Three weeks passed. During those three weeks, Zuko saw more human kindness than he had in his entire lifetime previous. The palace and the underground caverns served as housing for a few days until the waterbenders recovered enough to bend again. They leveled out the ground and built houses that were no more than giant boxes. People moved in, carrying whatever they had managed to recover from the debris field. The citizens had spent the past several days going down to the debris field on paths Katara made, climbing down Fire Nation ladders that Aang replaced, and scavenging. The king had his hands full organizing the identification and distribution of belongings. There were some disputes. People bickered about who had lost more of their possessions and complained that such a costly strategy shouldn't have been used. But Zuko was expecting absolute anarchy, so to him, the people of the Northern Water Tribe looked like a well-behaved hive mind.

For the first week, he thought it was just because nobody had the energy to be angry. Everyone looked exhausted. Even the princess had her hands full helping her father keep order among the citizens. But even during that first week, he saw people mustering the energy to be gracious. Two or three families that knew each other would move into a box house together as the first of the housing was rebuilt. There was very little formal decision making to decide who had the right to be housed first; the tribe as a whole just seemed to agree. The first rebuilt neighborhoods were filled with grandmothers, grandfathers, and pregnant women who struggled with the stairs that led into the palace and the caverns. Most of them were invited to move in along with a family or group of families that were not their own.

After the first week, he couldn't deny it any longer. The Water Tribe really did have a completely different culture from his own. Families redistributed themselves as more housing became available. Pregnant women left the houses of strangers and moved in with their own husbands and relations. As soon as rudimentary markets were set up to distribute new hauls of fish, the streets echoed with the laughter of new friendship. Everybody knew everybody else now. How could they not? Zuko, not wanting to bother anyone, slept in snowdrifts. After repeated invitations, he finally dared to believe that these people were serious about hosting him for dinner. He didn't so much accept an invitation as let Riri pull him into it.

"So you're the one that convinced our Riri to have faith in herself," her mother said while placing dinner in front of him. "Welcome!"

"You ever need anything, just ask us," her father offered.

"Dear."

"What? The boy's not from here. How's he supposed to know?"

"I suppose you're right." Riri's mother turned to Zuko. "That's how it works up here in the Northern Tribe. You can call us family now. Anything you'd expect from your own ma and pa, you can expect from us."

Zuko grimaced. "I don't think you mean that the way it sounds."

"Did I cause offense? I'm sorry."

"No, it's just… You people are a lot nicer than my father." His heart filled with shame as he said that. He stared down at his dinner. Why do I feel so bad? It's true. My father was a great guy, but the one thing he wasn't was nice. Admitting that to other people felt like a betrayal, though. As if he was sharing a family secret. Zuko realized he'd never told anyone not bounded by confidentiality what his father and sister did to him. It was a family secret.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that." Dinner that night was filled with lots of gentle joking, ruffling of hair, belching, and other cozy family things. Zuko remained seated in his formal posture, ate neatly and didn't speak unless someone asked him something. But he smiled more.

He challenged himself to accept at least one invitation from a family that he didn't know, just to see how it went. The next time someone extended an invitation, he forced himself to stand in place and utter an awkward "Sure." That person blinked in surprise, then beamed with happiness. It wasn't as hard to follow them back to their house as he'd expected.

"Look who we have for dinner!" they announced to their family: a woman in her 30s, a toddler, a child and a grandmother. Zuko glanced around and saw several recovered fishing tools on the walls. The grandmother was busy weaving a new net right now. The man he had followed must be a fisherman.

The child was impressed. The woman smiled, but was too tired to muster anything more. "Impressive catch," the grandmother said.

"I'm not here to impress anybody," Zuko said. "I'm just here for a…normal…family dinner." Whatever that is.

This family was a great deal more affected by the siege and the subsequent destruction than Riri's family had been. They relied a great deal more on possessions that had been lost or broken. The toddler cried often, and his mother was unable to soothe him. "His favorite blankie was lost in the Great Scouring," she explained. Zuko gulped and offered to help. He found that holding a squirming toddler did not come as naturally as sitting next to an older child. The kid's loud expressive crying disturbed him - why is he crying so loudly? Isn't he afraid of getting shushed? - and Zuko found himself freezing up just as badly as he would have if he was the one caught crying. The glowing snow he produced was a strange blue-purple with hints of red mixed in. The multicolored snow was more entertaining than a standard joyful golden-orange glow would have been. But he could only produce a small bit of it, whereas he could have turned the whole house gold if he hadn't been frozen up. Come on, come on, I promised. His attempts to spiritbend worked a little better once the child was happy. Happiness was more acceptable.

