ShopDreamUp AI ArtDreamUp
literature
Death of a Thousand Cuts 5
Deviation Actions
Literature Text
MAIKO MONTH 2014
DEATH OF A THOUSAND CUTS: THE FINAL DAY
26 - Bonds
Zuko had wanted to press on to the palace, but Mai insisted on taking a bath, instead. His reply to that demand had been a very assertive, "What?!" but it failed to make any impression on Mai whatsoever.
She had just looked at him with those sharp eyes of hers and said, "Zuko, you're not the captain of a ship anymore, or a fugitive living in ditches or whatever fugitives do. You're a Prince, and even if you choose to remain in exile, you have a certain standard to meet. Have a bath, air your clothes, take a nap in something other than a barrel, and then we'll take a long carriage ride to the palace."
"We can't wait a few hours to do all that?"
"Zuko, I stink like Lower Ring. If we're going to be friends you're going to have to learn to tolerate my desire to not smell like a hobo."
Zuko had been tempted to think accusatory thoughts about women and bossy natures, but Uncle had behaved exactly the same way both when they had their ship and when they were on the run together, so Zuko was left with no one to blame but individual people and that wasn't nearly as satisfying. He and Mai made their way to an inn at the edge of the Middle Ring, and arranged for breakfast, baths, and places to nap.
Zuko rushed through his own bath so that he could get to the much more interesting breakfast. Once he had eaten, he headed back to his room, and passed Mai's own quarters on the way. A sign had been pinned to the door with a familiar throwing blade: "Zuko, if you feel the need to try to peep on my bath, I appreciate the interest, but I will bean you with a stiletto if I see any sign of you. You're going to have to decide if you want to step out with me just from seeing my face and how I fill out my clothes. (You fill yours out quite nicely.) ~Mai"
Zuko could only blush in response and wonder just where she got her sense of humor.
After his nap, Zuko awoke to the sounds of a celebration wafting in through his open window. He dressed in his brown robes (quickly laundered by the staff of the inn), and headed out to see what was going on. He idly hoped that the Fire Nation hadn't been overthrown while he was asleep; that was one last indignity that he didn't think he could handle.
Instead, it turned out that a wedding had taken place in the inn's sizable patio.
The ceremony was over, and the party had commenced with vigor. The newly married couple- a plump pair who were obviously of local merchant stock- was seated at a central table, and they were happily receiving good wishes from the revelers. Members of the hotel staff were ferrying around food and drink, while some of the guests were already positioning themselves in lines in preparation for a dance.
A shadow came up behind Zuko, and he glanced back to see Mai, looking as fresh as ever with her hair glowing like polished volcano glass in the sunlight. She looked back at him, and there was an almost amused slant to her eyes. "Please don't ask me to dance. I'd rather avoid having to refuse you."
Zuko shook his head. "Dancing isn't one of the things I picked up during my exile."
"Oh, good. And here your sister was worried that you'd lost all traces of a civilized lifestyle."
Zuko supposed that was a joke, but he had never understood the humorous philosophy of 'it's funny because it's true.' Some true things (like Azula being a jerk) were not humorous at all, while other true things (such as a pirate captain having his boat stolen by his victims) were hilarious. Truth had nothing to do with it, really.
Into the silence of their observation, Mai motioned at the newlywed couple with her chin and said, "Don't take this as an attempt to pressure you, but what do you think about love?"
"What?"
Mai sighed. "Zuko, you're going to have to stop using that as a universal reply to everything serious I say."
"Well, uh, I don't think about love. It hasn't really come up before now."
Mai threw a glare at him that was almost as sharp as her knives. "Okay, who's teasing who now? Really, what's your opinion about love? Everyone has been talking to me about it since I first started ogling you, and I want to know your side of it. How does it start, how does it work? Is it even real?"
Zuko could only shrug. "Parents and children love each other." Or at least, that was how it was supposed to work, if the children deserved it. "Soldiers love their comrades. It makes sense that two people who get married could love each other, too. But I don't think it's worth all the poetry. Parents and children still betray each other. Soldiers fall in battle, or go their separate ways once the fighting is done."
Mai nodded along with his words. "That's my take on it, too. All that stuff about people dying for love is probably propaganda."
"Exactly!" Zuko smiled at the echo of the thoughts he had just a few days ago. "Enemy propaganda meant to weaken the Fire Nation's resolve!"
"Well, let's not go crazy, here. I figured it was something meant to trick young people into marrying whoever their parents point them at."
"Oh, uh, that too."
Mai waved a dismissive hand at the wedding party. "Come on, grab some wedding munchies if you want, and let's get back to the palace. I left half my knives back in the Lower Ring, and now that I'm clean again I'm feeling naked without them."
Zuko crunched his eyes closed against the mental image.
"What do you mean, my sister isn't here?"
The palace servant bowed before Zuko. "The princess took her pink companion and the consultant from New Ozai with her on some business. She said she would be back tomorrow."
Zuko blinked. "So that means I'm in charge!"
"Actually, your highness, she said that you were not in charge, that any messages or decisions should be saved for her return, and if there were an emergency military situation, General Chen would be responsible."
Zuko deflated, but before he could start expressing his displeasure in a manner that people all too often mistook for whining, Mai poked him in the ribs with a finger. "Hey, don't let it bother you. Azula's just playing another of her games. She probably wants you to commit to going back to the Fire Nation or something before she'll reward you. Or else she's looking for amusement and is going to ask the servant to describe your tantrum for her when she gets back."
Zuko looked at the servant, who shrugged and grinned.
And so he and Mai wound up having dinner alone. Zuko told stories about the Lower Ring, and Mai told stories about Omashu. He shocked her by swearing that the apartment houses at the edge of the city forced their inhabitants to use communal bathrooms, while she in turn shocked him by describing the time the Avatar kidnapped her little brother. Then they adjourned to the Palace's game room, where Mai taught him how to cheat at cards long into the night.
Zuko arrived perfectly on time for the morning briefing the next day, and the first sign that something was wrong was that Ty Lee was not only back from her trip with Azula, but the acrobat had gotten to the meeting before Zuko and was kneeling in place wide awake.
Oh, and then there was the way Azula was standing and grinning at him the way an owl-cat grins at a meadow vole before beginning discussions about dinner.
And then there was Mai's Mother, who was standing behind Azula and bouncing Tom-Tom in her arms so exuberantly that the poor kid looked ready to upchuck.
And then there was Mai, standing beside Ty Lee and keeping her face as blank as Zuko had ever seen it.
He had a distinctly hunted feeling. "What's going on?"
Azula produced a scroll from behind her back and held it out. "I successfully concluded the business that had me writing letters and riding out to handle the response. Here, this is for you."
Zuko took the paper, and was surprised when it didn't explode in his hands. "What is it?"
"Oh, it's your betrothal proposal to Mai. It's been approved and filed back in the Fire Nation. Congratulations!"
"WHAT?!"
Despite the wind-like rushing in his ears, Zuko heard Mai sigh and mutter, "I knew he'd say that. You owe me five gold, Ty."
27 - Safe
In what was becoming a disturbingly common occurrence, Zuko's mind decided to have a conversation with itself. It started by asking if it had heard right, that Azula had just announced his betrothal to Mai. The other half of his mind confirmed that was indeed what his sister had just said, and then politely inquired if that made any sense at all to anyone. The first half of Zuko's mind admitted that there was a dearth of sense in circulation at the moment, and the second half then let out an anxious sigh and took solace in not being the only one to notice. Then both sides went off together to get some tea, in the hopes that the whole matter would be resolved by the time they got back.
Zuko's body, meanwhile, was still trying to catch up. It looked down at the scroll in its hands and sent out another, "What?!" with the hope that this time, someone would actually explain.
Instead, Mai's Mother (what was her name?) let out a sound that could only be described as a "Squee!" Tom-Tom, at least, looked just as mystified as Zuko, but it probably wasn’t good that was on the same level as a two-year-old in this.
He turned to look at Mai herself, and once again ventured the old reliable, "What?!"
Mai sighed. "Azula, it was your plan. Don't make me explain it."
Zuko turned back to his sister, and this time managed to expand his driving concern: "You what?!"
Azula smirked at him. "If you had been listening, you would have heard that this is just a betrothal proposal."
"What?!"
"Oh, Zuzu, learn a new tune." She rolled her eyes. "A proposal is not a true betrothal agreement. Surely you've heard of them? It's nothing more a confirmation from the proper legal bodies that you and Mai will be allowed to file a real betrothal at a later date if you so choose."
She yanked the scroll out of Zuko's hands, held it up so that he could see it, and pointed to the very top. Sure enough, the big characters at the top read, 'You've Been Pre-Approved! (No obligations, no hidden fees!)'
Zuko shook his head. "I still don't understand. What's the point of all this?"
"Allow me, dears." Mai's Mother stepped forward and smoothly handed Tom-Tom off to her daughter. She smiled at Zuko and gave a little bow. "It's an increasingly common practice in the Fire Nation, these days. For years, families have betrothed their children as early as possible to secure the future of both the child and clan, but thanks to the war many of our people have seen their fortunes change. Old, venerable families have fallen thanks to the military blunders of their scions, and lower clans have risen up by making themselves useful to the Fire Lord." At that, she stood up a little straighter, and Zuko recalled Mai's parents hadn't been much of anything in Fire Nation society until her father became famous for his success at military engineering. Something about bridges, as he recalled. "There's an epidemic of broken betrothals, to the point where marriage contracts didn't have much of a point at all. That's why an easy, alternative path has been provided to confirm things based only on the present situation."
