The next morning, after Lin and Masaru left for work, and Tenzin went to meditate half the day away, Suyin arrived with her husband and four children to aid in the planning and setting up of the wedding that would happen in less than four days.

"I cannot believe it! You convinced my sister, LIN FUCKING BEIFONG TO HAVE A WEDDING?" Suyin asked running over to hug Kya.

"It wasn't under the best of circumstances, but we're happy, nonetheless," Kya replied hugging the younger Beifong of their generation.

"What happened?" Suyin asked with a typical mother's concern.

"Jinora and Huifan aren't on the best of terms at the moment for what I expect will NOT be the last time," Kya whispered.

"Ah! Naturally," Suyin exclaimed with a sigh of relief. "Well were Lin and I ever on the best of terms?"

"Certainly not!"

"Well there you have it! Both girls are perfectly healthy!"

"Hey Suyin! What happened to being Earth Queen?" Izumi asked coming out of the main house on Air Temple Island wearing casual clothing and waving with a smile on her face.

"I should as you the same thing, Fire Lord Izumi!" Suyin replied with a smirk, curtseying to the elder woman. Izumi bowed back, then they both burst out laughing.

"Things are going well in our favorite kingdom, I expect," Izumi pressed.

"Very! I've a system that works wonders. With the use of audio recordings, we can get massive amounts of information regarding the candidates for the upcoming elections to even the most remote, illiterate villages of the Earth Kingdom! It's incredible!" Suyin exclaimed. "It is going so well at the moment—and ahead of schedule—that I am sure I can spare a week to help plan and attend my own sister's wedding!"

"That's great!" Izumi said excitedly grasping both of Suyin's hand excitedly.

"So Tenzin wrote to me that the two of you are in charge of the preparations?" Suyin informed her two griends.

"We are," Kya confirmed.

"Where would you like me to be?" Suyin asked.

"I thougt you and Baatar could design and construct the venues for the ceremony and reception area over on the extra island. We need a main stage for speeches and games, a side stage for the band or orchestra—we haven't decided which yet—and a dance floor in the reception area—oh! And in the are for the ceremony..." Kya began listing, pulling out a long scroll that tumbled down the front of her skirt and a few feet away before stopping.

"I think Su gets it," Izumi said firmly, silencing her friend, snatching the scroll from her hand and rolling it back up rapidly before retuning it to the waterbender.

"Great! Well let's get started!" Suyin said clapping her hands with determination, turning to Baatar with that same gleam in her eyes that she had when she first came to him with the early conceptual designs for the city of Zaofu.

"Mother, what shall I do?" Huan asked quietly enough to be discreet, but loud enough for just his mother to hear. Suyin had almost forgotten her own son was still following. During Huan's brief stint as Earth King when Baatar Junior poisoned Suyin, Huan managed to clean up, organize, and modernize the lower ring of Ba Sing Se, Reunite the Earth Kingdom, assemble a massive army of metalbenders, earthbenders, and nonbenders, and miraculously gain the love of the noble loyalists and the peasants in a matter of days. Now, he followed his mother everywhere, advising her on all of the current opinions of technological, political, and social matters concerning all four kingdoms while she informed him on how the traditionalists would have handled things.

They made the perfect team in Ba Sing Se, but on Air Temple Island, Suyin hoped her son would realize he wasn't he needed by her side anymore and feel free to spend more time with his cousins. Apparently he needed telling. "Why don't you go see if Huifan and the others need help with Aunt Lin's gown? I am sure your father and I can handle sculpting the extra island into something suitable to host a wedding," Suyin suggested placing a loving hand on his shoulder, kissing his sullen head, relieving him of his unofficial duties.

"K," Huan replied casually shrugging before turning away like the dutiful son that nobody expected he would become.


In Huifan's bedroom in the Beifong Residence on Air Temple Island, Huifan stood staring at the stone mannequin that her brother Jinkun made specifically for her project: her mother's wedding gown. It was a perfectly-proportioned, eerily-realistic, and completely nude representation of the woman who raised them.

