"Thank you for coming, all of you. It means a lot to me, especially considering how busy I'm sure you all are," Zuko said to his friends. They were sitting around the long table within the dining hall, the whole gang reunited; Aang, Katara, Sokka, Suki, Toph, and Zuko. It had all started when he had heard that the Avatar would be in the Fire Nation, and hoping they were all still together, he sent Aang a letter.

Dear Avatar Aang,

I hope all is well. I would be honored if you would join me for dinner tonight. It has been a while and there is a lot I would like to discuss with you.

Sincerely,

Fire Lord Zuko

P.S. If the gang is still with you, please bring them along. I would like to talk to them as well.

Of course Aang was still with the gang. They had split up for a little while, traveling home to their own families, but they were a family now. They did spend a lot of time away from another now, but they were always in touch. They had all met in the Fire Nation after planning to reunite and wanting to see Zuko again as well. So when Aang received his letter, it was the perfect opportunity to fulfill their want.

So there they were, sitting around the table in the palace, which was now Zuko's palace. The dining hall was beautiful, along with the rest of the palace. The table was very long and could easily seat at least twenty people, and probably more if needed. The ceilings were high and grand lights hung from them with a crystal chandelier in the middle, brightening the hall greatly so that while conversation went on, everyone could see each other and the marvelous food they were eating.

"What kind of meat is this?" Sokka asked Zuko. Always the meat lover he was. He took a bite of the meat they were served and immediately fell in love with the taste of it, much better than anything he had ever had before. It was much different from what they had in the South Pole.

"I am not sure, but I can ask our chef for you," Zuko responded, glad Sokka and the rest of the gang were enjoying themselves. He wished he could sit back, relax, and smile along with them. He wished he could be as carefree as they were now. But the previous night had left him shaken, and he didn't know how long it would take to recover from it. But while he was stuck in time, the world around him moved forward, and as the Fire Lord, he had to as well.

The room grew quiet, not much noise being made. It seemed like everyone was enjoying their dinner, because no one bothered to start a conversation. But that was fine with him, Zuko knew he'd have to tell them about Mai sooner or later. Eventually it would all come out. For now though, he would let them enjoy their time, because the happiness that hung in the air would disappear once they heard the news.


After dinner, everyone continued to sit around the dining table, only now their plates were empty and had been taken away just moments earlier. They knew they couldn't be silent any longer, not that any of them had really wanted to be from the beginning. They were all curious how Zuko was doing since they hadn't seen him in a while. He was the one they had the least amount of contact with, since he was the busiest. While he was on their mind, Zuko's mind was mostly on thoughts of telling them about Mai, but he did wonder how they had been too. He figured that would be a good place to start the conversation.

"How have you guys been?"

"Great. After we left the fire nation, we all went our separate ways for a while, visiting our homes," Aang answered. "I mostly just traveled to places that had been affected by the war the most and did my best to help out. As the Avatar, everyone was so enthusiastic to see me, it was a good feeling knowing I was helping them out. Rebuilding cities is a lot easier than saving them."

Zuko nodded. He knew there was a lot to fix after the war. He had been sending out letter after letter to as many places as he could think of that were affected, asking what assistance they may need or what things they could use to help get things back to normal. Some places were damaged and affected greatly, but the world had slowly put itself back together, one little piece at a time. The Avatar's help in these places was appreciated as well.

"But it's good to be back together again, especially to be here with you, Zuko. It's been so long since any of us have seen you. I can't believe how much has changed in just a year."

That's right. Only a year had gone by since the end of the war, and yet so much had changed. It was unbelievable, to everyone. But it was a much needed change and everyone enjoyed seeing it, knowing it meant the beginning of a new era with Zuko as the Fire Lord, leading his nation into peace with the other three. It also meant that a new era was open for the Avatar to shape and change the world as well.

"So what have you been up to, Zuko?" Katara asked.

"Mostly what you would expect. Being Fire Lord is different, and by no means easy, but it is a job that someone must do, and as the heir to the throne it is my duty and I am glad to fulfill it." Zuko wanted to be a part of the solution to the problem that his father had started. He wanted the nations to be one again, to have the whole world be just that, one world with no wars or troubles. He couldn't solve all of the problems, some cities would always have a problem with other cities, but that was something that the leaders of those cities would have to deal with themselves.

"Do you miss getting to travel? I know the feeling of being stuck in a palace all day, and I wouldn't go back to that lifestyle for any reason," Toph said. She had gone to visit her parents when the group split, but when she told them she was leaving to join her friends again, they let her go this time with no restraints. They had grown to understand their daughter better, that she wasn't as fragile and useless as they had thought. After hearing what she done to help end the war, they were more than proud of her. Now they knew that she could handle herself, and that if she needed help she would get it.

Zuko shook his head to her question. "It isn't all bad. I do miss getting to see the world, but helping it is just as rewarding."

More silence. They had covered the major points. Zuko sighed, he knew the time had come. He knew he had to get it over with. "Listen, I didn't just ask you guys to come here to tell you how great the world is doing now and what it's been like as Fire Lord. I'm glad to hear you guys have been good, but unfortunately I have a bigger issue right now that can't be avoided."

"What's wrong?" Zuko wasn't sure who asked the question. This was the moment he had been anticipating all night and it seemed as if the room had floated away, and he was all alone in it. It could've been anyone who asked the question, for they were all thinking the same thing. Zuko expected that. What the group didn't expect was Zuko's response.

"Mai died."