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[shes-unreal.livejournal.com]

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.

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[ameonna.livejournal.com]

Unbeknownst to the hundreds of spectators who had gathered at the Earth Rumble once the news of the Angi Kai demonstration had been announced, Toph Bei Fong had another big trick up her sleeve, courtesy of Sokka of the Water Tribe and Water Master Katara.

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."

[ameonna.livejournal.com]

Kaguya let her own foot silently withdraw from her slipper as he poured the tea, and brushed warm, soft toes against the inside of Prince Shaozu's ankle as she accepted the cup.

"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.

[ameonna.livejournal.com]

Kaguya glanced at him. "I couldn't have expected that you would kiss me, Prince Shaozu, though you were perfectly within your boundaries to do so. You're always a gentleman. If you find that I've tempted you, well, I don't know your culture well enough to fault your judgement, so I must have."

There. That was sufficiently vague and intricate and didn't admit anything.