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Weeks of searching, more weeks of life on Stacy, and Zuko still hadn't found who he was looking for.

He was getting plenty sick of tunnel-crawling, too, and closer to a Punishment than was probably smart. And he hated to think of how much time "missions" were going to take away from his search . . . but whether he lacked time or not, he still needed to train.

The scarred prince ran through his katas in the Sensoriums, a breeze cooling the sweat on his back and blowing away the heat from his flames as he practiced in an open-air dojo. They were basic katas. His uncle would have been proud -

Except, no. He really wouldn't. Zuko faltered in his stance, remembering the last time he'd seen his uncle - the dim prison, the quiet disapproval in his voice, and Zuko's fireblast went wide as he stumbled.

Shit. At least nobody was there to see, right . . .?

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He sighs.

"I've been here too long, and I still haven't found -"

He wonders how to phrase this. Doubtless the last thing Mai wants to talk about is Zuko's renewed chasing of the Avatar.

"Haven't found what? Zuko, I want to help you. Stop shoving me away like this. You know I can handle myself."

She folds her arms, lips pressed together into a thin line.

". . . the Avatar."

How's that sounding, Mai?

"He's somewhere on the ship. They've got him imprisoned. I need to find him, get him out, or -"

"The Avatar? Again?"

Mai tried to suppress a huff of annoyance, "...are you serious?"

HOnestly, she's not that happy. Stop being so obsessed, Zuko!

Great. This is about as awkward as he thought it would be.

"They have him held prisoner. I can't go back to the Fire Nation without him. Somebody has to stop my father."

She stood and stalked over to him, glaring, "Why is it always about the Fire Nation or your father or Azula or...? Ugh!"

She turned her back on him, arms folded as she muttered, half to herself, "You're the only person I have on this stupid ship. You're the only person I actually care about and you're trying to get yourself killed."

"I -"

Zuko pauses. He sighs, scratches the back of his head, groans.

"I'm not going to get myself killed." he reaches out to touch her on the shoulder, then draws his hand back. They really are all the other has, here.

"You're . . ." his world. More important than the Fire Nation. Safe and here, and not in danger of being killed, or harvested for power or . . . whatever it is this ship is doing to the Avatar.

"I promise, if it gets to the point where I'm this close to a Punishment -" he doesn't like the sound of those - "I'll stop. I'd never leave you."

He reaches out to touch her shoulder.

Mai's shoulders stay tensed for a moment as she listens to him. She didn't want to be angry with him. But every time he told her about how he had to do this for the Fire Nation or for the Avatar or to defeat his father... it just reminded her too much of the letter he'd left her. And perhaps, somewhere deep down inside, she was still afraid that he'd do it again.

She feels his hand on her shoulder and she hears his words and for a moment, a cool feeling of relief sweeps through her and the tension seems to drain out of her shoulders. She still isn't looking at him, though, "...I know."

She finally looks back, turning 'round, "And I'm not going to leave you. If you're going to face... whatever it is you're determined to face, I'm going to be there with you."

And therein lies the part where he DID leave her, once.

. . . he's learned his lesson, though! She's the girl for him, through thick and thin, under any circumstance, in any hardship.

He just . . . doesn't know how to tell her that.

"I . . ."

He takes her hand and squeezes it.

"I know."

That manages to get a small smile out of her and she returns the squeeze, "Just let me know before you run off to do something stupidly heroic."

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