*pokes head out* Anybody there? *steps onto stage*

So... hey guys. It's been a while. I swear, I wasn't just putting this off... okay I was a little, but for reasons. A thing happened in my life recently. I started my freshman year of college. Yeah. So that's been a thing that I've been trying to figure out and I've got a handle on it now, so updates should go back to being twice a week, barring unforseen circumstances.

Now, as to the reason I say I was putting this off. I wasn't quite sure if I wanted some Asuni and Zuko on Zhao's ship or to go ahead and get them to the North Pole. I finally decided to have a little time with them on the ship and... Things got out of hand. You'll see what I mean when you read the chapter. I wasn't expecting much to happen in this chapter, to be honest, but Asuni and Zuko both decided to have a couple of revelations, so... yeah.

Oh, and the poll for my next story is up on my profile. I'm thinking of doing a Legend of Korra story finally, and it will feature a Royal Guards character too! Probably Asuni's as-yet-unnamed granddaughter. The poll is to decide the pairing, either TahnoXOC or DesnaXOC. I picked those two because one, I think I could write them okay, and two, they both need a little love in my opinion.

So, without further ado, here's the long awaited twenty-second (!) chapter. See you next time in the siege!

Asuni scrambled for the candle. In the dark she fumbled with the flint and steel, clumsily striking it. A few weak sparks fell, but didn't hit the wick. A tiny fireball shot past her and hit the wick, lighting the candle. Asuni whipped around, and sure enough, standing in the middle of her room, was Zuko.

"My prince!" she gasped when she saw his face.

It was Zuko, but he was injured. His clothes were slightly charred and his face was bruised, burned, and cut. Asuni hurried to his side, reaching up without thought to flutter her fingers over the burn on the left side of his jaw and the cut across the bridge of his nose.

"What happened?" she gaped, reaching behind her. Water curled out of the basin on her dresser and wrapped around her hand like a glove. The water glowed as she placed it over his cheek, healing what she could. Zuko's eyes closed and he let out a pleased sigh as the burn on his jaw began to heal. He grabbed her wrist, pressing the cooling liquid closer to the burns like an ice pack. Asuni tried hard not to blush.

"There was an explosion," Zuko explained. A hint of a growl entered his voice as he added, "It was those pirates."

"The pirates?" Asuni said in shock. They hadn't seen or heard anything about those pirates ever since they left them bobbing down the river after the necklace incident. "What makes you say that? Did you see them setting the charge?"

"No, but I saw that damned reptile bird of the captain," Zuko snarled, squeezing her wrist tighter, tight enough to hurt. Asuni winced and gently moved her hand. Zuko seemed to catch the message, slackening his grip enough for her to move on to a deep cut across the bridge of his nose.

Inside she was boiling with rage. Pirate filth, thinking they could kill the Fire Prince? On her watch? How dare they? How dare anyone try and hurt her prince?

And perhaps that was the problem. In her mind, Zuko had someone become hers to care for even though she'd been pulled from her assignment. She still wanted to shield him from anything she could and rip apart anyone who dared to try and hurt him. But she hadn't been able to this time, and that absolutely killed her.

So, those pirates would pay.

"How did you get in here?" Asuni asked, voice clipped.

"Uncle was going for a walk," Zuko said, frowning slightly at her shift in tone. When he looked down at her, Asuni's face was absolutely furious, eyes slitted with rage and concentration in equal measure as she healed his wounds. "He pulled me out of the water and smuggled me aboard. He directed me to your room. The guard was asleep, so I-"

"Asleep?" Asuni said dangerously. "Hold on." She lowered her hand from his half-healed face and strode to the door, poking her head out. Sure enough, Zamin was snoring lightly against the wall, dead to the world. Asuni bared her teeth in a silent snarl and lashed her hand forwards. The water around her fingers snapped up, slapping Zamin across the face. He came awake with a small yelp of surprise and looked around blearily for the source of the hit. His eyes landed on Asuni standing with her arms crossed and her foot tapping irritably. Zamin's face fell.

"Oh shi-"

Asuni seized his arm and yanked him into the room, slamming the door behind her. Zamin staggered and quickly caught himself, looking around. He saw Zuko, face still scratched and bruised, standing in a corner and scowling.

"Oh shi-"

"Exactly," Asuni said, returning to Zuko's side and continuing to heal him. She tilted her head so that she could glare at Zamin while she worked. "As you can see, we've got a stowaway. One who got past you," she added dangerously.

