Fool Me Twice. . .
Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender
The halls of the Fire Lords palace were quiet, in a grand bedroom across the hall from Zuko's own room there were rustling sounds. Mai was gathering her belongings and tossing them carelessly in a bag. For many mornings now, she had gone in to wake the sleeping Fire Lord and heard him call out another girl's name. When she had told him this, Zuko had down played it, saying he couldn't help what he said in his sleep. It was last night that had been the last straw. He had invited his little Avatar friends over for dinner. The group hadn't been together for a whole year, so when they had arrived everyone was excited and emotional. Mai had tried to hide in the background, wanting Zuko to enjoy himself and not worry about keeping her happy. Being 'nice' had backfired.
They had all gathered around the dining table and eaten a glorious feast. When it got later in the evening some of the guests went to retire to their rooms, since apparently they were spending the night. Great, whatever. Like Mai really cared. She herself had grown tired of all the happiness in the room and went to bed. She woke up around three in the morning, she thought she had heard something thump outside in the hall. Grabbing her knives, just in case, she went out to investigate. Across from her room slept Zuko, or at least he was supposed to be sleeping. She heard murmuring, heavy breathing, the door was slightly ajar, and so she peeked inside. She wished she hadn't.
On his grand bed, with the red silk sheets, wrapped in each other's arms were Zuko and that water bender. She quickly looked away, her heart beginning to break into tiny little pieces. He had dumped her once, but cheating? What was going on in his head? What happened to the guy she fell in love with? The Zuko she knew would never do something so ugly to her. She looked again, to make sure it wasn't a dream, some nightmare she was having. Maybe she was still asleep? She sliced her arm with one of her knives. She felt the sharp pain from the weapon, a small trickle of blood beginning to form. Yep, she wasn't dreaming alright. She watched as her Zuko, the Fire Lord, did all the things she wanted him to do to her with someone else. She should have killed him then and there, but no. She let her emotions get the best of her and rushed back to her room to cry. Crying wasn't something Mai ever did, but this betrayal was just too much, she couldn't hold her emotions in any longer. She spent the rest of her evening, deciding what to do in the morning.
It came down to her decision to leave the palace, she'd move back in with her parents. Anywhere was better than being under the same roof as the two timing cheater. He had noticed her missing at breakfast when he started searching for her. He had caught her packing her clothes.
"What's going on?" He had the audacity to ask! Sure he didn't know yet that she had seen him in the act, but he knew what he had done. You would have thought he'd been smart enough to put the pieces together.
"I can't live here anymore." She told him, flinging her belongings in the bag, wishing he'd leave her be. When she felt him reaching out to touch her, she turned and held a knife to his throat.
"If you ever try to touch me again, I'll kill you." He gaped at her in astonishment. She let her arm drop and continued to pack.
He walked to the door, getting ready to leave her be, "If it's what you want Mai." With that he left and shut the door behind him. She picked up a vase and threw it at the door.
"All I wanted was you, you bastard! You ruined EVERYTHING!" She screamed at the door. Her emotions letting loose once more. She had thought last night crying had been enough, but it appeared she had more pent up deep inside her. Her heart ached as she finished packing and headed out the door, working her way through the palace. She made it outside and was walking out the giant gates and down the stairs leading to the port when she ran into another unwanted presence.
Katara was making her way up the stairs; she stopped when she realized it was Mai coming down, with luggage.
"Everything okay?" Katara asked a worried look on her face.
'You can't hide your lying eyes…' She silently thought to herself as she mumbled a fine and continued her way down the steep stairs, wishing the water bender would fall down them.
"Where are you going?" Katara asked, beginning to follow her. 'Great!' Mai thought sarcastically 'Now she's following me.'
"Home." She told her, hoping the little witch would just let it be.
She sensed Katara about to reach out and touch her shoulder; Mai dodged it, grabbing a hold of the girls arm and throwing her over her back. Katara landed hard on her side against the stairs.
"Don't EVER touch me," Mai growled, death glare in her eyes. She went around the body and continued her way down to the port. If she were lucky, she would never see these people, or this place, ever again.