Disclaimer: I own a demon dog, who is currently shredding one of my socks. But not ATLK!

Note: In the last chapter, there was supposed to be an extra space between the part where Asami agrees to talk to Iroh and when Iroh calls out to her. As always, comments (I liked reviews better) and watches are appreciated!

Iroh's POV

Asami had a look on her face that reminded me of the time I had caught a moose-deer in the woods. Wide, startled eyes and features frozen in terror. I was a little hurt. Was my offer to lunch with her that abhorrent? The moment passed and she looked down, the beginnings of a frown forming on her face.

"Asami, don't feel that you have to accept my offer out of courtesy. I'd be happy to take you back." I was afraid of startling her away, more so than I had been that night on the pier. If she turned down my offer and left me, there would be no going back. The bridge that was barely forming between us would be burned to ashes forever.

"Actually," she glanced up at me, an impish light dancing in her eyes, "I would enjoy lunch very much. A girl gets hungry, you know."

Delighted, I produced a blanket from the large basket and started to spread it on the ground.

"Iroh, would you mind terribly if we took lunch a bit closer to the lake? It's so beautiful." Her voice was admiring. if only she knew-the lake wasn't the most beautiful thing to be found here.

"Of course, Asami. Whatever you desire." I picked up the blanket and spread it right next to the shore of the lake. As I bent down to straighten one of its edges, something flew at me and hit me in the side. Training took over and I spun with the mysterious force. It glanced off my torso and then its momentum carried it past me, into the lake. Only after I heard a loud, womanly gasp did I realize that it was Asami, trying to tackle me into the water.

I turned to face her, grinning widely. She looked up at me and scowled, standing up. She was soaked to her waist, though the water only came up to her knees.

"Some gentleman you are," she griped. She sloshed out of the lake, shivering. Though I berated myself for noticing it, the water made her already form-fitting clothes cling tighter to her shapely frame. "Oh, that wasn't very intelligent of me," she sighed.

What to do now? It wouldn't be fair to let her stay soaked and chilly, but I didn't want to go back yet. The fun had just begun. The only thing we had that could serve as clothing was the blanket. Then, an idea struck me. I grabbed the blanket and loped toward the trees.

"Iroh? Are you leaving me here?" Her voice was shocked, outraged. I could almost feel her opinion of me crumbling away.

Without answering her, I found two trees next to each other, with branches about the same height. I tied an end of the blanket around each branch. It formed a sort of screen. Then I shrugged out of my tunic. It was more than long enough for Asami.

"Here." I hung the tunic on one of the branches and turned back to face her. She stood about ten feet away, hands on her hips.

"You could've told me what you were going to do." She muttered, then stalked past me. Her mostly dry hair billowed behind her, and one of the wet ends streaked across my chest. I thanked the Fire Lord that I'd decided to wear an undershirt with my tunic today. Otherwise, it would be too improper. As it was, my arms were uncovered. I glanced at the burn on my bicep, from the battle with Amon. It was healing nicely, but would scar.

I went back to the abandoned basket and began setting the food on the grass. Noodles were our main course. I'd brought some fresh fruit along, and a luxury for our dessert. Two squares of chocolate.

"Excellent way to start, Iroh. Push her into the lake. That's sure to make her like you." I muttered to myself, scathing. When had I become such a fool? "Mother always said you had to be gentle with women..." I trailed off as I heard Asami's approaching footsteps.

She spread the blanket beside me and helped me put our food onto it. Suddenly, I worried that I was being too forward with her. She was wearing my clothes. Was that proper? Was I being gentle enough?

"We can go back, if you wish." As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I hated myself. Now she wouldn't ever talk to me again and our lunch was cut short. I took this moment to glance at her. It was polite to look at someone when you were speaking to them. But I knew the real reason I turned to look at her. She was beautiful, and I couldn't keep my eyes off of her. My tunic went just past the middle of her thighs. I found myself wishing, scandalously, that she was just a bit taller, so I could see that much more of her shapely legs. She'd rolled the sleeves up to expose the entireity of her toned arms. The scarlet color contrasted sharply with her light green eyes, making them even brighter.

To my utter shock, she settled down on the blanket and flashed me a winning smile. "But, Iroh, the fun is just beginning."

Note: Yeah, I made an animal up. Moose-deer. Sorry. I couldn't find anything mixed with a deer that would work for my purposes. Forgive me.