Disclaimer/Comments: Well, here we go. Avatar has taken over my life, particularly Maiko. I don't own any of these characters. The current time in the story is five years after the final battle that we all assume will happen eventually. Mai and Zuko have been together for three years. Thanks for reading. Special thanks to GoddessOfCsilla for beta-reading!

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Soft sunlight streamed into the bedroom, which, at present, was occupied by two persons; Fire Lord Zuko and the Fire Lady. His highness was in the final stages of awakening from the night's sleep and his stream of conscious and rational thought began to flow again. He glanced sleepily at the woman curled next to him, her dark hair tousled about her shoulders and the pillow.

It had taken six weeks for this to become normal, that is, waking up next to someone, particularly when that someone is a member of the opposite sex. In fact, there was still a bit of stiletto shrapnel in far wall from Zuko's first attempt to wake his groggy bride. His lips curled into a slight smile at seeing her like this, as he did each morning. Her eyes were gently shut; her breathing steady, and he couldn't help the notion that she was innocent. She used to be anything but gentle, but he could swear that with each passing day, her eyes seemed to soften.

Zuko rolled over to face her back and laced his arms around the Fire Lady's slender form.

"Mai, time to get up." He breathed into her neck. One eye flickered open and observed him silently, the fog of sleep vanishing from her mind. She sighed and tried to snuggle deeper into the pillow, but Zuko's arms prohibited her intended motion of rolling onto her stomach. She grunted and lightly jabbed him with her elbow. He let a soft chuckle escape and then buried his face into her hair.

"Come on, Mai. We've got to attend to our guests." Zuko grinned and released his hold around her. He sat up and stretched before standing to don his burgundy bathrobe. Mai, and reluctant as ever, swung her legs out from under the bed sheets and yawned. She glided to the washroom, her nightgown swishing softly with each step. It never ceased to amaze him, that even after five years out of combat, Mai retained her assassin's stealth. She walked so softly and seemed to blend in with the most contrasting colors so well that sometimes he wondered if she did it on purpose. The young Fire Lord was properly dressed in his royal garb in a matter of minutes and was finishing just as Mai emerged from the washroom, clothed in a towel, a frown on her face. Of course, the fire benders that attended the palace super-heated the water early in the morning at some ungodly hour. They did so not to disturb his and her highnesses, but on occasion it was too cool for Mai's liking after sitting there for a few while.

"Would you?" She sighed, looking at him with those entrancing gold orbs of hers. He smiled slightly and took care of the task quickly, then returned to the main room.

Ah, yes, the guests. Avatar Aang was visiting the Fire Nation to check up on things. It was, after all, the five-year anniversary of the fall of Ozai. He had brought the water-bending girl and her brother with him, as well as the blind earth bender. Katara, Sokka, and Toph, of course. Zuko had learned their names in the days after that final battle.

Fire Lord Zuko tore his mind away from the memories of that horrific battle, a task that could easily snowball into a mountain of a challenge. Fortunately, the sight a Mai emerging from the washroom clothed in her full Fire Lady's dress was plenty to distract him.

"You're looking especially beautiful this morning." Zuko winked, as he often found himself doing to his Lady. A light blush flooded her cheeks and she smiled, a rarity despite being one of the happiest women in the entire Fire Nation. Mai harbored many surprising emotions behind her porcelain façade, some that even Zuko hadn't discovered yet. Only after several months of their marriage had she finally opened her feelings to him, if only a sample of her complexity. But he didn't mind. She was his, and he was hers.

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The terrace that had been appointed a breakfast hall was filled with chatter when the Fire Lord and Lady arrived. Avatar Aang smiled wide, just as he had when he was twelve. He was seventeen now, almost a man. The lovely young woman seated adjacent to him waved and then promptly smacked the piece of sausage from the dark skinned man across the table's hand while General Iroh chatted with the earth bending girl. Zuko laughed on the inside and looked to Mai. She rolled her eyes slightly as the scene unfolded. Katara was whispering fiercely at Sokka who just huffed and sunk into his chair.

"Good morning, Zuko, Lady Mai." Aang's deepened voice chuckled as he nodded in their direction. My, how boys grow up. In all reality, it's amazing that he's even here under friendly terms, considering the events of the past. Zuko motioned for them to dig in, much to Sokka's delight. Zuko and Mai made their way to the head of the table, where the Fire Lord seated his Lady at his right and then sat in his own chair.

