The Girl No One Knew

Chapter 14

Sailing continued. One location after another, most of which we'd already been to. Zuko's desperation was beginning to become a burden, but I still stuck by his side. I'd made sure he ate, bathed, and slept - it had soon gotten to a point where he wouldn't fall asleep at all unless I was laying next to him. And, naturally, I did so every night. He was my best friend, and I'd do whatever it took to keep him safe, healthy, and happy, and to keep my promise to Ursa. I rarely left his side.

This didn't go without the judgement of others, of course.

"Prince Zuko, it isn't wise to have her at your right hand. She's not of the Fire Nation - and a girl, at that!" An advisor had said one day when we docked the ship to restock on food and such.

Others, however, had assumed there was something more...romantic going on between us. Iroh was the only one who knew where my relationship with Zuko stood. He was the only one that listened. Even Bao believed it. Not that I cared what he thought - it was just really annoying.

I woke up early one morning, before the sun had even begun to peek over the horizon. I looked over at Zuko who was snoring softly, and I smiled. When asleep, he never looked like the homicidal maniac he acted like when he was awake. He looked more gentle. More vulnerable. More like himself. I slowly slid from under the blanket, careful not to wake him, and headed towards the deck. The air was cold, which I wasn't used to. I smiled weakly, thinking about how Sokka and Katara would've teased me about being a waterbender who couldn't handle the cold.

"You seem oddly serene," Bao smirked as he leaned against the wall at his post. "Sleep well? Have any kissy-kissy dreams about your boyfriend?" I wasn't sure whether or not his question was rhetorical, but he sounded a bit bitter nonetheless, so I chose not to answer.

"I came out here to train," I shrugged, fighting against the wind to keep my hair out of my face. "I didn't think anyone was awake yet."

"Do you need a sparring partner?" He asked, playing with the tip of his spear.

I shook my head. "Not sparring today. Just working on some new techniques." He came me a strange look, my cue to demonstrate. I took a few steps back, took a deep breath, and slowed my movements. Water began to encase my body, surrounding me like a crystal ball and freezing into solid ice. I remained in the center of the sphere, almost as if I was floating inside. I rolled the ball around, summersaulting in sync with each rotation. After my third round about the deck, I bent the water into a large pedestal holding my in the air as I sent several daggers of water and ice hurtling at Bao, stopping them on an inch from his face.

The loss of color in his face told me that he wasn't all too happy to have been subject to my demonstration.

I chuckled at his petrified expression, which quickly transitioned into a red-faced mix of anger and embarrassment as I returned the water to where it belonged.

"That wasn't cool, Saki," he frowned.

"Yes, it was," I laughed, as I walked over and poked his cheek. "You know it was. You're just grumpy because you were scared - and probably need a new pair of underpants." He and I continued to go back and forth, taunting one another and bantering, for nearly an hour. The crew was awake and back to work, Iroh was tending to his tea and pai sho, and Zuko was likely in his chambers already plotting to capture the avatar.

"Sorry to interrupt," Hung's clanking armor caught my attention, and voice made it very obvious that he couldn't care any less about interrupting our conversation. "Saki, Zuko has asked for you. He's waiting in the map room."

"Thank you," I nodded, waving to Bao with a smile and running to meet with Zuko. What did he want to talk about? Without a shadow of a doubt, I knew it was somehow related to his search for Aang.

I pushed open the door to the map room, closing it behind me. "Everything okay in here?" I watched Zuko, who was facing away from me and hunched over his map. "It must be serious if you sent Hung instead of -." Zuko sniffled. "Zuko, are you - are you crying?"

"No," he snapped. What a bad liar.

I wasted no time to be by his side, but he looked away from my, his ponytail nearly whipping me in the face. "Talk to me, Zuko."

"It's never going to be over, you know." His voice broke as he spoke. "My search for the Avatar - it's never going to end. My father will never accept my back, and I'll forever be the laughingstock son of the Fire Lord."

The thought of Ozai made something in me burn (no pun intended), and I gritted my teeth. "Why do you even want to go back?" I asked without thinking. "Why would you want to waste so much time trying to please a man that treats you like garbage?"

Zuko finally looked at me, tear-stained cheeks and all. "How could you say that?" He sounded hurt, but I didn't understand why. "He's my father, Saki!"

Some father, I wanted to say. A real father wouldn't treat their child like this. Forcing them away for speaking their mind and giving them an impossible task to prove themselves worthy. Your father is a power-hungry coward. The scum on the bottom of this ship has more worthy of the throne.

"You don't understand," Zuko continued, scowling as he looked down at the map. "You've never had to fight. You've never had to worry about being an outcast."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Have we met?" I shook my head. "I've spent my entire life as an outcast. I'm a water tribe girl who lived in the Fire Nation, for goodness sake! And with the royal family! Your entire kingdom treated me like an outcast! No one understands that feeling more than I do, Zuko, and you know that."

"Then you should understand why I need this so badly," he said. "I need his acceptance, so I can have the life that I know I deserve."

I couldn't argue with him, but I still didn't agree with him. Nothing I could say could've made him feel any better.

So I hugged him.

I simply wrapped my arms around his torso and held on tightly, and he quickly did the same.

"I want to help you, Zuko," I said quietly. "I really do. Just....promise me one thing."

"Anything."

"Promise me that things won't change between us."