MAI'S POV:
"Toph, if you don't get your hands off me in the next 5 seconds you're gonna be stuck to the wall across the Palace," I said bluntly. Toph rolled her eyes.
"You think I wanna watch you? You guys are the reason Sokka had to give Aang 'The Talk,' so I'm not worried about you two changing in the same room. But Ty's making me, so...."
I groaned and sprinted to Zuko and I's room. I found Toph at my heals in a split second, and then I bolted open the door and dashed inside.
"Babe? Is everything ok?" Zuko asked. I nodded. "Tylee made Toph chase me in here to change," I explained. Zuko looked confused.
"But we always.... We're the reason Sokka gave Aang 'The Talk,'" he said. I nodded. "She knows. She was forced to chase me. Just let me change," I said. He groaned and flopped back on his bed.
I quickly as hell changed my clothes and sat down next to him. "I hate life," I said. "You don't hate me," Zuko said. "That makes one thing. Keep going, let's find ten," I joked. We both knew that was impossible.
Zuko snorted. "Ok, umm, you don't hate The Gaang, do you?" he asked. I shook my head. "No, I don't. You guys have made me smile for the first time since you were banished, I'm not even kidding," I said. He smiled.
"Ok, that's two. You... you don't hate Iroh, right?" I shook my head. "Three. He's really nice," I said. "What, who am I? Where's the real Mai?" I asked, sitting up. Zuko laughed and pulled me back down and Toph bolted open the door.
"Ok, and if I was changing?" I asked. "I can feel you two idiots. I'm checking on Twinkletoes and Sugar Queen, you guys come out when you find ten things," she said. I rolled my eyes and Zuko groaned.
"Ok, then. That's three. What's the fourth?" I asked. "The era of peace in the world. You like the fact that the war's over, right?" I nodded. "Yeah. I do. It's nice to see this all going back to how it was, you know, when Aang was a kid."
Zuko looked confused as we both sat up. My nose started to hurt from looking up. "What do you mean, when he was a kid?" I looked at him, cocking my head to the side.
"He's a hundred-thirteen, don't you remember? He was stuck in an iceberg for a hundred years," I said. Zuko widened his eyes in remembrance. "Oh, right. He was," he said. I snorted and lay on Zuko's chest, who was laying against two pillows.
"When's the next birthday?" Zuko asked. "Find me number 5 through 10 first, then I'll answer," I replied. He snorted as he ran a hand through my hair. I left it down because I didn't do it yet. Kat woke us all up with her crying. Well, she woke up Sokka and Suki, and then they woke us all up.
"Uhm, well, you don't hate.... Well, do you hate Yue?" he asked. I gave the wall in front of me a confused look. "Who-ay?" I asked.
"The Moon Spirit? Really, Mai? She's our friend. Sokka, Kat, and Aang met her in the North Pole back in August," he explained. "Oh, right. Yue. Wait, didn't she help kill you?" I asked. Zuko lightly tugged my hair. "That's 5," he said. I snorted.
"Ok. 6..." he said. I gazed at the wall, actually thinking of what I don't hate.
"I don't hate Kat's cooking..." I tried. We both snorted. "That's fair. Come on, Toph's been screaming at poor Kat and Aang for too long," he said. I sighed and got up, leaving him walking behind me.
--all of what happened happened im to lazy rn it's 11 pm--
"Zuko, do we have to go to the meeting?" I asked, bored out of my mind. Zuko nodded and I groaned and sighed.
"Babe, I don't want to!" He rubbed my back. "I know, babe. I don't either. But I have to. It's not my choice at all. Trust me," he said. I sighed and continued to walk with him.
"Babe?" I asked. He nodded. "Yeah?" "Can I take us somewhere until the sun's up?" I asked. He nodded. "Sure."
"First I need and apple," I said. He looked confused. "Just do it," I said. We went to the market and tried to pay, but the salesman wouldn't let us. And Zuko's a shitty people person.
"Please, just let us pay. We're tired and it's 5 am. Please, bro," I tried. He shook his head. Zuko was already holding the apple, so I threw a copper piece on the table and ran off, holding Zuko's hand behind me.
"Mai!" he said once we reached the end of the marketplace. "What?" I asked. "Spirits, I forgot everything about you!" I snorted and slapped him. He shrugged.
"Where are we going?" I smiled for once and grabbed Zuko's empty hand. I ran with him all the way to some place special, I remember the day like the back of my hand.
Firelight fountain.
I took my hands off of Zuko's eyes, and it took a moment for him to realize why the fuck he was at a random fountain. But it wasn't random.
"Mai..." he said, tearing up. I smiled and sat down against the fountain, back leaning against it and facing Zuko. It's rare to see him cry.
