Disclaimer: I do not, I definitely do not, own Avatar: The Last Airbender or its characters.
Slowly, a pair of eyes had fluttered open with blurry vision. When the vision cleared after blinking several times, closing and squeezing her eyes shut and open, she could see that there that was a ceiling over her head, much to her surprise. She had sat up from her bed and notice lush, light green color of the blanket that covered her form. It appeared that she was in a shack from what she could tell but it didn't put her at ease one bit. "Zuko?" She had called out his name, "Iroh?" She had called out the retired general as she had climbed off the bed. Her legs felt weak; in fact, her body had felt extremely weak.
"Aiko?" Her eyes had immediately looked towards the door to see Zuko standing with what appeared to be a bowl of food; he had placed it on the low table in the middle of the shack and walked over to her, helping her to her feet.
She had looked up at him but then squeezed her eyes shut, groaning. "Put me down, please." He had helped her sit down at the pillow at the table. "What happened? Where are we?"
"You've been in a coma for three weeks." He had explained as she had opened her eyes, looking at him in shock.
Aiko had gasped in horror, "Three weeks?!" Zuko had nodded. He had then pushed the bowl of food towards her. It was porridge, which wasn't the most delicious meal in the world but it was what she needed to gather her strength. "I've must've been a burden…."
Zuko had noticed the sullen expression on her face, closing his eyes. "We were on a floating piece of driftwood for three weeks with no food or water; I say you were less of a burden."
Was that his way of trying to make her feel better? Her eyes then drifted down to her knees, now noticing the green robe that was on her form. Her eyes shifted toward Zuko, who was staring blankly at the table. "You seem to have a lot on your mind."
He had looked back towards her, "I'm fine."
"I can tell that you're lying." Aiko had pursued as he had appeared surprised. She was surprised herself that the words came out of her mouth, "Nevermind." She had quickly said as she had begun to eat the porridge, grimacing after each bite but forcing herself to eat while it was still warm.
His eyes had studied her for a few minutes before he closed his eyes. "Three years ago today I was banished." Her eyes became big as she listened on, she kept her eyes fixated on the porridge because she didn't want to see the dejected look on his face since it was already in his voice. "I lost it all…" Aiko had finally looked at him, seeing his expression turn determine. "I want it back. I want the Avatar, I want my honor, I want my throne. I want my father not to think…I'm worthless."
She didn't want to hear the rest, "Regardless if he does or not, you're not worthless." Zuko had glanced over at her as she had bit down on her bottom lip. "Nobody is worthless, especially the Prince of the Fire Nation." She had nodded as she had finished what was left in the bowl. "That… That was unsettling." She had groaned as she had pushed the bowl away from her.
"I'm surprised you ate it." He had said as she had shrugged her shoulders.
"Even though it was horrid, I needed it. I've learned to deal with things that I don't like because in the end, it'll help me somehow." Aiko had explained to him as she had wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin, "I needed some strength and energy, I couldn't just not eat and expect myself not to be a nuisance to myself or you or—wait, where is Iroh?"
"He's getting a massage." Zuko had said, "He deserves it."
She had nodded and then turned to face him, "So what happened when I was in a coma? Did you find Aang?"
Zuko had sighed, "We followed the Avatar to the North Pole and then we escaped but Zhao, he went too far and destroyed the moon. Uncle said the princess of the tribe had the moon spirit in her and gave it back to the moon spirit, which brought the moon and balance back. The Avatar escaped again and Zhao,"
She had rose a brow, wondering why he seemed to be hesitant to tell her what happened the Fire Nation Admiral, "What? What happened to him?"
"I tried to save him but he slipped from my fingers and he—"
"I understand." Aiko quickly said, not wanting him to feel guilty. "You tried, that's all that matters."
He had nodded, "But he was the reason why my ship blew up. He was working some pirates and that's how he obtained that blasting jelly. He tried to kill me and I tried to save him still."
"Because you're not a killer." Aiko had said, "You're better than Admiral Zhao, don't ever think that what you did was wrong."
He had then given her a puzzled expression, "How do you know I'm not a killer? What if I'm just as bad as him?"
It was true, Aiko didn't know if Zuko had killed someone before. He could've but she just didn't want to believe that he was capable of doing that. He just tried to save his enemy, "Something just tells me that you're not that kind of person."
