A Kiss in Ba Sing Se

[A/N: This is an A/U story. How well do you really know someone, even your closest relatives?

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights or titles to the characters of Avatar: The Last Airbender. ]

Chapter 73

Reveal

Toph's three ladies all knelt before a sight that appeared to be from another world. There seemed to be no walls or ceiling, only the door they entered the room, floating in the void behind them. It looked as if they were in the middle of the night sky. All the furnishings had been upended, and even Toph's massive wooden desk was rolled over on its top. There was a haze of dust that permeated the air in the room. The sunlight that shown through the unseen windows caused the tiny dust particles to dance in their rays as they swirled about in the air. As for the floor, instead of stone tile, it was transparent resembling a clear reddish crystal. The scene below the level was even more amazing as a bright blue orb floated beneath. The green of the ground, the blue of the seas as well as the white clouds casting shadows as they drifted over all, amazed them.

Toph's three cousins tried to press into the only solid appearing thing they could feel as they kowtowed in fear. They were now lying prostrate, fingernails pressed into the tiles.

"I-I almost shat myself just now," Lili admitted, moving up to her knees between Lei and Mei Mei.

"Well, I think, I let out enough for the both of us," Mei Mei confessed, her face contorting at the mushy feeling in her panties. "I'm so embarrassed I could die, and I thought... I would never say those words in this lifetime. What about you Lei," she asked her other cousin.

The other woman was biting her lips with her eyes tightly closed as a large yellow puddle spilled out from beneath her. "Just letting water, and it doesn't seem to want to stop... too scared to move," Lei gasped, not daring to look down any more or about the floating room.

As Lili scanned the surreal environment, she was drawn to a small, nude figure hovering just inches above the floor. Her long, flowing, thick black hair seemed to be sparkling with stars and blowing in a non-existent wind. A shimmering blueish white light enveloped her body as her eyes glowed a greenish white. Lili attempted to stand to her feet but felt as though something was pressing her down. "Did we die, are we in the spirit world," the countess yelled out to the frightening apparition. "Who are you, and where is the princess and, why did you call us your… cousins?" she asked in rapid-fire succession, her voice trembling.

"Lili," the booming, ghostly voice replied in her mind causing her to reel back and hold the sides of her head.

This time Lei wasn't the only one wetting herself. The countess' cheeks flushed with humiliation as the urine ran down the insides of her legs. She fell back to the floor once more. "Who are you, and how do you… know my name, my lady," Lili cried in fear as she tried to regain her composure.

"You're more beautiful than I imagined you to be, such bright green eyes you have," the entity stated as she began to float closer. "That color is green if I recall correctly."

Lili drop further down to the floor in fear as she screamed out, "Stay away! Stay away from me!"

The sound of laughing could be heard from the other side of the room. "Don't you get it Pumpkin, they're afraid of you because they don't recognize you," Poppy said as she staggered to her feet. "You don't look like you normally do, I can guarantee. Even I'm a little putout, by your appearance. In fact, my djinns have retreated as well."

The strange naked woman's face contorted into a scowl. "What do you mean not recognize me, she's probably known me longer than anyone else, besides you and dad. I mean, why wouldn't she recognize me," the being asked as she drew closer to the cowering trio. "Ugh, it smells like an outhouse over here!" Toph grimaced pinching her nose closed.

Again, Poppy started to laugh trying to brush off the rubble from her tattered gown. "You really made a mess of me Pumpkin, this dress was a one-of-a-kind, and now its just rags," she sighed tearing away half her skirt. "You really need to keep a mirror on hand for times like this my daughter; it would really help you out."

"Why would I ever need a mirror, I am… blind," she stated out of rote and then stopped speaking, realizing that she saw the world around her, just as she did with Aang. She could clearly see the smirk on her mother's face but also a look of pride in Poppy's eyes. "I can see you, Momma, and… and I can see them as well," she gasped in exhilaration. "What happened to your dress?"

The Earth Queen huffed as a vein in her forehead began to throb. "Duh, you did, daughter of mine! Look around; you did all of this. That's why those poor girls have lost control of themselves, not every day they see a deity. Except for that scribbling on your pubes, even naked, you are quite the sight to behold," Poppy stated proudly.

