Since the run in with Zhao, Hikari had been training harder, wanting to advance her skill, maybe even gain a weapon. She felt safe with Zuko. She could not remain by his side forever, though. What better way to improve and gain more independence than working harder? Of course, she had also been warned by Iroh to not overdo it.

     It was late at night. The entire crew was attempting to figure out where the Avatar went... All except for the only female. She was bored. She could not sleep either. She was exhausted, but she decided maybe trying to read one of the scrolls Iroh got for her would help. Clearly, it was not.

     "Wait! Wait a minute! No! No! Why...? Absolutely not!" The brunette threw the scroll to the side, "I feel cheated! That was a lie!"

     Iroh gave her a confused look, "Is something wrong, Hikari?"

     "Everything is wrong! This book is genocide! The world is burning around them and all they can think about is how romantic they are to each other! How can the girl be oblivious to her best friend trying to help her? How can this guy ignore his comrade's cry for help! It's all wrong! Wrong I tell you!"

     "I thought you would enjoy a thrilling tale of love."

     "It's not love! This isn't love! It's obsession to the extreme of ignorance, Iroh! How can you just mention to death of your best friend and be focused on how amazing your lover looks covered in ashes, bloodied and beaten?"

      The old man blinked, "You, my dear, have made a valid point. That sounds nothing like your story."

     "Can we not talk about that here?" She picked up the item she had thrown, "Anyway, how are the reports looking?"

     "Not good." One man she was friendly with showed her the map, "There have been plenty of sightings, but he's disappeared from our sources."

     "What is he even after?! He's just a kid! Is he chasing a butterfly?"

     "Who's know? Whatever it is, it's not good for us. Zuko has been more than agitated these past few days."

     Iroh took the map, "I will explain the situation to our prince."

     "Iroh... Zuko said not to bother him unless we had news," Hikari warned him.

     "We have new...just not good news."

     "Fair enough."

     She watched Iroh leave the room. She took a few moments to debate following him. In the end, she ran to catch up. They met at the end of the hall. They had to travel down a flight of stairs and halfway down the nest hall before arriving at the prince's room. The uncle sighed and opened the door. His female companion waited outside, not entirely sure what her friend's mood would be like.

     The prince was dressed in a dark red robe. He had been meditating for hours in front of a row of candles laid out on the table. She had seen his bending in action, even with his breathing exercises. It was honestly really cool.

     "The only reason you should be interrupting me, is if you have news about the Avatar," Zuko stated calmly.

     His uncle fully stepped into the room, "Well, there is news, Prince Zuko, but you might not like it. Don't get too upset."

     "Uncle, you taught me that keeping a level head is a sign of a great leader. Now, whatever you have to say, I'm sure I can take it."

     "Okay then." Iroh hesitated, "We have no idea where he is."

     The flames of the candles suddenly erupted in a fiery mass, brushing the ceiling. She could feel the heat from where she was.

     "What," the boy exclaimed.

     The older merely pulled out a fan from his robes and began cooling himself, "You really should open a window in here."

      "Give me the map!" He snatched the parchment, unrolled it, and began scanning over the contents.

     "Well, there have been multiple sightings of the Avatar, but he is impossible to track down."

     "How am I going to find him, Uncle? He is clearly a master of evasive maneuvering."

     Hikari started laughing, "He's twelve! What would he know about mastering the art of keeping away from you? He's probably chasing a butterfly, or maybe some leads on if there are any airbenders left."

     Zuko glared at her, "What are you doing up? Usually, you're asleep by now."

     "I'm so glad you care, your highness," she exclaimed sarcastically. "Look, I couldn't sleep, so I decided to stay with your uncle and read... I think I just read the most disappointing romance."

     "What was is called? The Girl who Plagued the Fire Nation Prince," he asked, copying her previous tone.

     "I don't know and I don't care! It was genocide, mixed in with a couple obsessed with each other, on top of ignorance to the world burning around them."

     He raised a brow, "I thought girls didn't care as long as there was romance?"

      "There is a difference between love and obsession!" She crossed her arms, "I'm a sucker for romantic stories with a twist of adventure. If you're going to write a story and be romantic, do it correctly!"

     "Love Amongst the Dragons."

     "What?"

     "What?"

     Iroh chuckled, "Come Hikari, I think we should let our prince return to his meditation."

     "Sure. Whatever you say." Hikari walked out, only to lean back into the doorway and point at her friend, "And be sure you actually get some sleep. I will hit you if you pull another all-nighter."

