hello. here's another installment. soooo...can i have a few more reviews? haha

oh! and please don't be angry with me after this first part of the chapter. you kinda have to figure that this is how it's suppose to turn out. :(

hope you still like it though! I actually worked really hard on this.

review!

-TSA

Chapter 16:

'The true man wants two things: danger and play. For that reason he wants woman, as the most dangerous plaything.'~Friedrich Nietzsche

"How did you escape?"

That was the simplest question, but the only one that needed to be answered. She couldn't care less about why he came after her as she was sure he knew her response. He was searching for the answer of why she used him. He had proven useless in her game, just a thorn in her side that tormented her affections for Zuko. But he couldn't control her any longer, for she had been assured of Zuko's feelings for her. Once more, he had become a thorn in her side.

"Long Feng is still in control of the Dai Li." The blade sat dangerously close to her vein, "He let me go under the condition that I rid of you."

"Is Long Feng aware that The Earth King will have him executed should any harm come to me?"

"He will be dealing with The Earth King…" Briar was thrown to the ground, dust kicking up at Jet's feet. She stared up at him, and for once, she felt fear. Fingers digging into the earth, she uprooted a sharp stone and threw it at him, but he easily sidestepped away from it, "Bend all you want. I'm still going to kill you."

She scrambled to her feet, but was seized by her hair and shoved into the wall. Her head bounced off the stone walls of the building, blood trickling from her hairline. She was dizzy while her legs shook to keep her standing, Jet's grip tightening in her hair and tilting her head backward to expose her trembling neck. His blade skimmed over her skin until he heard her whimper while a tiny tear streamed down her cheek.

His lips, still warm, kissed away her runaway tear, sending shivers down her spine, "I want to enjoy this, Princess."

The sword was removed, though her sigh of relief was wasted as the sword was stabbed through her side. She screamed, never before in her life having experienced the pain that ripped through her body. She wanted to crumble to her knees, but he had her held tightly, pressed between him and the wall. When the sword slid from its sheath of muscle and flesh, she felt Jet seize the folds of her dress, ripping it apart to reveal the skin of her stomach and bosom.

"Such a shame to mar you when I was just looking for a good time!"

She wanted to cry as he laughed hysterically. The tip of his sword dragged along her abdomen while he kissed her quivering throat. Screaming again as he cut a thin line from between her breasts down to her navel, she stomped her foot and a column of rock erupted from the ground, separating him and her. Hands clutched around her torn dress to keep herself covered, she scrambled out onto the streets while trying to run as far as she could before she collapsed from exhaustion.

Crawling to keep her distance as she watched him advance on her, she dug her toes into the ground, a fissure breaking between them. But it was stopped in its tracks when he threw her dagger at her, the tip grazing her shoulder. Hand instinctively grabbing the fresh wound, she blinked away a tear while he stood over her. She was practically dead now. Her body hurt so much that she wasn't sure she was even living anymore. Desperately drawing up a pillar between them, she braced herself as he shattered it with a swinging kick.

"You've got nothing left, Princess." He stood over her, "Since I'm curious, what was your purpose in screwing me over?"

Her hand fell to the gash in her side, her body wobbling back and forth as she tried to hold onto her consciousness. Defeated? How could her pawn have countered her? Staring up into his vengeful eyes, she shook her head, "You were my guilt." She glanced down at her blood stained hand that was trying to apply pressure to her seeping wound while her fingers shook, "You were everything I wanted to forget. I couldn't let you control me."

He smirked, overly pleased with her response, "Check mate, Princess."

She closed her eyes as he raised his sword to the sky. Goodbye everything she had ever loved, for none of it had been enough to rescue her. Reunited with her parents- A lovely thought indeed it was! But the blade never met her skin. One eye peeking open, she saw Jet kneeling in the dusty road, swords at his sides as the blade of a hulking figure adorned by blood splattered golden armor had impaled him through his chest. Tears rushed down her cheeks- My, it was a day for crying!

"N-Nal-Nalren!" She was so surprised to see him standing there. Shaking her head, she welcomed his arms around her waist while he drew her up off the ground, "Certainly took you long enough!"

"You're fortunate that I found you when I did!" He half smiled as she nestled her head under his chin, "You're in bad condition, Princess."

"Br-Briar…" She glanced down at where Jet lie on the ground, hands pressed over the gaping hole in his chest, "Lo-Long Feng w-will tr-try to-to-!" He coughed, blood sputtering from her lips, "-ki-kill you…"

His eyes turned dark, glossed with regret as he left the Earth. She felt a swarm of guilt for leaving him in the road, the least he deserved was a burial. Glancing up at Nalren, she saw that his face read the same thing.

Nalren nodded to her, "I will see to it that he is given a proper burial."

There was a silence where the whistling wind became the only sound around them. She sighed heavily while watching his defeated body become nothing but a speck in the road as Nalren carried her back toward the Upper Ring.

"How did you find me?" she asked as they made their way down the road.

He shrugged, "I had heard that Jet escaped, so I went to interrogating the Dai Li. No one seemed to know anything and I wandered through the palace asking until the messenger boy ran up to me. By the way, he's the eavesdropping sort-" Nalren paused when he heard Briar groan in agony, "Anyway, he said he read the address of the letter that he gave you, and that's how I found you."

She laughed lightly until her side tinged with pain, "Thank you, Nalren."

"What kind of rook would I be if I didn't protect the queen?"

She stared up at his grin, smiling to herself before closing her eyes. Ear pressed to his neck, she listened to his steady heartbeats, steady like the war drums of the Earth Kingdom's armies. She was asleep for a long while, unsure of where she had been taken, though all she was assured of was that Nalren had taken care of her. But even as she slept, she feared the chance of not waking up. There was still so much to be done…

. . . .

Waking up, of all things, was the largest relief she had experienced. Struggling into an upright position, she brought her hand to her waist to find bandages secured around her, a pearly white where only the faintest trace of blood spotted them. She still felt weak, plagued by the torturous feel of his blade cutting through her skin. The worst sentiment was that his life had to be taken, in exchange for her plans to continue being set into motion.

A high price to allow a traitor to breathe…

As her eyes panned across the room, she saw someone standing out on her balcony, his armor glinting in the morning sun. Slipping out of her bed, she wrapped herself up in her yukata robe that was draped over the chair at her desk. She walked up beside Nalren, eyes squinting into the light of the bright sun, the scent of the orchids fresh in the air. She glanced over at him to find his face eased with tranquility.

"I'm surprised you're walking," he whispered.

"I'm surprised that I'm alive." She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, "Thank you for taking care of me."

"I've come to the conclusion that it's my job." He was grinning, "Though a certain thought passed my mind…"

She somehow felt she knew what he was going to say, "And what thought was that?"

"If I should just let you die."

There a silence, a moment where the smell of the orchids became dizzying. She almost faltered a step backward upon the feel of her knees shaking, but she kept her ground while she set her hand against the bandages on her waist. Eyes finding his, which were unmoved by her dazed expression, she bit her bottom lip while the sun's rays fell heavily against her face. Her body felt a hundred degrees hotter, "That would have seemed to be the most reasonable thing to do."

"I hesitated." He lifted a hand to her cheek, brushing over her flushed face, "There are more reasons to kill you than to keep you alive."

"So, why did you let me live?"

He was grinning again while he smacked her on the cheek, "I've been starting to wonder who you're playing chess against…"

"Enjoy wondering!" She laughed while meandering back into her bedroom, "I believe my pillows are calling my name." She glanced over her shoulder at him, "Am I to assume that you've dealt with Long Feng?"

Nalren bowed his head to her, "He is once more in custody. The Avatar proved his claim of the war." His brow furrowed, "There is a drill making its way through the walls of Ba Sing Se."

"And what will a noble general, such as yourself, do to prevent this?"

"You will soon find out, Princess."

