chapter seven

x

Zuko knew he should not say anything. It was a personal matter that he had no right to be involved in. Mai's life was no longer his business. However, his father's life was entirely his business so no one could blame him for confronting Ozai about what Azula said.

He visited the prison under false pretenses. When he walked in, he cleared his throat and Ozai looked at him with that familiar disdain Zuko always received.

"I want to talk to you about that kidnapping," said Zuko.

"I would much rather talk to your ex-girlfriend about it. I have been telling her all I know," said Ozai and Zuko lost his cool.

"What did you tell her? What did you lie about or coerce her with or—are you blackmailing her?—how did you—?" Zuko barked.

Ozai managed to avoid looking perplexed.

"I would appreciate a little more clarity."

"She's in love with you. You couldn't get her to do that without some kind of disgusting—ugh—something disgusting!"

Ozai had no idea. He never would have assumed that from his interactions with Mai and he wondered if Zuko was imagining things. His son always had a tendency to overreact. But Ozai did not care about honesty when it came to his traitorous disappointment of a child.

"It is clear that she wants me desperately. I am amazed you didn't notice earlier," he said.

Zuko clenched his fists and Ozai could not help but smirk at it.

"Stay away from her," Zuko ordered furiously.

"I don't have that choice. She comes to visit me and I'm not allowed out of this cell, remember?" Ozai's lips contort into an expression that Zuko wants nothing more than to burn off of his face. That would be immensely pleasing.

"You must've done something. Lied about something. Tell me!" Zuko's face was redder than his scar and Ozai was amazed he could keep from laughing at his son.

"Not that I know of," he said smoothly without a single crack or smirk. "She just wants me. I guess she was disappointed by you and wanted someone she knew was better."

Zuko punched the bars. Ozai could not hold back the laughter at this point and no one could blame him for being only amused by his son's anger.

"Leave her alone," stated Zuko through his teeth.
Ozai gave Zuko a harsh truth he truly needed. It was good parenting.

"She is not yours to control," said the former Fire Lord to the current one. "You two broke up and she is fair game for any man who wants her… and that she wants in return."

Zuko decided not to waste any more of his time here.

x

Zuko was rattled before his speech, more so because Mai was there. He held his tongue; he would not confront her about it no matter what happened.

As he spoke, she proved she still cared about him.

A blade hurtled at Zuko's face and he was too dazed from this morning's conversation with his father to react in time.

But Mai did. She tackled him and the blades went over their bodies at head level, thumping into the wall. Zuko breathlessly looks up. She saved his life. He decides to just laugh this off instead of admit how good it feels.

"It's been a while since you've thrown me to the ground. It's a lot less fun than I remember," he remarked. She did not laugh, but found it somewhat funny.

Slowly, Mai stood and tore the knives from the wall. Guards dispersed the crowd, desperately seeking the assassin, but she could tell more from the weapon than she could from blindly running around the square.

"What are they?" Zuko asked, standing up.

Mai examined them. "Double edged, expensive, made for throwing, distinctive signature of the maker. I know her."

"The assassin?"

"No," said Mai. "The person who sold them these knives."

Zuko considered that to be almost as good.

x

Before Mai could track down Shan—the expert knife craftswoman—she decided to stop by the prison. He knew more about the extremists than he let on and she was the only one at this point who could get answers out of the former Fire Lord.

Mai left the knives she intended to confront Shan with later at the front desk and went to visit Ozai in his well-decorated and comfortable cell.

Once she explained, Ozai laughed.

He said, "Countless people want to kill Zuko. It will be like finding a needle in a haystack."

"But countless people don't buy extremely specific blades." Mai holds up the ledger.

"I am not doing this. Why don't we go back to the kidnapping? I honestly think it is unfortunate that Zuko evaded his death yet again," said Ozai, waiting for the right moment to comment on Zuko's little outburst.

"I saved him," replied Mai casually.

"That is so cute. It's unfortunate you love someone else," Ozai said, seizing his opportunity.

Mai rolled her eyes. "No. I really don't. Just because I don't love him doesn't mean I'm—"

"He came here this morning," said Ozai. "I think he wanted to kill me because I was stealing you, or something along those lines."

"I would laugh if that was something I did." Mai crossed her arms, having no patience for this. "Does he actually think that?"

"Evidently." Ozai slid into full mockery. "Why would he make that assumption?"

Mai pieced it together quickly. "Ugh. Ty Lee probably told Azula who told him an exaggerated version to piss him off."

Ozai smirked. "Told Azula that…?"

"Told Azula nothing," said Mai, deciding that statement would be the only truth in this conversation. "I said to Ty Lee that I was so desperate I would even go for you. But I won't. I really, really won't."

"You protest very fiercely," said Ozai, drumming his fingers on his desk.

"I proved with my actions at the end of the war that I would literally rather be murdered than be with you," said Mai and that did temporarily shut Ozai up. "That should be plenty of evidence. Now, can we work on solving crimes together?"

"Did you really think she would have the guts to kill you?" said Ozai.

"A year ago she stabbed me in the neck over it."

He found that amusing. "She did?"

Mai lifts her hair and points to the scar. "Yes."

