Chapter 14: Dragged Along
Rating: K
Man, this was a pain in the butt to write. Not really to write, but it was a pain to get started on. Once I got started, it just sort of rolled out (for the most part). Got distracted reading some stuff (Green Lantern) so it might feel a bit disjointed and stuff, so let me know if that's the case. Decided to break this chapter up into two, because it would be weird to have a huge, 10000 word chapter in the middle of the story. SO, this is the first half, and the second half goes up hopefully tomorrow. Basically almost entirely Zuko x Suki fluff, so hope you enjoy.
Feeling nearly helpless against the girl's strong grip, Zuko watched the subtle sway of her body as she walked. Even from behind her, he could nearly picture her lips curled into an unnatural smile, could imagine the look of determination on her face. But he couldn't picture the girl's motives.
Pulling back against her advance, he listened to her feet skid a short distance across the loose bits of gravel on the road to town. With his own kind of seriousness, he pulled his hand from within hers, walking in front of the auburn haired girl. Once in the right position, he looked down at her, ocean blue eyes shifted to the ground at her feet.
"Okay, what's going on?" he asked seriously, his tone of voice causing the girl to flinch a bit under his scrutiny. Slowly her eyes lifted up towards him, a nervous smile on her lips where once he would have imagined one of excitement or confidence.
"I told you already, you had to make it up to me for waking me up so early this morning, and this seems like as good a method for that as any," she said, Zuko's eyes showing that he clearly had a feeling that there was something else that she wasn't saying. Knowing that it wasn't exactly productive to prod further, he sighed heavily, turning away from the girl.
Staring down the dusty road, lined with tall, lean palm trees, Zuko watched the heavy leaves sway gently in the light breeze. The soft rustling of plant life brushing together filled the silent road, washing over the pair of teens. Zuko thought for a moment, wondering what exactly he was supposed to do on a date. The thought of it made him nervous, wondering how this girl would act if he made as much a fool of himself as he had with Jin.
Gentle coolness filled the young man, tempering the warmth from the Sun as it shone down on the world beneath it. Casting a look back towards the young girl, he felt himself groan inwardly, her lips pursed as she looked at him with something approaching pleading, eyelashes batting sweetly in his direction.
"Well, I don't have much experience with this kind of stuff, but I guess I do owe you," he said reluctantly, distinct tones of defeat on his voice as he nodded his head down towards the road ahead of him.
"Aww, you're so sweet, Zuko," Suki said, placing a soft kiss on the boy's cheek before clasping his hand in hers as she again headed off towards the small beach town. Zuko could not help but smile at the girl's enthusiasm, a gentle smile gracing his usually stern countenance.
"Yeah, yeah. But I know there's another reason for this, so I expect you to tell me about it at some point," he said, his voice leaving no room for her to argue. The girl slowed a bit, looking behind her with a hesitance that had matched his own at finding out about this sudden adventure.
Suki looked at Zuko for a moment, his eyes catching a thought running behind soft blue eyes. Silence passed between them, broken up only by the rustling of tree leaves and other shrubbery. Finally her smile returned as she walked right up to the young Prince.
"Well, I'll tell you if the date goes well," she said, the "deal" not sounding like one he would be able to get much out of. His mind instantly played out the worst case scenarios, and he found himself wondering if she would even talk to him if any of them played out. But as he looked into her eyes, he found himself just nodding and accepting.
"Fine," he said in some frustration, watching her smile grow even wider at his acceptance of her terms. "So, what did you have in mind?" he asked, curious as to whether or not she had any sort of plan for this date. The girl's smile faltered only a bit, a faint blush crossing her smooth cheeks as she looked lazily away from the young man.
"Well…" she began, brushing the tips of her simple shoes against the hardened earth at her feet, kicking around the few loose pieces of rock. Zuko's eyes narrowed a bit as he looked more intently at her, a single thought running through his head.
"Don't tell me you've never gone on a date before?" he asked, the disbelief evident in his voice. As the girl gently nodded in affirmation, Zuko felt his fingers instinctually rise to his temple, rubbing out a suddenly aching spot of tension.
"Hey, what's that for? It's not like I've had lots of opportunities for this kind of thing," she said, flustered as she punched the older boy in the arm before turning away from him in a huff.
"It's not like I've done this that much either," Zuko said calmly, hoping to settle the young girl. Taking position to the girl's side, he watched as her face gradually warmed, a short bit of nervousness passing between them.
"So, what do people usually do on dates?" Suki asked, hoping that Zuko had at least some idea of what to do. The scarred teen slipped into nervous thought, trying to recall what he and Jin had done on the date that his uncle had so graciously accepted on his behalf.
"Well, I guess food is usually involved," Zuko said stiffly, hoping it sounded right. Suki thought for a moment before nodding, the idea of having someone else cook their food not entirely uninteresting to her.
"Then I guess we better find a restaurant," she said, brushing her loose strands of rust toned hair behind her ear as she set off towards town, Zuko keeping his position at her side as they made their way down the worn street.
Gradually, the emptiness of the road gave way to the beginnings of traffic, the road becoming lined with shops on either side. As the number of people around increased, Zuko had a feeling that people were staring at him, soft whispers hanging menacingly on his ears as they spoke.
Natural paranoia kicked in, much as it did during his time in the Earth Kingdom, and he wondered if it had been a mistake to come into town, especially without his usual heavy cloak to cover his telltale scar.
"It seems like some of these people might recognize you," Suki said, leaning over to whisper in the young man's ear. Zuko tensed for a moment, and considered just heading back the way they had come, until Suki clasped his hand firmly. "It'll be alright, Zuko. I'm sure it's nothing," she said, trying to sound reassuring despite her own misgivings.
As they continued down the path, the quiet rustling of nature gave way to the bustle of a relatively busy town, tourists and vacationers from all over the Fire Nation relaxing in the small beach town. Suki and Zuko scanned the crowds around, a sense of relief running over them as the focused whispers mingled with the shouts of the crowd.
Coming to a stop in the town square, they watched in surprise as a group of kids came rushing out of a distant building, dressed in garb all too familiar. They each looked to one another then watched as the trio of kids headed quickly towards them. Zuko and Suki each gulped as the kids stood in front of them, staring intently at the taller teens.
"Wow, your costume is pretty good," the kid in the center spoke first, a youthful smile on his face showing off a missing tooth. A patch of brown hair snuck out from beneath a pale bald cap with a blue arrow on it, the sight of it reminding Zuko of a whole life in the past.
"Costume?" Suki asked, feeling a hint of confusion at the suggestion as she looked to Zuko, who simply shrugged. "What are you talking about?" she continued, sea blue eyes locking on the trio of kids as she sat upon her haunches.
"Well, his Zuko costume is pretty good, but the scar's on the wrong side," the other boy said, his hair pulled into an all too familiar wolf's tail. Zuko fought back the urge to just scream at the kid, to tell him about all that he had suffered, but managed with some difficulty to choke back the sentiment.
"What's all this talk about costumes?" Zuko asked between clenched teeth, his fingers digging painfully into the skin of his palms as he felt the anger slowly slip away. Taking a cleansing breath, he looked down at the bunch of kids, his body tensing just a bit at the sight of the third kid.
"Ah that's a good one. I mean, why else would you be dressed up like Zuko," the little girl said, her braided hair swaying as she bounced back and forth on her feet, a childlike lisp lining some of the words that passed through her lips.
"Okay, so there's an inspiration for the costumes, but what is it?" Suki asked, taking the initiative before Zuko had a chance to blow a gasket. The seeming leader of the group reached into the red-orange cloth draped over his shoulders, pulling out a rolled up piece of paper.
"What's this?" Suki asked, taking the piece of paper from the young kid. Unrolling it, she couldn't help but laugh a bit, Zuko's face tensing into a mix of embarrassment and fury at the sight of the poster.
"It's only the best play ever," the second boy said enthusiastically, his voice reminding Zuko and Suki of the obvious inspiration for his "costume".
"Well, what do you know? You think Sokka is the best character. He's such an idiot," the girl said, rolling her eyes in much the same way that her own inspiration might. Both of the teens noticed the resemblance right away, and made an assumption about her favorite "character" from this play.
"Well, everyone knows Aang is the best character," the first kid said, leaping easily onto the edge of a nearby fountain. Zuko watched with some morbid fascination as the kid mimicked the movements of an air bender, wondering how this play could have affected these kids so much.
"No way. Katara's the best, because she gets that dreamy Jet and Zuko," the girl said, a dreamy look appearing on her face as she stared up at the scarred teen. Zuko looked to Suki for some help, wincing at the somewhat dangerous look on the girl's face.
"A-anyway, you kids should be running along," Zuko said, handing the poster back to the kid in the bald cap. He watched the trio shrug before running off past he and Suki, leaving them next to the fountain on their own. Zuko felt an oddly cool sensation along his back where he figured Suki was staring daggers at him.
"So, Zuko, how about we see this play?" she asked, more a statement than a question. Zuko thought about refusing, but the look in her eyes told him that it might be a better idea to choose a different battle to fight.
"Ugh, why would you want to see that?" he asked in return, hoping she would have a miraculous change of heart about the matter.
"The poster said it was well researched from various sources, so I'm curious as to where you fit into all of this. And I have to admit I am a bit curious about your role with Katara," Suki said, Zuko able to fill in the blanks that "curious" meant "insanely jealous". He thought of simply explaining the situation to her, but figured they had lots of time to kill as it was.
"Ah, fine. But I'm telling you right now, there's no way it could be too accurate," he said, more hopeful than confident. Suki looked around the town as she took a seat on the edge of the fountain, a small spray of clear, life giving fluid splashing against the back of her neck.
"Let me see when the next showing of the play is," Zuko said, excusing himself as Suki nodded gently towards the young man. She watched him disappear into the milling crowd, oddly sure footed in where he was heading. The girl nearly had to smack herself for forgetting that he had been here plenty of times in the past.
As the Sun beat down easily on the world below, Suki felt her skin warming quickly under its golden white glare. She was thankful for the gentle spray of water against her neck, glad that the water managed to fall in such a convenient way. But as she sat back, waiting for Zuko to return, she noticed a pair of shadows approaching her with what she could only describe as complete arrogance.
Groaning inwardly, Zuko turned away from the billboard holding the postings for the show times of the play. "Damn, it's not for another couple of hours," he complained, letting a small flame flicker from his lips as the frustration boiled over. Truthfully, he wasn't the least bit interested in the stupid play, but he knew better than to go against a girl's wishes in matters like that.
Rubbing at the bridge of his nose, he looked around the busy square, watching for any sign that he might have been recognized. He felt incomplete and oddly exposed without the comfort of his dark colored hood to drape over the disfiguring scar, his free hand gently tracing the mangled patch of skin.
Letting his hands fall from his still stressed face, his lips curled into a small smile, his golden eyes resting on a nearby shop. A familiar look graced one of the signs, and his stomach gave an almost approving growl as he stepped forward towards the inviting sight. Walking up to the small booth, he dug into his pocket for a few silver coins, watching he middle aged gentleman place a pair of scoops on the waffled cones at Zuko's order.
Placing the pair of silver coins onto the smooth countertop, he took the cones in hand, his mouth nearly drooling at the sight of the cool treat. The Sun continued its endless shower of warmth and light on the world below as Zuko took a small lick of the white treat. A cool shiver passed down his body as the ice cream slid down his throat. He felt all the tension about the play disappear at the taste of the simple treat, his lips curling into a genuine smile as he continued to occasionally lick the ice cream.
As he approached the clearing that held the small fountain where he had left Suki, he felt a bit of the tension reappear, catching sight of the younger girl between two oddly familiar boys. Looking at the pair, he tried to think back, his eyes widening in surprise before falling in disappointment.
"Great. Why did those two have to be here," he muttered to himself, putting in a conscious effort to stop from doing as he had done those weeks earlier and just gone off the deep end as they talked to his girl. But a smirk crossed his lips instead as he realized he could probably get some satisfaction without even doing anything on this occasion.
Taking another lick of his ice cream, Zuko started towards the fountain once again, almost bursting into a fit of laughter at the frustrated look on the face of the young Kyoshi girl. He could only imagine what she was thinking, having been around these particular two boys for longer than he had cared to.
