Chapter 115
The morning after the day of her greatest triumph, Azula woke up with her head heavy and fuzzy after a rather wild night that had involved copious amounts of booze and sex, and not all that much sleep. Azula vaguely remembered Yue sneaking out several times for extra bottles of wine and champagne, and then both of her girlfriends had come up with the great idea of lapping up champagne from Azula's bellybutton. Azula also seemed to remember that at some point someone, probably Katara, had spilled a good amount of wine all over the sheets. All of these things probably answered the ages old question of 'why am I sticky?' which was prominent on Azula's mind as she found herself squeezed in tightly between her Water Tribe lovers.
It was a strange but welcoming feeling for Azula, knowing that she wasn't in any hurry to get up, because she didn't have any grand plans for today. Azula was so used to having a schedule, even for off-days that were meant for relaxation. These relaxing activities were usually pre-planned with set time allocated for each and every one of them, and if Azula couldn't follow this set schedule, she began to experience a mild form of anxiety. Right now, however, she felt comfortable knowing that aside from meeting with some of the board members of the International Pai Sho Federation later in the day, Azula had no duties or obligations to attend to. The board members would most likely preach to her about some of the publicity stuff they expected her to do, and since that came with winning the world title, Azula was not going to head into that meeting with the intention of being difficult. Even if she had made the decision to retire from the professional world of Pai Sho, she still loved the game and wanted to give back to it. Besides, it wasn't as if she, Katara and Yue would just forget about Pai Sho. They would still play among themselves, keep up with the latest tournaments and the performance of their good friends, and stay connected with the game that had forged the roots of the beautiful bond shared between the three of them.
There was something that lingered on Azula's mind that she hadn't yet broken to her girlfriends, and that she knew would disappoint them a little, but she hadn't wanted to upset the happy mood of the previous day. They had their tickets for return flight to Ba Sing Se for the following day, but Azula already knew that she would have to cancel her flight, and Yue and Katara would have to fly back without her. Her girls would not like that and would probably insist on staying with her in the Fire Nation, but Azula could not allow that. Yue was awaited back at the academy of Madame Macmu-Ling, and Katara had already taken out so much time of her residency at the Lower Ring hospital. After putting in a monumental effort in order to guide Azula all the way to her ultimate goal, Azula needed her girlfriends to get back to their own careers while she had her own matters to attend to in Caldera City.
First and foremost, Azula wanted to pay a visit to both the Fire Nation and the International Pai Sho federations, which shared their headquarters in Caldera City. That by itself felt like an admission of complete Fire Nation, or rather specifically Ozai Nakamura bias, and Azula hoped that with her father's fall from grace, perhaps she could put pressure on the federation officials to make some changes and resurrect all the investigations she had talked about at the press conference. Azula also knew that she wouldn't be able to escape further attention of the press. The federation officials later today would probably ask her to do as many interviews and public appearances over the coming days as possible, and Azula was already mentally preparing herself for that experience. And now that Ozai's empire was crumbling around him, Azula expected that she would also be asked plenty of questions about her father. She would definitely be very careful with her answers when speaking about Ozai.
Azula would have probably languished in the bed some more, if not for a knock on the doors startling her while Yue and Katara remained fast asleep. "Azula, can I come in?" she recognized Zuko's voice through the doors. "This is important! Are you decent?"
Azula quickly checked that she was completely covered by the duvet before replying. "Yes! No, wait a moment!" she then exclaimed, having noticed that Katara's perfect ass was sticking out from under the covers. Azula definitely did not want Zuko to catch an eyeful, so she reached out to adjust the duvet and hide Katara's gorgeous backside. "Alright, you can come in!" Azula eventually said.
"Okay, I'm coming in," Zuko said, cautiously poking his head through the gap in the doors, then relaxing when he saw the three of them fully covered under the duvet. "Hey, we just got some major news, so you may want to brace yourself, Zula."
"Stop wasting my time, Zuko, and just tell me," Azula insisted, a little irately.
"Alright, I guess I tried to warn you," Zuko sighed. "Anyway, one of the tournament officials just stopped by the cottage to give me the news. They had been asked to track us down and pass on a message about our father."
"Yes?" Azula froze, suddenly anxious. "What about him?"
