"Here." said Zuko thrusting a piece of cloth and a straw hat into Zoe's hands.
"What's this for?" She asked eyeing her new pieces of attire.
"As lovely as your hair is," Iroh said walking over to them, "it is very uncommon and a dead give away to our identities." He smiled.
"Oh yeah…I guess I do have a bounty on my head now." She said with a slight hint of pride to her voice. She tied her hair back and made a hood out of the cloth then placed the hat over the top on her head.
Zuko gave a rare chuckle, "You could even pass as a boy." Zoe punched his arm, but Iroh's eyes widened with a new idea.
"What an excellent idea!" He cried and scraped up some dirt amongst the sand. He then turned back to Zoe and rubbed it all over her face despite her protests. "Hmm, Zuko I will need some bandages from your pack, if you will." Zuko glowered, but went to fetch the bandages.
"What for?" spluttered Zoe scratching her now grubby nose gingerly (Iroh rubbed it very hard).
"You will need to wind it very tightly around your chest." He said with a slight smirk. "Your feminine curves will otherwise spoil your boy costume."
Zoe's face went red, but Zuko's even more so. He tripped over his bag and thrust the bandages at Zoe, unable to look at her.
"Why do I have to be a boy?" she said angrily, "Why can't Zuko be a girl?" Zuko managed to look at her this time, just to scowl at her.
Iroh chuckled, "I think that would be a little difficult. Zuko, will you help Zoe wrap herself up?" Iroh had a cheeky glint in his eyes, while Zuko's eyes went wide and he looked like a fish gulping for air, but not breathing in.
"What!" He finally managed to splutter.
"Oh, don't be such a baby." said Zoe, "If I have to be a boy, you can come help me. I'm sure I can trust you." She pulled him along behind a cactus, but then was unsure of what to do. She hadn't actually though this through.
"Er…" she said and Zuko raised an eyebrow at her, she frowned at him and turned around. She took her tunic and underclothes off (her breast bindings had been long since lost) blushing furiously. "Well?" She demanded, her back still facing him, "I need the bandages!" Zuko's face was redder than she had ever seen it; he couldn't take his eyes away from that smooth, olive back and slender waist. When she turned slightly to look at him he could see the curve of her breast and he gulped, trying to remain calm. Hesitantly he moved closer to her and gave her the bandages. She sighed, "You're here to help me, not just be the bandage holder." She rolled her eyes, "Can you take one end and then I'll pass you the other on the other side of my back?"
"Ahh, right." He said abashed, their proximity making him get a little groggy in the head. He did as she said, but then stopped, not sure of what to do next.
"Well…are you going to wind it around me or not?" Snapped Zoe getting annoyed; she was becoming increasingly self conscious. "I can't reach that far behind my back!"
Zuko cleared his throat and had to move even closer so that he was a hear breadth from her back. Careful not to touch her, Zuko tried to keep his breathing normal and not think about what he was doing, or some other body part would give him away. She raised her arms from her sides and Zuko's slipped under them and began winding the bandage around her chest. Getting into the rhythm Zuko thought he may get away from this alive, but then his hand accidentally brushed across the skin of her breast and she gasped softly. Zuko had to clench his fist around the bandage to stop himself from grabbing her and taking her lips with his own. His mind was hazy and his whole body burned, reckless desire growing stronger within him. The bandage started smoking and Zuko released some of his tension on it, but Zoe hadn't noticed as she had closed her eyes trying to control her own erratic heart. Her skin felt as if it was on extra sensitive mode as his lightest touch sent tingles across her breasts and entire body, that tight ache below increasing.
She closed her hand slowly over Zuko's and turned to look at him over her shoulder. Their stares locked; silver on gold. Zoe's heart was pounding faster and faster, their hold let the electricity streaming through her body flow through Zuko's, intensifying the effect.
Zuko leaned in slowly, his nose brushing hers and she took a small, soft breath closing her eyes. Just as their lips were about to meet there was an enormous booming sound and a huge sand cloud in the shape of a…mushroom erupted far in the distance. They jumped apart as if burned, both faces flushing furiously.
Zuko cleared his throat and roughly wound the rest of the bandage around Zoe's chest, not looking her in the eye until she spoke.
"Can I use your spare tunic please?" she said meekly.
"Why?" He asked gruffly.
"I'm supposed to be looking like a boy remember." She said mockingly, some of her usual self reappearing.
He looked at her chest and noticed that it still wasn't completely flat. "That didn't flatten you down!" He burst out unthinkingly.
"Well jeeze, I'm sorry!" She snapped picking up her shirt and covering herself, "Do you want me to go back to my mother's womb and ask her not to give me breasts!"
