A week later showed a mostly healed Aang as he paced around his room at the Rivers' residence. He had his phone in hand, but he had still yet to make the call. Not only because he was nervous, but he was frightened. What if Zuko and Kuzon blame him for Azula's death? It wasn't like he had had a choice; he had been defending himself and his friends. But what if they don't see it that way? Because of his actions, she was dead, and smart though he was, he couldn't bring her back.

Sitting on his bed with a sigh of despair, Aang buried his head in his hands in defeat. Maybe he would be unable to fulfill his promise to her.. It's been years since he even spoke to his friends back home. What if he didn't have the courage to go through with it? Would her soul be restless, until the end of time? Just thinking about it made him shudder. No, he had to try, if only for that reason.

Taking a deep breath, he grabbed his phone by his side, once more unlocking it to the keypad. A phone number floated from the depths of his memory, and before he could talk himself out of it, dialed it. All he had to do was wait for someone to answer. Aang could feel his heart pounding in his throat, a buzzing sound forming in his ears as he sat there, praying this was the right number but also slightly hoping it was inactive.

However, fortunately or unfortunately, the phone was answered by one of his old friends.

"Hello?" the voice asked, and his chest just ached, remembering his friends in Detroit, the memories engulfing his mind.

After taking a shaky breath, he murmured, "Hi, Kuzon."

Silence on the other end, a heavy silence like a blanket of snow in the dark of night.

Finally his old friend whispered, "Aang, is that you? You're okay?"

Tears stung Aang's eyes as he swallowed the lump in his throat. "Yeah, buddy. I'm alive, at least."

Kuzon seemed at a lost for words, and the silence thickened to the point of being almost awkward. Finally he said, "We thought you were dead."

Aang chuckled hollowly, looking down. "Nearly, Zon, I was very nearly dead."

"What happened?" he asked gently, taking the tone he used to use back when they were kids, when Aang had hurt himself on accident. It felt as if nothing had changed when everything had.

"It's...complicated," he muttered. His breath escaped in a whoosh, choosing to get it over with.. "It was Azula." He spoke quickly, clenching his free hand.

Kuzon sounded dumbfounded when he replied with, "What?!"

At that point, all of the feelings from the past three years resurfaced, and he told Kuzon everything that had happened and why he had been kidnapped. He spoke of how Ozai faked his and Azula's deaths, his rape, the life he had been forced into, and everything that occurred, including the fight to the death, to which the woman lost. If was a relief to get all of this off of his chest, to tell the truth rather than hide.

It took a full minute for Kuzon to respond, and when he did, his voice was faint. "All this time, we had no idea..." The sound of him taking a deep breath echoed down the line. "I can't believe this happened. You killed her?"

Aang flinched, lowering his head in shame. "I...I didn't want to. She didn't give me a choice." He shuddered, huddling into himself. "As...she lay dying... she asked me to tell you guys about what had happened. I promised her I would." He sniffled, wiping the tears from his cheeks. "It wasn't her fault. Ozai used her for his own gain. Now she's gone because of this."

There was a pause at the other end, and Aang thought he could feel the tirade come his way. He coughed into his fist. "Her body is here to be identified. I can text you details of where to go or-or you can call the morgue to-"

"Stop." No shouting, no dramatics, just a soft, sad word. Aang felt his heart plummet to his stomach.

"Right. I get you're upset, especially because of me." Here comes the part where Kuzon says he wants nothing to do with a murderer. Aang braced himself for the storm. But what he got was a complete surprise.

"Aang, I'm not mad at you."

His eyes widening, Aang clutched the phone. "You...aren't? But I killed your cousin." The words left a foul taste in his mouth, but he couldn't have stopped them even if he tried.

Kuzon sighed slowly, as if gathering himself. "Not on purpose, though, right?"

"No, not on purpose." That would have been even worse.

"She forced your hand?"

"Yes." A choice taken from him, making Aang do the unthinkable.

Another calming breath, then Kuzon replied, "Then it isn't your fault. You did what you felt was necessary. At least she had a moment of clarity before her passing."

They sat in silence for a long while, both contemplating the life that had been snuffed out due to circumstances beyond their control. Why did life have to be both a blessing and curse? So far in his life, Aang had experienced both aspects. From the conversation he was having with Kuzon, it was clear he and the others were having the same one.

After a minute of quiet, Aang sighed. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. But there are some good things to talk about."

"Oh, yeah?" Kuzon said, sounding curious if saddened. "What's that?"

"Well, I have a girlfriend now." Just thinking about her made his heart a little bit lighter. She was the sun to his shadow, an angel to face his demons and survive. Katara had been with him since the moment they met, helping him in ways he thought were impossible. But even through his darkest moments, she was there, lending a hand.

A sound of surprise came out from Kuzon. "No kidding? Finally found "The One", huh?" There was some humor in his tone, reminding them both about their last conversation before the kidnapping.

Aang chuckled feeling his cheeks heat up slightly, scratching his neck. "Yeah, I guess I have."

Kuzon snorted, and he could imagine the boy shaking his head. "Man, I never thought I 'd hear about that."

Which brings to mind... "What about you and On Ji? Are you two okay?"

Another moment of silence before Kuzon sighed once more. "Yeah, we're fine." He paused before continuing. "After you disappeared, we were kind of rocky. We grieved for you separately for a while, but we became a true couple not long after. We've been going strong since." The soft tone his voice had taken was proof enough in Aang's ears.

