Lightning Can be Warm
Chapter 9
The Gambit of Separation
AN: Okay, I'm back! This is a longer update (which is why it's late). I'm so glad I have so many great reviewers and watchers! Thanks so much! The next chapter will be up really late, because I want to adjust Chapter 3 a little. Also, this chapter is going to skip between scenes quite a lot. I'm trying to emulate the style of an Avatar episode, but I've watched them, and they jump around a LOT! So, this chapter will jump a lot. If you don't like it, do tell me in a review, and I won't do it again, it's just an effect of speed. T for language! Zuko riles up Katara a bit too much.
Ty Lee covered her mouth and was about to reach for Suki's forehead when she heard screaming and the crackling of flames. This wasn't good. How were they supposed to hide from the Fire Nation, escape off the island and save the islanders without any of the Fire Nation quartet being spotted?
Ty Lee whimpered and wrung her hands. If she woke up Suki now, her chakras would be blocked for a huge amount of time. However, she and the others couldn't help the rest of the islanders, because it was imperative they weren't seen. They had to keep out of sight, or else the plan wouldn't work. Suki and her warriors were the only ones who could defend the island without it seeming strange. Hating herself for it, Ty Lee pulled Suki out of her unconscious state. Suki sat up, looking dazed and confused.
"What, is it over already?" she asked, looking woozy.
Ty Lee shook her head miserably, glancing outside the window at the small blaze from near the beach. That wasn't good. "I'm so sorry. It isn't over. Your island's being attacked by the Fire Nation. I had to wake you up."
Suki immediately snapped to attention. 'What! You said they were coming next month!"
"If you haven't noticed, we're slightly out of touch from society!" shouted Ty Lee!
"Well I expected you to be able to count, having taken over half of the world!" screeched Suki.
(X)
Azula's head snapped towards the window. She had felt fire tugging on her chi. A man-made fire. Zuko had no reason to reveal himself to the islanders as a firebender and the other two girls were without firebending. There were firebenders on this island, which was not a type of news that the cheerfully chatting Katara would want to hear. But it was a necessary truth.
"There are firebenders here." Azula said blandly and calmly.
Mai looked annoyed. "Ones who'll know us?"
"Most likely. After all, who doesn't know the face of the Crown Prince and Princess of the Fire Nation?" Azula said bitterly and Sokka swore angrily.
"What do we do?" asked Katara, looking scared.
"We wait," said Sokka, lifting up a bag, "And we pack for an emergency escape. I have a feeling that a peaceful night's rest is out of the question." He grumbled the last sentence, and Azula hid a smile. The imbecile was funny at times, especially when he was trying to be serious.
(X)
Zuko looked out down the river as he pulled on the last of his many layers. There was a slight tug on his chi, but his memory was foggy and he couldn't quite remember what it meant, apart from trouble. He felt uneasy. Something wasn't right.
"Aang?" he called out to the trees and the cheerful monk sauntered out of a small grove.
"What is it Zuko?" he asked, his face falling as he saw Zuko's worried face.
"Something's not right. Get into the air, but hide yourself a little and tell me what you see."
Aang nodded and floated up the tree like there wasn't a force like gravity. Zuko heard a gasp and Aang floated back down again, his face pale.
"Someone's burning the beach!"
(X)
"Of course I can count! Even with the extra days sliced off, the navy is still really early. It doesn't make sense. Please Suki, we can't be seen, that would create more trouble than good." pleaded Ty Lee as Suki darted round the room, wearing her armour as fast as possible. Suki didn't bother with the paint, and rightly so.
"Fine!" spat Suki. "I'll cover you along with the rest. Get off my island and don't come back!"
Ty Lee gave her a serious look. "Now isn't that just a bit conceited Suki? It's hardly your island." And with that, Ty Lee opened the window and somersaulted out, landing perfectly on her toes.
Coming out of a house close by, were more Kyoshi Island warriors, more bandaged and bruised than ever. Ty Lee's heart went out to them but she had no time to rest. Ty Lee sprinted as fast as she could towards where Appa was resting inside the huge barn. There were piles of hay draped everywhere and a large trough of water in the corner. Several ostrich-horses cowered in the corner of the barn, away from Appa as possible. He was sleeping lazily near the entrance and the lemur was drooped over the saddle.
