Another chapter! I hope you like it, please review! :)

-Goob39

Disclaimer: don't own ATLA, but I do claim my own characters and stories.

Being out at sea was, well thrilling. I loved the feeling of being surrounded by water, most of the crew didn't like the water, they were only fire benders, it makes since. I had gotten close with the crew, they were brave and nice. I had always thought that fire nation soldiers were evil. But maybe there were more like my father, on the right side of things.

I was as crazy about finding the avatar as Zuko was, not for the same reasons I remind you. But still it was on my mind at all times, I had to find him to complete the task my father set for me. The prince and I had talked, but it was mostly about the avatar, he was obsessed. He spent most of his time alone though in his room, meditating. I sometimes meditated with him but he seemed uncomfortable when I was around. I would catch him looking at me and he wouldn't talk when I came around and if he did it would him either snapping at me or yelling. I always snapped or yelled back being the way I am, but he didn't act like the person I met at dinner.

I stood on the deck, watching the prince practice his fire bending. He was shirtless; he was very well built if I do say so myself, he was fighting against some of his crew. He was a very good firebender, but had still not reached the level of mastery. I watched his movements and saw the mistakes in his stance. I shook my head, even his crew was worse than him. Iroh saw me watching and called me over, "Oriana, would you like some tea?"

I smiled, "I would love some." he filled my cup and began watching his nephew again.

"He still hasn't completely mastered the intermediate teachings," Iroh looked at me.

"I can see, his stance has faults and his bending comes from anger, he could be much better if he didn't use anger as his drive," I stated. I could see that he had anger in him, an over whelming anger, ever since I meet him.

"You can see that from just from watching him for a few practices," he asked stunned.

"Yes, but I can also tell from being with him the last weeks," I said as I sipped my tea again.

"Yes, he does have much turmoil in him; he has had a rough life in his 16 years. His mother leaving him at a young age, being banished and burned by his own father." Iroh shook his head, "but he is determined young man, and when I see the way he acts around you, I see the happier child he was when he was younger. I think you are good for him, I see you two becoming great friends." I never saw the way acted around me as happy but I wasn't the one who knew what Zuko's happy side was.

"I hope so," I smile at him, we go back to watching Zuko and sipping tea. The prince had just beaten the last crew member. He looked at me and uncle, and looked proud of himself.

"Zuko, can you fight Oriana next?" Iroh asked, "I think you need someone to challenge you more." Iroh looked at the fallen crew members, as much as I had gotten to know the crew, they weren't great at fire bending. I had practiced since I had been aboard the ship, no one knew besides Iroh and Zuko that I was a master of fire. I don't smile at this idea, it not that I thought he could beat me, I just didn't want to embarrass him.

"Sure," Zuko answers,

"Are you sure," I whisper to Iroh, "I don't want to embarrass him and have him get angry."

"Yes, I am sure," Iroh answers, "he can hold his own."

"Alright" I stand up and I walked out to take my place across from him,

"Don't worry I will take it easy on you," Zuko assures me.

"You take it easy on me?" I laughed hard, "this is going to be fun" I think to myself. "Okay whatever you say." all of the crew was gathered watching us about to fight.

I heard one call out "kick his ass," and Zuko glared at the crew. I recognized the man, Lexer, he was the closest in age of the crew members to me besides Zuko, and who just gotten beaten by the prince, he wanted to get back at Zuko. I had meet Lexer when I woke up early, after another nightmare.

-FLASH BACK-

The dark megalomaniac eyes of the man coming at me in my dreams were still causing me nightmares. I had to get out of bed, this was the third day I had the same dream, the third day I was on the ship, the third day I had woken up before sunrise.

I stepped into my traveling clothes; they were a deep red, long sleeved shirt and pants that came to my calves. I also slipped on my black boots, and headed out the door. I walked down the long metal hallway, I thought no one was up, but as I came out on to the deck, I saw him. It was Lexer he sat the edge of the ship looking out onto the impending sun rise. As I walked up to him I saw he held a sketch pad in his lap, he had a supply of pencils and color inks around him. I smiled at this; I had always wanted to be able to be able to draw. I never tried it though, but my mother was a very good artist, when I would be training with my father she would be in her studio painting and drawing. I walked up silently behind him, the sun started to rise, I saw on his paper the starting lines of creating a sunrise on his paper. I watched him, his hands sketched the beauty before me, and then he began to add the colors. He blends the paints the colors multiply on the paper, the composition was amazing. The sun began to rise further into the sky; the man was losing his muse. I looked at the finished product, it was beautiful.

"That's amazing," I startled him, "sorry I just saw you were up here and well," I rubbed the back of my neck. He had all of the fire nation traits, except his eyes, they were a dark forest green with gold flecks. He was a few years older than me, about 18 I was guessing.

"No its fine," he smiled, "you just startled me. I thought I was alone, I didn't even hear you come up behind Me." he paused, "my name is Lexer."

"I'm Oriana" I smiled. We talked for the rest of the day; he showed me his other sketches and artwork. They were all beautiful; he became my first friend ever. I never had many friends, well none. I hadn't considered Zuko as a friend, well maybe, but Adelmo was someone I could say was my friend in the short time I had met him. He was one of the ones I wanted to believe were on the right side. We both had sarcastic humor; it was always some type of laughter. He even earned the nick name Lex, and he called me Orrio. With the weeks that passed we became better and better friends.

