Sokka and Toph were really getting tired of the uncomfortable position they were forced into. After their unexpected meeting with some of the huàn and the inevitable fight, they had ended up chained back-to-back. As a matter of fact, they had both tried to fight and very fervently so, but soon enough the number of their enemies started increasing dramatically. Despite Sokka's prowess at fighting and Toph's ability at earth-bending, they were soon defeated and dragged through the underground tunnel.
"Let us go, you lazy heads! You don't wanna see me angry!" Toph threatened, pulling on her chains. She could easily have metal-bended both of them out of their bonds, but, in fact, she couldn't really move any part of her body without crushing one of Sokka's limbs.
"If you keep shouting like that, you won't live long enough to get angry." The man whose voice she recognized as Raven murmured, his bittersweet tone making his words all the more frightening. Toph, however, was never frightened.
"Untie me so that I can show you how much I care about your threat!" She shouted back. A harder yank on her chains made her cry out in pain. "Ouch!"
Sokka, who had surprisingly been quiet throughout the small encounter, decided that it was time to stop his friend from making things worse. "Uh, Toph… I think you're not helping." He hissed under his breath, mentally hoping that his capturers wouldn't pay attention.
"Well, snoozles…" Toph whispered back. "I don't see you doing any better."
Sokka would have shot back a very smart answer, had it not been for his face coming in contact with the hard floor. The man that dragged them around as if they were puppies had obviously let go of the chains, causing them to lose their balance and fall down. "Ugh."
Looking through the layer of dirt that had covered his eyes, Sokka noticed that their capturers had stopped walking in front of what looked like a massive door made out of metal. He noticed that it bore small dents, like the ones he had earlier saw in Yan's house. Like before, one of the men pushed a small totem on the door, making it open with a loud creak. Sokka absorbed all of the information, being fully aware of the fact that they would come in handy later, while Toph did her best to memorize the vibration the tunnel gave out, so that both she and Sokka would be able to find their way through the labyrinth later on.
The door finally opened, revealing a big, dark room. Sokka didn't have time to see much, as their captors shoved them onto the ground of the dark place. "Panther will be delighted to see you." Raven sneered, making the rest of his group snicker.
The sun had barely risen, when the gang decided that it was about time they started their trip. Lack of sleep had all of them slouching around in an attempt to get ready, but soon enough they were all standing in the courtyard around Appa.
"Is everyone ready?" Katara asked, going through the small amount of things she had packed, just in case she had forgotten anything.
Mai, dragging a very tired Zuko behind, checked the amount of daggers strapped on her body and nodded. "Yeah, I think so."
"Aang?"
"All ready, sweetie." The young boy grinned at his girlfriend.
"Good." Katara approved. "Let's go."
The young monk came closer, Momo chattering incoherently on his shoulder, his small paws grasping at an orange as he nibbled on it. The young Avatar smiled as he approached his bison. Resting his palm on the huge animal's snout, he looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, Appa, but it looks like you'll have to carry us again."
Appa roared happily, making Aang laugh in delight and hug his bison's head. "Thanks, buddy."
The rest of the gang just shrugged, not really bothering to understand what Appa said, and made their way to the bison drowsily. Grasping Katara's hand in his, Aang used his air-bending and soon enough they were both sitting on Appa. After helping Mai get on the beast, Zuko followed suit.
"So, here's the plan: we go get Suki from Kyoshi Island and then we're off to Ba Sing Se." Aang said and the others nodded.
With another roar, Appa soared in the sky and the gang started their trip. Little did they know that things wouldn't be quite like they expected.
Despite the darkness of the place they had been thrown into, Sokka could see that they were in a stone-made room. The throne that rested a few feet away, above an amethyst carpet, was guarded by two armored men, even though no one was sitting on it. He noticed that, other than a stone-made, vast table left to the throne; the room was pretty much empty.
Struggling with his chain bonds, the young swordsman let out a groan. "Ugh! Can't you metal-bend us out of those chains or something?" He asked Toph, who was still strapped against his back.
"For the hundredth time—no! In case you haven't noticed, I can't move either!"
