A/N: Sorry about the wait. I was a little self-conscious about this chapter and had to keep fixing things. I decided to finally bite the bullet and just post it already.
I'd also like to respond to the Guest who asked a question. I cannot PM you, so I'll answer it here. You asked, "Is this gonna be a OC X Zuko love story or just an adventure?" I don't really want to spoil the end pairing, so I'm not really going to answer one way or another. What I will say is that Romance is not in the main genre listing for a reason. It's the third genre. I will have a romance developing later in the story. But it's not the main focus. Never has been, never will be. This story is mainly focused on this new character, and her struggles and development. Relationships are a part of that, but not all of it. I hope that answers your question.
Disclaimer: I do not own A:TLA. I just own my OC.
Chapter Three
Plague!
Mira felt her stomach clench as she took in the conquered city lying before her. She personally had never been to Omashu, but the sight of the bloodred Fire Nation pennants and the smokestacks belching black clouds still felt like a punch in the chest.
"I can't believe it," Aang said hollowly. "I know the war is spreading far, but Omashu always seemed…untouchable."
"No place is untouchable," Mira murmured bitterly. If the others heard her, they gave no sign of it.
"Up until now, it was," Sokka said, answering Aang. "Now Ba Sing Se is the only great Earth Kingdom stronghold left."
"This is horrible," Katara said softy as she approached Aang. "But we have to move on."
"No," Aang said firmly. "I'm going to find Bumi."
Mira opened her mouth to protest, but Sokka beat her to the punch. "Aang, stop! We don't even know if Bumi's still—" He broke off as he realized what exactly he was saying.
"What? If he's still what?" Aang asked angrily.
"Alive," Mira finished. "He may not be alive. You have to consider that a possibility."
"That's more of a reason to find him," Aang insisted. "To make sure he's okay."
"I know you had your heart set on Bumi, but there are other people who can teach you earthbending," Katara rationalized.
"This isn't about finding a teacher," Aang said. "This is about finding my friend." He shot an angry glare at Mira and added, "No matter what."
She didn't break his gaze. Spirits knew she had faced enemies much more terrifying than him. But his determined stare gave her pause. He had to know that some of the outcomes of this wouldn't be pleasant. So why would he insist on going back inside? She asked him as much.
"I have to know,' he said quietly, still staring at Omashu. "Even if it's bad," he swallowed a lump in his throat, "He's my friend. I have to make sure he's okay."
Mira contemplated this as they boarded Appa and made their way to a spot Aang said would get them inside the city. It'd been a long time since she'd had someone she'd look for. She'd been on her own so long, she had forgotten what it was like to look out for others and have them look out for you. It wasn't a horrible feeling.
A horrible feeling was looking at the impossibly small drainage pipe Aang wanted them to climb through.
"No."
"But it's not very long," Aang protested. "You'll be out before you know it!"
"No."
"But we need to get into the city."
"I'll find another way," she said stubbornly.
"What if you can't?" Sokka asked skeptically.
She raised an eyebrow and said, "I will. But," she added, stressing the word, "If I can't, I'll wait for you outside. But there is no way I'm climbing in there."
But they remained standing there, staring at her.
"Go!" she insisted. "I'll meet you in there!" And before they could protest yet again, she hopped up on Appa and took the reins.
"Remember, to get him to take off—"
"Yip yip," Mira cried, snapping the reins.
"Never mind," muttered Aang.
"See you on the other side," she said, throwing in a small salute. She pulled to the left, and Appa took to the skies, leaving the other staring up after her.
She guided Appa away from Omashu and towards the cliffs around it. She spotted the place they'd stood and looked out at Omashu, and decided that it was an ideal campsite. She clucked her tongue and nudged the bison with her heels, and he started to descend into the spot she'd picked. He landed with a loud, yet muted thump, and she slid off his back. Before taking off, she turned to the creature and patted his nose affectionately.
"You just stay here, alright? We'll be back in a bit."
Appa snorted and tossed his head in what looked suspiciously like a nod.
Mira hopped off the elevated cliff face that formed the edge of their campsite. She slid down the slide carefully, and landed softly on the ground below. She moved quietly and carefully along the cliff, making her ways to a rock that lay just next to the solitary narrow road that led to the front gates of the city. She immediately ruled out sneaking inside. The road was just wide enough for cargo carts. Plus, there was no cover on the road. Even if she moved under the blanket of darkness, the risk of being seen was too large. She ground her teeth in frustration. She didn't want to have to crawl back to the campsite she'd found and wait for the others. Spirits knew Sokka wouldn't let her forget it. She needed a way in.
Just as she thought that, she heard a familiar rumbling sound. A convoy of cargo carts was coming up the road. She smiled and drew her head down, turning so she was peering around the left side of the rock. She couldn't aim for the first or last cart, as those would most likely be checked more thoroughly than the others. She would have to aim for the middle. It was more dangerous, but that was a risk she had to take.
She centered herself as the carts approached. She had to time her movements perfectly. Too early or late, and either the wheels would hit her or she would be crushed by the creatures pulling the carts. She had only one chance to do this.
As the cart she'd singled out drew near, she tensed up her muscles and balanced on the balls of her feet. As it drew level, she launched herself out from behind the rock and rolled underneath the cart. She grabbed at a crossbeam on the underbelly of the cart and clung on for dear life. Her body was picked up and she set her feet against the wooden corners near the end of the cart. She was wedged in, and now all she had to do was hang on.
She realized, of course, that there was a possibility that the guards might check underneath the carts. But there were several to inspect, and Mira was counting on the guards' laziness. The only thing she could really do, though, was pray that they wouldn't feel particularly diligent that day.
