Burning Bright

Part VIII

It was the night before their meeting with the Earth King and so far, they were bogged with preparations. Zuko had to cancel his date with Jin, much to his chagrin, to help his uncle prepare the various tea leaves they might use. He had also spent the whole day buying new clothes for him and his uncle so that the two of them may look presentable in front of the Earth King.

"You might need to tie your hair in a topknot," Iroh said as he carefully folded the porcelain tea set Ge Jiang gave him into a clean cloth.

Zuko looked at himself in the mirror and ruffled his floppy, black hair. He tried to tie it into a neat bun but he discovered that it was still too short to form a proper topknot.

"My hair's not long enough," he said as he dropped his hands to the sides.

"Well…at least try to make it look decent when we go to the audience with the Earth King. We want to look respectable. His word could bring great wonders for our teashop," Iroh said as he started individually packing the tea leaves.

"My hair looks fine!' Zuko snapped peevishly.

"Why are you so cranky today? We're going to meet the Earth king!"

Zuko huffed. He wasn't really sure why he was in such a sour mood. Perhaps it was because he had missed another date with Jin. Perhaps it was because serving royalty is like being slapped in the face since he was once royalty himself.

Or perhaps it was because Jin was acting so weirdly during the past couple of days.

Whenever they went out together she often look distracted and she no longer participated in their conversations with as much zest as she usually does. She often looked disheveled and pale although she often attributed her worn-out appearance and strange behavior over the fact that she and her oldest brother, Ge Jiang, were fighting a lot more. He often tried to pry some answers from her but all he got were unfinished sentences and cryptic comments.

Zuko wondered if she was secretly angry with him for being a Firebender. That she was not completely fine with the fact that he had lied to her for the past few weeks. Jin had the habit of being obscenely optimistic. Of always covering up or shrugging off the bad things in the world. Of always being in a happy state of denial. It's quite possible that she was slightly bothered with him being a Firebender at least to some extent. Her mother had died because of the Fire Nation so that theory wasn't really far-fetched.

Or it could be that Ge Jiang was less than pleased with how far their relationship was going. He had always wondered why Ge Jiang treated him and his uncle in a cool manner despite the fact that he and his uncle had always been nice towards him. Perhaps he was the source of all Jin and Ge Jiang's arguments. He suddenly felt guilty.

Zuko's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Zuko told his uncle. His uncle nodded, distracted with all the tea leaves he was holding.

Zuko hurried over to the door to answer it. His eyes widened in shock and glee when he discovered that it was Jin.

"Hey," he said as he made way to let her in.

"Hey," Jin smiled as she entered their apartment.

"How'd you get her so fast?" Zuko inquired.

"I have my ways," Jin mysteriously said.

He led her to the veranda. The two of them leaned against the railings.

"Care to elaborate?"

"Let's just say…..a lot of sneaking was involved," Jin slyly said.

Zuko laughed and together they lapsed into a comfortable conversation. Zuko however noticed that something was horribly wrong. Jin's eyes looked weary and tired and her hair looked slightly messy.

"Are you okay?" he asked concerned. He edged towards her.

"Of course I'm okay," Jin said.

"No you're not."

"I'm perfectly fine, Li. It's all in your head."

"You're smiling weird."

"Excuse me?"

"You're smiling weird."

"I'm just smiling. Doesn't that mean that I'm perfectly fine?" Jin laughingly said as she tried to veer away from Zuko. Zuko caught her with his hands and drew her closer towards his chest using her waist.

"No, that doesn't. I know you too well," Zuko murmured as Jin pressed her head on his shoulder. He realized that she was really tall. She was only a few inches shorter than him.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I know that you are weird enough to pretend that everything is fine when it obviously is not."

"Really?" Jin smirked as Zuko stroke her hair.

"You're making your sad smile."

"My sad smile?" Jin said in between giggles.

"Your sad smile. I can tell the difference when you're smiling for real and when you're just forcing it," Zuko said.

"Well…I'm smiling for real now," Jin slyly said. She turned to look at him and their noses touched.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Jin said as Zuko leaned forward and kissed her.

They broke apart and Zuko laughed and kissed her forehead.

"But seriously. What's wrong?" he murmured into her forehead.

"Hm?"

"Don't think that you could distract me off that easily. Tell me what's bothering you," Zuko said. He felt Jin sigh and he knew that she was ready to tell him. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer but at the same time he wanted to know what was bothering Jin and he wanted to fix it. He hated seeing her in this state. He wanted to do anything that could make her smile genuinely again.

"Did you have a fight with Jiang again?" Zuko asked when Jin didn't answer. Jin stiffened and Zuko felt his heart pound. He was relieved however to find that Jin didn't break away from him. Instead she merely began to make shapes on his shoulder with her pointer finger.

"No, we didn't fight," she shortly said.

"Then what? What happened?" he demanded a little more firmly. He really wanted to dissect through her strange behavior.

Jin said, "It's not a fight. It's nothing like that…..it's just that….we received some really troubling news."

"What?"

"Something's really, really wrong here in Ba Sing Se. But….." she sighed before continuing, "Maybe it's nothing."

"What's wrong here in Ba Sing Se?" Zuko asked, a little more concerned.

It was at that untimely moment that Iroh chose to interrupt them by calling out to his nephew, "Nephew! Who's at the door?"

"It's just me Mushi," Jin laughingly said as Iroh stepped into the veranda. Zuko frowned as Jin broke free from his grasp and stepped towards his uncle to give him a big, warm bear hug.

"My! You look lovelier with each passing day!" Iroh said as he hugged her back.

"And you never seem to run out of compliments with each passing day," Jin smirked as she straightened up again.

"I'm sorry if I bothered you and my nephew," Iroh said after noticing Zuko's annoyed expression.

"Oh no….you didn't bother us at all. How's the teashop? I've heard that word spread even to the Earth King!" Jin said conversationally. All traces of her looking worn-out immediately faded. If Zuko didn't know her that well he would've thought that everything was perfectly fine in her life.

"Everything is going along wonderfully. I am very thankful for all the blessings I have received. It would be very wonderful if you came with us to our audience with the Earth King," Iroh said.

Zuko perked up considerably.

"Yeah! You should come with us!" he excitedly said.

