1. Moving on

Moving on…

_I don't own avatar, what more is there to say?_

Letting go someone you love is hard, I watch my mom coop with it everyday. Let's just say that this story is a dedication to everyone on the world who has lost someone they love, may they find their own unique way of handling the loss….

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**Moving on….**

The moonlight shining upon the lake in the Spirit Oasis gave the place a serene glow.

Feeling the familiar tingle of loss, the young man walked up to the pond. Being here, where it all happened reminded him of her.

Sitting down, he could almost feel her sitting down next to him...

Taking a deep breath while berating himself for the foolishness of it all - only a fool could think that the moon would actually hear his words - Sokka thought '_Well...here goes ...._'

"Yue, even though I'm getting married to Suki tomorrow, I want you to know

that I haven't forgotten you, and I never will. But tonight, I've come with a request

Once we're married, Suki is going to stop drinking the precaution tea. And well….I….I want my first child to be a girl….

A waterbender...

Yue...."

Having said what was on his heart, he bowed towards the pond and left the Oasis.

Feeling something soft and wet hit his face, he looked enough, instead of snowing, it was raining. Running he quickly

made his way home, to the waiting arms of his fiance, his soon to be wife, Suki.

Unknown to him, the moon was smiling down on him, ghostly tears running over her pure face....

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_Nine months later....._

"Let me get in this instance! My wife is in there!"

Sokka and the gAang were currently in the newly build hospital on Kyoshi Island.

Three hours ago, Suki had gone into labour and Katara was in the room with her, helping deliver the baby.

Agonised by the frantic screams of his wife and Katara's reassuring voice telling Suki to push, had put Sokka in such a state that it took the combination of both the Avatar and the Fire Lord to stop Sokka from entering the room.

After another agonising 10 minutes, Suki's screams stopped leaving the hallway earily quiet.

Katara opened the door and Sokka rushed past her screaming :" Suki! You're alright! I was so

worried about" and then the sight before him shut him up. Suki was lying in bed, her hair sweaty and disheveled, in her arms a tiny bundle.

"Sokka", Suki offered him a tired smile before continuing," it's a girl....."

Feeling awkward and proud, he timidly took the small bundle from her arms.

Smiling at her husband, Suki uttered the legendary words : "I'm naming her Yue,

Yue Kiyoshi Kokoro...And Sokka couldn't help himself but beam at her

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Now, when the moon becomes a full moon, Sokka doesn't go out alone anymore. He takes Suki and little Yue with him, and everytime he looks at little Yue, he knows that the moon hasn't forgotten him either.

_A/N : Yue Kiyoshi Kokoro's name actually has a meaning in Japanese. According to the site I used it should mean (this is in order) Moon, Pure and Heart._

_A fitting name, don't you think?_

_Oh and thanks Adridere for taking the time to beta my one-shot :D_

_A/N A/N: I might do another one-shot if I get some reviews ;)_


	2. Letting go

His face had been the face of the enemy from the moment Katara had laid her eyes on him. Scary, tainted, scowling, his face was simply everything the face of the enemy should be. Even though her logic told her that he couldn't possibly have been the man who killed of mother, it was his face that came to mind every time she pictured that man. It was his face that haunted her in her nightmares. It was his face that she hated

But that started to change when she saw him without his ponytail. His face showed that he had cut loose some sort of emotional bond, one that forced him to do the things that he did. And when the general got hurt badly, his eyes (the enemies eyes) betrayed his hurt and the fear of losing the only person he had left in this world. That's why Katara offered to heal him, the general, just another enemy out to capture Aang, but most importantly, the only one caring for the lost boy that suddenly replaced the scar( r)ed prince.

So when she saw him in the catacombs, locked away by his own sister, she took pity on him. His situation was much worse then hers was, but still she couldn't help but fend off her anger at him, having pictured his face as that of the enemy for so long. But after realising how similar they were, when he shared that he too had lost his mom to the fire nation, she wanted to rid him of his scar, healing him from whatever he had suffered, but it also was a selfish act, for it was necessary for getting over her hurt herself, for she no longer saw him as an enemy.

And then he betrayed them, betrayed her personally, and it all came rushing back. It seemed like it was her destiny was to hate him, and at that time, she would have embraced that destiny. So when he appeared in their camp, claiming to have changed for real this time, she didn't believe him, wouldn't believe him. She vowed not to let herself get hurt by him again. She threatened him, pestered him, angered him, humiliated him, all to get the others to see his true nature. But he never faltered. He let himself undergo all she put him through that with a smile, for he was truly sorry.

When she found out who had killed her mother, Aang judged her for wanting to go after him, Sokka gave her a lecture for wanting to leave in such a dangerous time, but he volunteered to go with her. Deciding that she was just as bad as he was, she was going to take another persons life after all, she agreed to let him come with her. Atleast, that's what she kept telling herself. Deep down, she was touched that he was going to support her when everyone else shunned her, and this situation reminded her of the catacombs, only this time he didn't betray her.

When they got there and she was practically killing that man, he didn't stop her. He just stood there, amazed at what she could do. So naturally, on the way back, she asked him why she didn't stop her. His reply was quite simple : "Who am I to judge you? You're a much better person then I ever was and ever will be, and if you thought it was necessary to kill him, you would have done so regardless of what I would have done. I trust your judgement. And to be honest, I think he deserved it. He took your mother away, he made you go through a lot of pain, and you're still suffering because of him everyday"

That meant the world to her. For once she didn't need to be strong, she wasn't the mother of the group, she was allowed to feel sad. So she did the only logical thing she could think of. She semi dived into his arms and sobbed her heart out. And much to her surprise, he hugged her back, pulled her close and told her that it was ok. That she did the right thing, and that she was allowed to show her emotions.

By the time they got back to camp, she had her emotions back in check, so when they got off of Appa, she gave him one last hug and told him that he was forgiven (as if the moment on Appa hadn't told him so) and unknown to her, that meant the world to him.

Katara was finally able to let go of her grudges towards the fire nation. But most importantly, she no longer considered Zuko as the prince, or the enemy. Now when she thinks of his face she sees the face of a friend, of someone who has gone through his share of pain, and was willing to take some of her burdens onto himself.

She could finally move on from the darkness into the light. And unknown to her, she had enabled Zuko to move on as well. He finally redeemed himself for all that he had done in the past.

And together they moved on to their final battle, the battle against Azula. The first thing that Katara noticed was that something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. Zuko realised it too, for he accepted Azula's challenge, an agni kai, even though she was supposedly unbeatable. Zuko dominated the agni kai at first, but then the odds changed when Azula broke all rules and directed her lightning towards Katara. Too shocked to move away, she could only watch her inevitable doom approach and then a something blocked her view and a scream pierced the quietness. When she opened her eyes, Katara saw Zuko lying on the ground , in front of her, chest marked by lightning, and something snapped inside of her. She tried to reach Zuko as fast as she could, but she had to beat Azula first, losing precious minutes that she could have used to heal Zuko. So when she finally reached him, she prayed to every god she could think of and it worked, she was able to heal him.

From that moment on, Katara knew she couldn't leave Zuko, Katara knew she wouldn't want to leave Zuko. Even though both of them felt obligated to love the persons who sacrificed so much for them back, they couldn't stop being drawn to each other. Both of them were waiting for a time in which they could move on to a different future, a future in which they could be together.


	3. free at last

_I think Mai is quite an interesting character and that's why I wanted to do a fic about her. Before you continue, I want to warn you that this story is partly Zutara, and even Maiha (Mai x Haru)_

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**Heartbreak**

Mai risked everything to safe Zuko's life, but when she looked into his eyes briefly after, she knew his heart would never truly be hers again, no matter how many times she stood up against his sister.

**Shattered**

All her life, Mai had been craving for freedom. Loving Zuko would offer her freedom. As the wife of the future leader of her nation, she would have all the freedom of choice she could possibly want, or so she thought. Oh the irony when she was looked away for the very love that once offered freedom.

**Weakness**

"I love Zuko more then I fear you" Mai said to Azula. Azula just smiled sadistically and whispered: "too bad he loves the water peasant then" before ordering the guards to lock Mai away where she wouldn't ever have to see her again.

