Besides making Jet's acquaintance, the only good thing about the move in Katara's mind, was that bending was not forbidden in the Earth Kingdom. She was free to play in whichever puddle of water she chose, the only consequences being her mother hissing at her to stop making a mess of herself. It even came in handy when her mother decided to open a flower stand. Via trial and error, Katara slowly learned how to freeze water, and force it to flow into the flowers stems. It was hard work, but the Waterbender realized, just how happy being able to Waterbend, made her.
Jet was a dark-brown haired boy who was charming and outgoing, with a warm, gentle smile always resting on his lips. His familiar manner made Katara comfortable around him and their constant exploration of the city soon filled it with many pleasant memories that helped her accept it as her new home. Sokka liked Jet too, though sometimes he thought of him as a corrupting influence on Katara. This was never truer than when the cabbage merchant brought them back home by the ears, demanding payment for his damaged goods. These little escapades would always earn Katara an extra weekend shift at the flower stand her mother owned, but it didn't curb her desire to associate with Jet in the least bit.
Slowly but surely Kilana's flower stand became more popular until it was frequented by people in the upper tier of Ba Sing Se. Her flowers were always the prettiest and the freshest, staying alive the longest. Whenever customers asked her how she did it, she would smile and say it was Water Tribe magic. What she never told them was that her daughter would bend water into ice and the flowers were always kept at a cool temperature, prolonging their life.
Their living conditions were limited. Even though Kilana's flower stand was rather profitable, when the times were lean, people would cut out the unessential items, like flowers, putting them through difficult economic times. This was only made worse by Kilana's decision to hire private tutors for her children, which took up a large portion of her income. But as refugees, her children's prospects for a bright future were very dim. The only chance they had of escaping the poverty she had inflicted on them by moving them to Ba Sing Se, was to get them the best education possible and hope they entered the Royal Academy.
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Kilana had a soft spot for Jet, who was an orphan and generally a good boy, though a bit mischievous. The first year after they moved to Ba Sing Se, Katara, Jet and Sokka became inseparable. Katara's mother even began to think of him as an adoptive son, since he was always at their flower stand or apartment. She treated him like one of her own and slowly, Jet began to see her as a mother as well. Over the next two years Kilana even went as far as to hire a private tutor for Jet, but soon discovered, he did not have the discipline or interest in academics that her children had. He was however, extremely adroit in physical disciplines such as martial arts. After much discussion with Jet, Kilana decided to pay for martial arts lessons for Jet, to facilitate his getting a commission in the Earth Kingdom Army, as an officer. This career option would provide stability and security for him and his family, for the rest of their lives.
There were many reasons, Kilana was Jet's matron, but the main one came from the partiality she saw Katara had for him. Jet seemed to like her too, and it reminded her of how her parents had taken Hakoda under their wing, because he was an orphan she happened to like. She wanted Katara to marry for love, but she also didn't want her to marry someone who didn't have the means to support a family. And she would do everything in her power to make her daughter happy. It was the least she could do after subjecting her to a life without a father.
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Life was hectic for Katara and her family. Between working the flower stand, keeping up with grueling lessons and finding time to practice her Waterbending, it was no wonder they all lost track of time. Two years flew by, and before she knew it, Katara began to see Jet as more than a friend, often blushing whenever he came near her, not noticing that Jet also faintly blushed whenever she stood next to him or touched him.
However, one person who did notice the blue eyed girl's odd behavior around Jet, was Sokka. As much as he loved his best friend, he didn't like the prospect of that match one little bit. Jet was nice and all, but he did seem to have a wondering eye when it came to girls and he could be undisciplined, spiteful, bigoted and vindictive, at times. Katara deserved someone better; someone who was loyal and loving but also fiercely protective, someone like their dad. So, in his infinite wisdom Sokka decided to do the best thing he knew to do: get Jet and himself some girlfriends.
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After the death of his beloved son, Lu Ten, Iroh began to treat Prince Zuko as his surrogate son taking him on his campaign against the Air Nomads to teach him the art of war. His wise uncle always kept him away from the heavy fighting, in an effort to teach him the value of human life. War was the last place Zuko would have expected to learn this, but amazingly enough it did more for him than all of his years studying philosophy and war strategy in his father's palace. The constant smell of panic, fear and blood, did much to teach the young prince respect for humans and self restraint in terms of feeding.
Iroh was both proud and pleased with Zuko's eagerness to learn everything and anything that was required for him to be the next Fire Lord. Compassion was a lesson seldom taught in the Fire Nation court, which is why the old general felt the Fire Nation was embroiled in wars for most of its history. In his heart, Iroh hoped, Zuko would be the kind and compassionate ruler, the Fire Nation had never had. Under his nephew's leadership, he hoped the world would be a more peaceful and prosperous place.
Zuko liked to watch the moonrise from the deck of the ship. By nightfall, the most vicious fighting had stopped and the smells of humanity had died down. He enjoyed this time to himself. Often he would let his mind wander, finding himself thinking about home. More than anything he wanted to return, but he knew it was in his best interest to learn as much as possible from his uncle. After all, his uncle was at one point Fire Lord, but abdicated in favor of his brother for some unknown reason.
Every once in a while though, usually whenever he caught himself dozing in the moonlight, he would awaken to a faint, sweet smell, that reminded him of someone he couldn't remember. But as soon as he inhaled the fragrance, it seemed to disappear. No one else seemed to smell anything other than the salty sea breeze or the scent of sweaty sailors, so he stopped bringing it up every time he encountered it. In the grand scheme of things, it didn't seem to matter.
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Katara didn't like what she felt when Jet made himself a girlfriend by the name of Jun. That she was taller and better developed than she was, only added fuel to her insecurities. Why did he have to go and date an older woman? She couldn't possibly compete with the five years of development Jun had on her! For the first time in her life, Katara thought she felt her heart break. Having no one else to turn to, since Sokka was too busy making googly eyes at his Kyoshian girlfriend, she told her mother, who advised her to focus on her studies and give Jet some time to come to realize just how special she was.
As the months passed, Katara came to terms with Jun and Jet's relationship. It was difficult at first, but the humiliating thought of Sokka being admitted to the Royal Academy of Scientific, Military and Bureaucratic Arts while she was rejected, was enough to make her move on. Eighteen months from now, Katara would have to present an entrance exam to the most prestigious school in the whole Earth Kingdom. If she wanted to attend, all the anguish and anger she felt at seeing the person she cared for spend time with someone else, needed to be channeled into her academics.
This school's entrance exams were legendary. Less than two out of a hundred students that took the exam, would pass. Being a refugee was also a strike against her gaining admission, but she hoped to score so well on the exam, to make her nationality not matter. Sokka had already presented his exams and was awaiting news on his acceptance. Of the two, he was always the most resourceful and charismatic. If he got in, it would come as no surprise to anyone.
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Jet noticed Katara's treatment of him had become a little distant when he started dating Jun. Unsure of why Katara was acting so strangely, he asked Sokka for advice, but was told not to pry. She was a wonderful girl, but in many ways, too much like a little sister for him to feel anything other than brotherly affection towards her. It didn't help that Sokka was always reminding him of that fact. It almost seemed like his blue-eyed guy friend wanted to reinforce the platonic nature of his relationship to Katara.
When Jun broke up with him to follow in her father's bounty hunting footsteps, Jet was left to ponder the nature of his relationship with his best friend's sister. For almost two years he had dated Jun, never thinking of the blue-eyed maiden as anything other than a sister. But now that all outside influences were removed, he started to see her as something more. Secretly he wondered if Katara felt the same way about him.
Jun was beautiful, but hard and calculating, something that gradually wore on him. Katara was not only pretty, she was gentle and kind as well – just the person to help heal the wounds Jun had left wide open. Despite noticing that their friendship grew colder the closer he got to Jun, she had always been a soft shoulder for him to cry on whenever things with his girlfriend got out of hand, as they often did.
Clearly he remembered the first time he had seen Jun cuddling with an Earth Kingdom soldier under a dark and menacing sky. Jet had shown up at her work a little early to walk her home in case the storm broke, only to find her in capable hands. Instead of confronting the soldier, who was clearly older and stronger, he ran back to Sokka's apartment hiding his tears of heartbreak in the downpour, surprised to find Katara buried under a pile of scrolls, reading. She let him in and used her bending to dry him as his feelings poured out of his mouth. Saying nothing, she placed a delicate brown hand on his shoulder, making him fall into her deep blue eyes, almost erasing the pain Jun had caused him. When she smiled at him, everything felt right again.
All Jet needed was the opportunity to get close to Katara without arousing Sokka's or Kilana's suspicions. His matron's attitude towards him had changed when he started dating Jun, because his studies in the martial arts had slackened. Two exam cycles had passed him by, much to Katara's mother's frustration. She wanted Jet to obtain his commission and begin his career as an officer, before he got too old, but he had other priorities. The disappointment he felt at letting Kilana down was numbed by Jun, but now that she out of the picture, he would get his life back on track, making her proud of him again.
It was just a matter of biding his time. Soon, he would find out if his Water Tribe friend would be leaving Ba Sing Se's lower tier for a long time. With Sokka gone, catching Katara's interest would be easy. Regaining Kilana's confidence in him however, would take longer, but he was sure that if he applied himself to his studies, he would be in her good graces again.
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Sokka had always excelled in both math and science and had recently entered the Academy, which was no small feat for a refugee. Most Academy students were from the upper tiers and were following in their parents' civil service footsteps. All Academy graduates had the option of entering civil service, guaranteeing them cushy jobs for life. Kilana was very proud of Sokka and wanted a similar future for Katara, who did not want to disappoint her mother. She excelled in all of the subjects taught by her tutor even though a lifetime of civil service was unpalatable to her.
The thought of working in indoors all day, away from ocean, seemed more like punishment than a reward, but marrying and starting a family so soon, seemed like a waste after her mother's investment in her education. Kilana had sacrificed so much to make sure Katara could have an education and move ahead in life, and she would not throw it all away by settling down anytime soon. Besides, there was no one she was interested in other than Jet, and the two years he had spent with Jun, really confused her feelings towards him.
Part of her still cared for him as more than a friend, but if she did attend the Academy like Sokka, then she would not have time for him. Jet was a nice guy, but he did have certain flaws that were somewhat of a turn-off. Perhaps she would meet someone she liked better at the Academy, if she got in of course. She was still young and wanted to keep herself free of all emotional entanglements – at least for the time being.
When Jet started frequenting the stand and visiting their home, after Sokka's departure, Katara's confusion worsened. She liked the attention she received from Jet, but at times it was overbearing and asphyxiating. Almost every weekend he would try to get her to do some activity with him and almost always she declined, using the coming exam as an excuse to stay home and study. As much as it might have hurt to turn Jet away, it would hurt ten times more if he became a boyfriend she would have to leave behind.
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It had been six months since Sokka's departure and Katara was still adjusting to his absence. Never had she realized how close she had been to her brother until he had left. His letters always told her he was doing well in school and that he had made a lot of friends but they always betrayed a hint of worry and sadness. Initially she received a letter from him every other week but as his workload at school picked up, the frequency of his letters dropped off.
Katara would always write back telling him that she and mom were fine, the flower-stand was still in one piece, and that she missed him a lot. He would occasionally ask about his friends, but since Sokka had left, only Jet and Suki had come to visit them. Suki's visits were short and fun, while Jet's visits were always long, awkward and sometimes boring. Still, it was nice to see them, though most encounters with Jet had turned uncomfortable since he broke up with Jun. It was obvious he also felt awkward around her and it saddened her that he had lost his mysterious aloofness. Every time he came near her, he blushed unable to hold her gaze. Sometimes, she wished he just wouldn't visit.
Trying hard to ignore her feelings and his efforts, she kept herself busy by studying particularly hard at her lessons. Her tutor had practically doubled her workload and was relentless in her drilling. In two months it would be time to take the entrance exams for the Academy and Katara was nervous. She wanted to receive admission, not so much for her, but for her mother. Her mom had sacrificed so much to give them this opportunity and Katara wanted to live up to her mother's expectations. She didn't know if Sokka's being a student there would help or hinder her admission, but she would do everything in her power to be highest scorer on the test.
The flower shop was doing well enough. Her mother was working harder than usual, since Katara was busy preparing for her exams and Sokka was gone, and considered hiring someone to help her full time. She had discussed this with Katara and she had suggested hiring Suki, which her mother did not think was a bad idea.
