WOOING AUNT WU
Ziggy's Corner: Kool, okay this is the fifth Avatar Story that I have written. Like A MidWinter's Romance, and Kiss and Tell, this story is a romance, pairing Uncle Iroh, with Aunt Wu, the fortune teller from episode 14: The Fortune Teller. It also has a humorous sub-plot about who can get a girl to kiss him first, Sokka or Prince Zuko. Okay, enjoy! And thanks to those who review it in advance!
"I don't like this," Sokka said for the umpteenth time. They were walking through the streets, looking at the colorful vendors selling their wares. "Zuko is up to something, I just know it. And even if he isn't, what happens if the Fire Nation takes back their agreement to recognize this festival?" The town they were visiting had been busy an eighty year peace celebration that had taken them out of the war. Absolutely no violence was permitted during this week of celebration, or the offenders found themselves in a cell for the whole time.
"Then we can get on Appa and fly away," Aang said with a bright smile, enjoying the first real peace he had gotten since being unfrozen by Sokka and his sister Katara.
"Can't you just relax for once?" Katara asked, glaring at her brother. "Look at all these happy smiling people, do you think they care that there's no fighting?"
"That's just my point," her brother snapped. "No one in their right mind goes around smiling all day, it's just not normal!"
"That's the first thing you've said that I agree with, water tribe trash," a scowling reply came from around the corner. The trio jumped and glared at the prince of all of the Fire Nation, resting his back against a building as he waited for his second in command, who was also his uncle to finish his purchases. Tension mounted for the next couple of seconds, before everyone realized that there was nothing Zuko could really do to them, without being arrested.
Katara insisted that they move on, but Sokka had other ideas in mind. There was no way he was going to let this stuck up selfish, brat of a Fire Bender make fun of him, and he couldn't resist egging the other teenage boy on.
"Oh come on," he mocked, "right now he's really harmless." Sokka sized him up and smirked. He poked the prince and chuckled. "See, he can't hurt me without getting into trouble." He poked him twice more, calling he what he really thought of him, and then went to poke him a fourth time, when Zuko reached out with lightning fast reflexes and snatched the other boy's finger, bending it back a little.
"There's nothing that says that I can't defend myself, is there?" he asked with his own unique grin.
"Let my brother go right now," Katara snarled, a little too loudly for any of their tastes.
Zuko shrugged and released the other boy. It burnt him up that the avatar was right there, and there was nothing he could do about it, but he was slowly gaining a taste for patience . . . with emphasis on slowly. "Uncle, hurry up with the market, we're leaving." The scarred boy turned away from the group, and frowned. "Uncle?"
Iroh stood in the middle of the street, holding three bags of food and other items, and stared mesmerized at something in a small little shop, his eyes wide and his lips spread in an adoring grin, like a man gawking at a beauty goddess. "She's beautiful," he cooed.
Zuko blinked, ignoring the confused stares of his adversaries heading for his uncle as well. "Uncle Iroh," he began, walking up to the old man, "that's nice and all but . . .," his glare turned in the direction of the woman his uncle had his eyes on, and a felt a tinge of fear for his soul. Aang and his friends rushed up to see what was going on, and the twelve year old, and water warrior male, felt the same rush. All three younger males groaned in horror.
"Hey, isn't that Aunt Wu?" Katara asked, "I wonder what she's doing here?" The fortune teller was sitting on a chair, her back arched back, as avocado dip dried to her face, and two lime slices covered her eyes. Her hair was tied up in curlers, and she wore a bright yellow bathrobe.
"Aunt Wu," the old man said mechanically, as if in a trance. "You know that creature of perfection?"
"Uncle, I really think its time we get your eyes checked," Zuko said.
"Or at least learn the definition of beautiful," Sokka said, trying not to gag.
"You two stop it," Katara snapped, her fists resting on her hips. "I think it's really cute that he has a crush on her."
