Thanks, Theadora, LittleHogwartsGirl, everybody. :D
I do have to say I had that scene in mind almost since the beginning of my writing this story. I just had to use it. I also have to thank Mike and Bryan for using those words in their "Book 4", too. XD
So now that they're all together again... Chapter 25. And thanks again, everybody.
Chapter Twenty-Five:
Blue Spirit, Red Spirit
The Gaang got caught up on what everybody had been doing. The whole matter of "the Avatar's new girlfriend" was cleared up as Toph gave testimony as to what she had heard other people say about them and what Aang had done (and, more importantly, not done). Now the group found the whole thing laughable—awkward in some places, but laughable.
Sokka did relate what the vegetable stand woman had said about "Tofu"—at which point Toph promised to try out some new Earthbending moves on him when they reached shore and, if he ever called her that again, that she would make bean curd out of him. The message was received.
"But I had to say it," Sokka said, still laughing. "You know."
"Suuuuuuuure you did, Snoozles," said Toph. She was still tempted to take the metal plate underneath Sokka and give him a wedgie from below.
With the Gaang reunited, Aang turned back to his mission, and Ty Lee was next and last on the list. As it happened, the ship's captain had heard news of the Kyoshi Warriors' whereabouts and was happy to provide the Avatar with the information. (Sokka grumbled a bit that the captain had not extended the same courtesy to Team Avatar before.)
Armed with that information, the Gaang boarded Appa and took off in search of the Kyoshi Warriors.
o o o
It was so tempting.
Zuko felt confined in the Palace, so restrained, so boxed in. He couldn't go anywhere without being recognized. He couldn't be anywhere within the Palace without being watched—even his own bedroom, sometimes. That was annoying. He could order them all out of earshot, all out of sight… but he knew they were still there.
He did that once—and then he sneezed.
"Bless you," someone unseen said.
"Thanks." He smiled. Then... "Hey—who said that?"
Silence.
He definitely felt like a Zuko-in-the-box.
Then he saw… the mask.
It was hanging on a wall as part of a set. It reminded him so much of those days when…
He took it off the wall and examined it; it did have fastening cords, so it could be worn.
He put it back discreetly on the wall and walked away, but it did occupy his thoughts. That night, he passed by the mask again.
As he did the next night.
And the next.
The night after that, he passed it—then came back, took it off the wall, and trotted back to his chambers. A while later, clad in black and the mask in place, he took to the rooftops.
Free.
o o o
The next morning Mai met him for breakfast as usual. She saw his calm, relaxed smile… and she tilted her head. "All right. What did you do?"
"What do you mean?"
"Yesterday afternoon you were as tense as a longtailed rabbit finch in a room full of coyote cats, and now you're calm and relaxed. What happened?"
"Honestly, Mai, I don't know what you mean."
"You did something."
Zuko shrugged and smiled. "I don't know how to answer you."
o o o
Nothing happened for the next few days. Zuko tended to his business as usual, attended his usual meetings, and everything was as it was before… then Zuko got the itch again. That night, the mask was off the wall, and he was out the window and back on the rooftops.
Mai noticed his absence.
She intercepted a servant near Zuko's chambers. The servant bowed. "How may I serve you, Lady Mai?"
"I'm looking for Fire Lord Zuko."
"I'm sorry, my lady. He has already retired for the evening."
"Did he say why?"
"No, Lady."
She nodded. The servant bowed again and went on his way. She went over to a water clock in a niche in the hall; it was still early. That's odd…
She stood there a moment—then smiled. Maybe he wants me to seek him out. I can do that.
She went to his chambers, and the doors were closed. She knocked softly, with a soft smile.
Nothing.
She knocked a little louder. Nothing.
She knocked, now a little angry. Nothing. She tried the door and found it was locked.
She stopped.
She turned her back on the door and walked stiffly away. Halfway down the hall, her mind worked through other possibilities, and her expression and body language softened. She passed the masks.
Then she noticed that one was missing.
Anger flooded her features again… and suspicion.
o o o
Zuko denied it again the next morning. Mai was quiet and smoldering through the rest of the meal.
Things were again the same for a few days more… then Zuko felt the need for a night out again.
Again Mai noticed he was missing—as was the mask. She went to his chambers and knocked. And knocked. And knocked. No answer.
This time, she had brought her key.
She opened the door. All was still, nothing was out of place… except for one window that had been left ajar.
She left the room.
o o o
Zuko was enjoying the quiet and the night breeze. It was a fine night. The skies were clear, the stars were out, and things just seemed to make a quiet sense.
He heard a whisper of sound, close. Leather on roof tiles.
He looked, and someone was on the neighboring roof, clad in black. Quietly he moved out of sight over the edge of the roof—then peeked up.
They were gone.
Zuko stayed put, looking around, then a head and shoulders peered over the edge—of his building. He ducked down out of sight.
He tucked himself into the shadows under the eaves and waited. His heart rate slowed. The spot wasn't comfortable—he had a beam sticking into his back—but there he stayed.
One minute…
That beam was really uncomfortable. He'd have a mark on his back the next morning for sure. That wouldn't be easy to explain to Mai.
Two minutes…
His legs didn't like where they were wedged, either. As the seconds turned into minutes, his legs voiced their complaints—in ever increasing detail.
Three minutes…
His face started to look like his mask from the pain in his back and legs.
He knew he was nearing his limit—and he decided. He felt he should remove himself quietly while there was still time, rather than make a lot of noise extricating himself—or worse, fall. He got good handholds, freed his feet from their lodging points, and pulled his legs out, wincing at every sound. Once free, he rested a moment, then climbed over the edge.
To look right into a dark red mask.
He jerked backward—and fell. The red mask snatched at him. He flailed with his arms and barely caught some of the metal gutters—which broke away from the roof and bent toward the ground, making a horrible creaking screech. It did slow his descent, at least. When he was close enough to the ground, he jumped free, only to see the red mask scale down the wall with incredible skill.
He ran.
He didn't see any weapons on his pursuer, but he didn't know who they were, he didn't know why they were there, and he did know someone had killed his father, here in the Capital. And that he hadn't told anyone where he was.
His pursuer looked smaller than he was, he thought, but that meant nothing. It was better to avoid and evade.
Part of him rolled his eyes at that. Aang could have taught me something there.
He ran around a corner and saw a pole hanging low across the street. He leaped, grabbed hold, used his momentum to spin himself on top of the pole, and scaled the wall to the roof. Then he hunkered down.
The red mask spun around the corner. It looked around, looked up, saw the pole, and leaped for it.
Zuko clenched his teeth. Too obvious.
He ran across the rooftop, leaped to the neighboring house, then hid behind a chimney belching smoke, shadow in shadow. He ran in place, then slowed gradually, reducing the sounds he made.
The red mask ran right past.
Zuko ran back the other way, leaped back to the other roof, and went back down to the street.
Somehow the red mask saw that, doubled back, and pursued.
Their chase wound all over a good part of the Capital, up one building, down another, through a shocked matron's boudoir, past several street vendors (one of whom made a protective grab for his cabbages). Part of Zuko was having fun—but the rest of him knew very well that his pursuer might not be playing.
Eventually Zuko made a mistake and got trapped on a rooftop with no easy way down. That left only one option.
He whipped his paired swords out from behind his back and brandished them, whipping them around in an overarm wheel.
The red mask stopped. And sighed. "You even brought those along. What are you doing?"
Zuko's swords drooped. "Mai?"
The figure took its mask off, revealing a rather disgruntled Mai. "Yes, it's me. What are you doing up here?"
Zuko took off his own mask. "I felt confined… watched. I wanted to get some air."
"Ordinary people go on vacations when they need a break. You go up on the roof."
"Mai, I don't think I can go on vacation. Not the way things are." He exhaled. "Look, can we talk about this later?"
Mai sighed exasperatedly. "Fine, do what you want to up here. Maybe I'll talk to you when you come inside."
She turned and left. Zuko stood there holding his swords and his mask, feeling like he hadn't explained himself. He also felt very foolish.