Sokka let out a frustrated sigh, as he once again tried to break his hands free from his bonds. "What are we gonna do?"
Struggling with her own bonds, Toph couldn't find the answer to that question. "Iroh will notice we're gone. He'll get help."
"I hope so." Sokka muttered. "I knew we shouldn't have trusted Yan, what were we thinking? We should have waited until the others came and—"
"Shh!" Toph interrupted, stopping his small speech. "Someone's coming." She had felt vibrations as much as her awkward position would allow her to.
The young warrior clamped his mouth shut, his eyes widening in fear and curiosity as the door opened. Hmm, if we want to get out of here, we'll have to get our hands on one of those totems. He mused. Struggling to see through the layer of darkness, Sokka heard the sound of metal hitting the floor. To his surprise, the man that walked in had had his left leg replaced with a metal one. Strange. Sokka mused before eyeing the two men that followed; Raven and Bear.
Raven, he knew from North Pole. He also knew from Chief Arnook's letter that he had escaped. Bear, however, he had never heard of.
As the man—whose face Sokka couldn't see—approached the throne, his followers stopping a few feet behind, the two guards fell on their knees. "Panther." They acknowledged.
"Panther?" Toph whispered to Sokka, recalling that Raven had mentioned the name. "Is he the leader?"
Sokka shrugged as much as his position would allow him to. "Could be."
"Bring the prisoners to me." The ice-cold yet velvety voice of Panther said. His tone wasn't loud, but it echoed in the eerie room. The guards, not wanting to disobey or anger their master, nodded and hurried towards the two teenagers that sat on the floor in the most awkward position they had been in their lives.
Sokka tried to scoot away from the guards to no avail. The men's gloved hands wrapped themselves around the chains, dragging the two teenagers towards the man who was now sitting on the stone-made throne. With a swift movement of their hands, the shoved the tied pair to the ground, just some inches away from Panther's feet.
"Ugh!" Sokka complained as he struggled with Toph's weight to sit straight. "Do you have to do that?"
The guards didn't answer as they once again returned to their original position. Sokka frowned. Remembering the man sitting on the uplifted throne, the young warrior raised his head in an attempt to look at him. He noticed that Panther's face was buried in the shadows. As a matter of fact, he couldn't make out much apart from the iron-made leg and the black, leather clothes.
"Well, well." Panther cooed, his velvet voice making the hair in the back of Sokka's head rise. "What do we have here?" Cocking his head to one side, he inspected his prisoners. "I'm disappointed—when I was told about two rebels standing up against me, I expected so much more than two pathetic youngsters."
Refusing to give up just yet, Toph fought against her bonds once again. "Let us go this instant, you maniac!"
The man let out a throaty laugh. "I must admit, though, you are quite amusing." Folding his hands under his chin, Panther looked straight at Sokka and Toph. Even though none of them could see his gaze, they could feel it piercing through them. "I am curious, though—did you really think that you could stand a chance against me and my men?"
"You don't know who you're talking to, do you?" Sokka said in an arrogant tone, which was surprising regarding his position.
"I know that I'm talking to two kids, trapped like mice." Panther spat, his smirk going unnoticed due to the darkness. "Tell me, how would you—two children—defeat us? Certainly, you knew that you couldn't take us down on your own." Panther paused, examining his enemies' face. "No, you're not that ignorant." He added. "They're more, aren't there?"
Sokka didn't say anything, refusing to give the information the man wanted.
Panther's gaze turned more intense, if that was possible. "Fine." He spat when he realized that neither Sokka nor Toph would say anything. Turning his gaze to Raven and Bear, he ordered: "Take them to the cells. And learn as much as you can."
Raven and Bear nodded and proceeded to do their task.
"Excuse me. Excuse me. Sorry." It seemed like this was all the gang had been muttering for the last fifteen minutes as they pushed their way through the crowd. Upon arriving in Ba Sing Se, a few feet away from the Jasmine Dragon, the considerable size of Appa caught the attention of the people and soon enough everyone got closer to take a glimpse of the Avatar and his girl. Children ran up to them, requesting them to do this and that while young girls screamed when they saw the handsome Firelord and scowled when they saw his equally beautiful Firelady.