Jin smiled but she shook her head, "Oh no….it's okay. I don't want to impose. This is a thing that's supposed to be between you and Li and—''

"But I want you to impose," Zuko said as he draped an arm around her waist.

"And so do I. I'm sure that the Earth king would be very much delighted with you," Iroh said.

"It's alright. I can't really go anyway. Me and my brothers have to do something important," Jin declined.

"Well I don't want to ruin your plans. But if we are ever asked to serve tea to the Earth king again then I hope you will be able to make it," Iroh said.

"Of course," Jin nodded.

"Now if you excuse me, I must attend to the preparations. I'll leave you and my nephew alone now. The Spirits know how impatient he can get," Iroh said as he winked at Zuko. Zuko scowled as Jin tried to repress a giggle.

As soon as Iroh left Jin immediately began ruffling his hair.

"You should make this neater. You're about to meet the Earth king after all," Jin said as she ran a hand through his hair. Zuko relished the nice sensation he felt whenever Jin ruffled his hair.

Jin laughed as Zuko tickled her sides. "And you should stop trying to distract me."

As soon as Zuko finished tickling her, her face melded into a very serious expression. She stared at him squarely in the eye and said, "So you're serving tea to the Earth King?"

"Yeah. It's all that uncle could talk about," Zuko said as he rolled his eyes.

"Promise me something."

"Yeah?"

"Be careful," Jin said as she began to straighten his collar.

"What?"

"Something's going on in the Earth King's palace. Something terrible. I just want you to keep both of your eyes wide open, okay?" Jin said.

"Is that what you're worried about?" Zuko asked.

Jin wordlessly nodded.

"Then you have nothing to worry about. I can take care of myself," Zuko laughed.

Jin frowned and said peevishly, "This nothing you should take lightly of! Jiang said—''

Jin immediately shut her mouth.

"Jiang said what?" Zuko curiously demanded.

"Nothing. Ge Jiang said nothing," Jin said. She shook her head rapidly.

"No, he said something. Tell me."

"I can't tell you anything. Not until we're sure. "

"Sure about what?"

"Just promise me that you'll be very careful," Jin said. She looked at him determinedly in the eye.

"Be careful about what? We're just serving tea," Zuko said. He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped from his mouth.

"I have a bad feeling about this Li," Jin frowned.

"All right. I'll be careful," Zuko assured her.

He realized that things had become slightly tenser between them. In an effort to lighten things up again, he jokingly asked after realizing that Jin hadn't asked for his real name yet, "So….do you want to know my real name?"

Jin laughed and edged closer towards him, pulling him closer towards her with his collar. Her eyes looked bright and they twinkled but at the same time they looked very fathomless.

"Does it matter?" she asked.

"No. My name is Li and my past doesn't matter now. My name is Li, I live in Ba Sing Se and I like a crazy, weird…."

Jin pretended to look offended.

"….and absolutely beautiful girl named Jin," Zuko said.

Jin laughed. She kissed his cheek and murmured into his ear in a strangely sad tone, "Then I don't want to know your name."

The sun soared high up into the middle of the sky the next day and so did Zuko's spirits. They were set to serve tea to the Earth King today and his uncle had spent most of the morning trying to neaten his hair. Despite waking up to a rather foul mood, his uncle's enthusiasm was infectious and he soon found himself being as excited as his uncle.

However, he had to admit that he was slightly bothered with the conversation he had with Jin yesterday. Be careful? Be careful of what? He frowned. Jin was getting more and more cryptic. She told him that she received some troubling news. All he could understand was that something bad was going on in the palace. But she and her brothers still weren't sure. He didn't quite believe it but he decided to pack his Dual Dao Swords just in case her warning might prove true.

"What are you doing?" Iroh asked as he saw Zuko stuffing the swords into a ratty bag.

"What does it look like? I'm packing my swords."

"What on earth for? We're serving tea to the Earth King! The Dai Li will throw you out even before you enter the gates if they find out you've brought those with you," Iroh said, alarmed.

Zuko sighed and said, "Something's going on in the Earth King's palace."

"Oh?"

"Something horrible," he said. He started to feel stupid. How was he supposed to explain this to his uncle when he wasn't even sure what 'something horrible' was exactly?

"What kind of thing is so horrible that you have to bring your swords along?" Iroh demanded.

Zuko sighed and after much prodding he explained to his uncle the conversation he had with Jin last night. Iroh listened carefully. Just as Zuko finished talking a loud knock resonated from the door.

"I'll get it," Iroh said. He pointed at the swords and shook his head, clearly sending the message that he didn't want the swords along. Zuko huffed and decided not to argue with his uncle. It was his big, special day after all and besides if any situation arose he would be able to defend himself well enough without his swords.

"Greetings, most honorable teamaker. I am here to escort you to the Earth King's palace," he heard a small but stately voice say.

"So soon? My nephew and I haven't finished our preparations yet," he heard Iroh say.

"It is imperative that you will not be late."

"Give us three more minutes to get the tea leaves down…."

"Very well."

"Wait here."

His uncle bustled into the kitchen. They had finished their preparations so Zuko could only guess that his uncle wanted to talk more about what Jin had said. Iroh looked like his usual happy, joyous state although he did notice that Iroh shows signs of worry.

"So…."

"Jin is a very kind and genuine and wonderful girl. And I have no doubt that her warning must be taken seriously. Her brothers are very perceptive of what is going on around them and I know that they must have noticed something strange during the many trips they have had to the Upper Ring."

"Then let me bring my swords," Zuko insistently said.

"Or perhaps it is such a little thing. You said it yourself. Jin and her brothers aren't sure yet. We shouldn't make a spectacle of ourselves in an event this big," Iroh firmly said. He put Zuko's swords away.

Zuko sighed defeated.

"I guess you're right," he conceded.

Iroh nodded, satisfied. He carried the ornate white box and gestured Zuko to the living room where their escort waited.

"Now let's go serve some tea!" Iroh said.

Zuko frowned. He started feeling funny. Like maybe the two of them should rethink this. That maybe they should just stay home. But he quickly shrugged it off. Maybe it was nothing. He shouldn't be so paranoid.

He tried to push back all these feelings and he said in his most enthusiastic voice, "Yes! Let's serve some tea!"

