Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar. I just enjoy torturing its characters.

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Chapter 1: The Broken

Had he put some thought into it, Zuko would have admitted to himself that this was not the way he had expected his night to go. Leaping clumsily from tree branch to tree branch, keeping his eyes glued on the pink form ahead, had been the very last thought on his mind.

And her words…

"She isn't really herself anymore, so be ready."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he murmured.

Nothing answered him.

Overhead the wind blew, and a dark cloud drifted across the moon, darkening its silver rays until only shadows remained.

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Ty Lee paused briefly to catch her breath, resting one hand against the tree trunk as the branch curved slightly beneath her weight. Rolling her shoulders, she studied the backside of the Fire Nation prison, listening as Zuko cursed at some small twig caught in his sleeve.

A small unknown fun fact was that a forest flanked the prison, most likely left intact to make it difficult for prisoners to break out and escape, or be rescued. Unknown to the ones who had chosen to leave the forest be was that Ty Lee had spent the last two weeks racing through the grass, leaping from branch to branch, familiarizing herself with every nook and cranny the forest contained.

The main reason had been Azula's order, since she'd known for about three weeks before tonight that Zuko was on his way home to retrieve Mai and she'd wanted Ty Lee to know her way around the darkness and trees if worse came to worse.

The acrobat rocked back on her heels, ignoring Zuko as he scrambled ungracefully to her side, trying to judge how much time had passed by the flames she could glimpse flickering in the hallway. It was really late, almost midnight, if she judged the moon's position in the sky…

Shoot… if it's almost midnight, he might still be in there… and if he's in there, Zuko can't be seen… but if he just left… Mai might not be thinking clearly…

"Ty Lee?"

"Stay here. I'll be right back."

Ignoring Zuko's hissed protest, Ty Lee dropped down and swung easily from the branch, swinging from tree to tree before landing on an outcrop jutting out of the prison; for a precarious moment she wavered, both arms held out to balance her against the wind, and her footing steadied. Placing one foot cautiously in front of the other she walked along the edge, grabbing a spike and swinging down to the barred window. Uttering a prayer, she released her hold and as she fell grabbed on to the bars seconds before she would have crashed through thin air, planting her feet firmly against the wall.

Her shoulders trembled with strain, and ignoring the slow burn that was building she pulled herself up and pressed her ear against the bars, listening.

The cell was silent, safe the soft, uneven sound of ragged breathing. Ty Lee frowned. Judging by that, it seemed he'd just left, but to be on the safe side… Curling one hand into a fist, she tapped it lightly against the bars to an old Fire Nation lullaby.

The next instant she yelped and flattened to the side as a small pebble whistled through the air, missing her by mere inches. "Jeez," she muttered, swinging back to the bars, "I see you haven't lost your touch at all…"

A soft laugh sounded in the cell, but it was more amused than mad. Contrary to popular belief, Mai hadn't lost her sanity; no, she'd lost something else. The lullaby-pebble was something Ty Lee had developed with her during the three weeks she memorized the forest, a way the acrobat could know for sure if Mai was alone or not. If Mai threw a pebble (or whatever else was in the cell), she was alone. If she didn't, she was… otherwise preoccupied.

Shuddering a little, satisfied, Ty Lee swung back to Zuko, causing the exiled prince to jolt and yelp when she landed next to him again. "Hey! What're you…?"

"Come on." She grinned at him. "All's clear. The sooner I get you in, the sooner you get Mai out of there."

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She feels the laugh bubbling in her throat as the pink-clad girl mutters darkly, and she doesn't fight it. It feels good to laugh, to hear the sound leave her lips and not detect that trace of madness she's heard in so many others. The amusement it contains is music to her ears, and she relishes it. It's a comfort to her, to know that she hasn't lost her sanity alongside her freedom and virginity.

The blood seeps between her legs and makes her ache when she tries to shift, but it's a shallow flow and will likely cease in a few minutes. She knows that she really shouldn't be bleeding since the first time he pierced her, held her down as she struggled and entered her, his painful warmth causing her to scream as though she was being burned. Nowadays she only bleeds when she struggles against him, and tonight she wasn't feeling particularly compliant.

Curiosity gets the better of exhaustion, and she doesn't close her eyes. Why did the lively girl hang outside her window, anyway? Why does she want to know if she's alone? It's all so strange, and out of the ordinary.

But then, she hates being bored.

