Soldier's Boy

Twenty-Three

 

 

When he woke the next morning, shadows under Lee's eyes showed he'd kept his word and stayed up all night, watching over him.  When he woke the next morning, shadows under Lee's eyes showed he'd kept his word and stayed up all night, watching over him.  Kouji yawned and pushed himself up carefully.  "You should get some rest on the way in," he told his brother.

"I'll be fine," the teenager said, noncommittally. "Let's go see if the others are awake."

"Right."  Kouji slipped out of bed and followed Lee.

Aang was awake — in a manner of speaking, he kept yawning and mumbled a monosyllabic greeting — but none of the other three were yet.  The two Fire Nation boys seemed to be the first ones up in the entire barracks, leading Kouji to very, very quietly curse the fire in his blood.  He hated mornings. 

Lee — at least now — mostly seemed to dislike sleep, otherwise he probably wouldn't've volunteered to keep watch the night before and might not look quite so dreadful this morning.

"You okay?" Aang asked, then yawned.

"Fine," the sixteen-year-old muttered, rubbing at his temples.

"Long night," Kouji added, yawning in turn.

"There's breakfast left over from—" yawn "—dinner last night, 'f you're hungry," Aang told them.

Kouji blinked.  "We actually had leftovers?"

"Some bread and olives, anyway."

"I'd kill for some fire flakes," mumbled Kouji.

Aang made a face. "Too spicy."

"That would be why they're called fire flakes, Aang," was the reply.

Aang stuck his tongue out at the younger boy.  Kouji mock-growled and pounced at him, leading to a wrestling match.  By the time they were done, the others were all up and had scrounged some level of food.

"So, are we going inside the city now?" Kouji asked, once all were fed and clean.

"On the next train," Katara said.

"Great!"

The train arrived about twenty minutes later, and they boarded with no fuss.  Kouji promptly turned and knelt in his seat so he could stare at the flora going by underneath them.  "It's almost like flying," he whispered to Lee.  The older boy nodded. He was not looking out the window, staring at his hands folded in his lap.

"Look! The inner wall!" Katara said, after a few minutes. "I can't believe we finally made it to Ba Sing Se in one piece."

The younger boy promptly turned, resting a hand on Lee's shoulder to balance himself.  "I know!  Isn't it great?"

"Hey, don't jinx it!" Sokka snapped. "We could still be attacked by some giant exploding Fire Nation spoon. Or find out the city's—"

"A spoon?" Lee cut him off.

"Seriously, Sokka," Kouji chimed in.  "The bowls are more likely to explode."

"I'm with Lee," Toph said. "You been hitting the cactus juice again?"

"I'm just saying," Sokka whined, defensively. "Weird stuff happens to us."

As if on cue, a large man sucking on a whole cornapple plopped down between Sokka and Toph.

Kouji blinked.  "…I think you kind of brought that one on yourself, Sokka.  Maybe you can predict the future.  I'll look out for exploding spoons."  He grinned and turned back to stare at the wall while Lee just rolled his eyes.

Aang sighed.

"Don't worry, Aang," Katara said. "We'll find Appa."

"It's such a big city…" Aang replied, doubtfully.

"He's a giant bison," Sokka pointed out, heading over to them to get away from Sucking Man. "Where could someone possibly hide him?"

They passed under the inner wall and out into the city, which stretched on to the horizon.

"You were saying?" Lee asked Sokka, dryly.

Kouji's jaw dropped.  "Soz— my gods," he said, changing the epithet he'd been about to use.  "It's huge…"  His eyes were wide and shining; like Katara and Sokka, he'd never seen a place so big.  Lee pointedly did not stare out into the city with the rest of them. Instead, he slouched in his seat, trying to become invisible.

Kouji looked down at him, then plopped down in his seat the right way and leaned into his brother, reaching for the older boy's hand.  Lee let him take it, but still didn't look up.  Unable to voice his thoughts, Kouji merely gave the hand a reassuring squeeze; he remained huddled close to Lee for the rest of the trip in.

They arrived at the platform ten minutes later, and followed the crush of people exiting the train.

Toph sighed. "Back in the city. Great."

"What's the problem?" Sokka asked, grinning. 'It's amazing!"

"Just a bunch of walls and rules," Toph corrected. "You wait. You'll get sick of it in a couple of days."

"Rules were made to be broken," Kouji commented, his grin widening.  "And walls were made to be climbed."  He turned his grey eyes to the inner wall.

Aang wandered to the edge of the platform and blew on his whistle. He waited, but no Appa. "I'm coming for you, buddy," the last airbender said softly.

Katara walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. "He's here. I can feel it."