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Sokka had an easy time adjusting to his new surroundings. He was naturally friendly and outgoing and his intelligence made a positive impression on his instructors. His open manner had gained him many friends. He missed his family but he did not succumb to the depression that many of his peers experienced at being away from their families for the first time.
He liked and did quite well in all of his classes but his favorite by far was Military Science. He seemed to have a natural ability for thinking strategically and one day after class his instructor had told him that his natural charisma would take him far in the military, if he ever chose to join. Sokka was genuinely flattered though he told him he preferred the stability of civilian life.
All things considered, these six months had gone quite well. He was halfway done with his first year, had the highest scores in his class group and hopefully would soon have his sister join him. He did miss his mom, but once Katara was accepted to the Academy, he hoped with all of his heart, his mom would no longer have to support either of them. One of the benefits of gaining admission in to this school was that tuition, room, board and small stipend, were all paid by the Earth Kingdom, with the understanding that the students would then engage in eight years of service to their king.
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The test day had finally arrived and Katara was very nervous. She had to travel to the upper ring take the test and she had to make sure she had all of her paperwork on her. The last thing she wanted was to miss her test because she did not have her transit papers with her. It early enough that the sun had not yet some out. Her mother had woken her up very early and they drank some jasmine tea and ate some rice cakes before they walked over to the train station. They had passed a couple of Dai Li agents on the way that had eyed them curiously, but said nothing.
They walked past a fairly dark corner and she swallowed hard, walking faster. Ba Sing Se's lower tiers were not the safest at even with the Dai Li patrolling constantly. "At least there are other people on the street," Katara thought with some relief. She was worried that her mother would be walking back home by herself while it was still dark out.
Once at the train station, Kilana kissed Katara on the cheek and wished her luck as she hugged her. Katara kissed her mother back on the forehead. As she walked toward the station, she turned around to wave at her mother and smiled. Today, she would make her mother proud.
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Sokka was up earlier than usual. Katara would be arriving today to take the entrance exam and Sokka wanted to meet her. Maybe they would be able to have lunch after her exams were over. He walked over to the gate and sat down with a scroll of paper. He could do some homework assignments while he waited for Katara to arrive. Already there was a line forming on the other side of the gate but he did not see Katara. Sokka looked out at all the hopeful applicants and noticed there were hardly any males. "This is going to be the best year group ever!" Sokka thought to himself with a wicked smile.
He had almost finished with his homework when he saw a figure dressed in blue robes stand out against the crowded lines. Sokka squinted and confirmed it was his sister. Getting up and walking over to the gate, he called out for her. She waved back and ran to him. The siblings talked until it was time for him to go to class. They would meet by the statue of Buki the badger-mole school mascot, to catch up.
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This was the first time Sokka could not wait for his Military Science class to be over. He had been unable to focus on the badger-mole strategy Professor Shu was explaining and only hoped it would not appear on the final. There were so many things he wanted to show Katara. The Royal Academy had a fantastic library and he wanted to show her the extensive section on both the Northern and Southern Water Tribes. A lot of his free time was spent learning about the South Pole and their customs. He was particularly eager to show her the collection of water bending scrolls he had found.
Although he considered Waterbending a dark and cursed art, the illustrations were beautiful and he wanted Katara to see them. As soon as class ended, he bolted through the door at a full sprint. Nothing would please him more than to have his little sister attend the Academy with him. Katara was intelligent leaving him no doubt that she would do well on the test, he just hoped she would not panic and ruin her interview. He was relieved to see her waiting for him by the statue.
The Water Tribe maiden seemed cheerful. She felt she had done well on both the exam and interview, noting how impressed the interviewer seemed with her knowledge of the sciences. They had a wonderful lunch and nice walk around the school. Katara was flabbergasted by the size of the campus and how immaculately the courtyards were kept, nothing like the lower tiers of Ba Sing Se. But she was unprepared for the magnificent library she encountered. She was smitten by the comprehensive section of the Water Tribes and tried hiding her enthusiastic interest for the water bending scrolls. Suddenly, Katara did want to attend the Academy and wished with all her heart to be admitted.
