It had been a couple of days since the trio had had roast duck at Song's house for dinner and Tsai still couldn't believe that Zuko had actually stolen the ostrich-horse from the generous family that night. Besides it being another large mouth to feed what he had done had been immoral. The worst part was that everything she looked at the ostrich-horse she thought about Song and felt a massive sense of guilt for being an accomplice.
These past couple of days were rough to say in the list. The three had barely managed to find refuge in dirty alley ways, forgotten barns, muddy ground and under trees in the wilderness where they would seek shelter from the rain or sun. Cold nights, hunger and Zuko's terrible attitude seemed to follow them everywhere. Their lives were truly miserable at the moment.
The hunger, the exhaustion and the emotional toll of being homeless had taken a toll on the two spoilt teenagers who were unaccustomed to this life. Despite Tsai's enjoyment of the outdoors she had to admit. This was too much. She didn't even remember what the petty scraps she had last eaten were. Her stomach ached tremendously and it was becoming harder and harder for her to sustain her strength and optimistic spirits. No lesson in any volume of encyclopedia had prepared her for this.
The sun was beaming brightly above them in what could've been the hottest day of the year. Iroh was currently sitting on a straw mat beside his nephew with the ostrich-horse lying behind them. The man stared serenely at the people walking in the street, he bore no shame or embarrassment in his status as a homeless old man. As a cart with masks for sale passed by them.
"Spare coins for weary travelers?" Iroh asked inquiringly as he held his straw hat out to a man that was walking past. Despite everything that they had been going through, Iroh remained strong, his attitude unbeatable. Tsai had to admit, the three were in a frustrating situation. It even dampened her spirits.
The man stopped in front of Iroh and pulled out a couple copper coins, which he generously dropped inside his hat then he continued walking down the street.
"This is humiliating." Zuko growled angrily as he turned to stare at his uncle, "We're royalty! These people should be giving us whatever we want."
"They will if you ask nicely." Iroh replied easily then held his hand out to a young woman as she was passing by, "Spare change for a hungry old man?"
The woman smiled down at Iroh and withdrew a coin from her sleeve, placing it in the straw hat, "Here you go."
"The coin is appreciated, but not as much as your smile." Iroh said with a flirty smile, causing Zuko to slap his forehead in exasperation while the woman to giggle quietly behind her hand as she walked away.
As the young woman walked away, a man with a broadsword strapped to his back wondered up to Iroh and Zuko, a nasty smile appearing on his face.
"How about some entertainment for a gold piece?" The man asked with a smirk as he held up a gold coin.
"We're not performers." Zuko snapped in annoyance as he leaned against the ostrich-horse and glared at the man from under the brim of his straw hat.
"Not professional anyway." Iroh said quickly as he go to his feet and began to sing, "It's a long, long way to Ba Sing Se, but the girls in the city, they look so pretty!"
"Come on, we're talking a gold piece here! Let's see some action." The man sneered as he unsheathed his broadswords, "Dance!"
The man began striking the ground near Iroh's feet and Iroh hopped up and down in a humiliating manner in an attempt to dodge the attacks, singing as he did so.
"They kiss so sweet that you really got to meet the girls from Ba Sing Se!"Iroh sang and the man laughed as he stopped striking the ground with his swords.
"Ha, ha! Nothing like a fat man dancing for his dinner! Here ya go!" The man cackled loudly pleased with his cruel entertainment and then tossed the gold coin on the ground and walked away, still chortling to himself. His intentions weren't baleful, but they were definitely humiliating.
Iroh picked up the coin and tucked it away then sat back down as he smiled serenely as if nothing had happened.
"Such a nice man." Iroh commented in a placid tone, unaware of the angry glare Zuko was leveling at the retreating man's back. Zuko wanted to claw at his face. It was hot and uncomfortable and they had nothing and now they had to humiliate themselves for a living. And to make matters worse things between him and Tsai were.. Well he had never seen her act so weird before. There was definitely something on her mind as of the late.
"Where is Tsai anyways?" He complained folding his arms across his chest as he looked around the street. She had the habit of going absent for long periods of time. She never said where she was going or with who. She just claimed it was 'important' and would vanish without a trace. He had to admit the curiosity was beginning to prick at him because she always came back with a handful of coins just for them to get dinner.
It was then a small coin purse fell into the hat. The purse over flowered with gold coins and they spilled from the overflowing bag.
"It's not much, but I managed to get some gold coins for it."
Iroh's eyes went wide. Zuko didn't realize that he jumped to his feet. Her eyes were swollen from crying and cheeks stained with dry tears. Despite it she had a smile on her face. One which was sad and pained.
"Tsai," Zuko said in a low voice his eyes slightly wide. "Your hair..."
