Edit Oct. 31.2011-Fixed a glaring typo and finally put in those line breaks. That's all.
This started out as a cute little three page one-shot. Then it became five pages. Then ten. Then nineteen. And I then forced myself to stop. It morphed into something I had never tried before. And I probably won't try again. Jeez, this became so complicated. But, I do like feedback.
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender
Mai is six when she gets a new friend. Kind of. When the Southern Water Tribe girl first came to Mai's house, she was bathed and washed until her skin was pink and raw, as if they were trying to wash the darkness from her skin. Mai wasn't allowed near her at the time, but while the servants wrestled the girl into the tub, she peeked around the corner until her nanny caught and ushered her away.
The girl was dressed in Mai's older clothes-she was younger by a year and three months-and her thick, brown hair was cut off to make it more manageable. Either way, Mai found her quite ugly at first. Her hair was thick and wavy, and kind of nappy. Her skin was dark. And her fingernails were short. They couldn't do much about her skin color, though, but her fingernails would grow out and the servants could force her hair to be straight.
For the first few days she lived with Mai's family, the little girl did nothing but scream and cry, and beat at the servants when they tried to touch her. She would holler "Muhma!"And claw at the walls when Mother locked her in the room. Mai saw that part, and she knew the girl saw her, too, because she looked at her before the door was closed. All she could hear was "Muhma! Muhma!" Whatever that meant.
Father threatened to send the girl away to a much meaner family if she didn't behave. "I don't know why we were chosen to do this; it's obvious those heathens can't be civilized. We should send her where she ought to go." Mai listened from the corner that she had been told to sit in.
Mother made a tsk noise. "No, we should keep her. She's only a baby, and who knows, she might be worth something when she's older. Remember, she's a barbarian princess, the daughter of their chief. She might be a savage child, but we can erase those habits. She even speaks our language, but she has that terrible accent." Mai didn't say anything, because she wasn't supposed to.
On the fifth day, the crying and loud screaming stopped. Mai reckoned the girl's throat was raw and the nanny had made her shut up. When she was finally allowed in the nursery again-she had to sleep in Mother and Father's side room since the girl came-she saw her nanny cradling the girl like she was a baby, singing softly and swinging her around. Mai watched from a corner as the sniveling girl was then dressed in a pretty red dress. Until then, she had worn Mai's old dresses, but this one was new and had ribbons on the hem.
It was the next day, nearly a week after the girl's arrival, when Mai decided to approach her. Or rather, Mother had told her to talk to the girl and try to get her to talk to someone. She had also told her that the girl's new name was Chiyoko. Mai didn't understand why they would name her that, because they were obviously in a war with the rest of the world.
She found the girl sitting on the patio at the back of the house, looking out into the garden. Mai didn't like gardens; they were too green and had bugs in them, but there were speckled lilies and those were kind of pretty. The girl-Chiyoko-was staring out at the small pond that lay in the middle of the setting, but she looked up with Mai sat beside her.
"Why is your skin so dark, don't you live on ice?" Mai asked her that moment she sat down. She says this nonchalantly, looking off to the side. The nanny had painted her nails red, and they were just drying. The girl turns to her.
The younger, darker girl narrowed her eyes, "Why is your skin so pale? You live where it's so hot." She retorted without lifting her head, but it's almost as though she knows Mai is lost. "The sunlight burns here, but all of you look like spirits."
"Everyone thinks you're ugly." Mai says blatantly. Pretty people in the Fire Nation are pale skinned, long legged, golden eyed, black haired, and thin lipped. They aren't dark or blue eyed like this girl. Before the girl came, Mai had never seen blue eyes before. "But you can't help it, you can't help you were born among barbarians. At least, that's what my mother said. Your name is Chiyoko, right?" She says this all in two breaths, because Mother said less is more.
To her surprise, the girl looks up and her nostrils flare. She grabs Mai by her shoulders and shakes her, "No!" Her voice is accented, "My name is Katara! My name is Katara and I'm from the Southern Water Tribe." She releases Mai and looks off to the side, "Momma said to never forget," She whispers.
Mai wonders how the girl came here anyway, but she doesn't ask. Instead she blinks and lets her fury roll over her before speaking, "Sure. But your name is Chiyoko because Father and Mother said so. My name is Mai. Your name is Chiyoko. We've met. We've talked. The end." But even as she says this, she makes no motion to move or leave.
Chiyoko-Katara, whatever-stared out at the garden for a moment. "Where I come from, there is snow and ice…and good food. My momma and my daddy, they're there…and Sokka. My Sokka. Good people, everybody is nice." Her voice is distant, "Nobody forces me to wear ugly clothes, and it's never this hot. We can play when we want to. And my name is Katara…" She turned back to Mai, grabbing her knees, "Say it. Say my name, please?"
"Chiyo-" She stopped, "Katara." Mai corrected herself. It sounded horrible, coming out of her mouth the way it did, but it obviously pleases the girl. Mai decides the name isn't that bad, and she decides to call her that in private and in her head. Katara grins and a fleeting smile crosses her own lips. Perhaps this girl isn't so bad.
"Chiyoko is here because she was adopted from her tribe, along with the other children there. The Fire Lord wondered if those savages and heathens can interact with civil people. Knowing those barbarians, they probably haven't even realized she's gone. They are so dense." Mai hears her mother speaking to her father one night when she was creeping into the kitchens. Katara is sleeping in her own little bed next to Mai's in their room. "She doesn't talk to anyone except for Mai."
Which is true. Chiyoko-Katara-has lived with Mai's family for nearly two weeks now, and she still fights the servants and bites the nanny when she tries to spray perfume on her. She screams loudly at Mother when she tells her to do something, and throws things at Father when he threatens her with the leather strap he bought specifically for her. One day, one of the servants swatted her across the rear with it and she scratched the woman across the face. It has been two weeks and she has destroyed more things than Mai could ever dream of messing up. The only time she behaves is with Mai, which is fine with her. She doesn't like to see the girl get punished, so she keeps her with her most of the time.
