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"I look ridiculous," Mai grumbled, looking down at her baggy Earth Kingdom clothing as she worked her hair up under a hat. She tilted the brim down over her eyes and turned sideways to look at herself in the mirror.
"Not as ridiculous as we did dressed as those Kyoshi Warriors," Ty Lee replied, looking for shoes that would match her green attire. "Do you really think this is going to work?"
"No," said Mai dully. "But what choice do we have?"
"I wonder if they'll recognize us. Maybe we'll be able to find Azula...or better yet, Zuko." Ty Lee flashed a daring look at Mai. Mai glared at her.
"When are you going to stop teasing me? That was a long time ago," Mai sighed, choosing to look out of the window instead of at Ty Lee. Sure it was a long time ago...if 'long time ago' meant she had been thinking about him a few minutes ago.
"Whatever," Ty Lee said, not sounding convinced as she tied up her hair. "Though I wonder...him being around that waterbending girl..."
Mai looked up sharply. "What?"
Ty Lee smirked. "That's what I thought. Do you know who I'm talking about? The really pretty girl with those amazingly blue-"
"Yes," Mai snapped. "I know who you're talking about. Katara, right?"
Ty Lee's smile widened. "Yeah, I think they might be something of an item. Did you see them back when the Avatar came to rescue Zuko? She fell unconscious and he picked her up. It was quite sweet."
Mai scowled. "You don't know what you're talking about. He was only saving her life. He had to pick her up."
"But now she will be forever grateful for him. Mmm, am I sensing a blossoming romance?" Ty Lee said innocently.
"Stop it," Mai shot at her.
"Only until you admit it," Ty Lee countered.
"Fine. I admit it," Mai said dully.
Ty Lee squealed in delight. "Oh! It's so romantic! Arch enemies in love! Kind of reminds me of that love song from Omashu."
"Don't make me barf," Mai told her monotonously.
"Aw," said Ty Lee, "you guys would be so cute together. If you have a baby, will you name her after me?"
"Ty Lee!" Mai shrieked, her cheeks coloring. "You're positively disgusting!"
"Ooh," said Ty Lee, "and guess what? If Zuko becomes Fire Lord you would, like, be his wife. So you could be all powerful and everything!"
"We're supposed to kill him though, aren't we?" Mai asked, sounding depressed.
"Oh yeah," said Ty Lee, thinking. "Hmmm. Only a teensy problem that will shortly be overcome. I know! Once we get there, you two can elope or something. I promise I won't tell."
Mai stared at her, wondering if she was actually being serious. "Ty Lee," she said, "you're a moron."
"No I'm not I'm just-" But Mai never got to hear what Ty Lee was 'just' because the door opened to reveal the Fire Lord and his bodyguards.
"Coming?" he asked in a smooth, silky voice.
"Yes, my lord," Mai and Ty Lee chorused, following him out into the hallway.
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Two days later...
It was Jet, Katara, and Zuko's turn to ride on Appa. Katara was insanely bored and kept herself busy by braiding Zuko's hair. He was asleep anyway and there was no chance of him waking up. Katara hummed as she made short little plaits and tied them off with twine. Jet was aiding her by plucking small pink blossoms from the trees and tucking them in various places of Zuko's hair.
"Ooh," said Jet, "this one smells nice." He handed it to Katara to let her take a whiff.
"They should make perfume out of these," said Katara as she squished the petals between her thumb and forefinger and rubbed the scent behind Zuko's ears. "He'll smell like a princess."
"I'd hate to be next to him when he wakes up," said Jet seriously as he grimaced down at Zuko's sleeping form.
"No kidding."
"Don't you two have anything better to do?" Long Feng walked alongside Appa, giving them a scornful look.
"What, you don't like it?" Katara asked in disbelief, showing off her masterpiece. Each clump of Zuko's hair was standing on end, decorated in various wildflowers. Long Feng scowled at them and walked faster to join more mature conversations.
"He's just jealous that he doesn't have hair like that," Jet muttered, his eyes twinkling. Katara tried hard not to stare as his perfect smile, instead focusing on the setting sun.
"We should be stopping soon," Katara said suddenly. "Maybe we should wake him up."
Jet's eyes widened and he quickly slid down off of Appa's back. "Not while I'm up here. He'll blame me for everything. He likes you better."
Katara wasn't too sure about that. Zuko was still pretty hostile towards her and often took pleasure in insulting her. But Jet was probably right. She decided not to wake him up until they stopped.
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Zuko yawned, sitting up to find himself before a campfire. He was surprised that they had stopped and wondered why he hadn't awoken sooner. His head felt oddly stiff and his scalp had a tingly sensation that he couldn't place.
"Nice hair," a voice whispered in his ear.
"Huh?" Zuko asked as he looked over his shoulder. A stranger stood there, her eyes concealed by a wide-brim hat. "Who are you?" Zuko frowned. Her voice had seemed awfully familiar.
She did not reply, but merely gave him a pearly smile. After a few moments she said, "Really, it's cute."
Zuko frowned and touched the top of his head. His stomach dropped in horror as he pulled a flower from a tuff of hair. "What the...?" He pulled out another and another, feeling himself go scarlet. He pulled all of the braids out of his hair and looked around for someone to murder. "Katara always does something to me when I sleep. Jeez, you'd think after a while she would withhold their grudge."
