Chapter 4: To Ba Sing Se
The secret door to Full Moon Bay opened with a rumble, and Iroh, Zuko, and Katara walked into the ferry station. Katara observed the area with sympathy. "I can't believe how many people's lives have been uprooted by the Fire Nation," she said, looking at all of the refugees. And this is just in a day, she thought. It was so many people.
"They are all hoping to build new lives under the protection of the walls of Ba Sing Se," Iroh said, moving forward. "Now, we must do the same." He looked meaningfully at Zuko, who sighed, folding his arms, before he and Katara followed Iroh to the people in charge of tickets. They waited in line, trying to act calm. Katara wondered if Zuko, who glanced around the ferry station every minute, had similar worries as she did. That something would go wrong; someone would recognize Iroh and Zuko. Azula, or those Rough Rhinos would suddenly show up. It had, after all, been almost too smooth sailing since they had gotten their passports from Iroh's secret society friends. Their travel to Full Moon Bay had been uneventful, leaving Zuko and Katara plenty of opportunity to practice with each other.
But, no. They reached the ticket station without incident. Katara tried to put on an innocent smile as Iroh handed the ticket lady their passports. She had a scowl on her face as she looked over their passports. As the seconds passed by, Katara felt her heartbeat quickening. "I'm Li," Zuko began introducing them, and Katara restrained a wince. "This is Katara and Mushi."
"So I assumed," the ticket lady said. Finally, she gave them their tickets, waving them off with impatience. "NEXT!" As they turned away and went to get in line, Katara let out a little breath. Things were actually working out according to plan. Rather than being a comfort, the fact just made Katara more anxious. In her experience, plans never worked out as they'd planned them. Something always went wrong in the middle. She was still waiting for things to go wrong, for some unexpected complication to suddenly come up. But she waited beside Zuko and Iroh, holding what little they had as they waited for their ferry to allow them to board.
A few times, Katara found her eyes drawn to a few of the women working security in the station. Something about them seemed vaguely familiar to Katara, but she couldn't quite place her finger on it. It wasn't just one of them, but several.
"Is something wrong?" Zuko whispered to her. She turned her gaze away from the women and back to him. He was sitting very close by, and his eyes met hers. She could see him readjusting his position, readying himself to jump into action if she said that there was a problem.
She shook her head. "No. I just thought someone looked familiar." Zuko hesitated, then nodded sharply. Finally, the call went out for them to board the ferry. They stood up, walked closely together so as not to get separated in the crowd. So many people, she thought again as the ferry began to take off. How, it occurred to her, was she going to find Sokka and Aang in Ba Sing Se?
Had she looked back to the ferry station just then, she may have seen them enter though the secret door.
Suki let out a huff of breath as she listened to Nori's latest complaints about the ticket lady, about the running of the Full Moon Bay ferry. She could only nod sympathetically. I am an elite warrior, trained from childhood…and I am working as security in a ferry station run by a zealous lizard-crab lady. She patted Nori on the back, trying to smile and assure her that they were doing the right thing.
Walking away from her sister warrior, she frowned with disappointment. She and the other Kyoshi Warriors had left their island full of dreams of helping people, of helping to end the war. Instead, they had mostly spent their time at the ferry station, watching a woman act too strict. She couldn't say how many times she had seen needy refugees turned away because their documents weren't in order, how many times she had seen someone walking away with ink stamped on their foreheads because they'd attempted to argue.
Suki understood the need for security. Of course—Ba Sing Se was the last real stronghold against the Fire Nation, the only place that was still safe. But Suki couldn't help but feel that she and her warriors were wasted at the ferry station. Surely the station would still be safe without them.
Surely, there was more they were meant for.
She went about as she did any other day. For a moment, she paused, looking to someone walking onto one of the ferries. There was a girl who looked vaguely familiar. Vaguely Water Tribe. Suki craned her neck, trying to get a better look at the girl. She couldn't be certain…
But it was impossible. Her ever-increasing irritation with her position must have been making her imagine things.
Suki shook her head, trying to dismiss it. She went back to overseeing the lines by the ticket stand. Within minutes, however, another strange sight came. It wasn't unusual for people to dress like an Air Nomad, claiming that they were the Avatar as they asked for a ticket. They were all imposters and recognized as such; they were never given tickets, and were often lucky to avoid getting stamped on their foreheads.
But this one looked familiar. The shape of the bald head, the precise coloring of the monk's clothing. There was also the lemur—none of the other "Avatars" had been able to recreate Momo.
Then there was Sokka.
Suki felt an anxious fluttering in her stomach as she saw the young Water Tribesman beside his young friend. None of the imposters had ever tried to bring any of Aang's friends along. Suki walked along, trying to get a better view of Sokka…
She grinned. It was him!
But she restrained herself, instead observing them. There was a new girl, dressed in green, with her dark hair pulled into a thick bun. Katara wasn't there, Suki noticed. But maybe she was just waiting for them out of the line. The ticket lady was clearly unimpressed with them, scowling. "NEXT!" she called.
But before anyone else could step forward, the girl in green stepped up and began talking to the ticket lady. Suki grimaced; this was exactly the sort of thing that tended to result in people walking around with ink on their foreheads. But, to her surprise, the ticket lady actually seemed to be swayed, looking awed and almost intimidated. Suki blinked. How is she doing that? I wish I could do that.
She moved forward, to listen in, to go to her friends…to Sokka.
"Well, normally it's only one ticket per passport," she heard the ticket lady saying, "but this document is so official…I guess it's worth four tickets." Suki blinked. How…?
But she smiled as Aang, Sokka, and their new friend began walking away, to get in line for the ferry. It would be good to see them again. To see Sokka, again. She thought of their few days together back on Kyoshi Island. Of how her opinion of him had slowly morphed. Of the kiss she had given him before he had to leave.
Yes, it would be good to see Sokka again.
"Alright," she heard him saying. "We scammed that lady good!" She frowned. Are you trying to get into trouble, Sokka? Then she smirked slightly as an idea came to her. Quickly, she schooled her expression to strictness. She came up to Sokka from behind him, yanking him backwards to face her from his tunic. His eyes widened as he met her harsh stare, and she put out her hand expectantly.
"Tickets and passports please," she said. She stared him down, refraining from smiling as she wished to. Would he recognize her, or would she have to give him a hint? He never had seen her without her facepaint. But he was as recognizable as ever, with his deep blue eyes and angled jaw. He still had his wolftail. His tunic was different- it cut off from the shoulders, leaving his arms bare. She would have to wait until later to admire that change.
"Is there a problem?" Sokka asked her, a tinge of nervousness leaking through his tone. So, he didn't recognize her, then. This'll be fun.
