The Girl With Golden Hair

Chapter 7: The Storm

A/N: Surprise! After two years, I'm getting back into finishing this story, sorry for the wait! I moved in with my boyfriend a year ago, we broke up two month ago so life is crazy but I needed to do something to forget about it. So here ya go!

It had been several weeks since we last saw the or heard anything about the Avatar's where about. Let me tell you, this had to be the most boring few weeks I've had since coming to this world. I had been cleared to train a week ago, and it hardly cured my boredom. Yet here I was, the sun beat down on my shoulders as I spared with Zuko. I blocked an oncoming attack with my right wrist and brought my left leg up and knocked him out his stance. A quick lung brought him to the ground, but in the same motion he brought me with him and maneuvered us both so that I landed on my back, and him landing on his knee over me.

I rolled away and stood before he could see any pink crawl up my neck and onto my face, "Good work, you almost got me Akaya," Zuko clapped my good shoulder, "Let's take ten."

We walk toward where Iroh was drinking tea, "There is a storm coming. A big one," He told us while handing us tea.

"You're out of your mind Uncle. The weather's perfect. There's not a cloud in sight."

"Haven't you heard 'there's a calm before the storm' Zuko?" I chimed.

Iroh nodded, " A storm appears to be approaching from the north. I suggest we alter our course and head southwest."

"I'd listen to a former general if I were you Zuko"

Zuko pointed north, and go closer to Iroh, "We know the Avatar is travelling northward so we will do the same."

"Prince Zuko, consider the safety of the crew." Iroh warned.

Zuko got in Iroh's face and spat, "The safety of the crew doesn't matter." I followed Zuko's gaze to see the Lieutenant Jee had overheard Zuko's little argument . Zuko struts over to Jee and got in his face as he did with Iroh, "Finding the Avatar is far more important than any individual's safety". Zuko stormed off into the haul of the ship.

Iroh sheepishly tried to defend Zuko, "He doesn't mean that. He's just all worked up."

"Well, maybe he needs to take anger management classes and stop being so selfish all the time." I followed after where Zuko had gone to give him a piece of my mind. I stomped my way down the hallway and burst into Zuko's room, '"What the hell is your problem?"

"What's my problem? What's your problem? This is my ship and I will command it as I please." He barked back at me.

"Yeah well, you won't have an crew to man this goddam ship if you keep treating them like crap. Have you forgotten that your Uncle is on this ship too, and your putting his life at risk? How would feel if he got hurt? Would the individual life still not matter to you?"

"Leave me alone!' He shot fire at me and I dissipated it.
"Fine be alone for all I care! You are a royal ass!"

"Next time we dock, I want you off my ship!"

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Good." I stormed out of the room and into mine. I punched the metal wall a few times until my knuckles turned red. I flopped on the bed, and Tadashi curled up on my chest, "He's so stupid Tadashi."

✧. ┊

I don't remember falling asleep, but I sure remember being tossed off the bed, I rubbed my head. "I guess it's time to eat dinner, right Tadashi?" Tadashi tilled in response, "Alright let's go."

I joined the crew members in the dark mess hall, along with Iroh who was speaking to the crew, "Try to understand. My nephew is a complicated young man. He has been through so much." Iroh detailed the day that Zuko sat in on a war meeting, General Bujing had proposed using new recruits as bait in an attack on the Earth Kingdom. Zuko was enraged by the idea of using a whole division as bait, knowing they wouldn't make it out alive and spoke out of turn.

"Zuko was right, you see, but it was not his place to speak out, and there were dire consequences. After Zuko's outburst in the meeting, the Fire Lord became very angry with him. He said the challenge against the general was an act of disrespect! And there was only one way to resolve this."

"An Agni Kai. A fire duel" Jee finished for Iroh.

"That's right. Zuko looked upon the old general he had insulted and declared that he was not afraid. But Zuko misunderstood. When he turned to face his opponent, he was surprised to see it was not the general. Zuko had spoken out against the general's plan, but by doing so in the Fire Lord's war room, it was the Fire Lord whom he had disrespected. Zuko would have to duel his own father."

I covered my mouth in shock, "You don't mean that..."

Iroh nodded, "When Prince Zuko saw that it was his farther who had come to duel him, he begged for mercy." Iroh explained that Zuko refused to fight and Ozai had burned him, "I looked away."

"I always thought that Prince Zuko was in a training accident," Jee interjected.

"It was no accident," Iroh assured, "After the duel. The Fire Lord said that by refusing to fight, Zuko had shown shameful weakness. As punishment, he was banished and sent to capture the Avatar. Only then could he return with his honor."

"So that's why he's so obsessed with capturing the Avatar. It's his only chance of things returning to normal."

'Things will never return to normal, but the important thing is that Avatar gives Zuko hope."

"But Iroh," I interrupted, "The Avatar hadn't been seen in a hundred years, wasn't he thought to be dead at the time?"

"At that point yes, nobody knew if the Avatar was alive."

"So Fire Lord Ozai had no way of knowing if Zuko would ever find the Avatar, it seems like he sent Zuko on a wild goose chase."

"Hmph, I hadn't thought about it like that," Iroh stroked his beard, "What is a goose?"

Shortly into dinner, the ship was hit, and sent everyone flying to one side of the mess hall. Lieutenant Jee, Iroh and I ran to the deck, meeting Zuko there. "Where were we hit?" Zuko shouted over the wind.

"I don't know!" yelled back Lieutenant Jee.

"Look!" Iroh pointed to the helmsmen' tower, the ladder had been damaged by the lightning strike.

"The helmsman!" Zuko shouted, spotting the man dangling from the broken ladder. Both Zuko and Lee rush to climb up the bottom of the ladder, to get to the crew member before he could fall.

Lightning struck the deck, but before it could hit us, Iroh redirected, absorbing it through one hand then redirecting it out the other. Zuko had managed to save the helmsmen and got him to the deck safely. In the same moment, Appa emerged from the ocean, "The Avatar!"

Lieutenant Jee asked, "What do you want to do, sir?"

"Let him go. We need to get this ship to safety."

"Then we must head to directly into the eye of the storm," Iroh told Zuko.

The storm soon passed and we were on our way to nearby docks, to repair the ship. Zuko, Iroh and I were alone on the ship deck. "Uncle, I'm sorry."

"Your apology is accepted." Iroh bid us both a goodnight before heading to his chamber.

"Ayaka, I apologize to you as well."

"For?" I turn to look at him.

"For putting your life in danger, and for threatening to leave you at the docks, and for being mean to you."

I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him, "It's alright Zuko. I understand why you want to capture the Avatar so badly. I hope you can find your honor without capturing Aang."