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Kotaro was the first to attack, sending a bolt of lightning at Mongke. He was narrowly able to dodge it and retaliated with his own attack. Kotaro and Hoshiko dove out of the way as Mongke's flames went whooshing past them. They stayed there, trying to catch their breath.
"So, what was that about handling him on your own?" Kotaro asked her, Hoshiko glared at him.
"I thought I could. I was wrong." She said shortly, "Now will you help me or not?!"
"I'll help." Kotaro said, he took her hand in his, "But we're going to need a plan besides rushing him head on."
"I know." Hoshiko sighed, "It would be easier if we had the jump on him. He'll know to be careful about your attacks, and he knows he can take mine."
"So what do you want to do?" Kotaro asked, Hoshiko kept hold of his hand.
"We fight together and take him down." She said, "At the very least, we'll wear him down until the comet's passed." Kotaro nodded and tightened his grip on her hand. They both ran out of their hiding places and shot off their own attacks at Mongke, only to find that their target wasn't there. They looked around the square, searching for the fire bender but didn't see any trace of him.
"Where'd he go?" Kotaro asked aloud. Their ears twitched as they heard a strange crackling and looked back to see a fire ball headed straight for them. The couple jumped out of the way as quickly as they could and the fire roared over their heads. Once it had passed, Hoshiko stood up and sent a wave of shadow at where Mongke stood. He dodged it and the two of them ran to where he had been only to see that he had disappeared again.
"Oh, great." Hoshiko groaned, glaring at the buildings around them, "He's copying me."
"What?" Kotaro looked at her confusedly.
"He's going to hide until he gets a better chance to attack." Hoshiko said, "That's what I was doing before you showed up." Kotaro looked around, keeping an eye out for the man. "The second our backs are turned, he'll fire."
Kotaro put his back against Hoshiko's, "Let's make sure he doesn't get that chance." Hoshiko smiled at him and turned her attention to the battlefield. She could see where the others were fighting other soldiers, earth, water, and fire all creating huge towers all throughout the city. It was amazing that their battle hadn't been caught in another, but she had a feeling that Mongke knew that no one would come to this square. That's why he had led them there, to give them some privacy as they fought.
She turned and saw Mongke charging at them, fists ablaze. There was no time to make a counter attack, so she made a shield to protect her and Kotaro as he fired at them. She did as before and inverted the shield to blast it back at him, but she made sure to create a projectile and fire it at him through the flames. She couldn't see what happened, but she heard Mongke let out a cry of pain. She and Kotaro stood up when the flames cleared and saw that Mongke had disappeared again. They went into the alley where he had been, and Hoshiko found fresh blood on the ground where he was standing. She took a little pride in knowing that she had wounded him.
"Hard to believe someone so cowardly is a colonel!" She shouted, trying to get his attention, "Last I checked the Rough Rhinos never ran from a fight. People ran from theirs!"
"Hah!" Mongke's voice echoed through the square, "This coming from the girl who was hiding away only moments ago!"
"What are you doing?" Kotaro whispered to her.
"Trying to rile up his temper." Hoshiko whispered back. She turned her attention back to the square. She spotted Mongke coming towards them, a bleeding cut on his shoulder and flames growing around his knuckles. She took a defensive stance, creating a shadowy shield as sparks flew around Kotaro's fingers. Mongke attacked and Kotaro managed to shoot off a lightning bolt just before he got down behind Hoshiko's shield. The flames moved around them harmlessly, but the heat of it was strong enough to make them break a sweat. The flames passed and the couple stood up, seeing that Mongke was gone. Kotaro went over to the spot where Mongke had been standing, seeing that fresh blood had fallen on the ground. He sniffed the air, his strong nose picking up the irony scent. Hoshiko stood beside him as he turned his head and pointed in one direction.
"There's something I don't really understand, Mongke!" Hoshiko shouted in the square, "Why would the leader of the Rough Rhinos, the guy who loves nothing more than travelling around the Earth Kingdom, agree to be cemented to Ba-Sing-Se on guard duty?"
"Ozai gave me a price I couldn't refuse!" Mongke shouted at them, "In return for coming all the way to this place, I get an instant gratification for my work!"
"He paid you that much gold, huh?" Hoshiko shouted, keeping close to Kotaro as he followed the scent that Mongke's blood had left.
