I Don't own Avatar the last air bender.

chapter 43

Azula finally got to her desired location. Okay, desired may be an overestimation, as she just wanted to get this over with and return home. Even for a fire bender, there is such a thing as "too hot".

She entered to the base near the rabble that must be the city of Amora. Azula wouldn't lie, she rather enjoyed the image of fire nation dominance. Some of the damaged looked different from what was usual in a fire nation assault, she'll have to ask what caused this. Here she met with the delegation sent to meet her, all kneeling down to the princess.

"Princess Azula." The man who was most likely the one in charge, at least according to rank, greeted her as she jumped of her mount. "Amora is yours."

"You may rise, commander." Azula said. "The fire lord sees your work and gives you his praises."

"You honor us, princess." The man said. "We're merely doing our duty."

Azula didn't detect any signs of lying or deception, the man was sincere.

"As much as I would like to continue our small talk, ser…"

"Shen." The old man offered.

"Shen, I'm afraid that we'll have to cut our time short. The fire lord was very precise in his orders, now where is my brother?"

"Right this way, your highness. He should be resting on his… creation." The man pointed at a random direction with a strange expression. "Let me guide you to him, with your permission."

"You may." Azula gave her permission, and they began their walk. Her hands behind her back as she scanned the rows of saluting soldiers.

"Commander Shen." Azula began. "Would you mind answering a few questions? Please don't mistake it for an interrogation, but we need some background information."

"Of course, your highness, it is my duty and honor to assist in any way I can." He nodded.

"Good, good." Azula nodded along. "Tell me, commander, how would you describe my brother? From your interactions with him, I mean."

"So far, your brother had shown himself to be the very image of what a prince of the fire nation should be. He is honorable and just, while ruthless to those who deserve it all the same. He has no problem to lead the troops from the front in the thickest of battle, and they feel safe because they know that their prince will do everything he can to keep them safe."

"Prince Zuko keeps the balance between listening to authority and following orders and suggestions as well, while taking things to his own hands when he dims it right. Like what happened when he heard about the massacre, the animals responsible may have never been brought to justice if the prince wasn't so decisive in his actions. He had shown time after time that the trust in him wasn't misplaced."

"For what it's worth, your highness, even after receiving orders of his imprisonment, your brother fought as hard and dutifully as always."

He isn't a traitor and the fire lord should be merciful, was what the man in front of her was trying to say.

"I see, and what can you tell about his interaction with the savages he collected?" Azula now scanned a different angle to gain information.

"His Highness had been teaching them culture and honor while bringing them to the light of the fire nation." The old commander answered. "None can deny the achievements nor the loyalty of Mi-Dved, and Sokka will bring civilization with him to the south intentionally or not. Both girls had as well served loyally as healers."

"And what more can you tell about my brother's interactions with the convicted benders, Jasmine and Katara?" She needed to know about them for the trail, so she played the card of the dutiful sister. "You see, as a sister, I have my own concerns about my brother being taken advantage of by those hussies. He always had a too soft spot for women."

"Pardon me, your highness, but putting it simply, whatever is going on with his highness and girls around his age is none of my business." He stopped that track of questions immediately. "You will have to ask them personally, I afraid."

A smart choice Azula admitted.

"And what about my uncle? How does he fit in all of this?"

"In no way whatsoever." Shen said honestly. "While still care for each other as family should, there has been a growing rift between the two princes. Mostly about certain solutions for certain problems. Prince Zuko may consider his uncle's suggestions, but ultimately, prince Iroh has no influence on his nephew any longer."

That was interesting development, very interesting indeed. Maybe he brother finally grew a spine after all. This was great, now her brother was all alone in the royal family. Her uncle to, she supposed, but she honestly cared little about the fat man. She was pretty sure that no one now cared about her uncle.

"Here we are." Shen finally said.

After their stroll in the ruined landscape of Amora, Azula had nipped a bit of information here and there. The soldiers around looked at her and her party in an awe, as they should, but there was a bit of apprehension in their eyes, especially when looking at the chains carried by the men around her.

It looks like Zuzu really made the peasants here care about him, how cute~. Well, too bad for Zuzu, their fear and respect for the fire lord were much greater.

She looked forward to seeing her brother chained with his barbarian friends and ready to be delivered, she wasn't expecting to see what she did. Like at all, wow.

There was a honest to Agni pile of half molten corpses, all combined to a single gruesome mockery of a throne. Small flames danced around the disfigured faces, who had just enough flesh to show a constant look of agony even after death.