Behind Huifan, stood Jinkun who eyed his creation critically with narrow eyes, one brow arched, and one curled finger held up to his lips. Behind Jinkun, on a stone bench, sat Hungjian with his legs spread, one foot up on the bench with one arm draped over his knee, lounging and gazing out the window pensively, avoiding looking at the mannequin completely. Behind Hungjian, Jiexue lay the longways on her sister's head with her hands folded behind her head, relaxing. She opened her eyes from her nap to inspect the now finished mannequin. Beside Jiexue, Xiaoyu sat with her legs crossed in the lotus position, her back straight, and her face plainly looking at the mannequin standing against the opposite wall. Kang was out most likely wreaking havoc before the wedding with Kai and possibly Ikki.

"Well," Huifan said finally, turning to face her siblings. "What do you think?"

Xiaoyu glanced to Jiexue who turned to Hungian who turned to Jinkun and Huifan, forcing him to see just beyond their forms, that of his mother's standing completely nude.

He clicked his tongue a few times before speaking. "Can you believe we all used to suck on those teats?" Hungjian said finally.

Jinkun closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose like his father did when he was frustrated, Jiexue started laughing, Xiaoyu sighed in disappointment, and Huifan roared with irritation.

"WHY ARE YOU EVEN IN HERE?" Huifan yelled metalbending Hungjian out of her room by the hammers he carried chained to his belt. She slammed the door and held it closed with her earthbending until Hungjian eventually trudged off muttering under his breath about her reacting inappropriately to a perfectly true statement of fact.

"What colors are we making her wear?" Jinkun asked.

"I haven't decided that yet, the little ones were going to go into town and fetch for me the finest silks in every shade of green, yellow, brown, and gold that they could find on Silk Avenue. They should be back by now," Huifan replied turning to her other earthbending brother.

"We're here!" Ikki said soaring through the open window on her glider with a heavy shoulder bag laden with fabric samples.

"Yeah! Sorry we were late!" Jinora said landing, removing her bag that was filled with an array of heavy, ultra-pure, luxury jeweling metals.

"Hungjian said you locked the doors so we decided to come in through the window!" Meelo said turning to Huifan and Jinkun before freezing at the sight of the mannequin behind them. "Woah!"

Huifan rolled her eyes and flicked her wrist slapping a blindfold on the ten-year-old boy.

"Is that your mom?" he asked.

"What of it?" Huifan asked in a low voice.

"Nothing she's just really ho—," Meelo began to say before with another flick of the wrist, Huifan slapped a gag over his face.

Jinora frowned. "He's just a kid, you don't have to be mean to him," Jinora said.

"He's ten years old. He needs to learn his place, and when to hold his tongue," Huifan replied looking at the fabrics and metals the two young airbenders collected that morning.

Jinora said nothing, but went to relieve Meelo of his bindings and shove him out the window where he could no longer be tempted to make inappropriate comments about his stepmother's body.

"Wait Meelo! Toss up your bag!" Ikki yelled out the window, catching it. "We also got diamonds, pearls, green, yellow, and white crystals, emeralds, amber, silver, and gold…" Ikki listed dumping the contents of Meelo's bag onto Huifan's bed with the metal and fabric samples.

"We'll come up with something, thank you, Ikki," Huifan replied putting in an effort to say it nicely.

"Is there anything else you need to get started?" Jinora asked Huifan.

"This should be all, thank you," Huifan replied turning to face Jinora.

"Thank you for making the dress, I'll go check with Aunt Kya to see where else Ikki and I could be of service. See you at dinner?" Jinora asked.

"Sounds good. See you at dinner," Huifan replied. With that, Jinora and Ikki jumped out of the window and flew off on their gliders.

"So what shape are we aiming for? Do we want a Ba Sing Se upper ring style? A rural Earth Kingdom Nobility style, or a more traditional Gaoling style to pay homage to Mom's legacy?" Jinkun asked.

"Honestly, I have half the mind to dress her in air acolyte robes just to make our lives easier," Huifan replied looking at the assortment of colorful samples they had to work with.

"Oh come on! You must admit, Mom does still have a hot bod. We have to show it off!" Jiexue said loudly, crossing one ankle over her knee while still laying the long ways on Huifan's bed. Xiaoyu and Huifan both frowned at Jiexue for the comment.

"You're glad you're shielded by a mattress beneath your body or I would have earthbent you through the roof of this building," Huifan muttered lifting up a fabric to the stone mannequin.

