-Aaahhh, it was torture writing these chapters. This one is a little longer than the last half, so I hope that makes up for how short the last chapter was. Not much to say about this one, but I hope you do enjoy the chapter. Read and enjoy.- SpiffyPixie1

The Avatar's Disciples: Story of Mayu

Chapter 9 part 2

There were chains on my wrists again, much thinner than before, but chains nonetheless. I was lying on a stiff bed, body aching and chains biting into the burns on my arms.

I swung my legs down and over the edge of the bed, biting back any sound that wanted to escape from my lips at the pain. My body was sore and the burns seemed to cry out on their own with every move I made.

A metal floor met my feet and I looked around the room, trying to figure out where I was. It was a metal room, unadorned and with just two pieces of furniture, a bed and a chair. A candle was lit and set to the side near the chair. There was no window to show me where I was, but I could feel the slow rocking of the room, meaning that I was on a ship again.

I looked down at myself and saw that I still, thankfully, had Zuko's bracelet, and I was wearing different clothes, some sort of scratchy pale things, a shirt and a pair of pants that were much too big on my body but being held up with a rope.

I felt heat rise in my cheeks, knowing that someone had undressed me and had seen me naked.

The door started creaking open and I backed away toward the bed, letting my fire rest behind my skin, at the ready in case I needed to use it.

An average looking man poked his head through the door, not much older than my father, and seemed glad that I was awake. "Hey there! Glad you're up and about."

I my head tilted down so that the man couldn't see my eyes and kept silent.

The man didn't seem put out in the least. "We saw the explosion on Captain Li's ship and rushed to help as fast as we could, but we were too late." He looked at me curiously. "You were the only one left alive."

Of course, the dark little voice in my head thought. I killed them all. If you're not careful, I might kill you too. But I didn't want to. I didn't want any more deaths on my mind. Keeping the man in my peripheral, I crawled back onto the bed and pulled my knees up to my chest, trying to silently send the point across that I didn't want to speak to anyone.

He didn't seem to care, of course. "I have a daughter your age. I've honestly spoiled her, so she's a little sheltered from the hardships of the world, but it's because I never wanted her to suffer." I could see him gazing at me a little sadly. "I've seen Captain Li deliver things to the Commander every once in a while, but I've never seen the cargo. What were you doing on the ship?"

I felt myself wanting to tell this man, that Li had wanted to give me to Zhao as some sort of slave, because he reminded me of a kindly, protective father. The need to tell him was great and I felt the words on the edge of my lips, so sad and afraid. I clamped my lips shut and buried my face in my knees.

The man sighed. "Well, I can gather what was going on. There are rumors about the Commander." He was whispering at this point, as if afraid of being overheard, and I knew why.

We were on a Fire Nation ship, more specifically one of Zhao's ships, and likely heading to Zhao at that very moment. There were soldiers on board that knew the description of what I looked like and would possibly have seen me before my disappearance.

At least this man seemed to be on my side; for now, anyway.

"I'm Feng. When we get to the docks, someone will report to Zhao that we found a survivor from Captain Li's ship, and he will want to eventually see you."

I shook my head. "I'll be leaving. I won't see someone who buys slaves and tortures them."

Feng didn't look surprised in the least. His voice stayed in a whisper. "Jian and I will find a boat and sneak you away when we can." He paused for a moment before asking, "Is there no one that we can contact to come get you? Parents?"

"I went with Li to protect my mom and my village. They wouldn't know where I am." It made no sense for me to be telling him this, but it seemed harmless.

"Feng, has she said anything yet?" Another man pushed his way through the door and I made the mistake of lifting my head up so my eyes could be seen, surprised at the intrusion.

The man and I stared at each other, and I knew he could see my eyes.

I lowered my head quickly but I knew it was too late. Besides that, I recognized the man as the soldier Uncle Iroh had asked to watch me after Zuko's Agni Kai. Spirits, help me. I just screw things up all the time.

"Shit," the young soldier muttered, closing the door behind him. "It's Daiki's daughter."

Feng's eyes widened. "Well, that explains why I can't ask her parents to come and get her." He sighed and motioned the other man over to introduce him to me. "This is Jian. You're Mayu Oshiro, then?"

I nodded and huddled in a ball. It didn't surprise me that they knew about my dad. While he hadn't been a high-ranking soldier, he had been famous for his ferocity in battle and bravery; dad had been an exceptional firebender.

"She won't be able to use earthbending to get away," Jian muttered to Feng in hushed tones.

So they thought I was an earthbender. No one but my parents, the village of Siaw, Uncle Iroh, and the dead slavers knew the truth. I drew in a deep breath and held up a hand to silence the men, then inwardly winced at the sight of the burns on my wrist.

