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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
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“Well, about your Fire Bending of course…”

Tatsuya’s eyes went wide as his mind raced. Was it a joke? No he’d just attacked them... Then how did they find out? His mind reeled. He’d held a flame in his palm back at the Tavern, but how could anyone have seen that? No, it didn’t matter now. What mattered now was these men had to die.

But the two Earth Benders. He couldn’t take both of them and stay hidden, even with his bending. He might be able to take one out, but Earth Bending was such a noisy bending someone would be sure to hear, and if they acquired spectators he couldn’t risk bending…

“You’re probably planning on how you’re going to kill us now.” The man smirked again.

Tatsuya growled. “If you haven’t already called the guards on me than that means you want something right?” He’d have to play this man’s puppet until the opportunity to erase him presented itself.

“Well looks like you didn’t get into the city on a fluke.” He smirked again. “My name is Master Yu, and I have a bit of a proposition for you.”

“Of course you do...” The Captain muttered under his breath. Blackmail was such an ugly thing, at least when one was on the receiving end.

Yu didn’t seem to like the sarcasm, and frown distastefully. “You know I might change my attitude if I were you. We wouldn’t want the Dai Lee finding out about your little secret now would we?” He smirked again and held his nose slightly aloft.

“The Dai-who?” Tatsuya blinked, clearly the ‘Dai Lee’ were supposed to be intimidating, and the name seemed familiar but it just completely escaped him.

“You’re not serious?” The man looked practically flabbergasted, clearly he’d expected his threat to work a bit better than it had, which it might’ve if the Captain had known anything about the inner workings of the city, but at the moment that was kind of the problem…

“Care to enlighten me?” The Captain propped his halberd over his shoulder and smirked. Maybe this fool would be worth something after all, he seemed well informed at very least.

“Heh, well… let’s just say the Dai Lee are good at making people disappear.” He grinned a little and stroked his long whiskers. “But that’s nothing for you to worry about… As long as you listen to my proposition.”

“And do what you say.” Tatsuya scowled a little. “Let’s not play around, you’re blackmailing me, and considering the… volatility, shall we say? Of the information you’ve got on me, I’m willing to bet your ‘proposition’ will be either life threatening, illegal... or both.”

Yu laughed lightly. Tatsuya had hit the nail on the head clearly. “I prefer to think of it as, high risk, high reward.” He smirked a little, tucking his arms into his sleeves and leaning back.

“Of course I’ll be the one doing all the risking.” The Captain rolled his eyes. No point in holding your tongue when your opponent had you by the throat right? “So what’s this high reward you’re talking about?”

“How does getting out of this slum sound? Enough money to get yourself a place in the middle ring, and stay there for a good long time.” The man smirked, clearly thinking himself far more then generous.

“I actually had my eyes set a bit… higher, but what’s the risk that’s so rewarding?” Tatsuya was starting to think this might be a good thing. A pay out like that might be enough to get him into the inner ring, if only for a short while, it’d be long enough to see if the Princess was even there. The Captain threw his halberd over his shoulders and started actually listening to the blackmailer.

“Walk with me.” Master Yu smirked a little and turned, showing his back to Tatsuya, completely assured that either he wouldn’t strike, or if he did the Earth Benders would stop him before he got anywhere. The Captain grimaced a little but followed the other man besides.

They walked for a short while in silence, just getting some distance between them and the ally where the Captain had already attacked once. “Now then… what’s your name, I‘d rather not have to call you by your profession.”

“Tatsuya Shouhei, and it’s not my profession, it’s just a remnant of my father…” That was a lie. It was his profession, it was more than just a remnant of his father, it was what he had bound himself to since the day he’d discovered it. It was what he judged himself by, what he thought of himself as. He didn’t think of himself as Earth Kingdom, or Fire Nation. He was a Fire Bender, regardless of his heritage.

Only now, he wasn’t allowed to Fire Bend.

