Katara almost couldn't believe her luck—but only almost, because of course, the spirits seemed to have it out for her. What were the odds that Jet, homicidal, delusional maniac Jet, would be on the very same ferry that she was, bound for Ba Sing Se? Apparently, high.

She had been more than surprised to see him on the deck, talking with Zuko and Iroh, no less. Her first instinct had been to water whip him right off of the boat, but to her surprise, Jet had claimed that he was a changed man. Zuko and Iroh seemed to believe that he was good, and his idea to help the people onboard had been a good one—albeit morally gray, though she was no stranger to stealing if it was for the greater good. And, given the high-quality food Jet had pilfered along with Zuko, Smellerbee, and Longshot, she was feeling a little more forgiving.

But Katara still didn't trust him. And it definitely didn't have anything to do with the fact that her crush on him had blinded her to the type of person he was.

Annoyingly enough, Iroh and Zuko seemed to get along with him and the others as they woke up the next morning, eating breakfast together. Katara sat slightly apart from them, only half-listening as Jet regaled them with tales of his Freedom Fighters. She wondered if he was trying to impress them, and if he was, why?

He also kept throwing glances her way as well, which she pointedly ignored. If Jet thought for one second that she would even think about kissing him or anything else, he must have lost his mind.

Eventually, she couldn't stand to hear him bragging anymore. She got up and left, wanting to check on some of those she had healed yesterday. It didn't seem like anyone noticed her departure, and she was okay with that. She could use some time alone, anyway (or at least, time away from the others).

Katara made her rounds with encouraging smiles and probing hands. People were genuinely happy to see her, and many thanked her profusely. It felt nice to be able to help people. She had missed that during her travels with Zuko, since they had often avoided being around too many people.

She spent a few hours healing before she took a break. The sun was hot overhead, but cool mist rose up from the water. Katara leaned against the railing and mopped the sweat from her brow. In the distance, she could see land coming into view. And, she thought, beyond that she could see the walls of Ba Sing Se. They would reach the shore by nightfall. By tomorrow, they would be safe inside the city's walls.

Katara wasn't alone for long when Jet's voice came from behind her, "There you are. I've been looking for you all morning."

Then he was leaning on the rail against her, bringing with him the smell of hay and pine needles. Katara was starkly reminded of a boy with a spirits-may-care attitude in a tree house, and she quickly pushed the memory away. It didn't matter if Jet had changed, she told herself. He was still bad.

Then what of Zuko? a small voice in the back of her mind asked. He's done bad things—threatening your grandmother, trying to capture Aang, burning down Kyoshi Island—but you've forgiven him, haven't you? You trust him. You actually...sort of like him.

But Zuko was different, she told herself. Katara had seen the true side of him during their weeks traveling together. Beneath the fire and fury, Zuko was compassionate, and thoughtful, and sometimes, even kind. She had never seen those behaviors from Jet, unless there was something to be gained.

"What do you want, Jet?" Katara asked, her voice sharper than was strictly necessary.

Jet looked at her, one wicked brow arching higher. "Whoa, what's up with the hostility? I thought you trusted me."

"Trust is a strong word," Katara retorted. She kept her eyes out on the water, not quite willing to look at him.

"Lee and Mushi trust me," Jet pointed out.

Katara glared at him from the corner of her eye. "They trust you because I said so. They trust you because they don't know what you did."

"I've changed, Katara," Jet said earnestly. He eyed her. "And so have you. You're not the same person you were when we first met."

"No," Katara said, thinking of everything that she had been through in the months since she had first met him. "I'm not."

"What happened to your brother and Aang? Why aren't you with them?" Jet asked. "How did you end up with Lee and his uncle?"

"It's a long story," Katara hedged. It was none of Jet's business.

He was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "I really am sorry, Katara. For everything that I did. It was wrong of me. I know that now. I was just so blinded by my hatred for the Fire Nation that I didn't see I'd become the very thing I wanted to destroy."

Katara pressed her lips into a thin line. Could she believe him? The Jet she had known was adamant in his convictions. He had truly believed that he was right to do what he did, and even worse, he'd convinced a bunch of other kids to follow him. He would have killed that entire town if Sokka hadn't gotten the citizens out.

And just because people could change, it didn't mean that she had to forgive him or trust him. Once they were in Ba Sing Se, they'd likely be going their separate ways, anyway.

"I can't forget what you did, Jet," Katara said as she finally looked at him. "Stealing some food for refugees doesn't negate it. And I certainly don't have to trust you."

She shrugged off of the railing and made her way through the crowded deck, leaving Jet behind.

But she hadn't made it very far when she was intercepted by Zuko. His face was set in his usual scowl, and for a moment, she was worried that something had happened. But his expression smoothed out once he saw her, and he gestured for her to follow him over to an empty part of the deck.

"Where did you go?" he asked her.

Katara offered him a thin smile. "I was just healing some more of the refugees."

A dark look passed over his face, disappearing as quickly as it had come. "Were you with Jet?"

Katara quirked her brow at him. "No. Well, not at first. He found me," she amended.

The corners of his lips twitched downwards. Katara's eyes followed the subtle motion. He had very nice lips, she realized. Her mind flitted back to the previous night—she couldn't believe he hadn't kissed anyone! But Katara quickly forced herself to focus.

"I don't know if I trust him," Zuko growled, his eyes cutting off to the side.

Katara frowned internally. He was acting weird, even for Zuko. Why did he care if she was with Jet? And why was he saying Jet wasn't trustworthy? They'd seemed to get along just fine last night.

Oh. Katara blinked. Was he…? No, he couldn't be. There was no way Zuko would be jealous of Jet. Zuko was twice the fighter that Jet was, and he was just as, if not more than, strong and capable as him. What did Zuko have to be jealous about?

"Did something happen?" Katara inquired curiously.

Zuko couldn't quite look her in the eye, nor disguise his scowl as he said, "No. It's just a gut feeling. And you don't trust him, right?"

Katara shook her head. "No, I don't. He can try to say he's changed all he wants, but I don't trust him."

"Then I don't either," Zuko said with finality. He shook his head before he muttered, so low she almost didn't hear him, "I don't know what you saw in him."

Katara huffed out an indignant breath and put her hands on her hips. "Well, excuse me! I didn't know he was a jerk back then."

"So you just let a stranger kiss you?" Zuko returned, finally meeting her gaze. His expression was unreadable.

"No, it wasn't like that!" Katara said defensively. She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you care, anyway?"

"I don't!" Zuko exclaimed.

Katara gave him a grating look. "Really? Because you sure seem to."

"Why would I care who you've kissed? It's none of my business," Zuko said hotly as he crossed his arms over his chest. Katara wondered if he knew that made him look like a petulant child. "You can kiss whoever you want to."

"That's right, I sure can," Katara said. "And it's none of your concern!"

"That's what I just said!"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I don't even know why I'm having this conversation with you."

"I don't know why I'm having this conversation with you," Zuko returned acidly.

Katara studied him for a moment. Then, it clicked. He wasn't jealous of Jet, he was jealous of Jet kissing her! But that didn't make any sense. Why would Zuko care? Unless… But no, that wasn't possible. Sure, Katara thought he was kind of attractive, sometimes, but there was no way that Zuko felt the same way about her. But she wanted to find out if, maybe, it was true.

"You're jealous!" Katara said accusingly.

Zuko looked at her sharply, his scowl deepening. "No, I'm not. Why would I be jealous?"

Katara raised her eyebrows. "You tell me."

"I'm not jealous," Zuko insisted, his voice dropping to a growl. "If you want to kiss jerks like Jet, by all means, be my guess. But don't come crying to me when he breaks your stupid heart."

With that, Zuko stomped off. Katara glared at his retreating back.

"Who says I want to kiss him anyway?" Katara called after him.

But Zuko didn't look back at her. Katara leaned against a pillar, deflating. What the heck had just happened?