Legal Notice: In the city behind walls I keep a secret of greatness, and that is that I don't own this.
Chapter 15: City of Walls and Secretes (P1)
"Meno!" Kana shrieked in delight, face spreading into a broad grin. "What are you doing here… in a tea shop… as a bus boy?"
"The owner is a long time friend of my parents, he made some faulty investments and now all he has left is this tea house." He said, standing up with a smile of his own, "He needed some help, so I volunteered."
"Your parents made you didn't they?" Kana snickered, rising to her feet as well, planting her hands on her hips.
"Damn it Kana couldn't you have just let me be the sweet rich boy that helps out a friend in need?" he laughed, and they both stepped forward into a hug.
"It's good to see you again Manny… I swear to all the spirits in the sky, if your hands get any lower I'll beat you over the head with a stick!" She snapped (playfully), and he moved back with his hands held up in defeat. "It was too much to hope that you out grew your pervy ways, wasn't it?"
"What can I say, I've been cursed to forever be an eternal flirt, woe is me!" he said dramatically, clutching at his heart, and without hesitation Kana slammed her fist into his shoulder, making him grunt.
"I see Toph's been teaching you to how to hit like an Earthbender." He groaned, making her smirk triumphantly.
"That's right! Toph!" he shouted, jumping. "I heard that she'd been kidnapped!"
"What are you talking about, she's with me and Aang. She ran away to teach us Earthbending and help with the war effort."
"Oh… right," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his head embarrassed, "I forgot about your Avatar greatness."
"You really thought Toph could have been kidnapped?" she snickered, making him blush more.
"Her parents said something about metal cages!" he said defensively, crossing his arms.
"Would you like to see her? I'm meeting up with her and the others at the monorail station tomorrow. I'm sure she'd love to hear about how you thought she could actually be held hostage for a long time."
"Yeah, yeah, where are you staying tonight?" he grumbled, making Kana freeze. She let out a groan before slapping her forehead.
"With everything going on today, I forgot to make arrangements for a place to stay, and Katara has all the money!" she growled.
"I hate to see a lady in distress," Meno purred, sauntering over and slinging an arm over her shoulder. "How about you come over to my house and I could give you some private lessons in etiquette."
"You wanna go toe to toe with me pretty boy? Then I suggest not moving your arm."
"Go for it," he whispered, "I'll give you the first shot."
Without warning, Kana brought two fingers up tp her mouth, and gave a sharp whistle directly in his ear. Meno reared back in surprise, clutching at his head as Kana crossed her arms with a smug grin.
"Your rejections hurt me, Kana. They really, really hurt me." he muttered, slapping at his ear, obviously trying to get it to pop.
"Oh, you'll get over it." she laughed, waving him off. 'Now why don't you show me where you're living. Did your parents make you get your own place too?"
"What of it?" he grumbled, walking over to the back of the store, and poking his head through a door. He spoke a few words, then came back, sliding the apron over his head. "There, someone else is going to clean this mess, and take over my shift."
"Okay, then let's go." Kana smiled, leading the way out of the tea house. They walked down a few streets in comfortable silence, and it was almost as if they were back in Gaoling.
"So what were you doing at the tea house to begin with, eager to see me?" he teased, making her freeze, eyes going wide.
"Oh Spirits, Jet!" she yelped, "I forgot I was meeting him there!"
"That's rude, forgetting your boyfriend because the focus of your desire showed up." he snickered, and she punched his shoulder angrily.
"This isn't funny!" She snapped, giving him a withering look, "I have to go back. Why don't you give me the directions to your house, and I can meet you there. You probably have to clean up anyways." she added with a snort.
"True enough." He laughed, "My apartment is three blocks down, to the right, first building on the left, second floor, and third door down. Don't take too long with your boyfriend!" he ordered beginning to walk away, with a wave over his shoulder. Kana just rolled her eyes before trotting back towards the tea house; Jet was going to be furious, or at least hurt. She let out a sigh, as she turned the corner and saw the little establishment. The door opened, and she held her breath preparing to see Jet walk out with a look of confusion.
Two hands clamped onto her from behind, one on her mouth to muffles the scream, the other across her stomach to keep her from jerking away. There was a spike of adrenaline, as she was pulled into an alley, raised her legs, and let out a burst of fire. She shot backward, and the resounding slap of her attackers back on a stone wall caused his grip to loosen.
As soon as her feet hit the ground, she ground her heels into the earth, finding her root, and ripping herself away from the attacker. She spun, her foot lashing out for his stomach. Her boot made contact drawing an oomph from the man, but he managed to clamp his hands around her leg. His arms jerked backwards, taking her leg with them, and for one painfully clear second, she was suspended in air as she fell.
There was a sharp pain on her shoulders the moment she made contact with the ground, a moment later, her head snapped back against the rocky earth. Bright red splotches bloomed over her vision, her lips opening and closing like a fish drowning on land. Two arms went under her body, lifting her back into the air, and cradling her to a chest.
