Well, here it is, the conclusion to my first fic. I hope you like it as much as I do, and I hope you loved the fic.

One year later

A stifling wind rustled the tree branches as Zuko looked out over the pond. The sweltering weather had inconveniently arrived yesterday, and by the looks of it, it wouldn't be leaving any time soon. How appropriate.

"She says that there's no reason they shouldn't have closed up by now, but she'll be fine if she doesn't strain herself too much." he said, looking over at Ursa.

The two were in the garden, watching the turtle ducks as they swam.

"Good," she replied, "I wouldn't want her to get hurt, especially for this."

Zuko nodded and looked back over at the water. It was unusual, just sitting here with his mother. They had hardly spoken in the last year, it had been quite busy. He looked over at a headstone underneath another tree. There was a shining blade thrust into the ground in front of it, along with two broken halves of an airbender's staff. Yes, it had been quite busy indeed.

He turned back to his mother, his tone reluctant, "Mom, I should probably-"

"Have been dressed and ready by now?"

The two turned at the voice. Azula was standing in the doorway, looking quite bedraggled. Her eyebrows were raised as she looked at Zuko.

"Azula!" Zuko said getting up off the ground to greet her.

She stared him down as he neared slowing to a halt a few feet in front of her.

"Zuko, Ty Lee and I came all the way from Omashu just for today; I would have expected you to be ready by now."

Ursa rose from the ground and walked over, "Azula, everything will be ready at the time it needs to be, including your brother. Now why don't we leave him to his business and you can go change. I had a new set of clothes laid out in your room yesterday, which reminds me, why are you so late?"

The two walked off as Azula began to recount the events of the trip from Omashu, leaving Zuko alone in the garden. He paused for a moment, watching the two disappear around the corner, before turning and walking to the pond's edge. As he gazed into its depths, the events from the past year flooded his mind. It did not feel like a year, but more like a few days. There had been no time to think about what had happened, they had been on the move since that day one year ago, with no time to distance themselves from what they were doing from what they had done. To him, and the others, they were still in the middle of that day, waiting for it to come to an end. He walked into the shade and looked down at the grave. It seemed like only a few hours ago that he had awoken in the Hall of the Fire Lord. Aisu had been lying on the floor, and he remembered wishing he hadn't taken his sweet time in waking up. Aang and Katara had been by the window, along with Sokka, Toph in his arms. They're faces had told him it was over before he had even seen his father, slumped against his throne, his body finally still.

Zuko squinted as he looked at the stone. They had turned to him, and said something, but he couldn't recall what it was. He had, by that point, turned his attention to Uncle, lying on the floor, his blistered skin showing through his burnt robes. He had run over and turned him onto his side, shouting at him to wake up. He had been quite beside himself…

"Telling him of recent happenings, are you?"

Zuko's memories retreated and he turned, smiling as he looked at Uncle. His arm still bore the burns from his brother, but in the end he had opened his eyes and made some wry comment about the exuberance of youth; not all of them could leap up off the floor as they pleased.

"No, just thinking. It all seems so near Uncle. I can hardly remember what's happened between then and now. I always thought it strange, that he was the one who ended up dying."

Uncle walked over and stood beside his nephew.

"Aisu had the least to lose, or so he thought. I suppose in the end, he was never really understood that we wished him to stay. He was always one to look ahead, and I suppose he accepted what he saw. Besides, I'm not sure what he would have done with himself after it was over. He certainly would not have faded into the new era, and there would have been nothing more that he wanted out of this life."

She smiled as she listened to Uncle's words, coming from the garden just around the corner. There were some things, it seemed, that even he didn't know. Aisu, in the end, did understand what he had meant to them, but had also understood that it was time to move ahead and join those who were waiting for him.

The two looked up as Katara stepped into the garden, wiping blood away from her hands as she approached. Out of everyone, Katara was one of the few who Zuko had gotten to know well in this past year, mainly because she had never left the palace in that time.

"How is she?" Zuko asked.

"She's fine Zuko; now come on, Aang just got in from Ba Sing Se with Sokka and Toph."

Uncle looked at Zuko. Those three, on the other hand, had been quite scarce in the past year. Zuko had always been busy on their short visits, so he had hardly seen them at all. He watched as Katara's gaze drifted to the headstone before moving back to him. He smiled slightly and began to head for the door.

