You were always on my mind...

Nakkoa's nails scraped against the wooden floors and carved nasty scratches into the fine polished finish. Teal eyes widened the size of saucers as she reeled along the floor, delusional with pain. She couldn't decide if she wanted to roll into a ball or stretch out and claw the floor, either way hurt severely...so she was left moving around like an injured fish out of water.

'I don't understand why this burns so much?!' Nakkoa clawed her nails into the floorboards and snarled when splinters lodged themselves in her fingers. The pain was insurmountable; her skin was ice to the touch, inside aflame and her mid-section was on fire. Her mind was jumbled and the room began to spin with little lemurs dancing around in her line of vision. What in the world was going on?!

"Nngh......nghhhhhh....." She felt a hand on her forehead and she opened her glassy eyes, staring where she thought her "savior" was.

She still couldn't understand why she was in so much pain. It didn't make any sense! The only other times she'd ever been subjected to something this horrible was if she were exposed to poison.

Nakkoa's eyes snapped open.

'I've been poisoned! Kazu's short-blade.....the one always coated in poison!'

Nakkoa grabbed a hold of whoever was in the room with her and pulled them to her level, breathing heavily. Every few seconds she let out a strangled cry as her back arched, her free hand twitching into a poor attempt of a fist.

"An....anti.....an......dote....!!!!!"

Ryo's frantic secrching was inturpted when Nakkoa's hand reached out and grabed his shirt, yanking him close to her face. Ryo was terrified, Nakkoa's big soft eyes where glassy and blank, not focusing on anything in particalur. She let out a weak cry, almost a whimper.

"An....anti.....an......dote....!!!!!" She pleaded.

Poison.

Poison on the blade intended for him.

Ryo's golden eyes widened and he gently pulled away from Nakkoa, a panic expression painted on his face. "I got it! I understand! I will be right back" He said franticly, running out the door. As he sprinted down the hall and out the door, he cursed Kazuhiro. Why didn't that coward mention poison on the blade before? it was as if he didn't even care about Nakkoa at all!

Ryo felt like yelling. That idiot Kazuhiro could of helped Nakkoa wake up sooner! Ryo felt his face go red with rage, trying to keep his anger to himself. As he run down the street and to the hotal Kazuhiro was staying at, Mazugo saw him and smiled. "Hey Ryo! what's the rush? is Nakk-" Mazugo didn't get to finish.

"Can you go to the hotal and watch over Nakkoa for me?!? She is poisoned and I need the antidote but I can't leave alone! I can't!!!" He said panicedly, practically shaking poor Mazugo until his black hair stood up on end. "OKAY! I WILL! NOW RUN YOU FLAMING IDIOT!!!" Mazugo yelled, before patting his hair down and jogging back to the hotal.

Ryo nodded and started running again, and turned the corner, barging threw the doors of Kazuhiro's fancy lobby, looking like a loon in bare feet. Ryo scanned the place, serching for the slimy reach's face.

Kazuhiro ran his hands through his dark chocolate hair and sighed in frustration. Contrails of steam blew from his nostrils and he balled his hands into tight fists. His black shoes rustled against the smooth wooden floors and paced back and forth, stopping, shuffling and then pivoting impatiently.

"You know, I'd like to think that with you being a true gentleman...that you would at least greet a lady at the doors."

Kazuhiro halted and whirled around to face the doorway, lips taut, "Michiru."

Michiru smiled at him slyly, "Hello darling."

The firebender turned and motioned for the woman to take a seat closest to the sliding panel that was opened to reveal the gardens. Languidly she strolled over and plopped down in the chair, eyes twinkling and betraying her facade of boredom. She twirled a pale finger around raven locks and twiddled her foot in wait. Kazuhiro strode over to a cabinet by the closet and procured two identical china cups, setting them down on the short table between himself and Michiru. Taking a thin bottle, he poured out a dark red liquid that smelled of sweet and tangy-ness.

Michiru raised an eyebrow, amused, "Phoenix Eye, Kazu? Really? I've never known you to be partial to strong root gin."

"I'm not,"He replied, not looking at her, "But today I might as well avail myself to her pleasures. Did you bring it?"

Michiru sighed and rolled her golden-hazel eyes, "And here I was thinking that you wanted to spend time with me. Will you ever change, dragon boy?" He glared at her sharply over the rim of his china and she smiled dubiously, before sighing. "Very well." She reached into the red and gold billowed sleeves of her Ao Dai and retrieved four small vials. Michiru set them out on the table according to their color : Salmon, Pink, Magenta, and an extremely deep Violet. Kazuhiro followed her movements and frowned slightly. Looking up, Michiru caught him watching and raised her eyebrow.