Her long red locks which would've typically reached her midback now reached just below her jaw. You could tell it had hurt her, cutting it. Her pride to let go of something so dear and precious to her. Shedding a sacred part of her identity. She wore a bandana over her hair leaving only a few strands slipping out. They seemed a little darker without the length and volume the locks used to possess.
"It draws too much attention. Besides, it'll grow back soont." She smiling despite her emotional pain. Her hair had always been a key part of her. Of her construct identity. It had always been something she prided herself in. Being the assumed only person in the world with such a strange tone. It was what made her her.
Iroh then rose up to his feet.
"Beauty is reflected in the light of the heart and you remain luminescent as always," he said smoothly with most wisdom placing both of his hands on her cheeks in a way that reminded her of her grandfather. It made her heart ache. "You look as lovely as ever child," he smiled at her. At this point she was just happy to have contributed something to the group, to have put food on the table, which had been something she had never ever done before. It was no small accomplishment for her.
Zuko looked at his uncle and cursed himself. How was it that the old man was so damn smooth? He had to say something. Anything. He struggled with himself as to find the most eloquent word on what to comment. 'It's pretty,' he thought of saying.
No, it was too simple. 'Looks nice,' sounded way to dull.
'You look like the blinding sun!'Now that sounded like something his uncle would say- but then again it was nonsense.
"It-" He began and squeezed the back of his neck as he shifted nervously. "It looks a lot better!" He ejected. He saw the look on her face as she touched her freshly cut tips confused.
Wait did that sound like he meant it looked bad before?
"I mean- it," he lowered his head. "It looks nice," he finally admitted quietly.
He mentally cursed himself. Why was this so hard?
Why had she been pushed to sell a part of herself to sustain their livelihood. In that moment he promised himself he would never put her through in that kind of position again...
Xxx
The money that Tsai had earned had been enough for them to gather food and other resources for the next couple of weeks. They were cautiously managing their money penny pinching and skipping meals trying to stretch it out for as long as they could. The trio currently slept in a makeshift cave outside of the city limits. It was damp and mossy with a stone roof that provided shelter against the harsh sun and other weather conditions. Such as rain. It was presently cloudy, Iroh had sensed it would later rain in the afternoon.
The Blue Spirit ran through the rooftops when a flash of red suddenly caught his eye. Tsai was also wandering around the small village. She currently stood under a orange tree gathering its fruits and putting them into a basket. He stopped for a second and his amongst the shadows observing from his hidden position.
'Dammit. I told her to stay back in the cave!' Zuko stopped in the roof watching carefully.
"Hey!" A man suddenly barked as he approached her. Two other tailing behind him. "Are you trying to steal our oranges?"
She instantly turned to face them almost dropping the basket. "Oh," she said suddenly. "I'm very sorry," she apologized yet did not lower the basket she was holding. "I didn't think the tree belonged to anyone. Considering its in the middle of the city."
"You're not from around here, are you?" The men began rounding her. "I can tell by the hair. Never seen that color before," one said leaning in extra close and touching the short tips of her wavy hair. She remained still, Zuko could visibly see the grip on the basket becoming more tense.
"Tell you something red," one of them said leaning in. Placing a filthy hand on her shoulder. "If you let us give you a kiss, we'll let you take the oranges," he then stuck his hand inside of his pocket and fingered a piece of gold. Toying with it before her.
She was silent for a moment. Her eyes dark, face void of all emotion.
"Okay," she spoke robotically. The men chuckled viciously. The one that had his hand on her shoulder draped his arm. He gave a step forward and stopped when he came face to face with the Blue Spirit.
"You," Tsai said softly as she saw the masked man standing before her and the others. He carried his dual swords and did an aggressive performance before the men. "Oh, yeah? What are you going to do?" One of them pulled out a sword of his own and charged towards him. Big mistake. With swift skill the Blue Spirit sliced and stabbed in the man's direction leaving him defenseless and with his clothe shredded into rags. "She's all yours!" One of the cowards said as he grabbed her by her shoulder's and pushed her to the ground. She fell and the oranges came spilling out of her basket.
Tsai kept her eyes down and did not move, not wanting to interact with the Blue Sprit. She could've handled them easily. Yet, there was a shame that she carried with the decision she had taken. However, she had to do whatever she could to survive. Iroh was old there wasn't much he could do and well Zuko was trying his best just like her.
A moment later she saw a pair of shoes come into her view. Looking up she saw the Blue Spirit standing before her. She shook her head and began to put all of the oranges back in the basket. She rose to her feet slowly yet the spirit didn't flinch away.
"Thanks," she muttered her voice sounding lifeless.
It was then that something inside of Zuko broke. The thought of her... Something told him it wasn't the first time she did something like this. The grip on his swords became tighter he could feel his chest clench at the simple thought of it. Tsai shouldn't have to live like this. To do these kinds of things just to feed him and his lazy uncle. And for a couple of lousy coins? His blood was boiling. He should go and kill those men, just for thinking what they were thinking.
