CHAPTER 26: INVITATIONS, INFILTRATIONS, AND INTRODUCTIONS (PART 2)
(Disclaimer: Avatar The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon and Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own my OC's)
(PLEASE READ: THIS IS NOT A SEQUEL TO "SHUJINKO: THE FOURTH MEMBER", BUT A DIFFERENT STORY WITH SHUJINKO AS THE MAIN CHARACTER. THIS STORY WILL NOT HAVE ANY EFFECT WHATSOEVER IN "SHUJINKO SHIPPUDEN". I REPEAT THIS IS NOT A SEQUEL TO SHUJINKO'S ORIGINAL STORY)
Summary: One night, a stranger breaks into Shujinko's house and tries to steal one of the most mystical objects in the history of the Ozuma clan: The Eye of Kazemaru. When Shujinko tries to stop him, the two of them activate an ancient and forgotten power of the gem by accident, which sends them to another dimension where a certain bald-headed monk has to master the four elements in order to defeat the evil Fire Lord. What kind of impact will Shujinko's presence have in the Avatar universe? Who is this stranger and what does he want? Get ready for one wild space-time adventure
BRIEF AUTHOR'S NOTE BEFORE THE CHAPTER (PLEASE READ):
I don't normally do this and hopefully won't have to ever again, but this time, I feel the need to clarify something from the very get-go.
This chapter was originally meant to be much, much longer than this. In the process of writing this chapter, I failed to anticipate its length, and had I kept going anyways, the final result would've reached the 20.000 words mark (or close to that number at the very least). That's simply way too much just for one update.
That's why I decided to split the original chapter into two uneven halves in order to make it shorter and easier to digest, so to speak. The content that didn't make it to the final cut of this installment was transferred to the next one, meaning that by the time you're reading this, chapter 27 is already over 6.000 words long, which will undoubtedly make it easier for me to complete the chapter once I get the chance to work on it.
I wanted to address this right from the beginning in case any of you get the feeling that this chapter is incomplete or that almost nothing happens in it. Again, I don't normally do this kind of stuff, but exceptions must be made every once in a while, and given that you guys won't have to read a freaking thesis and I won't have to start the next chapter from scratch by making this exception, I'd say it's for the best.
Without further ado or demur, I present thee:
As if she were the victim of an electrical discharge, Azula's heart nearly bolted out of her chest as every single hair on her body stood up. Mirroring the reaction of a frightened cat, the princess jolted and turned around, her eyes frantically scanning her immediate vicinity in search of whoever had talked just now. The veil of the night obstructed her view, however, and the growing desperation was starting to play tricks on her, making Azula see shadows and silhouettes where there were none.
"Who goes there!? Show yourself!" the princess yelled out loud, extending the range of the Firebending technique she had previously conjured until it acquired the shape of a fiery sword of sorts. Bounded and unable to see what was going on, there was nothing that Mai and Ty Lee could do other than scream into their gags as loudly as their vocal cords allowed, for the panic they had fallen prey to wouldn't let them stay silent.
Suddenly, the caster of blue flames was struck by a small pebble that had been aimed at her left temple. Azula flinched, not due to the pain as she barely registered it, but instead the feeling of something making physical contact with her at this very moment. She instinctively turned her head to the direction in which the pebble had been chucked, only to find the same trees and shrubs that had already crossed her gaze… But then, after looking a bit higher, she finally caught sight of a person sitting in between two large, upright branches that came off of the main trunk of an oak tree before it grew back upward.
"Greetings, Princess Azula," said the individual, a man dressed in a long black cloak. He wore his hood over his head as well as a mask that concealed most of his face, leaving only his prowling eyes and a few locks of hair exposed. "I am pleased to make your formal acquaintance,"
For the briefest instant, the combination of his gritty voice, his menacing, almost specter-like appearance, and the feeling of silent violence that emanated from him, fooled the firebender into thinking she was in the presence of a malevolent spirit. Regardless of that, Azula still took him for a threat as her body began to enter fight-or-flight mode, and she would've acted upon it had the hooded man not raised his voice once again.
"Stay your hand, young lady. In spite of appearances, none of you are in any real danger. Do not change that by resorting to violence,"
…
"… I remember you," Azula said, the fire in her hand still burning brightly. "You're the one who interrupted my fight with Shujinko that day,"
The hooded man let out a snort of amusement. "Interrupted your fight? As I recall, Shujinko was the one left standing, and let us be honest, it was a fight only for you. To him, it was little more than a measly altercation that required but a fraction of his efforts to settle. Do not forget, I was there too, watching everything. If you believe that he gave you his best, you are profoundly mistaken,"
Azula chose not to respond to that and opted to bite down her lower lip instead, stewing in her own anger. The memory of her humiliating defeat at the hands of the Ozuma was still fresh in her mind, and having it rubbed in her face so openly by a mysterious stranger, in front of Mai and Ty Lee no less, was beyond infuriating. As for those two, hearing the truth of what really happened wasn't nearly as impactful as it otherwise would've been. They were hard-pressed to care about something like that now after spending the last half hour tied up, blindfolded, and terrified out of their wits.
"Let us cut to the chase, shall we?" the hooded man asked. "The reason I am standing here, alone and unarmed, is because I wish to parley with you, princess. Not only that, I have a proposition to make, one I believe you will find most compelling,"
The caster of blue flames remained quiet like a grave, her eyes locked on the mysterious man as she analyzed everything she could discern about him down to the last detail. Although this was the perfect scenario for a trap, his body language indicated little to no wariness, but it went beyond just that. Despite knowing who she was and having a good idea of what she was capable of, he seemed relaxed, nonchalant, and far too self-assured. The fact that he was indeed alone and unarmed only exacerbated that unconcerned aura about him. At the same time, however, it was far from the carefree vibe of a man devoid of ill intent.
It took her a while to understand the precise sensation that was so present in the air: Whoever that man was, he had nothing to worry about, not because he believed no one was going to attack him, but because he knew for certain he could instantly decimate anyone foolish enough to try, including Azula herself.
"On what grounds should I oblige you?" the firebender asked. "I don't know you, nor do I know what your true intentions are, and the manner in which you've presented yourself to me doesn't speak in your favor. Give me a reason why I should hear you out,"
"Be rational, Azula. If I wanted to end your life and your comrades', we would not be speaking right now. By all means, liberate your friends and let them be on their way. You may join them afterward once we finish our conversation. I am a man of my word,"
The offer made her hesitate. By freeing Mai and Ty Lee and sending them back to camp, Azula would be putting herself in a position where she'd be unable to receive help against the cloaked individual should he turn hostile, and while she was usually more than capable of handling business on her own, her instincts were telling her otherwise on this occasion. On the other hand, that same cloaked individual managed to overwhelm and apprehend Mai and Ty Lee with dumbfounding ease, which suggested that those two wouldn't be of much assistance anyway in case a fight broke out. Besides, Mai barely had any weapons left, having lost a ton of them fighting Shujinko, and her injured arm had just started to heal.
