Y/N's POV
I woke up to an empty stomach, I'd been so busy trying to track Zhao and worrying about Zuko, I'd completely forgotten to eat.
Nevertheless, I got ready and headed to the deck, Zuko turned to me,
"Did you rest well? How are you feeling?"
I smiled at him and told him I was fine before I was interrupted by a loud growl from my stomach. Zuko's eyes widened before he whispered,
"Have you eaten since you left to follow Zhao?"
I shook my head.
"Y/N, are you serious?"
He grabbed my arm and pulled me into the galley and ordered the chef to make me some food.
"Zuko, I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me."
He took me into the dining room whilst I waited for my food so he could speak to me privately,
"How could you say that? You left on a crazy mission following Zhao under the sea. You didn't come back for almost two entire days."
"Zuko I can take care of myself."
"I know, I know, but... I just don't want to lose you again."
I smiled and placed my hand on top of his, trying to reassure him,
"Not going to happen"
After I had eaten, Zuko returned to his room to speak with his uncle and I joined the crew on the deck.
Suddenly, a pretty lady riding a massive animal that I've never seen before boarded the ship. With the rest of the crew, I fell back then stood guard.
The lady shouted:
"Get back! We're after a stowaway!"
Zuko, who had come up to the deck with his uncle after hearing the noise, then stepped forwards and replied:
"There are no stowaways on my ship!"
But the strange animal proceeded to rip a hole in the ship, a man came running from below deck, but before he could escape, the creature struck him with its tongue, seemingly paralysing him.
Zuko watched in astonishment,
"He's paralysed..."
"Only temporarily"
The lady said as she pulled him from the floor before continuing,
"The toxins will wear off in about an hour, but by then he'll be in jail and I'll have my money."
She began to walk away but Zuko stepped forwards,
"But how did you find him on my ship?"
"My shirshu can sneak a rat a continent away."
Iroh then spoke out too,
"Well, I'm impressed."
She then whipped her shirshu and left the ship, but a Iroh stared as she rode into the distance continuing,
"Very impressed."
I monitored the crew above deck whilst Zuko led his uncle downstairs, when they returned Zuko announced,
"We need the woman with the shirshu."
He marched off the ship followed by Iroh, I ran back to grab the kantana that Zuko had lent me before and chased after them.
When I caught up I panted, catching my breath before asking:
"So... where are we headed?"
Zuko slightly turned to me and replied monotonously,
"You'll see."
As we approached a bar, I noticed the shirshu from earlier resting outside.
Zuko announced,
"We're here."
As we approached, a man came flying through the window and crashed on the ground before us. I pulled him to his feet and followed behind Zuko into the bar.
Most people inside were men crowding around an arm wrestle fight, between a very muscular man and the pretty lady from before.
Zuko grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowd.
He yelled, whilst shoving some of the audience,
"Out of my way! Step aside, filth."
I shot them a half-apologetic smile, but Iroh, who was following behind us kindly assured them:
"He means no offence. I'm certain you bathe regularly."
Zuko let go of my hand and stood before the table where the lady was are wrestling and announced:
"I need to talk to you."
She looked back at us smugly responded,
"Well, if it isn't my new friends, angry boy, warrior chick and uncle lazy."
Iroh let out a loud chuckle but Zuko and I maintained our flares as she slammed the buff man's hand into the table, causing the room to fill with cheering and clapping.
Zuko continued,
"Your beast trashed my ship. You have to pay me back."
Coins rained down onto the table as she collected them,
"We'll I'd love to help you out, but I'm a little short on money."
Then she had the audacity to yell to the room,
"Drinks on me!"
As she went to sip her drink, Zuko grabbed her wrist and lent in towards her, sternly stating,
"Money isn't what I had in mind."
She followed us outside to where the shirshu waited for her and Zuko held out the water tribe girl's necklace,
"I need you to find someone."
She leaned against the shirshu and mockingly asked,
"What happened? Your girlfriend run off on you?"
"It's not the girl I'm after. It's the bald monk she's travelling with."
"Whatever you say."
"If you find them, I'll consider the damage to my ship paid for."
