Breathe in. Breathe out. Zuko had been going through his breathing exercises for the past five minutes that he had been standing outside his bedroom door. He knew he couldn't stay in front of his room much longer or someone would come along and see him. Agni forbid that it would be Azula. She'd probably make me rape the girl in front of her. As twisted as it sounds I wouldn't put it past her. Finally Zuko rested his hand on the door handle and gave a gentle push. The door moved forward without a sound. The room was silent and dark, aside from the few candles that had not burnt out yet. A gentle breeze was blowing the curtains around the bed and balcony doors but other than that the room was still. Maybe she's not here after all? He couldn't stop a smile from reaching his face. They must have moved her to live with the others downstairs. Confident he was alone, Zuko removed his tunic and outer pants and walked into the next room to bathe. A hot bath was exactly what he needed to clear his head. He had been gone a month and had not found even a trace of the Avatar and his companions. His men were tired and he was out of leads, the only thing they could have done was return home yet he hated the idea of returning empty handed. All he could do now was wait until someone brought news of the Avatar's whereabouts. In the meantime he would train and brush up on his fire bending techniques. If he could master lighting then the next time he encountered the Avatar, he would win. That pesky water bender and smart mouthed earth bender wouldn't be able to stop him.

Clean and refreshed Zuko dried off and wrapped his towel around his waist. Smiling at the thought of finally being able to sleep in the nude, Zuko let the towel drop as he pulled back the curtains to his bed. To his horror there sprawled out on his bed was the water tribe girl. She was clad sheer blue pieces of cloth that covered her chest and lower abdomen but nothing else. He could see her chest rise and fall as she breathed in and out. He could also see her ample cleavage, toned midsection and the swell of her hips. She's asleep. On my bed. There is a scantily clad woman sleeping on my bed! Zuko had to put his hand over his mouth to keep from groaning. He allowed his eyes to look over her once again. There was no question about her beauty, her face and body were flawless, not a single scratch marred her sun kissed skin. Any man would be happy to pleasure himself with her, even Zuko couldn't deny he wanted to. Feeling a familiar warmth spread across his body Zuko suddenly remembered the dropped towel. With his face glowing red, Zuko grabbed the towel off the floor and quickly wrapped it about himself. He could only imagine the scene that would have ensued if the girl had woken up to find an aroused and naked man standing over her. One thing however, was certain. He could not stay here tonight. Turning back towards his wardrobe he pulled on a pair of training pants and turned to leave. He walked over to the bed and blew out the candles and took a final glance at her sleeping figure. She looked far less intimidating sleeping peacefully on his bed than she had when she was beaten and bruised in the throne room. He had thought for sure her wounds would have left her horribly disfigured but yet as far as he could see (which was pretty much everything thanks to the blue number she was wearing) her body didn't have a mark on it. Shaking his head, Zuko blew out the final candle, grabbed a bottle of wine and left the room. He knew if he stayed a moment longer he would do something he would regret.

The sun rose that morning just like any other day, only Soliel wasn't there to greet it. Instead she laid nestled in bed dreaming of sweet nothings. A distant rooster's cry wafted in through the balcony doors gently waking up the sleeping Sun Princess. With a yawn and a stretch she sat up in bed a sleepy smile on her face, until she realized where she was. Jumping out of bed Soleil scanned the room, but no one was there. The candles had been blown out and the bed was a little tousled from where she had been sleeping but nothing was out of the ordinary. Perplexed she searched the room for any clue to tell her what happened during the night, but once again she found nothing.

"He didn't show up," she said a little perplexed. A huge smile found its way to her mouth, "He never showed up!"

Soliel couldn't help the gleeful giggle that escaped her as she literally jumped for joy. The Prince had not returned to his room last night which could only mean one of two things: either he hadn't yet returned home or he didn't want to see her. She couldn't care at the moment which one it was but knew that for now her dignity would remain in tact and she could continue training with the Elites. Soliel stopped her dance of joy as a look of horror crossed her face.

"Training! Oh no, I completely forgot!"

Soliel ripped off the blue lingerie and hurried into her training pants. She paused only a moment to ensure her tattoo was covered and then rushed from the room and down into the courtyard. Judging from the position of the sun she was nearly an hour late. No doubt the Captain would be furious and she would most likely be running laps until sundown but she couldn't bring herself to care. She was free in that moment and didn't care what hardships were coming next. She would face them once they stood in front of her and not a moment before. With a new burst of confidence Soleil ran faster towards the barracks. Finally she reached the training grounds where the men were lined up sparring.

"Soliel!"

Soliel flinched as she heard the Captain shouting her name.

"What the hell do you think you're doing dragging your ass here an hour late?"

"Yes Sir, I'm very sorry but I can explain…" The Captain's face was red and his eyes narrowed eyeing the young woman dangerously.

"Oh I'm sure you have a perfect explanation, Princess. My question is does it also explain where your shirt is?"

Soliel looked down in horror to see that she had forgotten to put on her cover shirt. All she was wearing were her bright red bindings and training pants. Her stomach and cleavage were quite visible to all of the men, especially the Captain as he stood towering over her. She gave a backwards glance towards where the men were training and saw that they had all been staring at her like a group of statues. They had known she was a beautiful girl but now they could see, very well, just how well endowed she really was. Soleil grimaced as she heard some of their comments.

"Who knew training uniforms could hide a body like that?"

"Seriously did you know Sunshine was a major hottie?"

"Shit, how did we miss that?"

Soliel could hardly hide her blush as the men's mutterings became more vulgar. She raised her eyes to the Captain's to find him smirking at her.

"I guess I should hear that explanation of yours shouldn't I?"

Soliel did not need to be told twice but hurried behind the Captain and into the tent, ignoring the wolf whistles her team mates were throwing her way. She had never been self conscious about her body in the Sun Nation, and she had run around in a lot less clothing! The other warriors never made comments or crude remarks. They were also more highly trained than these brutes and had grown up wearing the same thing.

"Well you've certainly caused an uprising here ma'am. I can feel the testosterone levels about to reach the ceiling. Were you hoping to distract everyone from your being late?"

"No of course not! I apologize for my appearance. I was in a hurry and forgot to grab my training robe. I'm sorry for the trouble I caused." Soliel's eyes were on the ground as she stumbled over her words.

"Listen Sunshine, the truth is I couldn't care less if you showed up here dressed as a hooker or as a nun. What I do care about is that you're late. That alone is grounds for cutting you off the team." Soliel's head shot up. She had expected a punishment of course but being cut from the team? She didn't even want to entertain the idea.

"Please don't, the Elites is all I have!"

"If that was the case we wouldn't be having this conversation, would we? Soliel I don't want you to leave the Elites. You're a good leader and a brilliant fighter. I do however need to know that the Elites have your complete devotion and are number one on your list of priorities. Now, about what we talked about last time. Do you have his highness' consent?"

"Well…no, but it's because he never came to see me." Soliel's words rushed out like water let out of a dam.

"The Prince didn't return to his chambers last night?"

"No. I have yet to see him…I don't even know what he looks like." The last part was mumbled under her breath.

"We'll have to wait until you get properly acquainted then. Have you mentioned any of this to the men?"

"No…I don't really know how I would even broach the subject. 'Oh hey guys so did you know I'm the Prince's newest concubine?' That would not go over well."

With a sigh Soliel sank into a chair. Yesterday life was so much simpler. She was an Elite and that was all.

"I think it's best if you didn't tell the rest of the team. They're already protective of you, even if you don't realize it, and I wouldn't want them to be questioning their allegiance to the Prince or the Fire Lord. They are first and foremost Fire Nation Soldiers. There's nothing we can do about this at the moment so we'll just have to play it by ear. Now go out there began sparing before I change my mind."

"I'm not being punished?"

"You've got enough on your plate right now. We'll save the punishment for later, probably the next scorcher." The Captain regarded Soliel with a wry smile, but his eyes were tinged with sadness. This girl was in for a wild ride if she stuck around and if he was being totally honest he needed her. This team was probably the best team he had had the privilege of overseeing. They were comrades in every sense of the word. They lived and fought together as a unit, genuinely concerned about their fellow teammates. They trained harder and learned faster than any team he had been the head of and he knew deep down that it was the spunky little brunette that was the reason for it. She kept them in line, kept them sharp but also kept them hopeful always looking forward to the next challenge, the next level. Everything said, she got shit done. If she left the team would crumble. The Captain's thoughts were interrupted by the uneasy voice of the girl in front of him.

"Umm Sir, are there any training shirts I could borrow?" A wicked smile broke out on the Captain's face.

"I figure the men could use some exposure to women while training. They shouldn't get distracted so easily by a girl, when its more than likely our opponents will be women."

Soleil's face flushed I thought the punishment was going to be saved for later. With a small sigh she pushed her chin into the air and walked out of the Captain's tent with as much pride as she could muster. Just remember you're doing this for their benefit, they'll still respect you, hopefully. A slow shrill whistle broke the silence and Soliel whipped towards the whistler. Before she could say anything the Captain's voice boomed behind her.

"Tamaki!"

Soliel turned to see the Captain not far behind her, his eyes drilling into Tamaki's now still form.

"Get on the track. Now!" Tamaki slowly began moving towards the track and turned back towards the Captain

"For how long sir?"

"Till that tent in your pants dies down you half wit!"

Embarrassed Tamaki hurried towards the track and began doing laps. The captain turned to back to the snickering group of soldiers his glare daring them to speak.

"Anyone else want to voice their opinions?" The immediate silence drew a smile from the Captain's face. Sometimes it was good to be reminded that you were in charge.

"Good! Now begin sparring before I decide to grind your asses into the ground along with Tamaki's!"

The chorus of yes sirs were prompt as the men scurried to find a partner. Kabuto looked towards Soliel and they walked off a ways from the other soldiers to spar.

"Can I ask why you were late or should I just keep my mouth shut?"

Soliel chuckled. She should have known he would ask. He was a bit of a paradox hardworking, driven but still gentle and caring towards his friends.

"I slept in" she responded meekly.

"You slept in?" Kabuto's face showed the shock he felt. "What happened to your whole 'greet the sun' ritual?" Soliel frowned. It had been a long time since she had greeted Agni on the roof.

"That actually hasn't happened in a while–the sun and I haven't been on speaking terms lately," she said shrugging defeatedly.

Kabuto missed her grimace but instead laughed.

"Not on speaking terms? That's a strange way of saying you're tired! All joking aside though Soliel, you really do need to take better care of yourself. All you do is train, sooner than later you're going to get burnt out. You need to rest."

Soliel couldn't help but smile at his chiding tone. He sounds like Mara, they would get along really well actually. He was right though, she hadn't been taking care of herself. She hardly ate and sleep was a nice thought that accompanied all the hundreds of other thoughts racing through her mind every night. While her comment about the sun was a joke she couldn't pretend that it didn't hurt. She hadn't spoken to Agni in ages and it was affecting her more than she would have liked. They were both proud, stubborn and very much stuck. Agni couldn't come to the physical world for obvious reasons and Soliel couldn't go to the Spirit World unless she was summoned. She could feel her body weakening daily and she knew the longer her and Sun God were at odds the less time she had. She didn't have the energy she used to while up on the Mountain and the energy she did have was draining fast. I am literally burning out. She didn't want to think of how weak should would be around the Summer Solstice if things were progressing the way they had been. Her thoughts were swirling as she moved methodically beginning the sparing exercises. Kabuto could see his friend was distracted. Her eyes were clouded with thoughts and worries he couldn't decipher. Was she really ok? Maybe he had over stepped his bounds. Kabuto was brought back to reality by a swift kick to his gut that sent him sprawling. Soliel stopped with a gasp. She hadn't been paying attention to how his movements had slowed.

"Kabuto! I'm so sorry are you ok?"

"I'm fine I'm fine. Really. I guess I don't have your talent of spacing out while fighting."

Soliel's cheeks warmed as she looked at the ground. Kabuto's cheeks were just as red as Soleil bent over him. He could see just how hard her bindings were working to keep her from spilling out. He quickly stood up and brushed the dirt from his pants, praying that his pants revealed nothing else.

"Was it that obvious?"

"Not in your fighting style, but your eyes lacked their intensity this round. Are you sure you're ok? You know you can tell me anything right?"

Soliel looked up at him with eyes a mix of fear and hope. Anything? The offer was tempting. How good it would feel to share the burden with him, someone she considered a close friend. It was risky though. If she did tell him their friendship would be on rocky ground. It would reveal that everything he thought about who she was, was a lie. It was something she couldn't risk.

"I'm fine Kabuto, really. I'll focus, no more day dreaming."

With a smile Soliel took up her defensive position.

"I'm ready now. It might have been better for you to leave me to my day dreaming."

Kabuto snorted.

"Cockiness doesn't become you my lady."