Chapter 1: The Reunion
"Whoa boy!" Aang shouted to an excited Appa. Toph laughed in the background as Appa twisted and turned through the air. Toph and Aang were soaring through the air above the Fire Kingdom on their beloved bison's back.
The couple was going to visit their old friends at the Fire Nation Palace for a 5th anniversary celebration of the defeat of Ozai. Fire Lord Zuko his wife, Katara, both very good friends of Aang and Toph, were hosting the festivities. Also in attendance would be Katara's brother Sokka, his fiancé Yue, Zuko's ex- girlfriend Mai, and her new beau Haru.
Toph groaned as she upchucked her lunch off the side of Appa's saddle. Most people would think that this was because of the bison's rapid movements, but Aang knew better. His girlfriend was pregnant. 8 months pregnant, to be exact. Aang was excited to become a father, but a little apprehensive. He was 17 and Toph was 16, too young to be married, much less have a baby!
"You okay back there?" Aang called to his girlfriend, who was now lying down, looking absolutely miserable.
"Oh, I'm fabulous!" she said sarcastically. Then she suddenly began to cry. "This is all your fault! You did this to me!"
Aang and rolled his eyes. He had been dealing with these mood swings for three months. Nothing new. But they were still annoying.
Appa slowed to a stop and landed right in front of the Fire Palace. Aang hopped off and began to walk up to the door. He heard a cough behind him. Toph was standing there expectantly, holding her hand out.
"Aren't you going to help me down?" she asked with an attitude.
He sighed. This was going to be a long week.
"Ugh. Ugggghhhhh. UUUUGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!" Yue groaned from the back of the carriage.
"WHAT?!?!?! What could you possibly want?!" Sokka screamed at her from the front.
"I want you to love me!"
"Sweetheart, I do love you! But right now you need to be quiet so I can FOCUS ON DRIVING!!!"
Sokka heaved a huge breath. Ever since Yue had gotten pregnant 8 months ago, she had been practically unbearable. Every word that came out of her mouth was sarcastic, complaining, or berating. He was so glad this baby only had one more month to go, because he didn't know how much longer he could last.
He wasn't even planning on bringing Yue to the celebration, but the invitation from Zuko had specifically requested the presence of both of them. So Sokka was stuck with the complaining pregnant woman as his date.
In fact, he wasn't even going to go to this thing if Katara wasn't going to be there. He hadn't seen his sister since three months after Fire Lord Ozai was defeated, when they all had gone their separate ways. He and Yue had gone back to the Southern Water Tribe to help rebuild. Sokka hadn't heard from anyone else, save for the invitation, for five years. He figured that Aang and Katara had gone on a couple adventures together and just never had time to write to him.
Their carriage pulled up to the Fire Nation Palace, a grand mansion detailed with intricate Fire Nation artwork. Sokka helped Yue out of the carriage and up to the front door. He knocked three times. Several seconds later, a woman opened it.
She was medium height with tan skin. Her long black hair was pin straight and parted to the side. Heavy black eyeliner and bright red lipstick adorned her face. She was dressed in a red and gold royal Fire Nation gown that did not hide her pregnant belly very well.
It was her eyes that gave her away. They were a deep blue, the color of the ocean. Both Yue and Sokka recognized her immediately.
"KATARA?!?!?!"
Katara rushed into her brother's arms.
"Sokka!! I've missed you so much!" she squealed. He just stared at her in shock.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, he spoke. "What happened to you? I can barely recognize you! And why are you wearing Fire Nation clothes? And why are you PREGNANT?" he asked, pointing to her baby bump.
Katara laughed. "Well I am Fire Queen. I'm supposed to wear Fire Nation clothes, dummy!" She scratched his head playfully.
"You- you-you-you… FIRE QUEEN?" he practically screamed.
Katara looked confused, but soon after realization swept over her face. "Sokka, I married Zuko. We have two kids, another on the way. I'm Fire Queen- how could you not know that?"
"Because you never wrote to me! I haven't heard from you in five years! Wait, what happened to Aang?"
"We broke up. I realized he was like a brother to me, and that's all he will ever be. He's with Toph now," Katara explained.
Sokka and Yue gaped at her. "He's with TOPH?!" they asked unanimously.
"Yup. And look! Here they are now!" All three of them whirled around to see the pair walking towards them. Toph ran up to hug Katara and Yue. It was more of a pat, because all three were pregnant and couldn't get their arms around each other. Aang was next to hug Katara, although that was awkward, considering the circumstances.
As soon as the round of greetings was over, Katara leaned her head into the doorway. "Zuko! They're here!" she called. Several seconds later, the Fire Lord himself emerged from his grand palace. Zuko was balancing a young girl on his right arm, while a little boy stood at his feet, hiding behind him timidly.
Zuko smiled. "It's great to see all of you!" he exclaimed.
Toph pointed at the two children. "Who are these little guys?"
"I'd like to introduce you to our children. This is Toko," she motioned to the little boy, who waved shyly. "He's five years old. And this is Taji." She picked up the girl in her arms and cradled her. "She was born last year. Toko and Taji, these are friends of Daddy and I. This is your uncle Sokka and aunt Yue. And this is Aang and Toph."
Toko waved again, coming out from behind his father. Taji just stared at everyone uncaringly. Toko looked like his mother. He had tan skin, blue eyes, and brown hair. Taji, however, was identical to her father. Light skin, gold eyes, and black hair.
After they were finished admiring the beautiful children, Sokka asked, "So, can they bend?"
Zuko grinned. He knelt down next to Toko and whispered something into his ear. They little boy nodded and raised both his arms. Water from a nearby fountain rose up and hovered over Sokka's head, before splashing down on top of his, rendering him soaked. Everyone giggled, except for Sokka.
"Well I guess that answers that question," he said good-naturedly.
Suddenly a pale, wiry woman appeared at the door. Katara put Taji in the woman's arms and ushered Toko toward her, saying, "Thank you Hara. Make sure they get enough sleep before dinner." The woman nodded and disappeared behind the door, taking the young prince and princess with her.
"Come. We have much to talk about," Zuko said, suddenly taking on a serious expression.
"Why? What's wrong?" Aang inquired.
Katara spoke up. "We called you all here for a celebration. But that is only half the reason. We need your help. Ozai and Azula have escaped."
Hope you liked it! If you didn't pick up on this yet, Yue never turned into the moon. I kept her alive because I like the pairing so much! So I guess Sokka just never met Suki.
Anyways, please review! It means so much to me! When I get five reviews, I will continue the story! So if you liked it, let me know!