Sanity

A/N: So it's another Maiko oneshot that I couldn't help writing. I can't get enough of them! Anyway, hope you enjoy this random, mostlikelylame little piece I came up with at 4am.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Bryke owns all.

"And these are your personal chambers. It's customary for the Fire Lady to have her own audience and day rooms."

Cool air hit Mai as she quietly stepped into her private rooms with a touch of wonder in her eyes at the sheer luxury that she was faced with, amber eyes flicking to meet Zuko's as he loosely held her hand in his. The young Fire Lord couldn't contain the smile that tugged at his lips from the pride he felt, showing his new Fire Lady the rooms that he had personally commissioned for her, complete with a target room for her shuriken-jitsu and a library full of her favorite volumes. It had taken a while, but the palace personnel had managed to place the finishing touches just before their wedding day.

"The library is behind that sliding screen, your practice room is there, and I also had a passageway constructed so that you have constant access to my study," he murmured, gesturing to a rich, pale red wall where a subtle panel could be found behind a tapestry, granting her access to him at all times. This was the set of rooms that she would be spending much of her time in when he was working. He tugged her into the center of the main room, allowing her to take a closer inspection.

Mai's eyes traveled around the richly decorated room that shimmered with brand-new, dark furniture and shades of comforting red and gold accents. Tall, elegant windows looked out onto her personal gardens, shrouded in sheer silk drapes that would let in the sunlight in the loveliest way, opening onto a wide terrace where she could see herself taking tea with Zuko. Through a wide archway, she could see a room containing a small daybed, a complete vanity set accompanied by a plush bench and a few inviting settees and chaises scattered before a large, brimming wall of books.

"Zuko, it's perfect," she whispered, turning to look at him with appreciative eyes. She loved it, and she loved all the thought he had put into the rooms. He remembered the little things she enjoyed, such as the large arrangement pure white orchids and daffodils that graced a side table, and he had taken the liberty of retrieving her favorite tea set and books from her house.

"As long as you approve of it, that's all I need." Zuko gently kissed her cheek, arms wrapping around her waist and lacing their fingers together when her hands lowered to touch his.

"Today was the most perfect day of my life, I can't ask for anymore," Mai smiled, lightly touching his lips with hers and turning in his grasp to hug him.

"The tour doesn't end here, Lady Mai. There's one more room you have to see," he replied, with the faintest tone of suggestiveness in his voice that caused her eyes to sparkle and cheeks and flush ever so slightly.

"Don't keep me waiting, Fire Lord Zuko," she declared, pulling away and taking both his hands before tugging him to the exit of the chambers. A grin quirked Zuko's lips as he let her drag him, only to scoop her up into his arms once they were out in the wide, warmly lit hallways and running toward their personal wing of the palace. The occasional servant stared wide-eyed at their Fire Lord and Lady, surprised at their vigor and state of unrestrained joy.

"Looks like someone's excited," muttered a guard, nudging his fellow with a smirk before setting off to their posts.

Mai laughed quietly as he came to a halt and set her down on her feet, a large smile on his face. It was rare to see him so happy, and it made her happy to know that their wedding day brought him such joy. The pair of them had stopped in front of a carved set of dark doors, and Zuko took the elegant handle in his hand, twisting and pushing.

She had thought that her rooms were quite the lavish spectacle, but all that was wiped off her mind as she took in the Fire Lord and Fire Lady's chamber, the most breathtaking, authoritative room Mai had ever seen besides the Throne Room and Coronation Plaza.

"Oh…," she breathed in wonder at the absolute magnificence of the bedchambers, the richness of every piece of fabric, furniture and objet d' arts within it. A richly carved canopy bed hung with white mesh and muslin rested on a raised platform, and there was another vanity set, even more elaborate than the one in her dayroom. The mirror was edged in subtle gold, and there were dozens upon dozens of toiletries, hairbrushes and perfumes dotting the surface of the table with pots of kohl and the subtle red shade that Mai used on occasion. It was everything that she could ever envision a woman needing for her toilette, and an awed gasp was cut off before it came out when she opened the drawers, revealing trays and trays of combs and hair pins of all types.

Mai began to wander the room as Zuko pulled his hair out of its formal topknot, ruffling his shaggy, dark hair and putting away his crown. Opening a closet to reveal an exquisite collection of gowns and robes, her fingers caressed the cool, smooth textures that were decorated in flames, scroll designs and more simple patterns.

"Wow," she whispered, closing the door before moving to sit at the vanity and touching the hair accessories lightly.

"Some of the pieces belonged to my mother and Fire Lady Ilah before her. Even as far back as Lady Miran two centuries ago," Zuko nodded, now relaxed in a casual tunic and pants. And Mai would be a part of the legacy of Fire Ladies.

"They're beautiful, Zuko."

His fingers began to gently remove the gold flame that ornamented Mai's topknot, setting it onto the table and brushing out the lustrous dark hair skillfully, a routine they had developed a while ago. She hummed in bliss as his fingers massaged at her scalp, taking away the slight ache that came from the tight hairstyle her hair had been pulled into for the wedding ceremony and dinners. His lips soon replaced his hands, and Zuko's lips trailed along the shell of her ear to her jawline, causing Mai's eyes to fall closed as she involuntarily arched her neck. "You're beautiful."

His kisses quickly spread along her collarbone as he undid the buttons of her bodice and pushed the material off to bare her shoulders. Pushing him away gently, Mai stood and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his mouth flush against hers as he continued to disrobe her, hands roving her curves. Zuko's lips were pliant, silky and focused as their kisses became longer, more drawn out. A hand came to cradle the back of her head as his tongue slipped between her permissive lips.

