Written by Jordanalane and 205

The Fire Lord sat atop his latest kill, gloating to himself. This hunting trip had been a great success. Not only had he found a dragon in record time, but he had found mother tending it's nest. This was no small feat after all as mothers guarding nests were extra protective.

He looked over at the nest that the dragon had been guarding and to his two sons, "That's right boys! Crush them!" he called to them "Dragon's eggs have very tough shells, so you have to make strong swings."

His younger son; barely five years old, with bright eyes and already a bitter heart, swung with all the might in his little body. He had just watched his father kill the mother dragon and had delighted in the moment his father thrust his sword between the tough scales of its neck. He'd gripped his older brother's hand, jumped up and down with joy. When his father gave him the honor of taking care of the eggs the young prince's chest became swollen with pride.

The elder prince, however, was less enthusiastic about the entire thing. Killing the dragon was one thing, but destroying the eggs felt wrong. Where was the honor in that? He tapped at one of the eggs with the butt of his sword, inspecting it carefully.

"Come on Iroh! Hit it harder." Little Ozai said, "Yours isn't even cracked."

"I guess I just got a really tough one Ozai." the nineteen-year-old mumbled as he watched the boy hack at the shell with his little gold dagger. He turned to his father, the Fire Lord, "Should we really be doing this?"

Azulon, who was still surveying the kill, turned to his son, looking confused, "Of course. You know as well as I that this is all a part of his training. I brought you on a hunt with me when you were his age, just as my father had with me." He looked back to the dragon, "It's tradition."

"I know, Father." Iroh said stepping out of the nest and walking towards him, "But there are so few dragons now. If we crush all the eggs, what will Ozai hunt when he is old enough?"

"Don't worry son. There will always be dragons."

Some how his father's words didn't make the crown prince feel any better. Actually they made things worse, but Iroh knew there was nothing he could do. He turned and stepped back into the nest with little Ozai who was striking at the hard shell gleefully. Iroh wondered if he would have taken such pleasure in destroying eggs when he was that age.

He tried to recall his first hunting trip. He remembered that his father seemed like a giant to him; tall with huge muscles. All he wanted back then was to be just like Fire Lord Azulon, a hero, brave and strong. He had keener memories of the dragon that had been killed; more specifically the sheer size of it. Iroh shuddered as he remembered sliding down the leathery wings again and again, squealing with glee as he made a playground out of the carcass.

A shift in the shadows in the corner of his sight pulled him out of his daydream. Something was there, behind the large cluster of boulders near the cave's entrance. He shifted his eyes ever so slightly and saw the movement again. The prince kneeled next to his brother and spoke encouraging words, pretending to be enthralled in the crushing of the egg, when all the while he was watching. After a few minutes he saw what was hiding behind the rocks.

It was a boy, no more than 12 years old with tan skin and red paint adorning his face. He knew those markings. He had seen them in the paintings that adored the ancient scrolls he was studying. According to legends the Sun Warriors had died out hundreds of years ago, but this boy was obviously one.

At first it looked as if the boy was watching Azulon, but then he turned in the direction of the eggs and Iroh saw that the boys cheeks were wet; that he could care less about Azulon. The boy was mourning the dragon and it's eggs.

Iroh felt that the boy would not leave, he would stay and watch, and if he were caught there was no telling what would happen to him. There had been too much death already today. The young prince looked down at the eggs and he had an idea.

"That's right Ozai. Strike it again right there." he said to his brother as he walked to the opposite edge of the nest "Again!" he said loudly, using the echo to cover the sound of him kicking away some of the boulders that lined the edge of nest "Good! Again!" he yelled, this time drawing his father's attention out of fear that the boy would be spotted.

"Keep watch over your brother." Azulon said, a proud smile spreading across his face. "I'm going to get the men."

"Yes, Father." Iroh answered, noticing the boy behind the boulder had ducked back down

As soon as Azulon started down the mountain Iroh kicked the last intact egg out of the nest. It did just as he predicted and rolled toward the cluster of boulders.

Ozai noticed it and jumped up, a distressed look on his face, "Oh no! One's getting away!" he started to ran after it.

Iroh caught him around his waist, putting him back upright in the nest, "I will get it, you continue your work here." Iroh jumped out of the nest and jogged to the boulders near the ledge, picking up the egg. He looked back to make sure Ozai wasn't watching. Surely enough the little boy was engulfed in his task, giggling happily. "I know you're there" Iroh said quietly to the boulders. The boy stepped out slightly and Iroh held the egg out to him. Iroh looked into the boy's dark eyes, the entire situation weighing heavily on his heart.