She felt the wood she clung to shudder as the cart drew to a halt. She saw the feet of several guards walk around the carts, talking to the drivers and checking the backs. As the feet drew near to her cart, she held her breath and hoped that they didn't notice her cloak on the ground. Finally, after what seemed like ages, her cart started up again, and she passed into the walls of the city. Her relief was short-lived, however, as her cart passed over a rock protruding from the ground. The top lightly scraped her back, not enough to do serious damage, but enough to cause pain now and inflammation later. She bit her lip to avoid crying out. She needed to leave now, before they came across any more rocks or stopped to unload. She took a few deep breaths, readied herself, then let go. She dropped to the ground and rolled immediately, coming clear of the cart wheels just in time. She popped up and dashed for cover behind a building before she could be spotted. She knew leaving the convoy mid-journey was risky, and she thanked the spirits that twilight had fallen. She knew without a doubt that had it been earlier in the day, the driver behind her would have seen her leave and raised the alarm. The darkness of dusk transformed her into a shadow.
As she caught her breath in a nearby alley, she realized belatedly that she had no idea where the drainage pipe the others went through came out. They could be anywhere in Omashu, and she would be none the wiser.
A rattling from the other street caught her attention. She ran down the alleyway and peered out, making sure she was still in the shadows. She frowned as she surveyed the road. There was no one there, so where was the noise coming from? A flicker of movement drew her gaze down to the manhole cover in the middle of the street.
So that's where they are.
She crossed into the street and knelt by the manhole cover. She tried to slip her fingers underneath to try and lift the cover, but she never got the chance. A large gust of air loosened the heavy metal lid and popped it straight up. The only reason Mira's head wasn't knocked clean off her shoulders was her quick reflexes. She jerked back just in time. The manhole cover settled back down, only to be lifted up again by Aang, whose grey eyes met Mira's copper.
"Spirits!" she cursed. "Give a girl some warning, next time, will you?"
"Sorry," he whispered sheepishly. She grasped the edge of the cover and helped slide it away before reaching down a hand and helping him and Katara up. She reached down a hand to help Sokka, but recoiled in disgust at the sight of the sewage he was coated in. He climbed out himself and made for the others, but Katara bended some water out of a nearby barrel and thoroughly doused him before he could soil anyone else. Aang sent a powerful blast of air to dry him off, exposing three pink and purple creatures attached to his face. Sokka screamed in terror and tried in vain to pull them off. "They won't let go!"
Mira slapped a hand over Sokka's mouth. "Shut it! The guards will hear you!"
Aang walked up to Sokka and started rubbing one of the creatures. "Relax, it's just a purple pentapus." Sokka whimpered as they continued sucking happily on his skin. Finally, Aang hit a sweet spot and the pentapus released its tentacles, allowing Aang to pull the rest of the body off. Sokka quickly disposed of the second one, but as Aang pulled the last one off, there was a cry down the road.
"Hey! What are you kids doing out past curfew?" Three guards who had been passing by had seen them, and were now heading their way.
Mira looked quickly at Aang, whose air nomad tattoos screamed 'Avatar', but he had already wrapped a cloth around his head like some sort of turban.
"Sorry," said Katara. "We were just on our war home." She widened her eyes slightly, the epitome of innocent little girl. When the guards didn't say anything, they all turned around and started walking away.
"Wait," called the guard, and Mira could feel her muscles tense. She subtly reached up and fingered a dagger on her belt, in case things went wrong. "What's the matter with him?" the guard asked suspiciously, his eyes on Sokka's neck. The pentapus had left small, yet distinct suction cup marks on Sokka's face. The circles almost looked like little pox marks, which gave Mira an idea.
"Pentapox, sir," she said gravely, pulling Sokka around. The guard walked closer and leaned in, inspecting Sokka's face. The water tribe boy looked fine, and if he continued to do so, he would jeopardize their cover. So she stomped on his foot, which elicited a groan.
As the guard pulled away in aversion, Katara added, "It's highly contagious!"
Sokka was finally starting to get into his part. "It's so awful—I'm dying," he moaned, rolling his eyes back and reaching for the guard.
"And deadly," Mira supplied, watching in satisfaction as the guard backed up hastily.
"Hey, I think I've heard of pentapox," the guard muttered in a panic. "Didn't your cousin Chang die of it?" he asked the guard next to him. "We'd better go wash our hands," he said, not bothering to wait for an answer. As Sokka gave a great, hacking cough, he added, "And burn our clothes!" And with that, they took off running down the road.
Sokka turned around and gave Mira a glare. She shrugged. "What? You didn't look sick. It needed to be realistic."
"And stomping on my foot was the best way to do that?" he snapped.
"It worked, didn't it?"
"Will you two be quiet?" hissed Aang. "You want more guards coming our way?"
"Wimp," Mira muttered as she passed Sokka. She smiled as she heard him growl in frustration. Winding him up was almost too easy.
Mira led the way as they sneaked through alleys and across roads. As soon as they started moving, she'd slid into the lead effortlessly, without a second thought. She stopped in her tracks, however, as soon as Sokka said, "Why are you in the lead? You don't even know where we're going!"
"Oh, and you do?" she retorted. When he didn't answer, she continued. "And I wasn't aware that you had any experience in creeping around places where you're not welcome. But if you can get us through without being spotted, be my guest." She stepped aside and gestured to the alley in front of her. He opened his mouth to reply, but no sound came out. He was defeated, and he knew it. "No?" Mira asked, once again taking the lead. "Thought not," she muttered.
She was the ideal person to make sure that no one was spotted. They hugged one wall across from a construction site as Mira checked to make sure the coast was clear. She waved a hand, and the four of them hurried across the road and up a steep set of stairs before ducking behind a pile of plywood just as a guard passed in front. Mira let out the breath she'd been holding. That had been too close. She wasn't used to leading a group. Usually, it was just her and the shadows. Now she had to ensure that all four of them weren't spotted. It wasn't easy.
"Let's find Bumi and get out of here," hissed Katara. Mira agreed. She didn't want to spend any more time here than absolutely necessary.
"Where would they be keeping him?" Sokka asked Aang. He was the one to ask, as he was the one closest to Bumi and the most well-acquainted with his skills.
"Somewhere he can't earthbend," he murmured, his eyes sweeping the various levels of the city. "Somewhere made of metal," he decided.
"We need to keep moving," Mira said, nudging the airbender. "It's not smart to stay in one spot for too long."
