Disclaimer: If I owned Avatar, do you think I would be writing this here? You would see it on TV while I'm laying around my Olympic sized pool.

Oh, and I'd like to thank my beta reader: Angels Cry Devils Sing

A/N: Hope you enjoy! R&R

Iroh sat quietly in a nearby chair, watching his nephew as he slept. Zuko hadn't been feeling well during the past few days, and Iroh wanted to make sure he was okay. After sitting there for about an hour, he concluded that his nephew was fine. Just as he got up to leave, however, he heard Zuko moan in his sleep.

Walking up to the bed, Iroh looked down with compassion upon his nephew. Zuko lie down on the thin mattress with his head to one side. He showed obvious signs of discomfort. The huge scar that covered most of the left side of his face looked paler than usual – as did the rest of his features. Iroh waited there for a few moments, wondering if the prince's groan meant his condition was worsening. Nothing else happened, but Iroh wasn't too sure. He walked over to the small window, and watched as the sun set beyond the horizon. The sky was beautiful: shades of blue, orange, and purple covered everything in sight. The sun was simply a huge ball of fire in the distance, giving light to all of life. Iroh gazed upon the wondrous site with a small smile. It amazed him that something so stunning and useful, like fire, could be used for so much destruction. Zuko was a perfect example of the effects of the latter.

Iroh was broken out of his reverie by the sounds of rustling sheets. He turned around to find Zuko tossing and turning, as if he could not find a comfortable position. With concern, Iroh came to his nephew's side and watched helplessly as the boy broke out into a cold sweat. His hands clenched the sheets with so much force that his knuckles were white with the exertion. Zuko's brow was furrowed with what appeared to be restlessness, but was actually pain. Iroh knew this, and tried to comfort the fire prince.

"Zuko," he said quietly. "Don't worry. Everything is going to be alright." He placed his hand on his nephew's shoulder, only to have it pushed off as the boy turned, yet again. Iroh heard soft noises coming from somewhere within the room, and it took him a while to realize that the sounds were coming from his own lips. As soon as he noticed the source of the sound, he made sure to close his mouth. However, the sound returned. Perplexed, Iroh checked his own lips, only to find them closed. Upon close inspection, he noticed that this time, the sounds were coming from Zuko. The poor prince was whimpering, as well as groaning.

Iroh, once again, made an attempt to comfort his nephew. However, his effort was futile. Seeing that there was nothing that he, alone, could do to ease Zuko's pain, Iroh decided to get the Prince to a healer as soon as possible. He immediately left the room to find one of the crew members. He wanted someone to tell the captain to head for the nearest village. Hopefully, they would find someone who could help Zuko. He could not go himself, for he feared that something awful would happen if he were to leave Zuko alone for too long.

"I will be right back," he said to the young prince, looking back wistfully before leaving the room.

He walked quickly down the length of the long corridor, looking around for the nearest crew member. However, he could not find anyone. The rooms that were usually bustling with activity were suddenly vacant. Iroh cursed his bad luck. He did not want to leave Zuko alone for much longer. He traveled to the deck of the ship, only to find most of the crew members gathered around a small table, making bets. On any other night, he would have looked upon this with humor. However, his nephew's life was possibly at stake, and he was not about to lose someone else…

He walked up to the table and placed one of his hands firmly on the shoulder of one of the men. "Zuko needs a healer. We need to stop at the nearest village."

"But General," one of the men exclaimed. "We won't reach the next town for another two days!" Iroh gave the crew member a fierce look that made the poor man shrink away in fear.

"We need to get my nephew to a healer," he said slowly, pronouncing each word with care and precision. His jaw was set with determination. He would not allow anything horrible to happen to Zuko. He could not.

"Bu—but sir!" another crew member stuttered. Iroh cut him off.

"I don't want to hear it!" Iroh said, raising his voice. "Get us to the nearest village! Now."

"Yes sir," said the captain, giving a quick bow before hurrying away to follow out his orders. Numerous crew members followed, leaving only a few in Iroh's presence. However, it was not long before each of them followed suit, fabricating excuses to get away from the angry general.

Iroh sighed, but immediately began returning to his sick nephew. He walked toward Zuko's room quickly, knowing he had left the prince alone for too long already. He was surprised, however, when he opened the door to the room.

Zuko was gone. The sheets lay disheveled upon the bed, and the room gave Iroh the feeling that it had been empty for quite some time.

Iroh cursed himself, once again, for his bad luck. He was also angry at himself for leaving his nephew alone for so long. It was his fault that Zuko, who was probably delirious with his sickness, was missing. Iroh immediately ran back to the deck of the ship, this time knowing where to find everyone. As soon as he saw one of the crew members, he addressed him sharply. "Zuko is gone."

The man, who had a crooked nose and dark skin, looked at him with shock. Iroh was not sure whether the man's reaction was due to the news he had just received, or if it was because of the way Iroh spoke to him. Either way, it didn't matter. Zuko needed to be found.

"Gather up everyone that isn't working right now. We need to find my nephew."

"Right away, sir!" replied the man, still terrified from Iroh's earlier outburst. He immediately walked away to find people to aid in the search.

As the man walked away, Iroh turned around and began his own search. He went everywhere he could think of: restrooms, the kitchen, and all of the crew member's rooms.

Nothing. Zuko wasn't anywhere to be found.

Eventually, he returned to Zuko's room, hoping with all of his might that the prince had returned.

His wish was granted.

He entered the room to find Zuko sleeping as if nothing had occurred. Perplexed, Iroh walked over to his slumbering nephew; a puzzled look on his face. He stood over the teenager, wondering where he had been.

He decided not to question it; at least Zuko was safe. The prince seemed to be sleeping soundly, so Iroh decided to go tell the crew they could stop searching. He learned from his mistakes, however, and was about to close the door after himself when he heard Zuko.

"Uncle?" Zuko whispered hoarsely.

Iroh opened the door and looked into the room. His nephew was sitting up in bed, staring straight at him. The fading sunlight coming into the room from the window made Zuko's eyes shine, giving the impression that his eyes were made out of real fire.

Iroh was confused. One second, his nephew was sleeping soundly. The next, he seemed wide awake. Iroh began walking toward the bed, and noticed that Zuko wasn't staring at him. It was more as if the boy were staring through him.

"Uncle, where's mother?" Zuko asked, his voice gentler than usual.

"Zuko…?" Iroh couldn't finish his question. Had Zuko really forgotten? He did not get a chance to find out, however, because just then the prince lied down again and fell asleep.

--

"Mother?" Zuko opened his eyes. Sitting beside his bed was his mother, smiling gently upon her son. "Mother, where did you go? I missed you." Zuko was no longer on his ship. Rather, he was in his own room, in his old home. Everything seemed lighter than usual, as if it were all a dream…

Zuko's scar was gone. There was no mark of it anywhere on his fair skin. The area that had once been covered by the red and wrinkled skin was now completely smooth. It was as if it had never existed.

"Zuko…" his mother said as she gently and lovingly caressed his cheek. "Zuko, it's been so long."

"Yes, mother. It has," Zuko replied, truly happy to see his mother. He had absolutely no recollection of her death.

"Have you been a good boy?" his mother asked. She smiled as her son nodded vigorously.

"Of course. You know I would never do anything to disappoint you!" He gave his mother the widest possible smile, loving every moment of being in her presence. Oh, how he loved her!

"Good," she replied, placing one of her silky smooth hands on his forehead. She was silent for a moment, simply enjoying her son's company. It really had been so long… "I love you, Zuko."

Zuko gave another award-winning smile. "I love you, too, mother," he answered happily.

They stood there for a while, Zuko lying down in bed and his mother sitting over him, each of them completely content. The talked for a while, Zuko's mother asking her son different questions about his progress since she last saw him. The young prince answered each one truthfully and cheerfully, loving his mother even more after each passing question. Eventually, however, it had to come to an end.

"Zuko, I think that it's time you get some rest," the boy's mother said gently, adjusting his pillows so as to make his rest more comfortable. She smiled as he shook his head defiantly.

"But I don't wanna!" He said. "I'm not tired. Really!" Suddenly, he felt the urge to yawn. He couldn't suppress the feeling, and his mother laughed gently as he gave in. He loved the way she laughed. "But mother!" he pleaded.

"Please, prince Zuko," she said. "It really is time that you get to bed."

Zuko was hesitant. "But what if you leave again?"

She smiled. "I won't. I promise."

Zuko returned the smile. "Okay." He made himself comfortable, then closed his eyes and began dozing off.

"I'll always be with you," his mother said just before her son fell asleep. "I'll be with you to the end…"

--

Zuko woke up, screaming in pain. He clutched his head in agony, feeling as if it were ready to explode. The pain was utterly unbearable. It was excruciating.

Iroh, who had been keeping a close eye on his nephew, immediately jumped up from his seat. He swiftly came to Zuko's side, fearful for the boy's life. When he saw that the Prince's features were contorted in anguish, he quickly grabbed a cool, wet cloth and placed it on Zuko's forehead. He felt completely helpless as he realized that this was doing little to help.

"What's going on?" one of the crew members asked as he came to the doorway. He was in pure shock as he watched Zuko, the prince who was always so healthy and strong, writhing around in pain on the sheets. "General…" he came into the room, soon followed by three other equally shocked members.

"How much longer until we reach the village?" Iroh asked hopefully. He had to get Zuko to a healer. He just had to.

The crewmembers shook their heads sadly. One of them answered: "We're sorry, general, but we won't be able to get there for ten hours at least."

Iroh felt defeated. He had let his only son down, and now he was about to lose his nephew… The guilt he felt was overwhelming. And yet, there was nothing he could do. He walked over to Zuko's bed and knelt down beside him. Tears stung his eyes; he knew what was going to happen - he knew what was to come. The crew members stood back, wanting to give Iroh and the prince some privacy. The general talked quietly to his nephew for a while. He told him some stories, and let him know that everything was going to be alright. He took Zuko's hand in his own, and continued talking to the prince as the boy began to quiet down. Zuko's shouts of agony began to subside into cries of pain. These, in turn, became groans. Iroh continued talking, hoping that the sound of his voice would help ease his nephew's pain. Eventually, Zuko became quiet altogether. The only sounds escaping from the teenager was that of his ragged breathing. Soon after, Iroh also became silent.

"I'll always be with you," Iroh said finally, his throat choked with tears.

These words, he knew, got through to his nephew. For right before the boy fell into the deepest slumber of them all – before he slipped into the mysterious void that is death – Zuko smiled. His last three words were some that Iroh would remember for the rest of his days:

"To The End."

A/N: I'm sorry it had to end like this, but it was meant to be with this plot. Now I'm so depressed with the ending, only your wonderful reviews can help me pucker up.