Hello everybody. I'm finally back. Updates for all my stories usually take a while, so this rotation was pretty normal. I apologize for the long wait. However, after this chapter, I'll be able to knock out one of my other stories and finish it, and then I'll only have 2 stories on this sight that need to have new chapters added. Unfortunately, the writing juices are getting in the way and I am really tempted to start another story. But I'm going to try to keep myself under control, and instead, give you the newest and most exciting chapter of a method to the madness.
Here it is.
Zuko was taking no chances in transporting his sister.
The guards came to her cell forty minutes earlier than what was scheduled, causing Azula to react towards them with violence and disgust. Luckily, the guards were able to subdue her and drag her out of the mental hospital, without causing commotion or disturbing the peace. Her face was covered so the press wouldn't be able to obtain a sighting, or glance, so no stories would be published. The ship that would be transporting her was 2 times larger than any prisoner transport ship, and its foundation was reinforced with a type of steel and iron that no fireball could penetrate. What's more, was the fact that the ship's captain was none other than Firelord Zuko himself. He trusted no one with the responsibility of guiding the ship that was transporting his incredibly unstable sister, but the crew he hired, and himself. And while all these orders and instructions revolving around Azula's banishment could be considered paranoid, most people would agree that due to Azula's history of violent and destructive behavior, all that Zuko was doing, was indeed for the best.
But Sokka thought that Zuko was going overboard with this next order.
"So let me get this straight," Sokka proclaimed, as he was about to go off on one of his infamous rants. "You want me and Suki, to go with you on the ship, which, might I add, is inhabited by the most craziest person alive, and STAY IN THE ROOM, WITH SAID CRAZY PERSON, AND WATCH OVER HER!"
Zuko sighed as he gave himself a well deserved face-palm. Even after explaining the plan to him a thousand times, Sokka still didn't understand the importance of his presence in Azula's cell. They stood outside the ship's loading bay, as the single prisoner herself was being brought on board. She was completely sedated so her feet dragged along the plank. Her face was covered with a burlap sack, and two big guards carried her up the wooden plank, one of their arms under one of her arms. It was a very hot day out, with the temperatures rising every second. Republic city was known for having brutal summers, but the heat that came upon the city today was unbearable. Both Zuko and Sokka were hotter than two hog monkeys wrestling in a wool sack. They were completely drenched in sweat. It was a shame that Zuko's didn't think at the time to relocate their conversation on to the cool, steel, ship.
"I told you," Zuko began, groaning in annoyance. "I think you and Suki would be perfect for the job. You both are excellent warriors with great passion, and I need someone to watch over her to make sure she doesn't escape. More security equals better safety."
"Better Safety my ass!" Sokka complained. "You're placing me and my wife in the lion's den."
"You can handle it," Zuko assured him. "And besides we have taken every single precaution needed to avoid disasters. She's in handcuffs,"
"Which she has been known to escape from," Sokka grumbled.
"She is away from all sources of heat," Zuko added. "The lighting is supplied by multiple windows surrounding the ship."
"Good," Sokka supplied sarcastically. "Multiple windows for multiple opportunities to escape. Oh, and by the way, She doesn't need fucking heat to kill us. Does the word 'knife' ring any bells?"
"What in Agni-ki's name is you're problem?" Zuko proclaimed with much anger. Sokka's speech was drowning itself in a sardonic tone, and it was getting to the fire lord's nerves.
"You're putting me and my wife in danger." Sokka stated clearly, enunciating every syllable, as he stressed the urgency of the situation. Real anger isn't explosive or disruptive. Real anger is quiet, literate, and deadly. "We can't risk placing ourselves near Azula, that lady's dynamite. Why couldn't you get Aang and my sister in there?"
"Because they have to watch over my wife while she is has the throne during our mission." Zuko explained.
When he told Mai that she would become supreme leader of the fire nation, it almost seemed like she would detonate with exhilaration. Of course, she replied with her usual monotone, but nothing could hide that glimmer in her eyes. Then, Zuko told her that the council had decided that while she was in charge, Aang and Katarra would watch over her. It seemed as if the room was flooded with anger. She proceeded to go on a tirade about the damned old bastards, and about women equality, and about the biases of the world leaders. Zuko completely agreed with her. He thought it was downright repulsing that the council believed a woman couldn't run a country by herself.
