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The Girl Named Naoki – Chapter Seventy-Five
The group gazed on in curiosity at their recently awoken guest while Naoki slowly sat up on the old cot.
"Naoki! I…didn't know that she was going to say the S word! If I had known I would have stopped her." Elle called out to the confusion of her friends as she stood up gazing wide eyed at Naoki's shadowed face.
"The S word?" Zoi repeated in a puzzled voice as she eyed the seated girl from where she leaned against the wall.
"S-she has a razor-sharp focus if you utter the names of her targets even while unconscious will bring her back to consciousness." Elle informed as she gazed at her childhood friend with her highborn friends listening in surprise.
"You there! Commoner! You are under my custody. I demand that you tell me everything you know about these soldiers invading my nation or I will have you imprisoned." Azula commanded in a voice of imperious royal authority.
"You should really sit back down. I don't suggest you move for quite some time. Otherwise, you'll tear your body apart." Mava cautioned as she raised a wrinkled hand while Naoki's booted feet thudded against the floor.
Naoki stood up with her emotionless brown eyes now gazing back at the wary group while she clutched her bloodied blade in hand.
Just as she tore off her bloodied bandages without so much as speaking a single word before discarding them onto the floor behind her.
"Zoi! Do not allow her to leave until she answers my questions." Azula ordered with a scowl while she gazed at the strange girl with intrigue in her callous eyes.
Only for her young servant to intercept the stoic soldier as she rapidly shook her head.
"She's not going to talk to you if we use force! Just stay back and leave it to me." Elle pleaded with her hand on the taller woman's muscular stomach only for Zoi to surprise the others by nodding her head.
"Very well. But I will be watching closely." Zoi remarked in a calm voice with Azula scowling at her back while Elle approached the mysterious girl.
"Tch. You and your peaceful ways." Azula snorted with a roll of her eyes while her friends gazed at her pointedly.
"You know Azula! If you haven't noticed there have been times when Elle's peace works wonders." Ty Lee exclaimed with her words causing the princess to scoff down at her.
Just as the shorter girl came to a stop before Naoki while the others waited in suspense as the slightly older girl turned to glance back at her.
"Naoki…are you alright?" Elle asked in a concerned voice with her big sister's eyes softening as they listened to her kind words.
Only for the emotionless girl to turn to speak to her in a foreign tongue that left the highborn women struggling to make out her words.
"Who is…that bitch and who does she think she is?" Naoki inquired at long last with her brown eyes briefly glancing over Azula's merciless face while the princess scowled back at her.
Just as the others gazed on in humor when their young friend cheerfully answered in reply.
"This bitch is Azula-sama! She's the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation!" Elle announced in an adorably oblivious voice with all but the princess breaking out into an uncontrollable chortle.
The princess's amber golden eyes shook in fury as she bristled while rounding about to glare daggers at her amused subordinates.
"Silence! Elle! Tell that girl to apologize right this minute or I will kill her!" Azula snapped in a demanding voice with her friends sighing beside her as Naoki stared back at her.
Before angering her even further when she turned away with a dismissive scoff.
"What are you doing here bootlicking for elitist filth?" Naoki asked in turn as she gazed down into the younger girl's flinching amber eyes.
"T-they're not elitist filth Naoki. And I'm not bootlicking. They're my friends." Elle stated as she shifted nervously on her feet while Naoki turned to stare coldly at the four highborn women.
Zoi for her part did not react in the slightest.
Her fellow noblewomen cringed as they could see how a former slave would have no interest in associating with nobility.
Even if from a different land altogether.
Azula stared at Naoki just as coldly as her lips continued to purse into a displeased scowl while the girl emotionlessly met her gaze.
"I like her." Zoi stated with a small smirk on her lips while her princess glared at her from the corner of her eye.
"H-how did you get that surgical scar?" Elle queried in a worried voice as Naoki held a hand to her surgical scar.
"Some time ago…I underwent a surgery that rebuilt my chi so it could be brought back even stronger than before." Naoki responded in a common tongue as she turned to gaze back at Elle's stunned face.
The highborn women and the sage now listened in disbelief as Elle swallowed in shock.
"Madness! Chi is not meant to be defiled in such a heinous manner!" Mava protested in a baffled voice as a strange smile appeared on the ominous redhead's lips.
The mere prospect of surgical operations that rebuilt one's own chi for the purpose of strengthening it was a completely terrifying notion even to the likes of Mai.
"W-what? T-they did that to you?" Elle stammered in a horrified voice with emotional amber eyes while Naoki took a step forward.
"They did. But I would say that the results were more than worth it." Naoki spoke in an unfazed voice as she flexed her fist while her tabi boots cladded upon the floor.
Ty Lee shuddered as she listened to the girl's nonchalant words as she now began to see just why Elle regarded the girl to be handled with great caution.
As the princess exchanged a composed glance with her soldier while they watched with careful eyes as the girl walked forward.
Only for Elle to take them by surprise when she grasped a hold of Naoki's sleeve just as the other girl paused in her step.
"This isn't you Naoki! This isn't you at all. They took you away when you were a little girl and made you into something that you are not. You're forcing yourself to be the weapon that they made you to be!" Elle cried out as she held onto the older girl's wrist while Naoki regarded her with emotionless brown eyes.
Azula could only roll her eyes as she rubbed the bridge of her nose while she stared at her girlfriend in mild aggravation.
Both Mai and Ty Lee watched Elle with a touching fondness in their eyes over the gentle girl's tendency to wear her heart on her sleeve.
"You think I'm forcing myself?" Naoki pondered in turn with her wrist in Elle's hand while the shorter girl nodded her head.
"Soft hearted peasant." Azula grumbled in an annoyed voice as she scowled at the two girls.
