Author's Note:Hello everyone! I am so glad my binge posting plan is popular! Here is another chapter, this time longer. I swear this one has been one of the harder ones to finalize. I keep tweaking it and making sure the scenes fit for what is coming up next. I really hope I get it right and I don't let you all down! I am now currently editing chapter 6.
P.S This chapter is titled in a nuanced way. It not only represents the lack of love Zuko's father has for him, but also Iroh's unconditional love for him as his surrogate father. Iroh has a special place in my heart and I want to give as many props to him as I can.
P.P.S Enjoy another shirtless Zuko scene. Things only get more fun from here :P
~Chapter 5 Start~
It was a bright and surprisingly warm day today, so Zuko and myself were outside training with the men. It had mostly just been sparring, but it was still good practice. I had finally started to find my own stride, learning my firebending faster and faster at each turn. Aang was right, I did it before, I could do it again. Being the Avatar clearly had its perks. I had just sat down for a small break as Zuko continued pushing himself like never before. He let out a stream of fire and fists as the soldiers across from him dodged, or at least tried too.
At the last hit the boat turned a sharp right causing us all to topple over and slam into the railing of the boat. The soldier rolled twice before catching himself and I winced in empathy. My own grip faltered, and I too fell after them.
"Someone's changing our course." Zuko hissed as he caught me and held me up from becoming a crumpled heap over deck.
We looked up towards the captain's deck with suspicion. Zuko rushed towards the helmsman and I followed after him, curious about today's change of plans, and not wanting to risk toppling over the railing at the next sharp turn.
"What's the meaning of this mutiny? No one told you to change course!" Zuko shouted as we walked into the room.
"Actually, someone did," Iroh spoke from where he was seated playing Pai Sho. "I assure you, it is a matter of utmost importance, Prince Zuko."
"Is it something to do with the Avatar?" He asked.
"Even more urgent. It seems I..." Iroh paused for a moment as he held a hand to his forehead, "I have lost my lotus tile."
Iroh moved one of his pieces across the board as Zuko gave a perplexed look.
"Lotus tile?" He asked.
"For my Pai Sho game," Iroh answered as he clasped his hands in his sleeves. "Most people think the lotus tile insignificant, but it is essential for the unusual strategy that I employ."
"You've changed our course for a stupid lotus tile?" Zuko seethed as he clenched his fists.
"See, you, like most people, underestimate its value," Iroh spoke as he leaned over the table. "Just give me ten minutes to check the merchants at this port of call. Hopefully, they'll have the lotus tile in stock, and I can get on with my life."
Zuko was breathing heavily now, slowly counting under his breath, before shooting out a spurt of fire from his mouth.
"I'm lucky to have such an understanding nephew." Iroh praised, ignoring Zuko's small outburst.
"We have to get Mira some properly fitted armor anyways." Zuko huffed as he left the room.
~Break~
"I've checked all the shops on this pier, not a lotus tile in the entire marketplace." Iroh spoke sadly as he caught up with Zuko and I outside the armor shop.
"It's good to know this trip was a complete waste of time for everyone!" Zuko spoke, his tone sarcastic.
"Not a complete waste, I now have armor that doesn't pinch!" I boasted, trying to find the silver lining.
"I stand by my comment." Zuko huffed.
"Quite the contrary," Iroh spoke, "I always say the only thing better than finding something you are looking for, is finding something you weren't looking for at a great bargain!"
As he spoke the soldiers that had left with Iroh walked past us, arms full of various objects.
"You bought a tsungi horn?" Zuko asked with a raised eyebrow.
"For music night on the ship," Iroh answered as if that made it ok. "Now, if we only had some woodwinds..."
We started walking down the pier towards a line of ships with items outside for sale. Iroh rushed forward towards one of the ships with a spring in his step.
"Oh, this place looks promising." He said.
We entered the ship, Zuko carrying the same annoyed expression all the way, as I looked around at the different items for sale. There were a lot of knick knacks, much like any second hand store in my time. I saw a few pieces of jewelry set up on a makeshift rack of leaning wood. Not what I was really looking for, so I walked past it and continued to look at the different scrolls laying about.
Ooo! An earthbending scroll! I unrolled it and my face twisted up. It was nothing like firebending, I was already lost. I moved the scroll and held it at a different angle and frowned. Nope, that didn't help at all either.
Crap.
"Oh, that is handsome," Iroh complimented as he rushed towards a black monkey statue with ruby eyes. "Wouldn't it look magnificent in the galley?"
I turned and looked at Iroh and gave him a dead look, shaking my head slightly no. The statue had wide ruby eyes and a manic grin, I did not enjoy it at all. Zuko was looking around with a bored expression, not even paying attention to Iroh and his spending. Some help he was.,m, at this rate I was going to have to see that ugly statue every day for god knows how long.
"We lost the Water Tribe girl," One of the pirates spoke near the front of the shop. "And the little bald monk she was travelling with."
Zuko turned and took interest almost instantly. He waved Iroh off as he moved towards the man who had just rushed in. I twisted my head to watch Zuko stalk over to the man who had just spoken.
"This monk, did he have an arrow on his head?" Zuko asked.
"Oh dear, this is going to be a long day, I can already tell." I sighed as I put down the scroll I was still holding.
~Break~
"So your plan is to hire a bunch of pirates, take out our smaller boat with less men, trust them to help us, and just what, assume they won't double cross us?" I asked as Zuko had finished the finalizing of their deal.
He had paid the pirates to help us apprehend the Avatar and his friends, only Zuko didn't tell them Aang's real worth.
"Yes, because as far as they know, nothing else of value is around except our coin and the scroll that water peasant girl stole." Zuko smirked as he motioned for us to follow him onto the smaller boat.
"I hope you know what you're doing..." I sighed as I followed after him. Iroh chuckled at our antics and followed suit.
"Must you always talk as if you have no faith in me?" Zuko sighed as we got onto his smaller boat.
"Aww, you think I have faith in you." I sniggered, catching the interest of one of the pirates.
"Just shut up before you blow this whole thing." Zuko ordered, slapping his hand across my mouth to silence me.
~Break~
We were now sailing down a large river, the pirate captain standing beside us as we looked out for any sign of the Avatar and his friends. So far we hadn't had any luck, and had been searching for quite a few hours. The pirates were beginning to grow agitated and restless.
"Shouldn't we stop to search the woods?" The pirate captain asked, breaking the terse silence.
"We don't need to stop. They stole a waterbending scroll, right?" Zuko asked.
"Mhmm." The pirate leader reluctantly replied.
"Then they'll be on the water." Zuko smirked.
"Thank god we aren't looking for an earthbender then." I laughed causing Iroh to snort.
If looks could kill Zuko would have killed me several times over by now.
~Break~
It was well past nightfall now, and we were still cruising down the river and standing around like idiots. Well, it was my opinion that we were, Zuko clearly thought he looked busy, staring at the trees through his scope.
"Oww! Stupid scroll!" We heard someone utter alongside the lapping waves.
"Ok, Katara, shift your weight through the stances...ugh!" Katara spoke again.
Zuko quietly motioned for his men to dock the ship, and within moments we had hit the beach and the landing ramp extended. I stared at the handful of pirates waiting with Zuko's own men and realized if the pirates wanted to give us trouble, they easily could.
"No! Let go of me!" I heard Katara shriek as Zuko gave me a small smirk and jumped off the ship.
I followed him, hot on his heels as we rushed up the embankment and towards the thick brush. We rounded a couple of trees and heard the sound of gurgling water. Katara had managed to smack one of the pirates in the face with water, but was unfortunately running away without looking where she was going. She smacked into Zuko's chest and bounced off like a fly. He caught her by the wrists and leaned in close.
"I'll save you from the pirates." He smirked.
Zuko then dragged her off towards our boat, ordering his men to tie her to a tree as he tossed her at Shen. I caught sight of Iroh as he made his slow way towards us. He gave Katara an appraising look, before returning his attention to Zuko. I wasn't quite sure what to think about Iroh at that moment. He had never explicitly helped Zuko hunt the Avatar, but neither did he dissuade him.
"Tell me where he is, and I won't hurt you or your brother." Zuko threatened.
"Go jump in the river!" Katara spat back.
"Try to understand," Zuko started to explain after looking away for a moment. His demeanour was suddenly soft and almost pleasant. "I need to capture him to restore something I've lost: my honor."
Well, pleasant until that last bit anyways. I wanted to give him a snide remark about how that wasn't all that important, but thought better of it. I felt that somehow, if I said anything I would make everything worse.
"Perhaps in exchange," Zuko continued as he walked around Katara, before stopping and leaning in close to her ear. "I can restore something you've lost."
He held up her necklace against her neck and her eyes widened. She hadn't expected him to have it. She made a movement against her bindings and then let out another angered grunt. Guess we didn't need tracking dogs after all, just a shopping trip.
"My mother's necklace!" She gasped, "How did you get that?"
"I didn't steal it, if that's what you're wondering. Tell me where he is." Zuko demanded, withdrawing the necklace as he walked around until he stood before her.
"No!" She spat back.