Azula nodded. "Instead of going through all the trouble of getting a contact, only to have to overturn it later, the pre-approval process ensures that the marriage would be acceptable without tacking it to the rising sun, and then provides recommended dowries based on the status of each family and the prominence of the would-be spouses themselves." An ugly smirk stretched across her face. "Normally, Mai would have to come with a pretty hefty prize in order to secure the hand of a member of the royal family, but since you were banished and scarred, your market value is unusually low for your station."
Zuko was almost grateful for the insult. Marriages contracts that weren't marriages contracts boggled his mind, but he was on much firmer footing when it came to insults. "How could you do this to me? You don't have the authority to bind me!"
Azula pulled another scroll out from behind her back. "Actually, this here confirms that I'm your legal guardian. You're not of age yet, so I had to endorse the proposal for you."
Zuko couldn't help but blink at that. "But... you're younger than me! If I'm not of age, neither are you!"
Azula produced a third scroll. "Actually, I issued a royal order emancipating myself shortly after Father was crowned. I knew you'd never be able to run your own life, and a Fire Lord would be much too busy for this kind of thing, so I had it enshrined in law that all Fire Princesses are adults from the moment of their birth, made an exception for myself in the grandfather clause (no point in giving rights to dead ancestors, after all), and then filed the paperwork to legally adopt you. If I paid taxes, I could use you as a write-off."
Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to understand it all without going insane. In that, he failed utterly, but whether it was the understanding or the sanity he wound up losing was an open question. "Never mind. Just... what's the point of a proposal? Trying to make sure that you'll always have a spy right next to me?"
He heard Mai give a quiet gasp, but he kept his eyes on Azula. His sister actually looked surprised at the accusation. "Zuzu, I hardly need to go to such trouble to attach a spy to you. Let's face it, any girl who would be willing to marry you is someone I could have in my pocket within a month. I am me, after all."
Zuko had to admit that she had a point, there. "Then why? Why go through all this trouble just to rub in how much you patronize me?"
Mai stepped forward, and swung Tom-Tom into her mother's arms before coming up to look Zuko right in the eyes. "Think about it. This stupid thing was filed in the Fire Nation. You're being legally recognized as a Fire Nation citizen in good standing who's worthy of marrying me. Me, an heiress of a clan with a residence in the Capital. This is legal proof that your exile is over. You can go home, Zuko. You're safe now."
The whole office spun around Zuko, and went it came to a stop, he found himself once again looking at his sister. "It's true?"
Azula nodded. "Your banishment was lifted when the Homeland filed my report on Ba Sing Se's fall. The approval of the proposal shows that it all holds up, and sets legal precedent. Even if you don't marry Mai, you're free to go home, thus proving that the fears you've been wallowing in since we took over the city have been unfounded and paranoid."
Once again, Zuko's mind froze up, but this time he dared not say, "What?" If he questioned it, it might turn out to not be real after all.
Mai's Mother broke the silence. "Of course, as clever as this bit of legal manipulation is, there's no reason not to take the idea of a betrothal seriously. Proposals also serve as a declaration of intent, so Mai’s relationship status is safe for the time being." Everyone looked at her. "Well, at least keep an open mind. That's all I'm saying."
Tom-Tom gave a little whimper. "Mai marry Zuzo?"
Ty Lee gave a wistful sigh, but it was Mai herself who answered. "That's still up in the air, squirt. We've just been playing a very adult but not particularly fun game that involves lots of writing names on papers."
Tom-Tom looked at his sister, and then looked over at Zuko. Zuko would have liked to explain everything, but could only offer the child a helpless shrug. Tom-Tom put his head in his hands and said, "Icon fused."
Zuko silently agreed.
29 - Forgiveness
After so much time spent seeking out dark, shadowy places and (yes, okay) sulking, Zuko found it almost exhilarating to be standing on the roof of the Earth Palace (strange that Azula hadn't renamed it yet) and looking out over a sun-drenched city. He could almost forget that a third of that city had tried to kill him forty-eight hours ago, and would be more than happy to put his head on a pike of both his head and a pike conveniently became available.
His banishment was well and truly over.
He could go home.
He should feel good. He should be happy, optimistic, like normal people who weren’t banished or being crushed beneath the Fire Nation’s unforgiving heel. He should be past caring about Uncle's betrayal, or Azula's tendency to betray people, or the fact that he still hadn't heard from Father.
Mostly, he just felt alone.
From his vantage point, Zuko could see dark clouds gathering on the horizon. He had experienced quite a bit of weather during his three years at sea, and to his eye, there was plenty of rain and cool air coming, but no thunder or storming. The early heat would be retreating just as the summer actually began, but the Fire Nation's presence would not be dimmed as easily.
No longer enjoying the view, Zuko headed back inside.
Mai had invented a new game to play with her brother. She lounged on the couch in her mother's suite's parlor while Tom-Tom ran around the room like a hog-monkey on chi-enhancing tea, and when he calmed down enough to realize that she was ignoring him, she used her masterful skill at throwing things really hard to bean him in the head with a rolled-up sock. Tom-Tom, for some reason, thought this was hilarious, and his excitement would soon send him running around again. Mai wasn't about to disabuse him of his primitive idea of entertainment, lest she be required to actually get up and move around in pursuit of him.
A knock on the door surprised Tom-Tom in mid-dash and caused him to fall into a rolling tumble across the carpet. This, too, he found hilarious, or else he just forgot how to do anything but giggle, so Mai left him lying on the ground and went to see to her visitor.
She opened the door to reveal Zuko. He smiled when he saw her. "Hi."
Mai shut the door.
She was halfway back to her couch when he resumed knocking. Mai considered ignoring it, but then Tom-Tom sat up. "Mai! Knock-knock on door again!"
"Yes, I've noticed."
He stared at her, and when she didn't change her course, he pointed at the door. "Knock-knock."
"All right, I'll get it. Will that make you happy?"
"Is Zuzo?"
"Yes."
Tom-Tom shrugged with indifference. Smart kid.
The knocking only continued, and Mai finally decided that she wasn't going to be able to relax while that kept up, and Zuko had been looking lately to get a sketch of his face placed next to the word 'stubborn' in the Royal Fire Book of Approved Words that Glorify Our Nation. Mai went and opened the door again. "What do you want?"
He seemed to have noticed the glare Mai was throwing at him, but as usual, he proved incapable of taking a hint. "Um, I wanted to tell you that I've come to a decision."
"Congratulations. Was that your first?"
"What? No, I mean... I've decided that I'm going back to the Fire Nation."
Mai applauded as sarcastically as she could, but behind her, Tom-Tom missed the tone and started clapping his hands with typical two-year-old sincerity.
Zuko looked utterly confused (as usual), but continued, "I was thinking about what you said about hiding, and since Azula proved that there's no problem with my going back, it would be dishonorable to stay here and hide from everything. Azula will be taking Uncle back with her to be imprisoned, and Father... and, um, I got the impression that you were going back with Azula?"
Mai gave a single, sharp nod.
Zuko's gaze fell to the floor. "So, um, I thought I'd let you know that I'm going back. With you. So... well... do you have anything to say about that?"
As a matter of fact, Mai very much did: "Azula's. Spy."
Zuko blinked. "What?"
"That's what you said. When you asked Azula why she had submitted a proposal for our betrothal. Your exact words to your sister were, 'Are you trying to make sure that you'll always have a spy right next to me?' I remember that quite clearly."
Zuko's jaw had dropped when she recited the quote, and now his mouth had formed a perfect 'O'-shape. "Uh... I didn't mean-"
"Sure you didn't. Because that's such an ambiguous statement. Terms like 'spy' can have so many different meanings, after all."
"No! I meant- well, yes, that's what the word means, but- I didn't mean to say that you're actually spying for her!"
Mai crossed her arms over her chest. "What you really meant is that you don't actually trust me."
Zuko's mouth opened. Then it closed again.
Mai felt a tug on her pants, and when she looked down at Tom-Tom, he said, "You and Zuzo fighting?"
"Zuko has shown that he'll never accept my offer of friendship without wondering whether I'm executing Azula's agenda."
Zuko actually growled, and couched down to look Tom-Tom in the face. "That's not true! I'll always value Mai and her friendship and anything else we have together, but she's certainly got a funny of way of proving herself trustworthy when she distracted me from Azula's little game like a good little minion!"
Mai crouched down beside Tom-Tom to properly compete for his attention. "Zuko seems to have missed that even though Azula was being her usual control-freak self, both of us were actually trying to help him and maybe he shouldn't start calling people names for not standing up to his crazy sister until he's ready to risk that type of thing himself."
"Mai seems to have missed that you can't be a friend if you're serving someone else who constantly lies and competes with your friend!"
"Zuko seems to be selectively aware that in the real world ideals like that are just going to get him killed!"
"Mai seems to... uh... be stubborn!"
"Zuko seems to have lost all ability to argue coherently, probably because he’s wrong and he knows it."
Tom-Tom glanced back and forth between Mai and Zuko, and then finally shook his head. "You fight. I go potty." He then walked away, leaving them crouching in the doorway together and looking absolutely ridiculous.
Mai looked at Zuko.
Zuko looked at Mai.
Both of them startled chuckling at the same time.
They stood up as one, and Zuko said, "I'm sorry. It's not that I don't trust you. But Azula just makes me..."
"Ridiculously anxious? Irrational? Paranoid?"
"...wary."
Mai nodded. "Well, I forgive you. She does tend to have that effect on people. And I'm sorry if you thought I was manipulating you. But you understand that I'm not in a position where I can refuse to humor your sister, right?"
Zuko sighed. "I do. I don't like it, but..."
"But you hate everything anyway."
His lips moved in what was almost a smile. "I don't hate you."
Mai found a smirk pulling on her own lips. "I don't hate you, too."
"So, is that how it works? We’re friends again" Mai shrugged and nodded, and then realizing that they were still in the doorway, she moved aside. Zuko walked into the parlor and looked around at all the rolled socks littering the floor before apparently deciding that he didn't need to know, and turned back to Mai. "Like I said, I'm going back to the Fire Nation. I- I guess I need to."
