"My sister, Azula, was not the only one who liked to torment me when I was a kid," Zuko began. Everyone was now facing him, giving him their full attention, all of them eagerly awaiting an explanation. "When she became friends with Ty Lee and Mai, they were always teaming up to annoy me. I always tried to avoid them. Sometimes my mother would force me to 'play'
with them, but it always ended badly. That was when I first realized how crazy girls really are."
"For once we agree on something," spoke up Sokka, who was then nudged in the ribs by his sister.
"After my mother left, I hardly ever was around the three of them because I no longer needed to be. That was probably the one good thing that came out of that situation at the time. But there were still times I'd get stuck around them, and it wasn't till a little over a year before I was banished that I got to know Mai. She started showing up a few minutes early to hang out with Azula, but Azula was always still in training so for those few minutes my uncle would make me keep her company. At first, I hated it, but then... I guess I saw some of myself in her. Soon I looked forward to those minutes she'd show up early"
----
"Mai, they told me you came early so I decided to skip out on the last part of my-" Azula stopped in her tracks and her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she exchanged glanced with both Zuko and Mai, who had suddenly leapt nearly two feet away from each other, faces red with embarassment. They had done nothing but talk to each other, but even talking now seemed awkward, thought Zuko couldn't understand why. He didn't fully understand his fear of Azula knowing he was talking to one of her friends alone, but he still felt uneasy about it, especially now that she was staring at him almost accusingly. "What are you doing here?" she fired at her brother.
"This is my home too!" Zuko immediatly snapped. "I'm allowed to be wherever I want!"
"Not when you're bothering my friends, not that you'd know anything about those, Zuko," she said, now taunting him.
"I really don't mind him, Azula," said Mai suddenly. Zuko felt something inside him perk up with a rush of excitement. Mai didn't mind him? Azula was right, he had no real friends, but Mai liked being with him? And was that a small smile he was catching on her face?
"I apologize, Mai," said Azula, taking Mai by the wrist and shoving her way past Zuko as if he were a door she could just swing open. "If I'd known you would be here early I would have come out before you got stuck with my brother. You shouldn't be forced to talk to him, even if you feel sorry for him.
"It's all right, Azula," sighed Mai, giving up. Zuko frowned, thinking she really meant that, but when she glanced over her shoulder to get a look at him before rounding the corner, he knew otherwise and smiled.
----
"That's it? Just an innocent childhood crush? That's why she's gone crazy?!" cried Katara.
"You shouldn't be so quick to judge her, Katara. There's more to it than that," said Zuko. "To me she was only a crush, but to her... she thought I was her true love. Especially after what happened that night and a few months later..."
----
Zuko felt like a fool, hiding outside at night, waiting for Mai to step outside to head home. If Azula knew what he was doing she'd give him Hell, then tell his father, and then it would only be worse. But what if he scared her when he emerged from the shadows? What if she screamed and attracted attention? Then what would he do?
He almost slapped himself. He had to stop dwelling on the whatif's and start focusing on the here and now. The palace doors opened and Mai stepped out, saying a final goodbye to Azula. Zuko bit his lip and slowly stepped out. 'Here goes nothing...'
"H-hi... Mai," he said gently. She did give a start, but didn't seem afraid once she realized it was him. "Mind if I... walk you home?" he asked. She paused, then gave a nod, even smiling a little. He hurried over to her and walked with her.
"Why the sudden gesture?" she asked.
"Nothing... it's just dangerous at night... for a girl..." he said, making it up as he went. He was still awful at coming up with a lie on the spot. A part of him knew he would have to fix that someday.
"Oh," she said. "Okay." They walked a little further and Zuko soon felt awkward again, like something was supposed to be happening that wasn't. But since he couldn't figure it out he remained quiet until they were near her house. "Thankyou for walking with me," she said to him, offering a genuine smile. "It's nice not to have to be alone." He nodded.
"Uh... yeah... me too," he said, then realized there really wasn't anything to add a 'me too' to. But she didn't seem to care so he pretended it hadn't happened.
"And I meant what I said to your sister. I don't mind being with you whenever I show up early. In fact... I kind of like it."
"Really?" he asked. She nodded and he smiled.
"I kinda like being with you too," he said, then checked her reaction. "You're not a pain in the butt like my sister." She laughed a little. "And... I like you."
"Thanks," she said. They stopped at her door and she paused, looking unsure. "So... uh..." she reached to shake his hand, but he reached to hug her so they jumped back, embarassed. Then he reached to shake her hand but she reached to hug him, and they jumped back again.
