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Chapter Ten: Pyre


A few hours later, as the sun began to set, they laid Mimiko's body on the wooden pyre. Cade was touched to see that Iroh had used Mimiko's favorite kimono as her funeral garb. It was a dark red silk with swirling smoke gray designs. Mimiko had often told her about how Iroh had bought it for her soon after making her a fire-dancer. Iroh had also brushed her silvering black hair out and cleaned away the blood.

While Iroh had done all this, Cade had cleaned away her own blood and changed into black pants, long-sleeved dark gray shirt, and black vest. Iroh and Zuko were dressed in the best they had on the island, which were the clothes they arrived on the island in. Zuko wore a small knife on his belt that Cade wondered about, but she didn't want to ask him.

Cade approached the pyre and touched Mimiko's hand. Hesitating at first, she removed the bead bracelet from Mimiko's wrist and turned to Iroh. Holding the bracelet up, she said softly, "Mimiko told me that this was a gift from you. It was very special to her. May...may I keep it?"

Iroh held out his hand and Cade placed the bracelet in his open palm. He looked down at the glass beads of red, amber, and green, and he smiled.

"What are you hiding behind your back?" Mimi asked him as soon as he entered their tent.

Iroh smiled and held out a small box to her. Mimi looked at him with suspicion is her golden eyes, but she took the box nonetheless. Opening it, she let out a gasp of delighted surprise. She lifted the bracelet from the box and held it up to the candlelight. "Oh, Iroh...it's lovely." She slipped it around her wrist and grinned up at him. "But why? What's it for?"

"What? I have to have a reason to buy you nice things?" he asked with a playful grin.

"Iroh..."

He laughed. "It's been a year since we met today," he explained.

Mimiko looked at him in surprise, "Already? Wow." She looked at the bracelet again and her smiled faded into a soft reflective expression. "You know, some days it feels like I've just met you. Others, like I've known you for years."

"I know the feeling," he told her gently.

"Thank you," she said, stepping close to him. "You know what a torture it is to sit and wait in the camp while you're off fighting in a battlefield somewhere, not being sure whether or not you'll be coming back this time. Now, I can keep this close to me and my heart," she said, holding her wrist to her heart, "and think of this moment...this moment right now... instead of what may happen to you out there."

"I'm glad." He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Kissing her forehead, he whispered, "You're my greatest friend, Mimi, and I love you."

"I love you too, you great oaf," she replied, kissing the tip of his nose. "Now come to bed."

Iroh felt warm tears escape his eyes and run down his cheeks. He reached out and took Cade's hand, slipping the bracelet around her wrist. "Of course you can keep it, my dear. I'm sure Mimiko would love you to have it."

"Thank you," Cade said, echoing the words from Iroh misty memory.

Zuko put a comforting hand on Iroh's shoulder, and looked to Cade. "Will you be alright?" he asked gently.

Cade blinked, rather surprised by how careful he was being around her. Concern for his uncle, she could understand, but it was kind of, well, nice to be treated with such courtesy. She smiled with more ease than she thought possible at that moment and nodded.

She stepped to Iroh other side and nodded to the general. Iroh, nearly choking on another sob, lifted his hand. Fire flowed gently from his fingertips to the pyre. Then Cade's fire joined his, as did Zuko's. Soon, the pyre was burning brightly, smoke twisting up into the evening sky.



(/30 years ago/)


The Fortress of Hsiao Ruan was in celebration. The army had just won a stupendous victory against the Earth Kingdom and word had spread quickly that Prince Iroh was to be promoted to Colonel. Sitting in the seat of honor at the table on the dais, Iroh felt exceptionally proud of himself. The room was absolutely packed with the victorious soldiers, officers, and dancing girls.

When he had returned home five years earlier, his father had presented him with a woman named Sakura, who was apparently his new betrothed. Though he had still be hurting at Mimiko's rejection, Iroh forced himself to smile and go through the motions. Two years later, they were married. A month after that, Iroh was shipped back to the Earth Kingdom to continue his progress in the war. He'd been away from her ever since. Sometimes it was easy to forget he even had a wife, let alone that he had been married for three years already.

"So," said the man to Iroh's left, "Colonel Iroh. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Keep this up, my boy, and you'll be General!"

Iroh smiled and nodded courteously to the officer. Iroh knew his father Azulon would accept no less from his first born son.

