Chapter 12: The Journey Begins
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"I, the Avatar and several of our allies will be taking an extended tour of the Earth Kingdom," Zuko announced to his council.
Lord Wen peered uneasily at his colleagues.
"We will be searching for the lost talisman of General Fu Yu." Zuko's eyes darted to those of General Chao.
Chao and the other Order members looked gleeful.
"In the meantime, I have selected from among you those that I trust to run the country while I am gone." He turned to Mai, seated beside him. "Would you do the honors, Fire Lady?"
Mai rose, unrolling a scroll. "Lady Ursa will be the head of the temporary council. She is now preparing herself. Master Piandao has been summoned from the countryside to oversee the army. He shall arrive shortly. Lord Wen has been appointed head of economics, and Master Jeong Jeong will advise." She rolled up her scroll. "My lord?" She did not turn to Zuko as she asked the question, but instead kept her eyes on the council, gauging the collective and individual responses.
"Thank you, my lady," Zuko said with a small smile. "It is unknown when we will return, but rest assured we will." Zuko spared the smiling General Chao a sidelong glance. "Try not to miss us too much."
General Chao rose. "Surely, this sudden trip has nothing to do with the assassination attempts on Fire Lady Mai."
Zuko cocked his head at him. "Of course not."
"Why would you say something like that?" Mai asked, her voice measured and her face completely relaxed.
"It's just a simple question," said General Chao. "I'm wondering if the Fire Lord and Fire Lady are brave enough to stay where they are in the face of danger."
"How do you even know someone tried to assassinate Mai—I mean, the Fire Lady?" Zuko asked. His undamaged cheek reddened.
"Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe reported finding a note with instructions to poison your sake," Lord Wen said. "I personally believe that it is a scare tactic." Lord Wen looked right at General Chao.
General Chao sneered at Lord Wen. "If it is a scare tactic, our Fire Lord and Fire Lady should not be intimidated."
"I am going," Zuko said, the fire before his throne rising, "because you and those like you have been demanding that I go. I am perfectly fine with staying and personally incinerating anyone who attacks my Fire Lady or myself, but, in this instance, I choose to take this chance to try patching up political relations. Don't you agree that would be a smart move, General?"
General Chao nodded slowly.
"Then this meeting is over."
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Zuko and Mai met Aang, Katara, Sokka, Suki and Toph in front of the palace.
"Is everyone ready?" Zuko asked, trying for the tenth time to take his things from a servant.
"All packed up and ready to go, Zuko!" Aang said happily.
"Good!" Zuko snatched his bag away from the servant and threw it onto Appa's back. He then took the servant carrying Mai's things by surprise and threw her bag onto Appa's back, too. "Finally!" he exclaimed. "And now for you." He grabbed Mai.
"Oh, no you don't!" Mai ducked away. "No throwing! I'll climb…"
Topekaia came running down the stairs towards them. "I just grabbed some last minute necessities." She tossed the bag over Zuko's head and into the war balloon Zuko and Mai had so graciously provided.
"Hey! Watch it!" Zuko cried, grabbing her other bag before she could throw it. He dropped it neatly into the balloon's basket. "That's better. Now, Mai, come on…"
Mai jumped away again. "I said no throwing! Let me climb in…"
"I wasn't going to throw you. Come on."
Topekaia rolled her eyes at the two newlyweds and hoisted herself into the balloon only to climb down the other side. "Um, I… I forgot something else!"
"What could you possibly be forgetting?" Sokka asked exasperatedly. "You've given us extras of everything!"
"I'm telling you I forgot something else! I'll be back."
Sokka, Toph, Zuko and Mai groaned as Topekaia ran back to the palace.
Zuko helped Mai into the basket and climbed in after her.
"Let's leave now," Zuko said to Aang.
Aang stared in shock. "What? I thought we were going to wait for—"
"She's not coming. Let's just leave now."
Mai jerked away from Zuko. "What? Yes, she is! We can't just leave her! I told her she could—"
"She's just stalling. Let's go before she holds us up any more."
"If you say so," Aang said. He snapped Appa's reins and called, "Yip, yip!"
Zuko heated up the balloon and took to the sky after Appa.
