Chapter 6 Birthday

It has been a month since the kidnapping and Lenetta's recovery has gone well. With help from Iroh, the Fire Sages and even Azula she has learned to cope with the occasional nightmares and feelings of fear and anxiety that the incident brought on.

Now Lenetta's birthday is the next day. Just before summer's end and the day of Sozin's Comet. Everyone worked together to plan a special surprise for her. Team Avatar is going to return to the Fire Nation, along with Jet, Jin, Smellerbee and Longshot. All of her closest friends.

They all gathered the supplies and put it in one of the smaller party rooms. They brought Lenetta's favorite foods and drinks in and placed them on a table in the corner of the room. Iroh brought his Tsungi horn to play later. In the center of the room is where the dancing will take place.

Everyone got into position while Zuko went to get Lenetta. Zuko approached their chambers and knocked on the door. "Come in." Zuko entered with a barely concealed smirk. Lenetta was brushing her hair in front of the mirror with her hair piece on the table. Zuko walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her shoulder. Lenetta giggled softly and stroked his hair. "Hey you, what's up?" Lenetta placed her hair piece into her top knot and turned to her boyfriend.

"Take a walk with me?" Zuko asked her. Lenetta smiled and nodded. She took his offered hand and they strode out into the hallway. "Is there a specific place you had in mind or is this just a mindless stroll?" Lenetta asked him. Zuko smiled and squeezed her hand. "You'll see." Lenetta's curiosity piqued at his answer. She couldn't remember anything that would lead to this.

Zuko and Lenetta walked until they reached their destination. Zuko opened the door and waved for Lenetta to go first. She walked in and noticed the room was pitch black. The curtains were over the windows and the torches were not lit. Suddenly light came into the room as the light came in through the windows as the curtains were pulled open by her friends. "Surprise!" Everyone shouted. Lenetta flinched but she laughed as she put a hand to her chest. She noticed basically everyone was here. Zuko kissed her temple. "Happy Birthday sweetheart." Lenetta gasped as she suddenly remembered. "Oh yeah, today's my birthday. I completely forgot. You guys are so sweet to do this for me." Lenetta walked up to her friends and hugged each of them.

They all walked over to the table and dug into the feast laid out before them. Lenetta smiled at the sight of all her favorite foods and dug in. She got one of everything. Iroh had prepared her favorite tea blend which was Jasmine. She made sure to savor this moment with her favorite people. Jet and Jin were still going strong, so were Smellerbee and Longshot. Things were going well for Aang in his Avatar duties. Katara followed him and helped him out as well. She was instrumental and Aang made sure to brag about his girlfriend's accomplishments. Katara would just blush and look shy about his boyfriend's words but inside she was shining with happiness at Aang's sweet words. Sokka, Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors went around the Earth Kingdom offering their assistance to whoever needs them. The Freedom Fighters did the same thing. Toph was teaching metalbending to people. She seemed to enjoy teaching people the bending ability she created. She had so far successfully taught several earthbenders how to metalbend. Azula, Mai and Ty Lee had grown closer in their friendship now that many of the toxic elements were gone and the three sat with each other.

Lenetta smiled as she listened to the conversations happening around her. Everyone was happy and doing well. Zuko held her hand under the table as he talked to Iroh and she squeezed it. He squeezed back. Iroh got up after everyone had finished eating. He returned with a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. When it was placed in front of her she counted 17 candles. Everyone sang Happy Birthday to her. "Make a wish." Zuko told her. She closed her eyes and wished for peace and happiness for the world and her friends and family. She blew out the candles in one breath. Everyone clapped and got slices of cake. Once they were finished everyone looked content and happy.

Iroh went over and started playing the Tsungi Horn. It was the song Four Seasons. Zuko took Lenetta's hand and guided her away from the table. "May I have this dance?" Zuko asked with a kiss to her knuckles. "You certainly may." Lenetta told him with a smile. They went into position and did a waltz around the center of the floor. All of their friends watched them while Iroh continued playing Four Seasons. The song ended and stopped dancing, gazing into each other's eyes. Everyone clapped for them and they bowed for their friends.

A few hours after more dancing and fun, sunset was approaching. Zuko took her to one of the highest balconies in the Palace. They stood out there leaning against the railing. "Have you had a good birthday so far?" Zuko asked her. Lenetta put her head on Zuko's shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "This is the best birthday I've ever had." Lenetta tells him. Zuko kisses the top of her head.

Lenetta thinks back on past birthdays. All of her past birthdays were spent in isolation. Her parents had tried to keep her in the house, only allowing her out when one of them would go with her. They never did anything for her birthday before, that's what made this one so special. Her parents' sacrifice came to her mind. She exhaled shakily at the memories and Zuko squeezed her shoulders.

Despite everything that happened in the past, she's now able to forgive what her parents did. They gave their lives for her. They gave her more time to live. She knew they were scared of her firebending abilities and angry at the Fire Nation; she knows that doesn't condone what they did but she's not going to hold onto that bitterness and anger anymore. She remembers how they treated her in that moment when they were alone in the cave; that's what she'll choose to remember and her strength came from her past. She sends a prayer to Agni to take care of her parents and she wishes them a peaceful afterlife.

"Are you ok?" Zuko asks her. He's looking down at her with a concerned look. Lenetta smiles at him. "Yeah." She reaches up and kisses his cheek. "I'm wonderful." Zuko smiles at her.

They feel a surge of power and they look up to the sky to see Sozin's Comet blazing through the sky. They look on in awe of it's beauty and magnificence. They each take deep breaths as the power of the comet flows through them.

"Happy Birthday Lenetta." Zuko whispers in her ear. She presses a kiss to his lips. "I love you Zuko." She whispers into his lips and presses another kiss to them. Zuko smiles and kisses her back. Zuko wraps an arm around her waist and Lenetta puts her hand on his shoulder. They feel the energy of the comet flowing through them as their inner fire burns brighter than ever. This kiss very quickly becomes passionate and Lenetta moans as Zuko puts his tongue into her mouth. They're tongues twine together as they rub each other's backs.

They release each other and press their foreheads together. "I love you so much." They whisper at the same time.