"He shot himself, Azula," Zuko explained somberly.
Azula felt a strange sensation taking over her entire body, a sort of weightlessness together with slight dizziness, making her head spin. "Is… is he dead?" Azula whispered. She didn't dare to believe that such a thing was possible. Because of how big a presence Ozai had been in her life he may as well have been immortal.
"Apparently not," Zuko replied. "He's being flown to a hospital in Caldera City that is better equipped to handle the injuries he sustained."
"How could he fail to even shoot himself properly?" Azula wondered morbidly. "I'm guessing we're probably talking about a severe head trauma?" Zuko nodded wordlessly. "Are you coming with me to Caldera?" she asked. Unlike her girlfriends, Zuko was aware that she would be remaining in the Fire Nation a while longer. He had been present when Azula had spoken with the federation officials the day before.
"I guess I have to," Zuko sighed. "He is my father, after all, as much as I would love to forget that. Sokka won't like going back on his own, but I think he'll understand. Suki will probably want to come with us and see if she can pick up something that's okay with us to publish."
"Alright, that makes sense," Azula reasoned. "Okay, give me a moment to get dressed. And then I'll have to wake these two sleepyheads and break the news to them," Azula looked fondly upon her girlfriends.
"How did they manage to sleep through this entire conversation?" Zuko wondered.
"You know, this is the perfect setup for me to boast about my amazing prowess between the sheets," Azula grinned smugly. Zuko groaned and slapped a palm against his face. "Honestly, though? A bit too much to drink and Water Tribe girls just seem to be very sound sleepers in general," Azula added with a chuckle.
"Okay, whatever," Zuko rolled his eyes at her. "Take your time. It's probably best if you speak with the federation officials first before we decide on anything else. I don't know if it makes sense for us to rush to Caldera right away. It's not like we can do anything to… well, you know. We'd just be waiting for more news, and we can do that here just as well."
"I get it," Azula nodded. "Anyway, get out of my bedroom now, Zuzu, or risk being scarred for life from having seen your sister's girly bits." Zuko let out a shriek like a prepubescent girl and quickly fled the room. Azula snorted with amusement, but then the smile faded from her lips as she regarded her softly stirring girlfriends. She was not looking forward to having to tell her loved ones that her business in the Fire Nation was not concluded just yet.
Three days later, Azula found herself sitting down in a comfy Caldera downtown street café to grab a quick lunchtime meal together with Zuko and Suki. They had seen off Sokka, Yue and Katara two days ago as they took their flight back to Ba Sing Se, and afterwards, Azula, Zuko and Suki had made their way to the Fire Nation capital, where things had quickly become very hectic.
Azula had given eight interviews already, and she was mentally exhausted from the very thought of giving yet another interview. Fortunately, she had only two of them scheduled in the afternoon, so she was hopeful of somehow making it through the day. Azula had planned to visit the two Pai Sho federations the previous day, but because of her packed schedule, she hadn't found the time for it. Spending a couple of hours at the hospital hadn't helped. They were set to return to the hospital later today as well, but first on Azula's agenda following the lunch was still the visit to the federations.
Azula reasoned that she would be feeling a lot more flattered about the sudden surge of her already considerable fame and recognition if it didn't come attached with all of these serious side-effects, such as everyone suddenly wanting so much of her time and attention, and she was rapidly becoming exhausted from too much exposure to the general public. It probably wouldn't be much better once she could finally head home to Ba Sing Se, but at least she would have her girlfriends, the fortress that was her estate and the comforts of her very own bed. Right now, she just needed to get to the end of this week in the Fire Nation.
The hospital visits to see her father had been draining to say the least. To see Ozai like this, almost unrecognizable, hooked up to life support and his head almost entirely covered in bandages had been strange and disconcerting. For once, her father was not in control over anything in his life, and Azula took a rather sadistic pleasure from that thought. They had spoken with the leading neurosurgeon who had operated on Ozai, and he had given her and Zuko the bad news that their father was unlike to ever wake up from his coma. Still, they wanted to run further tests to determine the exact activity of Ozai's brain, which was why Azula and Zuko were eager to stop by the hospital later today and see if they could learn more. If there was even the remotest chance of their father waking up from his coma then both Nakamura siblings wanted to stay informed of this possibility.