Her brother set there on the pile of corpses nonchalantly, as if he's sitting on a sofa or something. His black form fitted armor and equally dark helmet left no spot exposed. Speaking of the helmet, it wasn't of fire nation origin. Azula remembered well all the types of equipment the army wore, as well as her lessons about the fire nation's history, none of them matched. She wasn't even sure why she took notice of that thing, but her instincts told her that this think was just… something…

She took her eyes off the helmet and looked back at the atrocity. Orange wounds spread in a spider web like pattern on the mass of flash, with her brother as a source point. It was as if the dead bodies who made this morbid throne were still tormented, and her brother was the torturer just by sitting there.

The seven feet tall barbarian mountain of muscles standing on the ground right to her brother was almost a side note.

She hated it, but her brother seemed to improve his presentation by a lot. She noticed that even some of the men she brought with her had had been affected.

Suddenly, the armor sprung to life. The eye sockets of the helmet ignited in amber like light and the figure sat straighter.

"Sister…" The voice was different from her brother's. There was no trace of the wailing she associated with her crybaby brother, only a deep commanding and sinister tone. Whoever this guy was, he wasn't her brother. He was too good. "You finally came."

The figure then suddenly jumped a few meters in the air and then shot down to earth, leg first as he got a momentum from a jet of flame that somehow exited from his back upwards. The crush was strong enough to send a small shockwave through the ground, as well as sending a ring of sand filled wind that obscured him.

The men with her prepared for a fight but she stopped them with a wave of her hand. She recognized what the man in front of her was doing. This wasn't an attack, it was a power play. A show of force meant to put him above them in front of the army. She won't allow it to happen.

She was proven correct when the dust cleared and revealed the man masquerading as her brother in full view. He stood tall, taller than she remembered Zuko be, and had his arms spread wide as if he was greeting an old friend. Or a long not seen little sister.

He had that cocky smile plastered on his face as if he already won. Oh, she's going to wipe it so hard. His eyes held that same mocking grin, but behind that there was a hidden power. It was almost like the eyes literally glow with power. And… what the heck?!

The scar that was supposed to cover a quarter of her brother's stupid face was almost gone! There were the small traces of a pinkish skin near the eye, but nothing more. Seriously, if this imposter was trying to mimic her brother, then he was doing a very amateurish job.

He also changed his hairstyle. Instead of the phoenix tail he wore back home, he now had a much shorter hair that was equally spread around his head. Azula also couldn't ignore the crown he wore. The 'M' shaped thing may be argued to be a simple protective gear, but Azula knew better. It was a crown all the same, and one bigger than her father's. The implications didn't escape her.

"No letters, no visits, no hellos, I was starting to think that you have forgotten about me." He accused her with a charming tone, even his voice sounded wrong. "Now come here and give you big brother a hug!"

Right… no.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"Excuse me?" The imposter said with confusion.

"You're not my brother." She stated. "You know the punishment of impersonating a royal, right? Now stop playing games and tell me where my brother is, before you share his fate."

"Azula… I am your brother." He said slowly. "Don't tell me that you don't recognize me after almost three years."

"Please, don't take me for a fool. Your scar, if it's even real, is much smaller than Zuko's."

"Water bending healing can do wonders." He said with a smile. Oh, how this smile got on her nerves. "And to prove my point. In your fifth birthday, you farted after eating too much cake, but blamed me instead. Father of course believed you and banished me back to my room with all the kids snickering."

"There was also this one time when uncle Iroh brought us presents, I got a knife and you got a doll. You were jealous and tore your doll's head off, saying it was prettier that way. Mom was angry at you and sent you to your room. You little monster, you~"

This little… Azula held herself together. Her pose betrayed nothing of what she was thinking. It seems like the person in front of her knew some very private moments. He still could have gotten them out of her brother.

"And where is uncle Iroh? He was supposed to always be around you." It was strange that she didn't see the fat old man. But maybe not, her uncle would have immediately called on this imposter.

"He's…" The man stopped for a moment as if he was listening to some, before turning his gaze to a random direction. "Just got out of bed, apparently."

The people in the direction the man looked at parted away, revealing her uncle.

"Pardon me." The lazy old coot said. "It seems like my age had caught up with my sleep."

Yeah… her uncle was just as fat, lazy and disgraceful as she remembered him. And age, that was his excuse!? He's not even a decade older than father! He had no one to blame for his lack of self-care except for himself!

"Uncle." Azula said sharply as she pointed to the one masquerading her brother. "Who is this man?"

"Niece, please don't tell me that you don't recognize your own brother?" He said with concern. "Your brother had changed much from the last time you saw each other, That's for sure, but he's still your brother. I swear it on my son's grave."

That… pretty much was it, her uncle would never use his son as a mean of deceit. Like it or not, the man in front of her was her brother. Any more questions from her would only make her look weaker in front of the soldiers… Which was the plan of that damned snake!

