Review Responses: w w w . d e a d j o u r n a l . c o m / u s e r s / c h i p p e r l u v a 1 0

Author's Note: If you left me a review, check the link above (without the spaces) for my responses. I try to respond to each review I get, even the anonymous ones, but rather than take up space in the chapter, I find it easier just to link to them. There's also a link in my profile. Check it out. And without further ado, here is the next installment of our story.

Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender is not mine and I promise to put them back in the toy box when I'm done.

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Chapter 2

Taken

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It took a fair amount of coaxing, but Mai finally managed to convince Zuko to retire for the night. Sitting up and pacing would do nothing productive. He needed rest for when he returned to the Fire Nation. Though he was full of anxious energy, Zuko finally relented.

Mai slipped under the large bed's covers and bade Zuko join her. He slid in next to her. He was still tense as he settled the blanket over himself and rolled over to look at her.

"I'm sorry, Mai."

She blinked at him. She was usually the first one to tell him when he needed to apologize for something, but she was drawing a blank. "For what?"

"For acting like this is only bothering me." Zuko frowned. "I know you're upset too."

He looked as though he wanted to continue, but Mai put a finger to his lips to silence him. "She's your psychotic sister. I think you've earned the right to worry." She couldn't help but smile at his surprised look. "There will be plenty of time to worry with everyone else. Tonight think about you. You don't do that enough anymore."

Zuko's new duties and responsibilities had kept him concerned about everyone but himself, and it was obvious his health—at minimum his mental state—had taken a hit for it. Despite his once-trademark arrogance, Zuko was one of the most caring people Mai had ever met—it was that warm heart that had attracted her as a girl. It seemed his Agni Kai with his father and years in exile had worked to bury that gentleness his father and sister never contained. But now, as a man who had gone through many trials and tribulations, Zuko's heart was warmer than ever—but often at his own expense.

Zuko gave her a wan smile, and she lightly kissed his forehead. "Get some rest. We'll leave early tomorrow and you can worry all you like." A sudden thought caused her to grin. Her fiancée raised a questioning eyebrow. "Oh, just thinking of all the ways to wake Sokka up at dawn."

Zuko snickered and his shoulders relaxed. "That's my girl."

"That's right. Now sleep."

Zuko fidgeted for several moments, trying to find a comfortable position—his nervous energy was making him antsy—while Mai rose to snuff out the candles. As darkness descended upon the room, Mai felt the hair on the back of her neck prickle. A quick glance around the room showed nothing amiss. But even so, Mai surveyed the balcony before shutting the glass door and bolting it (much good that would do, but the resounding click of the lock had a calming effect on her nerves nonetheless). She then slid back into bed and curled up next to her fiancée, hoping to feel his heartbeat and breathing even and slow as he fell into sleep.

It took Zuko a long time before he finally succumbed to sleep, thinking undoubtedly about his sister and his father. Mai wished there was something more she could do for him, but this was, in the end, Zuko's burden to bear as Fire Lord and member of the royal family. Instead, she held his sleeping form in her arms and hoped that her friendly presence would keep away his nightmares (and hoped his friendly presence would keep away her nightmares).

Mai's eyes flew open—when had she fallen asleep? More importantly, something had awakened her, but she couldn't place it. The room was silent and Zuko slumbered on next to her. Usually when she awoke in the middle of the night, it was due to Zuko's insomnia keeping him awake. The young Fire Lord rarely slept through the night, and though he tried to be quiet when he rose to roam the halls or visit the library or do whatever else it was he did, he was never silent enough for Mai to sleep on without him. But she didn't mind; usually she let him be during those times. But that was not the case tonight. Something was off, she could feel it. But what?

Telling herself that she was just being paranoid with Azula on the loose, Mai closed her eyes once more and tried to fall back asleep. But she couldn't help but feel like she was being watched. She rolled over, her back to Zuko, and considered counting koala sheep, but dismissed the idea as silly.

Then she heard a floorboard creak. Her eyes opened once more while her hands groped for a concealed blade on her person beneath the covers. There was someone in the room, Mai was sure now. If it was one of their friends coming by for any reason, they wouldn't have been quiet. No, this was something else, something unfriendly. Mai's fingers wrapped around the handle of a blade and slipped it silently from its sheath.

