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The Assassin and the Pacifist – Chapter Ninety-Four
Many weeks ago.
The wind swept through the air in the barren ruins of what was left of the destroyed settlement.
Naoki gazed up at the lone memorial with an emotionless look in her brown eyes.
The inscription was in numerous languages.
But no matter the language, the solemn message was the same.
A Memorial to the Rosa Massacre.
Naoki stared up at the monument with her expressionless eyes for what felt like an eternity.
She turned around to walk away with her cloak swaying softly in the breeze as she quietly made her way through the desolate remains of the ghost town.
Back in the present.
Naoki stood on a cliff with her cold brown eyes staring out over the valley at the four mystic pools below.
The shimmering light of the Spirit World portal lit the roof of the vast forest.
Her crimson red hair blew in her machinelike eyes as she listened to the sound of footsteps approaching up the cliff pathway behind her.
She turned around to face the group while the four highborn women and the handmaid stood rooted to the ground in a taken aback silence.
The team gazed over their shoulders at the several corpses that lay at various points along the slope.
Just as they turned their stunned eyes back to the young assassin's strikingly emotionless brown eyes.
Elle swallowed down her reservations as she clutched at the straps of her backpack while Mai and Ty Lee still gazed at Naoki in a disturbed quiet.
The princess and the captain quickly recovered as they exchanged a momentary look before they turned their gazes back to the ruthless teenager.
"For such a lethal supersoldier you were woefully simple to track." Azula remarked in a glib undertone with her hands folded behind her back as she took a confident step forward.
As Ty Lee remained back with her unnerved brown-gray eyes still up as Naoki turned to stare back down at them.
"For such a might conqueror. I find it laughable that I was able to take out an entire platoon in the time it took you to dispatch a horde of squirrels." Naoki commented in an unfazed voice with her brown eyes gazing back into Azula's now seething amber golden gaze.
And then the princess's ire to grew even further when she spun around to glare at her captain's chuckling face.
Only for their combined attention to be regained when they turned to gaze down at the four mystical pools below with astonishment in their eyes.
'Is that…the portal to the Spirit World that the old crone spoke about?' Azula thought in a calculated manner with her lips parted in contemplation while she studied the ghostly light below.
She turned to gaze out of the corner of her stern eye when she saw her serving girl padding forward to speak to Naoki.
"I'll talk to her Azula-sama. Just stay back for now." Elle commented in a soft voice as she strode past her girlfriend while Azula scowled down at her.
"Don't you give me orders peasant." Azula spoke in a pompous voice as she stubbornly crossed her arms over her breasts while her subordinates sighed beside her.
Only for her amber golden eyes to narrow in returning anger when Naoki let out an amused laugh.
While she glared mercilessly back at the young assassin's smiling face.
As she watched with fixated amber golden eyes as her servant slowly approached the other girl.
The three noblewomen also gazed on with cautious looks in their eyes as Naoki turned her emotionless gaze back to the approaching Elle.
It was an unspoken statement that the entire team was prepared to defend their young companion if the need should arise.
"D-does that…portal down there lead back to our land?" Elle questioned in a shaken voice as she stood several paces away from Naoki while she regarded her coolly.
She tried to pay no mind to the fact that the girl had just slain countless men and women.
As the fascinated highborn women turned their gazes back towards the four mystical pools below.
"Somewhere…somehow…it does. It would seem that our worlds are connected by a gateway…and that gateway has been reopened." Naoki stated with her hands in her pockets as she gazed back at the team's stunned faces.
"Incredible…connected…by a gateway." Zoi remarked in a spellbound voice with her golden eyes agape in intrigue.
She turned to gaze back at her princess's mutually engrossed face as they shared a momentary piqued look.
"And now the portal is stabilizing. Soon after that we'll start killing each other just as humans always do. Maybe we'll even have cross world war." Naoki remarked in a chillingly eager voice with a small smile on her lips while Elle's amber eyes grew wide in horror.
As the four older girls gazed at one another in a floored silence.
Not only was it astonishing to realize that there was a whole foreign world out there that they have yet to explore.
But that one day in the near future they may find themselves at war with this 'other' Earth.
It was a staggering thought to say the least.
"C-cross world…war?" Elle stammered in an unsettled voice with her mouth agape in growing worry.
"It's okay Elle. I am sure that Azula won't let it come to that." Ty Lee commented with her arms folded over her chest while she directed the princess a pointed stare.
Only for her arrogant friend to roll her amber golden eyes back at her.
"I relish the very thought of such a conquest! Then I will be the queen of both worlds." Azula boasted as she swelled in pride with a conceited smile adorning her lips while she scanned the fingernails on her palm.
Both of her childhood friends cast her an exasperated stare.
Only for the sound of Naoki laughing to ring out into the air once more as the team turned back to the girl's smirking face.
And the princess's beautiful lips entrenched into another furious glower as she glared venomously in the young assassin's direction.
"You little…how dare you laugh at me." Azula hissed with fire spewing from her seething lips as she stomped one boot forward to discipline the girl.
Only for her strict amber golden eyes to glare down in annoyance when she felt her serving girl's head push into her upper belly.
"Stop trying to fight with her Azula-sama! I'm trying to talk with her!" Elle exclaimed with a sliver of frustration in her patient voice while her mistress's cold eyes stared imposingly down at her.
"Elle has a point Azula. Brawling won't get us information." Mai cautioned in a monotone voice as her tawny eyes gazed back at Naoki's eerily smiling face.
'There is something dangerously 'off' about that girl. She's younger than us…and yet so confident that she has nothing to fear from Azula.' Mai thought with a frown on her lips while she kept a close watch on her little sister.
Before the princess let out a dominant growl as she glared down at her young handmaiden's sensitive face.
"Then you better teach her to speak to me with respect while you're at it!" Azula snapped with her cold eyes gazing down at her servant's hurriedly nodding face.
And then she turned her glare back to the undaunted redhead while she folded her arms over her armored breasts once more.
Just before she watched with possessive eyes as her serving girl walked back over to resume her talk with the amused girl.
"I suppose now would be a good time to get a better look at their equipment." Zoi declared as she gazed about at the slain soldiers as she strode towards a nearby corpse.
Her princess gazed on through the corner of her strict eye before the princess swiftly returned her undivided attention to the two girls.
