Immaculate Rejection - Chapter 1

Fire Lord Zuko was the most powerful person in the world, except maybe the Avatar himself. He might have been enjoying his new-found political power a bit more, however, if it gave him anything at all that he actually wanted.

The very first task Zuko set out on was finding his mother. On the very day of his coronation, he'd ordered his disgraced father to tell him where she'd been banished to, and then set off on his own the very next day. Unfortunately, losing his firebending had not made his father any more honest. Zuko scrubbed the tiny Earth Nation town from top to bottom, three and then four times. When his mother was nowhere to be found, he moved on to combing the surrounding countryside. He searched for two solid months before returning to the Fire Nation. Since then, his advisers had forced him to send search parties in his stead, insisting that he was needed at the capitol. Being chained down had done nothing for his mood.

His very first job as Fire Lord had been to finish tracking down and un-banishing all of the servants who his sister had banished, a job he took bitterly, since he was unable to un-banish his mother. Since then, his job had gotten even more frustrating and even less interesting. He sat on the throne, exactly where his father had always sat, surrounded by only slightly less angry fire, staring down at his advisors, all sitting humbly around the table. The war table itself was the same, but instead of plotting out attacks and strategies, Zuko found himself surrounded by numbers: food supply, cost of damages, number of soldiers who came home today. He could almost see why the Fire Nation had decided to invade the rest of the world. At the very least, war meetings were more exciting than this. He tried very hard not to fall asleep.

It was a fight that he was losing.

"My Lord? We have one more report."

"Mmm?" Zuko asked sleepily. "Disease outbreak?"

"Uh, no, sir. It concerns the Princess." Zuko's eyes snapped open. He sat up straighter. Nothing caught his attention like news of Azula. Thankfully, the man giving the report was tactful enough not to refer to her as his sister. He supposed he could look into getting her title removed, though.

"What happened?" he asked sharply.

"Two days ago, she tried to escape," the man said quickly. Two days ago. "The situation is under control-"

"Two days ago!" Zuko shrieked. He was older now, and his voice was deeper, but that didn't stop it from squeaking when he was enraged. It was somewhat undignified. "No one thought to tell me before now?"

"It took two days for a messenger to make it to the palace, my Lord-"

"What, we don't have hawks anymore?"

"All otherwise engaged, my Lord." Zuko groaned and massaged the bridge of his nose. In spite of himself, even with a year of Fire Lord practice, he was unable to keep up his formal façade when he was irritated. Once he was angry, it was all grunting and sarcasm. He supposed he had Team Avatar to thank for that. Somehow, in the span of only a few weeks, they'd all but managed to dismantle a lifetime of royalty-training. Zuko took a deep breath and tried his best to restore his inner calm.

"You said the situation is under control," he said coldly, an open invitation for his advisor to elaborate.

"Ah- yes- she was subdued, and is currently being kept in a cooler."

"I've never met a cooler that could hold Azula." There was a long pause, during which everyone in the room dwelled on all the horrible things Azula had done to them, Zuko was sure. Then one advisor, towards the back, stood up and cleared his throat.

"Sir. If I may." Zuko stared at him. The man somehow took that as an invitation to continue. "I know you've discounted this option before, but I feel I must remind you that this will continue to be a problem as long as she is alive. I suggest-"

"I'm not executing anyone in my own family," he said sharply. "Aang- uh, the Avatar let my father live, so I will do the same for Azula." As tempting as it was, Aang would never forgive him if he killed his own sister. And Zuko had a sneaking suspicion that he was using Aang as a cover for the fact that he'd never forgive himself if he killed his own sister.

In any other circumstance, his advisors wouldn't dare question the Fire Lord's judgment. Azula, however, was a topic on which they were all a little touchy. With good reason.

"You're making a mistake, my Lord!" the same advisor shouted. A shocked silence settled over the room. Zuko's good eye narrowed- his bad eye was, of course, always narrowed.

"You are all dismissed," he said flatly. Another advisor spoke up.

"Lord Zuko-"

"Leave." The advisors looked at each other, then quickly bowed and made their exit, one by one, until Zuko was alone in the throne room. He stayed behind, only temporarily, just to collect his thoughts. Ever since he'd become Fire Lord, he'd found he thought his best thoughts while sitting on his all-important throne. That, and lying in bed before he went to sleep at night, but it was sort of early for that. He closed his eyes and tried to think clearly.

