Disclaimer: Okay, so lots of author's are saying they don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender or any of its characters, etc. My response to that is… duh. That's because I own it. It's my dream, and I can imagine whatever I want. Really, I can.

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Rated M: Mature Content. Blood. Guts. Sex. Drugs. All the good stuff.

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Author: Alright, time for the next chapter. Guess on who gets to star in this one?

Toph: Um… I am going to guess it isn't me.

Katara: Or me.

Toph: Of course it's you, sweetness. You're overdue.

Suki: Maybe it's Sokka.

Katara: You totally have Sokka on the brain, you know that?

Suki: And? I just meant he hasn't been the star yet.

Toph: He had a pretty big slot though. Doesn't that count?

Author: You're all wrong. But keep arguing. I enjoy cat fights.

All the Girls: You are so dead! (Incoming water, boulder and blade)

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Chapter 4: Romancing the Throne

The afternoon wore on, and tempers flared. Many disputes arose over damages and lives lost. Zuko did the best he could, and the avatar did his best to help balance both sides, but in the end, not much else was resolved that day. The water tribe chief's were busy talking over their own resolutions, and many of the other notables present were bored, tired or too busy arguing with the rest to get anything done.

Mai stood up and turned to the Firelord. "I believe now would be a good time to call it quits for the day. If you don't, I may need to start gathering my knives." She said an evil glint in her eye.

Zuko knew she was kidding, but just the thought made him a little wary. One should never pretend to know what Mai was truly thinking. Zuko stood and blasted a huge ball of fire into the air over the assembled heads of state. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the Firelord. "I believe we should all retire for the day. Tempers need a chance to cool, and nothing is being accomplished. Let us reconvene tomorrow after lunch. It will give us all a chance to catch our breath and feel renewed."

Avatar Aang stood, turned and bowed to Firelord Zuko. With that, everyone else stood and followed suit. Most failed to note that the Firelord bowed back to the Avatar. Mai wasn't one of them. She liked the fact that the Avatar treated Zuko with the respect he deserved. She had to admit to herself that regardless of the past half year, she truly liked this boy that saved the world. She didn't entirely understand him, but she liked him none-the-less.

"Shall we grab ourselves some dinner, Zuko?" Mai asked him casually. She rarely felt the need to be formal. Now that the leaders were filing out of the throne room, she didn't see the point. She grew up with him and they played together as children. Putting on a front for others was only needed when the others were around.

"Sounds good." Zuko replied. "Let's head over to the dining hall."

"Actually, I was thinking we might have dinner alone tonight." She added coyly. Mai had been waiting for a chance to spend some quality time with Zuko and with the war, the switching of sides, the prison term, the comet and the coronation; they hadn't had more than a minute to themselves.

Mai decided it was time to press her advantage and do something about her feelings. She came off to most people as shy, depressed and without real feelings. In truth, she just had trouble expressing herself. Now, however, she refused to let herself fail in getting what she wants just because of how she is.

Zuko looked caught off guard by her remark, looking at her as if seeing her for the first time. They had dated in the past and grown up together, but Zuko had never thought of the day he would be happy with Mai. "Sounds… great." He replied.

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Toph heard the little transaction between Mai and Zuko from where she stood on the far side of the room. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but then, they hadn't meant to hold a private moment in public either. She smiled as she wound her way out and to the dining hall. She may not have had the mind blowing revelations the others had when going off alone with Zuko before the comet arrived, but it seemed like Mai would be giving Zuko a taste of his own medicine.

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Suki left the throne room in a weird mood. The whole time she had been in the meeting, she had tuned out thinking about her own predicaments. Even now as she headed to the dining hall, she did so more out of habit than out of hunger. Sokka cared for her; she had heard him say it. But…

"Hey Suki; how are you?" a voice came. It was Bato, Hakoda's friend.

"Huh? Oh, hi Bato." Suki said, startled out of her reverie for a moment. "I'm alright. How are you?" she returned.

