Thank you LittleFlowerLei and satsberrine for the review! And no it is not Zhao, Zuko or, er, Kermit.

Well, that other story is up and just to say it now, it has nothing to do with this one. If you want, go read it.

Please read and review!

Disclaimer: The only things I own are Nami, Yasuo, and Sunoo. Shoo lawyers, shoo.

Chapter 6 – Konmake

His plan was going smoothly so far. He just needed a few moments time to work out his next move. This one had to be the one that made a world of difference and would put him at rest. He had been doing this too long to screw up.

Shifting, he made sure he hadn't woken any of them up and sighed softly.

This had to work. It would end the war if it did.

It would end his suffering.

Zuko groaned softly as he opened his eyes. He stared at the canine who opened his blue eyes and gazed at him.

The dog gave him a low growl.

"Shut up," he mumbled, rolling to turn away from the mutt. The prince got to his feet quietly as the girl seemed to still be sleeping. He grabbed a shirt from the chair and dragged it on.

Whining, the dog lifted his head and watched the Firebender as he strapped on his armor.

"What is it?" he asked, glaring at the dog.

Panting, the dog's tail wagged and he barked. It was like the dog was thanking him.

"You are welcome," he said, nodding.

He finished strapping on his armor and walked out the door.

Sunoo smiled slightly and curled up next to his human, falling back asleep.

Nami met Iroh for breakfast again. She was slightly uneasy and the older Firebender could tell.

"Miss Nami, are you all right?" he asked, watching her.

"I am fine, thank you," she answered politely, petting her dog.

"I have learned that when women say they are fine, they are in fact worried," he commented.

She chuckled softly. "You have become wise in the ways of women," Nami said, smiling. "I am worried about what will happen when I leave tomorrow." The Water Tribe girl looked up at Iroh. "I do not know what I will do."

Iroh nodded, his expression turning slightly grim. "It is a bit overwhelming but I know you can do it." He sat back and smiled. "You could always stay on the ship. I am sure Prince Zuko would not mind."

The Waterbender shook her head. "No, I was just being silly. I will be fine." She gave the man a smile but he could see she was still worried.

"If you would like, I could teach you some more techniques. It would help you, I am sure," he said with a smile.

Nodding, Nami sighed and put down her cup. "That would be great."

Zuko stared at the cloudy sky and wished it was clear again. It was always a bad omen if the sky clouded over like this.

A yell sounded and he turned watching as his uncle and the girl move across the deck. She would grimace when she had to kick, most likely because of her bruises. He had to say, she was very determined, almost like him.

He still couldn't believe that she had been attacked on this ship. The soldier would be punished for such an act and Zuko would make sure of that.

The dog whined and looked up at the prince with a slightly worried look.

"I could not stop her if I tried," he muttered to the beast.

He whined again and lied down on the steel deck. The prince was getting smart.

Zuko snorted and turned to stare at the cloudy sky. Something began to move through the clouds and he squinted, trying to figure out what it was. He pulled his spyglass out and focused it on the moving figure.

A large flying animal with a brown stripe down its back and six legs came into view.

"The Avatar!" he yelled.

The deck swarmed to life.

Iroh stopped and watched his nephew work as he tried to usher the girl into the safety of the hatch. She resisted though and dug her heels in, stopping the Firebender.

"What is going on?" she yelled over the roar of voices.

The old man sighed and grabbed her arm. "If you come with me, I will tell you," he promised.

Nami stared up at him and nodded, whistling for Sunoo. The dog appeared with a bark and followed after his human as the Firebender led them below deck. An explosion rang out from the deck and the Waterbender stopped to turn but Iroh took her wrist gently and led her to the meditation room.

"Okay, what is going on?" she demanded, crossing her arms as she pinned Iroh down with a hard stare.

Sighing, he sat on one of the cushions and invited her to join him. She sat stiffly across from him. He rubbed his beard and nodded.

"Zuko's one mission in life is to capture the Avatar, no matter what the cost. He will stop at nothing to fulfill it," he explained.

"But the Avatar can end this war!" she argued.

"He can end the war in favor of all nations. Fire Lord Ozai wants the world for himself," Iroh said grimly, glancing down at the dog who seemed a little nervous.

"Why does Zuko have to catch the Avatar though?" Nami asked, staring at her hands. "Why is he so determined?"

Iroh sighed again. "It is the only way he will be accepted back into the Fire Nation." The Waterbender looked confused. "He was banished by his father when he was fourteen and this was his condition to return to the throne."

She stared down at the floor, processing the new information. That didn't seem fair. "But from what I have heard, the Avatar has been back for only about four months. Why would he have to…" she trailed off as it hit her. "Oh."

"I keep telling him that his father is not the understanding type but he will not listen," Iroh said quietly. "Capturing the Avatar gives Prince Zuko hope that he will be able to return home."

Sunoo looked up at her and she noticed the worried look. She stroked his head, trying to reassure the dog. Her mind was whirling and she gave a slightly defiant look towards the Firebender. "I know that he wants to capture the Avatar but I cannot let him do it!"

