Asuni looked up as someone knocked on the kitchen door, surprised.

"Come in?" she called curiously. Usually people just walked in if they wanted to talk or wanted something to eat.

The door opened and revealed a soldier standing there stiffly.

"Zhu, nice to see you," she greeted, lifting a ladle from the large pot in front of her. "Hey, can you taste tonight's soup and tell me what's missing? I can't quite put my finger on it." She blinked when she saw his serious face. "Is something wrong?" she asked unsurely.

"Prince Zuko has demanded your presence on deck," Zhu said sternly. Asuni stared.

"Uh… why?"

"You're just supposed to come," Zhu explained, stepping aside and gesturing for her to leave.

"Okay," Asuni nodded slowly, lowering the heat on the soup and wiping her hands off on a towel before stepping out of the kitchens into the corridor. Zhu walked behind her, his face uncharacteristically blank. "So this really is an order, huh?" she asked in amusement, trying to force a conversation. Zhu just nodded and she winced as awkward silence settled over them.

Asuni blinked as the sun hit her eyes. She blinked away dots and looked around. Iroh was playing pi sho against a crew member, a tea set out beside them. Zuko was standing by the railing, looking out of the sea.

"Prince Zuko," Zhu said, clearing his throat. Zuko turned to look at them.

"You're dismissed," he said to Zhu, eyes fixed on her. Asuni raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.

"Zhu said you wanted me to come?" she said uncertainly, not sure quite why he'd want her.

"If I'm going to have a Waterbender on my ship, I'm want to know what you're capable of," Zuko said. He took a few steps to the center of the deck and sank into a ready stance, raising his arms.

"You want to spar?" Asuni asked in shock. Zuko nodded wordlessly. He still hadn't looked away from her, and it was honestly starting to get a bit creepy.

Asuni was in a tough spot. She was supposed to be self-taught, and normal kitchen girls didn't have access to old scrolls of Waterbending techniques. If she pretended to be less powerful, she might limit what she was able to do if she got in a fight later on, when she'd just opened up the ability for her to use her bending.

This was her trump card. She now had the ability to bend if she got in a jam. Anything more and she would risk exposing herself as a member of the Royal Guard. She wanted to avoid that unless lives rested on her attacking at full strength.

She could always just go all out and say she was a prodigy. That was the only reasonable option. It was a small ship, Zuko would know if she had been practicing enough to suddenly get much better than she established herself as here and now.

It was too big of a risk to try and play down her abilities. Decision made, Asuni readied herself to fight.

"Okay," she said slowly, sinking down and pulling water from over the side of the ship to gather around her hands.

She'd barely taken her stance before Zuko attacked with a roar.

She'd seen him train before. She knew how he operated. Zuko was one of the many Firebenders who ran on rage. He used his anger to fuel his fire blasts, making them large and hot, but not very refined. They were just bursts of fire, directed, but not truly controlled.

Asuni's Waterbending, by contrast, was quite controlled. That was part of what she had learned surrounded by Firebenders. Never let your element get away from you. Respect its abilities, but do not fear it, and do not take it for granted. For her, water was an ally, not a tool. She knew that if she messed up, she could be drowned just as easily as the next person.

She'd trained against master Firebenders, and to her, Zuko's moves were almost painfully aggressive. There was no deception, not even the slightest inkling of any kind of trick. It was just brutal, pounding attacks designed to wear down any opponent he came up against.

For many, it would work fine. The average Firebender would be knocked on their rear within a few moves by the sheer ferocity. The problem was that the moment he came up against a master, he was finished. Those attacks were fine if your opponent couldn't keep up with them, but if they could, then the main advantage to a technique like that was gone.

Asuni catalogued all of this as she avoided his first volley of fire punches, diving away and rolling.

Asuni rolled up onto one knee and thrust her hands forwards, icing a long stripe of the deck. She pushed off with her back leg and skated along the ice towards Zuko. He swung a flaming fist at her. Fire peeled off the limb and swung towards her. Asuni leapt up and flipped over the line of fire and landed on hard metal. Her ice had been melted by the intense heat.

Water coiled over the railing at Asuni's command to replace the liquid Zuko had vaporized. He kicked at her, trying to distract her and keep her from getting more water, but Asuni merely sidestepped. She water swung up around her arm and hands.

Asuni's shoulders worked, her arms thrusting forwards like pistons. Icy darts shot from her fingers towards Zuko, a dozen a second. He flipped over the attack and his boots clicked against the metal as he landed.

He and Asuni both paused, taking a measure of the other. Zuko stood with flaming fists, Asuni with water coiled around her arms. Zuko was snarling, his chest heaving with pants brought on by both exertion and annoyance. Being that aggressive was tiring. Asuni, in contrast, was only breathing a bit faster and she looked completely calm. Her smooth, flowing motions maximized her attacks with a minimal amount of effort.

