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By Minnichi | Genre | Rating | Reviews | Updates |
| More from Minnichi | Romance/Angst/Action | PG-13 | Very Positive | Over Here |
Summary of the Last Chapter[]
There are dire consequences for breaking the rules of the Dai Li, one of which being the execution of a purposely un-brainwashed rebel. Long Feng, having caught onto Yuhan's feelings for Riya, orders him to convert her into a Joo Dee. Faced with the alternative of her execution, the agent is forced to comply.
Chapter 15[]
"There is no war in Ba Sing Se."
"THERE IS NO WAR IN BA SING SE." The drones of a hundred voices echoed through the damp air of the dreary chamber.
"There is no war within the walls." A single voice cut through the silence a few seconds before the rest. Several years of experience had crafted it into a smooth, frighteningly convincing tone.
"THERE IS NO WAR WITHIN THE WALLS." One hundred pairs of eyes stared after a small, orb-like lantern that hummed along its circular rail, which emitted a blinding light.
"Here, we are safe."
"HERE, WE ARE SAFE."
Like the voice, a single pair of emerald eyes stood out separately from the rest, illuminated for a split second every time the brilliant glow of the lantern whizzed passed them. They were shadowed with years of exhaustion, and they longed to rest at last, to close forever. "Here, we are...free."
"HERE, WE ARE FREE."
They were the only eyes in the room that contained no faith in the words.
...
"Dunno what the hype was all about, these aren't that good," Hiroshu muttered, his speech distorted by the fat dumpling he was chewing on. His partner was leaning indifferently on an elbow across from him and only shrugged slightly in response.
The two agents were still in the dark confines of the Dai Li headquarters, but a few of Hiroshu's friends had offered some lunch from their visit to Upper Ring. They'd found him peering into the entrance of a conversion chamber, as if trying to persuade whoever was inside to get out. All of them seemed to scuttle away immediately after realizing that it was Yuhan. He was still as respected an agent as before, but something about his last Joo Dee conversion had changed him. It was hard for the others to put in words, but in general...everyone feared being around him these days.
Some speculated that the famed converter of rebels had gone insane. Hiroshu's friends, upon closer look, had realized that Yuhan was staring straight at the candle within the glowing lantern until the flame drowned inside the wax and flickered away – which only worsened the theory as they quietly left the scene. Only Hiroshu had stayed behind, picking up the boxes of food from the floor and dragging himself into the chamber to join his partner.
Hardly any words passed between the two as they sat quietly upon the cold floor. Yuhan examined one of the dumplings in his box oddly, seeming to stab it at constantly with a chopstick.
"I honestly don't know why you like to stay in here now," sighed Hiroshu. His sage green eyes dully scanned the curved, rusty rail circling above them.
He received another shrug in reply.
"It just reminds everyone how boring the Dai Li is. Makes you forget that there's a world outside," the older agent continued glumly, having gotten too used to the dead-statue responses. Though he hadn't reacted much to recent events, even he noticed how his attitude towards the organization was turning strangely cynical these days...and it annoyed him. He glanced over at his hardly existent partner again to remind himself why it needed to stop.
After all, that was what always happened to miserable Dai Li agents. They were bound to their duties, no matter what else went on in life. Yuhan had been reduced to what seemed like a hollow shell, responding only to commands from Long Feng like a lifeless puppet - though Hiroshu imagined that if its strings were visible, they'd have been barbed chains. There were only "strings" or "barbed chains," however, if the agents wanted them to be there. Duties were duties, but any member was allowed to enjoy life as he pleased if he followed them. It was practically an agreement: "Don't hurt your duties, and your duties won't hurt you."
Yuhan's duties were still taking their revenge on him. He was trapped.
Only Hiroshu could really see this, however, since any other agent would've laughed and said that Yuhan had it easy. Long Feng was quite pleased with his compliance and even more pleased that he'd resumed his conversions as flawlessly as usual. A 'valuable asset to the organization,' Yuhan was. A 'leader of peace.'
A messed-up, broken-hearted kid, Hiroshu added to himself. How long would his partner torture himself over this? His duties had gotten their revenge all right, but the kid was really giving them more credit than he needed to. If he hadn't met Riya in the first place...
That only reminded Hiroshu once more whose fault this really was. If only, if only...how many things could those two words apply to? If only he hadn't desired a stupid cup of exotic tea. If only he'd stopped his stupid partner from following the stupid girl. If only he hadn't taken them to the stupid Outer Wall. If only he hadn't delivered those stupid flowers all the time. If only he hadn't fired his stupid glove at her...
Hiroshu sighed and shook his head (though Yuhan hardly took any notice). This was an unhealthy train of thought, and he didn't plan on keeping it up long enough to become like the lifeless minion of Long Feng sitting across from him. There was absolutely no point in dwelling on the past. It was as useless to Hiroshu as wondering how many corpses he was responsible for in his career - and speaking of which, Yuhan didn't even have to kill anyone! A girl losing her mind was nothing to get worked up about.
...But that was the thing. She was just a girl. She wasn't a war-crazy, vengeful old man trying to ambush the Dai Li. She wasn't a treasonous government rat trying to assasinate Long Feng. Riya was just a girl who'd wanted her parents back...and a girl who'd made it possible for Yuhan to smile. Anddd okay, it was time to shut up these thoughts. Hiroshu fully agreed with the principle that Dai Li agents should never concern themselves with the former lives of Joo Dees. Yuhan was just making it harder not to dwell on by lugging around like a zombie all the time; his brainwashing duties were so vengeful that they were even starting to affect his patrol partner, stupidly enough.
"A city of lies..."
Hiroshu jolted. He hadn't been expecting there to be such thing as Yuhan talking. "Sorry, what was that?" he asked, straightening up his back.
"The City of Twists and Lies..." Yuhan muttered, his voice low and faintly bitter. "That's all Ba Sing Se really is."
