A/N: Thanks again to everyone who read and reviewed. For those who haven't reviewed, please do! I'd love to hear what you think. Anyways, next chapter, so enjoy!
Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar, wish I owned Zuko, but I'm married. =)
Chapter 9
Aya was still lost in the sensations that overcame her from the kiss when she heard a rumble and then Jet had pulled away from her to look towards the entrance as she felt fresh air and dust coming in faster from a new hole.
"Get your slimy hands off my princess!" She heard The Duke yell, and she was surprised at how much anger was in the man's voice. "Soldiers, arrest that man for the kidnap…"
"No!" Aya cried, moving to stand between The Duke and Jet. "Jet didn't do anything. He saved me from Long Feng."
She heard two men stop behind The Duke and waited for a while until she heard The Duke take a step closer to her.
"Aya, he's a thief. He kidnapped you, all of us. He needs to face his punishment."
Aya shivered slightly, knowing Jet was in trouble. But she had thought she had lost him once and she wasn't going to lose him again. He had promised he wouldn't disappear and Aya was going to make sure he fulfilled that promise.
"No," Aya said sternly. "Back down, Sun Kai. I said Jet saved me, and he did. If the Earth Kingdom continues to seek him for a crime I have forgiven him for, then I will give him asylum in the Fire Nation."
She heard Jet stop moving as if shocked and The Duke stopped as well. "Very well, Princess," The Duke replied formally. "What can I do for you?"
Aya was saddened by the cold tone The Duke was giving her, but she knew she was probably saving Jet's life.
"He's injured, he needs a healer," Aya said and heard The Duke motion the two soldiers forward.
"Aya, you don't have to do this," Jet whispered to her from behind her. "I know what I am."
Aya turned and kneeled before him, reaching out and smiling when she found his hand. "You promised you wouldn't disappear, and we're entering my world now."
She heard him nod and then the two soldiers were on either side of Jet and helped him to his feet, handing Jet his sword as they rose. Aya cringed as she heard Jet let out a low hiss, and just hoped he would be ok. She started following him out of the cave when The Duke grabbed her arm. She jumped slightly, not hearing him.
"Aya…wait, what's wrong?" The Duke asked.
"My bending is gone, temporarily," Aya said to him, turning her face towards his voice.
"What? How? Did he or Long Feng…" The Duke started, anger entering his tone, but Aya shook her head.
"No, I think its cause I had to bend so much when I collapsed the cavern," she replied. She felt tears coming to her eyes as she thought about all the people she had possibly killed while collapsing the cavern and firebending. The Duke pulled her into a hug and she hugged him back, glad that he understood. "Take me to Jet, please The Duke," she whispered and felt him nod against her before he hooked her arm through his and started walking.
"Ow! Hey, watch where you're stepping!" Jet shouted and Aya smiled, hurrying towards his voice. "Watch your step," Jet gritted through his teeth towards her and Aya slowed, feeling in front of her with her feet before she stepped. She felt a wooden box and stepped onto it. Jet grabbed her hand and helped her up into the wagon where he was being treated. She heard The Duke approach her and he stopped, probably watching her.
"I'll be checking out the cavern, looking for survivors," The Duke stated. "And then I'll be back to question you both, so don't leave."
Aya nodded as she heard the healer start wrapping Jet's ribs. She heard him let out a few curses under his breath while the healer worked, and they waited in silence for The Duke to return. She knew Jet was looking around, probably scouting out ways he could get out. Jet sighed after a while and took her hand in his. Aya gave his hand a squeeze and just enjoyed sitting next to him. She heard The Duke come back after about twenty minutes and the healer stepped up to him.
"The boy has three broken ribs, and his ankle is sprained," the healer said. "He won't be able to walk on it for two days, but he should stay off of it for a week. Also, no strenuous activity for a month."
"I understand, thanks Hung Chu," The Duke said before he walked up to the two teens. "All right you two. I want to know what happened from when we were captured. Jet, I also want to know what the plan was. Long Feng is still missing and Hung Chu is going to treat the five we found."
Jet's hand tensed in Aya's grip, so Aya just squeezed his hand, trying to say it was ok. She decided to go first and tried to start before Jet, but he beat her to it.
