Equivalent Exchange
Chapter 15: Of Stealth and Plans
Mai and Zuko lazed on the river's steep bank. They both lay on their backs, hands behind their heads and bare feet skimming the water. It was late afternoon; they had finished a rigorous morning of training and eaten lunch. Iroh had suggested they relax together for awhile.
"We've been here two days already!" Zuko exclaimed, "and Jeong-Jeong still hasn't come out of his hut. I'm beginning to think that 'crazy' is a prerequisite for being a member of the Order of the White Lotus."
Mai snorted but said nothing. She wiggled her toes, enjoying the feel of the cool water. Her eyes were closed against the sun's bright glare and the beginnings of a smile played with her fine lips.
"Well, what do you think?" Zuko insisted.
"I think," Mai replied after a long pause, "that you shouldn't worry about it."
"But he's supposed to train me. What is he doing in that hut anyway? It's weird."
"Chey said that he's eccentric. I guess we'll have to wait for him to decide that he's ready."
"And this guy was a general," Zuko said derisively.
"When he finally does come out, maybe you'll wish he hadn't," Mai giggled. "I bet he's going to be tougher on you than your uncle has ever been."
"Hmmph," Zuko grumped. "We'll see."
"Hey, do you think that maybe we could sneak into town one day? It's so dull here and I've got no master to train me."
"A Fire Nation town; yeah, I don't think so."
"They're a bunch of shopkeepers," Mai stated. "What exactly are they going to know? And we don't have to be obvious."
"This," Zuko replied, pointing to his scar, "kind of makes me stand out."
"Then pull up your hood or we'll go in at night."
"Wait a minute, how about after everything's closed and everyone's asleep."
"The masks," Mai said simply.
"Yeah, the masks; we can practice our stealth. Besides, if we're going to be sneaking around places, there's somewhere I would rather go," the prince said pointedly.
"Pohuai Stronghold," Mai whispered. "Now that's crazy."
"Yeah," Zuko smirked. "But at least we can do some damage there."
"We need to plan. I'm not just going in there cold," Mai said firmly. "We use the town as practice and when we're ready, we break into Pohuai, after observing it for at least a day."
"Yeah," Zuko agreed, looking pensive and suddenly irrisistably adorable to Mai.
She rolled over onto her stomach, inched her way closer to Zuko, placed her lips on his and began to kiss him passionately. Zuko gripped her waist tightly, pulling her even closer, until Mai lay on top of him, her body fitting snugly against his. Mai could feel Zuko's arousal beneath her and she wiggled suggestively against it.
"Mai," the prince said breathlessly when she finally pulled away. "I want, but we…"
"Soon enough," Mai said calmly, covering up her own intense longing. "I can't wait much longer either. But for now we've got more important things to do. We need to become as stealthy as we can possibly be. Pohuai is very heavily guarded, Zuko; and they have the Yu Yan Archers there. If we screw up, we could die."
With that she rolled back off her betrothed and stood up, smiling down at him. Zuko stared at her unabashedly, admiring the sight.
"Oh, and when we go to town, we're getting books and soap. I need them both."
"K," Zuko agreed.
At that point he would have agreed to anything Mai said.
On the morning of their third day in Jeong-Jeong's hideout, the deserter emerged, cranky and sour looking, from his crude hut and went in search of Iroh. Zuko and Mai stood aside as the white haired man pushed right by them and stood in front the Fire Lord's brother, giving him a curt bow. Iroh bowed back, his deep and long, and gave the deserter a delighted smile.
"Jeong-Jeong, it is an honour to finally meet you. I hope that you can teach us all much, especially my dear nephew."
"Hmmph, that's up to him," he said gruffly and finally turned steel hard eyes on the prince of the Fire Nation.
Zuko squirmed under his gaze, feet shuffling around like those of a nervous child waiting to be punished for some misdeed or other. The firebending master was dressed in simple brown pants and a matching tunic. Overtop he wore a black poncho, far too warm for the weather they were having. He scrutinized Zuko's face, staring long and hard at the livid scar. His inspection was so intense that Zuko turned away.
"Don't you look away from me," the old man growled.
His voice was rough like it hadn't been used much for years. Zuko scowled angrily but turned back to face the man, pointedly inspecting his scars. They ran down the right side of his face, one twice as long as the other, in jagged red lines. The shorter one cut across his eyebrow and the outer corner of his fierce gold eye. Though obvious enough, Jeong-Jeong's marks were nothing compared to Zuko's.
"These," the deserter began, jabbing a finger at Zuko's face and then back at his own, "symbolize all that is wrong with the Fire Nation and the art of firebending itself. Fire is death and destruction, pain, loss and sorrow. There is no longer any control or restraint. Everything is about power. You, young prince, need to learn of the subtleties and intricacies and beauty of firebending, something that has been lost these last hundred years. It's all buried beneath the corpses of our so-called enemies. I left the army years ago, distraught and demoralized, ready to take my own life as payment for all the men and women and children I tore form this world. But whether because of cowardice or some sort of intervention, I did not give in to death. Now, I want to see your basic stance. Young lady, move aside."
