Setting: Eleven years after the battle at the Northern Air Temple …

It was bitterly cold – even the baby was feeling it. Katara kept complaining that Baby was kicking, and would Iroh hurry up and serve the tea already? The old man just chortled and continued brewing – something about the leaves needing more time to soak. A part of Zuko, the tea-deprived part, thought that the old man enjoyed watching them suffer.

Although, before Aang had picked them up at the Fire Nation palace, Katara had made him promise not to stare, Zuko couldn't help it. He'd heard so much about Kaito and Kanya that not staring was impossible.

The two airbenders were tall for their twenty-one years, slender, and graceful. He knew that they were not siblings, Sokka had told him, yet they both shared the same high cheekbones, midnight-black hair and light complexion that had enabled them to pass as so for many years. They were both dressed in normal Earth Kingdom clothes, but Zuko's instincts told him that it would only take a few months of Aang's persuasion before the airbenders caved in and started wearing monk robes.

Zuko managed to stop staring at the airbenders just in time – Aang entered the room, Momo on his shoulder. Zuko could hear the sounds of shouting and footsteps from the first floor – Sokka and his flock must have arrived. A second later the door to the living room of Iroh's apartment slammed open, smacking loudly on the wall, as the twins raced into the room. Sokka and Suki entered a second later, the prior balancing a toddler on her hip.

'Sorry I'm late,' said Aang, 'we got caught in a snowstorm.'

'Uncle Aang waterbended the snow so we didn't get wet!' cried out Aya – that was her name – demonstrating a waterbending form, flinging her arms in the air. A mug of water toppled over, a sphere of water floating over towards the young girl, a pleased look on her face.

'The girl's a waterbender?' asked Zuko quietly. He hadn't known.

Katara smiled, a hand resting on her distended belly. 'I guess it must run in the family.'

Zuko noticed the tired look on his wife's face. 'You okay?' he murmured. 'You look –'

'Zuko, I'm fine,' said Katara, smiling. 'I've still got a month, remember?'

Zuko nodded, biting down on his tongue. Ironically, Katara wasn't at all nervous about her pregnancy – all the worries and concerns had gone straight to him, never mind the mother-to-be, who took everything in her stride.

So what if the Fire Sages predicated that our elements would cancel each other out and the baby can't bend? Sokka can't bend, and he's perfectly happy, he's one of the greatest inventors ever.

Stop worrying. You're not your father, and Baby won't be either.

Honestly, Zuko, for the love of Tui and La stop worrying! Everything will be okay.

Get some rest. A man needs his rest.

I don't know, drink some calming tea!

A smile etched itself across Zuko's face as the previous conversations they'd had over the last eight months replayed in his head. Of course, Katara had been right, he had been stressed out. Not just about Baby – life in general. Although it hadn't been his entire life, Zuko had spent a good portion of it cleaning up his father's and grandfather's and great-grandfather's mess. And now, eleven years later, things were just starting to look up for the Fire Nation. And by 'look up', it meant that these days Zuko didn't wake up to angry mobs knocking at his front door, he didn't have injured Fire Nation soldiers demanding gold that he didn't have. But it wasn't just the crippled soldiers who came to him – there were the war widows, the orphans, the uneducated and the unwanted. This was his father's fault.

Without realizing, Zuko had clenched his fists, and quickly unclenched them. These precious days in Ba Sing Se were special – spirits, he'd had to argue with the court members for weeks for them to let Katara and him go. He wasn't going to spend time thinking about Fire Nation politics while he was with his friends.

Then Zuko realized that Iroh was serving the tea, and quickly left his thoughts.

Iroh passed a mug to Katara.

'Thanks,' she said, taking a sip. 'Mmm …'

Both Zuko and Sokka met each other's gaze.

'This is weird,' said Sokka. 'Don't you agree?'

Zuko nodded, there was no denying it.

'Look,' said Katara, putting the empty mug down on a small table, a semi-irritated look on her face. 'I know that you know that I usually really hate tea, but I like it now – so stop going on about it!'

There was silence – before Sokka exploded into laughter. 'I'm – sorry,' he wheezed, 'but the look … on your face …'

'Ursa says it's perfectly normal to have cravings when you're pregnant,' said Katara defensively, 'and I like tea now.'

Sokka shrieked with laughter, his sides heaving. Aya and Junior both looked concerned; their blue eyes wide. Each twin took a step back so that they stood behind their mother – the sane parent, thought Zuko.

'Katara's right, you know,' said Suki. 'When I was carrying Miyu,' the toddler on her hip looked up at the sound of her name, 'for the first few months dirt started to look really delicious.'

Both of the twins joined their father in laughter. Zuko grabbed Katara's hand to prevent her from leaping up, all the while trying to get the image of Suki tucking into a plate of dirt out of his head.

'Eww, Mom – did you really eat dirt?' asked Junior, once his laughter had subsided, thoroughly disgusted.

Suki smiled. 'Thankfully, no. Your father acted remarkably mature during that time and always talked me out of eating it.'

'How did he stop you?' asked the boy.

'He said he wouldn't kiss me any more if my lips were all dusty,' said Suki playfully.

Both of the twins shrieked in horrified disgust and left the room as fast as possible. Sokka stood up, prepared to follow them.

'Stay here,' said Iroh as he handed Katara a fourth mug of tea, 'I'll amuse the young ones for a while.' He took Miyu out of Suki's arms and left the room, suggesting in a jolly voice that he and the children have a few rounds of hide-and-seek.

Sokka broke the silence. 'So, sis, how many months along are you now?'

'Eight,' answered Katara and Zuko at exactly the same time.

There was more silence. Nobody knew what to say.