He nodded, and they ducked out from behind the wood. They made their way across the level, alongside a length of scaffolding. As they approached a steep ramp that looked like it was used for sending down materials, a rumbling broke through the silence of the night. Mira looked up in time to see a large boulder sliding down the ramp. She saw Aang's head whip around to check the level below. She followed his gaze. A small group of people was walking on the ramp. They wouldn't cross in time to be clear of the boulder. In the back of her mind, she noted the company of guards surrounding the group below, clearly marking them as high-level Fire Nation. A small part of her wanted to let the boulder slide past, to let it fall and crush those below. But the part of her that gave up her money and food to feed those who went without stopped the thought in her tracks. No one deserved to die like this.
Aang swung his staff and sent a large blast of air at the rock, which was blown off course and crashed into the side wall, creating a large cloud of dust and an even larger noise.
"Great," muttered Mira. "Now they're going to think we did it."
"The Resistance!" cried a member of the band down below, and the guards attacked. One of them sent a flurry of miniature arrows toward Aang, who hopped onto a stack of wood and narrowly missed getting speared. He turned and ran, Mira and the others hot on his heels. Two uniformed guards had made it to their level and began chase. Mira stopped and turned, but Katara already had bended the water out of her pouch. "I've got this!" she told Mira, and lashed out with a water whip, knocking them off the platform.
A girl with sleek black hair partially tied up into two buns came running up from behind the disposed guards, a fierce look in her eye. At that instant, Mira knew it had been her who had shot the miniature arrows. The girl sent another volley at Katara, who bended the water in front of her into an ice wall. The girl didn't pause in her pursuit, so Katara abandoned her position and ran, Mira keeping pace with her. As they passed another section of scaffolding, Aang held back, waving both Mira and Katara on. But something pulled Mira back, and she stayed by his side.
He leaped and twisted, and brought his staff slamming into the ground. A wave of air sent the wooden scaffolding crashing to the ground, effectively blocking their pursuer. But through the crashes of the falling wood, Mira heard an all-too-familiar sound. The sound of a blade whizzing through the air…
"Look out!" she cried, and dived in front of Aang, who had already turned to keep running. She felt a stabbing pain in her shoulder, and looked down to see a shuriken protruding from her skin. She but her lip for the second time that day, and roughly shoved the pain aside. Pain didn't matter now. What mattered was getting out of here.
She pushed Aang forward and ran blindly on, hoping that they could find shelter before the girl behind her caught up. Suddenly, she felt the ground fall out beneath her feet, and she was plunged into darkness.
A light flared into the tunnel, and the four found themselves surrounded by earthbenders. They all had grave looks on their faces, and if Mira had to guess, she'd have identified them as the residents of Omashu. One of the older ones stepped forward. "Who are you?" he asked roughly.
"I think you can take the head covering off, Aang," muttered Sokka.
"What? Oh, yeah," he said, and did so.
"The Avatar!" gasped one of the earthbenders.
"And who are you?" Aang asked curiously as he stood up. The others followed suit, but Mira wasn't sure she had the strength in her to do so.
"What you see is the Resistance," said the one who stepped forward. "My name is Yung. I was King Bumi's defensive advisor. When Omashu was taken, we went underground. We didn't want the Fire Nation to occupy this city so easily."
"Why is it always underground?" Mira muttered. She attempted to push herself up, but fell back to the ground in agony as pain sliced through her shoulder.
Katara shot her a concerned look. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she lied. She switched to her other arm and pushed herself up until she was standing in the shadows next to them. She held back from revealing her injury. She didn't want to miss any of the information she knew was coming.
The others had already turned their attention back to Yung. "Where are we?" asked Sokka.
Yung gestured his arm toward an opening in the tunnel farther down. "If you'll follow me, I'll show you."
Mira's breathing eased slightly as they stepped into a large cavern filled with people milling around, talking, cooking, caring for others. The voices slowly petered out as they noticed the newcomers. Mira, who was unused to such attention, shrank back further into the shadows.
"May I present to you, the Avatar!" Yung announced, waving an arm at Aang. Excited chatter broke out in the cavern, but Aang ignored it. There was only one thing on his mind.
"So, is King Bumi with you guys?" he asked eagerly. The chatter suddenly died down, and heads turned to look at him. "Is he leading the Resistance?"
Yung's face grew dark and stormy. "Of course not!" he growled. "The day of the invasion, we readied ourselves for battle. We were prepared to defend our city, to fight for our lived and for our freedom! But before we even had a chance, King Bumi…" He broke off and looked down, the very picture of defeat. "…surrendered."
Aang's eyes widened, and he looked troubled. "That doesn't sound like him," he murmured.
Yung continued, disregarding his words. "The day of the invasion, I asked King Bumi what he wanted to do. He looked me in the eye and said, 'I'm going to do nothing.' And he laughed," he said bitterly, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter now," he added grimly. "Fighting the Fire Nation is the only path to freedom. And freedom is worth dying for."
"Actually, there's another path to freedom," Aang said. "You could leave Omashu." The earthbenders gave him shocked looks, and he continued. "You're directing all your energy to fight the Fire Nation, but you're outnumbered." Mira, who hadn't quite agreed with Aang's suggestion of leaving Omashu, had to admit that this was a valid point. "You can't win. Now's the time to retreat so you can live to fight another day," he urged.
"You don't understand," Yung insisted. "They've taken our home, and we have to fight them at any cost," he said, gesturing emphatically.
"I don't know, Yung," said the earthbender next to him. "Living to fight another day is starting to sound pretty good to me."
"Yeah, I'm with the kid," added another member of the Resistance.
Seeing that Yung still looked unconvinced, Mira spoke up. "You may have lost this battle, but you can still win the war. It does you no good to waste your energy on a battle you cannot win."
Yung turned to stare at the people crowded near the mouth of the cavern, listening in to the conversation. There were whispers and murmurs of agreement floating through the air. Finally, he sighed, defeated. "Fine. But there's thousands of citizens that need to leave. How are we going to get them all out?"