For the hundredth time blood rushed to Zuko's face and he was speechless. "Ah, I'll go get my tunic…" He said bashfully while Zoe continued to glare at him.
"Ah excellent!" Iroh said once Zoe was fully dressed and boyafied. "So, for now we shall be Lee, Mushi and…Cheng!"
Zoe scowled, "Must I do this for every town we enter?"
"For small towns I believe so, for one cannot hide in plain sight; any visitor will receive much attention." Iroh advised wisely and Zoe huffed in indignation.
So it was three males that entered the small town filled with seedy sand benders and dirty travellers, noticed by none, but two other visitors.
"I don't know…" The posh looking Earth Kingdom man was saying, "Who is their third companion? We cannot be sure that these are the Fire Nation fugitives."
"It's the girl, the air bending girl! I know it is! Look at her face, it's not a boy's just some dirty girls, they've tried to disguise her!" replied the buff companion.
The other man regarded the apparent airbender curiously and decided his friend was right…and a lot smarted than he looked, well only a little. "Alright, we can see if it is worth our while."
Iroh was playing Pai Sho, of course, because apparently this was going to help them somehow and Zuko and Zoe sat sulking by the side of their game. Zoe remained hidden under her hat and not paying any attention to anything around her, instead reliving the day's events.
The moment in particular when she felt like there was fire coursing through her veins, her mind hazy, delirious; perhaps so delirious that she had imagined Zuko leaning in to kiss her? Things were escalating beyond her control with her feelings for this boy. It made her realise how much she wanted him to kiss her, and how very, very unlikely that was. She decided that she must have imagined that near kiss earlier, seen as ever since then Zuko had barely spoken a single word to her, probably disgusted that he had actually touched her breast. She realised that she should be cross with him for not apologizing for…touching her there, but she wasn't mad, instead she was sad because it would never happen again. And the worst part was that she really wanted it to.
Suddenly Zoe found herself being yanked by the collar out of her seat quite unceremoniously by Zuko.
"What the hell!" she snapped as he continued to drag her.
"What were you sleeping or something? You've not realised the whole taverns attacking us?" he growled furiously while suddenly dragging them to the floor to dodge a flying knife and that was when Zoe noticed the commotion.
Chairs were flying, people were flying, but no one was noticing them as the old man Iroh had been playing with sneakily snuck them out the door.
"Quickly!" he hissed as they all ran after him toward a small building.
"What happened in there?" asked Zoe as soon as they were inside.
Zuko rolled his eyes and finally let go of her collar. "What exactly were you thinking about that had you that distracted?" he demanded.
Zoe blushed and looked away, "nothing…"
"It is an honour to welcome such a high member of the Order of the White Lotus." said Iroh's new friend with a bow. Zoe was getting more boggled by the second. "Being a grand master, you must know so many secrets."
"Now that you've played Pai Sho; are you going to do some flower arranging?" Asked Zuko in a fake voice, "Or is someone going to offer some real help?"
"You must forgive my nephew; he is not an initiate and has little appreciation for the cryptic arts." said Iroh smoothly. The other old man knocked on the door that stood barring their way.
The slide in the door slid open revealing a man's eyes, "Who knocks at the guarded gate?"
"One who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries." Replied Iroh and Zoe decided she must be having some cactus juice inspired, maniacal dream.
The door opened and the old men entered, but when Zuko and Zoe tried, the door was slammed in their face. Zuko glared at the door pouting.
"I'm afraid it's member's only." said Iroh through the door's visor, "wait out here. I am sorry about this Zoe; it will not take too long."
Zuko leant grumpily on a crate and Zoe took off her head coverings, gladly letting her hair out. There were a few moments of awkward silence then Zuko tried to break it by sniffing the flower next to him. Zoe couldn't hep herself; she giggled.
"What?" He demanded.
"Nothing." She shrugged quickly. They looked away from each other again. "So, what's going on? What's all this about mysterious fruit and guarded gates?"
"No idea." growled Zuko, "One of Uncle's crazy schemes…I don't know."
"Zuko…" started Zoe slowly, "why are you angry with me?"
"I'm not." Said Zuko confused, turning to look her in the eye.
Zoe sighed and started to try and rub the dirt off her face with her head cloth. Zuko came over to her and pulled out his water flask.
"Let me." He said softly, surprising Zoe. Zoe handed him the cloth and he tipped some water onto it. Zoe's heart was starting to beat faster again, her stomach flipping and twisting filled to the brim with butterflies. Gently Zuko tucked Zoe's hair behind her ear and softly began to wipe her dirty face clean. He had no idea what had made him do this or why, but he didn't care, he…liked it.
"Thanks…" said Zoe blushing and looking down. Zuko went back to his perch, and actually gave Zoe a small smile, surprising himself with the act.
A comfortable silence settled and both teens found themselves lost in their own thoughts. Then, sooner than expected the door reopened and Zuko jumped into a firebending stance suddenly, and Zoe grinned at the fact that he had been nodding off.
"What's going on?" He demanded as his Uncle walked out the door. "Is the club meeting over?"
"Everything is taken care of." said Iroh while bowing respectively to his old friend. "We're heading to Ba Sing Se."
"What?" cried out Zoe before anyone had a chance to say a word. Everyone turned to look at her. "Uh…why exactly do we want to go there?" she tried to cover quickly.
"Yeah," said Zuko, "why would we go to the Earth Kingdom capital?" he demanded.
"The city is filled with refugees," Said the member of the white lotus, "no one would notice three more."
"Ha!" burst out Zoe, before being able to stop herself.
Iroh looked at her curiously, "we can hide in plain sight there." He said, "And it is the safest place in the world from the Fire Nation. Even I couldn't break through to the city."
"But, that place is crazy!" Zoe burst out again, "you don't get it, there has to be somewhere else!"
"There is no where else." stated the old guy whom was beginning to get on Zoe's nerves.
Suddenly the front door opened and a young man walked in. "I have the passports for our guests, but there are two men out on the street looking for them."
"They're fake passports right?" Asked Zoe quickly, "I mean mine is? Not my real name right?"
"Your name is Ping." said the man with the passports while Zuko and Iroh eyed Zoe confused.
"Oh you're kidding right, Ping? That means duck weed! Thanks so much." She snarled. "Right well, if Ba Sing Se is where we have to go then fine, but don't do anything stupid. We can never let our true identities be revealed and never bring attention to ourselves." She reeled in a business like voice, she looked at everyone angrily because they hadn't spoken, "Well come on! How are we getting there? Let's get moving!"
With that they were led into the back room where two large flower pots stood. "You will be le out of this town in these; from there you are not far from Full Moon Bay, where you will catch the ferry across the lake, the fastest way to Ba Sing Se." Said Iroh's friend.
Iroh looked at the two young ones, "you two will need to share a pot." He said while happily plopping himself into his own.
"What?" Spluttered Zuko while Zoe rolled her eyes.
"Get in, I'm not having you sitting on top of me." She snapped annoyed. Zuko scowled; the universe just loved tormenting him.
He heaved himself into the pot and Zoe stepped in after him. Somehow she managed to sit down curled up in Zuko's lap. It was a lot smaller than she thought. The flowers were set on top and darkness consumed them.
When the pot started rocking gently, meaning they had begun moving Zoe said sadly, "why didn't you want to get in the pot with me?"
Zuko's body started shaking and she realised he was trying not to laugh out loud; she twisted her cramped arm around and punched his shoulder.
"Sorry." He said, "but that just sounded strange: 'get in the pot with me'." He started laughing again.
"Quit it!" she snapped, her face flushing. "Are you…I don't know, disgusted to be near me?"
Zuko stopped laughing, "Why would you say that?"
"Well it couldn't have been your reaction now could it?" she mocked sarcastically, "What! I have to get in the pot with her!" She said imitating him.
"I didn't say that."
"You may as well have."
Zuko sighed, "No I am not disgusted to be near you." He finally growled out uncomfortably.
Zoe smiled slightly and laid her head subconsciously on his shoulder. "Kay then…" she said sleepily.
Zuko contemplated for a moment then asked, "Why don't you want to go to Ba Sing Se?"
"I lived there when I was a child." replied Zoe with a yawn snuggling herself more deeply into Zuko's chest. He tried to ignore what she was doing, and how comfortable he felt holding her like this. It is just because they are in a tiny cramped pot! He tried to remind himself.
"But, why should that make you hate the place?"
Zoe sighed, "It isn't a nice place."
"Wait…" said Zuko remembering something, "you said you were raised in the Fire Nation."
"I was."
"But then-"
"I…left Ba Sing Se at four."
"What happened to your parents?"
"I told you, Ba Sing Se isn't a nice a place."
That left Zuko stumped, confused and feeling sorry for the little girl in his lap. He wanted to know more about her, her past, her life. That didn't happen very often, wow, he thought, he must like her.
A/N XD yaaay nearly at Ba Sing Se! hehehehe, I've been looking forward to ba sing se. Anyway, review please if you want! ;3 is it too rushed? badly written? bad grammar? Anything...?