Chapter 2- Easy Go
Zuko's birthday celebration proved to be one of widespread joy throughout the fire nation, gifts poured in from across the globe and featured hand-carved statues in a slew of materials, jewels (From more affluent well-wishers), and a simple fan from an unknown admirer. It was this fan in particular that attracted the young monarch. There was no note that hinted of its origin, and the courier that brought it had no other information about it, but it seemed so familiar. Suki could not identify it, saying only that it was not a fighting fan, and that she thought it reminded her of a tapestry she had seen once of Kyoshi, but it was the wrong wood. It was well known that Kyoshi used fans of ash wood, and this was made of tiger maple, stained to a deep red finish. It looked warn in places, well used, but well cared for. The delicate paper was still whole, with no tears to mar its looks.
"Where do you think it came from?" Zuko asked one evening while taking a private meal with his intended fiancée. Mai shrugged dismissively.
"Maybe Azula sent it?" She said, leaning back on the reclinging chair and casually reaching for a fig. "Just to torment you."
"Azula? Why would she send a fan without mocking me, this is totally not her. And especially without a threat?" Zuko shot back, and they both smiled at the joke. But the thought of Azula sending the gift nagged at him. Where could Azula have gotten this thing anyway? She was firmly chained to the walls of her cell after attempting suicide, and had not spoken in over a year, to anyone. The once proud (and insane) princess had lapsed into an almost catatonic state. But Zuko had warned all the guards against being lax in their duties. No doubt she was planning. She was always planning. Maybe this was a plot of some kind? Who knew.
He had seen this fan before. It was like something from a dream, he could remember everything about the fan itself, just not its association. He could not concentrate while overseeing the affairs of state. His advisors were trying to tell him about the state of trade in the eastern province, or some such nonsense. But all that he could think of was that infernal fan. He even went so far as to use it himself, tucking it into his wide belt when he was not fidgeting.
Several days after the reception of the strange fan, the remaining members of his friends were set to leave. The celebration was over and Aang had duties to attend to, which meant that Katara would be going with him, starting by traveling with Toph and Ty-Lee, and eventually breaking apart and going their separate ways. Toph was making a tour of the Earth Kingdom, making a killing at bending tournaments. She'd won every contest she'd entered so far, and her most loyal fan was Ty-Lee strangely enough. The chi-blocker had taken to following the Blind Bandit shortly after deciding that the life of the Kyoshi Warriors was too sedentary. The two made an interesting pair, especially now that Toph was getting taller, and become more mature physically. But still she kept the same belligerent attitude that marked her as the sarcastic one of the group.
Suki and her husband Sokka were going to Kyoshi Island to settle down for a while. Sokka already had a small school of loyal students, dying to learn from the sword master and his unconventional skills, while Suki was still the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors.
And so, after his friends left, Zuko left for a walk, leaving Mai in the gardens wondering where he was. But then, he did this a lot, just letting his feet take him. And today his feet took him to a place he only ventured when he was in need of closure: the mental health facility on an island just beyond the city gates. This was where his sister was being held. His sister who sat silently against the wall, not moving, not talking, barely more than a shell of the person she once was.
The guards bowed deeply as Zuko entered, and he waved them off as he approached his sister's cell, double-barred and guarded by two water benders from the North Pole at all times. He instructed them to wait by the door, outside, before entering and shutting it behind him.
"Hello sister." He said, and received nothing in return, not even a blink from her dead golden eyes. "I guess you've been on decent behavior recently, no major injuries in a year. I'm impressed." He leaned down, so that they would be eye to eye should she choose to look up. "It's my birthday you know."
Still nothing. He reached into his robes and removed the fan. "I got this today. Was wondering if it was from you."
"Why would I send you our mother's fan?" Azula asked suddenly, her voice hoarse and deep from lack of use.
"Our mother's fan?" He asked softly, but Azula had stopped talking again. But yes, that would explain why it was so familiar to him. She had used it all the time when they were on Ember Island, watching those horrible plays.
"Yes Zuzu, our mother's fan. It appears she knows where you are. Maybe you should find where she is. I'm sure she'd be thrilled." There was a decided edge to her tone, she knew something, but was not about to give it up.
"Where is she?!" Zuko said, and nearly lunged at the bars. After three years his father had still told him nothing, and now his sister knew something. He had to know.
"Temper Zuzu." Azula said, and leaned against the wall more. Her eyes, at one point dead and lifeless, had regained some of her spark. "Wouldn't do to hurt the person you're talking to."
"Where is SHE?!" Zuko cried, fists glowing with flickering light as his rage started to manifest.
"I have no idea dear brother." Azula said, with no hint of her deceptive smile. "She disappeared, never to be seen again. I believe she saw you last. So you know better than I do."
Struggling to control his breathing and calm himself, the Fire Lord rose to his full height once more and left the cell, slamming the door behind himself. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, and sighed heavily, exhaling flame and smoke as he did so. The two water-benders outside the door watched with nervous energy, wondering if they were going to receive orders from the irritated monarch.
"Double the guard around the clock. And cover the window from the outside." Zuko finally said, and both men saluted, one running to tell their commanding officer of this new change.
Zuko wandered for several hours after his encounter with Azula, he trained for a time in his personal arena, but his opponents proved too weak to help him really blow off steam. He was pacing in his chambers when Mai came to see him, leaning against the wall casually.
"You're driving me crazy." She said, and her fiancé stopped pacing for a moment before shaking his head and falling to the floor, doing pushups. "And apparently whatever you did today is making you crazy too. Calm down."
"I… am… calm." Zuko lied between pushups.
"Whatever Zuko." Mai said, and shrugged before sitting down.
"Azula didn't send the fan." He admitted, pausing in his pushups for a moment.
Mai's eyes widened for just a moment in surprise. "So who did?"
"I think my mother did." He replied, and leaned up into a seiza, hands on his upper thighs and feet tucked under his rear. Mai for her part still had a mask of cool nonchalance about her.
"Then why are you still here?" She asked, "Shouldn't you be, I don't know, looking for her or something."
Zuko nodded dumbly, and then stood, "Yes. I should be." He said, and his face screwed itself into a mask of careful thought. Where did he begin? No one knew how the fan even got to the courier who brought it, and there was nothing that could tell him more. Azula and his father were keeping information from him deliberately; possibly to stage a coup in his absence should he leave. But then, Azula had not even known about the fan presumably. And if his mother was alive, why had she sent the fan instead of coming to see him? What could have been keeping her away?
He needed help, that was certain. This was going to most likely be a long trip, with the little information he had. He needed at least one person with him, as well as another two in a separate group. "Mai… come with me?" He asked while reaching for his traveling pack. A servant took it from him without speaking and started to pack simple traveler's clothes in it, while another brought provisions.
"No." Mai answered, "I've had enough traveling around the world. You go save your mom." As she said this, she brushed his face with one long-fingered hand and the pair shared a long kiss before breaking apart to breathe.
"Keep a watch on things?" Zuko asked her, feeling better already. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
Mai shrugged and sat on the bed as she watched him leave, pack slung over his shoulder and his five-pronged hair ornament that marked him as Fire Lord discarded and left on the floor.
Zuko left immediately, boarding a ship as any other citizen would. He had no plan on where to start, and no one to help him. That would have to be his first task, finding his friends to help him on his search. After all, he'd helped Katara almost 4 years ago now in searching for closure about her mother, surely she'd help him.
Or perhaps not, she had been rather devastated about what had happened to her mother, and asking her help would only dredge up bad memories. He sighed and fanned himself absently with his only link to his mother. They would have a lot of catching up to do.