She forced herself to slow her breathing so their intruder wouldn't realize she was awake. Her ears strained for any hint of movement or breathing. When she caught the sounds of a man's barely contained panting, she jolted upright and sent the knife flying. The metal blade caught the man's tunic and sent him toppling to the floor.

The sound awoke Zuko, who bolted straight up and took in his lover's appearance in an instant. "Mai, what…" But he cut himself off as a small ball of flame appeared in his palm, illuminating the room in a pale glow. And that was when Mai realized her mistake.

There were multiple attackers.

Zuko and Mai were on their feet in an instant, the bed separating them. The flame still hovered in Zuko's hand, though he hesitated to attack with it. Once Zuko would have blasted first and asked questions later. Now he was more careful as he studied their situation. Mai had several more blades in hand as her first target struggled to his feet. A quick count totaled seven men. Mai squinted at their matching outfits and stifled a gasp.

"Either the Dai Li is double crossing the Earth King," Zuko said slowly, the flame dancing in his hand and illuminating his scar in an eerie manner, "or you're not the real Dai Li."

"Very perceptive, Your Highness," the center man spat. "You're correct. We're not the Dai Li, or at least the group you're thinking of."

"Then who are you?" the Fire Lord demanded.

"Now that would be telling," the apparent leader admonished with a tsk. "And that's no fun."

"Fine then. What do you want?" Mai questioned in turn. The blade in her hand was itching to be released, but they were outnumbered and in a vulnerable position in a foreign nation.

"Not what. Who."

Zuko and Mai exchanged a glance. "You're after Zuko," Mai hedged. He was the man in the spotlight, after all.

"Correct again."

"Why?" Zuko demanded through clenched teeth. He was getting tired of being hunted.

"Telling," the leader rebuked once more in an eerie sing-song voice.

Though the man hadn't given many direct answers, some information had come from the short conversation; these men weren't assassins, at least not on this trip. They were on a capture mission or Mai and Zuko would have been dead already. And if they were on a capture mission, they wouldn't fight to kill—an advantage for Zuko and Mai who were not held back by such restrictions. Her thoughts drifted to the guards posted at the door—then recognized them in the periphery of the group. No wonder their attackers had gotten in unnoticed.

Zuko's eye twitched, giving Mai only a moment of warning before he sent a jet of fire at the leader—that the man deflected. Zuko inhaled sharply while Mai's eyes went wide.

These men were Firebenders.

"Oops," the man said as though he had purposefully spilled a glass of water in front of a parched person. Then he smirked before shooting his own blast of flame. Zuko steeled himself to combat the attack only to notice too late the man hadn't shot at him.

Mai was barely able to fling her arms in front of her face before the agonizingly hot blast hit her squarely in the chest. She was thrown backwards and the world was on fire… then sharp pain and darkness.

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"Mai!" Zuko cried out as the girl slammed against the wall crumpled lifelessly to the floor under the onslaught of the unexpected conflagration. He made to move toward her, but the nearest pseudo-Dai Li agent beat him to it, holding a blade to her throat. The dying flames from the attack glinted viciously in the metal. Zuko froze.

She must be alive if they were bothering to threaten her further, the Fire Lord realized through a haze of fury and fear. And if he wanted to keep her that way, he would have to play along—or that was what these men assumed. Zuko struggled to push the rage at these men who dared attack Mai and his fear for her safety down in favor of a warrior's calculation. He was outnumbered and they had his fiancée as a hostage. But Zuko had faced worse odds… And Mai wouldn't want him to give up either.

Zuko turned slowly back to the leader, his best glare in place. The man, rather than looking pleased with himself as Zuko expected, looked contemplative.

"She's still alive as I'm sure you've guessed."

"Better for you," the Fire Lord bit out. He wouldn't need to avenge her. But he still wanted some revenge for her suffering.

"Perhaps."

The man's refusal to show an emotion, any emotion at all, about the fact that Zuko's lover lay injured in a heap on the floor almost angered him more than the act itself. Almost. This was like a game to this man, and he was plotting his next move behind that passive stare.

"You're after me, right?" Zuko asked, changing tactics. When the leader nodded, Zuko narrowed his eyes. "You don't think I'm going to come quietly, do you?"

The leader raised an eyebrow. "Even with your girlfriend at our mercy?"

"Fiancée," Zuko snapped in correction. "And I'd never hear the end of it if I didn't put up a fight, for her sake or not." He could absently feel his nails digging into his palms in his fists, but he didn't care. The pain helped him focus against the fury burning in his chest.