"Thank you," the tired mother said with a sigh.

"Yeah. Sure."

"Can you show me how to do that?!" Zuko twitched. The other child had squirmed right up to his side while he was busy with the toddler.

"No."

"Why not?"

"It's very difficult and takes a long time to learn."

"I could do it! I bet I can master it in a week!"

"That's physically impossible."

The child kept pestering him. Zuko's heart beat faster and faster. Aren't they going to yell at him to stop bothering a guest and act civilized? Nobody yelled at the kid. What are they doing? This isn't responsible parenting! The grandmother clucked her tongue. The child lowered his head, ashamed, and scurried away. And that was that. But Zuko was certain that couldn't be that. Something else was coming.

If it was, it did not come that night. The family went back to discussing the latest fishing news. Zuko gathered that the Fire Navy's approach had frightened away basically all sea life, but the fish were returning faster than other creatures were, so the fisherman were temporarily on top of the marketplace. The fisherman laughed and slung an arm around his older son's shoulders. "You see, Nakka? It's just as I've always said. The ocean provides. Become a fisherman like me, and you'll always have enough." He smiled down at the boy. It seemed to be a genuine smile. Zuko couldn't eat any more. Is he really not going to punish that kid?

Zuko had always believed that you had to be either inhuman or very strange to become so forgiving. The spirits were spirits. His mother was a special case, and Iroh had gone soft and a little weird after his defeat. Zuko couldn't stand the sight of a normal, sensible person - a father and provider - letting his son's dishonoring behavior go. "E-excuse me. I was very busy today. I need to rest. Thank you for having me."

"It was an honor," the mother said.

"You're welcome," the grandmother said.

The father grinned. "Come back anytime! Nakka will be happy to see you!"

Zuko did not accept any other dinner invitations for the rest of those three weeks. He stopped eating with Iroh. He told himself and Iroh it was just because of all the change that had happened recently, that he needed to spend more time alone to process it. But really, the thought of eating with Iroh made his skin crawl. Iroh was supposed to be the disgraced outsider, the soft old man, the overly indulgent uncle. He wasn't supposed to be…normal.

As the Northern Water Tribe rebuilt itself literally from a clean slate, Zuko saw the formation of a new normal. It was terrifying.

.

Aang was too busy to seriously think of romance. He was tired. Katara was tired. There was no time to impress her, even if he'd had the energy to try. In a way, this was very relaxing. Aang found in exhaustion a peace he hadn't known since the day he learned he was the Avatar. There was nobody to impress, nobody he had to prove himself to. He could just do his best, and that would be enough. Nobody would expect anything more of him.

After two weeks, this peace began to fade. The tribe recovered surprisingly fast. "It's not surprising at all," Katara told him as they sat together on a rebuilt fountain. The fountain had been rebuilt purely to boost morale. It was the most popular hangout spot in the entire city, crowded with friends and couples almost all the time. Aang scooted away from someone's elbow and found himself pressed right up against Katara. He blushed. Katara laughed and poked him. "The Water Tribes aren't built on a foundation of ice. This is what really matters. People and the love between them. You could say that the tribe was never really damaged at all. Except for those warriors that went on the mission."

"Yeah. Except for them." Aang hung his head. None of those warriors had returned. If Sokka hadn't demonstrated a commitment to protecting Princess Yue…

"And the other warriors that died in the city." Nobody wanted to talk about the bodies that had been recovered from the debris field, but everybody knew of them. Children under the age of six were banned from helping their parents scavenge after the first one was found. More were discovered after that. It was tricky to perform a census of the entire city, but the king guessed they'd found everyone. Children under six were still banned from the debris field though. Who knew how many Fire Nation bodies were still out there?

"Okay, so the tribe was a little damaged," Katara admitted. "But the core of it is still intact. The people never lost their love for each other. That's our secret, Aang. That's how we stood up to the Fire Nation for 100 years. That's how we'll win this war."

Aang's whole body tingled. She was so inspiring! The look in her eyes made him feel like he could fly to the Fire Lord's palace and take him down right then. "If love is so powerful…" he tried to say, "do you think maybe we should…"

Momo leaped up into Aang's lap. The fountain was too crowded for his comfort, so he'd abandoned Aang's shoulders and roamed around who knew where for a while. Katara opened his paw. "Momo! Is this a coin? Have you been stealing from people? Give it back, right now." Momo flattened his ears along his back and ran off with the coin. "I never thought he would do something like that," Katara said sadly. "He's usually a sweet little guy. What's gotten into him? Anyway. What were you saying, Aang?"