He wanted to say so many things to this boy. He wanted to tell him that he was sorry about the mother dragon and her eggs. But not just this dragon, all of them. But there was no time to express anything of these things, only to say one thing; "Take this and run." The boy looked at the egg and then back up at Iroh, unsurety in his eyes. "Go, before my father and his men return."

The boy took the outstretched egg, cradling it in his arms and bowed slightly before running in the opposite direction of where Azulon had gone. Iroh sighed in relief after he saw the boy disappear over the next rise. He fixed a troubled look on his face, turning back to his brother, "I'm sorry Ozai." He said to the young boy as he walked back to the nest. "The egg fell over the ledge."

"Drat!"

Iroh looked down in the nest and had to stop himself from crying. The dragons were still not fully developed, but there was a definite shape of a small dragon mixed in with the broken egg shells and embryonic liquids. Iroh had never seen the inside of a dragon's egg before, and was shocked by what he saw. While the outside of the egg was rough and speckled, the inside of it was the most beautiful, pearly, iridescent color he'd ever seen.

"We should take some of the shells as a trophy!" Ozai called out to his brother.

Iroh just looked down at Ozai, giving him a weak smile. "I suppose that would be ok." He watched with a heavy heart as Ozai gleefully picked up the shards of the shells, stacking them up in his little arms. "Come on, let's go meet father." They walked down the mountainside together, Iroh glancing back for a moment at the direction the boy had gone.

43 Years Later

It was another busy day. He had become all too used to them. Zuko kind of wished that he would get a break in some way, but that was likely too much to ask. It wasn't all bad, he did have a body guard that he like being around. He was still happy to get to his suite at the end of the day, even if he was alone.

It was after he'd taken his shirt off that he felt the presences of someone in his room. The Fire Lord spun around, feet planting into the ground as his hands came up in a defensive stance.

"Who are you!? How did you get in here?!" He was trying to think about how they had gotten into his room. There has been no security breaches since the Kyoshi Warriors had come, and he was in no mood to have that broken. As soon as the figure stepped out of the shadows, he knew that he was at no risk though.

"Greetings Fire Lord, Zuko." The Chief of the Sun Warriors gave him the faintest of smiles.

Zuko stood up straight, "Sir…" The man stood, bowing ever so lightly to the Fire Lord. Zuko returned the gesture, both of them standing and meeting gazes.

"I'm sorry that I broke into your bedroom, but I wanted to be able to talk to you in private and wasn't sure how else to do it."

Zuko shrugged, "It's fine. What did you need to see me for?"

"I have something for you." He reached into a bag that he had around his shoulders, pulling a flab back to reveal the top of a gold object. Zuko's jaw dropped. He'd not seen it for years but he would never forget it. The Cheif pulled it out of the bag, the gold egg in his strong, calloused hands.

"It's from the temple." Zuko mumbled, "The one that I picked up."

"It is. It's actually the last of the dragon eggs. It was given to me my a mutual friend of ours over 40 years ago and I've been guarding it ever since."

"And… it's here… because?"

"Because I was granted with a vision, on the last summer solstice. I believe it was The Masters speaking to me, telling me that you were destined to be this dragon's rider." He took a deep breath, looking solomon. "Since I was a boy I've watched over this egg. Please know that it's not easy for me to give it over to you."

"I understand." Zuko gave him the softest of smiles, "Please know that it will be well taken care of."

The Chief gave a soft sigh before extending the egg to Zuko. He took it with a steady hand, eyes focused on the gold cover on it, carved with intricate drawings and messages in an unknown language.

"I have to confess I have no idea how to take care of a dragon."

He looked up, but was suddenly alone in the room. His brow furrowed, noting the open balcony door. He swallowed hard, taking the egg and sitting it on his big bed, wrapping one of his fine blankets around it. He stood back and looked at the egg, the realization of what he'd just done hitting him.

"What the hell did I just do?"

He started to worry. After all he had no idea how to take care of and egg, or a dragon, and was clueless on even how to get started. He half wanted to give up before he even started out of frustration. What he did know is that he couldn't do it alone. He needed help.

And he knew just who to ask.

"If I show you this, you can't tell anyone."

