Zuko stood on the shore and looked towards the horizon. The sun was beginning to stretch its fingers to the sky in a fragile haze of light. Wind ruffled his hair and stirred the water surrounding the bay. Soon, it would be time to set sail. The ship was ready, the supplies were all packed and secured on board. All they waited on now were those making their goodbyes.

Hakoda and some of the warriors were joining the expedition to help run the ship and prepare for the eclipse, though Zuko suspected he just wanted to spend more time with his children. Jee, Tomoki, Cheng and the old helmsman were also coming. Even Suki had chosen to travel with them; however, Zuko knew that had very little to do with him or his mother. The whole village burning thing hadn't exactly warmed her to him.

Then there was Yuzo. No one had been sure what to do with him, but it had been agreed that letting him go was not an option. For now, he was being kept in the ship's hold. Zuko could still remember Yuzo's expression as the door had been shut on him: betrayed and simmering with anger.

Footsteps caught Zuko's attention. His body tensed. He knew from the grounded yet light tread that it was Shizue. A part of him wanted to tell her to leave, for there was nothing he wanted to hear from her right now, not after all her comments about fire healers. But something held him back.

She was still the woman who had helped to raise him. She had still kept him safe in her own way.

Shizue did not say anything and simply stood beside him, also gazing towards the distance. He looked at her profile but could not read her expression. Everything about her was guarded and hidden behind wall upon wall. Still, there was a certain tightness about her jaw that suggested she was thinking deeply about something.

"What?" he finally asked. "What is it?"

"I … thought about what you said last night. How you can't trust me."

"Can you blame me for not trusting you?"

"No. I suppose any sane person would feel the same." She turned to face him. "Even so, I can't change who I was or the things I've done. My past as a Silencer will always be a part of me."

His brow creased. "Look, I'm the last person who has the right to judge someone for their past, but I don't know who you are now. The way you act, the things you say sometimes …" He shook his head. "It doesn't exactly win trust points."

She gave a self-deprecating smile. "I guess not."

They were both quiet for a moment.

"The truth is I don't know how to do this," she admitted. "Not being a Silencer. Not treating people as targets, threats, or just a waste of time. Mallet-mouthed, your mother used to call me. Said I had the tact of a blunt instrument."

"Mum said that?"

"Oh, yes. She was forever scolding me. I was assigned to act as her lady-in-waiting, but she was the one who trained me in the ways of social niceties." A much softer smile touched Shizue's lips. "She used to get so frustrated."

Zuko stared at her as if seeing her for the first time. It was like all those walls were finally beginning to lower, letting him catch glimpses of the woman he had known as a child. That Shizue had been strict but fair. She had not left him feeling like he was walking on edges as she often did now.

"You have to understand," she said. "I was raised to be a Silencer. My mission was my life. Sparing a thought for other people or their feelings seemed of little consequence."

"But you don't feel that way anymore?"

"I'm trying. Being open is not easy for me. Trusting others is not easy for me."

"I get that, but if you truly want me to trust you, you can't keep me in the dark. That's not how it works."

She nodded, though the gesture seemed reluctant.

"Can't you just tell me what you know?" he asked when she remained silent. "I'm going to find out the truth in some way or another eventually. If not by you, then maybe Yuzo or Mother will tell me."

"Yuzo," she repeated, pursing her lips. "You should not trust him so easily."

"Yeah, well, he said the same thing about you. No surprise."

Shizue glanced towards the horizon. "Then it's true. He has come in contact with Silencers before…"

"You're not going to hurt him because I said that, are you?"

"Not if he poses no threat. Right now I'm not so certain. I need to know why he was walking free."

"There you go with that 'walking free' crap again." Zuko made a frustrated sound. "What's so bad about fire healers anyway? Sure, the fact we can absorb chi is messed up, but it's not like I go around doing that all the time. I hate that part of me."

"I know."

