If you haven't read The Beginning of the Daughter of the Sun, stop, turn around, and go read that first! You might be a little lost otherwise.

Slowly but surely, I've been updating these chapters. You'll know they've been updated if they have something like "V 2.2" or something at the top.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender.

V 1.2

Washed Up

Prince Zuko awoke to the warm body of a woman lying against his. This young woman was soft and usually her hair smelled like jasmine tea and the rest of her smelled like just clean woman, but at that point all he could smell was himself and the salty sea air. It was the same smell that had been around him for almost three weeks.

His throat was dry and his back ached. They'd run out of water the day before, so all of the salt water around him looked very tempting. He knew why he shouldn't drink it but that didn't stop him from thinking about it. His back ached because the mini cutter that Emiko said she'd get for them to escape with had actually been a wooden raft.

Emiko shifted beneath him. He squeezed her softly, digging his face into her hair. He didn't want to think about the thirst or the hunger (they'd run out of food two days before that) and he definitely didn't want to think about another day on the sea. The girl turned over in his arms, putting her face in his chest. That face was beet red from the sun and her shoulders had started peeling a few days prior. He was no better, he assumed.

Her dry, cracked lips touched his neck but he couldn't feel much. He felt somewhat dead inside. At first he'd felt shame. Shame for not being able to capture the Avatar, shame for losing his crew, shame for everything he'd ever done in his life. It turned into guilt and anger and slowly burned down to nothing. Not even Emiko's kiss could bring him out of his feelings of nothingness.

Emiko hadn't said anything since the North Pole. The Prince felt like he should be worried, but, once again, he really couldn't feel anything. She was still upset after her father's death. He didn't know what bothered him more—that she hadn't said anything to him or that she was still clutching that engagement necklace to her chest. Or maybe that she was grieving for an awful, horrible man who did nothing but hunt her down.

A bird landed on his shoulder and he shooed it away. Emiko was the one who sat up and stopped him from shooing the beast. It was a butter-dove, holding a twig between its beak. The girl put out a hand for the bird and it hopped on her finger. Her eyes showed a spark for the first time in weeks. Emiko then presented the bird to Iroh, who was behind them.

Iroh's eyes lightened and he sighed in relief when he saw the butter-dove. It cooed and twitched its antennae before flying off with its large, colorful wings. "A butter-dove brings peace, beauty...and the promise of land." His voice was hoarse—none of them had really been talking much and all of them were thirsty. Still, there was a tear of relief in his eye.

Emiko was still watching the butter-dove fly off until it couldn't be seen off the horizon. Then, there, on that same horizon, land started to appear. Zuko felt a little bit of relief rather than nothing as he watched the sand, trees, and huts get closer and closer. He rubbed a hand over his face and top of his head and couldn't wait to shave.

When they finally washed up on shore, Zuko's legs didn't feel like they could move. Somehow, they pulled themselves up onto the shore and were greeted by men and women who pulled them to their feet. A bathhouse stretched over a wide river. Blossoming cherry trees filled the countryside, while the sun rose sullenly in the background. The people know who Zuko and Iroh were and, while they didn't know Emiko, they treated her like royalty, too. Iroh had apparently been to that spa before—and damn, it was exactly what they needed. They spent two weeks there.

Every day was magic. He was pampered like he used to be. Servants bathed him, pampered him, even clothed him. The luxuries offered were no where near palace expectations, but it was wonderful. And yet he still felt...nothing.

Emiko

I stood by the river and took off the necklace given to me by Isamu. The lace was torn in a few places and it was scuffed. Now was the first time I could actually see its engraving, and it was a small bird surrounded by fire.

How ironic, I thought sadly, running my fingers over it slowly. I was the bird being caged by my father's fire. Just feeling the love built into the small necklace made my stomach churn. Isamu had been a wonderful man. I had no idea what had happened to him after the battle in the Northern Water Tribe. I heard it was called the "Siege of the North." Isamu had been my soon-to-be husband, as forced upon by my father, his commanding officer. He'd always treated me with respect and kindness, but I hadn't felt a spark when he'd kissed me; nothing was there. I didn't know if Isamu was alive, if he'd gotten out... Koh, I couldn't even remember how I'd gotten out, only that Zuko had helped me. He'd held me after my father had died, and he'd comforted me. It still hurt to think about him.