"For this and for last time," she said looking into the two dark eyes of the mask attempting to resonate some familiarity in him. Yet the Blue Spirit remained silent. She lowered the hand she had stretched out to offer an orange.
"Are you going to say anything?" She suddenly asked through narrowed eyes. "I don't have all day. I've got errands to run, things to do."
He didn't. He simply starred. Unaware of who this person was or what they were thinking. It was only after a moment that he turned away and vanished into the rooftops of the city.
He ran across the rooftops along the quiet street, where a man and woman were walking. He quickly leapt from the roof and landed in front of the two people, unsheathing his dual dao swords. The Blue Spirit lunged at the man carrying two large baskets that were suspended on a long pole, swiftly cutting the both baskets off in a single fluid motion. The terrified man cowered back as the Blue Spirit swung the baskets onto his shoulders then approached the woman, who was carrying a large piece of fruit on her head. The thief snatched the fruit from her head and disappeared as quickly as he had appeared, leaving the man and woman staring in confusion. This time he would make sure to gather enough food for the three of them. He wouldn't have his uncle begging for scraps and he would never have the dwindling with low lives in dirty alleyways.
Zuko walked through a thicket in the forest surrounding the small village and paused in front of a large tree. He removed the Blue Spirit mask and placed it in a hollow part at the base of the tree then he peeked around the trunk where his uncle was sitting in a small cavern. The coast was clear. His uncle wasn't paying attention to him and Tsai was nowhere to be seen.
She still wasn't back?
Iroh looked up from the fire he was staring at when his nephew as he approached and dropped the massive baskets of food at his feet.
"Where did you get these?" Iroh asked curiously as he looked at the food.
"What does it matter where they came from?" Zuko retorted angrily as he walked away from his uncle.
Iroh watched his nephew leave with a serious expression on his face then picked up one of the pastries from one of the baskets and took a bite, jam dripping down him chin, "Mmm!"
xxx
"Looks like you did some serious shopping." Iroh commented as he walked into the cave and sat in front of a fancy new tea set then he picked up the large, gold-colored teapot, "But where did you get the money?"
Did it matter? It didn't to him. Zuko had stolen the golden teapot set in an attempt to give Iroh and Tsai something to liquify in the future. It had to be worth something. He had also managed to swipe a cart with a medium sized pig for lunch as well as other food supplies. His Uncle didn't work and Tsai was too noble to steal from the already poor of the Earth Kingdom.
"Do you like your new teapot?" Zuko asked, evading his uncle's question as he lounged lazily against a tree trunk in front of the fire.
"To be honest with you, the best tea tastes delicious whether it comes in a porcelain pot or a tin cup." Iroh stated as he put down the fancy teapot then walked over to his nephew and kneeled beside him, "I know we've had some difficult times lately. We've had to struggle just to get by."
Iroh reached out and put a hand on Zuko's shoulder, the scarred teen closing his eyes as if he was holding something back.
"But it's nothing to be ashamed of." Iroh continued gently, "There is a simple honor in poverty."
"There's no honor for me without the Avatar."
"Zuko..." Iroh started then sighed quietly, "Even if you did capture the Avatar, I'm not so sure it would solve our problems. Not now."
Zuko turned away from his uncle, his eyes downcast, "Then there is no hope at all."
The banished prince made to stand up and walk away but Iroh grabbed him by the shoulders and sat him down again.
"No, Zuko! You must never give in to despair." Iroh chided gently in a paternal tone of voice, "Allow yourself to slip down that road and you surrender to your lowest instincts."
Zuko bowed his head and closed his eyes as he listened to his uncle's words of wisdom.
"In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength."
The scarred teen glanced over his shoulder at his uncle and Iroh stared back at him with a sad look upon his lined face. Abruptly Zuko jerked himself free from Iroh's grasp and headed back out into the forest, leaving Iroh to stare after him sorrowfully.
xxx
Iroh bent over some of their supplies, sifting through them idly.
"Uncle..." Zuko called out and Iroh straightened but didn't turn around, "I thought a lot about what you said."
"You did?" Iroh stated, his sad expression morphing into one of content as he continued to sift through the supplies, "Good, good."
"It helped me realize something." Zuko continued calmly as he bowed his head slightly, "We no longer have anything to gain by traveling together. I need to find my own way."
Iroh's brightened expression disappeared and he bowed his head sorrowfully his eyes closing. Zuko looked at his uncle's back for a moment then grabbed his pack and began walking back into the forest. He had to leave them. Find his own way. Find himself and seek what hope there was left in this miserable world if his dream of capturing Avatar had been taken from him.
"Wait!"