Once the best course of action became self-evident, the princess turned around and proceeded to carefully burn through the ropes that had her friends tied to the tree, using her flames as a scalpel. A single incision of condensed fire was enough to slice the bindings open without setting them ablaze, causing Mai and Ty Lee to fall abruptly to their knees. She did the same with the ropes around their hands and allowed them to finish the rest of the job by themselves. Due to their aching wrists and shaky fingers, the circus acrobat and the markswoman had a bit of a hard time removing their restraints. Rather than undoing the tight knots, they simply pulled their gags down to their necks and yanked their blindfolds off, losing a few single strands of hair in the process.
Ty Lee spoke up first, her voice no longer stifled by a piece of cloth. "Azula, what's happening? What's happening?" she kept asking, unable to do anything against the choking tremble of her throat. She looked like she was trying to cry, but her eyes wouldn't produce any tears due to the shock she was in. Meanwhile, Mai was in complete silence, though that didn't mean she was holding up much better than the chi-blocker. She was quivering like a helpless fawn lost in the rain, and just like her friend, she'd also wet her pants waiting for Azula to come to their rescue, a secret she would take to her grave.
They were given a few minutes to recover before Ozai's daughter told them to leave and to await her at camp, no matter how long it took for her to return. Despite how unpleasant the idea of leaving Azula alone with that man was for both Mai and Ty Lee, the two girls were too scared spitless to muster even the smallest amount of courage at this point. All they wanted was to get as far away from their captor as possible. Without raising any objection whatsoever, and under the blatantly weak excuse of following Azula's order, the circus acrobat and the markswoman left the scene and headed back to their camp, painfully aware that they weren't going to get as much as a blink's worth of sleep that night.
"What game are you trying to play with us?" Azula asked once the two of them were left alone. "You said you had a proposition to make, yet your actions against my associates are not those of a man who wishes to parley in good faith,"
"And yet here we are, doing exactly just that," the hooded man replied without missing a beat. "How I went about setting up this meeting is irrelevant. Your associates are alive and so are you, and it is in your best interest to keep it that way, is it not? So display the manners belonging to an educated daughter of nobility and listen to what I have to say before you exhaust my patience,"
Azula had no way of knowing whether the hooded man's intentions were genuine or if she was walking right into a snare, but neither could she imagine how denying him the chance to talk would work in her favor. The safest option, from a negotiating standpoint, was to nibble the bait for now and see how things evolved from there. "Very well, then. Speak,"
As soon as the word 'speak' left the firebender's mouth, the hooded man jumped down from the tree, which almost startled Azula for a second. What certainly took her by surprise, however, was the fact that despite facing a rather long fall, the hooded man landed on the ground as loudly as a coin landing on grass, almost like the soil beneath his feet had stifled the noise.
"The unexpected return of the Avatar has greatly compromised the Fire Nation's position in the war. In the eyes of your father and your people, obtaining victory was but a matter of time. Now, the outcome of this conflict has turned unpredictable, and the only way to remove such unpredictability is by getting rid of its root cause. That is why you are here, so deep within the heart of the enemy's territory. Either the Fire Lord deems you expendable, or he truly has faith that you will hunt down the Avatar for him. Regardless, you keep failing. Your recent attempt at seizing Ba Sing Se speaks for itself,"
…
"Be that as it may, it would be unfair to blame you for your lack of success when Shujinko Ozuma is the one behind it. His alliance with the Avatar has certainly cost you dearly. Due to his interference, you have been denied any semblance of triumph, and that won't change as long as that boy draws breath,"
"That is quite a bold statement," Azula retorted. "However strong he might be, Shujinko is still only one boy, and a boy cannot stand against the might of the Fire Nation alone. Sooner or later, his time will come. I will see to it,"
The hooded man shook his head as he began to chuckle through his nose, which didn't sit well with the firebender. As the daughter of none other than Fire Lord Ozai, she couldn't remember the last time somebody laughed in her presence, let alone to her face. "Your innocence is almost endearing. Apparently, you've yet to understand who you are trifling with, young princess, so let me relieve you of your ignorance: Nobody in this world, save me, is a bigger threat to you and your nation than Shujinko. That is the truth. If he were to fight you, your father the Fire Lord, or even the Avatar himself to the death, I have little doubt he would best you all. You already lost to him once, and you would be either a hostage or a corpse by now had I not intervened. To say otherwise would be to deny the undeniable and we both know it,"
A shudder rippled down Azula's backbone as she gasped in a choppy puff of air. Hearing the words that came out of the hooded man's mouth made Ozai's daughter want to grind her teeth down to a fine powder. At the same time, however, she knew she couldn't show any sign of weakness in front of him. Mustering every ounce of self-control and mental fortitude, Azula put up a mask of calmness as she regained enough of a hold on her emotions, determined to douse the flames of her anger…
… But the shortness of breath persisted, and not due to anger, hatred, resentment, or any of the other emotions she thought were to blame. All of a sudden, the oxygen that entered her lungs became cold and heavy. Azula began to feel a pit in her stomach slowly swallowing her from within as shivers plagued her fingertips. Her eyes grew dilated, her knees turned mushy, and her feet were getting stabbed by a thousand invisible pins. It was as if the princess of the Fire Nation had fallen ill out of nowhere, victim of the disease known as fear.
Yes, fear. For the first time ever, Azula was experiencing the deep, sharp, and lethal stab of the intangible weapon she had so masterfully wielded against others throughout her life.
As princess and future ruler of the Fire Nation, Azula answered to no one but Fire Lord Ozai, not that she had ever given her father any reason to be disappointed in her, be it as his daughter, his heiress, or a subordinate to carry forth his will. Nothing was out of her reach, and if she were to be denied something, she could always make use of her perfected talents to accomplish whatever she had in mind. Whether Azula had to employ the brush or the sword in order to get her way, it mattered little to her, for she was deadly effective with either of them. They were both forms of power, and in the end, power was everything.
But now, having heard the words of the hooded man, the young princess began to accept the truth she had long denied. More than that, she began to realize the magnitude of said truth was far bigger than she could've imagined. Despite her skills, talent, intellect, royalty, influence, and the rest of the other qualities that defined who she was, none of it mattered when it came to Shujinko. He wasn't someone she could beat, manipulate, deceive, or intimidate. For whatever accursed reason that still eluded Azula, that boy was more than her and there was nothing she could do about it… And he was going for the kill.
