disclaimer: Mike and Bryan own the ATLA universe; Mariko belongs to me (: enjoy!
Beach
"This is crap."
"I second that."
"What's up with you two? Usually the dreariness comes from Mai," both teenagers met the bright gray eyes of the perkier girl of their group.
The aforementioned girl rolled her eyes. "Ty Lee does have a point." She commented.
Her cousin crossed her arms and stretched her legs out in front of her. "We're only going because our parents booted us out of the house for quality time in the kiddie sandbox." She rationalized blandly.
"Well you can't complain too much about that, Mari; so long as Zuzu's around, I don't see why you're complaining." The princess countered calmly.
Both betrotheds glanced at each other for one solid second before snorting and cutting their gazes away, their cheeks coloring pink. "Piss off." Two grumbled retorts were uttered.
::::::::dOb::::::::
He glanced at her as she uttered a disgusted snort. "What's with you?"
"Now I remember why Ty Lee and I were never close; she's a boy magnet." She groused, slouching slightly, crossing her arms over her chest as she relaxed against his shoulder.
He smiled a little, noting the two (now three) boys that were quarreling over the circus girl, looking at his companion that shared the umbrella's shade with him, her garb much like Mai's except that it was a lighter red and the sleeveless top was tied at the back of her neck, though she maintained her maroon pants that came to the shin, her black hair in a loose braid. "Like you're much different." He muttered.
"What's that mean?" She looked at him with a raised brow, amber eyes curious.
"I didn't say you were like her, just that you're prettier. Don't bite my head off." He defended quickly, not entirely up for a quarrel, seeing her blink.
Her cheeks colored pink and she cut her gaze away, pulling away from him to slug his shoulder. "You're still a prat." She grumbled, becoming the tomboy firebender she always was when they were younger.
"Try saying that next time without breaking my arm, will ya?" Zuko groused, rubbing his shoulder gingerly.
Mariko tilted her head slightly at hearing the complaint and the expression on his face that borderlined a pout, snorting and looking away, failing to hide a giggle. "I make no such promises, princeling." She hummed.
"Don't call me that!" He pretended his ears didn't burn at that damn nickname.
She smiled fondly, the would've-been-insult history, kissing his cheek. "You'll ruin your good looks if you keep complaining." She chuckled when he allowed the pout to show, pulling back to resume her place with her head against his shoulder.
He quieted slightly and exhaled, smiling despite the flustered feeling she brought out in him.
"Hey beach bums, we're playing next. Ty Lee, get over here now!" Azula announced, adding a barked order to the circus girl that was surrounded by the three boys from earlier.
Mariko shot a rude hand gesture at the princess when her back was turned, hopping to her feet and shuffling over to the volley-ball court, pausing when hearing giggles coming from behind; she turned slightly to watch her boyfriend dramatically take off his loose robe and flash his skinny torso, noting the girls that had watched and were grinning giddily. She growled slightly and stomped back to drag him by the hand to where his sister was, not without letting a spout of fire leave her middle finger's tip and blasting the sand that was infront of the fangirls.
She grinned smugly when hearing a few outraged noises and choice words escape the girls behind her.
"Jealous?" He quirked a brow, squeezing her hand despite his amusement and her irritation.
She glared amber daggers at him, "Shut up."
As if being sent to the beach was a bad enough sentence, now they were at this stupid beach party hosted by an admiral's son… Fate loved to mess with her, apparently.
She would maim Ty Lee for forcing her into this damn skirt; it fit tight on her hips and made her 'more appealing' according to the girl, perhaps as a way to get her to lighten up.
Well, maybe she wasn't so much of a ditz as she'd pegged her to be…
At noting the apathetic look her cousin was giving the guy with long hair, Ruon-Jian or however he called himself, who was talking to the dagger-wielder near her as she was looking for something to snack on from the food table, she lifted one brow, annoyance seeping into her cousin's hazel stare; she looked at the spread and picked up a dumpling, straightening to address her cousin. "Oi, Mai, I got that dumpling for you." She sidled to her left, giving her the plate.
