Jon paced back and forth before the fireplace, muttering to himself. His hold over this village was tenuous at best, but with this, this vigilante trying to help the people he and his brother were slowly being forced out of the town.
The Painted Lady had seemed like a joke when she first appeared, for surely it was impossible that anyone would dare resist him. But as time progressed and the Lady kept at it, Jon grew more and more agitated. If he didn't catch her soon, he was going to implode! When he found her, he would wring her scrawny neck with his own two hands!
No one messed with Jon and Hon! No one.
He slammed his fist into the wall, and the earth rumbled in response. That little upstart thought she was soooo clever, but when he figured out who she was--and he would figure it out--she would pay, she would-
Someone cleared their throat behind the earthbender, and he whirled, fists raised. His brother smiled, and something in it made Jon stop his urge to smack Hon upside the head.
“What? It'd better be good--I told you not to disturb me when I'm thinking!”
Hon grinned. “Oh, it's good.” He chuckled, then laughed, then coughed, doubled over with the consequences of his mirth.
Jon rolled his eyes. “Well?!”
Hon coughed one more time, wishing that his brother was just a little more caring, then folded his arms. “I have some information you'll be very interested to hear...”
As his brother talked, Jon's bad mood fell away, and a grin that belied his years spread across his face. Oh, yes.
It was definitely good.
**__**
Aki and I browse through the marketplace with baskets on our arms, gathering tonight's dinner and tomorrow's breakfast. Well, she's gathering. I'm mussing about my mysterious dance partner. Aki thinks it was the Ocean spirit, come at last, but I don't think so.
I mean, I believe in spirits. Everyone does around here.
It's just that.. he seemed so real. So... so alive and warm and, well, human. Spirits are supposed to be cold and distant and aloof and, well, dead. But the dancer from last night's full moon was warm, almost hot, to the touch, and there was fire in his amber eyes.
I have never seen such eyes.
They glittered like gold, but they were as deep as any ocean, and full to the brim with an emotion that I couldn't place. I wanted to drown in his eyes.
Aki says that I've let the salt water go to my head--that I was seeing things. But I know he was real, and I'm going to find him. I don't know what made me dance with him; I certainly hadn't planned on it.
I've never been so scared as I was when he stepped out of the shadows. He looked at me like he knew me, and it was... amazing. No one has ever looked at me that way before. Not even myself, when I look into a mirror.
I try not to look into mirrors, though. It's too painful to see a stranger staring back at me.
Aki tugs on my arm, and I follow her through the market, not paying any attention to what she's doing. At first I don't notice the unease coiling through my stomach, but then it spikes, and the hair on the back of my neck stands up.
I get the feeling that I'm being watched, that I'm not alone.
But of course I'm not alone. I'm standing in a crowded marketplace, shopping with Aki. We're surrounded by people. So what is wrong?
I turn slowly, searching the square. My narrowed gaze passes over shoppers and a few soldiers, a group of children tossing dice half-heartedly, a fishwife arguing with her husband over a few coins, a tall man, a stooped old woman walk-
What?!
My gaze darts back to the man, who is standing in the shadows, a rice hat pulled low over his eyes. But I can feel them on me, and I know, I know, that he is my dancer. I can't see the amber depths of his almond shaped eyes, but I know that they are staring into mine, and I cannot look away from him.
I feel Aki grab my arm, but I don't respond. I hear her voice, as if from a distance, calling the name she's given me. I want to answer her, I do, but I can't look away from the stranger, I can't help but feel that I... I know him, somehow.
But that's impossible.
He walks towards us, his steps slow and measured, raising puffs of dust from ground that is uneven and rocky from earthbenders' use. I swallow audibly as he stops in front of us, and now I can see his eyes, glinting at me with unfathomable fire. The raised, reddened scar across his left eye makes him seem even darker and more dangerous. More mysterious.
My breath catches, and I wonder what he'll say, what he'll do. I feel myself blushing furiously, but I've no way of stopping myself.
Suddenly his eyes slide away from mine, looking to my right, but I keep my blue gaze on him, unable to tear my thoughts and eyes away.
Who is he? What does he want from me? What do I want from him?
Who is he?
He's speaking--his mouth moving, forming words. I try to listen, but I can't hear the words. I only hear his voice, raspy and not overly deep. It strikes a chord in me, making my heart race again. I open my mouth, then close it, open, and close.
I must look like an idiot.
I have to say something, anything!
But then he's gone; with a nod he turns and walks away, disappearing between two buildings. And just like that, the spell is broken, and I jerk around at the sound of Aki's voice.
“Kara? Are you all right?”
“What? Yes, yes, I--I'm fine.”
“Are you sure?”
I stare at her irritably, taking my anger at myself out on her. “Yes, Aki, I am fine. Why wouldn't I be?”
She just smiles, and there's a glint in her green eyes that I don't like. “Good. Because I've invited your boyfriend--oops, I mean, Lee, to dinner, and it wouldn't do for you to stare at him like an idiot the whole time.”
I glare at her. “He's not my boyfriend!”
She chuckles. “Whatever you say, Kara. Whatever you say.” Then she, too, turns and walks away, leaving me standing in the middle of the market, an odd smile on my face.
Lee. His name is Lee.
Then the rest of her words penetrate the fog.
I've invited him to dinner...
Dinner! Oh, by the spirits!
YOU ARE READING
Falling for the Enemy (Sun and Moon Book 1)
Fanfiction*A Zutara fanfic* Kara has been living in a little fishing village in the northern Earth Kingdom for as long as she can remember--literally. She woke up on its shores nearly six months ago, and she knows that if it hadn't been for Aki, she'd be dead...
