"This is what I've been missing. Who knew, floating on a piece of drift wood for three weeks, with no food or water, and sea vultures waiting to pluck out your liver. Would make one so tense." Iroh sighed, after well... like he said.

I was sitting across from Zuko.

"I see it's the anniversary isn't it?" Iroh asked, kneeling next to Zuko as he realized he was brooding with his arms folded.

"Three years ago today I was banished. I lost it all, I want it back. I want the avatar, I want my honor, my throne. I want my father not to think I'm worthless."

"You're not worthless, Zuko, no one is." I reassured him, putting a hand in his shoulder. He looked up at me with an questioning expression.

"I'm sure he doesn't, why would he banish you if he didn't care." Iroh tried to add.

Zuko slightly sighed before walking away to be alone.

"That came out wrong." Iroh said, looking over at me.

———————

"Look at these magnificent shells. I'll enjoy these keep sakes for years to come." Iroh smiled as he put them on the table. He had me pick them up from the beach earlier that day.

"We don't need anymore useless things. You forget we have to carry everything ourselves now." Zuko replied.

"That's what I told him." I added, with my hands on my waist.

"Hello, brother. Uncle." A woman's voice said, sitting in a corner of the small house.

"What are you doing here?" Zuko hissed to Azula.

"In my country we exchange a pleasant hello before asking questions. Have you become so uncivilized so soon, Zuzu?" She replied as she walked closer.

"Don't call me that!" Zuko snapped like he was ready to fight.

"And who are you?" She asked, looking over to me like I was a criminal.

"My name's Mia, Princess Azula." I bowed as I put my hands together, she seemed a little pleased with me after that.

"To what do we owe this honor?" Iroh asked, with a simple bow.

"Mm, must be a family trait. Both of you so quick to get to the point." Azula snarled as she destroyed a shell with her two fingers. "I've come with a message from home. Father changed his mind. Family is suddenly very important to him. His heard rumors of plans to overthrow him. Treacherous plots. Family are the only ones you can really trust. Father regrets your banishment, he wants you home." Azula looked away when she lied to Zuko, yet Zuko took it in.

He looked away out the window deep in thought.

"Did you hear me? You should be happy, excited. Grateful! I just gave you great news." Azula tried to put on a friendly tone but it showed.

"Yeah he definitely heard you." I scoffed, surprised that even came out.

"Don't interrupt, peasant! I still haven't heard my thank you. I'm not a messenger, I didn't have to come all this way." Azula snapped at me before pushing Zuko again.

"Father regrets? He wants me back?" Zuko muttered.

"I can see you need time to take this in. I'll come to call on you tomorrow. Good evening."

————————

"We're going home, after three long years. It's unbelievable." Zuko said, with a happy tone as he packed his things.

"It is unbelievable. I have never known my brother to regret anything." Iroh replied with a stroke to his beard.

"Did you hear Azula?? Father realized how important family is to him, he cares about me." Zuko said, with a smile.

"We both care about you Zuko, are you sure about this?" I asked as I stood next to Iroh.

"You don't know how my father feels about me, you don't know anything!" Zuko snapped at me. How he can go from happy to angry in a second can get a bit too much at times.

"Zuko, I'm sure she only meant that in our family. Things aren't are not always what they seem." Iroh stated to defend me.

"I think you're exactly what you seem, a lazy, mistrustful, shallow old man, who's always been jealous of his brother." As Zuko said this I walked out. One: he called Iroh shallow! Two: the Fire Prince just called IROH shallow!

I sat outside the house, I knew things weren't going the way I would want them after this. But I knew were I belonged. Zuko walked out and stood next to me in silence for awhile. "There's something else bothering you isn't there?" He asked, braking the long silence.

I couldn't tell him what it really was so I decided the best thing to do was make something up. "Will I ever see you after this?" I asked looking over to him.

"Of course. I thought you were coming." He replied with a tight smile. Wow his mood changed.

"I didn't know I could go. But I'm not from the Fire Nation, do they even let people from the Earth Kingdom colonies over there?"

"Yes they do, and you can visit me whenever you want." Zuko answered with confidence, he truly believed what he said.

————————

"Wait! Don't leave without me." Iroh yelled as he ran after us the next day.

"Uncle, you've changed your mind!" Zuko smiled.

"Family sticks together right?" Iroh asked putting a hand in his shoulder.

"We're finally going home." When Zuko started to walk again me and Iroh exchanged suspicious looks.

"Brother, uncle, Mia, welcome. I'm so glad you decided to come." Azula greeted us with a head tilt that was so fake.

"Are we ready to depart your highness?" The captain asked.

"Set our course for home, Captain."

"Home." Zuko softly stated, it felt so far way to him.

"You heard the princess, release the ankers. we're taking the prisoners home." Once we all heard 'prisoners' we all knew what was really going on.

"Your highness, I-" the captain tried to plead. The guards immediately kicked fire at us.

I moved to the side and hit one on the bridge with the hilt of my sword.

"You lied to me!!" Zuko shouted as he threw a fire ball.

"Like I've never done that before." Azula replied as two guards blocked it for her.

"Zuko, let's go!" Iroh shouted as I threw another soldier off the bridge.

I held the bridge as Iroh went to go get Zuko. When they ran off the ship we left the village as fast as we could.

"I think we're safe here." Iroh sighed as we stopped to catch our breath.

We all knelt at the river side. Zuko took out the knife Iroh gave him and cut his ponytail. He then handed it to Iroh and he did the same.

Then handed it to me to cut my hair. "Wow there, no way." I said as I handed it back. Changing the mood, I simply put my hair down instead of up.

_______________

Sometime later we found Earth Kingdom clothes and sat in a forest. Out of the blue Zuko stumbled out of a bush, what he was doing in there I wouldn't know.

"I didn't find anything to eat. I can't live like this! I wasn't meant to be a fugitive!! This is impossible!!" Zuko snarled as he kicked the bush.

For once I would careless, I was starting to miss my brother Kyo.

"Uncle, what are you doing?" Zuko asked, as we both realized Iroh was staring at a bush.

"You're looking at the rare white dragon bush, it's leaves make a tea so delicious it's heartbreaking. That, or it's the white jua bush which is poisonous."

"No, it's not. Look at the stems. It's the white Jua bush!" I snapped as I pointed at it. I was so irritated and somehow I felt lonely.

"No! It's the white dragon bush, I'm telling you!" Iroh argued.

"No! It's not!" I pointed at Iroh with my eyebrows squinting.

"We need food, not tea. I'm going fishing." Zuko replied to us arguing about tea.

"And I'm going hunting." I hissed as I grabbed my swords and walked in the forest.

———————

Later, I went back with two squirrel rabbits, I was rather pleased with myself.

"Hey you actually got something!" Zuko sighed at the sight of dinner, his own catch was more like bait.

I gave off a smile that wouldn't last long.

"Remember that plant I thought might be tea." Iroh asked not showing us his face.

"You didn't."

"I did, and it wasn't." Iroh turned to us to reveal his skin was cover with a red rash.

Zuko gasped as I cringed, it was just bad.

"When the rash spreads to my throat, I will stop breathing."

"I told you not to mess around with it! Now look at you!" I shouted at him like a mother.

"I know, But look what I found! These are bequi berries, known to cure the poison of the white jade plant. That or it's makiala berries that cause blindness."

Zuko immediately grabbed the berries and chunked them. "We're not taking anymore chances with these plants! We need to get help." Zuko put a hand in his chin in thought.

"But where are we going to go? We are enemies of the Earth Kingdom and fugitives from the Fire Nation." Iroh asked, as he scratched all over.

"If the Earth Kingdom discovers us they'll have us killed."

"But if the Fire Nation discovers us, we'll be carried over to Azula." We all looked at each other and knew which one was safer.

"Earth kingdom it is."

———————

"You three must not be from around here. We know better then to touch the white jade, much less make it into tea and drink it." The sweet girl said, as she put stuff on Iroh's rashes.

"Oops." Iroh chuckled, with a shrug.

"So where you traveling from." She asked.

"Yes we're travelers!" Zuko stood up and it made it so obvious we were hiding something.

"Do you have names?" She asked with a warm smile at a wanna be brooder and a terrible liar.

"N-names, of course we have names. I'm Lee and... this is my sister, Urla, and uncle... huh... Mushi." Zuko stumbled, I almost screeched at 'sister!!!'

"Yes, my nephew was named after his father so we just call him Jr." Iroh wasn't to happy either.

