A/N: Woohoo, this story is moving quick. Next chapter is the climax, and then there'll be either another chapter or an epilogue, or something of that sort to wrap it up. So, enjoy. Thanks to everyone who reviewed.

Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender was created by Michael DiMartino and Bryan Koneitzko and is copyrighted to them and to Nickelodeon. I am just using the characters and setting for purely fictitious work of my own; I acknowledge that I own neither said characters nor said setting.


The Engagement Necklace


Kanz paced quickly around the dimly-lit garden near the servants' quarters. It was quite dark out, and an ominous, oppressing blanket of clouds lay over Hi-Bing, threatening to rain endlessly and flood the streets. Kanz had heard the scientists and fortunetellers talking; rumor spoke of a flood drowning the entire city by the hallowed time that the Sun Spirit rose over the peaks in the east and cast its light on the world, empowering the Fire Nation once more.

But that was not what Kanz's chief concern was; rather, a visitor would be meeting with him tonight, a very important and secretive visitor that no one could find out about, or disaster would follow: Shadow was coming to speak with him once more.

"Emperor," hissed a voice into his ear. Kanz whipped around, letting out a distorted half-shout, before a black-gloved hand clamped around his mouth. "It is me, O Stupid One," greeted Shadow mockingly, his mouth forming a toothy grin that sent shivers up and down Kanz's spine. But pride would not let Kanz show fear, and he responded in the same sardonic tone.

"Been practicing a bit, have you? No more novice foolishness, I hope?" And this time Kanz was the one who got to smirk, showing off his small victory to the still-inexperienced assassin beside him.

"Be quiet, you," muttered Shadow, pulling his dark hood farther over his head so that Kanz could not see Shadow's face. The two began to walk, silently, through the garden, past the servants' quarters, to the sea. Kanz felt a little squeamish, having a natural internal fear of the water, but his face did not betray his emotions. He lit a small flame with a snap of his fingers and held it suspended in midair with his hand. Kanz looked over to Shadow's face and saw for the first time that night Shadow's black, black eyes that reflected no inexperience in them, only a deadly instinct that killed.

"To business, then?" whispered Shadow. Kanz nodded hastily. "Tell me, what has happened? I have heard things among the streets but I cannot know anything for sure."

"But surely a good assassin has ties to everyone in the city and knows all of what happens to his target before even his target knows?" Kanz commented sarcastically.

"Do me a favor and shut up," hissed Shadow.

"Well then, I shall not be able to tell you what has happened, shall I?"

Shadow furrowed his eyebrows in thought, attempting to think up a bitter remark that would put Kanz in his place. The best he came up with was, "Then talk, Kanz. Talk."

And talk Kanz did. He told Shadow of Iroh's return home and how he brought a Waterbender woman with him who told of the fabled Avatar's return home, how the Avatar was not really alive after all, how Maia had accused Iroh of treason and sent both the Waterbender and he to death. The two were currently wasting away in prison as Maia waited for the execution to be during a day of good weather so Iroh's disgrace would be public. He especially told of how Kontun had said nothing during the entire encounter, or so he had heard, and that Kontun had been reported to visit Iroh once or twice but did nothing to prevent the execution, and how Kontun had not spoken to his wife for some time now.

"The time is ripe, then, for it to happen," concluded Kanz. "I want Maia and the brat to be killed while Kontun helps his other brat escape the country."

Shadow raised his eyebrows. "The Fire Lord—"

"—Is going to help his bastard son flee the country rather than call off the execution, yes. He wants to keep the nobles happy, so he's following my sister's orders, but he also wants to save his son. It's a win-win situation for him, you see. And I'm sure he will not mind that his hated wife and son are gone as well."

Shadow stared blankly at Kanz.

"And you see, young novice, that even I make a better assassin than you do. Granted, I have connections, but what assassin does not? Perhaps I should not even give you—"

"Shut up!" hissed Shadow, his hand gripping around Kanz's neck, lifting him up into the air. "You could never be an assassin, you're too inadequate. You cannot kill like I can. I could kill you right now if I want to with my bare hands—"

"Your hands are gloved," Kanz wheezed, gasping for air. Even in mortal peril, he was still bitterly sardonic.

"Shut up!" ordered Shadow again. "I could suffocate you and take the throne for myself."

But Shadow's grip on Kanz's neck was relaxing and Kanz's feet were touching the sand once again. "But you will not, because you need information. And guess who has the information?" sneered Kanz as he tore Shadow's hand away from his sore neck, taking in a deep breath of air. "You'll get your Earth Kingdom, do not worry. But for right now, you have to uphold your part of the deal. Tomorrow, my sister and the brat will be found dead. You hear me?"

Shadow's eyes were blacker than ever as he spoke. "I hear you," he hissed. And then he turned around and faded into the night before Kanz could see where he had gone.


The air down in the dungeons was cold and clammy and altogether rather unwelcoming. It smelled of mold and rotting bodies that had never been taken out of cells; and the cries of the withering people who were actually alive sounded as though they had died long, long ago. Darkness and shadow surrounded the dungeons, and only a few torches every five cells down the corridor provided light with which to see. It was, overall, a place that Kana did not want to be.

She sighed as she sat on the grimy floor of the small cell, staring past bars down the hallway to where a dark figure sat like she did, sulking. That was the one who had pleaded for the torture to stop; that was the one she had lied to. It was, in a way, her fault that he was even down here. But he deserved it. He was the son of the Fire Lord, and he was the worst enemy one could have.

