Fire Lord Zuko was strolling through his kingdom.

It was one of the Fire Nation's better towns. The roads were stoned and well built; the houses stood firmly, built with strong, hardened bricks. The people that walked on the streets did not wear rags; but decent, fire nation robes.

It was a prosperous city. The people here had high positions and good jobs.

Zuko walked slowly on the sidewalk, admiring the city's development. This was one of the few cities who had not suffered the war's wrath.

Although walking, without a palanquin earned him quite a few strange glances. It was fun, Zuko thought, to see how people reacted to the Fire Lord casually striding on the streets, without any guards or visible security.

Some would blanche, their mouths in a perfect 'o'. Some would scoff and whisper to their friend about imposters. Some would smile at him. Some would look awkward, as if not sure whether they should kneel, or continue on their way. Some would stare at him, wide eyed and smiling, bursting with admiration.

And in a rare instance, one would scowl and glare at him.

No one approached the security-less Fire Lord though.

Of course, Zuko wasn't foolish enough not to bring security here. The world was a dangerous place after all, who knew when a vengeful assassin would sneak up behind the unknowing Fire Lord and kill him. That would be catastrophic. No, security were there, just not in plain sight.

Zuko just smiled at everyone, awkward himself. Though the expressions made up for the hours of paperwork that had gone on to this trip.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a kid. He barely looked eleven; skinny and short, with bedraggled hair but expensive garments. The kid was scowling at him, glaring fiercely.

He felt his security tensing.

Zuko held up his hand and motioned them not to do anything. He kept walking, uncomfortably aware of the glare the young boy was sending his back.

In a flash, he felt the kid pick up a rock. Zuko inwardly groaned. He motioned to his security again, warning them not to do anything rash.

The rock flew out of the kids hand and towards Zuko. Instinctively, he made a grab for it. He felt a sharp sting in his palm, indicating that he had successfully caught the flailing object.

The woman besides the boy gasped. She held him tightly, as Zuko approached them. Her face had lost all its color and her hands were deathly white as they clutched her son's robes. Zuko heard his mother severely reprimanding the boy, with a fearful look in her eye.

It was only after a moment that Zuko realized that the fearful look was aimed at him.

"My son is extremely sorry", the woman said, her voice quivering. Her head was bowed low. "Please", Zuko heard an edge to her voice, "he's just eight, don't take him away."

Zuko glanced at her. Did the woman really think that he'd punish a child for speaking out? Did she think he was heartless?

Just then, he remembered that fateful Agni Kai. The Agni Kai which had changed his entire life. The battle that had scarred him forever. The fight that had been fought because Zuko, a thirteen-year old child, had spoken up against authority.

He suddenly felt sick.

No, he would never even think, forget consider and approve, he would never even think of reprimanding or punishing this young lad.

He kneeled down. Dimly, he was aware of the woman's panicked breaths, afraid of what he would do to the child.

"Your loyalty is admirable", said he, after a while of thinking. He didn't really know what to say to the young boy who was staring at him with pure hatred in his eyes. "But it's directed at the wrong person."

He would know. He still had so many regrets. Too many regrets which would not let him sleep at night.

He would make sure that this boy had no such regrets.

"I'll tell you a story," he said. The boy's eyes widened in surprise. He probably wasn't expecting this. Expecting to be reprimanded perhaps. Zuko continued, "It's a story of a young boy, just like you, who spoke out in a war meeting."

And thus, Zuko proceeded to tell him of that day. Of that scar. Of the truth about Fire Lord Ozai. As he told the boy, he grew indignant.

"But the plan was evil", he protested. "They shouldn't have – "

Zuko nodded. "You're absolutely right. But the Fire Lord would not see to reason. He ordered the child to fight an Agni Kai with the general." His voice was emotionless. As if he was actually talking about another person.

The boy looked at him eagerly now. "Really? Did the boy win? Did he save the division?"

Zuko smiled sadly at him. The boy reminded him too much of his own eight-year old self.

