Burning Bright
Part XXIII
Jin wondered why it took so long for them to find this beautiful island paradise. She had just discovered that she was very much enamored with the beach. She lived all her life in a landlocked province and the farthest she's seen of a coast was when she and her brothers escaped to Ba Sing Se. Here, the Fire Nation beaches were so much more different than the one she's found in the Earth Kingdom. The sand was fine and soft and was the color of mustard yellow. The air was salty and warm but it faded into a cool, refreshing breeze in the evening. The water was clear and it rolled against the shore in big, lazy waves.
Upon their arrival, Zuko immediately dragged her to the shore where he proceeded to take out his shirt. He quickly headed towards the water and commenced swimming, tittering at Jin to join him. When he found out that Jin did not know how to swim, he was extremely incensed. In her full clothing he immediately rushed towards her and despite Jin's protests, he dunked her into the water where Jin gave a light punch on the arm. The rest of the group decided to join them and everyone found it amusing as they watched Jin writhe and yelp as she tried to keep afloat.
The experience was rather embarrassing of course, but she refused to let Zuko know that. He would never let her forget it.
The sun was beautiful and it felt wonderful on her face. For some reason the heat was so much more different than it was in the Earth Kingdom. It warm and light and she loved the feel of it as it spread across her face. Zuko told them that they were to stay at his family's beach house and after drying her clothes off; Zuko gave her a room with the view of the sea where he told her that she could see the sunset and sunrise and see the whole contour of the island and the ocean for miles away.
After a few days of fun however, it was right back to business. Aang trained once again and as a result Zuko had become extremely busy and Jin was left with lots of time for herself. During her free time, Jin bonded with Suki and she discovered that they had a lot in common. They were both independent and assertive and mostly they were stubborn. She had also come from a slightly militaristic background, being trained to be a Kyoshi warrior at a very young age.
She and Suki explored the marketplace of Ember Island where they shopped for new bathing suits. Suki helped Jin choose a dark red bathing suit that was haltered and a pair of small shorts. The top exposed her midriff and it showed off her flat stomach perfectly while Suki chose something a little more daring.
Suki taught Jin how to swim while Sokka taught her how to surf and wakeboard. When Jin asked how did he know how to surf and wakeboard he merely replied that in the South Pole, they did something similar in the warmer, summer months when the water wasn't as frozen.
Katara continuously talked on and on about how worried she was about their hiding place. She was concerned that the Fire Lord might find them. After a few days however, her nervousness was abated and she and Jin spent lots of time shopping for clothes with Suki and the three girls quickly drained most of their money. Her nagging nature didn't stop however, and it continued in the form of her prattling Jin on and on about being the sun for too long and of having sunburn.
Sokka and Jin had many sand castle contests and Jin would always win. Finally, Sokka cried foul after Jin earthbent another more brilliant, more upscale, bigger sand castle and he declared that bending wasn't allowed. They often explored the large beach house together and Sokka found it extremely entertaining to search through and snoop through Zuko's childhood home.
Toph continued to train Jin and she was more relentless and more demanding than before. Jin still had more drills to master, more moves to memorize and Toph was leaving very little time for having fun. They did, however, enjoy an occasional wrestling and sparring match. Toph always won though and Jin ended up bruised black and blue and having painful cramps the next day.
Zuko, who was very busy in training Aang found little free time to spend with her. Most of his days and hours were taken up by Aang's training and the rest were for sleeping to rest his wearied body. He always found time to spend with Jin however, and they often found numerous ways to amuse themselves. He took her on an eating spree, taking Jin from one food shop to another, introducing her to the vibrant Fire Nation palate of spices, curry and peppers. He taught her swimming and surfing and deep sea diving. He taught her a new past time which was sunbathing and together they sunbathed in a very quiet and deserted part of Ember Island. Zuko discovered very quickly however, that she did not tan well—her skin merely turned pink and she did not get that copper-bronze tone Zuko promised. He built sand castles with her and he taught her how to play Kaui Ball (Zuko was annoyed to discover that Jin was actually quite good with it although in his defense she did often use Earthbending to win). He took her to the most breathtaking (and romantic) parts of the island where they often stayed for hours and hours.
But Jin's most favorite past time was something Zuko did not particularly like. She loved it when he showed her around his house, personally. She loved to hear stories about his childhood. She loved to see the pictures and the family albums. She felt so much closer to Zuko that way and it was as if a great part of his enigma had faded away as the tours around his house progressed. Zuko heavily disliked it however. He didn't like to be reminded about the good memories he had in this place. It only filled his heart with regret and it made him feel wistful. Jin however was very enthusiastic about the whole matter and he could hardly say no to a smile as bright and beaming and beautiful as that.
"Zuko, what's this?" she asked as they rummaged through a small room. Zuko looked at her and he felt a smile curve on his lips as soon as he saw that Jin's cheeks and nose were slightly pink from being in the sun too long. She looked so beautiful.
"Zuko," Jin said again.
Zuko looked at the thing she was holding and after seeing it he immediately felt heavy hearted. It was a plaster with his handprint on it. He watched as Jin put her hand over the mold and memories of his mother, father, uncle and cousin washed over him.
He grabbed it from Jin's hand, a little roughly and little more rudely than he intended too. He then turned around and ignored Jin's surprised and upset expression.
In a hard and angry voice he said, "It's nothing."
After another bout of intense training with Aang, Zuko slung a towel over his shoulder and sat on the fountain as he tried to soothe his ached muscles and sun dried skin. Despite being in the sun for a great deal he still retained his naturally pale skin color although it turned a little red whenever he was out for too long sometimes. Aang, Suki and Toph however had acquired a slightly darker tan while Jin's shoulders and arms had turned pink. Zuko was beginning to get worried that she might be on the verge of having a full-fledged sunburn but Jin always re-assured him that everything was fine.
"Doesn't it seem kinda weird that we're hiding from the Fire Lord in his own house?" Katara questioned as she looked around the courtyard.
Zuko snorted unwilling to go into the details but he stated nonetheless, "I told you, my Father hasn't come here since our family was actually happy. And that was a long time ago. This is the last place anyone would think to look for us."
He wiped his hair in a slightly irritated manner. Beside him, Aang was splashing water on his face while Toph was lying down on the fountain ledge, bored. Jin had gone (much to Zuko's chagrin) off to the sun again and she was standing on small, elevated rock examining the beach and the way the morning sun spread across the water. Her arms and shoulder's started to turn redder.
Zuko was about to yell at her to stay out of the sun when Sokka and Suki suddenly came bounding in with Sokka flapping and waving a rolled piece of paper into the air excitedly as he said, "You guys are not going to believe this. There's a play about us."
"We were just in town and we found this poster," Suki excitedly said as Sokka unraveled the paper. There was a painting of Zuko's eyes and scar looming and watching dangerously and threateningly over Aang, Sokka and Katara who were assuming into fierce-some poses. Aang and Sokka, amazed at their faces being displayed up front began to make comments and Sokka in a particularly loud voice commented on how ridiculously angry Zuko looked and how his scar was painted on the wrong side. Zuko quickly snapped back at Sokka and the two entered into a light bicker on who looked more stupid on the poster.
Toph who was annoyed with the two of them yelled at Jin who was still looking at the sea, "Hey Smiley! Come over here! They say your boyfriend looks really stupid!"
Zuko glared at her but decided to just let it go after realizing that Toph probably would not be able to see him and thereby the scariness of his glare would probably lose its effect. Jin scrambled towards the group and sat next to Zuko who silently sulking at Toph.
"I don't think it looks that bad. I think you look rather handsome," Jin smirked as she leaned towards him and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.
