"You keep your eyes down and don't say a word," Xan had his hand on fifteen year old zukos shoulder as the two went to a market where other pirates gathered.

He walked behind xan not afraid but followed his mentors instructions.

It's been two years since he's stepped foot on fire nation land, though he hasnt been on land often. He's joined the pirates as Lee, the only fire bender of the crew, but he was equal to them, no one knew him as other than a poor boy who was tried to be killed. Claiming to not remember his past but it was a simple lie that helped him move on. He trusted xan only.

Zuko peaked around him as xan stopped at a stand where there was antiques and weapons.

"Don't look if you won't buy brat," the merchant noticed the young teen staring curiously.

"He's my boy, you ought to treat him with more kindness," xan looked up at the merchant warningly as Zuko looked back down biting his lip.

"Sorry," he bit his tongue a little.

"Lee, go ahead and pick out a blade," xan nodded at him and looked the merchant in the eyes coldly.

Zuko could feel the tension but followed his captains orders. He moved forward and looked at the small knives or the larger daggers. He looked behind the merchant seeing swords hanging against the wall.

"What about the Dao blades?" He motioned curiously.

"Not for children," the merchant glared.

"Nor is the black market," he hissed at xan. Zuko rolled his eyes and dropped a bag on coins on the table.

"I can afford it, I can buy it, I'm not a child," Zuko glared at him darkly, leaning his hand on the table as it began to smoke slightly under his hand.

"Fire benders don't scare me," the merchant smirked.

"And ignorant bastards annoy the hell out of me, I'm a customer and willing to pay for an item, there wasn't a problem before you opened your mouth," Zuko sneered and lit the cloth on fire.

Xan smirked a little as they walked away.

"So what did you get?" Xan asked as the two walked out of earshot.

"What do you mean?" Zuko smirked a little as he showed him a dagger that had black leather and a silver blade with a black gem at the top.

"That's my boy!" Xan laughed loudly pulling Zuko close with a shake on the shoulder. The young teen sensed at the touch but didn't pull away.

He smiled a little to himself.

Xan heaved into a bucket as Zuko held his shoulder tightly as his mentor heaved and coughed harshly.

"Ugh this is absolute shit," Xan wiped his mouth and grabbed the cloth on his table to coughed harshly as blood splattered against the cloth.

"Deep breathes xan," Zuko told him pursing his lips a little and handed him water. Xan was about to reply but grabbed the bucket to hack up in.

The younger man flinched at sounds that seemed to be painful coming from the old man, he's been ill for months now. Zuko rubbed his back gently.

"Tomorrow we'll be at land, I'm going to find some herbs to see what will help, at the least help with the pain," Zuko told him as xan looked down at his lap.

"Thank you m'boy," he rasped and put his hand on zukos.

"Anytime captain," Zuko sighed a little and rubbed his back more feeling xan shivering.

"Do you need anything else? You hungry?" Zuko pursed his lips tightly.

"Bread or any carbs, it doesn't help when I can't keep it down," xan huffed as Zuko helped him lean back against the pillows.

"You got it," Zuko smiled at him as the old man patted his arm smiling back.

"You're a good lad," xan breathed.

"Just rest," the young man told him standing up.

"I'll be back soon," Zuko left his quarters to find food for his mentor while he saw mai sitting on the stairs filing her nails and looked up at Zuko seeing her boyfriend finally came out of his hermit shell.

"Wow look who it is," Mai rolled her eyes.

"I'm grabbing some food, want me to get you anything?" Zuko sat on the stairs next to her.

"No, it's just boring watching everyone," Mai groaned looking at him flatly.

"I wanna have fun," she smirked a little touching his thigh.

"Mai we cant right now," Zuko took her hand off him. "I'm busy,"

"Agni Lee, if this was all that being a pirate was about then I would've just stayed home," Mai sighed leaning back.

"Sorry it's not like the story's we read as kids, I have things to do," he kissed her forehead gently and got up to get the food for his mentor. Mai frowned rubbing her forehead a little as Zuko went below deck.

"Morning captain," ty lee walked past him with a smile.

"Why are you so chippy?" Zuko frowned a little at her.

"That Katara gal is such a character, I wish we had more people like her on the ship," ty lee twirled a little.

Zuko shook his head a little going to the pantry and grabbed two loafs of bread as he pulled the end off and ate a little himself as he passed Kataras cell. She was sleeping with her body close together and in the corner. He sighed and put one loaf of bread in the cell close as he could to her. The shuffling of the bread made her wake up with a start.

"What are you doing?" Katara glared seeing the captain.

"Breakfast," Zuko nodded at her.

"Oh.. okay," she grabbed the bread and sat in front of him.

"Can you tell me something about healers?" Zuko knelt down to her with a calm face.

"Depends," Katara ate some of her bread.

"Are you able to heal illnesses?" He asked quietly.

"If you got the flu I'm not healing you," Katara glared.

"No not me, hypothetically," Zuko nodded keeping his face straight.

"I'm not exactly sure, if it's in the immune system there's only so much I could do, but I don't know if I could heal," Katara explained thinking about it now.

"So who needs a doctor?" She asked quirking a brow.

"Hypothetically," he gritted his teeth a little.

"Hypothetically whoever is sick is probably going to die, and I hope it's slow if you care about them," Katara spat back and Zuko didn't flinch but got up silently and left her alone.

He walked back to his quarters ignoring mai and anyone that tried to talk to him. He thought about what she said. If a healer couldn't save xan...

He locked the door behind him of his personal quarters and stared at the wooden door that held xan in his own room. Zuko pursed his lips with his hand on the door.

"Fuck.." he whispered pulling his hand into a fist closing his eyes. Xan wasn't old, he was but he was only in his late 50's, it wasn't his time yet but he caught some sort of illness no one has been able to identify in the two months he's had it. It wasn't his time.

Zuko put his hand over his eyes frustratedly, he didn't know what to do, he's only been captain for two years so xan could live with less stress, maybe one day finding a place where he could retire peacefully. It's all Zuko could owe him. He owed him his life, to take him in, to give him a second chance at life.

To keep him alive.

To be a father.

"Fuck," Zuko rasped again feeling his eyes burn but he refused to cry. He wasn't weak.

"Ty lee how's it looking?!" Zuko called above as xan steered the ship behind him while Zuko lead the crew before the sailed towards land.

"Land is in sight but so are fire nation ships!" Ty lee called back down below.

"Xan keep her steady," Zuko jogged up the stairs to the wheel as his mentor looked a little out of it, maybe even paler.

"Aye aye captain," xan smirked at him but coughed a little harshly into his arm.

"You okay?" Zuko raised his brow curiously, sweat was forming on the old mans brow.

"Fine as bourbon, ships running smoothly," xan smiled back at him, ignoring the feeling of dizziness. His ears hurt and his lungs ached.

"It's hot today, take it easy sir," Zuko told him gently as xan scoffed. "Yea when it's hot like this we drink when it gets cold," xan waved him off.

"You worry like a woman," he smirked and Zuko rolled his eyes heading back down to the deck.

He suddenly heard a thud behind him and saw xan collapsed behind him. Fear piercing his heart as he sprinted back up to him.

"Xan?! Hey you old bastard! Wake up," Zuko slid on his knees to him seeing xan was unconscious now, shaking a little.

"Xan! Wake up!" Zuko screamed as the crew paused shocked seeing the two.

"Someone get some water! Hurry!" Zuko screamed at them wide eyes.

"Xan please!"