Author's Notes: This is a three part Maikka fic written for Maikka Week 2010, hosted and promoted by Loopy777. This story fits in the same Time Line or Universe as The Dragon and the Wolf and takes place 1-2 years previously.
Promotion and Pimpage: Loopy777 and I are working on a Screencap Comic for ATLA - AvataRPG: The Last Dicebender. Check out my profile for links! Loopy also just posted a new story, Airship of Looooove! set in my Book Four Universe. The "Lost Chapters" or Book Four's very own "Tales of Ba Sing Se" (or in this case, "Tales of Iroh's Airship). Check it out for shipping shenanigans and more (Check my Favorites links)! And last but not least, I have a modern ATLA AU Commando comic called "Tactical Forces" - written by me, drawn by my uber talented friend Daughterofthestars. Check out my profile for links.
Now on with the fic. :)
The Raven and the Wolf: Part 1
Thunder shook the walls of the royal chamber and Mai scowled, her mood darkening with the coming storm.
"Listen, I know you're not happy about this, but I swear it will only be for a little while."
Zuko had missed the point, again, and Mai was nothing if not interested in all things of a pointy nature. "You don't get it, Zuko. I'm not mad that you're leaving."
The young Fire Lord straightened up, looking confused. The expression had become something of a default for him in the last few months. "But…"
"I'm mad that you're not taking me with you. Again."
Zuko sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Haven't we already gone over this?"
"I know Azula better than you do. So explain to me how leaving me behind is going to help you track her down?"
"It's too dangerous," Zuko said, his lips turning down in the stubborn little frown that had started to really get on Mai's nerves. "You know she blames you for basically everything bad that happened at the end of the war. I'm not going to let her get her sights on you. Ever. End of discussion." He folded his arms with finality and it was Mai's turn to sigh.
"This just proves that you don't have what it takes to stop her."
His brow lowered, but Zuko had learned enough about politics and debate during his five years as the Fire Lord not to get lured into an argument he knew he couldn't win.
"There's something else I have to tell you," Zuko said, shifting gears and looking slightly uncomfortable. "While I'm away, I asked someone to come help out around the palace."
"You mean, keep an eye on me so I don't go after Azula myself." Mai gave him her sharpest glare. "Who is it this time, your uncle? Ty Lee and an entire squad of Kyoshi Warriors? The Avatar?"
Zuko coughed and muttered a name under his breath.
"Please tell me you did not just say who I think you said."
Before Zuko could confirm or deny, the door to the private chambers opened without so much as a knock.
"There you guys are. I've been looking all over the place and if you didn't know, your palace is pretty huge." The intruder sauntered into the room like he owned it, dropping two large travel bags to the floor with an offensive clatter before engaging in undignified stretching exercises. She could hear his shoulders and neck popping from the other side of the room. "Phew, long trip."
Lightning crashed and the sky opened, assailing the Fire Nation capital with much needed, but unwanted, moisture. Mai turned away from the unwelcome guest and tried to murder Zuko with a look. "No."
"It's too late to argue," Zuko whispered out of the corner of his mouth and gave her a meaningful, somewhat pleading look, before turning to his friend with a broad smile. "Sokka, great to see you again. I'm glad you could make it."
"Hey, you know me," Sokka said as the two of them crossed the distance and clasped forearms like brothers on a battlefield. "I'm always happy to help." Their manly greeting was followed with one quick pat on the back that would just barely count as a hug. It was still far too emotional for Mai's taste.
The Water Tribesman stepped away from the Fire Lord and appraised her with a quick, yet decidedly thorough, once over. He broke into an easy grin, showing off a set of teeth that seemed even whiter against his natural tan. "Hey Mai, still pinning people to the walls with knives?"
She flicked her wrist. "If you're asking for a demonstration of my current skills, I'd be more than happy to oblige." The dagger in her fingers glinted as it twirled. Zuko just about choked with surprise at her display of thinly veiled hostility, but Sokka either missed the threat or really felt like pushing his luck.
