Author's Note: This is my first foray into the Avatar -verse, but since watching the series, I've felt the inescapable desire to get something written. Thus, this story was born. Any perverse bastardizations of canon or character can be blamed solely on me. Please review and let me know how I'm doing!

Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender doesn't belong to me. I'm just happy for the chance to play in the same sandbox as this wonderful universe.

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Chapter 1

A Spark

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Zuko eyed the milling crowd with a measure of surprise and pleasure. For such a large group—for the crowd spilled out from buildings, balconies, into the main plaza, onto side streets and on top of roofs—of Earth Kingdom citizens to gather for celebration had been practically unheard of in the last century. But in the year since Ozai's downfall, a great many things in the world had changed.

He felt a squeeze in his hand and turned to see Mai smiling slightly at him from his right. He squeezed his fiancée's hand back and returned the smile. It did him good to see her in better moods more often. Though his work as newly ascended Fire Lord had kept them apart for long stretches of time over the previous year, he had made sure to make time for Mai whenever possible. He had hurt her enough to last many lifetimes as far as he was concerned and was determined not to do it again.

Beyond Mai sat Aang, whose humble monk attire belied the power that rested within him. Without Aang's company and support since his coronation, Zuko was sure he would have gone insane. Though not a politician and a rather reluctant leader, as the Avatar, Aang's mere presence, if not his endorsement, spoke volumes. It had been a tumultuous time in the Fire Nation and beyond, but together the Fire Lord and Avatar had shown a united front, standing for peace and kindness.

Next to Aang was Katara, who doubled as envoy of the Southern Water Tribe and the Avatar's date to the celebration. Katara had spent the last year traveling between the South Pole and the Fire Nation after being elected ambassador of her tribe due to her Waterbending talents and war experience. Sokka sat next to Katara, Suki's hand in his own. Sokka had similarly been traveling between the South Pole and Fire Nation, though he took frequent trips to Kyoshi Island to be with his girlfriend and her sisters-in-arms. Sokka was an invaluable companion and emissary between the Fire Nation, Water Tribes, and Earth Kingdom. His easygoing, gregarious personality combined with his smarts and experience made him a natural ambassador like his sister.

Beyond Suki, whose Kyoshi Warriors had been among the first to form an alliance with the new Fire Nation military, sat Toph. The blind Earthbender had spent much of the last year in Ba Sing Se with Iroh after visiting her parents. They had been willing to allow their daughter to return home—a bit too willing, she later admitted, but she had vainly hoped they wanted her; a sentiment Zuko understood painfully well—only for Toph to realize they were interested in her newly acquired connections. Upon hearing this, Iroh had volunteered to take her in, and together they had aided in negotiations, reconstruction and, most importantly, Iroh's tea shop (a common safe haven for travel-weary members of the gang).

The thought of his uncle caused Zuko to seek out the man and, once found, meet his eye. Iroh was sitting in the front row of the audience, refusing a seat on the stage, saying it was a place for the new generation. He winked at his nephew and Zuko grinned back. He hadn't seen his uncle nearly as much as he would have liked since becoming Fire Lord, but found immense comfort in their frequent communications and reports he received from his traveling friends (as Zuko had largely been forced to remain in the Fire Nation to deal with internal problems and political machinations since his father's defeat). Iroh was enjoying a semi-retirement in the Earth Kingdom, and Zuko considered it well-earned, especially after putting up with his many ups and downs—mostly downs—over the previous years.

"It's time," Earth King Kuei whispered from Zuko's left. The king was the only one sitting to that side of him except for the king's bear, Bosco, which sat to the left and behind several rows of seats.

Zuko nodded and the king rose. He knew little of the man prior to taking the throne, but Sokka had a fair share of stories about the man (and his bear—something Zuko had been inclined to chalk up to Sokka's exaggerations until Mai had confirmed it and later meeting the strange creature). By all accounts, the man was rather naïve and weak-willed, but the king that stood at the podium in front of his people seemed all poise and confidence. His time in the woods had apparently benefitted him—a thought that brought Sokka endless giggling-fits.

"People of the Earth Kingdom," Kuei intoned, silencing the crowd, "distinguished guests, thank you for being here on this day to celebrate the completion of the reconstruction in Ba Sing Se!"

The crowd cheered loudly and it was several minutes before the king could speak again. Truthfully the reconstruction was not complete, but the majority was done and the Fire Nation and Order of the White Lotus had pledged support to finish the rebuilding in the Lower Ring and Agrarian Zone before the onset of winter.

