A/N: Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing! I probably won't post again till late in the week because my husband is coming home for the holiday weekend. He was sent to work in San Francisco while I'm in Southern California and we miss each other. So, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and don't forget to review!
Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar, still
Chapter 4
The ride was long and hard, and Aya could feel every bump rattle through her body. She was still mad at Jet for making her ride and at herself for her ignorance of riding, but his arm around her waist did comfort her a bit. As they rode, she remembered her dream and knew she had to act on it. Sighing, she turned her face towards Jet slightly.
"I thought your dad died when he was my age," Aya said and felt Jet stiffen behind her. "How did he survive?"
"He did, all right?" Jet said with a growl which only made Aya frown.
"But my mom felt his vibrations under the lake. She knew he wasn't in good shape at all. What happened?"
"Why is it so important to you?" Jet asked.
"Because it is!" Aya stated and both of the big guys hissed at her.
"Quiet," one of them said in a low voice.
"Yeah, we're trying to get to safety without notice," the other one said.
"They're right," Jet said with a smirk in his tone and Aya frowned. "You have to be quiet or I'll have to gag you."
"Fine," Aya growled, trying to think up a new way to find out about his dad. Why does he have to be so frustrating? She thought. He's just like…
Aya brightened. He was just like her, her parents, and like Li had been in the North Pole. Although this guy had his memories intact, even if he didn't want to share them.
"Sorry," she muttered.
He seemed surprised but she heard him nod, accepting the apology. They rode in silence, and Aya grew tired, but couldn't sleep with all the bumps and the constant feeling of Jet behind her and his arm around her waist. But, she knew she could be patient. She would wait for him. He seemed curious about her and maybe she was as much a mystery to him as he was to her.
"What do you know about my father?" Jet asked quietly a few hours into the ride and Aya smiled slightly, knowing her patience had won.
"Just the stories my parents and their friends told me," Aya responded. She heard Jet nod, and she continued. "Katara, Aang, and Sokka met him a few times, and my dad met him once as well."
"Probably on the battlefield," Jet muttered darkly, but Aya shook her head.
"No, our dads met on the ferry to Ba Sing Sae."
"What? But your father is Fire Nation!" Jet hissed in a low tone. "How could he be on the ferry before Ba Sing Sae fell?"
Aya sighed, taking a deep breath to stop from crying out in anger. "I'll tell you," she replied. "My father and his uncle, Iroh, were refugees. They were being hunted by the Fire Nation and Azula because my father was banished and then labeled a traitor for failing to capture the Avatar. They had traveled quite a lot and managed to get passports into Ba Sing Sae to start a new life. Jet approached Zuko on the ferry and they worked together to steal food for the refugees."
She felt Jet lean closer to her, as if he was interested and Aya continued on. "My dad went by the name Li then. Once the ferry landed, Jet must have seen Iroh firebend his tea warm, because Jet and his two friends disappeared, though Zuko could tell Jet was hanging around the tea shop where he worked."
Jet snorted and Aya frowned. "What?" she asked.
"A prince, working in a tea shop?" Jet said with a light laugh. "Like that would ever happen."
"He did, he wasn't a prince then," Aya stated angrily, trying to keep her voice low. "And his uncle actually owned a tea shop for years afterwards. But, besides that, Jet charged into the tea shop one night, claiming Zuko and Iroh were firebenders and started attacking. My dad grabbed a set of Dao swords off a soldier and defended himself and the Dai Li came and arrested Jet."
"Yeah, and then he was brainwashed," Jet said with a scowl.
"And then he met up with Katara, Aang, Sokka and Toph," Aya stated. "They found out Jet was sent to lure them away from Ba Sing Sae, but with Katara's waterbending healing, Jet remembered where he had been taken. They went to Lake Laogai with Smellerbee and Longshot, trying to find Appa and fought the Dai Li. Long Feng showed up and Aang and Jet went after him."
"That's different," Jet muttered.
"What? How?" Aya asked.
"My dad never mentioned Long Feng, and Long Feng said he never met my father. Just heard of him."
"Well, Long Feng is a creep and a liar," Aya stated.
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Jet asked her.
"You're just going to have to trust me," Aya said. "I can teach you how to feel vibrations, if you want. My mom taught the Avatar, I'm sure I could teach you."
"And how would that help me?" Jet asked with a frown.
"Because I can feel pulses, heartbeats and breathing," Aya said and felt Jet become rigid behind her. "When a person lies, unless they're an accomplished liar like Azula, they give off tell-tale signs that cause their breathing and heart rate to become different."