"Yeah, I got a problem with you!" She pointed her finger at his chest. "I've seen your type before. Probably sarcastic, think you're hilarious and let me guess, you're traveling with the Avatar."
Sokka squinted his eyes at her for an instant before raising an eyebrow. "Do I know you?"
"You mean you don't remember?" she asked, trying to sound upset. She grabbed his tunic, pulling him forward. "Maybe you'll remember this!" With his tunic still in her hand, she kissed his cheek. Now do you remember?
Sokka looked stunned for a moment before a huge grin appeared on his face. "Suki!" He embraced her and she hugged him back.
As they separated, she smiled. "Sokka, it's good to see you!" For more reasons than one. Aside from the fact that she was happy to get to spend at least a little bit more time with him, she was also relieved to see that he was okay. She knew that he was in danger by merit of travelling with the Avatar. And she had heard that there had been a battle at the North Pole. It was nice to have definitive proof that Sokka was still alright.
"Hi, Suki." She stepped away from Sokka's embrace to see Aang offering her a smile. Something about it seemed a little bit duller than she remembered. She wondered if he was feeling alright. Then again, she thought, maybe fighting a war at twelve years old is just wearing on him. But she smiled, because it was nice to see the young Avatar as well.
"Hey, Aang."
"Can I get an introduction, here?" came the girl in green's voice. Suki looked to her. She was short, looking to be around Aang's age. Suki blinked as she saw the girl's eyes—they were clouded over.
"This is Suki," Sokka said, smiling as he pointed to her. "She's a…friend from Kyoshi Island. One of the best warriors I've ever known." Suki grinned, chest swelling with pride. Sokka turned to Suki, pointing to Toph. "And this is Toph. She's Aang's earthbending master."
"Really?" Suki asked her. "But you seem so—"
"Blind?"
"I was going to say young." She smirked. "Which just makes it more impressive that you've mastered earthbending enough to teach the Avatar."
Toph grinned. "I like her," she told Aang and Sokka.
"Yeah," Sokka said, "Me too." Suki blushed, but Sokka only just seemed to realize what he'd said. Suki opened her mouth, trying to think of what to say, but Sokka's face fell. He looked almost ashamed as he looked away from her. Suki's brow furrowed at the expression, wondering what Sokka was thinking of. But then he turned back to her, a smile on his face as if the previous moment had never happened. "Maybe we should find somewhere else to talk. We've still got plenty of time until our ferry leaves."
"Of course," she said. "I know the perfect place to sit and talk." She waved at them to follow her. It would only be the moment after that that it would occur to her that they shouldn't need a ferry—they had Appa. But, she supposed, they had plenty to catch up on. She could figure it out then.
A few minutes later, they were atop the wall overlooking the bay. It was empty besides them, so it was comfortable to talk. "So…how have you been since we saw each other?" she asked. "It feels like it was a long time ago." Her face fell as she noticed Aang and Sokka wince. That couldn't be a good sign.
"It's uh…" Sokka rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah. It feels like a long time. A lot's happened since we last talked." But then he smiled—a very forced looking smile—and said, "I can't believe I didn't recognize you."
"It was all good fun," she told him. "I know you've never seen me without my makeup before." She frowned at her security uniform. "That crabby lady won't let my warriors and I wear our own uniforms and makeup. But look at you, sleeveless guy. Been working out?" Free to do so, she took the opportunity to admire his arms. Had they always been so well-toned? She had never seen him with short sleeves, so she would hardly know.
And the comment seemed to improve Sokka's mood. "Ahhh, I'll grab a tree branch and do a few chin touches every now and then. Nothing major." As he spoke, he made gestures, showing off his arms. Yes, it was very good to see him again.
"Are the other Kyoshi Warriors around?" Aang asked.
"Yeah," she told him. "After you left Kyoshi, we wanted to find a way to help people. We ended up escorting some refugees and we've been here ever since." It was more helpful than sitting out the war on Kyoshi Island. Still, she couldn't help but feel that she and her warriors weren't being properly utilized. Momo jumped up next to her. "Hi, Momo! Good to see you too!" She scratched his head. Lemurs were definitely one of the cuter animals she had encountered. It helped that Momo wouldn't be able to eat her, even if he wanted to. She turned her attention back to her friends. "So why are you guys getting tickets for the ferry? Wouldn't you just fly across on Appa?" The question had been weighing on her since it had occurred to her. At once, everyone went silent for a minute.
Sokka took the plunge. "It's a long story, but Appa was stolen. Last we heard, he was being sold to someone in Ba Sing Se."
Her eyes widened. "I'm so sorry to hear that." She looked to Aang. "Are you doing okay?" She remembered how attached the boy had been to his bison. Appa had been one of his last friends from before he was frozen.
Aang looked up at her question, but then he scowled. "I'm doing fine. Would everybody stop worrying about me?" That wasn't good. The Aang she remembered was cheerful, and difficult to anger. Not glum and snappy. She looked over to Sokka, who sighed.
But before anyone could say anything else, a heavily pregnant woman called to them from below. "Avatar Aang, you have to help us! Someone took all of our belongings—our passports, our tickets, everything's gone!" Aang and the others appeared to be familiar with the woman.
"I'll talk to the lady for you," Aang said, walking down the steps to get back in line. Suki grimaced.
"What are the odds that that lady actually listens?" Toph asked, crossing her arms.
"Not good," Suki said. "She's one of the strictest persons I've ever met." She looked over sympathetically as she saw the pregnant woman standing beside the man who must have been the father of her child and another relative. Suki looked back over to Sokka. "Hey…where's Katara."
Sokka took a deep breath. "I don't exactly know. We were separated."
Suki's eyes widened for a moment. "What, you mean when you lost Appa?"
"No," Sokka said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We lost Katara at a different time, further back." Sokka shook his head. "We didn't even know she was alive until about two weeks ago. Except, while she was separated from us, she…made some friends." Suki couldn't help but notice a touch of irritation in Sokka's tone as he said 'friends.' "One of her friends got injured when we were reunited. She refused to leave them when one of them was hurt. So we agreed to meet up in Ba Sing Se."
"Wow," Suki said. She looked down a moment, trying to think of what to say. "I'm sure Katara is alright…" She blinked as she recalled what she had seen just earlier. "I think I may've seen her."
"What?" Sokka's eyes brightened, and he stepped forward. "When?"
"Just earlier. It must've been minutes before you got here."
"Are you serious?!" Sokka sounded almost upset. "Why? How can we be right on her heels and still miss her?" He smacked his palm to his forehead.