"Then doesn't it follow others would be the same? I just don't understand why the world seems to think it's better if we don't exist. Being able to heal is a good thing. Surely having the ability to absorb chi is no reason to—"

"Everything has two sides," she murmured. "Light and dark, yin and yang, good and evil. Those who wield the undying fire are no different."

Zuko swallowed. "Wait, are you saying there's something else? Something worse than chi absorption?"

She said nothing.

"Shizue, you have to tell me. If you know what happened to cause fire healers to be—"

"Forget it."

"But—"

"Prince Zuko, I would not tell you about this even if you begged me with your dying breath."

His eyes widened at her bluntness.

"There are some things that should not be spoken of and are best forgotten. What happened with the Unnamed One must never be repeated."

"The Unnamed One?"

Her jaw tightened. "I've already said too much."

Zuko stepped closer. "Hold on. You can't just say stuff like that and not explain. Who's this Unnamed One? What did—"

"Enough." She turned to leave. "This is one oath I will not break."

"I thought you said you weren't a Silencer anymore. Or was that bit about trying to be more open with us a lie?"

She paused and stood with her back to him.

"Well?" he demanded.

"Zuko, Shizue!" Sokka called. "We're ready to go!"

Shizue glanced over her shoulder to meet Zuko's gaze. "You want the truth? The Fire Nation was almost torn apart by fire healers. You may be innocent, but what the Unnamed One did—when it became clear what wielders of the undying fire could actually do—such power could not be left unchecked. That is why fire healers were hunted and killed and pushed into hiding. People were terrified. They were terrified for good reason."

His heart thumped against his ribs. "You speak as if you think the genocide of fire healers was justified."

"What I think is that power does strange things to people. So does fear. You would do well to remember that."

She headed for the ship without another word. Zuko lingered on the shore before following.

"What's wrong?" Sokka asked, catching sight of his expression.

"Nothing."

"You've got that glooming look about you."

"I am not glooming."

Sokka snorted. "Please. You, sir, are a veritable mountain of gloom. You are a gloomy gloomy gloom prince, but don't worry. I, as your good friend, shall offer a listening ear to your woes."

"Yeah, I think I'll pass."

"You sure? I have absolutely zero degrees in psychology and do not have a distinguished beard, but I'm said to be a good listener."

Zuko's mouth twitched despite his best efforts not to smile. "Just shut up and move, Sokka," he muttered, giving him a light shove. "Everyone is waiting for us."

Sokka grinned and walked with him up the ramp to the ship, still light-heartedly ribbing him about his "morning grumps". Zuko would never admit it aloud, but he was grateful for his friend in that moment. He had really needed the distraction.

oOo

"Ah, the sea breeze feels good," Tomoki sighed, leaning against the railing on the deck. "I've missed this. Feels like I've been cooped up on land forever. I was born for the open seas!"

"You tell 'em, sonny," Cheng said, not taking his eyes off the Pai Sho game he was playing with Iroh. "Aha, don't think I don't see what you're up to, you old sneak, trying to get my tulip tile …"

Zuko smiled a little, but was distracted by a groan from his left. Toph was practically clinging to the railing and looked as green as her tunic.

"Well, the only thing I miss is land," she muttered. "Can we go back now? I hate this."

"Feeling seasick?" Zuko asked sympathetically.

"Please. I don't get sick. I'm Toph Bei—uurp."

The next moment she was sticking her head between the gap in the railings and vomiting over the side. Tomoki laughed and laughed and laughed. The two Water Tribe warriors who had been walking past noticed her predicament and joined in the laughter.

"What was that, earthbender?" Tomoki taunted with a huge grin. "You don't get what?"

She managed to dredge up enough energy to punch him in the leg but otherwise just groaned and looked miserable. Tomoki and the warriors, of course, found this hilarious and continued to tease her.

"I might be able to help," Zuko said, taking pity on her. "Come on."

