Little Soldier Boy

Stars

"Alright I think we should stop for the night," Katara sighed as the sun finally fell fully and they were in the beginning of the night.

Three body's fell with loud groans and Zuko dropped the lemur next to Sokka while he stepped over the body's.

"Is there any more water?" Toph asked softly.

"This is the last of it, everyone can have a little drink," Katara opened her water pouch and went to bend the water out, momo attacked the water in desperation and it all fell to the sand.

"Momo no! You killed us all!!!" Sokka screamed clawing at the ground horrified.

"No he didn't," katara bended the water out of the sand. She took off the water pouch and handed it to Toph instead now.

"Oi, lemme see those things you got at the library," Zuko joined them again.

"What?! I didn't steal anything! Who told you that? It was yoooou!" Sokka hugged the bag of scrolls and pointed at momo accusingly. Katara wasn't phased and grabbed the bag from her brother anyways.

"Sokka we were there," Katara said flatly and Zuko took one of the scrolls from the bag.

"It doesn't matter, none of those will tell us where appa is," Aang sulked alone from the ground as Katara knelt down to the ground across from Zuko to look at the map.

"No but we can find out which way ba sing se is," Katara told him sympathetically.

"We could use the stars as a map," she pointed and Zuko looked at the sky.

"I can read the stars, if we travel at night when it's cool then rest during the day," Zuko nodded and looked back at the paper.

"Just try to get some rest everyone," Katara sighed worried looking back at them.

"You should too," Zuko kept his eyes on the map.

"I'll rest later," she waved him off.

Zuko grunted as a response but Katara went through the scrolls to see more maps.

"Come on," she got up and went to get some distance between those who would be resting. They might be talking and she didn't want to disturb them sleeping.

Zuko followed as he stared at the sky trying to find the constellations. He closed his scarred eye to focus better.

"I know we're suppose to be enemies but thank you," Katara gulped sitting in the sand again.

"For what?" He sat in the sand with her, a frown on his face.

"One, the library I guess, and two.. with keeping my friends together, with helping Toph, it would be really hard doing it without another person with a working brain," she flipped her braid over her shoulder so her hair wouldn't be touching her as much.

"Well when your everyone's mom you gotta have a brain," Zuko scoffed.

"We could call it a truce?" She offered. He made a face at her and rolled his eyes.

"For out of this desert I think we won't hit where would be closest to ba sing se, might be a lot of traveling on foot for a while," Zuko pointed back at the map.

"Can I ask you something?" Katara asked tiredly with a yawn.

"Youre going to anyways," he shrugged.

"Your opinion on the darkest day, the eclipse, good, bad, anything?" She pulled her knees to her chest.

"You're going to invade the fire nation that's why you want my opinion," he tsked rubbing his head.

"Not pointers on it, but it is your home land so are you going to go warning them?" Katara raised a brow at him.

"Look, I don't know, I don't know if I'm even going to make it to ba sing se, I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow," Zuko looked at her annoyed but the sadness on her face made him feel like that was the wrong answer.

"Someone asked me once what I'm fighting for in this war, or maybe what I'm looking for at the end of it, and I told them I wanted peace," he looked down again at the map, the corner of it had a piece of the fire nation.

"And if that means killing Ozai, then so be it, I don't care," he scoffed.

"I'm sorry," Katara whispered.

"Why now?" Zuko groaned.

"Because we made you come with us, I'm sure this side of the war isn't easy for you if you've been a child solider before, and now you have to just deal with knowing about an invasion on your people, traveling with the avatar who is going to kill your leader, im sorry about it being like this, stuck in a fucking desert," she kicked the sand a little with anger.

Zuko inhaled a deep breath and laid back on the ground as he stared at the stars.

"It's not the worst thing that's happened in my life, nothing I can do about it now, if anything this desert trips distracting me from grieving over it all," he had his arms out feeling the relief in his shoulders.

"Your brother?" She looked over.

"Yea," Zuko whispered.

"Is that why your being so kind to Toph?" Katara smiled a little.

"Maybe, I think I see myself in her a little and maybe this is what Lee saw when he met me, some brat that thinks they are tough shit, but she's way stronger than I was at that age," Zuko sighed a little, it was so quiet in the middle of no where.

"I wish I leaned on my brothers more often, I wish I listened to my commander more, he was harsh but he actually made me feel normal, him, Lee, marco, cho, Jay, all of them," he looked at her calmly and Katara smiled to listen.

"Have You lost people you loved before?" She scooted closer so they didn't have to speak to loud.

"Many, but lee was different, I didn't think he'd ever die, I really didn't," Zuko pushed himself up to his elbows. He was exhausted and couldn't even bother with making up anything else as an answer, he spoke his mind.

"My cousin was the first person I lost to the war, he died in the battle of ba sing se while back," he told her. "My uncles only child,"

"That's horrible, I'm sorry you've suffered from the war too... even if your a barbaric fire nation solider," Katara tried to tease from the insults she's used in the past. Zuko didn't seem offended by it but he also didn't smile.

"I told you, we're not monsters," he nodded.

"I guess your not monsters, not like I thought you were," she sighed again as another yawn escaped.

"Your mother was killed by fire nation?" Zuko remembered her yelling something about it before.

"Yea," she touched her necklace gently.

"I'm sorry you've suffered as well, makes sense why your such a mother hen," he nodded slowly.

"Is that a joke? A tease?" Katara snorted a little.

"Nope," he closed his eyes.

"Wow who knew you could tease," she smiled holding her legs tighter to her chest.

"I won class clown in school," Zuko stuck out his tongue cringing at himself.

"Yea I totally believe that," Katara cackled.

Zuko sat up to roll the scrolls and gather them into the bag, he notice Katara drifting off to sleep a little but fought against herself to stay awake.

"Let's head back and get some rest, we'll start moving in a few hours," Zuko told her and went back to the others with the bag over his shoulder.