Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

A/N: HEY! S/o to the two guests who reviewed my story :D Thanks a bunch!

I stood out on the platform, watching the ground rush by below us. The sun was still rising in the distance and Aang, Sokka, Suki and Toph were all still asleep; I couldn't blame them. Between the day journey back to Ba Sing Se and then waking up this early to get to the Fire Nation for Zuko's coronation, it had to take its toll. I couldn't sleep, my blood still pumping and my heart still racing.

The Fire Nation had easily been defeated by Iroh and the rest of the Order. I didn't really think I had played that much of a role but when Iroh and I walked through the city, people bowed to me and I realized that the actually did know who I was and, though the extreme attention made me blush, the feeling I got at their happy faces was indescribable.

My green, yellow and gold silk robes blew in the wind and my hair slipped across my face from behind my matching headband as the airship slid through the wind. It was already looking to be the beginning of a beautiful new day, the start of something great. Zuko's coronation would lead to amazing things, I was sure of it. Aang was going to make a great Avatar; I heard what he had done to Ozai and I had wished I had been there to see it. And here we were now, the end of a 100 year war, a war that we had helped stopped.

Something great indeed.

The sun was fully into the sky when the Fire Nation came into view. By then, my friends were up and had joined me on the platform. Everyone seemed so happy, so carefree now and it was a nice feeling. Sure, we knew there were things that were eventually going to have to be done but right now we didn't have to worry about that.

Katara was waiting for us when the balloon landed in the Capitol. She grinned, waving at us as we ran to her, Sokka hobbling behind us with his crutch. "Katara!" he yelled happily.

"I'm so glad you're all here!" Katara said, hugging us all in turn. It didn't escape my notice that she saved Aang for last and his hug lasted longer than any others. "Zuko's coronation will be starting soon. Luli, Aang, the Fire Sages were looking for you. I told them I'd send you to them as soon as you arrived. Everyone else is gathering in the courtyard."

Aang nodded, looking back to me. I smiled. "You go ahead. I, uh, have to do something."

Aang left and I looked to Katara, who was smiling coyly at me. "Last I heard he's in his room getting ready."

I grinned, gather the bottom of my robes and hurrying into the palace. It was so beautiful, tones of red and orange and yellow all around, so much different from the Earth Kingdom palace. I couldn't help but look around, amazed. A few servants walked past me, bowing. When I asked, one pointed me in the direction of Zuko's room and I ran off, the carpeted floor softening my footsteps.

When I reached the door, I paused, taking a deep breath. Quickly, I straightened my robes, looking in the window to fix any hair my running might have mused. I was really going to do this; I had promised myself if I lived through my encounter with Delun, I would tell Zuko how I felt. I would tell him that, though we had only known each other a few short months, I knew I wanted to get to know him better. I wanted to tell him that it was thoughts of him that kept me going, honestly. I wanted to tell him that I cared for him more than I had ever cared about someone.

Taking another deep breath, I knocked on the door. "Zuko?"

There was a muffled voice and smiling I pushed open the door. Zuko was in there, his hair still loose from his top knot. He looked up when I entered and I couldn't quite read the expression on his face but then again, maybe it was because I wasn't looking at him. Standing next to him was a beautiful girl my age, her hair pulled back from her face. She was tall and seemed graceful too . . . and her arm was wrapped around Zuko's waist. "Luli," Zuko said, sounding shocked.

'Back straight Luli. Smile. Can't let them see you're uncomfortable, can you?'

I took a quick breath and forced a bright smile on my face. "Oh sorry! I didn't mean to just barge in. I hope I'm not interrupting."

"No, you're not," Zuko said, recovering. He looked down at the girl next to him as if he wasn't quite sure what to do.

"You must be Mai," I spoke up, curtsying to her. "Zuko's told me a lot about you."

Main looked from Zuko to me, slowly before she too gave me a slight smile and a bow. "Nice to meet you officially, Princess Luli."

"Well, I suppose I should be going." I started backing away from the door. "I just wanted to let you know I was here and check on you. I heard you were hurt."

"Yes but Katara fixed me." Finally, he took a step towards me. "Are you okay?"

I thought about the cut Delun had made across my stomach, the one that hurt every once in a while and sent a shiver up my spine whenever I thought about how close he had gotten. "Yea, no, I'm fine. Well, I'll leave you two alone. See you at the coronation."

Before anything else could be said, I left the room, pulling the door shut behind me. It felt as if I couldn't breathe, my heart pounding painfully in my chest, and my eyes burned. I walked as quickly as I could back down the hallway.

Zuko watched Luli leave, not knowing what to do. Next to him, Mai was silent for a moment before she cleared her throat. "She was nice."

That made Zuko stir. He moved to his dresser, grabbing the band for his top knot. "She always is," he mumbled, messing with his hair.

Again Mai was silent for a second. "She's pretty."

To that, Zuko didn't want to respond. Of course, Luli was pretty. He thought she had the brightest eyes he had ever seen and he couldn't believe her smile. . . . But that wasn't something you said to your girlfriend.

"Why didn't you go after her?"

Zuko looked up at Mai in the mirror. She was watching him, waiting for his reaction. "What are you talking about?" he asked, frowning.

"She left, and you let her go," she clarified. "Why didn't you go after her?"

"You're being ridiculous," Zuko said, turning to face her. "We're just friends."

"No, you're just clueless." Mai was smiling slightly now. "But then again, what should I expect? It took you years to realize I liked you. . . . I think you have some thinking to do."

With that, Mai put her arms in her sleeves and left his room, leaving Zuko to his thoughts.

'Back straight Luli. Smile. Can't let them see you're uncomfortable, can you?'

I'm trying mom but this was so much different from being stuck in some silly party with a bunch of stuck-up people trying to get on my good side because of Kuei. This was devastating, heart breaking and humiliating. I tried to shake it off as the curtains to the courtyard came closer and I saw Aang sitting there, looking serene. His eyes opened as if he heard me approaching and he smiled, before it fell quickly, "Luli are you okay?"

"Of course I am," I answered, maybe a little too quickly. "Why would you ask?"

"You're eyes look a little red," he said softly.

"Oh." I shook my head, brightening my smile. "I'm fine, really. . . . But, I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

"Sure, Luli, anything."

"Would it be a problem for me to borrow Appa or for you to take me home?"

Aang frowned. "Sure, I can take you home. . . . When are you looking to leave?"

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Aang moved to stand up. "But Luli –"

The curtain was drawn back and an old man stood there, dressed in red robes. "Princess, we were waiting for you."

I glanced at Aang before I walked through the curtain.

There were scores of people out there. I could see the blues of the Water Tribes, the reds of the Fire Nation, and the greens of my own Kingdom. There were cheers as the Fire Sage led me to a pillow near the front. I smiled, waving as I sat down on the pillow. I could see Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Suki down below and they waved happily to me. I grinned and for a moment I could almost forget how upset I had been earlier.

What felt like minutes later, two gongs echoed through the air and Zuko and Aang walked out onto the podium. The cheers rose up into the air again, loud and excited as Zuko stepped forward, looking solemn and handsome. . . .

"Please, the real hero is the Avatar," he said, gesturing at Aang to which the crowd cheered again. "Today this war is finally over. I promised my uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation and I will. The road ahead of us is challenging; a hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided but with the Avatar and the Princess of Ba Sing Se's help we can get it back on the right path and began an era of love and peace."

He knelled down then, on a pillow set a little farther up from mine. A Fire Sage walked up behind him, holding the crown of the Fire Lord high into the air before sliding it down into Zuko's top knot.

"All hail Fire Lord Zuko," the old man said.

With that, he stood. I waited for him to walk forward for everyone to see him but instead he stopped, looking to me with a smile on his face and he held out his hand. Despite myself, despite how sad I was, I couldn't help but smile back because I was so proud of him. I laid my hand in his and he helped me to my feet, walking forward. We reached the front of the podium and Zuko looked back, motioning for Aang to join us. The young boy stepped up and we all turned to look out over the vast crowd of people. . . .

And I tried not to think about the fact that Zuko never let go of my hand.

A/N: Okay the next chapter is the last lol.