Epilogue

A few years later…

Hoshiko sighed as she looked herself over in the mirror. Her kimono was a beautiful, traditional white, and it felt softer than silk. She wished it wasn't as expensive as it had been, but she had been saving up for a long time.

"Found it! Finally." Katara pulled a pin out from a nearby drawer and came back to her side, taking her hair, which had grown considerably longer in all that time, and styling it so it would properly fit her tsunokakushi. "You have the worst organization system." She pulled her hair back and started to style it up.

"Blame Toph. She's rooting through our stuff so often, I wouldn't be surprised if she decided to just change all the drawers for the hell of it." She replied.

"I don't touch your stupid hair clips." The earthbender replied, using one to pick at her feet.

"You have one right now!" Katara exclaimed.

"Whatever." Toph tossed it away, her toes wiggling happily.

Hoshiko grimaced slightly at the sight of it, "You know what? You can just keep that one, Toph."

"Awesome!" She grabbed it again and started picking at her toes once more.

Katara rolled her eyes, letting out a small huff, resting her hand on her pregnant stomach Hoshiko glanced at it, then smiled up at her friend.

"Little one giving you trouble?"

"No, it's already passed, don't worry about it." Katara said.

"Have you decided on names yet?" Hoshiko asked.

Katara nodded, "We're thinking Bumi if it's a boy, and Kya if it's a girl."

Hoshiko felt a bittersweet melancholy come over her at the memory of Bumi's recent death, "Those are good names."

The doors opened, Xana making her way inside, making sure to shut the door behind her so that Hoshiko wouldn't be able to see anything, "Okay, I think everything is finally ready."

"Okay good." Hoshiko looked up as Katara put in a few of the last touches to her bridal headpiece. "These things are always so complicated. I'm glad it's you doing it this time."

"Well, if we had Toph do it, it wouldn't really fit." Katara replied. "But I don't think it will be quite up to par with how you did for my wedding."

"Oh, please." Hoshiko would have shaken her head if Katara wasn't in the process of putting her hair up. She remembered how her fingers fumbled over her long hair as she tried to carefully place every pin in the right place. Katara's hair was certainly well-cared for, but Hoshiko was pretty certain that it was too soft for any proper up do style hair. They managed to make it work, though.

Xana came over beside her, smiling into the mirror, "Are you excited?"

"Me?" Hoshiko thought for a moment, "No, I don't think so."

"What?!" Both girls turned to her with wide eyes, "How can you not be excited? It's your wedding day!"

"I know." Hoshiko laughed, "But you need to remember that I've known this day was coming since I was a kid. I think the excitement about it has worn off by this point."

"Oh yeah." Xana nodded, "Well, I'm excited for you, then."

"Of course you are." Hoshiko replied.

Katara laughed, "Well, we're all excited for you. This is your big day after all. Hold this for me?" Hoshiko took one of the hair pins from Katara as she tied up the final part to her hair and took the pin back to hold it in place. Hoshiko let out a squeak when the needle scraped across her scalp.

"Ow!"

"Sorry." Katara looked up at the mirror and smiled at the sight of the finished product, "There. You're ready."

"Hoshi, you look so pretty!" Xana said with an excited squeal. "Oh, that boy doesn't know how good he's getting it."

Hoshiko smiled at her reflection, "It does look beautiful."

"You look beautiful." Katara said.

"I bet Wolfie's gonna lose his mind when he sees you." Toph said, straightening up from her horizontal position on the floor.

"Thank you, Toph." Hoshiko smiled back at her friend before looking back at the mirror. She took a deep breath in and out, "Okay, I think I'm ready to get married."

"How can you be ready to get married?!"

"Sokka, please stop freaking out. This isn't your wedding." Kotaro looked down at his friend as he seemed to writhe in place.

"But you're getting married! You're going to be bound to one person for the rest of eternity! Or whenever one of you dies." Sokka said, "Aren't you, I don't know, gonna miss it?"

"Miss what? The fact that Hoshiko and I got engaged almost three years ago and still didn't marry each other?" Kotaro chuckled.

