A/N: Hello again! Again, thanks for the reviews!
Alright, chapter 7. This thing is HUGE. Oh, and there's a surprise character appearance in this…((evil grin))
I don't own Avatar, but I do own this pencil. If you want it, I'll be selling it on ebay.
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"A boat!"
Mai woke at Zuko's shout, groaning tiredly as she cracked her eyes open, the bright light of day blurring her vision.
"What now?" She gazed fuzzily up at Zuko. His scarred face swam before her, and she smiled, nuzzling her head against his chest.
His…chest?
A bright red blush rose in her cheeks as she realized that she had fallen asleep against Zuko. Her head was buried in his muscled chest, her arms wrapped around his thankfully upright form in a tight embrace. Embarrassed, she scurried back, preoccupying herself by messing with her undone hair, using the thick black locks to shield her burning face. She fumbled around in the pockets of her robes for a few hair ties, hastily beginning to put it up in its usual style. She could feel Zuko's golden eyes staring at her as she messed around with the separate strands, her humiliation making her unusually clumsy and uncoordinated.
The second she was done, he grabbed her by the arm, pulling her up to her feet. "There's a boat!" he exclaimed once again, pointing enthusiastically over at a small fishing boat a medium distance away. Mai gave a silent sigh of relief as she realized that he wasn't going to say anything about how she had fallen asleep in his arms. She blushed again, not wanting to admit that she had actually liked it.
Her eyes flashed in concern as she noticed Zuko beginning to sway slightly next to her, losing his balance slowly but surely. Quickly she grabbed onto his arm, putting it over her shoulder to support him. Zuko's swim through the sea had taken a lot out of him, and surprisingly, having no food or water for two days while being stranded in the middle of the ocean hadn't helped at all.
Zuko glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as he leaned against her. Swallowing hard, he looked down at the sand beneath him, his head hung in defeat. "Thanks," he mumbled.
Mai nodded in understanding, tilting her face away. She knew how hard it was for him, how much he hated his current weakness. She could see the anger in his eyes every time he had trouble doing something, and each time, she felt a pang of sympathy for him. She turned her head, peering at him through saddened gold eyes and saw him gritting his teeth in silent rage, infuriated with himself. She gave his hand a little squeeze. "Come on," she urged soothingly. "We have to wave them down."
They began to shout, waving their arms above their heads, but the boat continued to sail away, either not hearing them or not caring enough to turn around. Zuko paused, watching them move farther away, fury emanating from him.
"That's it," he declared angrily, starting to shoot fire upward, the flames a bright beacon against the overcast sky.
Slowly the boat began to turn, heading towards them at a steady pace. Zuko kept a flame burning in his palm so that the people in the boat would know where to go. He glanced over at Mai and saw her looking at him gratefully. He smiled warmly back.
The fishing boat's sails were dropped as it neared the sandbar, slowing it down until it finally came to a halt before them. A small, olive-skinned man leaned over the edge, gazing down at them in obvious surprise.
"Hey, there! You two need help?" he yelled, cupping a hand around his mouth to help amplify his voice.
Mai scowled. "What do you think?" she snapped, gesturing at the empty sea around them.
The portly little man looked blank for a second, but then he shook his head, snapping out of his daze. "Well, come on up, then!" He threw down a rope ladder, the end of it splashing in the muddy water. Zuko waded through the liquid, grabbing onto the side of the ladder and holding it straight. Mai followed him, and as she approached, Zuko held out a pale hand, a small smile gracing his features. Mai blushed, putting her hand on his as she walked forward. Setting her free hand on the ladder, she allowed Zuko to help her up even though she didn't need it.
Once she was up high enough, Zuko began to climb himself, grimacing as his back ached with pain. Mai scaled the ladder quickly, and within ten seconds she was hopping on deck.
Zuko, on the other hand, was struggling. His back felt like it was splitting in half, his muscles straining to hold him up. Sweat rolled down his face, his breathing growing forced. He froze halfway up the ladder, trying to regain his strength.
"Zuko, do you need help?" Mai called down to him, worried. Zuko shook his head vigorously, but Mai could tell that he wasn't going to make it. Quickly she scrambled back down, reaching out for his hand. He hesitated, glaring at her indecisively.