"Come on Appa! Wake up!" she hissed. The sky-bison grunted at turned over. Ty Lee scowled angrily and punched its side. "NO TIME! GET UP!" she shouted angrily and the sky bison groaned and got up. The lemur screeched angrily and curled around her shoulders.
"Wow Ty Lee, I wasn't aware you could be so angry," said Mai dryly as she and Sokka sprinted inside.
Sokka vaulted onto Appa and secured the supplies and Appa's saddle. Mai quickly climbed up his fur and Ty Lee hopped onto the sky-bison with a worried expression.
"Mai, where are the others?" she asked. They were missing nearly all of the others.
"Zuko and Aang are washing. They probably don't know the danger so Azula and Katara have gone to get them." said Sokka as he grabbed a set of fans from his knapsack.
Ty Lee felt shocked. "Sokka!" she said, looking annoyed.
"What?" he said. "Times are difficult. Weapons are hard to come by. And the girl on duty there just gave them to me. I can't help that I'm just so attractive."
Mai rolled her eyes. "Get a move on. We have to move the bison quickly without being seen. Ty Lee, keep him at a low height so he isn't immediately visible."
(X)
Aang was ready to soar upwards but Zuko grabbed the back of his top. "No Aang. We can't be seen. Especially not me."
Aang shoved off his hand angrily. "So don't be seen. I'm the Avatar, I have to do something! I brought this to their island, I know I did!"
"What makes you think that?" Zuko asked. "We've barely been here a day. How could news pass so quickly, especially from this solitary island?"
Aang laughed bitterly, a sound which surprised Zuko. "You'd be surprised how fast news travelled in my time. Something that happened in the eastern temple reached our temple so quickly it was unbelievable. An hour or two, I believe, using air currents..." he said wistfully.
Zuko looked unimpressed. "You're the last airbender, remember? No more airbenders, no more using air currents."
Aang shook his head. "Non-benders could use them too. Gyatso demonstrated when Kuzon came over to the temples one day."
Zuko frowned. "I guess the knowledge must have died with the temples. Now it takes at least a day or more. But that's beside the point! You can't fly to help them! You'll get us all caught—"
At that point, Katara stumbled through towards them. Azula strode through the bushes like they were non-existent, close behind her.
"Wrong as per usual, Zuzu. You haven't seen who's leading the fire-benders." said Azula, an uncharacteristic frown on her face.
"Who?" asked Aang and Zuko in perfect tandem.
"Zhao," said Azula, both triumphant and bitter at this announcement. Zuko took a sharp intake of breath.
"That's not good." He said, sounding hollow.
Aang looked confused. "Who's Zhao?"
"A ruthless, clever man." said Azula, "He's a Captain in the Fire Nation Navy. He's risen ranks far too fast for my liking. Father has refused to debate his necessity. He has too much power, but it comes from his contacts and the people he knows rather than his own strengths. This attack is more than likely his idea. He's always been known for his...initiative." Aang frowned. 'That isn't good."
"You haven't heard the worst of it," said Katara, bending over to clutch feeling back in her legs.
"We really don't need more bad news!" exclaimed Aang.
"Uncle's with him. As are the rest of the crew." Azula said, pushing her fringe away from her face.
"Agni, this could not have come at a worse time!" exclaimed Zuko, punching a nearby tree.
"We have to have a showdown with Aang and the rest and they have to cunningly escape on Appa without us. We then have to then...correlate with Zhao, ditch him somewhere in the Earth Kingdom and rediscover Aang's trail." said Azula slowly, shuddering at the mention of going near Zhao.
"That makes sense," said Katara, standing up tall. "Now we just have to tell the others."
Azula shook her head. "Katara, you saw it out there. The Kyoshi warriors are getting slaughtered. We don't have time to tell the others if we want there to be survivors. Now if you don't want survivors..."
"Don't be disgusting!" said Aang and Katara in unison.
"Well then, we'll have to find a public place where Zhao can see us and fight the two of you there." said Azula calmly.
Katara groaned. "More running?" she said, "I'm just recovering from this one!"
Zuko looked amused. "You really need to get more fit. That kind of discrepancy in your personal health is a foresight that would get you killed in real battle and punished if you were in Fire Nation army," he said as they started jogging towards the centre of sudden bursts of light.