Mai stepped back and then went to join Iroh and Jee.
"He's insane, isn't he?" she whispered, her tone completely flat and dry.
"No, no," Iroh replied. "He's simply, well, um, intense."
"It's all wrong," Jeong-Jeong shouted at Zuko.
He grabbed the prince's arms, adjusting them and then bent down to arrange his feet the proper way.
"I've been bending since I was six. I know how to stand," Zuko protested.
"I say you don't! Who taught you?"
"Master Sato and my Uncle Iroh taught me. Are you going to contradict them?"
"Yes," Jeong-Jeong stated.
Zuko looked over at Iroh who shrugged helplessly.
"What's the point of unlearning everything I've learned already? My uncle is one of the best firebenders. He taught me properly."
"Is he going to whine and complain constantly?" the deserter turned to ask Iroh. "If he is I refuse to teach him."
"Now, now, let's everyone settle down," said Iroh reasonably.
"I am settled," Jeong-Jeong replied indignantly. "Your nephew needs to learn how to listen and to learn control if he is to properly master fire. He must remember that fire will grow and move on its own, destroying everything in its path, if the bender does not HAVE CONTROL!"
Zuko flinched. He took a sidelong peek at Mai and saw that her shoulders shook with laughter. He would have to get her back for that somehow.
"You're distracted by the pretty girl; do you want me to make her leave?"
"No," Zuko roared, angry now. "You leave her alone. No one tells her where to go."
Iroh tapped Mai on the shoulder. She looked over at him, her face pink from the strain of repressing her laughter and now her pleasure at Zuko's comment.
"Perhaps we should leave those two stubborn men to fight their battle. How about we have some tea behind our hut and perhaps a game of pai sho?"
"Alright," Mai agreed reluctantly.
Nothing would be as entertaining as the Jeong-Jeong and Zuko duel of wills.
Zuko was completely wiped out for the first week of his training with Jeong-Jeong. The master made him practice just his stance for two days until he was finally satisfied. After that it was breath control. And after that, Zuko was finally allowed to make small fires, performing activities that required intense mental concentration. He flopped down on his bedroll, tucked into a corner of the hut shared by all four of them, at the end of every day, supper still fresh in his stomach.
"Gee, you're a lot of fun," Mai said one night and gave Zuko a poke. "What about sneaking into town? You don't want me to smell, do you Zuko?"
"Tomorrow night, I promise. Jeong-Jeong's letting me work on my own tomorrow while he does some meditation stuff all day. I'll be less tired."
He yawned and turned over, falling promptly back to sleep. Mai sighed and walked back outside, joining Iroh and Jee by a small fire.
"Have some tea, Mai," Iroh said, offering her a cup. "It's spicy chai, just like what we drank back home."
Mai took the cup and sipped thoughtfully.
"How is your knife throwing coming?" Jee asked politely. "Perhaps we could set up some targets for you."
"Sure," she replied distractedly.
She looked at her hands holding the cup, so much more rough looking than they were thirteen months ago, then at her almost ragged green and brown clothes.
"What's the matter, Mai?" Iroh asked gently. "Are you bored here?"
"Hmm, a little," she replied, gazing around the barren looking camp. "There's not much to do here. And Zuko's occupied all day."
"I agree that things are a bit sparse around here. A pai sho tournament might be in order."
"You could go fishing," Jee suggested. "Or we could take the rhinos for a ride. I think that Kusogaki is sulking."
Mai smirked.
"Maybe I should take her for a ride then. She likes me better."
"Yes, yes, I realize that the beast hates my guts. I still don't understand why."
"She prefers a woman's touch, I guess," Mai teased.
"Hmm, I think she does," Jee agreed.
They passed the rest of the evening in quiet and then joined Zuko in the hut.
The next night, the young couple waited until both Iroh and Jee were snoring loudly before they tiptoed carefully out of the hut and made their way to where the komodo rhinos were tethered. Their masks were hidden beneath a tree, under cover of some long grass and they stopped to scoop them up, shushing the anxious rhinos at the same time.
"You're sure that you want to do this?" Zuko asked for the third time in just a few minutes.
He was dressed completely in black, his long hair tied back in a loose ponytail, much like Mai's. She wore black too and had her money pouch stuffed inside the pocket of her loose tunic.
"Yes," she hissed quietly. "I'm dying to get out of this little valley, even if it's only for a few hours. Besides…..soap."
"Okay, okay, let's go."
They spurred the rhinos gently into action, talking softly to the animals in an effort to keep them quiet at least until they reached the top of the hill. Once a fair distance away from camp, Zuko and Mai breathed sighs of relief and rode quickly toward their destination. It was about midnight and they were hoping to find the town completely asleep, except for maybe a tavern or two.
When they reached a notice board, strange looking in the middle of a clearing, they stopped to read whatever information if offered. Zuko looked around and discreetly made a small flame in the palm of his hand. It flickered playfully, making undulating shadows on the white papers.
"Do you see?" Mai asked with something akin to both pride and wonder.
