Okay, so I discovered something. Thanks to one of my loyal reviewers, I found out that someone copied my work. Literally. She copied every single word and pasted it and claimed it was her own story! I was furious. She changed my title to "Playing with Heat". WTH. PLAYING with heat? What's up with that!

Anyway, those were my first thoughts. I messaged her in a blind fury. But then she messaged me back, and admitted what she did. I guess I should be flattered. I mean, she liked the story so much that she copied it and used it as her own. So I decided that I'll forgive her because she did say that everyone knew in the first place and hated her. She is now going to take down the story, but she wants to also take down her account! I told her not to, and I'll even help her write her own story if she needed help! Anyway, I'm not mad about it anymore. Now I feel guilty about the stuff I told her, which I do regret because I reviewed on her story and said some pretty mean stuff. Sorry!

But thanks to a loyal reviewer known as DragonsGirl I found out that someone copied my work. Thank you so much for letting me know! I dedicate this chapter to you just for your help! THANK YOU!

Don't forget, the girl who copied my work, I forgive you. Everyone else should, too, because hey, you admitted you did it. And you're going to take it down. I just hope you learned a valuable lesson: don't copy. It never gets you anywhere. Hoped I helped you learn something! Let me know if you need any help on any ideas! Don't hesitate to ask for help!

Anyway, guess what people! I decided I'm going to do more than one parts to this story. I think I'll do three parts. Part 1 will be about you growing accustomed to the avatar world and discovering the true, hidden side of Zuko. Part 2 will be where you develop your feelings to him, and he develops his towards you as well. It'll be ZukoXYOU. And Part 3 is still unknown, for I'm trying to figure it out, but I'll let you know as soon as possible!

Anyway, here's the next chapter!

The waves outside the ship must've got rougher because you began feeling sick. Everything seemed to sway. The bed slid to one side of the room when the boat rocked to one side, and it slid back to its original position when the boat rocked again.

You've once heard of seasickness and never thought twice about it. It was a motion caused sickness. You suddenly felt queasy, sick, and overly exhausted. As you looked up at the feeling, it felt like you were staring straight ahead, but everything else was moving.

You rolled into the fetal position. You stomach roared in pain, and your eyes literally hurt from the sickness. Where was Iroh? Even Zuko sounded like good company right now. Food didn't sound appetizing at the moment, for you had a feeling you were going to throw up. And your eye was still throbbing. It was swollen twice its size, and the one side of your face felt heavier than the other. It felt strange.

You groaned into the mat in agony. Maybe closing your eyes would help the sickness. But then the bed slid to the other side of the room again. You held onto the mat, trying not to fall off. Moments later, it slid back to its previous position.

The sound of the waves was clear to where you were. Something had to be wrong. Was there a storm outside? You've never been out this far in the ocean, and you've never been in a fire nation ship before. This was, after all, a first time for this kind of thing. Maybe that was why you felt so sick.

After what seemed like ages, the door opened and Iroh walked in. He had no cup of tea (since it would probably spill), and he came by your side. "Namiko, how do you feel?"

"Worse." You grumbled. "I think I'm seasick."

Iroh's eyes flashed in sympathy. "Oh dear. You must lie on your stomach, put your head in the pillow, and close your eyes. Do it now." You followed his instructions, your entire body trembling. "Try to get some sleep. I know that is nearly impossible at the moment, but please try."

"I feel like I'm going to throw up." You whined into the pillow. "Are we in some kind of storm?"

"No. The waves can get choppy if the wind picks up. There is no storm. If there was, I'd feel it in my bones." Iroh rubbed your back soothingly. "When you get as old as I am, you learn when something is more than just an ache. How is your eye?"

"It's swollen. I feel like I'm deformed or something. Will it ever get better?"

"Of course it will."

You sighed in relief. But then you remembered you still had Zuko to look after. You frowned into the pillow. Something heavy weighed in your chest. It was something called worry.

"He hates me, doesn't he." You stated.

Iroh hesitated. "Well, his feelings are very strong towards you. He is still very angry about the things you have said to him. But I told him that you were as angry as he was, for he had no right of accusing you for something you didn't do. But my nephew can be very stubborn at times, and his pride means more than anything. Having stubbornness like that can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. Sometimes having humiliation can teach you a thing or two. It heals."

"Still," You said bitterly, "I hate him. He has no right to just punch me like that! Next time I see him I swear I'll…" You stopped short. You knew now that you'd think twice around Zuko. That punch really did hurt. And you knew perfectly well that Zuko was a better fighter than you. It was be downright foolish for you to go back and start another fight, another fight that was impossible to win. "It's not fair. He's not fair. He gave me this." Your eye throbbed as a reminder.

"Speak in anger," Iroh said calmly, "and you'll give the greatest speech you'll ever regret."

"Why should it matter to me? Zuko's fire nation." You spat angrily. "He means nothing to me. I could care less if he jumped off this boat."

"We have decided that we'll release you on our next stop. Zuko is pressing the men on this boat to skip town a few miles back so we'd get there on time. Do not worry, you'll only have to be here for a few more days and then you're free." Iroh smiled. "I think I convinced him that you have nothing to do with the avatar."

It was ironic that you knew more than even avatar did about the entire show. You knew how it was going to end, you knew every single thing. Nobody else did. Yet Iroh managed to convince the fire nation prince that you knew nothing, when you really knew everything!

"Thanks," You whispered. It hurt when you leaned more on the swollen eye, so you angled your body differently so it was on the other side. "The faster I'm away from him, the better."

"Please don't take his actions to person. Zuko really means no harm."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. He has a rough life, yadda yadda yadda. Well guess what? Everyone has their own problems. That doesn't give them the special right to go around punching people just because what they say. He needs to get his anger in check or someone else will teach him a lesson."

"Someone already did." Iroh muttered glumly.

"Maybe giving him another burn on the other side of his face will teach him something." You grumbled, and instantly regretted it. Uh oh! Iroh wasn't supposed to know that you knew about his father giving him the scar! You just gave yourself away.

"How do you know about his scar?" Iroh asked.

"I, uh, don't. I was just insinuating."

"It is unhealthy to insinuate something. Many people have that habit. I had it as well when I was young." You silently thanked the person who made Iroh to make him a talkative and trusting guy. If you told him you could eat fire or something he'd probably believe you if you took enough time to convince him!

Iroh was like a naïve little boy. He got happy over small things and trusted people way too easily. But then again he had a lot of wisdom. He also had a lot of experiences about life, because he was so old and all. He, without even trying, forced people to respect him. He was just an overall respectable guy.

Zuko was truly lucky to have him. And he didn't even know it yet.

"Maybe your nephew isn't that bad." You said softly. "Maybe we just started off bad."

"Yes. Maybe if you apologized…?"

"I am NOT apologizing!" You said loudly, shocked. "No way in hell will I throw away whatever dignity I have left to apologize when it wasn't even my fault! I mean, have you seen my eye?" You didn't even know that Iroh began sneaking towards the door, taking his time to open the door silently and slip out. You were still talking awhile after he left, and it wasn't until you looked up to find nobody standing there that you felt like an idiot. "Great. It has to mean something when Iroh has to leave you because you talk too much."

You imagined yourself punching Zuko, and you instantly felt better. Soon enough, you fell asleep on the mat, feeling 100 times better than before.

You woke up when you were shivering.

You exhaled deeply, and were shocked to see your breath. Something had to be wrong. The entire room was freezing.

Shakily, you stood up. Even your eye wasn't throbbing anymore—it was numb. You opened the door (wow it was open) and peered out into the hallway. The candles were on, perched up on the walls, but their warmth had no effect for it was still freezing cold.

You hugged yourself and walked down the hallway. There were no guards; no nothing. All was silent. A dead silence.

You eventually found your way to the deck, and were surprised when you found yourself looking across the water nation ocean. Since when did the boat cross into the water nation? Were you guys in the southern water nation or the northern?

The sky was a dull white color with no cloud, and the water was completely still with no movement. There were icebergs surrounding the boat like gentle giants. Zuko was looking through a telescope in the front of the ship, and Iroh was playing that board game. You forgot what it was called.