Lili once again looked up at the scene. She closely scrutinized the glowing woman floating in the room. As she carefully gazed at her, she saw something that only her cousin would have. The top of her pubic hairs was shaven into the Air Nomad emblem. It was a joke from Mei Mei in commemoration of her going out on a date with Avatar Aang.

"Songbird is that really you," she asked trying to see her cousin in the fearsome face before her.

"Yeah that's my daughter for sure," Poppy affirmed as she looked over at her three nieces. "I've never seen her like this before either, but I think it's rather becoming," Toph's mother expressed with an approving nod.

The other two ladies-in-waiting also looked up at the strange appearance their cousin had shifted to. Mei Mei spotted her handiwork right away. "It is you cousin; I can recognize my craftsmanship anywhere. Why do you look like something from the spirit world," she asked, not bothering to try and stand. "I mean, your glowing out of every place but your ass!"

Toph craned her neck around to look at her backside, "Damn, you're right Mei Mei, my ass isn't glowing. I wonder why Twinkle Toes never told me. And as much as he's kissed back there, I know he's noticed," she stated as the glow extended to match the rest of her body.

"Uhm, maybe he doesn't need a light to kiss your ass," Mei Mei playfully suggested as she shrugged her shoulders. "But I bet it comes in handy. I can see your cute fuzzy atrium is well lit, expecting a visitor?"

Even in her spirit form, the reddish hue in Toph's cheeks became apparent. She covered over her crotch with overlapping hands. "Mei Mei, why do you say such forward things when you know the answer already! Of course, I am, you know I have a date tonight with my boyfriend and I will not be leaving him wanting," she replied with a tight girlish grin.

"Wooha! You drain him, good cousin," her lust-filled lady cheered her on as she moved her middle finger in and out of her curled other hand. "Make him cry for mercy!"

Poppy's jaw dropped open in utter shock and dismay. "Silence Mei Mei, you are a lady of the court! How dare you say such lewd things to your liege! And Toph, why are you allowing her to speak…"

The transformed metal bender lifted a hand and Poppy fell instantly silent. "Because the time for pretense is over, mother. My ladies know of my intentions full well. Aang will break this damnable veil tonight; it was quite a hindrance to our fun this morning. Then he and I will be together forever," she stated emphatically as the entire room seemed to rumble along with her voice. A brass serving tray, pinned under her overturned desk, suddenly flew over to her and transformed into a perfect mirror, hovering before her. "It's been a long time since I've seen my true self, I can see why you guys didn't recognize me," Toph admitted, admiring her reflection.

The Queen touched her pinky rings together as two shadows began to appear before her. "Pity, I liked all three of them, it's going to be a pain to have to explain why they all went missing so sudden," Poppy sighed with a menacing grin. "Whatever shall we say," she asked rhetorically as her two familiars fully formed and moved beside her.

Toph's feet now touched the floor, and as it did, there was an upheaval like a wave of the sea that caused each of the tiles to move almost as if they were made of paper. This sent Poppy and her two dark ladies toppling to the ground. "What are you talking about mother," she demanded as she stood between each group with her hands on her hips.

Once more the new earth queen slowly rose to her feet. "I wish you wouldn't do that, Tophy, it gets rather old after the third time. Plus, can't you find anything to put on? You do realize that you are standing in front of us stark naked, most unbecoming, especially for a goddess of your position," Poppy threw in as she once again brushed the remains of her clothes off. There appeared to be less of her gown as there was before. Even though her clothes were being ripped away, there wasn't scratch on Poppy's body.

"You should know me well enough by now mother, that type of thing doesn't bother me. But what is bothering me is why you are threatening my ladies," she stated in a booming voice that seemed to shake all of them down to their cores. Even Poppy felt her knees wobble.

The Queen's eyes narrowed as she gazed at the still floor bound ladies-in-waiting. "Now Pumpkin, we can't have them telling other people who you truly are. Wasn't that part of the deal we made with the Jade Emperor, no one outside the family would ever know who you really truly are," Poppy reminded her as her two dark ladies again stood by her side. "I mean, hun, how much can we really trust them. They may seem to be loyal to you for now, but you see, it was I who appointed them as your ladies-in-waiting to keep track of your dealings. They were supposed to report in regularly, and I know that they have switched allegiances to you! Traitors, each and every one of them!" she accused pointing her long, thin finger at them. "Trust me daughter, when it becomes convenient for these worthless whores to switch sides; they will be the first to break faith. So, I'll dispatch them for you forth hence, and that will be that!"

