Author's Note:Hello everyone! Thank you all so much for the reviews, favourites, follows, and reads! I am beyond floored. So sorry this chapter took a bit longer, I ended up overhauling a lot of it so we get to see more original plot layered into the canon. This is where the romance starts to ramp up more so enjoy! This is also a longer chapter to make up for being so late. That, and I couldn't find a good spot to end this chapter without making it too short. We are getting closer and closer to the spicy climax of their relationship and of this arc in the story!
P.S. Yes, Mira does have mental illness. What she has isn't specifically mentioned, not because she isn't aware, but because I didn't want to a. make any specific diagnosis into a stereotype, and b. because there is a lot of overlap in different diagnosis so many symptoms overlap I didn't want to alienate anyone who did or didn't have the symptoms she has. I also wanted to keep Mira approachable for any and all readers to see themselves in. She of course at this point has PTSD, that one is more obvious because I showed the trauma involved. However, if anyone wants to know what Mira has I would be happy to share it. Specifically, I only write what I know, so when I was creating Mira as a character, I wanted to write someone with mental illness struggling in a time with less information and support so I could explore my own feelings and fears of not having access to either. This doesn't mean I am writing Mira to be like me, I am not. But I do not feel comfortable writing characters with mental illnesses I have not experienced or do not understand. I started this story around the time I got my diagnosis so that has some bearing on this decision as well. I always had, and still have, plans and intentions of addressing this in full later, once things have settled down. Mira's priorities aren't to focus on her mental illnesses right now and to instead survive. When things calm, that is when she will have to deal with a lot of this. I wanted to make this feeling part of the story for the readers by having it on the back burner for Mira until she can no longer avoid it by learning all her bending, focusing on defeating the Fire Lord or Sadar, etc. I would love to hear all of your thoughts regarding this and if you would like me to explore it earlier or leave it for later. This is a supportive place for mental illness and mental health, we do not shame here, so if anyone ever needs to talk please feel free to message me.
~Chapter 5 Start~
The days following the storm were rather quiet. Iroh continued to rest and heal while Zuko and I gathered supplies and cared for the birds. We had fallen into a comfortable routine as we eased back into coexisting together. Zuko had become more active when it came to chores and finding food. There was something different about him now and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. It wasn't just Iroh getting injured, there was no way that was all that burdened him. He was quieter now, humbled in some way that concerned me. Pride and Zuko went hand in hand and now...now he seemed defeated.
Zuko carried himself with a humility that had been absent up until this point. He was both thankful and helpful and I felt myself thrown for a loop. Something had happened during our separation, but I didn't have it in me to ask. If I asked, then I ran the risk of Zuko wanting to know what happened to me in return. Right now there was a quiet acceptance not to ask between us, and I wanted to keep it that way.
Today I had ventured farther from the hut we were living in to forage for some fresh vegetables. I wasn't sure what Zuko was up to today, but was no longer concerned he would be up to no good. He had also left his bird behind which dispelled the worry he had taken off again to chase Aang. The supplies he brought back were always foraged, no longer acquired through sticky fingers.
I twisted some of the dried grass away, looking for some small clovers I knew would make a nice tea for Iroh. I was met with hard dirt once more and sighed. Everything was so parched here, the book had said they were known to grow in the area, but they needed a lot of shade. Standing up I walked towards a few trees nestled in a small bunch. Perhaps I would find more luck near the base of the trunks. Kneeling down once more, I picked the dead grass from the base of one of the trees. Moving some of the dead leaves aside, I found a bunch of clovers nestled near the tree's roots.
"Score!" I boasted to myself, picking the bunch of clovers and folding them into a ragged piece of cloth.
Standing back up I cracked my neck, stretching out my shoulders. Man I was beyond lucky to have been born in a time with grocery stores and advanced technology. Roughing it here was hard for me at first. Even now, I still kept finding out how little I knew about self sufficiency in this new world I found myself in. Brushing the dirt off my hands, I noted how calloused they had become. Tracing the lines on my palm, I marvelled at the rough feeling. My hands were not the only things that had changed either. I had grown more muscled, losing some of the fat I had gained from living a comfortable life. Although, the way I had lost a lot of the weight hadn't been exactly healthy; I was in survival mode.
My skin had tanned ever so slightly from where I had gotten sunburned. New freckles greeted me each day and my hair had started to showcase some highlights from the sun's bleaching effects. I had used to use sword fighting as a way to stay fit, and now it barely tired me out. I was a different person than I was when I first came here. I had gained some new traumas and adapted to old ones. I also no longer felt so alone. I missed Naia, I missed my family but...the thought of ever losing Iroh or Zuko chilled me to the bone; they had become my new family in their own way.
Moving to look for some turnips or carrots near the river, I mounted Ernie and flicked his reins. We hit more greenery as we got closer to the water source. I marveled at how the Earth Nation blended lush areas filled with thriving plants with scorching deserts of shimmering sand. It was seamless and beautiful and I ached at the thought of how one day we would destroy such natural wonders with greed. Dismounting Erie, I placed the reins on his saddle, turning to approach the river. I noticed instantly a bunch of either turnips or carrots growing next to the rushing water.
I bent down, digging them out with my hands. The dirt was wet and easy to crumble away with my fingers. I slipped the first carrot out with a smile, laying it down next to me. I dug up the other four carrots, wrapping them in a piece of cloth and pocketing them. I moved towards another set of vegetables, finding more carrots. There were only three growing this time, but I noticed a whole bunch sitting just on the other side of the river.
Standing up I looked around, wondering if there was something I could use to help me cross. The water wasn't dangerous, but it was deep. I wasn't sure I would be able to easily swim against the current to cross and pull myself out on the other side alone. With a sigh, I realized there wasn't really anything nearby I could fashion to get across to the other side. The best I could do was backtrack to one of the abandoned homes around the area and find a large plank of wood. Or, I could bend the water out of my way instead. I juggled my options, taking another look around to make sure I was alone. It would be hard to see me while I was in the river as it had a small ravine of about two feet in height on either side.