Mai nodded. "I... think that's a good decision."
"Good." Zuko took a step closer to her, and Mai did some quick calculations regarding distance, angles, and speed of motion. If Zuko was about to say what certain parts of her very much hoped he was going to say- and he actually managed to stay on script for once- those calculations might come in handy, and not for their typical use with the throwing of knives. "It will be easier to stay friends if we can actually be friends to each other."
"Yeah. But..." Zuko looked down, and clenched his fists. Mai dearly hoped he wasn't about to start Firebending in his anxiety; that would utterly kill the mood. "You've been... so great to me, these last few days. I don't know why you're interested in me, but... I realized that I like that you're interested in me. And I'm interested. In you, I mean."
Mai's heart decided to take a half-second break from its typical beating hobby. "Oh. Good."
"You're pretty-“ Mai had to bite down on a gasp, as no one had ever said that to her before- “but... it's not just that you're pretty. Jin is pretty. And Ty Lee. Lots of girls are pretty. But I had no idea how to talk to Jin, and turns out that she murders people when she gets mad." Zuko's eyes narrowed. "Do you murder people when you get mad?"
Mai just smiled.
Zuko swallowed audibly. "Well, anyway... girls like Ty Lee... Ty Lee just makes me want to light things on fire."
Mai nodded. "Perfectly understandable. If I hadn't hung out with your sister for six months after Ty joined the circus, I'd be wondering if Azula's pyromania wasn't just a reaction to talk about auras."
"Right. But you... I came down her to tell you my decision because when I made it, the first thing I thought was that I wanted to come down and share it with you. To see what you thought, because I value your advice. I didn't think too much about it at first, but when I did, I realized that I thought it'd make you happy, and I wanted to see that. And I thought that maybe something good could come from telling you."
Mai tapped her chin. "What, were you hoping for a reward?"
"Um, no." Zuko frowned. "I mean... you're the perfect friend for me, but I realized that... what you want... to be more than friends... is I think what I want, too, now that I know how it would work."
Mai was just about to declare her acceptance and proceed to throw Zuko down on the floor as the beginning of further demonstration of her acceptance, but then he kept talking: "But I'm worried that it's still a terrible idea. Stuff like me calling you Azula's spy... that's going to keep happening. I'm not... I think you could probably say that I'm an idiot."
Mai found herself nodding.
"And I'm pretty much expecting to ruin my life again somehow. Probably soon. I don't know how, but... I'm being realistic." He gave a sigh that deflated his whole body. "It could be bad enough to ruin your life, too. And if that does happen, it would probably be a good idea for you to side with Azula and do something to betray me. And I think you would, if it came to that."
Mai felt her jaw drop.
Zuko looked into her eyes, and squared his shoulders. "So, I wanted to ask you... do you think this is a good idea? I really mean it; I didn't know who else to ask. You're the only one I trust to answer it. So, do you?"
Mai started to answer with an immediate dismal and request that Zuko do something romantically scandalous to her, but then she stopped. Did she think it was a good idea? No, of course she didn't. Whenever she really thought about it, the answer came clearly to her. Ty Lee was right; Zuko was a walking disaster. She was attracted to him, sure, but she wasn't in love. Nor was her in love with her, and he had demonstrated that she was a low priority in his life. He was only coming to her now because indulging in this was now convenient. And now he was putting it all on her- making her choose to jump into what was clearly a bad idea. Could she forgive herself if (when?) it all crashed and burned like the time Azula had tried driving one of those newfangled tanks?
But he had already chosen, in his way. He had decided the course of his life, and was offering to include her in it. He wanted her, and was willing to try for her, despite his misgivings.
It would be a conscious choice for both of them.
Mai sighed. "Of course I do. But before I commit, can I try one thing?"
"Sure?"
Mai reached out, grabbed Zuko, yanked him close to her, and mashed her lips against his. It was wet, and awkward, and stressful, and oh so enjoyable. Mai pressed harder, and found that things fit together better the less she thought about it all, which was convenient, because her thoughts seemed to be having trouble finding purchase in her conscious.
When they broke apart, Mai couldn't help but grin. "Huh. No wonder everyone wants to do that so much."
Zuko seemed to be having trouble breathing. "That was unexpectedly... intense."
"Exactly! All right, I'm committed. I, Mai, take you, Zuko, to be my official boy toy. Now let's doing more of that kissing thing."
"Okay."
This time it lasted even longer, despite Tom-Tom chiming in halfway through with a loud, screeching, "Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!"
30 - Black
Once Mai and Zuko decided that they were going to make a go of this coupling thing, they embarked on a whirlwind romance.
Except Ty Lee had once met an Airbender who threw an actual whirlwind right in her face, so she wasn't really using the word as a complement.
"I have never," she was explaining, "seen two people go so fast from that blushing and foot-shuffling phase into hardcore make-outs so quickly. I get the feeling that maybe they were both kind of repressed, you know?"
Her audience didn't look impressed by this revelation.
Ty Lee ignored that, though, because her audience hadn't been impressed by anything she said yet, but she wasn't done talking and so there was still hope to end the one-sided conversation on a good note. She just nodded a response to her own question before continuing. "And they seem happy when they're kissing and fondling each other, but you can already see that it's all little messed up. Zuko is still Zuko and can't stop looking at his own problems and anxieties, but now he has Mai to complain to instead of just moping, but talking to her doesn't really make him feel better about his problems. She's just a way to ignore them for a while and rationalize the way he's feeling!"
Ty Lee checked to see if her conversational partner had anything to add, but that battle had not yet been won. "And I can tell he's not really any happier, because his aura is still mostly black. There's a little red that flares whenever he's in physical contact with Mai, but I don't need to tell you what that means." Then, because she very much wanted to tell what that meant, she leaned forward and whispered, "Here's a hint, it's not love."
She stood upright again, and put her hands on her hips. "I know this is going to be a disaster, just like I warned Mai. I'll be there to comfort her, of course. I really want her to be genuinely happy for reasons other than satisfying all those physical urges she's been suppressing. And if she and Zuko really want to fix themselves and try to make it work, then I'll do everything I can to help! I'm not even mad at Zuko about all this. I'd happily have him over for sleep-overs, if you know what I mean, once he's single again. I just wish he would get over himself long enough to actually try to be a good boyfriend to Mai."
Ty Lee sighed, a World-Weary #6 that Mai had taught her in exchange for lessons on winking at people. "I'll go to the Fire Nation to be there for them and also be on call for this Eclipse thingy (Azula says she has a really important job for me and that the Capital's entire defense will 'hinge on my actions,' and that's just great!), but I can tell this is just going to be depressing. I think I'll give Mai and Zuko their alone time, and wait for the... what do you call it? The thing that's definitely going to happen? Exevitable? Anyway, I'm just going to wait for that. I don't want this getting my own aura muddied. Can you imagine me with a black aura? I'd have to dye my hair and paint my nails to match."
Ty Lee waited to see if her audience had any reaction to that awful, awful image, but he didn't even move. In fact, now that Ty Lee looked, she wasn't even sure that his eyes were open.
At that moment, Azula's voice rang out over the docks. "Ty Lee, I told you to guard my uncle, not sing him gently to sleep! Slap him and wake him up, we're ready to transfer him on the ship now!"
Oopsy.
Azula watched carefully as Iroh was dragged up ship's ramp, his chains clanking the whole way. She was a little disappointed that he wasn't making any attempt at an escape. She still hadn't found the opportunity to fight him one-on-one, and since she had been forced to rely on a distraction to take him out at the end of their previous encounter, she really wanted the chance to prove that she was better than him in every way- mentally, physically, intellectually, and Zuzu-caretakingly.
Her brother actually pulled his nose out of Mai's hair long enough to watch Uncle's transfer to the ship that would take them all back to the Fire Nation.
Azula couldn't help but smile at the sight of this victory. Zuzu was going back to the Fire Nation, he and Mai were in a relationship that would keep him occupied in such a manner that she could control if she ever felt the need, and Azula had learned much about the mating habits of humans. She still wasn't quite sure what the 'mating' in question was, but she got some of the habits down, at least. She looked forward to putting them into action and demonstrating a perfect implementation of the concept.
She'd also have to keep an eye on the new couple. Azula trusted Mai to report any major problems or successes, but Mai was a shy girl when she wasn't stabbing people, so no doubt she would seek to withhold some of the messier details of the relationship. Mai's wants were immaterial next to Azula's though, and Azula needed to observe this experiment of hers.
With any luck, it would progress to the point where it would finally teach her where babies come from. Despite the supposed ubiquity of that information, the creation of new humans was still a black box to Azula, and all she could do was eliminate theories one by one.
Maybe she could trick the information out of Zuko.
In a strictly sisterly way, of course.
With the old Fuddy Duddy Iroh loaded on the ship, it was finally time to go. Mai turned to Zuko and gave him a kiss. "I'm going to say goodbye to my mother, now."
Zuko kissed her back. "Okay. I'll meet you on the deck."
Mai kissed him back. "Okay. See you there."
Zuko kissed her back.
Mai kissed him back.
Zuko kissed her back.
Mai grabbed his face, yanked it close to hers, and began making out with him right there on the docks.
They only stopped when Mother rather loudly cleared her throat, apparently having gotten tired of waiting for Mai to come over and impart some parting words. Mai finally pulled away from Zuko, and waved him off. Mother was waiting just behind them with a weary expression on her face and Tom-Tom in her arms. The toddler had his eyes shut tight and was making gagging noises.
Mai crossed her arms over her chest. "What?"
"Really, Mai, I'm glad you're actually putting some effort into this, but try to pace yourself. You want to string him along all the way marriage, not wear him out just a few weeks in."