She gave him a nod of the head and resumed her trek over to the bed. She struggled under the sheets, relieved when her head hit the pillows. Eyes fluttering closed, she watched Nalren shuffle out of the room, closing the door with a quiet 'thud'. But even as she dozed off, she was plagued by nightmares of Jet's hysterical laughter and his blade cutting through her skin.

. . . .

Sipping on her cup of tea, Hikaru made herself comfy in Iroh's small apartment. She tugged a blanket; she had been given, over her shoulders while staring at the far corner of the room where Briar's war hammer was leaned against the wall. She decided against rummaging through the bag that sat with it, knowing she had found out too much and she didn't want any further part in this. The steam rising from her tea tingled her nose, which made her smile a little.

When she closed her eyes for a moment, she heard footsteps. Iroh walked out of Zuko's room, a faint smile on his lips. He sat down beside her and gratefully accepted the cup of tea she poured for him. The silence was comforting, reminding her of their encounters in Briar's palace, always serene events. She was glad to have memories with him, for she felt she wouldn't want them with anyone else.

"Zuko has broken his fever." Iroh took along sip from his teacup, "He still needs rest, but he should be up and moving within the next day."

Hikaru began to giggle as she saw Zuko stumble out of his room, shirtless, while trying to comb through his unruly hair with his fingers, "Or maybe even by this evening."

Zuko turned his head, staring at Hikaru, "When did you get to Ba Sing Se?"

"A week ago." She laughed as he wearily sat across from her, "You look worse for wear."

Zuko's eyes were fixated on the teacup Hikaru was holding, though it held no significance to him. He just needed to focus on something while his thoughts escaped him. He was fighting to remember what he had said to Briar in that instance that she had been there, weeping as confessions fell from their lips. But what was it that she hadn't wanted him to say? Head shooting up, he met Hikaru's concerned gaze, "I told her I loved her."

Iroh lifted a brow, "Who are you talking about, Zuko?"

"Briar was here!" Zuko rose to his feet, pacing around the room, "She was…with me…"

Iroh glanced over at Hikaru, who simply nodded, "I had told her of your condition. You kept whispering her name in your sleep."

Zuko was smiling, his pale face enticing a blush, "I love her, Uncle." He ran his fingers through his hair, sighing profusely while thinking over those words, "I love her." He sat down again, his smile engulfing his face while he grabbed his uncle by the shoulders, "I love her!"

"Hold up there, Prince Zuko." Hikaru snapped her fingers, the sound bringing Zuko's attention to her, "Have you not been informed of her betrayal-?"

But Zuko was already on his feet, walking into his room, "I have to see her! I need to know if she feels the same way!"

Iroh bowed his head while Zuko closed his door, "It's no use. If he gets hurt, then maybe he'll learn?"

Hikaru wrinkled her nose, but chose not to reply to that. She sipped on her tea, finding that it wasn't as hot as she would have wanted it. She hadn't assumed that Briar knew anything of the arts of seduction, but whatever spell she had cast on Zuko was going to be the death of him.

. . . .

"A drill? Does the Fire Nation truly expect that to be able enough to defeat Ba Sing Se's walls?"

"Maybe it's a decoy?"

"Don't give them that much credit! They're foolhardy-"

"They've gone undetected! The war is finally at our doorstep!"

"Then we need to attack them! Enough wasting time just talking! The armies can be assembled by the morning-!"

"Don't you think that's a bit hasty? There is only one drill."

"Who knows where else they have soldiers? For all we know, they've already breached us!"

"Good Sirs, I ask that we reevaluate this threat." All eyes turned to Nalren, who had been sitting silently with his feet kicked up on the table, "I doubt the Fire Nation has soldiers in Ba Sing Se-"

"What about those teashop fellows? I heard that someone set up a claim that they were fire benders."

Nalren sighed, "They've caused no trouble in Ba Sing Se. I doubt they're spies or soldiers of any sort." He began to laugh, "Unless we intend on arresting them for making the best tea in Ba Sing Se, then I think they're rather innocent!"

But the other generals seemed less than amused by his joke.

"We can never be too sure." General How returned to his seat, staring at the map drawn across the table, "There has to be someone who's helping them orchestrate this. Someone who is in Ba Sing Se, let alone the palace."

"We've already arrested Long Feng," General Sung replied.

"But I don't feel any better about the situation." General How glanced over at Nalren, who was staring off to his left, "Something on your mind, Boy?"

Nalren lifted a brow, "Hm? Oh, my apologies." He finally rose to his feet and paced around the War Chamber, "The matter at hand is not to capture a traitor. We need to stop this invasion."

"You still think in juvenile terms, Boy." General How shook his head, "Finding the traitor will end this invasion without getting us involved in the war."

"I doubt the Fire Nation cares for the life of a precious betrayer."

"What knowledge do you have that you are refraining from telling us?" General Sung snapped.

Nalren shrugged, "No knowledge at all, General."

"If I find that you're lying, you'll be expelled from this council-!"

"That'll be enough, General Sung." General How's eyes narrowed on Nalren, "You're asking us to attack the Fire Nation, Nalren. We aren't strong enough yet."

Nalren nodded, "Lord Chronos, who I serve, has an advisor who had been granted entrance in his youth to the library of Wan Shi Tong, located in the Si Wong Desert." There was a moment where the generals gasped in aw, "The man is an astronomer. If I can get word to him, I can verify the date of a certain event that may be our only shot at killing The Fire Lord." Again, the silence had won, "The Day of the Black Sun."

"The eclipse? You do realize that it only lasts for maybe eight minutes!" General Sung howled.

"Eight minutes is all we need!" A thought suddenly hit Nalren, two pieces of his queen's puzzle being put together, "All we need is someone on the inside…"

"A spy? In the Fire Nation?" General Sung was livid, "Are you that naïve?"

Even General How was unimpressed with the idea of it, "Nalren, again you aren't thinking thoroughly-"

"General How, I ask that you refer to me by the rank I have achieved." He stood taller, light reflecting off his golden armor, "I am a general, rightfully named to the Council of Five by all of you. You think it naïve to have a spy inside the Fire Nation, but it's obviously a well exercised practice as one has already breached The Earth King's palace."

The generals were up in arms, "A spy? In the palace?"

"This spy has perfected the art." He crossed his arms over his chest, "I will see if I can enlist this spy's aid."

"Who is it?" General How asked.

Nalren bowed his head, "I would tell you, General, but Lord Chronos' life will be in danger should I speak outwardly of their identity."

"This is a matter of Ba Sing Se's security! Lord Chronos must be willing to make the sacrifice if it means revealing this traitor!" General Sung bellowed.

Nalren leapt up onto the table, knocking over the assembled pieces marking the placement of soldiers and grabbing General Sung by his collar. They were face to face, Nalren seething, "You fucking coward. You're willing to allow anyone's death if it means you get to hide behind Ba Sing Se's walls! Let's throw you out on the frontline to deal with this, you ungrateful bastard-!"

"That will be enough, Nalren!" General How waited for the silence to return to room and for Nalren to let go of General Sung before speaking, "You will never be addressed as 'General' if you keep this behavior up. You're young and brash, which we commend you for, but this is not the time for your reckless actions. We need to know who this traitor is."

Nalren sighed profusely, "I'm sorry, General, but I can't tell you." His brow furrowed and he bit his lip, "I won't let my best friend die for the name of one person. That seems an uneven trade when you can't assure me that the exchange is a life for a life."

"You have knowledge of this traitor, Nalren. If you want the exchange of a 'life for a life', then I suggest you kill whoever it is orchestrating this."

...hope you're not mad at me! i had to kill him! sorry!

But! another thought for you is what Nalren is gonna do? he's got his honor and loyalty on the line!

and zuzu is in love! (but i'm sure you're all a bit distracted by the fact that Jet has been killed...)

i'll write you all another chapter soon.

PLEASE review. :)

-TSA