A pair of hands were closing in on her, and Jin's eyes snapped open. Her eyes were still slightly blurred with sleep and she could hardly remember the night before. All she knew was someone was picking her up and the first thing she thought was it was a customer from the brothel house. Immediately she began to struggle, but her captor's voice made her stop. "Whoa! Easy there, young lady. I mean you no harm, I swear!"
That voice... an elderly one... almost caring... it sounded exactly like... "Iroh!" she cried, opening her eyes fully, but the face that looked down on hers was not Iroh's at all. It was a slightly elderly man, but not too old, and there was the same caring tone in his voice and twinkle in his eyes that made her think of Iroh.
"Iroh?" he asked. "Never heard of an Iroh around here. Perhaps you're lost?" She tried to answer but was still very sleepy and weak. Her head was throbbing with a migraine, and she groaned in pain. "Easy!" said the man softly. "If you need rest, then allow me to at least lay you down in my house. It'll be more comfortable than the barn." She nodded lazily in agreement and began to recall the events of the previous evening as he carried her inside. Azula's presence, her escape, and collapsing in exhaustion in that barn.
She wondered for a moment if she should be worried about the man that was now carrying her, but Azula had helped lead her out of the brothel, and she had a feeling that Azula had helped her find that barn. If this man wasn't safe, she'd have known by now. She closed her eyes and drifted off, sound asleep before she was even laid down on a warm soft bed, the first one she had been in in what felt like months.
----
Footsteps caught Zuko's attention and he looked up, alert and prepared to fight. But when he realized it was more than one person, he eased up, having a pretty good idea of who it was. "Sorry we took a while," said Katara as she ran into view. She was soon followed by the others. "You should have seen the families taking the girls back. We got caught up with all the emotion I guess..."
"We saw Jin's parents," said Suki.
"They saw them anyway," muttered Toph.
"We told them we're going to get her back and not to worry," said Katara. Then in a lowered voice she added. "Do they know that you and Jin are..."
"No," he whispered and glanced up to the others to see if they'd heard. "They don't."
"Well, we didn't say anything so, nothing to worry about."
"Something's coming!" hissed Sokka and they all took defensive stances.
Toph dug her toes into the ground then said with a half smile, "It's only one person coming." This made them all tense up a little more with anticipation. All the hatred in the world was burning in Zuko now as he readied himself to face the one man to make him this frustrated since his father. A part of him worried that the minute he firebended he'd be like Mai and lose his control to rage, but he'd fought in extremely angered states before. And he kept in mind that they'd need Long Feng alive to tell them what he wanted to know.
The footsteps came closer and soon they saw a man round the corner. Zuko smiled in satisfaction and waited patiently as he approached, Long Feng's smug smile slowly fading. He came to a full stop and they all began to surround him. "What's the meaning of this?" he demanded. He was flustered and they all could tell. For once the powerful and arrogant Long Feng appeared to be flustered. They knew then and there they had the upper hand.
"Your army chickened out on you," said Sokka with a cocky smile.
"You can make this easy on yourself," said Zuko, wanting to be the one to handle this. "Tell us what you've done to Jin and I might be merciful." Long Feng looked around and the flustered look melted away into arrogance and he smiled evily at them, trying to still appear intimidating. The attempt was transparent to the rest of them and pitiful.
"So the young lover has gone murderous, is that it?" he taunted.
"Don't push your luck!" growled Zuko, already losing his patience.
"Just cooperate," said Katara. "You've got nothing to gain from being stubborn." Long Feng looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
"And... if I don't feel like telling you?" he asked. Zuko took advantage of the fact that Long Feng wasn't watching him closely and grabbed the man's wrist, heating it to a painful temperature. Long Feng gasped and cried out in surprise.
"I can make you talk!" said Zuko. "I'll inspire you."
Long Feng grunted under the pain and Zuko released him, taking satisfaction in the fact that there were minor burns around Long Feng's wrist. "You'll never find her!" he warned.
"Oh I think we will," said Aang. "Because Zuko's not the only one you need to be worried about. I'm the avatar and if you mess with one of my friends-" he placed a hand on Zuko's shoulder, "-You'll have me to deal with."
"And me," said Katara, stepping next to them.