The Prince didn't bother to question it anymore and then stood, "Wait, where are you going?" Aiko had asked as she had tried to get herself on her feet, but her legs still felt like jelly as she had stood. She forced herself to stand despite the discomfort.
"I'm going to go see my Uncle, you need to stay here." He had said as she as she had shook her head.
"I'm not going to stay laying around in this shack all day and he should see that I'm better." Aiko had said as she had took a step forward, forcing herself not to wince.
Zuko could see the pain that she had tried to hide; it was obvious on her face. He had closed his eyes and shook his head. "Fine." He had said as he had walked towards the exit and she had struggled to follow behind him.
Between the walk towards Iroh's shack, she had massaged the muscle in her legs to loosen them since they would cramp up after a while. She had kneaded them carefully and made sure Zuko didn't have too many paces in front of her.
Occasionally, he would look back to see her as she had stretched out her muscles and massaged her legs. She would lift the green robe-like dress and revealed her skin, which would make him avert his gaze and keep the blood from rushing to his face.
When they had made it there, Aiko had walked over to Iroh who had given her a big smile. "You've awoken!"
Aiko had nodded her head, "Prince Zuko caught me up on everything."
"There's no use in calling me Prince Zuko anymore." Zuko had said as Aiko and Iroh both gave their full attention to him. "I'm not a Prince anymore."
Aiko had lowered her gaze as Iroh did so as well. Trying to change the atmosphere in the room, Iroh had walked to the middle of the room and emptied a bag of seashells on the table. He had picked up a few of them, a smile on his face as his eyes inspected each of them. "Look at these magnificent shells! I'll enjoy these keepsakes for years to come."
The dark-haired female had picked up one, observing the intricate design of the seashells. "Wow, they are beautiful."
"We don't need anymore useless things. You forget we have to carry everything ourselves now." Zuko had said to them, annoyed how his Uncle seemed to get that very important detail.
"Hello, brother. Uncle." The voice had caught them of guard but made all of them shift their eyes to the direction that the mysterious person had sat. It was a girl from Aiko's surprise and from what she said, she must've been Zuko's sister.
Her expression was distrusting in Aiko's eyes and from the indignant expression on both Zuko and even Iroh's face, her distrust for the Princess grew.
Zuko had taken a step forward towards his sister, "What are you doing here?" He questioned his voice somewhat castigating.
She behaved guilelessly, her eyes on the seashell that she had in her hand as she had toyed with it between her long, slender fingers. "In my country," She said arrogantly, "we exchange a pleasant 'hello' before asking questions." She had stood and walked over towards them, facing her sibling. "Have you become uncivilized so soon, Zuzu?"
The princess was about an inch taller than Aiko, who stood at 5'3''. She also had a very athletic frame with hair that was black as coal and her eyes were rustic shade of amber unlike Zuko's brighter ones. "Don't call me that!" Zuko furiously spat at his younger sister.
Iroh decided to not let the siblings bump heads, "To what do we owe this honor?" Iroh had asked his niece as Aiko watched the seashell in the girl's hand.
"Hmm... must be a family trait. Both of you so quick to get to the," She had shattered the beautiful seashell in her hand as she emphasized the last word at the end of her sentence, "point." The former freedom fighter had set her jaw as Iroh's expression had become dispirited. She had opened her mouth to speak but she had immediately closed it when her eyes were found on Aiko.
Immediately, Aiko had bowed. "Excuse me. I have other duties to attend to." She had said, knowing very well that whatever the Princess had to say wasn't for ears of people outside the family and the last thing she wanted to do was anger her.
She had waited, standing beside the door as she had pressed her back against the wall. She wondered what was being discussed but she assumed that it was nothing good. Nothing seemed good by the way the atmosphere in the room had gone cold in a room full of skilled firebenders.
It was about an hour when Azula had left, brushing her clothes scarcely before shifting her gaze to Aiko. "Do I know you? Your face seems familiar, and I'm not talking about when you were in the room with my brother and Uncle." Azula had questioned as Aiko had shaken her head.
"No, I'm sorry. I don't believe we have met any other time than today." Aiko had said as she had kept her eyes fixated on the Princess, making sure that she didn't seem suspicious or gave off the impression that she knew more than what she said.