"It has been a year of trials and hard work," the king finally continued, "but it has been a year that has seen new friends and allies arise." Kuei turned to indicate the front row of guests behind him. "We are pleased to ally ourselves with Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko. We welcome them and their friends, the heroes who defeated the former Fire Lord and ended the war."

The crowd cheered once more, though Zuko could feel the undercurrent of something less welcoming in the applause. He supposed that it would be hard for many to accept anyone from the Fire Nation after the last one hundred years, especially Ozai's son; it still felt strange for him to be in Ba Sing Se without having to conceal his identity. He idly wondered if Jin were in the crowd before dismissing the thought. That seemed a lifetime ago and she deserved better.

Down the row, Sokka was enjoying the attention, waving to the crowd while Suki sighed. Katara was blushing while Aang grinned. Toph took the whole situation in stride, unable to see the huge crowd, though undoubtedly sensing them. Mai tightened her grip on Zuko's hand while the Fire Lord nodded once more to the Earth King in reception of his kind words. Kuei began speaking again while Mai leaned in to Zuko's ear.

"How much longer is this going to last?"

Zuko smirked. "Bored already? I thought you would be used to this sort of thing."

Mai snorted. "I don't like big crowds," she said finally, ignoring his comment.

"It's a celebration," Zuko countered. "Of course there will be a lot of people."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it."

Zuko ran his free hand over the one of Mai's that he held. "But you like me, don't you?"

A roll of the eyes. "No Zuko, I don't like you." She sighed, as if debating whether she wanted to continue speaking or not. "I love you."

"I'm sorry to say that the duties of the Fire Lady include attending boring ceremonies with big crowds." He paused. "But I don't like it either."

Mai shrugged uncomfortably. "Something just feels strange to me."

"We're openly Fire Nation royalty and we're being welcomed in the Earth Kingdom. That's unheard of in a century—definitely strange," Zuko replied with a shrug of his own. He wouldn't lie and say that something didn't feel odd to him as well, but he couldn't place his feeling and didn't want to ruin a perfectly good chance to enjoy himself outside of the Fire Nation for once.

"I guess," Mai acknowledged before leaning back to her seat. They didn't want to appear as though they weren't listening to their kind host's words, after all.

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Zuko's hard-won patience was slowing slipping as the night went on. Though he had made a great many strides in controlling his tempter since switching sides, the celebratory feast that followed the Earth King's speech was grating on him. Zuko had never enjoyed formal events, evading them as a child and being forbidden from them while in exile. He preferred to be in action, not listening to the witless banter between members of the Earth Kingdom aristocracy.

"Remember nephew," Iroh had cautioned before the banquet began, "tonight is a night of diplomacy."

I know, Uncle, he grated to himself. We want to show our nation's new intentions of peace and friendship. But Mai's right—this is boring!

The girl in question sat next to Zuko, leaning forward as if interested in the conversation taking place. But Zuko recognized the faraway look in her eyes as her mind was anywhere but the high table. It was an act she had perfected years ago as a governor's daughter, but Zuko knew her too well to be fooled.

He cast around the room for something interesting to engage his attentions. All his friends were seated at the same high table of the Earth King as his honored guests. Unfortunately, they were too far removed from Zuko to talk with. Peering down the table, he saw that Aang and Sokka were in the midst of an animated retelling of some adventure for the sake of their neighbors while Katara and Suki watched on fondly. Katara caught Zuko's eye and shrugged helplessly, but a smile was tugging at the corners of her lips. Toph sat further down and seemed disinterested, though Zuko recognized her posture as deceptively alert. Interesting.

As Zuko looked around the room for his uncle (who he found chatting amiably with some other not-so-secret members of the Order of the White Lotus at the first table), he noticed cloaked men milling about the shadows, ever-watchful of the events going on around them. But none of the other guests were paying them notice. The Fire Lord frowned in recognition. He tapped Mai's elbow gently and she started. Zuko kept a hand on hers so she wouldn't startle into drawing one of the many blades on her person.

"What is it?" she asked, noticing the look on his face.

"Look around, tell me what you see."

Mai frowned at his vague response but did as she was bidden. She idly scanned the room. "I see a lot of people who are full of themselves eating too much food while people outside starve," she muttered finally.

Indeed, the Earth Kingdom was often just as harsh and uncaring as the Fire Nation they professed to abhor for the last century, but things were slowly improving. Zuko shrugged the comment off, not rising to the bait. "Not the party," he told her.

Mai sighed at his refusal to play along, but looked out over the room once more, this time with a warrior's practiced gaze before her eyes widened slightly. "The Dai Li."