While trying to squash the slight twinge of jealousy that she felt over her girlfriend having bonds with someone from before they met.
"I do! There's no way that you could really want to do any of this. You saved my life twice. There's more to you than this. I can see it in your eyes." Elle replied as Naoki removed her wrist from her grip while an eerie smile still graced the older girl's lips.
It was a haunting smile that did not seem genuine in the least.
Almost as if she wore a fake smile as a mask to cover her deepest emotions.
"I don't get it Elle. Why do you talk like that?" Naoki queried with a tilt of her head as she casually removed a white glove from her pocket.
The highborn women and the old sage observed curiously as she casually slipped the glove onto her hand.
"Talk like what?" Elle answered in a puzzled voice with Naoki still gazing at her oddly as she slipped her fingers into her combat glove.
"You keep going on about helping others. About showing kindness. I don't understand why you speak of such strange things." Naoki stated with a shrug of her shoulders while Elle blinked as she chewed on her lower lip.
It was evident to Team Azula that the two were already acquainted.
More than the princess cared for.
Azula continued to stare possessively at the two younger girls while supervising their interactions closely.
"Strange things? It's not strange to show kindness to others! We can never get enough love and peace! It's the recipe for happiness! That's what my mother used to always tell me!" Elle announced in a cheerful voice with a bright smile on her lips while Azula scrunched up her nose in distaste.
Ty Lee smiled widely with Azula groaning in annoyance beside her.
"But it is. People don't just help out others. There's always an ulterior motive. There is no such thing as kindness in this life." Naoki spoke with her other glove sliding over her fingers while their audience listened in puzzlement.
"If that's so. Then why does it bother you when I speak of kindness?" Elle questioned in a careful voice as a bead of sweat dripped down her cheek when Naoki's predatory eyes gazed at her more closely.
She was well aware that she had to proceed carefully with Naoki.
All it would take was one wrong move and then Naoki would kill her.
"Don't you think that you would be better off spending your time worrying about your own wellbeing? I mean. Isn't it rather silly to worry about me? With as weak as you are…your chances of being taken back for redistribution are actually quite high. Just focus on yourself Elle. You'll regret it if you don't." Naoki advised in a chilling voice with a disturbingly calm smile while stepping past Elle's trembling form.
The highborn women stared on with worry in their eyes as Azula clenched her jaw in renewed concern.
Only to be taken by surprise once more when her young girlfriend rushed after Naoki for a second time.
"W-wait Naoki! Even if that is true! I can't just accept that answer! I truly believe that there's hope for every living being! There's hope for Azula-sama! And there's hope for Zoi! And everyone else! And that includes you too!" Elle shouted in an increasingly frantic voice as she grasped a hold of Naoki's shirt while her friends listened in an affected silence.
"Elle…" Ty Lee trailed off in a moved voice with Mai gazing on with blinking tawny eyes in astonishment beside her.
Azula just regarded the young girl with a cold icy glare as she tried her hardest to pretend as if the girl's words didn't touch her heart.
"There is no hope. There is no joy. And there is no salvation. This existence is a hellscape. There is no meaning to be found here. We were born to suffer." Naoki countered in a passionless voice with her bleak words causing the younger girl to stare back with widening amber eyes.
The four older girls were completely taken aback by the girl's dark declaration.
It was a statement so depressing that even Mai was stunned by Naoki's claim.
"T-that's not true!" Elle protested with a shake of her head while Naoki let out a humorless chuckle.
"Who was there for us when we needed it? Back then on that day…. who saved us?" Naoki responded in an emotionless voice as she turned to gaze over her shoulder at Elle's recoiling face.
The group was silent as Elle swallowed before averting her eyes with a sense of disappointment in her gaze that somehow managed to provoke a chord within Team Azula.
"N-no one saved us." Elle muttered with vanishing cheer as Naoki still smiled back at her.
"Where were these wonderful friends of yours when we were being led down the death march?" Naoki demanded in a colder voice as her words caused the older girl's eyes to widen in horror.
"T-they weren't there. I-I hadn't met them yet." Elle murmured in a mousy voice as Naoki took another step closer.
"And when your parents were murdered? Who saved them? What about for everyone else? Did anyone save the city from being burnt to the ground?" Naoki pressed in a forceful voice with her eyes narrowing back into the younger girl's innocent amber gaze.
"N-no one was there." Elle whispered in a solemn voice as she hung her head with her princess pursing her lips into a displeased snarl.
"And when your brother beat you? Who saved you then? Did any heroes ride to your rescue?" Naoki pondered as she stepped closer while Elle fretfully grasped at her sleeves.
"N-no one." Elle answered in a truly depressed voice as a tear dripped down her cheek.
"And when they enslaved me and branded me a number. Subjected me to pain you couldn't even begin to possibly imagine. Who saved me?" Naoki questioned in a callous voice with a tiny spark of something unseen shimmering beneath her cold brown eyes.
A shudder traveled throughout the air as both Mai and Ty Lee turned to gaze at Azula's scowling face once more.
The princess glared back at them understanding that they were trying to guilt her into feeling remorse for their nation using forced prison labor to strengthen their war effort.
"N-nobody saved you Naoki. You…saved yourself." Elle stated in a downcast voice with her eyes gazing down at her feet while Naoki stared back with haunting brown eyes.
"These people are not your friends. They don't care about you. They only want to use you for their own gain. And I am not your friend either. Did you really think that I let you and the others out of your cells because I wanted to save all of you?" Naoki asked in a chilling voice with her heartless words cutting deep into Elle's wounded heart.
"Shut your mouth! That's not true!" Ty Lee yelled out with her friends bristling beside her while they now glared at the other teenager.
"I am through with listening to this girl talk." Azula snorted as she stood up with her icy eyes glaring back at Naoki's passionless gaze.
