The Flames of the past (Avatar: Zuko love story)

Chapter 37: A/N + The Painted Lady

Hey guys! 
Sorry, I have been really sick for the last couple of days,
so I wasn't really able to upload.
This chapter is quite long, but I had to do it in 1 chapter so we can move on to the emotional/action/die hard stuff that will happen! (you guys know what I mean, we are in book 3 right??!) 
I hope y'all still enjoy the story!

xx Nina

~

Mia was leaning against the edge of the sled, staring a bit into the distance, a big frown on her forehead. She was twisting a little branch between her fingers, thinking about her brother. What could she even do? What can she do now? Go to the Boiling Rock and face her mother? No, too dangerous and risky. Go back to her brother and finish him? Or wait till the day of Black Sun and kill them at the same time?She took a deep breathe and sighed. Kill... Such a nasty word, even if you are talking about your own family. Zuko understood her, and Mia undestood him. But now he is back in his little palace, being with Azula and Ozai, like a normal and proper family. Mia couldn't really imagine that and again she sighed, very hard that even a little flame escaped her mouth and she immediately closed it. 

Appa was walking through the water- or how you call it, and he really had some struggles in it. Aang was swimming in the terrible mud that smelled like something chemical, trying to fool Momo. "Mia you should come in too, it's very funny!" Aang said.
"Please Aang... I have done some things that were quite nasty and inappropiate, but I am not going to swim in that, silly." Mia replied. Momo found Aang and he jumped out of the water into the saddle. "I think this water is polluted." Aang said, looking at himself, while big clumps of the substance dropped into the saddle. He blew it off him, all over Mia, Sokka, Katara and Toph. "Oh sorry!" He said and he blew it off the others as well.

"That's explain why I can't even catch a fish in here..." Sokka said, "Cuz normally my fishing skills are off the hook!" And he started to laugh out loud. "Get it? Like a fishing hook!" He yelled "Too bad your skils aren't on the hook." Mia replied and she grabbed the book of Iroh. "It looks like we need to get somewhere else to get some food. If that of course can fit into Sokka's master schedule." Katara said and Mia smiled a bit. "Hmm... that's durable, but that means only two potty breaks today!" Sokka said strict. "Maybe we can get food there!" Aang said when he pointed to a small village in the distance. "In Jang Hui? Unlikely, that small village isn't anything." Mia said scratched her head. 

"How do you know?" Katara asked, a bit bitchy. Mia looked up and cleared her throat. "Because Iroh and fire lord Ozai himself, showed me the villages and cities of the fire nation, their functions, history, spirits and kind of folk. You don't even know where your own village lies on the world map." Mia said angry.
"I DO KNOW THAT!" Katara yelled back at her. 
"Guys, please dont." Aang said quickly, "let's just check it out." 

They approached the village and stood still in a hill. "Where is this vilage? I can't feel anything."
"That's because Jang Hui is-" Mia started.
"-in the middle of the water." A man said. They looked down and saw a man standing in a fishing boat. "And you are?" Mia asked with raised eyebrows, looking down at the man that had interrupted her. "My name is Dock, mind if I ask who you are?" The old man asked.
"We are from the the Earth Kingdom colonies." Mia said quickly when Katara started to stutter. 
"Oh wow, colonials ey? Well hop on, I will gove you a ride into town." Mia nodded and walked down to step into the boat. 

"You have very remarkable eyes." Dock said when he looked at Mia. "Thank you, my mother gave them to me." Literally.
"Why do you guys live on the river?" Katara asked and Mia wanted to open her mouth, but Dock was faster.
"Because we are a fishing town!" Dock replied, "at least we were before the factory moved in. The army makes their metal there, all the remains comes down in our river. Now our village has struggles to survive." 
"Just like he rest of the world." Mia replied, her red eyes glistering. 

When they climbed on shore, they thanked Dock and looked around. Kids were crying, the old were sleeping and the adults are taking care of them. "Look at this place, it's so sad." Katara said slowly. "We have to do something to help!" Katara said. 
"No, we can't! We don't have time for that." Sokka said. "Sokka is right. There is nothing you can do, except blowing up the factory and clean the water or something. We have a bigger mission that will help the whole world, and where we need to stay focussed on. These people are on their own." Mia replied and walked away with Sokka. "These people are starving!" Katara yelled at her, "you turn your back on them? How could you be so cold and heartless?" 

