Zuko wondered why it seemed so strange to him that his uncle would set him up on a date with some Earth Kingdom girl they'd just met. He was always talking about how much he thought his nephew needed that – why did Zuko expect him not to jump at the first chance? Why should he be surprised that his uncle saw no barrier to Zuko accepting a girl's advances? Not that he had any intention of going along with it, anyway, of course...

Zuko was lying on his bed staring at the ceiling when his uncle stopped rambling about the wonderful time he was sure his nephew was going to have tonight, as if Zuko had reminded him of something, even though he hadn't said a word. "You know, Zuko," Iroh said, "I don't know all the details, and I stopped asking three years ago when I saw you didn't want to talk about it, but if you think it would be wrong to go out with Jin because..."

"I'll go!" Zuko shouted, jumping to his feet, before his uncle could finish. He had no idea what he'd been getting at and didn't want to know. There was no reason he couldn't go out with this girl, and he'd prove it.

The evening was nothing but equal amounts of boredom, awkwardness, and unexpected pleasure in a pretty, sweet, friendly girl's company. Zuko was sure the night would have lived up to Jin's hopes if she hadn't taken him to that fountain, if she hadn't chosen a place like that to kiss him, a place so similar to one that held so many dangerous memories.

He tried to kiss her back, to resist the memories fighting to break free. Just give up, a voice whispered in his head. You'll never see her again. Even if you do, what will it matter? Do you think she doesn't deserve anyone better than you? Not even the wealthiest, handsomest man in the Fire Nation would be good enough for her. She's moved on. It's time you did, too. Stop being such a fool and just let her go.

But the longing for the person even his silent torturer refused to name only grew stronger the more he told himself to forget about her. He tried to force himself to be strong enough to fight it. He failed. He wasn't strong enough to bear the touch of another girl's lips on his own. He ran away from her into a haze of pain and shame, but he knew it wasn't Jin he was fleeing but the memory of another face and the longing for a kiss with the-girl-he-would-never-see-again.