In the dark of the night, the petite female caught a movement in the courtyard as she approached. She caught Zuko's amber eyes quickly, smiling at his impatient scowl.
"Took you long enough." he scoffed, uncrossing his arms. He motioned for her to follow her, slipping to another section of the courtyard. She followed behind him, curious as to what new wonders he would show her.
They stopped at a calm pond, surrounded by well-kept grass. The young boy turned to his friend, a small smile on his lips.
"Close your eyes."
The brunette raised a confused eyebrow at him. He frowned, and with that frown she quickly and curiously obliged. The boy moved from her side to a few steps ahead of her. He stiffened his stance, before whispering hoarsely over his shoulder.
"And no peeking."
Yuying nodded to show she understood, and raised her small hands to cover her already closed eyelids.
She heard the igniting fire, in short intervals. Although not as quick as she would expect from her own advanced training, she could piece together that Zuko was firebending with what experience he had.
The boy stepped back to her side, glancing at his work with a pleased expression.
"You…" he awkwardly pushed his hands into his pockets. "...you can look now."
When she opened her eyes, her emerald eyes glittered in the firelight coming from the lit tall lanterns surrounding the pond. Their flames reflected in the water, lighting the tiny courtyard with reflected light.
"Zuko...it's beautiful…" she beamed, eyes wide in admiration and wonder.
He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, glancing in another direction to avoid her gaze. "I'm glad you like it…" he whispered, slowly bringing his gaze back to the pond when he caught her kneeling at the water's edge in his peripheral vision.
Unfortunately, that was the last moment they got to spend together.