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Chapter 37
In the end Zhao won when it came to the ostrich horse, Ty Lee wound up hiring a riding instructor for lessons twice a week. The first day of lessons Aiko was so excited she could barely stand still as Ty Lee helped pin her long black hair up and fasten on her riding boots. Ty Lee than ended up watching the hour and half long lesson for fear something might happen to Aiko during the lesson. There was nothing to worry about she just felt better watching.
At the moment Aiko was finishing up her third riding lessons when Kazuma came strolling around the side of the house toward the riding arena. Ty Lee couldn't help herself as she stared at the tall young man. Kazuma was the very opposite of Zhao in every way. Where Zhao had dark black hair that was soft to the touch and always perfectly groomed, she always had the urge to run her fingers through it. Kazuma had light sandy brown hair that curled around the collar of his shirt and flew every which way when he walked. Zhao had golden eyes that grew lighter when he was amused and darkened when he was angry; Kazuma had blue eyes the color of the sky. Where Zhao's lips rarely held a smile, Kazuma always wore a smile.
They were two very different men. Kazuma would have been the type to catch her eye he had the same personality as her, he laughed at things she found funny, he teased, he flirted, he complimented, and he looked at her with desire. He was the exact type of man she had once found very desirable.
However, Zhao was becoming the type of man she wanted, she craved his attention whether it was good or bad, whether he lectured or praised. Zhao made her crazy with anger, made her say things she would normally never say, made her do things just so she could get his attention. When he did happen to smile at her or his golden eyes turned light she would melt right into his arms. There were a few times when Ty Lee thought for a moment that Zhao was growing a little fond of her, that he enjoyed being around her.
Seeker ran ahead of Kazuma jumping and pouncing in the long grass along the walk way, and eventually coming to a stop in front of Ty Lee and giving a little yip of hello. She smiled down at the fox and bent down to scratch Seeker under the chin.
"He likes you." Kazuma commented as he watched Aiko take her ostrich horse for one last lap around the arena. "She's a natural."
"Zhao thinks so to." Ty Lee replied turning her focus back to Aiko. "What are you doing here?"
Kazuma gave a wide smile as he bent to allow Seeker to run up his arm and wrap himself around his neck. "I found a young lady in need of rescuing, I would be sorely lacking in my training if I did not help."
Ty Lee looked at him funny than spotted Anya Valeria standing on the porch watching them.
"Your sister." Kazuma offered as if she didn't know who was waiting for her.
"Yes I know that's my sister." Ty Lee replied back. "I just want to wait until Aiko is finished…"
"Have no fear I'll wait for Aiko to finish up." Than with a mischievous smile and louder voice he continued. "Maybe she'll let me pet her ostrich horse."
That caught Aiko's attention and she smiled with joy. "Only if you let me pet Seeker."
"Deal." Kazuma called back.
Ty Lee left the two and headed for the porch. The look on Anya Valeria's face was full of disapproval. She wore her thick dark brown hair in a low bun with wisps of hair flowing around her face. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her foot was tapping impatiently.
"I wasn't expecting you to visit?" Ty Lee greeted as she began climbing the steps to the porch.
"I bet you weren't." Anya Valeria replied curtly. "Zhao must trust you."
"What is that suppose to mean?" Ty Lee asked quickly.
"Come on Ty Lee, what is a handsome young man doing visiting you on a regular basis and when your husband is not around?" Anya Valeria.
"There is nothing going on." Ty Lee protested in a whisper.
"For your sake I hope that is true." Anya Valeria replied with a shake of her head.
"It is true." Ty Lee replied.
Anya Valeria looked at Ty Lee with a stern look than relaxed visibly as she became her old self.
"So what do I owe the honor of having you visit?" Ty Lee asked as they both sat down on the porch chairs.
"Sadly not a pleasant business, it's about Mar Lee's disappearance." Anya Valeria began.
"Does Mother know you're here?" Ty Lee asked.
Anya Valeria scowled at her younger sister. "This is important Ty Lee, Mother doesn't know and for the benefit of the family I trust you won't say anything, I told her I was going to spend a couple days at the spa."
"Fine." Ty Lee replied wearily.
"It has to do with Lee Anna also." Anya Valeria began.
That caught Ty Lee's attention and she sat forward a frown on her lips. What more damage could her older sister inflict on their lives from beyond her grave?
"I received a letter from Lee Anna awhile ago around the time Zhao left for the Northern Water tribes. She requested that I get a hold of Zhao that he was the only one who could possibly get her out of trouble."
"What do you mean trouble?" Ty Lee asked suddenly feeling sick that even after Lee Anna's death she still had a hold on Zhao.
"I do not know exactly, but in her letter she said she needed help that she was in way over her head and was afraid there was no way out." Anya Valeria hesitated as she looked at Ty Lee. "I know you probably don't want to hear this, but it's my suspicion that she and Lord Kiro were involved in that concentration facility that the Fire Lord is trying to blame on Zhao."
