Cause Some Trouble, Chapter 15

[skeletonhorse]

CAUSE SOME TROUBLE
CHAPTER 15-- WANDERING



The next day…

"Oh, look at this!" Kuei exclaimed.

Zafirah glanced over her shoulder at him. "What is it?" she asked. He ran over to her and her brother, beaming from ear to ear. He had his hands cupped in front of his chest.

"I found a blue jade beetlefly," he said. He cracked open his hands and held them out to the twins. Zafirah leaned forward to get a better look; crawling on Kuei's left palm was a brilliantly colored bug about the size of her thumb. Its wings gleamed in the bright sunlight.

"It sure is pretty," she commented.

"Very shiny," Basam agreed.

"They're somewhat rare, really," Kuei went on proudly. "And they're such fascinating creatures. They make nests, like birds do, and they actually care for their newborn offspring. Very few insects do that, you know. I've read all about them in books, of course, but here's one in the wild! And I found it crawling on a White Dragon bush, if you can believe it! It's too bad we don't have a teapot on hand. White Dragon tea is said to be the most delicious in the world. Or perhaps it was a White Jade bush…"

Zafirah couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. She'd never seen anyone get so excited about bugs before. Sandbenders didn't pay them much mind, usually, except for killing the poisonous ones when they got too close. He noticed her smiling and his eyebrows quirked up a bit.

"What is it?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Most people'd just see a bug. You see somethin' special in it," she commented. That was what she found so fascinating about him-the war had left just about everyone jaded and unhappy; but here was Kuei, getting all excited over bugs. It was like he had a spark of joy inside him that the Fire Nation couldn't quite stamp out, no matter how hard they'd been trying lately. "So you read a lot of books about bugs, huh?" she asked.

"Yes, among other things," Kuei agreed. "I had a veritable army of tutors when I was a boy. Science, math, philosophy, nature, and so on." Zafirah whistled. Kuei looked a little uncomfortable with the topic, though, so he changed it. "Would you like to take a closer look at the beetlefly?"

Zafirah glanced at the thing with a raised eyebrow. "Uh, yeah, I don't know about that. I don't mind bugs, but that doesn't mean I like 'em," she said.

"It's quite harmless," Kuei assured her. "Just give me your hand." His smile was so wide and eager, she couldn't bring herself to say no. The word 'adorable' came to mind, but she quickly pushed it to the back of her thoughts. He's the Earth King, he's off limits, she thought sternly. Still, there wasn't anything wrong with entertaining his nerdy love of strange critters.

"Sure, okay," she said, holding out her open palm. Kuei grinned and placed the bug onto her hand. "Oh, it tickles!" Zafirah squeaked as its tiny feet brushed over her skin. Basam laughed, so she held it out to him next.

"Ooh, wow, it does tickle! Man, that feels weird," Basam said with another laugh. He handed the bug back to Kuei, who gently placed it on the low-hanging branch of a nearby tree. The three of them kept walking while Bosco plodded along next to them. The bear was carrying some of their supplies for them now; back at the fortress, they'd found a pair of saddlebags large enough for Bosco's wide back. They'd probably been used for one of those rhino beasts the Fire Nation had. Now the bear lugged their food supplies and their tents. He hardly seemed to notice the weight.

Zafirah took a deep breath of the warm summer air. It was awfully nice, just walking along with her companions, without the threat of a fight with the Fire Nation hanging over their heads. And it was so lovely here, too. The road followed the coast, heading northwest of the fortress. Mountains rose up on their right, and on their left the cliffs dropped away to the ocean below. She gazed out over the water, enjoying the shine of it. That's a sight I'll never get tired of, she thought happily. All in all, it was a pretty great place to be.

Kuei seemed to be enjoying it, too. He was more relaxed than she'd ever seen him. It was like he was suddenly at ease in the world. It was a nice change, she thought. She kept shooting sideways looks at him, and he was always busily examining something or other-plants growing alongside the road, more bugs, birds, various little beasties scurrying around in the underbrush.

He laid a hand on her arm suddenly and beckoned her over to the side of the road. "Look at that! It's a dragonfly," he said. Basam followed them as they walked over to the spot. Bosco growled curiously and sat down behind them. Kuei pointed excitedly into the forest, but Zafirah didn't see anything. "Oh, it's gone into the shade… wait, there it is!" A long, green creature flew into a patch of light between two trees. It was scaly like a lizard, but it had two sets of bug-like wings on its back.

