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The morning on Ember Island was a quiet one, no one suspecting that one of their own had gone missing during the night. However, for now, it was just an almost regular morning.
With the first rays of the sun hitting Azula's eyes, she awoke from her deep sleep as per usual of any firebender.
"Morning," said Azula, as she felt a familiar someone lying next to her somebody she could recognize just by his nearness.
"Morning yourself," replied Zhan. "Slept well? No nightmares or bad spirits?"
"None so far," she replied, rising to sit position in the bed.
"That's good news then," he added.
"Yeah," she replied, although that cheery-feeling was a bit short. "One day, until everything goes ablaze."
"Oh, don't be so gloomy!" he said, pulling her into a hug and onto his lap.
"We will win! Trust me," he said, adding a kiss for encouragement.
"Okay, maybe," she said, feeling a bit better. Then getting up from her bed, a smile on her face. "You know...we got enough time, to do something, stupid one more time.."
"Like what?" he asked.
"We could try one last dance," said Azula.
"Really?" he asked, surprised. "Last time which happened in the Palace, you said my dancing was worse than a stomping rhino."
"Oh come, now it wasn't that bad," she replied. "Okay, maybe a little, but now I know how you dance, you suck at slow dances."
"So how are we going to do it now?" he asked.
"Let's try something, loosening try to keep in a rhythm, forget punctuality, let's just be free and enjoying ourselves," spoke Azula, offering her hand.
"Oh fine, but don't say I didn't warn you," he replied, accepting her hand.
"You didn't warn me," said Azula teasingly.
"Oh, never mind," replied Zhan as they started their fun.
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The first thing that Zuko did when he woke up was to check that nothing was missing or cut on him. Luckily there wasn't, although Mai wasn't next to him either.
'Uh oh,' thought Zuko, looking around the room for her.
"Hi there," said Mai, entering the room and her arms crossed. "Looking for someone?"
"Oh...uh..." mumbled Zuko, a bit awkward at the moment. "...you..."
"Oh, really?" asked Mai in her usual tone. "I suppose the leaving us in Ba Sing Se was your idea.."
"...well..." mumbled Zuko, before he heard Mai chuckle. "Did you just?!"
"Oh, relax...just messing with you," said Mai sitting down. "Although it was a surprise to find you next to me."
"It was?" asked Zuko.
"Mhmm..." nodded Mai. "Oh ease up, I'm not so high-strung...mostly."
"Seriously?"
Mai replied by kissing Zuko on the lips, a smile on her lips after.
"Satisfied? You're not the only one, who has been hanging around in an interesting group," said Mai, heading for the door. "Say nothing of this, outside this room, I mean it!"
"Okay..." replied Zuko, as Mai left and left him half-dazed on what had just happened.
"Oh, and one more thing!" said Mai returning to the doorway. "Stay away from Azula's, room or you'll seriously want to wash your eyes with soap."
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Back in the couple's room, things were getting more interesting, as Azula and Zhan were trying out new dances; a few they had seen and a few they were making up on the go.
"One, two-step, step three, spin.," said Azula, as she was having a fun-time of teaching and learning to dance. Currently getting spun around and drawn back into his hold, "you know this is easy although breaching a lot of formalities when it comes to formal dances," explained Zhan, as he lifted Azula.
"Let them formalities burn for all I care. Dancing is about expression, and as far as I'm concerned, I express myself how I want," replied Azula. While they both continued dancing/goofing.
"A new cultural thing discovered by Princess Azula. If you don't like politics, you can always teach," said Zhan, as went faster, their bodies moving quickly, randomly, and freely.
"Keep up the flattering, I might even take you up on that offer," replied Azula, her face inches away until they were interrupted by Katara at their door.
"Uhh, what are you two doing?" asked Katara, as the two were in a weird and awkward position.
"Nothing!" replied Azula, returning up and not bothering with an explanation. "Something wrong?"
"Aang is missing!" replied Katara, shocking both of them.
"What do you mean missing?!" asked Zhan.
"Missing! He's just vanished: nothing, not a note or message," explained Katara.
