Chapter Two:

Disclaimer and all that: I don't own da avatarness. But, as my cat as my witness, I WILL :D (Cat goes to sleep) Note: A few Disney songs will appear :)

Iroh did as Mei Ying asked. He left her be, but he wouldn't let the topic rest, he talked with Zuko about her.

"Don't you see how much she is like you?" Zuko pretended not to know what his uncle was talking about; but it was obvious he did know. He knew that the two had lost their homes due to their inebitable inability to keep quiet and let what happends, happen. "She belongs here; her brother too. But she refuses to talk. The only thing she has said since she got here was 'go away' and some other stuff in that mannor."

They saw Cong walk upto them; the burn on his face had that medical cream, and he demanded to know what happend and where he was.

"Calm down boy." Iroh told him gently. "Your on my nephew's ship; your sister had alittle...problem with some old people and well..."

"Oh great!" He bursted out. "It was only a matter of time before she got us kicked out! She just couldn't accept fate as it was suppost to happen; oh no! She had to go out training in waterbending, and stop me from fighting you and now look!" All three of them looked twords the door to see her standing there; no life in her eyes.

It was after dinner; when Zuko decided to talk to her. If what Cong said was true;Then Iroh was right; she did belong with them. When he saw her on deck; she was just stairing into the ocean; hardly making a blink, let alone moving at all.

"Hey." He greeted her softly; she just looked at him for a moment, and then looked back at herself in the water. "I know your mad, but hey." He was trying to be comferting, but he was so unexperianced. "welcome to the banished gang." He couldn't even get a smile out of her. "Mind telling me about you?"

"Look at me, I will never pass for perfect bride.
Or a perfect daughter.
Can it be I'm not meant to play this part?
Now I see that if I were truly to be myself,
I would break my family's heart.

(Chorus:)
Who is that girl I see
Staring straight back at me.
Why is my reflection someone I don't know
Somehow I cannot hide who I am,
Though I've tried.
When will my reflection show,
Who I am inside.When will my reflection show
Who I am inside." Iroh was right; she did belong with them as much as anyone else did.

"It isn't all that bad." He attempted. "I mean, what law says You've got to get married at all?"

"My villages. It was a law that wemon were to marry and take care of the chores; while the boys went off and played soldier." There was silence. "I never wanted any of that. I hardly ever did any of my chores; and when I did; it was always babysitting the children, who, at that daycare igloo, were treated like cattle. On sunny days; I was to herd them outside and at lunch time I was to feed them milk and crackers; they'd stuff their faces and remind me of cows, chewing their cud. Every boring day has been just the same."

"I'm sorry to say that it will probably be boring here too." But he thought of an upside. "At least you won't have to worry about marrage untill your ready for it."

"Maybe.." She slowly lifted her head and staired up at the moon. "Whats it like?"

"What?"

"The world. What is it like?"

"You've never..?"

"My village has never seen passed the great ice wall. Its forbidden, the elders are afraid we would get involved with the war."

"Then why train soldiers?"

"We get in orders for a number of soldiers from the earth kingdom;and then we fill that order. Sons train for war, while wemon train for sons." She let a silence linger for a while. "I had hoped that since I was taking care of Cong, he wouldn't be such a sexist."

"What about your parents?"

"They died. It was a few years ago, when I was twelve, and Cong was nine. A firenation raid killed them. The neighbors say I look like my mother every day; but they wern't too sure where I got my temper." Zuko looked at her; and then at the water, he started to chuckle. "whats so funny?"

"Your brother." He clearified. "Isn't a very good soldier."

"How do you figure?"

"First of all; when a soldier attacks from behind, he tries to be quiet; I heard your brother from the time he picked up his weapon. Secondly; if he is going to attack at all, he can't yell out your name and then attack." Mei Ying giggled. "Looks Like I got a laugh out of you." She reached up to wipe away her own tears; but he caught her hand half way and did it for her. "Like I said before; It'll be alot diffrent on this ship than in your village." He gave her a quick, childish smile; and then started to play around. "Chores will have to be done twice as much and you will bear my children!" Mei Ying rose an eyebrow; and then laughed at the obvious joke. That was the first time the two had shared a laugh together. "Perfection is not a requirement here."

"OK." She felt better already; she staired out twords the dimond sky; and then her smile grew. "I want to see it."

"See what?"

"The world. I want to see it, I always have, but I suppose it just slipped my mind untill now." Zuko smirked.

"Well, I suppose this is the best way."

And that was it; the two had become friends; Zuko offored to train her brother the very next day; and she finally got away, she could now see the world as it should be seen, and not as other people tell her how it was.

REFLECTION from the Mulan Soundtrack, it belongs souly (sp?) to the people at Disney, the way they used to be before they started trying to keep up with the times and making crappy sequils to classic films. Yeah I said it.