Disclamier: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any thing that is in any way, shape, or form related to the afore mentioned show. In additon this in done to be enjoyed entirly by fans and is not done in anny manner for any profit.

You Always Come Back

The ships had fallen, the Avatar had battled, and the war was won. Zuko sat atop his throne as the new Fire Lord, and all the important people of the world were there to see his crowning moment. But in a world of balance for every rich man there is a bum, for every mighty and honored warrior, there is a ditch digger.

Our story begins with one such lowly man. He was a non-descript man of Earth Kingdom descent, not to tall nor to short, totally average. He, like many other day-laborers, had been sent to clear free the wreckage left behind from the fall of the Phoenix King's fleet. While this was not the grandest of tasks the young man knew his place and respected the order of things.

"Han, hurry up with that crossbeam, we need to clear this thing out before nightfall!" Han, as the man was named, sighed aloud. He hated the shift manager they had appointed, he was always giving out too much work for too few people.

"On it boss." Han called back as he lifted with a groan. He was tasked with clearing the front most section of one of the many airships that had crashed in the struggle. He didn't hate the work; it was a sight better then his old job. He was a messenger from the kings of the Earth Kingdom to each other. While one would think this an honored task he was little more then a mailman. He spent long nights in the darkest of woods and days in the hottest of suns.

With one great heave he hoisted a section of girder from the ground and dragged it aside to be cut and sent off for processing. He stopped for a second when he saw something odd. In the crater beneath the beam he found two small objects, intertwined together by mesh and steel. One was what appeared to be a solid bone L that had a sharpened edge on one side. The other was a long elegant black bladed sword. Han was shocked by the fact that, while it appeared they both fell from the airships, and were most likely crushed under the ships weight, they were intact. Beyond that, in fact, they were flawless.

Being a man of the world, and knowing he could always use to pocket some extra coin, he dropped down into the ditch and grabbed the two items. There was something special about them, he knew that to be true, but he didn't know what it was, or why they were together. He snagged them just as the shift manager blew his whistle.

He wasn't being held here by any force, other then that of his wallet. He was being paid a great deal of silver for a days hard work, and each day he had the right to not show up. With the thought that these items may fetch him a pretty copper he grabbed his pay and set off towards the nearest city.

Having ridden before it was no new sensation to be atop a mount again. Han very much enjoyed this part of his old job, the days riding in the saddle. He was calm and at peace here on the roads, totally alone. Sadly for Han he wasn't the only one who liked the fact he was all alone.

As he rounded the bend towards Omashu's outskirts, he was jumped by a band of raiders. He grabbed the black sword from his pack, but it did him little good.

A member of the band of thieves stepped forward. He was tall and had a scar over his left eye. "Give us your pack and your money and we'll let you live." Han, being the cowered he was, agreed. The man grabbed his gear and began off towards Omashu. "Kill him." He said harshly to the rest of the gang as he took off at a sprint.

Inside Omashu things were beginning to return to normal. Many shops were open and the people were happy to be under their king's rule once again.

The bandit walked up to one stall selling exotic weapons and smirked. "Hey, I've got something you might like." He pulled out the items from his pack. "How much would you pay for the sword and the weird axe thing?" He asked, placing them on the table.

The man picked up the sword and studied it carefully. "Well then, this is a fine sword, well crafted and sharpened. It's made of a metal I've never seen in my life, something strong and sturdy. I'll give you one gold piece for the blade here. That axe thing is worthless though."

The bandit laughed aloud. "Listen old man." He said his voice gruff. "These things are a set, take 'em both or not at all. You really like that sword, it's a good blade that you can get twice that much for after you clean it up a bit. This thing, you can just trash it for all I care. But know they belong together."

The old weapon-smith knew that the bandit was right. "Okay then, I'll give you one gold and twelve copper." The bandit nodded and the deal was done.

The weapon-smith smiled, he had suckered that young man out of a Piandao original for less then a hundredth the cost of the weapon. He snickered as he looked over the axe thing he got with it. It was made of ivory, probably from a large artic mammal. It was in good repair, though it was well used. "I have to agree with that young rouge, they are meant to be together." There was something about them, like they had long been held and used as one weapon. He shrugged. "I'll need to move now. If that idiot discovers that I suckered him so bad I'm a dead man." He shrugged, "I guess I'm off to Ba Sing Se. I hear they have some good customers in the upper ring. Probably will get full price for this set."

With that decision in mind he set off for the Impenetrable City.

With the constant repair work and the supply lines running he made a trip that should last months in a short calm fortnight. He arrived into the city and was welcomed into the middle ring with no problem. He was in the poorer end of the ring, but it was a start.

He was weary from his travel and so calmly rested his head against the wall at the back of his shop. Shutting his eyes, he soon was fast asleep.

It was then that the blade and its brother changed hands yet again. A small boy walked past the sleeping man, not a poor boy, just a young boy who looked up to his heroes and was raised on their stories. He spotted the blade and knew he had to have it. So he did what all little boys do when they want something, he reached out and grabbed it, and with this shining black blade of power slid the small axe. He grabbed it as well, for he heard the old man stir.

He ran faster then he ever had in his life for the man was cursing and yelling after him. He panicked and new that he had to hide the items somewhere safe. Or he could just toss them on the passing cart, which was a much better plan to him, so he did. He laughed and ran off to join his friend in a game of bending ball.

The man dragging this cart paid the slight shaking no mind for he was in a rush. In his cart he held the tea leaves for the finest tea shop in the entire world, which was run by one of the saviors of Ba Sing Se.

Katara and Aang had returned to the tea shop hand in hand, to a calm and happy scene. The assembled motley crew of friends and family greeted them happily upon their return. The sat together mostly singing and dancing, until they were disturbed by a knock. Iroh smiled. "Ah, it must be my tea shipment." He said excitedly. "Come and help me unload it."

Sokka, his leg freshly healed, was using any excuse to walk around, so he leapt from his seat and rushed outside to help unload. He reached the back of the cart and reached into the grab a crate of tea leaves, only to feel something smooth and sharp. He pulled it free from the boxes to find his blade. "Space sword?" he asked aloud. He dug around for a moment more and found just what he had hoped to find. "Guys, check this out!"

He rushed back to his friends and they all gathered around him. "Well, what is it Sokka?" Suki asked excited.

He held his prize aloft for all, sans Toph, to see. "It's Boomerang. He came back to me!"

Fin

I couldn't resist. Now to scheme about where Zuzu's mom is.

Booj