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Chapter 45

It was cold. Freezing. Kind of like an early morning when you're a kid. The kind you experience once.

For a second it felt like I really was a kid, standing there in the dim sunlight, letting my breath fog up the air in front of me. I smiled sadly at the thought of younger me. A better me, living the life she deserved, and not the one she got.

But I would be strong. For her.

"Come on, Y/n. You said you would come back to me." Toph laced her fingers in mine. I could feel tears drip down onto my arm. A pain blossomed in my chest and I squeezed her hand, hard. A burning sensation exploded through my body.

There was a bright light, and a sudden calming peace. The pain was gone. The cold was gone. I opened my eyes, looking up at Toph. We were still at the plaza, so when did she get here?

"You're okay! You came back to me."

"Of course I did, I could never leave you." I smiled at her.

Everyone else ran over to us. "You're alive!" Sokka yelled. He was limping and standing mostly on one leg.

"But how? I saw Azula's lightning strike your heart," Katara said.

"I'm not too sure," I said sitting up. "But I'm perfectly okay. Well except for these marks." I looked down at the branches of lightning scars that spread across my chest and down my left arm. "At least they look cool."

"Seriously though, how are you alive?" Zuko asked.

"I think it has something to do with the dragons." I stood up and stepped back, attempting to shoot out a flame. Nothing happened.

"Your firebending, what happened to it?"

"It's gone." I stared at my hands.

"But how?" Toph asked.

"The dragons used it to heal me, but in return I lost my bending."

"So that's what that light was..." Zuko said.

"Light?" Katara asked.

"Yeah, before you woke up a bright light burst out of your body, I almost didn't see it."

"It was hot too. Almost burned me." Toph walked over to me. "I'm just glad you're okay." She hugged me. I hugged her back.

"I'm glad I am too..." Everyone else joined us in the hug. 

The next morning Zuko was being crowned Fire Lord. We waited outside for him while everyone else began showing up. Toph was with some people from the invasion that I never really got to meet. Katara and Sokka were with their dad. Suki was back with the Kyoshi Warriors, which now had a new addition. Aang was inside with Zuko. I sighed watching everyone. 

"Hello, Y/n." I turned around, startled. Standing there was Zhu Jian. 

"Well, you're the last person I expected to see, ever." I sighed. "But you're not the worst person I could've seen today." I bowed to him. "Si fu." 

He smiled, and bowed back. "White looks good on you," he said. I looked down at my clothes, it was the same style as the ones I had previously stolen, only white. And I had asked Toph to add some metal to it. "And I see you even have a naginata of your own now." 

"It was my father's." I stared at it. "I wish he could've been here to see me, Yun too." 

"They would be very proud, I know I am." 

Everyone began cheering, I bowed at Zhu Jian and walked over to Toph who was sitting on one of the people's shoulders. A gong was struck three times. "Please, the real hero is the Avatar," Zuko said. He stepped aside revealing Aang. 

"Today, this war is finally over. I promised my Uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation, and I will. The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided. But with the Avatar's help, we can get it back on the right path, and begin a new era of love and peace." Everyone cheered again. 

Zuko kneeled down as one of the sages walked over to him. The sage stuck the Fire Lord diadem onto his head, pinning it in place. "All hail Fire Lord Zuko!" 

Eventually we went back to Ba Sing Se, after Sokka's leg healed. Iroh opened his tea shop back up. I sat next to Toph, holding her hand. Zuko walked around and handed us all tea. I drank mine, and set it on the table in front of Sokka, he seemed to be drawing all of us. 

"Zuko, stop moving!" Katara, Mai, Suki, and Zuko looked at him in surprise. "I'm trying to capture the moment. I wanted to do a painting, so we always remember the good times together." 

"That's very thoughtful of you Sokka." She looked down at the drawing and deadpanned. "Wait!" Katara had 'floopy ears', Toph looked like the wanted poster drawing, and Zuko had long spiky hair. I giggled. "Why did you give me Momo's ears?" 

"Those are your hair loopies," He said. 

"At least you don't look like a boarcupine. My hair's not that spiky!"

"I look like a man," Mai said. 

I looked at myself. I was as normal as Sokka could draw me, although the naginata was a little off, and there was a ball of fire although I couldn't bend anymore. He drew me holding hands with Toph though. 

"And why did you paint me firebending?" Suki asked. I looked over at her and sure enough she was. 

"I thought it looked more exciting that way." He shrugged. Momo jumped on the table and began 'chirping'. "Oh, you think you can do a better job, Momo?" 

"Hey," Iroh pointed at himself, "my belly's not that big anymore, I've really trimmed down," he said. 

"Well," Toph said raising her arms in the air, "I think you all look perfect!" We laughed. 

That night I sat awake staring out at the city. Toph sat next to me, her back against the wall, facing away from the window. "What are we gonna do after all of this?" I asked her. 

"I don't know." 

I looked over at her, and turned facing the room. She held out her hand and I took it. "I'm thinking of travelling still." I leaned against her. "I don't really have anywhere else to go, and besides, it's fun, I like it." 

"You can count on me joining you," she said.

I smiled, and leaned over, kissing her lips. "I love you." 

"I love you too."