On the train ride back to the lower tiers, Katara did nothing but pray to Tui and La for admittance into the Royal Academy. Finally, after all these years, she would learn to Waterbend. No longer would their mother have to live in the lower tiers, they would be able to move her into the middle ring where it was safer. Opening a shop there would be easy since half of their flower stand's clientele was from the middle and upper rings anyway. The future was looking up for them. If only she could join Sokka at the Academy, everything would be perfect.
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For almost two years now, Zuko had been sleeping onboard the boat alongside his uncle. His memories of home had almost become a distant memory. Returning home was important to the prince, but his investment in the war was such that he wanted to see it through. There had been too much carnage already and he hoped that soon, the conflict would end with a victorious Fire Nation. If only they could capture the Avatar, the war would be speedily won.
Desperately, he wanted to engage the enemy and fight alongside his men, but the Dragon of the West, forbade it. By Iroh's conscious decision, the prince was kept as far from the fighting as possible, assigning him to care for the wounded. The last thing Iroh wanted was to make his nephew callous to killing people, especially before his Sanguine Trial. Though it was many years away, the old general dreaded the day Zuko would have to kill a human for food. In his heart, he also knew his nephew anticipated this day with absolute horror and feared the retribution his brother Ozai, would inflict on him if he failed.
Prince Zuko was growing restless in his assignment of caring for the wounded. The constant smell of death and fear all around him was wearing him down. The only respite he had with his duties came at night, when he gazed at the moon on the deck of the ship, where he would smell that ghostly, delicious scent which was always soothing. From time to time, just as he was dozing off, he would even see a feminine figure, walk towards him from the ocean. But when she got close enough discern any of her facial features he would awaken, with only the memory of two blue eyes smiling at him. These occurrences he kept to himself lest his uncle accuse him of losing his mind, sending him home prematurely.
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After coming home from her exam, Katara was exhausted. She told her mother about the train ride, the exam, and how Sokka had lost some weight, over dinner, before turning in for the night. That night, the water maiden could barely sleep as she looked out through the encasement, catching sight of the full moon and sighed. She replayed the interview in her head and kept face palming herself at the answers she gave. It would be a miracle if she got in. All she could hope for was a near perfect score on the exams.
Determined to get some rest, Katara quietly stepped outside of the apartment, water skin in hand, to bend. Though her knowledge was limited, she had mastered a few moves on her own, noticing her control was greatest during a full moon. As she moved through variations of the forms she roughly remembered from the scrolls she had seen at the library, she fell into a trance-like state. It seemed to happen to her often while bending in the moonlight, but she dared not tell her mother, for fear she would be prohibited from bending.
Almost every time she would bend, she would slip into a dream-like state where she would find herself on board a strange ship bending water around a sleeping Fire Nation soldier. It was always the same soldier though he was often in different places on the ship. When she tried to wake him up to ask where she was, she would always end up coming to. This strange occurrence had just become part of her bending routine, so she thought nothing more of it, lest someone call her bending evil magic, like Sokka was prone to do.
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The days seemed to crawl by like years, killing Katara with anticipation. More than anything she wanted to go the Royal Academy, so that she could learn to Waterbend. It would be two more weeks before she would find out if she would be studying alongside Sokka. Nothing she did, could take her mind off of that scroll she would be expecting. Even Suki tried to distract her attention away from the acceptance scroll, but had failed.
Finally, the much awaited piece of parchment came. A loud shriek reverberated throughout the lower tier walls – she had gotten in! To her surprise, instead of starting her studies there in the fall, she would have to attend an orientation which would run through most of the summer. While she was sad she would have to leave her mother early, she was rather ecstatic that she had gotten in. Attached was a list of all of the items she would need to bring with her on the first day. Her mother had to read the letter for her since she was unable to get past the line that read: "Congratulations Ms. Ogasawara, Katara…"
That weekend Kilana closed the flower stand early and threw a party for her daughter. All of her friends were there, even Sokka, who had requested special permission from the dean to attend his sister's party. For Katara it was like a dream come true, and she didn't want to wake from it.
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For months Jet had subtly revealed his affection towards Katara, but found her unresponsive to his efforts. The news of his acceptance into the next Officer Candidate Trial and her acceptance into the Academy filled him with urgency, making his efforts more frantic. She would be leaving the lower tiers and meeting wealthier young men, whom she might like better. He didn't stand a chance. If he wanted to have Katara be his girlfriend, he needed ask her as soon as possible. This party would prove to be the perfect time to declare his feelings towards her. The only hope he harbored was that Sokka didn't punch him in the eye as a result of this revelation.
Throughout the party he had stood close to her, trying to monopolize her attention, willfully ignoring how she continuously tried to avoid him. Towards the end of the party he managed to trap her in a corner. Brown eyes gazed at startled blue and for once, Jet was glad for Sokka's stupid boomerang tricks, since he had taken everyone outside to show off, leaving him and Katara alone inside.
"Katara," Jet whispered softly boring his eyes into hers. For so long, he had tried to tell her that he cared deeply for her, but so far she had missed all of his hints. Being more direct would make him vulnerable, something he had never been around Jun, but he felt his heart was safe in Katara's gentle hands. As his face came closer to hers, her doe-like eyes stared back at him, her stomach clenched.
Whatever he wanted to tell her, it could not be good. She had worked hard to get over him and had almost done so. The last thing she wanted was for him to ruin her progress by saying something stupid to her, something along the lines of: "I like you as more than a friend." Her heart raced as he felt his warm breath tickle her face. She needed to get away from him, fast.
Smiling weakly, two blue eyes darted nervously towards the door. "Jet I think someone's coming and I'll never hear the end of it if Aunt Sirana sees us like this." Two small hands gently tried to push him away, only to have his hands gently wrap themselves around her wrists, freezing her in place. Inhaling deeply, his elaborate speech was erased from his mind when he caught Katara's flowery scent. The sweet fragrance made his head spin, leaving him speechless and dizzy.
"Katara I..." but the moment was broken as Sokka's booming voice was heard as the doorknob turned. Jet backed away from Katara, as though she were poison. Sokka eyed him suspiciously before looking over at his sister who was casually standing there. She looked untouched. Good enough, Sokka thought to himself as the rest of the guests came in, though it didn't spare Jet a distrustful glare.
The rest of the night was spent in pleasant conversation. Jet told Kilana he had resumed his martial arts lessons and was paying for them by taking on students. The pride in her eyes was unmistakable, filling Jet with warmth. She was genuinely proud of him, something no one, save Katara, had ever been. He told her he would be taking the Officer Candidate Trials in two weeks, and if he passed, he would immediately leave for the inner ring of Ba Sing Se. Unable to contain her excitement and pride, the matron halted all conversation to make the announcement. Everyone cheered and wished him luck, except for a blue eyed girl who quietly made her way into the kitchen, unnoticed by everyone but Jet.
When the party was over, Suki and Sokka disappeared as the clean-up began. Jet hung around, helping Kilana and Aunt Sirana tidy up the apartment. Katara was in the kitchen scouring dishes with her Waterbending, when Jet walked in. Trying to hide her discomfort, the young woman invited him to help her dry the dishes. Awkwardly he approached her, grabbing a dry dishrag before starting his task. She wished him luck on his exam, avoiding looking into his eyes. The corners of Jet's mouth turned up slightly as he thanked her. Running out of things to say, the water maiden concentrated on her task.
The minutes crawled by like hours in their deathly silence until the pile of dishes was gone. Katara smiled weakly at him, thanking him for his attending her party and helping with the dishes. As she tried to walk past him, Jet panicked. Every single attempt to tell her how he felt had been a total failure. If he passed his Officer Candidate exam, he might never have another chance to tell her how he felt.
It was now or never. All words failed him, and not knowing what else to do, he grabbed her arm spinning her around straight into his lips. Katara's eyes grew wide with shock, as she angrily pulled away from him. Of all the things Jet had expected that night, dodging the daggers she threw at him with her eyes, was not among them. All he could do was stand there dumbly as she tried to regain her composure. This was wholly unexpected.
"How could you Jet?" Betrayal was brimming from her eyes. "All these months, and you choose now to do this?" She hissed as her lower lip quivered. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks. Jet was unsure of what had just transpired but thought it best to keep his mouth shut as she continued. "I'm leaving. You're leaving. There's no future for us now!" Her head shook as she looked up trying to hold back the tears streaming from her eyes. "We can't happen Jet, not anymore." The last words out of hit him in the chest like an Earthbender's boulder. He had waited too long and had lost both a best friend and his girl. Calmly, he nodded his head, swallowing hard. Turning his back on her, he left her apartment without saying a word to her. A raging fire burned in him. He would make something of himself and win Katara over – no matter what the price.
