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Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the ATLA franchise. I only claim my original characters.
Iroh stroked his beard contemplatively as Zuko informed him of Kitsu's state. His nephew had spent the evening settling her and seeing to her needs, but when she finally slipped into a deep sleep he snuck away to consult with the old General. Zuko did not enjoy admitting that he'd gotten in over his head.
Ming Ming had placed Iroh in a room off the same corridor as Kitsu's, only a short distance away. It was smaller, and more modestly furnished, but nonetheless abounding with luxury. A tray set with jasmine tea and cookies sat on a low table between them. Zuko watched as steam wafted out of the spout of the teapot. The vapor curled around the teapot languidly and for a moment he couldn't help but think of the avatar. What would Zuko do now? His concerns had gone from capturing the avatar to surviving in an instant, and he was still reeling from it. He'd spent years so hyper focused on his one goal, and now… did it even matter anymore?
"This is unfortunate indeed." Iroh mumbled as he reached down and plucked a teacup from the table in front of him, breaking Zuko from his own psyche. Iroh was finally clean, and was dressed in a quality, olive colored tunic that was a bit tight in the belly. If Kitsu truly did not remember the events of the past week they would need to handle the situation with the utmost care.
"What am I supposed to do?" Zuko sat with his head in his hands, eyes drooping with exhaustion. He needed sleep desperately. Shadows danced in the corners of his eyes and his shoulders sagged as though the weight of the world rested upon them.
"I must think." Iroh answered firmly. He placed a caring hand on his nephew's shoulder. "And you must rest Zuko." It pained Iroh to see Zuko so worn down. Even as a man, Zuko never failed to remind Iroh of the determined little boy he once was. "You cannot keep going forever. You must be prepared for the journey ahead."
Zuko nodded wearily and sighed. "I don't know where to sleep." He confided. "It would be suspicious to request another room while my 'wife' lays ill in another." Iroh leaned back in his seat and nodded in agreement.
"Indeed. And I can tell you from experience that your wife would not be pleased about it." Iroh gazed firmly at his nephew. "You must treat this situation delicately Zuko. You have chosen to lie to her, and while I cannot blame you, it is your responsibility to ensure that your lie does not do irreparable damage." Iroh watched as Zuko glanced at him through his hair and nodded somberly.
"So I'm just going to have to play along then?" He asked miserably. Iroh nodded, his silver beard bobbing as he did so. Zuko looked back to his feet and grimaced.
"Get some rest. I will see to our generous hosts. We must take advantage of this respite while we can." Iroh commanded solemnly. "Go now and sleep."
Zuko nodded and stood from his chair shakily. "I will return when I wake up." With a silent nod from his uncle Zuko slipped out of the room and pulled the door shut behind him. He spun around, feeling eyes on the back of his neck, but when he looked around there was no one about. With an exasperated sigh he turned on his bruised heel and padded down the hall to the ornate double doors that marked the room where Kitsu slept.
Zuko opened the door gently and snuck in. In the low light he could see Kitsu sleeping peacefully on her right side with her arm tucked beneath her head. Her hair lay in a neat braid across the pillow and gentle snores would punctuate the silence periodically. Warmth settled in his chest at the sight of her safe and sound.
For a moment he watched her, scanning her slumbering face. The anguish that had ruled her expression for days was gone, and replaced by the blank peacefulness of deep slumber. Rubbing his neck he crossed the room and surveyed the various couches and chairs. He could not sleep on the floor, and still expect anyone to believe he was a noble. That left only a few options available to him.
Awkwardness kept him frozen as he tried to justify sleeping anywhere but the bed. Finally he sighed and chose a couch that faced the bed. It was plush enough, and he had slept in worse places. He settled himself lengthwise, crossed his arms, and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the cushion.
When Kitsu awoke it was to the sound of a gentle voice calling to her. She opened her eyes and found Dongmei leaning over her with a soft smile.
"How are you feeling?" She asked kindly. Kitsu sat up and rubbed her eyes as she searched the room for Lee. "He is sleeping don't worry." Dongmei whispered as she set a basket on the bedside and settled herself by Kitsu's legs. "We must let him rest."
Kitsu nodded as she laid eyes on her husband passed out on the couch across the room. His feet stuck over the end of the couch and his head rested on the other arm. Her eyes settled on his peaceful face, and his mop of hair covering the scar that he was so protective of.
