Sorry this chapter took longer than expected but I was a bit indecisive on whether this was going to be an Azula focused one or an FN group focused one. I ultimately decided on the former since I didn't feel like leaving you all in the dark for too long about what happened in the previous chapter.
Big thanks to HammerTide for beta reading this chapter and providing important feedback on it.
This chapter has been a long time in the making and I am glad that it is finally here.
With that said, let's get it started !
Azula listened with bated breath as Kazumi laid out her plan for how she was going to get rid of the Avatar and his group. It was a plan that not even her conniving mind could have come up with. It actually made her kind of scared that Kazumi could come up with a plan like this.
" So essentially...you want to fake my death ? " Azula asked to make sure she got the plan right.
" Yes. You said it yourself, the Avatar will not leave until he knows what happened to you, so I propose we give him an answer... a false one that will hopefully convince him to leave and never return " Kazumi said simply.
That would be true, but she knows how determined the Avatar can be...
" Alright, but even assuming he buys the ruse and thinks that I'm dead, wouldn't he just come back if he thinks some spirit killed me ? "
" Oh I have no doubts he will return to try and find said spirit...but this forest is big and vast and full of spirits that are not friendly to the Avatar " Kazumi waved it off " Once his investigation into finding the specific spirit that 'killed' you has turned up empty, he will leave. I give it about a month before he gives up and leaves forever. As long as there is nothing tying your 'death' to here than we should have nothing to fear"
Azula considered the plan for a moment and she had to hand it to Kazumi, she really did cover all her bases when it comes to this plot, there was just one issue though.
" I just want you to be aware Azula that if you go through with this...there is likely no coming back " Kazumi warned.
And there was the conundrum she faced. Faking her death would mean burying the remnants of her old life away for good. She would never be able to return to the palace one day or ever go by the name 'Azula' ever again.
She would be saying goodbye to whoever she was before she came here to this forest...
She didn't know how to feel about that.
" Azula I know this isn't exactly an easy decision to make especially with your complicated relationship with your family..." Kazumi said slowly, holding her hand " But I want you to genuinely think about this decision carefully, think about your family, your experiences with them and what you want to do going forward with all this..."
Azula tried to think of her family-mother, father and Zuko. All she could feel towards them was bitterness, anger and hate.
Mother abandoned her and saw her as a monster like father, her words about how she wanted to end her life before she was even born still echoes in her mind. Zuko who stole her throne and threw her in the asylum in the first place, left to rot and be forgotten if he didn't need her help to find mommy dearest. And even father, the only one she can say she held some degree of positive feelings for threw her away like a used tool when he was done with her.
Even if she went back and in the best case scenario she doesn't get tossed back into that hellhole of an asylum, what then ? Would she have to live her life with a fake smile to please her family. Pretend to be the perfect 'good girl' that everyone wants to see just to be accepted and loved ?
The thought alone both disgusted and angered her.
" There's no going back for me anyway..." Azula said spitefully.
" Azula are you sure about this ? " Kazumi asked respectfully.
" Yes, my dear brother left me to rot when he threw me in an asylum...might as well make it official " Azula said.
" Very well...we should be able to do it by tonight, now we just need the most vital part of the plan. A body "
" Where are we going to get a body ? " Azula asked, some part of her afraid of what was going to happen next.
Kazumi looked her straight in the eye " You are not going to like the answer to that question "
The spirit navigator and her apprentice took a quick trip out of the forest to Hira'a. Kazumi needed information and fast if she was going to enact this plan properly and have it work. They took Tira to move quickly and luckily Tira had the stamina to get them there fast.
She needed a body, specifically one that had been recently deceased. It didn't matter what condition the body was in, she could fix that with some dark magic rituals. Something that was not explicitly against her code as a Spirit Navigator, but Kazumi knew she was just trying to fool herself with those semantics and technicalities.
What she was about to do was evil. Perhaps one could argue there was some justification and reasoning behind it- But it was still evil.
Kazumi did not want nor deserve those excuses for the evil she has committed and is about to do for her own selfish wishes.
They go to Kazumi's informant in Hira'a, the barkeeper at the local inn. Who made sure to keep tabs on the hearings of spirits, a bartender tends to hear much from passing travellers and locals who love to gossip about the goings of their nation or the local populace.
" Kazumi, what can I do for you today ? " Takeo asked as he cleaned a mug. The restaurant was empty so there was no need to act like they didn't know each other.
" I need to know if any of the nearby villages or this one has experienced any recent deaths. Specifically young girls around age 16 and 17 " Kazumi asked darkly, keeping her head down.