She looked up, her dark face flushed and sweaty. "If you haven't noticed, there's not exactly much of an area to practise running in the South Pole, nor is there a NEED to run!"
Zuko then sprinted towards the town centre and the moment he felt a strong tug on his chi that felt substantial, he turned round and pushed a fireball towards Katara. She scowled and deflected it with difficulty.
Zuko was unimpressed. "I'm an imperial firebender! I'm one of the best of my kind! How is that pathetic waterbending going to look like you're defeati—"
At that moment, Zuko was slapped with a strong spray of water and his hand was frozen in ice. He burst it nearly immediately and touched the sore spot.
"That hurt!" he said, sounding surprised. Katara made to whip him with more water but he easily evaporated it with a shot of red fire.
"Come on!" he yelled as they passed a firebender, "Can't you do any better than that, you waterbending slut!"
Katara puffed up with anger and her water whips got faster, but more erratic, barely hitting Zuko, instead, taking out nearby firebenders by 'accident'.
"How dare you!" she exclaimed.
Just as Zuko was about to retaliate, there was a large explosion and both were knocked off of their feet.
(X)
"What in Spirit's Name was that!" yelled Sokka. The three of them had been dismounting just away from the centre of the action when the Earth itself blew up, throwing Sokka to the floor and setting his hair on fire.
Mai extinguished her sleeve and Ty Lee stood up lightly, offering a hand to Sokka. "Something Aang and Azula concocted, no doubt." Said Mai quietly.
"You've seen this before?" asked Sokka as he felt his singed hair in dismay.
"Something of the sort, yes." said Mai. "Don't you remember, Ty Lee?"
Ty Lee shook her head, there were tears streaking her cheeks. "I don't want to talk about that day, Mai. Neither does Zuko. And Azula will never bring it up, because it was her one failure. The only reason you want to talk about it, is because you weren't there for the beginning. Now come on, we have to find them. Now."
Sokka nodded and they all started running. He fell hilariously behind. The other two turned around to look at him. "How slow can the Water Tribe get?"
"I'd like to see you hunt on ice!" he hissed.
Mai smirked. "Oh wait, we did."
"SHUT UP!" screamed Ty Lee. The other two stared at her in surprise. She looked away, embarrassed. "We haven't got time for faffing. They must be dying as we—"
Ty Lee's voice broke as she saw the inferno in front of her. The whole place was burning and there was small explosion from each house slowly. The sound was unbearable. And right in the centre of it was Azula punching with streaks of blue fire, an uncharacteristic bead of sweat running down her nose. The reason? She was fighting Aang in the Avatar State. And winning.
(X)
Azula felt a streak of sweat run down her face for the second time as she dodged a flurry of molten rock being thrown at her by the glowing avatar. This was a tougher match than Azula would like to admit and she was dangerously close to losing. She shot a huge bombardment of swift blue fire at him but it was deflected by his shield of air, as she had thought. This needed a more innovative way to look like she was winning before Aa—The Avatar came out of his infuriated state and escaped.
Luckily, the Avatar state seemed more than willing to cooperate with displays of huge power and destruction as they leapt from building to building, demonstrated by on the of the largest earthquakes Azula had seen, created by a previous Earthbender. Combined by one of the strongest lone fireballs she had made, it had created a shockwave, which Azula knew would affect the whole island, including Zhao and his troops.
Azula leapt from the rooftop of a building unto the broken and smouldering Avatar Kyoshi statue in the centre of the broken town. Aang was floating. And a harsh guttural voice came from his throat, that wasn't Aang's, instead infused with the voices of a thousand avatars.
"What is your purpose in this!" it demanded. Because that was an it. That was what the Fire Nation were afraid of. Not Aang. Not the child, the airbender with a cheerful, unpolluted outlook on life.
"Your death!" Azula shouted, lying through her teeth, lying with her soul and hoping that it would understand her true intentions. Hoping that Aang inside 'it' could remember the plan.
It smirked. "Prepare to meet yours instead!" it shouted and Azula grinned wryly as it sent an mixture of all four elements at her she stood still, as if frozen by shock and ducked at the exact last minute, throwing herself off the statue as if hit by the attack. She damaged the front of her vest with a quick blast of fire and lay there among the rubble of a smouldering town and waited.
