A/N: Hey, this is my first fan fiction on this website. This story takes place four years in the future. The Fire Nation has taken control of the world and the Avatar has been eliminated. Zuko is now the Fire Lord (why he is will be revealed later) and he has destroyed the Earth Nation and the Earth Benders, leaving only the Water Nation. Ty Lee, having been betrayed by her friends, is Zuko's maid. She has changed a lot, but don't worry, she'll be back to fun Ty Lee soon, I promise! Thanks for reading and I would like to hear your comments!

Disclaimers: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any Avatar: The Last Airbender characters.

Darkness Can't Swallow Our Hearts

Chapter One: Beginning of the End

"Fire Lord Zuko? He's asking for you. I think it is time." Ty Lee whispered as her voice trembled with fear and grief. She opened the door and looked at him, sitting all alone in the darkness of his chamber, his breathing slow and soft. He was very much the man he was years ago; calmer yes, but still dark and mysterious in a way that sent an tingling up Ty Lee's back-perhaps of fear of his large, rugged body or perhaps of desire for it.

The light poured into Zuko's room, making him wince. It had been a long time since Zuko's eyes had seen light; much of his time over the last few months was spent meditating and praying in the serenity and dimness of his chamber-a custom that was common during times of illness and death.

Slowly, he got up, his joints cracking from hours of sitting cross-legged. Gingerly, Zuko moved off his comfy, lavish royal bed and across the expensive carpets that covered the hard wood floor. He was like some sort of big cat; light and gentle in his steps but heavy in his looks. It was now Ty Lee realized Zuko was not at all the teenager he was four years ago, at least not in his appearance. His shoulders were broad and high set-almost as if he was hunching. His abdomen was thin, but not "skinny." Ty Lee toyed with the idea of Zuko with his heavy, ruby and yellow robes off in her mind. She imagined his bareness (just the top half would be exposed, mind you!) and his open chest-oh yes, he must certainly posses a six-pack. It would perfectly compliment his long legs.

Despite his stunningly gorgeous body, Zuko was still somewhat unattractive. His face had grown longer, and with it, his Agni Kai scar. It was now fully covering one cheek and part of his nose. The herbalist could not explain his scar's growth and could not find a cure for it. Zuko didn't mind; over the years, he had accepted his scar as a part of himself that he could never change. His lips still were thin and long, as was his nose. His eyes had dimmed from golden to sickly yellow-which was expected in times of stress such as these. His black hair was in a high ponytail, looking like a shock of black fire burning his scalp.

Ty Lee had spent so much time observing the Fire Lord that his voice caught her off guard.

"Take me to him." Zuko asked in hoarse, snake like voice. Ty Lee nodded and led him down the stone hallways of the castle, past the chambers of visiting noblemen and generals, through the barely lit corridors and down spiraling marble staircases to the hospice, where members of the royal family spent their final weeks before they departed.

"It is a shame. I should have gotten him a better room." Zuko commented when he opened the wooden door and spied the windowless, dusty, dirty chamber.

"I'm sorry, Fire Lord Zuko. The better hospice chambers are reserved for the Fire Lord and his direct descendants-not his uncle. I tried to get him a better place but-" Ty Lee's apology was cut short by a load, sorrowful moan.

"Uncle? Uncle Iroh? It's me, Zuko." Zuko stormed into the room, followed tentatively by Ty Lee. The smell in the hospice was foul, partly from the stench of uneaten food and partly from the stench of approaching death and decay. Zuko sat at his Uncle's bedside, his eyes wide and ears open, ready for whatever Iroh was about to tell him.

The sight of the shriveled old man nearly made Ty Lee's already watery eyes overflow. The herbalist was not sure what his illness was-or even if he was ill at all. Iroh was old, his body was deteriorating, his heart was stopping.

"Zuko...my nephew…is that you? I…I can't see." Iroh struggled to get words out of his dry, chapped lips. Every word, every moment not used for breathing made him weaker. His eyes were permanently closed now, his mouth would go next.

Ty Lee grasped his hand and nearly was chilled by how cold it was. "Zuko's here and he wants to listen to you. Go on, tell him." she spoke to the feeble old man, speaking loud enough and clear enough so that even his weak ears could hear her.

Iroh let out another moan. He propped himself up to his best abilities and began to speak.