Jian and Feng were silent while I thought of what to say. "I'm not an earthbender, so that doesn't matter much." I held my palm up and let a ball of fire bloom to life, then let it writhe into different shapes; a flower, a bird, a miniature version of a badger mole.

They watched the fire flicker and change shapes, eyes wide and disbelieving.

I let the fire separate into two separate flames and shaped it to look like smaller versions of themselves, then let it freeze. This would decide what they would do, either turn me in to Zhao immediately or help me get away, even if they didn't know the old tales of the Disciples.

Feng let out a long breath that he had apparently been holding back and Jian whistled low. "Holy shit."

It was immediately decided after I explained what I was that I had to get away.

They asked, amazed, if the Avatar was alive and I confirmed that he was. I could feel his consciousness and had a general sense of where he was. At the moment he was stopped somewhere in the south and he felt safe. The other Disciples were traveling on and off, and I assumed that they were heading toward each other. I was the closest one to the Avatar but mostly on my own.

I needed to get far away from Zhao and find the Avatar so I could help him, wherever he was headed. We arrived by nightfall and a man set off to tell Zhao about the survivor from Li's ship.

I was being escorted from the ship in chains to a prison cell, an eye patch over my left brown eye. I was trying to look as insignificant as possible as we were walking, but Jian and Feng stopped for a moment when we were away from the docks.

"Is that who I think it is?"

"What're the general and the prince doing here?"

They were murmuring quietly but I heard it clearly enough.

I whirled around to look back at the docks and saw once again the small beat up ship, then Uncle Iroh and my best friend. "Zuko," I breathed, taking a step in his direction.

Jian caught my arm before I could run off. "What the hell are you doing?"

I felt myself wanting to pull away from him and bolt. "It's Zuko."

Feng was looking at me curiously, as if trying to decide what to do. "Yes, and that's Zhao going to talk to him."

I let my gaze roam and confirmed that he was right.

Zhao was indeed walking right toward Zuko and Uncle Iroh with a smug sense of superiority that made my blood boil with anger. He was looking down on them, as always.

You smug little shit. I'll kill you if you touch him! The raw animosity I felt at the thought wasn't appalling to me; I would kill anyone if it was necessary to protect the Avatar, the other Disciples, or Zuko.

Feng and Jian pulled me along before anyone could notice me. "Stop standing around gawking. Do you want to be caught?"

Of course I didn't, but I felt like I was in a dream. Zuko was absolutely beautiful in my eyes, a perfect picture of nobility and grace despite the scar on his face that stretched from his left eye to his ear. His eye was permanently narrowed now and I knew it would never be able to naturally open wide on its own again.

There was the familiar feeling of guilt, but seeing him like this was like a punch in the gut. It's my fault. I should've stopped your father's fire ball before he could hurt you.

Jian and Feng continued to drag me away and I continued watching. The man who had gone to tell Zhao about me, the survivor, found him finally to inform him that I was going to be waiting in a cell, I guessed, but Zhao waved him away and continued speaking to Zuko and Iroh.

Zuko looked irritated, at the very least, and seemed like he wanted nothing to do with Zhao. Uncle was calm, as always, and smiling. I almost felt like I could hear him being the negotiator between Zhao and Zuko, suggesting that they should go and have tea. To my surprise they turned and followed Zhao to the main building of this place.

"Where are they going?"

Feng glanced in their direction and shrugged. "Zhao's council room, I'm guessing. Why?"

I felt apprehension, not trusting Zhao to even be near Zuko. "What's Zhao want with them? What happened to their ship?"

"He's probably going to question them about it, Mayu. Now hush."

They led me past a couple of guards into the prison block, I'm guessing, of the complex and walked me into a cell at the far end where no one would hear us.

"How are we going to get you out of here?"

I shook my head and started pacing, wishing I could get the voices running around inside my head out; it was almost as if they were having a conversation but I couldn't understand how to listen or hear them.

"Should we sneak her out on a supply boat?" Jian was standing near the cell door, nonchalantly keeping watch in case anyone headed our way and Feng was sitting on the bed, hands clasped together.

"The next supply boat isn't due for five days. He'll come down here before then for sure."

Jian blew air out his nose, obviously frustrated. "Well what're we supposed to do? Ask the general and the prince to take her?"

I cannot describe the level of hope that rose in my chest. Dare I hope? I decided to dare later. "I wanna know what's going on; what does Zhao want with them?"

"We need to figure out a plan on how to get you out of here, Mayu." Feng was a kind man but obviously he was confused about my sudden lack of concern for my wellbeing. "Why are you so concerned about them?"

What could I say? Zuko was my best friend, and I missed him and Iroh? That I was afraid of what Zhao would do to Zuko? I shook my head and tried to think. "Zuko is my best friend. He'd be the best bet on me escaping. And Iroh knows that I'm the Disciple of Fire." They looked surprised at this but I explained that my father had told him.