"I'm sorry, Father," I told the air, wondering if he was still in this world or the next. My voice sounded foreign. It was low and hoarse, as if I hadn't used it for a few weeks. "I can't marry Isamu. I don't know if I could even find him." I tossed the necklace in the river and watched it float away, feeling a tightness in my chest that wouldn't go away. It bobbed a few times before slowly sinking to the bottom where I figured it'd stay for the rest of its days. I'm not going to honor your dying wish.

Suddenly a presence was behind me. I had been so caught up in my own self pity that I hadn't thought about anything else, much less an ambush. "Emiko." I felt a hand on my shoulder. My heart stopped. The warm hand…the husky voice… It brought back all of the feelings of abandonment after he'd left, when I'd thought that he died.

My throat was tight and my eyes were starting to really burn from keeping all of the tears in. I kept my face hidden from him, letting his hands gently move up and down my upper-arms. "Am I a monster?" I asked softly, looking into the water to see my red, puffy eyes looking back up at me.

He didn't say anything, he just put his forehead on top of my head and clenched my upper arms in a tight grasp.

I took a deep, shuttering breath, leaning back into his arms. I still could see the last moments of my father's life, the way he had looked at me before he'd recoiled his hand from Zuko's, and the shame that was written there. "He pulled his hand back when I begged him to grab yours," I whispered, trying to keep the tears at bay, but it was so hard. "It wasn't until I came along that he gave up life. He was going to grab your hand. I killed him by walking up at the wrong time."

"You didn't kill him." He said this as if he knew. He'd been there when it had happened, after all. When my father had ignored Zuko's hand of help and allowed himself to die. But that didn't mean that he could tell me what had happened. I knew that my father had let go, just because I knew my father too well. His pride was too strong to let his daughter see that he was being saved by his mortal enemy.

I was getting so upset that I was shuddering. He doesn't understand. I pushed his hands away from me and wrapped my arms around my body to keep the shudders in. I kept my back to him. Leave me alone. Let me grieve in peace. I couldn't tell him what I felt. The pain inside, from losing my friend, Isamu, from loosing my father, and the newly-replenished fear of what had happened to my mother all piled up inside. I stared to cry.

He was quiet. I could see his reflection in the river and his face was full of emotion. Fury, guilt, sadness... His fists were clenched and he held his body so tightly I was surprised it didn't spontaneously combust. "Speak to me, dammit."

I could never talk when I cried. I was at the point where I couldn't even stop. I didn't understand why it hurt so badly. He was an awful man, but he wasn't always that way. My mind kept conjuring up images of the picnics we used to share, or when he would hold me up in the air like I was a bird. He used to make the most wonderful homemade fire flakes. But, he was a monster, I kept trying to tell myself. It didn't work.

Zuko forcefully grabbed me. I thought he would try to shake me out of it or do something violent, but he just pulled me against him and held me tightly. His grip actually hurt a little. I put my head in his chest and gripped the back of his tunic with all my might. His comforting smell of smoke and fire and male made the shaking stop.

"About time," he said softly, leaning his head against mine. "Stop holding it in."

So I stopped. I let out all of the emotion that I'd bottled up for so long. My mother's gone, my father's gone. My sister hates me and my brother abandoned us all. We have nothing. No money, no home, no crew, no ship. I'm crying on the shoulder of a man I care about. I don't cry. Dammit. He's letting me cry, why is he letting me cry?

I looked up and grabbed his face into my small hand, lifting it up so that I could see his gorgeous topaz eyes. I pulled his face down to my height, leaning up to kiss each eyelid. He flinched when I kissed the scarred one, but I just gently kissed around it, then once in the center. Tears were supposed to be romantic, just not the snot and the puffy eyes.

He slowly sat down on the ground, pulling me into his lap and cradling me to his chest, gently kissing my face as I had his. His lips found mine once, twice, until I was lost in the softness of his caress. Thank you, thank you... It was wonderful, how his kiss could calm my heart but send it racing in passion. I loved that I could reach up, trace every part of his face, and his scar, too, if he'd let me, and then grasp his hair and pull, making his lips open just the slightest, so that I could kiss him like I wanted to.

He took control at this point, as he always seemed to, and took his frustration out on our kiss. His skin was so hot now that I could hardly stand to touch him, and yet I had to; if I didn't, I felt like I would die. The experience of his tongue, the way he held me, as if I would break at any moment, but that he almost seemed to want to break me, made me want so, so much more.

