At night Asahi went to Zuko's quarters. She had asked one of the butlers at dinner and he had described the way, albeit flushing furiously. Well, she though, it must look like she was visiting him to spend the night with him...
She arrived at the described room and knocked on the door.
"Come in." Zuko's voice was steady and clear. Hesitantly, she popped her head through the entrance.
"Hey." She said and went in when she saw that she had indeed found Zuko's sleeping chamber.
"Good evening." He was awfully polite. "Sit." He gwstured towards a very inviting seating area on the ground that was filled with generous cushions. She sat down; it was heavenly, as if lying down in a soft, fluffy cloud. Once she'd positioned herself the best way, Pyro flew over to her, his small wings flapping relentlessly. He'd grown a lot already, and when she touched him, a child's voice echoed in her head.
"Asa-mama." It said. Asahi strumbled backwards, then stared at Pyro. The dragon had talked to her the first time since he was born. "P-pyro...?"
He rubbed his emerald head against her cheek. "You can hear me." He said cheerfully.
"Yes, I can." Asahi answered found Zuko staring at her. "I... I hear Pyro's voice." She explained.
"His voice? He can speak?" He looked at his dragon in amazement.
"Well, it's more like a mental connection. You can hear his words right in your head. You should eventually hear him, too."
"Zu-papa cannot hear me." Pyro announced in a sulking tone. The nickname made Asahi chuckle.
"What? What is it?" Zuko, who couldn't follow their conversation seemed restless.
"He calls you 'Zu-papa'." Asahi translated. "And me Asa-mama. I assume he thinks of us as his parents."
"Oh." Zuko blushed slightly. "Is that so?"
"Yeah." They shared an awkward silence, Zuko standing in front of Asahi, when she finally said: "Won't you sit down as well?"
So he did and Pyro took back his usual spot on Zuko's shoulders.
"So, what exactly do you want to know?" Asahi asked, since she wasn't sure where to start.
"I don't know..." He answered. "Just start at the beginning." He shrugged.
"Wow, that's helpful." Irony swayed with her voice. "Well, maybe I'll just begin with my parents' first meeting..."
...
"My father, as a descendant of the Dragonlords, was a young noble. He did try to conceal his ancestry for obvious reasons, but he was still heir to a huge fortune. You see, even though most of his family were killed, they could hide their treasures for those who'd survived... Anyway, it was one hot summmer night that my father attended another noble's party. He was young, rich and handsome and rather popular with the girls. You could say he liked to mess around a lot. Everybody knew, but all the girls were all over him still. At that party, though, everything changed for him. The noble's cousin, a young woman of unseen beauty, was presenting a song for her cousin's sake. You see, her voice was known all over the country, it was so distinctive and captivating. My father fell in love at once."
Asahi smiled. Her voice was soothing, and Zuko sank a little deeper into the cushions. He felt warm and comfortable.
"In the weeks to come he tried everything to win over the singer's heart, even proposing various times, but she didn't budge. She was indignant by all the stories she'd heard of him and she didn't like his haugty ways. Of course, my father only acted that haughty in her presence since he was so insecure of himself. For all that time, he never glanced at another girl again. The singer's heart started softening and she began to look at her constant companion with more affection than she wanted to admit."
Asahi's face was glowing with joy. She seemed to enjoy telling that story; Zuko, in turn, enjoyed watching her facial expressions change randomly.
"One day, when my father had followed after her yet again, they saw an old man crossing a street. A wagon was nearing at full speed and the man would have been overrun, if not for my father's actions. He jumped onto the street, shoved the old man out of the way but was thus run over by the wagon. Lucky for him, he had only gotten some broken ribs and scratches and when he woke in the hospital, my mother was holding his hands tightly, crying for him to open his eyes. When she realised he was rather well, she tossed her arms around him repeating a single word over and over again: Yes. It was an answer to his proposal."
She smiled dreamily and Zuko let her soft voice lull him even deeper into the cushions. He closed his eyes, still listening.
"So... my mother was overwhelmed by his ability to risk his life for a total stranger and realised at that moment that she truly loved him. She... see... dragons."
He could only make out bits and pieces of her story, as a heavy sleep took him into the land of dreams. He dreamed of Dragons and parties and a beautiful, red haired woman, singing a captivating tune.
...
"...and so they got married." Asahi concluded her story, then looked at Zuko. She almost fell over in surprise. The guy really had fallen asleep on her. And when he had asked her to recount her story. Geez. She sighed, not knowing what to do now. She didn't dare wake him, since he looked so peacefull in his sleep, so young and innocent. Before she knew, she'd reached out to his face, tracing his scar lightly with her fingers. When she realised what she was doing, she drew back her hand immediately. She got up and gazed at his face. She would have to give him a mouthful when she'd meet him next. She left the room and went back to her own quarters to sleep.