"Why Naoki…why are you so eager to war? Haven't…haven't we had enough war?" Elle asked in a quiet voice as she chewed on her lip while Azula let out a haughty snort.
The two noblewomen just stared pointedly at their friend's scowling countenance as she glared at them through the corner of her eye.
"Because I'm good at it. That…and I find the sight of freshly spilt blood strangely alluring." Naoki admitted in a casual voice as she turned to smile back into the younger girl's unsettled amber eyes.
While the four highborn women turned their heads with even more alarm in their eyes after hearing those bloodthirsty words.
"A-alluring?" Elle squeaked while her friends continued to watch them like hawks.
"Besides. That's just the natural way of things. Life is a never-ending contest of strength. The strong survive and the weak…die." Naoki spoke in a seemingly at ease voice as her gloved hand fell to her hip while she smiled back at Elle's gulping face.
Another eerie breeze blew through the air as the group gazed down at the slain soldiers in a taken aback silence.
Just as Elle shifted nervously on her feet before she turned to peer back into the slightly older girl's machinelike brown eyes.
"I…I know Naoki! Why don't you come back with us!" Elle cried out as she bounced on her feet as Naoki stared back at her with slightly puzzled brown eyes.
Her four friends turned their heads in curiosity of how the girl would respond.
"Go with you?" Naoki questioned with a blink of her brown eyes while the younger girl speedily nodded her head.
The princess remained silent with a much more pleased expression already forming upon her lips.
Although the two noblewomen did not look anywhere near as eager to have the seemingly bloodthirsty girl around.
"I bet that you would love the Fire Nation! They have so many yummy vegetarian foods!" Elle exclaimed in an excited voice while her companions gazed on humorously beside her.
And the princess slapped her palm over her forehead while she let out an aggravated groan.
'Foolish peasant! Her and her vegetarian foods.' Azula thought while she haughtily rolled her amber golden eyes.
"Elle. There's vegetarian foods on the other side too." Naoki replied in an almost seemingly amused voice while Elle still beamed back at her.
"You'd like my friends once you got to know them! And I'm sure that you and Azula-sama can work something out!" Elle blurted in a lovable voice as she turned to gaze at the princess's arrogantly smiling face.
Just as Naoki turned to gaze back at the group with emotionless brown eyes while she met the princess's equally cold gaze.
"And do what exactly Elle?" Naoki inquired in a casual voice while gazed back at the other teenager's bright face.
"Hang out! Get to know each other!" Elle answered in an eager voice while her mistress rolled her lovely eyes.
And Ty Lee found herself unable to resist smiling despite Naoki's unnerving presence.
The captain still knelt with her golden eyes gazing down at the gun in unconcealed fascination.
"She has powerful chi. I won't deny that she would make a mighty ally." Naoki remarked in a calm voice while Azula's lips pulled into a conceited smirk.
"More powerful than you could ever imagine commoner." Azula boasted with her fists on her womanly hips as she pridefully posed while her childhood friends gazed at her in exasperation.
"A-and she's so dazzling too. Oh, my Fire Queen." Elle stammered with her hands on her cheeks as she swooned like a love-struck schoolgirl while Naoki eyed her in bewilderment.
Azula held her head high with a smug smirk adoring her lips.
As Mai let out a quiet sigh with Ty Lee giggling beside her.
Naoki stared on with a machinelike gaze before she turned back to her childhood friend's naively smiling face.
"If I had interest in the Fire Nation, but I don't. Therefore, your foreign princess is of no interest to me." Naoki stated in a dismissive voice while she gazed fearlessly back at the princess's now angered face.
And the younger girl's expression turned to disappointment while the three noblewomen listened in puzzlement.
"Ungrateful commoner. You should consider yourself honored to receive any offer to fight in my royal service." Azula snapped with her callous amber golden eyes narrowing in her imposing anger.
Only for her fury to rise even further when the girl just offered her that same irritating smile once more.
Before Naoki turned away to speak to her servant while her teeth clenched together in outrage.
"I don't think that kid has any interest in working for the Fire Nation Azula." Mai commented in a monotone voice while Azula turned to cast a foul glare at her through the corner of her eye.
"B-but Azula-sama is really strong. And she is the heir to the crown for a whole huge kingdom. If you give her a chance, I'm certain that you'll come to like her. I know that she'll be able to help you fight the people that are after us." Elle insisted in a persistent voice with her hands clutching at the straps of her backpack.
Just as she gazed back at her mistress's regal face while she smiled shyly when met the older woman's cold gaze.
A spark of approval flashed in the princess's amber golden eyes as they shared a momentary glance.
As a sensation of innocent pride overflowed forth from her heart as she smiled softly back at her mistress's pleased countenance.
There was no greater feeling than when her princess gazed upon her with approving amber golden eyes.
'Well done Elle. You truly are my most loyal servant.' Azula thought with her beautiful lips forming a stern line while she gazed at her serving girl's sensitive face with possessive amber golden eyes.
Ty Lee and Mai wisely avoided saying that the girl was unlikely to come to like serving under Azula.
Only for all of them to be pulled from their thoughts when Naoki shook her head with a smile still present on her lips.
"Come on Elle. Get real." Naoki spoke with a shake of her head while Elle gazed back at her in confusion.
Azula stared on with rapidly rising anger in her narrowing amber golden eyes.
"G-get real?" Elle repeated in a baffled voice as Naoki still smiled back at her.
"She may be powerful here. But all of that power and influence vanishes as soon as she steps outside the boundary of this kingdom. There she is no princess. Just a girl that spits fire." Naoki remarked in an aloof voice while her fearless brown eyes stared back at the princess's enraged face.
And just like that the air became unimaginably tense.
The three noblewomen glanced on with uncertainty in their eyes while their leader gripped her fists at her hips.
"T-that's…. that's not true Naoki." Elle stammered with her amber eyes taking on an upset gleam while Naoki just shook her head.
"It is true. And not only that but she has absolutely no knowledge of my enemies or the mechanics of our land. I don't fault you for doing what you had to do to survive in a foreign land…but you survived. And now their purpose is over." Naoki replied in a heartless voice with her emotionless eyes staring back at Elle's recoiling face.
A taken aback look crossed over the faces of the highborn women as they gazed back at Naoki in astonishment.
