Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or its characters. But I'll be damned if I don't love the heck out of them.
Author's Note Excuses: Once again this chapter is horribly, appallingly, unforgivably late. I don't really have a lot of excuses besides that my muse has moved on to other fandoms. But I still managed to bang out this last chapter after revisiting a few episodes of AtLA over this summer. PS: There may be some stray typos in here since I mostly wrote it in the dead of night with much sleep deprivation and copious amounts of caffeine pumping through my sluggish brain. I'm really trying not to give up on any of my Avatar stories; it's just going to take a ton of time to finish them all. Thanks for those of you who have stuck with me, especially ML7 – you rock and I love you! Anyway, since it's been so long since I posted the last chapter, here's a quick recap:
Zuko and Katara, having been suspected of being a couple by the aristocratic population of Ba Sing Se, strive to separate themselves from their newfound celebrity. They sneak away to the city's lower ring, where they visit the old tea house where Zuko used to work. While waiting in line to say goodbye to his former employer, Zuko notices that the girl with the messy braid ahead of him looks awfully familiar…
"Jin?" asked the Zuko timidly, and his intense gaze transformed into an unsure, nervous expression.
The girl in front of him glanced over her shoulder, blinked once in surprise, and then suddenly whirled around. Her face was as bright as the morning sun with her smile, and she stared at Zuko with giant, sparkling green eyes.
"Lee!" The girl gasped in disbelief, and she lurched backward against the counter, as if Zuko's very presence had beat her back. "I can't believe it's you!"
Zuko blinked in response to the girl's reaction to seeing him, but he smiled. "Jin, it's good to see you."
Katara frowned and her eyes darted between the two standing in front of her. She was confused, and she was a little bit angry—to her great surprise. She'd enjoyed the time she'd spent alone with Zuko talking. Now a sudden, unexpected third party was entering the picture, and Katara felt uncertain about it. Who was this girl, anyway?
"How have you been, Jin?" Zuko spoke first, his voice a mixture of kindness and concern. "I'm glad to see you're alright after all that's happened here."
Jin's eyes shifted down to the ground, and she smiled sadly. "Well, I've been fine. The Fire Nation invading the city was scary, but that's been defeated. How are you?"
"I'm…uh…doing well," Zuko blurted out unsteadily, unsure of how to explain his situation during the Fire Nation occupation. Luckily, Jin didn't mention it.
"Where have you been?" the girl repeated her first question, sighing heavily. "I didn't know what happened to you after…that night."
Zuko's eyes shied away from hers as they looked up at him for answers. He didn't want to have to make up ridiculous lies again to this girl. She'd been deceived about him enough. "Uh…I've been traveling a lot," he finally choked out.
"Oh—have you rejoined the circus?"
Katara heard that bit, and despite her confusion, she couldn't help a small smirk from crawling up her cheeks. She glanced at Zuko teasingly, but the young Fire Lord was still focused on the other girl. Gradually, Katara's amused expression faded.
Zuko was at a loss for words, but he managed to spit out a few words from his fumbling lips. "Uh—no! I didn't rejoin the circus."
"Then where have you been all this time?"
The firebender sighed. He didn't want to lie anymore to Jin. She had been the only other person his age that had actually shown him kindness during the entire time he'd spent in the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se. He felt like for all the kindheartedness she had showed, and how he'd left her so suddenly and without a decent explanation the night they'd gone on a date—that he owed her the truth.
Finally, Zuko glanced back at the eager-eyed girl. He couldn't hide the nervousness from his voice. "Um…listen Jin, I have a lot to tell you, but I'd rather do that in a less public place. Do you know anywhere we can go?"
Confusion crossed Jin's face for a moment, but then her wide, white smile returned. "Sure! We can go to my father's Inn; it's just a few streets down from here."
"That would be great," sighed Zuko in relief, and then he looked at Katara expectedly.
Only when the young Fire Lord's gaze fell upon the waterbender did Jin notice the girl standing next to Zuko. She gasped dramatically and placed a hand over her mouth, looking at the other girl, who glared at both of them.
"I'm so sorry," Jin apologized profusely. "Were you in line? We didn't mean to hold it up."
Katara made a face, insulted, and then turned her azure eyes at Zuko in a heated gaze. Zuko realized that he'd completely left Katara out of their conversation—he'd even forgotten to introduce the two girls. He understood why Katara looked slightly miffed. He turned towards Jin and smiled sheepishly.
"Actually, she's with me," he said, feeling like a fool. "This is Katara. Katara—this is Jin."
Instantly the excited expression on Jin's face changed. "Oh, pleased to meet you," she said quickly, not sounding so pleased at all.
