The Final Chapter: Avatar Sen
Hanjo changed his seating position just one more time. He looked good, but he had to look better for the camera. A few lights came on, and a signal was given, and the broadcast began.
"Good morning Republic City, and the world, I'm Shinji Shinobi," The host said exuberantly. "Joining me today is one of our most exciting guests ever, Hanjo, teammate and best friend of Avatar Sen!"
"Hello, world," Hanjo said with a wave at the camera. Shinji turned to Hanjo excitedly.
"So, Hanjo, this marks the first public interview from a Team Avatar member since Sen's return just a few weeks ago. Where have you all been, what have you been up to, why are you reaching out to us now?"
"Well, I've always been bigger on the whole fame and fortune part of being Team Avatar," Hanjo said. That drew a few laughs from the audience, as he had hoped.
"And, well, as far as where everyone else it, it's not like we're avoiding anyone," Hanjo said. "We just…"
He rested his head in his hands contemplatively for a moment. He really should've been given a script for this.
"We have our own lives to live, you know? For the past couple years, we've all been devoting ourselves to saving the things and people we care about, and now…they're saved. We want a little time to appreciate all the things we fought for. And we all have different things we wanted."
Their duty had not quite ended at Sen's return. There had been a storm of activity. Parties, at first, celebrations of life. The Coalition had been officially disbanded and worldwide peace was declared, Princess Mika had been crowned the new Fire Lord, Yoki and Suda had been married. After that, somber remembrances had followed, with Goto and the other fallen heroes being memorialized. And after the sadness there had come a slow but steady sense of normality. The battle was over. The good guys had won. Life went on.
"And what is that you're devoting yourself to, now that the fight is won?" Shinji asked. Hanjo dragged himself out of his memories and focused on the present, and then the future.
"Well, frankly, I haven't entirely made up my mind, for the far future," Hanjo said. "I know that there's a lot of work to do in Hua-Long province, and the Earth Kingdom in general for that matter."
Hanjo rested his hand on his chin and smiled slightly. That did seem like a plan.
"In general, I think," Hanjo continued. "It's about time we made the world a better place."
"Most people would say you already have," Shinji noted.
"Ehh, I wouldn't say so."
Hanjo gestured oddly with his hands and explained his point of view.
"You see, the thing about saving the world, no matter what it's from, is that, generally speaking, you're just keeping it from getting worse," Hanjo explained. "We got rid of a problem, yeah, but now we've just put the world back to the way it was before that problem was there."
Shinji nodded towards the camera. Hanjo continued.
"We have, all of us, all my friends, been fighting. We destroyed something bad," Hanjo said. "But we can do so much more than that. These people, that I was lucky enough to be part of a team with, they are so much more than their powers, their bending, their swords. They are so…they're funny, and caring, and intelligent, and hopeful."
He looked out at the world with a bright smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye.
"I know that we can do so much more," Hanjo said. "We can make this world so much better. Each of us alone…or all of us together."
Hanjo took a deep breath. He was on the edge of crying, and he was not about to do that. The whole world was watching.
"But that's all in the far future," Hanjo said, changing the subject. "In the near future, well…I have somewhere to be."
The streets of Zaofu were darker than they had been before. The shining pillars of the city had dulled, the electric lights had gone out.
The financial crisis that had hit the Earth Kingdom after Ko Rin's ousting had hit Zaofu the hardest. The city had changed overnight. It had been robbed of its beating heart of industry, and stood hollow and lifeless in the absence. Ada felt a pang of guilt, but knew it would pass. Ko Rin's treachery had done this, not her.
Despite all the change in this city, it was still her home. She stood on the front porch of her home, bathed in a familiar light, and held Canto's hand. She looked at the young boy who'd been so patient with her, in years of her absence, and still loved her.
"You know, I remember having our first kiss here," Canto said idly. They could walk through the door any time they wanted, but they lingered a bit.
"So do I," Ada said. It was one of the memories that made Zaofu still feel like home, despite the chaos and confusion she had been through. She leaned in close to Canto's face and whispered to him.
"You're the numbers man," She said playfully. "How many does this make?"
She kissed him gently, briefly, before pulling her face away to stare warmly at him.
"Never could keep track," Canto said. "They're all just as exciting as the first."
Ada blushed and turned away. Hand in hand they stepped inside. The sound of their entrance alerted Ada's father quickly.
"Ada, you're home!" He shouted excitedly. "Good timing! Some of your friends are waiting for you."
"I didn't think I had any friends left in Zaofu," Ada said as she walked through the halls. Her actions ousting Ko Rin and ruining Zaofu in the process had alienated all but her closest loved ones.
"Well, we aren't from around here," A familiar voice said. Ada's eyes narrowed curiously as she rounded the corner into the living room.
"Tomoe?"
Ada's one-eyed doppelganger from the Bac Ria orphans was sitting in her living room. She was sat right next to a portrait photo of Ada, making their resemblance even more uncannily clear. Canto looked between his lover and her apparent twin with confusion.
Sitting next to the sword-obsessed orphan was a morose-looking Kunik, clutching a long, narrow package wrapped in paper. He stood and bowed at Ada's entrance, still clutching his mysterious parcel.
"Hello, Ada," He said blankly.
"Kunik," She said sadly. "I'm sorry. About Yakkul, I mean-"
"I know," Kunik interrupted. There was just a slight quiver in his voice, to show he was almost –but not quite- done mourning his beloved master. Ada stepped forward and hugged him warmly. She missed Yakkul's playful energy as well, though the loss did not strike her quite as deeply as it did Kunik.
"You were always his favorite student," Ada said.
"Thank you," Kunik said with a barely audible sob. He pulled away and took a deep breath, calming himself by gripping the narrow parcel he held.
"But I was never his best," Kunik said sadly. "That was you. And I think…I technically inherited his- He bought this, but he never had the chance to collect it, because…"
Kunik stopped himself and held out the package he held towards Ada, placing it in her hands.
"I think this should belong to you," He said firmly.
Ada began to unwrap the paper, though she already suspected what it was. To stave off bankruptcy, Zaofu had been auctioning off valuable items, heirlooms, and museum pieces. There was only one thing a man like Yakkul might have been interested in.
The paper fell away at last, and Ada held in her hands the black sword once wielded by Sokka. She gently ran her fingers along the handle, the White Lotus emblem on the hilt, and then unsheathed the blade by a fraction, exposing the black meteorite iron.
It was a symbol of the lineage of sword masters Ada had always hoped to inherit, but for Ada personally it was so much more. This blade had, albeit indirectly, changed her life. It had just been an idle fancy, a brief detour to see an old relic, that had led to her crossing paths with the Avatar. It had been on their mutual path to see this ancient sword that Sen and Ada had first met, and Ada's life had changed forever.
