Once they were out of the grand ballroom, Chiyo let out a heavy sigh of relief. Pulling a stunt like that in front of the Fire Lord on his beloved daughter's birthday was a death wish. And that said death wish almost came true if it weren't for Lady Suiren's interruption of the impending doom.
All the while that she felt ten years were shaved off her lifespan, Lady Suiren kept on gushing and congratulating her at her so called 'debut performance'. "...good thing we chose that performance, Chiyo. It will surely leave a huge impression on the people. And I know for sure they will be talking about that performance in all the years to come!" She laughed as they wove through the maze of hallways towards her wing of the palace.
"I nearly died, Lady Suiren..." Chiyo reminded her mentor as they entered the large walk-in wardrobe filled with all of Suiren's kimonos, gowns, shoes, and various other clothing items and accesories.
"Nearly, but you didn't." She replied simply as if it were nothing. "Besides, what's art without a little danger? Ah! Here we go!" She pulled out a simple white yukata embroidered with red poppies on the hem and sleeves. "Wear this, and be out in five minutes!" She said as she walked out of the wardrobe.
Chiyo stared at the yukata, wondering why the Fire Lord Ozai wanted them back at the ballroom despite the fiasco. After the revelation that she was, in fact, a woman, the Fire Lord had merely laughed. In all honesty, Chiyo expected a rain of flames on both her and her mentor, but he only laughed saying that Lady Suiren always knew how to make a dramatic scene. He then ordered the armored girl to dress properly and attend the function again.
After securing the obi in place, she went out to have Suiren fix her hair and face. "The first step is complete, little one. But we have a long way to go... Eyes on the prize..."
They went back to the ballroom and Chiyo followed Suiren like a shadow wherever she went. She first talked with the nobles who attended the party, introducing Chiyo as her protegee. Every noble was amazed at her skill and bravery at such a young age. They even commented on how Chiyo's youthful beauty was almost at par with Lady Suiren's.
"You should see her by the time she is of a ripe age!" Lady Suiren boasted as she smiled sweetly. "I am quite sure, I'll be forgotten by you, my friends."
"How can I ever forget you, my Lady?!" One of the nobles dramatically put a hand on his chest above his heart. "For you are etched right here! My heart is big enough for the both of you!"
Suiren laughed and thanked the noble for his kind words and excused herself to move on to the next. That went on for a while until Chiyo heard someone clear their throat from behind her. She whipped her head around and saw the Princess Azula staring at her.
A bit flustered, she hurriedly bowed her head a bit, as it was tradition that one of their status must not look in the eyes of royals unless instructed. "Princess Azula!"
"You may raise your head." She said, kind of amused.
Chiyo raised her head and looked at her. "I am so sorry for the trouble I have caused you on your birthday..."
"Are you kidding?! You kicking those guards' butts is the highlight of my birthday!" She smirked and tugged her hand. "Come on, I'll introduce you to Mai and Ty Lee!"
She looked to her mentor and Suiren merely waved her off with a smile as if she told them to go and play.
"...thought you were a guy! Even Zuko had his jaw dropped..." Azula rambled on as they made their way through the throng of people conversing and having drinks. Finally they reached a group of girls their age. "Girls, this is the troublemaker from a while ago...what was your name again?"
"My name is Chiyo, my princess...: She said as she bowed slightly again.
"Chiyo... This is Mai," Azula pointed to a pale, expressionless girl with sharp features and dark hair that was put up in two buns. "And this is Ty Lee." She referred to the other girl who was exactly the opposite of Mai. Her rounded face and bright eyes basically screamed optimism. She had her hair tied high and braided behind her.
"It is an honor to meet all of you." Chiyo bowed to the girls who laughed.
"She sure is polite now compared to an hour ago!" Ty Lee teased and Chiyo blushed. "So are you, like, Lady Suiren's daughter or something?"
Chiyo shook her head. "She is my mentor, and I am merely her student. I have a long way to go."
"The Fire Lord nearly killed you." Mai stated matter-of-factly. "You would've been toasted and that would have been interesting. But now, everything is boring me to death..."
"I'm sorry if me living was a disappointment for you, Miss Mai..." Chiyo instantly regretted the words that left her mouth, but she bit back her tongue and kept a straight face.
Azula laughed at the brazenness of her, as she decided, new lackey. They sat down at a plush carpet laid out and littered with soft pillows, inviting Chiyo who hesitantly sat down. The three girls conversed freely about stuff regarding some 'Academy for Girls' that Chiyo had no interest in, but she pretended to listen in.
"H-hi... Umm.... Hello, Zuko here... But I guess you probably know me, sort of..." Chiyo's head snapped around quickly to look behind her. The Crown Prince had come down from his seat beside his father and approached them. Now, he stood there awkwardly with a hand behind his head looking away.
"Oh come on, Zuzu! Go away! We're talking to our new friend here!" Azula pouted, trying to send her brother away.
Chiyo stood up out of courtesy and bowed. "It is an honor to meet you, Prince Zuko."
"You too... uhh..."
"It's Chiyo, your Highness." Without meaning to, she had looked up at the prince and smiled.
"Chiyo, the lesson I will teach you today is very important so listen carefully." Suiren and Chiyo walked around the Royal Gardens early in the morning, just before the sunrise. The little girl, who had just turned ten years of age, breathed in the morning air filled with the scent of the flowers blooming to greet the sun.
"What is the lesson, Lady Suiren?"
"How to properly smile." The mentor said simply.
"I know how to smile!" Chiyo grinned widely, showing off her pearly white teeth, her eyes crinkling at the sides.
Suiren laughed and shook her head. "You smile like a girl, little one. I will teach you how to smile like a proper woman."Chiyo didn't understand the difference and tilted her head to the side. "Watch." Suiren had an expressionless face to start, then slowly, she looked up and the corners of her lips lifted.
'Even her eyes had changed.' Chiyo thought to herself as she studied her mentor's face.
"Imagine your smile is like the sun, Chiyo." She said softly and resumed walking, facing the rising sun behind the mountaintops. "The sun doesn't just rise up in the clouds thoughtlessly. It slowly and gracefully ascends, and blesses everything it reaches with light and warmth."
Chiyo imitated her, starting with an expressionless face and slowly smiling, but it wasn't quite right. "How did you do that thing with your eyes, Lady Suiren?"
She laughed at the thoroughness of her pupil. 'Indeed, she will be the one that surpasses me.' She thought and revealed the trick. "Imagine as if you have a secret that only you know. Your main goal, Chiyo, is to make the person interested. Make the person cling to whatever secret you are holding on to."
The child thought hard of a secret that even the lady did not know and then she smiled.
"Perfect!" Suiren clapped as she watched her slowly master the art of smiling. "Now you got me curious about that secret."
"I was the one who ate those pastries the Fire Lord sent you last week..." Chiyo looked down, expecting the lady to scold her, but instead she heard her beautiful, ringing laughter throughout the gardens.
She watched for the telltale signs that Lady Suiren had told her to look out for: the slight hitching of the breath, the unmistakable widening of the eyes, the sudden lump in the throat. Prince Zuko had everything on the list ticked off and that made her smile more.
"I—I...I'm Zuko..."
"Zuzu! Stop hogging my guest on my birthday!" Azula pulled Chiyo back down on the carpet. It was a good thing that the pillows had cushioned her fall.
"Princess Azula." Lo and Li approached the princess and bowed. "It is time for the dance."
The princess groaned, but stood up anyway and followed her advisers. She was closely followed by Mai and Ty Lee, leaving Zuko and Chiyo.
"So...uh...can I dance you? I-I mean, with you?" The prince stuttered as he looked at the apprentice who a mere hour ago he thought to be male, and had taken down ten palace guards.
"I shouldn't, Prince Zuko." Chiyo stood up, her head bowed. "It will look unsightly for a Prince to dance with a lowly servant such as myself..."
Zuko frowned at her words, his short temper slowly rising in the surface. "Then why is my father dancing with Lady Suiren over there?" He pointed to the middle of the room and true enough, her mentor and the Fire Lord were hand in hand, swaying to the lively music of the band. Chiyo looked over his shoulder and watched the pair. It was as if they were floating, gliding across the room, paying no heed to the crowd.
She bit her lower lip, torn between taking the Prince up on his offer and running away like a wolf-bat from hell. As if it was intended, she caught the eyes of her mentor. Suiren ever so slightly raised an eyebrow and smiled. In that instant, she understood. "Maybe just one—" She never got to finish her sentence as Zuko had pulled her into the circle of dancers and held one of her hands in his own.
He tried to remember how Lo and Li taught him the dances. 'One hand out-stretched, the other on the waist... or was it hip?'
Sensing his distress, Chiyo showed him the proper way and slowly they spun in a circle. The Prince tried to look anywhere but his partner. He feared that once he did, he wouldn't be able to look away.
On the other hand, Chiyo tried to catch his eyes with her own. Suiren had taught her, 'Not only do you dance with your body. You also dance with your eyes. Eye contact is important for a great dance.'
Finally, he looked and was he right. He studied the deep pool of amber in her eyes, so different from his own golden ones. His eyes then shifted to her lips; curious as to how even the slightest lifting of the corner of her lips mesmerized him.
Zuko wasn't the only one studying his partner though. Chiyo noted how his long dark hair was pulled back tightly into a high ponytail, how his smooth alabaster skin was brought to life by the roaring fire in the middle of the pit, making lights and shadows dance on his face and his golden eyes shine. She also noticed his broad shoulders under her hand, even through the dark red Royal robes and armor he wore.
It felt like only a few seconds had passed when the music ended and they stepped apart to bow to one another as was custom. "Thank you, for the dance, Prince Zuko." She smiled again as she bowed.
"I should be the one thanking you, Chiyo." He smiled back and bowed as well.
"Chiyo, my dear!" Lady Suiren made her way through to the young children. "Prince Zuko, if I may please excuse my young ward. We must retire for the evening for there is still her morning training."
"Of course, Lady Suiren. You both are excused." He gave Chiyo one last look before she left with her teacher. "Can I see you tomorrow?" he called out.
The young apprentice looked back at the prince and smiled.