Sung had been in more than one close call in his life, Kretin Valley, Wan Hill, The Boiling Rock. But each time he had survived by the hair on his chin. But here now as he found himself surrounded he didn't see any way out. He'd be damned if he was going to let Kurn hang him up like a Fire Days Festival goose again. They were the definition of surrounded, people in front, people behind, and people on the sides. More than he could shake a stick at. He certainly wished he had his armor, and his sword. Neither of those items would have increased his chances of survival against so many numbers but at least he would have felt better.
So much was happening so fast that it was sending his mind into a full blown tumble, first off the messages that the Loyalists had been getting had been from Azula, second Azula hadn't betrayed him like he had thought but was trying to help in her own way , third Daichi was here, and fourth he could really use a nap. Though a very long very permeant nap looked to be in his future.
"Azula." Ozai had said. "What do you think you're doing?" Sung had learned a very long time ago that there was a time to talk then there was a time to listen, this certainly was one of those times where it was better to listen...he certainly didn't want to die with a tired jaw.
Azula looked tense as she looked at her father and Sung couldn't blame her, he'll he was tense too. "We're leaving father." Azula said, a bit of shakiness in her voice, she was afraid. If Azula of all people was afraid then the situation surely was a dire one, he had seen her shaken up, truly shaken up only a few times in all the years he had known her.
Ozai didn't look like he had enjoyed her answer very much. His face got pure red, and Sung was at least thankful that the Avatar had taken his bending away, or they'd all be eating fire balls right about now. "Leave...and where pray tell do you plan to go? There is nothing for you out there Azula."
What struck Sung as odd about this was Kurn was letting it happen, he was watching with great interest, like he had hoping that this confrontation happened much sooner. Kurn must be tired of pandering to Ozai, tired of pretending that Ozai held all the cards when the man hadn't even looked at the deck. "My brother is out there for one." Azula replied. "Since we were children you made us compete with each other, compete for your love. But you never loved either of us. The only reason you even paid a fraction of attention to me was because I was better at Firebending, I idolized you father!" She was screaming now, years of anger pouring out of her like a broken floodgate. "You were not worth idolizing!"
Ozai wasn't having any of it. "You dare talk to me like that!" He shouted. "After everything I did for you, I made sure you got the best education possible, anything you wanted I gave you! You certainly never went hungry."
"Oh congratulations!" Azula said clapping sarcastically. "You made sure I didn't die and I could read, you did the bare minimum of what a father was supposed to do! I bet you feel accomplished!" She suddenly pointed at Sung. "His father was more of a father to me than you ever were! Hell, Uncle Iroh was more of a father to me than you ever were and I treated him horribly. If I could go back in time and do everything all over again...when you banished Zuko, YOUR SON, I would have gone with him."
Sung was almost certain that Ozai popped a blood vessel. "You insolent little brat, you were once my greatest accomplishment, look at you know. You're no better than a commoner. Your time alone has changed you!"
Azula laughed now. "You're right, it did change me. It changed me for the better. I see through you now OZAI, you're not the perfect man I once thought you were. Deep down you are a coward, a scared little boy, who is nothing without his crown. I'm nothing like you are, I don't need a crown to define me."
Ozai looked to Kurn. "KILL THEM ALL!" Ozai shouted.
"All of you hold your positions." Kurn said, crossing his arms. Many of his soldiers looked to him now, absolutely shocked that he would ignore an order from their king, their rightful ruler. "No one moves without my order."
Ozai looked at Kurn now in disbelief. "General I am giving you a direct order, you will follow it this instant or I will have you killed."
Kurn looked unfazed by the threat. "I will not kill my Princess." He said.
"ALL OF YOU LOOK!" Azula shouted. "Kurn says he is fighting to bring this man back to the throne!" She pointed at Ozai. "But he won't carry out his orders! What does that tell the rest of you, what are you all fighting for if it's not for Ozai!"
Kurn seemed to recognize his blunder rather quickly as he looked around the room, many of his soldiers were staring at him, as if they had been asking themselves this very same question. Others seemed to shift to look at those beside them, as if a new threat had made itself known. "All of you hold your positions!" Kurn commanded, trying to regain control of a situation that was quickly snowballing. "Remember what we're fighting for!"
"Ah yes, you're fighting for a man who talks to shadows!" Azula said with a laugh. "If you fight to return Ozai to the throne you won't be helping your nation, you'll be leading it to ruin!"
"Don't listen to her!" Ozai shouted now. "Together we can bring forth a new era!"
"You certainly can!" Azula shouted back. "An era of darkness. All of you need to face a hard fact, the Great War is over, and yes you were all dealt a bad hand, but if you fight to put this man back on the throne it won't be long before you all go back to the Earth Kingdom again, and you're fighting and dying for a Cause that isn't worth fighting for! That War was a cruel and pointless one!"
"Silence yourself!" Ozai shouted at her. He wasn't even aware that around him it was as if factions within factions were forming, people were starting to group themselves together as if they were expecting they would have to fight each other very shortly. "You talk of things you don't understand, it is we who are destined to rule the world! We the Sons and Daughters Of Fire. But you...you are nothing, you're a failure just like your brother, a worthless nothing. When I am back on the throne I will bear new children, I will bear a daughter that I can be proud of, a daughter worthy of my legacy!"