Pursing my lips, I took off my outer top and folded it on the ground, before rolling up my pant legs. Slipping off my shoes and rucksack, I approached the ravine and hopped down. The water went to midcalf and I took a deep breath, steadying myself on the rock I was standing on. Bringing my arms forward I felt the rush of cold travel through them as I lifted my hands up and forward. The water parted before me and I held it there, stepping forward with a smile. Making it halfway across, I began to hear footsteps and turned around. Still holding the water in place, I tried to pinpoint where the footsteps had come from.
"Mira?" I heard Zuko ask.
I let out a gasp, forgetting about the water entirely, dropping it in surprise. I sucked in a mouthful of water as my butt hit the rocky bottom. I pushed off the riverbed, kicking my feet and broke through the water. Drawing in a gasp of air, I spluttered the water from my mouth and tried to wipe the moisture from my eyes. Once my vision had cleared, I saw Zuko standing beside Ernie, holding my outer shirt with a shocked expression. I struggled against the current, trying to get to dry land as I waited for Zuko to snap out of his surprise.
He moved towards the ravine, grasping my arms and heaving me up. I landed in a heap as Zuko sat down next to me giving me a funny expression. I didn't really look at him, panic already shooting through my body. Had he seen me bend the water? No, he had found Ernie and some of my clothing without me and had called out my name, I just needed to calm down. I looked back up and he had a small smile on his face like he was trying to stifle laughter.
"Were you trying to swim across the river?" Zuko asked as his grin twitched.
"Yeah, so what?" I huffed, crossing my arms in protest. "It's hot, I figured I'd take a dip."
I shifted my eyes to look at him and Zuko was simply shaking his head with a small smile on his face. My shoulders sagged, thankful he hadn't caught me waterbending. It was a stupid decision, I needed to be more careful in the future. He stretched his neck, glancing around before looking back at me.
"We should start heading back before it gets dark." Zuko said as he stood up.
I followed suit, grabbing my outer shirt and stuffing it into my rucksack. I was still soaked and wouldn't be able to try and dry myself with waterbending anytime soon. I might as well deal with it like a firebender, so I raised my body heat instead. Zuko mounted Ernie and I approached, noticing a string of what looked like groundhogs tied to the side of the saddle.
"Where did those come from?" I asked.
"I caught them." Zuko said with a shrug.
"You...caught them? You, the guy who spent an hour and caught one tiny fish, managed to catch four furry creatures? They aren't even burned, so you obviously didn't use firebending," I mused, moving closer to inspect them. "They don't look stolen either..."
"Shut up, I caught them with traps I set up a few days ago." Zuko grumbled with an embarrassed look.
"Well colour me impressed then." I laughed, moving to mount Ernie as well.
"Whoa, you're not mounting behind me. You're soaking wet, you get to walk." Zuko said as he moved his arm to stop me from mounting.
"I thought it was getting dark soon, I'll be walking home well into the night. Stop being so whiny, he's my bird anyways. If anything, you should be the one walking." I grumbled, trying to push his arm out of the way.
"Bird? He's an ostrich horse." Zuko said as he allowed me to finally mount Ernie.
"Well excuse me, we don't have ostrich horses where I'm from, just horses." I scoffed, my cheeks warming in embarrassment.
"Horses? Not a pig horse?" Zuko asked.
"A pig horse? What, no, just horses," I responded in surprise. "There are pig horses?"
"You sure it wasn't an antelope horse?" Zuko inquired further.
"Okay, you're just messing with me now. You just keep putting two animals' names together and claiming it's real." I said with an incredulous expression.
"Are you telling me that where you are from you have antelopes and horses, pigs and horses, and ostriches and horses, but no antelope horses, pig horses, or ostrich horses?" Zuko asked, turning to give me a perplexed look.
"You're telling me all those things you listed are real?" I replied back.
"Considering we are riding an ostrich horse right now, yeah." Zuko said in a mocking tone.
"Fair point." I relented, nodding my head towards him. "Like I said, where I'm from is pretty far away, I'm not surprised that while the animals we have are similar, they are also different."
"I can't even imagine what a horse would look like." Zuko said with a grin.
"It's kind of like an antelope, but bigger, and it doesn't have horns?" I tried to explain.
"You mean an antelope horse." Zuko said, contradicting me.
"No, I mean an antelope." I shot back.
"I've never seen an antelope, what do they look like?" Zuko asked, continuing to push my buttons.
"Ugh! Okay, fine! It looks like an antelope horse without horns, are you happy now?" I said, throwing my hands up into the air.
"Incredibly." Zuko deadpanned as he picked up the reins.
I wound my hands around his waist and pressed myself against his back. He was searing hot, as usual, and he jumped when I pressed my wet clothing against his thin shirt. Ernie began to run, racing past the lush greenery and into the desert. I felt Zuko let out a small noise, looking at me over his shoulder. I responded with a shit eating grin, daring him to comment.
"Get your wet self off my back." He said with a glare.
"I have no idea what you are talking about." I said with a smug grin.
The rest of the ride went like that, Zuko snidely asking me to stop draping my soaked body on him, and me ignoring him so I could annoy him further. By the end of it when we reached the hut, he stomped in past Iroh and began to crudely skin the groundhogs he had caught. I hadn't learned what they were called, and by this point I was too scared to ask; Zuko was starting to ask too many questions and I wasn't sure I could keep answering them. I was treading on thin ice at this point, growing too comfortable around him as time went on..
~Break~
Iroh cooked our dinner that night. It was a carrot and molehog, as it turned out, stew with a side of clover tea. Iroh was incredibly thankful, enveloping me in a hug before hurrying off to start a pot. Zuko gave me a funny look so I turned towards him, awaiting whatever issue he had with what I was doing.
"You sure it's such a good idea to let him make tea out of random plants?" Zuko asked.
"Well, considering I have a book on edible plants and have cooked with them before, yes, I do think it's a good idea." I answered as I rolled my eyes.
"Is that how you learned to find those carrots?" Zuko asked.
"Yup, it's helped me tons of times already. When I was traveling...uh, well, alone..I figured I needed to learn how to find food here, so I bought a book." I said, attempting to gloss over our previous fallout.
"That would have been useful to have." Zuko said as he continued to eat his stew.
"Oh? Sounds like there's a story here," I grinned, moving closer to poke his shoulder. "Come on, share with the class."
"Stop poking me," Zuko grumbled, flicking my hand away. "There's isn't much of a story, I had trouble finding food."
"Couldn't you just trade labour for food or coin at some town? That's what I did." I asked.
"That wasn't really much of an option." Zuko replied.
"How come?" I continued to press.
"Because there weren't many towns around, and the ones that were were under Fire Nation control," Zuko answered, turning to give me an annoyed look. "Are you done now?"
"Yeah yeah I'm done." I finally relented, sitting back on the balls of my feet.
"None of the Earth Kingdom towns gave you any trouble?" Zuko asked with a far away expression.
"Not really, most were peaceful until I started to hit the coast," I shrugged, trying not to think of that mother and her baby. "I was wearing Earth Kingdom clothing and I didn't firebend so."
"That's good..." Zuko said before he abruptly stood up.
"Where are you going?" I asked, whipping my head around to follow him.
"I just need some air..." Zuko muttered as he slipped out of the hut.
~Break~
The sun had long since set, the moon taking its place and looming in the middle of a midnight sky. Iroh hadn't commented on Zuko's departure. Instead he handed me a cup of tea with a smile. We drank in silence, my mind working up a storm. Had I said something wrong? No, it must have something to do with what had happened when we were separated. I chewed on my bottom lip debating if I should try and check on Zuko, or if it was better to leave him alone.
Eventually the want to find out what was wrong won out over my self preservation, and I stood up and left the hut. Iroh had already gone to bed, allowing me to slip out without drawing his attention. I don't know why I didn't want him to know that I had sought out Zuko alone, but I felt embarrassed. Searching out for Zuko's form in the darkness, I stepped forward finding him sitting down near the ledge of the cliff our hut sat on. I walked over, watching as his hair moved with the breeze. It had grown in his absence, much like he had. Reaching him I sat down, looking up at the stars in silence.
"I had to use my firebending." Zuko said, breaking the silence.
"Oh...what happened?" I asked, unsure what else to say.
"I wanted to help the villagers living in a small town that was being terrorized by corrupt Earth Kingdom soldiers, instead I was vilified." Zuko muttered, his fists tightening.
"Can you blame them for being fearful?" I asked, causing Zuko to open his mouth to argue, but I simply raised my hand, stopping him. "Hear me out. These people have either lived all of their lives or most of their lives in fear of the Fire Nation and of firebending. In fact, even I was scared of fire before I began to bend it."
Zuko didn't say anything, tilting his head to look at the dirt with a pensive expression. I grew worried for a moment, wondering if I had gone too far in what I had said. But truth was, the Fire Nation was ruthless, they were the embodiment of evil for the people of the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes. They had decimated the Air Nomads, genocided many of the southern water benders, and were laying siege to the Earth Kingdom. How on earth couldn't Zuko see that it was wrong?
"I can't blame them." Zuko responded in a soft voice.
"For what it's worth, Iroh and I know you aren't like them." I said, placing my hand on his shoulder.
"Like them? You mean the people of the Fire Nation?" Zuko asked, whipping his head around to look at me.
"What, well not exact-" I tried to explain.
"Like Fire Nation soldiers then? Or do you just mean my father and Azula?" Zuko accused, pinning me with an angry stare.
"Like the people who believe they are better than another because of what nation they come from or the element they bend!" I rushed to say, tired of Zuko cutting me off.
Zuko didn't say anything for a few moments. He simply stared at me, digesting the words I had said. I swallowed my words, trying to give him a chance to respond, but found it difficult. Whenever I got anxious I got chatty, words just tumbled out of my mouth to fill the silence.
"What makes me so different from them?" Zuko asked.
"The fact you helped someone because they needed help, not because they were your people. You also chose to help Iroh instead of capturing the Avatar." I softly said back.
Zuko and I lapsed back into silence. I certainly knew how to kill a conversation, but I couldn't lie about how I felt anymore. What was happening in the Earth Kingdom was a tragedy and the Fire Nation with Sadar's help were moving fast and hitting hard. It felt like we had hit a turning point and I couldn't ignore that Zuko had begun to struggle with who he was now. His goals and his actions were no longer lining up and it didn't take Iroh to tell me that inside him was turmoil.
"Since you headed towards the coast, did you run into any of the Fire Nation?" Zuko asked.
The question hit my gut like a punch. My veins iced over and my tongue became lead. I struggled to find the words, feeling dread seep into my core. Looking up at Zuko with panic written over my face, I attempted to school my features.
"Yeah, but I avoided those towns. Never really engaged with them." I said through the lump in my throat.
If I kept lying, maybe I would start to believe my words, because it was clear Zuko didn't.
~Break~
I couldn't shake off the weird feeling I had gotten after speaking with Zuko last night. Iroh was serving us breakfast as usual, which we ate in silence. I took a sip of some water, finishing my last bite. Zuko, having finished his own meal, set the dishes next to Iroh and left the hut. Swallowing another gulp of water, I set my dishes down next to Zuko's and followed him.
"Hey, wait up." I said, jogging over to where he was getting his ostrich horse ready.
"What is it?" Zuko asked, eye's never straying from his task of tightening the straps of the saddle.
"I was wondering if you could show me how you trap wild animals. I kind of only know how to forage for plants." I asked, hoping Zuko would say yes.
"Are you planning on living off the land for the rest of your life?" Zuko asked with a small snort.
"Not really, but who knows what could happen a week from now. I might as well be prepared." I responded, defending my request.
"Fine, get on." Zuko said, swinging his leg up and over the saddle.
I followed suit, mounting behind Zuko and holding onto his waist. He flicked the reins and his ostrich horse sped off down the road leading to the desert below. Moving through the rocky area, Zuko directed us towards a small grove of trees. It wasn't as green as some of the areas I had foraged, but it held shade and protection from predators. Zuko stopped the ostrich horse, motioning for me to dismount so he could.
My feet hit the ground and I took a moment to look around, situating myself. A few yards before us I noticed a couple mounds of dirt sticking out. Zuko walked towards me, grabbing my arm and pointing behind him.
"Molehogs live in tunnels underneath the desert. You can tell where they live based on where their entrances are. Those mounds of dirt over there are where they come out at night to hunt. I placed some traps around the trees here." Zuko said, leading me towards one not far from where he left his ostrich horse.
