There was no doubt that Fire Nation sunsets were the most beautiful of them all, and tonight's was particularly breathtaking. But Aang couldn't enjoy it as much as he wanted to, not with so much on his mind after everything that had happened today.

He was a fully realized Avatar now, and in ending the war he'd taken the first step in paying his debts to a world he'd abandoned, and next came the task of undoing the damage the war had caused. A long road lay ahead and suddenly Aang felt so small and unsure of himself. Could he do this? Even with help from his friends it was still his responsibility.

"Aang?"

He turned around and smiled a little.

"Hey, Zuko."

"So this is where you floated off to after dinner." Zuko smiled, putting an arm around him. "Are you all right? You looked pretty deep in thought there."

Aang sighed, leaning close to Zuko and staring up at the darkening sky.

"I guess I'm a little scared," he mumbled. "I mean, the war lasted so long and there's so much damage and so many places to rebuild and people to help...what if I can't do it? Yangchen was such a great Avatar that a whole generation went by without war after her death, Kiyoshi created an entire island and a team of warriors named for her...what if I can't match them? I already messed up once by running away, I failed at Ba Sing Se and the invasion-"

"Aang." Zuko grasped his shoulders, firmly but gently. "Stop thinking like that. You're younger than them, remember? And what they did took years instead of a few months," he said.

"I know, but still..."

"And more importantly, stop acting like this is your burden," Zuko continued. "Remember what I said? The world's going to be different..."

"...when we rebuild it together." Aang nodded. "Yeah, you did say that. Sorry I kinda forgot."

Zuko just smiled and pulled him into a tight hug.

"You're not alone, Aang, always remember that," he whispered. "You have us..." He drew back, gold eyes meeting gray as he rested a hand on the back of Aang's head. "You have me."

"Zuko..."

The prince closed the distance between them; his lips were warm, tasting faintly of smoke and ginseng and the berries they'd eaten earlier, and somehow it felt natural to be kissing him. Almost as if something like this should have happened way back in the past before either of them were even born.

When the kiss broke, they embraced once more to watch the sun continue to set over the horizon, neither saying a word.