"Yeah, an old fashioned romance," Aang chuckled as soon as he got over his shock at seeing the fortune teller like this. "Would you like us to introduce you?"
At the words of the avatar the old man shook back to reality and blushed so red a cherry would have been jealous. "What! Oh, no that's all right, besides I have to get this food back to the men," he said, his grin growing wider. "Besides, I doubt a delicate flower like that would be interested in a rough and used soldier like me." He cast another glance, and sighed as he saw that the woman had disappeared further into the building for the next treatment. Iroh sadly walked away.
"Ew, I don't even want to think of those two on a date," Sokka said with a shudder. Zuko spun on his heels and caught the other boy by his throat.
"Don't you talk about him like that, you filth, that's my uncle!"
"So what," Sokka snarled, "you wouldn't mind seeing them on a date?"
"Don't be ridiculous," the prince hissed. "That's stupid."
"Why?" Katara snarled, raising an eyebrow.
Both boys looked at her and answer in unison. "Because it is."
"Why; because they're old?"
"You don't know anything," Zuko snarled. He released Sokka and glared into the girl's eyes.
"Then Aang and I are going to prove the two of you wrong," she snapped, grabbing the avatar by his shirt.
"Right," the boy began, and then jumped. "Wait, we are?"
"Yes, we are!" she howled at him. She looked at the two teenage boys and scowled. "If those adolescent cavemen can't deal with it, then that's too bad. The town will have either of them arrested for violating the peace rule." She smiled and narrowed her eyes, enjoying the moment. "Besides, if either of them had ever kissed a girl they would have agreed to help us."
"I've already told you, I kissed a girl," Sokka snapped, Zuko looked at him and laughed.
"Just one girl? That figure's for a country bumpkin like you." His back straightened and he placed a hand on his chest. "I on the other hand have kissed many."
"All right then," she teased. "Let's see you prove it. Both of you I mean. While Aang and I help your uncle, let's see if either of you can get at least one kiss from a girl."
"A wager? What's in it for me?" Zuko asked, slightly amused.
"If you can get a girl to kiss you before Sokka does, I'll turn myself in to the Fire Nation," Aang said. He ignored Katara and Sokka's socked gasps and went on. He knew it would be the only thing the Fire Prince would be interested in anyway. "But if Sokka gets a girl to kiss him before you, then we get a two hour handicap when we all leave this town."
"One hour," the prince snapped.
"An hour in a half," the boy said, standing in the middle of the street like a cowboy waiting for a showdown.
"Fine, it wont take me long to get a girl to kiss me anyway," the prince said with a shrug.
"One condition," Katara said. "Neither of you get a kiss from me." The two boys groaned in disgust and she smiled. "Now all we need is a referee, someone who can keep an eye on the two of you, to acknowledge who was telling the truth about what you say."
"Sounds like fun," a sultry feminine voice said from behind. They turned around in time to see a young woman in her late teens, early twenties stand before them. Zuko had done business with her once before and wasn't sure if she could be trusted, but better her than no body.
"Fine, June will keep an eye on us."
"Hey, that's not fair, she helped you hunt us down once, and how do we know that you won't pay her to lie?" Sokka snapped. He saw Aang chuckle, dash off somewhere, and returned with a young girl about his age with long black pig tails.
"It's really a small world!" he said. "Meng was here too, and she agreed for my sake that she would be a second volunteer."
Katara smiled and nodded with approval, though she couldn't understand why the girl looked at her with such distance. Shrugging she looked at the boys. "Okay, now if you excuse us, Aang and I have a cute, old couple to fix up." She turned to leave with the boy, and giggled, "And kissing Meng and June is also out of the question too."
So how was it? Is this my third romantic hit, or have I got a dud on my hands? If I can get at least five positive reviews, I'll update. If I do update it won't be until November/December. I don't have direct internet access, and have to rely on my sister's internet access for the net. So Review, review, review!