Among Us

When he heard who had arrived, King Kuei threw all decorum aside and raced to meet him.

He met Toph on the way there, and she smirked at him. "Here for ol' Boulder Brain? He's in the interrogation room for privacy. Good luck."

Kuei briefly had to wonder how she and Nie Mingjue's reincarnation knew each other, but he didn't ponder it long as his focus was on other things.

Given that his, Jin's, and Toph's interrogation of the palace staff was still underway, it was still iffy about who could be trusted. The Dai Li as a whole had seemingly vanished without a trace as soon as word of what they were doing had spread, and the city guards were tasked with keeping an eye out for them. Unfortunately, between the Dai Li's skill and the city's innate fear of them, only a few had been captured so far, but Toph had been able to determine all of them were beyond guilty.

As such, Ty Lee had used her talismans to set up a metal room of complete privacy for their interrogations so that no one could overhear and attempt to corroborate their stories. It also gave them a place to do their planning or just talk about their past lives without needing to worry about being overheard and thought to be crazy.

So when Kuei unlocked the door, he was greeted by the sight of a tall man with big muscles and a distinct lack of shirt.

"Da-Ge…" he said.

The Boulder looked over at him in confusion. Didn't Huaisang say she was a girl in this life?

It then occurred to him there was someone else who would call him Da-Ge and look like seeing him again was a miracle.

"Xichen," The Boulder said.

"Da-Ge," he said again, his voice warbling a little, and tears welled up in his eyes, and he darted forward to hug the man with all his might.

And despite not having nearly the same arm strength that he had as Lan Xichen (he made a note to himself to start doing more handstands), the hug was still able to make his target let out a winded huff at how tight his grip was.

"Da-ge!" he said, trying to keep what little reigns he still had on his emotions in check. "I am so, so sorry for everything."

The Boulder sighed, knowing exactly what he was apologizing for. Well, that explained why he was acting like Huaisang. "Hate to say it, but I told you so," he said regretfully while rubbing Xichen's back comfortingly.

"I should have listened to you," said the smaller man. "I should have listened to Wangji. I just… I thought…" He wilted in on himself. "I was such a fool."

The Boulder pulled him out of the hug to look him in the eye. "Xichen, he had everyone fooled. Even I didn't realize what he was doing to me until it was too late. I may have known he was a status-climbing snake-in-the-grass, but I always thought if he tried to turn on me, I could take him. I should have known he'd be a sneak about it instead. You avenged me. I avenged myself. It's done. Let's not be weighed down by him in this life. Forget him."

From the look on Xichen's face, that would be far harder for him than it would be for The Boulder, but he looked willing to try.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Xichen opened it, and a servant bowed to him and said, "Your majesty, is there anything you and your guest require? Tea? Food?"

"Some tea would be nice, thank you, Ruri," Xichen replied. "And have someone send for Jin as soon as possible. She is going to want to be here."

The servant bowed again and took her leave.

The Boulder stared at his old friend with a gobsmacked expression as it sank in to him what the servant had called him.

Seeing his face, he laughed. "Ah, I suppose I forgot to introduce my new self." He bowed far too low if his station was truly what the Boulder thought it was. "In this life, I am the Earth King, the Monarch of All the Earth Lands and Glorious Defender of Ba Sing Se." He then rose from his bow and added with a smile, "My friends call me Kuei."

That snapped him out of his shock, and the Boulder had to laugh at Kuei's cheek, before bowing even lower to his old friend. "The Boulder greets the Earth King with mountainous respect," he said, slipping into his Earth Rumble persona. "The Boulder is The Boulder. Master Earthbender, and runner-up in the Earth Rumble championship, beaten out only by the fearsome Blind Bandit in your employ."

"Toph does Earth Rumble?" asked Kuei in surprise, before realizing that even knowing her for a short time that that wasn't actually surprising at all. He then gave his friend an amused look. "So I'm just supposed to call you The Boulder as well? Is that really your name?"

