Post by catalyst283 on Aug 25, 2006 17:20:03 GMT -5
Since so many people loved this drabble that I made from gigi's request, I decided to post it. Hope you like it as well, one of the first (cause I think there might have been others) of its kind. 
A rustle sounded nearby. She tensed, waiting. There was nothing more, and she relaxed a bit, but kept her eyes peeled and ears open for any more sound or movement. It wasn’t even the forest that was getting to her. She wasn’t afraid of the darkness of the forest or the quietness either. She might have been alone walking in the forest, but she could protect herself very well; she wasn’t some helpless damsel.
No, it was what had happened so far in the day that was bothering her. It had all started that morning, back before she had separated from Azula and Ty Lee...
(Flashback)
“Ty Lee; you will come with me to hunt the Avatar and his companions and Mai,”
At this moment a smirk appeared on Azula’s face and she paused.
“Yes Azula?”
“You have the task of capturing my worthless brother and uncle. Just hurt the old man, and poor Zuzu falls apart.”
She inwardly shook. She knew this was coming eventually, but she thought she could avoid it, or delay it as long as possible. And now the day had come.
“Of course, Azula” The words came tumbling and spilling out of her mouth. They sounded fake, even to her.
Apparently Azula noticed as well, for she raised one of her perfectly manicured eyebrows.
“Unless you still have feelings for my brother and cannot complete this mission.”
“No, of course not. I will carry out the mission, Princess Azula.” She inwardly winced; the ‘princess’ thing might have been a bit overdone.
Azula’s smirk widened at her words.
“Don’t disappoint me.” She then turned to Ty Lee. “Now that everything is taken care of, we can get going. Mai, I leave you to your mission.”
With that, she turned and walked toward her mongoose dragon. Ty Lee looked back at Mai for a moment, giving her a sympathetic look, before following Azula. They got on their respective lizards and took off, leaving Mai behind.
She had gotten on her mongoose dragon as well and headed off in the opposite direction.
Too bad fate wasn’t on her side today. After riding for a few hours, over rivers, mountains and valleys alike; the lizard suddenly collapsed in the middle of a forest and she was hurtled off of it. When she checked the creature, she found a multiple of arrows of the same design stuck in its back leg. The arrows created wounds on the lizard’s leg that were leaking blood, showing how deep the wounds were. Without one of its legs, the creature was useless to her; and from the looks of its wounds, it wouldn’t last very long.
But her thoughts kept coming back to the wounds. She had never known arrows to be that sharp. Whomever had crafted the arrows was skilled indeed, and if it was the same person who wielded the arrows……well, she didn’t want to think about that. She was pretty sure it was a lone archer, not a group. The arrows were of a different design than the Yu Yan Archers, ruling out the possibility to be one of their archers, for she believed that they always used the same design and same type of arrows.
She looked around her, but the forest was too heavily wooded to see very far; much less spot a person.
So much for that idea. If she was to get out of the forest, she was to do it on her own. She might as well get started then, as there wouldn’t be many more hours of daylight and the forest would soon grow even darker and harder to see in.
She started walking.
(End flashback)
Suddenly something got caught to her foot and she fell down. She let loose a few choice words before checking her foot. It figured. Her day had gone from bad to worse, slowly worsening with each bad thing that happened to her.
She checked her foot, looking for injuries. Her foot was fine, but what got her was what had gotten caught to her foot, making her fall.
More arrows.
And after looking at them, she could tell that they were the same ones that had wounded her mongoose dragon earlier. The archer had struck again, leaving their mark behind.
Checking around, she found pools of something dark and wet near the arrows, and it found it to be covering some of the arrows as well.
When she put a finger in it, she found it to be blood. Newly shed blood, too; from what she could tell. Whoever was wounded was somewhere close by as well; probably in need of medical assistance.
All the more the reason that she needed to get out of there. There was someone out there that was shooting people and animals alike, though she could have been target. She quickly rejected that idea, though, because the arrows had landed in the mongoose dragon’s leg, nowhere near her.
But then that brought her to the possibility that the archer had crippled her mount to make her easier prey. There was an assassin out there, and she could be one of the targets.
