"Wow, this place is great Mai. Oh look at the little bowl of cherries!" Ty Lee danced happily across the lavish room she and Mai where escorted to, plucked a cherry from the waiting bowl, and popped it into her mouth.
You would think the girl had spent her whole life in a cave instead of being the personal friend of a princess for years the way she was acting. Still Mai just rolled her eyes at her as she deposited a few brass coins into the resort staff member's waiting hand. The man quickly pocketed the offered coins and bowed, "Will there be anything else Ladies?"
"Yeah, would you please inform Governor Ito and Lady Kim Tu that I have arrived?"
"Of course my Lady." Again the man bowed, before hurrying away to do the young woman's bidding.
Clearly hoping for more silver for a job well done, Mai thought as she tossed her small travel pack on one of the beds. Then going over to where Ty Lee sat munching on the shiny blood red fruits and in her classic monotone asked, "Any good?"
Ty Lee looked up at her friend with a curious frown. Nothing about Mai's tone or look suggested anything wrong, and that sent warning bells off in the acrobat's head. She was acting too normal. "You want to try one?"
As she expected the dark girl shook her head and looked out the room's large bay window. The fact that she hadn't walked away though was a signal that she wanted to talk, but obviously didn't know where to start. Ty Lee found it endearing, and decided to help her out. "So you want to go get messages while we're here."
Mai again shook her head still turned to the window, her detached voice cool as ever. "I'm not staying."
"What do you mean?" Ty Lee asked though a secret part of her already knew. She'd seen it in her friend's eyes for a long time, ever since the eclipse.
Mai felt tears at the back of her eyes, her throat blocked by the lump of worry that had worked its way up from her stomach. She reached inside her sleeve and pulled free the letter she hadn't shared with anyone. Turning finally she met Ty Lee's gaze as she passed her the paper.
Ty Lee looked at Mai for a long minute before taking the offered letter. Carefully unfolding the document she read the first line and gasp. Looking back at her friend in shock, "This is from Zuko."
"Read it." Mai nodded, and Ty Lee started to read to herself. But the girl who lived with silence found it suddenly too much to bare and add, "Out load."
The normally smiling girl turned hesitant eyes to her friend. The look of Mai's face broke her heart, "Are you sure?"
Mai nodded her face solemn as Ty Lee started to read. "Dear Mai, I'm sorry you have to find out this way, but I'm leaving. Oh Mai."
Mai waved her hand for the other girl to continue as she turned around. She didn't want her friend to see the tears she could no longer hold in check. Still she listened intently to the words she knew by heart as Ty Lee's voice filled the room once more.
"Since my banishment all I could think of was returning home, to be the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation once more, and to stand at my Father's side. I dreamed about it all of the time, but reality, appearently, is never as good as the dream. I thought this is where belonged, but I'm more out of place here than anywhere else I've ever been."
"It's all wrong. Lies poison the air, killing our nation as surely as the rest of the world. That's why I can't stay here any longer. Things are not what they seem to be, and changes have to be made. The Fire Lord tells one truth though; this war has gone on long enough."
"I've always known the Avatar was part of my destiny, I just didn't realize until now what that really meant. I know my place now, and my purpose. I'm going to join him. It feels right. I don't expect you to understand any of this, truthfully I'm not sure I even do, but I know this is what I have to do."
"All I hope is someday you will forgive me for leaving you this way. Please don't hate me Mai. Zuko." Ty Lee finished the letter, her own tears running down her face. Getting up she rushed to the raven haired girl, and, with Mai's back still facing her, gave her a hug. "I'm so sorry."
Mai stiffened at the feel of the girl pressed tightly behind her, then slowly by degrees she relaxed. Still she turned around, gently disengaging herself from the rib crushing grip, to face Ty Lee properly. Her pink friend looked up at her, quietly handing her back her letter, which she promptly returned to her sleeve as she watched the girl's eyes intently. "You understand right?"
Ty Lee nodded giving Mai a watery smile, "How are you going to find him?"
"I'm not sure." Mai shrugged then frowned as a thought dawned on her. "You're not angry about this? You aren't going to try and talk me out of it?"
"Why would I try to talk you out of it?" Ty Lee asked truly curious.
"I'm talking about joining helping our country's number one enemy; it's an act of treason."
"Yeah?" Ty Lee found the way Mai's eyebrows came together in her confusion adorable, and the fact that she so rarely show any emotions made it that much sweeter. "If you really thought I would have a problem with this why tell me?"
