WARNING: This chapter contain exposition
Chapter 5: Jia Lisha
Azula rolled down the basin, her left clavicle feeling like it was getting ripped to shreds. It was such a steep fall she couldn't even see anything. She finally crashed into a berry bush at the bottom of the basin. She tried getting on her feet but immediately fell on her butt. She inspected her left shoulder and there was a diamond spear impaling it. She grabbed ahold of it and was ready to pull it out, even just setting her hand on it hurt like scalding water. She thought for a moment and decided against removing it, if it came out she'd bleed to death within minutes.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Azula heard Fen screaming for some reason on top of the basin, a reminder that she needed to get out of there. Azula ran as fast she could, but got tired easily courtesy of the spear through her shoulder. "FIND…..HER….NOW" Fen screeched from atop the basin. Azula ran faster and faster not caring how much pain she was in.
When she finally dropped to the ground she couldn't hear anymore voices so she might have a few minutes. What was she thinking? She didn't have a few minutes. They resorted to using the projector things now and know exactly where she is. She checked the inside of her boot and she still had the map, the meeting spot was just a little further ahead. however the x crossed the basin, if that meant it was on top or on the other side then she was screwed.
She walked toward the x and after five whole minutes she couldn't hold her tears back. Her friend who saved her twice now was dead, and of course she had to be a monster and a bitch beforehand. The worst part of that was that it was strangely poetic. What was the last thing she told Zuko, something horrible. What was the last thing she told her mother, something horrible. What was the last thing she told Mai and Ty Lee, something horrible. So it was just natural that the moment someone actually cared about her well being she lashes out. What was wrong with herself?
"COME OUT KID" someone said. Azula squatted down to keep out of sight, she looked back to see two guys searching through the bushes holding one of the projectors "the sooner you come out the sooner we can get this over with" they said, unknowingly they were getting very close. "What does this look like to you" one said showing the other her projection
"Like every other bush out here, now keep looking"
She could leap out and shoot one with lighting right now and take him out, but she was in no position to get into a fight with the other and that would immediately alert everyone else. It was just too big a risk.
"You know what, forget it, I'm just burning these plants down," one of them said. And now she had to take a big risk.
She waited for one of them to get close to her bush. Once he was close enough Azula threw her arm forward and blasted blue fire at the one further away, lighting his clothes on fire. This surprised the other long enough for her to slash his cheek with the diamond in her shoulder and take the projector. She pinned him to the ground and punched him with her good arm until he was unconscious. The other one had been smart enough to take his shirt and pants off and was now blowing on his arms trying to cool them off. Azula grabbed a rock and stumbled toward him, she swung the rock hard at his head and knocked him out.
She walked as fast as she could toward the meeting point, her left arm now uselessly dangling from her. She was already losing her breath.
Azula halted, she pulled out the map and looked at the detailed area around the x. The x was just behind a crooked tree and there was a crooked tree right in front of her, she was where she needed to be. But… but where was she supposed to go now.
"Azula" a low and spooky voice said "you're getting close" Azula looked up and saw a long coyote tail pulled over the basin wall
Azula didn't have any choice, she had to cimb the basin wall. She smashed her functioning hand into the dirt and lifted herself up, she dug her feet into the ground with each step. She kept going at what had to be a 110 degree angle. Her feet started slipping, thankfully she grabbed a hold of a young tree growing there. She couldn't do this with just her hands and feet, she grabbed ahold of the diamond impaling her arm "here goes nothing" she whispered
"UG….ughhhhhh" she moaned as she ripped it out as fast as she could. She used the diamond as an icepick and climbed that much faster. But she was also losing a lot of blood and needed to get there quickly.
"UP THERE" someone screamed. Azula looked back to see Fen and four others (including Aput) staring back at her. Fen was missing half her right arm, it was bandaged up pretty well but it was only her upper arm left. Fen started making dirt piles come out of the ground and turned them into more diamond spears. It was shaky but still pretty seamless. With one swing of her good arm she made a staircase into the dirt of the basin wall.
