Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Parings: ZukoXJin
"You come back alive," she whispered, fingers trembling, "You hear me, come back to me." The pale hand reached over to his face, tracing the lips, and running along the jaw line.
"I will," he replied, taking her hand into his. His golden eyes flashed with a constant certainty, a strength she treasured. "I'll do whatever it takes to get back," he stated, wrapping his arms around her frail figure.
"Lee," the brunette cried, letting her face bury into the warmth of his chest, the protective arms around her body cradling her. She wanted to savor the feeling, unsure if she would ever bask in the pure affection he showered her with again. "I'm going to miss you so much," the girl sobbed, "I'm going to…I'm going to…."
"I'm always going to be with you," the young man of only twenty five assured, lifting her head with his hand, "Jin, if I'm not back, carry on. Do what you have to." Leaning in towards her lips, his eyes sealed. The moment that they connected with one another, his pain overflowed, causing the boy to quake. As they broke away, he backed away leaving his wife standing alone.
He couldn't look, it hurt too much. Hearing the door slam behind his back, Lee headed down the familiar dirt path to the fish markets. The boat was there, the door to the war was there. He knew war; he knew that sacrifice was nothing too uncommon. All he could do was hope for luck, hope for a way out. He knew he was about to enter hell.
"Name?" a man asked, arm in a sling.
"Lee," he responded.
"Good luck son," an elderly man whispered, leaning on his cane for support, "Might want to cut that hair though."
"Yes, sir," Lee answered obediently. The old timers knew best. It was a funny thing they lived through it all. A blend of experience, good timing, and sheer luck made sure they would come home safe, alive. Removing a blade from the belt he now wore, the boy cut off his long hair, a flash of a burried memory stinging his heart. Letting the strands of black hair fly off the dock into the water, Lee tried to surpress his emotions.
"Uncle," he whispered, boarding the wooden ship. Frightened at the fact that the boat was made of wood, the sound of the water reminded him so much of the years long forgotten. If he wasn't careful, the whole thing would burst into a giant ball of fire. Staring off into the horizon, the salty air ruffled his now shortened locks.
"I'll get it," Zuko stated upon hearing the knocking at the door. "Hello," he greeted, a smile on his pale face. His eyes widened at the sight in front of him. "Avatar." There was no animalistic instinct to use his fire to capture the boy anymore. There was no reason to throw away all his now precious bonds.
"We know it's you," a boy with tanned skin declared.
"Shh…" the boy answered, shutting the door behind him, "Do you want me to get killed?"
"Oops, sorry," the same boy apologized, his blue eyes flashing in the light of the fire he carried.
"Why are you even here?" Zuko questioned.
"We need your help, we need a fire bender," the Avatar stated, "I need a teacher." Bowing to the former prince, Zuko looked at the two water tribe teenagers behind him. The boy gave off no air of malice or trickery. The girl though, she narrowed her eyes, anger and hatred resonating from her.
"Of course," the black haired boy replied. The Avatar lifted his head up to face him. "You really trust me?" Zuko inquired, still slightly skeptical, the gaze of the girl behind the air bender, causing him to gulp nervously.
"Would we be here if we didn't?" a shorter girl in earth kingdom robes remarked.
"We trust you enough," the water bender sneered, "But if you aren't careful, I will spare no mercy."
"Katara," the blue eyed boy shouted. Katara, so that was her name. It was understandable how she was angry. The threatening, however, made him uncomfortable.
"I promise," Zuko responded, bowing, "I will do you no harm." Not expecting what would occur next, a sharp something jabbed into his side.
"Katara!" the same boy shouted. He could hear footsteps as someone stormed off. Struggling to get up, he coughed.
"Are you alright?" the Avatar asked, aiding the fire nation's banished royal.
"Yes," Zuko assured, his voice raspy. "It's alright," he continued, "I deserved that." Smiling, the boy ran his hands through his hair. "I think I have to talk to her," the golden eyed teenager told them.
Running off, slowly at first, the pain stung. He heard it. It was quiet at first, but it echoed clearly in the silence of the night. Rushing towards the source of the noise, he found the girl sitting alone, staring up at the moon. Quietly standing behind a tree, Zuko was careful to conceal his presence.
"I'm not doing this because I agree with it. Aang needs a teacher, that's all," she whispered, "Mom, I hope you can keep me safe. I know that he's not sincere. Give me the strength to keep Aang safe." Zuko felt a strange feeling of guilt seep into his stomach causing it to knot.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, startling the girl.
"Go away," she commanded, a floating ball of water in front of his face.
"Look," Zuko explained, "I have no reason to hurt him. I understand if you can't forgive me."
"How far are you going to take this?" Katara questioned, splashing the fire bender with water. He didn't react at all. "For all I know, this is a great lucky break for you!"
"I'm no good with words," he stated. "I suppose it's not my place to be in association with people like you."
