Ch 14

"You are a foolish boy, Iroh," Zuko sighed. Iroh's chest tightened and his face burned with embarrassment, but he was unable to turn away from his grandfather, as his chi remained blocked. Iroh had fallen into a kneeling position when Jin had struck him, but his legs gave out and he now slumped sideways onto the floor. Zuko ascended the small steps to the training ring and gave Iroh a gentle push so he could rest on his back until his meridians recovered. The old man settled down beside his grandson and crossed his legs.

"That was dishonorable, Iroh," Zuko continued. "You broke a vow, and to a fellow warrior at that."

"I know, grandfather," Iroh answered. "I truly did not mean to, though." Iroh remembered Jin's words from Air Temple Island and the night he had seen her scars. "I'm most cautious around fire benders"… "It was an training accident, I was 10…he was 14." Iroh sighed and closed his eyes, disappointed in himself in not recognizing Jin's fears. "Grandfather…I confess I may have learned something of the young Lady Yang that she may have wanted to keep secret," Iroh stated. "Which would explain her reaction."

Zuko glanced down at his grandson, who was now staring up at the ceiling. "What is it, boy?"

Iroh frowned. "I believe she was injured at a young age by a bender…and her trust was possibly broken before. She has multiple lightning scars on her body…not that we did anything indecent or anything!" he added frantically. "But…Grandfather…you know the family better than I do. Do you know what happened to her?"

Zuko's expression darkened. "It is not my place to share such personal stories, Iroh. You must find out for yourself, and apologize. That is the honorable thing to do."

Iroh nodded in understanding, motion slowly returning to his extremities. He sat up and attempted to create a small flame in his palm. Alarm and fear grew as he realized how empty he felt. It was as if he was disconnected from something important and intrinsic to his identity. "I never realized what it felt like…," he murmured as he opened and closed his fingers. Iroh stood up slowly, his legs shaking slightly from being abruptly immobilized. "I need to find her."

Zuko rose as well and patted his grandson on the shoulder. "You know what to do, my boy. Best of luck." The left the training grounds together, Iroh parting from his grandfather with a bow. Zuko gave a sad smile before returning to his tea room.

~Jin Lian~

Jin Lian and Suda sat in the royal garden under the shade of a small pagoda. The younger woman's raven hair was unbound and being inspected by her mother's sharp gaze and gentle hands. She wore a different shirt, the previous one being burned and unsuitable for wearing in the royal palace. Jin Lian's nose wrinkled at the smell of singed hair as the strands brushed her cheek. "How bad is it, mother?" Jin asked. Suda made a noncommittal noise, Jin could see a shoulder shrug out of the corner of her eye.

"It's not so bad," the Yang family's matriarch commented. "I suppose we would have to trim the burnt parts and change your hairstyle so it doesn't look asymmetrical." She paused for a bit before continuing. "Don't you think you over-reacted back there? Surely you would have expected the Crown Prince to accidentally fire bend."

Jin Lian kept her back towards her mother. "I trusted him not to, mother."

"And look where it got you." A finger flicked the singed hair. "I thought Master Ty Lee and I taught you better. Stay vigilant."

"I…thought he was different…and that he changed," Jin Lian replied. "He's not the same person I met as a child." Her fingers lightly traced the scars on her abdomen through the fabric of her shirt.

Suda snorted. "You sound like a girl in love. Take care your feelings don't hinder your abilities. You're lucky you only got away with a burnt shirt and singed hair this time…oh…Prince Iroh."

Jin Lian jumped up and swiveled around to meet the golden eyes of Iroh, his face frozen in shock. "How…how long have you been standing there?" she asked. Her left hand clutched the fabric of her shirt at her stomach.

"Lady Suda," Iroh spoke cautiously. "What did you mean by 'this time'?"

"I'm surprised your Highness does not remember," Suda commented, her voice taking on an accusing tone. Iroh raised his eyebrows, taken aback by the tone of her voice.

Jin Lian jumped in frantically, to prevent her mother from further interrogating Iroh. "Mother, could you leave us to talk?"

Suda raised a thin eyebrow, but acquiesced. "Very well then, daughter. I will be looking for your father in the meantime." The elder woman bowed gracefully to Iroh. "Your Highness," she spoke smoothly before departing.

Iroh stood outside of the pagoda, staring up at Jin Lian, who stood stock still like a statue. "May I enter?" he asked politely.

"It's your own garden, Prince Iroh," Jin Lian replied. She stood to the side to allow him room to enter the pagoda. Iroh started up the short steps, remembering that this was the setting of his dream from many weeks ago.

The two sat across from each other, an uncomfortable silence filling the air between them. Jin Lian glanced at Iroh fleetingly, wondering how much of her conversation he had heard. He answered that silent question with his own. "Have we…met previously, Jin? Before my grandfather's birthday?"

Jin Lian's heart squeezed tight in anxiety. "We…we have, your Highness. We were quite young when we first met. I was 10, you were 14. My family lived in the guest quarters for a while when my father had business in the capitol." She could see the gears turning in his head, his expression becoming incredulous as he thought back to his childhood.

