Mai walked around in her house wondering how she was going to tell Zuko that she was really by not showing up or even one of his guards. She would never be able to yell at Zuko. He was too sweet for that. She kept thinking about until an idea popped into her head. She would write him a note. That was so she wouldn't have to be there if things go real ugly. Not that she expected that from Zuko. It was just that he had a tendency to over react to things a lot. But she would have to eventually do it. She would have to face him. There was going to be a meeting of everyone who lived in the royal palace, and there she would catch up with him then. She would ask him why he wasn't there to meet her. There was no way around it for him there.
As Mai got ready for the meeting, she was trying to think of ways to "casually" ask Zuko why he stood her up. Part of her wanted to hear what he had to say, and the other part was afraid to hear the reason. She thought of things like just going up and asking him point blank what had happened. She had thought of other ways, but ultimately went with just asking him. She finished getting ready and headed out to hunt down Zuko.
Five minutes before the meeting was to start, she found Zuko hanging around his father and sister, Azula. She headed toward them.
"Zuko?" she asked when she tapped him on his shoulder.
"Mai." The way he said her name was a mix of resentment and pleasure of seeing her. She couldn't tell which it was filled with more.
"Can I speak with you?"
"Um, sure. Father?" His father looked down at him. "May I be excused to talk to Mai?" His father nodded in approval. "Thank you, sir," he said as he took Mai to an unoccupied room off the main hall.
"What's up, Mai?"
"I think you know why I want to talk to you."
He looked at her with a blank stare.
"How can you not know? It's about standing me up this past weekend."
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't say that like I'm crazy. You had wanted the two of us to go to Ember Island this past weekend to be alone. Then when I was waiting for you where you had said to wait, you never came for me."
"Mai, I still have no idea what you're talking about. Start from the beginning."
"Well, Azula gave me a note—"
"Wait. Azula?"
"Yeah, why do you…." Then it hit her. Of course Azula would do something like that. She was that low and sly. "Why didn't I think of it sooner. Azula made it when we didn't have time to talk to each other until tonight."
"Well done." Azula stood there looking at the two of them. "It took you long enough, Mai."
"What is the matter with you, Azula?" Zuko asked when he was right in her face.
"Nothing. I was bored and wanted to do something fun. Can't I have a little fun in my life, Zuko?" She batted her eyelashes at him.
"That's not acceptable, Azula."
"Yeah, well you're not my father are you."
"If only I were."
"Well, if you don't know how to take a joke, then you are not brother of mine."
"You were never my sister, Azula," Zuko said as he took Mai's hand in his and turned his back on his sister even though it hurt him really deep down in his guts. He didn't' want to do it. They stopped when they rounded the corner.
"I'm so sorry for my sister. I would have never done that to you. I love you too much."
"You love me?" She could feel a smile growing on her face.
"Of course," he smiled.
"I love you too."
"I'm so glad to hear that." He leaned down to kiss may for the first time.
~*~*Epilogue*~*~
Zuko hasn't talked to his sister since that fateful day. He and Mai moved into a country home on Ember Island in a secluded spot.
That was ten years ago. He and Mai have a lovely daughter named Ursa after Zuko's mother. They both decided that it was the right thing to do since no one has seen her in years. It was meant to keep her in everyone's memory. One day she may return to Zuko.
They have never hear of or from Azula until they died in each other's arms in their sleep when they were 112 years old. They died after a happy and full life. They regretted nothing that they did or what other people did to them. That's how everyone should be.