woohoo! another chapter! i like this one..

thanks again everyone for the awesome reviews, faves and alerts! (i know i sound redundant, but i'd hate not to thank everyeone)

enjoy!

-TSA

Chapter 6:

"There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth...not going all the way, and not starting." –Buddha

"Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Four seasons, four loves. Four seasons, four loves!"

Zuko covered his ears as his uncle insisted on teaching Briar one of his silly sailor tunes. He glanced furiously around the train station in hopes that he could find a way to ignore the sound of Briar's voice. It was deep like the abyss of the ocean, dark like the night sky. He wasn't accustomed to anything lower than a soprano, and he wasn't sure he even liked it. Wrinkling his nose, he buried his face in his hands while they continued singing to pass the time.

"What other songs can you teach me?" Briar asked, giggling when she heard Zuko growl with agitation.

"There are plenty more!" Iroh glanced over at Zuko, "Would you like to join us, Nephew?"

"I would like it if you two shut up!"

"You are such a sourpuss," Briar murmured.

Zuko jumped to his feet, seizing her by the collar of her dress, "What did you just call me?"

Briar's eyes widened as she glanced around the train station where pairs of a hundred eyes were watching them. She grabbed hold of his hand and pried his fingers away while smiling apologetically, "Quit making a scene!"

He slumped back into his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. When his uncle went to purchase some tea, he saw Briar slide over closer to him to where his uncle had been sitting. He gave her a glare, but she wasn't fazed by it, "Did you enjoy snuggling with Jet last night?"

Briar's lips snaked into a smirk, "You could say that. He does have such strong arms." Zuko rolled his eyes, "But I shan't give you too many details."

"You make me sick," he hissed.

"Am I sensing some jealousy?" she sneered.

"How the fuck could I be jealous about a guy like him?"

Briar shrugged, "Tall, dark, handsome…" She cast her leering eyes at him, "What more could I ask for?"

"Glad to see you have high standards," he muttered sarcastically.

"I don't need your approval."

"What you need is a reality check!"

Briar crossed her arms over her chest while Iroh sauntered back over to them, pleased with the cup of tea in his hands. He sat down to the right of Zuko since his seat was taken, watching their expressions with apprehension. Briar finally rose to her feet upon seeing Jet, leaving with a skip in her step that made Zuko cringe.

"She's only going to get hurt," he mumbled.

Iroh lifted a brow, "Why do you say that?"

"There's no way he gives a fuck about her."

"He seems like a decent young man-"

"How can you say that?" Zuko watched as Briar giggled while Jet twirled a finger in a strand of her long brown hair. He held his breath upon the memory of having done the same thing, though he was sure that Jet's words were not the hurtful ones he had spoken, "I just get this bad feeling about him. It's the way he looks at her." He balled his hands into fists when he saw Briar give Jet a kiss on the cheek, "He's calculating her value."

Iroh's brow was raised in confusion, "Whatever you say, Nephew."

Briar joined them as the monorail rolled in. She sat down beside Zuko again, amused by his temper that she had set off. Humming the song his uncle had taught her, she watched the city that rolled into view, the tall buildings of the Upper Ring a majestic sight. It made her miss home already, but the prospect of being able to bring this home to her kingdom was enough to make her want to stay. Though it reminded her that her marriage would allow this vision to come true…

Once off the monorail, they made their way through the practically empty streets. Briar watched the people around her, noticing that the Upper Ring had vanished in the blink of an eye. She brought her bamboo shade out of her bag and set it on her head, hiding her face as they moved through the market streets. Iroh disappeared for a moment, but Zuko and she kept walking.

"There's no way I'll make a life here," Zuko said.

Briar halfway smiled as Iroh strolled back up beside them with a vase of flowers in his arms, "Those are quite lovely!"

"I want our apartment to look nice in case someone brings home a lady friend," Iroh replied while nudging Zuko's shoulder.