Ty Lee most of all.
It was almost eerie how similar the girl's logic was to Azula's.
"Impudent commoner. You want power? I'll show you power." Azula hissed in a livid voice with her fists burning aflame while her tyrannical eyes glared back at the assassin's smiling face.
And although it infuriated her to admit it.
She never expected this girl to be so difficult.
"U-use? But they're…. they're my friends." Elle mumbled in a sentimental voice that moved all four of her companion's hearts.
"And on top of all of that, forming an alliance with the princess of a far-away land would result in performing favors and work that detract from my goal. That could result in performing years of unnecessary labor. And I'm afraid that I just don't have time for that." Naoki explained with an ever-present smile while she took one step forward.
The four highborn women stared on with cautious looks in their eyes.
"That kid's got you pegged." Zoi commented in a quiet voice from where she knelt while Azula spun around to glare furiously down at her.
"W-well…it's been working for me." Elle protested stuttered as she tightened her grip on her backpack while the princess's amber golden eyes shone with approval once more.
"That is debatable Elle. It would be much more prudent to form an alliance with a government back home." Naoki retorted as she stood gazing back at the younger girl's shaken face while Azula exhaled blue fire.
"L-look Naoki. You don't have to come back with us if you don't want to. But I'm staying here. I…like it here." Elle spoke up in a timid voice as Azula strode up behind her with her amber golden eyes glaring back at Naoki.
"Yeah! That's right! She's not going anywhere." Ty Lee agreed with a sisterly nod while Mai nodded beside her.
"Indeed. She isn't. But neither are you. You will be coming back with us. By force if need be. And you will tell me everything that you know." Azula declared in an imperious voice with her callous eyes staring hard back at the young assassin's smiling visage.
"I'd like to see you to try. I was watching you in your last fight. You're strong lady. But you're no match for my speed." Naoki quipped in a confident voice with her foot tapping on the floor while she smiled back at the princess's ruthlessly glaring face.
The team gazed at the girl's stamping feet with mutual looks of puzzlement in their eyes.
And before the princess could take another menacing step forward.
She once more found herself staring down with cold amber golden eyes when a gentle hand pulled on her sleeve.
"Please…don't fight. Believe me Azula-sama. Starting a fight with Naoki while soldiers are hunting us would just result in all of us getting shot in the back while we're distracted." Elle advised in a sweet voice as she peered up at her mistress's scowling face.
"Then you better get her talking Elle. Because I have very little patience left for this girl's games." Azula spoke in a callous voice as she angrily folded her arms over her breasts while her serving girl smiled up at her once more.
"Young Elle speaks wisely. We should take care to avoid that. Such an outcome would only serve to benefit your uncle and the Avatar." Zoi said as she stood up behind her princess while the princess turned to scowl at her through the corner of her eye.
Before they all turned to gaze back at their young friend when the girl chewed on her lip as she approached Naoki once again.
"Naoki…there's no need for conflict with my friends. Nobody is going to force you to come back with us." Elle assured in a placating voice as she shivered when Naoki turned to face her with her usual haunting brown eyes.
"So, you don't care about what they did to you?" Naoki questioned in a cold voice while Elle shifted on her feet averted her eyes from her gaze.
"It's not that I don't care. I…would like to see justice. I just don't believe in taking the lives of other living beings. It's…it's not what my mother taught me. And I…I'm happy here." Elle mumbled as she clutched at her sleeves while her friends listened in a moved silence behind her.
And the princess rolled her eyes in an almost fond fashion.
"And where is your mother now Elle?" Naoki inquired in a heartless voice with her words causing the younger girl to freeze up.
The group turned to scowl in the direction of the young assassin with a margin of anger in their gazes.
"That's low! Elle's been nothing but nice to you! Don't you insult her mother's memory!" Ty Lee hollered with a look of anger in her brown-gray eyes.
Only for a shiver to travel down her spine not even a moment later when Naoki's intense eyes met her gaze.
It…reminded her of the terrifying death stare that Azula would give her.
"Naoki…I don't blame you for feeling the way that you do. But…there is more to life than this." Elle stated in a gentle voice while Naoki turned away to gaze over the edge of the cliff.
Only for the supersoldier to say nothing in response.
The team watched with varying expressions as their young companion reached out to set her palm on the older girl's shoulder.
As the princess's lips pursed into an even deeper scowl as she gazed at the two with flicker of jealousy flashing in her callous eyes.
"Maybe…there's someone out there who can help you find peace. Maybe you have family…maybe they're looking for you." Elle whispered with heavy emotion in her soft voice while she placed her hand on Naoki's shoulder.
"You talk a great deal about peace…for someone that hasn't found it herself." Naoki responded in a frigid voice as she turned to face the younger girl's deflating face.
The highborn women were silent as the two girls gazed back into one another's eyes.
"You've been saying the same thing ever since I first met you. Droning on and on about peace and hope. Open your eyes and take a good hard look around you." Naoki remarked in a merciless voice with a gloved hand in her hair while the palm slipped off her shoulder.
Elle took a startled step backwards with her eyes growing wide as she gazed back into the supersoldier's unfeeling eyes.
Her teammates bristled with looks of outrage in their eyes.
They were beginning to see why the old sage had said that the girl was a waste of effort.
"Ugh! Enough of this Elle." Azula scoffed as she stepped forward with her cold eyes staring hard back at Naoki's frigid face.
"Your parents are dead; your home was burned to the ground and your brother's a lunatic. The Third World War nearly destroyed our entire planet. And you now have a global bounty on our head. And you want to take about peace and happiness?" Naoki remarked with her fingers gripping her hair while her brown eyes gazed back at Elle's stunned face.
Team Azula stared on with their eyes wide in shock.
"A-a b-bounty?" Elle stuttered in a confused voice as she swallowed the lump that was in her throat.
The four highborn women were just as speechless to hear that the war had almost destroyed their young friend's whole planet.
"The…entire planet?" Mai breathed in a horrified voice with her tawny eyes wide in disbelief.
Only to find herself shuddering under Naoki's brutally cold gaze.
It was…almost like she had every ounce of her humanity beaten out of her!
'What sort of war…. could almost destroy an entire planet?' Azula thought with her brows furrowing in grudging fascination.