"What? Come on, sit," I said, patting the spot next to me. Zuko sat down and hugged me. "I love you so much," he muttered into my shoulder. I smiled and rubbed his back as he lent away from me. "I love you too. Hey, why are you crying?" I asked.
"Do you think we'll find my mom?" he asked through sobs. I nodded. "Of course, Zuko. She loves you. So, so much. She really can't wait to see you," I coaxed, rubbing his back.
I snorted and he looked at me like I was crazy. "What? I'm watching the Firelord, the most powerful firebender in history, and the most powerful person in the Element of Fire, bawl his eyes out because I showed him a fountain. It's kinda funny," I said. He snorted and wiped his eyes with the back of his hands.
"Ok, ok, fine. That is kinda weird. But I miss her," he said. I nodded. "Don't worry, baby, I miss her, too. The Fire Nation without Ursa was just like the ocean without water. It can't be," I comforted.
Zuko and I stayed there for a few more minutes, enjoying each other's company. Zuko wrapped his right arm around my shoulder and I lent my head on his as we both tried to watch the moon, but that didn't work.
We eventually both sat down on the ground, looking straight up into the sky, right at Yue. I sighed and Zuko wrapped his right arm around me again, and I pressed the left side of my head into his chest.
"Zuko?" I asked. He hummed in response. "Do you ever want to get married? Have kids, start a family?" I asked. He nodded without a tint of doubt.
"Of course I do, babe. I love you. How many kids should we have?" he asked. I smiled and thought about that.
"Well, Aang and Kat are definitely gonna have a lot, so that's a lot of cousins. I have an odd feeling Toph's gonna bang like 5 different guys for no reason, so that's a whole hell of a lot. Sokka and Suki, they might only have, like, three or something. Tylee definitely won't have more than 1 or 2. And, I think that's it," I said.
"Wow, I agree with all of that. It's completely accurate. So, how many kids again?" he asked. I snorted. "One, babe. That's a lot of cousins! Plus, we don't know how to take care of a child," I said. He shrugged and nodded. "No, we don't."
"I have big dad problems. And mom problems. Mai, how am I gonna raise a kid?" Zuko asked me. I frowned. "My parents didn't allow me to see you one last time before you were banished, then they locked me in the house for 5 months following because I told them I love you. We both have problems," I responded.
"You- that's really sweet, Mai. But do you really think we can raise a child? You know, give them the emotional support they need?" he asked. I nodded. "Of course we can. We're not like Ozai, killing an entire universe just to ruin the world, and I promise I won't lock down our child if they have a crush," I said. Zuko snorted.
"You're right. I'm over reacting. We're gonna be great parents," he said. I snorted and slapped his arm with the back of my palm as I looked up at Yue. "Of course we are. We're gonna raise the baddest bitch in this Element," I said. Zuko snorted.
"Then what's Toph gonna raise? A little fragile flower?" he asked. I snorted and sighed. "Ok, maybe the second baddest bitch. But a bad bitch, nonetheless." Zuko snorted again.
"A boy or a girl?" he asked. I sighed at the sky. "A girl," I replied. "I want a depressing friend." He snorted and slapped my hand. I slapped him back. "You're just the right amount of depressing, babe," he said. I smiled.
"You want a girl?" I asked. He nodded. "Yeah. A boy.... That's too much work. I don't know if I can raise that. I'm not gonna be the best father," he said. I slapped him. Hard.
"Ouch!"
"You're gonna be a fine father, and that's that. What about the thing that girls can't be Firelords? Who's gonna take your place?" I asked. "Sozin or someone?" Zuko frowned.
"Hey, why can't girls be Firelords? I mean, we ended the war, Aang's the youngest fully realized Avatar and airbending master in history, and not to mention, the last. We could use some more changes around here," he said. I frowned at a tree next to Zuko and I pressed my ear against his chest.
"Let's do it," I said. He smiled and started to play with my hair. "Well, what should we name her?" Zuko asked. I thought about that for a minute. I wanted it to be something special for once. Something meaningful. Then I got it.
"Izumi."
----TIME SKIP----
(It took me like eight tries to spell time skip right lmao)
"Zuko!" I said, grabbing his hand. "Yeah?" he asked, following me to wherever I was taking him. "Come on! We're talking to Iroh," I said. This was the first time I was happy in a while, and I wasn't gonna let anyone ruin our mood.
"Mai, the meeting's in, like, 8 minutes! Come on!" he said, still following me. "I don't give a shit! Come the fuck on!" Zuko eventually gave up and just followed me to the replica.
We ran inside and to the back, where Iroh was. I hugged him tight. I only have this mood, like, once or twice a year, and it's really rare, so when I feel it, I use it wisely.