"The only reason why I did so was because I knew that I would have a much easier time making it out alive if I had living decoys to function as my flesh shields. And by some stroke of luck you survived. But I digress…" Naoki confessed with a faint smirk on her lips while her cold eyes never once flinched from the princess's ruthless stare.
"You know. I am really starting to wonder why we gave this girl water." Mai stated in an annoyed voice with the princess scoffing in agreement.
The captain still observed the two with calm golden eyes as she paid close attention to Naoki's posture.
'This girl…she carries herself with great power.' Zoi thought with curiosity still flashing in her eyes.
As the old sage still stood hunched over with her hands grasping onto her staff as she slowly hobbled forward once more.
"E-even if all of that is true. Then why Naoki? Why did you save me back in the war zone?" Elle pondered in a soft-spoken voice as she raised her eyes to gaze back into Naoki's shrouded brown gaze.
While she observed as Naoki's lips almost seemed to crease downward ever so slightly.
Just as the four highborn women watched with attentive eyes when Naoki abruptly crouched forward in an obvious combat stance.
Only for their eyes to widen in disbelief when the girl seeming vanished into thin air.
They stared on in shock with recognition flashing in even Zoi and Azula's stoic eyes.
Just as Naoki reappeared behind the stunned Elle not an instant later with their backs to one another.
"How did she do that? What was that speed?" Ty Lee breathed in alarm with her mouth open in astonishment while Mai gazed on in mutual bewilderment.
And Azula's callous amber golden eyes were now flashing in fascination as she regarded Naoki with even greater intrigue than before.
'Interesting…this one warrants further observation. Perhaps…I can somehow persuade her to join my team?' Azula thought with her fists planted on her hips while she nodded her head thoughtfully.
'What speed…this young girl is no ordinary warrior…' Zoi thought with her golden eyes still staring back at Naoki in fascination.
Naoki and Elle now stood back-to-back with the younger girl trembling with sweat on her brow when the older girl's voice flowed into her ear.
"There is only one truth in this life Elle. And that is that strength rules supreme. Up until this point you have managed to survive by fluke alone because you have continuously sought protection with those stronger than you. I advise you to become stronger. Because you will not be able to rely on luck forever." Naoki spoke with her back turned to Elle's shaking form while the innocent girl now gazed on with worried amber eyes.
Elle's shoulders slumped as she swallowed with her eyes staring downward just as Naoki began to stride away once more.
"I tried to tell you young Component. This one is too headstrong to listen to reason." Mava scoffed with her wrinkled hands grasping her staff while Naoki glided across the floor.
"Tell me how those soldiers got from your land into mine. Now." Azula commanded in a supremely authoritative voice as she came to a stop before Naoki while she glared down into the younger girl's unfazed brown eyes.
Only for her amber golden eyes to narrow in anger when the girl had the gall to laugh up at her.
"Figure it out for yourself. I don't take orders from you." Naoki quipped as she stood on one foot while the princess's amber golden eyes narrowed dangerously.
Both noblewomen shivered as they mused that it would not likely end well for the girl.
"Is that so commoner? Well then. I suppose I will just have to you a painful lesson in respect." Azula remarked in a sadistic voice with her fingers uncurling off her toned biceps while she glared down at Naoki's unbothered countenance.
"Painful? You have powerful energy. But being born into great wealth doesn't make you superior. Rather…I would say the opposite." Naoki declared in a sanguine voice as she balanced on one foot while Azula's amber golden eyes widened in murderous fury.
Only for the princess's amber golden eyes to tremble in even greater anger when a wooden bowl soared into the back of her head while her blood boiled as she listened to her captain's amused laughter.
"Just go kill each other and get out of my house! It's not like anyone cares if either of you die! Stupid brats!" Mava barked with her staff waving in the air.
The two noblewomen gazed on in humor from their seats.
"Wretched old crone." Azula insulted as she glared at the old woman from over her shoulder with her callous eyes flashing in anger.
As Ty Lee and Mai sighed in exasperation.
Zoi failed to suppress her chuckles as she remained unfazed under her princess's death glare.
Only for the two of them to turn their attention back to the peculiar redhead when the girl began lightly hopping on her tabi booted feet.
"If you don't mind Azula. Elle and I have much to do. So, I would appreciate it if you got lost." Naoki spoke in a voice of unwavering confidence in mid hop with her brown eyes gazing up into the princess's increasingly angered yet perplexed eyes.
It was obvious to all present that the girl was by no means normal.
Yet most concerning of all was that Naoki was not exhibiting any emotions of any kind!
"Huh? We do?" Elle asked in her usual lovably naïve voice as she blinked while her big sister's watched in growing concern.
"The girl belongs to me. Elle follows me now." Azula stated in a truly cold voice as she took a step closer while she stared down at Naoki's aggravatingly uninterested face.
"I am the leader of the Rosa Three and I say that you are not one of us. None of you are." Naoki retorted in an emotionless voice with her words cutting through the air like a knife while Azula glared down at her.
Mai and Ty Lee continued to gaze on in confusion as they turned to Elle while the young girl chewed on her lip in nervousness.
"That's not true Naoki. Maybe if you just gave Azula-sama a chance you would like her." Elle chimed in in a mousy voice as Naoki never once flinched from Azula's imposing stare.
And then Azula calmed herself as she held herself with all the authority of a woman of royalty.
It was time that she made it clear to this girl that she was in command now.
And yet at the same time, it was just as important that she also project her charisma if she was to convince the girl to join her.
"Perhaps we are getting off on the wrong foot here. It doesn't matter to me if you consider yourself the leader of a band of three commoners. Regardless of the previous order of command, Elle serves me now, and I am the new leader. But that doesn't mean that you can't be with Elle. With that in mind, I will make you a proposition Naoki." Azula remarked in a sophisticated voice as she waved a hand before her face while Naoki gazed back with her ever present smile on her face.