"Is that so?"

Rather than dignify the man with a response, Zuko shot a barb of flame at him. The man easily deflected it, knocking some furniture and pottery over in the process, but Zuko was already on the move. Mid-step, he grabbed the first blade Mai had thrown from the floor and drew it to the man's neck just as he made to counterstrike Zuko's weak blast. The other Dai Li imposters froze.

"We seem to be at a stalemate," the Fire Lord said coldly, pressing the sharp edge of the blade into the soft skin, earning a trickle of blood.

"So it seems," the leader agreed, craning his neck away from the blade.

"And what do you propose we do about that?" Zuko asked.

"I propose," the man said deliberately, "that you come with us."

Zuko was about to make a rude retort when two pairs of arms grabbed him from behind. He cursed himself for not paying better attention to his surroundings before letting out a surprised gasp as a cloth with a foul odor was shoved in his face. He tried not to inhale on instinct, but one of his captors twisted his arm, causing him to hiss in pain and inhale the stale smell.

He suddenly felt weak. His vision began to darken and he dropped the blade in his hand. His last thought before heavy blackness overtook him was for Mai.

Please, be safe…

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Aang and Iroh led the group toward Zuko's room. They had all heard loud noises and hadn't known what to make of them. By dawn, the entire gang had gathered, and they slowly made their way down the cold, empty corridor. There were no guards stationed at the door, which was an immediate warning sign for Iroh. Though his nephew might not like being guarded, being a master Firebender and swordsman, he wouldn't have refused or sent them away.

The double doors were slightly ajar and Iroh had a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. He turned to his younger companions.

"I'll go in first. If nothing is wrong, I stand the best chance against my nephew at this time of day." And if something was wrong, he would rather face it first and give his young friends time to react. He bowed to the group apologetically. "No offense."

Katara snorted. "None taken." But there was an edge to her voice—there was an edge to all of them. Eerie silences had the effect on them.

Iroh pushed the door open and stopped in the doorway, taking in the scene that greeted him. The breath caught in his throat. The bed was empty, though it looked to have been used. Several chairs were overturned, pieces of broken pottery littered the carpet, and scorch marks marred parts of the floor and walls. The far balcony door stood open, its curtains rustling in the light morning breeze. His mind was struggling to make the connection between each piece of evidence when he saw a glimpse of black on the other side of the bed.

The Dragon of the West hurried into the room and around the bed. There he found Mai slumped in a too-still heap against the wall—he had seen her hair. She was sporting burns and cuts on her arms and chest and there was blood on her head. Iroh's stomach clenched at the sight of his soon-to-be niece-in-law. He knelt down next to her and found her pulse—slow but present—much to his relief.

"Mai!"

"What happened?"

Iroh looked up to see the others gathered at the edge of the bed, each taking in the scene around them, each in their own way. Tension radiated from them which Iroh was sure he mirrored.

"Katara," he said, "I think your talents are needed."

The Waterbender pushed her way from the back through her friends to kneel on Mai's other side. She winced at the sight of the injuries on her friend, but immediately opened her ever-present water pack and directed her element to the prone body in front of her. Her brow creased in concentration as the burns began to dissipate and the cuts began to close. Mai began to move unconsciously and her face contorted in discomfort. Finally she opened her eyes slightly and everyone gathered breathed a sigh of relief. Katara rocked back on her heels.

Mai blinked a few times as she tried to focus on her newfound surroundings and companions. She bolted upright, wincing at the sudden movement. But her wide eyes scanned the room urgently.

"Where's Zuko?" she demanded.

"He's not here," Iroh said gently, bringing Mai's eyes to his face. He struggled to keep his tone calm—Mai's frantic search for Zuko did not bode well.

Mai's mouth worked voicelessly for a moment. She looked around once more, taking in the presence of the others. Then her gaze drifted to the open balcony door. "It's dawn," she whispered in alarm, noting the pale light beginning to fall through the glass panes.

Aang knelt down at Mai's feet. "Mai, what happened?"

"They took him! Oh Agni, they took him."

Iroh felt his chest tighten and he had to struggle to keep his voice from shaking. "Who took him?"

Mai's hands were balled in fists at her sides. Katara put a supporting hand on her back to keep her from overexerting herself. "Take it easy, you're still hurt."