"Why do you fight?" Mai once asked her when she had ripped up onto of Father's scrolls after the nanny swatted her across the back of her legs. "It doesn't help any, and doesn't it hurt?"
Katara had nodded, but her blue eyes were glinting in the light, shining with fury and defiance. "I fight because I can. I fight because they can't control me." She raised her gaze to Mai's and her face is contorted, "I fight because they can't erase me."
Mai understands.
By the time a month passes, Mother has decided it's time to teach Katara how to be respectful. Mai has already learned these things, and to keep Katara from misbehaving too much, she is told to sit on the wall so that her presence can comfort her.
She sits unnoticed by her mother as the woman struggles to show Katara how to bow and sit straight, and how to bat her eyes and other stupid things that nobility do. Mai finds it amusing when Katara proclaims she's hungry and Mother ignores her, so the girl closes her eyes and refuses to move. This irritates Mother, though, and she orders a servant to bring her the leather strap.
Mai watches as Mother took Katara's arm and jerked her around. "You're being a very bad girl!" Mother says and brings the leather strap down, but before it could hit her, Katara grabs the strap from Mother's hands with surprising strength and hits her across the forehead, leaving an angry red mark. Mai would have found it humorous, but it wasn't so funny when Mother took Katara over her knee and spanked her until her face was red and wet from crying.
After that, Katara was given her snack and the lessons went on without event.
Six months finally come and go. Mai is disappointed to discover that Katara is becoming more and more like her. She enjoyed watched the girl rebel, because she always did the things that Mai wanted to do, but was too scared to. She was becoming silent and obedient, playing with the dolls that Mother bought her. Mai shows her how to read Fire Nation script, but when she teaches her how to write it, Katara's characters are sloppy and malformed, but she's getting better.
And then Father has invited "associates" over for a dinner party. Mai's mother threatens them both with punishment if they aren't on their best behavior. Mai is told to put on her prettiest red and gold dress that reaches just below her knees. A thick black ribbon is wrapped around her waist and her hair buns are dressed in new ribbons, too. Katara is outfitted in a similar black and gold dress, with lace fingerless gloves and her hair is pulled in a topknot.
They are ordered to stand beside Mother and Father with their heads down unless someone spoke to them. People talk to Father and ignore them, as if they are statues that are meant to be glanced at then forgotten. But there are some nobles, though, that acknowledge them. And Mai hates it.
"This is your new girl, Ichiro? Isn't she just so sweet and adorable?" A nobleman's wife bent down to Katara's height and tugged at her cheeks, grinning. "And so well behaved! Look at her," Mai blinked in sympathy for the younger girl, who looks as though she wants to slap the woman. "It makes me want a little Water Tribe girl, too. And look at Miss Mai, aren't you so big and pretty!"
Mai has never seen the woman before in her life. But she knows the game of nobility; compliment others but throw insults at the same time. She sees it in the woman's eyes and she glares as the woman strolls away. Her mother, Ayame, pats her head to show she's done well.
"What adorable little girls." "So lovely." "You would never know she was one of them if it wasn't for her skin." The comments about Mai and Katara go on and on. So do the hours. Mai is bored and she can tell Katara is tired, because her friend's eyelids are steadily dropping with each passing hour.
She tugs lightly on her mother's skirts, looking up pleadingly. "Please, can Katara and I sit down? My feet hurt and Chiyoko is sleepy." She winced as her mother glared down at her, eyes furious. "Please, we're tired."
Ayame bends down, whispering fiercely in Mai's ear. "Listen, Mai, if you or Chiyoko ruin this for your father, you'll never get anything again. Ever. Now take Chiyoko out to the garden and make she doesn't wander off or fall into the pond. And don't make too much noise."
Her name is Katara. Mai thinks before she grabs Katara's hand and slipping towards the back of the house where the garden was, as unnoticed as always.
It is ten months after Katara's arrival when Mai learns something new about her. She hasn't had a spanking in four months, and she's a fast learner. Mai quite likes her, because she's easy to talk to. And when she turned six, it was decided that she and Mai will go to the academy together. Luckily, that wouldn't be too long to wait, since the new school year started in just a few weeks. Mother and Father want them to be in the same year, so Katara will behave around other children.
And then, Mai learns that Katara was a waterbender.
Mai discovers this when she is sitting by the small pond in the middle of the garden. Katara is kneeling on the bank, following the path of a whiskered tigerfish with her finger, just skimming the surface. Mai was reading an adventure story, engrossed in the tale.
But then, there is a loud splash. Mai looked up to see one of the fish flopping on the ground and Katara holding a bubble of water in midair, a frightened expression on her face. "Mai, look what I can do!" She blinked as the water burst and splattered over her clothes. "I can waterbend!"
No. Mai gulped, looking towards the patio door. Fortunately, no one was there. Mai rose, throwing her scroll on the ground and crossed the distance as Katara slipped the fish back into the pond. "Katara," She said, taking her adopted sister's wrists, "Don't do that. Don't try to waterbend again. They'll take you away, I know they will!" Despite herself, her voice has risen in pitch and her grip around her friend's hands tighten, "Don't waterbend, they'll take you away."
Katara looks at her and blinks, biting her bottom lip. "But…then I won't be able to do anything. And I don't care if they take me away; I didn't remember I could waterbend until I looked at the water. I don't even remember what my home smells like, Mai. I don't remember my mother's face, or my father's scent! I can't even recall Sokka's voice!"
Mai held her shoulders, "You don't have to remember. Because it's in your heart, no matter if your mind forgets. And that's not your home anymore, Katara. This is your home. Got it? This is where you live; besides…it's boring when you're not around."
When the first day of school comes, Mai is suddenly dreading it. She would be away from the quiet of her home and the other girls were probably loud. On the other end, Katara was nearly foaming at the mouth in excitement, wanting to meet new people and get new friends. They are dressed in identical school uniforms, including new shoes and ribbons. Katara even allowed the nanny to paint her nails.
