Author's Note:I am so excited by the flood of reviews, favourites, follows, and hits I have received! I literally adore you all. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, I worked extra hard and gave you guys a special Zuko moment right at the start! There are only two more chapters left in Book One: Water I believe. Soon we will be in Book Two: Earth, I cannot believe how much I have written and how far this story has come since I had started writing it years ago. Yes, that's right, years ago. Thank goodness I didn't post the first chapter then and make you all wait :P The song used in this fic is called Nancy Mulligan by Ed Sheeran. No, this isn't a song-fic, however I do feel it is realistic that when you've lost everything you've ever known, you'd sing or want to sing the songs you remember as a way to stay connected etc. Humans love to sing, there is a whole industry behind it :P I also read a book where someone ended up isolated and they would often talk to themselves and sing to make sure they remember their language etc. As someone who loves music, I figured Mira and many others would probably sing so they wouldn't forget everything from home, specially their favourite songs.

I would be so destroyed to lose all of my music and the ability to listen to it tbh.

Book Two: Earth is longer than Book One: Water, and Book Three: Fire is getting close to twice as long. Zuko and Iroh just weren't in the first season much, so I hope I did the show justice in fleshing out what Zuko, Iroh, and Mira are doing during the GAang's adventures.

I love Zuko shirtless moments, I totally haven't gone back and added more, nope.

P.S. I adore Katara and it hurt having to write capturing her.

~Chapter 7 Start~

I found Zuko training on the deck late at night. He was practicing his bending forms without fire. I stopped and watched as the moonlight cascaded across his taught back. As he twisted through the motions sometimes his amber eyes would glow as they were hit with moonlight. I leaned against the doorway, just watching him for a moment.

Zuko was completely engrossed in what he was doing, he was in his element one could say, pun very much intended. He wasn't concerned with showing off nor capturing anyone. Instead, he was hyper-focused on practicing, on perfecting his form. One could say I was impressed with him for his discipline.

"If you're going to just stare at me, you might as well join." I heard Zuko sigh.

Looking up I realized that I had gotten lost in my thoughts and he was now standing there staring at me, shirtless of course. Stupid moon mood lighting. Pushing myself off the wall I walked towards him with a small shrug.

"Sure, why not." I said with an embarrassed blush.

"I doubt you have learned this form yet, so come on. Follow my lead." Zuko said as he reset.

I moved to stand next to him as he slowly went through each movement. I followed him, extending my arm outwards as I shifted my back leg around. Twisting I followed as he crouched down in one fluid movement, sweeping his leg. Next, he sent out another punch, a roundhouse kick, and pressed into a rear kick that swept horizontally in the air.

The last movement I failed miserably at. Zuklo was far more agile than me. I felt my hip twitch from my lack of flexibility and winced. Zuko stopped and gave me a gruff sigh as he walked around me.

"Go through it again." Zuko instructed.

He held out his arms and I started the first punch, crouching low to sweep my leg out. Standing up I sent out a punch, moving to a roundhouse kick and then a rear sweeping kick. Zuko's hands touched me then, grasping my hip and leg to help keep me from falling. His hands were hot, as they usually were; he always ran so much hotter than me.

"You need to relax your hips and shift them so you can extend." Zuko said in my ear as he pressed his body against my back.

Moving his hand to my hip I felt him press his fingers against the bone, shifting my hips into the appropriate position. I felt my muscles relax as the small adjustment allowed me to follow through.

"Again." Zuko instructed as he stepped back.

I went through the form again and felt Zuko's hand on my shoulders, forcing me to drop them. As I crouched down for the sweeping kick, Zuko followed my movements easily, grabbing my ankle to help me extend it fully and sweep all the way around. We stood and I extended another fist as Zuko pressed a hand into my shoulder blade, helping me extend further out. He didn't correct much on my roundhouse kick, but once again held my hips to help them open up as I did the last kick.

I was most likely beet red now, having had little physical contact outside of fighting ever since I had ended up in this time. I turned to find Zuko standing beside me once more.

"You had a much easier time releasing your hip, I think you'll be able to finish the corrections on your own. Again" Zuko said as we went through the form again.

He was right, after a few more times I found the form significantly easier. I caught Zuko's eye at the end of the impromptu lesson to find his brows pinched together. He was giving me an unreadable, but definitely angry look.

"Good job, you've gotten the form down nicely." Zuko said as he brushed past me, heading back below deck.

I watched as he left, confused and a little annoyed at his sudden attitude. The thing that bothered me the most though, was that I also felt a little hurt.

