Part VII
Take Me Away

Zuko could feel his mind clouding with desire as Mai's lips moved against his but a part of his mind wondered why Mai's body pressed against his didn't feel as intoxicating as Aang's? Maybe he just wasn't in the mood. Yes, that would make sense but that also wouldn't explain why he was thinking about Aang while his ex-girlfriend appeased his mouth.

Either way, though, he had to admit that Mai was certainly getting excited as she made quick work of the buttons on his shirt, her face flushed with desire as she looked up at him. Zuko merely looked dazedly at her and mistaking it for lust, she captured his lips in another passionate kiss.

He could feel himself practically cringing now and disgust overtook him as he tried to push her away. However, Mai did not relent and his panic merely grew as footsteps sounded outside his door.

By the time Aang turned into the corridor leading up to Zuko's room, he was practically running, determined to make it there before his resolve broke. As he reached the door, he knocked once before pushing it open and entering.

The first thing that registered to his mind was a shirtless Zuko with tousled hair and bruised lips, pushed up against the wall and looking incredibly flustered. But the person he saw next to him made his blood boil with rage.

He gritted his teeth in anger as Mai's gaze met his and at that particular moment, he felt like tearing her apart. For having her arm encircling Zuko's neck, and for placing a hand on his chest. How dare she?

he doesn't belong to you...

Then why did it hurt so much?

"Aang, WAIT!" Zuko yelled desperately as the air bender turned on his heel and ran out of the room.

The fire bender pushed Mai away with the intention of pursuing Aang but he had barely moved two steps when a leg lashed out of nowhere and tripped him. Losing his balance, he crashed gracelessly to the floor.

"What the HELL are you doing?" Zuko yelled as he struggled to sit up.

However, she merely ignored him and slammed the door shut before turning to him. "You...idiot." She said with a sigh as she walked over to him and placed her foot on his chest, keeping him firmly in place.

"Get off me, you-" He began but was cut off as she spoke.

"So, I was right." She said calmly.

"No, you weren't." Zuko said defiantly. "I mean, maybe but no, OW." He yelped as the heel of her shoe dug into his skin. "Fine! You were right." He said hotly.

"What on earth do you think you're doing, Zuko?" She asked warily.

"Look, I don't need your advice, okay? Its not like Toph isn't enough."

"What, now you're broadcasting your affair?" She asked incredulously.

"No! I am not and it's not an affair. Stop assuming." Zuko snapped angrily.

"Oh, then what is it?" Mai asked snidely.

"It's nothing, okay? Just...stop." Zuko said, forcefully sitting up as he pushed her foot off his chest. "I don't want to talk about this right now."

"So, when?" She asked with folded arms.

"With you? Yeah, right." He said with a laugh.

"We were together for four years, Zuko. I think I deserve to know."

"No, you don't. Your coming here was when it all started going wrong." He said.

"So, it is an affair." She said but cut him off when he opened his mouth to protest. "And what if I hadn't come, Zuko? Would you have kept going until he got married? Or maybe even after that?" Mai wondered with raised eyebrows.

"I would never do that!" Zuko said angrily as he stood up in one swift motion.

"If you say so.." She said, clearly unconvinced.

"I'm going to bed." He said angrily as he snatched his shirt from the floor and pulled it on before kicking off his shoes and sliding under the covers.

The sheets rustled as Mai joined him and he turned his back to her. "Go away." He muttered hotly.

"Stop acting like a child, Zuko. And tell me." She said firmly.

"NO!" His muffled voice said from underneath the covers.

"Fine, then." Mai said as she made herself comfortable on the bed and turned on her side to face Zuko.

Several minutes passed and then slowly, his head poked out from underneath the silk sheets, a scowl on his face. "Fine, I'll tell you." He said begrudgingly.

Mai remained silent as she intertwined her fingers and placed her hands underneath her head, quietly looking up at the ceiling as Zuko began to relay his story.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

That was the sound that Zuko woke up to early in the morning. At first, he thought that it was part of his dream but as the sleep began to ebb away from his mind, the fire bender jerked awake.

THUMP! THUMP!

The sound continued relentlessly and he was sure that it had been more than five minutes since it had begun. Groaning, Zuko sat up and pushed his hair out of his eyes, glancing at Mai who was sleeping on the far side of the bed. He was just about to slide the covers off his body when a muffled noise began to shout from the other side of the door.

"Okay! I don't care what Mai and you are doing, sparky, but I'm coming in." Toph's voice said and an abrupt silence fell. Scratching his head, he uncertainly stood up before...

CRASH!

The door flew inwards and slammed hard against the wall opposite, the metal bending both from the impact and Toph's bending. "My door!" Zuko said angrily.

Beside him, Mai jerked upright, her hand instinctively reaching for a blade tucked into her hair. "What the hell?..." She muttered, suddenly alert.

"Toph's gone insane." He said snidely as he walked over to the door which lay wrecked on the other side of the room.

"Toph, I know that at times, you do have an urge to show off." The fire bender said with a frown.

