"Fire Lord Zuko, we are arriving at Gaoling." Zuko's head shot up as he woke up, seeing that the dense woodland had turned to farmland, and a city between the mountains, stretching far back, was slowly coming into view. Zuko stretched and felt a small weight on his side. He glanced down and saw Kiyi snuggled into him, fast asleep. A sad smile came to his face. Something about her reminded him of a time when he and Azula used to get on, back before he was banished. He pushed those thoughts from his mind as he looked at Ursa and Noren sleeping, with Ursa resting her head on Noren's shoulder. He sat back, a more content smile on his face. "Fire Lord, are you okay?" came the concerned voice of his coachman.
"Huh... Oh sorry, I was asleep. Yes I am fine. Tell me when we are close to the Beifong estate," Zuko responded, as he closed his eyes again. Zuko heard people calling out and saw that they were now in the city, travelling along the main road. The people there were staring at him as they rode past, a look of intrigue and worry on their faces. Zuko had grown used to the reaction, although still felt guilty whenever he saw it.
"Are we there yet Zuzu?" asked Kiyi, as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. He looked back at her as the rest of his family began to wake up.
"Almost, another minute or two and we'll be at the gates of the Beifong's," he told her, looking at the large walled estate and mansion, easily visible among the other buildings. "When we get there I'll make sure to ask Suki to do your make-up, you'll be just as pretty as her," Zuko whispered to her. Kiyi grinned widely at that, and looked at a mirror, looking forward to seeing herself in the war paint. The convoy stopped outside the gates and Zuko stepped out, helping his sister and mother out, while Noren stepped out the other side.
"This garden is beautiful, the pond reminds me of the one at home," Ursa noted as she stepped through the gates. She looked at Zuko as he began to walk towards his personal carriage.
"You three head on in, I'm going to see if Suki needs any help," Zuko called after them as he walked away. He opened the door and saw Suki with a cup of tea in her hand, smiling at him.
"I was wondering if you had all forgotten about me," She said as she stood, putting a small bit of weight on her sprained ankle.
"How are you feeling?" Zuko asked, as he offered her his hand.
"It's still at me, but I think I can walk for the most part," She told him as she took his hand and let him help her off the carriage. She took a few careful steps, until she was comfortable. They slowly walked side by side through the garden, watching Zuko's servants bringing in cases from the convoy.
"So tell me, did we make it on time?" Zuko said, looking at Suki. She gave a small laugh and rolled her eyes.
"Just about, next time try and let me know when you want to visit some random village during a trip, so I can at least plan it," Suki said, nudging him in he side with her elbow. "Tardiness isn't a good trait for a Fire Lord to have."
"Is anyone really going to call out the Fire Lord for being late though, I can't think of many being brave enough to do it," Zuko said as he watched turtle ducks swimming in the pond.
"That's my job, with Iroh in Ba Sing Se you need someone to smack some sense into you every now and again." Zuko let out a laugh, but straighten up when he saw Lao and Poppy approaching. The pairs bowed to each other and continued to the mansion.
"I'm so happy to see you arrived safe and sound Fire Lord Zuko, I hope your journey was a comfortable one," Lao said as he led them towards porch of the mansion.
"Actually I was hoping I could get a room as soon as possible for Suki here, we had an incident along the way and she was injured. Nothing serious, just a sprained ankle," Zuko told them as they made their way inside. Lao and Poppy looked at her with concerned eyes.
"An incident? Were you attacked on the road, there is still talk of deserters from the armies and bandits ambushing travellers along the road," Poppy asked.
"Nothing like that thankfully, although I doubt they could even get close to me with Suki and her Kyoshi Warriors watching my back," Zuko explained, "We had an accident with a faulty road, and Suki was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I simply need a room for her to to be able to rest."
"Of course," Lao said, pointing his finger at one of his servants.
"Show this lady to one of the free rooms, make sure it is near the Fire Lord's, she is the captain of the guard." The servant bowed, and began to lead Suki away. "Fire Lord Zuko, the party-" Zuko held up his hand to stop Lao.