"Really?" he said, looking over his shoulder one last time. I would have thought the palace would have been torn down by now…"

Zuko couldn't say that he didn't wish he was here, they all did, but Aisu would have probably found it a bit too calm in this new age….he turned around as Katara punched him in the shoulder.

"Hey, I was joking!"

She smiled ruefully, "And so was I, now hurry up before you have to start getting ready. Azula's already on your case."

The three left the garden and made there way to one of the dining halls. As they opened the door, Aang looked up, a smile on his tired features as he calmly stood leaning on a new staff. Zuko was surprised by how much had changed. He looked much older than just one year's passage, and much wiser at that. And yet, there was that same grin.

"Zuko!" he shouted, running over. "We hardly saw you this last year, how are things here at the palace?"

"Uh, fine." Zuko said, looking over at Sokka, who seemed quite unperturbed despite the fact that Ty Lee was fastened to his arm.

"How are things in Ba Sing Se?" he asked, looking back at Aang.

Aang's eyelids drooped and he heaved a sigh.

"Tiring. The Dai Li just don't feel like surrendering. At first, it was out of disbelief that the war was over, but now it's simply out of an unwillingness to accept defeat. They've been quite persistent in their efforts to give us a hard time."

"Sounds rough." Zuko responded.

Aang rolled his eyes and shrugged, "It doesn't matter, we're not here to discuss post-war politics."

"Huh, we never thought that would ever come out of your mouth, did we Twinkle Toes?"

Aang smiled as he looked over Zuko's shoulder, "Yeah, "post-war" is definitely a new one for me."

Zuko turned and found Toph leaning against the wall next to the door, staring blankly ahead. His eyes dropped to her feet. He could see white scars edging their way out from underneath them. He turned to Aang.

"How is she?" he asked quietly.

A small pillar of rock bumped him in the backside. He turned around again to face her.

"Just because the feeling in my feet is dead doesn't mean my ears are. I can hear you just fine, and I still have my hands, so you can relax."

"Just checking Toph. You make it sound so unimportant." he commented.

"Well, I do have to pay more attention now…to everything." she muttered darkly.

Zuko gave Aang a look, and he laughed, "More post-war politics Zuko. There have been quite a few "next course of action" meetings we've all had to sit through in Ba Sing Se."

Zuko laughed and nodded, "I know what you mean, there have been quite a lot of those around here too. In the end, Bumi has decided to lend us support until we have everything straightened out."

"So the Fire Nation ended up getting support from the Earth Kingdom? That's kind of funny." Sokka said, stepping into the conversation.

"I guess you could look at it that way," Zuko replied, "but the point is we finally sorted out this mess to the point we're we could stop and take a breath."

"Today counts as taking a breath?" Aang said, wrinkling his nose as he thought about it.

Zuko sighed, "No, not really, but it's much less hectic than what we've been doing up until now. Besides, it's one of the things that will move the Fire Nation forward the furthest. It will help get the nation's thoughts off of my father and on the future."

The group fell silent at the mentioning of Ozai, as they all thought back to that day. There had been a question as of what to do with his body when the battle had ended, and there had been time to decide what next. Many had been in favor of simply burying him, tossing him into the earth, unworthy of a firebender's funeral pyre. However, after it had all been said and done, Ozai had been allowed to burn. It had been decided that being remembered for anything, even a dishonorable death, would not help the Fire Nation leave Ozai behind. And even so, he would be a hard figure to forget. But that was where today came in. Zuko looked up as Ursa came in, and smiled. Yes, today would hopefully close this nation's mind forever to memories of his father.

Ursa brought the back of her hand to her forehead in mock despair and leaned heavily upon the table, "Zuko, your sister is going to run me into the ground if you don't hurry up and start getting ready! I had a hard enough time getting her to simply take a bath."

"Don't worry, we were just catching up. I'll be changed and ready in time."

"Speaking of which," Katara said, "I should be going. I should change the bandages once more before the ceremony."

"And I should probably follow her out, I'll see you later." Zuko said, giving his mother a hug before leaving them to continue talking until it was time.