"Charmed," Katara replied, her eyes darting to Zuko. "Lee has told me so much about you." She emphasized his phony Earth Kingdom alias, and Zuko gave her a hard look and a miniscule shake of his head.
There was a tense moment between the three teens, until Jin finally spoke; her voice was a quieter, sadder version of itself. "Well, she's welcome to come along to my father's Inn. Just let me tell Pao to cancel my order."
The girl leaned her small, skinny frame over the counter and shouted into the kitchen. Pao heard the message, poked his head out from the kitchen door, and frowned. But as soon as he saw Zuko standing behind Jin, he smiled knowingly and nodded. Jin placed a copper piece on the counter for the man's troubles, and then briskly trotted out the door, with Zuko and Katara following closely behind her.
Katara walked along with Zuko as Jin led the way down the dusty cobblestone street. It was now about noon, and the sun was high in the sky. The morning had brought a few clouds, but by now they'd all fled the sky, leaving a huge, strikingly blue dome of sky stretched over the city. She breathed in the warm air, and the long sigh she let out seemed to take with it her aggravated feelings. The waterbender turned her head and looked at Zuko, who was walking, expressionless, beside her. She didn't like not knowing what he was thinking, but she couldn't ask now.
After a few minutes they reached their destination—a large, rectangular, and wooden building with sloping roofs and a few tattered paper lanterns hanging beside the door. A large sign hanging above them displayed the humble inn's name: The Golden Boar. Gingerly, Jin opened the door and gestured for both benders to step inside.
"It's not much," she explained modestly. "But it keeps my father and I from starving."
Zuko and Katara stepped inside the door, and looked around the interior of the Inn curiously. The same wooden planks that adorned the outside also were visible on the inside walls, but they had been sanded smooth and glossed with some sort of darker stain. The floor was made of large slabs of gray tile that had become cracked in some corners. Lanterns lit the space where sunlight couldn't reach, and along the wall small trinkets were hung as decorations. At the end of the large room, there was a small counter in one corner. Behind the counter there was a large, black bookcase, overstuffed with books and papers. In the opposite corner there was a staircase ascending upward, and behind that a hallway which—Zuko guessed—led to the first floor rooms. It was all very quaint—but comfortable and cozy-looking. It made the young Fire Lord instantly feel welcome.
"Hi, Dad!" greeted Jin enthusiastically, and suddenly a head popped out from behind the counter in the corner of the room. It was round, with a box-like hat covering a balding head, and had kind, tired eyes.
The head smiled as Jin skipped forward. "Ah—Hello Jin. What brings you home so soon from the tea shop? You didn't bring me a cup, did you?"
Jin frowned and shook her head. "Sorry, Dad—I didn't get any tea. But I brought home some friends."
"Friends?" the head swiveled around and glanced across the room at Zuko and Katara, who stepped slowly forward.
"This is Lee, and this is Katara," Jin introduced politely. "Lee, Katara—this is Chang, my father."
The man behind the counter stood up, and Zuko bowed politely. "Nice to meet you, sir," he greeted, and watched as Katara did the same.
"It's my pleasure to meet both of you, Lee and Katara," replied the man nodding his head. He turned his round face towards his daughter. "Will they need a room or two?"
Jin laughed softly and shook her head. "No, they're just visiting. Right?"
Zuko and Katara nodded and smiled politely at the girl's father. "Well, then I'm sure Jin will see to it that you're most welcome," said Chang with a kindly smile. "Forgive me for not participating, but I have a lot of work to do. Jin, make our guests comfortable. Why don't you make them a pot of the house tea?"
"Actually, we were only staying briefly," Zuko suddenly blurted, his eyes darting nervously towards Jin. "I just needed to talk to Jin for a moment."
Jin's face fell slightly, but she approached the firebender and stood in front of him, her emerald eyes gazing at him expectedly. "Okay, so what did you need to tell me that was so private?"
Zuko glanced down at Jin, then at Katara. "Um…could it be a little more private?" He watched sympathetically as the waterbender tried to hide another unpleasant frown.
"Uh…sure," Jin said uncertainly. She glanced towards her father. "Dad, can we use your office?"
Chang's head popped up once again from behind the counter. "Hm? Oh, yes."
Jin glanced back up at Zuko, smiled shyly, and then gestured towards a door on the far wall, next to the counter. Katara watched, her irritation increasing, as Zuko followed Jin inside and closed the door behind him.
Inside, the small office was dark and smelled mildly of dust and ink. Jin crossed the undersized space and threw open the curtains that covered a tiny window. Suddenly, a beam of sunlight flooded the room, and Zuko shielded his eyes until they adjusted to the change in light. He watched as Jin approached him slowly, her eyes flickering hesitantly up to met his. In this small space, the two teens were forced to press uncomfortably close to each other, and Jin pressed herself against the edge of a desk on the wall opposite Zuko. She smiled at him shyly, and finally Zuko gathered the courage to open his mouth to tell her the truth.
