Chapter 24: Chapter Twenty four
"Never do that again!" Zuko groaned, Aang dispersed the air sphere carrying him once they'd reached a spot on the roof of the palace.
"Sorry, but you really need to see this." Aang sighed, pointing at an opening in the palace wall.
"What is it?" Zuko uttered, his voice echoing down the brick passageway.
"I forgot about it before, but it's where Azula used to hide when we'd play hide and seek as kids," Ty Lee explained, joining the duo along with Suki.
"So it might be where she's keeping the kids?" Zuko asked.
"It's gotta be, how else would she have escaped so fast?" Mai piped up, she'd also just arrived.
"Alright, let's go." Zuko nodded to Aang, igniting a flame in his palm and making his way down the passage.
_
Sokka and Katara stood in shock in the doorway. Both utterly lost for words.
"Uhm-" Sokka cut himself off, losing any sentence he could muster in the shocked expression on his fathers face when they met gazes.
"We'll uh," Katara uttered awkwardly before pulling her brother back and closing the door. "See you later."
.
The next morning, Hakoda and his soldiers went off to investigate Gilak's base while Katara and Sokka went with Malina and Maliq to check out a factory. Katara was still feeling conflicted about what she'd seen the other night, but Sokka was distracting himself with his new consultant duties. He figured he'd have to be accepting of his dad's new relationship if he expected him to be accepting of his. With Zuko...
Maliq started talking about the factory and his vision, but Sokka became distracted. Thinking about Zuko. Now, the situation with his Dad was basically old news. He found that when he was enamored with someone they just seemed to fill his thoughts whenever he'd let them. Yue, Suki, and now Zuko. A tiny smile grew on his face. When were they going to see each other again?
"So what do you think?" Maliq grinned.
"Sorry, think about what?" Sokka uttered.
Malina laughed. "Sometimes my brother gets a little off track with his ideas," She started, patting Maliq's shoulder. "But what he was saying is that we found a huge deposit of oil under the ice and we plan to extract it."
"Isn't that what you use to fuel lamps?" Sokka raised an eyebrow.
"Well, yes but it can be used to fuel so much more. New age machinery; powerful machinery! And since it's so big, we can have them everywhere!" Maliq beamed.
"And... that's a good idea because...?" Katara prompted.
"It's a good idea because machines will make it so that benders and non-benders can be equal! You don't understand because you're a bender. You have this awesome and strong ability that most people will never experience. At least, not until now!" Maliq explained.
"Yeah! I see where you're coming from." Sokka nodded.
"Huh, I've never thought of non benders as not equal..." Katara mumbled.
"It's like the two production lines we saw at Earthen fire refinery, one used benders and one didn't." Sokka noted.
"Exactly like that! They're actually our partners and they're helping us with construction!" Maliq grinned.
"Earthen fire is sending over a representative to walk us through the refinery's expansion," Malina introduced. "Here she comes now."
The duo looked over to see where the woman was pointing.
"Representative? I'm an executive partner now." Toph corrected, making her way over.
"Toph!" Katara and Sokka exclaimed, immediately hugging the shorter earth bender.
"I heard you guys might be around," Toph smiled. "Sorry I didn't recognize you sooner, these things make it so much harder to see." She pointed to her boots before throwing her arms out, hitting Sokka in the face.
"Ow!"
"See what I mean?"
"You did that on purpose." Sokka raised an eyebrow.
Toph snickered back. Malina and Maliq greeted her graciously, exchanging some pleasantries before mentioning a festival they were having in honor of their partnership.
"We'll have music, games, and all the food you could want!" Malina grinned.
"Count me in!"
.
That night, the trio went to enjoy the festival. Sokka and Toph went off to play some festival games including a game similar to the one Toph had used to scam some guys back in the fire nation. There was no guarantee that she wasn't going to cheat this time too. Meanwhile, Katara was greeted with Master Pakku and some of his new waterbending students. Two young girls.
"These are Siku and Sura," Master Pakku introduced. "This here is Katara, an incredibly accomplished waterbender. Possibly the finest in the world."
"No need to brag," Katara blushed, smiling. "How are your lessons going?"
"Bad," The tall one replied. "Real bad," The little one added. "Cuz we're not waterbenders."
The two raced off, leaving a rather confused Katara to turn and give her master a confused glance. He sighed, shaking his head softly.
"How do you know they're waterbenders?" Katara asked lightly.
"Because they bend whenever they think I'm not watching," He replied blandly, pointing at the two bending a snowball onto another to make a snowman. "They're quite talented for their age. But it's like they don't want to share their bending with anyone else."
.
Hakoda and his soldiers stood outside the city gates. They were armed and ready for an attack as the news of Gilak making an army had Hakoda on edge. With Malina being attacked and his kids almost kidnapped, he wasn't about to sit around and do nothing.
Katara walked out to meet her father, staring out over the snowy landscape, there wasn't a soul in sight.
"You came to talk to me about Malina, didn't you?" Hakoda eventually asked.
Katara sighed, nodding. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"I didn't think you were ready..." He sighed regretfully, looking down.
"But are you sure that you're ready?" Katara frowned. "I'm just not really understanding why you chose... her."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, she doesn't really understand us... The south. And I don't really trust her, I feel like she's up to something." Katara fumbled with her hands in her lap.
"If you can't trust her, you can at least trust me, right? yes she has a lot to learn but she has a good heart," Hakoda reasoned. "I wouldn't have fallen in love with her otherwise."
"Still..." Katara trailed off.
"Besides, you know what it's like to be in love."
"...Yeah..."
"So you know what I mean. The kind of love that doesn't blind you, the kind that sacrifices. The good kind." Hakoda explained softly.
_
"Hey guys watch your step." Aang called back to Mai and Kei Lo, nodding to a break in he stairs they'd been climbing.
"We've got it." Kei Lo grinned, helping Mai over the crack.
"We're here." Zuko announced softly, "this must be where Azula is keeping Kiyi and Tom Tom."
"Let's go." Aang nodded, diminishing his fire.
They were left in darkness for a moment before Zuko and Aang pushed away the large rock door that was concealing the exit. A dim light poured through the opening as they stepped out. After their eyes adjusted to the light, the group found themselves in a graveyard.
"I've been here before," Zuko muttered. "This is the royal family graveyard."
"I thought that's what the dragon catacombs were for." Aang queried.
"Those are for the Firelords. This is for everyone else. It's called the garden of tranquil souls."
"Hate to break it to you, but the souls here don't seem all too tranquil." Aang noted, gesturing to the 4 Kemurikage that had just appeared around them.
The Kemurikage sprung into action, one member of each group fighting one on one. Zuko and Aang held their own, Zuko quickly deducting that the one he was against was not Azula. Just as he realized that however, Mai was kicked to the ground by the one she'd been fighting. The action exposing a very familiarly clothed leg. Mai was quick to get back up though and threw a knife at the figure, scraping it's mask before flying beyond it and clattering against a headstone.
"Nice throw, Mai, you've been practicing." Azula chuckled, taking the mask off.
"Azula, where are you hiding the kids?!" Mai scowled.
"Tsk tsk, manners, manners! Is that really how you're going to greet an old friend?" Azula sighed, generating some lightning. "I really ought to thank you you know," She shot the electricity, missing Mai. She was quick to generate more. "Remember that time we had a sleepover at your place?"
"And you made me steal all my mom's mochi? I remember."
"Oh please, I only suggested it. You were the one who was eager to go through with it. And then I had to eat it all on my own." Azula sighed, waving her off.
"My mom made my grandmother that mochi for her 70th birthday."
"Oh yes I remember her saying something along those lines I suppose, it was so long ago," Azula shrugged. "But something about that night seemed off, you were tossing and muttering in your sleep. Quite annoying in actuality, but it made me wonder; what on earth could shake my unshakable friend? And then I found out. Mythical spirits born from anger and hate and revenge; my kind of ladies. The Kemurikage."
"Shut up." Mai spat, throwing several knives at Azula.
Azula dodged them, shooting a blast of lightning back at her which sent her to the floor again. The firebender scoffed, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. Just as she was about to say something else, Kei Lo jumped at her, shoving her forwards. Instantly Azula twisted and shot lightning at the guy who was no longer there.
"Who is this imbecile?!" She growled at the brunette, grabbing the front of his shirt and igniting a blue flame in her free hand. "Please don't tell me this is your boyfriend, Mai. I know Zuzu wasn't the greatest catch but still, you could do better."
"Azula! Please leave him alone!" Mai pleaded.
"Listen to her. Leave him alone." Zuko spoke up sternly, standing across the way with his own fire ignited.
"Awe, Zuzu, trying to win back your ex girlfriend by defending her new boyfriend? That's just sad," Azula mused. "What, are you already done with that snow peasant?"
"Don't call him that." Zuko growled, firing at her.
His flames were met with hers halfway, blue clashing against orange. Once the flare of colour diminished, Azula was escaping in the opposite direction.
"Azula! Don't!" Zuko called after her, racing off to follow her.
Meanwhile, Aang was fighting off the other Kemurikage. Using a pillar of earth, he knocked them both out and returned his gaze to the scenery, immediately noticing that he was alone. Just as he was about to call for them, he heard a faint cry for help coming from a crypt nearby. Looking over, he noticed it was almost identical to the one they'd gotten there through.
"Hello?" He asked softly, walking over.
There was silence. He frowned, taking a stance and earthbending the rock door open. inside was a staircase that descended somewhere that didn't quite matter as there was a line of kids walking up it towards him. Closest to him were two Kemurikage and Ukano, the cloaked people seemed to have been in the middle of scolding he man or something but when Aang opened the door, they ignited their fists, trails of fire seeping out from them as they moved towards him.
He took a stance, prepared to fight but instead was met with smoke. The same smoke that made people pass out. He took in a breath too late and immediately felt feint. One of the Kemurikage hit his back, causing him to fall over. However both of them were met with their own back strikes. Mai and Kei Lo had come in after Aang.
"Mai!" Tom Tom cried, running up to her.
"Tom Tom!" She hugged him. "I missed you, kiddo."
They escorted the kids out of the dingy tunnel.
"Where's Zuko?" Asked Aang groggily.
"He ran off after Azula." Kei Lo shrugged.
"Zuzu's here?" Kiyi chirped.
"We'd better go find him." Aang uttered, racing off after Mai pointed in the direction he needed to go.
Zuko walked out of another crypt. Seemed like the whole graveyard was really just a bunch of secret tunnels going everywhere. Kiyi ran up to him, a look of relief washed over his face and he kneeled to pick her up and hug her.
"Zuzu!" She cheered. "I knew you'd come!"
"Sorry it took so long..." He sighed.
Standing up, he looked over to Mai who had Tom Tom in her arms. She gave him a thankful smile.
"Where'd Azula go?" Aang asked.
"She disappeared." Zuko muttered, looking back at the place he'd just come out of.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone