Heyy, look another update!

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The sun was close to setting.

All right, so he was early. Zuko stared surreptitiously around himself, before lowering his gaze to the folded hands in his lap. He couldn't help it. He was anxious. And there was only so much pacing around the back of the shop Iroh could take before he sent his nephew out, mostly so he himself could get some damn peace.

What in the name of Agni am I going to say to her? Zuko tugged at his hair, something he had become accustomed to doing when he was stressed. I know I can't tell her the full story, she'd hand me and my uncle right over to the Dai Li. And we already know just how strongly they feel about Uncle after what he did at Ba Sing Se. There's no way I'll risk our lives just to ease my own conscience and explain things to her.

I should have thought this over more thoroughly. Zuko sighed deeply. I mean, I can't tell her the truth, but I can't lie to her. I'm not very good at it, and besides, I didn't think up a cover story beforehand. Maybe I should just run. He bit his lip, tempted.

"Lee!" Zuko winced, and stood up, finding Jin pushing her way through the crowd, approaching him. Too late to back out now. He swallowed, and plastered a small smile on his face, his heart thudding rather unsteadily in his chest.

"Jin." He nodded as they met, the Firelight Fountain still pretty crowded. "It's... Good to see you." And it was true. Well, to be strictly honest, he had been seeing her every day, but this was the first time since their disastrous meeting a week ago that he spotted a smile on her face. He'd almost forgotten how it made her face light up, how pretty she was when she was beaming with joy.

"I'm really glad you wanted to see me, Lee." She said somewhat nervously, her eyes lowered. "And I'm sorry if it seemed like I was smothering you. I really didn't mean to act like I was prying-"

"Jin, it's okay." Zuko held up one hand, silencing the girl. "I was the one who acted like a total jerk. You were just trying to be understanding and I pushed you away. I know, I'm messed up, but that doesn't mean I have to take it out on you. I should just be damn glad that someone is so concerned for me."

"Lee, you weren't being a jerk." Jin argued. "I was the one that was out of line. Your business is your own, and I need to learn to respect that."

"All the same..." Zuko swallowed. "I still want to tell you." Jin stilled.

"What?" She frowned. "Tell me what?"

"About where I came from." He wasn't able to quite look her in the eye. "About why I can be such a jerk sometimes."

"Oh!" Jin perked up, surprised, and clearly a little excited. A moment later, she bit her lip, looking around the crowded square. "Is this about..." She leaned in a little, lowering her voice. "The War?"

"Yeah, I guess." He frowned. "Why?"

"... You shouldn't say anything here." Zuko noticed the edge she had adopted to the tone of her voice. "You don't know who could be listening."

"Listening?" Zuko frowned, but Jin had already started to walk away from him, enticing him to follow with a long singer. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere more private." Jin explained as they turned onto a major street. "I know it may seem like I'm being paranoid, but you just can't be too careful. If someone heard us talking about the War and handed us in to the Dai Li..."

"It wouldn't be fun." Zuko finished, shivering. "Yeah, I see your point. But you forget for crowded and huge this city is. Finding somewhere private to talk isn't exactly easy."

"Not for you maybe, mister world explorer." Jin said teasingly. "But I've lived in Ba Sing Se for my whole life. I know this part of the lower ring like the back of my hand. Better." She'd turned into a narrow alley as they spoke, one which twisted and turned through a maze of houses. "There's so many little nooks and crannies to find. I used to explore with my brother Jiro all the time when we were kids."

"But you still are a kid." Zuko argued. "Well, I mean, technically."

"Are you kidding? I've been working since I was twelve." Jin sighed.

"Really? Doing what?" He frowned. Twelve? Really? Is that how old the working classes have to get jobs?

"Oh, just a cleaning job." Jin explained. "Dawn 'til noon every day. Nothing strenuous. And it's good because I have the whole afternoon to myself... Mother usually makes me clean, though." She made a face. "Comes with being the only daughter though, I guess."

"Wow." Zuko blinked. "This tea-serving job is actually the first paid work I've ever had... I mean, I once did odd jobs for a farmer in a village a few hundred miles south, but that was just in exchange for food and a place to sleep. When I was twelve I spent nearly all of my time studying... It was horrible."

"I never went to school." Jin said wistfully. "I learned how to read and write, my aunt taught me, but I've never had any education. That must be why you know everything, still going to school at twelve and all."

"Yeah." Zuko muttered. "My father... Is a very wealthy man." He looked away, "And he had some pretty high hopes for me..."

"You can tell me all about it here." Jin stopped outside a door. It sagged off its' hinges, creaking painfully. Zuko blinked, but followed her into the dark little hovel.

"Doesn't anyone live here?" He looked around in the single room. the windows were boarded up, and the floor littered with scraps of cloth and broken pottery.

"Squatters, maybe." She shrugged. "But nobody is here during the daytime. And I'm not really brave enough to come at night."

"Oh." Jin had paused beside a ladder. "Up here?"

"Yup." She went first. "Don't look up my dress, Lee." She warned. "I mean it."

"Wasn't dreaming of it." Zuko blushed, and looked fixedly at his hands as he made his way up the rickety ladder, clambering into the ominous dark space above him. "We there yet?"

"Uh-huh." Jin offered Zuko a hand, which the teenager took stepping into the darkness. Here, the windows were boarded up tighter than ever, and Zuko had to struggle to see through the intense darkness. "Along here." Jin kept a hold of Zuko's hand, and brushed her fingertips along the wall, stepping cautiously.

"Where the heck are we going?" Zuko had to ask. "You're not expecting us to sit in the dark, are you?"

"No, of course not." There was a smile on Jin's face. "Watch out, there's a staircase."

"Then where are we going?" Zuko demanded, walking carefully up the sagging stairs. "What's so great we have to go wading through the darkness?"

"Something else that's special." Jin said softly. "This is another one of my favourite places. Jiro and I discovered it when we were twelve, trying to find somewhere to hide after he bent a rock at a soldier."

"Bent?" Zuko raised an eyebrow. "Your brother is a bender?"

"Uh-huh." The pair stepped into the upper room of the narrow house, which was just as filthy and abandoned. "It's really rare in the lower classes of Ba Sing Se, so we all keep quiet about it." There was a definite note of sadness to her voice. "You don't want to stand out from the crowd."

"Definitely not." Zuko watched as Jin walked towards the window, which was, surprisingly, unboarded.

"Come on." She coaxed him as she started to climb out of the window, and onto a narrow, rather wobbly plank that had been set up. Most girls would have cringed away at the potential danger, but Jin walked across it easily. Zuko followed suit apprehensively, looking straight ahead of himself, instead of down or around. "Almost there." She crawled up the sharply sloping roof, until finally, she was able to perch on the apex, staring down below her.

"... Wow." Zuko breathed as he took a seat beside her. He could see why Jin would go through so much effort to get here. It was the highest building in the vicinity, and also built on the gentle slope towards the upper ring, and save for the abandoned house beside them, there was really no other house that was close. He could see people below, scurrying about as numerous and insignificant as ants. "This is really... Wow." He repeated again, temporarily stunned. "You can see everything from up here."

"And the best part is, no one can see you." Jin smiled. "Or hear you. It's one of the few places I've found that's really private, mainly because it's so open, nobody would think to look here." Zuko watched as she slowly lay down on the roof, staring up at the sky, which was lit a brilliant orange by the dying sun, arms folded behind her head. Zuko silently followed suit, the tiles warm against his back, having been lit up by the sun all day.

"It's so…" Zuko murmured thoughtfully, trying to find a word that suited his tongue.

"Beautiful." Jin finished with a smile, curling her toes in her sandals. "It kinda looks like… Like the sky's burst into flames." She studied the sweeping fiery orange and yellow, which furled against the sky as though an artist had painted the scene with his brush.

"It will soon." Zuko said mournfully, turning his head to the side, away from Jin, who tensed, and slowly sat up.

"What do you mean?" She said slowly. "What do you mean; the sky will burst into flames soon?"

"I mean…" Zuko swallowed. "Do you know how the War originally started?" He slowly sat up, watching as Jin shook her head. "There was a reason Fire Lord Sozin waited so long before invading the other nations. It was because a comet passed through our atmosphere, renamed Sozins' comet, and it gave the firebenders incredible strength. Kinda like how a waterbenders' power waxes and wanes with the moon, but on a much bigger scale. Anyway," He continued. "Sozins' comet is going to pass through our skies once more, at the end of this summer, in fact." He heard Jin gasp. "It's what Fire Lord Ozai is waiting for. He's going to use that power to completely crush the Earth Kingdom and what's left of the Water Tribes. I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't exterminate them like he did the Air Nomads."

"No!" Jin cried out, stricken. "Lee, you can't be serious! How… How can that be true?"

"It is." Zuko muttered, eyes focused on his green trousers. "But there is one bit of hope." The word sounded so false on his tongue. Oh, how he was sick of hearing it.

"The Avatar." Jin concluded quickly, Zuko nodding. "I just, ugh, it makes me so angry!" She balled her hands into fists. "How can they do that? How the hell can the Fire Nation actually destroy so many peoples' lives! How can they wipe out an entire race and not feel any guilt or shame for what they have done? They're monsters, all of them!"

"… I don't know." Zuko said honestly. "I have no idea… An entire race can't just be evil for no reason though."

"I know." Jin swallowed, sounding calmer. "And I shouldn't be talking about the Fire Nation, you know much more about them than I do." She looked at Zuko, or at least, his scar.

"… Yeah." His fingers brushed the skin, which had actually softened up a lot since he'd been gifted the cream. It was almost as smooth as his normal skin. Almost. "I-I do…" He drew his knees up slowly, one hand winding his loose green sleeve around his finger. His hands were shaking, he could see that plainly, and he was pretty sure that Jin could see it too.

"Lee, are you okay?" She rested a hand on his shoulder. Oh. She could.

"No." Zuko admitted, the 'Lee' hurting him like a blow from a stick. He felt ashamed, embarrassed that he had lost his composure the way he had, and he knew that it made whatever he was about to tell her seem so much more awful. "I-I…"

"Before you say anything, perhaps I should." Jin attempted, her voice shaking slightly. Zuko looked up in surprise, and saw her bend over, skimming along the rooftops until her fingers closed around a small stone. "I wasn't honest with you… About me having no secrets."

"What do you mean?" Zuko asked, watching Jin intently.

"Well…" She gulped slowly, and closed her fist around the small rock, tensing her hand before flattening her palm once more, extending it for Zuko to see. His good eye widened at the crushed rock in her hand, which had been reduced to nothing but dust.

"Either you're incredibly strong, or…"

"I'm an earthbender, yep." She let the dust fall through her fingers silently.

"Why do you keep that a secret?" Zuko frowned. "I don't care. I mean, I care, but… You know…"

"Yeah, I know." She looked away from the teenager, and out over the city. "It's just that… Girls are not benders. I know that sounds weird, but it's the truth here. And if people know you're a bender and they're not, they treat you differently. I'm like Jiro, I keep it a secret from everyone but my family."

"And me." Jin nodded. "Jin," Zuko sighed. "I'll admit, I had no idea how Ba Sing Se works, but from the places I've been, they haven't had a problem with female benders. The strongest waterbender I know is a woman. Well, a girl. And it's not like there's some sort of law restricting bending. There are in other cities and villages, but not Ba Sing Se."

"I know, there's no written law, but it's very cultural." She explained. "Like, how every single member of the Dai Li and the Ba Sing Se armies are men. There isn't a single female there. That's because bending among females is seen as uncouth. If people knew I was a bender, I would never be able to get married. Most of my friends would be terrified of me…" She shook her head. "Not telling anyone is so much easier."