"Enough of this necklace garbage. You promised the scroll!" The captain growled as he advanced on us.
"I wonder how much money this is worth." Zuko mused as he pulled the scroll out from his pocket and lit a small fire under it.
"No!" The pirates gasped.
"A lot, apparently." Zuko smirked, his gaze darkening against the night sky.
The flames flickered dangerously, causing shadows to dance across his face. I marvelled for a moment at how expressive and menacing he could be when he wanted to be.
"Now you help me find what I want, you'll get this back, and everyone goes home happy. Search the woods for the boy and meet back here." Zuko demanded.
"Fine." The captain acquiesced.
He turned and left with his men and disappeared through the thicket. I didn't have much hope Zuko could keep control over them anymore. Given the first opportunity, those men were going to turn on us, mark my words.
"Was threatening the pirates really the best plan?" I asked.
"Better to keep them worried about a scroll than why we want some monk boy." Zuko explained as he pocketed the scroll once more.
"Devious." I laughed causing him to smirk.
He was actually quite clever when he wanted to be.
~Break~
It was morning when the Captain and his men returned with Aang and Sokka tied up. They ushered them forward, none too gently, glaring at us all the way. The Captain was eying Zuko carefully as he made a motion for his men to bring the two boys over.
"Nice work." Zuko praised.
He strode over, scroll in hand, and approached the pirates. Sokka was gnawing at his ropes, as Aang just blinked and looked on. It was weird how calm Aang constantly was whenever I ran into him. He was so young, and yet he seemed to be keeping such a level head.
"Aang, this is all my fault." Katara cried.
"No, Katara, it isn't." Aang replied, his tone calm and forgiving.
"Yeah, it kind of is." Iroh answered as I snorted with a shrug.
It really was her fault. Zuko never would have found them if she hadn't stolen that scroll. Hindsight was a bitch.
"Give me the boy." Zuko ordered.
"You give us the scroll." The pirate leader spat back.
"You're really gonna hand over the Avatar for a stupid piece of parchment?" Sokka asked in astonishment.
"Don't listen to him!" Zuko yelled over him, "He's trying to turn us against each other!"
"Smooth." I said.
"Your friend is the Avatar?" The pirate captain asked.
"Sure is, and I'll bet he'll fetch a lot more on the black market than that fancy scroll." Sokka continued, weaseling his way between Aang and the captain.
"Shut your mouth, you Water Tribe peasant!" Zuko shouted.
"Yeah, Sokka, you really should shut your mouth." Aang agreed.
"I'm just saying it's bad business sense," Sokka continued as he cozied up to a few of the pirates. "Just imagine how much the Fire Lord would pay for the Avatar. You guys would be set for life."
"Keep the scroll," The Pirate Captain declared with a flourish of his hand. "We can buy a hundred with the reward we'll get for that kid."
"You'll regret breaking a deal with me," Zuko warned as the pirates began to walk away.
Zuko, along with two other soldiers, kicked out and shot fire towards the retreating pirates. They managed to knock over a few, but most managed to dodge, a couple managing to turn around and bum rush us.
A pirate wearing a green tunic with dark green pants rushed in first, throwing smoke bombs at Zuko and the men who were firebending. I took that moment to move through the cover the smoke provided and sent out a flurry of kicks, knocking one of the pirates over and causing another to stumble back as he dodged. I lost sight of him as the smoke thickened, turning to try and find the edge of it.
The remaining men charged through the thick smoke, passing by me as blurry shadows. Aang and Sokka soon came into view as I caught them crouching down low to avoid the smoke. I dodged a throwing knife and deflected a blade with my own. I twisted around catching sight of a pirate who had wandered to close before punching my hand out and knocking him back with a burst of flame. I turned back around continuing my strikes and twirled away to narrowly avoid being hit by another smoke bomb.
The smoke grew thicker as more bombs were thrown and I couldn't see who was who anymore. My own coughs were deafening my ears as my eyes began to water, along with my nose. I stumbled lightly into someone and turned to find myself staring down at the bald head of Aang.
"Uhh..." I stumbled with my words, trying to grasp anything sensical to say.
Come on say something, anything, or at least attack!
Aang took that moment to shoot me back with a gust of air and I landed on another soldier with a groan.
Or was it a pirate.
Oh who cared at this point, whoever it was wasn't getting up for a while. I scrambled to my feet but lost sight of Aang and cursed. It wasn't like I wanted to capture him, but I also didn't appreciate the gut punch either. I managed to stumble out of the smoke, almost crawling as I tried to catch my breath. My eyes stung from the smoke and dust that had mixed in with my sweat as I fought. I tried to dab at my eyes to help, but I wasn't sure it did much.
Standing up I peered out and saw Zuko sending a series of kicks at the Pirate Captain who was fighting back with his own sword.
"Been there for that match, and lost it." I snickered.
Zuko used his bracers to deflect the Captains blade, managing to grapple him into a hold. But as he did, one of the pirates lashed out a whip, catching the scroll in Zuko's belt before a flying...lemur...took off with it.
"Huh." I mustered as I watched the lemur fly away with the scroll.
The Captains lizard-parrot thing flew after the lemur with a screech. They collided with one another as the scroll fell to the smokey chaos below.
"Well shit." I muttered, debating if it was worth going after.
"Run!" Aang shouted as I saw him burst forth from the smoke with Sokka following hot on his heels.
I turned to get Zuko's attention and saw Iroh step between Zuko and the Pirate Captain, shoving his nephews head away and throwing the Pirate Captain's sword down.
"Are you so busy fighting you cannot see your own ship has set sail?" He chastised.
Zuko shot him a withering look as he turned around.
"We have no time for your proverbs, Uncle!" Zuko yelled.
"It's no proverb." Iroh explained as he pointed out towards the water.
"Bleeding heart monkeys!" The Captain shouted out as he rushed after his boat.
"Hahahahaha!" Zuko laughed with a wide smile.
"You may have laughed too soon." I coughed as I pointed towards the pirates who were now using our boat to chase after theirs.
One of them began to pull down their pants and moon us, so I turned away.
"Hey! That's my boat!" Zuko shouted as he rushed after our boat.
"Maybe it should be a proverb." Iroh mused as he stroked his beard.
"It'd probably make a good one." I added with a smile.
"Come on Uncle, Mira!" Zuko shouted from a few feet ahead of us.
We quickly followed after him, although I personally didn't see the point, the boat could move faster than us. It also looked like mother nature was going to make the decision for us as the pirates ditched our ship and jumped onto theirs just as the boat reached a waterfall.
"Is the boat really worth this?" I asked as the two ships crashed into one another and fell over the edge. "Nevermind."
"My boat!" Zuko cried as he stared down at the wreckage.
Iroh breathed in heavily to catch his breath, placing his hands on his knees to steady himself. Once he had gathered himself, he stood up straight and tucked his hands into his sleeves with a small laugh.
"Prince Zuko, you're really going to get a kick out of this. That lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!" Iroh laughed as he held it out for us to see.
Zuko began to breath in and out rapidly and I could only sigh as I knew he was going to do something brash. True to my predictions, he turned around and swiped the lotus tile from Iroh's fingers and tossed it over the side of the waterfall.
"At least I got armor and still have it." I laughed as I scratched the back of my head.
For a second I thought Zuko might throw me over the edge too.
~Break~
I was having lunch with Jee and Shen once again. It had slowly become a common occurrence for us. Despite how explosive Shen and Jee had been around each other last game night, they were actually very good friends as it turned out.
"Oh man, I remember when I had to do the training with the stick. We used to call it Dodge or Get Hit." Jee explained.
"Wow, not very inventive is it?" I asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"Hey, that's what Jee called it. We just called it that awful training game that hurts." Shen shrugged.
"That's not much better." I sighed.
"At least it's accurate." Shen said.
"Hey, mine is accurate." Jee grumbled.
"No one said it wasn't" Shen said with a blink.
"Look, that's not the point. The point is, wouldn't it be better to not use pain to teach?" I asked.
"I mean, pain is better than death or dismemberment." Shen said as Jee gave me a bewildered look.
"How did you train where you are from?" Jee asked.
"With blunt weapons." I answered.
"That doesn't seem smart. How do you learn to strike so your edge doesn't stick to the opposing sword? Because let me tell you, the first time that happened to me in battle I almost cried." Shen mused.
"If I remember correctly, you actually did cry. You also cried at your first Agni Kai." Jee snorted.
"You swore you wouldn't tell anyone!" Shen gasped.
"Whatever, that's not really the point. The point is Zuko is being an ass." I grumbled, waving off Shen's complaint.
"Is he now? I hadn't noticed. Is he the one who played Dodge or get Hit with you?" Jee asked.
"Stupid name." Shen said as he shook his head.
Jee gave Shen a sideways glare at his comment, before shifting his gaze back to me.
"Yeah, he's been teaching me swordplay." I answered.
"Huh, wasn't aware Prince Zuko did much swordplay." Jee shrugged.
"Most don't." Zuko said, startling me.
I whipped my head around and looked up to see Zuko standing impatiently behind me.
"Prince Zuko." Shen greeted as Jee rolled his eyes.