The Earth King's Palace was beyond impressive. It even made Zuko gasp in awe for he had not seen anything as spectacular as this place. Not even in his old home. The walls were very high and they stretched out into a solid square. Many more walls were built around the palace so you had to go through plenty before you could even reach the gate. Zuko frowned. Ba Sing Se seemed to have a fetish for walls.

Then there was the front entrance. It was so large and impressive. It was made out of pure stone with some Jade crystals lining the edges. Iroh whistled loudly as they stepped out of the carriage and made their way to the entrance.

"Many times, I imagined myself here, at the threshold of the palace. But I always thought I would be here as a conqueror…instead, we are the Earth Kings personal guests, here to serve him tea. Destiny is a funny thing," Iroh said as they climbed up unto the steps.

"It sure is Uncle," Zuko cheerfully said. He felt slightly better and soon Jin's warning was completely forgotten as they were led through the entrance and into the room where they were meant to serve tea.

Zuko suddenly noticed something funny.

There weren't as many Dai Li guards as he expected. Shouldn't there be a swarm of them? They were meeting with the Earth King! He expected the Dai Li to heavily guard the Earth King from outsiders he barely knew.

He looked at their escort, whose name was Joo Dee. She was weird. Her lips were curved into a very wide smile but her eyes told an entirely different expression. They looked anxious.

"Um…..so the Earth King's there?" Zuko asked.

Joo Dee turned to look at him and said in an overly-cheerful voice, "Oh no. The Earth King is still taking a warm bath. But I am sure that it won't be long. And besides, don't you still have to prepare some tea?"

Zuko frowned and opened his mouth to ask something else but his uncle beat him to it.

"What kind of tea does the Earth King prefer? I've brought Ginseng, Green, Black, Red, Oolong, Jasmine—''

"It doesn't matter. Brew any kind of tea, you like for her," Joo Dee said.

"But what if he doesn't like it? I mean—''

"Wait a minute? Her?" Zuko said suspiciously. He narrowed his eyes at Joo Dee.

"Excuse me?" Joo Dee said. Her wide smile was still in place but her eyes showed fear. Zuko frowned. What a weirdo.

"You said her. Not him. Aren't we serving the Earth King?" Zuko said.

"Yes! Of course! You must have misheard me. I said him, not her," Joo Dee nervously said.

"No, you didn't. I heard you clearly," Zuko insistently said.

"No, you must have misheard me," Joo Dee said just as insistently while keeping her cheerful inflection.

Zuko realized that they were both glaring at each other. Joo Dee's mouth was still plastered with a wide smile although her eyes became steely.

"You must have misheard her, nephew. Come now. Let's go make some tea," Iroh said trying to abate the situation. Zuko scowled but he didn't push it any further while Joo Dee simply lead them to a small room. A throne was raised on the platform while a small table stood at the center. A little door stood at the back wall. Joo Dee strode towards it and opened it, revealing a small but neat backroom.

"You may prepare the tea here," Joo Dee said before leaving them alone.

Iroh began taking the pots out.

"What kind of tea should I make Prince Zuko?"

"Something weird is going on uncle," Zuko said as he looked around.

"Perhaps he would like my specialty. Jasmine."

"It's like they're keeping something from us," Zuko said as he looked out the window suspiciously.

"Yes….Jasmine seems fine," Iroh said completely ignoring what Zuko was saying.

"Uncle! Would you please focus for a few seconds!" Zuko peevishly snapped.

"And would you please stop being paranoid! The Earth King is going to be here any minute!"

"But—''

"Why don't you tidy the place up?" Iroh said with a tone of finality.

Zuko groaned, frustrated. But then again he could be overly suspicious. It was a rather unfortunate trait of him. He decided that he was being paranoid.

He grudgingly banished the strange feelings that were bubbling inside of him and decided to do what his uncle had told him to do.

But he still felt ill at ease.

"What's taking so long?" Zuko asked impatiently. He was getting more and more suspicious as the minutes ticked by and he just wished that the Earth King would show up so that he wouldn't feel as edgy. Zuko twiddled his thumbs in anticipation. He had a feeling that something would happen. Something big.

His uncle, ever-so enthusiastic, simply said, "Maybe the Earth King overslept."

Suddenly several Dai Li agents walked into the room and formed a circle around the two of them. Zuko instinctively reached out for his Dual Dao swords but then he realized that he hadn't brought it.

"Something's not right…." Zuko stated. He began to look around trying to find the best exit route possible. So Jin was right. Something terrible was going on in the palace.

Zuko narrowed his eyes as he saw the person who was entering the room. It was Azula. Zuko clenched his fists and hardened his jaw.

"It's tea time," Azula mockingly said.

She had not changed one bit since he last saw her, except maybe, for the fact that she sporting Earth Kingdom clothes. Her smile was as cruel and as wicked as ever and her eyes had that same manipulative look that she had always had.

"Azula!" he said as he stood on his feet.

Azula completely ignored him. Instead she turned to look at all the members of the Dai Li encircling them and she said, "Have you met the Dai Li? They're Earthbenders but they have a killer instinct that is so Firebender. I love it!"

Zuko looked at his uncle to see what his reaction was and he was slightly puzzled to find that his uncle was simply pouring tea into a cup. Iroh stood up beside him and looked at Azula firmly in the eye.

"Did I ever tell you how I got the nickname the "Dragon of the West"?" Iroh asked.

Azula rolled her eyes and looked at her nails. She said in a bored tone, "I'm not interested in a lengthy anecdote, uncle."

"It's more of a demonstration really…." Iroh said as he drank some tea.

Zuko smirked. He knew very well what was coming next. Zuko ducked behind Iroh just before his uncle formed a Firebending stance. Iroh opened his mouth and blew a torrent of fire at the Dai Li, like a dragon. Zuko looked at Azula and was satisfied to see the shock on her face. It took very little to surprise Azula. The Dai Li agents held their stone gloved hands up and lowered their hands in an attempt to shield themselves. Zuko gave a low-kick towards one Dai Li agent and he criss-crossed around a couple of Dai Li Agents towards the wall, throwing kicks and blows while he was at it. Before he even reached the wall a stream of fire sailed pass his head and into the wall creating a loud sound and a giant hole.

