I'm not sure I know what to think of this man-boy who calls himself Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, son of everything I hate

I'm not sure I know what to think of this man-boy who calls himself Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, son of everything I hate. I'm not sure anyone does.

Well, Aang does. Aang likes him, tries to include him, tries to make him feel at home. Katara, the scary witch Jet liked, does the opposite. And then there's me, with everyone else, somewhere in between. My Freedom Fighter instinct tells me not to trust him, but he looks so nervous sometimes, I can't help but feel for the firebender. I know Jet wouldn't have approved of feeling anything resembling sympathy towards a firebender, but through it all, I think Jet would have felt the same.

I think Jet would have liked this man-boy who calls himself Prince Zuko.

I think Jet, for all his faults and paranoia, would have sympathized with this man-boy, for no other reason than that scar on his face. There's only one type of bender that could have come from, the kind I loathe. Firebender.

They killed my family, Jet told me. That has to be the reason I don't remember them, that I've always been wandering. It was plausible, believable, and the fact gave me a home and a best friend. I don't even really care if it's true anymore. Jet, even though he went crazy, told me so and gave me a home. In his own, rough way, he cared for me.

The man-boy Prince kind of reminds me of that.

Not that I'll let him near enough to touch me, but I can see his golden eyes, watching everything, flinching whenever anyone brings up the past or reaching to gently help Aang. Jet would have throttled me if I told him this, but Prince Zuko reminds me of Jet, the kid I used to ambush firebenders with, and flick leechi nuts at Sneers after.

Not that I'm going to tell Prince Zuko or even Pipsqueak any of this. Seeing my former leader in a firebender can't be a good sign. But he's trying to change, which is exactly what Jet was trying to do when we parted. I don't know if Jet ever really changed, but I hope this man-boy does. Even if he's the son of everything I hate.

So when he offers me some tea he brewed awkwardly, I take it, making eye-contact for a fraction of a second. After all, if Jet knew this man-boy, they'd probably get along great, s'long as no one mentioned the royal Fire Nation heritage.

It's not really my place, but I think Prince Zuko would have made a good Freedom Fighter.

This came out of nowhere, right after I watched the Boiling Rock. (Yes, shame on me.) There was just a moment where the Duke took tea from Prince Zuko lasting about two seconds, and poof! this came to life. I haven't abandoned this, nor have I abandoned FanFiction. Life's just been a little hectic.