The medic was busy applying some soothing ointment to my arm while Iroh spoke with Zhao. Luckily, it was the medic I knew and trusted. He was applying ointment because I had tried to go closer to the ship, only to have a piece of burning debris fly my way, scraping against my left arm, cutting and burning me.
Lieutenant Jee was also in the room, asking me about what happened to the ship. But I was too distraught to come up with a coherent sentence. My best friend was just killed in front of me. The thought made me give a choked sob, covering my face in my hands.
"Miss Kiara," Lieutenant Jee began, "I know it hurts, but you need to let it out. What happened? Did you see anything? The ship couldn't have exploded on its own. Everything was in perfect shape, and there were no faults with any equipment or engines."
"I- I didn't see anything." A thought came to me. "But Z-Zhao wanted Prince Zuko o-out of the way..."
"You think it was Admiral Zhao?" Jee questioned. I nodded, looking up at him. "That makes no sense. He was here all night."
"He could've hired somebody, Lieutenant!" I exclaimed, hopping down from the examination table. "It makes absolute sense. The Admiral wanted Prince Zuko out of the way so he could capture the Avatar. The only way he'd be able to get him is to kill Prince Zuko!"
"Alright, Miss Kiara, calm down," Jee said. He grabbed my shoulders gently and made me take a deep breath. But my breathing was shaky, and before I knew it, I was crying again. "I know, I know..." Comfortingly, he rubbed my back, allowing me to cry.
"Zhao's g-going to hurt m-me," I stuttered.
"What are you talking about?" the medic asked. Why had I still not learned this man's name? "What do you mean he's going to hurt you?"
"That's another r-reason he wanted the prince out. A-at the Agni Kai, he s-said winner gets the g-girl, meaning me. T-then at the Fire Temple, h-he told me I-I would be his... He's going to hurt me."
"He's not going to hurt you, Miss Kiara. General Iroh wouldn't allow that," Jee stated. It made me feel a bit better knowing Iroh was going to be with me, but the thought of Zhao even touching me scared me to no end.
The door burst open and five guards came in. They weren't from Zuko's ship. One of them grabbed my arms and led me from the room, while the other four held back the two men I called my acquaintances. I was led to a room on the other end of the large ship, practically being thrown in. Quickly, I got to my feet and tried to open the door after it had been closed.
"Now, now, slave. Don't try and run from your new master," a sinister voice said behind me. Slowly, I turned to see Zhao, dressed in loose pants and a sleeveless tunic. He advanced toward me, an evil look in his eyes. "You're finally mine."
"No!" I shouted as he grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him. "Let go!"
"I don't think so. I'm going to show you what a real man does when he owns someone." He began pulling me toward the large bed on the opposite wall.
"Prince Zuko was more of a man than you'll ever be!" I yelled at him.
He stopped and faced me, glaring. "We'll see about that."
I wasn't surprised at how strong this man was, but I was surprised at what he did. He threw me onto the bed, and I tried climbing off to get away from him, but he grabbed my ankle and pulled me back. With Zhao straddling my waist, I didn't have much room to fight him, trying to get away. With one swift movement, I was on my stomach, Zhao practically sitting on my butt. I felt the heat on my back, then the coolness of air hitting my skin. He had burned my shirt. But he didn't stop there.
I felt the heat of his flame against my skin, making me gasp in pain. And he wasn't satisfied with that. He tried harder.
"Scream, girl!" he shouted. It was getting hotter, and I saw a blue light from the corner of my eye. It was that moment that the flame hit a nerve beneath my skin, and I screamed for the first time in my life. It made him stop. "That's more like it. I want to hear you scream until your voice gives out."
"You're a sick bastard," I spat, trying to kick him off of me.
"Keep talking and your punishment will be worse."
"You'll pay for this."
"You're about to pay for that smart mouth. I wonder what else it can do..."

Meanwhile, with Iroh~
Iroh walked down a corridor in Zhao's ship, toward the direction a guard was coming from. Both stopped when they reached each other.
"Our plan is working perfectly," Iroh said. "Zhao doesn't suspect a thing."
The guard removed his mask to reveal the face of Prince Zuko. "You didn't have to do this."
"No nephew of mine is going to stow away on a ship without some backup!"
"Thank you, Uncle."
There was a sound in the corridor coming toward them. "Someone's coming!" Zuko replaced his mask. "Stay hidden until we get to the North Pole and the Avatar will be yours! Good luck!"
As the old man began to walk away, Zuko grabbed his shoulder. "Please, Uncle, don't let him touch her."
A scream sounded that could be heard among every member of the crew. Zuko's head snapped to the direction it came from. Zhao made her scream... he thought. She's never screamed before. What's he doing to her?
"Go. Say that I requested his presence," Iroh said. "Let her know you're here."
Zuko nodded and set out. Iroh continued the way he was going, a slightly worried look on his face. He was worried about Kiara. What had Zhao done to make her scream? Surely he wouldn't... Iroh shook his head to get the thought out. Zhao was a sick man, but that? That was pure evil. Would Zhao stoop that low?

Zuko:
I did as Uncle said and followed the source of the scream. On the other side of the door, Zhao was with her. Alone. I could hear his voice speaking to her.
"Let's see what Zuko's done with you," he said.
"No! Stop it!" Kiara shouted back. Her voice was frightened. "Don't touch me!"
At that, I knocked on the door. There was a bit of shuffling before the door opened and Zhao looked at me, angry. I was glad he couldn't see my face behind the mask I wore. "What?!" he snapped.
"General Iroh wishes to see you, sir," I said in a deeper voice to further disguise myself.
"Fine, fine. Make sure she doesn't get out. I was just starting," he told me. He allowed me in the room and it took all I had to not kill him right then. She was curled up on the bed, her back exposed due to a ripped shirt, and part of her pants were also ripped.
As soon as Zhao left, I went to her, touching her arm gently. She shot up and looked at me with wide eyes. "Don't touch me!" she exclaimed, quieter this time.
I removed my helmet and allowed her to see my face. "It's me, Ki," I whispered.
Her mouth fell open in shock, her eyes filling with tears. "Prince Zuko... You're alive?" she asked. I nodded. Suddenly, her arms were around my neck, pulling me against her. "I thought you were dead! Thank goodness!"
"Hey, shh. It can't get out that I'm alive, okay?" She nodded. "I need you to do something for me, Ki."
"What is it?" she asked, pulling away to look at me.
"I need you to keep fighting. Fight him with everything you have. Don't let him have his way with you. I know what he was trying to do before I got here, and that can't happen. Promise me, Ki. Keep fighting."
She looked me in the eyes as she nodded. "I will, Prince Zuko. Before he comes back, put your helmet back on. You can't be caught or he'll try to kill you again."
"Try to get him to confess to having me assassinated, okay? I know it was him, and so do you, so have him confess."
Kiara nodded again, hugging me a last time before handing me the helmet and pushing me away from her. I put the helmet on just in time because the door opened again and in walked Zhao. I stood at attention as he came closer, glaring at both me and Kiara.
Kiara was good at acting. Her eyes were wide as he approached. But it could have been real terror in her eyes.
"I told you to watch her, soldier," he spat at me. He turned to Ki. "Did he touch you in any way?" he demanded. She shook her head. "Get out! And take her to the brig."
He grabbed Kiara's arm roughly and tossed her to me. She lost her balance and nearly fell, but I caught her in my arms. Quickly, I exited the room and closed the door. I sighed in relief, knowing he wouldn't touch her for a while longer.
Gently, I led her to the infirmary. Upon seeing her torn and burned clothing, the medic gasped and immediately got to work. I was glad that my crew was here now, but they couldn't know I was alive either.
"What happened, Miss Kiara?" the medic asked. I acted like I was standing guard at the door, my arms crossed as I waited for him to finish.
"I told you he would hurt me," she said. "He was about to... But then this guy stepped in and stopped it. Thank you, sir." She bowed her head to me. I nodded in acknowledgement.
When the medic was finished, I led Kiara to the brig, apologizing to her before putting her in one of the cells. She had a new shirt, and for that, I was thankful. I didn't want to leave her there, but I had to. She insisted that I go and gather information about the trip to the North Pole, such as how long she would have to endure being Zhao's pet until we escaped.
And so I did that. I left and went to talk with other crew members, or listen in on their conversations about the voyage. I could only hope that everything was going to go according to my plan.