She rolled her eyes,
"Tsk. Forget it."
She climbed onto her shirshu and I reached for my kantana but Iroh held his hand out, signalling for me to stop before stepping forward and bribing,
"Plus we'll pay your weight in gold."
She smirked and turned around and walked over to us, she pointed at Iroh and said,
"Make it your weight, and we got a deal."
He chuckled at her comment and exclaimed,
"You got it!"
She told us to get on Iroh climbed on in front, with Zuko behind him and myself behind Zuko. The lady held the water tribe necklace in front of her shirshu's nose and jumped on in front of Iroh.
I held on tight to Zuko as the shirshu galloped through the forest surrounding us.
Iroh broke the silence between us all,
"So, what's your name?"
She bluntly replied,
"June."
"That's a very beautiful name, very fitting."
Zuko turned to me, rolling his eyes and I held in my laugh.
We eventually ended up in a broken down building, and old lady with a white cat looked up at us and asked,
"Out for a bit of fresh air, are we?"
Zuko yelled back down at her,
"We're looking for someone."
"I hope it's not Miyuki." turning to her cat she continued, "Miyuki, did you get in trouble with the Fire Nation again?"
The cat meowed at her, we ignored the woman and June stated,
"The avatar's been through here, let's keep moving."
She whipped the beast and we continued following its scent to an earth kingdom down at the bottom of a large volcano.
The citizens screamed and scattered as the shirshu ran through the town, jumping onto rooftops.
We stopped outside an exquisite building, there was a older woman standing outside, appearing unfazed by the beast.
Zuko angrily questioned,
"Why are we stopping?"
"Because the girl must have spent a lot of time here."
He continued to be frustrated and snatched the necklace from June,
"We have no time for this!"
He stood in front of the shirshu and held the necklace to it's nose, it lashed its tongue out towards him but he ducked before jumping back up and yelling,
"Hey, watch it!"
Iroh, June and I laughed and June joked,
"Oh, look. He likes you."
The lady who was stood outside the building looked up at Iroh and asked,
"Care to hear your fortune, handsome?"
"At my age, there's really only one big surprise left, and I'd just as soon leave it a mystery."
As Zuko jumped back on, in front of me, June whipped the beast and we started back onto the trail.
Eventually, we ended up in what seemed like a small court yard, but they weren't there either, we ended up in a forest.
Suddenly, the shirshu jumped down onto a lower path where the Water Tribe girl and her brother were walking. They ran, but backed themselves into a wall.
June looked Katara up and down before stating,
"So this is your girlfriend. No wonder she left. She's way too pretty for you."
I scoffed.
Zuko jumped down and walked towards Katara,
"Where is he? Where's the avatar?"
Her brother stood in front of her and yelled back,
"We split up. He's long gone."
Zuko furrowed his eyebrow,
"How stupid do you think I am?"
The Water Tribe boy smirked,
"Pretty stupid. Run!"
He grabbed his sister and they tried to escape, but before Zuko, Iroh and I could react, the shirshu lashed it's tongue at them both and they fell paralysed onto the ground.
Zuko stared at them,
"What are we supposed to do now?"
I jumped down and walked over to the Water Tribe siblings, I pulled out my katana and placed the tip of my blade under the girl's chin,
"Where is he?"
The boy yelled at me,
"Get away from my sister!"
I ignored him and continued,
"Tell me now, and we won't hurt you or your brother."
The shirshu started sniffing at the boy, June then said,
"It's seeking a different scent. Perhaps, something that the avatar held."
A scroll fell from the boy's backpack and the shirshu seemed to be ready to follow a new trail.
Zuko looked up at June and then turned to me,
"Grab the girl."
I returned my katana to it's place in my belt and picked up the Water Tribe girl, hauling her over the back of the beast beside her brother. I went to jump on behind where Zuko was sitting but he held his hand out in front of me,
"I'll sit by the hostages."
I smiled as I jumped on to the seat in front of him and he jumped on behind me, holding onto my waist.
I felt my race flush a deep red, I could feel his warm breath on the back of my neck. I shook my head and looked forward, finish the mission.
