*。💥 。
🔥 。＼｜／。🔥
🐉 ∘˚ ➴ ꒰ BLACK DRAGON ꒱ ┊͙ 🐉
*:..｡o○𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚗○o｡..:*
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

still feeling skeptical of jet and his freedom fighters, azuna followed them to where his hideout was supposed to be. she promised katara that she would be nice and just see what he had to show them, seeing as she and aang were excited to see what he wanted. the only other person who agreed with her was sokka. who has been glaring daggers at jet, envy shining in his eyes. 

the group made it to a small but spacious area in the forest. azuna didn't see a hideout at all and she was beginning to wonder if was playing them. there was nothing but trees surrounding them. 

"we're here." jet announced, turning to them. 

"where?" sokka scoffed, frowning at him disdainfully. "there's nothing here." 

just as he spoke, a rope suddenly fell from the trees above. jet grabbed the rope and handed it to him. "hold this." he instructed him, giving him the rope. 

suspicious, sokka slowly and reluctantly grabbed hold of the rope. "why? what's this do-" before he could finish his question, the rope yanked him up into the air. his screams echoed as his body disappeared into the leaves. 

azuna blinked in surprise. did that just happen? where did sokka go? but that was also impressive, she had to admit that. 

jet gave katara a rope. "here you go, ma'am." he said, smiling at her kindly. 

katara smiled back and took the rope. "thank you, jet." she said before shooting azuna a wink, also being pulled into the trees rapidly. 

"aang?" jet offered him one but he declined, pulling out his glider. 

"i'll get up on my own." he said, opening it and flying into the trees.

azuna looked up, wondering a few things.  one, where did they go? two, how dare katara leave her with this guy? seriously! this wasn't the first time she played a matchmaker when it came to her. 

there was one time katara tried to get her to date this fisherman's son back at the water tribes. he was a creep and he smelled like fish constantly. she made a mental note to strangle the water bender when she saw her again. 

not even paying attention, she suddenly felt someone grab hold of her hand. "woah!"she yelped when she was pulled into someone's arms. that someone being jet. 

he spun her around to face him, circling one arm around her waist and pulling her close. azuna's eyes enlarged as she was suddenly face to face with him. instinctively, her hands landed on his chest as she soon realized just how close her face was to him. 

the light color of pink grazed her cheeks. "grab hold of me, sunshine." he said, tugging the rope. 

azuna gasped a little as they soon flew through the trees. she quickly circled her arms around his neck, bringing herself closer to him as the wind knocked out her bun. her black hair fell all around her as they shot through the trees above. 

when she felt it was safe, she opened her eyes and the view had to be one of the most beautiful she has ever seen.  there were tree houses on top of tree houses. lantern lights lined the area and bridges that seemed endless. it was like their own little village in the trees. and the way the sunset illuminated through the leaves was beautiful. 

azuna looked around in pure awe. wondering how they even made a place as enchanting as this. everything looked so magical.

her eyes suddenly landed on jet as he looked elsewhere, gripping onto the rope tightly while hugging her close. up close, his eyes were a prettier shade of brown. almost golden brown with the way the sunset's light blossomed in them. his shaggy dark brown hair moved with the wind. her heart began to run rapidly. 

he was better looking up close. she didn't notice this but the corners of her lips began to slowly form into a very small grin as she stared at him. and it wasn't until they landed that her senses brought her back to reality. 

"hoped you enjoyed the ride, sunshine." jet said as they landed on a wooden platform. his arm slowly released her waist, allowing her to step back. 

azuna, realizing what she was doing, quickly cleared her throat and allowed her face to turn stoic again. but her flushed cheeks remained. 

"ahem." she coughed, straightening her posture. her arms folded as she dawned an unconvincing frown on her face. "n-nice hide out, i guess." 

he grinned softly at her. he could already tell that she is a hard wall to crack. almost made out of titanium. but it was a good thing jet loved challenges. if challenges were as pretty as her, he didn't mind trying to scratch through her walls. 

"nice place you got!" aang complimented as he zipped through the area, enjoying the area completely. 

"it's beautiful up here." katara agreed, walking over to them. 

"it's beautiful...." jet echoed. "and more importantly, the fire nation can't find us." 

"they would love to find you." smellerbee said, after landing next to him. "wouldn't they, jet?" 

"why would they want to find you?" azuna asked, suddenly curious.

"I guess you can say i've been causing them a little trouble." he explained, shrugging. "see, they took over a nearby earth kingdom town a few years back." 

"we've been ambushin' their troops, cutting their supply lines, and doing anything we can to mess with 'em." pipsqueak added, unaware of sokka trying to get past him. 

"one day, we'll drive the fire nation out of here for good and free that town." jet spoke determinedly with a hardened look in his eyes. 

azuna couldn't help but notice that look. she gets that they were all fighting for the same thing but she also noticed how jet seemed more affected by them than the others. like he had something to prove with what he was doing. something must have happened for him before. 

"that's so brave." katara sighed in admiration. "don't you think that's brave, zunie?" 

azuna glared at her before pursing her lips. she hated being put on the spot like that. "uh...." she stammered out. "very heroic and liberating." 

"yeah, nothing's braver than a guy in a tree house." sokka scoffed sarcastically. 

"don't pay any attention to my brother." katara said dismissively, ignoring his growing attitude. 

"no problem." jet said casually, not really taking his hostility seriously. "he probably had a rough day." 

"you call it a rough day, i call it being jealous." azuna joked, peering at sokka. who was practically steaming through his ears. "so, you all live here?" 

the group walked along the bridges with sokka comically left behind the group as jet led them through the place. "that's right," he began explaining. "longshot over there? his town got burned down by the fire nation." 

azuna's eyebrows creased a little at his words as she felt guilt slowly fill her veins. she felt responsible for her old home's actions, somehow. how they have destroyed lives, cities, towns, all in the name of power. it made her sick. 

"and we found the duke trying to steal our food." jet continued on with his story. "i don't think he ever really had a home." 

another wave of remorse hit azuna as she peered at the young kid. her heart felt heavy after hearing that. but it only made her hate for her father grow even stronger. in a way, she felt super apologetic after hearing their stories. it wasn't her fault and it wasn't her doing but still.....it was her nation who did it and, by that fact, she felt like she should atone for all the damage they caused. 

katara noticed azuna's sudden mood change. she looked at her and noticed how she stared at the duke with a hint of melancholy in her bright eyes. she knew how much she felt horrible for the actions of her nation for years. when she first joined their family, azuna had a hard time being accepted into the tribe due to the fact that she was a firebender. 

azuna heard all of the horror stories that occurred because of the fire nation from her people. ever since then, she's carried this guilt on her shoulders for something she didn't even do. and it made katara feel useless. 

she didn't know how to take the guilt away from her. all she could do was be there for her. 

katara gently placed her hands onto azuna's shoulders, gaining her attention. when they locked eyes, katara gave her a reassuring smile. telling her that she was not responsible for what her family has done. 

grateful, azuna gave her a ghost of a grin before they paid attention to jet again.  

"what about you?" she asked him. 

jet paused, allowing everyone to walk past him. leaving him and the two girls on the bridge. his face grew serious and his eyes held grief. 

"the fire nation killed my parents." he explained. his words hit their mark on azuna. "i was only eight years old.....that day changed me forever." 

not able to hear anymore, azuna pulled herself away from katara and walked past him. an action that left him slightly confused and worried. she looked incredibly guilty when he said that, he noticed. he wondered why. 

"sokka and i lost our mother to the fire nation." katara explained. "and.....azuna ran away because she lost her mother, as well." 

jet looked at katara with slight wonder and shock, allowing her to continue explaining. "she..uh....she feels responsible because she comes from the very place that started all of this." katara continued on. "so hearing this must have been too much for her." 

"i'm so sorry, katara." jet apologized to her sincerely. "she should know that she's not responsible for the fire nation's actions." 

katara pursed her lips, nodding in agreement. she agreed with him, azuna wasn't responsible for what her father has been doing. but she could understand why she felt this way. because if she was in her shoes, katara would have felt the same thing. the sins of her father really did take a toll on azuna and she wished she knew how to stop it. 

"yeah.....she should know that." 

later that night, everyone gathered around for dinner near a bonfire. azuna, still thinking of what she heard earlier, sat next to aang with a cup in hand. one of the little kids who lived there gave her the cup filled with mango juice. 

they even gave her a flower crown, placing it on her head. for some reason, kids loved azuna. even though she didn't always like them. they just gravitate towards her all the time. it was probably aang continuously hung off of her like a monkey in a tree. 

jet was giving a speech but she didn't even pay attention as she thought about jet's story. fire really was a destructive element and it almost made her wish she never had the black fire in her. 

"hey, jet," katara greeted him as she noticed he came over to them. "nice speech." 

"thanks." he replied graciously. "by the way, i was really impressed with you and aang. that was some great bending i saw out there today."

"well, he is the avatar," katara blushed out of modesty. "I could use some more training. azuna is already an expert firebender." 

"she's self taught." aang cheerfully added. "it's so cool! I once saw her beat up seven guys with her fire." 

jet smiled a little, looking over to azuna. who looked back at him, her face as cold as the night sky. "i don't doubt that. she impressed me the most." he complimented. "it's good to see a fire bender on our side. it gives us a huge advantage." 

azuna's eyebrow twitched upward a little as she smirked a little. "careful, jet," she warned teasingly. "if you fly too close to the flames, you are bound to get burned."

"then call me a moth, sunshine." jet flirted back. azuna bit back a chuckle, drinking from her cup. that was a smooth response, she'll give hem that. 

"so i might know a way the two of you and aang can help in our struggle." he spoke up again. 

"unfortunately, we have to leave tonight." sokka cut him off as he began to storm off. 

he really didn't like jet and his bad aura. they might have not seen it but sokka does. and he couldn't stand another moment watching his sister, aang and azuna act all friendly with him. 

"sokka, you're kidding me!" jet said, upset that he wanted to leave. "i needed you on an important mission tomorrow." 

it seemed like the word 'mission' was the magic word because sokka paused before looking at him over his shoulder. "what mission?" 

after dinner, everyone left to get some sleep while azuna stood on one of the bridges. when katara and aang left to get some sleep, she decided to spend the night stargazing. 

azuna had an obsidian black dragon egg with her since she was a toddler. it is believed to be fossil now but it has always been a source of comfort for her. to take care of something that gave her peace of mind. 

she leaned on the railing as her hands softly traced the scales of the egg, heating her palms to keep it from getting cold. which was ridiculous to do. it wasn't going to hatch and yet, she found herself taking care of it as if it would. but it was like something was telling her to keep it warm. so she did so. 

"you're up late." a voice made her jump a little. she spun around and saw jet directly next to her, leaning his elbow on the wooden railing. dawning that stupid charming grin on his face. 

azuna relaxed and turned back to her egg. "if you're here to flirt, find someone else." 

"i noticed how distant you were earlier when i told you about my parents." he ignored her retort, getting closer to her. 

azuna sighed, not really appreciating being reminded of that moment but also knowing that there was no way she could avoid it. she abruptly walked away and he would be curious. 

"katara told me how you ran away from the fire nation." he explained further. his voice filled with genuineness. "how you feel somehow responsible for their actions." 

"it's not just that." azuna opened up, placing her dragon egg in her bag next to her feet. she rose up and turned to him. "......look, if i told you who my family is, you wouldn't like it." 

jet stood a little closer to her, one hand on the railing as he stood directly in front of her. "try me." 

azuna contemplated telling him a little of her backstory. they just met and she didn't know if she could fully trust him with that information. but the sincerity in his eyes somehow eased her nerves a little. it was either that or the way the moonlight made them shine. either way, she felt compelled to open up a little to him. 

"my mother...." she mumbled, looking down at her fiddling fingers. "she....my father is responsible for her disappearance....and because of that and...other reasons.....i learned at a very early age that the home i grew up to love, didn't love me back....it didn't love the world back." 

jet could see what katara was talking bout when she said she felt guilty for their actions. azuna ran away because she saw what they did to the rest of the four nations. and because of what happened to her mother. she was the only fire bender to show compassion for those around her and honestly, it was so beautiful to jet. 

 how even though it didn't seem like it, she really did love katara, aang and sokka and she felt compassion for those who were wronged. almost like she wanted to right those wrongs. it was admirable. 

"do you know the story of the black dragon?" jet suddenly asked, gaining her attention. 

azuna raised one eyebrow at him, wondering why he suddenly wanted to talk about an old fairy tale. "yeah, i guess." she chuckled out a little. "i know the story is different in every other nation." 

"well, the version i was told was that the black dragon was the most beautiful creature on earth." he recited. "their scales were just as black as your hair and their eyes were just as golden, like the rising sun on the horizon. kind of like your eyes." 

azuna listened, being drawn into his words. she didn't even realize that he got really close to her. 

"it was said that if anyone has ever seen the black dragon, they were guaranteed an eternity of luck and peace. whoever gazed upon the dragon's beauty instantly felt at peace." he finished, moving a strand of her hair from her face. "i used to pray to whoever would listen that i would see the black dragon....maybe then my family and i wouldn't have to worry about anything."

azuna blushed lightly, feeling his fingers trace her face. her heart hammered in her chest as no one else bared witness to this moment but the moon above them. 

"i would look up to the night sky and search through the stars, hoping i would spot it." jet added softly, glancing at the stars above them. ".....i kind of stopped believing those stories after losing my family.....my town." 

azuna felt her heart grow heavy. she turned her eyes downward at her fingers. letting them fiddle together on their own. there was that guilt creeping into her soul again. but it was soon replaced with another feeling as she felt jet's hand suddenly grab hers. 

"i don't want you to feel guilty for something you had no part in, azuna." jet said in a low tone, allowing his hand to turn one of hers. "you shouldn't carry the sins of the fire nation on your back....you did nothing wrong." 

his words really warmed her heart. to hear that someone really didn't fault her for what her nation has done, no matter how many times she heard it from katara, it always put her at ease. but hearing it from jet, it made her.....feel a great amount of appreciation. and it made her think that maybe he wasn't as bad as she thought he was. 

"i want you to have this." jet spoke again after a moment of silence. 

she watched as he pulled a long necklace out of his pocket. it had pure dark green jade pearls as the chain and a medium sized dragon pendant. 

"smellerbee found it some time back," he explained as he placed the necklace over her head, allowing it to circle around her neck. he even gently flipped her hair to allow it to rest underneath her locks. "i was going to sell it, but i think it'll look better on you." 

azuna smiled at him, thankful for this gift he gave her. jet suddenly felt his heart pause. this was the first time he saw her smile and he felt a shock wave run through his soul. she has the most magical smile he has ever seen in his entire life. 

he found himself wanting to see her smile more. he wanted to know what he had to do to see it everyday. 

"thank you..."she whispered, her smile remaining on her face. "so much." 

hohohohoo, this is gonna hurt
me so much. if you know, you know.
i am sorry in advance. 

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please don't be a ghost reader. love you!