Kit was in a forest.

This information didn't alarm her, as she'd been in plenty of forests before. What did alarm her, however, was the muffled sound a male shouting through the trees a few feet to her right.

She stood from where she'd been dozing against the trunk of a nearby tree and crept closer to the shouting.

In hindsight, this decision could've ended very badly.

She saw a girl walk toward the clearing and heard a startled shout. The small girl limped back out, brushing quickly past her. That was quick.

Kit looked at her curiously and her eyes widened. Why are her feet burned?

Before she could ask if she was okay, the girl had disappeared through the trees.

I'll have to find her later to see if she's alright.

Kit turned to see a teenaged boy with messy hair and a scar covering his right eye. He looks familiar...

He shouted. "WHY AM I SO BAD AT BEING GOOD?!"

She stepped forward curiously. "You probably haven't practiced enough. Why are you yelling at that poor badgerfrog?"

He jumped and sent a ball of fire toward her head. "GAH!"

Kit ducked and let the flames dissipate. She straightened and put her hands on her hips. "Hey, buddy, watch where you aim that thing! Did you just burn that small girl's feet a second ago? How dare you? Think before you act!"

He took a deep breath and stared at her. "Who are you?"

"Kit." She walked over and sat across from where he was standing.

He stared.

She tilted her head and made a vague gesture. "Well?"

He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, staring at her wearily. "'Well' what?"

She sighed. "Well, are you gonna tell me what's bothering you, or are we just gonna stare at each other awkwardly all night?"

He squinted at her and stayed standing, widening his stance slightly. "I don't even know you!"

She shrugged and flipped her braid over her shoulder. "Sure you do. I'm Kit." There was a pause. She smiled at him patiently. "... And you are?"

He snorted, rolled his eyes, and gestured to his huge face scar around his eye as if that would be answer enough. She furrowed her brow. "Your name is... Eye Scar?"

His eyes widened. "What? No!"

She tilted her head. "Face Burn?"

He slumped and sat down, looking very confused. "You're wearing Fire Nation clothing, yet you don't know who I am?"

Kit looked down at her red outfit. She picked at the hem of the top, which was a bit too cropped for her liking. "Oh, this? Nah. I'm not Fire Nation." She leaned in with her hand cupping her mouth. "Between you and me, that entire family's basically psycho." She leaned back, ignoring his stunned expression. "Ozai actually burned his own son in an Agni Kai. I don't want that kind of asshole to rule over me." She clenched her fists and lowered her head and her voice. "He burned a child."

"... Zuko."

Her head snapped up. "Huh?"

"That's his name. It's Zuko."

Kit pondered this. "Prince Zuko." She tilted her head. "Fire Lord Zuko." She nodded decisively. "Yeah. I dig it."

He inhaled slowly. "It's me. I'm Zuko."

Kit blinked. She then slapped herself in the face. "Damn it!"

Zuko blinked. "What-"

Kit stood up and paced, her hand firmly attached to her forehead. "Damn it, damn it, damn it..."

Zuko stood up and raised his hand toward her cautiously. "Hey, Kit-?"

Kit jumped up and down violently for a moment before throwing herself to the ground and bowing at his feet. Zuko stood stunned.

Kit lifted her head and spoke. "My apologies to Your Highness and the crown for disrespecting the Royal Family. Please forgive my audacity and spare my life."

Zuko stared blankly, leaning as far back as he could and blushing with his hands out in front of him. "Uh-I-that's... That's not necessary. Please stand up. Please."

Kit stood, keeping her eyes lowered.

Zuko tried to find a way to tell her he didn't want her to do that ever ever again, but found he had no idea how to say it. He sighed in frustration and grabbed her shoulders. "Kit."

She avoided eye contact. "Prince Zuko."

He sighed again, in slightly less frustration, trying to get rid of the redness in his face. "I would like you to never, ever do that or anything like that ever again." Kit lifted her head. Zuko looked her in the eye. "Ever."

Kit stared blankly for a moment. "It is improper to hold a lady this way."

Zuko jumped back as if he had burned his hands. "S-sorry, I just-I mean- I needed you to stop! I didn't-"

Kit burst out laughing. Zuko glared slightly and crossed his arms, vaguely relieved that she'd stopped. "It's not funny."

Kit sat back down and leaned back on her arm to look up at him. She let out a snort. "It's a little funny."

Zuko sat across from her. "So was your apology, but did I laugh at you about it? No."

Kit rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up, Prince Zuko. That was unpleasant for the both of us."

"You don't need to call me prince Zuko."

Kit stared at him. "Well I'm not gonna call you Zuko. That's just weird."

Zuko scrunched up his face. "What?"

Kit snorted. "I'm a street rat. These," she gestured to her outfit, "aren't even my clothes. It'd be both uncomfortable and disrespectful to be so familiar with you." He stared. She waved her hand. "Plus, we've only just met. What would the badgerfrog think?"

Zuko nodded slowly. "If you're that uncomfortable with it, sometimes I go by Lee."

Her eyes widened. "Holy shit! That's where I know you from!"

He blinked. "Wh-what-?"

Kit bounced up and pointed. "You and your uncle had a teashop in Ba Sing Se!"

Zuko tensed. Kit didn't notice. "Speaking of, where is he? Isn't he always with you? Shit, is he the Dragon of the West?! That's so cool!"

"He's gone."

Kit froze. "He's gone?"

Zuko nodded. "I betrayed him and I left him. I don't know where he is."

Kit sighed. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"What do you have to be sorry about? He's not dead. He's in prison."

She raised her hands in a placating manner. "Okay, calm down, Lee."

He looked like he was about to say something, then thought better of it.

Kit sat back down across from him, taking out a bag of dried fruit from her bag. "So," she started, trying to bite off a chunk of mango. "What's a prince doing camping in the woods? Y'know, besides yelling at badgerfrogs."

Zuko sighed. "I'm trying to regain my honor by teaching the Avatar how to firebend."

Kit stared. "I may be wrong, but haven't you been trying to kill him for like three years?"

"Two."

"Two years is a long time to do something. What made you change your mind?"

"I barely know you. Why would I tell you anything?"

"I like to think of myself as a better listener than a badgerfrog."

"Will you let that go?"

"No can do, Frog Prince."

He groaned. "You are a little bit infuriating."

She grinned. "I'm going easy."

He threw himself back. "Great."