"Uncle, I'm dying of boredom. My writing hand is injured, so I can't continue my story. All we've been doing is practicing my reading and writing skill for hours and I can't do any training!" Hikari fell on her back, "I'm going stir-crazy! Stir-crazy I tell you!"

     Ever since the bad storm that had happened last week, the poor female had been kept under watch to be sure she did not try to train while she was recovering. Iroh had been trying to help by bringing up her studies for longer periods of time, but it seemed she had reached her end. She was ready for something other than Pai Sho or learning to make a good pot of tea. She wanted action. Action she was not going to get.

     Because of all of her dilemmas, the girl wore a sleeves red tunic with black pants. She was too  lazy to tuck them into her boots with only one hand. Lately, that had led to her walking around barefoot. With only one hand, her hair had been left down to show off the combination of curls and waves it possessed. Of course, she was also forced to wear the blasted sling.

     "Niece, why don't you fetch Prince Zuko?" The old man had already pulled out a tea pot, "By the time you get back, we can all enjoy a soothing cup of tea."

     She huffed, "Fine."

     The girl got to her feet and was out the door. The stairs posed no challenge. They were behind her in seconds. At the bottom, she let herself out onto the deck. Of course, to her chagrin, Zuko was in his dark red, sleeveless training tunic, doing the exact thing she was not allowed to do: train.

     She walked forward, but kept herself out of range. Fire was getting blasted all around. It was three against one. Zuko was putting distance between himself and his adversaries. Apparently, just her walking out onto deck was enough to put a stop to the fight.

     The prince turned, wanting to see who had caused his opponents to end the fight without his orders. Seeing it was only Hikari, he rolled his eyes. His uncle had put a strict prohibition on allowing the female to train. As long as that sling was on, she was not even aloud to touch her kusarigama, even if it was just to pick it up. Apparently, the crew was keen on making sure she had the fastest recovery.

     "Yo, highness," she yelled.

     He made a face at the wording, "What?!"

     "Uncle Iroh wants you in his room to join us for tea."

     "Tell him I'm busy."

     "OH NO!!!" She stormed up to him, "No! You're out here, doing whatever you want while I have to suffer with reading and writing and lady-like stuff that I have no idea why I'm being taught that." She jabbed her finger into his chest, "You could at least cut me some slack and come with me..." Her nose scrunched up, "Tea's ready by now apparently."

     "Well, have fun with that," he replied, turning to go back to his spar.

     Instead, the brunette grabbed him by the ear, dragging him away, "Nope! I can't take uncle on my own for the rest of today."

     The boy pulled himself away, "Alright!" He rubbed at his ear, "Just don't do that again."

     Hikari ran ahead, making sure her friend was following. She knew very well that he would try to go back outside if she just left him alone. To Zuko, she almost acted like toucan puffin trying to lead him to a cavehopper.

     They made a quick stop by the prince's room for him to change, but the last flight was the same. The girl was all the way at the top of the staircase before he was even on the third. She leaned over the railing, hair hanging on either side of her face, making sure he would not turn around.

     "Hurry up, slow-poke! Tea's probably cold by now," the brunette teased.

     "I don't see what you're rushing for." He met her at the top, "I thought you didn't like tea?"

     She stuck her tongue out, "It's uncle. You really wanna get there when the tea's cold?"

     "...Fine."

     The two entered the room. Sure enough, the tea was ready and piping hot. Iroh welcomed them. He already had a cup ready for himself. There was another cup set down for Hikari. She was quick to take her spot.

     The female sniffed the cup, "What kind is it?"

     "I remember you said an herbal blend was attractive to you. I made sure to take note," the old man smiled.

     "You and your tea."

     "Of course! One of these days, you and I will be able to enjoy tea together."

     "...We already do that."

     "But you barely touch it! Most of the time you drink water," he frowned.

     She sighed, but brought the cup to her lips, very much pleased with the taste. For once, it was not extremely bitter, nor did it leave an aftertaste. The satisfied smile that spread across her face brought a grin to her elder's.

     "See Prince Zuko, a moment of quiet is good for your mental well-being," their uncle stated.