Azula composed herself mentally, physically she showed no signs of weakness. She let her guard down, but she'll make him pay for this humiliation.

"Pardon me." She said in a polite tone. "It is as uncle said, much had changed since we saw each other."

"Understandable." Her brother said as if it didn't bother him in the slightest. "Now how about a hug?"

"I'm afraid that it would be better not to, given the circumstances." She said evenly. She didn't know what her brother was playing at, but she wouldn't entertain him.

"Fair enough." Zuko said as he finally put his hands down.

"And those two are your companions?" Azula nodded at the direction of the giant brute and the joy girl who wouldn't look out of place in those low entertainment houses some men liked to visit.

"Yes, Mi-Dved and Jasmine." Her brother said proudly. He must really be out of his head if he thinks that it's a reason for pride.

"And where is the water bender?" Azula asked "Oh, and her brother too, I suppose."

"They went with Hadoka just yesterday, you may have passed through them on your way here." He said with a shrug. "I think that they are already at sea by now, but you're more than welcome to go chase them if you want."

Damn him, he knew she was on a clock here!

"No, that wouldn't be necessary. My main mission is to bring in you and your pet air bender." She said. "You can explain father why you let the water bender escape on your own."

Now that seemed to give her brother a small pause. Good. There was a small commotion from the right, what was it this time?

The crowd parted once again, and revealed a giant… dog? Now isn't this day full of surprises. The dog, if you can even call it such a thing, was taller than her. It had a black fluffy fur the Ty Li would adore and equally fluffy tail.

Any cuteness, however, was dwarfed by the crimson red eyes and predatory aura. Azula noticed that the thing limped, yet despite all of its size and weight, it made no sound. A silent killer. What drew her attention away from who must have been the insidious Xing, was what was carried behind it.

A group of a dozen or so komodo rhinos carried with them. Huh, it seems that the rumor of the dog commanding other animals wasn't a lie. In any case, the beasts, who held both ends of the rope in their mouths, carried the strangest thing Azula had ever seen.

It was massive, easily the size of a house or two, and may have been an even more impressive sight then the skin of the Apex. A lion, a goat a snake and a dragon all meshed up to one being. Only the eyes of the lion were the size of her head.

Azula saw various bolts stabbing the dead creature, a mark of the fierce battle it took to bring this thing down. Unlike the skin, here she couldn't deny that the creature was felled by force. And a powerful one at that.

"Xing, are you okay?!" Her brother ran to the limping dog. The animal simply barked once in pride before laying its head on her brother.

"Damn it, Xing, I told you to rest." Zuko sighed as he patted his dog. "I'm so proud and angry at you right now."

The animal only wailed weakly in return.

"Ahm." Azula brought back the attention to her. "Can someone please explain the meaning of this?"

"The dead creature in front of you is called a chimera, a monstrous abomination that can come in many shapes and forms. This variant, besides its massive size, can breathe fire through the lion head, spit poison through the snake head and heal itself through the goat head. At least form what the Kyoshi warriors told me." Zuko explained.

That… put this creature on a dragon level threat at least. Her brother continued.

"From the debrief I got, the Kyoshi warriors encountered it with Hadoka's forces and Xing as they advanced through the tunnels under Amora. In the end of the encounter, they managed to kill the goat and Xing lured it away before trapping it under the tunnel."

"And why Hadoka was there at all?" Azula asked accusingly. "Last time I heard, he was considered an enemy of the fire nation."

"He was there because I told him to." Her brother said without shame. "I gave him an offer he couldn't refuse and had him fight the most dangerous battles, as we witness from the chimera."

"So you knowingly worked with an enemy of the nation." Azula stated.

"I tricked an enemy of the nation to fight and die for the nation." Zuko answered back. "And killing two birds in the process. Hadoka lost half of his men fighting that thing, once he's back he'll have no ability to go out of the pole. The wolf is now licking wounds that will never heal deep inside its ice cave, and it will stay there unless it is made desperate."

"In any case, my answers are to father, not you." Zuko concluded. "We should also Bring a wagon for Xing, he can't walk with us in this state."

"And why should I care about your attack dog?" Azula asked. "In fact, it may be for the best if we do without it."

"Then you can explain father why you let the only hellhound in the world, a unique and irreplaceable asset to the nation, die in your watch." He threw her words right back at her.

"We could supply a caravan." Shen told her. "It wouldn't be a problem."

"Very well…" Azula couldn't outright refuse now. "But at the first sign of it going feral, I'll put it out of its misery. If father asks, I can say that it was for a good reason."

"That's… Sounds fair enough." Her brother admitted.

"Great! Now, I hope that you understand." Azula said as her met brought up the chains, now was the fun part. "As much as I'm sure it's unnecessary, there is still a protocol to follow."

