The dark night wasn't something she had encountered alone in a long while. She wasn't ready for this all at once. From home she felt the air was always warmer than the actual temperature. That must've given way because of the people, and the closeness the whole village shared unlike the village not too far away from her. Even through the strong smell of burning wood drifted the air, and the spark of disaster warmed the face, she did not find the inviting warmth at all. The people there would be anything but friendly.

Creeping behind a rock at the top of the hill she peered over. The men did not make themselves discreet. They were having a gay ole time as if they were celebrating?But what? What could they have been celebrating? As much as she could scan through her knowledge, she knew not of any holiday that occurred the very night. Then again, she didn't know much about the men of the Fire Nation; or a woman quite as well. Come to think of it, she never met a woman of the Fire Nation, not counting Azuka and her crones. The young Water bender was yet to meet a woman of the Fire Nation who may not display her feelings of the war, but for a vibe she could give off that said there was hope yet for a whole turn around.

Straying in her thoughts she turned back around, and sunk to a slump. Pulling up her hood she wanted to finish this tonight, and take the painful braids out of her hair. They still bothered her starting from when they were done. The hood on, it was a great blocker of the strong wind that made her lips and cheeks chap. Her skin was raw, but that would have to do. There was no shelter for the time being.

Bringing her knees to her chest she rested her chin, and closed her eyes. Just sitting there made her feel cold and useless. The snow around her didn't help any, and she could not just bend it away. Wondering eyes could catch in on the action, and they would see a Watertriber, and that would be that. Katara had to come up with a plan to walk in her tribal clothing, and save her, cringe, friend; a wanted enemy of the Fire Nation. Ooh boy, this was going to be a difficult task, but even thinking about what to do next was going to be hard. He was in the color of refugees, so it may've been an easy task for him to enter. He was a male after all, but the disguise of forewarning to the ban of him could make him an easy target to catch. He was very well known after all.

What if he wasn't there? What if he heard a piece of information as well, and went to investigate it to only turn out to be a wild goose chase? He probably up and went already on the quest of what he was looking for. Where was he going? What was he looking for? He was in pursuit of the Avatar. If only she could somehow trick him into her going along with him. That way, she could return to her family, and get rid of him for good.

Wasn't he alone? Did he have anyone to travel with? He couldn't be travelling with anybody, could he? Maybe he needed company; everybody did; even just someone to travel with. Side by side was better than travelling the long road alone.

But Katara, her inner voice told her, think of everything he was done to you and your friends. Think of all the times he was so close to harming Aang, and the times you had to fight him off. What about your mother's necklace he took, and taunted against you.

Closing her eyes she thought of caves and waterfalls. The cold put her out.

-

Not too long later she popped her eyes open to sounding footsteps approaching fast. Upright in moments she turned in time to see Zuko shooting a blast of fire, heading straight for her rock.

Great! I go in search of the jerk, and not only does he find me, but he brings company as well.

Moving her arms in the sway of a circle she gathered the snow upon the enemies' feet. Zuko jumped in time to the rock, and came eye to eye with the girl. Standing for a second, fast thinking of a plan to evade he shot a blast, but acknowledged her.

"What are you doing here?" he growled in a low voice for only she could comprehend in this small battle. A swirl, a step she sent ice shards which were melted with a swift blast of fire.

"Little girly, and her water bending," the leader of the three taunted, and the fools laughed. Off guard, the guards weren't very well trained because the moment it happens, simultaneously the two young benders fired causing a huge mess of slosh, and steam, and confusion.

The three men started at each other in their confusion of pain.

"Let's go," he grabbed her wrist dragging her north of the disdained village, and now away from the celebration of an unknown origin to her.

They ran at a steady pace in the dark woods they entered. He never let go of her wrist which was starting to pain from the tight grip he kept adding when she staggered lower than his pace.

"Lighten up," Katara bit out in a huff, her breath visible to her eyes.

He said nothing, but stopped. In place he looked off to the left, and listened to right. She did the same. He dropped her wrist. They had to come to terms with where they were going to set up camp. The Witch Doctor was out of the way now. The bitter cold wasn't going to let up. The ruffle shifted in the trees. The snow remained close to the ground. It blew, drifting easily as if it was still falling. It was going to be a quiet night; she knew that without a doubt. Would they be okay for that? Would the quiet be a protection for the two benders, or would that only make them known to the enemy? Who was the enemy anymore? For a long time she thought he was, he was; wasn't he?

"We'll stay here," he announced.

"You know we could've gone back, and stayed at the healing center tonight. The lady let me work for her, and she's given me this," Katara knelt on the ground, and unloaded the bundle. Lightly lifting the sword she lifted it to him.

He snatched it away from her with his observant eye checking it out. His teeth chattered. He wasn't used to this kind of weather. It must've been hard for him.

