Façades [A Zuko x OC Story]

18 - A Journey to the Walled City

"Are you ready to go?" My mother says from next to me as we stand in front of the house.

"I can't believe we're moving. I just got here a few weeks ago," She wraps her arm around my shoulders and I wrap my arm around her waist.

"It won't be safe here. We'll be safer in Ba Sing Se. I also found a bakery for us to work at." She turns me around with her arm around my shoulder, "No time to think about the past, it is time to think about the future." I nod my head slowly taking one last look at our house before we mount our respective ostrich-horses and set off to the ferries to Ba Sing Se.

-

"Passports," The woman at the ferry gestures for us to hand over our paperwork. My mother slides the two papers across the table. The woman glares at the two of us for a minute before she stamps the papers aggressively and hands them back to, "Enjoy your trip." She grumbles.

"Oh look who it is!" I hear my mother say but when I turn to look at her she's already disappeared into the crowd.

"Great," I mumble. Walking around in a sad attempt to find my mother I sit down near the ticket booths when I spot a couple of familiar faces. I stomp towards them and grab the younger boy's collar, "I need to have a word with you." I hiss. I move my gaze to Iroh and give him a pleasant smile, "Nice to see you again." I drag Zuko off.

"You want to explain why you kissed me and then left my house without a word." I lean into his face.

"I don't know." He looks away from my face.

"How can you not know? There must be a reason!" I poke him in the chest, "I don't like my feelings being played with like a toy." I drop my hand.

"I don't know." He repeats.

"Can we just pretend it never happened?"

"Yeah, I think that would be for the best." He finally matches my gaze.

"By the way, was that your first kiss?" My anger shifts into childlike teasing. He gets a little flustered.

"You of all people should know that wasn't my first kiss. Don't you remember?" He grumbles

"Remember what?"

"Firefly!" I run to the boy with a big smile on my young face. I sit my five-year-old self next to the similarly aged Prince Zuko.

"What?" The boy looks at me with wide eyes.

"I want to show you something!" I scoot closer to the boy, "But you have to close your eyes!" I put my hands over his eyes. When I remove my hands his eyes are closed.

"What is it, Li?" Zuko wiggles with excitement. I lean forward and peck the boy on the lips. His eyes widen, "What was that?" He sticks his tongue out.

"Mother says it's what you do when you love somebody a lot. She and Father do it all the time." I grin widely.

"You love me?" He questions.

"Of course! You're my bestest friend in the whole world!" I wrap my arms around his body tightly and he slowly reciprocates the hug.

My face flushes at the memory, "I forgot all about that," I shake my head, "But it must have been a fond memory for you if you remembered it all these years." I taunt wiggling my finger in his face. He blushes faintly.

"I'm surprised you didn't remember it. After all, you did 'love' me," He taunts back. I punch him lightly in the arm as we walk back to Iroh.

"You seem to be in a better mood now." Iroh points out as we join him.