"Don't you two look so sweet!" Ayame said, genuinely happy that she had kept the Water Tribe heathen for so long. "Remember to be on your best behavior…Chiyoko, and Mai, make sure your sister eats all her lunch. Understood? And remember to be respectful, there are some important students attending this year."
"Yes, Mother." Mai dipped her head, "We understand." She reached for Katara's hand and squeezed it. "I promise to keep Katara well behaved, Mother. We'll make you and Father proud of us." Mai took a step forward. Ayame would walk with them to the gates of the academy, as was customary. She wanted to show them off to the other noble parents, to make them jealous, of course.
Katara walked several steps ahead of Mai, causing her to walk faster just to keep up. "I hope the teachers are nice." She said, looking back at her adopted sister, "And the girls are, too. I wonder if we are tested in physical things like running…are we? We can eat lunch together and with our new friends, too." She beamed, "That would be fun."
Mai nodded idly, "If you say so." It wasn't that she wasn't excited for school, because she was, but if the other girls were going to be at least half of what Katara was now, she would have a horrible time. "Stop jumping around like that, it's annoying. It's not like they're going to be much fun, anyway."
The Royal Fire Academy for Girls was a big complex, closed by an iron gate. Other neatly dressed girls are arriving at the school with their mothers, with parasols to protect their lily white skin. Mai sees a short girl with light brown hair, dressed in pink. She sticks out like a sore thumb, and she's walking on her hands. Her hands!
Ayame stops and gives her daughters a push. "Behave yourselves." She says once more, and because she's competing with the other mothers, she grins. "Have a wonderful time, girls. I love you." She turns on her heel and walks back in the direction she came.
Mai sighs and looks towards Katara, only to find that her sister is gone. "Katara?" She turned around, wondering if she had wandered away. "Katara, where did you go? Kat-" The girl bit her bottom lip, "Where did you…"
Katara had blazed across the green towards the girl clad in pink. Mai crossed the distance, relieved that she hadn't lost the younger girl. "Mai!" Katara cried, "This is Ty Lee! Ty Lee, this is my sister Mai." She grinned, "I'm Chiyoko."
The girl, Ty Lee, beamed. "Hi! You and your sister don't look alike, but that's alright. I wish I had a sister that didn't look like me, but all of my sisters look exactly like me," She rambled, "We're going to have so much fun this year!"
School hadn't even started yet and already Mai was scarred for life. This girl, this Ty Lee, grabbed Katara's hand in her right, and Mai's in her left. "Come on!" She cried, and Mai nearly tripped over her own feet as the girl dragged them towards the building. "We can check the rosters on each class, and it would be awesome if we're in the same class!"
Katara reached over and tugged on Mai's arm. "Mai…what's that?" She pointed at an approaching litter. It was decorated in black, gold, and red clothes that bore the Fire Nation insignia on each side. The litter was carried by four uniformed men, who looked as though they had been forced to do this task.
"That's a palanquin." Mai disambiguated, turning to watch the litter. It was that of the royal family. Someone in the royal family is joining us in school? As she watched, the palanquin was lowered and one of the men extended his hand. A small, perfectly manicured hand fit in his calloused one and down stepped a girl with her hair pulled in a Fire Nation topknot and a small golden flame tiara set in the bun.
"It's Princess Azula!" Ty Lee cried as the girl came closer. "She's Prince Ozai's daughter and brother to Prince Zuko." She beamed, "I didn't know she was in the same year as us! That's cool!" The princess held her head high and through the crowd, which parted automatically for her. "That would be awesome if we were in the same class."
Mai blinked and took Katara by her arm, "Come on, Chiyoko, we have to find our class before the bell rings." She said, and she sighs when Ty Lee tags along to their other side. The three of them enter the building and Ty Lee darts off to find a roster. Katara starts to run after her, but Mai tightened her grip on her arm, shaking her head. "Mother said to behave."
Katara's shoulders slumped but she sprang back to life as Ty Lee flew towards them. "Guess what, we're all in the same class! And the teacher looks pretty young, too. Oh, and Princess Azula is in our class, too!" The young girl squealed, "Come on, come on!"
She drags them towards a classroom. Near the door is the class roster and Mai can see a list of names. On the top of the page is "Princess Azula". Mai blinks and finds her own name just beneath Ty Lee's, in the middle of the list. Underneath hers is Katara's, only it is written as Chiyoko. Mai recognizes the surnames of several other noblemen, but she does not know any of these girls. She probably wouldn't like them anyway.
The teacher is nice. She is young and pretty, with light brown eyes and a beautiful smile. She tells them to address her as Madame Akira. And then she tells them what to expect this year, and her rules. Mai is seated beside Katara, and she can tell her adopted sister is nearly falling asleep. Madame Akira then tells everyone to stand and say one thing about themselves.
Princess Azula is first, and she turns to address the rest of the class. "I am a princess of the Fire Nation. That means one day, I'll rule over you all." She smiles sweetly and sits back down, her hands knitting together.
Mai doesn't listen to the other girls until it is Ty Lee's turn, where she states that she's the only one in her family who can do a triple backflip. Impressive. Mai thinks, and then it is her turn. She smoothed down her clothes and stared squarely at Madame Akira. "I don't like to talk." And she sits.
That causes the class to erupt into a symphony of giggles and whispers, some amused and some hating her already. Madame Akira shushes them, and points at Katara. "Hush, class, we must let out friend Chiyoko speak. Go ahead, Chiyoko."
Katara is surer than Mai was, and she has fixed the whole class in her glittering blue gaze. "I am from the Southern Water Tribe; I was adopted into Mai's family. She is my sister." Once again, the girls whisper to each other, but Katara doesn't seem bothered. She sits next to Mai, and smiles.
The rest of the girls state their facts, and Madame Akira then gives them each five sheets of writing paper. "On the first page, I want you all to write your thoughts so far. After that," She says with a sweet smile, "We can have out lunch and then go outside for a little physical activity!"
