Anraq hummed a pleasant tune the entire time he spent cooking in the kitchen, his smile never leaving his face. Kanna sat patiently at the center table with her chin resting in her hands, legs kicking back and forth in the air beneath her. She focused intently on the pot of boiling stew her father was preparing, a hungry gleam in her eye. A few minutes longer, and lunch would be ready.

Azula stood in the doorway with her arms folded, watching them with a smile. Father and daughter, together again after so long. There was a certain simplicity and joy in the way those two interacted. The way he joked with her, the ridiculous faces he made to get her to laugh, the way he ruffled her hair, and booped her nose. Azula's heart warmed. She might not be great with kids, but Annie was born to be a father. He really was perfect at this.

"There we go," Anraq said, as he slid a steaming bowl of food towards his daughter. Seconds later, he added a small plate of sandwiches with the crust cut off the bread. "One bowl of sea prune stew, and a side of cucumber sandwiches with no crust."

"Awesome! Thanks, Daddy!" Kanna wasted no time digging in, plopping a big spoonful of the stew into her mouth. "Mmm... Phis ish rlly gurd."

Anraq's smile widened. "Thanks, Sweet Pea, but try not to talk with your mouth full."

Kanna took a moment to chew and swallow her bite. "Sorry."

"It's okay," he said, giving the girl a gentle kiss on the top of the head. "Just eat up. You must be starving."

While Kanna chowed down on her lunch, Anraq returned to the counter to clean up the mess he'd made cooking. Azula pushed her way out of the doorway and approached him, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind. He smirked, and looked over his shoulder to kiss her before returning focus on the mess he had to clean.

Azula breathed deep, glancing over at Kanna. "I suppose she is a cute kid. Not sure how I feel about this whole mother thing, though. I'm really not good with kids."

"Hey, you'll do great," he assured. "You're willing to try, and that's what matters. Besides, she seems to like you so far."

"Yes, well..." Azula watched the girl with a quiet sigh. "I guess I kind of like her, too."

Anraq turned to her, a wide grin slowly curling across his face. "You're smiling."

"Oh, am I?" She cleared her throat, straightening herself in an attempt to regain her composure and act casual. For all the good it did. No hiding anything from Annie. "Hmph, well... I suppose I am."

With a small chuckle, Anraq placed his dirty dishes in the sink. "I still haven't thanked you yet for this. I... I don't even know how to. What you've given to me here, I..." He looked to his daughter, watching her eat. His smile returned, stronger than ever. "I can't ever repay you for this."

Azula gazed into his eyes, and her heart lifted. There it was. That spark, the same one from the photograph. The one she had yet to see from him herself. That real, true, happy spark she had wanted to give him once again. It had returned to him, and seeing it now flooded her chest with a calming warmth not even her own bending could give her. With a gentle smile, she leaned close to him and whispered, "You already have, Annie."

"Thank you. So much." Anraq turned to her, meeting her gaze with that loving spark. He leaned closer, and pressed their lips together in a deep, passionate kiss.

An over dramatic groan of disgust emanated from the three-year-old at the table. "Ewwww, you guys are kissing. Groooss."

"Oh, well excuse us," Anraq said, pulling away with a mock bow of apology. "We didn't mean to gross you out. Should we get a room?"

"Well if you're gonna do stuff like that," she insisted, as she stuffed a big bite of her sandwich into her mouth.

Azula smirked at the two of them, lifting a hand to her chin in thought. "Kanna, have you ever seen a beach before?"

After swallowing her bite, Kanna shook her head. "Ummm, nope."

"Then finish up your lunch and we'll take you. I think you'll enjoy it."


Thirty minutes later, they made their way to the beach near the bottom of the hill, all three of them dressed in swimsuits they had salvaged from the attic. Kanna wore one of Izumi's old suits, a simple red one-piece with a little skirt attachment around the waist. As they arrived on the beach, she wandered close to the edge of the water and stared out at the sea of blue before her.

"Wooow, it's so biiiig." Kanna's eyes widened in amazement. While she had seen the ocean before, South Pole waters were cluttered, filled with large icebergs. The ocean here was empty, open, and expansive. "We can swim in that?"

"That's right," Anraq said, giving her a gentle pat on the shoulder.

