~ The Boiling Rock (Part 3)~

Ryuu POV

"Line 'em up for the warden!"

Sokka began pushing past a bunch of guards to get on the level of his dad, who had been now lined up. I followed him - cautiously, apologising to all the gaurds we barged past. We fell into line just as the warden - an ugly, mean, bully of a man - reached Hakoda. The persistent thought in the back of my mind was that would've and could've been me...

"Look me in the eye when I'm talking to you."

Hakoda boldly refused, engaging the warden. He caught the handcuffs with his foot and made the warrior kneel before him. Slowly and respectfully, Hakoda glared up at the warden, who smirked. He returned to addressing all the prisoners after sneering at Hakoda:

" See, isn't that better? You will all do as I say or pay the price. You will all-"

It was hard to resist laughing as the warden toppled over - caused by Hakoda lifting his cuffs. The warden scrambled to his feet and quickly brushed himself off. He marched away, barking orders; knockdown a peg or two now. The prisoners were led away - Sokka turned to me and hissed that we should meet again in about an hour. Nodding, I followed a river of guards as they started on their rounds of the cells.

Every time I tried to slip away to see Zuko, I was shouted at by the rear of the line for lolly-gagging. I snarled and kept marching. Eventually, I would be able to slip away... I saw Sokka on Zuko's deck, going into his cell. If they knew of anyway to escape, eventually it would filter down to me. Then, on the ground floor, I noticed Mai. Oh, Yangchen, this was not good...

...

Zuko POV

Something was up as the guards frog-marched me towards an interrogation cell. I tried to put a fight - knowing that nothing good ever comes out of those cells. Ryuu was on the third floor. She had managed to slip away from her platoon and was running to aid me, but it wouldn't work. I was quite literally thrown into the cell.

"I didn't do anything wrong!" I yelled from the floor. It was futile, though, they wouldn't listen. From a corner of the room, a horribly familiar voice cut through my protests: Mai.

She scowled down at me, "We all know that's a lie."

Oh, Agni, I was in trouble now. I pulled myself into the chair and rested my head in my hands - Mai was hurt and when she is hurt she is determined to get revenge. It's something we have in common. If anything, we have too much in common. She drew a scroll from her sleeve and started her interroraguion of me. This - by the deadly look on her face - was not going to be a fun reunion of friends...

"How did you know I was here?"

Mai stared flatly, "Because I know you so well."

There had to be something I was missing. Even Mai couldn't know I was here unless someone told her. Mabye a guard or-

"The warden's my uncle, you idiot."

I looked up at her with horror as she unfurled my letter to her. She was, in all truth, not going to drop his until I knew what I had done wrong. I already knew and it hurt. She carried on regardless of the pained ex7on my face:

"The truth is, I guess I don't know you. All I get is a letter? You could have least looked me in the eye when you ripped out my heart."

She paced behind me - continuing to pile the pressure on. She was good - too good. It helped that she was very intelligent and knew a great deal about getting under people's skin. No thanks to her uncle, really. I glanced over my shoulder as she began to read a carefully chosen extract.

" 'Dear Mai, I'm sorry you that you have to find out this way, but I'm leaving.' "

"Stop!" I turned to meet her eyes, "This isn't about you. This is about the Fire Nation!"

She didn't listen as her hands tightened around the scroll, ripping it with her nails, "Fire Nation? Really? You expect me to believe that garbage?"

When I went to protest, she threw the scroll at me - it bounced off of my head and landed with a crunch at my feet. I stared at it and began stomping on it as Mai continued. She flexed her fingers as if carrying an imaginary dart that she could put to my throat. She probably had a collection of darts hidden in her dress - all honed to a precise sharpness.

"Whatever you-" I started, still stomping the letter into a pulp. Mai scoffed harshly, "It's her."

'Ryuu...'

"You ran away from everything, just because of a servant girl. I love you, Zu-"

It was my turn to interrupt, "Mai, stop. Please. Face facts: you don't love me, "I turned to her shocked face, "It was never love."

I pretty much instantly regretted that. Mai flicked out a throwing knife and snarled as she looked down the blade to check the sharpness of it. It glinted maliciously in the fractured light of the cell. Mai was severely hurt by my words. I knew it hurt her as she carelessly swung the knife about.

"Zuko... ever since I first saw you I knew our destinies were tied... my mother told me that I would marry a good, wealthy man. I thought it was you. Mother pushed and pushed me to become your girlfriend until the day of the Agni Kai-"

She broke off with a surprising amount of emotion behind her voice "-When you were gone, I felt that I had been the one banished. When you returned, I was over the moon with joy. Finally, we could marry and live our lives together. As Fire Lord and Lady... but you bought her, the servant, with you... you can never understand how heart broken I was when I saw the way you looked at her... and the when you kissed her-"

I turned back to face her as she wiped away a tear. I had hurt her - so, so badly hurt her. But it wasn't love. It was a crush - short lasting intense feeling of attraction. It was her mother who forced us together. Her mother was doing this, not me... When I tried to comment that, Mai shut me down.

"My mother is manipulative and cruel, I know this - but our destinies-"

With a wobble in my voice, I cut her off, "As friends. Can't we be friends? I know that I hurt you, but we never loved each other. We like each other - very much - but, Mai, it was a crush. And- and... we were just kids... Do you know me now? The real me?"

