V10.2

Passport and Registration, Please

The ferry landed among others in in a beautiful harbor. I was careful to hold onto Zuko as we crossed from boat to land. My wounds had become slightly infected so I needed all the support I could get.

The walled fortress was intimidating and looked impenetrable. Iroh had broken through a long time ago; now we were just walking right inside, straight to the ticket gate. Families were huddled together as they waited for their passports to be finalized or for the train to take them in. Some people were just staying here because they couldn't get in.

I held onto Zuko's rather muscled arm and people-watched as we waited in line. Families and people on their own, newlyweds, new widows…it was almost worse outside the wall than it had been at the ferry station.

We waited for about four hours. Iroh bought us tea, even though we didn't have much money to spare, as well as some bread to split. It was dry in my already cotton-filled mouth but I ate it. Zuko's stern gaze made sure that I did while Iroh made sure that I finished the tea which would "speed along my recovery."

The front of the line thinned to show an Earth Kingdom official; she was a sour, heavyset woman with a large hairy mole above her eyebrow. She looked over our papers dubiously when we gave them to her. "So, Mr. Lee, Miss Amaterasu, and Mr.… umm Mushy is it?" she asked, sounding unpleasant.

"It's pronounced Moo-shee," Uncle corrected pleasantly, a simple smile on his jolly face.

She looked up from her papers suddenly, rage in her deep green eyes. "You telling me how to do my job?"

I was surprised by this outburst, grabbing Zuko's arm a little tighter. He grasped my hand and guarded me with his body. Uncle stepped back to avoid her fury. "Uh, no no no!" he denied, waving his hands in front of his chest, trying to defend himself.

The woman growled and shook her head. "Nope. This isn't gonna do." She eyed me suspiciously and uttered a note of disgust. "Ah, Amaterasu, are Mushi or Lee your relatives?"

My brain went blank for a moment. "Uh…yes," I told her, not understanding where she was going with that line of questioning. I decided to stick with my story from when Iroh and I had found Ping—Zuko was obviously my husband. "Lee and I were married a few weeks ago. I'm sorry that it doesn't show on our paperwork." When I saw her scrutinizing my neck for a betrothal necklace, I said, "My necklace is in my bag. I didn't want someone to see it and rob us."

The lady scratched her chin, pondering what was in front of her on the paper and the people. Her hairy eyeball really was disconcerting. I shivered and hugged Zuko tighter, glad to have his warmth.

Uncle decided to take it up a level, desperately trying to get us through. "But may I just say that you're like a flower in bloom, your beauty intoxicating."

She smiled, obviously charmed, and I felt myself gag. "You're pretty easy on the eyes yourself handsome!" she exclaimed, and I dug my face into Zuko's chest, trying very, very hard not to throw up and laugh at the same time. "Meow! Welcome to Ba Sing Se. You two newlyweds have fun." She stamped our papers and pushed them forward.

Iroh generously grabbed them with a large smile on his un-sickened face. I blushed furiously and took mine from him, eager to get through the walls and away from scrutiny.

People were milling about in groups at the huge stone train station outside of Ba Sing Se. I saw a family of four with parents, grandpa, and daughter. The little girl was holding a stuffed cat-rabbit, her arm wrapped around her grandfather's.

I smiled at the vision, thinking of how having a child might not be so bad. Maybe having a family with Zuko would be all right. We were finally settling down. Maybe I'd see eventually that my feelings for Zuko were that strong. Maybe I would be happy for once in my life.

A hand squeezing mine jolted me from my thoughts. I looked up and to my right to see Zuko looking down at me with confusion. It was then that I knew that I was practically cooing over the little girl; I just smiled innocently at him.

He still didn't seem satisfied when Jet casually sat between us, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. My hand was detangled from Zuko's. "So, you guys got plans once you're inside the city?" he asked, gently squeezing my shoulder.

I shrugged and leaned on his shoulder, feeling him relax under my touch. It was nice to have him back again, to know that he didn't blame me, to know that everything was going to be alright again. My friends were back! "Get a job, live like a normal person for once in my life…" I paused for a moment and that soak in. "Is there anything else?"

Jet shrugged too and let his hand slide down and around my upper arm. "Guess not."

I was about to say something else to Jet but Uncle waved his arm in the air. "Oh! Jasmine, please!" he cried frantically, and for some reason I thought of my sister. I wondered where she was. Was she still with Azula? Or had she decided to run after I'd been hurt?

