Author's Note: Hi there, I just wanted to thank everyone for following this story. As we'll be continuing our journey through book 1, I hope you enjoy it so far. Please review, it is greatly appreciated!

Zuko's ship, Southern Earth Kingdom Territory, 100 years after Sozin's Comet

When they had boarded his ship, Zuko had realized that there was no free cabin for Ming. Neither did she bring anything like clothing with her. Now that they were sailing, she stood on deck, obviously freezing in the cold night air while he and his uncle debated where she should stay. Zuko wanted to move in with his uncle, so Ming could have his cabin, while Iroh thought that Ming could sleep in one cabin with her young husband, since they were married anyway, which caused the banished prince to blush.

Ming heard the discussion and rolled her eyes. She noticed that the crew was already starting to whisper to one another that although the prince was always playing the strong man, he obviously couldn't help himself in front of a lady, not even his own wife. So, she stepped in the discussion, casually laying a hand on Zuko's arm, "Hey Zuko, I think, your uncle has a point. We're married, don't make such a fuss about sleeping in the same bed as me.", then she yawned and stretched her arms, "I don't know about you, but I'm pretty tired. I'll go to bed now.", both men stared at her for a moment. When she disappeared below deck Iroh grinned slightly at his nephew.

In the ship's corridors, Ming quickly found her husband's cabin. It was a little bit away from all the others and also seemed more spacious. When she opened the door, she found her thoughts to be right. Not only was there only one bed, but also his dual swords mounted on the wall. Smiling she closed the door behind her. Ming looked down on herself, she still wore that elaborate dress with all the jewelry. She couldn't sleep like that, neither did she bring sleepwear with her. Sighing she first took off her jewelry and placed it on one nightstand. Then she turned to Zuko's wardrobe. Maybe something of that would fit her as well. At least for sleeping. Scrambling through it she found a few clothes that apparently weren't used that often. Maybe they got too small for him.

She finally settled on some loose knee-length pants and a tunic that was buttoned up in the front center. The pants were a bit tight around the hips, in the end they were made for a young boy, but that was not so much of her concern. The tunic angered her a bit, it fitted nicely for the most part, but it just wouldn't close over her breast. She tried everything, using all her force on it, using one hand to force her breast to be smaller, it just wouldn't work. At that point she heard the door behind her open and close. She turned around to see Zuko staring at her. Embarrassed she blushed heavily and looked to the ground, "I searched for some sleepwear, and I thought this would fit, but…", she trailed off. Looking up to him she saw that he blushed too.

Rubbing the back of his neck he stuttered, "I-It looks great on you. I mean, if you don't feel well, you can take anything else you want.", Ming laughed nervously. She walked up to her husband and hugged him, ignoring her cheeks heating up. Zuko hesitated, his throat got dry when he thought of her breast under that cleavage, pressing against his armor. Then he hugged her back. When she finally released him, he looked at her questioningly, "What was that for?"

She giggled, then she looked right into his eyes, "I didn't get to do it earlier, but I wanted to do it, since I saw you back at the duel grounds.", they smiled at each other, forgetting about the awkward situation they had just been in.

They held each other's hands for a moment, until Zuko noticed the burn marks on her forearms. He frowned. "Was that him?", he asked with a raspy, slightly angered voice. Ming looked at the ground, the moment of happiness was over. Silently she just nodded. "I should've killed him."

Shocked Ming looked into her husband's hardened, amber eyes. Slowly she raised her hand and touched his scarred cheek. Her voice was almost a whisper when she said, "No, that wouldn't have been good. Don't misunderstand me, I don't wish him a good fate, but I also don't wish for my husband to become a killer.", with that she closed the distance between them and kissed him. Zuko was surprised at first but then closed his eyes and pulled her closer to him. A wave of different emotions rushed over him. All of sudden she broke the kiss, stumbling a few steps backwards, gasping for air. He couldn't help but notice how her breast moved with every breath. She smiled at him, slightly embarrassed of herself. He smiled back at her.

Afterwards he excused himself to the bathroom to change into his own sleepwear. When Ming was alone again, she sighed and let herself fall onto the bed. What was going on in her head, she wondered. Shyly she touched her lips. She had been right earlier. They had both grown up quite a bit and the innocence was gone. Her mind trailed off again, that kiss had been amazing. Shaking these thoughts out of her head she quickly slid below the blanket, laying as far away from the other side of the bed as possible. When Zuko came back and saw her sleeping form he did the same on his side.

The next morning, he woke up with sunrise, as usual. The first thing he noticed was that he was not laying on the edge of the bed anymore, but rather in the middle, and Ming's face was only centimeters away from his own. He smiled at her still sleeping form. He thought about what to do now, should he wake her up or let her sleep? He decided to let her sleep, but rolled onto his back, moving his arm carefully around her. Suddenly she moved and he thought he had awoken her, but she just cuddled into his shoulder, now laying more or less on his chest, hugging him, while he blushed wildly. It was not like he could get up now.

Just as he wanted to wake her up, he heard her sighing in her sleep as she cuddled even more into his body, whispering his name in her sleep. Over the course of her movement her clothes came into disarray and looking down on her Zuko saw that her tunic had shifted, leaving one of her breasts exposed. Zuko gulped, he was only sixteen and had no experience with women whatsoever, so he just laid still, inwardly praying for the situation to pass.

To make the situation even worse, he heard a knock on his door. It was his uncle, "Prince Zuko? Are you awake? Your training is waiting for you.", Zuko couldn't yell back at his uncle while Ming was still sleeping on his shoulder. As he heard the old man opening the door, he hastily pulled the blanket above Ming's exposed chest. Awkwardly he smiled at his uncle. Iroh was surprised by the sight, they didn't consume their marriage tonight, did they? Zuko gestured with his free hand, pointing first at the still sleeping girl on his shoulder, then motioning for his uncle to stay silent, raising a finger to his lips. Iroh understood and silently closed the door again. He stifled his laughter outside, these young people these days.

After a little while Ming's eyes fluttered open. She quickly noticed that she was cuddled against her husband and blushed, instantly wide awake. Apparently, he had been awake for quite a while, and when he noticed that she was awake he smiled down at her, "Good Morning, did you sleep well?"

Smiling back at him a bit awkwardly she let her head sink to his chest again, "Mhm, just a few more minutes."

He laughed at her, "I'm sorry, but everyone is waiting outside. My uncle was even here to look for me.", with that he shoved her off him and stood up. Taking a few clothes with him, he went for the bathroom to change.

With a still sleepy voice he heard her say, "You know, you don't always have to go to the bathroom to undress. I mean, I'm literally the one person where you don't need to be ashamed of anything.", as an answer, he just closed the bathroom door. Ming rolled onto her back and laid there for a few moments. She hadn't slept that good in a long time. And waking up like this, she thanked the ship for not having enough cabins. Then she noticed the disarray of her tunic and blushed. Was it like that the whole time? Had he noticed? Hastily she got up and went over to the closet. This time she chose some of his current clothing. She ended up with long, tight black trousers, a black tunic and a red robe that would reach the middle of her thighs. Ming fastened it with a red girdle. Thanks to the tunic's high collar there was no cleavage at all, and the girdle would make it less obvious that everything was too wide for her.

She heard the bathroom door behind her. Zuko walked up to her, looking at her from top to bottom. He smiled as he kissed her on the forehead, "We will buy you some more fitting clothes at the next port.", she sighed, but smiled and hugged him.

Whispering in his ear, she said, "As long as I'm with you, I'm happy."

A few days later

"Ming, good to see you.", Iroh greeted his nephew's wife, "Do you know where my nephew is?"

Ming turned towards the former General, smiling at him, "The last time I saw him he was meditating in our cabin. Why do you ask, uncle? Is there something important?"

The old man sighed, "I fear, he might not like the news I bring.", he looked almost comically sad, and Ming had to control herself not to giggle at him.

"Uncle, you underestimate him. I know he often seems angry and tense, but we both know that there is a much more caring and sensitive character underneath.", Iroh nodded. Ming knew Zuko for a long time and they were indeed very close.