" That's...oddly specific " Takeo sounded confused, not knowing what Kazumi planned to do.
" Just tell me..."
" Well, I don't know anything about spirits but I did hear some of the locals talking about deaths happening in some of the neighbouring villages. Bandit attacks, famine, take your pick. The Nation has been going to hell in a handbasket and I heard some villagers were killed or died as a result...including some kids around the age you're looking for " Takeo took out a map from under the counter and marked the locations " Here, this is where you'll find them "
" Thanks Takeo...have a good day " Kazumi left some money on the counter for the information.
" No problem...and what's with the kid ? " Takeo glanced at Azula who had her hood pulled up.
" I'll tell you another time " Kazumi said simply as they left the inn.
Azula had been dreadfully quiet the whole time, the full extent of the plan still sinking in and probably not sitting right with her.
But Kazumi needed to do this, for her daughter.
They got on Tira and made their way to the village where deaths were reported recently.
It took about an hour to get to the village, Kazumi observed the situation from the treeline with Azula. The village wasn't especially big, perhaps smaller than Hira'a but a decent sized population nonetheless. It wasn't especially sunny today and a little bit cloudy...which should provide the perfect cover for what she is about to do.
" Stay here with Tira Azula, I need to gain some information about this place " Kazumi said and Azula simply nodded in response.
She headed into the village, taking care to keep her hood up and head down. There was a somber attitude about this village and Kazumi could practically smell the scent of death in the air. Judging from the lack of burned down buildings, she's going to guess that famine has hit this place hard and they've no doubt been having trouble scouring for more food.
She passed by several villagers who looked pale and weak, not quite so brittle that their bones were pressing against their flesh, but her heightened ears picked up the distinctive sound of their stomachs growling.
She resists the urge to try and help them: She came here for one thing and one thing only.
Kazumi decided to stop and ask this young man, who looked barely in his 20's and looked like a good source of information.
" Excuse me, young man...but I'm passing spiritualist and I heard that there had been some deaths in the village recently ? "
" Oh that ? Well...its true, we have lost some people these past few months and things have gotten hard on the village " The young man explained " Famine's been hard on everyone...but that's not really caused the deaths of some of the folk here "
" Its not ? "
" No...its the war ending and all. When some of our people who worked in the military got essentially discharged when the Fire Lord cut their budget, they didn't know what else to do with themselves. They bled, sweat and died for our nation...and suddenly it was all over and they were being told they were no longer needed " The young man said with a sad expression " Some opted to take their own lives than die in destitute "
Kazumi took a deep breath, while she sympathized with the young man the truth was she just wanted to get some information about where their graveyard was and where she can find the right body.
" Well, I'm sorry for your losses but I must say: Have there been any deaths of young girls in your village ? Around the ages of maybe 16 or 17 ? "
" Um...why ? "
" Just tell me " Kazumi said forcefully, almost glaring down at the man.
" O-Okay, okay...I remember hearing that Aunty Li recently lost her daughter, Zhu Li to sickness about a month ago " The young man answered " She got sick and we didn't have the doctor or the money to afford one... she was right around the age you're talking about "
" And where is your graveyard ? "
" Just a little walk to the south of the village, we don't really like being reminded of the dead " He pointed out.
" Thank you for your trouble young man " Kazumi threw him a gold coin which he was surprised by. Before he could ask anymore questions, she quickly walked away and headed back for Azula.
She had the information. Now she just needed to get the execution done.
Getting back to Azula, she relays the information she got " I know where we can get a body now Azula "
" Alright, but how are we going to dig up a grave without anybody noticing ? " Azula questioned. The village wasn't super big and it sounded like the graveyard was close by that somebody might spot them while digging.
" Simple " Kazumi said as she started channeling lots of spiritual energy into her body and spreading it to the area around her " Bones of the great leviathan, fogs from the misty ocean, clouds of storms come and blind my enemies "
Azula watched in awe as she saw Kazumi chant the words of power. It was just than that she realized that a huge fog started to roll in out of nowhere, covering the town and likely blinding them. She could see many of the residents scurry back to their homes when they saw the fog come in. The princess was legitimately impressed at the size and scale of this power.
Once the fog had settled over the town, it provided the perfect cover for them to move.
" Come now Azula, the fog won't last forever " Kazumi said hurriedly as she hopped on Tira, Azula following suit as they rode to the graveyard.
They circled the town and headed for the graveyard. Azula had no idea how Kazumi could see anything in this fog, did she maintain some kind of spacial awareness over the fog or could she actually control it and see through it ? There were times where Kazumi's gifts were genuinely perplexing to try and figure out how they worked.