Zuko cracked a small smile from his serious demeanor and he quietly leaned towards her and kissed her back. Behind them Sokka pretended to vomit and whispered, "Gross." Everyone else gave silent snickers as Sokka continued to make disgusted looking faces.
Jin however suddenly frowned and she said, "But your scar…it's on the wrong—''
Zuko scowled and said, "Save it."
"What? How is that possible?" Katara said incredulously as Sokka shoved the poster enthusiastically on Aang's face.
"Listen to this," Sokka said as he flipped the poster back and composed himself. Then he opened his mouth and started reading, "The Boy in the Iceberg is a new production from acclaimed playwright Pu On Tim who scoured the globe gathering information on the Avatar from the icy South Pole to the heart of Ba Sing Se. His sources including singing nomads, pirates, prisoners of war and a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage."
He then paused and after a few minutes said dramatically, "Brought to you by the critically acclaimed Ember Island Players."
Zuko grimaced as a flood of memories of his family and mother coming to watch the Ember Island Players rolled through his head. None of them were very wonderful. He frowned and said, "My Mother used to take us to see them. They butchered 'Love Amongst the Dragons' every year."
Katara shared his sentiments saying, "Sokka, do you really think it's a good idea for us to attend a play about ourselves ?"
"I think it's exciting! It's been a long time since we did anything fun!" Jin said excitedly. Her face lit up in a bright smile and Zuko found it difficult to break her bubble.
Zuko turned to look at her and said, "The play is not fun."
"That's coming from a person like you," Jin quickly shot back. She then turned to Sokka and Suki who had the same enthusiastic response saying, "I love watching plays! Before a group of traveling theater players always went by our city every spring time and they would always hold shows for free! There would be a play about mighty warriors and scary beasts—''
"Were their plays about a group of kids who traveled all over the world and were being pursued by a maniacal prince and his sister?" Sokka suddenly interrupted her.
Jin glared at him and said defensively, "Well…I'm sure the prince wasn't that horrible—''
"Jin the plays are horrible. Trust me. They over exaggerate some things; misconstrued some facts and they always manage to butcher the very essence of the play itself. It's not worth going," Zuko quickly said.
Jin frowned at him and sputtered, "Well…but—but—''
"I'd rather we all stay here and train some more. The upcoming fight is much closer than we think," Zuko said. At this everyone sighed loudly, especially Aang who began to wildly shake his head.
"I've had enough of training. Especially if it's with Toph. She always manages to turn me into pulp," Jin said.
"Yeah…I am pretty sick of training," Aang echoed.
"How are we even going to disguise me and Aang? A scar and an arrow tattoo are pretty difficult to hide," Zuko said.
"You can wear a hood and Aang can wear a cap or something," Suki suggested.
"See? There's always a solution for everything," Sokka said looking smugly satisfied.
"Come on, Zuko! Please," Jin said pleadingly as she looked at Zuko.
"Trust me, Jin. That play will not be anything special. In fact, it will probably be the polar opposite," Zuko snorted.
"I don't know…" Katara reluctantly said.
Sokka however stood up and said happily as he forced Aang to stand up, "Well, I completely agree with Jin! One day at the theatre!"
He pulled Katara and Toph up.
He grinned, "This is the kind of wacky time wasting nonsense I've been missing."
Zuko was not very excited about the upcoming play but since everyone else and Jin in particular, seemed to be extremely enthusiastic, he simply decided to go along with everybody else. Sokka and Suki had already bought all the tickets and Katara and Suki spent the whole afternoon rubbing some sort of greasy looking salve on their arms and legs to moisten their sun dried skin so that "they may look presentable in front of respectable theatre-goers." Zuko thought that they were just happy that they had a good reason to indulge on their vanity. Sokka and Aang went off to have a nice, clean bath and Toph had decided to actually clean and scrub her feet.
He had finally managed to convince Jin to stay out of the sun and together they stayed at the house. The pinkness of her skin started to fade after hours of staying cooped up inside and she was eager to go out some more.
"Now would be a good time for a swimming lesson," Jin commented eagerly.
"No. Not now. You and your skin need to rest," Zuko said as he leaned downwards and kissed her forehead. Jin frowned at him and he chuckled as he began to prepare food for them. Dinner was mostly left to everyone's own devices by now since Katara had stopped cooking for group dinners (she was always busy with a new adventure everyday) and Zuko would rather starve than eat Jin's cooking. He mostly prepared food or bought for the two of them though his cooking creations usually consisted of sandwiches that were sloppily made.
He was on the verge of making a sandwich out of rooster-pig cutlets when Jin spoke up about wanting to go to the beach again. She sighed at Zuko's refusal and she looked away, deep in thought as of the moment. Suddenly she spoke up, "Are you excited for the play?"
"No," Zuko honestly answered her. He sat down and began to slop some pepper sauce on each layer.
"Why not?"
"They're horrible actors."
"I'm sure you're exaggerating."
"You won't be saying that once you see yourself being played by one of their lousy actors."
"Oh please."
Zuko finished his sandwich and he took a knife out and began to slice it. They would be leaving in a few minutes now. Zuko sighed heavily as he placed Jin's half on a plate and pushed it towards her. Jin stared at him incredulously and instead of eating her half of the sandwich like he expected, instead stared at him and she quietly reached her hand out and touched his.
She said sincerely, "What's wrong? I'm sorry. If you didn't want to go I shouldn't have forced it…"
Zuko scowled and looked away saying, "No. It's not that…."
"Then what is it? Zuko it's just supposed to be a night of fun. Fun. That's something we haven't had for awhile," Jin said softly.
"I know," Zuko sighed dejectedly.
"But if you don't want to go, then it's alright with me if we stay here," Jin said.
"No. We should go. It's just that…." Zuko trailed off. Jin decided that she wasn't going to push it. He'll tell her when he wants to tell her. She leaned back and decided that although the prospect of just staying in while the others were off having fun was boring, it was probably alright as long as Zuko were there.
Just when she thought he wouldn't say anything he suddenly said, "It's just that this play…it's probably going to be about Aang's journey all over the world, right?"
"That's what the poster said," Jin grinned.
"Then the whole play would probably be a blow by blow account of what happened during that time."
"And so?"
Zuko frowned and said, "I did some horrible things to them back then. Really, really bad and awful things. I was a completely different person. I just don't want you to see that side of me. See all of the things I've done."
"You dumped me in the most horrible way possible. I doubt that anything I see will be worse than that—''
"Excuse me? I dumped you! Last time I checked, you dumped me!"Zuko indignantly said.
"You betrayed me and the Resistance. That counts as dumping," Jin said calmly.
"No, it doesn't! And that's not the point!" Zuko cried.
Jin laughed and said as she bit off from her sandwich saying, "Whatever. I'm over it anyway. "
Zuko lost his playful demeanor and he said sadly, "I mean, what would happen if all those old wounds re-open. I just wish that you wouldn't be able to see that part of me."
"It doesn't matter to me. I'm your girlfriend. I have to love all parts of you. I'm done with all the prejudice and presumptions. I know that whatever they make you out to be in that play tonight will be so far from the person you truly are," Jin smiled.
She then added with a slight mocking giggle, "Now stop being so angsty and emotional. It's just a play. No big deal."
Zuko suddenly felt a lot better though he fears weren't alleviated in the least bit. He felt nervous. Sure, Jin saw a small part of that when he betrayed her. But it wasn't really to a full extent. Sure she heard stories from Aang and everyone else. But they were usually told in a joking and comical manner. Sure she had read about him in History books. But they were mostly accounts of his childhood. The time when he was still untroubled and young.
"I just hope you wouldn't dump me after you've seen me in my ponytail," Zuko smirked jokingly.
"You had a ponytail?" Jin giggled.
Zuko sighed and snickered, "Among other things."
"Hey, Zuko! Jin! We're leaving!" Sokka called them.
Zuko quickly grabbed their sandwiches and wrapped it in a small cloth. Jin handed him a cloak and she kissed him softly as she whispered, "Dump you? Please. Don't be stupid. It takes a lot of time and effort for someone to get to know you."
She leaned back and said, "And I would definitely know."
Jin and Zuko finished their sandwiches on the way to the theatre with Sokka yapping at their heels, always pinching to get some of their food. When they arrived near the theatre, Zuko drew his hood over his face a little bit more and he tried to look as inconspicuous as possible as Sokka chattered happily about how he got all of them a seat at the top box. He and Suki handed the ticket-man their tickets and together they all trooped inside.
As they were going up to their seats Zuko sized up on which had the best spot and he decided that it was the one next to Katara. He promptly sat down and was at the receiving end of an annoyed gasp from Aang who up until then, he had failed to notice.
Aang sheepishly said, "Hey, uh… I wanted to sit there."
He pointed at Zuko's seat.
Zuko frowned at him and said, "Just sit over there."
"But—''
"What's big deal?"
Aang sighed and was about to sit next to Zuko when Zuko grabbed his hand and said a little sheepishly, "Um…I wanted Jin to sit there. Why don't you sit over there?"
He pointed at the seat next to it.
Aang stared at him blankly and looked at Katara and his seat, measuring the distance.
Aang frowned and said, "Look, Zuko…I just want—''
"Aang's right Zuko. We should let him sit there," Jin said suddenly coming up from behind Aang. She threw Zuko a meaningful—something which remained lost to Zuko.
"But why? We can see better from here," Zuko said.
Jin put her hands on her hips and jerked her head towards Katara as she said, "But Aang wants to sit there."
"He can sit on other places," Zuko argued. He really didn't feel like moving anywhere and he felt like out of all the seats, this had the best view of the play. And besides Aang could see well from the seat he pointed. It would save them all the trouble and commotion if he just sat down.
Jin continued to shoot him meaningful glances as if she was trying to tell him something. Zuko on the other hand couldn't decipher or possibly ever decode what meaning she was trying to get across to him.
Jin said, "But he can't see from where he's sitting."
"Well we won't either if we move—''
Another jerk towards Katara, then to Aang. Zuko stared at her blankly. Jin sighed, "Just give him the seats—''
Zuko said, "He can sit over there. What's the big deal—''
Behind them Sokka and Suki who had settled in were suddenly drawn towards their argument, Toph snickered in her place, while Katara who had been previously pre-occupied with watching the actors and actresses scuffle in and out from behind the curtain suddenly looked with interest at Jin and Zuko and Aang.
Aang sheepishly grinned at her before hurriedly saying, "I was—I just wanted to—okay."
He then sat down on the seat Zuko designated him too and looked away trying to diffuse all the commotion.
Jin sat down next to Zuko and shot him a venomous glare as the lights dimmed and the curtains suddenly pulled apart. Zuko stared at her incredulously. He was honestly confounded as to why she was annoyed and he was also confused of the cryptic non-verbal messages she kept sending him. Something about Aang and Katara.
"What?" Zuko demanded.
Jin poked him in the ribs before hissing, "He wanted to sit next to Katara, you idiot!"
It took him a full thirty seconds to comprehend this. He stared at Jin, then at Katara, then at the Avatar muttering, "He—her—he likes her—I really didn't have a single idea—''
"Shh!"
Sokka bonked him in the head and told him to keep quiet as the play began.
Jin realized early on that Zuko wasn't exaggerating when he stated that the Ember Island Players were horrible actors. And apparently everyone else realized that too and Jin was beginning to feel rather ashamed for even wanting to see this ludicrous play. She imagined how smug Zuko must be in the darkness and once or twice throughout the whole mockery of the thing, he jabbed her ribs and elbowed her and snickered in a very self-satisfied manner. Jin snorted.
Fine. So maybe they shouldn't have seen the play.
The whole play portrayed all the people in it (namely, Katara, Aang, Toph and Zuko) in a very comical and embarrassingly incorrect manner. Jin realized that this must be to boost Fire Nation morale by making the members of Team Avatar look insipid, incapable, ridiculous and stupid and so far they were doing a very good job at it.
Much to Katara's chagrin, she was played by an actress who was twice as ugly, twice as fat and twice as overly dramatic. Her tendencies to be a motherly nag and an over emotional speech maker were amplified a hundred times. The Actress Katara portrayed the real Katara as a melancholic, weepy woman who was always engrossed in hope and would often burst into speeches about it without any incomprehensible or logical reason. Katara fumed as the Actress Katara sobbed as she clutched unto the Water bending scroll, "It gave me so much hope!"
Sokka to his annoyance was played by a thin, pimply and buck teethed actor whose jokes did not do justice to Sokka's humor and whose only pre-occupation was food. He rattled on and on about how hungry he was and once in awhile he would crack a completely unfunny and humorless joke.
To Aang's complete horror, he was played by a woman and instead of having an air glider the actress carried a fan and she would often fly away with a very flamboyant and feminine gesture which further exemplified her femininity. Instead of the carefree nature, Aang proudly boasted of, he was instead portrayed as a perky and mischievous trickster who didn't seem at all that serious of saving the world. And to further add to his misery, the Actress Katara repeatedly announced that she only loved him like "a brother". Aang sank further downwards to his seat.
Toph seemed to be the only on enjoying her characterization. In the play, she was big, huge man with huge, shaggy hair covering her eyes. Top's actor could see by emitting sonic waves instead of seeing through Earthbending and the actor Toph declared himself as Aang's teacher by emerging from the ground. Toph as expected liked this very much and she was not at all bothered that she was being played by someone of the opposite gender.
And Zuko.
Jin sighed.
Zuko. Poor Zuko. Her amazing, handsome and wonderfully charming boyfriend was being made into a total farce. Although some characteristics of him were spot on.
Zuko grumbled that the actor made him look completely stiff and humorless. Jin tried to hide her giggle. In her opinion, despite the fact that they had done a very good job of making a mockery of Zuko, the actor playing Zuko had managed to catch many of her boyfriends unpleasant quirks, mannerisms, thinking and behavior and he had managed to magnify it to a degree that was ten times worse. Jin burst into giggles as Zuko gave short and angry bursts of speeches about his honor. Zuko frowned at her and whispered, "Let's see how you like it when you turn up and they make you look stupid…"
Jin scoffed, "Oh, please. I doubt they'll even know me."
"Jin, the Ba Sing Se Resistance was a big thing. It will turn up—''
"You're just saying that to scare me—''
Zuko snorted and said derisively, "I can't wait to see how they'll make you out to be."
Jin frowned at him and just too purposely annoy and spite him, she laughed a bit more loudly at the exaggerated caricature of her boyfriend. Zuko scowled. She was a little disappointed however to see that they replaced Iroh's love of tea for cake.
Jin wrinkled her nose and said, "I can't believe they don't even mention how much your uncle loves tea."
Zuko sighed heavily in agreement, suddenly irrationally missing his uncle.
After the intermission and after a great deal of whining and moping and griping, they all went back to their seats and Zuko was vaguely aware that the events of the play were almost leading up to the time he and Jin met. Zuko began to feel nervous. Would there be a character of her? Zuko shook his head. Maybe not. But maybe there will be. Would they show a portion of their date? That was impossible. Only his uncle knew about it.
"Zuko, it's time we had a talk…about your hair!" his uncle's doppelganger declared.
Zuko tried to contain his embarrassment as his girlfriend roared with laughter from beside him. He snapped back from his chaotic thoughts and focused on the stage where the actor playing him had a ridiculous wig. Zuko frowned as Actor Iroh said, "It's gone too far!"
