Burning Bright
Part XII
"I think I see a cave below," Jin murmured from beside Sokka as she tried to lean over Appa's saddle. So far, she could see nothing but the thick mist that Aang was enveloping around Appa but she had caught a glimpse of something gray and rounded from the distance. Jin's first ride on Appa was extremely interesting to say the least. She had stiffly clung onto the side and sat their rigidly, unmoving for many hours on. When they finally descended for rest, Katara had to pry Jin away from the saddle. However, as they continued to travel, Jin had finally eased herself whenever she rode on Appa.
Jin had decided to come with them once the Water tribe and Katara, Toph and Sokka decided to split up. Sokka had tried to deter her, stating that it was much too dangerous for the kind of girl like she was but Jin quickly silenced him after propelling him six feet away with an earth column. Apparently, being referred to as a weak female hit some nerve in Jin's body.
The rest of the Resistance Members like Hai, Guai and Long went with the water tribe, along with Pipsqueak and Duke. Some who no longer wanted to fight, merely dispersed into other regions of the Earth Kingdom.
Jin had been very enthusiastic about meeting Aang. She shook his hand, gave an extremely long speech about how much she admired him and believed in him and once she finished with all that, she gave him a bone-crushing hug. If anything that only seemed to have flustered Aang and put even more pressure on him because he took off the moment Sokka mentioned that everyone thought that he died.
They had found him near a volcano where he started yammering about how he needed to die first. They had told him that they will accompany him (along with Jin who was now officially part of their little group) until the invasion where they were going to meet up with the Water Tribe and the Resistance Members. They still have not heard of any news from Jin's brothers and as one, two, three weeks passed, Sokka's outlook on things were bleak though Jin and Katara maintained an optimistic front.
Sokka huffed from beside her and said, "Shhush... keep quiet! Great job with the cloud camo, but next time, let's disguise ourselves as the kind of cloud who knows how to keep its mouth shut."
Aang had dispersed the cloud of mist around them and now Sokka could clearly see the cave.
"Yeah, we wouldn't want a bird to hear us chatting up there and turn us in," Toph sarcastically said as Appa descended unto the ground. Before Appa could make a full stop, Jin lithely leaped down and enthusiastically hurried over to the cave.
"Look! It's over there!"Jin excitedly said. Sokka slapped his forehead and scowled. One of the many things he discovered about Jin was that her enthusiasm and optimism was unparalleled and it was possibly even greater than Katara's—and that was saying something. It seemed to him that nothing ever seems to bother Jin—she always saw something good in the many horrible things that were happening to them.
That was fine once in awhile.
But with her, she took things to the extremes. No one could be that happy or have that much patience. It was as if she was stubbornly ignoring all the bad things in the world.
"Hey! Do any of you get the phrase "be inconspicuous"?" Sokka hollered as he got off of Appa.
"I'm not the one yelling loudly for everyone to hear. And besides, there's nobody here Sokka. What's going to happen? Don't tell me that the rocks would report us to the Fire Nation," Jin scoffed.
Sokka quickly scrambled behind a rock and he pointed upward, "Hey! We're in enemy territory. This is enemy soil. Those are enemy birds. These are enemy rocks. "
Everyone laughed at him. Sokka growled. People shouldn't take him for granted especially since he was always right about everything.
"Go on! Laugh! But if a hunk of rock turns us in to the Fire Nation, then don't go saying that I didn't warn you," Sokka said as everyone started walking towards the cave. Sokka, absolutely unamused, lurked behind them, suddenly leaping over their heads to warn off a completely imaginary threat. Katara backed away, annoyed while Toph scowled indignantly. He hurried over the cave before anyone else, peered suspiciously about before dashing in and beckoning everyone inside.
"Well, this is it. This is how we'll be living until the invasion begins. Hiding in cave after cave...after cave...after cave..." Sokka said his voice and head dropping lower with each word.
Katara frowned and pointed out, "Sokka, we don't need to become cave people. What we need is some new clothes."
"Yeah. I learned from someone that having a disguise is definitely as good as hiding in a cave," Jin said as she examined the cave further.
"And who did you learn it from?" Sokka demanded. He meant it as a harmless question but apparently it hit some sort of sensitive spot on Jin since her face withered and she mumbled in an incoherent tone, "Um…er…just a friend…"
Sokka was used to that by now. Sometimes when he would ask a particular question or mention something, Jin would immediately clam up and start diverting the topic. Like that one time he mentioned Zuko's stupid ponytail. Jin suddenly wasn't interested in joining Sokka's extremely fun game of making more jokes about Zuko's ponytail. Or the time that he mentioned how much he loved Jasmine tea. Jin nearly choked on what she was drinking before stalking off to go to sleep—and they hadn't even had their dinner yet. Or that time he asked her about her dad and her life before she came to Ba Sing Se. She looked away into the distance and started talking about rabiroos.
In reality, Sokka and the rest didn't know much about Jin expect that she was from Ba Sing Se and that she led the Resistance. She didn't tell them and truth to be told—Sokka had the feeling that she wouldn't want to tell them anyway if she was given the chance. He didn't think much of it. If she doesn't want to tell any of them, then he didn't want to push it. He wasn't the nosy, prying type so he simply assumed that this was just one of those things that Jin didn't want to talk about.
"Jin's right Sokka. Blending in is better than hiding out. If we get Fire Nation disguises, we'll be just as safe as we would be hiding in a cave," Aang said interrupting Jin's mumbles.
"Plus...they have real food out there. Does anyone wanna sit in the dirt and eat cave-hoppers?" Toph said. She pushed the cave's wall and a handful of cave-hoppers sprang up and began to widly move around them.
"Looks like we got out voted, sport," Sokka said miserably to Momo. He sighed and conceded, "Let's get some new clothes."
They had stolen a few clothes from a clothesline hanging behind one of the houses. Sokka had chosen something loose, baggy and sleeveless, Toph after getting her clothes took some shoes and got rid of the soles, Aang wore something that reminded Sokka of a school uniform while Katara wore something that nearly made Aang's eyes bulge from his sockets.
Jin had taken a top that was halter-like, fastened from the back and a skirt that was slit a little too much in the sides so Jin had to steal a pair of white leggings before putting her clothes on. Unlike Toph's sole-less shoes she decided to go completely barefoot. She began to complain that Fire Nation fabric was too thin the moment everyone had settled.
"I can't believe people here actually where these in broad daylight. Back in the earth Kingdom, these could have passed off as undergarments," she said as she awkwardly walked alongside Toph. She looked as if she hadn't completely adapted to her new clothing.
Toph nodded understandably and said, "I know what you mean. But I guess I'd rather wear these than a regular Earth Kingdom robe in this weather."
She fanned herself with her hand as Katara swatted a fly away.
