The Fifth Element

The sun had begun to stream in the small windows when Zuko finally opened his eyes. He awoke with a small annoyed groan. He'd never before allowed himself to sleep so late. He was sore still from the fight with Zhao and he needed to train and find the Avatar's trail. He started to move, and an unfamiliar pressure on his chest made him force himself further awake.

Taya nestled against his chest, one her hands between her head and his chest. She was comfortable warmth against him and he reached down to brush away her silky smoke colored hair from her face. She stirred slightly at his touch and a small smile crossed her lips before she nuzzled against him a bit more.

Her honest reaction caused the young prince to smile and his hand went from her hair to the soft skin on her face and his fingers traced tiny circles over her cheeks.

Taya's dreams that night were nice ones, the first she'd had in several years. She found herself saddened as they began to dissolve around her, but that feeling was replaced quickly by something even more pleasurable. It made her skin warm and tingly and she slowly woke herself up.

Someone caressed her face tenderly and her eyes fluttered open. As she looked up, she found herself cuddled up against the prince, and her face was only inches away from his. He was already awake and he gazed at her softly. On impulse she leaned up and brought her lips to his.

He was surprised for only an instant at her bold movement and his arms came up around her, to pull her against him as his tongue found its way to hers and began to dance against it strongly. When she responded in kind his movements grew bolder, stronger, and his arms snaked around her waist even as his body began to react to the passion that had begun to build between them.

The princess quickly became lost in Zuko's touch, his passion, and struggled to keep up, and to respond well. Truthfully, no one had really prepared her for this. She'd been told, spoken to about such things, but they had separated long before either of them had even begun to consider such unity. As his mouth engulfed her own with its delightful game she felt a burning sensation, slow at first, start to overtake her body, her senses. So, this is what it's like, she thought to herself. She could not stop the tiny groans that escaped her throat as Zuko's hands caressed her back. She found herself unable to still her body, unable to will her heartbeat to slow down. Everywhere he touched her sent fire to race through her blood, and she gasped from the heat of it.

Likewise, Zuko fought to keep control of his thoughts, his very body, as it too became lost in the fire that raged around them both. Her skin, even through the old silk kimono, was soft and he longed to feel more of it, to see the creamy smoothness that lay beyond the silken barrier. His hands came up to push at the fabric that covered her shoulders and it slipped down easily though it didn't fall far as their bodies were still tightly pressed together and the fabric had no place to go.

Her skin was supple and silky like he thought and with a deft motion he kicked out a bit and rolled them both over to leave him on top. The prince gazed down at her for a moment. She was more beautiful then he'd ever dreamed. The princess had filled out while they'd been separated, she'd gone from girl to woman and her body trembled slightly beneath his weight that held her down. "My prince." She whispered as her cheeks colored in a deep blush.

Zuko smiled at her shyness, and leaned down to her again to kiss her tenderly. "My princess." He whispered into her mouth. Her arms came up to his face and wrapped around his neck, but he left her mouth to trail kisses along the hollow of her neck and shoulders. He could feel her body react to his and that pleased him. It pleased him that he could give her pleasure this way, and that she wouldn't hold back her reactions out of shyness or any noble training.

On the contrary, Taya tried hard to limit her responses. She had been taught to act out her passions was wrong, brazen, and something only a prostitute would do. It shamed her that she could not control herself, but Zuko made her body tingle, made her breath leave her in small moans and come back only in short gasps. Her chest was tight, almost painful, and cramps tore through her stomach every time the prince nibbled at the soft skin on her neck. She quickly lost her delicate control.

As the prince nibbled on her neck his hands ran along the side of her body and gathered the fabric together as they traveled upwards towards her arms. He, too, was lost in the delightful feel of her skin, her body beneath his and his own need that began to surge forward in him like a caged beast. Unconsciously his hands found their way to one small pert breast and cupped it gently through the thin fabric. Instinctively his thumb came up to circle the nipple, to tease it, and it responded instantly. It grew hard beneath his touch and that only caused him to caress it more, to tease it further, and to throw his body into a burning spiral.

Taya could not help but cry out as he touched her breast. Her back arched beneath him and only drove her further into his touch. Her thoughts began to fly away like dandelions in the wind as only one thought replaced them. Her eyes closed tightly and between his kisses, and his touch, she couldn't pull him close enough, she couldn't voice the need that her body demanded he fulfill.