"I really hope you're right, Ming.", with that he went down to his nephew's cabin.

Minutes later Ming heard a loud "WHAT!?". She knew the voice and the tone. What catastrophic news did Iroh bring? She hurried down the stairs, maybe she could cool the situation down. Just as she approached the cabin door she heard her enraged husband, "Give me the map!", she entered the room silently as Zuko snatched said map from his uncle, unfolded it and began looking at it.

Iroh quickly looked to the side at Ming, smiling at her. Not many people would run towards an angry Fire Nation prince, and not from him. Then he looked at his nephew again with a serious expression, "There have been multiple sightings of the Avatar, but he seems impossible to track down."

Ming wondered at the desperation in Zuko's voice as he said, "How am I going to find him, uncle? He's clearly a master of evasive maneuvering.", Ming was not so sure about that but kept that thought to herself. After everything she was told, the Avatar was a twelve-year-old kid. She frowned at the thought that Zuko was so desperate to hunt him down. Maybe he was just travelling by instinct or just following locations he thought fun to visit. Sighing she turned around, her husband's fury was often short-lived, luckily, so she headed out of the cabin again. She would go and speak to the chef. She knew a thing or two about fish, since she was forced to spend three years in a port.

Like the last days she helped the chef prepare the meal. She had become quite a good cook over her three years with her father, and there were so few things for her to do on this ship. The man was quite smitten by his new assistant and Zuko somewhat tolerated it, even though he reminded her from time to time that she was by no means a servant but should be the one served.

"By the way, Lady Ming,", the chef spoke while cutting the fish into pieces, "The servant who brought us this fish told me a rumor that might be interesting for your husband.", Ming listened up as the chef leaned over to hear and whispered in her ear, "The Avatar is on Kyoshi Island.", her eyes widened in shock, while the chef went on with the meal. Should she tell Zuko? She felt pity for that kid, but she also wouldn't be able to hide it from Zuko for long and he would be angry at her if she did. Also, someone from the crew might tell him anyway. She thanked the chef and took up the plate to serve her husband.

In the ship's dining room Zuko and his uncle already sat around a table. Ming went over to them and put the plate in front of her husband. Then she leaned towards his ear and whispered, "There's a rumor going around. It says the Avatar is on Kyoshi Island."

Zuko's eyes widened. He turned to her, "Seriously?", he quickly raised from the table, Ming nodded. Zuko quickly grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into a kiss. She was surprised, but before she could lean into it too, he already broke it and went out of the door. "Uncle, ready the rhinos. The Avatar is on Kyoshi Island and he's not getting away from me this time."

Iroh looked surprised at Ming, who stood a bit shakingly, running a hand through her hair. Then he pointed at the smoking fish in front of him, "Ming, do you think he's going to finish that?"

Surprisingly his nephew had heard him and turned around sharply to snatch the plate from him, "I was going to save it for later.", Ming couldn't help but giggle at the former General's sulking face.

A little while later they were standing on deck, Zuko holding the reins of a rhino, while Ming had her arms crossed, "I guess, you want me to stay here?", she said, pouting.

He handed the reins of the animal to his uncle and went over to her, pulling her into a hug, "I just want you to stay out of danger."

She still had her head turned away from him, "You mean, out of reach to keep you out of any of your foolish ideas?"

Zuko put a hand under her chin and turned her face towards him, "No, I mean out of the reach of people trying to smack that pretty head of yours."

Ming sighed, "Fine. Just stay safe, yes?"

He smiled down at her and put a quick kiss on her lips, "I'll be back in no time, I promise.", with that he mounted his rhino. Ming sighed as the walkway was lowered and they rode off.

Iroh walked up to her and reassuringly put a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry much about him, Ming. He's a great fighter, even if he might get into trouble, he'll get out of it again."

Ming looked worriedly at the path the rhinos had taken, "I'm not just worried about him. I'm also worried how this war will play out if we go about like this. Actions like this will cause hate and the wish for revenge, most likely. How can we expect their mercy when we'll need it one day? Also, the Avatar is just a child. Why is our nation so cruel to hunt down children?"

After a short while Ming heard fighting noises in the distance. Fear clenched on her heart. Not just about her husband, but also of the things he'd do or ordered others to do. She frequently reminded herself that Zuko was not a monster, then she saw smoke, a lot of smoke. The village must be burning. She sank to her knees, slung her arms around them and started crying. Iroh walked over to her with sorrowful eyes. He knelt down beside her, "Ming, what is it? Why are you crying?"

She looked up to him, tears streaming down her face, "Look what I brought this place. This is all my fault. If I hadn't told him that the Avatar was here…"

Iroh hugged her sitting form, "Shh, don't worry, child. If you hadn't told him he would've heard it from someone else, I'm sure. And his actions are not your fault."

It didn't have the effect he wanted. Ming stood up, brushing his hug off, and straightened herself, "If you'd excuse me, uncle. I think I'll retreat for today. I don't feel well.", still sobbing she hurried down to her cabin.

Zuko felt humiliated. Not just did this kid get away again, no, he used that giant eel thing to drench him and his men in water. How should he return to his crew and his wife looking like this? But he had to. To his surprise only his uncle waited on deck for him. Jumping off the rhino he quickly walked over to the old man, "Uncle, where's Ming? I thought she'd be here."

His uncle had a somewhat sour expression on him, "She wasn't feeling well, so she retreated to your cabin. I tried to talk to her, but she was crying so much."

Zuko got instantly worried, she wasn't feeling well? Was she sick? Worriedly, he asked his uncle, "What happened to her? Why was she crying?"

His uncle closed his eyes for a moment. Then he answered, "I guess, she's ashamed of what you did to the village, we saw the smoke and we heard the fighting. She gave herself the fault for telling you about the Avatar's location.", Zuko's expression fell into pieces as he heard this. She was ashamed of him. She had never been ashamed of him before. Hastily he hurried towards his cabin.

The banished prince stopped in front of the steel door. He could hear her crying, not loud, the walls were thick enough that not much could be heard outside, but he could make it out. And she's crying because of me, he thought. He looked down on himself, everything from his hair to his armor was still dripping with water. He grimaced. Zuko would've liked a bit more dignity in this situation, but here he was. He couldn't even change because his wardrobe was in there as well. Thus, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door. The crying subsided, but nothing else happened. He knocked again, this time saying, "Ming! It's me, Zuko! I want to talk!", as still nothing happened, he knocked again, "Ming, please!", as again, nothing happened he just wanted to knock again, as suddenly the door was opened. Ming stood there, tears streaming down her face, her eyes red from crying, staring at his raised fist, inches away from her nose.

Her expression quickly changed to anger, suddenly she reminded him of her father, "What do you want?", she hissed at him. Then she noticed that he was completely drenched, and her eyes widened, "What happened to you?", she asked in a much more worried tone. Before he could say anything, she pulled him into the room and closed the door behind him. She ushered him over to the bathroom, "I'll bring you new clothes in a moment. Go ahead and get yourself dry.", he didn't argue with her. This caring side of her just saved him from the collective anger of the universe.

While he got out of his armor and clothes Ming went over to the closet and quickly picked out underwear and comfortable clothes for him. Hopefully he didn't catch anything. On the other hand, if he would be sick, it would definitely slow down his hunt for the Avatar and she could tend to him. She shook that thought out of her head. Don't wish for something like this, it could become true, she told herself.

Ming entered the bathroom without knocking, the fresh clothes on her arm and froze for a moment in place. There stood her husband, trying to get dry, running a towel over his body, completely naked, the wet armor and clothes on the floor. Ming's head became as red as the robe she wore.

Just as he noticed a cool breeze against his bare skin, he turned around to see the door open, and the blushing Ming in the doorframe. Hastily he put the towel around his hips, he himself blushing wildly. How long did she stand there? Stuttering he began, "M-Ming, what are you doing there?", without a word she held the underpants she brought with her out to him, avoiding his gaze.