(X)
Ty Lee screamed as Azula fell and ran towards her, but was restrained by Mai, who had already pinned Sokka to a building firmly.
"Azula doesn't die. She isn't dead. And you must keep your heads. BOTH of you." said Mai shortly.
"SHE WANTED AANG TO DIE!" Yelled Sokka as he struggled with the knives but Mai did nothing, merely leaned against a building and waited.
"No, she doesn't," said Mai after a pause, where the sounds of flickering flames resonated, "Azula is a selfish person and so will only do something to benefit herself. Killing the Avatar benefits her in no way. She's lying. And very well, if both of your reactions are to go by."
"That's not true!" said Ty Lee, hotly defending her childhood friends, "Azula cares about us!"
"But she comes first, does she not?" asked Mai. "We wait. This is a waiting game, and we will play it til the next gambit."
With that she pulled the knives out of Sokka's vest.
"Go find your sister then take her and Aang to Appa. The three of you leave. Tell Zuko to come here." Said Mai, her voice weary.
Sokka nodded and left. Ty Lee felt tears running down her face.
"This isn't an auspicious start," she choked out. Mai shrugged and put a hand on Ty Lee's shoulder. They waited.
(X)
Katara had immediately abandoned her fight with Zuko as she saw Aang and Azula showdown near the statue of Kysohi. Zuko had stayed in pursuit, playing his role to a T, shooting fire as he went. She ducked every one of them, keeping an eye on the confrontation. Her breath hitched as Azula fell and Aang seemed to lose the other-worldly energy and fall. Katara had run and run, ignoring the fallen Azula, straight to the boy who had brightened her drab life and promised her the world.
"Aang! Aang, wake up! You've got to get up! Please. Please don't be dead..." she said, feeling tears sweep her eyes. To her immense relief his eyes opened.
"Katara?" he asked, weakly.
"Yes?" asked Katara, pulling him close to her.
"Is the offer of penguin-sledding still open?" he asked, a smile stretching across his face. Katara couldn't help but smile in return and pull him up. Zuko was knelt beside Azula and she was about to help him when Sokka turned up. He grabbed her hand and slung Aang over his shoulders.
"We need to get to Appa." He said shortly.
Katara felt annoyed. "But Sokka, what about—"
"Forget them! They have enough help. The town is now a Fire Nation town. We need to get to Appa and we need to leave. Before they catch Aang."
With that, his running sped up to a speed Katara couldn't bring herself to make, even without the weight of an unconscious Aang.
They soon reached Appa and the lemur who were waiting anxiously. Sokka threw Aang up onto the saddle and climbed unto Appa's head. Once Katara had hoisted herself on, Sokka tugged the reigns, uttered a 'Yip-yip Appa' and they were away, to the nearest land away from here.
(X)
Zuko stroked his sister's hair back. She looked genuinely injured and her usually pristine face was streaked with sweat and grime. She was also unconscious and her arm looked to be crushed. Zuko lifted her up, to take her to Appa so they could leave, when to his horror, he looked up and the beast was already far up in the air, flying past the moon.
There were two shapes up on the beast and he had no doubt that the water tribe had left the rest of them there.
"I'll get you back for that..." murmured Zuko, lifting Azula up bridal-style as the silhouette disappeared into the night.
He turned around to greet the flurry of people gathered there. Ty Lee and Mai were kneeling on the ground with Zhao's spears in their backs. Many other Kyoshi warriors were also on the floor in terrible states, burns and wounds everywhere. Right in the middle was a bedraggled Suki, with a burning gaze of hatred directed at Ty Lee who looked only at Azula.
"Crown Prince Zuko, what have the natives done to your royal person?" asked Zhao, from atop his komodo-rhino. His voice was oily and Zuko couldn't stop the sneer that appeared on his face.
"No natives could have harmed my person such. This was the work of the Avatar and his companions. He's back. Alert the world."
(X)
"Where are we headed now?" asked Sokka laying out the map on the saddle and Katara flew Appa. Aang was back to himself, with a broken arm and a pain in his eyes, which spoke of innocence lost.
"Have you heard of somewhere called Omashu?" he asked Sokka.