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**Freedom**

All her life Mai had longed for freedom. After being stuck in a relationship with no future (come on, the whole world knew he loved Katara and that Katara loved him back) Mai travelled to the earth kingdom, hoping to find the freedom she so longed for. The only person who knew where she went was Katara, ironically. The two had become best friends quickly after Zuko took the throne, and with Katara hanging around her all day, Mai's gloomy moods changed to bright moods. She loved Zuko, that she knew, but she also knew that Katara loved Zuko all the same. She could tell that Zuko loved her as well, so she did the honourable thing to do: Mai ran away

A month before her wedding to Zuko, Mai entered Katara's chamber and told her that she knew. That she, Mai, had to get out of the way, because even though she loved Zuko, she loved him too much for him to be unhappy with her, and that she had to get away from the court, away from the fire nation. Katara then told her that she knew some people in the earth kingdom who would happily take her in. Together they wrote a letter stating that Mai didn't have any riches, any wealth or any other way to repay them, but that she would be forever grateful. So naturally, Mai was quite surprised when a letter arrived for her, a week before the wedding, telling her that they were happy to take her in, regardless of her fiancés.

So Mai travelled to the earth kingdom, with just a set of robes and some personal belongings. She told nobody where she was going, she just left a letter saying that she was breaking off the engagement to Zuko and that she was going to go somewhere where they wouldn't be able to find her.

Hungry and quite lost, she finally made it to the humble earth town that was going to be her home. The family that took her in was a humble one but they loved her as one of their own. They couples son, Haru, showed her around town and taught her everything she should know when living in an earth bending city. She learned how to do her own laundry, how to cook, how to grow her own food, but most importantly, she learned how to make her own decisions.

Haru was cheering on her all the way, even though he barely could keep himself from throwing up after eating her first cooked meal (they were eating fish and she conveniently had forgotten to skin it and to remove the bones), had to buy her new clothes when she ruined her own while doing the laundry, and when she wasted the harvest of one year because she forgot to water them for a week.

Three years later, a letter arrived, stating the engagement of the honourable Fire lord and sifu to the Avatar, Zuko to the ambassador of the water tribes and sifu to the Avatar, Katara. After reading the letter, Mai couldn't help it but be sad. In the letter, they only invited Haru and his family, but not her. Later that day however another letter arrived from Katara asking her to come. She hadn't invited her along with Haru's family because she had written the invitations together with Zuko, and even after all those years she still hadn't told him where she, Mai, had went. After showing the letter to Haru, Mai started packing. Zuko and Katara were in for the biggest surprise of their lives.

At first, Mai was scared about going to the wedding. She would have to face her parents there, for she was sure they were invited as well. Secondly, she had run away a week before her own wedding to the Fire Lord, what would people think if she showed up again at the wedding? Would they think she had come back to claim him as rightfully hers? But when Haru took her down to the river she really loved and asked her to marry him, she forgot all her worries about attending Katara's wedding, after all, whatever it was that they would throw at her, she wouldn't have to face it alone, she'd have Haru standing right there beside her.

They arrived the evening before the wedding. Utterly exhausted, Mai couldn't help but want to collapse in on of the guest rooms of the royal palace. But before she could do that, she would have to get some things straight. So she took Haru to the Royal bedroom, knocked three times, and wasn't surprised when a still sleepy looking Katara opened the door. Awkwardly standing there, Mai didn't know what to say anymore, all her carefully thought up lines were pushed out of her now blank mind. But words weren't necessary. Katara ushered her and Haru in and hugged her before she could even say "hug". And that's when Katara saw it, more accuracy, them. Her thumb rings.

The "omg I can't believe it, I'm so happy for you" woke Zuko up. Rubbing his eyes three times to make sure he wasn't seeing things, he fell from the bed. Again awkwardness took hold over Mai, but Katara's behaviour had been rubbing off on Zuko, and he quickly pulled her in his embrace. Suddenly feeling a bit better Mai whispered: "I'm so sorry for leaving without telling you Zuko" and he replied with "It's ok, I forgave you a long time ago".

Zuko even gave his consent when she told him that she wanted to marry Haru and told her that he hoped that he would give her the freedom he never could have given her.

When Mai and Haru walked out of the royal bedroom their steps were so much lighter that Toph, if she was awake at the time, would have sworn they had suddenly learned to air bend.

