A Match of Ice and Fire

Chapter 15: Zuko

We circle lazily around one another, Gradually, drifting further and further apart. I could make my move at any time. But I'm waiting for the right moment. I'll catch Princess Kaya when she closest to the edge of ring then; I'll toss a small fire ball to whichever side she least expects, she'll lose her balance, trip over the out of bounds and be disqualified. Simple, easy, safe.
No one has to get burnt.

Still, part of me feels bad for making the first move. These days, when I spar with Aang, I tend not to open with offensive mavours. Probably because, what with me hunting Aang across the face of the earth and all, being the first whirl to fire fireballs at the avatar feels a little too close to home... Generally, defensive mavours are much more polite, especially in diplomatic situations like these. Even so, I know I'm hesitating longer than I should.
In all honesty, I thought Kaya would jump at the opportunity to draw my blood as soon as the gong sounded.
Instead, she just prowls. Her eyes intent on me; studying, assessing, stormy.

Her muscles flex and slid, lit by the soft, silky, pink hues of the rising sun. Her mid drift becomes particularly... diverting. The way its curves hypnotically from side to side, Every inch of Kaya's slender body honed to perfection. Those strange  branch-like silver scars on her back streach and extend with every movement...

"Something distracting you, m'lord?" Kaya's mockery is enough to pull me out of fmy trance regarding certain physical attributes...

She's smirking. "So are you going to try and burn me already?"

"I was waiting for you to do the honnors..."

Kaya seems genuinely surprised. No matter how insulent she is, did the princess really think I'd eagerly delight in burning my betroved? Just how evil does she think I am? I think of all my father's atrocities, my first Angi Kai, the permanent scar across my face... Maybe its not so unbelievable. I try a different tack, softening my voice. "I don't want to hurt you, Kaya."

The princess stops. I accidentally used her first name without even realising. Strange, it felt so natural. Calming to say..  I keep speaking trying to brush pass the peculiar trip up with her name.
"Believe it or not, I don't enjoy punishing girls I'm enaged to. I'm not as evil as you think I am. In fact, I'd be willing to accept your apology now, if we can put all this behind us."

"My apology?" Kaya repeats incrediously. "What for?"

Now it's my turn to stop.

She waits for her answer.

"For waking me up at the crack of dawn for a start!" The softeness in my voice quickly evaporates. "Challenging me to this dual for your own sense of deluded pride!" Her insolence is intolerable. " Or how about yesterday? When you screamed in my face in front of my entire council! Oh and,"  I might as well add,  "you never thanked me for SAVING YOUR LIFE!"

"Saving my life?!!" Kaya says the words like a punch line.

"Yes. Saving your life." I snap back mimicking her completely immature mimicry. "If it wasn't for my breath of fire you would have frozen to death within seconds!"

"So want me to be grateful?!"

"Yes!" This girl is driving me crazy! "I want you to be grateful!"

"In that case," Kaya voice took on a deathly calm, "Thank you for the honnors..."

Realising what Kaya intends, almost a moment too late, She flicks the ice out beneath her out in perfect line shooting for me. I barely have time to counter with fireball before the water whip comes cracking down. Hitting my fire and hissing voliently. A scalding strand of boiling steam still snakes through my defences, searing heat skimming the skin just above my shoulder. A fraction lower, and I would've of had nasty burn...

Kaya gives me a wicked grin. She knows exactly what she was doing. The Princess is here to win, and if I underestimated her agian, she might do just that.

No more playing polite. This Match is on.