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Topekaia breathed heavily, her back to the wall of the storeroom. "You can do this," she told herself. "You can get in that basket and fly away, in the air, thousands of feet above the air! Oh, I can't!" She gulped air. "But I must!" With those words she grabbed a random pack, in order to look as if she really had forgotten something, and walked out of the storeroom to the courtyard.
She was rather surprised when all she found was Kotone, a servant girl she'd become acquainted with, sweeping the courtyard.
"Hey! Where did they go?"
"They left on their quest! I guess they just really had to leave, but I'm sure you'll catch up; Fire Lady Mai wouldn't have let them just leave you."
Topekaia nodded. "That must be it! They have my things anyway. I guess I'll just pack my Fire Nation clothes and this bag—"she indicated the bag of provisions she was carrying by lifting it—"and I'll meet up with them."
Kotone smiled. "Good idea."
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"So, this is camping," Mai said. "Can't say I care for it," she dropped into a seated position, a look of distaste on her face. "How did you all deal with—"she held a beetle between two fingers before flicking it away—"the outdoors?"
Katara laughed. "You get used to it."
"I hope I don't have that much time out here," Mai said.
"Weren't you travelling out here with Azula?" Sokka asked, sharpening his sword.
"In a train," Mai said. "Sleeping inside, where Azula would incinerate anything with more than the appropriate amount of legs." Mai exaggerated a disgusted shiver for the benefit of her friends.
"The 'appropriate' amount of legs, huh?" Katara jerked her head pointedly toward Appa, who bellowed plaintively.
Mai's mouth twitched. "In all reality," Mai said with a small, wicked smile, "she tried to incinerate him, too. But he showed us, I suppose." Mai's eyes slid between Katara and Sokka. "If he hadn't, the two of you might have had to visit my uncle in his… big house." Mai's playful laugh broke through her mask. "You should have seen your faces when Ty Lee and I actually captured you."
Sokka frowned at the memory, and then arched a brow. "Didn't you say it was boring?"
"Of course it was boring. The two of you were tired and weak. Bo-ring!" Mai leaned back on her elbows. "Until Appa blew us into the river. That's what I meant about him showing us." Mai wrinkled her nose. "I hate being wet."
"Really?" Katara asked, an idea forming.
Mai's brows shot up. She knew what was coming. She hurried to her feet. "Katara!" she exclaimed in a strangled voice, "you're not going to—"
Katara bent the water out of her water skin.
Mai ran around the trees. She decided she'd fight back, but she'd need Katara near more trees.
Katara glanced at Sokka. "Do you want to play, too?"
"That wouldn't be fair odds. It's only her…" Sokka considered a moment. "Let's go get her!" He jumped up and grabbed his sword.
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Mai's eyes flitted about in search of high ground. She knew Sokka was after her, too, which elevated the stakes. He'd be using his wits more than his sword, giving her license to do the same. She ran up a tree.
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Sokka and Katara burst into the clearing they'd seen Mai run into.
"Where'd she go?" Sokka asked, an excited gleam in his eyes. "She must be hiding somewhere…" He began to search immediately.
"You don't think she'd keep going?"
"No. Mai conserves her energy. She'll stop as soon as she can." Sokka walked carefully toward a bush. "I wonder if she could possibly be in here?" He threw his face into the bush with a yell.
Mai nearly laughed, wondering if she should pin him to the bush so he'd be stuck that way.
"I don't think bushes are Mai's style," Katara said.
Zuko and Aang entered the clearing.
"What are you two up to?" Zuko asked.
Katara spared her boyfriend and Zuko a glance. "I started a little game with—"
Mai took the opportunity, with Katara looking away, to jump out of the tree, knives already out, and pin Sokka's feet to the ground. She then turned her attention to Katara, towards whom she was still falling.
Katara was surprised, but she shot a wave at Mai. "Looks like you're about to—"
Knives were coming through Katara's wave.
She quickly froze it.
Mai's feet made contact with the ice and she bounced off it. She then grabbed onto the trunk of the tree she'd been hiding in, swinging behind it as Katara shot a new wave at her. She hazarded a glance around the tree, where she saw Katara picking the ice off the ground.
"My turn!" Sokka called, lunging at Mai. He hadn't noticed that Mai had pinned down his feet, and had to catch himself. "Oh! You little—"
Zuko cleared his throat, glaring at Sokka. "She's a little what, Sokka?"