"I don't know." Mai said turning away from her friend's goofy smile. "I just thought I should. Because you're my friend I guess."
"Oh Mai!" Ty Lee shrieked with happiness as she flung herself on the girl once more, this time nearly knocking her off balance in her excitement. "I love you too."
"Get off me." Mai pushed the girl away, though her half smile wouldn't allow her words to be harsh. "So I guess this means you won't tell anyone what I'm planning?"
"Of course not!" Ty Lee said in her chipper manner before her grey eyes turned as serious as Mai's ever got. "Because I'm coming with you."
アエ 父の日 恋仲
Mai tried to talk Ty Lee out of her decision. First she said it was too dangerous, that it wasn't her fight. Then she pleaded for the girl to think of her family, and lastly she'd flat out refused to take her. Of course every argument she had Ty Lee countered, most often with a simple. "What about you?"
It was going to be dangerous, but it wouldn't be any more so for Ty Lee as it was for Mai. Mai made it her fight for her boyfriend, but Ty Lee did it for her friends, of which she counted Zuko. They both had families, both equally high ranking members of Fire Nation nobility, which would suffer because of the scandal; at least for a time.
Finally Ty Lee had just looked at her with a smile and said, "You can't stop me."
'Apparently,' Mai thought with a rueful smile, 'the hyper little circus performer is right.' Still as she looked over at the shining pink girl beside her as they walked down the hall to have dinner with her family she felt a bit of the contentment that had left with Zuko. The hidden romantic in her liked to believe it was her departed love telling her she was doing the right thing.
Those thoughts, and Ty Lee next to her, gave her the courage to do what she needed to next. Opening the door to her parents' chambers Mai bowed respectfully, "Good even Father, Mother."
アエ 父の日 恋仲
Aang had woken Zuko up just as he'd requested and with the older boy giving directions they landed Appa on an empty stretch of black sand. Aang hoped off Appa and landed with a soft crunch on the beach. "Wow, I don't think I've ever seen sand this color before."
"That's because it's not actually sand." Zuko said climbed down with a little more difficulty. His hand was screaming with pain and he could barely move his fingers because of the swelling. It was definitely infected and he needed to get it looked at by a professional.
Still he didn't tell Aang any of this as he gestured up to three peaks near the center of the island. "About two billion years ago Keōhai Kama's mountains where active volcanoes; they were always erupting. Some eruptions lasted years at a time, almost like they were lava fountains. Anyway the lave would shoot up and then fall in the ocean where it would cool off so quickly it turned into obsidian. Small bits of the volcanic glass would wash up with the tide and after a while the beaches formed."
"Neat Zuko, how do you know this stuff?"
"It's expected of the Crown Prince to know the history of his nation." Zuko's voice went dark with unpleasant memories of times when he'd 'failed' in his lessons.
Aang winced as he heard the change in the teen's voice and saw his eyes grow distant. "Oh yeah, I forgot. Sorry Zuko."
"It doesn't matter." Zuko said trying to lighten his tone; it didn't work. He shook his head as he started walking for the tree line. "We should get going; Keōhai is a wild national perserve. The forest is going to get pretty dark once the sun sets, we should try to find the White Lotus camp before then."
"Guess it would be too much to hope they'd find us like they did last time." Aang said as he fell into step beside the taller boy, Appa bringing up the rear.
"I'd rather not relay on chance, if that is okay with you." Zuko said his good hand unconsciously came up to his side rubbing the ghostly ache that remind there.
Aang saw the action and knew the Fire Prince was thinking about how he'd been injured. "Does it still hurt?"
"Does what hurt?" Zuko said not sparing a glance at the Avatar. He knew what the boy was asking, he just pretend he not to. He'd rather pretend it didn't matter at all.
"Where you got cut?" Aang clarified as he glanced up at the blank mask that had come over Zuko's face. "I thought Katara healed you."
"She did, my side's fine." In direct contradiction to his words his fingers brushed over the spot again. Knowing Aang saw the move Zuko gritted his teeth, "I'd rather not talk about it Aang."
"And I didn't want to cry in your arms all night long." Aang said to get Zuko to finally look at him, and it worked. "But I did, and it helped some. Come on Zuko, talk to me."
Zuko studied the boy's silver eyes for a moment before turning back to scan the forest. For a second it seemed like he wouldn't say a word, but then his rough voice rolled through the trees. "My side is fine, the cut wasn't really that bad to start and with Katara's waterbending it is just another scar already. It's not my side that hurts."