~Break~

"Ahh! See, Prince Zuko, a moment of quiet is good for your mental well-being." Iroh spoke as he prepared our tea.

"This tea is lovely, what kind are we having today?" I asked.

"A cherry jasmine." Iroh explained as he finished pouring Zuko his cup.

As Zuko raised the cup to his lips, the ship jumped with a thump causing the hot water to splash all over his face. He wiped the tea off before standing with a snarl to investigate whatever caused it.

I exchanged worried glances with Iroh and quickly followed after him. What I found surprised not only me, but also Iroh. A large mole-like creature had literally climbed on deck and was now sniffing around the ship intensely.

"Watch out! Stand back!" Someone shouted during the chaos.

"Get back!" The woman atop the beast spoke. "We're after a stowaway."

She had long black hair, dark leather clothing, and a small red tattoo on her shoulder.

"There are no stowaways on my ship." Zuko declared as he walked up to the girl.

The beast seemed to disagree as it ripped open a hatch on the metal deck and stuck it's head down below. It let out a snarl as a man rushed from the hole it had created, attempting to dart away. A long barbed tongue shot from its mouth, hitting the man in the back of the neck causing him to fall over paralyzed.

"He's paralyzed." Zuko stated.

"No kidding." I rolled my eyes.

"Only temporarily. The toxins will wear off in about an hour, but by then he'll be in jail and I'll have my money." The woman spoke as she hefted the man onto her shoulder and turned to stow him on her beast.

"But how did you find him on my ship?" Zuko asked as he stepped to follow.

"Scent, obviously. Didn't you see her beast sniffing around?" I asked with an 'I-told-you-so' grin on my face.

"I asked her, not you." Zuko responded, his arms now crossed.

"She's right you know. My shirshu can smell a rat a continent away." She patted the beast affectionately as she hooked her foot in the stirrup and mounted.

"Well, I'm impressed." Iroh said.

The woman snapped her whip and her shirshu moved to follow her command. It turned away and made to leave the deck, leaping off of our boat in one bound and landing on the docks. The wood creaked at the impact as it rushed off.

"Very impressed." Iroh mused as he stroked his beard.

Zuko shot him an irritated look as I shrugged and went to finish my tea. Sure, the creature was impressive to me, but only because such a creature was long extinct in my time. That, and I also felt Iroh wasn't talking about the shirshu

~Break~

"Were you serious about the ability to track someone via scent?" Zuko asked as he burst into my room, interrupting my meditation.

"Hi Prince Zuko, come right in." I spoke in sarcasm.

I cracked my eye open to find Zuko standing next to my bed with his arms crossed. With a small sigh I took a deep breath to try and find my peace again.

"I'm waiting." He huffed

"For?" I asked as I fully opened my eyes.

"The answer to my question." He said irately as he tapped his foot harder.

I sighed as he uncrossed my legs and gave him my full attention. He was looking rather irate today, no wait it was impatience.

"Yes, I was. Where I'm from people use animals for this sort of thing all the time. I've never seen a shirshu before, but he found a stowaway that even we didn't know about so I'd say the proof is there." I glared at him as I answered.

"Then I think it's time we pay her a visit then." Zuko answered as he motioned for me to follow.

I did, with a sigh. Why couldn't he just ask for my help instead of ordering it?

~Break~

"Now where to find such a lovely young bounty hunter." Iroh mused as he stroked his beard.

"Perhaps we should try the local jail houses and see if they can point us to where bounty hunters such as her frequent" Zuko responded as he headed down the street.

"Or," I spoke up getting their attention, "we could try a bar since she probably just got paid."

Zuko seemed irritated by my suggestion, but Iroh seemed to nod.

"Look, the bar is closer than the jailhouse." I tried to bargain.

"How would you know?" Zuko's eyes narrowed.

"Because the bar is right here." I jabbed my thumb towards the boisterous building to our right. At my words a man was evicted from the bar as he was tossed out of a second story window and onto the street before us.

"Fine, since we are already here we will check it out first. For efficiency of course." Zuko scoffed as he stomped into the establishment. Everything had to be his idea after all.

The doors closed behind us, drowning us in the sound of the bar. People were shouting, cheering, and somewhere behind it all someone was attempting to play music. I wrinkled my nose at the stale smell of beer and piss as I took a look around.

Wait, did they even have beer?

Whatever, beer-like substance then.

I noticed long black hair in my peripheral, but it seemed I was the last in our group to notice her. Zuko was already stomping through the crowd that had gathered so he could talk to her. Iroh was standing beside me, and with a shrug went to follow his nephew.

