The Days Ahead
By
KataangFan902
Hello everyone! :) Welcome to my new story "The Days Ahead". This is going to be a story that takes place after the 100 years war has come to a close. It picks up right were the series left off, I hope you enjoy it! :) Please let me know by reviewing if you like the story so far. I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, Nickelodeon does.
(If you want to know what really happened after the war please check out "The Promise" series and "The Search" series. These comics are co-written by the creators and writers of Avatar: The Last Airbender Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and Dark Horse Comic's Gene Yang.)
Chapter 1: Prologue
Katara's fight was over, Azula was chained to the ground and she couldn't do anything. Katara looks over to Zuko, the man who was once her enemy and was now her friend, and sees him lying on the ground. He was hurt, bad.
Zuko laid there appearing dead. He was completely still, eyes closed, and looking just helpless. Katara quickly ran over to him pulling him over so he was on his back. She speedily got the water out of her pouch, trying to see where he got hit. She looks over his body rapidly, and there it was. It was a huge gash right down the center of his body.
Katara thought back to that moment not so long ago, when Azula was swinging her arms around summoning the lightning and aimed it right at her. Katara thought she was dead for sure, but at the corner of her eye she saw Zuko running towards where Azula shot her lightning and absorbing it into his own body preventing it from hitting her.
After that quick flashback she took her water and ran it across where he was wounded. She clenches her eyes shut and then felt the wound healing up. Katara quickly opens her eyes and looked over to him with a smile as he opened his eyes.
He looks up at her and said "Thank you Katara." with a slight whisper to his voice.
Katara looked at him with tears in her eyes and said "I think I am the one who should be thanking you."
They stood up and looked at Azula, she was jerking around and shooting fire out of her mouth with anger and sadness. Katara and Zuko looked at her with a slight sadness on their face, knowing she has gone crazy.
Katara then looked into the sky and saw a bright light, the color of it is light blue and right away she knew who it was. "Aang" she said with a slight concern in her voice, then she looked down and closed her eyes, praying that he was okay. "Don't worry Katara" Zuko said putting his hand on her shoulder trying to comfort her "Aang is a very strong kid, I am sure that he is completely fine."
"You're probably right." Katara said as she looked back into the sky and saw the bright blue light fade away.
"Come on Katara, let's go meet up with the others" Zuko said as he walked towards the exit and waving his hand.
"No, you go" Katara replied still as she faced the area where the light came from "I'm going to wait here for Aang and the rest of the group."
"You sure?" Zuko asked then saw her nod her head "Alright" then he went through the exit of his old house on Ember Island.
"Aang, please come home" Katara said as she looked back into the sky "I need you".
The comet then passed and the sky went dark, she saw the beautiful stars in the sky along with some clouds and she remembered something from a long time ago.
Toph would not help set up camp at all, and Katara was furious so she went up to her and confronted her about it. Tophs response was to block her out with an earth tent. That made her really mad so she pounded on the walls trying to get Toph to respond but it didn't work. Later that night she got in her sleeping bag and looked up with a smirk in her face and said "The stars sure are beautiful tonight, to bad you can't see them, TOPH!" Then Toph hit her with her earthbending and she went flying right onto Sokka.
She laughed at that memory as she realized how silly it really was. Then she looked back over and saw a flying ship from the fire nation fleet coming. She quickly stood up and opened her water pouch as she prepares for battle.
The door slowly opens and she sees five people start to walk down. She realizes that it is Aang and her other friends, and that the fifth person was Ozai. He was all tied up with that fancy rope that Sokka had found on Aang when Zuko captured him in the North Pole, and Suki carried him. Sokka was limping down with a cast on his right leg. She put her water back into her pouch and runs up to Sokka
"Sokka are you alright?" Katara said worried about her brother.
"Yeah I'm fine" He replied with a smile on his face.
She hugged him and then saw Aang exit the airship and excitingly ran up to him.
"Aang, I'm so glad you are still alive" Katara said hugging him tightly. "I was so worried." She said still hugging him.
"Is he, you know, dead?" She said looking at the fire lord.
"No, I found a way to end this without taking his life" Aang replied hugging her back.
"How?" She asked wondering how that could even be possible.
"I took his bending away, permanently." Aang replied then looked towards the fire lord who still lacked the energy to even stand up.
"Who taught you that?" Katara asked curiously.
"A giant lion turtle" he replied "That's who I was with when I left before the comet. I woke up on him and saw that the mountains were getting bigger. It looked like the island moving so I went to see how the it was moving and it turned out it was a giant lion turtle."
"Very interesting" Katara said while turning around and walking towards the exit "Come on Aang, lets meet up with the others"
"Alright" Aang said catching up to her then walking by her side.
A FEW DAYS LATER
Katara and Sokka are in the crowd waiting for Aang and the new soon to be fire lord, Zuko, to make their appearance on stage. They walk around looking to see if they can spot any familiar faces. Katara is looking around and all of a sudden she hears Sokka yell "DAD!" and she looks to see where he is looking and sees her dad standing in a group talking to some other people.
She screamed "DAD!" and she runs towards him with a huge smile on her face and gives him a hug.
"I heard what you two did, I am the proudest father in the world" Hakoda said looking at his two children, Sokka and Katara "and your mother would be proud too."
