The Best Romances

Deserve Second Chances

Chapter 6

"The Princess"

To D0omkitty, who hasn't been reading this story.

"Aang, I'm worried about Zuko." Katara said, putting her hand on his lap.

Aang and Katara were taking a break from the party, and they were sitting in the private garden. The archway leading into the garden was blocked off by Fire Palace guards, but that didn't stop people trying to see the Avatar and his girlfriend.

"You worry too much Katara." Aang said, "There is nothing to worry about."

"But Aang, he said that he was going to kill whoever did this to his wife!"

"I heard him too Katara."

"I want to talk to him. Now." Katara said glaring at the Avatar.

"I don't think bothering him is the best idea."

"Well, la-di-da." Katara got up, and marched out of the garden, Aang was close in tow.

Their first obstacle was getting past the crowd. Three million people is a lot of people, and is too much for the Palace to confine. The only blocked off areas were the top two floors, which only left the first floor and the basement to accommodate all of the guests. Aang and Katara waded through the crowd, and they made it to the blocked off stair case that allowed access to the second and third floors.

"Let me through, I'm the Avatar, and we need to talk to Zuko." Aang said to the commanding officer, while he pointed to his arrow.

"Let them through." the man ordered.

Katara and Aang were about half way up the staircase someone called out for Katara.

"KATARA!"

Katara turned to her name, and saw Hahn jumping and waving to her. She politely waved back.

"Tell these guards to let me through, please." he yelled to her over the loud commotions from the crowd.

"Officer I'll personally watch over him, while he is up here." Katara shouted to the officer, and he let Hahn through.

Hahn ran up the stairs to catch up with Katara and Aang.

"Thank you, Katara."

"Hahn, what brings you here?" Katara asked.

"Mai, really."

"Wait, you aren't the same Hahn from the Northern Water Tribe who was engaged to Yue?" Aang asked stupidly.

"I am the very same Hahn that you speak of, Aang. Oh, that reminds me I never thanked you for saving my tribe." and Hahn bowed towards Aang.

"Please, you are embarrassing me." Aang said with a hint of color turning on his cheeks.

"What was so important that you asked me to get you up here?" Katara said as they group turned to go up the staircase that lead to the second floor.

"It's stuffy down there, plus I don't like big crowds. I'm kinda claustrophobic."

"Oh, well, I'm glad I could help."

"Well, I'm going to go find some fresh air, it was nice meeting you again Aang. Katara, I'll see you back at the North Pole." and with that Hahn walked down our famous hallway that ended at a balcony.

"Well, that was weird." Aang said when Hahn was out of ear shot.

"It was weird."

"Come on we still have to see Zuko, and he's up another floor."

Hahn took the picture out of his pocket one last time. It was given to him by a woman named Harley. Along with the picture there was a payment of three hundred gold pieces. Hahn studied the picture. It was of a woman, long hair, defiantly Earth Kingdom. At the bottom of the picture, there was a caption that read, "Sokka's girlfriend." Hahn glared at the caption, he would have done the job without payment, as long as it meant hurting Sokka just how he hurt him when he took Yue away from him. Hahn walked half way down the hall when he hid behind a pillar when he saw Sokka, another girl, and his mark. They all were talking on a balcony, and Hahn would have to wait until his mark stepped away from Sokka, so he could make his strike.

"Sokka?" Toph asked Sokka, who was looking over the balcony.

"Yes?"

"What are you looking at?"

"Aang and my sister."

"Where are they?"

"They are in the garden, the one with the koi pond."

"Oh, I like that garden. What are they doing? They better not be kissing."

"They aren't kissing. They are just cuddling. Oh, now Katara is getting up dragging Aang with her."

"Any idea as to where they are going?"

"None."

"Well, they better not come up here." Toph said and she hugged Sokka even harder.

"SOKKA!" a voice echoed down the hall, Toph only held onto Sokka harder.

"Suki?" Sokka asked as he saw Suki ran up the hall that the scream originated from.

"Suki?" Toph whispered into his chest, "Look, Sokka you deal with her, I'm not talking to her." using her full voice to talk to Sokka's chest.

"I know Toph, I'll deal with her."

"Sokka!" Suki said again, out of breath from emotional distress.

"Suki, what happened?" Sokka asked as he naturally sensed something was wrong.

"Someone is following me, and I'm scared."

"Jeez, Suki, we are a Kyoshi Warrior, I think you can handle it." Sokka protested.

"So, you aren't going to help me?"

"Only if he tries to kill you." Sokka responded back.

Toph felt someone walk down the other hallway that met the hallway Suki ran through, and the figure stopped half way and leaned against a pillar.

"WHO'S DOWN THERE!" Toph shouted, interrupting Sokka and Suki.

