Prologue

Zuko lay on his bed, unable to sleep. He realized he was not at the Royal Palace, but at the Western Air Temple. He groaned as he sat up in bed and remembered what he'd done... He'd joined the Avatar and his friends to help them end the war. The decision had been so easy to make at first... But in hindsight, he realized that it was the toughest decision he'd ever made.

He didn't regret it at all... On the contrary, he was proud of himself for the very first time in his life. But something gnawed at him and ate away at his resolve as he thought about the people he'd left behind... one person in particular.

Mai.

He hadn't expected to see her again... If anyone had asked him a few months ago whether or not he was ever going home, his answer would've been no. He hadn't expected his father to accept him... much less than he'd expected him to be proud of his actions... But it had happened. He'd gone back home. He'd seen Mai again. He'd fallen in love with her again... and this time, he hadn't expected to leave.

But he had... It was as if he'd known along that this day would come, but he didn't count on having to do this again so soon after seeing her again. It hirt him to do it, but it was the only way to keep her safe.

This was the second time he'd done this to her... He held his head in his hands remorsefully as he thought about the last time he'd left her this way... It'd been over three years ago. But that didn't mean it hadn't hurt him as much then... It had... even though he'd lost everything he had as the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. He thought of her sadly as he remembered how things had been back then... before he'd been scarred and banished...