Mai sighed as the woman hand each of the girls a calligraphy brush and their own little jar of ink. She looked over at Katara, who had her tongue protruding from the corners her mouth. She was tempted to peek, but she would respect the girl's privacy. On the other hand, Mai couldn't think of what to write. This class is odd. And kind of boring. The end.
When she looks up again, she sees Princess Azula eyeing Katara as though she is a rare specimen. Mai is tempted to stick her tongue out at the girl, but the class mistress is watching her, so she ducks her head and bottles her curiosity for the rest of the time. In front of her, she can hear Ty Lee whispering to the girl she sits beside.
"You, Water Tribe girl," Mai hears the princess snap when they are preparing to go outside, just after their lunch time. Everything has gone by so quickly! "You're going to play with me. And your sister, too. Oh, and the girl in pink." She does not ask, and Mai thinks this girl has probably never asked for anything in her life, only demanded.
Katara is no fool, she knows better than to refuse. She takes Mai's hand as the Azula leads them out towards the yard, her head held high. "She's rude." Katara whispered in Mai's ear, shaking her head. "I don't want to play with her, Mai."
"Yeah, well, put up with it." Mai says and Ty Lee squealed again as she does a running cartwheel. "Maybe she'll think we're boring and find someone else to play with tomorrow." She moved towards a tree and Katara makes move to follow, but Azula grabs her arm and drags her, glaring at Mai from the corner of her eye.
Or not.
Mother does not ask how school was, she only asks what families there are, and Father can't be bothered. But they both perk up with Katara tells them that Princess Azula is in their class. Mai watches silently, eating her rice in observation. She understands what Mother and Father are getting at, and Katara does not.
"Oh, really?" Father says, now interested, and he looks at Mother with a look that Mai cannot quite decipher. "Is Princess Azula your friend now, Chiyoko?" Mai is surprised he remembers her name, for he has not spoken to Chiyoko in some time, the last being at the dinner.
Katara gives a priceless smile, but Mai can read her eyes and she knows it is false. "Oh, yes, Father! We had so much fun together at school today, Father." She batted her eyelashes and tilted her head slightly to the left. "And we have another friend named Ty Lee, as well."
Mai can tell that her parents don't want to hear about this girl. She isn't as important as the princess. "Mother, Father, can I be excused, please?" She looked down at her empty plate and then back up at her parents, a pleading look in her eyes. With a flick of her wrist, her mother dismissed her and Mai slipped down the hall towards the garden.
She sits on the patio, staring out at the pond. In the evening, the lightning bugs drifted across the surface and Mai thought they looked a little like stars that fell closer to her. She is dimly aware of Katara sitting next to her after a while, and they sit in a comfortable silence. Mai allows her shoulders to slump as her adopted sister drapes her arm across her back and rests her head on her side.
"Katara," Mai whispers softly, "I'm glad you came." She sighs and Katara shifts a little, moving her head to Mai's lap. "You're my best friend, and I'm glad you came here."
For a moment, Katara tenses. Then she turns her head to smile up at Mai, "I'm glad, too."
School has become a routine for Mai. Wake up in the morning, eat breakfast silently, walk to school with Katara, listen to Ty Lee's rambling, go to class, do the assignments, have lunch, watch Azula as she plays with Katara and Ty Lee, go back to class, go home, repeat. In the five months she has been in school, she already hates it. It is dreadfully boring after a while.
Then, an invitation from the Fire Nation palace arrives on a day there is no school. It is addressed to "Chiyoko and her sister Mai", and signed with Azula's name. Mother is nearly bursting with delight and she pats Chiyoko's head. They are to go today, and she must remind Katara to be on her best behavior, again.
Honestly, Mai doesn't want to go, and she can tell that Katara doesn't want to, either. But she sees Katara plaster a smile on her face as they leave with their mother practically pushing them out of the door. Mai restrains herself from grinding her teeth and she takes Katara's hand.
The walk to the palace is a short one, and the streets of the city are safe enough for two young girls to wander safety without the threat of someone snatching them. The worse that could happen to a child in the Fire Nation capital was that they accidently ran into the path of a cart.
"I don't want to play with Azula, Mai. I don't want to play with Azula and she knows it, that's why she sent this invitation." Katara says spitefully and she brushes her thick hair back over her shoulder. Some of it has been pulled into a topknot with a little red headpiece holding it in place.
Katara has been in the Fire Nation for a year and three months, and she has accepted Fire Nation more than Mai-who has lived in the Fire Nation since her birth.
The palace is bigger than Mai had ever expected. In fact, it's huge. So big that she can see it before they are even there. There is a great spire with the Fire Nation flag waving in the wind, inviting them in. Mai is impressed, but the whole complex is too flashy for her taste, with so much grandeur and gold. There are great golden gates that bar their way, guarded by tall, uniformed men.
As Mai approaches the gate, she holds up the invitation. "Princess Azula sent us here," She explains to the guard on the other side of the gate. "See…"
The guard is suddenly brushed aside as the little princess herself appears. "Let them in!" She snaps, grinning as the gates are swung open and her guests step into the palace grounds. "I thought you weren't coming!" She beamed, "Come on, Ty Lee is waiting in the garden." The princess grabbed Katara and Mai's hand.
Azula drags them through the complex-weaving through gardens and hallways alike-towards a garden that Mai finds is nearly identical to the one that her family has. There is too much green-again-and a wide pond where there is a tiny cluster of rocks that the water runs over. A taller, heavily leafed tree looms over the water and this is where Mai moves to sit. The sun is beaming on her neck, and her skin is fairer than others. She will burn but she is still too young to have her own parasol, for having such deemed you as a real lady, not a child.
Ty Lee-who had been doing splits by the water-leaped to her feet and threw her arms around Katara. Mai can see jealousy flicker in Azula's eyes before she pushes them both down. "Look what I can do!" She says, and from her fingertips comes a small blast of orange fire. "I'm a firebender! What about you, Chiyoko, can you bend?"
