Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender in any shape or form.
She found them again the next day in the tea house. Ameya wore a simple muted green tunic and pants, no makeup donned her pale face but her blue eyes were just as captivating. No one spared her a second glance this time around but Zuko found her just as beautiful as before.
"What would you like?" He asked easily as she sat down on one of the tables, resisting the urge to grin to see her so soon again.
"What would you recommend?" Her eyes shifted to him playfully, all of her attention focused on the prince.
"Uncle makes the best jasmine tea," Zuko's mind wandered to her 'date' from yesterday, his pale lips turning down just the slightest at the memory. "But you already knew that."
Ameya hummed. "Then what is something you enjoy?"
His eyes softened at her consideration and smiled. "Ginger tea."
"I would like that please."
Iroh watched with sly eyes, smiling happily to himself at their interaction. He did not miss the change in both of the young adults who were acting like their true age. Ameya had always been mature and Zuko had always been upset and driven yet together, they looked relax and carefree.
He prepared the tea contently and took it onto his duty to serve it to the young woman who looked just as happy to see him.
"I take it things have been well for you, Ameya?" He asked kindly as she took a sip of the warm tea.
"Never better," her smile eased his heart and she set the tea down softly. "I apologize if I had caused trouble yesterday. I doubt Zu—Lee would have left willingly."
Iroh laughed wholeheartedly. "You did not cause trouble at all. I only gave him a subtle push—I've never seen him run as fast as he did yesterday."
Ameya giggled, her cheeks tinted in pink at that thought. So he really did care—he really did come looking for her.
The man in question looked up at the sound of laughter and turned to his uncle and the blue eyed woman curiously. Zuko felt embarrassed by the looks they were giving him and shot them a pointed look.
"What?" He asked but that only caused the other two to laugh louder.
"Oh nothing at all, dear nephew!" Iroh smiled widely at him.
"I was just admiring Mushi's tea making skills. You can definitely learn a thing or two from him," Ameya teased and Zuko rolled his eyes.
Iroh went back to helping other customers along with Zuko and Ameya watched quietly from the side, sipping her tea occasionally. She never imagined seeing them hide in plain sight at the tea house and yet it almost felt—natural for this quaint life.
"So, you're the genius behind this incredible brew. The whole city is buzzing about you! I hope Pao pays you well."
She turned towards the elder man that just spoke, her eyes noticing the brilliant gleaming gems on his fingers and knew he did not belong in the Lower Ring. Apparently he was trying to poach Iroh to work for them in the Upper Ring and Ameya smiled; she knew it was a matter of time before it happened.
"Did you hear, nephew? This man wants to give us our own tea shop in the Upper Ring of the city!" Iroh exclaimed excitedly but Zuko did not share his same joy.
"That's right, young man, your life is about to change for the better!" The man, Quon, had stated and yet that caused Ameya to falter.
If anything, this was not the life Zuko had wanted in the first place.
"I'll try to contain my joy." Zuko replied sarcastically and left the tea house with a slam of the door.
She watched with worried eyes, gripping the cup of tea in her hands for comfort. Would this really be the right choice? Will Zuko be able to continue living like this? Iroh seemed content with the simple life but can the banished prince let everything go?
Her own troubles appeared before her mind as she absentmindedly fingered the ring around her neck. Ameya has yet to find any clues about the meaning of the jewel—she had immediately forgot about it as soon as she found Zuko again. Would she—would she be able to give up her own past—for him?
Ameya paused.
They have not spoken of their undefined relationship yet. After the fevered kisses shared last night, they had been too embarrassed to bring it up. While Ameya finally admitted to herself that she did find the prince attractive and cannot ignore her own attachment to him, could they really be something more?
They had never been friends. They hadn't technically started off on the best terms. She stole from him originally and he had somehow managed to find her and imprisoned her. This was not the typical romance she had grown up hearing about.
Do I love Zuko?
She felt her cheeks redden at that thought. She admitted to caring for him—she admitted to enjoying the kisses they shared—but Ameya had never been in love before and the idea of that scared her.
She decided she needed a break. At least for now, it seems things were looking up for Iroh and Zuko. She just needs to clear her mind a bit and the tea house did not appear like the best place to be at the moment.
The young woman paid for her drink and bid Iroh farewell. She did not find the prince outside when she left and ignored the disappointment settling within. Seeing him again may not be the best idea for her faint of heart.
And yet, someone had grabbed her hand and pulled her into a dark alley. Her eyes widen in panic and was about to retaliate until she saw familiar golden eyes bore into hers.
"Are you free tonight?"
Ameya's heart skipped a beat at that question and attempted to compose herself.
"Are you asking me on a date?"