"No." Sokka said, shortly.
"Actually, we have." said Katara from the front seat. "Remember the traders from before the Fire Nation raids?"
"No." said Sokka once more. Katara rolled her eyes and Aang giggled.
"Well, if you've heard of it or not, this is a place to go for refuge. The people here are the friendliest in the whole world." said Aang as they finished travelling over sea and come unto green pastures. Sokka tapped his fingers impatiently on the saddle.
"And? Don't we need to get to the North Pole? Shouldn't we actually be trying to get there?"
Aang shook his head. "No, we need to wait for the others. Omashu is also the closest rendezvous point that Azula and the others will think of going to. It's one of the biggest cities in the Earth Kingdom, after Gaoling and Ba Sing Se." said Aang.
"Then that's where we're headed." Said Katara. "Ignore Sokka. We all do. Yip yip, Appa!"
Sokka rolled his eyes.
(X)
Ty Lee sighed as she leant back against her luxury apartment on Zhao's ship. Mai was opposite her and both were desperate to hear news of Azula and Zuko. However, despite their cushy surroundings; there were guards at the door and the windows were barred with the strongest metal.
"I'm bored," said Mai after a while.
"You're always bored Mai. It's nothing new." said Ty Lee, spitefully.
"Anger doesn't suit you, Ty Lee." murmured Mai, as she leant forward. Her knives had been confiscated and she had nothing to do but talk. "What's really bothering you Ty Lee?"
Ty Lee looked away. "Don't tell me it's that girl you were seeing before we left." Ty Lee still refused to face Mai. "The one from Kyoshi, the leader. Were you two having fun? Having a relationship?"
Ty Le turned her burning eyes unto her. "Don't you dare Mai! She was so troubled and insane and I was trying to heal her chakras and I locked them to save that island. We didn't even succeed at that. Zhao won. The island is Fire Nation now." She sounded bitter and all Mai could do was hold her as she launched herself across at her and sobbed.
"Ty Lee," Mai said, as Ty Lee finished crying.
"What?" she asked, her voiced choked up.
"Don't forget we ARE Fire Nation, will you?"
Ty Lee buried her face in Mai's clothes again and Mai sighed. Great. She would have to buy new clothes once they reached port. Just her luck.
(X)
Azula sighed as she woke up. It was neither of the places she had expected to be. She had hoped it would be in the Kyoshi Island house or on the bison's back. In fact, she was in a Spartan Fire Nation room that resembled normal soldier's bunks. Azula's nose wrinkled and as she got out of her bed, she noticed that her clothes were burnt beyond recognition. It was hard to believe that they were still intact. She stripped them off and gladly put on the clothes set aside for her. They were slightly too big and definitely not befitting a princess of the Fire Nation, but she wasn't that. She was a soldier.
She tied them off with her remarkably resilient belt and walked out. A guard was at her door and bowed respectfully.
"Princess Azula, I am afraid I am under orders to keep you to your room. Anything you need will be provided but I cannot let you out." The soldier looked nervous and rightfully so. Azula felt a cold anger alight within her. This was Zhao's fault, she knew it.
"So you would imprison your own princess?" she asked him and the soldier was silent. "I could destroy you, if I really wanted to kill you. As it is, I would rather not destroy such a loyal soldier. We need more of you out on the battlefields."
The soldier was silent again. She sighed. "Get me my Uncle or my brother. I wish to speak to them." The soldier looked scared at this request. "My princess, the Crown Prince is under similar conditions as yours. I will call General Iroh."
Azula growled. "Very well. And be quick about it. I would prefer to not have to wait."
She sat herself back on top of her bed and smoothed out her scorched fringe with a scowl. This wasn't the first time she had been out on the front line but the first time she had been injured. What with her gruesomely injured leg and her scorched hair, she wasn't quite sure fighting was worth it to her body anymore.
Her uncle entered the room looking grave. He seemed to have lost a bit of weight too.
"Azula, you are in deep danger." He said, the moment the door closed.
Azula gave him a look. "As if I didn't already know that Uncle. I need something more useful."
In answer, he handed her a letter with a bright red seal. She recognised its owner immediately. "Father," she breathed. She broke open the seal without hesitation and opened the letter.