"There are my favorite warriors" Sokka said looking at the Kyoshi Warriors "I have to admit, I kind of missed the face paint. How does it feel to be back in uniform again?"
"It feels great!" Ty Lee said coming out from behind Suki.
Sokka was immediately alarmed and got in front of Suki pointing his crutch at Ty Lee. "Careful Suki, Ty Lee is pretending to be a Kyoshi Warrior again."
"It's okay." Suki replied with a bit of laughter in her voice "She's one of us now."
Sokka didn't know how to respond, he just pointed at both of them with a shocked expression on his face.
"Yeah the girls and I really bonded in prison" Ty Lee replied with a happy tone to her voice "and after a few chi blocking lessons they said I could join their group! We are going to be best friends forever!" She said with a huge smile on her face.
Katara was still talking to her dad while Sokka was having this conversation and eventually it was time for Aang and Zuko to come out and speak. Zuko came out and everyone was cheering.
"Please, the real hero is the avatar." Zuko said turning around with an open hand and pointing towards the avatar.
Everyone screamed and cheered when they saw Aang come out on stage. Katara saw him walk out of the shadows and into the light on the stage and she looked at him with a proud and loving smile.
"Today," Zuko said turning back around and starting his speech "this war is finally over!"
Everyone in the crowd was screaming with joy and happiness. The war was finally over, after those long one hundred years.
"I promised my uncle that I would restore the honor of the fire nation," Zuko said after the cheering died down a little "and I will. The road ahead of us is challenging, one hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided. But with the avatars help," He said looking towards Aang with a smile. "we can get it back on the right path and begin a new era of love and peace."
Then Zuko bent down and received his well-earned Fire Lord crown and the person crowning him said "All hail Fire Lord Zuko!" Zuko then stood up and everyone was clapping, happy to see him become fire lord.
LATER THAT DAY
Aang and his friends were all at Iroh's new restaurant, the Jasmine Dragon. Sokka was attempting to draw a painting so he could capture the moment. Aang was standing by the front door of the building, smiling upon his friends. He turned around and headed out the door and looked upon the city and the beautiful sunset. Katara looked out the door and saw him standing there. She walked up behind him and then stood next to him and looked out to the sunset. They looked at each other with love that one could not explain, then they embraced each other. Katara felt so much love for Aang at that moment. They broke the hug and the looked at each other with the most loving look in their eyes. Katara leaned in slowly and Aang did also, then they kissed with passion for the very first time. They were releasing that growing love they had since the beginning. It was like a dam that has built up so much water then it suddenly breaks and all the water comes crashing down. They were saying through the kiss how much they really loved one another. They finally knew what they meant to each other.
They broke the kiss after a while and Aang asked "what does this mean?"
Katara replied with a big smile "I think this means that we're a couple." Katara then leans in again and they kiss once more with complete compassion. Sokka then walks out towards them not looking.
"Hey guys," Sokka said looking down then he looked up "AH!"
"Sokka!" Katara said angrily, "Haven't you ever heard of knocking?!"
"Yes, but you do that when you go inside, not outside." he said with a smart attitude.
"Whatever!" Katara said with annoyance and some anger "you get my point! What are you doing out here anyway?"
"I saw you both come out here and I thought I would join" Sokka said defensively. "Then I came out here and you two were kissing and... whatever." He said giving up the argument "lets just go inside, okay?"
"Alright." Katara said trying to relax. "Aang are you coming?" she said looking back at him.
"Yeah, just a moment" Aang said lovingly "I'll be right in."
"Okay" Katara said giving him a loving smile "I'll be inside talking"
Aang smiled back then turned around and at that moment he sucked in a breath and slowly breathed out, relaxing for the first time in a very long time. He was just was taking in the moment. He had the girl of his dreams, he defeated the fire lord without killing him, and a new era of peace, happiness, and love can now happen. At this moment, life could not get any better.
After a little while of thinking and meditating on what happened and what it meant, he turned around and entered the building. He stood at the doorway again just smiling at everyone because he saw the joy and peace that was with everyone in the room that day. For the first time, everyone could just relax and enjoy the moment without having to worry about any war. He walked up to his new girlfriend, who was standing by Iroh and talking to him, and he turned her around and just kissed her again in front of everyone not even caring if anyone looked or stared, because it was just him and his best friend just like when they danced at the secret fire nation school party.
"Do I feel what I think I feel?" Toph asked "Is Twinkle Toes kissing Sugar Queen?"
Suki looked over laughing at Tophs nicknames and said "yeah, he is."
Toph just smirked and said "it took long enough."
"You got that right" Zuko said as he walked up to give everyone another round of tea. They all laughed together.
Aang and Katara break their kiss and see that everyone is staring at them. Katara blushes.
"What?" She asks embarrassed that everyone saw them.
"Nothing..." Everyone said giggling at her embarrassment.
Aang just laughs and takes her hand and leads her back out to the balcony that looks over the city. They look out over the city and see many people celebrating that the war was over. They turn to look at each other and hug again.
"We did it" Aang said while still hugging her. "I can't believe this is over."
"Yes we did" Katara said tightening the hug. "and I can't believe it either."
They let go of each other and hold hands again as they turn to face the sunset and the city again. They can't help but wonder what will happen next, what will it look like in the days ahead?