"How are you feeling?" Dongmei asked again, determined to be patient with the young Lady.
"Better." Kitsu answered confidently. The old woman nodded and gestured towards Kitsu's leg.
"May I take a look?" Dongmei asked as she raised a curious brow. Kitsu hesitated but nodded after a moment and lifted the blanket that covered her injured leg. Dongmei wasted no time in removing the sticky bandages that kept her wound from view. Kitsu hadn't looked at it, too frightened of how bad it might be, but as the puckered skin, now an angry red, came into view she gave a sigh of relief. "Healing well already." Dongmei reassured her. "Your husband tells me you are quite the healer." The older woman pulled a salve from the basket and began to spread it thickly on the wound with a wooden blade.
"My mother taught me." Kitsu said with an absent nod as she watched the woman's arthritic hands work deftly. She could recognize the pasty orange blend of calendula and boiled tea leaves as it was spread. It would help the skin to heal, and even prevent scarring if applied regularly.
"She's a smart woman." Dongmei said with a smile. "Every girl should know her way around a posset of herbs." Kitsu nodded and looked toward the ricepaper window. It was lit with sunlight that appeared warm to the touch.
"Could I go outside?" Kitsu asked politely. "I would like to feel the earth between my toes." Dongmei smiled and after a thoughtful moment she nodded.
"Of course, my Lady." Dongmei turned in her seat to wave at the door. Chen crept in silently and curtsied to Kitsu before turning dutifully to her mother. "Chen, fetch the rolling chair from the store house. The lady would like a stroll through the garden." Chen nodded and turned to Kitsu with a wan smile.
"I am glad to see that you are awake, my Lady. We were so worried." Chen's round face and acorn colored eyes matched her pale skin prettily. She looked like the ladies of Guong Shi to Kitsu.
"Thank you." Kitsu replied, unsure of how to react to such deference from complete strangers. Was this the way people treated her mother when she was a girl? Chen nodded in response and slipped away to obey Dongmei's direction. Dongmei settled into her work and seemed intensely focused. Kitsu kept quiet, even though her mind was bubbling over with questions. Where was she? Who was her gracious host and why was he helping her?
"I can hear you thinking." Dongmei chided bluntly. "Spit it out, girl." Her tone was gentle but firm as she swiped another glob of salve onto Kitsu's wound.
"Where am I?" Kitsu asked, not needing to be told twice.
"I told you last night, you are in the Lord Gumo's Palace." Dongmei answered matter-of-factly.
"Your Lord is very kind to help us, and I don't mean to look a gift Ostrich-horse in the mouth, but why is he going to the trouble?" Kitsu knit her brows together as Dongmei paused and looked at her sternly.
"The Gumo family will always render aid to the Beifong. We are sworn to it. The moment Lord Gumo learned of your distress he sent for you. You can rest assured that you are safe here."
Kitsu nodded slowly and looked towards her husband's sprawling form. Dongmei glanced over her shoulder and chuffed at the sight. "You chose a feisty one." Dongmei commented as she drew a fine linen bandage from her basket. "But he looked after you like a mother Sabertooth Moose-Lion over a cub, and I can't fault him for it." Dongmei's knobby fingers began to gently wrap Kitsu's leg in the clean bandage, firmly enclosing it.
Kitsu couldn't help but give a small smile. As foreign a feeling as it was, the thought of someone caring for her was a pleasant one. The door opened and Chen entered, pushing a wooden chair with finely crafted wheels in place of legs. Kitsu had never seen such a contraption before.
"What is that?" She asked, pointing a rough finger at the thing as Chen situated it next to the bed.
"It is a rolling chair. Lord Gumo's mother used it to get about in her later days. It will help protect your leg while you visit the garden." Dongmei tied the bandage in a neat bow and tucked the end securely. "Grab a heavier robe for the Lady." She ordered Chen. "I will be able to get her into the chair myself." The young woman nodded and slipped out once more. Kitsu imagined that Chen was something like a wraith; There one second and gone the next.