Azula,
I am displeased. There has not been a single report for a week after your tawdry announcement by a panicked private in the navy. I have had to get news of your exploits from Commander Zhao, a commoner at best. This is unacceptable from a Princess of the Fire Nation. I expect better from you, if not from Zuko. As you have deduced, your task has changed from apprehending the waterbenders to apprehending the Avatar.
But what is this about the Avatar? Is it now twice you have encountered him and have underestimated him? You are better than this. If I didn't know better, I would say you were... getting dispensable. You were the best, now I doubt your capabilities. You have but one more chance to capture him. I will bring you home if you fail again.
To make your quest easier, I have given you full command over the Yu Yan archers. You will find them training near the Pohai Stronghold. Your comrade Mai should know them well. I want reports more frequently than I have been receiving them. This is unacceptable to hear your failure from second-hand witnesses .You are my daughter. You will not fail again.
Ozai
Azula sighed as she placed the letter down on the table. If she was truly chasing the Avatar, The Yu Yan archers would come in handy. As it was, she was not and she had to find someway to not use them. She also had only one more chance to 'capture' the Avatar. She would fail obviously, but this time, it would not be her failure, but another soldier's. Or better yet, the Yu Yan's archers' fault. That way she could kill two birds with one stone.
Being Zhao's boat however was a more pressing problem and one she had to overcome.
"Uncle," she said, after a moment of thinking. "How do I get off this boat? Without too many dead soldiers?"
Her uncle looked grave. "I can think of only two ways. One; you sneak out in disguise, but that would leave you on the run from Zhao and achieving your father's ambitions would be tricky indeed. The second is that you accept Zhao's offer of help. He wants to raise himself up the ranks of the Army and if you promise him some credit of finding the Avatar, you would get freedom once more."
Azula frowned, neither option was definitive. "The second option is better, but it is tricky to rely on ambition alone. What if his ambition overcomes him and he ruins my plans, Uncle?"
Uncle Iroh gave her a look. "Azula. You are the princess. Your charisma is undoubted. Zhao will not be able to control his ship again, if you gain their loyalty. They stick with Zhao because he has noble blood and his fire his powerful. But yours and Zuko's are far more superior and more powerful. Do not doubt your capabilities."
Azula glared back at him. "I never have. I am superior. But sometimes, too much plotting can bring a person down and single deviation in human characteristics can ruin everything. I would rather rely on my allies staying constant than my enemies staying constant."
Uncle gave her a smile. "But, niece, is it not true that people follow simple rules for life? Is that not how you outwitted General Gunat?"
Azula smirked, it had been a part of her father's Earth Kingdom destruction plans. Three divisions of elite firebenders sent by Fire Lord Azulon couldn't defeat some jump-start squad of the Earthbender army calling themselves the 'Terra Team', governed by the self-named 'General Gunat'. They had raided and taken over an area of land the size of Fire Fountain City and claimed it as Earth Kingdom territory and for 30 years no one had been able to defeat them.
When Fire Lord Ozai wanted to defeat them, he sent her. The firebenders laughed at her but she had brought him down. She had planted information that a Fire Nation supply trolley filled with gold, food and machinery would pass by and they hadn't been able to resist her little trap. They had stumbled unto the area where she had planted the bombs. All that was left of them were splatters.
"But those were desperate Earthbenders. I can't rely on Zhao being desperate. He has a lot already."
Iroh smiled at her. "But he doesn't have everything. I have stayed with Zhao for a few days, and it is obvious that he is one of those types, that if he had the opportunity, would gamble. He's an 'all or nothing' man. If you bait him correctly with supposedly reliable sources, he'll believe and follow."
"Everyone can be bought," said Azula, remembering her Father's first lesson. "I just have to find their price. "
Iroh nodded, his demeanour grave once more. "Do not forget yourself or warp them, however. You need to escape not humiliate."
Azula rolled her eyes. "I understand that. Get Zhao for me, would you?"
(X)
Aang sighed as he placed the stuffy beard and wig on his face, made of Appa's fur. "I don't know how Appa stands this on a daily basis. This is ITCHY!" he said, scratching at his head.
Katara laughed as Sokka loaded himself with their supplies. "Don't worry about it, Aang! You'll be fine. You need this disguise anyway. If you haven't realised, your arrow is kind of conspicuous."