I was greedy, I admit it. When he pulled his lips away from mine to gently nip my neck, to kiss the underneath side of my jaw and gently suck on my pulse, it drove me a little wild. I wanted him to kiss me, to hold me, to do something to get rid of the pain, of the passion. It was then that I remembered what he'd said at the North Pole, before he'd left. "Let me make love to you." Those words right there stopped my frantic wildness.

That was when I took control. I gently picked up Zuko's face, looking into his lust-filled eyes. He tried to move forwards, to claim my mouth again, but I stopped him. Instead, I gave one last peck to his lips, lingering, with a pain filling in my heart that you couldn't imagine, and I stood up.

I couldn't look at him. I gently caressed his cheek, smiled sadly, and then walked away. I found Iroh not long after, walking along the ocean. I could see where we had landed not even two weeks ago. Has it only been a month since...no, don't think about that. Iroh was collecting seashells and admiring the beauty of the day and our wondrous location.

"Emiko!" Iroh said with a calm happiness that I hadn't seen in a while. "Come, Sunshine, help me collect some beautiful shells! There may be one that you will enjoy for years to come."

I walked alongside Iroh, tired from crying and too lost in my own thoughts to speak. Iroh prattled on. I could smell the sea and the crispness of the plants around us. The sun felt good against my skin, now that it was healed from our weeks on the sea. The temperature was just right.

A seashell caught my attention. It was black with jagged edges, but smooth on the top. I smiled and picked it up, pricking my finger a little bit but putting it in my pocket anyway.

Iroh saw. "Ah, I like that one. Much like my nephew. A little jagged around the edges but just needing time and a little pressure to smooth it out."

I gripped the shell inside my pocket. It bit my palm a little, but I didn't mind. "He seems...different today."

Iroh nodded. "It is the third anniversary of his banishment. He is not well."

Three years since he was burned by his own father. Three years since he was put on the path to follow the Avatar. And for what? What has he accomplished so far? "Stop holding it in." Is that what Zuko's doing? Holding in all that anger? I sighed and stretched a little, still sore even though it'd been weeks since we'd been off of that raft. "I'm going back to the cabin."

"Alright." The old man looked like he wanted to ask a question but held back. "Get some rest. You need it."

The walk back to the cabin wasn't very long. It was a nice place that the spa had given us. I had probably been hundreds of gold pieces to rent per day and we'd been there three weeks. I was grateful but felt as though I was taking advantage of the small spa.

Zuko wasn't back yet and Iroh would be out a while. I opened the door and instantly felt as though something was off. I was on guard and my heart raced miles a minute. That was about the time that I sensed someone in the room. The aura was dark, black, and evil. One could get swallowed up in it.

A hand found its way teasingly around my neck. "So you're the sweet little thing my brother's gotten into bed with...I admit, I can see the allure." Sharp nails dug into my skin, making blood pool and drip down in rivulets. Red lips pressed against the hollow beneath my ear. When Zuko did it, I felt pleasure. When this stranger did it ('my brother'? That's right, Zuko has a sister!), I felt nothing but dread run down my spine. "Pale, obviously a noble descent. Pity, he's already taken."

I pulled out of Zuko's sister's grasp and spun on her, holding my hands out in a defensive position. Zuko's sister was beautiful in a deadly way. Her golden eyes were eerily familiar, as was her thick black hair pulled up into a topknot. What was her name? She was named after Azulon. "Princess Azula. A pleasure."

A small, nasty smile appeared on her full red lips. "Oh, believe me...the pleasure's all mine." Her eyes raked over my body and I couldn't repress the shudder that ran through me. I didn't want to ask what she meant by the fact that Zuko was already taken.

"What brings you to our riverside spa, my princess?" My heart was beating a mile a minute but I bowed anyway. I bowed just as I was told and I treated her with respect even though I knew that she wanted to do something awful to me. I could feel it in my bones. "It's not often that you deviate from the palace."

"I've come for you, actually. You, my brother, and our uncle." My eyes widened a little but I tried not to show any emotion, almost like I was facing Koh himself. She wants to arrest Zuko! "Your sister needs your help. With your father gone and your brother...well, not around, someone needs to run your estate."

Jasmine is alive. I let out a breath of relief. "She made it out of the siege, then, I take it."

Azula's lip curled in devilish delight. "Of course. Jasmine has always been rather...resourceful."

Jasmine and I had never been friends. I was happy that she was alive—she was my sister, after all and I wasn't a monster—but that was as far as the feelings went. Still, Azula was right in some aspects. Jasmine spent money like ice melted in the desert. Our estate would be gone—our childhood home would be foreclosed long before I ever made it back to the Fire Nation.

If. If I make it back to the Fire Nation. "Since when are you Jasmine's personal messenger?" I couldn't help but let the bitterness color my words. "You're a princess!"

"Well, she is one of my best friends," Azula said with a fake kindness to her voice. She smiled in a way that lifted the hairs on the back of my neck. "And your father, well..."

A frog filled my throat like it had the entire raft ride from the North Pole. I found that I couldn't talk for a moment. By the time my voice had returned, the front door had opened and Iroh came in. "Emiko, I found some beautiful shells! I—oh. Princess Azula." He bowed respectfully. "To what do we owe this honor?"

"Uncle," she said off-handedly, suddenly turning cold and distant. The change left me reeling. "Quick to the point, I see."

I didn't want to take my eyes off of her but Iroh was there so I felt a little better. He looked tense. "She came for us. All of us."

Iroh's back was ramrod straight. "Oh?"

"Of course, Uncle. Where's my brother at? Still off searching for the Avatar?" Zuko and Azula looked a lot alike, with the thin black hair and the bright hazel eyes. Even their skin tone was the same, pale shade. But for some reason, I sensed that they weren't the best of friends. Much like my siblings and I weren't the closest.

"He's relaxing. We all needed rest after the North Pole," I said softly, moving closer to Iroh for protection.

"I'm very sorry for your loss," Azula said in a way that almost made me believe her. "Your father was an asset to the Fire Nation. You know that that's why I'm here for you. But now I must speak with my brother. It is of the utmost importance."

Zuko chose to walk in at that moment. He saw Azula and his eyes widened before they narrowed, looking between her and me. Suddenly, he stepped in front of me and put a hand on my hip, as if he was protecting me. "What are you doing here?"

She was unaffected by his glare and chose at that moment to pick up one of the seashells that Iroh had placed on our kitchen table days ago. She stated toying with it. "Uncle was civilized enough to say hello first, Zu-Zu."

"Don't call me that!" Zuko yelled furiously. His hand left my hip to ball into a fist in front of his sister's face. "Just tell us why you'e here or leave!"

She rolled her eyes in a very calm, I'm-better-than-you way. "I've come with a message from home," she informed, addressing Uncle and Zuko, obviously not me. The Fire Nation, to me, was not home. "Father's changed his mind. Family is suddenly very important to him. He's heard rumors of plans to overthrow him…treacherous plots. Family are the only ones you can really trust." There was a moment of silence as Zuko's hands fell to their sides. I couldn't see his face, but his back was tense. Confused. "Father regrets your banishment. He wants you home."

I was pretty sure that Azula was a snake and that this was some awful ploy to make Zuko cross into the Fire Nation and become a prisoner. I remembered that, the first day I met him, he'd crossed into Fire Nation waters and had almost been arrested. There was no way. If Zuko didn't have the Avatar, how was he supposed to go back? If the Fire Lord was anything like his son, he was too proud to rescind any kind of punishment.

There was a pause.

"Did you hear me?" Azula asked impatiently, narrowing her Zuko-colored eyes and looking like a haughty princess should. "You should be happy. Excited. Grateful. I just gave you great news!"

I smiled, sincerely, and thought about how Zuko was feeling right then. The smile was also a way to show her that I hated her guts, and I really did hope that she saw right through it. "I'm sure that your brother just needs a moment to—"

"Don't interrupt, Emiko!" she silenced me angrily. It was then that I saw there reason of resemblance between my sister and this woman—there was that same, crazy look in her eyes. A look that meant that she would cut me down at any moment if she wanted to. She then turned and addressed Zuko, and I wondered if both of them resembled their mother, or if they resembled their father. Perhaps they were a mixture of both, but Azula was much more feminine, considering she was a girl. The resemblance was a little scary. I never wanted to see that crazy glint in Zuko's beautiful eyes. "I still haven't heard my thank you. I am not a messenger; I didn't have to come all this way."