Asuni smiled slightly, and that triggered Zuko's next attack. With a roar he leapt into the air, legs working as he kicked fireballs at her head. Asuni dropped into a split as Zuko dropped towards her, his foot aimed for her face.

She swung her front leg out of the way so he wouldn't land on it and break it. Asuni leaned back so that she was lying on her rear leg to avoid the kick. Her arms came back, bracing her as she swung both legs around and tried to take his feet out from under him. He leapt over the attack and punched down.

Asuni rolled out of the way and shot to her feet, moving to the railing. Zuko followed her. Asuni suddenly dropped, sliding on the ground and under the railing. Water coiled out, attaching her hand to the rail. She spun in an arc around the metal bar and landed behind Zuko back on the deck

Zuko spun quickly, feeling the attack coming. The flames on his forearm reduced the water that jetted at his head to mist, clogging the air. For a moment, Asuni was just a dark silhouette. He could see her arms move and suddenly the air was clear, the mist collected around her hands.

Zuko punched, all of his annoyance – he hadn't expected her to be nearly this good – put into the blow. Asuni's eyes widened and she raised her arms, crossing them into an X in front of her and ducking her head. An ice shield met the fireball. It blacked the fire from her, but the force pushed her back across the deck, nearly to the opposite railing.

Asuni threw her arms out wide and the shield shattered, shards of ice flying in all directions. Zuko dropped under them and slid on the ground, popping back up once they'd passed. He kicked a line of fire at her.

Asuni leaned back, her leg and arms going parallel to the deck. Water trailed from her foot, blocking the fire. She gripped the railing and used her momentum to vault over it. Asuni arced through the air gracefully and dropped over the edge of the rail into the ocean.

Asuni smiled to herself as the water opened and then closed around her, encasing her in a bubble. She lingered briefly just to see Zuko run to the railing, his expression furious, before she shot across the underside of the boat.

Asuni shot from the water, shocking the entirety of the crew when she suddenly vaulted several stories out of the water and into the sky on the opposite side of the ship. Zuko punched, sending a stream of fireballs at her as she dropped.

Asuni twisted and writhed in midair, avoiding every single blast. She landed on a pillar of ice that rose out of the ocean under her. Her feet and hands flew into acrobatics, sending disks of ice flying for Zuko on the deck. He dodged and melted them frantically.

Soon the deck was strewn with shards of ice and water, and Asuni's tower had been greatly decreased in height. She leapt off of it, spun once, and landed on the ship's deck in a roll. Zuko raised a foot to kick out at her, but Asuni surged up. All the water that had been scattered across the deck suddenly formed up, heading straight for Zuko.

The water connected, Asuni working furiously to keep it spinning in the shape of an orb, holding him inside. She could see him trying to light his hands, to evaporate the water, but the liquid kept him from lighting himself.

Finally he hit on the answer, increasing his body head astronomically. The orb exploded into steam and Asuni dropped as a fireball heralded Zuko's freedom. She swept her leg across the deck and iced over Zuko's right leg.

He was just surprised enough that it distracted him for a moment and he glanced down to see what had happened. Asuni lunged off of the deck, essentially tackling him. He hit the ground hard under her, his leg freed at the last moment so that it wasn't injured. Asuni's fingers dragged along the water by Zuko's face and it collected around her fingertips in deadly points. She placed her hand around Zuko's neck, the points resting on either side and completely capable of severing an artery or just tearing his throat out.

For a scant second, Asuni stayed there, panting. She could feel Zuko doing the same under her, his sides expanding and contracting between her knees. She'd been in this position before, on top of both men and women in a killing hold during spars. Something about the way his golden eyes pierced her though, it made her feel like she was doing something wrong.

Strictly speaking she was. She'd just knocked her charge on his ass.

"Well done Asuni!"

The sound of clapping made her toss her messy hair out of her face and look up at Iroh. The crew had gathered around the relative safety of Iroh's table for the duration of the match and now they were watching her appreciatively, some of them looking like proud older brothers. A few cheered and whistled.

Asuni smiled. It had been a while since she'd won a spar, even before she came on the boat and she wasn't able to practice with others. Eiji, for all his issues with speaking to women, had no trouble knocking her onto her butt. He'd stopped going easy on her a few months ago and now it was a miracle if she could beat him.

"Get off of me!" Zuko snarled.

Asuni glanced down at him. She'd momentarily forgotten that she had an angry prince under her in the glow of victory. Quickly, Asuni rocked back onto her heels and got off of him. She bent down and extended her hand to help him up. Zuko knocked her hand away and got to his feet, scowling heavily.

