Yanmei

Chapter 5.2: Night

"Ah, there you are, Yani. I've been looking all over for you," Zuko said in a hushed, hurried tone, shutting his bedroom door quietly behind him. I turned to face him; of course I was here, in his bedroom. I glanced out the small port window behind me and saw stars. Where else would I be at this time of night?

"Is everything alright?" I asked as Zuko took a step closer to me. He nodded.

"There was something I wanted to ask you, that's all," he reassured, a bit less frantic this time. "Is Eiji gone?"

"Y-yes," I stammered as Zuko got closer. As he took another step forward, I took one back. Zuko stopped and looked at me from across the room, not even trying to hide the obvious sadness written all over his face. Suddenly I felt a pang of guilt for stepping back and I sighed. "My prince… Maybe you should go to bed. You seem tired…"

"You're going to sleep already?" Zuko gasped, too surprised.

"Yes…" I answered him cautiously. "Why shouldn't I? Is there something else I should be doing…?"

"Come here," he ordered and I shrugged, following command and prancing to him like an obedient puppy.

"What's wrong?" I asked again.

"Nothing," Zuko smiled, his scar crinkling up on the corner of his eye. Had his scar always been on that side? "I'm just really happy," he continued. "I missed you today."

Today? Where had I been today? Suddenly I couldn't remember that day, or any day really. Instead they were all a gray mass of nothing floating around in my head.

Zuko took my hand and held it in both of his. He was so warm as he stepped even closer to me and pressed his body against mine.

"No!" I gasped, sitting up and drawing my knees to my chest. Next to me, Zuko was up in an instant, shooting a small fireball across the room.

"Yani!" He shouted, his eyes searching his bedroom wildly. After a few quiet seconds we both managed to calm down and fully wake up. Zuko slumped back against the wall and moaned. "Why did you yell?"

I tried so hard to say sorry, to apologize for waking him up, but when I opened my mouth no words came out. Instead, just gasps and squeaks.

"Y-yani… What's wrong?" Zuko leaned forward and brushed his hand against my cheek in the darkness. "You're crying? Wh-why?"

I shrugged and then realized Zuko couldn't see me, so I cleared my throat and tried to speak. "Dunno."

A few minutes went by and eventually I managed to stop the tears. Zuko watched me from against the wall in silence. He was always so useless whenever I was crying.

"Zuko," I said quietly, "I need to get off of this boat."

"No," He answered me almost instantly and I shook my head.

"Please, listen. I need just… Just a day or two okay? That's not so much is it?"

He was quiet and I could tell he didn't approve. "Where would you go," he asked.

"Eiji told me about the Southern Water Tribe," I confessed. "I want to stay there.

"Absolutely not, Yanmei. No."

He continued to protest and refuse but I argued louder and louder. I WOULD be heard. "I can pose as an Earth Kingdom citizen who was shipwrecked or something and I'll stay in the Water Tribe for just one or two days and I will—Zuko!"

He stopped arguing and listened.

"Maybe," I tried, "this could even benefit you. I know how we've made these people our enemies. If there was any word of the avatar living in this tribe, there's no way they'd tell you. But maybe… Maybe if I was posing as someone other than an enemy, I could conduct some research, learn what they know…"

He didn't like it. He REALLY didn't like it. But at the same time I knew he couldn't refuse, just like I knew this was my one chance to step on solid ground for a while. It had been so long since I had left the ship, and I think I was starting to lose it a little.

"You… can't…" Zuko whined.

"Why not."

"You just… can't. What if something happens to you, Yani?" He was quiet for a moment before adding softly, "What will I do."

I leaned toward him and placed a hand on each cheek. His scar was warm under my fingers.

"You need to trust me, nothing will happen, Zuko. I promise."

Even in the darkness I could see his eyes staring at me. "You've already made up your mind, haven't you?" He sighed. "Okay."

"Thank you!" I shouted, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him into me. He struggled a bit but I hardly noticed. "Thank you, thank you, THANK you, Zuko!" I cheered and bounced up and down, and Zuko tugged at my nightgown. As he pulled himself away from my grasp I quickly kissed him on the cheek.

"D-don't do that!" He pushed himself back against the wall and slapped his hand to his cheek. "D-don't! You can't j-just! Y-you kissed—!" I just smiled and the prince pouted and threw himself down onto the bed. "Whatever, I'm going back to sleep. J-just stay on your half of the bed, Yani."

"Okay, Prince," I said, still excited. I had never been to a water tribe before. I lied down next to Zuko, still smiling, but after a few seconds he sat up again and crawled to the foot of the bed.

"A-actually, I'm gonna… I'll be on the floor okay."

I shrugged. "Okay, Prince."

Once he was off of the bed, Zuko was very quiet, only making the slightest noises every now and then. I'm not sure how much longer he was awake, but I fell asleep soon after he left, a smile permanently stuck on my face.