"You mean you can tell when people lie?" Jet asked softly.
"Yeah, so?"
"Did Long Feng lie before your friends escaped?" Jet asked.
"I couldn't tell," Aya said with a frown. "My bending was still coming back, and he was too far away for me to really feel him. But I think he told the truth. Or at least he believed it to be true," she said as she thought about when Long Feng had said she and her friends were the children of the people who had ruined Jet's father's life. "And, it's harder to tell when I can't bend properly," Aya said with a scowl.
"Too bad for that," Jet said. "But we could possibly come to an agreement once we're in our new home."
Aya frowned as a smile entered Jet's tone. "What are you talking about?" Aya asked.
Jet pulled back on the reins and the ostrich horse stopped. He jumped off and then picked her up and set her on the ground. Aya felt around, looking for his hideout, but only felt trees.
"Where's your hideout?" Aya asked with a scowl. "Or is this just a place to rest?"
"No, we're going up, into the trees," Jet said and Aya felt her jaw drop in shock before she glared at Jet.
"I hate you," she muttered to which Jet just laughed lightly before grabbing her waist and pulling her close before reaching up and then they were airborne.
XXXXX
Jet watched Aya as she closed her eyes and clung to him as they rose through the branches before landing on the platform. Aya seemed shaken, but started glaring at him as she got her footing back. She kept a hold of him and almost didn't let go of him when he stepped away from her and grabbed her hand. He was pretty impressed that she wasn't letting her fear control her. He knew she must be scared by her expression and the fact that she looked paler than usual, but she walked along behind him, holding his hand tightly until he started walking on a bridge. Aya stopped suddenly, pulling him back.
"What?" he asked, turning back to her and frowning.
"Are you sure it's safe?" Aya asked, poking the bridge with one of her bare feet.
"Yes," Jet said with a slight smile. "It's either this or the zip line."
"I'll take this," Aya said with a frown and followed him hesitantly onto the bridge. She stopped and squeezed his hand so tight he thought it might break when a gust shook the bridge, but Jet just squeezed her hand gently and waited until the wind died down again before he led her across the rest of the bridge. The rest of the path to his room was platforms and a ladder, which Aya took with ease. He wondered about her as they walked. How she could be so strong, even when she was obviously scared?
He moved the curtain that was his door and stopped suddenly when he saw Jade on his bed. His girlfriend was in a tight leather skirt and white blouse and smiled seductively until she saw Aya when the girl bumped into Jet's back.
"Hey, why'd you stop?" Aya asked.
"Who's she?" Jade asked, starting to frown at Aya, and Aya took her hand away from Jet and crossed her arms over her chest, returning the frown to Jade.
"This is Aya, my captive," Jet said nonchalantly to Jade. "I'll talk to you later, Jade."
He saw Jade frown and her brilliant green eyes narrowed slightly at him before she sighed and got up, taking her time. He started to frown at Jade when she stopped in front of Aya and glared at the girl. Aya just glared back, though Jet didn't know how the girl could tell what Jade was doing. Jade left in a rush and Jet sighed, moving to sit on his simple bed.
"Who is she?" Aya asked, turning her face to him, but staying where she was.
"My girlfriend and one of my best scouts," Jet said.
"She's just using you," Aya stated. "All she wants is power. I've met plenty like her. You should dump her now."
"And how would you know that?!" Jet asked, getting up and stalking over to Aya to scowl in her face.
Aya just turned her face up to his and sighed, looking downcast. "Because I get all the suitors that just see the poor blind girl, thinking they'll take care of me and get a huge dowry. I know her type and when they think you don't have any power, or are different from the image they had of you, they drop you like a sack of rocks."
Jet saw pain flash through her eyes and wondered what had happened, but brushed it off. He just needed to keep the girl safe until her ransom came through.
"Get some rest," Jet said. "It's the middle of the night, and I'm tired."
"I'm hungry," she replied. "I haven't eaten since mid day and had to bend a lot and then was darted. Twice."
"Fine, this way," Jet growled, grabbing her hand and pulling her after him. They walked and Jet saw many of his people watching the two of them as they headed down towards the pantry.
"You should tell people who I am," Aya said quietly after they descended a ladder. "They're wondering why I'm here and why you're being so casual with me."
"What?" Jet asked, stopping and turning towards Aya.
"I hear them," Aya said. "A girl, that way," she said pointing towards her right, "said she thought you were with Jade."
"How…?"
"I hear better than most people," Aya said with a smirk. "When one sense goes, the others become stronger. I feel vibrations, remember?"