However, there was one universal fact that caused Zuko to agree with the men. Three pairs of eyes are better than one. Zuko knew of the pressures that being Firelord brought upon. He also knew that if Mai had to handle these pressures all alone for the entirety of Azula's transport, she would end up being a giant stress ball when he returned. With Aang and Katarra by her side, Mai would have it a lot easier than Zuko had it for the past 10 years as firelord. Hell, the more Zuko thought about, he seemed somewhat Jealous of his wife's position.
It was hard to convince Aang to agree with the council as well. The airbender describe to Zuko in vivid detail that the Avatar handles, "worldly," problems, not "political" ones. The Avatar could not be brought down into the political machine. The Avatar had to remain pure and spiritual. But, Zuko counteracted with this. If Azula were not to be transported soon, that would become a worldly problem. Aang most defiantly agreed, and decided that if it were to benefit his best friend, and the world on somewhat of a level, he'll join Mai.
Suddenly, as Zuko and Sokka waited outside the ship, a curious thought appeared in his mind.
"You don't want the danger, but yet you're okay with having your sister in harm's way?" Zuko asked curiously.
Sokka's face immediately broke into hysterics, as he shouted and pointed at the Firelord. "Ha! You see, you just admitted that there was danger involved."
"I didn't say-" Zuko tried to retort, before he caught himself, and placed his hand on his hair. He dragged it down and tugged on the strains of hair in annoyance. He breathed heavily and looked Sokka straight in the eyes. Bringing his hands down in front of him, together, in a Zen like state, Zuko began to speak.
"Look," He said powerfully, yet in a calm voice. "I need two people to guard my sister. And I don't want some corruptible guards that I can't trust. I want someone who I've known literally, all my life, and that person needs to be very gifted and powerful in their skills and assessments. If they weren't tied up at the moment, I would have picked Aang and Katarra, But Sokka, you can do this. I have no doubt in my mind that you and Suki are perfect for the job. It should only be a three day trip, and I assure you, with all my heart, that you will be fine."
Sokka raised one brown as he crossed his arms. The water-tribe warrior was skeptical, to say the least. But as he thought about it, though he was very doubtful and nervous, he seemed to trust Zuko more and more with every passing minute. Finally, letting out a cross between a groan and a sigh, Sokka proclaimed. "All right, I'll do it." He passed Zuko and made his way up the wooden ramp. Azula was now sedated and currently on-board the ship, so Sokka's strides seemed to be filled with confidence, since he didn't fear a crazed female maniac would be running out of the ship with lightning eradiating from her fingertips.
"But make no mistake," Sokka proclaimed as he looked down on the firelord, who was making his way up the plank as well. "You owe me…..something….I'm not sure what, but you owe me."
Zuko smirked. "I'll buy you and your wife lunch sometime, how about that?"
"Lunch my ass," Sokka exclaimed with a smile. "With the danger I'm putting myself through, you better buy us breakfast, lunch and dinner."
He awoke with a stirring in his groin.
She was literally crawling all over him. She was planting kisses from his head down to his feet. She was worshiping him, biting him, licking him, but most of all, she was pleasing him. He could feel her hot breath against that sweat spot on his neck. His thoughts were swimming satisfyingly.
So far, it had been a good day. Suki and Sokka had stayed within Azula's cell on the ship, and Azula didn't seem to attack. She was pumped with so much sedatives from puffer frogs that she reminded the couple of a wet noodle. She sat in the corner of her cell, all day, as the boat swayed back and forth, and didn't make one sound, not even a peep. It frightened Sokka on some level. Azula was genuinely not this quiet, and he had the suspicion that she was planning something. But every time throughout the day, when he would pull off her burlap sack to revel her face, she was completely out of it. There was not one hint of mischief or evil on her face; just the blank stare of a completely whacked out mental patient, deep within her drug filled subconscious. The only time she cause a stir, was when she fell over not too long ago, and was proceeding to become sick. Suki lead her to the toilet so she could proceed to be sick elsewhere. It took a while, so Sokka took a nap.
When he awoke, he realized that it had only been a good day. Now, it was going to become a GREAT day. It had been so long since he felt her touch that he sometimes wondered if he was even touched by her in the first place. It had been a while since that had intercourse and Sokka could honestly not recall the last time Suki and him were this passionate in their love making. Now, that touch and passion had reappeared almost instantly, and Sokka was addicted.
