Chap. 16

Reconciliation Part 2: Of Earth and Fire

Jin walked along the path, her mind awash with Luz's story. As she thought on it, the message made more and more sense, and made her hesitation seem somewhat foolish. Luz and Oscuirdad had been at even greater ends of the spectrum then she and Zuko were. After all, what was nationality compared to basic humanity? And they seem so happy together. Jin thought to herself. Of course, I wish Luz would've told me how on Earth she became the way she is now, because that had to be a big part of it. And it isn't like I can become a Firebender for Zuko or vice versa.

But that sounded so petty given how much love the two of them had to have had for each other before that. Oscuridad had truly loved Luz, and even though he'd lied to her, he had done it to protect their love from all the demons that came with his true identity. And Zuko had a lot of those same demons with him, plus he'd been a wanted fugitive and according to his uncle, very hesitant about close personal experiences. It explained a lot of his nervousness when they'd first met, but if he'd had these problems, why would he have stayed with her afterwards? Maybe he really does care about me. But do I feel that way about him after all this?

Zuko moved silently along the path, using all of his training to its fullest extent. It might've seemed foolish to an outsider; after all, Zuko was trying to talk to this girl, and he was hanging back, almost avoiding her. But there was a method to this madness. Zuko wanted to have some privacy when they talked, and that meant getting as far from the others as possible. But Zuko also needed the time for another reason; he had absolutely no idea what he was going to say to her. He'd apologized for his lies and that more or less been the extent of his planning in that area. Uncle was right. I never think these things through at all. Zuko thought as he trailed behind. What should I do then? Should I get down on my knees and make a heartfelt vow of love to her? I'm not sure I could even get out two words that didn't sound like babble. And what if she doesn't want anything to do with me no matter what?

But what if she does? He thought a second later. Remember what Oscuridad said; it would hurt more to live and not know then to find out and be hurt. I have to do this, even if I don't know how. Besides, in all the plays back home, the hero always knows what to say to his lady when he proclaims his love. Maybe that's how it works in real love too. Wait, that's stupid. If it was that easy, I wouldn't be having this problem. I've got to figure out what to say.

But before could begin to think of any heartfelt declarations, a pair of figures suddenly whizzed past Jin, casing her to twist around in an attempt to avoid them. Zuko realized the danger he was in and tried to leap out of the way, but before he could, the two kids shot past him on their stranger wheeled boards. Zuko twisted to avoid them, but one of them grazed his side and knocked him to the ground. Zuko hit with a thud as the two kids shot off down the paths. Damn punks. The former princes thought, as he turned on his side and started to get to his feet. But before he could, he heard a voice say, "How long have you been following me?"

Grimacing more from that voice then the pain, Zuko looked up and saw Jin looking down at him with a bemused expression.

"Well?" she asked.

"Um, since you started walking?" Zuko said sheepishly. Jin shook her head, and Zuko thought that he was done before he even began. But then she extended her hand to him. Zuko took it gratefully and got to his feet.

"We need to talk don't we?" Jin said. Zuko nodded, mentally thanking the gods that he still had a chance.

"Well, I don't feel like walking anymore, so let's go sit down and talk." Jin said. Zuko feverishly agreed, and the two of them moved over to the grass next to the path and sat down.

"This is so hard, you know." Jin said once they were sitting. "I remember when I first saw you in the tea shop. You were so quiet and secretive. But you were handsome too; even that scar couldn't destroy it." Zuko smiled briefly at that, as Jin continued. "Everything about you was such a mystery, and I wanted to solve it. Now I wish I had never looked. Because now I'm so confused about you. You were so strange at first, but after the fountain, I thought that maybe you were just afraid to be yourself. You used Firebending by the way, didn't you?"

Zuko nodded. "I thought so. I can't believe I didn't think of it. I just thought you were a nice guy who was trying to be tough. But instead you were trying to be something else, someone else entirely. Lee was just a quiet ex-circus performer, but Zuko is the Prince of the Fire Nation. And I just don't know if I can reconcile them. I know it sounds petty and stupid because you're both the same person no matter your past, but….."

"But what?" Zuko asked gently.

"I-I just don't know the person you were." Jin said, as tears started to run down her face. "All I know is stories about Zuko, the banished prince who terrorized every port he came to, looking for the Avatar that didn't exist. And I….. I….." Jin stopped then, as she took a deep, sobbing breath and wiped her eyes.

"Jin." Zuko said then, in an apprehensive voice. "Do you hate me?"

She was quiet then, as his question hung in the air. Zuko waited with his heart in his throat, as he prayed to Darya for the answer he wanted. But finally, she said, "No Zuko, I don't think I do. But….. it's complicated."

"Do you still care about me?" he asked then.

Again silence. Then Jin gave a quick, hard nod.

"I still care about you too Jin. I've never stopped. But you're right. You don't know who I was before. I wish you didn't have to, because I'm not proud of that person. I was selfish and arrogant, barely caring about the people around me. My father's part of the reason, but I did a lot of it myself. But that isn't me anymore. Because that me scares me, and I can never let myself fall down that hole again. The person you met in Ba Sing Se is the person I'm trying to be."

"I can believe you, but I just don't know…" Jin said.

"You remember how I said things were complicated before?" Zuko said.

"Yeah."

"They were complicated because I didn't know how to deal with it, and I think that's what you're going through now. But if we both know we care about each other, do those complications really matter? We're two people who love each other. What else matters?"

Jin looked at Zuko then, her eyes wide with tears and amazement. Zuko looked back, and slowly, he began to lean forward. Jin began to lean as well. The two of them drew closer and closer until finally, their lips joined together in a gentle kiss. Zuko reached forward and wrapped his arms around Jin, drawing her in closer as Jin embraced Zuko. As their kiss deepened, Zuko thought for a brief moment, Perhaps the plays are closer to reality then they know.