Howdy yall, welcome to a NEW chapter of A Walk Through Fire! Yes, it's been a while. College has been kicking my ass as of recently. We will hopefully have weekly updates for this story until the end. I hope you guys like this chapter. I'd say it's one of the most important chapters in the entire story. PLEASE REVIEW! I rely on feedback in order for the story to get better! It would mean a lot to me if your reviewed or PM me your thoughts on the story as a whole. Thank you to those who do do that it really means a lot! That's all I have so don't forget to Follow, Favorite, and Review! See y'all next time!
I don't own ATLA
Ty Lee and Mai were not having the best of times. For the past four days, they had been cooped up on Appa with Katara and Zuko, who were not the best company. They found that all the couple did was argue or ignore each other.
"We can't keep doing this," Mai whispered into the acrobat's ear. At that time, they found themselves in the middle of Katara and Zuko fighting at the camp.
Ty Lee looked up from sewing baby clothing just in time to see Zuko get launched into the air by a torrent of water. "Wow. They really must be getting annoying if you are tired of it," she joked, but immediately stopped when she saw the look on her companion's face. "How much longer do we have to deal with them?" She desperately wanted to get away from the disagreeing duo since they were constantly bringing down the overall mood and morale of the group.
"That's the thing," said Mai, sighing while rubbing her face in her hands. "We only just got into Fire Nation territory and still have a solid amount of distance until we get back to the Capital, let alone getting back in. This time-"
"Mai, I didn't take you as someone who worries all the time," Ty Lee interrupted. She glanced at the stone-cold expression Mai was displaying and smirked. "I also didn't take you as someone who got this riled up so easily."
"Well, when you haven't had any sleep in the past four days, you become tired and irritable," replied Mai through gritted teeth.
"Now I know that's not true because you're always a rock on my tits at night," Ty Lee said, smirking when she saw the stone-cold assassin blush.
"Wh-what does that have anything to do with-"
"AGNI, NO WONDER AANG WENT AFTER MY WHORE OF A SISTER! HE'D RATHER BE PHYSICALLY TORTURED THEN HAVE TO DEAL WITH YOUR LOUD AND ANNOYING EMOTIONAL BITCHING YOU WATERBENDING HANG!"
Silence rang through the camp as everyone processed what Zuko had just yelled. Ty Lee had dropped the pink baby outfit that she had been making while Mai's mouth was slightly ajar.
"What...did...you...CALL ME?!" Katara roared into the air. The waterbender sprinted towards Zuko at full speed and punched him square in the jaw. She then bent the water out of the air, froze it, and formed it into a spike. "I know damn well mister 'I-can-take-on-the-Avatar' isn't talking right now. Oh, remind me: who was it that saved your ass from dying that day? Yeah, that's right...ME!" She lowered the spike violently to hover above Zuko's stomach.
"And who was it that saved your ass when you fell out of Appa that one time?" Zuko countered as he jumped up and bent a current of fire to melt the ice spike. "And last time I checked, you didn't even do anything to help prevent him from killing me during the fight!"
Instead of answering, Katara stole the steam in the air to form multiple water bullets launching at Zuko. She then used more water to encase his legs in ice. "Don't you ever think that I didn't help you!" she cried at him.
"Guys?" Ty Lee interjected, pointing in the distance to large amounts of smoke billowing.
"Oh, and what did you do while I was getting crushed between two giant piles of rocks?!" Zuko shouted at the girl, who got even more heated.
"Guys!?" Mai reached into her pocket, pulled out a small telescope, and pointed it towards the smoke clouds.
"I was actually trying to get your dumb and sorry ass out!" Katara shouted at the Firebender, who was still restrained securely in ice.
Appa, who had been watching the entire scene unfold, finally had enough. He tilted his head to where Mai and Ty Lee were looking and spotted what they were so worried about. Smoke emerged from the trees in the distance, which meant that Fire Nation soldiers were on their way to their location.
Why the fuck did I have to be stuck with Firefuck and Waterwench?! the Sky Bison angrily thought to himself. He looked over at Ty Lee and Mai, who were seen packing up their stuff.
"Do you know how much it hurt to see you broken, beaten, and nearly dead after that fight?" Katara continued. "I had to pull every trick in the book to figure out how to keep your sorry ass from dying. I needed to use all the energy I had just to keep you breathing. Zuko, you nearly died that day-"
"Yes, and you both are about to die right now!" Ty Lee shouted from the top of Appa. Zuko and Katara looked at each other in confusion. That was when they smelled the smoke that was in the air. Both looked up and saw that Mai and Ty Lee were on Appa with Mai sitting on the Bison's head.
