The Firelord growled in frustration at the fresh reports sitting on his desk. The war had been officially over for nearly a year- the anniversary was in two weeks, a celebration was to be had. Peace operations were proving successful in the Earth Kingdom and amends had been made with the Water Tribes. But there were still rebels within his own nation. These reports told the same thing as the ones he had been receiving for months now: old, brain-washed loyalists were causing chaos in the villages surrounding the capital in the name of “Firelord Ozai”. He had stationed squadrons of elite soldiers into the various towns, ordering them to do whatever it took to crush the rebellions before any civilians were injured. Yet the rebellions did not cease, only increased with such fervor that Firelord Zuko found himself at wit’s end.

His frustration at the never-ending wave of internal struggle was harming his relationships with all those around him. After a nasty fight sparked by his short temper, Mai suspended their engagement until he “learned how to properly manage his temper” and refused to speak with him when they passed in the halls. He had also cut off correspondence with the Gaang, pushing aside their letters as report after report piled onto his desk.

“Firelord Zuko, there’s someone here to see you…” Advisor Shuyin called from the door.

Zuko snarled, “Shuyin, I have no time to deal with anyone right now!”

“Not even your best friend?” A familiar voice, despite the cracking brought on by puberty, responded. Zuko turned in his seat, smiling for the first time in weeks, to face the monk.

“Perhaps I can make an exception for the Avatar.”

Aang returned the smile with his own lop-sided grin, “It’s great to see you again, Firelord Zuko.”

“Please don’t refer to me so formally.” Zuko held up his hand as he stood and extended his arms. The two embraced so casually, like brothers reunited, and the Firelord felt all his pent up rage dissipate. He would deal with the dissenters later. For now, he would tackle the task of catching up with one of the few people he  was close to. “You’ve grown.”

“You haven’t.” Aang grinned wider, stepping back. The nomad was nearly as tall as Zuko now, he would possibly gain an inch or two over him in the next year. That bothered Zuko; things were changing, they were changing (Aang more-so than he). Aang had matured greatly over the last year, taking on his role as Avatar more seriously than before; Zuko admired that.

The pair spent hours spent hours, well into the twilight, exchanging stories; Zuko mostly listened to tales of how the Gaang was doing. Sokka was growing a beard, Katara opened a water bending school in the Southern Water Tribe, Toph was spreading the Earth Rumble Championship beyond its underground roots. Everyone was changing, yet everyone was still the same. They were still his friends, still his family.

“Hey Aang…”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks.”

“For what?”

“For visiting. I needed a break to see what is really important right now.”

“No problem. It’s what friends are for, right? Helping each other out and stuff?”

Zuko nodded and gazed up at the moon. He would work on fixing the bonds he’d broken tomorrow; he couldn’t afford to be alone at a time like this.