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It was the last day of their childhood, and Azula and Mai spent it together.
Neither of them thought of it that way then but they both looked back on it the same way. At thirteen, they no longer saw themselves as children. Soon, the world would treat them the same way.
Ty Lee had left already, running off to join the circus. A childish ambition none of them had expected her to turn into reality. Mai grudgingly admired it, while Azula resented it. Mai knew she didn't like her friends leaving without her permission.
Mai would be leaving the next day. Her father wanting to be one of the first to set foot in Omashu once they had conquered it. Both of them hated that, but there was nothing they could do about it.
Mai's heart was beating rapidly in her chest as she and Azula hid behind the tapestry, the basket of fruit tarts clutched between them tightly. The servants who had followed them seemed to be gone now, tired of chasing the princess and her friend around the palace. Mai wondered why they had even bothered, Azula always got away with things like this.
"Azula—" Mai started in a quiet whisper. But Azula's hand clamped over her mouth.
"Hush."
At that point, another servant walked past, carrying a basket of laundry. She didn't seem to notice them, even though Mai was sure their feet were sticking out from the bottom of the tapestry. Only after the servant was well out of earshot did Azula drop her hand.
"You nearly got us caught."
Mai frowned a little. "And what would have happened if we were?"
They both knew Azula could have just asked for all the fruit tarts in the kitchen without a problem. This game of trying to steal them was new, and to Mai it just seemed like a lot of trouble for no reason.
Azula narrowed her eyes. "Then we would have lost the game."
"Maybe it would just have been me who lost, if it was because of me." Mai said with a small shrug. "And I don't mind losing."
When you were playing games with Azula, you got used to it.
Azula sighed, putting the basket on her arm before reaching down and grabbing Mai's hand. "Everybody mind's losing, otherwise what's the point of playing?" She pulled Mai from behind the tapestry, not letting go of her hand as they walked towards the gardens. Only releasing her grasp when they settled down next to the turtleduck pond.
"If you don't mind losing, you also won't mind if I eat all of these on my own." Azula said as she placed the basket down on the grass with a thump.
Mai couldn't help a slight smile. "You'd get so sick."
Azula sighed. "I would. So I suppose I'll be generous and share." She picked up one of the fruit tarts and held it out to Mai. "I bet they don't have any pastries as good at these in the Earth Kingdom."
Mai groaned, her shoulders slumping even as she accepted the tart. "Don't remind me."
Azula stretched lazily like a cat, settling against the tree as she took a bite. "I'm sure you'll get used to eating dirt in no time. I heard that's what the earthbenders eat."
Shifting to sit cross legged, Mai took a bite as well. She savored the taste for a moment, closing her eyes and ignoring Azula's jibe. She knew the other girl was frustrated Mai was leaving and simply showing her displeasure. Mai didn't have to remind her she was frustrated as well, Azula had seen her reaction when she'd heard the news. A rare moment of outward rage neither of them would forget anytime soon.
A silence fell for a moment as both of them ate, Azula apparently accepting Mai's lack of reaction. Normally, Ty Lee would fill the silence with some sort of comment or joke. Both of them felt her absence in that moment, Mai was sure of it.
Azula reached for a second tart, frowning down at the basket. "We stole way too many of them. We'll never finish this."
Mai brushed the crumbs off her dress. "I told you that when we took them." She picked a slice of peach off one of the tarts and nibbled on it. "Should we bring them back?"
"No." Azula said, rolling her eyes as if the notion was ridiculous. "They're ours. You can take them to the stupid Earth Kingdom. So you don't forget all the good things of the Fire Nation."
Mai studied her friend for a moment. "They'll never keep." She said with a shrug. "And I'm not likely to forget."
"No?"
"Of course not. I'll be around dirt eating earthbenders all day." Mai joked mildly. "I'll look at them and think of how much I miss princess Azula, who at least didn't eat dirt."
"I didn't say anything about you missing me," Azula scoffed. "I was talking about the food."
"Well. I did."
"Fine. But I won't say I'll miss you."
"I didn't expect you to."
They stared at each other, both frowning slightly. Mai was the one who looked away first, tearing a piece off her fruit tart to feed it to the turtleducks. "Will you come to the docks tomorrow?" She asked, her voice deceptively casual.
Azula picked up a leaf, twirling it between her fingers. "I don't know." The leaf burst into flame. "I have to train."
"You train a lot lately."
Azula smiled at that. "I think father has something in mind for me, a mission. If I can prove myself, of course."
"Maybe it'll be near Omashu," Mai said as she watched the turtleducks.
"I doubt it." Azula said callously. Then she sighed, relenting. "Well… maybe. I'll come see you if it is."
"And save me from the earthbenders?"
Azula smiled and rolled her eyes. "You don't need saving."
"I'll need saving from boredom. I can't imagine the Earth Kingdom is interesting in any way."
Azula climbed to her feet. "Fine, I'll save you from boredom." She picked up the basket, packing the remaining tarts neatly inside, then offering it to Mai. "Take them, you love these things. And if they spoil before you can finish them all, you can just… use them as projectiles."
Mai looked up, then got to her feet as well. She took the basket. "Thank you."
In the sky, the sun was starting to set. They both knew Mai had to leave soon. They both knew this would be the final time they sat here like this, two girls under a tree.
Their eyes met, gold meeting light brown. They said nothing for a moment, neither of them good at goodbyes.
"I— I suppose I will miss you." Azula said when the silence stretched too long. "But we'll see each other again. They can't lock you up in that city forever."
Mai nodded, breaking eye contact and looking at her feet. "Thank you, for the tarts." It felt too formal, too awkward. Like they had already drifted apart. Mai took a deep breath, gathering her courage. "I have something for you too."
"What is it—"
Mai moved forward quickly, two small steps before they were nose to nose. She closed her eyes tightly, then pressed her lips to Azula's.
The kiss tasted like peaches.
After a few seconds, Mai stepped away, her eyes still closed tight. When Azula said nothing, she opened one, then the other.
Azula looked stunned, at a loss for words. It wasn't something Mai had seen before and she felt strangely proud of achieving this even as her heart raced with nerves.
"I— goodbye." She said, adding a formal bow to what was already quite an awkward interaction, before taking her leave.
Azula unfroze when Mai was already halfway across the garden. She didn't say anything, just crossed her arms as she watched Mai go.
The docks were noisy, windy, and cold. The ship was ugly, small, and probably also cold. Mai hated everything about this, wishing fervently that her parents would just leave her in the Fire Nation on her own.
Of course, they didn't. Her mother ushered Mai onto the ship, hissing in her ear to look less miserable, there were people watching. Mai's baby brother was in her mother's arms, sleeping soundly, like he didn't even care they were uprooting their whole lives to go live on a rock in the Earth Kingdom. The traitor.
Their belongings were carried on board and Mai tried to amuse herself by watching the people down below on the docks.
It was why she noticed her.
A lone figure wearing a robe, staring up at the ship. She stood alone, not joining Mai's aunt and her mother's friends in waving goodbye. Mai wondered how she had sneaked out of the palace. There was no way Azula would have been allowed out here on her own. Normally there would be a whole royal procession, something that demanded attention. Her parents would have loved that.
But this wasn't for her parents. Azula was here for her. Mai smiled, raising her hand in a wave as the boat started to move.
The cloaked figure hesitated for a moment, then her hand rose as well, waving back at Mai. Neither of them stopped until the boat was too far for them to see each other anymore.