"Of course." Her brother said evenly.

They firstly got the mutt on the caravan, without any complaints from the beast she may add. Its black fur made its body completely hidden in the shadows of the caravan, only its blood red eyes that seemed to glow in the dark made it known that there was something in there. Yeah… Azula isn't going inside there.

Her brother was next. Cuffed with metal cuffs that covered and imprisoned both his hands, he won't be able to fire bend. He was also put on a metal mouth cover to disallow him from breathing fire. With a chain between his legs and a heavy metal ball chained on each leg, he went inside the cage that was prepared beforehand for the prisoners.

The gigantic barbarian came next.

"Careful, their a bit heavy." He warned her men as one was about to pick the brute's weapons. In the end, each axe took two men to carry, and they were still struggling.

Another proof of the brute's strength was when after he was cuffed and had a metal ball chained to each hand, he only raised his upper limbs in confusion. As if not understanding what the balls were all about. It took five metal balls for each limb, arms and legs, for him to be burdened enough for the protocol.

Finally, they got to the air bender.

"I don't think that I will be able to move with those." She said as she pointed at the ball chains. "Like, at all. Not even walk to the cage."

"Don't worry." Azula said with a smile. "We'll just have to tie you tighter. I hope you won't mind."

"I'm sure I'll manage." The other girl commented before turning to the men Azula brought with her.

"So." The savage woman said as she put her hands forward to be cuffed, 'accidentally' pressing together certain parts of her body. "Who won the coin throw?"

The man who came forward seemed a bit too eager to do his duty in Azula's opinion, even if she couldn't see his face behind her mask. During the process, the sand girl even giggled.

"It would be faster if you look at the ropes when you're tying me." This shameless woman said to the soldier as he stopped in shock, only to continue his work thrice as fast.

She'll have to make sure that this one doesn't go near the air bender, humiliating the royal family by acting like a cad in front of the army was bad enough.

Soon enough, the other girl was tied up in a way that will not allow her to move her hands at all. Even so, Azula felt a strange feeling of being insecure. Looking at the girl tide so tightly made Azula feel something new. A strange mix of jealousy and, disappointment in herself, and not measuring up for whatever reason. It was close to how she felt when boys ignored her to talk to Ty Lee.

Shaking the arrant thoughts away, she watched as the tied air bender stepped on the entrance of the cage the other prisoners were, only for the girl to somehow lose her balance. The girl yelped and Azula hoped that the floozy will fall hard. Unfortunately, the guard next to her caught her and held her bridal style.

That spider in woman's skin giggled again and whispered something to the man's ear, after which this man quickly placed his hands in more proper places. The guard continued to carry her like a princess to a spot in the cage and set her there gently. She noticed that the other males in the cage both looked at the spectacle with the expression of a dead fish.

Azula isn't letting this man near the cells as well.

"Niece." Her lazy uncle began. "Would you be so kind as to allow me to catch a ride? I would like to be there for the trail, and it had been years since I was home."

"Of course, uncle." It's not like she could say no in front of all those people without damaging the image of royalty. "Although I must warn you against trying anything to complicate our journey to the palace. While father does not think you had any part in this, you are still in the suspects list.

"Thank you, niece."

After that, Azula was quick to leave this dump. She was already humiliated enough, there was no more reason to stay. As she went, she felt the disapproval of the soldiers around her. It was silence and buried well under their training and loyalty, but it was there all the same. Her brother actually managed to have those peasants dare to think that her father was in the wrong.

With one last glance at the dying city behind her, Azula continued forward.

The way too the ship went without any complications. There was no attempt by either her brother or his minions to escape, there wasn't an ambush waiting for them, heck, even the dog slept all the way.

The arbor didn't give them trouble as well. They were let in, they got to their ship, and they were let out. There was a bit of a crowd, but no one stopped them. They got the prisoners to their cells and set sail.

"No, uncle." Azula said as the fat man asked her if he could visit his nephew. "I have shown you courtesy enough when I let you to hitch a ride, letting you in with a high-profile prisoner is too much."

"Come now niece, it's your brother we're talking about." Her uncle tried to convince her. "Surly he's allowed at least this much."

"No, and it's final. For all we know, you'll try to break him out or something." Azula said. "Besides, if you want to help Zuko, perhaps you'd like to answer a few questions?"

"Very well then, ask away."

"Did you know beforehand that my brother harbored an air bender and a water bender?" Azula started her interrogation.

"I was as shocked as everyone else when I heard about miss Jasmine's air bending. It came to a surprise to everyone, her included."

"And the water bender?" She continued.

"I did have some suspicions." Uncle admitted. "But nothing that showed she was anything above a young yet talented healer."