"But I dunno how to swim. Can you teach me?"

"Of course, Sweet Pea, we'll get there. First, how about we let our food digest for a while and build some sand castles?"

Kanna turned a quizzical gaze up to her father. "What's a sand castle?"

Anraq glanced towards Azula, who carried a pair of buckets and small hand-shovels. "Why don't we let Azula show you?"

"What?" Azula blinked, looking down at the beach supplies in her hands. Annie just had to put her on the spot, didn't he? Fine, if that's how he wanted to play it. How hard could it be? Getting down on her knees, she began filling one of the pails with wet sand. "Okay, well it's actually quite simple. Just fill the bucket with wet sand, pack it in nice and tight, flip it upside down like so, and..."

Once she filled the bucket, she flipped it upside down and plopped it against the ground. With a few wiggles, she lifted the pail off the sand to reveal a standing sand castle. A sand castle that promptly crumbled to pieces seconds later.

Kanna frowned, staring down at the pile of crumbled sand. "It fell apart."

"Wait, that wasn't supposed to happen," Azula muttered, giving the sand a critical glare. "Maybe I need more water." She quickly refilled the bucket and made another attempt at creating a castle. Exactly the same as before, the sand crumpled into a useless pile. "Oh come on! Why isn't this working?"

"How about you try, Kanna?" Anraq passed over the other pail to her. "Maybe you have the magic touch."

Kanna took the bucket and filled it to the top with wet sand, mimicking what Azula had showed her. She sat down, flipped it over, and with a few gentle wiggles lifted it up again. The sand she left behind remained standing tall in the form of a perfectly shaped castle. Kanna broke out with an excited grin, pointing at the sand castle. "I did it! Daddy, Daddy, look! I did it!"

Anraq chuckled, giving his daughter a congratulatory applause. "Very good, Sweet Pea."

"Wait, what?" Azula got down on her hands and knees, and leaned closer to the girl's castle to study it. "How on earth did you do that? Why isn't yours crumbling like mine?"

Kanna giggled and raised her hands. "Magic touch!"

"That's it, I am going to get this right if it's the last thing I do." Azula continued her attempts at forming a sand castle. One by one, they inexplicably crumbled, unable to hold together. In spite of her failures, each new attempt came closer to getting it right. Nearly a dozen tries later, she managed to create a sand castle that remained standing, aside from a few crumbling pieces around the base. With a victorious grin, she turned to the others. "Ha! You see? I told you I could—"

Anraq guided his arms through the air to bend the water in the sand. By starting with much more water than necessary, he was able to form the sand into desired shapes. Once satisfied, he removed enough water so the sand would remain standing. Within a few short moments, he turned Kanna's little castle into a veritable fortress.

"Are you kidding me?" Azula groaned, throwing her hands up in disbelief.

"Ours is bigger!" Kanna announced, with a delighted giggle.

Anraq offered a reassuring smile. "Yours is nice too."

"Oh don't patronize me," Azula muttered, pointing a finger back at her own sand castle. Bright blue flames jetted out of her fingertip and engulfed the castle. When they dispersed, the sand left behind in its wake had turned to glass. "Stupid sand."

"Oooh." Kanna stared at her with wide eyes. "Your fire is so pretty."

Azula raised an eyebrow, glancing back at the girl. "You think so?"

"Uh huh! Can I see it again?"

Azula considered the request with a contemplative grin. Holding out her hands, she cupped her palms together and ignited a small blue flame in the center of her grasp. The flame transformed in a series of different shapes. A diamond, a sphere, a pyramid, even a running ostrich horse, all of them captivating the young girl's attention.

Kanna giggled, and clapped her hands together. "That is sooo cool!"

"Yes," Azula replied, growing a pleased grin across her face. "Yes, I suppose it is, isn't it?"


Some time after they had had their fill of building sand castles, they finally led Kanna into the ocean. They started slow, giving the young girl a few simple swimming lessons with a pair of inflatable floaties wrapped around her arms. She took to those lessons like the natural born Water Tribe girl she was. From the moment she entered the water, she began splashing about with careful guidance from her father, fearless and eager. Mr. Quackers joined them, floating alongside with encouraging chortles.

After swimming lessons, Anraq brought down a surf board from the beach house. The three of them all climbed aboard, Anraq in the front, and Azula at the back. Kanna stood between them, her arms wrapped around her father's neck to hang on. Water churned beneath the board, as Anraq used his bending to propel them along at a steady pace. Every now and then, they'd hit a wave and bounce into the air, landing with a splash to continue their journey.

"This is fun!" Kanna said, with an excited laugh.

"You know what would make it more fun?" Azula said, giving the girl a mischievous grin. "If we were going faster."

Kanna's eyes lit up. "Yeah! Can we go faster, Daddy?"

Anraq considered the suggestion momentarily, and gave in with a simple nod. He swung his arms forward, causing the water beneath them to slightly speed up. "Alright, but not too much."

"Oh come on, Annie, that's child's play," Azula said, with a disappointed sigh. "Let me handle this."

Azula cracked her knuckles, and pointed her arms backwards with her palms open wide. A pair of large fire streams ignited behind her, propelling the surf board with a sudden burst of speed. They tore across the surface of the water like a streaking torpedo, nearly twice as fast as they'd been traveling previously. Kanna laughed with delight, which only spurred Azula on faster, a wide grin spreading across her face. Anraq screamed, and hung on for dear life.

"This is awesome!" Kanna yelled.

"Too fast!" Anraq shouted."Too fast!"

Seconds later, the board struck a wave at an awkward angle and flipped over, sending all three of them splashing into the water. They briefly disappeared beneath the surface, only to reemerge as the wave washed them back to shore. Anraq crawled on his hands and knees, hacking and coughing to get his breath back, while Azula flipped up to her feet and started wringing out her wet hair. Kanna floated in on her back, held aloft by the floaties on her arms.

"Let's do that again!" she insisted, caught in a fit of giggling.

"No, no," Anraq uttered, as he flopped onto the sand. "I think that's enough of that for now."

Azula smirked, holding an arm down to help him up. "Now I really think I'm starting to like her."


Following their beach adventure, Anraq insisted that they all dress up and head into town. An odd request, certainly. He claimed he only wanted to walk around and see the sights, but why would they need to dress in formal wear for that? While Azula did enjoy looking her best, a simple stroll through town was hardly worth the effort. Nonetheless, she dressed herself in a neat red and gold tunic with a high collar, combined with a black undershirt and leggings. Rather than the simple topknot she normally wore, she instead tied her hair up in a half-knot style, with the rest of her hair flowing free down her shoulders.

Anraq remained dressed in Water Tribe blue, but had taken to wearing a more formal suit and coat combination, rather than his casual tribal tunic. His hair stayed the same, tied back in his traditional wolf tail style, although he appeared to have at least combed it straight for the occasion. How strange. He hadn't combed his hair since his time serving as her bodyguard. Kanna, meanwhile, wore her normal casual clothes, a simple blue tunic and leggings. She didn't have a complete wardrobe yet, but they could always fix that later. Right now, Anraq hurried them out the door to make the trip into town.

"Really, Annie, what's going on?" Azula asked, as he pulled her by the hand down the street. A row of buildings lined either side, each with a series of glowing paper lanterns hanging from their sloped eaves.

"You'll see in a second, just trust me." Anraq pulled her around the corner and made his way towards a small building next to a noodle stand. A sign hung out front of the shop, depicting the image of a large camera. "Right here."

Azula stared up at the building, raising her eyebrow. "A photographer?"

"Yeah," he said, with an encouraging grin. "You did say I needed a new picture, right? Now's as good a time as any."

She paused, glancing towards Kanna. The young girl sat atop her father's shoulders, watching with wonder at all the passing townsfolk around her. "And... you want me in it with the two of you?"

"Of course I do." Anraq tightened his grip, lacing their fingers together. "Kanna and I may have always been a family, but you're a part of that family now too. That means you belong with us in this picture. I mean, you did say you'd try to be a mother to her, right?"

"W-well yes, but..." Azula swallowed, instinctively squeezing her fingers back against his in return. "I suppose saying it and actually doing it are two different things. Having a family of my own like this... I'm still not used to it."

Anraq leaned closer and gave her a gentle kiss. "You'll get used to it. Now come on, let's get ourselves a family portrait."


