Since the palace really had been deserted, all we could do was sit and wait on the steps for the others to come to us. I'd already sent Appa to them, making sure he knew where to go and I had a feeling his bond with Aang would draw them together anyway, and I was right. In the early hours of that morning, Appa returned with the rest of the gang on his back, along with a defeated and tied up Ozai who looked nothing like I pictured in my head. I guess I'd built up such an image from all his statues, posters and what Zuko had told me, I hadn't expected a miserable man still reeling from his defeat.

"Aang! You're okay!" I beamed as I leaped up and ran forwards, Zuko following a little more slowly as everybody jumped off Appa. I reached Aang first and grabbed him by his waist, lifting him up into the air with a rush and spun with him around as I laughed and he grinned. "Where's your shirt? No never mind that, what happened? Where did you go? How could you make us worry about you like that? What were you thinking?!" I listed off as I set him back on his feet then fussed over him, searching for injuries before satisfying myself he was okay.

"It's a long story, but it started when I woke up on the back of a giant lion-turtle." I blinked at him.

"Okay, you're gonna have to explain a little more than that later." I said to him before looking as Suki and Katara helped Sokka hobble forwards, one of his legs clearly injured.

"You should have seen Aang, he was amazing! I've never seen bending like it, there was so much going on I didn't even know what was happening and we took out the airships so they couldn't burn down the Earth Kingdom and I lost boomerang and my space sword, and then…" Sokka set off into a rant, completely overwhelming my senses until Katara clapped her hand over his mouth to make him shut up and Toph took over.

"Aang came back, kicked the Fire Lord's butt and we took out the airship fleet. Done. Oh, and Aang took the Fire Lord's bending away somehow. That's something to do with the lion-turtle." Wait, what? The Fire Lord can't bend anymore? How was that even possible? Zuko and I looked at each other quickly in shock, unable to believe it.

"Aw come on, my way of telling the story is way more exciting!" Although we'd only been apart for a few hours, I can't believe how much I'd missed the antics. "So by the way, what happened with you guys? Where's Azula?"

"See for yourself." I smirked, leaning into my hip as I jerked a thumb to my right so that everybody looked to see Azula still chained up and fully restrained, being quiet for the moment since she had tired herself out.

"Wow you really beat her? That's great!" Katara beamed as she launched herself at me for a hug and I caught her easily, chuckling as I wrapped my arms around her.

"So…did you really take his bending away?" Zuko asked, walking over to Appa where his father was leaning against the edge of the saddle, his hair in complete disarray just like Azula's. Huh. I guess defeat really doesn't agree with them.

"Yeah. He's not a danger to anyone any longer. It's better this way, for everyone." Aang said to him. For a while Zuko just looked up at his father who glared down at him, too defeated to even utter a word until finally, Zuko nodded his head.

"I agree. Thank you Aang. I owe you for this." Smiling kindly Aang insisted it was just his duty as Avatar, earning a light chuckle until Sokka suddenly frowned.

"Wait, hold on a second. If Aang defeated the Fire Lord and Azula was taken out by Zuko and Kayo, we took out the fleet of airships that were gonna burn down the Earth Kingdom and the White Lotus took back Ba Sing Se…does that mean the war's over? We won?" He asked and everybody gathered around in order to link our arms together, beginning to feel the joy and euphoria of victory as it started to sink in.

"Yes Sokka. We won. It's over now." I said with a grin, leaning over to bump heads with him lightly as an affectionate gesture as we all stood in a circle. "But there's still a lot left we've got to do, so we can't celebrate just yet."

"Kayo's right. There are a lot of war prisoners who need to be released so that families can be reunited, and plenty of places that need to be rebuilt." Katara agreed, already thinking of everyone who had been affected by the war.

"And the scars of this war isn't just going to go away. The world is going to need time and guidance in order to heal." Aang added, looking down briefly with a heavy sigh before looking up again. "But I know we can do it, so long as we work together."

"You got it Aang. Team Avatar is going to set the world straight!" Sokka cheered.

"So long as they don't start calling us 'Team Avatar', I'm down for anything." Toph said as she smirked. "We need a better name." Laughing together, we almost completely forgot about Ozai and Azula, but once we all stepped back we knew that there was still plenty to be done. Sokka needed to be treated and rest so he was given somewhere to do that in peace while Zuko summoned back all of the Imperial Guards and soldiers to the palace, taking control and sending out his orders. Ozai was locked away in prison whilst others were released, and once Sozin's comet finally passed over the sky returned to normal and I felt like I could breathe again.

I was just as busy as everyone else, helping to spread the word that the war was over and having prisoners released all over the Fire Nation. It was a hectic couple of days, but I'd never felt such a sense of accomplishment. Pulling on my new clothes since Azula had pretty much torched my other outfit, I had just finished securing the belt around my waist when a voice spoke behind me. "So you're the girl Zuko left me for." I whirled around in surprise, seeing a girl about a year younger than me leaning against the door frame. She had pale, almost pasty skin and a blank expression, her hair cut to frame her slim face with volume with two little buns on top of her head. It didn't take me long to figure out who she was, though I didn't know what she meant from what she said.

"Mai?"

"So you know me." Standing up she walked on over to me, glancing me up and down as I naturally brought my hand to rest on my hip. "You're kinda pretty I guess. I can see why Zuko likes you so much."

"What do you mean?" I frowned at her, totally lost by this point. "What did you mean Zuko left you for me?" A slight flicker of surprise touched her features, eyebrow quirking under her heavy fringe before her face returned to the void mask from before.

"You mean Zuko didn't tell you?" Not answering her, I began to wonder why this girl would come seek me out of all people. "Guess not. What an idiot. He breaks my heart by leaving me and doesn't even tell the girl he actually likes that he's in love with her. It's kind of pathetic really." She drawled in a bored tone as my face dropped. "Oh, sorry, guess I shouldn't have said that. I just wanted to take a look at the girl Zuko fell for, that's all."

"Wait, you can't be serious." I shook my hands and head, trying to clear out my thoughts and wondering if I'd misheard her. "Zuko didn't leave you for me, he did it because he needed to stop this war and joining the Avatar was the only way to do that." I explained to her but Mai just looked at me.

"I have the letter to prove it. He told me himself." I groaned softly.

"That stupid letter, I told him that was a jerk move, the idiot." At this Mai actually smiled slightly, turning back towards me. "So you're saying…Zuko…has feelings for me? But he was dating you, I don't get it."

"Beats me. People are boring, but Zuko was less boring than others." Mai answered carelessly, sounding like she wasn't bothered either way though I guess that was just her hiding her true feelings. "I just wanted to come and see what kind of girl could change a guy like Zuko so much that he would suddenly become all righteous and take off to save the world. Ugh, it makes me nauseous just thinking about it." Unable to help it, I giggled.

"You're kinda funny." I told her, folding my arms as I regarded her curiously. "Zuko told me about you after he switched sides, so I knew he cared about you." Mai smiled again slightly, lips tilting at the corners.

"Well, he talked about you too. It was annoying really, he'd tell me all these boring stories about you until I wanted to throw up. If I have to listen to Zuko telling me about the time you almost got eaten by a sea monster one my time, I think I'd rather go impale myself on my own knives." She complained in a droning tone which made me laugh again.

"He really talked about me?" She rolled her eyes but I couldn't help but blush.

"Honestly. You guys are ridiculous. Just go tell each other your feelings and go jump into a cloud of rainbows and sunshine for all I care." Waving out her hand in dismissal, Mai started to walk away but I hurried to catch up, touching her shoulder to make her look back.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean for anything like this to happen. I didn't even know it was happening. Guys can be real stupid and dense most of the time, which is how we girls get hurt in the process. I know you're not the kind of girl who talks about her feelings, but if you ever need someone to listen, or you want to just sit and hate the world with some company, then I'm your girl." I offered her, and for a moment Mai just frowned at me before she gave a hum of laughter, short and concise, but I counted it as a laugh all the same.

"I can see why he likes you. Even I can't bring myself to hate you that much, though that doesn't make us friends."

"Sure thing. It was nice to finally meet you Mai. Give my best to Ty Lee too, if I don't meet her today." I waved a little awkwardly, not knowing what to do now. Zuko had feelings for me? So it hadn't just been me that was starting to feel something more, he had been feeling it too all along. Before he switched sides, even. Ugh, why did this have to come out now?! Today is coronation day, and after today we all have plans to go Ba Sing Se to wait for the Earth King to come back and see Iroh, which means an extended vacation in close proximity to Zuko. I can't take this, I feel like my head is going to explode!

"Kayo! Are you nearly ready? The ceremony is starting soon." Katara called as she came into my room to find me still not ready. "What's wrong? You look like you're about to tear my hair out." I lifted my head to give her an exhausted look.

"Boys are so dumb." Was all I said, making Katara blink at me before she shrugged and pestered me to finish getting ready. With my new outfit, I quickly finished adjusting before Katara brushed through my hair and fixed it up in its usual style, making sure everything was securely before I gave a twirl for her. The dress was formal since it was a big day, and I had to admit it was nice to wear something so luxurious. The bright red silk came across one shoulder in a long dress with a fire emblem clasp at my shoulder, the belt wrapping around my torso and trailing behind me as an overskirt of four folds lay over my hips and followed the train down to the floor, a darker red with gold accents.

"You look amazing Kayo. I bet Zuko is going to love it." Katara teased me, making me groan as I walked with her to wait for the ceremony to begin.

"For the last time, there's nothing going on between us."

"Oh yeah? Then why did you kiss him?"

"Because I'm naturally reckless and impulsive." I lied, making Katara just tease me all the more so I ruffled her hair as a punishment, messing it up slightly and forcing her to concentrate on smoothing it out instead. A lot of our friends had come for the crowning ceremony, most having been released from prison and I smiled as Sokka and Katara saw their dad and rushed to him. Well, hobbled in Sokka's case. Hakoda hugged his two children close to him, holding them tightly before looking down to them.