Sokka cringed. "Nothing… Zuko… she's just…"
Sokka's arms were soon pinned to the bush.
"You are now immobilized," Mai informed him, striding towards him.
Katara ran at Mai.
Mai jumped behind Sokka.
"No fair!" Sokka exclaimed.
"Be quiet, Mr. Two-on-one!" Mai said.
Sokka tried to twist out of Mai's knives. "Why did you have to—" Sokka was thrown into the brunt of a water whip. "Ow!" he howled. "Ma-ai!"
Mai's face was stony with concentration. She did not even look at Sokka, as she was now dodging Katara's long range attacks.
"Why aren't you fighting back?" Katara taunted.
"You aren't standing in front of anything I can pin you to! Would you like me to throw knives at you now where all they'll do is rip your clothes?"
Katara withdrew her water as she thought.
Mai further secured Sokka. Then she exhaled sharply. She vaulted into the trees using Sokka's shoulders, globules of water following her up.
Katara came closer, trying to see Mai in the trees. Inching even closer, she reached out to try freeing Sokka. A knife flew down in front of Katara's hand.
"None of that," Mai said.
"Why are you up there?" Katara asked in irritation.
"This has to be realistic, and if I really wanted to fight you, I'd try to overwhelm you. But you can bend, and I have a limited supply of knives. I have to conserve my weapons and that means keeping you where I can see you." A shower of throwing needles drove Katara back.
"Why don't we call it even?" Aang asked, placing a hand on Katara's shoulder.
"Why should we, Avatar?" Mai asked mockingly.
She hung out of the tree, legs wrapped around a tree branch, eyes glittering.
"I don't want all this fighting," Aang explained.
Mai sighed and rolled her eyes. She released her legs' hold on the tree, and then dropped to the ground.
"What about me?" Sokka griped.
Mai sighed again, and wrenched him free. "There you go," she said, and began to walk away.
Sokka's leg swept out, tripping Mai, and he bent over her, sword an inch from her face. "That's what I would've done if you'd let me move."
"Which is why I didn't," Mai grunted, finding it hard to get the words out with Sokka crushing her.
"Sokka!" Zuko growled dangerously. "Get off of my wife." Zuko was beginning to stalk over to them.
Sokka smiled sheepishly. "Right. Sorry."
Mai didn't wait for Sokka to get off. She threw him off, standing indignantly.
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Zuko reached her at that moment, and wrapped his arms around her. "That was an amazing performance," he told her.
Mai shivered, but tried to appear businesslike. "I have to go collect my knives," she said, pulling away.
Undaunted, Zuko followed her as she collected her weapons.
"What started that?" he asked, offering her a knife she'd missed.
"I told Katara how I feel about being wet."
Zuko laughed. "Oh, Mai! Bad move!"
Mai shot him a glare.
"Sorry." Zuko grabbed her so he could kiss her.
Mai sighed. "Whatever," she said, brushing him off.
Zuko stood still, watching her curiously. A question was forming in his mind, but he didn't want to get into trouble for asking. "Are you feeling… all right?"
Mai whirled so she could look at him. "Why do you ask?" Her eyes were warning signs.
"You just seem… irritated. Is it me?" He knew he had to be careful here, so he was trying to make his way around the issue.
"I am irritated!" Mai said sharply, shoving her knives into place.
"Why?" Zuko was hit with a sense of irony. "Are you angry at me?"
Mai paused, and then her eyes met his. "No. I'm just irritated." She was calmer, at least. "I can't figure it out. I didn't feel like this a few minutes ago."
"It's just that it started right when I was going to kiss you…"
Mai bit her lip. "It's not you. I just…" Mai sighed. "I don't even know what to tell you."
"Could it have something to do with that fight with Katara and Sokka?" Why he was still probing the issue, Zuko had no idea.
"No," Mai's voice was losing its edge. "I'm sorry, Zuko."
Zuko laughed. "It's okay; I'm the last person who has the right to feel offended."
Mai laughed. "That's all of them, Zuzu."
Zuko ran at her. "Can I?" he asked at the last minute, arms positioned to grab her.
Mai rolled her eyes. "Go ahead, you silly man."
Zuko picked her up without hesitation. "Mine!" he said to no one.
"You are now officially the Corny Lord, just like Toph has been saying."
