Ten years ago

Ryoko ran through the grass, feeling it underneath her bare feet. The five year old laughed loudly, enjoying her time outside, creating games and imagining scenarios of adventure.

"Ryoko!" She turns her head and smiles widely, looking up to see the face of her father. In his armor, carrying a sword with a dragon hilt, the man smiled back and went up to his daughter. He crouches down, laying the sword on the fresh ground. "Tell me, what have you been up to while I was away?"

"I've been practicing! I'm going to be a warrior like you, dad." He laughed, the kind of laugh a father would for their aspiring child. Zhao picked Ryoko up in one hand and the sword in the other. His light brown eyes gazed into her golden ones and he nodded.

"You will be better than your father one day, little one. You are your father's daughter." He saw the glint in her eyes that reminded him of himself in his youth and smirked with a father's pride.

Present day

Ryoko stood tall next to Zuko as she gazed at the map in front of them. "We haven't been able to pick up the Avatar's trail since the storm," the lieutenant says as his finger glides over the map, "but if we continue heading northeast..." The three along with the rest of the crew are thrown from their focus as a dark shadow looms over them. The larger ship was right next to them causing Ryoko to roll her eyes.

"What do they want?" Zuko asks.

"Perhaps a sporting game of Pai Sho," Iroh replies, rubbing his hands together. Ryoko sighs and glances over at him.

"Only game my father knows how to play is politics."

The soldiers come on board and stand in front of the two teens, revealing a wanted picture of the Avatar. "The hunt for the Avatar has been given prime importance. All information regarding the Avatar must be reported directly to Admiral Zhao." Ryoko's eyes widen, her attention finally peaking at hearing the last two words. It seems whenever her father couldn't be more powerful than her, he rose up higher. Zuko's eyes take a moment to see her reaction, but then look down at her feet to not be caught.

"Zhao has been promoted? Well, good for him." Iroh moves a piece for Pai Sho, getting the advantage over the other crew members.

Zuko crosses his arms over his chest, ignoring the stares of the men. "I've got nothing to report to Zhao," he says then turning back to them, "now get off my ship and let us pass."

"Admiral Zhao is not allowing ships in or out of this area."

"Off my ship!" The soldiers do not react, but the one in the middle then takes out another rolled up paper. "What else?!"

"Admiral Zhao has a message for his daughter." The soldier looks to the girl who was more calm than the prince next to her, yet her eyes told a different story. They held a rage that they could not quite place. She nods and steps towards the soldier, ripping the paper from his hands without a word. She felt the paper in her hands, dreading it. She knew it was something from her father, he had written something but she couldn't bare to look.

She looks down at the paper in her hand, and then at the soldiers with a glare. "Now you heard the Prince. Get off of his ship!" The three soldiers walk out, not prepared to take on two angry teenagers and go back to the ship they came from.

"Excellent. I take the pot!" Iroh grabs the pot from the table as the crew members sit in disappointment. "But you're all improving. I'm certain you will win if we play again." Ryoko wanted to smile and enjoy a game of Pai Sho but her hand was heavy by the weight of whatever message her father had to give her. Seeing him last at the temple was enough to consider her a traitor to him, what more could be done to severe ties with her father?

Ryoko quietly steps out of the room, her head down, clutching the paper in her fist. Zuko turned suddenly hearing the door close behind Ryoko, too distraught with his own thoughts to realize she had left. He hadn't realized how hearing from her father would affect her. He took the idea off his mind, whatever her father had to say was something insignificant, he thought.

Ryoko's expression was dull as she managed to pass all the soldiers until she reached her quarters. She shuts the door with a slam, sliding down in back of it.

She looked down at the stupid piece of paper that had whatever her father wanted to say on it. She could rip it up, she thought. Or she could just read it. She glared at the little paper, wondering how much power her father really had over her, tearing her apart by sending a message.

Her hands shakily held it, preparing herself to open it. All the what ifs rang through her head. She could never read him, all she knew is that somewhere deep inside he was scared of her power, rightfully so after being attacked at the temple. Ryoko knew she wasn't herself though. She shook her head of the memories and threw the paper towards the opposite side of the room.

An hour passed, Ryoko was still staring at the paper. It was able to tear into her mind with ease, as if it was staring at her. When she saw that paper all she could see was her father. What did he have to say? It tormented her.

She jumped up, stumbling from the hour of not moving and made her way to the paper. She bent to pick it up and inhaled, opening it quickly. She flattened it out, trying to read the parts where she crushed the paper. Her bright golden eyes glazed as she read over again and again. She couldn't let out a gasp or a shriek. Nothing came out, but her mouth was ajar. She took the paper and rushed out of the room, her boots making the most possible noise on the ship's floors.

She looked around, they weren't with the helmsman and the quarters were empty. They must be on the deck, she thought as she ran down the stairs. She opened the door slightly, freezing as she hears their voices.

"It's been almost an hour and you haven't given the men an order." Iroh's voice rang out. Ryoko sighed, realizing how her father's move on the Avatar was affecting Zuko greatly like her, just for different reasons.

"I don't care what they do." Of course it was Zuko who was with Iroh. She kept her back to the door, her hand setting gently on it.

"Don't give up hope yet. You can still find the Avatar before Zhao." Ryoko glanced down at the paper, jumping back upon hearing Zuko yell.

"How Uncle?! With Zhao's resources, it's just a matter of time before he captures the Avatar. My honor, my throne, my country - I'm about to lose them all." Ryoko reached behind her, setting the paper in the belt so it wouldn't be lost and walked away from the thought of approaching the two members of the royal family about the message.

Iroh steps closer to his nephew who looked out into the sea. He knew speaking of the issue further would just upset him. "Ryoko has been in her quarters without a word for an hour now. Perhaps you two should take a break, talk to her."

"I'm sure she's fine, Uncle," Zuko huffs out in frustration.

"I wasn't talking about her, I was talking about you, Prince Zuko. You are holding a weight on your shoulder and so is she. I think she is more shaken up by the message she received from her father than you believe." Iroh stays quiet as Zuko makes no moves and Iroh takes this as his time to walk away, going back into the ship.

Zuko stood in wonder, what could Zhao possibly want to say to Ryoko? Surely, Zuko knew it wasn't anything good or relevant, from what he has seen and remembered. From when they were younger, Zhao was neglectful, disproving Ryoko in all her ventures to be like him or be greater. The look in her eyes at the temple towards Zhao was something Zuko never saw. Yet by the expression on Zhao's face it looked like he did.

Zuko goes through the ship, past the dark walls and to the quiet room of Ryoko's. He stood there for a minute in silence, not being able to pick up his fist to knock on the door. She was behind it and he didn't know if he had the strength to go in. His fist clenched and he slowly lifted it, knocking lightly on the door. There wasn't any noise at first, but then the door opened slightly and Ryoko stood there empty handed. "Hi," Zuko plainly says. Ryoko looked around him as if expecting something. He only said one word and froze.

"Hi." She opened the door more, the paper still attached to her. She couldn't tell him now, she didn't know what he would do. "I know you're worried about not being able to find the Avatar before my father, but we're all here to help you." She smiled, but Zuko saw in her eyes there was something hidden. Something that she wasn't telling him, and it was obvious it had to do with her father.

"What did Zhao tell you?" Zuko asks. Ryoko stiffens, her breath becoming hitched, she still wasn't the perfect liar. Zuko would be able to tell she was lying, she knew that. She'd be a fool to lie to the boy she has known for most of her life. She still kept the closed smile on her lips.

"Oh, it was nothing. Just my father trying to get into my head, the usual." She cursed to herself as she saw how Zuko gave her a look. She didn't want to lie, but Zuko couldn't know, not now.

Zuko knew she was lying, just not why, so he ignored her words and nodded. "Okay." He walks away without saying anything else, and Ryoko looked out into the hall. He was going to do something stupid and reckless, she thought as she rolled her eyes and closed the door. She took out the paper and threw it on the table by her bed, getting undressed. Night was coming and she knew Zuko had something on his mind and up his sleeve. She just had to catch him.

At the back of the ship near the smaller boats, Ryoko stood with her sword, poking at the tip of it. So dull. She pursed her lips when her attention is caught on the prince dressed in all black. She comes out from where she hid, taking out her sword.

Zuko walks quietly around the ship when he freezes. The sounds were not the same, he sensed something there. He takes out the swords and swings behind him, the metal of his dual sword clanging with another. His eyes meet with Ryoko's and he calms down. "What are you doing?!" He asks in a whisper yell.

"I think I should be asking you that, where are you going? This has something to do with my father doesn't it?" She gets closer, so he can hear her. Ryoko puts the sword behind her and looks into his eyes, trying to find answers in them.

"Yes." He couldn't lie to her, even though she could do it to him. She sighs, shaking her head. Ryoko was being torn in three different directions between people in her life. "Come with me." She stayed silent for a moment and looked back up at him. He looked genuine, he wanted her to come with him.

"I can't." His stare adjusted, becoming more disappointed and she was quick to defend herself. "My father will most likely see me and recognize me, even if I disguise myself like how you are. Plus someone has to cover for you." She looks down and chuckles at the mask he had in his hand. "Nice mask by the way." The air was filled with tension as Ryoko wasn't quick to be by his side again. Her hesitation betrayed her once again.

"Fine," he says with a growl and keeps going. Ryoko lets out a breath, holding in her frustration. Another bad idea with being impulsive. It took her a few moments, watching as he left with one of the boats. She then lets out a groan, rushing towards the same direction Zuko disappeared to, with a boat to follow his.

She stayed to the trees, watching his moves. He seemed like a totally different person. He snuck through the base, the mask on, hiding his face. Ryoko had no disguise of her own, she could only cover part of her face. Her eyes were exposed for her to see, leaving her possibly recognized, especially by her father.

There were no irregular movements as she kept watch on the area. She sighed leaning on the branch she kept as her perch.

The moments came and went until Ryoko heard a disruption in the quiet of the night. She sat up straight, her hand on her sword. She took the chance to jump down from the tree in case she needed to be on the ground and hid in the bushes.

As the large doors open, she looks closely seeing the back of Zuko and somebody else. Her eyes widen as he holds the Avatar in his hold, with his dual swords at his neck. They slowly back away while the doors begin to close on them. The distance between the two became wider, Zuko looking back every few seconds.

Ryoko moved in the bushes, looking up to see her father standing there, watching Zuko and Aang. Yet there was a glint in his eyes that bothered her. He wasn't angry, but was calm. He had a plan. She moves through the bushes, starting to push them as she sees an archer pull back. She couldn't say his name, she wanted to warn him, let his name go through her lips, say anything yet she felt as if all the air was taken out of her lungs.

She pushed herself out, running towards the two. Her footsteps were heard on the ground, the thumps and the grass being pushed down before she made it to the gravel the two stood on. She was too late, approaching to see Aang staring down at Zuko who still had the mask. She rushed forward, falling to the ground next to him.

Zhao squinted, focusing in on the dark figure that sat next to the thief. "There's another one. Ready?" The yuyan archer notched another arrow, releasing it towards the smaller thief. The thief was quick to take out a sword, hitting the arrow to the side.

Ryoko's breath was heavy, as she felt frozen in time. She looked up, her eyes meeting her father's but at the distance in the dark she knew he would barely recognize her. She looked up at Aang who stared at Zuko with an unknown expression. He then bended the air, leaving a wall of dust to cover them from the eyes of the fire nation.

"Quick! Recover the Avatar!" Zhao orders.

Aang moves closer, seeing the burn but trying to confirm his thought. He removes the mask, revealing Zuko's unconscious face. He gasps, backing up from him and looks into the girl's eyes who sat beside Zuko. Her eyes pleaded with his. Her eyes. Aang knew from seeing Ryoko that it was her, he could never misplace her eyes that she failed to cover. He quickly backs away from the two, moving to run but stops. He turns back seeing Ryoko start trying to hold Zuko up, but failing.

Aang glances between the two teens and the soldiers running towards them and makes his decision.

Ryoko let out a breath of relief as they escaped the soldiers, seeing their confused faces that looked up at her father. She stood next to Aang as they retreated into the dense forest. "Thank you, Aang," she says still wearing the mask over part of her face.

"You can take off the mask, I know it's you Ryoko." He looked almost glum, there was something she couldn't quite place. Ryoko pulls down the mask and smiles slightly at the boy.

"I guess it's easy for you to tell it's me." It was dark, but the sun would be rising soon. They found a small clearing among the large roots and branches around the forest and let Zuko lay on the ground, his mask and swords next to him. Aang sat next to Ryoko on the large root by his side. "How did you get caught?" Ryoko asks him. She leaned on the root, taking out her ponytail to release all the tension.

"I was trying to get frozen wood frogs for my friends to suck on." Ryoko looks at the boy strangely and chuckled "Your dad is scary." She looked at the boy with pity. She couldn't tell what he said to Aang, but she knew it was something to hurt. Ryoko sighs, looking up into the sky that was mainly covered by the leaves.

"Yeah. Thats Admiral Zhao," she mutters. Aang still looks at the girl who lay on the tree root.

"Was he always like that? Even to you? He's your dad."

Ryoko blinked, thinking for a while. She couldn't remember when he changed, but all she knew is that he did. He went from dad to Zhao, always moving up in ranks, yet leaving his daughter behind. "No," is all she replies before becoming quiet again. She sat there until a question came to her head. She realized Aang was the only one who could answer her questions. "Aang?"

"Yeah?"

"You seem to always believe in me for some reason, and then at the temple..." she trails off not knowing the right words. Aang stared at her, ready for her to continue but she fumbled over her words. "I just don't know why you believe in me when I'm not on your side."

Aang didn't know what he should tell her, if he should reveal with Roku told him, but if what Roku said was true, then he should be able to trust her at least a little. "When I went into the temple to see Avatar Roku, I had a vision about you. He told me that you were given power from his animal guide." Ryoko furrows her brow. All she felt was confusion. "That's why I think I see his eyes in yours. You're meant to help me," he pauses and then continues, "I think." A sheepish grin came on his face as she exhaled slowly.