Mai gasped between his lips and her fingers tensed on his back, tremors of warmth running up her spine as her lips sought out more contact, which he granted easily. Pulling her tightly against his strong frame, Zuko backed up toward the bed a few feet away, sitting on it and pulling her between the spaces of his thighs as his teeth gently pulled at her bottom lip. The layers of her robes fell to the rich wood flooring, and only a thin white shift was left. He could see every little line and curve of her, the swell of her breasts and arc of her waist, and his breath caught slightly. Mai's hands splayed on his thinly covered chest as she leaned into him, half-lidded eyes and parted lips.

"Are you trying to make me lose my sanity?" she rasped, nails gently digging in. A smirk touched Zuko's features as one hand clamped on her waist and tugged her even closer, pressing her against him.

"Don't deny that you enjoy it, Mai."

"And if I do?"

Zuko crushed his mouth to hers heatedly, no longer gentle as he was before but bridled with a heightened degree of passion, his kisses punctuated with words murmured against her swollen lips. "Then… you better prepare yourself because that won't be a quarter of what I can do for you."

A shiver shook Mai at his words, and she trailed her fingers under his shirt, hands feeling the faint contours of his strong chest and causing him to stiffen in pleasure. "Don't just say it, do it."

His fingers brushed along her elegant collarbones, dragging down the sleeves of the shift to reveal more of her as the silk pooled around her feet and exposed her whole body to him. The cool air sent tremors up Mai's spine, and she wasn't at all perturbed by the fact that she was completely exposed in front of him, having never been fully unclothed with him until now. She was past modesty now. Zuko's breath caught in his throat at the sight of her, hands trailing down her sides admiringly as desire inflamed him. His fingers continued to explore the pale, exquisite form, drifting between the valley of her pert breasts and tracing patterns on her back and waist, feeling the dimples indented in her lower back.

Mai arched into Zuko, hands pulling at his tunic until he pulled it over his head and dropped it to the floor, revealing his strong, toned torso to her delighted response. She dropped kisses down onto his neck as she pushed him onto his back, straddling him and blushing as she felt the source of his excitement through the soft material of his sleep pants. Her lips met his lingeringly, and a muffled groan escaped him as his teeth grazed her lip lustfully, stemming from the way she shifted above him. Zuko's traversing fingers curved the swell of her breasts, thumbs rasping against them and drawing an appreciative hum from Mai.

Suddenly taking her arms, Zuko shifted and pushed her flat against the sheets with desire-addled eyes that were almost predatory, and it made Mai prickle with warmth and anticipation as his intensely gold eyes drilled into hers for a moment. His grip was strong, almost bruising, but she found that she liked it.

Her lower abdomen began to burn with want, strong, undiluted desire that was spreading like a wildfire, the likes of which Mai had never felt once in her life until that moment. She could feel Zuko pressing against her, and spirits, she didn't know how much she would be able to take until she would combust. Her hips bucked against him, and Zuko had a bite down a growl as he began to swiftly kiss his way down her long, perfect body, leaving burning spots where his lips had touched. Mai arched again as a quiet whimper of pleasure escaped her lips and mingled in the slowly warming air. She felt too tight for her skin, getting so warm that it was almost unbearable.

His tongue flicked against her center suddenly, and the shock of it sent Mai's head arching back as a loud gasp emitted from her lips.

"Spirits, Zuko!" A prideful grin curved Zuko's lips as he slipped a single finger into her, dragging another sharp gasp from her that turned into a quiet, prolonged moan as his scorching hot mouth lowered again. He continued his ministrations with fervor, changing paces to the point where she was almost threatening him for torturing her and she bucked against him, fingers digging into his scalp in an almost painful manner as they knotted his hair and pulled his head in even closer. Mai felt her body stiffen, her insides clenching and burning, and then a rush of relief as her lips parted in a silent release of pent up tension. Her breaths came in short spurts, sweat dotting her forehead as her hands caressed his face and pulled him down to kiss him, not minding at all that she could taste the remnants of his activities.

With eyes blurred over in lust, Mai watched Zuko as he unfastened his pants and kicked them off impatiently before lowering over her again, tenderly kissing her cheek before taking a hold of one of her long legs and wrapping it around his waist. Her other leg followed automatically and she closed her eyes in expectation, clutching at his back. A groan left his lips as he aligned himself and undulated into her, met with a gasping whimper from his Fire Lady that set his desires aflame all over again. The couple was still for a few moments, reveling in the feeling of melding together and looking at each other with eyes that spilled over with the amount of emotion held in them. Mai trailed her fingers along his cheek before raising her hips to snap against his, and then he moved in a way that sent her reeling and unraveling right before his eyes. His face buried itself into her sweet-smelling neck, muttering her name and promising all the things that would happen that night, which only served to propel Mai towards another breathtaking release. Zuko and Mai both held their breath in increments, broken with exclamations and orders from Mai that encouraged Zuko to roll onto his back and pull her along with him.

Marveling in her newfound control, Mai surprised Zuko with her vigor and prowess as she handled the situation according to what she wanted, drinking in the sight of a submissive Zuko that thrilled her incredibly. A hiss and growl left Zuko's clenched teeth when he met his finish, and he hungrily took in the sounds of her delight as Mai tightened above him and spasmed with her own release, falling onto him with unsteady breaths as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Don't tell me you didn't enjoy that," Zuko murmured, hands trailing down her back.

"I think you should try harder, Zuko," Mai replied lazily, not wanting to admit that she did actually enjoy it.

"Care for another round, then? You'll regret saying that."

What a lame ending. :c Anyway, if you guys have any ideas for more oneshots, let me know. I'd love to use them and write some requested stories!