Author's Disclaimer: I don't own a thing belonging to "Avatar: The Last Airbender!" Not a durn thing.
Author's Notes: And here we go toward The Reunion as it were….will it be a welcome one? Stay tuned and find out…
Maraghoul: thank you for again providing the bones for this tale! For what's to come, thanks for helping 😝 Having Ty Lee actually leave her baby behind was one of the hardest things I had to write.
QueenTyzula: As always, thank you so much for the messages and words of encouragement 😝 I hope the encouragement goes both ways! Reference back to chapter one line goes here thanks to you. Enjoy, my friend!
CharlieBarrow: Credit goes to you for questions about how Zuko would affect Izumi's chi signature. Well done!
Harley Quinn Davidson: Hope you enjoy what's coming here 😝
NeverFoundandLost: You are right; it is hypocritical of Ty Lee to hope Azula abstained from anyone while she slept with Zuko. This will definitely come up at some point.
"Stoking the Fire"
Chapter thirty-seven "Face to face"
Suki watched Zuko's slumped shoulders. It was the seventh day of searching and the story was the same song and dance in each town and village. No one had seen the Lady Ty Lee and Izumi's mother was still lost and very much NOT found.
She had broached the idea of returning to the capital but had been rebuffed at every turn. But every village turned up the same answer; no, we haven't seen the lady. No, no sign of her. Suki wondered if the farmers and villagers had even known what to look for. Ty Lee would definitely be in peasant garb and not in the trappings of a lady. But every time she showed the image frame, everyone shook their head. No, they hadn't seen her.
"Zuko…we should return to the capital. I'm sure your child and wife need you," Suki asked. Zuko shook his head stubbornly.
"We have to find her….we have to at least find a trail!" he growled. Suki bowed in the saddle, one fist in her gloved hand.
"Please, Lord Zuko," she said, deferring to him. "I'm not saying stop the search. We'll leave some of the Kyoshi Warriors with your soldiers to patrol and continue searching along the highways. But you need to be at the palace to rule. Believe me, I want to find Ty Lee too."
Zuko's shoulders rose and fell. "Let's give it a few more days. Then if we haven't find her trail, you and I will return with a portion of the men and women. A portion. The rest will continue the search."
Suki's heart lightened. She called out to the Kyoshi Warriors. "Move on to the next village! We'll continue on for now."
Ying looked exhausted but nodded. Suki made a mental image to right another wrong when she noticed Tsung casting her gaze after Ty Lee's best friend.
The warriors, soldiers and Fire Lord continued on lizard-back out of the village.
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Ty Lee was very aware she could be spotted.
The next few days she spent huddled in her coats, hidden in the shrubbery alongside Lord Shun's high walls, spying and listening through the cracks and slats she found further from the town road. She brought a few stale pieces of jerky she found stored in the kitchen for her mid-day meal, and chowed down when her belly roiled and called for sustenance through her long periods of surveillance. A handful of snow or two wet her mouth and provided impromptu water.
There was some kind of commotion going on around Shun's courtyard in the next few days. Ty Lee had to get out of the shrubbery and continue further along the high walls and around the bend from the main front path way, for fear of being caught. She looked like a commoner, but if she were caught, Shun or someone higher up would know her.
All the activity could only mean Azula was coming. The snow seemed to sense her impending arrival, and had stopped falling. The ice on the ground loosened but the landscape remained cold and white. Her breath still steamed before her, but Ty Lee felt the anxiety mounting within her. Shun's household was preparing for something and someone, and she knew who it was. It was only a matter of when she would arrive. What should she do? Try and see her, stop her from attacking Zuko?
Azula would see it as a woman protecting her lover. And the analysis was accurate, despite Ty Lee's feelings. She knew she had to prove herself to Azula, despite their separation. That it was not going to be easy was a fucking understatement.
"Shit!..." Ty Lee mumbled under her breath. She had yet to send a messenger hawk to the palace to warn Zuko. "How dumb can you get?" Ty Lee was all for berating herself further internally when the main gates to Shun's courtyard were snapped open, as if for a display of pomp.