"Huh, they remind me of groundhogs." I laughed, catching sight of one that had been caught in Zuko's trap.
"Groundhogs? Now who is saying made-up sounding animal names." Zuko said as he rolled his eyes.
The trap was relatively simple. It was a basic pressure trap that would catch the molehogs leg. Zuko withdrew his knife, quickly stabbing the molehog in the jugular. I winced, not really enjoying the death gasp the creature made. Zuko cut the string he used, picking it up by the string tied to the molehogs leg. He walked over to his ostrich horse and tied it to the saddle.
"How many traps do you have set up?" I asked.
"About eight. There's two near the base of that tree if you can check them for me." Zuko said as he walked a few paces away and knelt down by another trap.
"Sure." I answered, turning around trying to spot the first trap.
The traps weren't hard to detect, laying partially obscured by dried grass. I knelt down to find the first one empty. Moving the brush back to obscure it, I stood up to check the second one. As I touched the brush obscuring the second trap, I heard a rumble in the distance. My hand stopped and I froze, listening intently and trying to figure out what the noise was. It was growing louder, and sounded like a stampede of ostrich horses. I stood up, trying to look around and find where the sound was coming from. Unable to pinpoint the sound, I turned towards Zuko, finding him already standing up, scanning our surroundings. He was looking off towards the old abandoned town we had fought Azula in, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I'm not sure, we need to check it out. No one should be traveling in this area, we aren't near any towns." Zuko answered as he turned and mounted his ostrich horse.
I jogged over, mounting as quick as I could behind him. Zuko, not waiting for me to fully situate myself, snapped the reins and we took off towards the ruins. Clinging to his back, we sped through the desert kicking up dust and dirt as we went. I watched the hut we left Iroh in disappear from view. Zuko tugged on the reins, turning left and heading up one of the rolling hills that stood above the abandoned ghost town. As we hit the tallest part that overlooked the town, Zuko stopped the ostrich horse, staring towards the entrance. The rumbling had grown even louder due to our proximity and soon I saw a dozen ostrich horses racing towards us.
Zuko ducked down, placing his finger against his lips signaling for us to be silent. I followed his instructions, watching as the figures became clearer. I felt myself freeze, watching in horror as I recognized the dark outfits they all wore. My fingers dug into Zuko's back, causing him to flinch. I watched in disbelief as the first few faces reached my view. It was Sadar's soldiers, the very same ones who had killed several Earth Kingdom people in front of me. There were even more soldiers now, and they all looked armed. I began to tug on Zuko's shirt, panic setting in.
"You sure that little bitch was headed this way?" Dan asked, dismounting his ostrich horse and kicking his boot against the ground.
"That's what that old woman said at the last town." Angie sighed.
"We also saw those huge gouges in the dirt. Looked like one of those fire machinery tracks. The Fire Lord did send his daughter after the Avatar, so we just need to find more tracks." A man with dark hair and amber skin said as he approached Dan.
My stomach was now full of angry butterflies. They had tracked me all the way to where I had left the baby. What if they had hurt the child? what if they had hurt the woman who had helped me? I couldn't stop myself from breathing heavily against Zuko's back as I shrank into him. I focused on Zuko's steady warmth, pressing my forehead against his back and closing my eyes.
"Look, this whole area is abandoned and we are days behind the Avatar at this point. We just need to keep moving, we can't afford to waste anymore time." Angie sighed, wandering into one of the dilapidated houses to look around.
"It looks like there was a fight here recently. Look at these scorch marks." The dark-haired man said, rubbing his finger against a piece of burnt wood.
"There is also evidence of earthbending. There were more people here than just the Avatar." Angie answered, kicking at a couple bent boulders and fresh gouges in the dirt.
"Well the fire is probably from that psycho princess we've heard about. The earth could have been bent by the Avatar." Dan scoffed.
"No, the Avatar hasn't been seen earthbending yet. We at least know there was firebending, earthbending, and what appears to be waterbending here. There's stagnant water sitting inside this house." Angie answered, sniffing a piece of splintered wood.
"We do know the Avatar can waterbend, so that one doesn't help your case. Plus we did just have a storm" Dan mocked, pulling out his knife to twirl it around.
"There are also several tracks of varying sizes in the dirt, including some barefoot ones. Everyone here is probably long gone, especially if Princess Azula was here." Angie sighed as she kneels down to investigate a couple of the tracks.
"Why do you insist on saying her full title when she isn't around? She's not our princess." Dan grumbled irritably.
"Just because you don't give respect to others, doesn't mean I wont." Angie tutted, moving to mount her ostrich horse.
Zuko pulled us from the hill as I shivered against his back. He began taking us back to Iroh as fast as his ostrich horse could go. I continued to tremble against his back, unable to shake the realization that I wasn't safe. Sadar and his army had found me and they were capable of tracking me.
No matter where I went.
~Break~
We collected Iroh and our belongings from the hut in record speed. Iroh didn't disagree or waste time asking what was going on, simply pulling himself together and mounting Zuko's ostrich horse at record pace. We raced throughout the day and well into the night, never once stopping. I was incredibly spooked after seeing those soldiers again, but it appeared Zuko was as well. The only words spoken were the ones said when Iroh asked what was going on after we had been riding for several minutes. Zuko simply stated that the Fire Nation was tailing us and that we had caught them nearby. Iroh had dropped it after that and we all fell into silence.
"We should rest here for the night." Zuko declared as he slowed his ostrich horse's speed.
I followed suit, dismounting and tying Ernie to a tree. Zuko and Iroh had already begun to lay their bedding down to sleep. There wasn't going to be any dinner tonight, nor a fire or conversation. It was going to be the most miserable night yet. No matter what I did, no matter who I was with, things always seemed to get worse. I hadn't asked for any of this. I didn't want to be the Avatar. It was thrust upon me. Sadar didn't care who I was, I was a means to an end, the unlucky winner of the Avatar cycle.
I had never resented being the Avatar more than in this moment. What had once felt exciting and amazing was now heavy and hard to carry. If I died, there was no one around to fix it for everyone else. I was that final line of defence for the entire world. If I died, no one would know about Sadar and his technology. The next Avatar would be reborn back in my time, too far away to help. Unable to do anything else, I laid down in my blanket praying for sleep to claim me. Even Aang had told me he needed my help to stop Sadar. The most responsibility I had before this was remembering to take my meds, school work, and going to sleep on time. I was not prepared for any of this, I was barely prepared for my old life.
Sleep didn't come easy for me. I turned and twisted where I lay, unable to stop myself from snapping my eyes open at every sound. Eventually, when I did snap my eyes open again, I found Zuko's annoyed face staring at mine. My eyes remained open this time, staring into Zuko's amber eyes. Patience wasn't a word I associated with Zuko, yet he didn't push for me to say anything. He simply held my gaze. I don't know how long we laid there like that, but eventually I couldn't bear the silence anymore.
"I lied to you, I did run into the Fire Nation. I ran into those soldiers we saw in that abandoned town. They killed a merchant and his wife in front of me." I spluttered out, my throat constricting as my fingernails dug into my palms.
"I know." Zuko answered in an even tone.
"I...wait, how do you know?" I asked.
"I ran into those soldiers too when I was chasing the Avatar. They didn't catch me, so I travelled to the nearest town where I met an old woman who told me about how you had dropped a baby off with her the night before." Zuko replied.
"How did you know it was me? I never told her my name." I asked, my voice full of shock.
"I'm sure you've noticed this by now, but you have a very unique hair colour. It wasn't hard to figure out it was you when she described the girl to me." Zuko said, his gaze shifting from mine.
He was looking at my hair, I realized. He wasn't wrong, I hadn't seen anyone from this time with my hair colour. I stuck out like a sore thumb everywhere I went because of genetics. Thousands of years of evolution caused some mutations or changes in human DNA so different groups of people could adapt. Green eyes were a mutation, and fairer or freckled skin were an evolutionary trait caused by people living in different climates.
If the continents now were so different from the ones in my time, it's no wonder our evolutionary needs would be different. Somewhere during those thousands of years, the continents had shifted and changed some of our needs resulting in the genetic anomaly that I was in this time. It was no wonder that Sadar's soldiers were able to track me so easily; it wasn't hard to ask if someone had seen some blonde girl with freckles in this time. The only other people who looked exactly like me, were Sader and his army.
"It's not a bad thing or anything, just different." Zuko hurried to say as I realized I had been silently staring at him without responding.
"You think it looks good then?" I asked with a small smile.
"It's...unique." Zuko said, his face starting to turn red.
"Unique?" I asked as I quirked my eyebrow in question. "You said that already."
Zuko's face twisted in embarrassment and panic. He opened his mouth to talk, before closing it. His eyes were staring at my face now, unsure what to do, and too scared to talk. So I just waited, basking in how uncomfortable he was right now. I was petty, sure, but a part of me also really wanted him to say my hair was pretty, or at least nice.
"It looks...good on you." Zuko said, looking like he was struggling to talk coherently.
"Good on me, I'll take it." I said with a small laugh.
Zuko let out a small huff, giving me a disapproving look for haselling him. He then turned over, clear in his message that he was going to sleep. I couldn't stop my small smile from increasing as I closed my eyes, finally ready for sleep. I was simply content with the fact that there was a chance Zuko hadn't been chasing the Avatar when he ran into Aang, but rather looking for me.
~Break~
We had been traveling for a week straight at Zuko's insistence. Ever since we had caught sight of some of Sadar's soldiers, Zuko had insisted upon getting as far away from them as we could. We had started entering a larger scorching flatland and the heat was starting to get at me. Iroh himself was groaning away behind Zuko, an audible sign of his discomfort. For the past little while he had been pushing Zuko to stop pushing us to run as fast as we could, feeling that we had long lost the Fire Nation soldiers. His comments fell on deaf ears, so Iroh had resorted to childish actions; sighing a lot. In a dramatic fashion.
"Maybe we should make camp." Zuko finally sighed.
"No, please, don't stop just for me." Iroh hammed it up.
He continued to moan as I hid my laughter behind my hand. Zuko gave me an annoyed look as he pulled on the reins. We stopped, all of us dismounting to stretch our legs. Iroh walked a few feet away, sitting down on one of the rocks while I went to grab some water. Zuko stood at attention, scanning the horizon as Iroh and I took a well deserved break. We had been running for days without much rest or sleep, I was famished. We were all startled out of what we were doing when we heard something rustling not far from us. The ostrich horses perked up, raising their heads as they too picked up the noise. Zuko was already looking around for the source, his hand resting above the hilt of his swords.
"What now." Iroh groaned, moving to stand up.
A Fire Nation soldier with a set of armor I had never seen before appeared from the sparse treeline. He had explosives strapped to his thick brown belt. His armor was dark with red trim instead of the usual gold, and his helmet was sleeker with four slits down the front. He was riding past us on a rhino alongside two other Fire Nation soldiers, one dressed in red robes with a dark red trim, red face paint, and long hair, the other older with more traditional armor and no hair, except for the beard he was sporting on his face.
"Ugh, now, really? I'm tired." I groaned, staring at our impending fight.
At least weren't Sadar's men, with the three of us we stood a fighting chance. The soldiers from before still hadn't found us, as it seemed they weren't pleased to be working with the Fire Nation in the slightest. Two other soldiers appeared through the trees on our right, one larger in size wearing little to no clothing, and another with a large red feather atop his head. Despite how differently they were all dressed, they had a colour scheme set up amongst themselves.
"Colonel Mongke, what a pleasant surprise." Iroh smiled, taking hold of Zuko's shoulder, causing him to relax the arm that was reaching for his swords.
"If you're surprised we're here, then the Dragon of the West has lost a few steps." The man with the feather on his head spoke, mocking Iroh.
He glanced around at his men, before he started to grind his bracers against one another. It was clearly a threat and form of intimidation as the rest of his men drew their weapons on cue. One had a bow, another had a spear, the last had a set of balls attached to a chain. Well shit, this was going to be a whole thing wasn't it.
"You know these guys?" Zuko asked, glancing between all the men.
"Sure, Colonel Mongke and the Rough Rhinos are legendary. Each one is a different kind of weapon specialist." Iroh explained, his hand tightening ever so slightly on Zuko's shoulder.