"The plan was to capture the nobles traveling through and ransom them for supplies and medicine," Jet started with a frown. "I didn't know who you were or that Long Feng had other…plans. I took Aya to one of my homes and took care of her, just like you asked. My girlfriend didn't like Aya and eventually betrayed us to Long Feng. We had heard the army was heading our way and Long Feng sent a letter saying the ransom was paid. I took Aya to the cave to meet Long Feng and that's where he betrayed me."
Jet paused for a minute and Aya knew The Duke wasn't satisfied with the answer.
"What happened in there?" The Duke asked. "Who was the firebender?"
"I was," Aya said gently and heard The Duke turn towards her, his jaw dropping.
"No, you're an earthbender," The Duke stated. "Jet, who was the firebender?"
"She was," Jet answered simply. "The Dai Li attacked after they knocked out my friend. I pushed Aya away and threw one of my swords at Long Feng. But he dodged it and sent an earthbending attack my way. I tried to move out of the way, but I was hit. I think I may have been knocked out for a second, because when I opened my eyes, I saw fire surrounding Aya. I've never seen anyone that angry before and she sent out earth and fire like a master while the cavern collapsed around us. As the cavern finished collapsing around us, Aya fell, unconscious. I waited until she woke up and then you found us."
Aya blushed slightly as she remembered the kiss, but didn't know how scared Jet had been while she had bent both fire and earth. She had heard the slight tremor in his voice when he described her rage and just scooted closer to him. She knew The Duke was watching her and Jet carefully and she also knew he had seen them locked in an embrace when he had found them.
"Aya?" The Duke asked. "Is that all true?"
"Yes," Aya said, bowing her head slightly.
"Very well, I have a few more questions, but it'll wait till we get to Ba Sing Sae. And then I'll question your cohorts as well."
"Wait," Jet said. "Who do you have?"
"A few who tried to lead us away from you, and your friend who was found outside the cavern. He's still unconscious," The Duke answered.
"Let me talk to them," Jet said, trying to get up.
The Duke was silent for a second, but he must have given Jet a look because Jet stopped trying to get up. Aya wished she could earthbend and feel both of the men to find out what was going on.
"Very well," The Duke answered and Aya heard him move to Jet's other side. "Aya, help Jet and I'll get this side."
Aya nodded and helped Jet to stand slowly. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she knew he was frowning as she and The Duke helped him walk a bit, acting as his crutches.
"Jet! Aya!" she heard Yang call out and the three of them stopped.
"It's ok," Jet told his friends. "We'll be fine. Just hang in there, ok?"
"Ok, Jet," Yin said. "We'll be fine."
Jet nodded and turned to The Duke.
"They're my charges," Jet said to The Duke. "Promise me you'll watch over them?"
"Yes," The Duke said with a smile in his tone and Aya wondered what was going on between them. "They'll be treated like royalty."
Jet nodded and they turned to head back, but didn't make it nearly as far. The Duke had Aya help Jet into a carriage before helping her in. Once the door was closed, Aya heard Jet give a desolate sigh and moved to sit next to him. She stifled a yawn, feeling exhausted and Jet chuckled, putting an arm around her and drawing her close to him.
"You didn't have to do that," he told her in a soft tone.
"Do what?" Aya asked him.
"Save me," Jet said. "I can take care of myself."
Aya giggled. "I know, but I couldn't let The Duke hurt you. He can be as protective as my parents. Sometimes, he's worse."
"I can see why your parents trust him, why my dad used to," Jet mused. "He's a good man."
"Yeah, he is," Aya said sleepily, cuddling into Jet's side. She stayed away from his ribs and smiled at how nice it felt to be next to him. "I'm gonna sleep. Don't disappear, ok?"
"I won't," he said with a smile. "I promise."
XXXXX
Jet watched Aya as she fell asleep. He knew she was worried about him, and he was worried about her as well. But they were entering her world and she was a princess while he was a simple thief. He held onto her, running a hand over her black hair occasionally as the carriage continued to move. She was so perfect, so above what he was. But he knew he cared for her as he had cared for no one else. Aya was frustrating, irritating, but she always made him smile and kept him thinking. And she wasn't afraid to stand up to him or for him. He knew when they reached the city, they wouldn't be allowed to be this close again, and they would be treated as they were. He didn't know if this was love, but it just felt right to hold Aya, and he had promised her he wouldn't disappear.