"I know what you mean. When we started travelling around the Earth Kingdom, I was in a bit of a culture shock once I realized that wearing too much jackets could cause me to hyperventilate in the heat," Katara said as they turned around the corner. They had a reached a bazaar. People were milling in and about and stall vendors advertised their wares.
"I used to visit my friend Kuzon here a hundred years ago. So everyone just follow my lead and stay cool. Or as they say in the Fire Nation - "Stay flamin'"!" Aang said. He began to look excited.
A gentleman passed by them. Aang waved enthusiastically and said, "Greetings my good hotman!"
The man stared at Aang in confusion and said, "Uh, hi. I guess?"
"This reminds me of Market-Market in Ba Sing Se," Jin sadly said. She looked a little distant once again.
"Homesick?" Katara asked as Sokka got attracted to a nearby booth. He tugged at Katara's hand and pointed to a stall selling bracelets and necklaces.
"A little," Jin shrugged as they began to pick some items up.
Sokka bought a clasp for his topknot, Katara bought a new necklace to replace her mother's, Toph bought a headband to keep her hair back while Jin bought a simple headpiece. She had changed her usual hairstyles—which were braids and a ponytail— to mimic the Fire Nation "look." She had pulled her hair into a half-up, with a small topknot holding the upper-half. She fastened the headpiece in place and followed the others as Sokka led the way to a butcher's shop.
Katara walked on fussing with her necklace when she suddenly noticed that Jin was gone. Katara doubled back and saw that Jin was reading something off a bulletin board. She had stiffened and her face had a look of pure horror on her face. Katara became a little worried. She bid everyone to go on without her as Sokka and Aang started getting into an argument about the place where they were going to eat. She hurried over to Jin and saw that her eyes became glassy.
"Hey. You okay?" Katara asked.
Jin looked startled. She blinked at Katara slowly before coming around.
"Huh? Oh…yeah…sure. I'm fine. I'm just um….reading something. Come on. Let's go," Jin said. She gestured for Katara to come with her before moving forward.
But Katara stayed. Jin sighed and stood beside Katara as she stared at the small yellow paper that read,
"People of the Fire Nation
The Avatar is dead
The Walls of Ba Sing Se have fallen
Ba Sing Se has fallen
The Earth Kingdom has fallen
The Resistance that has plagued the city has been destroyed
Their leaders have run in fear
All their kings run
The Fire Nation has won
Hail to Princess Azula, for infiltrating the city in disguise
Hail to Prince Zuko, her most honorable brother who helped her in her cause
Hail to Fire Lord Ozai
Hail to the Fire Nation."
"Oh," Katara said in a small voice.
"It's okay. It's no big deal really," Jin sighed. She forced a smile.
"Don't worry. After the invasion, everything will be alright," Katara said trying to comfort her.
Jin looked away and sighed, sounding unconvinced, "I hope your right."
It was the first time Katara heard her say something that was not so optimistic.
"People of the Fire Nation
The Avatar is dead
The Walls of Ba Sing Se have fallen
Ba Sing Se has fallen
The Earth Kingdom has fallen
The Resistance that has plagued the city has been destroyed
Their leaders have run in fear
All their kings run
The Fire Nation has won
Hail to Princess Azula, for infiltrating the city in disguise
Hail to Prince Zuko, her most honorable brother who helped her in her cause
Hail to Fire Lord Ozai
Hail to the Fire Nation."
Zuko stared at the piece of paper blankly as he clasped it in his hands. Then after a few minutes of terrible silence, he growled, tore the paper up into little pieces and flung them all into the lamp fire. No doubt about it that Azula had left it there in his room as a way to further torture him. It was all Azula's doing—he was very sure. Azula knew that despite the fact that he was keeping up a very indifferent façade he was still boiling with guilt on the inside.
He started to stomp around the room trying to contain his mixed feelings of anger and resentment. Finally, after his many minutes of cursing and flinging things around, he came to the conclusion that the only way to clear things up was to go to his uncle Iroh and perhaps try to get some advice on how to hash things out.
His impulsive nature took over him once again. He grabbed a hooded cloak and immediately silently stole out of the palace. Halfway through his journey to his uncle's prison cell he started regretting his decision. Maybe this wasn't the best of his ideas. He had been there before but the guard shooed him away. Mixed with the fear that Azula might find out and use it as another tool against him, he decided to do exactly as the guard told him and he left.
Azula scared him more than he liked to admit. He was afraid that one wrong move with her could cause his ruin. His father had welcomed him, stated that he was very proud of Zuko and finally accepted him. But somehow, all his father's words felt empty. It just wasn't as satisfying as he imagined it to be.
As he neared the prisonhold, he changed his mind yet again and forged forward. He wasn't going to let Azula get the best of him. He was so much better and stronger than this. He tried to calm his nerves as he approached the sentry.
"You again? Stop where you are," the guard ordered. He leveled his spear towards Zuko.
Zuko scowled, raised his head and stared back at the guard defiantly. Shock crept up at the guard's features. He said alarmed, "Prince Zuko?"
Zuko then grabbed his shoulder and slammed him against the wall. Azula must not find out about this.
He scowled in a tone of menace, "'I'm going in for a visit. You're gonna stand guard here, and no one is going to know about this."
The guard nodded weakly and with a dramatic whirl of his cloak, he hurried into the prison hold. The prison hold was dark and depressing—its walls were grimy and rats scuttled in and out from everywhere; Zuko had accidentally stepped on one's tail. It was worse than the prison hold in Ba Sing Se and Zuko felt extremely guilty and sorry for his uncle. If he ever came back here, he would bring his uncle a warm comforter and perhaps food that was more substantial. He shuddered as he thought of what they might be feeding him.
As he drew closer to his uncle's prison cell, he was mortified to see that Iroh looked awful. His hair was unkempt, his clothes were reduced to tatters and all that he had for a bed was a very thin, threadbare mat. Zuko had at least hoped that his father would be kinder to his brother.
He hurried to the bars, clutched them and said hoarsely, "Uncle. It's me."
Katara was like a restless rooster-pig as she paced to and fro from their homey little cave. Aang had not come back for a very long time and she was starting to grow a little worried. Sokka assured her that Aang was probably still in the garbage dumps looking for a head of lettuce while Toph suggested that Aang must be in one of his deep, meditative states and he did not want to be disturbed. Jin tried to calm Katara down by saying that Aang was probably off exploring more of the Fire Nation.
"It's almost dinner! And if he wanted to explore he could've told us!" Katara said as she threw her hands up.
"Katara—''
"He could be captured! He could be tortured! Or worse—he could be dead!" Katara said miserably, shrugging Jin's hands off.
"Would you just relax, Sugar Queen? Twinkletoes is fine," Toph said.
"Yeah. Dinner's almost over and you didn't cook a thing! We had to let Jin poison—I mean cook for us!" Sokka whined as he produced a green-looking goop. It was black and gray at the sides.