"Toph what the hell?" Sokka said to her.

"Oh, sorry, you three. I stopped because I didn't want to interrupt your conversation." Hahn said stepping out from behind the pillar.

"Well, not much we can do about that. Hahn? Is that you?" Sokka asked.

"Sokka? Wow, fancy meeting you here."

"Yeah...small world." Sokka was already on the defensive, he felt that Hahn was up to no good, Sokka never forgot a man's face.

"Who's Hahn?" Suki and Toph asked.

"Let me introduce myself." Hahn said as he reached the group, rather quickly as Sokka noticed.

"I'm Hahn, and I hail from the Northern Water Tribe. Me and Sokka go way back."

"We sure do!" Sokka said faking enthusiasm.

"Sokka a private moment." Suki asked.

"Omm, sure." and he and Suki pulled out of ear shot, leaving Toph and Hahn to better acquaint.

"He's the guy who's been following me. I'm sure of it." Suki whispered.

"You absolutely positive?"

"Absolutely." she said with a nod.

"Hey, Hahn?" Sokka asked Hahn.

"Yes?" Hahn walked over to Sokka and Suki, and he invited Toph, but she hadn't quite told him that she was blind.

"Suki tells me that you've been following her. Is this true?"

"Of course."

"Why?" Sokka was utterly flabbergasted.

"I'm going to kill your girlfriend, Sokka." and Hahn pulled out a long dagger from his pant leg.

Suki ran off, back down the hallway from where she came from.

"Ri!" Suki yelled to Ri, who was standing in the same hallway that she was running down.

"Suki? What happened?" and Ri reached behind him.

"This guy is trying to kill me!"

"No he isn't. I am." Ri pulled out a sword from behind him, and Suki literally ran into it, as she couldn't stop in time to run back the other way.

"Tsk, tsk, oh poor Suki. She has such a light weight when it came to alcohol. At least she was a good fuck." Ri said and he sheathed his sword.

"SUKI!" and Sokka started to run towards her fallen body, but Hahn grabbed his wrist before Sokka could go any where.

"Now that your girlfriend is out of the way. It's time for my revenge, for taking my Yue from me!" and Hahn lashed out at Sokka, who dodged out of the way.

Ri sent a rock boulder at Sokka, but Toph felt it and re-directed it towards the wall.

"Ri...You are messing with the wrong girl."

"Shut up you broad. I'll take your cherry just like Suki, before I kill you."

"Oh, gee, that gives me a warm tingly feeling." Toph said in a highly sarcastic voice.

"Really?" Ri was dumbfounded, he never met a girl quite like Toph.

"No, you make me want to throw up for two reasons. Your horrible approach to women, and you lackluster earth bending!"

Ri shouted in frustration and stomped up five boulders, and he launched them at Toph. Her normal plan would've been to sink underground, but that meant the Sokka might get hit in the crossfire. She couldn't see the boulders this time, so she bent up a massive rock wall, the likes of which made Ri wet his pants. The boulders barely made a dent into the wall, and Toph sent the wall towards Ri. She knew that hallway was a dead end. All she hoped for was that Ri hadn't mastered how to fully blend into an earthen wall. Ri ran down the hallway trying to search for an exit, anything, but Toph being the earth bending master she is, blocked all the doorways leaving Ri no way out. Ri reached the end of the hallway, and he stared at the fast approaching wall, and his life flashed before his eyes. But the only thing that was worth mentioning, was this Harley girl, that gave him money to by Suki's boyfriend, and that sooner or later he had to kill her. The reason he only waited so long to do the dead, was to get into her pants. The wall closed on the end of the hallway, and ended Ri.

Meanwhile, Sokka and Hahn were wrestling for knife control. Sokka had kept his sword in his room for the banquet and dance. Sokka knew that sooner or later Hahn would gain the upper hand, as all Sokka had to do was to screw up once, and Hahn would end him.

"Sokka! Ri is dead." Toph shouted to Sokka over the grunts.

"Great! Go get my sword out of my room!"

"Right!"

Toph ran into Sokka's room and got his sword. She throw at him yelling at him to catch it. He caught it with ease, as well as dodging Hahn's slashes. Sokka unsheathed his sword, the serrations causing the sword to hiss when it cut through the air.

"Face it Hahn, you're finished." Sokka pointed his sword at him as well as taking his fighting stances.

"I was finished when you took my Yue from me! And now someone gave me the chance to correct things, I'm not going to pass this up!" and Hahn charged at Sokka, and he raised his dagger in the air preparing for an over-head strike.

Sokka side-stepped to the left, and he let Hahn's momentum to carry him into Sokka's sword. Hahn coughed blood, and sputtered out meaningless curses at Sokka's name. Sokka twisted Wolf's Tail, and unsheathed Hahn from it, the serrations ripping his stomach open. Hahn fell flat to the floor, dead.

