Unexpected Aftermath

[Since When Was I The Hero?!]

An Avatar: the Last Airbender plotbunny

By

EvilFuzzy9

Almost all great stories will end with one of two things: a wedding, or a funeral. A beginning of a new life, or the end of an old one.

Life and death. Joy and sorrow. Laughter and tears. Comedy and tragedy.

Yin and yang.

It is the duality of human nature, perhaps, the paradoxical dichotomy that is the mortal experience, shining through in the arts we create, which makes this so. Because humans live and die, that is how they see the world, and everything we create is thus created in the image of this.

In the image of life and death.

Into all things shaped by our hands is woven, and graven, the memory of birth, the experience of life. For humans live. They are born, and they live their lives, and in this world, this world of the living, it is LIFE to which the greater homage is inevitably paid, perhaps.

But death is also a thing of fascination. That which begins must also come to an end. There are cycles, perhaps, but the lifetime of a man is but a single, small link in the vast, unimaginable chain of birth and rebirth. We all who live must someday die. Because we are born, we must also one day expire.

In this world we live in, life is what we know. Life is all we know.

Death is a mystery. If you live, you are not dead. And if you are not dead, how can you then know what Death is like?

It is an enigma. The final puzzle.

Death is an unknown. A wild card. Because of this, it is feared, far and wide, and has been throughout history. People fear death. Many will do anything they can to prolong their lives.

But life, overstretched, can become an unbearable torment. Death forestalled, a special kind of Hell. To die is natural. It is inevitable.

All things which begin must come also, at last, to an end. It is the same for a story as it is for a life. For a tale is, in a way, a life all its own, an existence which becomes something wholly apart from just the creation of its teller. It lodges itself in the minds of those who hear it, is shaped by the hearts of those who enjoy it, and retell it, and add to it their own spins and interpretations.

A story is a life all its own. Even as it begins, so too must it end.

But even an ending can be a beginning. Though this tale may come to its conclusion, may be finally finished after an overlong delay, it shall still remain in the minds of you, the reader. Whether you have enjoyed it, or merely read it through out of morbid curiosity, you will nonetheless be changed, perhaps, in some small way once this tale has reached its inevitable conclusion.

For nothing in this world is static. Everything is in a continual state of flux, of change, of death and resurrection, adaptation and evolution. No man is an island. We do not exist within a vacuum.

Every thing changes every other thing. Life is a series of interactions between elements, chemicals, molecules, souls. If you read this tale, then you have taken some small part of it, of myself, the writer, into your own identity, your own consciousness. Even if, with the passing of time, short or long, you should eventually forget this story, its effects will be forever.

Even if it is only a small, minuscule, insignificant thing, you will still be changed. Even as I myself shall be changed, in some small way, upon the conclusion of this story.

We are not catalysts. We cannot change others without also changing ourselves. We cannot go through an experience, great or small, without being changed in some subtle fashion, on some inscrutable, imperceptible level of our being.

For ours is a dynamic existence. Ever and anon are we changed, are we pushed upon by forces outside of ourselves, acted upon by external elements and made to adapt and evolve. A person's identity is not some independent, immutable thing separate from the world in which we live. To the contrary, we are, as many would say, the sum of our experiences.

The native substance of the soul, the self-aware consciousness with which we are endowed at birth, is like clay. From a young age, we are molded by the people around, the things which we learn and are taught. As we grow, the clay slowly dries, becomes gradually less pliable and malleable, but never does it become wholly rigid, completely hard.

Not until death. For death is as a kiln, a firing furnace into which every soul is ultimately placed. It is the final change a person undergoes in this life, the greatest change since birth. None can say, without incurring debate, whence does speed the mortal consciousness upon the cessation of life, but nonetheless: once you are dead, the things of this world have no more bearing upon you.

But until then, you are changeable, you are mutable and adaptable. Until it finally ends, you are alive. Until then, you can still live and learn and love and lose.

But the end will come. Sooner or later. Even as it has for this tale.

Many things happened during the span of time between the announcement of the engagement, and the day of the wedding. It was a little over one and a half years (about twenty months, give or take) before Toph turned fourteen.

Many things changed during that time.