Azula tried to escape again. She'd been imprisoned for an entire year, now, and the attempts were getting more and more frequent. If there were any other way, Zuko would happily take it, but the truth was, she was a danger to anyone she came in contact with, including herself. Azula's raw power had always been tempered by her head for strategy, but, well, rage and pain had caused her to lose her tenuous-to-begin-with grip on reality. She attacked anyone who came near her.

Zuko thought back to when he'd first been exiled. He'd been angry and hurt, sure. But he'd had his chase for the Avatar. He'd had hope. Azula had nothing. She was nothing if not rigid- she'd never be able to live in a Fire Nation where she wasn't in charge. The only way her life was going to return to how it was before was if he himself was dead.

"Dammit, Azula," Zuko muttered. "Even when you're crazy and in prison, you find a way to get to me." Maybe he'd have to pay her another visit. But the last time he'd tried, she'd gotten him confused with their mother, and screamed fire about how he never loved her as much as her worthless older brother, then started tattling on all the horrible things Zuko had done to her as a child, many of which Zuko himself didn't even remember. After hearing all about how Azula was oh so upset that her brother had refused to play fire-tag with her and then didn't share his toys with her when she asked, he'd gotten bored and depressed and left.

She was coherent enough to try to escape, though. Maybe the insanity was an act? Like when Uncle Iroh had been imprisoned. But no- if Azula was able to make a coherent escape plan, she would succeed. No Fire Nation prison would be able to hold her at her best.

Zuko's eyes opened. He needed something to take his mind off of his sister. Knowing that someone wanted him dead hadn't gotten easier, even though people had wanted him dead for his entire adult life. As Fire Lord, however, his life was slightly more important to the natural order of things than it had been before.

He walked out of his throne room and waited patiently for a servant to appear. When one did, Zuko flagged him down.

"Sir?" the servant asked politely, after bowing, naturally.

"Summon the Fire Lady and send her to my chambers," Zuko said formally. The servant bowed again quickly, and left. Zuko headed back to his chambers on his own.

Zuko and Mai were married immediately after Zuko had returned from his depressingly unsuccessful search for his mother. He'd wanted her to be there for his wedding, of course, and the entire day was shrouded in depression for him. The ceremony was painfully formal, befitting Fire Nation royalty, and well-attended by prominent figures from all over the world, including most of the Order of the White Lotus, all of whom got super drunk at the reception. Zuko had then vowed never to let his uncle near alcohol again, though he'd had limited success, given that said uncle currently lived halfway around the world.

Regardless, Zuko had been happy to make Mai his Fire Lady. As was Fire Nation custom, the Fire Lord and Fire Lady had separate living quarters. The Fire Lady's quarters also included rooms for ladies-in-waiting and, of course, hypothetical children. That was where Zuko's own childhood bedroom had been. He'd continued to sleep there even after his mother had disappeared, and again when he'd moved back home. The Fire Lord's chambers were, needless to say, much more fancy. Zuko sat down on the edge of his bed and waited.

Mai, always punctual, appeared in a matter of minutes. She was still wearing her daytime formal dress. She'd probably just finished dinner. Zuko was a bit ashamed to say that he wasn't really sure what all Mai did during the day.

"You summoned me, my Lord?" she asked drily. Her face was stony, but then, it always was. Zuko couldn't tell if she was angry or indifferent. He used to be able to, but now, who knew?

"Don't call me that," he said. She raised an eyebrow. She hadn't moved from the doorway.

"You could've just come to see me yourself, you know."

"Doing it this way saved time."

"You certainly know how to flatter a girl."

"What do you want from me?" he snapped. Mai glowered. Or at least, he thought she was glowering. Her expressions were somewhat limited. But somehow, even with her total lack of emotion, she and Zuko always managed to start a fight minutes after seeing each other. Her words confirmed that she was indeed angry.

"I'm leaving." She turned to head back towards the door.

"No- Mai, I'm sorry," Zuko said quickly. He stood up and went over to his girlfr- his wife. She'd been his wife for almost a year. "Don't go." He took her hands in his and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. Zuko got the impression that she was allowing him to kiss her. She certainly didn't offer him a kiss back. Relations with Mai had been strained ever since they got married. Zuko was just so incredibly busy being Fire Lord that he never had time to spend with her. At least, that's what he told himself. He'd never fess up to actively avoiding her. Not in a million years.

