Nine Years Earlier…
"I think your brother's cute," Mai whispered to Azula as they watched Zuko practice his Firebending forms for the upteenth time that morning.
"Zuko? Really, Mai?" Azula turned to look Mai full in the face as if she wasn't sure if Mai was being serious or joking. No one likes her brother. Her own father didn't at least.
"Yeah. Why do you find that weird?"
"It's just that he's a little pathetic thing. He's not good at anything. Even my father will agree with me."
"Shut up, Azula. He's sweet."
"Then why don't you tell him that you like him?"
"I can't just go up to him and tell him something like that."
"Like what?" They weren't paying attention to his practice and didn't know that his uncle let him have a break.
"Oh nothing, Zu Zu. Just that Mai really likes you."
Mai just stood there looking at Azula in shock. She had told him. Mai thought that she could trust her. She thought wrong apprently.
"Oh." Zuko brushed his hand up and down the backside of his head. He had no idea what to say to that. "Umm… I have to go. I think I hear Uncle calling me." He turned and ran as fast as he could from the two girls.
"See. I told you he was pathetic. He can't even talk to you without running away."
Mai didn't say anything back to her. She just glared at her, but Azula did nothing. Mai had wanted her to do something. She had been looking for an excuse to use her new knives ever since she got them for her seventh birthday just the week before. Mai calmed herself before things got too out of hand.
"You now nothing about him, Azula."
"You don't either. You're not his sister like I am. I'll know more about him than you will ever learn."
"Try me."