"Hey! I did warn you but no….Sokka insisted that he had to have his meat now!" Jin shot back.
"I thought you were kidding when you said you were a bad cook! Aren't girls supposed to be good in cooking!" Sokka sighed.
"And just what do you mean by that?" Jin demanded.
"I just mean that girls are good at stuff like cooking and sewing while guys are good at doing activities of manliness like fighting and kindling fires," Sokka said.
"That is so sexist!" Jin declared.
Sokka shrugged, "I'm just stating the facts—''
"Aang!" Katara's loud voice interrupted their bicker.
"Where have you been? We've been worried sick!" she said as she examined Aang further. He was covered in scorch marks everywhere.
He didn't look scared or tired as she expected. He said happily, "I got invited to play with some kids after school."
"After what?" Sokka said flummoxed. He completely forgot his argument with Jin.
"I enrolled in a Fire Nation school, and I'm going back tomorrow," Aang announced.
"Enrolled in what?" Sokka gasped completely horrified.
"You heard me. I'm going to school," Aang happily said.
"B-but—but—''
"Really? What was it like?" Jin asked brightly.
Aang, glad that someone else was enthusiastic over his brand new idea and he began a long narrative of what his day was like while Sokka listened on with a look of plain disapproval on his face. Katara looked interested while Toph seemed bored after the last few seconds.
"Aang, I'm trying to be mature and not immediately shoot down your idea. But it sounds...really terrible," Sokka cautiously said as soon as Aang finished.
"Yeah, we got our outfits. What do you need to go to school for?" Toph demanded.
"Every minute I'm in that classroom. I'm learning new things about the fire nation. I already have a picture of Fire Lord Ozai," Aang excitedly said as he displayed a picture of Ozai. Then he produced the same picture made out of noodles and he said, "And here's one that I made out of noodles!"
"Come on Sokka! You have to admit! That is impressive!" Jin declared.
Sokka nodded and agreed, "Impressive, I admit. But I still think it's too dangerous."
"You think everything is dangerous," Jin pointed out.
"I do not!" Sokka argued defensively.
"Just today, you were worried about rocks reporting us to the Fire Nation!" Jin said.
"I'm believe I'm being cautious. Something which you could all take a page from," Sokka sniffed.
"You're being overly suspicious. Come on, just hear Aang out. He's right. We could learn so much about the Fire Nation," Jin said. Aang beamed at Jin gratefully.
Sokka said, "We could learn stuff about the Fire Nation by….um…"
"By what?"
"Well…"
"See! The best way to learn about the enemy, is from the enemy himself," Jin said triumphantly seeing that Sokka had ran out of things to counter her.
Sokka however shook his head and declared, "My answer is still no. It's too dangerous."
Pulling out his last card, Aang deviously said, "I guess we'll never find out about the secret river then. It goes right to the Fire Lord's palace. We were supposed to learn about it in class tomorrow..."
Sokka paused for a moment. He looked as if he was having an internal debate. He mused, "I am a fan of secret rivers…"
Aang leaned forward and nodded eagerly. Sokka gave everyone a look and said, "And if everyone is alright with it…."
"Whatever makes Aang happy," Katara shrugged.
"If Twinkletoes wants to learn, then I guess it's not my problem," Toph said with distaste.
"I'm all for it," Jin smiled.
Sokka sighed and relented, "Fine, let's stay a few more days."
Aang broke out into a large smile and said happily, "Flamey-o, Hotman!"
He quickly ran off somewhere in excitement.
Sokka looked at Jin and said, "See? You want him to stay in school and that's all he's learning? Flamey-o Hotman?"
Jin shrugged and scoffed, "Enemy lingo. Very useful once you think about it."
His uncle did not answer him. Instead he turned around and sat still for a very long time. Zuko growled and spat, "You brought this on yourself, you know. We could have returned together. You could have been a hero."
Iroh said nothing as he turned a shade further away from Zuko.
"You have no right to judge me Uncle. I did what I had to do in Ba Sing Se, and you're a fool for not joining me. You're not gonna say anything?" Zuko demanded.
Silence.
Enraged and frustrated, he kicked a stool and bent a blast of fire on the wall as he raged, "Ahhrr! You're a crazy old man! You're crazy, and if you weren't in jail, you'd be sleeping in a gutter!"
And with that Zuko stormed out of the room. He was very stupid thinking he could find some answers, clear things out in here. His uncle was of no help at all. Zuko scowled. He didn't need his uncle. He can take care of things by himself. He continued to stomp away when he paused.
He thought he heard something.
He craned his neck.
After a few minutes of silence Zuko hurried but he shivered.
He thought he had heard the faint sound of someone weeping.
The School headmaster peered at Sokka through condescending eyes and said in a somewhat confused tone, "Thank you for coming, Mr. And Mrs..."
"Fire! Wang Fire. This is my wife, Sapphire," Sokka answered a little too quickly. Beside him, Jin slapped her head and gave him an "Are you kidding?" look.
Aang had gotten himself into trouble at school and much to their misfortune, the headmaster called for a parent's conference. Sokka was absolutely against the idea but as usual no one listened to him—Jin in particular had campaigned and sided with Aang. She insisted that it would be a fun, learning experience for Aang and it would really help them learn more about the Fire Nation. As always, he was right and when Aang declared that someone needed to pose as his parents, being the only male with considerable height and maturity he was forced to play the role of Aang's father. And since Jin was the person who had insisted to go along with this ridiculous charade of letting Aang go to school it was only fitting that she played Aang's mother.
And also it was because Katara staunchly refused stating that it was really weird since they were siblings and Toph was a little too young to play his wife (though she didn't seem too bothered at the idea).
They went to the market to buy things that might make them look older. Sokka and Jin argued for long time since Sokka suggested that Jin must wear a fake pregnancy bump. Jin of course, disagreed but after painstakingly explaining to her that it would look more realistic since her face looked too youthful.
"And how about you?" Jin had demanded.
Sokka shrugged, bought wads of fur from a nearby stall and presented them to Jin saying, "I'll ask Katara to make a beard for me."
So as soon as Sokka got his beard and Jin got her pregnancy bump, the two scrambled to the Aang's school pretending to look old and wise and trying to play the part of overbearing parents. As the headmaster stared at them blankly, Sokka suddenly wished that he just insisted that they simply move away from this place and never, ever return.
"Sapphire Fire, nice to meet you," Jin said with an airy politeness. She leaned over and shook the headmaster's hand, her fake, large belling pressing against the table's edge. When she leaned back there was a very prominent looking dent on her belly.
Sokka hastily tried to form it back to its original shape as the headmaster droned on dubiously, "Mr. and Mrs...Fire, your son has been enrolled here for two days, and he's already causing problems. He's argued with his history teacher, disrupted music class, and roughed up my star pupil…."