"Bad day?" she asked finally.

"Azula." Despite everything, Zuko was grateful that he never had to elaborate on things with Mai. Just saying his dear sister's name was enough. Mai understood immediately.

"Oh," she said.

"Yeah." Mai sighed- that gloomy girl who sighs a lot- and sat down on the bed, exactly where Zuko had been sitting, moments before. Somehow, there was always a space between them. A long silence passed, during which they both fidgeted awkwardly. Zuko supposed he should have thought more about what it would be like to spend his life with a second person who hated talking.

"Shall we get it over with, then?" she finally asked, flatly. Zuko was surprised.

"What?"

"We can talk anywhere. You only ever bring me here for one reason." Zuko was many things, and awkward around women was most definitely one of them. His face flushed. Mai glared at him. In a matter of minutes, they were both undressed and gettin' freaky.

At least, in theory.

Mai was doing all the work, but she didn't seem to be trying very hard. Zuko was flat on his back, on top of all the blankets, with his wife perched semi-comfortably on top of him. She moved evenly and mechanically, emotionlessly, quintessentially Mai, while Zuko kept his eyes closed and willed himself to enjoy it. It was a ritual they shared, as often as they could bear it, which was not very often at all.

After about thirty minutes, Zuko finally came, with a rather anticlimactic grunt. Mai promptly removed herself and began wrapping herself in her robes. Zuko leaned over to give her a kiss, which she returned. He rolled back onto his pillows and twiddled his thumbs.

"So," he asked, conversationally. "You feel pregnant?"

Mai left without saying a word.

Zuko waited until he was sure she was out of earshot before he screamed in frustration and clapped a hand across his face.

"Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" He didn't even bother to put clothes on. He just lay on his bed, naked and messy, and ranted out his frustrations. "How could you say that? You are such an idiot!" Once he was done abusing himself, he moved on to human biology. "I can't be doing something wrong, can I? She should be pregnant by now! It's been an entire year! Face burns don't make you sterile!"

"Uh, sir?" A timid knock came at the door. One of the servants. "Is everything ok?"

"Go away!" Zuko shrieked, and he lobbed a burst of fire at the door. Not enough to burn anything, but enough to make the offending servant feel the heat. He heard her mumble a frightened apology and scurry away. Zuko himself rolled over onto his side, hugged a pillow, and indulged a good long sulk.

Zuko had a problem. Zuko needed an heir. That was what royals did- they got married and produced baby royals. Unfortunately, between him and Mai, something was going horribly wrong, and no baby royals were forthcoming. It was hardly a question he could bring up to his chief advisors. And he wasn't immune to the snide, indirect comments they made about his not having any offspring. Academically, Zuko was well aware that he and Mai were both young and had more than enough child-bearing years ahead. Politically, Zuko needed a child to further legitimize his position as Fire Lord.

Mai was, to say the least, not so much on board with this plan.

Zuko groaned and pushed his hair out of his face, all fidgety, the way he did when he was annoyed. Lying in bed and pouting wasn't getting him anywhere. He needed to let off some steam.

The solution was back in his throne room.

Within the hour, Zuko found himself thrown down on his own war table. Fortunately, it was no sign of disrespect. Or at least, it was a sign of disrespect Zuko enjoyed quite a bit.

His captain of the guard was a strapping young gentleman, barely two years older than Zuko himself, and very rapidly promoted, for reasons not entirely related to his job performance. One day, after spending some time admiring from afar the way that the young man swung his swords, he'd walked over to introduce himself. Soon they were making out in a closet. Sometimes life works that way.

As the months went by, the affair heated up, culminating in war room trysts of the sort going on at the present moment. The foreplay was already done. Zuko's soldier leaned over his body and licked his good ear.

"Are you ready, Fire Lord?" he whispered. The hot breath made Zuko feel all tingly. A feeling he hadn't had with Mai, well, ever.

"Just shut up and put it in," he hissed back. Immediately, he felt fingers playing with his entrance. Zuko groaned and stretched his own fingers, digging them into the table. His cock was stiff and swollen. When he shuddered, it wiggled sort of awkwardly. He just wanted to be touched, already.