"Er..." he muttered, trying to figure it out. This time she moved first and reached her hand out. He took it, shaking it gently then stopped, looking down at it. Azula had always warned him, in always the most taunting manner, that Mai had a crush on him, and up until now he'd ignored it and her. But now that he knew it was true... he didn't mind so much. Not anymore. He pulled her hand up and gave a it a quick kiss then let it go, straitening up but unable to look at her. She had given a small surprised gasp but he didn't see her smiling at him.
Slowly, Mai approached him and then gently kissed his cheek. "Goodnight," she whispered and then quickly turned and headed in her house. Zuko felt his heart pounding, his adrenaline crashing through him, and he wanted to jump up and down and cheer but contained himself. He knew he couldn't tell anyone about this when he got home... no one but his uncle at least. Iroh would more than likely be glad to hear of it.
----
"And he was," Zuko half laughed. "The old man had practically set up the whole thing, so he was pleased to hear his scheme had worked. Mai and I never took the relationship very far. In fact, I never kissed her on the lips. We were both kids and she was as shy as I was. Eventually my crush for her faded just like any other crush would, but her's never left. I felt bad about it so I stayed with her and tried to remain her friend because I still liked her. Just not in the way I used to. Even though I never told her, I guess she always knew it had faded."
"You should have been upfront with her then," said Suki. "No girl likes to be left hanging like that."
"I know that now," said Zuko. "But she was the first girl to show interest in me, and my first crush. I was new at everything that came with that. You couldn't expect me, a guy none the less-" he directed this at Katara who laughed a little, "-to get it right the first time."
"Fair enough," said Katara.
"The night I turned 14, my father didn't allow me a party or anything the really made that day anything different from any other day. Azula of course ignored it, but Mai came by that night while everyone was asleep"
----
"What are you doing here?" Zuko whispered as he helped her through his window.
"I couldn't leave the house today because my mother's become nauseous again. Father thinks she may be with child." She smiled a little then remembered what she was there for. "But I wanted to bring you this." She handed him a small box and he opened it, peering inside. His eyes widened and he nearly dropped the box. Inside was the dagger his uncle had sent him a few years ago. His sister had stolen it from him when his guard was down and after several attempts to get it back he'd long since given up. But now it was here in his hands again and he stared at her in surprise. "How did you...?"
"Target practice against your sister. If I won, I got to have the dagger. And of course I won." Zuko smiled and set it down on the nightstand.
"You're the only one who's done anything for me today. Only you."
"What about your uncle?" she asked, seeming surprised to hear this.
"He was out today. I'm sure if he was here he would have at least said something to me..." his voice faded and a sadness took over his face.
"I'd never forget you, Zuko," said Mai gently. He looked at her and she kissed his cheek. "I just hope you won't forget me," she whispered in his ear. He then saw a sadness in her eyes and he knew then that she knew his feelings for her were gone. He wanted to bring them back just so he could make her feel better, but even he couldn't control his emotions.
He gave her a hug then let her out of the window, watching her run off into the night.
----
"The next morning she never showed up," he said. "I thought she was just home taking care of her sick mother, but when she didn't show up again the next day, I began to worry. Then on the third day, I went to my uncle"
----
"Uncle, Mai hasn't been here in three days. What's happened to her?" he asked. Iroh's face darkened a little but Zuko continued to stare, part of him beginning to realize whatever had happened was more than her mother.
"Mai's at home recovering, Prince Zuko," said Iroh. "She probably won't come back here for a long time." Zuko looked to the ground and frowned.
"It's because of me, isn't it. It's because I broke her heart. I gotta find her-" he turned to leave but Iroh stopped him.
"What happened to her was not your fault, Prince Zuko," said Iroh suddenly. "It was all an unforseen tragedy."
"Tragedy?" asked Zuko, now beginning to panic. "What kind of tragedy? Is she hurt? What happened to her?!" Iroh looked around and sighed.
"Come with me, Zuko. We have a lot to talk about"
----
"The night Mai left my bedroom... I should have followed her home to make sure she got there safely..." said Zuko. They all began to jump to conclusions and leaned in closer to hear what he had to say because his voice became weak. "She hadn't even gotten that far from the palace..."
"What happened Zuko?" asked Katara.
Zuko closed his eyes, the ghosts of his past already haunting him again. "Three men, common criminals were out that night, and when they saw a young girl, almost a teenager, walking home alone in the dark..." his voice trailed and he didn't even need to finish. Katara gasped and Suki's eyes widened. "She was raped by all three of them..." Zuko said, he voice growing dark with hatred for this chapter of his life, a chapter he still felt could have been stopped by him. "...I wasn't there to protect her!"
----
(A/N: This is all I can get done now, but I will update again tomorrow, I promise.)