WARNING: Mentions of general violence, self-harm, suicide, murder, suffocation, and cheating.
Since she was a child, Mai had found life to be incredibly… boring. And it's common knowledge that a bored child is going to do anything and everything to make the day pass by just a bit quicker. After all, that's all the days were to Mai: passing by.
Yes, to her parents, Mai was the perfect child. Well-mannered, soft-spoken, practically emotionless. She participated in social gatherings when she was expected, but was otherwise content to be by herself. To an outsider, it would be hard to tell if she had gone through a traumatic experience or if she was, in fact, born that way.
But Mai did not have trauma. No, she had a perfectly normal and lucky life. And it was boring.
So, there had to be something that was keeping Mai from using those pretty stilettos of hers to carve a big "FU" into her wrists. Well, Mai had met her at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls.
While Azula had found interest in Mai because of her skills in knife-throwing, Mai had found interest in Azula because she was a psychopath. What a thrill that had been. Mai had almost passed her up; the sight of her approaching with the gymnast Ty Lee led her to believe at first that she was just another girl trying to impress her parents by befriending "the loner." But Mai was drawn in by the greedy glint in Azula's young eyes and her far-too-charming voice.
Mai's parents were delighted to hear that she had become allies with the princess and another layer was added to the non-bender's life. It was a win-win.
Of course, befriending Azula would never be enough to satisfy Mai's never-ending thirst for excitement. She tried a boyfriend; she convinced herself that she was in love with Zuko, Azula's brother, but the boy clung to her like the damn flying lemur that clung to the Avatar. He was more a nuisance than a love interest.
Zuko, Fire Lord, war hero, and all, was too normal. Too boring.
Mai found herself surrounding herself with Azula again. Visiting her often in the mental hospital after the war, insisting she take in Azula when she was released so the princess wouldn't have to be surrounded by the environment that led her to this state of mind in the first place- At least, that's what Mai told Zuko. Truth be told, Mai never found anything wrong with Azula's games and plans nor did she understand why her desire for power was such a problem. That's what all nobles wanted: power - to be above others. Azula was the one who took the initiative and had the balls to take it to the next level.
Well, that wasn't entirely true, but Mai hadn't thought of that yet.
It took half a year for Mai to revert Azula back into a semblance of her normal self. What a relief it was to see that malicious smile.
And Azula began to talk to her like she used to. The same words that Mai had been drawn to in the first place. Then, they began to change. Azula had gone from speaking of her appreciation for Mai's efforts to admiration of her abilities and strength. Admiration from Azula had always been reserved for herself and her father. Casual compliments to anyone else were unheard of… until they became common for Mai.
The nature of their relationship had become more than just allies. Just the idea gave Mai a rush.
It was like a backhanded compliment. A romantic- and sexual- relationship with a royal, but it was with the princess. Illegal.
Her parents never knew what went on inside their home (the one they had so graciously bought for Mai without her asking). If they did know, well, then, Mai wouldn't be their perfect daughter. That seemed to become a requirement for Mai's thrills. Her true interest in Azula, her killer knife skills, her part in the war. Her parents didn't know about any of it. Nor would they.
Mai: The perfect daughter. Mai: The knife thrower. Mai: The girl friends with a psychopath. Mai: The traitor to her nation. Mai: The woman obsessed with a psychopath. She had many sides, yet her parents only knew one.
Mai and Azula's relationship was never really romantic. She wasn't sure if passionate was quite the right word either. It was… aggressive. Touches were grabs, not feels. Kisses were nonexistent. The compliments had begun to sound half-sarcastic. And then it became normal.
Azula was content with what they had. Her quest for power had turned into striking fear into the casual peasant or threatening her brother with no intention to follow through. She had sounded like her, looked like her, but she was not the Azula that Mai had become engrossed with.
She was boring.
The idea was almost impossible for Mai to grasp. After all, this was the woman who did not hesitate to shoot lightning at her own brother for power. How could she have been broken? Azula aways knew what was important: Herself. She had sacrificed the most for it.
Except she hadn't. Azula had shot lightning at her brother for the title of Fire Lord. But she didn't burn her son and banish him without batting an eye to succeed in her plans of one day becoming Phoenix King.
The night of her realization that Azula wasn't deserving of Mai's worship- that there was someone who was much more interesting- she went to visit him.
What with her previous relationship with Zuko, it wasn't hard to get past the guards. Ozai was surprised for only a moment to have her visit him. It was as though he expected her to be drawn to him like she had been drawn to Azula.
During her entire conversation with him, a tingle had run throughout body. Her fingertips practically vibrated.
He was beaten and bruised and his spirit had almost vanished, but it was still there. His thirst for power and revenge still remained. The glint in his eye that Azula had inherited was sparkling bright.
After a week, Mai visited him again. Then the next week. Then the weekly visits turned into every few days which turned into every night she had the chance.
The guards were none the wiser, but Azula could sense something was off.
She grew angry, noticing Mai's absence even when she was present. She demanded that Mai tell her why she was being put off to the side. When Mai couldn't find the effort to tell her, the once all-mighty princess began to beg. Telling her their relationship meant even more than whatever love was.
An odd feeling rose in her chest. Seeing the girl practically grovel at her feet made Mai finally realize why the princess and her father had craved power so. The sight made the nonbender prideful. There was an overwhelming feeling of how right the situation was, seeing her beg.
