I just had to update! all your reviews, faves, alerts have made me sooo happy! not to mention it builds insentive inside of me to keep writing and updating more frequently. :) to Ba Sing Se we go!

Disclaimer: don't own anything in ATLA

thanks everyone!

-TSA

Chapter 5:

"All changes are more or less tinged with melancholy, for what we are leaving behind is part of ourselves."Amelia Barr

She was finally reminded of why she hated ships. Being so far from land was difficult since she felt defenseless if combat were to ensue. Though she doubted that any of the refugees headed to Ba Sing Se were going to cause trouble…Bamboo shade titled over her eyes, she thought back on the worrisome words of her aunt, who was desperately insisting that she travel lavishly with more of her belongings. All she had chosen to bring were a few pairs of clothes and her personal belongings.

Dressed in her skin tight dress with metal braces on her forearms and shins, no shoes on her feet, and her giant war hammer strapped to her back, she tried not to draw attention to herself. Ever so often, someone would stare at her weapon, but no one said anything. She just wanted to get to Ba Sing Se as soon as possible. If the Earth King wouldn't listen to her by mere invitation, she was ready to march through his palace with as much force as she could muster with her rusty earth bending.

Noting to herself that she needed to practice before putting that plan to work, she glanced around the deck to see where Zuko had wandered off to. She hadn't seen him since the morning when they had boarded. They hadn't spoken a word to each other since his "confession" in the hallway. There was nothing she felt would be easy to say, not even the simplest 'hello'. He was even more distant than before and it was killing her to have him farther out of reach.

It wasn't like she had meant to. He wasn't charming or romantic in any way, but she was so interested in his secrets. He spoke very little and she wanted to believe that she could change that. It was silly, though it was better than believing that he would continue to ignore her no matter her efforts. She wasn't sure why she sought affection in him-

"Hey, there…"

She turned her eyes to her left, which was flanked by a handsome young man with the darkest brown eyes she had ever seen. Paying him no never mind, she began drumming her fingers on the side of the ship, "Hello."

"I'm sure you've had people wondering, but I figured I'd ask." She rolled her eyes while he leaned on the side, arms dangling over the water. He was trying to catch a glimpse of her eyes from under her shade, "What's the story with the hammer?"

She couldn't help a smirk, "Do you not figure it's my weapon?"

"You're an earth bender, aren't ya?"

"I'm a refugee."

"My name's Jet, by the way."

She finally faced him and tilted her shade up, "I'm Briar."

"Like the thorn…" He leaned closer to her, face masked by a seductive smile, "Unless I'm mistaken?"

"You're actually correct." She blushed a little while he gave her a wink, "For what reason are you traveling to Ba Sing Se?"

Jet sighed, bowing his head, "I've done some things in my past that I'm not proud of." He paused a moment and she was glad that when he started talking again his smile had returned, "Guess I'm looking for a new start." He took a step closer to her, "What about you?"

She went to respond, though her mind was caught between two answers. But neither of them was explained when she was gently pushed backward as Zuko stepped between them with his arms crossed over his chest. Her face turned a slight red while she watched Jet's startled expression. What the hell was Zuko doing?

"Didn't realize you had a boyfriend…" Jet muttered.

Briar waved her arms frantically, "No! He's not my boyfriend! He's just..." She gave him a glare, "…an acquaintance, if not something less."

Zuko pretended to ignore her while his hand moved to the hilt of his swords, "Why are you talking to her?"

"I'm sure it's her decision on who she wants to talk to," Jet retorted.

"I'm telling you to fu-"

Briar elbowed Zuko in the side while setting herself between the two boys, "He's just very protective of me."

"For an acquaintance that seems out of line," Jet replied.

Briar groaned, "He's just making sure that I arrive in Ba Sing Se safely. Call it chivalry."

Jet gave her a nod, taking her hand and giving it a sweet kiss, "Hopefully he'll trust me at some point. I'd hate not to talk to you ever again."

Briar waved a goodbye that made Zuko shiver from its childish giddiness. But once Jet was out of sight, she whirled on Zuko and smacked him flat across the face, "What the fuck was that about?"

"You're a princess!" he hissed.

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"You don't know who you can trust. If the Earth King has been denying your requests of an audience, what's to say he won't try to stop you from entering his city?"

Briar cast her eyes downward, "That's a hasty extremity-"

"I'd rather not take that chance." He went to walk off and glanced over his shoulder, "Not while you're traveling with us."

She wasn't about to just let him leave like that, not with the last word. Following him around to where no people were, she grabbed his sleeve and yanked him to face her. She wasn't sure where any of her words had gone, but she wanted to be angry with him for suddenly caring.