"Not gold, Hoshiko." Mongke's voice came from just around the corner. Hoshiko looked to Kotaro and he nodded in confirmation. They both crept quietly to the area as Mongke kept speaking, "I wasn't interested in the money, though there was a lot. He said I could do whatever I wanted to the Shinjun encampment when I got there." Hoshiko's eyes widened and Kotaro shot off a bolt of lightning at where Mongke's voice came from and he ended up destroying a box that he had been hiding behind. Mongke instantly retaliated with a huge blast of fire and Kotaro jumped back behind a building as it burned past them. When it was gone, so was Mongke again.
Hoshiko glared and marched back out to the square, searching for the fire bender, "So it was you that led the attack on the encampment!" She snarled.
Mongke laughed, "I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner!"
"I had my suspicions." Hoshiko growled, but it was too low for Mongke to hear, "Do you know how many people you hurt in that attack?! How many people you killed?!"
"I didn't kill any people!" Mongke's voice shouted, "I just took out an unneeded infestation." Hoshiko felt her blood boiling under her skin from her fury. She let out a wild cry and brought up a huge wave of shadow and brought it crashing down on one of the buildings in the square, leveling it.
"My mother was in that encampment!" Hoshiko shouted. Kotaro's hand came to her shoulder and she calmed herself a little bit.
"She wasn't the one that was already half-way cooked was she?" Mongke's voice asked. Hoshiko froze, her hatred making her body grow stiff at the sound of his blasé tone. "Because I remember her. She was such an easy target." Hoshiko's fists clenched angrily, and Kotaro was scowling at the buildings around them. "She couldn't run, she couldn't walk, she couldn't even crawl. She looked like a little grub worm when she tried to get away." Kotaro's teeth began to grind together, how dare he have such disrespect for someone like Hikari? "It didn't take long to get rid of her. She was already crispy."
Tears formed in Hoshiko's eyes and she let out another cry, "You monster!" she leveled a second building. She didn't notice how darkness began to seep out of her eyes with her tears. Kotaro did, and he feared another Kagemi take over as Hoshiko cried out. "There's a special place in hell for people like you!"
"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it." Mongke's voice came from behind them, and Hoshiko whirled around to see him standing there with a smug grin on his face. He held up his hands, both of them engulfed in fire, showing that he was planning to attack them again. Hoshiko didn't care and she ran at him with an angry cry, shadows gathering in her hands in preparation for attack. Mongke was surprised at the sudden speed but paid it not mind as he shot his fire at her.
"Hoshiko!" Kotaro shouted when he saw she was heading straight into the fire. Only a moment later was her figure engulfed by the orange flames. Kotaro feared the worst, but only for a moment as he soon saw Hoshiko jump out of the fire, a black shield in front of her turning into a huge, piercing javelin of sorts that she threw at Mongke. He narrowly avoided it and looked up, prepared to attack again, but was only knocked back by another wave of shadow. He stumbled and prepared himself again, but was knocked back once more by another shadowy wave. This happened again and again and again, Hoshiko's shadows pushing him further and further back as she let out her fury at the fire bender. Each wave was sharper and more harmful than the last, as if she were shooting huge needles at him. He did his best to block them, using fire to blow them back, but her attacks were unrelenting and he couldn't find an opening to retaliate. She landed many hits on him easily, causing him to bleed more from different cuts on his body. Where there was no cut, there was a harsh bruise that darkened his skin. She kept attacking and attacking, putting her all into every attack. Eventually, Mongke didn't even get the chance to run away because the attacks were coming so fast. She hit him again and again, angry tears streaming down her face.
Mongke was soon knocked onto his back and Hoshiko's shadows hit him again and again, making him tumble back. She did not stop, and when Mongke didn't move, she used her shadows like huge arms to grab him around the neck and pick him up, only to throw him back on the ground. Kotaro's eyes were wide as he watched this. He had never seen such ferocity in her before. It scared him to think that this was Hoshiko, and somehow not Kagemi.
Mongke did nothing more than moan in pain when he hit the ground. He let out a choking sound when the shadows grabbed him around the neck and pushed him up against the wall of one of the buildings, the shadows squeezing tighter and tighter. He let out coughs as he tried to breathe, but no air would come. Tears were still pouring from Hoshiko's eyes and she glared at him with such hatred that Kotaro thought she might really kill him out of revenge. He didn't interfere, though. This was Hoshiko's decision to make, and it was really her battle to fight. He didn't have a right to interfere. As Mongke let out another strangled cry, he grasped uselessly at the shadows, looking down at Hoshiko.
"Are you… going to… kill me…?!" He rasped out. Hoshiko's eyes widened, no longer showing the anger that she felt as she realized what she was about to do. Her grip loosened on Mongke's neck and she stared at him. How did she get here? She just remembered glancing at Mongke a moment ago, and then she just saw red. Was she really about to take Mongke's life? Could she live with something like that? She saw Mongke smirk, "I didn't think so. You Shinjuns are too cowardly to take someone's life." Hoshiko glared at him, her hatred shining through her eyes once more, but the tears had stopped. Her grip on his neck tightened again and she picked him up, pushing his front against the wall instead of his back. She brought up another shadow, one that was razor sharp. Kotaro watched as she slashed it across Mongke's back, and he thought that she had taken his life in that one swing, but she swung it again and again and again. Small flecks of blood spattered on the wall until she finally stopped and dropped Mongke's body. Kotaro ran over to them to see what had happened and to his surprise, Mongke was still alive. Instead of his back being cut open, there was a scar on his lower hip that bore Hoshiko's name.
She panted as she caught her breath, glaring at the colonel before her, who was now too weak to even stand up. "Now you will never forget who did this to you, and you will know what it's like to walk around bearing the mark of the person you hate most." She said. She turned away from him and looked at Kotaro. They both turned to the sky as they saw it was getting darker and saw that the comet passing, no longer giving fire benders their power. The city was quiet and they knew the battle was over.
The pair walked out to the city's walls and saw that most soldiers of the Fire Nation had been tied up or held down in some way. The members of the White Lotus were all together, talking with one another, getting some rest as they soaked in their victory. Hoshiko went over and sat down near the group and Kotaro sat with her. Hoshiko held her head in her hands and let out a deep breath. Kotaro put his arm around her shoulders, offering her comfort.
"I'm proud of you, Hoshi." He said to her, "It takes a lot to do what you did." Hoshiko raised her head and looked up at him. He could see the weariness on her face from their battle.
"It's the closest thing to revenge I'm going to get… I think." She said. She looked up at the darkening sky, seeing the moon and stars make their appearance above them. "How do you think the others did?"
"You want to know?" Iroh's voice came to them and they looked to see the old man approaching with a scroll in hand, "This message just came from Zuko. He defeated Azula. He is to be crowned Fire Lord the morning after tomorrow." Hoshiko smiled at the good news, "He said he got word from Sokka that Ozai was defeated and the airship fleet is useless."
"So… Aang took his life?" Kotaro asked. Iroh shook his head.
"He found a way to take away Ozai's bending." He said. The two looked at him with wide eyes, unable to believe what they had just heard. Iroh grinned and chuckled at the sight of their faces, "That's what I thought, too." They both gave the elderly man smiles, but they didn't laugh. They were far too exhausted at this point. Iroh's grin faded as he looked over at Hoshiko, "I heard you fought Mongke." She nodded and he looked at her, his mouth set in a grim line, "And was your 'score' settled?" She nodded again.
"I didn't kill him," She said, "Mongke won't win the honor of dying in battle. He's going to walk around with my own brand on his body for the rest of his life." Iroh nodded.
"Well, rest up. We have a long journey ahead of us." He said before turning away.
"We do?" Kotaro questioned.
"Of course we do." Iroh said, "Where do you think we're meeting your friends? We're going to my nephew's coronation!" Iroh grinned widely at his words, and the couple smiled as well, happy to hear they were going to meet with friends again.
The trip didn't seem very long because the couple spent most of it sleeping on the ride over. The ship that belonged to the White Lotus was really a ship that Iroh stole from the Fire Nation military, but none of the guards said anything about it as they pulled out of port. After a few hours of sleeping and resting, the couple went out onto the deck, spending time with only each other. After such a huge battle, they wanted to be nowhere else but with the person they loved. None of the members of the Order questioned it and left the two of them alone as they went about on the ship, just talking, holding hands, and occasionally sharing kisses.
They arrived at the royal Fire Nation port at about noon. There was already a huge crowd coming into the nation as well to see the coronation of the new Fire Lord, some of them Hoshiko and Kotaro recognized, seeing a whole bunch of Shinjuns coming in. It didn't take them long to find old friends and meet up with an excited Xana and all her brothers, who were all happy about their reunion. Xana made a few remarks on the bandages that decorated Kotaro and Hoshiko, and they told her they were just minor burns from their battle; scars worth bearing for this great victory.
As they headed to the palace where their friends waited for them, Xana filled them in on all she had heard from her brothers while they had been in prison. They learned that Aang had managed to achieve the avatar state when fighting Ozai before taking his bending away. They also learned of Zuko's battle with Azula and how he had taken a bolt of lightning for Katara. He was getting medical care at the moment, which was why the coronation was postponed until a day after the battle.
"Hoshiko?"
"Kotaro?"
The pair turned around to see Sokka, Katara, and Toph just a few yards away from them. They were still wearing the clothes they had worn during their battle, and Sokka was now walking with a crutch, his leg heavily bandaged, but they all smiled brightly at their friends. The two ran over and Hoshiko shared an embrace with each of them.
"I'm so glad you guys are okay!" Katara said when Hoshiko hugged her, "How did it go?"
"About as well as I expected it would." Hoshiko said, "I heard about what happened with Azula. Well done." Katara shrugged modestly, but Hoshiko could tell she was pleased with the compliment. She turned to Toph and let the earth bender get a good punch into her shoulder before she hugged her, "And how are you doing, Toph?"
"I'm doing awesome!" She said, "We just saved the whole world. This is the best day ever! I feel like I could earth bend the entire palace!" She made a few punching motions in the air in her excitement. Hoshiko smiled. She looked over at Sokka.
"And look at you," She said, "It seems you didn't come out without any scars." Sokka shrugged.
"Katara said she'll start healing it after the coronation ceremony." He said. Hoshiko nodded.
"How'd that happen, anyway?" Kotaro asked, and Sokka began to go into a long explanation, telling about how he, Suki, and Toph boarded the air ships and began to take them down as the group walked to the palace.
"There are so many people here." Xana commented as she walked beside her friend.
"I'd be surprised if there wasn't." Hoshiko said, "This Fire Lord is going to end the war. I can't wait."
"Do you think he'll abolish Shinjun slavery in the Fire Nation, too?" Xana asked.
"I don't think slavery was legal in the Fire Nation to begin with." Katara said.
"Whatever." Hoshiko silenced the two, "The point is we're all here, we're all alive, and we're all going to stick around to see the end of this war and the four nations finally come to peace." The girls smiled and began talking excitedly about what had happened to each of them. Katara went into great detail about the battle she and Zuko had with Azula, talking about how Zuko bravely took the lighting strike for her and how she had managed to trap Azula in chains with her water bending. Xana went on about her reunion with her brothers, telling about how many tears were shed in joy to see them again. Hoshiko told them about her battle with Mongke, and how she had ended it with her own style of branding. This went on until they reached the courtyard, where they saw that other old friends of theirs had attended as well. They could see the swamp benders and earth benders, as well as Pipsqueak and The Duke. Xana looked around and smiled widely when she saw someone she hadn't seen in a long time.
"Haru!" She shouted. The young man turned around just in time to catch the reptilian girl in his arms, her lips pressing against his in a kiss. Haru happily returned it, and once they broke, he spun her in the air. When she landed, she looked up to see Haru's father, and introductions began between the three of them.
Toph went over to Pipsqueak and The Duke to say hello, and they greeted her warmly. Toph even let The Duke hug her hello.
Katara and Sokka noticed there were soldiers from the Southern Water Tribe and they went to search for their father. Hoshiko and Kotaro went with them, as Sokka hadn't finished his story yet.
"…And it was like bam—bam—bam, AIRSHIP SLICE!"
"Sokka." Kotaro interrupted him, "I just asked you how you hurt your leg."
"I'm getting to that." Sokka said pointedly. Kotaro sighed tiredly.
After pushing through a few people Katara managed to spot their father in the crowd and she pointed it out to Sokka, putting a hold on his story.
"Dad!" They cried upon seeing him. Hakoda turned around and embraced his children when they came to him. His smile beamed with pride as he looked at them.
"I heard what you two did." He said, "I am the proudest father in the world." He turned to Katara, "And your mother would be proud, too." Katara's eyes welled with tears as she touched the necklace she wore.
Small clanks were heard and the group looked over to see Suki and some of the other Kyoshi warriors coming over to them, all dressed in their best uniforms.
"There's my favorite warriors!" Sokka said happily when he saw them, "I have to admit, I kind of missed the face paint." Suki smiled at him, "So how's it feel to be back in uniform again?"
"It feels great!" A familiar face came from the crowd, a happy, perky face that was dressed in Kyoshi outfitting. Sokka's eyes widened and he immediately hobbled over to Suki, keeping Ty Lee at bay with his crutch.
"Careful, Suki. Ty Lee's pretending to be a Kyoshi warrior again!" He warned, glaring at her.
"It's okay." Suki said with a laugh, "She's one of us now."
Sokka's jaw dropped with a surprised yelp and he looked at Ty Lee in shock. She just smiled at him. "Yeah, the girls and I really bonded in prison, and after a few chi-blocking lessons, they said I could join their group!" She joyfully embraced two of the closest warriors so their faces were pressed against hers, "We're gonna be best friends forever!" They all smiled, but Ty Lee's smile faded when she noticed Hoshiko. "You're… Kagemi?"
She shook her head, "No, I'm the original shadow bender she took over." She held out her hand, "I'm hoping we can start over." Ty Lee shook her hand, looking a little weirded out at the idea of shaking hands with someone who wasn't the person she originally met, "I want to apologize for any rudeness Kagemi had with you. She wasn't really very likable."
"No kidding." Ty Lee said in agreement. She smiled at Hoshiko, "Does this mean we can be friends?"
"Um, sure. If you want." Hoshiko said with a shrug. She was suddenly embraced by the little chi-blocker. "Wow. You are very friendly." Ty Lee giggled and pulled back from Hoshiko.
They all stayed together until the Fire Sages announced that the ceremony was about to begin and everyone faced the podium as they prepared for Zuko's entrance. A deep gong sounded at his arrival, and the crowd erupted into cheers for the young prince, who looked his absolute best in his Fire Lord robes. He held up his hand to the people modestly.
"Please," He called, "The real hero is the avatar." He stepped to the side as Aang came in after him. The cheers turned into deafening roars as everyone saw him. Aang smiled as he heard them. After a minute, Zuko raised his hand again and the crowd quieted to listen to what he had to say, "Today this war is finally over!" The crowd cheered again. "I promised my uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation, and I will. The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided, but with the avatar's help, we can get it back on the right path and begin a new era of love and peace." The crowd cheered once more as Zuko kneeled down. One of the Fire Sages came over to him and held high the golden royal top knot-adorning crown of the Fire Lord.
"All hail Fire Lord Zuko!" The Sage yelled as he slid the crown into place. Cheering erupted deafeningly as Zuko lifted his head and stood strong and tall as the nation's new ruler. Aang came to stand beside him and together they looked out at the crowd before them.
After the ceremony, everyone set off for the Earth Kingdom, to Ba-Sing-Se to meet with King Kuei about what to do with the Fire Nation settlements in the Earth Kingdom. Everyone went with the two new leaders as they went to the palace. As they walked through the city, they saw that everyone was adjusting well to the former battle zone. They saw kids playing and adults going about their lives as if nothing had happened. The inner walls of Ba-Sing-Se had been torn down when the Fire Nation came and no one seemed to mind it.
They were all greeted with warm welcomes from the king as he met with the avatar and the new Fire Lord. They went to the throne room and he showed them a picture of where the Fire Nation settlements were in the Earth Kingdom, each one represented by a small, red flame. They dotted the coastline of the Earth Kingdom and Aang commented on this as he looked at the map.
"I never realized the Fire Nation built so many colonies in the Earth Kingdom." He said, pointing to a few of them.
"Yes," King Kuei said, "For the Earth people, they're a constant reminder of the war, like an old scar." He jumped and turned to Zuko, "Oh, I… I—Fire Lord Zuko, I meant nothing personal!"
Zuko shook his head as he looked at the map, "No, Earth King Kuei. You're right. After all the pain my father has caused, it's my duty to bring healing to the world. I'll remove those colonies. I'll do whatever it takes."
"That won't be easy." Kotaro spoke up, "Getting rid of those colonies means disrupting a lot of people's lives."
"Yeah," Aang agreed, "We need someone to oversee everything, to make sure it all goes peacefully." He smiled, "Someone like me!"
"Really?" Zuko asked, "You'd want to do that?"
"Yeah, I'm the avatar! Making stuff go peacefully is kind of my thing!" Aang replied.
"Wonderful!" King Kuei said, "The avatar's personal involvement will give the entire process an air of hope!"
"Sokka and I can help!" Katara said happily.
"Aww." Sokka whined, "I was gonna visit Kyoshi Island." Hoshiko rolled her eyes and smacked him upside the head, "Ow!"
"Don't be so selfish." Hoshiko chided him. "Suki's in town for another week or so anyway, so you'll have plenty of time to spend with her." Sokka stuck out his tongue, and she did the same with her own.
"It'll be a movement," King Kuei said, completely ignoring the little exchange between Hoshiko and Sokka, "A movement towards harmony! We'll call it… We'll call it…"
"The Harmony Restoration Movement!" Sokka piped up.
"Yes!" King Kuei hit his fist in his hand, "The Harmony Restoration Movement! I like it!"
"What's with you and your goofy names for everything?" Toph asked Sokka.
"It's a gift." He replied with a grin.
"I'll set up a celebration to announce it to the Earth People." King Kuei said, "You're all invited, of course."
"We'd be happy to join you." Hoshiko said, "But for now, I think we all want to get a little rest in before we start."
"Oh, yes." King Kuei nodded in understanding, "Well, I hope to see you all there." The group promised him they would be and left the palace.
Before the festivities began, they all decided it would be nice to pay a visit to Iroh at his tea shop, the Jasmine Dragon, to find some time to relax and have fun together.
Mai and Suki came with the group, all of them changing into more comfortable Earth Kingdom clothes. Iroh was more than happy to see them, promising them his best pot of jasmine tea. It didn't take long for everyone to start relaxing. Toph was just leaning back in a chair, partly asleep but still awake. Aang was playing with Momo on the floor. Iroh was sitting at the table, playing a tune on his sungi horn. Kotaro and Hoshiko were entertaining themselves with a small patch of string, making cat's cradle. Occasionally, just to mess with her, Kotaro would dangle it in front of Hoshiko's face and she'd swipe at it a couple times like a cat would. She'd elbow his gut and he'd go back to the cat's cradle again. Katara was watching a pai-sho match between Suki and Mai. Zuko had been doing the same a moment ago, but went to go and check on the tea since his uncle was so busy playing music. Sokka was just a few feet away, doing something with a piece of paper, no one really bothered to ask.
Zuko came back with the tea, which was ready, and handed a cup to everyone. Sokka scowled as he watched the new Fire Lord walk around in their group.
"Zuko, stop moving!" Sokka snapped at him, "I'm trying to capture the moment!" Everyone looked at him curiously and he turned his attention back to the paper in front of him, "I wanted to do a painting, so we always remember the good times together." His tongue poked out of his lips as he focused on the page.
"That's very thoughtful of you, Sokka." Katara said as she came over to him. She looked at the paper and frowned, "Wait, why did you give me Momo's ears?"
"Those are your hair loopies." Sokka said. Zuko, Mai, Suki, Kotaro, and Hoshiko went over to the painting to see how Sokka had depicted them and they all frowned at his poor art skills.
"At least you don't look like a boarcupine." Zuko said, "My hair's not that spiky!"
"I look like a man." Mai said in disapproval, crossing her arms.
"Are those whiskers on my face?" Hoshiko asked upon seeing it, "Do I look like I have a moustache to you?"
"My tail looks like a sack of rice! It is not that big!" Kotaro said.
"And why did you paint me fire bending?" Suki asked.
"I thought it looked more exciting that way." Sokka said. Momo hopped up on the table, letting out little warbles as he looked at Sokka, who frowned at the lemur, "Oh, you think you could do a better job, Momo?" The lemur warbled at him again and Aang smiled at the sight of the group before getting up to go outside. Iroh and Toph came over to the group.
"Hey, my belly's not that big anymore." He said, pointing to it, "I've really trimmed down."
"Well I think you all look perfect!" Toph said. Everyone laughed at her joke.
"Okay, well," Sokka took a look at his painting, "I guess it kinda stinks anyway, huh?"
"Oh, it's not so bad." Hoshiko said, she licked her thumb, "Just…" She put it to the paper and wiped off Sokka's face, "There. Now it's better."
"Hey!" Sokka snapped. Everyone laughed again and Hoshiko ruffled his hair.
"I'm just teasing, Sokka. Lighten up." She said.
"Where did Aang go?" Katara asked, looking around.
"Twinkle Toes headed outside a second ago." Toph said, pointing to the door. Katara went outside to go and find him and everyone went back to what they were doing, getting Sokka to promise to make a better painting. He did so with a mock scowl and crumpled up the paper he had been working on. Hoshiko snuggled up next to Kotaro and sighed happily, laying her head on his shoulder.
"You seem happy." Kotaro said, Hoshiko nodded.
"I am happy." She replied, "The war's over, we're with friends, I'm with you… I don't see how this day could get much better." Kotaro was quiet for a moment, thinking. A moment later he kissed Hoshiko's head.
"I'll be right back." He said before getting up. He went into the kitchen, where Iroh had decided it was time to get some snacks out for his guests and Kotaro bumped into him. "Sorry."
"It's alright." Iroh said, he started picking up some small cookies for the others to eat. He looked over at Kotaro, who was getting something else from the pantry, and saw something sticking out of his pocket. "What's that you have there?"
"What, this?" Kotaro asked, holding up some rice.
"No, in your pocket." Iroh said, reaching for it. Kotaro gasped suddenly and dropped the rice to prevent Iroh from pulling it out, but he was too late. The old man had grabbed it and he held it in his hands with wide eyes. It was a necklace made of fine leather string, it only bore a single charm that had a picture of a star next to the moon. Iroh looked at Kotaro, who was glancing nervously between the entrance to the kitchen and what Iroh held. "This is…"
"Yes, it's a betrothal necklace." Kotaro whispered, taking it from him and putting it back in his pocket.
"You're going to ask Hoshiko to marry you?" Iroh asked, Kotaro nodded.
"Well, it's been a long time coming." Kotaro said, "I've been meaning to ask her for a while, so…" He shrugged. Iroh smiled and clapped the young Shinjun on the shoulder.
"Congratulations." He said.
"I haven't asked her yet." Kotaro said with a small laugh, "Don't congratulate me until then." He walked around the old man, grabbing a handful of the cookies he had taken out and walking back over to Hoshiko. She smiled when she saw him and he sat next to her. Iroh smiled and headed out of the kitchen with the plate of finger food for everyone to share.
"Hey, you know what we should do?" Sokka spoke up after a moment, "We should take a ride on Appa before the celebration starts."
"Why would we want to do that?" Toph asked.
"Well, think about it," Sokka began, "After this, how often do you think we're all going to see each other?" Everyone glanced around, Sokka's words making them think. "We're all going our separate ways after today, right? I'm going to help Aang and Katara with the Harmony Restoration movement, Zuko's got to go back to the Fire Nation to be Fire Lord, Suki's going back to Kyoshi Island, and everyone else is bound to do something in the Earth Kingdom. We should make the most out of our time together."
"He makes a good point." Suki said, "I think we should all go out and have a little fun. This could be the last time we all meet up for a while."
"The announcement won't happen for another few hours," Kotaro said, "Can't we all just relax a little more?"
"We've been relaxing all day!" Sokka said, "I think it's time we have some fun." He stood up from his seat, "Who's with me?"
"I'll go." Hoshiko said, "I think it'll be great." Kotaro sighed.
"Yeah, I guess I'll go, too." He said.
"I'll stay here." Iroh said, "Chances are more people will want tea to celebrate the end of the war."
"I'm not riding on that huge, shedding monstrosity." Mai said.
"Well, I'm going." Zuko said. Mai shrugged indifferently.
"I guess I'll go, too." Toph said with a sigh.
"Awesome, I'll go get Katara and Aang and we can go." Sokka said, heading over to the door. "Hey guys— AH!" He jumped at the sight of Aang and Katara kissing each other. They jumped apart the second they heard his voice and Aang's face flushed a bright red.
"Nothing! We're not doing anything out here!" Aang said hurriedly.
"Haven't you ever heard of knocking, Sokka?!" Katara snapped at her brother.
"First of all, you're supposed to knock before going inside, not outside." Sokka began, "And second, as my sister, you really shouldn't be kissing anyone in front of me! It's your sisterly duty to avoid giving me the oogies!" He made a face on the last word.
"'Oogies'?! Aargh! You are so immature sometimes!" Katara said, "What about you and Suki?!"
The pair began to bicker back and forth and Aang sighed. "Uh, Sokka?" He called to him, but he didn't hear him, so he called a little louder, "Sokka!"
"Time out." Sokka said, holding up his hand to his sister's face, "Yeah, Aang?"
"What'd you come out here to tell us?" Aang asked as everyone who was coming outside.
"Oh! Right! We're about to head out." Sokka told him.
"But the king's celebration doesn't start for a couple more hours!" Aang said.
"I know." Sokka said, "We wanted to take Appa out for a ride first!"
"He convinced us it would be a good idea." Hoshiko said as they came towards the couple.
"Oh. That sounds fun." Aang said, smiling. Everyone got ready to go on the bison, Kotaro's hand jammed in his pocket so he wouldn't lose the necklace.
Appa took a sudden dive down and everyone squealed excitedly, their hands up in the air as they rode down, except for Zuko and Toph, who were holding onto the saddle for dear life. Once Aang pulled up on his reigns, Appa flew steady again and everyone was laughing happily.
"Ha, ha! Let's go again!" Aang said.
"Wait guys!" Suki called out, pointing to the sky, "The fireworks are starting!" Everyone looked up to see huge, colorful explosions in the night sky of pink, red, green, blue, yellow, and every other color imaginable. Everyone stared at the display with wide eyes as they all went off.
"Wow, this view is amazing." Hoshiko said, looking at it.
"It is." Aang said, he pet the head of the bison with a smile, "Thanks buddy." Appa let out a grunt in response.
Kotaro heard cheering and he looked down to see a huge group of people all celebrating down below and smiled, "Sounds like the king just announced the Harmony Restoration Movement."
"Hey, wanna know what fireworks are like for me?" Toph said to Sokka, "Close your eyes." He did so and she came up next to him and shouted in his ear, "BOOOOM!"
"AAH!" Sokka fell back on the bison, holding his ringing ears. Hoshiko laughed at the sight of it.
"Oh, Toph!" Katara laughed, coming up to her, "Don't be such a grump! You're out with friends on a beautiful night, celebrating the fact that we saved the world!"
"True." Toph said with a smile.
"Ouch…" Sokka moaned, still holding his ears.
Aang looked over at Zuko to see he was looking a little despondent as well, "You, too, Your New Majesty Fire Lord Zuko, sir!" He said happily, making a big grin on his face, "Turn that frown upside down! It's happy time!" Zuko was silent and didn't say anything for a moment and Aang's grin disappeared, "Zuko…?"
The scarred Fire Lord turned to his friend, "I visited my father in prison the other day… I've been meaning to ask you for a favor, Aang." He said.
"Sure. Anything." Aang replied.
"If you ever see me turning into my father," Zuko began seriously, "I want you to… I want you to end me." Everyone's eyes widened at his words.
"What?!" Aang exclaimed.
"Zuko, what are you saying?" Kotaro asked him.
"Even now, after everything that's happened," Zuko said, "My family's legacy is still a part of me. That's why it's my duty to heal the scars that the Fire Nation has left on the world. But the Fire Lord's throne comes with a lot of pressures. And if I'm honest with myself… I need a safety net. The world needs a safety net. That's what I need you to be, Aang. The safety net."
"Zuko, you're not your dad!" Aang said, "And you're my friend! How can you expect—"
"As your friend, I'm asking you—" Zuko said, "If you ever see me go bad, end me. Promise me, Aang."
Aang looked at his friend worriedly and he looked over at Katara, who nodded once. He sighed and sulked his shoulders. "…Fine. I promise."
After that moment, the party was a little dampened, but everyone still managed to have a good time. Once they were finished, they all headed back to the Jasmine Dragon, where Iroh had said they could stay for the night. They all bid their goodnights to each other, and Hoshiko went outside once everyone was in bed. She looked up at the starry sky, seeing the moon shine brightly against the darkness. Kotaro came out and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his head on her shoulder.
"The moon is so bright tonight." He murmured. Hoshiko nodded.
"Yeah," She said, "I think Yue's celebrating with us." Kotaro's mouth quirked up in a smirk. He looked at Hoshiko and saw her profile against the moon in the sky. Her dark hair seemed to shine even more than before from the moonlight, and her crystalline eyes sparkled with the reflection of the stars. He stared at her for a moment, drinking in the sight of her. He couldn't think of a time where he had seen her look more beautiful.
She noticed him staring after a moment and turned to him, "What? What is it?"
"Nothing." Kotaro said, "It's just… You look really beautiful tonight." Hoshiko smiled shyly and blushed, pushing some of her hair out of her face. "Hoshiko," he took her hands, "There's something I need to ask you."
"Okay." She said, turning to him.
Kotaro paused for a moment, thinking. He looked down at their joined hands and smiled, "Hoshiko, I love you. More than anything in the world, and I can't think of a time where I have been more happy than right here, right now." Hoshiko smiled at him, "When we were kids, we grew so close so quickly, and now we're hanbun tamashis. We're half of each other's souls. And…" He sighed, "There's only one way I can think of that can join those two halves." He let go of one of her hands and got down on his knee. Hoshiko looked at him in surprise, her heart racing at the sight of him as he pulled something out of his pocket. He looked up at her and smiled. "Hoshiko," he opened his hand to reveal the betrothal necklace, "Will you marry me?" Hoshiko gasped excitedly and threw her arms around his neck.
"Yes," She said happily, "Of course I will." She felt really cheesy for saying that, but she didn't care as she planted a kiss on his lips and he happily returned it. When he pulled away, they were both wearing smiles that went from ear to ear. Kotaro put the necklace on her and she looked down at it with a smile, "It's beautiful, Kotaro."
"Made it myself." Kotaro said proudly. He kissed her cheek, "Come on, let's go to bed. We can tell everyone in the morning." Hoshiko nodded and they both stood up, heading back inside for the night.
I have written over 500 pages for this. Oh. My. God.
This fic is ridiculous.
And don't think this is the end! There's still more to come!