Sure, my brain thought, and I wanted to hold Zuko's hand, to stop whatever pain was raging inside of him. He can't believe this, can he? Jasmine would never want me home. This is just some ploy.

"Father regrets?" Zuko asked with shocked and quiet disbelief. Obviously, he could. "He…wants me back?" The pain in his eyes was too much to bare. I had to look away, but that still didn't stop his sad voice from reaching my ears.

"I can see you need time to take this in." Azula sighed, looking each of us in the eyes with her conniving ones. "I'll come to call on you tomorrow. Good evening."

Now, instead of wanting to attack Zuko, I thought that I was going to pounce his sister. But both Uncle and Zuko were standing there, ready to stop me, though. So I just let the Princess waltz right on by.

I figured out later how much of a bad move that was.

oOo

You'd think that after being at sea for three weeks, doing nothing but lying on hard wood, I wouldn't be very tired. It was the opposite, though. I found myself lying on my bed, watching Zuko pace back and forth as he packed bags and readied himself to leave. He was packing the few things that we owned into a few small bags. "We're going home!" I heard him cry, which made me close my eyes and sigh. I can't go there. I can't. "After three long years…it's unbelievable!"

I sat there, trying not to say anything. Iroh said it for me. "It is unbelievable," he mumbled as he stroked his beard. "I have never known my brother to regret anything."

At first Zuko looked surprised, but then he glared at his only-trying-to-help Uncle. "Did you listen to Azula? Father's realized how important family is to him; he cares about me."

"We care about you," I sighed from my position on the bed. I rubbed one eye and sat up, looking the man I was sure that I loved in the eye. If he was going to give up all we had just because his sister told him something that might or might not have been true, then...well, I didn't know what I was going to do. I wasn't sure he realized that I wouldn't go back with him. I wasn't sure if he cared.

Uncle shook his head and looked at Zuko pleadingly. "If Ozai wants you back, well, I think it may not be for the reasons you imagine."

Zuko became defensive and turned his back to us, just as I knew he would. He really was going to turn his back on us for the people who abandoned him. "You don't know how my father feels about me," he growled, using a tone that reminded me of a child. "You don't know anything."

Now I got up, still slightly angered, but also feeling pity. I put my hand on Zuko's shoulder as Uncle continued. "Zuko, I only meant that in our family, things are not always what they seem." The old man's comment was correct, but the Prince wouldn't listen. I gently squeezed his shoulder, wishing that he would look at me, maybe even kiss me, to show me that everything was alright.

Zuko flung my hand off his shoulder, whirled around and still wouldn't look me in the eyes. No, instead, he glared at Uncle. "I think you are exactly what you seem, Uncle," he said angrily, making me catch my breath from the fury coming from the Prince. "A lazy, mistrustful, shallow old man who has always been jealous of his brother!"

Zuko had never been one to take criticism lightly. He always had to blame his mistakes on someone else. But this was horrible. Iroh had never done anything but help Zuko, he'd stayed with him for three years, guiding him along the right path, keeping him sane in his search for the Avatar.

I put my hands on Zuko's arms, forcing him to look at me. "Zuko, don't take this out on Iroh. He's done nothing but try to help you."

Then, in my surprise, Zuko turned his fury to me. "And you!" he yelled, grabbing my arm roughly. I gave out a small gasp of pain and surprise, but he didn't notice. "You're a hot headed girl who won't quit mourning the loss of her asshole of a father! Stay out of matters you don't understand, peasant!"

I took my hand and lashed it against the side of his face, watching it leave a large red whelp. He stumbled backwards as the room got fuzzy in front of my eyes, and then he tore out of the back door of our cottage.

I glared at where he left for a moment longer, but then stormed out the front exit.

He met me there. I stood toe-to-toe with him on that beach and looked up into those eyes. They were confused and hurt and I didn't know what I could do to make him feel better. I didn't know if I wanted to. The red mark on his face made me think twice before apologizing. Instead, I said, "Zuko, you know that if you go to the Fire Nation...that I can't follow you."

Those beautiful lips parted in a sneer. My heart sank to my feet, but he didn't say anything. He just walked away without saying a word.