She quickened her stride, following the blood trail. She passed through some dense bushes and was soon in a clearing. Just of ahead of her she could see a person limping, clutching their shoulder all the while. Badly limping, she could tell when she got closer. The person had their back turned to her, and was wearing a full body suit right up to on their head, so she couldn’t see much. But from what she could tell, the person had the build of a man, probably in his early twenties or somewhere around there.
She walked quicker, trying to see who it was. Suddenly a twig snapped loudly under her foot. She flinched. The masked man turned around and she could see a deep red stain on his leg and shoulder. She had found the next victim of the archer/assassin.
She didn’t have much time to think that over though, before the masked man drew his duel broadswords out of their sheaf.
“Do you really want to fight me?” She couldn’t believe that even as badly injured as he was, he still wanted to fight her.
The words registered with the masked man and he flinched, but did not back down. Instead, he drew forward and she barely had time to duck before he slashed the broadswords, barely missing her and hitting the tree behind her. She spun away and turned back toward the man.
“I don’t want to fight you. You’re injured, you need help. I need to get out of here, not fight some crazy person who fights to their death.” There was no response from the man and again she had to duck one of his attacks.
“I’m sorry then. For that, and for this,” she said, throwing her stilettos at him. He was backed against a tree and her daggers hit dead on; right near the edges of his clothes, pinning him to a tree, his arms and legs spread apart from one another. He wriggled, but was too exhausted from his wounds to break out of his bounds.
“Now,” she said, walking up to him, “You’ll be cooperative. You can come with me and help me get out of this forest, while I find you some help; or I can leave you here to die.” She looked at him, forgetting about his mask. That darn mask. She reached up to touch the mask. He squirmed against the daggers, but could not free his hands. She felt the cool feel of it underneath her fingers. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she really wanted to know who the mystery man was.
Curiosity won, and she slowly pulled the mask over his head.
She stepped back slowly as all breath leaving her body, rendering her completely speechless. It couldn’t be, could it?
And yet, it was.
“Zuko? Is that you?” It was a question, a statement, a prayer.
“Why?” There were too many questions she wanted to ask, so many things she needed to know. He looked down at the ground in shame, mumbling something unintelligible.
“What did you say?” She asked, finally getting over her initial shock.
“I said, ‘I’m not who you thought it would be.’” He said, louder and more clearly.
She stared at him, before looking down at the ground as well.
“Well, no; but I didn’t know who to think. I just thought it was some random guy in the woods who tried to attack me when he wounded, acting like a crazy person.”
He flinched again.
“I suppose I deserve that. I shouldn’t have attacked you, but I didn’t want you to know who I was.”
She looked up again at him, a question in her eyes.
“Why? Don’t be ashamed of who you are, Zuko. If anybody should be ashamed, well, it should be…” her words floated off as she grew embarrassed.
His curiosity was piped though, and he looked up, staring into her eyes and she was reminded of what beautiful golden eyes he had.
“Who?” He asked, curious as to about whom she was speaking.
She mumbled, “Me” quiet enough that he had strain to her words, though he heard them nonetheless.
This time he was the one with the questioning look on his face.
“What are you talking about? I’m the one who was banished, the one who failed to capture the Avatar so many times and is now an enemy of his own country.”
She glanced up at him, and took a deep breath. It was time to get what she felt out, for keeping it in was only hurting her more. And if anyone was to know, it should be him.
“Yes, but I’m the one who stopped doing what was right. I joined with Azula and now its my mission to capture you and your uncle, bringing you back to the Azula, who will bring you back to the fire nation in chains, and probably worse. I’ve been regretting my decision ever since, but never have had time to act on it. And that’s not the only reason I’ve been regretting my decision either.” She stopped. Now she really had said too much, by the look on his face. She wouldn’t be able to get out this one easily.
“What’s the other reason, Mai?” Zuko asked, looking deep into her eyes, searching them for the truth.
She mumbled it, softer than he could hear.
“What?”
“I-I…don’t want to hurt you or your uncle, okay? What else do you want me to say, that I love you?”
