The next day was oddly uneventful. An entire day at sea, the waves completely calm. Y/N mostly kept to herself, drilling waterbending moves on the main deck, and playing countless games of Pai Sho with Iroh. 

          Zuko stayed in his quarters for most of the day, but Y/N did see him come up every now and then to receive letters from messenger hawks, only to disappear again for hours. 

          Y/N brought in a platter of food for him a little after noon, noticing he hadn't eaten. She had noticed the candles on his table always being lit whenever she came in. He was mediating. A lot. 

          She sat with him for a bit, but obviously he was off in his own little world, spacing out and being strangely chill and quiet. Eventually he stopped responding, falling asleep on his desk, at which point Y/N quietly left. 

          She came to the conclusion that he hadn't sleep well last night, and given that this was a travel day, it was good he was getting in some more rest. 

          They had gotten to this weird place, where Y/N didn't completely trust him, but he seemed to trust her, letting her roam freely on the deck, and not watching her closely when they took quick stops at ports.

          Sometimes their conversations went like they had been old friends since childhood, others were tense, when he was in a bad mood, and Y/N had to be ready to dodge spurts of fire or random furniture. 

          She had no clue how to feel about this guy. 

          Y/N went to bed fairly late, accidentally not realizing how late it was getting when she was reading in the small library on the ship. Well, saying library was too much. A couple of shelves filled with scrolls and a cushion in a small room near Iroh's sleeping quarters. 

          She had found very recently updated maps, and quickly dug in, updating her previous memory and confirming new war movements. 

          Y/N rolled up a map, and spotted the hourglass sitting on the table nearby, and quickly put everything away, realizing how late it was. She quickly checked the main deck, and noticed they were stopping at a port for the night, peacefully bobbing in the waves.

          She now lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling, the only light a flickering candle on her bedside table. She let her mind wander, not sure if she was tired or not, but nearly jumped out of her skin when she hard the light footsteps in the hallway.

                             —|〰️〰️〰️|—

                                Zuko's POV

          Zuko cringed as one of his shoes made a tap sound on the metal floor of the ship. He carried his mask under one arm, carefully making his way up and out of the ship. He paused for a moment, and whipped around, almost sure he had heard the tiniest squeak of a door opening.

          He stood there for a minute, listening, but there was no other sound in the dead silence. I must have been hearing things. He began moving again, carefully through several hallways, then up the stairs to the main deck. 

          "Hello there." Zuko nearly jumped right out of his skin, his mouth opening to scream, but he was so terrified that nothing came out. He whipped around and relaxed a little, seeing Y/N standing there, barefoot, wearing a comfortable robe he had given her. Her hair was a little messy, but somehow looked fine, little bits shining in the bright moonlight, also illuminating her face.

          "Nice ninja getup." She commented quietly with a smile. "Sorry, I thought you heard me following you, I didn't mean to put you into cardiac arrest. Close your mouth, it's not very attractive to have it hanging open like that." 

          Zuko snapped his mouth closed, composing himself and recovering from his mini heart attack. She had been so quiet... even now, as she walked towards him, she didn't make a single sound, despite how quiet the windless night was. 

          "What are you doing? You should be in bed." He commented as they walked to the railing together, leaning against it. 

          "You've got to stop asking the questions that can easily be asked of you, Your Majesty." She countered with a smile. He didn't like it when she called him something that wasn't an insulting nickname. Why? He didn't know, maybe it was the strange shiver up his spine, or the way she said it, especially if it wasn't mocking.

          "I need to get away from the ship, get some fresh air." Zuko lied, looking over the small port as a soft breeze picked up. Y/N chuckled lightly, looking over the railing as well.

          "Yeah, me too, let me just get my ninja outfit, my dual dao swords, and an intricate mask and I'll take a little walk." She said sarcastically, laughing quietly when Zuko looked over to give her a "really?" look.

          "Hey, don't give me that look, Mr. Frowny Face, you're good at a lot of things, but lying is definitely not one of them. You're sneaking off secret is safe with me. Mind if I come with?" She pushed off the railing, crossing her arms as Zuko did the same.

          "Yes, yes I do." He said matter-of-factly, putting on the mask and sitting on the railing, swinging his legs around to prepare to drop down onto the ramp not far below.

          "Wow. You're no fun." Y/N feigned a pout, resting both elbows on the railing and placing her chin on her fists. "Have a good time, wherever you're going. Want me to throw you a rope or something when you get back, or are you gonna be gone until morning?"

          "I'll be back before the sun rises, just go to sleep." Zuko's voice echoed back at him inside the mask, and he dropped off the railing, turning back to see Y/N shake her head with a smile, pushing off the railing and disappearing from sight.

                             —|〰️〰️〰️|—

                                 Y/N's POV

          Y/N woke up early, and couldn't fall back asleep, so she decided to resume her studies of the maps. It was nice and quiet in the tiny room, it seemed like it was meant for storage awhile back, but it was too small for any of the cargo the ship held. 

          "Miss, uh..." Y/N looked up to see a soldier standing in the doorway, shuffling nervously. He didn't have his helmet on, it was tucked under his arm instead, and looked to be only a few years older than her. She rolled up her scroll, placing it back on the rack and standing up.

          "It's just Y/N. I can't outrank you when I'm not within your ranks in the first place. What's your name?" He looked taken aback by the question, apparently unaware it mattered to her.

          "Um, I am Zaji, my Lady-"

          "Just Y/N, no Lady. It's a pleasure to meet you, Zaji. Can I help you with something?" Y/N leaned against the wall next to him, and he gave her a quizzical look.

          "Are you sure? You speak to the prince with no title a lot, so I assumed-"

          "I am not royalty in any way, shape or form, just disrespectful. Refer to me like a peasant you pass on the street." Y/N laughed. "What do you need?"

          "No one knows where Prince Zuko has gone, and we were going to cast off at sunrise." Zaji seemed to relax a little, pushing his tousled black hair from his eyes. "I figured maybe you would know." Y/N frowned, making a quick gesture for him to lead the way, and he nodded, walking towards the main deck.

          They passed Zuko's quarters along the way, noticeably empty and quiet, all the candles flameless and cold. When they emerged onto the main deck, Y/N had to squint until her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight coming from the horizon. 

          Zaji stopped, gesturing around the empty deck. All preparations to leave had clearly been made, but the demanding prince to tell them to hurry up and cast off was absent. Y/N nodded to the young soldier, walking over to the railing where she had last seen Zuko.

          The port was now bustling with villagers and travelers, boats coming in and out despite how small the docks were. Y/N spotted a certain slumped over figure bustling towards the boat.

          "Found him. He'll be onboard in a few minutes." Y/N turned and called to Zaji. "Might want to start the process now before he can yell at anyone." She chuckled, and  Zaji cracked a small smile, turning to head towards the stern.

          Y/N grabbed a rope and let it down to the ramp, given that the main doors to the interior of the ship weren't open. 

          "You're late." She commented as she helped him over the railing. He sighed, shoving several things into her hand she before walking off towards the stairs, Y/N close behind. She could feel the mask and blades in the cloth sacks he had given her. 

          "Good morning to you too." Y/N continued as they walked down the stairs. "Don't think I didn't notice the big red mark on your forehead. What happened?" He didn't respond, pushing the door to his room open and sitting on his mattress, staring at the ground.

          "I'm going to sleep. No interruptions." He said in a croaky voice, taking his things from her and letting them fall on the ground. 

          "You need to drink and eat something. You never went to the kitchens yesterday, and I didn't bring you all that much food."

          "You need to leave. I don't need anything."

          "I'll bring in some tea and something to munch on later."

          "No interruptions. Step one foot through that door and I'll flame you alive."

          "See you then." Y/N said, but wasn't ready for the attack this time, thinking he was too worn out to care. She barely dodged a flaming fist, but his leg whipped around, catching her in the stomach and sending her flying out into the hallway. 

          She didn't hit the wall, to her surprise, or the floor, as the metal door slammed shut. Y/N looked up to see Zaji, barely holding her up, his helmet askew, and eyes narrowed in concern. It looked like he had been walking by the room and Y/N was catapulted straight into him.

          "Thanks." She groaned, trying to recover the breath knocked out of her, and standing on her own. Zaji took off his helmet, making sure she didn't fall over.

          "Don't bring him tea. He'll kill you." He said, giving an angry look at the closed door. Y/N laughed dryly. 

          "Oh, he's tried multiple times already. C'mon, I hope jasmine is your favorite, it's definitely mine, Iroh lets me steal some. Zuko is missing out."