Chapter 37
Chaos

"Everything is in place General. Things are going according to plan. The only thing that could possibly hinder us is the Avatar. He's been to see the Kuei." Hiromu grinned.

"Then we must speed our plans along a little. Is the girl feeling better?" Kawamura whispered.

"Yes, the sedatives should start wearing off soon."

"Good, then starting tonight our little coup will fall directly into place."

- -

Azula lay on the floor taking slow deep breaths. Her mind wasn't much clearer than it had been before but the use of her limbs was returning. Great, now where the heck was general bastard? He had a real beating coming to him. She needed a plan, a way to get out of here. It would probably help if she knew where exactly in the caves she was but in the grand scheme of things she just wanted to get as far away from her captors as possible and let her brother know what kind of twisted plotting was going on here.

- -

Katara clutched at her stomach in pain. She was definitely pregnant. Irritation meant there was baby, feeling nothing at all and she would have been off the hook. She felt like she would die of the cramps currently twisting her insides. She was glad she had chosen to return to the apartments of the Fire Lady for this test because healers would have been all over her if she were in the wing she shared with Zuko. Here they believed she was resting and did not want to be disturbed by "men's business." She rolled her eyes at the thought. If she hadn't been commited to this thing called secrecy she wouldn't spend any time in this wing. It made her incredibly uncomfortable knowing this is where the past Fire Ladies would sleep when their husbands chose to take concubines to their beds or simply had tired of seeing their wives. She hated this place.

"I think congratulations are in order." Kaili smirked, waltzing into her sitting room. He chuckled at the death glare she sent him. She straightened to the best of her ability and strode out of her spare bedroom and into the sitting room where he stood waiting.

"What am I going to do? I'm too young to be a mother." Katara said.

"Not the way I hear it. It sounds like you were quite the mother during your travels with the avatar." He encouraged.

"That was different; they were all actually old enough to take care of themselves. This baby will be completely dependent on me."

"And the full staff of nannies, tutors, other various servants…" Kaili listed.

"But I don't want other people to have to raise my baby. It's something Zuko and I should do together." She said.

Kaili sighed. "I know that's what you want but you're not an ordinary couple. Your husband doesn't go out and sell cabbages for the day and come home or bake fresh bread, or any of the other normal people jobs that ends as the sun sets. He's the Fire Lord and that just doesn't leave much time for parenting, not with all the craziness going on right now. His task is all day everyday there's never a moment when he is not on call."

Burying her face into her hands, Katara sank into a nearby chair.

"What am I going to do?" She whispered.

"You're going to be strong and you're going to have this baby and you're going to raise it to be the greatest Fire Lord ever." Kaili grinned, striking a heroic pose.

"You're right."

"Of course I am."

"I can do this. I mean after everything I've been through how can I be so…so…"

"Doubtful?"

"Yes, exactly, I refuse to just sit around and be useless all day. I'm going to make a difference. I'm going to have a baby."

"That's the spirit."

"And if you tell anyone before I'm ready to let them all know I will end you!"

"Alrig…wait, that's not the spirit."

"I want to tell Zuko myself."

"Well then you ought to do a better job of hiding it. I'm surprised actually that the healers haven't caught on yet."

"And I'd like to keep it that way at least for a little bit longer, until I can tell him."

- -

"My lord, I wanted to apologize personally. Sometimes my love of this nation knows no bounds; the same is true of the general. Our only desire is to help you and our people." Hiromus said, bowing his head low and appearing as humble as could be. "We have been friends along time, have we not Kuei?"

King Kuei raised an eyebrow at the advisor who had once been his friend. His words were chosen with care and all his mannerisms suggested sincerity but the vast majority of Kuei told him this was not his friend any longer. This many hadn't been his friend for a long time.

"What is the real reason you are here, Hiromu?" King Kuei asked tiredly.

"My lord, my apology is my only reason. Come now, can't you show an old friend kindness. Don't be so cruel." Hiromu chided.

Sighing, Kuei replied. "Very well then, Hiromu, let us be friends."

"You do not sound very friendly Kuei. Where has our past gone? You know you are like a brother to me. Come Kuei, embrace your brother." Hiromu smiled.

It was then, as King Kuei secretly scanned the room for any sign of friends, listened for the guards outside, and found no one that he knew he would not leave this room with his life.

