Facing the Sun

Chapter Two

Something about the way the darkness never ceased to end led her to believe that maybe she was simply dreaming, feeling her way aimlessly down a long dark corridor and hoping to find whatever source of light she could. And then, after nothing but cold licking hungrily at her fingertips for so long, she would feelsomething warm and comforting. Memories would embrace her heart and silence her fears – memories of when her mother used to sit with her on the veranda in the beginnings of spring and run her fingers through her long hair, braiding them so beautifully that Miyu would never want to untie them.

Then it was back to the darkness. The chilly void that never seemed to end. Down the long dark corridor Miyu traveled, drifting like a single falling leaf in the late of autumn.

Not for a moment did she question this place. Though it was a place far from the warmth and comfort of the sun, she crept onward, her feet carrying her along as if she no longer commanded them. Then she heard voices in the distance, their words all but whispers. She called out to them without words of her own, for her own voice had long since betrayed her.

At last, there was a light far ahead, waiting for her patiently. She forgot about her voice's untimely betrayal and begged her feet to carry her at a quicker pace. She longed for the soothing warmth entangled in her beloved memories to caress her skin once more, if only once….

Something brushed past her ear, prickling it just enough to send chills all down her spine. Miyu turned her head away reflexively, groaning and mumbling something about not wanting to get out of bed. She brought her legs up, curling her small body as a lazy cat basking in the sun would.

Again, the tickling sensation caught the sensitive edges of her ear, then ravaged through her hair. There was a huff, and then another, loud enough to jerk Miyu awake.

"I said stop that!" she screeched, springing her upper body from the dirt she mistook as her clean bed sheets. Her eyes locked with two large black orbs staring back, reflecting the midday sun like glass marbles. "Uhh…" Miyu looked around, suddenly very aware that this place was, in fact, not her bedroom and that the person who was trying to wake her up was, in fact, not a person at all.

It was an ostrich horse.

It whinnied gleefully, stamping its hooves in approval of Miyu's attention.

Miyu laughed nervously, slowly inching her way backwards. How in the world did she end up here, in a barn? Maybe she was still dreaming, though this would certainly make for a very odd dream.

"Oh, hey! You're finally awake!"

Miyu scrambled in surprise, her hands slipping over scattered hay straws.

A young boy with dark hair and tanned skin peered over the wooden barrier between Miyu and freedom, or at least fresh air. He folded his arms and rested them on the gate's surface, setting his chin down and smiling in fascination with the strange girl in the barn. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare ya. My Grandma's been askin' me to keep an eye on you. She's real funny about strangers. That's why you're sleepin' in a barn." Then he chuckled. "Tao doesn't seem to mind the company, though."

The ostrich horse whinnied again and approached the boy as if demanding his attention. Miyu was relieved, taking the opportunity to stand and brush the dirt and hay from her clothes. "Where am I? And how long have I been asleep in this barn?"

"You're in Ba Sing Se!" The boy piped as if the answer was obvious. "The lower ring. And to answer your other question, you've been sleepin' in there for about three days. Thought you'd never wake up!"

"Ba…Sing…" Miyu felt dizzy. "No way. How?"

"Uhh… Well, don't ask me. All I know is that my Grandma found you sleepin' against her mirror in the day room," he shrugged, patting Tao gently on the nose. "So where are you from? Maybe me and my grandma can take ya back."

"A mirror?" Miyu's eyes widened. A mirror.

This couldn't be happening.

"I'm from a small town called Hirokai," she started timidly. "Does that sound familiar?" she asked hopefully.

"Hirokai, huh?" The boy narrowed his eyes in thought, rubbing his chin with the pad of his thumb. "Hirokai…"

Miyu nodded. Her heart was racing. "Y-Yes. It's a tiny village by the –"

"Nope."

"Huh?"

"Never heard of it," he chirped then as if that was somehow good news. Tao huffed and pecked at the ground for whatever had stolen his interest.

Miyu rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands, hoping that she could maybe wipe away the boy, the barn, and the ostrich horse and replace them with her parents, her house, and her cat. Though she wanted to dismiss this situation as being just another scene in one of her nonsensical dreams, she was starting to believe that it was all very real – all thanks to a certain mirror in Aya's room.

A mirror that was supposed to be ordinary and turned out to be quite the opposite.

But now what?

Miyu paced back and forth, running a hand through her bangs. "I really should've paid more attention to those stories," she mumbled, clenching her eyes shut.

"Are you okay?" The boy cocked an eyebrow. "Ya know, just because I haven't heard of that town doesn't mean we can't find someone who has heard of it."

Miyu stopped in her tracks, her face lightened. "Wait, is your grandmother home now? Is there any way I can talk to her?"

"Yup and yup. Come on, get outta that barn. Fair warning, though. My grandma will probably make you bathe since you smell like Tao." He chuckled, crinkling his nose as Miyu followed him out past the shady confines of the barn. Tao whinnied in disappointment, prancing back and forth in an attempt to call them back.

"I'll come back, buddy." The boy smiled over his shoulder, catching one last glimpse of Tao's display before turning his attention back to Miyu.

"By the way, I'm Touya."

"Miyu," she said faintly, her mind wandering. What would her parents think once they discover her empty bed? What would they think when they see that she was nowhere to be found? She shivered at the thought. Miyu didn't want to reopen their scars from having lost one daughter already. For a moment, she remembered the sound of her mother's sobs when she would cry late at night.

"Hey, anybody in there? Earth to Miyu!"

Miyu flinched as if waking up from a daydream in Ms. Kanou's class. "S-Sorry," she uttered. "This situation is just a bit…" she thought for a brief moment, biting her lip, "surreal to me. And a little scary."

"Yeah, well I guess I'd be pretty darn scared too if I woke up in some strange place. Especially a barn. You were probably sleeping in Tao's poop."

They headed up a short set of rickety wooden steps to an obviously aged porch, where Touya swung the door open with the least amount of grace Miyu had ever seen.

She hesitated to follow behind, instead angling her neck just enough to somewhat peer inside.

"Well what are you waitin' for, Miyu? Grandma might be a little suspicious of you because you're a stranger an' all, but she doesn't bite!" Touya laughed. "She's really nice, actually."

"Okay." Miyu smiled faintly, though she imagined a small, wrinkled old lady with the fangs of a saber tooth lion moose waiting for her inside. She swallowed a thick lump in her throat.

"You smell like poop!" An old woman croaked, crinkling her nose. "I should've known better than to make you sleep out there with that smelly octopus horse."

"Ostrich horse." Touya sat across from his grandmother in the day room, satisfied that his prediction had come true. He knew his grandma all too well.

"Whatever. Same difference." The old woman shakily rose from her chair, motioning for Miyu to follow. "Come on, poor thing. You need a bath."

"I'm sorry to be such a burden," Miyu said gently, following the old woman down the nearby hallway to the last room. "I'm honestly not sure how I got here in the first place." She decided against mentioning the mirror that had transported her. The old woman already looked at her as if she had three heads and they had just met only moments ago.

"No use in apologizing, dear. Things happen all the time that are beyond our control," she sighed, opening a door that revealed a surprisingly lavish bathroom in stark contrast with the rest of the humble household. "We just have to make the best of it. I'm starting by making sure you get a bath," she chuckled, lighting candles to illuminate the room.

"Thanks," Miyu said quietly. "I could really use one, that's for sure."

"Well, it's all yours. Go for it. Just don't stay in there too long or you'll start to look wrinkly like me!" The woman cackled, shutting the door on her way out and leaving Miyu to her own devices.

Miyu sighed and gripped the edge of her top with both hands, intent on tugging it up and over her head when there was a knock on the door.

Before she had a chance to reply, the door swung open and the old woman waddled back in with a clean towel and long, silky dress that made Miyu's eyes widen.

"Can't forget about these. You can wear this dress for now, since your clothes are filthy. I wore it when I was about your age and I was pretty slender like you, so it should fit all right. I don't believe I can find anything else in my closet close to this size. Anyway, carry on with your stripping!" And just like that, she was back out the door.

Miyu waited a moment just to be sure the woman wouldn't come back before undressing, and then she slowly dipped herself in the tub. The water wasn't exactly warm as she hoped, but it felt good to rid her body of the grime she had attained by sleeping in the barn for three days.

Why in the world did she sleep for so long?

So many questions flooded her mind. Miyu let her head dip beneath the water's surface, resting herself on the tub's floor and creating tiny air pockets around her nose.

She hadn't even bothered to ask what year it was. Actually, she hadn't thought to ask much about anything. She was so overwhelmed that most of what she wanted to say ended up as a sigh or a swallow instead. Her heart began to thump a little harder at the thought that she would never get back home – at the possibility that she had gone back in time, even. She couldn't stay with these people for too long. They were kind enough for even letting her sleep in the barn, despite the fact that she was a stranger and they had no idea what she was and wasn't capable of. She was lucky they didn't drag her out into the street and let her sleep there, instead.

Then again, wasn't this what she wanted? To find her place in the world, even if that meant she would be taken far from the safety and familiarity of her home?