     Zuko took the cup. Right before he could take a sip, the ship jerked, causing the tea to fly all over his face. The brunette spilt a little on her lap, but otherwise, avoided the chaos that befell the prince.

     The angsty teen grunted. He was quick to get up and see about what had caused the jerking. The hazel eyed girl was quick to reach the bottom first. With everything having become boring, this was excitement. She wanted to feast her eyes on whatever was causing the chaos.

     On deck, there was a giant brown creature with a weird pink nose. On it's back, there was a beautiful lady. She had long black hair pulled into a top-knot, some of it covering the left side of her face. There was a red tattoo on her shoulder. That lady was very pretty, but riding her creature, she was deathly beautiful.

     "Get back! We're after a stowaway," the woman yelled.

     Zuko made his appearance, "There are no stowaways on my ship."

     The creature tore off a chunk of metal from the deck and threw it at the crowd. The brunette ducked but quickly stood.

     "That's so cool!" The young girl dared not get closer, "Wow!"

     A scrawny man crawled out of the hole. He ran away, trying to put distance between himself and the brown thing. The creature's elongated tongue lashed out, striking the man who fell onto the deck, paralyzed, and with a terrified look on his face. Who could blame him though?

     "That...was AMAZING," Hikari cheered.

     "He's paralyzed," Zuko stated, shocked.

     "Only temporarily." The woman hoisted the man over her shoulder, "The toxins will wear off in about an hour. But by then, he'll be in jail and I'll have my money."

     "But how did you find him on my ship?"

     "My shirshu can smell a rat a continent away."

     The brunette got a little closer, but did not want to approach without permission, "Your shirshu is so awesome!"

     "Well, I'm impressed." The black haired female left with her victim as Iroh stroked his beard, "Very impressed."

     "I want one!"

     The prince glared at his companion, "No!"

     "I was joking. Joking."

     When he left, Iroh following, Hikari felt the need to get her boots. Something told her adventure was abound. Even if it was not, she kind of wanted to go find that female to talk to her. Her shirshu was a really neat creature and she was really strong.

     The teen flew up to her room and slipped her boots on as quickly as possible. She took off her sling and used her other hand to help with the task of tucking her pants into her boots. While it did kind of go against Iroh's orders, she had been taking it easy with using her right arm. Of course, her wrist was still recovering too. All around, the skin had turned purple and blue, looking like a bracelet...a painful one.

     She pulled her hair back into a low ponytail, quickly put the sling back on and ran back down onto the deck. Zuko and their uncle were already walking down the ramp to the dock.

     "Hey! Wait for me!" She was panting by the time she caught up, "I'm coming with you."

     The prince's gold eyes seemed to narrow, "You're staying on the ship."

     "But I need to get off! I need to do something other than lay around all day."

     "You're still recovering. If we get into a fight, then you would just be a hinderance."

     "I can get out the way."

     The old man placed a hand on her left shoulder, "I'll look after her, Prince Zuko. Let's be on our way."

     When the boy huffed, the hazel eyed girl stuck her tongue out. She wanted to be a part of this. She needed out. The life of a sea fairing maiden got boring when you were restricted from doing your favorite activities. In fact, training is what entertained/kept her busy the majority of the time. She was determined to find out what was going to happen.

     The sun had already set by the time the trio found themselves in front of an earth kingdom tavern. A man was thrown through the window. While the shirshu was outside, it only glanced at the man before going back to sleep.

     The moment they entered, the prince started pushing his way through the crowd, "Out of my way! Step aside, filth!"

     Iroh tried to be polite and apologize for his nephew's behavior, Hikari stuck very close to her companions. They were in a tavern for one thing. The other was that she could already feel some of the gazes pointed at her. With her arm in a sling, she felt like wounded prey, waiting to be ended.

     It turned out, the woman from before was arm wrestling a man who was much bigger than herself. After the earlier display of strength, it was not much of a surprise.

     Zuko approached her, "I need to talk to you!"

     Her brown eyes did not even spar them a glance, "Well, if it isn't my new friends: Angry Boy, Uncle Lazy and Fire Ferret."

     The brunette pointed to herself, "Fire Ferret? What?"

