Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.
Well, readers, this is the last post for this series. On a side note, I have a companion series to this for Aang that is not yet finished. Thanks for reading and I appreciate your reviews. I would also like to dedicate this one last post to arizony whose insightful reviews have made this series worth finishing.
"One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life; that word is love." –Sophocles
It was the day after his duel with Azula when he had seen his sister fall into madness. But that next day when he had struggled to put on his outer robe, she had returned to him…
"You need some help with that?"
He had turned in surprise. Here she was leaning up against the doorway, just as he had remembered her. Had it only been weeks ago when he had left…? "Mai!" He cried with delight. A feeling of joy swished into his heart, but was followed by a tingle of anxiety. Would…would she hate him? "You're okay!" He opened his arms to hug her. "They let you out of prison?"
Mai ignored his hug and instead helped him to put on his robe. "My uncle pulled some strings," She replied as she fastened his robe for him, "And it doesn't hurt when the new Fire Lord is your boyfriend." Zuko's heart thudded at this. For it meant…
Mai walked in front of him and laid a hand in his chest. "So does this mean you don't hate me anymore?" He asked with a flicker of hope.
He was startled to see a blush on her cheeks. "I think this means," She said softly while placing a hand on his cheek. Her hand felt peaceful to his pounding heart. "I actually kind of like you." Then he kissed her as he had dreamed of doing for weeks. He had missed her more than he would have thought possible. She looked back into his eyes with such love when he pulled away. She jabbed a finger on his shoulder that his eyes could not but help to follow. "But don't ever," She warned with a smile, "Break up with me again." She jabbed him in the shoulder again. He could only smile sheepishly as he leaned in to kiss her once more…
Zuko awoke from his dream with a content smile. It was hard to grasp that that day had been three years ago. Zuko slowly sat up in his bed, lest to awake the person sleeping next to him. His dreams were no longer filled with nightmares, but were now of good things. Things were difficult these days in their own ways, yet he would not have it any differently.
He looked down at the sleeping figure next to him and felt his heart swell at the very sight of her. Such love is said to disappear with time but he had not experienced such a thing at all in their time together. Their wedding had been small and blissful, surrounded by the ones they all loved. Well, he did not love her uncle at all, the one mentioned in the memory he had been dreaming of. The uncle did not like him either. Guess that was from the whole hostage thing he thought with dark amusement.
Mai rolled over in her sleep, throwing an arm over his naked chest. Her arm was strong and at the same time breakable. He looked down at her peaceful face and gently followed her jaw line with his fingertips. Agni, he loved her. It was her being there, the knowledge that she would always be there for him, that made this world more tolerable. Such damages from before had to be repaired in the word. It was hard…harder than he could have imagined…
But she…she made it worth it.
He loved her. She was his very reason. Zuko smiled sweetly at the thought of them growing old together with wrinkles and grand-children. That was the future he saw before him.
That was the future he wanted.