Chapter Four

Zuko stood there, Toph's hands in his, listening to her voice so full of concern for him. "Where's the passion, Zuko? Where's the fire inside you?" she asked.

He couldn't answer. He was in too deep already. All he wanted to do that moment was pull her close to him and kiss her breathless. It took all the self-control he had to just keep from burning her fingers.

"You need a vacation."

He couldn't believe his ears. "A vacation?" he asked incredulously.

"Yep, you have got to get out of this city and get away from all the intrigue and politics," she stated firmly.

With a great deal of effort, he tore his mind away from the thoughts of kissing her and attempted to actually process her words. Vacation? He hadn't been on a vacation in years. The obvious choice was Ember Island, but the resort there would be full of gossip and social obligations. He knew that was not a place he wanted to spend any time right now.

"Let me think," he replied slowly, placing her hand on his arm and escorting her out of the waterfall cave.

"Do we have to leave already?" she asked plaintively. "I liked it in there."

"So did I, but it's nearly lunch time. Uncle will be wondering where we've gotten off to," Zuko answered.

As they left the park, Toph continued to brainstorm aloud about possible vacation destinations. "I've never been to the Northern Water Tribe city," she said. "You guys have all seen the spirit oasis, but I haven't ever been there."

"I wasn't really in tourist mode. As I recall I spent most of my time in the spirit oasis frozen to the wall," Zuko remarked dryly.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Toph immediately responded. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

"No, not at all," Zuko answered, giving her hand a little squeeze. Funny how those old memories in light of the passing years seemed more funny than tragic.

"Where have you always wanted to go?" she asked after a few moments of silence.

Only one place came to mind and he made the mistake of telling her.

The next morning found the two of them on a small Fire Nation cruise boat, headed out to sea to one of the volcanic islands to the north. Uncle Iroh had not been any help at all, and had practically packed Zuko's bags to get him out the door.

"You need some time with people your own age," he'd said the night before as he stood in Zuko's doorway. "Our Toph is right, you have gotten too serious, too drawn into the tedium of government," Iroh continued with a shake of his head. "I place too many burdens on you, my boy."

"Never, Uncle," Zuko had replied. "I owe you everything." He'd been in the process of giving his beloved uncle a respectful bow when the older man wrapped him in a huge hug.

"Go!" Iroh said, breaking away. "Go have an adventure! Toph will take care of you."

Now the adventure was well underway. In some ways it felt so familiar. He'd spent years on the water, sailing from place to place in search of the Avatar. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed the sea, the freedom.

The wind was brisk and the seas were just heavy enough to make the ride enjoyable. For him, at least. Toph was not faring as well.

She weaved her way to where he stood at the bow, looking a little sick.

"How are you making it?" he asked gently.

"Fine," she answered, but her reply was made a little less believable by the weak tone in her voice.

"Here," he said, retrieving a small paper bag of ginger candy from his pocket. "My secret weapon." He passed her a piece of the candy and grinned as she put it in her mouth.

"Oooh! Hot! Ginger!" she cried, hitting him in the arm. "Way to warn a girl, Sparky."

He laughed and dodged out of range. "It'll help with the seasickness, trust me."

Toph stood next to the rail, the breeze blowing her silky dress and carrying her dark hair out behind her. After a few moments, she turned to him with a bright smile. "It does work," she said, a note of surprise evident in her voice. Then she shivered a little.

"If you're getting cold, we can go inside," said Zuko solicitously.

"No, no," she answered. "The spray on my face is helping with the nausea. I'm not budging. Besides, out here on the metal deck I can see a little better than below. There's too much wood."

Zuko moved around behind her and encircled her in his arms, bending a little extra heat for her.

"You feel good," she sighed and snuggled closer into him.

So did she. Her head came just a little past his shoulder, and he rested his cheek against her hair. He heard a sound behind him and looked out of the corner of his eye to see one of the sailors peeking at them from the bridge deck. Zuko recognized the knowing look in his eye and considered letting go of her for propriety's sake. He didn't want her to be gossiped about.

Then he caught a whiff of the scent of her hair and decided, screw 'em. Let 'em look. And anybody who said the first word about it would become toast, literally.

After a while, they adjourned to dinner in the salon below where Toph insisted that she was feeling much better.

"Just where are we going again?" she asked, serving herself a spoonful of rice with vegetables.

"They call it Lost Island. It's a kind of natural wilderness. There's an ancient forest of gan trees that people swear are hundreds of feet tall. There's also an active volcano and beaches of black sand," he replied. "I've always read about it, but never had the chance to go there. It's not exactly the fashionable place to visit. I hope you brought some adventuring clothes."

"I am always ready for an adventure," she replied with a smile. "Sounds pretty neat. I've not had a chance to get close to a volcano—at least not when I had time to actually slow down and explore. The Fire Nation is full of them though, isn't it?"

They passed the rest of dinner talking of Fire Nation geography. Her interest in volcanoes was serious and deep, however, and he was challenged to answer all her questions.

"To me, volcanoes are like the fire of the country. We live on fire, literally," he stated thoughtfully over dessert.

"Well, I have always thought of volcanoes as earth, not fire. I guess they are kind of earth and fire come together, aren't they?" she asked, taking a bite of a large berry.

The juice ran bright red as she bit into it, staining her lips a deep red. She quickly put her napkin to her mouth to catch the juice before it ran onto her chin. "Did I just get that all over me?" she asked, laughing.

"Come here," he chided, dipping the corner of her napkin into some water. She tilted her face up to him, full of trust and laughter, and he carefully removed the traces of juice that sprinkled her cheek.

Then without thinking, he pressed a soft kiss to her mouth. He could taste the sweetness on her lips.

"Did you just kiss me?" she asked softly.

Zuko tried to reply, but the words just wouldn't come.

Then she flushed red and pulled away from him. "These darned wooden floors," she stammered nervously. "I just can't really see much and it felt funny." She stood up quickly, bumping the table and causing the dishes to rattle. "I am so embarrassed!"

"Don't be," he said and pulled her into his arms. Tenderly, deliberately, he gave her another first kiss. Then he looked down at her, afraid that he might have just ruined everything. Toph stood there, her eyes closed and her face still tilted up to his. Then she melted into his embrace with a sigh.

They stood there a moment in each other's arms, unsure of what to say or do next.

Finally, Toph managed to speak. "Oh, Sparky, this complicates things, doesn't it?"

AN: Oh, the fluff, the fluff!!! BTW, the whole ginger thing does work for nausea. And true love's path never did run straight, so don't think they're out of the woods yet. I have also changed this to T, just to be on the safe side. It might get a little gory soon. Two chapters in one day! I am on a roll, folks!!