Sipping her cup of espresso, Azula rolled her shoulders, enjoying the perfectly comfortable warm Fire Nation fall of mid-October. Back in Ba Sing Se, it was probably windy and rainy, but that was the one and only aspect that Caldera City had going for it. Zuko was still busy with his pile of crêpes and Azula just about resisted the urge to tell her brother to hurry up. Suki seemed in no hurry to leave either even if she was done with her meal. The girl from Kyoshi Island was immersed in one of the local newspapers as she enjoyed her coffee, excited smile spreading on Suki's lips as she browsed the front page.
"Good news, I take it?" Azula asked. With the purge of the leading warmongers in the Fire Nation government, the desire for prolonged war in Yu Dao seemed to have died overnight. The armistice was being upheld without any further incidents, and both sides had started to withdraw their troops from the territory upon an agreement to create a demilitarized zone with its status to be determined during the imminent peace talks. Peace was by far the most used word in the press as of late, and even all those who had clearly been fine with allowing this senseless war to continue, were now making apologetic and conciliatory noises while trying to make it appear as if they had been on the side of peace all along.
"It's just amazing that common sense is allowed to prevail for once," Suki replied, smiling broadly. "All we had to do was to remove some rich leeches in charge."
"People on the ground have never wanted any of the wars fought in the entire human history," Azula replied. While she was also happy about the situation experiencing such a rapid turnaround, Azula was too cynical to believe that some kind of long-term lessons would be learned from this. People coming into power now and replacing the old elite would in a few years become rich leeches themselves, and would probably seek some new ways to inflict suffering on those below them, all because they would be interested only in further enriching themselves. It was just the way the world worked and Azula knew that better than most.
"I get you," Suki said. "But still, the speed with which these terrible decisions made by the Dai Li are reversed is impressive. They've issued full amnesty across the Earth Kingdom. Can you believe it?" Suki asked excitedly. Azula wanted to share in the happiness of her friend, but her concern about Jet's fate was too great to allow her to summon an insincere smile, so instead she ended up frowning. "I know, you're probably right and I shouldn't foster foolish hopes about Jet possibly still being alive," Suki said, still looking undeterred. "I'm still going to do what I can to discover the truth behind his fate. And if he truly is gone, well… then I guess I'll have to accept it," she said. Azula couldn't help but notice that Suki shot a brief glance towards Zuko as she said that. Azula wondered if it was because she was still trying to decide whether to help Zuko and Sokka with their surrogacy plans.
"I think it's a good attitude to have, Suki," Azula managed neutrally.
"Thanks," Suki smiled at her. "Oh, and listen, there are more good things. The Dai Li register of domestic terrorists is getting purged as well."
"That means Ty Lee can come back to Ba Sing Se!" Azula realized, feeling happy about the news. This really did put her in a much more positive mood about these latest developments. "I need to call her as soon as we get back to the hotel," Azula decided, determined to ignore the fact that Mai was currently a little upset with her because Azula had decided to stay at a hotel instead of her apartment. And even though Mai had a large apartment, six people were still a crowd. With how much social interaction Azula was forced to endure every day in the capital, she desperately needed to be able to hide in her own private hotel room by the end of the day. Azula needed her safe space where she would not be bothered by anyone at all.
"She probably already knows," Zuko said, still battling the crêpes. "In fact, she's probably booking a flight to Ba Sing Se as we speak."
"It will be good to have her back," Suki nodded. Azula still wondered if she should tell Suki about Jet and Ty Lee, but then again, if Jet hadn't made it as they all feared, then making Suki mad at Ty Lee and wanting to skin Ty Lee alive wasn't something Azula wanted to be the cause of. And if Jet was alive, then forcing him to come clean about the affair seemed like a good compromise to Azula, so she decided to keep her mouth shut.
"And I guess if this peace sticks, then Mai can finally move to Ba Sing Se," Azula said instead. Having both Mai and Ty Lee back in her life was a thought that filled her with so much happiness. "She's been waiting to do that for so long now."
"It will be great to have both Mai and Ty Lee with us in Ba Sing Se," Zuko agreed with a nod. "Of course, Aang will be the one happier than most. I think he's starting to become a little anxious about finally tying the knot."
"Is that so?" Azula asked. She felt a little surprised. "I'm sometimes still genuinely astonished that they are fitting together so well. I hope I'm not being mean by saying so, but I wasn't sure they would last."
"A lot of people probably felt that way about you, Katara and Yue," Suki pointed out. Azula felt an immediate surge of anger at that comment, wanting to fight Suki then and there, before realizing the point Suki was actually making and calming herself down. "And I get what you're saying. Mai and Aang aren't really the obvious couple you'd think of. But they just somehow seem to work, even if I don't know what it is that makes them work."
"Mai has always been a bit of a contrarian," Azula said. "She has always loved to subvert people's expectations of her. I think it's also why she's such a good fashion designer." Suki nodded silently at that, sticking her nose back into the paper. "Is there anything else interesting about the Yu Dao situation, Suki?" Azula asked.
"Well, there are also some leaks about the peace conference plans," Suki said. "Honestly, they're better than anyone had any right to expect. I think Kori and Haru will be absolutely delighted once they hear about this."
"Don't tell me that they're actually giving Yu Dao the independence they were after," Zuko said, looking surprised.
"As good as," Suki replied, her words making Azula rather surprised. She hadn't expected such major concessions from the two superpowers. "There are talks about creating an autonomous Republic of Yu Dao, a demilitarized buffer state sworn to maintain its neutrality in any potential future conflicts between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom."
"Hmm," Azula mused, having listened to Suki's words. "That's actually not that unreasonable. I think that Fire Nation's claim on those territories was very weak, anyway. They literally seized them only before the Great War, so there's no historical argument they could apply. And the Earth Kingdom, I think they can endure this. Those in Ba Sing Se don't really care all that much about what happens outside the walls, anyway. I don't think Yu Dao as a province generated all that much tax income. They can probably earn more from it as an autonomous republic through trade tariffs."
"Sometimes I'm really scared about the way your mind works," Zuko looked up at her, shaking his head.
"What?" Azula asked. She felt a little confused. "Did I say something that didn't make sense?" she wondered.
"I think Zuko meant it the other way around, like how much sense it made," Suki laughed.
"Yeah, exactly," Zuko nodded. "You just have a hot take about everything, don't you? I dread the day you decide to get into politics or something, because you would totally outplay everyone by gaming the system and exploiting every loophole."
Azula actually felt herself blushing slightly. "Why Zuzu, I think that's the loveliest compliment you have ever given me," she laughed at her brother. "Hmm, you know what… maybe at some point I will decide to dabble in politics, but that day won't come soon, so you and the rest of the world can breathe easily for now."
"I don't know, I kind of want to see it happen," Suki said. "You already have my vote, Azula, and I don't even know your real positions."
"Hmm, I really am good at this, and I'm not even trying," Azula laughed. "Anyway, let's be off, I want to make a stop at the federations on our way to the next boring interviews," she said. Suki and Zuko were all too glad to follow her, and less than half an hour later they pulled up to a tall office building and took the elevator to the twelfth floor where the Fire Nation Pai Sho federation and the International Pai Sho federation conspicuously shared their offices.
As soon as Azula, Zuko and Suki stepped out of the elevator, they realized that something unusual was taking place at the offices of the federations. Aside from the federation officials, some of whom Azula recognized from their presence at the finals on Ember Island, there were also at least half a dozen men dressed in snazzy black suits, looking sharp and dangerous. Two of them were standing by the doors of one of the offices, looking like they were guarding something. Azula casually strolled up to the doors and peeked inside, barely holding back a gasp as she saw Zhao Sakamoto sitting at a desk and writing something on a piece of paper.
Intrigued, Azula made a move towards the office doors, only for one of the men the size of a heavy wardrobe stepping in her way and blocking her path. "Uh, could I please exchange a few words with Mr. Sakamoto?" Azula asked, trying to put on the charm as much as she could manage. The mountain of muscles refused to be budged, however, until one of his colleagues walked up to him to exchange a few words, out of which Azula caught only the mention of 'Ozai's daughter'.
