Open Your Eyes | Book 2

10: The Tale of Zuko and Kida

Art: Artist Not Found

Several days had passed since the incident with Jet. Our lives were going well. I couldn't say it was good. We still had our ups and downs. It wasn't just Zuko's periodic mood swings either. I had a lot on my mind that I wasn't ready to talk about yet – or think about for that matter.

I began to meditate more, hoping to find some answers in it. Sometimes it helped. Sometimes being alone made it worse. At the very least, work was a good distraction. That was until a certain customer began to irk me.

I brushed my hands off with a rag, exiting the back room. When I came out, I spotted a girl at the front counter handing Zuko money for her tea. I recognized her face instantly. She had become a regular over the last few days. It was glaringly obvious why. She barely ever took her eyes off of Zuko when he had his back to her, and she always flagged him down to take her order even if Iroh or I were free to do so.

There was a burst of heat in my chest. She seemed so ridiculous to me at the time. I couldn't yet admit that it was the jealousy talking.

"Thank you for the tea," she spoke sweetly to Zuko. "What's your name?"

"My name's Lee," Zuko answered as he turned back to her. "My uncle and I just moved here."

"Hi Lee, my name's Jin," the girl told him. "Thank you and," she paused to summon up some courage, "well, I was wondering if-"

"Lee, it's your turn to do the dishes," my mouth spoke before I could stop it. I noticed the disapproving glare I received from Iroh and the shock that came from the girl. Zuko didn't seem too fazed by my interjection, however. If anything, he looked a little relieved. I would be lying if I said I wasn't pleased to see that.

"Okay," he agreed. "Oh, uh, this is Yin," he gestured to me, "a family friend."

I gave the girl a large smile as I absentmindedly linked my arm with his, a gesture that was becoming commonplace for me.

"Oh, hi, I'm Jin." The girl greeted me kindly but her eyes were wary. She observed how close Zuko and I were. I didn't really see a problem at first until I noticed that Iroh was still giving me that same disapproving look. I glanced down at where I was holding Zuko and decided to loosen my grip but I couldn't bring myself to let go entirely.

"Well, thank you again for the tea," she said awkwardly and began to walk away. "I'll see you later, Lee." I couldn't stop the scowl that came to my face when I noted that she had very blatantly chosen not to include my name.

"She seemed...nice," I said through gritted teeth.

"I guess," Zuko sighed. He slipped out of my grasp and went to the back room to do the dishes that I had sent him to do.

It wasn't until Zuko was gone that I felt the true intensity of Iroh's gaze. I slowly turned to look at the old man. He had his arms crossed with a raised brow. "What?" I demanded. I was fiddling with some of the cups on the table to keep my hands busy and my eyes off of Iroh.