Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender or its characters.

Chapter Three:

The Memory and a Name

"There is darkness inside all of us, though mine is more dangerous than most.
Still, we all have it—that part of our soul that is irreparably damaged by the very trials and tribulations of life.
We are what we are because of it, or perhaps in spite of it."

– Jenna Maclaine

Bodhan and Iroh had sat side by side as Zuko was practicing his firebending. The sun was slowly rising, the skies a mixed array of orange and yellow. Both the prince and his opponent had bowed before entering their standing position, "Fight!" Bodhan had said as the man had started to run, jumping into the air and flying towards him with a kick, Zuko had arched his fingers back at the knuckles to resemble a claw and had shifted to the side and grab the man's ankle and threw him back at the area he was. The man had slid across the ground and then jumped to his feet, Zuko standing still. The man had come chagrining again, but Zuko had done the same but created a wall of fire to slow the man down, which it did, and slide in between the man's legs so that he was behind him.

Zuko sharply brought his left leg backward to place it in between the man's legs and turned it around, which had immediately made the man spin around to counter his attack. But he was surprised to see Zuko pressed his two palms together in a prayer and shoved them out and moving towards his throat. The man had quickly grabbed Zuko's hand with one hand, and his had his left hand out in position to strike Zuko's eyes. The prince had suddenly sunk low and leaks his two hands below and around by taming his opponent's right hand, and then gripped the man's left hand at its weakest spot, the wrist, with his two dragon claws attack all without moving his feet. The crown prince made sure not to injure the man's arm but he made it impossible for the man to move.

The prince analyzed if the man had moved any or both of his legs, he could easily move his right leg at a large step backward and pull him forward to the ground. "Zuko's combat skills have grown immensely." Iroh had commented with a steaming hot cup of tea in his hand. "I've never seen him so quick and precise."

"It is because he is making up for his lack of concentration the other day and so he is working harder. Though I do have to admit, his strength has grown immensely." Bodhan had explained as he had picked up his cup of tea. "His focus is stronger than it has ever been. Zuko has always been an excellent fighter, ambidextrous with weapons too. He just needed focus to bring it out more. Alright, Guan lost." Bodhan had said as Zuko and Guan then dropped out of their lock and then bowed to each other before moving apart. "Now, I want you to practice more on your firebending."

Both had nodded, Zuko's eyes turning to look back at Guan. Both of them had gotten back into stances, their concentration on each other. Quickly, Zuko had shoved both his fist forward and released a large stream of fire, his opponent had moved his arms in a circular motion to dissipate the fire that was being blasted at him. And the end of the steam of Zuko's fire, he had blast fire from his hands at the guards, but Zuko had dodged and ran forward, and fired a volley of flame while alternating between his fists.

Guan managed to block each of them, but was being forced back. On the last of Zuko's volley, he had used both hands to attempt to knock Zuko over, but Zuko had swiftly moved right and then did a spin kick and hit Guan squarely on the chest so that he hit the ground. Guan had then stood again, and they had continued their fight.

Near the training area was the grey-eyed servant who had watched with wide eyes and a pile of towels in her hands. There were two other servants with her as well, one of them being Qiao and the other Bi. "Prince Zuko is the image of perfection, isn't he?" Bi had said, awing at the prince who had a thin sheet of sweat on his exposed chest and back, which seemed to glisten as the sun had shined over them. "Even with that ugly scar on his face, he really makes you swoon."

The brunette had looked at the darker hair girl with a frown. "I don't think Zuko's scar is ugly. I mean, it kind of makes him who he is. I don't think I can imagine him without it." She had said as Bi slowly turned to look at her. "If you like someone, you should find even the things that aren't attractive about them, attractive and special. If you don't then they'll think you really don't like them. At least, that's how I would feel."

"Nobody cares how you think and feel." Qiao butted in; obviously irritated by the fact the girl had spoken to them. "If she thinks the scar is ugly, like I do, then it's ugly. Get over yourself."

The brunette had lowered her gaze. "You're right. It's her opinion." She mumbled.

"Now go give them the towels!" Qiao ordered as the girl had nodded and then made her way down the steep hill and towards the training area.

Bi and Qiao watched as the girl made her way over, Zuko's training had come to an end and he had emerged victorious. "Uhm… Here you go, Prince Zuko." The girl had said as she had offered him a slightly damp, cold towel.

