My Iroh

Miyako

Short backstory
Zuko, Iroh and I have been out at sea for a year. Zuko and I were good friends when we were younger, but this trip is putting a strain on our friendship. I'm 19 now. Iroh and I have always been close, as I turned to him when I couldn't go to my parents. My mother never could stand me, I stopped trying to gain her affection long ago. My father, however, is my idol. My hero. He's fighting in the war. He left two weeks before Zuko got banished. I chose to leave with Zuko and Iroh, promising myself to get back home when father returned. Recently, I've really regretted coming, and if it wasn't for Iroh I would've left by now.
~Morning~
I sat in front of my mirror, which was lined with dark red border, with gold stripes running through it, fixing my long black hair, tying it into a bun.
Knock knock
The sudden noise made me flinch. Who could that be this early? "It's open!" I called. The door slowly swung open. I looked through the mirror and saw Iroh enter through the door. A smile came to my lips.
"Good morning Iroh." I said while tucking away stray hairs still facing the mirror. I saw the look on his face: sad and stressed, and turned to him. He was holding a letter, that was rolled and tied with an elegant red ribbon, in his left hand.
"Iroh?" Concern filled me, and I instantly started to worry.
"Miyako, dear, a messenger hawk delivered this. It is for you." He held the letter out to me.
Cautiously, I took the letter and opened it. My eyes scanned the paper, soaking in the terrible news. Iroh should've thrown the letter in the ocean.
It read:

Miyako,
Your father has been killed on the front lines. I attended his funeral three days ago. I wasn't bothered enough to to send it to you earlier.
-Your mother

Those three sentences held so much meaning and filled me with so much emotion. I let the letter fall from my hands to the floor.
Father. Dead.
My mind fills with memories that used to bring me joy, but now fill me with grief.
I looked at the ground between me and Iroh, and clenched my fists, digging my nails into my palm.
"Leave." I whispered, closing my eyes tight when tears threatened to seep out.
"Miya-"
"LEAVE!" I yelled cutting him off. I opened my eyes and the tears started to fall. I shoved him, trying to push him out the door, but he swung his arms up, hit the bottom of my wrists, grabbed them, and pulled me into his embrace. It was so fast I almost didn't register it. I collapsed into his arms and my emotion spilled out of my eyes and on to his shoulder. He lowered us to the ground and wrapped his arms around me. Zuko must've heard the commotion because he came to the door.
"What's-" he started, but Iroh interrupted him and motioned for him to grab the letter, which he read.
"He's gone Iroh...." I cried. "Gone..."
Zuko sat beside us and patted my back awkwardly. He was never the consoling type.
After a while Zuko left, Iroh's shoulder was soaked with tears and my eyes were red and sore. I was now sitting silently beside Iroh on deck, while he was playing a card game. Zuko rambled on about some light he saw in the sky. Things have been tense lately, everyone was getting on each other's nerves. I didn't quite catch Iroh's response, but Zuko's outburst brought be back to reality.
"I don't need calming tea! I need to capture the avatar! Helmsmen, head a course for the light!" Zuko yelled. I glared at him, I hated it when he yelled at Iroh. Iroh turned to me.
"How about you Miya? Would you like some tea?" I sniffled and nodded my head a little. Iroh's tea was the best, and it might make me feel better. My head ached from crying so much. Iroh poured the steaming tea into a cup before handing it to me with a sad smile. I sipped it and leaned my head against his arm, closing my eyes for a bit. After I finished my tea, which was very delicious, and did calm me some, I sat the cup on the table and stood. I went past Iroh, placing a lingering hand on his shoulder and letting it slide off while I walked to my room and lay on the bed. I needed a nap to soothe my head.

I awoke to the sound of grunting and firebending. Thankfully I hadn't dreamt of anything. I stood with a yawn and slowly made my way to the deck where Zuko was training with two crew members. I walked in mid-lecture.
"The breath becomes energy in the body. The energy extends past your limbs and becomes fire." Iroh shot a blast of fire at Zuko, but it didn't quite reach him. "Get it right this time." Zuko, being the hot headed prince that he is, starts yelling at Iroh, which really set me off.
"Enough! I've been drilling this sequence all day. Teach me the next set, I'm more than ready!" He yelled. I clench my fists and walk to Iroh's right side, but stood a couple steps behind him. Neither of them saw me, and if they did, they didn't act like it. It was more to intimidate Zuko than anything else.
"No, you are impatient." He walks back to his chair. I follow and sit beside his chair, cross legged, on the floor. He gives me a slight wave to acknowledge my presence, but I still wasn't feeling 100% so I just nodded at him.
He sits on his chair and directs his attention back to Zuko. "You have yet to master your basics. Drill it again!" He yelled. His order made me flinch. Iroh can be quite scary sometimes, especially when he gets loud. Zuko growls and turns to the crew members. He kicks a flame at one of them, who tries to block it, but gets blasted backwards onto the ground. The second member helps him up as Zuko turns back to uncle and gets in his face.
"The sages tell us the avatar is the last airbender. He must be over a hundred years old by now. He's had over a century to master the four elements. I'll need more than basic firebending to defeat him." Iroh looks very displeased with his nephews attitude.
"You will teach me the advan-" he starts to yell but I jump up and shove him away from Iroh, positioning myself in between them.
"Enough! You will not address Iroh like this!" I yell at Zuko as he stumbles backwards, almost falling, but regaining his footing. I glance at Iroh then back to Zuko, who grumbles and puts his hands up in a fighting stance. I do the same.
"Easy Miyako." Iroh turns me around with his hand on my shoulder. "It is o-"
I shake his hand off.
"No Iroh. I'm tired of him treating you like this." I turn back to Zuko. "After all he's done for you, you still treat him like this!?"
"You have no idea what I go through everyday!"
"Are you kidding? I chose to leave behind what I had to travel with you! It's not my fault you couldn't keep your mouth shut at that meeting!"
We both go to blast fire at each other but Iroh jumps in between us and catches our hand, suppressing our fire.
"Enough! Are you two so caught up in your bickering that you are willing to kill each other!?" I pull my hand away and go back to my room, still fuming. Slamming the door and moving to the bed. If we do catch the avatar, I get to go home. Fathers not home anymore though, but mother..... A wave of anger rushes through me. Mother. She kept this information secret because she was too lazy. I'll teach her. She'll regret she ever gave birth to me. I will capture the avatar, not to restore my honor. No, I don't care about that, but to avenge my father, and teach my mother a lesson. Why did the avatar have to be such a coward? Its his fault my father is dead!
I started thinking about my father, which after a few minutes, brought on a fresh wave of tears.

"The last airbender!" Zuko peers through the telescope. "Quite agile for his old age." He mumbles. "Wake my uncle and go get Miya! Tell them I found the avatar." He looks through the telescope again and spots the Village. "As well as his hiding place."
~
Thank you so much for reading! Feel free to leave any type of suggestion or comment of any type. It's greatly appreciated.
Note that this isn't going to be some pedophile old man after a young girl. It's supposed to be a sweet and caring story!