Whenever Aang tried to have a private, intimate talk with her, something always interrupted. Katara was distracted so easily. It was hard just to get her alone in the first place. But the fiercest blizzard in years hadn't stopped her from going out to look for Zuko, and their visit to Zuko's super-secret uber private training place was the talk of the tribe. "Nothing," Aang muttered. His newfound peace was fully shattered. Even though Katara went on to talk with optimism about the king's plans for rebuilding the canals, Aang couldn't be happy again. He wasn't enough for her. That knowledge sat in his gut and both burned and poisoned him.

He went to see Iroh. Their two sides remained apart for safety reasons, so he hadn't seen Iroh since the rebuilding started. Iroh welcomed him in for lunch. "Avatar! Come, sit. I'll make you some tea." As he put the kettle over the fire, he added, "It will be nice to have someone to eat with."

"Why? Has something happened to Zuko?"

"He wants to be alone all the time now. Well, as alone as he can be. I'm giving him space." Iroh sat facing Aang. "Now, what did you come to talk about?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Yes. You look like you're about to cry."

"I feel like it, too." Aang hung his head. "I love Katara. She's so beautiful, and strong, and determined, and she reached out to me and protected me when no one else could. She was the first person I saw when I woke up from the ice, and she was the one who held me and calmed me down when I found Monk Gyatso's body. I thought we were destined to be together."

"But you don't think that anymore," Iroh murmured.

"How can I? I've seen what she's willing to do for Zuko. The whole tribe thinks they're engaged, and she doesn't correct them." Aang wrapped his arms around his knees. "But it was hard to talk to her even before she started getting along with him. Maybe I was just kidding myself. She was never into me."

Iroh stirred the kettle, gave it a sniff, and removed it from the fire. He put it aside to steep. "Sit with your feelings. Do not run from them or try to order them away; that will only give them power over you."

Aang sniffled. He let himself cry. "I just don't understand. Why not me? Why am I not enough?"

"Love isn't a prize you can earn with enough accomplishments," Iroh told him. "It is like a beautiful garden. You can prepare the beds and spread the seeds, but they may not sprout. They might be the wrong seeds for your area, or it might be the wrong time of year, or they might be the right seeds at the right time and they just didn't grow. Who knows? You must not blame yourself. That will sow weeds in your garden."

Iroh served the tea. They drank it slowly, very slowly, and did not speak any more. Eventually, the storm inside Aang lifted. "I feel better now. Thank you."

"Do you want some practical advice?" Iroh asked.

"Okay."

"Don't tell her about this. That will make her feel guilty. Just as it's not your fault, it's not hers either. And it's not my nephew's."

"What do I do? Am I supposed to hide everything I feel? I'm not that kind of guy."

"A garden can grow beautiful flowers or poisonous weeds," Iroh said. "If you do not fill the soil with the seeds you want, seeds you did not choose will find their way in. You must be mindful of what you let into your heart."

Aang picked out a bit of earwax. "I don't know anything about gardening."

Iroh sighed. "You will feel terrible as long as you have nothing to care for. If she can't be that, then find something or someone else."

Aang looked down at his empty teacup. He understood what Iroh was saying now. He felt empty, like the future he'd envisioned with Katara at his side had been taken from him. As much as he wanted to find the thief and blame them, that wouldn't replace what he'd lost. What sort of future could he have now? He stood. "Thank you for the advice."

Iroh nodded. "Come anytime. I'm not exactly a social butterfly these days."

.

It only occurred to Iroh a full week after doing it that maybe he shouldn't have spread Zuko's personal news all over the tribe. Zuko didn't seem angry at him for it, at least not at first. But then Zuko began to look at him strangely, then stopped eating with him altogether, and Iroh couldn't help but wonder why.

Iroh lost some weight helping to carry large loads. It wasn't building a new house, but it was a needed service. Aside from that, he tried to avoid talking too much. He was invited to play games, and he accepted, but he brushed off any questions about Zuko with "My nephew's very busy these days. You'll have to ask him."

After a full week of answering questions this way, a regular player asked, "Haven't you seen him at all since the Great Scouring?"

"I have, but we mostly just relax."

"My sister had a dream last night of a dark bird that she could see even at night. She's twelve. She was already afraid of going to sleep after the siege. Can you give me something reassuring to tell her?"

"I have never heard of a dreamer being killed in their sleep," Iroh replied. "The shadow creatures you see in dreams may be frightening, but they aren't dangerous."

"She won't believe that. Please, don't you have anything better?"

"No. I don't know everything. My nephew is the expert on this matter now."

"Where can I meet him?"

"...I don't know."

"You don't know?"

Iroh couldn't stand the look he saw on that man's face. "But I know someone who does." He sent a mental plea to his fire spirit, hoping it would pass it along. "There. I just contacted a spirit. Shall we pass the time with a game?"

