It's one am...
I've been up since 3 am...
I'M SO TIRED.
Enjoy and good night.
Urgh...
I flicked my hand, trying to disperse the burning sensation that was coursing through me. With each moment it flared up with worse pain. That sounded about right. Pain was what Divinities were to hold. Each painful moment in the past, every single sting of it. I could see it plain as day – as though they were my own memories to hold. I could see Roku's demise at the hands of his best friend. I could see Kyoshi's greatest battle – even hear her blood curdling yell. I could see the night Aang's was swept up in a giant storm.
I could see everything, but yet it felt like I could see nothing. I was blind to fate. I was blind to my own reasons. My thoughts, my opinions, my voice – they were not mine half the time. They were the Avatar's. Even Aang's although he was not dead yet. It was like living two lives – a most painful part of being a Divinity. We had fate set out for us, although we could not see it.
The thoughts I was creating caused me to not look where I was going. With a few more steps, I had crashed into someone. That wasn't all that surprising considering how crowded the streets were, but it still hurt nonetheless.
I rubbed my head tenderly, cussing under my breath. "Sorry about that."
I looked up into a pair of warm brown eyes. "My apologies, miss. I was not watching where I was going." A straw twig moved from one side of his mouth to the other as a smirk touched his lips. "However, when I woke up this morning, I sure wasn't expecting to run into someone as beautiful as you."
My crystalized eyes stared at him for a full moment before I burst out into laughter. In return, he seemed quite offended with my stream of laughs. In fact, he seemed down right irritated by it. Clasping my knees, an ache started to worm into my stomach from the laughter.
I turned around, whipping a tear from my eye. "Thanks for the laugh, bud. See you around." I flicked my hand up, waving at him.
"Hold up." He reached out, grabbing my burnt wrist. I hissed, recoiling even further. His hands shot up in an 'I didn't mean any harm' gesture. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you."
"No you didn't hurt me." I rubbed my wrist tenderly. "I burnt myself whilst cooking a meal. It's still a little sore. It looks ridiculous too." Cringing, I slid the lie through my teeth.
The man narrowed his eyes at me for a few seconds before softening his face. "I understand. Cooking is a dangerous yet fascinating art, is it not?"
"Uh… yeah." I nodded. I looked him up and down, cocking an eyebrow. "Who are you by the way?"
He gave me a graceful bow, "I am Jet, dear lady. May I ask your name?"
I let a small smirk quirk up, "I am Kisuru."
Jet blinked at me, "You're… a Divinity?"
I recoiled on instinct. Normally if people knew us on contact, it meant they were hunting us. "I don't know what you're talking about." My eyes were narrowed at him, carefully gauging him.
"I don't mean any harm." Jet laughed, returning his twig to the other side of his mouth. Something was intriguing about this man. He didn't seem to care who or what I was. Although we did run into each other, he didn't brush me off like most people did. It was interesting.
"Look, I better go." I moved to walk around him.
A surprised look crossed Jet's face before he ran a hand through his messy hair. "Hold up. Can I treat you to some dumplings as an apology?"
Now it was I who was confused, "Apology for what?"
He frowned at me, "Well, I did run into you. As well I made you uncomfortable. It's the least I can do."
I let the thought roll around in my head. What could it hurt? Zuko had kicked me out, so I really didn't have a home at the moment. Food would really be nice – especially food I didn't have to steal. I placed a finger to my lips, thinking about it. In reality, what would it matter? The sky was growing dark and I was hungry.
"Sure, some dumplings sound great."
Jet smiled at me, giving me a small bow before offering me the crook of his arm. With a laugh, I placed my hand in it, and we began to walk.
Jet handed the menu to the waitress, who all but drooled over the man seated before me. He promptly ignored her, turning to me with a smile in his eyes. The man before me was intriguing and interesting. He seemed to have no self-control when it came to the filter on his mouth however.
"You have some very pretty eyes." Jet murmured, placing his hands together and under his chin. "Very unique. I've met many people – none with eyes like you."
I rested my chin on the top of my hand, "Are you trying to seduce me, Jet?"
A laugh resonated through him, making me smile. "Tell me something, princess. If I was trying to seduce you, is it working?"
"If I said no, would you be offended?"
"Yes."
"Than no."
Jet tsked at me, "You're rude, my lady."
I shook my head as the waiter brought us our drinks. The fruit beverage before me gave off a most pleasing aroma, and I took a sip of it. It was sweet yet sour. The taste was bitter yet smooth. It was delicious and I loved it.
"This is interesting." I indicated to the drink.
Jet only smiled slightly before talking, "So… why is a Divinity here?"
I sighed. Quite honestly, I didn't want to get into it. Besides, how could I explain that the Fire Prince was the reason why I was here? Somehow I couldn't see that going over well.
"Fate."