"I'm sure you'll find her," Suki assured him. Though, Ba Sing Se was a big city. Somehow she doubted that finding each other would be easy. "Is there any other urgent mission waiting for you in Ba Sing Se?" Hopefully, they had time to spare…they were probably going to need it.
"As a matter of fact," Sokka said. "We have important information for the Earth King. Something that could turn the tide of the war."
Suki raised her eyebrows. "Wow. You guys really have been busy."
"We find new trouble everywhere we go," Toph said. "I haven't even been here long, but I've got that much figured out." But the young earthbender had a slight smile on her face. Once again, Suki couldn't help but feel that her warriors' skills weren't being put to good use.
"Hey, guys?" Aang's voice came. They turned to see him walking up the steps to them. Suki gave him a sympathetic look as she observed the smeared ink stamp on his forehead, a matching smear on his robe. "The ticket lady won't give Ying and her family new tickets." He sighed. "I promised them that we'd escort them through the Serpent's Pass." Suki's eyes widened, her breath catching for just a moment.
"You what?!" Sokka asked. "Aang, what part of deadly route did you not understand?"
"The part where we abandon an innocent family," Aang said. "Sokka, we have to help them. There's no other way to Ba Sing Se for them now." He paused. "Also, I already gave up my ticket. I'm helping them."
Toph snorted. "That's one way to ask us," she said. "I'm in. This Serpent's Pass can't be so tough."
Sokka sighed. "Well, what choice do I have? Alright, deadly route, here we come." Yes, that was Sokka, the boy Suki liked…a lot. But she found that she was uncomfortable with the idea of him crossing the Serpent's Pass alone with Aang and Toph. They didn't have Appa. They didn't even have Katara. Suki walked down the stairs.
"I really need to talk to my warriors," she told them. Her gaze settled on Sokka for a moment. His expression dulled as she walked away. "I'll be out in a bit."
"We were hoping to leave soon," Aang said, but she ignored him. It wouldn't take long.
Within a few minutes, she had found Nori, Oyen, and Kyeri. She pulled them aside to the dressing rooms, speaking quickly as she pulled out her warrior dress and began changing.
"The Avatar is here?" Nori asked, eyes wide. "You're sure?"
"I spent time talking to him," she told them. "So, yes."
"Was it the Avatar you spoke to, or was it Sokka?" She didn't need to look in order to see the teasing glint in Kyeri's eyes.
"Both of them. Look, they're going to Ba Sing Se, and they're going to be escorting some refugees who lost their passports across Serpent's Pass."
"Crossing Serpent's Pass?" Oyen asked. "From what I've heard, that's a great way to commit suicide. Ow! Hey!" Suki wondered whether it had been Kyeri or Nori to elbow Oyen. She began doing her makeup. "Why don't they just fly across on their sky bison?"
"Appa is missing," she told her sisters. "And so is Sokka's sister."
"Oh no," Kyeri said. "Is there anything we can do?"
"I'm not sure—they hope to find their missing friends in Ba Sing Se." She went silent as she began painting her lips. When she was satisfied, she switched to painting on her eyelids. "I think we've done about as much good as we can here. It's time for us to reach out into the real fight."
"Finally," she heard Nori murmur.
"Tell the others," she ordered. "I'll be gone for a while. I'm going with Sokka and the Avatar to cross Serpent's Pass. For now, try to do what you can around Full Moon Bay." Fully dressed and fully adorned with the Kyoshi Warrior's traditional makeup, she stepped out to face her sisters. Nori was eagerly pulling out her things to change back into her own warrior's dress.
"But Suki," Kyeri said, brows furrowed. "When will you be back?"
She took a deep breath, looking at her sister warriors, and thinking of the Avatar and Sokka. "I don't know…If you don't hear from me in a month, come and find me in Ba Sing Se."
Jet stood on a ferry full of refugees and he was silent.
He toyed with the piece of straw in his mouth, contemplating what had brought him to the Full Moon Bay ferry. He didn't dare think too far back in his past…back to where it had all begun. But he thought of his makeshift family. Of their home in the trees. Of their war against the Fire Nation.
He thought of how it had all gone wrong.
It was his mistakes that had cost them. He thought of Katara, who had glared so fiercely at him as she had pinned him to a tree. "Jet, you monster!" He could hear the barrels of blasting jelly exploding, destroying the dam and letting loose a flood into the colony of Gaipan. Sokka had stopped him…but Katara had still left him on that tree.
Nothing had been the same after that. Some of the other kids, upon hearing what Jet had done, had frowned and simply walked away. Jet had argued and argued, but the more he did, the more children walked away from him. But his original gang had stuck by him. At first. Then Sneers left. And Jet had to lead them out of the forest by Gaipan—the Fire Nation was unamused by their attempt to flood the city. Jet still wanted to fight, but The Duke was almost hurt. That was when Pipsqueak had picked The Duke up, placed him upon his shoulders, and walked away.
Now it was only Jet, Longshot, and Smellerbee.
The loss of the rest of his gang dispirited him, though he hated the Fire Nation as much as ever. But at least he still had Longshot and Smellerbee. If he could only have two friends—family members—left, then he was glad it was them. They had nothing left. The old gang was gone, their home was gone. The only thing to do, they decided, was to go to Ba Sing Se. Try to build new lives, sheltered from the war. Jet clenched his jaw. It didn't feel right to him. Doing nothing.
Not that anything he had done had actually accomplished much, in the end.
"Jet, you monster!"
He groaned, rubbing his eyes slightly. "You okay?" he heard Smellerbee ask him. He looked to his side, offering her a smile.
"I'm fine," he reassured her. "I guess I'm just thinking about how we ended up here." He turned to the side, frowning as he noticed a boy his age standing by the rail of the ferry. Even though Jet only had a view of the side of the boy's face, Jet could see a large burn scar over his eye. He heard the boy speaking to an older man beside him. Wordlessly, Jet told Smellerbee to be quiet; he wanted to listen to these two. Longshot, as usual, needed no request to be silent.
The old man said something which seemed to upset the young man. "Look around. We're not tourists, we're refugees." Jet observed the boy sip the soup given to the refugees on the ferry. A second later he spat it out. Well, there's something we can agree on already. "Ugh! I'm sick of eating rotten food, sleeping in the dirt. I'm tired of living like this!"
That's my cue, Jet decided. "Aren't we all? My name's Jet and these are my Freedom Fighters, Smellerbee and Longshot." He stepped forward, indicating his friends as he introduced them. As the boy and man turned, Jet could see the full scar. It was a dramatic thing, covering his left eye and extending into his hairline. Jet wondered if he could actually see out of that eye…and the exact manner in which he had gotten it. But he knew the basics.
"Hey," Smellerbee said. Longshot just nodded, a warm welcome by his standard.