Miyu wasn't so sure anymore.

Her eyes snapped open when she remembered one vital detail. She came up for some fresh air, rubbing the water out of her eyes with the back of her hands.

Touya had mentioned that Miyu was found sleeping in front of a mirror in this house.

"The day room," Miyu thought to herself aloud.

Maybe she could go back to Hirokai after all.

"Here, hand me those filthy clothes of yours and I'll wash 'em for you," the old lady beckoned, reaching a hand out to take them.

Miyu had just finished her time in the bathroom, wearing the dress the old woman had kindly left for her. It was a soft, spring-green cheongsam with short sleeves and a slit up the left side that came to a stop mid-thigh. Miyu was thankful for the modest neckline, but her face warmed whenever the material of the dress would slip aside to reveal the smooth skin of her thigh. She would hastily grab for the silk and correct it, hoping to keep herself hidden.

"Th-Thank you, ma'am. For everything," she smiled delicately, her features tainted a light pink.

"No problem," the woman said gruffly, though the deceptive smile on her face revealed that she was merely frustrated from the physical work of washing Miyu's school uniform.

Miyu tilted her head in curiosity, watching over the woman's shoulder in what appeared to be a laundry room. "This might sound silly, but I was wondering…"

"What is it?"

"Is there such a thing as a washing machine?" Miyu knew that the Ba Sing Se of her time was up to par with the rest of the world, but what about here and now?

The woman stopped suddenly, letting the closes sink in the washbasin. "A what now?" She said, cocking an eyebrow and squinting her eyes.

"A washing… nevermind," Miyu chuckled, her face warming.

"Where did you say you were from again?" The woman leaned closer as if to inspect a price tag on an object.

"I'm from Hirokai," Miyu replied nervously. "It's a small town not far from the city, Hitachi."

"I don't believe I've ever heard of these Hirokai and Hitachi places." The woman turned back to her work, kneading the fabric with a type of soap that reminded Miyu of her mother's flower garden from years ago.

"Oh." Miyu frowned, peering down at her feet.

After a moment, she wandered into the day room in search of a mirror, hoping that she would find her passage back home. Of course, she would wait to say goodbye to Touya and his grandmother, but Miyu was far too anxious to push thoughts of home aside. For the time being, it seemed as if the woman wanted to be left alone to work in peace, so Miyu decided she might as well use to time to see the mirror for herself.

"Whatcha doin', Miyu?"

Touya came in from being outside with Tao, Miyu assumed. "I'm looking for that mirror you said I was sleeping in front of." She realized she sounded a little odd and suspicious. "I mean, you mentioned that I woke up in front of a mirror, so…"

"Oh. Right over there, behind the chair grandma always sits on. She was thinkin' about selling that old mirror for some coin. Been runnin' a little low on funds lately."

"Oh," Miyu smiled, clutching her arm. "Thanks. I was just curious." Would he believe her if she told him that's where she came from? Probably not. She sighed, brushing a hand through her bangs. She would probably have to tell him sooner or later, but she wasn't quite ready at the moment.

"Somethin' on your mind?" Touya asked, a smile creeping along his rowdy features.

"I…" she thought for a moment, caught between being bluntly honest or just a little honest. She settled for the latter. "I'm just worried, I guess. Seems like your grandmother's never heard of Hirokai, either."

"My grandma never gets out of the house! Don't ask that woman anything about town and cities outside of Ba Sing Se."

"I heard that!" The woman shouted from the laundry room. Miyu and Touya laughed.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll find someone who can help you. This city is huge! There are so many people here. I'm sure at least one can help you out somehow," Touya supplied with a friendly smile. "Believe it or not, I have permission to travel to the upper ring. That's where my dad lives."

"Why don't you guys just live with him, then?" Miyu's curiosity got the better of her. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be nosy," she uttered.

"No, it's okay. I had a choice to live with him or live with my grandma. I chose to live here because my dad is… well…" Touya scraped the floor with his foot, his eyes becoming distant for a moment. "My dad isn't really a dad most of the time. He drinks a lot."

Miyu nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry," she said gently.

"Sure, this isn't the nicest ring to live in. This house is small and we barely have any property. This ring is really, really crowded with people, and there's a lot of crime. But my grandma is like a mother to me. She always has been. I would choose love over riches any day! That's why I chose to live here with her."

"Then you're on the right track to becoming a fine young man, Touya." His grandmother approached them from the other room, tenderly pulling the boy into a side hug. "Well Miyu, your clothes need some time to dry and then they should be as good as new." Then she glanced approvingly over Miyu's outfit. "You might as well keep that dress. It's been sitting in my closet for years collecting dust. Besides, I'm too old to even consider wearing that thing ever again. Probably give Touya nightmares for the rest of his life!" She cackled, ruffling the boy's hair.