What happened next happened so fast that Sung barely caught a glimpse of it. Azula had suddenly spread her legs, and she had rather quickly channeled a bolt of lighting using the technique that Sung had taught her all those years ago, and she shot the bolt, that blue lighting traveling across her arm and...hitting Ozai square in the chest, his eyes going wide as the bolt exploded and sent him flying backwards. The soldiers who had been standing beside him quickly getting out of the way to keep from getting hit.
Ozai traveled well over twenty feet before he finally hit the ground with a thud. Soldiers gathered around him now, one kneeling and putting an ear to his chest holding it there for a few seconds, the soldier then looked up. "He's dead!" The man shouted in shock and disbelief. Sung looked at Azula, he could see Daichi and the Earthbender woman doing the same. Her lips were quivering as she lowered her smoking fingers.
"ALL OF YOU HOLD YOUR POSITIONS!" Kurn shouted as loud as he could. The soldiers looked to him now as Kurn stepped forward. "I am ready to make a deal, Fire Lord Azula." He said with a grin. "Lead us to victory, and I will allow your other companions to leave in peace. With you with us we can finally put an end to the fighting, and YOU can shape the Fire Nation into what you wish it to be."
"Did you not hear a word I said?" Azula asked. "I want no part of this, I never wanted any part of this!" She pointed at Kurn. "The only reason I came here was because your son threatened to detonate bombs on Sun Dao!"
"What?!" Sung asked. He couldn't be silent any longer, he knew Kowareta was unhinged, and in some ways he had the right to be after what happened to him, but to use such a dishonorable tactic on Civilians...civilians that both he and Kurn had once called their people was...it was sick. The thought of Naomi, or Nikkō being caught in one of those explosions made him even sicker.
"Exactly eight months ago Kowareta came to me on Sun Dao during its Sun Festival. He told me if he was killed or captured his subordinates would spread across Sun Dao and kill civilians...he told me he would detonate bombs in a school!" Azula explained to them all. "The Son of your leader was prepared to kill children!"
"And you tell me I lost my Honor Kurn!" Sung said as he stared at Kurn, hoping that he would drop dead from his sight alone. "It sounds to me like your son never had any honor in the first place."
"Traitor!" He heard someone shout.
"Coward!" Another shouted.
Then it happened....the fighting began.
*
This too had happened quickly, Sung had seen a burst of fire flash out of the corner of his eye, that single spark had started a free fall, one burst of fire became two, then three, then there were to many to count. Those factions within factions had turned on one another and an all out brawl had started, swords clashed, earth was thrown, people screamed. In the center of this madness Sung could only assume those who supported Kurn rallied around him fighting opponents on all sides. Kurn had pulled both of the swords he had and he too took part in the battle, slashing the weapons like mad.
"We need to get out of here!" Daichi shouted at them.
"All of you get in the basket!" The Earthbender shouted back.
Sung didn't have to be told twice as he jumped inside the basket of the War Balloon, Daichi and Azula following behind. It was certainly cramped with three people but it was nice to have at least a bit of cover in this mad frenzy. The Earthbender stood beside the War Balloon and spread her legs out, she then exhaled as she pushed up, the ground below them began to lift up and slowly they began to rise up to the rock ceiling.
Below the fight continued on, bodies began to lay on the ground and it was hard to tell exactly who was who, he didn't even know if those taking part in the fight knew, they were just fighting to fight at this point. But even through all this chaos as Sung looked out she could see a gap in the fighting, a gap around Ozais fallen body as he stared back at them lifeless. Behind them an explosion could be heard and they all turned to see some of the parked tanks in their nest rows had suddenly burst into flames. A pile of bodies around them, how that had happened was anyone's guess and it mattered very little exactly what had caused it. What mattered however was the explosion had caused a series of rocks from the roof to begin to fall.
Sung looked up and shot a burst of compressed red fire at a large boulder that would surely have crushed them. As that flame cut the Boulder in half and caused the two pieces to go on separate courses Sung suddenly had flashbacks to Ba Sing Se, how the Earthbenders had sent volleys at them from the wall.
Daichi was doing the same on his side, cutting through boulders and rocks as quickly as he could. "I hate this!" he complained as he performed an upward flame chop on a large Boulder, that rock turning into a shower of tiny pebbles.
"Yeah well I'm not having fun either!" The Earthbender said, her voice strained from her task. "This thing is heavy...I'm having trouble keeping this up!"
"You can do it Jing!" Azula cheered her on. "We're almost there!" Truthfully they weren't even halfway up yet but this elevated position was certainly better than being down there. Below the battle continued on, but the number of fighters had dropped dramatically in such a short amount of time, the fights were more spaced out throughout the massive chamber. It seemed one side had begun to get pushed back. Bodies with varying causes of death left behind. A few he could see even from this height had arrows in them, he couldn't help but wonder who had been crazy enough to use a bow in these close quarters.
"I-I don't know if I can hold the platform up and open a path to the surface." The woman now known to him as Jing said, her face red and sweat pouring down her.
"Sung!" Azula shouted at him. "Like what we did on Ma'inka!" She said pointing up. He of course knew what she was referencing immediately, how both of them had channeled their lightning together to bust a hole in the side of that tank factory. He exhaled and nodded to her. Together they went through the motions, in a sort of dance, blue sparks of lightning swirling around their bodies, the hairs on Sung's arm and neck standing up from the static. Azula stared at him a small beautiful smile on her face "now!" She shouted and together they shot their right arms upward, the lightning popping and snapping as they spiraled around each other before hitting the ceiling and exploding with a boom so loud that it caused Sung's ears to ring as a massive dust cloud appeared.
As the dust cleared a large hole could be seen now, that hole allowing a view of the night sky above, cool air wafting in. Jing let out a shout as she summoned what was left of her strength to propel the platform out of the tunnels and into a field of green. "H-hurry up!" Jing said, her arms and legs shaking as she tried to keep the platform steady.
Sung, Azula, and Daich all jumped out of the War Balloon each of them grabbing a corner and together they moved the Balloon off of the platform, each one of then groaning as they did so. Then suddenly Sung felt a rumble under his feet and turned, he watched in horror as the platform under Jing buckled and then gave way, she falling with it.
Azula took action quickly running towards the hole. "I'll get her!" She shouted before she jumped.
"Azula!" Sung shouted as he ran over to the hole and kneeled down. Below him he could see Jing falling, her arms falling, just above her he saw Azula in a stance like she was swan diving, using short jets of blue fire to pick up speed. He held his breath as they grew further and further away, a fall from this height would kill them both and there was nothing he or anyone could do to stop it.
Azula reached Jing finally and wrapped her arms around her waist she then looked up, seeming to be saying something to Jing before she closed her eyes and a large jet of blue fire arched off of her boot heels and the two began to travel back up at a rapid speed. "Daichi get over here." Sung said as he laid down on his stomach and held his hands out, trying to give them something to grab onto. Daichi appeared beside him and laid down doing the same. "Come on...come on...come on." Sung whispered out loud as they continued to climb. Sung could only watch tensely as Azulas flame slowly got smaller and smaller with each passing second.
With a final burst Azula held a hand out and latched onto his wrist, her body weight straining his arm. Out the corner of his eye he could see Daichi latching onto Jing and beginning to pull her up. "Y-you idiot." Sung said with a weak laugh, using a saying that Azula had used on him more than once when he came up with a half baked scheme or did something she deemed foolish.
Azula looked up at him and smiled widely as he began pulling her up. "I may be an idiot, but I'm your idiot." She said in a joking manner. With great effort Sung pulled her out, Azula rising to her feet and looking back down the hole. Below the Battle still carried on. "Genji didn't die in vain." She said in a rather sad tone. Sung didn't know but by the strain in her voice whoever this Genji was he had been important to her.
"We better get out of here." Jing said, stepping forward and putting a hand on Azulas shoulder. "Before the winners come up here to finish us off."
*
Something Sung had learned rather quickly was that a War Balloon was not made with the idea oh holding four people, but somehow they had made it work, Sung was sitting on a metal portion of the engine. The Sun was just beginning to come up over the horizon, behind them miles away black smoke rose in the air. It had been three hours since they had made a dramatic escape from the black cliffs. With the adrenaline, long since drained out of his body he felt groggy, though looking over the other three in this flying picnic basket he wasn't the only one who was drained.
Sung touched a hand to his cheek and winced The swelling in his jaw had gone down slightly but it hurt to touch, not the worse wound he had ever received however, he'd live and thankfully none of his teeth had been knocked out. His eyes fell on Azula who was leaning over the side of the War Balloon, her eyes glued to the ocean. "Are you okay?" He asked her.
"Just... processing some things." Azula said with a sigh. "You know...after everything that Ozai has done not only to me but to Zuko, and to mother...I should feel glad that I killed him, I should feel...something. But I don't, if anything I feel sad. I mean he was a terrible father but...he was still my father." She looked at him now. "Do you think I made the right choice Sung?"
Sung's first instinct would have been to say yes, that Ozais death was a long time coming. But he doubted that information would have set Azula's mind at ease any. "I think you made the best choice you could in a bad situation." He said.
Azula scoffed at his answer. "That's bad advice love." She said with a small smile as she stood up and maneuvered her way over to him. "But thank you." She put a hand on his swollen cheek and stroked it gently. "I just...I was so angry at him for hurting you...and angry about what he said, I had to stop him from doing to another child what he did to me an Zuko."
Sung stood up now and hugged Azula. "It's okay Angel." He said softly. "We'll get through this, we're so close to the end of this nightmare. Then we can rebuild."
"And then can we go home?" Azula asked, laying her head on his shoulder. "Back to Sun Dao..."
Even in his tired state the fact that she called Sun Dao "home" warmed him beyond words. "We can go wherever you want Azula." He said with a smile. Goddess willing he was right, that this nightmare was almost over. He prayed that they were one battle at most away from the sun finally shining through the clouds and a lasting peace would finally be found. He was tired of fighting.