Mai shot her an odd look before seeing the expression on her face that said 'just go with it', inwardly grimacing at the choice of food she'd picked out, shifting her eyes from the arrogant boy. "Thanks, Mari." She took a bite.
"So, you two sisters? I mean, you're both just as beautiful." Ruon-Jian asked, eyeing the firebender's slim figure, eyes lingering longest on the skirt that made her hips more defined, before averting his eyes to meet her amber gaze with a lazy grin.
Mariko rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "Cousins, actually. Mai, come on, I think Ty Lee was calling us," she tugged on her cousin's elbow to drag her away. "Later, pretty boy." She cooed over her shoulder, her shoulders sagging in a sigh once they were at least a yard away from him.
"Kind of laid it on a bit thick, but elsewise, that was well played." She commented dryly, passing the plate with the dumpling back to her, regarding her cousin with the same apathetic expression.
"And all the while I did it without ralphing on his shoes; guys like that are such dumbasses." She smirked cheekily, seeing an amused light flicker in her gaze; she smiled a little, leaning against an available wall space, "Are we okay, y'know…?" She dared ask, her tone quiet, recalling the previous times she'd come into contact with her cousin, namely back in Omashu.
Mai briefly wracked her brain for the memories before quieting, crossing her arms as she stood infront of her cousin. "I dunno, you acted like an idiot, kinda like that time you tried to shoot an apple off my head…" She said dubiously.
Mariko looked down briefly before recognizing that she was being sarcastic; she looked up to see a wry smirk on her cousin's face and chuckled, smiling back. "Azula dared me to do it, if you also recall." She defended lightly.
Both girls shared a quiet chuckle at the memory; the firebender looked past her cousin's shoulder, feeling the smile falter from her face at the kindling scene. "Uh-oh."
"Dude, what's your problem?" The lady-killer huffed, flicking some of his mane of hair from his face.
The prince glared at him, jaw set, "My problem is you trying to hit on my girlfriend!"
"You're up." Mai said at regarding the scene with a wary eye, taking the plate from her cousin.
Mariko sighed and flashed a wry look, shuffling away to go handle the situation before it could get out of hand. "Zuko…" She began as she approached his side.
"Wait, this's your girlfriend? Man, she's too hot to be with some jerk like you." Ruon-Jian half-chortled, gesturing from her to the prince.
Zuko acted before she could stop him, forcefully shoving the guy back so he crashed into a tall vase, the shattering of pottery echoing in the room and halting the party.
"Idiot, what was that for?" Mariko grabbed hold of his right arm before he could slug the boy, looking at him annoyedly.
"Me, you're the one letting him hit on you!" He snapped, glaring heated gold daggers at her.
She didn't back down, glaring brazenly. "Like I'd be interested in that idiot! You're acting like a moron!" She exclaimed.
"I didn't see you push him away!"
"I was trying to help Mai, you prat!"
Zuko glowered at her to which she glared stubbornly back, tearing his gaze away to storm off, shrugging past Chan as he stated that he was throwing him out, heading to the door and growling out, "I was just leaving."
Mariko stared after him and sighed, rubbing her temples. "Crap…"
"So, since he's not coming back… wanna talk?" Ruon-Jian sidled to her side, a smile on his face.
She glared slightly at him, snorting. "Go kick a torpedo." She bit out stiffly, following the direction her boyfriend had gone, slipping out into the night.
::::::::dOb::::::::
He stared up at the old portrait of his family at a happier time, his gold eyes resting on the kind face of his mother.
A shadow came from behind, stirring his attention away quickly.
With a brief glance over his shoulder he saw that it was her; he huffed, looking at the wall space beneath the portrait, suddenly finding it interesting to look at. "Where's Ruon-Jian?" He drawled.
She crossed her arms at her chest and sighed. "Probably sulking at the party that he didn't get any. Are we alright?" She asked quietly, stepping up to him.
"Depends if you still want to be around me, even though I acted like an idiot back there." He snorted.
She smiled wanly, nodding. "I care about you too much to let something trivial like that come between us, dummy." She admitted.
He glanced at her, feeling a small measure of fondness at seeing her hair was free and wild, just like she used to have it in happier times; she looked best with her hair down… He smiled despite the ongoing war inside his head, nudging her gently. "So you do care about me." He mused.