"Stupid question I know, but why are they such a girly color?"

She rolled her eyes at him again, "That's what happens when the ingredients are exposed to the air and marinate for a few days. You never told me what poison you used exactly. So I brought several different concentrations, the last one being the strongest."

Kazuhiro blinked and leaned back, satisfied with her answer and his curiosity squashed. He pursed his lips and traced his finger over the patterns on the china, trying to rack his brain for what concentration he'd actually used. They never were usually the same, as he'd always changed them up depending on what his task was for that week. If he remembered correctly, this one was pretty rough and tumble. Still, he'd never even had to actually use the blade until today, intended for that stupid peasant with the inferiority complex. His molten eyes darkened when the little worm's face came into view.

'We wouldn't be having this problem if that idiot knew how to control his temper. Fortunately, his new location should do well to curb that barbaric nature of his.'

"The Komodo-Scorpion venom,"Kazuhiro said suddenly, "It was the venom from those barbaric komodo scorpions." Komodo-Scorpions were vicious creatures that made the more arid parts of the Fire Nation their main-stay, which wasn't much land to begin with. They roved about Crescent Moon Island as well as the more extreme area around the Boiling Rock; their poison, depending on the concentration, was renown for stopping hearts altogether and then destroying the entire muscle. This usually took up to an hour at most, but about four days for a medium strain.

The china slipped from his hands and shattered. "AGNI!"
Michiru jumped and nearly dropped one of the vials, "What?"
Kazuhiro jumped to his feet and raced for the crimson tinted sliding doors, "Medium strain!" He cursed under his breath and snatched his sleeveless vest from the back of his chair, throwing it on hastily. Michiru plucked the magenta colored vial from the table and handed it over to him, grabbing his wrist and turning him around.

"It is to be drunken immediately, do NOT drop it. That is the last of that stock that I have. And......I'll be expecting repayment for my services." Her tone was stern, but the look she gave him was suggestive. Kazuhiro brushed her hand off and tucked the vial into his satchel. He didn't have time for this, rolling around with Michiru was the last thing on his mind right now.

Without wasting anymore time, Kazuhiro closed the sliding panel and raced down the hallway, leaping over the bridge that connected his private Inn to the rest of the establishment. He prayed silently to every powerful spirit in the world that his best friend would be alright. He'd left her in the care of the best healers on the island that he could find, and stayed with her the entire time she was comatose. The only reason he wasn't there at this moment was because he was frantically working with Michiru for an antidote.....and to determine the peasant's new "station".

Kazuhiro snarled as he headed into the main common room of the Golden Dragon Inn, nodding curtly to the owners without stopping for conversation. He was on a mission, and he'd be damned if he let anything deter him from it.

And that very thing nearly smacked into him as he rounded a corner.

Kazuhiro ground his booted-feet into the floor and pivoted, effectively dodging whoever it was that was dumb enough not to watch where they were going. Molten amber eyes locked onto dull golds and he frowned contemptuously, glowering. Kazuhiro purposefully ignored Ryo and brushed past him hurriedly, as much as he'd love to goad the manure-chucking peasant, there was a more pressing issue at hand.

"Tao."

A young boy, about 14 or so, came bounding up holding a stack of freshly folded towels and stood in front of Kazuhiro, glancing at Ryo curiously. He had reddish brown hair that was pulled into a topknot with strands of hair falling into his round grey eyes. "Yes Lord Kazuhiro?"

Kazuhiro's eyes slid to the peasant briefly before he addressed Tao, "I request that you stop what you are doing for a moment. I need you to go into the kitchens and retrieve a bowl of cool water, then meet me back here and accompany me to the Princess's quarters. Yes?"

Tao's eyes went bug wide and he blinked, "The P-Princess? She's here from the North?"

"Yes, and she is very sick right now. So I need you to hurry and get that water for me, and bring a small bowl of tiny gyeongju bread-cakes please? Don't worry, you won't get in trouble for this." He offered the boy a small smile and Tao returned it before running off to his task. Kazuhiro leaned against a nearby wall and closed his eyes, willing for Nakkoa to hold on just a little while longer.




||OOC: Left this open so that our two favorite firebenders can exchange some witty banter for a bit, lol.||

Ryo didn't care that Kazuhiro brushed him off, as long as the stupid git was getting the cure for Nakkoa. "Why didn't you tell me there was poison on that blade, Kuazhiro?!?" Ryo hissed, storming over to mr. high and mighty himself. Ryo didn't understand why someone of a higher class could see themselves better then an everyone joe average. Ryo had a feeling he didn't tell him because of this.

