Forgetting

They were back in the embrace they'd been in when Lin barged in with the news of Ozai being in the garden, but this time the layers of clothes between them were considerably less than it had been earlier; Jin in a thin silk robe and even thinner night gown, Zuko in only his pants. They had even snatched the top knot out of his hair when he'd taken off the rest of his clothes.

As he held her close, she tried to remind herself that he was a grieving man, but the situation she was in lent itself to her mind wondering. 'His body is marvelous,' she thought, 'and he smells awesome. How in the world could someone be sweaty and still smell like warm cinnamon. And his hair, no man's hair should be this beautiful, but it was beautiful when it was short too.' she paused in her thoughts, 'No, no, no. I shouldn't be thinking like that, this man's father just died, his daughter was attacked. He's been through hell tonight. Get yourself together Jin.'

She leaned back from his chest to look into his face, "Zuko, perhaps you should go try and get some rest."

"I can't sleep," he admitted, "It's too quiet in my room. I was thinking too much. I came here because I needed to do something to occupy my mind."

"Perhaps I can go sit and talk with you for a while, at least until you fall asleep. Would that help?"

"Well, it couldn't hurt." Zuko said.

He gathered his things and threw his cape around himself just in case someone was in the hallway. On the way back he quietly pointed out to Jin what the doorways she'd passed on her way to the training room were.

He pointed to the right and chuckled, "This is where you should've gone after you left the restroom. The guest wing is on that hall." She nudged him and they continued on. "My daughter's room is here, and my mother is across the hall," they reached the end of the line, "And this is mine."

He pushed the door open and Jin's Jaw almost dropped. The room was more of an apartment. As soon as they walked in the door she saw what could best be described as a living room facing a gigantic window to the right, and to the left was the biggest bed she had ever seen in her life. Her eyes stretched. "What a modest room you have." she said jokingly.

Zuko smiled and gestured over to the couch, "Have a seat."

Jin sat on one side of the couch while Zuko sat on the other. For a few minutes they said nothing, but then Jin said, "This is a lovely view."

Zuko's expression dropped, "It used to be."

"What's wrong with it?" she asked, confused.

"Go closer." he answered dryly, holding his head down.

Jin moved across to the window, the closer she got, the slower she moved as the scene outside became clear. The Fire Lord's bedroom was directly over the garden. "Zuko, I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It's okay, there's no way you could have known." he buried his face in his hands and said, "I wish I could just forget the last five hours."

The ambassador went over to the Fire Lord and knelt down in front of him. She pulled his hands away from his face and brushed the tears away from his cheeks, then she kissed him gently on the lips. "I can help you forget, at least for a little while."

She'd reacted before she took time to think 'What the hell is wrong with me.' she thought 'He's hot and all, but since when do I just offer myself to a man?' Zuko put his arms around her and pulled her closer, then he kissed her, 'Aw, well maybe just once won't hurt,' she said in her mind, 'It has been a few years.'

.~.

For the first time in hours Zuko's mind cleared enough for him to focus on what was going on. 'What am I doing? This is not an honorable way for a Fire Lord to carry himself.' he thought, 'And what about her, her husband's only been gone a year. She may not be ready for this, I wasn't after five years…Oh but she feels so good.'

He took Jin by the shoulders and broke their kiss, "Are you sure? Are you sure you want to do this?"

I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't sure." she pulled the robe off and tossed it onto the couch, "Come here." she said, holding her hand out to him.

He stood, but instead of taking her hand, he pulled her into another kiss. Without breaking it, he scooped her into his arms and carried her to where his bed stood. Zuko stopped at the side of the bed and lowered in to her feet slowly. She rested her hands on his well-toned chest as he slipped the spaghetti straps off of her shoulders. Jin let her arms drop to her side, allowing the gown to slip to the floor. She stood, almost naked before the man with whom she had shared her first kiss. Suddenly she was conscious of being nearly nude. She held her head down and blushed.

The Fire Lord was taking in the beauty before him when he noticed the almost embarrassed look on Jin's face. He reached out and ran his hand through her hair, "You're beautiful." he said gently as his hand traveled behind her head and he pulled her into another kiss.

.~.

In truth, the only man she had ever been with was her husband who had passed away over a year before and had been very ill for two years prior. She didn't know what she expected, exactly, but Zuko was not it. She had heard from friends that benders made love like the elements they commanded, and fire benders were like a forest fire: wild, untamable and all consuming. They dominated, encompassing their partner and ravishing them.

Zuko, he was like fire, but more like the flickering atop a candle. He was warm and comforting. Instead of a raging inferno, he was a slow, steady burn that filled her with warmth. A dancing glow that elicited a most sought after sensation, then release of long pent up tense ions that had been lingering for over three years followed by a change in the flame. From a small flickering glow to that raging wild fire she'd heard so much about until the burning was satiated.

He collapse beside her, spent, and wrapped her in his arms. They laid there silently except for the heavy breathing that was bringing them down from their high. When Jin noticed Zuko's breathing had become regular, she looked up and saw that he was finally asleep, a soft smile on his lips. She slowly slid out of his arms, got dressed and went back to her room.

.~.

Zuko awoke to the sun beaming across his face. He reached out for his companion from the night before. When she wasn't there, he thought that it had all been a dream, the first time in forever that he had dreamt of anyone other than Suki. Then he realized he was naked and smelled of sweat other than his own.

He walked around the room and checked the bathroom hoping that she was still there, but it was obvious that she had been gone for hours. Zuko threw on a pair of pants and a robe then headed to the guest wing. As he reached the end of the hall he ran into Jin, once again in the gown she'd worn the night before with her hair pulled into a pony tail.

"Are you leaving?" he asked, disappointed.

"Yes, I have a ship to catch in a few hours."

He'd forgotten that she'd told him her son and his wife were expecting a child soon. "Oh, yeah. I forgot you said you were leaving today. Will you be back?"

"Yes, in a few months. All my sessions here are done for a while, so the timing was perfect."

They both found it slightly strange that they had spent such an intimate night together, and were now behaving as if nothing had happened. "Send me a letter when the baby comes. Tell me all about him…or her."

"I will." she said as she reached out to hug him goodbye, "Take care of yourself."

"You too." he said, "You don't know how much I've appreciate you being here."

Because Zuko needs love too. :smooch:

Most characters by BrykeKyu and his parents by Mary Kate