Disclaimer: I do not own any of the ATLA characters and claim only my own OC's as original content.
Lord Gumo's palace was nestled on a mountainside about 10 miles from the little farm where Aiko and Sun Yao had offered their hospitality. The moment the carriage came to a stop the door opened and a slip of a woman appeared there.
"Welcome, my Lords." She offered with a wan smile. "I am Ming Ming, Lord Gumo's housekeeper." Her acorn colored eyes lighted on Kitsu and she gasped as a silk sleeve covered her mouth demurely. "Oh goodness." Ming Ming shook her head and looked from Kitsu to Zuko who held her protectively against his side. "The Lady is pale as snow. Please follow me, my lord. I have prepared rooms. Our healers are awaiting you there." Ming Ming retreated from the doorway of the carriage as Zuko shot his uncle a wary look.
Iroh stood and exited the carriage with a reassuring nod as Zuko pulled Kitsu's limp arm over his shoulder and stood. He grit his teeth as he struggled to support her dead weight. He ducked through the carriage door the sunlight beyond glinted harshly. As the sunspots cleared he could make out a courtyard, shaded by white cherry blossoms, where a row of servants waited in a neat row.
"Please inform your Lord that his hospitality is deeply appreciated." Iroh murmured to Ming Ming, who watched nervously as Zuko stumbled down the carriage steps with Lady Beifong.
"Ai, Chen, help the lord to their rooms." Ming Ming commanded gently. Two maid servants broke ranks to attend Kitsu. Zuko grunted as the two ladies swarmed him and took Kitsu onto their shoulders. As badly as he wanted to argue, he couldn't justify stumbling along with Kitsu when he could hardly keep himself upright.
"This way, my Lord." The taller of the two instructed as they began to haul Kitsu towards the front steps of the little palace. Zuko turned to look at Iroh who waved him onward with one hand.
"Go with her, Lee. I will be fine." Iroh's calm reassurance did little to settle Zuko's nerves but he could not let Kitsu leave his sight. He turned and rushed after the two women as they ascended the low stairs into the palace. Zuko scanned his surroundings as he followed the two women.
The palace was bedecked in green and gold silks, tapestries, and ornate paintings. Hog-Monkies were etched into almost every surface, snarling and playing across the walls in different shades of mahogany and walnut.
The two servants carried Kitsu's lifeless body down several corridors before leading Zuko through a pair of open doors that led into a large guest suite. A woman stood to the side of a large bed that was made up with fine silk sheets and an emerald green comforter.
"Lay here on the bed, girls." The older woman commanded as she rolled up the sleeves of her plain cloth dress. Dark brown eyes ghosted over Zuko momentarily before she set to work checking Kitsu's temperature with the back of her hand. "I am told that your wife has been poisoned with, Gu. How long has she been unconscious?"
"Three days." Zuko answered curtly as he watched the woman from a short distance. He could not be bothered to sit on any of the luxurious couches or chairs that were set around the room. His unease would not let him lounge about while Kitsu lay quivering beneath strange hands.
"Tough as boulders, this one." The woman murmured as she inspected the dark, puckered wound to Kitsu's ankle. "Ai, get me three bowls of warm water and a pile of clean linen squares. Chen, I'll need viper's kiss and feverfew from my stores. Quickly. And tell Ming Ming to have food prepared for his lordship." The last was said with an absent minded flick of her wrist in Zuko's direction causing his pale brow to twitch in frustration.
The older woman's dark hair was pulled back into a tightly plated braid that was streaked with silver. Her voice was rough and grave as she spoke, taking no time for pleasantries. "I cannot say for certain that she will pull through, but my gut tells me that she isn't done with this world yet." Dark eyes flicked to Zuko as the two maidservants scurried from the room like frightened mice. The older woman grabbed a chair by its arms and thumped it down next to the bed. "Sit." She commanded. "I can't work with you hanging over my shoulder like a vulture-wasp."
Zuko grit his teeth and crossed the room to the chair she had placed by Kitsu's side. Begrudgingly he collapsed into the cushions and gazed at Kitsu's pained expression.
" I am Dongmei." The older woman set about peeling Kitsu's sweat soaked dress from her skin. "Your wife is in capable hands." She never looked up when she addressed Zuko, and it was clear that she did not expect any form of response.
He watched blankly as Kitsu was laid bare once more, averting his eyes when it became clear the woman had no concern for Kitsu's modesty. Dongmei made no mention of the healed scarring along Kitsu's torso and Zuko was thankful for it. The pit of his stomach rolled weakly as he considered the woodgrain of the cherry floor. His vision blurred and his muscles ached, but he pushed the fatigue from his mind.
"How long have you been awake?" The question came pointedly as Dongmei covered Kitsu's naked body with the comforter.
"It doesn't matter." Zuko snapped, as he rubbed his eyes.
"That long eh?" The old woman was utterly unphased by Zuko's sharp response. "You should rest."
Before Zuko could make a retort the two maidservants flitted back into the room and placed their bundles upon the table. Dongmei wasted no time in soaking linen squares in one of the bowls of water before uncovering Kitsu's wounded leg and setting about cleaning the weeping wound.
The shorter of the two girls bowed to Zuko and covered her mouth politely with her sleeve before addressing him, her eyes remained averted to the floor in deference. "Your uncle is in the dining hall, my Lord. I would be honoured to escort you to him if that is your wish."
"I will stay here." Zuko grumbled. He would not leave Kitsu alone among strangers. What if she woke up? No he couldn't leave her.
"As you say." The girl bobbed her head once. "Would my lord like for his meal to be brought to these chambers?"
"Yes." It was almost a growl. Zuko was reaching the end of his restraint.
"Bring the young lord meat, Ai, he needs his strength. Prepare a sleeping drought as well." Dongmei ordered as the young girl curtsied and left the room quickly before Zuko could argue. "I won't have you barking at my girls, young man. No matter how tired you are." She chastised. Zuko pinched his brow and felt his anger fizzle out. He was too tired to keep it up.
Dongmei wrung out the now bloodied linen rags and laid them out flat before taking up fresh ones and dipping them into the second bowl of hot water. Knobby fingers draped them over the wound as a compress and tucked the edges beneath Kitsu's leg so that they would remain in place. A groan from the unconscious girl drew her attention but a glance made it clear that her patient had not regained consciousness. Moving constantly as she worked the old woman began to grind the herbs the maidservants brought her. "Chen, bring me the royal honey, and see to it that Ming Ming procures an appropriate gown for the Lady to convalesce in." She ordered without looking up. Zuko observed that the woman was grinding her herbs in exactly the manner Kitsu had done for him only three days before. Chen slipped out of the room quietly.
Two minutes passed as he watched the old woman work before Ai returned with a tray overflowing with food and Shan in tow. Shan placed a table next to Zuko where Ai set the tray of food. She bowed quickly and rushed to assist Dongmei.
"My Master sends his regrets that he has been unable to greet you. He hopes to make your acquaintance when he returns from business meetings in the morning. Your uncle has asked me to inform you that he will be retiring to his quarters after his meal for a bath and much needed rest." Shan informed him. "We have cared for your Ostrich-Horse and placed him in our stables. Is there any other need I can see to, my lord?"
"Run a bath. I won't have him stinking up the room." Dongmei ordered with a scowl in Shan's direction.
Shan shot the old woman a warning look before returning his gaze to Zuko. "Forgive her, my lord. She is old and prone to speaking out of turn."
Zuko shook his head and eyed the plate of food as his stomach growled traitorously. "Draw the bath." Zuko murmured. "And please bring me a change of clothes." He looked down at his tattered attire. He couldn't pass as an earth kingdom lord like this. He needed to play the part. "Tell my uncle that I will remain by the lady's side until she wakes up."
Shan bowed before turning on his heel and exiting the room in long strides. Zuko could not miss the way Dongmei glared at the back of Shan's head as he left. The room fell into silence once more as Ai and Dongmei applied a poultice to the linen cloth on Kitsu's wounds, gluing it to the gash with the pungent green paste. Before long Chen returned with a large clay jar and a silken robe draped over her arm.
"The royal honey will seal the wound and help draw out the toxins." Dongmei explained as she took the jar from Chen. Ai and Chen both set to work sitting Kitsu up and threading her arms through the sleeves of the robe, while Dongmei spread honey over the poultice with a wooden blade.
Zuko reluctantly began to eat meager bites of food as he watched the three women care for Kitsu. He took sips of the bitter tea that sat upon the tray. It coated his throat in warmth and made his tongue feel thick as he chewed. Thoughts swirled through his mind as his eyelids drooped. How would he explain the situation to Kitsu when she woke up? If she woke up? What would he do if she died? The last question weighed on his mind like a boulder as he closed his eyes to think. He couldn't shake the haze from his mind before his muscles seemed to melt and he faded into sleep.
Dongmei turned to gander at the young lord as a sigh escaped him and nodded firmly. His head had lolled back and the angry scowl that had ruled his countenance was nothing more than a memory as he breathed in the sweet relief of sleep. "It was high time that boy slept. Chen, get my scorche-soothe. His arm is burned. Spirits know he wouldn't let me tend it."
"Yes, Mother." Chen murmured as she gazed at the sleeping lord. "What about his face?" She asked cautiously.
"That wound is old, child. There is nothing we can do for it. The lord and lady have both suffered terrible burns in the past. All we can do now is see to their comfort and pray to the spirits for the Lady's recovery." Dongmei brushed the hair from Kitsu's face as she settled on the bed next to the unconscious girl and began to sponge away the days of grime that coated her skin. Chen frowned and nodded silently. Ai watched as her older sister slipped out of the room. Her chestnut eyes flashed in the fading sunlight that seeped in through the rice paper window.
"He looks so peaceful like that." Ai whispered to her mother as she watched the young lord sleep.
"Peace is something they have not seen enough of." Dongmei answered. Arthritic hands dabbed at the scar that snaked down the young lady's neck and she sighed. "Someday the fire nation will pay for their many wrongs, and these two will have their justice." The older woman shook her head and continued with her work. "Don't dally, Ai. Help me wash the young Lady." She chided.
Ai nodded, peeling her eyes from the pale young man at the bedside, and took up a cloth.
Ming Ming glided through the house towards the main hall, a manservant close on her heels. As she slipped into the main hall she eyed the woman who stood near the doorway, clothed in a fashionable green kimono. She was lithe and lovely, but something about her obsidian eyes put Ming Ming on edge.
"My apologies, my lady." Ming Ming curtsied low as she addressed the strange woman. "My Master was not expecting guests at this late hour. He will be more than happy to give you a proper audience tomorrow." Ming Ming watched as the woman's black pools glinted and a saccharine smile spread across her flawless face.
"Surely you have room for a weary traveler in this fine house. I've heard legends of the Gumo family's hospitality." The lady's voice was like clear bells in the wind. She was lyrical, and to a less practiced eye might have seemed harmless, but there was a honed edge to her mannerisms that only a snake in the grass could wield. Ming Ming returned the woman's smile with one of her own that was just as sweet.
"Our coach will carry you back to the village. You can find adequate lodging there." Ming Ming answered with finality. "If it suits you, my Lady, Master Gumo will send for you at midday."
The smile on the strange woman's face quirked, but did not falter. "Very well then." She turned smoothly, seeming to glide across the floor as she went. Ming Ming's eyes tightened as she watched the woman exit the main hall.
"Take a bird from the stable and follow that woman. I will know of her intentions before I expose the Master to her." Ming Ming ordered the manservant. "And Bo?" Ming Ming called as he turned to leave. The young man paused and nodded for her to continue. "Don't let her catch you."
"Excuse me, my lord." Chen said for the third time as she reached out and gently shook Zuko's good arm. She took a quick step back as he startled awake and leapt to his feet, eyes wildly searching the room for signs of a threat. "Forgive me, my Lord, but your bath is ready."
Zuko's eyes landed on the startled girl as memories of the past several days filtered into his mind. He blinked repeatedly and rubbed his hands over his face as he turned to look at Kitsu. She seemed to be resting peacefully. "How long was I asleep?" He asked, voice tinged with the roughness of deep sleep.
"Less than an hour my lord." Chen answered calmly. She pointed one silk sleeved arm towards a door on the far wall where steam poured into the room. "Your bath awaits you."
Zuko's amber eyes followed her slender arm towards the door and he swallowed thickly. When had he ever slept like that? He wondered. Until this moment he had not noticed that Chen was the only other person in the room. "Where is Dongmei?"
"Mother is preparing more poultice for the lady's wound." Chen answered calmly. "She will return momentarily. I am watching over the lady until she returns. Your wife is quiet now, you need not worry." The girl's gentle manners were nothing like that of her mother, and despite himself Zuko was put at ease.
"Fine." He mumbled with a nod. "Call for me if anything happens." It was still completely foreign to hear Kitsu be called his wife, but the ruse was necessary now. He couldn't imagine she would be pleased when she awoke, but he would deal with that when he had to. He crossed the room and slipped into the steamy washroom where a stone basin was set into the floor. As he pulled the door closed he noticed a small stack of towels and a neatly folded set of men's robes were set off to the side next to a tray of various soaps and oils. Zuko breathed the steamy air into his lungs and gave a heavy sigh as he pulled his tattered shirt over his head. It wasn't until he tossed the meager garment to the floor that he noticed the clean white bandages on his right arm. He thumbed the edge of the bandage silently before his scarred gaze fell upon the bath. It had been weeks since he was truly clean.
Zuko collapsed onto a stool and pulled the threadbare silk slippers from his feet. His heels were bruised and the soles of his feet were cut in several places where the slippers had worn through. A sharp hiss slid through his teeth as he set his bare feet on the cold floor and allowed himself to take stock of the damage to his stiff body. He'd seen worse of course. The deep bruises in varying shades of green and purple itched now more than they ached, but his muscles were as tight as violin strings. Zuko brushed the lank hair from his face and surveyed his surroundings out of habit. The rice paper window was set high on the wall, and there was no other point of entry aside from the door he came through. The glint of a silver mirror caught his eye and he averted his gaze out of habit. He couldn't bear to see himself in this sorry state. He grimaced in disgust and stood up. In a matter of moments his trousers were in a heap on the floor and he was sinking into the deep stone basin. The hot water enveloped him as he settled on the stone seat just below the swirling water. The heavenly liquid reached his chest and enveloped him in it's soothing embrace.
Zuko stayed very still, willing his muscles to go limp one by one. He leaned back against the rim of the bath and held up his injured hand, flexing it this way and that.
The memory of Kitsu gently daubing a salve onto his puckered skin made his chest tighten and he pinched his eyes shut. Why had she ever helped him? She was safe in her compound until she met him. Why would she risk everything like that? Was she stupid? Zuko swallowed the lump in his throat and grabbed the first soap he touched from the wooden tray Shan left for him. The thick scent of patchouli tickled his nose as he scrubbed angrily at the dirt that caked his pale skin.
She was as much a fugitive as he was, Zuko realized. The family scroll he'd stolen from Kitsu's escape tunnel stuck out from his shirt sleeve and taunted him with the questions it raised. Like an endless loop he saw Kitsu redirecting his sister's blue flames as fluidly as a firebending master. There was no longer any doubt in his mind as to what he saw, but the reality of it only angered him. What did it mean if she could bend fire as well as earth? He'd seen her do both, could she bend the other elements as well? How was it possible? And what did he plan to do about it?
Zuko growled and scrubbed harder at his skin leaving it pink and raw in the wake of his misguided rage. His need to regain his honour grappled with the debt he now owed to the unconscious girl in the next room and he was lost in the midst of his internal turmoil. With a deep breath he grabbed a hold of himself and dunked his head beneath the water before resurfacing and scrubbing his scalp vigorously.
The water lapped at his skin as it began to cloud with the grime his ministrations were releasing. He would need to speak with his Uncle. The old general always had some sage advice, whether Zuko liked it or not. Once his hair was thoroughly lathered he dunked himself below the water again and shook out the last of the suds. Zuko resurfaced and fell still as the water dripped from his head into the tub. He could hear Dongmei bossing her children about through the closed door. He could almost feel the water as it ran down his scar and he swallowed thickly.
Twice now he had seen the angry kiss of flame that marked Kitsu as damningly as his own scar. Two shaking fingers pressed into the raised flesh below his left eye. His family had caused her so much pain already. Before he'd ever laid eyes on her, his grandfather had taken everything Kitsu held dear. Now his sister had done it again. Would he be the next? Could he forgive himself if he did?
Zuko's eyes pinched shut as he swallowed an unwelcome sob. He wouldn't cry, he had no right to.
Puffy, white clouds drifted lazily across the sky as Kitsu lay in the warm grass. The sound of the bubbling brook where her mother knelt washing their clothing drifted through her ears.
"Momma look! That one looks like a flower!" One dirty little finger jabbed towards the sky. Meilin stopped in her work and shaded her eyes with one hand as she followed her daughter's aim.
"You're right, Kitsune. Do you see the turtle-duck?" Meilin smiled lovingly at her daughter and returned to the laundry. Meilin was a beautiful woman, with lightly tanned skin and pale green eyes the color of spring moss. Her lovely face was rimmed on both sides with dark brown hair that was pulled up into a loose bun at the nape of her neck. She was not a dainty woman, but even with her strong limbs and sturdy frame she was gently refined.
"I see it!" Once again grubby fingers pointed into the heavens. Kitsu wondered at the familiarity of the moment, as though she lived it before. As suddenly as she thought it, the idea flitted away. It was a thought for another time. She was warm, and the sun graced her skin so sweetly. Perhaps she would take a nap, only for a few minutes.
"Wake up, Kitsune. It isn't time to rest now." Meilin leaned over her daughter, who sat up with a dazed expression. She was older now, somehow taller. Kitsu couldn't make sense of the sudden change. Where was the sunny river bank?
Green eyes delved into harlequin shades of moss and gold as the two women looked at eachother. Kitsu's mind teetered into reality with finality like a clap of thunder. That day by the river was gone forever. It was nothing but a glimmering memory of happier times.
"Now is not the time to rest, Kitsune." Meilin murmured as she stroked the burgeoning tears from her daughter's cheeks. "You cannot sleep through your destiny."
Kitsune pinched her eyes shut and nodded. She wanted so badly to cling to the strong tones of her mother's voice, but she knew, inexplicably, that the waking world was tugging at her sleeve.
"I love you, Momma." Kitsu choked out as she felt the tugging become dragging, and then a torrential push of energy hit her like a tidal wave.