"What are you doing?" Jin hissed as the headmaster continued to enumerate more of Aang's bad behavior.
"Fixing the ginourmous dent that you have put on our child!" Sokka snapped back, gesturing for her to look. Jin's eyes widened and she fumbled her hands trying to desperately make it look round and whole again before the headmaster could notice.
"Sokka, let me do it—''
"No, you're doing it wrong—''
"Let me just—''
"Almost there—''
"The strap is slipping off my back—''
"Then fix it—''
"You're making it worst—''
"Um guys?' Aang prodded.
Sokka and Jin, red-faced realized that the headmaster had stopped his long tirade about Aang's many wrong actions and was looking at them with a critical eye. Sokka quickly took his hands off Jin's fake belly while Jin tried to hide the now, misshapen looking padding by putting her arms over it.
"What—are—you—doing?" he demanded suspiciously.
Sokka gave an over-exaggerated laugh and said nervously, "Oh….I was just….feelin' my wife's belly…..'cause…um we have one spitfire baby living inside it…and I wanted to feel it kick….sort of…heh…heh…heh…"
Apparently the headmaster was not amused and was unconvinced because he gave an annoyed huff and continued to peer at them suspiciously.
"So about Kuzon?" Jin cleared her throat trying to move on. The headmaster looked unready to let their peculiar actuations go but decided that telling the two of them about Aang's horrible behavior was much more entertaining them questioning them further about the fact that they were behaving so oddly.
"As I was saying, he has been one of the worst students I have ever seen. I'm not sure if it has something to do with his upbringing as a colony child—''
"Excuse me?" Jin said looking clearly offended.
"You two are from the colonies, aren't you? And as I've heard, no offense, people there are manner-less slobs—''
Jin's face colored and she said heatedly, "For your information—Ow!"
Sokka kicked Jin's shin from under the table and tried to desperately abate the headmaster's increasingly angry expression.
"Heh…oh, Jin—I mean Sapphire Fire, you are such a kidder you," Sokka said as he elbowed Jin.
Jin opened her mouth to argue but Sokka cut her off and said, "She was just fooling around as always headmaster….sir. Such a card, she is! I mean we have absolutely nothing against being called manner-less slobs! In fact it's a compliment to us especially if an esteemed member of the fire Nation tells us that!"
Jin didn't look happy. She glared at Sokka, made a loud protest and shot daggers at the headmaster. But Sokka pinched her hard on her arm and Jin was forced to give a very convincing smile and said through gritted teeth, "Yep. We love being called manner-less slobs. I'm just…um…kidding…around…like always"
"It is no wonder Kuzon is such a nuisance. You two have very bad parenting skills! Why you just elbowed your wife when she is pregnant with a child!" he exclaimed to Sokka.
Jin smiled at Sokka smugly and said, "Yeah Sokka—er—Wang…bad parenting skills…"
Sokka huffed.
"Well, headmaster sir, all your reports of Kuzon's behavior doesn't sound like things my son would do!" Sokka declared trying to divert the topic.
"Exactly. My goodness! That doesn't sound like our Kuzon," Jin said, pretending to look shock. Sokka gave her a nod of approval, clearly displaying that she was going into the right direction with their little charade.
The headmaster smiled indulgently and said to Jin, "That's what any mother would say, ma'am."
Then leaned forward, glared at them menacingly and warned, "Nonetheless, you're forewarned. If he acts up one more time, I'll have him sent to reform school... by which I mean the coal mines. Are we clear?"
Sokka swallowed thickly while Jin squirmed. The strap that held her pad was slowly slipping and the headmaster's scary gaze was not helping.
After a few moments of silence Sokka said, "Don't you worry, Mr. Headmaster. I'll straighten this boy out somethin' fierce."
He whirled towards Aang and blustered, sending specks of saliva on his face as he yelled, "Young man, as soon as we get home, you're gonna get the punishment of a lifetime!"
The headmaster nodded and said with an air of subdued sadism, "That's what I like to hear."
Jin, who was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with her falling pregnancy pad blurted out, "If that's all headmaster, me and Sok—Wang will be leaving now."
And together with Aang they stood up, gave a low bow (Jin had to put her hands behind her back to keep the pad from falling) and started walking away with Sokka leading them in a confident swagger. They were half-way out the room when the Headmaster piped up, "Oh yes. There is one more thing."
His voice startled Jin so much that she jumped and the fake belly slid from her back down to her knees, Sokka quickly shielded her by whirling around, covering her back and saying nervously, "Yes, headmaster sir?"
"It's Parents-Students Day tomorrow and everyone is expected to attend. We will showcase all their talents and there will be a few contests to bring out their competitiveness. It's also a good chance for you to meet Kuzon's teacher's and speak with them personally," the headmaster said.
"Oh. Sure. We'll go there," Sokka said in a small voice. Behind him, Jin had finally fastened the pregnancy pad back to its proper place.
"Is your wife okay?" the headmaster asked as Jin fumbled around.
Jin faced him and nodded, "Oh yeah I'm fine."
"I expect to see you all there tomorrow," the headmaster said.
Sokka scratched his head and said, "Of course, headmaster. You won't be disappointed but….we really have to go right now…"
"I think I'm about to puke," Jin said pretending to look nauseated.
Once she said that the headmaster practically drove them away from his room.
Zuko stared at the sunset bleakly on a little plateau at the rim of the Royal Volcano. He was munching on some komodo chicken, his favorite, but even that did not manage to uplift his sour mood. He was thinking about the sunset and how once upon a time he had told Jin that it was one of the most beautiful things in the fire Nation. His chest tightened as he realized with a start that he had promised her a chance to see the sunset.
When he first came there at the suggestion of one of the servants, he had nearly said with excitement, "Yeah, that's a great idea. Jin, I could show—'' and then he remembered that Jin hated him, was on the run and would probably never look at him in the same way again if she ever saw him. He sometimes found himself forgetting that Jin and him were no longer at the best of terms.
And to top it all off his meeting with his uncle did not go as well as he expected. He sighed. It seemed as if everyone in the world hated him right now.
He tore off a piece of the leg miserably as he heard the footsteps of someone approaching.
"What do you want Azula?" Zuko demanded as the person approached and stood by his side.
"Just a word with you," Azula said airily.
Zuko huffed and snapped, "Whatever."
"Did you like the bit of news I sent to your room?" Azula asked mockingly.
"Just tell me what you want!" Zuko's heatedly said as his face reddened.
"So...I hear you've been to visit your Uncle Fatso in the prison tower," Azula said.
Zuko bolted up and said incensed, "That guard told you."
Azula smugly said, "No, you did. Just now."
Zuko scowled and conceded as he sat down, "Okay, you caught me. What is it that you want, Azula?"
