She took in everything around her- the salty air, the blinding sunset, the never-ending ocean- and it was so much better than the hissing cauldron her uncle owned to imprison the fools that defied Ozai. Mai looked down distastefully at the steep, gravelly hill dotted by sparse brush and saw Zuko and his friends climbing into Azula's airship. She stepped out of the stone gondola station, now inhabited by two of the creaky contraptions. She eyed them cautiously, deciding how to pinpoint her knives where, at what angle, and at whom she would throw them. Then there was wind factor, and, of curse, the chance of missing.

Under normal circumstances Mai would never miss a target. But her hands were jittery, and her brain felt like it was going to implode. She felt like sitting down and crying, but she knew that was something she'd never get around to doing. Under normal circumstances she'd have Ty Lee by her side to brighten things up.

Mai stopped as the thought crossed her mind. It pinned her down to the ground like one of her sleek, sharp knives. She slumped on the ground, suddenly recalling everything that had just happened in the past minute- Ty Lee betraying Azula, and her rant, and the violence, and how Mai was just about to do what Ty Lee had told Azula was wrong- murder. There was no denying it. She couldn't think of a time when it had even crossed her mind before; what would happen after she pinned someone by their clothes to a wall- It'd take only two knives to end a life for good. One in the head. One in the heart. And afterward, Mai thought, it'd take two more to end the guilt it would've brought.

She had to stand up to Azula. Not now, another time. But the current issue still lingered above Mai's frowning head- she was sent specifically to kill them.

"Kill all of them." She had said. Mai frowned some more, trying to think of a valid excuse for the lack of dead Zuko or Sokka. But could she even think of a valid excuse for leaving Azula? No. Azula reigned in Mai's life, nowadays. And, as much as it hurt, she couldn't imagine life without being manipulated and forced to do evil things 'in the name of the Fire Nation.' Because it was already like that with her mother. And she couldn't go back to her, back to Omashu, even if they did have pretty good Fyre Flakes.

Mai decided she'd just leave. No forewarning. But first she'd have to catch the airship.


Zuko saw the dust cloud before he saw Mai. They were all in the airship now, with Sokka at the controls and Suki as co-pilot. The board before them was sprinkled with levers and buttons and little things that went 'bing'. Sokka seemed to know what he was doing, as he pulled levers and jabbed buttons intelligently. He only looked up when Hakoda brought up the oncoming girl.

"Who is that?" The Water Tribe Chieftan demanded.

"Mai," Zuko whispered softly. She was still mad at him, indefinitely- just glancing at her face was proof enough of that- so this most likely wouldn't be a happy reunion.

"We have to go," Sokka said seriously. He pushed some more buttons.

"Wait," Zuko said, "I need to talk to her." Zuko walked over to a side door, his boots clanging on the metal floor. He expected to be speared the moment he stepped outside the airship. He pulled in his breath, ran a hand through his hair, and hoped to live. He opened it, only to be greeted by a frowning Mai twirling a knife in her hand.

He took a few hasty steps forward. "Mai, I-"

Mai slapped him.

Zuko flinched momentarily, but then looked ashamedly down at his feet. "I deserved that." He admitted.

Mai slapped him again.

He looked up at her again, frowning and rubbing the stinging new pink handprint on his face. "I'm not so sure about that one."

"You did." Mai assured him, "Talk. Now." She commanded. She pulled him out of the doorway and into the subtle evening light. The sun had almost set, leaving a pinkish glow in the sky, and the sparse wispy clouds an ugly orange hue. "Ty Lee's been put in jail-"

"I know," Zuko interjected. He couldn't see how anyone could not see the scene she had caused.

"Don't interrupt," she commanded. "She's been put in jail for attacking Azula," she explained furthermore, "But I don't think it was her fault."

Zuko sighed. "Of course it wasn't her fault. Azula's just evil, and she snapped. And the sooner you learn Azula's evil you-"

"I know Azula's a bad person." Mai deadpanned. She looked irked. "Which is why I'm telling you this, not her."

Zuko had to resist replying with, 'Now who's interrupting?' but that wouldn't help the situation. At least, it would probably earn him another slapping. "Tell me what?" Zuko asked.

"Someone told her to do it," Mai explained. She handed him a slip of paper. "I received this by accident. It came by messenger hawk."

Zuko read it. He scrunched up his eyebrows while reading, and narrowed his eyes. The light was fleeting from the sky; Zuko could barely read the scrawled, elegant writing. "So…"

"See? She was obedient." Mai pointed out. "Someone gave her instructions, and they're betting on her to stir up Azula. That's the only reason they'd ask her to paralyze her and scream in her face." Mai finished, as if reading off a script, her face an emotionless mask. Her eyes were narrowed and her arms crossed.

"But who would-?" Zuko began.

"I don't know." Mai admitted, looking shamefully to the side.

Zuko placed a finger under her chin and turned her face upward so he could look her in the eyes. She looked coldly back into his. He decided at that moment he couldn't- no, wouldn't leave Mai behind. She had no allies now. "Come with us," He suggested.

"Gee, thanks, but I'd rather stay," Mai replied, her tone telling him everything- that she wanted to go, that she was scared, that she really didn't want to stay here where everything fell down.

"It wasn't a question." Zuko stated.

Mai looked Zuko up and down, thinking. "Maybe. But you better not be…"

Zuko smiled at her change of heart. "Boring?" He guessed from his memory of her.

Mai smirked a bit, the closest to a smile she'd ever come to. "Yeah."

"No," Zuko replied. "We're pretty exciting. Here, I'll introduce you." Zuko opened the door for her, lead her up the stairs (all the while Mai protesting that she could climb stairs on her own) and into the main control room.

Sokka stood shocked, Suki glowered, and Hakoda and Chit Sang looked confused.

"We should probably leave," Mai smirked. "Azula ordered me to kill you all, and I'd rather not follow through."

Sokka scowled irritably. "Well, that's a relief!"

Is listening to Sexyback. Don't ask.

Okay, this was beta'd by the ambiguous Spry! (Again, look it up. I still have no idea what these big words mean!)

Okay. Thank you Fyre and Spry for being my first two reviewers for this story. Now have a monkey.

Anywho. This took forever because I had too much homework and water polo practice.

As promised:

Chapter Title: Falling So Slow

Title Meaning: Like how Mai's word is crumbling apart lol. Or how Azula's reign has ended 'cause she has no friends anymore. Aw.

Title Significance: Second line of 'Leaves From the Vine', song sung on Iroh's dead son's birthday.

And Spry? Fifth chapter, there are curtains. And Fyre? There are five directions. And Melody? Mao is just fattening. (MaiXTeo)