But it was Jin who beat him to the punch. "She's very beautiful," she choked out awkwardly, staring up at him. "I can see why you like her."
"Who?" Zuko blinked at the unexpected comment, completely baffled.
Jin looked just as confused, and her green eyes darted from the young firebender to the door. "Um…Katara," she said uncertainly. "She is your girlfriend right? You said that you were together."
Zuko felt like slamming his head into the wall. Why did everyone who encountered them in this city think that he and Katara were an item? Instantly he leaned forward, extending his arms towards Jin in a search for some understanding.
"No, Jin! You've got it all completely wrong!" he looked at the startled girl with a pleadingly desperate look on his face. "Katara isn't my girlfriend—she's just a good friend. We've been through a lot together lately, and she's helping me take care of business here."
Jin's surprise melted away to reveal a slight pink blushing in her cheeks. Her hands reached up to hide it. "Oh, I see," she whispered, humiliated. "It was silly of me to think so—I'm sorry."
"That's fine," Zuko excused, and then—just as uncomfortably—he began to speak. "Listen, Jin…about that night by the fountain…"
Jin let out a tiny gasp at the memory, and then turned her eyes away. "It's okay, Lee. You don't have to explain. I know that I came on kind of strong, but I guess you didn't like me as much as I liked you."
"No, Jin—I liked you," Zuko confessed with a heavy sigh.
The girl's eyes popped wide open and she gazed at him in shock. "Really?"
"Yes—very much," Zuko confessed.
"Then why—"
Zuko suddenly took a step forward and grasped the stunned girl by the shoulders gently. "Jin, please…It had nothing to do with you. Remember when I told you that it was complicated? Well—it was much, much more complicated than it seemed."
"I—I don't understand, Lee." Jin stuttered, her eyes growing wider.
Zuko released his hold on the girl and stepped back, sucking in a breath of dusty, warm air. "There's so much to tell—Jin, when you and I went on our…date…there were things that I didn't tell you about myself. And—and there were things I told you about myself that weren't entirely truthful."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm not who you think I am," Zuko declared, his eyes flickering downward shamefully. "I lied to you, Jin. And despite appearances, I do care about you, and I do want you to know the truth."
Jin swallowed audibly. "Okay," she said, practically whispering. "The truth…will I like the truth?"
The firebender's yellow eyes flashed up towards her face. "I don't know," he answered uncertainly. "But I hope you'll understand…no matter what I say."
The girl tilted her head, glanced downward, and paused in thought for a moment, as if mulling over her choices in her head. Zuko tried to imagine what kind of things she might be considering, but was relieved when she seemed to settle on exactly what he wanted: Patiently listening to his story. Jin smiled as she looked up again and nodded, prompting him to begin.
Zuko took a deep breath, and began.
PERSONAL THINGY:
Hopefull that will be enough to hold your interest for now! Thanks again to my wonderful reviewers from the last chapter:
Mikhaila: That's a very pretty name you've got there. Thanks for your support! As I mentioned in my author's note above, I'm trying very hard to keep writing, despite my interest in new fandoms and the business of everyday life. Katara and Zuko will always be my AtLA OTP as well! Thank you!
ML7: My friend, how can I thank you any more than I already have? You have always been there for me. At this point…it's been at least 6 or 7 years you've been following me. Thank you for being so wonderful. I'm sorry I couldn't reciprocate with more stories and updates. One thing I wanted to let you know is to check out the author Ness Frost's stories – she and I met on a Dragon Ball Z fan forum last year and since then she's watched AtLA and has written some absolutely awesome fics, including many about Zuko, Iroh, and I believe she's writing the Zutara story to end all Zutara stories. I urge you to check her out in my absence, but I will not give up! Thanks again, dearie!
Shiningheart of the Thunderclan: Haha, I never actually thought of Zuko taking Katara to the fountain, but that's a really great idea! I don't think I was perfectly clear in this chapter about why Jin is at the tea shop, but it's because she simply kept visiting the place even after Zuko had gone. Perhaps in a hope that she'd see him again? Wish granted! Thanks very much for your review!
Jason9000: Hey there again! Hope you're well. Thanks for reading and reviewing my story! I'll answer your question, although now that you've had a few months to catch up on sleep (or not – LOL!) it might be more clear which girl this is – Jin is the girl that Zuko went with on a date during his time living anonymously in Ba Sing Se. June was the bounty hunter. That's actually an interesting idea, including her. I'll think about it! Thanks very much for your kind words!