"Huh!" Basam exclaimed. Zafirah let out a laugh at the sight of the creature.

"Now that is a strange little animal. I like it," she decided. Kuei beamed at her again.

"As do I. It's good fun, watching them fly," he said. It was, too-the thing sort of wiggled its way through the air, twisting and rolling about. Zafirah chuckled and watched it until it disappeared into the shade again. Kuei made a humming sound and rubbed his chin. "I must admit, looking back, I'm somewhat disappointed that I didn't see any buzzard-wasps in the Si Wong. From what I've read, they seem like interesting animals," he said off-handedly.

Zafirah smirked wryly. "Oh, trust me, Kuei, it's a good thing you didn't see any. Never a good sign, buzzard-wasps showing up."

"Ah. Oh, yes, I remember-they're scavengers," he said, wincing.

"Yep," she agreed.

In the late afternoon, the road started to slope downhill. The cliffs got lower as they walked, taking them down to the level of the ocean. They reached the bottom of the cliffs and the road led them into the shrubby forest bordering the shore.

"Aha!" Kuei's excited yell made Zafirah and Basam stop and look at him. He darted off to a tree off to his right, reaching up into its branches.

"What'd you find this time?" Basam asked. Kuei came back with his hands full of round, pale yellow fruits.

"Moon peaches," he announced. Zafirah's eyes went wide as plates. Fresh fruit wasn't something they got much of in the desert. She snatched one from the pile and held it up in delight. Its thin, fuzzy skin felt soft under her fingertips-that meant it was ripe, she remembered. She sniffed it and sighed at the sweet smell.

"I know what we're havin' for dinner tonight," she said with a grin. Bosco growled happily.

They picked as many of the peaches as they could reach, stuffing them into their packs. Once they'd run out of room, they set off again. As sunset approached, they picked a spot just off the road to set up their camp.

Dinner that night was delicious-they feasted on moon peaches, plus fresh roasted meat and vegetables from their newly-restocked supplies.

"Here's to Quan, huh?" Zafirah said, hoisting her water flask in a toast. "He may have been kind of a jerk, but he was certainly generous with those supplies."

Basam laughed and raised his flask. "I'll drink to that," he said. Kuei raised his flask as well, smiling. Zafirah grabbed another peach from the pile and bit into it exuberantly. Kuei found his eyes drawn to the glimmer of wetness on her lips, and to the trickle of juice that slid over her lower lip and down her chin. He was sorely tempted to reach out and brush it away. Then she wiped it away with the back of her hand and the moment passed.

"I could eat these every day," she said dreamily after swallowing a bite. Kuei gave himelf a mental shake and turned his attention to his own unfinished peach. He took the last bite of the sweet, tangy fruit and set the pit aside.

"They've always been a favorite of mine," he said by way of agreement. "There was this time when I was about thirteen and the head cook had gotten in a couple crates full of them. I ate so many that I was sick for days afterwards. It was ages before I could stand the thought of eating another one." He chuckled and shook his head. Zafirah snorted and grinned widely.

"Yeah, well, at least you got a bunch of 'em. I can't even remember the last time I had these," she said ruefully.

"I think I do," Basam said. "It was about… three years ago, midsummer, right?"

"Yeah, I think so." Then a huge grin split her face. "Hey, that was the same summer we had that thief, remember?"

Basam chortled. "Right, him! Oh, wow, was that guy ever stupid."

"What thief?" Kuei asked. Zafirah shifted to face him, her eyes twinkling.

"We had this guy who kept coming into the shop one summer, right? And every time, he kept trying to steal stuff. He wasn't very bright about it, though, so we caught him before he could even get out the door. Except one day he came in while I was talkin' with another buyer. From the corner of my eye I saw him grab a sheathed dagger, shove it down the front of his pants, and walk right out! I ran after him and caught up to him pretty quick. I grabbed him by the arm and we both nearly fell over, but I kept my footing and hauled him in. So this son of a beetle decided he was gonna try to lie to me, right to my face! He says, 'What're you talkin' about, little girl, I ain't stealin' no dagger!'" She lowered her voice, imitating a man's gruff tones. "And then the dagger slides down his pants-leg and falls out onto the ground!"

Kuei laughed along with the twins. Once their laughter had died down, Zafirah turned to Kuei with an expectant look and bumped her knee against his.