Well, at least that explained the array of weaponry laid out before us. I only hoped that Iroh knew them well enough to defend against them. I had no idea what the heck the ball and chain weapon was capable of, but I could easily guess. I scanned each of the men, attempting to find any signal that they would be attacking. Iroh continued to smile as if nothing was wrong.
"They are also a very capable singing group." Iroh added.
That was a less than helpful comment. I glanced at Iroh once more, finding him watching Colonel Mongke closely. Zuko continued to watch the rest of the Rough Rhinos, his fingers itching to strike. I couldn't blame him, my own adrenaline was pumping, I was ready to jump out of my own skin. It was the waiting that was killing me, a fight I could handle, but the lull before? I hated it, it always made my muscles itch.
"We're not here to give a concert! We're here to apprehend fugitives." Mongke spat, casting Iroh with a glare.
"Would you like some tea first? I'd love some," Iroh smiled as his eyes slid to the left, "how 'bout you, Kachi? I make you as a jasmine man. Am I right?"
"Enough stalling!" Mongke shouted. "Round 'em up!"
The man with the balls and chain attacked first. Iroh kicked the attack away. My eyes caught movement so I twisted, sending out a blast of fire catching an arrow midair. I glowered at the archer, sending out a small shot of fire, burning the next arrow he had nocked on his bow. The balls Iroh had kicked wrapped around one of the rhino's legs. Iroh dodged an attack from a spear, rolling to the ground and jumping up to slap the rhino's rump.
The rhino sped off with the spear man still attached to the saddle. Mr. Balls-and-chain was pulled from his rhino with a scream, dragged off behind the startled beast. Zuko cut an arrow in half sailing for my back as I sent out a shot of fire through the man's bow, destroying his nocking point. Feather-head started sending out bursts of fire, Iroh taking care of them easily. I took the opportunity to send out a whip of fire, knocking the archer off his saddle and starling his rhino into a run.
I turned to find Zuko atop Mr. Feather's rhino, sending out a flurry of fiery attacks to knock him off. Iroh grabbed our ostrich horses, jump mounting one as he handed the reins of the other to me. Zuko flipped off the rhino he was on, landing onto the saddle behind Iroh. Snapping the reins, we raced off into the desert now running from two different Fire Nation parties. The remaining soldier with explosives strapped to his back started to chase after us. He grabbed a couple of his explosives, throwing them at our ostrich horses' feet. Just barely dodging, we managed to avoid the explosions, racing through the smoke cover it provided.
"It's nice to see old friends." Iroh laughed.
"Too bad you don't have any old friends that don't want to attack you." Zuko retorted.
"Hmm...old friends that don't want to attack me." Iroh mused.
"Oh lord, please tell me there's at least one." I laughed.
"Possibly..." Iroh trailed off, becoming lost in his memories.
He never did manage to answer my question, lapsing into silence as we continued to flee.
~Break~
We didn't stop until we found a small oasis outpost at the mouth of an expansive sandy desert. It had a small, rather sad looking, natural ice source surrounded by a puny run down wooden fence. It thankfully didn't take too long to get there and I could feel my mouth begin to water at the prospect of food and drink. We hitched our ostrich horses to the posts near the entrance of the outpost and headed towards the centre of town.
"Ok, where first?" Iroh asked.
"The bar, I'm thirsty." I complained.
"Do we really have time to be wasting here? Mongke and his men will be after us soon." Zuko whispered.
"We cannot keep running without supplies or rest, I think getting something to drink is a good idea. Besides, I believe I know someone who can help us here." Iroh smiled, taking my side.
"Fine." Zuko relented as we headed inside.
We walked into a juice bar where the barista used two swords to make the entire thing. Including pouring juice and handing it over. Overkill, but still cool. I looked at the large sign hung above the bar. It reminded me a little bit of a bubble tea place back in my time, minus the pearls and made entirely by swords. They had many flavours and fruit options to choose from, including mixes involving two or more fruit.
"Ooo...I think I want a mango...but they look rather big. Zuko, do you want to share one with me?" I asked, looking over my shoulder at him.
"Hmm? Sure, sure, whatever." Zuko waved me off as he looked around with a small frown.
"O...kay." I muttered as I went to order.
"I think I will go for papaya." Iroh mused, stroking his beard.
"I'll have one mango and one papaya please." I ordered with a smile.
I handed the man a few coins and he proffered the drinks between his swords after a few minutes. I walked towards where Iroh and Zuko had sat down and placed the drinks before us. Iroh and I began to take greedy sips as Zuko let out a sigh, staring at the different people sitting around us.
"Come on, at least try it?" I asked, offering Zuko his own straw.
"Fine..." Zuko relented taking several sips.
Hmm, guess he was thirsty. We finished our drinks quickly and I went to order more, deciding to try strawberry this time. I brought Iroh another papaya and offered Zuko another straw. He didn't say anything about sharing again, which I was thankful for. It felt almost intimate this time, like there was no real reason to other than we could. We took our time finishing these drinks, savouring the flavours as we relaxed away from the heat outside.
"No one here is gonna help us." Zuko sighed after a few minutes.
He had been looking around the bar almost our entire time here, and I couldn't blame his assessment. As far as I could tell, everyone in here would turn us in for a quick bit of coin.
"These people just look like filthy wanders." Zuko continued to say.
"Uh...we look like filthy wanders, for the record." I stated, taking another sip of my drink.
"Mira is right, we do," Iroh laughed, giving me a wink. "Ah, this is interesting. I think I've found our friend."
I followed Iroh's gaze to see an older man sitting at a table playing Pai Sho. He wore olive green robes with beige trim. He was sitting across from someone, moving one of his tiles across the board with a small smile.
"You brought us here to gamble on Pai Sho?" Zuko asked incredulously.
"I don't think this is a gamble." Iroh winked at me once again before standing.
What the heck was going on? Why did Iroh keep winking at me? Why did it always have something to do with Pai Sho? First his search for his missing tile, next his mysterious comment about the tile Aiwon had given me, and now this sudden friend who could help us who just so happened to play Pai Sho. I watched Iroh walk over towards the man leaving Zuko and I to follow in confusion. Iroh stood across from the man motioning towards the board with a smile.
"May I have this game?" Iroh asked as the previous man playing stood up.
