Hey there readers! Yes, I appear to say that at the beginning of every thing. So, last chapter was all `DUN-DUN-DUN!` Just you wait though! I'm hoping to get to the goddies soon. Please bear with me!

Warning: YAOI! Jet+Zuko = Jetko. Mild violence (?) fighting.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. I do not own Avatar: Last Air Bender/ Legend of Aang.

Now my pretties... ENJOY! XD

Zuko was out for all of a few moments before he heard clanging and thumping. He staggered into a kneeling position and looked up. Jet swung his hook sword and the victim got a nasty sock in the jaw. Stumbling about, the two injured men gathered up their `man down` and ran away.

Jet put his swords away and held out a hand.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."
Zuko's voice came across strained and breathy. Jet noted the other teen clutching his stomach.

"Looks like you've got an injury-"

"I said I'm fine." Zuko snapped. Jet ignored the resisting prince and sat him down.

"I'll patch you up if that's okay with you. I always carry spares."

He rolled a bandage around in his hand but Zuko really wanted none of it.

"Didn't you hear me?"

Jet tugged at Zuko's top.

"Listen, I heard what they were asking. It's my fault you got into bother. Let me make it up to you."

Zuko could struggle and leave but then what would he do about the potatoes and the stall? Reluctantly, he began to take off his own top, grunting as he did so.

"Fine. Just so you know, I got myself into that fight, so you don't need to do anything."

His voice was hastened as he dumped his clothing down grumpily and sat with his arms crossed. Jet smirked and cocked his head back.

"I need to dress the wound. Unfold your arms."

Zuko demanded that he do it himself but Jet had none of it and silenced the non compliant stubborn teen.

Jet examined the princes lean upper body for a moment before he placed the end of the bandage delicately onto Zuko's body.

"Hold that there."

There was a brief brushing of Jets warm, smooth skin against Zuko's warm, paler skin and there seemed to be a spark. Zuko quickly held the bandage and swallowed what he was horrified to even think was a gasp. Jet closed in as he reached around Zuko's back.

Zuko had never felt so awkward before in his life.

"By the way, I never got your name."

Zuko realised he couldn't tell this boy his real name. From what he'd heard from the soldiers who had encountered Jet's forced before, the freedom fighter leader despised all fire nation people to the point he would rather burn in hell than help one. Zuko's name was bound to be well known among them.

"Li. My name is Li." He lied.

Jet's lips twitched into a smile.

"Li, huh?"

Zuko grew nervous as Jet came to a close and tied the knot tightly. Zuko grumbled and grimaced. The wound wasn't that sore, it was Jet's uncomfortable yet comforting touch.

"Hey. How about I hang out with you until dusk?"

Zuko didn't know why he would want to. "I told you already that you weren't responsible-"
"I know."

"Then why...?"
"You seem interesting."

Zuko decided to stop talking. Avoid getting embarrassed. Jet obviously wasn't going to leave, the chocolate haired teen seemed to see right through him.

"Fine. But there's nothing to do."

Jet shrugged and made his way up the nearest bending tree.

"I don't mind."

As it grew dark, Zuko decided to close up stall and hefted up the cart. Jet jumped down right in front of him.

"Let me take that."

Frustrated at how Jet just didn't leave, Zuko snapped.

"What? Why? Don't you have troops to get back to or something?"
He sounded desperate for a reason for Jet to leave but the cocky teen smirked.

"Nah, they'll be fine without me. Plus, you're injured, I can't just let you wander home like that. It's not safe."

Zuko grit his teeth.

"I'm not a girl. I can defend my self."

Zuko had a constant shiver across his shoulders and eventually he stopped dead and snapped behind him into the trees.

"What are you, a dog? Go home already! I can make it back without your stupid company!"

Jet chuckled as he stepped out of the shadows in the trees.

"Wow, how'd you know I was there?"
Zuko pulled his lips into a thin line in annoyance, highly unamused.

"It's not hard to guess. You don't seem like the kind of guy to give up easily."

Jet caught up with the grumpy teen.

"You know me that well already?"

As Jet laughed, Zuko grew flustered and barked at him.

"Why are you laughing?"

Unbeknownst to Zuko, Jet was mesmerized by his little outbursts. They were nearly... cute.

"You seem to lose your temper a lot huh... why's that Li?"

Zuko groaned.

"You're not going to leave me alone, are you."

Jet countered.

"Do you really want me to...?"
A few moments of silent walking passed before Zuko finally replied.

"...Never mind..."

Jet smirked triumphantly. As the farm came into view, Zuko stopped the cart.

"You can go home now."

Jet gave a farewell wave and Zuko felt at peace... yet, at the same time there was a part of him that felt lonely. He hauled the cart into the barn where he met his uncle with a cup of tea, ready and waiting for the prince.

"So, how are the potatoes selling...?"
Zuko presented the heftily sized pouch.

"Quite well..."

Then, Zuko caught a glance of his uncles smile. Irohs' all knowing smile. Zuko demanded he spill the beans.

"What... why are you smiling like that?"

Iroh spoke with the smile still evident.

"Did you walk home safely...?"
Iroh was seeing right through Zuko's mask and instantly he prince began to panic.

"It's nothing! You don't know anything! I walked home fine!"

The prince walked right back out of the barn and Iroh smiled and shook his head.

"Such a stubborn attitude..."

Zuko waited until his uncle had fallen asleep before he quietly went to sleep as well. His dreams skipped from pleasant Jet-filled ones to annoying Avatar ones and back again.

He woke up in a sweat, shooting up and nearly colliding head first with Iroh.

"Zuko. You were having a bad dream."

Zuko steadied his breathing and held his head. Iroh stood up.

"I'll go and make you some tea."

His uncle left. Zuko was going over and over the dream. It was black and red. Red water as a matter of fact- red with blood. A nightmare? All he knew was that he didn't like what he was feeling. He had never been this worried over a dream before.

When his uncle returned with some Jasmine Tea, he mentioned that the father had been sent the money successfully but he had to travel further towards the city since the village no longer had any medicine left. That meant Zuko had to sell more potatoes and Iroh would make more tea and that there would be more of Jet.

As routine would have it, Zuko went out on his trek to the stall. To his surprise, Jet was actually there waiting for him in a tree. When Jet noticed him, he flashed a smile.

"Hey Li."

Zuko placed the cart down behind the stall as usual. There were already a group of people wandering by and purchasing potatoes. As Zuko wouldn't have it, but the universe would, Jet asked about his wound.

"It's fine." That was as much as Zuko was willing to share. Jet didn't like the lack of information.

"Did you check it?"

Zuko subconsciously held a hand over the small but annoying injury and Jet climbed down from his post.

There was a minute or so of bickering mainly on Zuko's behalf before Jet finally got the prince stripping again. To be honest, Jet knew that the injury wasn't severe, he just liked to look at Zuko. The prince seemed to be very shy and stubborn. Something about Zuko seemed to hit a spot in Jet's mind and he was instantly attracted to him. He decided to take time pleasantly running his fingers over Zuko's bandage, `making sure` it was nice and `tight`.

The scarred teen gruffly pulled his clothing back on after the scrutinising inspection, a chill running right through him.

Unfortunately for the prince, Jet just found it too damn funny to make Zuko feel uncomfortable. It was hilarious, what with how socially awkward Zuko was. When ever a customer tried to strike up a conversation- it was mainly the ladies, young and old- the scarred teen would look lost. That near adorable expression of `lost` and `help` was quickly retracted when Zuko realised he was too stubborn to actually ask for it and dryly made odd small talk.

It was somewhat relaxing, okay maybe not `relaxing` as much as `amusing` but what ever it was, Jet felt kind of okay with just lazying about- since Smellerbee was left in charge and perfectly capable of maintaining order while he goofed off. It was odd, since Jet would never goof off like this for some girl...

Maybe it was the scar which intrigued him... maybe it was just Li... it wasn't easy to figure out.

So, until Zuko managed to sell enough produce to send off the right amount of money for the farmer, he went to the stall and spent the entire day until dusk and was stalked home by Jet, regardless of how many times the scarred teen told the annoying freedom fighter to `piss off `. Zuko found himself getting comfortable with Jet's presence. It wasn't that Jet was his newest bestest friend in the whole wide world, but Zuko was growing less and less annoyed... then grew more and more annoyed every time Jet decided to open his mouth and make things awkward all over again.

Zuko was sure this much awkwardness in a single area of the world wasn't healthy for any one. Could people die from awkwardness?

There was more than one occasion when some soldiers- earth kingdom asses and fire nation pricks- decided they would start a fight either at the stall or on the path too and from the farm. It was fascinating how well Zuko and Jet fought side by side. It gave Zuko a little feeling in his chest he felt might make him explode. Truth be told, they were not tremendous fights where they were outnumered by ridiculous odds. The two still came out triumphant.

It was rather odd when on that day, Jet wasn't around. He wasn't there to meet Zuko on the path, he wasn't there to meet him at the stall or in a tree. Just no sign of him any where. Was Zuko worried? Of course not. The previous night Zuko had really snapped at Jet, yet the freedom fighter just laughed like he usually did. It had been a fast passing month before they got word that the father was returning with the proper medicines. The farmers sons illness was kept at bay well enough with Iroh's herbal what's-it-called.

That day, Zuko closed up early. There had been a single person who bought potatoes. No one else came past at all. The prince was trundling back and looked down the hill at the river he had passed this past month every day. Before he could look away, a log with arrows lodged in it floated past. He stopped and watched it. Then more things floated down the river.

Barrels, arrows, crates, burned wood... bodies. Fire Nation bodies. And more bodies... villagers. Not many bodies, but they were still bodies... floating lifelessly away. No matter how hard core Zuko might appear, and no matter what kind of things he'd seen in the war, it was still a fiercely horrible thing to see dead bodies. Even if he had killed himself. He slowly took up walking again.

One body lay washed up on the river bank, marks in the gravel sand to indicate that the person had physically clawed their way up the bank. Arrows burrowed in numbers in their back. That hair... those shoulder pads. Zuko nearly tripped himself up in his haste to stop... Jet?