"Well, Toph. How are we going to explain this to Zuko?"

"We! This is all your fault!" Toph said in protest.

"Mine! You killed Ri!"

"I didn't have to if Suki didn't run away, when you confronted him about him following Suki."

"Whatever."

"Oh, great. I got blood on my new black dress." Toph said her fingers fixated on a blood spot on her thigh.

"Well, that is defiantly not my fault."

"Too bad you are still buying me a new dress."

Sokka pinched his brow, he was tired, he just killed a man, and Suki was dead. Not to mention the horrible things Ri had done to her before her killed her. Sokka went back to the balcony, and saw that there was no moon tonight. He found it ironic, how the moon wasn't out, as if she didn't want to see what transcribed tonight.

"Zuko, we need to talk." Katara said as she was let into the study.

"Hello to you to Katara." Zuko responded back as he stood up to pay respect to the woman in his room.

Katara sat down followed by Iroh, Zuko, and Aang.

"What is the problem?" Iroh asked drinking from his cup.

"I don't think Zuko should go out and kill all the people responsible for Mai's death."

"WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE MY ACTIONS!" Zuko lost his temper, practically screaming at Katara. Katara shrinked into the sofa in the study.

"Woah, Zuko, easy there. Don't yell at Katara, she is just looking out for you." Aang said in a collective manner.

"YOU HAVE NO ROOM TO TALK, AVATAR! I recall you becoming enraged when you found Gyatso dead, AND when Appa was kidnapped! I have every damn right to kill anyone who was involved with Mai's murder!"

"You make a valid point Zuko, I did become mad at all of those things, but I didn't KILL anyone."

"That's because you are to weak. You couldn't even kill my father, who may I remind you tried to kill you and enslave the world."

"I know about your father, Zuko. I'm just saying that I think you are looking to high."

"What do you mean by 'to high.'?"

"There isn't a conspiracy of an assassination plot to kill you, and have someone else take over the throne. Just some ruffians who got paid to kill you."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Stay here, lead your Nation. Your people need you."

"Zuko, it's me and Sokka, we need to talk."

"Let them in guard. It seems everyone wants to talk to me tonight."

"Zuko, we have bad news. Suki is dead." Toph said.

The words sucked the life out of the room. Everyone stared, slack jawed at Toph.

"What?" Zuko was the first to speak.

"Suki was murdered. By Ri."

"Her boyfriend?" Katara shouted out.

"Yes, and I bet Ri was working with Hahn."

"What makes you think that?" Aang asked.

"Cus, he attacked me." Sokka said.

If any life returned back into the room, at was quickly sucked out again. Everyone seemed to be dead, just as dead as Suki or Hahn.

"I found a picture of Suki on his person. On the back of it says, 'Kill her, and her boyfriend. Harley.'."

"Okay, that's the second time I heard about this Harley woman." Zuko said.

"I know Zuko, I'm starting to think that this a mob operation. Someone really wants you dead." Sokka said.

"What happened to Ri and Hahn?" Iroh asked.

"We had to kill them." Sokka said and he pointed to Toph.

"Oh my..." Katara started but she was cut off by a knock from the door.

"WHO THE HELL IS IT? WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING!" Zuko shouted at the knock.

"My lord, I have the report about Azula from the Boiling Rock."

"Hurry in and give me it."

The messenger briskly walked in, and he had to zig-zag his way through the people in the small study. Zuko ripped open the report, and he looked down in defeat. The paper fell through his hands, and Zuko started to shake his head in agony. Iroh, who was the closest to the desk, picked up the report, and read it to himself. His eyes filled with horror, but he managed to read it out loud.

"My Lord. I am sorry to report that Azula has escaped Boiling Rock the day before this report was requested and sent."

"Zuko when was this report asked for?" Iroh asked, his hand that was holding the note was shaking.

"A week and one day."

To be continued

OMG SUKI! well, you as the reader should be asking who's next on Harley's list. The pieces are falling together, but the puzzle won't be finished till the last chapter. I've hinted at quite a lot of things, and you as the reader should have figured out that this is a serious book, and every detail counts. This book has now turned into a Mystery/Adventure/Romance novel. Note how mystery is first. You have enough puzzle pieces to put a lot of the picture together readers.

Now to talk about the chapter. From the beginning Ri was always going to Kill Suki, those who did your homework would have found out that Ri is Japanese for Lie. You guys remember Hahn? From season 1? he was going to marry Yue, before she turned Moon Spirit. I always wanted Hahn to try and get his revenge on Sokka, I mean come on Hahn is a powerful dude from where he comes from, I'm sure he can pull out of strings. AND AZULA!

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