Mai sighed. "I'm not stringing him along. We're in a relationship. It will either work out, or I'm going to kill him and leave his body in public as a warning to others."
"Oh, please don't do that. It will ruin your prospects."
Mai wasn't sure if Mother was trying to joke, and elected to just ignore it. "So, I guess this is goodbye for now. Tell Father to have fun with his stupid city."
"I will. I'll also tell him you wished him good health and sent your love, because I'm apparently willing to lie for you."
"Eh, don't bother. He won't be fooled." Mai shifted her gaze to Tom-Tom. "See you later, squirt. Learn how to talk right by the next time I see you."
Tom-Tom reached out his hands for her. "Mai! I love you! Don't go! Stay with me and play! You my favorite!"
"More than Ty Lee?"
"...Mai and Tlee both favorite!"
"You're going to grow up to be a politician, I can tell." To get out of having to give him a hug, Mai reached out and give him a single pat on the head that she tried to make affectionate. Tom-Tom intercepted her hand, though, and yanked it down to give it a kiss that was half lips and half saliva. "Oh, yuck."
Mother tittered. "Well, it's what you've been teaching him about kissing. Take it as a lesson in moderation. Oh, and one other thing!"
Mai sighed. "What?"
Mother leaned forward and whispered, "If you find that you're... very suddenly putting on weight in a manner that will keep Zuko tied to you for life... black is very slimming and an excellent way to avoid unnecessary gossip for a few extra months, hm?"
"Oh, Mother! You're disgusting."
And so Mai parted from her family and went back to the land of her birth. The land where she intended to set a new record for sucking face, with the willing help of her new boyfriend.
Ha!
Zuko watched as the Earth Kingdom shores receded into the distance, the view swallowed up by the sea below and the black rain clouds above. He tried to feel better about it, but now that he thought about things, he wasn't entirely sure this was the best idea. Yes, his banishment might be over, but would Father really accept him again? He technically hadn't defeated the Avatar, just helped Azula kill him (most likely), and while the Fire Nation might be willing to overlook the issue in the interest of having another hero to fete, would Father be as forgiving? Would his personal dishonor, like his scar, be with him forever?
The woman in his arms stirred, and Zuko was suddenly reminded that he had a woman in his arms. Mai looked up at him and stroked his face. "You feel like you're about to settle into another moping-fest again."
Zuko found himself smiling. "You can feel that?"
"Of course. Your breathing gets slower and you start slumping in a way that would have my mother lecturing you on proper posture."
Zuko shook his head. "Good thing you're here to point these things out for me, then."
Mai smiled, a wide smile that looked both alien and strangely at home on her face. "Good thing."
Then they kissed, of course.
Zuko would go back to the Fire Nation, and face whatever waited for him there. He would have Mai, at least, even if he had nothing else.
For a while, at least.
31 - Climax
Dear Mai,
I'm sorry that you have to find out this way, but I'm leaving. We've become so much closer since Ember Island, yet it still wasn't enough. We both knew that there were bigger problems in our lives, and it's come time for me to face my own.
It would break my heart, but I hope this isn't as important to you as it is to me. I hope you can rely on Ty Lee and your family to help you get over me. (I know Azula is your friend, but I left her out on purpose. She is a jerk.) I have to go find the Avatar and make up for all the mistakes I've made, or at least those many mistakes that don't involve how I've treated you (which are also probably too numerous to count). I'm hoping that together the Avatar's friends can stop my father from lighting the whole Earth Kingdom on fire, because I've realized that wiping out entire countries is evil. (I hope you agree.) Even if we do, I don't know that I'll ever be able to return to the Fire Nation. Even if I can, I'm sure that you won't want someone in your life who treats you the way I do. Ty Lee was right all along, except for anything she said about my butt.
I want to tell you to find someone who you can not hate just as much, if not more, than me. However, as I thought about writing that down, I realized that you would hunt me down and stab me in the eyes for being so clichéd. So I'm not going to say it. Consider it hinted at, nothing more.
Again, I'm sorry. For everything.
-Zuko, Son of Ursa and Nephew of Iroh
P.S. I moved the clothes and knives you left at the palace to their own wardrobe. I told the servants to let you pick them up at your convenience, but since I'm now a traitor to the Fire Nation and my father probably will want to kill me, there might be some paperwork involved. Get Azula to help with that; she deserves it.
The whole time Zuko was gone, Mai hated him. It was said by some, mostly people with far too much time on their hands, that hate and love were two sides of the same coin. Mai disagreed.
She did not love Zuko.
She never loved Zuko.
She had been clear about that from the start.
Nevertheless, he had hurt her. He hurt her when he left. He hurt her when she realized that he been hiding so much of himself from her. He hurt her when he left an ashing note because she apparently was such a low priority in his life that he couldn't even find the time to give her a goodbye kiss. He hurt her because the note was clear that she had been a distraction, nothing more, and even though she had specifically presented herself as such when she was first trying to get him interested in her, it was still rude of him to admit it.
Thus, Mai was at something of a loss to explain why- after Zuko had been caught at the Boiling Rock and came close to dying in his escape attempt- Mai had betrayed everything to save his life. He had even just reiterated everything in his letter, before all the action. The concept of 'temporary insanity' was the only explanation she could think of, but Azula wasn't the type to give mercy for extenuating circumstances.
That much had been clear when the princess said, "I never expected this from you. The thing I don't understand is 'why.' Why would you do it? You know the consequences."
Mai knew the consequences. And yet, for a most mysterious reason, she had accepted them in order to save the life of a boy who she had wanted as nothing more than a toy. She had broken the agreement she and Zuko had made when they first decided to get together, that Azula specifically was something they would grudgingly allow to come between them.
Facing off against Azula from the other side of the gondola launch platform, with Ty Lee standing between them watching with terrified eyes, Mai realized she was about to die. Azula was going to kill her. She was going to die by her friend's hand for Zuko's sake.
Mother would be profoundly disappointed.
Mai, though, couldn't help but want to take Azula with her. She still had some knives, and was familiar enough with Azula's fighting style to know that there would be a massive, lazy half-second window in which she could fatally wound the princess before being incinerated herself.
And she wanted to.
Not out of spite.
Not for revenge.
Not even out of general contrariness.
She wanted to kill Azula so that Zuko wouldn't be in danger from his sister.
And in that moment, realizing that she valued Zuko more than her own life, Mai realized that hate was indeed just another way of shading love.
She loved Zuko.
She loved Zuko.
She had never intended it to get like this so quickly, but it had happened. She had fallen in love with her boyfriend, and that love was about to kill her. That love had reached into the past, going all the way to the time she had first set eyes on him when they were both just children, and began murdering her one little bit of a time.
Mai was about to die the death of a thousand cuts.
A thousand cuts, but a single love.
Azula took a stance and began moving to summon the fire, while Mai tensed and pulled a blade into her hand.
FADE TO BLACK
Mai went on to be saved by Ty Lee, and both of them were incarcerated by Azula. Accounts differ about where they were jailed and what happened on their subsequent adventures with the similarly imprisoned Kyoshi Warriors. By the time Avatar Korra died and reincarnated, no less than thirty different film adaptations of those events had been produced, one of which starred Li Kwan as Mai and won the actress an Association Award for best performance in a musical. Mai’s descendants condemned the film for portraying their honorable ancestor as singing and dancing at a time when both were outlawed in the Fire Nation.
Zuko went on to train Avatar Aang in Firebending, and help him overthrow Fire Lord Ozai. Zuko was crowned and ruled over a new era in Fire Nation history. Historians themselves will continue to debate, for hundreds of years after Zuko's death, how he could have made so many absolute blunders all throughout his life and still ended up with a world that more or less conformed to his ideal vision of it. Mai was almost certainly involved in that.
Zuko and Mai got back together after Ozai's fall, and embarked on a romance that actually acknowledged that, in addition to not hating each other, they both really loved each other.
They broke up again a year later.
They got back together some time after that.
They are believed to have gotten together and broken up again at least fifteen more times, but historians are still trying to sort that out. All agree, though, that it was entirely Zuko's fault.
Every time.
But those are other stories.
END
DEATH OF A THOUSAND CUTS: THE FINAL DAY
26 - Bonds
Zuko had wanted to press on to the palace, but Mai insisted on taking a bath, instead. His reply to that demand had been a very assertive, "What?!" but it failed to make any impression on Mai whatsoever.
She had just looked at him with those sharp eyes of hers and said, "Zuko, you're not the captain of a ship anymore, or a fugitive living in ditches or whatever fugitives do. You're a Prince, and even if you choose to remain in exile, you have a certain standard to meet. Have a bath, air your clothes, take a nap in something other than a barrel, and then we'll take a long carriage ride to the palace."
"We can't wait a few hours to do all that?"
"Zuko, I stink like Lower Ring. If we're going to be friends you're going to have to learn to tolerate my desire to not smell like a hobo."
Zuko had been tempted to think accusatory thoughts about women and bossy natures, but Uncle had behaved exactly the same way both when they had their ship and when they were on the run together, so Zuko was left with no one to blame but individual people and that wasn't nearly as satisfying. He and Mai made their way to an inn at the edge of the Middle Ring, and arranged for breakfast, baths, and places to nap.
Zuko rushed through his own bath so that he could get to the much more interesting breakfast. Once he had eaten, he headed back to his room, and passed Mai's own quarters on the way. A sign had been pinned to the door with a familiar throwing blade: "Zuko, if you feel the need to try to peep on my bath, I appreciate the interest, but I will bean you with a stiletto if I see any sign of you. You're going to have to decide if you want to step out with me just from seeing my face and how I fill out my clothes. (You fill yours out quite nicely.) ~Mai"
Zuko could only blush in response and wonder just where she got her sense of humor.
