Responses to Reviews:

RonaldM40196867: No, Chin Village would be quite near the bottom of my travel list in the Avatar World.

Zigzagdoublezee: He is blinded by his own hatred, and it is unlikely to have a good outcome for Chin Village. Maybe Dun can defend them (from themselves as much as the Fire Nation) but they won't let Yue do it.

As Always, Please Review!

It did not take Zuko and Mai long to find lodgings; to cope with demand, many buildings had had extra floors added to turn them into flats since the start of the war, and with the money they had got from the army taking the ostrich-horse, they found themselves in high demand as tenants.

"Here you go," the landlord said, ushering them up the stairs. She was a middle aged woman who lived on the ground floor, with dark hair with a few flecks of grey in it. She pushed open a door and invited them to look inside.

They were greeted by a small room on the fourth floor, with a small stove in one corner and a pile of blankets in the other. A single wardrobe stood for them to place their belongings into. It was at least well lit, thanks to the large window set into the furthest wall, but other than that it didn't seem a very nice place to live.

Zuko forced a smile.

"It's nice," he commented.

"You get used to it," the landlady shrugged. "Just don't let anyone in at night. And the walls are thin, so talk quietly."

Her hands idly played with the bag of money Zuko had given her at her waist. Then she nodded.

"Good luck," she said, closing the door. Her footsteps receded down the hall.

Zuko and Mai were left alone in the room.

"So," Mai began, crossing to a corner and putting the bags she had been carrying down, "this is the new residence of the Heir to the Fire Nation."

"Not so loud!" Zuko hissed. "But it is not really the lap of luxury, is it?"

"I seriously think it could collapse at any moment," Mai agreed. "It did not look safe."

Zuko turned to look out of the window. The sun was low in the sky, and evening was setting in. He sighed.

"For so long I've been trying to get here," he said. "And now I am."

Below him, far below, the street bustled as people rushed past. He watched them for a moment.

He felt a hand on his, and turned to see Mai looking at him.

"Here we are," she corrected gently. "I know it's not what we're used to, but we'll make the best of it! It has to beat sleeping under the stars every night and running from the Fire Nation every day."

Zuko nodded. He knew she was right.

"But it will involve finding a job," he pointed out.

"Is the great Fire Prince turning his nose up at finding one?" Mai teased.

"I don't know," Zuko retorted, a sly grin on his face, "You could do it. Serve your prince that way."

"Don't push your luck," Mai told him. Then she smiled.

"Look, we'll work something out. I don't really want to be sat around here all day, so maybe we can both try to find a job. If we're lucky, we could work together. But that's for tomorrow. For now, we should eat and sleep."

Zuko left the window and knelt down next to the stove.

"What have we got?" He asked.

"Rice!" Mai produced a bag from her luggage.

"And?" Zuko asked.

"Just rice."

"Lovely."

Zuko picked up a bowl and sighed. Clearly this wasn't going to be a great meal for taste. He lit the stove with his firebending and Mai tipped in the rice.

As it turned out though, the meal was nice. Not because of the rice itself, but because Zuko was so pleased to be here. He had run across a continent, had avoided being conscripted by the Earth King or caught by the Fire Lord, and against all the odds had made it safely behind the walls of Ba Sing Se. And Mai was with him, which was even better. He wouldn't have wanted to be here alone. They sat and ate a while, as the sun began to set and darkness set in.

He thought about Chen for a second, and wondered whether she had made it into the city yet. He hoped so, but he also hoped she had gone safely to the other side of the city where they need never meet. That could get awkward, if not outright dangerous. She did know his real identity.

He felt guilty for a moment, and tried to think of something else.

"I wonder what the Avatar is doing," he said out loud.

"The Avatar?" Mai looked up from her rice. "Why?"

"Well, I am here because of her," Zuko shrugged. "If I hadn't helped her in the North Pole, we'd probably both be at home in the Fire Nation by now."

"Do you... regret helping her?" Mai asked, raising an eyebrow.

Zuko considered for a moment. Then he shook his head.

"I think it was the right thing to do," he said simply.

Mai's expression was unreadable as she studied him. Then she shrugged.

"Did I tell you I met her?" She asked.

"You did?" Zuko was surprised.

"Oh yes," Mai leaned forwards. "I was following you. She was locked up in a cart, being taken back to the Fire Nation."

Zuko remembered that. She had given herself up to save an Earth Kingdom fort, and the column of refugees he had been travelling with, from capture.

"I don't suppose you were very far behind me then," he said. "Do you think she escaped?"

"Who knows?" Mai shrugged.

"I think she did," Zuko said with conviction. "She's travelling with friends, they would have gone after her."

"They might have failed."

"Maybe," Zuko conceded. "She might be dead, or in one of my father's prisons. Or... she's still out there, somewhere."

"Maybe we'll find out, one day," Mai stood up. "I'm tired. I haven't had a good night's sleep in weeks."

She stepped over to the door, made sure it was locked, and then pulled the curtains across the window. They were plunged into near darkness, the only light being the flickering embers of the stove.

"What are we going to do with the weapons?" She asked. "I was going to hide them under the floorboards, but we're on the fourth floor. We'd only break a hole in the ceiling of the room below us."

Zuko snuffed out the stove with a wave of his hand, and then held it out; a small flame burst into life in his palm, illuminating the room. He went to the pile of blankets and slid under the covers, doing his best to avoid setting them on fire.

Mai hesitated, and then stashed the bag with the weapons inside in the cupboard.

"We have to buy some new clothes soon," she grumbled. "We can't go job hunting wearing black. Or worse, red."

"We'll deal with that tomorrow," Zuko said. His eyelids were already drooping. Having a comfy bed and a roof over his head were really making a difference already.

Mai, still fully dressed, slid under the covers with him and snuggled against him for warmth.

"Tomorrow," she agreed. "Goodnight, Zuko."

"G'night," he said sleepily, extinguishing the fire. He closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of her against him, and a moment later had fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep.