Zuko's Regression

Part Three

"That was..." Zuko huffed, hardly able to speak.
"Incredible," Lei supplied.
The air around them was hot and sticky and Lei was sweating from the effort, but she had never felt better.
"You are so beautiful," Zuko said slowly, his fingers still entangled with hers. He lay beside her now, but his presence still left Lei warm and tingly.
Lei brought their conjoined hands to her lips and kissed his knuckles gently.
"You are amazing," she returned.
He beamed and rolled over so he could capture her lips with his own.
"I love you," he proclaimed against her mouth.
"I sure hope so," Lei laughed.
Zuko curled himself around her, but she still felt incredibly hot.
"Wait," Lei tried to protest.
He ignored her in favor of nestling his face against her neck.
"I need some water."
"You're leaving?" he pouted.
She kissed his forehead.
"If I don't get a drink I might combust. I'll be right back."
Zuko groaned but relinquished his hold on her.
"Wait, before you go—" Zuko rolled over and dug in the pocket of his trousers laying abandoned on the tent floor. "This is for you."
Lei sat up and examined what he held out to her.
It was a ring. It was black as a starless night sky and coiled in a braid all the way around the band.
"Are you proposing to me?" Lei asked with a disbelieving scoff.
"No!" Zuko exclaimed. "No, it's way too early for that."
Lei suppressed a laugh. He was blushing even worse than a few minutes ago.
"It's just something for you. I know we haven't exactly had the most traditional relationship. I just wanted to do something a normal boyfriend would do: give his girlfriend a gift."
Lei smiled softly and fit the ring on the middle finger of her left hand.
"I love it."
Zuko sighed as though in relief and laid back down.
"I'm glad."
Lei kissed him one last time before gathering up her fire nation clothes where they had been carelessly flung and her sword where it leaned near the entrance.
Just as she opened the flap to the tent, she glanced back at Zuko. His eyes were closed and his breathing was already beginning to deepen.
Lei rolled her eyes. She was tired too, but she needed a drink before she could sleep.
The stream wasn't far from their newest campsite. Lei could still see the glow from the lantern in her and Zuko's tent as she stopped on the bank. Regardless, she brought her sword with her. Ever since Azula's attack, she brought it with her everywhere. She cupped a handful of water and brought it to her mouth. She would have to bathe in the morning when she could actually see the water and when she wasn't so exhausted.
The leaves in the trees above her rustled.
Lei tilted her head upward, only to cry out in surprise when a large black shape dropped down on top of her.
Lei grasped desperately for her sword where it lay beside her on the bank, but sharp jabs to each of her limbs rendered her instantly immobile. Lei made to scream, knowing her friends would come to her aid, but a hit to the base of her throat made it nearly impossible to breathe.
Lei choked and struggled desperately for breath as two more figures leaped down from the trees.
Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai all stood above her.
"I told you we'd get her alone eventually," Azula sneered.
Lei struggled to stand and run, but her limbs barely twitched in response. They weren't even going to give her a chance to defend herself.
"Let's make this quick."
Mai hoisted Lei from the ground by her armpits. She was placed on her knees, but she could barely even hold herself up. Mai had to support Lei's weight from behind.
Azula peered down her nose at Lei. Not to be outdone, Lei glared right back.
"Ty Lee," Azula addressed the girl standing behind her, "would you like to do the honors?"
The fire princess produced one of Mai's daggers from a pocket in her clothing.
A spark of fear flared in Lei's chest. They were going to kill her.
Ty Lee took the knife and reached forward.
Lei leaned her head back as much as she was able, but it was no use. Ty Lee grabbed a handful of Lei's hair and tugged it to the side. A weak burst of air escaped Lei as she tried to cry out in pain.
In one decisive movement, Ty Lee brought the knife down. Lei flinched, but the blade had simply cut through her hair.
Ty Lee sighed and held up her handful of auburn hair to inspect it.
"You were right, Azula. That was satisfying."
Lei swallowed in confusion. Ty Lee's hair was incredibly short now, cropped above her ears.
Revenge for something so cosmetic couldn't possibly be the reason behind this.
"Of course I was right," Azula said, reaching back into a pocket of her uniform. She procured an unadorned scroll. "Make sure he finds it."
Azula handed the scroll to Ty Lee and the young girl flipped her way into the trees before disappearing.
Of course. It was a trap for Zuko, and Lei was the bait. Her hair was proof that Azula had her.
"I hope for your sake Zuko cares as much about you as you do about him."
"What?" Mai asked, only a hint of some unnamable emotion in her voice.
"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Azula said. "This is the girl who seduced my brother away from you."
Mai's eyes flashed with what looked remarkably like hurt, but it vanished as quickly as it came.
"Let's go," Azula commanded. The princess came up short when she spied Lei's sword still resting on the sandy shore.
Without a word, Azula kicked the weapon into the rushing water. The sword bobbed for a second, suspended by its bamboo sheath and handle, before the weight of the steel dragged it under.
A twisting pain stabbed into Lei's heart. That sword had belonged to her father. It was the only piece of him she had left.
She wasn't given a moment to mourn as she was jerked into the air by Mai's strong arms. Lei desperately tried to scream and fight as she was lashed to the back of a lizard.
"Coward," she managed to croak as Mai tied the last knot
"Oh no," Mai said in a hushed monotone. "My enemy called me a mean name. How will I ever recover?"
Azula tittered.
Without further amble, the girls flicked the reins of their beasts and Lei was powerless to do anything but watch as the camp with all her friends disappeared from view