disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!

Icy Flames, Pt. I

"What on earth are you guys going on about…? C-crap!" She yelped and clung to the saddle's ridge tightly as the bison swerved to the side to avoid hitting something, not getting another chance to complain due to the next few dangerous moves performed by their steed. "Dammit, Aang, what the hell!?" She managed, having already awoken from her nap and now clinging to the saddle like a scared cat, perking up as a formation of ice came to ensnare the bison, halting their movement.

Two or three narrow canoes carrying parties clad in blue came forward from amongst the glacier outcroppings, some maneuvering the direction the boats went with a flourish of their hands.

"Waterbenders?" Mariko spoke in an uncharacteristically-small voice, blinking once or twice before it dawned on her that they'd made it to the North Pole. "Hey, we made it!" She declared, beaming at the sight of at least several more canoes.

The waterbenders then escorted the quartet to the front gates of the Northern Water Tribe, which was (like everything else that was surrounded by the frigid waters of the North Pole) made of ice, the symbol for the Water Tribe carved on the front; the entourage opened a portal for the bison to pass through, and soon they were past the gate and going deeper into the great ice city, headed straight for the main building in the center that seemed to stretch closer to the high cliff-face of what appeared to be an ice-covered mountain.

As fortified as it was, Mariko realized she was the first firebender to set foot inside the icy city of the Northern Water Tribe.

The first firebender… She shuddered even though she didn't feel cold, stuffing her gloved hands into the pocket of her gray parka (she'd picked one up when they went to go explore the Northern Air Temple a few days (or was it a week ago?) prior).

"It's beautiful here," Katara said in awe next to her.

Sokka sighed dreamily, making both girls look over at him as he'd slid onto the tip of the bison's tail to watch a passing canoe go by. "Yeah… she is."
The girls shared a look before rolling their eyes.

::::::::dOb::::::::

He obviously couldn't keep his eyes off her.

Being perceptive when it came to boys –aside from the fact that she'd had practice reading their often-simple-minded one-track minds on occasion in her travels—the firebender elbowed her friend gently from her seat between he and his sister. "She's pretty." She mused softly.

"I-I wasn't looking at her…" He turned on her, blushing dark pink despite his proclamation, being met with a knowing look.

The older girl rolled her eyes, smiling amusedly, turning her attention to the waterbenders' performance with mild admiration; the one in the middle, the graying old man, seemed like he'd be as rigorous as Jeong-Jeong was.

Aang's got his work cut out for him, she thought, glancing at the boy to the far right, the waterbender at his left that sat between them; she smiled a little, returning her attention to the performance. Katara does too.

God help them both.

::::::::dOb::::::::

Momo's chittering stirred her from meditation.

She opened an eye at the lemur's big green eyes that were on her, his furry head tilting to the side. "I know, it looks boring." She mused, sighing and relaxing her posture as the pet rested his smaller body on her shoulders. "It's not like I can go out there so flippantly, though. Not with my pedigree."

Daughter of Admiral Khan, purebred firebender born and raised in the Fire Nation for thirteen years.

It's not like I can go back home, not after what happened with Jeong-Jeong, she thought, recalling the squabble with Zhao, his words that still stung each time she let her mind go back to that day.

'You fight just like that pathetic brat you're betrothed to, weak like Prince Zuko!'

Mariko scowled, looking to the window of their ice hut, amber eyes somber. I haven't seen him since that incident at the abbey… I wonder if he's alright… "Zuko." She shut her eyes closed.

Momo hopped up and off as the girl stood abruptly and pulled her parka on, cocking his head to the side again.

"Come on, Mo; I'm not going to sit and sulk here." Being aggressive about fighting off depression wasn't usually her strong suit, but she had to do something.

It never did anyone good to sit and mope, now did it?

Mariko inhaled as she stepped out into the growing afternoon, deciding to get a breath of fresh (cold) air… and pray to whatever deity residing in the heavens that she could shake off her depression.

Time was slowed down.
She wanted to scream, to warn him of the impending explosion soon to happen.

His gold eyes rested on the sight of a reptile-bird perched on deck's railing, its yellow eyes glinting evilly; realization seized him, but it was too late.

Like fireworks, brilliant orange and red flames shattered the glass of the helms-room window, a vibrant explosion setting the ship aflame…

"No!" Mariko cried, sitting up sharply, her heart beating rapidly in her chest and soon in her ears like excited drums; her widened amber eyes zipped from one side of the darkened hut to the other before she slowly calmed, recalling her surroundings, the spooked noises that came from her friends also sharing the hut with her. She shuddered, hating that her dream had been so vivid, so real…

"Mariko?" A groggy voice sounded to the side, earning an amber glance from her, only to meet the sleepy blue eyes of the waterbender girl. "Is something wrong?" Katara asked quietly after having calmed the boys and made them go back to sleep (it wasn't too hard, really, given how both Aang and Sokka were tired/ depressed).

She looked away briefly, smiling wanly at the younger girl. "No, just a bad dream. Sorry I woke you, and the boys." She replied assuringly.

She thought to press the matter further but decided against it, making a mental note to ask about it in the morning; so she nodded, believing her (for now). "It's okay." She patted her shoulder and smiled tiredly, "Sleep well, Mari." She shuffled away to curl up in her bed, leaving the older girl to do the same.

Mariko smiled a little at her, briefly envying her for being able to go back to sleep so easily, exhaling and turning to face the wall, curling into a ball and holding her sides, seeing his face in her mind, his scar-less face that held such high hopes before three years would take it away from under his feet so smoothly…

Zuko.

A/N: sorry for the wait, i've been getting a few more chaps in. reference plus writing out fight scenes equals a week's worth of writing.. that and playing Pokemon SoulSilver added to it. ^^'

[to answer Guest, i don't mean to make her MS, but there is a method to my madness, so please sit tight, yeah? thanks for the reviews all ready.]

this is a shoutout to those of you who're being silent and just reading this story, but seriously, REVIEW people. it's starting to piss me off, i mean is something wrong with my writing? what the hell's the hold-up?

seriously, i'm half-tempted to take this story off because it's so under-loved...