Suki raised an eyebrow, looking at her friend, the Fire Lord, with an unsure frown tugging at her lips. "Should I be scared?"

"Well…" He tapped the tip of his nose twice, seemingly thinking, "Probably not."

"Probably? You know that's not very reassuring."

"Just come on." He reached down and took her gloved hand into his, pulling her towards his bedroom.

"Well at first this just seemed kinda exciting but now I am scared."

He rolled his eyes, looking back at her with a soft smile, "I thought you trusted me."

"I do. But when a guy pulls you to his room to show you something it never really ends up good for the girl."

"I-it's not like that!" snatching his hand away, pulling it into himself.

Suki giggled a bit, "I know. It's just funny how you were reacting."

He narrowed his eyes at her before motioning her towards the bedroom door. They walked there together, walking through the opening, the same one she stood guard at four nights a week. She was still his bodyguard after all, a job that she took very seriously. As his bodyguard she was alarmed with what he had to show her. So much so that she wanted to get rid of it right away. But she was also his friend, and it was a friend that she stood in his bedroom, looking at the golden egg on his bed with her jaw dropped.

"Is that what I think it is?"

He had his chest puffed out as he answered her; "Yep." The Fire Lord reached out and tucked the red blanket that he had wrapped around the egg closer to it. "A member of the Sun Warriors came and brought it to me. Seems as though the dragons it wanted me to be its master."

It was the first time that word had been used, driving home to Suki with painful clarity just exactly what they were dealing with here.

"Wait… you're telling me that this… this is actually a dragon?"

"Sure is." Zuko wet his thumb with a lick, rubbing away a smudge that had appeared on the egg.

"You can't just…" She actually laughed a bit. Zuko had always been a bit careless with his security, but this was something else. "This thing is gonna kill people, it's gonna kill you!"

"Nah. Not if I take good care of it, raise it up from a baby."

"For spirits sake Zuko, this isn't a kitten-owl! This is a DRAGON."

"So?"

A gloved hand went to a painted forehead, eyes fixated on the golden object mixed in with his red blankets. "This is nuts."

He actually nodded in agreement, "A bit. But this is the last dragon. It's important to the world that they are repopulated." He looked over at her, forcing her to do the same, "It's important to me."

Those words actually hit her like a bolt of lightning that he had bent. She actually felt kinda foolish for a second for being against the idea. Of course he wanted it, and she would do anything to do what he wanted.

She reached out and took his hand into her's, not a firm grasp but just enough of on to let him know that she was there. "Of course I'll help."

There were only a few books and scrolls on dragons in the royal library, and most were about killing them. There was one in particular that Suki found that was not only helpful, but exactly what they needed.

"Raising a dragon from an egg is possible but not advised." She read, Zuko focusing on her unpainted lips. "There are certain behaviors that a dragon needs to pick up from it's mother and no matter how well intended a human owner may be, they will not be able to teach them."

"Well we already have it and there is no mother around so we have to make due."

"I know, I was just reading what it said to you."

"Well get to the good part then."

Suki looked up from the book and at him sitting on the bed next to the egg. His hair was pulled back and his clothing simple, making him look like some kind of an eager little boy, waiting for instruction from a teacher.

"I was getting there." She smiled before looking back to the page and continuing to read, "A dragon egg can lay dormant for any period of time. Some have been found an estimated 200 years after they were laid and still hatched into healthy animals. It will not hatch until there has been a pattern of consistent care and treatment given to the egg. These are usually executed by a mother through her interactions with an egg in the wild, however it is possible for a human to mimic these actions."

"What kind of treatment is needed?"

"In the wild a mother dragon will make a home in a cave, usually in a mountainside, and put her nest near the opening. For most of the day she will sit atop her nest, and egg, basking it in warmth from her own body. At strategic times during the day and at night she will douce the egg in fire from her own breath. This is done to regulate feedings times for the dragon once it's born.

"Once a day, depending on where the cave and nest are, the mother will leave the nest and hunt for food for herself. During this time the nest will be exposed to the warmth of sunlight. The time that this happens will vary, but it usually is between one and three hours. After 4 months of this continuous cycle the dragon will hatch."

"Soo… We just need to do all that."

She read a few more bulleted points before closing the book. "Seems like it." Suki surveyed the bedroom, looking for some spots that would work for their needs. "I think it goes without saying that you're gonna have to do the fire thing."

"Naturally."

She wandered out to the balcony of his suite, Zuko following. "I think we could put it out here for those few hours it needs sun."

"Sun hits this in the evening."

"Perfect." She smiled, "Now the rest of the day is gonna be more tricky."

"Do I have to sleep with it?"

Suki chuckled a bit as his question, noting the look on his face. "Not unless you want to."

"Yeah, I don't want to."

"Then we will have to think of something else."

They spent the rest of the evening sitting together, racking their brains to try and figure out how to keep this egg warm. They moved into his sitting room, Zuko taking the egg with him and placing it on a pillow by Suki. She made sure that it was propped up, and that there was a blanket wrapped snugly around it. She had noticed that Zuko was watching her as she did this, a funny little smile on his face.

They went over every possible solution for keeping the egg warm, but nothing was coming to mind. Suki stared at the egg so long that the gold of the egg and the red from the warm blanket started to blend together in her mind.

"I've got it." Suki said as she popped up "The blanket. That's the answer."

"The blanket?" Zuko asked, a curious look coming over his face.

"Yes. Blankets insulate heat. If we wrap the egg with a few blankets right after you cover it in the flames that will keep the heat in."

"We could insulate it more by putting it in a metal box. Between that and the blankets I think it would work."

Suki nodded, "I like it."

"But what about at night? When I'm not giving it fire all the time like in the day."

"Well…" She giggled a bit, "It would be nice if you could sleep with it."

Zuko sighed, rolling his eyes, "I really don't wanna have to do that."

"It would likely be best though. If it helps we can take turns. I'll sleep with it one night, then you can the next."

"I suppose." He smiled, "Will you be ok with that? I mean you have your bodyguard responsibilities."

"I'll just switch to all day shifts."

He smirked a bit, "So you won't be watching me sleep anymore?"

"Nope. Not anymore." Suki laughed, "But we will be spending lots of time together during the day."

"Might be kinda nice." Zuko shrugged, "I mean we might actually like it."

Suki pulled her gold fan from her belt line, pointing it at him with a grin, "Don't count on it Dork Lord."

They fell into a sort-of routine. She would be with him, by his side every day, more so than before. She went with him to meetings and to his training sessions; and more importantly with him to his room 4 times a day to take care of the egg.

The blankets were working just fine and the box was truly a marvel by the time they had gotten done with it. It was steel, lined with koala-sheep skin and filled with lush red and brown blankets.

He would lay the egg on the marble floor of his bathroom, breathing fire on it for a few seconds. Suki would scoop the egg up into blankets and place it back into the lined metal box.

She was also there every evening when he would place the egg in the open air of his balcony, letting it bathe in sunlight. It had rained a few nights and Zuko was worried that the dragon wouldn't like that. Suki just laughed, explaining that it happened with momma dragons and yet they still hatched. On the nice evenings they would sit and have dinner together, the egg propped up like it was sitting with them. Zuko would sometimes pour the egg its own cup of tea, Suki giggling at the gesture.

They took shifts sleeping with the egg. Suki would make a little fort for it out of pillows and blankets, setting it next to her in the bed. She would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and find that she had draped her arm across it, pulling it close to her body. She also found herself talking to the egg from time to time as well. She'd talk about her island, about her friends, about her breakup with Sokka, about Zuko. She knew it couldn't hear her, but it was still comforting to her.

Zuko kept the egg in it's box on his shifts. He would sit the box on the floor by his bed, his hand always resting on and petting the egg over the edge of his mattress. He had studied every inch of its surface and knew it likely better than he should. He too would speak to the egg from time to time, mostly about Suki.

They both thought that things were going well, and just hoped that the dragon felt the same.

"Something we didn't think about…" Suki mumbled through her rice, sitting out on the balcony with Zuko and the egg in the warm evening light. "We didn't know how long the mother had this egg. I mean she could have been killed right after it was laid, or she could have had it for a few months."

Zuko looked over at her, lips worrying into a frown. "We didn't think about that."

"I mean we've been doing this for what…"

"About 9 weeks now."

"So really… it could hatch any day now."

They both looked down at the egg between them, them back one another. "Were gonna be parents."

Three days later Suki's eyes fluttered open, fresh morning sunlight hitting her eyes. It took her four long seconds to look around the room and to realize how late she was.

"Shit." She lunged herself up off her bed, shedding her nightgown as she ran into the bathroom. "Shit. Shit. Shit." She was hurrying to get ready, putting her hair up behind her head as she rushed to put on her make up. She cursed to herself again as she sat on her bed naked, pulling her stockings on. She needed to get to Zuko so that he could give the egg it's fire. They had come so far with this and she was not about to let it fail on her watch.