"Iroh," You said weakly, trembling in the clothes Zuko had given you, "why are we here?"

You noticed how Zuko's body stiffened, and how he made a point to not even acknowledge you. Ouch.

"We decided to come here to the northern waters." Iroh said pleasantly. "You've been asleep for three days. We were going to let you go at the nearest town but I was worried about you. You were asleep for three days! So I decided that you just needed some rest." He then noticed what you were wearing. "Don't come out here in freezing weather wearing that! I'll lend you one of my warmest new tunics I bought." Iroh winked slyly. "It has fur."

Zuko still didn't even look at you when Iroh led you away. You looked at him over your shoulder, but he was hunched over, looking through that telescope at nothing in the ocean. Did he really think he would find something out here in this tundra? Oh wait. He actually was supposed to find the avatar.

The tunic Iroh let you wear was more than warm. It made you melt from the sudden warmth, and you didn't want to move from the spot. You wanted to cuddle up and sleep with the warm tunic. But then you remembered that you slept for three days, and you felt antsy. You wanted to get off the ship and stretch your limbs. Maybe even run, just to get rid of all this energy stored inside of you from all that sleep.

"Your eye has gotten better." Iroh commented. "The swelling is nearly gone, and the black eye isn't black anymore, it's more like a purple."

Was that supposed to make you feel better?

"How do you feel now? Still seasick?" Iroh questioned.

"No. I feel better. Maybe it helps that there's no waves." You smiled sheepishly. "I still can't believe I slept for three days. That's crazy."

"You needed some rest is all. It's what your body lacked, so your body nourished it." Iroh shrugged. "Anyway, some hot tea sounds good right now. Care for some?"

"No. But can I have some soup? That sounds good to me right now."

"Of course. You can stay in here while I go get it." Iroh left, closing the door softly behind him.

You fell back onto the bed. Pretty soon you were going to get off this cursed ship. Once Zuko found the avatar, you'd somehow become friends with the monk and leave with him. So for right now, you figured it would be wise to keep things cool between each other. Getting another black eye didn't sound very promising at the moment.

You looked out the window to see Zuko still looking through that telescope, deeply focused on finding the avatar. Maybe he really was persistent enough to look forever for the avatar, just to go back to his home. Maybe he was only mean to other people because he was self conscious of himself. It all involved that scar of his. Like Iroh previously said, a little humiliation can change someone, for the good or the bad. Well, he didn't say it like that, but it was something like that.

Iroh returned shortly with a bowl of steaming soup and a cup of tea. You ate the broth heartily, not really caring what kind it was. It tasted really delicious, and your body felt instantly warmer from the warm soup.

"We have one of the best chefs onboard." Iroh told you. "He sure knows how to cook, that's for sure."

"I agree." You said, slurping a spoonful of the tea. It tasted so heavenly to you at the moment. "So are we going to stop anywhere any time soon?"

"I honestly do not know. The nearest town is very far off, and we don't know the exact location of the southern water tribe. They've stayed hidden for many years. The fire nation hasn't been able to track them yet." You could tell Iroh didn't want to find the southern water tribe, but even he knew that Zuko was determined to find it. "My nephew thinks the avatar is hidden somewhere around here. He said it's a hunch, but I think he's hoping for something that can never happen. The avatar has been gone for a hundred years. The chance that he is even alive is scarce, and finding him would be like trying to find a hay in a pile of needles."

"I see what you mean." You knew Zuko was going to find him, but you didn't know when. The show never really said what day it was, or what happened before. It was just that Zuko was looking through the telescope, Iroh was playing that board game, and then that beam was emitted into the air from the avatar breaking out of the iceberg. That was it.

"The cook cooks the best tea." Iroh said. "I can't find many people who can brew tea like him. He even cooks it as good as me!"

"Why do you like tea so much? I'm just curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat-dog." Iroh said with a playful grin. "I like tea because it calms the mind and soul. It is also very healthy for a person, I do not know how but it is." He paused. "Plus, it tastes good. And it warms you up when you're cold, like soup."