"I will interpret your silence as a sign you agree," the hooded man continued. "The pattern is simple: For the Fire Nation to achieve victory, you must eliminate the Avatar. To eliminate the Avatar, Shujinko cannot be there to protect him. There is no other way around it. You need him gone… and fortunately for you, our interests coincide, for I want him gone,"
That last statement pulled Azula out of her emotional stupor, bringing the firebender back to her senses before fear could stun her further. She took a moment to collect her wits and organize her scattered thoughts, which lead Ozai's daughter to recall her very first encounter with the hooded man back in Tu Zin, in which he made it abundantly clear he was looking to take on Shujinko. Whatever happened next was still a mystery to Azula, who was forced to retreat immediately in order to save her skin, thus she remained massively unaware of a lot of context and information that would afford her a better understanding of the situation.
Azula wanted to know everything that unfolded during the encounter those two had back then, but asking questions about it now would mean getting sidetracked from the main topic, which the hooded man most likely wouldn't take well. It was safer to just stick to the flow of the conversation and inquire later once she was in less uncharted territory. "If this is true, then we have common cause. Is that why you sought us out, then? You wish to join our nation and be an ally to the Fire Lord?"
"Nothing quite like that, I'm afraid. In all sincerity, I have no desire to fight for your homeland or your ruler as they both are insignificant and worthless, so no, I am not requesting to be recruited into the Fire Nation's ranks. I am, however, hoping to reach an agreement of lesser scale, yet overall similar in nature. Think of it as a partnership, one between us and nobody else,"
"A partnership?" the firebender's intrigue peaked, so much so that she instantly forgot about the hooded man's belittling remarks in regard to her father and her nation. "What exactly would be the end goal of this partnership? And how do you expect me to call you partner when I don't even know what your name is?"
"My true name bears no importance, but you may address me as Savior, for that is the title that best defines me," was the hooded man's reply. "As for the other question, you already know the answer, do you not? Together, we can and shall get rid of our enemies who so fiercely oppose us. Together, we will kill Avatar Aang and Shujinko Ozuma,"
|Meanwhile, at the Royal Palace|
Despite the honor, prestige, and salary that came with it, being a member of the Royal Guard wasn't as exciting a profession as one might think, especially when you were tasked to perform the dullest of all military duties: Gatekeeping. Guo, the unfortunate guard who'd been given that task for the night, had long lost track of time as he stood by one of the smaller entrances of the palace, yawning and rubbing his droopy eyes every once in a while. His substitute was due to arrive at any moment, but even though the chances of something happening in his absence were slim to none, Guo knew he'd be in serious trouble if he were to leave before another guard took his place first. He had no choice but to suck it up and be patient, no matter how sore his feet felt after standing there all day.
By now, the party was in full swing. Most guests arrived at the entrance hours before the start of the celebration in hopes of getting the best seats in the house, them being the closest to Bosco, King Kuei's beloved pet. Though he'd never dare say it out loud, Guo thought that hosting an event of this magnitude just to celebrate the birthday of a mascot, even His Majesty's, was as ridiculous as it was unnecessary. Bosco was basically a prince, though with how much love his 'father' had for that animal, the Earth King might very well name him his heir one day. A snort of amusement escaped Guo's nostrils as he pictured Bosco on the throne, wearing a crown whilst licking its paws.
The silly notion of a bear monarch distracted Guo for a few minutes until he suddenly caught sight of two busboys approaching the entrance he was guarding. Once they got closer, Guo was able to see their faces more clearly and realized they were completely identical: Same dark skin, same blue eyes, same weight and height, and even the same haircut. The only difference he noticed between them was their respective demeanor. The one on the left had an expressive countenance while the one on the right had a more serious look on his face.
"Halt right there," Guo said, stopping the boys once they reached the entrance steps. "Who are you?"
"Uh, hello, sir. How is your night going?" the one on the left responded with a polite, yet slightly awkward smile. "My name is Sokka. This is Kossa, my twin brother. We're here for the party. To work, obviously, as you can tell,"
Frowning suspiciously, Guo grabbed a thin scroll from his belt and read its content twice. "I don't see your names on the list of busboys we have working tonight, and none of them have requested a substitute. Care to explain?"
"That's because we were asked to come here on very short notice," Kossa replied without missing a beat. Oddly enough, his voice was noticeably different from his brother's despite being twins, but Guo quickly deemed such distinction irrelevant and remained focused. "Apparently, too many guests showed up and there aren't enough busboys to tend to them all. My brother and I happened to be available and we got hired at the last second. The guards at the courtyard told us to use this entrance like the rest of the busboys, so here we are,"
Guo rubbed his chin, unsure of how he should proceed. On one hand, he'd been given clear orders to deny entry to anyone whose name wasn't on his list and no one had informed him of this arrangement in advance. On the other hand, nothing seemed to indicate these kids were lying to him. It wasn't like a pair of teenagers could've sneaked their way into the palace grounds while evading the many dozens of soldiers posted all around the place, which could only mean the guards at the courtyard had given them permission to enter. Besides, considering the number of people who were present, it was entirely possible that more staff was needed in order to keep the party running smoothly.
"What's going on here?" Out of nowhere, the three of them were approached by another guard, who walked towards the entrance before stopping at a certain distance. Guo was unable to make out the man's face from afar, but his Royal Guard armor was easily identifiable… even though it did look a bit off for some reason. Before Guo could put his finger on it, the guard raised his voice again, this time at the twins. "What are you two doing outside the palace? Aren't you supposed to be working?"
Sokka shrugged his shoulders and stretched his forearms sideways, making himself look almost exaggeratedly innocent. "We'd love to, sir, but this gentleman won't let us through,"
The guard then redirected his gaze at Guo and pointed his left thumb at the palace, retaining the same stern voice from before. "These boys are needed inside. We're short on help and the guests are starting to complain,"
Having received confirmation from a fellow member of the Royal Guard, and because he was too tired to deal with this nonsense, Guo let out a groan and stepped aside. No need to stress himself any further on account of two miserable busboys. "Very well, you may pass. Go in, turn left to the end of the hall and then turn right. Once you reach the dining hall, ask another busboy where the kitchen is and make yourselves of use,"
"Understood. Thank you very much, sir," Kossa responded. He and his brother bowed in respect and gave Guo the Earth Kingdom salute before stepping inside the palace in a hurry.
"Whoever those brats are, I'm not taking any responsibility for them," Guo said out loud, talking to himself more than anything. "By the way, are you my substitute? Because I've been here all day waiting for…" To his surprise, the guard who'd just intervened was nowhere to be seen, almost as if he'd vanished into thin air as swiftly as he had appeared. "… Huh, how strange. The fatigue must be really getting to me,"
000
|A few minutes later|
Peeking his head out from behind the corner of a wall, Sokka glanced down the corridor in both directions, keeping an eye out for any guests, soldiers, or palace personnel nearby. The corridor was empty, but the echo from the music playing and the voices made it difficult to verify no one was coming. After two minutes of careful vigilance, Sokka decided they were safe, so he turned his head around and gave a thumbs-up to the boy behind him. "The coast is clear. You're good to go,"
POOF
A cloud of smoke promptly erupted out of Sokka's doppelganger, who assumed his authentic identity as Shujinko Ozuma. The golden-eyed teen was wearing the formal attire he had acquired with Joo Dee as well as his new elegant hairstyle, both of them suitable, not to say indispensable, for the occasion. "Phew, about time. It was getting kinda tedious," he said, arching his back with his hands on his waist. "Well, we made it inside without making a scandal or alerting the guards. That's one obstacle taken care of,"
"And who was it again that made it happen?" the son of Hakoda asked with a smirk, his chest puffing out in self-importance. "That's right baby, I made it happen. My razor-sharp intellect and unmatched tactical brilliance save the day once more,"
Shujinko shook his head, amused by Sokka's attitude. "I'm sure your humility also played a role. All jokes aside, this was your idea, so you do deserve the credit. I'm just glad everything went well,"
This ploy they'd executed wasn't at all faithful to the Chūnin's original plan of sneaking into the palace, which ultimately had to be discarded. As it turned out, security was increased for the party with roughly twice as many guards as before, a possibility that Shujinko hadn't taken into account when developing his former strategy. The pair of boys only became aware of this problem once they arrived at the palace grounds and saw double the amount of soldiers they were expecting to find. Sneaking past the courtyard undetected was still doable, but getting anywhere near the palace itself without getting caught had now become considerably harder for Shujinko and practically impossible for Sokka.
Concerned by this unlucky turn of events, the two adolescents had no choice but to find another way into the Earth King's residence within the next couple of hours. Considering the multitude of people waiting in line, as well as the guards that were making the rounds, they decided it was better to retreat for a while and devise an alternative plan from a safe distance. After settling in on their hiding place, Shujinko asked Sokka to take Momo with him and go for a walk around their immediate vicinity, wanting to make sure no prying eyes were close to their position. Meanwhile, the Chūnin would use Sokka's spyglass to see if he could find a spot in the palace where guards would be less likely to catch them.
To his surprise, Sokka returned with a grin on his face and a new uniform, the one that was used by the busboys of the party. Not just the pale-blue robe, but the gloves and the hat as well. When asked about it, Sokka didn't give much of an answer and instead told Shujinko not to get bogged down in details for the time being, to which the Ozuma agreed.
It took him many, many tries to get it right, but after an hour or so, Shujinko managed to copy Sokka's new look and transformed himself into a carbon copy of his friend. The plan was simple: Instead of infiltrating the palace by means of pure subterfuge, they were going to rely on one of the oldest tricks in the book to get the job done, the classic "hiding in plain sight". That was the reason why the Ozuma was so adamant about his transformation needing to be flawless, for if the guards noticed any discrepancies between the real Sokka and the fake one, especially in regards to their busboy uniforms, their whole scheme would fall apart in a matter of seconds.
Envisaging that their costumes alone might not be enough to prevent suspicion from falling upon them, the golden-eyed teen added an extra layer of security to their plan by having one of his shadow clones adopt the appearance of a soldier of the Royal Guard. That way, if they failed to convince any of the guards they encountered, the clone would step in and intercede in their favor. At worst, it intervening would lift the attention from Shujinko and Sokka, giving them enough time to scurry off if everything else failed.
"Still, there's one thing I'd like to point out in the name of constructive criticism," the Ozuma commented as he joined Sokka at the end of the hall and walked alongside him. "Don't take this the wrong way, but… Kossa? Seriously? Couldn't you have come up with a less silly name?"
"Huh? What are you talking about? That was a perfect choice of name for my fake twin brother. It's short, easy to pronounce, and simple to remember. What more do you want?"
"I don't know, maybe something a smidgen more original? It's like calling Aang 'Gaan' or Toph 'Phot'. Doesn't really work, does it?"
"Those names don't work because they sound stupid, which they are," Sokka replied in a dismissing tone. "Besides, as we were getting closer to the entrance, I still wasn't sure what name I should pick. I was worried about panicking in front of the guard and getting all tongue-twisted and stuff, so I decided to play it safe instead of taking a risk and making a fool out of myself," After hearing that explanation, the Chūnin assumed the discussion was over, but then Sokka surprised him by adding one last thing. "I just did what I thought you would've done if you were in my place. Sorry if I misunderstood you,"
Shujinko opened his mouth for a few seconds before looking away, grimacing as a pang of guilt stabbed him in the gut. Although he didn't approve of the made-up name he'd been given, he mainly brought it up just to poke a little fun at him and he was under the impression that the boy from the Southern Water Tribe was aware of it from the start. Whether Sokka was genuinely discouraged or not, the golden-eyed boy couldn't help but feel like a bit of an asshole for what he had said.
"No, you're right. That is what I would've done. Don't take me seriously, I was just being whiny on purpose," Shujinko assured him before changing the topic so as to not end the conversation on an awkward note. "Enough of that. Can you explain to me where did you get that uniform now? Don't tell me you found it lying around somewhere,"
Sokka scratched his cheek. "… Not exactly. You see, while Momo and I were out scouting, I heard a guy yelling on the road. His bandwagon had broken down and he wouldn't stop banging on about how he was gonna lose his job and whatnot. 'Today, of all days!' he kept shouting. Anyways, I noticed he was well-dressed for a driver, and there weren't any places to stop by between where he was and the Royal Palace, so I figured that's where he must've been going. Because of the party tonight, it made sense for him to be in such a hurry,"
"Huh, that was a nice observation. You used the information you had at the time to connect the dots together,"
"Pretty much, yeah, but a gut feeling wasn't going to cut it. I needed proof, and since that guy wasn't in a friendly mood, I don't think he would've responded very well to a nosy stranger asking him questions, so I went for a less direct approach,"
"A less direct approach, you say?" Shujinko repeated, his eyes widening with interest. "This I gotta hear. Go on, spill it. What did you do?"
