After meeting up with Longshot and Smellerbee (who appear to be going out), they and the Gaang members discuss Jet's apparent crush on Zuko.
They get to the prison to pay the fine, and find Jet and Zuko arguing in their cell about many things, including whether Jet "did" Katara back in his introductory episode. The entire conversation is noted verbatim, but I wish Katara/the author hadn't done so.
As they're released, Jet quips that he spent months in prison because of Zuko, causing Mai to remark that the same goes for her. After a great deal of arguing and insults, Jet's surprised to hear that Zuko's firelord, and says that having his scarred face on the currency will traumatize the kids, and Katara wants to retaliate, but Toph beats her to it.
Understandably, Zuko doesn't find the train trip back very enjoyable, especially when his friends pair Jet and Azula based on their insanity and obsession with Zuko. Zuko and Mai break up during the train ride, in a supposedly private separate car (in this fic, there's no such thing as a private conversation). She's angry with him for getting into fights, and even more angry when she finds a secret list of his reasons to break up with her that supposedly blames her for their relationship woes. She's happier to hear of an opportunity to start as a bounty hunter's assistant, though, and parts with Zuko on relatively amicable terms.
That said, Zuko doesn't want to talk about it very much, and pre-empts Iroh's attempts to ask about it. Iroh, however, seems to understand, and encourages Zuko to let off some steam, something that benders in general do to relieve stress, as Iroh explains to Toph. Of course, it's also something Zuko often did with Katara at some of his lower points, and she wrestles with the question of whether it's best to go with him or leave him alone. It's an interesting conundrum Katara struggles with, but I notice that they tend to have the lion's share of meaningful conversations with each other.
Eventually, however, Katara goes to find him, and thinks about how she loves him, even if he may not feel the same way. Zuko, however, is letting out all his steam over the jealousy he feels over her kissing Aang and her past history with Jet, and admits that he wants her to himself. Katara's overjoyed to hear that, and ends up kissing him for several paragraphs. Katara's worries and belief that they cannot be together have not gone away, but she decides to enjoy the moment.
The author notes that in spite of that, the fic isn't over yet, and she's not a fan of ending the story after the main couple's first kiss. I agree with that, but there's not a lot of the fic left- only 11 chapters remain, one of which is a concluding author's note. There's even less when you consider everything else going on in the fic, which means that it gets divided even father. It's a bit like dividing a medium pizza between over a dozen people, or fitting a large family into a two-bedroom home.
Furthermore, if you think about it, you'll notice that the first actual Zutara kiss (along with conclusively sinking Maiko and Kataang) happened within a day of the Kataang kiss at the end of the series, even if Kataang sinking happened as a result of that kiss. I have to wonder if the author, having finally visited all the Stations of the Canon, jumped at the opportunity to move things forward on some level. Considering that Zuko and Katara would have kissed by now if not for several inconvenient interruptions, it's not too hard to suspect that Zuko and Katara would be secretly dating if Zuko hadn't "conveniently" forgotten Katara's Anguished Declaration of Love. Perhaps if the author had enabled things to move forward sooner, and discarded her desire to stick to canon even though it wasn't practical, we might have had a more natural progression and a better overall fic.
In conclusion, the kiss is a step in the right direction, but how well does the author use the little time she has left? We shall see.
What I liked
- Zuko and Katara finally kiss.
- Zuko and Mai have a clean breakup.
What I didn't like
- Most of the chapter was taken up by bloated Jet shenanigans.
- The kiss happens too close to the end of the series
