I've met him since we were very young, I lived in the fire nation since always, as my father was always attending to Ozai, we were friends, I was there when he was wounded, banished, humilliated, and helped him when nobody else wanted to, I traveled with him and with Iroh all around the four kingdoms looking for Aang, always trying to keep my emotions away, deeply locked, we fought many battles together, when he was defeated I was still there, I went back with him to the fire nations when he felt most alone.

After all was ended, we began seeing each other with new eyes, one day I was in a small lake in the fire nations, taking a bath, it was a really hot weather, and that's quite a mark because in the fire nation there's always hot weather. I was harmed, I had scars that were still young, fighting against Azula, and Ozai, and many warriors from the four kingdoms. I was washing the scars when I heard a noise, like something light falling to the grass, then I turned around and saw him, he was turned back but I could've recognized that part of his body anywhere, in anytime, I healed him more than once, when he was harmed in battle, when he let no one but me to treat him.

He was often harmed in the back, and I remember him, laying down in the floor, with his face to the floor and his hands sustaining him, containing sounds of pain as I healed him, because he couldn't let anyone else see him so vulnerable, and because he never let me heal him unless the injury was serious or painful, but let's face it, he was often hurt that way.

I remember that the candlelight was the only thing that illuminated us, and made shadows over his musculature with my hands working on him; there in his house in the fire nation where we always went when we needed to provide ourselves of anything.

I remember feeling so desire full, so desperate, just thinking about laying my head over him, and wait. But I never did, all I could do to feel better was offering him that small physical comfort. And anyways, I could never keep my mind of my target; my objective should always be first.

However, I said I saw his naked back. He was throwing his shirt to the floor, that's the sound that I heard. Then he suddenly turned around and saw me, he asked me what was I doing there, I said it was hot and I needed a bath. He just slightly smiled and then came closer, jumped into the water and then he took of his pants, that just went flying out of the lake, I couldn't see him of course, I just knew he was naked because… You know… Well his clothes came flying out. Now, well, I just think that I couldn't react properly, because you know he was like naked… In the same lake I was. Then we just begin to talk, as we always did, about past times and other stuff.

Then, he noticed that I was holding tight something in my stomach, he asked me and I told him it was nothing, he knew that in the last battle I got hurt, and that was the reason why I fell in the field, though he never knew that I just made a quick cure in it and kept fighting, in fact, my intentions when coming to the lake were healing properly my injury, but then, you know, he appeared, so, he didn't believe me when I said it was nothing and then checked on me.

He asked me if he might touch it, I nodded; he touched under the water, I felt him touching my stomach and tenderly thrusting with two fingers the cut, while unconsciously making me shiver… I wonder if he noticed. He pulled his fingers out and saw blood. I saw a concerned look on his face, then he asked me to let him watch it, and I said I was completely naked. He said, with a small, really small smile on his face that he was too so it would be no problem. "And besides, you and I have seen each other nude more then once before." "We were ten the last time that happened, from then only I have seen you naked" "Now don't worry, I want to take a look, I might help you healing it."

I knew what was going on, but despite the fact that I was feeling very nervous my stomach was bleeding again so I just went out and laid against a tree while grabbing Zuko's shirt and wrapping it around those things I didn't want him to see.

But I was terribly surprised when I saw him coming out… I was like… You know… Thrilled… I didn't know what to do so I just turned around and… Well, Waited until he came closer.

He started touching my stomach and slowly said, "There's not much you or me could do to make the scar fade entirely, but I can close it" Then he stood, still naked, and walked like ten steps to north, looking for something, then he grabbed a small plant near a rock, he came back, chewed it, then he poured it over my wound and let it sore, then he grabbed his own shirt from over me without asking at all and leaving me nude again he ripped it and made a white bandage with it, which he tied around my waist.

It hurt a lot, but I was not really focusing on pain, there were other thoughts distracting me when I should've been thinking of it. When he was finished he said that it would take a few hours before he could take the bandage off so he recharged over the tree end crossing his arms around his chest he slept.

I couldn't believe that he had just done that for me, he healed me. It seemed like the smell of the plant slowly began to drug me, or maybe was the weariness, or maybe was the heat coming out of his shoulder, but I fell asleep too.

I woke up when he sighed near my face, I lifted my face to find his, he was still asleep, peaceful, but yet killing me, as he always did, knows to do nothing else.

He didn't wake up, and looking at his scar, which made him suffer that much, I whispered: ¨Now, you, my mighty prince Zuko, with all of your understanding self, can't yet figure out, why is that I'm always by your side? Can't you understand? No matter how hard I try you'll never get to see it yourself?¨ Then I got closer and whispered again ¨Can't you see I love you?¨ Then, I don't know how, but I got to touch his lips with mine, slowly, not knowing exactly what I was doing.

Giving up my failed love declarations I sighed and again rested my head on his shoulder. Then, I felt his hand moving suddenly to the back of my neck and he pushed me against him so he could trap my lips in his and with his other hand grabbed my waist.

¨You're awake.¨ I said between sighs and kisses. ¨You woke me up.¨

He grabbed my entire body and he lifted me, to lay me down. As he pushed me gently against the grass, but he flattened my cut and I left out a small groan of pain. And while he kissed me he said: ¨Your wound¨ and he began to tear apart so he could see it. But I kept his hand and almost squeezed it for it not to go. ¨Leave it…¨

He was waking up all of my repressed desires, kept in the bottom of myself whenever he appeared in front of me, all those times when we had to sleep together somewhere because we were missing space, when I healed him. I was now awake, and nothing could let me away of him, he was kissing me as only a prince of fire could.

They were setting free a passionate love that had been suppressed too much, for too long, so no one could ever stop what had began now. They were so into each other, that they didn't realize Iroh was looking at them for long ago, he had gone looking for prince Zuko, then he remembered his favorite place to be, the warm lake of the vast kingdom of fire, but didn't imagined that such a loving scene would greet him at his arrive. ¨At last¨ He said quietly, he smiled and then left the two young lovers alone.