Iroh made his way through the upstairs lounge of the Jasmine Dragon yawning and stretching his arms above his head, returning to his bedroom after a nighttime visit to the loo. It was then that his attention was attracted by the book lying on the low table in the middle of the lounge.

He picked up the book and sat down on one of the couches surrounding it, taking in the title stamped on the cover. "The Gaang's Companion. So this is the book Zuko and his friends have been talking about lately."

Iroh had heard quite a bit about the Companion from his nephew and the rest of the Avatar's friends through mealtime conversations around the dinner table. From what he gathered, the book was full of stories that were entertaining and illogical in equal measure, although Sokka seemed to be of the opinion that the 'illogical' part was greater than the other. Suddenly curious as to what he would find, he opened the book and flipped through its pages.

"Second Chances," he read aloud. "The world had been through many changes and so had Zuko, so maybe this time would be different. Set after the series ends. Zuko/Jin." He had no idea what series the summary referred to, but Jin's name triggered a memory in his mind. A smiling face, hair in two plaits... yes, he did remember her. Iroh wasted no time in beginning the story.

It was an understatement to say that things had changed for Zuko in the last few years. His obsessive hunt for the avatar had ended in joining forces with Aang and his group to overthrow his own kingdom, which he now led.

It was a lot of work to run a nation, and he was thankful to have his Uncle Iroh at his side and friends like Mai and Ty Lee even if things had been rocky with Mai ever since the "girl" had been dropped from his friend descriptor of her.

Iroh winced. That probably meant that this would be another of those mentioned stories where Zuko and Mai had broken up, usually to make way for a new love interest. He supposed that wouldn't have been too surprising though, considering the story listed his nephew and Jin as joint leads. His gaze dropped on the next line.

More than a few random objects had been hurled in his direction with words so heated he expected them to burst into flames. Of course, there were flames too, but it was clear she still cared about him. After all, she only singed him around the edges.

The former Dragon of the West raised an eyebrow. Mai might be skilled with knife-throwing, but she wasn't a firebender as far as he knew. He tried to recall whether Aang or his friends had said anything about the accuracy of the stories. There were occasions where the author had portrayed their characters quite correctly, they had said, but other times they had been paired with someone who they absolutely had no romantic feelings for, or people they didn't even know. Deciding that the matter would be best left unjustified, he read on.

She had wanted to know why. She deserved to know why. But he wasn't really sure why.

It wasn't any one thing really. He just felt like they didn't make as much sense together as they used to. He wasn't the same person he had been when they started dating, and he didn't want to be that person again. That Zuko was angry and confused. He lashed out at people and tortured himself. He was a kindler, gentler Zuko these days. He was starting to appreciate a good cup of tea and a relaxing walk through the flower beds.

Iroh chuckled softly. He couldn't really picture Zuko strolling leisurely in a flower garden, but at least his nephew didn't treat tea as 'hot leaf juice' any more. He couldn't see how a change in Zuko's personality would've affected his relationship with his girlfriend to such a degree though, so he continued reading.

Meanwhile, Mai was no longer following around his sister, but in most regards she was still exactly the same Mai. He admired her skills and enjoyed her sarcastic wit, but she always looked annoyed instead of touched or even amused when he'd try to be more romantic with her.

Well, these things do happen, Iroh mused. At least this story had a rather reasonable explanation for why Zuko would want to break up with his childhood sweetheart, instead of stating that they split and leaving it at that. Sokka claimed it was because the character who would become Zuko's new girlfriend had bewitched him to forget everything else he loved and give his heart to her and her only, although of course that was just a random speculation on the Water Tribe Warrior's part.

It took awhile after their split before life slowed down enough for Zuko to realize just how lonely it could be as firelord.

One night, he decided if he was going to be lonely that he'd prefer to be alone. So, he gave the palace guards the slip and took a walk outside the palace gates and through the town.

It was cool out, so Zuko bundled up, which also helped to hide his identity. It wasn't as if his people would be a threat. Actually, he was surprised just how well he'd been received as firelord. It seemed that many people had been hoping for an end to the war after all. He suspected it had something to do with his Uncle, but he kept that to himself.

Now how would he have known that? Iroh thought, chuckling again.

Still, he knew his presence would cause a stir, and that was the last thing he wanted on his quiet, little walk.

The streets of the fire nation's capital already seemed changed. It was a slow process, but people of other nations had begun to travel there, peddling their wares and reconnecting with the families their families had once befriended.

Zuko saw a water tribe emblem on a merchant's tent and smiled. He was sure his friends Katara and Sokka would have been pleased by the progress.

Iroh thought about it for a while. The scenario might be describing the Fire Nation capital, but he thought it was more befitting for the new metropolis his nephew and the Avatar were discussing, Republic City. There, people from all four nations could live and go about their business as if it were their own homeland, getting along with people of different nationalities harmoniously. Still, it would be a relief to see people from other nations settling in the Fire Nation as well, for it would mean that the matter of the Hundred Year War would finally come to a rest.

His thoughts drifted in their direction so much that he almost missed the voice calling out to him.

"Hey, mister, I asked if you knew where...?" A girl's hand on his arm stopped him and his face stopped her as her eyes widened. "Li! I can't believe it's you! I thought maybe something happened to you in Ba Sing Se. There were all kinds of stories and then the attacks! Are you and your uncle with the circus again? Is that why you are in the fire kingdom?"

Iroh didn't know whether Jin would really refer to the Fire Nation as the 'fire kingdom', but now that he thought about it, it was quite possible for her to travel to the Fire Nation, seeing as how the Earth Kingdom had slowly opened up and resumed an amicable relationship with the nation. This talk of him and his nephew in a circus though... he would have to ask Zuko about that later.

"Jin," Zuko replied lamely. He never thought he'd see her again, and it was only in this moment that he realized how glad he was to be wrong. "Circus? Oh, right. Actually, I might have embellished some things on our date. I should explain…"

So Zuko told her we were in a circus back then, Iroh thought as he smiled amusedly. I wonder whether he made me out to be a juggler or something...

Zuko's life seemed to epitomize second chances. Or was this his third or fourth chance by now? He'd lost count. Whatever the case, he was just glad to have one more second chance with Jin. He just hoped she'd understand his story. It was a lot to tell a person on the second date.

Iroh nodded at the last line, grinning at the implied humor. To have to tell a girl you'd only gone out with once before that you weren't a circus performer but a Fire Lord would be really tough. He closed the book and replaced it on the low table, then got up and headed back to his bedroom, only to come face to face with his nephew in the hallway.

"Zuko? Why are you up at this time of the night?"

"I had to use the bathroom."

"Ah, of course." There was a pause before Iroh spoke again. "So tell me, have you ever told others that we were circus performers before?"

He couldn't help but laugh at the expression on Zuko's face.

I've had requests for a Jinko story for quite some time now, but I couldn't write anything that was good enough (I think Jinko just isn't my thing). So I did a search in the AtLA fanfic archive and came across CharmedReality's oneshot, which you and Iroh have just read. Just goes to show you what little gems may lie hidden in this site. Anyway, reviews are much appreciated, and hope to see you all again soon!