"Rein, wake up."
The teen groaned, swatting at the hands that poked and prodded at her face. "Ten more minutes."
"Why is her face all red? You think she's dreaming of something naughty?"
Rein slowly opened her eyes, her vision focusing on the campsite before her. Her mind was reeling, where was Zuko? Was is all just a dream?
As her wandering thoughts caught up with the present, she sat upright spastically causing the group of onlookers to jump away in fear. Her gaze met each of them, her heart plummeting deeper and deeper in her chest as she realized Zuko was no where to be seen. Kireina couldn't stop the tears from welling up and without a word she fled from them, not wanting them to tease her for crying over something so trivial.
The silence surrounding her was only interrupted by her sniffles and the light pattering of her tears hitting the fallen leaves at her feet. How could a dream feel so real? How could her own subconscious play such dirty tricks on her?
"Rein," Jet sighed, finally catching up to the heartbroken girl. "Are you okay?"
She shook her head, allowing her tears to continue dripping down her face. Jet was frozen, unsure of what to do in order to help Kireina. He had only seen her cry once before, a scene much different from the one he's witnessing now. There was no catastrophic wind and the ground beneath them laid still. He watched as the breeze caused tendrils of hair to stick to her cheeks.
"I don't understand why they chose me, Jet. We live in a world inhabited by millions of souls, so why did they pick me?" Rein cried, falling to her knees. She fisted the earth in her hands, letting the soil crumble through the gaps between her fingers.
"Because there was no better choice than you." He replied gently. His body shuddered as her watering eyes looked up to him. A deep blue that bounced his own reflection off of them. "One day you'll see what we all see, you'll feel what we all feel. You are courageous and cunning, soft yet terrifying. You are our justice. You always stand for what is right, even if it'll get you killed. You're more powerful than anyone this world has ever known so how can you sit here and want a life other than this one?"
Rein remained silent, tears still escaping her. With a sigh, Jet squatted next to her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and allowing her to fall into his frame. The two sat for a while, lost in their own thoughts. The sun was peaking through the cracks of the leafy canopy above them, birds chirping in all directions.
"I dreamt that I found Zuko. I've never had a dream that felt so real." Rein whispered, her voice hoarse from crying. "I wasn't prepared for the heartbreak I'd feel upon waking up."
Jet nodded, understanding the events that took place now. Instead of asking further, he gripped her chin gently and repositioned her face to look at him. Then with careful fingers he removed each strand of hair that clung to her tear stained skin, tucking them behind her ears. He cleared his throat awkwardly as he realized the beautiful girl was watching his every move, though he pretended as if he didn't even notice.
Rein was thankful for Jet and his merry team of misfits. Without them who knows where she'd be. Most likely alone and wandering the trees, paranoid of every snapping twig or rustling of leaves. But instead, she was unwillingly taken in and taught how to survive, making a group of forever friends in the process.
"You really love this Zuko guy, don't you?" Jet implied, running the pads of his thumbs under Rein's eyes, wiping away the moisture that lingered from her cry.
She nodded, "Even if there wasn't a prophecy pinning us together, I think I'd still love him. I think he's been through so much trauma in his life and hasn't dealt with it properly, so he presents himself as this aggressive loud-mouthed asshole. But being by his side for so long, I watched his shell crack and his true self started peaking through. I've never been addicted to a feeling more, baring witness to such a loving, misunderstood soul that was locked away finally make it's way to surface. I just want to keep melting that ice, it's like there's treasure frozen inside."
"I'll be the first to say, that Prince is one lucky guy." Jet chuckled, hiding the disappointment he truly felt. "Though, I do not feel he deserves you. Those burns on your arms-"
"I am not delicate like a flower. I am not made of stone. I bleed, I scab, I scar, I heal. I hurt, I stab, I burn, I kill, I make mistakes. But those mistakes do not define me, I refuse to let them. So who I am to define someone else as their mistakes when, I too, do not want to be defined by them? I know when there is room to grow, and sometimes growth is atonement itself. The horror we have committed is not who we are." Rein spoke. "You do not get to choose who is deserving of me for you are not me. You don't know what I feel or what I want. You don't know who I've forgiven or who I've scorned. Frankly Jet, you know nothing."
Jet was silent, taking in everything Rein said. He was surprised at how much of an enlightened person she was, she was very admirable. "Do you feel better now? I bet talking about him makes you happy."
A smile grew on Rein's face and she nodded, "Thank you. You know how to trigger me in the best ways possible."
Jet let out a genuine laugh before lifting himself up to his feet, holding out a hand to assist Kireina. "We'll be taking the ferry to Ba Sing Se today, so we should get going soon."
"It's a long, long way to Ba Sing Se-" Rein began to hum, "but the girls in the city, they look so pretty..."
☼☼☼
"They kiss so sweet, that you really have to meet... the girls from Ba Sing Seeee!" Iroh sang as he and Zuko waited patiently in the ferry terminal.
Zuko groaned loudly, "Uncle, please! You're driving me crazy with that song! It's been non stop for days!"
Iroh smirked, enjoying the fact that he was annoying his nephew so much. After weeks of endless sad sighs and swollen pouts, it was nice to see a change even if it was one of annoyance.
"I'm going to see how much longer it is until we can board." Zuko muttered, stomping away from his Uncle. Iroh chuckled to himself, feeling accomplished.
His gaze moved from Zuko to the entrance, watching groups of people walk in to also make the trip to Ba Sing Se. Most were small families of three or four, with the occasional lone merchant. Thus when a group of teens walked in of various shapes and sizes, it caught Iroh's full attention. Specifically the brunette sitting atop a large man's shoulders.
"To the ticket booth, Pip!" She ordered with a giggle, enjoying her newfound height.
Iroh knew that laugh and immediately stood to his feet, rapidly trying to locate his nephew. He needed to tell him that Kireina was here, and not just in close proximity but literally right before his eyes.
He found Zuko pacing up and down the dock, breathing heavily and yanking at his hair. "Prince Zuko, I just saw-"
"Uncle, my heart is pounding so hard, I can barely catch a breath." Zuko interrupted in a pant. Iroh opened his mouth to speak again but he noticed his nephew's eyes narrow in on something over his shoulder.
Not even fifty feet away, Kireina was being lifted off of Pipsqueak's shoulders by Jet. Iroh watched Zuko's eyes darken from their natural honey brown to an almost black color, his jaw flexing under the grit of his teeth. Before Iroh could protest, his nephew shoved past him in a long stride towards Rein.
With their backs to Zuko, Jet held Rein by the waist as she shimmied down Pip's back.
"Touch her and I'll break your neck."
Rein froze, goosebumps raising along her skin. Jet's playful smile turned into a leer as he snapped his head around to get an eyeful of his newfound foe.
Suddenly remembering that the last time she spoke to Zuko he was under the impression that she was being held hostage, Rein's eyes widened.
Quickly she put herself in the middle of the two teens, locking eyes with her lost love. The moment Zuko's eyes met Rein's, his darkened irises lightened back to the beautiful shade of honey.
"Reina." He spoke, his voice just above a whisper. "You took the sun with you when you left."
"Did Iroh tell you to say that?" Rein bantered, smirking enough to reveal her single dimple.
Zuko was too happy to bother rolling his eyes at her, nothing she said could bother him in this moment. He finally felt at ease.
In fact, in this moment, everyone felt at ease. There was no need to be controlled by the Guider Effect since the two lovers were reunited. It was as if everyone lining up to board the vessel was smiling in content, not even realizing the reason why.
The two continued to stare at each other, the feeling of bliss overtaking them just by being in one another's presence. Without even thinking, Zuko gripped Rein by her wrist and yanked her into him. His strong arms wrapped around her small frame, squeezing tight to make sure she couldn't leave him again. As always, he smelled of fresh brewed tea and teakwood, such an enticing aroma.
Rein engulfed her arms around his waist, nuzzling her head into his chest. She listened to his heart beat, practically melting into him.
"So this is the infamous Zuko, huh?" Jet spoke, breaking the comfortable silence that fell over the group. As if triggered into fight mode, Zuko shoved Rein behind him and glared at Jet.
Rein quickly grabbed Zuko's hand, pulling him to stand at her side and not in front of her. "Zu, this is Jet and his group of Freedom Fighters. We're friends."
Zuko relaxed as he heard Rein's voice utter his nickname. He wasn't pleased she befriended her kidnappers but nonetheless she was safe and seemed to like them.
"Yeah don't worry man, she talks about you like you put the stars in the sky." Jet smiled, patting Zuko a little too harshly on the back.
Zuko looked to Rein who was blushing, attempting to hide her face in his side. For the first time in weeks, a large genuine smile graced his lips. His Reina was home.