Zamin winced, curling in on himself. "Yeah, uh… about that…"

"So here's what you're going to do to make up for it," Asuni said, talking over him, her eyes narrowed. "You're going to send a letter to the General apprising him of our situation. You are going to find the prince a disguise so that he can remain aboard safely. A set of armor with a helmet would be ideal. You will also find a place for him to sleep. Not in the bunks, Zhao's men are smart enough to realize if they suddenly don't have enough bunks."

As she talked, her brain churned out more of a plan, training kicking in as she cycled through options and tried to make the best of the situation. "Finally, you are going to put out a hit on a group of pirates. The captain has a pet reptile bird and the first mate is named Oh. I want them dead as quickly as possible. And if you can do that, then I don't see why the General would need to know about your little slip when you were supposed to be protecting me. Then you can report back to me on the status of all of this in the morning. Understand?" Asuni finished tartly.

Zamin sagged in relief. "Ah, right… Thanks Lieutenant. Thank you… I'll do that right away…"

Zamin dropped quickly into a kneeling bow, sprang back up, and hustled from the room.

Asuni turned back to Zuko, only to see him staring down at her in surprise. He gripped her wrist once more.

"You're going to kill them?" he asked in surprise.

"Not me personally," Asuni said with a shrug. "But the Royal Guards are, yes."

"But-"

"They threatened you, my prince," Asuni said seriously. "They threatened you, but far worse than that, they actually hurt you." She ground her teeth together in anger as the cut over his eyebrow finally healed. Asuni turned her attention to his black eye. "No one is allowed to do that. Not while I'm around."

Zuko's visible eye was wide and he was staring at her in muted surprise. Asuni shifted under his stare.

"What?" she asked a little snappishly.

"You really are a Royal Guard," he murmured. "I don't know… I guess it just hadn't sunk in until now. And a lieutenant," he added, looking at her with a new respect. Asuni flushed in pride.

"Yes, well… I had excellent mentors throughout my training and I was always a favorite of the General. You're healed," she added, stepping back and pulling her hand to her chest. "You can take the bed," she added, nodding to the bunk on the wall. Zuko's eyes widened.

"Um… what?"

"It'll be suspicious if someone sees you creeping through the halls this late. Tomorrow morning Zamin will have your disguise here and you'll simply slip into the crew as another solider. But for tonight…" Asuni shrugged. "You've been blown up, my prince. You deserve some sleep."

"Zuko."

"What?"

"We agreed." Zuko's eyes were doing that completely unfair thing where they fairly glowed with intensity and it was making her stomach flop and her heart hurt. "When it's just us, you can call me Zuko."

Asuko nodded. "We did, didn't we? It's been a busy day," she mused. Her smile was hesitant as she added, "Alright, Zuko."

It felt off to have his name roll off her tongue without his title in front of it. It made the whole conversation seem suddenly more intimate. Asuni watched Zuko carefully for some sign that he didn't like it, that he regretted allowing her to drop formality between them. Instead of flinching and blinking, his eyes burned hotter.

The fact that the flickering candlelight was doing some truly amazing thing for his bone structure was also completely unfair.

Zuko was observing Asuni just as keenly as she was observing him. He could see the hesitation in her eyes, but it was undercut by a quiet confidence that hadn't been as present when she was on his ship. There the cook was a brash, loud, friendly kind of confident. Here, just the two of them, Asuni was a member of the Royal Guard, with all the knowledge that came with that, and she carried herself with the dignity and self-assuredness one would expect.

For the sake of her cardiac health Asuni turned away and set to plumping the pillow on her bunk. She crouched down, crawling under the bunk and opening her bag, intending to draw out her cloak and a wadded up shawl to serve as a blanket and pillow. Zuko, who was now being given a first-rate view of her pert rear, quickly averted his eyes.

"You can keep the bed, I don't mind the floor."

Asuni emerged from under the bunk with her belongings in her arms. She straightened up, smirked slightly, and said, "And what makes you think I'm going to allow you to sleep on the floor?"

With that she moved over to a corner of the room and laid down, flapping the cloak once and letting it settle over her legs. She tucked the shawl under her head and laid back, adjusting it slightly.

"Goodnight, Zuko," Asuni said, and closer her eyes.

Shaking his head, Zuko returned her wishes and slid into her bed. With a flick of his wrist the candle was snuffed and the room fell back into darkness.

Both occupants of the room instant stiffened.