He guided her away from the railing and sat her down with him on the deck, close to where Appa was napping. She still looked very green. He told her to try not to be sick on him and placed his hands on her head. A second was all it took to connect with her energy—earthy and raw. She let out a small breath and closed her eyes.

"Oh, that's good," she murmured. "If' I'd known you could do this, I would have come to you sooner."

Zuko bit back a smile. Toph really must have been feeling awful. She was never so open with compliments, not unless there was a lot of sarcasm involved.

"What'cha doing?" Aang asked, coming over to them with Momo on his shoulder.

"Shh," Toph said, still with her eyes closed. Not that it made any difference for her. "Sunshine is working his magic. No distractions."

"Actually, I think I'm done." Zuko removed his hands from her head. "How's that?"

Toph stood up and tilted her head from side to side. "Better." She punched him hard in the arm.

"You know, you could just say thank you instead of punching me."

"Yeah, but there's no fun in that." A wicked grin curved her lips. "Though I really should thank you for making me feel better. Now I can have my revenge."

Aang blinked. "Revenge?"

Her grin only widened before she trundled off to where Tomoki was now talking with the two Water Tribe warriors who had been mocking her before. Oh.

"Think we should warn them?" Aang asked. "The ship is metal. She might actually hurt someone."

Zuko got to his feet. "Let her have her fun."

She'd been so quiet and subdued of late that it was actually a relief to see her flashing her demon child grin and wanting to punish people.

Aang shrugged. "If you say so."

They both watched as Toph used part of the railing to trap Tomoki and the two warriors together by roping it around their legs. Then she launched them into the air. Their yelps of fright earned quite a few smiles and chuckles. Toph dusted off her hands and left the men hooked to a part of the wall, still crammed together and dangling awkwardly by their ankles like strung up fish.

"Hey!" they cried. "Let us go!"

"No can do." She smiled sweetly. "You know, because I don't have the sea legs for it and my stomach is as weak as my little girl arms." She flexed her skinny arms for emphasis.

"Oh, come on!" Tomoki groaned.

The other two warriors grumbled and protested as well, but Toph just grinned and settled down on the deck beside them.

"Wow," she said with exaggerated delight, "the sea breeze sure feels good. How's it up there?"

Her tormentors, and now victims, seemed to break in that moment as they realised they had picked on the wrong girl. Tomoki even got desperate enough to call out for Iroh and Zuko to save him.

"Ah," Iroh said, shifting one of his tiles to a new square on the Pai Sho board, "but one will never reach the higher ground by pushing others down."

"Technically he did reach the higher ground," Cheng commented. "He's not even touching the ground."

Iroh chuckled. "Indeed. Nevertheless, I am sorry to say, young Tomoki, I cannot assist you or your two friends at this time. Perhaps you should use your newfound, uh, elevation to think about why you got there in the first place."

This did not work for Tomoki. "Prince Zuko! You'll help us, right?"

Zuko folded his arms across his chest and shook his head.

"Avatar Aang?"

Aang scratched his chin. "Well …"

"Don't you dare, Twinkletoes! These ones are mine until I say so."

Aang shrugged and offered a sheepish smile. "Sorry, guys. You heard her."

All three protested loudly. This went on for a while until the two warriors caught sight of their chief coming from the starboard side, along with Katara and Bato. They called out to Hakoda to get them down.

"What in the world?" Hakoda frowned at the sight of three grown men strung up together like fish. "What's going on?"

The situation was soon explained.

Hakoda nodded in a rather solemn manner. "Well, men," he said just as gravely, "I'm afraid there's only one thing you can do. You'll just have to hang in there."

There was a small beat of silence, broken only by Hakoda falling into a fit of laughter. He was shaking and everything.

"Get it," he said, nudging his daughter and Bato in the ribs. "I said hang in there because they're hanging there." He laughed again.

"Sure, Dad," Katara said dryly. "You're killing it."