“You were in the military correct? You carry yourself like a military man.” Tatsuya glanced around. “Oh come now no harm in answering that one, there are other militaries you know.” Yu chuckled lightly.

Tatsuya grimaced again, clearly this Master Yu was the type of man who appreciated being able to see through people, he liked being the one in charge. The Captain would’ve loved to introduce him to the Princess. Tatsuya smirked. “Yeah, I was a Captain, before I left.”

“Hmm… Captain Tatsuya Shouhei.” He tried it out on his lips; though he said it with so much condescension that one would hardly have known he was using a title. “It has a certain ring to it doesn’t it.”

“Yeah, it’s all fine and dandy now would you like to tell me why I’m following you or would you like to stroll around the outer rim commenting on each other’s names all night?” Tatsuya had very little patience for this sort of thing, or at least he did at the moment.

It wasn’t that he didn’t know how to feign respect, that talent he was well versed in. It was that he didn’t care to bother with this man. He was small, greasy, and shaped like a Daikon Turnip. And while Tatsuya bore no particular resentment toward subterranean vegetation, one had never tried to blackmail him before.

“Straight to the point hmm? I can respect that.”

“I’m seriously going to have to kill someone…” Azula growled pacing back and forth within the large apartment the Dai Lee had provided for ‘the Kyoshi Warriors.’ “They have to be stalling us for a reason…”

“What was your first clue?” Mai sat, well reclined in the windowsill, twirling a knife about one finger. “Was it the, we’re having trouble finding the Avatar, or the please wait just a little longer every day?”

The Princess ground her teeth a little. “This doldrums we’re being forced to endure is infuriating.” She paced back and forth a little more, arms crossed tightly over her chest. “But even more than that… Our entire lack of ability to do anything about them, our inability is infuriating.” Azula raised a hand to her mouth, and used her tallonous nails to pick at her teeth, an ineloquent habit she’d acquired since being robbed of her Fire Bending by circumstance. “If only there were someone we could use to gather information, someone who could tell us just what it is that those delaying us were thinking.”

“Someone like Tatsu?...” Ty Lee giggled a little, leaning out of the doorway to her bedchamber. She was dressed up for some sort of occasion. Beyond the normal black and green of a Kyoshi Warrior, she wore a, recently purchased, almost golden green silk robe, her hair was up in her usual long braid, and absent was the signature face paint of the Earth Kingdom warriors.

“What are you all dress up for Ty Lee? Got a big date tonight?” Azula chuckled a little, tactfully, or perhaps not so much, changing the subject.

“Actually I do.” The gymnast was clearly please with herself. “I met this lovely boy… uhm… Wai Gin or… Gin Way or something like that... anyway he’s taking me to dinner tonight.”

“You can’t even remember the name of the guy who’s taking you out? Don’t you think that’s probably a bad thing?” Mai had actually stopped spinning her dagger, a sign that she was at least somewhat interested.

Ty Lee shrugged. “Hmm. Probably, but it’s not like it can get serious or anything. After all he thinks I’m a warrior girl from the island of Kyoshi.” She smirked a little, just sort of standing around waiting for her date to show up. “Although I have to admit, I kinda like being a Kyoshi Warrior, it’s fun to dress up in uniform isn’t it?”

“Yeah, just oodles of fun.” Mai went back to spinning her knife. Azula went back to pacing angrily about the apartment, and Ty Lee’s date showed up after a couple of minutes, it turns out his name was Lang Lee, but Ty Lee never was one to sweat the details, and he didn’t seem to mind.

Eventually the Princess settled down and just leaned against the wall just past Mai’s chosen windowsill. Azula pouted lightly and sort of eyed the door like a predator. “I really don’t see what men see in her…” She said, before looking to her dower friend for a response, after pausing for a moment to decide if she really wanted one.

Mai blinked a little and looked around before she pieced together that Azula was actually talking to her. “Oh, you’re talking about Ty Lee?” It took her a moment to catch up to the Princess’s train of thought, partly because she didn’t really care what men thought of Ty Lee, or what Azula thought of what men thought of Ty Lee, but she was being drafted into a conversation anyway so she figured she might as well roll with it. “I don’t know either, maybe guys go for the upside-down aura sensing type these days.” Mai shrugged a little. “Best just to ignore it. Guys just do what they want anyway…” She sighed lightly.

“That’s not true.” Azula sounded more like she talking to herself than to Mai, but then again, Mai didn’t really care. “Not all men just do whatever they want…” She paused for a minute to try and convince herself of that.

Truthfully Azula’s primary experiences with men had been limited to her father, the Fire Lord, who, did in fact do whatever he wanted all the time, her brother Zuko, who she hadn’t seen for three years and was now a fugitive from his homeland, and the small handful of ill fated suitors whom attempted to do whatever they wanted, and got ignited for it.

“Do they?” She turned toward her friend, while she’d never heard of Mai having a boyfriend, while Ty Lee had had several hundred, Mai was always reading, and at least she was sensible enough to carry a conversation with multiple levels.

“Well, Tatsu’s an exception.” Of course there was the mild draw back that Mai didn’t really much care for layered conversations…

“What?!” Azula actually blushed a little. She wasn’t entirely herself at the moment; personally she blamed not being able to bend. She had enjoyed the privilege of controlling fire since she was a child after all, and it was a hard thing to quit cold turkey. “W-what makes you think I’m taking about Tatsu-ya?”

Mai actually smirked. It was refreshing to know Azula wasn’t as perfect as she tried to be. “Face it, you’ve been off ever since we left him in that godforsaken forest.”

Azula took a moment to regain herself, brushing a stray lock form her face. “Well, it’s not like his absence is the only difference between then and now… We’re in Ba Sing Sei now for example.”

“While I do concede that they seem to put something in the water here, that’s not my point, and you know it.” Mai slipped her legs down on the windowsill, to shift from laying in it, to sitting on it. “Face it Azula, you’ve been different since we left him behind. Ba Sing Sei or no Ba Sing Sei.” She crossed her arms over her chest, somehow mysteriously vanishing the knife she’d been spinning in the process.

Azula slipped a hand to her chin, and thought for a moment. Had she really been that different? Sure she’d been a little on edge maybe, but they were in the heart of the greatest Earth Kingdom stronghold in the world, and she was the daughter of the Fire Lord, it would’ve been irresponsible not to be on edge. And while perhaps she had been acting… a tad out of character, she’d been blaming that on being denied Fire Bending.

It couldn’t have been that she’d been… missing Tatsuya. Could it?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Mai. I’ve just been a little tired and frustrated with these delays in finding the Avatar is all.” She crossed her arms over her chest and nodded. “In fact, I think I’ll go take a nap… Be a dear and ask Ty Lee to be quite when she gets back would you?” Azula wasn’t really asking as she strolled off to her bedchamber.

Mai lay back out in her windowsill and started tossing a knife into the roof. “If she gets back…” She sighed lightly.

“You see young man I represent a group of individuals of unique interests. I suppose you could call us a gaming society, although our interests run far from simple Pai Sho.” Master Yu chuckled lightly to himself. “We happen to be interested in something a bit more dramatic, a game of our own design, a game we like to call, Battling Benders.” He smirked deviously and leaned in, as if even mentioning the game’s name was enough to invoke conspiracy.

Tatsuya rolled his eyes, such a name. “And you want me to participate?”

“There are several regular Earth Bender participants, even a few Water Benders traveled here from the North Pole,” Yu stopped walking, striking a pose and grinning at Tatsuya like he was looking at the golden goose. The two benders joined in, striking a couple of poses, they were quite possible two of the ‘Earth Bender participants’ mentioned. “But never a Fire Bender.”