"We were just talking about the sword game we supposedly played," I said in a sing-song voice. "The game Iroh said you had a lot of trouble with yourself."
I watched as Zuko's face twisted through several emotions before settling on annoyed.
"No one is born adept at swordplay." Zuko simply said as he took a seat next to me.
"Well, my break is basically over so I'll see you later." Jee said as he pushed away from the table, grabbed his dishes and left.
"See you later, Mira. Have a good lunch, Prince Zuko." Shen said with a small bow as he rushed off to follow Jee.
"Wow, you certainly know how to clear a room." I joked.
"They have work to do, unlike someone I know." Zuko said as he rolled his eyes.
"Sure, I forgot what a busy day you have of staring into the sky and yelling about finding the Avatar." I said as I crossed my arms.
"That is not what I do all day. I run the ship, I have men to command, intel to check, and an Avatar to track. I am a prince you know." Zuko scoffed as he took a sip from his cup.
"Okay, fine. I don't actually know what it is you do all day when we aren't training." I shrugged.
"You could always bother to learn." Zuko retorted.
"Aww, but I thought I was only here to learn firebending and swordplay?" I asked with a small grin.
"Oh shut up. I meant you could bother to learn what work there is aboard and help out." Zuko muttered as he glared at the far wall.
"Heh, too easy." I grinned as I covered my bubbling laughter with my hand.
"What's too easy?" Zuko asked.
"Getting under your skin. For such an adept fighter, you certainly are riled up easily." I shrugged.
"I only get riled up as you call it because you're often disrespectful." Zuko scoffed. "You are incredibly annoying, you know."
"I know. You don't need to have lunch with me you know. No one is holding you here against their will," I said with a shrug. "Wait, you aren't being held here against your will are you? Blink twice if you are."
I stared at Zuko's eyes unblinking as he gave me an even more annoyed look. He didn't blink, not even once as he opened his mouth to talk.
"What are you even going on about? Who could possibly be holding me here against my will-would you stop staring at me!" Zuko shouted.
"It's okay, Zuko. This is a safe space." I said as I continued to bore holes into his dark irises.
"Okay, that's it. I'm leaving." Zuko said as he picked up his plate and walked to a table to my left.
"Aww, and I thought we were growing closer." I mocked whined as I continued to stare at him as I ate.
~Break~
"Today we will work on your footwork. I want you to maintain at least two feet away from me at all times. Careful about your footwork and maintain a strong root." Iroh instructed as he motioned for me to get ready.
I nodded and followed suit. Iroh took a step forward so I moved backwards. Iroh then stepped backwards so I stepped forwards. He continued to step backwards before halting and taking a quick step forward. I matched his strides, staring at the ground each time he moved.
"Look at the center of my body instead of my feet. You will be able to see my hands as well as my feet. Not only that, a firebender can also use their mouth to bend, so do not get careless watching your feet." Iroh warned as he took a step to the right.
This game was designed to help me maintain my measure of strike. It helped me maintain my distance and know exactly where my fire and strikes were going, along with how far. It was also transferable to my swordplay as well. It allowed me to understand what my own striking distance was and measure my opponents so I can properly dodge incoming strikes.
It was kind of like knowing how big your car is when you're driving it, so you can keep safe gaps between you and other cars.
"Anticipate my movements. Look at how I move when I decide on a direction. Do not just react, read me." Iroh instructed.
I noticed as he went left, his upper body would start to move first signaling that he was going to move in that direction. The game reminded me of an old improv game where you copied your partner's movements. We continued at a slow pace, before Iroh began to speed up. When he did, I found it harder to anticipate his movements, as his tells became smaller and smaller.
"Relax, you need to stay limber." Iroh said, his calm voice washing over me.
I took a deep breath and kept my gaze comfortably on his chest. I continued to react to his movements before I slowly adapted, became accustomed to our pace. I felt our movements begin to slow and his tells became easier to see. Once I had matched his pace, he sped up once again.
"Good job, Mira. You are doing very well." Iroh complimented.
"Yeah, but I still have a long way to go." I said as I moved right.
"Give yourself credit. You have already learned what takes other firebenders years to learn. You'll be at Zuko's level before you know it." Iroh said, cheering me on in his calm way.
"Zuko's level is way beyond mine." I sighed, almost missing a step back.
"It may seem like it is right now, but that is only because Zuko has been firebending longer than you have. He started at a very young age, as most firebenders do. You cannot compare your progress with anothers. You must only measure yourself against yourself." Iroh explained as he sped the pace up once more.
"Yeah, easier said than done," I sighed as I struggled to keep up pace. "I thought I had swordfighting down but Zuko has me feeling like a beginner again."