Zuko rolled his eyes, glancing over at Briar to see her reaction, but her face was covered by her bamboo shade so he had no idea how she might have felt. He saw that his uncle was smiling slyly and his face burned a deep shade of red.

"Of course, that would go double for you, Little Miss." Iroh gave Briar a wink, "Supposing that Jet fellow comes around-"

"He's not welcome in our apartment," Zuko interrupted.

"I'm pretty sure that's not your decision," Briar scoffed.

"It is if you intend on staying with us."

"That's enough you two!" Iroh shouted.

But they were at each other's throats. The insults were flying the entire time they walked through the Lower Ring. Even when they had been given their apartment, they were still harping about Jet. Iroh attempted to ignore them, but as he began brewing a pot of tea, he found that their voices were growing louder and louder.

"Why do you care so much about this?" Briar yelled, voice straining to be above Zuko's.

Zuko threw his hands into the air, "You're being stupid! Wake up and realize that he's a sleaze!"

"And how would you know that?" Zuko turned his back, waving her off, but she wasn't pleased with that, "We are not done talking!"

"Just shut up!"

Briar reared her hand back and punched him across the jaw, sending him stumbling into the wall. He went to retaliate with a wild haymaker, but Iroh grabbed him around the waist.

"That will be enough!" Iroh bellowed. Briar crossed her arms over her chest while Zuko wiggled his way from his uncle's grip, "Now, why don't we forget this quarrel and go search for jobs?"

. . . .

"I feel ridiculous!"

Zuko glowered at his uncle and Briar's cheerful expressions as they tied their aprons around their waists. He shook his head while Briar began fidgeting with the stock of herbs and spices, looking for a new combination since the tea that had been made was atrocious. When she began humming, he groaned loudly and tried to block out her obnoxious tune. Deciding to begin cleaning the tables, he found her melody slowly change to a soft tune that reminded him of the ebb and flow of the ocean.

"You should sing, Little Miss," Iroh mused.

Briar giggled, "You'll make tea, I'll sing for the customers, and Lee will serve them."

"What do you think, Nephew?"

Zuko shrugged, "I don't have anything to say."

"This is a surprise." Briar smirked as he glared at her, "I was expecting you to tell me that you hate my singing too."

Zuko's gaze darkened while Iroh glanced from one to the other, confused by the challenge in her voice. He tossed the rag he was using to clean the tables onto the back of a chair and whirled around the face Briar. There was a tension in the room that spelled danger and it resulted in just that.

He wasn't ready for it, but once her fist made contact with his cheek it was over. Their hand to hand combat was an ungraceful dance, powers hurling wildly against each other. Her fingertips were curled down like claws and each of her strikes was aimed toward his throat. Ducking under what looked like a swinging paw, she sent him through the front door with a leaping kick, splinters flying behind him as he tumbled across the dusty streets. She dismissed her sandals and slammed her foot into the ground, a column of rock sending Zuko into the air before shattering underneath him. When he came near the road, she threw her hands above her head and a pillar with a pointed end shot up from the earth.

Zuko barely managed to roll away from it, the tip grazing his arm. He circled her while regaining his breath. Charging forward, he spun around her shield of rock and landed a punch to her abdomen. But she grabbed his wrist and held him at bay while bringing her leg around to break against his back. He hit the ground, nose busting open on the dirt. His head was spinning, but he wasn't about to let her walk away with a victory.

Briar swept her arms in front of her, creating a rock shield while his leg arched overtop her head. Stepping backward, she threw her hands to the sky while uprooting a block of stone. She sent it toward him, summoning several more boulders that all missed him by inches. He managed to dodge most of them until he came close enough to her that it was back to hand to hand combat. She crouched low to the ground while he danced around her.

Her hands lashed out in two circular thrusts, catching him off balance as her combination came closer and closer to his face. Nails clawing apart his cheek, he recoiled with an arching kick. She braced her arms in front of her face while his leg slammed against her, sending her skidding backward. Heel slammed into the ground, the ground shook under Zuko until he was forced to fall to a knee.

