The Spirits must be dying of laughter at me.
Azula's sharp tawny eyes picked out Jet and Smellerbee performing with others in extravagantly flashy outfits. Avani was wandering around the edge holding a bowl meant for donations. The bowl was about to overflow with coins.
Mai and Ty Lee were also in the crowd. Ty Lee watched with glistening orbs wishing she could perform once again. The Mistress of Darkness carefully watched Azula certain that the woman standing only a few strides away from them was Princess Azula. Yes, her hair and clothes was something she would never don unless it was necessary. Her skin was unevenly tanned and her body language was relaxed. Mai wasn't sure of what she should do. Azula' existence would threaten Lord Zuko's rule, possibly ending this hard won ending of the war.
The performance ended giving Sudhir the nudge she needed to reconnect with reality.
Hugs and tears were plentiful as Avani and Azula were reunited.
"Glad that you finally showed up." Jet chuckled watching the two sisters.
"I didn't even know she was here... Thanks for everything Jet." Azula used her sleeve to try and wipe away her tears.
"Where's the rest of the gang?"
"Yeah! Where's Aang?" Avani wanted to see the rest of her friends as well.
"Aang is helping Lord Zuko and the siblings are helping people at the Abbey up north."
Mai's eyes went wide. Azula was connected with the Avatar who was talking with Lord Zuko. A perfect position to be in if she wanted to regain control of the Fire Nation from her younger brother. She couldn't let Azula continue any further.
The group stood together trying to decide where to go for lunch. Actually, it was Jet and Smellerbee arguing where to go. Azula had agreed to pay for whole meal for everyone resulting in Jet wanting to go to one of the nicer places conflicting with Smellerbee wishing to be a bit modest by picking a cheaper place.
Azula noticed Mai out of the corner of her eye running towards them. Pieces of her memories were still missing in action, enough remained of Mai to know she was dangerous. Daggers caught the midday sun warning the others in the group that steel had been drawn against them. The woman had nothing to deflect or absorb the damage from those razor sharp throwing knives.
"So it is you." Mai's voice remained cold and even watching azure flames flicker out. The flames did their job of altering the dagger's flight path harmlessly into the ground. Ty Lee caught up to her disappearing friend in time to see the flames.
"Az-"
"What is your plan?" The Mistress of Darkness had to try to gain any information on Azula's plan. For all she knew it was already in motion and she intended to stop it at any cost.
What is my plan? I have only been going by what Aang and the siblings have asked me to do...
Silence remained between the group. Onlookers slowly backing away. They knew a fight with a firebender would end badly for any nearby. Everyone failed to notice Jet struggling with himself. Twin tiger blades were drawn and trembling.
"You may have avoided discovery so far but today you will die." The knife-thrower's resolve cemented in her heart. Someone was going to die today and she was determined to make sure Azula did.
"Jet keep Ava-"
"Traitor!" Screamed Jet sending everyone off their game. Azula's braid was cut off instead of her head when Jet's hooked blade roared towards her. Smellerbee was forced back as the other tiger blade moved towards her. Without concern for their past Jet roughly grabbed the collar of Avani's clothes dragging her along with him.
"Jet! Calm down! I'm certain Sudhir can explain!" Smellerbee frantically switched from Jet to Azula.
"Sudhir? She's Princess Azula!"
"What?" Smellerbee couldn't believe the words from the knife-thrower's who suddenly decided to attack them.
Should I confess?
"I will kill all of you bastards!"
"Jet! Avani's not a firebender! Avani hasn't done anything. Please Jet!" Smellerbee couldn't let Jet hurt Avani since she was only a kid trying to scrape by in this rough world. She couldn't let Jet dig a deeper grave for himself. As for Sudhir she could handle herself.
"I will kill her first!" Challenged the once level headed woman with those daggers constantly appearing from nowhere and everywhere.
"Mai! Do-" Ty Lee didn't want to fight without understanding what was going on. Yes, the woman named Sudhir had a stark resemblance to Azula. Azure flames were Azula's defining feature of her firebending but that doesn't mean no one else couldn't change the color of their flames.
Smellerbee was the first target of Mai and Jet. The young freedom fighter did not stand a chance against these two battle hardened fighters. Daggers pierced her side where her armor failed to cover flesh. Jet used the hook of his right blade to send Smellerbee crashing to the ground and cutting deep into the back of her calf. Avani cried out to Jet to spare Smellerbee.
This wasn't was suppose to happen. We were going to have lunch and exchange stories.
The mad man snarled at the group backing away carefully keeping Avani physically between himself and the others.
"JET! Snap out of it!" Smellerbee cried both hands applying pressure on her calf ignoring the daggers in her side. Mai's daggers glinted in her hands waiting for their mistress to pick the next target. Decisions had to be quickly decided and acted upon. Would she focus her attacks on the twin tiger blades or Azula?