He laughed. "Good to see some things never change."
Mai scowled and slipped her dagger back into its hidden sheath. It was true that some things didn't change, but in the two years since she'd last seen him, the warrior had done his fair share of it. He seemed taller, broader, and far more confident, in an annoying, cocky kind of way. The goatee on his chin, a permanent feature for many years now and something Mai suspected was his way of asserting his limited masculinity, was full and unusually well-trimmed. The hair on the sides and back of his head was cropped short and neat, and even his ridiculous "wolf tail" seemed to be behaving itself, for once.
Combined with the fashionable cut of his deep purple and blue riding clothes and expensive looking accoutrements, he painted an altogether different picture than Mai recalled from their last encounter.
"You two don't mind if I take a quick bath before dinner, do you?" He held his hands out to the side as though he was filthy and wrinkled his nose. "I smell like ostrich horse."
Mai was too surprised by the admission to even come up with something snarky to say about his usual body odor. Things might have changed more than she thought. Zuko chuckled and helped Sokka carry his bags to his guest quarters and Mai trailed after them, half-listening as the two men caught up.
"Your uncle says hi, by the way," Sokka was saying. "I have to admit, I forgot how intimidating he can be."
Zuko nodded. "Once he's poured you tea, it's hard to remember that he's one of the most powerful, influential and respected men in the world."
"Well, he did a good job reminding me," Sokka said with more than a hint of admiration in his tone. "I'm just glad Master Piandao was there to back me up. It doesn't hurt that I know all the other Grand Masters, either."
"So everything went well?"
"Yup!" Sokka grinned, thumbing himself in the chest proudly. "No more Initiate Sokka. You're looking at the newest full member of the Order of the White Lotus."
Zuko clapped him on the shoulder. "Congratulations, Sokka! The Order couldn't ask for a better man."
"That's what Master Piandao said."
It was all a bit too much ego stroking for Mai. "So, you going to sit around playing Pai Sho all day and drinking tea?"
Sokka wasn't offended in the slightest. "I think even you would appreciate the information network the White Lotus has, Mai." He winked, and if that wasn't strange enough, she got the impression that he had something he wanted to tell her, something that he wasn't going to say as long as Zuko was around.
Mai hated to admit it, but she was intrigued.
"Well, here's your guest chambers," Zuko said, leading them into an expansive sitting room decorated in sea blues and marine landscapes. "I know it's nothing like the Water Tribes, but hopefully it'll make you more at home."
Sokka took in the surroundings and nodded his approval. "I guess I can make do without animal pelts and ice," he joked. "But just this once."
"Your private bath chamber is back there," Zuko said, pointing to one of the doors leading off from the sitting room. "I have some business to attend to before dinner, so I'll see you two in a bit." He took Mai's hand and brushed his lips against her knuckles, smiling a reminder at her to play nice.
She rolled her eyes and Zuko departed, leaving the two of them alone.
"So spill it," Mai said, getting right to the point. She folded her arms into her sleeves. "Your cryptic act might have flown over Zuko's head, but I know you've got something to tell me."
"Oh, Mai, Mai. All good things in time." He smirked and dug through one of his bags for a fresh change of clothes before heading for the bath chamber. There was a slight hitch in his movement that Mai hadn't noticed during their short walk together, but it didn't surprise her if he'd been putting on a tough show for the Fire Lord.
Not to be shut down so easily, Mai followed him into the changing room. "What did you learn from the Order? Tell me."
Sokka snorted a laugh and took off his vest, tossing it into a basket for cleaning. "I don't think your boyfriend would appreciate you watching another man undress," he said, blue eyes dancing. "And since I fully intend to take a bath, you're either going to have to swallow your curiosity until I'm finished, or get us both in trouble."
"Oh please," Mai said, leaning against the door frame. "Zuko's harmless."
Sokka shrugged and tugged his shirt out of his belt. "Suit yourself. Just try not to enjoy the show too much." Mai scoffed, but then the warrior went ahead and pulled his shirt over his head, revealing tight, bronzed abs and powerful pectorals. Mai had seen plenty of shirtless guys in her time, and Zuko had one of the best bodies in the Fire Nation, the only trait he'd inherited from his father. But Mai had to admit there was something exotic about Sokka's muscular swordsman shoulders and dark complexion.
It still wasn't hard to feign disinterest. "If you think you're going to distract me with your shirtlessness, think again."
"I'm just pretending you're not even here," he said, and turned to throw his shirt into the laundry basket. He winced and Mai noticed a long line of fresh, angry looking stitches on the back of his ribs. He lifted his arm and pulled his skin around to try and check the injury, muttering under his breath about "pulling another one".
"What happened?" Mai asked, making sure he could hear the total lack of sympathy in her voice.
"Had a little run in," he said, and though there was clearly more to the story, he cut off with a thoughtful scowl. Satisfied that he hadn't reopened the wound, he undid his belt and slid it off. "Last chance to maintain decency, your Ladyship," he teased with a mock bow and when she made no move to leave, he kicked off his boots and dropped his pants.
Mai held up her hand, blocking the lower half of his body from her sight after getting a good view of his loin cloth. "And for a minute, you almost convinced me that you were civilized."
"We can't have that, now can we?" he quipped and pulled off his underwear. He took a wash towel and held it over his privates, regaining a modicum of modesty. "Alright Mai, seriously, I'm going to take a bath now. I'll talk to you after dinner." He turned, giving her a full view of his back side, and shuffled to the bathing room's entrance, favoring his left leg.
Mai lowered her hand. "You're limping."
"You're observant," he stated, pushing the door open. Steam wisped around his naked body.
"You're sarcastic."
"You're exhausting." He stepped through and the door drifted closed behind him.
Mai frowned. It was usually her job to be annoyed. It had never occurred to her that someone like Sokka could find her presence draining. In the next room, water splashed and a wooden bucket hit tiled floor with a echoing thump as the warrior cleaned himself. Mai listened as the familiar sounds repeated and waited for something she knew was coming.
"Yeow!"
Silently, she slipped through the door and watched Sokka slowly lower himself back into the soaking pool, past the cut on his back. He hissed at the pain of hot water against the wound.
"I bet you wouldn't like me telling Zuko that you're injured."
Sokka jumped and turned to look at her while reflexively grabbing his small towel and covering himself, though Mai couldn't see that far into the tub.
"How long have you been in here!"
"Not long, but don't try and change the subject."
Sokka ran a dripping hand over his face and stopped to peer at her between his fingers. "You. Are persistent. And also a little creepy."
"You hid your limp from Zuko," she pressed. "You don't want him to know you've been getting into trouble."
"My limp is nothing," he said, waving off her words. "A long day in the saddle and a leg that likes to complain as much as I do. That's all it is." He slid his hands into the water and massaged the offending limb. "Ten minutes in here, I'll be good as new."
"Ten minutes," she said and let him think about it. "That's plenty of time." Sokka exhaled a long sigh and shook his head in surrender but didn't say anything. Mai stared him down until he looked away. "It's news about Azula, isn't it."
He didn't blink, or react in any visible way, but Mai knew she was right. The usual feeling rose up inside her, like a serpent uncoiling. The call to action. Sokka kept up his slow and steady kneading, working out the kinks in his leg, but Mai could tell his focus had drifted elsewhere.
"She's made several attempts on Aang's life," Sokka said, just when Mai was sure she would have to prod him for more information. "We kept them a secret, but…"
"Close calls?"
"Close enough," he said, staring off across the steaming pool. "I can't let her hurt anyone I care about." He turned back and met Mai's gaze, blue eyes filled with an intensity she could relate with. "Word is, she's hired a team of assassins to take you out."