The man, The Duke, he had known there was more going on between Jet and Aya, but Jet refused to give the details while so many soldiers surrounded them. He knew The Duke had been watching him when they walked up to his people. Yang and Yin, as well as Tania, Jun, and Hakul had been in a wagon surrounded by wooden bars. They had watched him, ready to fight if he gave the word, and the twins and Jun had seemed shocked that he had given the signal to stand down, to wait. The Duke had seemed to pick up on it and had met Jet's eyes when Jet asked for The Duke to care for his people with the man's own words. The man had picked up on it immediately and grinned, saying he would.
Jet knew his friends were in safe hands, those of another Freedom Fighter, but now Jet had to figure a way to get them out. He would face the punishment needed, if only they let his friends go. Aya shifted against him and Jet smiled as he entwined his hand with hers. She had done so much for him, and his people. He hoped the Freedom Fighters were ok, and that they would be ok without him for a bit, but he knew the older teens would watch out for them. Knowing the ride would take a few hours, Jet relaxed and slipped into a light sleep. He woke to the carriage stopping and found Aya awake and her ring on his wrist.
"Hi," she said softly. "I think my bending is coming back."
"Good," he said with a smile and wrapped her in a hug.
"Jet," she started hesitantly. "I don't know what's going to happen, but…I like you. A lot. I know we've had our differences, but…"
"Differences?" Jet asked with a laugh. "I think that underscores the shouting matches considerably."
He noticed Aya relax against him and heard a light laugh come out of her. The carriage started again, and a shadow passed over them, blocking out the light coming in through the curtained windows.
"As I was saying," she said with a smirk in her tone and Jet leaned forward slightly and saw the smirk on her face. "I'm not going to let them hurt you."
"Aya, I've done a lot of bad things according to the authorities. I'm willing to face the consequences if it means my people, my friends, will be ok."
He knew he sounded serious, but he was and he needed Aya to understand that. Her grip on his hand tightened before she sighed. "I know," she said. "But I'll do everything I can to keep them safe. As I've said before, you have a good thing going. I don't like the stealing, but I understand caring for your people to make sure they're all right."
Jet nodded, knowing she understood. She was a princess, it was ingrained into her to care for her people and he had seen it when she helped her friends escape and when she bonded with his people and taught them some earthbending. The carriage stopped again and Aya rose out of his embrace, sighing before straightening her clothes and hair. The door opened and Jet found himself looking at Aya's brother. Now that he was getting a better look at the firebender, he noticed the teen was tall and well groomed, though he had pale skin and his face and stature just shouted aristocrat. The golden-eyed teen studied him for a second before smiling and nodding to Jet. Jet was surprised, but then Aya's face lit up as her brother touched her arm and she smiled as he helped her out of the carriage. Jet scooted towards the door as carefully as he could, being careful with his ribs and saw Aya hugging her brother before a high pitch squeal sounded and then the water tribe girl was hugging both of them. The girl was taller than Aya with dark skin, long brown hair bound in a braid and bright blue eyes. Jet felt sad as he saw the two others Long Feng had captured approach Aya and join in the group hug. Aya was laughing and smiling with them, and Jet felt out of place. He knew she belonged here, with her brother and friends, and he was an outsider.
"I'm sure you guys remember Jet," Aya said before breaking apart from her friends and returning to the carriage. He saw her brother's eyes narrow, as well as the grey-eyed boy's, but then Aya was helping him out of the carriage, acting as a crutch for his right ankle.
"We didn't really meet," the firebender said while holding out his hand to Jet. "I'm Iroh."
"Jet," Jet replied, taking Iroh's hand in a firm shake. He was surprised to find calluses on Iroh's hand and was startled as Iroh shook his hand firmly.
"From what it sounds like, you took good care of Aya. Thanks," Iroh said with a smile after releasing Jet's hand.
"I think it was more the other way around," Jet said with a wry smile and noticed Aya blush for a second. He saw the water tribe girl's eyes light up as she stepped up to stand beside Iroh.
"Oh, this is Kana," Iroh said, gesturing to the girl as he hooked an arm around her waist and Jet saw her blush as Aya's jaw dropped. "Yes, Aya, we're going out now."