They reached the graveyard just a little ways from the village, the fog was noticeable thinner here and Azula could see that the graveyard while not exactly big...had a lot of what looked to be recently dug graves. There were posts stuck into the ground over some of the graves,
On any other day, she would laugh at her former brother's incompetence at handling their nation...but being down here and seeing it for herself stops any of that.
" We're looking for a grave of a girl named Zhu Li " Kazumi reminded her as she grabbed a shovel off Tira.
A girl who was just about her age. Whose life had been cut too short by the cruelty of the world-
It didn't take them long to find her grave with such a small graveyard. Azula taking in a breath as she realized what they were about to do.
And whose grave they were about to defile in pursuit of her own selfish goals.
Kazumi and Azula were both silent and unmoving for a moment. Whether they were contemplating about the disgusting act about to be committed or paying their respects as if that would change the defiling they were about to do.
After about a minute, the silence was broken.
" Are we seriously going to desecrate a grave ? " Azula quietly asked Kazumi.
The former princess was no stranger to do bad things to get a job done...but this hit different. Felt different. Felt wrong in ways that she couldn't quite describe. Maybe it was because the girl had been her age when she died and perhaps she thought it was best to let her rest in peace.
Kazumi glanced at her and her expression showed conflict, but it was quickly beaten down.
" No, we won't..." Kazumi said as she cracked her neck and picked up her shovel " I will..."
Kazumi dug her shovel into the ground and began digging. She knew that the villagers wouldn't bother burying the body deep, not when they need to conserve energy with little food resources.
Azula just watched as her master dug up a dead girl, Tira coming up and rubbing her head up against her in comfort. Azula recorperating for once and gently rubbing Tira's head.
It didn't take long for Kazumi to hit something solid- a coffin.
Taking out a blade and prying it open, Kazumi sees a young girl whose body has already begun to decompose. The flesh not a usual color and a horrid stink coming off of it. There were bugs in the coffin too, feasting on the girl's corpse.
" Agni above..." Azula muttered as she covered her nose to block off the stench.
Kazumi said nothing as she took out a clean wrapping of white cloth and began wrapping the body in it to make it easier to carry. This took only a few minutes since she has had plenty of practice already.
After lifting the wrapped up body out of the grave and onto Tira's back, Kazumi quickly shut the coffin back up and reburied the dirt to cover their tracks. She couldn't have news spreading about a girl's grave being dug up.
Azula fidgeted as she looked at the wrapped up body on Tira, while the cloth kept the stench away...Azula didn't like the idea of riding behind with a corpse.
" Kazumi, can I ride Tira at the front ? " Azula requested.
The older woman seemed to already sense her discomfort, glancing at the corpse on Tira's back " Of course Azula, you know how to ride ? "
" Enough " Azula said as she got on Tira and Kazumi got in the back.
As they left the village behind, Azula couldn't help but glance back and see the fog dissipate. The evidence of their crimes lost in it as well.
After reaching the house, Kazumi took the body to the secret section of her house and put it in the physician room. Kazumi told Azula that it was used to examine the bodies of victims of Spirits. The room itself was big and had shelves and cupboards filled with medicine bottles, talismans and much more.
Azula glanced at the body they had brought back, laid down on a slab of stone in the center of the room and now unwrapped in all her dead glory. Azula saw the first snag in Kazumi's plan as she took a closer look at the dead corpse.
" This isn't going to work Kazumi " Azula said crossing her arms " She doesn't look anything like me "
Indeed, the girl Zhu Li, had little resemblance to her. While she may have the same height and close enough figure as her, her face, hands, nose and about a dozen other things were completely different. If she knows the Avatar and his posse, they will likely bring the body back for a funeral. That means the body will likely be examined by professional physicians who will likely notice some obvious inconsistencies in the body.
" Even if you burn the body badly enough, my family might still notice some inconsistencies between the two " Azula pointed out.
" Yes, I already anticipated that...and have come up with a solution " Kazumi said as she took out a bottle filled with some kind of special oil " And have made preparations in place for it "
" What do you mean ? " Azula asked.
" It means we can extend our powers, like Mimic for instance to others to have the same effect " Kazumi explained as she began spreading the oil in a circle around the body and lightning candles around the room. She then went about spreading incense and it looked like Kazumi was about to perform a ritual of some kind.
" Here Azula " Kazumi handed a piece of paper to Azula, but after weeks of studying, she instantly recognized that it was no ordinary paper.
It was a banishing paper. The kind imbued with power to send spirits back to where they came.
" Remember to stay calm and if the spirit tries to attack me, throw the paper at it "
" Spirit ? Kazumi what are you going to do ? " Azula asked worriedly.