"And me," said Sokka. Suki quickly joined his side, giving Long Feng the same dangerous look, and Toph merely stared menacing, though a part of her felt that if she could actually see him she'd look a little more threatening. Long Feng laughed at them.
"A band of kids?" he jeered. "I have to answer to a band of kids?"
"We're not kids!" objected Sokka. "We're Team Avatar!"
"I never agreed to that name," grumbled Toph.
"And we're the ones who took out the Firelord," said Zuko. "That's not exactly childsplay." Long Feng only sneered at him.
"Even I'm not intimidated by a brat who has no shame in killing his own father!" Something in his words stung Zuko, and for a moment he stepped back, looking as if he was having second thoughts. Katara glanced at him, worried, but the moment passed and Zuko grabbed on to Long Feng's wrist, heating it again.
"Where is Jin?" he demanded, and Long Feng gave a cry of pain. Realizing his words would no longer have an effect on Zuko, he turned to the others.
"You wouldn't really let him kill me... would you?" he asked menacingly. "Could you stand to watch it? Have you even seen the life leave a human's eyes? Do you know what it's like to stare at the shell left behind and know you're the reason it's there? Is that really something you think you're prepared to deal with?"
"Don't listen to him!" growled Zuko. "If you do, you're only giving him power!"
"Long Feng, I've never killed before," said Katara. "But I saw you murder Jet, back when the Dai Li had their underground layer. And I'll never forgive you for it! If you kill Jin as well, I won't hesitate on killing you."
"Neither will I!" growled Zuko, a part of his brain trying to remember where he'd heard the name 'Jet' before. "Where is she!"
"It's hopeless!" growled Long Feng. Zuko increased the heat.
"Where is she?!"
Long Feng gave shouts of pain but didn't answer. Zuko increased the heat even more, feeling Long Feng's skin blister beneath his hand. "I SOLD HER!" he finally roared and Zuko released his wrist, striking Long Feng upside the head violently so he fell face first into the ground. Long Feng grabbed at his wrist and stared at it pathetically like a child who had just had his wrist struck for doing something wrong.
"Where?" demanded Katara. Long Feng smiled.
"To a brothel," he said, and took in great joy in watching their reactions. Whatever color was left in Zuko's face drained completely, Katara, Suki gasped, slapping their hands over their mouths, completely horrified. Sokka stared at Long Feng in disgust and Toph sneered. Aang simply looked confused.
"Uh... guys? What exactly is a brothel?" he asked. Katara looked at, slightly shocked that he didn't know... but then again, the boy was raised by monks and was practically isolated from things like that his entire life.
"It's a whore house," said Sokka. "A place where women are forced to sell their bodies for... well you know." Aang looked like he was about to be sick.
Zuko grabbed hold of Long Feng's braid and jerked his head backwards. "You're lying!" he shouted. But Long Feng laughed.
"I can assure you I'm not. And a pretty thing like her is probably making a ton of money." That was Zuko's breaking point. He heated his hand and pressed it against Long Feng's face, burning him as badly as he could, enjoying the screams and cries of agony that the coward gave off as his flesh blistered and cracked open. He didn't care. He was so angry and so filled with rage that he wanted to hear this man scream like this forever.
A hand on his shoulder made him stop, and he glanced to see compassionate brown eyes staring into his own. His blood froze. Those eyes... that brown hair... soft tan skin... "Zuko..." she spoke softly. Tears stained his eyes and he released Long Feng's face, ignoring as the man fell on all fours, still screaming in agony. Though he knew it wasn't really her, for a moment, it looked like the one who stopped him was Jin.
"Jin..." he whispered. Katara stared at him slightly confused and Zuko closed his eyes. "Jin..." he repeated. "Forgive me..."
He shrugged Katara's hand off his shoulder and walked away, knowing if he looked at Long Feng again he would kill him. He stepped out of sight from the others until he reached Kiri's lonely grave, and then sat down beside it, burrying his face into his knees and weeping silently. "Forgive me..." he whispered weakly. "Forgive me"
----
Jin opened her eyes to the smell of bacon. The aroma was almost heavenly, and even though she had practically inhaled and entire loaf of bread not too long ago, her stomach was still acting as though it was empty. She looked around lazily, and was thankful that this time she was able to recall what had happened before she'd fallen asleep. The warm bed, the comforting atmosphere... it felt like home.