"Azula's pets back in the nest," Zuko added distastefully. His memories of the time Azula commanded the Earth Kingdom's elite warriors were not pleasant, and he had not been sorry to see them go. But it seemed they had returned home.

"I know you don't like them, Zuko," Mai said slowly.

"But?"

"But the Dai Li are the Earth King's best guards. They're probably just here as a precautionary measure." She smiled humorlessly. "We are Fire Nation, after all."

"Old habits die hard," the Fire Lord agreed, but something still felt off. He pursed his lips. "But it still seems like overkill—like sending the Rough Rhinos to a… a bar fight," he finished, casting about for the right scenario. Though if Jun were involved in said bar fight… No, not the point.

Mai shrugged. "If it makes the king feel safer, then who are we to say anything?"

He sighed. "You're right, of course."

"As usual," she smirked, poking her fiancée in the shoulder.

Zuko winced theatrically. "Ouch! You wound me."

"I think you can take it," Mai retorted with a snort.

Though she was smiling, her eyes had unwittingly traveled to his midsection where the scar still remained from his failed deflection of Azula's lighting from their Agni Kai. Zuko forced himself not to touch the area as well. Though the wound had long-since been healed thanks to Katara's many efforts, the emotional wounds from that time still ran deep. He shoved the memories down—today was supposed to be a happy occasion, after all.

Zuko forced himself to smile back. After a moment, his shoulders relaxed and Mai's smile deepened as well. As he looked at her, Zuko realized that for the first time since his father's defeat, he could relax a bit and just be himself. Those chances had been impossible to come by since becoming Fire Lord as he had had to immediately step up to garner the support of the elite in the Fire Nation and abroad. Even when his friends were present in the palace, there had been little downtime for them to share.

He blinked when he found Sokka dropping in between him and Mai. The Water Tribesman grinned. "Mai, would you please stop hogging Zuko?"

"Yeah!" Aang called out. "We haven't seen you in ages."

"It's been what, an hour since dinner started?" Zuko snorted, but didn't protest when Sokka pulled him from his seat. He shrugged at Mai, who merely waved him off.

He felt a rather close kinship with Sokka since joining Team Avatar. Whether it was a measure of their close ages or conflicting yet apparently complementary personalities, something had clicked between them, especially after their venture to the Boiling Rock prison. He had more than once wondered if it was Sokka's friendship that had eventually helped soften Katara to Zuko after their own "field trip." She respected her older brother's opinion's strongly and though she could never know what exactly transpired between them on the prison trip, Sokka's whole-hearted embracing of Zuko as a member of the team hadn't gone unnoticed.

Whether that was the case or not, Zuko was just happy to have formed such strong friendships after a lifetime of loneliness and rejection, no matter how unlikely it might have once seemed.

Sokka pushed Zuko down the table and into a seat between himself and Aang. Katara and Suki, with Toph in tow had subtly removed themselves—Zuko noticed them prying Mai to join them elsewhere. "That's better!" Sokka declared. "Just the guys."

"You know we're still at a formal event," Zuko reminded him mildly.

"No one's paying attention," Sokka countered. And indeed, the many guests were all involved in their meals, dancing, or conversation throughout the spacious room to be bothered with the antics of the teen heroes at the high table. Zuko wasn't sure whether to be relieved or annoyed. He settled for the former.

"Yeah Zuko, we need to have some fun," Aang practically whined. He was itching for something to do—politics wasn't active enough for him, the ball of whirling energy that he was; a feeling that Zuko understood and commiserated with, but put up with for the sake of everything else. "We haven't had fun in ages."

The young Fire Lord looked backed and forth between his friends. "Let me guess: you have something in mind." Something that undoubtedly caused their three female warrior friends to depart with Mai.

"We want to go back to Uncle's tea shop while we're here," Aang replied. Sokka nodded enthusiastically.

Zuko raised an eyebrow, having been caught off-guard by the response. "That's it?" He had been expecting something messier, more… complicated. They were all welcome in the Jasmine Dragon any time; they knew that. Iroh saw them all as his surrogate family and loved having them visit—Sokka especially since he gave the older man a challenge at Pai Sho.

"Well," Sokka mused, "we also thought it might be fun to visit Ember Island again. We didn't really get to enjoy it before."

Zuko winced before he could stop himself. The place of some of his happiest childhood memories had evolved into something more akin to nightmares.

The other teens caught the look and backed off immediately. "But if you don't want to…"

"No," Zuko broke in. If it was just them like before, what could go wrong? They weren't being hunted anymore. There was no impending doom hanging over them. And truthfully a vacation would do them all good. It might refresh them suitably for the upcoming troubles that were undoubtedly looking. "I think that's a good idea."

Aang and Sokka exchanged surprised looks. "You do?"

Zuko shrugged. "Sure. It'll take a bit of maneuvering once I return to the palace, but I think I can swing it." Some maneuvering to get them, a group of infamous warriors, leaders, and benders out of the Fire Nation Royal Palace without being followed, that is. It wouldn't be a true vacation with the Fire Lord's and Avatar's entourages joining them.

"You are the Fire Lord," Sokka reminded him as he reclined in his chair, picking his teeth with a toothpick.

Zuko slumped slightly in his chair. "Yeah, all powerful me…"

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Mai watched silently from the doorway as her fiancée paced irritably across his ornate guest bedroom. She had come to find him as soon as she could safely steal from her quarters to his—though they were engaged, it wouldn't be proper for them to share a room, apparently. So after the servants were satisfied her needs had been attended to, Mai had thrown a robe over herself and made for Zuko's room. But she had found him pacing and completely oblivious to her arrival—unusual for a warrior of the Fire Lord's stature and skill.

"Zuko," she said finally after minutes of no change in his behavior.

He stopped and blinked in her direction as if processing her presence. "Mai?" Something in his voice sounded off.

"What's wrong?" she asked, stepping into the room. But she froze when Zuko took a step back from her. That simple, and likely unconscious, move felt as though he had punched her in the gut.

Zuko bit his lip and looked at the carpet. Something serious must really be bothering him. But what could it be? They hadn't been apart for long and he had been fine right before they had parted to go to their separate rooms after the party ended. Something had happened and she wanted to know who was behind it so she could cause some bodily damage for worrying Zuko; he had been through so much and had enough on his plate as it was.

"Zuko," she tried again.

The young Fire Lord looked up at her, a strange look in his amber eyes. "It's nothing, Mai."

"Didn't you promise to stop lying to me?" she demanded.

Zuko looked stricken and Mai felt bad for playing that card, but after their reunion—memories of his letter and the Boiling Rock still fresh in both their minds—she had made him promise to stop lying to her, whether it was for her sake or not. And he had agreed, feeling guilty for what he had put her through. And that same guilt played across his face now; for if anything could be said about Zuko, it would be his capacity for guilt. Mai desperately wanted to hold him, but instead held steady, watching him, waiting. Finally he sighed.

"It looks like that Ember Island vacation Sokka wanted is going to have to wait."

Katara had mentioned that the boys would bring it up—while Mai hadn't been there when Zuko had taken the group there to hide before Sozin's Comet, she could understand why they might want to return, though she was surprised Zuko had apparently agreed; he hated the place—and had wanted Mai's input on the idea. Mai had agreed if Zuko did, much to the delight of the other girls, but there had been little further mention of it. She raised an eyebrow for her fiancée to continue.

"I just received some news from home."

It was only then that Mai saw the parchment crushed in Zuko's fist. His knuckles were white. "What did it say?" Only something bad to get such a reaction from Zuko. She wondered if some of the less cooperative lords were acting up in their absence. But the men they had left behind should be able to handle something like that…

"What news?"

Zuko swallowed. "Someone attempted to break my father out of jail."

Mai suddenly felt weak in the knees. "Did they…?"

The Firebender shook his head. "No, they were stopped and the culprits arrested."

Mai breathed a sigh of relief, but Zuko remained forlorn, which sobered her. There was more to the news.

"What?" she asked.

Zuko slowly made his way to the nearby bed and sat down heavily on the edge. He looked Mai in the eye. He was the picture of exhaustion as his shoulders slumped and his voice was weary as he answered. "Someone else broke Azula out of the mental hospital."

"Oh," was all Mai could manage at the news. Her mind suddenly swam with images of the volatile princess and the nasty possibilities her newfound freedom could bring.

Zuko indicated the letter in his hand. "It seems it was a simultaneous attempt. But the prison is more heavily guarded, so that group failed."

"When was this?"

"Yesterday evening," Zuko replied, running a tired hand through his long hair, the topknot having long been undone. "The messenger hawk arrived about ten minutes ago." The bird was sitting on the balcony railing, trained to wait for a response before leaving, but the Fire Lord had been in no state to pen a reply yet.

