One of my earlier drabbles had to do with the first time that Mai saw Zuko. A few of you mentioned wanting a piece about Zuko's first time seeing Mai. It seemed to work for me with this prompt.

Maiko 100: Prompt #32: Destiny

Ribbons

"My friends are coming over again today, Zuko. So stay away from the garden," Azula ordered one cloudless, hot summer day.

"I don't care about your stupid friends," Zuko spat back venomously.

"You're just jealous because you're a loser and don't have any friends of your own."

"No I'm not and they probably hate you anyway."

"Just stay away. I don't want you ruining things."

Azula left his room, walking haughtily, nose in the air. Zuko slammed the door behind her and flung himself onto the bed. He hated when his sister was right. He was jealous. Azula went to school while he was tutored at home. How could he meet other children that way? But Father thought it was best. So, his only playmates were Azula herself, and any playtime with her usually ended with him getting hurt, or his cousin Lu Ten. He was far older and was already a soldier in the war, far away in the Earth Kingdom.

The ten year old groaned and pulled the covers up over his head despite the heat of the day. A gentle knock sounded and his mother opened the door.

"Zuko, I heard the door slam. What's wrong?" she asked quietly, her soft voice laced with concern.

"Nothing," he replied sullenly and uncovered his head.

"It's a beautiful day; why don't you come outside with me? You can take your study books and sit near the pond."

He sighed and crawled back out of bed, grabbed some books and took his mother's hand.

"Azula said to stay out of the garden because her friends are coming over."

"Oh, well, the garden isn't Azula's alone. You can go there any time you want to."

"Okay," the young prince replied more cheerfully and then skipped on ahead, entering the bright sunlight well before his mother.

He spotted the trio of girls standing under a cluster of cherry trees, the dappled light creating shadows on their faces. They were stretching upwards, reaching for the already overripe fruit and stuffing their mouths full. One of the girls talked incessantly while Azula shushed her or just ignored her words. The other girl stood off by herself a bit, and carefully placed one cherry at a time in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully, then daintily spitting the pit out.

Her hair was dark, much darker than his was, a lustrous black that seemed to give off its own light. She wore it up, a bun on each side of her head, covered with red cloth, strips hanging down like ribbons. He itched to pull them, not in a malicious way, but in an affectionate one. And he had never even met her. Thick bangs covered her forehead and her eyes were shaped like perfect almonds. Her features were sort of delicate, perfect nose and thin lips. She was pretty, Zuko thought, very pretty.

Something about the way she stood aside, like she didn't quite belong or didn't know what to say, tugged at his heart; a kinship of sorts was born right there, before their first words to the other.

"Mai," Azula said sharply, turning to the girl in question and grabbing hold of her arm. "You're not paying attention. I said that we're doing cartwheels now."

"Mai," Zuko repeated to himself.

The girl shrugged Azula's hand off and said nothing. She showed no fear, didn't jump to attention like the other girl did. Instead, she deliberately reached for another cherry, popped it into her mouth and walked away.

"Hey, get back here," Zuko's sister shouted.

"Whatever," the girl said over her shoulder in a raspy voice but continued walking.

"Ty Lee, watch while I do my cartwheel. Who cares about dumb Mai anyway?"

"I do," the other girl said softly.

"Watch," Azula snarled and the girl watched.

Meanwhile Mai continued to walk, making her way to the fountain. She washed off her sticky hands and then strolled casually back the way she had come. Zuko hid behind a pillar, his gold eyes wide and admiring.

He thought about this Mai being a part of his future, a part of his destiny as deeply as a ten year old could. Destiny was one of his uncle's favorite words. He would ask him about it when he got home from the war. While he waited for that day, Zuko would continue to watch. Maybe soon, he would work up the courage to actually speak to Mai.

When he rejoined his mother, Zuko was in a much better mood.

"You seem happier," Ursa remarked when she saw her son's face.

"Yeah," he replied with a secretive smile. "I am."