what then? They would just send more and more, like a never-ending stream of worker ants, persistently coming after him.
Ozai downed the whiskey and sat back down at his desk, having realized that there was only one dignified way out left for him. He had reached for the sun and perhaps got a little bit too close when he had assumed that he could literally start wars between the superpowers of the world and get away with it. Perhaps he had become overconfident, but who would not have felt like the world bowed to their every whim and desire when you were the mighty and powerful Ozai Nakamura. He had been well justified to attempt and play this game. Unfortunately, in the end, he had lost.
As Ozai Nakamura placed the barrel of his Beretta handgun against the back of his throat and pulled the trigger, the only regret on his mind was that he hadn't managed to get away with it all.
Next chapter: Azula and Zuko receive the news about their father's attempted suicide, as things continue to unravel at a breakneck pace.