"She's here, she's here!" Lord Shun's squealy voice rang out nearby. Ty Lee dove back into the shrubbery and peered between the slats. From her vantage point, she could see a line of imperial soldiers marching behind two rows of woman cloaked in purple and black. The Kemurikage!
And when Ty Lee's gaze settled on the woman at the head of the Kemurikage, her breath left her lungs, as effectively as if she were punched. Azula. Azula was standing there, a long red cloak tucked over her imperial red tunic and black trousers, hair and cosmetics perfect despite the freezing cold. Azula, looking perfectly at ease being kowtowed to. Her indomitable chi swelled and Ty Lee shuddered, feeling it from where she was. Her breasts ached, almost as if she had to pump her milk again, as desire mixed with fear.
Ty Lee made herself breath evenly, MADE her exhales match her inhales, mirroring Aang's breathing techniques. Izumi's scrunched up beautiful face flashed through her mind as she gazed at the righteous smirk on her child's sire's face. Azula…. Ty Lee's hand touched the fence and she shuddered in the cold. Her pheromones seemed to be nudged and stoked by the mere sight of her and Ty Lee should have reflected if she should be worried.
She hadn't gone into heat since Izumi's birth, but it wasn't due for another few weeks at the least. Ty Lee would be able to watch without worrying about doing anything stupid. Even if memory served that she would want to…. Wetness gushed between her thighs despite herself and Ty Lee was very glad she was hidden. Were she near, she would want to touch Azula, let her fingers graze over what had once been hers….no! Not like that! She didn't even know if Azula would welcome her!
Azula ran a careless finger through her bangs, shaking off errant snowflakes as her Kemurikage flocked around her and Lord Shun fell to his knees before her on the cobblestones. She appeared at ease, as she stood and accepted Shun's loud proclamation with ease. Her eyes snapped golden fire and the fingers of her right hand flexed noticeably.
Ty Lee almost jumped when Azula placed her boot on Shun's shoulder suddenly, and shoved. The skinny man went sprawling, robes all but flying up.
"Ah!" he screamed in shock. Azula stood over his shoulders, feet planted wide. Her chi surged and seethed. Her Kemurikage all but tensed behind her, looking like they'd either grab her up or bow at her feet.
"WE WILL MARCH WHEN I SAY! HOW MANY TIMES MUST I SAY IT?!" Azula screamed with fury. Ty Lee ducked into the shrubs, glad she was hidden. The skinny lord gaped at her. He clasped his hands together as he lay prone beneath her.
"F-forgive me, Princess! But you didn't command WHEN we'd march yet…."
Azula blasted a fire ball beside the lord's head, shutting him up. He whimpered beneath her.
"Shut up!.." Azula hissed. She stalked over him, cloak streaming and moved inside. Ty Lee noted the soldiers looking palpably worried. But they all snapped to attention and followed her. One of the Kemurikage, a braided woman, looked remarkably unaffected, or she was severely affected and was handling her expression well.
Ty Lee ducked in the shrub, the branches scraping beside her face and spreading snow across her brow. She heaved a ragged inhale and exhale. The sudden display of irrational fury from Azula had terrified her more than Lord Shun.
What should she do? At the very least, she knew Azula was here. She'd have to keep careful watch and decide her next move. Show herself? Or merely spy for Zuko's sake? Ugh, her breasts felt heavy again and ached. She'd have to pump her milk soon.
Ty Lee ducked out of the shrubs and made her way to the pathway of the village quickly. When she was certain no one from the household could see the pathway, she relaxed a fraction of a hair, and made her walk appear casual. She blended in with the other commoners in the main square. There, there WAS a messenger hawk station. At the very least, she could send off a message to the palace.
No matter what happened, it was the least she could do. As Ty Lee moved into the open door of the hut and asked for a piece of parchment, she didn't note the braided figure that moved behind her in the street.