"No. What the boy did not realize, was that since he had spoken against the general in the Fire Lord's council, he had disrespected, not the general, but the Fire Lord himself."

The boy's eyes widened in shock. "Wh – You mean the boy had to fight Fire Lord Ozai?"

Again, Zuko nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. The boy got down to his knees and begged for mercy. For forgiveness. He told the Fire Lord that he was sorry and that he only had his country's best interests at heart. He was thirteen. A few years older than you"

The boy looked him in the eye. "Then?", he half whispered.

"The boy looked up at him, tears streaking down his face. The Fire Lord extended a hand towards him, as if to wipe his tears." Zuko's voice took a low pitch, as his audience held their breath as to what would happen next.

"And he burnt him. Burnt half of his face off. The boy screamed and writhed for several painful minutes, until he fell, blissfully, unconscious."

The woman stared at him with a peculiar look in her eye. Then, as if seeing his scar for the first time, shrank back in horror. She had realized his story was not merely a story. She had realized who the boy in the story was.

Her son hadn't though.

"Fire Lord Ozai was evil." He said fiercely, "That boy deserved to have a happy and fulfilling life with many friends."

"He does", Zuko assured him. "I made sure of it."

It was only several years later that the boy realized who the boy in the story had been.

"Take care of him", Zuko told his mother. "Make sure he doesn't have any regrets."

The woman nodded determinedly. Fire Lord Zuko left with two new supporters to his reign.

"I doubt he is the one", a raspy voice said. "He is too softhearted. He will never go through with our plans."

The room in which the voice spoke in was dimly lit. A huge table extended from one end of the room to the other, propped up by several legs. Several people of different structure – old men and young woman alike – sat, leaning against the table. All their faces were grim, as if discussing a grave matter.

"Yes, I agree. His sister seems like a better option." Said another.

You could see through their bodies. They were almost transparent.

"But she is crazy"

"I agree. Her sanity was lost while fighting her brother and the waterbender."

"She is a huge risk"

There was more banter and disagreements, and, as the council was starting to talk in raised voices, there was a thump on the table.

"Enough!", the Fire God bellowed. His voice was deep and soothing, yet it held an intimidating aura around it. Just like fire. The council fell silent "We will not send back the Fire Princess.", he said firmly, "She would cause too much chaos.".

"I agree with Agni", said the silky soft voice of the Ocean Spirit. A cascade of sky-blue hair swept across her back, embroidered with jewels resembling sea shells. "She is a risk, we cannot afford to take. Although slightly worse than her, the Prince is highly capable of doing the task we require him to do"

"But he'll never follow through with our plans", protested a nameless spirit.

"That's why we shall deceive him", Agni said.

"I still do not approve of this plan", a new voice popped up. It came from a humanoid with badger mole features, a bushy tale and large eyes. The Earth God.

"It is for the greater good", said Agni.

"I don't agree with this plan either.", said a bald spirit, his body adorn with blue tattoos. "I respect all forms of life. Although my people were wiped out a hundred years ago", he cast a brief, bitter look at Agni before continuing. "I have no doubt that Avatar Aang will repopulate them once more. We have no reason to do this."

"No.", said the Ocean Spirit "Avatar Aang has evaded his responsibilities for too long. It's time we take matters into our own hands and bring balance back to the world.", her tone held a finality. "Who votes for this plan?"

Hands went up, as a sorrowful look went across the face of the Earth God.

Fire Lord Zuko was in for a ride.

Fire Lord Zuko was exhausted.

It had been a few days since he had had that talk with the mother and her son. And after that, he did not have any time to spare. The day was full of endless paperwork, subduing angry generals, listening to the complaints of his reign and ramblings of Sozin's greatness and quelling the supporters of Ozai. It meant that the day had been tiresome and irritating. He hated post-war.

Change was not so easily brought, Zuko reminded himself, remembering the struggles he went through to learn his father's true intentions and change himself.