And the rest of Team Azula waited in curiosity to hear the proposition that the princess was going to make to the girl.
"I propose that you join Elle under my command, and I will give you a position as a soldier on my elite team. There are many advantages to serving me. If you join my team and if you serve me loyally, I will reward you richly." Azula announced in a persuasive voice with a returning smirk on her lips while she stood regally with her palms folded behind her back.
As Zoi, Ty Lee and Mai glanced at each other in consideration of the strange girl joining them.
"That's a great idea Naoki! You should join the team!" Elle exclaimed in a cheerful voice as she smiled at Naoki's emotionless face while Azula smiled at her in approval.
'If I can establish myself as the leader of this one…then I will have yet another war power at my disposal. Which is to say nothing of the secrets that I would uncover of my enemies on the other side. Yes…that will work out splendidly!' Azula thought with a refined smile gracing her crimson lips.
Only for her eyes to narrow in renewed anger when Naoki broke out into mocking laughter.
The others were silent as they stared on in unease as Naoki chuckled beneath the palm of her hand.
"Why would I serve you? When you are inferior to me?" Naoki questioned in an impassive voice with both feet sinking into the flooring while the princess stared down at her in outrage.
"You a former slave have the nerve to call me your inferior?" Azula demanded in an increasingly aggravated voice as she nearly breathed out fire from her nostrils.
Now that enraged her.
How dare this girl speak to her with such disrespect!
An escaped slave girl of all people!
"You rich people are all the same. You think that wealth makes you strong. That couldn't be further from the truth. It makes you weak and dependent on others. So weak that you can't even do the simplest of tasks on your own. It's comical really." Naoki answered as she clenched her gloved fingers before her smirking face while Azula now looked as if she truly wanted to kill her.
Mai and Ty Lee gazed on with wincing expressions as they watched Azula scowl down at the girl in great dislike.
"Big words coming from a girl who couldn't even fight off her slavers." Azula snorted in a taunting voice with her hand sliding down over the hilt of her sword while she glared down at the emotionless girl.
Zoi continued to watch closely with her golden eyes never leaving the girl and her princess.
"Azula…maybe she might be more receptive if you tried speaking to her as an equal?" Ty Lee suggested from her seat with Mai failing to conceal her snort of amusement beside her.
"I was once weak but now I am strong. That's why they wanted me. Because they knew what I had the power to become. They thought that they could control me. And now they're sleeping with maggots." Naoki boasted in a proud voice with her gloved fist before her face while the princess listened in grudging interest.
The two noblewomen shivered once more as they exchanged an uncertain look with one another.
It was clear that these people created a monster.
"I can't say I disagree with her. You tell me I lack class all the time but the three of you can't even cook am appetizing meal if your life depended on it." Zoi remarked with a smirk as she leaned against the wall while the other three women glared back at her.
"From the look of it she's the only one who would be able to fight without breaking a nail or messing up her hair." Naoki declared in a smug voice as Azula's amber golden eyes now widened in rage once more while Zoi let out an approving chuckle.
"I like you kid. Naoki, was it?" Zoi pondered in an intrigued voice with Azula staring back at her in anger.
"Zoi!" Azula snarled with her soldier just smirking back at her while Naoki briefly glanced the warrior.
"That's right. And you are Zoi." Naoki said in an impassive voice as she gazed between the two firebenders with impassive brown eyes that never once wavered in emotion.
The princess still glared down at her with icy amber golden eyes just as the princess began to flare her powerful chi.
As the captain did the same from the corner of the room as the two noblewomen and their young friend watched in fascination.
And the old woman poured herself another glass of water while she observed with glazed golden eyes.
Just as the two highborn women's chi continued to soar to frightening heights while all but the sage sweated in intimidation.
"I will ask you once more girl. How did those soldiers get into my territory?" Azula questioned in a terrifying voice with her imposing amber golden eyes staring down at Naoki's unblinking face.
Only for the others to stare on in disbelief when the girl never shrunk under the princess's signature death glare.
Instead, Naoki just smiled once more as she met the princess's increasingly frustrated amber golden glare.
"Are you two finished yet?" Naoki queried in a completely unfazed voice with her passionless eyes staring up into Azula's narrowing amber golden eyes.
"It's no use Princess. She doesn't scare. You could glare at her all day long and I suspect that she wouldn't so much as blink. I have to admit. I have never seen anything like this before." Zoi spoke up with surprise in her voice while her princess turned to scowl back at her.
Before glaring back down at Naoki once more just as her royal chi finally lowered back to its normal volume.
'Incredible. That girl doesn't even flinch from Zoi and Azula!' Ty Lee thought with her brown-gray eyes agape in astonishment.
"T-the researchers took away Naoki's ability to feel emotion. She doesn't process things like you and I do. It's horrible what they did to her." Elle informed in a saddened voice while her friends gazed at her in an unnerved silence before turning back to the unfazed redhead.
"I don't care if the girl can feel emotion or not. She will talk." Azula insisted with lightning beginning to churn from her fingertips while her subordinates barring the captain shuddered in fear.
Only for the old woman's voice to shout out at her once more while she turned around to glare back at the crone in loathing.
"I don't care about this meaningless squabbling or the dead soldiers in the forest! I have waited a long time to speak to the Component! And I will wait no longer! You either sit down or get out! But I warn you Rude One. If you leave before we are concluded you will never find this tree again." Mava called out as she held her staff in her wrinkled hand while the princess gazed back at her in fury.
The two noblewomen sighed as they watched Naoki begin to walk past the angered princess.
"It is not your place to tell me what to do old woman." Azula snapped with her amber golden eyes glaring at Naoki as she strode past her.