"Hello," the scarred boy said. He made no effort to introduce himself, however.
"Here's the deal," Jet said. "I hear the captain's eating like a king while the refugees have to feed off his scraps. Doesn't seem fair, does it?" It wasn't how things had ever worked with the Freedom Fighters.
"What sort of king is he eating like?" the old man asked.
"The fat, happy kind." Jet watched as the man's jaw dropped. He thought he some a bit of drool. "You want to help us "liberate" some food?" He looked at the scarred boy, gauging his reaction…
And then a stream of water rose over the boy and old man, blasting Jet onto the floor.
Katara had been gone for two minutes when the boy named Jet started speaking to him. "I don't think this is safe to eat," she had said, giving a disgusted look at the bowl they had been given. She had gone to ask the ferrymen if there was anything else for the passengers to eat. Zuko doubted they would listen, but he had let her go. It gave him opportunity to set his uncle straight, anyways.
Until Jet butted in.
But he did make a good point. Zuko had glared at the bowl of…he wasn't entirely sure what it was. Not anything he wanted to eat. And I used to think my fish on the raft were bad. Iroh was clearly hungry, and the food that had been passed out to the passengers of the ferry was hardly edible. Zuko tossed the bowl over the side of the ferry, turning around to tell Jet that he'd help him. But before he could get a word out of his mouth, water rose up from the bay, flowing over Zuko and his uncle's heads, smacking Jet down onto the floor of the ferry.
Zuko's eyes widened as he saw Katara. "Jet!" she snarled. She knew this guy?
"Katara, wait!" Jet pleaded. He tried to get up. Zuko couldn't help but wince sympathetically as he was rewarded with another blast of water to his face. "I've changed!" Zuko scowled as he observed the scene. Whoever Jet was, he'd really managed to infuriate Katara. It didn't make him look any better to Zuko.
"Tell it to some other girl, Jet!" Katara spat, glaring at the boy. Behind him, Longshot held back an upset Smellerbee from intervening. What had Jet done to make Katara so angry? Zuko thought back to his own early encounters with Katara. Of course, she hadn't liked him much either before they were stuck on that raft together. The next moment, Katara had turned the water around Jet into ice, trapping him on the floor.
"Katara, let me go!" he said from the floor. "Please, I'm not here to fight you! Or anything—I didn't even know you were here, I swear!" He struggled to escape from his icy confines.
"It's true," Smellerbee said, finally stepping forward. She held her hands up placatingly as she walked closer. Katara did not drop her waterbending stance. "Things have changed since we last saw each other. We're not…doing the same things we used to. We're just refugees now. Like everyone else here."
Katara's eyes narrowed. "And I'm just supposed to believe you?" She shook her head. "Whatever you're really here for, it can't be anything good." Smellerbee looked almost ashamed; Longshot appeared as stoic as he had been when Jet had introduced him.
"It's the truth," Jet insisted. He was slowly cracking the thin layer of ice pinning him down. Zuko found himself stepping forward, ready to help Katara if it came to a fight…
Uncle Iroh grabbed his hand, pulling him back. Zuko shot him a glance, but his uncle just gave him a small shake of his head. Zuko growled; of course. He couldn't start a fight on the ferry. Especially not with his firebending. Still, he put a hand near his Dao swords.
But Katara seemed to have it under her own control.
"As if I have any reason to trust you," she said to Jet. "You may've fooled me in the past, but I won't fall for your lies again."
"I'm sorry about what happened then, Katara," Jet said. "I was a troubled person and I let my anger get out of control, but I'm done with all of that! Smellerbee and Longshot are all I have left. We aren't out to…to repeat what we did before."
Uncle Iroh grasped Katara's elbow before she could say or do anything in response. She turned to look at him, but Uncle Iroh just smiled peaceably at the fighting teenagers. He's had plenty of practice, Zuko couldn't help but think. "Let's all calm down. We can all sit down and enjoy a cup of tea with our new friends and discuss whatever troubles we may have." Katara glared at Jet for a few more moments before she liquified the ice she had pinning Jet down, leaving him still soaking wet. She raised her chin slightly.
"I'm not sitting down and having tea with him," she stated. She stared as Jet was helped to his feet by Smellerbee and Longshot. She looked to Iroh, who sighed, but nodded in acceptance of her decision. Then, she turned to look at Zuko, before she walked away from the group. Zuko turned to see Iroh pulling out his spark rocks and teapot. Zuko looked as Jet for a moment, who sat down, leaving space for Zuko to sit. But Zuko turned and followed after Katara.
"Hey!" Coming up next to her, he also grabbed her elbow, trying to get her to stop walking. She paused, looking down to where his hand grasped her arm. The moment seemed to last before Zuko's cheeks reddened, and he let go. "What was that back there?" he asked her quietly. "I'm not sure I've ever seen you that angry. Except, maybe…well…" He rubbed the back of his head, recalling their fights at the North Pole.
Katara raised an eyebrow, looking almost amused for an instant. "I was only gone for two minutes. I can't believe you managed to find…this."
"I didn't do anything," Zuko said. "He just came to us and started talking."
Katara shook her head. The she frowned, looking down for a moment before she leaned in close, meeting Zuko's eyes."Jet can't be trusted. He's a master at spinning nice stories, telling you what you want to hear…getting you to do what he wants. But he's dangerous."
Zuko blinked. "What happened between you and him?" He frowned as Katara suddenly looked away, looking almost embarrassed.
"Nothing happened between us," she insisted.
Zuko frowned, trying to figure out that claim. Katara wouldn't be attacking him if "nothing" had happened. Zuko felt an odd sensation in his gut as a new thought occurred to him. "Was…was he your boyfriend or something?"
Katara's eyes widened. "N-no! Jet was not my boyfriend!"
"Right, sorry." Zuko breathed a bit easier. "What's the problem, then?"
Katara moved her head to the side a bit, looking past Zuko. He turned, seeing that Uncle Iroh was still talking to Jet and his friends. Zuko turned back to Katara. "Don't trust them," she said. "I'll keep watch on them from over here."
Zuko grimaced. "Fine. Don't tell me." He let out a breath before he turned around. "I'll be careful." He walked back to his uncle and Jet. He scowled as he sat near them.
"I'm sorry about that," Jet said, looking over to where Katara was. "I was a different person when I met her. I guess she's still mad at me."
"What did you do?" Zuko asked.
Jet looked down. He looked remorseful, but Zuko had spent enough time with Azula to know that his own judgement of others' truthfulness could be faulty. "It's a long story," Jet said. "All you need to know is that I wasn't entirely honest with her. But those days are over…I'm different now."
