Once again a tremendous thank you to everyone that reviewed. (-:

I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender (and as far as the movie is concerned, that's probably just as well...)

The fire nation town was nothing special, especially in comparison to the bustling civilisation that surrounded the fire nation palace, but it did have a decent sized market place. This was rather unfortunate, since it didn't take Zuko long to get lost.

He and Toph had split up in an attempt to get the shopping done faster, thereby reducing the risk that someone might recognise one of them. Blind or not, Toph was more than capable of taking care of herself - her earthbending preventing her from getting lost. Neither of them had even stopped to consider that Zuko might the one at a disadvantage.

To be fair, he'd had limited experience with markets - Ba Sing Se being the longest he'd ever spent in a town. The fire nation certainly didn't encourage their royals to associate with the commoners, and during his three years at sea he'd spent most of his time at port trying to convince his uncle to return to the ship, so he hadn't had a lot of opportunities to gain familiarity with markets.

This was how Zuko found himself wandering down a decrepit alleyway, trying to hide how desperately he was looking for Toph in the crowded marketplace.

"Care to have your fortune read, boy?" an elderly crone leered at him, grabbing his hand in her deceptively strong ones before Zuko had a chance to protest.

"Unhand me this instant," he demanded as he tried to tug his hand free, but the woman clung onto it determinedly, flipping it over to study the lines running across his palm.

"So much sadness and misfortune," she murmured, tracing several of the lines with a gnarled thumb. Zuko manfully resisted the urge to fry her to a crisp.

"Your love line is jagged," the woman continued, blissfully unaware of the growing fury on Zuko's face. "You've spent long periods apart from those you care about." Suddenly she gasped and, to Zuko's relief, dropped his hand.

"What is it?" he asked irritably, figuring that if he'd had to endure the woman's oddities then he might as well find out what she had seen.

She looked up at him, her expression grave. Zuko had to fight not to recoil from the sorrow in her eyes. "Your life line," she said finally. "It's very short. So short that I'm surprised you're still alive. I'm sorry, but I suggest you enjoy what time you have left."

Inexplicably, Zuko felt relieved at her words. He'd already known that - the way she had been looking at him he'd been afraid that they were doomed to lose the war or something. Wasting no time in escaping the strange old woman, he found a quiet place in the market to wait for Toph, not wishing to have to deal with anymore crazy people.

He'd almost dozed off by the time that Toph appeared, chucking two heavy bags of food at his head.

"Give up already, sparky?" she asked, crossing her arms as she stared in his direction.

Zuko climbed to his feet, brushing the dirt off his pants as he did so. "I remembered that you had all the money," he replied, picking up the bags. "How was I supposed to help with the shopping if I couldn't pay for anything?"

She smirked. "I was wondering how long it would take for you to realise that. And I figured that you wouldn't know how to bargain properly, being a prince and all, so I thought I'd let you enjoy the market."

"Gee, thanks," Zuko muttered, appreciating the thought but disliking having been left to fend for himself with all the crazy people. He cast a suspicious eye over the crowd in case the old fortune-teller had returned while he'd been distracted.

"You're welcome," Toph told him cheerfully. "Now are you going to get those back to camp or are you hoping that they'll grow legs and walk back?"

In answer, Zuko ruffled her hair and turned to head back into the forest, ignoring her cry of protest. She was like the little sister that he'd secretly hoped Azula would be, back before the crazed girl had managed to dispel any notions he might have had about being friends.

They stopped for lunch once they were a safe distance away from the town, Zuko dropping the bags with relief. Whatever Toph had decided to buy, it was heavy. Not for the first time, he was impressed with the earthbender's strength, given that she'd carried them around the market herself before dumping them on him.

Toph settled down to devour her food while Zuko kept watch for trouble. Dying had made him rather paranoid. He was so focused on the trees around them, that he was surprised when he glanced back at Toph only to find her standing right in front of him, holding a small bag out for him to take.

"What is it?" he asked, accepting the bag and regarding in with curiousity.

"You're supposed to open it and find out," Toph told him, sitting down across from him with a muffled thump.

He watched her expression carefully for a moment, but she seemed sincere and she wasn't wearing the smirk that she had when she was playing a prank on someone, usually Sokka. Mentally shrugging, he pulled the bag open and glanced inside.

"Coal?" he asked, arching his eyebrow in disbelief. "You're giving me a bag of coal? What for?"

She shrugged, clearly striving to appear nonchalant, but Zuko noticed a hint of sheepishness in her demeanour. "I figured that since you can't eat normal food and since it's fire that's keeping you alive, you might be able to eat it." She rubbed the back of her neck uncertainly.

Zuko looked at her and then the coal in surprise. It was the first time since his mother had left that anyone besides his uncle had given him a present.

Not wanting to hurt Toph's feelings, he lifted a piece of coal with considerable trepidation and half-heartedly nibbled on it. To his surprise it practically melted in his mouth, the harsh charcoal producing a rich, wholesome flavour. It reminded him of some of the delicacies he'd enjoyed in the fire nation before he'd been banished.

"This is delicious," he said, startled by the revelation. He could feel the flames beneath his skin flare, signalling their approval. "Thank you, Toph."

The earthbender looked uncharacteristically shy for a moment, before reaching out and punching him lightly on the arm. "I wouldn't let Sokka see you eating those," she remarked. "He'll probably devour half the bag before he realises what it is."

The rare sound of Zuko's laughter floated through the trees, followed by Toph's mischievous chuckle.