Azula climbed faster, her hand was so close to the top. Fen threw a diamond spear at her and it just missed by a few inches to the right of her head. Azula took advantage of this, she climbed on the new weapon and made it to the top. She waddled to the other side and looked down, Fen's footsteps were getting louder and louder.
"Who will make it first" the spooky voice spoke again "I'm on the edge of my seat"
Azula laid on her back and rolled down the basin and crashed against a tree. Suddenly there was a loud rumbling noise, the ground was vibrating beneath her. She looked toward the edge of the basin and level ground, the very soil on the basin was pulling itself apart revealing a cave. It was amazing, magical even. Azula forced herself on her feet and ran towards the cave
"NOOOOOOO" Fen screeched, uncoordinatedly throwing more diamond spears
Azula ran as fast as she could and leaped into the cave. Once inside she could hear the wall behind her closing back up. She looked behind her and the dirt covering the door was completely invisible. She raised her good arm forward and she could clearly feel dirt but could see straight through it. "No" Fen whispered "No No NONONONONO" she said, punching the dirt in front of her, unable to bend it. After a minute Fen gave up and dropped to her knees "AHHHHHHH UGGGGG" she screamed sobbing uncontrollably
Aput put his hand on her back and she stopped sobbing, she turned around and gave him a horrific glare "you failed me" she said pulling out her diamond spears and lunging at him. Azula turned away not wanting to see anymore gore. Yet she could still hear the screaming and splattering behind her.
Azula looked down to her bleeding shoulder, it slowed down a tad but it was still gushing and she was starting to feel faint. She took a deep breath and got ready to do something she was dreading, she created a blue fire in the palm of her hand and smashed it into the wound cauterizing it. "AAAAAAHHHHHHH" she screamed. But it worked, the bleeding stopped and the pain would go away after a minute or two. Azula clenched her fist, she was able to move her elbow a little as well so her arm might heal in time, just not any time soon.
Azula took a few steps deeper into the cave. Suddenly torches started getting lit down deeper into the cave. But now the word cave wasn't very accurate, it was a well constructed hallway that could give the fire lords palace a run for its money. The stone floor ended where a metal floor began and continued the rest of the way
Azula walked deeper down the hallway. She eventually made it to a latched door, like on a ship, she twisted the handle to the left and pulled the door open. She entered through the doorway to find a small room, in fact calling it a 'room' was being generous, it was essentially a large box at about eight feet high and a floor around five by five feet. When she got closer she noticed it was being held by a rope. There was a note on the far end nailed to the wall. Azula grabbed the note and read it 'Step inside and pull the lever'. She took a look around and there was a lever next to where she came in, she pulled it as told.
The box started rumbling and she swore she was going downward, Azula turned towards the doorway and the box was definitely going down into a hole Azula started breathing heavily out of fear. She started yelling into the hole "HEY WHA…WHAT IS THIS". She calmed down when she noticed that the box was approaching another doorway down below. The box came to a halt and Azula leaped out into the doorway, she found herself in an enormous room. There was a strange blue and purple aesthetic that made it feel really creepy.
A strange clapping sound started coming from up ahead, she looked forward to seeing a large chair facing away from her. A figure grabbed a hold of the arm of the chair, it was a paw and not a hand. The figure lifted herself up and faced her, a small humanoid like coyote-horse galloped over walking on her hind feet, hooves she meant. She wasn't what she was expecting, she was a few inches shorter than Azula "Azula honey, I knew you would make it. I was rooting for you" She said gesturing to the wall to her left as a projection of Azula fighting Botan was showing. "I would fix those cuts and bruises for you, but I can't until you sign"
"You're Jia Lisha?" Azula asked "you're not what I expected"
"Would you prefer my natural look?" Jia Lisha said with a menacing smile. In the span of a few seconds she grew into a giant horrifying and demonic coyote-horse with glowing red eyes and razor sharp rotting teeth. With one swipe she grabbed Azula and held her up to her face, her hot breath getting all over Azula. She started crushing Azula in her grasp.
"WOAH WOAH, NEVERMIND STICK TO THE TINY VERSION I'M SORRY" Azula screamed for mercy, her heart beating a million miles a minute.