"Yeah," Jet muttered before turning back and pulling her the rest of the way to the pantry. He found the twins there as well as a few other people, some grabbing midnight snacks, but most of them putting away the supplies that were their share of the caravan. A few of the people, especially the girls looked at Jet oddly and he sighed. "This is Aya," he told the people there. "She's the noble we captured and she'll be staying with us until her ransom is paid. No one is to let her reach the ground or let her handle a weapon or knife."
The teens and kids before him nodded and went about their business, whispering excitedly as they worked or walked away. Jet motioned the twins over when he saw them finish their sandwiches. "Watch her," Jet told them. "I'll get some food for both of us, and then I want guards at my door. Aya will be staying there. Yin, can you get Anton, Sang, Hakul, and Li and tell them that I'll need three shifts of guards there for Aya?"
"Sure thing, Jet," Yin said with a smile and took off, leaving Yang to look after Aya while Jet went into the pantry, grabbing some bread, jerky and a water skin. When he walked out, he found Yang talking quite comfortably with Aya.
"So, he's your twin?" Aya asked Yang and the big guy nodded. "I have a lot of friends who are twins. My best friend and her brother are twins, and their mom gave birth to two more sets of twins. Then their cousins also consist of another set of twins."
"Wow, that's a lot. Are they all identical?" Yang asked.
"No," Aya replied with a smile. "Just the youngest, the set of cousins are identical girls. Only I, my mom and their parents can tell them apart."
"Enough chit chat," Jet said with a frown and stalked up to them, frowning at them both. Yang gave him a sheepish smile while Aya merely smirked. Jet handed the food to Yang, motioning the big guy to follow him before grabbing Aya's hand and dragging her back to his room. Once there, he let go of Aya and took the food from Yang, thanking the big guy as he saw Anton and Li head his way and take up positions near the ladder and ramp leading to his small tree house/room. Yang left, letting out a yawn and Jet knew Aya was watching him in the way she could as he set the bread and jerky down and quickly took out a dagger and made two sandwiches. He handed her one, but she didn't take it.
"Take it," he said. She held out her hand, moving it close to his, palm up and he placed the sandwich in her hand. He sighed and moved to the bed, patting it as he sat down. "You know you can come here and sit down. I don't bite."
She nodded and walked slowly towards him, reaching out with her other hand when she neared him and smiled when he saw her touch the blanket before she sat down. He was surprised at how docile she was until he realized they were on wood. There was no stone around. He continued to study her as they ate and stood up as soon as he finished.
"What's wrong?" Aya asked.
"You can sleep on the bed. I'll be down here, by the door."
"Still think I'll try and escape?' she asked with a small smirk.
"Maybe," Jet replied.
"Well, don't worry about me," Aya said, starting to frown. "I can't see a thing."
He smiled slightly and watched her lay down on the bed, pulling a blanket over her as she shivered against the chill of early spring. Jet grabbed an extra blanket and coat and bunched the coat up to use as a pillow before he got comfortable on the floor, blocking the door. He had almost fallen asleep when he heard her turn over and sigh before she turned again.
"Go. To. Sleep," he growled.
"I can't," Aya sighed. "I already slept and it's hard being in a room where I can't feel any vibrations. It reminds me of the North Pole and that was scary enough."
"What happened there?" Jet asked, knowing he wouldn't get to sleep with her tossing and turning.
"I was eight, and Azula had already attacked the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom, trying to finish what her father had almost done. The five of us, the ones you and Long Feng captured, we were sent to the North Pole because it was supposed to be the safest."
Jet sat up, leaning against the wall, watching Aya as she sat in the bed and relayed the events. She told of how the renegades had attacked the Northern Water Tribe and Aya and her friends had been sent with a warrior to a cave to shelter until the danger passed. He wasn't surprised when the warrior disappeared, but he was at how suddenly a teenage swordsman had appeared and how he had taken care of the group as they fought off renegades and ran over the glacier to a small town before sneaking onto a boat to escape the North Pole. Jet was startled at how Aya described the warrior, and how he had amnesia, not remembering anything about his past except that he had to protect the group. Aya told of the group finding out about the teen slowly as he remembered small things or they asked random questions and how the teen even firebended when facing twenty renegades.
The story was familiar to Jet and he had heard it before, but not with as much detail as Aya was giving. He had heard several variations, with the warrior being huge, a spirit and also the Avatar, but never as a teen firebender who had lost his memory. Aya then moved on to how the warrior had faced Azula on the boat once her group had thought they were safe since the twin's father and the Avatar were on the boat.
