Time seemed to slip away when they regrouped with their ship. Zuko was more pumped than ever to get his hands on the Avatar. Hikari, while ready to see the trio again, asked Iroh to remind her never to stand up to Zhao again. She had realized soon after that what she had done was reckless. The commander had most likely spared her only because he was focused on the Avatar. Next time, she would really need to watch her mouth.

     Three days had passed since the encounter at the Fire Nation Temple. The prince had taken it upon himself to train all the more. The brunette had the right mind to join him. It was nice to take the initiative.

     The two teenagers were on deck with another crew member. It was mock battle. The training was every man for himself. Sometimes, they would gang up on each other, or fight separately to throw each other off. It was challenging and fun.

     The younger male had just sent a flame kick towards his opponent. The girl was about to use her chain to tie down her friend. That was the plan until the boat made a sudden turn. Hikari, had to throw her weapon aside when she fell over.

     "Someone's changing our course," the Zuko shouted.

     "No duh!" Hikari picked herself up, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have fallen."

     "You need to learn to stand your ground."

     "Like you didn't run into the railing."

     "I'm going to see what's going on."

     The teen stormed off, leaving the girl with the other firebender. Instead of sticking around, she followed her friend to see who had caused the ship follow a new course. He was storming up the many flights of stairs, ready to confront the culprit.

     The angsty teen threw the door open, and went up to the captain, "What is the meaning of this mutiny? No one told you to change course!"

     "Actually, someone did." Iroh was playing Pai Sho with some of the crew, "I assure you, it is a matter of utmost importance, Prince Zuko."

     "Is it something to do with the Avatar?"

     "Even more urgent. It seems, I-" The old man rubbed his forehead, "I have lost my lotus tile."

     "Lotus tile?"

     "For my Pai Sho game. Most people think the lotus tile insignificant, but it is essential for the unusual strategy that I employ."

     Hikari crossed her arms and raised a brow, "Are you sure you check your sleeves, Uncle."

     "You've changed our course for a stupid lotus tile," Zuko asked in disbelief.

     "See, you, like most people, underestimate it's value. Just give me ten minutes to check the merchants at this port of call." Iroh got excited, "Hopefully, they will have the lotus tile in stock and I can get on with my life." At this, Zuko breathed out fire towards the ceiling, releasing smoke into the room as well, "I'm lucky to have such an understanding nephew."

     The brunette went sit by her uncle, "I'm asking again. Are you sure you checked your sleeves?"

     "I am sure. I've checked twice already!"

     "Alright... Can I play a round?"

     For the next few hours, the pair played Pai Sho. That had been what occupied them until they reached the port.

     Hikari was excited to be on land again. The place was lively and full of egger sellers. People shouted their great deals. Others offered their food and special treats. Iroh was taking his sweet time at each stall, even going as far as to buy an item even though he didn't find his tile. Zuko was standing by with an aggravated look. He even demanded every time if they found what they needed yet.

     It took a long while of searching. It got every close to closing time when they got back to the front of the harbor. The girl was tired of shopping and bored of looking at trinkets. Zuko was expressing the anger she felt.

     "I've checked all the shops on this pier. Not a lotus tile in the entire marketplace," Iroh complained.

     "I think they would only sell it with a Pai Sho set, not individually," the brunette responded.

     Zuko glared at them, "It's good to know this trip was a complete waste of time for everyone!"

     "Quite the contrary. I always say, the only thing better than finding something you are looking for," the old man was grinning as they watched some of the men bring loads of things on board, "is finding something you weren't looking for at a great bargain!"

     "You bought a tsungi horn?"

     "For music night on the ship. Now, if we only had some woodwinds. Oh, this place looks promising!"

     The two teens followed their uncle, trailing behind like parents annoyed with their rambunctious child. The moment they stepped on board, Hikari felt creeped out. There were some men wearing no shirts, showing off their tattoos. Others on board just looked burly and mean.

     There were trinkets and wares abound. There were scrolls, weapons, cages, furniture and plenty more. The fact that these items did not look like they all came from the same nation sent up a warning flag to the brunette.

     "I am officially weirded out," the girl whispered to the other.

     "Let's just hope he finishes quickly," Zuko responded.

     "Agreed."

     Iroh was looking at a gem studded monkey statue, "Oh, that is handsome! Wouldn't it look magnificent in the galley?"

     She wanted to say no, but a man nearby spoke loudly enough, "We lost the Water Tribe girl and the little bald monk she was traveling with."

     "This monk, did he have an arrow on his head," the prince questioned.

     A tall man, who was most likely to be the captain, gazed at the three with a glare, "And what's it too you?"

     "It just so happens that I want that monk. Clearly, the Water Tribe girl has something you want too."

     "Go on."

     "Why don't we work together. You get what you want, I get the monk."

     "Seems fair..."

     Hikari looked at Zuko, "I'm not so sure about this."

