A.N. This is a mystery/action/some angst/some romance/Zuko and Iroh family bonding story about Zuko in Ba Sing Se. This is before Lake Laogai. Of course I've taken liberties here, but I hope you enjoy the story. Please let me know what you think by reviewing, Any and all feedback would be much appreciated. Please enjoy!

Chapter 1

"I can't stand this weather," I muttered to myself and I tried to wipe a sopping wet strand of hair from my eyes, but I only succeeded in wiping more rain water onto my face with my dripping sleeve. The rain wouldn't seem to end these past few days and I could hardly see through the steady downpour. My entire body felt soggier than one of my uncle's tea leaves left to steep for too long. It was as though I was wading through the streets of Ba Sing Se rather than walking through them. My foot squelched loudly as I nearly slipped into a deceptively shallow puddle. I cursed loudly and glanced around.

The street I was on was deserted this early in the day, too far off the main track of the city. Still, I didn't dare work any firebending to try and dry myself on the off chance that my sense of security was false. I briefly considered turning around and going back to sleep at the house until uncle Iroh woke up. Then I would make this stupid trip to the tea house. But I doubted the rain would be any lighter by then, and I didn't think I could manage to sleep with the way my thoughts were whirling around in my head at the moment.

I hadn't been able to sleep, so I'd decided I might as well head to the tea shop early and set things up for when my uncle arrived.

I was letting myself get too comfortable, and this rain was a good reminder that I did not belong here in Ba Sing Se. There were times when I'd catch myself forgetting my own destiny. I would be spending an afternoon relaxing with my uncle after a particularly busy day at the tea shop, and I wouldn't think of anything else but that the day was finally over. Sometimes, I would even find myself contemplating a future here with my uncle, and it terrified me. If I let myself forget, I would spend the rest of my life without honor and die a traitor to the fire nation.

"Never forget who you are," my mother had said. I was a prince of the fire nation, first and foremost. I could never forget that.

I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I ran straight into the figure standing in the path ahead of me.

"Oof!" She let out as the force of my single-minded march forward nearly drove her to the ground, but she caught herself at the last second in a stunning display of dexterity. I was opening my mouth to mutter some form of an apology when I recognized the face of the girl I'd nearly shoved over.

"Jin?" I asked, at a loss for anything else to say. It was the girl I'd gone on a date with a week ago in one of the most impressive shows of foolishness I'd given since entering the earth kingdom. I'd even gone so far as to firebend right in front of her! I mean, yes, her eyes had been closed, but I was still kicking myself for being so careless. What had driven me to do something so stupid? As I looked at her though, I felt a familiar tugging at my insides that I did my best to ignore.

"L-lee?" She said, startled. "I, ah, what are you doing here?"

I felt a small glimmer of the suspicion I'd first had of her bubble to the surface. I narrowed my eyes, "I work here." I indicated the tea shop my uncle and I worked at, not ten paces from where we stood. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh that's right! So you do. Completely slipped my mind…I was just, um, on my way to the… " I saw her eyes flicker, "to the barber shop, you know, the one not too far from here."

"The one that specializes in men's facial hair?" I asked.

I could tell I'd caught her with that one and watched her as she visibly scrambled for a response. If only Azula were this easy to outmaneuver. Even though I dreaded what her true reasons might be, I decided to confront her head on, "Jin, I can tell you're lying. Tell me what's going on here."

She paused for a moment, but rather than switch to the defensive, I saw her shoulders slump almost as if in relief as she lowered her head and sighed. When she looked up, though, her eyes met mine head on. "Okay, if you want to know the truth, I was waiting for you, although I didn't expect you to be here so early."

Even though I suspected I knew the answer, I asked anyway, "Why?"

Her eyes seemed to search mine, and I did my best to appear shrewd and above any lies she might try. I might do stupid things now and again, but I was no fool. Finally, she sighed resignedly and seemed to come to a decision.

"Because," she said, "After you left so suddenly last week, I wasn't sure you even wanted to talk to me again. But, honestly, I had a really good time, and at the time, it seemed like you did too. I was wondering if maybe you'd consider…" and here she squared her shoulders, "if maybe you'd consider going on a second date with me."

I wasn't sure what I'd been expecting. If she told me that she'd been sent to spy on or assassinate me by my sister I would've been less surprised though. As it was, I barely formed the coherent words, "Listen, Jin, I…" I swallowed hard. I couldn't forget. "Like I said that night, it just can't happen, please let it go."

I could see I'd hurt her by the way her mouth firmed and the way she took a long, steeling breath. She didn't cry though, and I was grateful, because I wasn't sure what I would have done in that case. "Okay. Well, thank you for being honest." Was all she said as she walked away, her back ramrod straight.

I sighed then growled in frustration. I had done the right thing. I could never lose sight of my purpose, and I had gotten rid of a potential distraction. So then why did I feel so conflicted about it? Shoving it aside as another thought for future contemplation, I walked the last few steps it took to reach the tea house…and tripped over something large and covered in torn cloth in the process.

I quickly recovered and used the momentum of my fall to roll and regain my feet. Glancing around the still-deserted street, I leaned in to get a closer look at whatever it was I had tripped over. Dead, agonized eyes gazed back at me from a bloodied face. I let out an involuntary yelp and took a few steps backward until I felt my back hit the solid doors of the tea house.

Without even realizing it, I fell back on the breathing techniques of firebending my uncle had taught me as I forced my stomach to stop its heaving and slowly inched forward to look at the body again. I felt as though some outside force was trying to hold me frozen in place, and my movements were stiff. My horrified, screaming thoughts took a back seat as I looked more closely at the face of the victim. It was an old man, about my uncle's age. I noticed the gaping slice in his neck and the bright red blood that covered his clothes around the wound. He hadn't just had his throat slit, though. His clothes were in shreds where he'd been cut in a dozen other places. He had been tortured mercilessly before he'd been killed.

If I'd felt frozen before, a sudden thought sent an even colder wave of ice through my veins. This man, the way he'd been killed, it was familiar. Since I'd arrived in Ba Sing Se with my uncle, we'd heard rumors of the Ice Slicer. All five of his victims had been cut and bled dry. They were all old men like my uncle. And the most chilling part of all, was that the Slicer would leave the body of his latest victim near a place their next victim frequented. Once, a body had been found near the next victim's home and, a week later, that person had died. Another time a body was found near the next victim's favorite book shop a week before they too were killed. Another time it had been at the victim's place of business.

They had all had been found with ice burns on their ankles and wrists, as though a water bender had pinned them down with ice. Hence the name, Ice Slicer. I had laughed at the name at first, but I couldn't find any humor in it at this particular moment. I checked the old man's wrists. Sure enough, there were ice burns plainly visible against the paleness of the skin beneath it.

I managed to shake the cold dread that held me enough to start moving. It was slow going at first, my legs stiff and unsteady. I took a deep breath. "Move legs!" I muttered angrily. I latched onto that anger, preferring it to the fear that threatened to numb my senses. Soon enough, my legs were pumping faster than I thought possible in their bogged state. As much as I hated drawing attention to myself and my uncle, I had to let the authorities know. The murderer had struck just outside the tea shop, and I had a sinking feeling I knew who might be their next target.

A.N. So you actually made it to the end! What'd you think? Please let me know one way or the other. I normally try to write longer chapters when I write, but I'm testing writing shorter chapters more often, rather than longer chapters less often.