"Puns," was all Bato muttered, pressing his palm to his forehead. "Always puns."

Hakoda laughed again and wiped a tear from his eye. "Still got it."

Zuko raised his eyebrow as he watched the leader of the Southern Water Tribe head inside the cabin area while still chuckling at his own joke. "Now I know where Sokka gets it from…"

Aang perked up. "Did you say something?"

He shook his head.

As the minutes went by and the sea and sky remained the same endless blue all around them, conversation turned to ways to pass time on a boat. Zuko admitted that he had mostly trained during his banishment, which seemed to amuse Katara. It did give them the idea to get in a little firebending training for Aang, though. They went through a few basic steps—nothing too heavy since Aang was still recovering.

"Good," Zuko said, relaxing from his bending stance. "You're looking better."

"Really?"

"Well, you look less like a floundering octopus-slug."

"Oh. Great … I guess?"

"Zuko's just teasing," Katara said, coming to stand by them. "Aren't you, Zuko?"

"No. His form is still really sloppy and he never puts in enough juice to—"

"Okay." She pushed on Zuko's back with both hands, guiding him away from a slumped-shouldered Aang. "Firebending training is over. Why don't we let Aang rest a bit now?"

He twisted around to look at her. "What? It's the truth."

She sighed and kept pushing on his back to make him walk. "Honestly. What am I going to do with you?"

Zuko's brow furrowed. He was about to respond when he noticed Shizue had come up on deck. Their eyes met. Suddenly, the conversation from early that morning rushed into his mind, including the unsettling words she had said to him.

"Power does strange things to people. So does fear."

"What happened with the Unnamed One must never be repeated."

He tensed all over.

"Hey." Katara's hands rubbed his back a little, soothing him into releasing some of the tension in his shoulders. She had followed the direction of his gaze and also looked at Shizue. "What is it? Is something going on between you two?"

"I'll tell you later," he murmured.

She frowned, then nodded. "Okay."

Her hands left his back, but she stayed beside him. Shizue did not approach at all.

oOo

"So, you've finally come," Yuzo said by way of greeting. "Let me guess, you're hoping I'm bored enough by now to feel like talking. Well, I am—bored that is."

Zuko shut the door and stood in front of him. "What do you know about the Unnamed One?"

Something flickered in Yuzo's eyes.

"You do realise your silence just gave you away," Zuko pointed out. "There's no need to act dumb. I know you know something."

"I never said I didn't. I'm just surprised you've heard of the Unnamed One. Don't tell me your Silencer told you."

"She mentioned it."

"But she didn't tell you everything, did she? Why else would you be here?"

Zuko said nothing.

A soft laugh. "Well, I did warn you. Silencers only care about keeping secrets. You're wasting your time trying to get anything worthwhile from her." His smile was all edges. "Know why? She doesn't trust you. She never will. You're a fire healer."

Zuko lowered his gaze, unable to refute the point when he had sensed the same thing.

"It's almost pathetic in a way," Yuzo said, though his tone hinted of bitterness. "They're all so scared of us. Silencers will do anything to keep us contained, even if it means killing innocent people. Are you really sure you want that travelling with you?"

"I told you she's helping me save my mother. Besides, she's never hurt me. She hasn't hurt any of us."

"Right, right. And how safe do you think you'll be if you show even a hint that your abilities can go further?"

Zuko's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Yuzo tilted his head, gazing at Zuko with sudden intensity. "How many people have you bonded with?"

"How did you know I've—"

"Ah, so you have formed energy bonds."

Zuko gritted his teeth. This guy really was annoying.

"Oh, don't give me that face," Yuzo said with an impatient wave of his hand. "It's your own fault you got caught out. You're too desperate. All that desire for information is like a stench clinging all over you. You're just lucky I'm not a Silencer."

"Look, I don't care about that! Just tell me what you know about the Unnamed One. Shizue mentioned some kind of power. She said it was bad—that people like us almost tore the Fire Nation apart."