"Actually, nothing. Believe it or not, I'm looking out for you. If people find out you've been to see Uncle, they'll think you're plotting with him. Just be careful, dum-dum," Azula solicitously said.
"And that's it?" Zuko demanded.
"Hardly. I want a wanted poster of that girlfriend of yours and her brother posted all over the Fire Nation. I want her captured by the end of the week. It's not good for our image, with two of the Resistance leaders still running around," Azula said.
Zuko stiffened and Azula took pleasure in seeing her brother's uncomfortable appearance. He uneasily said, "And what do you need me for?"
"I need you to go to the printer's office so you could describe to the portrait-maker how she looks like," Azula said.
"You've seen her," Zuko shortly said.
"But not enough to remember her face in great detail. You on the other hand have probably been glued to her lips for a number of many hours so I assume that you would be better at describing her to the printer's," Azula said.
Zuko's face reddened and flustered, sputtered, "But—''
"Honestly, Zuzu. What I'm asking of you is very simple. Hardly worth the fuss," Azula said.
Zuko looked away and mumbled something incomprehensible.
"If this is about her again, you might as well forget it. She's just a peasant Zuko. An annoying thorn in the Fire Nation's side," Azula said.
"Azula…do we really need to get her a wanted poster. I mean…"
Azula sighed and said idly, "If you don't want anyone to doubt your loyalty, I want her wanted poster and her brothers' by my bed by the end of the week."
"Yeah…sure. I'll get it done," Zuko wearily conceded. He stared at Azula resentfully.
Azula sighed and said, "Don't be like that Zuko. I'm just looking out for you."
"Well, thanks," Zuko muttered sarcastically.
"You're welcome," Azula said through gritted teeth.
"If that's all you wanted to say then you can leave," Zuko peevishly snapped.
"There's one more thing," Azula said.
Zuko exhaled loudly.
"One of the many Fire Nation academies has some sort of party or pageant or whatever tomorrow and they asked for any one of us to come to give a speech about becoming successful and growing up to be good Fire Nation citizens," Azula began.
"And?"
"I already sent them a letter that you'll be going to give the speech," Azula said as she turned away from him to leave.
Zuko scowled and said, "Why can't you do it?"
Azula flicked one of her side bangs and said with a malicious smile before leaving, "Oh, you know how much I hate children. I don't have the patience to level with them. And besides—I don't think I'm the right person to give a talk about growing up good."
"That settles it. No more school for you young man!" Sokka ranted at Aang.
They had come back to the cave after the parent's conference and Sokka discovered that he and Jin must look silly with his falling beard and Jin's slipping pregnancy pad since Toph broke out into loud laughter once she saw them. Once Sokka commissioned Katara to fix his beard and when he got it back fully on his face he then proceeded to give a long tirade to Aang about the dangers of school and why he must never go back.
When he finished with his rant, he straightened up and stroked his beard imperiously as Aang frowned at him.
"I'm not ready to leave. I'm having fun for once, just being a normal kid. You don't know what it's like, Sokka. You get to be normal all the time," Aang said.
"Ha ha!" Toph mockingly laughed.
Sokka scowled in annoyance.
Nobody ever shows him appreciation or realizes that he is always right.
"Aang's right Sokka," Jin piped up.
Sokka dropped his jaw and stared at her disbelievingly, "I can't believe you're still agreeing with him! You almost pulled a miscarriage in front of the headmaster!"
Jin rolled her eyes and said, "You're exaggerating—''
"I'm not!"
"First of all, I'm agreeing with Aang about not sticking around for awhile. We can't just leave suddenly. It would look too weird and people might start asking questions. Do you have any idea how straight-laced their truant officers are?" Jin sniffed.
Katara nodded, "Jin does have a point. If Aang suddenly disappeared, it would surely raise a lot of questions."
After much consideration Sokka conceded as he stroked his beard, "You are right."
"So what do we do?" Toph asked.
Jin explained matter-of-factly, "I think that we should attend the parents-students day tomorrow, tell the headmaster and maybe some of Aang's teachers that we have to leave because of an emergency—''
"You can tell them that it's because Sokka has fungi growing in his toes and it needs to be treated," Toph snickered.
"Gross," Katara whispered. Sokka huffed at Toph.
"—then we'll leave. Simple as that," Jin said. Aang looked disappointed.
"I like it. It's simple and effective. And the best part is I can still wear my beard for one more night," Sokka said. He finally looked satisfied.
Aang still didn't look ready to give up of his idea to go to school. He keeled on forward, "Listen, guys, those kids at school are the future of the Fire Nation. If we wanna change this place for the better, we need to show them a little taste of freedom."
Sokka sighed and tiredly said, "Aang, we're going to save them from their really, really evil leader. What more could they ask for? And besides what could you possibly do for a country of depraved little fire monsters?"
Aang beamed and said, "I'm gonna throw them—'' he did a quick tap dance, "—a secret dance party!"
Sokka and everyone else in the room could barely reel themselves from their shock. They stared at Aang, absolutely stunned.
Finally, Sokka was the first to react. He declared, "Go to your room!"
Sokka was very nervous of the Parents-Students Day. He had taken extra time in fixing his beard, much to Katara's chagrin (since she was made to brush it a hundred times) and he forcefully demanded that Jin tied her hair in a bun and kept her side bangs in place since he wanted to present to everyone a "trophy wife". That met with Jin's subsequent disapproval and after stubbornly disagreeing for the hundredth time, Sokka let her keep her side bangs though he managed to convince her to tie her hair in a bun. Once he deemed himself, Aang and Jin presentable enough to everyone else, he beckoned them to step outside.
"Finally," Jin muttered.
"Hey! I'm just trying to give everyone a good first impression! You don't want people thinking that we're manner-less slobs do you?" Sokka demanded as they climbed unto Aapa.
"Sokka, we'll be there for a few minutes. Just enough time for us to tell everyone that we're leaving," Jin said exasperated.
"Don't forget I still have to invite my friends to the dance party," Aang reminded as he signaled Appa to ascend.
"We are not having a dance party!" Sokka scowled.
"Come on Sokka!" Aang whined.
"What part of being 'discreet' do any of you not understand?" Sokka demanded as they rose into the air. They waved goodbye to the slowly, growing tiny figures of Toph and Katara as they rose higher.
"I'm not the one who wants to stay in the stupid Parents-Students Day for forever," Jin said.
"I'm just looking at all the possibilities," Sokka sniffed.
"And by possibilities you mean the ten-course dinner that's going to be served," Jin said as she rolled her eyes.
"Sokka, can you please just give my dance party a chance?" Aang pleaded.
"No! Absolutely not," Sokka said.