"She has a point. We didn't come here to battle. We came here in search of information that would help young Elle master her power." Zoi agreed as she pushed her body off the wall while Azula just turned to scowl at Naoki's back.
"When I am finished here you will tell me what I want to know. If you cooperate, I just might make it worth your while. If not then you'll find yourself regretting the day that you crossed Princess Azula." Azula spoke in a ruthless voice with her frigid gaze following Naoki's back while annoyance flashed in her eyes when the girl ignored her once more.
"Hn. You talk too much for my liking." Naoki responded in an indifferent voice while the princess stared after her with venom in her amber golden eyes.
Just as she came to a stop with the captain's statuesque form looming over her while she gazed up into the warrior's composed golden gaze.
The two gazed at each other intently for the briefest of moments.
Before the noblewoman watched as the young warrior wordlessly stepped right past her.
The four highborn women exchanged a puzzled glance as they gazed after the strange girl.
Each of them trying and failing to figure out just what it was about Naoki that seemed so…off.
Elle was making her way back over to her big sisters only to pause in her step when Naoki called out to her.
"Elle." Naoki stated in an emotionless voice as Elle turned around to nervously face her while Azula glared at her with a possessive gleam in her amber golden eyes.
"Y-yeah?" Elle answered in a meek voice with her friends watching their interaction closely.
The four highborn women were already sensing that their young friend seemed to cave in to Naoki's will.
Not that it surprised them any.
Given how Elle had a tendency to submit under even the slightest hint of pressure.
"There are many people after your head as well as my mine. As we speak, they are coming for us. You only have two choices. You can either fight or die." Naoki announced in a blunt voice with her words causing Elle to now tremble in fear.
The princess's crimson lips pursed into an even deeper scowl as she glared on beside her worried subordinates.
It irked her to no end that this girl was refusing to recognize her authority!
This will be rectified soon enough.
"W-what am I supposed to do? I'm not a warrior and I don't even know how to use this power yet." Elle blurted out in a fretful voice as she chewed on her lip while Naoki eyed her impassively.
"What else? Start by researching the previous holder of the power." Naoki advised with a hand on her hip while Elle rapidly nodded her head.
"Oh! That sounds like a good idea Naoki. I hadn't thought of that." Elle admitted sheepishly as she scratched her cheek while Azula rolled her eyes and her big sisters gazed at her fondly.
"Honestly Elle. You and Katsu can be so dense. Sometimes I feel like I am the only one of us with a brain." Naoki sighed with a hand running down her hair while the highborn women still listened in confusion.
"S-sumimasen." Elle mumbled adorably only to jump when her princess clenched her fists in rising anger.
"Peasant! I am the one in charge here. And you will report everything that you tell Elle to me. Is that understood girl?" Azula barked in an authoritative voice with her finger pointing at the two girls' while her friends sighed beside her.
"You're doing a real swell job of winning that girl over Azula." Mai snorted with a roll of her eyes while Azula glared at her from the corner of her eye.
Only for their attention to drift back to the two when they noticed that Naoki had ignored the princess completely.
"Okay. I seriously have to ask you. Are you actually into that?" Naoki inquired with a tilt of her head as Elle blushed with a hand on her cheek.
As the noblewomen gazed on in humor as Azula turned red in fury.
Azula pursed her lips in anger when both her strongest soldier and the old woman laughed at her expense.
"O-oh yes! Azula-sama is so dreamy! I love her so much! She's the queen of my heart! She's so beautiful! And she's so brilliant! And so confident! And so strong! And-" Elle rambled in a love-struck voice only for Naoki to slap her hand over her mouth.
The princess's anger abated as she now almost swelled in height with a gratified smirk returning to her full lips.
"That's enough. I'll puke if you tell me anymore." Naoki stated rudely with her words removing the smile from the princess's mouth as she now glared a hole through her head.
"Kid's got strange tastes." Mai muttered in a monotone voice while the princess's amber golden eyes now glared at her as Ty Lee smiled widely.
"That's for certain. Component the girl may be but she doesn't know how to pick them." Mava scoffed with Zoi chuckling from across the room once more while the princess exhaled fire from her nostrils.
"I really could care less if you are into rich women. All that I care about is that you make yourself useful. If you get my drift." Naoki spoke in an emotionless voice as her hand fell back to her side while Elle swallowed once more.
"W-what happens if I say that I don't want to fight?" Elle questioned in a nervous voice as a bead of sweat dripped down her cheek while Naoki's passionless eyes gazed back into her own.
Her big sisters and her princess stared warningly at the young assassin as she placed her hands in her pants pockets while an eerie smile formed on her lips.
"Simple. The Rosa Three will become the Rosa Two. We'll move on without you. And everything will proceed just as it would have." Naoki declared in a chilling voice as Elle turned away with her amber eyes wide in fear.
The death threat was received loud and clear by all four Fire Nation women.
The princess bared her teeth in a merciless stare while Ty Lee clenched her fists beside her.
"You do that and we'll make sure that you regret it!" Ty Lee called out in a protective voice with a scowl on her usually kind lips while Mai glared on in agreement.
Only to find themselves gazing on in anger to see that their words did little to calm Elle's innocent nerves.
"Your friends can say what they like but I know that you understand the nature of my power." Naoki stated as she took a step forward while Elle took a step backwards.
"Don't you dare threaten her. You have some nerve! Elle helped you." Mai snapped in a defensive voice as she stood up knives in hand while Azula also held her hand over the hilt of her blade.
And Zoi watched the two closely from where she stood just as fully prepared to defend her young friend.
"I-I do. You're the speed warrior." Elle answered in a shaken voice with her words increasing her friend's curiosity as Naoki smiled at her while she placed a booted foot on the floor.
