Disclaimer: I do not own Prince Zuko or Lord Iroh. I only own my slightly Mary-Sueish character, Kumiko. That is all.

Iroh hadn't seen his nephew for a while. He wasn't at lunch yet, so he thought that Zuko might be trying to talk to the girl. Iroh was sitting in the kitchen, eating lunch. He also had, of course, a cup of tea. He took a large bite of the spicy fish, (they seemed to be having a lot of that lately) and chewed carefully. A lesser man than Iroh would have spit the fish out, because it was so spicy, but he liked it. He took another bite when his nephew walked in.

Iroh was surprised. His nephew's cheeks were bright red and his was taking deep, calming breathes. What had happened? Iroh swallowed the fish and asked, "Prince Zuko, will you join me for some lunch?" Zuko turned, startled by his uncle's voice.

"Uh…yes…I will." The Prince sat down, but didn't eat anything. Iroh watched his nephew, a worried glint in his eye. He sipped his tea and waited for Zuko to explain himself.

When the Prince didn't talk at all, Iroh asked, "Zuko is something wrong?"

Zuko looked at his uncle.

"No…everything's…fine." His voice became distant. Iroh was not so sure, but he knew better than to ask any more questions.

"I think," Iroh said. "You should invite Kumiko to music night. She might know how to play the new Biwa I bought from her village." The Prince stared at his uncle, eyes wide with shock.

"What did you say?"

Iroh repeated, "I think you should ask her to music night."

Prince Zuko hung his head.

"Oh, at first I thought you said dinner." Iroh frowned. His nephew was acting strangely.

"Well, you could also invite her to eat with us. That way she won't be in that little room all the time." Prince Zuko's head snapped up.

"Invite her to dinner? Why would I invite a prisoner to dinner?" He said, his voice finally gaining strength. Iroh was relieved. He had thought his nephew would never return to normal.

"Well, if you don't I will." He said. Zuko glared at his uncle.

"Fine, do whatever you want." He huffed, and stomped away. Hmm, Iroh mused. Well, I hope she does know how to play an instrument. I'll get her some lunch and ask her.

……………………….

A few hours after the Fire Prince stormed out, Lord Iroh brought Kumiko lunch and a nice hot pot of freshly brewed tea. They both sat down, eating on the ground.

After a few minutes, Iroh asked, "Did Prince Zuko come down here? He was not at all himself this afternoon." Iroh took a sip of his tea. Kumiko chewed the spicy vegetables slowly and nodded.

"He was down here. Does he always get so flustered when he's around young women?" This question surprised Iroh.

"Well…I…I don't know. Why did he get flustered?" He asked.

Kumiko looked at Iroh from across the place setting.

"When he came down here, he just started talking to me." She sipped her tea. "Then I asked him if he had been around many girls often. He said yes, but I didn't think it was true."

She smiled playfully.

"Then he got all flustered when I tried to teach him how to actually talk to a woman. His cheeks turned bright red." She laughed quietly. "Does he always get so hot-headed too? He obviously hasn't been around girls his own age, or boys for that matter." She held the tea between her hands, warming them.

Iroh watched the girl, and thought, She may be more of a match than either of us first thought.

"No, he really hasn't been around anyone his own age for a long time." Iroh answered. He smiled and said, "Well, I think that talking to him may have in fact done some good." Lord Iroh paused, drinking his tea quietly. "I actually came down here to ask whether or not you would like to join us for music night. And for dinner in the galley." Iroh said.

Kumiko raised her eyebrows.

"You have a music night on the ship? I didn't figure…" She broke off in the middle of a thought. She bowed her head and said, "I accept your invitation, of course. I'll play too if you happen to have a Biwa around."

…………………………….

A few hours later, Kumiko found herself washed up and sitting next to Lord Iroh in the galley. They were listening to the cook of the ship play a pretty little tune on a small wooden instrument. When he was done, everyone clapped politely. Kumiko was surprised that these tough Fire Nation soldiers could be so…human. Then, Lord Iroh spoke up.

"We have a guest who has volunteered to play and sing us a song." Kumiko turned to him and glared. He smiled at her and winked so she sighed and stood up. Some men whistled and she smiled mischievously.

She bowed and took a seat, resting the Biwa comfortably on her lap.

Looking up she said, "This song is a traditional song sung by the women of the village when men go to fight." She played a few chords, and then sang in a slow, soft, sad voice.

I will see you of to war,

Off to death and destruction,

And I will see you off to war,

Off unto your death.

I will walk these empty halls,

Walk them all alone,

And I will walk these lonely halls,

Through these empty rooms.

I will wait for you to come,

To come back to me,

I will cry these tears of woe,

Cry them without ease,

Oh, please come back to me.

She stayed the chords and took a deep breath.

Lord Iroh, his eyes misty, turned to her and said, "That was beautiful. Thank you."

She nodded and whispered, "I'm going to get some fresh air." Slowly, she staggered outside, leaving the Biwa on her seat. As soon as she left, they started another song, cheerier and faster than her own.

She leaned against the rail of the boat, her head in her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks. The song had reminded her of her own father, now dead because of the war. The tears ran in little rivulets down her face. Her father, gone, and her mother, too devastated by her husband's death to live and to care for her only child…

Kumiko hadn't noticed anyone else outside, but her head jerked up as the Fire Prince cleared his throat. She stepped back, startled, and wiped her tears quickly away.