"There's no way you're that good on your own!" he snapped. "Who's been teaching you?"

Asuni was the picture of wide-eyed innocence. "No one! I taught myself to fight."

Zuko sneered. "Right."

"Join me for a cup of jasmine tea and a game of pai sho!" Iroh called jovially. Asuni panted as she swept her hair back into a bun and looked at the older man. She gave Zuko a parting shake of her head and moved over to the retired General, who'd recently dispatched yet another pai sho opponent.

"I'll take you up on the game of pai sho," Asuni said breathlessly as she moved towards the small table where the General was seated. "But I don't particularly like jasmine tea."

"Not like jasmine tea!" Iroh exclaimed, sounding as horrified as if she'd just admitted to a fondness for animal sacrifice.

"I prefer fruity flavors," Asuni admitted as she took her seat and examined her pieces. "I particularly enjoy blueberry and pomegranate, but raspberry is my absolute favorite."

"I see," Iroh nodded. "A more feminine tea?"

Asuni raised her eyes to him, brows furrowing. "You know, I remember General Lo Shen ordering a pot of raspberry tea from the kitchen every few nights when he works late."

Iroh laughed. "Perhaps not so much then!"

Asuni smiled slightly. "Perhaps not." She placed down her first tile. Iroh cocked his head at the play.

"Interesting opening," he observed, and placed down another tile.

Asuni smiled slightly at the move.

Pai sho was a fascinating game with a rich history. But that history got even deeper and more interesting when one examined its significance to various secret societies. Its sheer age and the legend that it was created by spirits gave it an allure and made it common in societies for communicating various things. The White Lotus, Royal Guards, and others were known to have used it over the years.

Asuni's opening move was one that would have made very little sense to anyone who wasn't privy to the knowledge that it was used in secret societies. Likely they would have assumed she was a beginner making a random play, or perhaps seeking to confuse them.

To Iroh, her first move was the beginning of a sequence that could be spun in many ways depending on what you intended to say and which group's system you were using. It revealed to him two things.
One, that she knew he was a member of the White Lotus – which wasn't surprising, considering Lo Shen was too – and that she wanted him to know she wasn't to be underestimated. The codes were known to be tricky in many ways.

Iroh's first move could be taken one of two ways, Asuni noted with amusement. It could start the White Lotus identification sequence, or it could start the Royal Guards. She placed the next tile for the Royal Guards and Iroh's head cocked.

That wasn't a play he knew, and it was clear she was testing him. He cautiously placed down another tile and Asuni's had snapped forwards, making another play. Still, Iroh wasn't quite sure what she was doing. He laid down another tile and Asuni's hand snapped forwards.

One more tile down and it became clear. Iroh's eyes lit up as he recognized a vague beginning to the symbol of the Royal Guards, empty spaces left where he should have played had he known what was going on. He quickly filled in the first one, showing he understood.

"It was a good fight," Asuni said absently, entering a conversation filled with subtext. "The prince's style is very aggressive." Too aggressive.

"Indeed, but I wish he would focus on his basics a bit more." I know. "You handled him very well." I know you're capable of protecting him.

"I'm glad you think so. I tried my hardest." Thank you. I didn't fight my hardest.

"Really? I thought you seemed so confident." I know.

"I'd be more confident in the kitchen." I can use other styles.

"Shouldn't you be making dinner for the crew?" Zuko roared from where he was standing by the railing.

"Of course, my prince," Asuni said, inclining her head and rising. "Thank you for the game, General Iroh."

"No need to thank me, it was most enlightening."

"For you maybe," Asuni said wryly. "I believe I was about to lose." You're far better than me.

Asuni lay in her bed that night, thinking back over her fight. I taught myself to fight.

That was true. She was mostly self-taught. She just didn't mention that she had access to a library with a whole host of bending techniques, not just water. Cooks didn't have access to those kind of books. They were expensive. The only thing she'd been helped with in terms of Waterbending was healing, taught to her by an old woman who'd been taken in some of the first raids on the Water Tribes, who'd allied with the Fire Nation and became the personal healer of the Royal Guards.

She was one of a few who had done so back then. It was part of an initiative the Royal Guards implemented. They brought Waterbenders into the fold for their healing techniques and for their fighting style. A few had even settled down with Royal Guard members and had children. Hikari was one such child, but her family had inherited her grandfather's Firebending.

Aluki had come on her own many years after that. Her family was incredibly traditional, the closest thing the Northern Water Tribe had to religious leaders. They were very spiritually aware and that was part of what had attracted Lo Shen to her in the first place. Contrary to his rather violent reputation, anyone who knew him knew that he was far from unintelligent and was in fact very aware of the world around him and the spirit world beyond.