"And did they spend time together in any suspicious way?" Azula pressed.

"What my-"

"And don't try to slip away with something like 'It's not my business', it may work for the commander of the base but not for the uncle of the prince." She isn't going to let him escape now.

"They… have been spending time together after dark in Zuko's room." Her uncle sighed.

"And were there any suspicious noises from there?" Azula asked. "Something that may point out what they were doing?"

"Niece, please." Uncle begged. "It's not something you'd want to-"

"I'll decide if it's important or not, uncle." She stopped him. "Thank you very much."

"There…" The fat man paused to think what to say. "Were feminine noises of moans and grunts. Although I must stress that her brother was present during all those meetings."

Wow… Just… Wow. It seems like the banishment really changed her brother. Azula approved the ruthlessness of this clear act of dominance, the message sent was loud and clear, but she wouldn't have filthy herself for such a thing. The thought of her soft-hearted honorable fool of a brother being reduced to this… Oh, how far he had fallen, so much for honor.

"I see, this will be all. Thank you, uncle." Azula turned her back and left. As much as this conversation was informative, she did not need those images imprinted in her mind.

"Wait!" Uncle called after her. "Niece! Azula! There may be a misunderstanding! You-"

"This will be all uncle." Azula repeat. "It's getting late, and I need to do many things. And quite frankly, I don't want to think about the process my brother did that may result in me being an aunt."

Azula then snapped her fingers. "Guards, please escorts my uncle to his room to rest, it has been a long day for him."

She left for the cells bellow as the guards stopped her uncle from following. She had many things to ask her brother about, both trail related and not.

"Hello, brother."

Azula descended the stairs to the dungeon of the ship as her voice echoed around the closed space. She too could do dramatic entrances. She heard some singing from down there, but it immediately stopped once her footsteps were heard.

"It's funny, you know?" she continued her way downstairs. "I always knew that it would end like this. Me, heir to the throne, and you, caged like a common criminal at my command."

"But you know what's really funny?" She continued walking. "I actually believed for a moment that you may be more than the failure disappointment of a prince and a son that couldn't manage to do even one thing right his entire life."

Azula was now on the platform with the cages. Each housed a different prisoner. She looked at the right middle cage.

"Now Zuzu, tell me… Are, are you sleeping?!"

Her bum of a brother was laying there with his back on the wall and head resting on the bars shared with the cell to the right. His eyes closed and hands limp, still with the fire bending nullifying cuffs. Did… did he just missed her entire introduction?! Damn him! And she had all this speech and punchline, now ruined!

"Wake him up." Azula ordered the brute in the cell right to Zuko.

The brute got up, five balls of iron still attached to each limb, and gently shook her brother. As if the noise from all those balls wouldn't have awakened him.

"Boss, wake up. We have company."

Her lazy brother yawned and stretched as if he was on his bed and not chained in a cell. She guessed uncle did manage to infect him with laziness and the ability to sleep anywhere.

"Oh, it's just you." Was all her brother said as he saw her.

"Yes, me." She ignored the 'just'. "Now you will answer a few questions for your trail."

"Very well, ask away." He said as if he has any authority over her.

"Did you know that you were harboring two illegal benders? One of which is an air bender?" Azula began her interrogation.

"I didn't know that Jasmine was an air bender until the incident. No one knew, not even herself. As for Katara, when I discovered about her bending -and by that, I mean when I saw her water bending- it was already after I gave her my word as the prince of the fire nation that she would be protected under my employ. My hands were tied there."

"And why did you think it was a good idea to let all those savages into your employ?" Azula pressed. "Did you sink so low that ordering civilized people was above you?"

"There is no rule against employing people from outside the fire nation Azula, as long as they aren't afflicted with an enemy actor. our entire colonies are built on this principle." Zuko lectured her. "And before you say something, Mi-Dved and Jasmine are both considered non-side actors. As for Sokka and Katara, they are from the south pole. A territory that's considered subjugated, and therefore not an enemy state."

"Everything was done by law." Zuko said with finality.

"I'm sure." Azula rolled her eyes. "And your 'private sessions' together had nothing to do with it."

"What are you lying about now?" Her brother raised an eyebrow.

"I'm insulated brother, I never lie." Azula said in a mockingly innocent tone, to which her brother just gave a deadpanned look. "I mean all those hours you spent with her in your room after dark. Why I heard that there were even some indecent noises coming from there during that time."

"Those…" Her brother was finally looking annoyed. "Were her tries to heal my scar. And her brother was there as well to make sure that everything was proper."

"Aha." She said unconvinced.

"He's not lying." The air bender finally spoke for the first time. "You can trust me in this."

"And how would you know?" Azula addressed the other girl.