Suki stood from the bed, looking at the egg on the bed, freezing in place. She always made a point to set the egg upright in the bed, like it was sitting in it's little nest. The egg was now on it's side, having rolled towards the foot of the bed. She walked to the side of the bed, reaching out for the egg cautiously. She touched it and noticed that the gold casing around it was loose, and there was the smallest of cracks on the surface of the egg.

She grabbed her silk green robe, the same one Zuko had given her a few weeks ago, throwing in on herself as she ran from her room. Blood pumped in her ears as she ran towards Zuko's room, getting a glare from a few servants in the process. The oddest glare came from Ty Lee who was outside Zuko's door. The warrior asked what was going on but Suki just rushed in, busting into his bedroom without knocking.

"Oh shit!"

"Sorry!" She covered her eyes, shielding herself from the nakedness of her friend.

"Can't you knock?" He pulled his pants on quickly.

"No… Well I can but…"

"It's safe." He mumbled.

Suki dropped her hand to find the Fire Lord slipping a tunic over his chest. "It's hatching."

"What?"

Suki smiled, "The dragon is coming."

They didn't wanna move it. Not when the crack started getting bigger. It was moving too. Not alot, but just a little bit at a time. They had, together, gently taken off the gold casing, revealing the off white egg under it. They sat side by side on the bed, watching the egg intently.

"I wish that it would just hatch."

Suki shrugged, tucking some hair behind her ear. "It can't be easy for the little guy to break through."

"You know… we've not really talked about a name."

"True. I figured that we would wait till we meet 'em. It's like naming a kid, don't wanna do it until you know 'em."

Zuko nodded, his attention going back to the egg, "You're right." He smiled a bit, "As usual."

It took several hours before the first piece of shell started to break apart from the rest of it. They both wanted to help the dragon, but knew that they couldn't. The breeding manual that they had both read over was clear about that. It took almost another hour before the dragon could be seen. They heard it cry out, seemingly for it's mother, as it tried to break through the shell.

"Come on, you can do it." Zuko mumbled. Suki was watching both him and the egg, a bit of a smile on her face.

They started seeing bits of it breaking through the shell; a small pink nose, a red claws, the edge of a purplish wing, a tiny red eye. A large bit of the shell fell, finally revealing the small dragon. They both sighed in content and happiness when they saw it, it's eyes fixating on them.

Including the tail it was about the length of Zuko's arm, the width of Suki's forearm. It had two small white horns at the back of it's head, with a tuft of light yellow hair starting at the base of it's neck and running down its spine and small whiskers on either side of it's snout.

"He's beautiful." Suki sighed.

"Yeah." Zuko croaked. They both watched as the dragon ineloquently fell from the shell and onto the blankets around it. The little creature stumbled a bit before gaining its balance and standing on it's four little feet. It's head rose up, mouth opening, letting out a high pitched little cry. They both laughed at the small animal, it replying with another small cry.

Zuko held out a hand towards the dragon, palm down to the bed and fingers lax, "Come mer'." The little pink tip of it's nose twitched, leaning down and sniffing the hand. It then crawled up his arm and into a lap, curling up close to him. It's small red eyes were still looking around. It looked up at Zuko and Suki, small eyes focused and clear.

They were sitting close together on the bed, Suki's head on Zuko's shoulder as they were petting the dragon, running fingers over it's long, thin body. Suki loved the fine yellow hairs on his back, them feeling like silk under her fingers. Zuko was fascinated by its wings, and the soft webbing that made them up.

"She's a little wonder." Zuko mumbled.

"Is she a she?"

He shrugged a bit. "I'm not sure." His hand went under the dragon's body, running his hands under his soft underbelly, trying to find the indication that the breeding manual had told him to look for. "I can't tell."

"Let's not worry about it." She patted the top of it's head as it rested it on Zuko's leg, tiny glass eyes closing.

"Thank you for this, Suki." He whispered, flashing a smile. "I couldn't have done this without you."

"It's been my pleasure." She whispered back.

"I think I have a name…"

"Oh?"

"Ryokucha."

Suki nodded, looking down at the little sleeping dragon in the Fire Lord's lap. "We can call em' Ryo for short."

"Perfect."