Right before getting into the chapel in which the wedding was to be conducted Mai ran into her parents, well actually, Tom Tom spotted her, ran to her and clung to her skirts holding on for dear life. This naturally attracted the attention of her parents. But instead of yelling at her and making her feel bad for leaving without telling them her mom ran up to her and hugged her, while muttering that Agni had finally answered her prayers. And when Mai told them about her engagement to Haru, her father laughed and told her that he wouldn't have it any other way, for Haru had given him his daughter back. Not really given back as in returning her, but he had given her her liveliness back that she had been lacking for the past 14 years.

So here she was, watching the man she once loved, getting married to her best friend, and all she could think about was that she had to be the happiest girl in the world.


	4. Supposed to be

**The way she supposed the be, where she supposed to be**

After being in the warden for a year, Azula started asking for Zuko, more precisely, she started asking about her big brother Zuzu. The doctors didn't inform Zuko of this till after another six months, for they thought that his visit could hurt her slowly regaining mental health.

Even after being informed of the despaired pleas begging him to visit, it took Zuko another six months before he had worked up enough courage to finally come and visit her. And when he looked at her in the white cell, he wondered why he didn't come any sooner. Because it was his sister sitting in there, not Ozai's daughter, not the princess, nor the monster, just his little sister. Zula, who would craw into his bed if the lightening scared her, Zula with whom he used to play at the beach, Zula before she learned to fire bend. Zuko saw her there, sitting with her hair dishevelled, a blanket wrapped tightly around her, looking ever so scared. And before any of the guards could stop him, he opened the cell and scoped her up in his arms.

_Zula, I'm so sorry for leaving you here alone._

On his way back, he started wondering who exactly was the monster between the two of them.

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After his first visit, Zuko made sure to visit at least once a week. The doctors always made him pull his hair down before seeing Azula, and he had started to wonder why. So one day, he entered the cell with his hair still up, wearing the flame crown in his topknot. Within a second though he knew. Azula screamed "Don't let him touch him, please mommy, keep him away from me, don't let daddy do this to me anymore"

So every visit after that one, he made sure to do everything exactly as the doctors told him.

And instead of heading back to the palace, he visited his dad, and did what someone should have done years before.

He made sure his dad couldn't ever do that to **HIS **little sister anymore

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Azula's mental health rapidly improved between his weekly visits, and it was after his fourth visit that she mentioned remembering some of the things she had done in the past. Fear clawed at Zuko's heart, he didn't want to lose his little sister all over again. But to his surprise and relieve, she started crying, telling him she was so sorry, that she wouldn't ever be able to redeem herself. Knowing the feeling all too well, he embraced her again, taking on the role of his uncle. He told her that she had all the time in the world to redeem herself, and even if she never truly would redeem herself, she could at least try, and that would make up for the past.

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After being institutionalised for about two and a half year, Azula made her comeback into the world, a different world then the one she left behind when she went into therapy, a world changed for the better by her brother and his companions. Making her way through the capital, her brother walking right beside her, she couldn't help but feel proud when she looked around. The people, her people, looked so happy and peaceful, glad that the war was over. And she wondered why she had wanted to continue it a little less then three years ago.

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She was there, on his left side when her brother committed the ultimate crime, the betrayal to their nation. When he married the water bender, the very one that had beaten Azula at the Agni Kai. She watched as they exchanged their vows, and watched as the crowd cheered. She was there when the generals tried to fulfil a coup, she was there when she, her brother and his water bender, stopped their rebellion. She was there when her brother announced to the nation that his wife was pregnant, and she was there when Katara (as she had come to call the water bender) had to suffer the loss of her first child. But she wasn't there when they announced their second pregnancy and she wasn't there when Zuko decided to name his firstborn Zula.

After all, she had some redeeming to do.

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The news of their pregnancy reached her when she was staying at the northern air temple, helping the Avatar, Aang, and his wife Toph take care of their orphans. And the new of the naming reached her when she was helping rebuild the earth kingdom. Soon enough the whole earth kingdom knew the name of the heir of the fire nation, after all, Azula couldn't contain her pride.