Zuko immediately burst out into the hallway pausing only to wait for Iroh. The two of them ran forwards with two Dai Li agents running after them. They began to fire the small finger pieces from their stone gloves. A few stone finger pieces barely missed Zuko and Iroh, sailing straight into the wall.

Iroh then shot a bolt of lightning towards the wall, making another hole. Iroh quickly jumped out, giving a small shout as he landed on a hedge bush in the shape of a bear. He looked around and waited for Zuko and was mildly shocked to find that his nephew had not jumped after him yet.

"Come on. You'll be fine!" Iroh called as Zuko teetered over the edge.

Blood rushed and pounded onto Zuko's head. His adrenaline was still pumping from all that running and fighting and he wasn't ready to slow down and run yet. Azula's presence has sparked something within him. Hatred. Anger. Pain. All of those came rushing back into him and they were all directed unto one person. Azula.

He didn't want to look like a coward in front of her. He clenched his fists.

"No. I'm tired of running. It's time I faced Azula!" Zuko said.

He turned around and with a determined step he walked towards Azula and the Dai Li. Iroh groaned and slapped his forehead at his nephew's stupidity. If he went back up there they would be heavily outmatched and outnumbered. They would both be captured. He would have to leave Zuko for awhile. He would have to go look for help. Iroh sighed, his heart heavy, as he made his escape.

"You're so dramatic. What, are you going to do? Challenge me to an Agni Kai ?" Azula mockingly said as her lips curled into a self-satisfied smile.

"Yes! I challenge you!" Zuko said his voice filled with passion.

Azula smirked. Zuko was so stupid.

In an airy voice she said, "No thanks."

Iroh ran as fast he could. His mind was whirring. Who could he ask for help? Jin! He could ask Jin and her brothers. They had anticipated an event such as this. He slapped his forehead. Why didn't he listen? He knew that the three were Earthbenders and were capable of fighting against the Dai Li. Jin tried to keep it a secret but he found out anyway. He bit his lip.

No. He couldn't ask them. They were in the Lower Ring and it would take ages to make the journey from the Upper Ring to the Lower Ring. And once he was in the Lower Ring, he would have to find them. Jin did say that they were running errands today. Iroh nearly clawed his eyes out in frustration. Who could he ask? They had no allies.

Suddenly a shadow loomed overhead. He looked up. The Avatar's bison. Of course! The Avatar! He would help. And he lived in the Upper Ring. Regardless of how….violent Zuko's relationship with Avatar has been, he knew that Aang would be more than willing to help. He would just have to explain. He would beg and plead and grovel on his knees if he had to.

But he had to know where to find Zuko once he had received the Avatar's help. He spotted a Dai Li marching in the corner. In one swift motion, he sent two streams of fire towards the Dai Li Agent and impaired him by kicking at his knees. In panic the Dai Li Agent flailed his arms and attempted to shoot his stone gloves towards Iroh. Iroh merely flicked them away. He then pinned the Dai Li Agent against the wall.

"If you don't want to be barbecued alive, then I suggest that you give up," Iroh threateningly said.

The Dai Li Agent looked fairly young. He had a jagged scar that ran across his face. The Dai Li Agent nodded nervously. Iroh gagged and tied him. He then hoisted the Dai Li Agent up unto his shoulders and proceeded to look for the Avatar.

Iroh strained his head as he tried to recall the address that was listed on the poster of when the Avatar lost his bison.

"Upper Ring….ugh….what district again...96th District… house number….number…two hundred…..two hundred….seventeen!" Iroh muttered to himself as he scrambled towards the 96th district.

He looked at all the house numbers and as soon as he saw the number '217' engraved on a golden plate and posted on a pillar he sighed in relief. He hurried to the door, set the Dai Li Agent down and hurriedly knocked on it.

"Wait, someone's at the door," he heard a very familiar voice say. Iroh knocked on the door again.

As soon as the door opened he sighed in relief. It was the little girl with whom he had tea with. At least he felt somewhat comfortable with her. Maybe she could convince the others to help him.

The little girl, whom he knew as Toph, broke into a wide smile.

"Actually I know who it is. It's an old friend of mine," she said as she addressed the people inside the house. Iroh smiled at her.

"Glad to see you're okay," Toph said as she opened the door wider. Iroh beamed at her gratefully. Behind Toph, The Avatar and the Water-Tribe boy, Sokka gaped openly at him.

"You guys know each other!" Aang said as he pointed a finger at Iroh.

"I met him in the woods once and knocked him down. Then he gave me tea and very good advice," Toph said good-naturedly.

"May I come in ?" While he was in a hurry he had not completely forgotten his manners. Toph nodded while Aang and Sokka continued to look at him uncertainly.

"Princess Azula is here in Ba Sing Se," Iroh gravely informed them.

"She must have Katara," Aang concluded. Iroh felt a bit of his stress fade away. It wouldn't take much convincing. The Avatar's friend had been captured too.

"She has captured my nephew as well," Iroh added.

"Then we'll work together to fight Azula, and save Katara and Zuko," Aang said.

"Woah there. You lost me at, "Zuko"," Sokka interjected. He looked at Iroh suspiciously.

"I know how you must feel about my nephew. But believe me when I tell you there is good inside him," Iroh pleadingly said. He put a hand on Sokka's shoulder.

"Good inside of him isn't enough. Why don't you come back when it's outside him too, okay ?' Sokka said as he removed Iroh's hand from his shoulder.

"Katara is in trouble. All of Ba Sing Se is in trouble. Working together is our best chance," Aang said. Sokka looked unconvinced but after closing his eyes and giving it some thought, he grudgingly nodded.

"I brought someone along who might be able to help us," Iroh offered. He hoped that the Dai Li Agent would be able to seal the deal. He gestured the others to follow him outside and together they went to the front porch where the Dai Li Agent sat on the front porch, gagged and bound.

Toph earthbent two slabs of rock on either side of him, sandwiching him while Iroh pulled the cloth down to reveal his face.

"Azula and Long Feng are plotting a coup. They're going to overthrow the Earth King!" he immediately said in panic.

"My sister! Where are they keeping Katara?" Sokka angrily demanded as he pointed his machete at the Dai Li Agent.

