They dropped the Water Tribe Warriors off, then went to the nearest Fire Nation port and hired five new people. Zuko was careful to remember their names, as careful as he was in remembering the names of the dead. After he'd started getting the letters he'd memorized the names of those he failed among the 41st. After the battle with the Water Tribe he added the five of his crew to his list.

He needed to remember them. He hadn't been able to save them, he'd failed them, the least he could do was remember them. And not fail the new ones that fell under his care.

…-…

Zuko walked into the infirmary. He'd been helping every day since the battle but he wanted to be able to do more. He didn't like feeling helpless.

He looked at the doctor for a long moment. The doctor looked back. Finally, Zuko spoke. "I want you to teach me healing," he said. I want to know- to be able to save them. Help them.

The doctor didn't look particularly surprised. He nodded. "If I might make a suggestion sir," he asked.

Zuko nodded. "Bring at least two others with you. Having more than one person to teach can improve lessons and it would be good to have more people I can trust in healing on board."

Zuko nodded again. A member from the old and a new members would probably be the best combination. Akimo would be one of them. Riko would be the other.

…-…

Riko wasn't necessarily displeased by her new assignment. At the same time, she wished she'd had a choice.

The doctor was a nice older man but he was kind of boring.

Prince Zuko didn't seem to have a problem with it, he listened like his life depended on it. Or, more precisely, like their lives depended on it.

Akimo also made a concerted effort to learn, he probably still felt guilty that the Prince had taken his punishment for him and was trying to make up for it.

Riko didn't know the prince as well as the rest of the crew, didn't quite understand the loyalty they seemed to feel for the prince who was a shouty brat half the time. The other half, when he looked so quietly mournful, was worse though.

It was a war, people died. She'd accepted that long ago- everyone needed to eventually. Even still, the price was only fifteen, even if the scar made it easy to forget.

She wished sometimes that the war would just end, that the blood would stop spilling. Treasonous thoughts, dangerous thoughts, but she thought them all the same.

So she listened too- not because the prince asked her to, not because the doctor was nice, but because she wanted the chance to stop a little bit of the blood that was flowing out- wanted to be able to save something. She couldn't stop the war- but she might be able to help alleviate some of the symptoms.

…-…

"I need to learn more than basic fire bending Uncle." Zuko said, feeling his temper fraying at the edges.

Uncle looked at him for a long moment. Ever since the attack he'd taken a far more active role in Zuko's training, literally. He went through everything with Zuko, working both of them ragged. Zuko had forced the crew to train more as well, the better they were the less likely they were to die. What they really needed was the Avatar so that they could go home- but though there had been plenty of false findings the real Avatar was frustratingly elusive.

"Everything builds off the basics." Uncle said. "Fire bending comes from the breath. To bend, you must breathe. Then the basics. Then, everything else. A house built on an unstable foundation will fall Prince Zuko."

All true, but it didn't stop the panic rising in him. He needed to go beyond this, they would die, they would all die because he wasn't good enough and he needed to be better and they were going to die and- "You need to teach me the advanced sets!" Zuko shouted, "I need to know them!" I can't let them die because I'm not good enough.

Uncle was just looking at him, and for a long moment he said nothing. "One more week with the basics," he said, "Then we move on."

Zuko wanted to yell some more because that wasn't soon enough and they were going to die- but Uncle said he was going to teach him. Zuko swallowed his terror and nodded.

…-…

The Earth Kingdom didn't have much of a navy, they were the Earth Kingdom. They didn't have anything to bend over the waves.

In much the same way, the Water Tribes didn't have much of an army- it was easiest to bend over the waves.

The Air Nomads hadn't had an army or a navy- and they were dead now.

The Fire Nation had both, and they were winning. So the Earth Kingdom had swallowed some of its terror at moving somewhere without earth, and they'd constructed a navy. Constructed being a loose term of course, they hadn't really built anything. They'd hired mercenaries, people who knew how to fight on a ship, who knew how to sail, and who, so long as they did what they were asked, got paid.

Really though, calling mercenaries was being generous. Calling them pirates was more accurate. They fought against the Fire Nation though, so, for now, they were the lesser of two evils.

…-…

Even a small navy wouldn't have trouble against one ship. If they could find the elusive ship the Dragon of the West was reportedly on.

The knowledge had come from the Water Tribe navy, and at first Tien hadn't believed it. Getting this bounty- it would be far too easy. He'd asked around though, he had friends in many places. It had been confirmed- the Dragon was with his nephew. Tien would find him. Then he'd crush the Dragon's hands and bring him, and his nephew, back to the Earth Kingdom for execution.

It would be good for moral- to see one who had been so feared brought so low. That's what the Earth Kingdom would say as they paid him anyways, and money really made Tien happy. Life was so much easier when money was plentiful.

All they needed to do was find the ship, and make sure the rest of the Earth Kingdom Navy didn't get there first.

The ocean was large, the ship was not. And it traveled alone. Bad for fighting, great for hiding. There were only so many ports though, and Tien had built contacts in all of the neutral ones the Wani could dock at. He would find them soon enough.

…-…

Zuko held a spyglass to his eye. He saw ships, too many ships. They were Earth Kingdom pirates. They were getting closer.

They didn't seem in the mood to parley.