"Once again, I just did what I thought you would've done. I, uhhh… I had Momo fly over there and steal the driver's hat. I'm telling you, he was raging. He must've yelled every swear word in the book trying to get it back. While Momo was keeping him busy, I sneaked into his bandwagon and discovered all sorts of things inside: Food, tableware, cups, and other stuff you see at a party. That removed any doubt I had, and after rummaging for a bit, I stumbled upon this lovely outfit inside a box. During our 'reconnaissance operation' a few days prior, we saw a few busboys wearing this uniform inside the palace grounds, so I recognized what it was right away. I could only find this one, so I filched it and skedaddled outta there before anyone saw me. The rest is history,"
The Ozuma had to admit he was impressed. Occasional silly antics aside, he had never thought of Sokka as dumb or anything of the sort, but after hearing what he did, it was evident that his intelligence deserved more praise. Despite not being a multi-layered master plan conceived by the likes of Shikamaru or Kakashi, Sokka successfully pulled that stunt in just a few minutes, acting without prior knowledge or access to abilities such as Ninjutsu. More importantly, he was perceptive enough to identify a possibility and was willing to assume risks in order to confirm his suspicions. He could've told Shujinko about the broken-down bandwagon and let him handle it, but instead, he went out there and did it all by himself.
Sokka was no Chūnin, but instances like these proved he had certain qualities of one. Shujinko liked to think he had helped the son of Hakoda grow in that regard, especially after hearing him say "I just did what I thought you would've done" twice. However, maybe Sokka had always been shrewd and cunning like that, and Shujinko had simply failed to see it up until now, so even if he did teach him by example, it was better to leave things as they were and avoid the sin of vanity altogether.
"You know what? I may have lent a hand, but it's only thanks to you that we made it here. Excellent work, Sokka. For real,"
"Ha! So you do admit that I'm a genius. Took you long enough to come out and say it," Sokka replied with a boastful look on his face before replacing it with a much softer expression. "Seriously though, thanks. That means a lot coming from you and I appreciate it… Great, now I'm getting all flustered,"
"You better not, because we're almost at the party and you need to get into character quickly. Can't play the role of a busboy convincingly if you have the jitters,"
"That's a good point. Okay, I got this…" The boy from the Southern Water Tribe took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before whispering to himself. "Good night, sir. How are you doing, sir? Can I get you anything, sir? And for the lady?"
Shortly after, the pair of teenagers reached the dining hall, where they were greeted by the sight of over two hundred guests chatting, eating, and drinking to their hearts' content. The people there were mostly middle-aged adults of both sexes while their sons and daughters made up the rest of the people in attendance. Two long tables stretched nearly the entire length of the vast room; one was where people sat down with their meal and another was filled with food, drinks, and appetizers to choose from. Musicians in every corner played their instrument of choice to keep the pleasant ambiance of the party, and although Shujinko wasn't very knowledgeable in the subject of music, he was fairly certain there were no such instruments in his homeland.
He looked at the end of the hall where a majestic, private seat remained empty behind a line of six guards, leading him to conclude said seat was reserved for the Earth King. 'Does that mean he's not here or is he mingling with the guests?' the Ozuma thought. In his opinion, the first option was far more likely as it made little sense for the guards to be protecting an empty seat and not the man who sat on it. 'And if he's interacting with them somewhere, would I be able to recognize him discreetly? I doubt he's going around holding a sign with his name on it, and everyone here looks the same,'
"How is it even possible for so many rich folks to gather in a single place?" the boy from the Southern Water Tribe asked, staring wide-eyed at his surroundings. "Just look at them. I wouldn't be surprised if they actually pooped money,"
"I know, but try to keep those comments to yourself before they hear you," Shujinko suggested. "First thing first, we need to make sure the others are doing okay. Shouldn't be so hard to find them since we're easily the youngest around here,"
"In that case, how about we start over there?" Sokka pointed his finger at a decently-sized congregation of attendees on one side of the dining hall, who seemed to be witnessing something of great importance. It was as good a place to begin their search as any, so the brown-haired boy raised no objection. Besides, he was curious to see what was drawing so much attention. He even got his hopes up thinking that maybe the king was the one receiving it, for who or what else could possibly be the target of such fascination?
It didn't seem like the guests were going to leave any time soon, so the two teenagers went to the upper level of the dining hall to get a decent view. Once upstairs, they walked until they found an angle from which they were able to see past the crowd and speak without fear of being heard. The Ozuma narrowed his eyes and focused his gaze, trying to discern what was happening, until…
"What the f-!"
Shujinko stopped himself from cursing out loud, though what held his tongue was shock more than self-restraint. The protagonist of the event's main attraction wasn't King Kuei like he'd hoped, but the birthday boy instead… or rather, the birthday bear.
Weighing easily over a thousand pounds, a plump and robust Kodiak bear was sitting at the end of a table, devouring an obscenely fat slab of greasy meat. Bosco donned a lemon-yellow vest and a green narrow-brimmed hat with the chin strap cinched against the furry bulge of its throat as if the mammal had been dressed up to look like an oversized plushy from a carnival booth. The way the bear was being treated, coupled with its ridiculous clothes and the sound of acclamations from the surrounding public made the whole scene feel like something out of a fever dream.
"So that's a 'bear', huh? Now I get what the fuzz is all about. That creature looks fascinating, and boy can he eat!" Sokka commented, though his sense of wonderment evaporated the moment he saw the expression on Shujinko's face, who was staring at Bosco with utter consternation and barely contained panic, his mouth slightly hanging open. "Hey, what's the matter with you? You look like you've never seen a bear before, and I'm pretty sure that's supposed to be me,"
"W-Why are they letting people get so close to that bear?" the Ozuma asked with trembling lips, thoroughly gobsmacked by the absurdity of what he was witnessing. His heart skipped a beat when Bosco let out a loud bellow as he showed all of his teeth to his fascinated spectators, thinking that a tragedy was about to happen, though luckily nothing came out of it and the bear simply resumed eating his meal.
"…Uhhh, Shujinko, is there a reason we should be worried?"
"Damn right there is! Bears are extremely dangerous predators by nature! Even if you somehow manage to tame one of them, you can't just leave them alone in a room full of guests they don't recognize. The slightest provocation could set him off, and if that were to happen, he might start mauling these idiots and turn them into his next dinner, no matter how domesticated he appears to be! What is the Earth King thinking? Does he have a coconut for a brain or what?"
Sokka raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Far be it from me to question your knowledge on the subject of bears, buddy, but Bosco seems to behave fairly well. And why would he start eating people when he has all of that delicious food brought to him?" he asked, only for his eyes to glimmer with inspiration immediately after. "I mean, even for an animal, I'd be pretty stupid of Bosco to bite the hand that feeds him… Heh, see what I did there? 'Bite the hand that feeds him'. That was pretty good, wasn't it?"
