Zuko awoke the next morning to a tap on his shoulder. He quickly sat upright, preparing to shoot flames at the offender.

"Whoah, whoah! Hey!" Sokka yelled, stumbling backwards.

"Oh, um, sorry," Zuko mumbled, lowering his hand sheepishly. "So, um, what's up?"

"Well, I'm going fishing, and everyone else is still asleep. I was wondering if you wanna come with?" Zuko raised an eyebrow. "You know, because… I mean, you're traveling with us now, so maybe you could…" He raised his arms slightly, as if to ward off a blow. "… help out?"

The prince shrugged. "Sure.

Sokka grinned. "Great. Let me just get my stuff."

…

"This is really boring." They sat side by side on a rock ledge above the river.

"Yeah, I know! That's why I brought you. I needed someone to talk to. Sooo, anyway… Why were those girls chasing you?"

"My father assigned them to capture the avatar."

"Oh. Isn't that your job?"

"Uncle and I have been declared fugitives and traitors of the Fire Nation." Catching sight of Sokka's incredulous expression, he added, "If you don't believe me, you can ask him."

"Oh, no, I believe you. It's just a little weird. All of a sudden, you're not the one chasing us. Who are they, anyway?"

"My sister and her friends."

"Which one's your sister? The one who never smiles, the one in pink, or the one that shoots blue fire?"

"Blue fire."

"Yikes. I mean, no offense, but… yikes."

"No, I get it. Even Uncle thinks she's creepy. My father likes her, though. She takes after him."

"Don't tell Aang that. It'd freak him out." Zuko smirked and nodded. "Good, cause-" Raising his arm to make a gesture, he accidentally released his grip on his pole. It splashed into the water below them. "Aw, there go the fish!"

"Maybe they'll come back."

"Not today. Ugh, I'll get it."

"I'll do it. At least it's something to do." At this he jumped into the water, letting out a muffled shout as his head went under. He came up sputtering and shivering. "I didn't think it was that deep," he gasped, gripping his shoulders.

"Hey, you splashed me, too!"

"I'm s-so s-sorry for you!"

"Fine, so where's the pole?"

"Um…" He cast about. "Over there." Careful not to submerge his head, he slowly bobbed over to where the pole had drifted.

It hit Sokka on the head when he threw it back up. "Hey, careful with that!"

"What, you've never been hit in the head before?" the prince rejoined with a grin as he hoisted himself back onto the bank.

"Well, I… Shut up! Anyway, the pole's fragile."

"Can't you replace it with any stick?"

"It's not that simple! You have to get wood, and a string, and a hook." Warming up to his subject, he began to gesture. "The hook's the hardest part. You can get it stuck in your finger if you aren't careful."

"How do you get a hook caught in your finger?" Zuko asked with a curious glance.

"No one ever thinks it'll happen until it does," Sokka muttered lamely.

"Hmmm." He tried to conceal his smile as he picked up his pole. "Is there anywhere else we can fish?"

"Are you kidding?" Sokka said, looking at the rising sun. "It's best early in the morning. You can't get anything once the sun's up."

"Oh. That explains a lot."

"You haven't tried that, have you?" Now it was Sokka's turn to give a knowing grin.

"Firebenders think more clearly once the sun's up. It's hard for us to get up early, and…" He glanced over at Sokka, noticing his companion's attempts to cover his giggles. "Shut up!"