The Princess had then fixated her gaze ahead. "I see." And with that, she had walked down the pathway and allowing Aiko to let out a sigh of relief. Her eyes had shifted towards the shack, wondering what Zuko and Iroh were speaking on. She decided that she would let them tell her what was spoken on their own, if they wanted to tell her anything.
She had struggled her way back to the shack that she had occupied, rubbing her legs as she could feel them cramping up and growing sore all over again. She knew she would regret forcing herself to walk but she also knew that she would be glad she did. Her legs needed exercise and she couldn't lay on them all day; no matter how much pain she had felt.
When she made it back, she had sat down and outstretched her right leg, kneading and massaging her right thigh and wincing while she did so. It had hurt and she notice the pain extended further than her legs, but her feet as well. Zuko had walked into her shack, his eyes fixated on her exposed leg and her eyes had immediately looked up at him.
Despite fighting the blush on his face, he had noticed the discomfort in her expression. He had sighed and then walked over towards the bed, grabbing a pillow and handed it to her. "Lay down."
"What?" Aiko had said, looking at him with a puzzled expression.
"I said lay down." He had repeated, "Don't make me repeat myself."
Irate from his attitude, she didn't press further and took the pillow and placed it under her head and laid down. He had then taken another pillow and placed them under her kneels. He knelt in front of her as she had pressed the robe down, trying not to expose anything other than her legs. If only she had her regular clothes on… "What are you doing?" She finally asked.
He had lifted her right leg, using his palm to stroke her toes and to the top of her legs. The strokes were long and his palm was soft as he had moved up her leg and down again—even going as far to go lightly over the knees. She had squeezed her eyes shut, enduring the pain but then relaxing when she understood that he was loosening the muscles in her legs. "If you don't properly massage them then you'll continue to be a nuisance to me." Aiko had opened her eyes frowning at his words. "Not just that, you'll need to be prepared for tomorrow."
"For tomorrow?" She had questioned, "What's tomorrow? We're leaving." She had sat up halfway as he was performing the same technique he had done to her right leg with her left.
"I'm going to the Fire Nation, my father wants me home." Aiko's eyes had became big as the surprise was stamped across her forehead in bold letters. "He needs me. He misses me."
It was that sense in longing in his voice that he made her heart clench. "Oh," She had uttered, "congratulations." What else could she say? If she questioned it, she would hurt him and possibly make him angry with her. "So we'll be parting ways tomorrow."
"Yeah." He had said as he had then rested her right ankle in his palm, massaging it with his left hand: one thumb on onside; fingers on the other. "You'll be able to reunite with the Avatar."
Aiko had nodded her hand understandingly as she had watched his fingers, how his eyes had paid attention to every movement he was doing. "I'm happy for you." Zuko had slowed down his actions and then shifted his gaze towards her face to meet her smile. His eyes had widened just a fraction, "I know how happy you must be that your father wants you back home. I would be really happy too."
A ghost of a smile appeared on his face as he had worked up her legs with her thumb and fingers, going softly over the knees but firmly on the thighs. It was embarrassing; strange but she couldn't help be grateful of his massage. "You'll be fine now." He had said as he had let go of her leg.
Aiko had completely sat up and stretched her leg, looking at her leg in wonder as the pain she was dealing with earlier. "Wow, it feels great!" She had said as she had let out a sigh of relief, "Now when I travel I won't have to take so many breaks."
The Prince had looked down at the floor, thinking about something apparently. She had tilted her head to the side as she wondered if he was going to say what was on his mind. "After all this time… He must've known it was the anniversary of my banishment." Her eyes had softened as she had pulled her knees to her chest, resting her chin between her knees as she had wrapped her arms around her legs. "He's been thinking about me; his only son. He trusts me still… He cares about me even when I thought I he never would again."
Aiko wanted to ask why he was banished but she figured that it wouldn't be right to ask him, especially when he seemed so happy that he was going to see his father and go home again. She had parted her lips slightly but then closed them again; she didn't want to kill his happy mood. "How does your Uncle feel? Is he happy going home?"
His expression changed, he had set his jaw and averted his gaze. "My Uncle is ungrateful and distrusting." She was surprised to hear the words come out of his mouth.
"What makes you say that? Isn't Iroh happy to see his brother again?" She questioned, unsure of what he meant.
"No!" Aiko had jumped at his voice, "He's lazy, mistrustful and shallow! He's just jealous of my father, he wanted to be Fire Lord but no, he didn't earn the title. He thinks he knows how my father feels about me and he doesn't!"