Music drifted over to the dais, causing heads to turn to the center of the room. A troupe of fire-dancers stood waiting, dressed in amber and red skirts, brassieres, and veils. The music picked up and they began their synchronized dance. Iroh felt a touch of nostalgia watching them, his mind drifting to memories of Mimi. It was easier and easier to think about her the more time passed by...

"Is that him, Firefly?" she asked in an undertone as they danced.

"Uh huh." Mimiko's eyes were on the man sitting in the center of the dais.

"Tonight then?"

Mimiko nodded and they stepped away from one another as the dance went on. Flames flickered gracefully around them, produced by the girls in the outer circle. Mimiko only hoped that her veil would stay in place, else Iroh accidentally recognize her too soon.

But the dance went without a hitch and she was able to slip back into the sidelines along with the rest of the girls. She couldn't help but smile at the delight on Iroh's face as he clapped for them. Did he ever think of her?



Later that night....well, closer to dawn, Iroh made his way back to his rooms in the fortress, feeling exhausted from the celebration. As he closed the door behind him, though, he suddenly felt like he wasn't alone. Glancing around the dark room, he saw two cloaked and hooded figures standing near the back of the room. Light chased away the shadows as he held up a ball of fire in his hand. The two figures threw back their hoods. One of them smiled sadly at him.

"By the spirits..." Iroh stepped closer, hardly believing his eyes. "Mimi?"

Mimiko nodded, the corners of her eyes crinkled in silent mirth. "Hello, /Dragon of the West/," she replied, using his new war name. It was very strange to hear it from her lips, but Iroh smiled nonetheless.

But his smile faded slightly when she walked towards him. There was something different about her step...something different in the very way she moved. He couldn't place what it was though. "Mimi...it's wonderful to see you again." He shooed the fire in his hands to the candles scattered around the room and held his arms out. Mimiko smiled and embraced him gently. "You look beautiful, as always," he added with a touch of high spirits.

"It's good to see you too, my dragon dear," she said, pulling back to see his face. She took his hands in her own and turned slightly, motioning to the other woman. "Iroh, this is my friend, Kosuke."

Kosuke stepped closer and bowed her head to Iroh. Her black hair was done in many braids cascading around her hawk-like face and down her back. Her amber eyes were sharp as a hawk's as well. Iroh felt a twinge of apprehension when she moved. Kosuke didn't move like a dancer; she moved like an assassin. His instincts screamed that this woman was dangerous.

She seemed to sense his uneasiness and smirked. "Good to meet you at last, Dragon of the West." She almost made the name an insult.

"Be nice, Kosuke, please," Mimiko pleaded of her friend. Kosuke merely shrugged and crossed her arms, still looking at Iroh like a predator watches its prey. Mimiko gave her a hard look before turning back to Iroh. "I've missed you, Iroh, a lot. How're you doing?"

Iroh, with some difficulty, turned from the hawk-like Kosuke, and smiled again. "I've been alright. I'm still alive, anyhow," he said with a laugh. Reality flashed before him and he had to add, "I'm...um...I've been married for a few years now."

"I know," Mimiko told him, gently touching his cheek. "I was glad to hear it." She smiled at his look of disbelief. "No, I mean it. It's good that you've moved on from us, Iroh. I want you to be happy."

"I would have been happy with you, Mimi," he reminded her.

"Well, life got in the way of that, my dear," Mimiko said. "So it's best to leave it in the past where it belongs."

"I'll always care about you though," Iroh told her. "You were my friend before my lover, Mimiko."

"Ditto," she said, playfully kissing the tip of his nose the way she used to. Kosuke cleared her throat discretely, causing Mimiko to pulled back again. She looked worried all of a sudden. "We can't stay long, my dragon dear. It's too dangerous to be here."

"What?" Iroh tried to reach out to her again, but she stepped back. "Mimi, what is going on? What aren't you telling me? Why is it so dangerous for you to be here?" Then he laughed nervously, "Is it because I'm married? Don't be ridiculous, beloved. I'm quite certain I'm not the only married officer with a dancer in my room right now. In fact, I'm very sure that I'm not the only married officer with two dancers with him," he added with a impish smirk at Kosuke.

"Iroh," Mimi whispered somberly.

"You're a dancing girl, Mimi," Iroh said. "It isn't like they're going to arrest you like some dangerous criminal."