The train, having finished unloading, sped off. When the dust cleared, they were alone on the platform, save for a woman, probably in her thirties, who was grinning in their general direction. "Hello!" she said, coming up to them. "My name is Joo Dee. I have been given the great honor of showing the Avatar around Ba Sing Se. And you must be Sokka, Katara, Toph, Lee, and Kouji! Welcome to our wonderful city! Shall we get started?"

Kouji tore his eyes away from the wall and stared at her for a moment, then quietly tried to edge around behind his brother.  Her smile scared him.  Lee, too, looked wary.

Sokka, however, seemed to notice nothing wrong. "Yes! We have information about the Fire Nation army that we need to deliver to the Earth King immediately."

"Not going to work," Lee muttered under his breath. Toph, having heard him, nodded agreement.

"Great!" Joo Dee said, her grin widening a fraction. "Let's begin our tour, and then I'll show you to your new home here. I think you'll like it!" She turned and started off the platform, clearly intending them to follow.

"…is she deaf, maybe?" Kouji asked his brother quietly, still in his shadow.

"No. She's reinforcing boundaries," Lee whispered back.

"It's called being handled," Toph agreed, slightly bitterly. "Get used to it."

"I'm starting to have colony flashbacks," Kouji mumbled under his breath, then ran after Sokka, who had just been shot down again by Creepy Smile Lady.

Lee hung to the back of the group, trying not to meet anyone's eyes.

Joo Dee loaded the six kids into a carriage and commenced the tour.

"This is the Lower Ring," she informed them.

"What's that wall for?" Katara asked.

"Oh, Ba Sing Se has many walls. There are the ones outside, protecting us, and the ones inside, that help maintain order," she replied, still smiling.

"…you mean separate the classes," Kouji translated flatly, staring out the window and tugging at his worn shirt.

Predictably, Joo Dee ignored him. "This is where our newest arrivals live, as well as our craftsmen and artisans — people who work with their hands."

"Patronizing, much?" Lee couldn't help but mutter under his breath. Toph stifled a giggle.

"It's so quaint and lively," Joo Dee went on, grinning out the window at what looked like a mugging or possibly some kind of drug deal in progress. At last, that creepy smile slipped for a few seconds. "…you do want to watch your step, though."

"So why do you dump the refugees here?" Kouji asked.  His grey eyes were narrow as he looked out, his mind racing.  If he didn't look at the woman, his mind wouldn't lock up and he wouldn't trip over his tongue.

Again, she ignored him.

"This is why I never came here before," Aang said, sadly. "I always heard it was so different from the way the monks taught us to live."

Kouji shook his head, then froze.  That profile… I know him!  He hadn't seen much out of the window, only a glimpse, but the bit of wheat hanging out of the teenager's mouth had been more than enough.

Why is Jet here?

"Kouji? What's wrong?" Lee whispered, as Joo Dee babbled happily on about the Lower Ring in the background.

"Tell you when we're alone," Kouji answered, barely audible.

Lee nodded.

"This is the Middle Ring of Ba Sing Se, home to our financial district, shops and restaurants, and the University," Joo Dee bubbled as they went over a bridge twenty minutes later.

"Yeah, we met a professor from Ba Sing Se University," Sokka said.

Lee sighed, and muttered, "Not gonna work this time, either…"

"He took us to an ancient underground library where we discovered information about the war that is ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL FOR THE KING TO HEAR!" Sokka continued, oblivious.

Kouji ignored Sokka and Joo Dee both, instead taking in the Middle Ring the same way he had the Lower Ring.  Exploring would certainly be called for if this was going to work.  Seeing Jet had given him an idea, one he couldn't yet share with the others.  Well, maybe Lee, if he could be sure his brother wouldn't fly off the handle.

"Is that woman deaf?" Sokka complained, as Joo Dee left the carriage to show them Town Hall. "She only seems to hear every other word I say."

Toph sighed, and repeated herself from earlier. "It's called being handled. Get used to it."

"She's not very good at it, either," Lee said, absently. A very awkward silence descended on the carriage.

"Well, children?" an irritating voice said from the door. "Wouldn't you like to see Town Hall?"

"Just go along with it for now," Kouji whispered.  "Come on."  He caught Lee's hand and dragged the older boy out after him.

Lee followed without too much fuss, probably because staying behind would draw more attention than his eyes.  The tour was predictably boring, but Kouji seemed fascinated, asking blushing, stammery questions about the building itself.

Lee and Toph seemed to be the only ones who noticed that the questions involved security and alternate ways inside.

Once their stop at Town Hall was finished, they piled back into the carriage and drove on.

"The Upper Ring is home to our most important citizens," Joo Dee gushed not long after. "Your house is not too far from here!"

"Now, there's a first," the boy commented dryly to his brother.