Ty Lee felt nauseous suddenly; she placed a shaky hand on her mouth to keep herself from crying out in vain. When she was able to get herself under control she managed to speak. "This can't be true; I mean Lee Anna did some awful things like leaving Aiko behind and chasing after Zhao but a concentration camp! Zhao said that she might have been involved and I foolishly stuck up for her."
Anya Valeria was silent almost forlorn looking. "That's why I don't want Mother to know about it, Mar Lee and I decided that we couldn't drag Zhao into this mess so Mar Lee headed to the Earth Kingdom to visit Lee Anna."
Ty Lee felt the tears burning against her eyes. "You and Mar Lee tried to handle this without bring Zhao into it?"
"Yes and if that was foolish I suppose so, now Mar Lee is missing, I fear maybe even dead…" Anya Valeria gripped Ty Lee's hand suddenly.
Ty Lee turned and hugged her sister letting the tears fall and the despair wash over her, the thought of losing Mar Lee was unbearable.
"There, there now." Anya Valeria soothed as she rubbed Ty Lees back. "Here comes Aiko, put a smile on dear."
Ty Lee let go and quickly wiped the tears away trying to gain some composure before the child came. Aiko was very observant for such a young child; she noticed everything especially the times when Zhao was gone, or the times when there was tension between herself and Zhao.
"Aunt Anya Valeria." Aiko screeched as she ran up the stairs and threw herself on her Aunt.
Anya Valeria laughed in delight as she hugged her niece to her. "My haven't you grown."
"Really?" Aiko asked in delight than threw a frown in Kazumas direction. "Kazuma said I was getting shorter."
"Kazuma is a liar." Anya Valeria almost said in a sneer as she glared at Kazuma over Aiko's head. "You've grown at least three inches since last I saw you."
"Ty Lee do I have to do my painting today?" Aiko questioned suddenly. "I want to be with Anya Valeria and you today."
"You have to spend an hour on your drawing skills Aiko, remember what your Grandmother said?" Ty Lee replied gently.
Aiko thought about this for a moment than repeated word for word what her Grandmother had said. "An accomplished young lady knows how to paint a portrait with grace, dance to the rhythm of rain, and something about her air, and manner of walking and of course, she must improve her mind with extensive reading."
"I have never seen such a woman. Surely she would be a fearsome thing to behold?" Kazuma said with a laugh.
Anya Valeria turned a glare on him. "Every woman in our family is skilled in such and Aiko will do the very same. No man could ever accomplish what we do in a day."
"Try me." Kazuma dared with a grin.
"You're on." Aiko said for Anya Valeria.
"That might be fun." Ty Lee agreed. "We will go through a normal day of lessons and such that Aiko goes through daily." She secretly wanted to get her mind off the thought of Mar Lee in trouble and her stuck not being able to help.
"Anything you can do I can do better." Kazuma replied with a grin.
"You're going down." Anya Valeria threatened.
Half an hour later the four of them were set up with easels, paint brushes, pain, pencils and parchment paper out on the back yard. Anya Valeria had changed into a sleeveless green gown that stopped at her ankles and a green trimmed sun hat to shade her from the glaring heat of the sun. Ty Lee wore her usual pink pants and pink shirt despite the fights she and Zhao had over her attire, she figured she could wear what she wanted around the house. Kazuma was set up between Anya Valeria and Aiko. Seeker sat on a stool between Kazuma and Aiko looking on in interest at the paint brushes.
"You are going to have to help me Aiko, as I know nothing of painting." Kazuma confessed in an exaggerated whisper.
"Aiko do not help him, Kazuma will have to suffer on his own." Anya Valeria ordered in a sing song voice as she caught Kazuma's eyes.
"Fine than what is the subject we are going to paint." Kazuma asked as he squared his shoulders.
"I will make it easy for you the willow tree yonder." Anya Valeria replied pointing the subject out with her paint brush. "What kind of painting would this be?" Anya Valeria asked Kazuma with a raised eyebrow.
"A tree painting." Kazuma replied.
"Wrong! Aiko?" Anya Valeria asked.
"A still-life painting." Aiko chimed up with a grin.
"Shall we begin than?" Ty Lee questioned.
"Yes." Anya Valeria replied as she set her brush to work.
They four worked in silence; the only sound was the rhythmic sound of brush against canvas and the sound of nature around them.
"Finished." Kazuma shouted as he did one last exaggerated stroke of his brush across the canvas.
Aiko leaned over and gave a small giggle at the sight of the painting than at the sight of Kazuma. For he had more paint on himself than on the canvas, a red smudge on his nose, a yellow dash on his cheek bone, and blue paint speckles on his chin.