"Good morning, everyone." Zuko nodded to his guests and began to eat his breakfast, suddenly realizing that he was rather hungry. Nothing compared to the sting of hunger he endured in the Earth Kingdom years ago, but it was enough for his stomach to protest. As soon as everyone was settled and the small talk had just begun, a messenger approached the veranda and whispered quickly into Fire Lord Zuko's ear. His eyes grew wide with the news, but he did not move. He dismissed the messenger quickly and then turned his attention back to his company. Mai placed her hand lightly on his arm, her concern apparent.

"It seems that Azula has been sighted." Zuko said flatly through his clenched teeth. Exiled from the Fire Nation, Azula was destined to be alone. Destiny, evidently, had other plans. The alarm that this announcement may have cause was only apparent by the sudden cease of movement from each person sitting around the table. Zuko looked to Iroh, who stared back with narrowed, knowing eyes. Dealing with Azula was always tricky, painstaking, and more often than not, lethal.

Aang cleared his throat and spoke, "So, after five years she finally decides to show her face." He shifted his eyes. "What will you do?"

Ah, the test of his ability as Fire Lord. The weight of this responsibility seemed to double once the Avatar voiced his inquiry. Of course, Zuko wasn't the only one in the royal family who had been given flak about their progress. So far, in the three years of marriage, the Fire Lady had yet to be able to produce an heir, despite their efforts. Since the entire order of the Nation depended on what happened in the palace, there was much speculation about both of their capability. Child or no child, Mai kept face; though Zuko knew that it pained her.

"We will wait. We will wait and watch." The young Fire Lord spoke with a voice far more commanding than his years would suggest. Aang nodded firmly and everyone returned quietly to their meals.

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She knew that Mai was there, standing in the doorway. Ty Lee sat in the wheeled chair that she had learned over the years was her prison. She never liked books before, but now she found herself spending hours alone in the royal library. Usually she read books on gymnastics or combat, a sad attempt to remember what it was like to walk.

Mai wasn't sure who her friend had become. Her light grey eyes were now darkened and flat. She seemed paler and her girlish aura, dingy. Ty Lee lost what she treasured most in that blasted battle five years ago. Her freedom. Crippled, she remained caught in a constant struggle with depression. More so, she fought with the sting of betrayal. Azula had used her, throwing her into battle as a diversion and then when it failed, she made Ty Lee suffer the unimaginable. It was a fool's errand she's been sent on. It all seemed a blur now; Ty Lee couldn't even remember what she'd been told to do. Upon her return, beaten and bruised, she'd been forced to beg for her life at the feet of the princess. Azula had informed her quickly that she was a failure, and thus, of no further use. Lightning spilled from the princess's fingers, striking Ty Lee in the back, her spinal cord taking most of the blow. It was a miracle she was alive, yet sometimes she wished that she wasn't.

"You've heard?" Mai's voice was flat and even.

"Yes." The brunette answered quickly, averting her eyes from her friend's face, twisting the thick braid that lay over her shoulder. The air in the room was thick and Mai closed her eyes, suddenly dizzy. Ty Lee sighed and returned the book she had been pretending to read to the desk. Mai crouched down and looked Ty Lee in the eyes. Strange how both of their outlooks on life had seemingly reversed. Ty Lee turned to hug Mai tightly, her eyes misty with tears. Mai's heart sank and she barely was able to stop a tear from escaping from her eye. Ty Lee's breath was rigid and she wished that she could just stay like that for an eternity, in the arms of her true friend. The loss was both of theirs to share, and neither of them really knew how the incidents of the past had affected the other. Ty Lee released Mai from her embrace and looked back to the mass of volumes, fighting her sorrow.

"She won't hurt you again." Mai whispered as she turned and glided out of the library.

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Katara saw that Mai was leaving the library and made her way to the walkway from the garden at the hub of the palace compound. The Fire Lady forced a smile as the water bender came to walk alongside her.

"Ty Lee's not doing well." Katara chose her words carefully and what could have been a question was clearly more of a statement. Mai nodded slightly and sighed.

"I don't know that she will ever be normal." She said sadly, and then attempted to make a humorous comment. "Not that she was to begin with. But anything would be better than what she's like now."

Katara smiled, but it was laced with sympathy. Suddenly, she was thankful that it was summer, for there was nothing but the heat of the sun to fight the chill than came over her.

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Chapter 2 will be here shortly! Thanks for reading, please leave comments!