"But—''
"I'm just trying to make sure that we won't get discovered—''
"You are being so paranoid—''
"Am not—''
Their debate and argument continued until they reached within a few meters length away from their destination. They landed behind a glade of trees, got off Appa and Aang instructed Appa to go wherever he wanted (provided he hides) but he must come back once Aang had blown his Bison whistle. The three of them then made their way to the school courtyard where it was held.
Before Jin could make a step forward Sokka suddenly bounded in front of her and said wildly, "Okay everyone, its showtime! Try to act cool!"
Jin sighed and said patiently, "I told you that we won't be there for long. Just enough time to tell people we're leaving."
"And also enough time to invite my friends," Aang piped up.
Sokka ignored both of them and said to Jin, "Did you tighten your pregnancy pad?"
Jin rolled her eyes and said, "Yes—''
"Does my beard look okay?"
Jin said, "Yes, it looks nice—''
"Do you think that I need to brush my beard some more?"
"No, it looks fine—''
"Does my beard go with my outfit?"
Jin sighed, "Sokka—''
"Give me an honest answer," Sokka said.
Jin exasperatedly, "Look, Sokka—''
"Guys, we're here!" Aang excitedly said.
Jin and Sokka immediately straightened up as they approached the courtyard. It was brightly decorated with red and gold streamers. The ten-course buffet which included flaming kebabs, spicy chicken soup and grilled pepper-steak, sat at the left side while tables and chairs were neatly arranged at the right. A small podium was raised at the front while a golden-red paper dragon hung in one of the walls. It seemed as if a program was going on because their was a host who was introducing a performer coming up on stage. Children played various instruments on the podium.
When some of Aang's friends and their parents started approaching them, Sokka worriedly rubbed his beard and whispered to Jin, "Is my beard still okay?"
"It looks fine, Sokka," Jin whispered as Aang's friend drew closer.
"Jin, Sokka—er, I mean mom, dad, I'd like you to meet Shoji," Aang said, catching himself once he realized his mistake.
Sokka, with another imperious stroke of his beard said, "It's nice to meet you Shoji."
Then like any regular parent, he completely ignored Shoji and faced his parents instead. Shoji was a small, reedy, bright-eyed boy and if anything his parents were exactly the same. His mother was papery thin with big, moony eyes while his father was like a hawk. Thin and angular with his elbows sticking.
"Pleased to meet you Shoji's mother and father. I'm Mr. Fire. Wang fire. And this is my wife, Sapphire," Sokka said as he shook each of their hands and gestured to Jin.
Jin smiled politely, bent towards them, and shook their hands saying, "Sapphire Fire, nice to meet you."
"We're Shoji's parents. You Jin and Hyu Suk," the father—Hyu Suk—said politely.
Aang and Shoji had run off to meet up with their other friends leaving Jin and Sokka alone with You Jin and Hyu Suk in uncomfortable silence. Sokka continued to stroke his beard while Jin nervously drummed at her fake protruding belly.
"My, your belly has grown quite largely! How far along are you?" You Jin said, finally breaking the silence.
"Seven—''
"Five—''
Sokka and Jin said at the same time. They gulped once they realized that the couple was staring at them oddly.
Sokka quickly tried to fix the damage. He said, "What Sapphire Fire means is she's seven years and five months—''
Upon seeing their confused looks, Jin elbowed Sokka and said, "Oh…Wang, you are such a kidder! He means that I'm seven months and five weeks pregnant."
"Oh. Yes. Of course!" Sokka said.
"He gets lost in his head sometimes," Jin said trying to be charming as Shoji's parents continued to stare at them in confusion.
"Oh. Okay," Hyu Suk stiffly said as he continued to peer at them with a look of confusion.
"If I may, may I touch your stomach?" You Jin said, as her hand drew closer to Jin's belly.
Before Jin could react, her hand was on her fake pregnancy pad. You Jin frowned and said, "That's strange. I can't feel a thing. You have one quiet baby in there."
Jin quickly drew back, as if scalded. She nervously said, "Um….he likes to kick only…when he's um…"
"Only when he's eaten something! So if you excuse us, we'll be at the buffet," Sokka declared loudly. He grabbed Jin's arm, steered her towards the buffet where Aang was busy talking with a young girl who was about his age (when you minus the one hundred). She was slim and pretty with long black hair tied into a ponytail and hazel-gold eyes.
"Kuzon! There you are! Young man we've been looking all over for you!" Sokka said, coming in between Aang and the girl.
Aang, slightly annoyed to be interrupted but unfazed brightly said, "Hi Sokk—dad! Onji, I'd like you to meet my dad and mom!"
The girl, Onji, gave a low bow and said, "I'd introduce you to my parents but they're off somewhere. Pleased to meet you sir, ma'am."
Sokka's mouth suddenly formed into a devious smile. He grabbed Jin's elbow, whispered something to her before turning to look back at Aang and Onji.
"Why, Kuzon! You didn't tell me that you have a girlfriend!" Jin said in mock surprise.
With realization at what Sokka and Jin were planning on doing Aang blushed and protested, 'She's not my—''
"Young man, if I find out if this is the reason why you've been getting low grades I swear I'll lock you up in your room for a month!" Sokka said though his angry rant was ruined by the fact that he kept on chuckling in between.
Aang huffed and said, "Guys!"
"But you're very lovely dear," Jin said in between giggles.
"Yes. Do you know that he knows how to get girls from me? I suppose he inherited my charm," Sokka snickered.
"If you had any," Jin added. Sokka glared at her.
"You guys are embarrassing," Aang sighed.
But Onji merely smiled and said, "No, they're fine. Really. Your parents are really funny. You didn't tell me that you were having a new sibling."
She gestured at Jin's swollen belly.
"Oh. I didn't?" Aang nervously said.
Sensing everyone's anxiety, Jin quickly cut in, "So Kuzon, did you tell Onji about us leaving?"
Onji nodded and said sadly, "Yeah. It's so sad since I only had a few days to get to know Kuzon. But I'm really sorry about your toe, Mr. Fire."
Sokka growled while Jin nodded pretending to look sad. She said, "Yes. My husband's toe is a great tragedy. You know, I've told him many times not goes running around in a mud full of dangerous looking fungi but he wouldn't listen."
Sokka elbowed Jin, stroked his beard and said, "It was very therapeutic."
"But I'm very glad that I get to see Kuzon one more time. Thanks for letting us have the dance party," Onji brightly said.
Sokka's jaw dropped and it took him several minutes to react. Finally he muttered wildly, "But…I didn't….I said….wait…"
Then he recovered and hollered at Aang's face, "Go to your room!"
That caused quite a few stares so Jin, mightily embarrassed, dragged Sokka away from Aang and Onji and tried to calm him down. Once Jin calm Sokka down, for the remainder of the day, they pigged out in the buffet table. After weeks of eating nothing but rice gruel mixed with some nuts, the ten-course buffet was heaven. Jin heaped mounds on her plate while Sokka made several rounds back to the buffet table. They met a few other parents and teachers and they made a point to tell each and every one of them that they were leaving because of Sokka's fungi-infested toe while people continued to present on the podium.