"Just Zuko will do," Zuko said, a friendly smile on his face. Lao, a bit surprised, returned the smile.
"Zuko," he began again, "The party will be in a few hours, I will send someone to inform you when it is about to start. There will be a lot of bowing and greeting other families, after the introductions you will be free to enjoy the party. As you are our guest tonight, if you have any problems with anyone, speak to one of my servants and they will deal with the problem."
"Thank you," Zuko said, giving a small bow. "but I'm sure there won't be any problems whatsoever,. Now if you'll excuse me, I must go get ready." Zuko turned on his heel and walked in the same direction as Suki, another servant hurried after him. Zuko spotted Ursa looking at paintings along the hallway. Kiyi stood next to her with a bored look on her face. Zuko bent down and picked Kiyi up, placing her on his shoulders, and went to walk away when he heard a cough from his mother.
"Where exactly are you sneaking off to?" Ursa asked him, crossing her arms as he turned around to her.
"I can't exactly say," Zuko answered, smiling sheepishly. "However you'll love it, I swear." Ursa rolled her eyes and waved the two of them off. Zuko walked on and looked at the servant following him.
"Would you take me to Suki's room please?" Zuko said to the servant, who bowed and took the lead. "Calm down or I'm going to drop you," Zuko jokingly told Kiyi as she bounced in excitement on Zuko's shoulders. She rested her chin on his head as they reached the door. Zuko gave a small nod of thanks to the servant, who went back to his regular duties. Zuko knocked on the door and waited.
"Come in!" came Suki's voice from inside. Zuko slid the door open and ducked into the room. Zuko glanced at the laminar armoured green kimono laid out on the bed, with Suki's weapons next to it. Zuko's eyes widened as he spotted Suki sitting on the floor next to a table, her foot on a small pillow.
"Hi Kiyi," Suki said sweetly, giving a small wave at the young girl, who waved back. "Are you okay?" She asked as she cocked an eyebrow at Zuko, who was still just looking at her. Zuko snapped out of his trance and put Kiyi down. His face began to turn a deep shade of red.
"Sorry, I... it's unusual to see you without your war paint, caught me off guard," Zuko explained, rubbing the back of his neck. "Not to say you look bad... because you don't... you look good." Suki raised her eyebrow at him again. "I mean..." Zuko trailed off. Suki started laughing, a light blush on her own face.
"It's fine, don't worry about it." she told him. Zuko smiled and sat cross-legged across from her. "So what's up?" Suki asked, watching Kiyi look at her weapons.
"I sorta promised Kiyi you'd give her one of your make-up war masks, think you can help me out?" Zuko asked, glancing at Suki's clothes.
"Sure, Kiyi sit down and stay still," Suki said, reaching over to a bag and pulled out a small box. Kiyi bounded over to her, and sat down with a big grin on her face. Suki began to apply a white coat over Kiyi's face. She glanced over at Zuko, who was looking at her strangely.
"Still confused by seeing me out of uniform?" Suki asked. Zuko's face reddened again at being caught.
"A small bit, seeing you dressed like Ty Lee," He began, eyes glancing to her midriff, "is pretty different." Suki laughed and turned back towards Kiyi.
"You're forgetting all that time we spent together during the war. I'll admit Ty Lee did take me shopping when we arrived in the Fire Nation, so she may have dressed me up a bit," Suki said as she continued on Kiyi's war paint. "Although I should probably of just stayed in the uniform, will be changing back into it in a couple hours."
"Wait, you aren't planning on patrolling during the party are you?" Zuko said, concern in his voice. "I don't think you're exactly up for guard duty tonight."
"I'm fine Zuko, I can walk around without much trouble. I'm the leader, I need to make sure that everything is set up correctly." Suki complained, taking out a small brush and doing a red outline around Kiyi's eyes.
"You've only had a few days of rest Suki, no point in worsening your injury further, plus the Beifongs have extra security. Surely you have a second in command," Zuko argued, not convinced. "A break might do you some good as well, you've been pushing yourself hard these last few months." Suki stayed quiet while filling in the outline with bright red paint. Zuko sighed and watched Suki apply the make-up. She began to put a black edge the red and Kiyi's eyes.