Ryo felt his muscles twiching nervously, foot tapping on the ground. He wanted an answer to his question, so he could return to Nakkoa's side. Ryo watched the man he hated so much curiously, wondering what he was aying to the young boy. The boy glanced at Ryo, and Ryo tried his best to smile at the boy in a friendly mannor, then glared back at Kazuhiro.

"Answer me, Kazuhiro! You could have saved Nakkoa a while ago if you told me and the healers abot that damn poison!" Ryo growled, arms crossed firmly over his cheast.

"I told you that once Nakkoa was better, I would leave and never see her again..." He said, voice softening sadly. He didn't want to, but he knew it was better for his lil' ice princess. He wasn't going to write her either, it would be as if they never met, and he had never fallen for her.

He looked down, avoiding Kazuhiro eyes; he didn't want that bastard to see how hurt he was, or Kazuhiro would enjoy it too much. Ryo's golden eyes had now maybe perminatly lost their mischivous glow, he couldn't even force himself to stand up striaght like a soilder should.

that was it.

He had lose her for good.

Kazuhiro glares at him sideways, "If a soldier runs around screaming the locations of the troops stations, what good is he to tipping the odds in his squads favor?" He turned to face Ryo fully and glared at him, irritation sinking it's gnarled teeth and whittling away at his patience.

"Let me elaborate for you in case your small brain doesn't understand: that blade was what you call a last resort weapon. Reserved for the grittiest assignments and it serves as the less messy way of....cutting people off. That sword was not intended for the Princess." Kazuhiro turned away from Ryo and slapped a hand over his mouth. He'd forgotten that he wasn't supposed to mention her lineage.

"In any case...that blade was intended for you."

Silence wedged itself between the two young men and the conversation rolled a stop. Soon after, Tao's light feet could be heard sliding over the wooden floors along with his heavy breathing. He stopped in front of Kazuhiro and gave him the things he asked for. Nodding concisely, Kazuhiro propped himself off of the wall and began his race to Nakkoa's quarters.

Tao, who'd lingered behind a little, glanced at Ryo. "I know you, you're that guy who's been in there with my brother for the past 3 days. You should come too, I think she needs you."
Not waiting for Ryo to answer, Tao bounced off of his heels and ran in the same direction his older brother had gone.


Nakkoa moaned and gnawed on her bottom lip until it bled. The metallic taste was bittersweet and acrid, like something unholy had been stirred with it. The poison. The waterbender felt a warm rag being placed on her forehead and she grabbed the hand who'd done it. Opening her bleary eyes, she saw two pairs of golden ones looming over here. Nakkoa blinked.

"Whar...? Whoz air?"

"Sssssh....."Came Kazuhiro's voice, his fingers tenderly moved through her scalp as he moved her head to her lap,"Don't talk, save your energy. Here, lean your head back Koa and drink this." He tilted the vial to her lips and gently leaked some of it into her mouth. She drank some of it painstakingly, her throat tightening with every small swallow.

Kazuhiro looked at Ryo sharply and nodded for him to take over, "Here, hold it just like this and DONT give her too much. You have to let it sink in a bit before giving her another small round. In five minutes we should see a change." The firebender readjusted the blanket over Nakkoa and motioned for Tao to come with the tiny sweet cookies. Holding the china bowl tightly, he waited.

SOMETIME LATER.....

"R-Ryo? Kazu...? Is that you...?"

Ryo sat patiently in the room while Kazuhiro tended to Nakkoa, barely able to handle the fact he was touching her so tenderly. Ryo's jaw tightened, semi glaring at the other firebender, he was biting his tough so hard that he tasted his own metalic blood, all in attempt to keep his mouth shut. This was his fault, all because of his stupid impulsive behaviour.

Sometime later, Ryo has listened to Kazuhiro's instructions, and now he was sitting by her side, when he heard her mumble his name...then Kazuhiro's. He felt his heart sink as that name left her lips. He hand been holding her hand before, and it was nice.

But since Kazuhiro was mentioned, it felt wrong. Like he was in Kazu's place, a bit unwanted. Even so, he softly sqeezed her hand, a giving his Nakkoa a small half smile.