Katara bites her bottom lip and shot a glance at Mai as she stands. With a slight tilt of her head, Mai said silently: Lie. Her adopted sister straightened and shook her head. "No. I can't bend anything, except my back." She said cheekily and arched herself backwards in a move that Ty Lee had shown her.
Mai isn't sure if Azula is pleased with this answer or not, because then something catches her eye from the side. Staring at them from the palace entrance is a boy who doesn't look so much older than her. He has dark hair pulled into a high phoenix tail that moves gently when he turns his head. His eyes are the same color as Azula's, but they are different. His are soft and kind.
"What are you looking at, Mai?" Azula is suddenly standing in front of her, her hands on her hips. She follows her gaze towards where the boy was standing and frowns. "There's no one there," Azula says, rolling her eyes. "Stop daydreaming."
The girl peeked around Azula and frowns. The boy with the kind, sad eyes, has vanished. And she knows he was there, she saw him. But then Azula speaks again, this time to Katara. "You know what, Chiyoko, my brother Zuko says there is a Water Tribe who goes to school with him, too. I think he said his name was Gaikoku or something weird like that. Maybe he's related to you. Aren't you all related down there?"
Mai looked to her sister, wondering if she would have a reaction. But Chiyoko remains silent. Azula looks disappointed, but then she chases Katara and Ty Lee chases her and Katara chases Ty Lee until they are running in frantic circles. Mai watches them, and she watches the entrance of the palace in hopes of seeing the sad-eyed boy again. But she doesn't.
When the sun has started to make its way back to its hiding spot, Ty Lee states that she has to go home. The girl throws her arms around Azula in a binding hug before she leaves the garden, saying that she can let herself out. Mai takes this as time to leave as well, and she rises to her feet.
"We have to go home now, Princess Azula." She says as Katara runs up to her side. "We'll see you at school." The girl waves as Katara links her arms in hers. "Bye." Azula leads them back into the palace and through the hallways, because Mai was uncertain which way was the right way.
And then Mai sees him.
The boy is walking through the halls with a scroll in his calls out to them, and the boy turns. "Zuzu!" Azula cries, approaching the boy that is her brother. "Did you see my friends? Mai, Chiyoko, this is my dumb brother, Zuko. Zuzu, these are my friends."
Zuko meets her gaze, and smiles lightly. "Hi." He says shyly. "I saw you earlier, when you were sitting under the tree." He looked at Chiyoko, "You look like my friend at school, Gaikoku." He says before turning back to Mai, "Are you going home?"
"Yes, she is." Azula snaps and pushes the two girls forward. "They have to get back home before dinner. Bye, Mai. Bye Chiyoko." She cries as Mai tugs Katara forward. "I'll see you at school!" She says and Mai leads her adopted sister from the palace.
The guards held the gate open long enough for them to make it safely through and that's when Katara speaks. Her voice is quiet and Mai has to lean forward to hear her. "That boy that Azula told me about…that Gaikoku…do you think I could be related to him? I had a brother, Mai. Do you remember when I talked about my brother Sokka…could it be this Gaikoku?"
Mai could see the hopefulness in Katara's eyes. "No." She says simply, "Your brother Sokka is probably still at the South Pole. Or dead." The light in Katara's gaze fades, "It's probably true, Katara." She is lying. And she makes no move to tell the truth. Because if lying to Katara keeps her here, she'll do it. "But you have me."
"It's not…" Katara falls silent, looking away. "You're right." Mai could almost hear the words that followed: "But you're not Sokka." She knew that's what Katara was thinking, and as much as she couldn't blame her, she was angry. Sokka was gone. She was Katara's sibling now. "You like Prince Zuko, don't you? I saw your face turn pink! You want to be his friend! I don't blame you. He's pretty."
I wasn't expecting that. Mai bit her tongue to keep her outburst to herself. "Did you just say he was pretty?" She blinked, "You're not supposed to call boys pretty, Katara." She turned her head as something glinting against the cobbled ground caught her eye. "What's that?" The girl bent and picked it up, holding it gingerly away from her body. "It's…"
"A knife." Katara said, looking at the small blade. The thing was more like a razor, with a thin edge and a short point. "It's a tiny little knife, Mai. And it's clean." The former Water Tribe girl blinked and reached for it, but Mai jerked her arm away.
Indeed it was a clean, little, razor. It fit the whole length of Mai's hand from the tip of her middle finger to the beginning over her forearm. "Don't touch it." She says and holds it by the handle, drawing it closer. "It's light, like an arrow." And then, she throws it. The little blade rips through the air before landing with a clatter several feet away. Mai turned to Katara. "It's a throwing knife."
Katara darted to retrieve the knife before Mai could and presented it her sister. "Do it again, Mai!" She cried, pointing at a small sign. "Aim at that!" She stepped back as Mai moved forward just an inch, narrowing her eyes. "Hurry up, before someone sees us, Mai!"
"Don't rush me." Mai retorted before flicking her wrist. The blade glided through the air and landed just before the sign. "I tried." She said simply before moving to pick up the knife, "I wonder who dropped it though?" She knew Katara had no answer, but it felt good anyway. "I'm going to keep it."
The blue eyed girl looked up in wonder, "You are? But you have to hide it because Mother or Father wouldn't let you keep it if they saw it. And then both of us will get in trouble!" She cried as Mai began to walk around. "Just imagine their faces if they saw you throwing that! 'Mai, that's not ladylike!' 'Now, Mai, don't upset your mother'." She wrinkled her nose, "But sometimes you don't want to be a Fire Nation lady. Sometimes you just want to be someone who can do things that they want to do. And there are no rules that tell you how to sit, what fork to use...what your name is."
Mai is silent, because she agrees.
Mai is nine when her world changes again. Katara has been with her for over three years now, and has become more of a sister than a best friend. She doesn't criticize when Mai is practicing with the little knife they had found two years ago and misses. Instead, she helps point out angles and teases her about Prince Zuko. Who Mai does not like.
Okay, maybe a little.