Jia Lisha set her down and shrunk back down to her original size "I understand, cute me is usually considered much more approachable and charismatic" she said in an arrogant ringmaster fashion "however now you know why I need such a large living space" she said gesturing to the large room "but I think I might move, it's big enough but the paint job is getting tired" she said getting off topic. "I have other forms to," she said rapidly changing her appearance "like a Jedi, a pilot, a koala bear, a rancher, Gal Gadot, and you" she said turning into an exact doppelganger to Azula, as the real Azula stood with a confused and lost look on her face. "But I'll just stick with my cute form," she said, turning back to her 'cute' form.
Azula looked at the projection on her wall of Botan and herself "have you been watching me this whole time"
"Yes" she said
A scowl crossed Azula's face "then why didn't you just come to us in the first place" she asked, she nearly died trying to get here, Eichi and a bunch of others did die trying to get here, and this dog just let it all happen
"Oh Azula, poor young stupid Azula" Jia Lisha insulted "deciding what the world will look like is a major prize, the one who gets to me first gets that prize, simple" she explained "come sit down in my office" she directed
Her 'office' was just a desk sitting near a large window, or at least that's what she thought. When Azula looked closer she realized the window was actually another projector showing the fire nation capital. "Now what else would you like to know, as you can guess I don't have anyone to talk to most of the time"
"Where did these come from" Azula asked pulling out the projector she had since this all started
"I made them, I've been to thousands of alternate worlds over the course of…. well eternity actually" she said, taking the device. "There's always someone looking for miracle technology and if they make a deal I can give it to them, of course I always manage to save the best pieces even after other people come along and make deals". Jia Lisha stroked her chin, or whatever the bottom of her snout is called, and looked up at her "you actually reminded me, I need to deactivate the ones I gave to Fen"
"That's another thing" Azula blurted out "were you and Fen working together" Azula said in a distrusting manner "she had a bunch of those" she said pointing at the projector
"Well not directly," Jia Lisha said, shrugging her shoulders. "I left a map to my location, the time and date of my employee orientation, and eight projectors buried in the earth kingdom before I went into hiding again. About four thousand years later the earth king at the time discovered them and put them in a museum which was later put in storage after thirty years. A few centuries later after Fen's father, the corpse you met, was disgraced and kicked out of the military he discovered it all during an assassination attempt. He spent the rest of his dull life in the fire nation waiting for me…"
"Why wait?" Azula asked shaking her head
"Remember in the orientation video I said forty five hundred years, that's how long it takes for me to…. how shall I say, 'recharge' and get enough energy to make a new reality again" she said scratching her chest "you know you are a very distrusting person…. And I love that about you" she said causing Azula to glare in confusion "you're just the kind of sociopath I need to make the best kind of new reality, the kind with war and suffering to last as long as it can"
"Why do you want that"
"I can answer that, humans slaughter each other by the dozens and I find that entertaining. '' She said "also it's impossible not to get sick of the same continuity eventually and it's nice to find new ways of making everything new and fresh". She started rubbing her stomach "are you hungry? '' she said, pulling two bowls out from under her desk. "I've got baby rabbits and cherries'' she said, taking the lids off "or they could be human testicles… no they're definitely cherries, maybe" Jia Lisha tossed one in her mouth "yup definitely cherries, want some?". Azula shook her head in disgust before Jia Lisha shoved the entire thing in her mouth bowl and all. "However…" she said hesitantly "I guess could say I did work with Fen, I gave her a list of people she needed to collect including you and Eichi'' she said wiping cream puff off her snout "and by 'gave' I mean snuck into her house at night and left one of my creepy messages" she said flinging the projector around.
Azula stared in confusion "so you're the reason I was taken in the first place"
"Bingo" she said leaning back in her chair "the future isn't written and I can't be sure who the most devoted person is. So I look across the earth, from the sanctity of my couch over there, and find people whose lives are, how shall I say 'really screwed'. Or maybe 'a joke' would work too" she said chuckling at her own line "of course you were an obvious choice and it paid off in the end" she said gesturing to Azula.
Before either of them could say anything else Jia Lisha reached over to her head. With the flick of her wrist she pulled a folded piece of paper out of Azula's hair. Azula avoided eye contact in embarrassment "in all fairness I haven't bathed in a week and a half". She knew it was obviously some kind of spirit magic or something but it was still kind of embarrassing.
