#yes Iroh and Haruka's relationship IS meant to be on the questionable side

[peony-pearl]

Clay in the Kiln - Chapter 14

Chapter 13

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The sun was bright and beaming through the curtains of cotton-like clouds as Seung helped Haruka out of the carriage that had brought them into the cultural heart of Ba Sing Se in the Middle Ring.

The town was bustling as usual, and Haruka listened to Seung greet those that passed them as her focus remained only on the music store ahead. She wanted so bad to just run in, but his hand had a firm grip on her arm as it was intertwined with his.

"Do you know what you want?" He asked nonchalantly.

"I have a few ideas. I've always had interest in the Pipa."

"Isn't that a lute? Won't that give your fingers callouses?" Seung asked. Haruka's mouth bobbed for answers.

"Well..."

"What else have you thought of?"

Haruka thought about her conversation with Iroh, and she smiled. "The Tsungi Horn is-"

"Absolutely not. There's no elegance to that thing."

Oh, okay.

"... The flute is nice."

Seung went silent as they entered. Haruka was trying so hard to find a moment to wriggle out of his grip, but it wasn't working. She saw all of the children so happy and eager to strum, or play, or drum, and she grinned as they laughed and carried on and made their own little tunes.

"So loud," Seung hissed to himself. Haruka slowed down as a handsome pipa caught her attention, but she almost lost her footing as Seung continued to walk without her realizing it, and they bypassed so many beautiful instruments until she realized they were in front of a small selection of flutes.

"Go ahead," he said, finally smiling for her. Haruka stared; first at the flutes, then at him. She hesitantly picked one up, holding the lovely, intricately made piece of metal. She held it to her lips, and blew into the mouthpiece. Seung instantly cringed. He grabbed it from her, nearly knocking her chin with it.

"On second thought," he said, "let's look around."

Holding in her frustrated sigh, Haruka pressed her lips together as he yanked her around. She looked up as he scowled at the sounds.

"What's wrong?" She asked. "I'd figure this is easier to listen to than the battlefield."

"I'd prefer that over this caterwauling."

"... We don't have to do this, Seung."

"No, no. I promised we would."

Haruka bit her lip, but soon her eye caught a koto, and she lit up.

"Seung, wait," she said, approaching the stringed instrument. Seung looked at it skeptically.

"Another stringed one? I told you I don't want-"

"A lot of young women play this. It's beautiful. You mostly play it with fingerpicks on one hand; the other hand helps with vibrato to flourish the notes. You do use bare fingers for some music pieces, but the picks do most of the work."

Seung crossed his arms, watching her gush over the stringed plank. She put on the fingerpicks and strummed a few strings, smiling as she did. She looked up at him, her jade eyes full of delight.

But Seung was silent as he looked at it. His shoulders raised as he looked defeated.

"Is there something you already know how to play?"

Haruka was taken aback.

"Well... no. I thought that was kind of the point of this. I'd pick something and I'd learn it."

Seung rubbed his face, very obviously regretting this outing. Haruka was dangerously close to letting her anger consume her.

But no; keep calm.

Keep calm, Haruka.

Play the game.

She took off the fingerpicks and put on the most saccharine smile she could muster.

"I have an idea," she said, brightening up her tone. "We can ask the shopkeeper. You go and tell him what the requirements are, and he can give his input."

She smoothed her hand up and down his arm. Seung's expression slowly melted from cold and frustrated to mellow and calm. He patted her hand gently, squeezing it.

"Good idea," he said.

But a thundering at the doorway caught their attention.

"Seung! We found you!"

Seung turned to find several uniformed men bringing silence in their wake; he became rigid and confused at the sudden intrusion.

"Who... what's going on?" He asked, and the soldiers approached him, speaking as quietly as possible.

"Captain, we've been sent from the general. We need to speak with you."

Their worried tones brought fear to Seung's face, and he looked at Haruka.

Dread welled in her chest.

"Wait here," Seung told her, and he walked outside with the soldiers. Haruka looked outside, watching them round the corner towards the alleyway. She rushed back towards the wall along the alley, and she earthbent some of the bricks enough to make a vent so she could hear them.

"Captain, there's new reports that there are spies in the city."

"Spies?!" Seung hissed.

"The Dai Li have witnessed efforts to keep potential recruits from joining the army. We can't find any profiles on these people."

Haruka was stunned; spies? Iroh never mentioned sending anyone into the city.

"Captain; the general has requested your early return for briefing.”

"I've been ready to return for days,” Seung said. “Let me go in and break the news to Haruka."

He was leaving.

He was leaving!

Haruka listened to them exit the alley and she shifted the bricks back into formation before she hurried back to the koto display.

Seung reentered the building and Haruka turned to see him. She rushed over, putting on her best concerned face.

