Okay, so the first time I watched Avatar (well, okay, technically the second time. But the first time I watched it, I was in middle school and I forgot just about everything. The first time I really really watched it - and became obsessed - was like three years ago, I think.) I really got a shock during the Boiling Rock. When Sokka was explaining to Suki how they planned to take a hostage, and Suki said the warden wouldn't care, I was so sure they were going to take Mai as the hostage. I was kinda disappointed when they didn't.

I rewatched this episode for like the millionth time today, and finally decided "What the hell. Might as well write it".

(Before I started writing this, I found one other fic about this concept, and I loved it, so check it out (it's by LizBee)! It is a bit different than what I'd imagined, though, so don't worry, I'm not just copying it)

And yes, I ship Maiko.

Disclaimer: My friend once met the creators of Avatar at Comic-Con. It wasn't me. My name contains neither "Bry" nor "ke".

O0o

The guard clambered into the cell with all the grace of a saber tooth moose lion. "Ma'am!" He shouted, staring down the dark-haired girl who wore an unamused expression. "There's a riot going on! I'm here to protect you!"

If she listened closely enough, she could have heard the distant cries of the prisoners out in the yard. As it was, though, she simply didn't care. First, the guard interrupted her much-needed lashing out at her jerk of an ex-boyfriend, and then he had the audacity to presume she was defenseless. Were she more prone to sudden outbursts of emotion, she might have screamed at him.

Instead, she settled for a haughty but monotone, "I don't need any protection."

A chuckle came from the seat behind her, and she wasn't sure whether she should have been smug or irritated. "Believe me," said Zuko. "She doesn't."

"I'm sorry, but I'm under direct orders from your uncle to make sure nothing happens," said the guard, still in a battle stance. His posture was all wrong, Mai noticed. If that was how they trained guards, then it was no wonder a riot had been able to break out.

The room flashed with fire, and in an instant, Mai realized Zuko was taking a chance. That idiot. She wasn't done with him yet. As he ran for the door, the guard ran not towards him, but to her.

Really? A prisoner was escaping, and you run for the girl with the shurikens?

"Get off of me!" She shouted, grabbing the guard and flinging him to the side. There wasn't time to check how shocked his expression was; Zuko was already bolting down the corridor. Mai dashed out the doorway as fast as she could in hot pursuit.

"Mai, what are you doing?" He asked, twisting his head to look at her. His eyes were widened, like he hadn't expected her to follow.

She could have rolled her eyes. "I'm not done with you!"

"I don't have time for this!" He shouted, sounding a bit more like the hot-headed man she had grown used to. "This could be my last chance to escape!"

This silenced her. Her feet kept slamming against the floor, mindlessly carrying her as she realized. He was right. She could be angry at him, furious even, but if she kept him detained any longer, he'd never escape. And if she let that happen, then it wouldn't be long before the Fire Lord was notified of his son's imprisonment. And then...she didn't even want to know what would happen to him.

And that, she had to admit, was not an option.

The logical thing, then, was to let him go. Stay behind, where it was safe, and go home with Azula to the Fire Nation.

Oh, no.

Azula.

She quickened her pace best she could, and knocked out two of the guards with her knives. Zuko heard the noise and stalled, gazing at her in bewilderment. "Mai, wha-"

"Keep running!" She shouted, slamming her hands into the back of his shoulders to propel him further.

After a few steps, Zuko swallowed, getting the message, and pulled away from her. The two of them ran together, side by side. Mai flung her shurikens at any guards trying to apprehend them, but used them sparingly. She didn't know when she'd have a chance to restock. Zuko, in the meantime, was blasting fire at guards while also putting in a well-placed kick now and then.

She looked at him curiously. His firebending seemed different somehow. More powerful, but less angry.

Her stomach twiddled.

They jumped over the rails of a staircase, and rolled to a stop. Zuko glanced at her, reaching out his arms, then hesitating, as if the act was forbidden. Good.

"Mai," he said again. "What are you doing?"

"Azula's here," she said, noting how Zuko's eyes widened, but not in fear. "If she finds you, she won't hesitate."

He didn't ask "Hesitate to do what?" He didn't need to.

"But-"

A fireball came tumbling at them, and they rolled in either direction. Mai flung a knife at the guard who had attacked the pair, and then exchanged glances with Zuko. Her eyes were narrowed in determination. "I'm not going to let that happen."

The words, in a way, were a surprise, even to her. But Zuko just looked at her, eyes reflecting an imbalance between wonder, fear, and gratitude, before he nodded, planting an equally determined face. "Come on, then."

They ran straight into the middle of the mess. Zuko knocked out another guard, and then ran up to an mismatched-looking team. Mai followed. She only recognized one of them, the water tribe boy with the stupid boomerang, and he's the one who spoke. "Zuko! Good, you're here. Now all we need to...haaang on, what's she doing here?"