"Perhaps that is because you and Zuko are so similar. You both fight in much the same way. With passion and impulsivity," Iroh explained, raising a hand to halt my response. "This is not a bad thing, Mira. But it may explain why you feel like you're a beginner again. Zuko can see his own mistakes in you very easily and he is a better teacher because of it."
"Better teacher? He hit me with a stick." I whined.
"It may be different from what you are used to, but have you not progressed much faster since your lessons with Zuko?" Iroh asked.
"I mean, sure I have. It's not like his corrections haven't been helpful, it's just his attitude about it. He doesn't need to make me feel small to teach me." I grumbled.
"Prince Zuko does not deal with change well. I do not think he dislikes training with you, but I do think it is hard for him to adjust too." Iroh said simply.
"That's all I'm going to get? That's not really an excuse." I muttered.
"I was not providing an excuse." Iroh smiled.
Why did Iroh always give Zuko a pass? Zuko wasn't the only one dealing with change, and I wasn't being an ass about it.
~Break~
"There's a storm coming, a big one." Iroh spoke as he sniffed the air.
I took a moment to look at the sky around me, open and blue, and gave him a funny look. Zuko turned away from his scope to give him a perplexed look.
"You're out of your mind, Uncle. The weather's perfect." Zuko scoffed as he looked around.
At that moment a group of seagulls squaked and I watched as a few groups of birds flew in the opposite direction of our boat. I wasn't well versed in weather, but in my time birds usually flew away from storms. The chances of that being different in the past was slim.
"I'm inclined to agree with you on this, Zuko, but the birds are migrating away from us and weather is a fickle thing. Maybe we should listen to your Uncle?" I suggested in a soothing tone, knowing his temper.
"Ridiculous, don't tell me you're buying into his superstitions too?" Zuko mocked as he walked towards us.
"A storm is approaching from the north," Iroh explained as he turned to face his nephew. "I suggest we alter our course and head southwest."
"We know the Avatar is traveling northward, so we will do the same." Zuko declared as he stepped forward.
"Famous last words." I sighed as I played with a lock of my hair.
"Prince Zuko, consider the safety of the crew." Iroh argued.
"The safety of the crew doesn't matter!" Zuko yelled enraged.
"Hey!" I started to say, but was interrupted as Jee came on deck, hearing Zuko's whole declaration and glared.
"Finding the Avatar is far more important than any individual's safety." Zuko growled as he stomped towards Jee.
He stomped off not allowing any of us to comment and I shot Jee a pitying glance. Zuko slammed the door behind him as he went below deck leaving us standing there, the same looks of irritation filtering across our faces.
"He doesn't mean that," Iroh explained after a small sigh. He looked towards us with a sorrowful look on his face. "He's just all worked up."
"Then he must always be worked up." I spat as I glared at Iroh now, he being the closest proxy to his jackass of a nephew.
"Please forgive his outburst this once, he has been under a lot of stress." Iroh soothed.
"Whatever..." I grumbled with a glare and wandered off the rear of the ship to get some space.
Jee gave me a small smile as I left, which I couldn't find it in me to return.
~Break~
I had been sitting outside for about an hour when clouds started to roll in.
"Motherfucker..." I hissed as I stood up and walked to the front of the ship where Jee and his men were standing and looking at the sky with similar expressions.
"Looks like a storm is approaching." I sighed as I stood beside Jee.
"It is, just like Iroh said." Jee explained with a tight expression.
"Any chance Zuko would turn around now?" I asked with a small smile.
"Doubtful, you heard him, he doesn't give a damn about the crew. Just, whatever you do, be careful." Jee explained as he squeezed my shoulder. "I have a daughter around your age, haven't seen her in awhile but...I don't think I could handle you getting hurt."
I gave him a small nod as I placed my hand atop his.
"I promise to be careful, scouts honour!" I saluted causing him to laugh.
"That's not exactly how the Fire Nation salutes, but assuming we survive this, I can give you some lessons." He suggested with a smile.
"I just might take you up on that."
At that moment Zuko came on deck with a scowl matching outs.
"Well, looks like your uncle was right about the storm after all." Jee mocked, echoing my earlier statement.
Iroh was following his nephew, his hands in his sleeves and caught Jee's comment.
"Lucky guess." He explained as he spread his hands outwards and went to face Zuko.
Zuko huffed, turning his back to all of us, staring out at the clouds and the restless sea.
"Lieutenant, you'd better learn some respect," Zuko snarled, turning to face us and walking to poke two fingers into Jee's chest. "Or I will teach it to you."