"But, no bender should keep their ability a secret." Zuko argued. "It makes them a part of who they are. It should be celebrated, not covered up. It…" He fell silent as he realized the hypocrisy of his own words, and looked down at his hands. "Can't be hidden forever…"

"I know." Jin's voice caught. "And I feel… Ashamed, that I have to keep it hidden. It should be such a big part of who I am and yet I push it away all the time…" She trailed off, shaking her head. "Sorry, I'm just talking nonsense."

"No, you're not." Zuko protested. "And you shouldn't push it away. You need to embrace it as part of who you are and where you come from." Hypocrite hypocrite hypocrite! He blinked rapidly, in an attempt to abolish the voice from his head.

"I know. But… Look." She shook her head. "We're not talking about me here, we're talking about you." Her tone became softer, he realized. More gentle. "You were going to tell me about yourself…"

"Yeah. I know." Zuko raked his fingers through his hair again, the tremors returning. "But… I don't think I can…"

"Lee..." She sighed. "Please, don't be afraid to tell me. You can-"

"I can't!" Zuko replied, his voice in a panic. He was really beside himself, she noticed with a pang. "You just… You don't… You can't understand…"

"Understand what?" She pleaded, scooting towards Zuko and taking a gentle hold of his chin. "Please… whatever it is, I'll understand…" She turned her face to meet his, looking him directly in the eyes.

Usually, whenever they were so close, it was nighttime, or Zuko wasn't looking her quite in the eye, or they were pushed apart after a second of intimacy, but alone on the rooftop, with the light still reasonably strong as the dying sun began to fade behind the horizon, Zuko staring her straight in the eye, she noticed something very peculiar.

Zuko had very yellow eyes. No, not yellow, that wasn't the right word for it. They were a sort of gold, but far brighter, almost seeming to glow. They… They burned. Like…

She remembered the night they first met, how anxious Zuko was to mention anything about himself, reducing himself to lying terribly and juggling very badly. She remembered the Firelight Fountain, how he had made her close her eyes, before magically alighting the many many torches and candles in the dark courtyard within the space of a few seconds. She remembered how panicked and unsettled he became whenever the subject of his past was brought up, how reluctant he was to say anything, and how upset he was when it seemed that something might slip out. She remembered how much Zuko knew about the Fire Nation, far too much, for someone who had only ran into them. How well-educated he was, and well he knew world history, particularly about the War.

And now, she noticed how sharp and narrow his features were in comparison to any other Earth Kingdom boy she had met. She noticed that his skin was shockingly pale, especially against her hand, and how he was naturally quite short, only a few inches taller than her.

He's from the Fire Nation.

It was as though she had been doused in cold water. The shock of it was like a smack in the face to the girl, who had often wondered about what the boy had been through, but never, in a million years could comprehend something so horrible.

He's one of them.

She felt Zuko turn away, the teenager still preoccupied with his own thoughts. Jin sat silently, staring at the side of his face closest to her, his scarred side. Her heart was beating wildly in her ribcage, and she felt a cold bead of sweat trickle down her back. But, she realized after a moment, it was the pure shock of learning Zuko's nationality which startled her, not any fear or horror towards him.

I'm... Not afraid. Her mouth was dry, and she swallowed, looking down at her knees. I... I know I should be. I know I should run away and report him and all that, but...

She took another look at Zuko, or to be more accurate, his scar. It looked painful, and too accurate, too well-placed, to be an accident. Whoever burned him did it on purpose. And why is he here in Ba Sing Se, with his uncle?

"I'm sorry I can't tell you." Zuko's voice was shaking, and he seemed to be hunched into himself, in shame, both in his ability to tell Jin anything, and the whole damn mess he had landed himself into in the first place.

"It's okay." Jin struggled to keep her voice soft, and rested a hand on Zuko's shoulder, but in reality, her head was whirling. Zuko tensed at the contact, but relaxed after a moment, staring out at the city, which was beginning to become shrouded in twilight. "But I want you to know, Lee." She swallowed. "You'd be surprised how understanding I could be."