She had enough common sense to try and struggle, but her chest was absent of air, and her shoulders were numb. She could feel blood in her hair. She'd have to wash it before going to see Aang and the others, she noted off handedly.
"Uncle, close the Tea House!" When did she go inside?
"Junior, what are you yelling abou- Kana?" Who was that, he sounded nice?
"Uncle, the tea house!?" He didn't sound nice.
"Of course! Of course." There was a clicking sound, followed by a fluttering of something that sounded vaguely familiar. Suddenly there was a soft, plushness against her back making her groan. Something was shoved underneath her nose, and before she could decipher what it was, she took a deep breath.
Kana gagged immediately at the harsh scent of the smelling salt, slapping them away with a hand. She coughed for a moment before looking up, two sets of golden eyes staring down at her. There was a second of confusion, but her eyes settled on the pink puckered flesh of a burn scar that traveled all the way to the back of an ear…
"Zuko!" Kana hissed, recoiling so violently that she fell back to the ground. Zuko jumped to his feet, hand out stretched towards her, only to leap back when an arch of fire rose to meet him. Her eyes darted around the room once, dread filling her stomach. The door was shut and locked, and the shutters were drawn. She was trapped in a room with these two, and the outside world might as well have not even existed.
With a grunt, Kana managed to get back to her feet, only to slip and fall back against the wall, a pounding ache in the back of her skull. Another attempt to move forward by both Zuko and his uncle was met by another jet of flame, this time from her fist.
"One does not burn the forest before knowing their enemy lies within." Iroh warned gravely, taking a careful step forward with his arms raised in an act of peace. She swallowed with shame as she recalled the way Azula had shot Iroh in the chest, and noticed how easy it would be able to reenact it. Girls like us don't have honor. "We don't want to fight."
"What are you doing here?" she asked darkly, eyes darting between the two Firebenders. Iroh's face was masked with a soothing mask, and she couldn't help but feel like a wounded animal, cornered in an alley way.
"The White Lotus helped us into Ba Sing Se we could make a new life here." He said calmly, making her arms lower against her own volition. She didn't know if it was because Hariti had been part of the White Lotus, or because her shoulders burned with the effort of keeping her arms lifted.
"You have to believe him, Kana." Zuko finally stepped in, his voice strained as if he's dealing with some sort of inner conflict. But knowing Zuko, it had something to do with his honor. "We've, no I've changed."
"That's not possible; you have to admit you're wrong to change. You wouldn't do that." She growled, shaking her head furiously, unable to believe him.
"I didn't want too, but certain… circumstances made me realize a few things." He said, unwaveringly, staring into her eyes and her resolve wavered, arms dropping another inch. "You know I deserve a second chance."
"How could I know that?" she asked tiredly, "You never gave me a reason too."
"Because I protected you, I've always protected you." He stated, and her lip curled in anger, a denial on her lips, so he barreled on, not letting her speak. "I didn't let my men chain you down and leave you completely helpless to their… advances on my ship." He swallowed, repressing the vile images entering his thoughts before continuing. "I climbed a mountain to get you medicine, broke into a fortress to save you from Zhao, begged my uncle to stop you from sacrificing yourself to bring back the moon. I've done more too, a lot more to keep you safe."
"You only did those things for yourself." She spit, making him wince.
"You have to give us a chance, Kana. We just want to start over, make a new life here; stop being afraid that every time we look over our shoulder someone will be trying to hurt us." Iroh begged, and a pain filled her chest that had nothing to do with what happened in the alley.
"You'll go after Aang again, I can't let you hurt him." She croaked, arms shaking violently enough to see. She was going to fold, and she knew it.
"I couldn't even if I wanted too." Zuko snapped, a bit of venom oozing into his eyes, and his usual glare resurfacing as he looked towards her. "I don't have the ability to capture him anymore."
"What are you talking about?" she asked, and a look of pain crossed his face. Her arms fell to her side.
"Nothing." He grit out, looking away, jaw squarely in the air.
"You aren't the kind of person that shies away from opposition." She pressed, and his face snapped back towards her.
"I'm not shying away from anything!" he yelled, making Kana smile slightly. This was the Zuko she knew. "I've lost something, okay, something vital to capturing the Avatar, and without out it I won't be able to go after your precious Aang!"
"He is precious," she spat back, placing her hands on hips, "to the whole world not just to me!"
"I doubt the Fire Nation would agree with you." He snorted, and her jaw clenched.
"The Fire Nation is nothing but a bunch of indoctrinated fools, who think they're better than everyone else just because they were born on a volcano!"
"My people aren't fools!" he roared, and she snarled back at him.
"Oh, really? I think their prince is the biggest one!"
"I try to apologize, and all you do is go on a tirade about how stupid I am?" he shouted, throwing his arms up angrily.
"What are you sorry for, kidnapping me twice or not being able to go after Aang?" she yelled back.
"Just forget it!"
"Forget what, the not apology?"
"Argh, you're so frustrating, what is the matter with you?"
"Me, what's wrong with you?"
"If the two of you are going to continue on like this, I believe it best that I make some tea." Iroh chuckled.