Zuko scowled. This was completely ridiculous. His hair was not that long nor did it change that drastically. Jin could hardly contain her fits of giggles. Zuko scowled and snapped at her, "This is so stupid! My hair isn't that long!"
Jin giggled uncontrollably as she said, "We should split up…..you and your uncle split up over hair?"
Zuko scowled and said as he looked away completely embarrassed, "You are so insufferable!"
Jin smiled at him sweetly and Zuko scowled and looked away. She tried to desperately hide the anxiety she was feeling. Jin nervously dug at her palms as the time for her appearance drew nearer. It was going to happen inevitably in a few minutes. The timing was perfectly right. Zuko and Iroh had reunited once again and Zuko's ridiculous shaggy mop of hair had been reduced to something shorter and neater (though it was still outrageous) and they were already travelling all the way to Ba Sing Se. Would she want herself to be there? A part of her niggled at the back of her mind incessantly telling her that no, that would not be a good idea. They would probably present her as some sort of uncultured, manner less colony slob. But it seemed, on the other hand, extremely insulting if not one trace of her was presented. Was she unimportant enough to be overlooked? Jin scowled. She didn't want to be like that.
Zuko gave another groan as the actor playing him on stage gave another cantankerous rendition of Zuko's personality.
Jin giggled and tried to hide the growing swell in her heart and the sweatiness of her palms.
Jin found out quickly enough that she was right when she thought that they would present her as an uncultured, manner-less colony slob. But that turned out to be the least unflattering thing they have made her out to be.
For starters, the actress playing her was extremely thin almost to the point of being anemic and her raggedy clothes hung on her loosely and limply. Jin frowned. She knew that she was slender but she was pretty sure that despite her slimness, she still had shape and meat on her to create some pretty dangerous curves. They were obviously trying to emphasize her extreme poverty seeing as they made her look underfed and they made her look as if she was on the brink of starvation.
Secondly, the actress playing her was wearing the most horrible and atrocious dress ever. It was frayed and it was too big on her. Dirt was smeared all over it and on her feet were the most horrendous looking clogs Jin has ever seen in her life. She cringed. She did not dress that horribly. Sure, she favored loose fitting clothes, especially when she had tons of errands to run around the city so she could be comfortable. And sure, she did have a penchant for always wearing the same dress two days a week (she always managed to do a horrible job with the laundry). And okay, maybe when she's in a hurry or when it is a particularly hot day, she looked extra-sweaty and extra-dirty. But that was perfectly normal. Everybody looked messy at one point or the other. She just happened to look disheveled all the time. That didn't mean she didn't keep her attractiveness up though.
Third was the fact that they made Jin look like clueless, vapid, and almost flippant. She, in stark contrast to Zuko, was always looking at the bright side of things. She had a silver lining for every bad thing, almost to the point of being annoying, she sang randomly, talked in a ridiculously sing-song and upbeat voice, walked in a silly, half-step, half-skip gait and she would always answer Zuko's rants with a light giggle and small, dismissive wave of her hand. Okay, so maybe she was optimistic and maybe she liked looking at the bright side of things. A lot. But she could be practical at times. She didn't always live in optimistic denial with a dream world of bright and happy things hanging up her head. She wasn't that carefree.
Fourth, they made her seem completely useless, defenseless and ignorant. Jin nearly tore her hair out in frustration as she watched her doppelganger handle a knife clumsily and run screaming out the back when a fight began in the Resistance. She was also made to look like a poor strategist, scribbling giant hearts and stars on the battle plans. They were obviously trying to make point how she was such a horrendous leader. Jin scowled. Okay, so maybe she screwed some things up. But she was not that incompetent. Or stupid. Plus, they got it all wrong. The Resistance started after the coup. Not before.
Fifth, the portrayals of her brothers were spot on. Jin huffed. They made The Shen look like a singing but dangerous hippy (which he was) and Gee Jiang cool and collected leader (which he also was). If they can get her brothers right, why did they have to get her all wrong and make her look stupid, ugly and so ridiculously cheerful? Was she always like that? Jin frowned. Beside her, Zuko looked as unamused.
Sixth, and Jin especially cringed at this part, they made her look like a huge flirt. Which she wasn't. Okay, so she asked Zuko out on a date first. But that was only because she was sick of waiting for him to notice her. She didn't think that she had to take the traditional route—where the boy had to ask her out first—when it came to dating. If she wanted something, she usually went out and got it. And if it wasn't meant for her, if he didn't like her back, then she didn't want to wait forever, sitting there on the teashop and pining for him, just waiting for the day when he would notice her. She'd rather know right then and there so she wouldn't waste her time. That didn't mean she was a flirt. Okay, so maybe it was slightly flirtatious of her but she had never thought that people might view it as that way.
At least she wasn't the only one who was mortally embarrassed during their date scene. Which she was confused on how people found out about it in the first place. They did however; get a lot of things wrong.
Jin scowled as she watched her thinner and uglier counterpart walk around and hide in bushes, giving an occasional peep at Zuko as he and his uncle walked on.
"Uncle! I feel like someone is watching me!" Actor Zuko said dramatically as he looked around.
"You stalked him?" Sokka hissed as he leaned forward.
"Shh," Jin whispered as she pushed him backwards, thoroughly embarrassed.
"Haha! How right you are! I am in fact, watching you!" Actress Jin declared as she jumped out the bush.
Actor Zuko gave a really loud gasp while Actor Iroh merely indulged himself with another slice of cake. Actor Zuko stepped backward and howled, "Oh no, uncle! We have been discovered! We shall be turned in to my sister! We're doooomed!"
Zuko groaned loudly from beside her.
Actress Jin suddenly gave a coy smile and she suddenly swayed her bony hips as she walked towards him. Jin felt heat creep up her face. Actress Jin then held a hand out to him, touching his right cheek and saying seductively, "I am watching you. But not for the reasons you think. I am watching you because I think I find you handsome."
Sokka leaned forward again and said to Zuko this time, "Did she really say that? And did you look as stupid?"
"Shh!" Zuko snapped, his face reddening. He shoved Sokka backward with his elbow.
Actor Zuko stared at her and said just as sexily, "Earth Kingdom peasant, even though you are poor, uncultured and boorish, I feel like, I am attracted to you."
Actress Jin had a triumphant smile on her face as if she accomplished something particularly amazing and then she went nearer towards him and said demurely, "I would like to invite you to go somewhere with me alone sometime. Let us go on a date together."
"I do not know if it is wise to date an Earth Kingdom peasant…" Actor Zuko mumbled.
"My nephew shall accept!" Actor Iroh declared.
Actress Jin started jumping up and down and she said triumphantly, "Haha! I knew you could not agree! My Earth Kingdom charms and beauty are too difficult to resist! And I spread an extra gallon of perfume to hide my peasant smell!"
Jin scowled at that comment.
The Actress Jin then trilled as she skipped away, "I shall meet you back here at seven o'clock sharp!"
Actor Zuko glared at his uncle and Actor Iroh shrugged and said, "What? You need to get out some more."
Sokka howled with laughter and he leaned forward again saying, "She asked you out? She asked you out? But you said you were the one who asked her out! And Jin, did you really ask him out in that way? Did you really stalk and bother and pester him until he said yes?"
"Shh!" Jin and Zuko snapped in unison. They both pulled Sokka back as they shrank in embarrassment; Jin in particular, had turned into a dark shade of red. On second thought, it was a horrible idea to have her acted out on stage.
Soon, Zuko and Jin's respective actors were already on date and so far nothing good came out of it. Their awkward first date, which was very embarrassing to being with, was amplified to a degree that was beyond tolerable. Zuko was getting the worse end of the lot.
"I shall juggle for you now!" Actor Zuko declared for no apparent reason as Actress Jin jumped up and down in her place looking like a peppy child. Jin sighed as she tried to hide her head.
Sokka roared with laughter. He snickered, "You juggled for her?"
Toph on the other hand scowled, "I can't believe I'm missing all of this!"
Katara and everyone else tried to hide their laughter and amusement. Then throughout their whole date, Actor Zuko was the picture of a polite gentleman while Actress Jin wolfed down her noodles. Actress Jin said, "I love noodles!" as a long stringy piece stuck out of her mouth. Toph laughed loudly and said, "That's some appetite you got there Smiley!"
Jin groaned. Oaky, so maybe she had a big appetite. And maybe she ate a little too fast. But she did not eat like that.
Then there was the Jin is not my girlfriend fiasco. Jin wondered how they could've gotten that. Everyone in the Fire Nation audience cheered as Zuko declared, "She is not my girlfriend!"
Zuko flushed with embarrassment and avoided looking at Jin who was trying her best not break down and lose her patience and calm. Behind her Sokka and everyone else laughed in mirth. But she didn't feel as amused. How could she when people of the Fire Nation saw her as some vapid, ignorant and extremely ugly girl? How could they accept this person to be their prince's girlfriend? Jin never cared what other people thought before. Why did she care now?
It only took one more embarrassing portrayal before she would snap.
"How did they even find out about this?" Zuko growled as their horrendous dinner continued.
Jin shrugged but then as the waiter served a piece of cake (which Actress Jin sloppily ate) the two for them sat and up and said in unison as they looked at each other, "Iroh."
Zuko groaned. Of course! His uncle has to be behind all this! It would make sense since they got all their information from rumors. If his uncle went to them and offered this juicy bit of information under an alias, they would be sure not to refuse.
Suddenly Actor Zuko looked at Actress Jin and said in husky voice, "I have something to show you."
The two of them left the restaurant and the backdrop changed to a plain dark wall. Suddenly Actor Zuko starts doing a weird dance combined with Firebending. Actress Jin gave a dramatic gasp, "You're a Firebender?"
"Don't be afraid, baby. Zuko will not burn you down and reduce you to ashes. I am in fact that prince of the Fire Nation but because of your astounding Earth Kingdom beauty—''
Here everyone in the Fire Nation audience booed. Jin snorted.
"—I think I have fallen in love with you. For you only, I shall renounce and turn my back on my country!" Zuko declared dramatically as he grabbed Jin by the waist and pulled her close.
The boos grew louder and Jin felt as if she was suffocating.
"Oh, Zuko," Jin sighed dreamily. The boos reached a fevered and heightened pitch.
Actor Zuko then did a firebending move and with the help of some pretty good special effects he managed to produce an elaborate looking heart made out of fire.
He then declared to Jin boldly, "My heart burns for you."
The Fire Nation crowd lost it. Their boos became louder. People were yelling, "Burn the Earth Kingdom wench!"
"How dare he fall for someone so ugly?"
"I say we throw her in a ditch!"
The room suddenly spun and it became a hundred degrees hotter. Jin felt her chest tighten. She felt as if all eyes, everyone was looking at her. She felt like puking and throwing up. Vaguely she could feel Zuko's hand on her shoulder asking her if she's okay. She could hear Aang calling out to her but he sounded so distant. From behind her she could hear the concern of Sokka's voice. Then it suddenly felt so crowded as all her friends circled her.
Why did this bother her so much?
Why did she care about the fire Nation's perception of her?
Why does it matter to her so suddenly?
She was suddenly too dizzy to answer. She needed some air.
Ignoring everyone's voices and concerns, she stood up and left her seat, hurrying to go outside.
"Jin?" Zuko softly said as Jin tried her best to keep it together. She didn't understand how this could affect her so much. She was usually very confident and so sure of herself. But after seeing how the Fire Nation people portrayed her, how they saw her, how they reacted towards her, she suddenly felt so irrationally small. Like she wasn't good enough to be Zuko's girlfriend. Which was stupid of course because she knew that she tried the best she could to be a good girlfriend to Zuko and to make their oftentimes complicated relationship work? For Spirit's sake she stuck with him even after he lied to her and betrayed her.
She didn't answer him. She tried to focus. She tried to get past her turbulent emotions. It was a stupid thing to get upset about. Hardly worth the fuss. Come on Jin. Tell him that you're fine. Smile at him. Go back to the theatre. Tell him that you just needed to get some air. But then she remembered how ridiculously cheerful her actress played her out to be.
And then what came out of her mouth was, "They hate me."
Her voice sounded strong but Jin still looked upset. Suddenly, two strong, sinewy arms circled her waist and a quiet voice said, "It's just a play. A really, stupid play, if I might add."
Jin looked away and said bitterly, "Doesn't change anything. They still hate me."
"Yeah, well they hate me too. Hey, don't look at me like that," Zuko said as he gently forced Jin to look up to him with his finger.
"I just turned my back on my nation…for you," Zuko added with a small smirk and he leaned in and kissed her cheek.
"I don't care. It doesn't matter. Everyone in there thinks that I'm clueless, stupid, ignorant, self-absorbed floozy who's just concerned about ruining a respectable Fire Nation prince's reputation and career!" Jin said losing her calm. She started to feel ridiculously self-conscious.
"And why do you care? You've never let things like these get you down before," Zuko pointed out.
"That's different," Jin whispered.
"How so?"
Jin didn't answer him for awhile. She bit her lip. She then blurted out what she didn't want to say a while ago, "I just don't want to disappoint you Zuko. Someday you're going to become the Fire Nation prince again. I don't want people to get mad at you…just because you're dating me. I just…I just don't want you to think that you could've done better if you dated someone from the Fire Nation."
Zuko chuckled and Jin glowered at him, annoyed. She was talking about something serious. He then placed both of his hands firmly on her hips and he began to sway, moving Jin along with him. Jin rigidly resisted him at first, feeling depressed and unhappy and upset. He started humming a familiar tune as he swayed with Jin. Jin scowled, looked up at him and said, "What are you doing?"
He continued to hum the tune. Jin found it so incessantly and annoyingly familiar. Like she had heard it from somewhere.
He then sang in a low voice,
"It's a long, long way to Ba-Sing-Se
But the girls in the city
They look so pretty!
They kiss so sweet
That you really got to meet
Jin laughed along with him, recognizing the old song. She finished the last line, "The Girls from Ba Sing Se."
Zuko gently forced her to face him. He then kissed her forehead and mumbled into it saying, "I guess you're right that I would be better off with someone from the Fire Nation."
Jin frowned.
H then added after seeing her expression, "But…"
Zuko laughed lightly and stroked her hair, "I don't know about you, but I heard that the girls from Ba Sing Se…they're a lot prettier than girls we see here in the Fire Nation…."
He tickled her and his fingers stroked her ribcage causing her to erupt into giggles. Jin laughed and she began to poke and pinch him as she tried to avoid his quick fingers. Zuko then managed to finally catch her, hooking her by the elbow saying as he kissed her nose, "And I also heard that they kiss pretty well too."
Jin smiled at him, feeling a lot better than she had before.
Jin and Zuko returned (and everyone fussed over Jin for a good five minutes) and for the next few scenes, Zuko and Jin weren't featured as much, much to their relief. Mostly it revolved around the Dai Li and Jet turning into a zombie. When the piece of rock fell on him, Zuko could only retort a question on whether Jet had truly died. No one gave him a proper answer. And after a few scenes more, he had completely forgotten about the matter. There was a small uncomfortable hiccup in which he and Katara started flirting and Zuko could barely stand looking at Jin, his girlfriend. Jin however, took it all in stride and even laughed along with others. Aang however wasn't as graceful. He stood up and stalked off, looking flustered and annoyed.