Zuko had taken it and gave her a nod as a thanks. She had then looked at Iroh who had given her a smile. "Would you like one too, Iroh?" She had asked as he had shook his head.

"Someone as old and with a stomach like mine isn't equipped for training. So I'm not the one sweating out here and in need for a towel." He explained, "Sit down and join us with tea." He had then turned to the firebending master who had looked up from his seat at her. "I don't think you have met her, Bodhan. She is the servant girl with no name but she makes a great listener for conversation."

The girl smiled and shook her head. "I would love to sit with you both and have tea but I still have many more things to do." She had bowed slightly. "Having a conversation with two of the greatest firebending masters would be quite a luxury and I really don't want to turn it down." She sighed but she knew if she had slacked off like she did before, the other girls would notice. Not just that, Bi and Qiao was watching her.

Both men nodded, understanding that her duties came before relaxation. "Admirable that you were stick to your duties first." Bodhan had said, "Most would rush at a chance to relax."

Zuko had opened one eye open as he had rubbed the towel against his head. The brunette had looked down at her feet, "Well… I had no place to go and I was offered to work here. I should work very hard for Fire Lord Ozai and the rest of the royal family for giving me a home. They don't deserve me slacking when they had opened their home, which is much more grand than I would have imagined." She had smiled. "It was nice meeting you Master Bodhan, goodbye Iroh. Prince Zuko." She had bowed again and quickly turned to leave.

Bodhan then stood. "Wait a minute!" He had said to the brunette, who had turned and looked at him. "Do you know how to use a sword?" He had asked her as she had looked at him with curious eyes. "With your size and build, you would be a great fighter."

The girl appeared surprised and kept her gaze at the firebending master. "Uh… I don't know if I can use a sword."

Iroh had looked at Bodhan, who had walked over towards the shelves of sword and pulled out a katana. "I'd like to see you try." He had said as had held the sword out to her.

She had looked down at the towels and then back at Bodhan and then to Iroh, who gave her a nod. "There will be no harm done." He had tried to calm her fears.

Slowly, and hesitantly, she had walked towards Iroh handed him the towels and took the sword out of Bodhan's hands. He too had grabbed a sword, "Guan, Prince Zuko." He called the males names, both of them nodding since they knew that they would take the arena.

Both the brunette and Bodhan had stood a comfortable distance away as the girl had griped the sword. She had held onto it tightly with deliberate purpose. The katana whispered through the air as she had rose it into an attack stance, the sword out of its scabbard.

Both Zuko and Iroh were surprised that she had taken a perfect stance. Had she actually used a sword before? The girl had launched herself toward Bodhan. With all her weight behind the blade, she struck at Bodhan's neck, who had effortlessly flicked her sword up to catch hers.

How could she even be evenly matched to Bodhan? He was even thrown back! "Hm…" From the look on the man's face, it was likely the first time he'd ever found himself overpowered, and he was stunned. And she didn't let that opening go to waste. She pushed forward, her sword hissing back and forth through the air as if possessed. "Guh!" Bodhan's face that was just calm and serene—now it was warped with frustration and surprise. His opponent, the servant, wore a rather manic grin and her blade slammed again and again into Bodhan's with more strength than any of them had ever seen before.

"How does she know the Tennen Rishin-ryū?" Priyala gasped out of amazement.

Zuko had then questioned Priyala. 'Tennen Rishin- ryū?'

"Yes, it is this old form of martial arts. Those that learned it learn sword fighting, staff fighting, and even close combat fighting with someone who was armed and armored. I didn't believe any humans had known this."

'You don't think she's a spirit, do you?' Zuko had questioned the dragon spirit, her eyes looking back to the brunette.

Her sword had hummed and flickered through the air with ease, far faster and smoother than it had been a minute before. "That isn't possible. There is no way she could be a spirit. If she were, I would've known."

Bodhan found himself in a position where all he could do was anticipate and block her strikes, leaving her no time to try and land an offensive blow of her own. "Where's the fire you had a moment ago?!" The girl said in which surprised them all. "Is that all you can muster?!"

"That look in her eyes…" Zuko had noticed that she didn't look like herself. There was a blankness, some darkness.

"She's not acting like herself." Iroh had said, "Bodhan! You must stop these immediately!" He had said.

What was even odder was that she wasn't even breathing hard. It was like she hadn't even used all her strength and that she were stronger than what she was showing. "No! It might help her find a memory! I can hold my own, Iroh." Bodhan had said, quickly running short of breath.

The man threw his full strength behind his sword, and lunged at her. The girl anticipated his blow easily, and twisted to the side as the man's blade swept past her. The girl's hand snapped out and Bodhan's sword fell, clattering to the training area floor.

"Bodhan!" Iroh had called out to him; the man fell to his knees, his chest heaving. Sweat rolled down his forehead in what looked like stream, and the cloth of his shirt was soaked.

The girl lifted her sword and pointed it at Bodhan. "…This is the end for you." Her mouth curved up into a cold, confident smile. "Men are such fools. They will try to fight what they know they cannot defeat. I call that recklessness, not courage. You have underestimated the power of a true warrior, and chosen not to fear me. I hope your last thoughts are of shame at your ignorance."

"Zuko, you have to stop her!" The Prince had immediately ran as she had bringing her sword down before it could even get its way near the man's head, Zuko had grabbed her wrist. Her eyes slowly looked towards him. Her hand had released the sword, the sound of metal clanking on the ground.

"It's alright." He had said to her as she had looked at him with confused eyes. "Its over." Tears had welled up in her eyes and she had ran forward towards Iroh, who had held her close. "Master Bodhan, are you alright?" He had asked the man, who nodded his head and slowly went to his feet.

"I've never seen such skill. Whatever she isn't remembering, it was that she was a fighter." He had said, "I wonder if she is a bender as well."

"That's enough for now. We don't need her going through another spell like she had. You could've died." Zuko had said to him, "You pushed it too far, Master."

The man had closed his eyes, nodding his head some. "You're right. I was careless."

"I could see blood, Iroh. I could see the wound I gave him. He… he was going to die…" She whimpered as Iroh had stroked the back of the girl's head, "I'm a killer."

"You're not a killer. Bodhan is not wounded, child." He tried to calm her nerves as tears kept rolling down her cheeks, "You snapped out of it, didn't you?" He asked her as she had nodded her head. "You could've killed him but you listened to Zuko. I don't know what your past is like but you can stop yourself from being that person in present."

"None of this is making sense…" Priyala had said Zuko watched Iroh console the terrified girl. "That… None of that couldn't have just happened."

'Why? What is it Priyala?' He has asked her as she was in this state of shock and confusion.

"…Nothing." The spirit dismissed it. "Nothing."

The young girl had immediately left the training grounds and went to her room. Her heart was still beating fast, her mind kept reminding the events that had happened minutes before. What was wrong with her? What possessed her to act like that? Why did she say those things? A true warrior? Was she a real warrior before? She had shut her eyes tightly, her eyes still stinging with tears and even though her eyes were closed, the tears had fell form the corner of her eyes.

'I'm a monster… I'm a monster.' She chanted in her head, her hands slowly reaching to the sides of her head. 'Why did I kill that man? What is wrong with me…?' Her back was against the door, teeth lightly biting her bottom lip. She slowly slid down until she was on her backside, her knees pressed to her chest. She didn't even see Bodhan until Zuko had stopped her. Her mind was seeing someone else, fighting someone else, and in another place. The gray skies, the heavy and cold rain was all in her sight and nose.

She saw herself on a battlefield, her feet firmly pressed against the muddy ground that was mixed in blood. Instead of Bodhan, there was a young man before her with long black hair that had hidden the right side of his face. It was loosely tied into a side ponytail by a white ribbon. His eyes, he had possessed eyes the color of the ocean but instead of a calm ocean, they were as strong and fear as an ocean during a storm.

He had looked at her with anguish. He seemed angry, sad, and all the more confused. He had no intention of letting her go just like she had no intention of letting her live. "Kaori… Why?" She could hear him say. His voice, it sounded like there was so much pain. "You traitor!" He screamed at her. It only made her want to forget it even more. Kaori was her name. Kaori was the name of a girl who had murdered someone who cared, didn't she? He was dead… He had to be. There was so much blood pooling under him. It was so dark and red… It mixed with the slushy earth under their feet.

Even though she could not see herself, it all being seen by her eyes, she could tell she wouldn't have liked the look on her face. Kaori was evil… Kaori was someone she didn't want to remember being. 'I'm a monster… I'm a monster…' She chanted again, her body shook as she found herself crying. Maybe it was better to forget who she was. Who would want to remember something that cruel? Something evil that they had did? 'I shouldn't even be here… I could endanger all those people. I almost killed Master Bodhan…' But she liked it here. No, she didn't want to go! She had very much liked Iroh and even Prince Zuko. She may not have known him well, but...

