It's been forever and a day, but finally the new and improved Chapter 5 is here! Enjoy! :)

Chapter: Five
Title: Ties That Bind
Rating: T
Warning: I'm going with a T rating because I think it's just swearing.
Chapter Summary: Zuko gets super popular and has a bunch of visitors.
Word Count: 6,670

The heels of Azula's boots clicked softly as she walked through the hall of cells to the solitary confinement wing of the prison tower. Ty Lee padded softly behind her, taking up the "personal guard" detail once Azula had gotten utterly bored of the old squadron of elite Fire Nation guards very quickly. "Ty Lee, keep up," she snapped impatiently.

As Azula reached the door to her brother's cell, she waved away the two guards stationed there, guards who had previously held positions in her personal guard. "I wish to speak with my brother. Alone."

"But Fire Lord," one of the guards said, "he is still very unstable. He shouts a lot and we can hear him tugging on his chains. He could snap and attack again at any minute."

Azula's eyes narrowed at the sheer audacity of the man before her. "He's been whipped and beaten and was entirely pathetic even before that. If you seriously doubt my ability to defeat him, you should be exiled from the Fire Nation," she said venomously.

"N-no, Fire Lord Azula. Th-that's not what I meant at all!" he said hastily, trying to hold his rigid guard's stance, though Azula could see the way he trembled.

"Good. Then get out of my way before I show you what I think of people who question my superiority."

"Yes, Your Grace," he said quickly, bowing deeply and stepping to the side. The other guard followed suit and then the two of them were retreating down the hall.

"Ty Lee, stay outside and stand watch," Azula commanded as she opened the hefty metal door to the cell. It fell shut behind her with a loud thud.

In the total darkness, Azula couldn't even make out her brother's form, but she fixed that quickly by lighting the lantern she had brought with her and hanging it on a nail in the wall. The soft glow just barely reached all four walls and the shadows cast on her brother's gaunt face did nothing to help his appearance. He sat, hunched forward away from the wall, hands in his lap though they were shackled again with chains that had been reinforced and replaced after the last incident. The bandages wrapped around him looked dirty at best as sweat and puss and even a little blood had seeped through them. His chest moved quickly with his shallow breaths and he didn't even raise his head as she entered.

Zuko was utterly defeated.

"ZuZu, you don't look so good," she said finally, crossing her arms over her chest. He didn't move an inch, didn't even raise his head to look at her or acknowledge her. A frown tugged at the corners of her lips. She toed at one of his bandaged hands, which rested in his lap. "Where are your manners, Prince Zuko? You can't even say hello?" Still, nothing. Azula began to grit her teeth. How dare he ignore her? "I've taken time out of my busy schedule to come see you and you have nothing to say? Not even a 'thank you'?" She shifted her weight, moving her hands to her hips. Another long moment passed in silence. "After everything I've done to you, you don't have even one hateful remark? I'm disappointed, ZuZu; what happened to that resilient spirit?"

Finally, he took the bait and slowly raised his head. When he spoke at last, his voice was rough and creaky, something dry and broken like leather left out in the sun too long. "I don't have anything to say to you." He paused to cough. "You're not worth it. You're not really worth much of anything actually," he said, struggling to find strength in his voice.

"Oh please, ZuZu, don't be so dramatic. I only came to chat with you. How's my favorite prisoner doing?" Her voice turned faux sweet, sickly in its falseness. But he only answered her with silence once again. So she changed tactics. "You know, people urged me to kill you brother, but where is the fun in that? Crushing your pride has been much more satisfying." He simply stared back at her then and Azula was surprised to find his eyes emptier than she had ever seen them. Zuko had always been an open book, but now, there was no emotion in his face. No anger, no hatred, no fear, just...nothing. And that angered Azula. How could she hurt him if he didn't feel anything? "Well, there was that and admittedly, Zuko...I've realized I just couldn't do it. I couldn't kill you, ZuZu. You're my brother… Uncle, yes, I could've killed him, but that's because he's not like you and me. He doesn't have the divine strength that you have, Zuko. How could I possibly kill my only brother?" she said these words softly, hoping to coax something out of him.