Jin stared after Aang sympathetically and slapped Sokka when he asked for some fire flakes and fire gummies from Aang. Zuko on the other hand, lost all the previous awkwardness he felt as soon as he realized that his betrayal scene with his uncle was coming up.
"Well, my brother. What's it going to be? Your nation or a life of treachery ," Actress Azula cackled maniacally.
Actor Zuko began to look confused as he scratched his head. Actor Iroh then drank from a bowl and said, "Choose treachery, it's more fun."
He did a thumbs-up as Zuko started to walk towards him. Zuko perked up. Maybe they got the rumors wrong. Maybe they got the whole story wrong. Maybe he would not look like a total jerk at all, betraying his uncle like that. Apparently Actress Azula also thought so. She said disbelievingly, "No way!"
Zuko looked at Jin and saw that she was leaning forward in anticipation. She had that hopeful look she always gets in her eyes. Zuko didn't want her to be disappointed.
Actor Zuko stopped in front of his uncle and to Zuko's shock, he pushed him backwards causing him to trip. The cake and the bowl of tea spilled over and crashed onto the floor and his uncle stumbled in a very pitiful but almost comical manner. Zuko's heart sank and he could feel the disappointment Jin was emanating.
"I hate you, Uncle!" Actor Zuko declared as he pointed at his uncle. He then added as he walked towards Actress Azula, "You smell and I hate you for all time."
Actress Azula gave a triumphant smile as the two of them walked off stage. An Earth Kingdom banner fell atop the Actor Iroh and Jin couldn't hide the gasp of shock that escaped from her mouth.
"You didn't really say that, did you ?" Katara said as she turned to face Zuko.
Jin shook her head and said firmly, "He didn't. I just know that he wouldn't. Zuko would never say something like that. You wouldn't, right Zuko?"
She looked at him pleadingly, as if she was begging him to say the words she exactly wanted to hear.
Conflicting feelings of guilt and anger rose up from inside him. Zuko couldn't bear to look at Jin and the expression on her face. Zuko looked away from the two girls and said somberly, "I might as well have."
Jin gave a heavy sigh, patted his arm and looked away. She was obviously trying not to show him that she was not upset with what she saw. But there was no point in denying it. The damage had already been done. She had already seen what he did to his uncle. She had already seen a fraction of his darker side.
And he was utterly ashamed for it.
The next few scenes weren't as entertaining. It featured mostly Zuko as the great man who brought the Resistance down. He watched in horror as Actress Jin (who was singing a song about rainbows) and her brothers plan an attack against the Dai Li when suddenly he and his sister barged in from behind a curtain of rocks. Actress Jin of course, looked completely unaware that her boyfriend was about to singlehandedly bring the Resistance down and embarrass her in front of all the Resistance Members at the same time. Jin was still singing a song and drawing a huge heart over a map of the Dai Li underground headquarters when Actor Zuko and Actress Azula started firebending all over the place.
Apparently it took five dead people and her screaming brother to get Actress Jin's attention. The Fake Ge Jiang roared, "What is the meaning of this?"
"We're getting attacked silly!" Actress Jin giggled as she gave Ge Jiang a light punch on the arm.
"Didn't you notice?" Actress Jin squealed to an annoyed looking Actor Ge Jiang. Jin snorted. Again, she repeated, she did not act like that.
Jin scowled. Having to go through this particularly difficult moment once again was torture enough. She didn't want to add her overly-annoying doppelganger into the mix anymore.
Actor Ge Jiang was not amused. He grimly pointed at Zuko and said, "I mean what is the meaning of that. Do my eyes deceive me or is that your new boyfriend whom you have said that he is a sworn loyal ally of the Ba Sing Se Resistance?"
Actress Jin, who looked so happy and cheerful, had a momentary lapse from her happiness as she gave a scandalized gasp as she neared Actor Zuko. She looked at him as if she hadn't noticed him before and she said in a rather shocked tone, "Is that you…Zuko?"
Actor Zuko looked slightly remorseful as he said, "Yes, it is in fact me Jin."
"What are you doing here?" Actress Jin asked.
Actor Zuko said in a slightly sheepish tone, "I am here to bring the Ba Sing Se Resistance down."
"What? But you said that you loved me and that you would turn your back on your nation just for me? Zuko! Whatever happened to all that?" Actress Jin said as she broke into hysterics.
"Whoa. I can see why you guys have some issues!" Sokka whistled.
"Shh!" Jin and Zuko snapped as their attention focused directly on the stage. They were both so absorbed on the scene before them. Jin in particular did not want to relive the whole ordeal. But she couldn't help the emotions that bubbled and rose from inside her as she watched the whole thing unravel. The feelings of shame and embarrassment rushed back from inside her.
At least the Actor Zuko had the decency to look sheepish. He said dramatically, "Don't cry baby. I still love you. But duty calls. You know, I could still make you my girl in the Fire Nation."
"Haha! My brother has tricked you into loving him! Now we shall bring the Ba Sing Se Resistance down!" Actress Azula crowed.
Actress Jin looked surprised.
Actress Azula caught the expression on her face and she said slyly, "I bet you thought that he truly loved you, didn't you? Aha! The Fire Nation prowess has tricked you poor simple-minded Earth Kingdom people once again!"
Jin seethed as Zuko tried to avoid her gaze.
Actress Jin finally had the good sense to snap out of her deliriously happy state. She stomped towards Actor Zuko, glowered at him and slapped him hard across the face saying, "You lowly underhanded scum! I can't believe I ever loved you! I hate you! I hate you for all time and I hope you die!"
Actor Zuko growled and shoved her backwards, "I hate you too! It was stupid and ridiculous of you to think that I would actually like you!"
"It's stupid of you to think that I would actually like a loser like you!" Actress Jin spat back as she also stepped forward and shoved him backwards.
"Wait, does this mean we're breaking up?" Actor Zuko incredulously asked after a second's pause.
"No, not we. Me. I'm breaking up with you!" Actress Jin snapped.
"No! I betrayed you first so that means—''
"Shut up! I'm the one breaking up with you—''
"No I am—''
"You just can't stand that someone as high and mighty as you got dumped—''
Jin exhaled loudly, trying to calm herself down as she forced herself to watch the scene before. It would have been comedic if it weren't for the fact that it only reminded her of her and Zuko's intense argument back in Ba Sing Se. She couldn't bear to look at Zuko in eye. Apparently Zuko felt the same way. He rigidly sat on his seat and stonily watched the stage as Actor Zuko and Actress Jin continued to bicker and argue.
"Enough arguing! I say brother, we blow this place down!" Actress Azula snapped and declared. Then with one quick flick of her wrist, a stream of ice-blue lightning flew from her hands and it hit the ceiling. Rocks began to fall all over the stage and a troop of fire Nation soldiers marched up to the stage, chaining and imprisoning Resistance members and Earth Kingdom civilians.
"No! Sister! Because of your incompetence and foolishness, you have cost us the Resistance and the war! Noooo!" Actor Ge Jiang declared.
"I suppose I should give you my thanks, Jin of Ba Sing Se, great fool of the Earth Kingdom," Actress Azula snickered as chaos ensued.
The Fire Nation audience cheered and howled in approval. The fake rocks began to fall on the stage. One of them toppled in front of Actor Ge Jiang who scrambled away. Actor He Shen sang a song of distress as he ran around in circles around the stage. Actress Azula howled with laughter and satisfaction as she stood atop a raised platform watching the pandemonium that broke out from in front of her. Jin gripped her armrests tighter. It was like going through the whole thing all over again.
But the worst part was, when a piece of rock fell on top of Actress Jin. Actress Jin , writhed and moved about from underneath the rock. Actor Zuko, who remained stationary throughout the whole thing suddenly noticed that Actress Jin was about to be crushed by a huge piece of rock.