The shirshu led us back into the court yard, bursting through the gates, sending everyone screaming, running away. It started walking in circles sniffing around, Zuko yelled,
"What's it doing!? It's just going in a circle!"
Then, from above us, the avatar came flying down on his glider, the shirshu tried to strike him but missed and sent all of us toppling off it's back.
Katara looked up and smiled,
"Aang!"
As June stood up, whipping the shirshu,
"Up!"
Zuko climbed to his feet and pulled me up behind him, I pulled out my katana, ready to follow him and face the avatar, but he stopped me,
"Guard the Water Tribe peasants. I'll take the avatar."
I nodded and dragged them against a wall, holding my katana in front of their necks in case they were able to move again.
I noticed June had fallen into a building with her shirshu and turned my attention to Zuko, who was battling the avatar, this time, the avatar was actually striking back, sending gusts of wind at Zuko, which were returned with fire from his side.
At some point, they came into close combat, and both simultaneously blasted each other with their elements, sending them both flying in opposite directions, crashing into buildings.
Katara snarled at me,
"You people make me sick!"
I rolled my eyes, but she continued,
"Burning everything that stands in your way, attacking innocent people! You fire benders make me sick."
I scoffed before holding out my free hand before her eyes and sarcastically attempted to fire bend,
"I don't bend fire, try again."
She turned her head away from me,
"Even so! The Fire Nation ruins lives."
I looked at her and monotonously replied,
"We told you before, hand over the avatar and we'll leave you and your brother alone, we mean you no harm."
A tear rolled down her cheek before she angrily replied,
"You mean us no harm!? You took my mother away from me!"
I pulled my katana back into my belt.
"Then, you take away the one thing that I had left of her. You're monsters. All of you."
"The necklace?"
She nodded then turned away before continuing,
"But what would you know? You're running around helping the Fire Lord's son."
I snapped at her,
"You don't know what he's been through. We aren't here to hurt anyone, he just wants to go home."
Water erupted from the well and Zuko went flying through the air.
"Zuko!"
I ran to his aid, I pulled him from the floor before he turned back to Katara and her brother,
"Y/N, the hostages!"
I turned and to my horror, they were both standing again were working with the residents to pour barrels of perfume across the courtyard.
What were they doing?
Zuko and June backed the avatar into a wall, both attacking him and I observed Katara as she started bending the perfumes above her, I ran over to her holding my katana, ready to stop her from attacking Zuko, but to my surprise, she just splashed it over their heads.
I miscalculated, she wasn't going to attack them, she was taking down the beast.
The shirshu then struck Zuko and June and ran off into the forest.
Okay, my turn.
I ran towards the avatar who sent a gust of wind at me sending me crashing into the wall. The water tribe girl then strutted over and looked me up and down before saying,
"I've had enough of you today"
She bent some perfume from the floor and froze me to the wall,
No, not this time.
I bent the water trapping my body and sent it back towards her, knocking her from her feet and onto the ground, I then turned to the avatar and the Water Tribe boy who were stood there, astonished. The boy then fathomed the words,
"No way..."
Aang furrowed his eyebrows and picked up his staff, ready to attack me, I pulled the perfume from the ground again, ready to strike him, but then I felt a heavy weight push me into the ground and everything went black.
I woke up again in Zuko's arms, he'd been carrying me on foot.
I tapped his chest and he put me down, and furrowed his eyebrows, he looked so mad at me...
"Are you okay?"
I nodded.
"Why would you do that? I told you not to do that!"
I hung my head in shame,
"I'm sorry! I just- I promised you, Zuko! I promised you that you were doing home! What was I supposed to do!?"
He sighed and rubbed my back,
"Just- ugh! You're lucky it was just me and uncle."
I looked to Iroh, who smiled knowingly,
"Actually, I've always known that Y/N had heritage in the Water Tribe."
Zuko looked to him, puzzled,
"But... she only ever told me and my mother..."
I continued,
"How could you know that?"
Iroh smiled at me before shrugging,
"You'll find out these things in due time. Don't worry yourself too much about the past, look to the future."