"All of my life…. I have felt like I was living in a nonstop waking nightmare. I have been dragged as low as a human could possibly go. Enduring horror after horror. I used to believe that it was all just a bad dream…but then I realized that I am alive. And this…is real." Naoki declared with her hand falling from her hair while the others listened in a floored silence.
"N-Naoki…I…" Elle spoke in a shaken voice with her emotional eyes gazing back at the other girl's tortured face.
"Ever since the day I was born people have imposed their will upon me." Naoki stated in a quiet voice as she grasped onto her sheathed sword while her brown eyes gazed ahead.
The taken back noblewomen turned to gaze pointedly at the princess's bewildered face.
Just as the princess to direct a prideful scowl back at her childhood friend's scolding faces.
Only for her attention to be regained by the young prodigy in question.
"Every movement that I have ever made has been determined by someone else. Even my fighting skills." Naoki spoke as she swung her sword before her face while her icy eyes stared at the wooden sheath.
And once more a baffled silence filled the air.
And judging by the look of aggravation in the princess's eyes it was becoming apparent that the prodigy would not be taking orders from anyone anytime soon.
"Well, no more. Never again shall my will be impinged upon." Naoki announced as she swiped her blade before her face while a smile graced her lips.
"W-well! I'm glad to hear it Naoki! You're as free as a bird now!" Elle chimed with a speedy nod of her head while her princess glared at the back of her head.
"Indeed. Fuck anyone who tries to tell you what to do." Zoi commented with her golden eyes gazing on in agreement while her princess glared at her through the corner of her eye.
And her fellow noblewomen also gazed at the princess's irate face in concealed amusement.
"I realized that I wasn't enslaved because I was inferior. I was enslaved…because they were weak and they wanted my strength. And in actuality I am superior." Naoki declared with her palms gripping her sheath while she raised her glacial eyes upward at the team's bewildered faces.
"Superior." Azula snorted in a mocking voice with a roll of her eyes.
Only for her amber golden eyes to flash with renewed annoyance when Naoki's brown eyes stared back at her in a dismissive fashion.
As if the brat thought that she was the inferior!
"I have the entire planet gripped in a state of terror. And by the time I am through…the whole world will know the name…Naoki." Naoki stated in an emotionless voice with hands falling back to her hips while the team listened in rising puzzlement.
And all but Zoi and Azula soon found themselves shivering in discomfort.
"A-a state of terror? W-what do you do before…. you came here Naoki?" Elle asked in an unsettled voice as she took a shaken step backwards.
"After we last parted ways, I gained a second name." Naoki answered with a smile on her lips while the younger girl gulped under her gaze.
"What…. what is your second name?" Elle queried in a timid voice while her friends listened in a confoundment behind her.
"My victims call me…the Red Flash." Naoki revealed in a pleased voice with her sheathed sword in hand while Elle listened in astonishment.
"The Red Flash?" Azula scoffed with sadistic entertainment in her callous eyes while she rolled her amber golden eyes once more.
Only to turn to glare at her childhood friends in aggravation when she caught the fear in their eyes.
"My will is indomitable. And from this moment forward it reigns supreme. And if anyone doesn't like it…well…" Naoki trailed off with a smirk on her lips as she gestured to slain soldiers in the distance.
'By Agni…. those bastards created a horrible monster!' Ty Lee thought with her brown-gray eyes shuddering in understanding.
"And that's the beauty of free will. You don't have to like it. And you may not even live through it. But the choice is my own." Naoki concluded in a satisfied voice with her sheathed blade over her shoulder while she smiled all the while.
The highborn women exchanged taken aback looks with one another while Ty Lee still shivered in an uneased silence.
Only for Elle's unsettled amber eyes to widen when she took notice of a familiar symbol on Naoki's wooden sheath.
"T-that…that symbol on that sword…it's…Reiko's insignia." Elle spoke up in a shocked voice as her friends spun around to gaze at the sheath in surprise.
Naoki still smiled as she gazed cockily back into the princess's now infuriated amber golden eyes.
"Oh that. This was a gift from Reiko herself. It was formerly her personal wakizashi….and now it's mine." Naoki boasted with a smile on her lips while she watched the princess seethe in offense.
The team gazed between Naoki and their princess with growing understanding in their eyes.
It was now clear just what the girl meant by a government back home.
"So…so y-you're with Reiko? Is that…that why you don't want to join Azula-sama?" Elle pondered in a surprised voice while her princess's amber golden eyes narrowed into slits.
"I'm not with her officially. But we're keeping the door open for the time being." Naoki replied in a voice of upmost confidence with a sanguine smile adorning her lips.
While the group gazed on with surprise in their eyes.
"I recall seeing this woman in your memories Elle. I take it that she is a prominent power in your land?" Zoi remarked with intrigue in her voice while she turned to gaze at her adopted little sister's quickly nodding face.
She practically felt her princess's imposing golden eyes glaring murderously at the back of her head.
"You dare to state a preference for another royal after being directly offered a position in my service by me personally?" Azula hissed in a frigid voice while her enraged eyes never left the girl's smiling face.
"You didn't offer me anything of value. Reiko has offered me many things." Naoki replied while Mai turned to gaze dryly at the princess's glowering face.
"W-what does Reiko have that Azula-sama doesn't?" Elle queried in timid voice as she stood faithfully by her much taller mistress while Azula pursed her lips in a furious glower.
"Information on my enemies, the most advanced technology that there is to offer. That and we met long ago after you and I parted ways at the train crossing." Naoki stated with her blade held over her shoulder while Elle listened in astonishment.
The highborn women listened to the two girls in growing intrigue.
"You met her back then?" Elle inquired in a voice of childlike wonder while her princess's brows rose in curiosity.
"After we were split apart. I found my way to a neighboring country where I was 'taken in' by abusive foster parents. They only took me in because they wanted to collect a check from the government." Naoki answered in a nonchalant voice while she gazed back at the younger girl's now saddened face.
"I…I didn't know." Elle spoke in an emotional voice while she gazed down with saddened amber eyes.
"They were quite the unpleasant old couple; they beat me nearly every day and I labored in the farm fields from dusk till dawn. Until one night…I saw a plane go down over the fields. It was Reiko's plane. That is where we first met." Naoki spoke with a smile on her lips while Elle gazed away in sorrow.
