"What do you mean?" Ukano frowned as Michi's phrasing gave him a sense of unease. The look in her eyes seemed a little discontented. But Mai felt more than that. Her hand was tightly held by Michi as if she was still nervous and in need of comfort but hearing her father's words, Mai's mother hissed, "You imprisoned me! Don't act innocent, Ukano. I remember!"
"Mom, what's going on?" Tom-Tom nervously shrunk his neck and Michi instantly comforted the boy with a gentle smile, "Nothing, sweety. Just stay close to your sister, alright? Hold her hand."
Even if Tom-Tom would have hesitated, Mai didn't give the boy any time to think as she held his hand. Though not revealing it, Mai began to feel a bit nervous, too. It was only natural when the confrontation between one's parents is out in the open.
"Imprisoned you?" Ukano narrowed his eyes, "I don't recall such an event, darling. It's not sensible to make such whimsical comments in presence of our children. Kai, go on, take Mai and others—"
"I'm staying. For once, in this boring palace, something interesting is happening," Mai narrowed her eyes, masking her worry with apathy— as usual— and she stated firmly, "I'm staying."
"Honey," Kai smiled, more than willing to still continue Ukano's order when Michi shrieked, scaring Kai until he almost fell back, "Didn't you hear what my daughter just said? She stays!"
And her glare bore into Ukano, "You imprisoned me. And yet, I don't even remember all of it. You heartless monster! You left me not only in that cold and silent dungeon but also set me aside for no fault of my own!
Was Juhi good? Hmm? Say, Kai, are your maids good, too?"
"Enough," Ukano slammed his palm on the table with a gloomy expression but by now it was clear to the family members aside from Tom-Tom that Michi was imprisoned yet the other allegations were somewhat weird.
"What is going on?" Mai squeezed her mother's hand and Michi couldn't help but reign her anger in slightly.
"Will you tell them or should I?" Michi glanced at her husband. She didn't feel righteous at all because, at the end of the day, both of them had ended up failing their marriage. Ukano pursed his lips, teeth grounding as he kept his silence. There was no one else in the dining room so Michi didn't fear any external reaction as she began, "I still don't remember things well but your father imprisoned me in a dungeon under the basement of the orphans... no, I think that there was something going on back then regarding the orphans. I found that out and Ukano did something to me... I only found this out a few days ago and my memories are still... jumbled. Tell me that you didn't do the same to our children!" She glared at Ukano fiercely as he bit back, shouting, "Never! Are you out of your mind?!"
"And how can I ever trust you?" Michi shouted, too.
"Listen," Ukano heaved deeply, "Once this is all over, I will tell you everything. All of this is done for the will of the Phoenix King. He knows that duty demands personal sacrifice and if I—"
Before he could finish, Michi stood up, "For three years, Ukano. Three years... Phoenix King this, Phoenix King that... he may have granted you the city, but aren't you a father, too? You follow a man whose family left him, and now, you will not tell me why and what you did to me back then. You won't even come to our room nowadays," she puckered her lips with a sadness flashing through her eyes, "I'm leaving... before I do, I want you to know that what I did these last few days... I felt that it was your fault but really, my actions couldn't be excused."
"What are you saying?" Ukano frowned as Michi took a shuddering breath, "We are done."
"Done with what?" he narrowed his eyes while the boy next to Mai couldn't help but hold his sister's hand tighter.
"Don't play a fool. I'm leaving. Come on, Mai. Tom-Tom," Michi snorted as she turned to move only for Ukano to stand up with a furious expression.
"Wait, damn it!" he growled, "I did everything for the sake of the family. For us! With my merits, Tom-Tom will have a greater position. Mai and Kai will have more re to govern than they could possibly imagine! You and I could have everything if you just..." he grew silent.
"Just tell me what you did to me," Michi stopped for a moment but seeing her husband silent, she, too, left the dining room.
Once the trio left, Kai couldn't help but speak up, "Father-in-law..." but before he could even continue, Ukano snapped his fingers three times in quick succession and Kai entered a period of daze.
Meanwhile, the trio returned to Mai's room since it was the closest to the dining room. Once they entered, Michi fell weakly on her daughter's bed. This time, Mai's period of silence stemmed from her sensibility than her indifference but Tom-Tom could only voice his confusion, "What is going on?"
"Isn't it already simple?" Mai eyed her younger brother, "Aang is the avatar. His distant relatives are probably his allies. They are caught. Mom and father had a falling out because he did something unsavory and now we're probably going to leave."
Mai glanced at their mother, intentionally leaving out a particular confession from Michi before she left.