The photographer was a kind old man with a bushy mustache and a twinkle in his eye. He met with them briefly to discuss the details of how they wanted their portrait shot, eventually deciding to take it out front of the beach house. While Anraq hadn't wanted to take the man too far out of his way, the photographer had insisted. Shooting at a location with real meaning would make for a better result, after all. No sense in taking a picture in a stuffy booth, when they could take it at their home.

"Alright, you stand here like this," the photographer said, moving Azula to the right side. He ushered Anraq to come forward, pointing to the left. "You stand next to her there and put your arm around her, show some affection." Anraq obeyed, standing straight next to his girlfriend and wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Like that, good. Have the little one crawl up on this here seat, get her up in view." He took a moment to move a small pedestal into the foreground, so Kanna could stand level in the middle of the shot.

Kanna reached her arms up to her father with a smile. "Lift me up, Daddy."

"I gotcha, Sweet Pea." Anraq returned the smile and pulled her up so she could stand atop the pedestal. When she was in place, Kanna held her arms behind her back and smiled at the camera.

"There we go, good." The old man shuffled behind the camera and peered through the lens with a warm smile. "This will make for a fantastic portrait, if I do say so myself. Everyone ready? Smile and say spirits!"

"Spirits!" the three of them said together.

The photographer took several shots, giving them all a wave when he was done so they could break the pose. "Alright, that's great. I'll have my assistant print it out and frame it for you, and get you some copies. Should be ready in a few hours, so you can come by later and pick it up."

"That's great, thank you," Anraq said, handing over a small bundle of yuans for payment. After bidding the man a goodbye, he looked back at the other two. "Okay, let's look around town a little more, see what we can find."


As they made their way through the center of town, Anraq noticed a striking poster pinned to a bulletin board. He stopped a moment to give a closer look at the image on the poster. Azula stood front and center against the backdrop of a larger cast of characters. Or rather, an actress dressed as Azula. He offered an intrigued hum, and gestured towards the poster. "Hey, Azula, check this out. What do you make of it?"

Azula squinted curiously at the poster, and at the actress dressed as her. Other actors stood in various poses in the background, dressed as other characters. She recognized Kuvira, the Avatar, someone she assumed must be Anraq, and others familiar to her. Recognition tore through her seconds later, lifting her brow in surprise. "The Ember Island Players? Huh. Can't believe they're still in business after all these years. They're a theater group. My parents used to take Zuzu and I to visit them every year when we were little."

"Hmm..." Anraq narrowed his eyes and leaned closer to read the title at the bottom. "'The Ember Island Players now present The Rise and Fall of the Dragon Empire'. Go figure. That didn't take long."

Kanna stared up at the poster with her mouth hanging partially open. She tugged on Azula's sleeve and pointed at the actress in the center. "Hey, Mommy, that looks like you!"

Azula faltered, a sharp pulse jolting through her chest. She turned a slow look back at the girl, words lost to her. Kanna had called her... Had she heard that right? She tried to suck in a deep breath, only for it to choke in her throat with a knotted coil. Granted, she had said she would try to be a mother to Kanna, but to hear this child refer to her as such so casually should have frightened her. Should have sent her mind racing with self-doubt and uncertainty. So why did she feel none of those things? Instead, warmth. Peace. Reassurance. Was that... happiness?

"Yes," she said, with a subtle smile, "I suppose it does."

"From this description, it sounds like you're the lead part," Anraq said. "The whole third act is about your infiltration of the Fire Nation and defeating Yula."

"That sounds suuuuper awesome," Kanna said. "Can we see it? Can we?"

Anraq hummed with intrigue. "Well, looks like it starts in about ten minutes. Should we buy some tickets?"

Kanna grinned. "Yeah!"


The play finished three hours later. The three of them exited the theater with Kanna in the middle, Anraq and Azula on either side of her holding onto one of her hands. Every few paces, Kanna pulled with her arms to lift herself into the air and swing back and forth.

"That play was sooo awesome," Kanna said, looking up at Azula with a giggle. "I liked the part with the big battle, and when you were flying on the dragon, and then when you beat the bad empress and saved everyone! Did all that really happen?"

"More or less," she replied, with a small shrug. "Some of the details were a little... off."