She smiled softly at her own reflection in the black blade as she thought of all she had gained. All the adventures she'd had, all the skills she'd learned, all the friends she'd made…such a small thing had been the root of it all.
She replaced the blade and looked back to Kunik and Tomoe, nodding thankfully.
"Thank you," She said warmly. "This means…more to me than you could ever know."
Kunik and Tomoe shared a look.
"It…Doesn't necessarily come free," Tomoe said awkwardly.
"As I said, I inherited Yakkul's estate, his school…and his students," Kunik said, nodding to Tomoe. "But I'm not exactly equipped, or trained, to handle that kind of burden."
"There's a lot of people out there who need some lessons, Ada," Tomoe said. "But there's only one master."
Yakkul, Sorikami, Rahm, Ko Rin –they were all gone. There was only one great master left in the world. Realization slowly dawned on Ada. She looked at the sword held in her hands. It was a symbol of a lineage that went back to Piandao, the first great master of the sword. A lineage that was now entirely in Ada's hands.
"I…Don't know what to say," Ada said quietly.
"I'd recommend 'yes'," Tomoe suggested. Kunik elbowed her in the ribs. This was a time to be a little sensitive.
Ada had never been one for sensitivity, though. She was a woman of action.
"I'll do it," She said firmly, taking a strong grip of the sword she carried. She nearly put the blade in her belt alongside her other swords, but thought better of it. It was made of meteorite iron, an easily bendable material, hardly of any use in the modern age of metalbending. It was a stronger symbol than it was a weapon.
All of her experiences had taught her to temper her energy with caution. She loosened her grip on the blade slightly, treating it as a museum piece should be treated, and continued.
"But I'll need some time to think," She said. "I need to approach this the right way. I've never thought about teaching before."
She had learned much, but never thought about how to teach another in turn. It would be a new experience for her, but an illuminating one. She was excited to see what the future held for Master Ada. But first, she had other concerns.
"It might be a while," She said. "We have somewhere to be."
The room was dark, quiet, and restful. There had been quite a bit of screaming and yelling here earlier, but things had quieted down. The lights were dim and the screaming had been replaced by an exhausted sleep for both parties.
As the only who'd done none of the screaming, Suda was far more alert than the others. He couldn't imagine closing his eyes with such a precious face before him.
She was so small, so incredible, so beautiful in ways he couldn't find words to describe. He ever so gently brushed a fingertip across her cheek as she slept, careful not to disturb her rest.
"Hana," he said quietly. His daughter. She hadn't even opened her eyes, hadn't existed for more than a few hours, and yet Suda loved her more than he had ever loved another. She was such a tiny thing, and only seemed smaller compared to Suda's massive frame, and yet she filled his heart to bursting with a love he could not even begin to express. Suda held his daughter gently yet firmly to him, wishing to himself that he might never have to let her go. There were tears in his eyes as he whispered words to her that she would never understand.
"You're a pretty lucky girl, Hana," he began. "You're going to have a good life."
He did not pull his eyes away from his darling, precious Hana for even a moment, but he did allow some space in his mind for other parts of the world.
"Thanks to your mom and your…uncle," Suda said. He was still having trouble with being Kaizo Uehara's brother in law. "You'll never have to worry about money. And thanks to all your other aunts and uncles, I think you're going to have one of the most exciting lives a kid could ask for. You're going to live an incredible life."
Suda looked at his daughter, at the small, incredible life he'd helped bring in to this world, and he tried to smile. It faltered slightly.
"It's not enough," He admitted quietly. "I could give you the whole world –both worlds- and it wouldn't be enough."
A few tears dripped down Suda's cheeks as he continued to whisper to the sleeping Hana.
"I will never be able to show you how much I love you," He said apologetically. "But I promise I will never stop trying. I hope that will be enough."
What had happened to Suda would never happen to his daughter. There would not be a single moment in Hana's life where she felt unloved or abandoned. He would be there for her, to guide her, to love her, whenever he was needed. He would always be her father. He promised this to her, and to himself.
"You big softy," Yoki sighed wearily.
"Oh, hi, uh, good morning," Suda said awkwardly. "You heard that?"
"Every word," Yoki said with a smile. She sighed contentedly. She didn't know what she'd done to deserve someone as wonderful as Suda. He was going to be an amazing husband and father.
"Ditto, by the way," Yoki said to her daughter. Hana remained perfectly still, unmoved by their words. She wouldn't even understand their words for another few years anyway. Yoki and Suda shared a smile.
"I love you," Suda said to Yoki. As overcome with affection as he was for Hana, his heart still belonged to Yoki. The two girls would just have to share from now on.
"Love you too darling," Yoki said wearily. "Now please, get me some water. I feel awful."
"Right, of course," Suda said. He stood, careful not to disturb Hana, and set about his duties as husband and father. "Got to get you back on your feet, after all. We've got somewhere to be."
The fog was no longer as obscuring as it had once been. Perhaps weather had thinned it. Perhaps Miyani just saw more clearly now. It didn't matter regardless. Her feet had walked these stones a thousand times, and she remembered them well.
The fog gave way to the darkness of the cavern, and she paused briefly on her course. She diverted her path slightly, heading for a chamber to the right. She had lived here for nearly a decade, spent every night and many of her waking hours here. Now it was abandoned and lifeless. The chamber stood empty, damp, and quiet.
Miyani peered behind a long-abandoned bedroll and found what she was looking for. An old hidden supply. White fabric, hidden away, sheltered from the elements, still dry and neatly wrapped. White bandages.
She had worn these every day for years, hiding herself away behind them. She had used them as a shield against pain, against the confusion of the world outside. All she had done was tie down the pain within.
Her wrist flexed slightly, and the white cloth ignited. She dropped the burning roll of fabric on to the ground and let it turn to ash behind her. She carried on, pushing aside the curtain.
Sitting on a pillar of stone, in exactly the same pose as she had last seen him, rested Hayao. His dark red robes draped over him, obscuring his form, his face ever hidden behind the white skull mask. A small circle of candles illuminated him in the darkness of the cavern.
"Miyani," his deep voice said. He sounded almost shocked to see her.
"Hayao," She said. Her voice was strange, indecisive, as if she did not know what to make of her former caretaker.
"I hardly expected to see you here again," Hayao admitted. Her time here, the care he had given her, had hardly been a positive environment.
"I didn't expect to come back," Miyani admitted in turn. She had been hoping to leave this place behind her forever. "But I've been through a few things, and I realized, I owe you as much as I do Sen."
"You do me too much credit," Hayao said defensively. "I was never ready to teach the lessons you needed to learn-"
"I know," Miyani said. "And for a long time I did resent you, for the way you treated me."
Hayao was silent, and the darkness behind his mask seemed to deepen for a time. Miyani continued.
