"My wife one of the most courageous, caring, giving, erratic, dangerous, demanding borderline psycho—" she shot a look over to him from the table causing him to smile. She war currently using her healing powers to assuage the aching pain of her nipples. She knew that her two sleeping boys would not remain asleep for long. "Lord Zuko," she purred as he stood over his children. He turned over his shoulder to answer his wife. It all seemed so surreal that the troubles his mother brought to him yesterday didn't matter. She would be departing soon so he wanted to make an ever lasting impression.
Before she had a chance to answer she saw the emotions change on his face and in his eyes. It worried her so that she clenched her heart in fear. Doubts erupted in her mind as she tried to replay anything she had done and said wrong. Her sudden urge to please him intensified after their altercation in the bathroom. She didn't need to have him wanting for anything. If she lost him it would not be for lack of trying. She would make sure she always kept him satisfied and wanting for more.
"I'm waiting for words to come out of that beautiful mouth of yours, leaving it hung for so long brings back pleasurable memories," he charmed and she blushed before holding her head down mischievously. "Do you think that we can have two horned shape flasks brought in I have an idea?" she was so excited that his interest was piqued. He nodded at her and walked over to the door and pulled it open. Just as he ordered there were four guards standing in the hall. He put in for her request and silently closed the door back before walking over to her. He dropped to his knees and pulled her feet onto him. She looked at her husband unsure what he was doing until he began massaging her feet. She put the water back into the bowl and leaned back against her chair. He waited for her to close her eyes before he pulled her foot up to his mouth and began kissing her feet and sucking her toes.
She almost growled from the feeling but managed to catch herself in that last moment. He let his index finger and thumb massage her tendon as he watched her slither around in her chair. Each stroke of his tongue sending dirty thoughts to her brain that shook her to her core. It had been far too long for her to tease him so. Another soft knock on the door stopped the two and he stood before going to retrieve the flasks. He inspected them before deeming them fit for whatever her cause was. The soldier was more than delighted that he had done things right. He sat the flasks down unto the table in front of her and watched from a small distance. He wasn't completely sure he was out of the woodwork for not being there through her entire pregnancy. The whole thing still didn't sit right with him. His ignorant family was getting in their way and it was pissing him off.
She uncorked one of the flask and her hands slowly began moving in a fluid motion over her breast. His eyes widened with shock as she water bent the milk from her breast and into the flask. His woman never ceased to amaze him. Although, it was weird it greatly deepened his admiration for her.
Katara sat there with a confident smirk on her face as she proved her theory to be correct. Water bending was thus far the better element she was convinced now. She filled the two flasks and closed them before looking back at him. Her robe was stained a bit more but it was well worth the release from her nipples being in pain. She wanted to get up and get out or do something before she had to leave. She knew him though he was too protective of his family to probably even let them go on the deck.
"When they wake up you will have to warm it back up for them but the horn should keep the temperature healthy enough," she let out and smiled placing her beautiful chin in the palm of her hand.
"After I return home we will have a huge ceremony," he let out then suddenly wondered where his statement had even come from. "Zuko, I would love nothing more but with the economy shaky at best I think it would be a waste," she swiftly got up from her seat in case he needed extra convincing. "If we don't do anything they'll speculate why. We can't allow the people to lose hope," he argued back still staring at the chair she was once seated in.
"Well we'll have something small and you can blame it on your old peasant wife and her stubborn ways," she joked but he didn't like her comment one bit. He looked down at her and scowled to make sure she knew it. She wrapped her arms around him and smiled into his chest trying to ignore his grumpy mood. As if on cue IJ woke up and began to cry. She was quick to grab him before he had a chance to wake his brother. The flask was popped in his mouth as she controlled its flow. Moments later Yakone opened his bright blue eyes enough to make out the man standing over him. He gave his father a toothless smile before frowning and balling his face up.
"Um…Katara I think that is his poop face," he called out for help but she shook her head at him as she cooed IJ. He grabbed his son from the crib and curled him up in his arms. Katara was about to warn him that it was the wrong thing to do but he looked up at her with a disgusted face before she could. His soon had pushed out some poo and he could feel it, hot and mushy. After relieving his stomach he tried to smile again and clap his hands. Zuko laid him back down and grabbed a washcloth from the nice little stack that had been brought in. He went into the bathroom and wet the towel before returning to change his first diaper. He unclasped the cloth diaper and saw the brown mush his heir had produced in his cloth. He frowned as the smell assaulted his nose. It took everything Katara had in her to stifle her laughter.
Just as he went in to clean him Yakone shout out fresh hot pee that got in his father's face. Zuko covered him back with the cloth as he attempted to clear out his eyes and mouth. Katara was balled up in laughter as she held on to her son. Tears began streaming from her eyes as she laughed at the two. It seemed every time she was about to warn him it was too late. He changed his son before grabbing another washcloth to go and clean himself up. Katara burped IJ before lying him back down so that he could do his business. She heard the tub water turn on and sighed before feeding her other son. Leave it up to Zuko to give her two children! She thought as she fed Yakone.