"That is one way to look at it. Another is that people were just jealous and felt threatened by an ability they didn't have." A faint but twisted smile. "Didn't you ever learn? History is written by the victors. Just look at your glorious nation. How many of them still believe Fire Lord Sozin was justified in ordering the death of the airbenders? How many of them would turn on you in an instant just for helping the Avatar?"

Zuko's brow creased. "Then you think it was all propaganda. Fire healers and this Unnamed One did nothing wrong."

"Does it matter? The fact remains that fire healers were almost driven to extinction for being born with an ability that others didn't like." His voice hardened. "We get marked and hunted by Silencers just for having the wrong eye colour."

"I'm not trying to justify what happened. I just want to understand. What is this power we're supposed to have? Why are people so afraid of us?"

Yuzo stood up and closed the distance between them. He was a little taller, and from this close Zuko could see a slash of lighter skin puckering his throat where the high collar of his tunic didn't cover.

"You want your answers?" Yuzo leaned forward so they were practically nose to nose. "Get me out of here." He stepped back to put more space between them. "This is as far as I go. I won't be your prisoner or anyone else's."

"I can't just—"

"Can't just what? Release me? Let me off this ship?" His eyes narrowed. "Need I remind you that you and your friends kidnapped me!"

"Hey, you stole those documents and—"

"So you kidnap me?"

Zuko made a frustrated sound. "I'm just saying we weren't sure if we could trust you. If you had talked earlier, we wouldn't have had to drag you along with us. You could have made this a lot easier for yourself."

"Oh, sure, blame it on the fact I didn't tell you my life story. Maybe it hasn't penetrated that thick skull of yours, but you have a Silencer with you. I wasn't going to say anything with her around."

"That's just—"

"No, you listen! Get it through your head that your selfish need for answers has put my life in danger! At this rate, I'll never find him!"

"Him?"

Yuzo clamped his mouth shut.

"You were looking for someone," Zuko pieced together. "That's why you stole those documents about the refugees."

"Good work, genius. Like that wasn't obvious."

Zuko ignored the insult. "Look, if you tell us what's going on, maybe we can help you."

A humourless laugh. "The one who needs help here is you. You're actually stupid enough to travel with a Silencer."

"We can handle Shizue. Even if she does try something, there's a whole ship of people here who'd stop her from doing any real harm. Besides, I'm not sure she does want to hurt us."

"She's a Silencer. She'll do whatever she thinks is necessary. That's just how they are."

Doubt prickled and spread little tendrils of unease. It was difficult to dismiss Yuzo's words. Even Shizue had admitted she didn't know how to not be a Silencer. There was no trust, no indication of any moral grounding in her. She still treated people as if they were a target or a threat, and maybe that was just the way it would always be. Maybe she'd never change.

Yuzo held his gaze. "You want my advice? Get rid of her now. She's going to turn on you anyway. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but she will."

Zuko's eyes widened. "Are you suggesting I kill her?"

"It's either you or her. The sooner you get that in your head, the better."

"I can't do that! She hasn't even done anything to me—to any of us! All she's done is help!"

"She hasn't done anything to you yet. She's a Silencer, remember? They're practically bred to be killers."

Zuko's expression hardened. "I don't care what you say. I'm not going to hurt someone just for something they might do. That kind of thinking is what started this war. It's what got fire healers killed in the first place."

Yuzo's lip curled. "An idealist, huh? You'll change your way of thinking soon enough."

"I doubt it."

"You won't have a choice in the matter. Doing the honourable thing is nice in theory, but it doesn't do much to keep you or the people you care about alive." Yuzo turned away from him. "Now, I think sharing time is over. You want to know more? Get me off this ship. I'm not saying another word until then."

He sat back down and proceeded to pretend that Zuko didn't exist. It seemed that sharing time was indeed over.

oOo

Katara got Zuko alone later that evening. "Alright, what's going on?" she said, shutting the door to his cabin and turning to face him. "You've been weird ever since that Yuzo guy showed up."

