Hey, so this is it the final part of the story. I hope that those of you that have read the story from the start have enjoyed it. I have done my best, though I don't know. The last few chapters of any story ever seem to turn out as I wanted them too.
I have tried to tie up a few of the loose ends, and give a good ending. What I have planned is that this chapter is a very open ended ending. I have written it in a way that you can make you your mind about what you want the ending to be, happy or sad, bitter sweet.
If however you wish for the story to have a happier ending then you should read the next chapter. If not you want a more bittersweet sad or open ended then please do not read the next chapter.
I have done a few chapters before, were I asked people to listen to a song while they read it. There was never a huge reaction to this. So I don't know if it will work this time, but I am going to ask now, please listen to one of these songs as you read, depending on what kind of ending you want.
Happy ending- wherever the winds blows me-pillar
Sad ending- last day on earth- Kate miller heidke
Bitter sweet- my sundown-jimmy eats world
Maybe you could listen to them all, and see which one you think worked the best. I have checked and you will have to play the song at least twice, or you can listen to them in this order happy, bittersweet and sad. I am probably wasting my time, but I would love to know if you listen to one of the songs while reading and what you think of it, did it work. Or in general how do you see the ending, your view.
The sun was high in the sky, casting a bright light over the southern air temple. This was Aang's favourite time of day, the light made the mountains that surrounded the temple glow in the most amazing colours. He wished Toph could see it too. In a few years though their daughter would be able to not just see it as she did now, but to fully appreciate it too. That was one of the many moments that as a father her was looking forward too.
There was another reason that Aang was in such a good mood today. It was ten years to the day the war ended, and it was his daughters first birthday. She looked just like Toph. Her eyes were the only real difference. Hers were a unique mix of green and grey. The rest of her, the shock of black hair and her features were all Toph. The only other major difference was that she loved to be lifted off the ground. He would never say it, but deep down he hoped she would be an airbender. Her nature seemed to come from him.
He was now standing in the court lard that lay in-front of the entrance to the temple. Looking out at the horizon with Tama in his arms. He was trying to get her to smile, by swing her from side to side, but it wasn't working. He had to give in, and give her what she wanted. Holding her under her arms, he lifted her into the air then through her an inch into the air, caught her and did it again. Her giggling started to echo, knocking off the mountains surrounding them. Aang smiled at his one year old daughter as he watched her face light up.
"Hey, keep her on the ground where I can see her."
Toph stood a few feet away. Her right hand was resting lightly on her hip. She was wearing a white dress, with flowers printer on; it had a high collar and finished at her knees. She wore brown trousers that came to just below her knees under the dress, and a pair of sandals. Her hair had grown back a little. She choose to ware it down with a small bread on the right side.
Aang returned Tama to his arms, pulled her close to him. "Looks like mummy caught us." He whispered to his daughter, but it was for Toph's benefit. Of course she could hear him.
"What did I tell you about calling me mummy." Toph made her way over to join her family. When she reached them she gave Tama a kiss on the forehead, then she kissed Aang quickly on the lips.
The rest of their family were on their way there to celebrate Tama's first birthday. Appa had been sent the day before to pick them up, and they should be arriving any minute. There was so much they had to celebrate today, the birthday of the newest member of the family, and the anniversary of the end of the war. That all felt like a life time ago.
If any of them had been told on the day the war ended what they would be doing, and were they would be in their lives in ten years' time, none of them would have believed it. Some would even refuse point blank to believe it. All of them would have laughed at someone else. In the end though they wouldn't change a thing. It felt like they had all got what the needed, not want they had thought they wanted.
Aang looked Toph in the eye as she pulled her head back. "You look tired."
"This one kept me awake most of the night." As she spoke she took Tama into her arms, resting her on her hip. "With those huge ears of yours I'm surprised you didn't hear her." It was clear that there was something she was not saying to him. It didn't seem to be anything bad though, that he would know so he let her keep her secret for now.
"She's just excited about today." While he was speaking he started to tickle Tama under her chin, causing her to squirming in her mother's arms and start to giggle again.
"Don't get her all worked up before the others have even got here." The tone of her voice came out a little more stern than she had meant it too. "Sorry. I'm just really tired."
"Are you sure that's all it is." Aang took her left hand in his.
