Travels through the Alphabet with Mai
Part 12, Land and Longing
The Fire Nation came into sight after two long weeks at sea. A sense of love and remembrance surged through Mai as volcanic peaks and lush tropical forests, black sand beaches and romantic little coves emerged from the ocean's depths. She'd missed it all; though until that very moment, her longing for home had been a hidden, silent thing.
Zuko stood on the deck, staring, always staring, into his future or into his past; Mai was not quite certain.
"There it is." Mai stated the obvious and placed a hand on her lover's arm.
It quivered beneath her. Zuko was so full of turbulent emotions, so worried about the return to both his land and his role as prince of the Fire Nation. He ripped his eyes away from the horizon only with great effort.
"Yeah," he agreed softly. "We'll be on land soon." He searched her eyes for something, some sort of similar anxiety perhaps, or a sign that she was there for him and with him no matter what.
She smiled, a rare enough sight, and Zuko managed a weak one of his own.
Mai knew he'd spent the better part of his three years in exile aboard his ship. Traveling on the sea was like walking and breathing to him now. While she had no trouble on the water, and even enjoyed the brisk air and the brisk breezes, Mai preferred land beneath her feet.
Besides wanting firm ground under her, and her smile grew wider at the thought, her parents' huge house sat empty, waiting for her. The possibilities were endless.
"It'll be all right." Her hand crawled upward until it rested casually on Zuko's cheek. His pain was her pain, though she was good at hiding any outward manifestations. She wanted to make it all go away. But she didn't know how. So standing on her tiptoes, she kissed the smooth skin of his right cheek.
"Do you really think so, Mai?"
"We're in limbo now," she shrugged. "But once we get home and put our feet down on Fire Nation soil, we can begin, you can begin."
Of course, neither she nor Zuko could predict anything that might happen. But they would be home and together and they could get to know each other anew. Meddling parents were out of the picture. She was fifteen, a woman grown, and Zuko a year older. They could make adult decisions and do adult things and revel in their freedom.
Once they walked off the massive Fire Nation ship and their shoes hit the stone of the dock, the future was theirs.