“Do you?” He asked with absolutely sincerity.
Now she had really said too much. A blush was slowly creeping up her face, and she looked off into the forest, away from him.
“Yes” She said, still looking away. His expression turned to one of surprise before it grew to one of embarrassment as well.
“Well, then, that’s good because…” She perked up, looking up at him.
“Because what?”
He let out a nervous chuckle and said hesitantly,
“Well, see, Mai; I’ve liked you for a long time as well, and this is the first time I’ve ever said anything. At first I thought it was just a little kid’s crush, but it’s grown to be much more.” He broke off, but she looked at him, encouraging him to continue.
He continued, much quieter. “I love you too, Mai.” He looked down after saying it as her eyebrows went way up. It was good nobody was around, because she was probably cherry red by now.
“I-I…I don’t know what to say…” she stuttered. He looked up, a smirk slowly creeping up his face.
“There are other things to do then talking, you know.” He said, blushing soon after.
Her eyebrows went up again and he protested, saying,
“I didn’t mean it like that you know…I’m not sick like that.”
“I’m glad you’re not like that, because then you wouldn’t be the guy I love.” She said, a never-seen smile slowly creeping up her face.
He opened his mouth to say more, but was cut off the instant her lips covered his. He was shocked for a moment before relaxing into the kiss. They stood there like that for a minute, enjoying the kiss.
She broke away first, remembering his injuries.
“We really should get those cleaned up, you know…” She said softly
“You’re right.” He said, glancing at them once more. “And you should probably let me free of these dagger things of yours…” A smile crept onto his face and she couldn’t but help smile along with him.
“Oh yea, I forgot about that. Here, let me help.” She pried each of her daggers off the tree and off his clothes, slowly freeing him. After she pried off the last of her stilettos off him, she stood up, and was just about to say that she was all done and that they could go when suddenly his mouth was covering hers and she faded into the kiss.
She was breathless when they broke for air, her cheeks flushed.
“Oh yea, I forgot to ask. What happened to that archer who injured you?” She asked, wondering if he knew what happened.
He turned to her, raising an eyebrow.
“What do you think happened? I killed him of course; he was an assassin sent to kill me; well, the Blue Spirit more correctly. Then I burned his body and buried his ashes, making sure there was no trace of him left.”
She in turn raised an eyebrow, but inwardly sighed in relief.
“Too bad. I was ready to beat the stuffing out of him for destroying my ride and causing me to end up in here, wandering the forest.”
“Well, then its too bad he’s not here for me to thank him, because without his help I wouldn’t have met you in here.”
She smiled widely, shaking her head in mock sympathy.
“Too bad then.” She said, echoing him.
There was a silence, in which one last question was raised.
He spoke quieter than before, but she could still hear him.
“What will you do then about my sister then, and Ty Lee? Azula won’t be too pleased about your betrayal. You’re better to go back to them and leave me to die here. I would have died eventually anyway.” He looked downward, not daring to hope for her to come with him.
“What are you talking about? I’m coming with you of course.” She said, with such finality that made him look up and stare at her.
“Are you sure you don’t want to leave me? It’s the better option of course. Leave me, and save yourself.” He asked in a pleading tone. It was one last desperate attempt at saving her.
“Zuko, I can’t do that, not now. Through all my doubts I can see clearly and know that this is the right decision.” She declared firmly.
“Are you sure?”
“Completely sure.”
He broke into a wide grin, a first for him, and brought her into an embrace.
“It’s settled then. We should probably get going then. After you, then?”
She looked at him for a moment.
“One last thing. You owe me one.” He looked at her, obviously confused.
“For what?”
“For having that assassin destroying my ride.”
“How is that my fault?” He asked, incredulously.
“Because if it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t be in the forest looking for you and wouldn’t have seen my mongoose dragon and I, prompting him to shoot at us for whatever reason he decided to do it.”
He stared at her for a moment before chuckling.
“I suppose that is my fault, then. Allow me to repay you.”
She opened her mouth to say something before his covered hers once again and she fell into the pure joy of the kiss.
