Bad Moon Rising | Book 4

5: Peace and Pleasure

Art: Artist Not Found

As promised, Zuko waltzed into Mitsuko's school and told the staff that Mitsuko would be pulled out for a few days. Osamu gave little more than a warning to keep up with her studies before letting them off—something Kida would never get away with.

The little girl was ecstatic to hear she'd be coming with them. Kida had never seen the fairly shy girl talk so much. She was especially keen of Zuko. Kida silently watched as Mitsuko rattled off several topics to the man, Zuko entertaining her with nods of approval and his own commentary.

It was a nice moment of bliss, but it didn't last for long.

Sooner than Kida would have liked, the airship reached Capital City. Mitsuko gaped at the window as the palace came into sight, but Kida stayed as far away from the view as possible. She had herself pressed against the table in the center of the room, eyes trained on the child but not quite seeing her.

"A lot of the servants have missed you," Zuko mumbled from beside her.

She only glanced in his direction before turning back to the little girl in front of them. "Not many of the nobles, I'll assume," she returned, crossing her arms.

"You do understand that I have power over them, right?" he urged, half-joking and half not.

She shook her head slowly. "You aren't your father, Zuko. You don't know how to have power over someone." She turned to look at the Fire Lord beside her. "You're a leader, and that's what I admire about you."

Zuko stared at her, even as she eventually turned forward again. He was rusty at deciphering Kida's words, but it wasn't something he'd let himself forget completely. "He won't be there, you know, my father? He's in prison, under heavy guard. You'll be safe."

"And where will Azula be?"

Zuko swallowed, straightening as he, too, finally turned forward.

"That's what I thought," she huffed.

She licked her drying lips, shifting her weight. "I know they can't hurt me," she spoke low, so only Zuko could hear. "That doesn't mean the memory of it can't. It also doesn't mean I can't feel the way the others look at me." She slanted a glance up at the man. "They're waiting for her to come back, Aoshi."

"She won't, though," Zuko said with finality.

Kida looked back at the child in front of them. "Of course not."

The balloon was landing before long, and Kida took Mitsuko away from the window to keep at her side.

Conflict raged in the waterbender the moment her eyes caught sight of the magnificent palace. She had lived in this building two times in her life. Once was after making a deal with the sadistic princess to fall in line behind the Fire Lord in order to keep her loved ones safe. The second time was after the war, spending months lying in the same bed of the new Fire Lord as he learned how to govern his people. One memory filled her with anguish, the other with the closest thing she'd ever felt to peace.