"Zuko! Help me!" Actress Jin called out.
Actor Zuko made a motion towards her but Actress Azula interrupted him by saying, "Going back to your life of treachery, I see? And all for some poor, Earth Kingdom peasant! What's it going to be brother, your stupid girlfriend or a life of honor and glory?"
"Zuko…please. I didn't mean all those things I said about you earlier," Actress Jin pleaded.
Jin felt as if she was choking. Her throat and windpipe felt as if it was clogged up. Was she really that weak when the Resistance crumbled?
"Are you really sure you don't want to give up Earth Kingdom loyalty to be in the Fire Nation and to be able to be with me and be my girl?" Actor Zuko asked hopefully.
"What? Of course, I shall not do that!" Actress Jin declared.
"Oh. Well, that kind of makes it a lot more difficult to save you," Actor Zuko informed her.
"But Zuko, you told me that you loved me! That you cared about me!" Actress Jin pleadingly said. All whimsical amusement and happiness was completely gone from her by now.
Actor Zuko looked as if he was struggling with a moment of indecision. Finally, he stared at Actress Jin firmly and said in a hard voice, "I'm sorry, Jin. But you are wrong. I have never loved or cared about you."
The last few words sent Jin keeling as Actress Azula laughed triumphantly, Actor Zuko joined her and together they sped away as the rocks crushed everything in the Resistance including its members and her brothers. Actor He Shen sang one last song as the fake rocks continued to fall. His off-pitch voice mingled with the roars and cheers of approval from the Fire Nation audience.
They made Jin feel sick.
Zuko grabbed her right hand, twined his fingers around it and squeezed it comfortingly. Jin still felt awful. She was vaguely aware that everyone was looking it at her, as if expecting her to cry or to break out in tears or to storm out again.
Jin bit her lips.
She had already stormed out once, in a fit of dizzy emotion. Doing it twice however, was just plain stupidity. She didn't want people to think that she was that sensitive or that weak or that overly-emotional. Especially since the big fight was coming up.
Jin squeezed her eyes shut, counted to ten and hoped that by the time she finished counting, the scene before her would just end.
"Where's Jin?" Zuko asked miserably as he sat on the floor, staring despondently on the ceiling. He felt so empty and angry at himself. How could he just treat his uncle in that way? How could he just betray Jin like that? As soon as they heard the gong that signaled the intermission, Jin had escaped as fast as she could away from everyone else and Zuko had not seen her since. He was a little afraid that the stupid play might have re-opened some old wounds.
"Eh, she went to get some food. I just saw her lining up for some spicy pretzels," Toph shrugged dismissively. Zuko frowned and tried to keep all the anger and guilt he felt at bay. How could he be so misguided, so cruel, so…evil? He had never realized how his past actions must have affected other people.
"Jeez. Everyone's getting so upset about their characters. Even you seem more down than usual and that's saying something," Toph said as Zuko heaved a great, heavy sigh. She sat down next to him.
"You don't get it. It's different for you. You get a muscley version of yourself taking down 10 bad guys at once and making sassy remarks," Zuko growled as Toph leaned against the wall and smiled to herself.
"Yeah, that's pretty great," Toph chuckled.
"But for me, it takes all the mistakes I've made in my life and shove them back in my face. My Uncle. He's always been on my side even when things were bad. He was there for me. He taught me so much and how do I repay him ? With a knife in his back. It's my greatest regret and I may never get to redeem myself," Zuko said morosely as he lowered his head and tried not to think about his uncle too much. It made him feel upset.
Toph opened her mouth ready to say something when Zuko spoke again, "And Jin. She was the first person in my life, aside from my uncle and mother, who actually cared about me. Who actually treated me with respect and compassion. Who actually trusted me enough, despite knowing who I am and the kind of person I'm known for, to be part of the Resistance. And I just…I just turned around and betrayed her. Just like that," Zuko sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. He added, "I will never be able to earn atonement. Or forgiveness for all that I've done."
Toph gave Zuko a firm pat on the shoulder and chuckled as she said, "You have redeemed yourself to your Uncle. You don't realize it but you already have."
"How do you know?" Zuko skeptically said.
"Because I once had a long conversation with the guy and all he would talk about was you," Toph said as she gave him a quick smile.
Zuko lowered his hood and smiled back as he said, "Really?"
"Yeah, and it was kind of annoying," Toph added just as quickly.
"Oh, sorry," Zuko replied.
"But it was also very sweet. All your Uncle wanted was for you to find your own path and see the light. Now you're here with us. He'd be proud," Toph told him.
Zuko smile grew wider. Toph then added, "I wouldn't worry about Smiley too much if I were you, either. Past is past. She understands that. She also understands that you didn't really want to hurt her. And that no matter what people say about you, she knows that you really still care about her. I know that too."
"You do?"
"Of course. I can tell when you're lying you idiot. And if you had been lying about your feelings towards Jin, then I would have knocked the daylights out of you weeks ago," Toph grinned as she elbowed Zuko lightly on the arm.
They sat in silence for awhile.
"She really cares about you too. And she's proud of you Zuko. She doesn't show it much. Or say it. But she's proud of you. She's proud and happy that you've finally made the right decision. She's happy that she was right to trust you all along," Toph continued.
"Really?"
"Yeah, Sparky. Would I lie to you?" Toph snorted.
"But how did you know that?"
"Oh…I have ways," Toph smirked mysteriously. She then gave him a light punch on the shoulder.
Zuko cringed and said, "Ow. What was that for?"
Toph shrugged and said as she looked up, "That's how I show affection."
Suddenly a little boy sped past the, stopped briefly to give a curious stare at Zuko and said, "Your Zuko costume is pretty good but your scar's on the wrong side!"
"The scar is not on the wrong side!" Zuko hotly said as he sprang up. As he did so, he accidentally bumped into someone.
"I'm sorry—''
Zuko paused after realizing that that someone was Jin. He stared at her awkwardly, as she stood before him, holding a steaming hot, chili pretzel in her hand. He expected her to ignore him or get mad at him or possibly even slap him. But instead, she merely placed a small and slender hand on his hood and drew it closer telling him, "Be careful. People might recognize you."
"They won't. They think that I have a Zuko costume on," Zuko distastefully said.
"Well, I think you still look at lot handsomer than that Zuko on their stupid poster," Jin smiled as she leaned in to kiss him.
"Hey! I'm still here!" Toph barked. Jin and Zuko stopped their kiss midway and laughed.
"Hey…are you okay?" Zuko asked in concern as soon as they stopped laughing.
"I'm fine. Look, I got you a chili pretzel," Jin said as she smiled at him.
"Are you sure?" Zuko asked again, his eyes wrapped in concern. Jin stared at him about to give him another smile. But then she remembered her ludicrously cheerful counterpart in the Ember Island Players' play and she immediately stopped herself.
Truthfully, she said, "No. Not really."
"I'm sorry," was all that Zuko managed to say. He looked at her and saw from the expression on her face, a vague idea on what she really thinking about.
"It's not your fault," Jin added.
Zuko grabbed her hand and stroked it softly saying, "Jin?"
"Hm?"
"The thing with the Ba Sing Se resistance…"
Jin frowned, completely disliking the topic.
Zuko plowed through nonetheless.
He said, "It wasn't your fault either."
The next few minutes of the play were agonizing. Zuko of course, died, his last words being "Honor!" and Aang died as well. Jin was never mentioned again. And that was absolutely fine with her. She had enough hate from the Fire Nation to go around for decades. All of them left the theater feeling a lot worse than they had ever felt before. Sokka, Suki, Katara, Toph and especially Aang in particular scrambled to their rooms without as much as a good night. They were completely robbed of their mood. They just saw the Avatar monumentally fail and be killed, encourage by the Fire Nation audience. It was singlehandedly the worst thing to happen to them since they had arrived from the Fire Nation.