Zuko

The next morning, Zuko quickly descended the stairway outside of the bathhouse, a bag over his shoulder. He paused for a moment and looked down at the Fire Nation ship in the bay below, thinking of the many things that could go wrong with Azula being the leader in all of this. He didn't know if he would ever see Emiko or Iroh after what he had done, either, but then again, it was worth it.

...Right?

"Wait!" a familiar voice called out urgently. Zuko looked back to see Uncle running as fast as he could and waving his hand. "Don't leave without me!"

"Uncle!" Zuko called to him, feeling a large weight lifted off of his shoulders. Not all of it, as he still didn't see Emiko, but most of it, yes. "You've changed your mind!"

"Family sticks together, right?"

Zuko smiled when Uncle put his hand on his shoulder. Both of them looked down to the docks, and Zuko felt a sense of calm. "We're finally going home…" Home. Why can't Emiko see that the Fire Nation is our home? Even hers? With her father gone, she can return peacefully. She's not being forced to marry anyone or become a maiden at the Fire Temples. She can be free.

Uncle took a second glance at the ship, looking skeptical. Zuko tried to ignore it, because he knew that he wanted this, knew that he wanted his sister to be telling the truth. Almost as much as he wanted to be with Emiko.

Zuko almost turned and walked again, but felt as if something heavy started weighing on his shoulders again. His cheek ached from where he'd been slapped.. "Where is she?"

Uncle shook his head. "I tried to find her but—"

That was when he felt her presence, and he turned to see her standing at the top of the hill, a hesitant look on her face. She was gorgeous, standing there, with her long, thick black hair and those bright yellow eyes. He didn't ever think he'd get tired of how short she was, he wondered if she knew just how much he found her heart-shaped face appealing.

She slowly walked down the steps, wearing a simple white tunic and pants that any normal peasant would wear, but he still found her strangely beautiful. She moved and stepped next to Iroh's side. "Hello, Zuko," she said softly, not able to meet his eyes.

"Emiko," he said softly, feeling a smile come onto his face, and the tension being released from his entire body. The scared look on her face made him feel horrible, and he noticed a small bruise in the shape of his hand on her arm. He reached out and gently caressed it, making her flinch. "I'm—"

"Don't touch me. Let's go, if we're going." She shrugged away from his touch, straightening the small pack over her shoulder, and moved to leave. He gently grabbed her hand and pulled her back, quickly capturing her lips in a soft kiss. Her lips had always been warm and soft, but at the moment they were no longer warm; instead, they were cool, but they were still soft and supple beneath his. When he pulled away, she looked more than surprised, as if she'd had some kind of speech built up, but it'd been deflated by the kiss. She pushed away from him, her cheeks a bright red.

Zuko smiled softly again, knowing that things were going to be alright from then on.

Emiko

I felt so many emotions riling in me that I was confused. I was worried, because Zuko's hopes could be crushed. I was upset, hurt, and angry because Zuko had handled me harshly, and his hand print was still on my arm. I was so, so confused, because this kiss he'd just given me had been soft and loving, and the most gentle kiss he'd ever given me. And then I was in pain, from all of this emotion, from losing my father. From hitting the man I loved. From hearing those awful, awful words he'd spoken.

I kept moving forwards, looking away from the red skin on his pale cheek.

My chest was tight and my breathing was shallow. I didn't want to go back to the Fire Nation, but I'd made a promise to Zuko—I swore that I would spend every day of my life making up for the lies I'd told. Not following him seemed like the wrong way to go about that.

We walked to the docks, and I knew that I'd miss this strange place. It had been peaceful and full of relaxation. It held my father's mourning place and Isamu's necklace. I knew that in the future, I would come back. I would bring my kids here and hope that somehow my father was in a peaceful place like that.

On the dock, a group of Fire Nation soldiers formed two ranks along the path leading to the ship. The three of us walked toward them. Azula stood at the top of the stairs that led onto her ship, a soldier on either side. Zuko looked content and Uncle was eyeing the soldiers suspiciously, but I just wanted to get this over with. I knew that something was going to go wrong. It just needed to happen so that I could get it over with.

Azula raised her arms in greeting and bowed to us. "Brother! Uncle! Emiko, too!" she cried with happiness, and the sincerity may or may not have been real. We bowed in response. I saw Uncle eye the soldiers next to him. "Welcome," Azula greeted, clasping her thin hands together. In noticed that her armor made her a bit larger than she really seemed to be. She was still menacing no matter what. "I'm so glad you decided to come." The two files of soldiers closed in behind us, making the skin on the back of my neck prick up. Cage. Trap.

