Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. If I did, it would have Lamura in it.

Author's Note: This story is going to be a bit strange and sorta disturbing. It hurts to think of it. You'll see why later. Once again, bold is for thoughts and italics are for flashbacks.

Kindling a hidden flame

Lamura walked off the ship with Zuko by her side. They were both still quite angered at Iroh for stopping the ship against Zuko's command but Lamura was secretly happy to be back on dry land. She looked over at Zuko and saw his eyes still burning slightly with agitation. She moved close to his side, making it look like they were just standing to the side while the others got off the ship. She reached out and took Zuko's hand. She gave it a soft squeeze.

Zuko looked over at her when he felt her hand holding his. He moved a little closer. He then felt himself being pulled towards the gangplank. He saw Lamura pulling him under.

Once underneath it and hidden from all eyes, Lamura pulled him close and slammed her lips against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck, playing with his ponytail. She felt him respond by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. He kissed back with a lot of passion. He slipped his tongue in her mouth and explored her mouth. His tongue fought hers for power and won. He knew this was always a battle he would win. Lamura didn't try and stop him, this was a battle she would be happy to lose.

"Nephew? Where are you?" Uncle Iroh called out, his voice getting closer to their little hide-out. They broke away and he walked from under the gangplank. Lamura heard him speak, slight irritation in his voice.

"What uncle? What is it?"

"I was hoping you could come with me to search for my lotus tile.Where's Lamura?Perhaps she would like to come as well?"

Lamura walked from under the gangplank and walked over to them. "Prince Zuko, I think I'll wander around on my own."

Zuko looked at her and frowned. "Are you sure? I don't want you to get lost."

"I won't get lost. I have an excellent sense of direction. Help your uncle and we'll be able to leave faster. I'll look around quickly so I don't keep you waiting." Lamura then turned and walked into the market. She looked through a few shops at the jewlery and cloth. She stopped in a dress shop and looked around.She ran her hands over some of the cloth and stopped when she felt her fingers run over silk. She pulled the silk from it's place and looked at it. It was a beautiful green dress with black swirls on it. It had long sleeves and the back was cut low. "It's beautiful."

"Thank you. I made one like that for my grandaughter who's about your age." An elderly lady said to Lamura.

Lamura put the dress back and walked over to the elderly lady. "Really? You made that beautiful dress?"

"Yes. My granddaughter is about your age and I gave it to her for a birthday gift. I'm Alaiah. It's nice to see a young girl like yourself around." Alaiah said, a piece of cloth on her lap. She threaded a needle and began to work on the cloth. Lamura watched as Alaiah embroidered a small dove onto the cloth.

"My name's Lamura. It's nice to meet you. So what's your granddaughter like, if you don't mind me asking?"

Alaiah put the cloth down and picked up a small scroll. She unrolled the scroll to show a young girl with short black hair and bright eyes. The girl had a small kitten in her arms and was smiling brightly. "She's a very sweet girl. She takes care of the young children and animals in her village. She's a waterbender."

Lamura's eyes widened. Could this girl be the one that she had seen traveling with the Avatar? "She's a waterbender? That's amazing. What's her name? I think I might have run into her before."

Alaiah smiled and set the cloth on the table infront of her. She rolled up the scroll and set it next to a small black box. "Her name is Mainori."

Lamura nodded. "Well, I must have been mistaken. Forgive me but I must go. My friend will be waiting for me. Goodbye." Lamura waved as she walked out of the small shop. She figured that she had spent plenty of time out in the market and made her way back to the boat.

As she walked, her eyes caught a glimpse of something on a nearby shop front. She stopped quickly and turned. She moved closer and gazed at the item. It was a porcelin doll dressed in a red Victorian dress. The doll had long black hair with long ringlet curls and bright blue eyes. Her skin was pale but eyes brought out so much life and emotion. She was amazed that there was a doll like this.

She had a doll exactly like this one when she was younger. Her grandmother had given her a porcelain doll that she had had when she was young that looked almost exactly like the one infront of her. The dolls were very rare. Her grandmother died a few weeks after she gave Lamura the doll. Lamura saw the doll as her only reminder of her grandmother. She treated the doll like a precious treasure. She loved the doll so much and she had it until she was fourteen. A terrible fire had set her house up in flames. Her family and her had gotten out and firebenders were already starting to try and control the fire. Many things were saved but some things were lost. At first, she had felt a small glimmer of hope that her doll was safe because they said that no one had found it but when she went through the debri and ash of her old home, she found a small shoe that had been on her doll before the fire. Her dearest gift was gone.

She cried for days after she lost the one thing that she had to remember her grandmother. She felt like she had disgraced and dishonored her grandmother. She went into a depression and only when Zuko came and held her in her arms did she begin to feel better.

She looked at the doll and slowly reached towards it, her pale fingers wrapping themselves around the cold porcelain skin of the doll. She picked it up and stared at it with now tear- filled eyes. The memory of her grandmother and the doll she had lost came rushing back to her. All those feelings came rushing back and she was overcome by emotion. She looked at the doll and then gently put it back down. She wiped her tears away and took in a few deep breaths. She lifted her head and spoke, hoping to get the shopkeeper's attention. "Excuse me, sir?"

A man about Iroh's age looked over at her and walked closer. "Yes? Is there something you wish to purchase?"

"How much is this doll? I was hoping to buy it." Lamura said, motioning towards the little doll.

The shopkeeper looked at the doll, thought for a moment, and then spoke. "It's a very rare doll so it's seventy gold pieces and twelve silver pieces."

Lamura's eyes got wide and she looked towards the doll then back at the shopkeeper. " That's a lot of money."

"This is a very rare doll. I'm not lowering my price so don't even try to haggle." the shopkeeper stood tall and crossed his arms infront of his chest, waiting for her response.