"Everyone has their limits." Zuko mumbled, his gaze lowered to his feet. Jin ached for the boy, and secretly wanted nothing more than to sweep him up in a warm embrace. She was almost entirely sure that her theory about him being from the Fire Nation was right – it just seemed to fit. Everything that was strange or off about Zuko could be put down to being from the Fire Nation. But that doesn't make him evil... Far from it, at the moment, curled almost into a fetal position, staring down at his feet, still trembling a little, he actually looked a little pathetic. He wasn't a big bad firebending type, Jin just couldn't see it.

All the same... She swallowed. He's the enemy. He might not look it, but facts are facts. Jin winced, and lowered her hand from Zuko's shoulder. His people... Hurt my nation. They're monsters, nothing more!

Lee isn't! She protested inwardly. He's a genuinely kind person. He's just trying to make things better for himself. That's why he's here.

Unless he's a spy. Her eyes widened. A spy, sent by the Fire Nation to get an inside feel of Ba Sing Se and-

What am I saying? She groaned, head in her hands. Zuko noticed the sound, and turned around with a frown, concern evident in his features.

"What's wrong?" He asked, watching as Jin slowly lifted her head from her hands. "Jin?" The girl looked Zuko in the eye once more, and although the light as fading, she could read his expression clearly. There was no anger, no fury written anywhere in his face. All she could see was a sixteen-year-old boy, full of fear and apprehension, lost and alone.

"…Nothing." She lied, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I was just thinking about things, is all." She forced a tiny smile. "Lee, do you wanna jump down? We should while it's still light."

"Yeah. All right." He slowly stood up, extending one hand for Jin. The girl paused for a second, before taking it, something fluttering in her heart as she stood up beside Zuko. Her head still whirled, still ached with confusion and shock and intense surprise. He really wasn't much taller than her at all. I don't even know if that's a Fire Nation thing or if he is just short... He led the way carefully, until finally they had leaped into the dark little room, both squinting in the dark.

"I wish we had a lamp." Jin trailed her hand along the wall, feeling Zuko's hand tense for a second in hers.

"Y-Yeah…" He said uncomfortably. "A lamp or torch would be good at the moment." He let go of her hand, thumping heavily down the stairs. Jin stood still for a moment, realizing what Zuko had unintentionally revealed. He is a firebender... That's how he said all that stuff about bending... Because he...

"Jin, are you coming?" Zuko stood at the bottom of the stairs, catching the ghostly outline of her form through the dark.

"Y-Yes…" She breathed, feeling faint. Jin gripped the railing tightly to steady herself, shaking. A firebender. His kind had spent a hundred years invading her nation. Less than ten years ago, they launched a heavy attack on her own home city, almost winning. And... She slowly made her way down the stairs. She wasn't afraid of him. She didn't think it was fear. It was something else, blind dread and shock.

"Are you sick?" Zuko asked in alarm as she finally reached the bottom of the stairs, taking her arms. "What's wrong?" She flinched at the touch in the dark, although, thankfully, the boy couldn't see it. Something cold had settled into the pit of her stomach, a lump of ice, refusing to budge. What is making me feel this way? I like him. A lot. I-I don't see how his past changes who he is now. So then why do I feel like this?

"I-I… Yes…" She sounded closed to tears, much to Zuko's fright. "I-I'm sorry, I…"

"It's okay." He gently led Jin to the ladder. "Can you make it down? We're kinda stuck if you can't…"

"I-I c-can do it." She nodded, her mouth dry. "I… I'm so sorry…"

"No, I'm sorry." Zuko protested. "If I'd known you were sick, I never would have asked you to come." He climbed down first, holding his arms out in case Jin fell. "I won't look up your dress." He promised, a weak smile on his lips. Jin didn't smile. She made her way down the ladder, rushing out the door before Zuko could take her hand again. "Jin!"

"I-I have to go." She breathed, Zuko hot on her heels, confused and bewildered. "I-I'm so sorry…"

"What's going on?" Zuko grabbed her wrist, watching as she tensed. "Jin, are you sick, or is there something you're not telling me?"