The older boy said nothing and slouched even lower, as they passed a massive red-stone edifice.

"What's inside that wall?" Katara asked.

"…and who are the mean-looking guys in robes?" Sokka asked, sounding a little skeeved.

"Inside is the Royal Palace. Those men are agents of the Dai Li, the cultural authority of Ba Sing Se. They are the guardians of all our traditions," Joo Dee explained, slightly less cheery.

"In other words, you breathe wrong, they throw you into an invisible, inescapable prison, if you're lucky," Lee breathed.  Kouji glanced at him, then filed that into his plans as well.  His heart was starting to pound; finally, he had a chance to be of some real use!

"Can we see the king now?" Aang asked, bored enough to risk being patronized and shot down the way Sokka had been every five minutes since Joo Dee had picked them up.

Still watching the palace, Kouji mouthed the words, "Fat chance."

"Oh, no!" Joo Dee said, laughing. "One doesn't just pop in on the Earth King!"

"One doesn't talk to capable teenagers like they're two, either," Lee couldn't resist muttering. He was watching the three agents standing at the palace gate.

"Welcome to my world," Kouji replied quietly.  "Hey, what's that on their hands?"  One of the three men had emphasised a point he was making with a gesture, and he'd caught a glimpse of darkness that didn't seem to be a glove.

"You are not going closer to find out. Ever," Lee hissed.

"I want to know what to avoid," Kouji hissed back.  "I don't plan to be within five hundred paces of them!"

"Here we are!" Joo Dee chirped, as the carriage stopped at a pretty little house not too far from the palace. "Your new home!"

Kouji was the first out of the carriage; he'd made sure to be by the door every time they got in.  He quickly moved as far away from Joo Dee as humanly possible.

A man in some kind of uniform — not a Dai Li robe, thankfully — ran up to Joo Dee and handed her something.

"More good news!" she said, reading from the scroll. "Your request for an audience with the Earth King is being processed, and should be put through in about a month! Much more quickly than usual."

A strangled epithet burst from the boy.  It sounded remarkably like, "Red tape!"

"Six to eight weeks, actually!" Joo Dee finished, brightly.

Lee made vague strangling motions with his hands, carefully where Joo Dee couldn't see. It wasn't that he didn't understand the value of restricting access to the king, but there was such a thing as priorities. Clearly, these people didn't have them. Otherwise, the red tape would've been cut much more than Creepy Smile Lady indicated.

"Six to eight weeks is not a month," Kouji muttered.  There was a gleam in his eyes Lee had never seen before.  They were all herded inside, and the boy moved to examine the walls and windows carefully.

"I think she meant six to eight weeks was the normal waiting time," Toph said, sighing and flopping down. "Either way, it's lame."

"Very lame," the boy agreed, running his hands over a vase.

"Isn't it nice?" Joo Dee said, following them into the house. "I think you'll really enjoy it here."

Seriously, is she for real? Kouji wondered.

"I think we'd enjoy it more if we weren't staying so long," Sokka began. Lee resisted the urge to hit him, and instead started introducing his head to the walls of their new lodgings. "Can't we see the king any sooner?"

"No, Sokka, we can't," Kouji muttered, moving over and reaching up to slide his hand between Lee's forehead and the wall.

"The Earth King is very busy running the finest city in the world," Joo Dee agreed, "but he will see you as soon as time permits."

"I hate bureaucracy," Kouji announced to Lee.

"I don't, it has its uses," Lee muttered back, moving away from Kouji's hand to break the wall with his skull some more. "But do these people not understand the meaning of the word priorities?"

"Nope, not at all.  Hey, is there paper around?"  That gleam was back, and Kouji was completely ignoring Joo Dee.

Aang cut off Lee's answer. "If we're gonna be here for a month, we should spend our time looking for Appa."

Joo Dee bowed. "I'll be happy to escort you anywhere you'd like to go."

"…anywhere?"  Kouji smiled, where only Lee could see.

It was a calculating smile.

Lee shot a glare at his brother, clearly intending to have a Talk with him later, setting definitive restrictions for their stay in Ba Sing Se.

"We don't need a babysitter," Toph sulked before Joo Dee could answer.

"Oh, I won't get in the way," Joo Dee lied (one could assume) cheerfully. "And to leave you alone would make me a bad host. Where shall we start?"

It was eventually decided, to Kouji's dismay, that animal stores would be checked first, to see if anyone had heard something.  To his even further dismay, Lee was watching him like an eagle-hawk, making it impossible to slip away and explore on his own.

None of the shopkeepers had heard anything about a flying bison. Questions about a black market were met with sudden fear and protests that they couldn't possibly know anything illegal. Lee, keeping one eye on Joo Dee, noticed her meeting the eyes of every merchant when this question came up, and shaking her head slightly. He took Kouji's hand and refused to let go for the rest of this excursion.