Her cheeks colored and she pursed her lips, looking away, retreating behind the tomboy wall she'd honed for years. "Don't let it go to your head, okay? God knows it's already so damn huge because you're the prince…" She trailed off when he pulled her closer for a kiss, taking her by surprise; her cheeks flared red in response before she slid her eyes closed and reciprocated stubbornly.
Zuko had almost forgotten how cute she was when she was flustered and tried to act tough with him, tugging on her elbows to bring her to his chest, feeling her hands lift to link by the wrist at the back of his neck, one hand of his lifting to bunch in her wild hair, smiling against her lips.
Mariko would slap him over the head later; for now, she reveled in the knowledge that he was a damn-good kisser, her fingers knotting and tugging at thick locks of his brown hair, smiling back.
"Your noble tendencies are going to get your ass kicked one day." He breathed as their lips parted, smirking coyly, noting her flushed cheeks and warmed amber eyes that locked with his gentle gold gaze.
She huffed quietly and smacked his chest, smirking sardonically. "And your ego is going get your ass kicked by your girlfriend someday soon." She purred, smug to see she'd left him the slightest bit aroused.
Zuko chuckled, seeing her smile softly, brushing some of her bangs back. "Sorry, for being a prat." He muttered.
"You don't need to apologize; I'm used to it anyway." Mariko shrugged, giggling when he pouted sorely.
"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" A familiar cool voice said from the doorway of the main living area they stood in, making both teenagers freeze slightly.
The prince exhaled, reluctantly pulling his hands away from his girlfriend, distinctly hearing a grumbled oath come from her, looking to his sister. "What is it?" He asked, rather disgruntled at her intrusion.
She pretended the older girl didn't level her an annoyed glare, taking one sweep of the house's front room and huffing. "The girls are down at the beach; come on, let's go. This place is depressing." She gestured they follow, mumbling the last sentence under her breath as she went.
He scowled at her leave, dragging his companion after him by the hand, his fingers squeezing on hers, to which she returned the gesture.
"'Circus freak' is a compliment!" She declared proudly even with annoyed tears standing in her eyes.
She huffed slightly, glancing at her. "I guess that's why you need ten boyfriends, too." She muttered.
"What?"
"Attention issues; you couldn't get enough attention when you were a kid, so you're making up for it now."
She scoffed, "Well what's your excuse, Mai? You were an only child for fifteen years. But even with all that attention, your aura is this dingy, gray…" She started to insult.
"I don't believe in auras, and I'm sorry that I can't be as high-strung and crazy as the rest of you." Mai stated.
Mariko wiggled her toes in the sand, looking to her cousin. "She just called your aura dingy, y'know. And you're going to take that?" She wondered.
"What do you want from me? Just because we're on better terms now, doesn't mean I'm going to be a runaway like you were." She furrowed her brow slightly, hazel locking on amber.
She scowled slightly, kicking at the sand. "I only ran away because life wasn't the same for me, because for once in my life I wanted adventure." She defended.
"You ran away to chase after Zuko." She rationalized, seeing her cheeks color pink in the amber light of the fire.
"Okay fine, I chased after him, but that's because I give a damn about the guy who was my best friend since we were kids… And I still do give a damn. Your aura is still dingy because the difference between you and me is that I care about people, and you don't, Mai." She bit out, her brow set in a glare, her cousin's brow set in a likewise glare.
"Fine, you guys want a teary confession about how hard my childhood was? Well it wasn't. I was a rich, only child who got everything I wanted… as long as I behaved. I sat still, I didn't speak unless spoken to; my mother said I had to keep out of trouble, we had my dad's political career to think about." Mai said, reclining on the rock she and her cousin sat on, her arms folded behind her head as she focused her gaze on the clouds in the night sky above.
Azula was the first to speak, "Well that's it, then. You had a controlling mother who had certain expectations, and if you strayed from them, you were shut down. That's why you're afraid to care about anything, and why you can't express yourself."
"You want me to express myself? Leave me alone!" She snapped sharply, the fire shining in her eyes as she'd sat up quickly to level a glare at her.