"Is everything alright?"

Seung hesitated, but he straightened up to tower over her. "I have to leave early."

"Early? Right now?"

"Right now," he said. He took her hand and pulled her out of the shop. Just as they exited, a carriage clattered up to the shop as one of the soldiers approached Seung.

"We called a ride for Lady Haruka."

"To Where?" Haruka asked. Seung tightly clasped her hands.

"You need to go home. Things... things aren't safe. You need to go home and stay there."

Haruka played dumb. She nodded, remaining wide eyed. Seung leaned over to kiss her, his lips forceful on hers, but she didn't flinch.

"Be safe. I love you," he said. Haruka touched his face.

"I love you too."

Seung kissed her forehead before he turned with the other soldiers.

Haruka looked up at the carriage driver.

He winked at her. He looked familiar.

Confused, Haruka heard the carriage door open from the inside, where she could see the arm of another guard, and she remembered she was going home.

Upon entering the cabin and feeling the initial jerk of the start of the trip, she sighed, not paying much attention to the guard.

"... He's finally out of your hair; for now at least."

A chill ran down Haruka's spine, and she looked to face the soldier.

That beard... the golden eyes. He was wearing spectacles to throw off telltale signs of his facial structure.

"I-IROH?!"

Chuckling, Iroh pulled off the hat of the uniform, revealing his pinned-up charcoal hair. He set the hat down next to him and smiled at Haruka.

"Well now, you look nice-"

Haruka grabbed his uniform.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE YOU IDIOT?!"

"Haruka! Please," Iroh laughed. He took her hands gently; she remembered how much she missed their warmth. "Don't ruin this outfit; it took days to acquire."

"Iroh, I'm serious, how did you get in here?"

"Help on the inside," he grinned. Haruka blinked.

"So... the reports about the spies are true?"

"Were true. One of them became suspect a week ago and returned to stay secret. I've made the decision to pull the others until further notice. That's why I'm here, to find them."

"Why aren't you out in the field?"

"Because Jae skewered me."

Haruka watched Iroh gently peel away several layers of clothing to reveal bandages around his ribs. Her mouth dropped, and she looked up at him in shock.

"It took me a couple of days to get back on my feet. I'd still be confined to my cot if Lu Ten had his way. He's leading while I'm inside the city. He..."

Iroh's voice trailed off as he noticed Haruka's face staring at him.

"What? Is everything-"

He wasn't expecting a flurry of silk in colors of mint and copper to blind him as she threw her arms around his neck. She awkwardly hunched over in the carriage, hugging him as her brain short circuited with too many emotions.

She was free of Seung.

She was back in Iroh's presence.

He was alive.

Her breathing became sharp and ragged as the emotions of the past two and a half weeks boiled over, and she fell to her knees, still holding tight to him.

"Haruka," he said, softer than anything she'd heard from him. "Haruka, what's wrong?"

He slipped from the seat down to the floor, where Haruka then wrapped her arms around his robust torso. Her face buried into the nook of his shoulder as she cried harder than she could ever remember.

"I just... I missed you. I missed you so much. You and Lu Ten and the soldiers. I'm so tired; I'm so... so tired."

Iroh listened to her; his ribs were sore as she held on tight, but he didn't protest her need to have him close. He simply pulled her into his own embrace.

"I can't... I don't know how much longer I can keep doing it," she shuddered, resting her head on his chest. “I can’t keep pretending.” She felt him pet her hair as they sat on the floor of the carriage, which may not have been the most comfortable, but they didn't budge.

"You won't have to do it much longer. I promise," Iroh whispered as her crying began to wind down. She felt one of his thumbs brush her cheek as he wiped away a tear.

Thankful to see him, she touched his hand, closing her eyes as she felt safe again.

"Thank you for finding me. You don't know what this means to me."

Upon apologizing for her outburst, and helping Iroh back into the carriage bench, the ride continued. Haruka smoothed out her outfit and her hair as she still had to make herself presentable upon returning home.

"So... you're inside Ba Sing Se. How does it feel?"

Iroh smiled, sitting back. "It's beautiful. It's just a shame I can't spend more time in it."

"You're inside, though. Isn't this what you wanted?"

"Yes; and no," Iroh answered. "The victory must come with the destruction of the wall. I am one Firebender inside of a city that is not mine, save for the soldier driving us. I am trapped within walls that are not mine. Even if I managed to get my soldiers inside the city somehow, it wouldn't matter. We would be trapped within confines that aren't ours to control. The wall must come down; both physically and metaphorically."

Haruka nodded. "So... the answer is politics."

"Precisely," Iroh grinned.

"Well, I can't help you there," Haruka smiled. "I'm just a girl."

With a hearty laugh, Iroh shook his head. "Oh, I think you know more than you believe."

There was something that washed over Haruka; something that made her feel like she was glowing.

Iroh was about to cross his legs until he remembered his injury, so he settled for awkwardly nestling into the corner of the carriage, folding his hands in his lap. "I've wondered what you would like for your future. Your assistance is worth some kind of reward. Once Lu Ten has made residence in the palace, perhaps we can settle an advisory position for you."

Haruka laughed softly. "With all due respect, I'm not a strategist. I'm not even a fighter. Everything I do is all off the cuff. I run off of instinct."

"Understandable," Iroh agreed. "Perhaps a governing position?"

Haruka blushed. "I'm... I'm not... your highness, the only reward I can ask for is what we've already discussed. My freedom will mean more to me than anything else. I don't need gold, I don't need riches. Just... the ability to seek the things I love and to live my life without feeling like a marionette."

"Then you shall have it," Iroh ensured. Haruka felt a weight lift off of her; she breathed easy at the thought of never having to answer to anyone again. But she looked at Iroh curiously.

"What will you do once Lu Ten settles here?"

"I'll return to the Fire Nation, where my throne eventually awaits. Then, when my time comes to step down, Lu Ten will return, and the palace here will either go to his children, or to my nephew or niece, depending on who he chooses."

Haruka nodded slowly, taking in the information. She eyed him, giving a wry smile.

"Then maybe I need to begin preparations to move."

"Oh?" Iroh asked. "And why is that?"

Haruka's smile widened. "I've already thrived with you at the helm of this fight. You've given me hope, Iroh. I'll follow that. I'll follow you. To whichever end of the world you go, Iroh; you have my loyalty."

The carriage stopped; Haruka gripped the bench in sudden dread that they were about to go their separate ways, but Iroh simply sat up straight. He paid little heed to the pause of their ride, and he took her hand, prompting her to return her attention to him.

"Wherever I go, Haruka; if you follow me, I will be happy to see you," he said softly, kissing her knuckles.

Haruka swallowed, feeling his lips grace her skin.

"I am at your call, your highness. Whatever you need of me, I will answer."

Iroh’s eyes flared ever so subtly.

"Then allow me my first command.”

"Name it," Haruka said. The moment before he spoke seemed to take an eternity for her.

"This time, I want you to kiss me."

Her world spun, vertigo overtook her senses yet she remained still. Her heart rattled her ribs, much like the thrill of the battlefield.

She looked into his eyes, where she saw hope; she saw freedom and change.

Leaning towards him, she pressed her lips to his, cupping his face as she all but took residence in his lap.

She took great care in giving him everything she'd felt since they'd danced together. Since they'd fought together, and come to know each other.

Everything she was supposed to feel for Seung came bursting out as she fulfilled her command, and Iroh reciprocated.

A piece of Ba Sing Se was right there in his arms, and he was her conqueror.

The only sounds in the cabin were a mixture of their fervent breaths and the sounds of their lips. This time, instead of catching hints of Ginseng from his lips, she took in the taste of his mouth, as though she was desperate to erase every kiss she’d ever had with Seung. They held fast to one another as though they were breathing life into each other.

The moment finally came to pass, and their lips parted. Her hands remained on his face, which was aglow as he seemed to approve of the kiss.

"Lady Haruka. Shall I see you to your door?" He asked.

Haruka slowly shook her head. "N-no... you don't need to expose yourself more than necessary."

"Alright," he said quietly. "Remember; return at your discretion. We don't need anyone suspecting anything with you returning to the field the moment Seung does."

"Right. I'll... I'll wait for a couple of weeks. Or at least as long as I can manage," she said, taking a prolonged look into his eyes.

"That's my girl," Iroh grinned.

Haruka exited the carriage, looking to the driver, who nodded to her, and Iroh peeked out to speak to him.

"Let's go find Kusa."

"On it," the soldier answered before looking at Haruka. "Take care," he nodded, and Haruka recognized this man as a soldier from the field. She bowed to him before looking back to Iroh, who continued to smile at her.

"Until we meet again," he said. Haruka smiled and waved at him, and she watched with a heavy heart as he closed the carriage door.

The carriage clattered away, and Haruka stood absently at her front gate, wishing she was still with him.

"Haruka!"

Gasping, Haruka turned to see Fen at the door.

"What are you doing back so early? Where's Seung?"

Seung?

Oh yeah.

Haruka used her heavy heart to her advantage.

"He... he had to go back," she said, turning to watch the carriage leave. "He had to return to the wall."

"Oh no; I'm so sorry," Fen said, taking Haruka's shoulders. "Come on, let's get you inside."

She hesitated, but finally conceded to Fen's pull, she wrapped her arms around herself as they walked inside.

"Fen; could you make some tea?"