"No geez!" said Sokka, sarcastically. "Do we really need to go into the city? We don't have that much money to buy a room that we don't need. We could just sleep out here. We have enough supplies."
Aang looked at Sokka. "Sokka, how else are we supposed to find news about the others unless we're in the city?"
Sokka rolled his eyes. "We could keep Appa here; commute there in the mornings and come back here at night."
Katara looked hesitant. "He has a point Aang. We should store our money. Even though we have plenty of Fire Nation coin, I don't know how well they'll be accepted in the Earth Kingdom. Our Water Tribe coin is fleeting, I only have a few seal-golds and our supply of Earth Kingdom coin is meagre at best."
Aang bit his lip and nodded. 'If that's what you think is best. Okay, we'd better go, I want to see if they have arrived yet."
Katara nodded and they all headed towards the gates.
As they drew closer, they saw a rather large queue slowly being interrogated as they entered the city.
Sokka looked shell-struck then quickly recovered. "Aang, we need a cover story. They're interrogating people! Think of an appropriate Earth Kingdom name!"
Aang grinned. "How about Bonzu Pipinpadaloxicopolis the Third?" he asked.
Sokka gave him a sharp stare. 'This isn't time to goof about, Aang. Be sensible, please."
Katara interjected. "How about you be Lee Jin-Kai and we'll be your grandchildren Cho Jin-Kai and Sum Jin-Kai? Easier to remember, eh?"
Aang nodded, his shot down suggestion not affecting him in the slightest.
Suddenly, they noticed the person in front of them was having problems getting his cabbage cart cleared by the soldiers. As they watched, the cabbage cart was flipped over the edge of the large abyss as the man burst into tears in front of them, screaming incoherently about cabbages.
"Friendly, huh?" said Sokka under his breath as Aang stepped forward.
"Halt!" yelled the soldier.
Aang did not however halt. He lifted his stick and wagged it in the soldier's face. "Don't you tell me what to do, sonny! I'm going into the city whether you like it or not!"
The soldier looked amused. "Okay old man. Why don't you tell me your name first?"
"I'm Lee Jin-Kai! Now get out of my way sonny!" barked Aang, and Sokka had to admit that he was pulling off a great old person impression.
"Steady there. Don't knock yourself over." The soldier said again as Aang brandished his stick at them.
Katara cut in. "My name is Cho Jin-Kai and this is my brother Sum Jin-Kai. I'm sorry about my grandfather; he doesn't know when to stop." said Katara, placing her hand on Aang's shoulder.
The guard waved it off. "No problem kid. You can go in. Have a good time in Omashu!"
But the other guard still looked suspicious. "Hold it there, Totu." Sokka gulped. This wasn't good. He hoped he wasn't going the same way as the cabbages.
"You there!" the guard said, pointing at Sokka. "Me?" said Sokka, his voice trembling.
"Yeah, you! Carry your grandfather's bag for him! How dare you let an old man strain himself." The guard hooked Aang bag off of his shoulder and dumped it over Sokka's head.
"Young people these days," said Aang, looking smug, "Just don't have any respect, do they?"
Sokka glared at Aang before stepping forward to join a group of people all waiting to enter. A young boy walked up to them, amiably.
"Hi there," he said to Sokka.
Sokka nodded in acknowledgment then turned away to glare the guards into opening the gates. Katara gave him an admonishing glare. "Hello there. I'm Ka—Cho Jin-Kai. This is my brother Sum Jin-Kai and that's my grandfather Lee Jin-Kai. What's your name, buddy?"
The kid grinned, revealing some rotten and skewed teeth. "My name's Lee too! I'm from the Plain's village! My dad sent me here because they wanted to evacuate me. The Fire Nation overran our village and the Earth Kingdom Army took all of the older village people as soldiers and bully everyone there! Mummy said that I have to find a 'Mr Tamsin', because he houses refugees. But I don't know where he is! Will you help me find him? No one else will!"
Katara's face softened and Sokka sighed. "Great. A search party around all of Omashu. Just what we needed."
Aang frowned. "Not that I have anything against you, young lad, but how do we find Az- and Zu if we're helping him search for Mr Tamsin?"
Katara looked like she was about to agree when Lee's face fell and looked down-heartened. "How about we split up, Aa- Grandpa? We'll meet outside the city gates at sundown after you go search for the others."
Aang nodded. Sokka quickly spoke. "I'll go with Grandpa. You'll be okay, won't you, K-Cho?"
Katara smiled. "Of course I will, S-Sum!"
At that moment, the guards came towards them and with a quick stomp, the first Gate of Omashu opened, quickly followed by the second then the third.
"Woah!" said Sokka, Lee and Katara in tandem. Aang merely grinned. "Come along, you young whippersnappers! Or they'll close the doors on us!"
As they walked in, the doors closed behind them, with an extraordinary feat of simultaneous earthbending.
(X)
Zuko tapped three fingers on the table as the three guards watching him, attempted to look poised and perfect in front of the Crown Prince. He never thought he'd think this but he was as bored as Mai claimed to be all the time. He had been waiting here for three hours while Zhao, Azula, Uncle and the others were taking their own sweet time primping. He was aware the guards were trapping him in his room, but they had a healthy fear and respect for him.
To his relief, Mai and Ty Lee entered the room. He let himself be engulfed by Ty Lee's hug and gripped Mai's hand as she gracefully sat down next to him.
"How has your time in Zhao's 'pleasant' company been?" he asked them and Mai shrugged. "Boring. But that's not unusual."
Zuko smirked as Ty Lee perched on the table next to him and played with her braid. "Annoying. It's almost worse than at home. At least there, someone's always doing something, even if you have to stay indoors all the time. Here, no one does anything. What are we waiting for anyway?"
"Zhao." Said Zuko shortly and they lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, where the three of the them attempted to stare down the Navy soldiers guarding them.
Azula walked in next, accompanied by two soldiers, wearing commoner's clothes to Zuko's eternal surprise. "Azula." He greeted courteously. "Your...attire."
"Yes, unsightly, is it not? But as a soldier, you can't complain." She drawled as she pulled a chair from the corner of the room and sat adjacent to Ty Lee's table.
"How's your leg?" asked Mai, her eyes not leaving the soldier who seemed to still be gawking at the lot of them.
Azula grimaced. "It's had better days. But it isn't oozing blood at torrential rate, which I count as a bonus. However, I also count the fact that these cannions are blood red... also very good."
Ty Lee engulfed Azula in another hug, a couple tears going down her face. Azula shoved her off, with an air of great exasperation.
"Does it hurt?" asked Ty Lee.
Azula gave her a look. "A Kyoshi Island barbarian cut open my leg. Of course it's going to hurt!"
"Well then, if the Earth Kingdom Barbarians overstep their line, we shall punish them, as is our right." came a sleek voice from the doorway. Azula gazed at him with a look of cool contemplation.
"Zhao," growled Zuko under his breath. Mai squeezed his hand, tightly.
"Commander Zhao," said Azula with a smile. "I heard of your promotion. Congratulations on making your way up the ladder." She said, her tone as equally smooth as his.
Ty Lee shuddered, she hated this part of Azula's personality. Mai meanwhile buried her face on Zuko's shoulder. "Tell me when's she's done being manipulative." said Mai and Zuko pulled a face.
"You mean when's she's done flirting with a man twice her age. I don't need to watch this." He sighed and shut his eyes, keeping his ears open for the conversation taking an adverse turn.
Zuko found himself almost mind-dead when half an hour later, the tiring and asinine complimenting continued as negotiations and explanations inched along at the pace of a sloth-snail.
To his relief, his uncle came into the room. Zuko couldn't summon the ability to question why his uncle was on Zhao's ship, just thankful that he was. "Zhao. The Kyoshi Warriors are ready to talk. Your chief of this ship is ... skilled in interrogation tactics, or else they would have stayed silent for a long time." Said Iroh. Azula sat up a little bit straighter and Zuko shot her a look. This was a spanner in the works. How would their lying work if the Kyoshi warriors had a completely different story to theirs?
AN: To be continued... Sorry, I need cliffhangers for reviewers apparently! This is much longer than my usual chapters, and I would have carried on, but I wanted to release this sometime this year, so here you go! I've learned my mistake from other stories, setting myself a deadline doesn't help me achieve the deadline, just makes me panic more, so I can't say when the next chapter will be.