Maybe it was for the best. Prince Zuko was kind. That look in his amber gaze when he tried to make her stop, she could tell that he was concerned and that had made her feel hurt all the more. She did not want to be a burden to anyone. She did not need anyone feeling that she could snap into that mode again. Kaori, now knowing her name, had buried her face in between her knees. 'Monster… Monster.' As if it didn't hurt enough to say it the first few times. She was so scared of who she was. 'I don't want to remember me. I don't want to remember me at all!'

There was a light rap on her door. Her ears listening in. "It's me." She knew it was Zuko off the bat from his voice alone.

"D-Don't come near me! I'm dangerous!" She shouted from the other side of the door. "It's best if you stay away from me and I away from you. I don't want you involved; I don't want you to die!"

Her grey eyes had stared at the door, "You think you can kill me?" He had questioned her and she had looked at the door with a bit of confusion. "I'm a lot stronger than you take me for granted for. And I don't think some little servant girl is going to be the end of me. So are you going to open this door or not?"

Kaori wasn't sure if that was supposed to cheer her up or even convince her. His art of persuasion was strange but it had worked. She had slowly stood and turned around, unlocked the door and opening it just a crack. All she could see was Zuko's eyes and he could see hers. "Well?"

"Well are you going to let me in? As far as I am concerned, this is my palace." He had said as she had stepped back and opened the door more widely. He had stepped in and she had closed it once he stood in the middle of the room. "What happened back there?"

The brunette had fiddled with her thumbs, her eyes staring down at the floor. He had noticed that she had did this whenever she was uneasy. She had done the exact same thing a couple nights ago. "I don't know. I guess… I guess I was having a flashback." She had simply put it. "A really… scary flashback."

"What did you see?" He pushed on. He wasn't going to go easy on her because if he did, she would just slip out of the conversation and it would never be answered.

Kaori had then spoken slowly, and from what Zuko could tell, with pain. It was like it was hurting her to even speak of the things she had seen. "I had saw… a battlefield. It was like I wasn't in the Fire Nation anymore. My opponent wasn't master Bodhan. Everything was replaced by the flashback I had." Her eyes then looked up at him and then back down to the floor. "I was fighting this boy. I'm not sure who he is. I can't begin to tell you his name but he knew me and he was upset with me. I betrayed him…"

"Betrayed him?" Zuko repeated. "Betrayed him how?"

The girl shrugged her shoulders and sighed. "I don't know. He said, "Kaori… Why?" and then he proceeded to call me a traitor. I guess I wronged him and then tried to kill him. The memories before that and after are still blurry to me." She shook her head, confirming that she couldn't remember anything before or past that flashback.

"Kaori." The prince had said her name, "So that's your name?" He asked as she had nodded. "Kaori the warrior."

"…" Priyala remained quiet. No input being said. Zuko had found it strange, figuring that with these events of Kaori remembering that and then saying what she remembered to be her name that Priyala would figure out how the girl knew that fighting style. Zuko had just dismissed it, figuring that Priyala just didn't know.

Kaori had then sat at the edge of her bed, her elbows pressed to her legs near her knees and her hands on her both sides of her face as she chin rested at the bottom of her hands. "Kaori the warrior sounds like a heartless, traitor monster. That boy seemed so hurt and sad… Why would I do such a thing? And why would I say those things to him? I would never want to do that to someone."

"Maybe that guy was really the one who was no good." He had suggested, Kaori looking up at him as she had said so. "Maybe you had a valuable reason."

"Even so… Isn't wrong to betray the ones who care about you and who you care about? I must of cared about him. He looked at me and spoke to me so fondly." She had shaken her head, not wanting to believe she was so cruel.

And still, Zuko tried to reason. "What if he was doing something wrong? Would you let someone continue down the path that leads to disaster for them?" He had asked her.

"I guess not." Kaori shrugged. "Though I don't know anything about me… About Kaori."

"We could always search for information." He had said as she closed her eyes. "You haven't even tried and you're giving up already. Stop being such a quitter."

Though his words were harsh, they were true. Kaori had knew that much. "I'm just afraid of what I'll find out and I'm not sure if it is really worth that. Maybe the old Kaori should remain forgotten."

There was no way getting through her head. She was stubborn on this subject. "You'll never know. You should at least know who you really are."

"Why are you so adamant about this Prince Zuko?" She had asked him.

His expression became unreadable but she could tell that he was being very, very serious with her right now. "Because someone very special to me has once told me, "No matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are." And that's one thing I always lived my life by."

Her eyes had softened as he had walked towards the door, his hand grabbing hold of the handle and turning it. Before he had stepped out the room, she had called his name. "Prince Zuko!" He had paused but he had not turned to look at her.

"Thank you." She said, bowing deeply and slowly. He had looked over his shoulder and then looked forward before shutting the door behind him.

Kaori had flopped back down to her seat. "No matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are…" She repeated, her left hand had gone over her heart. "I guess no matter how ugly the past must be, I should always remain true to myself." The corner of her lips rose into a small smile. "Thank you, Prince Zuko."

It was the next day; evening time. The sun was out and about. The weather was warm, the sky was blue, and there were fewer clouds today. Kaori was tending to the flowers in the halls, watering the fire lilies in the vase. "Hey, you guys have to be strong. There's a lot of sun today, so please be strong." She had said words of encouragement to them, knowing that there was no way they could talk back. Unlike yesterday, there was warmth to her smile. She had felt better and more confident.

"I see you feel much better." Iroh had said as he walked down the hall, a plate in hand. There was a nicely cut slice of strawberry shortcake on his place. One lone strawberry had sat atop of the white frosting. Kaori had looked at him with a smile.

"Yeah, I do feel better! Oh, and did Prince Zuko tell you?" She had asked.

He looked confused. "Tell me what?"

"That I know my name now!" She said happily. "My name… My name is Kaori!"

A smile had lit up the man's face. "What a beautiful name! Kaori."

She had smiled as well. "Thank you. I really like my name too." She had adjusted the flowers in the vase, making sure that they were presented evenly and not all over the place. "I would like to tell you about the flashbacks I had yesterday but I'm a bit busy today with my duties."

He had nodded understandingly. "Our conversation can wait. Take good care." He had nodded and she had done a short bow. He had continued walking down the red, carpeted hall and she had continued with adjusting the flowers.

She had lowered the watering can and then walked down the hall to move to the next vase at the other side. As she had walked, she had noticed Masuyo coming down the hall. "Lady Masuyo!" Kaori had said the priestess' name in praise. "Good afternoon!" She had said happily.

The dark-haired woman had greeted the servant girl with a smile of her own. "You seem very vibrant today. How are you?" She had asked her.

"I'm doing well. I found out what my name was yesterday." She seemed overjoyed to tell people what her name was.

"Oh? Now there's finally a name to the beautiful face. What is it?" She had asked her.

"My name is Kaori." The girl had happily replied.

The woman smiled ever so fondly and gently stroked atop of the girl's head. "That's a beautiful name. It fits you."

"Thank you. That means a lot coming from you. You're the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, so if there is anything that you think is beautiful.. Well it is more than a compliment!" The woman's hand had affectionately continued to stroke atop of her head and then swiftly stopped before returning back to her side.

"Thank you, Kaori. Your praises are very kind." Masuyo had said, soft-spoken as usual. "I have business to attend to with Fire Lord Ozai."

The girl had then nodded, "Then I'll let you be on your way. Have a nice afternoon, Lady Masuyo." She had bowed slightly as the woman had walked down the hall.

Masuyo had then opened the study that belonged to the Fire Lord, the man sitting at his desk with a quill in his hand. "Fire Lord Ozai." The woman had bowed deeply and respectfully to the man.

"Masuyo. Why have you come to visit me?" He had asked as his eyes did not stray from the scroll on his desk. "You know if I am in my study then I am working on important documents."

"And you do know that you always have time to spare for me." She had said as she had walked over towards his desk. "We still have important manners to discuss."

He had looked up from the document and towards the dark-haired beauty in front of him. "And what is that?"

She had folded her arms across her chest. "When you reign as Phoenix King, what position will I gain? I told you what had to be done and now I believe I deserve a reward."

"I thought your reward would be being by my side as my queen. Wasn't that enough for you?" He had asked her, his mouth a thin line and one brow in an arch.

The woman did a half grin. "Why of course. To serve by you, to please you, and to be by your side as you have the world in your hands is more than pleasing." She had said as she had walked over from the table and towards him, sitting down like a child on his lap. Her hands had slithered to his face, stroking his cheekbone.

"What do you want now, Masuyo?" He questioned.

She had leaned forward, her eyes closing in on his. "Our children will be the next to rule. Prince Zuko and Princess Azula aren't capable of taking your place. They are weak and insufficient like their mother was. They will both fail you like she did. I can see it."

The Fire Lord had remained silent, his eyes staring straight back at the woman before him. "And how can I trust what you say?" He had asked her.

"Have I ever lied to you, my liege? And I only want was is best for you and for the future of the world that you will reign over. We do not need anyone weak taking your place. We will have strong, powerful children." She had simply said, her lips slightly grazing over his own.

"And what do you want me to do with my children? You want me to throw them out? To kill them?" He had asked her.

She had shaken her head. "I could never ask you to kill your children. Azula should rule the Fire Nation lands, she is more than capable but Prince Zuko. You should banish him."

"My son has never led me to believe that he will go against me or fail. Why do you insist this?" He asked her.

Masuyo furrowed her brow, growing agitated over the man's questioning and defending of his first born. "Zuko's heart grows soft. His uncle is always in his ear and he even talks to servants! What makes you think he won't change? We both know Iroh is against this war, he just chooses not to act on his true feelings but one day he might, he might try to foil our plans."

Ozai had set his jaw, letting the woman's words sink into his bronze skin. She was right. He had always seen the look on Iroh's eyes in those war room meetings. He had always looked so distant, so disgusted. Did he think he could take him down? Father had given him the crown! Well, he really didn't but…

"Listen to me, my liege. You must heed my words before Sozin comet comes. You have only eight seasons to realize this."

/ / /

'You've been awfully quiet lately, Priyala.' Zuko had said to the dragon spirit as he was sitting in the library table, quill in hand.

It had taken her a few minutes to reply. "There hasn't been much to say." The spirit replied. "And you are working on your speech for the festival coming up. I don't want to sway your attention."

'I can think, listen to you, and write. Multitasking isn't quite difficult.' He replied sharply. 'And I might need your help. I really don't know what to say without sound like I'm blubbering.' The prince sighed as he had placed the parchment and quill down.

"Shouldn't your speech come from the heart? After all, it is about how you benefitted your nation." She suggested as the teenage male nodded.

'I suppose you're right.' He replied. 'If I want to sound honest and genuine then I should say what comes to mind instead of writing it down on paper or letting someone else help me.'

"Exactly." The dragon spirit had agreed. "Has the Fox bead been hurting you like it had that night? You haven't had any nightmares have you?"

'No. I've been feeling more than fine. Refreshed is what you could call it.' He replied.

"That's good. Though it would be wise to take that bead out as soon as you are completely healed."

'Why?' Zuko had asked.

"I don't think anything good will come out of it by keeping that bead for a long period of time. It's not safe." Zuko had a feeling that she had knew more than what she was letting on. In fact, he felt that she was acting like that about a lot of things but he wasn't going to press the issue.

If it was a safe decision for himself then he would do it. 'Fine, doesn't really matter to me if it stays or goes. I just want to be completely healed.' He had said.

"Now that the festival is less than a couple of days away, who will you be going with?" Priyala had asked him.

The prince shrugged his shoulders. 'I'm going with you, aren't I?'

"You have no choice. We are fused together." The spirit replied. "I'm sure there is a human girl that takes your interest."

He had thought about for a few minutes and then somewhat smiled. 'Well, there is one girl.'

"Who?" Priyala asked, being rather nosy.

'Her name is Mai. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I had gone with her.' Zuko replied, a hint of happiness to his voice.

"Mai? Who is this Mai?" asked Priyala.

'She's a girl I grew up with, well… Azula's best friend.'

"Anyone who is best friends with her is off limits, aren't they? And if they are best friends with her, why would you not believ-"

Zuko had cut the spirit off before she had gone off to a rant. 'She's not like my sister. Both of her friends aren't. Mai can be a bit cold and cynical, but she is… She is…' He tried to find that right word for it.

"Insane? Not as insane as your sister? Cruel? Not as cruel as your sister?"

The boy sighed. 'She's not insane or cruel. Well, she can be albeit cruel but not in an evil way! She's… she's special.'

"I'll take your word for it, for now." Seemed to be Priyala's rely.

Zuko had shaken his head. 'Good.' He had said.

Soon the library door had opened, Kaori coming into the large hall. Zuko had turned to look to see her skipping down the aisles and then going towards a random shelf. "I need something good to read."

