Zuko shuddered under her touch. He tried to look at her, but his eyes kept sliding over her, and he couldn’t meet her eyes. Her words pounded around her head along with the pain of his head bouncing off the stones. His vision swam. He wanted to go home. He wanted it to be all over.
Azula waved her hand imperiously, and the Dai li with her brought their feet down. The crystals slid down, disappearing back into the solid, gray stone of the floor. Zuko found his feet, staring back at his sister. “It’s your choice,” she told him, stepping onto the stone platform waiting for her at the bottom of the wall, but before the platform could rise, she hesitated. “It’s a good sign that you managed to get rid of Uncle. He never was ready to do what had to be done in the name of power. I’m glad you see that n-”
Zuko lunged at her with a yell like he had been struck. The stone hands caught him out of the air and threw him back to the floor. Azula stepped off the platform and stood over her brother. Her eyes narrowed into poisonous slits. “He’s dead,” Zuko babbled. “He’s dead, and-” the words just stopped. They cut off before he could stop them, before Azula could stop them. They just died.
Azula shook her head slightly, the only reaction she showed to the news of her uncle’s death. “Bring him with us. We’ll have to lock him up somewhere more secure.”
“You-” Zuko spat, but Azula waved her hand again and another stone fist clamped itself around his face.
“I hope you’re happy now,” she remarked coldly as the Dai Li pulled him up from the ground and closed their rock gloves around his wrists and ankles. “You’re going to die, Zuzu, and I’m not going to care.”
~*~
Toph felt the tremors in the stone, tremors that told her about rumblings in the cave behind them. She ran faster, her feet never touching the ground long enough for her to feel where she was going. She kept her arms out in front of her, and they bumped into the backs of her friends as she jostled down the tunnel behind them, until they stopped, suddenly, without warning her. Toph ran into them. “Ow!”
“Shh.” Katara helped her back to her feet.
The rumblings had... stopped. Toph felt the ground. The bottom of her stomach dropped out. “Oh man.” The earth shivered under her feet. “We left Zuko back there!”
“No,” Aang whispered. “No, we didn’t.”
At the very edge of Toph’s vision, she felt a familiar figure between two Dai Li agents. She felt the stone cuffs on his wrists and ankles, and suddenly the bottom of her stomach was back, and it was made out of molten lead.
~*~
The tunnels swam around Zuko as the Dai Li carried him up, and out of the earth and into a metal lined corridor. With every movement, his head pounded and his stomach turned over and over. Bile rose high in his throat, and he gagged. The vomit filled his mouth and oozed out between the fingers of the stone glove. He choked and thrashed, panting hard through his nose, but no matter how hard he breathed, he couldn’t get any air no matter how hard he breathed.
“Crap, Dao, stop, get the gag off him. He’s choking.” The two Dai Li agents propped him up against the wall and removed the gag. The vomit ran down his face, and he coughed, sliding down the wall and slumping over his knees.
The other agent eyed the puddle of vomit dripping down onto the metal floor with distaste. “Come on, let’s get him to a cell before he throws up again.”
The agents hauled him up off the ground and over the shoulder of the one who had made the other one stop. Zuko heaved air into his lungs, tasting the vomit in the back of his throat with each breath. He hung over the agent’s shoulder limply, closing his eyes as his head throbbed, with the feeling of it hitting the cave wall over and over again. He thought he was going to throw up again.
He breathed out. A steady stream of fire poured out of his mouth and caught on the stiff green fabric like the wick of a candle.
“Shit!” The agent dropped him and swatted the flames away. “Gag the little shit again.”
“I left the stones back there.”
“I hate these stupid- metal- spirits damn, he burned my hand!”
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branchandroot
Iroh dies in s2: Crossroads of Destiny, Pt 3/?
Date: 2010-10-18 07:54 pm (UTC)Azula waved her hand imperiously, and the Dai li with her brought their feet down. The crystals slid down, disappearing back into the solid, gray stone of the floor. Zuko found his feet, staring back at his sister. “It’s your choice,” she told him, stepping onto the stone platform waiting for her at the bottom of the wall, but before the platform could rise, she hesitated. “It’s a good sign that you managed to get rid of Uncle. He never was ready to do what had to be done in the name of power. I’m glad you see that n-”
Zuko lunged at her with a yell like he had been struck. The stone hands caught him out of the air and threw him back to the floor. Azula stepped off the platform and stood over her brother. Her eyes narrowed into poisonous slits. “He’s dead,” Zuko babbled. “He’s dead, and-” the words just stopped. They cut off before he could stop them, before Azula could stop them. They just died.
Azula shook her head slightly, the only reaction she showed to the news of her uncle’s death. “Bring him with us. We’ll have to lock him up somewhere more secure.”
“You-” Zuko spat, but Azula waved her hand again and another stone fist clamped itself around his face.
“I hope you’re happy now,” she remarked coldly as the Dai Li pulled him up from the ground and closed their rock gloves around his wrists and ankles. “You’re going to die, Zuzu, and I’m not going to care.”
~*~
Toph felt the tremors in the stone, tremors that told her about rumblings in the cave behind them. She ran faster, her feet never touching the ground long enough for her to feel where she was going. She kept her arms out in front of her, and they bumped into the backs of her friends as she jostled down the tunnel behind them, until they stopped, suddenly, without warning her. Toph ran into them. “Ow!”
“Shh.” Katara helped her back to her feet.
The rumblings had... stopped. Toph felt the ground. The bottom of her stomach dropped out. “Oh man.” The earth shivered under her feet. “We left Zuko back there!”
“No,” Aang whispered. “No, we didn’t.”
At the very edge of Toph’s vision, she felt a familiar figure between two Dai Li agents. She felt the stone cuffs on his wrists and ankles, and suddenly the bottom of her stomach was back, and it was made out of molten lead.
~*~
The tunnels swam around Zuko as the Dai Li carried him up, and out of the earth and into a metal lined corridor. With every movement, his head pounded and his stomach turned over and over. Bile rose high in his throat, and he gagged. The vomit filled his mouth and oozed out between the fingers of the stone glove. He choked and thrashed, panting hard through his nose, but no matter how hard he breathed, he couldn’t get any air no matter how hard he breathed.
“Crap, Dao, stop, get the gag off him. He’s choking.” The two Dai Li agents propped him up against the wall and removed the gag. The vomit ran down his face, and he coughed, sliding down the wall and slumping over his knees.
The other agent eyed the puddle of vomit dripping down onto the metal floor with distaste. “Come on, let’s get him to a cell before he throws up again.”
The agents hauled him up off the ground and over the shoulder of the one who had made the other one stop. Zuko heaved air into his lungs, tasting the vomit in the back of his throat with each breath. He hung over the agent’s shoulder limply, closing his eyes as his head throbbed, with the feeling of it hitting the cave wall over and over again. He thought he was going to throw up again.
He breathed out. A steady stream of fire poured out of his mouth and caught on the stiff green fabric like the wick of a candle.
“Shit!” The agent dropped him and swatted the flames away. “Gag the little shit again.”
“I left the stones back there.”
“I hate these stupid- metal- spirits damn, he burned my hand!”