Woot The newest chapter! Enjoy it guys, because this probably going to be the last happy one for awhile
Zuko blinked his eyes open and yawned. The light coming in through the window showed that it was early morning. Sleepily he stood up and ambled into the bathing area where a giant basin full of water, changed daily, stood in front of a mirror. He splashed water onto his face to make himself more awake. With another yawn he looked up himself and cried out in shock. His hair had been shaved and the tattoos of the avatar now covered his body. Scariest of all, his scar had been completely healed. Terrified he took a step backwards only to find himself falling backwards into darkness.
The young prince cried out once more and reached up with his arms and it took Zuko a moment to realize that he had been dreaming. Breathing heavily he touched the right side of his face and felt relief sweep over him as he felt his scar. The burned skin of his face was tough but the years had smoothed away the roughness. Never before had Zuko thought that the feeling would bring him comfort. Sighing he turned to his side and saw his Uncle sitting beside his pallet fast asleep, a pot of tea and a bowl of water before him. Vaguely Zuko remembered returning from Lake Laogai and collapsing.
A burst of affection went through the young man as he stared as his uncle. He hadn't been sure of his choices after releasing the sky bison but now he felt confident he had made the right decision. His Uncle had sacrificed much for him and if living here in Ba Sing Se would make the older man happy then Zuko would keep his mouth shut and live. Sitting up, he reached out and touched Iroh on the leg. The older man started and blinked sleepily. Then a smile spread across his face.
"Ah, you are finally awake. How do you feel?"
"A lot better," Zuko admitted as he sat up. Brushing the hair back from his forehead he continued, "How long have you been sitting there?"
Touching the teapot and wincing at the cool surface, Iroh replied casually, "The amount of time is not important Prince Zuko. 'Time ripens all things and with Time all things are revealed.'"
Zuko rolled his eyes and groaned at the platitude; he should have stayed asleep. "Uncle...you need to rest. You can go back to your own bed now. I'm sure there are a few hours before we really have to be awake."
At those words Iroh nodded. "Shall I bring you something to eat before I retire to my room?"
At the mention of food Zuko's stomach came to life. Sheepishly he nodded and his Uncle stood up with a groan and moved into the kitchen area of their apartment. A few minutes later he came back with a steaming bowl and a chunk of bread. Zuko took the food and once his Uncle was gone, consumed it as though he had not eaten for weeks. Setting the bowl down and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand Zuko sighed heavily. Lying back, his eyes closed and he sleepily promised himself that the minute he woke up he'd begin doing what he could to make his uncle happy.
Morning light filtered in through the window and Mei Lin sighed softly as she found herself suddenly awake. She stretched and yawned, feeling tired after spending most of the night at Mushi's apartment. Time had seemed to fly after Mushi had woken up from his nap. They had eaten the stew together and had talked quietly as they watched over Lee. Although Mei Lin and Mushi often talked, this was the first time that the older woman felt that Mushi had truly opened up to her. Brushing hair out of her face Mei thought tenderly of how he had revealed that he had had a son who had been killed in the war. While she knew that there were many others who had lost their children, from her village she had been one of the few. To find someone else and discover such a connection deepened her feelings for the man.
Feeling an indescribable amount of happiness, Mei Lin stood up and made her way to the bathing area and readied herself for the day. After twisting her hair up into a thick bun, Mei Lin moved to the corner of her room that she had designated as a work area. Easily she removed her outer robe and, tossing it aside onto the bed roll, was left standing in a sleeveless shirt of thin material. Her lower body was incased in a pair of short training pants that several inches above her knee. While Mei Lin would never wear such an outfit outside of her home, the thin and loose material was perfect for working with her trade.
Before getting to work Mei Lin did several stretches to limber up her body. She remembered all too well seeing people she knew injure themselves trying to perform difficult earthbending moves for lack of flexibility. Once she was ready Mei used her bending to bring forward the large black block she had bought the previous day. The block came up to her hip and Mei Lin closed her eyes. Gently she traced her fingers over the top of the block imagining how she wanted the tea set to look like. Her eyes opened and she raised her hand to bring forward a block of jade she had purchased several weeks earlier. She had used part of it for another tea set and would use the rest of it now.
Keeping the block of jade to one side, once more Mei Lin touched her fingers to the obsidian. With a soft grunt of exertion she shifted her feet and her fingers and several holes appeared in the top of the block. A sheen of sweat appeared on Mei Lin's forehead as she inspected the holes. They were perfect. Each one was an opening to a tunnel that wound its way through the obsidian. Feeling pleased Mei Lin lifted the jade block on top of the obsidian and punched her hands downwards. Immediately the sections of jade above the holes were thrust downwards to fill the tunnels. Afterwards what was left of the jade looked more like a piece of cheese than anything else.
Moving the jade aside Mei Lin took a deep breath. As the older woman exhaled she allowed her body to flow into the movements that brought forth shape from the stone before her. Nimbly she threw punches and her hands sliced through the air as her feet maneuvered her around the obsidian. When she finally came to a stop, breathing heavily, and pieces of stone littered the entire room. But, to her delight, a beautiful looking tea set lay in the midst of the rubble. Kneeling down, Mei Lin reached out and took hold of the tea pot. The jade she had melded into the obsidian streaked through the black giving it a look unlike any of the other tea pot she had in her collection.
Sighing softly Mei Lin transferred the tea set to a shelf on the wall and used her earth bending to clean the mess. Once she was done she sat down at a small table and began the process of creating a glaze to coat the tea set in. It would protect the tea set against scratches and other bumps and give it a beautiful sheen. As she worked over the tea set Mei Lin hoped fiercely that Mushi would love it.
The next few days passed smoothly as Iroh reopened the shop. He had decided to close it to ensure that the Prince truly had recovered from his sudden illness. The closing had been good for business as more customers than usual had come flooding in once the Jasmine Dragon had opened its doors once more. The closing had also been beneficial for his relationship with Mei Lin. Something had changed between them after that first night watching over Zuko. Their conversations had taken on a more intimate nature and often, at the end of the night they would linger in each other's doorways hesitant to part ways. The change in Zuko's attitude had also brought the young man and Mei Lin together.
Iroh's features softened as he remembered how the previous night over a game of cards Mei Lin and Zuko had spent much time teasing each other. The look of affection on Mei Lin's face had warmed his heart. Iroh knew that the death of her own son had occurred recently but the way she opened up to his nephew was touching. Smiling happily Iroh went back to straightening the display plants in front of the enterance of the shop.
The older man was pulled from his thoughts when someone cleared their throat. Iroh blinked in surprise and looked up to see a man, dressed all in green and with a serious expression standing in the entrance to the shop. Raising an eyebrow Iroh asked, "Can I help you?"
"A message from the Royal Palace." The man's voice was flat and emotionless.
Iroh nodded and took the scroll that the man handed over to him. Without another word the man left and Iroh unrolled the paper. As he read the words his mouth dropped open. In amazement he exclaimed, "I…I can't believe it!"
Clearing a table nearby, Zuko heard his uncle. "What is it Uncle?" a smirk settled on his mouth and he teased, "Is it a love letter from Mei Lin?"
The older man flushed and shook his head. Waving the paper he replied excitedly, "It's an invitation to go to the Royal Palace and serve tea to the Emperor! Can you believe it? I must go tell Mei Lin."
Zuko smiled as his Uncle rushed off to share the good news. Finishing with the table, Zuko wiped his hands on the apron around his waist. It was about to be closing time and knowing his Uncle and Mei Lin the two of them would probably disappear to celebrate the invitation. The young man went to the storage area and hung up his apron before exiting the shop. After only a moment's hesitation he moved in the direction of Jin's house. It had been awhile since the two of them had spoken but after everything that happened Zuko knew he needed to speak with her again and apologize for the way he had treated her.
By the time Zuko reached Jin's house it was after sunset. Knocking on the front door, he waited nervously wishing he had thought to bring some flowers or some sort of trinket. Zuko's nervous thoughts were put on hold when the door swung open revealing a very tall, very angry looking man. Clearing his throat Zuko asked, "Uhh…I'm looking for Jin."
The man crossed his arms and glared down at Zuko. "You that Lee kid, my daughter's been hanging around?"
"Yes sir," Zuko replied weakly.
Shoving his finger into Zuko's chest the man yelled, "You gotta lot of nerve showin' up here actin' like you didn't break my little girl's heart!"
Zuko stumbled backwards from the force of the poke and if this had happened a few days before he would have lost his cool and probably given Jin's father a scar to match his own. Instead he lowered his head and said humbly, "That's what I'm here for…I want to apologize for what happened."
"Well you're too late." Jin's father sneered. "Jin's not here. Looks like you sho-…"
"Dad?" Jin appeared beside her father's elbow and when she took in the scene she let out an exasperated sigh. Propping her hands on her waist she looked at her father and scolded, "Dad, I thought we had a talk about this! You have to stop intimidating my friends."
Jin's father, who had looked completely terrifying a few moments earlier, seemed to melt. "I'm only tryin' to protect you sweetheart."
Patting her father on the arm Jin pushed him back into the house and replied, "Go protect mom from dinner; she's trying to make beetle-worm soup." As her father rushed back into the house Jin turned towards Zuko and her friendly expression slipped away. Crossing her arms she said flatly, "What do you want Lee? I thought I wasn't honorable enough for you."
"I came to apologize," Zuko said softly. "I have no excuse for how I treated you a few days ago."
"A few days ago!" Jin cried out. "It's been over a week! Don't you think your apology's a little bit too late?"
Rubbing his hair Zuko said sheepishly, "Yeah, I got pretty sick. I've been stuck in my house for a few days."
Jin eyed him suspiciously. "Oh really? Well even if you were sick, that doesn't mean I have to accept your apology." Her voice wavered slightly and she looked down. "You were really mean to me Lee." She paused to suck in a deep breath. "I appreciate…the gesture...but I need some space and time…"
Zuko felt nothing but pain as he nodded. Before he could respond, Jin was saying goodbye and closing the door in his face.
"Mushi that's wonderful!" Mei Lin cried out as her friend read the missive from the palace. Rounding the counter to her area of the shop she went to him and hugged him. Pulling back she continued, "What an honor to have a chance to go and serve tea to the Emperor; I'm sure once he tastes your tea messages like this will become common."
Mushi's face dimpled into a pleased smile as he rolled the paper up and stuck it in a hidden pocket of his robe. "The spirits have been very kind to me and my nephew," he said. "I will be sure to take the tea set that I bought from you during our first meeting. I am sure the Emporer will be most impressed with the craftsmanship."
For the past few days Mei Lin had been waiting for the right moment to gift Mushi the tea set she had made from the jade and obsideon. What moment could be more right than this? Barely able to contain her excitement Mei shook her head. "No, I have something much better for you to use on such an important occasion. But first let's close the shop." The two of them worked together in a companionable silence for the next ten minutes. Once the shop was closed Mushi offered Mei his arm and she took it.
The couple walked slowly in the direction of Mei Lin's apartment. "Will you tell me what is I will be using?" Mushi asked curiously.
"Be patient," Mei scolded teasingly. "Good things come to those that wait."
Mushi chuckled as he replied, "Perhaps we have been spending too much time together if you are now the one quoting proverbs."
"Or," Mei started, her cheeks heating up, "We have not been spending enough time together." When Mushi looked at her she continued hastily, "After all I have yet to hear you complaining about the state of all those poor young children in the lower ring which is something I do quite often!" By this time they had reached her door. Once inside the apartment Mei Lin waved her hand towards the low table surrounded by cushions. "Please, have a seat."
As Mushi settled himself, Mei Lin made her way to her work area where she had left the tea set. A few days before she had purchased a small box to house the pieces and now she picked it up and carried it over to the table. Setting it down, she settled down on a cushion beside Mushi and pushed the box closer to him. "This is for you."
Iroh gave Mei Lin a curious look before reaching out for the box. It was of medium size and made of a very pale wood. While not decorated he could see that a large amount of work had gone into the making of it. Slowly Iroh removed the lid and revealed a silken red cloth on the inside. Setting the lid to one side he removed the cloth and felt his breath catch. Nestled within the box was a tea set. Carefully he lifted out the pot and could only admire it. It was pitch black with streaks of green running throughout it.
"Did you make this?" Iroh asked in astonishment as he turned to look at Mei Lin.
Mei nodded shyly. "Yes…I wanted to do something special for you." She paused and looked slightly flustered as she continued, "I was waiting for the right moment and…well…if the Emperor calling on you to serve him tea isn't the right moment then I don't know what is." When Iroh only continued to stare at her, Mei's expression became alarmed. "Mushi? Are you alright?"
Very carefully Iroh set the tea pot down back into the box. Turning to face Mei Lin completely, Iroh reached out and touched her face gently. "I am more than alright," he said quietly.
Something flared in Mei Lin's eyes as she reached up to cover his hand with her own. "I…care for you a great deal." She replied with a soft smile. "I hope I can show you that many more times."
Overcome by the feelings he had for Mei Lin and the look in her eyes, Iroh did what he swore he wouldn't do unless he could come clean about who he really was. He leaned over and kissed her.
THEY DID IT THEY FINALLY KISSED. Guys I was totally prepared to go into detail about the whole affair but you know what, Iroh and Mei Lin are classy and I couldn't figure out a away to keep it that way without smutting it up hahaha. ANYWAYS. Prepare the tissues guys...You all know what's coming next storywise...How will Mei Lin react to discovering that her beloved "Mushi" is in fact a general and freaking prince from the Fire Nation?