"The guest has the first move." The man offered, extending a hand to the empty seat.
Iroh sat down as we stood behind him and watched. Iroh used the lotus tile I had given him first, catching my interest. I wasn't just seeing things, Pai Sho had significance, even if I was unable to see it yet.
"I see you favour the white lotus gambit. Not many still cling to the ancient ways." The man said with a short bow.
"Those who do can always find a friend." Iroh answered back with his own bow.
"Did you get any of that? I feel like we were just privy to some sort of sordid deal." I whispered to Zuko causing him to chuckle in my ear.
His breath hit the shell of my ear as I felt him lean in closer. Goosebumps shot up my arms and I had to stifle a shiver that shot up my spine.
"Sounds about right, considering my Uncle." He whispered, his breath hitting my neck.
This time I couldn't stop the small shiver. I covered it up pathetically with a shrug, deciding to intently watch the Pai Sho game so Zuko couldn't see my no doubt red face.
"Then let us play." The man smiled.
They began to place tiles, and despite all my lessons with Iroh, I couldn't make sense of what they were doing. They acted almost robotically, responding after one another almost instantly, intent on one single uniform act. Zuko pulled over two stools, offering one to me which I took gratefully. We sat down and watched the board with keen interest, our previous interaction completely forgotten.
Eventually, they had drawn a lotus pattern across the entire board. I felt Illuminati bells ringing and had to wonder what I had just witnessed. Was Aiwon also a 'friend' of Iroh's?
"Welcome, brother," The man greeted, "The White Lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets."
"What are you old gasbags talking about?" Zuko asked, exasperated.
"I always tried to tell you that Pai Sho is more than just a game." Iroh grinned, twirling the white lotus tile across his knuckles.
"Well, I'm certainly glad I gave that to you." I grinned.
Zuko shot me a confused look causing Iroh to laugh. I gave Zuko a shrug, shaking my head at his silent question. I wasn't really sure how to go about telling Zuko I had met an old woman who had taught me waterbending before giving me that tile. It would cause too many awkward questions, and that was putting it lightly.
"Although, I do wonder who you came across who would have given you such a thing. Did they know its meaning, I wonder." Iroh mused as if he had heard my thoughts.
"It's over!" I heard a man yell as he stomped towards us.
He was dressed in green fighters clothing with gold trim with black sweatbands around his wrists. He had long stringy hair cascading down his back and was backed by another man who was dressed more proper. He had his black hair done up and had a fu-man-chu. He was dressed in more noble Earth Kingdom robes, and held his hands within his long bell sleeves.
"You three fugitives are coming with me!" He continued to shout.
"I knew it!" The old man who played Pai Sho with Iroh shouted, bounding up to stand before us. "You two are wanted criminals with a giant bounty on your heads!"
"I thought you said he would help." Zuko hissed.
"Shh, he is, he's doing what Sokka did to you with those pirates." I whispered back with a grin.
"Just watch." Iroh soothed, placing a hand on Zuko's shoulder, halting his retort.
"You think you're going to capture them and collect all that gold?" The man asked, getting louder.
"Gold?" I heard someone ask.
Everyone in the bar began to turn towards us, some even leaving their seats at the mention of gold. Half of them already had their weapons drawn, moving towards the two Earth Kingdom men who were after us and our apparent bounty.
"Uh, maybe we shouldn't..." The primly dressed man began to say.
Before I knew it, a bar brawl had broken out. We escaped during the chaos, rushing towards a building across the way. The old man led us through to the other side of town, avoiding anyone and everyone, before I saw that the area was filled with small quiet houses. He opened a door and let us all in before locking it tightly behind us.
The room was lined from floor to ceiling with potted plants. The air smelled of damp dirt and foliage; it was rather nice. I gaped, angling my head to look at all the different plants hanging from the ceiling and sitting before small windows. Tall shelves were nestled close to one another, creating a narrow passage towards a plain wooden door.
"It is an honour to welcome such a high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus," The old man bowed, "being a Grandmaster, you must know so many secrets."
Iroh smiled as the man walked by us and towards the door. I gave Iroh a curious look before coming to stand beside him.
"Grandmaster?" I asked.
"Don't worry about it right now." Iroh smiled as he patted me on the head.
"Now that you've played Pai Sho, are you gonna do some flower arranging? Or is someone in this club gonna offer some real help?" Zuko scoffed.
"Don't be rude." I whispered, smacking Zuko in the arm.
He gave me a look, but said nothing further as the man led us further into the building. Zuko had a sour expression on his face, so I opted to inspect more of the plants. Some looked familiar, other's looked like nothing I had ever seen. I mooned over the plethora of plants kept in this home as Iroh continued to speak to his friend.
"You must forgive my nephew. He is not an initiate, and has little appreciation for the cryptic arts." Iroh apologized on behalf of Zuko.
The man knocked on the wooden door and waited. A window at the top of the door slid open and a man peered out. I could only see his eyes and the top of his nose. He stared at Iroh, appraising him for a moment.
"Who knocks at the garden gate?" He asked.
"One who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries." Iroh replied.
The door opened and Iroh stepped in, followed by the old man. Zuko attempted to follow, but the door shut tight before he could. I snorted, shaking my head at how utterly stubborn and prideful Zuko was being. I felt relieved, he was starting to act more like himself now.
"I'm afraid it's members only. Wait out here with Mira." Iroh ordered.
Zuko turned back towards me with a huff and sat down against one of the potted plants. I took that moment to join him, unable to stop the smile that had spread across my face.
"At least it's nice in here." I smiled.
Zuko took a sniff of one of the plants and had a thoughtful look on his face.
"I guess." He shrugged, giving me a short glance.
I leaned against his shoulder deciding to shut my eyes for a moment. I was tired, and content despite everything earlier. Zuko was warm and the air was cool, so I snuggled in as I felt myself fall into a dream
~Break~
It took a moment for me to realize I had fallen asleep and was standing inside my dream glen. Aang was waiting for me, but this time he was standing with his back facing me. I walked over to him, opting to remain standing. He was taller than me by about a foot and I couldn't believe the short twelve year old I knew would have such a growth spurt. He turned to give me a smile in greeting.
"Hello Mira, how are you doing?" He asked just like he always did.