"I have an idea!" Zuko stated as his stood up. Suki and Kiyi both looked over to him, surprised by his sudden movement. "I'm worried about you hurting yourself with all the weight you carry from your armour and weaponry." Zuko walked over to bed and picked up the closed fans. "These however, are fairly light. What if you accompanied me to the party, dress in comfortable clothing. You could direct the Kyoshi Warriors, keep watch near me and enjoy the party yourself." He held out her fans to her. Suki had an unsure look on her face. Kiyi leaned over to her and came close to her ear.
"He's asking you on a date!" the young girl whispered gleefully to Suki, whose face quickly became red. Zuko raised his eyebrow at the two of them.
"Ignore her, she shouldn't even be talking, it'll ruin the paint while it's wet," Suki said quickly as she grabbed the fans from Zuko. Zuko smiled as he sat back down. Suki finished by applying a deep red colour to Kiyi's lips. "There you go, what do you think Zuko?" Suki said, as she opened the fans and handed them to Kiyi, who posed in a fighting stance she saw the Kyoshi Warriors do.
"You look fearsome, I know I wouldn't want to fight you," Zuko said, a big smile on his face, while Suki clapped as Kiyi did a spin pretending to be fighting.
"You'd make an excellent Kyoshi Warrior," Suki said when Kiyi stopped.
"Thanks Suki, I've got to bring her back to Ursa, I'm sure she'll love it," Zuko told her as he pick up Kiyi, and handed back the war fans.
"No problem Zuko, happy to help. I'll see you in a while," Suki said as they walked towards the door.
"Am I as pretty as Suki?" Kiyi whispered to Zuko as they left the room. Zuko took a glance back at the Kyoshi leader and blushed.
"Yep, you look very pretty," Zuko told her. "Now where's our mother's room." Zuko spotted a servant and walked towards him.
"Come in," Ursa said as she heard knocking at the door. The door slid open a quarter of the way, and Zuko poked his head through. Ursa just looked at him, eyebrows raised.
"I'd like you to meet the brand new member of the Kyoshi Warriors," Zuko announced as he opened the door and Kiyi jumped into the room. Ursa simply sighed and rubbed her eyes but couldn't hide her smile as Kiyi began to jump and pose in the room.
A Few Hours Later
Zuko stepped out of his room, tugging slightly on the end of his sleeve. He was in dressed in his more ornate robe for the evening. He adjusted his headpiece and walked to Suki's room. He knocked on her room and waited.
"Suki, are you there?" Zuko called out, knocking on the door a second time. When he went unanswered again, he shrugged his shoulders and walked towards the main hall. "She's probably already there," he muttered to himself. An Earth Kingdom guard beside the entrance to hall saw Zuko striding towards him, and quickly opened the door. Zuko gave a nod of thanks to the guardsman. He stood on top of a small flight of steps, looking out over the large hall. There was a lot of people here, most of them dressed in extravagant clothes and quietly talking among themselves in groups. He spotted Lao and Poppy together by a long table, speaking to two other couples. He easily picked out the Kyoshi Warriors spread out around the room, but couldn't spot the leader's headpiece. He saw Ty Lee across the room, who gave a small wave. Zuko mouthed the name Suki at her, but she simply gave him a confused look. He was about to walk towards her, when he saw her eyes widen and jaw drop at something behind him.
"Hi Zuko," Suki said as Zuko turned and stared at her, mouth slightly open. She was dressed in Fire Nation style clothing: a bright red top with dark red edges, separated by a thin line of gold, with long sleeves and a scooped neckline, which came to a point just at her knees; a brown dress with a slight slit on the side that continued just a bit beyond her feet; a dark red vest, with a golden trace just near the edge. The top and vest were tied close to her waist with a ribbon with a golden ring. Her hair was down, with a traditional Fire Nation top knot held together with a simple Fire Nation symbol headpiece and her lips were a very light red. To complete the look she had a necklace with a ruby in the middle.