Only for the group to watch once more when the other teenager jumped with great speed that required the full focus of Zoi and Azula to even follow her movements.
Just as the girl landed behind the small blonde with her cold brown eyes now gazing tauntingly back into the princess's narrowed amber golden gaze.
"There is no one faster than me. And there is no target that can outrun me. If you don't believe me just ask those fools in the forest." Naoki boasted with her hands still in her pockets while she turned to smile back at Elle's sweating face.
'Speed? That is her specialty?' Azula thought with her possessive amber golden eyes never leaving her handmaid's innocent face.
While she snorted fire through her nostrils with her lips pursed into a dominant snarl.
The girl may possess great speed.
But her evolved firebending was even better.
"I-I…get it Naoki. What are you planning to do when they c-come?" Elle asked in a timid voice as she grasped the sleeves of her robes while Naoki smiled even wider.
"Do you really have to ask?" Naoki pondered in turn in a confident voice with a growing smirk on her lips while the slightly younger girl swallowed once more.
"Bloodthirsty little brat." Mava muttered with her staff in hand while Naoki held her head high.
"P-please. Don't hurt any innocents." Elle begged in a worried voice while Azula rolled her eyes at the back of her head.
The two noblewomen turned to cast a scolding stare at the princess's snorting face as she returned the gesture back at them.
"You waste your breath young one. Your time would be much better spent mastering your power than trying to change what cannot be changed." Mava advised with her aged eyes gazing back at Elle's disconcerted face.
'This peasant is too soft for her own good.' Azula wondered with a scowl on her lovely lips while she found herself shaking her head in an almost fond fashion.
But even so.
Strange as it was.
She wouldn't have her little girlfriend any other way.
"That's not your concern Elle. Right now, you should be focusing solely on becoming stronger. We're counting on you. Don't let us down." Naoki instructed in a stern voice with her brown eyes gazing back at Elle's now rapidly nodding face.
While Team Azula gazed between the two in confusion.
They pondered just what it was that the two girls went through that would make such starkly contrasting people to be so willing to work with one another.
One an innocent pacifist and the other a seemingly bloodthirsty killer.
"Right! I'll do that! May love and peace win the day!" Elle cheered with a fist in the air while her big sister's managed to smile fondly once more.
Azula groaned as she sat down with her face in the palm of her hand while Zoi listened in amusement.
"To carnage and bloodshed." Naoki responded with a small smile on her lips as the others gazed on in amusement when Elle still smiled brightly.
"Maybe someday we can even play Mario Kart together!" Elle announced in a cheerful voice with Azula scrunching up her nose as she sighed heavily yet again.
Mai and Ty Lee both exchanged a fond look before gazing back at their chipper little sister.
Just as Zoi blinked with her golden eyes taking on a curious gleam while gazing oddly at the girl who just recently dubbed her big sister.
'Perhaps she truly is from another land. There are so many wonders that young Elle speaks of that I have never heard of. How bizarre.' Zoi thought with her arms crossed over her breasts while for the briefest of moments Naoki also looked puzzled.
"What's Mario Kart?" Naoki questioned in a nonchalant voice only for Elle to gaze at her as if she had just grown a second head.
"You don't know what Mario Kart is! It's one of the best video games ever!" Elle chirped with her girlfriend letting out another groan of irritation.
"Video games?" Naoki asked once more with a spark of something unseen deep in her brown eyes while the younger girl gazed at her in sympathy.
"You haven't even heard of video games? That's horrible. They really did take away your childhood. Maybe I can show them to you sometime?" Elle spoke in a soft voice with her friends gazing between the two while Naoki hardened her gaze once more.
"I have no time for your childish games. I pursue power and strength. Nothing else matters to me." Naoki replied in a colder voice before she pushed the dejected girl away only for the princess's voice to cut into the air.
"Peasant! Get back over here. I demand that you come back to me." Azula ordered in a controlling voice with her hands regally folded in her lap while her childhood friends gazed at her in exasperation.
Only to find themselves sighing when the young handmaid immediately began scurrying over to the smirking princess's side.
"Yes Azula-sama! As you command!" Elle cried out while the older woman smiled in approval with her hands clasped in her lap.
Only for the princess's pleased smile to waver ever so slightly when Naoki turned around to stare back at her in unhidden disgust.
"That is pathetic Elle. You've become some rich woman's bitch coming when she calls like some trained puppy." Naoki commented in a passionless voice with Elle now sulking as she came to a stop before Azula while the older woman glared at her imposingly.
As did both Mai and Ty Lee as they scowled over the unflattering comparison.
"I-I'm not Azula-sama's bitch." Elle protested lamely in a pout as she stood obediently before Azula while Naoki gazed at her for a long moment.
"She is mine. She submits to my will. Because my will is absolute." Azula remarked in a voice of unfathomable authority as her domineering gaze stared frigidly back at Naoki's unemotional face.
Her serving girl smiled with a hand on her dainty cheek.
Only for her handmaid to swoon when she turned to cast her possessive gaze over her once more while she let out a dominant growl that had the smaller girl adorably quivering under her gaze.
Both noblewomen cast their leader a scolding scowl for pretty much reinforcing what the other girl's words.
"Oh Azula-sama…" Elle swooned in a lovable voice as she flushed while her princess gazed at her in approval.
Only for everyone but the old sage to turn when Naoki let out another mocking laugh with her head tipped back while the princess's eyes flashed in rage once more.
And both Mai and Ty Lee shivered as they mused that sooner or later that girl was going to regret openly laughing at Azula.
"You think that asserting yourself over Elle makes you our leader? Don't make me laugh! You aren't worthy of me!" Naoki retorted with a smile on her lips while her brown eyes took on a deranged gleam as she met the princess's enraged stare.
