The Fire Prodigy {ATLA}

{19}: Tales of Ba Sing Se pt. 2

I walked out of my room, only to see Zuko already standing by the living room. I could tell Iroh had had a hand in helping him get ready, because his hair was combed in a funny flattened way that felt really out of character for him.

I couldn't stop myself from giggling. "Nice hair."

"It took Uncle ten minutes to do my hair," he replied.

"And I love the gesture," I said, walking towards him and messing it back up so that it looked normal again. "But I can't let you walk out of the house with that."

Zuko seemed baffled, but allowed me to remove the hairstyle. "You look... Good."

"Thanks," I said, taking his arm and guiding him outside of our home and onto the busy street.

We decided to go have some dinner at a nearby restaurant. After taking our order and bringing us back our food and drinks, the waiter left us alone at last. I noticed Zuko nervously poking at his dumplings. It was pretty obvious he was really nervous.

"So... This feels nice. If we remove the fact that we're the world's second most hunted teenagers, it almost feels normal."

"I guess."

"I heard some customers mention the Ba Sing Se Annual Lights Festival. I know that it could be risky, but I was thinking of entering and giving a fireworks show as a performance. I'm kind of missing using my bending for something different than heating up tea cups."

"That sounds fine."

I narrowed my eyes at him, getting increasingly annoyed at how absent he was. "Oh, and by the way, I've decided to get a pair of horns and become a flying bison."

"Oh, good."

I slammed my hands on the table, finally making him look up from his food. "You're not listening."

"Sorry. I guess I'm just... Nervous. This is the first date I've been in."

I widened my eyes. I wasn't expecting to hear that. "Really? I thought... Well back home, you and Mai..."

"We had a thing, but she was always too scared of Azula to ever give us a chance. Other than her, you're the only other girl I've ever... I mean, other than you, there's no other..." Zuko sighed heavily. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel like I'm not interested. I like you, Hana. I really do. We've just been friends for so long, I'm scared to say something dumb and ruin it."

I smiled, reaching out to take his hand and squeezing it gently. "You say dumb things all the time. I'm used to it by now."

He smiled back at me, making my stomach do a flip. We finished our food and left the restaurant, deciding to go for a stroll around the streets. Ba Sing Se was a perpetually busy city, I'd come to learn. Even this late at night, its citizens were walking about as if it were midday.

"Remember when we were little and we used to chase around the turtle ducks of the palace?" I asked, suddenly breaking the silence.

"Yeah, I remember. Azula would scared them and make them run around, and it was up to us to fix the mess before anyone found out."

"But it wasn't always just Azula doing the mischievous things. We used to throw rocks at them at the pond, thinking it was fun to see their little scared faces. It was Lady Ursa... Your mother, who taught us it was wrong," I said, feeling as if it were only yesterday. But I knew it had been a really long time since then. So much had happened since the simpler days of chasing little turtle ducks. "Other than you and Iroh, she was the only person to ever accept me as part of the family."

"She really liked you," Zuko recalled. I could tell he still was uncomfortable talking about his mother.

I couldn't hide my giggle. "Remember that time Azula and her friends forced me to play the apple game?"

Zuko scoffed. "She wanted to practice her aim by shooting an apple on your head. She's crazy."

"Mai and Ty Lee were all for it. After the apple caught on fire, they pushed me into the fountain. I was so upset," I recalled, as I remembered the little girls' laughter. "But then you came to the rescue. You were so mad at them for doing that to me."

"They always took advantage of you because they knew you couldn't fight back. It made me so angry," he said, and I could tell he meant it.

I laughed. "Well, I think Azula was jealous. We both had great potential to be powerful firebenders, but she used her powers for destruction, while I used them to entertain and make people happy. That made her so angry."

"She should be jealous. You are a greater firebender than she'll ever be," Zuko stated bitterly.

"I think we both know that's not true. Azula has always been an incredibly strong fighter. Her technique and fierceness is unparalleled," I said before turning to face him. "But you always have been better, because you fight to protect the things that are important to you. It's what I've always liked about you."

Zuko gave me a thoughtful look. I simply took the time to appreciate his presence with me, gently reaching towards the scar on his face. I felt him tense for a moment, but then he relaxed, taking my hand in his and finally smiling.

"I'm glad we did this tonight."

"Me too."