Sometime in the middle of the night, Iroh, followed by Zuko, had to check on your shoulder. It took all the strength you had left in your tiny, little body to stop yourself from revealing the pain, and you managed to keep yourself from shaking when you remembered the intense, blinding pain you had felt earlier when Iroh popped your socket back into place.

"How does it feel?" Iroh asked gently, sitting on the cot. He lightly touched your bandaged shoulder and you cringed away, biting down on your lower lip in a way to relieve the pain. It hurt just when he touched it. "You may have bruised it internally, which means it will be sore for a day or so. Maybe more. But it's back in the socket, which is good."

Zuko was off to the side, tying a crimson tunic around his waist.

"I'm fine," You said weakly, offering a feeble smile. Iroh saw through your mask.

"Just get some sleep until we get to the port. While they repair the ship, I'm sure my nephew can allow you to rest here." That meant you couldn't look around—which was kind of good. You didn't feel like walking around with an injury like this. "Meanwhile, I'm going to make you some tea. It's my special pain reliever." Iroh smiled and walked out of the room, shutting the door softly.

You lay back on the cot, your shoulder groaning when it hit the flat surface. Why did it hurt so badly? Perhaps you bruised it more than Iroh thought.

It was then you remembered Zuko was in the room, and the condition you were in. You had only your underclothes on—a thin, white gown that revealed your shoulder skin in order for the bandages to be open for cleaning and such. Unconsciously, you pulled the blankets up to your chin, glancing around for Zuko.

It was silent in the room, except for the sound of the ship rocking gently to the waves. They weren't exactly calm; but they weren't half as bad as they were earlier.

"I'm sorry," You said suddenly, breaking the silence.

"For what?" Zuko's voice was quiet and seemed to match the silence. Yours didn't.

You clutched the blankets closer, feeling guilty. "For yelling at you, for blaming things on you. I acted like…such a girl."

You swore you heard Zuko chuckle but it must've been in your head—Zuko couldn't have laughed. "You are a girl."

Your cheeks reddened at that, knowing for a fact that yes you were a girl. "I know."

"Let's just forget it ever happened." Zuko suggested softly. "I mean—not the whole kissing thing but um…"

"That kiss was on accident." You said shakily, feeling suddenly shy. Since when did you feel shy in front of Zuko? When you first got here you were a little afraid of him, intimidated, but not shy. Maybe it's because you actually cared what he thought of you—what you looked like in front of him. Typical hormones. "I'm sorry for that as well. I didn't get the chance to apologize."

Zuko must've taken that as I don't like you; it was all unintentional. A coincidence, because he went silent, keeping his distance from you. You actually didn't mind it. You guys did rush into things—from the whole accidental kiss to the making out in the alley.

"I think," You said, agreeing with yourself for the first time, "we should get to know each other before considering the possibility…."

"I agree." Zuko said after a beat of silence.

And then—suddenly, it was like the bashfulness swept from you, leaving a calming wind that sealed your nerves almost instantly. You sat up in the bed, shot Zuko a smile, and said, "Well? Don't you want to know where the avatar is now?" You were careful when you moved; moving too quickly could hurt your shoulder.

Zuko was interested. "Yes."

"Good! Only bad thing is I have…" You paused, your mind working, searching for answers from the show. You remembered the episode with the storm, but then, everything after that was…blank.

Zuko noticed the expression on your face and said, "What's wrong?"

"I-I," You stuttered, swallowing heavily. "Be quiet—I'm trying to think." You held up your hand to silence his protest, and he narrowed your eyes.

What's happening? Why can't I remember where Aang is right now?

You closed your eyes, straining to remember. After the storm…Zuko went to the water nation. No. He had to meet June first with that weird animal that had an exceptional nose. But what happened before, or after? Everything else in your memories were clouded with darkness, hiding the events that took place after Zuko had the run-in with June the first time.

You felt yourself panicking. Why were you forgetting things so important? You've always remembered the events in the show in the order that happened—but now you couldn't remember them at all!

"No," You murmured, burying your head in your hands. Brains don't work like that. You can't just magically forget stored information.

Someone was blocking them. Either that, or you forgot them, which was nearly impossible. But who would block your memories, if they could even do that? Not even the avatar could do such a thing.

So the memories surely weren't being blocked, they were simply misplaced at the moment. Maybe you hit your head during the storm or something.

That seemed to calm you down. A little. A possibility, an answer. Hopefully it was the right answer. Hopefully you would remember what happened after Zuko met June, or what happened after this day.

"What's wrong?" Zuko urged, ignoring your gesture to be silent.

"I…can't remember." You said, opening your eyes to stare at Zuko, taken aback. "It's like…" You cut yourself off; if you told Zuko they were "memories" then that would give yourself away from being from another world.

"It's like what?" Zuko probed, scrutinizing your face.

"I don't know what the avatar is." You said faintly. "I don't…"

"How do you go from knowing his exact location," Zuko asked, the temperature in the room rising steady with his increasing anger, "to not knowing at all?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out!" You said, a little hysterical. What the heck was wrong with you? Why couldn't you remember?