She laughed softly and sat down next to him. Zuko reached out his hand to peek under her hat. She caught his wrist and shook her head. Puzzled, Zuko lowered his hand and gave her a sideways look. "Who are you?" he asked once more. She merely gave her a small laugh and stood up. "It was nice seeing you, Zuko," she whispered, disguising her voice. She turned and walked away.
"What? Wait! Come back here!" Zuko cried. "Do I know you?"
The stranger only looked back once more, a smile on her lips, before disappearing in the dark.
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Mai's heart thudded wildly in her chest. She had finally seen him. She had fed the hunger that raged inside her, gnawing and clawing beneath her skin. She had seen his beautifully scarred face and had been graced by his wondrous half-smile. You're being foolish, Mai, she told herself scornfully. Stop it. You never should have talked to him. You risked exposing yourself to the entire army. But sighing, she realized it was everything she had imagined. Coming to the Earth Kingdom, she wondered what she would say to him when they finally met. It worked out perfectly, though his hair style was a bit...odd. She remembered how her stomach had twisted when he said Katara's name. "Katara always does something to me when I sleep." That girl had put her filthy fingers in Zuko's hair. The complete nerve of her! She then thought grumpily, She'll be the first one I kill.
"Hey, I wondered where you had gone off to," said a voice. Mai snapped her head up to see Ty Lee casually leaning against a tree. "Isn't that Zuko's camp?"
"No," Mai lied crossly. "Just a bunch of Earth Kingdom soldiers."
"Don't lie to me, Mai," said Ty Lee. "I saw that stunt you pulled back there..."
She had been caught. Mai waited to see what Ty Lee would say.
"It was so sweet!" Ty Lee squealed. Of course. Mai rolled her eyes.
"Shove off," Mai snarled at her, though she broke out into a small smile. "Come on, leave me alone."
"Did you see Azula?" Ty Lee asked suddenly.
"Yes," Mai said, almost forgetting about why she went there in the first place. "She was asleep though. They have her watched pretty well. There are about five guards, not to mention the one thousand nine hundred and ninety-four others in the woods."
"What's your plan?" Ty Lee asked.
"Our mission was to kill the Avatar, not help Azula escape," Mai reminded her.
"So what, we're just going to leave her?" Ty Lee demanded.
"No, but we need to focus on our mission first," said Mai. "Tonight."
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Katara stood in water up to her thighs, streaming out water and moving it gracefully through the air. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Zuko in the moonlight poking along the bank. Katara smirked and casually flicked her hands back.
"EEEYAHHH!" Zuko roared.
Katara spun around. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to. That was a complete accident."
He was soaked. Katara tried hard to keep her face straight.
"I swear, I'm going to kill you one of these days," Zuko told her, cursing. "I came to find you. A few minutes ago a girl was talking to me. I swear I've met her before. Anyway, I was embarrassed to find that my hair was in braids! And did I mention the flowers? I looked like a...a..."
"A Fairy Princess?" Katara suggested.
"Exactly!" Zuko exclaimed. "I'm tired of you messing with me."
"So, who was this girl? When are you getting married? And, most importantly, can I come?" She splashed him with some water.
"Hey! Watch it. And yes, you can. Sokka's best man," said Zuko dryly, slipping in the mud and falling face-first into the chilly water. Katara burst out laughing. Even Zuko was laughing as he pushed his head up out of the water. But their laughter didn't last long. A figure emerged from the woods, silent and swift. An arm was snaked around Katara's neck, a blade pressed to her throat.
"What's going on?" Zuko spluttered, wiping wet hair out of his eyes. It was that girl. That girl from the campfire. Only her lips were visible in the moonlight...And they were smiling.
"You are going to stay right there," the stranger croaked, "and you're not going to move or I'll cut her pretty neck."
"Mai?" Zuko asked uncertainly.
Mai's smile widened. "Good evening, Zuko."
"I don't know if Ty Lee told you but...I am sorry," he said sincerely, taking a step forward.
"I know you are, Zuko," she said, pressing the knife further into Katara's neck. Blood dribbled down her skin. Zuko froze.
Ty Lee cart-wheeled out into the clearing. She quickly jabbed Katara in the right places so that she couldn't waterbend. "That takes care of Zuzu's girlfriend."
"She's not my girlfriend," Zuko snapped. "Let her go."
"I'm afraid we can't do that," said Ty Lee gleefully. "You see, we have to kill the Avatar. We're going to put a stop to this ridiculous stunt you all are trying to pull in attacking the Fire Nation. So, if you please..."
"What's going on?" someone shouted. Sokka emerged from the trees in the direction of the camp.
Mai swung out her hand. Darts flashed and there was a thunk as Sokka fell over. "Damn it all!" he cursed. "She shot me!"
"Who shot you?" Aang had followed him, narrowly avoiding a dart that was directed at his face. Toph was instantly at his side.
"Why do you people travel in packs?" Mai demanded angrily, knocking her hat from her head to reveal her glossy locks.
"Huh?" Jet had appeared, looking extremely puzzled.
Mai growled just as Ty Lee squealed, "What's with all the cute guys around here?"
"Why is my arm swelling up?" Sokka asked, watching his fingers slowly turn purple. "Is that supposed to happen? I thuunk zat I..." He collapsed unexpectedly, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.
"Toxins," said Mai cheerfully. "Isn't that clever?"
"Yeah," said Aang with wide eyes, thinking about how he had almost been hit by one of those bad boys.
"Who's next?"
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A/N: sorry I ended it weird, but I can't write much tonight because my brother is being evil. So I'll try and update tomorrow to make up for my neglecting of not posting.