" I am going to perform a restorative ritual that will bring the body back in good condition...and a little more " Kazumi explained as her hands started smoking " Just stay calm...and cover your ears if the screaming becomes too much for you "
Azula was unnerved at that as Kazumi began chanting words that she could not fully understand. But the body in on the slab of stone started to float and glow with dark energy.
Whatever Kazumi was doing...Azula could tell that it was not normal.
" Ouça-me espíritos do além, rejuvenesça este corpo e remodele-o como eu achar melhor! " Kazumi chanted like a madwoman.
Azula gasped as she saw the body start to heal itself, the skin returning to its normal color, the stench start to go away...and it may have just been a trick of the light, but it looked like the face itself was remodelling and changing. The skin and bones moving around to restructure itself.
" AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !"
And then the corpse started screaming and shouting. Azula jumped as a result as the body started thrashing wildly.
" STOP ! MAKE IT STOP ! IT HURTS ! IT HURTS !" The corpse shouted, as a spectral entity emerged from the corpse. Looking like a much more livelier version of the corpse.
The spirit of Zhu Li had awoken from her rest. And she looked in pain.
" STOP THIS RIGHT NOW !" Zhu Li charged at Kazumi and Azula without hesitation threw the banishing paper.
The spirit repulsed back as a blast of energy knocked her back into the body.
" Begone thy spirit ! " Kazumi shouted " BEGONE !"
The light died down after that and the glow dissipated from Zhu Li's body...and Azula could see what had happened to it.
The corpse that had just been decomposing mere moments ago, now looked exactly like her. The face, the cheekbones, the neck length, the nose...everything had been copied perfectly.
Azula was a little unnerved by this, but her astoundment was cut short when she heard a wrenching sound and turned to see Kazumi throw up on the ground.
" Kazumi ! Are you okay ? " Azula asked, as she helped the older woman.
" I-I'm fine...that just...took a lot of energy out of me and..." Kazumi steadied herself as she looked at the body " Agni, that was horrible...like putting maggots and worms into your mouth " They both shudder at the thought.
" What did you do to the body ? "
" I extended my Mimic power to it, difficult to do if the subject isn't even alive but not impossible..." Kazumi stood up straight " I'll clean this up, just give me a moment "
Kazumi quickly cleans the vomit off the ground, while Azula glanced nervously at the corpse in the room who looked very much like her now. She quietly draped the white cloth over her.
The howling, the screaming, the begging...it all got to her in a way that she didn't want to admit.
She needed to say something.
" Kazumi, that girl...Zhu Li-"
" That wasn't her Azula " Kazumi cut her off " That was just a... that was just a memory of the past reacting to the rejuvenation of the body-"
" She was screaming and begging it to stop-"
" And it did...I never said that the process wouldn't be painless, but it wouldn't destroy her soul " Kazumi explained, refusing to look Azula in the eye. " She felt no lasting pain afterwards and the banishment paper sent her back to the spirit world. That wasn't a girl anymore Azula... it wasn't "
Azula wasn't sure whether Kazumi was trying to convince her or herself of that.
" What's done is done...let us just resolve this now "
Azula wanted to say more, but she could tell that the process had been mentally hard on Kazumi too.
" Alright, so we have our body...do we just burn it up and leave it somewhere for them to find ? "
Kazumi shook her head " No, I have something more special in mind for them. They need something to deter from coming back, a warning of sorts..."
" How are you going to do that ? " Azula asked, though some part of her was afraid for what was about to come next.
Kazumi was silent for a moment, before extinguishing some of the flames that lit up the room. Standing in the shadows, barely enough for Azula to see her figure.
" You see, Azula there is one other aspect about being gifted by spirits that I have not told you yet, we are gifted...another form to take on when night falls. One that allows us to use special abilities and our powers to their fullest extent..." Kazumi said as she fully stepped back into the shadows " Do not be afraid my child..."
Azula was confused by what Kazumi meant, until she understood what she meant by not being afraid.
A white flame trailed up Kazumi's clothing, her skin changed color, her eyes turning to a piercing red glow, blood starting to seep out from her eyes and mouth.
The princess subconsciously take a step back as she looked at what Kazumi had become...she looked like one of those terrible awful dark spirits she read about...or perhaps her new form closely resembled that of a grieving mother, broken from the death of her child and took her own life.
" Agni above..." Azula muttered spoke as she saw her spirit form.
" Are you scared of me Azula ? " Kazumi's voice sounded different, more distorted.
The former princess had to take a second to breath and remind herself that this...is still Kazumi.