"I'm okay. I'm back traveling with Zuko and Iroh again." I answered, turning to look into the pond instead of at Aang.
"Is that bad?" Aang asked, not missing how I avoided his gaze.
"No, not really, it's just..." I began to say, clicking my tongue ring against my teeth. "I feel like I'm wasting time staying with them. Sure, I learned how to bend lightning and redirect it but...what about learning how to bend air and earth? What about perfecting my waterbending? The longer I piss around here, the more time Sadar and his army have to grow stronger and..."
I trailed off, remembering the mother of that baby before she had died. They had wanted to take her for something. My mind went to the worst possible places, involving slavery and rape, but that didn't fit Sadar's MO. So far, not a single one of the soldiers had wasted time capturing anyone, except for some doctor. That left one option remaining; human experimentation. I shuddered as the thought hit me, my skin tingling in discomfort and fear.
"What's wrong?" Aang asked, noticing the change in my demeanour.
"I have no idea what Sadar's plan is, except for taking over the world with bending and advanced technology. So far the only plan I know, is the plan to kidnap me and use the Avatar State. How can I stop something if I don't even know what it is?" I asked, rambling to get my point across.
It felt useless as I watched Aang's expression turn incredibly serious. I was worried he would dismiss my questions once more, or tell me I had screwed up somewhere along the way by not knowing.
"Well, what do you know so far?" Aang asked.
"I don't know anything so far, that's the problem!" I complained, throwing my arms up into the air.
"Have you not run into any of them yet?" Aang inquired, staying incredibly calm despite my increasing volume.
"Well, yeah, a few times. But I haven't learned anything except that they have guns and will kill with impunity. They are apparently working with the Fire Nation and want to keep the fact I am the Avatar a secret from everyone else. They killed people just because I bent two elements." I said, finally breaking down.
Aang's arms wound themselves around my back, pulling me close. The tears were dripping down my nose by the time I realized I was crying. Aang simply held me, rubbing my back as I attempted to calm down. Once I had, he pulled away, his hands remaining on my shoulders to help ground me.
"Looks like you know a lot more than you give yourself credit for, what else happened?" Aang inquired.
"They were going to kidnap a woman and kill her baby when I intervened. I foolishly used both firebending and waterbending, not thinking of the consequences. They killed her then, but I had managed to rescue the baby." I said as I wiped the tears from my eyes.
"Kidnap a woman, hmm...did they say why they wanted her?" Aang continued to ask.
"Not really, just that some doctor had wanted them to find them healthy people." I shrugged, kicking a small stone into the pond.
"Sounds like you might have an idea as to why." Aang said with a smile.
"I mean sure, of course I do. But that doesn't mean I'm right. What if I find out too late?" I asked, finally looking up at Aang.
"You found out you were the Avatar when it was too late, didn't you? Why should this be any different?" Aang said with a chuckle.
"Because the only people I can trust with this information is you and your friends. If I tell Zuko and Iroh I will probably be tied up and shipped off to the Fire Lord before I finish my story." I said bitterly.
"What makes you think you can't trust them? Haven't they both always been there when you needed them?" Aang pressed.
"Of course they have, but-" I started to argue.
"Then why should this be any different?" Aang asked, not allowing me to keep deflecting.
I didn't have an answer for him, so I turned back to the pond and just watched as the water moved with the breeze. I did trust Zuko and Iroh, in fact I trusted them so much that I would trust them with my life. But trusting them with the truth of who I was? I wasn't so sure I could trust them with that.
~Break~
I was shaken awake when I felt Zuko's arms tighten around me, moving me from the door. I glanced around realizing I was back in the Earth Kingdom with Zuko and Iroh. I watched as Iroh stepped out of the room, the door shutting behind him. He gave us a smile as the man who accompanied him bowed in greeting to us. Zuko's hands continued to hold onto me tightly causing me to wince.
"What's going on? Is the club meeting over?" He asked, startled awake.
"Hey, be gentle, I'm a living breathing, bruising, human being you know." I squeaked out as Zuko finally let his arms fall to his sides.
"Sorry." He blushed.
"Everything is taken care of. We're heading to Ba Sing Se." Iroh said.
"Ba Sing Se?" Zuko asked, "Why would we go to the Earth Kingdom capital?"
"The city is filled with refugees. No one will notice three more." The man standing beside Iroh explained.
"We can hide in plain sight there. And it's the safest place in the world from the Fire Nation. Even I couldn't break through to the city." Iroh shrugged in humble acceptance.
We were interrupted by the door opening and I saw sunlight. We must have been here all night if the sun was just rising. A young man raced into the room, stopping before Iroh and the old man.
"I have the passports for your guests. But there are two men out on the street looking for them." The young man said.
We peered out of the window to see the two earthbenders from before looking for us. They were holding up our wanted poster and asking everyone who passed by where we were. Slipping away from the window I chewed on my bottom lip trying to think of what to do now. If we fought them and then escaped, they would just continue chasing us. It would become impossible to enter Ba Sing Se if everyone knew who we really were.
"I have an idea," The old man said as he motioned towards two large pots. "You three can stow away in them, and we can place some of the smaller plants on top. We will roll you guys out of here as if you were a shipment."
"That...actually doesn't sound like a bad idea." I blinked, tapping my chin.
Zuko looked unconvinced, but Iroh agreed.
"I agree, I shall take the larger one." Iroh laughed as he climbed in.
I looked at the one remaining pot, and then at Zuko.
"I'll get in first, just try not to kick me." He sighed as he climbed into the pot.
I followed after him, requiring his help to lower me down so I would step on him. His hands gripped my hips and I felt my face flare up. Agonizingly slow he helped me sit down. Our legs were bunched up and pressed together, but essentially I was now sitting in his lap. I felt the pots begin to move and held my breath. We passed the men with little to no trouble and before I knew it, we were peeking out and watching the outpost grow smaller and smaller.
Zuko sighed into my hair as the voices of the two men faded away. Slowly, we both relaxed into one another and just rested. I took that time to fall back asleep, snuggling comfortably into Zuko's chest. As I drifted off I swore I felt an arm wrap around me. But I wasn't sure, considering how little space we had to work with, if it was intentional or not.
~Chapter 5 End~