"You look amazing," Zuko said as he bowed to her. "Did Ty Lee suggest you buy that?"
"You look quiet lordly yourself," Suki joked, returning his bow. She began to walk down the steps and Zuko followed by her side. "No actually, it was Ursa." Zuko looked at her, confused. "I think Kiyi may have mentioned something about our conversation to her," Suki continued, "She knocked on my room and asked if she could come in. I ended up in her's trying on different outfits. Thought this worked well."
"It worked more than well," Zuko remarked. Suki turned her head slightly while pretending to fix her headpiece to hide her blush. Eyes began to turn their way as they walked into the crowd, conversations become more hushed.
"Fire Lord Zuko!" Lao called, waving Zuko to come over to the three couples. Zuko and Suki walked to them. "I would like you to meet Fu and Ling of the Pang family, and Gui and Shu of the Yum Soon Ham family." Zuko and Suki bowed to the couples, who returned their bow.
"It's an honour to meet you Fire Lord," Fu said. Zuko held up his hand and smiled.
"The honour is all mine, it's a pleasure to be able to come to the Earth Kingdom and be treated with such hospitality." Zuko's eyes shifted towards Suki. "I apologise, I should have introduced you all to my companion. This is Suki, leader of the Kyoshi Warriors." The two families were shocked when they heard this.
"I never heard of a Fire Lord having a relationship with someone outside of the Fire Nation," Gui remarked. Zuko and Suki were taken aback, looking from Gui to each other.
"Although it may be a wonderful way to help bring the world closer together," Shu added, smiling warmly at Zuko and Suki. Zuko cleared his throat, embarrassed.
"While yes that may be true," Zuko began, glancing once more at Suki, "We are not together. Suki, along with the other warriors, are my bodyguards." Nobody spoke for a couple moments.
"Don't worry, it's understandable why you thought that," Suki said, gesturing to her clothing. "If I was in a more Earth Kingdom dress the thought probably wouldn't have cross
your minds." Gui and Shu nodded in a agreement, and Gui looked past Zuko and Suki.
"It was lovely meeting you Fire Lord Zuko, I must go speak to a business partner of mine, if you'll excuse us," Gui said, walking quickly as Shu followed after him. Zuko simply chuckled as they left.
"I'll have to excuse ourselves as well," Zuko told them. "There are many people here that I must speak to, many already have tried catching my eye." Zuko and Suki bowed once more to Lao and his guests and continued with the party.
An Hour Later
"I never knew how much it hurts to smile," Suki complained as she rubbed her jaw, standing next to Zuko on the side of the hall.
"No kidding, I swear I'll have back problems with all this bowing," Zuko agreed, stretching his back. "At this point maybe missing the party wouldn't have been a bad thing."
"I don't know about that, the food and drink is pretty good," Suki noted, taking two cups from a servant as they walked past. She handed one to Zuko, who smiled in thanks.
"What is this?" Zuko asked as he took a sip. "I'm going to have to order a shipment for the palace back home."
"It's heavily diluted cactus juice from the Si Wong desert. Being so close to the desert Gaoling always has a steady supply of it," explained the servant, before walking away. Zuko took another sip, nodding to himself.
"I wouldn't drink too much of that Zuko, don't want to end up like Sokka when he was in the desert," Suki warned, laughing as she remembered the stories of his trip that Sokka had told her.
"Yeah, praising a giant friendly mushroom might not be very good for my image," Zuko said, laughing quietly at the idea. A girl, about Suki's age walked towards them and bowed to Zuko.
"Hello Fire Lord Zuko," the girl said as Zuko bowed once more. "I'm Jia Yaling. A pleasure to meet you."
"You as well, your father is Chen correct, a politician here in Gaoling?" Zuko asked. The girl nodded and flashed a smile at Zuko.
"You should speak to him about setting up a little trade route for the cactus juice," Suki suggested.
"I've heard so much about you, although I have to admit, what I've heard certainly doesn't compare to the real man," Jia continued. Suki took note that this girl was trying quite hard to ignore her. "They never mentioned how handsome you are." Zuko became visibly flustered as the girl shot a flirtatious look at him.
"Oh for Agni's sake," Suki muttered under her breath. She had dealt with these type of girls before, especially when she was with Sokka. She rolled her eyes as the girl continued to flirt with Zuko. Why do I care if some bimbo hits on Zuko! came Suki's voice in her head, although the memory of them in the carriage flooded her mind to challenge that thought. She could feel herself blushing heavily. She was pulled out of her thoughts when a loud and sarcastic voice filled the room.
"Well if it isn't the great and powerful Fire Lord himself!" A man, lightly swaying as he walked over to Zuko, shouted. Zuko immediately shifted his left leg back to a fighting stance but keeping a relaxed look. "It is such an honour to bask in your glory, your highness." The man spat the last two words out as he did an exaggerated bow, arms out wide.
"May I help you?" Zuko said, his voice steady and calm. Jia took a couple steps back, into the circle that was forming around the two men.
"I don't need any help from a tyrant," the man said with a sneer. Zuko's hands clenched into fists, and a Suki could see the rage in his eyes. "Especially one who goes back on his word, and nearly throws the entire world into war again for a colony that is rightfully Earth Kingdom clay." Zuko continued to stare at the man, trying to keep calm. While Zuko was no longer dwarfed by the adults now that he was older, this muscular man still towered above him. Zuko had seen more obvious Earthbenders, but he still kept a careful watch on his hands. "I wonder how many would have died if your buddy the Avatar didn't step in?"
"Yu Dao and the other older colonies were in a difficult situation, many of the people their considered themselves Fire Nation, even those with ties to the Earth Kingdom. I was too hasty, but I was worried about my people. I would like to remind you that it was King Kuei who gathered his army first, not me," Zuko said, keeping as much anger out of his voice as he could.
"Ah I see, it was King Kuei's fault then," the large man said while laughing. He looked around the room, many cast their eyes to the floor as his gaze past over them. "I lost a lot of good friends to the Fire Nation, as I'm sure many of you did. Yet we invite the enemy to a party and celebrate him!" He turned back to Zuko, who hadn't taken his eyes of him. "But you don't care about that do you?" Zuko was about to respond when he saw the man's eyes widen and shift his weight on to his back leg. The punch was fast and powerful, but Zuko was ready and was about to step back when he saw a golden fan push aside the blow, causing the man to overbalance. Suki saw him try to stable himself, but a leg between his caused him to trip and fall flat on his face. He rolled on to his back, and was met with the point of a Katana pointed at his neck. He looked at Suki, in a fighting stance in front of Zuko, while two more Kyoshi Warriors flanked him, weapons drawn.
"What is going on here!?" Lao shouted as he finally managed to get through the crowd. "I am so sorry you had to deal with this Zuko, guards please escort this fool out." The Earth Kingdom guards obliged, picking the man up and dragging him out of the hall.
"It is perfectly fine Lao, I was never in any danger," Zuko said, gesturing towards Suki. Lao gave Suki a nod of thanks.
"I may have to water down the cactus juice some more," Lao muttered to himself as the crowd broke back into the small groups.
"That reminds me, another cup of cactus juice," Zuko called to one of the servants, who quickly brought it to him.
"Careful Zuko, I'll defend you if you're attacked, but if you get drunk and start a fight I'll sit back and enjoy," Suki joked as he walked towards her and Ty Lee, taking a gulp from his cup.
"If he gets bad just chi block him and get some help carrying him to his room," Ty Lee advised, demonstrating with a light touch on a pressure point on Zuko's neck.
"I'll try that," Suki said through a laugh. "Now girls, everyone back to your posts."
"I'm sure you want to get back to your post, all dressed up and having fun with Zuko," Ty Lee whispered teasingly to Suki as she walked past. Suki looked back at her, shocked.
"You feeling okay?" Zuko asked. "You face looks like it's burnt it's so red."