Mai shrugged. Zuko just said, "Don't worry, she's with me."

Sokka looked hesitant, but in the midst of the full-scale riot, he didn't have much time to argue. "Okay, fine, fine. Listen, all we need to do now is grab the warden, and get to the gondolas!"

Mai blinked. "Why do you need the warden?"

"He's our hostage," said the girl, narrowing her eyes at Mai with suspicion. Well, that was fine with Mai. She didn't exactly come here to make friends. Although the girl's voice did sound familiar...

"Hostage," repeated Zuko, furrowing his eyebrows. He looked sideways at Mai, then back at Sokka. Then back at Mai again. "You know what, I think we can do without the warden after all. Let's just focus on getting to the gondolas!"

The group of six jumped and began fleeing toward their escape, with Sokka looking still nervous. "Are you sure we don't need to go-"

"Trust me!" was Zuko's reply as the gondolas came into sight.

"We're almost there!" shouted Suki, relief in her voice.

A group of guards jumped in their way, blasting fireballs at them. As Zuko shoved Sokka out of the way, Mai pinned their sleeves to the walls, relishing in the sense of satisfaction as they tried to wriggle free.

Just then, more guards came running. Mai positioned herself to fight again, but before she could, Zuko grabbed her from behind, immobilizing her. She wriggled, ready to break free, but stop when he shouted, "Back off! We have the warden's niece?"

"Niece?" Sokka asked with a whisper. "Nice!"

The guards froze, staring at Mai, who quickly caught on to the ruse. She immediately stopped trying to beat Zuko up - though that would have been nice - and instead did just enough shaking to be it appear like she was in distress.

The soldiers, idiotic as they were, bought the act and backed off, leaving the space clear for the escapees. "Come on!" Zuko shouted, and they made their way toward the gondolas.

When they reached it, Suki grabbed the door. "Everyone in!"

They poured in, filling it like a sack. As Zuko started the gondola, Mai got the chance to really get an eyeful at the bizarre team. Four teenagers and two adults. Two benders and four non-benders. Four men, two girls. Three Fire Nation, two Water Tribe, and one Earth Kingdom. It was such an odd, bizarre team. Mai wasn't sure how she fit in, or if she even did.

She leaned back. Well, right now, she was just the hostage. Boring? Absolutely.

"What are you doing?" Asked Sokka, eyes nearly bulging.

"I'm making it so they can't stop us." The sound of Zuko's voice got her attention, and she looked up.

Sokka had his eyebrows raised. "Way to think ahead."

She watched the two boys with mild curiosity. They were complete opposites in several ways, and just a month ago they would have been at each other's necks for it. And yet, here they were, acting as friends, assisting each other, impressing each other without a hint of jealousy.

"We're on our way!" Suki shouted, and Mai looked at her, too. She really did sound familiar, but she couldn't quite place the face. And yet, whenever the two girls exchanged looks, familiarity flashed in the brunette's eyes, along with the sting of painful anger.

On the one hand, Mai wasn't exactly surprised that Suki would have that type of reaction. They were from warring nations, after all, and for Suki to have been placed in a prison with such high-level security, she must be really devoted to her country. And if the two had met before, then it would make even more sense for her to be angry.

So no, it wasn't surprise that was itching Mai. It was the confusion. Suki's discontent seemed almost at a personal level, so how come Mai couldn't even recognize her?

"Wait," came a deep voice, snapping Mai's attention for a moment. It was the man, the Water Tribe leader. "Who's that?"

"That's a problem," said Zuko, head poking over the edge of the gondola as it carried them higher. He glanced sideways at Mai, and despite his slightly unreadable expression, Mai knew exactly what was going on before Zuko said, "It's my sister and her friend."

The sentence sent a funny feeling through Mai that took her a moment to be able to place. My sister and her friend. The sentence was so...detached, as if the fact was impersonal, as if they were strangers he knew of, but didn't know.

Mai thought back to the foursome's stay on Ember Island. Fairly recent, all things considered, and yet it felt like a lifetime ago. Azula, Zuko, and Ty Lee had played volleyball, had crashed a party, had underwent major emotional upheavals around a campfire, fueled by the memorabilia Zuko found in their household.

It was odd thinking about it now.

What had happened since then? The four had grown closer, closer than they ever had been, in just a day.

And yet he looked at them as if they were practically strangers.

Save it? You're betraying your country!

That's not how I see it.

Her eyebrow creased, just a little bit. So what did he see?

A grim, determined expression flashed onto Suki's face as she glared across the lake. "This is a rematch I've been waiting for."

"Me, too."

Something boiled inside Mai's stomach. As much as she disliked it, that she could understand. When had Zuko and Azula ever gotten along?

Zuko, along with Sokka and Suki, slipped outside the edge of the gondola to climb to the top. Hakoda shot Mai a curious look.