     "Well there, little lady." She took a step back seeing she was now being towered over, "We can negotiate something... With a pretty face like yours, I'm sure we'll come to something."

     "I'm not as defenseless as I look, if that's what your suggesting between those lines. I can promise you I put up a fight."

     "Leave the girl out of this," the angsty teen stepped in front of her, "we have plenty of things to discuss."

     This led to boarding the little scout boat again with the prince, uncle, herself and a few warriors among the crew. They followed their "allies" side by side along the river. Hikari stood next to her friend. Her hand was constantly on her kusarigama. These men were pirates. She was scared they might try to kidnap her or take back their word.

     The pirate captain boarded their boat and stood side by side with the teen from the fire nation, "Shouldn't we stop to search the woods?"

     "It's a waste of time," the girl muttered.

     "We don't need to stop. They stole a waterbending scroll, right?" The captain hummed in agreement. "Then they'll be on the water."

     "If anything else, the girl will be there. She's the waterbender. We can get her for questioning."

     She refused to rest with her uncle. She refused to let her guard down. She refused to be caught off guard. Pirates were pirates. Security around them was at a level of zero. Since they were assisting, something was bound to go wrong.

     Usually, she would have voiced her thoughts to her best friend, but this was just a plan he would not go back on. She knew from the start that Zuko was a stubborn fool. There were times he would take your words into consideration. Other times, which was a majority, he threw them overboard. This was one of those times he would do that.

     Day turned to night. The night was slightly illuminated by the moon. The trees and water were distinguishable. It was beautiful really. The girl was tired, but she would pull through. If anything, she would do it for the avatar. He or the Water Tribe kids would need someone to be their ally.

     "Ugh, ugh, ugh! Shoot! Come on water, work with me here! Okay, what if I just, ow! Stupid scroll!"

     They all looked at each other. That was the Water Tribe girl for sure. They all landed on the shore on opposite sides. It would be the affective way to cut off her escape. They all got onto the sandy sides of the river. As silently as possible, they surrounded the poor girl.

     One of the pirates grabbed her, "No! Let go of me!"

     She used her waterbending to hit the pirate in the face. As she made her escape, the prince was there to intercept her. He had grabbed both of the colored girls' wrists. Terror was clear and the teen who held her did not help.

     "I'll save you from the pirates," Zuko spoke coldly.

     They ended up tying the poor thing to a nearby tree. At least she was only bound by her wrist. The brunette would have still used her legs to fight back at this point. It was like bending. From what she had seen, you could bend with any part of your body. The feet were included in those scenarios.

     "Tell me where he is and I won't hurt you or your brother," Zuko demanded.

     "Go jump in the river," the waterbender growled.

     "Try to understand. I need to capture him to restore something I've lost, my honor. Perhaps in exchange I can restore something you've lost."

     He pulled a black choker with a blue pendent out. Where had he gotten that? Maybe it was at that island prison they had stopped at? No matter what is was, it was clearly important to the girl.

     "My mother's necklace! How did you get that," she demanded.

     "I didn't steal it, if that's what you're wondering," he looked at the necklace half-heartedly, "Tell me where he is."

     "No!"

     The pirate captain interrupted, "Enough of this necklace garbage! You promised a scroll!"

     "I wonder how much this is worth..." The prince held the scroll over the fire in the palm of his hand, "A lot, apparently. 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!"

     Hikari gazed at the necklace for a bit. It was what the girl had of her mother. She was traveling with the Avatar, no doubt missing her family. That choker was the only reminded she had until this war ended, if it ever would.

     Her hand went to her neck, feeling only bare skin, "...Zuko. Give her the necklace back."

     "What did you say?" He glared at her, "Why would I give the enemy the only piece of leverage we have against her."

     "That's not the point. Give it back to her. She said it belonged to her mother..."

     "Now's not the time to be sentimental."

     "I'm not being sentimental. I'm being empathetic..." When she realized she was not going to get anywhere she sighed, "You know what, never mind. Just... Never mind."

     Hikari walked a few paces away and crossed her arms. One hand went to her neck, feeling nothing but bare skin. Something told her she used to have one as well. Possibly from her own mother as well.

     More hours went by and the sun rose over the horizon. Tired was at the top of the list of things the teen felt. She was very upset. She was angry. The prisoner kept looking at her. She knew something was wrong with girl who accompanied the Fire Nation prince.

     When the pirates returned, she put on her game face. Her hand went back to her Kusarigama. Something was bound to go wrong. The Avatar had his hands tied along with the Water Tribe boy. They had all the pirates surrounding them. If nothing happened, it would be an absolute miracle.

     "Nice work," Zuko complimented.

     "Aang, this is all my fault," the prisoner apologized.

     Aang shook his head, "No Katara, it isn't."

     "So that's your name! I couldn't remember it," Hikari exclaimed.

     Iroh shook his head and referred to the previous statements, "Yeah, it kind of is."

     The prince ignored them, "Give me the boy."

     "You give us the scroll," the pirate captain demanded.