Mariko smiled bitterly, clapping a hand gently on her shoulder. "I was wondering where my cousin had gone, and now here you are." She mused.
Mai began to glare at her before seeing the apology on her face and she quieted, shrugging her hand off on reflex.
"Calm down, you guys; this much negative energy is bad for your skin. You'll totally break out!" Ty Lee piped up flippantly.
Zuko scowled at her, "'Bad skin'? Normal teenagers worry about bad skin; I don't have that luxury! My father decided to teach me a permanent lesson on my face!" He snarled, pointing to the scar on the left side of his face that marred the skin.
Ty Lee looked down, faltering, "Sorry, Zuko, I…"
"For so long I thought that if my dad accepted me, I'd be happy. I'm back home now, my dad talks to me; he even thinks I'm a hero! Everything should be perfect, right? I should be happy now! But I'm not; I'm angrier than ever and I don't know why!" Zuko ranted, throwing his fists into the air in frustration.
Mariko looked down at the sand beneath her toes, knowing just what he was talking about but keeping her mouth shut, saying nothing.
"There's a simple question you need to answer, then: who're you angry at?" Azula asked flatly, looking to her brother.
"Noone, I'm just angry!"
"Who are you angry at, Zuko?" Mai chimed in.
"I don't know!"
"Is it Dad?" Azula again.
"No, no!"
"Your uncle?" Ty Lee.
"Me?" Azula.
"No!" He was starting to unravel just the slightest; she frowned empathetically.
"Then who?" "Who're you angry at, Zuko?" "Talk to us!"
"I'M ANGRY AT MYSELF!" A sharp blast of fire shot up into the night, making embers dance and rise, before the campfire dropped back into the hearth, dying to mere cinders.
"Why?" Azula asked quietly.
Zuko turned his head away. "Because I'm confused. Because I'm not sure I know the difference between right and wrong anymore." He shook his head, glaring at the rolling waves.
"You're pathetic," his sister scoffed.
Mariko glared slightly at her, straightening with a soft sigh to near him, taking his hand in hers and looking up at him, stubborn tears threatening to stand and slowly fall down her cheeks, but her eyes burned. "Even so, I told you before and I'll say it however many times it takes to get through your dense skull: I'm going to be here for you, no matter what. I promise that." She said gently, her voice slightly cracked in a couple of places, but other than that she remained the strong girl he had known for as long as he could remember.
Zuko's conflicted expression faltered when he saw the tears, holding her blazing amber eyes in his rough gold ones and allowed a smile to slowly form on his lips. "Like you're one to talk, being so damn stubborn." He kissed her hard, feeling her smile warmly against his lips, pulling back to hold her gaze.
Azula clapped lazily behind them, breaking the staring contest. "Well, those were some wonderful performances, everyone."
Mariko glared cattily at her future sister-in-law, feeling his arm slide to hug her waist as he turned their bodies. "Don't expect an encore performance." She said.
"I guess you wouldn't understand would you, Azula? Since you're so perfect." Zuko contributed bitingly, squeezing on his girlfriend's waist.
Azula shrugged, "Well yes, I guess you're right. I don't have sob stories like the rest of you; I could sit here and complain that our mother liked Zuko more than me, but I really don't care. My own mother thought I was a monster… She was right, of course, but it still hurt." She said the last part lightly.
"What Lo and Li said about us came true; the beach really did help us find ourselves. I feel all smoothed; I'll always remember this." Ty Lee, always the pacifist, smiled at her friends.
Mariko smiled and poked her boyfriend's right cheek with a finger, smirking softly at him. "I suppose you're right."
"You know what would make this trip really memorable?" Azula proposed, straightening to smirk mischievously at her friends, an evil plan forming in her mind.
No sooner had they come up with the scheme did the group of five return to the house party. With a polite knock on the door, Chan opened up to see them standing on the doorstep.
"We've got some bad news, Chan…" Azula sang.
"Party's over." Zuko finished.
It wasn't difficult to trash the place; knocking some fine china over, breaking tables, ruining wall hangings and tapestries… Honestly, it was fun.
A/N: i regret nothing regarding this chap. period. (: