Chapter 23
I apologize for the excruciatingly long wait. I haven't really felt up to working on FM but never fear I will not abandon this or you guys; that'd be the ultimate form of cruel and unusual punishment. X) Now than, disclaimer still applies I don't own nothing. With exception to the plots/ideas/situations that I have placed characters and any and all ocs.
Neither one broke the silence that descended after departing the awkward family dinner as each seemed to be quite content with the simple act of silence. But in the silence each spoke a million words at once. Raven had opted to drift along beside Azula as was her want. As for Azula she'd walked a slow leisurely pace with every ounce of confidence befitting royalty. However the royalty that she now portrayed held none of the condescension and arrogance she had once been so inclined to.
The cool night air felt good as it brushed her skin. It'd been ages since she had the will and or freedom to enjoy the outdoors. She'd have like to believe that this moment would last forever; she didn't have to worry about being perfect or the princess of the fire nation with a target on her back. She could simply be Azula enjoying the stretch of beach with a person she loved. Because who was she kidding, Raven was the only luminescence that still shone brightly in her shadowy existence.
At some point both halted their movements; one remained a drift in the air while the other settled into the sand. "Raven?"
"Raven?" Her prompting elicited no visible twitch from the half-demon floating next to her. Clearing her throat loudly she tried one last time. "Raven there's something bothering you. You've been…disturbed and tense all night."
It was minor but her concern felt like a sledgehammer to Raven's skull. "It's nothing."
"You're lying. Normally I would threaten anyone who lied to me with bodily harm but if I did that to you, it'd leave a bad taste in my mouth." She said voice not able to contain her annoyance at being all soft and squishy.
An amused smirk from Raven served to increase her ire. "Did Zen seem a bit displaced or put off back there? And I found it strange that she was very keen on the knowledge that Rook and Lil would be with Mai and Zuko all day tomorrow."
Her annoyance and irritation vanished at that. Her thoughts raced back to the waterbender's actions throughout the awkwardness. "Yeah and apparently seeing me up and about also made her act strangely."
"Almost as if…" She didn't want to finish speaking her thoughts for they surely would have made her sound mad. "…as if she was another person entirely."
It was like standing on the edge of a steep cliff and suddenly realizing you want to live rather than fall or be thrown off. Earlier Raven felt a dreadfully familiar emotion wavelength flare up and nearly suffocate her with desperation. But it had been scrambled horribly in the wake of her interaction with Azula.
That chill that accompanied the shadows Raven summoned to teleport herself and passengers surrounded Azula once more.
After several instances of traveling like that her disorientation was beginning to wear off faster. Or she was growing accustomed to the sensations either way her surroundings came into focus quickly. We're near the lake…
She glanced at Raven only to see her already moving through the sparse vegetation around them. With an undignified huff she shot after the flying half-demon. At that moment she'd have given anything to levitate; normally her own flying method would be in play but considering the situation it wasn't the best idea to give away their location.
Just as she was about to do something incredibly dumb for the second time in her life, Raven melted into the shadows and disappeared. Using the instincts her father instilled in her she jumped onto the nearest tree branch that would hold her weight, making virtually no sound, and observed the area they'd stopped in.
The trees grew closer together there creating a enclose space with long knotted grass covering the ground. 'Firecracker, just listen, if the woman were chasing catches a glimpse of you she'll run off. Her powers are weak against heat and fire. Stay hidden until I make my move than turn up the heat. You'll know when.' The last of her suggestion faded from her mind as she caught sight of Zen entering the ring of trees. Upon closer inspection of the waterbender, Azula spotted her carrying an awfully familiar device.
With baited breath she watched as Zen flipped it open and began speaking into it. Silently she moved from tree to tree to better hear what she was saying. "What would you have me do, re-infect her?"
"No I don't know how they managed to defeat it in the first place. It could have been as simple as a clap of their hands. Try creating even more dissent and antagonism between Zuko and his delectable sister." Her every nerve ending ignited in absolute blinding hatred upon hearing his voice. Her will was locked in battle with her body; she would not rush in recklessly. I am not Zuko!
"And the plan?" The voice on the other end seemed to be debating with others over her question. "We stick to the original time-frame; the attack begins at the same time and the same place. Stay where you are and inform me of your progress at about noon."
If she had been her brother, she wouldn't have seen the device in her hand shatter in flash of black. A grin spread across her face as she fired off two minuscule fire balls and as they landed she launched into the air, contorting her body into an odd short of half-flip that she turned into a spin.
The half-flip made the bright reddish orange fire balls grow rapidly and the spin urged them to keep moving; the result was a ring of fire around the unsuspecting Zen. When she landed within the flaming circle of grass Raven had already cornered and imprisoned the waterbender. "Where's the real Zen, Madam Rouge?"
"The most foul creatures inhabit this world little demon. So many options to contemplate." The woman's accent coming from Zen's mouth was mind boggling to her.
"Don't fuck with me. I am out of patience for you brotherhood assholes; now tell me where Zen is?" the half-demon's tone held the promise of unimaginable suffering but still the woman toyed with her.