To her dismay, his expression didn't change. Impossible. Zuko had always been a complete sap for the love of his family. A few weeks in prison certainly couldn't change that. But then he was speaking again and his voice adopted this dark, sinister tone that Azula had never heard in him before. "You should've killed me, Azula…" he said slowly. She quirked one eyebrow at this, not expecting that at all. "If you had, you'd be better off." He met her eyes again, and she found a funny look there, something not unlike amusement or maybe smugness.

"And why is that?" she said, making her tone sound disinterested and nonchalant, even though her mind was racing a hundred miles a minute to figure out what he was thinking.

Then he laughed - he actually laughed - but it was a bitter, unamused sound. "Because I'm going to kill you," he said flatly, a grin twisting into his face.

Now that was not what Azula had been expecting to hear, but it did make her chuckle at herself as there was really nothing to be worried about in the first place. "Is that so? And how do you plan on doing that exactly?" Her smirk was a calmer, tamer version of his as she turned her attention to her nails to examine them.

"I haven't decided yet," he said, his voice still clinging to that dark tone. "But I know it'll be extremely painful for you, sister dearest." He spit those last words out at her, glaring up from where he sat on the cold stone floor.

"Looking forward to it, brother," she sneered. Then, she let out a lofty sigh, looking up at the ceiling dramatically. "Too bad you'll be in here for the rest of your useless, miserable life."

"Whatever you say Azula," he responded coolly and Azula wanted to burn the smug grin off his ugly face.

Her voice was quick and sharp when she spoke again. "I would be much more gracious if I were you. I gave you your life. I had enough compassion to let a sorry waste of space like you keep drawing breath and I still haven't heard a 'thank you.'" Then the silence returned and he simply stared up at her. She gnashed her teeth together and her lips pulled back into a snarl. "You pathetic little wretch. I came here to offer you something, actually, but after your disrespect, you can forget it," she snapped harshly, losing control of her temper slightly.

Azula was enraged to see her brother's expression remain unchanging. He simply shrugged, not even wincing at the movement of his tormented back, and said, "I wasn't too fond of your last gift so I think I'll pass."

"Oh? I thought you'd appreciate having a chance to see Jet. I mean, he was your...intimate friend, wasn't he?" Azula hedged.

And finally - finally - Zuko's hardened expression cracked. His lips twisted into a scowling frown, his brow drawn in anger. "Don't talk to me about Jet," he said lowly, the words coming out bitterly, forced between his clenched teeth. Azula grinned at this, relishing in the feel of regaining the upper hand.

Azula rolled her eyes dramatically. "Oh please, ZuZu. Don't worry, no one will learn of your indiscretion. And no one would blame you. When you're living like a peasant, it's only natural to stoop to the lowest of their practices," she said, flipping her hair haughtily.

At this, Zuko snarled with rage, lurching forward until the chains held him back, only mere inches from her. Azula didn't even bat a lash, simply grinned down at him with amusement twinkling in her eyes. "You don't know anything about those people! You have no idea what they go through, what Jet has gone through!" he shouted.

"I don't need to, Zuko. This is where you've never understood. Those people are weak. They're savages. In school, they always taught us that the world needed the Fire Nation to strengthen them, to share our greatest and wealth and to teach the other nations." At her words, Zuko seemed to take a breath, calming himself a little. Good, Azula thought, relax. Because her next words were the real kicker. "But I know that's not true. We need to crush them. Once the other nations are gone, the Fire Nation will be free to expand and flourish like it was always meant to. The Air Nomads were pathetic and they're gone. The Water Tribe will fall next and after that, I'll burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground." The horrified look on Zuko's face was well worth it.

She expected him to shout at her again, attempt to tell her how wrong she was with his silly beliefs, but then, his eyes shifted and he looked past Azula, toward the door. Azula quickly stifled the urge to follow his line of sight.

"Ty Lee!" he yelled at the door.

"What are you doing?" Azula snapped. "Stop that."

"Ty Lee, I know you're out there!" he continued, blatantly ignoring Azula's orders. "Ty Lee, you know this is wrong! You're fighting for someone who wants to burn the world to the ground! Do you understand what you're doing?! All of this is your fault Ty Lee! If not for you, Aang and I would be working to fix the world and you could've helped us, but because of you, the world is going to go up in flames!" His anger rose with each word, spit flying from his mouth as he shouted. Azula glanced over her shoulder frantically, listening for any sort of response from Ty Lee. And Zuko was relentless. "I hope you get what's coming to you! You're going to-"

"Stop it!" Azula shrieked. "Shut up!" She kicked the heel of her boot forward, catching Zuko full in the face with a vicious kick. A startled, strangled noise came from him as he fell back onto his elbows, blood spraying from his nose. But then he laughed. He was laughing! "Why are you laughing?!" Azula demanded, stepping over him to pull him up by his hair to look at her. "You think this is funny?!"

He continued laughing and when he grinned at her, his teeth were stained red. "Are you planning on telling anyone about your indiscretion?" he said, so quietly that Azula was almost unsure she had heard him correctly.

Her eyes widened at this and then she shoved away from him, tossing him carelessly onto his back. He groaned in pain as she stepped away from him, backing slowly toward the door. "You're a fool, Zuko, and you'll rot in here until the day you die!" she shouted, turning toward the door. Before she opened it, though, she turned back. "I hope you enjoy your own company," she hissed menacingly, pinning him with a flat, hard stare.

His face didn't change at all as he looked at her. There was no regret, no disappointment, not even hope. Gritting her teeth, Azula spun on her heel and flung the cell door open.

She marched off down the hall with her teeth and fists clenched, and if she pretended not to see Ty Lee wiping at her face with one sleeve before following after her, well then maybe that was okay.

Azula's visit began a long, painful week for Zuko. He was seen by a nurse twice a day to have his bandages changed and to check the mobility of his hands but that wasn't so bad. The nurse's name was Ki; she was a middle aged woman who talked much about her children and how much she enjoyed her job. Zuko didn't say much in response, his mind always occupied with other things, but she didn't seem to mind.

With his limited mobility, Zuko began to slowly but surely move more, testing his limits, attempting to gain some of his strength back. For a while, he pondered the idea of it all. Why was he even bothering with any of it? Was there even any hope for him to fight for his freedom? Would there ever be another opportunity? Probably not. But then he remembered what Uncle had said. "There is a world of possibilities out there, Prince Zuko; just you wait." And so he did. He waited, and he trained.

It was in this state that his next visitor found him, facing the back wall, hovering in a push-up position, holding himself meer inches off the floor. His muscles were aching, sweat was dripping off his face and his breath came in heavy, uneven pants.

When the lock was heard, Zuko didn't even move. He assumed it was just Ki and she always waited for him to be ready and never complained, but when a harsh kick met the back of one knee, driving it into the unforgiving ground and causing his shaking arms to give out, Zuko snarled with fury.

He forced himself up into a sitting position, carefully staying off the now-throbbing knee. When he whirled to face his guest, the scowl was startled off his face.

"Jet?" he said, sounding just as bewildered as he had that first day out in the square.

The former freedom fighter stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his face twisted into a sneer that lacked any sort of amusement, a sick mockery of what his expression used to look like before this whole mess. "You need to stop sounding so surprised to see me, Li," he said casually, but there was a bitter undertone to his voice that cut through Zuko like a knife.

Zuko hastily settled a stony expression onto his face, just as he had with his sister. His emotions had gotten him into this and he'd learned his lesson. Letting the world read him like a book would only come back to bite him in the ass, especially where Azula and Jet were concerned. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice adopting a monotonous tone.

Jet rolled his eyes at this, scoffing like he was spitting a bad taste out of his mouth. "I don't need to explain myself to you," he spat, glaring down at Zuko. "But your sister told me to say 'hello' for her. When I asked if I could drop by for a visit, she was all too willing to say yes. In fact, she seemed a little peeved about something. What'dya do this time to piss her off? C'mon, I'm dyin' to know," Jet said, leaning down a bit to glare right in Zuko's face with some sort of sick look in his eyes.

Zuko, for his own part, didn't flinch as Jet grew closer, instead holding his ground and levelling a bored stare back in Jet's direction. He didn't take Jet's bait, knowing it wouldn't get him anywhere to do so. Instead, he changed the topic entirely away from his sister and instead focused on Jet. "Why did you want to see me?" he asked, completely deadpan. On the inside though, his heart beat quickly against his sternum, anxiousness pounding through him at Jet's proximity. Though he'd been steadily healing and gaining what little strength he had back, he was in no condition to stand up for himself if Jet decided to get physical. He'd simply have to take it lying down with gritted teeth. The mere thought made his blood boil with rage. But if Jet offered some more information, Zuko could outsmart him. He'd always been better at getting a rise out of Jet than vice versa so it wouldn't be difficult to pick at him. The trouble was that if he went to far, Jet would snap and the whole thing would be pointless because he'd beat him senseless anyway.

"Don't read too much into it," he spat the words out. Zuko could hear how Jet was trying to put menace into his voice, but he could also see how his fists clenched into his sleeves where they rested, crossed over his chest.

Everything about Jet was fake. It always had been. Jet was right when he said Zuko didn't know anything about him. He really didn't. Now was no different. The air of nonchalance and arrogance was clearly put on. It was a complete act to get Zuko to think that Jet was living just as well as he claimed to be, but Zuko could see the bags under Jet's eyes signifying that he hadn't been sleeping. He could only assume that nightmares, old and new, still gripped Jet just as they did Zuko.

"Okay," Zuko said, sounding almost bored, "Tell me how it is, then."

Zuko could almost hear Jet's teeth grinding together in his mouth, agitation evident in the way his lips twitched. "Stop talking down to me," is what he eventually gritted out and Zuko managed to raise his eyebrow lazily in response. "I don't need you to patronize me, you know. I can see it in your eyes. You're looking at me like some worthless piece of gutter trash." He was shouting now, as he shoved away from the wall and stalked closer to Zuko, pointing a finger rudely in his face. "Well guess what? Who's trash now? You're the one rotting away in here, sitting in your own filth! I'm living like a fucking prince." Abruptly, Jet stopped, his face twisting into something almost like pain. He looked away from Zuko quickly, blinking harshly as if he were trying to get dirt out of his eyes. This was the wild side of Jet that Zuko had known the day the Dai Li dragged him away. Zuko was struck with the sudden urge to stand, feeling vulnerable in his crouched position on the stone floor. But he forced himself to quell that feeling and remain calm, not let anything show.

"Jet," Zuko said lowly, and Jet's head snapped back, eyes wild in their wideness, teeth bared madly.

"What?!" he yelled.

Zuko gestured to the floor. "Sit down. We should talk."

Jet recoiled at this, as if Zuko had struck him. His hands clenched at his sides and his next words were bit out through his teeth. "Actually, I think I'd rather stand."

Zuko shrugged, forcing himself not to roll his eyes at Jet's stubbornness. Zuko's blood pounded loudly in his ears in that moment and he could feel his palms start to sweat. "Whatever makes you more comfortable," was what he ended up saying, pushing past the nerves to do so. Zuko knew this was all going to be very delicate and Jet was wild and unpredictable on his best days. He could be reckless and dangerous on his worst. "Jet, there's no easy way to tell you this, but you're being lied to. Azula, and everyone here, lies to your face every time they speak. You have to know this," Zuko said seriously, looking up into Jet's eyes with a somewhat grim look on his face, carefully keeping all emotion away.

He expected Jet to blow up at this, to deny it but instead, Zuko was met by a steady gaze from muddy brown eyes and a stony silence that promised Jet would at least try to listen to what he had to say. Taking a deep breath, Zuko continued. "Jet, you used to talk about how much you hate the Fire Nation and how they took your family from you but here you are, running errands for the Fire Lord. It doesn't make any sense. Why throw away everything you ever worked for?" he asked.

Jet's face twitched in a way that told Zuko he was struggling to contain himself. "They said you'd say that. They told me not to believe you. They told me that you would try to corrupt me so I'd help you, but I know better now. I can't trust you." Jet hung his head and Zuko could nearly feel the struggle coming off of him and it almost made him feel bad for Jet before he remembered that he promised himself he would stop feeling.

"What have they told you?" It was risky, asking a bold question of Jet right now, but Zuko had to pry for answers. From what Katara had told him about the Lake Laogai incident, he knew that the Dai Li had brainwashed Jet once before and if those low-life scum were still working under his sister then there was good reason to believe the same thing had occurred. But he also knew that Jet had broken free of this brainwashing before. If only he could find the right buttons to push…

"Tch, like I would give any information to you. I don't need to stand here and explain myself to you. You're the prisoner and I'm the respected soldier," Jet said, a wavering edge to his tone. Respected soldier? Is that what she told him? Zuko's mind continued racing. It still didn't add up, and it was difficult to try to run through all of his information while Jet was standing before him, glaring daggers into his skin and making every part of him hot with anxiety just by being.

"This is wrong, Jet. You know that. Somewhere inside of you, you know what the truth is and you need to take a stand. That's what the real Jet would do," Zuko said, but he was grasping at straws at this point.

Then he was fighting his reflex to flinch when Jet snapped, suddenly shouting. "You don't know what the real Jet would do! You have no idea who the real Jet is!" That's when Jet reached down, grabbing Zuko by the shoulders and hauling him up. Zuko scrambled to steady his feet, wishing he'd had a tunic of some sort because if he had, Jet probably would've pulled him up by that and spared him the feeling of fingerprints being embedded in his biceps. That feeling soon faded as his back hit the stone wall behind him roughly, the unyielding brick digging into his healing wounds, even through the gauze that attempted to protect them. Zuko forced himself not to scowl at the pain, not to hiss at the stinging bite. Instead, he simply met Jet's eyes as the chains jangled beside him. Jet's face was so close that Zuko could feel his breath, coming in forced pants between his clenched teeth with that wild, untamed look in his eyes.

And they stayed there, simply staring at each other for long, tense moments.

"You don't know anything," Jet finally bit at him, low and final.

But Zuko kept his face calm and placid. "You say that, but I know you're only upset because it's you who doesn't know anything," was his simple, soft reply.

Jet didn't hesitate, didn't flinch. He simply reeled back and punched Zuko square in the face. Zuko tried to take it as well as he could, but the stone behind him was unforgiving as his head smacked back against it. He blinked harshly, trying to will himself to stop seeing stars and focus on Jet's face. He was saying something, probably something important.

" - ation took me in when I was little. My parents were good people. They fought for their country and did their jobs as soldiers. Mom, Dad and Pop. Their own country betrayed them and murdered them in cold bold. It was the Fire Nation soldiers who found me and brought me here. The Fire Nation is trying to stop the Earth Kingdom from abusing its citizens. We're trying to liberate them," Jet said and Zuko's head began to hurt, not just because he'd just been hit but because nothing Jet was saying made a single bit of sense.

As Zuko watched Jet, leaning over him, trapping him against the wall between his shaking arms, his head hung and his shaggy hair covering his face, he realized just how tormented Jet truly was. "And you," he said, voice ragged and broken. "You backstabbed your own people. You snuck into Ba Sing Se to help the Earth King suck the life out of his own people. And when I tried to stop you, they took me away. My own people locked me up for trying to protect them."

Zuko's head was reeling. His story wasn't entirely false. His own people did lock him up because he was trying to stop Zuko, but the logistics behind the world he saw in his head were...so twisted. Only one person could've come up with something like this. Azula.

Zuko sighed heavily, reaching up slowly to tilt Jet's face up. He hardly even realized his own nose was bleeding again. It'd probably been broken six or seven times by now. "Jet," he said quietly, as his fingertips found Jet's cheeks. He seemed to flinch at his touch, but he didn't move away. He looked up and the sadness and grief Zuko saw there was profound in its wholeness. "Someday I'm going to help you remember the truth. I don't know how yet, but I will," Zuko said, meeting Jet's eyes, but careful to keep pity off out his own expression. "I won't ever give up on you, Jet. I promise."

There was a moment, a suspension in time where Jet simply stared at Zuko and Zuko simply stared back, not knowing what was going on in Jet's head.

Then, Jet was wrenching Zuko's hands off his face, shoving away from the wall and spitting at Zuko's feet. "You disgust me," he hissed before he turned his back and left the cell.

And then Zuko was left alone once again, wondering when exactly everything had gotten so messed up.

Zuko wasn't the type of person who slept heavily or long. Maybe it was the years of restless sleep with nothing but the ocean beneath him; or perhaps it was the ever-present paranoia he had grown into as he aged. These prospects were now coupled with horrific, haunting nightmares, and most nights he found himself awake well into the small hours of the morning, staring up into the darkness above his hard cot.

It was on one such night that he received his next visitor, only a couple days after Jet had dropped by. He was laying on his cot, one hand tucked carefully behind his head and the other resting nonchalantly on his stomach. He was completely still. To the unobservant passerby, he would seem completely relaxed and at ease, but in all reality, every muscle in his body was tense and ready. His back stung and his muscles ached in a dull throb as he lay there, but he couldn't seem to relax even fractionally, no matter how much he tried.

His mind was racing with thoughts. Mainly, it dug up the facts that weighed on Zuko's conscience and laid them bare, fueling the growing expanse of his guilt.

Katara's scream rang through his ears; he flinched. Uncle's gruff voice as he sang resonated through him; his stomach churned. Jet's low, venomous words ate at his heart; he clenched his jaw so tightly he though his teeth would shatter in his mouth. His eyes pinched shut hard enough to make them water. His hand on his stomach curled into a tight fist.

Never again… he promised himself silently. I'm not going to lose anyone ever again… I don't think I could handle it. His thoughts spiraled into a weary hole that filled to the brim with dismay and contempt. Drowning, he decided; it felt like he was drowning in the negativity plaguing his mind.

Without any warning, Zuko was hurriedly sitting up. The sudden movement caused a slicing pain to rip through his back but other than a faint hiss leaking from his lips, he ignored it. He held his breath and for the briefest of moments he thought that maybe he was wrong, maybe he was just being paranoid.

But then he heard them. Footsteps. Light, careful, but definitely noticeable to his trained ears. Just as obviously not wanting to be heard. It was someone who didn't belong here, sneaking about. Maybe they're not here for me, he thought. He realized the likelihood of that wasn't as high as the opposite. There was a good chance it was someone who wanted to take shots at the fallen prince. Well, good, Zuko thought. Go ahead. Let them try.

Of course there was a very small percentage of chance that they were friendly footsteps, someone coming to speak to him about a rebellion movement outside of this hellhole, or even Aang, if he'd escaped from his cell and came to bust Zuko out. But the chances of that were so slim, Zuko didn't even allow himself to entertain the idea. Instead, he prepared himself for the beating he was about to receive.

He rose slowly as his fingers curled tightly into his palms and he raised his chin in defiance as he heard the footsteps stop just outside the door to his cell.

As the sound of keys could be heard, Zuko automatically assumed a fighting position. His scabbing wounds stretched uncomfortably but he ignored them, taking up a strong stance despite all of his aches and pains.

The door began to slide open with a soft groan from the metal and Zuko's shoulders tensed in discomfort as his jaw locked. He surprised himself when he felt a ball of nerves knot up in his stomach.

There was only one thin figure silhouetted against the dim light filtering into the room and as that figure approached, small, gloved hands reached to cover Zuko's fists, lowering them gently.

The banished prince was too shocked to do anything but drop his arms and stand there with his mouth open, eyes blinking while they tried to adjust to the small bit of light so he could see. Finally, after a long, awkward moment, he could comprehend the figure in standing before him.

"...Mai?" he rasped quietly.

A soft "shh" sound came from the girl before him as she stepped closer. "Yes, it's me," she answered, her voice hard to her from her hushed tone. She opened her mouth to speak again but Zuko's words ran over hers before she had the chance to get them out.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were still at the Boiling Rock. How did you get out? Are you alright? Is Azula after you? Does she know you're here in the Capitol?" His voice adopted a panic-stricken tone as he worried over her.

She glared at him fiercely, that much he could tell in the dark, and scolded him, "Keep your voice down or we're going to be caught. Sit down and I'll explain everything." She placed her hands on his shoulders delicately and with a grimace, he allowed her to ease him over to the edge of the cot so he could sit with hunched shoulders, trying to mask the pain the movement caused.

"Will you just answer my questions?" he all but growled, annoyed at how she was coddling him.

He couldn't see very clearly but he thought she rolled her eyes at him as she kneeled in front of him. "Shush, let me worry over you for a minute or two," she said, taking his face in her hands. He winced as her thumbs found his nose. "Your nose is broken and you look ugly because of it."

"Gee, thanks," he deadpanned.

"Here, let me - " He pulled her hands away before she could finish that statement. She slapped his wrists in response. "Oh, don't be a baby. It won't even hurt. But make sure you don't make any noise." And then she was pressing her thumbs against his nose, cracking it back into place. Zuko bit down on his tongue to keep from grunting at the pain as a glob of gross, thick blood dripped from his realigned airways. He stifled his urge to cough but held his hand up to his nose, wiping away the blood with the back of it until Mai handed him a cloth of some kind.

"Thanks," he said gruffly, gingerly pressing the fabric to his nose.

"Alright, I don't have a lot of time so let me explain this quickly. Ty Lee got me out of the Boiling Rock. It only took a little lying and a little acting but I've been pardoned so I'm fine for now. Azula knows I'm here and she has be under house arrest, but the guards I had Ty Lee pick out are loyal to my uncle so I had them sneak me in here to talk to you. I am fine. I want you to worry about you and your friends," she said, all in a rush as she placed a soothing hand on Zuko's knee.

Zuko leaned on his elbows, his head slightly hung as he looked down away from Mai's face. "I'm alright," he murmured, not knowing exactly how truthful he was being with her or himself. He thought on it for a long moment and he could feel her stare as she waited for him to reach an internal conclusion. He took a deep breath and let it out in a harsh rush of air. "Okay, so maybe I'm not," he said sheepishly. He ran a hand through his hair in a desperate gesture. "Everything has fallen apart. Nothing is going right. I need to fix it but I don't know how!" His voice had risen again and Mai hurriedly raised her hands to his forearms.

"Shh, keep your voice down," she reprimanded before softening again. "It's going to be okay, Zuko. I promise. I came here to talk to you about something really important." She paused and reached up to touch his face, startling him into meeting her eyes. "We're getting you out of here. Tomorrow. My uncle's guards stand behind you Zuko. Their captain, Sheng, is outside right now; he said they would help me get you out of here."

He pulled back in shock, moving away from the touch of her delicate hand. "What?" he said quietly. He shook his head almost immediately. "No. No, you can't. I can't leave without Aang. And Sokka and Toph for that matter," he said adamantly.

"Yes, them too. We have a plan, Zuko and you need to trust me. You and Aang are the only hope the world has at being saved from Azula's tyranny. You are the only hope the Fire Nation has at redemption," she said firmly, rising up onto her knees to reach for his face again.

Moving deftly to the side, he caught her wrist in his fingers. He saw her expression fall slightly, but his face wasn't a place he liked to be touched. He met her gaze with a darkly serious one of his own. "I will, you know. I'll redeem the Fire Nation. I swear it."

Mai heaved a sigh as she removed her wrist from his light grip. "I know you will, Zuko. I believe in you." Her voice was very quiet and for several long moments, Zuko wasn't even sure she had spoken at all, but then those long moments passed and Mai was pressing onward once again. "Tomorrow, Sheng's men will come for you. Just follow along with them and they'll get you out. Do what they say and play along. I can't tell you much more than that." She took one of Zuko's tense hands and held it between her own. "And you take care of yourself, Zuko. You're the hope of the Fire Nation now. Not everyone out there supports Azula, you know. Your people have faith in you… And so do I." She took his hand and raised it to her lips, pressing them lightly against his calloused knuckles before letting go and moving to stand, but he held her in place.

"Wait, I still have questions. What about Aang and Sokka and Toph? Aang and Sokka won't leave without Katara, they won't -"

"Don't worry about that. You'll all get out separately. You'll meet up on the outskirts of the Capitol. They'll be out of danger before they ever know she's not coming with them," Mai said firmly, though she sounded almost sad.

"Okay, but what about you? What if Azula traces this back to you?" he said, trying to keep his voice at a whisper but feeling the panic and paranoia bubble up inside of him.

Mai shrugged. "Then she finds out and I'm thrown back in prison. This is a sacrifice I have to make Zuko. For y-... For the Fire Nation. For the world."

"No, she won't throw you in jail Mai. She'll kill you. She doesn't care, she -"

"Then I die."

Zuko stared at her, baffled. "Mai, I'm not going to let you throw your life away for me, I -"

"You don't have a choice Zuko. Come tomorrow, those men will drag you out of here, kicking and screaming if they have to." Her eyes shone fiercely in the di light and Zuko didn't know what to say.

Zuko rushed forward onto his knees to wrap her in his arms. His face buried in her hair, he mumbled the only thing he could think of, "Thank you. You have no idea how brave you're being." Taking a deep breath, he pulled back to meet her eyes once more. "And… I'm sorry. Maybe… Maybe someday I'll be able to…" he trailed off, unable to articulate what he meant.

But Mai had always been good at discerning what Zuko wanted to say and she forced a transparent smile anyway. "It's okay, Zuko. I understand." He felt obligated to force a smile of his own, but it ended up feeling more like a grimace and gave up as soon as he tried. She pulled away from him and stood. "I'm out of time. I'm going to stay here with Azula and Ty Lee. She shouldn't be able to trace this back to me so please don't worry yourself too much. If there's anything else I can do, any information I can get to you, I'll try my best. Good luck, Zuko and…goodbye."

"You've done more than enough Mai," he whispered. The word 'goodbye' got stuck in his throat. He couldn't say it, even though it might be the last time he had the chance. Zuko felt a sick dread creep into him as he thought about that word. I told myself I wouldn't lose anyone else. He clenched his teeth and made himself a promise that this loss wouldn't be permanent. Closing his eyes tightly, he leaned forward and found her lips with his in a heated kiss. After a moment, Zuko pulled back and rested his forehead against hers and simply looked into her eyes, hoping she'd see the apology in his.

And as she rested her hand on his cheek again, he simply closed his eyes. Then he heard the door open, shut and lock. And when he opened his eyes, he was alone with the darkness and his thoughts once more, hoping it hadn't all been a dream.