"It's …"

"Yes?"

He swallowed. The words were heavy on his tongue like too many stones piled up, but he couldn't get them out.

"Hey." She stepped closer and clasped his hands. "Talk to me. You said you'd tell me what's troubling you, remember? Well, I'm here. I'm listening."

Zuko held her gaze for a moment before nodding. He allowed her to steer him to the bed. They sat shoulder to shoulder on the mattress, bodies inclined towards each other as he began to speak in a hushed voice about Yuzo, Shizue and the scraps of information he'd learnt. It was difficult at first, but soon the words were spilling out of him. He hadn't realised until then how much he'd needed to confide in someone. All the circling doubts and concerns had been driving him crazy.

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" she asked once he was finished. "This is kind of a big deal."

"I don't know. I guess I thought it might make things worse. And I guess … I was worried how people would react to me."

"To you? Why?"

He pulled his knees up to his chest. "I'm a fire healer."

"So?"

"So the world feared fire healers' abilities so much they tried to wipe us out." His fingers dug into his knees. "Whatever that power is, it's within me as well. I know that's why Shizue won't tell me what it is. She doesn't trust me not to use it. Probably thinks I'll become another Unnamed One."

"Well, I can't speak for Shizue, but the rest of us aren't going to judge you just because of a power you might have. We know you. We know you're not a bad person."

"My own mother was worried about what I might become," he admitted softly. "I was just a child then, but I still remember the things she said when she thought I wasn't listening. She was scared."

Katara took his face in her hands and looked him steadily in the eyes. "I'm not scared. I know you. I trust you."

His breath caught in his throat.

Suddenly, the door was thrust open. "We've got a—" Mai stopped short. "Okay, I was not expecting that."

Katara's face went bright red and she hurriedly released him. "We were just talking."

"Yeah, whatever." Mai motioned for them to get off the bed. "You both better come. Fire healer boy has lost it."

Zuko frowned and stood up. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. Sokka and that new girl went to give him dinner, but then he flipped out all of a sudden and tried to escape. They both got hurt trying to stop him, and since you're our resident healers ..."

Zuko and Katara exchanged a worried glance before hurrying to their feet and following Mai down to the hold. There they found Yuzo pinned by knives and struggling to escape while Suki stood over him, fans in hand and blood dribbling down her chin from a split lip. Sokka was slumped on the ground not far from them, groaning and clutching his leg. Both of them had a few speckles of burns on their skin.

"Sokka!" Katara rushed to her brother and began treating him.

Zuko rounded on Yuzo. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why did you attack them?"

"I can hear him." Yuzo thrashed against the knives, cutting into his own skin. "You have to let me go! You have to let me off this ship now! Atsuo needs me!"

Suki wiped some of the blood from her chin with the back of her hand. "He's been like this for a while now. Keeps insisting he can hear someone named Atsuo and that he has to go find him."

"Like I said," Mai said flatly. "Lost it."

"I'm not crazy! You idiots just don't understand anything! How can you when you're all—" Yuzo gasped and lurched as if someone had punched him in the stomach. He visibly gritted his teeth, and only then did Zuko notice how pale and drawn he had become. There was no sign of a serious injury.

"It's a bond," Zuko realised, putting the pieces together. "You have a bond with Atsuo."

"Yes, damn it! Now let me—"

It was like watching a candle get snuffed. Yuzo froze and all the colour drained from his face. He trembled and just stared in shock at nothing. Slowly, so very slowly, moisture began to form in the corners of his eyes.

"Is he crying?" Sokka stage-whispered.

Yuzo didn't even seem to hear the comment. He still had that awful, vacant look in his eyes and somehow looked years younger, like a shaken child.

Zuko knelt in front of him. "What happened? Yuzo, what's wrong?"