Zirin raised an eyebrow high, trying not to feel the slightest fluttering of panic in her chest. Azula's old lover was here. HERE, of all places, and dressed like a commoner. Was she intending to approach Azula? If she did, there would be no stopping her. Over the past few days of the journey to Shun's, Azula had lashed out at everyone, had been more angry and more irate than usual.
Throw the Lady Ty Lee into the mix and you were asking for an explosion. Whether Ty Lee meant to help Azula or hinder her, she had to find out. Zirin pretended to inspect a tray of souvenirs outside of a nearby stall, eyes flicked casually up toward the door of the messenger hawk station hut. When Ty Lee slipped out and walked away, she noted her direction.
There, the high hills surrounding the village. Lords kept their estates there. She could be squatting in one of the manors. Zirin resolved to find out which one, but first…. She pushed into the open door of the messenger hawk station. A squat fat woman ran the counter and greeted her. Zirin flicked her eyes to the squawking hawks in their cages and approached her. She flung her braid over one shoulder.
"The woman who was just in here….what message did she write?" Zirin murmured. The old woman squinted her eyes at her and sniffed.
"That's none of your concern, deary! My customer's messages are their own business once I seal them," she retorted. Zirin sighed inwardly. One of THOSE type of people….
"Well, can you tell me where she intends to send it?" Zirin tried again. The woman smacked the counter with a bamboo stick. A few quills rattled with the sudden movement. The messenger hawks fluttered their wings and squawked.
"Again, my customer's messages are their own concern! Get out if you're not going to buy a message," she ordered. Zirin gave a curt nod and left.
As she stalked back to Lord Shun's, plans swirled in Zirin's head. Ty Lee would be back. Make no mistake about that. And when she did, she'd follow her and find out where she was hiding. And then…well, she would see what she would see.
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"So, give the command to head back," Suki murmured, phrasing it as more of a statement than a question. Zuko was slumped in his saddle, face all but pressed into his palm. He heaved a weary sigh.
"Yes. I don't understand. Why didn't Aang and the others come to help us?" Zuko's eyes were slightly angry as he lifted his head. Suki shrugged. She had been with Zuko when he had signed off the message to be sent. Had the hawk been intercepted somehow?
"I don't know why he wasn't with us," Suki said apologetically. She reached out and touched Zuko's gauntlet. His fingers were clenched in a fist on his thigh. "We'll sort it all out at the palace."
"We had better," Zuko commanded. He dismounted and held the reins of his lizard. "Captain!" he called.
One of his imperial soldiers dismounted as well and gave a bow at the waist. "My lord?"
"Pick ten soldiers and continue searching for the Lady Ty Lee. You will stop at each settlement further north along the islands. Do not stop searching until you have my word to return back to the capital," Zuko commanded. The captain readily agreed, and picked ten men and women.
The others formed rank behind Zuko and a handful of the Kyoshi Warriors. Suki picked off ten of her women to join the soldiers. Ying wasn't surprised she was chosen. But when Tsung was gestured beside her, she almost stammered with shock. Well, apparently Suki knew what had happened between them. Ying wondered what kind of trip she was going to have now. But she had to focus on her best friend. Who knew where Ty Lee was, if she was with Azula, what the princess was doing to her… Ying shuddered, remembering aiming a fist at the feisty fire princess. The night she had slipped her restraints and attacked Lord Zuko had been harrowing, and it had only ended because Azula decided to end it and escaped. That was a frightening enough thought.
"Kyoshi Warriors," Suki called out. "Continue the search with the imperial soldiers. Separate from them only after you've warned us at the capital by messenger hawk. If you need to await a response from Lord Zuko, remain at the town you've sent the hawk from and we can get in touch with you. May the spirits be with you."
All of the men and women bowed in the saddle, fists in their palms. Lord Zuko rode beside Suki at the head of their much-thinned regiments. The side long look Zuko gave her was weary.
"Mai will be happy to see you," Suki commented. Zuko's mouth twitched into something that may have been a smile, but it was warped.
"Without Ty Lee, I'm sure she would be happy," he said bitterly.
"Zuko…" Suki said. Zuko flung a corner of his cloak over his shoulder. He grit his teeth with frustration.
"I don't care if it's because I love her. If Ty finds Azula, will my sister care what she does to her? No, and I don't want to receive a message that Ty's been hurt or….." Dread covered Zuko's features. Suki nodded sagely.
"I don't want a message like that either. You have to keep your council and lords in check. Cheer them with news of your daughter. Everyone will like that. We'll maintain the home front and have our men and women continue searching. We will find her," Suki vowed. Zuko's hands clutched his reins tightly.
"I still feel like I'm doing something terrible for turning back. I feel awful," he muttered.
"It comes with being the Fire Lord, I suppose. You have to do things you aren't going to like," Suki said. Zuko tried to look hopeful toward her.
"Yes, you're right."
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The ride back to the capital took another week. They rode hard and swiftly. The framed image of the royal family was safely packed into a leather satchel attached to Suki's saddle. Zuko pressed them hard, suddenly urgent to see his wife and daughter. They stopped only in the black of night at local inns, and rode at first light. He sent a few more messages by hawk back to the palace ahead of them, and when they rode through the palace gates, they were expected.
Lord Iroh and his mother, heavily bundled and robed against the cold, jogged out into the courtyard to help him and Suki down from the saddle. Servants rushed out to take everyone's lizards and lead them to the stable area.
Ursa's golden eyes were happy to see him but her mouth stretched in a thin line as she hugged her son. "We got your messages, Zuko. You didn't find Ty Lee…."
Suddenly, all of Zuko's hope crashed to his feet. He shook his head curtly. "Not yet. I sent most of the soldiers and Suki's Kyoshi Warriors along to continue. I figured I was needed here."
Suki was glad to hear his more confidant wording. His mother was put slightly at ease. Iroh clapped them both on the shoulder.
"We're just so glad you're back safely. And if the Lady Ty Lee was anything, she is indomitable. She will be alright, Zuko," Iroh urged. Zuko cast his eyes downward as they hurried inside with the Kyoshi Warriors. Inside the warmth, everyone began talking together almost at once. Zuko let the servants take his cloak and unfasten his breastplate and shoulder armor. Zuko removed his helmet and handed it to a servant. Kiyi and Tom-Tom ran in and he hugged both of the children.
"Where's your sister?" Zuko asked Tom-Tom. The boy pointed.
"In Lady Ty Lee's apartment. She's been taking care of the baby there," he declared. Zuko's heart beat a staccato rhythm.
"Please, excuse me," Zuko bowed to his uncle and all the women. Kiyi grinned at her brother. She made a shooing gesture with her hand and Zuko almost ran from the sitting room.
Just as he reached the concubine's apartment door, it opened and Mai filled the frame, about to leave. She jumped noticeably, one hand going for a wide sleeve, her other arm around the curve of the baby's sling. Zuko's golden eyes jumped from her beautiful pale face down to his daughter's sleeping scrunched face, back up to his wife.
"Zuko," she murmured. Her hand fell from her sleeve, weaponless. Zuko stepped into the doorframe, backing Mai into it. Mai pressed back into his stolid shape and one arm curved around his neck. Zuko backed his wife up against one of the nearby walls and pressed her into a kiss. Mai's lips quivered against his and Zuko shivered as he tasted the bare traces of her tongue against his. The greetings of the wet nurses in the apartment registered somewhere in dim hearing, as happiness roared through his ears. The baby snuffled in her sleep; she must have smelled his chi signature flaring out. Zuko surged his pheromones out and coated Izumi with it rapidly. Mai parted from his lips, gazing up into her husband's face, blushing slightly. The trace edges of his chi caressed hers as well.
"….I missed you," she said belatedly.
"Spirits, I missed you too, Mai," Zuko swore. He smiled rapidly as his wife held his scarred cheek with one palm. The baby snuffled in her sleep and gave a sharp cry out. Zuko's eyes swept down to her happily.
"How was Izumi?" he asked almost casually. Mai gave him a firm swat on the shoulder. He merely smiled and held his arms out. She helped slide the infant into his arms, adjusting the sling over Zuko's shoulder. Zuko beamed, looking happy but exhausted at once. He rocked her and went to sit in one of the sofas. The wet nurses bowed to him.
"My lord," they greeted him. Zuko gave a friendly smile.
"Can you leave us a few moments?" he asked. The women nodded.
"Of course."
Once they left, Zuko started as Mai went on her knees in front of him. "Mai…." He started.
But Mai went to work unfastening his leather belt and waist armor. She laid the armor on the carpet and went lower to unfasten his greaves. When she removed his boots, fingers massaging his feet though his thick stockings, Zuko gave a happy sigh. "I thought you wouldn't want to do that," he said.
Mai's eyes flashed to his. "I've been caring for our daughter." OUR daughter. Zuko's heart gave a crazy leap against his chest. "And I missed you. I AM your wife."
"You are," Zuko agreed. "Spirits, I missed you…"
Mai settled along his side on the sofa. She curled into his side as his arm went around her shoulder. The image of Zuko holding her, "their" child cradled in the crook of his other arm completed a sappy picture. But Mai found she didn't care about it being sappy. "….You didn't find Ty Lee," she ventured.
A sad look crossed Zuko's features. "I didn't. Not even a trace. Apparently, Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors trained her to travel well and unhidden."
Mai clasped his knee firmly. "Whether she finds Azula or not is up to her…..don't beat yourself up over it, Zuko. If she felt she had to find her…she will find her."
Zuko tried to keep small tears from pricking the corner of his eyes. "I'm sorry," he said belatedly.
"You love her," Mai murmured. She felt her heart lurch. Zuko gave one sharp nod.
"It's not your fault. Nor hers. But I won't let Azula hurt her. I can't. I have to keep searching for her," he said desperately. Mai clasped his knee strongly. Zuko's heart lurched crazily when her hand slid up and down his thigh casually.
"You have a weakness, Zuko." Mai's words were sharp. Her golden eyes flashed. Zuko's heart dropped. He was about to suggest they keep separate chambers if that was what she wanted at this time, but she leaned up to kiss his cheek. She craned on her side and traveled her lips along his cheek, his nose, his temple. "….But I have a weakness for you. I can't stop loving you. Even if I wanted to before….I got pregnant."
The past deed lay between them like a damaged act. Zuko's eyes darkened at that mention, but he clasped Mai with his free arm firmly. He had to chance it…..
"…..Would you like to have Izumi's cradle and things moved to our old chambers? We can properly care for her together there…and in our own rooms…." Zuko stammered. Mai found her lips spreading in a smile. Apparently, her husband had thought of that good and long on the road.
"Yes."
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Zirin left Lord Shun's estate early that morning. She casually ventured along the main dirt pathways of the village and then veered off into the wooded hills toward the manors high above. She followed along the high wall of one estate and climbed over at a random interval.
She found, after questioning the locals in town, that this estate belonged to Fire Lady Mai's family. And where else would Ty Lee be hiding out? She ducked down rapidly into iced over shrubs along the high wall inside the main courtyard, and kept a watch on the front door. After about thirty minutes of crouching and waiting, a window along the side of the manor opened and closed. Zirin tensed, thigh muscles quaking as she waited.
Footsteps crunch-crunched closer in the snow. When they were opposite her shrub, Zirin rose to her feet and grabbed up the woman by her waist. Ty Lee yelped in surprise. She darted on one foot and whirled, darting out blindly with sharp finger points. Zirin parried and thrust her right fist forward, surging her bending forward. Ty Lee back-springed away from the line of fire, literally, and landed upright, fists raised.
"Who are you?!" she gasped. Zirin advanced, firebending erupting to a full inferno. Ty Lee threw herself into the snow. While she was momentarily distracted, Zirin grabbed her up. Ty Lee's hand flew out sharply, trying to strike her shoulder, but Zirin clapped one manacle on her wrist. They whirled around each other in a weird dance, and Zirin grimaced as her left shoulder was clipped briefly by Ty Lee's finger points. Her left arm sagged slightly, but her right arm was strong, and she whirled Ty Lee's other arm behind her back, securing her wrists behind her back with the manacles. Ty Lee's right foot flew straight up toward Zirin's face.
Zirin let her clip her chin, then grabbed her leg and threw her on the ground, clambering on top of her, holding her down into the snow.
"…Finished?" Zirin murmured around her labored breathing. Ty Lee began to pant in earnest as she struggled to get out from under the Kemurikage.
"You…you work for…Azula…." Ty Lee panted. Her round breasts heaved up and down beneath her tunic top. Zirin pressed her knees harder into Ty Lee's ribs, straddling her. Her hands held her shoulders down. The position couldn't be comfortable for the concubine. Her wrists were secured behind her back and she was prone. She shifted restlessly, trying to throw Zirin off of her. Zirin clamped down on her.
The way Ty Lee arched her back made her round breasts bob in her tunic. Zirin watched her struggle, feeling a moment of interest spark her lust. She was suddenly glad she was a beta. Were she alpha, she'd be shifting a cock in moments on top of her.
Zirin debated what to do. Keep Ty Lee restrained here or chance things with Azula and present her….. As she pondered her options, Ty Lee watched the indecision on the woman's pinched face.
"Has she been erratic? Irrational?" Ty Lee ventured to ask. Zirin stared down at her.
"You don't know her as well as I do. When is Azula NOT that?" she sneered down at the captive woman. Ty Lee tried to lessen the strain on her shoulders and shifted her thighs beneath Zirin. Zirin raised an eyebrow as she pressed up into her, without meaning to. Warmth flooded between Zirin's thighs.
"Will she succeed with what she plans? What's your name?" Ty Lee asked. Sweat beaded along her brow despite the cold day. Zirin blinked.
"Zirin."
"Zirin, will Azula truly succeed in a coup? Or will it get her and all of you….killed?" Ty Lee swallowed at the mention. She steeled her gaze though. "Do you want her or you to end that way?"
Zirin pursed her lips. She lifted Ty Lee up by the shoulders and slammed her on the snow. The sharp gasp the concubine gave was very satisfying.
"Azula will win. I'll see to that," she swore. Ty Lee looked fearful a moment later.
"What are you going to do with me?"
"I don't know….." Zirin got to her feet and hauled Ty Lee up. The woman gasped as her shoulders pulled with her wrists placement. "But that's for Azula to say, isn't it?"
A surge of fear flared through Ty Lee, mingled with unprecedented excitement. She gulped as Zirin hauled her after her. The beta wouldn't notice, given her status, but the sweet scents of an early heat flared from Ty Lee's chi.
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"Why didn't Avatar Aang respond to my message?" Zuko asked. He cradled Izumi in the crook of one arm, the sling over his shoulder. He wore a more comfortable pair of tunic and trousers and helped Mai move the cradle into a proper corner of their old bedroom. He bumped it with his hip to help her, having the baby and all.
Mai picked up one of the pink blankets and arched an eyebrow at him. "What message?" she asked. Zuko frowned slightly.
"Before we left a few weeks ago, Suki and I barely had enough time to send off a message at the messenger hawk station. It was for Aang in Yu Dao to come help us search, and he never showed up."
The slight lines of frustration on Zuko's face was distressing for Mai to see. She slowly shook her head. "The only messages I've received were from you and Suki."
Zuko rocked Izumi, a slight scowl on his face. "Well, THIS must be investigated. Azula's plants must still be around obviously. I would have hoped they had vacated the palace!"
Mai ran a hand along the back of his tunic. Zuko's chi calmed slightly. "We'll find them," she said. "Iroh hasn't been lax. We need to question the workers at the messenger hawk station apparently first."