Aang would love to stay and entertain them, but time wasn't something they had. When they finally managed to get away from the fans—which they achieved with a bit of Suki's help—they ran towards Iroh's teashop.
They found the former general serving tea to his customers, laughing happily at the flattering compliments. Once his golden eyes fell on the small group that just entered, they watered up. He was always joyful to seeing his nephew and their unexpected visit made him smile in delight.
"Zuko!" The tea maker exclaimed, hugging the young Firelord. Zuko, bending a bit, wrapped his arms around his uncle.
"Hello, uncle." Zuko murmured.
Taking a step back, Iroh greeted the rest of the group with a big hug. "I didn't know you'd be coming."
"We didn't know either." Aang said. "We found out some information about you-know-who."
Iroh's eyebrows knitted in worry. "You came at the right time."
"Where are Sokka and Toph?" Suki asked, twisting her head around in an attempt to spot her boyfriend.
Iroh sighed. "Sit." He motioned to a table in a faraway corner, where they could talk without anyone eavesdropping.
The group listened to Iroh's story intently, their eyes widening whenever the information got too much. Iroh had been told only the most basic things that had happened but as he was now reciting the events, he was regretting not having a more detailed version.
"What?" Katara screeched when Iroh finished the story, telling them that the earthbender and the young warrior hadn't returned since last night's events. "What were they thinking? Why didn't they wait for us?"
Aang wrapped his hand around Katara fingers in a fruitless attempt to calm her down. His own apprehension started rising but he tried to shove it aside, being fully aware that it wouldn't help. "They tried to find information, Katara. They didn't know this would happen."
"Damn you Sokka." Suki muttered under her breath. Somehow, her boyfriend always seemed to get into trouble. She let out a sigh, her worry rising as each second passed. Please, be okay.
"This man…" Zuko started, trying to collect his thoughts. "What did you say his name was?"
"I believe it was Yan." Iroh replied, stroking his beard in thought. "Toph and Sokka mentioned something about a tunnel under his house."
"It must be the one Finn told us about." Mai muttered. Years of practice at keeping her emotions secret helped her hide the rising concern for her friends' wellbeing.
"In Su Heng." Zuko agreed. Weighing his options, he finally decided that the only thing they could do right now was question Yan. "We have to go find him."
"Ugh, not again!" Sokka complained, as once again Raven shoved them onto the hard ground in one of the cells. He had started becoming very sore from the position he was forced into and neither Toph's weight on his back nor his face colliding with the earth helped.
Toph had started getting very nervous from not being able to 'see' since her legs were tied and she could hardly move them around. She had a rough idea of her surroundings. She could also feel Raven and Bear standing just outside of their cell but she couldn't tell whether or not there were other people in the dungeon.
She heard the slithering sound of a sword being pulled out of its sheath and her pale eyes widened in fear.
Bear had pulled out his blade. Twisting it around his hand, he examined the object with a wicked smile, his fingers caressing the deadly metal. Sokka tried hard not to gulp.
"Now," Raven said, starring at the pair behind the bars with sharp eyes. "Tell me your names."
"Your real ones." Bear added, the grip on his sword never ceasing.
Thinking quickly, Sokka replied: "I'm Wang Fire."
Catching up with her friend's trick, Toph added: "And I'm Jin Hay."
Raven looked at them in disbelief. He didn't really care for the pair's names, since he knew that they would probably end up dead. However, he couldn't bear the thought of being lied to.
Bear, seeing the anger in Raven's face, placed a strong, preventing hand on his shoulder. "Raven, compose yourself. If they are lying, they know the consequences." As to prove his point, his dagger gleamed in the darkness.
The two black-clad men kept asking more questions, making the interrogation go on for hours. Both Toph and Sokka answered with a bunch of lies. Sometimes, they gained looks of disbelief and doubt from the men, which made them wonder what would happen if the huàn actually found out about their inaccuracies. They tried to calm themselves down by thinking that they wouldn't stay there long enough for them to find out.