"Out of my way, step aside filth!" Zuko ordered as he threw a man from his path.

"He means no offence, I'm certain you bathe regularly." Iroh smoothed over as he caught a few angry leers.

"Oh my god if he gets us into a bar brawl I am going to be so pissed." I grumbled as I stepped over the fallen man to catch up with Zuko.

Once we reached the centre of the excitement I saw that the woman was seated at a table, armwrestling a rather big guy for cash. The crowd around us was betting on them, cheering for their respective bets.

"Whoa." I blinked.

"I need to talk to you." Zuko spoke, getting her attention.

"Well, if it isn't my new friends, Angry Boy, Uncle Lazy, and Sarcastic Girl." She responded.

Iroh laughed in response as Zuko seethed. I was just happy to finally be included as something other than 'guest' and 'paid help'. She slammed the man's hand into the table winning her match as the bar erupted in cheers and jeers. Coins began raining down around us, echoing off the stained wood.

"Your beast trashed my ship. You have to pay me back." Zuko roared over the crowd who had descended upon us to collect whatever they could.

"I'd love to help you out, but I'm a little short on money," She spoke as she racked up her winnings in her arms. "Drinks on me!"

"Yeah!" The crowd cheered.

"Well, if she's offering I'm taking." I grinned as I went to wander off towards the bar, only to have Iroh catch me by the back of my armor.

"Money isn't what I had in mind." Zuko growled as he leaned over her and grabbed her hand before she could take a sip of her victory drink.

She stared at him with thick irritation, weighing her options. I had a feeling she wouldn't be an easy opponent, but she was outnumbered, she had to know that much.

"Well," She finally answered as she leaned in close as well, "What did you have in mind then?"

~Break~

"I need you to find someone." Zuko spoke as she led us to her Shirshu.

"Ok, anyone else embarrassed we didn't notice her five-hundred pound pet hitched beside the building, and if we had walked just two more feet we would have noticed it?" I asked as Iroh laughed with a shrug.

"All that matters is we found her." He answered as he placed a calming hand on my shoulder.

Zuko had pulled the necklace out from his pocket and was now holding it before the woman. Wonder if he realized how lucky he was to come upon this woman and her shirshu. Probably not, considering up until now even I wouldn't consider him lucky.

"What happened? Your girlfriend run off on you? Did she find out about your mistress? Is she the mistress?" The woman asked as she jerked her thumb my way.

"Hey! Like I'd ever be his mistress." I scoffed as I crossed my arms.

"It's not the girl I'm after. It's the bald monk she's travelling with." Zuko glowered, his cheeks turning the slightest red.

Was he actually embarrassed by the accusation?

"Whatever you say." she spoke as she crossed her arms.

I wasn't offended or anything, but still.

"If you find them, I'll consider the damage to my ship paid for." Zuko smirked.

Ok I was a little offended.

"Che," the woman spoke as she turned back around to her beast to mount it, "forget it."

"Plus, we'll pay your weight in gold." Iroh added as a bonus.

She stopped her ascent and jumped back to the ground before rounding on Iroh. She stepped towards him, inspecting his physique.

"Make it your weight, and we've got a deal."

"Ha ha ha!" Iroh laughed as he held his belly. "You've got it."

At his words she snatched the necklace from Zuko's hand and turned away from us. She didn't seem interested in what it was as she held it limply in her hand.

"The names June by the way, get on." She ordered as she brought the necklace and placed it before her shirshu's nose.

We all got onto the saddle without much trouble, Iroh sitting before me, me behind him, and Zuko at the rear. I felt uncomfortable being the middle in this firebender sandwich, but couldn't deny it was probably the safest spot for me. No doubt Iroh's intention.

It sniffed at it for a few moments before raising its head to the sky. It continued to sniff, it's small fleshy whiskers winding around to catch the scent trail, before it bounded off causing me to smash my head into Zuko's chin.

"Ouch, watch it!" He hissed.

"Sorry!" I grumbled back as I rubbed the bruise I no doubt got from the exchange.

Somewhere between my apologies and his swearing, I could hear Iroh's laughter.

~Break~

We had been riding for over an hour now, and it seemed we were almost backtracking. The shirshu entered a swath of ruins, leaping over the rumble and ruined walls before landing before an old woman, sniffing around.

"Out for a bit of fresh air, are we?" She asked in a sing-song tone.

"We're looking for someone." Zuko answered.

"I hope it's not Miyuki," the old woman spoke as she looked towards her fluffy white cat. "Miyuki, did you get in trouble with the Fire Nation again?"