She pointed to a wanted poster. Depicted in bright colours were Zuko's mask, blue and white and laughing maniacally and her own, starkly pale with that slash of red at the mouth, looking like a wound.
"Agni," Zuko breathed. "I'm the Blue Spirit and you're the White Spirit. We're enemies of the Fire Nation and if captured will be punished severely."
He laughed quietly and looked at Mai; his eyes were alight with a mischievous fire.
"I say it's time to put them on again," Mai declared.
She tied on her mask and Zuko followed suit. They rode until the town was visible and then tied the rhinos off, being careful to keep them mostly hidden by thick brush. Stepping almost silently along the path, keeping their breathing soft and even, they moved closer and closer to the town square. Zuko kept his hand up, ready to unsheathe his swords while Mai had one hand on a blade, poised to withdraw it and throw.
They communicated with hand gestures and nods of the head, both thoroughly enjoying the escapade. It was as if each was born to it, both used to fading into the background rather than standing out. The town was silent. There was no tavern or restaurant or inn still open. A circle of lamps burned around the square, lighting up 'Hiro's General Store' and 'Misato's Fine Clothing'.
"There," Mai motioned with her hand, pointing to the general store.
They crept up to the front door and Mai picked the flimsy lock with one of her pointiest daggers. Business owners often lived on top of their shops and silence was imperative now. The door creaked slightly as Mai pushed it open and stepped across the threshold. Zuko followed close behind. They stood still for several minutes, just listening, waiting for footsteps on stairs or the panicked alert of a nonexistent watchman.
When nothing happened, they browsed quickly, Mai picking up several items, soap, three volumes of poetry and one play, a nail file, shampoo, material for bindings and a lightweight tunic and pants in neutral and terribly dull brown. Zuko found a book for himself, some soap of his own and randomly picked up a sewing kit.
Mai tapped him on the shoulder and then indicated the needles, scissors and spools of thread. He just shrugged and tucked them into a sac that they found on the counter top. Leaving sufficient coinage behind, they snuck out of the store, closed the door and ran back to the clearing. When they had untied the rhinos and ridden a fair distance they stopped, pulled off their masks and then dismounted.
"So," Mai said.
"Sooo…..that went well. You got everything you wanted, right? How about we go back in a few weeks, or less?"
"Yes, I did and we're going back alright. Too bad there isn't another town nearby," Mai mused.
She dropped down onto the long grass that grew beside the trail and stretched out luxuriously. The moon was about half full and stood out large and bright in the bluish black of the night sky. The stars gave off their cold white light too, and Mai lazily pointed out constellations, recalling Zuko's lesson of months before.
"Did I get them right?" she asked as he flopped down beside her.
"Mmmm, yes" he replied. "You're a good student."
His voice was teasing now and so full of love that Mai's heart constricted in her chest and her breath came haltingly. She turned over onto her side and looked at him closely. Mirroring her movement he turned too and they were face to face, only a few exceptionally tall stalks of green between them. Pushing them aside almost angrily, Zuko moved his face even closer to hers, looking deep into her eyes. Mai saw wonder and affection and a powerful love in his and behind all that a pain that never seemed to go entirely away. It was startlingly intimate, looking at the other so closely. Afraid to break the moment, both held their breaths for as long as they could before inhaling deeply and then pressing their lips together in a sweet, slow and lingering kiss.
It was with great reluctance that they rode back to Jeong-Jeong's hideout, tethered the animals again and crept into the hut. They kissed again, and then crawled into their bedrolls. Both fell asleep within minutes and slept a dreamless sleep.
"What is that you're reading, Mai?" Iroh asked the next morning, looking over her shoulder at the red bound volume of verse.
"Poetry," she replied briefly and continued with a gory ode to war.
"It doesn't look familiar," the man continued to prod. "By any chance did you and Zuko take a little trip to town last night?"
Mai sighed, put the book down on her lap and met Iroh's inquisitive eyes.
"Yes, we did. And we paid for everything."
"Hmmm," the former general said, stroking his beard. "I'm not sure that was a good idea. Chey can get what you need."
"It was fine, really. And we used our masks. Oh, and we're wanted by the Fire Nation, by the way; the Blue Spirit and the White Spirit."
"Yes, I suppose the Rough Rhinos would love to see you brought to Fire Nation justice for interfering with them. Now, do you understand why I worry?"
"We're very careful," Mai placated the man.
"I just hope that you and my nephew don't have any bigger plans," Iroh said suggestively. "Plans such as those could be deadly."
"Mmm," Mai hummed noncommittally. "I understand."
Iroh walked away muttering something about the folly of youth. Mai caught Zuko's eyes as he finished a mid level firebending form, Jeong-Jeong looking on dictatorially, stroking his own thin beard and moustache. She shrugged and indicated the disappearing form of Iroh with a turn of her shoulder. Zuko shrugged back.
"Do I need to smack you upside the head," the deserter shouted, spittle flying from his mouth.
"No, sir," Zuko replied meekly.
For the next three hours his attention never wavered.
A/N: My Christmas gift to you…I wrote that quickly. Enjoy! Remember, reviews are much appreciated. Let me know what you think, please.
Alabaster