Epilogues
I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender
Toph
It had been Aang's idea, going to visit her parents. They would be worried about her he said, if the war ended and she didn't go back home, if only for a visit. And that was all it was going to be, a visit. Toph had already decided she was going to travel with Aang now that the war was over. She wanted freedom and he was the very epitome of it. But a visit to her parents before the official traveling began couldn't hurt.
Or at least she thought it couldn't, her opinion was shifted when everyone including the newly crowned Fire Lord decided that they would tag along for emotional support. Katara said she hoped he wasn't going to make a habit of disappearing from his country whenever the fancy took him. Zuko shrugged and said Uncle Iroh would be able to hold the proverbial fort down until he got back. Sokka was simply bagging a lift with Suki to Kyoshi island and there was no way Katara was staying in the Fire Nation by herself, she may have agreed to help Zuko with his country but if he was playing hookie so was she!
Toph would have liked to say that it felt good to be home as she stood in front of the gates to the Bei Fong estate but in all honesty it didn't. There was a large knot in her stomach and her feet felt reluctant to move even though the guards had opened the gates and her friends were waiting in the rain behind her. It had been raining on their way to the estate, the Earth kingdom was rather dismal in Autumn.
"Look Toph would you hurry it up, getting wet here!"
Sokka called Suki elbowed him in the ribs. Aang slung an arm around the earthbenders shoulder. She turned to him.
"Go on Toph they're gonna be so happy to see you"
He said.
"Yeah a girl can dream right?"
She gave a nervous laugh as the knot in her stomach tightened. She took a deep breath and stepped over the threshold.
As she walked through the gardens Toph 'looked' at everything that had changed in her absence. There were several new flower beds, one, a bed of gardenias from the feel of it wasn't doing to well. Her parents must have hired a few new maids because Toph could feel unfamiliar footsteps poised and light. And then she felt familiar footsteps, very familiar footsteps running towards her.
"Toph! Oh Toph!"
And before she ad quite grasped what was going on Toph was swept up into a violent hug from her mother.
"Oh my precious little girl! You're safe! You're back! Oh Toph!"
She cried half crying half laughing as she peppered her daughters face with kisses.
"I was so worried! Your letter! The Fire Nation! Oh but you're safe, you're safe thank the spirits!"
"Your gardenias are dying "
Toph finally managed to get out her mother paused and looked at her.
"My gardenias?"
"To the left in the garden of the bridge of tranquility, your gardenia's are dying"
Toph explained. Poppy Bei Fong in a very unlady like motion wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her gown.
"Oh never mind my gardenias! You're safe that's all that matters! I was so worried I heard about the battles and I was so scared Toph! I was so scared something would happen to you! My sweet, brave, precious little girl!"
She said her face breaking into a wide smile.
" Mom"
Toph stepped out of the embrace.
"I'm not a little girl. I'm the Avatars Earthbending teacher, I'm the blind bandit, I, I'm the worlds only metal bender! I'm not a little girl"
She said softly.
"You're my little girl. My amazing little girl. I'm so proud of the things you did Toph. So ,so proud!"
"Really?"
For a second Toph felt everything pause around her, her mother was proud of her? The helpless little blind girl who she had been too afraid to let out of the house on her own. And a weight lifted from the blind Earthbenders shoulders as she threw her arms around her mother.
"Mom! I missed you too!"