I imagine this story to be 60 chapters long with a million, bazillion words! I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

"Hey Sokka, can I see the map?"

"Why? Do you need to stop somewhere?"

Jet sighs, "Yeah, kind of – there's just something I'd like to see."

Up front, Sokka grumbles but relents, "Fine. It should be in my pack if you look."

Nimbly, Jet moves to kneel beside what he assumes to be Sokka's pack and begins digging around the various objects within until the tips of his fingers brush against a paper-like material. Grabbing what he hopes is the map and not some pinup, he haphazardly tosses the bag next to the others and unrolls the map, smoothing it out before him, his calculated eyes scan the diagram until he can determine where they are – the map is outdated, but it'll do. As he's about to smooth the opposite edge of the map down, Katara beats him to it and puts her weight upon the other half of the portrayal.

"Thank you."

With a free hand, he creates an invisible path to the area he'll meet up with the Prince and just as fate would have it, its north.

"What are you looking for?"

"I just wanted to see if we were anywhere near my hometown." Jet whispers, "I know it's been abandoned and is probably nothing more than ash, but I - ,"

Katara places her hand over Jet's, their eyes meeting, "You still want to see it."

"Yeah – I do." Jet flips his hand over to hold onto hers, "I hate the Fire Nation for what they've done, and it's probably stupid but I want to remind myself that I don't have to be afraid of them anymore. That I'm free." he gives her hand a gentle squeeze, "I want to remind myself that I'm stronger than I was back then."

"It's not stupid at all." she smiles, warm and kind, "Closure is important. We'll make time to visit your hometown, and we'll be there for you if you need us."

Moving his other hand to cup Katara's cheek, he runs his thumb over her soft skin in calming circles, his dark chocolate eyes concentrated upon her features, she really is pretty with her wide, blue eyes and cool, dark skin, highlighting a beautiful, warm blush – her features soft compared to what he's used to seeing. And something traitorous tells him that he could fall for her if things were different, if he weren't so blindly loyal, no, if he weren't so in love with the Fire Prince.

"You've done so much for me since we've met," Jet says, voice soft and vulnerable, "I feel like saying thank you is - ,"

"Y-You don't have to thank me for anything."

"Katara." Jet holds her gaze, "You've given me hope and that's something no thank you will ever cover. You've given me hope that the Fire Lord will be defeated and the Avatar will restore balance to the world. I owe you so much more than words can express."

Katara wills her heart to stop beating so loud, "I - It's nothing. Really – Jet."

"It is." he draws closer, their breath ghosting over one another's lips, "You're a really amazing person, Katara."

They're about to close the 5 inch distance between their lips when the map rips from their hold, the sudden movement startles both teens in to a mad scramble in an attempt to grab a hold of the paper. Jet's fingers barely brush against the edge of the paper but it's too far and it flies out of his reach – both boy and girl watch he paper flutter innocently down to earth before they turn to one another with amused smiles of their own. The Earth Kingdom teen gives the Water Tribe girl a good natured pat on the shoulder before moving towards the front and delivering the news of the lost map to her brother.

With the distracting teenage boy and his secretive smirk gone from her personal space, Katara places a hand over her chest in an attempt to get her heart to slow back down to its normal pace and concentrates on Aang who's pacing back and forth with a fear in his eyes, she blushes bright, in that instant with Jet, everything else had fallen from her thoughts and worries – she felt mildly guilty despite nothing being wrong.

"What!?" Sokka shouts, "You lost the map!?"

Katara can barely hear what Jet says but she knows he's talking, especially when Sokka mutters something heated and distinctly vicious until her brother snaps his attention to Aang and Jet slinks away, he doesn't return to her side and that makes her feel vaguely disappointed but she resists the strong urge to move to his side as she doesn't want to appear clingy – or desperate.

" – and I haven't even tried waterbending yet!" Aang's shout catches her attention, "How am I supposed to master all of the elements when we've lost the map!?"