"...Good to know," Hiroshu replied, rolling his eyes. His gloomy patrol partner kept making cynical statements about everything these days, and for no reason in particular. "You forgot to add that it's a city at peace, kid." Hiroshu made sure to emphasize the last word. For some reason, it felt like he himself could also use the reassurance.
Yuhan peered up at the curved rail and at the polished lantern that was perched a few feet above his head. "Yeah. Peace built on a pile of lies," he murmured. "Does that even count?" His face was simply a blank, emotionless...well, nothingness that the most the other agents weren't really sure how to talk to anymore.
"I hope you realize that you sound like a conspiracy nut who's accusing himself of conspiracy," Hiroshu retorted irritably. "Look, Yuhan... I know that things have been rough for you, but this mouthy attitude needs to stop. What're you trying to do, get your parents screwed over this time?"
The ground crackled sharply beneath them.
"Alright, I'm sorry - that was uncalled for," Hiroshu immediately threw in. He remained stern, however, retaining his respect for the rules as any agent should. (Or at least, he hoped.) "We all knew what we were getting into, partner. We've worked hard and have every reason to be proud." Yuhan's eyes flickered towards the Earth Kingdom emblem on his chest. "Sure, it's not a natural peace, but it's there, isn't it?" Hiroshu continued. "Look at the rest of the world! No one out there can live a peaceful life with the Fire Nation burning down everything. Why do you think they all come running here in a mad rush? That's gotta count for something."
Judging from his vacant face, Yuhan didn't really pick up anything from the words. Hiroshu was about to try again, but decided to wait since his patrol partner seemed to be struggling over a response. "...They didn't know what they were getting into," Yuhan finally retorted. His gaze grew watery and dropped towards the floor.
Oh, Dear Spirits - not again. Hiroshu could sense the miserable flood threatening to drown his patrol partner. Yuhan's eyes were wavering unsteadily as the hot tears began to pool beneath them. A frantic Hiroshu began to speak loudly, deliberately making too much noise for Yuhan to wander off into the void where his memories of Riya were waiting. "SO, LIKE I WAS SAYING -"
Yuhan blinked a little and gazed back up.
"No one has a real solution when it comes to peace," Hiroshu continued, relieved that he'd gotten Yuhan's attention. "But we're doing the best we can, and that's really – well, you tell me." Hiroshu pointed at his patrol partner with a pair of chopsticks. "Think you know a better way?"
The emerald eyes finally steadied themselves, and Yuhan's face simply reverted to a dull, empty, but thankfully stable expression. He half-sighed as he made his reply, eyeing the stone plates covering his palm. "Yeah, sorry...I get what you're saying, Hiroshu. I know that this goes nowhere. Real peace is honestly a lost cause. But the thing is - the way we try to make it...I don't know, something just doesn't add -"
"Alright, here's another way to put it," Hiroshu chimed in. "All we've got to do is look at the obvious. No one's found a perfect way, but just look at Ba Sing Se!" He motioned past their heads as if pointing to the big city above. "Almost no violence. And no war. What else could people ask for in a peaceful life?"
"...Freedom?"
Hiroshu's shoulders dropped. "Yuhan...not everyone can be free in a peaceful city. I'm truly sorry about what happened with you and..." His patrol partner jerked slightly just from the implication of her name. "But let's just assume I'm not talking about that case," Hiroshu threw in swiftly. "You know how it is. Complete freedom is exactly what causes any kind of peace to be impossible, and – come on, hasn't Long Feng gone over this with us a thousand times?"
It occurred to Hiroshu a little too late that he wasn't supposed to bring up Long Feng. There was something odd gleaming in Yuhan's eyes – a deep, poisonous, and downright frightening kind of blackness. Hiroshu wasn't going to wait for it to get any worse. "Anyway, that's not the point," he continued quickly. "You know what? We'll both feel a lot better outside of this stupid chamber. You don't even have anything to do right now!" The venomous eyes remained the same. "Come on...let's go up to the Upper Ring – or do something," Hiroshu added even louder. He stood up and gave his friend a kick to the knee. "See if you can still call the city lame after taking a look around."
Yuhan's glare clearly indicated that he hadn't appreciated the extra painful impact of a stone shoe, but Hiroshu was just relieved that he'd let go of that freaky expression.
~o~o~o~
"Huh. When did this get here?" Hiroshu gazed curiously at the scene.
The patrol partners had paused right before reaching the Inner Wall at the sight of a magnificent, circular array of stone barriers positioned right in the middle of the agrarian zone outside. Yuhan dragged himself forward, approaching the rocky border that reached up to about his chest. He dully peered over it, figuring that there was nothing else to do anyway. The bottom of the circular pen had been deeply indented below ground level in order to retain the large, brown and beige rabaroo resting inside. It looked up at Yuhan for a moment, followed by its three young popping their heads curiously from the pouch on its stomach.
"G-good afternoon, sir..." spoke a timid voice from behind. Yuhan turned around to see that an awfully thin peasant was greeting Hiroshu. "I hope that you approve of the new facilities of the Ba Sing Se Zoo," continued the middle-aged man. He wore an old, olive-colored cleaning uniform, and a long broom was still clutched in his trembling fingers as he spoke. "I-I apologize that the usual formalities of requesting permission and necessary paperwork from the Dai Li were not followed, but the construction – it was, u-um, on rather short notice..."
Hiroshu appeared somewhat puzzled, but he lifted his face a bit more to take a glimpse around the rest of the zoo, the brim of his hat rising out of the way. He squinted his eyes as the bright rays of sunlight illuminated his tan face.
"A-again, I apologize! Please forgive my carelessness," beseeched the zookeeper, having feared that Hiroshu's expression indicated a threat. "But I assure you, these facilities are very beneficial to Ba Sing Se, and to the Dai Li. I-income has been rising rapidly since its construction, and it's a pleasant environment that promotes peace for citizens. You won't have any reason to reconsider its operation, o-or..."