"Are we ready to depart, Your Highness?" the Captain asked, and I thought that I'd seen him before, but I wasn't sure.

"Set our course for home, Captain," Azula commanded pleasantly, and I felt for a fact that she was putting up some kind of front, trying to confuse us. If she was anything like my sister, then this was all going to go wrong in no time at all.

"Home…" Zuko repeated wistfully, and the longing in his voice made me hope that perhaps nothing would happen. I wanted to be optimistic but I'd dealt with the Fire Nation too many other times to count.

We began to climb the stairs onto the ship while the Captain led the way. "You heard the Princess!" he called. "Raise the anchors! We're taking the prisoners ho—" He stopped, realizing his mistake.

My heart broke for Zuko right then. That, and the fact that I was considered a "prisoner" now. Before, I'd been the daughter. Now, I was a prisoner. Zuko looked enraged, and I wanted to hold him but it was definitely not the right time. Iroh seemed as if he too had known that this would happen. Azula, on the other hand, was now seething.

The Captain was mortified. "Your Highness…I…!"

Zuko's eyes widened. Uncle looked to his left, then spun around, backhanding a guard off of the ship and kicked another down the incline.

Another guard approached from his left, but I grabbed his foot before he could get any bending from it. I spun underneath his leg and twisted his entire body around before he fell into the water. I punched another that approached from my left. Now, I wasn't even thinking with my mind, I was just trying to stay alive. I could hardly breathe and the world was disappearing though a black tunnel of panic.

Uncle grabbed a soldier that was about to trip me and spun him around, tossing him off the edge of the dock. Zuko grabbed one guard, throwing him off the incline and into the water. He stalked up the incline of the ship, furious. "You lied to me!"

"Like I've never done that before," his sister said smugly, waving off the conflict with a small smirk. She turned and walked away.

Two guards launched fire at Zuko, but he just brushed it aside and charged forward, screaming.

Uncle and I tried to fight off the soldiers on the path leading to the ship. One launched a kick at him, but a blast of fire from me sent him flying. Two other soldiers approached from each side, and Iroh sent two blasts of fire at them, knocking them from the path. It had been a very, very long time since I'd been able to openly Firebend, and I reveled it in. Another guard launched a fireball at Iroh's face, but he avoided it and grabbed the soldier's arm and put an arm around his neck.

Holding the guard, he turned toward the ship. "Zuko!" he cried, the only thing that I could consider 'panic' coming from Iroh's voice. "Let's go!" He tossed the guard off the side of the path. Another approached, throwing fire at him, but Iroh stepped to the side and pushed him away with a palm to the face.

Iroh was busy, so he didn't see one of the guards grab my hair. "Let go!" I cried, cursing his dirty tactic. I felt a chuckle run through his body. I couldn't get out; I was stuck. I did the first thing that came to my mind. Reaching around, I grabbed the soldier's sword and pulled it up, and used it to cut my hair out of the soldier's grasp. He fell backwards and into the water. I didn't bother with looking at it, now that it was up to my chin. Because there were only about five guards left.

Uncle took care of three of them while I was busy trying to fight the other two. I did a jump kick and broke one's nose, before finally he decided that more broken bones weren't going to be good. Then, before I could turn around, the other one had his arm around my waist and a dagger at my throat.

"Call the old man over here," he whispered menacingly into my ear. Anxiety filled me, making me start to feel claustrophobic and scared. "Do it or he'll be seeing the inside of your throat and then I'll go for him."

"Uncle!" I cried in dread, my hands on the man's forearm. I could feel the steel of the blade cutting into my neck, and I was almost afraid to swallow in fear that if I did, the movement would push the dagger against my skin.

Iroh turned to me then with a look of fear. "Emiko…" Since one of the men he was fighting was down on the ground, unconscious, the other two had to hold him back. He surrendered without a second thought.

"Touch one hair on his head, and I swear I will hunt you down," I threatened menacingly, only to the man holding me, my voice quavering. "Even if you die, I'll find you in the Spirit World, forever haunting your soul."

He laughed and nodded to one of the men who had heard. That man plucked a grey hair from Uncle's head, shredding it in his hand with a knife that he'd gotten from somewhere in his tool belt.