"What?" She asked, trying to control her voice so she didn't sound too annoyed. It only sort of worked.

Hakoda didn't say anything, or if he did, she didn't care terribly enough to listen. Her mind was drifting to the presence of Azula and Ty Lee.

Mai had always been a calculating sort of person. It was what helped her do so well at throwing knives. She didn't fling them around wildly, but instead she took care to land the most precise shots possible. Enemies and friends alike had been known to call her formidable, and she knew it was the truth.

She looked before she leapt. She paused before she preached. Not one move, not one word was made on some impulsive whim. (She'd leave that to Ty Lee, who always said the first thing that came to mind.)

So what was she doing on this gondola?

A quick skim over the events in the past five minutes made it clear enough on the most basic of levels: she had been arguing with Zuko, and he escaped. She followed, and, realizing he was in danger, had helped. When they needed a hostage, she let herself play the part because every second counted.

Yes, it made sense if you thought of it like that. Except Mai hadn't been thinking, not a bit. She ran, following Zuko even after everything he'd done to her, helping him despite his betrayal.

And now here she was, listening to the fight on the roof as her enemies fought her friends. And she didn't move to help.

She was on the gondola because she needed to save Zuko, traitor or not.

When in the process did she become a traitor, too?

If she went to the top of the gondola and fought, which side would she fight for? Everything she had ever known, ever thought, ever done, told her to fight for Azula. Azula wasn't a traitor; Azula was a friend. Mai couldn't betray her country, not like Zuko did. That would be wrong. That would...

Except she never cared about that. Politics were one of the items on Mai's Things To Pretend To Care About For The Sake Of Your Family. It was a short list, granted, but it was there.

And that was the thing, wasn't it? Mai didn't care about "spreading the Fire Nation's prosperity." She didn't care if the Earth Kingdom revolted, or if some important city was taken down. Heck, she didn't even care about the Avatar, of all people. She didn't join Azula because of patriotic pride, or because she wanted to fight for a worthy cause.

She joined Azula because she was bored.

For as long as Mai had known, she had felt mostly apathetic to the world. Everything was either dull or stupid, and if she didn't hate it, then she burned with utter indifference. She did was she was told because that was what she was told to do. She behaved because what else was there to do? Nothing held her interest, not truly, and not for long.

Except...

I don't hate you.

She closed her eyes. And breathed in the fumes of the boiling lake.

I don't hate you, too.

She hadn't said it then, because at the time she wasn't really sure what she was feeling. She wasn't even sure that she was feeling anything. But as time went on, she realized that she wasn't totally indifferent, after all. Because amidst all the things that bored her in time, there was one thing - one person - that had her clinging like a child the entire time.

You're so beautiful when you hate the world.

One by one, he had managed to pluck her heartstrings, making her start to really feel, for once.

I know one thing I care about.

He made her feel alive.

I care about you.

She hadn't said it then, either, because at the time she wasn't ready to admit, not even to herself, what she was feeling. But she did know she was feeling something.

For as long as Mai had known, she had felt mostly apathetic to the world.

And then Zuko had returned.

It shouldn't have hurt, when he left. He had been banished before, and it didn't hurt. And yet the moment she read the paper, that one, flimsy, STUPID piece of paper-!

She had wanted to scream.

But she couldn't move.

Dear Mai, I'm sorry you that you have to find out this way

No.

But I'm leaving.

HOW COULD HE THINK THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH?

Moron.

The day she read the letter was the day she first experienced overwhelming emotion. Her mind was a scattered mess, her hands shook, with fury and pain and hurt and shock and betrayal and everything she didn't know she had inside her-

The fight continued on top of the gondola.

The truth was, she had always known which side she would pick if she went up on that roof. But her mind couldn't even formulate the words. She couldn't bear to admit it.

(Once upon a time, Mai tolerated that which bored her. But now she sometimes felt like she couldn't breathe.)

"There's the warden's niece! I see her!" The shouts of the guards were growing more and more distant as the gondola tugged her further away from her past, from everything she had known.

Mai bowed her head.

"Someone get her back!"

The voice of her uncle.

"But sir-"

Maybe it was okay to admit

"NOW!"

that she had fallen in love.

Her hand drifted toward her shuriken.

Okay, so right now, I don't intend on continuing this story. It's not that I don't want to, but just that I want to write some other fics, too.

But here's the deal: If/when this story gets at least 20 follows, I'll continue it. Reviews asking me to continue count as 1 extra point, and if it's an honest, thoughtful, significant review, it counts as 4. (Yes, I'm aware this little system is stupid, but whatever. I'm not going to keep writing unless people show me they want me to; there's a lot of stuff on my plate I could be doing instead. I'm not fishing for reviews. If nobody reviews and follows, that's fine. Less work for me.)