A/N: A short drabble about Mai. Enjoy.
I'm sorry.
You left me a note. It left me in tears. I glanced at the two words again, ignoring the sudden thudding of my heart; the sinking of my stomach.
I'm sorry.
How ironic. What would you be sorry for? Shouldn't I be sorry? Should I have realized that you weren't happy?
I don't know when I'll be back. If I'll be back.
No. No. Come back to me, Zuko. If not for them, then for me.
I need to do this.
No, you don't. I need you not to do this. I need you here. I'm sorry.
Your sister walks in. She grabs the note from me, clicking her tongue and looking amused at the sight of my wet face.
"You poor thing. You must've thought he cared." Her sarcastic tone bites me, makes me flinch.
She reads the note again, and crumples it in her hand, throwing it to the ground. A small cry escapes my throat.
"Come now, Mai, you can't be serious."
"So what if I am? What's it to you, Azula?"
"Nothing, really. I hate to see you mope over my so-called-brother. I'm not sorry he's gone."
"How can you say that? He was your brother!"
"Didn't act like one. But no matter, I'll leave you to your pathetic tears. Nothing like a good cry to show your weakness."
"I - "
"Sorry, Mai, I've already lost interest in your little sob story. We're going out to hunt the Avatar again in a few weeks. Get yourself together – I won't have you moping throughout our trip."
She flips her hair around her shoulder and walks out, smirking. She pauses at the door, not even turning to look at me as she says airily, "He won't come back. And if he does, he won't be welcomed."
Bitch.
We find the Avatar only days after we start our search, hidden in an ancient Air Temple. He wasn't hard to find; his stupid bison left trails everywhere. He is sitting with the earthbender, talking animatedly about something.
Azula is the first to strike. A hot trail of lightning streaks from her fingers and misses the boy by mere inches.
He's up in an instant, in fighting stance. His glider is in his hand, and he sends a burst of air in our direction. I jump over it, and fire three well aimed knives at his direction.
The blind earthbender realizes what's going on and before anybody can move, a solid wall of rock has risen out of nowhere, making my knives useless.
Mindless fighting ensues as Azula fires enough lighting to blast a hole through the rock and as the Avatar continues to dodge Azula's, Ty Lee's, and my attacks simultaneously.
And all of a sudden, I see him.
He jumps out from behind one of the many statues in the temples, along with the waterbender. Both pause for a second, taking in the scene in front of them. Then Zuko shoots the girl another fleeting look, and springs into action, shooting a burst of fire large enough to knock Ty Lee and Azula off their feet. With a snarl, Azula picks herself up of the ground and starts toward her brother, but is distracted as she's hit with a water whip and thrown off her balance again.
And then we're facing each other. I look into his golden eyes, filled with uncertainty as he looks at me. I feel my arms sinking down, my fighting stance vanishing as I look at him. But he turns his head and looks at the waterbending girl again, and I finally understand that he is no longer mine to care about. He turns again to me, now strong and resolute, as he whispers to me.
"I'm sorry, Mai."
And then he strikes.
A/N: My first Avatar fic – I've just recently developed an obsession with it, and this just came to mind one day. Angst!Mai is fun to write – and as you can see, even in a Mai centric, I'm still an avid Zutara shipper. Read and review, please!