There was a resounding silence. Mira wracked her mind for ideas, trying hard to think of a plausible method. The answer came to her in a memory of a small ghost town she'd passed through a year back. "Pentapox," she announced. The others stared at her blankly, so she continued. "Nothing clears a town faster like a plague. We know how to give you pox marks, and there are three guards who will testify to seeing four kids today, at least one of whom was ill. The Fire Nation won't want anything to do with you, trust me."
"And you've had experience with plague, huh, Mira?" asked Sokka skeptically.
She shrugged, then winced as the motion tugged at her injured shoulder. "Maybe."
"We'll need a few teams to go into the sewers and retrieve as many purple pentapus' as they can," Sokka said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "And we'll have to move soon to make it believable. During the day would be best, so the guards can see the pox marks. If we get the pentapus' tonight, we should be able to leave tomorrow morning." He looked to Yung. "Do you have people we can send to the sewers?"
Yung nodded and spoke to the Resistance members to his left. "You heard him. Go organize volunteers for a trip into the sewers."
"Alright, but I can tell you that volunteers will be hard to come by if the destination is the sewers," said the youngest.
"You can start by leading one of the groups, Ling," Yung said coolly.
Ling gulped noisily. "Yes sir," he said meekly, then hurried off.
"In the meantime," Yung said, "we can offer you a place to rest for the night. We will have the pentapus' by morning, and then we will start the preparations for leaving."
"Thank you for your hospitality," Katara said, bowing. The other three followed suit, and Yung reciprocated.
"Thank you, Avatar, for saving my people," he said. "I can only hope that I may once again see Omashu restored to its former glory."
"You will," Aang said firmly. "If I have anything to say about it, you will."
The four followed Yung as he showed them to a vacant corner of the cavern. "It's not much," he said, "but it's a place to rest."
"That's all we need," Aang said, bowing once more. Yung bowed back, then left them for the night.
Mira leaned back against the stone wall and slid down it, groaning slightly as she did so.
Katara looked up in alarm. Mira was not one who made a habit of groaning. "Are you all right?" she asked again.
"No," Mira said. "Between the shuriken sticking out of my shoulder and the underground cavern, no, I'm not alright."
Katara dropped to her knees beside her and peered at the wound. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?" she demanded as she pulled her waterskin over her head.
"My shoulder wasn't about to fall off or anything," she said. "And I wanted to know what was going on."
"That curiosity is going to kill you one day," Katara muttered. "Now, shirt off."
Mira started fumbling at the ties to her shirt with her one good arm. Sokka cringed violently and turned away. "Warn me before you start taking your clothes off!" he cried.
"I'm wearing bindings," Mira retorted, her voice slightly muffled as the fabric slid over her head. "And you see you sister in the same things!"
"Oh," Sokka said, beginning to relax. "Oh yeah."
Mira rolled her eyes and turned her attention to her wound. She winced as she laid her eyes on the cold, harsh weapon protruding from her skin. Blood was crusted over where metal met flesh, but the sides still oozed. Mira swallowed thickly and turned away.
"I'm going to have to pull this out," Katara said. "And it's going to hurt. Are you ready?"
"As I'll ever be," she muttered.
"I'm going to go do something over here," Sokka said hastily, and he stood up and all but ran over to where Aang was sitting, across from their little campsite.
"On three," Katara cautioned. "One…two…three!"
Mira bit her lip hard enough that she tasted blood, but she couldn't help the loud groan that escaped her lips. She squeezed her eyes shut and let out a forceful breath through her nose. When she opened her eyes again, the bloody shuriken was lying on the ground and Katara's water-encased hand was pressed against her shoulder. Instead of the hot throbbing she'd expected, Mira felt a cool, silky sensation against her shoulder. She could almost feel the muscle knitting back together. It was the weirdest thing she'd ever felt.
Finally, Katara pulled her hand back. "It might be stiff for a day or two, but it's healed."
Mira rotated her shoulder slightly, marveling at the absence of pain. She looked up as another old injury occurred to her. "Can you heal this scratch on my back?"
Katara nodded, and Mira swiveled around until her back faced the healer. At the last minute, she remembered to clap her hand over a spot between her shoulder blades. To Katara, it would look like she was merely rubbing at a spot on her back. There was a mark Mira had there that was…unbecoming and that Mira wished to keep hidden. Thankfully, Katara didn't notice Mira's sudden movement, as she was too absorbed in the handful of scars that crisscrossed Mira's back. She heard a sharp intake in breath, then felt the girl's fingers trace over her back. "How—you're covered in scars."
"I may be good at a lot of things, but I can't heal worth a damn."
"I'm sorry," she heard Katara say softly.
Mira shrugged. "Not your fault. I got into a lot of scrapes. I got out of most of them. That's better than some."
There was a silence, and Mira could tell that Katara was at a loss for words. The silk sensation passed over her back, and she couldn't help but say, "This is weird."
"For your sake, I hope you don't get used to it," Katara said as Mira turned back around. "But while I'm at it, let me heal your lip."
Mira's hand flew up to her mouth. "Why? What's wrong with it?"
"It looks like you bit it pretty badly. And stop touching it!" Katara said, swatting her hand away. She ran two fingers over Mira's lip, and after a few moments of the strange sensation, she pulled her hand back. "See? Good as new."
"Thank you," Mira said. She looked over to where Sokka and Aang were sitting. They were far enough away that she could say something that'd been on her mind since one conversation days ago. She hesitated, mulling over her words, then added, "I know you don't like me much, and I can understand why. I've got blood on my hands. But…" She trailed off, unsure of what to say next.
But Katara was already talking. "Don't. You're right. I wasn't really sure why Aang invited you to join us—"
"Me either," Mira said in an undertone.
"—but one thing I've learned about Aang is that he can see a side to people that I can't. And he saw something in you that day. And now, I see it too. You jumped in front of a shuriken for him, Mira. I know now that you're dedicated to our group. You'll fight just as hard as us. And besides," she said as she put her waterskin away, "judging from what you came up with to get these people out, we really could use your skills."
"Thank you," she said, embarrassed at the praise.
Katara smiled at her, then said, "We've got a big day tomorrow. Try and get some sleep."
"Yeah!" said Sokka, who had wandered over and plopped down next to Mira. "Just think, tomorrow you'll be out of this underground cave and up in the fresh sunshine!"
Mira scowled darkly. "You know, I was doing just fine down here until you opened your big fat mouth."
"Sorry?" he tried weakly.
He was answered with an elbow to the ribs.
Mira slept fitfully that night. The cavern, despite being rather large and spacious, still felt oppressive and small to her. She concentrated on her breathing, as Sokka had suggested in the Cave of Two Lovers, but the exercise only helped marginally. She heaved a sigh of relief as the day broke and the people of Omashu started preparing to leave the city.
She stopped a woman as she passed their campsite. "Um, excuse me, ma'am?"
The woman stopped in her tracks and looked at Mira, her gaze wary.
Mira pulled down her hood and said, "It's not a good idea to take so much with you. The Fire Nation will suspect something's up if everyone's carrying all their belongings with them."
The woman, who'd relaxed as soon as she'd seen Mira's face, looked down at the items in her hands. "I just don't want to leave them behind."
"Why don't you tuck them in a corner of this cave? The Fire Nation won't be able to come down here, and you can just come and get it when you come back." At the woman's skeptical expression, she added, "You will come back."
The woman nodded slowly. "That does make sense." She started to leave, but Mira called out, "Can you make sure everyone else knows this?"
The woman nodded and walked away, stopping every now and then to speak to someone outside a tent. Mira tugged her hood back up and settled back against the wall. She pulled out her half-finished rods and started sanding them out using some grit-paper she'd filched from the construction site the day before. She drifted into an uneasy state somewhere between alertness and daydreaming.
She let her mind wander, back to happier times. Back to when she had people who cared for her. But, as always, her heart began to ache as she tried (and failed) to remember the woman who'd given birth to her. She knew it was foolish, knew that her mother had died within minutes of giving birth to her. But Mira couldn't help but try. Her father, destroyed by grief, had ordered every single likeness of her taken down and burned. He didn't want to spend years staring at a painting of the woman he loved, gone forever. He'd never said as much, but Mira knew that he blamed her for her mother's death.
Sometimes, when things were really bad, Mira blamed herself too. It had been a long and difficult labor that had brought Mira into the world. Something had gone wrong, and her mother had barely been able to say 'hello' to her new daughter before she'd passed into the spirit world. On normal days, though, Mira knew it hadn't been her fault. But her father hadn't believed that. He'd stayed away from his only daughter, throwing himself into his work. She'd been raised by her nanny, a kind woman named Xua. Mira rarely saw her father growing up. As she aged, she decided she didn't like him much, so she hadn't minded the solitude. It was what made the years alone bearable. Though, she hadn't spent all those years growing up completely alone…
"Mira?" A sleepy voice cut through her dream-like haze.
She was glad for the interruption from her thought. Her memories had been straying down a path that would soon become too painful. She stowed her rods and grit-paper away before turning her attention to Katara, who was sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "How long have you been up?" she asked.
"Too long," Mira said grimly. "I'll wake Sokka if you wake Aang. I'm not spending another minute down here."
As Katara prodded gently at Aang's sleeping form, Mira bent over Sokka, who was snoring loudly, a thin line of drool escaping from his mouth. She reached down a hand, and flicked his nose. He woke with a strangled yelp, sitting up violently and swiveling his head from side to side. When he saw that it was Mira who'd woken him up, his eyes narrowed. "You enjoy this, don't you?"
"Yes, I do," she answered simply, a half-smile on her face. "Now get up. It's time to go." Later, as she began to leave the campsite, something made her pause. She turned to see the shuriken Katara had pulled from her shoulder lying on the ground, winking dully in the soft cave light. For reasons she didn't quite understand, Mira reached down and picked it up, securing in her belt pouch before walking away.
An hour later, the population of Omashu was gathered in a large, somewhat secluded town square near the back and to the side of the city. When asked about the likelihood of getting caught by guards, Yung had replied that there was only one way into the square, and it was being guarded by four earthbenders who'd already been marked with the pox. Despite these reassurances, Mira still felt jittery about being out in the open. She did, however, feel more relaxed than she had in the cave.
Now she was helping to distribute the pentapus' to those who still needed to be marked. She slapped creature after creature onto citizens, ignoring the squeals of protest from the squeamish. When the last resident had been supplied with a pentapus, the team turned to themselves.
"I can sort of understand the squeals," Mira admitted, staring at a pentapus happily sucking on the back of her hand. "This is bizarre."
"As weird as waterbending healing?" Katara asked, placing a pentapus on her cheek.
"It's up there on the list," she said, rubbing at the animal on her hand. When he wouldn't let go, she rubbed harder. The pentapus, however, seemed very content on Mira's skin. "Let go, you little bugger," she growled, tugging on him. She finally hit the sweet spot, and he relinquished her hand. She tossed him none-too-gently into the bins they came in.
Sokka's voice cut through the chatter of the crowd as he started to give instructions. "The marks make you look sick, but you gotta act sick, too. You gotta sell it."
"Says the boy I had to stomp on yesterday," Mira muttered to Katara, but the waterbender's attention was focused on Aang, who had hung back as the citizens of Omashu slowly left the town square. "Aang? What are you doing? Aren't you coming with us?"
Aang shook his head and sidled toward a nearby alleyway. "No. I'm not leaving until I find Bumi, he said stubbornly. Momo hopped on his shoulder, but Aang merely brushed him off and took to the skies.
Katara stared up after him, but Mira tugged her sleeve. "He'll be fine. Now we need to move if we're going to catch up with the others." Katara nodded and allowed herself to be led out of the square.
The population of Omashu was quite large, so it didn't take long to join the back of the group. The two girls walked a little more quickly than the rest, and soon caught up to Sokka. Mira could tell he was very much enjoying his role as he moaned and groaned loudly. Mira, however, remained silent, merely shuffling along.
Sokka took a pause in his groans to regard her. "C'mon, you've at least got to sound sick!"