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After three years of rebuilding the earth nation, she returned home, taking the news that Mai had given birth to her first born, an earth bender named Lee. The welcome back wasn't anything like the one she was expecting. The whole court was there, but most importantly, Zuko and Katara were waiting there for her, with her namesake. Before anyone could stop her, little Zula ran down the stairs, jumping in the arms of a very surprised Azula.

Aunt Azula, you're finally back home. Mommy and Daddy told me all about you. Are you really going to teach me how to make blue fire?

And Azula couldn't help but feel as if she had finally found her way out of her darkness…


	5. Mom

As years went by, Sokka told himself it wasn't true. But the day he saw her again, after not having seen her for months, years even, he was hit by the truth full force. The picture was complete. The way she was standing there, young Iroh holding her skirts, Zula in her arms, she resembled her so eerily much.

After 12 years, Sokka finally dared to admit to himself that every time he thought of his mom, he saw Katara's face.

It wasn't as if he hadn't wanted to remember his mothers face, in fact, he had tried all he could to keep her close, but some way or another, Katara's face always appeared instead of his mothers.

Subconsciously it had taken him years to reason with himself. Why did he see his sisters face instead of his mothers? This very instance, he wondered why it had taken him years to figure it out, the answer had been there all along, right under his nose.

She had taken the place of his mom, in more ways then just one. She was the one that took care of him every time he was ill, she washed his cloths, she made his pain go away every time he had hurt himself while "training" the toddlers of the village how to fight, she chased his nightmares away, and most importantly, she was there every time he thought up his ideas, and helped him develop them.

Basically, she did everything a mom did, or was supposed to do. And that's when he swapped her face with his mothers.

Instead of keeping his thoughts and appreciation for her all to himself, he walked up to her, and whispered into her ear:

"When I think of mom, I see your face. You've been there for me, all my life, never letting me down, and I just want to thank you, for you're both my sister and my mom. I love you Kat."

He was surprised to see tears forming in Katara's eyes.

"You don't know how much that means to me Sokka" Katara paused for a bit to put Zula down. "To be honest, for quite some time, it was the same for me with you and dad. When I saw him again, after such a long time, it was as if I was waking up from a dream, a good dream, and I was so scared I was going to lose you, lose the bond we had…….

I'm so glad you came today, I missed having you around…..But I think you should meet someone first, well actually two little someones….Meet your niece and nephew, Zula and Iroh."

Sokka was knocked down by the combined force of the children jumping in his arms.

Looking at them, he saw a strange combination between Zuko and his sister. Both had a slightly more tan skin then Zuko, but still a lot lighter then his and Katara's. Katara's fierce blue pierce was directed at him, in the form of a little boy.

"Uwnkle Sokka, did you cwame to teachs me waterbwending?"

Sokka couldn't help but laugh at that, the heir of the fire nation, water bending. He then saw Zuko and Suki walking up to them. Zuko had offered to give Suki and him a tour around the newly decorated Castle, but Sokka had insisted on seeing Katara first.

After all, he had already waited a couple of years too long to see her again.

"Oh….and Sokka? I…I have another surprise for you……I'm expecting another one…."

No matter how much Sokka liked having lots of nephews and nieces, he fainted at the idea of Zuko and Katara creating their newest addition….

Everything truly was back to normal

_A/n_

_Sorry that I have been neglecting this fic for some time. I just was busy and the ideas stopped coming. I do plan to continue this though, because I enjoy writing this._

_Thanks for taking the time to read this :D_

_~~ destiny's charm ~~_


	6. Iroh

Agni was cruel to all of his children.

Iroh knew that from experience, lots of experience. Agni took his wife from him, his beloved wife (Iroh refused to remarry after she died, even after he lost Lu Ten), Fearing more punishment from Agni, Iroh went to serve in the military, earning his title "the dragon of the west "

If only the people knew how broken he was inside…

He stood strong, fighting for his nation, trying to avoid another punishment sent by Agni, but all was in vein.

Agni took Lu ten from him as well

That's when Iroh lost all hope in his life, he returned to the fire nation, his nation, as a disillusioned man. Only two people accepted him back with open arms, his nephew and Ursa, his brother's wife.

Both visited him frequently, trying to sooth his pain. They took him along on their trips to the turtleduck pond, and Ursa and he watched as little Zuko got bitten by an overprotective mother turtleduck.

