Fire You Are (Zuko Love Story)

The First Question

"On your left!" 

"Fire, now!"

"Your other left, genius!"

"That is my left!"

Zuko and I jump behind the large container where we hid from Iroh the day he forced us to fight him together. We are currently in the middle of the exact same thing, except Zuko and I don't hate each other this time.

I hold out both my hands. "Right!" I wave my right hand. "And left!"

He holds out his hands in front of me, the positions being opposite from mine. "My right," he points to my left, "and my left," you know where this is going.

I sigh. "Whatever. I'll try to specify the next time."

"Thank you," he says sarcastically.

I look at him and let out a small chuckle.

"What?" He asks.

"Remember the last time we were hiding here?"

His regular frown becomes a slight smirk. "Yeah, I remember."

I smile at Zuko and remember we haven't kissed yet. It's not really a subject we've touched since that time we were out at sunset after Katara and the rest had left me practically hating me. It's been rough, but Zuko's helped a lot. That's just one more thing to thank him for.

Maybe right now I could just peck his lips, nothing too long...

A large blast hits the container behind us and the impact makes us both jerk forward.

"You two aren't fighting each other!" Iroh yells out with a laugh. "I'm not letting you two stay there for a long time!"

Zuko turns to me. "Same strategy. Now go."

"Right behind you," I say as he jumps out and charges at his uncle.

I notice where Zuko is and hurry to get on Iroh's other side. Iroh holds us both at bay, much more than other times he's trained us like this. It's like he wants to force something out of us.

I hear Zuko grunting. "Make a turn!"

I do as he says, giving Zuko an opening to shoot a fireball at Iroh's feet and making him jump up slightly. After that, both Zuko and I corner Iroh, thus ending the battle. Iroh nods in acceptance of his defeat, to which Zuko and I stand back a bit while looking at him.

"Well done, you two," Iroh grins. "I am impressed!"

I smile at Iroh.

"At how predictable you've become!" Iroh apparently completes his sentence.

"Wait, what?" Zuko asks.

"I let you win," Iroh admits. "I knew exactly what moves you were going to throw at me. And do you want to know how I knew?"

"Because you're just that good?" I say.

"Because you were yelling it out!" Iroh chuckles.

I blush and look away feeling a bit dumb. Iroh's absolutely right.

"If you two are to work as a team," he says with more seriousness, "and fight as a duo, you have to learn to communicate well enough to not even have to talk to one other. In the couple of months Aida has been with us, Zuko, you two have already been through a lot. You two can and must master this ability. Understood?"

I keep blushing, but not out of embarrassment anymore. 

"Yes, uncle," Zuko says.

"Good. I will see you two inside in a while," Iroh says as he leaves and goes to the inside of the ship.