Where There Is Smoke, There Is Fire [Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfic]

Chapter 29

Chapter 29

It was such a beautiful, warm day outside that Izara felt guilty for staying inside to do paperwork for the first few hours of the morning. Once she had finished, she didn't have any more work to do and decided to go outside and read a book. It was her day off, after all. She rarely left the palace, even while off duty. She strolled back from the barracks into her room, grabbed her current novel off the nightstand, and casually began to make her way outside.

Though she wasn't supposed to be working today, she didn't want to do the paperwork later, and she checked in with all of the guards on her way outside. It was an essential part of her job to ensure she knew what was going on with the guards and make sure they were happy. An unhappy guard wouldn't do a good job, so she ensured everyone got what they needed. If they weren't feeling well, they went home and were replaced with one of the new guards that had been trained. The Captain had been doing his best to give everyone shifts they wanted, night shifts for those who liked being awake at night and dayshifts for those who had families.

So far, it had worked out famously, and everyone seemed much more alert when they were on guard. Izara waved to the two door guards and wondered where the best spot to sit would be. Somewhere in the sun, but not too warm. She reached the edge of the training grounds and looked out to see a few off-duty guards going through some forms, but something else drew her interest. As she sat down and mechanically opened her book, she found she couldn't look away.

The Fire Lord was going through some advanced, complex forms, and she couldn't help but stare at him. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and his pants hung low on his hips. His hair was tied up, but parts of it were falling out. His skin was practically glistening with sweat, and the shadows created by the sun reinforced his muscle tone. She watched from a shaded area and chewed her bottom lip. At this point, lying to herself just wasn't going to work. She was in no way, shape or form analysing his movements for training purposes. She was not trying to learn the form he was currently practising. She was staring at the incredibly attractive young man who made her heart race faster than she would like to admit. With a deep breath, she sat down, and her book fell open in her lap as her tongue wetted her lips. He continued going through his form with flawless precision and strength, the sheen of sweat making him almost glow in the afternoon sun.

He finished the form and took a few breaths with his hands on his hips. Her eyes dropped to the waistband of his pants, and she took notice of the small trail of dark hair that continued further down. She tried to tell herself that she wasn't interested in anything below that, that she was just appreciating the athletic body of a firebender, but she knew it was bullshit.

As if fate was holding a grudge against her, he saw her small form sitting cross-legged on the ledge and began walking over to her with a smile. Mentally, she scolded herself for staring, and she fumbled to figure out an explanation for why she was staring since 'Because you are gorgeous, Fire Lord Zuko' wouldn't really cut it.

Once he was a few metres away, she looked down at her book and tried to feign interest. His voice caused her to look back up at him, but she averted her eyes just as fast.

"Hey." He greeted her simply and began pulling his hair free from its tie before he noticed Izara staring pointedly at the ground. "Izara?"

She attempted to steel herself and looked at him. It was the wrong time to look as he adjusted the tie on the waistband of his pants and her eyes dropped to the lines of his hip bones. Cursing at herself mentally, she looked up at his face to find him grinning like he was very much enjoying himself despite his usual shyness.

"See something you like?" Zuko's voice was deep, sending her mind in circles.

His shy grin only grew when her jaw dropped, and she scrambled to her feet, dropped her book, and tried to pick it back up, only to drop it again. Finally, she got a hold of it and bowed before power-walking back into the palace, trying to keep the heat from rising to her face any more than it already was.