Again, Ryo, stop it! she isn't yours...He thought sadly.

"I'm here lil' princess...how are ya' feeling?" Ryo asked her, voice a little more then a whisper. Ryo felt his heart break when he realized he was going to have to leave soon...even if he didn't want to.

But one thing was bugging him, this whole time. Did Nakkoa remember what he had told her three nights ago...was the fact he told her he loved her matter to Nakkoa?

Nakkoa groaned and sat up, rushing a hand to her head when the room spun. She was starting to feel a bit better than she had before, her pang in her middle was dull now and only beat at a distant ache. Her throat, which had tightened and nearly severed her breathing, had returned to a somewhat normal condition and she could breathe without restriction.

The most important thing was that her heart no longer felt as if it were about to burst from her breasts any more. Absentmindedly she clenched a hand over it, not even registering the extra pair of pale colored fingers brushing over the exposed flesh of her breast bindings. Nakkoa was just too out of it to care.

She looked to both of them and smiled wryly,"Like I was bludgeoned to death by a badgermole." A poor attempt at laughter resulted in her leaning over on her side and coughing violently. Nakkoa let go of Ryo's hand coughed near the floor, a bit of red dribbling from her lips.

Kazuhiro was by her side in an instant, "Be careful Koa! It's the effects from the antidote, it's getting rid of the poison." He trailed a small towel around her mouth carefully and moved her wavy hair out of her face. Kazuhiro stared at his bestfriend for a long, hard while and fought the impulse to run his hands through her hair.

Nakkoa glowered at him and turned her nose up, "I oughta get rid of you Lady Man for stabbing me. You know who you attacked right?"

Kazuhiro, to his credit, looked her square in the eye and nodded.

"Not only am I an officer, I'm also the princess of the Northern Water Tribe. You do realize that I'm going to have to report this." Her blue eyes hardened on his golden ones and darkened. Inside, the firebender squirmed under her intimidating glare. What she'd said was right: He attacked an officer from another leading nation as well as a member of the royal house.....not to mention a soldier from his own division! The sergeant scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed.

"I will receive my consequences graciously Princess."

Nakkoa's hard eyes softened after a while and she sat up, wobbling a little and leaned against Ryo, "I know it was an accident Sergeant, but I must still put you to your actions. The most I can, and will do is have you pardoned with service duty for your error. I will run it by my brother, his council, and my grandfather....they will be the ones to determine your fate."

Tao, at this point, took the time to take the bowl from his brother and hand it over to Nakkoa. She took it from him gingerly and thanked him, smiling. Before she tucked one into her mouth and looked over at Kazuhiro and raised an eyebrow.

Kazuhiro didn't need any further instruction, "Right. Tao, come. Let's go and see about our guests hm?"

Tao glanced over at Nakkoa and Ryo with uncertainty before heading for the paper sliding doors, "Alright. Be well Princess! Goodbye strange man!"

Once the two were long gone, Nakkoa was able to turn her full attention onto her bestfriend. She leaned away from him and used her hands to prop herself up fully, so that she could face him. Her expression was a mixure of disappointment, relief, and something else that remained indecipherable at the moment.

And that was the way she wanted it.

"Ryo, can we talk? I.....we just need to, I think we should."

Ryo felt his cheeks go hot as Nakkoa had not knowingly but his hand on her soft breast. Ryo's face was bright pink as his fingers traced over her warm skin. It didn't help that her shapely breasts were really exposed, the only thing barely covering them was her bandages.

Ryo thought he should pull his hand way, but Nakkoa's was holding on to it, so didn't have much of a choice, not that he minded at all. Once Nakkoa let go she let out a painful sounding cough, and turned her attention to Kazuhiro.

Ryo couldn't help but feel a bit smug when Nakkoa gave him a good telling of, though he still was itching tp punch him again.

Ryo looked over to Nakkoa as Kazuhiro left with the boy who had called him 'strange man'. Her beauitful blue eyes were slowly returning to their usual attractive glow. This made it so much harder to leave.

Ryo really didn't want to leave her.

Nakkoa leaned away from him and used her hands to prop herself up fully, so that she could face him. "Ryo, can we talk? I.....we just need to, I think we should." She said calmy. Ryo flet as though he was going to regret this conversation, it will only make him want to stay more, and it hurt to much already.