The cat meowed in response, before hiding in her owner's skirts causing me to laugh. Zuko, unable to glare at me from his position, pinched my side instead, finding the seams between my armor with ease.

"Ow!" I hissed as I twisted to give him a glare of my own.

"The Avatar's been through here. Let's keep moving." June spoke as she twisted the reins to turn us away from the ruins.

"This better work." Zuko hissed past my ear.

Somehow I wasn't sure so this plan was going to work out any better than his previous ones.

~Break~

After another hour to two we broke through the woods into a small, but rather gorgeous looking Earth Nation town. Well, it would have been great if not for all the screaming people dashing around as we raced through the streets.

The shirshu jumped on top of one of the taller buildings causing me to wheeze out as I clenched Iroh tighter. I wasn't the biggest fan of heights. I was most definitely not looking forward to learning airbending judging by how Aang fought.

"Scared?" Zuko chuckled in my ear.

"Shut it you!" I seethed back.

My knuckles had become numb from how tightly they were grasping Iroh's robes. I closed my eyes and focused on anything except how my stomach kept flipping.

The beast stopped sniffing the air once more, before swiftly jumping off the building and walking towards another old woman. Only this time, the woman was well dressed, had impeccable hair, and flawless makeup. Sadly, she didn't have a cat and instead watched us as the shirshu rushed around. She gave us all unimpressed looks as we drew closer.

"Why are we stopping?" Zuko asked, his breath tickling my hair.

"Because the girl must have spent a lot of time here." June answered.

"We have no time for this." Zuko hissed as he dismounted the shirshu.

He moved towards the beast's snout and held the necklace in front of it once more. It sniffed at Zuko's hand, before snapping out its tongue, barely missing Zuko who dodged it. It let out a small snarl as it twisted against the reigns June was holding tightly.

"Hey, watch it!" Zuko yelled.

"Then stop antagonizing him!" I shouted back.

"Do not yell at me!" Zuko shouted back at me.

Iroh was now laughing at us.

"Oh look. He likes you." June smiled.

"Care to hear your fortune, handsome?" The previously forgotten old woman asked as she came to stand before Iroh.

"At my age, there is really only one big surprise left, and I'd just as soon leave it a mystery." He answered.

Zuko mounted the beast again, shaking the saddle as he angrily sat down behind me. June let out another crack of her whip and the beast was off once more.

I really needed to stop pissing Zuko off if we were going to continue running around like this all day.

~Break~

It was evening now and we had been winding around literally nowhere before I spotted large wooden gates not far from us. It led to a small compound where the building also acted as a wall around a communal courtyard. I could see how it had inspired some of the buildings I knew about from hundreds of years after this place would be gone.

"Third time's the charm." I shrugged as the shirshu sped up and barrelled through the gates.

Several people screamed and fled as the air filled with splinters. The shirshu let out a roar and began to sniff at the ground, it's claws clicking against the stone as it stepped.

"We're getting close." June answered as the shirshu lifted its head.

She cracked her whip once more and the shirshu bounded through the gates and down the dirt road once more. This time it turned left down the path and raced through the trees. We followed a path that headed up a steep incline before we turned and I could no longer see the wooden gates.

It leapt down an embankment before skidding to a stop and letting out another roar. Katara and Sokka turned to us with a gasp, fleeing towards the trees as soon as they gathered their bearings. The shirshu wasted no time in it's pursuit, cornering the siblings.

"So this is your girlfriend," June dryly remarked as Zuko hopped down. "No wonder she left. She's way too pretty for you."

"Where is he? Where's the Avatar?" Zuko demanded as he advanced on them.

"We split up. He's long gone." Sokka answered, moving to stand before his sister.

"How stupid do you think I am?" Zuko hissed.

"Pretty stupid," Sokka answered as he quirked an eyebrow, "run!"

Both Sokka and Katara got a good foot and a half before the shirshu's powerful tongue shot out, rendering them paralyzed. They hit the ground with a resounding thud and I winced in sympathy. That had to have sucked with backpacks on.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Zuko asked.

"It's seeking a different scent. Perhaps something that the Avatar held." June answered, clicking at her shirshu as it advanced upon the pair.

The shirshu dug it's nose around Sokka's pack until a small scroll of parchment rolled out. It sniffed the parchment rapidly before raising it's head once more. Iroh and I moved to place Sokka and Katara on the end of the saddle as the beast picked up Aang's scent.

I was careful to be as gentle with Katara as I could, but despite being unable to move, I could still feel the heat of anger from her gaze all the same.

