Adult-FanFiction.org : Cartoons

Azula's Lost Chapters OR Azula's New Cook	By : DecieverGod Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > Het - Male/Female Views: 13899 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 25
- 26
- 27
“There it is, the Two Twin’s Tavern.” Xan smirked a little and roughly struck Tatsuya on the back, pointing to a large, several story structure, built of smooth stone and painted a pure white as to appear marble, with just a light accenting of gold leaf on the windows and second floor balcony. “Don’t let her appearance fool you. Mr. Fancy Pants over here won the coin toss for the outside.” The Captain smiled back politely. “But despite looking like she does you can still get as stiff a drink as you want, I made sure of that.” Xan laughed and lead the way inside.

“Yes… and despite the… boorish interior decorating…” Hakuraman clearly didn’t much care for the hog monkey hunting trophy bearing walls, crooked wooden tables, or Zhang Tribe Bartenders. “The Two Twins is still a place where a refined man can enjoy a light beverage to dull the… Grievances of the world,” He glanced to Xan. “Before retiring for the evening.” Again Tatsuya returned a polite smile.

Truthfully the Captain couldn’t help but admire the irony in these two entering into a business that served exclusively alcoholic beverages. He wonders slightly if they served anyone beyond their own tribesmen. “It’s a lovely establishment, I’m sure.” Tatsuya smiled at the two, trying to ignore the half gone Zhang tribesman bent over the bar’s counter a few feet from him. “But I really feel I should concentrate on finding my next job before I… Indulge myself.”

Xan smirked a little and once again threw a rough open palm down against the Captain’s back. “Nonsense boy, we just paid you, that means it’s time to kick back and cool your heels, drinks all around!” She practically forced him over to a table and into a chair beside her. “Sides you’ve gotta spend some of our money here, how else are we supposed to get it back from you?” She laughed a little as a Zhang tribes-girl brought over a trio of small brown cups containing some variety of semi-clear alcoholic beverage.

“She, for once, has a point my boy.” Hakuraman smiled a little as he pulled out his chair and sat eloquently down beside Tatsuya. “Tonight we celebrate reaching Ba Sing Sei, the greatest city in the world.” He raised his cup to invoke a toast.

“Here here! Let’s drink till dawn!” Xan whole heartedly accepted the toast and down her glass in a single go.

Tatsuya was less enthusiastic; so many things were weighing so heavy on him. Was Azula safe, how would he find her, would she even want to see him if he did, was it the best thing leave the train, or would it have been better for him to just wait things out in the woods.

“Another round over here!” Xan waved to her tribesmen. “We’ve cause to celebrate! Ahahah…” She laughed hearted and smirked over at her trim counterpart.

“I’m not entirely sure I approve such avid drinking, after all it’s hardly dark out.” Hakuraman said stroking his beard. “But then again this is a celebration.” He smirked lightly and raised his glass again even as the waiter replaced them.

The cheer of the tribe leaders quickly spread through the patrons and tribesmen of the tavern, and it wasn’t long before Zhang and Gan Jin, and anyone else who stumbled into the tavern for that matter were well drunk and enthusiastically celebrating, whether they had something to celebrate or not.

The Captain however seemed as immune as Mai, finding himself some glum unoccupied corner beside a small window that looked out on nothing more than an empty ally, and sulking there, only occasionally taking a stalwart shot of his drink to break up the monotony.

He twisted his glass in his hand, and leaned out the window, just enough to block the clamor of the revelry around him, and listen to the calm, almost churning noise of city. Listening, to the anonymous voices of this man, or that girl. Hearing them barter over useless knickknacks, or attempt to sooth a crying child, or plot some crime, of flit with some girl, or complain about something in their lives.

Tatsuya ground his teeth and took another shot of his drink.