"Oh please! Quit trying to censor your siblings just because you can't face the truth. Sometimes you're worse than the Dai Li," Jiexue groaned rolling her eyes. Before the metal could hit her mouth, Jiexue raised her gold-plated steel fan and deflected the metal strip swiftly and cleanly with a gust of air, sticking it into the wall beside her.

"She's kind of right, you know. You can't control everybody," Jinkun said.

"I can try," Huifan replied casually peeling a tiny piece of metal off her sleeve, bending it into a pin to secure a bit of fabric to the body of the mannequin. She made another fold and pin before pausing, her ears perking up to something.

"Who is it?" Jinkun asked recognizing the look on his sister's face.

"Cousin Huan," Huifan said turning and bending the door open by the brass handle, revealing the face of the longhaired son of Suyin.

"I could have opened it myself, but thank you," Huan said entering without needing an invitation.

"What brings you up here?" Huifan asked turning to the mannequin again.

"I have instructions from my mother to see if you are in need of any assistance with Aunt Lin's wedding gown," Huan replied.

Huifan thought pensively for a moment. "We are not exactly in need of assistance, though any you have to offer would be greatly appreciated."

"Of course," Huan replied understandingly.

"If you could take over the color selection, I will stick with the metalwork," Huifan said finally.

"I thought Jin was the color expert. When we were painting the murals in the Northern Air Temple, he always did the blending of pigments," Huan said turning to the only other boy in the room.

"Normally, I would, but Aunt Kya has recruited me to sculpt a couple of badgermoles and sky bison out of the cliffside of the new island in preparation for the wedding," Jinkun replied.

"Sounds important," Huan shrugged. "I suppose I can handle the color selection."

"Thanks Cousin," Jinkun said passing Huan on his way out the door.

"Do you still need us, Sister, or can we go find Wing and Wei? No offense, but they've been a lot more fun than you're being today," Jiexue said fanning herself, looking out the window longingly.

"I don't see why you need my permission. I would just recommend you don't get them killed for not helping with the wedding preparations," Huifan replied flipping through more fabrics to offer to Huan,

"Great!" Jiexue said rolling off the bed, picking up her glider that was propped against the wall and stowing her fan in her belt again before leaving with Xiaoyu.

"I'll take care of this, you deal with the metal," Huan said taking the fabrics from Huifan, pointing towards the metal collection.

"Thank you," Huifan said setting to work on a frame for the dress.


"So," Masaru said smoothly kicking up his feet on a dark, low-rising cherrywood table that stood in front of the couch in the sitting area of Lin's expansive office on the top floor of the Earthen Fire Company Headquarters in Republic City. "Are you excited?" he asked looking over at his sister as she poured over a couple of mountains of papers that had been simply transferred from the desk of Lin's secretary, Eunji, to the desk of the Chief Executive Officer of the Earth Kingdom Branch of the company.

"That is an incredibly vague, question, Saru. Excited for what? More mountains of paperwork that are just as useless as all of the shit I had to sign back at the station?" Lin asked examining another stack of approvals she had to sort through. "What on earth did they do before I started to come in?"

"Penga signed everything," Masaru replied mater-of-factly.

"Ah yes, one of mother's original metalbending students, and one of her oldest friends. Of course she would be trusted to make decisions regarding the company."

"Actually, I ran both halves of the company so you were free to be Chief of Police. Mother and Father never trusted anyone outside of the family to run Grandpappy Lao's baby."

"Why?" Lin asked.

"Because Like mother, I wanted you to be happy, and if you wanted to be Chief of Police and hole yourself up on that mountain top with your babies, then so be it; I would see to it that you could," Masaru said honestly.

Lin paused from her reading. "Spirits! I hate it when you're good!"

"Now back to my question. Are you excited about your wedding? The first time you married Tenzin, it was at the top of some rock in the Patola Mountain Range with only the Avatar and his old Gaang present," Masaru said. He laughed. "This is going to be VERY different," he added with a devious glint in his eye like he was in on some secret that Lin was not going to like. Fortunately, she didn't catch it.

Lin frowned at another thing. "Yes, only the Avatar and his old Gaang was there, so how do you know? WHO TOLD YOU?" she yelled angrily slamming her palms down on her desk, denting the metal.

"I told you before Pema laid siege to the City. Ever since I found out about your existence, I have been watching. I wanted to make sure you were safe," Masaru replied.

"So you even had me followed all the way to the Patola Mountain Range in the Southern Earth Kingdom?!" Lin asked in disbelief.