After some more questions, the pair finally walked away, leaving Toph and Sokka alone. The two teenagers stayed silent, inspecting the room around them. From what they could tell, there was no one else in there. At least not yet. Regarding the precision and the punctuality of the huàn, however, there would sure be guards in front of their cell in a while.
As to confirm that thought, the sounds of steps echoed in the dark place. Four figures marched in, laughing over something. Their eyes fell on the pair behind the bars and they snickered.
"It's been a while since we last had any prisoners" One of them pointed out, examining the two teenagers closely.
"I wonder what those two did." Another one said, in a squeaky voice. It made Toph chuckle.
"Raven said they wanted to stop us from 'doing harm to the world'." Another one informed, causing the others to burst out in a fit of laughter.
"Ah, I can't wait till the time people see our worth." An armored man muttered, after the laughter had died down.
"Don't worry, Griffin*. When the Final Battle comes, people will understand that we were just trying to save them."
Griffin agreed with the other man's words. However, he became quite alert, knowing that the prisoners were fully capable of hearing their little conversation. Placing a gloved hand on the man's mouth, he clamped his mouth shut. "Shh!" He hissed, motioning towards the two teenagers with his head. "You better pray Panther doesn't learn about that."
"Right, sorry." The man apologized, his voice muffled.
The men proceeded on taking their position in front of the cell, guarding their prisoners. Despite the fact that Toph and Sokka pretended they hadn't heard about the final battle, questions roamed wildly in their minds. Up until now, the huàn had made it pretty clear that their aim was Mai—the person Zuko loved the most. But it seemed that they had more plans in store.
As time passed, Sokka realized one thing: It was going to be a crazy day.
It had finally been decided; Iroh would join the group at their research. The old tea maker had insisted on going with his nephew and his friends, claiming that he had already made a mistake when he didn't go with Sokka and Toph.
So, now the six of them were on Appa, flying over the city of Ba Sing Se in an attempt to find Su Heng.
"I must admit—I never knew that flying in a bison would be so entertaining." Iroh said, leaning to one side so he could see more of the city.
Zuko would have smiled at his uncle's enthusiasm had it not been for the huge scowl that kept his mouth muscles occupied.
Mai sighed. "Want to talk about it?" She scooted closer to him, and he wrapped a strong arm around her, welcoming her support.
"It's just… first they try to kill you and now they have Sokka and Toph." The Firelord closed his eyes and let out a sigh, hoping that his worries would go away with that puff of air. "And everything's my fault." He mentally cursed himself for mopping around again, even though he knew that Mai was always there to listen to his worries, no matter how silly they were.
Mai's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Don't be silly, Zuko. How's all of this your fault?" She tried to reason, linking his fingers with hers.
"I—I don't know." Zuko stammered, looking down at her in despair. "Maybe I didn't try enough to fix things."
Mai rolled her eyes. "Zuko." She murmured, placing a soft hand on his cheek. "You did everything to fix things." She reassured him. "Some people are just too blind or hurt to see that."
The young Firelord sighed again. "You're right. You always are." He admitted, burying his face in his wife's raven hair. "I'm just being pessimistic."
Mai let out a throaty chuckle. "You always are." She echoed. Tilting her head upwards, she captured his warm lips with hers, being fully aware of the calming effect her kisses had to Zuko. Sighing in her mouth, Zuko pulled her closer, thankful for the contact. "Stop worrying." She panted once they pulled back.
"Do you think we'll find them?" He inquired, his voice dripping with hope.
Mai just shrugged. "We have to try."
"Found it!" Aang's enthusiastic cry stopped whatever Zuko was about to say. "Su Heng."
Looking down, Mai's eyes widened. Finn had told them that the place was abandoned and collapsed, but she didn't expect it to be that bad. Judging from the gasps that came from the rest of the group, the others hadn't expected it either.
As soon as Appa landed on the cracked ground, the gang hopped off—Iroh having a little bit of difficulty at that—and proceeded to look at their surroundings.
