I was itching to put out the new chapter, so here it is!
The mystery guy that falls in love with Kiko is...
Chibi Zuko: Hey, no telling! I'm sick just thinking of him being in love with Kiko.
Chris: Why, you won't admit you're in love with her, so why not hook her up with another guy? Besides, it's better than having her hooked with a girl. How's Katara sound? Or Meng! Or Jun! She's attractive with that whip of hers.
Chibi Zuko: Get on with the chapter!
Chris: Her it is before, Zuko kills me!
Six months and going since the day Kiko arrived in Zuko and Iroh's present. Kiko would not bring up the subject of the avatar as long as Zuko wasn't going to and amazingly he hadn't since the day she returned two weeks ago. Other than the occasional butting of heads about certain subjects like fighting methods and the treatment of the crew, they amazingly got along with one another, which was more of a surprise on Zuko's part than Kiko. Zuko could never stay angry at Kiko and by the time he would gain the gall to apologize, she would have planned and executed a way to get back at him, for example making Iroh laugh so hard he spit tea in Zuko's face after he mentioned that it seemed Kiko had lost weight. Later Iroh told Zuko it wasn't a good idea to mention weight to a female. Lesson well learned.
New to the female world Zuko constantly made small mistakes, getting in and out of Kiko's good spirits. He soon found himself getting advice not only from his uncle, but from the crew! Zuko finally let the question "why" drop and went on knowing he wanted to make Kiko happy as possible and get to know her better.
Iroh also had his inputs. Like a father with his first child he spent his shopping excursions decorating Kiko's room with more candles, paintings, and flowers. He also bought her extravagant clothes and jewelry making Zuko happy he still got a line of money coming from the Fire Nation or else they would have been poor ages ago.
After one shopping spree on a supply stop Iroh got very excited at something he saw in the market. Zuko was sitting in a chair on deck, his feet propped up on the railing. They had been waiting for Kiko and Iroh to return for an hour and he was starting to get impatient. Suddenly he saw Iroh making a mad dash to the ship, dragging Kiko behind him. Zuko had a feeling of a boulder hit the bottom of his stomach, thinking something was wrong, but groaned when he saw Iroh's wide grin.
"Can we go now?" Zuko asked out loud and very irritated.
"Of course," Iroh replied pulling Kiko in front of him and pushing her towards the stairs to down below. "Come dear, we need you to try this on."
After Zuko gave the order to cast off he looked at Iroh's other hand only to see a brown wrapped parcel. Curious to what it is, he followed.
"Can't I talk to Zuko first?" Kiko whined, trying to stop Iroh n his tracks. She had already tried on so many dresses and jewelry, she was getting sick of it.
"Fine," Iroh said, finally getting the hint. He let her go and his shoulders dropped.
"Tomorrow maybe?" She said, wanting to cheer him up.
"Alright," he said, his smile returning. "I'll be in my room, so just send someone when dinner is ready."
Kiko waved Iroh off, smiling, and when he was finally gone Zuko bent down to her ear and asked, "So what's it he wants you to try on?"
"Haven't the foggiest," Kiko replied. "I guess he made me try to fit all those other clothes to see if I'd fit in that one."
"Must be something good, it's rare to see him act like a girl," Zuko said, causing Kiko to laugh, which in turn caused Zuko to smile.
"You should do that more often," Kiko said, walking to the dining hall.
"Do what?"
"Smile like that," Kiko said as Zuko opened the door for her. "You look good with a smile." Zuko blinked, not knowing what to say to something like that. "Help me with dinner?" Kiko said, knowing full well she'd catch him off guard.
"Sure," he said. He never helped prepare food before, but after a comment like the one she just gave to him, he didn't mind.
That night Zuko enjoyed dinner with a rest of the crew and actually laughed with them for the first time ever. The only person who seemed to notice this drastic change in the boy was his uncle Iroh. With a secret smile Iroh watched Zuko as he talked to Kiko and as he escorted her to her room for the night. Unfortunately, there was no kiss, or even holding hands. They simply bid each other good night, and went their separate ways.