What was I doing?

~Break~

We broke through the barely boarded up gates once more, the scent leading us back where we had come from. The shirshu was smelling the ground intensely, heaving it's way around with an intensity we hadn't seen from it before.

"What is it doing? It's just going in a circle." Zuko complained.

"Uhh, Zuko?" I cleared my throat as I followed the shirshu's raised head to find Aang rushing towards us from the sky.

The shirshu reared back, attempting to catch Aang, causing us all to tumble from the beasts back. We all landed on the ground hard, the beast following soon after with a crash. I rolled out of the way avoiding the beast as it twisted around to get back onto it's feet.

"Aang!" Katara cheered.

"Up!" June ordered as she jumped to her feet, cracking her whip.

The shirshu scrambled to its feet and she mounted it with one fluid jump. She started to pursue Aang as the rest of us got to our feet. Just as June was about to reach striking range, Aang's flying bison tackled it, sending them flying into the nearest building.

Wasting no time Zuko advanced on Aang, his fists shooting out fire between the knuckles; Zuko was pissed. Two people from the compound we were in had begun to move Katara and Sokka out of the way so I raised my fists, getting ready for the impending fight.

Zuko moved his fists, pressing his heels together, before stepping towards Aang, shooting fire from his hand. Aang dissipated the flames by spinning his staff, twisting his body around and diffusing the heat. He responded with a blast of air which Zuko dodged and they began exchanging blows.

Zuko, deciding to close the distance, rushed in with a kick which Aang spun away from. Zuko crouched low with a sweeping fiery kick to which Aang jumped into the air once more to avoid. Aang struck out with his staff and Zuko parried it away, knocking it from his grasp.

Aang started to follow Zuko's movements, keeping just out of reach of his strikes. Fire shot out from Zuko as he missed Aang once more causing him to grow impatient. They began dancing around one another, exchanging blows until an explosion sounded from their combined attacks. I covered my eyes as the heat licked at my skin. I heard Zuko land hard somewhere to my right, and Aang somewhere to my left.

While they were incapaciated, Iroh rushed over to June, rousing her from her fall. She stood up with a glare and snapped her shirshu to attention. The beast moved quickly, heeding it's master's call.

"Come on, get up!" She ordered as she mounted her beast.

They rushed off to join the fight as Iroh grinned. Yet again, Iroh wasn't raising a single hand to the Avatar. I didn't understand why, he used to be a General and was a firebending master, he had to have fought before, so why wasn't he now? He had promised to help Zuko capture Aang, didn't he?

Aang's bison began to fly towards them, so the shirshu shot out its tongue causing the bison to land, no longer able to move for a moment, before standing back up to fight once more. They clashed in a headbutt causing June to go flying from the saddle. She landed hard on her tailbone near the bison, who wasted no time in attempting to squish her. Rolling away she held onto her whip to call her beast back.

Aang had begun to rise to his feet, gathering his bearings. Unfortunately Zuko had roused first. He was now barrelling towards him, one arm holding a blade of fire that he sent towards the fallen Aang. Aang, using his airbending, flipped away landing behind Zuko with just enough time to dodge another kick. He sent out a blast of air, avoiding a full on fire attack, before sending a stream of air out, causing Zuko to skid backwards.

Zuko went sailing into the wall of a tower hard. He barely dodged Aang's next attack, landing on the ground as Aang jumped away to avoid the shirshu. Aang began to flee across the rooftops with the shirshu in hot pursuit. His bison raised his tail and let out a large jet stream of air almost hitting the shirshu, but causing the roof to fall apart.

Aang continued to flee as the shirshu fought his air bison. Should I be doing something? Did Zuko expect me to be doing something? I looked around for Iroh, hoping to find some guidance, which seemed to be the last thing on Iroh's mind.

Iroh was nosing around, smelling random bottles as I approached him. I was shaking my head now unbelieving that he was out here mid-fight sampling perfume.

"Shouldn't we, I don't know, help?" I asked.

"Do you want to?" He answered with a question of his own.

He popped the cork out of one of the bottles and took a deep breath. He handed it to me to smell and I inhaled a mixture of mint, rosemary, and basil. I hmm'd as I handed it back.

"Beautiful isn't it?" He asked as he grabbed another bottle, smelling it, and then dabbing it on his wrists.

"It is, does this place make perfume?" I asked as I took another bottle and took a whiff.

Plum, jasmine, and orchid, gorgeous.

I raised my eyebrow as Iroh tucked the bottle he had sampled into his sleeve and made the shh'ing motion.