Suki leaned in and pressed her unpainted lips to his cheek, a finger tip rubbing Ryo's snout.

The Fire Lord raised a hand, flagging down the closest servant.

"Yes, my lord?"

"I need some meat."

"M-meat?"

"Yes. Something cooked, something raw and something still alive."

The servant raised an eyebrow, dropping his jaw a bit, "Uggghhh…"

"I mean chicken should work. If you have some bits of hippo cow around that will work too. Probably not fish though."

The servant looked confused, his bottom lip twisting into a little frown. "Um…"

"We need this as soon as possible, please."

"Sire, I don't think that we can get you anything live. All the meat comes into the palace already slaughtered. We don't have a live hippo-cow in the kitchen."

"I see." he worried his lips between his teeth, "Well get a cat or something."

"A what?"

"A cat. I always see random cats in the city, just get one of those."

The servant looked like he was about to pass out, his face draining of blood. "Sir?"

"Well not a cat that belongs to someone. Just a random… cat. Or a rat or something. I just need something live." The servant went to say something else, but was cut off by Zuko "I need them quickly. Thank you."

Zuko walked from the door back into his bedroom. Suki was sitting on the bed with Ryo, it's shrill cries filling the space.

To say that she felt a bond with the little creature was an understatement. Her maternal instinct went into high gear with Ryo, and even now she was treating him more like a baby than a dragon. She had him wrapped in a blanket, only it's head and tips of it's wings sticking out. She kept rubbing his scaly skin, humming to it.

"They are gonna bring us some meat." He commented, reaching out and petting Ryo's head. "Hopefully we will figure out what he likes."

"I wish that breeding manual also was a raising manual." He mumbled, withdrawing his fingers as Ryo was eyeing them hungrily.

"We might need to ask someone." They had made an agreement that first night not to tell anyone. It was a security risk after all, more for the dragon than Zuko. "Aang was around dragons as a kid, he might be able to help."

"I wanna use that as a last resort." Suki sighed, letting Ryo gnaw on the side of her finger. "I don't want anything to happen to him."

Zuko loved the look on her face in that moment. The way her eyes were soft, her smile loving and kind. She looked like the proudest mother in the world. And motherhood looked beautiful on her.

The servant brought the meat; cooked and raw chicken, along with a rat in a cage.

They first tried the rat. They placed Ryo and the rodent in Zuko's large bathtub together. The rat was paralyzed with fear and didn't move as Ryo approached it slowly, it's little claws making tiny clinking sounds on the tub. As it got closer the rat moved, making Ryo jump over the edge of tub and into Suki's arms with a yelp of fear. They both laughed, Ryo burying his face into her hair.

They next tried the cooked meat. Zuko would break bits of it off in his mouth, chew it for a bit, before offering it to Ryo. The dragon would stare at it for a moment before blinking his glassy eyes and looking away. They tried to give it to him whole, but it was the same effect.

The raw meat was another non-starter. Ryo sniffed it, then licked it, then moved on. Ryo was crying more now, and Suki could swear that she heard it's tummy rumbling.

Zuko was reviewing the breeding guide for the umteenth time, trying to find answers. "What in the world does he want?"

Suki placed Ryo on her chest, it's head going to her shoulder. "Well what would a mother dragon do?"

"She would go and hunt…" Zuko sat down the book on his dresser, "She'd bring back the meat, already dead."

"She would have several babies to feed. She might do it like birds do, chew up the food then spit it back out for them."

"But he didn't want the chewed food."

"Well it was cooked, the mother would have no way or cooking the food like that."

Zuko looked from her and Ryo to the plate of still raw chicken. "Gross."

"Just try it."

"Fine." He cut off a little piece of the chicken, popping it in his mouth with a shiver. He started chewing, scowling at Suki who was giggling at the look on his face. After a few seconds he spit it out into his hand, offering it out to Ryo. The hatchling looked at it for a long moment then back up at Zuko, as if he was asking for something more.

An idea clicked in Suki's head, "Breathe fire on it."

Zuko did was he was told then re-offered the food to Ryo, who eagerly ate the food in the Fire Lord's hand. He laughed a bit, looking up at Suki who was grinning happily.

They fed Ryo all the raw meat that they had been given. They cut it into little bits, then stabbed it several times with the little knife that Suki kept in her belt before Zuko heated it up a bit. The hatchling ate every morsel before crawling into his steel box, curling up with his enlarged belly exposed.

Suki couldn't help but run her hand over his soft underside, a smile on her face. "He looks so cozy."

"He is cozy." Zuko insisted, sitting next to her by the bed. "Don't you get that way after eating a big meal."

"I do get a little cuddly." She moved so that she was sitting next to Zuko, their backs to the bed. She laid her head on his shoulder, one of his strong arms snaking around her back. "You know we're not gonna be able to keep him hidden long."

"I know." He sighed, laying head head on top of her's. "People are already talking."

"They think we're sleeping together."

He chuckled a bit, "Yeah, that's what I gathered as well."

Suki pulled away from him, looking into his eyes, "Do you mind that people think that?"

He shrugged, "I'd rather them think that then know about Ryo, putting him in danger. Besides, we do have a kid together now so it's not so far fetched."

She giggled, rolling her eyes, "That we do."

Without really thinking about they leaned in together, eyes closing, lips touching, hearts racing. It was their first kiss.

They had moved him to Zuko's room after that first night, and it had slept most of the night. They slept as well, both of them laying on his bed with Ryo between them. They both kept waking up to check on him, acting exactly like doting parents with a newborn. At some point in time it had curled up around Suki's neck. She'd woken up to it's warm body purring against her.

Ryo grew faster than either of them had expected. Within a week he was too big for his box, two weeks and Suki could no longer hold him.

On the third week Aang dropped in to visit. Zuko told him the story of the chief's visit and the hatching. The Avatar laughed and reminded him that he had once commented that the "jewel" felt almost alive. Aang then told them all he knew about dragon, including the pertinent information that Ryo was, in fact, male.

Because of his size and how much he was eating, they couldn't keep him hidden for very long. They knew that having 2 whole raw chickens delivered the Fire Lord's suite four times a day might be a more than a little suspicious. Most of the palace staff embraced the new tenant, even if it meant having to order much more meat than before.

Soon it wasn't possible to keep him in the palace anymore, he was growing too fast. They had made a point to not let him sleep in the bed with either of them, mostly out of concern that he would grow used to it. If Zuko felt the dragon getting into bed with him he would get up, insisting that Ryo go back to his own lush bed in the sitting room. Ryo would comply, but then usually just end up going to Suki's room. She would let him sleep in her bed with her as much as he liked.

However even that had it's limit. It was for that reason that Zuko, with Aang's help, had a stable built for Ryo. It was built in the empty space that surrounded the palace, and was large enough that Ryo would, hopefully, be able to stay there as long as he lived. The adjustment had been hard at first, as he missed his constant human companions. The first few nights both Zuko and Suki stayed in the stables with him, cuddled up together on a cot not far from where Ryo was sleeping. For a week or so after that they would stay until he was asleep, then sneak out to let him rest. They would spend the night together, in either or their beds.

They found comfort and support in one another in ways that they previously had thought impossible. It's not like they were strangers before, that wasn't the case at all. They had been dear friends for a while now. But ever since this egg, and later dragon came into their lives, it had become something else. It was almost as if Ryo had acted a catalyst for their relationship to ignite into something more, something distinctly romantic. They were in love.

There were some hiccups in the process. Ryo learned to fly when he was a few months old, meaning that he was much harder to keep tabs on. Suki was still working as Zuko's guard, while having to make sure that Ryo was taken care of. Zuko helped her every free moment that he had, but felt bad that he wasn't around more. They were both exhausted by Ryo, and it only became worse when he started breathing fire.

He managed to catch Suki's dress on fire several times, and she was down to only one of her green Kyoshi uniforms. Ryo never breathed fire at Zuko the way he did Suki. It was almost like he know that Zuko would scold him for it, but Suki would just get upset. One day after one of these events, and one more silk skirt that Zuko'd given her burnt to shreds, Suki sat alone in the corner of the stable, her eyes in her hands and tears on her face. She wasn't one for crying, but after everything that had happened she couldn't help it. She let her emotions get the best of her.

Ryo found her there, putting his large head on her lap with a heavy sigh. She petted him, telling him she wasn't mad, just hurt. Ryo replied with a slow blink, the tips of his whiskers twitching. He stood from their embrace, leading Suki outside the stable. She followed, figuring that the dress was already burnt was what was the worst that could happen.

Ryo laid on his belly, glassy eyes looking up at his mother. She looked at him in confusion, and it was after he nudged his head between her legs that she figured it out.