Tatsuya snorted a little. As if there wasn’t a reason for that. “So I play your battle game and you keep my secret for me?” He half turned from the group, none too pleased with the looks, and took a moment to survey the area. It was darker, less trafficked than before. He might fight them here. No, they were too close to the Middle Ring, guards could hear, or worse, these Dai Lee Yu had mentioned. Tatsuya’d have to play along. “I have a counter offer to propose.” He turned back to the group. “Keep your money. I play your game, and you help me find someone in this city. You get paid, and I find who I’m looking for, sounds like a win win to me.”

Yu frowned a little, though it wasn’t a true frown, it was more, an unexpected frown. It didn’t seem he knew people could turn down money. “Hmm…” He stroked his whiskers and beard a little seemingly thinking the new bargain over. “Come with me.” He turned, and walked straight into a large wooden structure, an inn from the looks of it, and an upper class one at that… Well as upper class as you got in the Outer Ring.

Tatsuya followed him in, more out of interest than obedience now. Apparently ‘Master’ Yu wasn’t the top of the food chain. They were going to meet the top of the food chain. The Captain smirked a little, at least he was moving up in the world, albeit the world of criminal fight clubs and blackmail, up was up.

Master Yu lead him inside, a nod to the inn keep and they were let up a flight of stairs to the rooms, they went up two stories, about halfway to the top, before they turned down one of the door lined halls. They passed a few doorways before Yu pulled a key from his sleeve and turned toward one. He glanced back, passed Tatsuya to the guards; they nodded back and positioned themselves on either side of the doorway. He opened the door.

Inside a dirty abrasive man with no shoes no shirt, a vest and long hair sat with his feet up on a table. He looked up and frowned. “Oh it’s you.” He leaned to one side looking past Yu to see Tatsuya. The two of them stepped inside closing the door behind them, the guards remained in the hall. “This the Fire Bender?”

Tatsuya frowned. “How many people have you told?” He hissed slightly, not particularly expecting an answer or anything in response, he just wanted his disapproval noted.

Master Yu coughed into his fist. “Ahem… Mr. Shouhei, please allow me to introduce my associate…” He would’ve continued but ‘his associate’ interrupted him.

“Xin Fu, hi nice to meet you.” Clearly the gruff man hadn’t planned on dealing with the Captain, particularly as that was all he said to him before turning to glare at his partner. “Why’d you bring him here?” It was rather apparent that he wasn’t happy.

Yu pouted. “He wants to change the agreement. I thought you’d like to have some impute.” It was also clear Yu didn’t care much for being ordered around.

“Tsk.” Xin Fun jumped to his feet, landing on the other side of the small dining table he’d had his feet on. He hooked his hands on his hips and strolled over to glare down at the Captain, he was taller, but not by much. “So. Just what is it about our deal you’re not happy with? Not enough money?” He smirked a little, trying to be intimidating.

Again Master Yu opened his mouth, but was interrupted. Tatsuya was already annoyed. What was it about bipolar pairs that drew them to him? Honestly Ty Lee and Mai, The Gan Jin and the Zhang, and now Master Prissy and Mr. Abrasive. “Keep your money. I want you to help me find someone, and help me get out of the city with them.”

Yu blinked a little. “Wait, you never said anything about helping you out of the city…”

“And you never said anything about someone else who knows I’m a Fire Bender. The more people who know the more dangerous it is for me.” Tatsuya propped his halberd on his shoulder. “Keep telling people and the price will keep going up.”

Xin Fu laughed, loud and obnoxious, taking a few steps back to trip/fall over the dining table back into his seat on the couch. “I like ya kid. So who’s this you want help finding?”

Tatsuya paused for a moment. He couldn’t trust them with the Princess’s identity, and asking for help finding the Kyoshi Warriors would invite suspicion. He nodded privately before speaking up. “I want you, to help me find the Avatar.”
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Azula's Lost Chapters OR Azula's New Cook