For the first time since she had come on board the ship months ago, Asuni got up and removed the scrolls from her cubby. With a flint and steel she lit a candle, placing it beside her bed. Asuni curled amongst her sheets and pillow and opened the first scroll.

This one was her favorite. It detailed one of her ancestors who had supposedly ventured into a forest in the north haunted by spirits and how he'd dealt with them. At the very top was an illustration of a man bundled up in dyed-blue animal skins, arms waving as water coiled around a looming spirit. Half of the water was gold, and so was half of the spirit. Supposedly, he had purified the spirits he came across and, in thanks, they allowed his spirit to join them in their world when he died.

True or not, she wasn't sure, but it made a nice bedtime story and Asuni could feel her eyes getting heavier as she read the last few lines. Her eyes drifted to a pair of scrolls sealed with wax, the edges tattered with age, but she made herself look away. Asuni rolled up the scroll and replaced it and its fellows in the cubby, shutting the door quietly.

She had just bent down to blow out the candle when she heard movement out in the kitchen. Asuni sighed, her breath making the candle flicker. She blew sharply, destroying the flame. She dragged her hand through the smoke, watching the grey coils as they moved through the darkness before she went to the door, pushing it open.

"My prince," she greeted.

Zuko was sitting at the table. His face was uncovered, as he'd taken to doing when he came down here, and it seemed a bit redder than usual. Asuni raised an eyebrow.

"Have you been rubbing it?" she guessed.

"I didn't come down here to listen to you," Zuko snapped, which Asuni took as conformation. "Just get me some of that plant stuff."

Asuni personally found that plant stuff to be rather uncalled for, considering how often he came down and asked for it, but she nevertheless retrieved her dagger and scooped out a blob onto a dish, mixing in a few oils before placing it on the table in front of Zuko. She turned back to the counter, intending to clean her knife, when a warm hand caught her wrist. Asuni flinched at the heat and turned to look at him.

"My prince?"

"There's no way you're self trained," Zuko said. He dipped two fingers from his free hand into the paste on the plate and swirled them around before bringing them up to the scar. Asuni watched, mildly curious. Despite the fact that he let her see the scar, he still got touchy when she watched him treating it.

"Well, I am," she shrugged. "I taught myself everything I know about fighting with Waterbending."

He glared at her. "You're lying."

"No, I'm not."

Zuko rose, his grip on her arm tightening. He took a large step forwards, forcing her back until she was pressed against the counter top. Asuni's eyes widened as he pinned her there, her captured wrist held between them. His eyes burned into her.

"Stop lying to me!" he snapped.

"I'm not!" Asuni shot back, leaning forwards until they were nose-to-nose. She saw in the slight widening of his eyes that she had succeeded in throwing him off guard. He had expected her to recoil, not get in his face. She also noticed him tilt his face slightly so that the burned half was farther from her.

"I have never lied to you," Asuni said shortly. "I do not lie about things that are important. I never told you I was a Waterbender because you never asked. When I say I taught myself how to fight with Waterbending, I meant it. I would never lie to you." She lowered her eyes, backing down. "After all, you're my prince."

Zuko examined her expression. Friendly as she usually seemed, it was almost like she was too friendly, trying too hard. Here and now, she was less… aggressive in her personality. Calmer and more assured of herself. She knew who she was, she knew who he was, and she knew her place. She wasn't pushing like she sometimes did, asking him questions about himself. She was just stating a fact.

And it was a fact, he begrudgingly admitted. He had yet to catch her in a lie. In silence, yes, but not in a lie. She played things close to the chest, closer than one might expect from someone who seemed so open. There was something about her personality that didn't quite make sense, didn't quite click. It was enough to make him uncertain, but not outright suspicious.

Zuko released her wrist and stepped back. "You're not lying," he said slowly.

"No, I'm not," Asuni said, shaking her head. She stayed in the position he'd put her in, leaning back slightly, arm raised, but now she was looking at him again. Blue eyes burned out of the darkness.

He watched as the fingers of her raised hand curled into a fist. For a brief moment, he thought she was going to try and hit him. Then she placed her fist under her straight palm and bowed deeply to him.

"I swear, Prince Zuko, I will never lie to you," Asuni said solemnly, eyes on the ground. Zuko's eyes widened. She was serious, it was easy to tell. She'd sworn to him her eternal honesty, and that was something he wasn't quite sure how to react to. No one had ever told him the whole truth, never. Not his mother, not his father, not even his uncle.

He licked his lips slowly and replied, "You'll regret it if you do."

Asuni's head raised and her eyes fixed on his. A lazy smirk flittered across her lips. "Of course."