Bato smiled his most charming smile. "I'm just great, actually. You, on the other hand, look like your mind is someplace else." He said grandly. "What's on your mind?"

"Oh nothing; nothing at all." Suki responded. Bato saw through her, however.

"Well, to that all I can say is this; have faith in yourself and your friends. All will be right, in the end." He quoted. "Well would you look at that. I guess I learned something from this war after all." He said grandly, taking his leave and heading to the dining hall.

Suki watched him go, thinking about what he said. Maybe Bato was right. Maybe she was being too hard on herself. Maybe she was being too hard on Sokka. One thing she knew for sure; she would be there when he saw his lost love again, and she would be there for him on the journey. Suki headed once more to the dining hall, her decision made. What would happen, would happen, but only time would tell.

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Bato walked into the banquet hall and started taking a large portion of all the different foods. He didn't eat half this good since leaving the South Pole, and even then food was a bit scarce. He secretly admitted to himself that he was capitalizing on his position as Hakoda's best friend and living it up a bit. He wasn't too selfish though. He had seen to it that his tribesmen were well fed and cared for. They were getting homesick, but there wasn't much waiting for them at home.

Bato had to admit he liked Hakoda's idea. His own wife had been killed during the southern raids, and he was lonely. Not too lonely mind you. He always had a lady on his arm, even here in the fire nation. But still, he missed having a true companion and confidant; someone he truly loved. The men would be shocked to the core to find out that they would have their pick of waterbending maidens when all was said and done. Of course, they would have to win their hearts first. Love was Bato's favorite game; the greatest game of all.

He had noticed a lot of would be couples of late, mostly the children. The girl Suki was obviously in love with Hakoda's son, but seemed to have some sort of hang up. Bato made a mental note to check up on that and see if Hakoda had any ideas. Then there was the avatar and Hakoda's daughter. Those two made a great couple; and the Firelord and his little minx of a companion. Bato too had noticed the exchange before leaving the throne room, and he couldn't help but smile to himself at the thought. That girl was going to trap the young man in rule of a fourth of the world as if it was child's play. Bato wondered if he would find a woman to settle down with that could ever match his wife. He highly doubted it. Just the thought of it turned his stomach. Men have needs, and he takes care of his; but he'd be damned if he ever truly betrayed his wife with another woman. His heart would always and forever belong to his wife. He couldn't even think her name without a wrenching pain in his chest.

Hakoda stood over by the meats with his son deep in conversation. They had been talking a lot lately. It was good they were so close after everything that happened. Sokka needed his father and Hakoda needed his children. Maybe Hakoda would find another woman. No… he would never betray his wife any more than Bato would betray his. Looking around, Bato noticed the conspicuous absence of the wayward prince gone Firelord and his leading lady. Perhaps the game of cat and mouse had already begun.

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Zuko and Mai had walked hand in hand out of the throne room and down a side corridor. Zuko had gone off a second to speak to a servant and asked that a meal for two be prepared in his private dining hall. Mai smiled shyly when the servant looked her way. She was never like this. What was wrong with her? Zuko led her into the garden and they walked together silently, holding hands and enjoying the scenery. By the time they made it back to the room they would be eating in, a full feast had been served. A long, elegantly carved marble table held countless dishes from every nation. It was like a personal buffet. Mai was beside herself.

"Zuko! It's incredible! You asked for all this?" Mai asked enthusiastically. She didn't recognize the sound of her own voice. She sounded… almost cheerful?

"Of course; nothing but the best for you, Mai. Allow me?" he said as he grabbed onto the back of Mai's char and pulled it out for her.

Such the gentleman, she thought. "Thank you, kind sir." She said softly. Zuko blushed in response, mumbled it was nothing, and tucked her chain in for her. He then moved to his end of the table and took his seat. Suddenly a light melody with a slightly darker undertone filled the air, giving them music as they dined. "Zuko? Where is that music coming from?" Mai asked curious as to the fact that they were alone in the room.