Zuko took a cup of tea that Iroh handed him, but he did not drink, instead continuing to stare down Jet. "It must have been some lie," he said. "Katara's fierce as a rhino-lion, but I've never seen her go off on someone for no reason."
Jet grimaced, looking down into his teacup. "Yeah…maybe you should ask her about it. I can only say that my intentions were good." He frowned, looking back up to Zuko and his uncle. "I never even got your names."
"I'm Mushi," Uncle Iroh introduced himself. "And this is my nephew, Li. Or Junior."
"It's Li," Zuko said, frowning.
Jet nodded. "So, what are you guys doing with Katara, anyways? Last time I saw her, she was travelling with the Avatar and her brother." Zuko clenched his jaw at the mention of the Avatar.
"That's another long story," Zuko told him. "Maybe you should ask her." He took a sip of Uncle Iroh's tea, smiling slightly as he did so.
Jet stared blankly. "You know that wouldn't end well." The two teenage boys stared at each other for a moment, neither yielding. Jet raised his eyebrows before looking away. "Right…before Katara interrupted, I asked you a question. You didn't actually get a chance to answer. Tonight, we'll be getting food for everyone. Good food, not the toxic scraps they've been giving. Are you in?"
Zuko frowned. It was a familiar situation. It felt all too much like when he had put on his mask and robbed various people in the Earth Kingdom. But, he thought, this would only be food. Just to make sure they were able to eat for the night. He looked over to Uncle Iroh, who raised a patient eyebrow. But his uncle said nothing for or against it. Zuko looked to Jet and his friends; Katara didn't trust them. That, in itself, was a worrying idea. He turned around, surveying the hungry refugees, sharing bowls of the nasty food they had been given. Finally, he saw Katara, observing them from the side.
They all deserved better.
He turned back to Jet. "I'm in," he said. "But I'm not trusting you, understood? You give me the slightest reason to suspect you're a threat, and we're done."
Jet grinned. "Understood. You won't regret this."
Sokka, Aang, and Toph were already leaving with the refugees by the time Suki was prepared to leave. She ran up to them. "I'm coming too!" she announced. They turned around to see her. To Suki's surprise, Sokka looked almost upset at the thought that she was coming.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked. His eyes were downcast. What? For a moment, Suki wondered if she had terribly misread the situation. After all, they had only known each other for a few days. She had been the one to kiss him—both times. Perhaps he didn't like her as much as she thought he did…
"Sokka, I thought you'd want me to come," was all she said. She still wanted to go—to keep both him and the Avatar safe.
"I do, it's just—" Now Suki was sure that he was upset by something.
"Just what?" Sokka hadn't been like this when she'd known him on Kyoshi Island. He'd been energetic, sweet (once he got past his misogyny), and surprisingly brilliant for someone who could be so idiotic. He had quickly absorbed what she had to teach him, and had been motivated to be a better warrior, to fight to Fire Nation. Now he seemed strangely worried—Suki couldn't understand why.
"Nothing," he said, though his tone said something very different. "I'm glad you're coming." Without another word, he resumed walking. Suki shot a glance at Aang, whose sympathetic gaze followed Sokka. Noticing that Suki was still standing there, Aang offered her a small smile.
"We're glad to have you," he said. She smiled and the two rejoined the others, but Suki's face fell as she walked. There was something wrong, and she didn't know what. It was easy to attribute Sokka's strange behavior to the separation from his sister, but Suki felt that there was something else on Sokka's mind.
It had all been going fine, until a rock fell from beneath Than. Suki could do nothing as Than began to fall. Thankfully, Toph was fast enough to pull back the rock to catch him before he could fall far. She used it to lift Than back onto the path with them, before releasing the rock to fall into the water.
Naturally, the Fire Nation ship noticed.
"They've spotted us! Let's go, let's go!" Sokka shouted, urging everyone onwards. Aang took his glider, going out to deflect the blasts aimed at them. The next thing Suki knew, there was a rumble above her; one of the fireballs had hit the pass. Suki felt herself being tackled to the ground, the hard rock beneath her. She heard the characteristic crack of earthbending, and a handful of large stones were diverted from falling on Sokka, instead being dropped into the bay.
The next thing Suki knew, Sokka was grabbing her hand, pulling her up quickly. "Suki, are you okay? You have to be more careful! Come on!" And he began pulling her along the pass. Suki could only blink incredulously before she pulled her hand from hi, running beside him. She glanced at Sokka as they ran. What was he doing? There was no need for such an…intense reaction to the rocks. Sure, there had been a danger. But he had seemed almost desperate as he pulled her up and practically ordered her to run. Why was Sokka acting to strange?
Hours later, the sun was setting; they set up camp. Suki observed the others silently. Aang was sitting off to the side of everyone else, lost in thought. Toph also sat alone, Sokka sitting nearby, keeping his own attentive eye on his younger friends. Than was rubbing his pregnant wife's feet, while his sister sat near them in companionable silence. Suki made to prepare her spot to sleep, laying down her sleeping bag.
Sokka came over to her. "Suki, you shouldn't sleep there. Who knows how stable this ledge is, it could give away at any moment!" He can't be serious, she thought. Is this a joke? But Sokka grabbed up her sleeping bag and moved it away from the ledge.
"Sokka, I'm fine, stop worrying!" she told him, alarm coming out in her voice. Just what was this odd behavior? He hadn't done anything like this back at Kyoshi Island. He had initially doubted her abilities as a warrior because she was a girl, but she could have sworn that he'd grown past that. But this was extreme, even if she accepted the theory that he had reverted to his previous sexism.
"You're right, you're right, you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself!" The words were rushed, and he hardly seemed assured of his own words, but Suki still relaxed. But a moment later, Sokka was blocking her from her sleeping bag, freaking out. "Wait! Oh, never mind, I thought I saw a spider, but, you're fine." Suki could only deflate in exasperation as she watched him walk off. No doubt, he would be up all night, watching everyone else for the slightest—the absolute slightest sign of trouble. Even if "trouble" was a spider.
As night fell, Jet prepared his group for their heist. Smellerbee and Longshot were silent, as usual, with Smellerbee only occasionally offering input. Li was quieter still, narrowed eyes never quite leaving Jet's. They all knew their parts in the heist…
Before they could leave, Katara came up to them. Jet frowned as she glared at him again. Yeah, definitely still mad. But her eyes softened slightly as she turned her focus to Li. "What are you doing?" she asked him quietly. "I told you not to trust Jet."
"It's not trust," Li whispered, though Jet could still hear them both. He was, after all, right there. "But the people on this ferry deserve to eat real food—not that stuff from earlier. You said yourself, it's probably not safe to eat."
Katara was silent for a moment. "Haven't we already had this discussion?" Jet frowned. What did that mean?
"This is not the same," Li argued quietly. "This is necessity. It's only food; the captain is hoarding supplies, while the rest of us are being given scraps." He crossed his arms as he waited for Katara to respond.
Katara glanced around, and stared at Jet for a moment. "It's just about the food," he assured.
She scoffed. "I don't need your word about this." She took a breath, looking to Li. "Fine. What can I do to help?"
Jet blinked. He hadn't expected that. "You want to help?"
Apparently, Li had similar thoughts, asking her the same question.
"Yes, I'm helping…if only so I can keep and eye on Jet." He eyes softened slightly. "Besides, the passengers do deserve to eat something that won't make them sick."
"Great," Jet said, grimacing as Katara's face turned fierce again. "Li, she's with you. Is that alright?" Li just nodded as Katara stood beside him.
Jet, Smellerbee, Li, and Katara snuck through the ship, Jet leading the way. They moved quickly, but silently. Katara, he noticed, was just beside Li. She wasn't as experienced in stealth, but Li appeared to be guiding her through it. She emulated his actions well, and their movements, before long, were like a mirror image. How long have they known each other? Jet wondered idly, as they waited for guards to pass. Smellerbee stood watch outside as they snuck into the food storage area. It was everything Jet had heard it to be. Fully stocked with food of far better quality than the refugees would ever see.
Except for tonight.
The three of them began collecting food in silence, grabbing as much as they could carry. Jet observed Li and Katara, though he tried to keep his focus on Li. He looked like he knew what he was doing with his Dao swords. Jet wondered how long the other boy had been fighting with them.
"Guard's coming!" he heard Smellerbee whisper-shout. Within moments, the three of them were out of the food storage room. Longshot shot and arrow to them with a rope attached, their way out. Once by one, they all slid down the rope, Katara separating herself from the others by going last, Li in front of her. Longshot pulled the arrow and rope away before the guards could notice it. Jet grinned at his companions, though it fell slightly as he saw Katara's glare, backed up by Li's quietly judging expression. How long have those two known each other? Jet wondered again. There was a slight stirring in his gut which Jet refused to name. But he wondered what the exact nature of Katara and Li's relationship was. But they had food to distribute, and so they did.
They passed out the food, quiet as they could be. The refugees were happy, Jet noticed with a smile. People were grateful, and eager to have a decent meal. Many of them, Jet suspected, hadn't had a good meal in weeks. Jet didn't know how it would be like in Ba Sing Se. He had heard that all people lived like kings, at least from some people. He'd also heard that society was very strictly stratified; the highest echelons drowned in wealth, while the lowest would steal and beg for survival. He had not way of knowing which was true—he'd never been to Ba Sing Se. But the latter rumors didn't sit right with him. It wasn't how he had lived. And it wasn't fair that these refugees should be forced to flee their homes just to be kicked into the dirt by their own nation. But perhaps Jet could help them. Him and his group.
He hoped that that may include Li.
He watched Katara offering a smile to a little girl as she and Li gave some of the last of the food to a large refugee family. The little girl smiled shyly, though she looked almost intimidated as Li stood over her. It wasn't too surprising; a scar like that demanded attention, whether the bearer of the scar wanted it or not. But Li's face was gentle as he set a bowl of rice down for the family. Seeing this, the little girl smiled even larger. After a moment, Li even gave a small smile of his own, before the girl sat down to eat with her family. He'd make a good Freedom Fighter, Jet thought. He glanced at Katara. Best not to go there. He furrowed his brows as the two of them walked closely together, Katara smiling as she said something quietly to Li. He didn't smile again, but he did seem almost amused. Though, his face fell as he noticed Jet approaching his uncle with more food.
"Mind if we join you?" Jet asked as Smellerbee and Longshot returned to his side.
"Yes," Katara and Li both said, both glowering.
But Li's uncle appeared to disagree. "More company is always welcome," he said, ginning broadly. He ignored Li's groan. Jet sat down, his friends doing the same. They took out the food. Jet was pleased when Li decided to sit down, though less so as Katara walked away rather than sit and eat with them. Here I thought doing a good thing together might help us patch things over. Li gave Jet an annoyed glare after he watched Katara walk off.
"So, Smellerbee," Mushi said after a few awkward minutes. "That's an unusual name for a young man." Oh no, Jet thought.
"Maybe it's because I'm not a man ... I'm a girl!" she snapped. With that, she stood up and walked away.
Mushi appeared regretful of his mistake, though Jet knew he hadn't meant to upset her. "Oh, now I see. It's a beautiful name for a lovely girl!" Longshot shook his head, silent as ever. He stood up and went after Smellerbee. Jet just chewed his food for a moment. Anyone else going to get up and leave?
"From what I heard, people eat like this every night in Ba Sing Se. I can't wait to set my eyes on that giant wall." The last great bastion against the Fire Nation's conquest. It would be quite the sight, no matter what laid behind the walls.
"It is a magnificent sight," Mushi agreed.
"So you've been there before?" Jet asked, surprised. Why would Mushi leave Ba Sing Se?
"Once," Mushi answered, a slight melancholy coming over the old man. "When I was a…different man."
Oh, Jet understood. The old man had done something when he was younger. Jet wondered what exactly it was. Whatever it had been, it was clear that it was something the old man now saw to be shameful. I understand that feeling, Jet thought, thinking back to his destruction of Gaipan. It hadn't been until many days after, when he had spotted a family with little children, displaced by his attack, that he had begun to question his own act. He knew what that was like. The only mercy in this situation was that the kids still had their parents. Jet still wasn't sure what to think about that.
"I've done some things in my past that I'm not proud of," Jet told them, "but that's why I'm going to Ba Sing Se. For a new beginning. A second chance." Provided that Katara didn't drop him into the bay. Jet gave Li a glance as he heard the scarred boy scoff.
"That's very noble of you," Mushi said, and Jet tried to turn his attention back to him "I believe people can change their lives if they want to. I believe in second chances." He gave a pointed look at his nephew.
Li put down his food with a glare. "And what was it you did?" Li asked Jet. His eyes, Jet noticed for the first time, were a goldish color. They looked almost on fire as he turned his glare on Jet. "Katara is…Katara is one of the most understanding people I know. If even she doesn't trust you, what did you do? Why does she hate you so much?"
Jet winced, picking at his food slightly. "I should've been honest with her," Jet started.
"Answer the question."
"Li," Mushi said, placing a placating hand on his nephew's wrist. Li turned away from Jet, looking to his uncle. Finally, Li relented. He stood up, and walked away from them. Jet grimaced. I didn't actually want anyone else walking away. "Would you like some tea?"
Jet let out a breath. "Sure…not like there's anything else to do now," he muttered. Somehow, he felt that the journey to Ba Sing Se was still a long way.
Suki had to talk to Sokka. She had decided that much after she laid down, unable to sleep after his peculiar behavior throughout the day. It was stifling and, frankly, worrisome. What did he think was going to happen to her? So it was that she waited until the others were asleep before getting up from her sleeping bag, and looking around for Sokka. He had removed himself from the rest of the group. Suki found him sitting by a ledge, gazing at the moon. Suki could only stare for a minute. This was different from how he had been during the day. Now, he only seemed melancholy. Suki somehow felt like she was intruding on something private. Still, she needed to talk to him, and she'd prefer to talk to him alone.
"It's a beautiful moon," she said as introduction. She came closer to him.
"Yeah, it really is." There it was again, Sokka seemed almost disconnected from the moment, lost in whatever thoughts he was having.
May as well get it over with. "Look, I know you're just trying to help, but I can take care of myself." As nice as his company could be, Suki didn't want to be smothered by his misplaced overprotectiveness. Here I was coming along in part to protect him.
"I know you can," Sokka assured her.
"Then why are you acting so overprotective?" she asked him. She was worried about him. From what she could remember, this behavior was not normal for him. And it wasn't a healthy way to interact with someone, either.
"It's so hard to lose someone you care about," Sokka suddenly said. Suki's face softened as understanding finally began to come over her. "Something happened at the North Pole and I couldn't protect someone. I don't want anything like that to ever happen again." What had happened at the North Pole? Was it Katara—or was it yet another person Sokka had lost? Yes, it seemed more likely that Sokka had lost someone else. It was increasingly apparent that Sokka had been through quite a lot since Suki had seen him last.
And what should she say in response? Sokka had, after all, made quite the confession to her. What could she say in solace? The only thing she could think to say was, "I lost someone I care about. He didn't die, he just went away. I only had a few days to get to know him, but he was smart and brave and funny…" She hoped this would cheer him up, if only by distracting him from his grief.
"Who is this guy? Is he taller than me?" Sokka asked, clearly jealous over the non-existent other man.
"No, he's about your height," Suki told him, enjoying the game, but also hoping he would catch on.
"Is he better-looking?" he asked.
"It is you, stupid!" Suki said. For being so intelligent, Sokka really could be quite slow sometimes. Still Suki enjoyed the embarrassed relief that came over Sokka's face.
"Oh!" He blushed. Suki felt her own heartbeat quicken as she leaned forward. Sokka leaned in as well, and she closed her eyes. But moments later her lips were only met by the night's air. She opened her eyes to see Sokka looking away from her, eyes downcast and glum once more. "I can't."
Oh, she suddenly understood. The person he'd lost at the North Pole had been a girlfriend. There wasn't any room for jealousy. Suki could only feel sorry for his loss, and regretful of her own action. Here I thought I'd make him feel better, she thought, and I actually just reminded him of his loss. "I'm sorry."
"No, you shouldn't be," Sokka said, and then he just walked away, leaving Suki alone beneath the moon's light. Way to go, she thought to herself. She turned to look at the moon, as Sokka had been doing when she had arrived. The silver light was only partially full, but it was bright as ever as it shined down on them. Who was it, Suki wondered, that Sokka had lost? That was why he was so overprotective of her. Because he feared a repeat of whatever had happened in the north. At least it isn't just because he doesn't think I can take care of myself. He had a reason, even if his reason was unhealthy and based on unresolved grief. Suki sighed, shaking her head as she looked back to the moon for a long moment. The moon was one of the great spirits tied to the Water Tribes. Would you help him? She thought. Can you help me help him?
She thought she felt a breeze, or a gentle ocean's wave beneath her feet. Like the sound of a young woman's laughter, or an embrace. She almost thought, for a moment, that she saw a silvery woman standing watch over them. Suki blinked, and only the silver moon gazed down upon her. She turned, and went back to her sleeping bag.
Katara let out a breath as she gazed at the moon. She stood by the aril of the ferry, looking above. Yue. Katara wondered if her brother was doing alright. "Hey," Zuko's voice broke her from her thoughts. She turned around to see him standing there. He shifted awkwardly. "Can I stand here, too? And talk?"
She let out an amused breath. "We can stand and talk," she told him. He came up closer, beside her at the railing. "Is Jet still over there?"
"Yeah," he said. Katara frowned, and the two of them were silent for a minute. "I tried asking him what he did. He wouldn't say." Katara snorted.
"Because any sane person would avoid him if they knew," she told Zuko. Her brows drew together slightly. She spoke quieter. "You and your uncle in particular should avoid him. It's not safe around him. He may seem nice and all, but I'm telling you, he's crazy." She and Iroh had thought that going to Ba Sing Se would keep Zuko and Iroh safe. But not when Jet was around.
Zuko frowned. "What did he do?" Katara looked away for a moment. "You know a lot about my past," Zuko said, giving a glance around them, probably checking for eavesdroppers. "Do you trust me with yours?"
Katara let out a breath. "A few months ago, my brother and my friend met Jet and his "Freedom Fighters." They were attacking Fire Nation soldiers. At first, this seemed fine," she told Zuko, noticing the conflicted expression as the mention of attacks on his nation's soldiers. "Jet spun a story about how he and his friends had all lost people to the war…that part was probably true. And I fell in with it. I really thought he was a good guy." She closed her eyes as she thought of those few days. If anyone had told her then that she would hate Jet and consider Zuko a friend, she'd have laughed. "My brother wasn't fooled. He felt that there was something off about Jet. Something wrong. But I still believed in Jet. He lied to me, and I believed him."
Zuko frowned as he listened. "What did he do?" It was a quiet growl.
"He used me," Katara quietly snarled. She glanced in Jet's direction, though he wasn't in sight. "He told me that the Fire Nation was going to burn down the forest he and his friends were living in. Told me that if I pulled some water from these geysers to fill a reservoir, then they could use the water to protect their home…it was a lie. The reservoir led to a great dam, and they blew. It. Up. The flood destroyed a nearby village of Fire Nation colonists." She clenched her jaw, hardly noticing Zuko's alarmed look.
"He did what?!" Zuko turned to look in the direction of Jet. Katara saw him clenching his fists, almost walking over. Before he could take two steps, she grabbed his hand.
"It didn't work," she quickly assured him. "My brother found out before he could do it, and he warned the villagers. Nobody died that day—no thanks to Jet." She spat his name. "He lied to me, he manipulated me…if it weren't for my brother, I would have the blood of well over a hundred people on my hands. And despite what the Fire Nation has done, I know that not everyone deserves death. Many of those villagers were innocent children." She shook her head. "If Sokka hadn't saved them…"
"But he did," Zuko reminded her. Katara took a deep breath, meeting Zuko's gold eyes. Jet had no appreciation of nuance, she understood. Not everyone in the Fire Nation was evil. Not even everyone in the Fire Nation's royal family was evil.