"I heard what you two did. I am the proudest father in the world, and your mother would be proud too." Touching her necklace with tears in her eyes, I gave her shoulder a squeeze before giving my greetings to Hakoda. "Kayo. Thank you for keeping an eye on Sokka and Katara for me whilst I wasn't there with them. Here, I have something for you." He said to me, reaching behind him and drawing out what looked like a letter. "It's a message."

"Message? From who?" I asked as I reached out to take it, watching the knowing smile in his eye.

"From your mother." Immediately I froze, dropping the letter out of shock and Sokka quickly caught it for me as Katara brightened, excited for me as I felt myself start to shake in anticipation and slight nervousness. "Go on, you should read it."

"Here you go." Holding out the letter, I nodded my head mutely and tremblingly took the scroll from Sokka and after taking a moment to gather my thoughts, I pulled it open. It was short and brief, but it communicated everything that it needed to say. It gave me a location as well as a promise that they would be waiting for me every day until I reached them, my mother's familiar hand inked across the paper as she signed 'mom' down the bottom. "Wait, that's it? I thought there'd be pages of stuff your mom would want to write!"

"Does that mean your mom and dad found each other? It says 'we', or does that mean your entire troupe are waiting for you?" Katara wondered, the two of them having crowded either side of me to read the letter too.

"I don't know, but I know where she is now. She finally found me." I cried, pressing my hand over my mouth and both Katara and Sokka comforted me though I was smiling, clutching the letter close to my heart as Hakoda rubbed my head gently, promising that everything was going to be alright now. "Do you know if my father is with her? Did he find her after the war ended?"

"I'm not sure, you'll have to go see for yourself." I got the distinct feeling that Hakoda wasn't telling me something, but I disregarded it for now. My mother was alive, and she was waiting for me. Part of me wanted to go right now, but I knew today was an important day for Zuko and we all needed to be there for him, so after sucking in a deep breath I tucked the letter after folding it into my dress before turning around as Suki and the Kyoshi warriors appeared.

"There's my favourite warriors. I have to admit, I kind of missed the face paint. How does it feel to be back in uniform again?" Sokka asked them as he grinned, however before Suki could answer, a new girl popped up from behind her and answered brightly.

"It feels great!" Staggering with shock, Sokka hurried to hobble over to Suki and quickly placed himself between her and the new girl, pushing her back with his crutch and warily shielding Suki as I tilted my head at an angle, bemused as to what was going on.

"Careful Suki! Ty Lee is pretending to be a Kyoshi Warrior again." Oh wow! So this was Ty Lee, so I've meet both Mai and Ty Lee today. This is great, now I'm finally starting to catch up with everybody that Team Avatar have ever met.

"It's okay, she's one of us now." Suki explained, making Sokka gape helplessly as he pointed at Ty Lee then back at Suki in bewilderment.

"Yeah, the girls and I really bonded in prison." Ty Lee informed us all as she walked over to two other Kyoshi warriors and slung her arms around their necks to hug them both. "And after a few chi blocking lessons, they said I could join their group. We're going to be best friends forever!" She grinned brightly.

"So you're Ty Lee? I've heard all about you, I'm Kayo." I introduced as I stepped forwards. "I'm a dancer but I use a similar acrobatic style to you, Zuko told me all about you and I've been dying to meet you. Well, you know, not as an enemy, that would have sucked." I quickly added as Ty Lee gasped and flipped over to me with a tuck, landing on her feet so that we were practically nose to nose.

"You're Kayo?! No way! I can't believe it, I've heard about you too from Mai and Zuko. He talked about you a lot, you know." She beamed at me cheerfully and I felt almost dazzled by how bright and bubbly she was. "We should hang out sometime, maybe exchange techniques? I can teach you chi blocking and you can teach me to dance like you can, then if I ever go back to the circus I'll have a whole new act to perform!"

"You got it, I'd love to." I said to her as we grinned, becoming fast friends as we started talking together until the gong rang to signal Zuko's arrival. We moved to the front of the gathering, hundreds of people having come from three nations in order to witness the birth of a new era which began at this very ceremony. As everybody applauded, Zuko lifted his hand before then gesturing behind him.

"Please, the real hero is the Avatar." Another roar of applause followed as Aang stepped out into the light and presented himself to all the people who'd gathered to witness the crowning ceremony. "Today, this war is finally over. I promised my uncle that I would restore the honour of the Fire Nation, and I will." Zuko vowed, causing me to feel a strong sense of pride to finally witness him become the person he was meant to be, after such a long, strenuous and exhausting journey from being a banished prince to Fire Lord Zuko. "The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided, but with the Avatar's help, we can get it back on the right path, and begin a new era of love and peace." A tear rolled down my cheek but I left it there, feeling no shame in crying for such a moment.

I bore witness along with hundreds of others as Zuko knelt down and the Fire Sage stepped forwards, lifting the golden flame diadem up before placing it upon Zuko's head. "All hail Fire Lord Zuko!" Lifting my hands to cheer and celebrate alongside all my friends, Katara and I laughingly embraced as we shared in this moment that would remain with us for the rest of our lives, the day we finally won. After rising up newly crowned, Zuko turned to Aang and shrugged his shoulder to invite him forwards and they stood together side by side, like the friends they were always meant to be.