Mira stubbornly shook her head. "I will walk like a sick person, but I am not making those noises. Besides," she added, "This crowd makes enough noise that no one will notice if I'm quiet."
Sokka opened his mouth to protest, but Katara cut him off. "There are the guards," she said, pointing to the line of soldiers in front of the gate.
Sokka immediately resumed his yelling and moaning. Mira winced at the noise and shuffled along, counting the minutes until they were outside and she was out of range of Sokka.
The pox marks seemed to be doing their job. The guards scattered, clearing a wide path in front of the gate. The large gong above the archway started ringing, and the doors were opened to let the residents through. Mira avoided eye contact with any of the Fire Nation soldiers and kept her head down, keeping her body language like that of someone deathly ill. She allowed herself to stumble, something she rarely ever did. As she passed rather close by a guard, her muscles tensed. But he didn't say anything, didn't suspect a thing. She forced herself to relax as she passed through the gate. They were outside the city, and they hadn't gotten caught.
The group made their way down the narrow supply road, then turned left. Mira was about to direct them to the campsite she'd found earlier, but one glance behind told her that it couldn't hold every resident. So she followed Yung, who was leading the group. He knew this area better than she, and would be the best to pick a place to hide out.
Yung finally started to slow as they entered a large canyon. It was big enough to hold everyone comfortably, but narrow enough that you could see anyone who entered. And it was completely out of sight of Omashu.
As the citizens started settling down, Mira turned to Katara and Sokka. "There's just one problem."
"What?"
"I left Appa at that overlook where we first saw Omashu. How are we going to get him here?"
"Simple," said Sokka, and he pulled an oddly-shaped whistle out of a pocket with a flourish. He put it to his mouth and blew, but no sound came out.
"I think you broke it," Mira said, looking at the whistle skeptically.
Sokka turned a shade of bright red. "It's not broken!" he said. "That's how it's supposed to work!"
"So you bought a broken whistle?"
"Appa can hear it," Katara cut in, trying to break up the argument. "He's on his way here right now."
Mira raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth to retort, but the sound of rushing air cut her off. A shadow passed over her, and she looked up to see Appa descending into the canyon. As he landed next to them, Sokka smirked at her. "You were saying?"
Mira flushed a deep scarlet. She was usually the one to have the last word.
"How's it feel, to be shown up like that?" Sokka said, unable to let the issue drop. Mira allowed herself a small smile. He'd just provided her with the perfect comeback.
She nodded thoughtfully. "So this is how it feels to be you."
Katara burst into laughter. "I'm sorry, Sokka, but you walked right into that one."
The only thing to do after that was wait. They couldn't leave until Aang was back and willing to go. He was taking his sweet time looking for this friend, though. They'd gotten into the canyon around noon, but it twilight had already fallen, and there was still no sign of Aang.
"At what point do we assume he's been captured?" asked Sokka anxiously.
"I'd give it through the night," Mira answered. "He's probably just being thorough."
"What if he's not, though?" Katara asked. "What if the Fire Nation took him?"
"Aang's tough for a kid. I doubt he's been taken."
"How can you say that for sure?" Katara persisted.
She sighed. "Because I'm looking right at him."
Katara whirled around to see Aang and a giant creature enter the canyon. As they approached, he looked up despondently. "We looked everywhere. No Bumi." Katara hugged him, but he didn't reciprocate. Mira felt a pang at the look in his eye. She knew how he felt. Losing a friend was hard.
"We've got a problem," came the gruff voice of Yung. "We just did a head count."
"Oh no," Katara said. "Did someone get left behind?"
"No. We have an extra," he said, a bemused look on his face. He pointed to a toddler in Fire Nation clothes who was clinging to Momo's back, giggling as he was dragged along.
"Great," muttered Mira. "Now they're going to think we did that, too."
"This isn't good," said Sokka, who was eyeing the toddler warily.
"What do we do with it?" asked Mira.
"He's not an 'it'!" cried Katara angrily.
Mira shrugged. "I'm just saying. He's a complication."
"Well, we can't exactly do anything until tomorrow. I suppose he'll have to stay with us for tonight," Aang reasoned, and the matter was settled. They took their places around the campfire, each one watching the toddler continue to chase Momo, who was chattering unhappily. The lemur leaped over Sokka's war club, but the toddler was unable to avoid it and tripped. Instead of crying, which Mira had been prepared for, he took an interest in Sokka's club. The child picked it up and started sucking on the end, only to have Sokka snatch it away. "No!" he snapped. "Bad Fire Nation baby!"
The toddler promptly burst into tears.
Katara hit Sokka across the chin, and Sokka relented. "Oh, all right," he sighed unhappily, and gave his club back to the toddler, who immediately calmed down. Katara, ever the maternal figure, bent down and cooed at him. "Oh, you're so cute!"
"Sure, he's cute now," grumbled Yung. "But when he's older, he'll join the Fire Nation army. You won't think he's so cute then." He added quietly, "He'll be a killer."
Katara, who had picked up the child, held him out. "Does that look like the face of a killer to you?"
Yung was unimpressed.
"You don't know for sure what he'll do when he's older," Mira said, disagreeing with Yung. "He may grow up to be a Fire Nation rebel. You can't say who he'll become in the future."
"Why are you so defensive of him?" Sokka asked, his eyes narrowing.
Mira was unaffected. "There were judgments made about me when I was young. I believe that everyone had a chance to prove those judgments wrong. That's all."
Sokka opened his mouth to reply, but the scream of a hawk cut him off. A majestic-looking scarlet hawk swooped down from the sky and settled on a nearby rock. Aang sprang up and ran toward the animal, but hesitated at the bird's beady-eyed glare. He looked back at the others. "Umm…"
Mira stood up and made her way to the rock. "Here, let me." While she stroked the top of the bird's head with two fingers, she used her other hand to nimbly flip open the top of the messenger tube and extract the written message inside. She handed the paper to Aang and resealed the tube with a muted snap. At the sound, the bird straightened up, Mira removed her hand, and the bird took off into the night.
"What's it say?" asked Katara, who was waiting by the campfire.