"Jee needs to learn respect? Have you ever once listened to yourself?" I yelled back, moving to stand before Jee and pushing Zuko back.
"Excuse me? You are the unpaid help, I don't think you get a say." Zuko narrowed his eyes.
"Fine, if I don't get a say don't ever come to me if you need something." I glared.
"Ha! Me? Need something from you? You can barely firebend, what are you going to offer me besides losing?" He asked with a mocking laugh, moving into my personal space and stepping closer as he stared down at me.
"You are nothing but a bully, if you think anyone would willingly follow you without the threat of violence then you are foolish!" I hissed as I pushed Zuko away from me and rushed towards the door.
I flung it open, slamming it shut as Iroh called after me. I was done with his bullshit, he's just lucky I don't know how to waterbend or he'd find his ass overboard!
I caught the start of Jee tearing into Zuko as I left and it helped me keep the stinging tears of anger from escaping.
"What do you know about respect? The way you talk to everyone around here, from your hard-working crew, to your esteemed uncle, all the way to kind-hearted Mira, shows you know nothing about respect. You don't care about anyone but yourself! Then again, what should I expect from a spoiled prince?"
~Break~
After I had left apparently Zuko and Jee had gotten into it, Iroh having to break them up before it was a full blown brawl. At least no one had gotten hurt, but Jee was pretty pissed.
Iroh had come soon after to my room to invite me for tea, which I accepted. Now I was seated in his room as we sat down with the pot already steaming.
"Now, tell me what that was all about." He started with a soft tone and a smile on my face.
"That? That was being sick of how your nephew treats everyone..." I grumbled as I started to place with a bead of tea dripping down the side of my cup.
"Now now, I may be old but I'm not blind. You are free to talk to me and express yourself as you wish."
I let out a long sigh and just deflated as I gave him a sad look.
"I dunno I guess...I guess I just miss home, and unlike Zuko, I have no shot of ever returning...he just seems so ungrateful of everyone's hard work to get him there. I would be so thankful if I ever had that." I blurted out before taking a sip of tea.
"There is no shame in resenting your situation. I must admit, my nephew has much to work on, but his heart is good," Iroh explained as he took a sip of his tea. "Why do you think you cannot return home?"
"That's...that's a long story if I'm being honest, just trust me when I say my home is gone, my family is gone, and you guys are all I have now," I took out another sip before letting out another sigh. "Perhaps that's why I got so mad at Zuko. We've been travelling together for almost two months now and for a moment it almost seemed like we were friends and the next..."
"The next moment he was telling you how your life doesn't matter. I understand, but trust me when I say your life does matter and he knows it. My nephew is just not good at dealing with his emotions." Iroh soothed.
"You're telling me..." I mumbled as I picked at a small divot in the cup.
"Speaking of family, perhaps we should check on Jee, I know you two have gotten close and he would be pleased to see you." Iroh began as he placed his cup down.
"Is this your way of using me as a buffer so he isn't so mad when you talk to him?" I asked.
Iroh merely smiled in response.
~Break~
"I'm sick of taking his orders and I'm tired of chasing his Avatar! I mean, who does Zuko think he is?" Jee's voice carried towards us as we reached the stairs leading towards the engines.
"Do you really want to know?" Iroh asked.
"General Iroh!" Jee mustered as he stood up. "We were just-"
"It's ok," Iroh cut him off with a raise of his hand. "May we join you?"
I moved to stand beside Iroh with a smile which Jee returned.
"Of course, sir." Jee answered.
We walked down the steps and took a seat around the small fire they had going and Jee handed me a drink.
"Thanks." I smiled.
"Try to understand," Iroh started as he stroked his beard downwards. "My nephew is a complicated young man. He has been through much. It started a few days before his banishment. There was a war meeting happening one day and my nephew wanted to join in. He was already so bright and talented, but still young. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to let him join me, but he was so adamant about it, he was eager to learn and to be a good leader, so I gave in against my better judgement and let him join me.
"I gave him a warning to not speak, as not everyone was going to be as understanding or as progressive as he was used to. I thought that was enough, but I was wrong. During the meeting one of the generals gave the suggestion of sacrificing our new recruits so we could make a strong push in the Earth Nation, Zuko was vehemently against such a plan, and vocalized it almost immediately. He didn't agree with the idea of sacrificing his people to get an edge, he felt everyone's life had worth, so the act of sacrificing them like that was a betrayal. Zuko was right, you see? But it was not his place to speak out, and there were dire consequences.
"After Zuko's outburst in the meeting, the Fire Lord became very angry with him. He said that Prince Zuko's challenge of the general was an act of complete disrespect! And there was only one way to resolve this."