He grew a wide smirk when he realized what attire Suki decided to wear for the occasion. It was her Kioshi warrior's outfit, complete with make-up. He remembered doing it with her like this at least two time before, and it was strange, and kinky, but never this insanely good. Well, he thought slyly. Third times the charm.
"Oh, Suki. You naughty girl." He moaned as she began to ride his thigh. Nothing could distract them from this magnificently good moment.
Except for Azula.
She was in hysterics. She moaned and groaned without reserve to the point that she was making Suki look subtle. She shook her head and rattle about like an epileptic. Sokka tried his best to ignore the sounds she was making, but, it annoyed him that his duties required to check on the woman, instead of checking out his woman. With a bitter taste in his mouth, he pushed his wife to the side as she began to stretch out on the bed. He walked over to the girl with the sack covering her face.
"Ah, spirits, you intolerable girl." Sokka mumbled as he got closer and closer. He reached forward and pulled off the sack. "All right Azula….what seems to be your…..problem."
And with that, his heart stopped beating, and the room chilled itself with fear and dread.
He automatically recognized his wife when the sack was taken off. Her eyes were widen with fear, turmoil, and panic; as so were Sokka's. Suki's mouth was gagged with some unknown material. She had a major black eye, a swollen lip with a giant gash and thousands more scrapes, bruises, and scratches on her face which showed her submission was not a light hearted one.
Sokka flipped out. He jumped up as if though he were electrocuted. Fear pulsed through his system quickly and erratically. And when he spoke, he almost screamed. "You're not Azula!" Sokka shouted the completely obvious. He turned to see the silhouette of the mystery girl that prowled around the bunk like a panther. "You're not Suki!"
"SURPRISE!" the make up wearing, trickster, and cunning Azula shouted with much devilish intent as she jumped forward and slammed Sokka's head fiercely into the cell bars. A dreadful ring echoed throughout the cell. Immediately, Sokka's world went back.
The second time Sokka awoke, he was greeted with a horrible headache. He discovered that he was tied to a chair, and was brought into another cell that was not Azula's. In front of him, was a rather large table, crafted from wood and natural glue. It seemed very formal, which brought Sokka great fear. For, the person seated in front of him, across the table, was one of the least formal, craziest, and off the walls people he knew. He wouldn't even consider her a person by any stretch of the imagination. She was a killer; a beast. She was the one that brought Sokka here, bound him to this table, gagged him, and left him beaten and tattered.
Azula sat across from Sokka, and held in her hand fifty foreign objects that Sokka wan't accustomed to. They were clearly made out of paper, but the pieces were so small, and thin; very very thin. The imprisoned Sokka cocked a brow as Azula looked down at the stack of papers, and rifled through them. Then, she looked up, and stared Sokka directly in the eyes.
She smirked, which sent chills down the water-warrior's spine. "Due to its increased popularity," Azula began with an effeminate and cold tone. "Pai Sho, has overshadowed many family favorite games. While Uncle Iroh and little Zu Zu played with their chips, I preferred cards any day." She began to fold the cards in an act that many card players called 'shuffling.' "To play the game, you hand out five cards to each player, and whoever has the best hand wins. Best hands are determined by the type of car, and the number of that card. If you have pairs, triples, quads, or five pairs of the same number or if you have the same type of card, but the numbers goes up numerically, you have the best hand. You have the best hand, you win." She shuffled the cards again. "But…..in order to be fair," she told Sokka with a notable disgust at the word 'fair.' "You must shuffle the deck 7 times. That way the order of the cards is completely random."
As soon as those words left her lips, she paused and stared at the cards for a very long time. A sense of tension and suspense filled the atmosphere, and the dread increased tenfold. Sokka's heart pounded in his chest, as he watched the crazy maniac stare deeply at the deck. After a few minutes, she finally looked up.
"It takes a lot of work to get things random," she commented as she shuffled the deck. "Kind of like life. You see, life is all about how we play the cards we've been dealt with. Because there's no such thing as band hands. Oh no." when she spoke these next few words, she gritted her teeth in anger, as if she knew someone of the sort. "Only bad players."
Then, she laughed in a one key octave, which was quick and loud. It alarmed Sokka, and snapped him back to attention. He was about to pass out once more. The painful head ache was becoming too much to bear.