Her eyes had lowered as she had no put the pieces together. She knew that Zuko was angry and that's why he was insulting his Uncle, but she figure that Iroh didn't trust any of this and that's why he tried to warn Zuko. But he should've known how sensitive his nephew was about his father. "I'm sure Iroh's heart was in the right place."
The boy in front of her had glared at her and she was sure he was going to hurl and insult her way but he stopped he clenched his teeth, closing his eyes. "Yeah, maybe…" He didn't seem to sure but she could tell he wanted to believe that Iroh wasn't like anything he had said.
"You should get some sleep. You have a long journey tomorrow." Aiko said as Zuko nodded and stood, turning towards the door. He had looked back at her and she had given him a smile. He didn't say anything but left the shack. "Goodbye Zuko…" Aiko had muttered as she had felt tear slipping down the corner of her eyes, "again."
/
When morning had arrived, Aiko had returned to the clothes that Iroh had bought for her and packed up a few things that would help her during her travels. They had paid for her expenses so she didn't owe the spa anything. She had decided to leave early, she didn't want to run into them and prepare for a sad goodbye. It already made her unable to sleep at night but she promised herself that she wasn't going to depress herself with the subject anymore.
She had adjusted the strap of her backpack and left, following the trail outside the spa and followed the river. "Alright, now where do I go?" Aiko had questioned herself, "I guess I just follow the river and camp when it gets real dark if I can't find a place to stay." She had nodded at her plans, agreeing with them.
Her eyes had glanced around the forest floor, her eyes on the trees of many different shades of green. Her eyes then ventured to the sky, seeing how cloudless it was. She had ran her fingers through her hair and then wrapped her hands around her backpack straps as he had continued to walk forward.
"This was how things were supposed to be, right? I go my separate ways from them and then I return to Aang, right? I wonder how he is anyway." She had tilted her head back, squinting as the sunlight was trying to get into her eyes as she had paid attention to the blue, vast sky. "Sokka's probably annoying as usual and Katara is probably scolding him." She smiled, chuckling at the thought.
Her thoughts then shifted to Iroh and Zuko. "They're probably getting on the ship now. I bet Iroh is already asking the chef for the best roast duck! And Zuko is probably… probably so happy." Her happy smile had then changed to a sad one, the corner of her lips slowly dipping down. "He's happy because he'll be where he is supposed to be. And I miss them already…" Aiko had sighed as she had stopped walking and turned to look back, a part of her hoping that Iroh and Zuko were behind her.
"…Who am I kidding? I have to stop looking back." Aiko had shaken her head and continued moving forward. "A piece of me will always be with you."
She had stopped as she had looked across the river, her eyes widened at the scene before her. It was obvious that she was remembering something but it felt like she was seeing things from a faraway distance. It was her, a young version of herself that she had remembered with Zuko. She was handing him that red ribbon she had seen at Zuko's bedside. "I'm moving and we won't see much of each other anymore. So, I'm giving this to you. So you'll never forget me and a piece of me will always be with you."
"But this is your favorite ribbon—"
"I know, but I think it'll be happier with you."
He had hesitated taking the ribbon but she had tied it around his wrist lightly, making a makeshift bracelet. "Take care of it and when you look at it, you'll remember me. Oh and send letters, and of course birthday presents!"
Aiko had found herself smiling, "Okay! I promise!"
"So that was my ribbon he told me not to touch." Aiko had pouted, "I should take it back, it's not safe with him." She had looked over her shoulder and at the direction of where the spa was. "Tch…" She had sucked her teeth but then smiled. "Capital City, arya-sa! Capital city, arya-arya-arya-sa!" Aiko had sang as she had skipped forward, "Towards the Capital, towards the Capital, even the tree leaves and grass are blown by the wind. Is Capital such a nice place to live?" She sang as she continued forward. "To come, to come, you tell me but I cannot go there easi—"
"Aiko!"
The girl had frozen in place, slowly turning around to see Zuko and Iroh running towards her. "Iroh? Zuko?" She had slowly smiled as they had run towards her, she had met up with them halfway as they had panted heavily. "What happened? It's not even afternoon yet, you two should be out at—"
"It was a trap!" Zuko had shouted, Aiko had closed her eyes. "She…she lied to me."