"Look who's talking," Suki retorted, and Zuko threw his head back in laughter. This caught Suki off guard, until she noticed that Zuko was swaying ever so slightly. "Zuko drunk on cactus juice, now this will be entertaining," she whispered to herself. Zuko pulled himself together but kept a goofy smile on his face. They walked around for another while, Suki grinning as Zuko began to act unusually happy.
"Do you think we should get more pets for the palace," Zuko mumbled as he played with a cat. Suki simply watched him, enjoying this happy Zuko. Suki noticed Jia walking towards them from behind Zuko. She flipped open her fan and covered the lower half of her face, while staring directly at Jia. The girl stopped when she saw the glare of the Kyoshi Warrior, and quickly backed off.
"You too warm in here Suki?" Zuko asked as he watched her. Before she could respond he grabbed her by the hand. "Let's head outside, it's cooler out there." Zuko finished off his drink and placed it on a table as he dragged Suki out.
"Where are you taking me?" Suki said, smiling as Zuko headed for the large garden.
"Shush, you'll scare the turtle ducks," Zuko told her as he slowed and they both walked towards the small bridge that ran over the pond. Zuko climbed on to the railing of the bridge and began to walk along it.
"Zuko get down!" Suki said, struggling to not laugh as she watch the leader of the Fire Nation act like a young boy. He started to say something when he began to tilt to one side a bit too much. Suki reacted quickly enough to grab him and pull him down, knocking her over as well. "You know what," Suki started as she stood up and dusted off her dress, "I prefer serious and sombre Zuko to drunk Zuko." Zuko looked up at her from the ground and frowned.
"Suki... why are you on fire?" He said curiously. Suki rolled her eyes at him as she helped him up.
"Did you just say I'm hot?" Suki said, a small smirk on her face. Zuko stopped for a moment and looked to the sky in deep thought.
"I guess I did," Zuko said at last, before leaning on the edge of the bridge and smiled at the sky. "Beautiful," he muttered absently.
"What is?" Suki asked as she stood beside him, looking into the pond.
"The stars are beautiful, happy little stars," he explained, grinning at the sky. Suki couldn't help but laugh at Zuko.
"I guess they are," she agreed, looking up with him.
"Do you remember the last time the sky was as pretty as it is tonight?" Zuko said happily. Suki looked at him questioningly. "It was the night," Zuko paused, his face changing from happiness to sadness. "The night Kiyi was kidnapped by Azula." Suki continued to look at Zuko as he stared into the sky. His face switched once more. "It was also the night you talked with me on the balcony." Zuko looked down, into the blue eyes of the Kyoshi Warrior.
"Well I'm always there whenever you want to talk, you know that," Suki told him, putting a comforting hand on his back.
"I guess you are," Zuko said, a big smile on his face. He suddenly looked away from her, and into the pond below. "Unlike Mai." Suki frowned as he turned away.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you remember why she broke up with me?" Zuko muttered.
"Yeah, I told her that you were visiting Ozai, and she confronted you about it and left."
"That wasn't it," Zuko sighed. "She broke up with me because I kept not telling her things: leaving the Fire Nation to join the Avatar; leaving for Yu Dao; and visiting Ozai was just the nail in the coffin." He fell silent for a while and Suki waited for him to continue. "What I never told her, was that I didn't feel comfortable telling her these things, I felt like I couldn't open up to her Suki."
"Why, what happened?" She knew she shouldn't have asked, but she was curious.
"It was something she said when we were returning to the Fire Nation after Ba Sing Se fell. I couldn't sleep, so I went up on deck, she must of heard me and followed me up. She asked me if I was cold and I tried to tell her I was worried... scared about returning home. She yawned and said she didn't ask for my whole life story and then kissed me." Zuko ran his hand through his hair, and looked away from the pond and Suki. "It's such a small thing but it hurt ya know?" Zuko felt Suki reach out and touch his unscarred cheek, using her other hand to turn his face towards her's and looked him directly in his golden eyes.
