It had been an emotional day and as it came to a close both Zuko and Katara found themselves lying on the sand and looking up at the stars. They hadn't said much since leaving the play but they had broken off from the group and gone to the beach. For Zuko he was drawn to the beach because of his memories from when his family would visit. For Katara her element pulled her in.
"I've never really star gazed before," Katara said after almost ten minutes of silence. He looked over at her and then back at the sky. "Not much chance in the South Pole. It's either too cold to be outside, a blizzard or the sun doesn't go down."
"When I was young my mother would take me to the beach and we would sit and look at the stars. She used to try and show me the constellations. Eventually I found out she was just make them up, but I always loved it."
"She made them up?" Katara chortled.
"Yeah, imagine my horror when in my class I announced my favorite constellation was the juggling platypus bear only to be laughed at." Katara laughed and Zuko chuckled.
"Can you show me? I mean, even just the fake ones?"
Katara scooted closer to him so their shoulders were flush and looked over at him. He regarded her for a moment and then nodded.
"See that there? That's the flying buffalo deer," he pointed to a cluster of stars and she squinted her eyes, trying to discern them.
"And that one is the dancing badger frog. And if you look really closely over there you can see the fiery dragon." Katara scooted even closer and keep looking where he pointed, laughing when she recognized the shape.
"My mother loved animals, most of her constellations were named after them," Zuko said. He had the sudden urge to pull Katara closer and tell her more. Katara seemed to be thinking the same thing. She put her head on his shoulder and draped her arm and leg across his body.
"Will you tell me more? About your mother? She sounds lovely," Katara whispered. He nodded and for the first time in what ages he felt free. She would laugh along with his stories or nod and ask questions, never getting tired of hearing him talk.
When the sun rose the next morning they were still on the beach, lying wrapped around each other. Zuko felt the sun on his face and instinctively pulled Katara closer. She sighed happily in her sleep and burrowed her face into his chest. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift off for a few more minutes - the chaos of morning could wait.