Disclaimer: Okay, I know it's been a couple of weeks. I apologize profusely! School's winding down and you know how crazy that can be! This chapter it what some of you have been waiting for, but also dreading. There will be some more details on certain events in the next one, so stay tuned! I don't own Avatar!!

The next few hours were surprisingly quiet. Only once had they encountered some ground assaults, which were easily avoided. Zuko couldn't help but think that something was amiss. The fire nation had to know that they were coming. So why was there no sign of it? He desperately needed to stretch his legs and do something to alleviate his stress. Perhaps a spar with someone would do it. It was driving him mad, the waiting. The five persons, minus Toph, who had never laid eyes on this much of the fire nation, gave the ground drilling stares of interest. It was not what they expected, certainly; the lush flora, the towering trees, and the humidity that plastered hair to skin. To Zuko, it was home. After three long years, he was home.

"This is…it's beautiful." Katara said dreamily. They could see mountains in the distance, most likely volcanoes as well. "I didn't think it would be like this."

"Well, it's kinda sticky." Toph commented, peeling her sleeve from her arm.

"You'll get used to it." Mai replied softly, her eyes scanning the ground for some kind of disturbance. She could have sworn that something was following under the cover of the trees. It was unnerving not knowing what was tailing them as much as it was exciting for Mai.

"The capital rests at the center of the largest, central island. There is an abandoned village the next valley over from the city. I suggest that we come up with a plan from there and then make the move." Iroh motioned to Aang, his face somewhat still.

"Sounds good, Iroh." Sokka said as Aang changed their direction slightly. Suki sat by his side, her fingers laced in his. Mai looked to Zuko, who must have noticed the movement below as well. He was looking down just so that, if had been anyone other than her looking at him, you wouldn't be able to tell that he was, indeed, gazing at the ground. He must have also thought he was imagining things because he looked up at Mai, a subtle look of confusion on his face.

About an hour or two or weaving over rivers, jungles, and mountainous land, all to avoid getting too close to the city, they found the ghost town. It reminded Katara of the place they had battled Azula after being chased all night. It was dusty, desolate, and absolutely perfect to hide out until they were ready. It smelled like home, too. Laying there inside the farmhouse at the edge of the town, listening to the others breathing, Mai could pick up traces of dirt and ash. It had been quite some time since she had been here, too. Not as long as Zuko, but long enough. She turned her eyes to him, he was sitting only an arm's length from her, and eyes closed breathing steadily. She scanned the rest of the room slowly; only Sokka and Suki were there, and the former was asleep with his head in Suki's lap. The idea she now entertained, if properly executed, would be very intimate, something she often shied away from. Utilizing her assassin's stealth, Mai inched closer to him. She listened to his breathing again and brought her hand gently to his face.

The sudden sensation of someone's touch on his face was shocking, like an electric jolt. Zuko's eyes snapped opened to see Mai there. The hand clearly belonged to her, and his first impulse was to turn away. But he did not. Her fingers traced the outline of his scar softly, giving him a small sad smile. Mai inched even closer, supporting her weight with her left arm.

"Mai…" Zuko protested softly. She lifted her eyes, peering at him from behind the dark veil of her hair. The gentle curve of her lips reversed; the frown had returned.

"I can't pretend to understand everything you've been through, what you are going through." Mai leaned in and kissed him tenderly in such a way that expressed affection and comfort, something she had been determined to keep locked away deep inside her heart. It was strange and new. Zuko appeared to have realized the significance of her gesture and he brought his hand to where hers rested on the side of his face.

"You were there, weren't you? At the Agni Kai?" He did not meet her eyes. Mai traced the burned tissue again, reflecting. She had been, of course. Against her mother's instruction, but she was there, watching him from afar.

"And after." Mai averted her eyes. The sight of seeing him screaming in agony, knowing that if he did anything to stop the pain, his dishonor would only increase. After a moment, Zuko moved his hand, tucked it underneath her chin, and lifted her head to look at him. He smiled so slightly; Mai thought it might have been her imagination. It wasn't, for he pulled into a kiss that sent chills running down her spine. She pressed her lips to his, almost, almost, laughing. But the experience was short-lived, because Mai heard something approach. It was the familiar sound of a certain creature's claws digging into the earth. A mongoose dragon. The question was, was there a rider? To the surprise and shock of Zuko and Mai, both, there was. Ty Lee was mounted on the beast that now stood at the center of the ruined town, a trickle of blood running down the side of her face. Mai could sense that it was not new, simply an old wound reopened.

"Mai?" Ty Lee squeaked, tears rising in her voice.

"Ty Lee?" Mai questioned, astonished. What was she doing here? Ty Lee slowly dismounted, and then proceeded to run to the baffled assassin. With tears streaming down her face, Ty Lee threw her arms around Mai.

"What happened?" Mai questioned, retaining most of her dreary demeanor.

"She threw me out." The acrobat sobbed. "Azula didn't want to risk another betrayal." Her words seemed to be laced with a hint of spite. Something was not right. Mai could sense it. And then everything was blurry. The slapping of feet on the dirt and the thud of her skull smashing into the ground was all she could hear. It occurred to Mai that she had fallen. That never happened. Mai never fell. The tingling sensation in her arms and back was uncanny and unmistakable. Though she had never experienced having her chi blocked, she knew. Ty Lee towered above her now, she new, even though she could not so much as turn her head to look.

"Unfortunately, you have to." Ty Lee whispered.

"I guess it's too late to tell you she was lying." It was Toph, taunting Ty Lee with some carefully directed earthbending. It was interesting hearing the earth move, Mai's ear being in close proximity with the ground at present. That was not, however, the extent of her concern. It all happened surprisingly quickly and soon Mai was aware of the fact that she could feel her limbs again. It felt like thousands of ants were crawling all over her body, a mix of hitting your funny bone and letting your leg fall asleep magnified times a thousand. There was shouting and she knew Zuko was there; the sound of the oxygen igniting into flame was easy to hear over the near-witty banter that was being exchanged between parties. Ty Lee had to go off and make a comment about Sokka the moment he ran out and Mai could tell that she had taken a blow from Suki. When she was able to finally life her head, it was easy to see who had the upper hand in this fight.

"You won't beat me this time!" Suki shouted, bearing down on the thin acrobat. Some how, Ty Lee escaped. It was far from victory, though, seeing how Katara sent a stream of water, cracking like a whip, in her direction. Ty Lee wobbled for a moment after being struck, then collapsed, panting. She glowered, quite uncharacteristic of her, and leapt into the air, landing closer to her mount. Ever flirtatious, she blew a kiss, threw a seductive glance at Sokka and departed faster than Mai had ever seen her move.

"What was that about?!" Sokka exclaimed, outraged. Mai felt someone grasp her arm and pull her to her feet. Zuko. He helped steady her, but she noticed, neglected to leave her side.

"What was the point of just sending her out here?"

"It doesn't matter. She's going to report back to Azula. They know exactly where we are." Zuko said gravely.

"You're right, Prince Zuko. We have to move now or risk being cornered." Iroh lamented, having just reappeared from who knows where. Mai was rather put out by being tricked, not to mention that she wasn't even in the fight. She coughed, nodding in agreement. The time was now. They were going to take down Ozai once and for all. The twinge of nausea in Zuko's gut must have been mutual to the others, for their faces were pale and sickly. His feet dragged the ground as he made his way to Appa. That familiar feeling, the sensation of his legs being detached from the rest of his body, returned to him. The sun was beginning to set as they rose into the flaming orange skies. Mai looked at Zuko with the calmest expression she could muster, looking into his golden eyes. Her hair whipped around her, the wind tossing the strands this way and that. She placed her hand over his gently, as she had while they were sitting in the barn. The air was thick with mounting tension and Zuko could not help but think of what Aang must be experiencing. If he fails, all is lost. There will be no other hope for anyone of any nation. Sozin's comet would come and then Ozai would ravage everything. It was a future that Zuko did not want to entertain. What scared him more, however, was the fact that at one time, such a future would have been ideal in his mind.

They flew at a slow pace, so that the night would be able to offer some sort of cover for them. Once the walls of the great fire nation palace were in sight, time seemed to freeze. Their breathing was inaudible before some let out a collective gasp. It was beautiful. In fact, it was just the way Mai remembered it, even though it had been a good seven years, give or take a few, since she had been there. As the sun's final golden sliver disappeared behind the buildings, the sky grew dark. Then something happened that could not be ignored. The courtyard, only a stone-throw away, was illuminated with the blinding brilliance of a lighting strike. It was so close; in fact, they could hear the crackling of energy just before the flash. There was something terribly wrong about it, because mixed with the crackling and the flash was a scream. Such a scream that made their hair stand on edge and course chills through their spines. And then Mai knew. She knew exactly what it was. Azula, obviously. But Ty Lee had, most likely, just arrived from her failure. A failure that would most certainly cost her more than what she could bear. Mai's heart plunged into her stomach. She looked to Zuko and for the first time he could remember, he saw fear there.

"Hurry!" Zuko spat urgently. Aang tugged on Appa's reigns, beginning a rapid decent. Their landing was hasty and Zuko nearly vaulted off of the bison with Mai. Across the expanse of stone and grass stood Azula, smiling wickedly. Only a few yards from where the princess stood was a body, smoke rising from its back. Ty Lee.

"We'll take care of Azula; Aang, Iroh, Katara, and Toph, go find the Fire Lord." Sokka motioned erratically, running with Suki towards where Zuko and Mai were poised. The others made their way to the ornate stairs, sprinting and ready for the way of guards that were probably waiting ahead.

"Azula!" Zuko shouted, outraged.

"You finally made it with your pathetic band of heros," Azula scowled, eyes dangerously narrowed. Mai was glaring more intensely than Zuko thought was possible, even for her. Cold steel slid in-between her fingers and she inched closer.

"Surely you don't think you can beat me," The princess taunted, also moving closer. She stopped next to Ty Lee's crumpled form, kicking her in the side.

"You've never fought me. Not seriously." Mai spat, the venom and contempt that ran through her voice was unnerving. She leapt into the air, sending daggers slicing through the space between them at such speeds they were blurs. Some were dodged, but Azula wiped the blood flowing from her cheek. The princess glared back, firing a blast of flame in her direction. Mai avoid the full force of the attack, rolling to the side, the end of her clothes singed.

"You can't win." Azula deflected another wave of stilettos. It was then that Zuko decide to speak up. Just as he did, Sokka joined him, and he saw Suki sneaking around to where Ty Lee lay.

"She's not alone." Zuko rushed his sister, shooting flame. Azula smirked, easily blocking it with her own blast. However, what she failed to notice was that shrouded in the fire was a boomerang. It struck her in the side of her head, knocking Azula to the ground. Unfortunately, she scrambled to her feet seconds later, preparing for another assault.

"We're not finished just yet."

A/N: Dx Please review!!