Ryo's golden eyes met her glorious blue ones. All the sparkle and life had left Ryo's face, he was even paler then usual and he looked as if someone and ripped out his heart; which they had. "Alright Nakkoa...what's on your mind..." He said, forcing the words from his mouth, he could bearly speak after being so worried about her.

Remeber Ryo, this is what's best for her, he thought, trying to make it easier.

"Ummmmmm....." Nakkoa's tongued moved around in her mouth as she desperately searched for a way to the start the conversation. Beads of sweat pooled around the curly hairs of her forehead and she wiped them away with one hand, momentarily averting Ryo's eyes.

'What do I say? I can't spit anything out of my mouth like I usually do...this is....this is big....' She breathed in deeply through her nose and closed her eyes; the girl was on fire inside and for all the right reasons. Inside her intestines were a master of a jumbled up knot and she suddenly had to go to the bathroom. Nakkoa would've loved to write it off as the affects of the antidote but she knew better. This was something different entirely...something she could not run from.

And she wouldn't.

"Ryo....do you believe in dreams?" Nakkoa smacked her lips together and willed her eyes to look at him. The sight mentality frightened her. He was so empty of emotion, his eyes....her favored twinkle....gone. Her lips twitched and her brows scrunched up in confusion and concern, this was not the man she knew.

'Ryo....what happened to you??' The inquiry died before it left her lips.

"In my tribe, dreams hold a deep meaning. I had a dream that I was on Kyoshi Island, swimming in the ocean. I saw eels, sea-snakes, turtle-sharks and otter-cats....and the water was so clear!" Her hands waved and motioned vigorously as she recounted the dream, remembering every detail as clear as day. The saltwater still felt fresh against her caramel-colored skin.

"I was swimming through a school of lionfish...when I heard someone above the surface. I came close, but I couldn't hear them. Then an Unagi swam by....he seemed friendly at first. That is, until I heard someone shouting. The moment I looked up I saw blood, Ryo...there was so much....."

Nakkoa brought one of her hands up and stared at her slender fingers, bereft of any blood whatsoever. Her mind recalled the long wisps that danced her fingers teasingly as she chased after them, only to discover it was her own blood to begin with.

"Things went crazy after that. When I looked at the Unagi again, he wasn't so friendly." He reflected Death Ryo, I was close to dying....and when I tried to escape him I could barely see, much less have the strength to swim away. But that voice, the one I heard at first, kept urging me. It kept telling me to Hold on and never let go....."

The waterbender shifted until she was sitting in the lotus position, wrapping the sheet around her tightly. She looked at him directly this time. "When my strength failed me and I started to sink into the unagi's jaws....the voice took hold up me and hoisted me to safety. I fluttered my eyes open and saw who it was......and it was you."

"And you told me you loved me."

Nakkoa fell silent and looked away from him, honestly unsure of what to do next. The revelation did more than make her nervous, it brought to birth the very feelings she'd been inkling towards for the longest. Even more, it confused things for her because she didn't know if this was really telling her something or if the poison was making her hallucinate. One thing was for sure, she desperately ached to confirm the inevitable, even if it weren;t true...at least she'd know.

Silence wedged between the two before she parted her lips, and asked in a voice uncharacteristically small, "Is it true?"

Ryo carefully listened to every detail of her dream, she looked as if she was describing a even that happened a day before, she looked almost...scared.

As she recited the dream, her face seemed to go from joyful then to horror, the description full of emotion. Sweat rolled down her carmel skin, Ryo was very concerned for his Nakkoa at this time.

In the name of the avatar Ryo stop saying 'YOUR Nakkoa!' He cursed himself, were was this dream going?

Then She mentioned his name. In the dream he had saved her. "When my strength failed me and I started to sink into the unagi's jaws....the voice took hold up me and hoisted me to safety. I fluttered my eyes open and saw who it was......and it was you."

"And you told me you loved me."Nakkoa's big magnetising eyes met his, and Ryo felt his heart start beating against his ribcage like a caged flying lemur. Ryo serched the beautiful blue eyes for a momment, knowing what she was about to ask.

"Is it true?" She asked, her voice so small and soft. Was she worried? is she ashamed that Ryo felt that way about her? Great, he had coursed so much trouble for her.

Ryo looked away, shame reflected clearly in his eyes. The gold began to twinkle slightly as a lum rose in his throat. He had to say it, it was now or never. Then he would leave and never ever hurt her again.