These people… they were. He ground his teeth and sought for the word. These people were rotten, ignoring each other, simply because they couldn’t stand the world around them. These people were corrupt, caring only for themselves and their safety when the world around them was falling down. These people were… Tatsuya took another shot. These people were, no different from the Fire Nation soldiers.

It had been the same, no matter what platoon or regiment he was assigned to. This same dribble had flowed from the mouths of the soldiers. They’d barter, plot, sooth, flirt and complain just the same. The only difference was that they touted Honor, and these people held no illusions about theirs. Tatsuya took another shot.

No, that wasn’t right. It hadn’t been the same everywhere. There had been one person, who no matter the element she was placed in, no matter what the world presented her with, she remained the same. She was iron. She was solid, immutable. Princess Azula wasn’t going to suffer the world. She was going to remake it.

She was what the Fire Nation idolized. Purity, Determination, Power and Drive. She deserved this world. Even now, in the depths of the Earth Kingdom there wasn’t one man, nor woman, that shown with the same brilliant light that she did.

Tatsuya smirked and downed the last of his drink. I’m just a spider-moth. He thought, holding a hand out the window and conjuring a small beating flame within it. I’m pulled to her light, even though it might destroy me. The Captain stared into the flickering light within his hand; he felt it’s warm, fed it with his emotion. He wanted to feed it ever thing he had, he wanted to be left hollow by the flame. He wanted it to make him stop…

He closed his palm and extinguished the flame. Still staring at his closed fist, though now he was no longer looking out. His mind raced. What was it he wanted to stop? He could feel the desire to stop deep within him, but he could sort out what it was that he desired. Did his soul wanted him to stop seeking the Princess? No. It couldn’t, he’d meant it when he’d sworn his soul to her, and his heart still ached to stand beside her again.

Did he want to stop aching? No. He knew the ache was only temporary, until he found her again, until he felt her presence consume him, until he smelt her hair again, and tasted that sweet scent that followed in her wake.

Then what was it?! What was this ache in the back of his throat! What was this feeling that he couldn’t burn away?! Tatsuya slammed his fist into the side of the window, and made enough of a ruckus that those in the tavern quieted and turned to him.

The lull in noise was enough to pull the Captain from his thoughts, and he turned. “My apologize.” He bowed lightly. “It’s been a long night, if you’ll excuse me.” He bowed again, and snatching up his halberd from it place beside him, he exited the tavern. Perhaps a night-time walk to cool his temper, before he found an inn to spend the night.

The citizens of the outer rim more or less ignored Tatsuya. Even after sunset, the city buzzed with life. The main streets were lit with hanging lanterns, and the side streets glowed with the light of the city around them.

Of course it wasn’t unexpected that the citizens would keep their distance from him. A young man, with long messy hair, a dirty shirt worn for several days in a row already, carrying a large bladed metal pole-arm begrudgingly striding down the city streets in the middle of the night carrying the air of alcohol with him, didn’t tend to prompt a conversation.

Although one would have thought that such a character wouldn’t have prompted much interest at all. But Tatsuya was becoming increasingly aware of a rather shady looking group following him.

Judging from their formation, the small slimly looking one in the front was the one in charge. He was clearly an Earth Kingdom man, and despite the moonlight sheen cast from his hair, he held himself up. Which is to say, he looked down on those around him, if not literally, than metaphorically.

He didn’t look the sort to start something, but neither did he pay any attention to those around him. Tatsuya had seen that sort of disregard before; he’d seen every sort of disregard before, particularly from those in the Fire Nation. With the exception of Princess Azula of course.

This man didn’t look at people as, people. He saw prospects. The sort of eye carried by a slaver, or noble grown too used to giving orders. Neither of which meant Tatsuya should bother with him. A slaver wouldn’t attack an armed man, even with the other two, who judging from the stride were soldiers, or at least had military training. And a noble wouldn’t approach a stranger without good reason.

Of course a noble would also probably have been dressed better and have washed his hair sometime this decade, but this was the Earth Kingdom, and the outer rim. Best they just be ignored until they became a grievance.