"What's going on?" Zuko asked as he attempted to melt the ice that was encasing him.
"We don't know, and honestly, we don't want to know what that is. All we need to know is that we need to get the fuck out of here!" Mai shouted from Appa, who was trying to lift off and ditch the two.
Katara nodded her head and unfroze Zuko, who nodded his thanks. Both benders jumped into the saddle and sat down. Zuko looked at Ty Lee, who was glaring back.
"What are you looking at, freak?" he snapped at the Acrobat.
Ty Lee returned the glare with more fierceness. "Don't call me a freak, you pansy ass Firebending piece of shit!" Ty Lee shot back. "I should punch you in the fucking jaw for all the shit you've said about Zula!"
"Mai, you better come get your bitch before I show her what a real man can do."
Appa, who was hearing all of this, immediately stopped flying. He had grown quite fond of Mai and Ty Lee since they were the only ones who would spend time with him and feed him the fruits and nuts that he wanted. He glanced up at Mai, who currently had a fire in her eyes. He really just went there. Damn...he really went there. I've heard a lot of shit from all of them, but I never thought that he would actually say something like that. For that, I should just throw him off! I can't believe he actually went there...
Mai had not felt this angry in a long time. The last time she had even been remotely angry was when Azula had lied to Aang at the Stronghold. She balled up her fists and stomped back into the saddle.
"You..." she growled under her breath, hot with venom.
Before Zuko could even respond, he was being punched in the jaw. He crumpled to the floor of the saddle and groaned in pain.
"You have no right nor authority to say that to Ty Lee or any other women for that matter. The nonsense that just spewed out of your mouth was so disrespectful, I ought to just end your bloodline right fucking now, you masoginistic bastard!" Mai screamed into the sky. She then bent down, pulled out one of her knives, twirled it in the air, and sailed it towards Zuko's throat, hovering inches away.
"Be glad that Azula, for some fucked up reason that not even Aang could understand, still loves you," Mai growled, looking dead into his eyes. "Because if she didn't, this would be going through your throat and your head would become my target for target practice. Mark my words, Zuko: if you say ANYTHING along those lines in front of me, Ty Lee, or Azula, I can promise you that we will fuck you up so much that what Aang did to you will look like a walk in the park. Do you understand me, you Fire Nation scum?" She spat with as much venom as she could muster.
Zuko, being the defiant little shit that he was, decided that instead of accepting the fact that he was at the mercy of Mai, he sent a wad of saliva directly into the assassin's face. "Fuck you, Mai!" he sent back as he kicked the girl in the leg, her balance failing from under her.
Mai was about to go into a blind rage before she felt a hand grab her shoulder. She looked over and saw that Ty Lee was restraining her. Both girls looked into each other's eyes for a split second and decided that Zuko simply wasn't worth it.
"Zuko, what the fuck was that?!" Katara screamed at the boy.
Oh god, here they go again! Appa thought to himself as he started flying again towards the Fire Nation Capital. When will this bullshit ever end?! He then proceeded to look as though he was staring someone deep in the eyes. I hope you're entertained by my continuous suffering. He then went back to flying.
"What do you mean, 'what the fuck was that'?!" Zuko exclaimed. "She was the one who literally had a knife pointed at my throat! What did you expect me to do just sit there like a bitch and take it?"
The Waterbender sighed out of exhaustion. "Just...don't say or do that again," she mumbled to herself as she glanced over at Mai, who gave them eyes that suggested murdering both of them in their sleep. She then glanced over at Ty Lee, who was looking at her with disappointment in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she mouthed to the acrobat. Ty Lee shook her head and led Mai back to the front of Appa where she would remain for the rest of the day.
As night started to set in, Mai remained seething. She was beyond pissed at Zuko and the whole situation that all of them were in right now. She was a bit annoyed when she was woken up from her nap to find out that the Western Air Temple was under attack. She was peeved when Azula made the split-second decision to send her and Ty Lee back to the Fire Nation capital to do more reconnaissance to help them get an edge in the war effort. However, right now, she was downright murderous. Never in her life had she ever wanted to kill someone as much as she desired to end Zuko at that moment.
"Mai, I know what you're thinking right now," Ty Lee softly spoke into her ear as they guided Appa towards an uninhabited island in the middle of the ocean.
"Do you, Ty?" Mai mumbled in reply as she looked straight on into the black abyss.
"Hmm..." Ty Lee started stroking her chin in fake thought. "You're currently thinking of all the ways you can permanently dismember and castrate Zuko without him noticing." She smirked at her companion. "Did I get it right?"
Mai frowned in response. "I hate you."
"But you don't hate these..." Ty Lee then proceeded to grab and jiggle her large breasts. She let out a small giggle when she saw Mai glance at her chest and let out a small smile. "See, I knew that would get you to smile."
"Damn F-cup tits," the assassin murmured under her breath.
"In all seriousness," began Ty Lee as she scooted closer to Mai and rested her head on the taller girl's shoulder. "We only have to deal with him like this for the next couple of weeks. I'm sure Azula will find Aang and send us that letter telling us to go to the next location, which is probably going to be either a safe house, an Air Temple, or Ember Island. We just have to wait. I know you can do it."
Mai looked into Ty Lee's eyes and felt her soul melt in the grey pools that were her darling's eyes. She could feel the anger that she had built up throughout the day slowly melt away.
"Thank you," the hardened assassin whispered as she kissed Ty Lee on the cheek.
"It's what I'm here for," Ty Lee whispered back.
Both women sat in silence for the rest of the ride. After a few minutes, Mai landed Appa on some soft grass. Ty Lee hopped off and started to unpack the equipment while Mai took care of Appa, who was very thankful for the opportunity to get some rest.
"I never thought that when Zuko said you both were a secret couple that he would be right."
Mai immediately turned around to see Katara with her arms crossed neutrally. Both women looked at each other, each searching for something, until finally, Mai let out a sigh. "We kept it a secret for a reason," she admitted, frowning as she fed Appa an apple. "We kept it hidden because we didn't feel like dealing with people like Zuko."
"Oh, that? He was just playing around," said Katara, struggling to reason with the assassin, but saw that it was a lost cause, so she dropped the subject and picked a new one. "When did you both get together?" she attempted instead.
"I don't know if I want to say," Mai replied without looking at the Waterbender.
Katara frowned in disappointment. "What? Am I not trustworthy with that information?"
"No."
"Oh? And why is that?" Katara pried in a dangerous tone, which made Mai even more uncomfortable.
"Katara, let me get something straight," said Mai as she dropped Appa's food on the ground. The Sky Bison growled towards Katara; however, the bender chose to ignore it.
"I don't like you. I never have liked you, and I probably never will like you. After all the shit I've heard you say to Aang and Azula, it's a wonder as to how I haven't killed you already. The only thing keeping you alive right now is the fact that you are one of two benders on this trip and the only Waterbender besides Aang in this entire group." Mai walked in front of Katara and stared her dead in the eyes. "Now that you know all of that information, I want you to ask me why I'm not going to tell you about MY happy, healthy, and stable relationship."
Silence answered Mai's point.
"Exactly. You have nothing to say. So, go back over to your 'big, strong Zuko' and go fuck yourselves." With that, Mai turned swiftly on her heel and strolled away from the Waterbender, leaving her in a state of shock and bitterness.
"Who the fuck do you think you are?!" Katara shouted while gathering water to attack with.
Mai glanced over her shoulder and threw a needle that landed in the poor girl's neck. Katara then proceeded to collapse to the ground in a heap.
"I'm a pissed-off older sister who is getting revenge on the bitch who caused my little brother to have an emotional meltdown," Mai replied coldly with a smirk on her face as she strode towards her and Ty Lee's tent.
Docked off the coast of the Fire Foundation City was a large fleet of ships covered in artillery. They were waiting, always ready to jump at a moment's notice. These ships were currently under the command of the illustrious Commander Aju Dai. Not much was known about the man besides the fact that he was 6'4" weighing around 240 pounds. It's also common knowledge that he had graduated from the Fire Nation Military Academy with high honors and served with Ozai before he was crowned Fire Lord.
"Still no word from Captain Zaine and the 501st?" the Commander asked from behind his wooden desk in his office. The office was heavily decorated with all of his accomplishments and even some spoils of war from the Earth Kingdom.
"Negative," a messenger replied as he glanced back down at the report that was in his hands. "But we have received a report via hawk that the Western Air Temple was fully destroyed and remains of Fire Nation troops and weaponry were found in the waters near the location of the Temple." He placed the report down on the table once finished and bowed.
"So, let me get this straight," the Commander stated, resting his hands onto the table and looking at the messenger. "We lost one hundred of our best men...to a GROUP OF TEENAGERS?!" He slammed his hands on the desk at this, which caused it to shatter and crack into splinters. After taking a few moments to recompose himself, he looked back at the now-terrified messenger and sighed. "Alright...do we have any details from the battle? Knowing that group, they probably split up."
