Disclaimer: I do not own the Avatar, any of its characters, or any of its storylines. I do, however, own this one. Well---that's about it, I guess. Oh wait--enjoy!

AN: I will be away on vacation for the next week.For more details, visit our profile.

Chapter Three: The Elites

"Are you as bored as I am?" Ty Lee complained, wrinkling her small snub nose. She flipped over backwards and landed silently on her feet. Mai watched with little interest, before answering her.

"Boredom doesn't matter," she said monotonously, examining her long nails polished in a poisonous crimson. "We're trying to find the Avatar and the prince…oh, and that failure Iroh." Ty Lee smirked knowingly.

"Or in your case," she added, "finding the prince first might not be so bad." Mai, turning the color of her nails she was examining, quickly stood.

"I'm going to find Azula," she said loftily.

The young princess of the Fire Nation was at the moment hunched over an enormous map of the world at the map table. Wait, scratch that. Azula never "hunched" over anything. She was at that moment perched on a black stool with golden dragons carved into the legs, gazing intently at a large map. A knock sounded at the thick metal door on the other side of the room.

"Come in," Azula snapped, annoyed. Mai slid the door open and stepped in.

"Oh, it's you," Azula said, although she knew perfectly well who it was. There were only three of them, and since Ty Lee had been too busy doing those flips of hers, worried that she would forget, that left eternally bored Mai.

"What is it? Have you seen anything?" Azula asked. Mai folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the wall, shaking her head.

"Well what is it? I'm busy, Mai," Azula said, and turned back to study the map. "They had to have stopped somewhere." She reached for a magnifying glass, her eyes trained to the three small islands closest to the Earth Kingdom.

"Maybe they died or something," said Mai. "Or maybe your brother already captured them and is dragging them back to your daddy dearest."

"Zuzu? Not a chance," spat Azula, throwing down her magnifying glass in frustration. "Is it me or is it abnormally hot?"

"Welll," said Mai, dragging out the word. "We are traveling across the ocean in a ship made of iron in a sweltering 120 degrees, so, no, not really that much abnormal." Azula flashed her a glare. Mai returned with a smirk and slid the iron door open.

"Later," she called over her shoulder.

"Yeah, whatever," Azula grumbled, inspecting her cat-like nails.

"Still looking at that stupid map?" asked Ty Lee, hanging by her legs from the pretty chandelier, once Mai had returned.

"Of course," Mai answered thickly through a mouthful of Pandora pepper curry puffs. She licked the spicy powder from her fingers, smiling. Let Azula do the tracking for now, she was eating the last bag of curry puffs.

"I don't know how you can eat those things," said Ty Lee disgustedly, eyeing the silvery packaging that held the tiny puffs. "When I eat them I feel like I just swallowed fire."

"Hence the name Pandora pepper curry puffs," said Mai, munching happily. Ty Lee shrugged. Hey, at least she wasn't bored anymore.

Whoosh. Zuko leapt out of the way just as the nine-foot wall of water was about to crash down over his head. Of course he had known she was doing something behind his back. They always did these water peasant folk. He was more surprised that the stream held enough water to form a nine-foot wave, strangely enough.

. Zuko leapt out of the way just as the nine-foot wall of water was about to crash down over his head. Of he had known she was doing behind his back. They always did these water peasant folk. He was more surprised that the stream held enough water to form a nine-foot wave, strangely enough.

Katara clenched her fists, frustrated. He kept jumping and dodging everywhere like a bloody cricket or something.

"CAN'T YOU STAY STILL!" she exploded, twisting her wrist in one swift motion and catching Zuko by the ankle with a thin rope of water as he tried to give another one of his acrobatic leaps. She gave a great sigh of triumph as he crashed back down into the much abused stream.

"Can't you give up!" Zuko retorted angrily, swapping a fireball into her side and knocking her a foot to the left and into the trees. Katara scrambled up immediately, wincing. That was going to leave a mark.

"I've told you before, I'm not—trying—to—fight—you!" he continued rather breathlessly, shooting fire blasts between each word.

"And yet you are!" Katara shouted, and screeched as a jet of fire singed her linen underskirt. Zuko frowned. She was a stubborn one. She reminded him of someone. Who though? He questioned himself as he went flying backwards into some brambles. Oomph.

He groaned as he rolled over and over backwards, cracking his neck and bruising practically every part of his body. He lay still, breathing heavily, coughing as he inhaled a small beetle and some dead leaves.

"Give up yet?" She sounded proud of her handiwork. Ah, thought Zuko, spitting out the beetle but having a leaf lodged in his throat. Me. She reminds me of me. Well doesn't that just make my day? Zuko opened his mouth to answer, but he was suddenly flung into the air as the ground beneath him shifted to resemble a small tower that had catapulted him.

"Toph!" Great, thought Zuko, the Avatar. He crashed hard into the ground, hazy thoughts drifting through his head as the world blackened. Who's that little girl? Why are they all wearing underclothes? Hey, I can kinda see through the water peasant's…