"It's from the Fire Nation governor. He thinks we kidnapped his son."
"Told you," Mira muttered.
"So, he wants to make a trade. His son...for King Bumi."
"So the little squirt turned out to be pretty good leverage," Mira mused. "And we didn't even have to suggest it."
"How can you be so callous?" Katara asked. "He's a human being, not 'leverage'."
"I'm not a big fan of little kids," Mira answered. "Too much crying and bodily fluids." She shuddered. "No thank you."
"Well, you might not be a fan of kids," Aang said, a smile on his face. "But they seem to be a fan of you."
"What?" Mira asked in confusion. Aang pointed. She looked down to see the toddler clinging to her boot. She attempted to extract herself from his grip, but the child was determined to hang on. "You've got to be kidding me," she growled. At the sound of her annoyed tone, the child burst into tears for the second time that night.
Mira sighed in irritation and bent down to scoop the child into her arms. She bounced him up and down, and within moments the child as giggling again. Mira looked up to find everyone staring at her, mouths agape. "What?" she said defensively. "I said I didn't like them, not that I wasn't good with them." She didn't mention that she intentionally avoided younger children. They reminded her too much of a certain pair of arms, of a squirming child that still caused Mira to feel a pang of sadness when she thought of him. But there was no need to thell the others that.
"You sure are full of surprises," Aang said, shaking his head.
"I'm just a regular bag of tricks," she said, somewhat sarcastically. "Now will someone take him?"
"Nope."
"I'm good."
"You seem to be doing pretty well."
"I hate you all," she muttered darkly.
Morning found the four of them preparing to board Appa with the little toddler. As Aang approached the others with the child wrapped in his arms, Mira asked, "You realize we're probably walking right into a trap?" The thought had occurred to her last night as she had been drifting off. Yes, the child was good leverage, but a two-year-old for a master earthbending king? Mira was a little wary of making the trade.
"I don't think so," Aang said, looking at the sleeping toddler in his arms. "I'm sure the governor wants his son back as much as we want Bumi. It's a new day," he said gently. "I have a good feeling about this."
Mira didn't, but she kept her mouth shut.
As they made their way to the pre-arranged trading spot, Mira was once again stuck holding the toddler, who seemed to take a strange fascination with her black, curly locks. Every few minutes she would feel a tug to her scalp, and she would have to try and reclaim her hair. "I can't believe you stuck me with him," she grumbled.
"Once he woke up, he was wailing and screaming in my arms, remember? Besides, none of us is as good with him as you are," Aang pointed out. "He'll be with his family soon enough, and we'll have Bumi."
Mira didn't reply as a particularly sharp yank left her scalp tingling and brought tears to her eyes.
No one was in sight as they slid off Appa at the trade area, which was a tall wooden scaffolding in the middle of a construction site. Mira peered through the wooden beams and realized that they were constructing a statue of the Fire Lord right in the middle of the city. She stuck her tongue out in disgust.
It wasn't long before they were joined on the scaffolding. Three girls appeared on the other side, each dressed in the typical red of the Fire Nation. Mira recognized the girl from two nights ago. The sight of these three girls together made her freeze. She knew them. And they knew her. This definitely wasn't good.
She cursed under her breath, but Katara was close enough to hear. "Mira!" she cried, looking scandalized. "You're holding a two-year-old!"
"Oh, like he'll remember this," she scoffed. "I know those girls. I'm sorry Aang, but the trade isn't going to happen. It's a trap."
She was interrupted by a snorting laughter that came from above. She looked up to see a person completely encased in metal being lowered down to the scaffolding.
"You were saying?" Sokka said, his eyebrow arched.
"You'll see," she warned. "This won't end well."
"You brought my brother?" asked the girl who'd chased them before.
"He's here," Aang called out, and Mira lifted the child so he could be seen clearly. "We're ready to trade."
"Wait for it…" muttered Mira.
"I'm sorry," interrupted the girl with her black hair in a traditional Fire Nation topknot. Her voice rang out clearly across the platform. Despite only addressing the girl to her right, she meant for them to hear her words. "But a thought just occurred to me. Do you mind?" she asked the governor's daughter.
"Of course not, Princess Azula." And with those words, Mira's blood ran even colder. She'd known it was Azula. But a small part of her had vainly wished that she'd been wrong. She'd crossed paths with Azula before, and it hadn't been pleasant. If Azula found out who she was…she was as good as dead. She tugged her hood down lower.
"We're trading a two-year-old for a king. A powerful earthbending king. It just doesn't seem like a fair trade, does it?"
There was a pause as the governor's daughter regarded their group, and her younger brother. After a moment, she said, "You're right. The deal's off."
As Bumi was lifted up off the scaffolding, Aang ran forward. Azula shot blue fire straight at him, but Aang leapt nimbly out of the way. As he unfolded his glider, his makeshift turban fell from his head, and his blue arrow tattoos were exposed for the world to see.
And with that, chaos ensued.
Mira shoved the child into Sokka's arms and pushed him toward the ladder at the end of the scaffolding. "Keep him safe!" she called to him, already turning to face the two girls charging across the platform. "You get the one in pink!" she yelled to Katara as she readied herself. She met the eyes of the knife-thrower. "This one's mine," she growled.
The girl dropped into a fighting stance, a shuriken already in her hand. She pulled back her arm and threw the weapon through the air, but Mira was already ducking and weaving, making her way closer to the Fire Nation girl. She'd had experience fighting knife-throwers before. They had the advantage at a distance, but once you were up close, they were much easier to defeat. Mira just had to make it there first.
It took all her skill to avoid being hit again. She read slight movements in her opponents arm to try and predict where she would strike next. Most of the time she was successful, but she did earn quite a few rips in her cloak. She kept pressing forward, knowing that her constant forward motion would throw her opponent off guard.
The knife-thrower was experienced, though. Mira could see a small flicker of fear in the other girl's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a steely determination. This one would not be easy to take down.
At last, Mira was within striking distance. She pulled two daggers from her belt and they settled easily into her hands. She assumed a fighting stance, and the real battle began.