"In the crystal catacombs of old Ba Sing Se, deep beneath the palace," the agent quickly said.

Aang, Toph, Sokka and Iroh looked at each other and nodded. The four quickly departed leaving the Dai Li Agent behind. Iroh now had a tunnel vision. He wanted to find his nephew and get him out of there. He knew how cruel Azula could be. He shuddered to think of what she planned to do with Zuko.

But still, he had not forgotten the Avatar's kindness. Aang could have just as easily refused to help.

He looked at the Avatar and said in a grateful tone, "Thank you."

Aang looked at him and to Iroh's relief, a wide smile was plastered on his face. Sokka, from Aang's side, rolled his eyes while Toph smiled.

In a soft voice, Aang said, "Sure."

Iroh took that as an omen that he and his nephew were on their way to forging peace with the Avatar.

Zuko's chest swelled with hope as he watched the Water Tribe girl step closer towards him, the cordial carrying the mystical spirit water in her hand. He knew that it seemed slightly ridiculous that even after all these years he still found himself unable to accept the fact that he has a scar on the left side of his face. He felt foolish for wishing to permanently erase that scar. But at the same time, he wanted to get rid of it so badly. It was a symbol of his everlasting shame and dishonor. It was a symbol of everything he hated about himself.

"I don't know if it would work, but…" Katara said as she stepped closer towards him. She touched his scar and Zuko closed his eyes. He wanted her to heal him. He wanted to be rid of his scar forever.

Suddenly, before Katara could do anything else, they heard a deep rumbling noise and finally a boom. Zuko turned to the direction of the noise and was shocked to find the Avatar, bursting head on into the scene.

Zuko was also shocked to find his uncle trailing close behind the Avatar. Iroh hurried towards Zuko and gave him a hug.

"Aang!" Katara happily said.

Aang narrowed his eyes at how close Zuko and Katara's proximity were. Zuko returned his glare. The Avatar! The stupid Avatar! Katara sped over to Aang and gave him a bone crushing hug.

"Aang! I knew you would come!" Katara said.

Zuko glared at his uncle. He felt upset and annoyed and angry and all he wanted to do was burn someone or something alive.

"Uncle, I don't understand. What are you doing with the Avatar?" Zuko demanded.

"Saving you, that's what," Aang spat.

Zuko snarled at Aang, ready to attack him but his uncle held him back. Zuko struggled in his uncle's firm grasp but found himself unable to escape.

"Zuko, it's time we talked," his uncle seriously told him. Zuko growled. His uncle turned to look at Aang and Katara and said, "Go help your other friends. We'll catch up with you."

Aang clasped his hands and bowed respectfully before heading off into the other direction. Katara reluctantly followed him, pausing only to look at Zuko for a short while. Zuko growled and turned away from his uncle.

He felt hurt. He felt hurt and angry that his uncle would ever associate himself with the very person that was the cause of all his misery during his banishment. He gritted his teeth.

"Why Uncle ?" was all Zuko could say.

Iroh reassuringly grasped Zuko's shoulders.

"You are not the man you used to be, Zuko. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been. And now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It's time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good!" Iroh said.

Zuko closed his eyes and tried to process what his uncle had just told him. But no matter how hard he tried all he saw was the glory he could have received if he managed to capture the Avatar. All the things he could have had.

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a violent quake. A trail of crystals shot out from the ground and encased Iroh, impending his movements. Zuko readied a stance as he saw Dai Li Agents slide through the tunnel that they had dropped him in. The very last person to enter was….Azula. She looked calm as she stood in front of Zuko. Zuko narrowed his eyes.

"I expected this kind of treachery from Uncle, but Zuko, Prince Zuko…you're a lot of things, but you're not a traitor, are you ?" Azula said as her eyes glittered with malice.

"Release him immediately!" Zuko demanded. He prepared to shoot her with a jet of flames.

"It's not too late for you Zuko. You can still redeem yourself," Azula said as her lips curled into a smile.

"The kind of redemption she offers is not for you," Iroh said.

"Why don't you let him decide, Uncle ?" Azula said, glaring at her uncle after realizing that Zuko momentarily wavered. He knew that his uncle had a bigger hold towards Zuko's loyalty. But that could easily be overridden if she chose her words right. If she just knew how to tap into Zuko's inner insecurities and desires.

"I need you Zuko. I've plotted every move of this day. This glorious day in Fire Nation history. And the only way we win is together. At the end of this day, you will have your honor back. You will have your father's love. You will have everything you want," Azula said as she crafted her face into a convincing expression.

"Zuko, I am begging you, look into your heart and see what it is that you truly want," Iroh desperately said.

Zuko closed his eyes and tried to tune all the sounds out. This situation seemed vaguely familiar although he could not recall when he experienced this kind of event. He tried to decipher which seemed the right choice but all he could hear were Azula's voice telling him that everything that he had always wanted would be his. He bit his lip in frustration.

"You are free to choose," Azula idly said. She couldn't care less what Zuko's ultimate choice was. His decision wouldn't affect any of her plans. He was indispensable. She signaled all the Dai Li Agents to leave and together they walked towards the tunnel where Katara and Aang exited.

Iroh squirmed in the crystal case and said, "Zuko, listen to me—''

"Didn't you hear what she was offering uncle?" Zuko asked.

The color drained from Iroh's face.

"You are seriously not considering what she was saying?" he cried incensed.

"Uncle! I could have my honor back! I could regain everything that I had lost!"

"But you will lose everything that you have already gained!" Iroh roared.

The two of them stared at each other, amber eyes against amber eyes.

"And what have I gained uncle? A life as a peasant!" Zuko demanded. He threw his hands up in the air.

"A life of happiness," Iroh quietly said.

"I want to go home, uncle. And you can to. All you have to do is to come with me to Azula."

Using his most desperate card, Iroh said "But what about Jin?"

Zuko suddenly faltered. He realized that as soon as Azula finished her business with the Avatar she would soon start taking over Ba Sing Se. And the first thing they would do is that they would imprison all the Earthbenders. Zuko clenched his fists.

"She'll understand."

"How are you going to explain this to her? Hi, Jin, let's go have some dinner and oh—is it okay if I burned some people down on the way? And by the way, I'm the Prince of the Fire Nation and I'm about to conquer your city," Iroh sarcastically said.

