When Jin opened her eyes there was nothing but darkness. At first she was afraid she was blind, but when she moved her head and felt the fabric brush against her skin, she realized a black bag was over her head. She also discovered her hands were bound at the wrists and her feet at the ankles. She couldn't move or see. The sensation was almost claustrophobic and she felt her heartbeat grow rapid. She could feel whatever she was sitting on moving and bumping around, and the sound of horses let her know she was on a wooden cart headed for some place. She immediatly began to twist around, trying to get herself free. It was all a vain attempt and she knew it, but that did not stop her. Fighting for her life was better than surrendering it to anyone.
"It's useless, you know," said a voice and she stopped. She wished now more than ever she could see around her to know who... or what was sitting across from her. "You're just gonna make your wrists all bloody." Jin didn't answer her and continued to struggle. "You really shouldn't-"
She recognized that voice... "Kiri?" she asked.
"Hey you!" roared a voice. "Shut your mouth! And you, stop squirming you little rat!" Something, it almost felt like a branch of some sort was cracked down across her leg and she let out a cry of pain, feeling blood flow down her skin. She sat very still, greatful the black bag could sheild the tears now flowing down her face, but she didn't make any sounds that gave away she was close to sobs. It was very quiet for a moment when finally the girl across from her began to whisper.
"You'll get yourself killed if you try to break free, don't you get it?" Jin lifted her head, wondering if the girl was black bagged as well. "Just do what they tell you and you'll be safe."
"I'd rather not," Jin hissed and began to struggle again, not caring if she was struck again. She was quickly greeted with a blow to her already injured leg, and she realized Kiri had kicked her.
"Knock it off!" the girl said though clenched teeth. "Stop trying to kill yourself like an idiot!"
"And just give up?!" Jin whispered, her voice cracking with disbelief.
"Yes. Give up because it's too late. No one's coming for you, and you won't escape. You're better off just doing what they tell you rather than dying a very painful death." Jin lowered her head, thinking of Zuko, and stopped her fighting. "What's going to happen with us?" she asked softly. There was a pause.
"I don't know... but I heard one of them say we're not coming back." Jin shuddered and said nothing for the remainder of the ride. She was afraid of learning things that would frighten her from ever trying to escape. She would escape, that was certain in her mind, but clouding herself with fear would make things harder than they needed to be.
Soon the kart came to a stop and Jin blinked several times when the bag was ripped from her face. Across from her the same happened to Kiri, who deliberately shut her eyes after the bag was gone. Jin gasped when she saw there was blood smeared on the side of Kiri's face and she realized Kiri herself had put up a fight when the Dai Li had finally reached her.
The Dai Li then went behind them and cut their wrists and ankles free, but clasped on to their arms before they could even try to run. Jin's wrists were raw from struggling, but she barely had time to look at the damage because she was jerked off the kart and lead away, Kiri getting tugged behind her. They were lead to the hillside and the leader created an opening in the mountain, which revealed a long and twisting dark tunnel, clearly created by earthbenders. Jin and Kiri were practically dragged into it and a torch was lit, barely illuminating the darkness. They were lead away, deep down below the ground until it felt like they had walked for days.
Water was dripping from above, and Jin had the overwhelming sensation of being covered in mud and bugs, even though she wasn't. Kiri hardly seemed miffed by anything, and after a while of walking Jin soon took note that the tunnel bent from going in a downwards slope to just simply a strait walk. As soon as it went strait there came wails from up ahead, and her blood began to crawl with fear. She looked around at stone bars, young women pressing themselves against them, some of them looking rather mangled, and others simply sitting in dark corners, hiding within themselves. Jin's heart pounded and a sense of dread went over her.
It was an underground prison.
Kiri was then carelessly tossed into a cell, and she fell inside like a ragdoll with a sickening thud. Jin bit her lip, wishing she could help as she watched Kiri slowly raise herself to her knees, grunting in pain, but she was dragged on. It wasn't till they passed the cells that she found her voice again. "What's going on?" she asked.
"She has asked to see you before you're locked away," said the guard and Jin made a face, wondering if he could have been anymore vague.
"Who's she?" she asked impatiently, but recieved no answer.
Two large stone doors ahead were opened, and Jin was thrown to her knees in front or a young woman who sat almost towering in a stone seat crafted by the earth benders. When Jin looked up at her and recognized her as the one who had attacked her with the darts she couldn't feel anymore confused. The Dai Li had done a lot of things she would never understand, but taking orders from a girl, who even looked a year or so younger than herself was just baffling. "You..." said Jin. "Who are you? Why are you doing this?"