     "You're really gonna hand over the Avatar for a stupid piece of parchment," the Water Tribe boy asked.

     Oh no. This was it. This was where everything went down hill.

     "Don't listen to him, he's trying to turn us against each other," Zuko claimed.

     "Your friend is the Avatar," the captain asked.

     While the colored boy was going on, the brunette pulled out her kusarigama, ready to put up a fight. These pirates were going to keep Aang. They would break their deal with the prince of the Fire Nation now that they knew who they had.

     "Keep the scroll; we can buy a hundred with the reward we'll get for the kid," the head of the pirates dismissed.

     "You'll regret breaking a deal with me," the firebending teen growled.

     He and two of the soldiers sent a blast of fire. The group jumped back. One of the men, a guy wearing green, ran out, throwing down a little ball, emitting a cloud of smoke. Some of the firebenders ran out to the Avatar and his male companion. They were quickly stopped by another cloud of smoke

     She was grabbed from behind, "You'll fetch a pretty price girl."

     "Not on my watch," Hikari shouted.

     She jumped up and dropped all of her weight, landing on her captor's foot. He quickly let go. She spun round and delivered her heel into the side of his face. A sword came in on her left, just barely missing her. She dropped, sweeping the opponent's legs out from under him.

     The brunette broke out of the smoke. She needed to see. Being in that smoke was like fighting with a blindfold on.

     The girl with hazel eyes started looking around, hoping to find the Avatar. Sure enough, the trio were on the pirate ship, just beginning to board. She took off, hoping to catch up. She wanted to at least speak the Avatar before they took off again.

     Hikari waved her hand, "Aang! Wait!"

     This seemed to make them rush all the more. The brunette groaned, knowing this would take despite measures. She started swinging the chain and threw it. The weight wrapped itself around the Avatar's ankle. With a harsh pull, the monk was on the sandy bank again.

     "Aang, I'm sorry." She got to the boy, who was untangling the chain, "I just needed you to know something. If it isn't obvious enough, Zuko's going to constantly follow you, even if it's the death of him. Just be careful and find a way to cover your trail if you can.

     "Thanks Hikari..." He smiled at her, "You know, you could always come with us instead."

     "Nah. Someone's gotta keep the prince in line. Besides, I like to think of myself as inside help." She pulled the rest of the chain off, "Now get going before someone notices."

     With a swift jump into the air, the kid was back on deck, making off with the pirate ship. She quietly waved to them before calmly walking back towards the chaos that was clearly seen with the smoke gone. Funnily enough, Iroh was the one to stop it.

     The old man pushed his nephew and the captain apart, "Are you so busy fighting you cannot see your own ship has set sail?

     Zuko glared, "We have no time for your proverbs, Uncle!"

     "It's no proverb!"

     The captain saw his boat, "Bleeding hog monkeys!"

     Of all things that could have happened, the prince laughed! The prince actually laughed! It was pure, honest laughter.

     It was quickly cut short by the pirates stealing the scout boat. Zuko took off after it. Iroh followed. Hikari stood there for a bit longer. After months of traveling with him, she had never heard him laugh. After a while, she had come to the conclusion he was just incapable of that sound.

     Realizing she was going to be left behind, she took off. It was very hard to catch up. She was too far behind, but she could see that the Avatar was stuck. There was a waterfall up ahead and the ship was about make a grand fall. The scout boat could not stop, unlike the ship that had been hijacked by a waterbender.

     The boat rammed into the ship sending it over the falls. The flying bison flew down and left with three riders on his back.

     As she approached the scene, Zuko was shouting, "My boat!"

     Iroh began to chuckle, "Prince Zuko, you're really going to get a kick out of this. That lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!"

     The old man showed off his prize with a big grin. His nephew took the tile and threw it over the waterfall.

     Hikari walked up to the edge and looked at the debris that was floating down river, "Well, at least that wasn't us. In a sense, you kind of did teach them about breaking a deal with you...at the price of the boat, but nonetheless." When he did not respond she looked at him, "Now what I what I want to talk about is you laughing."

     "Oh no," the prince tried to walk away.

     "No! You laughed! I didn't think you could even do that! How long have I been with you now? Not once have I heard you laugh."

     "There was nothing to laugh about."

     "Come on! I'm funny."

     The old man grinned, taking to the back of the group, "You know, nephew, Hikari does have a sense of humor."

     The only response was a loud groan, followed by more nagging from his female companion. 

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A/N: IM BACK~ 

Who doesn't like to end a chapter on a funny note? At least I think it was funny. Hikari sure knows how to ruin the mood. 

So this thought just struck me... Does anyone want a Oc break down of Hikari? I actually plan On redoing my Oc book for my TMNT story and I think, if all of you lovely readers would like, I could do that. Next to Through a Wolf's Eyes (*whispers* and most likely books to follow) This is the second story I am most involved in. 

Anyway, have a lovely day.

Tootles~

Muse