"I meant your life as a bachelor!" Sokka said.

"Sokka, I haven't been a bachelor since I was 10." Kotaro carefully retied the belt of his kimono, "That was when Hoshiko and I performed the hanbun tamashi ceremony. I've been bound to her since then, the wedding is just kind of… a formality, I guess."

"If it's a formality, then why are you doing it?"

"Because a good husband does not deny his wife the chance to have her dream wedding." Kotaro replied, smiling at his reflection.

"Good point." Aang said with a nod.

"But that's stupid!"

"You know what? How about when you and what's-her-name tie the knot, we'll have the biggest bachelor party around. How's that sound?"

"I'm not with her anymore, me and Suki got back together."

"Really? I'm surprised. I thought she never wanted to see you again."

"Well… we kinda… I went to Kyoshi Island for some stuff and we kinda… talked."

"From what I heard there was a lot more yelling than talking," Aang piped up, "I heard it from all the way in Yu Dao."

"Whatever!" Sokka whined, his voice cracking and making the guys laugh, "The point is we talked, and we worked out some stuff and now we're okay!"

"If you say so." Kotaro replied, "I'm just saying, it wouldn't hurt for you to make a commitment every once in a while, even if it's not as big as marriage."

"I did. I committed myself to Suki."

Kotaro stepped away from the mirror, "Well, I hope it works out for you then, and we'll definitely throw you that party if you ever decide to actually marry someone."

"Yeah, yeah."

The door opened and Zuko stepped inside, dressed in his finest Fire Lord attire.

"Well, don't you look spiffy?" Kotaro teased, "I appreciate the effort, Zuko, but just a regular kimono would have been fine."

"You asked me to officiate your wedding, and I'm going to take it seriously." He smiled at his friend, "Congratulations, by the way."

"Congratulate me after you've called me a husband." Kotaro replied, coming over and greeting him with a hug, "So, Iroh and the others are here?"

"I just spoke with Xana, she said that Suki and Ty Lee have come, my uncle's sitting somewhere, and Xana's brothers are all trying to organize themselves." Zuko listed off. "Oh, and I think Xana said something about a chief…?"

"Chief Iguru?"

"Yes."

"Oh, good. He was supposed to bring the official stuff."

"Yeah, so he and some others are waiting to speak with either you or the bride."

"I'll go talk to him. How about you stick around and play catch up?" Kotaro headed out of the room and Zuko went over to Aang and Sokka, who were glad to see him again.

Hoshiko looked up when someone knocked at the door, "Who is it?"

"It's us!" Ty Lee's voice came from the other side, "We wanted to come and say hi before the ceremony starts!"

"It's her, Pouty-Face, and Super Fan." Toph said.

Hoshiko grinned, "Sure, come on in!"

Ty Lee walked in with a wide grin, behind her was Suki, with a happy smile of her own, and a straight-faced Mai.

"Oh, wow." Ty Lee marveled at Hoshiko in her kimono, "You look so pretty, Hoshiko."

"Thank you." Hoshiko smiled at her.

"You really do." Suki came over, handing her a small, wrapped gift, "Congratulations."

"Thanks." Hoshiko hugged her. She looked over at Mai, "Thank you for coming, Mai. I'm sure there were a lot of better things you could be doing now."

"Not really." She shrugged, looking away, the ghost of a smile on her face.

"The place is really starting to fill up, but it's mostly Reptilian guys." Ty Lee said.

"That would be Xana's family. They're the reason it's impossible for us to have a small wedding." Hoshiko laughed.

"It's not my fault! Blame my parents." Xana whined.

"Just be glad it's only her immediate family." Hoshiko said quietly to the girls, "If all of her aunts, uncles, and cousins were here?" She let out a low whistle. "We couldn't have this indoors."

Ty Lee's eyes widened, as dis Suki's. Mai just shrugged again. "Anyway, I'm glad you all could make it. Hopefully the ceremony won't take too long and we can all have some time to chat before you leave."

"Actually, the other warriors and I are going to stay for a couple days." Suki said, "Turns out there's a good mountain range nearby that's perfect for some training in an open setting."

"Oh! Well, alright then. That should be exciting." Hoshiko smiled.

"It'll be a great opportunity for the new girls." Ty Lee agreed, "Who knows? We might even be able to just have some down time."

"Ah, but not too much." Suki chided.

"Of course." Ty Lee nodded.

"And you, Mai?" Hoshiko turned to her, "Are you going to be staying long?"

"No, I'm heading back to the Fire Nation once this is over. Not really much else to do around here."

"Fair enough." Hoshiko laughed. She glanced out the window, taking a deep breath, "I think we're getting close."

"I'll go and check on everything." Katara said, carefully pushing herself up, keeping her hand on her belly.

"No, you just stay and chill, Sugar Queen." Toph said, getting up, "With your waddling, it'll take forever for you to figure out what's what."

"Sure, Toph." Katara gladly sat back down as the earthbender made her way out of the room.

Hoshiko smiled as she looked at herself one more time, "Now that we're closer, this feels a little… much."

"What? But you look so pretty in it!" Ty Lee whined.

"I'm not saying I don't look good." Hoshiko replied, "It just seems like this is a little… extravagant is all."

"It's your wedding. This is supposed to be the time when a woman is at her most beautiful." Mai replied, "After that, you'll never reach that standard again."

"Who says?"

"Everyone."

"Well, I disagree. I mean, look at Katara! She got married a few months ago, and I think she still looks pretty."

"Whatever."

Hoshiko sighed, "Well, at least you haven't changed much, Mai."

"So, do you guys know where you're going for your honeymoon?" Ty Lee asked with a sly smile.

"Kotaro and I thought about just taking a trip up north, to visit the place he was born. He thinks the cold will be a good reason for us to stay together a good while, too." The girls all shared a few childish giggles at the notion.

"Well, I'm sure you'll both have a good time there, no matter what." Katara said.

"So am I."

"Chief Iguru!" Kotaro called out to the Avian man, who turned at the sound of his voice. When Kotaro approached him, be bowed respectfully, and Kotaro mimicked the action. "Thank you for coming. The ceremony wouldn't be complete without you."

"It's an honor to be included in such a significant event." The Chief replied, "I understand you have a human friend officiating it?"

"Yes, the, uh, current Fire Lord."

"A world leader! Well, your ties are stronger than I thought they would be." He smiled, "Well, I have brought the essential drinks, so all should be ready."

"Great, and… well, I wanted to ask you for a small favor." Kotaro gave him a sheepish grin.

"Oh?"

"Since… Since Hoshiko and I have no actual living blood relatives, I was hoping you would be able to act in their place?"

Chief Iguru's eyes widened, "Are you sure? We can always exclude that part of the ceremony."

Kotaro shook his head, "No, no exclusions. We want the entire ceremony. I'd like you to act in place of my father, since you allowed me to be a part of your encampment so long ago. A friend of mine will be acting in place of my mother. And two more will be acting for Hoshiko's side."

"I see. Well, that is quite the honor. I'm glad to accept, Kotaro."

"Thank you so much." Kotaro smiled at him, "This means a great deal to me, Chief."

"As it does to me, that you would honor me with such a place. Now, about the ceremonial drinks, I have only one bottle, so I'm afraid it cannot be used at the reception."

"That's perfectly fine. I think that stuff might be a bit much for some of our friends anyway." The chief nodded.

"Well, then I look forward to the ceremony."

"So do I. Go ahead and get ready, I'll go and check with the others to see if they're ready." The chief nodded again and turned to leave. Kotaro went in the opposite direction, and saw Toph just at the other end of the hall, "Toph! Perfect timing."

"Hey, Wolfie. How are things looking? The hall's pretty packed." She said.

"Yeah, I think the last of the guests are finally sitting down." Kotaro said, "Once they're all settled, I think we'll be good to go."

"So Zuko's here and everything?"