The woman said nothing at first, and for a moment Jin was certain her questions would not be answered. After giving a bored sigh and adjusting her seat, however, she began to speak. "My name is Mai. I'm sure you've heard of my family, the new governing family of what was Omashu?" Jin's eyes widened.
"Your family was responsible for that?!" she half cried. Truthfully, when she had heard of the fall it hadn't meant much to her then, but ever since the fall of Ba Sing Se, she had become a lot more understanding, and outraged that what happened at Omashu even took place.
"Yes," said Mai with a half gloating smile. "And it's New Ozai now. Princess Azula renamed it herself... before she died that is."
"That's no longer true," said Jin. "It may have been New Ozai when you left, but while you were out, joining forces with the Dai Li and ruining the lives of the families in Ba Sing Se, Omashu was retaken and your family thrown out of power. Omashu is now and always will be Omashu, and no firebenders will change that!"
"You're lying!" shouted Mai. "No one has the authority to turn out my family, let alone the strength to fight them and their protective armies!"
"The Firelord does," said Jin with a smile. "Firelord Zuko fought and won the battle against your family." Mai rose from her seat and walked up to Jin, staring at her coldly. She raised her hand and it cracked loudly against Jin's face, nearly knocking her over, and Jin's hand snapped over to the already red and throbbing spot on her face.
"Don't you dare talk about Zuko! You have no right! No right! And he would never do that. Not to me..." Jin glanced up, slightly surprised by her words.
"To you?" she asked. "You know him. Was he a friend?"
"He was more to me than a peasant like you will ever understand! You say you love him, and that may be true, but he does not and will not love you!"
"That's a lie!" snapped Jin, and Mai struck her across the face. Jin gave a cry and Mai grabbed her by the shirt collar, pulling her up on her feet.
"I could kill you-" she stopped suddenly. Jin hung there for a moment, unsure what was happening, and then glanced up at Mai, whose eyes were wide as she stared down at her.
That smell... Mai thought suddenly, eyeing Jin's shirt. Zuko's smell...
"Someday I'll return for you, I promise..."
Mai looked down at Jin and let go of her. "Lock her up," she said to the Dai Li. "Don't let her eat or drink anything until I say so. I want her to suffer." Jin was too dumbfounded to fight as the Dai Li dragged her away, and she didn't take her eyes off of Mai until she was out of sight.
"You should be afraid," said the soldier as he lead her away. "You're the first to get any emotion out of her. If she's showing anger to you, she must truly hate you"
----
"Ty Lee, you have a visitor," called the ringleader. Ty Lee poked her head up from her mirror as she removed her jewelry and glanced around, her eyes meeting Zuko's first. "Your highness!" she cried and dropped to her knees in a bow.
"You don't have to bow, Ty Lee," he said to her.
"Sorry," she said, jumping up to her feet. "I heard you are now the Firelord and... well, force of habit I guess." She glanced behind him and saw the avatar and his friends and she gave them a very unsure smile. "Oh, you guys..." she said, unsure of what to do with herself. "I only did what Azula told me. Friends stick together you know? No hard feelings?"
"No one is here for revenger, Ty Lee," assured Zuko. "We need to ask you something."
"Okay," she said, looking a little relieved. Zuko turned to the others.
"Actually, it would probably be better if you let me do this alone. It won't take long." They stared at him unsure but Aang finally turned, the others following him, and they left.
"I would have been all right with them, Zuko," assured Ty Lee.
"I know," he said with a sad smile. "But there's some things that I'd like not to get spread to more people than necessary."
"Okay," she said with a shrug. "Would you like some tea then?" Zuko shook his head.
"No thankyou," he said politely.
"Well I hope you don't mind then if I do," she said pouring herself a cup. "These shows take up so much energy." Zuko nodded in understanding and she sat herself across from him. "So what do you want to talk to me about?"
"I need to ask you about Mai," he said. Ty Lee's perky expression turned to innocent curiosity. "I want to know where she's gone since the two of you went your seperate ways." Ty Lee smirked.
"I see," she said. "Finally deciding to pursue her?" Zuko shook his head.
"It's not like that. I just want to know if you know where she ran off to. Did she tell you anything?"
"She did, actually," answered Ty Lee with a nod and Zuko's hopes began to rise. "When we learned about your sister, sorry to hear about that by the way, she didn't want to stay with me and I felt my calling was here again, with the circus to perform and do what makes me happy. On the night we parted I asked her what she was planning on doing. It's so ironic you're looking for her, now of all times too!"
