Authors note: Ok, pretty sad chapter. Mai's returned to the Fire Nation and well, you know…but wait for the end...trust me...
Chapter Thirty-Seven
If Only
"Mai! You're back!"
Ty Lee rushed into the arms of her friend and smiled.
"I missed you so much."
"I missed you too, Ty Lee."
Azula grinned at Mai and gave her a short hug.
"It's nice to have you back, gloomy."
"It's nice to be back."
Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai walked up the cobble stone walkway up to the palace. The princess gossiped on and on and Ty Lee nodded when needed to. Mai, though, just zoned off into the distance. She didn't feel comfortable at all knowing that Zuko wouldn't be here.
"So Mai…did you here about-"
"Yes, I know about Zuko."
Ty Lee frowned and Azula looked away.
"He deserved it. He was foolish, what do expect?"
"I expected mercy," Mai said turning to Azula, "But it's over now and there is nothing we can do."
"Where is he anyhow?" Ty Lee asked.
"With a Fire Nation General, in some summer house, but it doesn't matter, okay? We are just going to move on with life."
Ty Lee nodded with a smile as she and Azula moved ahead. Mai didn't though and stayed behind.
"They don't care at all. Not even Azula, his own sister. What a cold world we live we in."
Mai sighed as she sat on the soft ground, her face feeling a slight breeze.
"I wonder what happened…for him to get exiled. It must have been horrible…being scarred for life. But why would it be done to Zuko? He never did anything to anybody to deserve this. He didn't do anything but love and for that I owe him everything."
Mai grasped a dagger in her hand until she could feel it piercing through her.
"If only the pain could go away, if only I could go back and change everything. If only I could forget my past…even the past I haven't told anyone about. If only Zuko could be back, just to give me one more smile."
Mai felt a tear run slowly down her cheek when she spoke again.
"If only…if only…"
She stood up, grimacing, "If only…the world would leave us alone."
Mai left her sitting place and back to where her parents were talking to Uncle Iroh.
"Mai, you have a few more minutes before we have to be getting home, okay?"
"Yes mother."
Mai drifted away from the adults as Uncle Iroh spoke up.
"She is a very nice girl. Just a little bit sullen, don't you think?"
Both of Mai's parents glanced at each other and than back at Uncle Iroh.
"She was like that when we adopted her," Mr. Chi Poi said sadly, "Her childhood was unspeakable for the nobles so we didn't ask her anything."
"We don't pester her about her past," Mr. Chi Poi added, "And well…she doesn't say anything. We'd like to help her but she won't let us. The only one that listened to her and well that she would talk to was…Prince Zuko."
"My nephew…" said Uncle Iroh, his voice fading away.
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Mai slowly walked through the "Usual place". It looked so dreary now that Azula and Ty Lee had grown up more and had abandoned it in a way. They enjoyed dances, boys, and make up more than cart wheels and the game of "Tag".
"I never knew I'd miss seeing them play around so much."
Mai stared around the area before touching a dead flower and stroking it caringly.
"You just need help, that's all."
She kneeled down and dug her hand through the soil. When Mai felt it was deep enough she stuck the flower in and covered it back up. She then went over to the pond and cupped her hands, water inside them. Mai sprinkled it over the flower and then squinted at the sun.
"You'll be back in no time. All you needed…was love. Like me…"
Mai gravely looked at the flower before she was suddenly intervened by a noise. She turned around suddenly, a dagger safely in her hand, ready to penetrate anything in site.
"Come out here, now!"
Mai dropped the dagger though, when she saw what she had prepared herself for.
"Mai!"
"Zuko!"
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Authors note: I know, a cliff hanger, you have to love them. Will they meet? Will Zuko tell Mai about his scar? You have to wait because I haven't even started chapter thirty-eight yet. Three chapters left!