The voice in Katara's head suddenly shifted to anger. Yeah, it said, a hard time deciding who to kill. He was just like the other ruthless fire benders. They all killed. The look in his eyes as he observes the sword says it all. He wasn't going to be using it even if he wanted to.

He handed it back to her, and gathered wood, and they made the small campsite with the last touch of him lighting the fire.

Sitting close to the fire he was as calm as he'd previously been in the cave. He didn't present any anger or disdain like she thought he would. Something was really up. If he was this calm, and especially eased in her presence then there was something up his sleeves. She'd find out though, and get him like she got him before.

The silence was heavy. The cloudy sky hid the natural light of night. The fire was the only source.

Katara looked around. Her stomach let out a long, loud embarrassing grumble.

"Why did you come after me," he questioned.

She was in the middle of a thought, but caught on to him very quickly.

"I thought you abandoned me, but then I heard of seize and fighting happening nearby, and I thought with your current status that you were caught. I wanted to rescue you, I-"

He stood sharply opposite of her, and went over to her, and knelt down. Grabbing both her shoulders tightly he made sure she met his eyes. The anger now arrived, and he was putting most of it into his grip which started hurting more than it should have. Maybe she wasn't as healthy as she thought she was because her joints hurt.

"Listen to me. In case your little brain is frozen or something. I do not need your help. If at all you should be the one asking for my help. Whatever you're thinking next, don't. I am not above killing you if it will help me capture the Avatar-"

"I don't know where he is," she sniffed, and then looked away. This was quite embarrassing. She was supposed to be tough and she was breaking down in front of him.

He looked at her for a minute more and let go. She stumbled back, but caught herself.

He sat down right on the ground, and she did as well. Her hair started to bother her again. She had to take it out now. Reaching into the back of her head she works through her hair to find where the four braids connected, and pulled and prodded trying to separate them, but it was one tangled mess. She never had to remove her hair from being like that before. It was very new to her. This was something she wasn't going to do in the future.

It was hopeless. They were not budging. If anything, she was making it worse, and she didn't have a comb to get rid of the now forming birds nest.

The next think she knew he was behind her. He removed her hands from her hair, and actually began to take it out himself. He was gentle with her hair, and managed to separate the four braids. He knew what he was doing. Halfway through, he left the partial braids to hang down.

"Thank you," she said softly working the rest of the braids herself. Now with soft waves she pinned it all back into a simple bun. Putting her hood back up, she brushed some snow away off the ground and lay on her side opposite of his direction. Everything she was now travelling with lay behind her. The cold ground was no Appa, but there was no other option.

Meanwhile he was going through the bag she poorly opted to notice. Whatever was inside rustled and clanged against each other? It was stolen; she knew that for a fact, but she wasn't going to play the third-degree just yet. She still had to put the act on of joining forces with the boy if she even wanted to see her family again.

"Why did you have your hair so tight?" he questioned. She turned and faced him. The fire danced on his face which, pale to her complexion lit up. He gave off a light glow.

"I've told you, I worked for the lady, and her uniform included the tight, pull-up of hair," she explained going into detail about the care she had to do for the day. Just to get him into a high spirit she told him about the woman who told her about the Avatar who wasn't too far away.

It surely sparked his attention. He stopped searching through the sac for a moment. Even for just a second, or less she saw the greed behind his eyes. He was hooked, and now she had to say something that would snap the trap shut. But what? What could she possibly say that would make the two of them travel together? Maybe she'd have to say something later.

Once again he returned to his bag until he pulled out a very elegant looking head piece. The craftsmanship was very elegant, and very detailed. A few jewels of emerald made the item look spectacular. If sold it was most likely worth a lot. Her suspicion was right all along; he stole it, and he was most likely going to sell it.

"Where did you steal that from," she questioned.

He stopped examining it, and looked at her seriously. Narrowed eyes he shrugged his shoulders, and then went back to examining the piece.

Laying down again she closed her eyes and relaxed. Everything around her, she cleared away from her head, and pushed away anything that wanted to return. With the tension released from her hair it was easier to relax.

"It's not stealing, if it belongs to me in the first place," he spoke. Whether she heard him or not didn't matter to him because he continued, "I'm just taking back what was mine in the first place. Those fools don't deserve something this beautiful."

"So are you going to sell it?" Without turning she asked him this. She'd able him to talk without pressing direct contact so maybe shooting out a random question, or a quiet reply she would hold a light conversation; or respond anyways.

"What use would I have with it anyways?" The clunk of the ordiment hitting the bottom of the bag, and metals inside were the only sound before the bag was tied up shut, and tossed against the closest log. Shifting in position he sat facing the fire. Quietly, reserved she remembered that he responded to her question with a question. What use would he have with it anyways?

She sat up though, and looked at the fire bringing her knees to her chest. Tilting her head, and folding her arms resting her head on them she thought about this. He had such a unique piece. Giving his girlfriend a gift like that would make her very happy. His girlfriend must've been a princess, and princesses deserved esquiset pieces like that.