Iroh internally jumped for joy when Zuko appeared midway through the game. "What's going on?" Zuko asked.

The young man looked up at him, eyes brimming with hope. "My little sister had a dream last night of a dark, shadowy bird, and now she's afraid to sleep. Please give me something to reassure her with."

"The dream world is watched over by a guardian spirit of light," Zuko replied. "He banishes dark creatures back where they came from. Ask your sister if she saw a firefly, a phoenix, or anything like that. That's the sign that he's watching over her."

The young man leaped to his feet and hugged Zuko. "Thank you!" He ran off, abandoning the game.

"You never told me that," Iroh said.

Zuko shrugged. "I didn't feel like having to explain yet another thing about my life, like I'm both a zoo creature and the keeper in charge of telling visitors about me. I don't want to be on exhibit. I just want to live my life."

"That's something I wanted to talk with you about. Please, sit."

Zuko sat on the opposite side of the board. "What is it, Uncle?"

"Are you angry at me for sharing your personal business with the entire tribe?"

"No, of course not. I just told you I hate having to do it. You saved me the effort. Thank you, Uncle."

That brought a smile to Iroh's face. "You aren't mad at me for telling everyone your destiny without your permission?"

"I asked you to spread word about something before you did that. It wasn't exactly without permission. But just to be clear: you do have my permission to tell the people of this tribe anything you know about my destiny as a twospirit."

A great burden was lifted from Iroh's shoulders. "Thank you, Nephew." He looked around. "But that raises another question."

"What's the other question?"

"Why have you been avoiding me?"

Zuko looked away. "I told you. I just need to think about stuff."

"Have you seen Kalika since the siege?"

"No. She's very busy."

"You should. There is still something on your mind. If you can't talk about it with me, you need to find someone else. It's not healthy to bottle yourself up."

"I'm fine, Uncle. I'm healthy and strong. The king is still just giving me food and shelter. She's probably seeing dozens of traumatized kids just like that guy's sister. I don't need her help as much as they do."

"Go visit her as a friend, then."

"Uncle."

"I'm being serious. Doctors need support too. She would enjoy seeing you again and knowing that you're alright."

Zuko obviously hadn't thought of that. "Okay. I'll tell her I'm alright."

.

Kalika sat on the ground outside her rebuilt healing hut, running her beads through her fingers. It had been a hard decision, but she'd finally heeded Yagoda's advice and closed up shop for the day. As she leaned against her wall, she wondered how long she would be able to stick to that decision, even though she knew it was the right thing to do. Her workload was so large now that her hut had been rebuilt to twice its former size. How long could she handle that before she went completely insane?

There was a quiet, tentative knock on her door. She closed her eyes and ignored the pang of guilt in her stomach.

The visitor did not knock again. Footsteps shuffled. "Kalika?"

Her eyes flew open. "Lee? I'm around the side. I was just resting." She sat straight up, then decided to abandon all professionalism and stand. When he appeared, she gave him a hug. "How are you?"

"I'm okay." He hugged her back. "No nightmares, no flashbacks. I wasn't wounded physically. I'm doing alright. I've been helping with the rebuilding."

She released him from the hug. "Doesn't the water spirit have the power to rebuild the entire city instantly?"

Lee's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure what's going on with them. They've gone underground. I still get all the passive benefits, like walking on water and ice not melting when it touches me, but they don't appear in person. Not even when I ask. Maybe they have to recover from our merger, too. Maybe they're just giving me space. Whatever the reason is, I can only use my own powers. I've been helping to shift houses around, adjust ground level, carry things, stuff like that. I expect to be called any day now when they decide to rebuild the canals."

Kalika smiled at him. "I'm sure they'll come back. Everything will be okay again. We just need to give it time."

Lee looked down. "Some things will never be okay again," he whispered.

Kalika closed her eyes. She should tell him she was tired. She should. "What are you talking about?"

He gently tugged on her arm, leading her to sit with him against her wall. "Everybody in this city has been so kind to me, even when they're struggling themselves. I can't take it. I don't know how to take it. If I learn how, I might not be okay with living the way I've always lived anymore. Some things will never be okay again, because maybe… Maybe they weren't okay to start with."

It was clear from his voice that saying that aloud gutted him. She gave him another hug. "It's a new beginning, Lee." Her voice was full of optimism.

"Yeah. A new beginning." His voice was full of dread.

.

A/N: Finally! Season One is complete! There will be no extended break before Season 2 begins. I'm just gonna leap right in. I can't wait to see how it goes! This is gonna be exciting! :D

See you all then!