"Katara is a shy virgin, if something even remotely close to that happened, you can be sure that she wouldn't be able to look at anyone in the eyes." The loose girl explained.

"Right… and what is your relationship with my brother?" Azula now turned her attention completely to the other girl.

"Well, you see." As the desert girl began to speak, Azula noticed her brother slapping his hands on his head. Only that with his cuffs, it was like hitting himself with a metal bat.

"We are very close, you can even say that he has a part of him inside me." She then continued to pat her lower belly lovingly.

"The F?!"

Azula didn't know who yelled it, may even be herself.

"Oh yeah, we-" What followed was a very detailed and very educational speech of human biology, physiology, and how it can be pushed to the limits. Even the guards felt uncomfortable. Great Agni, she did not need to hear it.

"Jasmine, please." Zuko said in a dead tired voice.

"Oh fine, this was for whole the times you ignored me." Jasmine admitted. "Being honest now, your brother is dense as a rock. And just as hard to bend- shut up brother- I tried to get to him more than a few times, but he showed no interest. He's saying it's because of his honor, but personally I think that he's gay."

"Ah, much more believable." Azula nodded, thankful that none of the things that are now imprinted in her head was real.

"I'm not gay!" Her brother yelled.

"It's fine, brother. My image of you will stay the same even if you're a sword swallower."

"You two are the worst…" Her brother sulked in his corner.

Ah… the old nostalgic feeling of bullying her brother, perhaps she judged the other girl to rashly.

In any case, she continued her questioning. Nothing too exciting came up.

"Very well." Azula concluded. "I would like an alone talk with my brother please."

"On it!" The brute that followed her brother then hit his head in the wall so hard that Azula felt the platform shook a little. Only for the savage to fall back, unconscious. It was one way to keep him out of the conversation, she supposed.

"Where do you find them?" She asked Zuko with a raised eyebrow.

"In a slave mine on an exotic island." He said honestly. "You'd be surprised of the things you'll find where nobody goes."

Azula then looked expectedly at the female siblings.

"I… afraid I lack my brother's unique… Skills." Jasmine said as she gave an embarrassed look.

Azula snapped her fingers and the guards entered the air bender's cell, took her, and brought her in front of the princess.

"I will have a private conversation with my brother that may take a while. Lock her up in a secure window-less room and be on constant guard. If she steppes a foot out of there, it will be your heads that will roll."

After Azula finished, the guards saluted her and began their ascend, Jasmine held firmly between them. Annoyingly enough, the men held her in a way that allowed her to be as comfortable as possible. After she made sure that the only conscious sentiment beings in the room were her and her brother, she turned to him.

"Okay, talk. What was this entire deal with the latter?" She ordered. "And don't bother laying, you were never good at it with me."

"You'd be surprised how much changed." Her brother said mysteriously. "But I digress. You mean what I wrote about mother, right?"

"Of course I talk about mother, you dim witted turtle duck!" She yelled. "What is all this thing about a clue?!"

"I suppose that you're already familiar with the swamp, yes?" He asked her.

"Yes, yes, that filthy swamp where you and your brute went." Azula waved her hand. "Why does it matter?"

"Mi-Dved wasn't the only one who got a vision there." Zuko explained. "That… place… It gives you visions of someone you lost, or think you lost. In my case, it was mom. But she was different. She had a different face, a different family. She didn't even acknowledge me, much less recognized."

It was hard for him to say it.

"All of this is interesting and all." It wasn't. "But if a vision is all you have, then you must be even more desperate them I thought."

"His vision pointed us to his sister." Zuko pointed at the unmoving brute. "Besides, I wouldn't dare connecting you without a feasible lead."

"Well then." Azula crossed her hands. "Impress me."

"When I got back, I drew the faces of the people I saw in my vision. As you can guess, this trip caused me to reopen my curiosity about my mother's disappearance, and I used resources to investigate. Imagine my surprise, when the faces people I saw were the exact faces of the people who now reside in the old house of mom's family before she married dad."

If, and it's a big if, her brother told the truth, then it does raise more than a few questions.

"So you claim that those people are connected to mother's disappearance?" she asked, but the answer was already clear.

"By all accounts, their alibi is as strong as it can possibly be." Zuko continued. "The man was in the house for years, and never went to the capital. The woman was only seen for the first time months after our mother disappeared. But there's a catch."

Azula listen carefully.

"There was a sighting of our mother visiting this same house not long after her disappearance, only for both her and the man to disappear. Mom was never seen again, and the man returned after a few months with the woman who will later be known as his wife."

"Fine, it does look suspicious." Azula admitted. "But surly someone would have made this connection before, father did spend quite a bit to locate her."

