Chapter 30 The Balance returns.
The sun had gone down in the southern water tribe as Katara waited for word from Zuko.
"You should get some sleep." said her father as Katara just sat there.
"Just a little bit longer." said Katara as suddenly a load flapping sound filled the air. Katara looked out the window only to see Rhyu on the ground and Zuko and the other getting off. Without wasting a moment she ran out the door and hugged her husband.
"So how did it go?" asked Hakoda as he looked at his son.
"We didn't even fight." said Sokka as his son looked at him "Zuko made a deal with Azula."
"You made a deal?" asked Katara as she looked at her husband.
"Yes, Azula has changed." said Zuko "She has a kid and a husband and from what I can see she actually loves them."
"What is this deal?" asked Katara
"The Fire Nation and their people get to pull back to the fire nation over the course of three months." said Zuko "In return we promise not to attack them or declared war against them."
"We have no weapons to attack them with really." said Hakoda "We can defend ourselves but not attack."
"And what about you?" asked Katara
"I gave up all rights to the throne." said Zuko
"But you always wanted to be Fire Lord?" asked Katara
"I am too powerful to be Fire Lord, if I was to become it the world would become unbalanced." said Zuko "And I would rather spend my time with you rather then dealing with the political bull."
"I don't like the deal how do we know Azula will keep her word." said Sokka
"If she doesn't then we will deal with her." said Zuko "However I don't think she will do anything."
"Well now I have to consider what is going to happen to us?" asked Ty Lee "Like where are we going to go?"
"I don't really know." said Sokka
"Well Sokka if you want it you can have my job." said Hakoda
"What?" asked Sokka
"I betrayed the village by working with the fire nation for as long as I did so I don't deserve to be the chieftain of this tribe." said Hakoda
"Dad are you sure?" asked Sokka
"Ya, but you should ask your wife if it is ok, it will be a huge change to go from the earth kingdom to here." said Hakoda
"So what do you say Suki can you stand the cold?" asked Sokka
"Ya, I am more worried about you leading this tribe." said Suki with a grin as Sokka pouted for a bit.
"Well as for me I think I can find some cirrus or something to join." said Ty Lee "What about Katara and Zuko?"
"Well we can't really stay on the island with the dragons, we need to be more in touch with the world in order to keep it balanced." said Katara
"Well there is a small island I know of." said Zuko as Katara looks at him "It is about half way between the here and the Fire Nation."
"Which nation does it belong too?" asked Sokka
"Actually it was the Earth Kingdom." said Zuko
"Wait are you talking about Shi Tong?" asked Hakoda as Zuko nodded
"Have you been there Dad?" asked Katara
"Ya, it is fairly small with warm summers and cold winters but news get there fast because it is a stop for ships heading between the Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom and here." said Hakoda
"Sounds like a good place to start a new life." said Katara
"Rest tonight and tomorrow we will go see how much damage Toph and Cruinne did to Ba Sing Se." said Rhyu
The next day the gang neared Ba Sing Se only to see old Earth Kingdom flags flying over the city walls and people dancing in the streets. Slowly they neared the half destroyed palace only to see Fire Nation soldiers in large unharmed groups surrounded by Earth Kingdom soldiers.
"What took you guys so long?" asked Toph as she came out with a bottle of wine in hand. Then in one movement she drank some of the wine straight from the bottle.
"Oh no Toph is drunk!" yelled Sokka trying to imagine what she would be like drunk and all of them where not good.
"Don't worry I drank this last night." said Toph as she poured some out "I filled it up with water. So are you Fire Lord now Zuko?"
"No I made a deal with Azula she keeps the throne but the world gets freed." said Zuko as he looked at the prisoners "They need to be let go and head back to the Fire Nation."
"Well that is up for the king to decide." said Toph
"Who is the king?" asked Sokka
"No one really knows they found the old Earth king a while ago and killed him, so we in the market for a new one." said Haru as he walked up along with Jin, Aang and a large group of rebel soldiers.
"Then can I make a suggestion?" asked Katara
"Sure." said Haru
"Make yourself king." said Katara as Haru's eyes widened "You where a rebel fighter and the normal person would support you because you didn't work with the fire nation."
"Also you are a member of the avatar's gang." said Toph "That means you know people."
"Do you think the people will go for it?" asked Haru
"Ya, I think they will." said Katara
"It is worth a shot." Said Jin
"Alright." said Haru
"So what happens now?" asked Aang
"Well if you want I am willing to help you find the remaining air benders." said Awry
"Your help is always wanted of great spirit." said Aang as he bowed to Awry
"And you can begin your training Toph." said Cruinne
"Sounds great to me." said Toph "I will more bad ass then I am now."
"I was made chieftain of the Southern Water Tribe." said Sokka with a smile
"I am going to find a cirrus to join." said Ty Lee
"I could always use an advisor around here?" said Haru
"I don't know." said Ty Lee until she noticed a cute boy walking up to Haru
"Sir we have found some more fire nation prisoners." Said the boy
"Who are you?" asked Ty Lee as she moved forward and put her face within inches of his.
"I am Lee." said Lee
"You are sure cute do you have a girlfriend or a wife?" asked Ty Lee
"No?" asked a very confused Lee.
"I think I'll stay." said Ty Lee as everyone shook their heads.
"And what of you two?" asked Jin as she looked at Zuko and Katara.
"Well there is this island we plan to set up on. From there we can make sure the balance is kept." said Katara
"Well take some of your father's gold." said Haru
"No we can't." said Zuko "That is blood money."