First thing was first. Tatsuya needed to find someplace to get a non-liquid meal, and a good night’s sleep. And judging from the burning beneath his skin, someplace to wait out the passing of whatever he’d been served at the Two Twin’s. It sort of explained how the Zhang and Gan Jin could live together if this haze was from just one cup.

Of course it wasn’t as if the Captain had even had alcohol before in his life. Even if he had been as old as the other soldiers, they’d never invited him to drink with them, even after he’d saved them, or done their jobs for them, or done their jobs alone…

They’d always hated him… And they always would, that loathsome pack of misbegotten rats would never accept him. He could come back with the head of the Earth King and they’d probably just laugh. He could kill ten thousand Earth Benders and not a one of them would have anything but contempt to offer him.

Except for Azula. Tatsuya sighed, and felt the old hatred leave his vanes, even past the fact he hadn’t noticed it enter. It was so familiar, he could notice it leave, but not enter. Never enter.

He sighed again and looked to the sky. One could hardly see the stars past the chimney fires, and lantern lights, but the moon shown bright.

Tatsuya sighed. He was hungry, and first thing was first. He couldn’t find the Princess if he starved to death. A quick glance around and the Captain located a small bustling tea shop, they’d have food, and judging from the business their tea couldn’t be horrible either.

The Captain entered and found an empty seat near the door, propping his halberd up again the wall and leaning back, lightly closing his eyes until the server arrived.

“Hi, I’m Lee, what’s your order?” The young man was a little cold, but no more than the Captain would’ve been in his situation.

“House special and an order of dumplings.” Tatsuya wasn’t exactly overflowing with comradely either, though something about the scarred boy did strike him as familiar. But he shrugged it off, it was probably just the name, there were a million Lees.

“Uncle! One Jasmine, one order of dumplings.” The Captain smirked a little, a real mom-and-pop shop. Although judging from the server’s scar mom and pop were probably victims of the Fire Nation.

Not that it mattered to him. Tatsuya just ate his food and sipped his tea, waiting for his head to clear and plotting his next move.

Although perhaps plotting is not the correct word. Plotting implies a something sinister, and generally a plot is a bit better informed that just what the Captain was cooking up. A more appropriate term might be, patch-working. As that is about what Tatsuya was up to at that particularly moment. Patching together a fragile semblance of a plan from what little he knew.

He knew the Princess was somewhere in the city. He knew the city was far too large to search by himself. He knew that he couldn’t trust anyone in the city with the Princess’s true identity. He knew the Princess was under the guise of a Kyoshi Warrior, and he knew there was very little chance he would ever be able to find three girls in a city of, at a conservative estimate over three thousand citizens, probably at least half of which female.

Tatsuya took a sip of his, surprisingly good, tea. What else did he know? He knew the Kyoshi Warriors were seeking an audience with the Earth King, and he assumed, from what he’d seen, that the Earth King would be in the center of the city. It made sense anyway, what with the circular walls the center would be the safest place for the palace.

So the question became, how does one get into the inner ring?

Tatsuya popped a dumpling in his mouth. They were a little chewy.

He could try to sneak into the inner ring. But if the inner walls were half as secure as the outer wall he’d be caught before he even got a chance. He could try to scale the inner wall, but that idea had the flaw of falling to his death and going splat. Something the Captain wasn’t too keen on.

Another sip of tea.

He could try to get a job in the inner ring. But short of cooking and killing, there wasn’t much he knew how to do. And he assumed the closer one got to the Earth King, the more the public would frown on homicide. Which left cooking; he could try to get a cooking job, perhaps for one of the rich households of the upper ring. But for that he’d need references, and for those he’d need to have impressed the right people, which held the problem of both finding the right people, and finding a reason to cook for them.

