70: North Pole notices!

"Do you know where that group of people came from?" Ozai asked. He was meeting with Iroh, Zuko, Shisui, and Lu Ten in his office. They were sitting in front of the Fire Lord's desk.

"There were no survivors left among my enemies," Shisui replied carelessly, stretching due to his sleepiness.

It had barely been a few hours since the fight broke out, and he hadn't rested since then because Ozai decided the best method was to carry out his plans as quickly as possible.

This resulted in a purge of nobles, generals, and high officials in the Fire Nation. Anyone connected to the group that attacked them at Azulon's funeral was rounded up for questioning.

Those who resisted were killed; why waste time on them? Except for infants and people who genuinely had nothing to do with it, everyone else fell under the royal family's efficient clutches.

The process wasn't simple. They had to travel all over the Fire Nation's territory in the shortest amount of time possible. Shisui was tired, and it didn't help that they were having this meeting at four in the morning.

"Didn't they say anything? Didn't you try to find out their origins?" Ozai frowned at Shisui's words. Seeing how the young man yawned, however, he diverted his attention to his older brother.

"Zuko told me that you took a Pai Sho token that he found on one of tonight's attackers. Do you know anything?" The inquisitive look from Ozai made Iroh sigh heavily.

He didn't know how to answer the question. When he heard that Zuko had found a clue after finishing his fight, he was interested and wanted to see it.

But when he saw the Lotus design on the token, he was surprised. Except for the color, which was different from the token he remembered because the flower was red, there wasn't much difference at all.

Years ago, Iroh had been invited to join a strange organization that seemed to operate worldwide. Inspired by the actions of the Avatars over time, the group had decided to join together, regardless of elements or borders.

The White Lotus was larger and older than Iroh had initially thought. Its members used a Pai Sho token with an image on it that referred to the organization's name.

There was no defined leader; if there were one, it would probably be the Avatar on duty. The people who made up this group were idealists who shared common ideals, which is why Iroh had decided to join.

However, when ideals are born out of fear, disagreements will always arise. Iroh took the Pai Sho token with "Red Lotus" printed on it out of his pocket and placed it on the table in front of everyone.

Shisui narrowed his eyes when he saw the token, and certain things connected in his mind at that moment. However, he needed more information to understand the situation clearly.

"Just a token? It looks a lot like the one you have. He says it's your favorite," Lu Ten commented nonchalantly after taking a look at the Pai Sho piece.

Lu Ten trusted his father very much and knew he was neither a traitor nor someone who would harm his family. However, these kinds of coincidences could not be ignored, especially at such a tense time.

Ozai took the piece in his hand and looked at its intricate design. If Zuko hadn't found it on an enemy's body, anyone could dismiss it as an expensive Pai Sho token.

"Iroh, Dad told me about certain activities of yours. If there's something you can't say, I understand, but you should at least enlighten us about this," Ozai said, squeezing the token tightly as if to test its quality.

"If you just want clarification, I can do that," Iroh said, taking a sip from his cup of tea.

"Let's just say I had to ask certain friends of mine some questions, and they gave me more than enough answers. When many brilliant minds come together, wonderful sparks can fly.

But sometimes, those sparks land in the wrong place and cause a disproportionate fire. This token represents a group of those special minds wrapped in a ravenous flame. They call themselves the Red Lotus," Iroh explained to everyone present. Zuko couldn't help but ask the question on everyone's mind.

"How are they related to you, Uncle?" The question made Iroh visibly pause for a few moments before he reluctantly set the teacup down on the desk.

"Let's just say they used to be part of my group of friends. At some point, however, we disagreed and split up. At first, it was thought to be just that, differences in ideas and philosophy, but now..." Iroh sounded visibly tired at this point.

He didn't know those people. By the time he joined the White Lotus, the Red Lotus had already formed and gone silent. People don't like to talk about sensitive issues like splitting from a secret organization over ideological differences, do they?

It wasn't until he spoke with Piandao face-to-face. Piandao was the fencing master of both Lu Ten and Zuko. He was also one of the best swordsmen in the Fire Nation and part of the White Lotus. Piandao was the one who invited Iroh to join.

At that moment, he learned about the close connection between the two societies and the group's views. However, knowing that only made him worry more.

"So, adding Zuko's words about that woman he defeated to what I know, I guess we're dealing with a group that has been in the shadows for a long time, brewing and ruminating their radical ideas. Is that so?" Although it sounded like a question, Ozai's final words were more of an affirmation.

"A group of fanatics who want to help humanity by eliminating its most prominent members... You know, I won't even bother digesting the nonsense that woman said," Shisui complained aloud, looking visibly angry.

Who wouldn't be when a cult wants to kill you? For Shisui, that was the current Red Lotus. Hearing that woman's words through Zuko made him feel like he was hearing some kind of stupid propaganda.

'If they have a leader with purple, ringed eyes, it would be even more messed up!' Shisui's divergent thoughts made him imagine a strange version of Akatsuki in his world, which lightened his mood a bit.

"Father, what did your friends do?" Lu Ten asked, becoming more serious.

The people he had to fight seemed to belong to the Red Lotus. They had mixed in with the entourage of nobles and generals who tried to rebel. He overcame them with his skill, but he recognized that if he hadn't received timely support from Mai or Ty Lee, he could have died.

Lu Ten's right arm was bandaged, and a scent of healing herbs came from it. Although Shisui helped disinfect and heal some of the damage, Lu Ten did not let the Sage heal him completely because he wanted to preserve some of the damage and let it heal slowly.

It wasn't out of a sense of honor or anything like that; he simply felt that this fight was a wake-up call, putting many things in his life into perspective and making him rethink some personal issues.

