A/N: I lied about the plot, there is very little in this chapter, however there is implied lemon and not so implied lemon enjoy.
~Chapter 28~
Moonlight pored into the crimson bedroom while a soft breeze made the curtains dace. The heat of the fire nation making it necessary to keep the windows and tarries doors open. Mai leaned back her thoughts on Zuko, he had been gone for so long she regretted how they parted. She looked out at the starry sky her eyes landing on the North Star. "Please lead him home." She asked the burning orb. "Lead him here and not to land of the dead like your usual job." She sighed it was silly to ask a star to help. She turned her mind to the old lullaby her mother used to sing her and now sang to her little brother.
"Oh, bright Northern Star guild this solider home
He is lost and can't do it on his own
Across the sea his Lord sent him
And now he's gone.
Oh, White Phenix, take her soul away
She did not fight but was slain all the same
Guild her to her brave soldier's arms
Give her peace in her grave
Let her hold her love like you hold the Northern Star.
Let him kiss her tears like you kiss you love's away.
Guild them home and let them stay
Their love is a pure as yours."
It was really a depression song when you thought about it. Maybe that's why she liked it so much. She sighed and looked down at the street below. Her eyes widened when she saw a line of carriages pull in to the palace. She shook her head. Knowing it was foolish for her to hope Zuko had really returned. He had been gone too long and even if it was him why would he visit her? Her eyes narrowed as one of the carriages broke off from the rest and pulled up to her home. She couldn't see who had stepped out but soon a servant knocked on her door saying that she had a visitor of great importance. She was half tempted to tell the servant to send the person away and to come to call in the morning but decided against it.
"Send them in." She turned back to the window and waited until she heard the door open once again.
.o.
Zuko stepped into the room feeling nervous, he hadn't left Mai on the best of terms and he doubted that her feelings toward him would have changed for the better. Even knowing he'd probably spark her anger by calling on her so late he had to see her. Maybe it was the lover's moon hanging in the sky or the knowledge that his time with her was limited and that he would lose her long before he passed on. Either way he wanted to see her so bad it threated to rip his heart out of his chest if he didn't.
She was standing at the window her back to him. The moonlight caught every curve and contour of her body. She took his breath away when she turned and he saw her face. He couldn't read her face but bowed just incase she was hiding anger.
"Thank you for seeing me so late."
She stepped closer to him. "Of course my Lord." She looked up at the servant. "You can go. I won't be needing anything further tonight."
The servant bowed and left the room leaving the two alone. Zuko stood up. "I know you must still be angry at me and I'm sorry I've been gone so long. I didn-"
He was cut off by her lips capturing his. This kiss was sweet and long but not long enough for his tastes. She pulled away and looked into his eyes. "You can tell me in the morning. Just lie to me and tell me you love me."
Zuko looked into her eyes. "It's not a lie, I do. I do love you."
She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Then lie with me and show me your love. Whisper me sweet nothings until the dawn breaks."
Zuko leaned down and kissed her. "If that's what my lady wants then I shall gladly deliver." He picked her up in his arms and carried her to her bed.
That night Zuko didn't think of anything but Mai. How he loved her. How their bodies interlocked and moved against each other. The way her voice was as beautiful as a symphony to his ears and skin more pleasurable the than the softest silk under his touch. His teeth left marks on her neck and shoulders while she left her own wounds in the form of long red lines on his back. He didn't mind the scratches or think about tomorrow because while the two were joined writhing in her bed, he didn't have a tomorrow or even a yesterday. He just had her and that was all he needed.
o.O.o
When Iroh walked into the grand foray of the Royal Place it felt like he was home and yet not. Everything was different, no electric lights, guards in old fashioned uniforms wandered around for seemingly no reason, and probably the most surprising of all to him was the sight of Kiyoshi warriors in full regalia wandering the halls openly. A feat they had not done for over forty years. Even the color on the walls seemed to be just that little bit off and it bothered him greatly. He looked at the rest of the tiered group trouping in fatigued after the long day of travel and emergency meetings with military officials. Curiously, they were short one Fire Lord Iroh paused then shook his head. If his grandfather wanted to stay and talk to crabby old Commanders till the sun came up that was his choice.
He was pulled out of his thoughts when a hand snaked in to his own. "You ok?" Korra asked softly.
"This place, it feels wrong." He answered in an even softer, almost inaudible, voice. "I grew up in these halls but they weren't so…so…"
"Cold?"
"Yeah, cold. This place even when it was just me and mother, this place always seemed to be warm and welcoming. But right now it seems more like a museum then a home. It just doesn't look right or feel right."
Korra leaned her head against his arm. "Well a few decades can change a place, Love. It's just a building anyway."
Iroh looked down at her. She didn't understand, well how could she? She had never seen this place at dusk the golden light shining through the windows making everything glow. She never would either. To her this palace was like every other place just walls and variable temperature. Would she ever view this place as her home? Or would it just be another set of walls to her? The thought troubled him until Korra spoke up again.
