Chapter Eight: The Boiling Rock

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It was another evening in the western air temple, I felt a lot better after all that the other day. Yet I still couldn't believe I broke down in front of Zuko like that.

Right then Zuko was serving tea he made.

Jet was doing better, in fact he was well enough to walk again so he was there with us around the campfire.

"No one can make tea like uncle. But hopefully I learned a thing or two. Would you like to hear uncle's favorite tea joke?" He asked, making everyone agree but Sokka. "Okay, well I can't remember how it starts but the punch line is, 'leaf me alone, I'm bushed.'" Zuko said, trying to put on an accent leaving everyone speechless, but me I had to hide a laugh.

Making everyone look at me, except Zuko who gave me a smile. 'Mm, worth it.' I grinned.

"That was a joke for the ages, Zuko." Jet mocked, I could tell he still hated that he was there.

"Well it's funnier when uncle tells it." Zuko replied as he sat next to me and poured me a cup.

"Right, maybe that's because he remembers the whole thing." Katara added with a bitter tone, everyone laughed except me but Zuko gave off a light smile even if it was to make fun of him.

"Geez, give him a brake people, Zuko rarely tells jokes." I squinted, a lazy hand gesture.

"It's nice to get a chance to relax a little. It hardly ever happens." Toph smiled, before Sokka and Zuko left to go talk.

"Remind me why he's here again?" Jet snarled, leaning over to me.

"Because I need a fire bending teacher." I replied with a causally sigh.

"And become an ash maker." Jet growled in his cup before drink his tea, however, immediately spitting it out and threw the cup at the fire. It was no doubt because Zuko made it, not because the tea tasted bad, cause that tea tasted good.

"Whatever you have against the art of fire bending keep to yourself. I need to be a fully realized avatar." I stated with a little harsh tone.

"Did you forget what he did?!" Jet whisper yelled back.

I looked over to the Gaang who should have known better than to tell him all about Zuko.

"Yeah, Aang told me about how he tried to capture you, how could you trust him??!" Jet yelled standing up with clenched fists, poor Aang I can imagine Jet roughing him up until he told him.

"Zuko was confused and lost! Now he knows that his own father is evil! He has done nothing but help since the invasion!!" I yelled back as I stood up.

Jet looked at me like we were about to fight before we saw Zuko standing at the fire. "Gyawa, can I talk to you?" The Prince asked, with a unsettled tone.

"Yeah?" I answered, as my mind thought of ways of asking if I had just did something wrong.

"It's okay if they don't want me here, it doesn't matter. You don't have to defend me." He replied, folding his arms comfortably as we stood in the dark.

"Zuko, I want them to respect you, not treat you like dirt." I shook my head.

"But what's the point? As long as I train you that's all that matters. To be honest, I don't believe they will ever trust me." Zuko looked over to the Gaang sitting around the camp fire, I could tell he still wanted their approval not just mine.

I gave a slight smile and put a hand on his left shoulder. "Zuko, you're the most trustworthy, good looking, skilled, good personality, most honorable person I know. They should. They just need to except you won't leave." His face lightened up with a wide smile I hadn't really seen before.

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