Touya grimaced. "You're probably right," he mumbled, though only Miyu heard.

"Are you sure?" Miyu asked, looking over the dress. It had been kept in excellent shape. Not only that, but the fabric seemed like it was probably very expensive. It reminded her of a dress Aya used to point out every time they would go to the mall in Hitachi. She was always say how much she would love to wear a dress like that, and Miyu secretly planned all along to save her allowances in order to buy it for her.

Even though things have changed, the dress was still there, and Miyu was still putting her yuans into her piggy bank for her sister.

"Oh, take it. I won't miss it."

Miyu's eyes widened. "That's very kind of you. Thank you so much! It's beautiful."

"Good. I'm glad you like it." Then the woman smirked. "Ya know, it looks sexy on you. You might pick up a few bachelors if you decide to look around the city," she said deviously, wiggling her eyebrows.

Miyu's face turned several shades of red. "Wh-What? A-Actually, I might change back into my school clothes before leaving. I'm not ready for that kind of attention."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Trust me, a lot of guys around here have no class!" Touya said, crossing his arms. "This is no place to walk around wearing a cheongsam. And besides, the last thing she needs to worry about right now is pickin' up some guy!"

Miyu nodded briskly.

"I was only teasing!" The woman scolded. "Besides, you should save it for something special. A trip around the city might end up ruining it, anyway."

"So, once your clothes finish dryin', whaddya say we give the upper ring a try?" Touya asked.

"I would like that very much," Miyu said with a gentle smile, though in the back of her mind, her curiosity still nagged her about the mirror.

She waited until Touya busied himself with cleaning his room (under his grandmother's instruction) and the old woman busied herself with another household chore that took her to a room down the hallway. Then, she circled around the chair Touya had pointed to earlier, resting her eyes one the mirror she had supposedly been sleeping beside.

"Hmm…" She bit her lip, reaching a hand to rest it on the mirror's cool surface. It didn't glow like the one in Aya's room, nor did it react in any way to her hand. She let out a breath she had been holding, only to plop herself down on the floor beside the mirror.

There was a part of her that wanted the mirror to take her back, despite the attachment she already had to the boy and his grandmother. If not this mirror, then which one? And where would she find it? If her grandmother's stories were correct, the mirror in Aya's room should've transported her to one of the other six like it.

But it didn't.

Miyu was beginning to feel dizzy, but the thought of there being someone who could help her in Ba Sing Se lightened her spirits if only a little.

She wasn't sure how she would find the right mirror and get back home. Even though there were seven possible mirrors, they could be anywhere. A small voice in the back of her mind reminded her of final moments in Aya's room, when she thought she felt her sister's presence.

"Don't be afraid," someone had told her. Miyu believed with all of her heart that it was Aya.

Her eyes brimmed with tears at the onslaught of repressed emotions, but she held them back stubbornly. She never would've believed that a mirror could transport her anywhere, but now, she wished she would've paid attention to her grandmother's stories a little more. Aya had once convinced her that they were only fantasy, but now, Miyu knew better.

Though she was far from home, she was determined to find her place in the world, no matter how afraid she was. Miyu didn't know why her sister was taken from her all those years ago, nor did she know why the accident left her powerless to waterbend any more than bubbles and splashes. She didn't know why she could only heal, and why that ability was so strangely acute, but deep down, she believed that it was all a part of a destiny she was resolved to find.

In a world always so full of wounds both physical and emotional, Miyu hoped that there was room for someone who could possibly contribute to healing those wounds. Maybe that was what she needed in order to heal her own.

She looked over her shoulder into the mirror behind her, studying her reflection coldly.

Touya yawned and stretched exaggeratedly, stepping off the monorail and heading through the small station into the sunlight of late afternoon. Miyu followed quietly behind, her eyes wide in wonder of the exquisite layout of the ring.

"Wow…" she whispered, staring up along a plethora of evenly-spaced, golden rooftops of lavish households.

"Well, here we are! Whaddya think? It's pretty nice, huh?" Touya piped, taking a deep breath. Even the air seemed to be different here.

"It's incredible," Miyu breathed, surveying everything in sight.

"Come on, I can show you around. And while we're at it, we can ask some people if they know anything about your town." He turned to walk away and stopped abruptly when Miyu grasped the back of his shirt.

"Wait…" Miyu trailed, unsure of how to begin.

"What's the matter?" Touya asked, frowning.