Aang and Katara were, of course, still dating. They were going steady, inasmuch as you could say that of the two young lovers, and they were happy together. Aang had begun to really come into his own as the Avatar, as more than just a fighter. He was getting plenty of experience with politics and diplomacy, whether he liked it or not, and furthermore he had learned much in teaching the Air Acolytes.

He was also really hitting his growth spurt, now, and seemed to shoot up another inch or two every other week. He was starting to fill out, as well, a little bit, the continuous practice of the various bending disciplines doing a great deal to hone his body. His voice was cracking more often, too, and puberty was really beginning to have its way with him. Much to the amusement of Sokka in particular, it seemed that even the Avatar was not immune to the awkwardness of the early teenage years.

Katara had also begun to really fill out, at a tiny bit past the age of sixteen, and her brother and boyfriend had their hands full at times just keeping away the various admirers she had acquired in her travels. She was the darling of their tribe, to be certain, and also a veritable icon upon the world stage. Though she was young, she displayed considerable leadership skills, and she eagerly studied anything she could learn.

Much like her brother, Katara was a very intelligent soul. Somewhat ironically, though, she took herself very seriously, unlike her brother. It was a bit of a role-swap from how things had been back when it all began, when they found Aang, but Sokka was the one of them more likely to care about having fun, while Katara was often very dour and serious. She did not goof around – though she certainly still managed to enjoy herself plenty, when she was with her boyfriend.

Both Aang and Katara spent a lot of time in Yu Dao, working to create an example for the liberated, independent colonies. The Air Acolytes had finally come to really respect Katara as Aang's girlfriend, after they had been changed from a fanclub to... something else entirely. Aang put a lot of his hopes in reviving the culture of his people on these followers of his, and they were certainly eager to learn from him.

It gave the young Avatar hope, in a way, to see that there were yet people in this world who could appreciate the principles of the Air Nomads, their philosophies and beliefs and pacifistic way of live. It gave him hope for a peaceful world, one in which the nations could once more exist in harmony. People were weary of war, and it was up to him to show the world how to exist in times of peace.

It was a heavy burden, but Aang accepted it gladly, knowing that there was none better suited to this task than himself. And Katara was there the entire time, standing by his side, supporting him as his girlfriend even as she represented also on the international stage the interests of the Water Tribes, and the dreams of the colonies.

Zuko had also come a long way in making himself into a Fire Lord of which he believed his people could be proud. It was by no means an easy journey, and he had come close, more than once, to repeating the mistakes of his predecessors, or making his own mistakes. He did not have any sort of natural talent for leadership, aside from a certain intransigence of spirit that made him all but immovable once he had set his mind on something, but he did not let that stop him from trying, again and again.

He made many mistakes, and there had been many doubts as to both the fullness of his abilities and soundness of his faculties, but he persevered. He was nothing if not stubborn, and when he was doing his best to learn from his mistakes, it was simply remarkable how far he could go. He was no prodigy or genius, but he was a hard worker, and he had a good heart. He had good friends, too, in Aang and Sokka and the others, and they never failed to come through for him when he really needed it.

Like when he had gone searching for his mother, some time after the incident in Yu Dao. It had been a trying journey for all of them, and there had been no shortage of drama and doubt, but he had finally gotten something he had desperately needed: closure.

That his sister, Azula, had also begun to finally come to terms with her inner demons, and truly begin the long and arduous process of healing from all of the damage which had been inflicted upon her psyche over the course of her life, also gave Zuko no small amount of hope. She was a long way from being truly HEALED, yet, but she was making progress, and that was the important part.

"Do not fear going slowly, but fear only not moving at all."

That was what Uncle had told him, once. It had been about his firebending training, of course, back when he was still obsessed with restoring his honor, and had been dissatisfied with what he had perceived as the all too slowly growth of his skills. But it could still apply here.

It applied to a lot of things, really.

As for Mai, well, she and Zuko had grown apart for a time, and she had gone off to make her own way, for a while. She had gone on something of a journey of introspection, had forced herself to face her parents and the sins of her own family, and she had come to appreciate somewhat more the bonds which tied people together. She was not certain if she would ever be able to reconcile with her mother and father, but she had saved her baby brother, at least, put him with someone who truly cared, and would not try to turn him into a weapon or a tool.