"They plan to have a little game and tea party," Iroh said. He refused to speak further, but his words indicated what his group would do: meet to discuss what had transpired.

"No matter what those rats in hiding try, the Fire Nation is not weak," said Ozai, and with his words, an impulse surged through his body.

Although confined to his office, Ozai's outburst was majestic and intense, like a massive volcano. Shisui secretly clicked his tongue when he noticed the temperature becoming uncomfortable, so he drew in the surrounding water and turned it into a cool mist.

Ozai looked at him with annoyance, then retracted his momentum in response to his playful actions. Then, the Fire Lord seemed to remember something and pulled out a scroll with a clear emblem of the Northern Water Tribe printed on it.

"Let's talk about more interesting topics, don't you think? News flies too fast, and messages fly even faster. This came to me half an hour ago. You can read it if you want." For the first time in a while, the corners of Ozai's mouth turned up in a smile.

"What?" Zuko asked, noticing the emblem on the scroll. He looked at Shisui out of the corner of his eye, hoping to see an expression on his friend's face.

Shisui's expression was worth admiring at that moment. He found the abrupt change of subject strange, coupled with Ozai's smile. He could sense something was going on.

"Go on. Read it. It's about you," Ozai said, tossing the scroll to Shisui. Shisui quickly opened it to read its contents.

Iroh, Lu Ten, and Zuko were amazed to see how Shisui's expression constantly changed as he read, as if he couldn't decide how to feel.

After finishing, Shisui simply rolled up the scroll and stared at his hands in silence. His golden eyes barely blinked, and Zuko was slightly startled by this strange situation. He tapped Shisui on the shoulder.

"Hey, what's up? What does it say?" asked the prince. Shisui simply passed him the scroll. When Zuko read it, he burst out laughing and passed it to his cousin, who also couldn't contain his laughter.

"Guys, don't be so rude. Can't you see how upset Shisui is? You should be more considerate." Iroh was about to lecture the young men when he received the scroll. When he read the contents, he understood everything.

There was the laughter of Zuko and Lu Ten, the expression of schadenfreude on his brother's face, and the weirdness of Shisui. Iroh tried his best to control his laughter, but he eventually burst out laughing too.

"Yes, laugh..." Shisui muttered, still contemplating the contents he had just read.

It was simple: a letter from his 'grandfather,' the current leader of the Northern Water Tribe and a king in his own right, Arnook. The letter contained only a few words of acknowledgment and mentioned that he had family in this world.

This would not initially cause the others to laugh, but things began to go awry later. Right after the greetings, Chief Arnook indicated that he wanted Shisui to take a diplomatic trip to the North Pole.

The purpose of the trip was similar to the one he had taken to the South Pole: reconnecting with his culture, discussing the war, and strengthening ties with the Fire Nation. Overall, however, it was simpler: inheriting office.

To make matters worse, Arnook subtly suggested that he had a daughter. Considering the outdated ideas at the North Pole, this was a subtle way of indicating that Shisui could marry his aunt.

His grandfather, Arnook, had told him to marry his aunt, his mother's sister. Shisui found the situation absurd, but the others found it funny for several reasons, the most obvious being that Azula would never allow it.

Azula would not let anyone take her 'prey' away from her. Besides, even Ozai, who didn't interact much with Shisui, knew that attempting such a thing would be impossible.

Shisui valued the bonds he built. Even though these blood ties were recent, he would not sully them with an incestuous union. Besides, it was obvious to everyone that the Sage loved Princess Azula. Why would he commit incest?

The Fire Nation hadn't resorted to that kind of method in centuries. However, the Northern Water Tribe was a nation very attached to its traditions, even in times of war. That's why they didn't allow women to learn Waterbending techniques besides healing.

How could such a rigid nation contain Shisui's constantly changing mind? The attempted rebellion in the Fire Nation partly happened because certain people didn't like the changes Shisui brought.

It seemed that Arnook's idea of letting Shisui take the throne was his wish, and he hadn't discussed it with others close to him. Intrigue shone in Ozai's eyes as he watched Shisui squirt Zuko in retaliation.

'Isn't it just going to inherit? He doesn't have to marry his aunt, but bond with her? Lu Ten seems to still be single,' Ozai thought, scheming that Shisui could crush anyone who opposed him on his way to the throne. All that was left was convincing him to make that decision.

'It should be easy,' thought the Fire Lord, unaware that future events at the North Pole would be a turning point for the world's current situation and that a bloody shadow was spreading beneath the ice.

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AN: The Q&A still! Write a question in this paragraph! Only about this fanfic or another story I have uploaded on this site. You can try a personal question, but maybe I won't answer it.

Jordan_D_4800 asks: Who is Lao Ge inspired by? Every time I see his character, I picture him as Lao G from One Piece lol. Answer: Lao Ge is a canon character; he was Kyoshi's master. But I based him on those old characters who are powerful.

SirWolfT1 asks: Will any other person become Enlightened? Like Azula, Toph, Ty Lee, etc. Or is it a possibility if you don't want to outright say? Answers: Shisui is the only one who reached Enlightenment in this fanfic.

Kluvial asks: Will Shisui create a water tribe within the Fire Nation? Can it be called the steam nation? Can this lead to more Steam-related puns? Based on Shisui's involvement, is there any chance Korra can even exist? Answers: Creating a new Water Tribe isn't worth it. He has a mess with the North Pole right now, and he is the kind of person who prefers teaching you rather than leading you.

About Korra... Aang in this fanfic can live more than his canon version, and Korra will be born, but she will be a great Waterbender, not the Avatar. Maybe she can find her happiness earlier than her canon version.

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And yes, I made a reference to all those people who wanted Shisui X Yue or Harem. I will repeat again: no harem, no wincest. c: