Jet's a mess ~ I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender

"Can you sit still?" Mai frowns upon Jet moving for the 39th time within the past 10 minutes, "You're starting to annoy me."

"I'm surprised you know what annoyance feels like." Jet jibes, shifting once again, "And no, I can't. Unlike you, I can't sit in one place like I'm some sort of propped corpse."

"I don't see how anyone can stand you." Mai glowers, hinting at Zuko which Jet does not appreciate, "You're such a nuisance."

"Careful Mai." Jet growls, "You're ruining your dead-inside look." Jet soon smiles nastily, "How do you expect to attract Zuko's attention if you blend in with the background?" he picks up on a split-second emotion so he continues, "Did Azula ever tell you that Zuko thinks you're boring, that you're nothing but a big blah?"

Mai's eyes flash, there's hurt in there, "Shut up."

Jet's smile widens, turning crueler, "She didn't, did she?" Jet was lying through his teeth, simply knowing the emotionally stunted girl wouldn't ask Azula if any of this was true, he laughs at her, "Oh, you poor thing ~ !"

Said girl suddenly jumps to her feet and with a knife in hand, she makes to slice Jet's throat open. Jet brings up his forearm causing the knife's razor sharp blade to bounce harmlessly off his metal bracer, bringing his foot up, he manages to plant his foot against her stomach and kick her away from his space viciously. Mai manages to hold herself upright with minimal damage, but she glares at Jet all the same, she's beyond angry and Jet drinks in the sight, absolutely loving the idea that he'd just won. Flexing his fingers, he grins, leveling a look at the enraged girl and outright taunts her.

"I win."

"What's going on here?" Azula's voice demands, she looks between Jet and Mai, a thought forming in her head, she growls, "Lion-heart, I told you - !"

"Oh spare me," Jet rolls his eyes, interrupting Azula whose eyes flash heatedly, "I wouldn't dream of touching Mai. She's so dreadfully dull."

Ty-Lee looks between the three with a nervous look in her eyes – ever since they'd picked up Mai, Lion-heart has been especially nasty towards anyone who catches his attention, his target mainly being Mai, and although Azula knows that Lion-heart holds a particular disdain for Mai, she hasn't been doing a thing to quell the hate between them. Of course, Lion-heart always verbally attacks Mai once Azula or Ty-Lee are nowhere in sight or hearing range, so Azula doesn't truly know how terrible he can get. Ty-Lee only knows this because she'd walked in on Lion-heart saying something particularly mean to her friend, and while she'd wanted to help, she couldn't help but stand frozen in fear at the wicked tone in his voice, he was worse than Azula. Movement from Mai catches the girl's eye, she's sheathing one of her knives – had Mai tried attacking Lion-heart?

"Good." Azula speaks, she's tense, most likely angry judging by her aura, "The Avatar is in sight and I do not need unwanted consequences. Do you understand, Lion-heart?"

"Yes, Princess." Lion-heart bows shallowly, "I understand."

Ty-Lee gets the feeling that Lion-heart doesn't particularly care so she decides to get Mai away from him, "Come on Mai ~ let's do each other's hair!"

Mai sighs but follows anyway, anything to get away from Lion-heart right – when they finally across the Avatar and his friends, Jet watches the girls saddle up the basilisks, he only watches with a bored expression plastered across his face:

"You three go on ahead," he begins, "I was ordered to capture Zuko, not the Avatar."

Mai looks like she's going to say something, but Ty-Lee hastily interrupts, "We won't take too long ~ !"

Jet shrugs, "Take as much time as you want."

Of course, whatever happened didn't last long and they were back at it – the next day, they stop at a river with bundles of wet fur stuck to rocks, Jet rests lazily against the entrance to their mode of transportation and simply watches the girls gather near the river and talk amongst themselves. Jet scans the area and spots the trail of fur taking a rather sharp right, he frowns because that in itself is odd that the kids would suddenly change course without reason, it didn't look like there was some sort of fight. Finally Azula stands, turning and addressing all of them:

"The Avatar is trying to give us the slip." she says, "You three go after the bison. I'll go after this trail."

Jet jerks at this, "You're kidding me, right?"

"I know how much you and Mai love spending time with each other," Azula smiles wickedly in amusement, "So I, being the generous Princess I am, will allow you two to work together."

And just like that, Ty-Lee finds herself stuck between Lion-heart and Mai's grudge match once more, it's uncomfortable and the nimble girl refuses to acknowledge the fact that Princess Azula may know of how badly Lion-heart treats Mai and is amused by all of this.

oOo

It didn't take too long for the trio to find the Avatar's bison, especially since it was a huge, white monstrosity the defied gravity, up ahead, Jet can see a fairly large river separating, one the Water Tribe siblings were planning on using to separate them. Frowning, he snaps the reins of his mount forcing the basilisk to run faster, Appa descends closer to the land, standing on the saddle, Jet positions himself and just before they reach the water, he pushes off and manages to grab a hold of the bison's fur. Using it like a ladder, he quickly scrambles up the side and produces his swords, the two Water Tribe siblings gasp in surprise but before any of them could make a move, Appa promptly crashes, sending the three flying – landing in some nearby bushes, Jet struggles to sit up as Katara and Sokka celebrate, until the basilisks run across the water. Huh, Jet didn't know they could do that. Struggling once more, he finally gets out of the stupid brush in time to see the four entangled in a fight, he pauses, he could continue working alongside Mai and Ty-Lee or he could play Judas and help Katara and Sokka. Bringing out a knife, Jet looks at it contemplatively – so many options, so many outcomes.

Narrowing his eyes at the glinting of the knife, he spins, using his momentum to toss the blade at a faster rate, it snags his target's pant leg forcing them to stop in their tracks, tearing the stupid tie out of his hair he tosses it callously away. Taking up his shuang gou, he steps forward. Mai narrowing her eyes on Jet instantly as the Earth Kingdom native grins, hefting his swords, the gloomy girl rips the knife from the ground and her pant leg, tossing it aside. Her fight with Sokka forgotten, the Water Tribesman watching on in confusion. Apparently Ty-Lee notices their sudden standoff and jumps away from Katara and runs to stand between both Mai and Jet with her hands held out in a pacifying manner:

"Wait you guys!" she starts, glancing nervously between Mai and Jet, "We shouldn't be fighting each other!"

"Ty-Lee," Mai frowns, knives at ready, "He's a traitor."

Ty-Lee gasps and turns to Jet, Jet only chuckles, "In order to be classified as a traitor, I'd have to be loyal first."

"Figures."

Mai shoots a barrage of daggers past Ty-Lee, the girl letting out a surprised squeak, Jet swipes the projectiles out of the air with his sword before dashing past Ty-Lee and going straight for Mai's throat, only the girl is expecting it as she brings up her knives. The two clashing in sparks of metal on metal.

"You guys!" Ty-Lee shouts.

The curvy girl yelps once ice encases her feet, freezing her in place, her eyes flick towards Katara just as the waterbender sends out another strike of water, this time freezing Ty-Lee's hands in place. Frowning, Ty-Lee struggles with the ice momentarily before giving up with a pout and glaring at Katara.

Katara hisses, "Can't get me now."

Jet swings at Mai's stomach but the girl is quick, she dodges and throws another volley of darts, Jet dives out of the way, rolling to his feet, he spins, sending a knife flying for the girl, Mai moves but is stopped by Sokka who swipes at her with his club. Ducking underneath, Mai jumps out of the way and ends up near Katara who sends out a water whip for Mai's feet, the noble woman stumbles back, ultimately nearing Jet who wastes no time in slamming the blunt end of a dagger against the back of her head. Jet smiles maliciously as the girl falls with a dull thud.

Ty-Lee cries out, "Mai!"

"Oh don't worry," Jet scoffs, "She's fine." he turns to the siblings, "Azula's going after Aang. If we hurry, we can help him."

"Right."

Both siblings nod decisively and the trio quickly boards their flying bison and set off, leaving an unconscious Mai and a frustrated/struggling Ty-Lee behind.

oOo

Jumping off the bison alongside the Water Tribe siblings, Jet follows them into the small, deserted town until a prone figure laying on its back catches his attention. Stopping, he peers curiously at the body, the person is dressed in Earth Kingdom robes but their skin is noticeably pale with a shock of black hair, and what appears to be a peculiar mark over their face:

"Jet what are - ?" Katara pauses upon seeing what Jet was looking at; she smiles softly and gives him a gentle nudge, "Go."

"I - ," Jet remembers the fear of seeing Zuko once again, he backs up into Katara, "Princess Azula - ,"

"We'll take care of her," Katara assures, she pushes him forward, "Now go see him."

Nodding numbly, Jet watches the girl run into one of the buildings before he turns his attention back to the seemingly unconscious figure, hurrying to the person's side, Jet feels like his legs are made of jelly and once he's standing beside the person, his fingers loosen and his swords drop, it's Zuko, his legs buckle and he falls to his knees. Raising a shaky hand, he reaches out to touch the Prince's scar – he looked so different than before, but he's still so – a blast of fire forces Jet to jump away from Zuko. Pulling out his knives, he stops upon seeing Iroh, the two men recognizing each other at the same exact moment; Jet opens his mouth to say something until he's dragged into a crushing hug, the sudden action catches him off-guard so he remains tense, unsure of what to do – behind them, Katara smiles at the heartwarming sight before turning her attention back to Azula.

Iroh finally speaks, his voice sounding thick, "We thought you were dead."

"What?" Jet blinks, he still feels like everything is moving in slow motion, "Why would - ?"

A quiet groan has them parting and turning to Zuko, both dropping at his side – Zuko lets out another pained noise, slowly blinking his eyes against the light. Once his vision clears, he sees his Uncle looking down at him and – Zuko falters, Jet was looking down at him as well. Zuko feels his brows scrunch as he opens his mouth – was he dead? Did his Uncle die?!

"Jet?" Zuko rasps as both Jet and Iroh help him sit up, his eyes glued to Jet who offers a sheepish smile. No, he wasn't dead and his Uncle wasn't dead and Jet wasn't dead. He wasn't dead! Zuko felt a prickling sensation at the corner of his eyes, inhaling shakily, he promptly punches Jet in the mouth, "I thought you were dead!" Zuko nearly screeches as he stumbles to his feet, he watches Jet get to his own two feet, hand over his mouth and glaring at him, "Where were you!?"

"Where was I!?" Jet shouts, voice muffled thanks to his hand, "I - !" he hesitates upon seeing something in Zuko's eyes, he sighs, "We'll talk later, okay?"

Jet watches Zuko nod slowly. Grabbing his swords, Jet and the two firebenders move to help Aang and his friends against Azula – later once everything is settled, Jet was going to give Zuko such a hard time for punching him in the mouth. Running from the Avatar and his friends, Azula lets out a surprised gasp as she bumps into something and is sent stumbling into a corner. Looking up, she spots the Avatar's group closing in along with her brother and uncle – her eyes fall upon Lion-heart who has his bow out and an arrow trained on her, her attention flicks from him to her brother. She realizes with a startling understanding that Lion-heart had been using her to get back to her brother, her worthless brother. Clenching her teeth, she holds her hands up, absolutely refusing to dwell on the odd pangs of her heart.

"Well, look at this. Enemies and - ," her eyes fall on Lion-heart as she spits out, "Traitors, working together." he'll pay for choosing her foolish brother over her, "I give up, I know when I'm beaten. A Princess surrenders with honor."

Her eyes study each and every one of them, and of course Lion-heart is smart enough not to tear his attention away from the enemy, but Iroh wasn't entirely paying attention, he should know better. Shooting a burst of flame at her worthless Uncle, Zuzu's satisfying cry tells her that she's made a direct hit; she's prepared for the onslaught that comes. Watching the place where Azula had stood practically explode in a plume of black smoke, Jet turns his attention to Zuko who's already at his Uncle's side. Dropping his bow, he follows after Zuko and kneels beside the old man. Reaching out, he gingerly moves some of the singed clothing and studies Iroh's wounds as the others draw closer. Katara is the first to step forward:

"Zuko, I can help."

Keyed in to Zuko's every move, he notices the tension in the firebender's body and knows what he's about to do before he does it, snapping his hand out, he grabs Zuko's wrist causing the emotionally disturbed boy to glare at him with a fearful heat, but Jet holds his ground, he moves his hand down Zuko's wrist and interlocks their fingers:

"She can help." Jet assures, Zuko's glare softens and he nods jerkily, Jet turns his attention back to Katara, "Go ahead."

Zuko moves gingerly around his Uncle and situates himself at Jet's side, eyes zeroed in on Katara's every move as she pulls out a strip of water and places it to Iroh's wound, Zuko tenses once her hands start glowing but relaxes when Jet gives his hand a gentle squeeze. Positive Zuko wouldn't go I-want-to-burn-the-world on the Avatar's group, Jet moves to get up and gather his weapons, but a hand clasps around his wrist, Jet looks down but Zuko isn't looking at him, his eyes glued to his Uncle's form, Jet looks to Aang who looks mildly surprised at the action he'd witnessed. Jet sits back down.

"Hey."

Aang looks up, "Yeah?"

"Can you get my weapons and bring them here?"

"Oh yeah, sure ~ !" Aang smiles tiredly, "Come on Sokka, let's find Jet's weapons."

"Are you sure?" Sokka says but follows the boy anyway, "He could be planning to kill us as soon as we do."

Aang looks back at the group and can't help but smile softly at the two older boys sitting side by side, "I don't think he will."

Once Katara is done and Jet straps his weapons back in place, both Jet and Zuko watch the waterbender bend the water back into her water-skin.

"Well?" Zuko asks impatiently,

Katara does her best not to frown, "He'll be fine. A little sore, but he'll make it."

Zuko swallows and turns his attention back to his Uncle, Jet looks to Katara and nods, "Thank you."

Katara nods back, "You're welcome."

"Now, you guys better get going. We'll take it from here."

"Are you sure?" Katara asks, "We could - ,"

Obnoxious kissy sounds catches her attention, both Jet and Katara glare at Sokka while Toph snickers, neither Aang nor Zuko are amused.

"Go." Jet reiterates to Katara, "We'll be fine."

Finally Katara concedes and the group says their goodbyes.

Zuko punched Jet because he cannot understand his emotions.