Zuko knew to take her before marriage was wrong. They were nobility, and this would be a scandal if it were to come to light. But she felt so good to him, and she made his troubles vanish, if only for brief moments, but it was enough. With her, he felt truly happy. It was difficult to form a thought. To make himself think beyond what she was doing to his body, and what he wanted to do to hers. He paused for a moment to look at her face. Her eyes flickered open to look at him in confusion.

She could see the love in his eyes as he gazed at her softly. Taya could see the love, along with a desire, a need that mirrored her own emotional state. With a hand she reached up to his face and cupped his cheek, his burned one, gently. "My prince..." she said softly, her voice husky. She, too, knew of the inherent wrongness of going on, of continuing this path, but, only one thing drove her now. She wanted to please him. Taya knew, beyond all doubt, that she would give him anything he asked her for. That she would die to make him happy.

There was much to make up for, Taya reasoned, much that she owed to Zuko. She had, after all, been the one to leave him, and although that was not her fault or even of her own doing, she felt a need to atone for it. Perhaps if she had been stronger, she could have fought her father, or found a way back to him. As it was, she was merely 15 the last time she'd seen him, and the princess wanted, needed, to satisfy her prince.

Zuko hesitated. He wanted her badly. Hormones flooded his teenage body that caused him to reel from their strength. He did not want to take that same choice away from Taya, so he paused, as his eyes searched hers for answers.

He found those answers in her soft smile and gentle touch. So he leaned down once again and brought his lips to hers, and pushed his body against hers strongly, to let her feel him, and to strengthen flames that already burned around them both.

Her body was smaller than his, petite but supple and soft, and it melded against his as he thrust against her. One of his arms went around her waist to pull her even tighter against him and his head fell beside hers briefly as he shuddered from the new sensations that flooded his already overwhelmed senses.

Taya gasped audibly as she felt his arousal push against her stomach, and her head fell back as he lifted her up slightly to meet him. Her hands went from simply around his neck to clutching at him, to hold herself against him while she tried desperately to catch her breath. Before he could move though, she shifted her head up slightly and her own soft, warm mouth found the sensitive skin along his neck to nibble and kiss tenderly.

A second shock passed through Zuko when his beloved began to nibble on his neck. His body froze as her mouth trailed fire along his neck and towards his ears. She kissed just below his scar, on the clusters of nerves there and they awoke with a surge of lightning through his body. Her lips gently tugged on his earlobes and pearly teeth nipped playfully before her tongue dipped in. Zuko growled, suddenly overcome, moved his hand up to wind itself into her hair and yanked her head back, away from his so that he could attack her back in the same way.

The prince was just about to pull away the only barrier that remained between them, her kimono, when someone knocked at the door.

Zuko chose to ignore the noise, intent upon Taya's body, but Taya gasped and looked towards the door with a frantic expression. Zuko, annoyed at this intrusion growled "Go away."

From behind the door came Iroh's voice. "I'm going to count to five nephew, then I'm going to come in." was the response. "One..."

Zuko knew his uncle was serious and even though he was going to get up to tell him to go away, Taya scrambled out from beneath him, her face red and flushed. The moment broken, Zuko stood up, and pulled Taya to her feet too. She frantically tried to straighten her hair and smooth her clothing. Zuko found he didn't much care...then he made the mistake of looking down at himself.

It was obvious what they had been doing.

As Iroh counted four, Taya followed his gaze down and gasped. She covered her mouth in surprise and looked back up at Zuko. There wasn't any way to hide that, not with the thin clothes he wore. Right then Iroh counted five and opened the door. "Wake up kids!" he called out.

With nothing left to do, Taya took a step in front of Zuko, to save him from embarrassment. "Uncle Iroh." She said sweetly and smiled at him. "Good morning!"

Iroh fixed both of them with a level stare. He'd been young once, it didn't take much of a genius to understand that he'd interrupted something between them. A part of the old man laughed at that. How many times did it happen to him in his life? It felt good to give some of that back, to see the sheepish and uncomfortable expression on Zuko's face was simply priceless. "Come kids." He called. "Breakfast is getting cold, and we need to chart a course for the ship. We still have an Avatar to find, my prince." Iroh turned and walked out.

At the mention of the Avatar, Zuko's demeanor changed back to what it normally was, grim and determined. Taya turned back towards him, and put her hand on his cheek. "You will find the avatar my love..." Before she stepped away to pick up his shirt and hand it back to him.

Zuko put on his shirt and paused a moment to watch Taya pick up his room. Her confidence in him made him feel good. Then he left to resume his duties and his mission.

He missed the rest of Taya's words. "...tonight."