The walk up the hill feels long and tedious. The land seems to grow and expand the higher they go. It's almost as if the universe doesn't want them to reach the top of the hill. But alas, they finally make it to the summit.

Everyone is gathered around the tree where the late Lu Ten, and now his father, lay to rest. The air is stiff and tense. No one wants to disturb the silence. Agonizing minutes stretch as the seconds slowly tick away.

Zuko turns around to address his friends and family. He pulls out a piece of washi from his netsuke and clears his suddenly dry throat before he starts speaking. "Thank you all for coming. I know that my uncle would've loved to know that he was so popular," he says with an awkward laugh. "We are here to remember the life of a man who has impacted all of our lives. Iroh was a lot of things to a lot of people. He was a great general, the Dragon of the West, a soldier, a mentor, a friend, a son, a brother, a father, and an uncle. He always did what he thought was right, even if others did not agree. He is..."

Zuko stops speaking entirely and looks at the faces that are starting to blend together. He didn't mean to say that. He's trying so desperately to keep his tears inside, but his already impaired vision is becoming blurry. Aang opens his mouth to say something, but the Fire Lord takes a shaky breath and plows through his misspeak. "He was a great man," he corrects himself.

Mai knows that her husband is trying to put on a brave face, even though both of them know he doesn't have to. It breaks her heart to see him silently struggle. She carefully places a firm hand on his shoulder and squeezes it, reminding him that she's there both with and for him.

As rocky as their life together has been, he's thankful that he has her. She's always been much more stable and steady than him, even when she's only pretending.

He takes a deep breath and continues with his uncle's eulogy.

The sun is painting orange and red hues across the cloud-covered sky. It's slowly sinking below the horizon to rest and let the moon shine down on the earth. The sunset is a beautiful sight, but Zuko is too busy grieving to appreciate the view. As are most of the people gathered around the burial site.

Zuko watches his companions walk up to his uncle's grave and give their prayers as they say goodbye. After Aang puts a small bouquet of white lotuses on top of the pile of dirt that covers Iroh, the Avatar makes his way over to his friend.

"I know this may seem like a stupid question, but how are you?" the airbender asks with some slight hesitance.

The firebender forces out a small laugh to avoid crying. "You're right, that is a stupid question." Aang gives him a knowing look. "What do you want me to say? That I'm sad he's gone? That I'm hurt that he left me? That I feel guilty for not visiting him enough? Because I feel all those things." He takes a deep breath before continuing, "But none of that changes the fact that he's gone."

Aang sighs deeply, "I'm sorry, and I know this won't make you feel any better, but most of us know how you feel. You shouldn't keep all this to yourself." He notices that Zuko tenses up and is avoiding looking at him.

The pose he's in reminds Aang of their younger years. His arms are crossed in front of his chest and he has a frown, almost a scowl, on his face. If this were any other situation, Aang would laugh and make a stupid joke about how he looks like he's 16 again. Instead, he shakes his head at the thought. "If you ever want to talk, or even just hang out, send one of your messenger hawks. Or, you know, you and Druk can fly over to Republic City."

Just the mere thought of visiting the place he and Aang built and founded together is enough to make his lips curl up a little. Zuko has been a bit distant these past few years. The older he's gotten, the more responsibility he's taken as the leader of the Fire Nation. He always means to reach out, but there just never seems to be enough hours in the day for him to do everything. He knows that if it weren't for Mai, Izumi, or some of his council, he would never leave his office.

Noticing that Zuko hasn't responded to his suggestion, Aang offers another one that might be easier for him. "Or we can always go to the Fire Nation and do something out there."

"No, no, you're right," Zuko admits. "I've been so busy with my duties to my people that I've been neglecting my friends. I'll schedule a day off soon and come visit you all." His friend puts on a big, toothy grin, which makes Zuko smile. "Thank you, Aang. As annoying as your Avatar wisdom can get, it's not always so bad."

The Fire Lord is kneeling in front of a painting of a young General Iroh holding his son. A part of him was hurt when the news about his cousin came back to the palace, but he never grasped just how much it devastated his uncle. A piece of him wished that he could've done more to make his uncle feel better and not be sad.

As the then prince grew older, he avoided the topic of Lu Ten when he was with his uncle, despite having questions about him and the events that transpired that fateful day. He didn't bring up his cousin to forget what happened, but to try and spare his uncle from reliving that pain all over again. Zuko has always hated seeing the people he cares about upset or sad, and especially angry.

The small gathering of loved ones was forgotten as he does everything in his power to not let go and cry, even if he wants to. His close friends from "Team Avatar" (as Sokka often calls them), Ty Lee, Mai, and Izumi come over to console him. He sighs and expects someone to say something, but is only greeted with silence.

He turns to look at the people gathered around him, only to see that they all have their heads bowed and eyes closed, presumably praying. The only ones not praying are Sokka, Toph, and Mai. They've never been particularly spiritual, but they still have her heads bowed out of respect.

Zuko's lips form a small smile from his place in the center of his friends. He knows he doesn't say it enough, but he's grateful for them. He was never good at making friends when he was younger, which is why he often got stuck playing with Azula and her friends. It's hard to interact and meet people when you're isolated from everyone else. The problem worsened as he got older, specifically while he was banished.

Hands interrupt his spiraling thoughts. The grips of those hands are both gentle and firm. He recognizes their touch and knows whose hands they belong to. Toph, Sokka, and Mai's hands are strong but never rough. Aang, Suki, Ty Lee, and Katara's hands are always tender but can pack a punch if the situation calls for it.

From her spot next to Aang, Katara kindly tells him, "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask us."

"Yeah, we gotcha covered, buddy," Sokka chimes in from behind the Fire Lord. "Anything you need."

Zuko opens his mouth to reply but is surprised when the words never leave his throat. Instead, tears start to fall and he feels a choked sob about to come up. The next thing he knows, he's crying.

His body feels heavy all of a sudden and his top half slumps over. His arms are the only thing keeping him up. He sees no point in trying to be strong and finally lets it all go.

No one knows what to say, so they don't say anything at all. Instead, they surround Zuko and embrace him. That only makes his tears flow faster and his sobs louder.

Zuko wishes that his uncle were still here. He wants to go back to tell his uncle he loves him. Iroh's death (nor anyone's death) cannot be prevented, but Zuko still regrets not visiting his uncle more often than he did, especially in the end.

Once his crying lessened, they all slowly pull away but remain close to him. A soft breeze surrounds Zuko, and the breeze itself feels warm despite the air being chilly. It envelopes him like a hug. The warm wind feels familiar like he knows it somehow.

He remembers Katara mentioning that her people believe that sometimes the spirits send messages to them, but you have to pay attention to know what they're saying. He takes a deep and calming breath and tries to listen and watch for a message to appear. To Zuko's surprise, he hears a distant melody coming from rustling leaves above him. As he listens to the breeze, it reminds him of a song he heard his uncle sing once.

A year had passed since his last Agni Kai, the day he became "The Banished Prince". He was more recognizable after his short-lived duel with his father, and it haunted him like his own shadow.

Once Zuko finished perfecting the last set his uncle taught him, Iroh left with a smile on his lips, but tears in his eyes.

The once prince dismissed everyone back to their duties and debated whether or not to follow his uncle. He ultimately decided it was better not to involve himself in whatever was plaguing the retired general's mind.

As he walked past Iroh's room, he couldn't help but hear a song coming from inside. Zuko didn't intend to eavesdrop, but he couldn't seem to move. He was frozen in place and all he could do was listen.

As he listened to the song his uncle sang, he noticed that the tune was reminiscent of a lullaby. It only made the Fire Lord's son curious since there are no children aboard the ship (and he dealt with anyone who referred to him as such, to the chagrin of Iroh).

Zuko quickly realized that the song was about Lu Ten. He could hear his uncle crying, and words from his father rang loudly in his ears. "If you cry you're weak, and weakness is not tolerated in my kingdom. You shouldn't even be crying! No one hit or hurt you. But if you don't stop that infernal noise, I'll give you something to really cry about."

Anger surged through the boy, but at whom and for what, he did not know. He was about to enter the room where his uncle slept, but something kept him from going in. He opted to keep walking to his quarters, leaving the sound of his uncle's broken tune and sobs behind the closed door.

Zuko wondered if he made the right choice. Did he not confront his uncle because he was strong like his father and sister, or was he weak like his uncle?

The Fire Lord looks at the picture and all that fills his mind is that song. He takes a deep and shuddering breath before the words fall from his lips.

Leaves from the vine
Falling so slow
Like fragile tiny shells
Drifting in the foam
Little soldier boy
Come marching home
Brave soldier boy
Comes marching home

Those leaves did grow
From branches overgrown
Drifting slowly down
Resting on the loam
Little soldier boy
Taken from home
Forced to fight a war
That's not his own

Leaves from the vine
Falling slowly down
Like fragile tiny shells
Drifting in the foam
Little soldier boy says
"Carry me home"
Sleeping soldier boy
Is carried home

What's left of his family, his real family didn't interrupt. They all listen to the gentle melody and the heavy lyrics, tears streaming down their faces.

All of them had a connection with Iroh, but Zuko's bond with him was irreplaceable. The sound of sobbing is all that can be heard after the tragic lullaby is over.

As everyone is gathering their belongings to begin their trek down the high hill, Zuko lingers behind. He stares at the pile of flowers neatly placed atop his uncle's buried body. There are words in his heart that he has yet to say, but a voice pulls him out of his thoughts, "Dad?"

He turns to see Izumi approaching him with sadness and hurt written on her face. He smiles sweetly at his little turtleduck with open arms, beckoning her over (she may be 16, but she will always be his little turtleduck). She gladly wedges herself by his side while his arm wraps around her shoulders.

They both stand and stare at Iroh's grave, silently praying. "I'm sorry," Izumi says quietly to her father.

Zuko quirks his eyebrow in confusion. "For what?"

"That Uncle Iroh isn't here anymore. I know you miss him," she says in a somber tone.

His heart feels heavy, knowing her words to be true. He recognizes the meaning behind her comment, he felt that way once too. She wishes that she can do more to take away his grief, but there's nothing anyone can do but keep moving forward. He's learned that the hard way, and he still finds himself struggling to practice that.

"Thank you, Izumi, but this isn't your fault. It's not anyone's fault, it was just his time to go."

"I love you."

He smiles and tightly hugs his daughter, "I love you too, turtleduck."

Mai sees her husband and daughter together and can't help but smile at the sight. She rarely smiles in public, but she finds it nearly impossible not to smile when it comes to those two.

She slowly approaches and softly says, "You two ready? Everyone's already left without us."

Zuko and Izumi share a devious smile and pull Mai into their hug. She tries to push them away at first but lets them hug her, and she hugs them back in return. They both know that if Mai really wanted to get out of the hug, she would've gotten out.

They all separate and Zuko tells them to go ahead without him. He still has some words he needs to tell his uncle.

He kneels once again in front of his uncle's buried body. He inhales deeply and slowly lets it go, a small flame leaving his mouth. He smiles with tears stinging his eyes, remembering all those times his uncle reminded him about his breath when he trained. And how it's saved him and his friends on more than one occasion. Zuko may not have gotten the honorary title, Dragon, but Iroh still taught him how to breathe fire.

"Hi, Uncle, um... I just wanted to say that I miss you, and I'm sorry that I didn't visit you as much as you... as I wanted. I just became so busy and-" he trails off and takes a breath. "I do miss you, Uncle. I miss your stories, your tea, I even miss your terrible jokes," he chuckles as he says the last part. "I know I never told you how much you meant to me, but you were always there for me. You taught me so much, and you loved me. Even when I didn't deserve it. Your memory will not be forgotten, at least not by me. I hope you know that. I love and miss you."

Zuko stands and turns to leave, but glances back at the grave one last time. He closes his eyes as tears start to come down and whispers, "Goodbye, Uncle."

He faces the opposite direction of where his uncle is buried and slowly makes his descent down the hill.

A/N: I hope you guys liked it. I apologize for the feels and angst, but I think it came out alright. I had fun writing this, despite the sad plot.

Feel free to leave any constructive criticism. I'm constantly trying to improve my writing.

I don't have a schedule for the other one-shots I intend to write for this book. So just stay tuned for when I publish those. Thank you guys for reading and I hope you all have a good morning, afternoon, evening, night, day, and time.