"I'm pretty sure a map won't help you master any of the elements." Jet speaks from his side of the saddle, "Its paper."

"Jet's right, Aang." Katara pulls her friend into a sitting position, "And I can show you some of the stuff I know."

"Really ~ ?" Aang perks up, "You'll do that ~ ?"

"Of course," Katara smiles, she and Aang crawl towards Jet's side of the saddle and look over the edge, "All we need is a steady source of water."

"So what?" Sokka snorts from the reins, "We just need to find a puddle for you two to splash around in?"

oOo

"Nice puddle."

Overhead, Appa flies past the group and lands in the center of the water body with a huge splash – Jet thinks the bison's got the right idea and begins walking towards the rushing waterfall, but not before seeing Aang in his underwear and that is not on the list of things he's ever wanted to see. Setting a hand in the water to test the temperature, he shrugs and slips his scabbard off and places it against the shore, far from the water lapping at the bank. According to the map, they were only a day or so away from the spot he and Prince Zuko had agreed on meeting at, which meant he'd soon be with his friend once more. Jet pauses to stare at his distorted reflection. Okay. Yeah. Commander Sideburns was probably right:

You have him whipped like a well-trained tiger-dillo.

Thinking of the egotistical firebender only succeeds in making himself angry, untying his sash and shucking off his shirt he drops the articles upon the scabbard. Maybe he can talk Sokka into sparring with him to get rid of the edge. Toeing off his shoes, he reaches for the waistband of his pants when a particularly loud splash catches his attention, looking up, he sees Aang and Katara across from him, Katara with an extremely bright-red face and Aang looking extremely concerned for his friend – he smirks, the girl has taste, he'll give her that. Removing his pants, he tosses them with the rest of his clothes and steps into the water, at least his underwear provides a little more coverage than whatever it was Aang was wearing.

Wading towards the waterfall and well aware of a pair of bright, blue eyes upon his well-toned back, he wonders if Zuko misses him at all or if he just doesn't give a flying turtle-duck. The thought is certainly a little depressing. Slipping underneath the strong pressure of the waterfall, he runs his hands through his hair. But Zuko must care about him since he confessed that Jet was important enough to him that he cared what he thought or said. Gods. He feels like an animal waiting for scraps from its master.

Whipped.

A voice similar to Zhao's teases poisonously.

So fucking what!?

Jet mentally snaps at the voice as he begins furiously scrubbing at his arms – he'll show Zhao the meaning of whipped if he ever gets his hands on that egotistical bastard. Just because he misses his dear friend, a friend he's come to love since they were young, doesn't mean a God damn thing, it simply means they're good friends. Friends who sleep together. Jet's member twitches and he mentally berates himself because he did not mean it like that!

When he exits the water, he feels mildly better but now he's in need of some relief – physically and sexually, he wonders how Sokka is able to stand being around his little sister and some kid monk without relieving himself. Slipping his pants and shoes on, he grabs his shirt and shrugs it on. Jet secures his sash and situates the scabbard on his back just as Aang creates a large wave that sweeps down the river, washing over Appa and Sokka. The tawny teenager would have laughed at the Water Tribe boy's misfortune if their supplies hadn't been washed away as well.

oOo

Resting against the doorframe with both Aang and Katara on the other side, Jet scans the many docked ships in hopes of seeing the familiar steel vessel he's been calling home for the past three years. There is none. Forcing himself to look away from the expanse of water called the sea, he reminds himself that he'll be reunited with his friend again in a few days. Give or take.

Sokka emerges from the shop, "Okay, so we've got three copper pieces left from the money King Bumi gave us."

Aang jumps to his feet and pulls out a whistle, "Make that two copper pieces, I just couldn't say no to this bison whistle ~ !"

Both Jet and Katara are unimpressed with the whistle.

Moving past the two younger boys with the roll of his eyes, he leads the small group by various stalls and peddlers, and he intends to walk past some scrawny man dressed in green hollering nonsense at passer-bys, but the man manages to gain Aang's attention. Which isn't that hard now that he thinks of it. Jet doesn't even need to look at the wares to know that there is nothing upon the ship that will interest him, nothing he wants or needs.

