They stood there, bending the fire with all their might for what seemed liek eternity. They had ther gazes locked with each other and Asahi could tell that Zuko was holding onto this with all he had. The sun rose and it was well past midday when, finally, Asahi could make out a cracking sound from the midst of the roaring fire. She could see the tremendous exhaustion in Zuko's face, but they couldn't possibly give up now.

"Keep going Zuko, don't give up!" She shouted above the fire "We're almost there!"

She could see him take a deep breath, his expression becoming even more determined. Then, suddenly the egg was bursting into a blinding light, followed by a powerful wave of air, whipping the both of them to the ground. It almost felt like an explosion. Although Ran and Shaw had shared their memories of a dragon's birth with her, the real thing just blew her mind. The light was hurting herr eyes but she couldn't avert her gaze from it. She could make out a shadow, a tiny, dragon-shaped shadow inside the light. Slowly, the world returned to the way it was before and revealed a jade green dragon, the size of a human arm. It looked so fragile that Asahi quickly got to her feet and rushed to its side. She crouched down beside it and extended her hand.

"Hello there, little one." She said in the kindest of voices. "And who are you?" The dragon sniffled her fingers, then, just like a cat, pressed its head against her palm. A feeling of eternal connection and love rushed through her body. Zuko appeared beside her, his eyes full of amazement.

"Is that... it?" He asked. Asahi smiled gently, picked up the dragon and slwoly draped it around Zuko's neck, almost like a scarf.

"'It' is a he." She said "And you should give him a name.

"M-me?" Zuko was frozen stiff while the dragon nestled himself comfortably against his skin. Then he suddenly sneezed, releasing a tiny flame, setting Zuko's collar on fire.

"Wah!" He jolted in surprise but Asahi quickly extinguished the flame. She had put her hand atop his collar and was standing so close to him that she could feel his breath on her hair. She glanced at his blushed face then, suddenly embarassed, shifted her gaze to the ground.

"So?" She asked and slowly took a step back. "What shall we call him?"

Zuko blinked. "Oh, yeah, the name... I think Pyro should be a good fit, don't you?" He looked down on his scorched collar. Asahi chuckled.

"It's a perfect fit!" She announced.

...

Later in the palace everyones stares accompanied the three of them. Pyro was sleeping peacefully around Zuko's neck but he was still the attraction of the day. The evening was nearing and Zuko was extremely worn-out. The bending had taken more energy than he'd liked to admit. He could feel Asahis gaze upon him; somehow, that made him feel uncomfortable.

"What?" He asked her.

"You look tired." She commented. She was always so blunt. She hadn't even bothered with honorifics from the point they'd met and now all the more she used a rather simple way to talk to him. "I think you should call it an early night."

Zuko sighed. If only he could. But he had already wasted the entire day with her. Well, maybe wasted was not the right expression. Spent; he had spent the entire day with her but it was a fact that he was still the reigning Firelord. He had various other duties to fullfill. He had to admit though, that raising Pyro with Asahi had the potential to turn into the most enjoyable of all.

They were on their way to Asahis sleeping quarters. She'd told him that she'd brought along food for Pyro that Ran and Shaw had provided her with. It turned out to be stripes of dried meat. She gently took Pyro from his shoulders, lying him down on her bed. The dragon woke up reluctantly, blinking various times before completely opening his eyes. He looked adorable, even Zuko thought that. Asahi, who seemed to be some sort of overly protective mother figure squealed lightly. He rolled his eyes. Yes,the dragon was adorable, yes even he himself held some fatherly feelings for Pyro but she was a bit over the top. The cool, mysterious aura that usually surrounded her was replaced by a fluffy, pink-ish feeling that somehow still suited her very well. Her eyes were shining and her face soft. Zuko caught himself smiling gently at her and deliberately squinted his eyes, furrowing his eyebrows. Asahi hadn't noticed, though; she was too occupied with feeding the dragon.

"He's so beautiful." Asahi muttered in a low voice. She was right; the dragon's tiny, emerald scales were glittering in the light of the torches that hung upon the wall. Although he was small, he looked noble and otherworldly. Zuko could feel his thoughts clouding, his eyes not shifting from the green lights. His eyelids fell down and all that surrounded him was utter darkness.

...

Asahi studied Zuko's face. His wild hear spread out on her pillow and his chest was rising and sinking calmly. When she'd heard him collapse behind her she'd twirled around in emergency just to see him sinking to the ground in exhaustion. She'd heaved him into her bed, which just happened to be the closest one and covered him with her sheets. After his dinner, Pyro had curled up on Zuko's stomach and was now sleeping just as soundly as his master. She looked at the two of them in affection but stopped, when she saw that her left hand was lingering over Zuko's forehead. She quickly drew it back, glad to hace caught it before she'd touched him. What was she thinking?! She stepped into the adjoining corridor and quickly found a footman whom she told that the Firelord was resting and no longer available for the day. The footman stared at her wide-eyed but did not dare defy her, as her tone was of a commanding nature.

Reentering her room, she slipped onto the other side of the bed. As she never wore shoes, she could go to sleep just like that. She didn't use the blanket that covered Zuko, since that would suggest too much intimacy. She honestly had no ulterior motive, but she failed to see why she would have to sleep on the floor when there was a big enough bed available. So she curled up beside Zuko and slipped into a dreamless sleep.