Lee

Suki was just slipping on her sandals when she heard her bedroom window rattle. She froze for a moment before hearing it again, though this time it came out as three clear taps.

Moving over cautiously, she sidled up alongside the frame and peeked around to edge. The courtyard outside was bathed in the shadows of a late summer evening, so she couldn't see much. That is, until a large, pale hand popped up from the ground, giving a short wave.

You've got to be kidding me, she thought with a smirk, pulling open the window and looking at the ground below.

The Fire Lord looked up at her from where he crouched in the shadows. His eyes scanned the courtyard quickly. "Can I come in?" he whispered.

"Well, yes, but—" Suki started, but before she could finish he had pulled himself through the window and shut the curtains behind him. He was wearing a long, dark cloak with a hood that he pulled off his head once inside.

"Zuko…" she said as he gathered her in a quick embrace. "What's going on? Weren't we going to the festival tonight?"

He nodded, pulling back. "Mmhmm. Wow, you look nice. You ready to go?"

"I suppose…though now I feel a little overdressed," she said, noticing the simple tunic beneath his cloak and how his topknot was replaced by a low ponytail. She was wearing the traditional yukata that Ty Lee said most people would be wearing to the Festival of Ancestors. "Hold on—you left without your guards?"

"Ah, it's fine. You worry too much."

"It's my job to worry! There—there could have been an assassin in the courtyard!"

He shot her a mischievous grin. "Come on, you look great. Let's go," he said excitedly, peaking behind the curtain before pulling on his hood and crawling back out into the dimming courtyard.

Though she was still mildly irritated with Zuko's carelessness, she couldn't help but chuckle at his giddy mood. "You still didn't tell me what's going on," she whispered, following him outside and along the edge of the building.

He stopped as they reached a gate, turning back to her. "Look, it's no fun going to these things as the Fire Lord. I want to enjoy it...with you," he said, touching her hand, his thumb running lightly over her palm. "And without an entourage of guards trailing us…"

Suki had to admit—that did sound nice.

"Besides, Ty Lee's in on this. She's going to cover for me, if anyone asks where I am. In fact," he grinned, "I used to do this all the time before you guys took over my guard. Sometimes the Kyoshi Warriors are a little too good at their jobs…"

Suki smirked, letting him pull her up to the top of the fence before they both dropped down to the other side. "A ruler walking among the commoners in disguise?" she mused as they ran alongside the outer wall. "That sounds like it came straight out of a folk tale."

Zuko glanced back at her, amber eyes dancing. "Where do you think I got the idea?"

Though she couldn't catch his full expression beneath the hood, Suki could still see the deep scowl on Zuko's face.

"This thing is rigged!" he said through gritted teeth, gripping the last ball in his hand like his life depended on it, glaring at the bottles lined up across the small booth.

"They're all rigged," Suki stated as he chucked the small ball with all his might. It hit one of the bottles square on, yet it only wobbled slightly before falling back into place.

"What?!" he cried, looking down at her. "Then how do you win?"

Suki smirked, raising herself up on tiptoe. "Maybe they'd have let you win if you came as the Fire Lord," she whispered in his ear.

He growled a little. "…This is stupid. Let's go get something to eat," he huffed, cursing the offending booth before grabbing her hand and storming off.

As soon as they rounded the corner to the street lined with food stands, Zuko seemed to calm down a little, eyeing the different vendors with wide eyes as they moved down the crowded street.

"Sokka would like this place," he said absently as they passed a cart packed with hanging komodo rhino sausage. He suddenly looked down apologetically. "Oh, sorry. Too soon?"

Suki just smiled. "Nah, it's fine. And you're right—though if he were here, there wouldn't be anything left for the rest of us."

Zuko chuckled a little, stopping in front of one of the stands, holding up two fingers and dropping a few coins in the cart tender's hand in exchange for two fried squid. Just as he turned back to hand one to Suki, the crowd started to move in unison down the side streets.

"What's going on?" she asked.

The shopkeeper behind them laughed. "Why, it's time for the mountain lighting, of course! Best part of the festival, after all," the older man said as he started packing up his stand. "Everything shuts down during it. You two best find a spot soon if you wanna see it."

Suki grabbed Zuko's hand, pulling him after the crowds. "You heard him! We better hurry," she said excitedly. She didn't really know what a "mountain lighting" entailed, but it sounded exciting.

Zuko dragged his feet behind her, gnawing absently on his skewered fish.

"Zu—I mean, Lee," Suki huffed, biting her lip at her slip. "Come on!"

He finally stopped her after she'd dragged them down one of the dark side streets, already emptying as everyone moved in the direction of the huge lake. He pulled her back, leaning close so his lips brushed her ear in the darkness.

"Don't you think a Kyoshi Warrior and the Blue Spirit could find a better spot to watch?" he breathed.

Suki's lips formed a small "o" before she smiled widely and nodded her head. Before they could move, however, footsteps thumped against the roof above them and several men fell to the ground, joined by more from both ends of the alley.

"Looks like we found a couple of stragglers," a large man simpered, stepping forward as nearly twenty men formed a tight semi-circle around them. A good number of them held out handfuls of fire. Zuko growled under his breath as they both turned to face the intruders. Suki quietly pulled out the fans tucked into her belt.

"Must be an ugly bugger to be hiding beneath that hood," another one snickered.

Suki thought she saw a passing look of embarrassment cross over Zuko's face before it returned to a snarl. She ground her teeth as anger burned in her chest. "We don't want any trouble," Zuko started calmly, though thin wisps of smoke spilled from his nostrils. "Just let us pass and you won't get hurt."

The gang of men guffawed, their laughter ringing harshly off the dark buildings around them. "I don't think so, pal. That broad's way too pretty to keep to yourself," the first man said sickly, moving towards them. "Why don't you let us have a turn to—"

He stopped, his words muffled as Zuko's hand closed around his throat. As the others charged forward, he threw out his free hand and sent a wave of flames towards them that illuminated the whole alley in a bright orange glow.

Suki took the opportunity to take out the men who'd crept up behind them, weaving between their sloppy movements with ease and delivering a handful of jabs to their guts.

When she looked back, Zuko was standing over a pile of groaning men, a slew of foul words and sparks spilling from his lips as he pressed the first man's face into the dirt with his foot. As she moved toward him, she caught loud voices from the next block over.

"Oi! No firebending during the festival!" a gruff voice shouted, several more footfalls pounding into the pavement.

"Lee," Suki said quickly, grabbing Zuko's arm. He continued to glare down at his victim, unaware of the guards who were nearly upon them. "We have to go, now!"

He looked up, turning towards her slowly. "We need to make sure they're arrested," he said darkly.

"They will be," she said firmly, looking anxiously at the main road at the end of the alley. "But if we don't leave now, they're going to find out who you are," she whispered harshly.

Zuko frowned. They both knew it wouldn't be wise to let a rumor get out about the Fire Lord roaming the city at night. Pursing his lips, he grabbed her hand and they took off down the alley and ducked behind several crates as the guards showed up at the scene.

"Takumi," the gruff voice said with an air of triumph. "We've been looking for you, and the rest of these scum. Looks like someone did the work for us. Arrest them!" he barked. With the commotion that followed, the couple in hiding crept towards the end of the alley and out of sight.

Several blocks later, Zuko turned to her. "How did you know they'd be arrested?"

Suki grinned. "I'm the head of your guard. I keep tabs on the wanted posters."

"Of course," he said in chagrin, giving her a crooked smile. "Well, we better hurry if we're going to see it," he said, reaching up to pull himself onto the roof. Suki was about to follow when she realized she had a problem.

"…Oh. I forgot you're in a yukata," Zuko said from up above, pursing his lips. "Sorry, we don't have to—w-w-what are you doing?!" he cried as she started rolling up the bottom of the kimono.

"Don't worry," she smiled, tucking the hem into her obi belt. "I've got shorts on."

"O-oh," he said bashfully, clearing his throat before reaching down to help her up. As they stood, he looked her over and chuckled.

"Don't laugh!" Suki pouted. "How else do you expect me to scale a building in this getup?"

"Sorry," he said, biting his lip to hide his grin, though his eyes were dancing. "You're just—you're the best."

Suki raised a brow. "Now what's that supposed to—"

"Come on," he interrupted, grabbing her hand again as they raced across the rooftops.

"Oh," Suki gasped as she watched the bonfires come to life along the inner wall of the caldera, forming several burning characters in the cliff side. "You know, I didn't realize when he said 'mountain lighting' that it was literal."

Zuko smirked in amusement. "Yeah. The fires are meant to guide our ancestors home to the Spirit World at the close of the festival," he explained.

Suki hummed. "I like that," she said quietly, leaning against him as they watched from the edge of a high rooftop. As the rest of the burning letters took shape in the mountainside, they sat in a comfortable silence, enjoying the pleasant nighttime breeze that dampened the cheers from the distance crowds.

A few minutes later, Suki felt warm fingertips touch her knee, Zuko's other hand letting hers go as it wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her close. As he leaned in, the flames in the distance and the ground far below were forgotten as their lips connected beneath the dark hood.

"You know, Lee, you're a pretty good kisser," Suki said warmly when they finally broke apart. "…We better not let the Fire Lord find out about this."

Zuko seemed puzzled for a moment, before a crooked smile and a faint blush crossed his face.

Their lips brushed again in the darkness. "No…" he breathed. "We better not."

A/N – I patterned this festival off the Daimonji festival in Kyoto, Japan, if you're curious :)