Zuko's cheek flushed at her inquiry and a small smile graced her lips. It was nice knowing Ameya had gained some control back after her blunder last night. She was not expecting him to kiss her—twice—and she fought back the urge to blush again every time she thought of it.
Something caught her attention at the corner of her eye and she looked at the paper floating down from the sky. She walked past Zuko to grab the flier, staring at a painted creature and portrait of the young airbender and her heart sped up.
Aang was in the city—he was here and he had lost Appa. How long have they been here—where were they staying? Are they safe even after they had separated?
The reality of the situation settled in as she stared at the paper flier in her hand. The Avatar was back and that could only mean Zuko's drive to capture him has returned as well.
"You're going to look for Appa."
Zuko did not understand why her voice sounded so empty then and yet when she directed those icy eyes towards him, he felt almost bashful. He wanted to ask for her help—he thought maybe she will after their feelings have been realized.
"Yes."
The grip on the paper tightened and she looked down. Ah—so it wasn't a date. Maybe he didn't care in the end. There are more important things in his mind than their relationship, Ameya realized, and she only smiled mirthlessly at that thought.
"I'm busy." She sent a smile his way, pleasant and fake.
Zuko recognized the smile immediately and clenched his fists. Why was she still refusing even now? He thought they were similar—he thought she understood him. This was not the life for him—he did not want to serve tea his whole life.
His destiny was greater than that.
"I'll see you next time, My Prince."
Ameya walked past him then and he let her go. Zuko knew she was angry but so was he. They had finally found each other again and even confessed—to some degree—so why? Why was she calling him by that silly nickname and refusing her services?
But Ameya was right. He was a prince—a prince that needs his throne back. Zuko will find the lost bison and with it, he will find the Avatar.
His destiny is waiting for him and he will fulfill it with or without Ameya.
The night was quiet in the city of Ba Sing Se. Most of the civilians were sleeping in their bed and only left a few Dai Li agents to patrol the streets. A small masked figure hopped around the rooftop, taking stops to hide within the shadows and waited.
Icy eyes watched another masked figure run by, pushing past a lone Dai Li agent boldly before rounding a corner. Her eyes narrowed behind the White Fox mask and waited; she had found her target.
Since their meeting earlier that day, Ameya had decided to track the reckless prince down. He would definitely be on the move at night and she had waited patiently back in the Middle Ring for nightfall. She will wait and observe how Zuko plans on taking the bison and if necessary, she will fight him for it. Appa must have gone through a lot to be separated from Aang and she felt the need to save the creature too.
The dagger poked her in the side and she froze. Hopefully, she would not need to use it. It had been a gift from him and yet—the thought of fighting Zuko scared her. He was definitely a proficient blade wielder, an advance firebending master, and currently, her weakness.
She shook those thoughts away for now and followed the Blue Spirit.
He may be a better fighter but she was a better burglar.
Ameya was surprised at how far he had gotten with the Dai Li agent. It was easy to mask her presence at night and no one noticed a thing.
Until she ran into a hard body.
Her eyes widen at the sight of the retired general and he almost retaliated back at the fox thief. She raised a finger to her mask quickly; neither of them made a noise as they eyed Zuko and made sure he had heard nothing.
The Blue Spirit suspected nothing as he sneaked into the underground lake hideout. Ameya sighed in relief and before Iroh had the chance to apprehend her, she took her mask off. The general stared at the young woman in surprise and she merely smiled at him.
"I'll go from the other side. I think he will listen to you better than I." She whispered quietly and his amber eyes softened at the woman.
"Thank you for always looking out for my nephew."
"This isn't just for him."
"But you do care for him."
Ameya faltered, looking down at the white mask in hand. She heaved a sigh, smiling at Iroh before tying the mask back over her face.
"Unfortunately."
They separated right after. She scanned the surrounding area for an opening of sort while Iroh followed closely behind Zuko. Now that Ameya thought about it, it would be normal for Iroh to follow his nephew. He had always been there for him—Zuko would have been alright even if she did not appear.
And yet she could not leave him be.
She found a small sky opening by the lake and hopped in. It led to a series of water pipe tunnels and she followed them blindly, hoping for one to lead her to her goal. There was the sound of shouting from a few but she recognized Iroh's voice and headed in his direction.
"What do you plan to do now that you've found the Avatar's bison? Keep him locked in our new apartment? Should I go put on a pot of tea for him?" Iroh's angry tone shook her—Ameya was surprised he was able to throw in a sarcastic question in there.
"First I have to get it out of here," came Zuko's monotonous response.
"And then what!? You never think these things through! This is exactly what happened when you captured the Avatar at the North Pole! You had him, and then you had nowhere to go!" She wondered if Iroh was done bottling things up too—now that she was here listening to their intimate argument.