"I hoped she'd have been able to put up a better fight. Why are the youth these days so easily broken?" She'd had enough of the woman's games. Before Raven could exact what her voice had promised, bright purplish red flames passed between them. "Death it is than peasant."
"Ha I'd like to see you try." Her anger belied the anxiousness she felt.
"As princess of the Fire Nation and General of the imperial legions it is my sworn duty to kill you." As she spoke she came into view of the captured imposter holding a purplish red ball of flame in her hand. Carelessly she tossed it into the air and caught it again.
"Raven wouldn't be aware of this but I know exactly who you are. You see I was a guest in Titan's Tower for roughly a month and after coming to an understanding with myself; I grew quite curious about the world I was in. Rather than access the information I was looking for originally, I stumbled upon files; files about the brotherhood of evil. One in particular caught my eye and that was you. A woman that could stretch and twist her body into anything however a small note was attached to your file. This note stressed your weakness to heat." She said still playing catch carelessly with the ball of flame.
"Now, here is what we are going to do." She caught her ball of flame one last time before crushing it to non-existence by making a fist and then swiftly clasping her hands behind her back. With her full attention and scorching gaze resting on Madam Rouge she saw the sweat begin to drip down her face.
"I'm going to have Raven remove a small portion of her energy from your body and when she does this, I will concentrate all the heat in your body to that specific area, until it melts." She smiled gleefully and her facial features contorted into a scary imitation of the Joker's when he's on a killing spree. Once more she brought her hand up but instead of a fire ball, each finger sported gouts of flame. "Shall we get started?"
"Vait, vait, vait, she's in the basement of the infirmary building." Her accent grew more and more pronounced as Azula had drawn closer to her with those flames on the end of her fingertips. Pouting mightily Azula extinguished each fire dagger with great reluctance, "And just when I was enjoying the prospect of torturing you to death. You ruin it by squealing like a little non bending peasant."
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos." In a half panicked half pleading voice she begged to be released. "We can't have you running off now can we?"
The next day; early morning…
"You want us to do what?" His asked for the fifth time that morning. And the half-demon was tired of explaining it to him.
"Stage a fight with your sister but and I stress this, but it can't look like it's all an act. If Shen suspects anything is out of place; he'll change his plans." The occupants of the tent weren't happy with her idea except for one.
"Oh come on Zuzu it's not like it will be hard or anything. This bastard is expecting us to be at each other's throats. If he thinks were at odds than he'll underestimate us." Like many, many times before she had a valid point but that didn't mean he had to like it. She could tell he was entering into 'Stubborn Zuzu' mode. "Lil and Rook are what he's after and I will not let him take them; even if it kills me."
He searched her face for any falsehood, he saw nothing but conviction. He felt helpless as the absolute facts about his sister were erased, leaving an endless expanse of unknown in its wake. His upper lip drew back gifting his face with a disgusting sneer and his eyes hardened like the scar tissue on his face as he spat, "Request denied; I can't risk you turning them into monsters. Lily and Roku will stay with us."
Her nostrils flared out and she spat fire, literally, as she seethed with a bottomless rage, "You will not keep them from me fire lord! I lost them once and I will not suffer that again."
Their fiery gazes locked and had anyone been standing in the space between them, they'd have been incinerated. In a flash that same space between them ignited with an intense heat as the two firebenders sparred; both having rushed the other each brandishing a fire dagger. The momentum and force each used caused sparks to fly off the daggers as they met.
Her strikes were fast and blind; shearing through the fabric of his red tunic, leaving trails of purplish red fire behind. His were measured and patient; he waited to strike with devastating force that pushed her back.
As they separated and just before their blades would have met again for the thousandth time, both were encapsulated inside a barrier of icy black shadows. "ENOUGH! Azula and I are leaving; fire lady, Zuko's containment will disperse as soon as we have gone."
The half-demon gestured with her hand and one of the two black spheres fell in behind her as she swiftly exited the pleasantly warm tent. The other sphere of black faded out very slowly, the fire lady and Zen both suspected that it got weaker as Raven got further and further away from them. Once it faded completely the fire lady started in on Zuko, "It's a shame she stopped Azula. I would rather she'd let your sister burn all your skin off."
As the last traces of Raven's energy wore off, Zuko's anger exploded like a gas can thrown onto a fire. "Someone had to take a stand against her. Lily and Roku are way better off without her. Azula's a monster and that is all she'll ever be. This is final and in case you've forgotten my word is law."
All that he saw of his wife's emotions' before she left the tent was a faint glimmer in her eyes. That can't good, not at all.
The waterbender hiding in the shadows of the tent let a smirk lay claim to her face as she hit send on the communicator.
She'd returned with Azula to the infirmary and waited a little while longer before letting her out. She could still feel how worked up Azula was from her staged fight with Zuko. Ten minutes later and an exhausted princess stood before her. "Think it worked?"
"We'll know soon enough if it did or not." She said sounding awfully tired as she did. "Whatever Shen is planning it will happen sometime today."
Azula cast an apprising look in her direction. "I could hear the anticipation in his voice yesterday as he spoke with Madam Rouge."