"You think?" Katara asked, "You think that after all you put us through, you're still one of the good guys?" She approached the boy and formed an icicle with the water, holding it to his neck, "Stop lying. Stop pretending. It's sickening!"
The banished prince began to shout, "My words were always sincere! My words got me this scar! My words got me banished! Even if I lied, I had good reason to! You think you could always tell the truth if the truth is something nobody wants to hear?"
"Yea!" the cerulean eyed bender responded, "My mother was murdered. My village was attacked. My friends have been hunted. I didn't try to kill someone for no good reason!"
"You try living through all the hell I've gone through and tell me if you won't stumble. Tell me you won't make mistakes. Tell me you can be perfect!" Zuko screamed. "I'm not going to be perfect. I can't be perfect. I don't want to be perfect!" His fists were clenched.
A heat built up within his body and the ice dagger at his neck melted. "You, you water bender. You don't know what it's like to have fire coursing through your veins. It requires a control that you have to develop. Emotions take total control. Impulse is your only thought process. Desire is your drive." The boy bowed to the girl, "Forgive me, but I have decided to take your side. I've learned what is really important to me. I've learned to control my emotions."
"Liar!" the girl screamed, tears streaming down her face, "Liar, liar, liar!"
Shaking his head, the boat jerked forward suddenly. The girl still didn't trust him. Though she didn't attack him, Zuko was still uneasy. "Did I really learn to control them? Am I a liar?" he chucked thinking about the girl who could persuade him to do just about anything. That girl was the sweetest person he had ever met. She had a strange habit of stopping in the middle of the road, drifting off into her own wonderland. Her stare was the most blissful look anyone had ever displayed in his presence.
'I played my part. I just hope that the Avatar can restore peace. Without a Fire Lord, the whole world is still in chaos. I haven't thought about my old name for years.' "If Jin ever found out, she would try to kill me," he told himself, a flicker of sorrow glistening in his sunflower colored eyes. His heart was aching. After loving her for this long, he couldn't even bring himself to tell her the truth.
"I need to ask a favor," Zuko stated. He was panting. Sparring with the Avatar was no easy battle. "I started a new life and left everything in the dust." Coughing, the boy sat down, sweat dripping down his bare chest. "When I'm done training you, spread news that I am dead."
"What?" Aang exclaimed, "Why?"
"I'm starting a new life here, in the Earth Kingdom. There is one girl I can't get my mind off of, but I'm a banished prince of the Fire Nation," the black haired boy sighed.
"I see your problem," the air bender stated, "Well I'll do it if that's what you really want. If I need you, I can still come to find you right?"
"Thank you," Zuko responded, "Yea, and if I'm ever in trouble, I'll be counting on you." The two boys exchanged promises under the blazing heat of the summer sun.
"Uncle Iroh?" Jin asked opening the door, glancing at the blood red sky.
"Yes," the man responded with a smile upon his face, "I thought that since my nephew left you would be lonely. I decided to bring you a gift to cheer you up."
"Oh," the girl remarked, inviting him in to sit, "Thank you so much. You're so sweet."
"It's a box of tea. I imported it especially for you," Iroh told her, handing her the box, "I think you'll remember it."
"Wow," the brunette gasped, "Thank you so much." She loved tea. She met her husband in a tea shop. It was as simple as that. A terrible feeling welled up in her chest. "I'm sorry," Jin whispered, beginning to cry. Shaking, the girl wiped away the tears only to find that there were more and more. Iroh embraced his nephew's wife.
"There, there," was all that the old man could say. She held onto his body, tightly clutching his clothing. "He'll come back," Iroh stated happily, "If he's given you his word, he will come back." No matter what words came out of his mouth, Jin would not cease sobbing. He knew how terrible it would be to lose someone so close in something so selfish like war.
"Uncle," Zuko muttered under his breath, looking at the picture in his hands. His uncle was smiling gleefully and gave off an air of carelessness and simpleness. He saw himself with longer hair that almost all people in the Earth Kingdom had. It made him let out a laugh. "I'm kind of glad I cut it," he commented. 'Jin,' Zuko thought upon glancing at her face. There was nothing about that girl that didn't make his heart soften and melt into a puddle of weakness. It hurt too much to even look at her. Lifting his stare from the picture, the boy looked off into the distance. 'I'm coming home, I have to come home.'
Pulling up the covers, Jin felt the cold even though it was the middle of spring. It was as if it was the dead of winter. A cup of hot tea was steaming in her hands. "I remember," the copper eyed woman whispered, "I remember your face when your uncle answered for you. I remember your face when I would watch you serve tea. I remember everything. I had a bad habit of sitting there, dreaming about you. I had such a bad crush on you, Lee." Taking a tiny sip of the drink, Jin stared off into space, daydreaming. This time, there was nobody to wake her from the reverie.
Thanks for reading! Yuki-chan over and out.