Katara had forced her to admit it just a few weeks ago, when she had cornered Mai after school and said in her most serious voice: "You're a liar." And she had pressed her finger to Mai's chest and narrowed her eyes. "Just admit you like Zuko, before you make me sick to my stomach."
And so, Mai quietly admitted she had a crush. Prince Zuko sometimes played with them when they visited the palace, or rather, he played with Mai. And that was fine with her, because he was good company. And so was his mother, Princess Ursa, but she was older and kind of boring.
Zuko wasn't boring. He told her stories about the war that his uncle-who was a general and the Crown Prince-wrote in his letters. And when Azula wasn't watching, he would tell her that he didn't like being called Zuzu, and that wasn't as good as a firebender as Azula but he tried. Mai liked to listen to him, if only because he listened to her. It was good to have a real conversation with someone other than Katara from time to time.
She does not want to see Zuko in pain, ever. But she cannot shield him from the pain when his mother vanishes into the night. Mai does not totally understand the story, but she knows that the Crown Prince Iroh had withdrawn from the battle for Ba Sing Se in the Earth Kingdom because of the death of his son. After that, Azula's mother had made Azula cancel their invitations to the palace for a while.
The entire nation had been at unease for a whole week and then the Fire Lord was dead and Princess Ursa had vanished. Katara had overheard someone on the street saying that Fire Lord Azulon had changed his will at the last moment before he suddenly died from a hidden illness and Ursa had left before his body had been found. Suspicions rose but where quickly snuffed out when Ozai, Azula and Zuko's father, became Fire Lord.
The very next day, an invitation from Azula comes. Instead of leading them to whatever garden she wants to play in, however, she takes a different turn and takes them down a darker corridor. The princess doesn't speak and no one makes a move to. It is as if a reverent silence has fallen over the four girls. Then Mai realizes, she is taking them into the deeper wing of the palace.
"We're going to play hide and seek," Azula explains with a devious smile. "I'm going to count to one hundred, and then you're going to hide anywhere in the palace. Don't worry, you won't get lost." Ty Lee giggles as Azula covered her eyes and turns against the wall.
Both Ty Lee and Katara dart off in the same direction, but Mai decides to take a different path. She creeps as quietly as she can through the halls and hides behind a large statue of two dragons. The young girl crawled in the tight space between the statue and the wall.
And then she feels the brush of warm skin against her own. With a tiny gasp, Mai turns. She is squished up against Zuko so that her shoulder brushes his chest. "What are you doing in here?" She asks as Zuko scoots backwards, holding his breath.
"I should be asking you the same," Even though Zuko is her friend, he is a boy and she is never to be so close to boys because it wasn't appropriate. But she can't bring herself to move. "But I came here to think, if you want to know."
Mai rolls her eyes, "Behind a statue. You came to think behind a statue." She shifted her body to be pressed closer to the back of the dragon. "We're playing hide and seek, Azula's counting." She lifted her eyes to the ceiling once more, "Knowing Ty Lee and Kat-I mean Chiyoko, they're probably across the whole palace. She'll find them before she finds me."
Zuko looked at her, "You don't talk much." Mai shrugged at his comment and he continued, "It's been a week since Mom disappeared and no one has made a move to find her! She's gone and could be dying somewhere and all everyone is thinking about is…ugh!" He sighed, "Azula acts like it is a good thing that she's gone! What kind of sister would do that?" His golden eyes flickered, "There's a Water Tribe boy named Gaikoku, he used to talk about his sister one day, and how he would run away to find her. I don't think he will."
He won't find her. Mai thinks and then listens to the soft melody that is Zuko's voice as he tells her stories that have been passed down to him. He tells her about the Avatar, who had disappeared for nearly a century. He tells her about the Blue Spirit, which is a story she likes. A mysterious figure that does good things for people before slipping away into the night. And Zuko talks and talks.
Zuko talks until Azula, Ty Lee, and Katara burst upon them. Ty Lee giggles and says they are on a date. Mai sighs and Zuko takes off down the hallway. Azula laughs at Mai's embarrassment until Katara boldly tells her to shut up. And surprisingly, she does. With a growl, Azula grows quiet.
The world must be coming to an end.
It is only a few months later when Mai's life changes again. She and Katara are walking down the streets of the city, carrying a list of perfume that Mother need delivered. It is a servant's task, but Katara had insisted on doing it. Mai has also secretly brought a small set of knives to practice with; or rather the old nanny had bought them for her from her own pay, because Mai was so obedient. They were hidden under her bed, with the exception of one that was strapped to her calf by a dark ribbon. She had jabbed herself with it once, in her thigh.
Katara is jabbering away and Mai listens. Then, her sister's incessant chatter is stopped abruptly. Her blue eyes are glued to a tall, brown skinned boy who is carrying a crate while a lady walks behind him, carrying a parasol.
The boy happens to look up and the crate he holds suddenly crashes to the ground. The woman lets out a cry of surprise, "Gaikoku!" Her voice is shrill, "Come back here, Gaikoku, or I'll tell your father!" She stands by the crate, her parasol tilted back so she can see.
"Katara!" The boy, Gaikoku, cries and runs towards her. He stops in front of them, and Mai can see that he is her age, but he is lanky and obviously a boy. "Katara, it's me!" He reached for Katara's shoulders and pulled her towards him, "It's me! Sokka! Your brother!" His blue eyes shift to Mai before sliding back to Katara's. "Don't you remember me? It's been three years since they took us away from Mom and Dad! Three years! I know it's you! Come on, we can go back home! We can get away from here and go back home!" He doesn't seem to mind that Mai can hear him.
Katara looks away, and Mai can tell that she does remember him. She remembers him, and it makes her sad that she does. "I'm sorry," She says quietly, "You must have me mistaken for someone else. My name is Chiyoko, not Katara." Mai moves to touch her hand, grasping it in her own and Katara shudders, "This is my home. My name is Chiyoko, not Katara."
