Genre: Humor/Romance
Pairings: ZukoxAang
Warnings: Yaoi. Don't like? Don't read.
Time: 100 ASC - Post War
Setting: Upper Ring - Ba Sing Se
Summary: After the war, the Gang stays in Ba Sing Se for a much needed vacation. But what happens when Toph decides that everything is getting much too monotonous and brews up trouble, taking them to a play that portrays Aang and Zuko as a gay couple? And what happens when, during convincing the whole of Ba Sing Se that they aren't gay, Aang and Zuko find that they are convincing themselves as well?

Part IV
Miyako Suzuri

Zuko's lithe fingers swiftly worked on the sash of his robes and once it was tied securely around his waist, he stepped back and glanced at himself in the mirror. He didn't even know why he was making such an effort for this Miyako lady but he was determined to make her shut down the play. Maybe if that happened, Katara would shut up as well, and leave both him and Aang alone.

A tired sigh escaped his lips and without wasting anymore time, Zuko slid open the door and stepped out into the living room. At once, he could see that other than running a comb through his hair, Katara had done nothing at all to make herself seem more approachable and Aang was no different.

"Ready?" Zuko asked quietly as he studied the two's expressions.

Aang looked positively demented while Katara stood there, whispering reassurances into his ear. However, they did not seem to be working and instead, the air bender looked even more queasy than before.

"Uh, yeah." Aang said and before Katara could say anything else to him, he hurriedly made his way to the door, just as Zuko slid it open.

The fire bender looked down at Aang and felt his lips curving into a reassuring smile as he sensed the air bender's nervousness. Zuko could have sworn he saw Aang's lips twitch but couldn't have been sure, since at that moment, Katara chose to shove the air bender towards the door.

Resisting the urge to glare at Katara, Zuko followed th two out before shutting the door behind him.

"I was wondering..." Katara said thoughtfully as they stepped into the evening sunshine and made their way towards Miyako's house. "Why didn't you bring Mai, Zuko? Wouldn't that have been more convincing than coming alone?" She pointed out.

Zuko's intense gaze, at once, shot up to Katara's face and he didn't know why the question made him so angry.

"Zuko said that he didn't want to appear too obvious or desperate by hauling Mai along and trying to convince her that we're not gay. He says that we should make Miyako think we're in control, even though we might not be." Aang piped up as he sensed danger.

Zuko's harsh gaze did not move from Katara's and the water bender did not fail to notice as Aang lightly squeezed the fire bender's forearm, almost comfortingly. Zuko, at once, looked away and towards the horizon, quickening his step so as to stay as far away from Katara as possible.

Or else, he was afraid he might do something truly violent.

"WOW!" Aang cried as they finally beheld Miyako Suzuri's lavish residence. Surrounded by gardens that seemed to go on forever, the house in of itself was not all that large but very skillfully designed. "That's not a house! It's a whole estate!"

"Come on, let's go." Katara said as she set out at a brisk pace towards the entrance of the house.

"Wait, we're not going to get in that easily!" Zuko said as she reached the door and began to pull on it. "Honestly." He grumbled as he lightly nudged her aside and placed three, sound knocks on the door.

It at once, flung open and a young man, in his twenties, stepped into view. He surveyed them for several seconds, his eyes flickering from Aang's tattoos, to Zuko's scar and then Katara's Water Tribe attire.

"I apologize, sirs and lady, but Miss Miyako is somewhat occupied for today. Please state your names and statuses and I shall see if you have an appointment." He drawled, almost robotically.

"We do not have an appointment." Zuko said and sighed, almost tiredly, as the man moved to shut the door in his face.

However, before the door could even swing an inch, Zuko slammed his hand onto it and kept it firmly in place. "How about you run off and tell your Lady Miyako that the Fire Lord and Avatar are here to see her." He said coldly.

The man, who had let out a loud eek when Zuko's hand slammed against the door, seemed to lose even more of his composure as he looked up into the fire bender's burning eyes. They stood there for several minutes, almost nose-to-nose, until the man finally seemed to get a hold of himself.

"Ah, royalty, I see. I suppose my mistress can make an exception. However, she does not give up her precious time for just anyone. It is for this reason, that I cannot allow this young lady to pass." He said as he looked Katara from head to toe.

"Why?" She burst out indignantly.

"What status do you hold?" The man asked and when he received no reply, he smiled wryly. "I thought so. Please follow me all three of you." He said as he quietly entered the house.

"Ryoko!" The man called as soon as he had flung the door shut. "Take this lady into the living room and offer her some refreshments." He said and then gestured for Aang and Zuko to follow him.

As they climbed up the huge spiraling stairwell, the fire bender couldn't help but feel just a little smug as he thought of Katara, sitting in the living room. Maybe the thought was a little cruel, but after all that she had said in her conversation with Aang, Zuko was not in the mood for being particularly merciful.

This would teach her that Aang was not her property.

"This is the mistress's study. Try not to waste her time." The man said as they halted in front of highly polished double doors with brass knockers.

Aang glanced nervously at Zuko but the fire bender merely shot him a reassuring smile and pushed open the doors.

The first thing that registered to him was that the room was painfully bright. Floor-to-ceiling windows on the eastern wall allowed light to flit into the room and the wooden floor was alight with patches of sunlight. In the very middle of the room, perched on a mat was the woman that they had come to meet.

She seemed regal and once they had taken a few steps forward, they saw that she was beautiful, with aristocratic cheekbones and piercing green eyes. Wavy brown hair flowed down past her shoulders and she was dressed in robes of deep blue.

And even though, she couldn't have been more than twenty-five years of age, Aang found her to be incredibly imposing.

"Oh my! Rarely do such great guests humble me with their presence." She said as she gestured for them to sit on a mat across from her.

The two bowed and then brought their palms against their fists in the traditional Fire Nation greeting. Miyako merely nodded in acknowledgement and Aang wondered just how she could act like it was a daily occurrence that the Fire Lord and the Avatar showed up on her doorstep.

"I get the feeling that you're here for a lot more than just a cup of tea." She said with a smirk, as they took a seat.

Zuko opened his mouth to speak but before he had even spoken a word, Aang burst out. "Your play is publicly humiliating me and affecting Zuko's position as Fire Lord back home. Zuko and I aren't gay so I demand that you shut your play down!" Aang screeched nervously.

An awkward pause followed and Zuko smacked his hand against his own forehead while Miyako merely burst out laughing.

"Hey! Don't laugh at me!" He said seriously.

But the words had no effect on her and she laughed even harder.

"Aang, how about you let me handle this, okay?" Zuko said through gritted teeth.

Aang frowned and then hesitantly nodded. Satisfied, Zuko turned towards Miyako once again, only to see that she had stopped laughing and was surveying them like a hawk.

Zuko had to resist the urge to hit Aang as the air bender's face flushed with color under Miyako's scrutiny.

"How intriguing." She drawled, with an almost feral grin on her lips.

Zuko ignored the comment and spoke. "Yes, as it turns out, I am here for a lot more than just a cup of te-" Zuko began but was cut off as Miyako spoke.

"I think this is really quite interesting." She said absentmindedly.

"Huh?" Zuko echoed dumbly.

"You. And him." She said with a smirk. "He seems to listen to you, for some reason. Is it because you intimidate him? Or because he feels obliged to listen to you? I wonder why." She said and her eyes gleamed.

Aang glanced at Zuko and the fire bender shot him a look which obviously meant 'Shut up and sit still.' The air bender obliged and his grey eyes nervously darted between Miyako and Zuko as he waited for one of them to speak.

"I don't think you two realize just how thrilling an experience this is for me. I do plays which show people in a bad light. If they are true or not doesn't matter at all." She said with a grin. "I've disgraced a lot of people and almost all of them have come running to me, demanding me to stop it. Threatening me and such. But you see, there's always a secret. Everyone has a secret. Even you, Avatar Aang." She said and turned her piercing gaze towards Aang.

"Don't. She's just playing you." Zuko said, not even bothering to lower his voice as he stared at Miyako, his eyes burning with distaste.

Miyako laughed in response. "You're a clever one, no?" She said with a smirk. "But you two are sweet so I'll make you a deal." She said, smirking as Zuko drew himself up in indignation. "If you can make a sizable impression on the public and me and make us consider that you might really not be gay, then I'll shut down the play and admit defeat." She said nonchalantly.

Zuko frowned as he looked suspiciously at Miyako and several minutes passed in silence before he spoke up. "And if we don't?"

"Then the play goes on and eventually, I'm going to introduce it into my other theaters across the Earth Kingdom." She said with a smirk.

"And what's to say that if we win and you back down, the newspapers won't stop?" Zuko demanded.

"Oh, Fire Lord Zuko, no gossip lasts for ever. But if you'd rather prefer for it to end quickly once and if you win, then I think that all three of us have enough influence to make them stop." She offered with a smile.

"Okay, you have a deal!" Aang said suddenly.

"Aang!" Zuko said reproachfully but the air bender had already shook hands with her and stood up.

"I'll send you a contract to sign. After all, we're professionals, are we not?" She said with a smirk.

"Sure." Zuko said through gritted teeth.

"Oh and remember, you have only a fortnight. So, you might want to work fast." She said and before they knew it, a servant arrived and began to lead them out of the house.

It was only once the two had left Miyako's chambers that the door slid open and the man who had led Zuko and Aang into the room entered.

"Do you reckon they'll be able to do it?" He asked.

"Of course not, Kenji. This is me we're talking about." She said with a gracious smile.

"How do you intend to go about doing this?" Kenji asked.

"Oh, they have chemistry and the Avatar seems to adore the Fire Lord while the latter is somewhat protective of him. This'll only make it easier, you see." She said with a smirk. "Besides, I think I have a lot of nice ideas for our little friends.

"Don't worry, Kenji. This game will be over before they even realize it. I don't intend to lose to a bunch of children." She said with a grin.

:O Evil Miyako! xD

To black sulpher: The secret is..to have no life :P Lol, its the summers and besides, I've got a lot of passion for this story xD As for triangles, you'll just have to wait and see xD
To suzaku009: Lol, thank you! ^_^

Hope you all enjoy this chapter, don't forget to review! :D I have a feeling the upcoming chapters will be quite interesting xD

-Jade258