After his nap, Zuko awoke to the sounds of a celebration wafting in through his open window. He dressed in his brown robes (quickly laundered by the staff of the inn), and headed out to see what was going on. He idly hoped that the Fire Nation hadn't been overthrown while he was asleep; that was one last indignity that he didn't think he could handle.
Instead, it turned out that a wedding had taken place in the inn's sizable patio.
The ceremony was over, and the party had commenced with vigor. The newly married couple- a plump pair who were obviously of local merchant stock- was seated at a central table, and they were happily receiving good wishes from the revelers. Members of the hotel staff were ferrying around food and drink, while some of the guests were already positioning themselves in lines in preparation for a dance.
A shadow came up behind Zuko, and he glanced back to see Mai, looking as fresh as ever with her hair glowing like polished volcano glass in the sunlight. She looked back at him, and there was an almost amused slant to her eyes. "Please don't ask me to dance. I'd rather avoid having to refuse you."
Zuko shook his head. "Dancing isn't one of the things I picked up during my exile."
"Oh, good. And here your sister was worried that you'd lost all traces of a civilized lifestyle."
Zuko supposed that was a joke, but he had never understood the humorous philosophy of 'it's funny because it's true.' Some true things (like Azula being a jerk) were not humorous at all, while other true things (such as a pirate captain having his boat stolen by his victims) were hilarious. Truth had nothing to do with it, really.
Into the silence of their observation, Mai motioned at the newlywed couple with her chin and said, "Don't take this as an attempt to pressure you, but what do you think about love?"
"What?"
Mai sighed. "Zuko, you're going to have to stop using that as a universal reply to everything serious I say."
"Well, uh, I don't think about love. It hasn't really come up before now."
Mai threw a glare at him that was almost as sharp as her knives. "Okay, who's teasing who now? Really, what's your opinion about love? Everyone has been talking to me about it since I first started ogling you, and I want to know your side of it. How does it start, how does it work? Is it even real?"
Zuko could only shrug. "Parents and children love each other." Or at least, that was how it was supposed to work, if the children deserved it. "Soldiers love their comrades. It makes sense that two people who get married could love each other, too. But I don't think it's worth all the poetry. Parents and children still betray each other. Soldiers fall in battle, or go their separate ways once the fighting is done."
Mai nodded along with his words. "That's my take on it, too. All that stuff about people dying for love is probably propaganda."
"Exactly!" Zuko smiled at the echo of the thoughts he had just a few days ago. "Enemy propaganda meant to weaken the Fire Nation's resolve!"
"Well, let's not go crazy, here. I figured it was something meant to trick young people into marrying whoever their parents point them at."
"Oh, uh, that too."
Mai waved a dismissive hand at the wedding party. "Come on, grab some wedding munchies if you want, and let's get back to the palace. I left half my knives back in the Lower Ring, and now that I'm clean again I'm feeling naked without them."
Zuko crunched his eyes closed against the mental image.
"What do you mean, my sister isn't here?"
The palace servant bowed before Zuko. "The princess took her pink companion and the consultant from New Ozai with her on some business. She said she would be back tomorrow."
Zuko blinked. "So that means I'm in charge!"
"Actually, your highness, she said that you were not in charge, that any messages or decisions should be saved for her return, and if there were an emergency military situation, General Chen would be responsible."
Zuko deflated, but before he could start expressing his displeasure in a manner that people all too often mistook for whining, Mai poked him in the ribs with a finger. "Hey, don't let it bother you. Azula's just playing another of her games. She probably wants you to commit to going back to the Fire Nation or something before she'll reward you. Or else she's looking for amusement and is going to ask the servant to describe your tantrum for her when she gets back."
Zuko looked at the servant, who shrugged and grinned.
And so he and Mai wound up having dinner alone. Zuko told stories about the Lower Ring, and Mai told stories about Omashu. He shocked her by swearing that the apartment houses at the edge of the city forced their inhabitants to use communal bathrooms, while she in turn shocked him by describing the time the Avatar kidnapped her little brother. Then they adjourned to the Palace's game room, where Mai taught him how to cheat at cards long into the night.
Zuko arrived perfectly on time for the morning briefing the next day, and the first sign that something was wrong was that Ty Lee was not only back from her trip with Azula, but the acrobat had gotten to the meeting before Zuko and was kneeling in place wide awake.
Oh, and then there was the way Azula was standing and grinning at him the way an owl-cat grins at a meadow vole before beginning discussions about dinner.
And then there was Mai's Mother, who was standing behind Azula and bouncing Tom-Tom in her arms so exuberantly that the poor kid looked ready to upchuck.
And then there was Mai, standing beside Ty Lee and keeping her face as blank as Zuko had ever seen it.
He had a distinctly hunted feeling. "What's going on?"
Azula produced a scroll from behind her back and held it out. "I successfully concluded the business that had me writing letters and riding out to handle the response. Here, this is for you."
Zuko took the paper, and was surprised when it didn't explode in his hands. "What is it?"
"Oh, it's your betrothal proposal to Mai. It's been approved and filed back in the Fire Nation. Congratulations!"
"WHAT?!"
Despite the wind-like rushing in his ears, Zuko heard Mai sigh and mutter, "I knew he'd say that. You owe me five gold, Ty."
27 - Safe
In what was becoming a disturbingly common occurrence, Zuko's mind decided to have a conversation with itself. It started by asking if it had heard right, that Azula had just announced his betrothal to Mai. The other half of his mind confirmed that was indeed what his sister had just said, and then politely inquired if that made any sense at all to anyone. The first half of Zuko's mind admitted that there was a dearth of sense in circulation at the moment, and the second half then let out an anxious sigh and took solace in not being the only one to notice. Then both sides went off together to get some tea, in the hopes that the whole matter would be resolved by the time they got back.
Zuko's body, meanwhile, was still trying to catch up. It looked down at the scroll in its hands and sent out another, "What?!" with the hope that this time, someone would actually explain.
Instead, Mai's Mother (what was her name?) let out a sound that could only be described as a "Squee!" Tom-Tom, at least, looked just as mystified as Zuko, but it probably wasn’t good that was on the same level as a two-year-old in this.
He turned to look at Mai herself, and once again ventured the old reliable, "What?!"
Mai sighed. "Azula, it was your plan. Don't make me explain it."
Zuko turned back to his sister, and this time managed to expand his driving concern: "You what?!"
Azula smirked at him. "If you had been listening, you would have heard that this is just a betrothal proposal."
"What?!"
"Oh, Zuzu, learn a new tune." She rolled her eyes. "A proposal is not a true betrothal agreement. Surely you've heard of them? It's nothing more a confirmation from the proper legal bodies that you and Mai will be allowed to file a real betrothal at a later date if you so choose."
She yanked the scroll out of Zuko's hands, held it up so that he could see it, and pointed to the very top. Sure enough, the big characters at the top read, 'You've Been Pre-Approved! (No obligations, no hidden fees!)'
Zuko shook his head. "I still don't understand. What's the point of all this?"
"Allow me, dears." Mai's Mother stepped forward and smoothly handed Tom-Tom off to her daughter. She smiled at Zuko and gave a little bow. "It's an increasingly common practice in the Fire Nation, these days. For years, families have betrothed their children as early as possible to secure the future of both the child and clan, but thanks to the war many of our people have seen their fortunes change. Old, venerable families have fallen thanks to the military blunders of their scions, and lower clans have risen up by making themselves useful to the Fire Lord." At that, she stood up a little straighter, and Zuko recalled Mai's parents hadn't been much of anything in Fire Nation society until her father became famous for his success at military engineering. Something about bridges, as he recalled. "There's an epidemic of broken betrothals, to the point where marriage contracts didn't have much of a point at all. That's why an easy, alternative path has been provided to confirm things based only on the present situation."
Azula nodded. "Instead of going through all the trouble of getting a contact, only to have to overturn it later, the pre-approval process ensures that the marriage would be acceptable without tacking it to the rising sun, and then provides recommended dowries based on the status of each family and the prominence of the would-be spouses themselves." An ugly smirk stretched across her face. "Normally, Mai would have to come with a pretty hefty prize in order to secure the hand of a member of the royal family, but since you were banished and scarred, your market value is unusually low for your station."
Zuko was almost grateful for the insult. Marriages contracts that weren't marriages contracts boggled his mind, but he was on much firmer footing when it came to insults. "How could you do this to me? You don't have the authority to bind me!"
Azula pulled another scroll out from behind her back. "Actually, this here confirms that I'm your legal guardian. You're not of age yet, so I had to endorse the proposal for you."
Zuko couldn't help but blink at that. "But... you're younger than me! If I'm not of age, neither are you!"
Azula produced a third scroll. "Actually, I issued a royal order emancipating myself shortly after Father was crowned. I knew you'd never be able to run your own life, and a Fire Lord would be much too busy for this kind of thing, so I had it enshrined in law that all Fire Princesses are adults from the moment of their birth, made an exception for myself in the grandfather clause (no point in giving rights to dead ancestors, after all), and then filed the paperwork to legally adopt you. If I paid taxes, I could use you as a write-off."
Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to understand it all without going insane. In that, he failed utterly, but whether it was the understanding or the sanity he wound up losing was an open question. "Never mind. Just... what's the point of a proposal? Trying to make sure that you'll always have a spy right next to me?"
He heard Mai give a quiet gasp, but he kept his eyes on Azula. His sister actually looked surprised at the accusation. "Zuzu, I hardly need to go to such trouble to attach a spy to you. Let's face it, any girl who would be willing to marry you is someone I could have in my pocket within a month. I am me, after all."
Zuko had to admit that she had a point, there. "Then why? Why go through all this trouble just to rub in how much you patronize me?"
Mai stepped forward, and swung Tom-Tom into her mother's arms before coming up to look Zuko right in the eyes. "Think about it. This stupid thing was filed in the Fire Nation. You're being legally recognized as a Fire Nation citizen in good standing who's worthy of marrying me. Me, an heiress of a clan with a residence in the Capital. This is legal proof that your exile is over. You can go home, Zuko. You're safe now."
The whole office spun around Zuko, and went it came to a stop, he found himself once again looking at his sister. "It's true?"
Azula nodded. "Your banishment was lifted when the Homeland filed my report on Ba Sing Se's fall. The approval of the proposal shows that it all holds up, and sets legal precedent. Even if you don't marry Mai, you're free to go home, thus proving that the fears you've been wallowing in since we took over the city have been unfounded and paranoid."
Once again, Zuko's mind froze up, but this time he dared not say, "What?" If he questioned it, it might turn out to not be real after all.
Mai's Mother broke the silence. "Of course, as clever as this bit of legal manipulation is, there's no reason not to take the idea of a betrothal seriously. Proposals also serve as a declaration of intent, so Mai’s relationship status is safe for the time being." Everyone looked at her. "Well, at least keep an open mind. That's all I'm saying."
Tom-Tom gave a little whimper. "Mai marry Zuzo?"
Ty Lee gave a wistful sigh, but it was Mai herself who answered. "That's still up in the air, squirt. We've just been playing a very adult but not particularly fun game that involves lots of writing names on papers."
Tom-Tom looked at his sister, and then looked over at Zuko. Zuko would have liked to explain everything, but could only offer the child a helpless shrug. Tom-Tom put his head in his hands and said, "Icon fused."
Zuko silently agreed.
29 - Forgiveness
After so much time spent seeking out dark, shadowy places and (yes, okay) sulking, Zuko found it almost exhilarating to be standing on the roof of the Earth Palace (strange that Azula hadn't renamed it yet) and looking out over a sun-drenched city. He could almost forget that a third of that city had tried to kill him forty-eight hours ago, and would be more than happy to put his head on a pike of both his head and a pike conveniently became available.
His banishment was well and truly over.
He could go home.
He should feel good. He should be happy, optimistic, like normal people who weren’t banished or being crushed beneath the Fire Nation’s unforgiving heel. He should be past caring about Uncle's betrayal, or Azula's tendency to betray people, or the fact that he still hadn't heard from Father.
Mostly, he just felt alone.
From his vantage point, Zuko could see dark clouds gathering on the horizon. He had experienced quite a bit of weather during his three years at sea, and to his eye, there was plenty of rain and cool air coming, but no thunder or storming. The early heat would be retreating just as the summer actually began, but the Fire Nation's presence would not be dimmed as easily.
No longer enjoying the view, Zuko headed back inside.
Mai had invented a new game to play with her brother. She lounged on the couch in her mother's suite's parlor while Tom-Tom ran around the room like a hog-monkey on chi-enhancing tea, and when he calmed down enough to realize that she was ignoring him, she used her masterful skill at throwing things really hard to bean him in the head with a rolled-up sock. Tom-Tom, for some reason, thought this was hilarious, and his excitement would soon send him running around again. Mai wasn't about to disabuse him of his primitive idea of entertainment, lest she be required to actually get up and move around in pursuit of him.
A knock on the door surprised Tom-Tom in mid-dash and caused him to fall into a rolling tumble across the carpet. This, too, he found hilarious, or else he just forgot how to do anything but giggle, so Mai left him lying on the ground and went to see to her visitor.
She opened the door to reveal Zuko. He smiled when he saw her. "Hi."
Mai shut the door.
She was halfway back to her couch when he resumed knocking. Mai considered ignoring it, but then Tom-Tom sat up. "Mai! Knock-knock on door again!"
"Yes, I've noticed."
He stared at her, and when she didn't change her course, he pointed at the door. "Knock-knock."
"All right, I'll get it. Will that make you happy?"
"Is Zuzo?"
"Yes."
Tom-Tom shrugged with indifference. Smart kid.
The knocking only continued, and Mai finally decided that she wasn't going to be able to relax while that kept up, and Zuko had been looking lately to get a sketch of his face placed next to the word 'stubborn' in the Royal Fire Book of Approved Words that Glorify Our Nation. Mai went and opened the door again. "What do you want?"
He seemed to have noticed the glare Mai was throwing at him, but as usual, he proved incapable of taking a hint. "Um, I wanted to tell you that I've come to a decision."
"Congratulations. Was that your first?"
"What? No, I mean... I've decided that I'm going back to the Fire Nation."
Mai applauded as sarcastically as she could, but behind her, Tom-Tom missed the tone and started clapping his hands with typical two-year-old sincerity.
Zuko looked utterly confused (as usual), but continued, "I was thinking about what you said about hiding, and since Azula proved that there's no problem with my going back, it would be dishonorable to stay here and hide from everything. Azula will be taking Uncle back with her to be imprisoned, and Father... and, um, I got the impression that you were going back with Azula?"
Mai gave a single, sharp nod.
Zuko's gaze fell to the floor. "So, um, I thought I'd let you know that I'm going back. With you. So... well... do you have anything to say about that?"
As a matter of fact, Mai very much did: "Azula's. Spy."
Zuko blinked. "What?"
"That's what you said. When you asked Azula why she had submitted a proposal for our betrothal. Your exact words to your sister were, 'Are you trying to make sure that you'll always have a spy right next to me?' I remember that quite clearly."
Zuko's jaw had dropped when she recited the quote, and now his mouth had formed a perfect 'O'-shape. "Uh... I didn't mean-"
"Sure you didn't. Because that's such an ambiguous statement. Terms like 'spy' can have so many different meanings, after all."
"No! I meant- well, yes, that's what the word means, but- I didn't mean to say that you're actually spying for her!"
Mai crossed her arms over her chest. "What you really meant is that you don't actually trust me."
Zuko's mouth opened. Then it closed again.
Mai felt a tug on her pants, and when she looked down at Tom-Tom, he said, "You and Zuzo fighting?"
"Zuko has shown that he'll never accept my offer of friendship without wondering whether I'm executing Azula's agenda."
Zuko actually growled, and couched down to look Tom-Tom in the face. "That's not true! I'll always value Mai and her friendship and anything else we have together, but she's certainly got a funny of way of proving herself trustworthy when she distracted me from Azula's little game like a good little minion!"
Mai crouched down beside Tom-Tom to properly compete for his attention. "Zuko seems to have missed that even though Azula was being her usual control-freak self, both of us were actually trying to help him and maybe he shouldn't start calling people names for not standing up to his crazy sister until he's ready to risk that type of thing himself."
"Mai seems to have missed that you can't be a friend if you're serving someone else who constantly lies and competes with your friend!"
"Zuko seems to be selectively aware that in the real world ideals like that are just going to get him killed!"
"Mai seems to... uh... be stubborn!"
"Zuko seems to have lost all ability to argue coherently, probably because he’s wrong and he knows it."
Tom-Tom glanced back and forth between Mai and Zuko, and then finally shook his head. "You fight. I go potty." He then walked away, leaving them crouching in the doorway together and looking absolutely ridiculous.
Mai looked at Zuko.
Zuko looked at Mai.
Both of them startled chuckling at the same time.
They stood up as one, and Zuko said, "I'm sorry. It's not that I don't trust you. But Azula just makes me..."
"Ridiculously anxious? Irrational? Paranoid?"
"...wary."
Mai nodded. "Well, I forgive you. She does tend to have that effect on people. And I'm sorry if you thought I was manipulating you. But you understand that I'm not in a position where I can refuse to humor your sister, right?"
Zuko sighed. "I do. I don't like it, but..."
"But you hate everything anyway."
His lips moved in what was almost a smile. "I don't hate you."
Mai found a smirk pulling on her own lips. "I don't hate you, too."
"So, is that how it works? We’re friends again" Mai shrugged and nodded, and then realizing that they were still in the doorway, she moved aside. Zuko walked into the parlor and looked around at all the rolled socks littering the floor before apparently deciding that he didn't need to know, and turned back to Mai. "Like I said, I'm going back to the Fire Nation. I- I guess I need to."
Mai nodded. "I... think that's a good decision."
"Good." Zuko took a step closer to her, and Mai did some quick calculations regarding distance, angles, and speed of motion. If Zuko was about to say what certain parts of her very much hoped he was going to say- and he actually managed to stay on script for once- those calculations might come in handy, and not for their typical use with the throwing of knives. "It will be easier to stay friends if we can actually be friends to each other."
"Yeah. But..." Zuko looked down, and clenched his fists. Mai dearly hoped he wasn't about to start Firebending in his anxiety; that would utterly kill the mood. "You've been... so great to me, these last few days. I don't know why you're interested in me, but... I realized that I like that you're interested in me. And I'm interested. In you, I mean."
Mai's heart decided to take a half-second break from its typical beating hobby. "Oh. Good."
"You're pretty-“ Mai had to bite down on a gasp, as no one had ever said that to her before- “but... it's not just that you're pretty. Jin is pretty. And Ty Lee. Lots of girls are pretty. But I had no idea how to talk to Jin, and turns out that she murders people when she gets mad." Zuko's eyes narrowed. "Do you murder people when you get mad?"
Mai just smiled.
Zuko swallowed audibly. "Well, anyway... girls like Ty Lee... Ty Lee just makes me want to light things on fire."
Mai nodded. "Perfectly understandable. If I hadn't hung out with your sister for six months after Ty joined the circus, I'd be wondering if Azula's pyromania wasn't just a reaction to talk about auras."
"Right. But you... I came down her to tell you my decision because when I made it, the first thing I thought was that I wanted to come down and share it with you. To see what you thought, because I value your advice. I didn't think too much about it at first, but when I did, I realized that I thought it'd make you happy, and I wanted to see that. And I thought that maybe something good could come from telling you."