"Well Princess. It would seem that this one does not bow to you." Zoi commented in a teasing voice with her fingers on her biceps while her princess turned to glare a hole through her skull.
"When I am concluded here. I am going to be paying you a very gruesome visit. And then we will see if you are capable of backing up your words." Azula informed in a cruel voice with her callous eyes never leaving Naoki's face.
Her lips pursed into a tight scowl as her gazed flickered down to the abnormal rapid movements of the girl's feet.
'The mechanics of her ability require further observation.' Azula thought in a calculating fashion as she placed her arms on the sides of the old chair.
"Oh, I can back it up. That and so much more. I am five and a half feet of death and destruction. I don't tire and my structure is almost completely immune to pain." Naoki announced as her hair flowed behind her while she energetically moved up and down on her feet.
The highborn women gazed at her in increased puzzlement just as Ty Lee shuddered over the girl's gleeful boast.
"Really? Good to know that I can use you for target practice." Azula sneered in a sadistic voice with her amber golden eyes still glaring at the eager redhead in annoyance.
"That's quite the impressive array of talent for one so young." Zoi stated with obvious curiosity in her voice as she regarded Naoki in growing interest.
'She almost reminds me of when I was younger.' Zoi thought with a stony nod while Naoki continued to stamp her feet on the wooden floor.
"Naoki can't do what you say Azula-sama. She believes in following her will alone! Whatever you want her to do. She's bound to do the opposite!" Elle advised in a helpful voice with a raised finger while Azula scowled as she gazed at her from the corner of her eye.
Mai gazed at her leader in entertainment over the princess getting angry over a fighter refusing to bow before her.
"Speaking of that. Where are you off too anyway Naoki? You almost seem as if you are getting warmed up for a work out." Elle asked in a much more amicable voice than her mistress while Naoki smiled maliciously once more.
The group stared at Naoki in perplexity as the girl continued to tap her speedy feet on the floor.
"I have some business to attend to." Naoki answered in a chilling voice as her booted feet began to move so fast that they started to blur.
As the highborn women stared down at her feet in increased surprise as their mouths fell open in evident bafflement.
"I very much doubt that you will listen but death lurks in that forest. If you leave this tree in that condition you may not survive." Mava informed in a mirthless voice as she gazed over her shoulder at Naoki's undaunted face.
Azula and Zoi shared a momentary serious glance as their thoughts once more returned to their mysterious pursuer.
The puppeteer.
"Your concern is wasted old woman. There is nothing that I fear. My will is my own and I will never alter my path for anyone." Naoki stated in a proud voice with her gloved fist clenching over the hilt of her sword while the old sage snorted.
Team Azula still watched her feet shift rapidly upon the floor as her smile grew even larger.
"Have it your way child. But don't say I didn't warn you." Mava scoffed as she turned away with her staff clanging on the floor while Naoki's brown eyes shimmered in a bloodthirsty delight.
"See Azula-sama? She's a free spirit just like me!" Elle chirped in a cheerful voice with a bright smile while her big sisters gazed at her oddly.
Only for Azula to roll her eyes at her in a smug manner before turning back to the murderous redhead in grudging curiosity.
"I'm not number ten. And I'm not number nine. And I'm not number eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Or two." Naoki called out in an eerie voice with her words flowing through the air as the group still peered at her in bewilderment over her bizarre counting.
Only to turn to their young friend when Elle beamed widely before crying out in excitement.
"Oh! I know where this is going!" Elle piped with her friends staring at her curiously while they watched Naoki hold up a gloved hand above her head.
With a lone finger raised into the air while the young assassin still wore her signature smile as she landed on the floor once more.
"I am number one!" Naoki shouted with her fist clenched before her face just as her chi began to flare while Azula let out an aggravated scoff.
"Joy. A little Azula." Mai stated in a monotone voice as Azula glared at her for comparing the two of them.
The group continued to watch the red chi surge with nervousness in both Ty Lee and Mai's eyes.
This girl was far too eager to murder than they were comfortable with!
"You are mistaken peasant. I am number one!" Azula bellowed with a finger pointing smugly at her chest while her girlfriend gushed in adoration beside her.
Mai and Ty Lee sighed over their princess's enormous ego.
"Keep telling yourself that Princess." Naoki taunted as she sunk into a crouch while the princess stared at her with imposing amber golden eyes.
"Well Azula it looks like you finally found someone to match your gigantic ego!" Ty Lee exclaimed with her usual smile while Azula let out a haughty snort as she sunk back in her still.
As Azula still glared at Naoki in anger over the girl's refusal to acknowledge her will.
Only for the group to listen in suspicion when Naoki turned to speak to their innocent friend once more.
Only to find themselves stumped when Napki spoke up in a foreign tongue yet again with a confident smile on her lips.
"I'll return to collect you when you are finished here Elle. I'll see you then." Naoki spoke from over her shoulder while Elle's cheer instantly faded from her eyes.
Something that did not escape the attentive notice of her highborn friends.
Elle's hands fell down to her sides as she stood swallowing the lump that was in her throat.
Her four friends turned to gaze at her in concern with their eyes now narrowing protectively as they turned to glare back at Naoki.
Only for their eyes to widen in disbelief when they saw that the girl was already gone.
Elle stood numb with her gentle eyes shimmering in emotion as she gazed off in a trance into the distance with her breath seeming to leave her body.
All the while never even hearing her friend's voices asking if she was okay.
Those soldiers were after her and Naoki.
And now Naoki was here to take her back.
Away from Azula-sama.
She grasped at her robes with her lips curling downward as she barely noticed her princess's warm hand touching her shoulder.
'I…don't want to leave a life this wonderful. Leave behind friends like Mai…Ty Lee…even Nako and Zoi…and most of all Azula-sama…this is my home.' Elle thought with her eyes agape in emotion while she shook in worry.
And soon she began to feel as if she was standing alone in a timeless void without her friends to hold her up.
Without her princess!
That was what it would be like if she left.
She knew that beyond all doubt.
This was her home.
And it always will be.
Right here beside Princess Azula.
The mighty princess of her dreams.
Her Princess Azula.
AN:
So, this chapter was obviously mostly about introducing Naoki.
And there are a few things that I want to cover.
The reason why Azula and Zoe didn't attack Naoki was because they couldn't read her emotions. They were having trouble predicting if she was an ally or an enemy. They were concerned that she might cut Elle or the sage down if they tried.
And they came to the sage to learn more about Elle's power. Fighting Naoki would have only distracted them from their main goal.
Also, in my story powerful chi users like Zoe and Azula can figure out if another chi user has potent chi. They could sense that Naoki was not a weakling, and that if they were to provoke her into battle. That it could destroy the sage's tree and they feared that Mava would die in the process. And therefore, stripping them of the only source of information on the Component.
Another ability that I have added to powerful benders in my expanded universe is the ability to 'flex' their chi to intimidate and force targets into submission. Azula and Zoe had been trying to do that with Naoki. But they were surprised to find that it had no effect on Naoki.
Also, we got to see that Naoki has very little interest in Azula and the others as of this moment. And Azula is finding that she can't sway everyone to her side by barking orders at them.
One of the themes of the story is learning to be content with what you have. As the story goes on, we'll touch on this theme with both Azula and Rieko, two powerful monarchs who continue to strive for more and more, never seeming to be satisfied with what they already have.
Azula will come to learn that her status as royalty does not mean that she is superior to people of lower birth. And that there will be people that she meets, who will refuse to bow down to her.
The way that Azula secured Elle's devotion does not work on Naoki. And unlike Zoe, Mai, Ty Lee, Nako and others. Naoki is not Fire Nation. So, trying to go about recruit Naoki by telling her that she is superior is not the right angle for Azula to work on.
And we also saw that Naoki is more or less just there to bring Elle back. She has no particular desire to kill Team Azula. But at the same time, she doesn't even find them worth speaking to at this moment in time.
Another important detail is that Azula and Zoe are aware that Silah is hunting them. And they know that it would be foolish to actively seek out a battle while a mysterious enemy is observing them. It just isn't worth their time to subdue Naoki.
Because even if they capture her, at least one of them would be heavily injured in the process. And it wouldn't be smart to expend their energy on a non-hostile fighter when they have an active pursuer after them.
And we got a glimpse of Naoki's mindset. She feels that she is superior because she worked her way up from nothing. In her mind, the fact that they coveted her power was all the proof that she needs of her superiority.
And because Naoki only just recently gained her freedom, that also means that she won't be receptive to anyone giving her orders.
When we reach the flashback chapters, and we get to see both Elle and Naoki's childhoods. We'll get to see more of what Naoki went through. Obviously, the greater focus will be on Elle's struggles. But we'll touch on Naoki as well.
For the time being I won't say too much about Naoki's power.
I will say that she is a speed warrior. She has discovered a way to move at rapid speeds that surprise even Azula, Zoe, Mai and Ty Lee.
We'll dive more into the mechanics of her power later on as we get to know her more. But that's why Elle was nervous around her. Naoki is frighteningly fast. And she didn't want to say anything to make her attack her.
To give you a frame of reference on how fast she is. Azula and Zoe are capable of moving at rapid speeds that are considered super human. And the same can be said of Ty Lee with her insanely quick chi-blocking skills. And perhaps Mai as well.
To put that into perspective, Azula is probably one of the fastest fighters in the Avatar world. And in my story, she will likely be one of the fastest fighters in the entire series. But Naoki is still faster than her.
However, Azula is probably physically stronger plus her flames are the hottest in the Avatar world and she is capable of instantaneous lightning generation.
Each fighter has their own strengths and weaknesses. So, while Naoki may have an edge over Azula in the speed department. Azula has an edge over her in other areas.
Later on in this arc, we'll get to see more of Naoki's power and how she stacks up in comparison to Azula/Zoe.
Right now we just know that Azula and Zoe could tell that she was not a pushover, and that she is likely strong enough to injure/kill people in their party even if they subdue her.
And one of the last things that I wanted to go over was the scientist. As Mava stated previously, his chi is on Naoki's body. That means that he has been experimenting on Naoki.
At the time being he's an unseen force. But now we know that he exists, and that he is out there. And that he has an unseen agenda that he hopes to fulfill with his test subjects.
As the arc unfolds, and as we get to see more of Naoki in action. We'll discover more about Naoki, and by extension the effects that these experiments had on her body.
And we'll get to see more of how Naoki and Elle interact with one another. And eventually, we'll meet the third girl, Katsu.
And it is also important to remember. That whatever Naoki tells Elle is not because Naoki is trying to manipulate Elle. It is what Naoki genuinely believes. She doesn't believe that people help out one another out of the kindness of their heart. There is always a catch.
And she likely feels that deep down even Elle wants something in return. In Naoki's view, Elle just won't openly admit it. That doesn't mean that her analysis of Elle is correct. But all the same, that is how Naoki thinks.
And while the people after Naoki more or less deserve whatever happens to them. It should be stated that when Elle pleads with Naoki. It's not Naoki's tormentors that she is concerned with saving. It is Naoki's plans that may or may not involve innocent people that had no part in Naoki's enslavement.
This will provide an interesting contrast to how Elle will react when she discovers some of the cruelties of Ozai and Azula's Fire Nation regime. And what she will do when she discovers these deeds.
Well, that's all for now. The next chapter may or may not be a one shot.
Stay tuned for next time.
For chapter seventy-six! The Former Holder!