"Just let her through, boys," Zhao called out from the office. "She's an old friend. An old flame, even," he added, making Azula cringe in disgust. Zuko and Suki both looked pissed off and ready to tear Zhao a few new holes at the comment, but Azula held them both back from following her into the office and shouting at Zhao.
Upon entering the office, Azula realized that Zhao was not in there alone. Two board members of the international federation were there with him. Azula recognized them both, even if she didn't know their names. One of them was a relative of Bumi Dhawan, while the other was a Fire Nation man. He wasn't a player himself, just a businessman who had made generous contributions to the federation by providing sponsorship money in order to ingratiate himself with Ozai Nakamura, but now he was obviously eager to cut those ties. Both men were standing a little to the side, allowing Zhao to write in silence.
"What is the meaning of this?" Azula asked sternly. "Why are you even here, Zhao?"
"Why, I am here to make a statement in connection with the investigation that you pushed for so aggressively, Azula," Zhao replied, looking up at her with his trademark oily smile.
"What kind of statement?" Azula demanded.
"I'm making a statement about my game with your beloved girlfriend, Katara," Zhao said, giving Azula a sly wink. "I actually did run out of time before reaching the fortieth move, so I should have been awarded a loss."
Azula was completely taken aback by Zhao's words. "Why are you making a statement about that?" she asked. "What do you hope to gain?"
"How about earning your gratitude and maybe even a kiss?" Zhao grinned at her again, making Azula want to retch. Agni, she hated this disgusting man almost as much as she hated her father.
"Bullshit," she recovered to say. "You knew that the investigation would reveal that you had cheated, so you simply wanted to come clean before you'd face even worse backlash."
"You might be right about that," Zhao admitted, looking impressed with her. "But I also might be looking for ways to stick it to your father. Seeing him stripped of his title would amuse me to no end." Azula intensified her glare at him. "Ah, come on, you couldn't have truly believed that I would have any kind of loyalty towards the man who had me beaten within the inch of my life. After Ozai took me back, I was always going to betray him the moment he slipped up."
"And the deal you're cutting with the prosecutor's office isn't a part of your motivation at all," Azula pointed out.
"Well, it just happened so that our goals to bring down your father would align," Zhao smirked. "I'm sure that the greatly reduced sentence that's been promised to me has nothing to do with it."
"You disgust me, Zhao," Azula blurted out angrily. The fact that he was about to sign a statement that would hand the world championship title to Katara did not placate Azula's growing distaste for this despicable man.
"I know you don't really mean that, Azula," Zhao smiled sweetly at her. The two board members in the room with them seemed to be genuinely disturbed by their exchange, and Azula could understand why. She felt close to throwing up herself. "In a couple of years, I'll be a free man again, and who knows, perhaps we'll be able to reconnect properly."
"You might want to reconsider that, Zhao," Azula said warningly. "If you happen to find yourself a free man again, I would advise you to lay low and keep your face well out of my sight, or I will destroy you the same way I destroyed my father."
"What are you talking about?" Zhao looked confused. "You didn't destroy your father. Lao Beifong being unable to keep his stupid mouth shut did that."
"But why did Lao Beifong talk, have you asked yourself that?" Azula asked, grinning smugly. "I arranged for a certain article to be published in the Herald that pushed Lao Beifong to the breaking point. I sent his daughter to put more pressure on Lao when he was already about to break. I orchestrated it all, Zhao. And if I could bring down my father, what do you think I would do to you? I could squish you like a bug under the heel of my boot."
Zhao looked stricken with panic all of a sudden. "You've got me all wrong, Azula, I don't want us to be enemies," he managed nervously.
"Well, then you know what to do," Azula said. "Keep your head low and live your miserable life out in obscurity, free man or not. If I ever catch wind of you being involved in something dodgy…"
"You won't, I promise. Your point is well made, Azula," Zhao gulped. "I swear, I won't make any trouble, not for you, nor for anyone."
"Good," Azula nodded. "Now finish making your statement and then get out of here. After today, I don't want to see you ever again," she said, turning on her heel and walking away, unable to withhold a grin at the way the two board members of the Pai Sho federation were looking at her slack-jawed and with open awe.