"Actually, I don't think anyone will know about my town, Touya." She grasped her wrist wearily, peering off into a grouping of colorful lilies.

"Why?" His eyebrows furrowed.

"Because it doesn't exist yet," she said quietly, bringing her eyes to meet his.

"Wait, yet? What are you sayin', Miyu?"

"I'm…" she struggled to find the right words. No matter what she thought of, it all sounded too awkward to say out loud. Regardless, she needed to say something. "I'm from a different time. I know this is very difficult to believe, but I ended up being transported here by some kind of legendary mirror. I think my grandmother called it…" she raked her memories for the answer that waited at the tip of her tongue.

Touya started snickering, and the more he tried to contain it, the more obvious it became.

"No, really! I know, it's crazy, but you have to believe me," Miyu pleaded, her face reddening. "Stop laughing!" She feared that she would start laughing, too. And then her story would be really difficult to believe.

"I'm sorry," he finally managed to squeak, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. "You're funny, ya know that?"

"You don't believe me," she said flatly, her shoulders drooping.

He sighed. "I don't know how I feel about 'magic' mirrors and whatnot. But you are pretty strange compared to most of the people I've met around here. And I mean that in a good way."

"So…" Miyu started, hope drenching her features.

"You don't strike me as a liar, so even though the idea of being spit out into the past by a mirror is pretty funny, I'll help you. I guess you want to look around for a mirror that can send you back to where you came from, right?"

Miyu blinked. "Yeah," she said in surprise. "That's the plan."

Touya grabbed her wrist, tugging her forward. "Then let's get goin'! I know just the place to start."

"So where are we going, exactly?" Miyu asked, peering down at Touya who seemed excited for unknown reasons.

"There's this tea shop where my dad works. All kinds of people go there. Instead of wanderin' the streets, we can just ask around in the tea shop. What could it hurt? Besides, Quon likes me."

"Who?"

"The owner of the shop. He's pretty nice. You're weird and all, but I think he'd like you, too."

"Hey!" she chuckled, flicking Touya in the back of the head. "Okay, I'm weird. Glad we've established that."

Touya laughed in return. "Well, you do travel through mirrors."

"Yeah… That is pretty weird. I guess I can't argue with that."

The sun was beginning to set over the rooftops, leaving the sky a deep shade of orange. Miyu realized a while ago that the streets in the upper ring were generally less crowded, with the occasional carriage passing by or a few well-dressed people here and there walking to and from their houses or wherever their interests led them. Tempting smells from a nearby restaurant wafted past Miyu's nose, stirring a low rumble in her stomach. Music drifted by from somewhere in the distance, and lamps began to flicker to life and light the city in the sun's absence.

She and Touya took steps that subtly led to a higher elevation of sidewalk, where a fairly large shop sat not too far ahead. There were people going in and out, and it became apparent that this place was a favorite among the city's residents.

"The Jasmine Dragon," Miyu read aloud from the lettering on the building, tilting her head slightly.

Where had she heard that name before? Before she could say anything else, Touya bolted ahead and out of her reach.

"Last one there's a rotten ostrich horse egg!" He laughed.

"Hey, no fair! You cheat!" Miyu sprung forward, not minding the strange looks she got from the upper class citizens around her.

She couldn't help but laugh as she slipped past several people, catching a slight glimpse of Touya as he reached the entrance and headed in without her.

'Boys. Always so competitive,' she thought. "Touya, wait up!"

Finally making it to the door, she slipped her fingers around the handle, easily forgetting that there was likely to be anyone on the other side. In her haste, she swung the door open and propelled herself forward, slamming right into someone.

To make things worse, she lost her footing and landed on this person, too.

Miyu's face turned a million shades of red before she dared to look up and beg for mercy from the person she had landed on so clumsily. There was a groan or two, deeper than she expected. Ignoring the snickers and gasps of those who had witnessed her tragically embarrassing accident, she slowly lifted her head, locking eyes with a set of unusual amber ones staring right back.

Suddenly, she was frozen in place, her mouth slightly agape and her eyes widening faintly. Her mind screamed at her to get up – to do anything but this, but it was as if she had forgotten how to move altogether.

"Prince Zuko…" she whispered breathlessly.

A/N: Things have been pretty hectic for the past few weeks, but spring break is finally here and I can do whatever I please for a week straight! Well, for the most part. It's wonderful. Anyway, thanks to those of you who gave your time to read this! I'm trying to make sense of where this story will go, so I will be dealing with some writer's block here and there, but I will do my best to update this story whenever I can. Again, thank you so much! Make this writer happy and come back for chapter three. Me gusta. :D