"And some whacko's," she declared righteously, "Try to use cards to tell the future. I'm not a big fan of fortune tellers, Sokka. That idea alone is just too predictable. Besides, where's the fun in knowing what's going to happen next? Am I right?"
She leaned forwards on the table, and supported herself with her elbows. She got right next to Sokka's face. She spoke low and quite, but the raw emotion in her voice was unmistakable. Sokka needed to hear what she had to say, or else.
"You see Sokka, life comes down to making a choice." She declared. She symbolized this by holding out her hands, and moving them up and down. "It's either one or the other. It's the fork in the throat-" Azula immediately caught her mistake, and winced in humiliation, as she shook her head back and forth dramatically, and exclaimed, "Road! I meant Road."
And then, when the dust settled, a new violent windstorm of knowledge brought the dust back up. She looked at Sokka, confidently, and stated, "Suki's the one with the fork to the throat."
Sokka's eyes widen. He felt as if time itself would stop and all the world would crumble. He couldn't believe what he just heard. He thought that his mind was pulling a dirty trick on him. The stress of his mission was enough to drive any sane man to the depths of insanity if the problems arose. But, Sokka was about to receive the biggest shock of his life.
"Who?" she asked sarcastically as a witty smile painted itself thickly on her face. She then got out of her chair, and went under the table. She rustled around there for quite some time, before she emerged from under the table, with a heavy weight in her hand. When she laid the heavy load on the table, the flop sound of death followed immediately afterwards.
Sokka screamed inside his gag in incredible emotional agony and turmoil. Suki's dead body now lay on top of the table. a giant metal fork was stuck in her throat, and while most of her blood was already drained from her body, she was still bleeding like a stuffed pig. Tears streamed down the warriors face, as he looked at Azula, who laid her feet on top of the table and leaned back in her chair.
This was the most comfortable position that Azula had created for herself in years. It's good to be queen; the queen of death.
"Now, do you think Suki, saw this fork in her cards?" Azula asked with a cocked brow.
Sokka shook violently in his chair. His arms were still bound behind him and the chains did nothing more but subdue him from attacking her, and rattle. Those chains were intimidating him. They were mocking his pain. The waterworks continued still, as Sokka wept for the end of beauty.
Azula chuckled a dark, maniacal chuckle, as she grabbed the cards and shuffled once more. "You See Sokka, it's not about finding out what card is yours, it's about what cards you're not. Otherwise, you can't make your move to win. Besides, each card has a meaning."
She took out one card at a time, and laid them in front of her, facing Sokka, and standing up. She showed him the 4 main cards, and in a creepy, yet ironic side note, the numbers spelled out 4479; Azula's prison identification number. As Sokka stared at the cards, Azula pointed to each one, and told of their significance and symbolism.
"Diamonds represent wealth," she began as she pointed at the card. She moved her hand. "Hearts show emotion." She moved her hand again. "Spades stand for intellect." Then she pointed to the last card, "and Clubs, well, that's to signify power." To add a little bit of her soul to her speech, she explained her thoughts on power by stating that clubs meant, "Over hitting people."
She placed the cards down flat on the table, and moved them over back to her deck. Sokka's breathing was now regulating. But that possibly was because he was now going into shock. The combination of pain and panic was not healthy, to say the least. His heart was about to explode.
Azula reached into the deck, and pulled out a card. It was the king of clubs. "So….Sokka, what are you. Are you the powerful Aang?" she looked at him curiously, and then shook her head, "no." and then tossed the card to the side. She grabbed another card. It was the King of diamonds. "Maybe you're the Zuko type? Right?" after a few moments of silence, she declared, "I guess not." She set the car alight. Half of it burnt off, but the other half remained intact. She showed Sokka another card. It was the Jack of hearts, "You're obviously not the charming and lovely Dr. Mailto," she spat as she tossed the card away. She then picked up a card, and her mouth gaped open in surprise. She gasped overdramatically as she showed Sokka the King of Spades. "I think you might be The Avatar." She stared at him seriously, as if she was expecting him to have an epiphany and accept his role as the new found master of all four elements.
After while, she began to stare at him with glaring eyes as her brows furrowed. "I guess not," she proclaimed with repulsion as she picked up a new card. It was the queen of clubs, "Toph?" she asked him. She tossed the card away before Sokka could decide. She brought forth another card; the queen of hearts. "Katarra? Hmm?" she asked bitterly. She incinerated that card in complete anger.