"Unfortunately, we know nothing of the aftermath of the battle of the Western Air Temple. All we-"
"WE HAVE EYES ON THE TARGET! I REPEAT ALL PERSONNEL REPORT TO BATTLE STATIONS IMMEDIATELY!"
Commander Dai was immediately out of his chair and sprinting out of his office with the messenger hot on his heels. Both men shot to the top deck of the ship and tried to make sense of the commotion.
"What the fuck is going on here?!" Dai shouted to one of the soldiers, who was running with a crate of large and heavy wooden balls.
"Sir, the Avatar's flying bison was just seen off port side! We calculated that they were approximately 2.4 miles away. We were about to engage them when a large spout of water came out from under us," a soldier quickly explained as he gave the Commander a one-handed salute.
"So the Waterbender is with them," Dai mumbled to himself. He looked up and noticed that Appa had stopped moving in the sky. He smirked to himself and cupped his hands around his mouth.
"Men, I want all attention and fire power diverted to that Bison!" he commanded as he ran to the front of the boat. "I want it, along with the people riding it, shot down. I want power diverted to getting as close to it as possible!" He gazed up at Appa. "We're coming for you," he said with an evil smile as he watched a volley of fireballs head towards the bison.
"God damn it, Zuko! Why is it that whenever you're flying Appa, all the bad shit has to happen?!" Katara screamed as she scrambled to dodge the fireballs that were being sent their way.
"Well, I'm sorry! I wanted to fly lower today because it was cold higher up!" he attempted to reason with the Waterbender.
"Zuko, it's literally the first rule of flying Appa. NEVER FLY BELOW THE CLOUDS!" Mai yelled as she sliced through a fireball.
"Well, I'm sorry, Miss Perfect!" Zuko shot back as he steered Appa away from the ship. "I don't know what you want me to do about it now!"
"Jeez, I dunno...FLY AWAY?!" Ty Lee screamed as she backflipped over a stray fireball.
"I'm working on that!" Zuko yelled as he yanked on the reins. The bison immediately responded by diving towards the surface of the water, which made everyone cry out in terror.
"What the fuck are you doing?!" Katara called out as she clung onto the saddle for dear life. "You're supposed to pull the reins up, not down!" She clambered her way to the head of Appa. Once she got there, she started fighting Zuko for control.
"Katara, what the fuck are you doing?!" Zuko cried as he failed to even the ten-ton flying bison out.
"I'm keeping us from dying, you fucking moron!" Katara screamed back as she shoved him in the ribs. "Now - get - OFF!" She kicked him in the sternum at this point, finally making him let go of the reins. However, he lost his balance, causing him to fall off of Appa.
Katara immediately evened out Appa and commanded him to fly higher into the sky. Once they were out of harm's way, she looked back to see Ty Lee and Mai panting and sweating. "Where's Zuko?!" she screamed as she glanced over the side to try and find him.
Is she really that dumb? all of the others thought simultaneously as they watched the Waterbender try to find her crush. Finally, it was Mai who explained to Katara what had happened when she was trying to get control over Appa.
"We have to go back and save him!" Katara immediately tried to turn Appa around but was stopped by Mai and Ty Lee, who ran and pulled the girl into the saddle.
"Did you not just see what happened when we flew past them?!" Mai shouted into the poor girl's face. "We nearly died and we lost Zuko. Imagine what would happen if they saw us coming! I'm sure he will be fine, but right now, we need to focus on getting to the Capital. That is our main concern right now."
"B-but what about Z-Zuko?!" Katara whimpered as she fought to keep herself from crying. She now knew that she was the one directly responsible for what happened and wanted to rectify it.
"Where was this energy when Aang was kidnapped?" Ty Lee groaned, which made the Waterbender lower her head in shame. "Exactly. He's fine. We need to get the fuck out of here." She then got up and walked to the head of Appa where she took the reins and led them to a place where they could sleep for the night.
"I really did try to find him."
Mai looked up and saw Katara looking at her with tears in her eyes. The assassin just stared blankly at her, which made the girl feel even worse.
"I really did try, but-"
"But you should have tried harder," Mai interrupted sternly. "I don't care what happened, Katara. You didn't try hard enough. The point is you choose Zuko over Aang. Live with your choices. But let me tell you one thing: the stunt you pulled today, along with the bullshit you pulled a couple days ago, isn't helping your case right now. If I were you, I would just shut up unless you have something useful to say. You're lucky that we get to the Capital tomorrow night." She proceeded to turn her body away from the Waterbender, effectively ending the conversation.
"Oh, Aang..." Katara mumbled to herself and she cupped her face into her hands. "Where did I go wrong?"