In the end, however, he gave in. Sighing in defeat, he took her hand so she could pull him up. As they began to climb, Mai caught the frustration on Zuko's face. She gave him a sympathetic look, but she did not let go of his hand. Even if he hated her for helping him and making him feel weak, she wouldn't let him fend for himself when he wasn't ready.
Both of them were breathing heavily in exhaustion by the time they clambered onto the boat. Zuko tried to stand up straight, but it was too much for him. He doubled over in pain, blood spilling out of his back again. Mai yelped, grabbing him around the middle before he could fall, then gently lowered him to the floor. He leaned back against the railing of the boat, panting, sweat mixing with the pool of blood on the deck beneath him. Mai knelt down next to him, her expression deeply concerned as she rested a hand on his face, stroking his cheek with her thumb.
The fisherman looked at them in confusion. "What's wrong with him?"
"He was hurt," Mai stated simply, preoccupied with watching Zuko, trying to calm him down.
"Does he need help? Some bandages maybe?" The man clearly didn't know what to do, his beady dark eyes wide in anxiety.
Zuko gritted his teeth defiantly as he got shakily to his feet, pushing Mai away when she tried to hold him down. "I'm fine," he insisted angrily. He wobbled unsteadily, resting a hand on the railing of the boat to support himself.
Mai turned to face the man. "Some bandages would be good." Zuko glared at her.
The old man gave a toothy smile. "Alright. By the way, my name's Doc." Mai scanned him up and down, taking in the fat stomach that stuck out noticeably, uncovered by his vest. He wore a small green cap over his unruly gray hair, a thin beard covering his upper lip and chin.
"I'm…" Mai trailed off, not sure if she should use her real name.
"My name is Lee," Zuko cut in quickly. "And…she's…Anya."
Mai shot him an incredulous look that said, "Anya?!" Zuko just shrugged.
"Well, Lee and Anya, I'm going to go get my brother, Shu. He knows all about bandages." He scurried off, disappearing around the sails.
A second later he reappeared, some bandages clutched in his hands. "Hi there! I'm Shu! My brother said you two needed bandages."
Zuko glared at him, irritated. "I thought you said you were going to get your brother."
"Yeah, that's what Doc told me," the man agreed brightly.
Zuko scowled. "No, I mean that you're the same guy that was here a second ago. You look exactly alike!"
The man smiled, completely undisturbed. "I know we look alike. That's why we wear different hats!" He pointed at the yellow-orange cap that rested on his head.
Mai scoffed. "So? Just because you changed your hat doesn't make you a different person."
"I didn't change my hat." The man grinned as Zuko smacked his forehead in frustration.
Mai shook her head in annoyance. "We'll just take the bandages."
Doc—or Shu—handed over the pieces of cloth, still with a wide smile on his face.
"Thanks," Mai muttered grudgingly as the man walked off. She turned to Zuko, holding up the strips of cloth, but he stepped away.
"I'm fine," he repeated angrily, though it didn't seem like his anger was directed at her.
Mai shook her head firmly. "You need fresh bandages. Yours are soaked through; if you don't change them, your wounds will get infected."
Zuko grimaced, still looking furious. "Fine." He made to snatch the bandages from her, but Mai pulled them away.
"I'm going to do it," she stated tightly.
"Come on, Mai…" Zuko groaned. She glared at him, her features set in a stubborn expression.
He sighed. "Fine," he grumbled, turning so that his back was facing her to allow her to undo his bandages. She carefully untied the knot that held the fabric in place, pulling the blood-soaked wrappings off of him. As the cloth fell away, the gaping wounds in his muscled back came into view, the angry red cuts standing out against his pale skin. Mai's face tightened as she involuntarily reached forward, gently running her forefinger along the edge of one of his wounds.
She felt his back tighten. "What are you…" he began, his voice strangely quiet.
Mai laid her hand flat over the wound she had been tracing, her palm only barely hiding it from view. When she spoke again, her voice was hushed and wrought with pain. "Don't you know who did this to you?"
Zuko relaxed slightly under her fingers, the tightness in his back letting up. "No…I don't."
Mai moved her hand down lightly over his skin, coming to rest on the second arrow wound. She gritted her teeth as she pulled her arm back, her fingers coved in fresh blood. "I swear," she began, her voice trembling with suppressed rage. "If I ever find who did this to you…"
"Mai," Zuko murmured, his voice soft and pained as he turned his head slightly so that Mai could see his scar.