"But you did the right thing," Miyani said. "And you did it even though it was hard, and it felt wrong. And you did it for me. You did what was best for me, even though you knew I would hate you for it."
In a sudden motion that Hayao did not expect, Miyani stepped forward, gingerly stepping past the burning candles, crossing Hayao's circle and kneeling in front of him on his rocky pedestal. The pool of clear water behind Hayao rippled slightly as Miyani knelt down.
She looked long into the white skull mask that Hayao wore, hoping perhaps to see some trace of the man beneath, but the obscuring shadows of his hood hid all. She frowned slightly, but accepted this. What he looked like, the man he was underneath, didn't matter at all. Miyani knew this firsthand. What mattered were his actions, and Hayao's actions had proven one thing beyond any shadow of a doubt.
Continuing to surprise Hayao, Miyani leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his robed form, just softly enough to avoid disturbing his meditative stance.
"Thank you for loving me," She whispered. It had been distant, near devoid of affection, but Hayao had always, in his own way, loved Miyani. Perhaps even he didn't understand that, but Miyani did. She held him close, only wishing she could have understood sooner.
For a brief moment, only a fraction of a second, Miyani thought she felt robed arms wrap around her in kind. She pulled away in surprise, looked at Hayao, and saw him sitting exactly as he ever had, unmoved. Miyani backed away slowly, stumbling past the pools of wax on the floor. Perhaps it had only been a trick of the mind. Hayao's body had not moved, but something inside had.
"Miyani, I have meditated for many decades," He said. "All this time I have been hoping to find true peace. But what you have said…You have done more for me in this moment than a thousand lifetimes of meditation ever could. Thank you."
Miyani averted her eyes and wiped away a few shallow tears. She took a deep breath, calmed herself, and managed to crack a smile.
"Does this mean you can get off the rock now?"
Somehow, without even putting the slightest shake in his robed body, Hayao managed to laugh. It was a warm, boisterous laugh, loud and hearty. Miyani found it infectious, and she laughed in turn. The two laughed together as Miyani sat down, and their raucous laughter echoed throughout the cavern and across the fog covered island.
Eventually, after Miyani's gut started to hurt from laughing too much, their laughter mutually faded, and silence returned to the cavern for a moment before Hayao spoke again.
"No," He said quite firmly.
"I should have seen that coming," Miyani said, shaking her head with a smile.
"We all have our paths to follow, Miyani," He said. "Mine is quiet meditation. Yours is far different."
"I'm making a pretty good career in children's toys," Miyani said. She had partnered with Pak Raisu and his plastic manufactory to produce her long-considered idea for toy blocks. They were quickly becoming some of the most popular children's toys on the market, which was allowing Raisu Province to make a swift economic recovery –and making Miyani a very rich woman. Many found it odd that a combustion bender had produced such a beloved children's toy.
"I am happy for you, Miyani, but that is perhaps a bit literal," Hayao said. "I was speaking in much broader terms."
"I know," Miyani said. "You're meant to stay here, and be disconnected from the world."
Miyani stood, squared her shoulders, and planted her hands on her hips. Her eyes drifted past Hayao as she thought of the outside world.
"I'm meant to be a part of the world. Despite what some people say, I'm no monster. I'm no different than other people. I have to connect, to learn, to grow. I need companionship, I need friends, I need love."
"You can find much of that here on the island," Hayao said pointedly. "But perhaps not so much as you desire. But if not here, where?"
"I have a few ideas," Miyani said slyly. "I have somewhere to be."
There was no shortage of open road to be found in the Earth Kingdom. Vast stretches of terrain spread out in every direction, holding flat valleys, rolling hills, canyons, mountains, swamps and deserts. One could spend a lifetime travelling and never see it all. That wouldn't stop Whistler from trying.
The wheels of the motorcycle she had liberated from the Coalition kicked up clouds of dirt as she went off road. Whistler had her eye on a certain spot that held great potential.
She was briefly tempted to play chicken with the cliffside, but decided to brake before she sent her motorcycle plummeting over. She could land safely, but the bike was not so easy to glide. If she lost this one she'd have to get another one, and she wouldn't be liable to get a free bike twice. She decided to hold on to this one for a while.
Whistler took her staff and a small bag of supplies off the back of the motorbike. She walked the remaining distance to the edge of the cliff and looked over it all.
The valley before her was vast and heart wrenchingly gorgeous, a spectacular panorama of all the beauty this world had to offer. Mighty trees cloaked the rolling hillsides in an evergreen cloak, painting the entire world a deep, vibrant green. Whistler sat down and enjoyed the view in silence.
She had come to appreciate views like this more and more in the time she'd been away from civilization. They made her feel right, in a way she couldn't quite put into words. She was alright with not being able to express her feelings. Nobody was around to hear her say it anyway.
She had spent the past few weeks alone, wandering aimlessly. For the past few years she had been chained to other people, bound to them by obligation. She liked Sen and the others, she truly cared about them, but at her heart Whistler was a loner. She needed to spend time on her own.
Other people aggravated her, brought out some of her worst aspects. Spending too much time in society made her feel and act worse than she was. In isolation, in constant travel, she felt free, unbound by anyone's expectations, even her own. She felt happier than she had in a long time, and she felt that this in turn would help her when she did need to get back to civilization.
Whistler lived up to her namesake and whistled a short, melodic tune, letting the gently blowing breeze carry the song away. As it echoed in the distance she was reminded of the music of the birds that flitted about the trees.
That seemed about right, and she felt she was one step closer to understanding the way she felt. She was like a bird. She could go anywhere, do anything, the world stretched out beneath her wings, offering infinite potential.
But she had to have a nest. She had the potential to go anywhere, and she wanted to test that potential, but she also needed a place to come back to. Whistler reached into her supply bag and rummaged around a bit, stopping to grab a snack, and then grab something else. A small piece of paper, with another few small scraps crudely pasted upon in and then preserved in a small plastic sheath, like a single page out of a scrapbook.
The team had never all posed for a photo together, at Whistler's obstinate insistence, but now she slightly regretted that. She'd been forced to scrounge together what she could from old newspaper headlines and war journals. It wasn't cohesive, or even particularly well-put together, but it had everyone she needed.
Sen, Miyani, Ada, Hanjo, even Ariak and Suda had found their way on to Whistler's makeshift scrapbook. She looked fondly at it. Though she needed to be away from them for a while, she did not want to forget them. It was the only sight she appreciated more than the infinite expanse of the world spread out before her. More so than all the places she could go, she cared about the one place she really belonged.
Her longing for her old friends briefly sated, she put the collection of photographs away, making sure to hide it carefully. Partly to keep it safe, and partly because she never wanted anyone to find it. She didn't need anyone thinking she was sentimental.
Whistler stood up, stashed her supplies safely, and stretched her legs. She took another scan of the horizon stretched out before her, and memorized the cliff around her so she could find her way back.
She had one other thing in common with birds. She needed to fly.
Kicking off for a running start, Whistler dove for the cliffs and leapt free, glider at the ready. She caught the wind and soared, racing out over the vast expanse of nature below her. The sky embraced her as one of its own and carried Whistler wherever she longed to go. She closed her eyes and went nowhere in particular, enjoying the unfettered freedom of flight.
Eventually, she opened her eyes once again and set a course, twisting and turning, and eventually, setting herself back on track to return to her starting point. She couldn't stay airborne forever, as much as she wanted to.
Besides that, she needed to get moving. She had somewhere to be.
Kida sat motionless in an empty cell, staring blankly at the world laid out before her. There was not much to see. Four metal walls and a mirrored glass window that allowed her to be observed, though she could only see her own reflection in the mirrored side. She had no desire to look at herself, so she turned away from the reflective pane.
The heavily locked and barred door began to slide open. Kida didn't react. They came in every now and then to throw rice and water at her, and sneer angrily. At first they had come with heavy guards, armed to the teeth, but as weeks went on and she showed no signs of resistance, they had grown more relaxed and now only sent a single soldier.
Rather than dropping the tray on the ground and kicking it towards her as they usually did, this one walked forward and placed the tray safely by her side. She did not recognize the guard, but she could easily recognize the meal by its scent.
Mochi and green tea. Her favorite. She stared in confusion at the offered meal. Alongside it, there rested a small paperback book. The title was all too familiar. She had been reading this series for a while now. She had never expected to see how it ended.
From the other side of the mirrored glass, Ariak and Surma watched as she cautiously took a bite of the mochi, sipped the tea, and finally, cracked open the book and began to read.
"It's better than she deserves," Surma said.
"Yes, it is," Ariak said flatly. "But she has suffered worse than anyone deserves. I hope to even it out."
It had taken a lot of pull just to keep Kida away from execution, much less to earn her these small favors. But as an associate of the Avatar, the man who had saved the world, Ariak had quite a bit of pull.
"I suppose she's earned a few small indulgences," Surma reluctantly admitted. She did feel some small measure of pity for Kida. Not quite enough to bury her anger at all the bloodbender had done, but enough to admit that maybe, just maybe, she didn't deserve a spear through the chest.
"I hope you don't plan on pampering her, though," Surma said, only half joking.
"No," Ariak said sadly. "This will be the last time I see her."
"I thought you convinced Atana not to-"
"By choice, Surma," Ariak said. "It's time for us to stop being entangled in each other's lives. The story of Ariak and Kida was a tragedy, but it's over now. We had as happy an ending as we could get."
Ariak turned around, facing away from Kida.
"It's time to move on."
Ariak's eyes were cast downwards regretfully as he moved, but still he moved away. He would be glad to put this place behind him. He and Surma left the prison halls and exited the building.
It was surprisingly sunny and warm in the North Pole. It was still bitingly cold, but it was about as warm as one could expect it to get in the arctic climates.
The vast white expanse of the north was pockmarked by black spots where one could find cranes or scaffolding. Reconstruction after the devastation of the North had been a long time coming. With an age of peace laid out before them, the Water Tribes had turned their joint attention to rebuilding what had been broken. Serving alongside one another in the Coalition had mended many bonds that the dispute of the Shorewatchers had broken. The two tribes were enjoying better relations than they had in decades.
"There's talk of expanding the Shorewatchers too, you know," Surma said casually. "Kesuk and Atana approve of the new direction we've been taking. Kesuk is even considering allowing an expansion into the South. Provided we have leadership he can trust."
"Is that an offer?"
"It's a suggestion," Surma said. "If you put yourself forward as the new Huntsmaster, you'd win hands down. We could use someone like you in charge."
Ariak considered this for a time as he examined the reconstruction of the North. He shook his head.
"I have a suggestion of my own," He said. "Abolish the Huntsmaster entirely."
Ariak stood up straight and looked over the city he had sworn to defend –and failed. By his own actions he had begun a chain of events that had caused so much of this city to be destroyed. He forgave himself for what had occurred, but he understood his role in it.
"None of us have any right to stand above others in judgment. All of us make mistakes, all of us are fallible," Ariak said. "Even the best of us can go astray. No one person can stand above us all and say they know what is right."
Ariak turned to Surma and put a hand on her shoulder firmly, leading her to look out at the expanse of the North.
"I believe in the Shorewatchers, and I will lead them. But I will not do it alone. I have made too many mistakes to do that in good conscience," Ariak said guiltily. "But the two of us, and others besides, can work together to be the leader none of us could be alone."
"A council, then?"
"Exactly," Ariak said. "A real council, not a bunch of lackeys chained to the whims of a Huntsmaster. It will be a council of hunters, mostly, but other voices have to be considered as well. If we are to protect the people we must work with them, not above them. There must be checks and balances, accountability and transparency."
"I think Kesuk will like that idea," Surma said with a nod. "And the rest of the world will too. I'll spread the word right away."
"Perhaps wait a while," Ariak suggested. He looked out at the seas and smiled. "We have somewhere to be."
Hyeon made sure to take off his shoes before he came any closer to the house. He needed to be as sneaky as possible. Otherwise he'd been seen coming from a mile away.
His feet tapped lightly against the dirt as he ran across the open plains. They had been hurting for a while. It was a long way from his hometown to the house on the hill. He'd run it a couple times already back when the house had been abandoned and a good place to play, but he hadn't come since the new owner had moved in.
They had told him stories about the big house on the hill, about who had used to live there, but Hyeon had never believed them until a few weeks ago. The day the Avatar had come to town.
He'd only stepped off of his motorcycle for five minutes to ask for directions, but he'd been the talk of the town ever since. Some of the older people still remembered the days Korra had lived in the big house on the hill, but to everyone else the coming of the Avatar was a tremendous surprise. Ever since then the small town had seen a lot more visitors. Some were deliverymen come to drop off furniture and personal belongings at the Avatar's house. Most were pilgrims come to see the Avatar. Only the deliverymen got through the door. Some of the pilgrims had tried sneaking in disguised as deliverymen, but the Avatar had seen right through that.
Hyeon intended to be the first person to get a good look at the new Avatar. He had studied all the different ways that Avatar Sen could see things, and he made sure to prepare himself for them. He was wearing his best coat so that all his heat would stay inside and the Avatar couldn't see him, he made sure to hold his breath as much as possible so the Avatar couldn't hear him breathing, and he'd taken off his shoes to sneak better.
As prepared as he was ever going to be, Hyeon slowed his steps and began creeping around the bushes that bordered the backyard of the Avatar's house.
"I know you're there," a scolding voice called out. Hyeon's shoulders drooped.
"Sorry," He shouted sadly. He turned his bare feet back towards his hometown. He took a few steps back down the dirt road that led home before he heard movement behind him.
"I didn't say you had to leave," The same voice called out, from far closer this time.
Hyeon turned around to see the Avatar leaning on the fence, looking over the bushes. His glasses glinted in the light of the setting sun as he looked over the young boy. He had a faint, peaceful smile on his face, and he stood relaxed, leaning against his fence. He hardly seemed the warrior he had been only a few months ago –the only mark of violence upon him was the faint scar across his temple and eyebrow.
Hyeon froze in awe, overcome with the Avatar's presence. Sen, were it not for his status as the Avatar, would still be quite impressive physically; he was handsome with an intellectual flair, and strong of build, with piercing green eyes, but to a young boy he was the greatest thing in the world. Hyeon's jaw dropped as Sen extended his hand.
"You're pretty far from home," Sen said. "Come on, I got the phones working yesterday. You can call your parents to pick you up."
Hyeon slowly reached out his hand and cautiously touched the Avatar's extended palm, as if he were afraid lightning would strike him down on the spot if he dared to touch the living god. Once he was assured of his safety, Hyeon took hold and let Sen lift him over the fence.
"Wow," Hyeon said. He was standing in the Avatar's backyard. It was merely an open plain of dry grass with messy hedges bordering it, the only decoration being a lawn chair and a table with a glass of tea on it. Sen had been trying to enjoy the sun before Hyeon had showed up.
"Pardon the mess," Sen said as he examined the unruly hedges. "I've been wondering if I should call landscapers or take up gardening myself. I do need a hobby."
"I think it's amazing," Hyeon said. Sen rolled his eyes. This was why he wasn't taking on visitors yet. Everybody was too awestruck by his presence. He'd give it a while to settle in, let the presence of the Avatar become a normal thing, before he enacted an open door policy.
The home he'd inherited from Korra was a decent place, all things considered. Plenty of room for himself, and for visitors, and it was in a good location. A few dozen miles from Republic City, it was nearly at the exact center of the world, and close to major lines of transportation. He would be able to respond quickly to threats worldwide, while still maintaining his privacy.
Sen hoped that the privacy would be employed more than the ability to respond to threats. The world was calm now in the wake of his victory, and he hoped it would stay that way for a while.
"Does the rest of your team live here too?" Hyeon asked. There was an excitement in his voice that made it clear to Sen he was hoping to meet some more of his idols. He might be pleasantly surprised.
"No, they don't," Sen said. "It's just me."
And Gun, of course. The badgermole was napping quite happily in the soil, having carved himself a cozy nest beneath Sen's backyard. Sen doubted he'd ever be too far from Gun. That didn't bother him in the slightest.
"Just you?" Hyeon asked. "Don't you get lonely?"
"Lonely, hmm," Sen snorted. He put his hands on his hips and paused their walk to the house for a moment.
"Let me tell you something about being lonely. I've been lonely before, at the orphanage I lived at when I was young. I was alone, because I chose to be. I looked around at people and I was afraid of them, for a lot of reasons. I looked around, and I didn't see the potential for happiness."
Sen shook his head.
"I was wrong. My best friend was hiding in one of those faces I was afraid of."
He resumed walking Hyeon inside, but he then strolled past the telephone and towards the atrium. It was a lovely home, if a bit dusty. There were a lot of rooms to clean and a lot of work to be done, but it would soon become a fine place to live –and to entertain guests.
"Nowadays I understand the potential in other people," Sen said. "I look at strangers and I know I can find a friend. Because of that, I will never be alone."
Sen came to a halt and placed one hand on the doorknob.
"Plus, you know, this," Sen said as he opened the door. He revealed Hanjo, holding his knuckles up as if he had meant to knock. Hanjo threw up his hands and shrugged broadly.
"Honestly, why did you even bother?" Sen asked.
"I really don't know, buddy," Hanjo said. He stepped inside and looked around. "Who's the kid?"
"Showed up in my backyard," Sen said. "Table's in the next room. Have a seat."
"You have a table set up for us?"
"Like I said, why did you even bother? You should know by now I-"
"Know everything," Hanjo said with a resigned sigh. He leaned out the front door and shouted. "Surprise parties a bust, way to go idiots!"
There was a loud boo from an unseen crowd behind Hanjo. Hanjo shrugged and waited nearby as the next guest came in.
"I told you it wouldn't work," a smug voice said from outside. Miyani ducked her head as she walked through the door and then looked at the doorframe.
"If I'm going to keep coming here these are going to need to be bigger," Miyani said. Hyeon looked up at her, once again frozen in awe.
"Called the carpenters last week, couldn't get here in time, unfortunately," Sen said.
"Thanks for thinking of that," Miyani said with a smile.
"It was a priority. I want you to come over a lot."
Miyani's face turned a subtle shade of red as the procession of guests continued. A pair of very large hands holding a very small baby jutted through the door.
"Meet Uncle Sen!" Suda shouted. Sen's face lit up and he eagerly grabbed Hana out of Suda's hands and held her close to his chest. The baby smiled brightly and waved her hands aimlessly, nearly whacking Sen in the face multiple times.
"Boy, she's energetic," Sen said. Suda and Yoki stepped through the door arm in arm, beaming proudly. Their daughter was adorable and they knew it.
"Oh, by the way, Sen, speaking of energy, if you could do that thing that you do, you know, with the reading?" Yoki asked. She was a curious person and she wanted to know a little more about her daughter. She was being vague, as she had a habit of being, but Sen got her point.
"Yes, exactly, it's a bit early so no guarantees, but," Sen paused for a moment while he focused on Hana. He smiled slightly. "Little Hana is going to be just like her mom."
"Oh, man, that is a relief," Suda said. "I can't imagine a toddler throwing rocks around. It'll be good to raise an easy non-bender kid for starters."
"For starters?" Miyani asked. She held out her hands and Sen handed over her niece.
"Of course! We want a big family!" Suda said.
"But not too big," Added a slightly nervous Yoki. Miyani giggled as Hana flailed her hands at a loose strand of black hair.
Ada and Canto followed the happy couple through the door. Adawas quick to turn her attention to Suda and Yoki, quite deliberately ignoring Canto at her side. Sen leaned in close to Canto's side and asked what he had done to make her mad.
"She's a little upset that Suda got married before she did," Canto admitted sheepishly. "Even though we've been dating longer."
"So put a ring on it," Whistler said. She dove through the door and leaned quite aggressively on Canto. "Because believe me you do not want a relationship with that chick to end badly."
Whistler looked around and spotted Hana.
"Baby!" She shouted excitedly. Miyani handed over the little one. Hana had ceased playing and was starting to fall asleep.
"Oh, a nap, you are just precious," Whistler said, being startlingly affectionate. "I like naps too, Hana."
Ada stopped her conversation with the newlyweds long enough to ask Whistler if she could hold Hana. Whistler obliged easily. Babies, like all people, were best in small doses.
"Speaking of naps, Sen, I need a place to crash, where's the comfiest bed in this place?"
"Down that hall, third room on the left," Sen said. Whistler grabbed him by the shoulder, grateful to have such a good friend looking out for her napping needs. She would make liberal use of his hospitality after the party.
Ariak was the last of Sen's teammates through the door, followed closely thereafter by Tlun. Ariak spread his arms wide and grabbed Sen in a warm embrace.
"Sen! It's been too long," he said. "I hope you've had plenty of time to rest."
"Eh, it's been a little work setting up the place, but I'm perfectly comfortable. Korra picked out a nice spot. Very good view, close to the city, good climate too."
"Heh, and here I was hoping you might have gotten a taste for the cold northern air," Ariak said.
"Not likely," Sen said with a chuckle. "The cold is not my thing."
"Some of us quite like it," A small voice at Ariak's back said. He nearly jumped out of his boots, and Tlun had to pull him back down to earth. Ariak whipped around to look at the intruder. The all-too knowing eyes of Warmth stared back up at him. She smiled wickedly and turned her attention to Sen, grabbing him around the waist in a lingering hug. She eventually broke off and turned her attention to Hyeon. She'd never met someone her own age before. Ariak watched the two of them run off together to play.
"How did she get here?" He demanded. "Who invited her?"
"Honestly, who didn't we invite," Hanjo said. He had been given a chance to hold Hana now, and he held her tight as he looked out the door.
Detective Zas was the next to step in, straightening his coat as he looked around the entryway.
"Lovely décor, Detective," Zas complemented. "Was this Korra's choice, or-"
"Mine, actually," Sen said, looking at his decorations. "Got a taste for this style back in Xian. Carved wood just seems so elegant."
"Ah, Xian, I should have recognized it," Zas said. "This is why I need you, Sen, to keep me sharp in my old age."
"Always happy to help, Detective," Sen said.
"One of these days you and I need to take a week to track down Doctor Crime again, I feel like it shouldn't be too long before he rears his ugly head again."
"Good idea, Detective, but what will we do with the other six days of the week?"
Zas laughed and clapped Sen on the shoulder heartily before moving into the dining room. He was followed through the door by two eagerly moving bodies carrying a large box of papers between them. The heads of Taina and Buddy popped out from behind the stack of papers to smile broadly at Sen.
"If you need to occupy some brainpower, try these," Taina said, offering up her papers. They were coated in complex mathematical equations, schematics, and lists of ideas.
"Ever since you got back my brains been full to bursting," Buddy said with a smile. "I can think again!"
Sen smiled. That would be happening worldwide now. The predator hunting down ideas had been slain. Innovation would happen rapidly. Sen was looking forward to seeing what the geniuses of the world had in store –and throwing a few ideas of his own into the mix.
"Take them to my office, down the hall here," Sen directed. "And good to see you both again."
"Yes, very good," Taina said. "Do you have a calculator? I just thought of something."
"Me too!" Buddy shouted excitedly. The two scuttled off down the hall towards the study. Sen laughed at their crablike shuffle.
"Good to see she's only gotten smarter," Alrok said. He stepped forward and watched Taina shuffle down the hall. "Only makes me feel dumber."
"Yes, but can she say she helped save the world?" Sen asked. He grabbed Alrok's hand and shook it firmly. "Thank you all for that, by the way. I never got a chance to say it in person."
"Hey, any time, buddy," Alrok said. "You can tell Kunik yourself, he's down the line a bit. Couldn't find Pankha and Rohtan though, oddly."
"That's because they're making us dinner," Sen said. He had hired Pankha to bring her teashop expertise to their dining event, and Rohtan had tagged along too. Apparently the two of them had become business partners. Rohtan was supplying special ingredients only the Sun Warriors cultivated.
"Go say hi, and tell them to prepare a bit extra if they can," Sen warned. "I have a feeling that Hyeon kid is going to be staying."
"Having kids in this place is never a good idea," An elderly voice chimed. The four Air Nomads scuttled through the door in a group. Ikki looked around fondly. "Why I trashed this place more time than I can remember."
"I wonder if my gum is still on the ceiling fan in the lounge," Meelo wondered aloud.
"Oh shoot," Jinora said, suddenly recalling an old memory. "I left my headband in one of the guest bedrooms!"
The four elderly airbenders scuttled off to explore their nostalgia, letting their younger protégés fill the gap. Master Jung took a quiet look around. He paused when he saw Whistler.
"Hello…Whistler," He said, using the name she'd chosen unsteadily. He still felt the urge to call her Nimh.
"Hey, Master Old Fart," Whistler said, bowing. Jung tilted his head. He supposed that was the best he was going to get. He bowed in kind, and smiled slightly, happy to have some semblance of peace with his old protégé. He left it at this, and quickly moved on before Whistler's very thin patience wore out.
"Who invited the fox?" Canto asked as he looked out the door. Ada whacked him on the shoulder.
"Ow," he cried out. "I meant an actual fox!"
Proving Canto correct, a large red fox stepped through the door, stopping in front of Sen. A large ribbon hung from its mouth, with a scroll carefully tied to said ribbon. Sen grabbed the strange scroll and unfurled it as the fox excused itself from the building.
"Huh, it's from Wan Shi Tong," Sen said. It bore his gratitude for ridding the world of their mutual enemy, as well as a request. "He's writing my biography. Needs me to come in and fill in a few details for him."
"And you're actually going to go?" Suda asked. He shuddered at the thought of returning to the Spirit World.
"Probably," Sen said. He had been meaning to return to the library. He'd have plenty of time to read, at least.
"Maybe I'll go with you," Miyani said. "I never did get to go to the Spirit World."
Sen nodded affirmatively as the rest of the guests continued their procession.
Kunik and Tomoe stepped through the door and took a look around at the spacious interior. While they shared some small talk with the Avatar, Cia and Takuga likewise stepped through the door, arm in arm. Cia looked sideways at Tomoe and Kunik.
"I think those two might be together," Cia whispered to her lover. Takuga's face had softened in the months she'd spent away from the orphans of Bac Ria, but she still found a way to laugh harshly.
"Please, I worked with Tomoe for years, I would know if-"
She was elbowed in the ribs by Cia and directed to look at Tomoe, who was now kissing Kunik passionately. Takuga rolled her eyes and walked past the awkward sight. Sen nodded at her as she passed.
"Good to see you again, Bear," Sen said.
"Please, it's just Takuga now," She said awkwardly. As she continued into the dining room, Tomoe and Kunik's kiss broke up, leaving Kunik rather confused.
"We are not a couple," he said awkwardly.
