"You guys," said a voice. They turned and Azula was standing in the room, seeming to have come from nowhere. "Remember this is just a dream and you don't have much time."
"Right," said Zuko, and he turned back to Jin. "We found the brothel where Long Feng sold you and one of the women there pointed us in the direction you escaped in, but we still have no idea where you are."
"Where are you now?" she asked.
"At an inn," he answered. "I can't remember the name... but it's not far from the brothel... in fact I think it was the only one in that area." Jin thought for a moment.
"An inn?" she asked. "I can't remember seeing one... what does it look like?"
"Like an inn!" She rolled her eyes at the typical 'guy' response.
"Well I need more than that! Any specific details that could help me?" she asked and he thought about it. Jin looked around suddenly, sniffing a little. Was that smoke? Zuko didn't seem to notice, but Azula made a face as well, looking around curiously.
"I'll be right back," she said and vanished. Jin looked back to Zuko who just shrugged off Azula's sudden departure.
"All I can remember was it was a stone building, there were flowers in front, and I think it had a black roof...?" He knew all he could recall was very vague, but Jin's face brightened.
"I know where that is!" she exclaimed. "You're very close to where I am."
"Where are you then?" asked Zuko eagerly.
"At a farm house," she answered and he smiled.
"I know where you're talking about," he said and she ran into his arms again, near tears. She was so filled with joy she could hardly contain it.
"I can't believe it's almost over," she said smiling. "I can't believe I'll be with you again."
"I know," he said softly. "Jin... when we find you and you leave with us... will you marry me?" She looked up at him confused.
"I already said I would," she said.
"No, I mean, will you marry me right then and there?" He expected her to be surprised, ready to protest or even ask why. But she merely looked him in the eyes with certainty.
"Yes," she answered. "When you proposed the first time, you promised me you'd be taking me as your bride once we met again. I've been ready for it ever since then." He smiled at her and kissed her head.
"I'm sorry I can't give you a big grand wedding with thousands of guests and a gorgeous dress for you..." She shook her head and placed a finger on his lips to silence him.
"As long as you give me yourself... that's all I need," she said and she reached up to kiss his lips. He pulled away after a moment and made a face, sniffing around.
"Do you smell smoke?" he asked. Before she could answer Azula reappeared and grabbed hold of her wrists, tugging her away.
"We have to go now!" she said. "You need to wake up, Jin!"
"What's happening?" asked Jin as her surroundings faded.
"Just wake up now! And get out as fast as you can!" The smell of smoke grew stronger as she faded away, and when she turned to say goodbye to Zuko, he was already gone.
She was falling rapidly through space and time and landed on a mattress with a soft thud. Her eyes opened and the first thing to hit her was the overwhelming smell of smoke. Somewhere there was a fire. As she climbed out of the bed to go look, the answer came to her before she even reached the window. Mai.
As she looked out she saw the brothel in the distance engulfed in flames. She sighed, feeling fortunate that she had escaped when she did, but then sudden horror struck her. Once they saw she was not there they'd trace her down to...
Azula's words still rang through her head. "Get out as fast as you can!"
She grabbed a light blanket from off the bed and wrapped it around herself since she had no robe, and ran down the stairs calling Shiro's name frantically, praying she wasn't too late.
----
Zuko was shaken awake by Aang and snapped upwards looking wide awake. "Zuko!" cried Aang, jumping back with a start.
"What's wrong?" asked Zuko, seeing the panic on the boy's face.
"The brothel! Look!" Zuko scrambled out of bed and ran to the window to look out. Smoke filled the air surrounding where the house had been making it impossible to see it. Outside people were shouting and rushing to it to extinguish the flames and the smell of smoke mixed with burning corpses filled the air, gagging him.
Zuko made for the door at full speed, forgetting about the others and ran outside to help put out the fires. There was no question in his mind that Mai had done it, and though he wasn't the one, he still felt responsible. That one broken promise had come to cost him so much, and now it was making everyone around him suffer it seemed. He had to help put out those fires before someone died on his account.
The fire was practically out of control by the time he reached it, but he immediately began to bend, taming the flames and gradually making them grow dim until they vanished on the outside. Then he moved closer to do the same with the inside, and as he drew closer he heard screaming and pounding near the door. They were all trapped inside and slowly burning to death.
"Someone break down the door!" he shouted to the others, and within minutes there came a loud crash that told him that one of them had done just that. One by one the prostitutes came pouring out, staggering and choking.
"Help them!" shouted one of the villagers and each of the women were lead a safe distance from the fire, none of them looking badly burnt, miraculously. Zuko bent the fire while the villagers dumped water on it until it was gone and all that was left was the charred remains of the house. Then he turned to the women and looked through them, not seeing Julianne anywhere in them.
"There's a body over here!" shouted a voice and Zuko walked over with the others to see who it was.
"It's one of the prostitutes," said another, and Zuko frowned as he looked at her. The dress was unmistakable. "The wall must've collapsed behind her and her leg was pinned in the rubble," explained the man, pointing to what he was talking about. Zuko nodded and shook his head. If she had listened to him and gone with them, she would still be alive.
He turned sadly, not caring to watch them pry her out and he spotted Katara and the rest running over to see what had happened. "Oh no!" she cried but Zuko shook his head.
"Only one died," he said. "The rest were saved just in time."
"Oh," she said and her features softened a little. "I guess that's good news."
"Someone died?" called out one of the prostitutes in horror.
"Who?" cried another. "Who died?"
"Julianne," answered Zuko, and their were cries of distress from nearly all of them.
"No!" one of them screamed, bursting into tears. "I told her to save herself... that idiot"
"She helped me too," called another. "I was trapped on the second floor."
"Me too!" cried another.
"Wow," muttered Aang, looking around. "Nearly all of them were saved by her!"
"If she'd chosen to leave with us..." said Suki, and she shook her head. "It's almost like... it's almost like she knew."
"I doubt that," said Zuko.
"Even so," said Suki.
Katara, who had been watching as they pulled Julianne from the remains, suddenly turned to Zuko. "Zuko, how did the fire start?"
"Mai..." he said, and then a light turned on in his head. "Oh no!" he cried, turning towards the farm house, remember the very reason why they were out there in the first place, and why Mai was there as well.
"Zuko wait!" shouted Katara, and the others scrambled to follow him, all of them wishing they knew what on earth was going on.
----
Jin nearly fell down the stairs she was running so fast, and she stepped on her ankle at an odd angle, spraining it. "Shiro!" she called, ignoring the pain and rushing into the living room. "Shiro, where are you?" He had not answered once to her calls and she began to fear the worst. "Shiro!"
"He won't answer you," said a voice from the kitchen. Jin spun around and saw Shiro standing there, his back facing her. Jin smiled, relieved that he was all right. Shiro stood motionless for a moment... then swayed forward a little, his knees giving way, and as he crumpled to the floor, Mai was revealed standing in front of him, wiping the blood from a dagger. Jin didn't even have time to scream. A pair of hands clasped around her mouth from behind, and one by one the earthbenders stepped out from their hiding places. Jin struggled, having recovered most of her strength, but it was no use.
"You won't be getting away again," hissed Long Feng as he held her. Out of the corner of Jin's eye she spotted the burns on his face. "You will pay for all you cost me! You and that lover of yours!" Jin continued to struggle and Mai approached her, pointing the dagger at her.
"If it weren't for you it wouldn't be this way!" she growled. "Zuko shouldn't be with you! He should be with me!"
"What are you talking about?" cried Jin.
"My life was going to work out and I'd finally have a happy ending with the one I love! But you came in and stole him from me!"
"Is that what this has all been about?" she screamed at Mai angrily. "You don't get your way so you ruin the lives of others? You're pathetic!"
"Shut up!" screamed Mai.
"Someone's coming!" called one of the earthbenders in a hushed voice, but Jin ignored him.
"Zuko's in love with me! I never stole him from you, he chose me!"
Something inside Mai snapped and Jin could see it in her eyes. Before she had time to react to that, or the sound of the front door bursting open, Mai's fingers gripped the dagger tighter and the blade was forced into Jin's stomach.
"NO!!!" shouted a voice loudly and flames were fired out at Mai.
Zuko barged into the kitchen, eyes widened in horror as he looked to Jin, who staggered until she fell to the floor with a dull thud. "Jin!" Ignoring Mai, Zuko ran strait to Jin and picked her up in his arms. Her hands hovered merely inches from the dagger's handle, and her eyes were rolling around in her head. "Jin! No!" Mai made as if to attack them, but Katara conjured up a water whip and used it to violently snap her out of the way. Aang, Toph, Sokka, and Suki ganged up on the others who surrendered almost instantly having not been given orders to fight back, and Long Feng watched with interest as Jin lay dying in Zuko's arms. She had grown very pale, and Zuko clung to her tighter.
"Jin, hold on! You've got to hold on!" urged Zuko.
"Zuko..." she breathed, and her chest heaved as another wave of pain took her.
"Kill them," said Mai suddenly, her voice completely cold and heartless. "Kill them all!"
Everything happened at once. The Dai Li attacked, Long Feng launched himself on Zuko, who was forced to jump away from Jin to protect her, and a fight broke out throughout the house, Jin laying forgotten and bleeding on the floor.
Everything seemed to be happening in a haze. Jin could feel herself slowly slipping away, and her mind had a hard time comprehending anything that was happening around her. "Jin!" shouted a voice, but it did not come from anyone in the room. "Jin! Jin you need to get up!"
"I can't..." she rasped.
"You need to get up! Get up now!"
Jin looked down at the handle of the dagger and grabbed it. Gritting her teeth to hold back a scream, she pulled it out slowly and dropped it to the ground. Her blood seemed to flow more freely now, but she pressed her hands against it as her will to live began to grow. "You need to stay alive, Jin!" urged the voice. "Stay alive! Get yourself out of there now!" Standing slowly, unnoticed, she staggered out the door and away from the fighting. Once outside the voice spoke up again. "Go where I tell you and I'll protect you until Zuko comes. You just need to hold on a little longer, Jin! Hold on!" Jin grunted in pain and began to slowly make her way in a direction she was unsure of. She didn't know where she was headed, but she could feel her feet carry her away and she had to trust that she'd be lead some place safe, away from Mai and the Dai Li.
----
"The girl's gone!" shouted Long Feng. Mai stopped what she was doing and turned to the spot where Jin had been laying not too long ago. Zuko turned as well and saw Jin was in fact gone, a small pool of her blood remaining.
"Jin?" called Zuko and he ran for the door, looking outside. There was no sign of her. "Jin!"
"She vanished?" asked Sokka, looking around.
"Yes, Sokka, she vanished!" said Katara sarcastically. "She must've slipped out when we weren't looking."
"She'll not get far!" growled Mai, and, signalling the Dai Li to follow her, she ran out the front door in pursuit of Jin.
"We gotta find her and fast!" said Katara. "Whether or not Mai catches up to her, if that wound doesn't get treated soon-"
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go already!" shouted Sokka, and they ran out the front door. After Aang signalled Appa they were airborn and flew around, hoping she had not gone too far.