Her lips curve in a bitter smirk.

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"Zuko… do you remember what I said before? About… about Mai."

Ty Lee's soft voice caused Zuko to look up at her as the two crept cautiously down the hallway, keeping their eyes peeled for any guards. He frowned. "Yeah, I remember," he said. "But what does it mean? You weren't being very specific."

"Uh… look, I'm not very good at this…"

"There you are."

The new voice caused them both to jolt, and Ty Lee let out a small, almost doglike whine of relief. "Azula," she breathed. "You scared me."

The Fire Nation princess reclined easily against the wall beside the cell Ty Lee had told Zuko was Mai's, her arms crossed loosely along her chest as she studied the pair with cool, narrow golden eyes. She straightened, dusting off her shoulders. "You're late," she said, walking toward them. "I was starting to worry."

"Sorry. I had to check and make sure Mai was alone."

Azula raised a brow. "If Mai wasn't alone, I wouldn't be here right now."

"Sorry…"

Zuko had enough. "What in the name of Agni is going on here?!" he shouted, pushing past Ty Lee to face his sister, muscles tense and eyes flaming. "Ty Lee said… and you… Where's Mai?"

Azula studied him, still cool and composed; she turned her head and nodded briefly at the cell door. "Mai is in there," she replied coolly. "Don't worry, she's healthy as an ostrich horse. Father's been especially adamant about that." She shrugged, studying her nails. "But then, she's his new toy so I doubt he wants her to die anytime soon."

"New… toy?"

"Oh, that's right, you don't know. I'll give you a brief rundown. After you ran off with Uncle, Father starting imprisoning people who might know where you'd gone. Mai was at the top of his list, naturally, but she's resilient and didn't break as easily as he would have liked, so she became his… personal project."

Had Azula shown no outward trace of emotion, Zuko would have been almost disgusted in the way she presented the facts; but as he watched, he could see her hands trembling just slightly with barely controlled rage. As though she sensed this as well, Ty Lee quietly slipped to her old friend's side, taking her hand and giving a gentle squeeze.

"Father was going quite mad, trying to figure out where you'd disappear to. So he wasn't exactly logical in his methods when he took Mai as a personal project." Azula ran her free hand through her hair to still her trembling. "I figure you're a smart boy, Zuzu, so I'll use as few words as possible when I say this: ever since you left, Father has been visiting Mai every night in her cell."

A chill swept through Zuko like an icy wind, gripping his heart and seeming to freeze his insides. Even though Azula hadn't been detailed, though she left much of it to his imagination, he knew.

He knew.

MAI!

Without thinking, he lunged for the door; sensing his intent, understanding it but thinking of the girl in the cell, Azula wrenched free of Ty Lee's hold and jumped between the door and Zuko's hand, grabbing his wrist and twisting roughly.

"Idiot!" she hissed, eyes flashing. "Don't you get it? Mai isn't in her right mind, Zuko. She isn't even Mai anymore. Charging in there will just result in one or both of you getting hurt."

"She'd never—"

"She isn't the way you remember her, Zuko! Father… she'd fight you to the death to protect herself if you just ran in there! Zuko…"

Azula's hold on his wrist loosened slightly, though she didn't let go.

"… Zuko, the way she is, I can honestly say she'd kill you if you startled her."

Seeing he understood, Azula slowly released him, burrowing into a bag slung along her shoulder; she shoved a small package into Zuko's hands. "Take that."

"What…?"

"Father confiscated all of Mai's weapons when he brought her here. I don't know how much of her old self remains, but I doubt she'd forget her favorite pastime."

As Zuko shoved the package into the pack on his back, Azula turned and gently lifted a key into the dim light, sliding it into the lock and twisting it; the clang vibrated through the air.

"I'm letting you go in," she murmured, "so you can get her out of here. But let her come to you. Doing it any other way will end with your dead body on the floor… or at the very least, a few new scars."

Zuko swallowed and nodded.

The door swung open.

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The hinges screech as the door opens, and she looks up warily at the sound, scooting back into the corner, her back stiff and her muscles tense. The blood has only just dried beneath her nails, but she's willing to still fight regardless.

She heard the voices outside her cell, but they don't seem very threatening; just those two girls, and a male voice she doesn't recall hearing recently, and it isn't his voice. Warily she lets her fingers rest against the ground, but her eyes stay narrow and she doesn't give an inch.