"You're hard of hearing, aren't you?" I asked the lieutenant behind me, feeling anger filling ever part of my being.

Again, he laughed at me. "And what are you going to do about it, little girl?"

I didn't answer, making him laugh even harder. The world around me suddenly got hot, and a strange feeling was somewhere in my chest and stomach. Finally, I felt the man behind me back up, dropping the dagger; it clattered to the floor. He fell to one knee and started to breathe hard. I turned and kept my eyes on him, never taking them off. My body was just there, but not my thoughts. I couldn't stop doing whatever I was doing to this man.

"Is…is it hot out here…?" he asked, sweating, gripping the side of the dock. The man's skin started to boil, and he was frantically trying to figure out why. He appeared to be in incredible pain. I saw the two soldiers behind me drop Uncle's arms from the corner of my eye. The backed up slowly and then ran away.

The Lieutenant in front of me started screaming. That scream burned into my scull and I awoke from whatever trance I'd been in. The man jumped into the water. Still, his skin was burning. I watched in horror as his skin started falling off, showing the muscles that were burned underneath. Soon, that too was melting off.

I watched as half of the man was burned to no extent. I threw up over the side of the dock. Convulsions overtook as Uncle put one hand on my back, rubbing in soothing circles. "What did I do?" I asked before I vomited again. "What did I do?" I screamed and looked down at the body that was floating in the water. Seven. This makes seven kills.

"You…you boiled his blood."

"Boiled…his…blood." Maybe that man had a family. Maybe that body floating in the water below me felt pain, never again to see his wife or his children. His parents; grandchildren. "By raising his body temperature, you boiled his blood, boiling his skin. I've read about this type of Firebending but I've never…"

My stomach was empty but I still heaved over the side of the dock. How could I have done such a thing? I took another human being's life away, without even thinking about it. All I felt was…I didn't even know what I felt. Something had taken over. The spirit, maybe? I was in complete control and, spirit or no spirit, I was responsible. I was fully aware of everything going on and I could see everything, not just with a black tunnel of panic over my eyes.

And what I saw was Azula, poised to strike at her older brother.

She stood at the top of the incline and began to swing her arms in circles, lightning arcing around her. She aimed her fingers at Zuko and a lightning bolt shot toward him.

"NO!" I cried, not noticing that I was once again alone.

Uncle suddenly appeared and grabbed Azula's fingers in his hand. He channeled the electricity through his body and shot it from his other hand, letting it explode harmlessly into the cliff side. He then somehow disabled her, making her fall into the water.

The next thing I knew, I was being picked up and carried. Zuko said nothing as he held me against him, running alongside his Uncle.

Later...

I looked down from Zuko's arms and saw our shadows in the river. He collapsed onto his knees at the bank of it, setting me down next to him. My stomach hurt from being carried like that the entire way, but the pain that Zuko was feeling was even worse, so I said nothing.

Uncle breathed deeply, taking a knee next to his nephew. "I think we're safe here."

I was still shocked by what had happened. The fact that I'd killed a man was still ingrained into my mind. I'm a murderer. "Is anyone ever safe?"

Iroh looked away from me, over to his nephew.

Zuko brought out a knife with some writing on the blade, acting as if neither of us were there. He stared at it for a moment, and I wondered what he was trying to do. Iroh nodded solemnly, keeping his eyes away from me as well. Zuko took the knife and brought it behind his head and cut off his ponytail. He passed the knife to Iroh, who did the same. I was rather shocked, actually. I'd only ever known Zuko with that patch of hair. I'd combed it, I'd grabbed it, I'd run my fingers through it. And then it was just gone.

He handed it back to Zuko, but I snatched it out of both of their hands. Zuko looked down at me, his eyes filled with horror. I smiled weakly and cut my hair even shorter, so that it was short enough that no man could grab it and use it against me again.

Zuko nodded. All three of us released our hair into the water. Zuko and Uncle's ponytails floated down, while mine turned a dull brown and pulled apart. I put my hand up to my hair to try and understand what it would look like. I felt strange curls pulling my hair up, and I knew that this would be a large change from the usual.

Hair was hair; it grew back. But this new way of life that we would have...it would change everything.

Welcome back to the newest episode of "The Daughter of the Sun," otherwise known to me as "DotS." This one is about Revelations. The Beginning, well...