He is the one who saved my life and then got both of us killed, she mused. She and he were to live for a while longer, for a large storm was coming (from what she had heard from the guards talking) and the Fire Lady wanted his execution to be as public as possible. Kana thought this rather vulgar, but she had better things to worry about. If a storm was coming, that meant water came with it—and lots of excess water meant flooding. If her hunch was correct, then the dungeons would be flooded overnight, and she could blast her way out of the cell with Waterbending while the rest of the miserable prisoners drowned. The Fire Lady is not very smart, thought Kana, for the one she wants to showcase as a traitor to the Nation is going to die tonight, alone in a cell.

Kana subconsciously winced, not wishing death upon anybody. But then, death would probably be a welcome change to wasting away in darkness for the prisoners within the dungeons; Kana did not feel so bad about escaping after she thought that. She was going to escape tonight, and she would take a boat to wherever the winds decided to take her: she was going to be free.

All she had to do was wait for the fury of the rain, when it flooded the city and washed away everyone but her.


The rain pounded relentlessly on the clear windows that were so rarely shut, that always let a warm breeze from the bustle of the city into the corridors and hallways of the palace, giving one a content, secure sort of feeling; a feeling of home. But now, as Kontun stared blankly out a water-splattered window, he felt cold inside, like the last of his fire had gone out. His son was going to die, he hated his wife, his country was at war, and the nobles questioned his every move… He was almost jealous of his older brother Kuzon, who had lived before the war and had been friends with the Avatar, before Sozen had been so power-hungry and started the war. But Kuzon was dead, the Avatar was dead, even his father Sozen was dead, and now it was his duty to reign over the Fire Nation and conquer the world. It is my duty; on my honor, I must... My honor—it is destiny. Destiny.

It was so cold. Like how the dungeons must be. The dungeons, that would be flooded up to one's knees by now. The dungeons! Kontun turned round and rushed through the halls, having forgotten that the dungeons were flooding with his son in them. He had not planned on the escape until the next night—but that could not be helped. Iroh had to be rescued. Iroh was the last beacon of hope for the royal family, for the entire Fire Nation. He must live.

And so he ran, to save the last remnant of the only person that he had loved.


Maia had realized too late her folly; she had only just understood that a public execution of Iroh was not possible if he drowned in his cell. She had to make sure that he was publicly shamed, that his death was talked of throughout the whole country. It would ensure that Ozai would be the unquestioned heir to the throne, for he was the real son of the Fire Lord.

"Servants!" she barked. "Alert the guards in the dungeon immediately that I am coming! Hurry, before it is too late and the dungeons are flooded over!" Maia rushed back to her royal dressing room and stole the simpleton clothes of her attendant; she need not ruin a dress to make certain that her revenge was taken out to perfection. She walked as fast as her legs would take her to the west end of the palace, to where the dungeons were. The sun set in the west, and it was only fitting that prisoners should only be near where the sun died—they were traitors to the Fire Nation and they deserved to be disgraced as such.

She shouted at another servant to check if her son was asleep, and the servant told her that Ozai was. Maia brushed past the servant, taking care to knock into his shoulder, for he had not bowed to her like a servant should when addressing royalty.

Maia continued hastily along to the dungeons, taking her frustrations out on the servants she passed. One young man she stamped to the ground with her foot for looking at her eyes as if he were her equal; and she slapped a young serving woman across the face because the girl was wearing her hair in a way that only nobles were allowed to wear. Somewhat happier, Maia did not cease her venture to the far-off dungeon, though she decided to take her time and let the guards take care of the problem for her.


Shadow followed silently as his first target strode through the halls in a set of shabby servant's clothing. Why the Fire Lady was dressed so confused Shadow a bit, but he did not really care. He was waiting for the perfect moment to strike when there were no witnesses around, but the Fire Lady seemed to deliberately be running into servants and punishing them for petty wrongs. When the Fire Lady slapped a serving woman of not more than fifteen across the face, Shadow felt disgust in the Fire Lady. But that feeling of disgust did not prevent him from killing his target; he would not allow. And so he waited, following her as he leapt through the shadows, as invisible and unseen as a Spirit.

Someone is going to die in the Fire Palace tonight.


The winds howled eerily and the rains pelted the city in an unforgiving torrent. It was as though the Ocean Spirit and the Sky Spirit were intent on tearing the Fire Nation capital into little pieces, to bury it under the waves. The rains were greater than even the oldest of the people had seen. It was a storm sent by the Spirits, people whispered to themselves, shut in their homes. When the thunder rolled and the lighting flashed through the sky, scorching anything that it touched, the people speculated that the Fire Spirit had joined in the Ocean Spirit's and Sky Spirit's rage. They feared for their lives as the storm continued mercilessly, and for the first time, the Fire people doubted the immortality of the great Fire Nation capital, Hi-Bing.

But in the realm of the Spirits, there were no raging Spirits, no rampaging immortals unleashing their fury on the world. There was only precise calculation and understanding that the storm was necessary to the future, that it guaranteed the world would live on.

The storm was the very essence of destiny, and many things would happen under its ominous, oppressing clouds that night, the night that was crucial to the future fate of the world.


A/N of 2/24/06: Just a quick note, I found a small plothole and went back and fixed it. Kanz is not blood-related to Kontun at all and therefore not Kontun's cousin; Kanz is Maia's brother, and that's why he's a noble. Glad just to clear that up.