Hiromu smiled none the less. His arms were spread wide inviting his once upon a time friend into a final embrace. The dagger hidden in his sleeve was cool against his skin. The Earth Kingdom would have it's justice.

- -

Aang was out in the city searching for clues as to Azula's whereabouts. There was nothing. She was still too foggy to read. Frustrated he returned to Appa and sat dejectedly on the beach. She was somewhere in the city, he was sure of it. He just had to figure out how to get around the interference blocking their connection.

- -

Azula lay as still as usual, feigning her previous drugged state. She felt groggy and ill but she had constructed a plan. She could move and that was all she needed to know at this point. It was difficult to contain the grin hearing the approaching footsteps of the poor servant charged with bringing her, her meal.

She heard the door creak slowly open. The unsuspecting girl knelt to pick up the old tray and Azula made her move. Rolling onto her side, Azula kicked and knocked the girl head first into the cell wall. She was out cold instantly. Leaping to her feet, Azula sprinted out of the dungeons.

She didn't have a plan. She only knew she was in Ba Sing Se because of all the prisoners she had thrown in these very cells. Her only thought was to get home.

- -

From the shadows General Kawamura smirked watching the girl escape. Everything was falling perfectly into place. Turning in one quick flourish, he got into position for the next phase of his plan.

- -

"Murder! There has been a murder!" Hiromu ran through the halls shouting. "The king! The king is dead!"

He threw open the doors of the doors of the study where the other advisors were busily working on plans for the reconstruction of the Earth Kingdom.

"You must come at once. There is a murder on the loose. The king! The king has been killed. I have gone just now to apologize for my insistence on the issue of the Fire Nation and our found our king, my dear friend Kuei, murdered in cold blood." Hiromu cried.

The room was a flurry of action. There was shouting for guards and servants to search the castle. Others rushed to the study for the king's body. Hiromu feigned a fit of hysterics as the chaos erupted around him.

- -

"You there what are you doing here?" Kawamura shouted stepping out in front of the fleeing Azula.

"What?" She growled. "You brought me here you fool."

"I think not." Kawamura stated simply.

"MURDER! THERE HAS BEEN A MURDER!" Echoed up the halls.

"You've been busy princess. It's a shame, I was rooting for you and your niceness thing."Kawamura smirked.

Azula frowned as things began to fall into place. "You bastard."

The plot was insidious. She had to give him credit. In previous years, she would have even congratulated him. Now, however, he had just successfully destroyed her credibility as a good person. She had to get to Zuko before the news did. If only her head would stop pounding she could form a clear plan to get out of here.

"I'm going to have to apprehend you now. Shall we do this the easy way or the hard way?" He asked.

"What do you think?" She snapped, running at him thrusting her fist forward for a punch. She stopped short, surprised by the burst of flame that proceeded her fist.

'Aang.' He had to be nearby. She was in luck but how to find him. She had to clear her mind. She had to get this drug out of her system.

"What did you give me?" She growled.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Answer the question."

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

"Stop playing games." She shouted, attacking again with another burst of flames.

The general leapt back just as guards came running in behind him.

"She's the killer. Capture her!" He ordered.

Azula wanted to scream in frustration. How had she fallen for this? She was better than this? She used to be the one making these schemes. She sworn on her life that she would see this man killed before her time was up.

Drawing back both hands she thrust her open palms in their direction and whilst the flames burned large and bright she leapt from the nearest window. Right now was about getting home, their fight would be another day.

"She will be apprehended sir." A guard promised General Kawamura as he and his men raced out of the room. An advisor came running in.

"What's this? What has happened now?" He asked.

"I found the Fire Lord's missing sister. She murdered our king. Be sure to let her brother know what she's been up to then call for an emergency war council. This crime cannot go unpunished. If only King Kuei had listened, he would be alive right now. We must declare war on the fire nation." Kawamura insisted.

"Yes, yes, you're right. This cannot go unanswered." The advisor nodded dumbly.

"He let her out. He was probably planning this the entire time. They played us for fools." Kawamura continued.

"They did indeed."

"Say I have your support in this, we must go to war."

The advisor was silent a moment. "Much as I do want peace, you are right General. We should have listened and now our King is lost. I will call together the council and nominate you to lead the campaign against the fire nation. You have far greater insights than we gave you credit for."

"I am in need of no flattery advisor. Justice is all I seek." Kawamura smiled cruelly.