He lost his memories and soon woke up on a banished Prince's ship without a clue in the world. But this boy somehow reawakens something in the Prince's heart, trust. He feels like he can finally rely on someone else other than himself and his Uncle...
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鬼
"That's amazing! What happened after that?"
Shoko ended up befriending one of the guards while complaining about the hot-headed Prince in the middle of the hallways. They were currently leaning against the railings and looking at the never-ending ocean.
"I uh... pushed him into a river, hoping it would give us enough time to escape," Kuro smiled nervously, "Turns out, he didn't know how to swim and I had to help him back out."
Shoko's lips cracked a small smile, struggling to keep his chuckle in. "Come on! You can't leave me on a cliffhanger. I hate cliffhangers."
Kuro smirked, "He was fine, and we left him there, making a run back to our house."
Shoko huffed, crossing his arms. "That's boring, I would've expected him to fight you after you almost ended his life." Kuro nodded and laughed, "Me too."
The two grew surprisingly close, Kuro would remind Shoko to clean his bandages and help him practice small firebending techniques.
He was a firebender as well, and near Shoko's age, being a young requited soldier of only 18 years old, he'd be turning 19 in a few months. It was a shock Prince Zuko allowed him to stay at such a young age with little experience.
"Now you know me a little more, what about you?"
Shoko rested his hands on the cold metal of the railings as he thought. Until Kuro interrupted him and pointed at his neck, "Why not tell me about your necklace, it's beautiful. Was it gifted or does it have a boring background?" Shoko blinked before bringing his fingers up to trace around the crescent-shaped moon that was carved into it, wave patterns beside it.
"Iroh lent it to me for a while, he said he felt better if someone were to look after it than leaving it in a pile of dust for it to get dirty and old," Shoko explained. He felt comfortable as if a piece of him was restored for some strange reason that he couldn't comprehend. The way the soft dark blue cloth fit snugly around his neck, swinging a bit with every movement he made.
"It's really pretty, blue suits you."
"That's what I've been trying to say, but I couldn't reject these clothes Prince Zuko gave me, he went out of his way to buy such fine silk."
❥・❥
"Come now, it's time for dinner!" Iroh exclaimed with a large smile as he rubbed his large stomach. "I heard they were making turtle duck tonight, it's been a long time since I've had any" The older man sighs in relief. Shoko couldn't help but chuckle a bit, how could this silly old man be the feared Dragon of the West? He's read several books and listened to all the stories, but so far, he's felt more comfortable in his presence than anything else.
They walked upstairs to the dining room, a table was placed in the middle of the room with a steaming teapot. Shoko could tell it was Jasmine, he had discovered his sense of smell and hearing were better than he imagined. "Smells good," He said and took a seat, looking over to the empty teacup in front of him. Iroh sat beside him with a bright smile. He carefully picked up the teacup and began pouring the liquid slowly, making sure to keep it from overfilling.