"Zuko!"

"But, honestly, two doors is just too much."

"Zuko!"

"Why don't you just go and wreck someone else's doors?"

"ZUKO!" Toph yelled as she stomped her foot on the ground.

"What?" He asked with a frown.

"He told her." She said gravely and then took a step backward as if afraid that Zuko might explode. A gasp sounded from the bed as Mai's eyes widened in shock and then...

"Huh?" Zuko asked in puzzlement.

"Aang." Toph said, sounding oddly desperate. "He told Katara about the bachelor party."

A long silence ensued and Zuko's expression hardened as he glared at Toph. "That's not funny."

"I'm not kidding, you idiot. Do you honestly think I would joke about something like that?" She asked exasperatedly.

"Why the hell would he tell her?" He asked.

"I don't know. You must have done something to set him off." She said acussingly.

"Me?" Zuko retorted angrily but then paused as his eyes widened.

"Mai! Oh, no. Mai!" He breathed worriedly as he turned to her.

"Why the hell are you worried about Mai? She's sitting right there!" Toph yelled angrily.

But Zuko did not answer as he sank onto the bed in despair and covered his face with his hands.

"Where is he now?" Mai asked hesitantly.

"He's out on the grounds. Katara's locked herself up in her room with Suki, Sokka and Ty Lee." Toph said.

"I didn't think..." Zuko's muffled voice said and the two girls drew back in shock as his voice broke.

"Sparky, calm down. I'm not going to have you go all sentimental at a time like this!" Toph said, but it didn't quite work since her voice shook as she spoke.

"What is wrong with Aang?" Mai asked angrily as she sat up and moved to sit beside Zuko.

"I guess he just broke." Toph said with an apologetic shrug.

"I need to talk to him." Zuko said suddenly as he stood up.

"Woah! Not a good idea, sparky!" Toph said warningly as she stepped in his way.

"Just, shut up, Toph." He snapped, angrily pushing her aside as he determinedly made his way to the door.

Aang could feel his limbs shaking and a mixture of emotions swirling inside him as he sank down to his knees beside the turtle-duck pond. He was positive that he hadn't made a mistake in telling Katara, after all, they would work it out together. This situation would be the stepping stone for the next stage of their relationship and they would become strong this way.

But why did his mind keep trying to convince him that something was wrong? That Katara wouldn't be able to pull through and they would fall apart. That he wouldn't want Katara to pull through.

Why didn't that thought horrify Aang? Instead, it merely made him feel remorse, almost as if he had known it was going to happen.

Heaving a sigh, he lightly skimmed his hand in the air in front of him, the water of the lake lazily following his movements as he absentmindedly controlled it with downcast eyes.

But everything about his demeanor was half-hearted and with a pained expression on his face, he let his hand fall to his side as he stood up.

"Aang!" A voice yelled from several feet away and at once, the air bender's head snapped up as he turned around.

He visibly shrank back as he spotted Zuko and his mind raced frantically as he looked for a way out of the situation. Don't be a coward. You can do this. The rational part of his mind said.

But it didn't quite work since a second later, he had turned on his heel and sprinted off towards the palace. "AANG! Don't you DARE play games with me." The enraged fire bender yelled as in a burst of flame, he launched himself forward.

However, all the air around Aang was swirling as he added speed to his sprint and in a matter of seconds, he was almost a kilometer away from Zuko. But the fire bender refused to give up and flames sparked to life at his feet, speeding him up.

Aang glanced over his shoulder and all the color drained from his face as, in a flurry of flames, Zuko launched himself at him. There was a second of serenity when the heat from the flames licked at his skin before...

"OOMPH!" Aang gasped as the fire bender's body slammed hard against his. Losing all composure, he skidded across the grass almost ten feet away from Zuko.

"Why did you tell her?" The fire bender hissed angrily as he made his way towards him.

However, the air bender looked stubbornly at him and refused to speak. "WHY DID YOU TELL HER?" Zuko yelled as he knelt beside Aang.

"I can't keep secrets from her and you seemed just fine with Mai so I thought that maybe if I told her, things could go back to the way they were before." Aang abruptly said in one breath.

"What is wrong with you? How could you even think that after what you said to me?" Zuko shouted angrily.

Aang's face hardened before contorting with irritation as he glared at the fire bender. "You know, Zuko. There's a limit to hypocrisy. You're reproaching me for telling Katara, but you were the one I saw with Mai." Aang said angrily as he stood up.

"She was the one all over me!" Zuko protested.

"Yeah, and I suppose she was the one all over you at the engagement party too. Right, Zuko?" Aang yelled bitterly.

"Look! I admit that the night of the engagement party was my fault but I was drunk and you were being an idiot." Zuko protested angrily.

"That's not an excuse, Zuko!"

"I'm not making excuses. I'm just telling you!"

"No, you're not telling me! You're insulting me by lying to my face. So you can just go to hell." Aang spat angrily as he turned on his heel and began walking towards the palace.

"HEY! I was talking to you, come back here!" Zuko yelled childishly.

"Oh, yeah!" Aang said, elongating the words mockingly as he turned back towards Zuko. "I forgot to tell you that..." He said angrily. "You are officially uninvited from my wedding." He said snidely.

"WHAT?" Zuko yelled in shock. "You can't un-invite me! I'm your best friend! I'm your best man!" He said angrily.

"Not any more." Aang said.

"Oh, then who?" Zuko asked with a sarcastic laugh.

"Sokka." He said assuredly.

"Ha, yeah right. You cheated on his sister. Do you honestly think he'll be your best man?" Zuko asked.

Aang merely responded with a cruel, self-assured smile which served only to rouse Zuko's suspicion. "Oh no. I didn't cheat on his sister. You were the one who forced me into it. At least, that's what everyone else knows. And that's what they're going to know. Because you won't tell them and even if you do, they won't believe you." He said angrily before again walking towards the palace.

Zuko's mouth fell open as he looked at Aang's retreating back, his blood boiling with rage as he balled his hands into fists. The coward. The stupid coward. How dare he accuse him of being the one to force him into anything? The situation was just as much Aang's fault as it was his.

With a feral growl, Zuko stomped forward and grabbing Aang by the shoulder, he spun him around to face him. "If you're so sure that you and Katara are perfect for each other, why not tell her the truth? If she's going to be such a good wife, why would you be afraid to tell her what really happened, Aang?" Zuko hissed.

"I didn't tell her because-" Aang began abruptly but trailed off because really, there was no reason. There was no justification.

"Hm, maybe you're not so perfect after all. Why else would you not tell her? She isn't going to hate me any more either way. So, why hide it from her?" He asked.

Aang opened his mouth, struggling to find words to justify his dishonesty. But nothing came out and instead, he stood there looking positively dumbfounded.

"Who would have thought, Aang, that your relationship would all be based off of lies?" Zuko said snidely.

"It isn't based off of lies." Aang retorted defiantly.

"No? Then go and tell her. I dare you. Go on. If you have so much faith in your lovely little relationship, then go and tell her that you were just as much infatuated as I was. That you were just as much of a culprit as I was." Zuko said. "GO!"

"NO!" Aang yelled angrily. "I won't tell her because she never deserved what we did to her."

"Then you just contradicted every single thing you said barely a minute ago. I'm a liar, Aang, I can admit to that. But I'm not a cheat and the only reason I didn't tell her myself was because I thought you would. But you didn't." Zuko said accusingly.

Aang looked fearfully up at him, all his defiance slipping away as the facts of the matter hit him like a slap in the face.

"DID YOU?" Zuko asked angrily, wearing the air bender down even more.

"NO! I didn't." Aang said, his voice shaking with emotion as he looked at Zuko. "Because I felt something with you. Something I've never felt with Katara. And that feeling intoxicated me. It made me feel more alive than I've ever felt. But you went off with Mai and seeing you with her? It hurt more than anything in the world!" Aang yelled, his voice breaking as his eyes shone with unshed tears. "So, NO, I didn't tell Katara. Because I couldn't. I just couldn't.

"But would you have told her, Zuko? Would you really have thrown it all away in just a split second?" Aang said as he shoved him hard in the chest.

Aang's chest heaved with emotion and his eyes prickled with tears as he looked up at Zuko. His breath rattled in his throat as a painful lump formed there and he felt the sudden, most abrupt urge to cry. He wanted to cry like a little child and let it all out. He wanted Zuko to hug him and reassure him. He wanted to give in.

He needed to give in.

A sharp pain tore through his chest and something between a gasp and a sob escaped his lips as Zuko roughly pulled him forward. And in that moment, when their lips met and Zuko's strong arms encircled him, he let himself go and the tears poured down his cheeks as sobs wracked his body.

Zuko protectively pulled Aang even closer to himself, letting the warmth from his own body seep into his. He could feel the air bender's lithe frame shaking in his arms but there was nothing he could do.

He couldn't solve the problems between him and Katara. And he couldn't suddenly pretend that they could be together.

The thought saddened Zuko and he reluctantly pulled away, letting his arms fall to his side. "We shouldn't." He said hoarsely as he averted his gaze from Aang's.

And despite knowing that it was doomed from the very beginning, and that no matter how many times he said to himself that Katara would never find out..hearing it from Zuko suddenly made it all seem so real.

"I have to go." Aang said quietly, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Zuko did not reply as the air bender turned on his heel and made his way back to the palace. Instead, he let him go, silently wondering if he would ever see him again after the wedding; or if he would spend the rest of his existence wallowing in misery and self pity while Aang and Katara got married and went off to their new home on Ember Island. Would he even be able to handle seeing him with her?

no...

Was all his mind told him and in that instant, a wave of despair and hurt stronger than anything he had ever felt, hit him like a slap in the face.

Poor Zuko :'[

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks for the reviews ^_^

-Jade258