The Boulder chuckled again. "Would it matter? We all know you're just going to call me Da-Ge regardless."

King Kuei couldn't argue with that.

Azula found she'd been right about Ba Sing Se's security. Getting past the city guard was a breeze when dressed in green with Kyoshi face paint.

Getting past the Dai Li was a different story.

Or, at least, that's what Azula wanted them to think.

She hadn't taken five steps into Ba Sing Se before the latest gossip reached her ears. About how the Earth King was rooting out corruption. How the Dai Li, once feared and revered secret police of the Earth King, were now at the top of the list of those to be ousted. And how the Dai Li were angry at this accusation, and even more furious that the Avatar and his companions had killed their leader and hadn't even been given a slap on the wrist for it.

In other words, the Dai Li were ripe fruit for Azula's picking.

But first, she needed their attention.

And what better way than to let one clock her as an impostor. It's not like they would report her to anyone who mattered. While the thought had surely crossed their minds to do so, to try and curry favor with the Earth King by presenting him with their enemy, they all knew it wouldn't be enough. With the several scandalous crimes of the Dai Li now out in the open, they would never return to the prestige they once had, nor have any form of the King's trust. No, they needed a new monarch to throw their might behind.

Lucky for them, Azula was available and happy to take them under her wing.

They just didn't know it yet.

Katara wandered the halls of the Earth King's palace and felt listless.

With Mai and Ty Lee going to the circus, Sokka and Yue with the Water Tribe warriors, Aang training with a guru, and Toph helping the Earth King interrogate his staff, she had kind of been left behind.

Well, Zuko and the other two princes had been left behind too, but they at least could work with the Earth generals, who had been cleared with vague talks about supplies and recruitment for their plan. They may not be telling what the Fire Nation's weakness is yet, but they were willing to help plan for exploiting it as best they could without giving too much away.

That left Katara with the great and noble task of… babysitting.

Not that she had any problem with that, no, TomTom was a delightful baby, and Momo was a surprisingly big help with caring for him. Also, Katara understood why Mai and Ty Lee couldn't take him with them, just in case whatever was happening at the circus turned out to be a trap, and they promised they'd be back as soon as possible to take him back.

But Katara had traveled the world, she'd mastered waterbending, she'd met with kings, princes, and princesses, and given her all to end this war. She'd kind of thought she'd left babysitting toddlers behind when she'd left the Southern Water Tribe.

And right now, she didn't even have that. Zuko, of all people, had offered to take TomTom off her hands and give her a break, and allow him to bond with his nephew. The prince was actually really good with babies, too, strange as it was.

Katara had, at first, been glad for the break, but now it only hammered home how she had absolutely nothing to do.

Not for the first time, she wondered if she should have gone with Sokka and Yue after all. But the thought of seeing her father again… she wasn't ready for that. Not yet.

The Southern Waterbender shook her head and decided to stop feeling sorry for herself. If she had nothing to do, she just had to go out and find something to do. Smellerbee and Longshot had gone out into the city in hopes of hunting down the remains of the Dai Li so they could be brought in for their crimes. That sounded like a good use of her skills. She'd just go join them and ignore any lingering awkwardness remaining from the whole... Jet situation.

At that last thought, she paused, then shook her head.

It... might be better if she just did her own searching. They could cover more ground that way.

With that in mind, Katara began walking with a bit more spring in her step.

It was good to have something useful to do.

Azula had been right. The Dai Li had been desperate for leadership, and it hadn't taken much for her to take them to heel, using the promise of revenge on the Avatar and Earth King to ensure their loyalty. Now she was standing surrounded by her new minions in the Dai Li's hideout, preparing for her next steps.

But in doing so, she learned she was already running out of time. "They're searching for those two already?" Azula asked the Dai Li agent who was reporting to her what was currently going on at the palace.