Mai didn't want to lose that feeling quite yet, so she kept Azula, but just enough to keep her grasping for more. So she could constantly have that feeling that someone was trying to please her. Azula would be afraid that her every move could change the outcome of their relationship.
Every night, after Azula had satisfied her, Mai would walk from their house to the prison where she would please Ozai in any way she could. Mai had cut through the bars to his cell in one night to provide for easier access, but she didn't cut through his handcuffs.
No, she couldn't let him have that power quite yet.
Yet the thrill of cheating on Azula with her own father wouldn't last. Nor did the excitement of keeping Azula dangling. It didn't take long for Mai to realize that the firebender was pathetic- Not even worthy of worshipping Mai. It was finally time to add yet another layer onto her once-bland life.
"We will never speak again," Mai told Azula, watching her face crumble without a hint of emotion on her own. "You may see me, but you will not be happy no matter the outcome. I wish you the best of luck of finding some sort of happiness to your life, since you've become this mess you cannot return from."
Mai had turned to walk out of her life forever when the princess grabbed her. Her nails dug into the scars from the beginning of their relationship: when she had gripped too hard or her hand had become too hot. Once again, Mai could feel the heat build as her anger did.
"You will not leave me! How dare you! After all this fucking shit you've put me through, Mai! You'll be lucky if I don't burn my fucking name onto you! You're mine!" Incoherent screams burst from Azula. Her hand began to burn Mai, but she still couldn't find the effort to pull away from this sobbing pile of what-could-have-been.
The knife-thrower finally sighed and jerked away from Azula, taking a moment to look at the burn. It wasn't even the worst Azula had given her. Mai scoffed and left her weeping on the floor.
Her heart pounded as she raced down the steps, her knife in hand. She hadn't told Ozai that she was letting him out that night, so she knew that she would have to make things easier for him.
Mai passed by the guards with a nod of her head, they nodded back, hardly noticing her presence. What fools.
With one swift motion, she stabbed into a guard, aiming for his lungs. He'd die slower, but he'd suffocate in his own blood.
A punishment for being so brainless.
The man fell with a thud, attracting the other's attention. Mai ran at him before digging the bloodied knife into his throat. This guard fell lifeless.
Mai retracted her stiletto, wiping the blood off onto her cloak before sticking it back into sleeve. Her whole body was shaking. It was intoxicating: the thrill of everything she was doing out of love.
Well, not love. Azula was right. Mai understood what meant even more than love. This was it. Ozai was her purpose in life.
She tore out his bars with a strength she didn't know she had; they went flying across the room. Ozai looked at her with curiosity, then excitement as she pulled out her weapon again, raising it high above her before smashing it down on the chains. There was hardly a dent to the metal of her knife, but the chain shattered.
Ozai rose from the position he had been stuck in for ten years. As his legs shook and his fingers stretched, the glint in his eyes shone brighter. The smile on his face grew wider. The craze in his laugh became more powerful.
The buzz in Mai's body almost brought her to her knees. She had to steady herself on the wall as she looked upon her Phoenix King in amazement.
Ozai finally turned to look at his liberator. "Oh, Mai," his voice sounded hoarse as though he hadn't used it in weeks, though Mai had conversed with him the day before.
"I did it." Mai said, staring at Ozai, but not looking at him. "I finally did it."
"Yes, you did," Ozai sneered. He began to walk towards her, his legs finally free of weights, his palms outstretched towards her. "I must thank you."
Mai looked into his eyes, the craze she so desired to bask in was at full-power. Only now did she realize the consequence of waiting to let him free might mean. What the price of power could be.
His bony fingers closed around her throat; there was more strength in him than he should have.
Still, Mai knew with the stilettos in her sleeves, she could defeat him if she wanted to. Yet, this felt right. The man she had come to realize was most worthy of her attention and her worshipping was also the most worthy of her demise. Ozai was her purpose.
"Wait," She struggled out, pulling at his hands. "Wait."
Ozai glared at her in annoyance, but eased up enough to let her speak.
"Let me do something first. And then kill me." Mai pulled at his hands again. "Let me go for a moment."
He trusted her. Mai could at least take pride in that. And she took pride in that last bit of her own power that she used so she could decide how they would find her.
"OK," Mai grunted once she was done. "I'm finished. Kill me and finish off the rest of the world, including Zuko and the mess you call your daughter."
Ozai raised his eyebrow, but let her comments slide, truly uninterested in her story. Once again, Mai found his hands around her neck, her oxygen supply rapidly depleting.
And that thirst that ruled over her 25 years of life was at an all-time high. She was not gasping for air as he strangled her, but gasping for just another dose of that feel. The thrill.
She supposed this would be the only rebellious act her parents would get to know about.
…
Fire Lord Zuko was ushered down to his father's chamber just hours later.
Two guards were found murdered in front of his cell, the bars were cut off, and a woman was found dead inside. They told him he had escaped.
Zuko cautiously approached the body. Long, black hair was matted with blood.
Upon his approval, a soldier turned over the body.
She wore a necklace of dark blue bruises on her neck and a burn mark as a bracelet. The letters "FU" were carved into her wrists by the stiletto that seemed to have clattered just a few feet to the side.
"The daughter of Noble Ukano," He told the soldiers, turning away, unable to look at her. "Mai."
Team/Position: Red Sands Rabaroos/Earthbender
Toza's Gym: Sparring Circle
Pairing: Azula/Mai/Ozai
Word Count: 2321
I loved writing this piece! It's really nice to go back to my roots of writing dark fiction. I hope you all enjoyed it!