The two men exchanged a look before they both sighed in unison. "Alright, but if you escape with them, what are you going to do about Zuko?"

I blinked at them, not understanding. "What do you mean?"

Jian rolled his eyes and was blunt. "Zuko's the banished Prince of the Fire Nation. He can only regain his honor and go home if he captures the Avatar."

That hopeful feeling that had bloomed was crushed.

The young man continued, apparently feeling the need to fully explain what could happen. "No one believes that the Avatar is alive, but the fact that you're even alive proves that he is. Are you going to lead him to the Avatar?" I could see the disapproval on his face and it stung.

"I would not betray the Avatar." But I'd be betraying Zuko, wouldn't I? That stung worse, like a knife.

Feng rose to his feet and stretched. "I'll go see what's going on and come back to tell you later, okay?"

Jian was going to stay near the cell with me. Apparently both men were off duty, so no one would care if they just roamed around by themselves, just as long as they didn't act suspiciously.

I felt bad, knowing that they were risking a lot to help me, but I was grateful to them both. I was little more than a stranger and they were still willing to help me, and to help me was to go against the Fire Lord's wishes.

As I sat or paced in my cell, my thoughts were divided between the Avatar, Zuko, and loyalties.

I have to help the Avatar, first and foremost. He's the only one who can restore balance to the world. Zuko would understand that, right? I was kneeling on the ground near the bed, feeling like pulling my hair out. Honor, restoring honor. He doesn't need to placate his father by turning over the only hope the world has to him. But he wants his father's love and approval. . . Would you understand, Zuko? Why I can't help you capture the Avatar? My body was bent over and I felt sick. Spirits help me, I might have to protect him from Zuko!

Thoughts were running around in my head like a whirlwind and I wanted to scream. Damn it, I hate this! I don't want to betray anyone. And will someone stop the damned voices in my head!?

Feng was back now, alongside Jian, and they pulled me to my feet, looking concerned. "What's wrong? You look like you've been crying."

I didn't know but I wiped at my eyes and discovered they were indeed wet. I shook my head, uncaring. "What happened? What's going on?"

Feng sighed and sat me down on the bed. "Commander Zhao questioned them about the damage to their ship, listening to their excuses, but he had sent some of his own men to question the prince's about what happened." He looked me in the eyes and seemed very perturbed. "They had been fighting the Avatar. Zhao knows he's alive."

That was certainly bad news. "He'll go after him." Although I felt better at the thought of fighting Zhao and protecting the Avatar from him; it was certainly more preferable than the thought of fighting Zuko.

"And he tried forbidding the prince from going after the Avatar, calling him a failure. Zuko refused to be dismissed so easily and challenged him to an Agni Kai."

Oh, the spirits loved to torment my friend. I shot to my feet and headed for the cell door. "I'm not letting that happen again."

Jian grabbed my arm and yanked me back.

I fell on my butt and yelped, backside stinging. "What," I snapped. "I need to help him!"

"He's the one that challenged Zhao," he hissed back, surprising me. "Do you really have such little faith in him that you don't believe he'll hold his own?"

The question stung. It wasn't what I thought at all, but there was the guilt there, that I could have prevented him from being hurt, and I didn't. I saw him being burned by his father in my dreams, begging for mercy from a man who didn't care.

I made myself breathe deeply, knowing that I needed to calm down. I do have faith in you, Zuko, and I'm sorry. I don't doubt you. But you better kick Zhao's ass, 'cause that little bastard deserves a walloping. I met Jian's gaze levelly. "I'm sorry. I just keep remembering the day of the Agni Kai against his father."

Jian nodded, remembering it too, and remembering how I reacted afterward, shrieking all the while and angry then descending into a sort of spaced out state of peace where I could only stare and keep seeing my best friend being burned over and over again. He knew, better than most, my desire to help my friend. "He's older now, and he's no doubt been training all the time of his banishment with his uncle."

Of course. Uncle would've trained Zuko and helped him get stronger. He was renowned for being a strong firebender and an exceptional soldier. I felt a little better at the thought.

Feng smiled and brushed my hair out of my face, obviously glad that I was calm now. "Straighten yourself up. General Iroh will be on his way to come see you in just a bit, and we'll discuss getting you to their ship to hide tonight."

An hour passed before I heard Uncle's voice coming closer.

I was standing almost shyly at the far end of my cell, nervous about seeing him. He would know, of course, that I had no choice in the matter of my disappearance, but I was afraid that he'd disapprove for some reason.

Those thoughts disappeared, however, when I saw Uncle's face through the bars, and I felt like a child again.

Uncle stood before me, fatter than before, but no less warm and kind than he had been before. He looked so relieved to see me, and sad, and he held his arms out to me.

I wasted no time in running to him and hugging him tightly, missing the man that really was like an uncle to me.