Before either of them could say anything more, a loud voice rang out from the opposite side of the boat. "Hey, you guys must be hungry! Want some fish?"
"Sure," Mai called back, beginning to wrap Zuko in the bandages.
"Alright, then! I'll go get Doc; he's a good fisherman!" The man disappeared, then came back, a green hat on his head and a fishing pole clutched in his hand.
Mai rolled her eyes, then returned to bandaging Zuko, covering the cuts in his back with the white fabric. Tying it tightly, she noticed Zuko's dark silence, the pain in his eyes. She put a hand on his shoulder, rubbing it soothingly. She didn't know what was wrong, but then again, she might not need to. Sometimes Zuko just needed to know that someone was there for him.
She leaned forward, placing a light kiss on his cheek. Smiling warmly, she took hold of his hand, leading him over to Doc.
"So," Zuko began as they approached, watching the little man stick a wriggling worm onto his hook. "What were you doing way out here in the middle of the sea?"
Doc shrugged, a hint of sadness marring his usually energetic features. "Well, my village sent me away. They don't want me around for some reason."
"Wow, I can't imagine why," Mai muttered dryly, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I know! It's unbelievable, isn't it?" The man turned back to his fishing line as Mai grabbed Zuko's wrist to stop him from smacking his forehead in irritation.
"Could we fish?" Zuko asked, gesturing at himself and Mai. It was obvious he was itching to do something.
"Sure," Doc grinned. "The fishing lines are in that trunk back there. Do you want me to go get Shu to get them for—"
"NO!" Mai and Zuko shouted at once. Zuko sprinted over to the trunk as fast as possible, grabbing two fishing rods before Doc could do his brother impersonation. He walked back, holding a rod out to Mai.
She glared at it distastefully. "No, thanks." She held up a hand, sticking her tongue out in disgust.
"Why not?" Zuko asked, lowering the rod.
"Because I don't want to touch those nasty worms you guys use as bait," she explained slowly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Zuko shrugged, setting the extra rod on the ground. He took his own rod, and, grabbing hold of a hook, he tried to tie the fishing line around it, but failed spectacularly. His fingers were too big. Repeatedly he attempted to make a knot in the thin little fishing line to keep the hook in place, dropping it all several times.
Mai sighed, crossing her arms over her chest in boredom.
Zuko finally succeeded in tying his knot. With a small smile of accomplishment, he turned to the box of bait. Grabbing hold of one of the slimy worms, he tried to stick it through cleanly with the hook.
The worm made it on, but half of its guts ended up gushing out into a disgusted Zuko's fingers.
Mai was now leaning against the railing of the boat, staring nonchalantly up at the cloudy sky.
Wiping the worm insides off of his fingers, he threw the line in, nearly smacking Doc in the head in the process, but luckily it ended up in the water. Satisfied, Zuko sat down on a wooden crate, waiting for a fish.
And waiting.
And waiting.
And waiting.
Mai sighed, her stomach grumbling loudly. "This is taking forever," she groaned.
Zuko scowled. "Well, it's not like there aren't any fish down there. I can see them, but they won't bite."
Mai froze, an idea forming in her mind. "Pass me that fishing pole."
"I thought you didn't want to—" Zuko began, startled.
"Just pass it," Mai interrupted, rolling her eyes. The light in the already dark sky was disappearing quickly, and she was starving. She unthreaded the line from the pole, then, yanking a stiletto out of her sleeve, she easily tied the line around it. She saw Zuko frown in annoyance at how quickly she had been able to make a knot.
Once she had made sure the knot was tight, she leaned over the railing, her keen eyes searching for the dark forms of fish underwater. She caught sight of one, and, holding the end of the string in one hand and the stiletto in the other, she expertly threw her weapon downward, the sharp projectile hitting her target dead-on, embedding itself in a decent-sized fish. She pulled it up with the fishing line, smirking at Zuko's and Doc's shocked expressions.
As soon as Zuko had gotten his bearings, he demanded angrily, "Why didn't you do that earlier?"
Mai shrugged carelessly. "It just didn't occur to me."
Zuko scowled as Doc began to applaud. "That was amazing," he exclaimed, eyes wide in astonishment.
Zuko threw his fishing line back in the water, grumbling about how he could fish just fine as Mai easily caught two more.
