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Nov. 24th, 2006 04:43 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
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Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Characters: Shaozu (Zuko/Mai), Kaguya (Sokka/Yue)
Warnings: AU, possible drama, possibly dirty
Under the influence of Avatar Aang's boundless enthusiasm and Toph Bei Fong's hard-nosed business sense, not to mention a dose of inventiveness from Sokka of the Water Tribe, the Earth Rumble tournament had evolved from a second rate small-town event to a multi-national competition. Over the years it had become so large that it had to be moved from its original location to a wide, empty plateau. There, over the course of ten days, people gathered from every nation to form a temporary, highly-structured village, at the center of which was the arena where benders of all elements would compete.
That had been the idea, anyway. But there were, of course, no airbenders around to participate until the Avatar's children were skilled enough to take part. And though the Fire Nation posessed what seemed like a glut of benders for such a relatively small country, they weren't entirely welcome in the Earth Kingdom, and so there were very few who made the trip to take part in the event.
It wasn't every year that they had royalty come to watch the event, and after King Bumi wiped the floor with the competition several years after the tournament's inception, none had stepped up to participate. So it was especially exciting that not only had five firebenders come from the Fire Nation to demonstrate their skill -- the top five in their class at the Royal Academy, in fact -- but that the Fire Lord's eldest son was among them.
The impression that most people got from Shaozu immediately was that he was quiet and intense. He was not actually taking part in the competition, but had come to conduct a demonstration which included a rare event that most of the onlookers had never before seen; a full ceremonial Agni Kai. And while there were certainly many among the crowd who would have made the assumption that the other young men were letting Shaozu look good, anyone who knew more than a thing or two about bending could note his obvious skill. When he concluded the final demonstration by shooting a bolt of lightning into the sky, there were few who could deny it.
Girls alarmed their fathers (and some, their husbands) by waving and shouting and flinging scarves and handkerchiefs to the firebenders and the prince especially as they exited the arena, the young men still bare-chested from their dueling. One or two waved back, but Shaozu's gaze was fixed straight ahead, and he did not stop or look around until he had slipped back into the tent, his tent; his status allowed him at least this much privacy, if not a whole building constructed solely for him.
Shaozu splashed water onto his face and wiped the sweat from the back of his neck with a damp cloth. It had been dustier than he had thought it would be, and now his skin was covered in a gritty film.
He'd need to have someone prepare him a proper bath sometime that evening. Shaozu wasn't as fastidious as his mother, but he was not particularly fond of being dirty.
Characters: Shaozu (Zuko/Mai), Kaguya (Sokka/Yue)
Warnings: AU, possible drama, possibly dirty
Under the influence of Avatar Aang's boundless enthusiasm and Toph Bei Fong's hard-nosed business sense, not to mention a dose of inventiveness from Sokka of the Water Tribe, the Earth Rumble tournament had evolved from a second rate small-town event to a multi-national competition. Over the years it had become so large that it had to be moved from its original location to a wide, empty plateau. There, over the course of ten days, people gathered from every nation to form a temporary, highly-structured village, at the center of which was the arena where benders of all elements would compete.
That had been the idea, anyway. But there were, of course, no airbenders around to participate until the Avatar's children were skilled enough to take part. And though the Fire Nation posessed what seemed like a glut of benders for such a relatively small country, they weren't entirely welcome in the Earth Kingdom, and so there were very few who made the trip to take part in the event.
It wasn't every year that they had royalty come to watch the event, and after King Bumi wiped the floor with the competition several years after the tournament's inception, none had stepped up to participate. So it was especially exciting that not only had five firebenders come from the Fire Nation to demonstrate their skill -- the top five in their class at the Royal Academy, in fact -- but that the Fire Lord's eldest son was among them.
The impression that most people got from Shaozu immediately was that he was quiet and intense. He was not actually taking part in the competition, but had come to conduct a demonstration which included a rare event that most of the onlookers had never before seen; a full ceremonial Agni Kai. And while there were certainly many among the crowd who would have made the assumption that the other young men were letting Shaozu look good, anyone who knew more than a thing or two about bending could note his obvious skill. When he concluded the final demonstration by shooting a bolt of lightning into the sky, there were few who could deny it.
Girls alarmed their fathers (and some, their husbands) by waving and shouting and flinging scarves and handkerchiefs to the firebenders and the prince especially as they exited the arena, the young men still bare-chested from their dueling. One or two waved back, but Shaozu's gaze was fixed straight ahead, and he did not stop or look around until he had slipped back into the tent, his tent; his status allowed him at least this much privacy, if not a whole building constructed solely for him.
Shaozu splashed water onto his face and wiped the sweat from the back of his neck with a damp cloth. It had been dustier than he had thought it would be, and now his skin was covered in a gritty film.
He'd need to have someone prepare him a proper bath sometime that evening. Shaozu wasn't as fastidious as his mother, but he was not particularly fond of being dirty.
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Date: 2006-11-24 01:29 pm (UTC)The finale this year would be a decorative display of snowbending, considered by most waterbenders to be a lost art, only recently rediscovered. The sole proponents of this glittering miracle were Water Master Katara and her protege, Princess Kaguya, who was doing an excellent job of blending in with her cousins, right up to the part where they all snuck out to have adventures as soon as the adults got distracted putting the babies to bed.
Kaguya slipped through the darkness with a hood pulled up to cover the white strand that ran through her hair, her hand occasionally brushing the top of the water pouch at her waist. It was easy enough to locate the Fire Nation's collection of tents, and Shaozu's among them. Getting in was going to be a little more difficult, but she took note, and then slid back into the shadows.
Twenty minutes later, she was back, and this time, she moved straight up to the camp. An enormous block of ice slithered obediently behind her like a trained oxdog. The benders blinked at her bare arms and cloaked head, but she kept her face down and murmured musically, "His highness's bathwater. A gift from an admirer."
Figuring the Prince could handle a slip of a girl, even if she was a bender, they shrugged and let her through, and she tried not to giggle as she called through the flap, not bothering to disguise her voice and only keeping it quiet. "Prince Shaozu? I've brought your bath, your highness."
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Date: 2006-11-24 04:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-24 04:17 pm (UTC)YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT WATER TRIBE GIRLS.
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Date: 2006-11-24 04:24 pm (UTC)AVATAR INSTA-PORN. JUST ADD WATER.
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Date: 2006-11-24 04:38 pm (UTC)He looked no different than he usually did, save a little tired from all the travel, and his expression when he saw her was no different than usual; a completely neutral, insufferably unreadable expression.
People would talk. It was likely none of his classmates or any of the others in his entourage would know who she was, but they would talk anyway. She'd brought the ice, and that had been a little foolish. They would think of Dan Dan and smugly murmur how Fire Nation nobility seemed to have a thing for Water Tribe girls.
"You shouldn't be here," he muttered.
Then he stepped aside anyway, so that she could enter the tent.
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Date: 2006-11-24 04:59 pm (UTC)"I know," she admitted, blushing, "And I'm sure the ice block is a bit much. It was dusty, today, though. I thought you might like a bath after that performance."
Kaguya nibbled her lower lip and wound her fingers together. "I can keep the bottom and sides frozen in a tub shape while you heat the inside without looking. I can do it from outside. It needn't be at all inappropriate."
She slipped a bit closer, still blushing, her own expression completely plain. Kaguya's deep, blue eyes shone with unfailing, gentle humor, and the slightest hint of extremely playful avarice.
"Just tell me what you want, Prince Shaozu. You know I just wanted to see you."
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Date: 2006-11-24 06:02 pm (UTC)As soon as the words spilled from his mouth, Shaozu regretted them. He hadn't spent his life attempting to master firebending just to use it to impress some girl, it didn't matter how pretty she was.
Without waiting for the answer, he turned away to press his palm to the center of the block of ice, starting to melt it.
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Date: 2006-11-24 06:23 pm (UTC)The tub hollowed itself out without waiting for him to melt it completely, the water, as it formed, lowering into the center, starting to heat under his skin even as the ice surrounding it hardened and turned mostly translucent. "I did. You were magnificent, but I expected that."
She turned her back, but held the pose, her arms steady. "The warm water should keep you from feeling the chill of the ice. I've done it before for my cousins. I won't even peek. Are you sure you don't want me to go outside?"
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Date: 2006-11-25 04:27 pm (UTC)His stomach churned, he clenched his hands and frowned, but the temptation of submerging himself in truly clean water for the first time in a week was too powerful. So, despite any suspicion of Kaguya's intentions, Shaozu stripped and settled himself into the makeshift bath.
He huffed, causing the ice on either side of him to send off wisps of steam, his eyes slanted toward Kaguya.
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Date: 2006-11-25 04:49 pm (UTC)She imagined that most boys felt this way when chasing a pretty girl, and the juxtaposition of situations made her giggle. Not at this particular moment, but privately, when she was alone.
Princess Kaguya had done, in her visits to the Fire Nation, research as extensive as possible on the acceptable behavior of Fire Nation ladies while being courted, and Fire Nation noblemen when courting, and, with the flair of a born politician, decided to mix the two together with a dose of Southern Water Tribe romantic sensuality that, on any other man in the known world, would have reduced her target to her devoted slave for the rest of his natural life. With Prince Shaozu, she had made herself, as far as she could tell, tolerable at best.
Her father, grandfather and countless other Water Tribe warriors since time immemorial credited glacial patience as the key factor involved in any great hunt. Kaguya, listening to her water lap against Prince Shaozu's velvet-over-muscle skin, liked to think of herself as a very patient young lady, indeed.
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Date: 2006-11-25 05:03 pm (UTC)He stepped closer to Kaguya, his feet bare and silent on one of the many rugs that covered the floor of his tent, the heat of his breath the only warning. Then he was half-leaning against her back, craning his neck over her shoulder to kiss her cheek, still naked and dripping.
"Thank you," he murmured.
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Date: 2006-11-25 07:31 pm (UTC)"Thank you," she murmured, making indirect eye contact as her skin moved against his, then lowering her eyes to the tea as she took a sip, blushing just enough to seem demure without acknowledging the implications of her actions.
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Date: 2006-11-26 05:03 am (UTC)Shaozu was tense, but he was always tense. He was also disorientingly handsome, all high cheekbones and sharp features and brilliant, dark-lashed eyes. And all of that brilliance was suddenly focused on Kaguya as Shaozu set down his cup of tea, rested his chin against his knuckles, and stared at her.
It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. Kaguya could only hope that he was thinking about leaping across the table to ravish her senseless.
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Date: 2006-11-26 06:08 am (UTC)Romancing the Fire Lord's heir was decidedly not bending.
Letting her foot find her slipper, she affected a subtly embarassed air, her gaze dropping into her teacup. She didn't often play the 'feign innocence' card with him because she wasn't sure it would work. Most of his expressions seemed to indicate that he thought that she knew exactly what she was doing.
Which was only half true.
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Date: 2006-11-26 07:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-26 07:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-26 07:17 am (UTC)"Just show me some basic forms."
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Date: 2006-11-26 07:40 am (UTC)She performed with her eyes half-closed, not needing to watch the water to sense its movement, or to avoid the furnishings of his tent. This was not so much a drill as a ritual dance, serene motions of deep, inner peace that flowed into one another with controlled, flowing perfection.
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Date: 2006-11-26 09:14 am (UTC)There. That was sufficiently vague and intricate and didn't admit anything.
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Date: 2006-11-26 07:32 pm (UTC)"I'm sorry," he said, sighing. "I just- I must be tired from the traveling. I didn't mean to get so angry with you."
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Date: 2006-11-26 07:52 pm (UTC)That kiss had sent tingles all the way through her to the tips of her toes.
She knelt beside the futon and took the hand not pressed to his face into hers, kissing his knuckles. "It's all right," she murmured. "I understand. It's been a very long day, I'm sure."
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Date: 2006-11-26 08:01 pm (UTC)"What does your culture say about how you've been acting?"
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Date: 2006-11-26 08:06 pm (UTC)One of those rules was never to come right out and say you were luring a man to your tent, unless you knew for certain he'd accept the offer.
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Date: 2006-11-26 08:12 pm (UTC)"Take off your clothes," he said.
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Date: 2006-11-26 08:18 pm (UTC)Princess Kaguya was a little bit shocked, and it showed in the quickening of her breath and the rush of color to her cheeks, but she was also thrilled, and she shivered, her toes curling in her slippers for the mere second she hesitated before starting to tug them off, her eyes downcast becomingly.
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