"Because I can! I have better things to do!" Mia yelled. "Your mother and brother are your problems, that has always been bigger than other problems! You are so selfish and mean, think you are so smart, and you are peace itself, but you are not! It doesn't matter if people die to you!" Katara yelled. Mia's mouth fell open and looked at Katara. Her hands turned into fists, that were burning. Mia took a deep breathe and with her jaws on eachother she spoke: "I may be mean and rude. But monsters are being made, not born. I think you have forgotten that I went out risking my own life to seek Aang in that storm, Katara."

"I know I am sorry but we have to help them!" Katara said.
"What could you do? Even the Painted Lady doesn't do a thing, probably!" Mia said looking around.
"The what?" Toph asked.
"The painted- oh forget it , no one listens to me anyway. I am going to get something to eat, if there's any tho." 
Mia walked to a place and slammed on the bell. An old man turned around and Mia saw it was Dock. "Hi Dock, you work here too?" Sokka asked. "I am not Dock, I am Xu, Dock's my brother." There was a moment of silence. "But we just saw you." Aang said, "you are even wearing the same clothes. The only difference is your hat."  

"Dock works on the docks, that's why he's called Dock. I work at the shop that's why they call me Xu."
"That doesn't make any sense," Mia said confused, "do you have any food tho?" 
"Fish." He said and he grabbed a whole bowl of fish, almost rotten. Katara bought three and they went away, to their small camp.
That night Mia did not eat the fish. She was drinking her herbal tea and decided to bring some to the villagers.

Mia still had make-up on her face and when she wanted to handle over a cup of tea to a child, playing with a doll, he looked at her. "Are you the Painted Lady?" He asked. "No child, I am afraid I am just a stranger," Mia replied and stood up. When Mia returned to the camp she laid down next to Sokka. Sokka was complaining about his schedule that was now a complete disaster. Mia wasn't really in for listening to him and for that she closed her eyes.

~

The next day when they entered the village it was pretty festive. Not really at the camp, for Appa was sick. Suddenly, the bison was sick. Thanks to the polluted water, perhaps. The five went to the shop. "What's going on Xu? Everyone looks so happy." Sokka asked.
"Yes! The Painted Lady visited us last night and brought food for us." Xu replied, cleaning a little statue of the Painted Lady.
Mia raised an eyebrow and looked at Katara. "You seem like you know her." Xu said when he looked at Mia. "The painted Lady is part of the town's lore. Folks say she's a river spirit, who watches over Jang Hui, in times of need."
"Exactly, tho I always thought she was just a legend." Xu said. 
"Maybe she had something better to do." Mia replied quietly, so no one heard. 

"Do you have any medicin?" Sokka asked.
"We don't have any, that's why there are so many sick people." 
"Looks like we have to stay another night so Appa could rest." Katara suggested. Everyone, even Toph, narrowed their eyes looking at Katara. And so they did, another night. And it seemed the next day, the Painted Lady had visited the town again. Dock was at the shop and Sokka walked up to him. "Hey Dock, is Xu around?" 
"Let me check." Dock replied and he walked in a circle, disappreared behind a pilar, with Xu's hat and walked back to the desk. "Hey there! Back again are ye?" Mia's eyelid started to get twitchy. She pushed Sokka aside and threw some money on the table.

"Our friend is still sick, we can't leave until he's better. We need food." She said grumpy. "Oh well, that's too bad." Xu said and he laid a plate with some stinky fish on the desk, "luckily the Painted Lady will visit you in the night and heal your friend." 
"And maybe he will cook us a midnight snack!" Sokka said sarcastic and Mia giggled. 
"Yes maybe he will!" Xu said, "you know last night she had visited us again and healed most of our sick folk."
"Is that why thisplace seems so festive?" Aang asked when he looked at the folk, cheering and put down a huge statue of the Lady. 
Xu nodded heavily. 

"Isn't it amazing that an entire village can be effected by one lady, I mean spirit?" 
"I hope she will come very night, otherwise this place would go down into the ground." Mia said with a frown on her head. 
"Why would you say that?" Katara asked.
"I think when she leaves, these people are on their own. Instead of helping them, she could have already blow up the factory." Mia said.
"Yeah like: booooohohoooooohhh BOOOM!" Sokka said.
"Spirit magic doesn't work that way Sokka. It is more like: wooooohohohooo pwooooooo...." 

Angrily Katara walked away and Mia, Sokka and Aang came by together and started to "woooooo".
They all went back to the camp for dinner and Mia was practicing her Firebending. She loved it. She felt like she was stronger than before; she could actually feel it. The heat, the energy; the life of the fire. "Mia you want some fish.... soup?" Katara asked.
"I am not going to eat that." Mia replied and Katara was frowning, irritated. 
"Just eat it." Katara said with her jaws on eachother.

Mia sat down and looked up to the sky. "Please spirits, don't let me die because of foodpoisoning." She mumbled and took a bite. She could still taste the mud and all the other dirty and polluted stuff. "Delicious." Mia said and she slowly swallowed it. When Katara looked behind her to say something to Toph Mia threw it away and stood up. She practiced her bending until she went to bed. She laid down next and fell asleep.

~

The next morning, Katara and Aang were gone. Mia knew exactly what was going on after she found out that her red make-up was used more than Mia had calculated. Mia, Toph and Sokka heard Aang in the distance and they stood down in a line, arms crossed over their chests. "Shhh... We don't want to wake Mia. I wouldn't stand that grumpy face of her when she finds out we were- OOOOH!" Katara said when she went around the corner, facing the three. "HIIIIIII Mia! We were just taking a morning walk."
"Sure... a morning walk." Mia said calm.

"We know you are the Painted Lady! You are using Mia's make-up, that suits Mia much better than you, which she should wear everyday!" Sokka yelled and Mia frowned confused. "Appa isn't really sick, you fed him purple berries!" He said and pointed to Toph. "I am sorry..." Katara said. "We are leaving right now!" Sokka yelled. "No, we can't!" Mia yelled. Before Sokka and Katara could response Mia looked at Katara and yelled: "Do you realize wehat you have done? You have given those people false hope! Nothing is more worse than false hope, got it?! secondly, you blew up the factory and now you want to leave?! Those factory guys will blame the town and might destroy it! How can you be so stupid to do that?!" 

"It was your idea!" Katara yelled in defense. Mia looked around and saw the Fire Nation approaching the town. "Damn, Katara!" Mia yelled and she ran to the town. Mia used her Earthbending, remembering she was from the colonials, said to Dock. When Mia was fighting them, fog rose up, noises and suddenly: The Painted Lady. Mia facepamled herself so hard, a red spot was seen on her forehead. When all the firemen were doen and Katara did her talking, she looked at the villagers. It all went well until: 

"Hey, I know you," Xu said, "you are that colonian girl!" 
"Yeah!"
"She is not the Painted Lady!" A kid yelled. 
"She is tricking us!'"
"She's a waterbender!" A woman yelled. 

Mia pushed Katara away and took a deep breathe. "You should be thanking her. She healed most of you, and send the army away for ever. You should fall down on you bare knees. I know she is a waterbender and I know she had given you false hope now, tho she only wanted to help." Mia said strict. "But what can we do now?" Xu asked.
"I don't know, maybe uh, clean the river?!" Mia said.

"What a good idea! Let's clean the river!" Xu said. 
"Good! Will you help?" Mia asked.
"No, I will get my otehr brother Bushi, he loves cleaning rivers." Xu put his hat off and put another one on. 
"Alright! I am Bushi, let's get some river cleaning done!" He said.
"See, you are the same person! I saw it!" Aang said. 

"No I did not." Bushi replied.
"yeah! You just called yourself by a different name!" 
"Ooooh, you know who does that? My brother Dock. He is nuts." Bushi said and he walked away. 
Mia put her hand before her mouth and screamed in them, Sokka almost pulling the hair out his head.

They spend the day cleaning all the river. Everyone helped and cheered when it was done. Mia sat all alone on the Docks, her feet in the clear water. Katara sat down next to her and put her feet in too. "Thanks." Katara said slowly.
"I didn't do anything, right?" Mia asked, a bit mean.
"You know what I mean." Katara said. Mia took a deep breathe and looked at Katara. "And I said to Sokka lately that you have become such a grown woman. Apparently I was wrong." Mia said and she stood up. She walked away from Katara, leaving her behind.