Xi smirked as he saw his flame had hit her. She wasn't stopping though and four more rock daggers were thrown in his direction. Before he had time to react, two of them caught his arm, deepening the gash on his arm. He blocked the other two and nearly fell over from the pain.

She was close and Xi could see the persistance and determination in her green eyes. She moved toward his stomach and he caught her wrist with his uninjured hand. He saw the weapons in her hands and it would've caused him some serious damage if she had made contact. "Give it up..." he hissed, "I'm not going to let you win."

"Really now?" she said in a velvet tone to mask her breathlessness, her eyes glinting whilst she tilted her head; looking almost like a snake ready to eat her prey.

With no more words to spare, she attempted to knee Xi in the stomach then stomped the same foot down. Waves of pain shot up from her burnt foot, protesting against such rough treatment and she hissed through her teeth once more. However, after her stomped foot she made sure a large rock came up under Xi.

WIth him dodging the attack or not, she waved her hands forward, sending small and normal sized rocks towards him, attempting to stone him.

"Yes really. Your kind are a menace. You took away the only parent I had left."
His voice became bitter and tears stung his eyes before they began slipping down his cheeks. Her knee made contact with his stomach and he staggered backwards. He draped his arm across his aching stomach and he looked up at her. He saw the smaller rocks moving in his direction. He had to stop them. Or did he even care anymore? His heart was aching and nothing mattered anymore.

He sent a blast of fire toward the rocks, in an attempt to stop some. He managed to do so, but several still hit his arms and struck his face. He yelled angrily at her, "I'm an orphan because of you!" He stood again with renewed vigor and blasted more fire at her.

"My kind?" she asked calmly in question, a contrast to Xi's emotional tone. Her dark stance of placidity was soon broken in hopes of dodging the fire. She attempted to dodge roll, the fire hitting and burning her back in mid motion. Zhuan rolled off to wards the side, the salts and minerals within the earth irritating the burns greatly.

"Look here little boy, I am not the one who orphaned you. Neither with you to wards me," she said coldly, she losing every bit of what respect she had for Xi as seconds passed. Zhuan summoned back the dodged stone knives from the ground, however she didn't bother to receive them in her grasp. She basically flung her hands to send the daggers straight for Xi, the stones following the motion's command obediently. She had less chance of direct hit this way, but she wanted to act quickly before she was hit once again. Any more burns and she may be incapable to fight.

She was right. Of course she was right. And Xi would've been ashamed had he not been to busy dodging the daggers again. He was panting heavily and he dropped to his knees. "I won't cry..." he muttered clenching grass in his fist. But it was hard not to. And his breath caught in his throat. "...Stop. I'm done fighting with you."

Xi sat back on his rear and drew his knees close to his chest. He was tired, sore, and sad. He had lost his passion to fight and didn't bother to look up. "...You're right and I'm sorry."

Zhuan cautiously came out of her crouching position, gently because the burns were awfully painful. However, she did not even dare to reveal what pain she felt, trying her hardest to maintain a stone-serious face.

She knelt down before Xi, a breath escaping through her teeth to reveal the only sign of her burning pain. She made it so her eyes were close to Xi's, however she did not grace him with any emotion.

"Apology accepted," she said, and that was all. Zhuan, slowly, stood back up, looking down upon Xi.

His sword was only a few feet away from where he was sitting, and Xi focused on it. His father's name had been carefully carved into the hilt. Xi's bare foot nudged the weapon gently before he reached for it and returned to it's place in the sheath strapped to his back.

"I never should've taken my anger out on you." His uninjured arm pushed him up to a standing position and he turned to Zhuan with a disturbingly cheerful smile on his face. "Let me make this up to you. I can't heal your burns cause I ain't a waterbender. But, my grandma is healer. I'm sure there's something she can do for you. Why don't you come to Omashu...New Ozai with me and see. I'm sure she won't mind. Come on. I won't take no for an answer."

Xi didn't expect Zhuan to agree. She didn't appear to be the type to accept help from anyone. But he was going to help her even if it killed him. She had to see that you simply cannot do everything alone.

Zhuan normally doesn't accept help, but she wasn't stupid. She knew exactly how to survive, and if there are ways to heal oneself for free, she'd take it. However, she eyed Xi suspiciously, she did not trust the other sex. She searched his water influenced eyes, trying to determine whether this is a lie or not.

Moments of silence passed, she looking away from his eyes after inspecting them. She was not thinking, but her mind was wondering through memories, invoking various past experiences where she had learned life's lessons to get an answer about trust. Zhuan let out a deep breath, and decided to respond.

"Alright, take me to your grandmother," she said, whilst thinking And if you pull anything on me, it'd be your life.

"Excellent!" He wanted to reach for her wrist to drag her along after him, but decided against it. "My boat is docked down that way. Let's hurry before that shop owner catches on."

His boat wasn't exactly a large thing. There really was only enough room for two people. He had built it in an attempt to reach Kyoshi Island from the mainland. It wasn't fancy or anything, but hey it got the job done. And if Zhuan had a problem with it, Xi was pretty sure she was going to make it known very soon.

Zhuan followed Xi down to the boat, taking dainty steps in order to lessen the burnt pain from her feat. She resembled a noblewoman with bound feet due to such a delicate walk. Zhuan refused to make a noise though, putting her hands into fists whilst digging her nails into her palms to contain it. Since the adrenaline is completely gone from her blood, there was no relief.

She looked at the makeshift boat, raising a brown at its peculiarity. She smirked, "Made this yourself, eh?"

He glanced at her and gave her a smug smile. "Yes and I am quite proud of it," he said, his tongue sticking out at her. It got him from point a to point b and it was fine.

"Once we get to the mainland, I'll explain how to get along with my grandfather. He's a hot head and very difficult to get along with."

Zhuan simply looked at him like he grown an extra head after he stuck his tongue at her, What, is he nine?.

She carefully stepped onto the boat, losing her balance a bit once the boat wobbled under her weight. Zhuan gently and quickly put the other foot on the boat, so she wouldn't have to put her weight on the other one for long. She sat down and the pain lessened from the lack of weight, slowly letting out a breath of relief.

"And that probly is family trait," she remarked, a smirk playing on her lips once more before she continued,"So do tell me how to handle your difficult hot-headed grandfather. It'd probly help me with other people."

Xi watched her with a small smile on his lips as she stepped into his boat. His hand reached out quickly to catch her when he noticed she was about to fall but her balance returned before he had the opportunity. Shrugging, he stepped into the boat as well. It shook much more violently as he plopped down across from Zhuan and picked up the oar resting on boat's bottom.

Zhuan's remark went unnotice for several moments as he prepared to shove off. When it finally registered, he looked at her and whined. "Hey..."

She was right though and Xi couldn't deny it. His grandfather's bad attitude had rubbed off on him. "All you really have to do is compliment his awards and tell him he's cool and he'll either ignore you or try to melt off your face cause he thinks you're lying."

"Oh geez, so basically I kiss butt," said Zhuan with a disappointed look. Normally, people of the streets in Ba Sing Se kissed up to her; if they were good at it they wouldn't get a stone dagger stuck in their face. However, if she was not good at it, then she gets her face melted off. Mmm, goodie she remarked in her head.

So, all she has to do is remember how those people in Ba Sing Se did it, and she's good to go.

"Don't worry. Sucking up to him isn't as hard as you think. Of course, he did get upset with me once and caused me to go blind in my left eye."

Well that was a bit of an exageration. His grandfather was actually showing him a new technique that Xi was not ready for. He pulled the boat through the water with the oar and looked up at his companion. Zhuan...she was a different one.

Her eyes are pretty...

Xi blushed brightly before concentrating on his work.

"I'm not worried about the sucking up part." she replied in her smooth tone,"it's me actually sucking up to someone".

She likes having the power, especially over other sex. Her own way of revenge in a sense, and it make her feel a whole lot better as well.

She looked out at the main land, and did an impatient look. How slow can this kid row? she thought to herself, about ready to bark orders and show a dominance.

Xi noticed she was becoming impatient. And just to be irritating, he rowed even slower. For some strange reason, he enjoyed getting under this girl's skin. Her reactions were funny to watch. The air between them grew quiet and Xi looked out over the water.

"Do you know how to swim?" he asked suddenly. There was no reasoning behind his question. He just wanted to strike up a conversation.

"My grandmother taught me to swim a few summers ago before she even considered taking me up north. She said I could fall off the boat." He laughed a bit before glancing at Zhuan. He felt like she would like his grandma. She was nice and loved all kinds of people.

"No," she said simply, with a look of distaste once she noticed he was rowing slower; her respect for him was descending rapidly once more. She had no connection to the water, for it was her third time actually seeing a huge body of water. First time was a larger boat getting her across to Kyoshi Island, second time was on the beach, third time was now.

Zhuan wanted to get out of this boat as quickly as possible, though. She was too close to this boy and it was beginning to make her edgy. There was also the fact that she was out in the water, in a tiny boat, and she could not swim. Zhuan felt trapped, and she refused to show such weakness to this guy. Isn't that what they like? Making us subordinate? she thought to herself, clenching her jaw and beginning to glare.