He sighed and asked, "What is the matter?"

She took another step back and muttered, "Nothing, nothing, I'm fine." She watched the Prince for a minute before he turned and stared off into the sea.

"That…was a lovely song." He finally mustered. She nodded, still watching him, and listening to the music coming from inside.

"We used to have a music night, back in my village." She said.

He remained silent.

"Right now, I'd be dancing around a bonfire with the villagers." She continued, sighing. "It's amazing how much things change."

The Prince turned to her at this.

"I'm sorry that you're away from your home, alright? I know how you feel. Try doing it for two years, then come back and tell me you know what it feels like!" He said loudly. She opened her mouth to say something but he waved his hand and muttered, "Forget it."

They were quiet for a moment until Kumiko got curious and asked, "So, why have you been gone for two years? To catch the Avatar, right? But then he hasn't been back that long, so why did your father send you to get him if he knew that the Avatar wasn't even around?"

The Prince glared at her and answered, "It's none of your business, peasant!"

She rolled her eyes. The music drifted between them, like wind. Kumiko took a deep breath of ocean air.

"What are your personal views on the war Fire Prince? Does all of the Fire Nation like the war?" Zuko sighed and stared at this infuriating girl.

"Why are you asking so many questions? Do you think I like this war?" He asked.

She looked at the sea and shrugged her shoulders.

"People from the Fire Nation are supposed to loyal and honorable, right? This war isn't honorable. It's destroying the world." She said quietly.

"Honor is important." The Fire Prince huffed.

"Some things are much more important then honor, my prince." She said. His head snapped over to her.

"What do you mean? Honor is the most important quality in a person." She turned to him and stared him directly in the eyes.

"The most important quality, my prince? What about trust? What about love? What about kindness?" She asked venomously. The Prince actually took a step back.

"Honor has all those qualities." He argued defensively.

"Honor is a matter of opinion." She stated defiantly.

Prince Zuko clenched his fists, fire forming in his palms.

"What do you mean?" He snarled. Kumiko shied away from him.

"Nothing…" She muttered, eyeing the fire warily.

Zuko took a deep breath, extinguishing the flames that had formed. After a moment of silence Kumiko asked hesitantly, "Do all fire benders have such tempers?"

The Prince looked at her and snapped, "How am I supposed to know?" She took a step back and turned to stare at the sea.

Zuko watched her for a moment and was about to walk away when she said, "All people are the same. I guess we all lose control now and then."

The Prince was curious in spite of himself.

"People aren't the same. Everyone is different, like fire and water." He huffed indignantly. She didn't even blink.

"When you think about it, the elements are the same too." She sighed. "They all move, flow, sparkle, and breath, eternally different yet completely the same."

Prince Zuko stepped closer to her, intrigued.

"But people are very different. How can you say they are all the same?" He asked quietly.

She looked down, tracing a circle on the ship's rail.

"People are different in many ways but each one can show anger and compassion. Everyone can show joy and sadness. We all have hearts, minds and faces, however….damaged."

The Prince flared slightly and his hand unconsciously touched the left side of his face. But she didn't seem to be talking about him. She was rubbing the inside of her palm, gazing out towards the ocean. He stared at her hand and noticed a large burn covering most of the inside of her hand. She looked at him and noticed his stare. Quickly she turned her hand down so he couldn't see.

"Sorry for angering you, my prince." She said quietly.

"Forget it." He muttered, feeling a little guilty. They could hear the music playing gently from inside. Kumiko was humming quietly to the tune, and the Prince was getting uneasy. After a minute of silence he said, "Fine, to make it up to you…" he bowed stiffly.

"Want to dance?"

Kumiko was startled, but quickly grinned and answered, "Yes, of course, my prince. How could I refuse?"

He sighed and held out his hand.

"I haven't done this in a long time." Zuko said quietly. Kumiko laughed softly, took his hand, and put her other hand on his shoulder.

He tensed a little and she said, "Calm down, my prince, it's not as if I'm going to bite you."

Zuko's eyebrows creased and he listened to the music, trying to figure out what kind of dance he was supposed to do.

"Okay, let's get this over with." He sighed. Kumiko rolled her eyes as the Prince began to move slowly to the music.

She was watching him, but he was too busy watching his feet, trying figure out the steps. Gradually, he seemed to get more comfortable and then actually looked her. Her heart seemed to beat a little faster, but she blamed it on the music. She could feel his body heat, stronger then her own. His hand was warm and dry, rough but holding her hand as though it were a fragile thing, something to be broken. Thinking about it, her cheeks got a little red and the Prince laughed.

"Now you're blushing!" He said triumphantly.

She shook her head violently saying, "No, no I'm not! It…It just got very warm all of a sudden." Kumiko turned her head away as the music ended.

"Thanks." She muttered. She was about to walk back inside when the Prince grabbed her hand, stopping her.

Slowly, Kumiko turned as the Fire Prince gently brought her hand to his lips, brushing them lightly.

"Will you join me for dinner?" He asked quietly. Kumiko opened her mouth to say something, anything, but no sound came out.

Kumiko nodded her head.

"Of course." She whispered.

He let go of her hand and she walked inside. The Prince smiled lightheartedly. See? Two can play this game. He thought to himself as he followed her.