It was scary, how hurt and betrayed she had felt, upon realizing what her parents planned, and what sort of people they were tied up with. She had never before really cared what they had done. They'd always done their best to ignore her, pretend she was just a part of the scenery, and she had... well, not gladly, perhaps, but she had certainly reciprocated the gesture.

But then there was everything that happened with Zuko, and the New Ozai Society, and Mai was forced to reevaluate many things in her life. She came to an understanding of much, and she now possessed a greater appreciation for the people around her, the people she cared about.

People like Zuko, and Ty Lee. Even her little brother, Tom-Tom, and – heavens forbid – Azula. She was far from a sugary, gushing love freak, but Mai now had really come to terms with her feelings for her friends, and her family, and Zuko. She did not show it as clearly as some might have, but when Zuko came back to her, begged her to give him a second chance, Mai happily accepted.

Though her dry, sarcastic wit had not dulled in the slightest, she nonetheless smiled just a little bit more readily, these days.

Then there were Sokka, and Suki, and Toph.

Sokka, now seventeen, had finally started really filling out, in terms of muscle. He was not thick or bulky, perhaps, but it was still noticeable. His shoulders were a little broader, now, his arms more visibly powerful. His hands and feet no longer looked awkward or overlarge, on their respective limbs, which were laden with the lean, corded, powerful and wiry muscle of a Water Tribe brave, and his face was a little squarer, now, sharper more angular, having lost the last of any lingering childish roundness.

His hair he still wore in a warrior's wolf-tail, though he did not shave the sides of his head the way he used to. Suki had expressed, reluctantly, a preference for the look of a full head of hair, and he had naturally thus gravitated in this direction. His chin might have shown a bit of stubble, depending on the day of the week, but he was generally clean-shaven, since he had not yet reached the point where his facial follicles could support a full goatee or mustache. His eyes were also as bright blue as ever, though they seemed a bit deeper, now, a bit cooler and wiser with the passage of time.

Sokka was an apprentice of the Order of the White Lotus, now, no longer merely an initiate. He had learned much, grown much, under the tutelage of Piandao, and Pakku, and other masters like them, and he come to really realize some of his real potential as a leader, and a scholar. His preference was for subjects more physical, of course, more tangible and mechanical and reproducible, but that was not to say that he was over specialized.

No, he had become a veritable renaissance man, dabbling in just about everything, and learning everything he could about the world in which they all lived. He was not as much of a bookworm or study bug as his sister, Katara, but Sokka had still come to love knowledge, and had learned to delight in learning simply for learning's sake. Even if he preferred to learn things more practical than his sister did, stuff like knot-tying and boat-making and sword-fighting and navigating. He had grown greatly as a warrior and a hunter and a leader of men, and as many other things as well – remarkably so, for one so young as himself.

He had also begun to come to terms with the fact that, somehow, he seemed to be adored almost more universally than even Aang was. People expected great things from him, possessed frighteningly high expectations of him, and it was a daunting task just to keep from letting them all down. He had to push himself hard just to meet even the slightest fraction of the larger than life image people had of him.

I mean, slush, he even had a fanclub! And those girls had been some of the scariest people he had ever met, with how obsessed they'd been with him. Sokka did his best to repress his memories of the fanfiction they had written about him... and the fan art... oh Yue, the fan art...

Shudder.

He still got love letters, now and then.

But Suki. Toph and Suki.

Now, those two.

That was something interesting. Because, regardless of his engagement to Toph, his and Suki's relationship had not degraded even so much as one iota. On the contrary, it had only intensified, growing stronger and more passionate than ever. They loved one another dearly, and spent time "together" as often as they were able.

He and Suki weren't the only ones, though. Toph had also grown very close to both of them, with the passage of time, and the fact that she was really starting to blossom into a beautiful young woman had done a LOT to help Sokka finally realize that maybe he would honestly be HAPPY to marry her. If nothing else, he was closer than ever with the young earthbender, and their relationship was certainly different from how it used to be. They were not outright lovers, perhaps, but there was definitely a considerable romantic aspect to their partnership.