Lili, Lei, and Mei Mei all now huddled together. They had seen their aunt's apparitions before. Usually, when they appeared, people that disagreed with her disappeared.

"We're done for, I've loved you all, and I hope we will be together in the next life," Lei said as she began to weep uncontrollably.

This time Mei Mei got to her feet, using her cousins for leverage. She glared insolently at the Queen. "Screw you, Aunt Poppy, if I'm going to die, I'm going to do it standing and fighting," the young woman shouted as she raised both her middle fingers to her odious aunt. "You were the cunt that suggested to my father to send me here and make me into this," she swore, spitting in Poppy's direction. "What's wrong, don't like what you see? You made me into this!"

Poppy smiled back at her. "I've always liked your sass, my dear, but I thought your best position was on your back or was it your knees? Either way, I heard you do amazing work there," Poppy fired back at her defiant niece. "I know, Master Puck will miss your expert services. At least you were of some good to the kingdom. Sucking cock and fucking, I guess suited you well. They do help grease the slide of… diplomacy," she stated smiling wickedly. "Very few 'whores' take such pride in their work I'm told. But let's face it, you were already one before you came here."

Mei Mei felt her chest tense up. "I was not a whore, what we did, who I loved, was none of yours or my father's concern. Just because he was Fire Nation didn't give you the right to have him killed like that," she screamed out shaking a fist at Poppy.

"I had nothing to do with that boy's demise. It was you two who decided to play a married couple. His family thought that he would be better off on the battlefield instead of sharing your bed. Though I agree with them, his loyalty was scewed because you used that cunt of yours to sway him., I do think they were a bit harsh signing him up to go into the infantry. Maybe if you two were a little more sensible, you would have known that sleeping with the enemy would have tragic results. You should've waited until the hostilities ended before rolling in the sheets, then maybe he would still be alive," Poppy scolded her with an indifferent smile.

Mei Mei was shaking with rage now. "You bitch, you know I came to you in confidence thinking that I could trust you! You said you would help us get to a safe place. You sold us out; you are a fucking liar! Do you know, I was drugged and thrown into a metal cell! Day after day, they beat and fucked me until I didn't know my name anymore! I had to go weeks with them shoving wooden rods up my ass if they weren't raping it! I was drinking more cum than water! After months of that torture, I decided to do anything it took to get out of that Earth-damned box," she screamed, stomping her foot on the clear tile at her aunt's apparent apathy. "When I heard, he had died, I just gave up. You and my father had won. I became a proper lady of the court, as you say, hope you're happy, Aunt Bitch!"

The Queen looked almost amused at the story. "Though I've enjoyed this heartbreaking tale and the light-hearted banter, let's send you off to your beloved, shall we? I'm sure this will be a joyous reunion, in the Spirit World," Poppy stated in a flat tone.

"I hope you and my father die a terrible death! Maybe I should tell Uncle Lao how well you and my father, your brother, used him to support his private ventures," Mei Mei replied, once more flipping Poppy off. "Wouldn't he be surprised to hear the way I met that boy was because you two were selling minerals to the Fire Nation for their blasting gel?"

Poppy rolled her eyes. "Please, both of us know you have no proof and why would Lao ever listen to an upstart like you? Besides, you won't be telling him anything from the afterlife, my dear," she replied as her eyes narrowed. Poppy pointed at her nieces. "Ladies, let's make this quick. Kill the three of them, but do the loud-mouth one last. I want her to see the other two traitors, slowly dying. Maybe she will learn some respect as she begs for her miserable life," the Queen ordered her djinns with a lift of her brow.

As the two tall, dark figures began to approach, Mei Mei angrily looked about for something to earthbend at Poppy. Before she could, the Queen was once more down on the floor. This time, not a single shred of her clothes remained. Also, her two dark ladies were groaning and whimpering in pain. Behind them were two even stranger looking beings, gripping each one about the throat with talon-like nails buried deep within their slender necks. A gold mist swirled about the taller one, and a shimmering, silver one was clearing from the smaller figure.