"Yep!" Masaru replied proudly, folding his arms like his mother used to with the biggest teeth-showing grin on his face.

"And Mom didn't catch your little crew and bury them alive for senseless stalking?" Lin asked.

"Nope! My agents are good, aren't they?"

"Hmph," Lin grumbled.

After a brief moment of silence, Masaru spoke again. "So are you going to answer my question or not? How are you feeling about the upcoming wedding?"

"Not ready," Lin confessed with a disappointed sigh, setting down her pen, burying her face in her hands.

"What is there to get ready? Kya and Zumi will handle everything, and I heard Su arrived on the island this morning to help with the decor…"

"Wait! Back up! Su's here? Why doesn't anybody tell me these things anymore?!" Lin yelled jumping to her.

"Why are you surprised? She is our SISTER! Besides, I know you two aren't the closest peas in the pod, but it is not like she is going to destroy the island like Bumi or me!" Masaru laughed. "In fact, it is widely believed that the Metal Clan has overtaken the Fire Nation Capital as having the best builders in the world. I'm sure she and Baatar will make that rustic little spare island of yours looking like a luxurious five-star resort by the end of the day!"

"How can you be so optimistic? You were raised by an angsty king and an emo lady!"

"Do you mean the Fire Lord and his Lady? How can you be so jaded and serious when you were raised single-handedly by the legendary 'Blind Bandit', 'The Runaway', the woman who overturned over half of the upper ring of Ba Sing Se when the Dai Li kidnapped her daughter from Republic City?"

"Nature versus nurture maybe?"

"Maybe." Masaru replied looking out the window at the statue of his sister looming over the buildings in the distance that two of his beloved earthbending nephews and his only earthbending niece erected only two days prior to that morning. "So how can we make you feel more ready for his wedding and less anxious about everything that is happening?"

"I'm not anxious! Just a little wary!" Lin replied quickly.

"Oh don't lie to yourself, Lin. Besides. Those two things are practically the same."

"Whatever!"

Masaru thought for a moment. I KNOW!

Just before Lin could get burned, she jumped back from the red and orange flames that engulfed everything on her desk.

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?!" Lin yelled with her back pressed against the window, hyperventilating only slightly.

"Oh don't worry about it." Masaru replied nonchalantly. "If your secretaries have been following protocol, they should have every document printed in quadruplet. Anyways, I thought you might need a distraction. You work to hard, Linny, and since we never did get to spar as children, I thought we could now—" Masaru said calmly.

"In my office?!" Lin shrieked rushing over to get the fire extinguisher hanging beside the sink in her office.

"Well we could, but since the cost of the resulting damage kind of comes out of my pocket as well, we should probably go elsewhere. That," Masaru indicated the flames incinerating Lin's work, "Was just to get your attention away from those damned papers. We could go out to an arena. I know a great one where you can get in for free as long as you can beat the guard outside. He is really easy, trust me!" Masaru continued.

"You're insane!" Lin said putting the fires out on her desk, covering everything in a heavy white foam.

"And you're actually really cute when you're angry. It is no wonder Tenzin is so infatuated with you," Masaru teased.

"Do you want a rock shoved up your ass and down your throat or will you shut up already?" Lin yelled boiling over with irritation while Masaru merely grinned like a grossly amused hog-monkey.

"Hmmm… You know, Lin, that is actually kind of kinky-, Masaru said shielding his face from an oncoming flurry of everything metal in the room.

"Spirits, Saru! You're JUST LIKE SU!" Lin yelled as Masaru cackled gleefully.

"Well, we do share a mother! Just like you two!" Masaru replied with a wink, only provoking her further.


Back on Air Temple Island, Suyin and Baatar stood in the center of an elaborate dance floor that Suyin designed and stomped out with her earthbending. The designed centered around an octagon that was divided into four sectors containing the symbols of all four elements since Lin was half Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation and Tenzin was half Air Nomad and half Water Tribe. Surrounding the octagon were several other rings containing badgermoles, dragons, skybison, and water all digging, flying, and swimming around the centerpiece that contained the elemental symbols.

"What on earth are we going to do to entertain so many people for a whole day?" Suyin asked watching as dozens of air acolytes and third-party hired help worked to create Izumi and Kya's visions for Lin and Tenzin's wedding into reality.