"… kind of sucks, but it give us plenty of chance to throw parties," the leader of the two said, his voice still sounding of all the arrogance and aristocratic idiocy that one could possibly imagine.
Suki rolled her eyes as she listened to the pair drone on, lips pursed as she looked for a somewhat polite way to let the young men down. Blue green eyes widened as she noticed Zuko approach, a knowing smirk on his face. Hers almost lit up as she watched him approach, hands holding the pair of icy treats as he walked up right behind the pair of arrogant teens.
"Hey, what's going on?" Zuko asked, Suki giggling a bit at the innocent tone he managed to pull off, totally different to any voice she had heard him put on before. But she giggled a bit harder at the boys' reactions, their faces draining of all color as they turned towards the young man.
"Y-you! What are you doing here!?" the taller of the two boys asked, his topknot nearly quivering with the fear evident in his body. Suki would definitely have to get the story about this whole thing sometime, but for now she just stood, taking the larger of the iced treats in hand as she stood next to the scarred young man.
"Well, we're just her to kill some time, and who do I run into but you guys. Did you know that Chan and Ruon-Jian here are the coolest kids on Ember Island?" Zuko asked, turning his gaze towards Suki who plastered a fake look of surprise on her face at the "revelation".
"I had no idea. And here I was thinking that they were just two windbags trying to hit on a helpless girl," she said, Zuko chuckling a bit as the two's faces went from pale and frightened to angry, tones of red appearing on their cheeks at the insult hurled their way.
"How dare you. You obviously don't know who you're talking to," Chan said, his voice quivering as the anger mixed with fear, his mind flashing back to the events of his last party where Zuko had been grudgingly invited.
"Oh, no I do. Two idiots who aren't worth my time," Zuko said, shrugging his shoulders as he turned away from the pair of angered teens. The taller of the two boys grabbed Zuko by the shoulder, leaning in dangerously towards the scarred teen.
"That reminds me, I owe you for the last time," he said, his eyes darting side to side as a crowd began to gather around the spectacle. Zuko knew that neither Chan no Ruon-Jian were what would be called fighters, and that he could take them easily enough. But the last thing he wanted was a scene. Looking to Suki, he wordlessly asked for some kind of help, the girl smiling as she licked her ice cream.
"Aww, but we already have plans. I guess we'll be seeing you guys around," she answered easily, taking Zuko by the wrist with her free hand, sarcastically apologizing to the pair of jilted teens as the pair disappeared into the crowd.
"I hope those guys weren't bugging you too much," Zuko said, letting the anger bubble up just a bit at the mention of the pair of them. He hadn't put much thought into things like this when he had suggested to the group that they hide out on the island, but maybe he should have.
"Nah. Sure, they were pretty annoying, but it was cool the way they got freaked out just by hearing your voice. Very impressive," Suki said, in a way that suggested that she was keen on hearing the detailed explanation for just why that might be the case.
"Well, let's just say that it doesn't pay to piss off Azula," he said, catching onto her meaning as he took another lick of his ice cream cone, biting off a bit of the edge as the cool treat became less easily accessible.
"So when you were back home, all you did was whatever Azula wanted?" Suki asked, a gently teasing tone to her voice. Zuko thought for a moment, taking another bit of the dessert into his mouth.
"Most of the time I tried to do stuff on my own, but like I said, it doesn't pay to piss off Azula," he said, thinking of the times that the dark haired girl would just waltz into whatever he might be doing at the time, derailing any peace of mind he could have enjoyed.
"Sounds tough," Suki said sympathetically, imagining how hard it must have been, having been clued into only a little bit of the traumas of growing up with the twisted Fire Princess and their cruel father.
"Anyway, the play doesn't start for a couple of hours, so what do you want to do to pass the time?" he asked, eager to change the subject off of his torturous younger sister. Turning his gaze to the side, he watched the girl take a lick of her ice cream, her rose colored tongue brushing against the pale treat.
