Reminiscing of Ba Sing Se (Iroh x Ming)
Title: Reminiscing of Ba Sing Se
Rating: PG
Pairings/Characters: Iroh/Ming
Word Count: 1682
Notes: I was interested in pairing Iroh with someone where the relationship can be two-way romance. When I noticed that Ming (guard from 3.10) seem to have some previous relations I figured they be a great pair.
The door closed behind Iroh and now his fate was sealed. He would spend the rest of his days in a prison cell.
“General Iroh?” one of guards asked in a surprised tone.
The new prisoner looked up, he recognized that voice. Their eyes met for the first time in almost five years. Iroh was surprised and secretly happy to see his former lover.
It was early in the great battle of Ba Sing Se, and General Iroh made a brief speech to the new recruits. He laid out how things were going to be under his lead. Iroh believed that a good general should know a little about each of his soldiers. One by one he got them to introduce themselves.
She spoke with lots of confidence and presented herself as a very strong individual. She stated that her name was Ming and listed the training she had received.
She was brave, bold, intelligent, strong-willed, determined and beautiful. Not many women had the qualities she possessed. He felt an immediate attraction to her and believed that Ming could be the one that filled the void in his heart that was left after the passing of his wife. Iroh wondered if he could capture her heart. He was positive it would be much more of a challenge do to so then to win the current battle.
The next day was a rather rough day for General Iroh. He spent all day on strategic plans. Around early evening he decided it was best for everyone if they all took a break from the intense invasion plans. The general decided to grab some supper at the mess hall.
Iroh noticed Ming sitting at a table by herself at the back of the mess hall. He walked over to her.
“Hello,” Iroh said as he slightly smiled, “May I join you?”
“Of course,” replied Ming trying hard not to sound too excited, she couldn’t believe her luck, the famous general was going to eat dinner with her.
General Iroh could tell that she was uncomfortable. Her posture wasn’t relaxed. He decided it was best to converse with her only about non-war related topics, since the horrors of battle often stressed new recruits. They talked until the moon had risen and was high in the sky and she told him it was getting late and needed to get some rest.
Over the next several weeks, he joined her for many meals and they enjoyed many meaningful conversations and enlighten each other, often discussing their lives back home in the Fire Nation.
~*~*~*~*~
“Uncle,” Zuko spoke in a desperate tone, “I need your advice.”
Iroh glanced at his nephew for a moment, without even a hint of pity in his eyes. He then turning his view back to the wall, indicating his disappointment.
Zuko didn’t seem to take the hint and continuing begging for help as the each word spoken becoming more frustrated. Eventually he found the entire conversation worthless and he left.
Despite their poverty, he and his nephew used to have a fairly good life in Ba Sing Se. He had his new tea shop; a sense of peace, no constant reminders of the war, and Zuko even had an admirer. Even with the current events, Iroh still wished his nephew could see the joy of what they had in the Earth Kingdom city.
The prisoner couldn’t help but remember that he was actually happy before he had even entered the city with his nephew; the nostalgic appeal of Ba Sing Se was that strong.
It had been six months and the battle felt like it would never end. But the morale was high considering how long the battle had been raging. Many believed that it was Iroh’s calm mind and sense of inner peace that kept the troops’ spirits high.
It seemed ironic that he was deeply in love while facing a devastating battle every single day. General Iroh cared much about Ming now; he knew she was the reason his mind was at ease and his stress level was minimal.
One day Ming and Iroh wondered though the terrain around Ba Sing Se on a walk. Slowly they began to move further and further away from the military camp. It was the first time both felt that they had any level of privacy.
Iroh was uncharacteristically nervous. Ming was surprised to notice he was fiddling around with his head piece. Usually he was a lot more relax when they had previously talked.
“You’re my favorite soldier.” He stated.
Ming couldn’t help but to giggles out of amusement at the way he phrased his words. That wasn’t something that was normally said, but she understood what he meant by it.
General Iroh frowned at her reaction, “You could have simply told me you don’t feel the same way about me.”
“It’s not that!” She replied, with a smile, “It’s just wasn’t how I imagine how it would happen.”
