First burn

Exes

Mai walked through the gardens looking for her friends as it looked like it was about to rain, she looked over by the pond seeing a familiar figure feeding the turtle ducks. She walked over curiously and sat next to the male as he tossed a small piece of bread to the babies.

"Don't you ever get bored doing this every day?" Mai sat next to Zuko with a calm face.

"No," he didn't bother looking up.

"How's your wife?" She raised a brow glancing at him.

"She's not my wife..." Zuko frowned a little.

"She seems rude and annoying," Mai rolled her eyes.

"She was," he fed the mother turtle duck.

"But she just missed her home, I'm trying to not make it so miserable for her," he shrugged.

"Why?" Mai scoffed.

"Well if we're going to be married I don't want her to hate me, and neither of us wanted this but I kinda want to-" "to be friends? Wow aren't you just amazing," Mai frowned at him and Zuko looked at her finally.

"You really do love being a righteous hero, thinking your innocent in this big bad world, we both know neither of us are innocent, we're spoiled and pampered and could do anything we'd please," Mai glared at him harshly and Zuko stared at the ducks in the pond.

"Your little wife can be called princess all she likes but she was raised by savages in the glaciers, the fire nation terrorizes people like her, you think you'll actually have a happy marriage?" She hissed.

"You've been around azula for to long," Zuko sighed.

"Yea yea whatever, she's not trying to be someone she's not," she scoffed again.

"I... I'm trying to be a good person," he tossed another piece of bread in for the turtle ducklings.

"And how's that going?" Mai huffed.

"I think it's making me less angry with the world," he offered.

"Ah yes cause your a victim," she sighed.

"I've been a victim before, but not now," he mumbled closing his eyes.

"Because you have no friends and no family that want to be with you," Mai sneered and he didn't move.

"Okay Mai," Zuko whispered.

"Have fun being alone here," she spat getting up and leaving him back at the pond.

Zuko inhaled softly taking a deep breath.

"Marriage?!"

"It's not my choice!" Zuko cried out as he and Mai stood in her room.

"Your dumping me for some whore in the water tribe?!" She yelled with tears in her eyes.

"Mai please, I don't want you to get hurt, I'm not going to be with you if I can't even marry you," Zuko grabbed her hands but she yanked them back.

"Shut up, don't talk to me, get the hell out," Mai snapped harshly and he flinched back from her.

"We were dating but I knew we'd never get married, don't be so pathetic Zuko," Mai hissed but a tear ran down her face.

"Mai... I'm sorry," he reached for her hand.

Slap

"I said get out!" Mai screamed.

He inhaled deeply holding his head as he sat in the grass. His chest felt heavy and his throat burned.

It was his fault for the misery in his family, his mother left them, his uncles in jail because of him, Azula doesn't have a mother because of him, his country has shame because of him.

His hands slid back and covered his ears.

He wasn't a victim, he was the reason for misery, Katara could be home. She could be with her brother and father, her grandmother, not stuck on this land with him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered with his eyes closed.

Zuko hummed a soft tune to himself to help his hurting chest and steady his breathing, it echoed in his head with his palms over his ears, it helped.

"Leaves from the vine, falling so slow," he rasped.

"Like fragile tiny shells, drifting in the foam,"

"Little soldier boy, come marching home," iroh cried softly as the thirteen year old was unconscious but barely could breath while laying in bed.

"Brave soldier boy, comes marching home," he covered his mouth to hold his sob looking at the bandages that will forever scar the boy.

"Are you okay?"

Zuko gasped jumping away at the touch on his shoulder but saw blue eyes staring down at him.

"You were mumbling to yourself," Katara squatted down to him with her head cocked to the side.

"Sorry, got lost in my thoughts," he whispered with a small shiver as he clasped his hands in his lap.

"I think I saw Mai, she looks upset," Katara looked over her shoulder.

"She's fine," Zuko gulped standing up.

"I'm taking a walk, stay safe," he inhaled deeply and went to walk away.

"Zuko," she reached for him but he was faster and already left her behind still looking distraught.