Just like his younger self, these people had grown up believing the lies of the Fire Nation. It didn't mean they were bad or immoral, like his father. The little boy he had met days ago proved that.

The little boy.

Zuko still remembered what he had said. That boy deserved to have a happy and fulfilling life with many friends.

He had assured him that he had many friends and that he was happy.

But he had some doubts.

This didn't mean that Zuko was unhappy. Contrary to that, he had never been this happy since his mother disappeared. He was content and satisfied with his life. Why wouldn't he be? He had great friends, genuine people who loved him and he was doing what he had dreamt of doing for years.

But he had so many regrets.

Too many regrets.

He plopped down on the bed, deep in his thoughts. His top knot broke to reveal his messy hair, which lay straggled on the bed. He didn't bother to change. His royal robes were made of the most comfortable fabric, light and airy.

He still had nightmares of his mother, his scar, his sister, his father. Nightmares of the what-ifs. Nightmares of the consequences of his choices. Nightmares upon nightmares that would consume his sleep at night.

Just. So. Many. Regrets.

The assassination attempts, the unending riots, the protesters to his throne, the disapproving citizens, gossip and rumors and the suspicious glances had worn down his confidence. Occasionally, one of his friends would come to assure him that he was doing the right thing.

Zuko found himself looking forward to those visits. Found himself yearning for them. He still wished Mai hadn't broken up with him. He wished the Kyoshi warriors had not left. He wished that Uncle Iroh had not opened his shop in Ba Sing Se. He wished that the gang would go out and go camping again.

He wished he wasn't so alone.

Frustrated, he let out a loud groan and punched the air. The candles in his room flared loudly, before calming down. He still had not learned to control his explosive temper yet. He got up.

Suddenly, he felt a cold gripping sensation. The floor began to sway underneath his feet. What was this? Zuko thought frantically. This was almost how he felt when he had been hit by lightning. Light, dizzy and close to death. Was it poison? But the palace's chefs were extremely trusted. A million other possibilities crossed his mind.

But he did not expect this.

A chill ran down his spine, as the world corrected itself.

He was staring at the God of Fire himself.

Immediately, Zuko kneeled. An act foreign to him after becoming the Fire Lord. Agni had long hair, tied up in a top knot. His very presence warmed up the room. The God's eyes were distinctive, they were golden. Not like the golden eyes that the citizens had, but flaming golden. It was as if fire burned in his eyes. He wore the same robes that the Fire Lord was wearing.

"Fire Lord Zuko, son of Lady Ursa and Ozai.", his voice. There was something calming about it. Zuko didn't flinch when the spirit said Ozai. "The spirits have a very important mission for you"

"Wh-What?", Zuko blurted out, before realizing how rude it sounded.

If Agni was offended, he did not show it.

"I am Agni, the Fire God."

Zuko already knew that, but to hear it from the deity himself was awe-inspiring.

"The spirits have assigned you with a very important task.", Agni repeated, "You have to repopulate the Air nomads."

Zuko choked back a gasp of disbelief. The God wanted him to do what now? Several unsavory pictures passed his mind which he never wished to think of ever again. How was he supposed to do that? Shouldn't that be Aang's job?

"H-huh?", Zuko could have smacked himself for his poor communication skills.

"Yes, I am sure you must be confu – "

"Shouldn't you ask Aang?" Zuko cut him off and instantly regretted it. Why did he interrupt a god. A god for goodness' sake. To his relief, Agni didn't look angry. He looked almost amused. "How am I supposed to repopulate the air nomads? He's the one with a girlfriend and airbending. He is the one who was an air monk."

"I am afraid that the method", Agni smiled at him, "you speak of will take several generations. Unless he is willing to be with several different women at once," Zuko flushed at that. Aang would never betray Katara. Agni coughed and continued "It has already been a hundred years. The spirits are impatient to restore balance."

"So, how am I supposed to help?", At this point, Zuko didn't care how informal he sounded. Agni had already established that he didn't mind and formal conversation had never been his strong suit, despite being the Fire Lord for two years.