Sokka, who is Gaikoku, steps back as if he has been struck across the face. "What? I know you're Katara, because you're the only Water Tribe on the whole island! They took both of us away from the Southern Water Tribe, and away from our parents!" He suddenly looked disgusted at her, "You remember. You remember what home was like and you still choose this place over your family! Over me!" Before Katara can speak, Sokka turns away from her and runs back towards the woman who was obviously his adopted mother.
Mai blinks slowly as Katara suddenly slumped down. She can see a tear dripping from the corner of her eye as she whispers, "My name is Chiyoko. My name is not Katara. You have mistaken me from someone else. But I think I may have known who you speak of…I may have."
Then, she drops to the ground with her face in her hands and sobs. She sobs and sobs and Mai can do nothing but pat her hair. She has not lost a sibling. And now she never will.
Mai does not want to see Zuko in pain. But when she is twelve, he is cast into a pain that she can't bear to see him in. His face is seared off. His beautiful, perfect face is burned and wrinkled in a horrible Agni Kai. Against his father. His face is scorched and then he is damned to search for the Avatar. His own father banished him for speaking out in attempt to save someone's life. She does not want to see him in pain. Not her Zuko.
He does not want to see her.
But Mai is there, along with Katara and Ty Lee, and Azula when he boards the ship that he has been provided. He has shaved his head except for his phoenix tail and a bandage covers half of his face. Mai blinks as Prince Zuko walks up the gangplank and looks back at her, as if he is saying goodbye. Forever.
Azula has an evil grin on her face, and she waves cheerfully at Zuko, calling out farewells that she doesn't mean and blowing kisses full of poison. Katara is silent as her hair blows in the wind, her lips pursed together. No…
Mai's mouth is glued shut and remains that way until the ship pulls away from the dock and grows smaller and smaller. It takes only minutes for Zuko to leave her ship and the gulls above cry out like normal. The tiny crowd disperses except for four young girls.
Katara moves to wrap her arms around her sister, but Mai jerked away. Someone touching her is suddenly revolting and disgusting, even if it is Katara. Tears stream silently down her face and she clutches her hands to her heart, breathing loudly. Katara stands beside he with her arms outstretched, but she does not touch Mai. "You still have me," She whispers.
You're not enough. But throwing knives is.
Throwing knives is suddenly something she lives to do. Now that Zuko is gone, she throws blades at the gates and at targets that she and Katara drew. Her aim is perfect, because she focuses her anger through the metal. And she never misses.
Mai throws a stiletto at a target and Katara approaches her from behind. She does not touch Mai, because the older girl has a firm rule now. Only touch when she's in a good mood. She is not in such a mood.
"Mother's going to have a baby." Katara tells her softly, simply. "She's six months already, and is just now beginning to show." She moves to where Mai can see her and sits down, folding her hands in her lap. "Father is convinced it's going to be a boy. Isn't that nice?"
"No. Babies are stupid." Mai deadpans, and looks at Katara from the corner of her eye. "All they do is wiggle, poop, and cry. I wish she wasn't going to have another baby. We'll just be pushed to the side again except for when showing us off. You know the perfect little girl and the civilized barbarian."
Katara bristled. "Whatever, Mai. Zuko is gone. You have to move on." She does not flinch when Mai whips around to face her fully. "It hurts, but I moved on when I was brought here. Maybe he'll come back, and all your girly dreams of getting married and having royal babies can come true. Just hope."
Three months later, Mai turns fourteen. In the same month-three weeks before her birthday-baby Tomasu is born. Tom-Tom, as he is nicknamed, has taken all of the attention and her birthday is forgotten by everyone. Everyone except for Katara. And she gives Mai the strangest gift.
While Mai is sitting on the patio, trying to ignore Tom-Tom's screams, Katara steps out. She is still twelve, but she'll be turning thirteen, soon. She sits beside Mai and stares at her for a long moment. "Mai," She says quietly, her azure gaze holding a conflicted light. Mai didn't even see her move, but then Katara is before her and suddenly her lips are crashing down upon Mai's in a sloppy, unexpected kiss.
Mai pushed her back in surprise, brushing her hand across her lips. "Katara!" Her voice rose abruptly, "What were you thinking? What was that?" She stepped away, eyes wide. Katara-another girl-has kissed her. On the lips. Katara-another girl who is her adopted sister-has kissed her on the lips.
"Well, I was thinking…" Katara is suddenly bashful. "That you couldn't kiss Zuko, and I know you wanted to. And today happens to be your birthday, so I thought that maybe I could pretend to be Zuko and give you a kiss for him. For your birthday." Her blue eyes glistened, "I know you miss him, so…" She looks shy and embarrassed that she had done such a thing.
"You can't kiss girls," Mai says simply, because she has only seen men and women in relationships with each other, and she loves Zuko. "I know you thought you can pretend to be Zuko, but girls can't kiss other girls. It's not right." She wipes the last, imaginary, traces from her lips. Well, my first kiss was stolen. By her sister.
Katara shuffles her feet and looks down. "You can pretend I'm a boy, if it makes you feel better. You can pretend I'm Zuko." She is a still a child; she does not understand what exactly Mai means. She knows that she loves her sister, and she wants her to be happy and she wants to make her happy.
Mai closes her eyes and sighs, shaking her head as Tom-Tom's crying rises up from the house. The young woman looked up at Katara. She was confused inside, and Katara kissing her hadn't helped anything. Because the love of her life was gone, and her sister wanted to fill that void that Zuko had left. Mai isn't sure, but somehow she has moved closer to Katara and tentatively pressing her lips just near Katara's, not touching but close enough to feel her breath mingling with hers. This is Zuko. "Just this once. Never again."
It's somewhere halfway between this kiss where Mai forgets she's pretending this is Zuko, and she starts to remember that this is Katara. Mai doesn't know how she feels about this.
When Fire Lord Ozai visits their home a year later, Mai isn't sure what to think. Azula hasn't sent an invitation in over two years. While Mai still sees and talks often with Ty Lee, the princess seems to have forgotten about them as she trains to become better. So, why the Fire Lord chooses to visit baffles her. Her family isn't of great importance, so why would he come?
