WARNING(S): Mentions of war

Another peaceful day in the countryside of Earth country - or as peaceful as it could be with war looming on the horizon.

Sakura hummed a quiet tune as she tended her father's garden. The family had fallen on some hard times as of late, and her mother had been forced to return to her tailoring business while her father continued to peddle his wares in the city.

The plants were coming along nicely; midsummer was always one of the best times of year for fresh, delicious fruits and veggies. The orange trees were ripe with tart, sweet oranges, and the carrots were so crisp she could almost sit in the dirt and eat as many as she pleased.

Her ears perked up as she heard her father's grunting as he pulled his cart back down the road. Straightening up and dusting off her apron, she turned with a smile and a greeting on her tongue - only for it to turn concerned as her father lugged back a cart full of dirty - and some smashed - produce.

"Father, what happened?" She exclaimed, rushing to aid him.

"Some troublesome kids… in the square," he puffed, nodding his thanks as she took over pushing the cart. "They knocked over my cart… and they ruined my cabbages!"

Dabbing at his forehead with a handkerchief, he grumbled to himself as they made their way back to the house. "Well, no use throwing them out. We'll have to make soup out of 'em tonight. Is your mother home yet?"

"Not yet. She got an emergency call from a client and has been gone all afternoon." Sakura gently wheeled the cart to a stop and started gathering bunches of cabbage heads into her arms. "Here, Father - go sit down and drink some water. I'll handle the cabbages."

"You're such a hardworking daughter." Patting her cheek, he gave her a fond smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "What would we do without you?"

"Be forced to work the fields yourselves, I guess," she joked, causing the two to share a laugh.

Night fell across the countryside stubbornly slowly, but as soon as the sun had faded from sight and the moon was making its voyage across the celestial skies, Sakura crept out to the well with a bucket in hand. The warm, cheerful summer breeze tickled her cheeks and tousled her hair; she hadn't bothered putting it back up given how late it was.

Humming quietly to herself, she pumped fresh water into the bucket. She would have to rise early to get started on the vegetable stock; her mother had been terribly upset when they told her about the incident in the city, but was placated when Sakura had said she'd take care of the soup herself. They'd been getting too little sleep lately; she figured she could do at least this much.

As soon as she was done filling it with water, she hoisted it into her arms with a grunt. Once she was sure she had filled it full, a rustling in the bushes made her whirl around with a startled sound - and with a gasp, she dumped the entire bucket onto the figure creeping around in the garden.

A muffled shout hit her ears almost instantly, and a head popped up with a glare like fire. "What- what the hell-?!"

"Shh!" She shoved a finger to his lips. "Would you be quiet? My parents are getting one of the best nights of sleep they've gotten this week! If you wake them up I'm not saving you!"

The sopping wet figure - a man, she presumed from the timbre in his voice and the way his hand grasped her wrist - only gave her a heated look in response. "That doesn't mean you had to soak me!"

"You're snooping around my father's garden in the dead of the night, and you expect me not to douse you?"

Grumbling a little under his breath, the young man heaved a sigh - and to her surprise, steam escaped his nose. "Fair enough, I guess. I didn't mean to startle you, I'm only looking for shelter for the night."

Straightening up, she extended her hand with a huff. "Well, you could've started with that. Can I ask your name?"

The stranger paused, examining her with a critical eye.

"Look, I'm not gonna turn you in if it happens that you're some kind of wanted criminal. Unless you're on the run for rape or serial murder, or something. Then I might get a little… concerned."

"I'm not on the run for that," the stranger balked, finally taking her hand. His was calloused, larger, with a warmth that felt too strong for a normal civilian. "I'm… Sasuke. I am on the run, but… just until I can make my way home."

As she helped him to his feet, she hummed thoughtfully under her breath. "Sasuke… hm, that doesn't ring a bell. Wait one minute, would you? Let me get you a towel and a robe."

Hurrying away, she slipped into the house and went straight for her parents' room. Her father was a naturally heavy sleeper, and her mother had come to tune out everything as she slept - especially her husband's snoring. She was able to creep in, grab one of her father's smaller robes, and get back out, stopping by the bathroom to get a fresh towel.

She was more than a little surprised to see that Sasuke had done as she'd asked, standing there patiently as he scanned the landscape with a critical eye.

"Here," she began, making him turn back to face her as she held out a robe and a towel. "You can change under the awning. I won't peek."

He murmured a thanks and did as directed, his shoes squeaking and sloshing with water every step as he began drying off his long hair. It fell heavy along his shoulders and back, thick and unruly, and briefly the young woman wondered about what it was like to comb through it.

Shaking her head to clear it of those thoughts, she turned away as clothing rustled and dropped to the dirt. She waited until he called softly to her before turning around, cupping her hand over her mouth to conceal the amusement as she saw how her father's robes hung off of his frame. Lithe he was, but there was a hint of muscle in his arms underneath the heavy fabric.

"Sorry," she said, voice colored with humor, "that was the smallest one he has. I didn't think it would be too big of a difference…"

"It's fine for now," Sasuke sighed as he gathered his clothes up into the towel. "What do I do with these?"

"Well, I have to do laundry tomorrow morning anyways, so I'll put them with my clothes for now." At his skeptical look, she added, "Don't worry, I'm not gonna do anything bad with them. It's better I hide them among my things than have my mother question me tomorrow."

Nodding slowly, he shuffled from foot to foot. "So… would you mind letting me stay here for the night? Just until tomorrow - I have to keep moving."

"I don't see why not - I mean, it's the least I can do after soaking you." Lips tugging into a smile, she gestured towards the shed. "I'll get some of my bedding so you won't have to sleep on the cold floor."

He watched as she turned to go, before a thought struck him and he reached forward to grasp her elbow. "Wait."

She turned, confusion in her face.

"I, uh, I never got your name," he added quietly.

"Oh, that's right. I'm sorry, I'm a bit scatterbrained. My name is Sakura."

"Sa- ku- ra…" he tested it out on his tongue. "Ah. Like the flower?"

"What gave it away?" She inquired wryly, tossing her petal-pink hair over one shoulder. To her delight, he chuckled. "I'll be right back with some blankets. You'll have to wait until my parents leave early in the morning, but when they do you can come in for some breakfast before you head out."

Morning came all too quickly. Sakura rose before dawn, beginning with the clothes as her mother cooked breakfast. By the time she sent her parents on their way with a kiss on the cheek and a lunch for her father, she was heading to the garden shed with a basket of clean clothes.

"Sasuke?" She knocked gently on the door. "They're gone, if you want some breakfast."

There was some shuffling from inside, before the door opened and Sasuke blinked down at her, still seeming a bit sleepy. (She swallowed, fighting to keep her eyes on his face and not wandering down to the delicious trail of muscle peeking out of his robe.)

"H- here!" She offered up the basket of clothes with a flushed face. "Just come in whenever you're ready!"

Hurrying away from the shed, she went back into the house and into the kitchen. Stirring the leftover rice, she fried up more egg and fresh vegetables before turning her attention to the stock still simmering over the fire.

Her impromptu visitor was certainly mysterious. Only a handsome visage and a first name? She'd never seen him around before, nor his exotic features - and judging by the fact that he was apparently a wanted man, she wondered just what it was that would make him go through the countryside. What had he done to invoke the wrath of the law?

One part of her huffed at that question. The better one would be what hadn't he done; the governors were getting much, much stricter these days, and the looming threat of the Fire Nation invading and conquering their land was good cause to lock down their citizens, she supposed. But for such a man who appeared to be a foreigner? Where had she seen his features before…?

Her train of thought was interrupted by the young man himself walking into the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves.

"O- oh, Sasuke!" She turned and paused, confused. "What are you doing?"

"Helping," he answered, as if it were obvious. "What do you need me to do?"

She shifted from foot to foot, glancing at the broth before going to the eggs. "If you don't mind keeping an eye on the egg, I'll take care of the soup."

Nodding silently, he walked past her up to the frying egg while she moved towards the fire. His long, dark hair had been pulled back with a ribbon, accentuating his pale features.

She absentmindedly stirred the soup as she looked him over with a critical eye.

"Something on your mind?" He inquired, glancing up at her. His piercing midnight irises seemed to click with a memory, and she blinked rapidly.

"H- huh? Oh, it's nothing," she answered, shaking her head and waving it off.

"Well, the egg is done cooking." He moved the pan off of the stove.

Working quickly, she grabbed a bowl and portioned off some rice, then the egg, and finally a smaller bowl of vegetable soup. She set them all in front of him with a steaming cup of tea.

She sat down before him as he ate, propping her chin up in her hand.

She waited for him to look up from his food, swallowing, before commenting, "I think I remember where I've seen you before."

She watched as his body tensed, eyes growing wary as they searched her face.

"You're… you're him, right? The runaway…?" She trailed off, mimicking the Fire Nation salute.

Sasuke looked around the room before heaving a sigh through his nose. "I knew you Earth Kingdom folk were too clever for your own good."

She waited for him to swallow the last of his tea before getting up to fetch the kettle. As she sat back down, he spoke. "Yes, I am. I'm not supposed to be here at all; I'm supposed to be finding the fabled Son of the Winds, but along the way I realized… I'm just on a wild goose chase." He shrugged his shoulders loosely. "So I've been trying to make a new life for myself here as a refugee. I guess I got too careless though - some guy found out I'm-" he mimicked the salute, more accurately than she had, "- so he turned me in to the Dai Li. I can't stay in the Earth Kingdom lest I want to go to prison, so I've been making my way south. I'm hoping I could settle in a forest somewhere, a place where nobody will recognize who I am."

"And… the hair is supposed to help hide you, right?" She gestured to his untamed locks. "Because I have to admit, I never would have realized who you were had you not looked at me exactly as the wanted poster."

His cheeks flushed a pale pink, and he nodded. "Y- yeah…"

"Well." Heaving a sigh, she leaned back on her knees. "I'm gonna be blunt, I don't think there are a lot of good options unless you want to go full hermit and bunk down in a cave somewhere."

Taking a sip of soup, he murmured, "That's the plan, I suppose."

Shifting from side to side, she looked back at him intently. "... I might have a good solution, if you'd like."

He swallowed the bite of rice he'd taken, curious.

"If you wanted… it's a small place, but I'd love some extra help around here." Gesturing around the room, she gave him a crooked smile. "It'll take some adjusting - especially for my father - but we could make room . You could stay here, if you wanted."

Sasuke's eyes widened a fraction in surprise, and he quickly ducked his head. "I wouldn't want to impose."

"Nonsense, there's no such thing." She waved it off. "You know how much needs done around here? I'm lucky if Mother gets a day off just to help me with the laundry. I'd love an extra pair of hands on deck."

The young prince said nothing for a long while, taking another bite and chewing slowly. His brow was furrowed in thought.

Finally, he swallowed, and looked up at her. "What do you want in return?"

"Except for someone to help me out? Not much," she admitted with a shrug. "Just because I know who you really are doesn't mean I'm inclined to turn you in. My parents aren't massive fans of the Fire Nation - hell, nobody around here really is - but they won't care if a refugee needs a place to stay."

Nodding his head jerkily, he hummed. His voice rippled in his throat and sent a pleasurable shiver across her shoulders.

"If you breathe a word about my identity, I'm gone," he stated firmly, fixing her in place with an intense stare.

"My lips are sealed," she answered, just as seriously.

After another moment, he got up from the table, bowl in hand. "Very well. In exchange for hiding me here I'll lend my services, starting with the dishes."

A/N: I just cannot write a fic in the Avatar universe without referencing the cabbage man. You know I had to do it to him.

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