"Kiko!" Iroh yelled the next morning. Kiko was walking out of the kitchen from cleaning the breakfast rush and looked up to see an excited Iroh. "You said you'd try it on today!" He dragged her again to her room and shoved the package in her arms and walked out of the room.
"What are you up to, uncle?" Asked Zuko. Iroh jumped and turned to see his nephew staring at him with his arms crossed.
"Kiko is putting on the dress I bought for her," Iroh chuckled. "Put up you hair, too, we're waiting to see you," he said through the door.
"We!" Zuko heard Kiko yell on the other side.
"Zuko is waiting with me, so can show off that womanly figure to the both of us," Iroh said. Zuko hit him upside the head when the door opened. Kiko never was like the other girls, taking their time dressing, but the speed of her changing didn't surprise him, it was the dress.
Kiko wore a bright red kimono that hugged her female body with burgundy hems and embroidered roses outlined the bottom of the skirt. Her hair was tied in a knot and let loose the rest of the way held in place by two black chopsticks with rubies encrusted in the wood. She wore no makeup except for a tint of red for her lips and black outline for her eyes.
"What do you think?" She asked in a shy voice. Zuko opened his mouth to have nothing come out, He looked over her more than once and the more he tried, the harder he found to say a word or make a sound.
Iroh backhanded his stomach to finally get a grunt out of him mouth. "She asked you what you think," Iroh whispered.
"I think… you look…" Zuko tried to say, his face becoming flushed.
Suddenly the ship came to a sudden stop, rocking over the three in the hall. Kiko tripped and fell to have Zuko dive and catch her.
"You alright?" He asked her. She nodded and looked up to see a few men's shadows up on deck run around.
"I'll go find out what's happened," Zuko growled, straightening Kiko before running towards the stairs down the hall.
"I have a feeling you should stay here, Kiko," Iroh said in a serious voice before running after Zuko. Kiko yelled out in frustration before walking into her room, slamming the door behind her.
When Iroh got out on deck he looked up to see the object before the battle ship that stopped it in its tracks. Another battleship, five times bigger than Zuko's, waded before the ship, a platform already out between the two ships and Iroh could see a man with two guards walk towards them.
"Admiral Zhao," growled Zuko. A tall man with dark brown hair (usual haircut, sideburns, and beard o.O), imperial armor with a sash over his left shoulder to his right hip, a regal looking man with darkness in his eyes.
"Prince Zuko," Zhao said coldly. "General Iroh," he said with respect.
"Admiral Zhao, to what do we owe the honor?" Asked Iroh in a monotone.
"My sources tell me that Zuko is carrying… extra cargo," Zhao said, never taking his eyes off Zuko's.
"What are you talking about?" Demanded Zuko.
"A person not from the fire nation has been seen with you from one of the islands and I was told," Zhao said, walking over to him. "You wouldn't be carrying the avatar and not telling the Fire Lord, are you Zuko?" They had a stare off when they heard a crash; the sound of a door slamming. Zhao looked at Zuko with a dry smile and walked towards the stairs.
"No!" Zuko said, thinking of Kiko.
"Restrain him!" Zhao order and his two guard held back Zuko with difficulty. He turned and walked down the stairs with Iroh right on his trail.
"Is this really necessary, Zhao?" Iroh asked. "The avatar is not on this ship."
"Then what is Zuko hiding?" Zhao said, mostly to himself. Down the hall he noticed light coming from under Kiko's door and a shadow walking. "If I remember correctly, this room wasn't in use." Iroh tried to stop him, but Zhao, without knocking, opened the door and a second later heard a high pitched scream before he was blown to the other side of the hall by a fire blast.
Zuko came running through, obviously pissed off. "What happened?" Just as Zhao yelled, "What the hell!"
The door burst open and Zuko immediately stepped back. Kiko stood there in her modern day armor, fists clenched, her eyes radiating anger. He had never seen her that mad before and it slightly frightened him.
"It seems Kiko was changing," Iroh stated. Zuko stared at him, putting two and two together realizing why Kiko had screamed and why she looked so mad. Zhao had seen her naked.
"What gave you the gall to barge into a bedroom like that?" She screamed at Zhao. "Have you no damn courtesy?"
"I would watch your mouth, girl," he yelled back. "Have you any idea whom you're speaking to?"
"A dead man," she growled before throwing a punch at his face. Zhao parried and threw one of his own. She dodged and punched his gut, fire pushed from her fist, pushing him harder against the steel wall off the hall. He swiped her face and she caught his arm and the other. They were at a stand still when Zhao spoke up.
"You have some skill," he said with a smirk.
"Somehow, I don't take that as a compliment," she replied.
"But it was meant to be one," he said.
"Kiko," Iroh said. "This is Admiral Zhao."
"Wha-!" Kiko said, taking a step back. Her eyes were wide as she understood more with her temper set aside.
Zhao stood up and straightened his clothes as he looked at Kiko, saying," So you are the extra passenger I was told about?"
"More than likely," she said uncertain. "There's no one extra on the ship other than me and the man I'm speaking to, though I have a feeling you're always the extra, aren't you?"
"Beautiful, strong, and has a wit," Zhao said with a smile. "How did Zuko ever tempt a girl like you onto his ship?" Zuko quickly stepped in front of her, growling.
"Well, I suppose you don't have the avatar then," Zhao said with a chuckle. "But then I can't expect more from you, can we? Kiko, was it?" Kiko didn't respond, but looked at him over Zuko's shoulder.
"Why don't you come with me? We have better accommodations and we can return you to the Fire Nation. I'd like to know you more."
"Why do you want her to go with you, Zhao?" Barked Zuko.
"What are you going to do with her?" Laughed Zhao. "You couldn't seduce a rhino with that scar on your face, and your social skills lack, as it were."
"I'll stay," Kiko said in a commanding voice. Everyone looked at her surprised, including Zuko, who merely looked over his shoulder to look at her with his good eye. "You have no claim over you, Zhao. From my point of view, Zuko is the charming one in this snake pit."
"I can change that," he whispered, hardly loud enough for anyone to hear. "My ship will be directing yours to an island to the east, the closest to us. You have no choice." He turned and walked out on deck and the commotion heard meant he was going back to his ship. They felt a lunge as his ship pushed theirs and Zuko knew they couldn't get away from Zhao, so he made no move to fight against him.
"Would you really prefer me to him?" Zuko whispered without looking at her.
"I said it, didn't I?" She asked. She didn't wait for an answer and turned to walk onto the deck.
"I'd give her more credit than that, Zuko," Iroh said before following her. After a few hours they landed on a small continent heavily populated by earth benders and their people. It seemed an army talked onto the beach from Zhao's ship and into the land. Zuko, Iroh and Kiko walked out alone to meet Zhao, who turned to smile at them.
"What is the meaning of this, Admiral Zhao?" Iroh demanded.
"Simple," Zhao said. "I plan on courting Lady Kiko and taking her for my own." He turned to follow his men. Zuko looked ready to burst into a ball of flame, Iroh looked confused and shock. Kiko looked pale and ready to puke.
"Kiko, are you alright?" Iroh asked, noticing her completion.
"I think I'm going to be sick," she said.
"Me, too," Zuko growled.
"You don't understand, about Zhao and me," she said.
"What do you mean 'Zhao and me'?" Yelled Zuko.
"It's not like that," she yelled back. "It makes me sick to think he's attracted to me because… he's my great-great-grandfather."
Season 2 starts on the 17th! I saw previews and OMG. It sounds soo cool, Zuko and Iroh are outlaws. Zula, Zuko's sister kicks ass with her firebending. I mean, that was like lightning! I can't wait!