The moment the lights went out, Zuko found himself with very few senses left to him, and they all seemed to speak of Asuni. He could dimly make out the shape of her in the corner, breasts rising and falling. He could hear the sound of her breaths, a peaceful counterpoint to the waves lapping at the ship. The pillow and sheets even smelled of her, the distinctive scent of herbs and metal that seemed to cling to her no matter what. It was a sharp, clean sort of smell.

He was suddenly drowning in her presence. It reminded him almost painfully of the fact that he was alone with a girl in her room at night. The years of etiquette classes brought a blush to his face while his hormones reminded him of that view of Asuni's rear.

It didn't help that she was pretty. More than pretty, really beautiful. Her dusty skin made her blue eyes stand out strikingly and her hair was dark and thick and looked so very soft. His mind drifted through images, imagining plunging his hands into it, pulling her closer, slanting his mouth over her, tongues brushing together…

Zuko's eyes snapped open as he slammed a lid on those thoughts. It had been a long time since he'd considered a girl that way, and Asuni probably wasn't the best way to break that streak. Not only did he respect her more than that, but she was a trained soldier and, much as it rankled to admit, she could probably take him apart if she ever found out he'd thought those kinds of things about her.

Besides, he reminded himself forcefully as he brought the heel of his palm up to massage his temple, the Royal Guards were almost painfully structured, they probably had rules about that sort of thing.

That movement made Asuni tense to the point of shaking muscles as she lay in her corner, wondering how she was going to survive the night. Her eyes were slit, just barely open, but it was enough to see the prince's face dimly illuminated by a shaft of moonlight. His pale skin seemed to glow.

It made her ache to be here like this. To guard someone while they slept was an ultimate display of trust in her mind. To make oneself completely vulnerable and place your safety entirely in the hands of another. It affected her deeply to know that the prince trusted her enough to allow her to guard him while she slept. That coupled with the small portion of his face she could see, brought all those horribly wonderful feelings she'd been trying to quash spiraling to the surface of her mind.

Her lips framed his name, marveling at how wonderful it felt to be able to do so. With a smile, Asuni allowed herself to relax slightly and, against her better judgment, she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning Zuko woke with the rising sun. He blinked for a moment, trying to figure out why his bed was facing a different direction than usual. It came back to him in a rush. The explosion, his uncle smuggling his aboard, creeping in Asuni's room, her healing him…

His eyes slanted towards the corner and he was actually startled to see Asuni lying there on her back, totally asleep. For the first time he witnessed her totally relaxed. The lingering stiffness of her shoulders was gone, her lead lolling to the side to rest on her right shoulder, facing him. One of her hands rested on the floor by her face, fingers curled delicately, the other arm slung across her stomach. Her hair spilled across the shawl and the floor.

Not quite sure what else he was supposed to do, Zuko slipped from the sheets and paced towards Asuni, crouching down next to her. His hand reached out hesitantly towards her shoulder to shake her awake. His mind decided to remind him of the gambol it had taken down a dangerous path the night before, urging him to stroke a strand of hair falling across her throat. He shook off the urge quickly and with extreme prejudice.

There was a sudden knock on the door. Asuni's eyes snapped open, widening as she saw Zuko crouching next to her, hand outstretched.

"You were asleep," he said dumbly.

"I was," she agreed, mouth open in a slight O.

"I was waking you up."

Her eyes lingered on his hand. "I see that."

There was another knock at the door.

"That's Zamin," Asuni whispered. Zuko hastily rocked to his feet and took a few steps away from her, busying himself with looking determinedly out of the porthole. Asuni threw her cloak off of her and padded towards the door. She opened it slowly at first, peeking out to make sure Zamin was alone, and then tugged him inside roughly. The armor in his arms clanked as he struggled to keep a hold on it, gratefully depositing the pieces onto Asuni's floor.

"What have you got for me, Zamin?" Asuni asked shortly, remembering that he was technically being punished.

"I found the armor you requested," he rattled off. "The letter has been sent, and we should hear back soon on who has accepted the mission. I found a storage closet about midway between your room Lieutenant and General Iroh's. There is a corner behind some crates that is completely concealed. I have cleaned it and left a blanket and pillow and a few clothes there for the prince's use. I've also informed Iroh of where his nephew will be hidden."

Asuni nodded, pleased that Zamin had taken that extra initiative. Then again, he was facing a report of leaving the General's daughter unguarded while he slept if she wasn't satisfied, so it wasn't altogether surprising.

"Well done," Asuni said, nodding. She added a slight smile to let Zamin know he was off the hook. "You may go now."