"Now then, get your legs off the side of the bed." Dongmei directed. Kitsu obliged, pausing once or twice to wince before her wounded leg dropped off the side of the bed and dangled there. Dongmei stood and unceremoniously slipped her shoulder under Kitsu's arm. With a strong push the old woman lifted Kitsu to her feet and guided her into the chair. Kitsu never even had to put weight on her bad leg before settling in the woven seat. Chen reappeared with a thick silk robe the color of plums and wasted no time in wrapping it around Kitsu's shoulders. The robe was gossamer, yet cozy.
Kitsu felt uneasy being fawned over but kept her mouth shut out of respect.
"My daughter will take you to the gardens. It is a lovely day to look at the cherry blossoms." Dongmei informed Kitsu as she gathered her things.
"Thank you for everything you have done." Kitsu replied humbly. Dongmei waved her hand dismissively at Kitsu as Chen unlatched a small wooden block from the wheel of the chair and spun Kitsu around towards the door.
Lord Gumo's gardens were spacious and ethereal. Every tree hung heavy with dew coated blossoms, the winding paths curved like a dragon's back as they wove through the many botanical specimens. Kitsu could not help but gape in wonder as Chen gave her a tour. Every corner had something new to reveal to her.
Kitsu was particularly fascinated by a pale white flower that bloomed up a thick stalk. Each flower looked like a little white cup punctuated with deep purple veins. The plant was set in the far back, growing much taller than its shrubby companions.
"That is Foxglove, it is native to the fire nation." Chen explained before Kitsu could even ask. "It is toxic, but if one knows how, it can be used to treat conditions of the heart." Kitsu nodded in fascination. She was so immersed in her observations that she did not notice an older man approaching.
"Goodmorning, Kitsune." Iroh greeted cheerily. "I am pleased to see that you are awake." Kitsu startled at the sound of her name and craned her neck to look at the man. Iroh could see hesitation in the young girl's eyes. "I'm sure you do not remember me. I am Mooshi, your husband's Uncle."
Kitsu blinked for a moment, grasping at the threads of memory that flickered through her mind. She saw a flash of a picnic, with Lee, Mooshi, and herself settled next to the pond on her compound. "I think I remember you." She said cautiously. "It's all so murky." Kitsu added with a sigh. She rubbed her aching brow and turned to look at the Foxglove once more.
"Your memory will return in time." Mooshi said with an encouraging smile. "You are too sharp to forget for long." Kitsu quirked a smile at the older man's comment and nodded absently. She felt at ease with him almost instantly, which above all else told her that she must have known him.
"I don't like it… not remembering." Kitsu turned to Chen. "May I have a moment alone with, Uncle?" Chen nodded and curtsied.
"As you wish, my lady. I won't be far if you need me." Without further ado she turned and slipped away silently as was her habit.
Iroh regarded Kitsu thoughtfully, curious as to what she might have to say. He could not help but notice her intense focus as she reached out and stroked a dew droplet from one of the many tin foxglove blossoms before her.
"He is sleeping." Kitsu said after a long moment of silence. "Deeply." She turned and looked up at Mooshi with her peculiar eyes. Her face did not deceive the thoughts that prayed so privately on her mind.
"I am glad to hear that. He needed to rest." Iroh watched her carefully, as she continued to gaze at him. He could tell that she was carefully considering her next sentence.
"How did this happen, Uncle?" Kitsu assumed the familiar title, as was fitting. If he was her husband's uncle then by default he was her uncle as well. It would be disrespectful to call him anything else. Iroh let out a sigh and turned to look at the cherry blossoms overhead as he stroked his beard thoughtfully
"We were ambushed by Fire Nation soldiers. Lee and I did our best to protect you, though you hardly needed it." Iroh added the last part with a teasing grin, but his face fell before he relayed the next bit of information. "It was not until we had escaped that we realized your wounds were so severe. You were the one who first realized what you had been poisoned with, but you never shared how you came to your realization." Iroh gave her the full truth in regards to their escape. There was no use in adding lies on top of lies. Perhaps she would deign to shed a bit of light onto their current situation. Iroh had the feeling that she knew more than she had let on.
"So she finally came for me." Kitsu's face fell. She covered her eyes with her hands and took a deep breath. She knew this was coming. Like a nightmare that repeated itself again and again, the threat hung over her head. "When can we go back to the compound?"