"I find this a very odd occurrence since we haven't spoken in two days," she said.

Zuko shrugged, "Don't think this is because I care about you. I'm concerned with our identities being uncovered because of you."

"So, you intend to keep a close eye on me to assure that no one knows what you truly are." She pointed to his scar, "Just because you're traveling to Ba Sing Se does not mean you're a different person."

He took hold of her wrist, "You still know nothing about me."

"Then enlighten me on something," she whispered.

Zuko released her wrist and started walking off, "I don't like talking to people."

Briar rolled her eyes, "I already know that…"

. . . .

Sitting beside Zuko, she had finally resorted to taking a nap to pass the time. The ebb and flow of the water lulled her into a calming sleep, her mind surrendering to the memories of when her mother was still alive. She could see her gentle face with those jade green eyes that sung enchanting melodies like her voice. Being rocked in her arms until sleep took over, she was trying so hard to remember the feel being tucked up until her beautiful lullaby became a tiny whisper.

But her serene thoughts were thwarted when someone nudged her. Opening her eyes slowly, she glanced to her left to see Zuko adjusting how he was sitting. She lifted a brow and the realization hit her. She had fallen asleep on his shoulder.

"Oh…" She picked up her bamboo shade and adjusted it on her head so that he couldn't see the blush in her cheeks, "…didn't mean to fall asleep on you."

"It's fine." He kept his eyes staring in front of them at the people surrounding the ship deck, "I didn't mean to wake you."

Briar sat up taller and stretched her arms to the sky, "You wouldn't happen to have any food, would you?"

Zuko shook his head, "I don't think we're going to be given anything for a while."

She rose to her feet, however wobbling as the ship hit a rough wave. Catching her balance, she began making her way across the deck to see if she could find Iroh. A cup of tea would be better than nothing. But as she wandered, a hand grabbed the folds of the skirt of her dress and tugged her underneath the stairway leading to the upper deck.

"Is your boyfriend going to mind if I steal you for a bit?"

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Oh, my bad." He gave her a wink, "Is your guardian going to mind if I steal you for a bit?"

She gave him a playful punch to the chest, "You're a smartass."

"It's making you smile." Jet leaned closer to her, wheat stock bouncing between his course lips, "So, what's your plan when you get to Ba Sing Se?"

"I don't have a plan." She tipped her shade off, the chord holding it at her neck, "I've got some unfinished business with some people."

Jet chuckled, "A woman on a mission? I like it…" He reached his hand out and twirled his fingers in the fabric of her dress, pulling her close to himself. Her hands braced against his chest while he pressed his forehead to hers, "What if you came with me?"

"That's a lovely thought but…" She pushed him back and made her way out toward the main deck, "…I've got to stay with my companions."

"It was just a suggestion." His eyes flickered with hurt, "I'm not a bad guy."

Briar sighed, "I know that. I just have a lot of baggage that I don't think you should get involve in."

He stepped closer to her, taking her hand and running his fingers over her smooth skin, "Promise me that you'll let me know if I can help you."

"I will."

She stood up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek before rushing off to where Iroh was sitting with a freshly brewed pot of tea. Sitting down beside him, she gratefully accepted a cup of tea, hastily drinking the steaming liquid. She didn't say a word, and she didn't feel that she needed to with him. He was like her aunt in that he always knew what was going on. Or maybe that was because people could read her emotions like a book?

"Who was that fellow you were talking to?" Iroh asked.

Briar bit her bottom lip, "His name's Jet."

She wanted to say more, but she couldn't put the words to it.

"He's a handsome one," Iroh teased.

"He certainly is that-" She bit her tongue while her face beamed a dark red, "It's a severe physical attraction. I've not seen a guy with as beautiful of eyes as him."

"Then why not continue talking to him?"

She shook her head, "I just get this pit in my stomach."

Iroh nodded while refilling his cup of tea, "Are you and my nephew still at odds?"

"I don't know." She halfway smiled, "I fell asleep on his shoulder and he didn't try to kill me for it. But he got upset when I first met Jet." She sighed thoughtfully, "He's so complicated."

"I think he's realizing that being alone isn't the best way to do things."

Briar glanced to her left to see Zuko walking toward them. She offered him a seat beside her, but he chose to sit by his uncle. Biting at the insides of her mouth, she cradled the cup in her hands and watched his eyes that drooped with exhaustion.

"You don't look well, Nephew," Iroh muttered.

"I'm sick and tired of eating shit for food and sleeping in dirt. I don't want to live like this!" Zuko retorted.