"I'll always be there for you Zuko, no matter what," She told him. Zuko stood up straight and turned towards Suki, who lowered her hands from his face to flat against his chest. He pulled her into a tight hug. They broke, Zuko's hands resting on Suki's shoulders, her's still resting on his chest. Zuko once more found himself looking down, lost in the sparkling blue eyes of his bodyguard. Zuko brought one hand to her chin, slightly tilting her face up at his. The other hand cupped her right cheek. Suki's eyes widened but didn't break eye contact with him. His left hand went from her chin to her other cheek, and he brought his lips to her's. Their eyes closed as their lips parted. Zuko gently stroked her cheek with his thumb as they kissed. Suki found herself leaning into Zuko, kissing him back. They stayed that way for a couple seconds, until Suki snapped out of the trance and pushed Zuko back, although staying in each other's arms. Zuko looked almost hurt as she broke the kiss. His eyes shot open with surprise and worry and quickly stepped away. Suki, who was still leaning into Zuko, caught herself as he stepped back, stopping herself from falling.
"I'm sorry," Zuko said, running both hands nervously through his hair. "I shouldn't have done that, I think I've had a bit too much tonight." Suki simply stared at him. they were both breathing deeply, trying to catch their breath. "I'm so sorry Suki," he continued to apologise.
Suki put her and up to stop him.
"Zuko it's okay, I understand." Suki wasn't sure how successful she was at keeping her voice steady. "You... we were both a bit tipsy tonight and we kissed, it was an accident." Zuko was about to say sorry again, but instead simply gave a short nod.
How can something intentional be an accident? Zuko thought to himself as the two stood in silence. "I'm going to head to bed, you can go back to the party if you like," Zuko told her.
"Nah, I think I've had enough excitement for one night," She said, a small smile on the corner of her lips. Zuko nodded again, and the two walked back in silence to the mansion. They reached Suki's room first, and she turn to go.
"Wait," Zuko called after her, she turned. "I understand if you want to tell Sokka, I'll deal with whatever happens." She was quiet for a moment. Zuko scratched the back of his neck, worried about her answer.
"I'm not going to tell him, it would simply cause unnecessary drama and no one wants that," Suki said. Zuko breathed a sigh of relief. "Goodnight Zuko," She said to him with a smile.
"Goodnight Suki," Zuko responding, bowing deeply to her before turning and continuing on to his room.
Both spent a long time lying awake in their beds, until sleep eventually took hold of them.
The Next Morning
Zuko woke with a pounding headache. He climbed out of bed and changed into his more casual Fire Lord outfit. Last night was hazy in his mind, but as he stepped out of his room he saw two Kyoshi Warriors standing guard.
"Morning Zuko!" said Maiko cheerfully. "Well noon I suppose."
"Noon?" Zuko said, worry in his voice. "I was meant to have a meeting with-"
"The meeting was rescheduled for later in the day, most people aren't going to be up for a while," Ami explained, cutting him off.
"Oh okay, good." Zuko said. He stopped for a moment and heard the rumble of his stomach. "Do either of you know... why are you staring at me?" Maiko and Ami were looking at him with shocked eyes. Maiko made a small gesture to his lips, and then both the girls started giggling. Zuko blushed furiously and hurried to his bathroom. His lips had a light but noticeable red stain on them. The memory of the kiss came back fresh in his mind and he quickly began to wash his face. He stepped back outside after he was finished, and the two girls were both keeping their mouths clamped shut as much as they could.
"I wonder who the lucky girl was," Ami whispered to Maiko, which broke both of them as they doubled over in laughter. Zuko blushed again and walked as quickly as he could away from them. He wandered the mansion for a couple minutes, until he spotted a servant and asked him to take him to the dining hall. He was instead led to the main hall, which was already cleaned from the night before, and food was laid out on the long table. Many of the Kyoshi Warriors were there, eating and chatting amongst themselves. He spotted Suki and Ty Lee sitting together. He went to the table and began to pick out a meal for himself.
"Zuko, over here!" came a shout from Ty Lee as he went to sit down. Begrudgingly he sat across from Ty Lee and Suki.