Jia Lisha unfolded it, it was mostly blank but there was a label on the top that said 'Service Contract'. "And now we need…this" she said looking around her desk before pulling out a live gecko pheasant and plucking one of its tail feathers. She then tossed to the side, it tried to fly away but couldn't without its tail feather. Jia Lisha then grabbed a tea mug full of ink and placed two pieces of wood on the contract to keep it flat. "Alright so I have a general idea of what you want but I'll need some specifics" she said with a smile "what do you think about a super advanced society, where benders fight robots" she said with a smile
Azula had a confused look "what's a robot"
"I'll just put it down anyway" Jia Lisha said before she started writing quickly across the page. "And another thing crepes, aka fancy and overpriced pancakes, we should include them"
Azula was getting impatient, she needed to make sure the important stuff was covered. Something was definitely wrong with her, she couldn't bring herself to get out more than a few words at a time and her palms were sweatier than they've ever been. She couldn't get her head twisted, she needed to focus "let me get one thing clear" she said "I want to be with my family and I want…." she stopped for a moment "I want them… to care about me" she said as if she was biting her tongue and knew what she was asking for was unnecessary. "And I would also like Eichi to be alive, and with his wife," Azula added, making sure that was included.
"Very wise" she said with a fake pout "your father included" she said resuming writing the contract
"Yes, I'd like him to be better" that she was able to say easily
Jia Lisha took a deep breath and had a huge smile "it's finished" she said laying out the finished contract and sliding it over to her "sign when you're ready" she said handing over the feather
Azula hesitantly took the feather and hovered over the piece of paper. She tried to go towards the signature line several times but never made it more than a millimeter. Why was she so hesitant, she was finally here and could have everything she set out for. Zuko, her mother, her father even, even Eichi would get what he….didn't want.
"Is there a problem?" Jia Lisha asked, Azula was so deep in thought that she forgot she was in the same room with a talking coyote horse. Azula didn't answer, she didn't want to look hesitant even if she was. "Auh is someone getting cold feet" Jia Lisha said "come on you're Princess Azula, the most powerful woman in the fire nation, someone never held down by others, and you're a people person" she said grinning "I think you need a reminder" the dog said before grabbing the projector and switching it on.
A moving photo of her appeared. It was from the day their mother was banished when they were kids, Zuko had just rushed into the same room as her desperately calling for her.
"Mom? Mom!" he called out before noticing Azula playing with his knife "Where's Mom?" he asked
"No one knows. Oh and last night, Grandpa passed away" Azula said without a hint of sorrow or grievance. She truly was a little brat back then that was for sure, now that she had at least most of the story figured out (not everything but she knew her mother was doing it to save Zuko's life) this hit a lot harder.
"Not funny, Azula! You're sick. And I want my knife back now" he said reaching to grab it
"Who's gonna make me? Mom?" Azula said, dangling the knife. Zuko started tearing up and ran away as young Azula stayed back and smiled. Azula actually wanted to smack her younger self in that moment, she didn't have the right to say that.
She didn't realize it at first but Jia Lisha had apparently been laughing through this "see you gotta admit that was a solid burn" she said calming down "you are everything I want out of a client, no one can hurt you and you don't need others, especially not weaklings like Zuko" she snorted "now let's get back to it"
Did she not understand why she was even here, could this animal really be that stupid. Azula came here because she wanted to be with her family, that she really did need others, and that she did love Zuko.
"Huh" Azula gasped. She…. she did, didn't she. She went on a crazy adventure to try and have a version of her family that really did love her, that she loved in return. But after everything she saw, everything she learned and everything she missed, everything she didn't fully understand at the time. She already had what she wanted, she was just too stupid to see it. Nothing was the same as it was a week ago. She loved the versions of Zuko and her mother that she already had. Eichi was right.
"Screw you" Azula said, lighting the contract on fire causing Jia Lisha to fall back in her chair. Azula proudly stood up and looked down at her.