"You must gather spiritual energy from the past. We will send you back in time."

A beat. There was utter silence. The only thing that moved were the flickering flames of the candle.

"No!" Zuko said when it became clear that the spirit was serious about his offer. "We finally defeated the Fire Lord and we are trying our best to restore balance. I am not going back in time to relive that hell of a life again." He could hear the quiver in his own voice as he spoke the sentence. The quiver that told the whole story.

"But don't you also have regrets?" Agni's voice lowered an octave. "Things that you wish you could have prevented? Lu Ten's death? Azula's madness? Your own choices?", Zuko choked at that. "If you accept this offer, the spirits will not interfere in what you change in your personal life."

It was tempting. Oh so disgustingly tempting. Zuko knew that he would lose everything. But he would have a chance to gain it back. To live a life without the endless regrets. To prevent so many deaths and hardships.

"But… why me?"

"The spirits believe that you have the most… regrets."

That settled it. Zuko stood up from his kneeling position and looked at the deity in his flaming eye. "I'll do it".

For once, Agni's smile was not kind. He grinned widely and Zuko had his first doubt about his decision.

"That is good, Fire Lord Zuko. The spirits are with you."

Zuko's vision was enveloped in darkness. The ground had opened up, he was falling and falling. Instinctively, he reached for something, anything, to slow down his fall. When that failed, he tried to propel himself with his fire. No use, he couldn't feel his fire. Ignoring the panicking feeling that consumed him, he breathed deeply and braced for impact, sure that he would die.

Then, he reminded himself of the conversation he had had with Agni. He was sure that the spirits would not let him die just after assigning him this job.

Calm down, he thought to himself.

Suddenly, everything stopped. Zuko's vision had color once again. He blinked twice. His new body felt unnaturally light and the world looked large and endearing. He was in the familiar hallways of his childhood home.

He sprinted past the hallways and towards his room, before stopping and realizing that he was going the wrong way.

The Fire Lord's room was not his room anymore.

Taking several steps back, he headed towards his actual room. The servants bowed in front of him. It made Zuko feel uneasy. In his own palace, he had urged the servants not to bow at him every time he passed the halls.

Slamming the door shut, he looked at the mirror. He stared at it with a strange fascination. He hadn't done so in years.

His own face stared back at him. He still had a lean jaw, if not slightly chubby. His hair were done in a top knot and he wore red, fire nation robes. He was cute, if not handsome at the age of seven.

But Zuko didn't care about that. His fingers made their way up to his left cheek. Both his eyes were large and wide open. And not fixed in a permanent glare. There was no angry red mark. His skin was smooth. The rough feeling he had come to associate with his left side were gone.

He was still in a daze. He didn't hear someone come in.

"Well, well, well", he heard a voice. A voice he remembered so well. The voice with he had come to associate with trouble. It didn't make sense, but the part where his lightning scar had been shuddered. "Zuzu. Of course you like to look at yourself? You've always been so handsome after all.", her voice was teasing, yet it held an undertone of mockery.

Memories flashed by him. Her betrayal on the ship, when she had promised to give him what he yearned for. Her aiming at the waterbender. Her laugh when he had screamed, when his father had burned him. Her honeyed words. Her urging him to betray his uncle. An anger passed by him. He had thought he had learned to control his temper.

He was wrong.

"Shut up, Azula", he practically yelled.

A flash of emotion passed in Azula's eyes. A brief moment of hurt. His younger self might have missed it, but he didn't. It made his stomach knot up.

But… Azula had done so many bad things. Why should he be sorry?

"Fine Zuzu", she said bitterly. "Go play with mother." She turned her heel and stalked off. Her hurt was evident in her tone.

Again, Zuko felt guilty. He shook his head. This Azula was not the same Azula of his world. This Azula hadn't betrayed him, or hurt him or did anything to him really. Except for one-upping him in almost every class.

She didn't deserve it.