As she spoke, answering Azula's unasked questions, wave after wave of immense fatigue washed over her. And the next second the unique blackness of sleep embraced the half-demon.
Unknown location; Kyoshi Island…
A highly amused smile had taken up residence on his face as soon as the video feed had gone black. Huh, seems as though she's more attached to the children that I ever thought she could be.
It wasn't often that he felt guilt well up within him but for some unfathomable reason he'd grown to care for the crazed princess. Before Lily and Roku had been born he'd seen her only as a means to his and his brother's plans' end. Though and he was loathe to admit it even to himself; over the years an ember smoldered within him, now it had ignited into a flame and it couldn't have come at a more crucial time. It doesn't matter she'll be dead soon.
"General Shen." Turning he pinned the giant French primate with his dark nearly black grey eyes. "You have a call."
Almost immediately he snatched the device from the hand that brandished it and flipped it open. "Status report Shen."
Saluting the screen and feeling very foolish for doing so, old habits die hard, he dived right in. "Madam Rouge was successful in her assigned tasks; Zuko and Mai have taken Lily and Roku away from Azula for the moment."
"Any word or sign of our secret weapon, yet?" Shen's response wasn't forthcoming fast enough for his brother's liking, "No, we've not heard or seen anything from them yet."
Silences between them had always weighted heavily on Shen; they never ended very well for him, ever. Frantically he tried to say something, anything. But he kept coming up empty and just when he was about to start pleading for certain body parts to be left alone, one of his soldiers interrupted.
"General Shen, Psimon's returned." He was so happy he could have kissed his first communications lieutenant despite how incredibly unpleasant that would have been. "He says the final stage has begun earlier than he'd originally estimated. The troops are ready to initiate the plan whenever you give the order, General." Okay he officially gets a promotion.
"Thank you, Major." The dismissed soldier walked off as though he was an airbender.
"There you have it everything is going according to plan."
"You're moving up the attack's time frame?" Shen's smile threatened to out shine the sun. "No brother. Azula has grown quite attached to Raven and their entire plan or plans may very well have hinged upon the half-demon. Now they'll be scrambling to figure out what's happening to her; which is when they will be at their most vulnerable and that, dear brother, is when we will strike."
A blank screen met his words and as Shen pocketed his communicator he resisted the urge to laugh manically at how smoothly their well laid plans were falling into place.
Around the same time; Kyoshi Infirmary…
He observed his sister from a reasonably safe distance. She was pacing and that was very disquieting to him. I've never seen her pace before. Agni I wouldn't have believed it possible. In his musings he failed to catch sight of the de facto leader of the Kyoshi warriors approach Azula.
"Snap out of it!" her sharp tone made everyone gathered jump. "With Raven out of commission for an unforeseeable amount of time; you are now the only person who can coordinate the troops."
This brought the agitated firebender to a halt. Deep down she was aware of this but she couldn't shake the reoccurring doubts that haunted her. "Its Chaz Zu right?"
She didn't wait for confirmation. "How is it that the Kyoshi warriors or anyone else for that matter will follow my orders?"
Chaz Zu mulled her question over for a moment or two before speaking, "When I was tasked with keeping an eye on Lily and Roku, shortly after they arrived, I grew attached to them; its kinda hard not to. Anyhow I can't speak for each individual among the Kyoshi warriors but when I heard about what you did for Lily, in my eyes, you became an entirely different person; one that I would willingly follow into battle."
No one spoke, no one moved, and no one dared to breathe as her words echoed throughout the room. Each one of them had eyes only for Azula as she went rigid, eyes glinting harshly, "Start the evacuation procedures, Zuko let Lieutenants Han and Rau organize the imperial firebenders into the diversionary tactic discussed previously, and Mai find an eel hound; we're going to need reinforcements."
He wanted to argue and point out that he was the fire lord and the closest thing to a recognized authority figure but that thought was driven from his mind as everyone scattered to do as his sister bid. The words were out of his mouth before he could hold them back. "You really care about them."
He saw the rigid set of her shoulders tense even more before she hissed, "Them? You'll need to be more specific Zuko."
I've really stepped in it this time. Releasing a breath he motioned toward the doorway that she'd been pacing in front of for the last two hours, since Raven had collapsed. "Raven, Roku and Lily; you care about them a lot."
"It sounds as if you don't really believe I cared." Her words and tongue were as sharp as ever, had they actually been knives he have been bleeding heavily.
"The though crossed my mind that you were just using her as a means to an end." His tone was subdued almost as if he'd didn't want her to hear the words.
A moment later and a dark chuckle reached his ears. "She could literally turn me inside out and feed me my intestines while simultaneously making me enjoy the entire ordeal. She's as broken and twisted as I am. Her mother wrote her off as a lost cause and her father used her then tossed her aside; she's just like me except she was stronger."
The air charged with tension as the silence wore on. It was hard for him to deal with her without resorting to hostility especially when she wasn't being hostile first.
"You should get going there's a lot hinging upon Raven's plan."
She waited for his footsteps to fade before closing her eyes against the tears but it didn't help, it never helped.