Dancing Through Flames

I woke up the next day slightly confused; I generally didn't feel this good in the mornings. Glancing around, I saw that I was in Zuko's chamber, and I remembered the night before. My face turned bright red when I recalled the hug; I was still processing my emotions for that. I looked over to the larger bed beside mine and saw Zuko sitting up, his lean and muscled chest bare in the morning light. My face turned redder still and I looked away, not wanting to do anything embarrassing.

I heard Zuko stand up from the bed and throw on a tunic; I took that chance to stand and stretch, my back popping out from the curled-up position I normally slept in. Zuko glanced at me and our eyes locked; we both flushed and looked away. I tugged on my collar nervously and stepped into the main room of Zuko's chamber, where breakfast was already waiting.

The guards had obviously taken note of me staying with Zuko; there were two plates set out of each dish. I knelt down by one set and waited for Zuko, who followed suit quite quickly, kneeling on the other side of the table. I nodded at him and we began eating, not speaking during the period.

After about ten minutes, I set down my chopsticks and watched Zuko eat; I hadn't finished any one plate on my side, but sampled all of them. Zuko was setting to his breakfast with a determination I hadn't ever seen before, and I had seen Avatars eat feasts after going into the Avatar State. He ate like the food had insulted his honor, stabbing into the fruit and tearing the bread with hostile movements. It was scary, in a way, but also cute. I blinked, embarrassed. I had just called Zuko, my enslaver and one of the most violent people I had ever met, cute. Miracles can happen.

A few minutes later, Zuko finished, having eaten his entire meal. I wondered where the food went, but I figured he burnt it off during Firebending training. He certainly didn't have any fat on him from what I'd seen. I blushed again, embarrassed by my own thoughts. Zuko saw it and raised an eyebrow. "Are…are you ok?" he asked, not looking me in the eye.

"Y-Yeah, fine…what're you doing today?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Just searching for the Avatar, training to fight him, all of that…" he said, looking out his porthole window. I sensed he was getting tired of this; two years of searching for the Avatar had to be tough, not to mention lonely. All he really had was Iroh, and now me. I stood up and walked to him at the window, trying to quell the embarrassment and fear I felt around him; it was a weird mix in my stomach. He looked over at me, and before I could stop myself, I hugged him.

I felt him stiffen at first, then his arms were wrapped around me, drawing me closer to him. My head rested on his shoulder, and I closed my eyes, trying to send as much comfort as I could through that one embrace. I could feel his heartbeat start to quicken, and he whispered in my ear, "What are we doing?"

"I don't know…but it's nice," I whispered back. He didn't say anything, but he let out a slow breath and I felt him loosen up and really hold me.

We were interrupted, however, by a knock at the door. Zuko let go of me quickly, and I put my hands in my pockets as he walked over to the door and opened it. Iroh was standing there, holding a tray with tea mugs on it.

"Anyone want some nice ginseng tea?" he asked, a smile on his face. Zuko sighed and brushed past him, heading above-deck. I followed, grabbing a cup from Iroh and thanking him before rushing upstairs behind Zuko. We reached the upper deck soon, and I looked around; we were bordering a dense forest on one side of the ship, and the ocean on the other. I glanced at Zuko, wondering where we were.

As if he read my mind, he looked over at me and said, "We heard the Avatar was in Omashu, so we're heading around there to find more leads. We can't enter the city, it's still held by Earthbenders, but there's a village not too far that has a Fire Nation coal outpost on it, we'll start there."

I nodded and didn't say anything. I was still confused about how to act with the Avatar, whether or not I should be protecting him from Zuko. I wanted desperately to change Zuko, make him see the good that the Avatar does for nature, but I knew that the real reason I stayed was because of the strange attraction I felt towards the young prince. I wanted to figure it out, and possibly take it further. If our latest hug was any indication, Zuko wanted the same thing.

"Zuko, it's time for your Firebending training," Iroh said, having followed us up on deck. I turned and sipped my tea, as Zuko nodded. "Very well…what set do you want me to do?"

I walked over to the wall next to the door to the helm and sat down, leaning against it. Iroh and Zuko spoke a little while, then Iroh sat down on the deck as two Firebenders came forward, ready to assist in his training. Zuko spoke with them, and then they split. I watched Zuko's stance and his form as they battled. He had the raw power and talent, but was too impatient. His form was more about rage than anything, and rage could only go so far.

I finished my tea and walked up to Iroh as Zuko drilled his set one more time. I kneeled down next to the former general. "Iroh, could I assist in Zuko's training? I'm a good Firebender, if I say so myself, and I can help him with his form."

Iroh raised his eyebrow, then nodded. "Yes…it might be good for him to be taught by someone his own age. Go ahead."

I grinned and stood again. Zuko had finished his set and was panting heavily. He took off his tunic, leaving him shirtless, sweat glistening against his bare chest. I tried not to notice that and looked at his face, instead. "Zuko, I talked with Iroh, and I could help you with your Firebending. Why don't we duel?"

Zuko blinked, then glanced at Iroh. He nodded, so Zuko turned back to me. "Fine. Just don't expect me to be easy on you, you know." I nodded and walked a few paces away before turning back to him. He assumed a stance, spreading his feet a little farther than he should. Before he could move, I shot a bolt of fire straight between his legs. He shouted and skipped backwards, nearly losing his balance, but assumed his stance again, this time with his legs much closer together, in a more defensive role.

With a roar, he charged me, sending out double-shots of fireballs towards me. I spun around them and lightly ran towards him, meeting him in the middle of the ship. He swung out, flames surrounding his hand, but I lightly knocked his arm aside and slipped inside his guard, twisting to where my back was to his front. I kicked backwards, flames around my heel, and grazed his leg as he hopped to the right. I spun again and faced him, quickly kicking out again and sending a star of fire out at him. He broke it and charged through the opening, growling in anger. He jumped and flipped in mid-air, kicking down with a huge burst of fire. I caught his heel and swung him to the side. As he flew away, I kicked out a double-tap of fire to rush after him; he just barely caught himself in time to break the flames apart before getting scorched.

We stopped and caught our breath, Zuko much worse for wear than I was. There were small burns on his arms and he was trembling, covered in sweat. I straightened and looked at him. "How did I beat you?" I asked.

"Because…you're better than me.." he growled, sitting down on the deck.

"Wrong. I beat you because I knew how to dance." I walked over to him and sat down next to him.

"W-What?" Zuko asked, his face incredulous. "Dance?"

"Yes. Dance. Firebending was first learned from the dragons, and the dragons learned it by dancing with the sun. You fight through raw power and rage, while I fight with form and with grace. If you keep light on your toes, you can dodge past most attacks and break through holes in your opponent's defense. Airbending is about circular movements and going with attacks instead of against them. Waterbending is about push and pull, knowing how to tip the balance. Earthbending is about a strong soul and body, becoming a rock. Firebending is about being as quick as a flame, able to strike at a moment's notice and slip through the smallest of holes." I said all of this while watching Zuko. He regained his breath soon enough and listened to me; I felt like I was actually imparting something to him. He nodded and stood up again. "Let me try."

I stood and walked about ten feet away, then turned to face him. We assumed our stances again, and circled each other, waiting for an opening. Again, Zuko attacked first, sending a shot of fire out with his foot towards my legs. I jumped backwards, only to be caught by two fireballs he had shot moments earlier; I broke them, but felt a slight burn on my right arm. He was learning, fast.

We battled several more times; I beat him each time, but it became closer and closer, until the last match, where we both collapsed on the deck, him only seconds before me. We gasped for air as the sun started to sink in the sky; we had been dueling for at least seven hours.

I very slowly sat up as a guard brought us both water. I gulped it greedily and stripped off my shirt, my body drenched in sweat and burn marks up and down both of my arms and legs; Zuko was no better off, with scorch marks on his chest as well. I felt bad marking up such a beautiful figure such as his…I shook my head, clearing out those kinds of thoughts.

A helmsman approached Zuko and said something to him; he nodded absently and drank his water, then stood up and motioned for me to come with him. I followed him, glancing at Iroh on the way. The man smiled and nodded, letting me know I had taught Zuko well.

We walked down into Zuko's chamber, into the bedroom. There was a washbasin in the corner, and Zuko splashed some cold water on himself. He glanced over at me. "Here, come cool off over here, then you need to get changed. You've been wearing the same clothes for weeks now, and they're getting a little worn."

I blinked and stepped over to the basin, scooping out some water and splashing it onto my back. I moaned slightly as I felt it wash over the heated skin, and I shivered at how cold it was. Zuko walked over to his wardrobe and opened a drawer at the bottom, pulling out a pair of simple black trousers, briefs, and a thin red tunic. "This should work."

I nodded and stripped down; I wasn't wearing anything under my pants, but I covered myself as best I could with my clothes and grabbed the ones he was handing me. I couldn't hide myself while I slipped on the pair of briefs he had handed me, and I could feel his gaze on me. I blushed and quickly pulled them on, followed by the pants and the tunic. I didn't meet his gaze, but my jaw dropped as he started to strip as well, taking off the rest of his clothes and pulling out new ones from the wardrobe. I tried not to stare at his nakedness as he dressed, but I failed and caught glimpses that made me shiver and feel woozy inside.

When he had finished, we both exited his chamber and went back up to the main deck; Zuko explained what was going on as they walked.

"We're nearly to that outpost I mentioned this morning," he said. "So we're going ahead and landing here, and taking the rhinos across to the shore."

I nodded as we walked up the stairs, bursting out into a dazzling sunset. I smiled, enjoying the deep orange glow of things. The gangplank was already lowered, so we climbed onto a rhino and padded down through the harbor into an Earth Nation village. I glanced to the left and right and was met by fearful, sometimes hateful glares of impoverished people. I felt a pang of guilt in my heart that I wasn't helping to stop this, but we soon moved past them and onto a pathway to a metal station. When we reached their, a Fire Nation soldier came up to us and bowed deeply before saying anything.

"Prince Zuko! The Avatar was just here!"

Zuko's eyes widened and I felt him stiffen. "What? And you let him get away?"

"Forgive us, sir, he rallied the Earthbenders behind him and took most of us out! They have control of the coal mines now, and we can't fight them!" The soldier looked up, fear in his eyes.

Zuko growled and swung off the rhino, marching down to the pier. I could tell he was infuriated that the Avatar had slipped away from him once again. Then, I saw him bend down and pick something up. I walked up to him and saw him put a small, blue necklace into his pocket. I raised an eyebrow, but didn't question it. He turned back towards me and walked back to the rhino. "Let's go, Sutol," he said, climbing back onto his steed.

I hopped up behind him and we rode back to the ship in silence. As we passed the village, I saw a glimmer of defiance in many of the people's eyes, and I knew that this area would fight back against the Fire Nation for a while yet. I knew that they probably hated me, being with Prince Zuko, but I couldn't help but feel a glimmer of pride for these people. They had quite a lot of guts.

As we boarded the ship, I saw wave after wave of earth come rushing down to us. The gangplank was quickly raised and we set off, but not before getting pelted by dozens of rocks. I saw a row of Earthbenders pushing the mudslide down towards our ship before the trees concealed us, and I knew that Aang was succeeding in his efforts against the Fire Nation.

Zuko seemed a little happier, even though we had lost the Avatar again. I wondered what the necklace was, but I didn't ask about it, preferring to just walk with him in silence. We reached his bedroom and he slipped his tunic off again. I decided to take mine off as well, and we stood there, shirtless, gazing at each other.

I stepped forward and hesitantly put a hand to his chest. I could feel his heart pounding, the warm flesh, his lungs expanding and contracting. He put his hand on my chest and I looked into his eyes. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, we drew closer and closer until we were nose to nose. Then, he leaned forward and kissed me. Just once, and he drew back immediately, but I felt his lips on mine for days afterwards. I blinked and didn't say anything. Zuko stepped back, then turned around and climbed into his bed. I took this as my cue and sank down into my own bed, though my mind was whirling far too fast to go to sleep. I felt like I was on top of the world, and I smiled.