Briar kept her head bowed while he continued his tirade. She searched through the groups of refugees until she saw Jet, who was standing with two other people. When he caught her stare, he gave her his typical wink and she resumed watching the tea in her cup slosh up the sides as she turned it back and forth in her hands.

"Didn't mean to overhear your conversation…" Jet strolled up beside Briar, "…but I couldn't agree with ya more!"

Zuko's hand went to the hilt of his swords, "What do you want?"

"Just wanted to share something interesting with you. I hear the captain is eating like a king. Can't quite say that's fair for us." Jet smirked while Zuko rose to his feet, "What do ya say to helping me 'liberate' some food?"

Briar exchanged a look with Zuko, unsure of why Jet would offer camaraderie between them after what their first meeting had been. But she chose not to say a word when Zuko agreed. Setting down her cup of cold tea, she stood up and walked over to the side of the ship to stare at the dark blue waters that were clouded by the night sky. She felt her stomach tugging and pulling with the waves until she saw Zuko and Jet walk off with Jet's companions. Then her stomach just dropped.

. . . .

Zuko made quick work of tying food up together and gathering more meat in the burlap sack he bore over his shoulder. He kept glancing over at Jet, who was busying himself with the other foods surrounding the kitchen tables. As he tied up the bag, he heard Smellerbee whisper that the guard was coming back. Longshot fired an arrow down onto the deck and one by one they slid down until they were hidden by the shadows of the stairway.

Smellerbee and Longshot left, and as Zuko went to follow, Jet grabbed his arm.

"Figured we could chat a little," Jet said.

Zuko narrowed his eyes, "I already helped you with this. What more do you want?"

Jet held his hands up as a sign of peace, "Just wanted to apologize for earlier. We got off on the wrong hand-"

"Then maybe you should think twice before you try to seduce a girl."

Jet's brow furrowed and his gaze darkened, though Zuko couldn't see it in the shadows of the stairway, "That's a hasty assumption."

"It's in your body language." Zuko's hand was at his hilt again, "What's your angle with her?"

"You're rather defensive about her, but she claims you're not her boyfriend."

"I'm not her boyfriend."

"Then why are you so damn defensive?"

Zuko kept silent for a moment, wondering how he would explain his actions, "I may not care for her- In fact, I hate her. But that doesn't mean I'm going to let her get fucked around with by a sleaze like you."

Zuko turned and walked off, shaking his head at how ridiculous he sounded. Helping to distribute food to the refugees, he found himself musing on the afternoon when Briar had fallen asleep on his shoulder. He wasn't sure why he hadn't woken her, but, for once, he didn't have to look at those eyes of hers that made him shiver. She was at peace with herself, which was more than he could say for himself.

Handing his uncle what was left from his bag; he sat down and opened one of the containers of noodles. It took him little time to devour the food and when he heard Briar giggling, it reminded him of the first night he had spent in her palace, starved and weak. Blushing, he accepted a cup of tea that she handed to him.

"I've heard that people eat like this every night in Ba Sing Se."

Zuko rolled his eyes as Jet swept into a seat beside Briar, "Wouldn't that be a relief...?"

"I can't wait to set my eyes on that giant wall."

Iroh drew in a deep breath, "It's a beautiful sight."

"I'm sure it is." Briar blushed as she noticed that Jet was staring at her, but he quickly turned to Iroh before Zuko launched himself at him, "You've seen the wall before?"

"Once, when I was a different man." Iroh closed his eyes for a moment, "I believe people can change their lives if they want to."

Briar turned her gaze to the starry sky, "I've always believed in second chances."

As the night drifted on, people began to settle down for the night. Iroh was out faster than even the tiniest child aboard. Briar wandered about for a bit while Zuko curled up with a thin blanket, head rested on the small bag of clothes that he brought with him. She chose not to sleep near him, deciding that she didn't need to try to force affections from someone who just wouldn't have it. Lying down underneath the stairwell where very few people were gathered, she rested her head on her bag.

But soon a blanket was draped over her and a warm body slid up beside her. She turned around with a smile as Jet wrapped his arms around her waist. She didn't care what Zuko thought of it, she was just glad to be curled up with someone.

"Hope you don't mind…" he whispered against her neck.

She tugged the blanket further over her shoulders, "I don't."

Though she drifted off into a soundless sleep, she could feel the pit in her stomach growing. But her dreams were so sweet that she paid no attention to it.

I am severely amused by the notion of Zuko being jealous. Zuko wants to be alone, Briar wants affection, and Jet wants other stuff...haha.

there will probably be an update sometime soon (again). i've got a few more chapters written up already so it just depends on when i have time to upload stuff.

taken care everyone!

(oh...and reviews are welcome...lol)

-TSA