Her parents flashed through her mind for the first time in a while and she realized now how homesick she was. She missed her mother's cooking, her father's good nature, and even her older brother's incessant teasing. It all seemed like a distant memory now, but she knew where she was and knew how to get home from this place. That alone made them feel closer. Soon she'd be with them again. And she could only imagine how worried they were.
The bedroom door opened and in walked the man from before with a tray. Along followed the aroma of bacon, tea, and scrambled eggs. Jin eagerly pushed herself so she was sitting up and the tray was placed in her lap. "I was hoping you'd be awake," said the man kindly. "I don't know how hungry you are, but please try to eat something."
"I'm starving, actually," said Jin with a smile and she reached for the bacon greedily. He chuckled a little at the sight and something inside her smiled. This man reminded her so much of Iroh.
"I don't mean to pry," he said after a moment. "But where exactly did this-" he gestured to his face to reflect the bruising on her own, "-come from?" Jin paused for a moment, her eyes darkening a little and he answered before she could. "You don't need to answer me," he said, just as cheerful. "Forgive me. Just an old fool prodding his nose where is doesn't belong."
She took comfort in the thought that she didn't need to talk about that just yet and continued eating. Part of her mind still strayed to those horrible memories still... she wondered how Kiri was doing. "May I know your name at least?" he asked.
"Jin," she answered with a mouthful. He smiled and nodded.
"Jin, then," he said softly. "You are welcome to stay as long as you wish. I live alone and I don't mind a bit of company now and again. I will ask you, if you plan on leaving, to please stay until your health is restored. There are dangerous men about now and it would be unwise to travel around the city alone in your condition." She nodded, not really feeling the strength to do so much as climb out of bed, let alone start heading home. But the thought of staying here too long while her parents and fiance worried also was not very pleasing.
"Thank you, sir," she said at last. "You really don't have to go to all this trouble on my account."
"It's no trouble at all, young lady. I enjoy company, as I have already told you, and I don't mind caring for someone in need of my help. You just focus on getting better and don't hesitate on asking for any favors." She smiled and nodded.
"I have one thing to ask," she said.
"Anything," he answered.
"Your name?"
He chuckled a little and nodded. "Ah yes! Forgive me, Jin. My name is Shiro." She smiled.
"Thank you," she replied. "For all you've done."
"It's no trouble at all, my dear," he said, standing up. "I'll leave you to eat then. I have some things I need to attend to."
She nodded and he stood up. Her eyes strayed to the teacup and and looked back up at him. "What kind of tea is this?" she asked.
"Gin-segn," he answered. "My personal favorite. I do enjoy tea very much!" He left her and she smiled, laughing a little to herself. Just like Iroh. She took a sip of it and closed her eyes, remembering him, feeling he was near to her now somehow through all of this. Perhaps Azula was not the only one looking out for her?
----
Zuko felt distant, like he'd drifted away from the world. Just as everything was crashing down, he felt himself being pulled away from it all. He was sitting at home again under that tree he used to sit under, and standing in front of him with her hands on her hips was Azula, looking just as lively as ever, without a dangerous edge to her for once. She looked... happy.
"Worn out?" she asked him, he nodded a little, somehow finding the strength to smile at her. "It's been hard, hasn't it."
"Yes," he answered. "You look... great."
"I've been watching over both of you," she said. "You were there for me when I needed you, it's only fair I do the same."
"I've never gotten that angry before," said Zuko, looking down. "Not that I can remember anyway. I just snapped and... I almost killed him."
"I know," said Azula.
He closed his eyes. "I don't know how much more of this I can take," he whispered. Azula stepped closer then knelt so she was at eye level with him.
"It's not over until you've saved her, and it's not too late," she said softly. "Don't give up before it's truly over." She began to walk away and glanced back at him once, smiling. "The one most in need of your smile is waiting for you... escaped from the brothel and out of harm's way, under the wing of someone who can watch over her until you reach her. So hurry." With that she disappeared and he felt himself falling to earth again.
"Zuko!" called a voice and he glanced over to see Katara and the others running towards him. "Long Feng gave us the location of the brothel. Let's go!" she said. He got to his feet and nodded with a smile.
"All right," he answered.
----