Ozai Nakamura felt like he was adrift in a sea of confusion, unsure of what had happened or was happening to him. He felt completely weightless, unable to sense any part of his body. The only thing he was capable of was to stare above him at the painfully bright, white ceiling. It seemed to suggest that he was lying down on a bed, but it didn't answer his question as to why he couldn't move a muscle… or even feel that he had any muscles to move. It was almost like he was having some kind of out of body experience, a disembodied consciousness outside of his physical frame.
Ozai was just about done with this out of body experience, though, and he couldn't wait for it to end. Or maybe it was just a dream and he would surely wake up any moment now. Still, parts of the dream felt very real, like the voices sometimes drifting up to him from somewhere close by. He had tried to open his mouth and shout for help, call for someone to come and shake him, rouse him from this dream state, but he had found himself unable to speak. In fact, he couldn't even sense having a mouth, lips or a tongue.
When a woman wearing white overalls had for some reason leaned over him, doing something out of his limited field of vision, it was then that Ozai had finally realized the truth. He was in a hospital and… he was completely paralyzed. And with that understanding, also came a flood of memories, particularly the one of him sticking the gun down his throat and pulling the trigger. He had clearly failed to kill himself, and now he found himself in this helpless state, trapped within his own body. Ozai wanted to scream from frustration and horror, but found out that he obviously couldn't.
"-it is hard to say how much he actually understands of what is happening around him," a man's voice suddenly drifted up to Ozai, words spoken close by. He didn't recognize the man, but he sounded like a doctor. "The brain activity tests we have done are not completely conclusive. It is possible that he can hear and understand everything, but the opposite is just as likely. We might never know for certain. He will never regain any of his motor skills. The best we can do for the remainder of his life is to keep him comfortable."
"Don't bother keeping him too comfortable," Ozai heard the voice of a younger man, and this was a voice he did recognize. Zuko, you were always the useless spawn of my loins. Seeing your father like this must please you. I should have strangled you when you were still in the crib. "Don't give me that look, doctor. You know who this man is and what he has done. That resources must be wasted on keeping him comfortable is a gross miscarriage of justice."
"I understand where you're coming from, young man, but as a medical professional, I can't make that decision. I have to remain unbiased… as difficult as that might sometimes be," the doctor replied.
"We understand that, doctor. Zuko didn't mean anything by it. By all means, do what you can for my father," Ozai heard the voice of a young woman speaking. Azula, you were supposed to be the light of my life. But I gave you too much freedom and you responded by letting me down. "May I approach him?" he heard Azula ask. The doctor must have nodded in approval, because moments later Ozai saw Azula leaning slightly over him, looking as perfect and magnificently beautiful as ever, but Ozai couldn't even feel his heart skipping a beat, not anymore.
"Hello, father," Azula spoke softly at him, leaning slightly lower, staring straight into his eyes as if searching for something. "Can you hear me?" she asked quietly. Ozai desperately hoped that Azula would not guess that he could hear everything she was saying, but he had no control over how his body reacted, the way his pupils either shifted or dilated, which seemed to be what Azula was observing him for.
"Oh yes… you can hear everything, I am absolutely certain of it," Azula spoke quietly, a cruel, vengeful smirk on her lips. "Oh, this is absolutely wonderful, father. I'm sure you must be having a ball, being stuck in your own mind with nothing but your cruel and toxic thoughts for company," she said, grinning with delight. "And you know what the best part about that is? They will keep you alive for the next twenty, maybe even thirty years like this. I can already see you pleading, screaming for someone to release you from this torture, but nobody will, father. You're going to slowly descend into madness with nothing but your thoughts for company. Well, all I'm going to say is… have fun, father. It really is the best fate I could have imagined for you," she finished, afterwards putting two fingers against her lips and then pressing them against Ozai's forehead, turning around and walking away, smiling brightly.
Ozai's only reaction to his daughter's taunting words was to feel a burning desire to lash out with screams, yells and insults, to jump up from this bed and destroy everyone he came across. But these thoughts would never transform into actions, because Azula was right and thoughts were all that he had left to him. And he would have to spend the rest of his existence trapped with his thoughts, having to suffer decades of purest torture before he could even hope to be granted the oblivion he now wished for so desperately.
Next chapter: It is time to start rounding up this story as we look at how these latest events have changed the lives of the Gaang.