"Yes," Mimiko replied, her eyes downcast. "Yes, it is, Iroh."

She offered her hand to him, palm facing up. He frowned and took her hand in his. She nodded to her wrist, making him glance down. There, tattooed on the inside of her arm was the symbol for 'loyal'. It sent a wave of shock through his entire being, right down to his soul. For that symbol for now known to be the sign of the Shai Li Assassins.

"No," he murmured, almost to low to hear. He released her hand and stepped back until he ran into the closed door. "No, Mimi... Mimi... why? Why would you do this?"

Kosuke came forward and put a hand on Mimiko's shoulder. "For the same reasons as all of the Shai Li, Iroh. The Shai Li are not against the Fire Nation. We aren't even against noble officers like you, Dragon of the West. We are against this war and the way it is slowly devouring the once proud nobility of our nation. It is killing us generation after generation. Soon, we will be nothing but petty warmongering dictators and fools. You've seen the effects war has upon your men, Iroh. You saw it soon after meeting Mimiko. Or have you forgotten?"

"I've forgotten nothing," Iroh snapped, sweat beading on his forehead.

"Nor have the Shai Li," Kosuke said just as fiercely. "Lady Khamsin herself initiated me into the Shai Li. She educated me on our once noble people and how they could be again. If we had a true leader again. Someone who would end this war and bloodshed." She spoke as though giving away a hint.

"Iroh," Mimiko said, pleading once more. Tears glittered on her face in the candlelight. "I love you. Nothing will ever change that. But I cannot support a Fire Lord who continues this war. And I will fight against him." Her voice was stronger now. "And someday... someday you might see things differently. Just listen," she snapped when he started to argue. "Time will tell, my dragon dear. Here, take this." She pressed a tightly folded piece of paper into his hand. "Should the day ever come, Iroh; should you ever need refuge from our nation or anything else, follow these and you will find it. Who knows?" she said with a slight smile. "Maybe you'll even find me."

"Mimiko...?"

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry that it's come to this, Iroh; our parting of ways. But perhaps it will turn out for the best. We're not the same people we were even five years ago, my friend."

"Obviously," he said, a little sullenly. He looked at her, unable to say what he so desperately wanted to. "So...this is goodbye?"

"It is," Mimiko replied. "Goodbye, Iroh, my dragon dear."



(/Present/)


"Goodbye," Iroh whispered, staring into the flames. "Goodbye, Mimiko."

Zuko pulled his eyes away from the bright fire and glanced at Cade. He started slightly to see tears on her face, glittering in the light. After knowing Cade as such a strong and independent person, it was strange to see her show any weakness. It put a weight on his heart to see those tears. He took the knife from his belt and unsheathed it. He held it up in the firelight, thinking hard. Finally, he offered it to his uncle.

Iroh stared at it a moment, recognizing it as the blade he had given to Zuko years ago. He took the knife and looked into Zuko's eyes. They both nodded and Iroh put the blade to the topknot in his hair. He took a breath and swiftly cut it off. He held it in his hand a moment before tossing it into the fire. Then he handed it back to Zuko, who quickly did the same with his knot.

Cade saw their actions and didn't understand at first, but then she recalled Heshain doing the same when he was well enough to do so. The young soldier explained to Cade that cutting the topknot away was a symbol of cutting his ties to the Fire Nation.

She turned back to the fire, fingering the glass beads of Mimiko's bracelet.



(/5 years ago/)


Cade crouched in the bushes outside of their camp, stolen knife in hand, waiting patiently for the three strangers to fall asleep. Her dark ruby hair was dirtied with months of dirt, changing the color to a dull brownish mess. Her clothes were tattered and worn, her skin almost as dirty as her hair, and she was far too thin for a growing child. The smell of roasting meat was almost enough to drive her insane.

Finally, she saw one of the men bank the fire and the three strangers slip into their bedrolls. Cade waited another half an hour, just to be sure, ignoring the pain in her legs. Then, moving very slowly and carefully, she slipped out of the bushes and into the small camp. Even more quietly, she rummaged through their packs, looking for food and anything else that could be of use to her.

Suddenly, a graceful hand grabbed her arm and pulled her up. Cade struggled and then held up her knife, but the woman who had caught her simply slapped it away. "What are you doing, child?" the woman asked her. Cade set her chin stubbornly and didn't answer. It was obvious what she had been doing anyhow. The woman sighed and knelt before Cade, not letting go of her arm. "We've not a great deal of money on us, girl, so please return any that you've managed to slip out of our bags."

