Author's Disclaimer: I don't own a thing belonging to "Avatar: The Last Airbender!" Nada thing.
Authors notes: And on we go :P I apologize for the length of this chapter. Seems a tad on the small side.
CharlieBarrow: For all the messages and prompts and ideas. My many thanks :P
Maraghoul: For helping shape this story's existence :P
QueenTyzula: For always reading, always giving me a funny message or two :P And Ty Lee's dad strikes me as an opportunist. Or aka a bastard.
Harley Quinn Davidson: Aang would help anyone :P Thanks for reading.
"Stoking the Fire"
Chapter fifty-five "Waking"
Iroh woke with a grumpy snore, feeling delicate fingers thread through his beard. As always, he dreamed it was his late wife. She had been a lovely shy woman who had joined joyfully with him. Often, she would wake him by stroking his beard then kissing him. When Iroh's eyes opened, his wife's face melded into the familiar features of Ursa. His heart slammed but he smiled still.
"How long was I out?" he croaked. Ursa's chi bannered around his in inviting tendrils. He shuddered as it went due south, stiffening his cock. "Ursa…"
"A few hours. I slept too, my dear." Ursa's hands grew bolder, traveling across his belly to grip his shaft. He was sticky with their shared releases from earlier, but her fingers weren't shy as she coaxed him upright. Iroh gasped, peering down at his jutting erection.
"And now you're awake…" Iroh sat up, leaning to kiss the omega. She bit his lower lip and hungrily kissed him. Iroh felt himself jarring awake. His cock twitched in her fingers. "Are you ready?"
"I think that's apparent." Ursa's smile was smug as she brought one of his large hands between her thighs. She was already sopping wet, clit poking from its hood. Iroh rubbed his thumb over it to watch her gasp. They began again across the rumpled futons of their inn room.
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Zirin was getting tired of eyeing the back door of Zuko's relative's inn. They had been gone for near two days as it was. What on earth were they even doing? She decided to chance it, and drifted across the dirt street, sandals carrying her over puddles. Inside, Zirin acted as if she owned the place and walked confidently down the hallway. The doors leading to bedrooms were up ahead. In one, Zirin could hear the tell-tale moans of a couple sharing pleasure.
She'd bet dollars to squid-octopus that the Firelord's mother and uncle were the ones making those sounds. The sweet scent of a heat wafted out to the hallway and Zirin backed away from it, heart pounding crazily. The royal mother was in heat. That was why. She hightailed it to the back door quickly and beat feet across the street to her rented room. She may as well hole up in her room and get a good night's rest.
It wasn't like the pair was going anywhere soon, as it were. She had another day or two to while away.
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Ty Lee woke. Ying and Tsung were off in their chamber, getting some much-needed rest. The omega winced and stretched, massaging the stiff muscles of her neck. She hadn't allowed the healers to give her another dosage, and had slept off the effects of the intravenous medicine.
Ty Lee's eyes flitted to Azula's face, settling on her golden eyes. Wait a minute… Azula was awake, laying on the mattress, hair loose around her head, one bare shoulder peeking from her red bed robe.
"M-morning, Azula!" Ty Lee chirped. She was pleased Azula wasn't shouting, but she was also staring at her in a very strange way. Azula shifted on the mattress. Her restraints clanked.
"I'm thirsty," she said in an oddly calm way. Ty Lee hurried to left a cup of water on the bedside to her lips. Azula drank heavily, a line of water slipping from the corner of her lips. "What happened?"
"We….we were asleep." Suddenly, Ty Lee's dream slammed to the forefront of her mind. She had joined with Azula's spirit and Avatar Aang had urged them…. Unbidden, the image of her daughter's face came to mind. Did Aang know? No, she couldn't think about that now.
"I suppose that was so," Azula said. She coughed suddenly and Ty Lee bent her arm beneath her shoulders, helping prop her.
The three bearded healers that had stayed behind rushed over, fussing over Azula's prone body. One felt for her pulse in her wrist, checking a scroll as he did, and the others assessed her eyes, and feet of all things. One of the men massaged her ankle where it sat against the metal restraints.
"We should allow your feet room to stretch. I don't like this coloration," he said to his comrades. They nodded, and one produced a key from his long beard, unlocking the ankle restraints. Azula sat up in the bed, secured wrists in her lap.
"I have to…"Azula almost seemed shy as she gestured to the chamber pot. One of the men unfastened her wrist restraints.
"Quickly, princess. Then back in bed," he urged. Azula stood, legs shaking, then sauntered to the pot in the corner. She hiked up her robe and had to kneel to urinate. Ty Lee blushed.
Back in bed, her wrist restraints were relocked. Azula leaned back on her pillows.
"So…." Ty Lee began. Azula watched her with an unreadable expression.
"We…. you…." Indecision, much like when Azula was very young, flashed across her face. "I'm just so tired."
Ty Lee moved a lock of hair out of Azula's eyes. "I am too."
"You…" Azula's mind flashed back to when Ty Lee had been claimed by her brother. She cried small cries despite herself, covering her eyes with her wrist.
"Why," was all she could ask, even if it wasn't formed as the structure of a sentence. Ty Lee looked very sad. She laid her hand over Azula's arm.
"I'm sorry." And Ty Lee meant it. In her heart of hearts, she wasn't sorry for taking pleasure with the Fire Lord. She was sorry for hurting Azula and keeping Izumi from her.
Tears filled Azula's eyes. She turned her head aside, flustered. When Ty Lee reached to dry the tears with a corner of the sheets, Azula didn't stop her.
"Don't fret, Princess," one of the healers said. "We brought you to this estate to clear your inner demons and heal. Your brother knows not where we are."
Azula turned anguished eyes to Ty Lee. It killed the acrobat she looked that distraught. "Is this true?"
Ty Lee nodded quickly, happy to allay any fears. "Yes…..we're at an estate called Mountainside Manor. Your uncle helped with the arrangements…."
Azula's bare feet coiled on the mattress in anxiety. "He always was for Zuzu. He just wants to use me!"
Ty Lee looked so sad as she smoothed Azula's long hair out of her darting eyes.
"He doesn't. Trust me, he only wants to help."
"Don't let him near me."
Ty Lee knew that wasn't a promise she could keep so she said nothing.
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Tsung had been dreaming of walking through a stone corridor, to the secret cave Kyoshi had mentioned only twice aloud in her life, when she felt warm lips against her shoulder. Tsung's eyes opened slowly. She was on her back, and Ying had pushed her shift up so she could kiss her breasts. She straddled one of Tsung's knees, gently grinding. Tsung sighed. The naps were only getting the job done as far as they could, but right now, she was warm and Ying was touching her.
It was a nice bubble of intimacy and Tsung fell whole-heartedly into it. She held Ying's head with both hands, angling her higher for a kiss. The kiss deepened slowly. Ying murmured down Tsung's throat, kissing pale flesh as she went.
"Let's take our time…. spirits, I want you…"
The words enflamed Tsung's desire. She rolled them over and settled between Ying's thighs. Scraping up her girlfriend's shift, and settling along her curves was a delight. Tsung was lost in making Ying sigh and moan above her as she worked down the expanse of her body. Tsung smiled and parted her thighs with one hand before settling her face in between.
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"I'm glad you guys came back," Zuko said. Mai handed Izumi carefully to Katara who beamed and rocked the baby. Aang leaned back into the sofa, long arms spread across the back. Suki leaned against the back of the sofa, looking down at her friends.
"We couldn't very well leave any council intrigues away from us," Aang teased. Mai raised an eyebrow.
"We're questioning our traitorous lords and ladies. If Zuko weren't Fire Lord, I would have left the court intrigues long ago."
"As it is, it's making me sick," Zuko admitted. "Thank you for coming to help."
Aang shifted, trying not to think that his Avatar State would need to be used. He shuddered, trying not to feel he was heavily favoring the Fire Throne because his friend was on it. "So, has there….."
"No." Zuko must have known what he was going to ask, for his answer was curt.
Aang sighed and Katara's eyes lowered to Izumi's face. "Of course…"
"Ty Lee took her two friends from the Kyoshi Warriors, but didn't bother telling anyone else. She really wanted her location a secret," Mai lamented. Suki crossed her arms.
"That ticks me off more than them actually leaving," she said. Aang gave Suki a sheepish smile.
The group wound down and Aang found himself alone with the Fire Lord, who was pacing slowly, rocking his daughter to sleep.
"She really is beautiful," Aang said. He'd gotten quite the notion from his dream-walking and knew what to look for. There, the imperial stamp was heavy on Izumi's features, but it wasn't Zuko's per say….
"Thanks, buddy," Zuko calmed. He smiled tenderly down at Izumi's soft golden eyes. Her small rosebud mouth opened and closed in a yawn. Aang ambled closer and peered down into the baby's face again. There…. the curve of her mouth was more Azula's. The baby's eye color was the imperial soft golden, and her smile was all Ty Lee, but the rest….. there was definitely a difference between sibling features and while Zuko could pass as her sire, Aang knew the truth.
Aang cleared his throat. "I had a dream, Zuko."
"What about?" Zuko asked idly. He tucked the blanket tighter around Izumi and carried her to the nursery.
"Ty Lee."
Zuko flashed Aang a hurt look. He laid the dozing baby into her cradle.
"Yeah, I miss her too."
"It wasn't just that." Aang smiled softly. "I was with her spirit. She and Azula were dream-walking together."
Zuko's hands clenched into fists. He gestured and the two quietly walked out of the nursery. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I got a flash of…. well, I guess Avatar intuition," Aang admitted. "I think I know what you've been hiding from all of us."
Zuko tensed, darting his eyes to the nursery door and back to his friend. His jaw dropped and closed abruptly. Aang reached out and gripped his forearm. His smile was assuring.
"It's okay. I can only understand why. She IS your daughter," Aang said. Zuko shuddered.
"She is…! She is…." Zuko said. Aang clasped him in a sudden hug.
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"She should go to her chambers," one of the healers said. Azula softly pulled on her wrist restraints, gazing down at Ty Lee.
"Is she really that tired?" she asked almost politely. The bearded man nodded. He checked Ty Lee's pulse, and pulled one of the blankets up over her shoulders as she lay sprawled in the overstuffed chair.
"The lady has been up for almost two days straight watching over you. She is clearly exhausted." The bearded healer had the audacity to chide Azula in his tone. The tone struck the princess and although she seethed over it, scowling, his words registered and looked over Ty Lee's beautiful features.
Her eyes were lined with black rings, and her lips were chapped. She was clad in the imperial red tunic and black trousers, but the fabric was rumpled. Clearly, she hadn't changed outfits in a few days. Azula shifted against her pillows, the manacles pulling taut against her wrists. Her eyes slowly closed, put at ease that the acrobat was so close.
End for now
End notes: Sorry this one's so short; stay strong, my lovelies. Like it, smash that button and do that review thing :P
Sincerely, pen
8/11/2017