Aiko had looked towards Iroh as he gave a nod to confirm, "She was going to take us back as prisoners."
"I'm glad you two managed to escape." She had said as she had noticed they had cut their ponytails. "If you guys aren't going back to the Fire Nation then where are you two going?"
Both Iroh and Zuko looked at one another, "We're enemies of the Earth Kingdom, and fugitives from the Fire Nation."
"If the Earth Kingdom discovers us, they'll have us killed." Zuko had mused.
"But if the Fire Nation discovers us, we'll be turned over to Azula." Iroh countered.
Aiko had looked at them both as they had nodded in agreement, "Earth Kingdom it is."
"Looks like we'll be traveling together a little while longer, Aiko, if you don't mind." Iroh had said as the girl had smiled.
"I don't mind at all." She had said as she had turned around and continued walking. "To come, to come, you tell me but I cannot go there easily. Capital city is away from here. From Capital, from Capital, I can reach Ember Island on the mainland by a rowing boat. But why and why cannot I reach your tender heart?"
Iroh had smiled at her song, "What song is that, Aiko?"
She had looked over shoulder, "I don't know but I always sing it whenever I'm alone and traveling. It makes me kinda happy."
"But Capital City, that's the Fire—" Iroh had shushed his nephew, who seemed to be more than just confused.
Aiko had looked back at him and then to Iroh's smiling face, "It's just I've heard that song before. Whenever the children of the Fire Nation colonies would return back to the Capital, their parents would say they had sung that song."
"Oh?" She had said as she had looked down at her feet, "I probably heard one of them singing it." She had said, "There were a few Fire Nation colonies where I grew up with my friends. So it's no wonder why I memorized the song." The teenage boy had pressed his brows together, still skeptical. He had looked up at his Uncle, who had watched Aiko as she had skipped forward. He was putting pieces together as well, it was clear.
"You don't think that maybe you're from the Fire Nation colonies, do you?" Iroh had asked as Aiko had stopped walking.
Aiko didn't want to tell the truth; she didn't want Zuko to know that she was the friend that he thought had died a long time ago. He had moved on already, he didn't need her back and it didn't matter anyway. Her past was dead. "Maybe, I don't recall it." She had answered, shrugging her shoulders.
The older man had nodded, "Your memories will come back to you; no need to force them."
"I know." Aiko had replied softly. "Capital City, arya-sa! Capital city, arya-arya-arya-sa! Towards the Capital, towards the Capital, even the tree leaves and grass are blown by the wind. Is Capital such a nice place to live?"
They had traveled for some time, leaving their path along the river and walking through the forest floor. Iroh had grown accustomed to the song and singing along Aiko. They had both merrily sang side by side much to Zuko's pleasure. He would glare at them, rolling his eyes, and even pinch the bridge of his nose as he was steadily getting another by their happiness and the song.
"We should make camp. It's getting pretty dark soon." Zuko had said as Aiko nodded her head and Iroh agreed.
She had then smiled at the two, "I'll go fishing. I'm pretty good at it." She said as she had looked at them, "You can guys can set camp."
"I'm going with you." Zuko had immediately said as Aiko had blinked a few times and then shrugged.
She had looked at Iroh, "Will you be okay setting camp, Iroh?" She had asked him and he had nodded his head.
"I'll be just fine. Gathering firewood is easy." He had given her a thumbs up and she had smiled.
"I'm sure lighting the fire will be easier." She noted as she had then waved, Zuko walking alongside side her as they had made their way to the river. She had dropped her backpack and rolled up her tights and tied the flaps of her skirt together.
"What are you doing?" Zuko had questioned as she had turned to look at him.
She had rose a brow, "Fishing." She answered simply.
"Without a fishing pole?" He had asked, "You're going to catch the fish with your bare hands?"
She had nodded in reply as she had taken off her shoes and stepped into the cold river. Aiko had shivered a bit, "You should get some rope ready so we can tie them together."
The Prince had rolled his eyes, "I'll make a fishing pole because—"
"Got one!" She had said as she had raised the flapping trout in her hand, a smile on her face.
He had blinked a few times and then sighed. He had gotten the string out of her backpack and walked over towards her, "How did you do that?"