"O-oh. I'm sorry to that you had to go through that." Elle mumbled in a solemn voice while her friends listened in quiet behind her.
Yet to the bewilderment of Team Azula the girl didn't seem the least bit bothered discussing such traumatic memories.
Even Azula and Zoi were puzzled by the almost casual way that Naoki spoke.
"Don't be. They aren't around anymore." Naoki replied in a still confident voice while a light breeze blew through her hair.
The group gazed ahead with confusion in their eyes while Elle blinked in befuddlement.
"What…what happened to them?" Elle pondered in a naïve voice with her amber eyes gazing at the other girl in sympathy.
Only to find herself swallowing nervously when Naoki turned back to her with that same eerie smile on her lips.
"On that night Reiko gave me this sword. And on the following night I overheard the old couple talking about how they planned to turn me in to collect the bounty on my head. The old man chased me into the barn." Naoki recalled with a reflective look in her brown eyes while her audience listened in a taken aback silence.
Before she turned her gaze to their astonished faces with her lips still forming a smile.
"I killed him. And the old lady soon after. That…is what Reiko gave me." Naoki announced with her sheathed sword grasped in her gloved hand while the team gazed back in disbelief.
And just like that, their perception of the mysterious woman had changed drastically.
All of the stories that Elle had spoken about Reiko now seemed much more sinister than they had first thought.
'She…. coaxed a little girl into killing two people!' Ty Lee thought with a newfound horror in her eyes while a chill traveled down her spine.
And now she couldn't help but be all the gladder that her little sister had gotten away from such a woman.
It almost…reminded her of Ozai's cruelty and how he indoctrinated her friend.
Azula's amber golden eyes narrowed into a cold stare as she exhaled fire from her nostrils.
'I don't care what this woman does with this girl. But…she will not have my Elle.' Azula thought with her imposing eyes taking on a ruthless glare while she peered down at her serving girl's sensitive face through the corner of her eye.
Elle's amber eyes were agape in innocent disbelief with her mouth parted in an expression of incomprehension.
She struggled to grasp what she had just been told.
"I…I d-don't understand. Why…didn't Reiko stop them…herself?" Elle questioned in a disconcerted voice with her palms tightly grasping at the straps of her backpack.
Just as the four highborn women exchanged another look with each other.
As Naoki stepped forward with her lips in her usual smile.
"It was a lesson in strength. And I am quite thankful for it. In any case Elle. You asked me what Reiko had to offer. And now you know." Naoki remarked with a small smirk on her lips while Azula's callous amber golden eyes now glared back at her.
"W-well I don't care what anyone else has to offer. I don't want anyone else. I want Azula-sama and this is where I'm staying." Elle insisted in a bashful voice as she chewed on her lip while her companions gazed at her in a touched silence.
And the princess found herself unable to resist holding her head higher with a strangely proud softer than usual smirk on her lips.
"Elle…" Ty Lee trailed off in a tender voice with smile returning to her lips while Azula gazed down at Elle in approval.
"And there you have it. This one belongs to me." Azula spoke with a gratified smirk on her lips as she set her palm on her serving girl's shoulder while she puffed out her armored chest.
As Elle peered up at her much taller mistress with a gentle smile on her lips.
The princess gazed back down at her with a sliver of fondness permeating her stern amber golden gaze.
"What could you possibly gain from this woman that would make you want to remain here as her glorified servant?" Naoki inquired in an aloof voice with her brown eyes gazing at the younger girl's emotional face.
"A... a h-home." Elle mumbled in a lovable voice as she smiled up at her mistress's stoic face while the princess's cold eyes flashed with a flicker of emotion.
Team Azula as a whole gazed at their young companion with moved looks in their eyes.
"Home?" Naoki asked with seemingly no emotion in her brown eyes while Elle nodded with a sentimental smile on her lips.
"My home is with Azula-sama." Elle stated in a resolute voice as she stood with Azula's hand on her shoulder while the princess stood proudly above her.
Only for their attention to be regained when Naoki sighed as she shook her head while she continued to walk forward.
"Unfortunately, that is not an acceptable answer. I require the cutting power of the Component…and you will lend it to me. Decline me. And I will leave Katsu to die." Naoki remarked in a completely merciless voice with an expression devoid of emotion while the younger girl's amber eyes widened in alarm.
The four highborn women now glared back at the ruthless redhead with their rapidly deteriorating patience.
"S-she'll die?" Elle asked in a concerned voice while her princess removed her palm from her shoulder as she glared imposingly back at the young supersoldier.
"She was taken captive by a scientist two weeks ago. And if you do not do as I say. I will leave her to her fate." Naoki announced in a heartless voice with her brown eyes forming a monstrous stare while the color drained from Elle's stunned face.
The group could only stare on with a degree of shock in their eyes over the girl's savage declaration.
The shear fact that the girl had left a comrade in enemy custody just to dangle it over their young friend's head was mind boggling!
"You little brat. You are really starting to try my patience." Mai snapped with her fist clenched at her hip while Azula let out an aggravated scoff beside her.
"For once I agree with you. Only I may order Elle around." Azula boasted with her fists on her hips while her childhood friends turned to gaze at her in exasperation.
Only for her cold eyes to gaze down in mild annoyance when she noticed the distressed look in her young girlfriend's eyes.
"Where is she? Where was she taken?" Elle blurted out in a worried voice while her highborn friends glared at the other teenager's unfeeling face.
"Likely to a research compound of some kind." Naoki replied with a shrug of her shoulders while Elle bit her lip in apprehension.
Before the princess let out an irate grunt as she turned her intimidating amber golden eyes back to the young assassin.
"Now listen here commoner. I am the master of this one here. And there will be no further discussions with Elle without my explicit approval." Azula snarled as she snorted fire from her nostrils while she loomed authoritatively above her quivering pet.
"A-Azula-sama." Elle stuttered in a timid voice as she gazed up at the tall woman with admiration in her eyes.
Her mistress released a dominant growl that sent a pleasurable shiver down her spine.
"In other words, you have to go through me. Is that understood?" Azula spoke in a voice of absolute authority with her frigid eyes narrowing into a tyrannical glare.
As her serving girl's head pushed into her armored belly as she towered protectively over the younger girl.
While she posed with her fists planted on her hips as an unforgiving glower graced her beautiful features.
And her small servant trembled in adoration below her while she scowled ruthlessly in the smiling redhead's direction.
It was obvious to all present that it was the princess's way of stating that she would protect her loyal companion.
"I…am sorry Naoki. But you heard Azula-sama. You're going to have to talk to her." Elle muttered with her hands grasping at the straps of her bag while her mistress stood proudly above her.
A pleased smile pulled back onto Azula's lips before she soon turned her domineering stare back to Naoki's emotionless face.
Only for Naoki to let out another mocking laugh while the princess's callous eyes burned a hole through her skull.
"Sorry to disappoint you Princess. But I don't take orders. Now get lost." Naoki retorted in an equally cold voice while Azula's amber golden eyes glared icily back at her forehead.
"Perhaps there is something that we can work out that will satisfy both sides." Zoi commented in her usual composed voice while Azula gazed at her in curiosity from the corner of her cold eye.
The captain gazed back into the princess's stern eyes as they shared a fleeting look.
One that a woman of Azula's intelligence understood perfectly.
'Talking with this girl…this…former slave is not getting me anywhere. My usual methods that I use with my soldiers are not working.' Azula thought with fire escaping her nostrils while she released an aggravated growl.
She turned her cold stare back to Naoki's machinelike face while emotionless brown eyes gazed back at her.
Up until now she had been confident that she would be able to persuade the girl into her royal service.
Elle served her faithfully.
So, she thought that this girl would come to see the benefit in doing the same after she saw how content Elle was in her service.
And now…it angered her to say that she wasn't so certain.
Her crimson lips creased into a regal scowl as she glared back into the younger girl's unflinching face.
Unlike everyone that she has ever met, even her Dai Li.
This girl didn't seem to have any emotions to manipulate.
But how could that be possible?
Only to be torn from her reverie not a moment later when she heard rocks scatter down the slope behind them.
And then she spun around with her companions only to find her amber golden eyes gazing down in surprise to see that one of the soldiers was alive!
The man attempted to push himself up on all fours while the young assassin turned to glance down with a look of surprise in her eyes.
"That's strange. It looks like I missed one. I could have sworn I killed them all. But it seems as if I missed the jugular on that one." Naoki remarked to herself as she strode forward with her sword in hand while the others gazed at her in a perplexed silence.
Ty Lee and Mai shuddered as they watched the girl march up to them.
Elle's amber eyes grew wide in a moral panic as she watched the man fail to pull himself off the ground.
"I'll be right back. This will only take a moment." Naoki stated in a nonchalant voice as she strode past Ty Lee while the noblewoman gazed back with a disturbed look in her eyes.
Before she sauntered past the group while the princess gazed at her marching back with callous amber golden eyes.
"W-wait Naoki! Stop! He's already down!" Elle exclaimed in a mortified voice while her princess sighed in annoyance as she rolled her eyes above her.
Mai watched with her tawny eyes agape in disgust as the girl stalked down with a still present smirk on her lips.
Before the soldier took hold of a handheld device while he began to frantically shout into it much to the intrigue of the highborn women.
"This is James to command! I am all that is left of the second platoon! I repeat-" The man yelled out only to cry out in pain as he was sent soaring painfully into the rocky slope.
And then within seconds the radio was smashed to pieces with a swing of Naoki's blade.
Just as the prodigy dropped down above him with her pitiless brown eyes gazing down at him.
As the team gazed down from above with varying expressions in their eyes.
Only to find themselves turning back to their young friend in surprise when Elle broke out into a run to save the man's life.
The princess let out an annoyed groan as she grumbled under her breath.
"Naoki! You don't have to kill him! He's already defeated!" Elle cried out in a compassionate voice while Naoki's emotionless brown eyes regarded her in disinterest.
"Azula…" Ty Lee urged as she turned to her friend while the princess scowled.
"Leave him breathing! I want him alive for interrogation!" Azula commanded as she ran down the slope while her subordinates nodded in understanding as they rushed after her servant.
And not a second after that Elle boldly intercepted Naoki's swing while the prodigy stared back at her with a machinelike gaze.
"Get out of my way Elle." Naoki spoke with her sword in hand while the younger girl held out her arms as she gestured for her to stop.
"Naoki…please stop-" Elle replied only to be cut off when she was seized from behind.
And just like that the highborn women watched with horror in their eyes when the young girl was swiftly taken hostage in the desperate man's arms.
And then before they could even react the barrel of a gun was just as quickly placed against Elle's trembling temple.
Elle now sat on her knees with a terrified expression in her taken aback eyes as Naoki stared back at her with heartless eyes that said 'I told you so.'
As the team gazed down with fear in their eyes while the memories of their young friend's near-death experience flashed before their eyes.
Their shouts of anger now resounded into the air.
"Elle! No!" Ty Lee hollered with her furious eyes gazing back at her little sister's frightened face.
"Let her go! Now!" Mai shouted with great anger in her voice while she glared back at the soldier's bloodied face as he held the cowering girl in his arms.
"Hurt her and you won't be leaving here alive. You'd be wise to listen." Zoi stated in a stoic voice with her golden eyes glaring back at the foreign man's face while he held his gun to the girl's forehead.
Azula's callous amber golden eyes now formed a truly monstrous glare as she gazed down at the man's sweating face.
"Release her! Or I will tear you apart limb by limb!" Azula bellowed with pure rage dripping from her severe voice while her jaw tightened in a show of uncharacteristic emotion.
She clenched her burning fists so hard at her hips that a droplet of blood dripped down to the stone below.
As she stomped a threatening boot forward with her nostrils exhaling azure fire.
She stared imposingly back at the soldier's strikingly composed face only for his voice to soon shout out into the air.
"You're not giving the orders here! Stay back or I'll blow her brains out!" James screamed out with his elbow pushing into Elle's neck while the petite girl shook in his arms.
The highborn women stared down with their enraged eyes fearfully lingering on the barrel of the gun.
Only for an uncaring chuckle to split into the air while the team turned to gaze back at the girl in disbelief.
"Fool. Go ahead and do it. It's not like it will save you. Either way. You're still going to die." Naoki announced in a cold-hearted voice while Elle's eyes grew wide as she met her uncaring gaze.