She took a brave step forward and placed her hand on Kazumi's cheek.
" No...I'm not " Azula said, not even flinching at Kazumi's spiritual form.
Kazumi looked surprised for a moment, before she smiled which looked incredibly scary because of her current form, but a white flame trailed down her body and reverted her back to her human form.
" Good. Then this plan should work perfectly then "
Azula crouched down on a strong branch of a tall tree that overlooked the Avatar's camp. She was dressed in her spirit navigator gear and her mask was on. Night had fallen awhile ago and that meant their plan was put into motion.
And she wouldn't want to miss Kazumi thrashing the Avatar and his posse. Which she managed to get a full bird's eye view from her position.
She's got to admit, that it was a lot more anti-climactic than she thought it would be.
Well Kazumi, wasn't fighting to kill anyway so that made sense. Azula would settle for watching her easily subdue the gang with precise ease and efficiency. Though she admittedly wanted the pleasure of taking that water tribe wench down herself, Kazumi ordered her to stand on overwatch and only engage if she absolutely had to.
Within a few minutes, all of them were quietly and quickly subdued. Allowing Azula to transverse down to meet Kazumi who had reverted back to her human form.
" Well, that was easy " Azula exclaimed as she plucked out a dart out of the dirt girl's back.
" They'll be out for a while but not forever. Take them to them the spiritual pool quickly " Kazumi dragged Shin to a nearby tree and tied him to it " I need to have a quick word with our dear tracker here "
" Wait, you're going to talk to him ? " Azula said as she grabbed the dirt girl and Avatar by the shirt.
" Yes, don't worry I'm going to erase his memory of it afterwards, I just need to do a little...influencing " Kazumi said as she changed back to her spiritual form.
Azula was unsure of what that meant but didn't question it as she got to work dragging the Avatar and his group away. She strongly resisted the urge to kick the water wench in the gut, but stayed her blade for the sake of the plan.
As she dragged the four of them away, Azula could see from her hidden position in the treeline that Kazumi splashed some water on Shin's face to wake him up. The man about to scream when Kazumi clamped her hand over his mouth and spoke to him.
She could see Kazumi speaking but she couldn't make out the words, as she was about to move in for a closer hearing, she was disturbed by the groaning of that Sakka boy.
Realizing she needed to move quickly if the plan was to work, she got to work dragging them all to the spiritual pool where they already had the fake body planted there.
Kazumi rejoined her a few moments later, carrying Shin over her shoulder and plopping him down with the rest.
" What did you do to him ? " Azula asked.
" Let's just say that when he wakes up, he'll feel the compelling urge to have this body transported back immediately " Kazumi smirked, but did not elaborate further.
Azula said nothing more as the two stood over the fake body of the girl that Kazumi had essentially descerated from her grave and made her resemble her. It was rather uncanny.
" There's no going back after this Azula " Kazumi asked quietly for her decision another time.
But Azula already made it hours ago: There was no going back for her.
" Do it " Azula said simply.
Kazumi said no more as she lit the body on fire with her white flames, the two of them withdrawing before the Avatar and his posse woke up.
They hid in the shadows as they waited for the Avatar and his group to wake up and find the bodies.
The two of them watching the smoke rise into the air...
Azula was dead.
" Its over my dear, its finally over " Kazumi pulled her into a side hug and Azula rested her head on Kazumi's shoulder.
They stayed for a few minutes as they saw the Avatar and his group wake and find their gift to them. Before disappearing into the shadows of the forest.
Goddamn, this chapter took a lot out of me.
To address the elephant in the room here...Kazumi...is not the pitch perfect person Azula and I make her out to be. Something I realized while writing this story is that Kazumi is basically just an older and mildly wiser version of Azula. Maybe not a perfect clone of her personality and character, but they do have some uncanny resemblances which allows them to get closer to the point we see now.
And one of those resemblances is Kazumi's willingness to do something very bad to protect someone close to her. I did not intend to sugarcoat any of what she did in this chapter, in fact I was originally planning it for it to be much worse
Kazumi is a complex character like Azula. She doesn't fit into some neatly arranged box of good or evil. She's her own person with deep rooted flaws, trauma, insecurities and demons to tackle. This will not be the last time this happens.
By the way, Kazumi's 'Spirit Form' is something I have been wanting to reveal for a long time now. It works the similar to the Ghost Rider power, where she can only use it at night and stuff. And it grants her some...new abilities to go along with it.
Next chapter we will get back to Aang and the reactions from Zuko, Mai, Ursa and another special guest that hasn't appeared in a while.
Hope you all enjoyed and I will see you in the next one.
Angel Out.