Something about that voice tugs at her inwardly, stirs something as though calling to her, and she tilts her head quizzically, ignoring the dark strands of hair that fall into her eyes.

And then, he steps into her cell.

The light in the hallway is dim, but as she gazes at him from the shadows she can make out the burn scar over his eye; still wary, still uncertain, she creeps back quietly, huddling back into her corner. He takes a step towards her, as though to stop her, and stills at her low warning growl, almost like that of a cornered wolf.

"Mai?"

His voice is low, soft, as though he's speaking to a wounded, trapped animal—and maybe he is. She pushes her hair out of her eyes, so he can see them clearly. Slowly, cautiously, she begins to stand, judging her movements by his own reactions. When she is on her feet, weaving a little unsteadily but standing, he makes no move.

After a moment, she takes a tentative step towards him.

She isn't afraid of him, and she doesn't know why.

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When Zuko had been younger, a young deer had jumped the palace wall and gotten trapped in the garden. He had stumbled upon it by accident, and when it had realized he was there it had stared at him, its eyes a mixture of wariness and curiosity.

The look in Mai's eyes now was exactly like that of the deer he'd seen so many years ago—gazing at her, it was obvious she had no memory of him, and yet she still seemed drawn to him. If any part of her remained, deeply buried as it was, it recognized him clearly.

Her eyes flickering to his face, she took another step; then another, and yet another, slowly but surely coming to him.

Even though the lighting was dim, Zuko could tell Mai had lost some weight since he'd last saw her. Her skin was pale, and he could just make out faded bruises along her neck. Anger surged through him, but he beat it down.

"Mai." He said her name, softly so as not to startle her, and nothing else. "Mai."

She paused, studying him quizzically, and something gleamed in her eyes for a moment before fading. Moving slowly so as not to scare her, he held his hand out to her. She eyed it quietly with narrow eyes, rocking back on her heels as though to indicate that any small move would cause her to break and retreat, or worse yet attack him.

"Mai." A soft note of pleading had entered his voice.

Nothing this time, no flicker or step—she just stood there, studying his hand intently as though waiting to see if it would sprout fangs and snap at her. Zuko couldn't help but notice that she was weaving slightly on her feet, trembling just so, and felt a surge of worry. Had Azula been wrong? Was it possible that Mai was, in fact, falling ill from her time in the dungeon?

"Mai."

Trust me. Just trust me, like you used to when we were kids and I taught you how to feed turtleducks. Trust me like you did that night, when you helped me free Uncle. Trust me like you did when I left, promising I'd come back for you.

"Mai," he pleaded, and his voice cracked slightly. "Trust me."

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"Mai."

Why does he keep saying that? Does he expect her to react to the name? It isn't her name, after all. From what she recalls, she has no name. So why does he keep saying it, like a prayer, like a plea?

Something inside her is stirring as he speaks, but its weak and flutters against her ribs briefly like broken wings before fading away. She studies his outstretched hand, trying her best to weigh the pros and cons of putting her faith in this boy, this boy who is still too young to be a man, and yet he draws her to him like a moth to the flame.

He seems familiar to her, and she doesn't know why.

"Mai. Trust me."

The two words make her look up at him, eyes wide.

Trust. She knows that word, dimly at least. Trust is something you have in a person who sleeps with you to keep you warm, who gives you food and takes care of you when you're sick. Trust is something she hasn't felt in a long, long time.

But something in his tone, in her eyes, makes her believe. Just a little.

Her vision is swirling and dim around the edges, and she wonders faintly if perhaps she is falling ill and that is what is affecting her judgment.

Slowly, ever so slowly, she holds her hand out to his, her fingers trembling slightly—from cold, from the headache that is pounding at her temples, from fear, from hope. She curls away from him for a brief second, hesitating, and almost hopes he'll grab her hand and force her to decide.

But he doesn't. He just waits.

Finally, she rests her hand in his, placing what little trust she has left in him.

She lets him lead her out of the cell, into the dim light of the hallway.

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You may have noticed by now that whenever I write from Mai's POV, she refers to things mainly in the present tense and doesn't call anyone, even herself, by name. This is done on purpose and there's a reason to it.

This chapter was difficult mainly because I needed to highlight just how messed up Mai is- not phyiscally or even with her sanity, but mentally. Right now, she's reverted back to an almost animal-like existence, and I tried my best to convey that, but I don't know how well it got across...

Read and review, please!