"So, how about you? Got any funny stories to tell?" she asked.

"Oh, I don't know. I've never been very good at telling stories," Kuei said.

"Aww, c'mon! I bet you've got plenty of good tales," Basam said, nudging him with an elbow to the side. Kuei took a sip from his water flask, considering.

"Well," he started slowly, "There was this one incident, when I first got Bosco… He was just a little cub at the time. And, well, one day he chewed the corner of a rug in the main dinner hall. And there was an important dinner scheduled for that night-some noblemen from the Upper Ring were coming to discuss a business venture. They were brothers, you see, and it was their family's business. I don't recall what it was, though. I think it had something to do with importing fabrics…"

Zafirah cleared her throat, an amused smirk on her face. Kuei flushed and went on. "So, yes, the rug. I, um…" He paused and chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "There was this large, ornamental vase by the door, and I dragged it over and sat it on top of the torn part."

"Oh, I bet this doesn't end well," Zafirah said with a snicker.

Kuei smiled sheepishly. "Ha, indeed. Well, the dinner was about to begin, and the two noblemen came into the hall. They saw the vase and, uh… I told them that it was part of an ancient ritual for good luck."

"And what'd the fancy nobles say to that?" Basam asked.

"They didn't believe a word of it, of course. Long Feng called a servant to move it-he was there too, naturally-and when it was moved, well, they saw the chewed area."

"And?" Zafirah prompted him.

"And as it happened, the rug had been a gift to my father… from those two noblemen," Kuei said. The twins both laughed at that. Then a slight frown crossed Zafirah's face and she leaned forward.

"Speaking of stories," she began, her voice slightly tentative, "I think you ought to tell Basam what you told me. So we're all on the same page."

Kuei nodded, though somewhat reluctantly. It wasn't a story he enjoyed telling much, but he knew that both of his friends deserved to know the entire truth. So he told Basam everything that he'd told Zafirah at the fortress, the night after the battle. Once he had finished, Basam sat in thought for a long moment. Finally, he smiled and nodded.

"Thanks for telling me," he said softly. Then he cleared his throat and his smile widened. "So where're we headed next? Do we have any place in mind?" he asked.

"Hmm." Kuei pulled out his battered map and studied it.

"I say we just hang out at the beach for a few days," Zafirah suggested.

Basam sighed happily. "That does sound nice," he agreed.

"All right, beach time it is, then," Kuei said with a smile. With that decided, the three of them cleaned up the remnants of their dinner and settled down to sleep.

"Hey, Zafi?" Basam said as they walked along the road the next morning.

"Yeah?" Zafirah replied idly.

"I think our birthday was last week."

"What, really? Wait, no…" She trailed off, counting on her fingers. "Huh, I'll be damned. It was last week."

"Happy twenty-fourth birthday," Basam said cheerily.

Kuei looked at them in surprise. "I didn't know your birthday was during the summer," he said. Zafirah smiled ironically.

"Yeah, well, we were kinda busy," she pointed out.

"True," he agreed. "Well, relaxing on the beach sounds like a fantastic way to celebrate."

"I agree," Basam declared. "I'd say we've earned ourselves a vacation."

Late in the morning, the downhill slope of the road started to flatten out. Kuei noticed that the closer they got to sea level, the bigger Zafirah's smile grew. And he couldn't help but smile himself every time he saw it. Finally the road drew level with the ocean, running through the increasingly sparse forest. Through gaps in the trees, they could see the pristine white sand and glittering crests of waves. The siblings let out matching cries of delight and darted off through the trees, running out onto the beach. Kuei followed behind them, grinning at their joy. Bosco trailed after him with a grunt.

It was the perfect day for a trip to the beach-the sun shone in a cloudless sky, and there was just enough of a cool breeze to keep the summer heat from becoming too much. And they had found a truly excellent spot for swimming. The beach here lay in a sheltered bay, so that the waves were quite small.

The twins dashed across the sand and came to a halt halfway down the beach. Zafirah giggled like a little girl and bounced on the balls of her feet, clapping her hands together.

"I wanna live here," she announced. "Seriously, just build me a house right here."

And then her hands went to her waist and hastily untied the long sash cinching her knee length, dress-like tunic. She dropped it to the ground and pulled the tunic up over her head, exposing the long-sleeved shirt underneath it. She quickly unraveled her arm wrappings and tugged up the ragged hem of her undershirt. Kuei's eyes went wide, his pulse jumping, and he quickly turned away.

"Wha-what are you doing? Are you disrobing?" he spluttered, clapping his hand over his eyes as his cheeks heated up.

"Uh, yeah?" she replied, as though it were obvious. He heard the rustle of fabric falling to the ground. "Last time I went swimming I went in with all my clothes on, except for my arm and leg wraps-it was in that little pond, you remember? And that didn't work at all, they took forever to dry out. I wanna go in the water, so this time I'm gonna do it right." More rustling reached his ears.

"You want to… but… can you even swim?" he demanded, hand still resolutely in place.

"No, but you'll jump in and grab me if something bad happens, right?" He could hear the smirk on her face as she said it. He turned to Basam beseechingly, only to find that the other Sandbender had already stripped off his own tunic and was unraveling his arm bindings. The younger man stopped and shrank back under Kuei's reproachful frown.

"What?" he asked sheepishly.

"So d'you think the water here will be cold, or what?" Zafirah asked. Kuei instinctively turned to answer, remembering a second too late why he'd turned away. Well, if he'd been red-faced already, he must have looked like a beet by now. His jaw dropped at the sight of Zafirah standing before him clad only in her sarashi and underwear.

He'd never realized quite how thin she was-an effect of her harsh upbringing, no doubt. But she was far from skin and bones: her body was all lean muscle, interrupted only by the curve of her slender hips and the gentle swell of her breasts. He could see the faint outline of her ribs, as well as the points of her hip-bones. And yet, she didn't look frail in the slightest. Her thin frame radiated strength. Her smooth skin gleamed coppery brown in the midday sun.

She turned to him and spoke, breaking him out of his reverie. "You going in?" she asked.

"I-ah-what?" he stuttered helplessly, his throat dry. He very carefully focused his eyes on her face.

"Are you going in the water?" she repeated.

"N-no, no thank you, I think I'll sit here for now," he said. Yes, sitting was definitely a good idea at the moment; it wasn't just his eyes that had taken notice of Zafirah's beauty. He sank down onto the sand with as much dignity as he could muster, which wasn't much at the moment.

"Somethin' wrong, Kuei?" asked Basam, who had also stripped down to his undergarments. He sounded far too amused for the question to be an innocent one. Kuei shot a glare at the Sandbender man over his shoulder.

"Yes, everything's fine," he said, trying to keep his voice level. Basam cackled and darted off towards the water. Zafirah followed him, her long braid flying behind her as she ran.

Zafirah let out a yelp as the crest of a wave hit her waist. The cool water swirled around her legs, pushing against her so that she staggered back a step. She waded forward, digging her toes into the wet, squishy sand under her feet. Grinning widely, she glanced over at Basam. He beamed back at her, his whole face lit up with giddiness. They didn't even need to say anything to each other.

Another wave came at them and Zafirah flung herself right into it. The wave burst around her, shoving her back and spraying her with water. She could feel the surge of energy in the water as the wave passed her by. She laughed wildly as she wheeled her arms to stay on her feet. Curiously, she licked at the droplets on her lips and grimaced.

"Oh, ew, it's nasty!" she groaned. "How can water that looks so pretty taste so awful?"

"Fish live in this stuff-what were you expecting?" Basam asked jokingly. Zafirah rolled her eyes and shoved him a little. She turned around and waved at Kuei, still sitting on the sand with Bosco next to him. He waved right back at her. It was hard to tell at this distance, but his face still looked a little red. It was kind of funny, how flustered he'd gotten when she'd stripped down to go in the water. I guess they didn't have all that many half-naked women back at the Royal Palace, she thought mirthfully. Or maybe… maybe it's me that's… not that it matters, 'cuz he's the Earth King and he's off limits, she told herself firmly.

She gave her head a shake and waved to him again, gesturing him to get himself down to the water and join them. He waved back at her but didn't budge from the beach. He pointed to his side, reminding her of the gash he'd gotten at the fortress on the day of the eclipse. Looks like that man's bound and determined to keep all his clothes on. Too bad, she thought wistfully. No, that's a good thing, seeing as how he's off limits. Less thinking, more splashing.

