Growing Pains (Avatar The Last Airbender Fanfiction)

Chapter 4

It had been a good day or two since the Avatar escaped. As my punishment, I was only allowed out of my cabin for sword training with the prince, andeals. Even with how few times I've been out I could easily see the damage done to the ship. Personally I was surprised it was still a float. The Avatar did a number on it.

At least every once and a while Iroh came up to play Pai Sho with me to keep me from starting a riot with the crew. "Wise move," he commented as I placed down a piece.

"You are aware I'm just trying to make a funny face with my pieces," I reminded him.

"Exactly," he agreed, "That is the perfect place for an eye." We both lightly laughed. He placed down his next piece.

I finished off my face with the second eye. "I won!" I declared, falling back, despite the fact we were far from actually finishing the game. "No offense, but I much prefer checkers," I informed the man.

He let out a slight laugh. "I would expect any less," Iroh assured me. I sat back up to see his next move. He was keeping me company, the least I could do was play the game with him. "Maybe you could look for a board when we dock."

"When are we going to anyways?" I questioned, "I'm running low on herbs..." I need to take certain herbs to help me sleep, otherwise, I sorta go off into the spirit world. Not overly helpful, when you're trying to get rest.

Iroh hummed as I made my next move, now taking the game more seriously. "We should make dock later this afternoon," he informed me, "But I thought you abonded practicing."

"Still need to sleep," I informed the old man. "You've been to the spirit realm, now imagine it when your completely exhausted."

Iroh played down his favorite piece, the white lotus. He never used his usual technique with me. Probably because I wasn't really an opponent. "Have you ever thought of the possibility that with practice you wouldn't need the herbs," Iroh suggested.

"I don't know, or care," I confessed, putting down a piece far more forcefully than I intended. "I'm sick of everything that comes along with these stupid gifts."

Iroh let out a laugh that came from his chest. "I would have given anything for your powers," he said with a reading tone in his voice.

Just knowing what he was speaking of brought out a sour mood. Lu Ten was one of the only people that saw me for what I was, a kid, and not a great priestess. He was even the one who gavee the blade I weild. The one he learned with. The only one to know that was myself, and Iroh. He gave it to me before he went to fight in the Earth Kingdom.

"You can't contact them once they move on," I reminded him. People's dead spirits were a tricky thing. Sometimes, if great enough a person, they become spirits. Other times, they move on in the cycle, the only way to speak with them if that happens is to find the new person they have become. There is only a small window to talk to them after death, a couple days at the longest. I didn't know how often I needed to explain that to people, and it's not like they'd listen to a kid.

Iroh reached over and grabbed my hand as a sign of comfort. "I know," he assured me. For some reason upon his return for war, he felt like being one of my guards, and heard all the crap I needed to deal with. Not to mention he helped me at least try to be a kid.

It was time to change the topic of discussion. "So, you know how long Zuko feels like keeping me in here?" I questioned. "We haven't even been training much these days... An hour at most."

"Saddly, that's for him to decide," the old man informed me.

I did a dramatic gasp, raising my voice a pitch higher. "Oh no," I sang out over dramatically, "Whatever will I do. Someone please save me from the horid prince. Oh please, where's my hero, I'm a damsel in distress."

We both just laughed and shook our heads, trying to figure out who's turn it was to lay a piece. "Careful there Lusa," someone made their presence know, without slamming open a door. "If I didn't know any better, I'd mistaken you for a girl."

I smirked up at the prince. "Good," I teased him, "We kick ass better than men." I flicked a Pai Sho piece and caught it.

Zuko grumbled at my comment. "We're docking soon," he informed us. "Lusa, you are in charge of restocking as everyone else works on repairs."

I smirked at him and gave him a salute. "Aye aye captain," I told him with a nod.

"Uncle, you'll be coming with me," Zuko told the man I was playing against.

"What will we be doing Prince Zuko?" Iroh questioned, glance over at his nephew. "If it's getting new carpet, I wouldn't bother, Lusa here tends to burn through them fairly quickly."

He was obviously teasing be of the black foot prints across the rug in my room. "Well if someone taught me firebending, this wouldn't happen," I point out to the two of them. I had previously begged both to teach me on multiple occasions, only to be turned down.

"Fine," Zuko grumbled, "We need all the help we can get capturing the Avatar. We'll start tomorrow." I stared at him wide eyed. First he agreed to teaching me to firebend, something I've been denied since birth. Then he thought I was gonna help him capture the Avatar. Did he forget why he contained me to my cabin to begin with?

" Is that the wisest choice?" his uncle questioned him.

"Hush," I snapped at the old man. "I finally get to learn fire bending." I didn't need him talking Zuko out of teaching me.