It was complicated. Toph had been spending a lot of time in Yu Dao, over the past year, teaching students at the Bei Fong Metalbending Academy, and Sokka had also had his own obligations. They'd come together and met back up plenty of times, of course, but he always found himself missing the girl's company more and more every time they parted.

Not just as a friend, either. Both of them were all too aware of their engagement, and while Toph might have been secretly happy with it, Sokka had still seen it mostly as an obligation, for the first few months after they'd learned of it.

But things changed. Sokka, with every passing week, every new reunion with his best female buddy, became more and more aware of the fact that Toph was female. And a surprisingly cute one, at that. As a girl, she of course hit her growth spurt earlier than Aang, and as the Blind Bandit slowly but surely matured into a surprisingly lovely young lass, Sokka was finally unable to deny the fact that, somehow, someway, he had developed a certain brand of feelings for the girl.

And he gradually became aware that she, too, possessed a certain sort of feelings for HIM.

Love. They were not sure if what they was quite THAT, yet, but it was definitely something. They liked each other, romantically, and were quite fond of spend time in one another's company. And Suki was not left out, either.

Because, somehow, it seemed that Sokka was not the only one who had a thing for the beautiful, intelligent, strong, and brave commander of the Kyoshi Warriors. Toph, too, was very fond of the older girl, and intimate with her, too, in a way. It was chiefly an emotional intimacy, perhaps, but that was not to say that there wasn't necessarily anything physical there.

At the very least, Sokka knew that Suki would not be averse to something like that. Her... ahem... "mentoring" of Ty Lee certainly left plenty enough proof for such inclinations, as well as her own... erm... "tutelage" under Tae.

(And that had been easily one of the most absolute interesting nights of Sokka's life, beyond any shadow of a doubt)

So, in short, all three of them had a great love and affection for each other, and though they each had their own obligations and duties to their people and the world, they would not let ANYTHING tear them apart. And they endured many trials, and underwent many adventures, in the intervening twenty months between the announcement of the engagement and the day of the wedding.

But it came at last, and all of their friends, all of their family were there, on Kyoshi Island, for the marriage of Toph Bei Fong and Sokka the Brave. And though it was ostensibly a wedding of those two, everyone knew that it was as much for Suki, as well.

Because they were a trio, and nothing would change that.

Now, I will not bore you with the details of the wedding – of either all of the guests who were present (and the number was indeed great almost well beyond counting), or the specifics of the ceremony, or the celebrations thereupon. Needless to say, there was much congratulating and shaking of hands, and much weeping and laughter and singing and dancing. Food and drink were abundant, enough for every guest to have generous second, third, fourth, and fifth helpings of everything, with still yet plenty left over.

There was much drinking and feasting, and jubilation at every level. Even the wedding of the Avatar and the daughter of the Southern Water Tribe's chief, which would not come for some five or six years, yet, would only be able to match, and not surpass, the level of splendor and festivity which surrounded the marriage of Toph and Sokka (and Suki, in spirit).

It was, in a word: perfect, in every way, shape, and form. The wedding was everything they could ever dream of, everything they could have ever hoped for. It was, in a way, the greatest day of their young lives, at least matching even the day they ended the Hundred Year War. They would not have traded this day for anything.

So, yes, the wedding was beautiful.

And the wedding night?

Well.

I'll leave THAT up to your imaginations.

If you know what I mean~ ❤

* ~ T H E ~x~ E N D ~ *

A/N: WELP. It's finally over.

Sorry I took so long to put up this final chapter (a whole week, seriously?), but I have literally not finished a single multichapter fic since, like, back when I first started out doing this. So it's kind of a big occasion.

For a while, I debated how I would tackle this final chapter, and for a long time I was seriously considering showing the wedding itself. But I could not think of how I would tackle it. So I was kinda writer's blocked for a while, having only managed to get up the first ~400 words before today. But then, at last, I finally decided to buckle down and just write along the line I'd established and see where it took me.

I'd like to think this was a pretty good ending, as far as these things go. But, HEY! tell me what you guys think! This thing is finally over, for all intents and purposes, so review to your hearts' content, y'all!

Also, if you like the Teen Titans, Beast Boy, and utterly shameless, gratuitous smut, then maybe you should check out Mating Season, my latest multichapter monstrosity? XP

Aloha! :D

TTFN and R&R!

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