Disclaimer/Notes: Yes, it's been a while. And for all you action-buffs, there is none. This is just an intermission that I came up with on the fly because I'm still on the beginning of the actual next chapter. I've been busy with the end of school and flag (woohoo, I finally made it!) and general laziness of summer. I want to update, but battles are not my forte, so I've enlisted some help. Hopefully this will be done before 2008. I do not own Avatar or the lyrics by Within Temptation. The song is Bittersweet, and while it doesn't go 100 percent with this chapter, it does seem to suit Mai and Zuko. Enjoy!

If I tell you
Will you listen?
Will you stay?
Will you be here forever?
Never go away?

The dream was always the same. It began and ended in the particularly annoying manner that it always had. It was a dream that Mai loathed, and awaited. Ever since she watched that tiny ship disappear with not so much as a glint on the horizon, it came to her. And here Mai was again, donning her sleep clothes and settling into her bed. Ty Lee was already asleep across the room; it was far to late for anyone to still be awake. There was no use avoiding it any longer. The dream would come, sure, but then it would be gone. But it was also a distraction, for her thoughts were consumed with leaving on Zuko's tank train, unbeknownst to him, or anyone else for that matter. Mai could only hope that she would sleep deep enough to not remember the wanderings of her mind and be able to think clearly in the morning.

"Yeah Right."

With a flick of her wrist, the light was put out and the chamber was enveloped in night, only faint starlight streaming in through the balcony window. Mai attempted to will herself to not think about the dream. As the pulls of slumber courted her exhausted body, she closed her eyes. Exhaustion achieved its goal and got the better of Mai, and she slept.

Never thought things would change
Hold me tight
Please don't say again
That you have to go

A bitter thought
I had it all
But I just let it go
Hold your silence
It's so violent
Since your gone

But Mai knew better. Her mind was active again and she was there, in the same place as always. It was a room in the Fire Nation capital. Flowers stood in vases of a variety of sizes and colors. There were others there, too. Talking nonsense, to Mai's ears. They were bustling about below her, as it seemed she was positioned on some sort of elevation. And it dawned on her then as it always did. They were dressing her in some sort of elaborate garb. In the back of her mind, Mai would realize that there was some pressing engagement about to unfold. The robes were heavy, but the women continued to pack on layers, including a veil of red and gold silk. A word echoed in Mai's mind.

"Wedding."

Before she could grip the concept, the haze of sleep blurred the image. It was always here that there was a strange glitch, Agni knew why. When the thoughts settled and re-emerged, Mai knew where she stood. Inside the throne room, naturally. She had visited the grand hall only once or twice as a child, but it was not a place she intended to forget. There was a crowd lining the skirts of the room. All eyes were on her and Mai felt her skin crawl. Then she felt a touch. It was her father, taking her arm gracefully, his dull golden eyes beaming with pride. And then the march down the length of the room began and Mai could feel her hands shaking. This was her wedding. It was always futile to try and steal a successful glance at her betrothed; a rather frustrating mental block presented itself each time. Mai did, however, catch the glint of a golden ornament in the handsomely dressed suitor's top-knot.

All my thoughts are with you forever
Until the day we'll be back together
I will be waiting for you

If I had told you
You would have listened
You had stayed
You would be here forever
Never went away
It would never have been the same
All our time
Would have been in vain
Cause you had to go

She stepped forward almost eagerly, but her father did not step accordingly. Turning with great care, Mai saw what hindered her sire. He sank to his knees, groaning in pain. There was a dagger in his back. One of her daggers. Panic overtook her subconscious and the dream grew frantic. Then Mai felt the sting of steel slice into chest. Another dagger, this time from the front, unlike the one aimed at her now lifeless father, had struck into the bare flesh below her clavicle exposed by her robes. Mai bled. She felt the life draining from her and just as the pain seemed to intensify, she heard a laugh from further up the aisle. Mai craned her head, using the last of her strength, and saw the attacker. Azula. Then the scene reverted to black.

Mai did not awaken, however. Her mind's eye shifted views and began a new stream of thoughts. Mai found herself in a large plush bed. Thinking at first she had indeed stirred from her sleep, a calm cleared her mind. It then dawned on Mai that there was a new touch. She looked to see a lean, muscular arm draped over her slender figure. The man who also occupied the bed stroked Mai's arm gently, spreading warmth through her limbs. A name entered her thoughts.

"Husband."

He spoke, but once again she could not understand what he was saying or whose voice it was. Mai knew, however, that there was tenderness there, and something she had yet to experience, but could imagine what it was like. Love.

The sweetest thought
I had it all
Cause I did let you go
All our moments
Keep me warm
When you're gone

All my thoughts are with you forever
Until the day we'll be back together
I will be waiting for you

And then Mai finally awoke. It was early, for the sun shone only pale rays into the room. She oriented her thoughts, knowing that she was in Ba Sing Se, not the Fire Nation. Disappointed that the dream was remembered in full, Mai frowned. At least the second sequence was just that; second. If the first was last, she would wake up in a cold sweat and never sleep again.

And yet now, from the first dream, Mai knew more than ever that she should follow her heart and abandon the safety of Azula's control. So Mai dressed. And then she left, uncertain of events to come.

AN: Now we see a bit more into Mai's motivation. Azula's a little back-stabber, no? Please review!