"My father had some pipes laid out that allow the music from a central room go through to a few other rooms in the palace. I believe the same music is in the banquet hall. Do you like it?" he asked, almost like he was seeking approval.

"Yes, it's lovely." She replied. Lovely? She just said that? What in the world was wrong with her? She wasn't feeling at all her depressed and listless self. Zuko's presence had always had a calming effect on her, but never to this extreme. Mai felt herself blush a little. She was getting a little warm. Zuko was just looking at her.

"Is something wrong, Mai?" he asked, the concern obvious in his voice. Zuko had already broken her heart once. He was being overly considerate to prevent a relapse.

"I'm fine, Zuko; just fine. Could you pass the tea?" she asked.

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Zuko was a bit nervous all through lunch. The conversation had stayed on politics for the most part, and they had just started dessert. Luckily, Zuko had a lot of opinions on the worlds' current state of affairs, and managed not to step on his own toes too much. Mai, for her part, had been able to go toe to toe with Zuko on every topic. Zuko couldn't remember having this much fun just talking with someone like this. When he made a point, Mai would counter it just to argue. Sometimes Zuko would win, but other times Mai would provide a killer argument that would have him totally rethinking his position. It was almost as if she was nudging him where she wanted him, making him see her side and having him change his observations to reflect hers. She was obviously more the politician than Zuko could hope to be.

"The city couldn't possibly be as bad as your making it out to be, Mai. If there were beggars in the streets, I'd know about it." Zuko said, matter-of-factly.

Mai only shook her head from side to side a little and retorted, "Zuko, since you got back to the palace, you haven't stepped one foot outside it. When you were travelling the world on your own, you didn't pay any attention to your surroundings. How would you know? I tell you I went to the marketplace with Ty-Lee yesterday, and we must have seen 10 beggars in just the few hours we were there. Ty-Lee even bought some bread and gave it to some homeless children."

Zuko swallowed hard. "Homeless children?" That hit him a little too close to home. "I had no idea. You're sure they weren't just asking for handouts?" he said, trying to will the response he wanted.

"I am positive. We have to look at our own nation before we start offering to send out all these supplies and troops to help the other nations. We need to make sure we don't suffer more just to try and make them suffer a little less."

"We can surely do both." Zuko said defensively. The home guard can be put to use as well as the locals, and we can also have craftsmen go to the earth kingdom to help rebuild. We have the manpower."

"Perhaps your right." She replied. "If you want it badly enough, it will happen. I truly believe that." She said simply. She had maneuvered him again.

A knock came to the door. "Come in." Zuko called.

A servant came into the room and began to clear most of the dishes. Mai remained silent while the servant loaded his card with the empty dishes. Zuko grew more and more nervous each minute; Just looking at Mai made him a little warm. There was something about her…

"Will that be all, Firelord?" the servant asked with a bow.

"Yes, thank you." Zuko replied. Once the servant left the room, Zuko noticed that Mai was playing with one of her knives, twiddling it between her fingers. She really was quite good. If she had been a firebender, Zuko couldn't even imagine how strong she would have been. Mai was looking down at her lap, totally ignoring the lethal knife she played with in her hands. Zuko couldn't take his eyes from her. "Mai?" he asked gently. She looked up from her daze, never missing a beat with the knife still flipping in her hand. "Are you alright? You haven't been quite yourself today. You seem… different somehow." He continued, noticing she was once again paying attention to him.

"I don't know. I think I am fine. I am just trying to figure out a few things." She responded. She sounded like she was unsure, which for Mai was not normal indeed.

"Anything I can help you with?" Zuko asked, albeit a little timidly. He was walking uncharted territory and had no idea what he was doing.

Mai looked over to Zuko and smiled a bit. "Maybe you can."

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Sokka had just finished his third helping when he noticed Suki standing quietly against the wall on the far side of the room. She seemed to be looking his way, so he waved to her and called her name. She smiled at him, but it appeared forced. Then she simply got p and walked away. Sokka had absolutely no idea what had just happened, but he was pretty sure of a few things; it was his fault, he would have to fix it, and he wasn't sure he could.

