The Fire Prodigy {ATLA}

{4}: Kyoshi Island

I loved it when we had nice weather, which honestly, wasn't often. You'd be surprised by the amount of storms we had gone through while at sea. Anyway, the nice weather allowed me to practice my bending on deck. The crew always seemed to like it when I practiced my elaborate dances and performances for them, and it also allowed me to have some fun.

I created a few blue and purple arcs, followed by green and yellow hoops that lit up everyone's faces. It was like having our very own firework show on deck.

"Bravo!"

"Do it again!"

I laughed as I bowed to the cheering crowd. "Thank you, thank you!"

"What are you doing?" Zuko said, stomping bitterly towards me.

"Uh... I was just practicing firebending," I lied innocently.

"We don't have time for games right now! The Avatar is on Kyoshi Island. Tell the crew to ready the rhinos! I am not letting him get away again."

I sighed heavily, before turning to the crew. "You heard him, boys. Let's get ready."

I watched as everyone resumed their duties and Zuko walked towards me with his usual serious look.

"Are you sure he's on Kyoshi Island?"

"He's got to be."

"So, what's the plan?"

"We get there. We find him."

"That's an objective, not a plan."

"Well... What would make it a plan?"

"I don't know. Maybe adding some steps?"

"Alright. Step one, we get there. Step two, we find him."

I sighed heavily, realizing this conversation was going nowhere. "Fine. Just try not to lose it like you did at the North Pole."

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We arrived soon after at the island's shores mounting our trusty komodo rhinos and following Zuko's lead.

"I want the Avatar alive."

I sighed, as we walked down the road that led to the local village. This place seemed even smaller than the Southern Water Tribe, and it was fairly obvious that the villagers were hiding from us.

"Come out, Avatar! You can't hide from me forever! Find him," Zuko said, ordering us to spread out and look around.

Something was strange about this place. I wasn't buying the silence around us, it was too suspicious. I was proven right when all of a sudden, several disguised girls appeared on the rooftops, ambushing our guards from above. Many of them managed to knock the riders off the rhinos, but I managed to blast away the few that came my way.

Zuko did the same with another one, but he couldn't stop the second warrior from attacking.

"Nice try, Avatar! But these little girls can't save you," Zuko said, as I stepped down from my ride and looked around for him. Zuko's attacks had already made some buildings around us catch on fire.

"Hey! Over here!" we heard the Avatar's voice, as he stood up to us from across the street.

"Finally."

Zuko then engaged in a full-on fight against the airbender, making even more buildings catch on fire. I was about to join them, when I saw a little girl trapped under one of the ignited roofs.

"Look out!" I cried, barely reacting to redirect a fire blast from one of the soldiers and saving her.

She looked at me with fear, probably because she knew what I was: a firebender. She then hurried away from me, probably into a hiding place. I could only hope she'd be safer wherever she was.

Zuko and our men were still fighting the warriors. Chaos was surrounding us and the little town was anything but rubble at this point. All of a sudden, I caught a glimpse of a certain flying bison taking off from above, and I knew this was my chance to stop the destruction.

"Zuko! They're leaving!"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched Appa leave. Zuko immediately stopped with the destruction and gave out orders.

"Back to the ship! Don't lose sight of them!"

We ran back as fast as we could, but there was something bothering me. The village was still in flames behind me, and all those people were still in danger. All of a sudden, we were showered by a giant sea monster I hadn't even seen there before. I briefly saw Aang getting back onto Appa's saddle, and I knew that whatever that was, it had to be his doing.

I smiled as I made it back to the ship, while Zuko and the others complained about being wet. It was good to know that at least the Avatar knew how to have fun.

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"I heard you lost the Avatar on Kyoshi," Iroh said the next morning, while we sat together for our usual tea time. "Prince Zuko must not be pleased.

"Oh, he's not having it. But there was nothing else we could've done."

"I appreciate how loyal you are to him. He needs a friend to guide him from time to time."

I sighed heavily. "I'm just a servant girl, General. No one special. How could I possibly guide him?"

"You are much more than you give yourself credit for. I knew you were destined for greatness the minute I first saw you."

"Well, that makes you the only person, but thanks."

"I fear my nephew is going down a path that will not end well for him. I need your help to steer him into the right direction."

"My help? But we both know Zuko won't listen to me."

"He might. If there is anyone he will listen to, it is you."

"General Iroh... I've been thinking... All of this fighting, the grief, the hatred... Is it truly worth it?" I asked him with a frown. "I mean, all my life I've been told that we are trying to share the Fire Nation's greatness with the rest of the world, but the villagers from the South Pole and Kyoshi Island are just peaceful people living their lives. They don't seem to need our help whatsoever."

Iroh sighed heavily. "My grandfather started this war a long time ago. It is easy for us to confuse things and assume we're on the right side of war. It makes the bad things we do easier to forgive."

"Bad things... Like what?"

Iroh looked at me for a moment, as if I reminded him of something. He looked very remorseful, for whatever reason. He then shook his head. "It does not matter. What matters is that we learn from our mistakes and strive to do better."

I nodded, but I didn't fully understand what he was referring to. Whatever he was talking about, however, it was clear to me that Iroh had done some things in his past that he wasn't proud of. He was a Fire Nation General, after all, and a Dragon at that. You don't get that kind of prestige and power without some sacrifice. I assumed that he didn't want the same for Zuko. Sure, he'd done some pretty nasty things before, but he hadn't crossed that line yet, and I hoped he never did.

If anything, I hoped that this war never took my humanity from me.

"Am I interrupting?" Zuko said, entering the room as if on cue.

"No. General Iroh and I were just having some tea. Would you like some?"

Zuko didn't reply, instead, walking toward the table and slamming something on it. "We don't have time for tea. Look what I found."

He lifted his hand, revealing a blue necklace. I raised an eyebrow, confused as to what he intended to say here. "Uh... A necklace?"

"It's that girl's. The girl from the Water Tribe that helped the Avatar escape."

"How does some jewelry help us find the Avatar?"

"It doesn't. But it can help us find her."