"Mushi, Ural, and Jr huh? You two look nothing alike." She mused. "My name is Sone. You three look like you could use a good meal. Why don't you stay for dinner." She asked as she slapped Iroh to stop scratching.

"Sorry but we need to be moving on." Zuko replied.

"That's too bad. My mom always makes too much roast duck." She teased as she put her hands together.

"Where do you live, exactly?" Iroh asked.

"But-" I tried to say as I stood up, holding out my prized kill. That I still held.

"Give me the directions." Iroh added for me to get we weren't eating my kill.

"But I got-" I tried to say again before sighing, I knew it was useless.

————————

"My daughter tells me you're refugees. We were once refugees ourselves." Sone's mother sympathized with us as we all sat at their table.

"When I was a little girl, the Fire Nation raided our farming village. All the men were taken away, that was the last time I saw my father." Sone looked away from us as she said this.

Iroh meanwhile was eating. I somehow didn't have the appetite.

"I haven't seen my father in many years." Zuko commented, he two looked away.

"Oh, is he fighting in the war?"

Even though I watched the freaken show I tensed, and waited for his answer.

"Yeah."

———————

"Thank you for the duck. It was excellent." Iroh said as he and I bowed.

"You're welcome it brings me joy to see someone eat my cooking with such gusto." Sone's mother replied with a smile.

"Much practice." Iroh touched his stomach with a happy sigh.

Meanwhile Zuko started to walk away. "Jr, were are your manners? You need to thank these nice people."

"Thank you." Zuko quickly bowed before starting to walk away again.

"I know you don't think there's any hope left in the world but there is hope. The avatar has returned."

"I know."

As we walked out Zuko saw their ostrahorse and when they weren't at the door anymore Zuko got on.

"What are you doing?? These people just showed you great kindness." Iroh asked, trying to teach his nephew a lesson.

"They're about to show us a little more kindness. Well?" Zuko asked both of us, Iroh got on. But I didn't know exactly why, but I just lightly kicked the dirt.

"Mia?" Zuko hissed, I knew stealing was wrong. Yet back home I use to get my uncle's keyboard without asking, I didn't know why I had a problem. Maybe it was because these were nice people, maybe it was because my uncle didn't do anything when he found it was gone. But I made a decision right there, I would have to steal. Even if I knew this was wrong. Even if it was a gameish thing, it felt so real, what made reality? I was becoming so confused of reality to the fake.

________________

"Spare coin for weary travelers?" Iroh asked, as we begged on a street side.

I hated where I was, and I wasn't the only one.

"This is humiliating! We're royalty, these people should be giving us what ever we want." Zuko bickered at both of us.

To be honest Iroh was the only one begging. I held my sword tight, I was becoming trigger happy. I just wanted to pour my frustration on something.

"They will if you ask nicely." Iroh pointed skittishly.

"Spare change for a hungry old man?" Iroh moaned at a young woman.

"Aw, here you go." She then threw a coin in the hat.

"The coin is appreciated but not as much as your smile."

She giggled before walking away.

I was started to hate women like that, I was starting to hate anyone with money.

"How about some entertainment in exchange for a gold piece." The dirty thug said, as he looked mainly at me.

'It's okay. It's okay. You're not going to kill this guy. Everything happens for a reason, he's gonna get his ass kicked later. One day you'll be in a comfortable place.' I said in my head as I held my fist tightly and ready to grab my the Earth Kingdom Sword.

"We're not performers." Zuko gritted.

"Not professional, anyways."

"No, I was talking about the girl. Make her sing." The bastard said, with a grin of yellow almost black teeth.

"I am not going to sing for you!" I snapped as I stood taller than him.

He twitched before pulling out his board swords. "Are you threatening me girl?" He asked, with a grin turning into a frown.

"Are you?" I asked, getting inches from his face for him to back off. He didn't and twitched right before...

"It's a long long way to Ba Sing Se, but the girls in the city. They look so pretty." Iroh sang stepping in between us.

""Forget it! Your girl is crazier than a sewer elephant-rat." He said, before walking away.

"That's a compliment!" I shouted back.

He quickly ran back and hit his swords at my feet. I jumped up before grabbing my sword like a reflex.

I put the tip of it on his neck; "You feel lucky, punk? Do you?!" I just had to say the famous Clint Eastwood line.

He ran off as fast as he could and left nothing behind.

"Great, there goes our dinner." Iroh sighed as he sat back down.

"At least I got to scratch an itch." I hissed as I put the sword back in the sheath.

"He could have been a kind man." He said back.

"I'm out of here." I started to walk back to the cave we were sleeping in.

As I sat, for once I didn't think of Zuko. I thought of what would happen if I died here. What could happen if my brother died here. Where my brother was, and what he was doing at the moment. Right now they should be in that weird town, who knew.

But I was becoming home sick, even if I was in the best world ever. Reality was becoming a blur I couldn't see anymore. I wasn't even sure if this was all real. I was absolutely in someone else's body, with their knowledge.

"Mia?" Zuko looking through the bushes as I was staring at the fire. "I'm going to ask you something you might not like. But I can tell you hate living like this. And I know where to start." As Zuko said this I knew what he was getting to.

I said yes and he got our masks and clothes back. Next thing I knew we were the Blue Spirit and Dragon Empress again.

When found the punk from before and when he was walking down an alleyway. "Who's there?" He asked to the dark. He unsheathed his blades and looked confident, till he heard other feet steps from the roof.

"Show yourself!" He demanded, now he was uneasy. He started walking again. I went up behind him and put my cold blade to his neck, so easy to kill. All I had to do was push the hand. Would there be any consequences, would this even really happen?

The Blue Spirit walked and grabbed the Swords from his hands and twirling them around he put them together.

The man was shivering now, yet I just wanted to get revenge for the small things he did to me. But it wasn't him I was angry at, it was that I didn't know what was real anymore. I was homesick.

With the hilt Zuko knocked him unconscious.

We didn't stop there however that same night, we even stole in the day time. We ran rooftops to jumping caravans.

"Were did you get these?" Iroh asked, as we dumbed our new found profits next to him.

"What does it matter where they came from?" Zuko replied.

Iroh seemed to frown on this mysterious merchandise. "Hmmmm, ummm." His thinking tone became a tasty tone, you just got to love Uncle Iroh.

————————

"Looks like you did some serious shopping. But where did you get the money?" Iroh asked as we brought more goods to the cave.

"Do you like your new tea pot?" Zuko asked, arms folded.

"To be honest with you, the best tea taste delicious weather it comes in a porcelain pot or a tin cup. I know we've had some difficult times lately. We've had to struggle just to get by, but it's nothing to be ashamed of. There is a simple honor in poverty." These words were for Zuko yet they fit what I had been feeling.

I was starting to hate being poor. I was middle class back home, but I didn't feel poor. But I knew there would be an end to this feeling, I could hope I would find if this was all real.

"There's no honor for me without the avatar." Zuko replied as Iroh sat next to him.

"Zuko, even if you did capture the avatar. I'm not so sure it would solve our problems. Not now."

"Than there is no hope at all."

Zuko was about to walk out back Iroh grabbed his arm. "No Zuko! You must never give into despair. Allow yourself to slip down that road and you surrender to your lowest instincts. In the darkest times hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength." Iroh says this but Zuko still walked out.

"Zuko." I said as I walked after him.

"What are you doing here Mia?!" He asked suddenly, turning around.

I just tilted back my head in question.

"You could go home, I'm wanted by the Fire Nation. Just forget about all this! Why don't you??!" He asked again.

The truth of the matter was I didn't have a home, this girl I was in did but it wasn't my home. "Zuko-" I muttered before he realized he didn't want to talk.

"Just go, I've messed your life up as much I can anyways." He started walking away again.

I held my hand out. He was the only thing that kept me going, the only reason I didn't want to go home. When I accepted coming to this world, I didn't think I'd even miss my family and home. I wanted to go home, and yet I had to stay to live this out. I then realized that my reaching hand had turned into a fist, I was becoming confused.

———————

"Uncle, I thought a lot about what you said." Zuko said, as he walked back to the cave after awhile.

"You did? Good, good."

"It's helped me realize something. We no longer have anything to gain by traveling together. I need to find my own way." Zuko grabbed his bag and was about to walk off.

"Wait." I handed him the ostrich-horse. "You stole it in the first place." I grinned.

Zuko forced a slight smile before mounting on. "Goodbye Mia." He said, looking down at me, I could see he thought that was the last time we would see each other.

He started riding off, but I wasn't going anywhere. Where would I go?