I don't own the Avatar. This chapter's a bit longer, hope that's ok! Enjoy~

Chapter 4-

They kiss so sweet~

"No, don't wake her up!" Keiko hissed outside my door, trying to be quiet but failing miserably. I wasn't asleep, instead I was finishing Mrs. Bunnag's dress for the wedding, but I appreciated the effort. "I gotta tell her! Jin! Are you up?!"

"Yeah? Door's unlocked." The twins came barreling through the door, Eun red in the face and panting like he'd just run a marathon. "Do you work today?" He demanded, cutting off Keiko's dramatic sigh and eye roll. "No. Why? What's wrong? Is the Da lai back?"

Keiko sat down beside me, tugging on her hair. She looked exasperated, her brown eyes full of annoyance. "No, Eun's just freaking out over nothing, again." Eun bristled, anger in his eyes.

"It's not nothing, Keiko! The fire lord's here! In the lower ring! And he's looking for someone! A GIRL! A GIRL NAMED JIN!"

My needle fell from my fingers, jaw falling open. "There has to be more than one Jin in the lower ring, right! I mean, I, I, I can't be the only one, right!"

Keiko nodded, picking up my needle and putting it and the dress away. "That's what I said. Eun just doesn't listen!" Eun marched out of the room, muttered under his breath, "Stupid fire nation trying to take away all my sisters."

Keiko flopped onto her back on the bed beside me, smacking my knee with her hand as she did. "Don't worry, Jin-Jin. We won't let anything happen to you, even if he is looking for you. We won't let him take you without a fight!"

Her attempt at comforting only scared me even more, but she didn't seem to notice. "Wanna play pai sho?" She asked, bouncing up off my bed. "I, uh, sure, Keiko."

We moved downstairs, Keiko setting up the board while I made us a pot of tea. She started the game, and we settled into a comfortable silence, sipping tea and playing our game while a few of our older apartment neighbors watched us play. In the end, Keiko won by a landslide. She usually did, and was the best player in our little 'family'.

I would get confused, Eun never played, Huan was easily distracted. Shun was the only one who could keep up, but Keiko always won. In fact, she played and usually won competitions down at the corner bar every Saturday night.

"Wanna play again?" Keiko asked, pouring herself another cup of tea. "No thanks! You've beaten me twice now, and I won't let you beat me again!" She laughed, cleaning up the tiles. "Aw, c'mon, Jin! At least we never bet money! Eun still owes me 100 gold coins, and Huan owes me 20 silver."

Someone shouted outside, a panicked cry and clomping boots filling the streets. Keiko peaked out the window, gasping loudly. "Gods! Fire nation!" We both grabbed a hold of each other, unsure of what to do. "Girls! Get upstairs and stay there!" Jingyi cried, the old man pushing us towards the steps.

Keiko drug me up the stairs and into her and Eun's room, slamming the door shut behind us. "I'm scared." I whispered, gripping both her hands tightly. "I can't believe Eun was right!" She whispered back, and if I wasn't so scared I would have laughed.

A booming knock on the front door made us both jump, and a low voice spoke to whoever opened the door. A few moments of silence followed, both Keiko and I not even breathing as we listened for any sound.

Someone was coming up the stairs, frantically knocking on the door. "Jin! It's me!" Gyeong hissed from the otherside. Keiko walked me to the door, Gyeong throwing her arms around both of us when we opened the door.

"Jin!" Gyeong grabbed both of my arms tightly, shaking me slightly, tears in her eyes. "Jin! The fire lord! He's here! And he's looking for you!"

I felt sick, having to hold onto Gyeong and Keiko before I fell over. "Why? I..I haven't done anything wrong!" "Do you want to run or see him? I'll cover you if you run!" I shook my head, giving them a tight hug.

"No, no, I don't want any trouble for you. I'll go see him." Gyeong didn't let go of me, and I didn't let go of her, both of us crying softly. After a moment, I finally worked up the courage to let go.

Gyeong smoothed down my hair, wiped my eyes with her sleeve, and rubbed an imaginary wrinkle out of my dress before giving me a satisfied nod and a kiss on the cheek. "Pretty as a princess, my dear. Be safe. He's in the room at the end of the hall." "Shout, and I'll come kick his royal ass." Keiko said, trying to stay strong, but the fear in her eyes gave her away.

I held my breath, trying to fight the rising butterflies and fear in my stomach down as I knocked on the door to the Fire lord's room. My hands are shaking, palms are sweaty, and I kinda feel like I'll vomit, but I do my best to hold it in. The door opened, and a tall fire nation soldier beckoned me in, leaving as soon as I was in the room and closing the door behind him.

Leaving me completely alone with the fire lord.

The fire lord's back was towards me, his hands clasped tightly behind his back and facing the fireplace. I bowed deeply, keeping my eyes on my slippers. "You wished to see me, my lord?" The fire lord quickly walked to my side, his rather nice boots coming into view. He rested his hands on my shoulders, raising me from my bow. "No need for that, Jin. Were you crying? What's wrong!?"