"I…" She gulped. What would Zuko do if she said she knew? He would probably go into a blind panic, thinking that she was going to tell people, especially with the way she had just been acting. He could hurt her, accidentally, or intentionally. "I have to go." She pulled herself away. "I-I can't do this, Lee." If that is your name.

"What are you talking about?" Zuko's heart leapt into his mouth. He didn't know what she was saying, or going to say, as he had never been in any kind of relationship before, but a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach told him that it wasn't good, not at all.

"This… Us…" She backed away, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. "I… I'm so sorry…" Zuko started to run after her, but Jin had turned and fled, the sound of her frightened footsteps thudding off the pavement until there was nothing but silence – silence apart from the creaking wheels, baying animals, shrieking children and shouting merchants that constantly plagued the overflowing city.

"… Why…" Zuko leaned against the doorframe, sinking onto the cobblestones silently. Is it because I couldn't say anything? Because she told me she was an earthbender? What did I say, what did I do? What is so damn wrong with me!

"Dammit!" Zuko cursed loudly, standing. "Agni-dammit, why!" He punched angrily at the wall, his fist flaming. He hit the wall again, and again, and again, until the confusion-driven rage had finally died down, and he leaned against the scorched wall, his forehead and palms pressed against the heated surface, gasping for air. His knees weak, Zuko slid along the wall until he was on his knees, shaking violently. "Why…" He breathed, his eyes stinging. He liked her. He really did. There was something in her smile, the way her eyes lit up, that made something in Zuko's chest twist and flop about in all sorts of wonderful, uncomfortable ways. He liked to spend time with her, as long as it was pleasant, empty conversation and nothing related to his past. He liked it when she hugged him, and even though it seemed so long ago, he liked it when she kissed him too. He had thought that she felt the same way, even stronger, judging from her persistence. The only precious few moments where he felt as though Lee was real, Lee existed, was when he was with Jin.

And, big surprise, it was gone. Just like everything else in his life that had ever made him happy. Yes, she made him happy. He was ready to admit that by now. In fact, he didn't mind saying it. The fact that he liked a girl was nothing to be ashamed of, even if it was some Earth Kingdom peasant. But, for some ungodly reason, she had pushed him away, saying that she couldn't do it, and then running off in tears. Couldn't do what? What did I do to hurt her?

Zuko fell back on his hands, staring up at the night sky. Maybe I should just come clean. Maybe I should tell her why I'm like this. And have her run away screaming and turn me in? It doesn't matter how much she liked me, the fact is, if she knew I was the son of the Fire Lord, she wouldn't want to come near me again. Gently, the teenager lay down, watching as a few starts started to prick the purple atmosphere. He felt sick, his heart a lead weight in his chest. Although this was nothing like the crushing pain of being rejected by his father, it still hurt. And Jin obviously hurt too, why else would she be crying?

Zuko sat up with a gasp as he felt the moisture on his cheek, thinking that he had been hit by a raindrop, or early spring dew. He raised a finger to his face, and wiped away the water, staring. It steamed, just the tiniest, a tiny furl of vapor dissipating into the cold night air. He blinked, feeling another gather on his face, and wiped it away with his sleeve. He was crying. Zuko gritted his teeth, and rubbed furiously at his good eye, self-loathing growing in his stomach. The Prince of the Fire Nation didn't cry. He didn't show weakness. Prince Zuko was proud and strong.

But it wasn't Prince Zuko that was just dumped, he realized, sniffing. It was Lee. A simple boy, who didn't have the pride, the honour of the royalty. That doesn't make it okay. He rubbed at his god eye, which was still leaking moisture. Stop it, stop it, stop it! Zuko threaded his fingers through his hair, yanking down hard, biting on his lower lip.

Zuko sat in the alley for a long time, trying to control himself, stuff down the blossoming wave of hurt in his chest, until finally a cold cramp spread to his bones, and with a long, shuddering sigh, the heartbroken boy stood up, and took the first shaky steps that traced back to his cramped, shabby apartment.

I know this seems OOC but I've seen some really staunch men turned in to crying babies when they get dumped.

Review pleeeasseeee! I'm begging shamelessly, but do I care? No, not really.