     "Awe! Your boyfriend hasn't told you?" The woman threw her opponent's hand down, "You're as cute as a fire ferret."

     The girl's face turned bright red. She had never seen or heard of a "fire ferret" but she knew it was a compliment. The other thing was that it was embarrassing to be called Zuko's girlfriend. Usually, it had been an insult. Now that their relationship had developed to the point that she really could say that he was her friend, it was...well...

     "B-but I'm not... He's not...W-we aren't dating," the flustered girl replied.

     It really was not helping that Zuko's face was barely tinted pink. She had a feeling that this was the first time he had heard that accusation. No doubt it was embarrassing for him too.

     The woman clicked her tongue, "Such a shame."

     Thankfully, the prince recovered, "Your beast trashed my ship. You have to pay me back!"

     "Well, I'd love to help you out, but I'm a little short on money." The thing was, she had a pile of her winnings in front of her already and then shouted, "Drinks on me!"

     She went to grab her drink, but the younger male grabbed her wrist, "Money isn't what I had in mind."

     The woman rolled her eyes, "If it's business you want, then we're taking this outside." Her brown eyes landed on the girl, "Good thing you aren't dating him, he has such a short temper."

     "Tell me about it," Hikari sighed.

     Once they were in front of the shirshu, the boy held up the necklace he had confiscated from the Water Tribe girl, "I need you to find someone."

     "What happened, your real girlfriend run off on you," was the snarky response.

     "It's not the girl I'm after, it's the bald monk she's traveling with."

     "Whatever you say."

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

     The woman scoffed as she climbed on her animal, "Heh, forget it."

     "Wait..." Hikari stepped forward, "I know he's a pain in the butt. I've traveled with him for a while now. But can you help us, please? If anything, he can stop complaining about his lost honor."

     The prince looked very offended, "Hey!"

     Iroh jumped in, "Plus, we'll pay your weight in gold."

     "Make it your," she poked his stomach, "weight, and we gotta deal."

     "You got it!"

     The blacked haired woman took the necklace, "Get on!"

     The shirshu started to sniff wildly, looking for the scent. By this time, the woman was back at the front of the saddle. Hikari sat behind her, followed by Zuko and Iroh. Within moments the three were off.

     That creature was fast. The youngest girl almost felt like they were flying. The surrounding trees went by in a long blur.

     They traveled overnight. The brunette learned that the woman's name was June and her shirshu was named Nyla.

     During the next day, they had stopped to talk to an herbalist, who wondered if her cat was in trouble with the Fire Nation...again. (That was a story she wanted to hear). The next stop was at a village. The prince nearly got himself poisoned by Nyla. Along with that, a woman offered to read Iroh's fortune.

     We will just say the young girl chewed him out for his answer.

     Thankfully, they did take the time to rest the next night. At day break they were off again. It was almost mid-day when they finally found the Water Tribe siblings. After breaking down the the doors to a convent. Nyla rushed off and had jumped out behind them. The two ended up being cornered.

     "So this is your girlfriend," June asked as Zuko jumped off, "No wonder she left, she's way too pretty for you. Probably, got jealous of Fire Ferret." This time she spoke to Hikari, "Do me a favor and don't date him."

     "But we..." The brunette sighed deeply, "You know what, I'm not even going to respond."

     Zuko had approached the siblings, "Where is he? Where is the Avatar?

     "We split up. He's long gone," the Water Tribe boy said.

     "How stupid do you think I am?"

     "Pretty stupid," he grabbed his sister, "Run!"

     They did not even get that far before the shirshu had them paralyzed.

     "What are we supposed to do now," the Fire Nation teen asked.

     June allowed Nyla to go through the siblings' bags, "It's seeking a different scent. Perhaps something that the Avatar held."

     The long snout sorted through the bag. A paper rolled out. Sure enough, the creature found a trail. This only lead them back to breaking down the abbey doors again. The animal got to the middle of grounds and started going in circles.

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

     Seconds later, Aang come down, flying over all of them. The shirshu got on it's hind legs, attempting to lash out with its tongue. This only accomplished throwing the entire party off its back. Hikari ended up having to move herself to land on her left arm instead of her right arm. (Honestly, she would rather not have landed on any body part with the exception of her feet.)

      "Aang," Katara shouted.

     June cracked her whip, "Up!"

     The giant brown creature was tackled aside, along with it's owner, by the flying bison. Seeing as this was going to become a big fight, the injured girl attempted to use her one good arm to move one of the siblings out of the way. Some on the nuns ended up assisting her. While they gave her a disgusted look, they managed to be nice. She scratched the back of her neck sheepishly.

     "Sorry about the doors," the brunette apologized.

     "Hey Hikari," the dark skinned male greeted, "What's up?"

     "You know," an explosion of fire and air was presented in front of them, "the usual. Finding new and creative ways to stalk you people. How about you, Boomerang Guy?"

     "You know..." The two boys who were fighting got thrown onto separate roofs, "the usual. Getting stalked by Zuko and having to help Aang."

     "More like Aang having to help us!" Katara made a face, "We can't move!"

     "Wait a minute... You called me Boomerang Guy!"

     "How could I forget when it came back and hit Zuko in the head?!" Hikari grinned, "That was the good old days."

     "You don't remember his name, do you," the waterbender asked.

     "Not for the life of me."

     "At least you remembered my boomerang!" He started lifting his arm, "I'm...starting to get some feeling back!" Rubble from the roof fell on top of him, "Ow."

     "So, Hikari," the dark-skinned girl looked the other female over, "what happened to your arm?"

     "Eh, strained it to where it popped out of socket. Been banned from training this past week." The brunette pouted, "I had to stay behind while Zuko left me alone a whole night, probably going to play avenger."

     "How do you know it was a whole night?"

     "I saw him leave, but I was actually a little under the weather so I asked someone to inform me when he got back... I was with Iroh, on the front deck, when he came back looking like he just rose from the dead."

     Sokka was still trying to move as he smirked in her direction, "Sounds like someone has a crush."

     "Ew! No! Zuko's like a really annoying older brother who only cares about his honor... Oh look, he's dancing with Aang."

     The two boys had blown the structure that was on the railing to the well to bits. The two were stepping around each other. It was like some dance to avoid each other. That was until the young Avatar blew the teen off. He backflipped into the well. Zuko got back and blew a fire blast at the child.

     He was met with a powerful spout of water throwing him into the air. The young boy jumped out, wet, but okay. The water rain around him. Seconds later, the prince hit the ground with a painful sounding smack. Hikari winced, but had a feeling he was okay.

     When he got up again, she grinned, "Yeah, he's fine."

     Sokka was forcing himself to stand. Beside him, Katara had managed to move a little. It seemed the head nun had a remedy. She made the two Water Tribe members sniff a vial. Within seconds, they were both standing.

     "That thing sees with its nose." The dark-skinned boy smirked, "Let's give him something to look at. "

     The nun raised a brow, "The perfume?"

     The brunette waved, "Have fun then. I promised I'd stay away from the fight."

     In return, she received confused glances, but no one bother to question. She placed herself behind the broken wall and watched all the chaos ensue.

     All of the nuns, plus the water tribe boy, pushed all of the pots forward. Katara used her water bending to soak Nyla. The poor thing ended up freaking out, striking down Zuko and June before breaking down a part of the wall and running off.

     The girl ran to her companions, who were now on the ground. The young fire bender was slightly curled up on one side while June was laid on top of Iroh. The old man had one arm around the young woman's waist.

     Zuko looked at his elder, "Uncle? I didn't see you get hit with the tongue.

     Said man placed a finger to his lips, "Shhh."

     Hikari, having no better reaction, face palmed.

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A/N: Okay, I apologize for that ending. I didn't want to add to my word count. I got to 3,200-300 words about and really didn't want to add more. I mean, I love long chapters, but sometimes chapters can get too long. That's why I stick to 3,000 words at the least. So if anyone did not like how that ended, I'm sorry.

I also want to point out, because I had to check it myself. When Hikari says, "I had to stay behind while Zuko left me alone a whole night, probably going to play avenger." It's a reference to The Blue Spirit episode. I'm still working on the side story book, so I'll be sure to include what happened there.

Tootles lovelies~

-Muse