She knew that good things didn't last forever, or sometimes they never even came. She had told herself that allowing herself to hold onto those feelings would only hurt her.
And they did.
She felt the pain hit her as sharp as one of her many knives when she walked in on Zuko before the coronation kissing the girl from the Water Tribe, the Avatar's waterbender. She could have thrown a knife in their direction, she could have split them apart, but she chose not to. She chose to walk away.
She talked to him after the coronation, he explained to her that she couldn't stay in the Fire Nation. "Being an instrumental player in taking down Ba Sing Se and all," as he had put it. She agreed, somewhat reluctantly, and was soon invited to join the Kyoshi warriors by Suki and Ty Lee. She agreed to that, somewhat less reluctantly.
About a month later, they all met up at the Jasmine Dragon. Suki had convinced her and Ty Lee to come along. "Zuko will be there," she said. "I know that you're friends with him. It will be great for you three to see each other again!" It had only been a month since the end of the war, but Ty Lee and Suki would drag her along anyway. So she went, reluctantly, and with a new set of knives.
She had a very awkward, and very short, conversation with Zuko, scowled at the Water Tribe boy's drawings, and eventually decided to go sit on a bench outside near the balcony so she could breathe. She heard voices, arguing. Her parents would have frowned at her eavesdropping, so she smirked slightly and listened in.
"Aang! Why did you do that?" It was the Water Tribe girl, Katara, and the Avatar. "I told you I was confused back on Ember Island, which was me saying no. But you can't just kiss someone without their permission. This is the second time!"
"Katara!" His voice was loud and upset, "what do you mean? I thought that after I ended the war we'd be together. You're my forever girl!"
"I'm not your anything! I think that I was pretty clear that I just wanted us to be friends, you're like a younger brother to me Aang," there was a level of sadness to her voice. "And I really want to keep that friendship."
"Katara, I'm sorry."
"I am too."
"Is there someone else?"
"Yeah."
"Who?"
"Zuko."
"I'm happy for you, really, I am."
"Thank you, Aang," Mai could hear the sincerity in both of their voices.
Once she heard footsteps receding she began to walk back out in an effort to go back inside.
"Mai?" She heard the Avatar's voice and spun around. "Did you hear all of that?"
She nodded, "sorry about Katara."
"I'm sorry about Zuko." She blinked, he must have told the Avatar and co. about their relationship.
"Yeah," she mumbled. "I guess so." She walked away.
She ran into Aang at every group event they had, they fell into somewhat of an understanding and easy friendship. Giving each other bits of advice and being a friendly face. They both were both happy for their friends, but still having some mild nostalgic sadness when the time for Zuko and Katara's wedding came around.
Although she had helped Aang find a girl he had met in the Fire Nation during the war named On Ji, and he helped her realize that Ty Lee might be a bit more of a friend on her part.
Mai talked to Zuko after the ceremony. They were happy for each other.
And she could finally let him go.