"Men came into our room during the night," Mai began, licking her lips as she gathered her thoughts. Her breath was coming in short gasps.

"What men?" Iroh asked, placing a comforting hand on her leg. She was visibly upset, but he needed to know what had occurred—and who needed to pay for daring to harm those dear to him.

"They wore Dai Li uniforms," she said. "But they were Firebenders." She swallowed. "They were after Zuko."

"But you fought," Sokka piped up, looking around the disheveled room.

Mai shook her head. "I only knocked one down and Zuko tried to Firebend, but they deflected his attack—we thought they'd be Earthbenders." She bit her lip. "They said they were here for Zuko then hit me with fire… That's all I remember," she finished, meeting Iroh's gaze.

He nodded at her. She touched a hand gingerly to her head and immediately withdrew it with a grimace. She stared at the blood on her fingers.

"You must have hit your head," Katara told her. Mai nodded mutely.

"But there are still signs of a fight," Sokka said, crossing his arms.

"Zuko must have tried to fight them off," Aang deduced, turning to look around the room as well.

"We were outnumbered," Mai supplied, her eyes dropping to the floor.

"So they overpowered him," Toph said. "And took him." Even she was too somber to use a nickname.

Zuko, Iroh silently prayed as he looked at the distraught Mai, please be alright.

"But why?" Suki asked. "Yeah he's the Fire Lord, but why risk it in the Earth Kingdom? Why now?"

"To make the Earth Kingdom appear culpable," Iroh answered. "If their attackers were dressed as Dai Li agents, then they managed to get themselves within the castle and among the elite guards. Nothing would look worse for the Earth Kingdom now."

"But they were Firebenders," Katara pointed out. "Mai saw them."

"They left a witness behind. Not smart," Sokka agreed.

But Toph shook her head. "Not unless they wanted a witness—someone to complicate the rumors."

Iroh nodded. "Firebending Dai Li agents could appear to be the Earth King employing Fire Nation spies, depending on the spin of the story."

"The more complicated the rumors get," Suki said slowly, working through her thoughts, "the harder it is to figure out the truth."

"Exactly," Iroh agreed. But something else was bothering him. Something about the equation still wasn't quite right. "Was there anything else, Mai?" She looked up at him. "Did anything else happen last night?"

She started to shake her head but stopped. "Zuko received news from home." She looked around until she saw what she was looking for. "There, on the desk."

Sokka maneuvered through the debris to the desk to pick up a piece of crumpled parchment. He glanced over it before his eyes widened. "Someone tried to break Ozai out prison."

Iroh tensed. Though his brother was now without his Firebending, he was still a dangerous man—a charismatic man with lethal ideals and one who knew the taste of power—and a personal demon for the current Fire Lord.

"Keep reading," Mai prompted.

"They failed," Sokka said after a moment. Iroh sighed in relief. "But Azula was freed."

Shocked gasps and exclamations resounded through the room. The bottom dropped out of Iroh's stomach. If Ozai was dangerous in his current state, Azula was doubly so. She had retained her Firebending, but her once precarious stability was a thing of the past. And she was another personal demon for Zuko.

"This can't just be a coincidence," Katara said, looking from her patient to Iroh. "Can it?"

"I'm not inclined to think so, my dear," the Firebender replied heavily.

"That means we're dealing with someone with a lot of resources open to them," Sokka said with a thoughtful frown, "if they can arrange break-ins at a heavily guarded Fire Nation prison, mental hospital, and the Earth Kingdom's Royal Palace within a couple days."

"And from within," Suki added.

"Which means they'll know how to disappear as well," Toph concluded.

"So we have no leads on where to find Zuko then?" Katara demanded irritably. "We can't just do nothing!"

"Zuko said the ones who tried to free Ozai were captured," Mai spoke up after a moment.

The group turned to look at her. Despite the obvious pain she was still in, Mai's face was set in determination. Iroh had to appreciate the, well, fire that burned within the future Fire Lady. He had thought it before, but he was once again struck by what a good match she was for his nephew. Now if they could only find him safely…

"I suppose that's our best bet then," Aang said, pushing himself to his feet. His shoulders were set in what Iroh had come to recognize as his Avatar-stance; the posture he took when he was dealing with responsibility. "Everyone get ready. We're going back to the Fire Nation."

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