Katara is painting characters on a canvas outside while Mai watches. They are facing the street, watching the world go by. And then there is a great shout of: "It's the Fire Lord!" A royal palanquin is moving down the street, guarded by six uniformed soldiers. Katara points in curiosity, "Look, Mai…is he coming to our…" Her voice fades into the silence.
If Mai was younger, she would have ran and hid behind the nanny's skirts. But she is a woman now, she is fifteen, and well into becoming a lady. She clasped her hand on Katara's shoulder as the palanquin stopped . She hopes it is Azula, she is more comfortable with Azula.
But it is not.
Fire Lord Ozai is a great, pompous man. He is tall and elegantly dressed, as befitting of his position. If Katara called Zuko pretty, then Ozai is beautiful. Mai does not think that is a good thing. As he steps down from his palanquin and walks up the path towards them, she dips into a respectful curtsy even though she wears no skirt at the moment. Katara does the same, but she does not think the man cares to notice them.
Mai grabs Katara's hand and leads her into the house through patio just in time to see Mother and Father bowing before the Fire Lord. He looks down at them with his piercing golden eyes and flicks his hand, beckoning them to rise.
The tense silence is broken as servants rush out with offerings for the lord of the Fire Nation. The nanny is holding Tom-Tom, who sticks his rattle in his mouth. Mai can feel several gazes on her, and she looks up. It seems that while she is observing the people, Fire Lord Ozai is observing her. And Katara. They are both pretty in their own right, but there is nothing openly lecherous in his gaze, perhaps minor disgust. But the feel of his eyes on her skin is unsettling and it is odd to be looked at that way by your friend's father.
"What beautiful girls your daughters have become." Ozai finally comments to Ichiro as a servant offers him a tea, but he politely declines with a shake of his head. He does not fool Mai; she knows what this horrible man is capable of. He burned and banished Zuko, his own son. He looks towards Mai's father and dips his head, "Nearly grown women, and almost of marrying age as well." His gaze flicks back towards Mai then Katara.
Ayame has taken Tom-Tom and is holding him as she nods eagerly. "Oh yes, my lord! We haven't gotten any offers yet, but I'm sure they'll come soon enough." As Tom-Tom clings to her skirts, she curtsies again. "They are good girls."
Ozai looks mildly disinterested, and Mai can guess he only said that to make small talk. "I'm sure they are." Again his gaze swivels back to Mai, "Ichiro, good sir, do you mind if I have a word with your daughter? Just this one, if you don't mind. Not the dark skinned one." Katara glares.
Father bows, "Of course, my lord." He knows better than to decline and Mother sends Mai a look that clearly says: Don't do anything stupid. This is the Fire Lord. Tom-Tom squeals, not knowing that the Fire Lord is present, and Katara clenches her fist. Not many people called her dark skinned anymore, or Water Tribe. She was simply a brown noblewoman.
Mai curtsies and heads towards the patio, her head bowed. The green blurs as she stares at it, focusing on the pond. Her breath is caught in her throat. She is afraid. She is afraid of Ozai and she cannot breathe.
"It seems that you have forgotten your brief affection for Prince Zuko." Ozai does not look at her, and he stands far enough so it is respectful. She is a teenage girl and he is a grown man who cannot afford scandal. "Well enough. He-and love-were worth nothing anyway." Ozai says in his raspy and hoarse voice.
Eyes wide, Mai keeps herself from trembling. Ozai has surprised her, and she is caught in his trap. He means to intimidate her by talking about Zuko. Zuko. "Indeed, my lord." She whispers, keeping her voice steady. She can't afford to let her voice crack now. Stay under control. Suddenly she wishes she can carve the shape of Zuko's scar into Ozai's face, to make him feel what he made his own son suffer through.
"You know, Lady Mai, the Avatar hasn't been found in a hundred years. This marks the third year Zuko has been searching. Sozin's Comet comes at the end of the summer, did you know this?" Ozai smirks, "Zuko might just disappear as well." When no reaction comes, Ozai frowns. "You and your sister are two lovely girls." He takes her chin in his hand before she can move and turns her face towards him, "Indeed, you are."
He leaves her then. He leaves the residence and Mai still stands on the patio until Katara comes to her. The former Water Tribe heathen looks at her for a long moment and Mai finally turns to her. She is not shocked when Katara kisses her on the lips chastely, in fact she welcomes it. This kiss-as well as Mai's conflicted feelings- is something no one can control.
Mai pulls away and sighs, "They're going to kill Zuko, Katara. When Sozin's Comet comes, they're going to assassinate him. I know they are. Ozai said it himself." She sticks her hands in her sleeves and brushes her fingers of the knife that is pressed against her skin. "I'll kill him before he kills Zuko."
Katara nods. "Let's run away then! We'll make it out of the Fire Nation and find Zuko, and the Avatar." She clenches her fists, "And then you can live forever with Zuko and have your royal babies and…" She shrugs, "I'll still be here."
Mai can't help but think that waiting for Zuko seems less appealing than spending forever with Katara, her sister who isn't quite a sister. "We'll run away then, tonight. We'll make it out of the Fire Nation and find Zuko before Sozin's Comet."
"Then you won't look so mopey and bored anymore!"
"Shut up, Katara." Mai says, narrowing her eyes and sighing before Katara throws her arms around Mai's waist and hugs her tightly until she pats her back. "Yeah, yeah, we're running away. Now get off."
The moon was at its zenith when Mai pulls her black sleeves down over her wrists. Black is a color she likes very much, and so naturally, the bag that is slung over her back matches. It is filled with her knife set and extra clothes, while Katara's is stuffed with her own supplies. "Are you ready?"
Katara's glittering blue eyes appeared in the darkness. "I was born ready." She says and tightens the straps of her sack. "Let's go," The girl breathes and she visibly straightens. "We're doing this for Zuko, and…we're doing this for us."
Mai nods and takes Katara's hands, "For us."
Seriously considering making this a mini-series of drabblesque things...veni quid veniat.