He felt relief inside, easing more tension that dwells within his chest. At least his friends didn't suffer, at least for long. "I'm glad to hear that, Zon. At least you guys had each other."

"Yeah, I agree."

Now for the next painful part. "So, how are we going to tell Zuko?"

The soft tone was replaced by a somber one. "Leave it to me, Aang. It took guts for you to call me, and I don't want you to be burdened anymore than you have been. I can tell him and Auntie Ursa, as well as my parents. We can get flight tickets to where you are; I just need the info."

After reciting where he was currently living and which morgue Azula's body lay, Kuzon said one more thing. "I'm really glad you're safe, Aang, and I promise that the others won't hate you because of this. Remember, Ozai is to blame, just as you said. We'll be there for you, I promise."

Aang sniffed as tears slipped from his eyes, wiping them away. "Thank you. I'll see you guys soon."

"Count on it. I'll text our flight details when ready. Bye."

"Bye." Once the call ended, he lay on his bed, head a-whirl with thoughts. He couldn't believe he had just done what he had set out to do. At least partially. But he knew, despite Kuzon's kind words, that his mission was incomplete. When the time came to meet them at the airport, Aang felt that he would need all the strength he could muster.

A few days later, him and the gang waited in the terminal for Kuzon and his family to arrive. Heart pounding so hard it dulled his hearing, Aang watched the crowds pass by, fidgeting with his hands. Despite of being reassured that nothing untoward would happen upon their arrival, he couldn't help but worry about it.

Zuko, he was sure, would be furious about losing his sister, one he had believed was already dead until now. Aang thought about the reunion to happen. The older boy, now a young man, would walk in, see him, storm over and punch him. He would then yell at him for killing his sister, angry and grieving for a lost soul. And Aang was unsure if he should defend himself or not. Sokka, Katara, Suki, and their parents would take his side, he was sure, but Aang didn't want that to happen.

One way or another, he was going to see his old friends again.

Finally, after three years of not seeing them, the five people he had longed to see but was afraid to walked in. Immediately he recognized Kuzon, but older, his face angular, with warm gold eyes and black hair. His parents, Leo and Maria Blaze, both had gold eyes, but the man was black haired, the woman blond. He was tall but somewhat heavy around the middle, her shorter and lithe, like a dancer.

Ursa was elegant, a woman of gracefulness and purity. Her hair had some silver in it, but her face was gentle and soft, with a few wrinkles. And the young man next to her was taller than her, his face angular with a mop of unruly dark brown hair. Aang felt his throat constrict, making his breathing shaky. Zuko, Azula's sister, was right there. The look on his face was one of anger and sadness, eyes blazing like gold fire.

It was clear he had gotten his temper from Ozai. Though Aang had never met the man before, he knew from stories how volatile his anger is. Wherever he was, Aang hoped that he was in prison. Or in another country. If he found out what had become of his daughter, he would either not care or be set with revenge.

After what felt like forever, Zuko looked over at him just after Kuzon had, and his cousin ran over with a grin. He threw his arms around Aang, hugging him tightly. Though shocked at first, Aang was quick to recover, squeezing Kuzon back.

"I'm so glad to see you!" Kuzon exclaimed before stepping back to take a look at him. He shook his head. "You're taller than me; when did that happen?"

Aang chuckled, a small smile crossing his face. "Growth spurt; pretty spontaneous."

Kuzon shoved him lightly. "I doubt I'll get any taller. I'm jealous."

He snorted, crossing his arms. "I wouldn't worry about that. At least you won't be hitting your head on higher shelves."

With that thought in mind, he turned to the others, specifically Zuko, who was watching them interact with a hard look on his face. Aang felt the smile disappear as he walked over, and there was something different about him that Aang noticed. There was a burn scar on his right shoulder leading up to his jaw. How did that happen?

Zuko stopped right in front of Aang, hands clenched, muscles tight in his arms.

Feeling his throat dry in apprehension, he mumbled, "Zuko, I-"

Roughly he was brought into a hug by the same person, breathing heavily. Words he had not expected came out of the rougher man's vocals. "Thank you, thank you."

"W-what are you thanking me for?" Aang stuttered in shock, not at all prepared for the sudden contact.

"For finding her. For trying to help her." After a few seconds, he stepped back, gripping Aang's shoulder. "Kuzon told us what you did. We're glad you're okay."

Tears came to Aang's eyes, blurring his vision. "I thought...you would hate me," he whispered, clenching his eyes shut.

Another hand, one much softer, made him open his eyes again, seeing Ursa as she stroked his head. "No, sweetie," she said gently, her smile kind and warm. "We could never hate you. You did what you could, and we appreciate you trying to help her see reason, as well as making her final moments pleasant."

Swallowing, he looked over at Kuzon's parents, saw them nodding in agreement, and felt more of the guilty weight lift from him. He looked at all of them, took a cleansing breath, and said, "I'm really glad you're here."

And the six of them formed a group hug, one of forgiveness, friendship, and love. Though the years had changed them all in one way or another, some aspects remain the same. The bond was still there between them.

After the hug, he broke into a free grin, wiping his eyes, then said, "Come on. I want you guys to meet my other family."