Zuko and Katara stopped for the night and made camp in a wood clearing. They had entered the forest not long after leaving the town. Their traveling had been silent and neither of them had said a word; Zuko, because he wasn't sure what to say, and Katara, because she was thinking of her own things.
Their camp consisted of a single campfire, their mounts tied to a nearby tree branch, and their sleeping bags. Katara lit a camp fire and pulled out a pan and some meat to fry. Zuko stared at it hungrily, but didn't move. She got to work cooking it, but she, too, said nothing. It wasn't until they both had some meat on their plates and they had finished it off, that she spoke.
"You're an idiot."
Zuko stared at her. She was staring into the fire, but looked up when she felt his eyes on her. "What?" he asked.
"You're an idiot," she said. At his baffled expression, she continued. "What exactly was your plan?" she asked. "Once you were out on your own, what were you going to do?"
"It's none of your concern," Zuko said, looking away from her gaze.
Katara came around the side of the campfire and pushed him over. He fell and she climbed on top of him, pinning him with her legs and capturing his wrists with her hands. She stared down at him. "It is my concern, Prince," she said the last as if emphasizing his station. "I swore to stay by your side. I can't really do that if you sent me to take care of your uncle, who," she said before Zuko could ask, "Is quite comfortable with his accommodations not far from here, thanks for asking. But he is not going to disturb us, because this talk is between the two of us."
"I don't want to talk to you," Zuko said.
Katara laughed before turning tough. "You sound like an errant child. Maybe because you're acting like one. You don't like the hand you've been dealt; fine. I get that. But suck up your self pitying and move on. For your uncle's sake, at least. He needs you, wether you choose to see it or not. That is the job you must do; to maintain your connection to the only family that isn't trying to kill you."
Zuko stared up at her. Her face was calm and controlled. Even the shadows cast across her face from the camp fire, were subtle and non threatening. Her words came out harsh, but it didn't match her expressions. "How did you find me?" he asked.
Katara blinked. She paused at the sudden change of topic. She answered after a few minutes. "I followed you."
Zuko stared. "What? The entire time?" he asked, shocked.
She nodded. "When you left, you just said to protect Iroh. That he may need some looking after. Did you forget I was to stay by your side? I said nothing of doing your job." she snorted. "Stupid Prince."
Zuko gritted his teeth and braced his feet. He raised his body quickly, knocking Katara off her seat on his waist. He reached out, grabbed her elbows, and pushed. Katara fell back onto the ground and Zuko straddled her, holding her wrists firmly onto the ground. She stared up at him in confusion and surprise.
"Don't," he said. "Call me stupid. I am not stupid."
She smiled a bit. "You are stupid, Zuko," she said. "You didn't have a plan for leaving. You didn't make preparations with either food or water on your traveling."
"I was doing fine," Zuko argued.
"You were rash," Katara stated. "You left so quickly, you didn't even grab any food. I'm surprised you didn't steal from that family you passed."
Zuko froze. "Why didn't you step in, then, if you thought I was stupid?" he asked.
"Because I thought you would figure that out sooner or later," Katara said, rolling her eyes. "But...you did show that you know who you are. That was some proclamation you gave back there."
Zuko stood and helped her to her feet. Katara dusted off the dirt on her clothes before sitting on her sleeping bag. Zuko sat down and said, "My mother, before she left, said that I should never forget who I am." He met her gaze. "I am Prince Zuko, I am the Heir of the Fire Nation, and I will claim my throne one day."
Katara smiled, crawled over to him, and hugged him. "Yes," she said in his ear. "And I will help you." She pulled back and stared him in the eye. "Just don't be an idiot, okay?"
Zuko chuckled, finally understanding that what she said was a close to an endearment as he was going to get from her. He returned her embrace and they sat there for a while. The only sounds were from the fire crackling next to them and warming their bodies.
Slowly, another sound started to become clearer. Katara and Zuko pulled back and searched the woods. The sound came closer and voices could be made out. It sounded like...singing. The two teenagers exchanged a look before the bushes rustled and a group of people dressed in bright outfits walked into their camp, singing a song and playing their instruments.
They stopped and stared at the two. The two groups exchanged looks before the man in the middle spoke up. "Hey! It's fire people."
Katara thought his funny looking hat was pulled on a bit too tight. "We're not fire people," she said. "We're camping here."
The man looked confused. "I don't think I've ever heard of those type of people," he said.
Katara's mouth fell open and, from the look on Zuko's face from the corner of her eye, he thought they were just as crazy as she thought. "Who are you?" he asked.
The man smiled. "I'm Chong, this is my wife, Lily." He motioned to a woman by his side, who gave a quick curtsy. "We're nomads. Going wherever the wind takes us."
Katara leaned close to Zuko. "I think his hat's on too tight," she whispered. Zuko chuckled.
He looked at the people. "It was nice to meet you, but we'll be retiring for the night."
"Oh, we don't mind. We'll just tend the fire for you." Chong said, sitting down next to the fire. The other nomads joined him.
Katara cleared her throat. "I don't wish to sound rude, but we did not invite you to join our campfire. We would like it if you left." Her words were soft, but forceful and firm.
Chong stared at them for a moment then, as if realizing it, said, "Oh! You want to be alone."
Katara sighed. "Yes."
"I get that," Chong said, standing up. "My wife and I wanted alone time too, when we got married." He started to walk away. "See you, fire people." The nomads got up and walked away into the night.
Katara looked at Zuko. His face was down and his shoulders were shaking. She thought something was wrong until he looked up and started laughing. He fell back, his laughter raking his body. Katara was beyond confused. "What?" she asked.
Zuko laughed. "Everyone keeps thinking we're married and you were just yelling at me like you had been my wife for years. Don't you see the irony?"
She stared and chuckled. "Yeah, I do," she said. She smiled. "But it's amazing that you see it, too. I thought someone was gonna have to point it out to you."
Zuko looked up and smiled. "I sometimes get things." Slowly, his smile vanished. "Sometimes, I miss things, too." Katara could see the sad look in his eyes and realized he was thinking of his childhood. Probably of his mother.
She got up, pulled her sleeping bag over next to him, laid down, and turned to face him on her side. "Tell me about your mother," she said. He looked at her with a questioning look. "It might make you feel better," she explained.
Zuko turned on his side to face her and started to talk in a low voice. "My mother was a kind woman. I don't know if she married my father for love, or because it was arranged, but I know she loved her family. I was her favorite, not that Azula cared. She was father's favorite. Mother and I would do a lot of things together. From going on walks, to feeding the turtle-ducks in the royal pond. I could always count on her to be there for me." His voice turned from wistful and happy, to sad and depleted of hope. "One night, though...the night my father asked his father to become the next fire lord, my mother came to me. I was groggy. She'd woken me from sleep, saying 'Everything I have done, I have done because I love you. No matter what happens, remember who you are'. After that, she left. I never saw her after that." Tears started to fall down his cheeks, but Katara didn't move. Zuko needed to finish. "One of the worst parts, though, was that I was the only one who seemed sad to see her gone. Azula mocked me and my father didn't say a word. After that, my uncle took care of me." Zuko wiped his eyes. "I never knew what happened to her."
Katara moved closer and took his hand in comfort. He looked into her eyes and pulled her closer. Together, they laid there by the fire. No words. Just holding each other. One giving comfort, the other taking it. Simple. Sweet. Perfect for the moment. They fell asleep, just the way they were.