Their peaceful bubble was harshly bursted when Azula showed her amazing fire bending ability. When her father noticed that, he showed Zuko aside, having lost all interest in the so called "failure" of an heir. Ozai claimed Azula, and there were times when neither her brother nor her mother was allowed to visit her, afraid as Ozai was that they might ruin his precious prodigy.

Iroh knew that that wasn't the only reason why they weren't allowed to see her, he could hear her screaming on some nights, but he no longer had any power to stop this madman that he had once called his little brother.

And then Iroh's father passed away under suspicious circumstances, considering Ursa went missing on the same night. Afraid as everyone was for Ozai, no one even dared to mention the possibility that Ursa had something to do with the old Fire Lords death. So naturally, no one opposed when Ozai stole Iroh's birthright, claiming that the old Fire Lord had decided to let it be that way.

For Iroh, losing his birthright meant next to nothing. Earthly fame and power no longer meant anything to him, all he cared for at that moment was the lost young boy he had come to view as his son.

And then things got even worse. Stubborn as he was, Zuko had demanded to be let into the war chamber for a meeting with the generals. Thinking that his nephew (son as he called him in his mind) might learn anything from it (and secretly hoping that he would find out how bad war actually was) he agreed to let the young boy into the chamber.

Things went so fast…

Zuko disagreed with one of the generals and as a punishment; he had to face someone in an Agni Kai. Zuko was confident, he would surely win if he had to face the general.

No one expected that he would have to face the Fire Lord.

He couldn't do anything but watch as his nephew (son) begged for mercy and received nothing but a first full of fire.

He had only felt this guilty once before, and that was when Lu ten died. He could still remember the feeling as if it had happened yesterday, he could still remember exactly how he had felt when he realised that the boy's death, his son's death, was his fault. After all, the boy had only done what everyone had expected of him, he followed in his fathers footsteps.

Sadly, those had been far bigger than a boy his age could possibly follow, and now , he was somewhere were his father couldn't follow him.

Holding the boy that had replaced his son (even if it wasn't truly that way) he vowed never to let anything like this ever happen to this young boy again. In his mind, his decision was made, he was going to follow the boy in his banishment, even if it was the last thing he did.

It hurt Iroh so much that the boy still longed for his fathers love and acceptation, even after all that father had done to him (couldn't he see he had a father right here?) He couldn't do anything but watch as the boy struggled to follow the path his destiny had laid out for him. Even though he had known it for some time, it still hurt Iroh badly when Zuko chose Azula's lie over him.

He had humiliated himself to keep the boy fed, he had followed him to the ends of the world, had gone through tremendous rage fits fired at him by said boy, he had offered him a future that didn't need him to check behind his back everywhere he went. But most importantly, he had offered him love, something no one else (with the exception of his mother that is) had offered him.

Iroh had had a lot of time to think his life over, waiting for when the time was right to take back Ba Sing Se from the Fire Nation. But he wasn't ready when his nephew (son) entered his tent.

He chose to ignore him, perhaps he would just go away if he was ignored long enough. But instead, the boy spoke, and for the first time in years, he heard his nephew, not the arrogant prince, not the scared little boy, but his nephew, the boy he considered to be his son.

And for the first time, he felt as if the boy felt the same……Zuko finally exacted him as his father, and for the first time in years, Iroh felt real happiness


	7. Ursa

Ursa's world had crashed around her on multiple occasions. The first time was when she met the prince, it was love at first sight, and she didn't know what to do with it. After all, she was a member of a lower house, and in no way entitled to be with the prince, she wasn't even good enough to be his servant. But when the prince was near her, she didn't care about anything at all, all she wanted was to be with him.

The time she spent with him became more and more, and Ursa could only hope that the feeling was mutual. Her mother and father couldn't believe their luck when a messenger from the Fire Lord came to ask the hand of their daughter in marriage. Ursa, who was tired of the protocol, went to see Ozai herself to tell him her answer, instead of sending back the messenger. Her ignorance of the protocol didn't went unnoticed by the Fire Lord, so the first years of her marriage, Ursa was taught to act and believe like a member of the royal family should.

She had thought of giving up so many times she lost count, but her love for Ozai kept her going, his love for her was what soothed her weary soul.