"Is this it?" Mai asked flatly, scanning the place with disinterest. Zuko shrugged next to her.
"It does match the description Finn gave us." Katara pointed out. "But it doesn't look like anyone lives here."
Aang shook his head. Having been taught by Toph, he could tell by his earth-bending skills that someone was in the half-ruined house that rested some feet away. "There is a man over there." He said, pointing towards the demolished building.
Determined not to waste any more time, the group walked through the debris to the house. Not bothering to knock on the rusted door, Zuko kicked it open, making it fall on the ground. A gasp from inside let them know that there was, indeed, someone in the house.
Eyeing the man warily, the gang noticed the fresh bruises and wounds on his wrinkled face. He was old, like Finn had told them he would be but he didn't seem threatening.
"Wh—who are you?" The man stuttered, cowering away from the group. He had hardly managed to make it away from the huàn alive, as they decided that after all the pain he'd been through it would be much more enjoyable to watch him suffer. 'Next time you decide to betray us—' Bear had said. '—think better. You now know the consequences.'
"Are you Yan?" Zuko inquired, his tone indicating that lies would be unacceptable.
"Y-yes." Yan uttered.
Aang stepped in, deciding to speak in a friendlier tone. "We're looking for our friends." He smiled. "We've been told that they were here."
Yan nodded. "A young man and a blind girl?"
"That's them!" Katara exclaimed.
Yan shook his head weakly. "I tried to help them—but they hit me. I didn't mean to tell them about your friends, I swear."
"The huàn did this to you?" Zuko asked, motioning towards the man's scars, his eye widening.
"Please, if they know you're here, they'll kill me." The old man pleaded, his eyes darting towards the secret portal that rested behind the needlecraft.
Zuko lowered his head when he saw the man's fear. People were suffering already because of the huàn and they still hadn't found a way to handle the situation. Mai, sensing his concern, shifted closer to him and squeezed his hand.
Giving her a thankful smile, he turned back to Yan. "Why are you helping them, if you hate them?"
"They threaten my life every single day." Yan replied. "If I leave, they'll track me down and kill me. When I tried to help your friends, they learnt. They forced me into telling them the truth."
"If you are willing to help us now, we can guarantee your safety." Aang pointed out, his grey eyes looking at the man intently.
"I know you." Yan murmured. "You're the Avatar."
"Yes." Aang nodded. "We're trying to stop the huàn from doing any more harm—are you with us?"
Yan scanned the faces of the group before him. His life was almost over, what did he have to lose? Maybe he could do his part in this world. "Yes. Yes, I am."
*Vulture Griffin, it appeared in the episode 'Appa's lost days'. Griffin for short.
Ugh, this chapter was a pain in the neck! No matter how many ideas I had, words just wouldn't flow. I'm sorry if it's disappointing or unrealistic. I hate writer's block!
First Momo's appearance! I hadn't realized that I had never mentioned him in the story. I love Momo!
So, you can ask whatever you haven't understood. Maybe this chapter looks pointless right now, but the events happening here will play an important role in the next chapters. I tried to fit in some Maiko, although it was pretty difficult. I'm disappointed at the lack of fluff in this chapter but I'll try to make it up for you in the following chapters.
One big thanks to NinjaKick, who's my new beta, because sometimes I do some silly mistakes. Thanks, Ninja!
Oh, I've been listening to the song 'Pages' by 3 Doors Down and I can't help but think it fits well with Mai and Zuko, especially after Zuko leaves Mai that letter. If I get inspired, I may write a fanfic about it. Who knows?
I have so many ideas for some Maiko stories, but I've been told that writing a lot of stories at once is pretty difficult. So, I'll just wait till Through the Fire is over.
Let me remind you that you can find me on DeviantART as Doritos1996. I also take requests, so if you're a Maiko fan and want to see something about those two, feel free to ask! Please, check out the poll on my profile as well!
I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing this story. It really means a lot me. I put a lot of effort in my stories and I'm really glad this is being appreciated.
So, review because I love hearing your opinions so much! Check out the rest of my Maiko stories as well!
Your Momoness,
~Dora.