Zuko tried to sleep but he found himself unable to. He felt more and more restless, as he tried to go into slumber. The whole play had just upset him more than he thought it did. It made him feel unsettled and it was as if a small, annoying wasp-bee, niggled and stung at the back of his mind relentlessly. What upset him the most was the part when he died and screamed out honor. It made him realize that death was a lot closer than he thought. Their upcoming confrontation with the Fire Lord and his sister was so near. And when they step into that battle field that could very well be their last day here on Earth.
He heard the loud, boisterous cries of the people from the outside and he knew that by this time, the Ember Island Players would be giving a free showing of another, smaller and shorter play.
He stood up, quickly sung a shirt over his head and began to walk towards the outside. He knew that it was probably stupid having for him to watch another one of their hateful performances. But he was feeling restless and something as absurd as their silly little plays were the perfect thing to distract him.
Just as he was about to leave their house, he was suddenly greeted by a quiet voice saying, "And where are you going?"
He whirled around, expecting it to be someone like Katara or Suki (who despite trusting him now, would not fail to accuse him of doing treacherous deeds, especially after seeing the play) and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was Jin. She looked tired but her eyes were wide open.
"You didn't sleep well too huh?" Zuko said empathically.
"Yeah. I feel so out of it tonight," Jin sighed as she walked towards him.
Zuko wrapped an arm around her waist and said, "Maybe it was the play."
Jin shrugged before saying, "I guess so. Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows? Anyway, where were you planning to go anyway?"
"I was going to watch the Ember Island Players, again."
"Again? " Jin raised a brow.
"They usually have post-play shows," Zuko explained briefly.
"I would've thought that out of all of us, you would be the one to have had enough of their stupid plays," Jin said in surprise.
"Just wanted to tire myself out so I could get some sleep," Zuko shrugged.
"Wait. I'm coming with you. I have to get my shawl first," Jin said and just as she was about to leave, Zuko grabbed her hand and said, "Here." You can have my coat."
He then grabbed and took off his hooded cloak and handed it to Jin and together they started walking back to the main square of Ember Island. Jin was a little worried at first that without Zuko's hooded cloak, he would be recognized but Zuko simply re-assured her that people would just think that he was wearing a "Zuko" costume.
As they walked Jin examined Zuko's serious and drawn face and stared at his scar, which she hadn't really intended to do. But Zuko's' scar was just so mysterious and it only re-inforced the aura of enigma and ambiguity he seemed to carry around. What Jin was so curious about was where he got his scar. He knew that it was a little strange, that she his girlfriend had no idea as to how he got his scar. But she was always too afraid to ask. And Zuko never really mentioned or liked to talk about it. It was just one of those topics that were off-limits, even though no one really said anything about it. Jin of course tried a few times to push past the boundaries but for the most part, Zuko remained strictly closed off. Of course she heard some rumors, read a few excerpts from the History books. But she never really believed them. She always carried a small sliver of doubt and skepticism with her regarding stories about Zuko's scar.
"Zuko.." she began, meaning to ask Zuko about his scar.
"Hm?" he angled his face towards her, in his usual serious demeanor.
"Nothing," Jin quickly said, a little sheepish for even wanting to ask that question.
They continued to walk in silence within continuing to stare at Zuko's start, her mind trying to distract the despondency she felt about the play with musings regarding Zuko's scar. She was distracted from her silent walk and concentrated stares on Zuko's scar by the sudden barrage of people. Someone bumped her form the side and Zuko had to steady her to keep her balance. From the center, they could hear a presenter narrating something.
"Let's go. I think that I could see a spot where we could squeeze in," Jin said. She grabbed Zuko's hand and together the two of them crammed through a narrow space between a couple of people. Jin stood on her tiptoes to get a better look.
Zuko's chest tightened as soon as he saw what was happening. It was him. Or rather an actor playing him without a scar. And Zuko understood what they were about to present. He tugged at Jin's hand and said, "Come on Jin. Let's go."
Jin turned to look at him and said, "But—''
Before she could finish whatever she had to say, the presenter's voice boomed, "The prince of the Fire Nation had disrespected his own father by speaking out against a respected general in an important meeting. Citizens of the Fire Nation…you all know…that there is only one way to solve this…"
The presenter stared at all of them slyly, giving them a full, long look and relished in satisfaction as everyone in the audience screamed, "Agni Kai! Agni Kai! Agni Kai!"
Zuko tugged at her, pleadingly begging her to leave. But Jin somehow, was fixated with the scene before her. It made her curious. Why did Zuko not have a scar yet? She stood still there and Zuko, who was weary of trying to convince her to leave finally, relented and sighed as he stood beside her and dropped his hands to his sides.
"Jin…"
"Zuko…what's an Agni Kai?" Jin asked, completely transfixed with the scene before her and the roar of the audience, screaming "Agni kai".
Zuko couldn't answer her.
"That is right. To resolve this, the prince must fight a fire duel, an Agni Kai…with his own father!" the presenter declared in a pleased voice. Everyone roared in approval. Jin felt the insides of her stomach churn as she watched Actor Zuko fall on his knees and beg for forgiveness from his father. She watched in complete and total horror as Actor Ozai just simply continued to walk. Towards him, declaring that Zuko needed to learn respect and suffering would be his teacher.
Zuko grabbed Jin's hand and whispered in her ear urgently, "Don't look."
But she looked.
And her heart broke into tiny, little, jagged pieces and the sky crashed around her as soon as she saw the fake Ozai firebend at his own son, scarring the actor Zuko, propelling him into screams that shattered the evening and pierced through her ears. Suddenly a huge swell of cheers surged forth from the crowd and Jin felt so empty and desolate.
She thought that she would feel no more emotions like this for the rest of the night. But she was wrong. She couldn't bear to see the Ember Island players perform Zuko's duel with his own father. She couldn't bear to imagine his own face as he saw the actor writhe in pain. She couldn't stand it anymore.
She spun around, faced Zuko and collapsed into his chest, hiding her head beneath it, making small, quiet whimpering noises as she tried to ignore everyone's yells.
"Is it over?" Jin whispered hoarsely.
"No."
Jin sighed.
"I told you not to look."
"I'm sorry."
"Jin, please don't be upset," Zuko pleaded and Jin clung unto him tighter and squeezed her eyes shut even more. How could this people all relish in one person's suffering? It was inhuman. It was too much.
"I can't help it," she said.
"Well, you didn't think that I got my scar from a waterbender, now did you?" Zuko said in a joking manner as he tried to keep things light.
But Jin would not be consoled. She wanted to puke, to vomit, to collapse, to faint, to just get away from it all. She didn't know why she felt this way. Maybe it was because the night was so cold and it made her tummy ache. Maybe it was the stickiness or the heat of the crowd. Maybe it was all those chili pretzels she ate.
Or maybe it was because she finally didn't need to wonder about Zuko's scar anymore.
Again, my many apologies for updating late. I have an investigatory project to defend in front of ten panels of judges by the end of March and a paper published by February so as expected I'm a little busy right now. However, that doesn't mean that I'm going to quit on this story. Especially that we are nearing the finale.
To those who added me in their favorite authors list, this story to the favorite stories list or story alerted this, I'd like to say: THANK YOU!
Special thanks to those how reviewed: smilingcoffee, daveshan, Kaeso Corvinus, jrba95, Dawning Wisdom, nature is the future, Sage of Oblivion, ArrayePL, Panther-Strife, Charmed Ravenclaw and Shakeru. Thanks you guys! You have no idea how much these reviews mean to me.
As expected, next chapter update will have a pretty long waiting gap. Just giving you a heads up.
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