"Yea...I-It is Nakkoa..." He said softly, voice small and scared. Scared of rejection. Ryo striaghted his back and looked Nakkoa in the eyes, his sparkling. "I love you Nakkoa, more then I thought it was possiable for me to love someone, a-and I know you don't feel t-the same. So I am l-leaving...s-so I will never bother you again." He whispered, leaning forward and pressing a soft, sweet kiss on her head. He regretted it as soon as his lips left her skin.

His confession smacked into her like a ton of bricks.
"Yea...I-It is Nakkoa..."

The floor beneath her began to spin and suddenly those cookies she'd eaten couldn't be kept down. Nakkoa clenched her fists into the sheet she was holding and bit down on her bottom lip, forcing the bile to stay in her stomach. A burning wetness prickled at her eyes and she blinked them shut to prevent those telltale tears. 'Why...why does this hurt so much???'

'Because it feels right. It's-'

"-what they call a slow burn." Kazuhiro's words fell out of her mouth like stones. She remembered going to him for advice, and his explanation for the crazy storm of emotions swelling inside. He was right, and as much as she hated to admit it he'd been right this time as well, and it had a name.

"Slow burn."

Suddenly everything began to make sense. Their dancing on egg-shells around each other suddenly, Ryo being more clumsy than usual and she suddenly blushing with that horribly tantalizing passion from the inside out. Everything made sense. Everything.

"The tiny kindle....that slowly grows until it bursts into a passionate fire that will never burn down......

Nakkoa grabbed him by the chin tenderly and brought him down to her eye level. She studied him; from the spike of his hair all the way down to the sharp line of his jaw. Shimmering teal met sparkling gold and remained there, only breaking away to linger on the full of his lips. The waterbender looked up at her best friend and widened, pleading with him to read her emotions. His latter response confused her, what?

"D-Don't leave I-I love you too."What was she saying?!

Nakkoa's mouth clamped shut and she began to fry under the sheet she was wrapped under. Was it her own embarrassment or was Ryo's intense heat making her sweat this much? To say that Nakkoa was downright embarrassed would be an understatement. Nevertheless she set her eyes firmly on him and grabbed him by his shirt.

"You listen here Sparky, what's this talk about you leaving all of a sudden, eh?? You just gonna turn chicken like that and run??"

Ryo's held her gaze, his gold eyes widening, his lips parting slightly, absolutly shocked. Ryo's heart swelled as he heard what he thought she said. Ryo didn't even care that she called him chicken.

"Nakkoa...what did you say?" Ryo's eyes began to twinkle, his lips twiched into a tiny teasing half smile. He was starting to look like himself again.

She said that? She loves me? He thought, feeling like someone had just brought him back to life. He felt as if he could run around the world and back again. So she didn't love Kazuhiro? he wasn't being a screw up? She felt the same, and Ryo couldn't be happier.

Nakkoa pretty face was so close to his, he felt goosebumps appear on his pale skin as her soft sweet breath lingered on his neak.

"I'm not gonna leave you Ice princess if what you just said was true..." His smile grew into his usual charming half smirk. Ryo's eyes flickered across her beautiful face, lingering on her full lips and carmel skin.

She was truely beautiful to Ryo, inside and out. She was perfect.

Ryo didn't even thing about what he was about to do, not that he ever thought before looked before he leaped in the past. Ryo gently placed his hand on the back of Nakkoa's neak, softly pulling her closer. Before he could stop himself, his lips met Nakkoa's for a tender but passionate kiss, something Ryo had wanted to do for a very long time.

"I....I...."

'Curses!' Nakkoa slapped herself mentally and chewed on her lips ferociously. The knot wriggled and wreathed until it turned into something awful, a jumbled messed that even she wouldn't be able to untangle alone. A mess that could only be tackled with someone other than herself. 'A kindling fire is weak when it starts Koa. It takes a team to keep it going. By yourself, it';s sure to die out by the first blow of a wind storm. But with one feeding the fuel and the other fanning the flames to keep it alive....it can burn into something great.'

Her fingers wrenched into the sheets around her and she stared into his eyes. For a split second, they flickered. 'His eyes.....the flame....the kindling flame!'' His fingers danced along the tenderness of her neck and, uncharacteristically she shivered, this time the girl didn't even curse herself. Nakkoa's head suddenly gained a mind of it;s own and leaned forward. Thoughts, revelations, speculations....all buzzing around her brain faster than the speed of sound. Nakkoa barely had time to register what was happening before....

The kiss.




She didn’t know how it happened, and she bet that he didn’t either. Her body moved without her mind telling her to and she found her lips crashing against his own. For a brief second they struggled, utterly bewildered at the spontaneity. Nakkoa’s arm snaked around his waist, pulling him close as her tongue parted his lips, fighting for dominance.

"There is something.....you should know. If you're not careful it'll burn until it's beyond your control. Learn to harness this fire my princess. Because if you don't you'll get hurt."

She gasped for air and dove in for more.


This was wrong.
This was beyond wrong.
They shouldn’t be doing this, he had a station and she had a war to think about.
Her career.
Their careers.
In the heat of the moment all caution was thrown to the wind. All bets were off and the two of them had been pulling out all the stops. Confusion, frustration, distress, elation, pent up emotions that should’ve been dealt with long before. Everything in between ignited them, enticing them, giving them the incentive to go further.
Deeper.
Longer.
Harder.
Faster.
In a way Nakkoa concluded their every move to be justified, ‘It’s ours, long overdue. We’ve waited for this, don’t squander it.’
In reality, in the pit of her heart she knew it was wrong. ‘We’ve screwed up, this isn’t right, have we waited too long? Is this for the birds?’
Yet oh so right.
Her conscience begged her, her instincts and heart overrode it all. Reason and logic had been thrown out of the window. Yet when bindings were almost unbound and belts slipped off, reality crashed the joint and smacked them both with a 2 by 4.

"Oh.....crap....Ryo!"
Nakkoa pushed away from Ryo, eyes mirroring those of an ostrich horse caught in lamplights. Hastily she began to reassemble her bindings. "I'm sorry Ryo I shouldn't have done that.....I think...I think I should go."

Ryo was in amazing, utterly sensational, pleasureful bliss. She was kissing back. And it felt so right. Ryo didn't even stop to think about their careers, their very different lives, or the fact Mazugo was still in the room. All there was her and Him.

The kiss was like a flame, it started small, then grew faster and hotter and even more dangerous. He felt his heart race as Nakkoa pulled him closer, his torso pressing onto her almost naked cheast, her bindings coming lose. Ryo had no control over himself anymore, she was to perfect to lose...

Untill...

"Oh.....crap....Ryo!"Nakkoa pushed away from Ryo, eyes mirroring those of an ostrich horse caught in lamplights. Hastily she began to reassemble her bindings. "I'm sorry Ryo I shouldn't have done that.....I think...I think I should go."Ryo had blown it, hadn't he. "N-Nakkoa...I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." Ryo felt his heart sink again. Maybe she was having second thoughts about what she just said? maybe her loving him was to good to be true after all?

Ryo had gone from heaven, then back down to crummy earth again. He was such a screw up. Ryo sighed, and stood up, slowly moving away from Nakkoa. "I am really sorry Nakkoa, you stay here, I will leave..." He said, looking at his feet.

Mazugo, who had been in the corner the whole time, stood up also. "Dude! you can't just STOP! She was all over you!" He said, his brown eyes wide with confuzion. "Shut it, Mazu! Ryo snapped, blushing furiously. Mazugo looked from Nakkoa to Ryo and back again, before glaring at Nakkoa. "Do you know how much this guy loves you, princess? he didn't leave your side the whole time you where out, he barely slept or spoke, all he did is hope you would pull through." Mazug said firmly, Also thinking Nakkoa was having second thoughts.

"And if you suddenly think he isn't good enough for you in the middle of...well...what ever you two where just doing! Or thinking that your career is more important, then you don't deserve my best friend." Mazugo crossed his arms over his cheast, before looking over at a very crushed, beaten Ryo. "Buddie, are you okay?"

"Do you know how much this guy loves you, princess? he didn't leave your side the whole time you where out, he barely slept or spoke, all he did is hope you would pull through."

Nakkoa halted. Her head was halfway through a random fresh tunic she found when Mazugo's words whipped against her like acid. Rightfully it stung, not because Mazugo's assumptions were true but because the waterbender felt horrible in general. Her fingers flinched into an arch when he spat out the word "Princess". Though her back was to them both, Nakkoa could just about feel the contempt dripping from his mouth, the glower in his eyes burning holes into her flesh.

"And if you suddenly think he isn't good enough for you in the middle of...well...what ever you two where just doing! Or thinking that your career is more important, then you don't deserve my best friend."