Zuko stopped and turned around, watching as his uncle led the ostrich-horse over to him. Iroh handed his nephew the reins, staring sadly as Zuko mounted the ostrich-horse. The scarred prince looked back at his uncle one last time.
"You're not going to say goodbye to Tsai?" Iroh asked slipping his hands into his deep pocket sleeves. "No," Zuko said after a brief pause. "I've left enough food and supplies for the two of you so there should be no need to her to go into the village and do.. whatever it is she does."
He didn't give a reason for his sudden departure. Iroh figured perhaps it would've been too painful. Perhaps he didn't want to take her down the same path he was going through. Despite it all he had to respect his nephew's decision to pursue his self-pursuit odyssey. The sky thundered in the distance as a storm approached.
"What should I say to her when she returns?"
"The truth," Zuko said, then started off, leaving a despondent Iroh behind.
Iroh watched his nephew disappear into the forest and sighed.
Xxx
Tsai sat on a bench near the exit of the town. She had a basket filled to the brim with oranges next to her. On her other side was a sack that had teas in it, some hard bread from a bakery as well as pots and vases to keep water. She had been slaving away all day long, doing petty jobs for people around the village in hopes of earning an honest yet meager living. She would've never allowed Zuko or Iroh to see her tired, much less to see her complain. She did not want to be a burden on them and specially not during these circumstances. She stretched out her legs and sighed as she got ready for the trek back to the hide out.
It was when she looked up that there he was again, the Blue Spirit, or the man behind the mask. She remained casual, stretching her sore limbs from the strenuous day of labor. She wanted to be alone for a moment before heading back to the shelter and beating the rain.
"You again?" She let out an exhausted huff as she threw her head back rolling out the kinks. Once again the person stood still in front of her a couple of feet away. Watching.
"What? Are you going to say anything now?"
Silence. The cloudy sky had been threatening to rain. The streets were empty and quiet. He stood in the shadows and from his pocket pulled out an accessory which was way too familiar to her. It was a choker necklace in the center it was adorned by a sunstone. Her grandfather had given that to her. Her hands flew to her neck and she realized it was missing.
"Hey!" She jumped to her feet upset. She could begin to feel the first droplets of rain hitting her skin.
She figured it must've slipped earlier when she fell. She walked over to him and stretched out her hand. Instead he put the necklace back in his pocket. She narrowed her eyes in confusion.
"Listen," she said with a nervously awkward chuckle. "If it was anything else I would let you keep it, but not that-" She pleaded. "Please-" She said turning to look at her stuff. "I'll give you my oranges! Um.." she bit her lower lip nervously as she pondered on just what she could possibly offer him. Then the rain came down hair.
She suddenly felt his hands on her upper arms. She looked at the Blue Spirit startled by his touch, he slightly rotated her body so that she was sheltered under the coming rain near the side of a building. Its hands remained on her upper arms. He remained silent and as mysterious as ever. His masked face came closer to hers. She felt her heartbeat increase. Why was there something familiar about this person?
The two of them. Her and the Blue Spirit they shared a past, they shared secrets, the two of them had a history. Besides the Avatar he had been the only witness to the demise of her and family's honor and name as she flushed it down a drain of dishonorable intents.
She felt him remove one of his hands from her arm and slowly reach for his mask. Unblinking she kept her eyes fixed on his. He touched the edge of his mask and his hand froze remaining in the spot. She could feel the fat rain drops hitting her body despite the semi-sheltered spot where they stood.
"Oh," she said quietly understanding and shut her eyes tightly so tight that she was beginning to see white spots in her dark vision.
'So this is what he wanted...' She figured suddenly feeling nauseous. It was ironic. How he was just like those other men earlier...
It was then that she felt a peck brush her cheek. It had been so light almost as if a feather had brushed her. She opened her eyes surprised and blinked twice when the back of a warm hand brushed the side of her face. Her heart pace quickened and she could feel an intense gaze glaring from behind the Blue Spirit's mask. Her eyes closed slowly and their proximity became null when she caught his lips on hers.
He kept a hand on her arm the other cradled her face resting against her cheek toying with the lost strands of hair that he could brush with the tips of his fingers. She moved her hand to grasp his arm, her other hand fisted the front of his shirt.
Nobody in Yu Dao had ever kissed her with such intensity. Not even Zuko that one time he exploded on the deck of the ship. It was the kind that made your head spin and left you feeling as if you could walk the clouds.
They stood there for what felt like hours but had only been a brief moment. Feeling a sudden cold absence she opened her eyes and saw the enigma standing before her. He stood a couple of feed away now in the rain.
"Goodbye." Was all he said.
She was too distraught to recognize that that very voice was one that was more than familiar. Still half in a daze she shook her head and stood alone in the rain still processing what had just happened.
This would be another one of their secrets.
xxxxx
AN: What do you guys think is going to happen next?Tee-Hee