The Dai Li agent looked somewhat surprised that she knew who he was talking about, but quickly answered her question. "Yes, one is the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, and the group has noted she never joined them. The other is the Earth King's newest 'trusted' advisor," the agent answered, though he said the part about Qin Su quite bitterly. No doubt, he and the other agents were peeved that the girl had the king's ear now instead of them.

All further proof that Azula could never trust her former wife's safety with them. It was fortunate she'd summoned Ty Lee for the job instead.

Still, she frowned as she mulled over her current predicament. Qin Su and Lou Qingyang were more important than she'd realized (That, or Lan Xichen's guilt was truly immense, and he coddled Jin Guangyao's 'victims' because of it. To be honest, Azula was more inclined to believe the latter). If they had been of a lower rank, they might not have been missed, but those two were not. As such, several people were already searching for them, though not yet urgently. That would soon change when they realized the girls hadn't simply run late.

While it was possible she could take over Ba Sing Se in these circumstances, it wouldn't hurt to have a few backup plans. There were several things she could do here to impress her father. Succeeding where her uncle had failed was, of course, the goal, but on the off chance she failed (a thought that she would have balked at before remembering Jin Guangyao, but Jin Guangyao knew better) she needed something to keep her father from burning and banishing her like he did with Zuko, if not worse.

(Something that would throw him off her trail if he were really Wen Ruohan would also be nice. Pity Ukano hadn't been more important in their last life that she could use him as a trigger.)

"Time may be against us," Azula said, addressing the Dai Li agents in the hideout. "But all we need is one loose thread. One small thing to tip the scales and allow us to take victory."

"But what will that be, Princess?" asked an agent.

Before Azula could respond, another came hurrying in. "Princess," he said with a bow. "The Avatar's waterbending teacher has been spotted. She is nearby searching for us, and closing in as we speak."

An idea began to spread through Azula's mind, hearing that. "And there we have our thread," she said almost cheerfully. "As well as a direction for which to aim our plan."

"And what is that, Princess?" asked one of the agents.

Azula gave them all a bright and pleasant smile that was in stark contrast to the words she spoke.

"I'm going to kill the Avatar."

Aang knew he wasn't being a good Avatar.

If he were a good Avatar, he'd turn around right now and finish his training with Guru Pathik to control the Avatar State. The fate of the world depended on it.

But right now, he was less concerned about the world than he was about Katara. He knew the Avatar State was important, but he couldn't ignore the vision he'd had of her in danger. He just couldn't!

So when Aang saw Ty Lee and Mai heading back towards Ba Sing Se as he was rushing there himself, he was relieved. If Katara was in danger, then any help he could get saving her was appreciated.

But then he heard why the two girls were going back so soon.

"Princess Azula is Jin Guangyao!" Mai said bluntly the second the couple was on Appa.

It took Aang a second to remember that name, but when he did, he did a double-take. "Wait, isn't that the guy you said got Sokka and the Boulder killed and tried to kill the rest of you too?"

"And many other people, yes," said Mai.

Ty Lee, meanwhile, was looking grim. "And now he's the princess of the Fire Nation, and has my sister thinking that she's me, so I can't let her see me with you, or Lin will be in danger."

Aang gripped Appa's reins and tried to keep himself steady as things just kept getting worse and worse. One problem at a time. One thing he could fix now was, "You should get a mask. It worked great for Zuko to hide who he is."

Ty Lee and Mai both did double-takes hearing that. "Wait? He what?" asked Ty Lee.

Kuei and The Boulder were starting to get frantic.

It had been hours, and neither hide nor hair had been found of Jin. The Kyoshi Warriors' Leader had vanished too, and the other warriors were begging to be allowed to search. Something the guards were reluctant to do, given that they thought the leader had kidnapped Jin. Before, Kuei would have been inclined to believe that, too, but… Mai had said the leader was trustworthy, and she had long been proven to be a better judge of character than him.