"You should take a bottle too." Iroh absentmindedly said as he walked away.

I bit my lower lip, before shrugging and pocketing the plum, jasmine, and orchid perfume. I dug around my pockets finding a few coins that I had been given by Jee and left them in the pot. Hopefully it wouldn't be destroyed.

I turned to find Zuko and Aang were now fighting around a well now. Pieces of it flying off in splinters.

"You've got something I want." Aang finally spoke.

He jumped through the remaining structure of the well, using the top to avoid Zuko's blasts. Finally the entire wooded fixture was smashed to pieces and they began their dance atop the stone portion. Their feet were trading places at an immense pace, still trading blow for blow. It looked like Aang was trying to grab the necklace Zuko had wrapped around his wrist earlier.

He jumped off Zuko's head, hooking his foot on the necklace as he flipped over. He dove into the well. Zuko followed after him with a blow of his own, only to have the water explode out, sending him skittering on the stone. Aang flipped out of the well and continued to dodge Zuko's attacks. His bison intercepted Zuko, but was struck repeatedly by the shirshu's tongue until it could no longer move.

They now had Aang cornered, but then I noticed a shadow creeping above us. I looked up to see a whole cloud of perfume above our heads. I followed it to find Katara had waterbent it, before it crashed down onto us. The shirshu then went nuts. It started to jerk around, snarling and roaring as it sniffed the air.

It shook its head before shooting its tongue out, hitting Zuko. Iroh and I stared at the beast in shock, before I too was hit and fell forward, landing on Zuko with a grunt. June was the next to be hit, but that was all I saw as I fell.

I couldn't see what was happening. My head was facedown on Zuko's leg. His own head was near my hip. I could hear the catastrophe around us. Smashing jars, broken walls, people screaming as they avoided the shirshu. Then, everything went quiet and I could hear the shirshu' s rampage getting further away.

"Uncle," Zuko spoke, "I didn't see you get hit with the tongue."

I blinked, but couldn't see anything.

"Wait, did Iroh fall? I saw June get hit but..." I spoke, slightly muffled by Zuko's leg.

"Shh." I heard Iroh whisper.

"So June, how long is this temporary paralyzation?" I asked.

"A couple hours max." She answered back.

"Hey Zuko, does anyone know where we are?"

His silence was less than encouraging.

~Break~

It had been a few weeks since the perfume debacle and we were no closer to finding the Avatar than we had been when we started. Surprisingly Zuko seemed to be in better spirits, making our lives a lot easier in the process.

Tonight was music night and Iroh had been getting the ship ready, complete with a special dinner. But first, Zuko had ordered the men to check the local town for information on the Avatar.

"I cannot wait to go shopping, I wonder what kind of deals we will find." Iroh said, heading towards the docks.

"Uncle, once again, we are not here to go shopping, we are here to gather information." Zuko sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Your opinion. I, for one, cannot wait to go shopping." I grinned, shaking a small bag filled with coins at Zuko.

"Wait a minute, where did you get that?" Zuko asked, shocked as he attempted to grab the bag from me.

"Allowance." I said, sticking my tongue out.

"She has been with us for many months now. I wanted her to feel at home here, have some belongings of her own." Iroh shrugged.

"She is our help, she doesn't need to feel at home with us." Zuko grumbled as he stomped down the ramp and onto the docks.

"Ooo touchy." I grinned, pocketing my pouch.

"Do not mind him." Iroh waved off.

"I know, I know. He's allergic to being vulnerable." I snorted as I skipped down towards the docks myself.

I gave Iroh a small wave as I wandered off to do some shopping of my own. It was time I made a place here, even if it was a small one.

~Break~

I was stuck choosing between a butterfly hair pin, and a flower hair clip. The butterfly hair pin was a mixture of greens and blues, small raw gems cut into the intricate metal work of the pin. But on the other hand, the flower clip had more versatility and I loved the bright purple colours.

"I'll take the flower hair clip." I smiled, collecting my longer hair up and pinning it at the nape of my neck.

I inspected it in the vendor's small mirror, and once I was satisfied with it's placement, I turned to pay.

"I hope you enjoy it, miss!" The man bowed with a smile.

I waved him goodbye as I wandered off down the street. What should I get next? So far I had only gotten lunch and a hair clip. As I continued on, I noticed a silk scarf vendor and rushed over with wide eyes.

Spans of silk, embellished with gold and silver embroidery. The colours all seemed to be Fire Nation colours, except for one that reminded me of a peacock's feathers. There were still bursts of yellow, but for the most part it was filled with greens and blues, mirroring the bird's feather work.