So far they managed to keep up their little pretense of being Aang's parents without a hitch except perhaps for that one time they chatting with the headmaster and a woman named Yani.
"Say, you two look quite young to be parents. How old are you again?" Yani asked as soon as Jin finished telling another embarrassing story about Sokka's fake fungi.
"Twenty-nine—''
"Thirty-three—''
Jin and Sokka blurted out at the same time. They looked at each other and slapped their foreheads.
Yani and the headmaster's jaw dropped.
"Actually I'm twenty-nine," Jin muttered.
"And I am Thrity-three. Sort of," Sokka declared nervously.
"Kuzon's about twelve years old so Sapphire had him when she was…when she was…" the headmaster trailed off in disbelief.
"That's right. We got married at…..when I was um…." Sokka tried to calculate in his head.
"…when I was twenty-five—''
"Twenty-one," Jin corrected.
"Twenty-one and Jin—Sapphire was seventeen," Sokka finished.
Jin and Sokka decided to leave once the headmaster and Yani started flooding them with really difficult questions like how they met or what attracted them to each other.
"Twenty-nine? Really, Jin?" Sokka hissed as he grabbed a spicy shrimp.
"What did you want me to say? That I was forty?" Jin demanded.
"You had my beard to go by! I thought that that itself meant that I was beyond my twenties!" Sokka said.
They didn't engaged themselves in any more conversations after that incident and instead they camped out at the buffet table.
Sokka was in the middle of eating some peppered ribs when suddenly trumpets, blared, a commotion stirred and everyone suddenly started gathering around the back.
"What's going on?" Jin curiously asked a passer-by who was sprinting towards everyone else.
The passer-by looked at her as if she was stupid before saying, "Didn't you know? Prince Zuko has agreed to give a speech at this school."
Zuko rubbed his temples as Taoyuan droned on and on with compliments of how Zuko was so great and how he had never thought he shamed himself during the Agni Kai. He sighed in annoyance. He really wasn't the mood to give speeches right now. He still had to go to the printer's after this and he really didn't like making a wanted poster for Jin.
Taoyuan was one of the few noble people he hated. He was a social climber who shoved every single one of his daughters in Zuko's face in the hopes he'll marry one of them and make her a Fire Lady. He was also one of the many people who took pleasure in seeing him being shamed and burned at his Agni Kai with his father.
"….and as I was saying your highness…" Taoyuan continued.
Zuko nodded politely, bidding for the perfect time before he could make his escape. When he started talking about setting Zuko up with his middle child, Zuko hastily excused himself stating that he wanted a drink of water. He stepped back and scrambled over to the end of the buffet table where some lemongrass juice sat. Zuko poured a few into his glass when suddenly he saw someone that made his heart stop. He nearly spilled his drink.
Zuko blinked his eyes, hardly daring to believe.
He saw Jin.
And the rest that he had seen nearly gave him a heart attack.
She was pregnant!
Zuko could barely register any of this and a slew of suspicions started bubbling within him. They broke up for a few weeks and she was already pregnant? He started feeling angry when rationalization took over him. She can't be pregnant. Her belly looked as if she nearly eight months into her pregnancy and as far as he was concerned, she didn't look pregnant when they were dating. She must be faking it, he concluded.
Thinking about her, he suddenly started remembering little things about Jin. Things that made him miss her even more.
He caught a mere glimpse of her before she disappeared around the corner. Trailing behind her was that Water-Tribe Boy and plastered on his face was a ridiculous looking beard. Zuko's mind started whirring a mile a minute. It couldn't be a coincidence that all of them were gathering here in disguises.
The Avatar was here.
Zuko stiffened.
That only re-inforced his fear that the Avatar is alive.
Zuko made a move to follow them when the headmaster grabbed his hand and said, "Your Highness, you must start your speech."
In a daze, Zuko followed the headmaster up to the podium. WhiZuko spoke, he felt as if he wasn't really there. He was anxious of the possibility that the Avatar might be alive and he would look very foolish once everyone found out about that. He had to fix this. And why was Jin here? And why was she pretending to be pregnant? The image of her pretty face was suddenly vivid in his mind. Zuko decided that once he finished with his speech he would go to the printer's immediately considering he was now hyper-aware of every little detail of Jin's face.
"And furthermore, honor is a thing that cannot be bought, borrowed, replaced, stolen—''
He paused abruptly.
He saw the Avatar. He was wearing the school uniform like everyone else. He clenched his fists in panic.
"Your highness?" the headmaster prompted.
That Water-Tribe boy followed. Zuko breathed in sharply.
"You highness?" the headmaster said a little more impatiently this time.
And the last figure to leave was Jin. She had taken her fake, pregnant belly off and was sprinting after the Avatar and the Water-Tribe boy. Zuko's chest tightened.
Before she left, she turned to look at him and their eyes met. Zuko's heart stopped.
Zuko saw nothing but pure, unimaginable sadness.
"I can't believe we're having a dance party. It seems so... silly," Sokka grumped as he arranged the candles. From behind him, Toph was earthbending a mini bandstand while Katara busied herself with preparing the refreshments. Jin had gone off for some air or something. After they saw Prince Jerkface and heard a part of his extremely lame speech, Jin had been acting weird and funny on their way back to the cave. She looked as if she was deep in thought and she had completely detached herself from the conversation.
"Don't think of it as a dance party, but as a cultural event celebrating the art of fancy footwork," Aang said as he gave a little demonstration. Jin suddenly showed up from the front looking weary and tired but she was smiling nonetheless. She had taken off her pregnant belly and her hair was once again in a loose half-up.
"Let's get this part started," Jin whooped much to Sokka's chagrin. She earthbent as small table top as Katara bent down to place the bowl of juice she made.
It seemed as if she felt better again because she was now earthbending tables and chairs with much more zest.
"This is a bad idea," Sokka mumbled as he lit the last of the candles. Aang was very insistent of his party idea on the way back to the cave and since he had already invited everyone, Sokka was forced to agree. The cave looked very nice and homey (Sokka attributed it all to his mad decorating skills) and Katara had done a good job of stocking every table with goodies.
Suddenly, Toph craned her ear, jerked her head upwards and said, "They're coming! Everyone stop bending!"
Jin froze and stopped bending tables and chairs while Katara made the finishing touches of the last bowl of drinks. Aang prodded Appa to wait in the back and Sokka continued to grumpily mutter under his breath.
Soon, kids started trickling in. A few went to the platform and started playing instruments while many wandered off to the sides looking confused or awkward or unsure of what they were supposed to do. Jin, Katara, Toph and Sokka started entertaining everyone.