"That's the best joke you've told so far, and it makes me wish I was deaf instead of blind," The fake guest and the fake busboy turned to their right and saw the author of the sassy remark walking toward them, looking as unsurprised as ever. "About time you boys showed up. What took you so long?"
"Why, hello, Toph. Nice to see you too," Sokka replied with a roll of his eyes. "You know, there's nothing wrong with expressing a minimum of concern for your friends and their well-being every now and again. It's not like we just infiltrated a palace packed with guards or anything, but still,"
Toph began her response by blowing raspberries at him. "Oh, cry me a river. While you two were out there enjoying the thrill of danger, I've been stuck here pretending to be an adorable little princess in front of all these rich dullards. If I could, I'd swap roles with you in a heartbeat,"
"Let's not get into that right now," Shujinko interjected. "Toph, where are Katara and Aang? What are you doing here all by yourself?"
"Relax, will ya'? Those two are fine. This place is huge and there are too many attendees, so in order to cover more ground, we decided to split for a while and look for the Earth King individually. As for why I chose to search for him upstairs, my ears were starting to hurt from hearing all those obnoxiously loud voices down there, not to mention the way they echo through the halls. It's a lot less crowded here, so my eardrums can finally catch a break,"
Narrowing his eyes until they were nearly closed, Sokka covered his mouth with the back of his hand and whispered into the Chūnin's ear. "Or maybe she's just lying down on the job, - Ouch!" he yelped after getting smacked in the arm by the blind earthbender, who didn't find his remark amusing. However, that only emboldened Sokka to poke some more fun at Toph, and the smack gave him the perfect quip to get back at her. "Aha! That right there proves beyond all doubt that her ears are fine. Congratulations Toph, it only took you a few seconds to give yourself away,"
"Are you trying to get me to kick your butt back to the South Pole?" Toph asked, a slight twitch in her eye. "One more word and I'll be happy to oblige,"
"But not here," the Ozuma clarified, worried that the earthbender might actually follow through with her threat if Sokka pushed his luck any further. Besides, just because the upper level of the dining hall was considerably less crowded didn't mean no one could see them from downstairs, and two guests and a busboy shooting the breeze together was probably an unusual scene to witness for the rest of the attendees. "Sokka, get down there and start looking for Aang and Katara. Be subtle about it. I need Toph to bring me up to speed first, but I'll join you downstairs as soon as we're done,"
Still smiling somewhat impertinently, Sokka raised his hands in an appeasing manner, not wanting to invoke the wrath of the Blind Bandit. "Aye aye, captain. Wish me luck," And with that said, Sokka turned around and headed towards the stair, feeling no small amount of satisfaction from what he considered to be a verbal victory against Toph. At the same time, he promised himself to stay focused from now on as he had met his quota of tomfoolery for the night.
Toph crossed her arms in front of her chest and huffed out a frustrated breath. "You know what's worse than a numskull? A numskull who tries to be funny,"
"Hey, that's being a little too harsh, don't you think?" the brown-haired boy asked. "Personally, I appreciate Sokka's sense of humor. It's just that…"
"… What?"
"… It's just that I can't think of a way to finish that sentence,"
To Shujinko's credit, his lame answer earned him a single chuckle from the earthbender. "See? You're funnier than him without even having to try," she said with a small smirk. Before Shujinko had time to agree or disagree with that statement, however, he noticed Toph developing a more serious expression on her face. "Listen Shujinko, everything I said earlier about my ears hurting is true, but that's not the main reason I'm here. "Don't tell Sokka, but… Well, I made a mistake a while ago that might not be insignificant,"
"A mistake?" the Ozuma repeated, furrowing his brow.
The Blind Bandit let out a sigh as she prepared her admission of guilt. Pride and stubborn as she was, Toph didn't have the easiest of times admitting her screw-ups, especially when she knew the fault was hers alone. However, even if nothing came out of it in the end, she wasn't going to risk placing Team Avatar's goal and safety in jeopardy just to shield her own ego. "Okay, so before you and Sokka got here, I was teaching Sugar Queen and Twinkletoes the basic dos and don'ts, just the essential stuff to help them survive on their own in case we got separated. Better to be safe than sorry and whatnot,"
"Can't argue with that, but where are you going with this?"
"In high society, young people like us are expected to treat their elders with respect. That means always answer them when they ask you something, don't dismiss them before they dismiss you, you get the idea. Anyways, one of the guests approached me and started asking me questions. She most likely thought how unusual it was for a young girl to be at a party surrounded by grown-ups without her parents. Everything was fine until she asked me for my name, my full name, and I gave it to her without thinking it through,"
Shujinko raised an eyebrow, unable to see what the big deal was. "So you told a lady your full name. How is that an issue? I know we're supposed to keep a low profile, but there's no need to take it to the extreme either. If anything, with how wealthy you are, it makes sense that a member of the Beifong clan… I mean, the Beifong family, would attend an event like this,"
"Uh-huh, but what about a member of the Beifong family that doesn't exist?" the earthbender asked. An awkward silence was the response she got, enough for Toph to understand that the Chūnin wasn't following her in the slightest. "You might not remember this, but aside from the Blind Bandit shtick, I never had much of a public life. Only a handful of people outside the Beifong household know my parents have a daughter. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, Toph Beifong is a non-entity,"
"Which means that…" Shujinko trailed off as he finally put two and two together, realizing the potential problem Toph might've brought upon herself and the rest of Team Avatar by extension. "… Oh crap,"
The Blind Bandit nodded somberly. "Oh crap, indeed,"
"What happened after that? How did that lady react?"
"Let's just say she wasn't indifferent to my answer. Once I realized my mistake, I tried to fix it right away. I insisted she'd misheard me and that my name was Toph 'Fewuong', another rich family with a similar sounding name to mine. It backfired on me, though. Apparently, that lady and her husband have close ties with the Fewuong family, so she knew I was lying to her face. Not my best moment, I'll admit. She then grabbed my arm and said she'd take me to the guards if I kept withholding the truth from her, that nosy old hag. I was seconds away from opening a hole in the ground and burying her there. Excessive, I know, but I just hate people touching me like that,"
Shujinko let out a loud gulp, one that Toph definitely heard, but was nice enough not to comment on. The scenario she was describing to him was precisely the kind of situation the golden-eyed teen wanted to prevent at all costs, for whether they managed to get out of them or not, the damage done in the process was unavoidable: They attracted attention, which then turned into suspicion and later led to questions being asked and awareness being raised, attracting more attention and thus the cycle repeated itself. He wasn't going to chastise Toph since she didn't deserve it, but the fact that the scandal he was now hearing about had been caused by a simple slip of the tongue was the reason why the Chūnin always insisted on taking precautions and planning ahead of time.