She was caught off gaurd by the question, "Of course I do! You are Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation and my destiny! How couldn't I know you?!"

Grinding my jaw, I shook my head and quoted Uncle, "Destiny is what you make it. "

An awkward silence set over us for a bit. Mai was contemplating my words as a guard came tearing into the cell, panting desperately, "Ma'am, there's a riot going on! I'm here to protect you!"

I chuckled as Mai glanced at him, "I don't need protection. "

The guard looked stunned as I agreed. He shook his head and stomped towards Mai, "I'm sorry, but I'm under direct orders from your uncle to make sure nothing happens."

Perfect escape plan: I blasted at the gaurd, whom leapt infront of Mai. She pushed him off and went to give chase but I slammed the door in her face and locked it. She stared through the slit at me. With regret, I apologised quickly before running off towards the yard...

...

"Zuko! Good, we're all here. Now all we need to do is grab the warden, and get to the gondolas!"

Sokka greeted me. Ryuu was standing next to him, winding up a length of fabric around her hand - holding our clothing under her arms. She broke into a smile when she saw me. I returned the favour hurriedly and asked more questions about the plan- only Sokka didn't know the answers.

We were stuck actually how to get across the gondola's without someone cutting the ropes when Suki took it apon herself to sort the problem out. She raced across the sea of rioting prisoners, leaping from head to head until she managed to get to the warden.

After a second of watching on in awe, began following Suki - along a more conventional route. It took us longer and the stairs definitely took a lot of effort. We managed to catch up when Suki slammed Mai's Uncle against the hot metal wall.

"Spirits," Ryuu panted, "She's good..."

Sokka beamed proudly at his girlfriend. Before we could take a break, Suki and Ryuu took the Warden under thier arms and began dragging him towards the gondola's. A guard tried to stop us, but Suki ran ahead with the warden as Ryuu handled him. The poor guy ended up hanging from the railings by one hand. Ryuu's amazing, I mentally applauded.

Another two guards tried to stop us as we passed onto the gondola's platform. The blasted at us, but I blocked them both. Chit Sang now hauled the warden onto his shoulder. I smirked confidently as they began to back off.

"Back off! We've got the warden! Let's go!"

When everyone was in the gondola, I set it off. Before I could leap on, I had a sudden thought. I started to break the handle as more guards ran up to us. When it was broken, I leapt off of the platform and at the gondola. Lucky Sokka caught me before I landed in the lake really.

"Well done," Ryuu beamed. I went to compliment her in return, but Sokka's dad cut me off. He pointed at the platform where Ty Lee and Azula now stood. Not good. Not good at all.

"That's a problem. It's my sister and her friend."

They began to make thier way along the wires towards us. Suki and I glanced at each other, with a shared look of determination. Ryuu cracked her knuckles as I returned me look to her fierce mercury eyes. I gazed at her for a while too long - thinking about the conversation with Mai. I was making my own destiny. And I'd make it with Ryuu.

"You coming, himawari?" She smiled graciously as she began climbing out of the window. Himawari - sunflower. Ha ha. I scoffed at the new nickname as I followed her, Suki and Sokka onto the roof of the gondola.

A quick, brutal fight ensued with Suki and Ryuu against Ty Lee and Sokka and me against my sister. Everyone was evenly matched when it came to fighting. Every block bought a new attack, but every attack could be countered. At one point, Azula sent a flame wide, narrowly missing the girls as the sparred with Ty Lee. Ryuu ducked under a chi-blocking attack and used a Firebending move to knock the acrobat off of her feet.

The warden had broken free of his bonds and had yelled a command to cut the rope. We would all die, if they did. The gondola was jolted to a stop. Azula and Ty Lee decided it was time to depart from the fight - leaping onto a gondola going the other way.

Everyone jumped back into our escape as they started cutting the lines.

"I hope this thing floats," Sokka's dad grimmaced. But we didn't have to find out as stilettos flew at the gaurd, pinning them to the wall. Mai was saving us. She released the gondola wire, so we set off again, before defending it from anyone foolish enough to tangle with her. She had taken my advice - I was so proud.

We all watched as she disappeared into just a fuzzy blob in the distance, shocked. I wondered what was going to happen to her when Azula got her hands on her. Not anything good, I knew that much. We were brought sharply back to reality as the gondola shuddered to a stop.

Suki and Ryuu had tied the warden up again. They stood, shaking each other's hands as they smirked at him. Spirits, my girlfriend is so amazing. She turned to me, her hair disheveled and our clothes slung under her arm, reality played slowly as I watched her.

"Um- himawari? Princess? Zuko?"

I straightened up and coughed loudly. We began running up and over the rim of the volcano, but something bothered me. Azula had been there and the only way she could've was-

"That's our way out of here!" I pointed down at Azula's great war balloon. Everyone followed my lead and piled into the air ship. It took of fairly easily and was noticeably drastically faster that the smaller one Ryuu, Sokka and I arrived in.

Sokka and Suki took over the wheel as I turned to Ryuu, who was pressing her face against the glass as we sped over the waves. Nervously, I touched her shoulder. Her mysterious grey eyes snapped up to meet mine; My knees turned to jelly as they did. I inhaled and let myself beam proudly at her.

"Great work... my Flame. "

She raised her brow teasingly, "You too - Princess - you too."