Quickly, you thought of your home. But the only thing that came up was the airbending temples, safely high in the sky, surrounded by peaceful clouds. You thought of your friends, and pictured little kids that dressed like Aang—air benders. But you didn't remember these people, that was the weird thing. You didn't know who they were, but when you thought of "friends" you saw them. You couldn't even picture your friends from your world.

Okay, not this was getting scary. You thought of your family members, the people you lived with. From that thought, the woman and man who tied you to the flying bison were in your head.

You cringed, letting out a sound of frustration. "Why can't I remember anything? Why do I keep seeing strangers?"

"What?" You forgot Zuko was there, but for now you were too caught up in the moment to care.

It was like you were gradually forgetting everything from your world, and slowly remembering things on this world.

Like you were somehow becoming Namiko.

That clicked something in your brain.

You could see the inside of the temple now, your "home". You could see the room you slept in, the room you played in as a child, and the room your mom and dad and you all ate. The windows held the view of the sky—higher than other people could see since you were on a tower. Monks were outside, always giving new lessons to the airbenders to better their character. Maybe that's why you were so tiny; the food you ate held no meat. You remembered drinking banana juice as a baby, your mother singing lullaby's to you to sleep, your father helping you learn how to walk, the first time you realized you were an airbender when you accidently knocked a cup onto your mother's lap with a gust of wind, and the first time you learned how to say your own name. Namiko. It was such a peaceful life, happy and full of a promising future.

But then you remembered when your mother and father made a deal with the Guru. He wouldn't accept money, only because he saw no worth in the coins, but he did accept the request to save you from the violence that would destroy your entire people. He did it because there couldn't be just one airbender left in the world who was a male; there had to be a female, too. He knew the population would be wiped out, so he obliged to your parent's request and sent you away—out of this world, into the one you thought you were born into. Somehow you got back into the world you were born into, and you just had to find out how and why.

All the sweeping memories made you sway on the cot, and you barely felt yourself fall on your back, staring blankly up at the ceiling; not seeing the ceiling but the memories flowing through your brain, washing away all the memories from the other world.

When you learned how rejected felt when you didn't get selected on a team in a game, when you learned discipline from the monks when you cracked a mean joke, when you learned airbending was both a danger and protection; and when you first fell through a cloud, expecting it to hold you in its fluffy state, but you went through it—that's when you realized airbending could be a protection that carried you back to safety.

All those memories, so dear to you, were revealed in that one moment. They were hidden away in the farthest part of your mind, lodged away, waiting to be revealed at the right moment.

That was why you couldn't remember your friends from Earth, or where you lived or went to school—you could only picture that temple with your parents and friends.

You were then aware of Zuko roughly shaking your shoulders, his face looming above you. "Namiko! Did you just faint?"

You touched your forehead, feeling it pounding. "My head hurts."

"What just happened? What do you mean you forgot about where the avatar was?" Zuko demanded, the temperature now hot in the room. You could feel the back of your neck sweating. "Why won't you tell me?"

You looked at him dazedly and said, "I can't."

"Why not?" Zuko snapped. "I demand to know what you're hiding. You're not psychic and you don't work for the avatar. But I demand to know how you know all this, and how you suddenly forgot."

Your vision swayed, dizziness taking a toll on your body. Just as Zuko began shouting something, darkness overtook your mind and you went blank.

Darkness was all around you, but you felt wind whipping past you. You were tied down to the saddle, and if you leaned over, you saw yellow dots below you.

Fire.

The temples were on fire. You looked over your shoulder, staring in devastation at what your home had become. The life it once held was being burnt to the ground without mercy. Even from this high up you could hear the screams of violence, and explosions of the bending.

You shuddered, feeling water vapor pressing into your arm. You were passing through a cloud. When you emerged from the top, with clouds lining below you like another layer of ground, you knew you were high up. Too high.

"Where are we going?" You asked the flying bison, him only grunting in reply. This was the bison the Guru chose for the "journey", and he claimed the animal knew exactly where to go.

Violence was in the background, but you would never forget the screams. Your parents were being killed at this very moment, the soldiers searching every corner for the avatar that disappeared years ago.

So much for your help, you thought bitterly, feeling tears brim your eyes, Avatar.

Light flooded your vision, and you jumped back when your heard—like an explosion itself—Zuko shouting. Apparently you were only out for a minute or so, because Zuko was in the same position as before, but a little less angry. A little more concerned.

"Hey," You greeted in a whisper, gazing calmly at Zuko's distressed face.

"Hey? That's all you can say to me? After you say some weird things and magically faint?" Zuko snarled, sounding more worried than angry. He was just trying to hide it.

Your head felt a little better. You could remember some of your friends from your old world, and even your family members, however the connection between you and them wasn't as strong as the temples and your parents there.

You just couldn't remember them before because the memories repressed were working so hard to reveal themselves.