As he strode down the hall, his mind began to focus again on the past year's events. There had been quite a lot of uprisings to quell in the first few months; firebenders still loyal to Ozai, rogue earthbenders out to seek their own personal revenge against whoever they deemed fit…and then there had been Mai's family. It had been a hard conversation to have, but in the end…

Zuko stopped in front of the large wooden doors that led to his room and slowly pushed them open. There were silken red robes of differing shades laid out on his bed, along with a dark red sash and a hair tie. As he began to pull his own clothes off and put the robes on, a knock came at the door.

"Come in." he said, tying off the sash as he did so.

Katara came in, once again wiping away fresh blood, but stopped halfway through the door.

"She wants to see you before it starts." she said.

"I'll be there in a minute." Zuko replied as she stepped out and closed the door.

Zuko smiled slightly as he looked into the mirror, pulling his hair back into a tight topknot. His hair had grown longer by now, and yet, he looked nothing like his father, thanks to the scar that graced his features. He gave himself one last glance before leaving the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

He made his way silently down the hall, stopping in front of another large pair of wooden doors. He knocked and waited a few moments before hearing Katara's voice from inside.

"Come in Zuko."

He pushed the doors gently open and poked his head inside before stepping in completely. The room was brightly lit, with sunbeams cascading through the open window. There was a bed next to it, with Katara standing beside it. She looked up at him and then back towards the bed.

"Just don't move and you'll be fine." she said as she walked across the room, closing the door behind her.

"I know, I know; don't want to open them up again." Mai said with a roll of her golden eyes.

Her gaze turned up as Zuko came closer, and a faint smile played at her lips.

"Zuko, I wondered if you might be too busy today."

Zuko said nothing, but stood, silently watching her, falling back into that day.

Zuko's relief had expressed itself in the form of falling back onto the floor when Uncle had awoken. He had closed his eyes, and then opened them slowly, staring up at the ceiling. The person most important to him had survived. He had frowned at that, he remembered, because in the back of his mind, he knew that wasn't true. He had looked to his right, across the floor at her motionless form. She was important to him, but for some reason, he hadn't known why. If only she hadn't…

Zuko had started, sitting up as he watched the tiny rivulet of blood make its way down her robes to mingle with that already on the floor. He had said her name, and quietly made his way over, fearing that all but a whisper would ruin what was happening on front of him. Her lips had curled, but he could not remember whether it was to express her joy or pain. Her eyes had opened, her heavy lids barely moving to allow a flash of golden iris into view. Zuko had shuddered; with that smile on her face and her eyes half open, she had appeared as death in repose, coming back only to taunt him. But he couldn't let her die. What happened next was all a blur to Zuko. Katara had come over, and the next thing he could think of was blood running down his arms as he carried her…she had opened up again, and new blood was beginning to flow. He had set her down, and Katara had come again…

Zuko started as he seemed to fall back into the present. He had put her down, Katara had come over, and now here they were, a year later. Mai's wounds had still refused to close, despite Katara's best efforts. Zuko was grateful she had decided to stay in the Fire Nation instead of going with Sokka and Aang, but he wished she could tell him what was wrong. Mai's wounds seemed to be another part of her body these days, refusing to leave her, and opening up at the slightest movement. Katara had said that for all she knew, they might never heal…

He smiled. That didn't matter though, because she was here, broken and bleeding for a time, but alive.

"Not have time for you, today? If anything I should make time for you, today especially." he said, sitting down in the chair next to the bed.

"I should have expected that kind of answer from you. How is it going anyway?" she asked, her features falling back into askance.

"As you can, see I'm ready whenever they are, but the sages like to take their time. On the other hand, shouldn't you be getting ready?"

"I will, as soon as you leave and Katara can come in and help me."

Zuko raised one eyebrow, "No need to be so subtle." he said, smiling as he stood up.

"Just wanted to make sure the point got across." she replied, her face fighting back a smile.

As Zuko reached for the doors they opened and he found himself looking at Katara and Azula. Katara merely walked by him, raising her eyebrows and rolling her eyes back at Azula as she did so, but Azula grabbed him by the wrist, dragging him out into the hall.

"Come on Zuko, it's going to start any minute now."

"I know, I was just leaving." he said, breaking the iron grip she had on him and slowing their pace as they walked down the hall.

Azula stopped and sighed, burying her face in the palm of one hand.

"Zuko, this really needs to go well, it will help in more ways than you know."

"Azula, I know just as much about our current position as you, if not more, and I know this needs to go well. It will."