"Mai! Nice to see you are happy again," he said, hugging me back. I let go and grabbed Zuko's hand, and he was panting heavily.
"Hey... uncle..." he said. I smiled and watched them hug. Iroh sat us down at a table and went to get us two Jasmine Teas.
"It's so rare to see you like this. How much do I have to cherish it?" he asked. I sighed. "A lot. It only happens once or twice a year," I said. Zuko hugged me tight for a second then let go.
"Ok. Cherishing it wisely," he said. Iroh came back with our teas and we drank them quickly until the meeting. My mood was gonna go away by then, so I wanted to do something before it did.
"What are we talking about during the meeting?" I asked, wanting to know how quickly this was gonna go away. "Stuff like what to do about the colonies, how to make peace with the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes, especially since Azula just attacked the Southern Tribe, and other things like that," he said. I sighed.
"Dang it. This is gonna be boring," I said. Zuko nodded and sipped his tea. "You were in Ba Sing Se before, right?" He nodded. "How did you blend in?" I asked.
"Well, I disguised myself as someone named Lee from the tea shop. It worked pretty well. No one knew who I was, and that was good. But you, Tylee, and Azula came in, and then we killed Aang and I got my honour back and then we waited until we kicked their asses at the Invasion to join them."
I smiled and sipped my tea. "That's smart, I guess. But no one recognized the scar?" I asked. He shook his head as he sipped his tea. "I was surprised, too." I shrugged.
After a few minutes, we ran to the Palace after we thanked Iroh. We opened the door and snuck in quietly, trying for Toph not to feel us.
We eventually got in, and reached the door. Zuko knocked on it, and my happy mood went away. Yay, another year of sadness and despair.
"Firelord Zuko, what an honour," the guy who opened the door said, bowing down. Everyone bowed and then sat down again. I rolled my eyes. Zuko was never good with formalities.
I looked around and saw their faces. Zuko saw it too, because he sighed. "You need Aang and Kat, don't you?" he asked. Someone nodded. I sighed and walked over to find a paper.
I gave it to Zuko and he wrote a note on it, then put it in a hawk. I watched the hawk fly off, and then Toph found us.
"SPARKY AND GLOOMY?! WHAT THE FUCK DID I SAY ABOUT THE PALACE?" All the guards looked scared to death, but I wasn't scared of this bitch. She's my girl, she knows what's up.
"Ayo, Melon Lord, we told you we have a meeting here. Pipe it down," Zuko said. I nodded, leaning against a wall and crossing my arms.
"I don't give a flying fuck if you have a meeting here or if you're getting coronated as the king of the world! You're not allowed in the Palace today!" she said.
"Toph, how did you let all these people in, but not us?" I asked. "I know they're here for the meeting," she said. I rolled my eyes as she shoved us outside.
"And we're not?!" Zuko asked as Toph shut the front door behind her.
We kept bickering like kids for a few more minutes until Aang settled it all. We got inside and I sat down next to Zuko.
"So, what's up?" Aang asked. "So, what do we do about the colonies? Do we send army forces?" a guy asked. For whatever reason, this guy looked really familiar. Like, really familiar.
Then Zuko tensed up, and realization struck me. This was the guy Zuko spoke against, when he got his scar. I rubbed Zuko's shoulder a little, in hope to calm him down.
"We could send army forces" Zuko started. "Ok, I'll find some," the guy said. "If we want to cause another war with Ozai," Zuko finished. "What?" a different guy asked.
"Of course. If we use army forces, Ozai will think that we're asking for him to send army forces as well and will declare some sort of war," Aang said calmly.
The general nodded. "So, no army forces," he said. Zuko nodded as he un-tensed a little. That bitch of a general. Zuko only had the Element's best interest at heart, and he went and got a scar for it. Not fucking fair.
The general gulped and wrote something down.
"So, what do we do?" Aang asked. "Wait, where's Kuzon?" Zuko asked. Right, where were those kids?
"Uh, we sent them home last night. They were walking in the streets and Iroh told us you guys were coming so we sent them home," a different guy said. I nodded.
"Ok, who the hell is Kuzon?" Aang asked. Zuko turned to look at him and I turned to Kat, who looked equally as confused.
"Kuzon and Kyza are Spirit twins, the same age as El and Al. Kuzon's a waterbender and Kyza's a firebender. They have like 3 older siblings and I asked them to watch over while I'm out with you guys," Zuko said. I shrugged and nodded.
"O-ok," Aang said. Katara raised and eyebrow at me, and I knew she was asking how Kuzon's a waterbender. I gave her a look telling her I didn't know as I shrugged.
"Ok, back to the meeting," she said. I nodded and turned to the people in front of us. "How do we make peace with the Earth Kingdom?" an admiral asked.