"You want me to get… on you?" Ryo nudged her again, a bit harder this time. "Well alright." She actually fit nicely right behind his head, her thighs gripping his neck. "This isn't so bad." Ryo's wings spread and flapped once, lifting them up off the ground. Suki grabbed onto the hair that had grown atop his head, hanging on for dear life as he took off into the sky. Her eyes were open, a large smile on her face as they rose higher and higher in the sky. Each time she laughed Ryo seemed to fly faster and higher.

They settled in atop a grouping of clouds, Ryo's toes dragging across the fluffy tops as he hovered for a few moments. Suki gave him a content sigh, releasing the grip on his hair a bit. It was truly beautiful up here, but she couldn't help but wish that Zuko was there with her.

When they came back down to earth Ryo dropped Suki off on Zuko's balcony before he took off for the skies again, wings flapping. She let herself into the bedroom, calling out to her boyfriend. He was in the sitting room, and was more than a little surprised to see her. She told him about what Ryo had done and how she'd flown on him. Zuko eagerly listened, and was amazed at what she told him, but a bit disappointed.

"I wanted to be the first to ride him." He shared, pouring Suki some tea. "But I'm glad he let you."

"Just give him time. I'm sure he will take you when he's strong enough."

Sure enough within the month Ryo was taking both Zuko and Suki for rides above the clouds. She would ride with her cheek pressed to his back, arms around his midsection. Zuko had fitted with Ryo with reins that were attached to his horns. It gave them something to hold onto instead of Ryo's hair.

Ryo also seemed to be calming down quite a bit. He would be gone some days, seemingly on a journey of some sort. They would worry about him while he was gone, but knew that he was a good dragon and he would be ok. Sure enough he would come back at the end of every day, sometimes with rocks and little trinkets in his claws. Zuko had taken him on a few diplomatic missions as well. There was nothing quite as imposing as the Fire Lord riding in on a dragon. Suki couldn't decide who liked it more, Zuko of Ryo.

By the time he was a year old he was longer than a Fire Nation ship, and about as wide as one too. He no longer used the stable, but made his home in a cave outside the city. They were alright with it. They liked giving him his space, and he seemed to like it as well.

It was on the occasion of his birthday that they had a special dinner with Ryo. It was in a large meadow that they ate together, Ryo feasting half of a hippo caw near them.

"He's still a big baby." Suki giggled, watching how he chewed his food the same as he did when he was little.

"Nothing's really changed." There was something off about him. He was nervous, and hardly making eye contact with Suki. "I guess that's ok though."

Suki nodded, sitting down her cup of tea. "Is something wrong?"

"H-huh?"

"You seem off. Are things ok?"

"Yeah." He coughed a bit, "I'm ok. Just… thinking."

"About?"

"Well…" He coughed a bit, "I guess I wanted to ask if you were happy. With him and I?"

She actually giggled a bit, looking over at him. "Are you joking?"

"No, I'm serious. Are you happy?"

Suki just smiled, "I can safely say that I never thought my life would look like this. I mean I'm the Fire Lord's girlfriend, a mother to the last dragon on earth, and I love every second of it." She reached out and took his jaw into her hand, thumb running over the edge of his scar. "And I can't imagine my life without you."

"That is what I was hoping you would say." He smiled, reaching into the outer robe that he'd worn to their picnic. "I feel the same way, you know?" He pulled something out of the robe, holding it out for her. "And I um…"

Suki looked down at the object in his hand, tears welling up in her eyes. "Zuko…" It was a gold comb, a bit larger than his hand, with iridescent stones in the handle. She knew the stones as not being stones at all, but being the beautiful, iridescent lining of the egg that Ryo had been hatched from.

"I was thinking that we just might want to make it a sure thing." He placed the comb in Suki's hair, the gold standing out against her auburn hair like it was always supposed to be there. Ryo was looking over at them now, the tips of his whiskers twitching happily. "And I wanted to know… if will you marry me?"

Suki replied with a loud squeal, arms reaching out for him as she tackled him to the ground. The comb nearly fell out as she started kissing him all over his face, pinning him to the blanket beneath them. Zuko just laughed, arms around her waist. "Is that a yes?"

"Yes." Suki breathed, hovering over him with a grin. "Totally a yes." They leaned in together, lips pressing together in a perfect, loving kiss. Ryo watched them for a moment before settling back down against the soft grass, glassy eyes closing as he drifted off to sleep for an afternoon nap.