Towards sunset, Zafirah and Basam finally dragged themselves out of the water. Zafirah's legs were killing her from leaping around in the water, and she'd worked up a roaring appetite, but it was so very worth it. They set up their camp on the edge of the woods that bordered the beach. For dinner they ate the rest of the peaches and some roasted meat. Zafirah went to bed happier than she'd been in years, lulled to sleep by the crashing of the waves.

One day later…

Zafirah woke up suddenly that morning, and at first she wasn't sure what it was that had woken her. A quick look at the neighboring sleeping bags told her that Kuei and her brother were up already-it was Basam's turn to make breakfast, she remembered.

She sat up and scratched at her arms, frowning. They were really itching, actually. And so was her back… and her legs, and her chest, and her neck… Her frown got deeper as she pulled off her tunic and glanced down.

Basam and Kuei both came running at her shriek. "What's going on?" Basam asked, wild-eyed. Zafirah stood up and thrust out her arms. They were covered in bright red welts, as was most of the rest of her body. The two men both winced at the sight. Kuei lifted one hand towards her, then glanced her way like he was asking. She nodded and he gingerly laid his fingers on her forearm, gently prodding the welts.

"It looks like a rash. That happened to me once," said Kuei. "It must have been those berries we ate last night, the ones from our supplies. Some people have that reaction to certain types of fruits, I think."

"Well, what about you two?" Zafirah demanded.

"Nothing here," Basam said.

"I'm all right as well," Kuei said.

Zafirah groaned. "So it's just me? That's so not fair," she muttered. She scowled and rubbed at her arms again.

"Try not to scratch at the welts; my physicians told me that it only makes the rash worse," Kuei told her. He walked over to his pack and pulled the map out, scanning it. "There appears to be a small village just up the road from here. They'll likely have a healer who can give you something for that."

They debated for a minute whether they should all go, or have one of them stay in camp. Zafirah settled the matter for them by packing up all her things and heading for the road. She was so itchy that it actually hurt, and she was in no mood for dithering. The two men got all the rest of their stuff packed and caught up with her. Once they did, Kuei insisted that she ride on Bosco's back. It didn't help much, seeing as how his fur just made her legs itch worse.

The village turned out to be a tiny fishing town. The healer's house was easy enough to find, and when they got there, the heavy-set woman there told them what Kuei had already said-that the berries were the culprit. She smeared some blue ointment on the welts, taking the sting out of them. They bought a pot of the stuff, which Zafirah was supposed to put on three times a day until the itching went away.

With the itching taken care of for the moment, they returned to their spot on the beach; it was a nice place, after all, and they planned to stay another day. Once their camp was set up again, Zafirah headed right back into the waves.

"Ahh, that's better," she sighed as the water swirled around her itchy body. She was tempted to sit down in the shallow water, but Kuei had warned her not to. He said a big wave could come along and catch her off-guard. So she just stood in the water and enjoyed it.

Basam bounded into the waves next to her, kicking up a spray of water as he went. "How're you doin'?" he asked.

"Better than before. The water feels good," she said.

"Glad to hear. Hey, I wonder if we could bend the sand down here?" He pointed down towards the sandy bottom. Zafirah wiggled her toes in the stuff, thinking.

"I bet we could," she said mischievously. They took Bending stances, their feet planted apart and their fists raised. They swung their fists upward-slowly, two columns of sand rose up from under the water. The sand felt sluggish and amazingly heavy, but it was far easier than Bending regular earth. Then Zafirah grinned wickedly and slid her right foot sideways. Basam let out a yelp as he slowly sank down a few inches into the soggy sand.

"Hey!" he protested. Then he smirked and the sand under Zafirah's feet shifted. She flailed her arms madly for a second before toppling over into the shallow water. She spluttered as water splashed into her face. She got to her feet again and swung her arms. The sand under the water heaved up and knocked Basam down. He howled in mock outrage and splashed water at her, and then it was an all-out splash war.

They staggered back to their camp after a while, where Kuei sat with a very amused look on his face. Zafirah plopped down next to him and lightly jabbed his upper arm with her knuckles.

"Hey, Kuei, you see us Waterbending down there?" Zafirah joked. Kuei laughed at that, shaking his head. Spirits, he's got a great laugh, Zafirah thought. That laugh had an uncanny way of making her heart race and her palms sweat.

"Yes, I did. I can see that you both have a bright future in the art," Kuei replied dryly.

Basam nudged Zafirah. "Speaking of Bending, you think you could show me that Earthbending stuff Daiyu taught you?" he asked.

"Sure! We can get started whenever you want," she said.

The three of them settled down to prepare the soup for their lunch. Basam went off to gather firewood while Zafirah and Kuei set about getting all the ingredients ready. It was time for another coat of ointment, though, so Kuei assured her that he could handle things while she tended to her welts. She was grateful for it, as the rash was starting to itch badly again.

So off she went to sit by her sleeping bag, which was a short ways from the cooking fire pit, and dug out the ointment jar. There was just one little problem-after her arms, legs, chest and neck were coated, she couldn't reach her back. She twisted around, craning her arms this way and that with no luck. She gave up with a frustrated sigh and wandered back over to the fire pit.

Kuei was right where she'd left him, sitting against Bosco's furry flank. He was busily cutting up carrots for their soup. As usual, his posture was perfect despite being on the ground. Her eyes were drawn to the motion of his bare arms as he sliced away. She noticed that his arms weren't as scrawny as they'd been before; he had a bit of lean muscle now, probably from all that training. Her eyes wandered a little over his slender frame and she wished even more that he'd gone swimming with them. Off limits, she reminded herself. She walked back over to the fire pit.

He looked up at her as she sat down. "How are you feeling?" he asked, brow furrowing in concern.

"I can't reach the ones on my back," she grumbled.

Kuei frowned and shifted towards her. "I can help you, if you'd like," he offered. He put the carrots into the wooden bowl at his feet.

"That'd be good, thanks." She handed him the jar of ointment, then shuffled around so her back was to him. She heard the scrape of dirt as he scooted closer and a faint intake of breath when he hesitated. "Your hair is, er, in the way," he said. "May I?"

"Yeah, go ahead," she said. His fingertips brushed her shoulder blade as he carefully lifted her braid and pushed it forward. The jar lid grated a bit as Kuei opened it. She couldn't help but jump when the cool ointment touched the nape of her neck.

"Sorry," said Kuei.

"Not your fault. That stuff's just cold," she muttered, shivering.

He started humming a jaunty tune under his breath while his fingers moved from one red bump to the next, following the wide trail of spots from her neck and over her shoulder blades. Zafirah's eyes slid shut almost of their own will. Had the rash made her skin more sensitive, or did the gentle rubbing of his fingertips against her back really feel that good? She felt a red-hot blush spreading over her face.

"Is it helping at all?" he asked suddenly.

"Uh, yeah. 'S helping," she mumbled.

"Good," Kuei replied. "Rashes like these are no fun at all."

"Speaking of which, how's that cut on your side doing?" she asked.

"It seems to be healing nicely. The stitches are starting to fall out now." His fingers moved past her sarashi and down along her spine. Then his hand seemed to linger at the small of her back, so briefly that she could have imagined it.

"Kuei," she breathed. His hand stilled and then pulled away. Her eyes shot open and she bit her lip, mortified.

"Have I done something wrong?" She could hear the anxiousness in his tone.

"N-no, no. It's just, ah, I think that's enough for now," she assured him. "My back feels much better now, thanks. I'm gonna go see if Basam needs any help with that firewood!" she added hastily as she scrambled to her feet. She grabbed her tunic and knee-length pants from her sleeping bag as she hurried off.

Zafirah wandered off into the woods that bordered their beach, her face still red. She fumed to herself as she stomped through the trees.

"Spirits and ancestors, what is wrong with me?" she muttered. "I haven't been like this around a guy since I was thirteen!" Zafirah had had her share of shyness and awkwardness at first, like most teens, but usually she had no problem flirting with men. She'd had a few boyfriends before- not as many as some other girls, but she liked to think she had a fair bit of experience. It'd served her well, too, in learning to avoid and deal with some particularly creepy men at the Oasis. So why was she acting like a bashful little kid all of a sudden?

No, she knew the answer to that. Kuei was different from Shai, or the other two boys she'd dated from her own tribe. And it wasn't just his status, either, or his classy manner. He was just… different. He was special. And "special" wasn't a word she tended to use all that often.

He's also the Earth King, and he's off limits, she reminded herself. That was what she'd been telling herself ever since the eclipse. And she'd been saying it more and more the past couple days. She repeated it every time he laughed, or flashed that heart-stopping smile, or started rambling adorably about some animal or other-and every time she remembered that moment in the passageway under the fortress, when he'd leaned in like he was going to…

It wasn't working very well. He's off limits, she recited silently. The words didn't even sound convincing in her own head.

I gotta stop thinking like this, she told herself. I can't tell him how I feel. We'll just stay friends. Yeah. I can be friends with him. I can do this. She paused mid-step, then heaved a sigh and leaned against a tree trunk next to her.

"No I can't. Spirits damn it all," she muttered. Twigs snapped behind her and her heart jumped into her throat. She whipped around and saw Basam crunching through the underbrush towards her.

"What're we damning, now?" he asked lightly, hefting a bundle of firewood. Then he frowned and set the bundle down. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice soft.

"'S nothing," Zafirah muttered. Basam didn't look even a little bit convinced. She sighed again and fiddled with the end of her braid. "Okay, fine. It's… it's about Kuei."

"Ah." Basam nodded, clearly not surprised in the least. "You want to talk about it?"

She did, as a matter of fact. "The thing is… I'm crazy about him, okay? I've gone and fallen for the guy and I can't say a word of it to his face. I can't ever tell him and that's a fact," she said. The words all spilled out in a rush.

Basam's eyebrows shot up his forehead. "You can't… wait, what? Why not?"

Zafirah snorted. "C'mon, Basam. He's the Earth King, I'm a Sandbender… it's ridiculous! That kind of thing just doesn't happen outside of folk tales. It just isn't done!"

"Hey, you never know-maybe they'll write a folk tale about you two someday," Basam joked gamely, nudging her with his elbow. She glared at him.

"I mean it, Basam! I can't tell him about this, and neither can you!" she snapped. Basam took a step back and held up his hands.

"Hey, I wasn't going to," he assured her. "But I think you should." He waved his hands, stopping her as she opened her mouth to object. "Just hear me out, okay?"

"Okay, fine," she agreed grudgingly.

"Look, I know it sounds impossible, but he's here with us, wandering around the Earth Kingdom like any other peasant, and that's a fact. And besides, he said he's in exile, so... he's not really the Earth King anymore, anyway."

Zafirah opened her mouth to argue, then snapped it shut again. She hadn't thought of that angle. Basam could tell she wasn't convinced, though. He set his hands on her shoulders and looked her dead in the eye.

"Zafi, you know I just want you to be happy. If you think that being with Kuei would make you happy, then I say you should give it a shot. And I know you'd tell me no different if it was me in your place," he said gently.

Zafirah frowned. "I… I don't even know if he feels the same way. Let's not get ahead of ourselves," she mumbled. "I mean, normally I can tell if a guy's into me. But with Kuei, I can't tell if he's interested or it he's just awkward around women." Basam threw back his head and laughed.

"Oh, sister of mine, that is the least of your worries! That poor guy can hardly keep his eyes off you," he chortled. Zafirah felt her eyes go wide as she blushed. So I wasn't imagining it! she thought. "C'mon, let's get back to camp. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty hungry."

Zafirah shook her head. "You go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Okay. Try not to get lost in the woods," he said airily. Zafirah rolled her eyes as he picked up the firewood again and walked back towards the beach. She sat down and leaned back against the nearest tree, turning her face up to look at the treetops.

Maybe Basam's right. Maybe he isn't, though. He has a point about Kuei being in exile. But what if the war ends? Kuei'll have to go back. But it's a hundred-year war! What're the odds it'll end now?

Son of a beetle, I've got it bad.

Kuei did get all red in the face the other day, when I went in the water… So maybe he does want me as much as I want him-and Spirits know I want him bad. Oh, did she ever! It was so tempting, sometimes, to just grab him and kiss those pale lips of his. And we get along real well, so I know he doesn't dislike me… so maybe he feels the same as I do. But even if he does, so what? He's still the Earth King.

…Except he kind of isn't anymore and I'm right back where I started. She ground her teeth together. She mulled over Basam's words-specifically, the part where she ought to go for it if she thought being with Kuei would make her happy. Memories of their time together flashed through her head, and there was no denying the inner warmth that they brought with them. They'd borrowed strength from each other in battle and made each other laugh, and they'd shared joy and sadness both.

…Yes. Yes, damn it, being with Kuei would make me happy, she decided. There was no question about it in her mind. What she did question was whether she should go for it, like Basam said.

"Is it worth the risk of it all going terribly wrong?" she asked out loud. The woods didn't answer her. She heaved another sigh and clambered to her feet.