Giving his hand a squeeze Toph answered. "Yeah. That's all it is, I promise."
Taking a step closer Aang wrapped his arms around his wife's waist. "Ok then, tomorrow you and I are going to leave with the others. We are going to take a break just the two of us; today is the first day of autumn so the ember islands will be quite."
While her parents had been talking Tama had started to play with her mother's hair. This brought the necklace she was wearing to her attention. Taking hold of it she ran her chubby fingers over the pendant, the silver and the bronze parts. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of her father's tag that looked the same as her mother's pendant. Taking both in her hands she wound them together.
"Aren't you forgetting something." Toph felt a sharp tug at her neck, Tama always seemed to find endless enjoyment playing with her hair, or anything that she wore that she could pull at.
Aang looked down at his daughter, who looked very proud of herself. He noticed the intertwined necklace, and tag. He very carefully started to unwind them "Katara would love to take care of her niece for a few days."
"Katara and Zuko have a two and a four year old to take care off we can't ask them to do that." While she was speaking Tama's hand reached out to take hold of the small braid in Toph's hair. Toph had learned over the past year to predict her daughter's movements, it was the only way she could keep track of her. In an instinct her left hand moved to take Tama's hand in hers. To stop the tears that she knew would come, now that she hadn't got her own way, she kissed Tama's little hand, to pacify the one year old.
"And I...have told Sokka that I would go back with him and Suki to help him go over a trade treaty, then there is the meeting in Ba sin..."
"When are you going to give yourself a break. You have a one year old, and I know even though you would never admit it, that you are weaker than you used to be. You still insist on teaching your students, and going to all of the meetings..."
Aang was silenced as Toph took a step towards him, and kissed him. "If I'm not allowed to end an argument like that, then nether are you."
"Ok." Toph now lifted Tama so their heads were next to each other; she used her left hand to tickle her feet causing her to laugh.
"You can't use our daughter ether." Toph smiled as she placed Tama back on her hip. "And you are the one getting her worked up now, why is it one rule for you and another for me."
The tone of his voice let Toph know that Aang was only joking, even though he did have a point. "I am always right, even when I am wrong I'm right." Slowly she stepped forward to reach her husband, as she continued to speak she lowered her voice. "Don't tell me you haven't learned that by now."
By the time she had finished talking her face was a few centimetres away from Aang's. A distance he gladly closed, ending in a kiss. That lasted till Tama began to fidget again.
"I am still worried about you." Aang placed his right hand on Toph's back keeping her and Tama close to him. Toph was about to say something, tell him that he didn't have to worry but he beat her to it "Why don't we all go to Koyshi Island, our first family holiday."
"Then there's the..."
"I know the meeting, we can go there after. Then we travel I think it is about time Tama started to see the world. The air temples and the earth kingdom are part of her history, so she should see them first."
"Of course." It seemed Toph never tired of using sarcasm, and mocking him.
She wasn't taking any of this seriously, she seemed to be making light of the fact he was worried about her. "Toph, why do you keep pushing yourself like this, I know you used to do it, to make yourself feel alive, but why now aren't we enough for you." As he spoke he took one of Tama's tiny hand's in his.
Toph was taken completely of guard, she never expected Aang to say anything like that. It hurt her that he thought she could feel that way. "You two are more than enough for me. All of this being married to someone I love, and having a healthy child is more than I ever thought was possible. I never thought I would be able to say I love you, and mean it, till I fell in love with you. I never thought I could say this and mean it either. I'm happy, I really am. More than you will ever know."
As much as Aang knew she was telling the truth, and as surprised as he was by how open she was being, there was still the nagging feeling in the back of his head. Toph could tell he wasn't totally convinced, so she continued. "I feel like if I stay still for too long, then I won't be able to move again after that. That will be it, no more..."
"I know how you feel; I worry about that too, that if I stay on the ground to long I'll forget to..."
"Fly"
"Yeah." In almost the same moment they both let out a little laugh, and smiled. They had both been feeling the same way, and didn't tell the other in case they worried about them or though they weren't happy with their life. "We have been stupid haven't we."
"Yeah, pretty stupid. We are going to be ok, though."
Aang wrapped his arms around Toph's waist, pulling his two girls close to him. He kissed Toph on the forehead, and then she rested her head on his chest. They didn't know how long they stayed like that, enjoying feeling so close being a family.
"I think someone needs changing." Toph pulled away from Aang placing Tama in his arms.
Once in her father's arms Tama began to play with the tag he wore, that had caught her eye earlier "Are you sure."
"I maybe blind, but I have excellent hearing and sense of smell, I'm sure." She now began to walk over further into the court yard, away from the temple.
"Wait. It's your turn."
"Yes it is, but I did it the three times before that, it's your turn. Plus I want to set up a few things for the kids to play with."
As much as Aang loved Sokka and Suki's sons they had a habit of breaking something every time they were taken to visit anyone. Toph had found the best way to deal with this was to give them something to play with, that they could break. So she would bend the earth into platforms and tunes to keep them out of trouble, and give the rest of them a break. What worried him was that every time she had to bend something bigger than the last time, and she was really tired and it was going to be a long day.
"Are you sure..."
"Yes. I will be fine, and you aren't not getting out of it, it's your turn." While she had been speaking she had moved back towards him, she moved in as if she was going to kiss him. At the last second, when she finished talking she turned around and walked away. Something's never changed. She always teased him.
He wasn't going to let her get away with it this time; while she was still within reach he took hold of her arm with his free hand. Pulling her back, he kissed her before she could say anything. As she kissed his hand slid up her back, to rest in her hair, Toph placed one hand on Aang's back, and the other on Tama's.
Slowly they pulled apart, and Aang made his way back to the temple, as he did he was sure he heard Toph say something to him, but when he tuned to look at her, her back was to him.
Deep down he knew he had heard her say. "I love you." So he responded.
"I love you, too."
Toph did hear him, but didn't turn round as a huge smile now crossed her face.
Just as Aang was about to enter the temple a vision flashed in his mind. Toph was sitting on the ground, she was dressed in white and she looked paler than normal. Tama was sitting in front of her; she seemed to be at least five years old. Her hair seemed lighter, more like his colour. Toph's right arm was stretched out in front of her, wrapping around Tama, but not making any contact with her. As she moved her arm the blades of grass fallowed her movements to the delight of Tama who tried to take hold of the grass, but was never able to. For a split second Toph looked right at him, with her deep green eyes, then he was back in the real world. Looking down at his one year old daughter, Aang smiled and took her in to the temple to change her before the others arrived.
Toph had wanted their child to have a name that meant something, like theirs did. Tama meant whole, and they couldn't think of a better name. She was a piece of both of them, a whole to their half's.
Once she had set up a few obstacles for the boys to play with, Toph made her way back to the temple. Her legs started to give out under her, she was just able to reach the cherry blossom tree she had planted at the centre of the court yard. She slowly let herself slid down the trunk of the tree, till she was sitting on the ground. Her eyes wanted to close, but she fought it for as long as she could. In the end her tiredness won.
As her eyes closed Toph was able to see. She saw a bright sun as it rose into the sky. She was sitting on the edge of the air temple her legs dangling over the edge. As she looked up to the sky, in the distance she made out two figures flying across the sky on gliders. When they came closer she saw it was Aang and Tama, who was now about ten years old. For the first and last time, she saw what her husband and daughter looked like. In that moment she felt she was falling in love with Aang all over again. All her life she had been told that she looked just like her mother, and then that Tama looked like her, now it all became clear. What always should have meant something now did.
They flew in front of the sun, blinding Toph as she lost sight of them. All around her now returned to black.
As Toph leaned against the tree to keep her up, her right hand feel from her lap landing on the ground next to her, palm facing up. The wind blew a cherry blossom from the tree that landed in her hand. Her ring finger slowly bent to touch it, then it fell back again. Her face had a faint smile on it, Aang had one that matched it at the same moment.
I ended this chapter like this so that I left it up to you how it ends, everyone will see it in their own way. This way everyone gets the ending they want. Sad Toph died, happy she was just dreaming, bitter sweet she is going to die soon.
As I said before if you want to have a clear happy ending, and to see the others again then lease read the next chapter. If you do not, if you are happy with this ending then DON'T READ THE NEXT CHAPTER. Instead please go to chapter 3. Where I will have information about what the extra I have been working on is.