"Yeah, I know, I wanted a little revenge on Takuga for keeping her relationship secret," Tomoe said. "Though…you are kind of cute."
Kunik raised an eyebrow, as he always did when about to flirt. Sen pushed them towards the dining room.
"Not in my house, please, there are children here," He said harshly. He turned his attention to his next guest. Or guests, as it were. They came in a set.
"Luan! Zouf!"
The paired agents stepped through the door together, examining the surroundings.
"Pretty nice place, right Luan?"
"Never was a fan of hardwood flooring, Zouf," Luan said dismissively. He turned to the Avatar.
"You should really consider a throw rug in the main space," Luan said. "A deep red with some gold accents can really complement the colors, open the space. It'll work best if the walls stay white, although you might consider an eggshell or cream color if you want to move towards a neutral color palette. Of course it'll never really work with that chandelier overhead, way too much gold, I'd spring for a more modern light fixture if I were you."
"I will keep that in mind," Sen said flatly.
"Luan has been pursuing interior design as a post-retirement career, haven't you Luan?" Zouf said.
"Sure have, Zouf," Luan said.
Following her trusted agents, former Princess, now Fire Lord Mika stepped through the door, bearing her imperial regalia proudly. She had stepped into the role of Fire Lord graciously despite the unfortunate circumstances, and was doing well in continuing her father's firm but fair ruling policies.
Sen and the new Fire Lord shared a solemn nod. The Avatar had officiated her coronation and her father's funeral, and they had spoken much on those occasions. For now there was little to be said between them. They would have a long future together, however, as the Avatar did with all world leaders, a horde of which now stepped through the door.
Kesuk, Atana, Saruk, and President Dahaka walked through the door in a trio, bearing no guards with them. Most of the worlds most powerful people in the world were already here, what did they have to fear? Sen greeted them all in kind, warmly welcoming them to his home. Kesuk and Atana quickly broke off to speak with Ariak, dragging Ambassador Saruk in tow, to discuss their plans for the future while Dahaka looked to Miyani.
"You've been doing well for yourself, I see," Dahaka noted. "Some of my kids have been begging me for those bricks of yours."
"I'll put in a good word for you at the factory," Miyani said.
"No free samples," Pak Raisu said. He had wormed his way inside when no one was looking. "We can hardly rebuild an economy if we give things away."
"Surely I get a presidential discount," Dahaka jested.
"No. Your terms up in two months anyway," Pak said dismissively. Dahaka sighed heavily. He'd be glad to finally pass off the reins to someone else. He'd put up with far too much trouble in his brief tenure. He'd be glad to retire.
The flow of guests was briefly interrupted by a sudden horde of tiny footsteps pounding across the front lawn. The door was nearly knocked off its hinges by the first of the Bessalisk spirits to charge through the door. The swarm of fishlike spirits jumbled their way through the house and then out into the backyard to begin gnawing on Sen's various shrubberies.
"Well, looks like I won't need gardeners after all," Sen said, as Aquila's former wards began to nibble on his bushes.
"How did they even get here?" Whistler asked.
"I blame the Witch for this," Ariak said, casting a leery eye towards in the direction Warmth had run off to.
"I'm not the only one who saw the fish thingies, right?"
A somewhat bewildered looking man in a uniform stepped through the door, shaking his head as the Bessalisk continued to devour the shrubs.
"Tserang!" Hanjo cried out. "Man, has it been a while!"
"Yeah, quite a while," The helpful train operator said. "Been a rollercoaster for you guys, hasn't it?"
"Bit of an understatement," Sen said. "What about you, what've you been up to?"
"Well, not much, until recently when you guys shut down Zaofu and bankrupted all the rail lines that run through it," Tserang said. Ada briefly looked guilty. "But I mentioned you guys and got a new job at the Republic Terminal, so I'm good! Also I'm apparently getting a free dinner, so I'm doing great!"
Tserang smiled broadly and headed for the dining room. Some of the other guests who had ambled their way in likewise began to head for seats or sit down on whatever was nearby. Sen looked around, shook his head, and snapped his fingers.
"Alright, cut it out," He said, looking up at the chandelier.
Amidst the sweeping metal arches that made up the intricate chandelier, the noodle-like purple limbs of a sloth spirit began to take form. Natae's head bobbed idly as he turned to look down at the Avatar.
"You said sleeping later," Natae said. "Now is later."
"That was years ago, Natae," Sen scolded.
"I am not fast," the sloth mumbled.
The lethargy induced by the grape-colored sloth spirit faded, and alertness returned to the guests. Sen turned to Hanjo, the apparent orchestrator of this event.
"Did you invite literally everyone I've ever met?" He asked.
"Well, not technically," Hanjo said defensively. "We left out all the people who directly or indirectly tried to kill you."
"So that's the obvious, you know, the bad guys, Nura, that bunch from that city Zang you guys visited," Ada said, listing off a few such choices.
"I didn't bother inviting Hayao also, you know, because of the whole sits on a rock thing," Miyani noted. Sen frowned slightly. It was hard to have a bad mood in such pleasant company, so Sen only managed a few seconds of concern, but it was noticeable.
"Is there a problem, Sen?"
"Oh, nothing really," Sen said. "It's just strange that we spent all that time in Gai Zhu, but nobody but Miyani is here with us today."
Almost everyone they'd met in Gai Zhu besides Luan and Zouf had tried to kill them at one point or another. It felt odd to have such a strange gap in their social lives.
"Not entirely true," Suda said. He had thought of one person who had never tried to hurt them. "Though I would have expected him to be here by now…"
"I think I have him," A frail old voice shouted. Granny Loqo stumbled through the door, bearing an unconscious young man on her shoulder. Sen lifted up his limp head and recognized the slightly-bruised face of Mogoshu.
"Mogoshu?" Sen said, turning to Suda. "The screw-up firebender from the gym?"
"Well, I figured he'd be happy to finally be invited to something…" Suda mumbled.
"He was quite excited before he tripped and knocked himself unconscious," Granny Loqo said. "I'll take him and get him fixed up in time for dinner, I promise."
Sen sighed and guided her to a place she could take care of the unfortunate Mogoshu. It seemed he would always be a bit of a klutz.
"I think you guys are starting to stretch it a bit with these invites," Sen said.
"Then it's a good thing we resisted the urge to invite the entire Coalition," Colonel Kujo said as he marched through the door. "Though we did bring a few of the old crew."
"We're kind of worried about the capacity of your dining room table," Lahn said nervously as he followed Kujo through the door. A few other soldiers of the Coalition followed through, including their old Quartermaster, but not many.
"Don't be," Sen admonished. "I plan ahead."
"You'd be surprised how easy it is to get good furniture when you're the Avatar," Su said. Bolin's granddaughter pushed past the Coalition soldiers and briefly stopped to talk to Suda before moving on.