"But you know it does smell different. If I remember right this place always had like a warm wood burning smell." She frowned. "And I don't smell fire lilies. This whole place should smell like them shouldn't it? I don't think I like this time's version much either. The other palace was always warm even if I liked the Ember Island Palace the best."
Iroh gave her a weary smile, maybe she did understand. A guard led the two into a richly decorated room. "If you need anything just alert one of the servants." He said stiffly. "It would probably not be wise to wander this palace unescorted." Iroh frowned and watched as the solder left the room and closed the door behind him.
"And here I thought this place couldn't get less homey."
"Well it could be worse, they could have tried to put us in separate rooms." Korra pointed out before sending a gust of wind around the room to get a picture of the place and accidently extinguishing all the candles in the room. She smiled and grabbed his hands pulling him toward the bed.
The bright night sky spilled into the room giving Iroh just enough light to see. There was a full moon outside casting moon shadows. It's a night for lovers, he thought briefly before a hand behind his neck pulled his face closer to Korra's. Her kiss was tentative making certain she had found his lips before deepening the kiss and slipping her tongue past his lips. His hands immediately went to her waist and pulled her close. Still in their lip lock Korra pulled him on to the bed and somehow had untied the front of his robe.
To avoid causing undo attention the group had been dressed in the clothes of the current era, which meant layers upon layers of clothes. It was easy to slide the Korra's outer robe off as he moved from kissing her mouth to neck to chest and his own clothes proved to be easily shed. The trouble came with the bindings. When Korra had originally told him about them, Iroh had laughed not believing that Kattara had dressed her using 'excessive amounts of bandages.' He believed her now.
Korra sat up noticing Iroh's lack of progress. "Something wrong?"
"I can't figure out how to…un-mummify you." He looked closely at the tightly wrapped strips of cloth. "Can you breath in that? Don't take this the wrong way but it almost looks like you went down a cup size."
Korra frowned. "Not well, and I feel like I've been squished in to one two cup sizes too small." She reached behind her. "I think there's a knot in the back but I can't reach it."
Iroh shook his head. "Well roll over and I'll try to find it."
Obediently Korra rolled over. "While you're there can I get a back massage too?"
Moving her hair out of the way Iroh kissed the back of her neck. "Of course my love." Finding the knots her quickly removed all of Korra's bindings and left her in a state of complete undress. Starting with her shoulders Iroh massaged the stiff sore muscles.
Korra moaned and purred as Iroh's warm fingers worked out all the stress that had been building in her back for the past week. His hands just felt so good she wanted more and found herself pouting a little when he finished. She moaned again, however, when she felt his hot mouth on the nape of her neck. She leaned her head to the side giving him more access as his licked and sucked on her skin. His hands snaked underneath her and grabbed her breast his thumbs rubbing her nipples making them hard.
One of his hands moved from her breasts and wrapped around her waist pulling her up so she was kneeling and her back was pressed against his chest. Korra reached back and tangled her fingers in his hair. His mouth moved up from her neck to her jaw to her ear where he sucked on her ear lobe. The hand that was not around her waist slowly made a decent down her chest and torso and on to her thigh. She moaned feeling his hand on the inside of her thigh making small circles. She spread her legs giving him the access that he wanted. A throaty moan escaped her lips as a finger entered her wet core. She was painting as another joined it and began to pump in and out of her. His fingers curled inside her, stretching her and building a sensation with in her whole being.
Iroh pushed her almost to the edge but stopped just before. He removed his fingers despite Korra's whine in protest. He was already painfully hard and her moans were only going to make it harder. In a fluid movement he moved so she was on her back his lips crashing against hers. Korra wrapped her arms around his neck and grinded her hips against his in the needy fashion making him moan. Never letting his lips leave hers he entered her. Their bodies working in sync as they found a rhythm that had them both painting and begging for more, he picked up the pace, slamming in to as she moaned then screamed his named. He could feel her core tighten around him right before a shutter ran threw her body her head thrown back in ecstasy. She moaned his name sending him that last little bit over the edge spilling into her.
Iroh rested his head against her shoulder recovering for a moment before pulling out and wrapping the sheets and blankets around the pair. Korra snuggled up close her head resting on his shoulder. Her hand lazily falling the lines of his musculature, she soon drifted off. Iroh looked down at her face, she looked so calm and beautiful in the full moon's light. The full moon…for some reason that set a small alarm bell off in his head but he couldn't remember why. He snuggled against her, whatever the reason it wasn't too important. Exhausted but satisfied he drifted off to sleep almost immediately.
A/N See no plot just lemon bars and house critique. So comment if you feel so compelled and if you're from the U.S.A. and I don't talk to you before hand, have a Happy Thanksgiving! C.C
A/N ok so in answer to full moon thing, most of it was referring to being so bright lovers could find each other with of another light and their affair to stay secret. Why Iroh's mind kind of dinged when he actually thought about the full moon is for later.