"As I said, the man got clean. But they didn't know what I know." Zuko explained. "The place the man told he went to and returned with his wife is a valley that is a home for a face stealing spirit known as 'the mother of faces'. Only unlike Koh, she can also give a face to a person. Actually it's a little funny, the two have a parent-child connection, but each of them claims to be the senior."

"So that's your excuse?" Azula said unimpressed. "If it doesn't make sense, blame the spirits? And how could I be sure that you didn't just invent it on the spot?"

"Go back to the desert and ask Wan Shi Tong if you want, he'll vouch for me." Zuko answered back with a snark. "A warning though, he's very easily insulted, and you don't want to get him mad. So leave this high and mighty attitude out of the library."

She will trust her brother this one time.

"And why are you telling me this?" Azula asked. "We don't like each other even remotely."

"You are an evil manipulative snake whose sole purpose is to make my life as miserable as possible and never once had you ever helped me without hurting me even more later." He stated that like a fact. "But you're still my sister, and that means that no matter what, you will always have a small dark dusty infected and rotten spot in my heart."

How nice of him, Azula thought sarcastically.

"And because, as you can see, I will be unable to go there myself for the unforeseen future." That was much more believable. "So, against my better judgement and every lesson I learnt, I'm going to do the one thing that always proved to be a mistake and trust you."

"Your steel hard trust in me makes me blush, brother." Azula said with as much life as a dead fish.

"Don't mistake me, I fully expect you to try to stab me in the back." Her brother continued. "But there is no way for you to flip me over without flipping yourself. You are curious about mom too, or else we won't be having this conversation, and the one thing I can always depend on you, is that you get things done."

"So what, am I you message girl now?" Azula snarled. "To do all your dirty work? Should I start dress like a maid as well? You're forgetting your place, brother."

"I know my place very well, little sister." He rose up and walked close to her. Azula just noticed how taller he got. "Above you."

Azula swore that his eyes glowed for a moment.

"As for the other part, think what you will. I don't care." He turned his back on her and walked to where he was before. "You will do it for your sake much more then my own."

He then touched the brute's body with his leg and shot a small lightning, which woke the savage with a start.

"What happened?"

"My little sister and I just finished our little heart to heart talk." Zuko answered. "She was just about to leave."

Excuse you? This is over only when she says it's over! But with the brute awake, privacy was no longer an option.

"There will be consequences, you understand." Azula stated.

"Naturally." Her brother said with little care. "And you will do what you've been told like a good little sister."

Azula decided that this conversation had outlived its usefulness and walked away. It was only when her back was to the cells that she allowed herself to grind her teeth, she wouldn't allow him the satisfaction.

Log xxxx

Statement:

Subject Apex had grown since last check once again, updated variables:

Length: 318 m

Diameter: 27.2 m

Mass: 283000 kg

Max weight lifted: 546000 kg

Bite force: 67000 psi

Spit ph: 0.01

Statement:

Subject had shown growing resistance to sedatives, it is believed that in two to three mouths the subject will gain complete immunity.

Statement:

When not sedated, subject shows extreme aggression.

Statement:

Blood poisoning shown to be contagious. An infected may pass on the disease through blood connection. Infection results of 100 bitten vermin: 98 vermin dead, 2 vermin infected.

Sub Statement:

Life expectancy of infected – 43 min.

D day risk – low.

Warning:

Facility unable to hold an organism of over 1000 m, estimated time to reach – 64 months.

Warning:

Subject devours approximately 4000 kg mass a day, estimated time for depletion of bodies for cannibalization – 25 years.

Warning:

Facility unable to hold an organism of max mass lifted over 750000, estimated time for subject to reach threshold – 20 months.

Warning:

Facility unable to hold an organism of bite force over 75000, estimated time for subject to reach threshold – 5 months.

Report /

Purification still unavailable, pathogens have integrated in the molecular level.

Color before filtering: black.

Color after filtering: poison green. Additional low glow.

VDD:

Subject survival through the injection rose to 52.41%.

Stability had risen to 6 months before expiration.

Increase in retaining intellect, estimated score: 0.37 from baseline. An increase of 216% from previous version.

Decrease in physical strength, estimated score: 23.00 from baseline. A decrease of 33% from previous version.

Decrease in mutations: subjects show mutations of 39% of their body mass. A decrease of 15% from previous version.

Applications:

Elixir of life: null. Far too many reasons to count, complete suppression of decaying pathogen needed, baseline scores of 1.0 needed in all fields.

Enhancing Drug: low. Baseline parameters stand in criteria for category X steroids. Decaying pathogen must be surpassed to a human lifetime for public use. Mutation pathogen must be surpassed completely for public use. This version may be used only by the direct order of the overlord, and never on their person.

Interrogation: low. Cost efficiency, combined with risk of losing critical information and increased difficulty in containment make this version as ineffective for interrogation.