"My nephew…I am so sorry to leave you now. I know it must be hard for you, after losing your father, having the Fire Lord crown thrust upon you, having Azula…well, I don't think I should bring up Azula."

Ty Lee's eyes widened. Azula was not to be spoken of ever again. Her name was forbidden, as was her Mai's. Zuko let Iroh continue speaking, ignoring the mention of his sister.

"I know you are going to try to redeem yourself. Recapturing the Avatar will be difficult, almost impossible. The Water Tribes live deep in the center of the North and South Poles. Getting to them will require you going through icy peaks and snowy cliffs-you could easily die. And how will you find the Avatar? There are a million Water Nation babies; anyone of them could be Aang's reincarnation! You can't do this Zuko, don't put yourself in this kind of danger, or else you will die sooner than me!" Uncle's murmurs inspired a fire in Zuko's eyes that Ty Lee had not seen in a long time.

"Are you saying I can't do this? Are you saying that Fire Lord Zuko, Ruler of the Fire Nation, Destroyer of the Earth Nation, can't capture a little baby Water Bender child? I can do it and I will do it, I will not fail again!" Zuko nearly shouted at his sick relative.

Ty Lee had to step in. "Zuko, please! He wasn't mocking you." Zuko turned towards her and gave her a nasty look.

"Don't blame Ty Lee for your mistakes in the past! You had a choice! Aang was right there in front of you, you could have gotten him, you could have made peace with him, you could have righted all the wrong! But you didn't, you killed him! You killed him right there, with all his friends watching! You killed him in cold blood! You killed him and then you killed everyone in the Earth Nation! Zuko you are no better than your sister!"

Iroh screamed so loud Ty Lee almost forgot he was so close to death. She backed away, afraid of what Zuko would do to his Uncle. Calling Fire Lord Zuko as bad as his sister was punishable by death at the gallows.

Zuko was taken aback for a moment. His face was contorted into an expression of pain, shame and rage. He had made unwise choices in the past, but he tried to forget them, to focus on what was going on right now. Zuko was about to speak, when Iroh started to sputter and choke. The old man's body rose up and down and began to shiver in a way that Ty Lee had never seen before, and never wanted to see again. Iroh coughed and twisted a few more times when finally, it stopped. Iroh's body (was it a body anymore? was it a corpse?) rested and he let out a huge sigh.

"Oh Zuko! I'm sorry, I should have brought you earlier! You would have had more time!" Ty Lee cried, nearly falling to her knees. Uncle Iroh was dead.

Zuko grunted and placed a hand over Iroh's chest. He grabbed Ty Lee's hand and put it over Iroh's heart. Sure enough, there was still a beat. "The old man will never die. He will keep torturing me about what I did, what I'm doing now and how it's all wrong-how all my choices were wrong, how I'll never be a man. Make sure when he wakes up, he's given dinner."

Zuko nonchalantly walked out of the hospice room, Ty Lee not far behind him. "Zuko, where are you going now? Back to your room for more meditating?"

Zuko stopped and shook his head. "No. I'm done meditating. I'll be talking with my generals; it's time to take action."

Ty Lee grasped his hand-a bold move for a maid to make on a king. "Zuko…you're not leaving tonight, are you? It's so soon!" she asked him.

Zuko smiled, one of his half smiles that betrayed no happiness, just a slyness that would make Ty Lee's heart burn with intense desire to be the reason for his smiles, to be the reason for his everything.

"I remember when you used to be that bouncy little girl who would always play with my sister. You annoyed me a bit, but you were cute and friendly. Look what the world has done to you, what I have done to you, what Azula has done to you. The world did the exact same thing to me long ago, and now I have to make it right. If you could be that bouncy girl again, to have no care again, wouldn't you do anything to be her? Wouldn't you want to go back to that childlike view of the world as soon as possible? Well, I want to be that boy again; I want to be the boy who used to be loved by his parents and who used to stare at the world with innocent marvel. I want to be him again." Zuko stared at her for a moment, shook off whatever sentiment he was trying to express, and hurried down the hallway to the general's room.

Ty Lee sighed when he was safely out of earshot. "I want to be that girl, Zuko. I want to be her so bad. You have no idea."

A/N: Hope you liked it! Sorry if it was too short, I'll write more soon!