Yuhan could tell that Hiroshu was already fond of the new facilities, actually. The zookeeper certainly had nothing to worry about. "Very creative setup you have," the older agent stated casually, giving an approving nod towards the other stony fences in the distance. "Who initiated its construction?"
"A-avatar Aang, sir."
Both of the agents glanced sharply at one another, causing the peasant to cringe. Yuhan felt the rules forming the words on his mouth automatically, that foreign involvement in any of Ba Sing Se's affairs had to be monitored closely by the Dai Li at all times, that the zoo's construction was a severe breach of policy...but they strangely fell hollow before they could even form in his throat. Our female culprit is a highly dangerous rebel, and she's proven herself capable of upsetting the system of our entire organization. Such an individual cannot be left unchecked, do you understand? Those had been rules as well. Yuhan suddenly lost any desire to speak at all.
Hiroshu seemed to sense this as he quietly looked over at his partner for a moment, and resolved to address the zookeeper himself. "Well...he's done a fine job," he announced finally.
The zookeeper's eyes widened with disbelief, and he nodded back rapidly. "Y-yes! He certainly has, sir..." he replied rather faintly. However, it struck the younger agent that the peasant's expression, even while fearful, was glowing with profound joy. A deep kind of gratitude...towards the young Avatar, Yuhan realized.
"Just make sure to notify the Dai Li of any unusual plans in the future," Hiroshu concluded dismissively. "Enjoy your facilities."
None of the words really registered in Yuhan's head from that point on. He didn't even notice when he and his partner left the scene, or when they passed through the gates of the Inner Wall. That grateful expression...why did it bother him so much? The thought remained faintly in his mind throughout the journey into the city.
~o~o~o~
Yuhan still hadn't registered their surroundings even when they began to approach the Middle Ring to stop by one of Hiroshu's favorite snack shops – but that was how things always were these days. Life for him now was nothing but movement. 'Go here, convert him, deliver this, go there, stop here, eat, sleep...'
It wasn't truly a life anymore - it was better. Real life held much more than movement...and it hurt much more as well. He could never stop his torturous memories from resurfacing periodically (those dark conversations with Hiroshu certainly didn't help), but focusing on movement alone made it somewhat easier. What else could he do? There were still worse things to lose if he ever fell beneath the Dai Li's standards again – and Long Feng had made sure to point out in the handbook that even suicide would result in the same consequences for those left behind.
A crowd of laughing children rushing past the two agents sparked Yuhan's consciousness again for a moment, due to their volume.
"Have you seen it...new zoo...armadillo lion...so cool..."
They were all buzzing about the new facilities in the agrarian zone. Once again, the strange, glowing face of the zookeeper appeared in his mind's eye. Before Yuhan could ponder why it affected him so much, however...
"Hey, those are my cabbages! Watch where you're going! Rotten kids..." "Hey, those are my cabbages! Watch where you're going! Rotten kids..."
Hiroshu joined his partner in gazing dully at a grey-bearded peasant in a dirty green turban and faded tunic a few feet away from them, who was shaking a fist at the children as they rustled past his huge cart of round green vegetables.
"Pah, Ba Sing Se Zoo...what's so good about it anyway? One of its rabaroos ate my cabbages, too...rotten things! No appreciation at all...worse than Omashu..." The turbaned merchant continued muttering incessantly to himself as he picked back up some spilled cabbages from the ground. There was a slug writhing about the misplaced leaves.
...Yeah, it definitely a better idea not to pay attention this world, Yuhan concluded. He and Hiroshu nodded a little at each other, in mutual agreement to leave the deranged man behind with the cabbages and the slugs.
If only they'd left sooner.
"Fire Nation doesn't even do as much damage...a whole war and no cabbages ruined by Firebenders...Earth Kingdom treats me worse...I swear..."
Their backs were still turned as the patrol partners immediately paused. Hiroshu sighed loudly, gazing over at Yuhan. "Looks like that's our cue..."
Yuhan had no idea what was coming out of his mouth. It all came out without warning. "No, it's fine. He won't mention it again. Waste of time. Let's go."
"...and Firebenders don't throw feasts for kids who completely destroy a year's supply of cabbages...what's wrong with the world..."
Hiroshu's expression was turning terribly skeptical. "Seriously, Yuhan? He's babbling nonstop about the Fire Nation - and his cabbages don't even follow health regulations!" He cringed as the complaints in the distance grew even louder. "Want me to shut him up, then?"
Whatever fueled Yuhan's objection only grew stronger, and he felt it boiling inside him. His words spun out of control. "No! There's no reason to drag him to headquarters - he's just a peasant who loves cabbages! Long Feng's been betrayed by the Earth King, the Avatar's dragging us to war, and we've all got much better things to worry about!" As he continued yelling, Hiroshu stared back with his mouth slightly open, his face sporting a very disturbed expression. "What do you have against those cabbages, anyway? Don't get worked up over such tiny, meaningless things!"
Yuhan regained his senses when he paused to wonder why Hiroshu's fists were raised defensively. He suddenly noticed that his own arms had somehow risen into the air, lifted a boulder from the ground, and were still hovering it above his patrol partner's head - whose face was a little pale. Both of them had no idea what was going on. "I...uh..." A dumbstruck Yuhan stuttered a mess of unrecognizable word fragments as he hastily tossed the massive rock aside. It landed within inches of the cabbage cart behind him, causing the merchant to jump back and give a loud yelp of horror.
"Okay...we should go." Hiroshu spoke quite slowly as he lowered his arms. He waited for Yuhan to walk ahead in order to keep a safe distance. The bewildered cabbage merchant stared after them as they silently left the scene.
~o~o~o~
"I'm just going to assume that you lost too much sleep this week..." Hiroshu commented for the first time in nearly an hour. He stalked a few feet behind Yuhan as if he were a psychotic murderer. "They say it gets to your head if you don't rest for more than two days or something. And then you start seeing things... Anyway, I'll just leave it at that."
Yuhan made no reply. They'd reached the Upper Ring at last, but he had already removed himself completely from the sight of all the marvelous, shimmering orange tiles coating the rooftops around them. He'd reverted back to focusing on movement as soon as he could, considering what happened earlier.
"...Okay, you know what?" Hiroshu suddenly piped up. "I won't leave it at that. Are you crazy?" he roared. "Sleep-deprivation or not, how're we supposed to get anything done if you randomly try to kill me over a vegetable cart?" He suddenly paused. "Wait, this wouldn't happen to be your first patrol ever since...you know..."
Yuhan picked up his pace and walked even further ahead without responding. Indeed, he'd hardly been outside headquarters ever since a certain conversion. Thinking about it now was the last thing he wanted to do.
Hiroshu understood. "Alright, then." He went silent for a moment, but quickly raised his voice. "You still can't carry yourself around like that. Let go of what happened before it drives you insane!" he snapped. "We're damn lucky no one saw us neglecting duties. This would've gotten us killed by Long Feng for sure - oh, and let's not forget the violent conspiracy nuts. What if that cabbage fanatic was an earthbender, huh? What if a crazy rebel happened to attack us? Would you still end up threatening me with a freaking boulder –"
CRASH!
Yuhan had a double-take upon sight of a crazy rebel from the conspiracy nuts. He didn't have time to think about the ridiculous timing, for he had to react quickly as sea of massive pillars shot out towards him in wave-like ripples. There was an enraged earthbender on the other end, whose fists were slamming repeatedly into the earth with every attack.
Further back, Hiroshu yelled in surprise and leapt away from the crackling ground, launching himself off to the side and latching onto a nearby wall of a shop with his gloves and boots. Yuhan had been too close to dodge the pillars, stumbling as one of them sprang up beneath his feet, but he managed to regain his balance by rooting the bottom of his rock soles to the earth below. His body followed the sharp force of the pillar towards the sky for a moment before he released his feet and flipped backwards towards the ground again.
The rebel took no notice when Yuhan landed, his murderous grey eyes having locked onto Hiroshu instead. His large, muscular arms stood out even beneath the long, black sleeves of his dirty tunic as he threw them forward. The jagged, blade-like shard of rock he'd already procured from the ground soared towards Yuhan's partner, who quickly kicked himself back off the wall right before it stabbed a gaping hole straight through the plaster.
Hiroshu landed swiftly on the ground next to Yuhan, though he began to clutch at his upper abdomen in pain. "Stupid, useless half-healed rib!" he scowled. "They said it shouldn't be a problem by now!" In the middle of his complaint, however, he flung an arm forward, his fingers rigidly outstretched. All of the individual pieces of his glove separated from one another as they shot away from his fingers and whizzed towards the rebel like bullets.
His attack was immediately met with a thick barrier of earth that sprung from the ground before the rebel, and the sharp glove pieces became wedged inside of it. The heavy wall shot forward at the agents a split second later, just as quickly as the bullets. Aware of Hiroshu's injury, Yuhan leapt ahead of his partner at once. Balling his fists, he clapped his forearms together and rigidly held them up before his face. The huge, rectangular wall cracked in half upon impact, and he quickly separated his arms to shove the two pieces apart, causing them to fly off to his sides and crash onto the ground. He twisted his head back towards Hiroshu. "Earthbending won't get us anywhere at this rate!" shouted Yuhan. "We have to chain in down!"
"Got it!" Hiroshu yelled back, narrowly dodging another knife-like piece of stone that their attacker had just hurled. "Try to pin him down for now so I can get a better aim! You do the bending - I can't do squat with this rib!"
Yuhan nodded as he ducked to avoid another pointed shard of stone, which managed to slice off some of the green tassels from his hat as it flew past. As the rebel prepared his next chunk of earth, Yuhan widened his stance and dug his feet into the ground, twisting his fists apart in opposite directions. The ground beneath his opponent loosened into thick mud.
Hiroshu took the chance to strike, seeing that the rebel had been caught off-guard by the sudden sinking of his feet, and two metallic chains shot out from his sleeves as he whipped them out. Yuhan solidified the earth again to further destabilize the attacker. The cuffs landed precisely and locked themselves around the rebel's wrists.
Before Hiroshu could stabilize the chains, however, the rebel grabbed them first and gave a hard yank. The former was the lighter and less bulky figure out of the two, which caused him to sail up into air by surprise, the chains still anchored to his arms. Hiroshu quickly turned himself upright in midair and prepared a solid landing, but his rib must've given away as he twisted his body, for he suddenly cringed and fell on his face instead. The rebel gave another yank on the chains and started reeling them in, and Hiroshu's body skidded rapidly across the ground with no chance to find solid footing.
An alarmed Yuhan charged towards his thrashing patrol partner, chasing frantically after the chains but unable to get a hold of them. Meanwhile, rebel freed his legs from the earthen restraints when a battered Hiroshu skidded to a stop below him, and he ground one of his feet over the ends of the two chains closest to the latter's wrists. There was a dark, twisted smile stretching wide across his face as the Dai Li agent struggled to move his pinned-down arms. "Disgraceful scum of the Earth Kingdom..." The coarse strands of disheveled grey hair hanging all over only worsened the deranged expression, with a hate for something beyond Hiroshu. There was a hollowness in his eyes, the kind that had nothing left except for a merciless lust for blood. Any blood that happened to belong to a Dai Li agent.
Yuhan suddenly recognized it, and his pace involuntarily slowed down. He knew that hollow look. It was no different from his own when he thought of someone he held dear - someone gone forever. Except this rebel's eyes were a brilliant green...exactly like the ones of a young woman who'd once begged to return home...
