The Chong Sheng Trilogy: War by rachelthedemon

Fading Twiilight

Disclaimer: I own not, you sue not.

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The Chong Sheng Trilogy

PART I: WAR

Chapter 2: Fading Twilight

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The ferry, Azula concluded, was positively hateful. And if it was any indicator of what Ba Sing Se was going to be like, then she was two steps away from just waiting it out. The Avatar was going to have to leave sometime. The only thing stopping her was the consideration that the longer she waited to find him, the more likely her brother, incompetent and utterly stupid as he was, might have a stroke of luck and do something right for a change.

Ty Lee slept to her one side while Mai twirled a throwing knife in perpetual boredom at her other. She couldn't imagine the thought of having to disguise an entire Honor Guard as refugees. Three women with very obvious well-bred features were hard enough, and she was fortunate to have enough Earth Kingdom coin on her to pay for the tickets and secure disguises.

Or rather, fortunate enough that those made-up freaks from their last skirmish had yielded some. She smiled to herself. Baiting them had been far too easy. All she had to do was follow that girl straight to the Avatar.

Until then, a bowl of something that didn't taste like it was cut from a cow-bison's stomach and left to mould for the last five years in jungle heat would've been nice. Did these people dare to call this slop food? It was a wonder the whole ship hadn't keeled over dead. The notion of using it as either a chemical weapon or a new fuel source didn't seem too farfetched as she attempted to eat it with a straight face.

All this to blend in with a crowd of unwashed pigs. She silently prayed to the Sun God for no more undercover missions unless they involved sprawling estates, seduction, and possible poisoned wine.

"So what's the plan when we get to the city?" Mai asked, sounding raspy and half asleep as usual.

"We all split up to cover more ground," she muttered. "If you two find him first, do not engage him. Tail him and send word to me."

"Why do we get all the boring jobs?"

"That only goes for him. Any of his little friends are all yours."

"Thank God."

Azula grinned. Thought you'd see it my way. Now if only you would stop calling me that out of private...

Ty Lee stirred, rubbing her eye and groaning. "Mmmh...One flip, two splits, and a fold, I know already!...Huh?"

"Glad you decided to join us," Azula quipped, her grin fading to a slight scowl.

Ty Lee reddened, a hand rubbing behind her neck. "Well...um...there wasn't a whole lot to do on the ride, so I thought catching up on sleep might be a good idea! You know, take advantage when you can because--"

"You could've stayed awake to listen to the plan for when we reach our destination."

She fidgeted, biting her lip. "I-I'm sorry. Won't happen again."

"Good. Now, this is the last time. I'm not going to repeat myself. We split up to cover ground quickly. If you find his friends, do with them as you wish to beat his location out of them. If you find him, tail him for as long as you can and alert me. But remember that he is mine."

"Gotcha," she gulped, before pressing a hand to her stomach. "Aw man, I'm starved!" She looked over at the unfinished bowl of what purported to be stew, but looked like someone dug it out of the drill weapon's slurry. "You gonna eat that?"

Azula took a moment of customary disgust before relinquishing it. "No."

"Yay!" She dug in, seemingly unperturbed by the thought of what the substance might've been in a former life. Azula looked away before her stomach could turn any harder.

Note to self: never invite her to dinner again.

* * * *

Katara pushed the door to the apartment open, glad she had arrived home before anyone else. Because she was not ready to face a barrage of questions about why she looked like she'd just gotten done arm-wrestling a platypus bear. She wanted to go take a bath, wash her face, and smash an ice tower. In that order.

No, she told herself, she was not going to be sorry for giving that asshole a piece of her mind. Not after he'd kidnapped Aang and kicked her and the rest of them around like stones at a playground. Not after his nation nearly destroyed everything she loved. Harsh words were the least of the pain she wished she could deliver. Fortunately for him, she didn't fancy getting arrested, though part of her was tempted just for an opportunity to throw the Dai Li into the wall after him.

She started the bath, watching the water swirl between her fingers. No doubt running into him meant he knew Aang was close by. If he had changed as much as she surmised since he'd sent a fireblast over their heads for daring to want to help him, she figured it was only a matter of time before he was back up to his old tricks. She had to warn Aang.

But they still had to see the Earth King. And find Appa.

She felt as though she were tied to a barrel of blasting jelly, watching helplessly as the fuse burned ever shorter.

Perhaps they could hold Zuko off until then? It wasn't like he was terribly competent at this sort of thing. Even when he'd finally succeeded in kidnapping Aang, the guy seemed to have a knack for running into unplanned disaster. If he did make trouble, she reasoned, it wouldn't be much more than they were currently dealing with, and definitely not more than they could handle. The basin filled finally. Heated, but not to where steam curled from the surface. She figured it best to wash up without cooking herself as she stripped off her clothes and grabbed the cloth from the table. Getting the dust and grime off her skin had never felt better, though she was careful of the blisters on her feet.