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Zuko's day had been particularly grueling. He was at the encampment at the base of the temple mount. On the other side, one of the tanks scaling the mountain was knocked off by an air volley crushing eight soldiers. Three had died on impact, but five were critically injured. Two of the five had lost their legs one at the thigh. Zuko had seconds to stop the bleeding. The femoral artery had been severed and the soldier had already lost consciousness. He had maybe a minute to try to save him. Running towards the tent, Zuko grabbed the nearest sword and heated it up until it burned like a brand. Sprinting back to the man he cauterized the wound. Calling over a corpsman to clean the wound, he tended to the other amputee, repeating the same treatment.
Once he was finished with the critically injured he began splinting the broken bones of the other three men, in some instances offering them a special tea, his uncle like to brew to relieve the pain of the injured soldiers. To relocate dislocated joints, he would often require the assistance of a corpsman to hold down the patient while he manipulated the joint back into its socket, a sometimes excruciatingly painful procedure for the patient.
When the sun set, the fighting stopped. Zuko was glad to bathe in the ocean and wash off the stench of human sweat and blood. While he still needed blood to live, he had a deeper appreciation for the humans whose blood he consumed. Because he not passed the Sanguine Trial he could not yet hunt humans, not that he wanted to, but he now understood the sanctity of the trial. This understanding, however, did not diminish his apprehension to undergo it.
He relaxed his body in the water, taking in the jeweled sky above him with the new moon. As he closed his eyes, his mind replayed the carnage of earlier that day. Sooner or later his uncle would chastise him for his prioritization of the wounded. The first amputee he had treated had died anyway, and the second one almost had because of his delay. Learning to let people die was a lesson the old general wanted him to learn, but it wasn't one he felt ready to master. Once finished with his ablutions, he went straight to his cot, where he fell asleep to the soft crashing of the waves and that sweet flowery scent.
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The war with the Air Nomads was no where near over, but they were proving much more difficult to defeat than the Fire Lord had previously calculated. Knowing he was unlikely to find an open ally in the Earth King, he opted for a less diplomatic solution. There was an old and powerful vampire clan that possessed a large fleet of ships. If Ozai could convince them to put them under his command, then he would have a greater chance of capturing the Avatar and winning the war.
In order to make a convincing case to the clan, without sounding desperate, he decided to recall his son and brother from the Southern Air Temple campaign. Perhaps his useless son could be used to gain support of the Earth Kingdom's Souxin clan, if his son "persuaded" the clan leader's daughter to support them. He would have to talk to Zuko to impress upon him the importance of procuring the daughter's favor.
Immediately, the Fire Lord drafted two messages, one to his brother and son and the other to the clan leader. The sooner he could arrange the meeting, the better. The cost of fighting the war was spiraling out of control, and would do everything he could to ease the burden. Soon he hoped have the Air Temples at his mercy and the Souxins' fleet at his disposal.
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The summer was finally here, and Katara would be heading off to the Academy. Sokka would not be joining them that summer since he was assigned to do a summer residency in Gaoling with a family by the last name of Bei Fong. They owned a shipping company and Sokka was supposed to learn about government-business relations from his three month stay there. Katara only hoped he would be on his best behavior and not eat them out of house and home.
Most of her items had been packed and taken to the Academy. All that was left was her departure. As excited as she was about leaving, she couldn't help but feel sadness. Jet had left months ago, probably never to return to Ba Sing Se, her mother would probably move into the middle ring giving up the apartment they had grown so fond of. Suki had indeed joined the Kyoshi Warriors, having even less time to spend with them. Everything was changing. Her only source of comfort was that things seemed to be changing for the better. Sighing deeply, she continued to separate the flowers as she prepared to close the stand, taking in the sunset.