Time ceased to exist as they stood there, enjoying a serene moment of peace, the harsh world of death and destruction floating away.
A rustle sounded nearby. She tensed, waiting. There was nothing more, and she relaxed a bit, but kept her eyes peeled and ears open for any more sound or movement. It wasn’t even the forest that was getting to her. She wasn’t afraid of the darkness of the forest or the quietness either. She might have been alone walking in the forest, but she could protect herself very well; she wasn’t some helpless damsel.
No, it was what had happened so far in the day that was bothering her. It had all started that morning, back before she had separated from Azula and Ty Lee...
(Flashback)
“Ty Lee; you will come with me to hunt the Avatar and his companions and Mai,”
At this moment a smirk appeared on Azula’s face and she paused.
“Yes Azula?”
“You have the task of capturing my worthless brother and uncle. Just hurt the old man, and poor Zuzu falls apart.”
She inwardly shook. She knew this was coming eventually, but she thought she could avoid it, or delay it as long as possible. And now the day had come.
“Of course, Azula” The words came tumbling and spilling out of her mouth. They sounded fake, even to her.
Apparently Azula noticed as well, for she raised one of her perfectly manicured eyebrows.
“Unless you still have feelings for my brother and cannot complete this mission.”
“No, of course not. I will carry out the mission, Princess Azula.” She inwardly winced; the ‘princess’ thing might have been a bit overdone.
Azula’s smirk widened at her words.
“Don’t disappoint me.” She then turned to Ty Lee. “Now that everything is taken care of, we can get going. Mai, I leave you to your mission.”
With that, she turned and walked toward her mongoose dragon. Ty Lee looked back at Mai for a moment, giving her a sympathetic look, before following Azula. They got on their respective lizards and took off, leaving Mai behind.
She had gotten on her mongoose dragon as well and headed off in the opposite direction.
Too bad fate wasn’t on her side today. After riding for a few hours, over rivers, mountains and valleys alike; the lizard suddenly collapsed in the middle of a forest and she was hurtled off of it. When she checked the creature, she found a multiple of arrows of the same design stuck in its back leg. The arrows created wounds on the lizard’s leg that were leaking blood, showing how deep the wounds were. Without one of its legs, the creature was useless to her; and from the looks of its wounds, it wouldn’t last very long.
But her thoughts kept coming back to the wounds. She had never known arrows to be that sharp. Whomever had crafted the arrows was skilled indeed, and if it was the same person who wielded the arrows……well, she didn’t want to think about that. She was pretty sure it was a lone archer, not a group. The arrows were of a different design than the Yu Yan Archers, ruling out the possibility to be one of their archers, for she believed that they always used the same design and same type of arrows.
She looked around her, but the forest was too heavily wooded to see very far; much less spot a person.
So much for that idea. If she was to get out of the forest, she was to do it on her own. She might as well get started then, as there wouldn’t be many more hours of daylight and the forest would soon grow even darker and harder to see in.
She started walking.
(End flashback)
Suddenly something got caught to her foot and she fell down. She let loose a few choice words before checking her foot. It figured. Her day had gone from bad to worse, slowly worsening with each bad thing that happened to her.
She checked her foot, looking for injuries. Her foot was fine, but what got her was what had gotten caught to her foot, making her fall.
More arrows.
And after looking at them, she could tell that they were the same ones that had wounded her mongoose dragon earlier. The archer had struck again, leaving their mark behind.
Checking around, she found pools of something dark and wet near the arrows, and it found it to be covering some of the arrows as well.
When she put a finger in it, she found it to be blood. Newly shed blood, too; from what she could tell. Whoever was wounded was somewhere close by as well; probably in need of medical assistance.
All the more the reason that she needed to get out of there. There was someone out there that was shooting people and animals alike, though she could have been target. She quickly rejected that idea, though, because the arrows had landed in the mongoose dragon’s leg, nowhere near her.
But then that brought her to the possibility that the archer had crippled her mount to make her easier prey. There was an assassin out there, and she could be one of the targets.
