Chapter Rating: T

Part IV
Ignite My Senses

Private Chamber - Earth Kingdom Palace

The room was underground and it's walls made of crude, misshapen rock; a mixture of earthy colors and sharp structures that jutted out of the wall. The room had been there for more than a century but no one had ever paid attention to the ragged edges of the wall. They were instead, carefully concealed by rich hangings, tasteful tapestries and portraits of previous Earth Kings. On the eastern wall stood the largest portrait, that of the very 1st Earth King and to his right a smaller one of the 2nd Earth King. Beside him hung the face of the 3rd King and after that the cycle continued. Some were green-eyed, others brown-eyed; their skin tones differed and so did their expressions but in the background of every single painting hung the Earth Kingdom insignia.

The portraits wove throughout the entire width of the room until they reached the 50th Earth King. Right next to his painting, stood a large throne and on that sat Xiang. He was accompanied by Amaya who was clad in her royal robes of deep green, her hair pulled up into a tight bun at the top of her head with a few strands framing her grey eyes. She looked completely relaxed where as Xiang was tight-lipped, his hard gaze fixed on the door which stood several feet away from them. Every now and then, Xiang would fidget and Amaya would murmur words of encouragement which he would then blatantly ignore.

Amaya breathed in the cooler, damper air of the underground room and let her gaze follow Xiang's. The two of them stared somberly at the door until finally, a deep rumble reached their ears and the door was earth bended open. Amaya saw Xiang stiffen as a lone man entered the room and bowed to the two.

"The visitors have arrived, highness." He said quietly, his voice ringing through the vast room. Xiang nodded firmly and spoke. "Send them in."

The man nodded and then hurried out. A few moments passed and then men began to stream into the room. First there were ten but more continued to enter until the numbers had increased to almost thirty. They formed two rows in the middle of the room and then simultaneously bowed.

The silence stretched on for a few moments and then Xiang stood up, his gaze sweeping the room. "Greetings, my subjects." He began in his clear voice; the voice that not three nights ago had sounded so vulnerable and helpless was now infused with imperialism. And suddenly Amaya mused, Xiang, the young man, barely even thirty years of age, seemed like the perfect leader. His very demeanor commanded respect and his voice was fearless as he spoke to men twice his age and size.

"I have summoned you here so that you could have a chance to defend your nation against the ruthless forces of the tyrants that threaten the peace of our metropolis. We are all aware that what goes on in this room is, in a way, conspiracy. The Earth Kingdom, by law, forbids me from threatening the lives of innocents and incorporating the talents of citizens into the military, no matter how determined they may be." Xiang said calmly. No one moved a limb and the only sound in the room was that of the men's breathing.

"You have honored my call but now I honor my nation." He said quietly and his grave tone prompted Amaya to look up at him. "All of you are to take the men you have brought here back to your towns and villages. I and the princess acknowledge your bravery and trepidation and never forget, that you have the gratitude of the Earth Kingdom." Xiang said firmly.

Amaya's head snapped up and her brow furrowed with confusion as she stared at Xiang. He, on the other hand, looked unperturbed and tactfully looked away from her and to the men who knelt in front of him. "You are invited to stay in the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se for a month." He said.

"After that, may the spirits grant you safe return." Xiang finished dismissively and the men promptly stood. They left the room one by one, all so blissfully unaware of the fuming princess who stood beside the throne. As soon as the last of the men had exited, she herself earth bended the door shut with a loud thud.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked angrily.

"The right thing." He answered firmly. "You may enjoy conspiring in the shadows, Amaya, but I will not go against the oath I took on the day of my coronation. The Earth Kingdom will win this war, and it will win honorably." He said firmly.

"That decision may seem very venerable now, Xiang, but later it will come back to destroy you." She said venomously. Xiang defiantly looked up at her but remained silent; this only served to incense her even more.

"You speak of honor but does the oath tell you to let your nation fall into the hands of the enemy just because of a pledge that was written a hundred years ago. Those people never experienced war. They don't know the horrors that come with it. They didn't experience the sleepless nights that you do, Xiang, because they were never forced to sit on a throne all day while their people were ruthlessly murdered." She said and her voice rose with every syllable.

"Amaya." He said laboriously. "Please don't do this." Amaya opened her mouth to continue her little speech but fell silent when she saw the hollow pain in Xiang's eyes.

"Fine. But mark my words, Xiang. If the Fire Nation breaks through the Inner Wall, I will do what is necessary for Ba Sing Se to prevail." She said and quietly made her way towards the door. She earth bended it open and just before exiting, she turned to him and spoke.

"Even if that means defying the Earth King."

An Orchard - The Middle Ring

Amaya closed her eyes and breathed out, her fingers tightening around the picture clutched in her hand. Ever since the previous day, a sort of surrealism had settled over her. She hadn't heard from Xiang even once and while she was unsure if he was upset with her or not, Amaya herself was disappointed. She had allowed her hatred for the Fire Nation to overwhelm her and then had flung it at someone as undeserving as Xiang. Guilt ate away at her insides and her eyes stung with tears.

Amaya drew in a shaky breath and opened her eyes, her gaze flitting down to the picture clutched in her hand. It showed two people; a woman sat in the front, dark haired, dark eyed and beautiful. Behind her stood a man in robes of grass green, a pair of spectacles perched on his nose so that he looked adorably owlish. He had a small, immaculately trimmed beard with just the slightest streaks of white in it and had an imposing quality to him.

I''ll never let it happen again.

Amaya silently vowed to her parents and exhaled sharply as a twig snapped behind her. "Who's that?" A quiet voice said and a smile dawned on her face at the sound. "My parents." She answered fondly, as Lu Ten took a seat beside her.

"I'm sorry." He said softly.

"How did you..." Amaya began but trailed off as Lu Ten reached up and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks.

She did not dare to breath, afraid that the slightest of movements might shatter the sudden moment of intimacy. Amaya slowly looked up, her gaze locking with Lu Ten's. And then gold met grey with such an intensity that she inhaled sharply.

"We never did get to the end of that kiss, the other day." He breathed huskily and his warm breath ghosted on her cheek. Amaya's first instinct was to flatten herself against the tree in an attempt to get away from him. But instead, she found herself hopelessly freezing in place.

Lu Ten chuckled quietly as he saw the blind panic in her eyes and placed a light kiss on her cheek. "Calm down. I'm not going to molest you, you know." He murmured against her skin. That hardly did anything to console her and with a wry smile, Lu Ten leaned away. A chain on his neck glinted as the moonlight bounced off it but she did not pay it any attention.

Amaya breathed out; from relief or disappointment, she wasn't sure. She could sense Lu Ten's chagrin at being rejected twice now but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. How he made her head spin and her breath catch in her throat. His scent and the intensity of his eyes, it was too much of a sensory overload for her. But in the bar, back at the roof and now here. Slowly, but surely, it was becoming harder and harder to pull away.

Amaya shyly raised her eyes to look at him, only to see that he hadn't been discouraged and was looking avidly at her. God, stop being such a prude.

And it was that one thought that posed as such a challenge to her, that her eyes brightened with determination. Lu Ten's gaze landed on her expression and in that one instant, something passed between them. They moved forward in unison and he claimed her lips with a ferocity. Amaya returned the motion with fervor, her hands tangling themselves in his hair as she shifted to face him.

Lu Ten's hand slipped down to the small of her back and he pulled her to him, their bodies pressed flush together in a way that aroused Amaya to no extent. Her erratic heartbeat thumped in her ears as Lu Ten's tongue nudged against her lips and his hands slowly began to explore her body.

It was the hesitation in his motions, the subtle need for permission that made her want to pull him even closer if such a thing was possible.

Lu Ten's hands lingered on her hip and he gently pushed her to the ground as he placed a light kiss on the corner of her mouth. Amaya reached up to lightly graze his cheek and as her fingers brushed across his face, Lu Ten reached up and brought her hand to his mouth, lightly pressing his lips to it.

Her chest rose and fell as her heart beat erratically but her eyes were alight with happiness as she gazed into Lu Ten's intense ones.

She didn't know how long the two stared into each other's eyes, bathed in the white moonlight, and breathing hard. Amaya just knew that by the time Lu Ten had pulled away to sit up straight, she had calmed down even though her cheeks were flushed with color. Judging from his expression, he was just as dazed as she felt but there was something else in his eyes, something that she couldn't quite place.

As he laid down beside her, the silence stretched on and his hand slowly grazed her forearm before he intertwined his fingers with hers. But his expression swam in front of her eyes, permanently burned into her mind and refusing to dissipate.

Amaya did not dare to think it but the thought ruthlessly pushed itself into his mind and then only one word registered to her, along with the most vague feelings of hurt.

Had it been regret in his eyes?

Short, I know, but I fully intend for the next chapter to be longer.
Enjoy and Review!