"Hey Zuko guess what," Ty Lee began, "They caught that big guy trying to sneak into the estate, got a couple rocks to the face for his trouble." Zuko gave a small grunt as he devoured his food. Ty Lee continued telling stories from the night before, but neither Zuko or Suki payed much attention. They kept stealing glances at each other. "So how was your night?"
"For the most part it was uneventful, although a few things certainly made for an... interesting night," Zuko said. Suki and him held each others gaze for a moment. Zuko heard giggling and talking to his left, and caught a group of five Kyoshi Warriors looking at him. They quickly looked away, trying to quiet themselves.
"Zuko, you're meeting is in an hour, everything should be packed by the time it's finished, so we can be on the road straight away," Suki said to him, pulling his attention away from the group. "We'll be going back along the road we came from, to a fishing village on the coast. We'll meet with the Royal navy convoy there."
"Thank you Suki, I should probably change into something more formal," Zuko said as he pushed his empty plate away and stood. "I'll be looking forward to be going home again."
"So am I," Suki said, smiling up at him. Zuko
After The Meeting
Zuko climbed into his personal carriage. He watched as the last container of cactus juice was loaded on to his convey. He was about to close the door when he saw the Kyoshi leader, in full uniform, walking towards his carriage. He could still make out a small limp as she walked.
"This might be an awkward ride home," Zuko whispered to himself as she came closer. He offered his hand to her when she reached the steps, which she stared at for a moment, before taking it.
"Thanks," She muttered as she climbed in and sat next to him. Zuko looked around his carriage, making sure no one was near.
"Suki, about what happened last night-" Zuko started.
"I told you Zuko, it's okay. We were both a bit drunk, it happens," She cut him off, placing a hand on his shoulder, and giving him a smile. Even though you only had a single cup of the stuff! thought Suki as soon as she said it. You let him kiss you, he's not that bad at it either. Suki quietly told herself to shut up while dropping her head down to hide the blush that was beginning to creep on to her face.
"Yeah sorry, I just keep feeling I have to apologise," Zuko admitted. Apologise for what?! She was loving it. Zuko's lizard brain told him proudly. Zuko did his best to ignore it. "I guess we should get going," Zuko said as he stuck his hand out of his carriage and gave the signal. "Last bit of the journey everyone, we'll be back home before you know it," Zuko shouted out. The convoy began to move. Suki leaned out of her side.
"Ty Lee, you take point and lead us out." She yelled. Ty Lee rode past them, doing a handstand on a galloping ostrich horse. Suki and Zuko looked at each other and rolled their eyes. A thought came to Zuko's head as they made their way out of the city.
"Did you make fun of my scar at some point last night?" Zuko said, grinning while raising his eyebrow at Suki.
"Maybe, but just once," Suki said, grinning back at him. "You're very different on cactus juice you know." Zuko's head dropped and he chuckled.
"Tell me what happened," Zuko said through the laugh.
"Well for one, you spent nearly ten minutes playing with a cat in front of everyone," Suki began. Zuko's covered his face with his hands in embarrassment.
"Go on," Zuko mumbled through his hands. Suki began to outline the silly things Zuko did, and they continued to discuss the night together as they made their way home. The two ended up sleeping for most of the trip home, with Suki, in her sleep, resting her head on to Zuko's shoulder. They stayed that for the rest of the journey to the port.
*Edit: If you check my profile, you'll find Unintentional Dating, which is a continuation of this story.
A sequel to my Repaying A Debt story. I really enjoyed writing this story and hoped you enjoyed reading it. This is quite longer than any single chapter that I've done for a story, those long nights were hopefully worth it.
I would like to stress that you can support any ship that you want, as I feel this was somewhat anti-Maiko, however that's how I have always viewed their first on screen kiss. You can interpret it anyway you like.
Thank you for reading, and I would love to hear your opinion on the story, or any suggestions you may have.
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender or its character, they were created by Bryan Konietzko and Mike Dante Dimartino, and belong to Viacom.