When Katara reached the small clearing they had set up camp in, she noticed Nikko watching Zuko with great interest.

He looked focused, moving his hands in smooth, skilled motions. Flames danced at his fingertips, and she quickly realized that he had created a small, dragon-shaped fireball.

The burning creature soared through the air, following Zuko's expert hands like a puppet. It dipped and climbed, leaving thin trails of smoke behind it. Nikko watched in joyful wonder, eyes wide and sparkling in the firelight.

Observing his little show, Katara wondered what had possessed him to do such a thing. It didn't seem like he was training – it was too flashy to be training, and it was nothing like any of the exercises he did with Aang. So, was he just showing off? Trying to entertain Nikko?

Crossing her arms and shaking her head, Katara decided to just ask him about it later. For the moment, she was going to enjoy his performance.

The grace and skill of his movements did not go unnoticed by her, and even she couldn't deny it was beautiful sight. Fire may have caused her unbelievable pain, but she could still appreciate the talent of someone who knew how to wield it.

Zuko made one last, flourishing movement, extinguishing the dragon in a puff of smoke. Nikko began clapping enthusiastically, earning a grin and a bow from the firebender.

Straightening, he noticed Katara and his smile immediately vanished, his face instead taking on a tired and slightly annoyed expression. Without waiting to be called over, he approached her. "What now?"

"Nothing," she said. "Just enjoying the show."

"Is that sarcasm or honesty?"

"Mostly honesty. "Though, I was wondering what gave you the sudden urge to become a performer."

He shrugged. "The kid said she was bored. I figured I'd try amusing her."

"Okay," Katara said, walking passed him, a clear signal to the end of their conversation. Kneeling by her sleeping bag, she began rolling it up. "We should pack up and start moving."

Nodding, then realizing the waterbender had her back turned, Zuko said, "Sounds good to me."

The pair said nothing else as they gathered their things preparing for the long road ahead.

XxXx

"Where are we going?" Nikko asked, obediently following Zuko and Katara through the densely packed forest.

"I'm looking for someone," Zuko said simply. He didn't want to give out too many details, even if only to a child."

"My parents?"

Instantly his heart sank. He exchanged a glance with Katara, who nodded solemnly. They would have to tell her.

Stopping, the firebender took a moment to think, searching for the right words.

Kneeling in front of Nikko, she gently placed her hands on the little girl's shoulders, saying in a calm, quiet voice, "Your parents are... gone. They went to the Spirit World."

Nikko frowned slightly. "When are they coming back?"

"They can't come back," Katara explained sadly, watching as the child's eyes widened and filled with tears.

"N-never?"

She shook her head. "Never."

Tears rolled down Nikko's face, sobs choking her as she hiccupped, "W-where do I g-go?"

"We're gonna find a nice family for you to stay with," Katara said, pulling her into a soothing embrace. Her own eyes prickled with tears and she fought to keep composure – no sense making things worse.

Burying her head in the older girl's shoulder, Nikko continued sobbing. Standing off to the side, Zuko watched awkwardly, uncertain of what he should do.

After a long, solemn moment, the two girls pulled apart. The younger one wiped at her tears with the palms of her hands, face red and puffy.

"Come one," Katara said, offering a hand and a smile. "Let's keep walking."

Nikko grasped the waterbenders hand, her own warm and moist with tears.

Then they kept going, shuffling along at a slow but steady pace. No one spoke. The only sounds were birds chirping and twigs snapping and the orphan's sniffling.

Zuko sent Katara a curious glance, mouthing, "Is she okay?" To emphasize his question, he nodded toward the child.

Katara's head moved in a 'yes' motion.

The short exchange ended and again no one spoke, silently or otherwise.

The group walked quite some time (an hour? They didn't know – no one kept track). The waterbender was itching to complain about the distance but, not wanting to make a bad example, opted to shoot glares at the former prince and 'accidentally' step on his heels when she fell behind.

Zuko just gritted his teeth and focused on the goal (well, 'goals' now that they had the kid to worry about), knowing his suffering would end soon. At the same time, he marvelled at how well the younger girl was keeping up. She hadn't said a word of complaint the entire trip.

As if on cue, Nikko stumbled, tripping over her own feet and falling hard on the ground. Sitting up, she smiled sheepishly. "I'm tired."

Without discussion, they decided to take a break, sitting down and leaning against the towering trees. Nikko nursed a scraped knee, which Katara began healing the moment she noticed it. Frowning, Zuko wondered if it was really a good idea for her to reveal her abilities. However, he made no comment, not wanting to ruin the peaceful atmosphere.

For a while, they just relaxed, enjoying the short break and warm, sunny day. It was hard to believe two out of three of them hated each other and the other had just discovered she was an orphan.

Glancing up at the sky, Zuko sighed, dreading the inevitable end to their rest. But they couldn't sit around forever, and so the trio was soon back on their feet, continuing the long walk to their destination.

They continued that way for the rest of their trip – an hour walking, fifteen minutes of rest, an hour, fifteen minutes, repeat, repeat, repeat, until finally the sun hung low in the sky and it was time for a very long rest.

Katara and Zuko set up camp, quietly discussing sleeping arrangements. The first night Katara had stayed up in case whoever had destroyed Nikko's village was nearby. Nikko (who had already been sound asleep) slept in the waterbender's sleeping bag, while Zuko slept in his own. Now the child was very much awake, demanding she be allowed to sleep alone and refusing to back down from her decision. However, they had only two sleeping bags.

"Should we argue?" Zuko whispered, unrolling his sleeping bag. "You know, try convincing her she doesn't need her own bed?"

Katara mimicked his actions, whispering, "No, she's had a hard enough day as it is. Let's just leave her be tonight. She can have my bag."

"Well, where will you sleep?"

She noted the concern in his voice, but quickly shrugged it off as an act. "I'll be fine on the ground."

"It's cold," he pointed out.

"I'm from the South Pole."

"Yeah, and you wore a parka and probably used a sleeping bag."

Growling, she shot him a glare. "What makes you any better at dealing with the cold?"

"I'm a firebender," he smirked.

I thought you told Aang that firebending required an already-present heat source?"

The smirk vanished. "Okay, so I'm no better off than you. That doesn't mean you should freeze."

"So, what do you suggest we do?" she asked, clearly not willing to back down from her decision.

Smoothing out the wrinkles in his sleeping bag, Zuko seemed to hesitate. "You know, this is big enough for more than one person..."

Furrowing her brow, Katara asked, "What does that have to do with"- her eyes widened –"No. No, no, no, no. We are not sharing!"

"Either we share or both freeze."

A few feet away, Nikko, stirred, rolling over and mumbling. Realizing that their arguing would eventually wake the child, Katara sighed and frowned, reluctantly agreeing. Ten minutes later, they lay back-to-back with barely an inch between them, trying to ignore each other's presence and fall asleep.


Author's Notes: sdfas. D: The Firebending scene and 'breaking the news to Nikko' scene are my least favourite in this chapter. I'm not too fond of the walking part, either. Fscdk. I hope you guys still like it, though.

Disclaimer: I do not own 'Avatar' or any of its characters.