"How much?" I asked, already digging out my coin pouch.

~Break~

Satisfied with my purchases, I was heading down the street, my head wrapped warmly within my new scarf. I was able to tuck into my armor giving it an appearance of a colourful cowl. I loved it so much, even though it probably clashed with my armor. I didn't choose the Fire Nation's colour, I just wore them.

Entering the local tavern, I found Iroh and Zuko already inside, standing before a man seated at the bar. Whoever it was, was reclined comfortably, sipping at his cup. I walked over to stand beside Zuko when I felt my voice catch in my throat.

There was the same blue-eyed man from before, the one that had tried to kill me. His hair was longer now, and his facial hair had come in and was styled in a goatee. He was stroking his facial hair as his eyes moved towards my presence. He seemed to smile wider at my appearance and sat up straighter.

"I'm sorry, can't say I've seen the Avatar. The last I heard, the Avatar was dead." He spoke, looking me dead in the eyes.

I pulled my scarf closer as I stepped backwards attempting to leave without drawing too much attention. Instead of a smooth exit, I tripped over a chair and fell into someone's lap.

"Gee boss, I got women falling for me here." He laughed as the blue-eyed man gave me his full attention.

"I guess you were right, it really doesn't matter where, or when, does it?" His tone was joking, but I could hear the slight edge he took when he said or when.

"Sorry!" I squeaked as I scrambled up from the man's lap and rushed out the door.

I could feel the blood pounding in my veins, but couldn't give a damn about the embarrassment.

I kept repeating the same question over and over again in my head.

Did they recognize me?

~Break~

I had fled onto the ship and hidden in my room as soon as I had gotten back. I didn't hear Zuko or Iroh return, but it was well into the evening when I heard a commotion up on deck.

With another sigh I picked at another loose thread wondering what I would do once I had picked all the threads out, would I still have a shirt to wear? Would Zuko bother replacing something for such a stupid reason?

My thoughts were once again interrupted by knocking. Standing up, I walked to the door and opened it. Iroh was standing there with a peaceful smile.

"Hello my dear, tonight is music night and I wanted to invite you. In fact, I think I must insist." He continued to smile as he took my hand.

"Uh..." was all I could utter as he whisked me away.

~Break~

Music night wasn't that bad, in fact, it was really enjoyable. Everyone on the ship knew how to do something musical, whether it was an instrument, dancer, or just plain singing. Up until this moment I had really missed my phone, the source of my music, which Sadar had removed from me. Or, at least I assumed he did. I had awoken without it, along with the rest of my belongings.

Perhaps he had an idea I might have survived the experiment. That thought sent a chill down my spine as I scooted a bit closer to the fire.

"How about you, Mira? Would you like to sing?" Iroh asked after he had finished his own song.

"I mean, I'm not a horrible singer, but any song I would know you guys wouldn't so..." I trailed off.

"It doesn't matter my dear, we would be happy to hear anything from your home." Iroh spoke, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Ok, well, no judging me for my singing," I coughed as I got up. "Any requests? Love song? Dance song?"

"Whatever you'd like." Jee answered.

I started to stomp, three times, then clap twice quickly as I decided to pick something simple with the least questions.

"I was twenty-four years old, when I met the woman I would call my own. Twenty-two grandkids now growing old, in that house that your brother bought ya." I started to sing, continuing my stomping and claps.

At the lull in my singing the drums picked up copying my pace, so I continued, singing a little stronger.

"On that summer day when I proposed, I made that wedding ring from dentist gold, and I asked her father, but her daddy said, no you can't marry my daughter. She and I went on the run, don't care about religion. I'm gonna marry the woman I love, down by the Wexford border. She was Nancy Mulligan, and I was William Sheeran. She took my name and then we were one, down by the Wexford border." I sang on, my stomps and claps growing stronger.

The horn came in, not quite matching the original song's music, but matching my singing beautifully all the same.

"Well, met her at Guy's in the Second World War, and she was working on a soldier's ward. Never had I seen such beauty before, the moment that I saw her. Nancy was my yellow rose, and we got married wearing borrowed clothes. We got eight children now growing old, five sons and three daughters.

"She and I went on the run, don't care about religion. I'm gonna marry the woman I love down by the Wexford border. She was Nancy Mulligan, I was William Sheeran. She took my name and then we were one, down by the Wexford border. La la lalala la la lalala la la lalala la la lalalala." I sang, lulling into confidence as I recited the words.