Sitting next to the turtleduck pond, she couldn't help but think that she and Ozai were like a tree. She was the leave which kept turning in the wind, adapting to everything new, while he was the trunk, unable to bent and a fierce storm could knot him down, no matter how inpenetretable the trunk seemed.

Seven years after her marriage, she became pregnant. Overjoyed, after all, they had been married for seven years already and their marriage hadn't produced anything yet, she ran to Ozai's office and together they went to a fortune teller.

Needless to say, the fortune teller didn't tell Ozai what he wanted to hear. Instead of telling him that his son would be the strongest fire bender that would walk the earth, he told him that the child would have many difficulties in his life which he would have to overcome before he could reach his true potential. The fortune teller kept chattering about a burning tree, and scattered leaves.

And then the moment came when she had to give birth to Zuko. Giving birth to him was one of the hardest things she had ever done in her life. He wasn't in the right position in her womb, and they almost lost him during child birth. Everything seemed to be against him. Zuko was smaller then other children, and to top it off,, he was born in the winter, which wasn't a good sign for any future bending abilities.

At first, Ozai was happy with Zuko. He took him everywhere with him, proudly showing him off until the day that she gave birth to Azula. From the moment Ozai laid eyes on Azula, Ursa knew that Zuko was a loss cause. Unlike her older brother, Azula was bigger, stronger and thicker then most children. Her bending abilities showed up at the same time as Zuko's , but while Azula's flame was a burning ray of light, Zuko's was like a small sunbeam.

For them on, Ursa had to sleep alone on multiple occasions, which hasn't happened since their marriage.

And then they received the message that Iroh was going to return from Ba Sing Se in a week , having given up the seize on the once great city. Ozai became obsessed with bypassing Iroh, and two days before Iroh's return, he went to see his father, the Fire Lord. His father had always preferred Iroh, instinctly sensing Ozai's troubled nature. That was one of the reasons why he refused to appoint Ozai as his heir, and as a punishment for Ozai's betrayal to his brother, the Fire lord ordered Ozai to feel the pain Iroh felt, he ordered him to kill his "beloved" son. Luckily for Ozai, the fire lord didn't know about the Azula/Ozai thing.

That was the second time Ursa's world came crashing down. She wouldn't allow her husband to touch her son, Zuko was hers to keep. And that night, Ursa committed the ultimate act of loyalty towards her son, and her husband.

She killed the Fire Lord.

She didn't have the time to properly say goodbye to Zuko, she didn't even have the time to visit Azula. All she remembered of the night was saying goodbye to Zuko, killing the Fire Lord and then saying farewell to Ozai.

She never would know that Ozai burned the tree that symbolised their marriage down, the day after she left.

The third time was when she found out that she was expecting another child, one Ozai didn't know of. To make things worse, her child died in child birth, suffering from the same difficulties as Zuko did.

She tried to make a life for herself, by running an inn near a hotwater spa. She couldn't forget Ozai and most importantly Zuko. News only reached her when visitors came, and they hardly did during the war, so news travelled slowly

The day Zuko joined the avatar, the news about his banishment (and scarring ) reached Ursa.

She closed the inn and travelled to the Fire Nation as fast as she could, no longer caring about the possibility of being caught.

She arrived on Zuko's coronation day, but didn't have the courage to face him. She had left him in the hands of a madman, she had known that , but she couldn't have done anything else.

Every time she saw his scare, she was reminded of her failure as a mother.

So finally, after a year, she could muster up the courage to confront him, confront her past.

It was so different from what she expected.

The moment Zuko spotted her, he ran towards her, not caring if his ancient robes got dirt, and before she knew it, she was swept up in a bear hug.

The first thing Zuko showed her was a small tree near the turtleduck pond.

And she couldn't help but cry, no matter how broken her family was, they would find a way to flouring again.

Seeing the tree gave her the courage needed to visit her daughter, and her husband.

No longer was she just waiting for her time to pass, she was taking matters in her own hand again, following the directions of the wind, the directions her told her to follow.


