Kimi (ATLA) (Coco; Book 2)

17

A/n Just started a new job, so updates might be a tad slower.

...

Zuko

"Firelord Zuko, what are you doing in my house?" Layla asks. "This is trespassing."

"You're being investigated," I tell her.

"Me? I didn't do anything, you have no right."

"Everyone who works in the palace is required to under go questioning regarding my wife."

Ok, so I lied! But I have good reason to believe this chick knows where my wife is. I was handling Long causing havoc around my nation, but now he has Kimi. I already went years without her when she went to study with Guru Pathik at the air temple, I can't do this again. I can't live without her, and now she's carrying my child. I know Layla knows where she is.

"Either you talk or we're taking you in," Toph threatens.

"You have no jurisdiction here, this isn't Republic City," Layla says. "And you're wasting your time. I don't know where Lady Kimi is, I quit 3 weeks ago."

We all look at each other. She quit 3 weeks ago... It just doesn't make sense, the dates on Kimi's documents don't align, and Kimi would've told me about this. She complained about Layla all of the time, she would've told me about Layla quiting. I know she would!

"Do you mind giving us a moment?" I ask her. "We'll be out of your home in just a minute."

"No! I won't have you-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Toph bends the tiles under Layla's feet and pushes her out the room. She then slams the door and uses her metalbending to lock it.

"She's lying!" Toph whispers. "Her heartbeat was through the roof!"

"Hey! What are you doing in there? Let me in!" Layla demands as she pounds on the door.

I can see why Kimi hated her so much, she's annoying.

"I know!" I reply. "She only stopped coming to work when Kimi went missing!"

"So what are we going to do?" Aang asks. "This is more so speculation, there's not enough to take her in."

"Wait," Toph stops us. "Do you hear that?"

We all look at one another. What is that? It sounds like some sort of ticking. A clock maybe? I slowly follow the noise. My hand shakes as I grab for the doorknob. The moment I open the door, my eyes grow wide seeing the small device in front of us.

...Bomb.

Before I could even blink, it explodes. And just like that, I am caught in the darkness.

...

Kimi

He hasn't changed much. He's older, his head is shaved, and he's added a couple of scars to his collection, but that's about it. He's still that lunatic I dated when I was 15, and the same person who ruined gran-gran's memorial, the same person who is the reason why I haven't been able to go into the Spirit World and visit my mother, the same person who hurt Suki, and the same person who has been causing havoc all over the Fire Nation. I don't know what I ever saw in him really, but I can't blame myself for being so naive... Not anymore I can't. I was a child. I had no guidance, my mother was gone, and I was making decisions I had no business making at that age... but now that I'm older, it's time to keep my past in the past, so Patyn Long needs to go.

I watch closely as he makes his way over me. I sit on the rickety old bed trying to keep my breathing steady. His thumb skims over my eye and the skin surrounding it. He quietly looks over the black eye he gave me.

"I'm sorry," he starts. "It's just, you put me through so much. You understand," he says lowly at almost a whisper.

"Yes."

"But now that you're here, we can finally be together."

His touch makes my skin crawl, his voice makes the hair on my neck stand up. I wish I could kill him now, but that would be stupid. He has support, he has people who are willing to do it all for him. When I do it, when I.. Take him out, I need to do it when they're together. I can't leave anyone behind. I can't risk the possibility of someome reigniting this movement when I snub it out.

"That's what I want," I lie through my teeth.

"You're pregnant."

The color in my face drains, my heart stops, my eye twitches ever so slightly. This wasn't part of the plan. He wasn't suppose to know about my pregnancy. Defeating him was my 2nd priority, but keeping my baby safe has always been #1.

"I-"

"No problem. When the baby is born, I finally have someone to teach them everything they need to know. I will raise it as my own. A blessing in descise really."

I use all of my power to keep from throwing up. Even thinking about him in the same room as my child makes me absolutely sick. I need to end this before that happens. Zuko doesn't even know about the baby. He should've been the first to know. This is not how I imagined my pregnancy would be. I never wanted to be without my husband.

Before I can say anything, we hear a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Long snaps.

"Layla, sir."

Layla? As in my assistant? It can't be... No. No! This is who betrayed me? My family? My kingdom! I can't believe it. I gave her a job. Even when she sucked at it, I still gave her chance after chance, and this is what she does to me?

"Ah, Kimi! You made it," she says as she hugs me.

"Uh, yeah. It took me awhile, but I'm here."

"Great! Seeing you with those people, with that man, it was hard. I'm glad you made it out," she says referring to my family.

Oh my goodness, she's delusional..

"Layla, have you completed your task?" Patyn asks her annoyed.

"Oh! Yes, sir. The bomb went off perfectly. Didn't miss a beat!"

"Bomb?" I ask.

"The Avatar, Zuko, and Toph Beifong broke into my house today. They thought I had something to do with your disappearance, the bomb bought me some time to make my get away."

They're fine. You can't kill Aang, Toph, or Zuko. These are the same people who took down Azula, Ozai, and an entire fleet of Fire Nation soldiers. Plus, I'm an airbender. I know Aang probably used his airbending to deflect the explosion, but hearing that my husband and my friends were attacked just makes me feel awful.

"They caught on to you," Patyn says while circling around Layla.

"Yes, but-" Layla says trying to explain.

"They know you're involved," he interrupts.

"But I got away-"

Before she could even finish her sentence, he wraps his hands around her neck and snaps it. I watch as her body falls lifelessly to the floor, her eyes still open. He looks at her with no expression whatsoever. I gasp and put my hand over my mouth.

"You- you killed her," I say in almost a whisper.

"She messed up. She was no longer useful," he says.

He walks out of the room, leaving me with my own thoughts. I can't take my eyes off of Layla. I shouldn't feel bad for her. She tried to kill my family, she betrayed me, she betrayed this country. And yet, as I look at her lifeless body, I can't help but to feel... Sad.

...