"Mayu," he began, voice choked with emotion. "I'm so sorry. I wish I could have protected you better. There were times I thought you were dead." He looked at my face, eyes shining with unshed tears. "But you can come with us, alright? We'll keep you safe."

There was that hope again, so sweet and bright that it hurt. I had to tell him what happened, though. "Uncle, slavers came to the village. They were going to kill mom and the other earthbenders, so I showed my powers. The captain promised to leave them all alone if I came with him, and he said he would take me to Azula." Uncle's eyes widened but he let me continue. "But he said because I fought against him he was going to give me to Zhao as a slave, and it was terrifying. I couldn't burn the ship because I would've been floating in the ocean and I can't swim. I wouldn't have survived." I saw everything that happened in my mind again. "We were two days from here, and I felt like I was going to explode. I didn't know what was causing it, and I tried to get away but it was hard to move and the metal chains were burning into my skin from the heat rising from my body. The fire burst from me, and it was horrible. I saw through the Avatar's eyes, and the other Disciples, so I didn't see what I had caused until it was too late. I killed them all, Uncle. I killed over 20 men." My heart was beating painfully. "I know they wanted to sell me, but I didn't mean to kill them. I just didn't know how to hold the fire back. It was out of control." That was the most terrifying thing of all; I lost control of the fire inside me, and I had killed so many people. I never wanted that to happen again, ever.

Uncle wiped away my tears, ignoring the surprised stares of Feng and Jian. "I know what you're feeling, Mayu. Every soldier experiences something when they make their first kill. Your remorse shows how compassionate you are, though." He lifted my chin up, expression firm. "You only become an uncontrollable monster when you stop caring. It's better to remember and treasure life than to stop caring about taking it." His eyes told me that he knew the feeling; he'd taken many lives but never had Uncle turned into a monster.

I took a shaky breath and stood up straight, throat tight. "We need to get out of here as soon as we can." That much was obvious.

We exited the prison, silently passing by the guards who had drank themselves into unconsciousness. I would have to hide in the ship until tomorrow when repairs would be finished and we'd all leave as soon as Zuko finished his Agni Kai.

Feng and Jian left us then, promising to make up some sort of story on me escaping during the Agni Kai when everyone would be distracted and watching Zuko and Zhao battle it out.

I thanked them, knowing that they had no reason to help me and were doing it purely out of kindness. I hoped desperately that they wouldn't get into trouble, but Uncle assured me that they were smart men and would be fine.

He escorted me to a room in the bowels of the ship where no one would disturb me.

My heart was pounding, almost excited. Who am I kidding, I thought with a slight smile. I'm completely excited. My excitement was dampened, though, when Uncle turned to me.

"Mayu, you can't see Zuko until the Agni Kai is over."

I opened and closed my mouth, trying to think of something to say, when I finally settled on, "It would distract him and cause him to lose focus." It wasn't a question, just the conclusion I came to.

Uncle nodded, smiling a little sadly. "I know you miss him, but he needs to stay focused. He's already having problems with his anger."

That was news to me. Zuko had never been a temperamental person. Sure, he had a temper, like any normal human being, but it was never so bad that he had a problem controlling his anger. That was usually Azula's issue.

Still, he had been banished from his home and hurt badly; that was enough to change anyone's temperament.

I bit my lip and met Uncle's gaze. "Will he be happy to see me, Uncle? I feel like I broke my promise to him . . ."

He put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it lightly. "That is for you two to discuss, Mayu. Just remember that he views affection as weakness now, and may not admit to any of what he feels out in the open."

I nodded and sighed, then stopped him as he was about to leave. "Uncle?"

"Yes?" The look in his eyes told me that he already knew what I was wanting, but I had to ask anyway.

"What . . . What am I supposed to do? I already broke my promise to Zuko once unintentionally when mom and I left to go into hiding. I have to protect the Avatar from him if he insists on wanting to capture him." The words cut little wounds into my heart. "I'll be breaking my promise on purpose now. I know that I have to if he won't listen to reason, but how will I live with myself?" I can't stand any more nightmares.

Uncle was silent for a moment, his back facing me. Finally he turned slightly but wouldn't look at me. "I believe in him, Mayu. He may fight, because he loves his family, but he will see his true purpose in time. Have faith." And then he left me in a sort of silence that hung heavily on my mind.

Have faith in him. Of course I would, always. I just don't want to hurt him again.

-Am I mean? Probably, but that's alright. It's so my characters will eventually feel the full glory and happiness that they deserve. I know there are quite a few things wrong with the time line as I write out these chapters, because I screwed up and forgot exactly how some of the scenes happened, but I do not care. Still following the main storyline in a way. If you like, please leave a review. You of course do not have to, but it makes me happy at times to read how you like the story. Have a good day!- SpiffyPixie1