Mira knew the governor's daughter was excellent. The throw from the night before would have been enough to testify to the girl's skill, even if Mira had not fought her before. But now was not the time to regret past mistakes (even if they were mistakes that might end up getting you killed). Now was the time for focus, and Mira needed every scrap of it. Every strike, every pass Mira made was blocked with ease. Her blades whistled through the air, and Mira grit her teeth. This would be harder than she anticipated.
She renewed her efforts, becoming quicker and more agile. She lashed out with her right hand, and the sound of ripping fabric met her ears. The girl's sleeve was torn, hanging by a thread. But the Fire Nation girl merely tore it off and tossed it aside, seemingly undisturbed. But Mira was bolstered by this small victory, and the tides began to turn.
Mira could see small beads of sweat gathering on her opponent's brow. She was growing flustered, and although she didn't let her eyes show it, the feeling was evident in her movements. Mira bent down low and shot her leg out, sweeping the other girl's leg out from under her. The governor's daughter, who had been leaning back to avoid the blade Mira had swiped at her throat, teetered precariously near the side of the platform. Mira leaned back and waited for her to regain her balance, but the girl never did. She toppled over the side, about to plunge to her death.
Mira leaped forward and nearly slid off the platform herself. She grasped the other girl's hand, keeping her from falling to the ground below. The Fire Nation girl looked up at her in shock.
Mira strained her muscles and began to haul the girl up with both her hands. As soon as the girl had a good enough grip on the wood, Mira let go. The knife-thrower could pull herself up. Mira stood, looking down as the girl collapsed onto the scaffolding. As the girl began to look up, Mira pulled the shuriken from her belt pouch and threw it on the ground between them.
The girl stared at it blankly, then looked up at Mira. She didn't say anything, but a silent message passed between them: You owe me.
Mira, confident the message had been relayed, turned and ran toward Katara, who was on the verge of losing to the acrobat. As Mira passed her, she reached out and gave her braid a vicious yank. Ignoring the indignant cry of "Ow!" behind her, she grabbed Katara and pulled her along.
"My bending," Katara panted, "She took it away!"
"Run now, talk later," Mira ordered.
A loud rumbling sound stopped them in their tracks. A large shadow crossed over the scaffolding, and Sokka set Appa down right in front of the girls. Mira all but threw Katara up on the saddle before climbing on herself, narrowly missing the Fire Nation child. "Go!" she cried, but Appa was already in the air. Mira looked down to see the two girls staring up after them, but powerless to follow. But one was missing…which meant…
"Azula went after Aang, didn't she?" Mira groaned.
Sokka gave her a curious look. "How do you know who she is?"
"I'll explain after we get Aang, alright?"
"And where do you think he is?" Sokka asked in exasperation. "They could've ended up anywhere!"
"I'd guess we follow the blue fire," Mira suggested, pointing. Clouds of dust obscured portions of the postal system, but the luminescent blue flames were distinct.
Sokka followed her gaze, and his shoulders sagged. "Great," he said with mock enthusiasm. He pulled on the reins, and Appa began to turn.
Mira switched her attention to Katara. "Are you alright?"
Katara, who had been meditating and running a hand along her arm, opened her eyes. "Yes," she said. "I think my chi has been blocked. I won't be able to waterbend for another hour at least, but it's still there."
Mira nodded. "All that's left now is to rescue Aang from a firebender bent on capturing him."
"Gee, that sounds familiar," quipped Sokka. "Can't wait."
It took very delicate maneuvering on Sokka's part to keep Appa on pace with Aang, who was riding on top of Bumi's cage down the postal system. Katara was sitting next to Sokka on Appa's neck, while Mira had pressed herself against the opposite side of the saddle to make room for them. She was clutching the child tightly to keep him from falling out of the saddle. He seemed to understand the importance of what was happening, and remained quiet and still within her arms. Every now and then, Sokka had to yank of the reins to avoid a blue fireball. Aang was able to deflect a few, but time was running out. He flipped his staff, and a curtain of air popped the two out of the mail shaft and into the air. The three of them stretched up their hands in an attempt to catch the metal cage, but Aang had overshot. It passed over the bison and fell through the air toward the ground below.
"Aang!" Katara screamed, panic in her eyes.
"Don't worry," Mira said, trying to calm her down. "Aang's an airbender. He'll make sure they have a safe landing."
Katara nodded, but she remained unconvinced.
Mira scanned the ground below, looking for the telltale sparks the cage had been emitting before. When she spotted them, she tugged on Katara's sleeve. "Look!" She pointed. "See? They're alright." She squinted, her eyes just able to make out a lone figure standing in the mail shaft. "And Azula can't go after them anymore."
"Let's loop around and meet up with Aang," Sokka suggested, and a quick tug on the reins changed the bison's course once more.
Five minutes later they were pulling up next to a level of scaffolding. Aang had his back turned, staring up at a mail chute.
"Where's Bumi?" Katara asked, her brow wrinkled in confusion.
Aang sighed and turned around. "He's not coming," he said sadly. "I guess I need to find another teacher."
"Alright!" Sokka cheered. "Let's get out of here!" He made to pull up on the reins, but Mira cleared her throat.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" she said.
"What?"
She held up the Fire Nation child in response.
"Oh. Oh yeah."
Twilight fell gently over the city as Appa made his way to the royal hall, which had been draped with the garish red of the Fire Nation. Mira felt a pang in her chest as she once more took in the defeated city. "Someday," she whispered into the night. "Someday, you will be free again."
And as Aang returned the child to his parents, Mira felt something small grow inside her. She watched as the man who ruled a conquered city embrace his child, watched his face light up as the toddler giggled in his arms. Someone was never all light or all dark, she knew. But sometimes, it was hard to believe that, given what the Fire Nation had done to thousands of people. But sitting there, in the chilly blackness of the night, Mira began to feel something she hadn't felt in a very long time.
Hope.
A/N: I've got a question for those reading. Do you like the long chapters? Or hate them? Should I keep it at one episode per chapter? Or break it up? Just let me know what you think.
Please review!