A/N: Yeah... um... so... I don't even have a real excuse this time o.O. For that almost-four-months-break, I mean ... wow... I seriously haven't updated my fic since SEPTEMBER, gosh. Well... seems like my priorities have kinda shifted since my bf has moved closer to my place :P... plus work has been pretty busy, too. But my life always is kinda busy, so that's not really an excuse, either. Oh well. But at least I've had two weeks off now and spent the holidays at my parents'... and used my free time to WRITE. Finally. As a matter of fact :P.
I'm gonna remove the "on hiatus" remark from the general description now... and then I'm gonna upload that thing below... so... here we go! :)
Hmm... but maybe I should add a "Previously... on 'Avatar - Drops in the ocean'" (because everything's soooooo long ago at this point :P...):
Zuko and Sureen took the ferry to cross Lake Laogai and to get to Ba Sing Se. On the ferry, they met Jet. Which was kinda intense, especially for Sureen. But after Sureen had - like, involuntarily - learned some tough details about Jet's past, eventually they got, say, "a little closer" ;). And Zuko didn't get it and was freakin' confused... and when he finally noticed what's going on, he kinda lost it and decided to leave Sureen and make a living in Ba Sing Se on his own. Cause he was sure she'd abandon him otherwise, as she's in love with Jet and would want to stay with that guy after they'd entered the city. But luckily, Sureen could convince Zuko not to leave and that there was no reason for him to think... whatever he'd been thinking ;).
So, by now, everyone has just entered the city gates...
- 10 b -
DOUBT AND DETERMINATION (Part 2)
"No. No way. This can't be serious. Man, and I almost… I had almost trusted him…"
Never before had Smellerbee seen her older friend looking so shocked. Blankly, he stared at the Wanted poster she showed him. And while she watched him, she couldn't suppress her own feeling of triumph. See?! So she had been right all along not to trust that guy! No matter how much she looked like a tomboy, she had her intuition and once again, it hadn't failed her!
The Wanted poster had been nailed up on the black board at the harbor. Admittedly, the person in the drawing wore the conspicuous uniform of a Fire Nation soldier. And even the guy's almost entirely shaved head – the only hair left was a long black pony tail – had nothing in common with that of the boy they had met on the ferry. Well, NEXT TO nothing. Except for the distinctive burn scar on the left side of the person's face.
"Oh, too bad. I told you all along that something's not right about him." Smellerbee shrugged her shoulders.
"Gimme that thing!" With a hasty move, Jet snatched the poster out of the girl's hands. His frown deepened as he studied every detail of the face staring at him from the picture. There's no fucking doubt.
His thoughts started reeling. Earlier that day, when he and his friends had been waiting in one of the long queues in front of the city gates, he had found himself pondering that standoffish, unapproachable guy who hadn't even told him his name yet. But despite the boy's rude appearance, Sureen had seemed to be really fond of him. And she had never been wrong with such things. 'Maybe he's just trying to find his way in the world… just like us.' – Only a few hours ago, these had been Jet's thoughts. And right afterwards he had seriously considered asking that guy to join the Freedom Fighters. Only a few hours ago, Sureen's grumpy friend and him had seemed so alike. Only a few hours ago, he had been willing to trust him.
But now… it was all wrong. He felt his stomach turn as an all-too-familiar bile rose inside him. THAT guy. Son of the FIRELORD. Offspring of the monster that had wiped out his people, his childhood and his belief in people's goodness. Making sure that he had become a monster, too. His hands began to shake and he could barely keep himself from crumpling the scroll between his fingers.
And now, it seemed like that person was a wanted villain. So?! Now it was HIS turn. This time, HE would be the one to capture the guy and put HIM in prison! REVENGE. Finally.
Glaring at the face on the poster, his eyes flaring wrathfully, Jet didn't even notice the train arriving at Ba Sing Se Harbor Station. Not untill he felt Longshot hurriedly yanking his sleeve did the older boy look up. Eventually, he followed his friends and entered the train to the city center.
Still, he was too lost in thought to take notice of the sophisticated means of transport that carried him away from the city wall and headed for the center of Ba Sing Se. As if in a trance, eventually, he took a seat next to his Freedom Fighters. Wordlessly, he stared out of the window. Countless thoughts somersaulted in his mind.
So that guy wasn't just the son of the Fire Lord – even in his own country he was considered a villain. This actually felt just perfect… except for Sureen. What the hell?! How come she seemed to be travelling with that son of a monster, and why was she convinced he was a good guy? And if that was how she felt about him… it had to be right. Because she had never been mistaken in conclusions like that… she just couldn't be wrong when it came to assessing someone's character! Slight doubts began to creep over him and make him frown even more.
How could Sureen seriously be that guy's friend… she'd never be friends with the boy whose father had actually destroyed their lives, wouldn't she? Gosh, but what if… oh SURE, of course! He hadn't told her. Sure thing! She just didn't know about it! Surely that clever little shit had never said a word about his true identity and maybe he had been tough enough to not even THINK about that stuff. And so Sureen just didn't have a clue who her "friend" really was!
Fuck… he had to warn her! He had to get her away from him! Which would happen anyway if he could capture the guy and hand him over to the Fire Nation. But he couldn't just find him, step in front of him saying, 'Hey, I know you're the Prince of the Fire Nation. Thus, surrender and come with me.' No way. He needed a better plan. He needed to get some kind of… obvious evidence. To prove unmistakably that Mr. Burn-scar-face was, in fact, the son of… a firebender! Prince Zuko was a firebender, too! Of course! And if Jet could make him firebend - say, in public – so everyone could see him… PLUS he had the Wanted poster… shouldn't that be enough evidence to put the guy in prison? The place he deserved to go? Thus saving Sureen!?
So all he needed to do was start a fight with the prince. Like, attack him hard enough to make him fight back using his firebending. Well, nothing could be simpler, right? That wouldn't be a problem at all! Never before had Jet been so eager for a fight.
Or maybe that wasn't even necessary. Maybe he just had to observe the boy for long enough. Until one day, he'd feel save enough to use his firebending... say, to make a camp-fire or to light a candle or no-matter-what. Everything Jet had to do was make sure he would be watching the Fire Prince right in that second. And reveal his true identity just a second later.
Again, the man's eyes flared vengefully. Seemed like he had a plan. Determinedly, he folded his arms.
-x-x-x-
Sureen felt… disoriented - for the first time in years. She almost had forgotten how much she had hated the feeling of not being in control of her life, not having a destination. Besides, she wasn't prepared for how much Sera's absence unsettled her. To be honest, the latter was the most alarming sensation of all the unfamiliar impressions that had closed in on her ever since she had entered the City of Ba Sing Se.
Wordlessly, both of them had bid farewell before Sureen had passed the city gates. It was obvious that the black albatross horse would never approach a crowded place like that, let alone even set foot in it. Sureen had been aware that her big pony had followed the ferry somewhere alongside Lake Laogai, hidden in the woods that had lined the shores. But the closer they had gotten to the city, the slower Sera's pace had become. Eventually, she hadn't followed them any further. Although Sureen had assured her that she would leave the city and come outside the gates every so often to look out for Sera in the woods, saying goodbye still had tugged at the girl's heartstrings.
As the days passed by, Sureen became more and more aware of how used to her winged companion's presence she had been… and how unsettling it was when that presence was replaced by emptiness. And what's more, she urgently needed a plan. She had to figure out how to make a living - now that she and Zuko had eventually arrived at the city center and would stay for a while. She knew that Zuko himself – but, oh well, she couldn't blame him – was too confused to make any plans right now. Thus, planning their future currently seemed to be HER job. Great. Making future plans had never been one of her strong points. The girl sighed. Whatever… get your act together now and get going, she reminded herself sharply. We need a roof over our heads and a job!
-x-x-x-
So he secretly began to observe each of their steps, hidden in the shadows and behind the city's buildings. Steadily watching Sureen and the Fire Nation Prince… instead of "being neighbors again." Admittedly, it felt weird. But he had no other choice. He needed the required evidence to reveal Sureen's companion's true identity. And he wouldn't stop observing them until he had found it.
But thus far, nothing unusual had happened. Sureen had arranged for accommodation and jobs for them at an inn at the city center. Since then, both of them had been busy looking after the restaurant's guests. Day by day... and nothing else had happened yet. Look at them. My friend accompanied by a firebender who's slipping right under everyone's noses.
With a deep frown, Jet silently shifted from one foot to the other, trying to revive his freezing toes. His arms and legs, too, slowly became ice-cold and numb. The nights were pretty chilly in Ba Sing Se at this time of the year. Especially when you were motionlessly hiding behind a building's wall for hours.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. When he turned around, he saw Longshot and Smellerbee approaching.
"Jet, we need to talk." The tomboy's voice was calm but very serious. "I thought we were starting over here, changing our ways? I thought that was why we came to Ba Sing Se…?"
"WE ARE changing our ways," the boy snapped back at her, annoyed about having to explain his reasons again. "When I get the evidence I need, I'll report that guy to the police and let them handle it. OKAY?!" Grumpily – or actually, to be honest, because he was freezing so much – Jet folded his arms. "Oh, and by the way: wasn't it YOU who showed me that Wanted poster a few days ago? And wasn't it YOU that told me not to trust that scar-face-guy? And now YOU are telling me to stop? You're joking, right?!"
Sure, Jet had a point. But nevertheless… this was going too far. Smellerbee hadn't been prepared for this. Her only intention had been to teach her "boss" a little lesson about not trusting strangers too quickly. But she hadn't expected him to overreact the way he did. She had assumed that Jet had been serious about leaving behind his former life and his way of thinking. The girl sighed. She tried to ignore the way he glared at Longshot and her and went on.
"Yes… I know. But no, we're not joking. We think you're becoming obsessed with this. It's not helping!"
"Oh really? You both think that?" Jet asked snippily.
Smellerbee paused for a while before she explained, "We came here to make a fresh start. But you won't let this go. Even though there's no real proof."
"Well, maybe if you'd help me…"
No, it didn't seem as though he got their point. "Jet! You gotta stop this," Smellerbee added discomposedly, giving up her calm tone.
"Maybe you've forgotten WHY we need to start over. Maybe you've forgotten how the Fire Nation left us all homeless. How they wiped out all the people we loved," her boss hissed back at her. "If you don't wanna help me, I'll get the evidence on my own," he added eventually and turned away. End of discussion.
Smellerbee and Longshot exchanged a sad look and left their boss in his hideout. Disappointedly, Smellerbee shrugged her shoulders. "Seems like that's it then, right?" she mumbled. Her mute friend, however, shook his head, showing her the Wanted poster. There was no question he wasn't happy about secretly pulling it out of his boss' pocket during their conversation… but it had been the only thing that had come to his mind in order to stop the man.
Again, the two Freedom Fighters looked at each other sadly as they walked away.
Nah, you don't know me
Lightning above and a fire below me
You cannot catch me, cannot hold me
You cannot stop, much less control me
... ...
Night gets darkest right before dawn
What don't kill you makes you more strong
You'll have my mercy then when you're gone
The nights go on
Waiting for a light that never comes
I chase the sun
Waiting for a light that never comes
Waiting for a light that never comes
... ...
[LINKIN PARK - A LIGHT THAT NEVER COMES]
LINK TO THIS SONG:
w w w . myvideo . d e / watch/9236877/LINKIN_PARK_x_STEVE_AOKI_A_LIGHT_THAT_NEVER_COMES
-x-x-x-
So... if ANYONE still remembers this fic, let alone still follows it and has waited for that update... wow, thanks for your patience then. :)
If anyone's still here, feel free to leave a review! Thanks guys! :o)