Lamura looked up at him and saw his seriousness. She let out a small sigh and closed her eyes. Seeing that the doll was not meant to be hers and opening her eyes, she opened her mouth to say good- bye to the shopkeeper but someone else's voice interupted her. "Miss Lamura, I'm suprised to see you here." That voice reached Lamura's ears and she cringed. Her back stiffened and she slowly turned towards the voice. Standing nearby with a smirk on his face was Commander Zhao. She was silent as she watched Commander Zhao walked closer. He stood right infront of her and smirked down at her. "Well? Aren't you going to speak to me?"

Lamura withheld a growl deep in her throat and took a step back. She curtsied gracefully and put on a fake smile. "Forgive me, Commander Zhao but I am also as suprised about seeing you here as you are about seeing me. What has brought you here to this market?"

Zhao smiled a disgusting smile as he watched Lamura. "My troops and I stopped here for supplies. What are you doing here? Is that young banished prince nearby?"

"Don't speak about Zuko like that! He's a good person and you know it!" After that, her eyes widened when she realized how she spoke to him. She wished she could just walk away but her parents had taught her better and she bowed her head. "Forgive me, Commander Zhao. I spoke out of place."

Zhao smirked and patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry. You've always been a little hard to control. So what brings you here, dear Lamura?"

Lamura took a few steps away but Zhao only pulled her closer. She kindly removed his hand from her shoulder and took a another step away from him. She turned her gaze from him and back to the doll. "I was looking at this doll. It reminds me a lot of the one that I lost in the housefire years ago."

Zhao smiled and looked at the doll as well. "Well, why don't you purchase it?"

Lamura looked down at her feet and frowned. She mumbled only loud enough for him to hear her. "I do not have the money to get it. I don't mind though." She looked up at Zhao and and gave him a small smile. "Well, I must get going. I don't want to keep the ship waiting." With that, Lamura curtsied and turned, walking away with a little rush in her step.

When she arrived at the ship, she stood at the bottom of the gangplank and waited for a minute, wondering if Zuko and Iroh had returned yet. After a few minutes waiting, she decided to go on the ship and look for them. Before she stepped on the gangplank, she heard someone call out her name. She turned and saw Commander Zhao once again. She groaned lightly and put on a small smile. "Commander Zhao, what are you doing here? I figured you would have returned to your ship by now."

Commander Zhao stopped infront of her. He had something behind his back. "I was heading back to my ship but before I left, I thought you might like this." He pulled a small box from behind his back and held it out for her.

Lamura smiled and took the box. She found the edge of the lid and slowly lifted it off the box. She looked inside the opened box and her jaw dropped. She dropped the lid and pulled the item from it's container. In her hands was the porcelain doll that she had seen at the shop. She looked up at Zhao with wide eyes and she saw that he was smiling. "Is this really for me?"

Zhao nodded. "I thought you would like it as a travel companion. She'll always be there if the banished prince isn't." He smirked. He never gave up the chance to insult Zuko.

Lamura was about to say something but Zuko's voice came to her ears. "Commander Zhao, what are you doing here?" Zuko appeared next to Lamura and glared up at Zhao.

Chuckling, Zhao looked at Zuko with a stern face. "I ran into Miss Lamura in the market and I thought I would give her a parting gift before she left."

Zuko looked down at Lamura. He saw her look up and he turned his gaze to the doll. She held it out for him to see. His mind immediately thought of the doll she had lost in the fire and he saw how she held it. It was her new lifeline. She held it close as if she were clinging to her memories of her grandmother. He looked at her with a bit of sadness in his eyes but quickly brushed it off. He turned back to look at Zhao. "Well, you've given it to her and now we need to leave. Come on Lamura." Zuko wrapped his arm gently around her shoulders and turned her towards the ship. As they walked up the gangplank, Zuko looked over his shoulder and saw Zhao watching Lamura. He caught his gaze and glared at him, only getting a smirk from him.

As soon as they had the gangplank up, he gave some orders and the ship began to move. After they were away from the docks, Zuko noticed that Lamura had vanished. He gazed around and saw her at the front of the boat. He walked over and stood behind her. She still had the doll in her arms and tears were close to falling from her eyes. He moved next to her and reached out his hand, wiping her tears away. "That doll looks very nice. It reminds me of the one from your old home."

Lamura nodded and remained silent. She looked down at the doll and wiped away more tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. She turned towards Zuko and spoke. "I'm going to go to my rom. I need some time alone."

Zuko nodded and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "I'll escourt you there. I need some rest as well."

Lamura gave him a small smile and whispered a thank you. They walked in silence, the only sound being the sound of their shoes. When they reached Lamura's room, they stood there in silence for a moment. Lamura looked up at Zuko and then turned towards her door. She opened the door and took a step inside.

Zuko stopped her and leaned close. He placed a kiss on her cheek and then stepped back. He saw a smile appear on her lips as she stepped into her room. The door closed quietly. The hall was completely silent. He walked down the hall and entered his bedroom. He saw a small package on his box and this brought a smile to his face. He walked over to the box and opened it. Inside lay a small figure, dressed in a red dress with a black bow tied around it's fragile waist. It had long black curls and bright blue eyes. There were only a few little marks on the porcelain skin but it looked almost like it were brand new. Zuko picked it up and sighed. "I guess now that she has that new one, she won't want this one back."

He put the figure in the box and tossed the box under his bed. He laid back and put his hand under his head. He stared up at the ceiling and was lost in deep thought.

Under the bed, the box was on it's side, the lid slightly opened. A small porcelain hand stuck out from the box. The hand of the doll Lamura had lost years before in the fire that had shattered a part of her heart that Zuko had never fully healed.