It's so easy for you to stand there and judge someone else when you don't know anything!

No, he was the one being the arrogant moron. All she had done was call him out on it. He was only mad because she was right, she knew she was right, and he knew she knew it. It was a great reason for any spoiled, proud son of a pighound to blow a gasket when left with nothing to argue against.

Except that try as she might, she couldn't stop the shudder down her back.

It wasn't what he said. She'd heard worse out of Aang in cases of extreme distress, rare as they were. Things that made her wince inside just because it was Aang -- sweet, kind, patient to a fault and completely lovable for it Aang -- who said them. Heck, she'd heard some downright nasty things out of her own brother -- directed at her, no less. She could handle being told to shut up in the most scathing manner possible. And it wasn't as if she never gave as good as she got.

It wasn't even his tone, either. Her friends, her brother, even her Gran-Gran had all given it to her more harshly than that. And admittedly, she'd dished it out just as well herself, especially to people she cared about. Screaming at people and being screamed at were hardly rare occurrences in her life. Having Sokka for a brother had jaded her long before she ever met Aang.

It was the look, on his face and in his eyes, that she would never in a hundred years forget. The look of a wound she hadn't known existed, the bandages torn off and the stitches ripped open and salt and acid ground into it with a broken heel. Rage and bitterness and how dare you, the scar on his eye alive, pain radiating from him like heat off a candle flame. The look that flat out told her she'd gone too far, and that she deserved whatever he had to throw at her. A look she'd seen many times before, and no doubt would be seeing many more.

The look that Aang always got right before he reached Avatar State. The look that made her want to hug him and take it all away. Every time.

She stared down at the water basin. "Hello, Mister Ponytail Guy. How's your uncle doing after he took that lightning bolt to the shoulder? Oh, just peachy. Care for a cup of tea? The jasmine's half-price today."

The last time they crossed paths, he had helped them fight that psychotic sister of his -- granted, after she had just attacked someone dear to him -- only to have her turn around and tear him a new one just for the crime of being there. She hadn't meant to start anything. That much had been true. But in the end, her temper had gotten away from her, like it did every time.

She sighed, squeezing out the cloth with tense hands. How was she supposed to know that giving him a hefty dose of reality would...no. There was no rationalizing it. She'd gone too far, and until she swallowed her pride and corrected it, that face, that look, those words, and the cracking of the voice that shouted them would come back to haunt her like the beat of some ghastly demonic heart beneath the floorboards.

She knew what she had to do. And she liked the idea about as much as she liked washing Sokka's clothes after The Whaling Trip That Must Never Be Spoken Of Again.

And like the laundry, such a task was best done before the stain had time to set.

* * * *

Momo led them through crowded streets with enough twists and turns to confuse a prairie mole, trilling ahead of them if Sokka found himself falling behind. Part of him hoped Momo had actually found something and that this wasn't one of his nonsense or games at best, and at worst a plan to steal food from some angry vendors who might come after them with freshly sharpened blades.

They turned another corner, finding the crowds beginning to thin a bit, and progressively more until the streets were nearly clear, save for a lone stroller. This was one of the less developed districts, he assumed, as they slowed to a walk. "Momo? Are you sure you found something besides overturned trash cans?"

The lemur perched himself on an unlit streetlamp as they stepped into the clearing. Sokka looked around, noting the broken carts and run-down houses and pots and barrels full of stuff that made his nose burn. No sign of a giant fluffy monster with an arrow on his head. He sighed, turning back to Momo.

"Buddy, he's not here. What the heck did you find?"

"This," Toph said, making him turn to where she knelt at the cobblestones, in front of what looked like a large pile of matted straw. "He was here."

"How can you tell?"

"His scent. We've been travelling with him long enough that I'd recognize it anywhere." She felt along the straw, dipping her hands through it. "The hay is matted down. Like something really heavy crushed it from the top..."

His eyes narrowed as he rubbed his chin. If he was here, then where would he have gone? Why would Momo have led them to this particular spot? He looked back at the hay, brows drawing together. "We've been going about this all wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"Back home," he said, "we had an old saying among the hunters. 'It takes an orca to catch a fur seal.'" At her doubtful frown, he sighed. "We're thinking too much like humans. To figure out where Appa went, we have to think like a sky bison."

Toph stood, turning to him and folding her arms. "Well if you ask me, you're already thinking like a huge furry creature of limited intelligence."

"Very funny," he scowled. "But really, looking at this from Appa's perspective might lend us some clues." He turned to one of the dead streetlamps, wrapping his hands and feet around the pole and shimmying up to the top, just under the lantern.

It was there. Dusty and misshapen from trampling and rusted brown with dried dew, but unmistakable.

He grinned. Jackpot!

* * * *

"Is there something the matter?"

"No, Uncle."

"You missed your lunch break."

"I'm not hungry."

"Why--"

"I'm just not, okay?"

"I'm sure you will be later, then. I'll make that mai fun recipe you're so fond of."

"Whatever."

The buzz of the customers faded into a low background hum as he forced his mind to settle itself, to focus on the work to keep his thoughts from wandering back there again. It wasn't working. Try as he might, there was something about being called a blindfolded, cowardly sheep on his way to the slaughter that simply would not leave him be. Especially when it came from an arrogant, smug mouth such as he had only seen on one other face.

Oh, if only the Dai Li hadn't been an issue... He would've glady set that bundle of rotten tea leaves ablaze and shoved it down her throat.

How dare she. How dare that cocky little bitch try to tell him what his mission was when she knew as much about him as he knew about walruseal migration habits. He knew what he wanted. What he had been fighting to win back for over three years now. His country. His throne. His honor. And yes, he knew what they all meant. He was the rightful heir. Honor meant capturing the Avatar so that he could regain his place in line for the throne. So that he wouldn't be a disgrace in the eyes of his nation.

Do you really think everything will go back to normal once you hand over the Avatar?

Yes, it had to. His father had said so before kicking him out on the deck of a warship. If he brought back the Avatar, he could have his old life back. He would be the Prince again. He would be worth something. He wouldn't be a disgrace and a failure anymore, since he would have done what neither of his last two predecessors had. That was his purpose, to be the heir to the Fire Nation and carry on the line.

And if you dare set foot in Fire Nation territory without him, you will be arrested.

Well, that part was customary. It was the way things worked when one got banished.

Oh for Heaven's sake why was he even bothering to dwell on anything she said? She knew nothing about him. All she had was a face. Hell, not even a face, just a scar that happened to be on it. What gave her the right to stand there outside a dumpster and analyze and judge the actions of someone whose name she barely knew?

And what gave her words the right to follow him like this? To cling to him like a cloud of gnats and invade his mind and not let him think of anygoddamnthing else? He could almost see that smug grin in the surface of the tea he'd just poured. Derisive and scoffing and good god he hated her. With the burning passion of a thousand Comets.

No. He knew what he had to do. And nothing, no one -- especially not a Waterbender peasant from the South Pole, even if she could bring a few tons of ice down on his head at will -- was going to convince him otherwise.

* * * *

Ty Lee's first impression of Ba Sing Se was that it reminded her a lot of the circus; organized, cultured, and although she couldn't see it, probably crazier than an ostrich horse on ten bowls of cactus juice behind the scenes.

But then, everything was reminding her of the circus these days. Of how much she wanted to go back there. To be on stage again, twisting her body in ways few humans could while the crowd raved and threw flowers into the ring. She sighed, adjusting the cheap, rough clothes she'd bought before boarding the ferry. A shenyi so oversized she could pass for a man if she really wanted to. And considering some of the characters she shared the street with, that didn't seem like a half bad idea.

She was almost grateful for the thinning crowds; it made picking out a bald kid with arrows on his head so much easier when he wasn't hidden by a forest of fellow bustlers. But then, it became apparent why this section of town was so deserted.

It smelled, for one thing. And not like the spices, tea, perfume, and leather that was the rest of the city. Here, the stenches of dew and mold reigned, with the notes of rotting wood and stagnant water. For another, there was virtually nothing of cultural value, unless one considered decrepit hovels, broken fences, half-starved livestock, and long abandoned workshops to be points of interest. And from the looks of things, very few people did. The street was empty.

She wrinkled her nose, bringing the collar of her robe up to cover the lower half of her face. How in the hell did people live like this? How were they even allowed to? Admittedly, the circus had its issues; she learned to live with the smell of hay and animals clinging to her. Learned to sleep in the straw when it was cold and blankets were in short supply. Learned to eat stuff that looked and smelled like raw sewage and tasted like the inside of a tomb. She learned to not only tolerate it, but to love it.

The animals were family, there to listen to her vent about difficult routines and nuzzle her with purring solace and unconditional affection when she fed them. The straw was warm and fragrant, fun to flop around in and good for breaking clumsy falls in practice. And even in the worst of times, the stew was still edible and healthier than anything the Academy had fed her.

What she'd told Azula was the truth. She'd never been happier. She loved what she did, loved who she travelled with, and her aura was indeed a giggly shade of pink. With a dash of sparkles.

But this? She looked around, frowning. This was just depressing.

The thought of buying a few pots of paint and dousing everything in her path with a glittering wash of rose pink and magenta with lavender accents when she heard it. Faint, familiar voices. A boy and a girl. Speaking heatedly, but not angrily. More like the tone people use when they discuss something urgent. From what she could tell, they were coming from the next alley over. She slunk along the wall toward the corner, definitely recognizing the guy's voice but for the life of her couldn't put a face to it. One of those far too frequent times when she knew she should feel stupid for forgetting, but was too focused to really give a damn. She would find out soon enough.

Her breath ceased for a moment, not wanting to be heard, as she approached the street's end.

"It's definitely his print. He was standing right there!"

"And judging from the way the hay is pressed down, it was pretty recent, too. Which means there may be other clues around."

Dammit, she new that voice. Now if only her brain would undork itself and cooperate... Footsteps met her ears as she finally poked her head around the wall to see the speakers.

Azula was right, she surmised. She was a Hindering Scatterbrain rather than a Dangerous Lady, but could still whip any member of the Royal Guard into submission if she so chose. How she could forget the cute Water Tribe guy -- who looked even cuter with his limbs hanging limp as overcooked lo mein and still trying to make himself useful -- she'd never know. His companion was a mystery, though.

She watched as the little girl bent close to the ground at the street's edge, feeling along the cobblestones as a frown creased her face. "This was bended recently. There's a broken seam in the stones, and they haven't settled yet."

"Can you tell how exactly it was moved?"

She stood up, walking along what Ty Lee assumed to be the seam as if it were a tight rope. "I can try. The thing about Earthbending is that rocks have a memory. Kinda. Solid ground can retain the chi pattern used on it if the Earthbender is strong enough. I can see if there's a pattern left here, and use it to repeat what the other Bender did."

She stood back, kneeling and pressing her hands to the ground, her toes curling and uncurling and lips set in a hard, determined line. Minutes passed like hours as she palmed along the stones and dirt, tracing a seemingly random pattern with her fingertips. "I think I've got something..." Ty Lee watched as the girl stood up again, backing away and raising her arms before stomping forward.

The ground erupted, a great slab of the street roughly the length of two buildings suddenly flipping over like a perfect jian bing cake, leaving a cloud of dust that she had to pull her collar up against and try not to cough. Her acquaintance stared in shock as it settled, turning to his companion with a devious grin.

"The only place a ten-ton fluffy monster could ever in a million years hide. We've got to go tell Aang."

Ty Lee smirked. Yeah, you go do that. Cute people are hard to come by. I'd rather not have to beat them up.

* * * *

The city, Azula concluded, was hardly an improvement over the ferry. Crowded, hot, and dusty, alleys brimming with actual refugees rather than princesses and highborn teammates in disguise. But at least it smelled like something other sweat and rotting wood and something that crawled into a saucepan by itself and died. Not that tea and spices and textile dyes were much of an improvement. Boring at best. What she wouldn't do for the scent of strong baijiu and leather. But of course, she wasn't going to find any of that in the Earth Kingdom.

She pulled her hair out of her face, regretting having to let down her topknot in order not to broadcast which nation she hailed from. She hadn't quite realized how long it had gotten until she had to take it all down. But no matter. Once she found the Avatar, captured him, and got out of this godforsaken city, she could have Ty Lee put it back up for her.

Of course, spotting someone that short in the crowded streets of Ba Sing Se was going to be...interesting, to say the least. At least he had the Airbender tattoos to make him stand out. Oh, and the shaved helped, because hair seemed to be quite prized among Earth Kingdom citizenry, and a bald kid in a monk's attire was bound to be noticed.

She rounded a corner into a busier section of the Middle Ring, the busiest she'd seen, actually. Though truth be told the crowd was mostly up ahead of her, a lot of them filing into what purported to be a teahouse on the left. Not that it wasn't expected at this hour. It was late afternoon with a brutal sun. And unlike Firebenders, those of other nations cursed the heat rather than reveled in it. She smirked. Yet another thing to feel superior about.

But that smirk quickly vanished as movement between the river of strollers, shoppers, and otherwise plain-looking citizens caught her eye. A tiny sliver of blue, a shade as familiar as the dark skin it rested against. Her eyes narrowed, watching for it again, spotting it weaving through the crowd and trying to get a better look. Perhaps today was a lucky day as Ty Lee had said with that first step off the train. There wasn't harm in finding out at least. She waited, following the elusive figure until it finally cleared to a gap in the crowd.

Azula knew that dress anywhere. The braid and dark skin, blue eyes and that damned pouch at her belt. Her fists clenched for a moment, wishing desperately for a technique to set fire with her mind and nothing else.

She travels with the Avatar...

The reminder seemed to come out of nowhere. They were never separated for long, she mused, observing as the girl headed for the teahouse doors with a purposeful stride. If she found her so quickly, her true quarry couldn't be too far off. She grinned, pulling the hood to her tunic down and following her.

That's a good girl. Lead me right to him.


TO BE CONTINUED...

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