"That's impossible, Jin! I would have remembered seeing a small girl around the palace at the time. The only person I remembered was a younger boy named…" Iroh protested. His voice faltered in shock, remembering the incident that incited his desire for self-control and discipline.

"Jin," she said, finishing his sentence. "I hadn't reached puberty yet, and my hair was much shorter."

Flashback

Iroh was training with his Fire Bending teacher and Grandfather one summer day. His grandfather rested on the sidelines as Iroh went through his motions. He hadn't noticed a small figure enter the room and settle next to the previous Fire Lord, but heard whispers as the younger child and his grandfather conversed quietly. Out of the corner of his eye, Iroh noticed the shorn hair of Jin, a son of an official who was staying at the palace.

"It's quite something, isn't it?" Zuko asked.

"It's pretty," Jin replied. "I love fire." Zuko chuckled and ruffled the child's short hair affectionately.

"Baby Yang, what are you doing here?" Iroh's instructor asked, noticing Jin's presence. "Did you want to practice too?"

"Little Jin isn't a bender, though," Iroh noted mockingly. "He'd get burned right away." Iroh didn't have much of an opinion of Jin, the kid was quiet and shy.

"Baby Yang is practicing Master Pian Dao's sword style," the instructor lectured. "When mastered, it is an even match against any bender. Your royal grandfather was tutored in the same style." The instructor's eyes glimmered. His gaze met Lord Zuko's as if they had the same idea, because Lord Zuko nodded.

"Jin, come here and show the Crown Prince what I mean," the instructor ordered. "I want you two to spar a bit. You may fire bend, your Highness."

Jin complied, bringing a practice sword with her. Iroh scoffed as she stepped into the practice ring. "Best be careful, Little Jin," Iroh said as he entered his ready stance. "Try not to get burned."

"I'll try, your Highness," Jin replied, assuming her own stance.

Iroh's instructor glanced at the two children, and seeing that they were ready, commenced the spar. Jin quickly closed the distance between them, dodging the flames that came her way. She entered Iroh's space, knocking his hands out of the way to divert his fire away from her. Her strikes threw him off balance, preventing him from maintaining his 'root' to the floor.

Frantic, Iroh jumped away from the younger child to regain himself. Jin Lian put her sword up again and charged to begin her next flurry of attacks. Iroh grit his teeth, infuriated at the fact that he was getting beaten up by a non-bending child. His fingers joined together, separating the yin and yang of his chi. Blue light crackled between his fingers and he launched lightning.

The flash of blue light struck the child and she fell to the ground twitching and screaming in pain. Lord Zuko was upon her in a blink of an eye, where he drew the lightning from her body, through his own, and redirected it away from them.

"Get the healers! Quickly!" Zuko ordered. The old man gathered the little child in his arms and dashed out of the training hall.

Iroh could hear cries and wails from where he was, frozen in place. He looked to his instructor, who had a disappointed look on his face. "Why did you do that?" his instructor asked.

His hands shook as his throat cinched shut. That's why Suda Yang's piercing gaze was so familiar. He remembered apologizing to the family for harming their child, the mother's eyes boring into the back of his head as he bowed on the floor. Despite the apologies, Iroh did not see the extent of the damage he had caused…until now. The image of the twisting lines on Jin's torso helped him find his words.

"J-jin…," Iroh stammered. "What I did was unforgivable." He cast his eyes down to the ground, unable to look at the young woman across from him.

Strong yet delicate hands covered his own. Her thumb ran over his knuckles, soothing the tremors. "Like I said, Iroh," Jin Lian murmured. "We were children. You were still a child. Children act on impulse, not malice."

"I should've been more responsible. What my actions did to your body…I scarred you."

Jin Lian leaned forward, holding Iroh's hands tighter. "If I may speak boldly, I'm still coming to terms with my body, Iroh. I hate seeing my scars, I cover them up as much as I can. Clothing, make up, you name it. But know that I don't hate you for it. Feeling guilty will not make my skin return to the way it was."

Iroh lifted his gaze, noticing their noses were nearly touching. "I'm so sorry," Iroh whispered. "You've been hurt many times because of me." They stared at each other for what he felt like was an eternity. Their soft breaths mingled in the space between them, so close yet so far. Jin Lian pulled away first, leaving his hands cold as she stood up to exit.

As she stood, Iroh followed and held her hands again. Jin Lian looked at their intertwined fingers, and then to his face. She let out a small huff a breath, perhaps a scoff. "That's enough, Iroh. Mistakes happen, and I accept your apology." Jin grabbed his wrist, pushing a spot on his forearm and then his shoulder. "Let us both move on from this," she said and walked away. The Crown Prince of the Fire Nation longingly gazed at the retreating form. He stared at his palm and found that he could make fire again.

Note: I never thought I would return to this story! A lot of things have happened (work, life, etc) and this little hobby of mine fell to the side. I'm really blown away by how many people are still reading this and requesting updates. Thank you everyone!