The Ruka Wild ↠ Book 3 > A:TLA

33

Ruka (3)

"Here's something I was able to find for you." Zuko handed me red folded clothes and I took them with a small smile. "Thank you."

"Sorry if they're a little big, they're my mothers."

I cocked my brow and looked down at the clothes. "Are you okay with me wearing these?"

He nodded. "They'll look nice on you... we'll be outside training, so..."

"No, yeah, I'll meet you out there."

I watched Zuko turn around and leave the room. We were now at his family's old beach house on the island. He thought this would be a good place to hide from the Fire Lord and Azula.

It's been a few days since the night Zuko and I shared. Neither one of us regrets it, but neither one of us chooses to talk about it either.

When I laid out the piece of clothing, I realized it was a dress. A beautiful dress. It was embroidered with gold detail on the side.

I took off my own clothes and carefully draped the dress over myself. I smooth it out, walking in front of an old, dusty mirror in the corner of the room. I wore my own black boots that already hugged my legs.

"Ruka, are you in here?" I heard footsteps coming toward the room. I turned and Katara was standing under the door frame with a look of awe in her eyes.

"Oh, wow." She looked me up and down.

"How do I look? Is it too much?"

"No, no." Katara shook her head quickly. "You look beautiful." She stepped over and grabbed my hand, running out of the room.

We ran to the yard where Aang and Zuko were training. Katara sat me down next to her on the steps. Alongside us were Toph, Suki, and Haru.

Haru and I have barely spoken to each other which would be expected since he was standing outside my tent the next morning when Zuko left.

"You have to go before anyone sees you." I handed Zuko his shirt and he kissed my head before stepping out.

I dressed myself quickly then followed after him. I was pulling my hair back into a ponytail when I locked eyes with Haru.

We stared at each other for a moment until I spoke. "Hey, good morning."

"Did you have a good night?" Haru handed me a bowl of oatmeal. I followed his gaze to Zuko who was fixing himself in the reflection of a bowl of water.

I looked back to him, not being able to form words. My mouth gaped open, making him stifle a laugh.

"It's none of my business. I won't say anything." He let go of the bowl and I held it close to my body. "But Ruka, be careful."

"Doesn't it seem kind of weird that we're hiding from the Fire Lord in his own house?" Katara questioned.

"I told you, my father hasn't come here since our family was actually happy. And that was a long time ago. It's the last place anyone would think to look for us." Zuko rubbed his sweat off with a towel. He sat a few feet across from me - shirtless.

I suddenly found myself remembering the moment my fingers traced down his chest and over his toned stomach as my other hand was tugging the back of his hair. His hands on my-

"You guys are not gonna believe this!" Sokka ran over to us with Thalia trailing behind. "There's a play about us."

I shook the image out of my head and cleared my throat. From the corner of my eye, I saw Zuko peaking over at me, throwing the towel over his shoulder.

"Check out this poster." Thalia took it from Sokka's hands and unrolled it for us to see. "We found it in town."

"What? How is that possible?" Katara asked.

"Listen to this: The Boy in the Ice Berg is a new production from acclaimed playwright Puan Tin who scoured the globe, gathering information on the Avatar. From the Icy South Pole to the heart of Ba Sing Se. His sources include singing nomads, pirates, prisoners of war, and a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage."

"Brought to you by the critically acclaimed Ember Island Players." Thalia finished for him.

"Ugh! My mother used to take us to see them. He butchered 'Love Amongst the Dragons' every year." Zuko complained.

"Sokka, do you really think it's a good idea for us to attend a play about ourselves?" Katara asked.

"C'mon, a day at the theatre?" Sokka grinned. "This is the kind of wacky, time-wasting nonsense I've been missing!"

"You guys can count me out." I shook my head as I took a seat next to Zuko.

"How come?" Thalia asked.

"There's just some... personal events that I'd rather not see again from some lousy actors."

"Suit yourself! Let's go get ready!" Sokka grabbed Thalia's hand and took her off in some direction.

The others started to go their separate ways as well.

"I'll stay with you tonight." Zuko said.

"Oh, no. That's okay. You go enjoy the play."

"Trust me, I'm not."

"Okay, then we can find something else to do." I awkwardly patted his back. "Something... innocent."

Zuko scoffed. "Sure."

I cleared my throat as I stood up in front of him. "You're mother really wore this?"

"On special occasions." He too stood up and slowly walked passed me. Before he continued on though, leaned into my ear. "Like tonight."