"This is for Suyin," declared the bitter man. The ground beneath him the trapped Dai Li agent began to tremble violently.
Hiroshu's eyes widened with horror as he slowly looked up. "Uh...Yuhan? A little help here...?" The rebel's foot was still pinning his wrists down with a hopelessly solid hold over the chains. The ground continued to rumble as a life-sized boulder carved itself out of the ground and rose above Hiroshu's head, who seemed to shrink beneath its shadow.
None of it was registering to Yuhan, who was still feeling faint and whose ears were numb to the world. All he could think about was how he himself had helped take someone away from this man...someone who'd cried out her real name for the briefest moment...
"YUHAN! A LITTLE HELP?" screamed Hiroshu at the top of his lungs. The boulder was forming a razor-sharp edge, positioning itself a few feet above his neck like a guillotine. The rebel had a demented, malicious smile on his face as he readied his arms.
The world suddenly snapped into focus when a Yuhan saw the massive blade begin to drop. He gave a horrified yell and frantically slammed his feet into the ground, punching forward with both arms in a desperate attempt to intercept the attack.
By some miracle, a pointed shard of stone rose rapidly out of the ground in front of Hiroshu's face before the blade could finish its descent. The cone shot upwards and pushed back the sharpened boulder before cracking it apart into much safer fragments, which crashed down its thick sides away from the Dai Li agent lying below.
One of the pieces, however, roughly the size of a large brick, dropped straight onto Hiroshu's head. "OW! MOTHER OF – ARGH!" If it weren't for the protection of his hat, he probably would've suffered a lifelong concussion.
Yuhan stood there stunned for a moment as his patrol partner yelled every curse word in existence, but he forced composure upon himself as he rushed towards the scene. His head was still a bit absent, still numb from the knowledge that this man was simply desperate to avenge someone who no longer existed...
Taking no chance to hesitate, the rebel redirected one of the fragments of the boulder as it was still falling through the air. Yuhan was trying too hard to focus whatever he could on helping Hiroshu – and he noticed it a little too late. "AGH!" The distracted agent had twisted his head to the side to try avoiding the impact, but the rock still struck the side of his temple excruciatingly hard. Yuhan staggered backwards as one of his hands lifted clumsily towards the throbbing center of pain.
Hiroshu's wrists had been freed the moment the rebel shifted his stance to attack his partner. The older agent immediately jumped to his feet and rooted them firmly onto the ground, even raising some more earth to solidify around them for extra support. He tenderly rubbed at his own throbbing head for a moment, but he quickly took advantage of the rebel's diverted attention and gave the chains a sharp pull.
Having been unprepared, the rebel fell backwards as his body was dragged across the ground by the wrists. He began thrashing about in an attempt to get back up, but the agent prevented it using his same tactics from earlier.
Yuhan gazed deliriously in their direction, the world still slightly spinning from the pain in his temple. He knew that this would be the only chance to end it for good, however, and concentrated his vision the best he could while throwing his arms forward, his wide sleeves slashing through the air. The two metal chains within them followed, and the cuffs latched themselves securely around the rebel's ankles before locking into place.
Both of the agents pulled at the same time, and the man was no longer able to move any of his limbs. Hiroshu finally made a fist as his arm shook from retaining the tension of the chain attached to it, and his remaining glove shot out. It struck the rebel's neck with a sickening impact, and the man's body fell limp.
Hiroshu was the first to detach the chains from his own arms as he stepped forward with angry strides. The rebel was still conscious, half-choking and moaning in pain occasionally. The agent stared down at him with narrowed eyes for a few seconds before giving his face a hard kick, and the man was out cold.
Yuhan quietly stood back in the distance, half-heartedly detaching his own chains from his arms. He didn't really know what to say to his patrol partner, and his head still spun weirdly.
"...Who in the Realm of Koh is Suyin?" Hiroshu demanded, who approached ominously slow as he rubbed at the new bruises on his head. There was no reply.
And for the first time ever, it was Hiroshu who glared murderously at a sheepish Yuhan.
~o~o~o~
The afternoon began to give way to the evening, and the sun was glowing deep orange in preparation for its setting.
"...and I probably have to get a new uniform while I'm at it!"
Yuhan listened quietly to his patrol partner's enraged lecture as they sat temporarily on the tiled edge of a fancy fountain. He could only continue muttering, "Sorry..."
Despite one of them yelling constantly, both agents were hunched over on their elbows to try easing the throbbing pain in their heads. A peeved Hiroshu looked down at his dirt-caked uniform, taking in all the battered details and all the stains that reminded him how violently he'd been dragged across the ground. "I don't even feel happy to be alive yet!" he raged on, glowering over at Yuhan. "That was ridiculous!"
"Sorry..."
The entire Upper Ring could probably hear Hiroshu scowling by now. "The doctor's going to get on my case for earthbending again. My head's killing me, and my useless rib is annoying as Koh's Realm! On top of that, I have to go to the seamstress to replace this ugly thing I'm wearing – ANYHOW, you see what I mean? Stop being insane! I'm willing to bet that we got picked for a conspiracy nut attack because you weren't alert, and we didn't look like an effective team when you freaked out over a vegetable cart! I was actually going to die! You also would've been killed as soon as...as..."
Hiroshu's voice trailed off when he saw it. His face dropped and gradually began twisting into horror, and he froze into place as he stared.
"Hello, Agent Tsen! Agent Leung! It is an honor and pleasure to see you here." Her hair was cropped in a straight line exactly ten centimeters past her shoulders, and the upper half was wound tightly around a thin and elegant green hairpiece atop her head. Some of the auburn locks brushed the sides of her pale face as she bowed deeply.
No amount of horror twisting Hiroshu's face could compare to his patrol partner. Yuhan had gone completely still, staring blankly in some kind of mix between life and death. His hollow eyes couldn't recognize the hazel ones gazing back, searching but failing over and over again to find what had once been beautiful.
Joo Dee's wide, terrifying grin refused to falter. "Whatever is the matter, gentlemen? You do not look well. Agent Leung, you deserve a far better quality uniform than your current attire. Shall I notify the seamstress for you?" She wasn't blinking at all throughout the entire speech.
Though it took him several seconds, Hiroshu was the only one who could force himself to speak. "I...no I don't...you – what're you doing here?" he asked weakly. His partner remained as still as a corpse beside him.
"It is my duty to ensure that the cultural standards of the Dai Li be upheld, sir. Your uniform, Agent Leung, is not up to standard, and I believe you would very much enjoy a more professional appearance. With all due respect, please allow me to contact the seamstress for a replacement. It will be most convenient for you!"
Hiroshu found himself suddenly shaking his head very rapidly. "No – no, I'm fine," he stammered. "J-Joo Dee, please attend to other matters. Thank you for your concern."
She immediately bowed at the command and proceeded to walk quietly out of sight, the long skirt of her yellow dress rippling slightly in the breeze.
The older agent could only bear to glance for a moment back over at his partner before having to turn his face sharply away again. Everything he'd just been yelling about earlier suddenly felt so insignificant...so meaningless. "I...I'm going to head out now. Doctor maybe," he finally managed to say in the silence. "Y-you should get out of here, too."
Not another word passed between the two agents as Hiroshu quickly stood up and paced away from the scene.
~o~o~o~
It burned. All of the pain he'd tried so hard to dull by focusing on movement...it burned, all over again. It was even worse this time, now accompanied by a horrifying image that would never stop haunting his already throbbing head.
Yuhan staggered erratically throughout the paved streets of the Upper Ring, with no idea where he was going or why. Everything he'd refused to think about, everything he'd left behind in real life was now dragging him back headfirst into it – and it felt awful. But he couldn't stop the thoughts from flooding over, from reliving the joy and pain of a distant love, from bringing forth all the bitter, hateful urges to watch Long Feng suffer a horrible death...
He stumbled forward half-consciously through the door of what seemed like a large, exquisite restaurant and finally collapsed into a seat of the farthest, most isolated table he could find. You can't go anywhere with this. You have no choice. Calm down. Move on... The thoughts did little to comfort him, especially with his head still aching persistently from the earlier injury.
Of all the memories to resurface next, the glowing, grateful face of the zookeeper ended up occupying his mind. Yuhan warily decided to try figuring out what it was that made it so strangely significant. Any thoughts that were unrelated to her were better, anyway. He looked back on the memory of the Ba Sing Se Zoo, recalling his discovery that Avatar Aang had built it, and how the zookeeper's profound expression had appeared for that fleeting moment he was mentally thanking the child with all his heart...
That must've been it. It bothered Yuhan to see such a grateful expression...because he'd never received one like that himself. Nor did the rest of the Dai Li. And they were taught to believe that that was how people were feeling about their contributions to the city. That had to be it. It bothered him because, as a Dai Li agent...he'd never known what a truly thankful person looked like until he saw the face of the zookeeper.
It bothered him most because of the sacrifices the Dai Li were forced to make for their contributions.
Peace required sacrifice, they'd always said. People would fight it, people would hate it, but the sacrifice would always mean something to someone out there in the city, even if the agents didn't know it. Take a look around, the authorities would always tell the new recruits. Ba Sing Se was the last utopia on earth. The peace they created was worth every sacrifice...and the glorious conclusion was that even the sacrifices they would never recover from would mean something to someone. The citizens were happy and at peace. It was the ultimate contribution for the greater good.
Worst of all, Yuhan knew that the harsh principles of sacrifice applied to the loss of loved ones as well. The knife that had long been wedged in the center of his chest gave another twist as soon as his thoughts drifted back to Riya. Oh Spirits, how he loved her...It was already bad enough that he could care less for the greater good if he'd had the choice to avoid the conversion, but the very idea that there was just nothing in the sacrifice at all, not even a thankful person out there...it was just appalling. It made everything even worse. He finally knew why the glowing face was so important.
A city of lies...
Yuhan rested his face limply upon his stone-clad palms over the polished table. The darkness that swept over his vision only allowed her gentle face to appear again, her hazel eyes softly reminding him of something that didn't exist. He felt the thin, hot trickle of salty water slowly beginning to leak past the sides of his hands, but he was too weak to fight it today.
"It's certainly been a while, hasn't it..." spoke a soothing, elderly voice from above. "Does something trouble you, young man?"
The agent slowly lifted his face up, smearing some of the tears across his cheek as he attempted to wipe them, somewhat uselessly, on the nonabsorbent stone-clad surface of his hand. He cleared his throat a little as he composed himself enough to stop their flow, though his eyes ended up widening in surprise. "...M-Mushi?"
"My apologies for disturbing you," said the heavy old brewer, smiling sympathetically as his golden eyes twinkled, "but it has always been my belief that even the worst of moods can be eased with a nice, hot cup of tea. Would you like some?"
Yuhan gazed back blankly. "You...work here...?" was all he could ask. With the strange recent events regarding the obsessive cabbage merchant and attack from the rebel, with all the principles of the Dai Li suddenly mocking him, and with a Lower Ring tea brewer inexplicably appearing in one of the wealthiest shops in the Upper Ring, complete with a new and expensive green and gold server's uniform...it felt like everything in the city was falling out of place.
"Why, it is none other than my very own tea shop, the Jasmine Dragon!" Mushi replied brightly, beaming with pride. "One of my lifelong dreams come true. But here, why don't you give this a try? I humbly invite you." He'd already brought an embellished tray over and was setting down a steaming pot of tea and two porcelain cups as he spoke. "For a tired soul like yours, I believe green tea will do much good – with extra ginseng. Free of charge!"
"I...oh...Th-thank you, I guess..." a still bewildered Yuhan managed to reply, though his statement was originally supposed to be a congratulations to the old brewer.
Mushi nodded in acknowledgment, smiling again as he proceeded to fill the cups to the brim with the hot brew. Though he'd always been a jolly man, there was something different about his attitude today, as if his happiness had grown even deeper since the last time they'd met. It wasn't just because of the shiny new uniform he bore, or his tidied-up, plaited silver hair...
"Uncle! The shop's closing in six minutes!" called a young, chipper voice.
"I know, just give us a few moments! I'll come help you clean," replied the old brewer, beaming with joy as he addressed his nephew...the scarred, not angry boy. Yuhan blinked a couple of more times as he stared. Everything was seriously falling out of place. A city of twists...?
Mushi cleared his throat as he turned back to address the agent, who was still watching Li's cheerful figure stride away in the distance. He slowly took a seat across the small table, scooping up one of the porcelain cups into his aged hands. "Tea tastes the best when it is steaming – it truly warms the soul. You should drink yours before it turns cold and disgusting," he chuckled merrily, taking a deep sip from his cup.
Yuhan sighed a little, finally picking up his own cup with a hand and lifting it to his mouth. Though the steaming hot liquid almost burned his lips, the tea was one of the most flavorful things he'd tasted in a while. He found himself drinking it a little more willingly, and even his constantly aching head seemed to feel somewhat bearable.
Sitting across from him, the elderly brewer quietly gazed over, his golden eyes glistening mysteriously. "You have no obligation to answer," he began slowly. "But I cannot help my curiosity. If you could so kindly pardon me for asking...where is your lovely lady friend today? She always appreciates a nice cup of tea, as I remember – and a good song!"
The agent's fingers involuntarily gripped down on his cup, and it cracked. His eyes immediately fled beneath the protection of his hat. He wanted to apologize for his sudden reaction, to say something – but his head only jerked a bit as it shook back and forth.
"So she is the reason..." Mushi's voice seemed to indicate confirmation more than it did surprise as he smiled sadly. "I apologize for causing you unnecessary pain." He reached over and gently pried the leaking cup of tea from the agent's trembling fingers. Reaching inside his pocket, he pulled out a new one immediately and filled it to the brim like before. "Here, why don't you have some more tea?" he asked softly, setting it down before Yuhan. He still addressed him despite being unable to see half his face. "Forgive me again for being so insensitive."
Yuhan glumly pushed the cup a little closer to himself before picking it up slowly between his thumb and index finger. "No...y-you're fine. Sorry," he found the strength to reply at last, though feebly. "My fault, anyway, for..." With that, he downed the entire cup of tea in one swipe. The scalding of his throat was a very good excuse for any tears that happened to escape.
"There is no need to apologize," Mushi assured him warmly. "A tired, weary soul simply needs time to heal – and more tea. May I?"
Yuhan nodded bleakly and hardly took notice of his cup being refilled yet again.
"Does she intend to visit sometime?" the old brewer asked gently. He continued sipping his own cup, sorrowfully observing the agent.
"No. She...she can't," replied Yuhan, followed by another scalding glug from his cup.
"That is unfortunate... I was hoping for the pleasure of serving her tea again," Mushi remarked quietly. "Such a charming young woman she is... Have you tried to reach out to her?"
"I c-can't do that. Not an option." Yuhan could faintly see Mushi's puzzled expression from the corner of his eye. "It wouldn't make sense to you, but...there's nothing to reach out to," he finished heavily. It was a miracle that he was even able to speak about the matter for this long, but maybe it was just the way his head still throbbed persistently, making it hard to think clearly in general...or maybe it was something about Mushi's calm, understanding presence that made the words come a little easier.
"There is nothing you can try? That's rather strange," the old tea brewer commented, stroking his beard. "There are endless possibilities in the fascinating world of romance! This young woman doesn't strike me as someone who would abandon you that eas-"
"There's no such thing like that, Mushi." The Peace Orator's eyes squeezed shut as her gentle voice echoed through his aching head, the words that she'd never finish. "No such thing anymore. It's hopeless." For some reason, Yuhan could feel Mushi's gaze boring into his soul, the golden eyes that wouldn't accept his words so easily. It only made things worse. Yuhan took a haggard breath and finally lifted his face to look the old tea brewer in the eye. "Look – I'm trapped, alright?" His voice cracked slightly. "Everything I do...everything...it's just causing trouble somewhere, for someone. Just moving – just living is adding something bad to the world...but I can't stop. I'm stuck. Trapped. So for her, I-I can't..." Yuhan felt shameful and lowly for being unable to get a hold of himself as he lifted a sleeve to swipe away another flurry of tears. If only the rest of the Dai Li could see him now. What a professional, honorable agent he was indeed, melting down in front of some old geezer...
"Young man, I may not understand the deeper reasons for your troubles..." Mushi began gently. "But I have never been one too fond of the word 'hopeless.'" The agent slowly looked up at him, his broken eyes stubbornly begging to differ. "No matter how dire the circumstances are..." continued the brewer, "I am a strong believer that simply attempting – simply trying – is never impossible." He only smiled as Yuhan's face twisted defiantly. "It is hard, I know. It is difficult, so difficult that we sometimes cannot bear the terrible pain..." His golden eyes grew strangely distant and glowed with the faint signs of a past despair, of something once hopeless. "Sometimes failure is so easy, and perhaps failure will happen indeed," he continued gravely, looking back over at the agent again. "But to try alone is worth a lifetime. Do not let go of what you hold dear. The chance to try is always there, whether you see it or not, and you must find it."
Yuhan couldn't find the words to answer, his broken eyes simply gazing warily towards the strange, profound old brewer.
Mushi suddenly raised his thick arms high in the air, stretching them widely as he gave a loud yawn. "I am getting much too old to be staying up this late!" he chuckled, bringing his arms back down slowly. "It would be most refreshing for me to enjoy a long, relaxing sleep right about now – perhaps after one more cup of tea." He smiled again, though somewhat sadly, when the agent didn't answer. "I must apologize for making such commentary about your affairs," he continued humbly. "It was not in my position to do so."
The Peace Orator found himself disagreeing before he knew it. "No...I appreciate the kindness you've shown me today, really. Thank you. Actually – sorry for being such a killjoy. Conversations with me must be awkward..." He was still a little embarrassed at himself.
"Oh, not at all!" Mushi replied, his deep voice rumbling with laughter. "It only brings me great joy that a once fascinating stranger has become a fascinating companion."
And in that briefest moment, an old tea brewer and an agent of the Dai Li shared warm, friendly smiles.
"Anyway, I must help my nephew finish cleaning this shop. I'm afraid he's done most of the work by now!" the elderly man finished cheerily. "I'm sure you have your own obligations to attend to as well."
"Yeah...I do." The young Orator thoughts drifted towards the endless duties waiting for him back at headquarters, but somehow that unbearable shadow of despair that seemed to cling to them earlier felt lifted. He couldn't explain why, since everything was still just as impossible as before...but he was going to survive. He was going to look straight ahead.
~o~o~o~
Yuhan thoughtfully examined a package of thin, herbal scented packets clutched in his stony fingers as he stalked through the night, the moon glistening off the expensive roof tiles of the buildings he passed. Mushi had given him quite a generous supply of green tea, apparently "to help win the battle against sleep deprivation."
He knew he was still headed back to the equivalent of Koh's Realm, where he would be forced to relive what he'd done to the love of his life over and over again. He knew more minds would be lost tonight. He just had a sudden, inexplicable drive to do something. Anything. If only he could figure out just what it was...as usual, though, every possibility his mind came up with led to nothing. The Dai Li had crafted their system too perfectly.
...But still. Still.
Perhaps he would never find a way – he probably never would – but as long as this stubborn drive to DO something remained, he would just have to keep going. No matter how terrible things were, he was not going to let himself ignore what was left of Riya. Yes...this felt better.
Thanks, Mushi.
A frantic messenger suddenly rushed into the scene, his sweat causing the light combination of the whites, greens, and yellows of his uniform to discolor as the soaked fabric stuck to his skin. Yuhan could barely react before the boy spoke up quickly. "An urgent message from Sir Long Feng to all agents! S-state you name, please," he announced hastily, whipping out a list of all the members in the Dai Li to cross out on.
"Oh... Agent Yuhan Tsen here," the Peace Orator replied, puzzled. "What's the matter?"
Bowing before he spoke, the boy cleared his throat and stood up stiffly, straightening his square-shaped glasses a little. "Your fellow agents obtained evidence of and took into custody a dangerous imposter disguised as a Kyoshi warrior, along with two companions."
"What? Who –"
"Princess Azula of the Fire Nation, sir."
"...WHAT?" The Impenetrable City had let one of the worst possible individuals on earth just slip through its walls? What was the world coming to?
"Please listen, sir. Your leader strictly commands his agents not to act on the matter until further orders. He is currently making a compromise with the princess that may lead to Ba Sing Se's advantage."
Yuhan could only stare back, dumbfounded. Did he just hear that correctly? Long Feng. Leader of the peacekeepers. Making a compromise with Fire Nation royalty. The symbol of the very thing they were trying to keep out of the city.
It somehow didn't fit together.
"He assures you that Princess Azula will prove beneficial to the organization and that she is completely willing to cooperate."
"...Right. Go on."
"She has already revealed useful information to the Dai Li, which your leader wants to disclose to you as well. The whereabouts of two more imposters are now known."
"There are...more of them?" Yuhan asked faintly.
"Yes, sir," quickly replied the messenger. "Two highly dangerous members of the Fire Nation royalty, residing in the Upper Ring: General Iroh and Prince Zuko, wanted captive for treason against their country."
Dear Spirits...there were really that many imposters hanging out in the city, who just happened to be some of the most powerful Firebenders on earth? The agent inhaled a deep, somewhat raggedy breath to try taking it all in. "So – where in the Upper Ring...exactly...are they?" He'd been in this area of the city all day, and he couldn't picture the thought of passing by a pair of men from the Fire Nation Royal Family hidden somewhere among the citizens. The idea of the Fire Nation residing in the city at all was a little hard to grasp.
"They currently follow the aliases of 'Mushi' and 'Li,' and they disguise themselves as tea brewers in a shop called the Jasmine Dragon."
Yuhan felt his face lose color.
"Please await further instructions from your leader. That is all," finished the messenger with another bow. Yuhan gazed blankly after the boy as he ran off into the distance with his list.
Mushi...? The warm, compassionate old man and the infamous, Outer Wall-demolishing Fire Nation general were downright impossible to connect together.
At that very moment, the young Peace Orator decided once and for all that Ba Sing Se was truly nothing more than the City of Twists and Lies.
Author's Comments[]
I probably worked on this chapter for total of like 10-12 hours. Whoo! ...Okay actually, considering all the draft scenes I trashed, more like...17-18 hours. Yeahhh. I knew that this fanon's lacking the action, though, so I tried really hard to make a decent fight scene! I need to start practicing on them more anyway, since there're a lot of them that will start to come in the later chapters ;)
Please tell me how I did with the fighting! I know I tend to be critical of that in FRS reviews, so it'd make things a little hypocritical if I can't even write it myself >_>
Trivia[]
- For those of you who didn't pick it up, "the faint signs of a past despair, of something once hopeless" refers to Lu Ten ;_;
- Zomg Azula's in town. Sound familiar?
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