V21.2

Conflict Resolution

I'd been poked, prodded, trussed up, scrubbed raw, everything put on display for a couple of old geezers who claimed they knew the will of Agni. They put me through rigorous tests, both mental and physical, and they still had the gall to call me a liar.

"The host of the Sun Spirit should know her entire lineage from the first, Amaratsu," they made a symbol with their hands, "may she rest in peace, to your mother, similarly named."

The eldest of the fire sages was the one who had the biggest beef with me. "If you are who you say you are."

"My mother died when I was five," I scoffed, crossing my arms over my barely-covered chest. They had me in some sheer robe number that was indecent even to sleep in. My pregnancy bump was pretty noticeable when I didn't have layers of clothes to cover it. "I don't appreciate you accusing me of lying. Your own prince vouched for me. If General Iroh were around, he would vouch for me."

My ploy worked. They told me what I'd been wondering. "The traitor Iroh is in prison and his word means nothing! You can't show us the white fire, you can't show us your true spirit sate. How do we know that you didn't just do your research and claim to be our holy guide when you're just trying to save your own hide?"

I was frustrated. When I needed it most, the spirit wasn't there to help me. My fire would flare white every so often but, of course, not when I needed it. "Nobody was there to teach me anything. I get a vision now and then, I guess, but it's not like there's a handbook to this...is there?"

The old one (I didn't know his name and I didn't care to) glared down at me from his pedestal. "Until we can prove your lineage, you are not to leave the royal palace. You will be accompanied by guards at all times."

My heart stopped in my chest. It felt like the walls were closing in on me already. "That's not fair!"

"Fair?" another asked, smirking with deadly intent. "The life of the Spirit of the Sun is never fair."

That was how I found myself in the main palace courtyard, shooting fire blasts at my guards. My methodology was that, if they were gonna follow me around all the time, they were gonna be useful. Too bad that they were utterly awful at fighting.

"What are you guys?" I demanded, standing up straight and taking a towel to wipe away the little bit of sweat that had accumulated on my brow. They looked at me as if I were a porcelain doll, not the Sun Spirit. "I'm an injured little girl. You're all Royal Fire Nation guards! One against four! Why in Koh's name are you letting me win?"

"Because their orders are not to hurt you," said that handsome, husky tenor voice that always sent shivers down my spine. I should have known that he was coming up behind me from the hairs on the back of my neck rising. I turned to look him in the eyes, and, of course, my breath hitched just a little, (though I refused to admit it,) and I, of course, wanted to hold him and kiss him and all of those things I'd been wanting to do for a long time. "Sun Spirit."

I was so, so relieved that Zuko hadn't tried to touch me in the past two weeks. At least not in the way that parts of my body wanted him to. He hadn't as much come near me since I'd been ordered to be taken to his room. He'd asked me those questions and hadn't so much as looked at me since. Until that very moment.

"Of course, my Prince," I said as stiffly as I possibly could, giving him a low, respectful bow. Those feelings had no place. Not after what he'd done. I couldn't even look at him. "I understand."

I heard him take a deep breath. "You don't have to call me that, Em."

Oh, I don't? Really... "But you are my Prince," I said softly, trying not to meet his eyes as I'd seen all the other women do. "If you wish me to call you something else, then I will."

"Call me whatever you want to call me, Emiko. I don't want you to say my name if you think that I'm ordering you to do it." And, for a moment, I felt as if he was squeezing my heart again. There was a pain on his face that I didn't want to see. But he quickly took a hold of the situation and turned it around, saying, "I need you to come with me."

Something inside of me jumped at the chance to go anywhere with him, to instantly wrap my arms around him the second that we were alone, but another part of me, (probably my shoulder that was throbbing at the moment,) told me that I shouldn't, because I would do those things. But I still couldn't say no. I was acting at the moment, acting as if I was completely loyal to the Fire Nation and everyone involved. So, being the wonderfully horrible actor that I was, I actually had to follow him.