"In the end, Aang was the one who saved me. He saw what was going on, and with the use of Airbending, he lifted the lady's clothes and pretty much disrobed her from a distance. That gave me enough time to blend in with the crowd and leave discreetly, and I've been hiding here ever since," The Blind Bandit allowed herself a brief pause before carrying on with the last part of her monologue, as well as the hardest for her. "The reason I told you all of this is that I highly doubt that lady left me off the hook. She probably informed everyone what happened, including the guards, and if they know about me, they might know about the rest of you guys,"
"That's a fair assumption to make. Sokka and I just got here, so no one should be able to link either of us to you, but Aang and Katara were with you when the crapshow took place, which might've made them targets by default," Shujinko surmised. "So be it. This doesn't mean we're out of the game; we just gotta tread more carefully moving forward. This does mean, however, that you're gonna have to stay here until things blow over,"
"I'm aware of that, and don't worry, there are plenty of hiding places here that I can use if someone comes looking for me," Toph responded, to which the brown-haired nodded in understanding. "You better get going. Without me to look after them, it's up to you now to make sure the other three don't get in trouble like I did… Oh, and one more thing,"
"What's that?"
"… Thanks for not making a huge deal out of this," Despite not making much of a practical difference, Toph averted his gaze and looked elsewhere, chewing the inside of her cheek. "I thought you were gonna be mad at me, or worse, that you'd give me the infamous 'I'm not angry, just disappointed' parental speech I've heard so much about. It wouldn't have been outta line or anything, but… You know what I mean,"
The Chūnin smirked as he placed a hand on the earthbender's shoulder. "Don't worry, we all make mistakes from time to time, and yours is pretty understandable. Just like me, you're new to this world too in a way, so errors like these are bound to happen on the go. If you hadn't told me about your blunder, then yeah, it would've annoyed me a lot more, but instead, you chose to be straight with me when it mattered. I can't be angry at that… Ouch!" Shujinko yelped after Toph suddenly struck his extended arm, punching him for no apparent reason or motive. "What the hell, Toph? What did you do that for?"
To his surprise, Toph grinned at him, sporting an impeccable set of white teeth. "Don't worry, that's just my way of showing affection. Pretty unique, I know, but Toph Beifong is unique. Come on, if you weren't mad before, surely you won't get mad now, right?" A brief moment of silence fell upon them, after which Toph opened her mouth to ask him again, but the only sound she made was that of a yelp after the Ozuma struck her back in the same fashion. "Hey, what's the matter with you?"
"What? You said that was your way of showing affection, didn't you? I simply returned the gesture,"
"Yeah, my way of showing affection. Come up with one of your own if you want, but you don't get to duplicate mine,"
"Fine, then. The next time, I'll just kick you in the head instead of punching you in the arm, and I better not hear you complain. There, are you happy now?"
…
Both teens burst out laughing like a pair of fools, though at least they were cautious enough to step away from their current position so as to not let the guests downstairs see them. The idea of Shujinko kicking the earthbender in the head out of nowhere and knocking her unconscious while the remaining members of Team Avatar watched in horror was so bizarre and stupid that it was hard not to laugh. Besides, with the tumultuous and disorderly life that they had, where their own safety or the safety of others was on the line more often than not, it felt wrong to deny themselves moments like these, brief and childish as they were.
Once he brought his laughter under control, the Chūnin excused himself so that he could finally start making the rounds, promising to keep the Blind Bandit updated on any interesting developments she ought to be aware of, to which Toph wished him good luck. Yet, shortly after turning around and walking away, she still managed to hear poorly stifled snickers coming from Shujinko as the brown-haired boy made his way to the staircase, and that was all it took to send Toph into a sniggering fit.
At the end of the day, despite not occurring as often as they deserved, there were still instances in which the mightiest earthbender alive and the heir of the Ozuma clan got to enjoy the rare commodity of acting like normal adolescents.
000
|Shortly after|
'… Nah, that's not Aang. He's too tall. How about… Nope, that one's got a mustache… Wait, is that… Argh, damn it, false alarm,'
Barely twenty minutes had passed since Shujinko began looking for his scattered friends, and despite not being a lengthy period of time by most people's standards, he had to admit he was starting to get worried. The Chūnin had expected the task of finding Aang and Katara to be a lot easier than it actually was. After all, roughly four-fifths of the party attendees were middle-aged adults, so in this situation, underage individuals should stick out like a sore thumb among the older crowd, a theory that turned out to be a load of baloney. It was practically impossible to keep track of all the guests that crossed his gaze, especially since they refused to stay put in one place, and the music playing in the background hindered his ability to concentrate.
Feeling slightly apprehensive, the Ozuma concluded that a drink might help him ease his nerves, so he went over to the refreshments table. The table offered a decent variety of drinks divided between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, but since Shujinko didn't want to waste any time deciding which one to pick, he simply settled for some cucumber-infused water. Just as he was done filling his cup, his sharpened senses let him know that somebody was approaching him.
Surely enough, Shujinko glanced over his shoulder and recognized one of his missing friends walking towards him. "Katar-"
"There you are!" the waterbender exclaimed, her tone way louder than Shujinko was prepared for. He opened his mouth to tell her to lower her voice so as to not attract unwanted attention, but Katara interrupted him yet again. "I was beginning to think you'd left without me. Leaving me all alone at a party, is that any way to treat your betrothed?"
"… E-Excuse me?" That last part had Shujinko gaping like a fish and blinking like an owl, completely at a loss, wondering if the surrounding chattering had caused him to hear something completely different. He looked around him and saw a few couples nearby staring at them, which only made him feel more confused and embarrassed as he didn't know how to react to whatever the hell was going on. Such was his puzzlement that he didn't even notice Katara reaching for his hand until she'd already gotten hold of it. "Katara, what are you-"
"I'll explain later, just play along for now, please," she whispered as quickly as she could before pulling the Chūnin close to her. "Come, darling. My father has been looking for you all night. He wants to discuss our upcoming wedding. Do what you must, but tell him we don't intend to postpone anything. Our future as husband and wife has been delayed quite enough,"
Like wildfire across dry scrub, a burning crimson spread over the Ozuma's face as Katara basically dragged him away from the nearby bystanders. Some of them found the situation quite amusing and even endearing, chuckling and shaking their heads at the future non-couple as they walked. Shujinko overheard a guest talking to one of his friends: "That boy reminds me of myself when I asked for my wife's hand in marriage", which did nothing but add fuel to his chagrined frustration. 'Katara better have a good reason to be doing this,' he thought, clenching his jaw. 'Otherwise, I'm gonna have to reconsider our friendship,'
Eventually, they made it to the farthest side of the room, where a row of wooden pew-style benches stood against the wall. They both plopped down on one of them, and as soon as they did, the girl from the Southern Water Tribe let out a sigh and a groan in the same breath. "Thank the Spirits it's over. I swear I was about to explode back there,"
"Good for you, but I'm about to explode here and now," Shujinko replied, staring expectantly at her, his golden eyes demanding answers. "Are you gonna tell me what was that whole 'my betrothed' thing about or not?"
