Everyone Has Embarassing Parents. (a Maiko ficlet)
Kuihua felt like she was going to *die*. She had been hanging out with Tenzin (and she wasn't acting like a total idiot for once!) when her parents had to interrupt. It started in the garden when she was feeding the turtle ducks...
-------
"Quack! Quack!"
The Fire Nation princess smiled widely, pausing momentarily to move a strand of her long black hair behind her ear before tossing a piece of bread into the water. The baby turtleduck swam over, eagerly taking the food.
"Cute, aren't they?"
Kuihua jumped slightly before turning around. Tenzin was standing there, his usual carefree grin making the firebender's heart skip in her chest.
"Yeah, they are."
"Can I join you?"
"Sure."
Inside, the teenage girl was rejoicing. This was the longest she'd lasted without her mouth going faster than her brain. That, and none of her annoying younger siblings-like Roku, for one-there to ruin things. Her face betraying none of the emotions she was feeling, Kuihua handed Tenzin half of the loaf of bread in her hand.
"Let me guess...your dad and my dad have business to talk about?"
"Yup. Our moms are busy with them too, obviously. At least it gives me a chance to get away from all the boring political talk."
"Oh man...you don't know how lucky you are. I mean, I know you're the Avatar's son and all, but at least you get to travel most of the time. I'm stuck here most of the year."
"Well, we do technically live at the Southern Air Temple...then again, lemurs and bison make only so good companions."
"Heheh. I know what you mean. How is the whole retaming of the wild air bison going, anyway?"
"Pretty good. Appa and R-"
"Oh, there they are!"
Both turned to see Zuko, Mai, Aang and Katara walking towards them. Kuihua felt her face fell, but quickly schooled her expression into a casual smile.
"Hey guys! What, did the meeting finish early or something?"
Aang shook his head.
"No, one of the advisors is running late. He won't be here for at least another hour so we decided to take a walk and were wondering if you wanted to join us."
Tenzin shrugged.
"Eh, sure."
Kuihua tried hard to mask her disappointment as Aang asked her the same question.
"Um...sure, I guess."
"You sure," Aang asked, "I mean, if you want to stay here and feed the turtle ducks some more..."
"No, no it's alright. I'll come."
From the corner of her eye, Kuihua noticed her father looking at her in confusion.
'Please don't say anything, please don't say anything, oh Agni, PLEASE keep Dad quiet-'
"Why look so disappointed, Kuihua? Did you have something else to do?"
Kuihua immediately changed her expression to a carefully constructed look of curiosity.
"No, I didn't...I was just hanging out with Tenzin, that's all."
Of course, this is where we left off with our young narrator. This is what happened next...
-------
"Zuko, leave her alone. She doesn't have to walk with us if we don't want to."
"And leave her here by herself? What if something hap-"
Kuihua shot her father a glare and he quickly went to correct himself before her wrath fell upon him.
"-I mean, what if she gets lonely?"
"Lonely? I won't get lonely, I have the turtle ducks. And I had Tenzin here until you tried to-"
Kuihua stopped, instantly feeling that she was saying too much, judging from both Mai and Katara grinning at her from the side.
"What, so one person is enough to keep you from being lonely? Why, do you like him or some-oops."
Zuko had seen only too late the look on his daughter's increasingly panicked face. Tenzin took a quick look at his female friend and put two and two together, his grey eyes going wide. Kuihua felt her face turning redder than fire itself in embarassment. Katara tried to suppress her sudden laughter by covering her mouth, while her husband just shook his head, giving Kuihua a sympathetic look.
'Thanks a lot, Dad...at least Mom's able to be quiet.'
Then the teenager noticed her mother's barely concealed snicker.
'I miss when she was younger and had trouble expressing herself...'
-------
"Quack! Quack!"
The Fire Nation princess smiled widely, pausing momentarily to move a strand of her long black hair behind her ear before tossing a piece of bread into the water. The baby turtleduck swam over, eagerly taking the food.
"Cute, aren't they?"
Kuihua jumped slightly before turning around. Tenzin was standing there, his usual carefree grin making the firebender's heart skip in her chest.
"Yeah, they are."
"Can I join you?"
"Sure."
Inside, the teenage girl was rejoicing. This was the longest she'd lasted without her mouth going faster than her brain. That, and none of her annoying younger siblings-like Roku, for one-there to ruin things. Her face betraying none of the emotions she was feeling, Kuihua handed Tenzin half of the loaf of bread in her hand.
"Let me guess...your dad and my dad have business to talk about?"
"Yup. Our moms are busy with them too, obviously. At least it gives me a chance to get away from all the boring political talk."
"Oh man...you don't know how lucky you are. I mean, I know you're the Avatar's son and all, but at least you get to travel most of the time. I'm stuck here most of the year."
"Well, we do technically live at the Southern Air Temple...then again, lemurs and bison make only so good companions."
"Heheh. I know what you mean. How is the whole retaming of the wild air bison going, anyway?"
"Pretty good. Appa and R-"
"Oh, there they are!"
Both turned to see Zuko, Mai, Aang and Katara walking towards them. Kuihua felt her face fell, but quickly schooled her expression into a casual smile.
"Hey guys! What, did the meeting finish early or something?"
Aang shook his head.
"No, one of the advisors is running late. He won't be here for at least another hour so we decided to take a walk and were wondering if you wanted to join us."
Tenzin shrugged.
"Eh, sure."
Kuihua tried hard to mask her disappointment as Aang asked her the same question.
"Um...sure, I guess."
"You sure," Aang asked, "I mean, if you want to stay here and feed the turtle ducks some more..."
"No, no it's alright. I'll come."
From the corner of her eye, Kuihua noticed her father looking at her in confusion.
'Please don't say anything, please don't say anything, oh Agni, PLEASE keep Dad quiet-'
"Why look so disappointed, Kuihua? Did you have something else to do?"
Kuihua immediately changed her expression to a carefully constructed look of curiosity.
"No, I didn't...I was just hanging out with Tenzin, that's all."
Of course, this is where we left off with our young narrator. This is what happened next...
-------
"Zuko, leave her alone. She doesn't have to walk with us if we don't want to."
"And leave her here by herself? What if something hap-"
Kuihua shot her father a glare and he quickly went to correct himself before her wrath fell upon him.
"-I mean, what if she gets lonely?"
"Lonely? I won't get lonely, I have the turtle ducks. And I had Tenzin here until you tried to-"
Kuihua stopped, instantly feeling that she was saying too much, judging from both Mai and Katara grinning at her from the side.
"What, so one person is enough to keep you from being lonely? Why, do you like him or some-oops."
Zuko had seen only too late the look on his daughter's increasingly panicked face. Tenzin took a quick look at his female friend and put two and two together, his grey eyes going wide. Kuihua felt her face turning redder than fire itself in embarassment. Katara tried to suppress her sudden laughter by covering her mouth, while her husband just shook his head, giving Kuihua a sympathetic look.
'Thanks a lot, Dad...at least Mom's able to be quiet.'
Then the teenager noticed her mother's barely concealed snicker.
'I miss when she was younger and had trouble expressing herself...'