It wasn't surprising, but there was an implication to Sokka's words that her brain had trouble wrapping around. The two of them had never been close, and after certain events in the last few years, Mai wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to set aside their differences long enough to learn to like him, or at least, dislike him a little less.
It didn't help that every other girl she knew was either related to him, had a crush on him or had actually dated him. That alone was reason enough to avoid him. Mai liked to think that her tastes ran deeper than a nice smile and charming personality. Zuko had his demons, and Mai found that more attractive than his perfect Fire Lord body.
Sokka's depth, if he had any, was obscured by a rippling surface of sarcasm and pretense and Mai simply couldn't be bothered trying to figure out what was underneath. And yet, here he was, halfway around the world from his friends and family, ready to spend a few months with no one for company but her and stuffy Fire Nation nobles.
"You came to protect me." Her spoken realization left much to be desired, but she doubted he would pick up on her disappointment.
"No, Mai," he said, and there was an edge of steel in his smile, a hardness she didn't expect. "I'm here to get your help. I usually operate alone, but I figure we've got a better chance of catching these guys if we work together. You're the one they're after. They'll never see me coming."
Mai turned and swept out of the bathing room, feeling his eyes on her back. He'd expected a response, but Mai was tired of talking. Sokka was surprised to see her reappear in the door, but he caught on quick when she threw him a towel. "Let's go."
"Now?"
"Yes, now."
His face fell and his boyish demeanor crept out from behind the mask of maturity. "But… Before dinner?"
"We have plots to foil and assassins to defeat and you're complaining about food?"
"I fight better on a full stomach," he grumbled as he stood and smoothly wrapped the towel around his waist. "What about Zuko? Don't you think he'll wonder where we disappeared to?"
"I'll write him a note," she said, smiling darkly. "He'll like that."
"Alright, but here's the deal," he said, stepping out of the steaming water. "We'll follow up on my lead, but we'll try to be back before anyone notices we're gone, okay?"
She lifted her hands. "Whatever you say."
"And I need a snack, just in case we don't make it back." He stopped, and then realizing what he said, laughed nervously and added, "In case we don't make it back before dinner, that is."
Mai arched an eyebrow.
"Assassins." He shrugged and headed past her into the dressing room. "You never know."
"So what can you tell me about them?" Mai faced the wall to give him some privacy.
"They're an elite group of female infiltration experts," he explained, doing his best to fill her in while he dried off and got dressed, "not unlike the Kyoshi Warriors, except that they specialize in high profile assassinations instead." His belt clinked as he drew it tight with the sound of creaking leather. "They operated in both the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation during the war, though it's believed they originated here. There may even be a few firebenders in the group."
Mai turned slowly to face him.
"They call themselves," he started, building up for a dramatic finish, but Mai cut him off.
"The Raven Hawks."
He scrunched his eyebrows, looking slightly put out. "You've heard of them."
"They recruited out of the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. I had… acquaintances who joined."
He folded his arms across his bare chest and rubbed his goatee. "That's interesting. I'm surprised they didn't try and recruit you."
Mai smirked. "Who says they didn't?"
"Whoa, so wait a minute." He held up his hands. "Azula hired a team of assassins that you know, that also tried to induct you but you turned them down?"
"So it would seem."
His face screwed up in thought. "But that's just…"
"Insulting?"
"I was going to say, bad planning, but yes. It doesn't seem like she's taking you very seriously."
"I even know where their headquarters is here in the capital. Or where it used to be, anyway."
Sokka frowned, looking every bit like the shrewd tactician many claimed he was. "You smelling what I'm smelling?"
Mai was about to take a whiff of the air, which she quite expected to smell rather pleasant, but caught herself as she realized what the warrior was implying. "A trap."
"Yeah," he drawled as he grabbed his fresh shirt and headed for the exit, free of his earlier limp. "Too bad the opportunity is too good to pass up."
"Opportunity?"
He stopped next to her, close enough for her to smell a hint of scented soap in his hair, and smiled wolfishly. "The opportunity to beat Azula at her own game."
