The Girl and the Fire Lord

32 Losing My Mind - Zuko's POV

Waiting for her to pack was a long twenty minutes. I told Kaori I'd be to her room in an hour, but I couldn't wait any longer. My heart burned, but in a good way. I'd told someone I loved them, and they'd said it back. And the best part was, it wasn't just 'someone' - it was Kaori. 

The most warm, kind, gentle, and gorgeous woman I'd ever met. Her beautiful, deep brown hair and sparkling dark eyes were entrancing. I couldn't get her out of my head.

As I walked down Hall 1 and turned the corner, I felt the butterflies in my stomach rise up. Never in my life had I felt emotion this intense. Happiness, nerves, and excitement swirled in my heart until it felt like I would pop. 

She loved me, and she was mine.

I knocked on the door and felt my cheeks get warm. When the door opened, all of my nerves and the unsettling feeling in my stomach melted away. 

"I'm almost ready! Thank you again for letting me come with you. I just couldn't stand the idea of you going on such a dangerous trip alone." She said, throwing her arms around my neck. She was kind of small, so she had to go on her tip toes just a little bit. It was adorable. 

"You may not want to remind me how dangerous this is going to be... I'm still feeling pretty nervous about you coming." I said, and her eyes doubled in size.

"No! It won't be dangerous at all! And your guard is coming, right?"

"Right."

"So we'll be perfectly fine!" 

"Yes, we will." 

She flitted away to continue packing and I walked into the small, well decorated room to her bed. Several outfits, one nice dress, a lot of books, and a stationary kit sat in her small duffel bag. It wasn't a lot, but then again, Kaori wasn't one for overindulgence. I wanted to buy her the world. 

Fire burned in me when she set down her sheer night dresses and undergarments in her bag. I looked away to be respectful, but everything in me begged me to look back. I didn't. At least not until she said,

"I wanted to pack some boyfriend-only things for the trip. You know, in case if you have a long day of setting treaties and politics."

She winked and the fire inside me turned into lightning. When she smirked, I knew she was feeling the same thing. I moved forward and gently pulled her hips into mine and moved to kiss her neck. In response, she lay her hands on my back and then dug her fingernails in, pushing her hips into mine.

Crazy. She drove me crazy. 

When I pulled back from kissing her neck she stared up at me with seduction and sex in her eyes. I needed her. 

She lifted quickly when I pulled her off the floor and spread her legs around me. I sat her atop her dresser and finally kissed her - sweetly, and then deeply. The space in between us closed and her legs spread until I knew she felt me. There was no way she didn't. 

She let out a soft moan and I knew I had to stop there or I wouldn't be able to.

"You are so beautiful, Kaori. I love you." I said, pulling back and cupping her smooth cheek in my hand. Her smile lit up my soul, and I kissed her once more, this time, warmly. I needed her to know that while I was pulling away, nothing in me wanted to. 

"I love you too Zuko." She said, grinning. "It's probably a good thing you stopped when you did. You were beginning to make me lose my mind."

I stroked her hair away from her face and admired the magnificent and beautiful woman I now got to call my girlfriend.

"And you, my love, made me lose mine a long, long time ago."