Eyes wide, he rolled to his left as a column of stone was hurtled toward him. Rising to his feet, he watched as Briar turned her ankle to the side, another fissure sliding toward him. He jumped into the air, but didn't see the boulder that was thrown at him. He was pounded back into the ground, crying out in agony. Wishing for the life of him that he could bend, he wiped the blood trickling from his mouth. There was no way he was about to be bested by a girl.

Ignoring the shouts of his uncle and his new employer, Zuko jumped to his feet and tackled Briar into the ground, catching her off guard as she laughed in mock of him. He buried his knuckles into her cheek then her jaw, leaving her to claw his cheek further apart. Fist above her face, he held her down against the ground with his knee pressing into her chest and one hand holding both her wrists. He was gasping for a breath of sweet oxygen, but the defeat in her green eyes swept away anything his lungs took in. He slowly rose to his feet and brought his hand to his bleeding nose.

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw four Dai Li officers running over to them.

"What's the meaning of this?" one officer asked.

"Just a scrum, Sir," Briar replied coolly.

The man's eyes narrowed on her, which made her shiver. They left without another word, though Briar figured that they had found what they were looking for. It wouldn't be much longer until the Earth King knew she was here.

"I'd hate to see you bend," Briar muttered so that Zuko only heard.

He grinned, offering his hand to her, "I'm sure if you had your hammer, I'd be dead."

She allowed him to pull her to her feet, though her legs felt wobbly. She fell against him while attempting to step forward, but he welcomed her tired figure with a secure embrace. Blushing, she tried to remember about being the girl who just buried him into the earth, though that was difficult when he had finally let his defenses down.

"Do you think our employer is going to keep us around?" Briar whispered while making her way toward the teashop.

Zuko shrugged, "Maybe he'll just give us two different shifts?"

When they entered the shop, Iroh strolled up to them and tossed a towel onto both of them then set two cups of tea at the table beside them. Briar dabbed at her swollen lip while their employer walked out from behind the counter.

"Do you two need to be separated?" the man asked.

Zuko and Briar exchanged a glance before she began to talk, "I think we've settled things."

"I would certainly hope so!"

Zuko grinned while Briar sat down and began drinking her cup of tea. He sat down beside her, grimacing as a jolt of pain washed over him. Glancing at his arm, he watched as a thin trail of blood seeped into the cloth of his tunic.

"I should clean that," Briar said, standing and ushering him to follow her into the backroom.

Zuko shook his head, "It's just a scratch."

"Scratch or not, it needs to be cleaned." She grabbed hold of his wrist and dragged him from his seat, "Quit being so stubborn."

Zuko decided against arguing with her. He followed her into the backroom where she riffled through the cabinets until she found a bowl and a cloth. When he jumped up onto the counter and threw off his tunic, he saw, for a split second, Briar blushing.

"You'd think this guy would have bandages," Briar muttered, trying to distract herself from staring. Then a thought hit her, "We could just modify your tunic a bit."

He lifted a brow while she riffled through a few more drawers until she found a pair of scissors. Removing the sleeves of his tunic, she set aside the one that was clean then went to work on his wound.

It felt strange to see her so calm and reserved. She was gentle with cleaning off the gash the stretched over his forearm, smiling in her work since he didn't scowl in pain. Wringing out her cloth, the blood washing out with the water, she began scratching out the pieces of dirt, which made him grimace, though he was good at hiding it. When she finished, she picked up his clean sleeve and used it to wrap around the gash, tying it off as tightly as she could.

"That will have to do." She dumped the contents of the bowl down the drain, "Until we can get back to the apartment."

"Thank you."

Briar lifted a brow as those words took longer than usual to process in her mind. She saw him examine his tunic with a tiny laugh, which didn't look normal either. Shaking her head, she allowed herself to peer over his still strong frame, those lines at his hips trekking low beneath his pants. Her face was a sure red as he glanced back over at her.

"What's that look for?" he asked while pointing at her.

Her eyes went wide, "N-Nothing! It's nothing!"

"You're acting weird." He threw his tunic on, "I haven't seen you blush that dark since you met Jet."

She narrowed her eyes on him, hands going to her hips, "Oh, please. Don't flatter yourself."

"Then quit staring at me," he sneered.

She smirked, sauntering over to him. Her hand slinked around the back of his neck while she held herself up against him, "If I wanted you, you'd already be mine."

She stood up on her toes, her lips just barely prickling his still bleeding cheek before she strode from the room.

Zuko held his hand up to his cheek, silently wishing that she had kissed him, so he could even the score with Jet. She was so close, taunting him for his denial of having an inkling of care for her. His list of the things he hated about her was growing. She'd find it amusing if he told her the new ones he'd come up with.

. . . .

"Day one wasn't so bad, now, was it?"

Briar giggled while Zuko toppled over onto the carpeted floor, sighing with exhaustion. She hung her apron up before disappearing into the next room behind the sliding door to change clothes. Tossing her tunic and pants onto the ground, she welcomed the evening to embrace her with its brisk arms. Riffling through her bag, she pulled out a black nightgown and a green robe with her emblem on the back. Once dressed, she shuffled out from the room and was welcomed with the smell of freshly brewed tea.

Sitting down at their little table, she slumped her shoulders and propped her elbows up so she could rest her chin on her palms. Her eyes were drooping until a hot cup of tea was set in front of her. When she looked up, Zuko sat down beside her.

"Uncle's making something for dinner. Can't say it'll be edible."

Briar giggled, "You made a joke. I'm impressed."

` He ignored her comment while clearing his throat, "Did you mean what you said at the teashop?"

"I said a lot of things." She giggled when he glared at her, "Which instance are you talking about?"

"The one about…" He blushed, his arms crossing over his chest, his hand pressing over the bandages that he had wrapped his arm with, "…wanting me."

She smirked, leaning closer to him, her hand resting on his thigh, which made him blush darkly, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I w-would." He grabbed her wrist before it moved further, "Th-That's why I-I'm as-asking."

"I said 'if' for a reason."

"That was a rather bold statement."

Briar shrugged, "It's not bold for a warrior princess."

He moved her hand aside as he leaned closer to her. His hands slid up over her arms, tugging her robe down off her shoulders. The material fell with ease, the straps of her nightgown following suit to reveal her broad shoulders. Her eyes closed while he traced over the tattoo across her collarbones, being mindful of the goose-bumps that followed after his fingers.

"Here's a thought for you, Princess." Briar shivered as his fingertips caressed above her breasts. She grabbed his wrist, eyes opening to see his fiery eyes, "I have no desire to want you, yet you're already mine."

Briar pulled him closer to her, bringing his hand around her waist. She slid her hands up his chest while parting his robe so her skin could make contact with his. She fumbled for the words that explained her actions, but so much of her wanted his touch. When his fingers dragged down her spine, she fell against him. Eyes meeting, she felt the air leave her lungs and the pressure rise in her head. He pulled her closer to himself until she was straddling his waist.

"What on earth are you doing?" she muttered.

He breathed against her neck, "Proving a point."

She shook her head, regaining her senses while pushing herself away from him. She tumbled onto the floor and fixed her robe and gown just as Iroh strolled out from their little kitchen. Giving him a wave, she distanced herself from Zuko while picking up her cold tea, drinking it hastily.

Dinner went by silently, Briar glaring at Zuko, who was pleased with his little victory. She rushed off to bed in hopes of not encountering her secret desires again. Hiding behind the sliding door, she collapsed onto her bed cot and tried to regain her senses.

But she spent all night tossing and turning with the dreams of being scorched by Zuko's fiery embrace.

well, what did you think? hope you liked it (reviews are appreciated!)

yay for a zuko and briar slightly sexual moment...haha. i'd hate to keep waiting for them to go at it, but unfortunately, it's necessary. obviously, he doesnt hate her. he's just very bad with girls!

-TSA