Aiko had looked at him and then back at the river. "My friend taught it to me. You have to follow the river and then looked around and listen for fish; jumping or not. You find one that is trying to go upstream and then you shape your hands like this," She had demonstrated as her thumbs and pointer fingers had made a triangle, "since we're in the water, trying to make little ripples as possible, and then you slowly dip your hands in the water and move towards it real slow, separated your hands around the body of the fish and clamp your hands around it and ta da! You get to eat."
He had looked at her as she had pulled the second trout out of the water and handed it to him. "How long have you been living in a forest?" He had asked her as she had sighed.
"About… six years." She had answered honestly, "But I'm glad I did or else we would be starving."
"I could've caught the fish humanely, by a fishing pole." He had explained as she had felt offended by his words.
"Are you saying I caught it like an animal?!" Aiko had questioned.
He didn't seem like he was going to take back what he said. "You caught it like a bear."
Her eyes had widened slightly as she had then folded her arms, "What kind of thing is that to say after I'm helping us eat dinner?" She had snatched the trout of his hand, "You catch food on your fishing pole and I'll keep fishing like a grizzly!" She had huffed as she had turned away from him.
"Suit yourself!" He had stood away from her, picking up a stick as he had tied a piece of string on the pole and added a word as bait at the end. He had sat on a large boulder and threw the fishing pole string in the lake and waited, while Aiko continued to catch fish by hand.
As soon as night had fallen, they had returned to the camp. Zuko had a puny fish hanging off the tail of his fishing pole while Aiko grinned from ear to ear as she had revealed six fish tied together by string. "Wow, that's a lot of fish! We'll eat healthily tonight." Iroh had then looked at what his nephew caught, "Well… There's an extra."
His nephew had glared at him, "I can't live like this. I wasn't meant to be a fugitive." He kicked at the dirt beneath his feet, obviously frustrated. "This is impossible!"
Aiko had looked at him as she had begun placing sticks through the fish and setting them around the fire to cook. Her eyes had stared at the fire, "I can find some herbs if you need tea." She had told Iroh, "I'm pretty good when it comes to things like that."
The older man had smiled and nodded, "It's pretty dark. I'm not sure if you'll be able to see much of anything."
She had then looked towards a stick, willing to make a torch out of it. "I'll be fine." She said as she had lit the tip of the stick on fire and walked off into the forest.
"She's a survivor." Iroh had said as she had left their line of vision and then looked towards his nephew who was staring in the direction she had walked off to. "I know what you're thinking but Zuko, don't cling into that."
His nephew's eyes had then shifted towards him and then looked towards the fire. "But it makes sense."
"But if she isn't? You'll only be hurting yourself." His Uncle had warned, "There are many coincidences but a lot of them don't mean what you want it to."
"I know, Uncle." Zuko had said as he had poked the fire. He had then looked at his wrist, the ribbon still tied.
Iroh had smiled at his nephew wanly, "I'd like to believe that she is her as well. Aiko was a vibrant child and I know how much she had meant to you."
His nephew was silent for a few minutes as he had then looked in the direction that Aiko had gone once more. "I'm going to go find her." He had said as Iroh nodded understandingly. When he had seen the fire from the makeshift torch that Aiko had made, he had walked over to it and saw Aiko knelt down In front of a bush, her thumbs were sliding against the flat side of the leaves as her eyes were observing them. She had slowly looked up at Zuko, seeing the flame that was floating above his palm. "Did you find anything?"
"Mhm. I found some Oolong leaves." Aiko had said, "Does your Uncle like Oolong tea?"
"Yeah... but first," The Prince had nodded his head as he had knelt down beside her, "give me your wrist."
Aiko had looked at him with confusion, "Why?"
Instead of demanding her again, he had grabbed her right hand and looked at her wrist and there was a small scar shaped like an x. "Where did you get this scar?" He had asked her.
She had looked down at her wrist and then back up at him, "I don't remember."
He had met her eyes for a few minutes, silence filling the air between them briefly. "Why do I feel like you remember a lot more than you're letting on?"
She tried her best not to give away anything through her expression. Instead, she had stared back at him confused. "But I'm not…" She had shaken her head, "Why would I lie?"
Seeing how he couldn't counter that, he had pressed his lips together in a thin line and then closed his eyes. He had then stood and walked away from he as Aiko had looked at her wrist and then back to up to see Zuko's back as he had walked back towards the camp. '…He's going to figure it out... How long can I keep lying before he puts all the pieces together?' She had thought as she had looked down at her the scar on her wrist. '...He's more observant than I really took him for.'
