In the days that followed Ozai's death, Zuko and Katara led the rebellion to drive out the last of the Caldera forces. It was a long and hard fought battle, one that the rebels knew needed to be done though. Behind the mask of the Blue Spirit and Painted Lady, Ba Sing Se fought for its freedom. The world had never seen anything like this and the forces of the Phoenix King were driven out quickly.

It was almost a month before all of the remaining forces were driven out. But in that month, all was set right again.

And as the wind was howling, Zuko could only smile underneath his blue oni mask as he stared down at his city.

"It's peaceful, isn't it?"

Zuko turned around, seeing Sokka walking up to him. The mask nodded, Zuko raising a hand and lifting the mask over his face and let it sit on top of his head.

"Why do you still wear that mask?" Sokka asked. "People know who you are."

"Not everyone," Zuko answered. "Those who weren't there don't know. It's important to keep giving them a symbol of hope."

Sokka scoffed. "Hope? That's not the Zuko I know."

The Blue Spirit chuckled at his best friend's taunt, turning around fully and walking back to him, keeping his arms over his chest with a smirk on his face.

"But that's what the Blue Spirit is," Zuko answered. "He's hope. He's the symbol that shows someone is fighting for them."

"Can't you just go back to being moody again?"

Zuko rolled his eyes, stopping once he realized that he wasn't sure why Sokka was even here with him.

"What are you doing here, Sokka?"

"Oh, Katara sent me," Sokka said. "She said something about wanting to get everyone together at your uncle's tea shop."

Zuko raised a brow, still confused. "She couldn't do that herself?"

The former Commissioner shrugged before turning on his heel and walking down the stairs from the roof. "I'm just the messenger."

Zuko groaned, fitting his mask back over his face and taking off across the rooftops. He was making his way to Katara's old apartment, which still remained abandoned and was his hideout. There were thoughts onto why Katara sent Sokka to get him, but he wasn't sure which the right one was. He only quickly changed back into regular clothes, taking one long look at the blue mask before he stashed it away.

His uncle's car was parked across the street, Zuko stepping in and making his way through the city. He could see where the flags that carried the Caldera symbol were burned by the rebels. People had fought long and hard to keep their freedom from being ripped apart. Zuko knew that not all the Phoenix King's forces were out, but he knew that they would do no trouble.

Lost in his thoughts, Zuko hadn't realized that he already parked in front of The Jasmine Dragon. He shook away the thoughts, stepping out of the car and making his way for the door. Zuko paused, knowing that the car was loud enough for them to hear that he was there, but no one had come out to greet him.

He opened the door to the sound of yelling.

"Surprise!"

Zuko couldn't react before he felt warm arms around him and then soft lips on his lips. Once he realized it was Katara, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back. The sound of people cheering was the only thing that stopped him from kissing her even more than he wanted to.

"Happy birthday, Zuko," Katara beamed.

"It's my birthday… I totally forgot," Zuko chuckled.

Iroh walked up to Zuko, taking him in his arms. Zuko realized just how old his uncle was, taking him in a soft embrace.

"I'm so proud of you," Iroh said. "You have grown into such a strong and wise man, Zuko. You are a son to me."

The two shared another hug before Iroh turned to everyone.

"Let us cherish this day," He exclaimed.

Zuko found himself sitting in the kitchen with Katara by his side. His arm was around her shoulders and her head rested on the crook of his shoulder. It felt right. It felt like the world wasn't there around him anymore.

"Now what do we do?" Katara broke the silence.

"About what?" Zuko asked, taking a drink of tea.

"Us," Katara said. "The Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady."

Zuko shrugged. "I mean, we're still kind of young. We could go about keeping this city safe."

"From what?"

"Petty criminals," Zuko shrugged again. "There's always the little people I used to look after before all of this."

"Did you ever think it would get to this point when you became the Blue Spirit?"

"Did you when you became the Painted Lady?"

"Nope," Katara chuckled.

"Me neither."

Katara took a drink of dragon fruit tea, smiling softly. "So, we just go about saving the little people then?"

"Sounds like a plan."

Three Months Later

The girl was breathing heavily as she turned the corner, not realizing that she was in an alley. The sound of heavy footsteps could be heard behind her. She screamed as she came to a stop, now realizing that she was in an alley with no way out. Turning around, the man stopped in front of her, a wicked smirk on his face as he pulled out a knife, licking his lips.

"Nowhere to run."

"That's exactly what I was thinking."

The man turned, startled at the sight of another woman. Her painted face under the veil showed her identity. The Painted Lady stood ready. Under the paint, Katara held a confident smirk as she stared down at the petty criminal.

"You want some of this too, bitch?" The man snickered.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you," the girl stammered.

"And why is that?"

"That's the Painted Lady."

The man scoffed, looking from the Lady to the girl. "Is that supposed to scare me? Or impress me somehow?"

"She never travels alone."

The man raised a brow. Both Katara and the girl looked up, causing the man to as well. From the top of the building, he watched as a shadow dropped down into the alley. The figure landed gracefully on his feet, slowly revealing the blue oni mask that made the man step backwards.

"Who the fuck are you?" The man yelled.

The mask tilted to the side, Zuko smirking widely underneath the blue mask.

"That's the Blue Spirit. The Painted Lady's protector."

The man scream was caught in his throat as all he heard was the sound of two swords being unsheathed as the darkness was now everywhere around him.