At first sight, they were both female in form, but unlike the Queen's servants, they were entirely different in appearance.

The one from the gold mist had long midnight blue hair that went down to the center of her back in a single thick plait, wrapped in a white ribbon. Her dark bronze skin and pointed ears accented her solid gold eyes. She had the appearance of a living statue; her skin was so smooth. Toph's cousins noted that she had huge breast, with an unnaturally narrow, wasp-thin, waist that seemed to make her rounded hips appear more full. She was dressed in a series of overlapping sheer wine-colored veils that draped over the front of her breast, connecting to a bright gold choker with what appeared to be a diamond at its center. Thin golden chains were threaded through the veils in the front of her leaving her muscular back exposed. She also wore trousers made of the same sheer material, with ornate gold bands at the waist and ankles. If one looked carefully, most of the details of this djinn's anatomy were visible through her transparent clothing. She was even taller than Poppy's dark ladies, utterly dwarfing her master, the mystical glowing earthbender.

The one unfolding from the silver mist was of much shorter stature. She was about a half a head shorter than even Toph. She had long flowing snow-white hair that went down past her thighs. Also, though her breast was not as large as the first, she was still curvaceous and muscular. Her cat-like green eyes and similarly shaped ears that set on the top of her head, made her appear feline in form. The most striking thing was her shiny, ebony colored skin and total lack of modesty. She was undressed except for a tightly twisted golden loincloth that left her firm buttocks exposed. Her nipples and areola appeared to be made of silver, causing them to stand out against her dark skin. Several gold chains of various thickness and lengths hung about her neck forming a heavy metal drape.

"My Queen, your Anromia has come as you requested, Say the word and this, dung eating piece of… uh, dung will be no more!" the taller djinn stammered, baring her long fangs.

"You know you said dung twice," the smaller one chortled lightly. "Your Highness, it is I, Tsimi, as you have requested," she announced herself.

Toph's three ladies in waiting exchanged worried glances.

"Are they here to help us," Lei asked as she clung to Lili.

"They may just be fighting over dinner," Mei Mei interjected sarcastically. "It wouldn't be the first time someone fought over who was going to eat me first," she bragged with a wide grin. "If it comes down to it, and I get a choice, then I like the big tittied one to do me. Maybe she'll let me eat her first. I don't think I'll have any regrets then," Mei Mei sighed as she stared lustfully at the tall djinn. To her surprise, the golden-eyed being smiled back and winked at her. "This may not be so bad after all," she mumbled to herself as her cheeks flushed bright red.

Lili ignored the raunchy comment as she tried to assess the scene. "No, the new ones are our allies. Fong spoke about how that tall one with the blue hair killed that succubus. She said that it saved her and Aang. I saw Toph summon the two of them earlier today, just like auntie did the others," she summarized as she tried to rise to her feet once more. "See, hey don't look as if they get along, the way they are holding aunt Poppy's girls," Lili pointed out with a curl of her lips.

"I see," Lei confirmed as she struggled to her feet to stand beside Lili. "We already know that auntie wants us dead, as in permanently gone. I hope cousin's uh, whatever they are, are stronger than auntie's monsters. Those two always gave me nightmares when they were around. But, if we must fight, I still have my silver dagger and a couple of black glass shurikens, that might slow them down. We could try and fight our way out of here, maybe," she suggested to her cousins.

Lili acknowledged her with a nod. "Aye, I'm also still armed. I have some silver coated wire as well as a cursed blade. I don't know how effective my talismans will be though. Soo Ming wrote them for that succubus that was dispatched earlier. These creatures seem to be a lot stronger," she told them. "Do you have any weapons Mei Mei," Lili asked trying to decipher the enigmatic writing on one of her half-dozen talismans.

The silence that followed caused both Lili and Lei to look in her direction. Mei Mei was making goo-goo eyes at the blue-haired giant. She was puckering her lips together like kisses as she clasped her prominent chest, and made circles around her nipple area, with her index fingers.

"What by the Four Winds are you doing, you crazy bitch," Lili yelled as she shoved her engrossed cousin. "We may have to fight for our lives, and you're trying to get a hookup? What the fuck is wrong with you! This isn't the time for a booty call, Mei Mei!"