"Finally!" Aya cried.
"Yeah, they're terrible about it," the water tribe boy said as he stepped up to Jet. "I'm Hakoda, Kana's brother. Thanks for stopping Long Feng a few days ago."
Jet nodded and noticed the grey-eyed boy studying him. The boy seemed the youngest and had short brown hair, and his skin was slightly tanned, but he looked like he smiled and laughed often, though his lips were thinned in study as he looked on Jet.
"This is Kuzon," Iroh said, gesturing to the grey-eyed boy.
"Enough chit-chat," The Duke said, walking towards them. "I can see Jet is in pain, and they're both tired. We'll catch up inside."
Jet could only watch the others as they talked excitedly while Aya helped him in.
"Relax," Aya whispered to him. "They're normal teens, like me."
"You're anything but normal," Jet said with a smile and Aya smiled back at him. She stopped suddenly when they stepped inside, shock on her face, but shortly continued on to set Jet down on a couch. Jet watched as a few girls hurried forward to hug Aya. Two were brunettes, and one had black hair, and all three looked to be about thirteen, though one was definitely a little older.
"Wow, you guys have grown," Aya stated as the girls laughed around her.
"And you haven't!" the oldest said before all four started laughing. Any further catching up was cut off by two women coming out with dinner, serving everyone. Aya sat next to Jet as they ate, and told him who everyone was.
"That's Ty Lee," she said when the woman served them. "She is from the Fire Nation and then joined the Kyoshi warriors after the war until she married Haru. He's an earthbender. They have two daughters, Jen Lee," Aya said, pointing to the older brunette, "and Hana. Hana's an earthbender. Then there's Song, she married Teo over there and they have a daughter, Marissa."
"You know a lot of people," Jet remarked quietly.
"The adults are all friends of my parents, that's how we all know each other."
"And it's late and we've all had a long day," The Duke said from behind them. Jet jumped slightly, not hearing the man approach him, and noticed Aya looking downcast. "Jet, you'll sleep down here. I don't want to aggravate those ribs by making you climb a couple sets of stairs."
Jet just nodded and watched as Aya and her friends headed out of the room. He noticed The Duke watching him and tried to avoid the man's eyes. The Duke waited until everyone else had left before sitting in a chair opposite Jet. They studied each other for a while before The Duke spoke up.
"Jet, I need to know everything that happened," The Duke said.
Jet remained silent and The Duke frowned. "Her mother along with Aang and Sokka are coming soon and they might even be here by tomorrow. I need to know what to tell them."
"I already told you," Jet stated, watching the man.
The Duke sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know something happened for you two to be as close as you are. Something like that normally doesn't happen overnight. Now, what happened?"
"I didn't force her, if that's what you're implying," Jet growled.
"I know you wouldn't, and she wouldn't have let you," The Duke stated and Jet watched him. The man seemed to be genuinely interested and believe the best of Jet.
"We actually fought a lot, arguing," Jet said and smiled as he remembered the shouting matches. "She never acted like I thought she would and she was really interested in my father." The Duke nodded and Jet continued. "She got along with everyone except Jade and even taught us to earthbend a bit."
"Why would she do that?" The Duke asked.
"I don't know," Jet shrugged. "She taught us first how to feel the earth and then tell lies. Maybe it was so I could trust her."
"And Long Feng wasn't around for this?" The Duke asked.
"No, I took Aya away to one of my homes the night you guys escaped, away from him. I didn't see him again until today. It was too weird, the ransom denial and then acceptance came in too fast."
The Duke seemed surprised at that, but he nodded. "Jet, I know you haven't known Aya that long, but do you love her?"
Jet looked into The Duke's dark eyes and knew the man was worried about Aya, just as he was. He wasn't sure if it was love, but he did care for her.
"She means a lot to me, but I'm not sure if it's love," Jet answered.
The Duke nodded and rose, moving to a closet. He came back to Jet with a pillow and blanket.
"Here," the man said. "Get some rest. There are guards around the house, so don't try and escape."
"My people, where are they?" Jet asked.
"Safe, from the Earth Kingdom and Long Feng."
Jet nodded and adjusted the blanket and pillow before he carefully reclined on the couch and fell asleep.