She had stood and kept the gathered tea leaves in her right hand, using her left to hold onto the torch. When she returned to camp, she had handed Iroh the tea leaves. "You can make Oolong tea, I'm sure this is enough for all of us."
Iroh had smiled, "I was going to die of dehydration if I didn't get some tea soon!" He had said as his nephew had rolled his eyes. Aiko had sat under a tree after grabbing a stick of fish.
She had ate silently as Zuko occasionally glanced over at her and then back at his own fish that he had eaten in silence as well.
/
They had left camp early in the morning and walked until they had found an Earth Kingdom village. The sun was shining down heavily on them and Aiko had enjoyed the sun on her skin. "I was becoming really pale; at least I'll get a tan now." She had said as she had shielded the sun form her eyes using her hand.
"I think you have a lovely complexion, Aiko." Iroh had complimented her, which made her smile.
"Thanks Iroh, but I like a little color on my skin." She had said, "Living in the forest kinda took the color off me." She had said as she had looked down at her skin and continued to walk forward.
They had walked over a bridge over the stream, she had stood and looked down the stream and it instantly reminded her of the Fire Nation. A wave of nostalgia had washed over her as Zuko had turned back to see her standing at the bridge in thought.
Zuko had walked over towards her, "What are you doing?" He queried.
She had looked at him and then smiled, "I just like looking at streams from the bridge." She had shrugged her shoulders, lying once again. "It makes me feel nostalgic."
His brows had furrowed at her words but he decided not to question, "Let's go."
She had nodded and followed him and they had found Iroh in the village, with a straw mat on the floor. They had placed down things that they were willing to sell for some coins. She had sat on the straw mat next to Zuko as Iroh held his hat out to the pedestrian, "Spare coins for weary travelers?"
The man was kind enough to throw a few copper coins into the hat, much to Aiko's surprise that there was already coin in there. Zuko had looked at his Uncle, already infuriated. "This is humiliating! We're royalty. These people should be giving us whatever we want."
"They will—if you ask nicely." His Uncle replied which did not satiate his nephew's anger.
"Spare change for a hungry old man?" Iroh said in a weak voice, surprising Aiko at how he was acting.
The woman was well-dressed, probably rich or middle class herself. "Aww," the woman cooed as she had taken a sleeve from her coin and placed it gently in the hat, "there you go."
"The coin is appreciated, but not as much as your smile." Aiko smiled as Zuko had slapped his palm against his forehead out of obvious frustration. The woman had giggled and walked away from him.
Aiko then stood, "I'll find some more ways for us to make some money." She had said but before she walked away.
Aiko had walked around the village, looking for hiring signs. "Mm, I could get a steady job or do odd jobs." She had thought out loud as she had looked around, "Which one will do?"
"If you're looking for an easy job, you should work for us." A woman had said, causing Aiko to look over to her and eye her in awe. The woman was wrapped in a green cheongsam that was embroidered with gold waves at the hem and sleeves. It had revealed her tall and willowy body and made her look exquisite. She looked mature because of the pipe she had smoked, which made Aiko's awe continue to blossom.
She had already captured Aiko's interest right away. "An easy job? Does it involve commitment?"
The woman had shaken her head, "You can work as long as you like." The woman had said softly, Aiko had smiled.
"I'll take it." She had agreed, not even knowing what the job was. She just knew it must've paid well and what they had needed right now was money. "Can I start tonight?" She had asked and the woman had nodded in reply.
"Just meet me at The Shadow Willow at eight." The beautiful woman had instructed as Aiko had nodded and watched her walk down the street, men gaping at her as she had walked with an unmatchable strut.
Immediately returning to Zuko and Iroh, she had given them a big smile. "I got a short-time job that'll get us right on our feet and coins slipping through our fingers."
Iroh had beamed, "That's great news! Instead of spending what we have earned, we'll take rest in that cave we found before we entered the village."
Aiko had nodded as Zuko had kept his gaze fixated away from the two. She had looked at him, wondering why he was silent but decided not to bother. "I don't have work until eight. If there's anything you need me to do until then, I'll be happy to assist."
"We're fine." Iroh had said, "Right Zuko?"
His nephew had eyed him, his expression still baring anger and frustration. "No, we're not fine."
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