"I'll talk to Uncle. He can do it off hand and not make them suspicious," Zuko said. Mai nodded.
"Good idea."
"So…you've been putting my scent around her," Zuko noted. His boot turned over one of his unwashed spare tunics on the floor. Mai smiled slyly.
"I had to help somehow….."
"Good thinking," Zuko complimented.
Izumi woke and gurgled. Zuko smiled. "Shall we bathe her? I haven't gotten to do that in awhile."
"Sure," Mai gave a soft smile. They filled the basin in the washroom with warm water and gently eased Izumi in. The naked infant's chubby limbs moved languidly in the warm water as Mai supported her head and neck in one arm. She cried out with pleasure, legs pumping. Zuko grinned and cupped water over her tiny body, and gently worked in the baby's soap into her skin. Mai noted he pumped his pheromones over her steadily, and had been doing so since he had come back home.
When Mai dipped lower to inhale Izumi's hair, she smelled just like Zuko. "She does smell like you…."
Zuko beamed with pleasure. "She IS mine," he stated it as a fact.
"Yes….ours…." Mai said. Zuko watched his wife with a soft look on his face.
"Yes…"
The rest of the evening was calm, despite the absence of Ty Lee and some of the Kyoshi Warriors in the palace. Mai and Zuko called in one of the wet nurses to feed Izumi, but they handled the changing and playing. Before Izumi went to sleep, Mai and Zuko placed her on the bed between them and talked to her in soft tones. Izumi pumped her legs and gurgled up at them. Mai watched Izumi when Zuko excused himself to bathe. He came back out in a loose robe and pajama pants. The robe was open, exposing the musculature along his chest and belly. He climbed back onto the bed, smiling down at their baby.
As Izumi fell asleep, Zuko made to pick her up. As he leaned back against his pillows, chest bare to cradle her against him, Mai laid a hand on his arm.
"Can you put her in the cradle?" she asked. Zuko's brow raised. He worked his knee under him and rose to a sitting position. He talked softly to Izumi as he swaddled her tightly and laid her in her cradle. The infant yawned. Zuko tiptoed back to the bed.
Mai changed to her sleeping shift and Zuko felt a surge of interest warm his lower half. He watched with a steady gaze, watching her bare flesh revealed and then covered. He rested his head on his folded arms, appearing languid.
Mai slid into his arms, but they merely held each other. Her kisses were soft but she didn't indicate any physical reunion was apparent tonight. Zuko gladly held her though. He willed his lust low so as not to sprout an annoying erection.
Zuko fell asleep with Mai's head pillowed on his bare chest. His fingers ran through her hair. He fell asleep slowly. When he woke, it was the middle of the night. As Mai breathed evenly against him, slight guilt slammed through Zuko's mind. He was warm and safe and his wife was in his arms. Who was to say Ty Lee was warm, or safe, or in mortal danger? He gently moved Mai onto her side. As he climbed off the bed, Zuko couldn't help pressing a kiss against her hair.
He padded across the bedroom and peered into Izumi's cradle. The infant slept deeply, pudgy fists raised up toward her shoulders. Zuko tucked her pink blankets around her gently. The Fire Lord turned and sat at the small desk across the room.
Zuko unrolled a piece of parchment and began a letter. It shocked him that he addressed it to Ty Lee. If he wrote his guilt down, maybe it would help…. A shifting sounded behind him and Zuko looked up to see Mai holding his shoulders from behind. Her fingers caressed his bare flesh.
"I…. woke…. " Zuko began. Mai leaned down and kissed the side of his head. Her arms wound around his shoulders and draped over his chest as she leaned against him.
"I know you're guilty. I wish we knew if she was okay," Mai said softly. Zuko set the parchment aside. He turned and buried his face against Mai's chest. He settled his cheek against the curve of one breast. He was pleased when Mai's fingers moved through his hair. By and by, Mai urged him back into bed. As they settled back in the sheets, Mai kissed the tears from her husband's eyes. He leaned up and met her lips in a kiss.