That's what happens when you see your 'friends' once or twice a year, thought Zuko grimly. Things get awkward very quickly.

Surprisingly, it was Kanya spoke.

'The other day, Aang showed me how to do the Air Scooter.' The airbender demonstrated how, creating a large ball of air, floating above her palms, before letting it blow itself out.

Sokka couldn't help it. 'Hey Sook,' he said to his wife, 'do you remember that time Aang and us went to the Foggy Swamp? And he did the Air Scooter there and knocked me straight into –' Sokka cut off, stifling a laugh.

Suki nodded, smiling widely. Zuko glanced at Aang, whose face had turned bright red.

'- And he slammed you right into a tree,' continued Suki Suki, grinning.

Katara laughed. 'I think Sokka told me about that, in a letter. Didn't you fall into the swamp straight after, and almost get hit by –'

'A couple of swamp skiers?' finished Zuko.

'Wait?' asked Katara. 'How did you know?'

Zuko shrugged innocently. 'I read about it,' he said, only to receive a playful slap on the arm from Katara.

The conversation was abruptly halted by Miyu, who ran into the room bawling her eyes out, a small dot of blood on the palm of her hand. Iroh arrived just behind her, panting and puffing, looking rather guilty.

'Mommy!' cried the girl, as Suki rushed over to pick her daughter up. Sokka rushed over to Miyu, watching her, concerned.

Suki inspected the cut. 'What happened?' The calm look on her face told everyone else that the graze was nothing to worry about.

'I twipped,' said the little girl, burying her head in Suki's shoulder.

'Oh, poor thing,' cooed Suki. 'Do you want to go downstairs with me and wash the blood off?'

'Actually,' said Katara, standing up, reaching for her waterskin, 'I can fix this up right here, if you like.'

'That would be really good,' said Suki gratefully, handing Miyu over to her aunt.

'You know what?' stage-whispered Katara to her niece as she left the room. 'I hear that there's cake downstairs for brave little girls who don't cry while I heal their cut.'

And then it hit Zuko.

She mends you when you break.

***

ONE MONTH LATER …

'No.'

'Why not?'

'Because I said so.'

'Are you the one who just spent eighteen hours bringing two bundles perfection into the world?'

'No.'

'Then you agree I should have a say in the naming of our daughter?'

'Yes, I do.'

'So what's wrong with Kumi?'

'It means braid! Our daughter can't be 'braid' for the rest of her life!'

'Correction, she'll be Kumi for the rest of her life.'

'I don't care – the meaning's ridiculous.'

'So we'll braid her hair. It'll make sense.'

Zuko groaned. 'Katara, we can't call her Kumi … it's not …' he trailed off.

'But it does sound like 'Bumi', right?' argued Katara. 'And then we can say she was named in honor of him.'

'In honor of a crazy dead earthbender? Sure, that'll go down well with everyone.'

'He wasn't entirely crazy!'

'He ate rock.'

'Rock candy!'

'Regardless, we're not naming her Kumi.'

'Why not? You got to name Ryzu!' Katara glanced affectionately at her son, who was fast asleep in his crib.

'But we both liked Ryzu. I don't like Kumi.'

Katara paused for a minute, and then a smile spread across her face. 'Zuko…?'

'Mmm-hmm?'

'If you really love me you'll name your daughter Kumi.'

Zuko groaned.

'How can I say no to that?' he growled, leaning over the bed to Katara her on the forehead.

Did I just agree to have my daughter named 'braid'?

Oh spirits.

THE END ...

A part of me hasn't really gotten over the fact that Dawn Approaches is finally finished. What started out as an idea has spawned into an eighteen-chapter +30,000 word fanfiction that kept me awake for nights on end/daydreaming when I should have been doing homework.

Big thanks to every single person who reviewed Dawn Approaches; I never would have finished it without your encouragement and support.

Special Thanks to:

- My parents, for still loving me even if I am an Avatard.

- The real Hugh, for ignoring me every time I said I'd kill him off.

Notes:

- Katara kissing Zuko in the lake was inspired by Nylak's artwork Avatar . Zutara: Your Candle. You can view it on Deviantart. I'd post a link, but somehow fanfiction deletes them. *sadface*

Stuff That Needs Explaining:

- Junior's real name is Hakoda, named for his grandfather.

- Ryzu and Kumi are twins. It probably runs in the family.

- Physically, Ryzu looks more like his father, but has blue eyes. Kumi looks like Katara, but has gold eyes. Go figure.

- Huu and Asuka stay a couple, but leave the Northern Air Temple. There are too many bad memories there.

- At the end of chapter seventeen, Iroh wasn't on Appa with the gang. He stayed at the air temple to help clean things up – just to explain why I didn't mention him.

- Ryzu is most likely a waterbender, and Kumi most likely a firebender.

- Does anything happen between Aang and Kanya? You decide, but personally, I think not.

Aang Stuff:

Okay, okay, I know that this is probably getting boring. But it has to be said.

Yeah, I was pretty mean to Aang in Dawn Approaches. I took away the love of his life, put her in the arms of his best friend, and didn't set him up with anybody else! (I was considering an Aang x Isami pairing. The signs are there, look for them.)

But Aang is the Avatar. He has duties to the world, and an obligation to care for it – world first, then love life. Sorry if you didn't ask for this, but that's the way it is.

I never really cleared things up with Aang after the 'finale'. Of course he found airbenders, but did he ever move on? I don't think a part of him ever did, but you can decide.

Lastly:

Once again, big thanks to everyone who reviewed, commented, and critiqued Dawn Approaches. I'm not lying when I say I NEVER would have finished this without all the support.

Shantih :)