     The prince waited for her to leave before hitting his forehead. That girl was always after him when it came to his personal health. She had no right in meddling in what did not involve her.

     "You know, nephew," his uncle smiled, "she may annoy you, but she cares. She would trust you with her life if it ever came to it. We were the ones that kept her after she lost her memory. She sees us as family and she does not want to lose that again."

     "She needs to learn her place," the teen retorted.

     But he knew very well that she cared. Was he going to act like he acknowledged it? No. Would he keep that thought close? Maybe. He could not remember that every waking hour, nor did he want to make it come off as softhearted. The only thing he was aware of was that she wanted the best for his wellbeing.

     The night passed without more news. Hikari was thankful to hear that her friend had gotten some sleep. It gave her enough peace to work with her fighting skills. She started to find pleasure in training. It was a stress reliever, an anger releaser and a relationship builder.

     Between her and Zuko, it was a chance to learn about the other, fight wise. He liked to aim for the legs. Balance was one of the first things he went for. If not knocking her off of her feet, the next thing to go for was give her no time to think. She was usually forced to act without a second thought, if there was even a chance to plan it out. 

     The brunette prided herself in knowing that she could survive long enough to make a comeback. Because he liked wasting energy in trying to topple her over or over power her, he lost his breath and tired himself. So far, she had about ten wins on him.

     Iroh was the other person she had built her relationship with through training. As an ex-general, he knew all about fighting as a bender and a non-bender. Helping her learn to fight was a great relief to her. Especially after Zhao, she never wanted to feel so weak again. Growing stronger and not having to rely on the only people she trusted helped.

     The old man was extremely patient with even more to spare for his nephew. He knew when she needed gentle persuasion and tough love. As a girl, she wanted that tough love and not have anyone go easy on her. The down side was that she could easily be emotional, which she hated that factor, and somehow her father figure always knew when to tone it down. He was the only teacher she would ever ask for.

     Hikari took up her fighting stance once more. With a signal from Iroh, she began the combination she had been given. It was a few punches followed by a couple of kicks. The main focus was keeping her posture and remember what to do when and where. When she finished, she only relaxed when she got a nod from her teacher.

     "Very good, you are getting better." The old man stroked his beard, "Remember, there is always room for improvement. Now... Zuko, why don't you spar with the young lady? Then we can move onto your training."

     Zuko was on standby to train with her today. He was being a grump about it because he wanted news on the Avatar. Even then, if he could start training after a quick spar with her, then he would deal with it. That was why she grinned as he trudged over to start sparring with her.

     "Come on, highness!" She put her hands on her hips, "One battle with me and you'll be free to start your lessons."

     "How many times have I told you to stop calling me that," the prince grumbled.

     "I don't know. But I know I'm going to win again."

     "You forget I've had years of training to prepare me for a fight with the avatar."

     The brunette smirked, "You forget that I've been advancing quickly." She entered her fighting stance, "You can do whatever you put your mind to."

      He followed lead, taking position to fight, "You're getting cocky."

     "I wonder where I could have gotten that from?"

     With the signal from Iroh, the two approached each other. The girl blocked the first few hits from her opponent before attempting to get some damage in herself. These spars between her and Zuko gave her a thrill. He never went easy and always called out what her flaws were once she was laying on the ground in agony. She loved sparring because of him. The thrill, the learning, and the fact that she could gain more knowledge about her moody friend while she was at it was fun.

     The brunette threw a lot of force into her next kick, aiming for her opponents face. He caught her foot, though stumbled on impact. The girl smirked. She had been here before and had come up with an idea that she wanted to try. It was basically a game to see "will this work" and the more important question "will this catch him off guard"?

     She jumped up and twisted her body around so that she could use her left leg to take over her captured foot's original job. To say the least, the prince's look of shock was hilarious. He let her go and tried to get away before he could get hit. It caught him so off guard, he attempted to slide under, out of reflex. The thing was, there was not enough force behind the kick to keep the girl suspended and they ended up on the ground.

     Hikari busted out laughing. Now she knew to either:

A) Never do it again.

Or...

B) Find a way to make it work.

     It was too hysterical. From the look of pure shock on the prince's face, to the epic fail of that move she had attempted, it was funny. All the while, her adversary groaned from underneath her. That prompted another round of uncontained laugher. She had landed on top of him! This sparring session had to be the best one yet!

     "Get off of me," Zuko growled from under her.

     "Just-" More laughter. "Just give me-" An attempt to breath. "A moment!"