"I swear, girls are crazy." Zuko continued.

"Hey. Watch the girl comments." You warned lazily, stretching out your legs. "I take offense to them."

"How can you be so calm?" Zuko asked. "Like nothing just happened?"

You shrugged, feeling like a true airbender. "I was raised like this."

Iroh busted in through the door with a grin. "Prince Zuko—good news! We won't have to stop at a port. The repairman looked at the damage and said it wasn't as bad as he thought. He's fixing the problem as we speak."

Zuko seemed to calm down. A little. "That's good. The faster we find the avatar, the better."

"I say we get some rest," Iroh said. "We have had a rough day." He saw your form, lounging on the cot. "How is your shoulder? I meant to bring tea back for you, but I was just so happy that we wouldn't stop, though I don't mind taking a walk through the market. It's such a hassle docking the ship and then taking off again."

You began getting off the cot, "I'm tired, too."

Iroh gentle eased you back, his eyebrow lowering in confusion, "What are you doing?"

"Zuko doesn't like me sleeping here." You explained lightly. "So I'll sleep on the floor."

"You can sleep there." Iroh said, giving Zuko a stern look. "You're injured."

"I was going to let her sleep there anyway." Zuko defended himself.

"It's fine," You said, struggling to throw your legs over the cot. "I can sleep on the floor, really, it's no problem."

Zuko stepped in with a malicious look on his face. "Get in the bed."

Without a word, you lay back down; knowing the tone of his voice left no room for excuses.

"I bid you both goodnight," Iroh said warmly, leaving the room. He seemed oddly pleased with himself.

"Seriously," You said, "if you want to sleep on the cot—"

"—It's mine." Zuko cut you off. "Of course I'm sleeping on it." Just as you pulled the covers off of you, preparing to sit up, he snapped, "Stay there. You're sleeping on it, too."

"What?" You couldn't believe your ears.

Zuko let out a noise of irritation. "Why are you so difficult? Can I be any clearer? We are both sleeping on the bed."

You realized he was blushing. This was one of his rare attempts at being nice, and he was trying to hide it. However, you saw it, and couldn't help smiling softly at his generosity. Though you couldn't remember the episodes, you knew that Zuko was always bad at showing his feelings. These were one of those times.

You blushed, too, and looked away. Clearing your throat, you said, "Oh. Okay. That clears it up." You knew it wasn't normal for a prince, heir to the throne, to sleep in the same bed—nonetheless room—as a peasant like you. So it surprised you that he would do this.

Not long ago, Zuko wouldn't even let you touch his blankets. Now he's letting you sleep in the same bed as him? What is the world coming to?

"You would sleep in the same bed," You joked, "with a peasant like me?"

Zuko recognized the joke, but he seemed flustered and said dismissively, "Yes. But don't get used to it."

He sure had a dry sense of humor, but humor nonetheless.

He made to pass by you, but without thinking, you grabbed his wrist, stopped him dead in his tracks, and leaned up as far as you could, giving him a warm hug. He didn't respond at first, but then he returned the hug, though gentler than you did.

"Thanks," You whispered gratefully.

Zuko seemed even more flustered, probably confused about his feelings, and moved away from you, walking around the cot on the other side. You scooted as far away as you could, trying to give him some blankets you could share.

Finally, Zuko laid down and blew out the candles, enveloping the room in pitch black darkness.

"So," You said after a minute or two, "can I use the bathroom?"

You heard Zuko sigh, and the room lit up with a candle. "You know where it's at, right?"

"Yes." You sat up shakily, your shoulder feeling stiff as a board. "Stay here—I don't need help. No offense."

"I feel happy and warm when you say that. No offense taken at all, pure happiness." Zuko said sarcastically, rolling onto his side.

You stood up, wobbling a bit on your knees. Maybe you weren't hurt that bad; you were just a weak, tiny girl. Darn. You had to toughen yourself up someday.

You walked out of the room, barefoot and in your underclothes in the hallway. A guard looked your way, stopping in his tracks, but quickly continued on your way. You blushed madly, wondering if it was weird for someone to see someone else in their underclothes in this world. You knew that in your world there have been people who've seen you in your pajamas but it wasn't this uncomfortable.

You found the bathroom and closed the door behind you. It took a great effort to sit down and relieve yourself. However, you looked over at the door and found your reflection.

You looked tired; your hair still framed your face, short as you remembered it. But you looked happier than before, more like yourself.

And as you looked back at the girl who stared back at you, you realized the truth:

You weren't Namiko; Namiko was you.

A/N: I updated :3 This story has always been fun to write, but now I really look forward to updating it. These are the parts that get really fun, know what I mean? :)

patouskymade wonderful art for this story, the part where you are about to spar with Zuko. It's really good! The link's on my profile, I encourage you to check it out. I love how she drew Namiko; it's exactly how I picture her.

Thank you all so much for the plentiful reviews. I love every single one of them! And I will update this as soon as I can.

:)SmilinForYa(: