Blueeyeddevil06, thank you for being my beta and helping me plan out this story.
Iroh smiled at his father. He was excited from the moment he got the idea to go back in time to kill Azula and save Katara, his mother. They all desperately missed her.
Azula had spent years convincing everyone that she was a changed woman and glad there was world peace. She'd done such a good job that Zuko released his sister and brought her home. That made his guilt over what happened even worse.
Azula's desire for peace turned the moment she saw him and his back. It was like a switch flipped. She bent lightning to kill him immediately. Out of her deep love for Zuko, Katara pushed him out of the way and took the full force herself. She died instantly.
Zuko raged and immediately fought his sister and killed her. He'd spent lots of his time training over the years, and he wasn't going to allow her to live. He went after her with his full fury and training.
When Azula was dead, he rushed to Katara, held her in his arms, and wept over her. He immediately went into deep mourning. One that he never fully recovered from all those years later. Iroh, their son and heir, and Kya, their daughter, were the only reason he held on.
As time passed, Zuko laughed and enjoyed his children, but he never got over Katara. The first woman to try to flirt with him was physically tossed out of the palace. No one tried again. There would be no Fire Lady as long as he was Fire Lord.
Kya was a picture of her mother. She was even a Waterbender. She would stand in for Fire Lady and help her father host events. She loved it every time people told her she was just like her mother. She was so little when Katara died that she didn't remember much about her.
Iroh, on the other hand, still struggled to find purpose the most. His father had two children to live for. He loved his father deeply, but his mother's death when he was eight years old devastated him.
Even at his young age, he understood what his father pushed through for the sake of his children. He tried to become both father and mother to them. He talked about Katara constantly to try and keep her memory alive. His respect for his father was incredible.
As Iroh grew up, he learned to love to study, and one day when he was nineteen, he was reading through an old scroll he'd found. He was brought up short. It outlined the possibility of time travel. He would have to use an astronomical event to power it. But, it said it was possible. He actually teared up with happiness.
Next, he consulted the fire sages and spent time discovering if it was feasible before he went to his father with the idea of going back and killing Azula to save his mother.
When he first brought it to the sages, the full impact of his mother's life on those around him was felt for him. Each sage got tears in their eyes when he said he wanted to go back and save his mother.
When he questioned them, they didn't hesitate to tell him that they wanted her back. She had been the lifeblood for Zuko and the Fire Nation. They explained when she died, Zuko was a good Fire Lord. But, when she was alive, he was great.
They explained that Zuko had listened to her ideas, and she was a hugely positive force for change. Including the exchange program set up in the schools was her idea. And how it influenced better understanding and bonds between the nations.
They worked for a month on the plan before they brought it to Zuko. When they did, Iroh was overcome by his father's reaction.
He knew his father cried. Zuko had even told him he had. Yet, he'd never cried in front of an audience. He felt he'd been protecting his children by crying behind closed doors. His concession was to let him know that he did cry for Katara. Iroh suspected it was more often than people realized.
When they told Zuko about the chance to kill Azula and save Katara, he broke down in tears and wept. He looked at his son and said. "Is it too much to ask you to kill your Aunt?"
His heart swelled that even with such good news, his father was still watching out for him. "Dad, she's my mother. I'd do anything to have her back. We fight for the people we love in this family. You taught me that."
"If I could go, I would."
"I know. And Dad, I won't have to live with killing her. When my mother survives, I will live a happy life with both of you."
"True. You can't go back as Iroh, though. That will give too much away. You should be Akal; it means 'timeless.'"
"I won't fail, Dad. I won't let you down."
"You could never let me down, Iroh. I love you so much. Know that when you go back, I was an angry man then. My father hated me, and deep down, I thought he was right about me. I might be hard to get along with."
"Dad, everyone talks about how good mom was for you and how much she got you to accept yourself. Don't worry. Any anger I see will just show me how special mom is."
Zuko smiled, "That she is. Thank you. I don't want you to be disappointed in me."
"Never, Dad. You're the man I hope I can become one day. I just want to get the woman we both love back."