The captain complied easily with his request. Zuko felt himself go oh-so-slightly cross-eyed as the man forced him open, but it was the good kind of cross-eyed. His mouth popped open, too. He drooled on his own war table.

Once he was all the way in, the captain slid himself back out, then pushed in again. He moved slowly, agonizingly so. A pathetic squeak came out of the back of Zuko's throat with every thrust, and he got the impression that his tormentor liked that, the bastard.

"Go faster," he demanded. His fingers curled up into angry fists.

"Is that an order, my Lord?" the captain taunted. It was a little game they played. He liked dominating the Fire Lord, Zuko liked being dominated. Everyone was happy.

Well, except for Zuko, because he was never happy.

"Go faster," he repeated, through gritted teeth. A small burst of steam came out of his mouth. His captain obediently picked up the pace. Zuko's body, coated in sweat, slid easily over the polished wood of his table. He arched his back, signaling his partner to go deeper. His hair was down. His body was begging for more. He groaned pathetically. Zuko could feel his inner fire burning, twisting into knots, swirling in his stomach, the center of his chi.

"So close," he gasped. "Please." He unclenched his fist and slid it down between his legs. The captain stopped him. While holding on to Zuko's hand, he gently removed himself from Zuko's body. Zuko gasped in pain and frustration as he found himself abandoned. His inner fire quite promptly went out.

"What are you doing?" he snapped. Sure, he was mean, but he got the impression that the guard liked it.

"Hold on," the captain said hoarsely. He ran his hands up Zuko's slender waist before taking hold and rolling him over onto his back.

"What?"

"You'll like this. I promise." Zuko, for the second time that evening, was flat on his back. He was prone. The captain loomed over him, nearly twice his size, with all the muscles to show for it. They rarely- well, never- faced each other while they went at it. Zuko was unused to being so exposed. His cock flopped awkwardly onto his abs, leaking fluid. He was close. He couldn't be bothered to think about what was going on around him.

"Shut up and put it back in," Zuko hissed. The captain obeyed. He leaned over Zuko's body, shielding him from the view of the statues of his predecessors. Who knew how many Fire Lords had had sex in this room over the years?

The captain pushed himself back in, much more easily this time, and immediately settled into a steady rhythm. Zuko's legs were pushed wide open. His internal fire came back with a vengeance. Skin was everywhere, skin on skin, rubbing together, creating an external heat to match what was happening inside. Sparks began to fly out of Zuko's sweaty fingertips.

"Faster," he choked. The captain's hips and abs rubbed against him, and he pushed his own hips closer, desperate for more friction. He couldn't take it. Another thick drop of liquid squeezed out of him and dribbled onto his stomach. His eyelids fluttered closed.

"Oh," his partner gasped. He was close, too. He lowered himself and buried his face in Zuko's neck. The contact was making Zuko crazy. His hot breaths matched his heartbeat.

"Oh- Zuko-" the captain groaned before he lost it. Zuko felt the impact, the thick load hitting the inside of his body. He came, too, shortly after, as the captain continued to pound into him, and they rode out their orgasms together, until the captain collapsed, exhausted. When he pulled himself out of Zuko, he was followed by a stream of thick, creamy fluid. Zuko's own load was splattered all over his stomach and chest. He ran a tired finger through it.

This should be inside of Mai, he thought bitterly. Maybe that was why she couldn't get pregnant- maybe the strength of his seed was somehow diminished by midnight trysts? Plenty of high-ranking Fire Nation officials had illegitimate children though, right?

He was suddenly overcome with guilt.

"Don't call me that ever again," he spat. "Now clean this up." He didn't wait to see the captain's reaction before he wrapped himself in his robes and skulked back to his bedroom. No- this wouldn't do at all. He was going to have to go somewhere else for help. And who does anyone ask when they have relationship problems?

Their friends, that's who.

MY VERY FIRST AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER FIC. HI AVATAR FANS. I AM SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THIS SHOW. At risk of sounding like a total douche, this was mainly inspired by the episode "The Beach," when Zuko and Mai fight, and the episode "The Firebending Masters" where everyone tries to help Zuko out after he loses his, uh, stuff. Also the fact that Zuko is far too awkward to be straight. :)

I'm sorry that there are only two pairings in this chapter, and that it's basically a giant exposition dump. But it's ok because the next chapter is when Sokka shows up. ;) Review plz?