Zuko was about to say something when Jet stood up and looked away, his hands in his pockets. "Hey, can I talk to you for a second?"

He was talking to me, not Zuko. I glanced at my boyfriend (technically my husband, while we were in Ba Sing Se) not necessarily for permission but just to let him know that I'd be back. He frowned and his eyes bored into my back as Jet led me away.

Jet grabbed my hand and pulled me a little too close for comfort. "These last two days have been the first time I've felt relieved since you were taken away. I lost you once, I don't want to lose track of you inside the walls."

I suddenly understood why Zuko had seemed jealous recently. Jet was being a little too familiar with me. We'd been good friends and yeah, we'd held hands and maybe gone on a date or two, but that was as far as it ever had gone. He was just a friend and he definitely needed to understand that.

I pulled my hand away and smiled hesitantly. "Don't worry Jet, we'll get together on the inside. Mushi will make tea, Lee will make dinner, and you can bring Bee and Longshot and it'll be like old times."

He gripped my upper arms, staring at me with a fire that I was uncomfortable with. "Red. This guy, Lee. Is he right for you?"

I tried to pull away but he pulled me to him. "Jet, let go of me."

"I just want to make sure you're safe." His hug wasn't comforting. Zuko had always been warm and my head had always fit under his chin. Jet was too tall. My face was in his armpit. "Is he a good guy?"

Well, technically, he'd never been a "good guy." He wanted to capture the Avatar to hand over to his insane father to end the war in the Fire Nation's name. But he was sweet, and he could be kind. "He has a good heart," I said. I pulled away and looked in his eyes, hoping he didn't see how uncomfortable he made me.

"So, you think he'd want to join the Freedom Fighters?" he asked reluctantly. "Like you?"

We're Firebenders, I thought sadly. Jet would never accept us. It was difficult enough, hiding it from all of them in the first place with it just being me. Now two of us?

I sighed and stepped back. He let me, that time. "I don't think so, Jet. I just want to stop. I want to be selfish for once in my life. I want a life and I think that's with Lee."

"Come on!" Jet encouraged, grabbing my shoulder when I turned around. I tensed, upset that he kept touching me. "At least ask Lee. He'd make a good asset to the team."

"I'm sorry, Jet." We'd had such a good life together, fighting the Fire Nation. He'd been a good friend…but I needed to start over.

He shrugged. "Have it your way," Jet said, sounding mildly surprised.

oOo

We boarded a car near the front of our train. Apparently it was taking us directly to the lower ring where we would start our new life. The seats were all made of rock, just like everything else in that spirit forsaken place, and we picked a seat next to a young woman holding a bundle with her husband next to her.

Zuko sat down with his arms crossed, still obviously angry. I didn't blame him at all, though, because I had been so open towards Jet. It wouldn't surprise me if he even yelled at me some when we got to our house. I probably deserved it, too. Zuko and I were, for lack of better words, together. I should have respected that more.

Iroh sat between Zuko and me and looked over at his nephew. I knew that they were about to have one of those "talks," so I tuned them out. Ignoring Zuko for the time being, I leaned over to the woman and saw a beautiful black-haired baby resting in her lap. "Oh, she's beautiful…" I gasped, suddenly remembering Ping and hoping that he had found his family. "What's her name?"

The woman smiled and beamed at her newborn. "Her name is Hope." When I tickled her baby, making faces at it as it laughed, she smiled at me. "Would you like to hold her?"

"Huh?" This strange woman was asking me if I wanted to hold her baby. When I didn't even know her? I could do something, I could take it, and yet…oh, wow. She put the baby in my arms. It'd been less than 24 hours but I'd held two babies and all my body wanted was to have my own.

Iroh turned to me and gasped at the small child in my hands. "Oh my, children just love you, Ama."

"You must have your own children," the woman admired, watching me as I cradled the wondrous creature in my arms.

I smiled to her and shook my head, staring into the baby's clear green eyes. "No, actually. I've just…always loved children."

"So is there a little one in your future?" she asked with complete innocence. She wasn't prying, she probably just thought that the padding underneath my kimono was a baby belly. Just like Bee had probably thought.

My eyes fluttered towards Zuko for one split second, and then I smiled and let the little girl wrap her hand around my index finger. "Maybe."