"Get the others! We need to find him fast!" said Zhan.
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Word traveled fast, as everybody was soon searching for Aang. Mai and Zuko through the house, Katara and Suki in the town, Toph and Ty Lee from up high, Zhan, Sokka and Azula at the beach.
"What do you think happened?" asked Azula as she eyed the ocean.
"I don't know. I had spoken to Zuko earlier that night, and Aang had been still there when we bumped into each other," replied Zhan.
"This doesn't make any sense. Why would Aang leave, before an important battle?" asked Sokka.
"Guys..." said Azula, as she found an old sand-trail leading from the house into the sea.
"Strange. There doesn't seem to be any signs of struggle or of being dragged," replied Sokka, examining the path. "Maybe spirits captured him?"
"Yeah...no," said Azula. "He's the Avatar spirits just don't jump him, and why weren't we affected by it?"
"Hey, I'm just passing ideas," replied Sokka as the others arrived at their location.
"A foot-trail?" asked Zuko. "But why the sea?"
"Spirit-journey?" proposed Ty Lee.
"Possibly..." replied Zhan, as he eyed the path. "Ty Lee, come here and walk in a similar path as Aang."
"Umm...okay," replied Ty Lee as she walked the same way as Aang.
"He walked calmly and easily, not worried or concerned about anything," said Zhan, thinking-out-loud. "Are there any other disturbances on the sand Toph?"
"Not that I can feel much, but Aang' trail seems to be the freshest and straight," replied Toph.
"But why did he go?" asked Katara.
"Spirit journey, likely," said Zhan. "He was having a crisis, regarding how to deal with the Fire Lord? Right?"
"Yeah.." said Katara.
"So it's likely, he went on a spirit-quest to find some answers," replied Zhan. "Although I don't know why the lemur is gone as well."
"Spirit guide? Anyway, we got a bigger problem, what about the Comet?" asked Azula.
"We can go stop it or wait for Aang?" said Toph. "I don't know."
"If Aang went on this trip, he must've known how to get back in time to stop the Fire Lord," replied Zuko.
"Yeah, but how can we stop the Fire Nation army from annihilating the world? With or without Aang?" asked Katara.
"I don't know," replied Zuko. "Azula?"
"I don't know the location or the path of the army," said Azula. "Zhan?"
"Sorry, I don't know either," replied Zhan.
"Maybe I can help," said Mai. "When I freed your uncle, he said that if we ever needed aid later to come to find him at the location of my son."
"Location of his son...that's Ba Sing Se!" realized Azula.
"Should we go? I mean, it's still under Fire Nation control," said Sokka.
"We got no choice, we can sit around here and wait for Aang or start doing something ourselves and be ready to help Aang when he returns," said Zhan.
"Agreed," replied Zuko.
"Righto," added Toph.
"Understood."
"Okay...to Ba Sing Se then," said Katara. "I hope your uncle, is there and this isn't a wild-chase."
"He will be there," said Zuko.
"I hope too," added Azula, as they went to pack for their trip.
====================================================Omake: Small exchanged ===================================================="You're much, bolder than I thought, Mai,"
"Huh?"
"I mean, you did invite him back to your place to try on those hoodies together..."
Mai was confused at what Azula said.
She finally figures out as she blushes and stutters, "y-y-you've got the wrong idea! I just meant that we'd take pictures of one another and compare those!"
Azula had a sly smile while both Zhan and Zuko stop their conversation.
"So, um..." Mai got Zuko's attention.
"I was hoping we could exchange line and address..." she said, blushing and fidgeting.
Both Azula, Zuko, and Zhan look at how cute Mai was acting, while Azula and Zhan smack on the back-breaking Zuko from his bewilderment, "uh, right! Yeah, let's exchange them!
"T-thank you very much!" she, said fidgeting.
"Okay, Azula lets go and leave this flock of love birds," as he shoves, her off Zhan made a small stop, look at both Zuko and Mai giving them a wink. We can see both Zuko and Mai blushing as smokes were coming from their head.====================================================