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Mai had to admit that she had feelings for Zuko. She was pretty sure he returned them. These feelings were strange to her though. She loved her parents and even her little brother Ton-Ton. Why was this different? Why was it that every time she thought of Zuko, she felt… happy? She had enjoyed arguing politics with Zuko more than she had enjoyed anything in ages. Just being in the same room with him made her happier than she'd ever been. She was determined to keep him around or the rest of her life if possible. To that end…

"I know we dated in the past," she began. I know things weren't that great, what with Azula and your father being who he was. I know we had our issues getting in the way. I know you broke my heart when you left without a word…" she continued.

Zuko couldn't help but cringe as the truth spilled from her lips. It was true, all of it. With his sister putting fear into them, his father's banishment and curse to hunt the avatar, and all the rest, he hadn't truly enjoyed his time with Mai nearly as much as he should have. Now though…

"But I have forgiven you that. Your father and sister are out of the picture. Your quest to hunt the avatar is over, and your home. Maybe now… maybe now we can finally try again, for real." She finished. She looked into Zuko's eyes, mesmerizing him. Neither spoke, moved or hardly breathed for want of ruining this moment.

Finally, Zuko stood up and traversed the distance to her side. He knelt down in front of her and said, "I would like that very much. I missed you Mai; more than I realized." And with that, Zuko took Mai's head in his hands, leaned in, and kissed her full on the lips. Mai returned his kiss with a vengeance. She wrapped her arms around his torso and crushed herself into him, never letting go of the lip lock he had initiated. They stayed that way for what seemed an eternity, savoring the taste of each other until finally Zuko broke away for air. Mai sat there out of breath and feeling all these strange new feelings she hadn't felt before, not even with Zuko in the past. She wanted, no, needed more!

Mai pushed herself off the chair and came to her knees facing Zuko. She leaned in and their eternity resumed. Neither wanted it to end, as they held each other tight and tried to convey all they felt for the other. Finally, they both split apart, gasping for air, but more than happy to be doing so. They just looked at each other, and then both did something they hadn't done in as long as they could recall; they burst out laughing. Their laughter took them over and they didn't stop until they fell asleep in each other's arms on the floor.

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Author: Another chapter down, a whole LOT to go.

Bato: What was this about getting some action?

Author: Um… don't you worry about it Bato. I can't reveal the future.

Bato: You can't leave me hanging like that! You told everyone about my wife! You owe me!

Author: I'll take that into consideration.

Mai: While you're at it, I have a bone to pick with you too. How dare you show the whole world my private kiss with Zuko!?

Author: Well Mai, technically the world already saw you kiss in the show. So technically, I didn't do anything more than pain you as a human being.

Mai: That too. How dare you!? Flourishes a knife or twelve

Author: Anyway….

Katara: So, when is the real plot coming? Not that I am complaining or anything.

Aang: Yeah, seriously. And when do Katara and I get some alone time like Mai and Zuko had?

Katara: AANG!! (blushes)

Toph: Get a room you two. Seriously. And make it one that isn't on ground level.

Sokka: Hurry up and write the next chapter already! I need to figure out what's wrong with Suki!

Suki: Nothing is wrong. Now leave me alone!

Author: Okay children, behave. I think it's time to end this before I have to start grounding people.

Sokka: But…

Author: SOKKA! ENOUGH! Don't make me come over there mister!

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Author's Corner:

Okay, and that sums up chapter 4: Romancing the Throne. I liked the chapter name, because it seemed so appropriate. Suki appears to be avoiding Sokka. Hmmm I wonder why? Toph is glad Zuko finally got his; a small victory, but a victory none-the-less. Mai appears to be human after all and Zuko is showing his softer side. Even Bato got in on the action. He has no idea how much action is to come. I hope you like it so far. Thank you for the kind reviews. I hope they keep coming. I am enjoying coming up with this stuff. Let me know if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions for me!