Somehow, as tasty as it had been for him, it looked that much more delicious when she ate it, her lips curling at the corners in a soft, contented smile as the cool treat did its job of pushing off the heat, if only a little bit. As Suki pulled the sweet dessert from her ruby lips, Zuko noticed a small spot of the white treat at the corner of her mouth.
"What is it?" she asked, her free hand resting on her hip as she raised a brow at the older boy. Zuko felt his eyes trying to shift away, but found them remaining locked on the girl's sweet looking lips. Reaching up lazily, he swiped his finger across the corner of her lips, pulling the spot of cream to his lips with a hazy smirk on his face.
"Sorry, you had some on your face," he said casually, taking the last bite of his own ice cream cone as he set off down the street once again. After a few steps, he felt a coolness on the back of his neck, like an icy grip on his neck. Turning around, he noticed the girl smiling intently at him, a white bulb heading right for his face.
Blinking a few times, he looked down his face, noticing a small splotch of white just on his good cheek where her ice cream had come into contact with his face. Confusion graced his features as the girl then leaned in casually, licking the spot clear of his pale skin. His eyes widened as she pulled back, teasingly licking her lips as she let the cool substance wash down her throat.
"Sorry, you had some on your face," she said seductively, sticking her tongue out as she went on ahead of the young man. He lowered his head a bit, shaking it gently from side to side as a smile crossed his face once again. Turning back towards the girl, he couldn't help but think on how much easier it seemed to be smiling around the bright, energetic girl.
"So, food before or after the play?" Zuko asked as he caught up with the girl, his hands hanging loosely at his sides as he walked. Suki stopped in her tracks, downing the last of her ice cream before turning to the young man.
"Dunno. What do you think?" she asked, the question so innocuous it caught him a bit off guard. His golden eyes gazed into her deep blue spheres, her eyes almost like their own vast ocean that he could see any time he wanted.
"How about we just relax for a bit, then hit the play?" Zuko responded, motioning over to a well covered spot a short distance away. Suki nodded in agreement as they headed towards a small clearing, the park bustling with visitors.
Leaning up against the heavy tree, Zuko slumped down to the ground, the cool offered by the heavy shade soothing against the heat of the beach Sun. Suki slumped down next to him, her back against his side as the heat from their dark toned clothes died beneath the rustling shade.
They watched as kids ran about, youthful shouts of excitement sounding in the wide open of the park. Simple games earned great excitement, and Zuko and Suki felt a mutual sense of calm as they watched the innocent actions of the potentially future soldiers of the Fire Nation military.
Wordlessly the two's hands entwined, fingers brushing against fingers as they drew closer, enjoying the calming warmth of the other beneath the comfortably large tree. Sunlight lightly filtered through the thick canopy above them, dotting the darkened grass with odd streaks of bright light.
They each watched as the lights seemed to dance along with the rustling leaves, the swaying branches offering new avenues for the light to pass through as it obscured old routes for the warming rays. Zuko watched as a mother approached a crying child, soothing the anguish of the young boy as she rubbed his knee where he had scraped it. The sight brought back thoughts of his own mother, how much he had missed her growing up.
"Zuko, can I ask you something?" Suki asked a bit uncertainly, her rust colored hair swaying around her face as the wind blew by them. Zuko looked at the young girl, his serious expression fading at the sight of her.
"Sure, what is it?" he asked in return, feeling her head nestle against his shoulder. She seemed to pause for a moment, like she was considering whether or not to ask the question that she had on her mind. "Come on, what is it?" he asked, tilting her head up towards him, sensing her hesitation. He watched her lips part as she took in a small breath, eyes locking with his as she spoke.
"Zuko, do you want kids?" she asked, a faint blush on her cheeks to mirror the light rose color on Zuko's own face. He felt his heart speed up a bit at the thought, his mind racing with negatives and positives of the situation.
"Aren't we too young?" he asked, earning a light punch in the arm from the young girl, barely a nudge compared to what Toph might do.
"I didn't mean right now, you idiot," she cautioned, unable to suppress the light giggle that escaped his lips at her question. "I mean, somewhere down the road, when we're ready, would you want kids?" she asked, gently biting her lower lip as she listened to his breathing, feeling the reassuring rise and fall of his chest against her cheek.
