parallel lines

extra.

So when he took his attire off and slowly pushed himself onto the bed, expecting to wrap his arms around a human pillow but only to find out the right side of the bed was unoccupied, sleep became wake in the horrible way.

"She ran away?"

Zuko couldn't believe his eyes when he reread the letter Natsuko left for him before setting out for a journey for herself. Honestly, he didn't think that she would even think of running away or even demonstrate her personality well in her writing.

"Calm down." Ty Lee placed both her hands on the Fire Lord's shoulders, "This amount of distress will breakout through your skin! It's also very bad."

Suki, who scratched her cheek with a finger, tried to catch Zuko's attention and calm state, "She didn't run away, she specifically noted that she wasn't running away."

"But that means she did run away." he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, "Did she even write where she was going?"

The two Kyoshi Warriors shook their head, indicating that not even a single clue where she might've headed for which brought the Fire Lord to a tired sigh. He began pointing out all places she could've gone, possibilities maxing out from one times a hundred until Ty Lee spoke her thought aloud, "I know someone who might know where she is."

"She went to a sword master." Mai deadpanned, "Something about broadening her nonbending skills."

"Mai even taught her how to hide blades all over her body!" Ty Lee suddenly pitched in, with hands on Mai's shoulders and a large smile on her face in contrast of Mai's signature scowl.

Zuko didn't know that Natsuko and Mai were in speaking terms or even more than just speaking. Sure, Natsuko was a person who was more open than she realized but not even Suki and Ty Lee or even Kiyi knew where she was going. Of course there was this feeling of being weirded out asking for help with Natsuko from Mai, the same when he found relief in Mai's answer during the Kemurikage incident.

The same girl began scolding him while he silently sat in the room with her and the two Kyoshi Warriors. Natsuko should've understood his secrecy, right? It wasn't like she was demanding of his attention always, "Honestly, you should've seen this coming."

Then it him, rather Mai hit him at the back of his head that boggled his mind and found reasons why she could've, "You said she was going to see a sword master?"

Zuko looked at Mai, who sighed and nodded in confirmation. He continued to look at her, not even once would he believed that he could win against her in a death glare. There were a lot more thoughts running through his head, but his immediate reaction was to shake his head with a small smile, "Thanks, Mai."

She waited for Zuko to get out of the flower shop before she could mirror his small smile, reminiscing in the many times he smiled at her. All were small and smirks, lacking the sense of emotion she was looking for but that wasn't what Zuko needed.

He finally found a worthy opponent.

Shu Jing

After knowing where to go, Zuko embarked on another journey outside the capital.

He was sure of his answer, even if he only knew one master swordbender who taught him and Sokka, heading for his masters hometown and prayed to the Sun God to see Natsuko there.

When he arrived, the first thing he saw was the big gates then the sword masters servant who led them inside as esteemed guests and a former pupil, his title as Fire Lord thrown out to the bamboo forest inside.