And the team spun around as they stared back at her with outrage in their eyes.
And then before they could even speak the panicked soldier stumbled backwards with his grip tightening upon the horrified teenager's neck.
"Shut your mouth! What's wrong with you! Elle has shown you nothing but kindness!" Ty Lee yelled in an infuriated voice with her brown-gray eyes glaring between the soldier and Naoki.
"If anything happens to her, I will kill you!" Azula roared with her amber golden eyes taking on a murderously possessive stare as she glared at the Naoki's smiling face through the corner of her eye.
Before she turned her unforgiving glare back to the panic-stricken soldier.
Her cold amber golden eyes flickered with a barely perceivable hint of a foreign emotion as she met her serving girl's cowering gaze.
As her crimson lips parted in an expression of dread as she felt a familiar feeling of horror bubble up within her belly.
And for the most fleeting of moments.
She felt…fear.
"Don't think I won't do it! Now you listen to me! You are going to let me leave and if you even make one move, I will kill her!" James hollered as he shakily backed away with Elle under his arm while the team stared down at him in fury.
Only for another savage laugh to resound into the air while the highborn women gazed in outrage at Naoki's deranged smiling face.
"That still won't save you." Naoki taunted in a sing song voice with her merciless words provoking even further panic from the cornered soldier.
Team Azula stood rooted to their spots with their blood boiling in ever soaring rage.
As the soldier's terror-stricken cries rang out in reply.
"I swear I'll kill your comrade!" James bellowed with the gun trembling in his hand while Elle gulped as she gazed up at her enraged companions faces.
"Y-you don't have to do this. We can work out a peaceful solution." Elle spoke in a sweet voice as she whimpered with the man's arm crushing her throat.
Her pure-hearted words pulled at the hearts of her four friends as they listened with their eyes gazing down in a rare state of shock.
"You don't have a clue what I have to do!" James snapped with the barrel still against the girl's forehead while the princess's teeth ground together in her regal rage.
Only for the princess's lips to quiver in a barely noticeable sign of emotion when her serving girl managed to form a nervous smile.
"W-we…. we don't have to war like this. We are all living beings. We can move forward to a better world t-together as one." Elle pleaded in a sentimental voice as the arm around her throat shook while her friends listened in a moved silence.
"Shut up!" James roared in a frenzied voice with his teeth clenched together while Naoki smiled back at him.
A shared expression of panic flashed in Ty Lee, Mai, Azula and Zoi's eyes as they quickly gazed about in search of an opening to move.
"We can find peace together!" Elle cried out in a distraught voice with her amber eyes squeezing shut in an overload of emotion.
Her friends stood frozen in their spots with their eyes agape in expressions of conflicted sentiment.
And for the faintest moment the man's eyes flashed with unmistakable guilt.
And then to the surprise of Team Azula they watched in a speechless silence as the man let go of their young friend.
Before Elle dropped to the ground with a yelp while the highborn women gazed on with astonished looks in their eyes.
And then the soldier sunk to his knees soon after while Elle gasped for air while her friends sprang forward to retrieve her.
As Naoki stared down at the defeated man with her brown eyes widening for the briefest instance.
While the captain moved to apprehend the foreign man.
And then before any of them could so much as take another step.
All five girls gazed on with stunned looks in their eyes when a sword swiftly slashed through the man's throat.
And then just like that James fell forward with the life rapidly disappearing from his widened eyes.
Before he plummeted face first into the stone.
Elle sat on her knees in a speechless silence with her mouth agape in an expression of shock.
Naoki stood over the lifeless man with her sword dripping with blood.
The princess and the three noblewomen stared at her with varying degrees of emotion in their eyes.
For Ty Lee it was anger.
And for Mai it was very much the same.
For Zoi…it was mostly confusion.
And Azula was one part perplexed and another part annoyed over the loss of the opportunity to interrogate the man.
Before she quickly recovered as she dropped down over her serving girl's small form while her cold eyes rapidly scanned for any sign of injury.
Only to find herself breathing a silent sigh of relief when she was able to discern that her pet was unharmed.
Just as her cold eyes widened with another flicker of surprise when she felt the young girl trembling in anger beneath her palm.
"Why did you do that Naoki? He…put down the gun." Elle muttered with her fists balled up beneath her while her companions stood in a bewildered silence behind her.
"They don't deserve any mercy." Naoki stated as she wiped the blood off her blade with a gloved hand while Mai stared at her back in disgust.
Ty Lee did the same as she scowled at the girl with her fists clenched at her hips.
Although she knew that they had little right to judge.
Given all that all of the many cruelties that she has seen Azula inflict when Elle was not present to witness the princess's sadistic behavior.
And then not a second after that the team was torn from their thoughts as they turned back to gaze down at their young companion in surprise to see her baring her teeth in anger.
Before Elle took them all by surprise when she sprang to her feet with a wild look of rage in her eyes.
"He put down the gun! He put down the gun!" Elle wailed in a traumatized voice as she seized Naoki by her shirt while she stared back at her with emotionless brown eyes.
The princess found herself releasing a frustrated sigh as she stood up with her cold gaze momentarily glancing in the slain man's direction.
She turned her hardened eyes back to the two girls while her childhood friends still gazed at Naoki in revulsion.
And the captain silently stood on guard behind her princess with her taken aback golden gaze staring back at her young friend's unusually furious face.
"This is a kill or be killed world. And it is no place for your weakness. Strength is all that matters." Naoki answered in a stoic voice with her brown eyes gazing down into the shorter girl's passionate amber eyes.
The highborn women listened with their surprised eyes never leaving their friend's unnaturally angered face.
"That's not true! You're just making excuses! Just because they're horrible doesn't mean that you have to be Naoki!" Elle exclaimed in a voice of overflowing emotion while her body trembled in anxiety.
The team gazed from one girl to the other with uncertainty in their eyes just as they felt a strange breeze blow through their hair.
"I saved your worthless life twice. And you have the nerve to put this pacifistic shit in my face." Naoki stated under her breath with her hair swaying behind her while the other girl still held onto her shirt.
"What you did was wrong and you know it!" Elle cried out with her lips in a frown while Naoki's machinelike eyes glanced down at her.
And then a shiver traveled down her spine as she gazed up into the older girl's eerily cold eyes.
And then not a second after that Elle's cry echoed into the air.