The waterbender slid her eyes to the left, "What?" Her voice was garbled, dry and far away to her ears. The single word tumbled from her mouth in a rough land slide, barely audible over Mazugo's incessant yelling. How dare he?! How dare he make those accusations?! The water in the nearby earthen ware pots began to slosh around violently as Nakkoa struggled to control her temper. Outside in the gardens, Kaira began to growl dangerously as his shadow paced back and forth behind the closed sliding door panels.

"Buddie, are you okay-"

BAM!

Nakkoa pivoted on her feet and ducked, aiming a hard punch right in the center of Mazugo's stomach. Her eyes, normally a jovial blue, had become a hardened cobalt that was void of any mirth. Her lips contorted into a vicious frown, teeth bared and nostrils flared fiercely. What was more was that she even snarled when she threw the first punch! The waterbender followed up with a sucker-punch aimed straight for his face, fist cocked so that her knuckles would jam themselves right in the lock of his jaw.

Outside of the sliding doors Kaira let out several short, sharp barks. His massive claws scraped against the stone path of the gardens, desperate to get to his master. Nakkoa twitched her fingers and summoned two thick contrails of water. She clenched her hands into fists and wrenched her elbows in a backward motion before jerking them forward. The water followed obediently, entangled themselves around Mazugo's upper limbs and torso, effectively freezing him to the wall.

"You listen to me you little maggot," She spat, gliding over to Mazugo with her arms folded. Her expression, once contrite with fury, was now exuding nothing but ice. She towered over him somewhat and looked down at him slightly. Nakkoa grabbed Mazugo's jaw and yanked his head toward hers, forcing him to meet her bone-chilling stare.

"I will say this once, and I WILL not say it again. You listen to me Mazugo and you listen good.. You know nothing about me. Who I am, or where I'm from. I may in fact be a Princess, but that has no bearing on who I choose to socialize with and who I choose to love. I NEVER said that Ryo was never good enough for me, ever. But that's the problem with you firebenders, so quick to assume and lose your tempers......so foolish and stupid!" Her icy mask twitched and she allowed her lips to pull into a slight snarl again, uttering the last word disdainfully.

"I love Ryo, understand? I love him so much that it's hard for me to even explain, and it doesn't need to be. I will be damned if some sexually frustrated half-pint tells me otherwise! " Nakkoa released his jaw from her grip roughly and tied the sash around her waist securely. She ghosted over to the sliding doors and slid them open in one fluid motion. Kaira sat on his haunches and looked up at his master expectantly, before turning his attention toward the other two.

"Ryo, perhaps your friend is right. Maybe I do not deserve you. Whatever. When you feel man enough then come and talk to me. You know where to find me." Wordlessly the wolf-lion padded into the room and sank his teeth into a set of clothes and fresh towels that were laid out near Nakkoa's rest mat. He gathered them together and trotted after her dutifully, growling at Mazugo along the way. However, when he met eyes with Ryo he could only give him a look that spoke of disappointment.

"Kaira, come."

A weird noise escaped Kaira';s throat and he trotted after Nakkoa, heading for the hotsprings.

Ryo followed Nakkoa, running to catch up with her after melting Mazugo free from the frozen state Nakkoa put him in. "Nakkoa! wait! please!".

Ryo's soilder's uniform felt so heavy and sufficating all of a sudden. Ryo thought his whole world was crashing down onto him and he could do nothing to stop it.

Once Ryo cought up to Nakkoa, he cut infront of her, just incase she would avoid him. "Look, I am sorry about Mazugo. He doesn't think sometimes and he got a letter yeasterday telling him his mother died. It made him a bit...emotional..."

Ryo studied Nakkoa for a momment, hoping she was alright. He kept thinking back to what she had said. If she loved him, why was she all of a sudden cutting him off like that. Ryo had ment every word of what he told her.

Once Ryo started to think about it, he suspected it might be her career. He knew it meant alot to her, and Ryo really didn't want her to choose him or something she loves.

Ryo honestly now didn't know what he was thinking. She was a NWT Captain, a princess. And Ryo was a common farm boy and footsoilder for the Fire nation.

Ryo had only one day left in ember island before he and his friends would ship out. Ryo clenched his jaw, knowing Kazuhiro was going to relocate him.

Ryo sighed, running his hand over his spikey ebony hair, looking at the ground. "I just want what is best for you, Nakkoa. You are my best friend, and now you know how I feel about you. I just want you to be happy." Ryo looked up again, his eyes meeting hers. wanting desperately to take her in his arms and not let go. "What would make you happy, Nakkoa?"