Jet groaned at my answer, shaking his head. "I'm serious. Why are you here in the Earth Kingdom? I thought that Divinities lived in the Temples in the four nations. This, last I checked, most definitely is not a temple."
I pinched the bridge of my nose, "This Divinity doesn't follow what the others have followed."
"Clearly," Jet smiled. "Seriously, Kisuru. Why?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. The world is in a chaotic state. Between the Fire Nation raids, the genocide of the Air benders, the attacks on the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes… you honestly cannot expect me to stay in one single place do you? I have a lot of work to do. I have people to protect. And above all else, I must honour my ancestry."
"That sounds so script yet from the heart." Jet noted, inclining his head to me. "A quaint tale isn't it? The Fire Nation is why I'm here. They killed my family, then proceeded to raid villages close to where I was. I'm part of a group – The Freedom Fighters. We protect those who need protecting. Fairy tale hero stuff, you know?"
I paused, taking in the man before me. "So you hate the Fire Nation?"
"Yes." He murmured as plates were placed before us.
We ate in half silence, half idle chatter. It had been so long since I talked to someone that wasn't Iroh or Zuko. It was strange.
"Kisuru?" I nearly dropped my chopsticks as I heard Iroh's voice. I coughed, trying to clear my lungs. Grabbing my drink, I gulped down a few sips before turning to him.
"M-Mushi," I said, greeting him with his fake name. "What are you up to?"
He smiled at me politely, "I could ask you the same, my dear."
I decided to state the truth, "Well, it would seem your nephew kicked me out."
Iroh frowned at me, "Li did that, huh?"
"Li?" Jet interrupted. "Who's that? Your boyfriend?"
Iroh and I both let out a snort at the same time. We shared a look that clearly said Zuko only wished to be that lucky. On the other hand, Zuko would be too stubborn to realize if he was my boyfriend or even boyfriend material. I'm sure that, at the end of the day, Zuko wouldn't want me anyways.
"Definitely not her boyfriend. They are simply friends. I've known Kisuru since she was a child. She's like the daughter I never had." The sincerity in those words brought tears to my eyes. I had wanted a family for so long – since Divinities were forbidden to have ties to anyone – and here was one presented to me.
I smiled at Iroh, happiness radiating out of every pore.
"Anyways, Li has no say in who resides within my home. Come Kisu, it is late. We should get back." Iroh glanced at me, smiling every so brightly.
I stood, brushing off my clothes from crumbs. "Thank you, Jet. I appreciate the meal. You're a good guy. I hope you find the retribution you seek."
"Will I see you again?" Jet asked, looking deep into my eyes.
Before I could stop myself, I nodded. "Sure. That would be nice."
He smiled before nodding at me. "Yes it would."
Iroh pulled me into the street, laughing a little bit. "That boy is head over heels for you, my dear. See? You are extraordinarily enchanting. Do you believe me now? Well, even if you don't, it really doesn't matter. Hey, what happened to your wrist?" Iroh stopped pulling me to look at it. After a second, a light dawned in his eyes. Fury darkened them immediately.
"He hurt you?"
"We fought. Zuko didn't mean to. I hurt him too."
After a second, Iroh nodded, "Good." We walked towards our apartment in silence. When we arrived, Iroh opened the door for me. The first sight I saw was Zuko asleep in a corner chair. In front of him was a solitary lit candle. Purple in color, it was obvious he who he had been thinking about.
Me.
"He must have felt bad to burn your purple candle."
"So it would seem."
I reached out to him, shaking him slightly. Zuko was awake in seconds, jumping to his feet in a fighting position. I held my hands up, trying to show him I wasn't here to fight him. Slowly, he relaxed, sleep once again clouding him.
"I'm sorry." He slurred through sleep.
"It's okay, Zuzu. Come, sleep with me tonight. Give your uncle some space here."
Zuko nodded, barely keeping his eyes open. "Okay. I'm sorry, Kisu. I didn't mean to hurt you. I really didn't. It was an accident…"
"Shh." I held the bedroom door open for him, bidding Iroh a quick good night before closing it. When I turned around, Zuko stood right before me.
"Zuko, what're you-"
His eyes held a sadness to them as he brushed the hair out of my face. Zuzu's eyes looked down my body to my wrist, where he whimpered. I touched his face, drawing his eyes back up to mine.
"It's fine, sweeting."
"It's my fault."
"Zuko-"
"No. It's my fault. I'm sorry." Zuko leaned in close. "It's my fault for hurting you this way. I wish I could take it back."
"Apology accepted. Now… let's go to bed."
"Yes," Zuko murmured. "Bed."
Zuzu staggered over, collapsing on the thin mattress. Sighing, I slid in beside him, tucking him in like a little child.
Right before drifting off, I caught the familiar sent of alcohol in the air.