With each passing second, her anger got worst and worst. She brought forth another card, the queen of diamonds. "How about Mai!" Then, she slammed on the table. Her anger was now fully in control. Her voice shook with a powerfully fury that spirits would quake in turmoil over. Her insanity was in full bloom. Were wide eyes were dancing. "Of course, that's just a face card, you have to earn the right become a face card." Now, the mad woman was throwing cards randomly in Sokka's face. She didn't even have the audacity to look down at what card she was throwing at him. "You've got your BOULDERS! And your CARMINES! Your BOBS AND JOES! THE BUTCHER, THE BAKER, THE DYNAMITE STICK MAKER!"
Then, she screamed as loud as she possible could. All of the anger, all of the pain, and all of the anguish that she built up inside her since she realized she was going to lose Dr. Mailto, released itself in a blinding, powerful, blast. But, by some divine, spiritual miracles, no lighting erupted from her. Instead, she took all the cards, and threw them in Sokka's face. He reacted by fluttering his eyes. His reactions to Azula's antics were becoming less extreme. His mind was melting. All the information and horror he was trying to comprehend, was just too much.
A few moments of tense silence passed by as Azula looked away and breathed heavily. Her shoulders rouse up and down with each powerful breath. She then turned to Sokka, and her current state could only be described as animalistic. Her hair was tattered and her face was plastered with sweat and small remains of the Kioshi warrior make up. She walked forwards, slowly, and deadly, and grabbed Sokka right on the shoulders.
She gave him a serious look in the eyes. What she was going to say next, through all of her madness, was going to make the most sense of all, and it was imperative that Sokka listened.
"So which card are you? Hmm?" she asked in a terrifying tone. "What's it going to take, to separate you, from all the others, to make you stand out, before you fade away, with the rest of the numbers."
She looked away, allowing a calm and peaceful atmosphere to overcome Sokka, before she surprised him by pushing him down to the ground. The chair slammed violently, as so did his head. A sharp searing pain blasted through his skull. He was now looking up at Azula, as if she were a goddess. She stood with a powerful presence that was meant to not be tampered with. She lean forwards, and concluded her stunning, riveting, and frightful speech, with a magic trick.
"THERE'S ONLY ONE CARD THAT MAKES ANY DIFFERENCE!" She shouted with vehemence. "IT DOESN'T ADD, OR TAKE AWAY. IT JUST IS!" And immediately, and suddenly, in the midst of her angry tirade, she bgan to get calm, and confident. With a swagger that only royalty had, she smirked as she preformed her trick. Out of nowhere, a card magically appeared in her hand. Since Sokka was foreign to the concept of cards, the former princess of the firenation, who was now the princess of darkest, explained what the man on the tricycle meant.
"This is the joker card." She spoke avowed in her since of self-righteousness. "There's one in every deck, and it always shows up, when you least expect it." Then, with the scariest smile that Sokka had ever seen, she got only 2 inches away from his face, and spoke clearly, and deadly. She reminded Sokka of a poison snake. He was trembling in fear.
She said, with a sick since of self awareness and foreknown enlightenment, "If you ask me Sokka, there really needs to be more wild cards in a deck." She laughed an uproarious, crazy, laughter. She had now gone beyond, and past the depths of insanity. She was in hell. This was hell. Her mind was hell. And she loved it. She craved it. She was lusting after it. Nothing would stop her from brining her hell, and effecting one more with it.
She was the queen of hell, but she needed a king.
Mailto was that king.
And nothing was going to stop her.
She picked up Sokka on the back of the chair, and dragged him along, through the hallways of the ship. "Come on," she exclaimed excitedly in a whisper. "Let's have a nice, pleasant, chat with the captain."
*cue dramatic music* Sorry to leave you on another cliff hanger. I promise I'll try to get back sooner. Now that my school has been let out for the summer, I'll have more time to my writing. Please check out my YouTube channel, ( the link is on my author profile) and as always PLEASE REVIEW!
Oh, and I also have a Monty Python reference in here. Points to whoever points it out. Post your find in the reviews, next chapter will have the reveal. *note; points can be substituted for cookies*
PLEASE REVIEW!