When she got back to camp, Kuei looked up from stirring the soup and beamed at her-it was that amazing smile again, the one that made her feel warm all over. Seeing that smile always made her feel like everything was going to be okay.

Yeah, it's worth the risk. All of a sudden, it all seemed so obvious. Totally worth it.

They left the beach the next morning. As much as the twins loved being there, the three of them felt compelled to keep going. There was so much that they hadn't seen, after all, and the far away places on their map beckoned. So they packed up their belongings, loaded up Bosco's saddlebags, and off they went.

Their next stop was a small town further up the coast. About five miles away from it, another road came down over the hills to their right to join the coastal route. As they approached the juncture of the two roads, Kuei spotted a large, covered cart rattling down the hills road towards them. The cart reached the juncture at the same time they did. There was an old man sitting on the driver's bench, clad in simple, faded clothing and a conical straw hat.

"Good afternoon, travelers!" called the old man. He reined in his ostrich horse team, slowing down to wave at them. Kuei waved back, as did the twins. Bosco growled and sat up on his haunches, waving one massive paw. The old man frowned a little, and then recognition dawned on his face. "I know you three! That animal of yours is pretty unmistakable, young man," he said with a chuckle.

"You do look familiar," Kuei admitted. Now that he thought about it, he was sure he'd seen this man before.

"Wait… Mr. Liu?" Zafirah asked incredulously. Ah, of course! This was the old farmer who had given them a ride to the fortress, back before the eclipse.

"Huh, I'll be damned!" Basam exclaimed. "Talk about coincidences."

Liu smiled at them, his hazel eyes glinting. "Well, this is a pleasant surprise. Did you find that cousin you were looking for?"

"Yeah, we sure did," Zafirah said, not missing a beat. Kuei was grateful-he'd never have remembered that little cover story of theirs.

"And where are you off to now?" Liu asked.

"We're just sort of wandering around, y'know," Basam said, waving his hand vaguely. Liu pondered this for a moment, reaching beneath his conical hat to scratch his head.

"Hmm. Well, I don't suppose you'd like to take some time off from wandering to help me with something?" he asked. The trio exchanged glances-Zafirah and Basam both shrugged, so Kuei turned back to Liu and spoke up.

"What is it that you need?" he asked.

"My farm has taken quite a bit of damage, you see," Liu began. "It's not far from here-just down the road from the town up ahead. A Fire Nation garrison passed through here a couple weeks ago; they set themselves up in the town, demanding that the townsfolk give them supplies and the like. Well, on the night they left, they passed by my farm. They said I hadn't paid my dues to them and demanded supplies from me. Some of my farmhands tried to fight them, but all it did was make them angry. They took the farmhands as servants, took some of my crops, and set fire to some of my buildings."

Basam and Zafirah both gasped in horror. Kuei just scowled, outraged by the soldiers' behavior.

"How can we help?" Zafirah asked.

"I need some help rebuilding my farm and harvesting the summer crops. I still have five farmhands-they were all in town the night of the attack. But they're overworked, the poor boys. If you three could just stay for a couple weeks, until I've had time to hire proper replacements… you'd be paid full wages, of course, and you'd have room and board provided," Liu said.

Kuei turned questioningly to his friends again. The twins both nodded at him; he nodded back and then smiled at Liu.

"We'd love to help," Kuei said.

Liu gave them a crinkly-eyed grin. "Thank you. Well, climb on into the back of the cart! Your animal will have to walk alongside, though."

"That's fine," Kuei assured him as they walked around to the rear of the cart. He pulled back the canvas flap covering the back and climbed in after the twins. They sat down atop the crates stacked in the cart, which lurched into motion.

"So, I'm guessing you never swung a hammer before," Zafirah said to Kuei, nudging him with her elbow.

"I haven't," he admitted.

"Don't worry, we'll show you how," Basam said from Kuei's left.

"I'll defer to your expertise, then," Kuei said. With that, the three of them settled in for the ride to the farm.

//////////////

Playlist!

1. Fly Me Away by Little & Ashley-Chapter theme!

2. I Won’t Say (I’m In Love) [Hercules]-Guess which scene this applies to. Go ahead, guess. :P

3. Part of Your World (Reprise) [The Little Mermaid]-Zafirah thinks it may be impossible, but decides that being with Kuei is worth the risk of trying.