"Soup is good." You almost drank the whole bowl of broth. But you were so hungry that you couldn't stop sipping and swallowing.

"My son and I used to try to create our own tea." Iroh said, chuckling. "When he was but a toddler, we'd gather our own ingredients and then we'd mix them together in the pack. Then we'd boil some water and add our ingredients. Most were downright awful, but there were a couple that were actually pretty good."

You remembered that Iroh's son died at war. But Iroh was so happy when he talked about him. Shouldn't he be a little sad, since he was dead?

"I'd like to meet your son one day."

"He'd get along with you easily. He's a lot different than my nephew, but they used to be good friends. Azula always convinced Zuko that he was better than my son, so my son was usually left by himself, which is why he stopped visiting them." Iroh looked down. "He died during a battle. I used to be a general in the fire nation army, but I just couldn't do it anymore once he died. I didn't have the heart."

"I'm sorry."

"It is alright. My son lived a good life, and it was his time." Iroh sighed. You could see his eyes watering, but the tears were slowly going away. "I cannot stop death, no matter how much I tried to protect him. So sometimes I cannot help but imagine Zuko as one of my own. My son. It's not like I want to replace Lu Ten, but because he needs someone right now. I need him as much as he needs me. Since I have all this experience with life and all, I was always eager to show it all to Lu Ten, but since he is gone, I have Zuko to show. But sometimes he just won't listen, but I won't give up. One day, if he ever wants me gone, I'll go. But the moment he wants me back, I'll be back."

You couldn't help but feel even more respect and admiration for Iroh. He was getting more and more amazing by the seconds that ticked by. Before this whole escalade, you thought of him nothing more than a fat old man that needed some exercise, but now, you realized he was something more. He was so much smarter and wiser than you originally thought. Maybe it was because you were speaking to him first-hand instead of through a screen. Or maybe it was because what he said suddenly made since. Who knew?

You wondered if your original perspective of Zuko would change like Iroh's did. Maybe you two would become good friends, of maybe you two would hate each other even more as time passed. Nobody knew.

You knew the entire show, but you didn't know what was to happen to you as you spent more time in the avatar world. Already you had one black eye, experienced seasickness, and even got to see the southern water tribes. You couldn't help but wonder what else was in store for you.

I might just make everything happen how it did in the show. I want to get everything in, you know? Anyway, thanks everyone for the kind reviews! Here's a special shout for all the awesome reviewers I have!:

DragonsGirl: Thank you so much for letting me know! Really. I would've had absolutely NO idea. And thank you for your review, too. It means a lot to me.

Destiny: Right now Zuko has the topknot. He gets the shaggy hair later on. Thanks so much for all your reviews! I'm glad you like the story!

NaijaSpiritOfAir: Oops sorry! I just said Japanese names because the character (you haha) had no time to really think about what kind of names they truly were. Have you ever been in a tight situation like that? Where you just said something that wasn't true? Well that's what kind of situation that was. Thanks for your review! You rock!

ForeverAwkward: Like I told the previous reviewer, it was for the character's quick thinking. Thanks for letting me know though! Also thanks for the information of other peoples' names; I didn't know where they all came from. It's nice how they vary!

OrchiadeaPL: Greetings from USA! Thanks for the review haha!

badluckgirl11: Aw you really think my work is FANTASTIC? I'm downright flattered! Thank you so much for the review! I hope you think this chapter is fantastic as the last haha.

Dante L: I'm genuinely flattered! My story is among the better fanfics? THANK YOU SO MUCH! *bows theatrically*

EmpressVicky: I LOVE YOU DUDETTE! Haha just thought I'd let you know ;p anyway sorry for taking so long on sending you the update to Divine Wind, I've been a bit depressed since I found out someone totally copied my work. But I'm better now, and now that I'm off for school, I'll send you the update ASAP! :)

Dragon'sGirl79: Yes. Yes I did make Zuko very jerk-like. Thank you! That's why I like Zuko, he's no priss ;)

Thank you all so much for the reviews! You all rock out loud!

:)SmilinForYa:)