"You can understand my concerns about him being here," she said, raising an eyebrow. The last thing Zuko and Iroh needed was Jet in their lives. She definitely wasn't about to let Jet hurt her friends for being Fire Nation. They weren't even helping the Fire Nation anymore.
Zuko nodded. "I'm not interested in spending any more time with him. Especially now."
Katara took a deep breath and let it out. "Why is it that I doubt getting away from him will be so easy?"
Toph was really starting to get sick of not having a clear view of what was happening. Her sense of vibrations had always been sight enough for her, but for the third time in as many weeks, she had no clear sense of what was going on. She had pulled them up as fast as she could, aware of her companions' screams. There was something in the water, apparently, but she couldn't feel any vibrations through the water. She scowled as she heard a large splash and a great shriek. Oh, this can't be good.
"I think I just figured out why they call it the Serpent's Pass!" Sokka said, panic in his voice. "Suki, you know about giant sea monsters, make it go away!"
"Just because I live near the unagi doesn't mean I'm an expert!" Suki snapped, swatting Sokka away.
Sokka grabbed up Momo, holding the lemur up to the monster. How big is it? Toph wondered. Everyone seems kinda freaked out… "Oh great and powerful sea serpent, please accept this humble and tasty offering. Thank you." Toph figured it would be funny, except that everyone was still trembling at the sight of some great serpent. Toph didn't even know what it looked like, or how far it was, but the fact that everyone else was scared of it and she had no way of seeing it unnerved her.
"Hey!" Aang scolded him. "No one's getting eaten!" He used his staff to blast air in the direction of the serpent. "I'll distract it. Toph, can you create a bridge?" He didn't even wait for an answer before he took off."
Toph stepped forward, slamming her feet down. She knelt for a moment, trying to ignore the sounds to fighting between Aang and the serpent. She felt the ground far beneath the water. It was farther down, and almost muddled by the deep layer of water. Still, she found it. She took a deep breath, standing up, and assuming an earthbending stance. She slammed down her foot, raising the earth below them, forming lengthening the platform they were on. Block by block, she made a bridge for them to cross, going across it as she raised the platforms. The sounds of Aang's fight drew closer.
At the final stretch, the sound of the fight suddenly came much closer. As in, right beside them. Toph screamed as she felt the serpent collide with her bridge. She knew she wasn't the only one to do so. The serpent, she felt for one moment, was easily one of the largest creatures she had ever 'seen.' Way bigger than Appa even—just its head was bigger than Appa. It was like a snake almost. And, unfortunately, its collision with the bridge was hard enough to fracture the rocks, sending Toph and the others into the water.
She gasped as most of her body was submerged in the liquid. It wasn't like a bath. It was far, far too deep. And cold. And she didn't know what to do. She had never been in water deep enough to swim in. Not that she would know where to swim to—in the water, she didn't have the slightest sense of vibrations. All she could do was kick and flail, hoping to keep her head above the water.
"Help! I can't swim!" she cried out. Someone had to be able to help.
"I'm coming, Toph!" she heard Sokka shout.
"Help!" she repeated, unable to do anything else. She felt herself sinking below the surface, taking a large breath of air as she went under. But she wasn't below the water for long; in moments, she felt herself being pulled back above the surface. She tried to thank Sokka, only to be informed that it was actually Suki who had saved her. Of course, only acter she had kissed her on the cheek. But in another minute, she was back on solid ground, feeling the vibrations of everyone waiting for Aang to return, drops of water dripping off of all of them. Soon enough, Aang had rejoined them, hesitating as he saw all of them.
He approached Toph. "You were in the water, too?"
"You did say I should try swimming," she told him drily.
"Well, this isn't exactly what I meant," he said, rubbing his head. "Are you okay?"
"I'm here talking to you, aren't I? Suki pulled me out." Toph couldn't help but frown, though. She knew she was capable of holding her own…but for the past few weeks, she had been rendered defenseless more times than she had before in her life.
They took another minute to catch their breaths, then they were back on their way to Ba Sing Se.
Zuko stood by the railing of the ferry, alone.
They would be docking soon. They would have to show their passports, once again. And then they would be admitted into Ba Sing Se as refugees. Not tourists, as Iroh seemed to think. Refugees. From their own nation. Iroh wanted to build a new life in Ba Sing Se. Katara wanted…well, Zuko knew that she wanted to see them safe in Ba Sing Se, then he expected that she would leave.
He would miss her.
But, he thought, she may not want to leave while Jet was around. She seemed too perturbed by the threat he presented to them.
As usual, Zuko seemed to summon trouble by merely thinking about it. "You know, as soon as I saw your scar, I knew exactly who you were," he heard Jet's voice from behind him. Zuko's eyes widened. Was it possible that Jet had known who he was the whole time? But, then, would Jet have stood by for so long if he knew that Zuko and his uncle were firebenders? "You're an outcast, like me. And us outcasts have to stick together. We have to watch each other's backs. Because no one else will."
Zuko relaxed as he understood. Jet didn't really know who they were. He only thought he did. "I've realized lately that being on your own isn't always the best path," Zuko started, and he saw Jet's face turned hopeful. "But I have my uncle, and I have Katara. You and I have nothing to gain from each other." He saw Jet open his mouth to protest. "Katara told me what you did. How you used her, how you tried to destroy a town full of innocent people."
"They were Fire Nation!" Zuko frowned as he heard how Jet spat the name of his nation. "They do the same thing all the time!" Zuko cast his face down. Did they do the same? He had always been told that the war was just.
"You targeted innocent people," he told Jet.
"The Fire Nation isn't any different," Jet responded. "They destroyed my home, we were just a regular village full of people, but they burned us to the ground. I was the last one! And there are countless others, with the same story—don't you understand that?" Zuko scowled, thinking of Katara's home.
"I think maybe I'm starting to," he said. "But that doesn't change that fact that what you did lacked honor. What you did…" He turned to the side, observing the water in the bay, before he turned away. "It wasn't right for the Fire Nation to do that," he admitted. "But that didn't make it right for you to do the same thing." He met Jet's eyes, turning further away. "Thank you for the food. And for the lesson."
He left Jet by the side of the rail, returning to Iroh and Katara.
Well. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'm probably going to be doing a considerable amount of changes to this chapter and the next when I do revisions. Anyways, Jet and Suki have arrived! I'll be having some fun with them. As always, reviews are appreciated.