Zuko felt so lucky that Mai kissed him back. Their legs twined together.
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Fear roiled through Ty Lee's mind as Zirin wrapped her in her cloak and yanked her through the town. She was captured, she was through; but she was being brought to Azula. Perhaps things would turn out alright….
The fear wouldn't leave her however. Ty Lee's sensibilities told her to be wary and to try and reason with her ex-lover's better side. But with each dragged step, the fear coiling in her belly was enough to make her sick. Her hands were secured behind her back. She may be able to kick for a pressure point, but she was more skilled with her hands, and Azula knew it.
Zirin must have known it too for she kept her manacled. Ty Lee tried to keep her head down, the hood half falling over her face as Zirin dragged her through Lord Shun's front gates. Soldiers milled around, sharpening weapons or took turns sparring, and the curious stares thrown their way couldn't be good.
"Princess Azula," Zirin said, stopping in front of the sprawled Azula. She was sitting on Shun's deck, one knee crooked up to her chin casually as she watched the soldiers. Ty Lee's eyes remained focused on her boot, mouth dry. She suddenly felt so ashamed she couldn't look up. "I've rooted out a trouble maker…"
Azula's brow raised. "Who is it? Lose the hood already," she said impatiently. Zirin roughly tore the hood back from her cloak, revealing Ty Lee's bent head. When the acrobat dared to lift her eyes, it was disconcerting to lock eyes with her ex-lover in the flesh. Azula was staring at her in disbelief, almost as if she thought she were in a dream. Ty Lee's lips parted, mouth dry and heart in her throat.
"Azula…" she began, and she paused, noticing the subtle shudder that ran along the princess' shoulders as her lips caressed each syllable of her name. The incredulous look on Azula's face slowly twisted to rage. Ty Lee's mouth went completely dry. She parted her lips to speak again. "I…."
The sudden blow to the side of her head made Ty Lee see spots of bright light. She staggered, Zirin catching her shoulder, as Azula raised her fists to strike a second blow to Ty Lee's other cheek. Her head reeled from the second impact, and as her face enflamed and the pain set in, the secondary grief struck her heart with the power of the blows themselves.
When Ty Lee could see again, the sounds around her rushed in and suddenly she was aware of Azula's arms roughly held to her sides by all of her Kemurikage. They pulled her bodily back and Azula roared her displeasure.
"You bitches! You want to die too?!" she screamed. Ty Lee paled at her words. She bowed her head, brown bangs falling into her eyes.
"Azula…" her cracked lip broke and blood poured down her chin. Azula snarled, kicking out bodily, spurts of flame streaming out, trying to reach her any way she could with all the fury of a demon. Her golden eyes blazed with hate toward her.
"Did you come here on purpose, Ty Lee?! You'll pay for that!" Azula snarled. Ty Lee stared at her sadly, wanton longing in her hurt gaze.
As Azula was dragged further back, Lord Shun rushed forward, hands waving, trying to placate his princess. The soldiers lined up, unsure whether to help the Kemurikage restrain Azula or free her.
"Let go of her! My princess, we can restrain her in the store room. We'll make sure your…. Prisoner… won't escape," Shun suggested, his nasally voice wheedling to Azula's higher nature. She snarled and flung her arms, gaining her limbs free access once more. The look of hate on her face made Ty Lee bow her head further. Involuntarily, she pushed her neck into a vulnerable position, showing submission; anything to placate Azula's alpha nature.
"Very well. And how she answers our interrogation determines her fate," Azula said haughtily. Trace amounts of hurt flickered in her gaze but was soon tamped down with rage and hate. "Take her to the store room and make certain she's chained up."
"Yes, my princess."
As Ty Lee was dragged away, face throbbing and lip bleeding, Zirin followed to help secure her. She had a very bad feeling about all of this.
End for now
End notes: Bum bum BUUUUM! What'd you think? What will come up next? Stay strong, my lovelies! Like it, smash that button, do that review thing!
Most sincerely, pen
4/2/2017