     He could not wait. Hikari was pushed off and she finally started to breath normally. Her joy occasionally bubbled up every few seconds. She could only grin at her friend's glaring and return it by sticking out her tongue.

     "That was quick thinking, Hikari," Iroh complimented. "You always need to be quick with your mind and answer the thought with your movements. Though...that was quite the landing there."

     The prince crossed his arms to pout, "There's no way that should have happened."

     "The look on your face said otherwise," the younger giggled. "You've caught me like that before and it was a chance to see if that would work. Clearly, it didn't, but I think that's the best sparring match we've had."

     "I don't know what amused you... Besides landing on top of me, you could improve on your strength and be aware of what you plan to do next. If that had been a real battle, another opponent could have come to finish you." He smirked, "Good job, today."

     "Awesome!" She jumped up, having stayed on the ground to listen, "Thanks Zuko! Good luck with your session. I'm going to rest for a bit." She bowed to the general, "Thank you, Iroh. Can't wait for the next one."

     Hikari waved before walking up to her room. She was glad for the table, in her room, along with the blank scrolls and ink. Well, two scrolls were anything but blank. She was working on writing a story. The writing was the one she was familiar with. The other scroll, she had been using to copy her writing in the kanji she was learning. It was beginning to become easier, but it was still hard to translate. The brunette could do the writing; it was the translation that posed a threat.

     For the next couple of hours, she continued with her tale. In her mind, she could see it all from the characters to the scenery. She had a very vague memory of someone telling her that they could see what the girl had imagined. It was some sort of drawing that had yet to be brought to life. What it was? That was a blank space.

     It seemed to be that lunch was going to be the most exciting part of the day. Hikari sat across from Iroh while Zuko sat on the long side. The chief walked in with their food. As he sat the plates down, he told them all what the prince had been waiting for.

     "The Avatar's on Kyoshi Island," the boy shouted. He was already up and almost out the door, "Uncle, ready the rhinos. He's not getting away from me this time."

     The old man pointed to the steaming fish, "Are you going to finish that?"

     The plate was snatched from the table, "I was going to save it for later!"

     The moment the prince was out of the room, the uncle sulked. This retrieved a laugh out of the brunette.

     "Always thinking of food and tea. What more did I expect," the girl teased.

     "There's no need to waste good food," he argued. "And you should never waste a good pot of tea either."

     "I'm starting to adjust to it..." She set her utensil down, "Iroh, is there a chance I could go with Zuko?"

     She was kind of hoping to see the Avatar and his friends again. She remembered the child's name was Aang, but the siblings from the water tribe had no name in her mind. The sister had a "K" name. That was all she knew. They were fun though, much more so than her constantly grumpy friend.

     "Not today, Hikari." Before she could protest that she was strong enough to protect herself in the fight to come, he continued his reasons, "We have not had any lessons these past two days. After we finish eating, we shall work on your reading... Then maybe I could hear more of your story?"

     It was hard to be mad. She had only shared her story with Iroh, who claimed she was the best story teller he had ever met. Supposedly, her imagination was impressive to the retired general. Then again, she kept it from the rest of the crew.

     To be perfectly honest, she could not be angered with that reasoning. She while she wanted to be a part of the journey, it would become a challenge to get along without the essential skill to read or write. Adding to her list, her father figure found ways to make it fun. Sometimes it was a game, other times, it was just him and his humor.

     The younger laughed again, "I guess that's true. Honestly... Thank you, Iroh. I wouldn't even be here right now if it weren't for you."

     "Who am I to reject a young lady in need?" He gave her a look she had never seen before, "You, my dear, are special. When I see you, I see a flower blossoming into its fullest form. You continue to grow each day. One day, a man will be captured by your intoxicating beauty and blown away by the personality you possess."

     "Iroh..."

     "Please call me, Uncle."

     "I think I like that." She wiped at the tears that were threatening to fall, "Uncle... Thank you, for everything."

     "Of course." He smirked, "After I retrieve, would you like to start with a game of Pai Sho, niece?"

     She blinked a few times before offering a small smile, "I'd like that very much, Uncle."

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A/N: So this was a filler chapter if that wasn't obvious. I just wanted to add some fluff to all of this. She's been traveling with Zuko and Iroh for nearly four, if not five, months at this point. It's time he let her know that Hikari is a niece to him. 

But yeah, all thing aside. I have completely finished pre-writing Book 1

So you can sure as heck expect a continuous update of once a month. I just try to space everything out so it's not all squished. 

Anyway, I love all of you lovelies and I'll see you next chapter!

Tootles~

-Muse