Azula looked at her brother. Ever since he had made her the Fire Nation's one and only general, it had become easy to forget how much he also had to deal with. Her eyebrows furrowed at the thought. Yes, he carried himself much too easily for what he dealt with daily. He looked too relaxed.

"Yes, I know," she said, her tone disturbed as she turned to walk down the hall alone, "I'll see you at the ceremony."

Zuko watched her go, walking purposefully down the hallway, and turned as he felt a hand in his shoulder. It was Uncle.

"It's time, Prince Zuko." he said, his face alight with pride.

Zuko nodded and followed his uncle down a hallway until they were waiting behind a pair of large iron doors. Zuko looked up at them as he listened to the nondescript chatter that came from behind their confines. The Hall of the Fire Lord awaited him behind these doors, as well as a title that it would take years to redeem. Zuko exhaled and stood up straighter as the talking suddenly ceased, and four members of the Vanguard walked up, flanking him. He looked over at Uncle, who smiled and nodded, and then reached forward, pushing the heavy doors wide open. A sea of faces turned towards him as he walked through the threshold, making his way through the parting crowd. He looked up as he reached the stairs, taking the first step slowly. As he reached the top he was met by five fire sages, who motioned silently towards the empty throne. He looked down at it, an image of his father, slumped against it, finding its way into his mind. He pushed it away and turned, sitting down smoothly, his robes brushing against the floor as he did so.

As the sages began to drone, Katara looked over and found that Uncle had somehow managed to slip through the crowd until he was next to her and Sokka.

"Is it always so…boring?" she whispered, leaning closer as she spoke.

"But of course," he deadpanned, a wry smile at his lips, "but this one will be interesting soon enough."

Katara looked at him strangely, but turned back towards the front, she could wait to find out what he was referring to. As her hearing tuned back into the sages, she caught the end of a speech, and listened intently as he took a breath began to speak once again.

"And so, Prince Zuko, son of Fire Lord Ozai, now deceased, and Fire Lady Ursa, shall be crowned Fire Lord Zuko…next to his bride, Fire Lady Mai."

A whisper rippled through the crowd as people turned to look at each other. Katara's eyebrow rose as Sokka's jaw slackened, and all heads turned towards the doors once more. Through them came Mai, dressed in elegant scarlet robes, surrounded by four new members of the Vanguard. She looked quite out of place, Katara noted, in those robes, but she played the part well. As Sokka continued to gape, along with the rest of the crowd, Katara turned to Uncle.

"You knew about this?" she whispered, her tone accusatory as she tried to hide the smile.

Uncle nodded, "Yes, but he said he wanted to wait for today to let it be known."

"How long?" she questioned.

"Only a few weeks."

Azula leaned over from her spot, "I knew there was something wrong with him."

Toph rolled her eyes, "Azula, only you would define getting married as "something wrong"."

"She's not even supposed to be out of bed though." Katara said, watching Mai carefully as she made her way up the stairs towards the throne.

"I think she'll be fine Katara." Aang said assuredly.

Katara turned, looking at him. For a moment, his eyes were filled with knowing, as if he could see something she could not. It disappeared, however, as he looked at her.

"What?" he asked, a smile splitting his features in half.

"Nothing Aang. Nothing at all."

They all looked back as Mai, standing directly next to Zuko, had the metallic flames tucked neatly into her own topknot.

So this was it. The war was over, to all but a few Ozai was gone, and everyone, including Zuko, was starting over. Aang leaned on his staff as he watched the ceremony continue. After this was all over, they would be thrust back into the madness of trying to fix the world. But for now, in this one moment, he could catch a glimpse of what was to come. He could see the joy that for so long had been absent from the world, see the peace that was coming to replace the years lost in war. But it would not stay forever, that was certain, for as war gave way to peace, peace in turn had to give way to something else.

Aang smiled as he watched Zuko, and then looked over at Katara. No, it would not be here forever, but at least it was here for now.

And so you have it, the epilogue we both have been waiting for. I hope it was satisfactory, I personally liked it, and for you non-maiko shippers, don't take it too hard. I've had so much fun with this fic, I hope to write another sometime, but write now I am quite busy. I am, however, open to suggestions. Please, give me your thoughts on the epilogue, as well as the story as a whole, whether they be good or bad. See you later.

Twilight Rurouni