Okay, so I'm reallyrusty at Maiko, so this is just a warm up for me. Please deal with me and ignore all my spelling mistakes and such as that. Flames are more than okay to give, so enjoy (or not) the fic.


THE LAST GOODBYE

There were no more good byes. They were on their last one. One that meant no turning back.

They had been going out for a total of two long years. Off and on, as soon and as fast as the flicker of a candle.

"Why don't you care?!" Zuko yelled, shooting a fireball at her.

"I do care!" She screamed, throwing a metal star at him as she dodged the fast moving flame, Zuko just barely moving in time to avoid sudden death of her silver weapon.

"How?! When was the last time you 'cared'?! When did you think about me? About us?!"

"I care now!"

Three darts glided in the air towards him, a stroke of fire towards her.

Zuko smirked in the seinging of her sleeve, leaving a blistering forearm to leave her in pain.

"Idiot." He heard her mutter, as he realized a dart had landed it's self in his arm, a special poison turning his left arm numb.

"Guess it's a good thing I'm right handed!"

--

Last week.

Had it really been last week?

It had.

Mai.

Mai and him had been together for more than two months, no breaking off, no nothing.

But now he realized why they had been going back and forth, pushing the other away.

It was their wall of un-breakable secrets, both not willing to let the other in until they confessed.

--

"I hate you!" Mai shouted at him. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!"

With every "hate" a new weapon came spinning out at him, leaving Zuko just enough time to fire bend them away or dodge.

"I think you're only saying that because you love me so much it hurts, 'cause it hurts like hell to me!" Zuko roared, his vocal cords about to rip over their hours of fighting.

"I hate your angst!"

"I hate you being emotionless!"

"Grow up!"

"Get over yourself!"

Fire and weapons flew across the air, leaving the palace courtyard a complete mess as fire burned the grass and pointed knives sprawled themselves across the walls.

"You've never loved me!" She yelled at him, a dagger flying from her ankle as she kicked towards him, only to be knocked to the ground to dodge his flaming hand.

"I've always loved you!" Zuko called out to her as she rolled away to stand up as he tried shooting flames at her.

"Than tell me!"

"Show me some emotion! Do you have any?!" Zuko roared, missing her by inches as red hot flames devoured some cherry blossoms on the small growing tree.

"You want emotion?!" She screamed, throwing more darts and stars at him by random, losing all strategy in her furry towards him, tears running down her face. "This is emotion! I hate that we fight and I hate that I can't just tell you everything like I want to! Why can't I trust you?!"

"Because I can't trust you!" A bolt of lighting missed her like he wanted it to. "Why do you always keep yourself to yourself?! Do you know how many times I've come so close to telling you something only to be shut down by my own stupid pride?!"

"Than get over it!" She yelled.

"I'm trying! What's your excuse?!" He shouted.

"I'm scared!"

"Of what?!"

"Of telling you that I love you!"

"I hate saying that I love you too!"

Mai fell to the ground as Zuko sat on a near by bench, the only sound around them were the flames licking at the trees and flowers.

Had...had they really just confessed?

"Mai, I think I love you."

Mai looked at him, her mascara smeared down her cheeks, her clothes ripped at the ends, and her once perfectly done hair in shambles.

She'd never looked more beautiful.

"Mai." Zuko cooed gently to her, coming to put his arms around her, gently putting his head next to hers, check to check in silent understanding.

"Mai, I...I want you to marry me."

She looked up at him with wide eyes, an actual expression of shock upon her face.

She'd never looked more beautiful.

"But...what about-"

"You can tell me everything in time. I'll wait, but you have to make me the same promise to me."

Mai smiled, the first time she had in a long, long time.


The end.