"Thanks, Lieutenant," Zamin said, looking deeply relieved as her bowed and left the room.

"That's one thing solved," Asuni said, rubbing her forehead as she ticked a box on her mental to-do list. It was still painfully long and she was feeling a burning need for tea. She sighed and turned towards the bed. "Only about a dozen more to so-olve!"

Asuni yelped and whipped around, hands clapped over her eyes.

"Sorry," Zuko said hastily. "I just, we can't leave the room, so I thought… while your back was turned…"

"Warn a girl!" Asuni barked, torn between storing the image of a shirtless Zuko sliding off his pants in her memory forever or scrubbing it out with bleach for the sake of decency. Deciding her mind was her own business, Asuni gave a secretive little smirk to the wall and committed the sight to memory.

"I'm, er, dressed," Zuko said awkwardly. Asuni turned, cheeks still slightly pink. Zuko was dressed in the standard issue dark shirt and pants, the armor still arrayed on the bed. Asuni nodded in satisfaction and moved towards the armor, picking up the chest piece.

It was becoming a habit for them, she mused, as she approached Zuko with his armor in hand, and one she didn't exactly mind. It gave her an excuse to be close to him, to touch him, without breaching decorum since it was technically a servant's job.

"What did you mean by a couple dozen more problems?" Zuko asked as Asuni buckled the chest piece into place. There was a pause as she scrubbed a bit of dirt off with her cuff before she answered.

"We're going to the North Pole. The Avatar is going to the North Pole," Asuni said softly. "I'm assuming you'll be going after him?"

"Of course," was the immediate and anticipated answer. Asuni nodded, picking up a vambrace and turning it over in her hands before approaching Zuko again.

"Then there's the problem of how we're going to get off the ship and into the city, then how we'll get back to the Fire Nation. You can hardly smuggle the Avatar back onto Zhao's ship with you. And then there's-"

"Wait, we?" Zuko cut her off. "You're coming with me?"

Asuni raised her eyebrows. "Did you think I would let you walk into an active war zone alone?" she asked, horrified by the very idea. "Agni, no. I'm coming with you."

And it was a torturous idea. She'd be breaking about a dozen orders doing so. She was not supposed to help capture the Avatar. Aang needed to be free, needed to be there to guide the Fire Nation out of the war. But she'd be doing it. For Zuko.

She had been ordered to remain on Zhao's ship, as his – perceived – prisoner until they docked in the Fire Nation. Then she would go before a council where her actions would be discussed. She would be leaving the relative safety of the ship for an active battle zone and then essentially hitch hiking her way back to the Fire Nation with the prince in tow. But she'd be doing it. For Zuko.

In fact, she'd even broken her orders to keep the prince safe, Asuni realized with a twist in her gut. He'd come into her room the night before after surviving an explosion, and she'd been safely lying in bed reading. But she'd be damned if it happened again.

She was disobeyed all sort of orders because, she realized, with a small inhalation of horror, it wasn't just some silly crush that could be solved by denying it. Respect for the prince had turned into a friendship, into a crush, and now, finally, she was realizing with no small amount of grief that she loved him.

Asuni's eyes filled with tears and she turned away to fetch the next piece of armor, hoping to buy herself some time to gather herself.

"What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" Asuni asked, forcing her voice not to tremble as she busied herself with scrubbing a 'spot of dirt' on the metal with her cuff.

A hot hand caught her arm and turned her around swiftly to face him. Asuni thanked the spirits that none of the tears had actually fallen yet. Zuko's eyes widened in shock as he saw them lingering in her eyes though.

"What's wrong?" he repeated, now sounding genuinely concerned. "I don't… What's wrong?"

That seemed to be all he could ask, and if it were any other situation, Asuni would have laughed, instead she was running through the answer to that in her head.

I love you. I love you but it doesn't matter because it can never happen. You don't feel anything but friendship for me. I am your guard, not a princess or a nobleman's daughter. I can't have you, and I can't breathe for the thought of it.

"I'm disobeying orders," Asuni said thickly. "I'm disobeying orders by staying with you, I've never done that before."

Immediately Zuko shook his head. "You don't have to, I'll go in alone-"

"No," Asuni cut him off. No way. She smiled slightly. "I was ordered to defend you, my prince. That order was never rescinded. So I'm disobeying orders… but I'm also not, you understand?"

Zuko nodded, still looking vaguely unsure. "I see," he said slowly.

"I'll be fine," Asuni assured him, even though she wasn't entirely sure that would be true. "Now, the rest of your armor."