"Why are there going to be so many people, and why do we need to entertain them for a whole day?" Baatar asked his wife curiously. "I thought Lin and Tenzin wanted a small affair with only family present."

"You're completely right, but you see, you then have to determine where to draw the line between family and everybody else," Suyin replied.

Baatar turned to her with a puzzled expression.

"If you count only those related by blood and marriage, that number is very small. For instance, it would exclude Izumi whom we've all known since birth. She's like a big sister to the both of us, but is only engaged to Masaru."

"This is true,"

"It would also exclude Bolin, who is simply dating Opal,"

"Also true,"

"Which means that we must redraw our line to include not just family but those who are most important to us, and that can include many people. With dear Zumzu in charge of the guest list, it would be safe to assume—I mean expect—an attendance of no less than eight hundred people."

"Lin and Tenzin know that many people?"

"Of course!" Suyin replied.

"Let me correct myself; Lin and Tenzin like that many people?" Baatar asked in disbelief.

Suyin laughed and leaned on her sweet husband's shoulder.

"Yes, as surprising as it seems. They weren't always these bitter, isolationistic, painfully lonely old people. Believe it or not, but there was a time when they were actually happy," Suyin said with a smile on her face remembering the good old days. "And knowing Zumzu, she'll probably exhume some old childhood heroes of theirs to surprise Lin and Baldy on their special day."

"You think they'll come? These really old childhood heroes of theirs?"

"Probably. It is a wedding of great importance."

"Importance?" Baatar asked. "But it is just your sister and Tenzin,"

""Yes. JUST my sister, the Esteemed Former Chief of Police of Republic City, the eldest daughter of Toph Beifong, the inventor of metalbending, owner of 50% of Earthen Fire Companies, Heir to the Beifong Estate (because Masaru took his father's name) is marrying Tenzin, the first airbending master in over a hundred years, founder of a new nation, Ex-Councilman, and son of Avatar Aang. Yeah, they're not import at all," Suyin said sarcastically. "They've touched the lives of many, and many people have had a huge impact on their lives."

"I never realized."

"That was probably my fault, for distancing myself from anything having to do with my sister for nearly three decades."

"It's not your fault. She chose not to come when you invited her to our city,"

"I know, but I did not beg as much as I could have,"

"I thought Beifongs never begged for anything,"

"And you're right again." Suyin said folding her arms, leaning on one foot.

"So why are Lin and Tenzin letting you guys take over the wedding preparations?" Baatar asked. "I never really caught onto that."

"We're taking over the wedding preparations because neither Lin nor Tenzin wanted to have a wedding ceremony in the first place, but thought that having one would help Jinora think of a way to make Huifan feel wanted and needed again."

"Ahhhhh… I see."

"So how are we going to entertain at least eight hundred people for a day? We can't just have music played and expect them to just dance and eat!" Suyin asked Baatar again.

"We could put on a performance of some sort. With the budget Lin gave, we could fly out the entire Ember Island Play Company and rent them for the day," Baatar suggested.

"Flameo, that 'Song of Earth and Air' was HORRIBLE!" Suyin said remembering the play they attended with Izumi, Kya, Bumi, Lin, Tenzin AND Pema less than four months ago.

"How would you know? We both slept through it," Baatar asked.

"The fact that we both fell asleep so soon into it is a dead giveaway of just how boring it was, probably," Suyin replied. "WAIT!" Suyin yelled just as Baatar opened his mouth to speak. "We could bring my dance troupe from Zaofu! Baatar! You're a genius, Honey!"

"I am? But you thought of it," Baatar replied.

"Yes, but YOU thought of flying out a troupe in the first place! Oh I love you, AND your brain!" Suyin exclaimed bending the ground below her feet to lift her to Baatar's level so she could more comfortably kiss him on the lips and ruffle his neatly combed hair to be messy again. "Let's go run this by Zumzu, then I'll call Toji at the central dome and he could tell Keila… to get the girls ready…" Suyin began to list out as she skipped away towards the main house.


After listening to Suyin's proposal, Izumi thought for a moment. "The City-State Dance Troupe of Zaofu is world renown for its exquisite grace, beauty, and control in their bending, but don't you think they're a little one dimensional?" Izumi asked finally.

"What do you mean?" Suyin asked.