"Well it certainly is different, you have to admit." Ty Lee replied as she admired his work.
"Different, is an understatement it looks nothing like the subject." Anya Valeria replied with a snort of disgust.
"I beg to differ." Kazuma argued. "That is the tree truck, those are the branches, and these are the leaves."
"Aiko, what kind of painting would we call this?" Anya Valeria asked.
"An abstract." Aiko replied.
"Very good. Ty Lee I am very impressed you have not disregarded her painting lessons." Anya Valeria complimented.
"Of course not." Ty Lee commented.
"I do believe Kazuma you failed the painting completely, we asked for a still life painting not an abstract."
"After all that work!" Kazuma argued stabbing his paint brush in Anya Valeria's direction.
"Do you want to give up now or keep going?" Anya Valeria asked.
"Bring it on." Kazuma replied through clenched teeth.
"Let's adjoin to the dancing room and begin Aiko's lessons." Anya Valeria replied with a sniff as she turned on her heel and led the way to the house with Aiko right next to her chatting excitedly the whole way.
Ty Lee and Kazuma brought up the rear.
"Your sister is a real pill." Kazuma whispered as he leaned closer to Ty Lee.
"Only if you provoke her." Ty Lee replied back side stepping to gain some distance between them.
"I never provoke anyone." Kazuma replied back.
"Well you're egging her on." Ty Lee snapped back. "You know perfectly well the demands placed on woman and yet you mock us and say you can do just as well."
"It was just a haphazard comment." Kazuma replied softly.
"Indeed." Ty Lee whispered.
"Please do not be angry, I could withstand anything but not having you angry with me." Kazuma replied in that voice that sent chills down her spine and made her breath hitch in her throat. His hand brushed against the back of her wrist lingering on her skin.
Ty Lee flitted out of his reach and smiled at him sadly. "Of course I am not angry." Than in a lower voice and smirk she replied. "But prepare to fail; no one excels at the art of dance like us."
…..
Ty Lee wasn't lying when she said they would excel at dancing. From a young age Anya Valeria and Ty Lee had dance lessons even though it had been banned under the old Fire Lord, Ty Lee's Mother had taught the girls in the privacy of their home. Ty Lee and Anya Valeria immediately glided into a Fire Waltz each of them pretending they had a partner as they spun themselves into the steps and gracefully swirled around the dance floor in perfect time to the music. Anya Valeria spun by Kazuma reached out and took his hand.
"Come show me what a marvelous dancer you are." Anya Valeria mocked as she smiled up at him.
Kazuma placed his hand on the small of her back and gently took her offered hand in his. Kazuma had never danced in his life; he tried in vain to copy the steps but ended up tripping over his own feet and stepping in time to the wrong beat. What was more unnerving was Anya Valeria's smug smile of triumph.
"I don't give up that easily." Kazuma replied with a grin that showed perfect white teeth.
Anya Valeria narrowed her eyes. "Well you should Kazuma." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Give up now while your ahead, you can't have her, you know that."
Kazuma's grin turned tense at Anya Valeria's words. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"You know exactly what I am talking about. Ty Lee is married and not just too any man, Zhao is not a person you want to cross. I suggest you turn your attention elsewhere." Anya Valeria suggested.
Kazuma's hand tightened around her waist as he spun her exactly the way Ty Lee was spinning Aiko, but he didn't bring her in gently he slammed her hard against his chest and smiled like a cat when he heard her breath whoosh out. He resumed their steps this time with firm command over his partner.
"Really and where should I turn my attention? To you perhaps?" Kazuma sneered in her face.
Anya Valeria glared daggers at him, her face flushing with anger. "I never said to turn your attention on me."
"That's good because you're not my type." Kazuma have snarled his teeth snapped down with a click inches from her lips.
Anya Valeria stiffened in his arms and slammed the heel of her foot on his instep with her entire weight; she smiled in delight as Kazuma gave a howl of pain, released her and fell at her feet. Ty Lee immediately came to their side.
"Anya Valeria." Ty Lee asked in a warning tone.
"Trust me he isn't as great a dancer as he thinks he is." Anya Valeria replied with a smug smile. "Fell over your own two feet didn't you Kazuma?"
Kazuma saw the warning look in her eyes and returned her grin with an easy smile of his own as he let Ty Lee help him up. He easily slung his arm around Ty Lee's shoulder acting more hurt than was really necessary, and brought her snug up by his side.
"I guess I am not as good at this as I though. Ty Lee won't you show me how it's done?" Kazuma asked in that voice that no woman could deny using those blue eyes that shimmered with helplessness.
"It's very simple Kazuma." Ty Lee replied as she began instructing Kazuma on where to place his hands and which foot to lead off on.
Anya Valeria stood with a look of anger her eyes sparking with fury as she watched Kazuma hold Ty Lee that close as they danced past. There was a smug look of triumph in Kazuma's blue eyes as he regarded Anya Valeria over Ty Lee's shoulder. Anya Valeria wasn't done yet, she'd bring that pompous man to his knees.
….
Kazuma stood in the middle of Ty Lee's spacious back yard leaning against his wooden croquet mallet. His gaze was fixed on Anya Valeria who stood next to him taking her loving time hitting her green ball. This was easy he knew this game; everyone knew this game it wasn't hard to excel at the art of croquet. Ty Lee and Aiko stood not too far off waiting also for Anya Valeria to finish her play. Kouga was rolling his eyes in agitation.
"Anya Valeria for someone who said this game was played with an art form that only a woman could possess you certainly are showing your inadequacy at the game. Perhaps you need a man to show you how to hit the ball." Kazuma replied with heavy sarcasm as he watched her adjusted her grip on the mallet a third time.
With one smooth motion Anya Valeria swung the mallet back and hit Kazuma in the knee with a loud crack. With a yelp of pain Kazuma found himself on the ground a second time that day, this time holding his knee in pain.
"Oops did I hit you?" Anya Valerie asked with an innocent smile.
"Damn you Anya Valerie. You did that on purpose." Kazuma seethed through his teeth.
Anya Valerie smiled in pure delight. "Nay you were in my way, you practically walked right into my swing." She dropped her voice an octave and continued. "This is just a taste of what could happen if you keep pursuing Ty Lee, if you think you're in pain now, just wait until Zhao finds out."
"You're not always going to be around to protect your sister." Kazuma commented with a vague smile. "I love your sister."
"You don't know what love is." Anya Valeria hissed through her teeth.
Aiko's sudden laughter disrupted their dispute momentarily. They watched as Aiko went flying past and into the arms of her Father who stood in the middle of the croquet course. Kazuma watched as Ty Lee went running into the arms of her husband also, a bright smile on her face as she kissed Zhao soundly on the lips.
"That is love Kazuma, take a good look at it." Anya Valeria snapped in a low voice.
Kazuma watched the way Ty Lee's face brightened visibly, her lovely lips turned up in a full smile, her grey eyes alive with mirth, and her hands moving excitedly as she told Zhao about her day.
"He doesn't love her." Kazuma argued uselessly to Anya Valeria.
"Is that what you think?" Anya Valeria asked softly, her voice more gentle.
Kazuma looked closer and noticed the softness around Zhao's usually grim mouth, there was a slight twitch at the corner of his lips as if he struggled not to answer Ty Lee's smile with one of his own. His eyes normally were cold and hard as iron but now they softened as he gazed at Ty Lee, Zhao truly looked at ease and almost happy when Ty Lee was around.
"I will admit you have a point." Kazuma replied as he rubbed his knee in thought and gazed up at Anya Valeria.
"Thank you." Anya Valeria replied that smug look on her face again.
Kazuma gave her his best smile and reached out his free hand to caress her ankle, his smiled widen at the look of surprise on her face. "However my dear Anya Valeria you have put me through hell today just to prove your point."
"And you're saying?" Anya Valeria replied uneasily as she stepped back warily as she watched him stand before her.
"I'm saying I can't let you get away with that." Kazuma smiled as he caught her around the waist and easily tossed her over his shoulder.
"What the…" Anya Valeria shouted as she began kicking her feet only to have him wrap his arm over her legs to keep her in place.
Kazuma smiled brightly as he passed Zhao, Ty Lee and Aiko on his way to the pond that he had helped Ty Lee refill just a week ago.
"No!" Anya Valeria ordered as she noticed the direction he was taking. "Kazuma don't you dare."
Ignoring her protests, Kazuma pitched Anya Valeria into the pond. She hit the water with a loud splash and a yell of anger. There was a heated exchange of words between them drowned out by splashes and shrieks of rage.
"What's going on?" Zhao murmured against Ty Lee's hair. As they looked on in interest at the little show Anya Valeria and Kazuma were putting on in front of them
"They have been at each other's throats all day." Ty Lee replied with a shrug. "I honestly don't know what's going on?"
"I think Kazuma might like your sister." Zhao replied with as his hand stroked her bare arm.
"Kazuma and Anya Valeria sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G." Aiko began singing.
"I believe our daughter noticed too." Zhao commented his lips brushing against the shell of her ear.
"I think your right." Ty Lee whispered as she snaked her hand around his waist and smiled up at him. "Should we give them some privacy?"
Zhao smiled in pleasure down at Ty Lee, she hadn't protested when he had mentioned Aiko as their daughter no instead she had smiled at him and placed her hand in his and walked with him back to the house. The sounds of Kazuma and Anya Valeria arguing faded into the back ground and the only sound he heard was Ty Lee's melodic voice as she told him how her day went.