"Yeah, but, um, there's something I wanted to ask you before we got started."

"What?"

"Really? Are you sure?" Katara asked, her eyes wide.

"It would mean so much to me, Katara." Hoshiko insisted, "I mean, you guys took me in so easily, and we've been together for a long time. I think my parents would be honored to have you in their place today."

"Oh, Hoshiko. Of course we will." The two girls shared a tight hug, Hoshiko being careful not to squish the baby bump between them. When they separated, Katara was smiling widely, "I've got to go and tell Aang, we'll meet up with you in the hall, okay?"

Hoshiko nodded and the waterbender made her way to the door, opening it just as Toph showed up on the other side.

"Everyone's just about ready." She said, "Get to your seats, ladies!"

"Okay!" Ty Lee cheered as she and the other girls got up and rushed out, eager to get the ceremony started. Toph remained where she was, waiting for Hoshiko to make her way over. Her kimono was long enough to have a small train behind her as she came over to Toph.

"You ready to get married, Kitty Cat?"

"Yeah, I think so." She followed the blind girl out of the room, the door closing behind her.

Kotaro looked up at Zuko, whose eyes were focused solely on the small bit of writing in front of him, little cue cards that told him what he should say and when. Kotaro couldn't help looking at the crowd inside the hall that was owned by the Beifong family. It was incredibly large, with an arched roof and long white pillars holding it up along the walls. Toph had talked to her father, managing to persuade him to let them use the place, and he agreed so long as he was able to see the wedding. Kotaro could see him in the back, sitting alone with one of Xana's brothers and his wife.

The place was packed, filled with Xana's family members. The youngest ones were around four or five years old, and they were all messing around. They were sitting closest to the parents, who kept telling them to stop, and scolding at least three different children at once. They knew what they were doing, though. After all, they did have about 17 children prior to these 10, 2 unhatched eggs were in their mother's lap. Besides them, there was a small group of Kyoshi warriors, who had come with Suki and Ty Lee. Apparently, some of them had wanted to see the wedding, while others had stayed behind at an inn. There was only about three girls whom he didn't know, but he was glad that they wanted to come.

Iroh was at the front row, along with all of their friends. The seat beside the old general was empty, since that was reserved for Zuko when his part of the ceremony was over. Aang was next to a pregnant Katara, who was talking quietly, but excitedly, with him about something. His face was breaking out into a huge grin. Sokka was next to them, sitting beside Suki, their fingers intertwined. They were having their own little conversation while Ty Lee was speaking to the other Kyoshi girls. Mai was just beside her, looking bored as always, but it was hard to tell if she actually wanted to be here or if that was just her face. Xana was off to the other side, along with a few other Shinjuns he recognized from his time in the encampment. Xana was next to Haru, looking like she was about to burst out of her seat from excitement.

Soon the hall became quiet and Kotaro looked up to see Toph quickly rushing in with Hoshiko just behind her. He felt his breath catch in his throat at the sight of her, his face flushing. She was beautiful, as she entered the hall, the sunlight reflected off the white of her kimono, and she seemed to be glowing, as if she were a goddess. He decidedly thanked whoever was in charge of his fate, because he was certain they wouldn't just give him someone as beautiful as her without a reason.

She slowly made her way down the hall, everyone gazing at her as she made her way up to the front of the room. Kotaro held out his hand and she took it, smiling up at him. He smiled back, glad to return it. They both turned to Zuko, who put away the cards to look at the two of them.

"We are here today, to celebrate the union of Hoshiko and Kotaro. Two Shinjuns who, long ago, made the promise that their souls would be bound forever, in this life, and the next, and all that come after that." He looked at the two of them, there was a pause and everyone waited for him to continue, "To be honest, I've forgotten the official stuff that I was supposed to say from this point." He let out a small chuckle, and everyone else joined in, "So, let me say that, when I first met these two, I didn't like either of them. I would have considered them my enemies, but now they're two of my dearest friends that I wouldn't trade for anyone. And I'm glad that I got to be here today, to see the two of them finally joined together as husband and wife."