She stated the facts as Michi sighed as her head lowered in defeat, "Your father... he did something to my mind. I'm sure of it. This has something to do with the orphans we were supposed to assist but Ukano is doing something very dangerous and wrong. Sorry, Mai... Tom-Tom, but I want you to come with me. Back to the fire nation."
"I don't want to leave!" Tom-Tom instantly hissed, "And Aang, where is he? Mai, help me find him please!"
"It's Elder Sister for you," Mai frowned before sinking in silence.
"Tom," Michi forced a smile.
"And I don't want to leave father! And what about my academy?" He continued with an angry expression only for Michi's tears to finally trickle down silently all the while her shoulders shuddered.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. If only I hadn't," Michi whimpered, pulling Tom-Tom into a hug as Mai sat a bit away only to be pulled in, too.
"Sigh... it's going to be ok..." Mai muttered. Words of comfort from her sounded wrong to Michi and Tom-Tom but Michi took it, feeling greatly relieved for some reason. Even Tom-Tom began to cry finally, pouring out his indignations in a better way when compared to shouting— crying.
The trio remained as such for quite a few minutes until--
*Drrrrrrr*
The entire palace trembled, making everyone feel astonished, as the shaking only grew fiercer.
---
"Ugh... stay away from me, you assholes! I'm already dead tired," Nik groaned, his eyes were half-lidded as his vision was a blur at this point but he could sense someone holding him.
"It's me, Suki," he heard as he ceased his struggle. Soon, he felt something cool touching his chest as it soon turned warm. His breathing turned softer and he felt began feeling better. His nose was bleeding at this point, too. It took a few minutes for him to look well and he saw Suki's slightly despondent face.
"Hey," Nik croaked, smiling slightly as Suki let out a relieved sigh.
"Do you remember what happened?" He heard Katara's voice and looked to the other side. Although he was still in the same room... it was strangely considerably brighter.
Gazing at her strained expression, Nik looked around a bit more. He was lying on Suki's lap with the siblings around him. Sokka was off for the worst as the guilt could practically be seen on his face. Then Nik noticed the giant hole in the ceiling that basked the surroundings with light.
"Where is Bumi?" Nik questioned. The Mad King was nowhere to be seen. She should have been chained up but the spot only had the metal hook. The casket was gone. Bumi's ability to bend despite being without any limbs inside the casket was the first thing that came to his mind and then—
"You didn't happen to run into Aang, did you?" Nik finally questioned as Suki helped him sit up while he explained the events in a few short sentences. His words caused the trio to turn silent as Nik spoke up, "If it isn't too troubling, could you help me out of this palace... I don't know how long it will hold and Aang didn't seem too... happy."
"Do you even need to ask?" Katara huffed in dissatisfaction but she was also the first one to grab his arm and alongside Suki, she pulled Nik up.
"Can you cover for him? We might need to fight our way out," Suki mumbled and then looked at Nik, "My gear. I will need my weapons."
Nik smiled wryly, "Um... Aang has your fans."
"Why?"
"He asked for it... and I didn't want to give my fans away."
Suki snorted, dumping Nik on Katara wholly as the two almost fell down again but Nik hurriedly took out Suki's sword, one of the more unorthodox weapons she had learned to use, as Suki and Sokka silently rushed towards the fire nation guard that stumbled across them out in the hallway.
It was mostly in ruins which made stepping a trouble for warriors but Suki proved more capable than Sokka or the guard as she moved agilely while dodging a small blast of fire. It was clear that the guard was quite exhausted, too, as Suki knocked him out quickly.
"Come on," Suki looked back.
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"Let me help, too... if you don't mind," Sokka walked up to Nik only for him to finally reject it. It may have been insensitive but Nik knew just slightly more about hypnosis as a concept and its application, causing him to speak, "It's fine, really. Unless we find Zhao and get him to tell us what he did to you, I cannot lower my... injured guard around you. Sorry, but that's just how it is."
Sokka froze in his place and Katara, too, bit her lips. Of course, she wanted to take Sokka's side but Nik had to be brought out as quickly as possible and she couldn't really refute whatever Nik said. They weren't too aware of the situation but the concept of hypnotism is foreign for the siblings.
"Yeah, it's cool. Sure, uh... I'll just move in the front. That way you don't have to worry about your back..." Sokka didn't have his usual comebacks as he complied with a complicated expression.
Aside from a few injured and startled guards themselves, the group didn't find anything of note or any person for that matter. The prison cells were either destroyed or empty, making the group recall how the Fire Lord had just freed the prisoners before their arrival to Omashu.
The group soon found a set of a staircase that led them to a dead-end with a lever next to it only for Sokka to pull it. The wall in front of them shook slightly and it was pushed down, revealing the interior of Ukano's ransacked office.