"That is a lon time to hold a grudge. But, it must have been nice to stop being a traitor to one set of people and be a hero to another," he replied, attempting to kick her off her footing.

"Nothing I've ever done in my life has been heroic," said Mai flatly, not faltering.

"Maybe," said Ozai lowly.

Mai decided to try a different approach. That of seduction. It was not her forte, but she hoped she could pull it off. "What if I was interested in you? How would you respond?"

"I have always been very attracted to you. You could have been my wife. Do you regret losing that opportunity?"

The answer was a sincere no, but Mai coyly said, "I've wondered lately."

If it saved Zuko, it was worth it. Unless Mai truly did want to explore this deep, subconscious desire for this horrible man. She could do both. Why not?

"You would prefer me over him. I can see that," said Ozai, which made Mai want to retch. "I also can see that you're trying to play me. I don't blame you. We all do disgusting things to get what we want. We only can hope that what we wanted is worth what we do to get it."

"I want to save Zuko."

"I could tell you a few things about how the kidnapping you were working on is directly related to this particular assassination attempt. But first you have to tell me what you really confided in Ty Lee. Or Zuko. I'm not sure what I believe."

"What I want isn't worth telling you that," Mai said.

He smirked. She did want him, else she would not have reacted that way.

Mai left.

Ozai knew she would always return.

x

Mai walked into Shan's hidden shop. Shan ran a bar to support herself, but creating weapons was her specialty. Mai stepped inside the grimy place and walked to the counter.

"I'm looking for Shan," she said to the bartender, a scrawny man of about twenty.

"She's in the back," he said, jabbing his thumb in that direction.

Mai walked back and found Shan examining a jeweled hilt of a knife she did not make. Mai could tell from this far away; Shan made every decent throwing blade Mai ever had, not the army.

"Mai," said Shan, looking up from her work. "Do you need something? I've been working on your favorite style of throwing star if it intrigues you."

"I'm not here to buy. I'm here to question you about someone you sold to," said Mai flatly.

"I can't give away information about my clients," Shan replied, waving her hand. Mai grabbed it in midair and applied gentle pressure. Shan looked up at her.

"This client is a terrorist and tried to kill Fire Lord Zuko," said Mai, still calmly.

"Shame she failed," said Shan as Mai released her iron grip. "I never liked him and his policies. And the war made me rich."

"Zuko almost died and there are hostages involved. I need to save them and I need to put this bitch down before he or she succeeds at killing him."

"You two must still be together. Are you engaged yet?"

"No. We broke up a while ago," said Mai. "I'll look into my missing knives. You better not be lying to me."

"I have no reason to," said Shan with a shrug.

"Keep it that way," coldly said Mai as she walked back into the bar.

From there, she set out to confront Zuko with the information.

x

Mai sat down across from Zuko at the teashop. She resented how much he set this meeting up like a date, but she knew she had to tell him what she found out from Shan.

"Do you think the assassination attempt is connected to our other problems?" asked Zuko.

"No," replied Mai. Then she sighed. "Maybe. I can't say for certain."

"So, what'd the knifemaker say?" asked Zuko, testing the temperature of his tea.

Mai thought about being straightforward and just telling Zuko she was livid he would rant to her father about something that absurd.

"What were you thinking when you left during the eclipse?" she asked, going in an indirect route. She did not know the right words to go about it the blunt way.

Zuko furrowed his brow. "That was a long time ago."

"Don't dodge my question," said Mai. "Your choice that night changed my life forever."

"I was thinking… that I'd stop being a traitor to one set of people and be a hero to another. No one would ever forget that I was a banished prince, that I wasn't…" Zuko shrugged. "I don't know why it matters. I did the right thing."

"Those sound like selfish reasons. Not that I should judge them. I've never been unselfish."

"You saved me."

"While I don't want you to die, because I think you're a good person and deserve to live, I don't lay my life on the line unless I have personal gain too," said Mai.

"Personal gain of being murdered?" He wanted to believe she loved him. He wanted to stop believing that he might have been wrong for assuming she did.

Mai gave no decent explanation. She seemed on the verge of it, but changed her mind and just said, "Leave me alone about your father. I would literally rather die than sleep with him, and if I did completely lose my mind and my standards and go for him, that's none of your business." Mai began to walk away before turning around. "It's probably Azula who tried to have you killed, so look out for that too."

Zuko grabbed her arm. She shook him away but decided to let the conversation continue.

"Why do you think it was Azula?" he demanded, baffled by it. She barely got out of bed, much less organized displays of resentment.

"The assassin threw one of my old knives. It's either her or someone in your court. I would go for her because most people in your court wouldn't bother providing weapons to the assassin. You'd have to have a certain kind of flair, egotism and desire to be caught in order to do that."

Zuko said, "She's not really in that state of mind."

"Or so you think." Mai shrugged a shoulder and averted her eyes. She did not want to crush him this way; he was very touchy about her, given how much he laid on the line after the end of the war to protect her. "Maybe she's just toying with you. Maybe she's bored. You should buy her some dolls or paints or something."

Mai left at that. She knew she would get nowhere with Zuko.

He exhausted her.