It wasn’t like he could break into someone’s house, point his halberd at their throat and say ‘let me cook for you or I kill you.’ He popped another dumping in his mouth. While amusing, it would likely land him wherever the Earth Kingdom locked up mad homicidal chiefs. Tatsuya assumed Azula wouldn’t be there, wherever it was.

He took another sip of his tea. This was starting to give him a headache. This city was just too big. If he at least had something to go on, then maybe he could have a chance to find the Princess, to stand by her side again.

He popped another dumpling in his mouth. If he just knew if she was imprisoned, or still hidden, or what ring she was staying in or whether or not she was being watched. If he knew if she was imprisoned he could get himself captured and attempt to meet up with her that way. If he knew what ring she was in he could concentrate on searching it, and if he knew if she was being watched or not than he could ask around town for people who knew the Kyoshi Warriors. But knowing none of these things he was at a dead end.

Tatsuya threw the last of his dumplings into his mouth. At least his payment from those bipolar nutcases would be enough to last him a few days before he’d need to find another job. Of course, there was the question of what sort of job he should look for. He couldn’t risk making a reputation as a hired sword if later on he needed to be a chief, or vice versa.

Tatsuya nervously tapped his fingers on the table. If he just knew where she was.

He smirked. If he knew where she was he wouldn’t have to look for her. The Captain chuckled lightly, tossing back the last of his tea, before throwing a few crowns onto the table, and leaned back, tucking his hands behind his head.

He stared at the ceiling a little, just sort of watching the flickering light of the torches from inside, and the lanterns outside. The Kyoshi Warriors were most likely somewhere within the upper ring. So he should concentrate on getting into the upper ring for now. The problem was, doing that required money. Like lots of money. Like ten times the kind of money he’d been paid by the bipolar crazy folk, on a regular basis.

And his best chance at getting that kind of money was to go with his strengths. Hurting people and cooking. And Tatsuya decided to go with hurting people on the count of it was more easily applied. Find person with money, hurt them and take money, avoid getting caught. Nice clean simple, he had to feel that Azula would approve. It just felt like something she would approve of.

He surveyed the tea shop. Half the patrons didn’t have shoes, which one assumed meant they didn’t have enough money to be worth taking, or were Earth Benders and weren’t worth the trouble to take their money.

But the trio that had followed him from the Two Twins, appeared to be enjoying a steaming plate of meat buns a few tables down. They would probably have money, and they’d stop following him if he hurt them. It was a win/win.

Tatsuya stood up, grabbed his halberd and walked out toward the exit of the tea shop. He paused in the doorway for a moment, appearing to stretch. This was partly for the benefit of his shadows, so they’d be sure to see him leave, and partly to give him a moment to pick a nice dark, out of the way ally to lead them into, and partly because he actually needed to stretch.

He chose a small dark, not so narrow but not too wide ally sort of crookedly across from the tea shop, and ducked inside. The trio of shadows followed him in shortly after, and were met with a, not too wide but not close enough to be deadly sweep of the Captain’s halberd. The sort that would pass just close enough to give your nose hairs a trim, without actually hurting you. Or the kind that would slam into a rock coated forearm with a sickeningly solid thud, as the case may be.

The bodyguards were Earth Benders, didn’t that just figure.

But before either side could prepare for a second strike, the greasy little man in the middle of it all held them back. “Wait!” He held one hand out, to halt Tatsuya, and the other arm to his side, holding back his henchmen. “I just want to talk.”

Tatsuya sneered a little and relaxed. Two Earth Benders was more than he’d expected, it was sketchy that he could win without his own bending, and even less likely he could do it quickly enough to not attract attention. “And just what might you want to talk about, that you’ve followed me all the way from the Two Twin’s Tavern?”

The small man adjusted himself; he’d half fallen when Tatsuya’d tried to trim his hair. He swept his hair back and smirked. “Well, about your Fire Bending of course…”
- 25
- 26
- 27
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Azula's Lost Chapters OR Azula's New Cook