“What did you expect?” Iroh curiously asked.
Ming paused thoughtfully for a moment. The next thing Iroh knew is that she was stroking his hair staring into his eyes with one of her arms around him.
She seemed to peer into his soul as she spoke, “Ming, I love you, and I -“
Iroh was baffled by Ming’s impersonation of him; he didn’t hear most of her words because he was trying to figure out how he should react. Most of the time he was never caught so off guard. His thoughts were interrupted when Ming put her lips upon his. Iroh closed his eyes and the two kissed passionately.
As their lips parted he whispered I love you too before kissing her.
~*~*~*~*~
Ming had a reputation for being unshakable emotionally. Normally she didn’t let things get to her, especially not small things. But when she overheard General Iroh speaking to his nephew, she couldn’t help feel a bit jealous. Especially when she considered the time they spent outside of Ba Sing Se together. She felt that she deserved more than the few words that he spoke to her.
Out of the corner of his eye, Iroh noticed Ming’s expression. Inwardly he wished he could help her be happy again, he always hated to see her sad. There was only one other time he could recalled her looking that sad.
It was like a dark cloud had descended upon the camp. Moral was slipping, the length of the battle was taking its toll. The only thing that kept most of them going was the desire not to admit the pervious months had been a complete waste of time.
During that time Iroh relied heavily on Ming’s positive outlook to keep his spirits up, but he know he couldn’t depend on her for that forever. One day he encountered her with a sad frown on her face. She was holding a child’s toy in her hands.
“What’s the matter?” He asked, hoping to find some way to cheer her up.
“This doll,” She replied softly.
Ming handed Iroh the doll. He inspected it and thought it was a nice toy before Ming explained where it was from.
“My regiment encountered a little girl wondering outside the walls of the city, her expression was unforgettable - almost like she was facing death in the face. The next thing I knew is that I saw her running away, and left was this doll lying on the ground.” Ming said, “I can’t get over the feeling that to her I was some sort of monster.”
“It’s understandable,” Iroh said kindly. “But I think the stress of this battle is the true problem. Everyone’s emotions are running high. You probably just need some time to relax.”
~*~*~*~*~
The day of Black Sun finally arrived. He was ready for his escape. Everything was planned and prepared for. There was just one more thing he needed to take care of before the eclipse. He knew Ming was going to be on duty and he was going to have to hurt her if she was going to on duty during the eclipse.
He never wanted to hurt her ever. But when Lu Ten, his only son, died, their relationship fell apart. Everything in his life fell apart then, not just his love life.
That was one of his regrets that he carried with him. Which is why he knew he had to make his best effort to spare Ming.
~*~*~*~*~
Ming served breakfast to Iroh, ignoring the other guard’s comments. She smiled and tried to make small talk with Iroh, simply stated that she remembered what he liked. She hoped that if nothing else she could still bring him comfort, and maybe eventually he’d acknowledge what she meant to him.
She was getting used to polite but impersonal responses he gave her. To her surprise he said more than a gentle thank you, he was giving her a subtle message. At first she wasn’t sure if he meant it, but after getting conformation she understood what he meant. To the other guard he just appeared to be delusional, telling her that she should take the afternoon off because she looked sick to him, but she understood that Iroh often used subtly to say things that would raise an eyebrow if directly said.
Ming smiled as she speculated what the old general was up to. She was always impressed by his planning. She figured she’d hear about it tomorrow, and took the afternoon off.
~*~*~*~*~
The next day, Ming showed up to work to find out that Iroh had indeed escaped, badly injuring the guards who were present. Not only that the guards who were defeated were punished and shamed for their failure to do their duty. After all most of the reports stated that Iroh was losing his mind, and why couldn’t three guards restrain a crazy man?
Ming tried to repress a smile. She was happy Iroh had gotten his revenge and was free. She was grateful that he had ensured she was not there when the escape happened; it was his way of protecting her. She inwardly glowed as she realized that he remembered her and still felt fondly of her. She couldn’t help to wonder if she would ever see him again.