She quickened her stride, following the blood trail. She passed through some dense bushes and was soon in a clearing. Just of ahead of her she could see a person limping, clutching their shoulder all the while. Badly limping, she could tell when she got closer. The person had their back turned to her, and was wearing a full body suit right up to on their head, so she couldn’t see much. But from what she could tell, the person had the build of a man, probably in his early twenties or somewhere around there.
She walked quicker, trying to see who it was. Suddenly a twig snapped loudly under her foot. She flinched. The masked man turned around and she could see a deep red stain on his leg and shoulder. She had found the next victim of the archer/assassin.
She didn’t have much time to think that over though, before the masked man drew his duel broadswords out of their sheaf.
“Do you really want to fight me?” She couldn’t believe that even as badly injured as he was, he still wanted to fight her.
The words registered with the masked man and he flinched, but did not back down. Instead, he drew forward and she barely had time to duck before he slashed the broadswords, barely missing her and hitting the tree behind her. She spun away and turned back toward the man.
“I don’t want to fight you. You’re injured, you need help. I need to get out of here, not fight some crazy person who fights to their death.” There was no response from the man and again she had to duck one of his attacks.
“I’m sorry then. For that, and for this,” she said, throwing her stilettos at him. He was backed against a tree and her daggers hit dead on; right near the edges of his clothes, pinning him to a tree, his arms and legs spread apart from one another. He wriggled, but was too exhausted from his wounds to break out of his bounds.
“Now,” she said, walking up to him, “You’ll be cooperative. You can come with me and help me get out of this forest, while I find you some help; or I can leave you here to die.” She looked at him, forgetting about his mask. That darn mask. She reached up to touch the mask. He squirmed against the daggers, but could not free his hands. She felt the cool feel of it underneath her fingers. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she really wanted to know who the mystery man was.
Curiosity won, and she slowly pulled the mask over his head.
She stepped back slowly as all breath leaving her body, rendering her completely speechless. It couldn’t be, could it?
And yet, it was.
“Zuko? Is that you?” It was a question, a statement, a prayer.
“Why?” There were too many questions she wanted to ask, so many things she needed to know. He looked down at the ground in shame, mumbling something unintelligible.
“What did you say?” She asked, finally getting over her initial shock.
“I said, ‘I’m not who you thought it would be.’” He said, louder and more clearly.
She stared at him, before looking down at the ground as well.
“Well, no; but I didn’t know who to think. I just thought it was some random guy in the woods who tried to attack me when he wounded, acting like a crazy person.”
He flinched again.
“I suppose I deserve that. I shouldn’t have attacked you, but I didn’t want you to know who I was.”
She looked up again at him, a question in her eyes.
“Why? Don’t be ashamed of who you are, Zuko. If anybody should be ashamed, well, it should be…” her words floated off as she grew embarrassed.
His curiosity was piped though, and he looked up, staring into her eyes and she was reminded of what beautiful golden eyes he had.
“Who?” He asked, curious as to about whom she was speaking.
She mumbled, “Me” quiet enough that he had strain to her words, though he heard them nonetheless.
This time he was the one with the questioning look on his face.
“What are you talking about? I’m the one who was banished, the one who failed to capture the Avatar so many times and is now an enemy of his own country.”
She glanced up at him, and took a deep breath. It was time to get what she felt out, for keeping it in was only hurting her more. And if anyone was to know, it should be him.
“Yes, but I’m the one who stopped doing what was right. I joined with Azula and now its my mission to capture you and your uncle, bringing you back to the Azula, who will bring you back to the fire nation in chains, and probably worse. I’ve been regretting my decision ever since, but never have had time to act on it. And that’s not the only reason I’ve been regretting my decision either.” She stopped. Now she really had said too much, by the look on his face. She wouldn’t be able to get out this one easily.
“What’s the other reason, Mai?” Zuko asked, looking deep into her eyes, searching them for the truth.
She mumbled it, softer than he could hear.
“What?”
“I-I…don’t want to hurt you or your uncle, okay? What else do you want me to say, that I love you?”
“Do you?” He asked with absolutely sincerity.