"Then what's the problem?"
"Mai was," Zuko's voice caught as he thought of all the things Mai had been to him. She'd been his friend, his confidant, his supporter. She had been his heart, she still was, and that was what truly hurt. He couldn't say those things out load though, and so he settled for, "We dated."
Aang's eyes grew wide as he caught the meaning the older boy left unspoken. He didn't know what to say so he simply reached out, his fingers brushing the back of the hand that kept returning to the wound that wasn't there for the briefest moment. Golden eyes glanced down at him, and he bowed his head to the other boy. They both turned then, saying no more they walked on in the soft sweep of underbrush.
アエ 父の日 恋仲
The sun had set on the White Lotus ship two hours ago and except for the man at the helm the rest of crew had retreated to their cabins for the night awhile ago. The thin slice of moon casted the deck in to near blackness, allowing a solitary shadow slip across it unnoticed or practically, "What are you up to?"
The blunt sudden question had Sokka yelping in surprise and pain as he dropped the heavy pack he was carrying on his toe. Gritting his teeth he turned to glare daggers at the person that startled him. Of course it did little good, "Geese Toph, don't sneak up on a guy like that."
"I'm not the one tip toeing around the ship in the middle of the night like some kind of thief." Toph reminded him as she walked over and toed at the bag he dropped. "What you got in her anyhow?"
"Just some stuff." Sokka said as he quickly picked it up, rescuing it from the blind girls irreverent prodding. "No big deal."
Toph was about to remind him that she could tell he was lying when another voice broke the night. "Sokka did you get the supplies? I got the wa…"
Sokka groaned as Kazuya stepped out of the shadows stopping short when he saw that the Water Tribe boy was not alone. "I mean…ah…"
Toph turned a smug smile on Sokka, and he shook his head. "It's alright Kaz, we're already busted."
"Oh, I see." The young man said though the frown on his face clearly said he didn't.
Toph crossed her arms as she stared down her friend, "Supplies? Supplies for what exactly?"
"I can't tell you Toph." Sokka said as he turned and gestured for Kazuya to come ahead. "I sorry, but we've got to go."
"You aren't going anywhere until you tell me what is going on." Toph said in one of her more frightening tones as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't make me bend the deck to your feet."
Sokka stopped short and Kazuya still beside him. Looking over at the Water Tribesmen he asked in a whisper. "Can she really do that?"
The look Sokka sent the older man clearly said not only could she but she wouldn't have a problem with doing so. As Kazuya paled in something like horror, the blue eyed boy turned to face his friend with a sigh. "We're taking the war balloon and going to bust my father out of jail."
"Great, when do we leave?" Toph's face brightened as she started forward.
Sokka stilled her with a hand on her shoulder. "You can't come Toph."
Toph brushed Sokka's hand off her shoulder, milky jade eyes narrowed dangerously. "Why not?"
Sokka knew he would have to choose his next words carefully. "The Fire Nation is transferring Dad in the next few days, if they haven't already, from the Capital Prison to the Boiling Rock."
"It's a maximum security prison in the middle of a volcanic crater, and the only way we're going to get close to enough to get him out is to sneak in as guards. As far as I know Toph, the Fire Nation isn't in the habit of making twelve year old blind girls into prison guards. I'm sorry but you'd stick out way too much for this one."
If Sokka had said something about it being too dangerous or her being too young Toph had been fully prepared to beat him to a bloody pulp. Though he had mentioned her age Toph couldn't be angry with him, after all he was right, damn him. Even if she could find away to cover up she was blind she'd never pass as an adult, she just wasn't tall enough.
Crossing her arms over her chest again she huffed, "Fine, I'll stay but I don't have to like it."
Sokka smiled in relieved surprise at his tiny friend. "You know I'd take you with me if I could, there's no one better in a pinch."
Toph was thankful for the darkness to hide the blush that warmed her cheeks, as the vibrations of the metal deck told her Sokka really meant what he said. "You better get out of here before someone else sees you."
"You're the best Toph." Sokka gave the girl a quick hug, and she punched him in the arm just a little too hard. Still his smile never left him as he rubbed the sore spot, and nodded to Kazuya that it was safe for them to proceed. As he and the other man walked away though he thought he heard Toph say something.
When he looked over his shoulder however, the girl was nowhere to be seen. It must have been his imagination. Still he could have sworn he heard her say, "Keep safe."