Jia Lisha slowly stood up and brushed herself off "I'm getting the idea that you're no longer interested" she said in a calm and collected manner
"No, I won't throw away the family I already have"
"Azula honey" she said in an irritated fashion, like this was just a waste of her time. "You're missing out on a big opportunity. I mean look at you, you may not be a fire lord but you are the queen of ruining your life" she said. "I mean do you honestly think that 'Zuzu' or Ursa will just just welcome you back with open arms, no that's crazy" she started to laugh "sorry I was just imagining them laughing in your face"
Azula took a deep breath "and whose fault is that" she said "not theirs"
"Alright" Jia Lisha said with a confused look "well I should go find Fen, help yourself to my juice bar for the next fifteen minutes. I recommend the Amazake Apple Cinnamon, trust me you'll want to taste some before you cease to exist" she said on her way to the elevator.
All this hit Azula like a train, she didn't have a second to spare. She now had something to lose and wasn't going to have that taken away from her. She blasted blue fire and singed Jia Lisha's face. Jia Lisha turned to show her burnt face and singed fur, only for it heal after a solid two seconds "Woman I'm a spirit, did you honestly think that would work"
Azula shot two more blasts at the spirit, but it took them and absorbed them as if they were nothing. She got wounds and they healed immediately. "You can't kill me like that" she said with a horribly smug look "of course you are also very annoying so…". Jia Lisha entered the moving box and she swung her arms forward shooting green mist out of her fingertips. Azula dodged it over the desk, she covered her mouth and held her breath just to be safe. The gas got on her, but she seemed exactly the same and unaffected by the gas. When the gas disappeared the walls were suddenly pillars made of what looked like coffee. But the ceiling was still made of stone.
The ceiling immediately started falling towards her, she quickly rolled under the desk. But it was still smashed along with everything else in the room.
Jia Lisha watched as she ascended in her moving box, but only stared without making a single display of emotion. More interested in whether the old paint job was worth it, rather than the fact that she may have killed a teenager.
Azula could barely lift her eyelids, much less her body. She was trapped underneath a piece of rubble, the desk blocked most of the impact but she was now stuck underneath one of the smashed ceiling parts. She was trapped there with nothing but the feeling of defeat and the smell of coffee.
She forced her neck and head up "help" she said as loudly as she could, "Help" she said louder. A few moments went by and obviously no one was around to help. "Mother" she called, if she couldn't be saved she at least hoped she didn't have to be alone. But she didn't appear. The one time she wanted to see her, she didn't come. Saying that expelled all the energy she had and she fell back down. She was alone, and worse she had failed to save her family, it was all over.
"Azu…" a small sound came from a little bit to her right, Azula forced her head in that direction to see what it was.
The projector was laying there in the rubble, it was damaged but still functional to an extent. She saw Zuko, in a moment that was really important to her "Azula our relationship is so messed up. It's been that way as long as I can remember, and maybe it will be that way for the rest of our lives….." there was a bit of static "But one thing that never changes. No matter what you're still my sister" it went out.
Azula couldn't help but cry. She couldn't give up, she had a family she needed to defend and wasn't going to drop dead in a cave. After taking a moment to reclaim herself she took several deep breaths to restore her inner flame. She started pushing up on the rubble with both her good and bad arms "come on" she said as she clenched her fists into the ground "come on Azula" she said as she started shooting fire out of her fists, it burned her knuckles but the rubble above her was starting to ascend. There was a loud crackling noise, she wasn't sure if it was the rubble or the sound of her spine cracking.
She remembered the final words she said to him 'same as always Zuzu. Even when you're strong you're weak' that was not going to be the last thing she ever said to him, it wasn't. "Come On Azula, you got this…. you got this….You Got This" she said blasting every ounce of flame she could produce. She was making progress but her head started spinning and her vision was starting to go black. But she couldn't quit.
"(THUD)"
The sound was like music to her ears, the ruble fell off her back. She was free. "Owww" she moaned as she fell back to the ground. Her body was so weak, her bones hurt and her muscles felt like rubber. But nothing was over, she had to save her family. She had to catch Jia Lisha and had no time for rest. Azula forced herself up one more time and got her feet, she had a job to do.
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