"Don't take money," Cade told her. "Can't use it."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why's that?"

"The same reason I can't go into the towns," Cade replied. "No one wants me around."

"Well, if this is how you treat everyone, I'm not surprised."

Cade clenched her fists and swung angrily at the woman. She dodged the little fist easily enough and caught Cade's free hand, holding it as tightly as the other. "Hm. I seem to have hurt you," the woman said softly. "I'm sorry, child. Why don't you explain to me why the towns don't want you around?"

Cade scowled and struggled again, but the woman's grip was too firm. "No one wants a half-breed around," she replied scornfully.

The woman's grip slackened slightly. "You're a half-breed?"

"See?" Cade said, "Now you want me gone too!"

"Oh, no," the woman said soothingly. "No, that would be far too hypocritical of me."

"Hypo...hypocritical?" Her tongue faltered on the long word.

"What's your name, child?"

... "Cade."

"Well, Cade," the woman said, "my name is Mimiko. Would you like to come with me?"



(/Present/)


Cade smiled to herself at how unbelieving she was of Mimiko at first. She couldn't understand how anyone could feel the need to help her. After nearly two years of living on her own, scraping what she could to survive, Mimiko's kindness seemed otherworldly.

The funeral pyre was beginning to wane. Zuko looked to Cade, "What do we do now?" he asked her.

Cade wiped the tears from her face and took a deep breath. "Now we burn the rest of her."

Zuko and Iroh both looked at her, confused. Cade turned to the house and explained, "The Fire Nation knows the location of the island. We must make it so that all they find is ashes. Remove your belongings and anything of Mimiko's that you don't want burned to the ground," she ordered before disappearing around the back of the house.



Less than an hour later, the three of them stood outside of the house, possessions at their feet. Zuko and Cade both wore the swords that Suoh had gifted them. Zuko also wore a set of duel blades on his back.

"Wait here," Cade told them. She entered the house and went straight into the back rooms. Looking around, she faced the door and held up her arms. Slowly, she walked forward, sending fire out as she went. She walked back up to the front of the house, the rooms catching fire as she passed. By the time she walked back out the front door, the fire had spread to the second floor. "Help me," she said to Zuko and Iroh, starting to spread the fire to the forge and then to the training ring's fence and equipment shed. She watched as the roof of the main house collapsed and then turned back to the men, who both looked back at her expectantly. It threw her a little, to think that they were waiting for her orders.

"There is a cove on the southern coast of the island with two boats hidden inside. They aren't much, but they'll get us to the mainland." She picked up her packs and slung one over her shoulder, "We need to get going. Azula will see that fire and know something is up."

She started south and Iroh and Zuko picked up their things and followed her. When they reached the cove, Cade dropped her bags on the ground and slipped into the small cave. Zuko dropped his things as well and followed her. Together, they pulled the two boats out of the cove and onto the shore. Cade tossed her bags into the smaller one and tossed one of Zuko's into the larger.

Iroh looked at Cade sadly, "You'll go on alone then?"

She nodded curtly. "It wouldn't be wise for us to travel together, General Iroh," she explained. "Besides, we'll have very different objectives once we reach the mainland." She pointed out across the ocean. "Head due south," she told them. "I sent a messenger hawk out before we burned the house. When you reach the mainland, someone will be there to meet you. Her name is Ylsa. She'll take you to a safe-house."

"Is she one of the Shai Li?" Zuko asked as Iroh boarded the boat.

"No," Cade said, "but she is an ally of theirs."

"Will you join the Shai Li when you reach the mainland?"

"No," she said again. "I'm a soldier, not an assassin. No, I'll join up with the army." She hesitated and then offered her hand to Zuko. "Take care of yourself, prince."

He took the hand and held it tight. "You too... Cade?" She stops to look at him. "You aren't my enemy."

She understood what he was saying. "And you're not mine," she replied, smiling.

He smiled back and hopped into the boat, followed by Iroh. Cade pushed it away from the shore and then did the same to her own, hopping in when it started to drift. She stood at the mast and held up a hand to wave goodbye to the prince and his uncle. They returned the gesture and the two boars drifted away from one another until they were out of sight of one another.