"You mean like the part where Yula literally turned into a dragon?" Anraq said, with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I was going to say they couldn't even get something as simple as Druk's scale color right—honestly, he's red, not blue—but yes, that too. And my portrayal? Ugh." Azula rolled her eyes with disgust. "Since when have I ever been that sickeningly goody-goody? You'd think I was the embodiment of kindness or something."

"At least you did something in the play," Anraq muttered. "You'd think I spent the entire war unconscious. I did things!"

Kanna pulled herself up again to swing back and forth. "Well, I liked it!"

"So did I, Sweet Pea," Anraq said, with a soft chuckle. "And hey, at least the effects were decent."

"I suppose that is something," Azula sighed. "Anyway, we should probably go see if our portrait is ready."


"Here you are," the photographer said, carrying out the large framed portrait. "What do you think?"

Anraq took the portrait and gave it a long, close look, a pleasant grin spreading wide across his face. The quality was remarkable, especially for the price he had paid. "It's perfect, thank you."

"And your copies." The photographer handed over a smaller folder filled with a stack of duplicates. "As you requested."

"Thanks so much," Anraq said, as he flipped through the folder. "Man, wait until everyone sees this. My parents are going to lose their minds."

"Mommy, you look really pretty," Kanna said, as she stared at the picture.

"What?" Azula blinked at her, once again caught off guard by being referred to as 'Mommy'. Undoubtedly, that would take some getting used to. "Yes, um, thank you."

The photographer smiled, offering an encouraging nod. "You know, you two have a wonderful daughter. Special girl, she is."

"Oh, no, she's not—" Azula stopped herself before she could correct the man. What would be the point? Besides, she was Kanna's mother now. In a way, at least, whether by birth or not. While not a role she had ever expected to find herself in, she would try her damnedest to get it right. "I mean, yes, thank you. She really is."


They didn't find their way back to the beach house until well after midnight. In spite of Kanna's insistence that she wasn't tired, Anraq had to carry her the rest of the way back from town, leaving Azula to carry the portrait. Somehow, the young girl managed to drag herself to the bathroom to get cleaned up before finally making her way into one of the bedrooms to sleep. Even then, Anraq had to help her beneath the covers. Azula hung back, watching them from the doorway.

"You know, for someone who didn't want to go to bed, you sure look sleepy to me," Anraq said, giving his daughter a smirk.

"Nuh uh," she said, shaking her head. "I'm not t-t-tiiiiiii—" Her words cut out in the midst of a lengthy yawn, prompting her to rub her eyes and settle her head down on the pillow.

"Just get some sleep, Sweet Pea." Anraq leaned down to give her a kiss on the forehead. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Wait, wait!" Kanna bolted upright again. "You gotta sing the song!"

Anraq smiled brightly, reaching out to gently brush back Kanna's bangs out of her face. "Glad to."

With a deep breath, he fell deep into that familiar song. That beautiful, wonderful song. Not with sorrow or mourning this time. Not with a somber air. Lyrics poured out rich and joyful, singing with a happiness he hadn't been able to harness since the last time he sang to her like this, so long ago. "Leaves from the vine / Falling so slow / Like fragile, tiny shells / Drifting in the foam / Little soldier girl / Came marching home / Brave soldier girl / Came marching home."

Kanna uttered a gentle sigh, setting her head back on the pillow with her eyes closed. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Kanna," he replied, leaning down to give her forehead another kiss. "So much."


Anraq stood with Azula at the center of their bedroom, staring up at the portrait now hanging above their bed. "You were right, I did need a new one. It's perfect. This entire day..." He breathed deep, wrapping his arm around her waist. "I keep thinking that maybe this is just a dream. That I'll wake up from it at any moment and it'll all be over. If it is a dream, I don't ever want to wake up. I don't want it to be over."

Azula rested her head against his shoulder. "It's not a dream, Annie. I promise you that."

He chuckled, tightening his grip around her hips. "Care to pinch me, just to be sure?"

"How about I do something a little more than pinching?" she suggested, as her hands worked their way into the front of his pants.

A soft gasp eased out of Anraq's throat, as Azula's fingers found what they were looking for. "Oh, well... I suppose there will be some scratching, then. And biting."

She widened a mischievous grin across her face. "Don't pretend like you don't enjoy it."

"Mmm..." He leaned closer, returning the grin. "Never said I didn't."