"Instead of selling the ornament why don't you give it to your girlfriend?" she badgered. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the look of surprise and shook shoot across his features before it went back to mutual. Turning on his side facing her direction he closed his eyes using his hands as a pillow.

"There is nobody," he ended on a sour note. The way he said nobody had a special effect like there was more meaning than the missing effect of a girlfriend. Was he actually lonely? Didn't he have somebody? She could recall an old man with him at times. Where was he?

"Zuko?" she questioned. She would ask him. That was, if he wasn't asleep already. If he was asleep already she'd keep up guard for a while, and then try to catch some sleep.

No response.

So he was asleep. Well then she couldn't ask him now; wouldn't ask him now.

The air was relaxed. The winds shifted to calm. Just a little, not much did it feel warmer. Maybe soon it would warm up enough to melt the snow. It was far from spring, but the least it could do is that.

"What," he said after a while. She was off in her own world, she didn't hear him. Out of it, and thinking of a better time she interpret a moment to late what he said. He was sitting now, a little to close and looking into her face.

Katara blinked hiding her emotions. She kept her eyes ahead of herself as if the tree a ways away was the most fascinating thing.

"What do you need?"He questioned, aggravation showing. He was determined to know what she previously was going to ask him.

The young water bender had to think now. Should she actually ask him now? Would he get into one of his moods? Was he going to snap and, or bark insults down her throat? It was none of her business in the first place.

Not looking at him, except out of the corner of her eye she scratched at the back of her head; the hair on the nape of her neck. Since the release of the braids it seemed to itch. Maybe it was just her scalp trying to return to normal again. She'd set her hair right in the morning.

Morning! That's when the idea hit her of the subject she would ask him about. It wouldn't be prying into his business, but a causal question, and if he didn't want to answer he'd ignore her. He had a knack for ignoring questions.

"Where are you going next in the morning?" she questioned.

An animal ruffled the branches of a distant tree. No danger was noted, in which she was thankful for. As for her friends, she could only hope that they were safe.

"Poor Toph, her feet must be having a rough time. It's really cold. I hope she can see alright." Thinking out loud she meant it to be inside her head. It wasn't even close to mumbling because he heard. His ears picked up on her words, and he looked to the fire and crossed his legs.

"You're not his mother," he injected icily. Did she just say something wrong? Why was he bent about her mothering instincts? She had to bite back though. Let's face it, he was asking for it.

"I care for them," she shrugged.

"You raise them," his tone lowered down. Calmly now he was fueling the flames. He wanted her to get bent out of shape, she thought. When the arguments usually ended, she was the one who was built-up and he was not. Why? This time wasn't going to be different. She was supplying the wood again.

Arms crossed they faced each other. The space between them wasn't much. Facing each other on relaxed, comfortable legs one from a distance would guess they were probably love birds lost in each other eyes, or option two, they were having the ultimate show down staring contest.

Shaking her head she scoffed and said, "I help them because that's what you do when you're on a team. You wouldn't know what that is, now would you? You probably don't even have anyone to care about. A frozen heart like yours isn't even worth thawing," Scoffing in his face she proved that she had a one over, over him.

He didn't look hurt, he didn't look angry. Simply he had no emotion, but he continued to stare into her eyes. Was he trying to find something? He wasn't going to. Everything he saw before, everything he heard before was already out. He wasn't going to find anything else because there was nothing else to look for.

Blinking twice he looked past her, then back at her.

"We've talked enough about me, let's talk about you. You have to control every situation. If something doesn't go your way it's wrong. You don't take the opinion of others likely, and are easily angered by them. I have news for you, wench, nothing is ever going to go your way. You need to stop controlling others, and learn to control yourself. You're a mess, because you obsess yourself over others instead of your health. If anything all you do is smothering."

Silence was the only thing heard now. Ouch, that was one painful wound to the side. He went far, and believed that he had reason to talk. She felt she wasn't the one that was screwed up, but he was. He was the one who felt the need to control others. He had people chase Aang all around. He thought he was king of the world. His th-

Maybe it wasn't what he thought, but it was observation. Instead of pointing the finger at him, she should be pointing the finger at herself. For all the fingers she pointed there were always three pointing back.

The end of the conversation, the end of anything for the night, moved down two feet to her left; away from Zuko. He lied down again, and with his blanket tossed it on top of himself, and lay on his side. His hands for a pillow all she saw was his back.

Was he right? Maybe they shared something in common; maybe deep down they had a hatred for themselves. Something they missed must've been catching up now. It was too late to change it, but there had to be something that could be done.

Lingering a look at him for a few moments longer, in a whispered voice she secretly hoped he heard said, "You didn't have to be a mother your whole life." Turning on her side opposite his direction she made herself comfortable as best as she could. With reassurance of the weapon she could not use by her side, she hoped the new day would be brighter.

-

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas. Tell me what you think? Next chapter is to come soon.