"I mean, this wedding is the first ever officially known union of two persons that together, unite all four nations before man and spirits. Don't you think it would be better to choreograph a dance that included all of the bending styles into one performance? I remember years ago, when Kya and I were helping to train Lin's babies, we created a form that did just that. I can show you what I remember of it. It was good, but we were always short waterbenders, you could hold auditions in the City. Employ a few local kids for a day, help the economy," Izumi suggested.

"I could, but this wedding is far too important for just anybody to perform during the celebrations. I'd rather open a school and make it free for any waterbender who gets past the auditions than hire them for Lin's wedding. " Suyin paused to think. "I know! We could invite the Chieftans of the Northern Tribe! Eska and Desna! AND, it would be good for them to meet Ursa, Huan, Hungjian and the others. They will probably be leading the world together some day. They're all around the same age… It would be nice!"

"I don't know about that…" Izumi said referring to the last part.

"And wait…" Baatar interrupted pensively. Both woman turned to Baatar instantly with a questioning look that made the man feel like he was suddenly sitting in an interrogation room before a certain Former Esteemed Chief of Police.

"Yes, Sweetie?" Suyin asked.

Baatar gulped. "Can you really command the Chieftans of the Northern Water Tribe to perform in a dance at a wedding?"

"Why not?" Izumi shrugged.

"Well, I only have ever seen them once, at Wu's failed coronation, but from what I recall from then and what I have read, they're not very easily convinced to do anything since their beloved father turned out to be some sort of selfish demon," Baatar explained.

Both women considered his words very thoroughly before responding. When neither spoke, Baatar continued.

"And, since they are leaders of their respective nation, doesn't that make you all on the same level as each other? Wouldn't it be silly to demand such a thing from another world leader?" Baatar asked.

Suyin smiled. "You raise many good points, Baatar, but just think for a moment. We," she indicated Izumi and herself. "… are the Fire Lord and the Earth Queen. Together we control the largest land army, the largest and most technologically advanced airforce and navy, and the most extensive network of secret police," Suyin said.

Baatar sighed. "You mean the Dai Li?"

"And the Amber League," Izumi added cooly.

For a fleeting instant, Baatar looked straight into Izumi's light hazel, almost golden eyes, before blinking and turning away quickly, afraid he disrespected the Fire Lord simply by looking at her with his comparatively shabby commoner self. She was just another one of Suyin's friends that happened to command armies… and navies… and a secret police… And here they were casually debating the entertainment portion of his sister-in-law's upcoming wedding.

"Performing in a dance recital is a very generous price to pay for at least four decades of guaranteed peace with the other three nations if the Chieftains of the Northern Tribe are really reluctant as you seem to believe," Suyin said.

"Would you really go to war over something like this?" Baatar asked with exasperation.

"Sure," Izumi said surprisingly, considering her nation's rather spotty history with war and her own previous anti-aggression position she firmly took during Kuvira's invasion of Republic City.

Baatar sighed in defeat as Suyin and Izumi resumed talking to each other about the specifics of the dance performance itinerary once they determined Baatar had nothing left to say on the matter.

When Baatar first met Suyin, he didn't even know she was a Beifong, let alone a daughter of Toph, the inventor of metalbending, until the legend waltzed into their new city and tunneled right through their near completely platinum walls and into their house one evening. After that little surprise, their life quieted down again for a very long time until Harmonic Convergence when their daughter became an airbender. Then he found out about his wife's secret half-sister who happened to be the Esteemed Chief of Police of Republic City. Then the Captain of the Guard of his city became a crazy dictator after the nation fell into chaos and anarchy and his beloved city was looted and plundered in war, then somehow when the dust settled, his beloved little wife became the new Earth Queen, and now he was standing with her and the fucking Fire Lord, casually discussing some conspiracy to get the Chieftains of the Northern Water Tribe to participate in a dance routine… Everything was changing…

"Baatar, are you alright?" Tenzin asked entering the room, noticing Baatar's ghost white face immediately.

Both women turned to Baatar again and he paled even more.

"What's wrong Sweetie?" Suyin asked cupping his chin, gazing up through his fogging glasses and into his chestnut eyes with her brilliant, pine green ones.

"Is it something we said?" Izumi asked with a genuine look of concern that Baatar wouldn't have believed the regal Fire Lord was capable of making if he hadn't seen it that day.

