Turning sixteen is a big deal for many young people. It is mainly a step closer to being a legal adult, and you can get your driver's license. So sweet sixteen tend to be all out.
Akiko couldn't believe what was happening for her sweet sixteen. She knew how much her boyfriend Zuko and his family loved her. However, she didn't expect they'd throw her such a lavish party at their vast estate.
Even hers and Zuko's godmother Xiaoying were going all out for the party. She'd been designing a mini collection for her fashion line, and they'd have a mini runway show at the party. Then Akiko would pick one outfit from the runway show, and Xiaoying would tailor it to fit her perfectly. So it was pretty exciting overall.
"You know you don't have to pull out all the stops for my birthday, right, Zuky?" she asked her boyfriend while they watched them set up for the party in his backyard.
"Your worth it, Akiko. Since we were children, we've been together, and we both know that we intend to tie the knot after college. So you're practically already part of the family."
"Well, I hope your great-grandparents live to see us tie the knot. Your granny and grandfather are quite amazing people."
"Well, given my family history? We've had plenty of family members live to be over a hundred. So even if they're in their nineties, I'd like to think they'd be able to see us marry. Fortunately, my granny is pretty stubborn, so I think she'd be too stubborn to die before seeing her great-grandson wed his true love."
Akiko couldn't help but laugh at that. "Stubbornness is indeed a very identifiable trait within your family. However, so is kindness."
"Yes, for the most part, we're generally kindhearted. Except for the few rotten apples," he muttered the last part.
Akiko raised a single eyebrow before replying, "You mean your great-uncle and his family, don't you? I know you rather not talk about them."
"Again, as my mother's said in the past?" Before finishing, Zuko took a deep breath, "It takes something quite unforgivable for the family to cut someone off. And we're not allowed even to utter why Uncle Ozai and his family were cut off."
"So we don't talk about Ozai, is that it?" she teased, thinking of the popular Encanto song "We don't talk about Bruno."
Zuko chuckled at her joke. "You always have a knack for things like that."
She shrugged, "It's a gift. Now how about we find a more private place? I want some alone time with you. You know, without a dozen eyes on us?" as she gestured to the crowd of people setting up for her birthday two days away.
He rubbed his chin in thought for a few moments. Then smiled, "The guest house shouldn't have anyone in it. Plus, we've yet to replace the security camera wiring."
"Why does the wiring need to be replaced?" Akiko asked, confused. Zuko sighed before replying. "Some squirrels chewed through it, and we've yet to replace it," he answered wearily.
Akiko looked a tad confused about why a typical problem made him so tired. Then she figured he was likely exhausted from all the party planning. So she smiled, "Okay, so can we get some alone time or not?" batting her long eyelashes.
"You've read my mind," as the two teenagers went to the impressive guest house. Once there, they made sure all the curtains were closed tightly. Then we started to have some fun.
It remained a good thing that honor was so damn important to the family. And how no one in the family ever had sex before marriage. No one had broken that rule. Well, except for Ozai. He'd broken that sacred rule. However, that wasn't the whole reason why his family was shunned. But again, it wasn't a subject matter the family liked to talk about.
So the most the two teenagers were doing was having a very intense make-out session. Which again was allowed but nothing further then that. So having found a private spot to make out was OK with them.
After they'd enough of that? They decided to stream "Sailor Moon Eternal" in the sub on the flat screen. Since it was Akiko's favorite anime, she'd been waiting forever to get it in the sub.
They're a little late for dinner by the time they finish it. However, the family had known what they'd been up to. Seeing how they hadn't told Zuko, they'd replaced the wiring for the cameras last night. But as they teens hadn't done anything serious other then kissing and watching a TV movie? They didn't say anything else about it.
Two days later, Akiko's sweet sixteen was a huge success, and she couldn't have been happier. She loved everything, but the gift she loved most wasn't even her fabulous godmother's outfit. It was the fire lily comb that Zuko had crafted explicitly for her. She loved it so much! A perfect ending to a perfect birthday!
Akiko: Me