Had it not been for the makeup she already had on, the Chūnin would've noticed the way in which Katara's cheeks reddened. "Sorry about that. Trust me, it was weird for me too," she said as she began to rub her neck in embarrassment, though she quickly stopped once she remembered Toph's lessons about adequate lady-like manners in public, and instead proceeded to blow air into her with the use of a hand fan the waterbender had gotten for the event. "I was looking for Aang when all of a sudden, this guy comes out of nowhere and tries to make small talk with me,"
"Who? A guard?"
"No, but I almost wish he were. He was a guest, just two or three years older than Sokka, and he made it apparent he was interested in me. Anyways, I was trying to get away from him without coming off as rude, but he wouldn't take a hint and kept asking me all these questions about my family and whether I could introduce him to my parents. At this point, I was all out of excuses and started to panic. That's when I saw you, and… well, I had to improvise. Forgive me for dragging you into this without so much as a heads-up, but you were my only hope,"
With his eyes closed, Shujinko let out a long sigh and got himself in a more comfortable sitting position by placing his right ankle on top of his left knee. "Very well, I forgive you. Sounds like you were in a pretty awkward spot," he said before turning to Katara with a lazy smirk. "Regardless, I know I'd be at least a little bit flattered if I were you. From my understanding, arranged marriages are based almost solely on the benefits that each family gets from the union of the two spouses. That guy pursued you for your looks alone. Classic Katara, always turning boys' heads around wherever she goes,"
That last comment had Katara pressing the back of her hand against her mouth as she giggled. "That's not true at all, and even if it were, I'd still deny it,"
The waterbender was unsure as to whether Shujinko was merely teasing her or genuinely praising her appearance. A small (although loud) part of Katara was convinced that the golden-eyed boy at her side was purposefully being flirtatious and expected her to flirt back. What she did know, however, was that having Shujinko's attention placed on her and just her was causing a giddy feeling in her stomach, and without giving it much thought, she decided that no harm would come from five minutes of distraction. The Earth King's presence had yet to be announced, so why not engage in a bit of silly, innocent banter in the meantime?
"What about you, Shujinko? You must get a lot of attention from girls back in your village," Katara inquired, to which the Chūnin chuckled.
"As a compliment, I appreciate it, but as a supposition, it's not very accurate. I'm not selling myself short or trying to be humble, it's just that I've known guys who do get that kind of attention, and I'm simply not one of them," The Ozuma made a pause to wave at a busboy and ask him for two cups of the beverage he was serving, a sweet combination of milk and fruit juice. Shujinko gave one of the cups to the waterbender and emptied half of his in a single gulp, unlike Katara, who wasn't really thirsty and only took a sip of her drink for courtesy's sake. "Honestly, whether you're a boy or a girl, good-looking or not, dates and relationships are usually tricky and hard to manage if you're a shinobi. Before you ask, yes, that's been my experience, but it's one that many others like me share,"
Now Katara was positively intrigued. "Are you sure you're being one hundred percent sincere? Because I like to think I've gotten to know you fairly well after all this time together, and if you ask me, you have a lot of qualities that most girls find attractive. You're smart, brave, mature, and you're not exactly hard on the eyes. Even if you're not looking for anything serious, a guy like you shouldn't have much trouble getting a date,"
"Going on a date is one thing. Going on several dates with the same person in hopes of building a future together, that's an entirely different matter. Imagine having to leave your village for days or weeks every time you get assigned a mission, something that happens on a regular basis. It's hard to get something serious going with a romantic partner who you barely get to see, you know?" Shujinko responded, only to realize the conversation was starting to get personal on his part as images of a certain bun-haired kunoichi popped into his head, and the last thing he wanted was to talk about her with Katara. "Speaking of which, this one time, my teammates and I spotted Kakashi-sensei walking around the village with a girl. It might not seem like a big deal, but it was to us, so we decided to stalk them. The first thing we did was…"
Aaaaaaaaaand that was chapter 26. Hope you all enjoyed it.
Happy new year, everybody! I wish all of you nothing but the best of the best, and as always, thanks for reading this story and showing your support.
For practical purposes, I'm gonna assume you read the author's note I left at the beginning of this chapter. If you haven't done it already, please do.
I gotta say, writing from Azula's POV is almost never easy for me, but her scene with the hooded man was freaking tough to make, man. The main challenge I had was to explore and convey her emotions in a realistic manner while also staying true to her character, which can be (and it was) quite a difficult task due to how Azula handles her emotions. The part where Azula experiences fear is easily the most interesting fragment of that scene.
Speaking of which, I'd like to clarify something regarding how I portrayed Mai and Ty Lee in this chapter. Some of you might find it weird to see them in such a state of panic and fear. After all, when it comes to these two characters, we only see glimpses of these emotions at best in the show, so we know they're not prone to them (especially Mai, who is usually as emotional as a shoe). However, that doesn't mean they're unable to experience fear, panic, etc, or anything like that, and I daresay the situation they were in was scary enough to break them.
Don't believe me? Think about it this way: Two girls, both of them young and pretty, are strolling around in enemy territory during the middle of the night when they're ambushed all of a sudden. They are unable to fend off their attacker, who proceeds to restrain them, put blindfolds and gags on them, and tie them up to a tree. Now they can't see what's going on or scream for help, but most importantly, however, they're at the complete mercy of their captor, who can do whatever he wants with them and they'd be helpless to stop him… Must I elaborate any further?
I think I already whined about this in the previous chapter, but whatever, I'll do it again: I don't like how easily Aang and Sokka were able to sneak into the palace in the show. They literally showed up, grabbed busboy uniforms from an unguarded cart, and boom, they were allowed to go inside. Considering the Earth King is described as a god-like figure to his subjects and all that, getting anywhere near that dude should be a hell of a lot harder than that, and that's how I wanted it to be. Besides, we got to see more of Shujinko and Sokka, the dynamic duo.
Just to be clear, I don't actually know what type of bear is Bosco. I was unable to find any information on the matter, so I decided to make him a Kodiak bear since that's what he looks like to me.
The scenes where Shujinko talks to Toph and Katara may feel overextended and sort of pointless now, but I assure you they're not there without a reason, which will be shown in the next chapter.
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Peace!