Zuko's Mom: An Unforgettable Memory

(OOC: Hello! This is my first time writing a fan fiction based on Avatar: The Last Airbender. Although it is only one chapter because I don't know how many reviews I will receive, I will just keep this one short. I hope you all like it and I don't own any of the characters. Also, this is going to be written in the view of Zuko and his mom. Think of it as a diary or what they are thinking to themselves.)

~Zuko~

After Aang had brought peace to the land and had taken my father's bending away, I could feel myself more at peace. I could feel myself falling back in love with Ming again and I could feel my dignity and pride come back to me. I was king of the Fire nation. Yes, me. I never thought that this day would come true. For my only desire was to capture the Avatar and restore my honor. But there was one thing on my mind that wouldn't go away. I had constant nightmares and images of the past, wanting to see my mother again. If I could, I would.…

However, the truth to me was revealed about my mother and if I could, I would do anything to get her back. That night I spoke to my father, after the celebration of the four nations being at peace, my father told me where she was. I took a trip to the nearby lake and saw the grave. My mother's name was written and the time of her birth to her death was clearly imprinted on the stone. When I saw this, I fell to my knees, grasping my legs with anger and sorrow all at once. I never understood why Azula or my father never told me. Was I that much of a failure? What happened to my mother? Why did she die so suddenly after I was banished from my throne? I never even had the chance to say goodbye.

For the first time of my life, tears hit my hands as I slowly stood up and turned my head. To my surprise, under the night sky, the fire lilies were still in bloom. I could have promised that they only stayed open under the sunlight. When I went to grab some and place the flowers gently by her grave, a strong wind blew by. The grass and the leaves swayed around my mother's tombstone as if her spirit still dwelled below. As I gazed at my mother's tombstone, I bowed to honor her until I felt a strange presence. The feeling of feminine and warm hands touched my cheeks as I slowly looked up. At that moment, I was baffled. Right before my eyes was my mother's spirit. I knew that the Avatar could speak to spirits easily, but I never knew I could do it. Maybe, I was dreaming. As I gazed at her, I could feel my eyes widen as she gave her usual warm smile toward me. She looked beautiful as always and her long, straight, black hair swayed in the wind.

"M..m..mother…."

~Zuko's Mom~

"Zuko….you finally found me. It has been so long since I have seen your face. I have been waiting for your presence for a long time now. I can see that you are all grown up now. Such a handsome man too."

~Zuko~

I tried to hold my mother's hand, but it failed instantly when my hand went right through hers. Her comforting and loving smile disappeared when that occurred.

"Yes, the Avatar defeated father and he took away father's bending. I'm now the new king of the Fire Nation. "

~Zuko's Mom~

"I am very proud of you Zuko. You have been treated poorly and horrifically by your sister and father."

~Zuko~

Suddenly, I saw my mom put her hands to her heart as tears ran down her cheeks. I've never seen her so upset in my life.

~Zuko's mom~

"If I wasn't killed by your father, I would have stopped that entire fight."

~Zuko~

When I heard my mom state those words, anger filled my blood and veins as I had nothing left to do, but desire to kill my own father for killing my mother. I never wanted this, I never needed this and she didn't deserve this.

"Why did father kill you?"

~Zuko's Mom~

"The week before you fought your father, he and I had a large dispute about his plans on controlling the four nations. I never wanted him to attack any of the nations. I was against the idea and he didn't like that. He felt that I was in his way, a barrier from keeping him from moving forward. However, I wasn't going to take it. Our arguments became so horrendous that the night before your battle with your father; we had our own fire bending fight. For hours, we fought with nothing, but fire and anger. Every time I struck, he struck back even stronger. When it came down to exhaustion, he still wanted to fight. It was like enemy against enemy. At that moment, I knew he had changed. For, he was not the same man that I married. The man that I married long ago was a loving and wonderful man, but something about him changed. He was an evil and selfish man and Azula expressed the same traits as he did.

Toward the end of the fight, I was close to passing out, but he wanted to keep going. He struck the sword at me as I dodged multiple times. I then got up and obtained a sword and fought him continuously until he…..finished me off."

I turned my head away as I spoke those painful words to my son. More tears ran down my cheeks as I cried harder and harder.

"Zuko, I do not want you to ever feel that you are alone. I will always be with you and I will always be there to guide you. As a mother, I have failed to protect you from your father and your sister. Thus, I have waited here for you. Wanting to do this…."

~Zuko~

When my mother hesitated to finish her sentence, she had closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest as she inhaled through her nose. When she did, she blew out blue flames as it then began to surround her soul and her grave as the wind began to pick up. At that moment, the winds swayed around her soul as the flames engulfed her completely. I gazed at her with horror, believing that she had rid of herself completely until I was stopped with shock. She had transformed her soul into a dragon. My eyes widened in surprise.

"M..m..mom?"

When I gazed upon her once more, she was a white dragon with blue eyes. She had silver like scales under the moonlight as she flew up into the sky and glided across the field with fire lilies. She continued to glide over them as then came toward me and wrapped her dragon like body around me. She laid her dragon head on my chest as I looked at her blue eyes.

~Zuko's Mom~

"Yes Zuko. This is what happens when Fire nation people die. They turn into dragons. I've waited this entire time so that I can be here with you and watch over you. Please forgive me Zuko for not being there for you when you needed me. Thus, I will now become your guardian and I will help support you as the new king of the Fire Nation. Zuko…"

I came to him and gently kissed his cheek as I smiled happily. "I love you and I will always be with you."

~Zuko~

For the first time in my life, pure happiness filled my heart as my own mother was now beside me once more. As I walked toward the palace, I stopped and looked up at the sky as the sun was starting the rise, and what was beautiful about it was that I was finally able to watch it with my mom.

"I love you too, Mom."

(THE END ).