"You pee pee on daddy?" she asked him and he looked at her through lidded eyes. The milk was putting him back to sleep for some reason. She rocked him only a bit before seeing that milk was dripping out the side of his mouth and he was asleep. Perhaps the poop had taken a lot out of him she thought and erupted into laughter again. She changed IJ and pat him slowly and watched as he too went back to sleep. She watched her husband emerge from the bathroom wearing black pants, his royal belt and his black boots. She gulped as her eyes traveled up his topless frame. Memories of her kissing him all over the torso and other places flooded into her mind making her mouth water.
"Don't even," he growled as he dried his hair. "Especially not after you laughed at me," he tried to act as though his feelings were hurt but she knew better. She walked over to him and ran her fingers through his hair staring him in the eyes. "And to think you would have been stuck Mai," she whispered making him instantly pull her up into his arms.
"Thank you for saving me from that terrible fate oh dear water bender!" he exaggerated and she bit down on his nipple playfully. "How does it feel to be an old married man now?" she asked him as he rocked her slowly to a nonexistent song. He jerked back and stared her in the eyes as if she had gone crazy.
"I don't know about you but I am not old," he commented and pushed her head into his chest and sat his chin on top of her head. The couple danced round and round in silence for a moment. Zuko knew that it was going to come but he did not know when. All that he knew was that he didn't want the moment to end ever. He didn't care about anything outside of their small circle. He had to remind himself he was on this hunt to ensure their safety. His soul begged and pleaded for him to return home with his family. He knew that it was the grown up thing to do but he wondered how long the spirits would have them suffer if they were meant to be together. A soft knack wrapped at their door and the two of them groaned and then looked at one another.
Zuko reluctantly pulled from her body, his growing instantly cold from the lack of contact. He could only imagine the feelings that would well up inside of him when they had to be parted for real. He wondered if she would feel the same way. His subconscious tried to argue that making her feel so horribly was the wrong thing to do and therefore he was justified for turning back around. A few of his men had even told him that it would be understood if he turned around now. His family needed to be protected and no one could do it better than him. On the other hand, they told him, that his wife was no weakling either and that she could protect her children as well. He peeked through the door and saw one of his fire men on the other end. He opened the door and stepped out into the hall closing the door behind him.
Katara stood there waiting for him to come back when a familiar feeling began pulling at her again. She could feel their heartbeats and the call of their blood beckoning for her to draw it. She sat down to try and meditate to get her mind to clear. She had no idea if her thoughts were impure or if she was being testing by the spirits but she was determined not to fail. She focused on her husband and his steadily beating heart. She would make sure no one threatened him or tried to cause him harm. Only then would she use her ultimate, most dangerous attack.
A little while later Zuko returned to their little haven feeling upset. He looked at his wife sitting on the floor seemingly meditating. At first he wanted to laugh but something told him that it was not right to do so. Instead he sat across from her and mirrored her position. He took a deep breath and inhaled feeling the flame of the candles flicker to life. He found the more he concentrated the more he could feel something deeper and more sensual calling to him. He felt…a flicker of life. Somehow that life was familiar to him. He tried to imagine the flame and it ached his brain at first but a soft and soothing flicker from that light told him to calm down. The flame was bright blue and pure like the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen.
Zuko knew that flame and he understood it now. At least he had come to his own conclusion. He heard a beating drum low in his ear and the more he focused on it the more it sounded like a beating heart. The beating matched the flicker of the flame it was steadfast and fluid unlike any other flame he had ever seen. It was no longer a guess for him Zuko knew. He knew exactly what and who that flame was and what it meant for that matter. Their eyes snapped open at the same time and they stared at one another. He knew that no matter what he had to keep that flame alive. It was her flicker, her spark, her life force and for some reason he could see it. He didn't know that he had just been enlightened but he knew that something was going on.
He looked over to his children and found that he could feel their life force as well. In fact he could now feel the life force of every living thing on the ship. He didn't know whether to be delighted or afraid. Zuko didn't want to think about it but he knew that if he had to he could snuff the flame just as he would a candle. Why the spirits would give him such a power he could not fathom. As he took more time to think about it he found that it was not much different from his wife's blood bending. He figured there must be an ultimate technique to every bending style and for that he was correct.
A/N: So it is short but I wanted to post something to prove I was serious if you guys are. If this story doesn't get any love then there isn't much time lost. To all of you I disappointed I'm sorry but I got extremely angry. For any errors I am sorry. Next chapter things happen kind of fast. The couple is separated and Zuko has a lead. Aang and Toph are back as well!