'She seems to be feeling better today than how she was yesterday." Priyala had said as Zuko watched her looking through one row of shelves.

She had pulled out one scroll and read the title. "The Little Mermaid."

"I guess what you said yesterday cheered her up. By the way, what happened to your mother?" She questioned, "If you don't mind me asking that is."

'It's a long story.' Zuko replied before standing, walking over towards the brunette. "You're in high spirits." He commented.

Startled, she nearly dropped the scroll but managed to catch it before it hit the floor and calmed herself. "I didn't know you were here, but yeah. I feel better. What you said yesterday was really comforting."

Her smile was warm and her face appeared to be glowing. That was more than enough to make him not worry that his words did not go through. "You should take it easy, with your memories and about who you are."

"I know. I'm not going to force myself to remember. I'm going to take slow steps. Slow and easy." She had nodded confidently. "I can't rush things like this and nor do I want to." Her grey eyes then looked away from him and then down at the scroll. "Do you know what this story is about?" She had asked.

"It's about a mermaid who wants to become human." He answered, "It's…"

Her eyes looked quite hopeful. "So it must be good then, right? Ohh, I can't wait to read it. I read so many books so far about unhappy endings. Most stories always end so tragically."

He wanted to tell her that this one was a tragedy too but maybe it was best that she found that out for herself. "You should probably read it for yourself." He had said as Kaori pouted slightly.

"I guess." She had shrugged her shoulders and then fiddled with the scroll in her hands. "So, do you think it is possible for servants to attend the festival? I would like to go." She said.

Zuko had thought about it but he wasn't sure if they were. "I'm not entirely sure. I don't think servants had gone before."

A frown had adorned her face. "Oh…" She looked down sadly. "I would like to see the city lit with red lanterns. But I guess I'll have to watch from the windows." She forced herself to smile. "I'm grateful for the Fire Nation for taking me in. What's more than I can ask?"

He could tell she wasn't being genuine about being accepting of it. He didn't know how he could really help her out. "Well…"

She shook her head. "It's fine." Kaori had then walked towards her room. "The day is about you after all. Not me. I'll be fine." And with that, she had opened and the door and walked inside.

"Is that guilt I sense?" Priyala teased.

'Shut up, Priyala.' He folded his arms. 'There's nothing I can do anyway.'

"You could take her as a date instead." She offered.

Zuko stared at Kaori's door. 'And why would I do that?'

The dragon spirit sighed. "So she can go to the festival! Are you really going to deprive that girl of fun after what she went through?"

'You just don't want me to go with Mai because you feel like Azula will come around and make you feel uncomfortable.' The prince said.

"Your damn right your sister makes me feel uncomfortable. That little sadistic monster. I saw what she did to those servant girls. She's evil, I tell you."

He had shaken his head. 'What you saw was minor of what she is truly capable of.'

The spirit shivered, "I can't even imagine!"

'I'm taking Mai and that's the end of the story.'

"Fine, it was only just a suggestion!"

Kaori had slowly closed the door and sighed. "I knew it…" She disappointed about not being able to attend the festival but maybe it was better that way. She had to learn her place. She was a servant of the royal family. She was not a guess, she held no freedom or say so whatever. Kaori was a servant. Here to serve and dedicate hand in foot to chores and to the royal family. "Better soak in this break before I get back to work." She had flopped on the bed, scroll in hand.

She had slowly unraveled the old story scroll, her eyes glancing down at the letters and small drawings. "Far out in the ocean the water is as blue as the petals of the loveliest cornflower, and as clear as the purest glass. But it is very deep too. It goes deeper than any anchor rope will go, and many, many steeples would have to be stacked one on top of another to reach from the bottom to the surface of the sea. It is down there that the sea folk live." Kaori had read to herself out loud, mystified and imaging the ocean that the author spoke of.

Kaori is the Japanese name meaning "Fragrance weaving."

Another disclaimer! I do not own The Little Mermaid, Hans Christian Anderson does.

A/N: So many reviews and interesting ones too! Well, I can't say much but you'll be finding things out soon.

The Avatar is alive and well, but he'll be coming later on. The Gaang is still together but didn't have Zuko foiling them as much as he did.

As far as fox movies, well... There was one moved I watched called Painted Skin, it is good movie and there is a part two. Uh, that's the only ones I remember and that inspiring me just a little

Tamano-no-mae is a real story too. I think they made a movie of her, but I am not sure. I hope that answers most questions. u w u