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Zuko received his father's letter with some reservation. Being recalled to the Fire Nation during the middle of the campaign seemed like a vote of no confidence in his uncle's ability to win the war. Still, he longed to return home and any reason was good enough. They would sail back to the Fire Nation after sunset, as soon as Commander Zhao gave the signal that he had successfully taken over the troops. Commander Zhao would be Iroh's temporary replacement until they returned. Zuko didn't like the commander, but he was not about to defy his father.
As the sun set, Zuko caught its golden reflection on the glassy seas. In a matter of days he would be home eating fireflakes in his mother's garden. The blood and despair of the dying soldiers would no longer cling to his skin and their fear would no longer burn his nose. But he would miss the ocean and the haunting, soothing scent he would smell as he was falling to sleep. Of all the things he'd be leaving behind, that would be the only thing he would miss.
As the sails unfurled to gather the gentle, blowing breeze, Iroh looked back at the rocky mountain peak that housed the Avatar. Soon he would return to take it, and his nephew would share in the victory with him. He just hoped his brother would be kind enough to the Air Nomads to make them a vassal state instead of implementing more nefarious plans.
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As soon as his boat docked into port, Iroh was greeted by his brother Ozai, who barked at him to get his things ready to set sail in three hours. Rolling his eyes to the back of his head, the great general turned back into the ship relaying the message to his nephew. Prince and crowned prince scowled in unison as they gathered their belongings and made their way to an unmarked merchant ship.
Their trip back to the Fire Nation had been long and fairly uneventful. There was a problem with the boiler, which was immediately repaired, but other than that, everything had gone off smoothly. Everyone's hopes had been soaring. They were finally returning home, leaving the atrocities of war behind them, if only for a few days. But now, Zuko and Iroh didn't even get those few days to rest. They were going to the Earth Kingdom to try to get support from some vampire clan, Zuko had never even heard of. What was worse, was that his father had certain "expectations" of him in regards to the clan leader's daughter, whom he was sure he would dislike.
"So much for coming home," Zuko grumbled under his breath. As the merchant ship set sail, Zuko looked back towards the dark, volcanic hills surrounding the royal city. Never had he been so close yet so far from something he loved. Making his way back to his makeshift quarters, he plopped down on his bed, falling asleep before his head hit the pillow. A deep scowl remained on his lips.
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The faint rays of sunlight were barely visible over the horizon when Zuko felt a meek, trembling presence in his room. With a start, he flew out of bed and assumed a fighting stance, nearly causing the third-class petty officer an aneurysm. The young sailor, who was almost in tears, informed him that they had arrived in the port of Ba Sing Se after four days of sailing, and were awaiting permission to dock. Trying hard not to roll his eyes to the back of his head, the prince gave the order and dressed himself.
It was just the ship's standard crew, the Fire Lord, Prince Zuko, Uncle Iroh and a small contingent of six elite guards half of them human, half of them vampire in composition. It was Zuko's responsibility to oversee the docking of the ship while his father and uncle slept. It was just one of the perks of being the youngest royal on board.
The crew was busy tying up the boat trying to beat daylight, when two of the dockhands helping them dock suddenly attacked one of the boatswain's mates of the unsuspecting crew. Screams of pain and terror were heard throughout the docks as Zuko and the guards tried to fight the dockhands off. During the melee two more dockhands joined the attack on the crew. He wrestled the man off of the injured boatswain's mate, landing on top of the dockhand with a crash. He pinned him down, arms at his sides. Yellow eyes met gold and white fangs glistened in the moonlight.
"I see you're one of us," the vampire hissed, curiously tilting his head from side to side getting close enough to feel Zuko's icy cold breath on his face.
"Never one of you, night-walking filth," Zuko spat in fury as he dug his knee into the vampire's chest until he heard a sickening crack. The vampire's face contorted in pain as he head butted Zuko in the temple and pushed him off of him. He sped off into the dark of the night, the rest of his companions taking a cue from him. The attack left four crew members bitten and one dead boatswain's mate. Zuko turned the injured, fuming at the events that had transpired. His father was not pleased and ordered Zuko to hunt those rogue vampires.
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A/N Well this is the next chapter in all of its unbetaed glory. Sorry about the wait. I hope this is satisfactory. Any questions or suggestions, feel free to send them my way.
I am currently more than halfway done with the next chapter where the Blue Spirit makes his debut. I appreciate your patience. Thank you for reading.
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