The guards tried to follow but he waved them off. He didn't stop to look at me as he kept walking. I just followed a few steps behind, ready to answer whatever question he wanted. Just, hopefully, it wasn't about us. It was easy not to look at his ass when it was covered in that ridiculous robe. "Emiko," he said simply, in a tone that was meant to be taken very serious, "I've seen a few of your trials."

The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Panic, panic! "Uh...yeah?" I'd had a few rather exposed sessions as the sages had taken their perverse prodding and poking to a whole new level. They'd rather loudly exclaimed on the lack of my virginity and my very fertile body.

I couldn't look into his eyes. His neck was super interesting though. It flushed darkly and he rubbed the back of it. "I can't believe you have to go through all of that. It isn't right. They should just take my word for it."

"You've seen my...spirt-ness," I mumbled, finally being pulled to a stop near some paintings. I could tell that they were previous Fire Lords and it gave me an excuse not to look at him. "I just...I can't call on it like a circus trick."

"I'm stopping the insane tests," he said with a bite to his voice. One that reminded me too much of the old Zuko, the Zuko that was hurt and needed to find his honor.

"You don't have to do that," I snapped, wishing it hadn't come out so harshly. A few servants in the hall stopped to look at us questioningly. "In fact, don't do that. I have to prove what I am. I have to prove that I'm a symbol to the Fire Nation." Those words came out in almost a sneer. I was ashamed of myself.

"Dammit, Em, just look at me." He used that pleading tone. The one that told me he felt like nothing in the world was going right for him.

His glorious topaz eyes struck deep into my soul. He'd lost some weight or gained some muscle, I couldn't tell. But either way his face was more planed and handsome than ever. He looked right with his topknot and his princey robes. He looked like he belonged on one of those large paintings. "Zuko...I don't belong here."

"I know." He reached for me but I flinched back. He dropped his hand and ran it over his hair. "I know so just let me make it easy for you. Stop all of the bullshit. You don't have to jump through hoops to prove you've got a spirit hiding inside of you. You do. End of story."

"I..." Just say thank you, idiot. I put a hand on his arm and his eyes instantly shot to mine. "Thanks." There was an electric current that shocked both of us. His eyes locked on mine and then he was kissing me.

His lips were hot underneath mine and even as my arms wound around his strong, muscular neck, I couldn't help but deepen the kiss. His hands ran around my waist, down to my hips, pulling us closer together in a need that I hadn't felt in a long time. I wanted him to lay me down onto that large bed in his room and take me, just like he had those many times in my bed or his back in Ba Sing Se. I wanted to pull off that stuffy robe that he always had to wear according to those stupid Fire Nation nobles and run my hands down his wonderful chest.

I felt my back being pushed up against the nearest wall. His hands gripped my hips against his in a primal need. His lips were pulled from mine and ran down my neck, sucking, teasing, biting my one sensitive spot that he'd found, making my legs shake beneath us. I started clawing at his robes, trying to find how to open the damned things. And you know, I felt more alive in those few moments than I had in a very long while. My heartbeat was going wild, I wanted something, and I had Zuko in my arms.

That was when a dagger landed right next to my ear.

Zuko froze in his attempts to find the opening tie to the thing that was wrapped around my shoulder and breasts. His lips were slowly removed from my neck, his hot breath creating goosebumps against my skin. "Who is it?" he breathed into my ear I could hear the nervousness in his voice.

I narrowed my eyes at the woman in front of me. Her long, black hair was dull and pulled into two buns on either side of her head, part of her hair hanging down over her shoulders. Her pale, could-be-considered-beautiful face was set in fury, her black eyes blazing with it. I didn't even get to look at her clothing before she ran up to us with an audible scream of fury and pulled Zuko off of me, throwing him behind her. "Get your hands off him!" she shouted as she did this, pulling out a few daggers and aiming them at me.