"Why is that?" asked Zuko.
"Because she left to find you!" said Ty Lee. "At first I thought she was crazy, but now I guess I was crazy. I should have seen you still like her, and I think this is so sweet! Mai will actually smile... for once." But Zuko lowered his head and Ty Lee's excitement faded. "Right?" she asked.
"That's not why I'm looking for her," said Zuko. "She teamed up with the Dai Li and they've been going through Ba Sing Se, kidnapping the young women at night and dragging them away. I want to know where she is so i can find them and save those women." Ty Lee made a face.
"Wow, you have changed," she muttered. "It wasn't always like you to care about... well anyone. Especially from the Earth Kingdom. But then again you are traveling now with the avatar so I guess stranger things have happened."
"People can change and feel a different calling. You of all people, I hope, would understand that." Ty Lee smiled and nodded.
"I do," she answered. "When Mai left she did mention the Dai Li and Ba Sing Se, but nothing much more specific. She did make it clear that she was looking for you so wherever she is, she still likes you a lot." Zuko frowned and nodded.
"I was afraid of that," he muttered and Ty Lee stared at him confused. "Are you sure you know nothing else?" Ty Lee nodded. He began to rise to take his leave but she stopped him.
"Zuko, why are you really searching for her. You may have changed but it still doesn't sound like you to rescue those women."
"That's the only reason. I'm trying to do the right thing... be the hero rather than the villain."
"Have it your way then," she said with a sigh.
"Thankyou," he said standing and taking his leave.
----
"Are you sure there's nothing else she can do?" asked Katara as they all began to leave.
"She doesn't know where Mai is, and I'm not entirely surprised," he said. "It was worth a try anyway. We need to start searching through the woods. Jin has probably been captured by now so we need to find her before something bad happens."
"I don't get it," said Toph. "How could she know nothing? Not even why Mai would do this?"
"She just doesn't. Mai left and that's all she knows," he lied. "Let's just get out of here." They all shrugged and turned, stepping through the gates to leave.
"Zuko wait up!" shouted a voice. He turned and faced Ty Lee who was running to him. "Before you go searching again, there's one more thing I need to tell you and it's very important," she said, panting. Zuko tried to signal her to follow him somewhere where the others wouldn't hear, but she was already talking before he could stop her. "When you find her... please be understanding with her. I'm speaking from a female's perspective, but she's still in love with you. Whatever you're planning on doing, please don't hurt her anymore than she already is, and I think you know what I'm talking about."
"In love with him?!" shouted Aang in surprise.
"Man, you really are a lover boy!" taunted Sokka. Zuko bit his lip and Ty Lee raised an eyebrow.
"Lover boy?" she asked Sokka.
"We're tracking down Mai to save Zuko's girlfriend. What a coincidence that he has to save someone who loves him from someone else who loves him," said Sokka. Zuko closed his eyes, knowing Sokka had said the wrong thing and he knew immediatly what was coming.
"Girlfriend?!" cried Ty Lee. "How could you?! After all you and Mai went through! I thought you loved her!" Zuko sighed.
"Ty Lee I was 14," he explained. "Mai was only a crush. Nothing more."
"Well she doesn't know that," said Ty Lee with her hands on her hips. "She thinks you really loved her and you still do. This is the worst thing you could have done to her!" Zuko lowered his head and nodded.
"Then this really is my fault," he muttered. "I got Jin into this mess." There was a long awkward silence which Katara finally broke.
"We're waisting time just standing here you guys," she said softly. "We need to go find Jin and the other women before something happens to them"
Zuko nodded and looked at Ty Lee.
"I know you think I'm a heartless jerk for this," he said sincerely. "But I don't love Mai. I'm in love with someone else, and I'll die if Mai does anything to her. You may not understand Ty Lee and that's all right. Mai was your friend. But I promise you I will try not to inflict any more pain on her than I already have." Ty Lee nodded but did not smile.
"Good luck then," she said. "And remember what I said."
"I will," he said. They returned to the inn to fetch Appa and set out to fly for the heart of the forest.
"So... you gonna tell us what exactly happened between you and Mai or are you just gonna leave us hanging?" asked Sokka. Zuko closed his eyes, sighed then looked at them.
"I didn't want to bring this up because I never saw the need to, but with things as they are..." he stopped and searched for the right words. "I guess you all deserve and explanation now, and it's something you all should hear."
----
(A/N: Cliffhanger!!!!! R&R!)