The fire lord was the most handsome man I'd ever seen in my life. Even with the large scar over his eye, he was more attractive than any one I'd ever met. He was dressed head to toe in finery; red silks, gold embroidery, a golden replica of a flame of his chest, and resting on top of his head was an identical golden piece to his chest, clearly showing his station in life. A small smile was spread across his lips, and I instantly knew where I'd seen him before.

"Lee." I breathed, and his smile widened, his hands moving from my shoulders to my arms, holding me by my elbows. "You remember me." He whispered, the look in his eyes making me blush. "How could I forget you? Besides, you remember me." Lee chuckled and blushed, leading me to the table and pulling out a chair for me. "How could I, Jin? You're even more beautiful than I remember." He fidgeted as we sat, and I placed a hand over his. His hand was incredibly warm, and I couldn't help but wish he'd hold my hand. "What's wrong." Lee took a deep breath before speaking quickly. "I have so much I need to tell you, but I have no idea where to start." I took my hand off his, adjusting my skirt.

"Why not start with something easy? What's your name? It's probably not Lee, is it?" He shook his head, taking my hand in both of his and smiling shyly. "Ok, good idea. No, it's not. I'm Zuko."

Zuko.

It suited him somehow, much more than Lee did, and I liked the way it sounded. "Zuko. I like it. I call you Lord Zuko or?" His eyes widened and he shook his head violently. "No. You never have to call me anything but Zuko. I wanted to tell you the truth the entire time, but I couldn't."

I smiled, giving his hand a squeeze. "I understand, Zuko. It makes sense, now that I think about it. Is that how you lit the lanterns so quickly at the fountain?" He nodded, smiling before a look of panic and concern flashed across his face. "You were crying before. What happened? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. You just scared me." he stared at me in disbelief. "I did? I didn't mean… I'm sorry, Jin. I didn't think about it. I really didn't want to make you cry."

"It's OK, Zuko. Really. I was just scared and confused. It's not everyday a peasant like me gets to meet the fire lord."

Zuko reached over and took my hand in his much larger one, sending shivers up my spine and butterflies to my stomach. "If you say so. You're more than just a peasant, you know. I want to be completely honest with you."

I managed a slight smile. "I'd prefer if you were." Zuko smiled back at me, before speaking.

"I...I really like you, Jin. You saw me as something when I was nothing. You were sweet, and welcoming, and just so kind, even when I was so cold to you, and that struck something in me. All this time, You just kept popping up in my mind. I'd be traveling or in a meeting and wondering what you were doing, or I'd see something pretty or find something nice, and want to tell you about it or show you."

Zuko gave my hand a squeeze, finally looking me in the eyes. "I just like you, Jin. You liked me when I didn't deserve it. I don't deserve for you to like me now. I understand if you don't want to see me anymore."

"I still like you, Zuko. I've been thinking about you, too. Since you disappeared, I always hoped I'd see you again. I'm so glad I got to." He laughed, a deep, joyful laugh that filled my belly with butterflies. I liked the sound of his laugh. "Good. I, uh, I know I wasn't exactly the best of dates last time, but I was hoping you'd let me take you out again, to, uh, make up for last time." Both of our faces flushed as red as his robes, and I dropped my gaze to our clasped hands before smiling. "I'd love to."

"Really?" He looked so surprised and happy at the same time, and I couldn't help but laugh. "Of course! Like I said, I still really like you, Zuko." He beamed, and his hand heated up a bit in mine.

"Great! Uh, great! Is sundown alright with you? I'll pick you up here if that works with you." "That works perfectly for me." He stood, and helped me up. Both of our faces were flushed, and the entire room was several degrees warmer than before.

We were close enough that I could feel the heat coming off of him. I wish he'd kiss me. I couldn't believe that I wanted him to "What should I wear?" I whispered, and he leaned in a little closer.

"Something nice, but you'll be beautiful in anything." Zuko swallowed thickly, glancing down at my lips before back at my eyes. "May I kiss you?" He whispered, cheeks as red as his robe. I nodded, gripping the front of his beautiful robe.

His lips were instantly on mine, his hands on my waist and lower back. Fire spread through my body, and I tugged him closer. His lips were just as warm as I remember, sending sparks to my belly.

He held me tighter, pulling back slightly, our lips barely touching. Zuko brushed our lips together again, swallowing afterwards. "I don't think I'd ever get sick of kissing you, Jin." I giggled, taking his face between my hands and stroking his cheeks with my thumbs, making him grin. "Good."

Zuko kissed me again, and I knew than that if he kept kissing me like that, I might just fall in love with him

Ta-da! The kiss! Don't worry, the story doesn't end here! I've got tons of stuff planned for this story, so I don't plan on ending it any time soon!

Responses~

Faby Gadget- Oh my gosh, thank you! You're so sweet! I'm glad you like it! I really think people are sleeping on this ship!