AN

I'm happy to announce the start of the final arc before the start of the cannon! We're finally seeing the end of this little prologue.

Because some may get confused, the logs are from the experiments on the Apex centipede and trying to get the immortality elixir out of it's blood. This is a doormat for something else I planned for later.

In any case, I'll be happy to hear what you thought about the chapter.

now for the reviews:

Engineer1869 :

Thank you.

Hadoka is an experienced leader, he already learnt his lesson about thinking before acting. Some of the other warriors... not so much. Yeah, Sokka's storytelling was for the best of everyone. Besides, Hadoka was proud of his son's ability of bullshiting if nothing else, it's a family tradition.

As for Azula. It's never a good idea to imply to any girl that someone is prettier than her, Azula's perfectionism and hidden insecurity only make it worse. Honest heart to heart conversations are basically non-existed to her, the closest thing she has is Mai and Ty Lee, but even than the shadow of royalty looms over her. this is the first time she spoke to someone who didn't know she was the princess.

The Jabba character was what I was goin for. Zhu Yijun was a real emperor of China also known as The Wanli Emperor. I found him when searched for the fattest most useless emperor of China. As for Long Feng, you were mostly spots on.

Xing is very smart boy. funnily enough, I have a few things tor him in this arc.

Yes, all this throne thing was a bit edgy, but a strong message was needed to be sent. The enforcers had done the most causalities with their assault by far, to stop any opposition from having funny ideas, a heavy hand was needed. He also needed to let the soldiers an outlet for their revenge. And you are also right about it being for Azula. It's their first meeting after the banishment and the first meeting of overlord Zuko with Azula, first impression is critical to decide the dominance between the two.

Zuko has a lot of things to fix in his head.

deniswanheda :

Thanks.

Katara is a very mature woman who completely isn't water bending in a river in Egypt right now. There will be drama in the south, that's for sure. It should also connect nicely with Aang's return id I manage to get things right. I will stop farther discussion about the south to not give any spoilers.

I'll have to stop you however with the ZukoXAzula thing though. I can in 100% certainty say that it wouldn't happen.

the phrase "Hell has to fury as a woman scorn" comes to mind. I have to admit though, that the thought of Azula and Jasmine joining forces gives me, as the writer who has to write their interaction, chills.

Poor earth kingdom, it has to suffer the sexual predator and now it has to suffer the slug. He is completely based on SW Jabba, I needed an antagonist that will be despised even more than the character of Mi-Sha and that was a hard threshold.

As for Sai, it's good to set boundaries in any relationship.

USSRFox :

Well, there were certainly some undertones. hope that you still liked it.

02cjd:

You must mean when Scuff (the fire soldier that Azula mentioned him butchering the language) right? It was intentional to give an authentic feeling of his dialect.

That part with Jasmine was more of a comic relief, as well as showing more of the dynamic of the sand siblings. For all of Mi-Sha's size and strength, Jasmine is the dominant one and he bends for her. It was also for showing why making a skull throne is a stupid idea.

Xing... I have something in mind for him in the more distant future, some of it will start in this very arc.

To be frank, with Mi-Sha it was easier to swallow because the oc entered in the beginning. I don't see any water bender who is willing to side with Zuko in cannon, and having to create an entire setting just to include another oc feels strange. Remember that just for Mi-Dved and Jasmine there was a good 300k+ words of content to conclude their right of exitance in the story. Besides, I like what Zuko and Mi-Dved have, having another one joining will feel like a third wheel. But I will take your idea into consideration.

We will have a good showing with the fortune teller, I already have a skeleton of a scene in mind, but there is still much to do before that.

And of course Mi-Dved will try to get stronger. He's behind a blind girl, do you know how embarrassing that is?

now for your question on my other story- for the time being Michael's experience with animals is that they try to kill him. if he will have some kind of an animal companion it will not be soon. Besides, to keep the setting said companion will be a baseline animal and wouldn't hold a candle next to Xing. I'll see how the story will go though.

thank you for your review though, I appreciate it.

Xpparda :

Ha! thanks.

Kya's reaction... boy that will be a talk. Don't worry we'll get there.

Hope you liked Azula's reaction. As for her and Jasmine, they will mix up like two drops of venom.

And showed off his prize he did. Not enough screentime as I would had hoped, but it was the best I could do at the time.

As most AI helpers with personalities turn up to be a love or obsession interest, for example Master Chief and Cortana, I felt it was something that Sai had to deal with. Besides, with someone who has a deep distress, such an attachment isn't at all unexpected. I wanted to show the dangers of a relationship like that.

Don't worry, Toph will be fine. It's whoever ends up with her that I'm worried for him.