Mai I Help You

Mai was bored.

That wasn't unusual. She was almost always bored.

"There really is no fathoming the depths of my hatred for this place," she remarked idly to her mother as they and their guards took their evening walk.

Next to her, her mother said something placating in response while carrying Mai's little brother, TomTom (the only member of Mai's family she liked), but Mai had heard it all before and it didn't make things any better.

She hadn't been exaggerating. She hated Omashu. She hated all the stairs to reach the higher levels. She hated the stupid mail system that didn't even work anymore since her father banned earthbending. She hated the mad king's castle they'd move into, which was full of rooms that made no sense. She hated the loathsome glares she and her family got whenever they stepped out of said mad castle to be looked at by the populace. And she hated how wrong it felt for her family to have uprooted these people's lives and livelihoods by ruling over them.

Not that she'd ever say that last part out loud for fear of repercussions, but it was something she and Ty Lee discussed in hushed whispers frequently back in the Fire Nation.

… She missed Ty Lee. Mai hoped she was happy in the circus.

She was broken from her musings when the sound of rocks falling above her drew everyone's attention. And they looked up to see a large boulder coming down a mail chute directly towards them.

The rocks were diverted before they could reach them, and a figure with a turban could be seen through the dust kicked up.

"THE RESISTANCE!" her mother cried, pointing up at the figure.

Mai's eyes narrowed and she led the charge up the wall after their attacker. While she understood and was secretly sympathetic to the Resistance's goals, she did not care for their actions. Her baby brother could have been killed in that attack, and he was innocent.

The turbaned figure, who now that she was on the same level she could tell was a lot shorter than she'd initially assumed, bolted, joined by three other figures in dark cloaks.

One of the resistance was a waterbender and was using water from a flask to knock away the guards that followed Mai and block any knives or arrows Mai threw at them.

Mai decided to switch targets and sent a knife flying at one of the other cloaked figures, who let out a feminine shriek as it pinned her cloak to the wall, knocking off her hood to reveal long white hair.

At her scream, the water whipped at her, as did a strong gust of wind, and the final cloaked figure doubled back to barreled into Mai.

Not expecting this kind of response, Mai had focused on dodging the wind and water attacks and was then blindsided by the final rebel as he tackled her to the ground.

But the moment the rebel touched her, her head exploded in memories and one question flew to mind.

Why was Jin Zixuan attacking her? He was supposed to have better manners than that.

"SHAMELESS!" she shouted, smacking the boy on top of her.

(Sokka, meanwhile, barely felt the slap as he was coming to terms with the fact he'd just knocked Lan Wangji flat. What even was his life anymore?)

Just then, Jin Zixuan's companions yelped as the ground beneath all of them suddenly gave way bringing them all down into darkness.

Well, at least Mai wasn't bored anymore.

It took some convincing for the Earth Kingdom rebels not to kill Mai or take her hostage. Sadly, the rebels seemed fairly devoid of other reincarnations, so they had to convince the Resistance that bringing back past-life memories of being an ally was just a special Avatar thing to promote peace.

Mai kept quiet as they spun that fabrication. Lying was forbidden, but speaking up would not end well for her. Besides, this wasn't Gusu. No one else knew the rules, and she didn't doubt Jin Zixuan had forgotten them the moment he left the Cloud Recesses.

Upon hearing the white-haired girl she'd nearly struck with her knife was the reincarnation of Jiang Yanli, Wei Ying's beloved Shijie, the brave woman who died protecting her brother, Mai had prostrated herself in apology. Thankfully, by doing that and giving some information the rebels wanted, they were satisfied she wasn't against them (and she wouldn't be unless they targeted her brother again). Unfortunately for them, her information only confirmed that they did not have nearly enough manpower to take back the city. Hearing that, the Avatar convinced them to evacuate instead, and Jin Zixuan, or Sokka as he was now called, came up with a plan to help the people leave without a fight.

So while the guards were distracted by the 'plague' suddenly spreading throughout the city, Mai took Avatar Aang to the prison of King Bumi (initially for liberation but instead they seemed to fall into having a conversation), before leaving to return home and pack her things.

She was leaving Omashu. She would have done that even if Yue hadn't been kind enough to wave off her apology and invite her along.

Somewhere out there was the reincarnation of Wei Ying, and she was going to find him.

Or, perhaps, find her, if a sneaking suspicion Mai had was correct. She hoped she was.

But it was no longer safe for the Avatar to stay in Omashu, so they would leave a message with the rebels and have to meet Zuko elsewhere. And if Zuko had any brains, he would have suspected the same thing Mai did for who Wei Ying's new identity was, so finding the prince would find her Wei Ying, and she'd keep an eye out for circus posters on the way.

Just as she finished packing, a baby's giggle drew her attention, and she turned to see TomTom toddle by her room chasing the Avatar's lemur. Rescuing the poor creature from her brother's clutching hands, she reached down to pick him up with every intention of taking him to her parents.

Only the second he was in her arms she didn't have any intention of putting him down again!

"A-Yaun!" she whispered in shock.

This was her A-Yuan. Lan Sizhui. Her son. Her hope. That one thing left of Wei Ying that kept her going all those years he was dead. He'd been reborn right next to her.

TomTom didn't appear to gain any maturity upon their touch, but he clearly knew her more than he had before. He smiled in delight and reached up for her face. "A-Die! A-Die! A-Die!" he squealed his first words.

Mai smiled and held him tightly to her.

Of course, just when she was about to leave she was given every incentive to stay. It would break her heart to leave TomTom, even if she had to find Wei Ying.

But Wei Ying also would want to see TomTom. Maybe she could… no, taking a baby on the road was too much of a risk, and her parents would be frantic.

Mai sighed then resolved herself, and moved to take him to where she knew her father would be working.

However, she had only taken a few steps when a thought struck her and froze her in her tracks.

Her father…

TomTom patted her face in concern at the look on it, and the lemur (Mai vaguely recalled it was named Momo) chittered in confusion.

Sokka and Yue mentioned that all people who had regained memories of their shared past had traits in common with their past selves.

Mai's father, Ukano, was a proud man but spiteful man. He believed himself important and did put in the work to prove it, but was bitterly jealous of those in a higher rank than him, and desperately desired validation from the Fire Lord.

All traits that reminded her strongly of Su She.

While they'd always been obsessed with appearances and weren't the most loving towards her, her parents had never harmed her (physically, at least), but Mai wasn't sure that would remain the case if Ukano was indeed the reincarnation of Su Minshan. The vindictive man who had seemed fueled in equal parts by jealousy and disdain for the perceived perfection of Lan Wangji, who tried so hard to be just as good only to always fall short of matching him in any way. Who cursed a man to a slow and painful death just for insulting him and allowing Wei Ying to take the blame then spiraled out of control.

She might be wrong. It might be that her father wasn't a reincarnation, and she was just being paranoid. But if her father really was Su She, and he realized he now had power over Lan Wangji… Mai shuddered to think what would happen. Su She was vindictive and wouldn't hesitate to humiliate her and make her life miserable. Demanding unwavering filial piety and an unwanted arranged marriage was the very least of what he would do. It was not a risk she was willing to take.

Mai looked down at TomTom. He stared back at her, wide-eyed and innocent.

And if she was not willing to risk herself, could she really dare to risk TomTom?

No. Absolutely not. She couldn't.

But at least that solved the problem of leaving him behind.

"Why do you have a baby?!" Sokka practically screeched when he saw her arrive.

The others were looking at her in confusion as well.

Mai looked at him like it was a stupid question, then realized Jin Zixuan had never met A-Yuan. "This is TomTom," she said. "In this life, he's my brother, but in my last life, he was my son. I think my dad might be Su She. If he is, I'm not leaving him behind in that traitor's care."

With that, she climbed up Appa and settled herself down for the trip.

There was no arguing after that.

The City of Omashu was in an uproar!

The citizens were driven out to die from a plague. The governor's son and daughter had disappeared without a trace. And the imprisoned King Bumi would not stop laughing like he knew something and they didn't.

As such, when the Fire Princess appeared on her palanquin to view their shame, Governor Ukano only felt it was the bitter icing on the already terrible cake.

However, it only took an exchange of pleasantries for the two to stop and stare at each other, and a few things in this upside-down day to suddenly start making a lot more sense.

Princess Azula gave Jin Guangyao's signature pleasant smile and said, "Hello again Su Minshan. Let's talk somewhere private, shall we."

A/N Well, since neither Mai nor Ty Lee are going to be Azula's hench-girls, I had to give her someone to be her toadie, and Ukano fit Su She's MO the best that I could think of. Long Feng might also have been a possibility, but I have plans for him. As for Mai, she's kidnapping her brother/son and off on a road trip to find her husband/maybe-wife. It's too dangerous for the Avatar to stay in Omashu, so they're leaving the area and have faith in Zuko's avatar-tracking skills to meet up with them later. And since Zuko and Ty Lee know Omashu is taken over and hear how Mai 'disappeared', they don't go there proper but listen to rumors on the road and try to follow them as best they can.