Mai nodded. While they had been celebrating the reconstruction of Ba Sing Se with speeches, good food, and parties, some type of rebellion against the new era was taking place in their absence. She sat down next to Zuko and she realized he was shaking; not from fear or sadness, but anxiety and stress. Of the two members of his family, Azula was the bigger threat. Though insane, she could still Firebend. Her grudge-list ran deep and she had no qualms about harming others even on the best of days.

"Why Ozai and Azula?" Mai asked aloud, though several answers immediately came to mind.

"Because I'm too soft," Zuko snapped. Tension radiated from him. "Because I'm not the right person for the job."

Ah. "You're an idiot."

Zuko blinked at her, clearly not expecting such a reaction. "Mai?"

"Of course you're the right one for the job," she replied heatedly. He had to get it through his thick skull that he was needed. "Ozai, Azula… They cared for nothing more than fear and bloodshed. But you've changed that. You have the Avatar's support. You have your uncle's support." Something flickered across Zuko's face. "And you have my support," she whispered.

The Fire Lord looked at his fiancée for a long moment before collapsing backward onto the bed. "I know," he murmured. Then, "I know," more loudly. "But my father. And my sister."

And in an instant, Mai understood. Zuko had spent the last year struggling to distinguish himself from his blood-thirsty family. He had largely succeeded, but might was a strong motivator in the Fire Nation. Zuko's more passive policies struck some in the homeland as weak. The war had been a showcase of strength; Ozai and Azula had once been the pinnacle of strength and Zuko, the exiled prince, of weakness. Now, with their roles reversed, someone was challenging Zuko. Azula's escape and the failed attempt to recover Ozai were personal challenges to the new Fire Lord, his court, and his beliefs.

Mai looked over at the prone teen lying on the bed. He understood this as well. He likely knew the moment he read the news. He was used to the disbelief and challenges to his leadership. But this had crossed a line—in fact, Azula was a line Zuko was afraid to cross. Perhaps even more than his father, Azula had been the one to haunt Zuko in exile and at home. Their Agni Kai still hung over him (and he often rested a hand on his chest where the scar remained without realizing it, as he did now).

"Have you responded yet?" The answer was obvious, but the question spurred Zuko into movement.

"No." He jerked upright. "But we have to go back."

"What, now?" Mai demanded in disbelief, her eyes widening.

"This can't wait," Zuko replied, pushing himself to his feet.

"Zuko, it's late."

"So?"

"We came here on Appa with the others. Are you going to wake them up and force them to uproot in the middle of the night?" Mai responded evenly.

Zuko paused, considering this. He deflated slightly and Mai rose to meet him. She took his shaking hands into her own. Though she must appear detached to Zuko—an argument painfully remembered from the beach—she was barely containing her own agitation. But she knew Zuko needed someone level-headed around him right now. His stress was far beyond hers, and with good reason. She would be here for him, keep him grounded as best she could. Her normally disinterested façade should work to her advantage.

"You're right," he breathed. "We can't do that." He looked at her, as if at a loss as to what to do next. It was heart-wrenching to see the normally confident Firebender so out of sorts.

"So we write back saying we'll be coming back tomorrow, and we'll gather everyone in the morning and go. Then we'll deal with this. Together," Mai said simply.

But tonight she wouldn't deprive him of this weakness, unseen by prying eyes. Tonight Zuko had earned the chance to worry and agonize. Soon enough he would have to face the problem as Fire Lord. But tonight Mai was watching an eldest son torn apart by his dysfunctional family that never allowed him any peace.

"Together," Zuko echoed, as if the word was foreign to him. And perhaps in a way it still was. He was still adjusting to having other people in his life constantly. But it was a good thing he did; he'd need them.

Mai led Zuko by hand to the writing desk and prompted him to write a reply. Once he had finished, she went onto the balcony and tied the message to the patient bird's leg before sending it off. Then she returned to Zuko. For a time, they just looked at each other.

They both had high stakes in this—Zuko as Fire Lord and Mai as soon-to-be Fire Lady; Zuko as the victor of that fateful Agni Kai, Mai as the one whose betrayal sent Azula on a sharp descent into madness; Zuko as the weaker older brother and Mai as the subservient childhood friend; and the two as the couple Azula had taken great pains to get together only for their bond to backfire on her—and there was no telling what would happen. There was so far no indication of who orchestrated the two-pronged breakout attempt or why they felt the need to challenge Zuko so personally.

In the morning they'd gather their companions and tell them the news. Tomorrow they would return to the Fire Nation. But tonight, Zuko needed rest. And Mai needed to think.

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Comments, criticisms? I'd love to hear them!