Finally, once Aang was sure that everyone had arrived he strode in front of the platform and said exultantly, "Ladies and gentlemen, The Flamey-os! Yeah, this ought to get everybody moving."
Zuko gently pushed the packet of komodo-chicken through his uncle's cell and said hoarsely, "I brought you some komodo-chicken. I know you don't care for it, but I figure it beats prison food."
His uncle didn't answer him or even acknowledge Zuko's effort at a kind gesture. Zuko sighed, frustrated.
He had come here at another effort to get things sorted out. He knew that he should have gone to the printer's but his heart was racing. The Avatar was alive. If someone else found out, it would lead to another bout of shame and mockery on his part considering the fact that Azula told everyone that he had killed the Avatar.
He clenched the bars and said, "I admit it. I have everything I always wanted, but it's not at all how I thought it would be. The truth is, I need your advice."
Iroh didn't stir.
"The Avatar is still alive. I know he's out there. I saw him uncle. With my own two eyes. I'm losing my mind," Zuko said.
Silence.
Zuko desperately screeched, "Please, Uncle, I'm so confused! I need your help."
Iroh remained motionless as Zuko boiled with rage. Zuko scowled angrily before snapping, "Forget it! I'll solve this myself! Waste away in here for all I care!"
And with that he whirled around to leave but not before pausing to look at his uncle one more time, hoping that he would say something.
He didn't.
Zuko gave an angry cry before slamming the door before him.
"And this is how they do it in the ballrooms of Ba Sing Se," Jin explained to a couple of Aang's friends.
The dance party was in full swing. Aang had successfully managed to get everyone at their feet and he was now off dancing with Onji. Jin, who could not resist a good dance took it upon herself to educate the children in all the dances she knew back in the Earth kingdom. The two followed her as she made an undulating motion across her chest. Finally, when they both got the hang of it, Jin decided to try another attempt at getting Katara to dance.
Katara, Toph and Sokka were seated at one table by themselves. Jin had tried to convince them to dance without much success. She hoped she would be more successful in this try. She approached their table.
"Come on Katara," Jin smiled.
Katara sighed loudly and said, "I don't know how to dance."
"I'm sure that's not true," Jin smiled.
She mumbled something incomprehensible and her vision began to trail off to where Aang was busily dancing with Onji. Jin, who understood her jealous gaze, slyly commented, "Wow, they look pretty good together."
"Eh, if that's what you like," Katara dismissively said as she looked away.
"How about you, Toph? Wanna dance?" Jin asked.
Toph looked as if she considering it for the moment before finally saying, "Maybe later, Smiley. When it comes to stuff like these, I have two left feet."
Sokka yawned, stretched his arms and said, "I'd dance but I'm still standing by my belief that this dance party is silly."
"Aw….you can't dance can you?" Jin snickered.
"I can too! I'm just on a dancing strike!" Sokka snapped.
"Dancing strike?" Jin giggled.
"Just you wait. As always, I'm going to be right," Sokka said.
Suddenly Aang came up from beside Jin and offered to dance with Katara. Katara looked unsure but after much prodding from Aang she finally got off her feet and danced with him. Things were going along fine when the loud voice of the headmaster finally echoed through the cave, "He's the one we want. The boy with the headband!"
"Uh-oh," Aang said as the truant officer made a beeline towards him. Aang ducked and melted with the crowd.
"See? I don't want to say it, but I'll say it anyway:….I told you so!" Sokka said as he immediately scrambled to the back of the cave. Jin, Katara and Toph followed after him and together they pushed their way through the crowd. All around them, people started putting their headbands on. Finally, when they reached at the back where Appa waited, everyone climbed on top of him and Aang signaled Appa to go up.
Once that they were safely ensconced on Appa's back at a good distance Katara breathed, "That was close."
Sokka stroked his beard and said, "I don't want to say it but—''
"We know what you're going to say, Sokka. And why are you still wearing your beard? We're safe now," Jin told him.
"Oh, no, I can't. It's permanently glued to my skin," Sokka said smugly as he stroked his beard.
"Way to go, Dancypants. I think you really did help those kids. You taught them to be free," Toph said.
"Yeah. That was some moves you pulled out there," Jin smiled.
Toph gave Jin a light punch on her arm before saying, "Speak for yourself, Smiley. You were pulling out great moves too."
Jin pretended to blush.
"Still you have to admit Sokka, that the dance party, really made an impact on their lives," Katara said.
Sokka stroked his beard and said, "Well…I guess you're right. Even though it was incredibly dangerous by having an illegal dance party Aang, you taught them how to be…free."
Aang shrugged and said, "I don't know. It was just a dance party, that's all."
Katara smiled and said, "Well, that was some dance party, Aang."
She leaned forward and kissed him as Jin gave silent snickers. From his place in the pommel, Sokka lazily rocked back and forth and clapped his hands slowly like a beatnik in a trance saying, "Flamey-o, sir. Flame-ee-o."
Zuko reluctantly stepped through the industrial quarter of the Fire Nation. It was a miserable place—seedy and grimy with the air smelling like smoke. Only those people with questionable agendas hung out there. Zuko felt a little uncomfortable as he heard the distinct sounds of metal boots coming towards him. He drew his hood over his face closer.
"You're sure you weren't followed?" he demanded to the towering figure in front of him. He didn't want Azula to know.
He shook his head.
"I've heard about you. They say you're good at what you do. And even better at keeping secrets. The Avatar's alive. I want you to find him," Zuko ordered.
The figure silently moved his head in understanding.
"And end him," Zuko said the last part a little uncertainly. They stood their across each other in total silence.
The figure didn't move as if knowing that Zuko had something else to say. Finally, after squaring his shoulders, Zuko said in a thin voice, "There might be a girl with him. She's about my height, slim with slightly messy black hair and big, hazel-green doe eyes….she's very beautiful…"
Zuko's fist balled up as he continued his description. He faltered and the figure silently nodded.
In a firmer voice Zuko said, "I don't want you touch a hair nor hide of her."
The figure wordlessly stared at Zuko, his eyes clearly saying that he couldn't keep that promise.
Zuko growled and said in a dangerously low voice, "If you so much as even touch a hair on her head, if you hurt her, I will hunt you down and I will personally kill you."
One more chapter down! Whew! Since everyone had a new hairstyle (except for Toph maybe)-Sokka's shaved sides were gone, Katara let her hair loose, Zuko's hair is longer and Aang's got a head-full of hair-I'm thinking Jin deserves a new look too. If you can't picture the outfit I described her in, it looks a little like the one miragecat123 drew in deviantART minus all the jewelry and her midriff can be seen.
Special thanks to dgraymanfan 200, daveshan, SkorpionQueen012, ArrayePL, Alana C. Jones (for both reviews on both chapters :)) and last but not the least, StaminaRose.
Thanks to those who faved this and read this.
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Keep reviewing.