"And you stopped anymore from happening." said Haru "It is the least the people can do after what you did for us."
"It's alright Zuko, just make sure you use it well." said Katara
"All right." said Zuko
The sun was just coming though the curtains as Katara lied have asleep half awake. She slowly raised her head to look out the glass window at the small garden and play area. "Morning Katara." said Zuko into her ear.
"What time is it?" asked Katara
"Too early go back asleep." said Zuko as Katara lied back down. Suddenly a yelled filled the air.
"Mom! Dad! Iroh is dumping water on me." Yelled a young girl as Zuko stood up.
"I guess our kids have different ideas."
"Ya." said Katara "Time to get up."
"Can't we let my mother sold them." said Zuko as he remember how his mother lived in a small house on the grounds and not wanting to leave his wife.
"She went to the fire nation for the week." reminded Katara as Zuko pulled on a pair of pants and a shirt.
"I'll take care of this you had a late night." said Zuko as he walked out of the bed room and into one of the common rooms. It had been almost a decade since the deal was made between Zuko and Azula and while the water tribes along with the Earth Kingdom where weak but their strength was growing. The balance was coming back but there was still a lot of hate in the world between fire and the other elements but when it came to Zuko and his kids he wasn't hated.
"Morning Dad!" yelled his 8 and a half year old daughter Kya. Zuko couldn't help but smile as he looked into her golden eyes. Unlike her namesake Kya was a fire bender however apart from the black hair and golden eyes she looked just like Katara.
"Morning Kya, you said something about Iroh dumping water on you?" asked Zuko
"I was only training." said Iroh as he popped his head from around the corner. Apart from having his mothers brown hair, blue eyes and gift of water bending he looked his father.
"You know the rules Iroh no bending in the house." said Katara as she walked out carrying their second son the 6 months old Rhyu. They where not sure if he was a fire bender, a water bender or even a bender at all. He had brown hair like his mother but golden eyes like his father.
"Sorry mom." said Iroh "I just wanted to show off to Uncle Sokka when he gets here today."
"Well you can show him in the practice field." said Zuko "Not in the house."
A couple hours later Zuko stood at the end of a small dock waiting as a large ship came. Slowly the earth kingdom ship into port. The ship came to a stop letting their passengers off. Zuko watched as Sokka's and Suki's two little boys came running down the gangplank to hug their uncle.
"Hello uncle Zuko." said the elder six year old boy.
"Wow you two sure have grown." said Zuko as he rubbed the two boys hair.
"Well it has been almost a year." said Sokka as he shook his brother-in-law hands.
"I am surprised that Katara isn't down here." said Suki as she looked around.
"She is getting things ready." said Zuko as another couple walked down the gang plank, there stood avatar Aang with his wife of almost a year Toph. After Toph's training with Cruinne she was a master of Earth bending and she could Zuko or Katara a run for their money.
"So Aang how are the monks doing?" asked Zuko
"Our numbers are slowly growing but it takes a lot of time to rebuild a nation that was pretty much gone." said Aang "There are only about 5 dozen benders and most of them are still beginners."
"It takes time." said Aang
"Dad when can eat?" asked one of Sokka's sons.
"You are your father's son." said Zuko as they started up the road toward where his and Katara's house was. As they walked down the street a few of the villagers looked at the sight of the Zuko and the gang headed up the road and the large hill that lead to Zuko and Katara's home and training area. Business had picked since Zuko and Katara had come to the island as people came seeking to learn from the two strongest human benders in the world.
Less then an hour later the old gang sat around a table eating and laughing and joking.
"So Aang how are you and Toph doing?" asked Katara
"Well I am pregnant." said Toph as everyone including Aang looked at her.
"What?" asked Aang "I thought you where joking when you told me that?"
"No." said Toph "I wasn't joking, you are going to be a father."
Aang fell flat on his ground at the news passed out like a light.
"Wow, he avatar fainted." said Zuko
"Well you where stunned for minutes when I told you about Rhyu and he was our second." said Katara
"Well your brother tops that because he fell flat on his face on the ice when I told him." said Suki as the woman at the table laughed at the weakness of their husbands.
"I just wish Rhyu, Awry, Uisce and Cruinne could of made it." said Katara
The sun hadn't come up let on the island of the elemental dragons so Rhyu and Uisce lied side by side in their den. Rhyu raised his head as he used his wing to pull back the latest addition to the island. He had finally taken his dead son's advice and now a little dragon with deep blue scales with red stripes across his back.
"Come back here son." said Rhyu as he pulled his son back to his mother and himself.
"He just wants out of the den he has never been outside yet." said Uisce
"He is only a day and half old." said Rhyu
"Next year we will take him to the reunion with Katara and Zuko." said Uisce as Rhyu nodded in agreement.
Unknown to the elemental dragons Destino was watching them with a smile, the best outcome had happened. While he know that peace like war never lasts forever the path chosen by Zuko and Katara meant the longest possible time of peace now the race of dragons were going come back. With that Destino disappeared.
Well I hope you liked this chapter, because this story is over. I the final chapter has been posted and it is all over. Now some of you may be asking why I decided to update earlier then normal and unlike my other times it isn't because my team won a football game. (I disliked both Texas and Alabama) I updated early because today (Thursday) my nephew was born and both he and my sister are doing fine. Now I thank you all who have read this story for reading and I hoped you enjoyed this story as much as I did. Now until we meet again. This is Wilkins75 saying thank you for everything.