𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗚𝗜𝗥𝗟 | zuko

26: LOVE

"Is Zuko feeling better?" asked mother, after giving me a hug when I arrived.

"Much better," I said happily, putting my bag and staff by my bedroom door.  Then I came back around to the sitting room.  "Has Kyra come around at all?"

"She keeps asking when you're coming back, counting down the days," said father.  "Every night."

Just then, the door opened quickly and we all turned to face it, knowing exactly who it was.

"How many d -- Jin!" said Kyra, running to give me a hug.  "Dear spirits, I missed you."

"I missed you, too," I said with a smile.  

"How's Zuko?" she asked.  

"He's fine now," I told her.  

"You've been seeing him for how long now?" asked mother.  

"A year," I answered, taking a seat.  

"That's a long time," she said.

"Oh, we all know what she's wondering," interrupted grandfather.  "It's taking a long time for him to ask you to marry him," he shrugged, making me blush embarrassedly.

"Father!" exclaimed mother.  Though her face didn't look so surprised.  

"Well?" he said.  "You were getting there, won't you?" 

"I, well..."

"She was," whispered Kyra.

"Do you have a reason?" asked grandfather.

"Well, not really," I said, looking up and down, anywhere but directly at my parents and grandfather.  "But, um, he did ask me to live with him."

一 ꩜ 🌊 🌏 🔥 一

yesterday evening

"Jin, I do need to be sorry.   I didn't know what to do, and that's on me."

"I understand, Zuko.  But there's always going to be problems."

"I know that know."

"Turn to someone who can always be there for you," I said.  "And I wanted to ask you -- this promise Aang said something about, a promise to you... what was that."

Zuko sat back down, and I sat across from him.

"I asked him... I told him that if I ever became too much like my father -- I asked him to promise he would end me."

"And... and that's what you thought he would do?"

"I -- no.  Somehow I knew, when my foot slipped, that he wouldn't let me die.  I don't know, I had this nightmare, he was in it, I think we had the same one.  My father was there, and Avatar Roku, my mother.  Something about it... I don't know."

"The nightmares are over,"  I said.  "You're safe now.  You're with me."

"I'm glad I'm with you," he said.  "I want to always be with you."

I smiled.

"I'm serious, Jin," he said happily.  "Why don't you live in the palace with me?"

"Zuko, I -- wow.  It would be a dream, Zuko." He smiled. "But my family would never let me."

"You're convincing," he said.  "I'm sure you could do something."

"Well..."

"I love you, Jin.  Just try?"

I took a deep breath.  "I'll try," I said fondly.

一 ꩜ 🌊 🌏 🔥 一

the present

"He did?!" said mother and father, standing up.  Grandfather was smiling.  

"Finally," he muttered, but it seemed only I heard.

"Um, yeah, he did," I said.  "But I didn't think you would say yes."

"They will," said grandfather.  Mother and father turned to him, aghast.

"We will?" asked mother.

"She deserves this, Fera.  She's worked hard for it.  You can't be so protective all the time, you know.  She's not a child."

Mother knew grandfather was right, I could tell, but she tried to argue anyway.

"But father, she wants to live there.  What if something happens.  And, um, besides, we'll miss her."

"This is exactly like the first time she asked to go.  For the spirit's sake, she'll be living in the most heavily guarded palace in the world.  With the Fire Lord, the Avatar's firebending teacher.  And, she can fend for herself just the same."

"Father, I just..."

"I think she should go, Fera," said father, making Kyra and I even more hopeful.  "We love her.  But so does he.  She should have as much time with him as she likes.  And she'll still come to visit," he explained.  "It's not like she'll be gone forever."

Mother looked fondly at me.  "Alright," she said.  "Okay.  You can live with Zuko."

"Thank you!" I exclaimed, hugging both mother and father.  "I'll send him a letter, ask him to come next week."

"Ask him to come?"

"Well, yes, for you to meet him, and I don't want to take a ferry again."

"Really?" 

"Well, he won't be in full Fire Lord garb, it is the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se, but yes.  I think he'd want to meet you."

"Well, it'll be good to meet him," said father.  "I've only ever seen him on posters, anyway."

I laughed.

一 ꩜ 🌊 🌏 🔥 一

It was early morning, exactly a week later, when there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," I said.  It wasn't like anyone else was going to, as they were all in the kitchen.

It was Zuko, dressed in the same green Earth Kingdom clothes he was wearing in the tea shop that night, but his hair was up with the Fire Nation hairpiece.

"Zuko! Hi," I said, hugging him.

"Hi," he smiled.  "Um, I'm here to, well, pick you up, obviously."  He scratched the back of his neck.

"Well, I'm packed," I said.  I lowered my voice to a whisper.  "But, um, my parents want to meet you first."

"Oh, good," he said a little sarcastically, in the same whisper.  My parents and grandfather came to the front of the house to greet Zuko.

Mother bowed.  "It's so nice to meet you, Fire Lord Zuko."

"Please," said Zuko, bowing just the same.  "Just Zuko is fine.  And the pleasure is mine."

"We're glad you're taking care of our daughter," said father.  "Thank you for being good to her."

"She's been good to me just the same," he said, making me smile and blush.  "I love her."

"So do we," said mother, looking fondly at the both of us.  She gave me a hug, then my father and grandfather did the same.  

"Now go," she said, smiling.  "Before I cry."

"Goodbye," I said, smiling.

"Bye, Jin," said mother and father.  

I wasn't going to live with them anymore.  I lived with Zuko, in the Fire Nation now.  Just the thought made me miss them, though they were mere feet away still, waving. I loved them, yes, but I'd been with them my whole life.

And my love with Zuko was only beginning.