"Get the girl." Mai ordered to her once bubbly friend. Regardless of what Azula has done the girl was too young to have done anything atrocious enough to be used as a human shield. Ty Lee followed Mai's order without hesitation for she had planned to try and rescue the girl with or without Mai's support.
Jet's sharp eyes followed Ty Lee's movement assessing her prowess with acrobatics. He knew that he had to keep her at arm's length and doing so with Avani proved too difficult. Avani was thrown at Ty Lee causing her to halt the assault to move her out of the tiger blade's path. A small cut formed on Ty Lee's skin telling her that she had been lucky this time.
Flames formed on the ground between Jet and his target thanks to Azula diverting her attack and attention away from Mai. A dangerous gamble that did not pay off in the princess' favor. Steel bit into her thigh reducing her options in combat. Ty Lee left Avani's side to reignite the fight with Jet thinking she could paralyze him fast enough to stop the fight between Mai and Azula.
Azula reacted to Mai's daggers by dodging to the left using the new opening in the knife-thrower's defenses to pop off several fire blasts. Mai couldn't evade all of them in this impromptu arena. Pale skin bubbled and burned from the flames. Princess Azula wasn't aiming to end Mai's life; The man once called Jet thought differently.
Insanity didn't hamper Jet's ability to dodge Ty Lee's Qi attacks and acrobatics. Steel blades glinted in the midday Sun each one moving to kill the other. Throwing daggers cut fabric and embedded in thick leather armor. Jet's paranoia saved his life in this reckless attack. Mai cursed the Spirits under her breath regretting her aggression.
Twin tiger blades sundered flesh ending the Mistress of the Night's life.
"Mai!" Screamed Ty Lee tears flying from those brown eyes. Emotion propelled Ty Lee against Jet's assault. The freedom fighter was fast just not fast enough to take on the acrobat. Azula hesitated to join the battle uncertain which side she should target. Mai and Ty Lee made it clear that they were not friends and Jet's brainwashing had turned fatal.
With a curse under her breath the princess entered the fray hoping that she could immobilize Jet and talk down Ty Lee.
Easier said than done. All fighters expertly dodge each other attacks with no one gaining an upper hand. Unknown to all of them the heat from Azula's flames were slowly weakening the abused twin tiger blades.
Sweat soaked everyone's clothing as they all breathed hard. None of them had any advantage over the others. Risking her life Azula decided to abandon all attacks on Ty Lee and focus on Jet for she suspected that her old friend hadn't changed into a killer. Ty Lee cartwheeled back thinking of luring Jet into a trap. Princess Azula's change in plans ruined her plans.
Jet and Azula didn't expect one of the twin tiger blades to spectacularly shatter from a heavy kick forcing the blade into the stone wall. Shards of steel embedded into flesh without loyalty or remorse. The man didn't feel the pain, he was consumed with the thoughts of killing the bloody firebender.
Every last one.
"Die!" Roared the freedom fighter determined to kill Azula with a whole and broken blade. Ty Lee allowed Jet to focus on Azula to circle behind him. Flames lost their intensity as Azula's strength faded from the prolonged fight. Desperation caused all three of them to act without thinking.
Jet's wrists were restrained by Azula's claws giving Ty Lee an easy target. The perspiration on their skin weakened her grip allowing one wrist to slide free. Without consideration for the impending Qi attack Azula rotated Jet's other wrist in an attempt to use the broken blade to save herself from the intact blade.
Accuracy befitting of a Yuyan archer, the Qi blocker assaulted Jet sending him into his own broken blade placed in the most opportune position by chance. Blood surged from the deep wound drenching Jet and Azula in crimson.
Fear and shock sent both women lurching backwards. Twin tiger swords were released allowing the hands to desperately grasp at the wound to ebb the flow. Jet could not be saved from Azula's mistake. Ty Lee and Azula watched Jet's eyes curse them and every last firebender to a horrible fate.
Mai and Jet lay dead in the street before Azula and Ty Lee. A brutal hurricane would seem calm compared to their emotions. What should I say...? The princess was afraid to look at her friend from days long gone by. Ty Lee... are you going to try and kill me too? Is everyone going to keep trying to kill me? By the Spirits.
"I tried to stop her..." Ty Lee hesitated certain that saying Azula's real name would only bring sorrow.
"For everything... I'm sorry... A lot has happened." Azula didn't know Ty Lee's new name nor Mai's. Old friends looked at each other afraid of everything about the other. The princess wanted to say more though could not find the words. She relented turning away from the remains of her friends.
"Avani?" Tawny eyes trembled at the small body. She wasn't moving. Avani failed to respond to Azula's desperate cries. Throwing knives glinted against the blood soaking the girl's clothes and flesh.
Mai, Jet, and Avani lay dead in the street.