"I'll keep that in mind," I call out to the Lexer, making him and the rest whole crew laugh.

I waited for him, to make the first move. He shot out a fire ball at me, I easily caught it and through it back at him, then I made my offence move. I shot three more balls of fire at him, and then I leapt into the air, with my foot I sent morn fire down on him. His eyes bugged out as he tried to keep up with me. I smiled at him, "you still going easy on me?" he knew the extent of my training, why was he so surprised.

"You just wait and see," he calls back trying to keep the banter going.

"Oh I am just warming up," I laughed. This is what I excelled in, bending was a part of me and I took it in fully. Bending came to me easily, I never knew why but it did. If I ever lost my bending, or just one of my bending abilities, I would feel empty. I would just be an empty body with no meaning for life. Zuko sped up his attacks but it was futile. I came back with double the attacks and held my defense. I was a true master, I want going to let him bet me.

I saw the fault in Zuko's foundation, his left foot sliding away every time I push him with my fire. I began to form my current of fire, Zuko had seen me once before and I wanted to see what he would do in the face of this technique. I swirl the element around me creating a ring of fire that swirled around my body, and then growing it larger and larger. The orange fire grows with heat turning into an electric blue; I pushed out from me making a current blow into Zuko. The crew gasped at my move, they had never seen this move before. I thought Zuko would at least have some way of blocking my move, but he didn't. Zuko fell; his stance was weak and couldn't hold. I seized the opportunity to finally end the spar. I dash over to him with a fire dagger in my hand. I picked him up by the collar and held the dagger to his face. He looked at me surprised; I smiled at him and dissipated the fire dagger.

I helped him up, "be glad I took it easy on you," I laughed. I was trying to be friendly, but with my ways, I ended up making him even angrier. "This is why I can never make friends" I thought. Zuko shot a glare at me and stomped to his room mad like a little boy. I looked at the crew who were all shocked, except for Iroh.

I played it as if it was nothing, "was it something I said? " I asked. In that moment I saw Zuko leave mad, I felt horrible for my actions, I looked over at Iroh he was shaking his head. The crew just laughed, congratulated me and asked me to spar with them came up to me after everyone left from the deck,

"You took my advice," he smiled at me, "Man Orrio, you kicked his ass so hard, and he's going to be feeling that ass-kicking for a week." I laughed but still felt bad for what had happened; this is why I and Lexer were such good friends. He always made me feel better, and he joked about my skills. Unlike my family back home, I was starting to think that was all they wanted me for, my bending.

"Thanks, Lex" I walked with Adelmo into the lower levels of the ship,

"For what, Orrio?" he asked

"For being you," I smiled. Lex was a boatswain and he needed to check on supply rooms in the lower decks. Since I didn't really have a job, except with the searches on land and helping mapping our routes in the helm, I helped Lex with his work. We traveled down the coast of the earth kingdom's western border, we were now travelling through the Mo Ce Sea to a small harbor town on the coast, we were stopping for supplies and for information on the avatar, which would end up being nothing because there would always end up being nothing. I wasn't going to give up on the avatar, we needed him.

Frustrated, Zuko sits in his room. He couldn't believe he let her get the best of him. She, Oriana had been on his ship for three weeks now. He could barely talk to her and when he did he would snap at her. He wouldn't admit that he liked her and Oriana was oblivious to the fact.

Zuko yells in outrage, and slams his fist against the wall. Just then a knock came from his door. "Go away uncle!" he yells. The person knocks again, "I told you…" Zuko opens the door to see Oriana.

"Good thing I'm not your uncle" I smile at him, trying to break the tension. "May I come in?" he nodes at me and I follow him into the room and shut the door behind me. I had been feeling awful about what had happened earlier. I had sat in my room, and had kept thinking about what had happen earlier with Zuko. I had embarrassed him in front of the entire crew and his uncle. I needed to go apologize, but I couldn't work up the nerve, in till now. It had taken me, an hour pacing, to muster up the courage to say I was wrong, that I was sorry for what I did. I had never been the one making people feel bad. I always was the one who was on the other end of the scenario, and trying to make people like me.

"What you want, "Zuko snapped at me.

"To apologize," I answered, "I am sorry for what happened this morning."

"You have nothing to apologize for, "Zuko said quietly. I was taken aback I would have thought he would have snapped at me or made me keep apologizing over and over. He looked at me and looked down. "I was being childish this morning when I ran away upset. You won fare in square, I was being a bad loser." He said truthfully.

"No, I shouldn't have embarrassed you like that, and for that I am sorry," I disagreed. I knew I was in the wrong, I thought he would be yelling at me, but he wasn't and it was making me feel even worse. He looked at me, his burning golden eyes met my blue ones and I laughed. I don't know why I did, I broke the sentimental moment.

"What's so funny?" he asked, I laughed again. "Really what's so funny?"

"Nothing," I said fighting back the laughter, "it's just I laugh at moments like this… I'm just weird."

"You're not weird," he thought for a moment, and then he lifted his hand made a little pinch symbol "well maybe a little." Then he started laughing, and I laughed with him.

"Hey!"I hit him on the shoulder playfully. I had never heard him laugh before and here we were laughing together. Maybe Iroh was right we could be good friends.

Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think! :)

Lexer- means defender

-Goob39