"No, I just…" Baatar stuttered adjusting his metal necklace that his wife liked him to wear.

"… need some air?" Tenzin asked knowingly, offering a hand.

"Yes, thank you," Baatar replied removing Suyin's hands from his face, walking past the airbending master and out the door of the main house on Air Temple Island.

"Thanks, Tenz," Suyin said gratefully facing at her future brother-in-law. "I don't know what's gotten into him,"

"I'll see if I can find out, don't worry," Tenzin said placing a hand on her shoulder reassuringly before following Baatar out the open door.


After nearly getting blasted off the cliffside of Air Temple Island by one of Bumi, Wing, Wei, Jiexue, Ikki, and Meelo's inventions, Xiaoyu decided she had endured enough insanity for a lifetime and retreated to the Beifong Residence for some tea and another small thing that gave her great comfort whenever she was in distress in any way ever since she was a baby, an article of her mother's clothing. She slipped into her mother's room silently, lighter than air on the most silent air scooter she had ever created. She didn't need Huifan or Huan to detect her presence in the house. It would be easy since they were just a few doors down hard at work on her mother's gown and Xiaoyu really didn't need another lecture from Huifan about how she was always acting 'like a baby'.

She almost reached the dresser when she noticed she wasn't alone. Her mother was home and laying on the bed in her white tank top and black pants with her arm covering her eyes. "Sorry!'" Xiaoyu whispered riding her air scooter back out of the room.

"No, you can come in, Sweetie. I was just resting," Lin said uncovering her eyes, using her left hand to sit herself up again so she could look at her baby.

"Is everything alright, Mom?" Xiaoyu asked jumping off her airscooter softly, feeling less afraid of her big sister with her mother so close by. "I thought you and Uncle Saru went into work for the day. You're back early."

"We did, but shortly after our arrival, your dear Uncle Saru decided that I worked too much anyways and proceeded to light my desk, and everything else on it, on fire," Lin said opening her arms, inviting Xiaoyu to come sit with her. "We then went to the arena and sparred for a good long while, and now I am just tired," Lin explained squeezing her girl tightly.

"Did Uncle Saru hurt you? Should I get a healer?" Xiaoyu asked with furrowed brows and bright, amber eyes wide with worry.

Lin laughed wearily.

"Mom!" Xiaoyu frowned with anger now. "I'm serious! I know where Aunt Kya is! I could get her—" Xiaoyu persisted.

"I'm fine, sweetie! Trust me. Uncle Saru can't hurt me any more than Jin could ever hurt you," Lin insisted.

"But Jinkun would never hurt me. He can't even hurt the tiniest spider fly—" Xiaoyu replied.

"Exactly!" Lin said tapping her girl on the nose. "I just laughed because I know if you were Huifan, you would have first asked if I won the sparring match before checking my body for injurues," Lin explained rubbing her daughter's back.

Xiaoyu frowned again. "That is because Huifan only cares about winning and being better than everybody," Xiaoyu muttered under her breath looking down at her feet.

Lin frowned at the bitterness in her sweet girl's usually gentile and cheerful voice. "Hey!" Lin said leaning forward to try to search her daughter's face for an explanation. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, lately, Huifan has just been kind of… mean."

"Go on. You know you can tell me anything, right. I am here to help you and your siblings! I'm your mom, remember?"

"I know,"

"What did she do?"

"Well, when we were in the city with Jiexue, Jinora and Ikki, many stores turned us down. After the third shop refused to serve us even after we offered a bribe, Huifan used her lavabending to threaten to burn down the establishment. Mama, she was mean, like a thug or a bully that day. I'd never seen her use her bending against an innocent civilian. She had no right even if the shopkeeper was discriminating against us—"

"You are absolutely right, Xiaoyi, and I will be sure to talk about this with her. In the meantime, though, I think it might be helpful for you to understand a little bit about why this might be happening."

Xiaoyu nodded.

"None of this justifies her actions and nothing can make what she did okay, but it may explain part of it, at least. You were certainly too young to remember, maybe a year old when the White Lotus came to separate us. Huifan tried to fight them to stay with Daddy, but they deflected her childish attempts effortlessly. They did manage to hurt her heavily though, with their words. One Grand Lotus, told her she was not needed in the world and that, essentially, her birth, her existence was unnecessary and that she was just a waste of everybody's time and energy. She was just one in among a million other earthbenders no better than any of the rest. At the time, there was only one airbender,"

"Daddy,"

"Yes, and because all three of my bending children were earthbenders, the White Lotus thought there might be something wrong with me. That I could only make Little earth babies. You're lucky. You're special, Xiaoyu. You were born an airbender. For a while, I could tell. Huifan would give anything to be an airbender or even a nonbender because being a nonebender would fool the White Lotus' belief that I could only have earth babies.