As the team stood in a frozen silence as they now watched their young friend get thrown to the ground.
Just as Elle rolled across the rock with a cut on her cheek.
Azula gazed on with her amber golden eyes wide in boiling fury as a stream of blue fire spewed from her seething lips.
And then a great stream of lightning crackled into the air while the protective princess roared as she lunged past her angered subordinates.
"You…I am going to crush you!" Azula shouted in a voice of authority while she bared her teeth like a furious mother dragon.
As Naoki stood fearless on the edge of the cliff with her cold brown eyes staring back at the charging princess.
"No, Princess. I am going to crush you." Naoki spoke in a disturbingly focused voice as she rapidly drew her sword.
Her foot began to tap upon the ground while the captain's golden eyes stared searchingly down at her swiftly stamping feet.
Elle gazed up from the rocky ground with Ty Lee kneeling behind her as she swallowed under her breath.
As Mai held her elbows over her face as vast waves of electricity sparked dangerously into the air.
And then not a second later…
An explosion of blue fire and white lightning connected with a crimson blur.
Two weeks ago, on Elle's Earth.
Heavy smoke and dust blew into the air while the shouts of soldiers carried into the air.
All the while as military aircraft hovered in the distance as they watched from above.
And as the cloud of smoke finally began to clear away, a deep crater slowly came into view.
And last but not least.
A man stood in the center of the crater gazing down at his fallen target with delighted smile gracing his lips.
He was wearing a black uniform, and his skin was abnormally pale.
And his hair was an otherworldly white.
And most peculiar of all, was that his eyes were an unnatural crimson.
And lying at his feet at the epicenter of the crater was a girl.
Her long brown hair spilled in her eyes as she lay with her face buried in the dirt while the ominous man clicked his tongue in approval.
"I've finally got you…Katsu." Nero purred with a twisted smile growing upon his lips while his laughter rang into the air.
And now, in the present.
A heavily armored military helicopter transport was currently flying over the ocean.
And deep inside sat a prized prisoner in maximum security restraints.
Her arms and legs were bound in massive metal shackles.
And she wore a large metal mask that covered all of her face but for her eyes and nose.
Her vibrant green eyes gazed out from beneath her facial cage at her captor's face.
She began to futilely thrash in her bonds while the scientist regarded her with a pleased smile.
"I see that you are awake Katsu. Today we are going to put that power of yours to the test." Nero stated with sadistic pleasure in his voice while he gazed back at his bound subject.
Only for the girl to fail to reply as she continued to flail about in vain.
Before the strange man turned to gaze out the window with his palms folded together in his lap.
"It is going to be very interesting. Very interesting indeed." Nero spoke in a soft voice as he chuckled while he gazed at his muffled captive through the corner of his eye.
As the sound of the helicopter flying over the horizon intermingled with the researcher's eerie laughter.
AN:
Alright, so that was the second meeting between Team Azula and Naoki.
As I have stated before. Azula and Naoki are not true enemies so to speak. They just have completely different goals in different worlds. And for them to form an alliance right now, one of them has to put their own goals on hold for the other.
Azula isn't going to put the war with the Avatar and the White Lotus on hold for a commoner girl that she just met. And Naoki isn't going to cast aside her own goals to serve a monarch in a foreign land.
As Naoki stated herself. She considers it more prudent to form an alliance with a government closer to home.
And keep in mind that unlike with fighters of her own homeland. Azula doesn't really have anything that she can offer Naoki. And Naoki is astute enough to realize that she is a coveted war power. And she doesn't intend on siding with any government without getting something in return.
Also, let me state that Naoki does care for Elle in her own way. She is just programed not to show any emotion. Which is also why Azula is having trouble predicting how she will react.
We also saw that Naoki does feel something deep down for what happened to the people of Elle's childhood home town. They were in part massacred by Strados because he was hunting Naoki in the first place and like with Elle, she doesn't let it show on the surface. But she cares enough to visit the memorial site.
Also, while it might seem as if Naoki was going to let Elle die. Keep in mind that Naoki's greatest power is speed. And that if she truly felt that Elle's life was in danger, she felt confident that she could have slit the man's throat before he shot Elle.
The scene where Naoki kills the soldier after he surrendered is meant to showcase how she truly is the product of her supersoldier training.
She doesn't search for information or value from captives like Azula and Zoe do. Naoki is much like a swinging sword in motion. She sees herself as more machine than human. And her actions cannot be easily stopped with words.
She also doesn't consider any of the enemy soldiers deserving of mercy. And in a way she has a point, they never showed her and Elle any mercy. So, why should she show them mercy now?
The behavior that she showed with that soldier demonstrated how detached she is from killing. She views killing as a fluid motion and when she saw that a soldier survived her first assault. She very casually walked toward him to finish the kill. This was meant to exemplify that her mental state is not as healthy as it appears on the outside.
Because although she is free now, she is still very much behaving in the way that they programed her, which is to kill without regard for the enemy.
In any case, Azula and Naoki about to have their first short duel. There will be a second one coming later on.
I also wanted to contrast how different Elle and Naoki's outlook on life is. And show that even when people are after her head, Elle still tries to do everything that she can to talk it over peacefully.
In this case it nearly worked, but Naoki wasn't having any of it.
Additionally, even though Naoki is willing to save Elle's life because she both needs her and internally considers her a friend. She is not above holding another comrade over Elle's head in an effort to get her to bend to her will.
Also, in this chapter we got our first glimpse of a new character, a villain named Nero.
He is a secondary antagonist who will appear all throughout the three books. He will have some big roles to play later on. There isn't much to say about him right now. He is a scientist who has a fondness for human experimentation, mainly benders and other gifted individuals.
He is also one of the chief researchers that is responsible for experimenting on Naoki and Katsu.
More about him will be revealed later on, but I do want to state that he has crimson eyes for a reason and that is because he has some inhuman qualities, and his otherworldly appearance such as his white hair is meant to foreshadow that. That's about all I can reveal about him for now. Further details about who he is and what he wants will be unveiled later.
And we'll be getting a proper introduction of Katsu in the later portion of this arc as well. We'll get to see what her powers are and what her personality is like.
That will be all for now though.
Stay tuned for next time.
For chapter ninety-five! Peace and Oblivion!