Now she had really said too much. A blush was slowly creeping up her face, and she looked off into the forest, away from him.
“Yes” She said, still looking away. His expression turned to one of surprise before it grew to one of embarrassment as well.
“Well, then, that’s good because…” She perked up, looking up at him.
“Because what?”
He let out a nervous chuckle and said hesitantly,
“Well, see, Mai; I’ve liked you for a long time as well, and this is the first time I’ve ever said anything. At first I thought it was just a little kid’s crush, but it’s grown to be much more.” He broke off, but she looked at him, encouraging him to continue.
He continued, much quieter. “I love you too, Mai.” He looked down after saying it as her eyebrows went way up. It was good nobody was around, because she was probably cherry red by now.
“I-I…I don’t know what to say…” she stuttered. He looked up, a smirk slowly creeping up his face.
“There are other things to do then talking, you know.” He said, blushing soon after.
Her eyebrows went up again and he protested, saying,
“I didn’t mean it like that you know…I’m not sick like that.”
“I’m glad you’re not like that, because then you wouldn’t be the guy I love.” She said, a never-seen smile slowly creeping up her face.
He opened his mouth to say more, but was cut off the instant her lips covered his. He was shocked for a moment before relaxing into the kiss. They stood there like that for a minute, enjoying the kiss.
She broke away first, remembering his injuries.
“We really should get those cleaned up, you know…” She said softly
“You’re right.” He said, glancing at them once more. “And you should probably let me free of these dagger things of yours…” A smile crept onto his face and she couldn’t but help smile along with him.
“Oh yea, I forgot about that. Here, let me help.” She pried each of her daggers off the tree and off his clothes, slowly freeing him. After she pried off the last of her stilettos off him, she stood up, and was just about to say that she was all done and that they could go when suddenly his mouth was covering hers and she faded into the kiss.
She was breathless when they broke for air, her cheeks flushed.
“Oh yea, I forgot to ask. What happened to that archer who injured you?” She asked, wondering if he knew what happened.
He turned to her, raising an eyebrow.
“What do you think happened? I killed him of course; he was an assassin sent to kill me; well, the Blue Spirit more correctly. Then I burned his body and buried his ashes, making sure there was no trace of him left.”
She in turn raised an eyebrow, but inwardly sighed in relief.
“Too bad. I was ready to beat the stuffing out of him for destroying my ride and causing me to end up in here, wandering the forest.”
“Well, then its too bad he’s not here for me to thank him, because without his help I wouldn’t have met you in here.”
She smiled widely, shaking her head in mock sympathy.
“Too bad then.” She said, echoing him.
There was a silence, in which one last question was raised.
He spoke quieter than before, but she could still hear him.
“What will you do then about my sister then, and Ty Lee? Azula won’t be too pleased about your betrayal. You’re better to go back to them and leave me to die here. I would have died eventually anyway.” He looked downward, not daring to hope for her to come with him.
“What are you talking about? I’m coming with you of course.” She said, with such finality that made him look up and stare at her.
“Are you sure you don’t want to leave me? It’s the better option of course. Leave me, and save yourself.” He asked in a pleading tone. It was one last desperate attempt at saving her.
“Zuko, I can’t do that, not now. Through all my doubts I can see clearly and know that this is the right decision.” She declared firmly.
“Are you sure?”
“Completely sure.”
He broke into a wide grin, a first for him, and brought her into an embrace.
“It’s settled then. We should probably get going then. After you, then?”
She looked at him for a moment.
“One last thing. You owe me one.” He looked at her, obviously confused.
“For what?”
“For having that assassin destroying my ride.”
“How is that my fault?” He asked, incredulously.
“Because if it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t be in the forest looking for you and wouldn’t have seen my mongoose dragon and I, prompting him to shoot at us for whatever reason he decided to do it.”
He stared at her for a moment before chuckling.
“I suppose that is my fault, then. Allow me to repay you.”
She opened her mouth to say something before his covered hers once again and she fell into the pure joy of the kiss.
Time ceased to exist as they stood there, enjoying a serene moment of peace, the harsh world of death and destruction floating away.
