It was simple.
Simple, and at the same time, impossibly complicated.
It would have been easier if he'd just died.
"It doesn't look good." Katara had said.
Jet had known she was right: This was how it would end. Not in glory, avenging his parents and countless others who the Fire Nation had taken from the world, but humbly in the caves under Lake Laogai. After breaking free from the brainwashing, after nearly killing his friends.
It almost would have been welcome. He was almost... happy to end this way. Saving his friends and the Avatar... The Avatar, whose destiny was to destroy the Fire Nation.
How Jet hated the Fire Nation. He would never, could never forgive them.
That was his only regret: That he wouldn't live to see the day the Fire Nation fell.
"I'll be all right." He'd said. He hadn't believed it for a moment. No one had.
Longshot had spoken for the first time since Jet had met him. "He's our leader, we can take care of him."
Jet had been surprised. These words, also a lie, had seemed to comfort the Avatar and his friends, and they'd gone on to continue their mission.
Only Longshot and Smellerbee had stayed. Longshot had drawn an arrow and aimed at a door.
"There's someone coming."
These were the last words Jet heard clearly. He heard Smellerbee speaking, and Longshot... And some other girl's voice, too.
This was both his salvation and his doom.
Later, Jet had woken up, alive. A girl, the girl, had been beside him.
"Are you a healer?" He asked.
"Yes." She said.
"A Waterbender, like Katara?"
She shook her head. "No, not a Waterbender. You are very lucky to be alive."
Time had passed. She had always, always been kind to Jet. But she rarely smiled, and even when she did it was a sad and distant smile. Jet had brought up the topic of her past.
"What did the Fire Nation do to you?"
She had just looked at him, sorrow in her eyes. Jet had, to his surprise, felt an overwhelming need to comfort her. Normally he wasn't the type. Normally he was cool, collected, laid back. Or angry.
"I know they hurt you somehow. Why else would you always be so sad?"
She had sighed, and turned away.
"You're right. They did hurt me, deeply. They killed someone I loved." She looked at him again, and the haunted look in her eyes made Jet's heart go cold. "On that day, I swore they would pay. But..." She swallowed, tears coming to her eyes. "I learned a hard lesson. I came to regret that oath. Revenge is never a good thing, Jet. Trust me."
That had been two days before Ba Sing Se had fallen.
Then, everything changed.
She had come to Jet then, and Longshot and Smellerbee had been with her.
"We have to go, Jet." Smellerbee said. "Now."
They had made a run for it.
"I don't get it." The girl said. "I know Azula is evil, but Zuko?"
She seemed sad, regretful. "I know Zuko is good. He's like his mother, like her family."
This had confused Jet. But he hadn't really thought much of it.
He had still been recovering from his wounds. They had almost made it to the fallen walls... Almost, but not quite.
His side had started hurting. He had bent over in pain, unable to keep going.
Fire Nation soldiers had been right behind them, and he turned and saw them coming. Saw them Firebending. For a moment, he thought he was going to die, this time for real.
Then, she had jumped in the way. The fire didn't even touch her. It separated, flared up, went out. She sent arcs of fire towards the soldiers. She deftly bent fire against them.
She was a Firebender. An enemy.
She had run to Jet, grabbed his arm, pulled him the last part of the way.
But it was too late.
At first, Jet had gone with her. Out of necessity, and because he was still in shock. But once they got to safety, once they were away from the city, Jet pulled away from her, disgusted.
"You lied to me! You're evil! You're no better than the rest!"
Smellerbee and Longshot had only looked at Jet sadly.
"And you both knew, didn't you?" He asked. "Didn't you?"
"We thought it would be better if you didn't find out, Jet." Smellerbee said. "After what happened with Lee and his uncle..."
"Not Lee." The girl had said. "That was Zuko. And Iroh."
"Right." Longshot said. "Remember, Jet, she saved you. Twice, now. With Firebending."
"I don't care." Jet had said. "I hate you!"
But he had still had to stay with her. He still had to heal. She still had to help him, whether he liked it or not.
Always, there had been one thing Jet knew in his heart: The Fire Nation was his enemy. He hated the Fire Nation.
He still thought so.
'I hate her. I hate her. I will always hate her and all the Fire Nation.'
'She lied to me. She said she hated the Fire Nation, said she was a healer. Lies!'
'She betrayed me, by not telling the truth to begin with.'
'I hate her!'
But, there was another voice, too. At first, he didn't hear it, didn't want to hear it. But as time went on, it began growing strength. It whispered things from the other side of his heart.
'She didn't lie. She just never said where she was from.'
'Why should she have? See what happens when you find out? You turn away from her, you hate her.'
'But you don't really hate her, do you?'
His own heart betrayed him, and it hurt. He was confused.
What voice spoke true? Both, but this could not go on forever. One side had to win.
'I hate her. I have to hate her.'
'But you don't.'
'Yes, I do.'
'You lie to yourself because the truth hurts.'
'I do not lie, but she did! I hate her!'
'You love her.'
'I... I... They killed my parents and I hate them.'
'She did not.'
'She is one of them.'
'She turned against them.'
'She turned against me!'
How Jet hurt inside.
"Why did she have to be a Firebender?" He asked.
'It was necessary. It is the price of your oath.'
Then, Jet remembered something.
"I came to regret that oath. Revenge is never a good thing, Jet. Trust me."
She had said that. And it was true.
Jet went to her, then. He forced the voice of hate to be silent for a time, forced a truce to be called.
He had to know the truth.
"What did the Fire Nation do to you?" He asked, quietly.
She looked at him, and there was pain in her eyes.
"I already told you."
Jet shook his head. "I want to know more."
She was quiet at first, but at last forced the words to come.
"A long time ago, I loved someone. We left our home together, turned traitor and fought with all our might.
"He was killed in the fighting, and I swore an oath. Sozin was dead, but I vowed he would pay for the war in blood, his own blood. The blood of his descendants."
Here, her voice trailed off. Tears flowed freely, and Jet again found himself wanting to comfort her.
'You do love her.'
"I can't." He whispered, but she did not hear him.
"One day, I met someone. I didn't know who he was then, but I knew he was Fire Nation. He said he knew that I was, too. That he wanted me to help him. He understood that the war was wrong.
"His name was Lu Ten. He was the eldest great-grandson of Fire Lord Sozin. But even when I learned this, I didn't hate him. I... I loved him. But I remembered my oath. And I wished it to never be fulfilled.
"I was wrong. Lu Ten died because of me. I could have saved him, but... I was too late."
Jet didn't know what to say. Finally, he said two impossible words.
"I'm sorry."
She looked at him, and for a moment he saw the astonishment in her eyes. She hadn't expected him to say that. And beneath the astonishment, love?
But then she turned away again. "I made a new oath then, holding Lu Ten's body. I promised myself I would never let someone die again if I could save them."
"Then I found you, Jet. And I couldn't let you die."
Jet looked at her, still feeling confused. He was supposed to hate her.
But he couldn't.
Not anymore.
"I understand." Jet said at last. "You were trying to tell me, all along. I just refused to see it. My hate made me blind, all along. At first, because I could have figured you out but I didn't want to hate you. And after I was forced to see you for what you are... My hatred made me blind to the way I really felt."
She looked at Jet, surprise written all over her face. "And how do you really feel?"
Jet bit his lip. "I... I..."
He went over to her and wiped the tears away from her eyes, then hugged her close.
She hugged him back. "I love you, Jet. Just like I loved the others who are gone. Truly."
Jet smiled, and for the first time in ten years, he felt at peace.
"I hate you." He said, but his voice was full of love.