	8. Five sins turned to virtues

5 sins turned to virtues

**Lust**

Not many people would think of him if they heard the word, but they were sadly mistaken. He had almost risked the world just because of his feelings for her. And even in the mid of battle, as ever blazing fires created hell on earth, he refused to let her go. Most people refer to that fight as the triumph of good over evil but to Aang, it's far more than that. For him, it was his personal purgatory, forcing him to let go of that which he dreaded the most.

And now, he's still looking for a gentle way to inform a former object of desire of his sudden turnabout….

**Envy**

He had spent the largest part of his live enviously. He was never good enough, not for his father, not for his sister and certainly not good enough for his grandfather. He had watched his sister train along side his dad, he had watched as his dad bestowed all his love on her, and he had watched as they had something together that he would never have. He had spent so many of his night wondering around, after his banishment, wondering why his father didn't love him, why his sister was always better then him. Never had burned the fire of envy any stronger. But as he saw more and more of the world, he realised his mistake. So many people in the world were worse off then he was, he learned so much from the avatar and his friends. He learned how life should really be. And yet he went and betrayed them, and for what? For the shallow illusions he had been chasing after ever since his youth.

He knew what he had done was wrong, and he tried to change him, but the road to redemption was long and hard. The only true way to do so was kindness...In his mind, there was only one person who was the embodiment of the word, and her name was Katara. Sure, she threatened to kill him on multiple occasions, and for that he couldn't' blame her, but he had seen the way she acted around others, and he wanted to be just like her. Selfless for the good of the world.

And that's why he selflessly flung himself for the attack which would have cost her live. Love showed him the ways of kindness

**Greed**

The fire nation was the wealthiest nation in the world, and she had been brought up spending money like water, yet deep down, a terribly feeling called greed had her in his icy claws. It didn't matter that she was a firebending prodigy, she still wasn't the best. It didn't matter that she was the princess of the most powerful nation of the world, no she could always become the heir (or fire lord, though she refused to explore that thought). But there was one thing she wouldn't dare to admit. She was greedy for one reason. Despite all her wealth, she was the poorest when it came to love. She despised her brother, how could she not? He had it all while he couldn't even lay a hand on her while training; he had it all even though Father wasn't ever going to crown him Fire Lord (even if he was the heir). He had all the love of their mother, the one thing she longed for but would never ever achieve. The one thing that broke her mind in the end.

Long years of meditating and reconsulation revealed what she tried to push away to the far corners of her mind, and that's why Azula, once feared across the world, was working in an orphanage, completely content. She was going to give them the one thing she never had, and so gluttony turned into charity.

**Sloth**

Mai had never cared much for her life. Why would she? Her life was already decided from the moment she was born and she would have to follow it through till the day she died. For her, life meant being raised in an environment where nobody cared for you unless you did something wrong, life meant following others wishes without even thinking about yourself, and needless to say, Mai was grew bored of it. There was no joy in her life and she despised those who did experience joy. But when Mai saw Zuko at the boiling rock, she knew that without him, the world would be just like her, and she refused to stand by any longer. She refused to let anyone else decide her life for her any longer, so when she attacked the guards who were going to kill Zuko, and with him the hope of the world, she attacked the life she had been living before. From now on, she cared about something and she wasn't going to let that small flame of hope be extinguished.  
Sloth had turned to diligence and Mai wasn't about to change back.

**Wrath**

He had spent the largest part of his life hating the fire nation. It had taken everything from him, his parents, his home, his life. Anger burned brightly in his heart and he had long nurtured it. He was going to make them pay, all of them. He had almost killed a village of innocent bystanders just to get his revenge, and that was his turning point. The waterbender had forced him to look at what he had become, and it didn't please him. He had become exactly like those he despised. And that's when he made his decision. From now on, he would still try his best to end the fire nation's tyranny, but he wouldn't do it like before. No, he would try doing so by adding the avatar. Without him, peace would never happen, and peace was all his weary heart required now.

Wrath had turned to patience.

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_Just to __clarify: _

_The first is about Aang, the second is about Zuko, the third about Azula, the fourth about Mai, and the fifth about Jet. I might do the two other sins, but right now, I couldn't really decide to pair which sin with what person. I honestly tried to make unexpectant pairs, and I hope I succeeded (Well, I know I failed with the Mai part but still)_

_Anyway, I would love you if you reviewed this chapter._

_~~ Destiny's charm ~~_


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