Hello, people! My plan is, there's gonna be Maiko on both sides in this chap. And because this is only one chapter, the next one is gonna have all those Ty LeexSomebody thingies. And then Ty Zula appears... So, a lot of writing ahead! :P I hate how there's no varying font on fanfiction...! BTW, to Athena Richter (I know who you are... stalker statement), yes, Ty Zula. People (well, it makes sense in context) have spoken (well, typed). Sooo, sorrry!

Zuko was feeling down one day, when he thought of Mai's dreary face and brightened considerably. Walking over to Sokka, he tapped his friend on the shoulder with a finger.

"Hey, Sokka, you're the tech guy, right?" He asked. Sokka looked puzzled.

"What does 'tech' mean?"

Sighing, Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. But he pressed forward.

"Ah, nevermind. Just, tell me, if I wanted to read a story about... say... Ozai, does he have to be there in order for me to be able to read the story, or what?"

Sokka tilted his head. After a while, he shook it.

"No, I don't think so. I mean, I've-" Quickly, he cut himself off and bit himself on the tongue. He refused to admit to Zuko that he had been finding fanfics about him and Yue, which was the reason for his red, puffy eye-ness every day before dinner.

"Anyways, sure, yeah, you're welcome to the iPad. Just select the characters you want to read about and... well, you know how to do it." Sokka said quickly, turning the topic back towards Zuko before he could spill everything to the Fire Nation boy. Then he sidled off. Zuko was perplexed by the turn of events, but shrugged it off and sat cross-legged in front of the iPad in what had been dubbed unofficially, 'The iPad Room'. Glancing around furtively, he quickly blew a wall of fire in front of the door so that the door could open, but the entering person's vision would be obscured. Zuko honestly didn't know why he had all of these protection measures set into place. Perhaps Sokka's 'awareness' (Translation: Extreme-to-the-point-of-strange Obsessive-ness) of each boy's manliness degree had rubbed off onto him, and now he was scared for other people to see him cry, albeit only in loneliness.

Zuko shivered at the thought.

Then, all thoughts were forgotten as he landed a fairly short story entitled Sharp As Knives, and he smiled slightly as he began reading.

Azula looked at Ty Lee's bouncy, smiling face that held a tiny degree of boredness. Then she stared into Mai's bored expression a tiny degree past her usual one, and realized that they needed to do something drastic. Something new. She was tired of hiding and plotting. So she flicked her finger, igniting a blue flame, and said calmly,

"We're going to attack the Avatar's hideout today."

Ty Lee clapped and laughed cheerfully, backflipping into her tent to get ready. Mai rolled her eyes, flicked one of her knives at the wall, and said, "About time!" Before standing up and leaving. If it had been anyone else, Azula would have incinerated them immediately, but Mai was different. So she let the comment go, but left the knife in the wall burn.

Before they left for the impromptu 'attack', Azula held a small war meeting. Sh tried her hardest to impress upon Ty Lee and Mai that they were not to actually attack, just raid. Mai and Ty Lee would act as the distractions, pretending that they were actually going to fight them, while Azula would poke around and see if there was anything worth taking. Food wouldn't do, but it was always nice to have a backup supply of it. However, Azula was mostly going to search for a blackmailing item. It would definitely be useful, especially against the peace-loving Avatar. Stupid idiot- didn't he know, that peace was not a factor in war?

As the three girls mounted their eel-hounds, Ty Lee said cheerfully to Mai and Azula,

"Maybe it would be better for Mai if she were the one snooping around. You know, 'cause Zuko'd probably be suspicious if Azula didn't show up, and, y'know, if Mai and Zuko saw each-"

"Shut up, Ty Lee." Mai said stiffly, frowning at the mention of Zuko (although her cheeks were slightly flushed). However, Azula contemplated what her friend had said, since it was unusual that the normally ditzy Ty Lee had such intelligent moments. After about three seconds she nodded firmly at Ty Lee. Mai scowled, giving away the fact that she had wanted to see her 'boyfriend' again.

When the Gaang discovered Ty Lee and Azula were in their camp, Mai had already secured the literal bargaining device of her choice- a strange, foreign, seemingly futuristic mechanic. After the annoyingly easy battle (Ty Lee and Azula had purposely withheld their attacks, however), Mai shared her discovery in the 'war strategy' tent.

"I think that, since I was the one to secure it, I should be the one keeping it." Mai said decisively. Azula frowned.

"But you forget that I am essentially the leader of this mission. Shouldn't all special things be handed to me?" she said, suggestively. But Mai was vehement.

"No, no, it's fine. I'll take it."

Azula was surprised at her friends show of stubbornness, but she relented. Who got to keep the 'iPad' wasn't much of a big deal. The friends didn't speak more on the matter.

That night, Mai lay in her tent, straining hard to listen for any sounds that might indicate Azula and Ty Lee's consciousness. Hearing nothing but the occasional burst of laughter (it was annoying how Azula insisted on always camping near the Avatar's shelter- his stupid group was always so incessantly happy), she cautiously withdrew the iPad from it's security case near the pallet she slept on. Flicking it on, she discovered that the first page she discovered was that of 'Sharp As Knives'. Guessing that Zuko (who's room the iPad had been found in- Mai couldn't resist looking) had been looking at the story prior to Azula's 'attack', she found herself smiling after finishing the read. Still smiling, she put away the iPad softly and lay down in her pallet, dreaming for the first time since Tom-Tom was born.

When she woke up, still smiling, Azula knew something was off.

Sorry about the wait. I had some... assignments. In French. :)