Before Iroh had known it, she had disappeared out of the room. She was quite fast even with her injuries. The old man sighed but knew he couldn't stop her and decided it was best if he stayed down here. He really hoped his nephew wouldn't blame him for any damage she might cause.

Prince Zuko let out a yell and the catapults released their fiery load into the air. He watched with frustration as the bison dodged the flaming debris. Again, he let out a yell and growled when the beast veered away.

He was about to call for the third attack when the boat lurched suddenly to the left. He caught himself on the railing as another wave hit the ship, sending several of his men crashing down onto the deck. Surely that Waterbender girl couldn't create waves from that high up in the air.

A curtain of water flung itself from the ocean and hit the deck, soaking everything in its path. The third wave was extinguished. He sputtered and glowered at the bison.

The bison had disappeared.

The Firebender grabbed his spyglass and searched the skies for the beast but it had vanished into the clouds most likely. Frustration pounded into him and he punched the railing with a flaming fist.

"What the hell were you doing?"

He turned at the yell and found the Waterbender standing on deck. Of course, the waves weren't from the girl with the Avatar.

They were from her.

"Well?" she asked, storming up to him and staring him in the eyes.

"I was trying to capture the Avatar which you just ruined!" he yelled.

"Why?" she asked him in a growl.

"I do not have to explain myself to you," he said in a dangerous voice. "I do not have to deal with you right now either."

"Then throw me off the ship. I don't care! You'd be just like every other Fire Nation soldier!" she remarked, throwing her hands in the air.

He almost slapped her but remained in check. Instead he grabbed the front of her shirt and held her level with him. "I do not appreciate that kind of talk," he growled softly. "If you would like, we could shove you into the same cell as that soldier last night."

She glared and he dropped her. "You wouldn't dare," she hissed.

"Try me."

Nami glared again and turned on her heel, storming down the hatch. Sunoo, who had been watching from the door, disappeared after her.

Zuko fought his anger down and looked around him. Every single body on deck was watching him with a surprised expression.

"Get back to work!" he roared, barely making sure fire didn't erupt from his throat. The boat grew alive as people began to move to make sure his anger wasn't taken out on them.

He glowered at the crew and made his way towards the training room to work out some of his fury. His hand ached but he ignored it and continued.

Iroh waited patiently in his nephew's room after hearing of the standoff that had happened on deck earlier. He wasn't surprised that it had happened; both teens were stubborn and had a foot in their beliefs.

Too bad their beliefs were the opposite.

He sighed and was very thankful to find out that Zuko had not harmed her. Well, physically at least. The Firebender smiled though. It would have been an interesting match up to see. He would have to watch a sparring match between the two. No doubt that would be amusing to see.

The door opened, startling the man from his thoughts. His nephew walked in, covered in sweat and breathing hard. His outfit had a couple of burns in it as he stripped of the top portion.

"Training hard still, Prince Zuko?" Iroh asked.

The prince growled and threw the shirt into a corner of the room.

"I heard about the standoff on deck. I heard you did not hurt her. I am very proud of you, Prince Zuko," he said, smiling at his nephew.

He snorted. "She was lucky, uncle. I would have hit her if she stayed another minute."

Iroh frowned. "That was not the response I wanted to hear."

Again, the prince snorted. "She started it," he countered, finding a towel finally. He started to wipe the sweat off his face when his uncle sighed.

"Prince Zuko, you may not think it but she is quite intelligent. She understands why you have to capture the Avatar."

"If she understands, then why did she prevent me from capturing the Avatar?" he countered, glaring at the wall.

"She has her own beliefs and she respects them," he answered calmly. "She also seems to understand what you do not want to hear, Prince Zuko."

"About what?" he questioned, pulling on a clean shirt.

"About why your father sent you on this quest," his uncle answered.

"I do not want to listen to this again. My father would never disown me!" He glared at his uncle, his breathing once again heavy.

Iroh nodded and stood, bowing to his nephew. "I will leave you to your thoughts, Prince Zuko." He made his way to the door and paused. "Oh, by the way, Miss Nami did not appreciate your threat. She said a couple of very unkind things about you as well."

The prince shrugged.

"She also insisted about sleeping in the guest room tonight."

"I do not care," he muttered and glared at the wall again.

Iroh nodded and left.

This couldn't be. The gods really hated him.

His mission had suddenly turned for the worse as she slept in the guest room. This wasn't supposed to happen.

Damn the Avatar. Why had he chosen to show up at that particular time? He knew he could stop the Fire Nation but still, that scene had been ugly with the two of them. That had ruined his plan and now he was back at square one.

What was he going to do? She was leaving tomorrow and he knew that the gods had something planned or else they would've convinced the Avatar to stay out of sight. This didn't make any sense at all.

Sighing, he stopped his pacing. He would have to go along with fate. He would have to sit back until he could think of something.

He just hoped it wasn't too late.