Kissed By Fire

Part 24: Lee and Ming

The market where they made port was full of scary looking thugs, merchants selling dangerous weapons and deadly poisons, and animals that Kabol would've snatched up in a heartbeat to put in his circus, but with Zuko next to her, Anut didn't feel afraid. To be fair, none of them would ever be as terrifying as Unagi, not even close.

"Alright Uncle, go look for your special tile, I'll take Anut to get some new clothes."Taking her hand in his, he led her down a more friendly avenue, one with bright feminine colors and swatches of expensive fabric hanging from clotheslines.

"What do you want?" Zuko asked while they walked. "Anything in particular?"

"Not really, just some pants I don't trip on, a cloak with a hood to hide my hair."

"You're easy to please."

She shrugged, tucking her hair behind her ear. The idea of making Zuko purchase expensive clothes for her was nauseating, especially when she would be just as happy in some rags, as long as they allowed her to move easily. The last thing she wanted was a corset or tight dress that would limit her ability to train and meditate like the ones Zhao forced her to wear. 

"This place looks nice," Anut said, pointing to a small, blue tent. It wasn't anything all that special, but it was operated entirely by women, three to be exact, which seemed promising.

"If you say so," he said, visibly judging the quality of the establishment.

"Hello, welcome to my store." A woman greeted them with a bow very different from the one she learned to perform at the Academy, a distinctly water tribe gesture. Thankfully, Zuko didn't start interrogating them about the whereabouts of the friends of the Avatar, as though everyone from both water tribes knew each other personally. "I run this shop with my two daughters, Lauli and Kya. May I ask your names and what you are looking for?"

"My name's Ming and this is my boyfriend, Lee. We're looking for a couple pairs of trousers for me, something I can move in, and some tops for the warmer weather."

"Of course, come right in."

Anut smiled, following the older woman into the shade of the tent, Zuko trailing behind her. "Why did you give fake names?" he whispered in her ear.

"The last thing we need is someone saying they saw a red-haired girl with the banished Fire Nation Prince."

"I don't like it," he muttered. "My name is all I have."

Soon the daughter of the shop owner joined us, her arms stacked high with clothes. This shop appeared to carry the colors of every nation, but she'd chosen red garments to match Anut's current attire. She ushered her into one of the dressing room, telling Zuko to wait outside.

"I see your boyfriend is a Fire Nation soldier," Lauli noted.

"Oh," the girl said, her face turning as red as her hair. "He's not- we're not-"

"Don't trouble yourself," she said kindly. "My family and I have been working in this town for a long time, serving all sorts of people, and we know that not every member of the Fire Nation has malice in their heart, many don't even approve of the war. Lee doesn't have any say in whether or not he's drawn into battle; he's just a low-ranking officer."

Anut nodded, avoided the woman's eyes. If only she knew 'Lee' was the son of the Firelord, born into immense wealth and privilege, hunting the world's last hope for peace to restore his place in the line of succession.

"What do you think of this?" Lauli said, holding up a short, pink skirt.

"It's very pretty, but I prefer pants so I can move easily."

"Are you a dancer?"

"Sort of..." Ty Lee always said dancing and fighting were mostly the same thing. "This is nice," she said, holding up a red sweater. "I like things that have a hood."

"But why? If I had hair like yours, I would wear it proudly." She leaned in conspiratorily. "There's a story in my tribe that my mother told me at night, about a woman with long red hair, a waterbender so strong she could sink a thousand ships with a flick of her wrist. Her daughter is still alive, I think, but she's an old woman now. Where I'm from, they call people like you 'moonstruck', because they believe the moon looked upon you, and that's why your hair is so bright."

Lauli's words stayed with Anut long after she left to get more clothing for her to try. Moonstruck, kissed by fire, did every nation have a different name for her? These women were too perceptive; she needed to leave soon. A few pairs of trousers, tank tops, and blouses were all she needed.

"Can I come in?"

Throwing on her shirt, Anut opened the curtain to let Zuko in. "What is it, Lee?"

He rolled his eyes at his fake name, holding up a garment prettier than anything she'd tried on so far. "I thought this might look good on you."

She held the dress in her hands, felt the embroidery on the heavy material. It wasn't something made to move in or even stand in. It was weighty and luxurious, to be worn by elegant ladies at formal ceremonies, every stitch a different symbol or picture. "It's so fancy; when would I even wear it?"

"An occasion will arise, I'm. Perhaps when I bring you back to the Capitol to meet my father."

"I don't know..."

"Will you please just try it on? I want to see how you look in it."

Anut sighed, removing her shirt and pants, Zuko hastily turning around to protect her modesty. Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. She carefully lowered the dress over her head, sliding her arms through the sleeves, not wanting to damage it accidentally. "I need help," she said. "It ties in the back; I can't reach them." Hesitantly, he turned around, moving towards her. He ran the back of his hand down her bare back, tracing the line of her spine. "Do you have some strange attraction to backs?"

"No," he said, hastily tying up the dress. "It's just a part of you I can see without actually seeing anything."

When he finished, she turned around, standing as tall and regal as she could. "How do I look?"

His eyes went wide, mouth parting. "Stunning."

As if on cue, Lauli entered the dressing room, holding some more red clothing, which she promptly dropped on the floor. "Oh my! Ming, you look beautiful, so elegant, like a queen." Zuko smirked at Anut out of the corner of the eyes as if to say, 'Marry me and you could be one.' "We've had that dress for years- it's one of the few items we don't make. Mom bought it from a merchant out of Omashu. It's been difficult to sell because it's so expensive."

"I'll take it, along with anything else she wants," Zuko said firmly.

Lauli's eyes narrowed slightly, probably confused as to how a simple foot soldier could afford all this. But she wasn't about to turn down such good business.

"You really shouldn't do this," Anut whispered to the prince as she redressed in the clothes she came in.

"Stop saying that," he said, taking her hand. "I would do anything for you."

"But you hardly know me. We only met a couple of weeks ago."

He pulled her to him, looking down at her with those bright, amber eyes. "I know you, I know all I need to; I love you, Firesprite."