I held up my hands in defense, really not wanting to be hurt or hurt her. "Mai...listen to me," I said softly, in a voice that I hoped was soothing. She looked as if she didn't want to be reasoned with, though. "It was..." Wait. What was it? A heated kiss that almost led to something else? I wonder how angry she'd be if she knew that I'd already slept with him and that I was pregnant with his child.

"It was what, Emiko?" she asked, venom lacing her words. Zuko behind the dark woman was staring with a dead fish-deer look. "You can't get under my skin, Emiko. I understand that as a prince he's allowed to have some consorts but don't take him in the hallway like a common whore."

Alright. I had been willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, seeing as how they'd had something a long time ago, that they'd been projected to be married in the future. But all of that had changed when he'd been banished. All of that had changed when he'd almost proposed to me. And things had definitely changed with me about that word when a few certain crew members had called me the "captain's whore."

So, feeling slightly dizzy with anger, I stepped forward, trying not to bring forth fire into my hands but failing miserably. "Call me a whore...one more time." The heat surrounding us rose and she looked slightly less sure of herself.

"How often have you warmed his bed, whore?"

"You said it," I growled, and then I felt myself attacking. I couldn't really feel what was happening, only see it as if I were watching, not really doing. My right fist was punched out, only to collide with the palm of her hand. She threw some daggers, somehow managing to dodge a few more of my fiery fists. I couldn't stop myself as I fell to the floor, kicking my legs out, feeling slightly shocked that she somehow managed to grasp one of my ankles and throw me to the side.

I stood up, angry and determined. Mai blocked each and every one of my punches, making me purse my lips in anger and determination. Instead I brought my knee up to get her in the stomach but she noticed my intentions and quickly got out of the way.

"Fight me without your weapons!" I yelled, dodging yet another rush of daggers sent at my head. I rolled on the ground after I lost my balance before jumping back up, wanting to rip the sly smile off of her damned face.

"You would like that, wouldn't you?" she taunted, holding out one arm with her dart-throwing weapon under her sleeve. I rushed her and she dodged the uppercuts, using her forearms to block the next blows. She then ducked and rolled as I kicked up at her face, then rolled behind me and hit the soft area behind my knee. I only staggered instead of falling. She rolled again as my foot came down

"Mai, Emiko stop this!" I vaguely heard from somewhere behind us, but I couldn't stop now, not now that she'd insulted me in the worst way possible. Zuko is mine. Even if he broke my heart by leaving me. He is MINE!

I knew that Mai felt the blow that I landed into her gut as she doubled over, receiving an elbow right in the back for good measure. I reveled in the groan that she gave, trying to catch her breath. I stood over her, waiting for her to get up, waiting to knock her down again.

"Emiko, stop!" Zuko shouted. I felt him grab my arms and pull me back against him. Both of his arms held me down against him, keeping me from doing anything else to her. "Stop it," he whispered into my ear as I struggled against him. I knew that if I really wanted to get out of his arms that I could. But I didn't want to kill Mai. Actually, I respected her for trying to keep what was hers. But calling me a whore had gone too far.

"Let me go," I said to him through my teeth. "Let me go so that I can kill her."

"You don't want to do that," he said to me, soothingly, gently placing a kiss beneath my ear. I watched, infuriated, as Mai got up and dusted herself off.

She looked at me with venom in her eyes, sheathed her daggers, and then completely ignored me. "Zuko," she said simply, looking directly into his eyes, "I want you to choose. Right now. It's either her, or it's me."

"Mai…" he sighed, his head turning as if he were looking at me, and then looking at her. "I-I can't. Emiko is…"

"What is she, Zuko?" Mai asked venomously, and I could have sworn I saw…Mai, are you crying? Oh, please don't cry…

"Zuko," I said softly, suddenly feeling very woozy. Mai is right. He's got to choose…either the girl he'd said he'd loved, or the girl who he was supposedly supposed to marry. Choose. "Choose."

"I…" I knew that he had to be clenching his eyes, trying to make this hard decision. His arms loosened from around me, and I felt myself staggering. "Emiko?"

"I-I'm fine," I said, though maybe it was more of a wheeze, and I felt very, very unsteady on my feet. Mai, next to me, looked at me as if I were just doing this for attention.

Though it's kind of hard to do something for attention when you fall face-first onto the ground, instantly becoming unconscious.

oOo

There was a foggy coating over my eyes as I opened them. My body ached. My head hurt. I tried to open my eyes but the brightness hurt so I clenched them shut but htat hurt too.

"Drink. It'll make you feel better." I recognized the voice. A cup was put to my lips. It was only water but it made me feelt much better as the cool liquid went down my parched throat. "Slowly, slowly…"

When I finished, I took a deep breath and tried to open my eyes again. I saw long, thick black hair pulled back into a ponytail with thick, black-rimmed glasses and a long lab coat. Too bad that was all I could see. I tried to smile at my bad fortune. "Hey, Doc, haven't seen you in a while. Where have you been?" I hadn't seen him since he'd healed me many-a-time back on Zuko's ship!

"I could ask you the same question," he snapped in an un-doctorly-like way. "Where have you been that you come back to me with third-degree burns on your entire shoulder and you've taken to fainting?" He shook his head in disgust, holding up my wrist between his fingers, taking my pulse. "Well, your heartbeat is fine…" I really wanted to ask what was wrong with me but my head hurt and I actually wanted him to shut up. His voice was painful. "Tell me, how long do you think you've been pregnant?"

Alright. You know how you see those theatrical shows where they have the spit-takes? You never thought that you yourself would ever have one. Well, I did one then. All over Doc and he didn't look happy. "What?"

"I take it that either you didn't know, or that you didn't want anyone else to know," he said snobbishly as he wiped his glasses off on his long white lab coat.

"Y-you can't tell anyone!" I whispered frantically, feeling myself start to feel woozy again. No…no, no, no! No one can know that I'm pregnant! And with—

"I take it it's the Prince's?" he asked as if we were talking about the flowers over Sunday tea. From the shocked expression on my face, he probably figured that he was correct. "Right. Well, then, if you don't want to tell him, then I won't break the news, either. But how far are you along?"

"A-a little under three months," I said softly, trying to figure out where this guy got all of this information. Was he a little psychic, or was he just that good of a doctor? "How did you—?"

"It's quite obvious, if you look at the signs," he said simply, looking over a few pieces of parchment in his hands. "You don't look as if you've been eating enough. I'm going to start you on a special Fire Nation diet, for only the most nutrient-specific foods. You're going to need to take a special mineral to sustain your hormones. Fire Nation fetuses are specifically vulnerable to the cold. I'll need you to…"

The things that he was saying really started to make my mind swim. I waved my hands in front of me, trying to keep back the tears of panic that threatened to show themselves. "St-stop. I-I can't do all of that; everyone will know I'm pregnant! Agni, if the Fire Sages found out—"

"I told you that I haven't told anyone, so no one knows unless you've told them." He put down my medical history onto a small table at the end of my bed, suddenly looking me straight in the eyes with his coal black ones. "And you could feign anemia, meaning that you haven't been getting enough iron in your diet. Which I could fake by giving you a special diet. I don't like to lie, but in this case, I would swear to my grave that you only have anemia. With you being the host and carrying the Prince's child…no one can know."

It was strange to think of it that way. I looked at it as if I were carrying Zuko's baby, not the Prince's. It was true that my child would be the Crown Prince or Princess of the Fire Nation and could even be my replacement. And it was true that I would probably have to run before he or she started to really show. But I also knew that the child would be loved, no matter what. "Th-thank you, Doc," I said softly, not really able to tell him exactly what I felt. It really was gratitude, and a lot of it, too. "Thank you so, so much."