"Stop it, uncle!"

"I will not! If you follow Azula then Jin will hate you—''

"But what if I can offer her safe haven? What if I tell her that I can keep her and all her friends and all her brothers safe from the Firebenders?"

"Can you hear yourself talking? I can't even tell you how stupid you sound—''

"I could bring her back to the Fire Nation. I'll tell father to give her a nice house, close to the palace. Maybe within a year, I could boost her and her brothers up in the ranks of nobility. She'd like it there….I mean I could get her a forge….," the more Zuko spoke about it, the more the idea grew in his mind. Jin would understand. He was going to offer her a chance of freedom. A chance to get away from the war. A chance to be with him.

"What are you talking about! You can't have it both ways Prince Zuko! You can't have it both ways!" Iroh's voice echoed throughout the whole place.

"Uncle, you don't understand! You will never understand!"

"If you follow Azula…then…..Jin will never forgive you! I will never forgive you!" Iroh cried.

Zuko turned away from his uncle and said in a cracked voice, "Then I'm just going to have to live with that."

And he walked away from his uncle.

He walked away and he never looked back.

Zuko lay awake on his new bed. The silence and the unfamiliarity of his surroundings were disconcerting. It was funny since he had been sleeping there for the past three days. His bed was wider and softer and he felt sure that by the morning his back would no longer ache. The room was a little too big. It gave him a sense of emptiness even with all its lavish furniture. He had grown accustomed to the sound of birds twittering in the back ground or the feeling of flies resting on his skin. The calm and serenity of this place was just so weird… He scowled and toyed with the hem of his blankets.

It was three days since he had betrayed his uncle.

It was three days since he had betrayed Jin.

It was three days since he had betrayed every single person here in Ba Sing Se—including his friends.

It took awhile for that to sink into him. And as soon as he realized what he had done and the consequences that loomed ahead. He began to think of Jin and he wondered if she would be worried when she would come to the teashop the next day and find it closed. He had been gone for three days now. She must've thought that he ditched her. Again. He wondered what would happen if she found out. Would she hate him? He sighed. His uncle was right. She would never forgive him.

Zuko felt guilty.

He had tried to unsuccessfully forget about Jin and his uncle and how guilty he felt but no matter what he did the feelings always bubbled back and he always ended up thinking of nothing but his uncle and how he betrayed him and Jin and how he was about to leave her without saying goodbye.

And he suddenly wished that he could simply leave everything he had here in Ba Sing Se but that seemed a lot more difficult than he first thought. As much as he hated to admit it, he had already established some form of life here in Ba Sing Se. And saying goodbye to all the people that he will be leaving behind without a word seemed impossible.

He thought of Jin again.

And how he would go and leave her without saying much, just like the night when he left her at the fountain.

He sat up, determined. He would go and find her and say goodbye. She deserved that. And maybe he could explain some things to her. He could even pitch the idea he had going on about bringing her to the Fire Nation but the more he thought about it the more he realized that she'll probably disagree. She was too headstrong and stubborn for that.

But he can't just leave her with this way again.

He was going to say goodbye.

Now.

It had to be now. He had to do it before his courage fades.

Zuko sprang up from his bed and started pulling a much more decent shirt on. He grabbed a cloak with a hood and pulled it on his shoulders, the hood shadowing a big part of his face. He also grabbed his Dual Dao swords and sheathed them into place.

Slowly and quietly, he ambled past his door and into the hallway. He proceeded more cautiously as he made his way through the hallway. It was infested with Dai Li Agents patrolling at every minute. Azula told him that it was for his protection or whatever. But he knew the real reason why she had so many Dai Li Agents posted on his area is because she still doesn't trust him.

For the past three days he knew that Azula was still standing on her toes around him. She told him that it is not advisable to leave the palace yet so he had been cooped up in the palace for days. He knew that she was still suspicious. She probably still did not expect his decision. She probably expected him to side with uncle.

Zuko cursed.

Uncle.

That old fool would have been with him in glory if he had just followed him with Azula.

Ty Lee and Mai had been keeping a close eye on him too. The pair continually insisted that it was because they wanted to spend some time with him. Although he knew that it was actually a result of Azula's order. The two were very unbearable and Zuko was often so close to clawing his eyes out when he was with them. Ty lee was too cheerful. He knew that Jin was obscenely cheerful too…..but Ty lee was just so….annoying. She wasn't the cute kind of cheerful like Jin. She was the annoying kind.

And Mai. Mai was just too boring. She never seemed to be interested or invested in anything and any of his conversations with her remained absolutely fruitless. He did notice however that she looked at him in a really weird way sometimes.

Their personalities were just too extremely different from each other that Zuko hated spending time with them. So whenever Ty Lee would attempt to invite him he would come up with some excuse like he had to go to the library or he had to practice with his swords.

Zuko slinked through the hallway, hiding behind a pillar whenever a Dai Li Agent passed. As soon as he managed to make it into the courtyard, he sprinted towards the gate as fast as he could. He encountered a few more Dai Li Agents on the way but he managed to not attract too much attention.

As soon as he exited the palace gates, he ran to the middle ring.

The journey on foot from the Upper Ring to the Lower Ring nearly took him all night. By the time he managed to exit the Lower Ring gate, the first rays of dawn started to penetrate through the pitch dark sky.

He had run through what he planned to say to Jin. He kept on repeating it to himself, until he nearly got it memorized. He squared his shoulders. He wasn't so sure why he felt nervous. His palms felt sweaty. His skin was cold and clammy. All he wanted to do was to return to the Upper Ring so that he could sleep. But he had to do this.

He just had to get this over with right now.

Zuko took a deep breath and decided that he needed to get some air and some time to think things through.

He slowly walked towards the Firelight Fountain where he planned on staying for a little while.

As he drew closer he was a little shocked to see that a lone figure was standing there. He immediately knew who it was. It was Jin and she was looking up into the sky, at the fading stars.

"Jin?" Zuko called.

She turned and her face brightened when she saw him.

"Li!" she cried. She sounded relieved.

She ran towards him and enveloped him into a warm hug. Zuko hugged her back.

"You're okay," she said. She looked completely relieved although Zuko couldn't understand why. Then he remembered that he had been in the palace for three days.