"Atsuo … he was right there. I could hear him, could feel his energy, and then nothing. The bond just vanished." His voice cracked. "Atsuo is dead."

There was a shocked silence.

"I'm sorry," Suki said, lowering her fans.

"Sorry?" Yuzo glared at her. "You're part of the reason I couldn't go to him! You all got in my way and trapped me on this spirit forsaken ship, and for what? To get information from me? To decide whether I deserve punishment or my freedom back because I stole documents that are worth nothing to you?" Angry tears rolled down his cheeks. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Zuko lowered his gaze. The lizard-snakes were back in his stomach and twisting everything into knots.

"Blaming them will not bring Atsuo back."

Everyone gave a small start at the new voice and turned to see Shizue standing in the doorway. Yuzo snarled insults and threats at the sight of her. Her calm expression didn't waver.

"I see now you're not a free walker," she observed, moving closer to him. "But I don't believe you were released either. No, you somehow managed to escape the tribe. You and Atsuo, right?"

His eyes narrowed.

"But then you had to split up. Why? You obviously cared for him. There was no reason for you two to separate."

"I'm not telling you anything," he spat.

Shizue leaned forward to meet his gaze. "Then shall I guess? The Silencers found out you had escaped and followed you to the Earth Kingdom. You were attacked"—she nodded at the ugly scar on his neck—"and almost lost your life from the look of that. Perhaps this Atsuo panicked and fled when you got hurt."

Yuzo's mouth twisted. "He didn't leave me behind. Atsuo wasn't like that. I was the one who forced him to run. I faced the Silencers alone."

"I see. You were unable to catch up with him as you had planned, so there was nothing left for him but to assume you had been captured or were dead. Atsuo kept running and you lost track of him."

Yuzo looked the other way, his jaw tight as fresh tears slipped down his cheeks. "Is there a point to these questions?"

"Yes." She suddenly grabbed his face in a ruthless grip, forcing him to look at her again. "Who was hunting you and why did they not finish you off?"

Katara stepped forward in alarm. "Shizue, I don't think this is the best time to—"

"This is the only time!" Shizue looked down at him with hard eyes. "Now answer me, boy. Who was it? Why did they let you live?"

Yuzo glared at her.

"Answer me!"

Zuko tensed and glanced between the two, wondering if he should intervene.

"The Silencers didn't let me live," Yuzo finally gritted out through clenched teeth. "Shen was one of them. He slit my throat and left me to die. He wanted me to suffer."

Shizue went a bit pale. "Shen was hunting you?"

"He's my half-brother." Yuzo spat the word as if it were poison on his tongue. "Too bad for him I'm a strong self-healer."

She closed her eyes as if the weight of the world had just been placed on her shoulders, but she pulled herself together a second later and turned to Zuko. "Do what you want with this boy."

"What?" Yuzo let out an ugly laugh. "Not going to kill me?"

"There's no need." She stared down at him without emotion. "But if I were you, I would not leave this ship. You will be far safer here."

"I'm sure you'd like that. Then you can keep me under your eye, right?"

Shizue turned her back on him. "Think what you want."

She left without another word. Yuzo seemed to deflate now that Shizue was gone and just hung his head, clearly lost in his own grief. Wordlessly, Mai crossed over to him and began to remove the knives keeping him pinned.

"Let's give him some space," Suki murmured.

Katara and Sokka nodded and walked with her out of the hold. Mai soon joined them. Zuko was about to follow, but then he paused.

"If you do want to leave, there's an escape boat you can use," he said quietly. "No one will stop you."

Yuzo made a soft sound that might have been a humourless laugh. "Oh, sure. Offer me that now when it's too late to even do anything. Atsuo is gone."

Zuko repressed a wince. Saying sorry felt like an empty response, but he didn't know what else to say either.

The seconds dragged.

"Just go," Yuzo muttered, burying his face against his knees. "Leave me alone."

Zuko didn't linger.