"When has Toph said that?" Zuko asked in bewilderment.
"Behind your back, of course."
"Well, if you say so!" he said cheerfully. "At least the Corny Lord has a beautiful lady all to himself!"
"What's suddenly got you so happy?" Mai asked.
"I don't know. What had suddenly gotten you so moody?" Zuko jostled her.
Finally, Mai gave in. As they'd now stopped, she had no problem bringing tongue into the equation.
"Oh, eew! Angry Lord! Sunshine! What's this?" Toph and Suki were standing not far off.
Zuko and Mai looked over in surprise.
Mai briefly wondered when she'd become wedged between Zuko and a tree.
"Sorry," Suki said, grabbing Toph's arm, "you can—"
"It's all right," Zuko and Mai said together.
Zuko let Mai drop down to few inches he'd lifted her. "What did you come for?"
"Katara wants everyone back at the camp site for dinner," Toph said.
"Right." Zuko put an arm around Mai. "Come on, you need food."
Mai rolled her eyes at him. "I know."
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Mai retired early, retreating into her bedroll. She just wanted to forget that she was out in the middle of nowhere. It was so easy to fall asleep that it only took her a couple of seconds. A moment later, she was soaked to the bone. Her eyes flew open, muscles tensed. "What was that for?" she asked, teeth chattering at the coldness of the water.
"I finally got you," Katara said smugly.
Mai looked over at Katara. "You win. Can you please just… get rid of all this water?"
Katara frowned. "What's wrong with being a little wet?"
"Soaked to the bone is more like it…" Mai began to wring out her hair.
Katara sighed and bent all the water off of Mai. "Happy?"
"No. Grumpy." Mai pulled her bedroll blanket over her face, curling up in the cloth.
Katara just rolled her eyes as she settled into her own sleeping bag. Hopefully, Mai would eventually loosen up.
Zuko appeared and looked at all the bedrolls. His eyes landed on one that was scrunched up defiantly. He didn't even have to think about the fact that it was the only one made with Fire Nation red. He knew it was Mai in there. He strode over. Seeing Katara, he nodded acknowledgement at her. "How is my woman doing?" he asked loudly, hoping to wake Mai up.
"She's… grumpy," Katara said. "I got her wet."
Zuko shook his head. "You shouldn't do that."
Mai peeked up at Zuko, then around at the rest of the camp. "Zuko, where's your bedroll?" she asked.
Zuko winked down at her. "You're in it."
"Oh!" Mai started pulling out of it.
"Don't get up," Zuko said. "My bedroll, my woman. Too close to everyone else." He gripped the bedroll's edge, close to Mai's head. Then he began to drag her along the ground.
"Zuko, what are you doing?" Mai asked, rolling over to face her husband.
Everyone looked up at the two, except Toph. Still, Toph laughed along with Sokka and Suki.
Mai blushed and stopped struggling, looking up at Katara, who was giggling behind her hands.
"Good night, everyone!" Zuko called, before walking even further. "That should be enough," he said to Mai. He sat next to her, and pulled off his boots, then his shirt. He looked over at Mai to assess her reaction.
Mai remained expressionless, but her face heated, anyway.
Zuko reached out and felt her face. "Aw, you're blushing. What? Do you want something?" He leered wickedly at her now.
Mai's mouth dropped open. "You are so—"
"Handsome?" Zuko offered.
"Idiotic!" Mai finished.
Zuko tilted his head at her. "Is that how you really feel?" He inched closer.
Mai retreated. "Yes! You're an idiot! We don't have to be all the way out here!"
"What's wrong with out here?" Zuko asked.
"It's cold," Mai said.
A grin spread across Zuko's face. "I'll keep you warm," he said as he slid into the bedroll with Mai. "You are going to be very, very warm tonight, Mai."
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My (Nocturna's) profuse apologies for the long delay since the last update. Life decided that these past few weeks were a good time to throw everything at me at once, and so I've been crazy busy and haven't had time to update. And then this site decided that I hadn't been having enough trouble and was refusing to let me log into my account, which further delayed the posting of this chapter.
Hopefully, this chapter will mark the return to the regular, once a week update schedule.
Our thanks to the considerate people who took the time to tell us what they thought of our story: gloomy maiko lover, Kimjuni2, NeverTooLate03, and Silvereyes12.