Quickly, his decision was made. He sprinted after her and grabbed her shoulder to turn her around. Azula tried to throw him off, but ineffectually.

"I'm sorry Zula", the old nickname seemed strange to his tongue. "I've just had a lot on my mind." His words were sincere.

"I don't care", she huffed and sneered at him with petulance that could only be seen from a 4-year old.

"But I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry."

"You did that", she pointed out.

"No I meant", Zuko took a deep breath. "I'm kinda sorry for uh… ignoring you. Like, I did that right? I think it was because you were better than me.", he spoke all at once. Zuko didn't even realize what he was saying. "And uh. I wanted to say I'm sorry. For that. Not for being a better bender, I mean because I was ignoring you… And I was confused. Because Oz – I mean Father always liked you more. And I was uh… jealous. But I hope…" Zuko faltered when he saw the expression on Azula's face.

Her lips were pressed together, as if she was containing a laugh. "Zuzu", she taunted, not in a mean way "You're a dork"

But he could see she looked flushed. As if the compliment meant a lot to her. He felt like smiling. His compliment meant a lot to her.

What exactly had he sacrificed because of petty jealousy?

No matter. He'd work to fix it this time.

"You're a great firebender", he saw her practically glow with the praise.

"Wish I could say the same about you", she said, eyeing him for a reaction. A reaction that would tell her that he didn't mean those words. Two years ago, the jab would have stung. But now, he simply laughed. After a moment, his sister started laughing with him too.

Azula turned to leave. Zuko realized how much he had missed this. The friendly banter they used to have before firebending lessons began. This timeline, he swore, he would not let her descend into madness.

He closed the doors. He needed to concentrate. If there was something that Sokka had taught him, it was to plan ahead.

And he desperately needed a plan.

The two candles he placed in front of him flickered and glowed. It was nostalgic, it made him think of the time he had spent on the ship with his crew and Uncle. He took a deep breath. He first needed to know his age.

He glanced up at the calendar and gathered that he was six years old. Six years. He still had plenty of time to do what he wanted to do. And he would do so many things. So many things. He would make sure that this life was one without regrets.

Breath in. Breath out.

He needed to get stronger. He had an advantage for that. It made him feel a little guilty, he had cheated his years and techniques. But he didn't care about that. His life had already been filled with a lot of suffering. Besides, he would need the experience if he wanted to execute any of his plans. Luckily for him, his first one was around four years away.

Breathe in. Feel your chi flowing. Breath out.

He needed his father's favor. He needed the Fire Lord's approval and blessing. He needed to use his power. It would give him an advantageous position to quell some of the Fire Nation ways from the inside.

Breath in. Breath out.

No. He definitely did not want his father's approval for the same reasons as he had before. That's what he assured himself, again and again. He didn't yearn for his love like when he was younger. He just needed to proclaim himself worthy so that the people he actually loved could be happy.

Breath in. Feel your chi. Breath out.

Azula. He had seen how she was when she was younger. Zuko was convinced that he could save her from the madness that would threaten to consume her in the near future. He would fix their relationship for good. He would get her on his side somehow. Somehow.

Breath in. Breath out.

Lu Ten. Zuko didn't care about what it entailed if he saved him. All he knew was that he would rescue his cousin from death. He would not let Uncle Iroh feel that same pain ever again. He didn't know what this would mean for him. Would Uncle Iroh still be willing to betray his brother if his son was still alive? Zuko didn't think about this.

Breath in. Feel your chi. Breath out.

His mother. He swore that he would not let her disappear again. Never again. He would make sure that Ozai was defeated and that Ursa got back to her old lover from her childhood. His half sister would still be born, albeit a bit younger.

Breath in. Breath out.

Zuko stopped at that.

After all of this was done, then he'd make his way to Avatar Aang. He knew that the last airbender lay frozen in ice; the Gaang had told him everything. He would make sure that Aang got out way before intended.

But first. He needed to get stronger. Much, much stronger.