"And this boy, Li, he killed her, right?" Jet asked when Aya paused with that faraway look in her eyes.
"What? No," Aya stated. "Azula shot the lightning at him, but he redirected it. She dodged it, but Aang was behind her and took it in, redirecting it back at her. The Avatar killed her with her own lightning. My mom and Sokka came in at that time and then Aang touched Li and he disappeared."
Jet continued to watch her face and thought she looked sad with the far away look again. He felt sad that she had cared so much for this warrior, this firebender.
"You love him, don't you?" Jet asked softly.
He watched in puzzlement as Aya smiled wryly. "Of course I do, he's my father."
Jet was shocked and Aya giggled, probably hearing his jaw drop. "But…how?" Jet asked. "This…guy, he was a teenager, your age, by what you said."
Aya just giggled more and Jet started to get angry that she wouldn't tell him. He was about to ask again, but Aya held up her hand. "That's what my father thought when we told him what happened once we got back. Wait…" She laughed a little more and then took a deep breath. "He redirected lightning to save Aang when Aang defeated Ozai and almost died because of it. When he was 16. The gods used him to save us by making him travel through time. He didn't remember anything when he came to us or when he was sent back. Now, he remembers bits and pieces, but not much really."
Jet shivered slightly. The strange workings of the spirits, and gods, scared him. Such things were left to people who were inclined to converse with the spirits like gurus and the Avatar. He saw Aya shiver slightly as she hugged her knees to her and he knew she was feeling lost and alone again, just as he had felt after his parents were killed. He reached for his pack and pulled out her black bracelet. It was thin and he had seen the Dai Li bend it to take it off of her, but he had never felt such a substance before. He shook his head slightly and put it back, pulling out her ring. It was gold and had a small emerald in it. The ring would probably bring in enough food to feed his people for a week, but he thought it might be significant to her.
"You promise you won't bend this into a weapon?" he asked, getting up and walking towards her.
"What is it?" Aya asked, questioning him with her expression.
"Your ring," Jet stated and saw her eyes light up. He was surprised at how expressive her blind eyes were and couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm.
"Yes, I promise," Aya said quickly. Jet nodded and took her hand, placing the ring in it. Her small hand closed over it instantly and she looked like she relaxed as she turned the ring around before placing it onto her ring finger. "Thanks," she said softly. "This means a lot to me. What made you trust me?"
"I don't," Jet replied, shrugging. "I just can't stand to see someone looking so lost."
"Well, thank you anyways," Aya said with a smile. "This is the ring my father gave to my mother when he asked her to marry him."
"It looks like it costs a fortune," Jet muttered.
"It might," Aya shrugged. "My dad asked Aang to find him the most beautiful emerald he could while earthbending. Aang replied with a laugh that nothing could compare to his teacher, Toph, but found this one. It has a flaw, actually," she said, showing him the ring and pointing to a hairline fracture at the bottom of the gem. "But my parents didn't care. They both have their flaws to the seeing world, but don't care about each other's visible flaws."
"What flaws?" Jet asked. "I've heard the Fire Lord has a scar, but that's it."
"Nearly half of my dad's face is scarred," Aya said and Jet drew back in horror at the thought of it. "His father burned him when my dad refused to fight him in an Agni Kai when he was 13."
"That's…horrible," Jet said, shuddering at the thought of his face being burned. And the Fire Lord had been burned by his own father.
"I know," Aya sighed, stifling a yawn. "And my mom is blind, like me."
Jet nodded. "Ok, but now you're tired. Go to sleep. It's almost dawn and we need rest."
Aya just smiled and nodded, lying down on the bed and pulling the blanket up over her shoulders. "Good thing I'm not a firebender," she said sleepily as Jet got up and moved to his makeshift bed. He stopped and looked back at her, watching her cuddle into his blanket. "Firebenders rise with the sun, it's annoying," she said sleepily and Jet smiled, watching her as she fell asleep.
Jet didn't know why he was feeling open and protective over this girl. She could probably beat him at bending with her hands tied behind her back. She was the enemy, Fire Nation, the niece of the woman who had killed his parents. But she was an earthbender. And she seemed to trust him, willingly opening herself up to him and facing what she feared; losing her bending and her element. He sighed and pulled his blanket over him. It was getting colder, as it did just before dawn, but he needed his rest. Jet hadn't realized this captive, this girl, would be so much trouble to him. But he had her and he knew he had to watch over her as the man had asked him to. Sighing at the trouble he had gotten himself into, he rolled over and fell asleep.