Iroh's heart sank and his reassuring grip on her shoulder tightened slightly. "We cannot return to the compound." He could feel her shoulders slacken as she took yet another emotional blow. The thought of how many losses she had suffered weighed on his mind like a loadstone. "It was destroyed by fire nation soldiers during our escape." Iroh's comforting voice was grave, and gentle. He knew that this news would not be easy for her to take. He felt the faintest quiver in Kitsu's shoulder as fat tears welled silently in her eyes. She did not whimper or wail. Kitsu took the news with a profound dignity that he had seen on very few occasions, but he could feel the torrent of emotion brewing beneath her silent facade. There was little he could do to lighten the burden and he searched for the right words to soothe her. Suddenly he gave a smile and turned toward where Chen was waiting several paces away.
"Excuse me my dear, would you be so kind as to fetch something for me?" Iroh watched as the pretty young maidservant scurried over and beckoned her closer so that he could whisper in her ear. Softly he gave his instructions and smiled thankfully as the maid nodded and slipped away.
Ai worked as quietly as a spring breeze in the grass. She could not wake the sleeping lord as she tidied the room. First she took away the tray of food from the night before and swept the floor that had become soiled from dirt on the lord's shoes. The bed was quickly stripped and the soiled sheets tossed into a woven basket by the bedside.
Ai moved through her work like a soldier through drills. Every motion was honed and practiced. She laid the sheets and flattened them until they looked crisp. Her hands fluffed the pillows and straightened the fold of the comforter, but her mind was far away. Moving through her work was like a dream, and her thoughts swaddled her away from her mundane reality. In her mind's eye she was in Ba Sing Se, visiting the great theatres and strutting down the inner circle streets dressed as a fine lady.
She pulled a bundle of rich clothing from another basket by the bed and began to lay them out meticulously. Cream colored undergarments of the finest linen, a silken kimono the color of spring moss, and a golden sash laid neatly on the bed. Lord Gumo made it clear Ming Ming was to spare no expense to provide for the Lady Beifong. Two hairpins adorned with dangling beads of emerald that dripped from the ends were set by the collar of the kimono in preparation of being worn.
Ai surveyed her work and nodded approval to herself before turning lightly on her heel and slipping past the sleeping lord to clean the washroom. As she stepped through the open door she sighed in exasperation. Discarded clothes lay strewn across the floor and toiletries were toppled everywhere. The bath was full of cold murky water and would need to be scrubbed.
"Lords." She grumbled. "They always have to leave a mess!" Her quiet complaint was half hearted at best. As much as she dreamed of a finer life, no- a grander life somewhere beyond the cherry blossoms, she knew her station. She would serve nobles until she was old and grey like her mother. Most likely she would never see what lay beyond the little village at the foot of the mountain. With another sigh she knelt down and began to tidy the toiletries, setting the soaps and clay pots full of oils upright on their tray. As she pulled up her sleeve and reached into the dirty water to drain the tub she wondered what it would be like to serve a Beifong. She'd heard rumors that Beifong servants had clothing allowances and slept on feather beds every night. The scratchy thought of her straw mattress in the pantry made her scrunch her nose in distaste.
Once the tub began to drain she shook the water from her arm and wiped her hands dry on a towel before she bent down and grabbed the pile of tattered rags that Lord Lee had left in a heap on the floor. She was surprised by a loud thud when several items fell out of the heap. On the floor at her feet was a Beifong coin, a scroll, and a Fire Nation headpiece. Ai gasped, her chestnut eyes going wide as she realized what she had found. She dropped to her knees and scooped up the Beifong coin reverently. She'd never seen one in person and the shear weight of it astonished her. To think that every Beifong carried such a hefty lump of gold around simply to identify themselves was fantastical to her. She had never even owned a gold piece. Ai looked at the fire nation headpiece cautiously and slowly reached down to caress the curve of the golden flame. She felt as though it might burn her if she picked it up, but when it did not she scooped the delicate adornment into her hand. Why would the Lord have this in his possession? Had it come from their attackers? Her curiosity got the better of her as she unfurled the mysterious scroll and scanned it's contents. It looked like a strange tree with words and symbols at the end of each branch, but she could not read and did not know what it meant. The wheels began to turn in her head as she looked at it, and all at once she got an idea. Hurriedly she slipped the items into her sleeve and went about her work with new vigor. She could not wait to show Chen her discovery. Chen could read the scroll, and if it was what she thought it was, it could be Ai's ticket to a life beyond the cherry trees.