"We've got to be almost out of people by now," Whistler observed.
"No, there's a couple more," Sen said. He could feel the last of their guests waiting just outside the door.
"I wanted to wait for the crowd to clear out a bit," Surma said apologetically. The Huntsman seemed sheepish amidst the massive crowd of strangers.
"And I didn't want to be pushed through the door," Sang Lug said aggressively as he stepped forward in kind. He had planned a much longer conversation with the Avatar, but was interrupted as he was pushed through the door by Whistler. She'd made her peace with Jung, but the less time she spent with Sang Lug the better.
"And that stick in the mud wouldn't let us go before he did," Noto said as he shoved his head through the door. He was quickly pushed forward by the rather bulky Eurus, and then they were both shoved ahead by Nia, eager to reunite with Whistler. She received these three airbenders rather more warmly than she had Sang Lug.
"What's for dinner, anyway?" Eurus asked as he was shepherded into the dining room.
"Pankha and Rohtan have prepared a surprise for us, apparently," Sen said. He had left it up to their discretion what to cook. He was not exactly a gourmet. He checked his watch.
"We should actually be ready to eat soon, once we're all done playing welcoming committee," Sen said. "Those three came in together, so that leaves-"
"None other than the life of the party himself," Kaizo Uehara shouted as he made a dynamic entrance. He posed fabulously for a moment before looking around in disappointment. He had spent all this time waiting to be last, and yet nobody was here to appreciate it.
"There's usually more cameras around when I walk into a building," He said.
"Didn't befriend any paparazzi, sorry," Sen said, feigning an apology. Kaizo took a look around, making extra sure there were no camera's nearby, and shrugged his shoulders.
"Ah well, I'm not looking my best anyway," he said. He composed himself and turned to his new niece with a smile on his face. "Didn't want this little goober puking on anything nice!"
Suda had his reservations, but Yoki happily handed over Hana to her brother. The mover star took the baby and found a way to shower her in affection while not waking her up. He showed surprising care in his movements for one who was so naturally flamboyant. Yoki gave her husband a look, and Suda shrugged. Perhaps Kaizo wouldn't be such a bad uncle after all.
Canto began to pester Kaizo for an autograph, which greatly pleased Kaizo, and the two went into the dining room together. Yoki kissed Suda on the cheek and followed her brother, leaving the seven teammates alone. Sen took one last look out the door to check for any stragglers and held it in his hand, though he didn't close it quite yet.
"Alright, now that everybody's here, I have to ask," Sen began. "Why invite them all in the first place? Why now and not weeks ago?"
"We thought it was worth celebrating," Ariak said. "It's your birthday."
"I celebrate my birthday on New Years," Sen said. Orphaned as he was, there was no way to tell when his real birthday was. He simply added one to his age every new year.
"That seemed very impersonal, kind of heartless," Miyani said. As an orphan herself she understood how important it was to have these little pieces of an identity, things you could call your own. She had chosen her own birthday as the day she'd taken off her bandages.
"So we had a different idea," Suda continued. After all the trouble he'd gone through to throw himself a birthday party back in Gai Zhu, he had put much more effort into Sen's.
"Instead of the day you were actually born, which we don't know, we're celebrating the day you became…well, you. The Sen we all know and love," Ada said with a smile.
"In other words, the day you and I met," Hanjo said. "The day you realized you were the Avatar."
"Happy birthday slash anniversary, Avatar Sen," Suda said. "It's been five years now."
Sen paused thoughtfully for a moment. Five years seemed like too short and too long of a time all at once. So much had happened, and yet it had all gone by so quickly. So many lives had changed, so many things were different.
Sen turned slightly towards the dining room. Conversation had spread amongst his dinner guests, prompting occasional bursts of laughter, shouting, cheering. Dozens of people all united to celebrate his life, his accomplishments. And theirs, in a way. They had all contributed to part of a greater whole. Some more than others, but each one was a part of the life that Sen lived, the tapestry of lives and destinies that had been interwoven with his.
"I know that look," Whistler whispered to her friends. "He's getting introspective."
"Better cut it out before he gives a speech," Hanjo mumbled back. "Hey, Sen, dinners about ready. What say we sit down?"
Sen had, in fact, been about to give a speech, a rather heartfelt one indeed, but he was cut off at the pass by Hanjo's invitation. With a second to rethink it, any heartwarming speech given to these six would be rather redundant. They, better than any others, understood how far Sen had come, and what that progress meant to him.
"Yeah, let's eat," Sen said. "We've got people come from all over the world here, they must be starving."
His teammates headed for the dining room while Sen took a moment to close the door, lest anyone else wander in. The table was practically full to bursting already, Sen thought to himself, and this was just with five years' worth of time. If he made any new friends he'd have to buy an even bigger table.
Taking one more look at the world stretched out beyond his front door, Sen looked over the nearby hilltops. It was a very large world. He'd been travelling it for a long time, yet still only seen a fraction of what it had to offer. Sen decided to do some furniture shopping, and left the door open.
THE END
I'll never quite be satisfied with that.
"The End" is without a doubt the hardest phrase I've ever had to write. There was so much more potential, so many more stories to be told. Three more chapters would not have gone amiss, sending us to a nice even 100 chapters, but by the time I realized that it was too late to add filler. Even the format of the finale itself is troubling to me. I mulled over a lot of ideas. Set it in the future, the next Avatar, looking back on Sen's life, maybe? Keep it simple, and have Sen reminisce about his adventures? Ultimately I decided this was the best course. This story started with death and then isolation. Let it end with a celebration of life, an acknowledgment of Sen's journey, show all the lives he's touched and all the people he's met. And give me one last chance to play with all my lovely characters before I say goodbye forever :'(.
It's been one year, eight months, and one week since I uploaded the very first chapter of this story. I promised myself then that I'd update every week, and I'm very proud to say I've kept that promise. 97 chapters have been uploaded like clockwork, despite all manner of setbacks. Over the course of this story I've become an uncle, moved to a new apartment, and even broke my hand! (Thank goodness I'd built up a buffer by then.) Thanks to Sen's adventures I've learned a great deal about discipline, what I can accomplish and what my limitations are. I look forward to applying those hard-earned lessons on my next project.
As to what that project will be…It's hard to say. I'm certainly going to take a break and enjoy some free time, but the call to tell another story will soon prove irresistible. Fanfiction has its merits, but I'm very tempted to do something original. We'll see.
Thank you for reading, and thanks to those of you who have left the glowing reviews that have pushed me forward so often. It has been my great pleasure to tell this story and have you enjoy it, but now it's time for it to end. Sen's story is over. The characters are happy, I'm happy, and I hope you are happy.
It's time to say goodbye.
Synergy:
The interaction of several elements to produce an effect greater than the sum of its parts