"Of course I'm okay," Zuko chuckled as he stroked her hair.

She suddenly punched his arm.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You stupid jerk! I thought you were dead!" Jin sighed. She hugged him tightly.

"Why would you ever think that?" Zuko asked.

Jin didn't answer him.

Instead she kissed him. She kissed him! Zuko relished the feeling of her lips against his. He didn't realize how much he missed her. He missed her so much and they only haven't seen each other for three days. When they broke apart Zuko pressed his lips unto her forehead and he didn't let go for a very long time.

"A coup just happened in the palace and….and you were there so I thought…. And when I came to the teashop you weren't there and I thought that something awful had happened and I thought….I thought that they must have killed you or tortured you…" Jin said.

"Wait? You know about the coup?" Zuko said flabbergasted. Zuko was told to keep that information a secret. Their presence here in Ba Sing Se or news of the coup wasn't to be made public until the Fire Nation army came.

"That's the terrible thing I was telling you about. The day before you were supposed to serve tea to the Earth King Ge Jiang's friend, Zei, a member of the Dai Li, told him that someone was planning a coup against the Earth King and his generals—''

"Wait. Who's that someone?" Zuko cautiously asked.

"He said that it was the Fire Nation Princess. Can you imagine! The Fire Nation Princess is here in Ba Sing Se! And what's more he said that the head of the Dai Li, that scumbag Long Feng, is working together with her. The coup was going to happen on the day that you were going to serve tea. I just found out on that day too. I tried to warn you but when I got to your apartment, you weren't there. You must have gone into the palace. Oh, Spirits, I'm just so glad that you're okay!' Jin said as she hugged him again.

"How—how do you know all these?" Zuko asked.

"It's because—wait—I can't tell you," Jin said in frustration.

"Why not?" Zuko frowned.

"I can't tell you here. Not where so many unwanted ears could hear us," Jin said as she looked around.

Suddenly she grabbed Zuko's right arm and she began dragging him away from the fountain. Zuko groaned. What was he getting himself into?

"Where's Mushi? Where's your uncle? Is he okay? Is he back at the teashop or….or…in your apartment?" Jin said in a rush as they continued to run.

She stepped back a little and it was the first time Zuko got a good look on her. She looked tired and weary. Her hair was disheveled, she looked pale and her eyes looked as if she didn't have any sleep. He also noticed that she was wearing her Earthbending outfit.

"He's….he's…" Zuko couldn't bring himself to say it. Suddenly, everything that he had just rehearsed flew out the window. He didn't know what to tell her.

Jin closed her eyes. "Is he captured?"

"Huh?"

"Is he captured?"

"Yes," was all Zuko could say. Zuko wasn't sure what was happening. He was supposed to be telling her goodbye. Not following her into somewhere shady.

"I thought so."

"We were in the way of the um…..coup….so they attacked us…." Zuko said as he fumbled for a decent explanation.

"Oh no! That's bad! That's really bad! Did they capture you too?"

"Um…yeah. That explains why….I've been gone….for three….days," Zuko muttered.

"What happened? Did you escape?"

"Um…yeah…."

"Did they torture you?" Jin said. She stopped and grabbed his hand. She looked into his eyes with a look of utmost concern.

"No. No, they just…..they just locked me up," Zuko said. He was telling lie after lie. He didn't know why he was doing that. He was supposed to come clean towards her. It was as if his mouth had a mind of its own. Zuko growled. Why was he so stupid?

Jin sighed in relief. They continued to move.

"What happened?"

"I escaped."

"Did you fight against them?"

"Um….yeah…."

"Even if it was against your own people?" Jin asked.

Zuko froze in his place. He had completely forgotten that Jin already knew that he was Firebender.

"Yes. I told you. I'm Li now. There's….there's nothing in the past left for me," Zuko said. Hearing it himself, the lie felt outrageously ridiculous.

What absolutely killed it for him was the expression on Jin's face. She looked at him happily.

"I'm so proud of you," she told him. They slowed down as they reached a blind curve.

"Yeah?"

"I'm so glad that you know how horrible the Fire Nation is. I'm so glad that you're willing to stand for what is right. Even if it means that you're going against your own nation," Jin said. She hugged him and this hug was pulsating with so much more emotion. Zuko reluctantly patted her back.

"You know what? I think that this only made me more attracted to you….if that was possible," Jin coyly said.

Despite his nervousness Zuko laughed. Jin leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

"This is so great!" Jin said. She looked so much more enthusiastic now. She was bounding up and down and a wide smile was plastered all over her face. She grabbed his hand and began to lead him through the passageways with so much more fervor.

"Um…yeah…it's so great…."

"You've been to the palace for three days! I mean it's awful that you go locked up but it's also great because that means you've seen and heard what's been going around there," Jin said. They turned to the left.

"Um…..yeah…I've seen and heard stuff….which is why things are so great….um…" Zuko muttered.

"We have to move quickly. Before the sun rises too high. By then more people will be showing up to open their shops," Jin said as she hastened her steps. Zuko tried to match her pace but he discovered that his nervousness and anxiety was getting the better of him.

What was he thinking? Why was he even playing along with this? It was as if he couldn't think properly once he was around Jin. It was as if once she was in close proximity with him, she would immediately start impairing his ability to think things through.

Zuko managed to catch up with her. He tried to start a conversation but she seemed adamant in keeping the silence. They continued on, the silence that was enveloping around them tense and uncomfortable.

"What's going on?" Zuko finally managed to sputter.

"A war is what's going on," Jin gravely said.

Zuko began to sweat profusely. What did she mean by that? Why wasn't she giving him a straight answer?

"I don't understand," he said.

"Don't worry. You will soon," Jin said.

They continued to run through the many alleyways and paths in silence. Above them the sky had turned into a pinkish color and he knew that the morning would soon come. That also meant that Azula would soon find out that he had left and she would start looking for him. He had to figure out a way to return to the palace so that he won't raise any suspicion. But it seemed as if he had no way out. He was bound to follow Jin to wherever she was going. He sighed. He might as well try to talk to her without the tense and uncomfortable atomsophere.

"So….what were you doing in the fountain?" Zuko asked as he hazarded into another decent conversation.

"I just needed some space. Some time to get away from….things," Jin said.