"You guys go on in." Jet says, "I'm going to take a walk."

Katara stops, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Suit yourself." Sokka shrugs; Katara casts him a final glance before following her brother.

Once the trio of kids disappear into the dark of the ship, Jet turns from the sea-weathered ship and continues on in the direction they had originally been walking. And as he strolls along, he starts to daydream of a metal ship with flames flying proud, of an angry teen with an angrier scar, of a rotund man who smells of tea and speaks in proverbs, and of a woman who'd sacrificed herself for the safety of her son. But as he comes to, he realizes that as he looks around at the many people dressed in a variety of colors, he knows that he no longer belongs upon Earth Kingdom soil – not when his heart and mind belong to a piece of the Fire Nation. Pulling himself from his thoughts with a frown, he smothers the thoughts in his head.

"Come on, Jet!" Katara suddenly shouts as she drags him after the other two,

"What happened!?" Jet asks, now keeping pace with the waterbender,

"I don't know!" Sokka exclaims, "We were just browsing and suddenly BAM they start wanting to kill us!"

The four turn down one of the many streets, passing by startled pedestrians and vendors alike – he slows to a stop, spinning on his heels and brandishing the broadswords with an expert twirl:

"You guys go on ahead, I'll catch up with you later!"

"What?" Katara stops and stares at Jet, "Jet?!"

Aang pulls her along soon enough, "He'll be okay Katara, come on!"

Slipping into a swordsman stance, a malicious smile creeps across his lips and his eyes darken. The pirates slow to a stop, all with varying degrees of shock and amusement, meanwhile the civilians hurry to safety.

"Normally, I'd give you a chance to leave with your lives." Jet starts, voice low and spiteful, caressing the blade against the other, "But it's been a while since I've been able to stretch my muscles."

It's the only warning the men get when the teen charges them, the area becoming a symphony of steel singing and men shouting – standing amongst the small battlefield, he scans the area before giving an affirmative grunt. Wiping the blades on his pants, he sheathes the swords and starts his journey to their camp, humming a little song to himself, the cheery tune a horrid contrast to the splatters of blood grotesquely staining his shirt.

"Jet ~ !" Katara greets upon his arrival but stops shortly upon seeing the blood, "Oh no – are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Jet offers sheepishly, he turns to Sokka, "Any idea why they attacked?"

"Yes." Sokka huffs, Katara shrinks in on herself, "As it turns out, my crazy sister stole some waterbending scroll!"

"Really?" Jet blinks, he turns to Katara before grinning, "Nice ~ ."

Both Aang and Katara beam, Sokka letting out a sound that resembles choking, "Don't encourage them! We nearly got killed by a group of pirates over some stupid scroll just so she can learn some fancy splashes!"

"We're still in one piece aren't we?" Jet counters with an easy smile, "And Aang does need the practice."

Sokka splutters and stomps before throwing his hands up in the air, grumbling about benders and surrounded by crazy people, Jet casts both Aang and Katara an approving smile which seems to make the two puff up proudly. That night, he sleeps peacefully, dreaming of a pretty raven-feathered bird singing a soothing lullaby to a child made of fire, as he nears consciousness, the sound of Sokka squawking about something or other awakens him fully. Blinking sleepily at the slowly brightening sky, he turns to look at the other two males – he's nowhere near ready when the glinting of an arrowhead racing for his heart forces him to roll out of the way and dive for his swords, he's able to deflect two more arrows, turning on his heel he sees a burly man shoot a more arrows at him, but it's too late to move for a net wraps around him and he's pulled to the ground, falling with a quiet oomph and being dragged away alongside Aang, leaving some man to grab the broadswords with dirty, greasy hands.

"Where are you taking us!?" Aang demands as Jet struggles in his net.

"We're trading you and your friend for the waterbending scroll the girl stole." Aang's captor speaks, "I believe you know of the Prince."

Jet stops his struggling, he feels both Aang and Sokka's gaze on him, "You mean Prince Zuko?"

"Yeah – that's his name!"

Allowing his body to relax and fall limp, he goes silent and remains unmoving and quiet for the rest of their journey, refusing to struggle or offer biting remarks as they tie him up. Apparently Sokka seems to worry for him, what with the glances he kept sending his way:

"Don't worry." Sokka whispers to him, "We'll get away."

"I'll never get away." Jet murmurs as they're forced to walk.

At the riverside, Jet feels his heart soar and gut twist once he sees the Prince, he swallows hard once their eyes catch and forces himself to look away, he spots Katara tied up beside Iroh, the girl giving him a sad glance and mouths sorry –instantly reminding Jet that he's supposed to be afraid of the Fire Prince, not excited to see him – Zuko steps forth:

"Hand over the boy with the arrow tattoo and the Earth Kingdom peasant, and you will get your scroll."

"Hand over the scroll first." the pirate captain grouses.

Zuko frowns, "I believe we've already been through this before."

The Captain gestures for the man holding Jet to go forth, but before Jet can take a step, Sokka speaks up:

"Are you really going to trade the Avatar and a trained assassin for a measly waterbending scroll?"

Jet whips his head towards Sokka, his mind instantly wondering if the Water Tribesman somehow found out, "What - ?"

"What are you doing Sokka?" Aang asks nervously.

"I'm sure the Avatar and the Assassin will go for a lot on the black market."

"Shut your mouth peasant!" Zuko snaps.

"Yeah Sokka, you should really shut your mouth."

"All I'm saying is, the Fire Lord will pay a lot. Enough to set you guys up for life. And who knows, maybe you can use the assassin for killing and stuff, maybe people can hire him from you ~ ."

"What are - ?"

"Keep the stupid scroll!" the Pirate Captain shouts, "With the reward we'll get for the Avatar and the profit of a hired assassin, we'll be able to buy 30 of them."

Zuko growls, fire sprouting from his fists, "You'll regret crossing me."

Hearing the telltale sound of fire racing for them, Jet elbows a pirate in the gut and grabs a hold of his knife – smokes go off and Jet frees himself of the ropes. He wants to see the Prince. Traversing the smoky battlefield, he cuts the throats of pirates and soldiers alike, he exits the smoke cloud and spots another, he sighs before charging in. Dodging spears and bursts of fire, he spots the familiar swish of a ponytail. Zipping forward, he grabs a hold of the Fire Prince's wrist and tugs him close. Seeing the surprised look in those gold eyes and a light blush is worth it, Jet feels time slow and his body relax, he offers a weary smile – Zuko still has that ridiculous waterbending scroll and it honestly makes Jet want to laugh, what will the silly Prince do with a waterbending scroll?

"If I were you, I'd burn that scroll."

"You think so?"

"I know so. It'll set the Avatar and his little friend back."

Zuko smirks and the scroll begins to smoke before going up in flames, the Prince appears to mull something over before letting out an annoyed sigh, "I – you. Just – hurry and get the Avatar to the rendezvous, I'm – tired of these games."

I miss you.

Jet blinks at the Zuko-like admittance but before he can form a coherent thought, he grabs the back of the Prince's neck and pulls him close, planting a chaste kiss to a pair of warm lips that taste smoky. Within the three second peck, the dying embers within his chest turns to a pillar of smoke, reigniting into a tame candle's flame – the possibility of growing radiating from the fire. Pulling away from the fire he's come to long for, he sees a red hue scorched into the Prince's fair skinned cheek.

"What was - ?"

"For good luck." Jet grins before shoving his friend out of the smoke.

Escaping the smoke and the fighting, he finds Katara and the others at the boat, the others give him a relieved smile – he feels lighter, the fleeting kiss enough to hold his demons at bay.

I know, I know I said there was going to be no kissing until way later, but damn it all I needed this!