When I started to sing the tune, everyone else joined in singing as well, following me along.

"From her snow white streak in her jet black hair, over sixty years I've been loving her. Now we're sat by the fire in our old armchairs, you know Nancy I adore ya. From a farm boy born near Belfast town, I never worried about the King and crown, 'cause I found my heart up on the southern ground. There's no difference I assure ya."

It was then I noticed Zuko skulking on the deck. We locked eyes, and for the life of me I couldn't look away. But in my defence, he didn't look away either.

"She and I went on the run, don't care about religion. I'm gonna marry the woman I love, down by the Wexford border. She was Nancy Mulligan, and I was William Sheeran. She took my name and then we were one, down by the Wexford border. La la lalala la la lalala la la lalala la la lalalala."

~Break~

After music night finished, Iroh took me below deck to have some tea. I couldn't shake the feeling that had started burning in my gut when I had looked at Zuko. By the time we reached Iroh's room, I was already lost in my thoughts.

"Sit." Iroh said with a smile as he walked over to grab a pot and two cups.

He walked back and sat down, taking out a small bag of tea and putting it at the bottom of the pot. He added some water, before holding the bottom of the pot and heating it up. It didn't take long before it began to steam and I smiled. Iroh poured us each a cup and I took mine right away. Benefit of being a firebender was an ability to handle burning hot items, it was kind of awesome.

"You seem to have something heavy weighing on your mind." Iroh said as he took a deep sip of tea.

"Don't we all?" I shrugged, not sure what to say.

What could I say? I couldn't tell Iroh the truth, nor could I confide in him the guilt I had felt when I had helped capture Katara and Sokka. Any conversation about his nephew was a loaded gun, so all I could do was take a sip of my own tea.

"We do, but today in particular seems heavy for you." Iroh said with a sweet smile.

I took a deep breath, holding it for a moment as I collected my thoughts.

"Why didn't you fight back at that perfume place." I asked.

"Why didn't you." Iroh said with a small twinkle in his eye.

"You're not going to answer are you." I sighed.

"I did answer you, Mira," Iroh said as he leaned back. "Sometimes, knowing when you should fight is better than fighting outright. You also chose not to fight, did you not?"

"Was that really a choice?" I asked, staring into his eyes.

"I think it was. I did the same as you. I opted not to fight. Sometimes, doing nothing is more powerful than doing something." Iroh smiled.

I mulled over his words for a moment wondering if Iroh felt like I did about fighting Aang. He was Fire Nation, that much I knew, but he never acted like he...agreed with the war. He was careful to avoid most discussions about it where his opinion would be asked. He skirted around discussions of capturing the avatar and had never once done a thing to stop Aang, Katara, or Sokka. But he also didn't stop Zuko or anyone else from the Fire Nation from doing so.

"You've never fought, I thought it was your job to capture the Avatar?" I asked.

"Why would you think that?" Iroh asked as he tilted his head.

"Well...you're Fire Nation and helping Zuko..." I trailed off feeling a little shitty for generalizing everyone in the Fire Nation like that.

"I am Fire Nation, I am also helping Zuko. But, it is not my job to capture the Avatar." Iroh said as a small twinkle entered his eye.

I took another sip of my tea, allowing the heat to sit on my tongue for a moment of false comfort. Was this Iroh's way of saying he didn't want to capture the Avatar, or wouldn't? I wanted to dig further, but I also knew I had more important things to ask.

"Hey...umm, I heard something about Sozin's comet..." I began to say.

"Did you now." Iroh said, the twinkle lost from his eye.

"Yeah, something about how it was coming soon. Why is it important to the Fire Nation?" I asked.

"You know how the sun gives firebenders strength?" Iroh asked.

I recalled the memory of one of our first lessons and nodded my head.

"Well, the comet acts much the same way, only amplified," Iroh answered as he placed his cup on the table. "Where did you hear about this?" Iroh asked.

"Heard some of Zhao's men mentioning it coming." I said, avoiding mentioning where I was when I heard it.

"They are indeed correct, it's coming in the summer." Iroh answered with a stoic expression.

"Is this a rare occurrence?" I asked.

"Once every hundred years." Iroh confirmed with a nod.

I stared at my cup feeling helpless. So the Fire Nation was getting a boost when summer came, which meant I was as well. It's important not lost on me, nor the implications. But, what stuck out to me the most was that it happened every hundred years, the exact amount of years this war had been happening.

Which meant that Sozin's comet probably kickstarted the war, and now they were probably planning on using it to finish it.

Great, now I was racing the clock too.

~Chapter 7 End~