"I would have figured something out!" The prince replied heatedly.
"No! If his friends hadn't found you, you would have frozen to death!" Despite his angry tone, Ameya heard his concern beneath it. She was not there when Zuko had run off with Aang but she had seen the signs of a blizzard behind the Spirit Oasis then.
"I know my own destiny, Uncle!"
"Is it your own destiny, or is it a destiny someone else has tried to force on you?"
"Stop it, Uncle! I have to do this!"
"I'm begging you, Prince Zuko! It's time for you to look inward and begin asking yourself the big questions. Who are you, and what do you want?"
Ameya jumped as soon as Zuko screamed. The sound of the mask and swords thrown onto the ground masked her fall as the prince fell to his knees. She finally took notice of the large sky bison that looked frantic at the commotion and she ripped her mask off, hoping Appa would maybe recognize her.
But she could not comfort the creature—not when the one she cared for was in distress.
Her arms wrapped around him tightly and Zuko froze at the familiar comforting scent of mint and tea, face buried into her body. Ameya didn't care if Iroh saw her open affections for his nephew—she didn't care if Zuko may not consider her as important as his 'destiny'. As of this moment, she knew she must be there for him whenever he was in pain.
That's how it had come to be.
"Tomorrow," she began quietly, her voice echoing the large chamber, "Let's go on a date tomorrow. There's this quiet restaurant with authentic Fire Nation food in the Middle Ring. I'll take you to it."
Zuko could feel her pulse quicken at their close proximity. He could hear her heart beat against his ears loudly and realized she was more nervous than her voice let on. Iroh's question echoed in his mind as he continued to listen to her plans for the next day.
"We can also go back to the Firelight Fountain. It really is beautiful at night although I barely had time to admire it before," she laughed weakly then, mind wandering to the few times she was at the fountain but was always occupied by the presence of him.
Slowly, his arms wrap behind her back, returning the embrace just like before.
What he had wanted was his father's acceptance.
What he wanted was the warmth of his mother again.
And yet with Ameya here, he thought this was a better alternative. He just felt so tired—so worn out from everything. He hadn't realized her embraces brought him more comfort than anything else in the past three years until now.
"Okay. It's a date."
She smiled brightly at his acceptance, pulling back to see him return the gesture. Light pink dusted their cheeks as they reluctantly pulled away, suddenly reminded that Iroh was still in the same room. The elder man looked away almost shyly and Appa let out a small moan.
"Well, let's set him free."
Zuko picked up his dual swords once again, wielding them to gain momentum and cutting the chains loose from the beast. Ameya smiled at Appa, rubbing his snout lovingly and he licked her in return. After all the chains had been cut off, Appa soared into the sky through the out lit and the three watched as the night sky turned to dawn.
The three made it back through the entrance of the hideout, surprised to not encounter any agents since their escape. She watched the sun rise with gentle eyes, noticing a dot fly away in the distance before turning back to Zuko and Iroh.
"You did the right thing, nephew." Iroh comforted and Zuko held the Blue Spirit mask in his hand contemplatively. "Leave it behind."
Zuko walked over to the edge of the water and let the mask go. It sunk into the lake slowly and he turned his golden gaze to her then to the White Fox mask on her belt. She flinched, understanding their silent question and she hesitantly lift the mask up.
Would Ameya truly be able to leave her past behind too?
Can she start over in the city of Ba Sing Se?
Would she never need to steal again and live an honest life?
It had been her whole life—it was part of her. Can she finally leave that part of her?
A warm hand wrapped around her hesitant ones and she looked up to see the scarred face she had grown fond of. She walked over to the edge of the lake, tossing her own mask in and watched it sink to the bottom along with the Blue Spirit.
Yes, Ameya thought, she can—as long as Zuko was by her side.
Author's Note:
ME, TRYING TO CONTAIN MY BLUSH ohhh man these two are really cute okay. Book 2 is coming to an end soon—are you guys ready? I'm sorry for the short chapter—it's actually harder for me to write following the story than my own original scenes—is that odd?
Thank you so much for the lovely comments! I'm so glad all of you are happy with Ameko's (GIGGLES) development! Sorry there's not much action in this chapter but it's still a build up for their relationship… Ameya is slowly changing and it's all thanks to Zuko.
Reviews are always appreciated! Thank you all!
Random Note: I noticed that chapter 16 has like significantly less views than all the rest-and I wonder if it was because I posted two chapters in a row and people skipped over it? I hope not!
OH! ALSO-I DOODLE SOME AMEKO ON MY TUMBLR (toomuchpineapples) AND THIS STORY IS GOING TO HIT 100 REVIEWS SOON I AM IN TEARS THANK YOU SOBS