Ryoko looked down at Zuko with wide eyes, her hands barely covering her face. It made sense to her, and that was what scared her. Why she felt a connection to him and why she hesitated just when he was in their grasp. But her thoughts went to Zuko who had depended on this Avatar to go home and restore his honor. He was her friend for years above being the Avatar's protector of some sort. That idea was ridiculous to her. She was needed in different directions and all that was left is who would pull her the hardest.

She got down from the root and sat next to Zuko with a pout on her face. "Should I not have said anything?" She looks up at the boy who looked how she felt. She sighed and shook her head.

"No, it's fine. I needed to know something." She knew she'd be getting no sleep as usual so she stared at the Avatar. She wanted to take her mind off of all the thoughts that raced in her head. "What was it like 100 years ago?" The thought came to his head and his eyes lit up.

He stood, walking along the root as he told her stories of the air temple he lived in. He told her about Monk Gyatso, the games they played, and how he cared for him. All his memories were good, but he avoided thinking and speaking about later on before he disappeared into the ice. Ryoko smiled, her eyes following his movements, entranced by the stories. The two never brought up the fire nation and the war, just memories of his friends and the times he had in peace before learning his destiny.

The hours passed and the sun shone bright through the trees. Aang had moved on from his stories and had his knees to his chest. "You know what the worst part about being born 100 years ago is?"

"What?" Ryoko asks without looking down at Zuko, not realizing he was waking up.

"I miss all the friends I used to hang out with. Before the war started, I used to always visit my friend, Kuzon. The two of us, we'd get in and out of so much trouble together. He was one of the best friends I ever had. And he was from the fire nation, just like you guys." Aang paused, his eyes meeting Zuko's. "If we knew each other back then, do you think we could have been friends too?"

Ryoko opened her lips, but no words came out when she saw Zuko jump up, shooting fire from his fist. Aang jumped back into the trees, taking off without looking back. "Zuko!" Ryoko held onto his chest, trying to make sure he was calm and well to walk. "He saved you."

"He was there!" Ryoko rolled her eyes and stood back.

"And you were unconscious on the ground! The archer shot at you and I didn't make it to stop it!"

Zuko was silent and looked down at his mask and his swords that lay on the ground. "You said you weren't coming," he says without looking up at her.

"I wasn't, but I knew something would have happened. I don't know what I would do if you got hurt and I wasn't there." Zuko looked back up seeing that the Avatar was gone. He wouldn't question Ryoko's hesitation this time, he didn't want to question her when she was there for him. He knew he should, but he just wanted to rest and be there with her.

Zuko feels arms wrap around his back and he looks down to see Ryoko's head. She said no words but he could hear her sniffle. He sighed, wrapping his arms tightly around her, closing his eyes.

The two went back the way they came in silence, glancing at each other once in a while.

They reached their boats and went off, Ryoko couldn't help but be left in her thoughts. If she could just disappear she would not be needed and could escape, but things would not work out that way for her. She knew she was needed and couldn't escape from it. She would be able to escape momentarily in sleep.

Ryoko and Zuko came aboard the ship, walking with exhaustion.

"Where have the two of you been, Prince Zuko? You missed music night. Lieutenant Jee sang a stirring love song. Ryoko you would have loved it."

"I'm going to bed, no disturbances," he tells Iroh. Ryoko trails behind him with a yawn.

"How's your head?" Ryoko asks Zuko as they approached her quarters.

He stared at the girl who blinked sleepily. "It's okay. You should sleep." He opens her door for her and lets her go in.

"Shouldn't I be helping you to bed?" She yawns out. Zuko chuckles and lets her sit on her bed as she lays her head down and turns to the wall. He stared as she dozed off, quiet snores coming out. She came even when she said she wouldn't, did that mean something?

He was about to turn back and leave the room, but a crumbled paper catches his eye. The same paper given to her but more ruined, he realized. He looked down at her sleeping figure still, she made no movement and was turned away from him. He grabbed the paper quietly and opened it without making a sound to read it.

He knew she was lying, but not what. Not until then. His eyes darted across the paper, reading Zhao's handwriting.

My daughter Ryoko,

You must be shocked to receive this from me, but I realize now that in order for me to succeed, I need my daughter by my side. The way it was meant to be. You are strong and a powerful bender, but I held you back from achieving greatness to protect you. But no longer. Leave the Prince's ship and find me here. Your destiny is to find the Avatar, but you will not be able to do it on Prince Zuko's ship. Your destiny is at my side.

I look forward to seeing you,

Your Father

Zuko gasps, glancing down quickly at Ryoko who still slept soundly. He put the paper back down and backed up, his back hitting the wall. Did Ryoko leave the ship to follow him or did she lie and was planning on going to Zhao? With wide eyes, he stood up and walked out of her room, rushing to his own to sleep off the terrible night.

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A/N: hey guys thanks for reading! And thanks for 200+ views it means a lot! I can't wait to write more for Ryoko.