Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.

During the Fire Nation invasion on the Northern Water Tribe, Zhao ran for his life as he had previously killed one of the Waterbending spirits. Tui. While attempting to flee, he was stopped by a ball of flames which made him stop and look back. He gasped once he saw Zuko standing on top of a higher building.

Zuko stared down at Zhao with his anger bottled up inside. He had known of the assassination attempt on him, when Zhao hired pirates to blow up his sloop. He clenched his fists.

"You're alive?" Zhao asked, hoping that Zuko didn't survive.

"You tried to have me killed!" Zuko then bended three extra fire balls toward Zhao, who dodged them.

"Yes, I did." Zhao shamelessly replied. "You're the Blue Spirit. An enemy of the Fire Nation. Not only did you free the Avatar, but you knew he was awake and tried to take him for yourself!" Zhao mentioned.

Flashback

Zhao had previously tracked down Avatar Aang and his friends to a swampy forest. What he had no intention of was reuniting with his former master, Jeong Jeong. Zhao chased Aang and unintentionally bended flames-destroying his own ships.

"I don't know why, but I thought you'd be better than Zuko!" Aang commented and also insulted Zhao.

"What does Zuko have to do with this?" Zhao asked while holding a Firebending position on a boat.

"Wait, you didn't know? Zuko's also trying to catch me!" Aang smiled, then stuck his tongue out.

Zhao stopped for a moment and thought of Zuko. His eyes were in disbelief as he then thought of Zuko. 'So, Zuko knew that the Avatar was awake...'

End Flashback

"I had no choice!" Zuko said, then bended a few more fireballs toward Zhao, which Zhao had repelled with his own Firebending. "I wasn't going to let you or anyone reach the Avatar!"

"You should've chosen to accept your failure! You're a disgrace!" Zhao taunted Zuko. "Then, at least. You could've lived!" Zhao then dueled against Zuko on top of a building on top of the North Pole for a minute, until Zhao had been pushed off a roof by Zuko's Firebending.

The Next Morning

The invasion on the Water Tribe had turned into a big failure, with the death of Admiral Zhao and Avatar Aang destroying most of the Fire Nation fleet. The Fire Nation Navy were forced to flee from the North Pole. Princess Yue sacrificed her life to revive Tui... in order to restore the moon and the Water Tribe.

As the sun had risen, General Iroh and Zuko had fled from the city on a raft. Passing by glaciers many destroyed Fire Nation navy ships which nose stuck out.

"You know, Zuko. I'm surprised. I'm surprised. Surprised that you're not chasing the Avatar, again." Iroh said, with little surprise in his voice.

"I'm tired for one day. I'll catch him another day." Zuko stared at the cold blue sea and thought of something that happened to him, recently.

Flashback

Zuko had captured Aang and had taken him inside of a cave. He made sure that Aang was tied in both hands and feet. But Zuko's biggest issue that he was stuck in a cave, due to a bad blizzard.

Aang's physical body was sleeping, while his spirit was currently in the spirit world finding answers about Tui and La.

Zuko sat by the wall and rubbed his freezing hands together and blew on it with the heat of his Firebending. "I finally have you." He said as he stared at Aang's unconscious body. "But I can't get you home, because of this blizzard." Zuko then stood and stared at the front of the cave where snow was falling down hard. "It's always something. Not that you would understand. But you kind of remind me of... her." Zuko then thought of a Nine-Year-Old Ty Lee. She liked gymnastics and you're an Airbender. And you almost act similar when it comes to personality. And what she looks like... well I can't tell you that now, because I haven't seen her in five years." Zuko closed his eyes and lowered his head.

Aang quietly snoozed.

"A long time ago... I made a mistake that caused me a bit of trauma. I did something I wasn't proud of. I hurt Ty Lee with my Firbending." Zuko clenched his fists and shut his eyes, tightly for a moment. "I felt completely guilty of my actions. And after the accident happened... I never saw Ty Lee again. She never played with Azula-nor did she ever return to the palace." Zuko placed his right hand on his chest. "Deep down, I had a feeling that Ty Lee was banned from seeing either me or Azula. And I was soon proven right.

Aang continued to snooze.

"After that, two years pass by and nothing changed. I still hadn't heard from Ty Lee after what happened after the accident. And then, one day... My father banished me. The day after I talked out of turn during a meeting, he made me duel against him in Agni Kai. As a prince, I had so much respect for my father that I refused to fight him. But because of my refusal, he branded me... with the mark of a banished prince." Zuko closed his left eye and put his left hand over his left face. "He then tasked me with capturing you, the Avatar-if I wanted to restore my honor. So, I did what he told me to do. And that is to go out and capture you. But it's not what you think. I have no intention on pleasing father-after what he did to me. I need to capture you so that I can see Ty Lee, again. Meeting Ty Lee and making amends with her is all I ever want to do." Zuko stated.

End Flashback

Iroh placed his gentle hand on Zuko's left shoulder. "Then, you should rest. A man needs his rest."

Zuko closed his eyes and lied down on the raft. "Zhao is gone."

Iroh gasped.

"He drowned. The water spirit took him." Zuko stated.

Brief Flashback

"Take my hand!" Zuko begged Zhao to listen and grab his hand so he could pull Zhao to safety.

Zhao looked helpless for a moment, until he saw Zuko's hand which he offered. Instead of taking his hand like Zuko begged, he refused and pulled his arm back. Zhao had chosen to die by the hands of the water spirit, before being dragged down into the cold water.

End Flashback

"I see..." Iroh closed his eyes for a moment. Learning that the water spirit had killed Admiral Zhao.

"I tried asking him to take my hand-but instead he looked at me and refused." Zuko said.

"There was nothing that you could've done." Iroh said, which made Zuko open his eyes.

"Uncle?"

Zhao chose his fate when he attacked the spirits. He knew it would lead to serious consequences and he ultimately paid the price for it." Iroh said.

After a moment, Zuko closed his eyes, again while Iroh steered the raft away from the North Pole.

Somewhere in the Fire Nation

Within a mansion inside a luxurious suburban neighborhood... there lives a girl, her six identical sister and her parents. Within a large bedroom where seven girls sleep in, one girl was sitting in front of a big mirror on a desk and brushing her long dark brown hair. This girl happened to by Ty Lee, whom is fourteen years old.