Their trip to the university to ask about sandbenders and then the war led to similar denials, first confused and apologetic, then fearful.  Something was clearly wrong here, and Kouji was noticing it as well.  His shoulders were tight, his eyes narrow.

They then returned to the house, Lee still keeping his grip on his brother's hand.

"Well, I'm sorry no one has seen your bison," Joo Dee said, when she left them at their doorstep. "Why don't you get some rest?" She eyed Lee. "Someone will be over with dinner later." Her carriage drove off.

"Something is very wrong here," Kouji said, keeping his voice down.

"Just a bit," Lee replied, watching the carriage drive off.

Sokka caught sight of the man across the street disappearing into his house. "Hey, come with me," he said, quietly, and led the way across.  Kouji followed, dragging Lee with him since he wouldn't let go. 

Sokka rapped on the door, and the man inside opened it, assuming a forced smile eerily similar to Joo Dee's. "You're the Avatar," he said, staring worriedly at Aang. "I heard you were in town. I'm Pong."

Kouji bowed, keeping one foot out for eavesdroppers.  A useless task, Toph most likely had it covered, but it made him feel useful.

"Nice to meet you, Pong," Aang said.

"So, Pong," Sokka, never one to waste time on small talk, started. "What's going on with this city? Why is everyone here so scared to talk about the war?"

"War? Scared? What do you mean?" Pong asked, his eyes darting back and forth.

An even darker suspicion began to stir in Kouji's mind as he remembered Joo Dee mentioning the Dai Li and Lee's response.  He would definitely have to look out for them and find out what they could do.

"I can feel you shaking," Toph said, dryly.

"Look," Pong said, lowering his voice. "I'm just a minor government official. I've waited three years to get this house. I don't want to get into trouble."

"Get in trouble with who?" Katara asked, bewildered.

"Shh, shh, shh, listen," Pong said, almost frantically. "You can't mention the war here! And, whatever you do, stay away from the Dai Li." He slammed his door.

"…I need paper," Kouji said.  He twisted free of his brother and ran back to their house.  Lee scrambled after him, not letting him get more than three feet ahead. Clearly, this city scared him, and not just because of his eyes.  The boy left the door open and started opening every drawer and cabinet in the house, ignoring the paper when he did find it.  After he'd gone through everything, even the vases, he returned to one of the drawers and took out the writing equipment.

Lee didn't seem surprised by this search, and, once the others came in and had settled in the living room with Kouji, went about his own search of the house.  His brother, meanwhile, settled in the corner and began writing things down.  He refused to show it to anyone.

Lee took this opportunity, rather than eating the food that had just been delivered as Joo Dee had promised, to pull Kouji aside and set restrictions — they were fairly simple, actually. Kouji was not to go anywhere near any Dai Li agent, and if he saw one coming, to walk, not run (because that would be suspicious) in the opposite direction. He was not to go down any unlit alleys in the Lower Ring alone. If he did intend to wander off alone, he was to tell at least one other member of the group (preferably not Sokka, who might forget to tell the others), and be back by midnight if he was staying in the Upper and Middle Rings, and sundown if he was going to the Lower Ring.

Kouji listened, and nodded, and put food into Lee's hands.  "Eat."

"Not until you promise me you'll stick to those restrictions. And when I say promise, I mean swear by that which you hold most holy in this world. I mean it, Kouji." Lee folded his arms and glared down at the younger boy.

Kouji's eyes didn't even flick to Toph.  "I swear on the blood of my ancestors."

Lee arched an eyebrow. "I doubt that's what you hold most holy, Kouji," he said softly.

Grey eyes closed in defeat, then Kouji thought of a loophole.  "Then I swear by my bond to my siblings.  Including you."

Lee visibly relaxed. "Okay." He finally took the food from Kouji and settled down to eat.

Kouji spent the rest of the evening working on his papers; when he could write no more, he waited for the ink to dry, then rolled up the parchment and tucked it inside his shirt.  This done, he wandered over to the nearest soft spot and curled up to sleep.

Lee picked him up shortly after and carried him to one of the bedrooms, which, by tacit agreement, they would be sharing.  Even in his sleep, however, the boy didn't uncurl enough for the papers to be gotten to — though a single character was visible just above his collar.  瑿, jet.  Lee frowned, remembering the freedom fighter they'd met the previous winter. And his own rather humiliating defeat, due to the hole in his shoulder. Absently, he rubbed it, then curled up in the window seat to watch the city and try his hardest not to draw the conclusion that was flashing in multicoloured lights in front of his eyes.