"From what kind of things?" Zuko asked.

"You'll see," Jin said mysteriously.

They continued to speed through the different alleyways. Zuko soon became familiar with the path they were taking. They were heading towards the coal mines. Zuko wrinkled his nose. Why on earth would they go there? What could they do there anyway? He became more and more curious as they continued to speed along. Finally they reached the clearing where the entrance to the coal mines stood.

Immediately, Zuko realized that something was severely different. The big boulder no longer stood. Instead, all he saw flat. No more boulder. Zuko looked around and he started to realize that he could see and feel other people's presence inside the rundown buildings.

Jin immediately began to slow her pace. She gestured for Zuko to follow her.

"Something's….something's different," he told her as they hazarded into the center.

"Shh…" Jin said as she began to earthbend. A hole appeared and Jin quickly jumped into it. Zuko followed after her.

Once the two of them were at the bottom, Jin grabbed his hand and gestured him to be quite.

"Follow every step I make. Not one toe out of line," she whispered into his ear.

Jin looked around and made a cautious step forward. She made a step to the right. She froze before bringing her other foot forward. She then looked around and made a step forward. She gestured for Zuko to follow her. Zuko wasn't so sure what was happening but he decided to do just exactly what she told him to do. He tried to copy and mimic her movements with as less margin of errors he could manage.

He wasn't sure what happened next. All he knew was that he accidentally lost his footing and he ended up stepping into the opposite direction of where she went. Suddenly, the ground started quaking. Jin scowled and looked at him, 'What did you…"

Before she could finish, stone spikes suddenly started flying into the air. Zuko narrowly missed two while Jin managed to deflect a few with her hands. She grabbed Zuko's hand and together they surged on forward, trying to avoid all the spikes.

"Jump!" Jin told him.

"What!"

"Jump!"

Zuko now understood what Jin meant. In front of them lay deadly bed of spikes. Jin surprised Zuko by running on the wall while Zuko made a quick jump over it. He stumbled a little bit on his landing and so did Jin. The two of them tumbled on top of each other. The quaking stopped and so did the flight of the spikes.

Jin who was lying on top of him looked annoyed. Zuko on the other hand, just felt weird. He realized how close their bodies were and it's not that he didn't like it….it's just that it made him feel….awkward. He sighed. He should get out more often.

"I told you to follow every single step," she said peevishly.

"What was all that about?"

"A defense mechanism Duan Jie invented. Now come on," Jin said as she dusted herself off. She held her hand out to Zuko who grabbed it and together they journeyed forward.

"Why would he need a defense mechanism? And wait—he knows about his place?" Zuko said.

Jin however, was ignoring him completely. She suddenly stopped and turned to the left wall.

"This is it," she simply said.

"Huh?"

She suddenly earthbent another hole into the left wall. She gestured Zuko to follow her.

"Come on!" Jin said. The two of them moved forward inside the hole, with Jin tunneling forward using earthbending.

"Why do we need to go here? We could just keep going forward in that direction," Zuko said as he pointed at the previous tunnels. After his experience in the Crystal Catacombs, he was sick of tunnels.

"You'll see," Jin said. Zuko scowled in frustration. Why was she so secretive? Suddenly they came into a halt. Jin earthbent another exit. Zuko stepped forward but Jin held him back.

"Trip wire," she calmly told him. Zuko looked closer and saw that she was right. A thin wire stretched over the hole she made. She jumped over the wire and gestured for him to do the same. Zuko followed her and together they walked forwards.

"What are all these booby traps for?" Zuko asked as he walked beside Jin.

"They're to keep unwanted guests away," Jin said.

"Why do you need to keep unwanted guests away?" Zuko asked.

"You'll know soon," Jin said.

"Why are you being so annoyingly cryptic?" Zuko snapped, his temper failing for the first time. Jin earthbent the tunnel she made back into what it was before. A solid wall.

"And why are you being so impatient! Keep quiet or else we'll get stuck knee-deep in mud!" Jin hissed.

Zuko froze and looked around.

"Are you serious?" he fearfully asked.

"Let's just go!" Jin sighed exasperated.

They continued to walk forward. Zuko felt more and more tense. What was going on? And what was he doing? He was supposed to tell her. That was the whole point of why he was here. Zuko began to twiddle his thumbs. He should stop this. He should tell her right now.

"Um…Jin…there's something….something…."

"Hm?"

She looked at him and his courage failed. She looked at him with eyes brim-filled with hope. She looked weary and tired but she looked hopeful. Zuko swallowed thickly.

"Nothing," he said as he looked away.

"Okay…." Jin said as she started at him with a confused expression. Suddenly her face broke out into a smile.

"We're here!' jin said.

Zuko looked up and saw that there was a small door that stood in front of them. Zuko frowned. He didn't remember that door during his many trips there. He didn't even remember this part of the coal mine.

Jin suddenly started performing a series of strange knocks. As soon as she was done, a very familiar voice said, "The hyacinth falls at such a beautiful angle on the equinox…."

"But only when the moon is aligned with the seventh star," Jin replied.

Zuko stared at her confused.

"What are you babbling about?" he asked but Jin ignored him.

The door swung open and Zuko saw plenty of familiar faces. He saw Duan Jie, Shu….he even saw Jiao.

"What's going—''

Jin smirked and said, "Welcome to the Ba Sing Se Resistance."

Yes, I know the timeline seems and the plot and everything else seems really, really confusing or out of whack to some of you but don't worry. All will be explained in the next chapter. So, Zuko betrayed his uncle. I know most of you wanted him to not betray his uncle but I wanted him to stay in character and I believed that is what he would have done anyway. Even if he met Jin.

Thanks to those who read this or added this to their Favorites.

ArrayePL and SkorpionQueen012 my two most loyal reviewers. You two never cease to amaze me. Keep it up and thank you, thank you, thank you so much!

Thanks to Marina Hawk for your review and comment!

To villagecookie211: Yup, there are definitely a lot of grammatical errors and tense changes. Usually I never notice them until I post them on fanfiction mostly because I never double check what I've written. I'll try to keep them to a minimum. Thanks for the awesome words of wisdom and the nice review. You don't know how much that means to me.

And guys, don't leave me hanging.

Keep the reviews up.