Still, there was a first time for everything…

Kuei shook his head to clear it. Finding Jin was more important than casting blame. The Kyoshi leader could be completely innocent and could just be caught up in the same thing as Jin was. Still, until he was sure, he wasn't going to allow the other warriors to help with the search.

Speaking of which…

"Another Kyoshi Warrior?" he said, repeating what the guard standing before his throne had just said.

The guard nodded. "Yes, your majesty. One that wasn't detained with the rest has been seen around the castle, but as of yet, no one has been able to reach her."

"Why not?" asked the Boulder, from where he was standing next to Kuei.

The guard looked frustrated, but kept his tone professional. "Because she's slippery. Anytime someone spots her, she's gone before our men can arrive to catch her." He then frowned. "However, when we described her to the Kyoshi Warriors we already have, they say they do not have anyone among their number matching this girl's description, and her hair is too long and dark to be the missing leader."

King Kuei and the Boulder shared a look. "They could be lying," the Boulder said.

"Lady Toph already cleared that they weren't," said the guard.

"Then this extra warrior may have something to do with the leader and Jin going missing," said Kuei thoughtfully.

At that moment, the doors burst open with a gust of wind, and Aang, Sokka, Yue, Mai, and Ty Lee came rushing in.

Alarmed by the looks on Mai's face, Kuei stood from his throne and hurried over to meet his sister halfway. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Mai's lips set in a hard line as she gritted out, "Jin Guangyao."

King Kuei reared back in shock, and the Boulder let out a vile curse behind him.

Ty Lee then stepped forward. Kuei had been so concerned about Mai's worried appearance, he hadn't noticed the silver mask now covering the upper half of Ty Lee's face, hiding her expression from view. It wasn't the only change, as her hair was now loose and tied more in the fashion she favored as Wei Wuxian in his Yiling Patriarch days. "When we got to the circus, my sister left me a note to warn us," she said, her voice grim. "Jin Guangyao has been reborn here as well. He's now the Fire Princess, Azula."

"And the mask?" asked The Boulder.

Ty Lee gave The Boulder a quick once-over. "Oh, Are you Nie Mingjue? Nice to see you in one piece, Sect Leader." She said with a friendly wave, like the last time she'd seen him hadn't been when he was a vengeful corpse trying to kill her. She then pointed at her mask and explained, "She had my identical sister taken to I-don't-know-where, thinking that she was me. But Lin was still able to leave a warning. And I'm not about to let her know Lin pulled the wool over her eyes, so until she's safe, don't call me by my current name."

"Very well, Wuxian," said King Kuei, the well-worn name of his brother-in-law still easier to use than her new one he'd yet to adjust to.

It was then that the Avatar spoke up, "Where's Katara? And everyone else?" he asked, looking worried. Sokka and Yue looked equally concerned.

"The Fire Royalty is hashing things out with my generals, and Toph is there for… 'mediation'," Kuei said, knowing that last word wasn't quite correct, but close enough. "Longshot and Smellerbee are seeking out any remaining Dai Li strongholds, and I believe Katara was looking after TomTom."

Sokka let out a snort. "Yeah, no, she's not."

Everyone turned to look at him.

Sokka blinked back, confused at their confusion. "What? You have everyone else doing important world-saving jobs, and you think Katara's going to sit back and be happy with babysitting?"

At that exact moment, Iroh, Lu Ten, and Zuko came walking in, the latter of which carrying TomTom in his arms. "What's going on?" Zuko asked when he saw everyone there.

Those who knew of Aang's vision paled as they realized no one knew where Katara was.

They needed to find her fast.

A/N Azula's not in as good a position as she was in the show, considering she's going it alone, but what remains of the Dai Li are in desperate need for new leadership and angry that their crimes are getting exposed, so she's not alone for long.

Ty Lee's mask is the one Wei Wuxian wears in the untamed, and she has the book/cartoon/comic's Yílíng Lǎozǔ hairstyle.