Mai tapped her chin. "What, were you hoping for a reward?"
"Um, no." Zuko frowned. "I mean... you're the perfect friend for me, but I realized that... what you want... to be more than friends... is I think what I want, too, now that I know how it would work."
Mai was just about to declare her acceptance and proceed to throw Zuko down on the floor as the beginning of further demonstration of her acceptance, but then he kept talking: "But I'm worried that it's still a terrible idea. Stuff like me calling you Azula's spy... that's going to keep happening. I'm not... I think you could probably say that I'm an idiot."
Mai found herself nodding.
"And I'm pretty much expecting to ruin my life again somehow. Probably soon. I don't know how, but... I'm being realistic." He gave a sigh that deflated his whole body. "It could be bad enough to ruin your life, too. And if that does happen, it would probably be a good idea for you to side with Azula and do something to betray me. And I think you would, if it came to that."
Mai felt her jaw drop.
Zuko looked into her eyes, and squared his shoulders. "So, I wanted to ask you... do you think this is a good idea? I really mean it; I didn't know who else to ask. You're the only one I trust to answer it. So, do you?"
Mai started to answer with an immediate dismal and request that Zuko do something romantically scandalous to her, but then she stopped. Did she think it was a good idea? No, of course she didn't. Whenever she really thought about it, the answer came clearly to her. Ty Lee was right; Zuko was a walking disaster. She was attracted to him, sure, but she wasn't in love. Nor was her in love with her, and he had demonstrated that she was a low priority in his life. He was only coming to her now because indulging in this was now convenient. And now he was putting it all on her- making her choose to jump into what was clearly a bad idea. Could she forgive herself if (when?) it all crashed and burned like the time Azula had tried driving one of those newfangled tanks?
But he had already chosen, in his way. He had decided the course of his life, and was offering to include her in it. He wanted her, and was willing to try for her, despite his misgivings.
It would be a conscious choice for both of them.
Mai sighed. "Of course I do. But before I commit, can I try one thing?"
"Sure?"
Mai reached out, grabbed Zuko, yanked him close to her, and mashed her lips against his. It was wet, and awkward, and stressful, and oh so enjoyable. Mai pressed harder, and found that things fit together better the less she thought about it all, which was convenient, because her thoughts seemed to be having trouble finding purchase in her conscious.
When they broke apart, Mai couldn't help but grin. "Huh. No wonder everyone wants to do that so much."
Zuko seemed to be having trouble breathing. "That was unexpectedly... intense."
"Exactly! All right, I'm committed. I, Mai, take you, Zuko, to be my official boy toy. Now let's doing more of that kissing thing."
"Okay."
This time it lasted even longer, despite Tom-Tom chiming in halfway through with a loud, screeching, "Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!"
30 - Black
Once Mai and Zuko decided that they were going to make a go of this coupling thing, they embarked on a whirlwind romance.
Except Ty Lee had once met an Airbender who threw an actual whirlwind right in her face, so she wasn't really using the word as a complement.
"I have never," she was explaining, "seen two people go so fast from that blushing and foot-shuffling phase into hardcore make-outs so quickly. I get the feeling that maybe they were both kind of repressed, you know?"
Her audience didn't look impressed by this revelation.
Ty Lee ignored that, though, because her audience hadn't been impressed by anything she said yet, but she wasn't done talking and so there was still hope to end the one-sided conversation on a good note. She just nodded a response to her own question before continuing. "And they seem happy when they're kissing and fondling each other, but you can already see that it's all little messed up. Zuko is still Zuko and can't stop looking at his own problems and anxieties, but now he has Mai to complain to instead of just moping, but talking to her doesn't really make him feel better about his problems. She's just a way to ignore them for a while and rationalize the way he's feeling!"
Ty Lee checked to see if her conversational partner had anything to add, but that battle had not yet been won. "And I can tell he's not really any happier, because his aura is still mostly black. There's a little red that flares whenever he's in physical contact with Mai, but I don't need to tell you what that means." Then, because she very much wanted to tell what that meant, she leaned forward and whispered, "Here's a hint, it's not love."
She stood upright again, and put her hands on her hips. "I know this is going to be a disaster, just like I warned Mai. I'll be there to comfort her, of course. I really want her to be genuinely happy for reasons other than satisfying all those physical urges she's been suppressing. And if she and Zuko really want to fix themselves and try to make it work, then I'll do everything I can to help! I'm not even mad at Zuko about all this. I'd happily have him over for sleep-overs, if you know what I mean, once he's single again. I just wish he would get over himself long enough to actually try to be a good boyfriend to Mai."
Ty Lee sighed, a World-Weary #6 that Mai had taught her in exchange for lessons on winking at people. "I'll go to the Fire Nation to be there for them and also be on call for this Eclipse thingy (Azula says she has a really important job for me and that the Capital's entire defense will 'hinge on my actions,' and that's just great!), but I can tell this is just going to be depressing. I think I'll give Mai and Zuko their alone time, and wait for the... what do you call it? The thing that's definitely going to happen? Exevitable? Anyway, I'm just going to wait for that. I don't want this getting my own aura muddied. Can you imagine me with a black aura? I'd have to dye my hair and paint my nails to match."
Ty Lee waited to see if her audience had any reaction to that awful, awful image, but he didn't even move. In fact, now that Ty Lee looked, she wasn't even sure that his eyes were open.
At that moment, Azula's voice rang out over the docks. "Ty Lee, I told you to guard my uncle, not sing him gently to sleep! Slap him and wake him up, we're ready to transfer him on the ship now!"
Oopsy.
Azula watched carefully as Iroh was dragged up ship's ramp, his chains clanking the whole way. She was a little disappointed that he wasn't making any attempt at an escape. She still hadn't found the opportunity to fight him one-on-one, and since she had been forced to rely on a distraction to take him out at the end of their previous encounter, she really wanted the chance to prove that she was better than him in every way- mentally, physically, intellectually, and Zuzu-caretakingly.
Her brother actually pulled his nose out of Mai's hair long enough to watch Uncle's transfer to the ship that would take them all back to the Fire Nation.
Azula couldn't help but smile at the sight of this victory. Zuzu was going back to the Fire Nation, he and Mai were in a relationship that would keep him occupied in such a manner that she could control if she ever felt the need, and Azula had learned much about the mating habits of humans. She still wasn't quite sure what the 'mating' in question was, but she got some of the habits down, at least. She looked forward to putting them into action and demonstrating a perfect implementation of the concept.
She'd also have to keep an eye on the new couple. Azula trusted Mai to report any major problems or successes, but Mai was a shy girl when she wasn't stabbing people, so no doubt she would seek to withhold some of the messier details of the relationship. Mai's wants were immaterial next to Azula's though, and Azula needed to observe this experiment of hers.
With any luck, it would progress to the point where it would finally teach her where babies come from. Despite the supposed ubiquity of that information, the creation of new humans was still a black box to Azula, and all she could do was eliminate theories one by one.
Maybe she could trick the information out of Zuko.
In a strictly sisterly way, of course.
With the old Fuddy Duddy Iroh loaded on the ship, it was finally time to go. Mai turned to Zuko and gave him a kiss. "I'm going to say goodbye to my mother, now."
Zuko kissed her back. "Okay. I'll meet you on the deck."
Mai kissed him back. "Okay. See you there."
Zuko kissed her back.
Mai kissed him back.
Zuko kissed her back.
Mai grabbed his face, yanked it close to hers, and began making out with him right there on the docks.
They only stopped when Mother rather loudly cleared her throat, apparently having gotten tired of waiting for Mai to come over and impart some parting words. Mai finally pulled away from Zuko, and waved him off. Mother was waiting just behind them with a weary expression on her face and Tom-Tom in her arms. The toddler had his eyes shut tight and was making gagging noises.
Mai crossed her arms over her chest. "What?"
"Really, Mai, I'm glad you're actually putting some effort into this, but try to pace yourself. You want to string him along all the way marriage, not wear him out just a few weeks in."
Mai sighed. "I'm not stringing him along. We're in a relationship. It will either work out, or I'm going to kill him and leave his body in public as a warning to others."
"Oh, please don't do that. It will ruin your prospects."
Mai wasn't sure if Mother was trying to joke, and elected to just ignore it. "So, I guess this is goodbye for now. Tell Father to have fun with his stupid city."
"I will. I'll also tell him you wished him good health and sent your love, because I'm apparently willing to lie for you."
"Eh, don't bother. He won't be fooled." Mai shifted her gaze to Tom-Tom. "See you later, squirt. Learn how to talk right by the next time I see you."
Tom-Tom reached out his hands for her. "Mai! I love you! Don't go! Stay with me and play! You my favorite!"
"More than Ty Lee?"
"...Mai and Tlee both favorite!"
"You're going to grow up to be a politician, I can tell." To get out of having to give him a hug, Mai reached out and give him a single pat on the head that she tried to make affectionate. Tom-Tom intercepted her hand, though, and yanked it down to give it a kiss that was half lips and half saliva. "Oh, yuck."
Mother tittered. "Well, it's what you've been teaching him about kissing. Take it as a lesson in moderation. Oh, and one other thing!"
Mai sighed. "What?"
Mother leaned forward and whispered, "If you find that you're... very suddenly putting on weight in a manner that will keep Zuko tied to you for life... black is very slimming and an excellent way to avoid unnecessary gossip for a few extra months, hm?"
"Oh, Mother! You're disgusting."
And so Mai parted from her family and went back to the land of her birth. The land where she intended to set a new record for sucking face, with the willing help of her new boyfriend.
Ha!