"We're sending some of the kids here to the school in Ba Sing Se, right?" Aang asked. "We are?" Zuko asked. "Oh, wait, yeah," he said. I sighed.
"Wait, what?" someone said. "Yeah, so the kids in the Earth Kingdom can get used to seeing Fire Nation kids again," Zuko said. "And why would they need to do that?" someone asked.
"Because, we're not locking up everyone in the Element they're dedicated to. Anyone from any Element can visit the Earth Kingdom, along with the Water Tribes and the Fire Nation," Katara said. I nodded.
"Yeah. We're not locking up the people. They'll think there's a war and declare some sort of independence strike," I said. Zuko nodded.
"Ok, so, what kids should we send over to Ba Sing Se?" Mr. Face Burner asked. I sighed again. "Send East Nation Middle & High," I said. The dude nodded wrote something down. Aang looked confused for a second then shrugged it off.
"Ok. So, what do we do about the Water Tribes, th-"
"TWINKLETOES! SOMETHING CAME FOR YOU!" Toph barked. Aang jumped for a second and went to grab the note from her. He read it out loud.
Dear Aang,
Ozai escaped. I- wait, why am I sending this to you? Give this to Zuko, would you? Sorry! Zuko, your father escaped. I need backup. Please, help.
-Kuzon
"Oh, jeez," Zuko said. "You guys finish this, tell me what's up at dinner," he said. I nodded as he pecked me and ran off
ZUKO'S POV:
"Spirits!" I barked as Toph shot a wall in my face, sending me toppling backwards. "Toph, now is not the time! Ozai's out!" I said, getting up.
"Oh, shit, sorry. Go kill 'im," she said, removing the wall. "Bye!" I said, dashing out the palace. I bolted through the door and all the way to Kuzon's house.
I banged on the door, and his mom opened it and bowed down. "Where's Kuzon?" I asked. "He's at the Fire Nation prison," she said. I thanked her and ran off.
"KUZON!" I barked. "WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU!" I opened the door and bolted inside, crashing into someone. I got up and apologized, then I saw him on the floor.
"Kuzon! Where is he?" I asked. "Hey, bro. He already got out. We need a more secure prison," he muttered. I nodded as we dashed out together. "You can say that again."
----TIME SKIP----
MAI'S POV:
Zuko and I just left the Palace meeting. It was a whole headache. The entire time Zuko was gone, we just talked about how 'The United Republic' isn't a good name for the Colonies. Like, who has the audacity to correct the Avatar? The general who burned the Firelord, that's who.
Zuko and I walked over to Spirits know where. I don't know what I want to do anymore. We have two hours left, I don't even know what we can do then. We can't go anywhere outside the Element, we don't have enough time.
"Do you think Azula really changed?" Zuko asked, our hands swaying beneath us. I nodded. "Of course. She's being nice," I said. "Yeah. I'm just worried she might go crazy." I sighed and nodded. "I know. But-" I stopped walking and talking in the middle of the street, and Zuko shoved me out of the way so a cart didn't run me over.
"Babe? What's wrong?" he asked. "Azula! That's it," I said, thinking. "What's it? What about Azula?" he asked. He looked genuinely worried. I smiled at him, and that eased him.
"Babe, the boiling rock! Find some guards, a new Warden- a non-supporter- and then wend them there, and we got it back and running," I said. Zuko's eyes widened.
"But, we escaped there. My dad's smarter than Sokka, Mai," he said. I snorted. "But he doesn't have a Chit Sang, a Hakoda, you, or me," I said. Zuko nodded.
"That's really smart, babe," he said. I blushed a little, but didn't smile, as he bent down to peck my cheek.
"So what do we do for two hours?" I asked, bored again. "I dunno," Zuko said. I sighed. "Wait, come with me," he said. I smiled as I followed him.
"Ok, where are we going, Zuko?" I asked as we slowed down. "The beach," he said. I rolled my eyes with the tiniest smile.
"Ok. As long as we don't run into Chan 'n his brother," I said. Zuko snorted. "We're not going to Ember Island." "And I'm glad," I said. We both snorted.
We sat down at the beach, and a few girls came by, but I glared at them and they ran away, scared. I'm glad I can do that.
"Mai?" he asked. I turned to look at him. "I love you." I smiled before he lent down to kiss me. I returned it, and we stayed there for a while.
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Hey y'all! What's up? Do you like this chapter? I really like it! Maiko is a really cute ship, and I'm so glad it was created in A:TLA because it's like adorbs! I'm actually really surprised I finished this so quickly, and I know it's not as long as the others but I have school tmrw and might not finish it for a week if i didn't tonight.
Random: Your smile is contagious! :))))
Have an awesome night! (3672 words)
Much love xx -Ema