*Thud*
*Crash*
Only at this point did the crashing noise become slightly relevant with distant roars and screams giving the group a pretty good idea in what state the palace would be once they enter it through Ukano's office.
They didn't dawdle but with Nik, their speed was naturally slow. The entirety of the palace was shaken with constant shouts only getting clearer.
"Hey! Why haven't you evacuated yet— Wait, Sokka? You-" An older man hurried over to their direction before quickly rushing back with an even greater speed as if he had encountered a plague.
"Who was he?" Suki inquired.
"The head butler..." Sokka sighed, "But it looks like everyone is evacuating the palace."
"I wonder—" Katara whispered with a slightly tired expression as Nik's weight was greater than her own and taking the load alone was definitely a task in its own right. Her words were interrupted by a major chunk of wall left to them that was torn with cracks spreading out wildly throughout the hallway.
*Whoosh*
Gust impacted them tat once as the source of tremendous wind happened to be a boy moving his upper body in a round motion with the giant chunk of earthen wall launched at the man far in the distance, not even visible by the group due to dust pouring in.
"Whoa!"
"Agh!"
"Hey, hold on Nik!"
'Not again,' Nik whined internally as the group was sent over to the opposite wall. Their breath was stolen by the impact for the moment with all four of them only able to gaze at Aang helplessly. The sheer pressure of the wind was already astounding and seeing the glowing boy turn his head in their direction, they fell silent to not incur and surprise attack. Aang wasn't in his control. His mind was overcome with rage and strength beyond his ability to guide and it simply caused damage to others.
*Vsssh*
*Vsssh*
*Vsssh*
Aang's clothes whipped and he silently stared at the four of them for a few seconds. He was surrounded by a visible ball of wind and dust and the chunk of wall he launched finally landed far in the distance.
Nik's gaze momentarily fell on the pair of fans in Aang's hands.
"Aang, you have to stop this!" Katara finally called out loudly.
"Aaaghhhhhhhh!"
All Katara got in response was an angered roar. Flames emerged from his mouth as Aang abruptly waved his fans in their direction. The wall above the group's head was sliced off cleanly before falling backward onto the only garden of the palace as Aang finally moved away. More like, flew away.
"Word of advice... never tell someone in power what to do... doesn't end well most of the time..." Nik coughed as the group fell on the ground.
"He looked... so much in pain," Katara bit her lip, "What power? He was asking for our help. He needs our help!"
"And he has my fan. But... I could loan him for now," Suki was more sensible in this regard.
"At least, let's get on the ground... it's more dangerous up here," Sokka noted as the wall behind and in front of them was torn open. Anyone would fall off due to bad footing.
"We could use Appa right about now," Nik chuckled bitterly as Suki took the role of carrying his weight.
'Today clearly isn't mine... getting smashed against the wall so many times already,' Nik counted with a sigh.
They soon rushed down the stairs and by now, the palace was mostly emptied but the signs of destruction couldn't be clearer. They moved cautiously but as they came out from the palace, what they saw was something that none of them had in mind.
Aang battled a joint troop of firebenders and earthbenders.
"They are being controlled..." Nik remarked the moment he observed the sluggish movement of the Earthbenders, their dazed expressions, and Ukano leading them word by word with an expressionless Kai standing next to him. Zhao, meanwhile, coordinated with the remaining firebenders.
"Sokka, you have to take another step away from us," Suki frowned instantly. She was a little scared by such a troublesome aspect of mind control.
"Hey, enough!" Katara scowled, "He's already doing the best he can. Just because of one mistake, you're being so—"
"No, she's right... I'm dangerous," Sokka stepped back instantly. His heart felt a similar chill when he saw the situation. The entirety of Omashu was sent in an uproar by the floating Avatar bending pieces of Palace as he attacked the two bending troops in front of him.
Katara's expression turned even more bitter with this but she could not speak up for her brother unnecessarily.
They weren't exactly standing in the middle of the entrance and had used broken pillars to keep a cover and not let themselves get known. They had yet to make a decision what to do because even assisting Aang wasn't a sensible choice. He may as well attack them out of nowhere and with such a force that would only prove fatal.
"Any idea how to get out of the palace?" Suki inquired.
"Without losing a dead weight," Nik added.
"No, maybe without the dead weight, too," Suki smiled, "Who knows, we might need it."
"I'm hugging you right now... want me to fall and take you down?" Nik scoffed.
"*Khnnk* How about helping Aang? He is about to be done, hahaha!"
The four of them instantly screamed with an iron casket seemingly drilling from the ground behind them.