"I don't know," he answered honestly, the embarrassed blush draining as his face slipped into a look of sadness and fear. "My family has never been the most even keel, and there is a history of bad parents. How could I bring a kid into that?" he asked, the sadness staining his words as the syllables poured out.
"Zuko…" Suki whispered, pulling away from the young man. Placing her left hand on his right cheek, she watched the tension of sadness fall away, slowly but surely. "You're not your family, you know? You're yourself, and I have a feeling that you'd make a really good dad," she said, smiling warmly at the young man.
"How can you be so sure? How do you know I wouldn't just be as cruel and messed up as my father was, or my grandfather or my great grandfather?" he asked, the words jumbling together as they slipped from his lips.
"Because I know you, Zuko. You're not the monster that your father wanted you to be. You stood up to him, and you're doing your best to end this whole crazy war. You're a good person, Zuko, and you can't just undo that with a snap of the fingers," Suki explained, watching his lips slowly curl into a smile as she encouraged him.
"You really think so?" he asked, still feeling a hint of the uncertainty over the prospect.
"Of course. But you have to stop being so worried about all that stuff. You have to look ahead, you know?" Suki said, Zuko nodding in agreement. The young man wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her slender body closer to his own. Suki responded by placing her hand lazily on his stomach, her head resting gently against his chest.
"Well, if you're so confident then I guess I would like to have a family of my own someday," he answered honestly, picturing a small family, not too different from the one he had grown up in.
"A big one, or a little one?" Suki asked, closing her eyes beneath the shade of the tree, letting the calming rustle of leaves and soft breathing fill her senses, her mind showing her images of a peaceful family life.
"I don't know. It doesn't really matter either way," he said, craning his neck down towards the younger girl, "since it's your family, too," he added, smiling as the girl cooed just a bit at the thought.
"And what makes you think I want a family at all?" she asked, more teasingly than serious as she cracked one eye open.
"I figured you wouldn't ask unless you'd thought about it. So, how about it?" he asked, rubbing his thumb along the smooth skin of her shoulder.
"I don't know. Won't your advisors and stuff like that be quite upset if you were to have a child with a lowly girl from the Earth Kingdom?" she asked, quirking a brow upward to hide her genuine curiosity for an answer to that particular question.
"That doesn't matter to me. If it comes down to it, I could probably just have uncle take over for me, and I can just give up the throne. That is, if they don't want to get used to Fire Lady Suki," he said, somewhat jokingly hanging on the title.
"Hmm. Fire Lady Suki, huh? I kinda like the sound of that," she said, an amused smile gracing her lips at the thought of being all decked out in fancy robes and dresses, having all kinds of servants on hand to cater to her every whim. "But, I don't want to just give up my home and just move to a strange country," she said sadly, the amusement over being the potential Lady of an entire nation fading as she thought of her simple village, her friends in the Kyoshi Warriors.
"Suki…" he murmured, clasping his arm tighter around the young girl. The auburn haired girl sighed heavily, leaning more heavily into his strong embrace. "Don't worry, we'll think of something. I mean, if we can stop a war that has been going on for a hundred years, surely we can think of a way to live a life together," he reasoned, the simplicity and lack of details brightening the girl's smile.
"Zuko?" she murmured lazily, her reddish brown locks splayed out across his dark toned tunic.
"What is it?" he asked, his fingers gripping the smooth skin on her shoulder, clutching at her desperately as though she would disappear if he were to let her go.
"It feels really nice when you say my name like that," she admitted, blushing a bit at the admission. "And I think you're right; we can think of something," she added, looking up into his soft gold eyes.
"About time you came around," he teased, leaning down and capturing her lips with his as she leaned up. As he lost himself in the soft kiss, Zuko hoped that they didn't end up missing the play. He'd hate to see what Suki would have planned to get him back for that.
I apologize for constantly changing my plans, but as I said, it would be weird (to me, anyway) to insert a whopping 10000 word chapter right in the middle here, so 2 chapters of more manageable size. Next time we get the pair's reactions to the play (should be tricky) and some good times at dinner (should be really fluffy). Look forward to that, faithful readers.