"My guess is that Huifan is mean like that sometimes because deep inside, she still feels worthless and unneeded. She is trying to prove that she is not just one in a million. I don't think you realize just how lucky you are to be born an airbender, Xiaoyu. Your existence gives so many people around the world hope while hers makes most people feel absolutely nothing. That's why she prices herself on being the greatest earthbender in the world and being a master of every sub element. She can bend platinum like nobody else. She can bend lava like one other. She can bend the iron in one's blood. She is trying desperately to prove to herself and others that she is special. She is not just one among a million and she is still worth something." Lin finished. Xiaoyu still looked down at the floor and Lin hugged her tighter. "I am not saying you should pity her or let her push around innocent people in the City, but maybe now, you can understand her a little bit more."

"Thank you, Mama for sharing." Xiaoyu said leaning on her mother's shoulder, inhaling her scent and relaxing immediately.


"So," Tenzin said as they walked around the peaceful, quiet south side of the island. "How are you feeling?"

"Just... a little overwhelmed, I guess."

"You know, you really don't have to help out with the wedding. I know it's a lot of work, and I know train stations are more your forte than floral decorations," Tenzin said in a poor attempt to make a joke when Baatar really wasn't feeling up for anything.

"Hey, sorry. That wasn't right. Can we start over? Look, Baatar, we're going to be brothers soon, and I really, want to help you. The last couple of times I've seen you, you've never been this... quiet. Is everything okay with Suyin?"

"Yeah... everything's great,— no. You know what? It's not. It is not because everything is changing and I just don't know what to think!" Baatar confessed finally, sitting down, taking off his glasses to rub his eyes and run his fingers through his getting hair. "We haven't been home in nearly six months, we haven't slept in anyone place more than a week!

"You know, out life was great in Zaofu, it was quiet and sweet. I built train stations and tramways and high rises day after day. It was EASY! Now all I get to do is follow Suyin all over the Earth Kingdom and watch her do her 'duty' to her kingdom. I should be proud of her. She's happy, we're setting up for a wedding... she gets to see her friends again regularly, she has her sister in her life and now a brother, apparently, but I just feel so useless in this wave of change...

"At Wu's disastrous coronation, Suyin sat in the stands while I was not even permitted in the ceremony. You, Izumi, Lin, you all stood on the stage with that baffoon Prince. You guys ruled the world. Now Suyin is also on that stage. Now she's the Earth Queen and I'm still... nothing..."

"That's not true. You're everything to Su,"

"How do you know. You don't know her like I do,"

"I know this, if it weren't for you, she'd probably still be passed out cold on some pirate ship after a night of senseless debauchery. You inspired her. I read that letter when she invited us to your wedding. The invitation was accompanied by a novel, my friend, and the entire thing was about you and how much you meant to her. You made Suyin the good person that the people of the Earth Kingdom trust to create the infrastructure for their election. You tamed the fearsome sabermoose lion in that woman. You have every right to stand on that stage with your wife and Izumi, and Lin and Me. You are not nothing, Baatar. You are very important and anyone who can read the paper can see that. Don't be intimidated by anyone here. Trust me, everyone's bark is much bigger than their bite during peacetime. Now should you attempt to kill one member of this pack, then that is a whole new story." Tenzin said elbowing Baatar lightly.

Baatar turned to Tenzin. "You really think so?"

"I know so!"


HI GUYS! Soooo sorry for the hella long wait. I had a horrible case of writer's block and just didn't know what to do with any of my current works. I hope this chapter is good enough to make up for the hiatus. I was trying to give some of the side characters from Lives Forgotten more attention, personality development, and back stories.

Anyways, I really need your help, dear readers. Please please please leave feedback and/or requests for this? Do you ship any of my OCs with any cannon characters yet? Is there more of any character or relationship (not necessarily a ship but like... I don't know, Bumi and Kang...) that you would like to see? Please let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading ! :)