As Doc carried the fish to the back of the boat to be cooked in the small fire-pit that was set up there, Mai stepped up to Zuko.
"You can stop now, you know," she murmured softly, laying a hand on his shoulder.
"Not until I catch a fish," Zuko snapped, glaring at the water below that was filled with fish that refused to bite.
"Why do you need to? We already have enough."
Zuko turned his head away, completely silent.
She moved a bit closer, concern touching her features as she realized that something else was getting to him. "What's wrong?" she asked quietly, giving his shoulder a light squeeze.
"What's wrong?" Zuko repeated, his voice rising as he whipped his head around angrily. "What's wrong is that I can't do anything!" He threw his fishing pole down to the wooden floor, the object clattering loudly against the solid surface. "I'm sick of being weak and helpless and putting you in danger!"
"Zuko, you don't put me in—" Mai began, but Zuko cut her off.
"You nearly died, Mai!" he exclaimed, his voice hoarse with pain. Surprised at how bothered he seemed to be by that, Mai took her hand off of his shoulder.
She swallowed hard, her eyes saddened. "Zuko, it wasn't your fault—"
"Yes it was!" He held his face in his hands, his pain horribly clear. He paused, taking a deep breath to regain his composure.
"When we were in the sea…" he began, his voice quiet and agonized. "I could barely swim. It took me forever to get you to that sandbar." He paused, fury causing his muscles to tense as he lifted his head up, gazing at her with tormented golden eyes. "It's a miracle you survived! Because I was so weak, you nearly drowned!"
Mai wanted to say something, but he put his head back in his hands. "I nearly lost you." His voice was thick, emotions pouring out of him like blood. "I'm not going to risk losing you again. I have to regain my strength."
Mai gaped at him, shocked. She had never known how much he cared for her. In fact, she had doubted that he had cared about her at all. And yet, here he was, spiraling into despair because she had almost died. She put a hand gently on his face, turning it so that his tortured eyes met her tender, caring ones.
"I need to be able to do everything I used to be able to," he whispered, his face screwed up in agony as he hung his head, closing his eyes tightly.
She kissed him lightly, their lips only barely brushing against one another. "But Zuko," she pointed out softly as he slowly opened his eyes. "You were never able to fish…"
Zuko gave her an annoyed look, but he couldn't help but smile slightly. He closed the distance between them once more, pulling her into a longer, deeper kiss. She held his face in her hands, kissing him back passionately.
Zuko took hold of her hand, breaking off the kiss gently. Mai smiled slightly. "Come on," she murmured, standing up. Hand in hand, they walked over to the fire Doc had made.
Zuko sat down on the cool wooden deck, pulling Mai along with him, and set her in front of him so she could lean up against him. Mai blushed, laying back on his chest, a content smile curving her pale mouth as Zuko's arms wrapped around her shoulder. He leaned down, his pale lips brushing against her ear as he whispered a single phrase.
"Thank you."
Mai snuggled closer to him in response.
"So…Doc," Zuko began, his voice returning to its normal volume.
"Shu," he interrupted, holding a finger up as if he were explaining something extremely important. "Doc can't cook very well. That's why he asked me to make dinner."
Zuko bit his lips, trying to contain his anger. Taking a deep breath, he continued in an exasperated tone, "Shu…are we anywhere near the Fire Nation? M—Anya and I want to get to land as fast as possible."
Shu looked up at them, surprised. "The Fire Nation? We're at least a day away."
Mai shifted her gazed down to her feet, anger at Azula seeping through her body.
Zuko, on the other hand, seemed like he couldn't comprehend what the man was saying. He stared at him blankly, eyes wide, mouth agape. "You mean…that for another entire day…we'll be with you?"
"Yep!" Shu answered happily, oblivious to the looks Mai and Zuko sent each other. "Just you, and me, and the wide-open sea!" He paused, putting a finger on his chin. "Oh, and Doc, of couse."
As soon as they had finished eating and Doc/Shu had fallen asleep, the two of them were on the lifeboat that had been tied to the side of the boat, rowing away as fast as possible.
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A/N: Originally I was going to make up a new character for the person that rescued them. I wanted it to be someone that would really get on Mai and Zuko's nerves, and, after a bit of thought, I decided that Doc/Shu would work just fine :)
Please review!!