Zuko watched as the Earth Kingdom shores receded into the distance, the view swallowed up by the sea below and the black rain clouds above. He tried to feel better about it, but now that he thought about things, he wasn't entirely sure this was the best idea. Yes, his banishment might be over, but would Father really accept him again? He technically hadn't defeated the Avatar, just helped Azula kill him (most likely), and while the Fire Nation might be willing to overlook the issue in the interest of having another hero to fete, would Father be as forgiving? Would his personal dishonor, like his scar, be with him forever?
The woman in his arms stirred, and Zuko was suddenly reminded that he had a woman in his arms. Mai looked up at him and stroked his face. "You feel like you're about to settle into another moping-fest again."
Zuko found himself smiling. "You can feel that?"
"Of course. Your breathing gets slower and you start slumping in a way that would have my mother lecturing you on proper posture."
Zuko shook his head. "Good thing you're here to point these things out for me, then."
Mai smiled, a wide smile that looked both alien and strangely at home on her face. "Good thing."
Then they kissed, of course.
Zuko would go back to the Fire Nation, and face whatever waited for him there. He would have Mai, at least, even if he had nothing else.
For a while, at least.
31 - Climax
Dear Mai,
I'm sorry that you have to find out this way, but I'm leaving. We've become so much closer since Ember Island, yet it still wasn't enough. We both knew that there were bigger problems in our lives, and it's come time for me to face my own.
It would break my heart, but I hope this isn't as important to you as it is to me. I hope you can rely on Ty Lee and your family to help you get over me. (I know Azula is your friend, but I left her out on purpose. She is a jerk.) I have to go find the Avatar and make up for all the mistakes I've made, or at least those many mistakes that don't involve how I've treated you (which are also probably too numerous to count). I'm hoping that together the Avatar's friends can stop my father from lighting the whole Earth Kingdom on fire, because I've realized that wiping out entire countries is evil. (I hope you agree.) Even if we do, I don't know that I'll ever be able to return to the Fire Nation. Even if I can, I'm sure that you won't want someone in your life who treats you the way I do. Ty Lee was right all along, except for anything she said about my butt.
I want to tell you to find someone who you can not hate just as much, if not more, than me. However, as I thought about writing that down, I realized that you would hunt me down and stab me in the eyes for being so clichéd. So I'm not going to say it. Consider it hinted at, nothing more.
Again, I'm sorry. For everything.
-Zuko, Son of Ursa and Nephew of Iroh
P.S. I moved the clothes and knives you left at the palace to their own wardrobe. I told the servants to let you pick them up at your convenience, but since I'm now a traitor to the Fire Nation and my father probably will want to kill me, there might be some paperwork involved. Get Azula to help with that; she deserves it.
The whole time Zuko was gone, Mai hated him. It was said by some, mostly people with far too much time on their hands, that hate and love were two sides of the same coin. Mai disagreed.
She did not love Zuko.
She never loved Zuko.
She had been clear about that from the start.
Nevertheless, he had hurt her. He hurt her when he left. He hurt her when she realized that he been hiding so much of himself from her. He hurt her when he left an ashing note because she apparently was such a low priority in his life that he couldn't even find the time to give her a goodbye kiss. He hurt her because the note was clear that she had been a distraction, nothing more, and even though she had specifically presented herself as such when she was first trying to get him interested in her, it was still rude of him to admit it.
Thus, Mai was at something of a loss to explain why- after Zuko had been caught at the Boiling Rock and came close to dying in his escape attempt- Mai had betrayed everything to save his life. He had even just reiterated everything in his letter, before all the action. The concept of 'temporary insanity' was the only explanation she could think of, but Azula wasn't the type to give mercy for extenuating circumstances.
That much had been clear when the princess said, "I never expected this from you. The thing I don't understand is 'why.' Why would you do it? You know the consequences."
Mai knew the consequences. And yet, for a most mysterious reason, she had accepted them in order to save the life of a boy who she had wanted as nothing more than a toy. She had broken the agreement she and Zuko had made when they first decided to get together, that Azula specifically was something they would grudgingly allow to come between them.
Facing off against Azula from the other side of the gondola launch platform, with Ty Lee standing between them watching with terrified eyes, Mai realized she was about to die. Azula was going to kill her. She was going to die by her friend's hand for Zuko's sake.
Mother would be profoundly disappointed.
Mai, though, couldn't help but want to take Azula with her. She still had some knives, and was familiar enough with Azula's fighting style to know that there would be a massive, lazy half-second window in which she could fatally wound the princess before being incinerated herself.
And she wanted to.
Not out of spite.
Not for revenge.
Not even out of general contrariness.
She wanted to kill Azula so that Zuko wouldn't be in danger from his sister.
And in that moment, realizing that she valued Zuko more than her own life, Mai realized that hate was indeed just another way of shading love.
She loved Zuko.
She loved Zuko.
She had never intended it to get like this so quickly, but it had happened. She had fallen in love with her boyfriend, and that love was about to kill her. That love had reached into the past, going all the way to the time she had first set eyes on him when they were both just children, and began murdering her one little bit of a time.
Mai was about to die the death of a thousand cuts.
A thousand cuts, but a single love.
Azula took a stance and began moving to summon the fire, while Mai tensed and pulled a blade into her hand.
FADE TO BLACK
Mai went on to be saved by Ty Lee, and both of them were incarcerated by Azula. Accounts differ about where they were jailed and what happened on their subsequent adventures with the similarly imprisoned Kyoshi Warriors. By the time Avatar Korra died and reincarnated, no less than thirty different film adaptations of those events had been produced, one of which starred Li Kwan as Mai and won the actress an Association Award for best performance in a musical. Mai’s descendants condemned the film for portraying their honorable ancestor as singing and dancing at a time when both were outlawed in the Fire Nation.
Zuko went on to train Avatar Aang in Firebending, and help him overthrow Fire Lord Ozai. Zuko was crowned and ruled over a new era in Fire Nation history. Historians themselves will continue to debate, for hundreds of years after Zuko's death, how he could have made so many absolute blunders all throughout his life and still ended up with a world that more or less conformed to his ideal vision of it. Mai was almost certainly involved in that.
Zuko and Mai got back together after Ozai's fall, and embarked on a romance that actually acknowledged that, in addition to not hating each other, they both really loved each other.
They broke up again a year later.
They got back together some time after that.
They are believed to have gotten together and broken up again at least fifteen more times, but historians are still trying to sort that out. All agree, though, that it was entirely Zuko's fault.
Every time.
But those are other stories.
END
Suggested Collections
Featured in Groups
Next: Death of a Thousand Cuts Bonus
Previous: Death of a Thousand Cuts 4
Written for Maiko Month 2014, back in May. For 27 of the 31 days of that month, I did a small entry in an ongoing Maiko story. The tale is a romantic comedy giving my take on how Mai and Zuko might have wound up as a couple between Books Earth and Fire. While each entry was published individually on other sites, for deviantArt I'm grouping them by in-story day to avoid blanketing my gallery in 30 small chapters.
The events of this story replace those of the official comic "Going Home Again," and likewise disregard any history between Mai and Zuko that was established by the comic. This isn't out of any problems with "Going Home Again" (I like it well enough), but simply because I think it suffers for being compressed to a small number of pages, and there's opportunity for a lot more fun in the start of Maiko.
Art by
Previous: Death of a Thousand Cuts 4
Written for Maiko Month 2014, back in May. For 27 of the 31 days of that month, I did a small entry in an ongoing Maiko story. The tale is a romantic comedy giving my take on how Mai and Zuko might have wound up as a couple between Books Earth and Fire. While each entry was published individually on other sites, for deviantArt I'm grouping them by in-story day to avoid blanketing my gallery in 30 small chapters.
The events of this story replace those of the official comic "Going Home Again," and likewise disregard any history between Mai and Zuko that was established by the comic. This isn't out of any problems with "Going Home Again" (I like it well enough), but simply because I think it suffers for being compressed to a small number of pages, and there's opportunity for a lot more fun in the start of Maiko.
Art by
© 2014 - 2024 Loopy777
Comments2
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
*nods* always Zuko's fault.
(and not just because Mai can reach through time to get whomever accuses her)
part of Zuko may be wondering if this is how Jin felt - pretty sure everything was going great, only for the ceiling to fall and pull the rug out from under 'em. (Zuko and Mai hashed it out in the hallway and parlor better than I described it)
>Mai sighed. "Zuko, you're going to have to stop using that as a universal reply to everything serious I say."
bwah?
>Mai threw a glare at him that was almost as sharp as her knives. "Okay, who's teasing who now? Really, what's your opinion about love? Everyone has been talking to me about it since I first started ogling you,
Zuko: "wait, when??" (and wondering just how much he'd missed)
>romantically scandalous
*gasps* your brother's on the potty in - presumably - the next room!
Ty Lee is a White Lotus or the sister organization's member? (methinks Iroh wasn't as asleep as he seemed)
that's a pretty interesting gap in her knowledge, even in the abstract.
another pleasing and fine chapter. on to the Bonus!
(and not just because Mai can reach through time to get whomever accuses her)
part of Zuko may be wondering if this is how Jin felt - pretty sure everything was going great, only for the ceiling to fall and pull the rug out from under 'em. (Zuko and Mai hashed it out in the hallway and parlor better than I described it)
>Mai sighed. "Zuko, you're going to have to stop using that as a universal reply to everything serious I say."
bwah?
>Mai threw a glare at him that was almost as sharp as her knives. "Okay, who's teasing who now? Really, what's your opinion about love? Everyone has been talking to me about it since I first started ogling you,
Zuko: "wait, when??" (and wondering just how much he'd missed)
>romantically scandalous
*gasps* your brother's on the potty in - presumably - the next room!
Ty Lee is a White Lotus or the sister organization's member? (methinks Iroh wasn't as asleep as he seemed)
that's a pretty interesting gap in her knowledge, even in the abstract.
another pleasing and fine chapter. on to the Bonus!