"Agni Kai, a fire duel." Jee said as he turned to look at Iroh.
Iroh cast his face down, the light from the fire obscuring half his face in shadow. He had a pained expression painted on his face so I rested my hand on his forearm.
"That's right. And Zuko looked upon the old general he had insulted and declared that he was not afraid. But Zuko misunderstood. When he turned to face his opponent, he was surprised to see it was not the general. Zuko had spoken out against the general's plan, but by doing so in the Fire Lord's war room, it was the Fire Lord whom he had disrespected. Zuko would have to duel his own father. When Prince Zuko saw that it was his father who had come to duel him, he begged for mercy. He tried to reason with him, apologise, and poured his heart out as he knelt on the stone floor. But the Fire Lord saw that as a weakness that must be punished. He saw his son's kneeling as dishonourable and demanded he stand and fight with honour.
"Zuko pleaded, and submitted, but it was not enough for the Fire Lord. Zuko refused to fight his own father. The Fire Lord saw that moment as an opportunity to teach his son a lesson about respect, and told him suffering would be his teacher. I looked away, but I could hear his screams. That is how Prince Zuko got his scar." Iroh finished his story as he gave me a sideways look.
"I always thought that Prince Zuko was in a training accident." Jee gasped.
"How could someone do that to their own child?" I whispered, giving Iroh a somber look.
"It was no accident. After the duel, the Fire Lord said that by refusing to fight, Zuko had shown shameful weakness. As punishment, he was banished and sent to capture the Avatar. Only then could he return with his honor."
"I had no idea, I mean, I knew he had to capture the Avatar to return...he had explained that much to me but..." I trailed off.
"So that's why he's so obsessed..." Jee said as he leaned over and propped his elbows on his knees in thought. "Capturing the Avatar is the only chance he has of things returning to normal."
"Things will never return to normal. But the important thing is, the Avatar gives Zuko hope." Iroh explained.
I almost laughed at that. How funny it was the person who gave him hope was also technically me, the useless firebender/unpaid help.
Our heart to heart was interrupted as the ship rocked from a blast of lightning. Everyone began rushing around and Iroh had to lead me up and out of the way. We ran up to the deck, finding Zuko already there and inspecting the damage.
"Where were we hit?" He yelled over the storm.
"I don't know." Jee responded as they both bobbed up and down.
Waves were crashing over the side of the ship now, soaking us all.
"Lightning always strikes the highest point, try looking around the tower!" I shouted over the thundering waves hitting our ship. I slid and slammed into a railing as a wave washed over my frame leaving me spluttering.
"Look! Mira's right!" Iroh shouted as he pointed towards the damaged walkway surrounding the top of the tower.
"The helmsman!" Zuko shouted as we all noticed the poor man hanging from the twisted metal.
Lightning continued to strike overhead as Zuko rushed to climb up the tower's ladder and rescue the helmsman. Jee was hot on his heels as I managed to wretch myself away from the railing and towards Iroh.
"What a day not to be a waterbender or an airbender." I said.
"Indeed." Iroh agreed as we watched the two men climb the slippery metal.
Iroh then gave me a funny look, stepping away and watching the clouds before a bolt of lighting shot out and he reached his hands towards it. He was struck but unlike what I had seen happen to people before, he seemed to route it through his body and sent it out his other hand into the ocean.
"Holy crap!" I gasped as I went to check on him.
His hair was standing on end, but otherwise he was ok. At the commotion the helmsman finally slipped and fell from the railings, being caught by Zuko and Jee together. I let out a small whoop as another wave crashed over me and left me shivering.
They returned to the deck as I caught sight of Aang's air bison flying towards us.
"Zuko!" I gasped as I tugged on his wrist.
"The Avatar!" He gasped out as he looked towards where I was pointing.
"What do you want to do, sir?" Jee asked.
"Let him go," Zuko said after a moment, "we need to get this ship to safety."
"Then we must head directly into the eye of the storm!" Iroh explained as he turned to face the crew.
We started to steer into the eye at Iroh's instruction, all of us holding on tight. I was holding my breath as we entered the calmer sea as we broke through. The rain was coming down less now and our boat was no longer being tossed around by waves.
"Uncle, Mira...I'm sorry." Zuko spoke, his tone soft.
"Your apology is accepted." Iroh answered as he placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Apology accepted." I smiled back.
Iroh turned to walk away and I gave Zuko's shoulder a small nudge.
"Not bad, Zuko, not bad. I take back what I said earlier, by the way." I then turned, gave him a small wink, and headed back to my room for some much needed rest.
~Chapter 5 End~