Yang smiled as she looked at a familiar house despite not seeing it for the past 16 years. That same three-story house in the Republic City suburbs that she lived in for the first two years after being discovered as the Avatar. Her home.

As she continued to reminisce, a small creature poked its head out of the bag Yang had tied to her chest and began sniffing the air. Paka was considerably older than he had been the last time they'd been here, nearing the end of his lifespan. He was likely 17 or older, and every near the end of his life. But somehow, possibly due to the fact that Paka was the Avatar's animal companion, he was still holding on. He was slower, had far less energy than he had when they first met, but he was still holding on, still as alert and capable as ever.

Yang scratched Paka's head as she started walking down the sidewalk leading to the house when she stopped at a large tree. Yang knew what this was immediately; it was the cherry tree that she and Xiaolong had planted shortly before Yang left. It had grown strong in the past 16 years and was a little more than halfway through its life cycle. Xiaolong and Yang had planted it to symbolize the next stage in her life cycle, the birth of her new life. And as Yang had grown strong and capable, so had the tree, the fruits having just begun to blossom. It was still a couple months away from them becoming ripe and ready for harvest. And as she touched some of the cherries, she was glad that she and Xiaolong had chosen a food cultivar instead of a Sakura tree, as that was ornamental.

Yang continued down the sidewalk and stood before the door. She knew she'd still be welcome here, but she didn't have keys to the house yet, so she was forced to knock. And who else opened the door but Xiaolong's long time butler, Yenzing. He too was older, the hair around his temples just beginning to gray, and a few more wrinkles than he'd had when Yang left, but he was exactly as Yang remembered him.

"Yes, how can I help…" Yenzing said before trailing off. "Yang?"

"In the flesh," Yang said, smiling.

"Come in! Come in!" Yenzing said excitedly. "Welcome home, child!"

Yang happily entered the door of her childhood home, and Yenzing smiled as he took her in. She was far taller than she'd been when she left; 190 centimeters tall, and around 95 kilograms of almost pure muscle. Her flowing brown hair had a streak of pink flowing down near the top to the bottom, coming near her eyes. She had a nostril piercing on her right side, and a ring on her left eyebrow. He could also see some of her tattoos; the air nomad arrow that trailed down her left arm being the most prominant.

"Is Xiaolong home?" Yang asked as she placed her staff along the wall near rack.

"Yes, he's home!" Yenzing said excitedly. "I'll go announce you!"

Yang continued to look around, noting the features of the house. They were exactly as the remembered, down the finest detail. The step that she'd broken when she wrote her bicycle down the stairs still creaked the way it had 16 years ago, and the ball at the end of the banister she'd broken clean off when sliding down it had still never been replaced. The photo of her in that frilly dress that she'd never worn before or since was still in the same place it had been 16 years ago, though it still had that small crack in the glass Yang had made during the bicycle incident. And even though the hole in the wall she made during that bicycle incident had been repaired, the paint was just off enough to signify that Yang had created it. Yes, Xiaolong's house still felt like home, even after all these years.

"Yang!" Xiaolong said, running toward her but stopped short from hugging her. He wasn't sure how Yang would react to him after all these years, but Yang had assured him that nothing had changed when she stepped in and embraced the old man. He too looked the same as he had years ago, new lines and wrinkles and glasses notwithstanding.

"Welcome home," Xiaolong said through the embrace. "Come in, I'd love to catch up."

"I'm actually kind of hungry," Yang said, motioning toward the door. "Is the Peaceful Koi still open?"

"Of course, although Pekkonas has hired her granddaughter to help out," Xiaolong said. "Let me get my coat."

Yang looked at her staff on the wall and was about to pick it up but hesitated; she didn't need it the way she had when she was young, and she doubted she'd need to fight any time soon, so she left it where it sat and headed out the door. Xiaolong opened the garage and was about enter his car when he noticed Yang hesitating.

"I don't travel by car anymore," Yang said. "I only travel using sustainable means now. So, no cars, no planes, no engine powered ships. Just by animal or by bending."

Xiaolong smiled but understood. The fully realized Avatar has to make a statement about the state of the world, and he was glad that Yang was finding her cause.

"So, how should we get there?" Xiaolong said, closing the door of his car.

"You still have that cycle rikshaw?" Yang asked.

"Yes, but it would take a while to get into the city from here," Xiaolong said, remembering how he'd used it to play with Yang as he led her shed in the back of the house.

"Oh, that's not a problem," Yang said. "I can get us there with airbending. I could fly there, but I'm not comfortable carrying another person just yet."

After pulling the rikshaw out of the shed, Xiaoling sat down in the passenger seat as Yang created a ball of air and placed it under the front tire. Then she carefully got into the driver's seat and told Xiaolong to buckle up before Yang blasted the rickshaw forward with her airbending. She could hear Xiaolong's excitement as they traveled, and it reminded her of the day she first flew using her glider.

It wasn't long before they got to the Peaceful Koi Deli, and Yang took a moment to fix her hair before heading inside; that was the only downside of airbending with long hair, the constant need to readjust it.

"Xiaolong! Great to see you again!" Pekkonas said as they entered. Yang smiled, as Pekkonas looked like Yang remembered from the last time she'd been here. Though, since she'd been older when Yang last saw her, she could tell that the years were starting to catch up with her due to her sagging skin.

"You're Yang, aren't you?" Pekkonas said, turning her attention to Yang. "Yes, that is you! Where've you been?"

"Oh, I went off for bending training," Yang said, smiling. She was going to love revealing the fact that she was the Avatar to her old friends from Republic city, but she was going to do it on her terms.

"Ah, got your waterbending training in," Pekkonas said, smiling. Yang smiled back, finding funny that Pekkonas still thought she was just Water Tribe. "You go to the north or south?"

"Northern Tribe," Yang said. "It was the best place to start after finishing at the Eastern Air Temple."

Pekkonas was taken aback, but Yang continued. "After that, I went to Yi for earthbending, and ended in Bhanti Island for my firebending training."

It took a moment for Pekkonas to process what she had just heard. "You're the Avatar?"

"All my life," Yang said, playfully.

"I served lunch to the Avatar," Pekkonas said excitedly before regaining her composure. "Well, what can I make for you today?"

"You know how to make five-flavor soup?" Yang asked.

Pekkonas' ears perked up upon hearing this. "Of course! My mother used to make it when I was a girl! And since we lived in a port town, she could get ingredients from all over the world, so she was always trying new things with it!"

"Then that's what I want," Yang said, smiling.

"Of course!" Pekkonas said excitedly. "Now, did you want it traditionally or…"

Yang cut her off. "No, put your own spin on it."

Pekkonas nodded and turned to Xiaolong. "What about you? Your regular?"

"Yes, that will be fine," Xiaolong said, curious about what Yang had ordered.

"Okay, I'll get started right away. My granddaughter will bring out your tea shortly," Pekkonas said, scurrying back to the kitchen.

"So, what's five-flavored soup?" Xiaolong said as they sat down.

"It's a Southern Tribe dish that made its way to the north through trade routes," Yang said. "It's a vegetable dish that has a seaweed base. The ingredients are mixed together in such a way that five distinct flavors combine into something wholly unique."

"That's right, since you've been all over the world, you've experienced a lot of different things," Xiaolong said.

"Oh yeah," Yang said. "You've never had a vegetarian dish until an Air Nomad has made it. And the best beef stew I've ever had was made in Yi. And don't even get me started on the spicy Fire Nation snacks. And the roasted fish I had on Kiyoshi Island was the best!"

"You've been to Kiyoshi Island?" Xiaolong pondered.

"Yeah, I trained with the Kiyoshi Warriors for a year. Sho Geng, my earthbending teacher, suggested I learn some non-bending forms of combat, and took me to Kiyoshi Island to learn their ways," Yang said.

"But…why do you need to learn non-bending forms?" Xiaolong said as Pekkonas' granddaughter came out with their tea.

"Thank you," Yang said as the granddaughter finished pouring their cups. She turned her attention back to Xiaolong and continued. "Chi blockers are a threat to any bender. And while I can reopen my pathways like that with the Avatar State," Yang said, snapping her fingers, "It's useful know what to do for those few moments I'm helpless."

It wasn't long before Pekkonas' granddaughter brought out their meals; the same fish sandwich that Xiaolong had eaten when Yang first ate here, and the five-flavor soup with a pair of rolls. "Grandma said you might like these red bean buns with your soup." She said.

Yang picked up her spoon and was immediately overcome with memories of the Northern Water Tribe as she began eating her soup. Of friends she made, of the Northern Lights, of all the sights and smells she'd seen while in that arctic landscape. And a bite of the bun brought her back to the Earth Confederacy, memories of the native flora and fauna flooding her mind. She was glad she'd had the chance to travel the world and experienced everything she'd done. And as the Avatar, she'd continue to travel to places she'd be needed.

But right now, she was home. Back to the people she loved and the places that meant the world to her. And she was glad to be back in Republic City.