He reached in front of him, picking up a goblet and held it out, "This goblet is to show the hardships that you will face in marriage. It will be tough, and you will both have moments where you'll want nothing more than to get away, to fight, and to bicker. You carry those feelings as one would a drink in their hand. Do not let it overflow and do not let your anger rest, speak to each other, and know each other and comfort one another when the time is right." He moved it forward and the couple each held one side of the goblet. Zuko reached into his sleeve, taking out a light blue ribbon, "This satin ribbon is meant to signify your eternal binding, and the color is to symbolize the peace and happiness that you two will experience for the rest of your lives. If you two would hold out your hands, please." The couple did so, and Zuko tied one end to Kotaro's wrist, and the other to Hoshiko's.

"Now, normally this would be the part where their parents would take this drink," He held up a bottle, "And pour into the goblet, as a way of signifying their parts in the lives of their children, and how they will wash away each other's sadness, but since neither has living family—"

"—Actually, Zuko…" Hoshiko started to whisper to him, and he nodded once she finished.

"Okay. Would the surrogate families please come up?" He looked out into the crowd. Toph and Chief Iguru stood up, going over to Kotaro's side, while Katara and Aang came over to Hoshiko's. "As I understand, when these two lost their families, it was these folks," Zuko gestured to the four of them, "That took them in when they had nowhere else. They looked after them, and cared for them, and even though they don't share the same blood, they are family."

Zuko stepped back, and Iguru and Toph stepped forward, taking the bottle and each of them pouring a little bit into the goblet, "We hope that you both will experience great joy in your futures."

"And lots of rug rats to run around." Toph added, making the audience laugh.

Katara and Aang stepped up when they stepped back, taking their turns with the bottle, "We hope you guys will always be happy together." Aang said.

"And we hope that you never forget that we love you, and you never forget your love for each other." Katara added.

Hoshiko and Kotaro smiled at their surrogate families, then Iguru stepped forward, raising the goblet that they still held up a little higher, "When you drink from this glass, you both promise to yourselves, and to Shinjuko, that you will take each other as you are, with all the good and bad qualities you possess, and you will swear to love no one else as you do them." He moved it back down, "First, the wife," Hoshiko took a sip of the glass, swallowing down some of the wine, "Then the husband." Kotaro took a sip. Chief Iguru put his hands on their shoulders, "With this sacred promise, you are bound together for the rest of your days, and for each life that follows this one. May you experience great joy and love." He stepped away, all of them returning to their seats.

Zuko stepped forward again, taking the goblet from their hands and putting it back on the table where had found it. The ribbon remained and he brought their hands together, "By the power vested in me, as ruler of the Fire Nation, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Congratulations."

Applause rang out through the hall as the couple held up their joined hands. Over the clapping, Zuko said, "You may now kiss the bride!"

Kotaro gladly pulled his now-wife closer and planted his lips on hers, keeping one hand on her waist, the other linking their fingers together. The crowd cheered for the new couple.

The two of them parted, their smiles wide and full of joy. At long last, this day had come. Kotaro's smile grew into a smirk and Hoshiko eyed it suspiciously.

"What are you thinking— Mmnn!" Hoshiko was cut off as he kissed her again, dipping her back in front of everyone. They heard a few hoots and hollers from the action.

When Kotaro righted her, she smacked his shoulder with her free hand. "You're such a show off."

"I was never going to get another chance for that! You can't blame me." Kotaro said with a laugh.

"Oh, shut up." Hoshiko pulled him by the hand, leading him down the hall and outside, where they would have one last little party before they headed off on to their own lives.

Here it is. The finale. I hope it was all worth it for you guys.

With any luck, I may or may not have a Korra sequel out soon. We'll get to see what happened to everyone.

Four long years, but it's finally done.

I'd like to thank everyone who favorited this story, so that would be:

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And thank you to everyone who reviewed. It's taken a while, but the story's finally reached the end.

I'd put some meaningful quote here but... eh. I can't think of any.