The Way Things Are...

One

Zuko lightly smiled. This had to have been the first time in his life he felt... content.

A mighty fire crackled powerfullyas its light reflected onto the faces of four single individuals. The faces of the four were all now friends, more like family now. They all nowfaced the troubles of their traveling with one goal in mind...

...to defeat Ozai.

The firebender smiled as he glanced to each of the faces that the firelight shown upon. A joyous laugh was expressed from his aging uncle- his uncle was the only one who remained with him, good or bad. He endured backbreaking journeys and tasks that would have brought any mortal to an early death... except for the uncle of the particular teen.

A smile graced the lips of the young firebender... now formally known as Junior- or Li- whatever kept people from becoming curious. But the name we all are familiar with... is Prince Zuko.

Another laugh erupted from the lips of a boy, just reaching his teenage years. His blue tattoos were visible with the amber glowing light. Arrows they were in the shape of, as they lined perfectly in the middle of his scalp and arms. His eyes were shut tightly as his hands gripped his own stomach- a deeper laughter emerged from his lips as his voice cracked again.

This time all around the roaring campfire burst into fits of laughter.

A deeper laugh came from the lips of another teen. He was over protective... and he was very much letting his guard down to the observing of the firebender. The teen was of a different race of people from Zuko as the young boy with arrows. This particular guy was... well... as was stated, over protective. Not only over protective in a snooty way as well as nosy... he was overly protective of his SISTER.

The firebender's eyes shifted to the girl. She was a looker... younger than he one would admit... but gorgeous in her own unique way. She continued to laugh loudly as her brother was. Even in such a darken state... he could clearly pick out her distinct features... he could with all of them now.

He ran a hand over his head; thick locks of black hair were shifted out of placed as his fingers scratched his covered scalp. He smiled. He liked having his full head of hair once again... even if it only came down to his shoulders.

A snort was heard from the group of laughing friends.

Zuko noticed, from the corner of his unscarred eye, that the waterbender- Katara- had her hands to her lips, her face becoming a bright red from embarrassment.

The laughter roared even louder than before. Even Zuko couldn't stifle a chuckle as he felt his body shaking from hilarity.

Yes.

This was how life was to be. Sitting around a fire in the dark with friends and family around too talk about good and bad times with the occasional laughing cession every once in a while; things were still completely stressful... now that the comet was in arms reach...

Aang fell over to the side as he held his sides tighter from laughter. His face lied on the dirt ground as his clothes became dusty from the dried mud and dead leaves.

The other teen boy of the water tribe, Sokka, was also laughing- if not harder than everyone else. The firebender couldn't help laughing harder as the stream of saliva was noticed drooping from the lips of the teen.

Iroh- the uncle of the teen firebender was also in a fit of hilarity as he leaned his back up against a tree for support. Tears were now streaming down the eyes of the older man, nevertheless were wiped away as he continued his fit of laughter.

The girl had also started her fit of giggles as she held her hands to her lips. Her eyes were closed as the joy was expressed though her like the shining sun. It was so visible even with the embarrassment exiting her pores though her reddened skin.

Of course, the prince of the Fire Nation was the first to be composed. It was a good laugh, and it felt good that he could participate in such actions... compared to when he was at home...

His amber orbs darkened. He never wanted to see that place again. Not now, not ever. His sister could keep the throne. All he wanted was...

"Why the blank stare Zuko?" asked a deeper voice as it cracked again.

A grin broke from the lips of Zuko as he rubbed the baldhead of the Avatar. "Just a bit tired Aang. Wedid have a long day."

"You can say that again nephew!" stated the uncle of the prince as he flattened out the sleeping bag he unrolled only moments before. "And we have a long day ahead of us too!" The old man plopped onto the portable bedding, "I'm pooped!"

"I didn't think so many Fire Nation soldiers would be after us," stated Katara. Her hands began unweaving the braid, which tied her hair together. "Nevertheless know us by our names."

Sokka scoffed, "We've been on the run for months now! Of course they would know who we are! We've encountered them so many times... that I can't tell how... how..."

"Lucky we are?" suggested Aang.

"Not lucky Aang," commented Katara with a small smile, her hair undone and tumbling down her back in waves, "Blessed. We are blessed that we have such a diverse team to help us through these struggles." She crawled into her warm sleeping bag, "With every encounter we have with death we become stronger as a group, and we become more dependant on each other-" She closed her eyes as she lay her head on her rolled up coat. "Teamwork! That's the word I'm looking for."

Aang lightly chuckled. "It's so strange how fate bringspeople like us together. We're completely unstoppable if we support each other- I don't think the Fire Nation soldiers have realized that yet."

"Almost as if," interjected Sokka as he took the tie from his hair letting it down, "we were a family working together."

"A family," muttered Iroh as he rubbed his beard, "That is so true Sokka. I never truly thought of it in such a way."

Aang smiled as he closed his eyes, "A wonderful feeling it is too... Goodnight everyone."

Such words similar were spoken to each other as many drifted into the land of slumber.

The firebending prince stretched his tired arms before unrolling his sleeping bag. Everyone else had already started snuggling into his or her blankets. It had started becoming habit- Zuko would always be the last to go to sleep... always the first to wake at sunrise. And now that the cold season was coming forth once more in the Earth Nation territory...

A breeze blew through the trees and howled deeply as the leaves rustled from their place of sleep.

The firebending prince shivered when he felt the coldness of the wind as it teased his warm exposed flesh. His clothing had become minimal- and his shirt was currently drying on the limb of a tree. Zuko's exposed arms and chest were nothing new, however. All the men had to face this today. It was Katara's day for cleaning clothes, thanks to the fresh water stream that was stumbled upon by chance.

To avoid such rigid conditions, the teen prince began to crawl into the bedding before snuggling into his pile of blankets and coverings. It wasn't the most attractive things, nor did they smell like fresh picked roses. No, for the time and in the conditions they faced such things needs to be faced and lived.

His amber eyes glanced up to the sphere in the sky as the rustling of blankets died to nothing. The silver glow of the moon was also reflecting in the eyes of the young prince, as were the flames of the fire. The moon... he never truly enjoyed it... until now. He made sure the covers and furs were covering his entire body as the winds howled again in the night.

His eyes then noticed a small flicker. Zukowatched the fire as it slowly began to die down.

All was well.

The gently sway of the leaves and light chirping of crickets caught his ear.

Zuko smiled again as he drifted to sleep.

All was very good...

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AN: Please Review.