"No!" Kana said hastily, making the two men jump, and look at her as if she were crazy. "I was supposed to meet Jet here, but I don't think that's a good idea anymore."
"You're meeting up with Jet?" Zuko asked sharply, making her brows rise in surprise.
"You know him?"
"Yes, we met him on the ferry ride," Iroh said, "an interesting boy, with interesting friends."
Kana rubbed her face with a palm, lips perking down into a frown. How bad could they really be if Jet and Meno liked them? What if they really did want to start a new life here, if she turned them in, she would be the cause of taking that away from them. She peeked past her fingers at Iroh, and felt her stomach drop. He was a complicated man who wanted a simple life. Zuko was simple, with a complicate life.
"You can stay." She muttered into her hand, swallowing hard. This was going to come back and bite her in the ass, but she couldn't do it. After everything, she just couldn't do it. She couldn't ruin the one chance they had to live a happy, normal life. "But I'm going to be keeping my eye on you." She warned, spearing Zuko with her gaze.
"It'll be a pleasure as always." Iroh smiled, opening his arms wide. "But if you have to go soon, then how about a hug for a weary old man?"
Kana just rolled her eyes at him before stepping into his embrace, a content smile on her face. "It's good to see you again, Uncle."
"It's good to see you too, Dewdrop." He said, making her pull away with a raised brow.
"Dewdrop?" she asked, hearing Zuko's snicker behind her.
"From a Water Tribe poem I ran across in my travels, it reminds me of you."
"Really?" Kana laughed with sparkling eyes, "How many do you know?"
"Enough to never be alone again, if I so wish is." He chuckled, causing Zuko recoil.
"Uncle!" he shouted, face turning red.
"Do not be so embarrassed Prince Zuko, we have had this discussion before." He laughed, and it was Kana's turn to snicker.
"Don't use my name so casually," he hissed back, "we can't afford to make people suspicious of us."
"Don't worry Zuzu," Kana said reassuringly, "your secrets safe with me so long as I don't see you snooping around for Aang." The last part of her sentence was growled in a dark undertone, causing a shiver to travel up his spine. She sighed at his reaction before jutting out her hand for him to shake, and his face tensed in surprise before he reached out and grabbed her hand.
There was no time for him to react when she yanked him forward, and for a moment he thought she might have a concealed a knife, but her arms just wrapped warmly around his neck. Zuko tried to leap back in surprise, but Kana just held on tighter, her chest shaking slightly as if holding back tears.
"Please don't make me regret this Zuzu, I've had so many people stab me in the back… please don't be one of them." She pulled away with a small smile, as if she were genuinely happy to see him, and turned on her heel with one last goodbye to uncle, making for the door to leave.
He almost wanted to pull her back in an embrace and promise not to hurt her. But he couldn't. His pride wouldn't allow him too.
QQQQQQQQQQ
When Jet arrived at the tea house, he knew he was later than he should have been just going back to the apartment. But he had chased down a cart totting a small blue flower that was just the perfect shade of blue, it matched Kana's eyes. After he had caught up to the cart, he realized that he had no idea where he was, and had to not only backtrack, but also ask for directions, taking him some time.
When he made it back to the tea house, it was closed, only muffled voices coming from the thick walls. Slowly, he thrust a finger beneath one of the shutters, and pried it open. It was dark out, and the street was empty, so the lights streaming in thin lines across his face made it easy to see everything. Everything.
His eyes had immediately snapped to Kana's tensed form, then to his horror, Lee. Jet swallowed when she turned from Mushi, spoke a few words that he couldn't catch, and stuck her hand under the scarred boys nose for him to take. Before Jet could blink, she was in his arms, fingers running in his hair absentmindedly, while whispering something in his good ear.
They drew apart, staring into each other's eyes for a moment, before Kana turned to leave. He saw Lee's expression, and knew what he was thinking as he watched her back while she made her way to the door. Jet tilted away from the window, leaning against the wall with a pain in his chest, jealousy clawing at his stomach. His hand curled into a fist, and he felt the small blue flower crumple like paper.
The door from the tea house swung open, and he heard Kana jump when she spotted him (which was immediately). "Jet, there you are," she said with a distracted smile.
"Yeah, I got a little lost in a large crowd."
"That's too bad." She frowned slightly, "I have to go now, so we won't be able to have that cup of tea tonight."
"Right." He muttered, eyes flicking to the door she had come from. "Will you come to visit me?"
"Of course," she was tapping her fingers now, "I just have a few things on my mind now, and I have to meet a friend. He's letting me stay the night at his house until tomorrow morning."
"Right… Goodnight Kana."
"Goodnight, it was nice to see you again Jet." She said before walking away at a brisk pace. He watched her until she disappeared down a street, and he made his way back to his new house. He still clutched the tiny flower in his fist, and when he opened his hand, the petals were ripped, and the stem broken. He stared at it for a second before throwing it heatedly to the ground, and grinding his heel into it.
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I promise it will never take me this long to update again, but I can guarantee that none of you have to worry about me stopping this fic, I swear I won't. I hope you like this chapter!
No Character Questions