Important Message! The following story is indubitably fanon and should not be considered actual canon.

THE LAST YEAREdit

It has been many, many long years since Ozai was defeated and the Hundred Year War finally came to an end. There have been new journeys gone by and new friends were made---many old faces have grown older, but even more so, many were lost...including General Iroh, who passed away at the ripe old age of ninety-nine. Hakoda passed at the merry age of eighty-three, as well as Bato who lived to see his eighty-seventh birthday. Zuko's mother died at the age of sixty-nine---Momo was nearly forty...and even Appa passed away as one of the oldest Bison in History, at the age of one-hundred and sixty (he actually passed just a few weeks ago).

In the years past, Avatar Aang's son Bumi, and Fire Lord Zuko's daughter dated, but had different goals in life and Bumi watched as Honora married another man---in fact he was the best man at their wedding! Honora's husband was his best friend and he also saved Bumi's life on one occasion. Soon after he and this new Prince, became the Commanders of the United Forces, an army dedicated to promoting peace for all types of benders and non-benders within the Fire Nation Capital where Bumi resides. Then, Sokka's daughters were all married with children of their own and Sokka's son, Koda, is the new leader of the Southern Water Tribe. At the age of thirty-seven, Koda and his family reside near the Southern Tribe Capitol, a new addition to the growing tundra where Sokka and Katara where born. Meanwhile, his cousin, Aang and Katara's daughter, Kya, is the strongest Waterbending Master of her generation and resides in the Northern Water Tribe as a Healing Teacher. Her youngest brother, Tenzin was now a Council Member of Republic City and he and Captain Lin Beifong of the Metalbending Police Force, have been dating for around five years...if you do not include their brief relationship as teenagers.

Everyone had their own lives and their own missions at hand, consuming their daily schedule...Each day was a new surprise and life had never been sweeter---but---soon everything changed---every one of these people found their lives briefly halted one evening----they all stopped living for the longest of moments---when they each received a very grim letter from Air Temple Island...

THE END OF A CYCLE Edit

Aang was old, growing sicker and weaker by the day, and he knew that this would be his last few days----his last hours alive. Knowing this, he sent out a vast message alerting all of his closest friends and family of this fate---and each of them met on Air Temple Island to say their solemn farewells.

"Now you go have an adventure, and don't come back until you do..." Aang laughed to his daughter, "In a matter of days, I'm sure you will be running the North Pole, right Kya?"

"I love you daddy..." Kya sobbed lightly as she and her father hugged tightly.

Aang stepped over to his eldest son and laughed, "Stay out of trouble son...OR should I say Fire General?"

"Trouble is in my genes, Dad..." Bumi added with solemn smile and a big hug to his father. Aang gave Fire Queen Honora a large hug and a firm handshake to her only son, Iroh, (named after Honora's beloved great uncle). Honora and Bumi never married, but through the years the two still remained great friends and she took the time to travel all the way to Air Temple Island, just to say goodbye to her ex-boyfriend's father, and her family/long-term friend.

"Tenzin---" Aang started, but his son cuts in and hugs him quickly; Aang laughs, patting him on the back, "You are a great master, my son. And I look forward to meeting you again for the first time."

Lin steps forward toughly, but with tears in her eyes all the while. Aang eases in, and hugs her as well, saying "Lin, you'll always be like a second daughter to me---stay strong and never give up."

Toph comes up ready to punch him but instead gives Aang a kiss on the cheek and is too torn to say anything further... Aang smiles at her and continues walking. Sokka and Aang embrace in a manly hug... then Aang waves to Sokka's family, Suki, and a few other familiar faces---before he walks over to the White Lotus members and coughs, "Promise me that you will look after this new Avatar. Make sure they receive the training they need and keep them safe from harm..."

"Yes, Avatar Aang..." The Lotus bowed respectfully.

Finally he came to Zuko.

"You came?" Aang murmured.

"You didn't think you could get out of saying goodbye to me that easily?" Zuko laughed, "I hunted you for too long to let you slip away without a---a farewell?"

Aang and Zuko hugged, before Aang rested a hand softly on his shoulder and continued walking closer to the door of his home. He was trying to pretend everything was fine, but Aang coughed ferociously loud and Katara helped him stand so he could look outside and to his family for the last time. Katara then helped her husband inside and into bed while everyone waited outside the temple. After he was tucked away in bed, Katara sat beside him and was crying, holding her husband's hand tightly, but in a calm, happy voice, she tried to lie and act alright, she asked him with a teary smile, "You---do you really have to go, Aang?"

In a weak, old chuckle, Aang replied heartily, "I'm one-hundred and sixty-six years old, Katara. I think my time has to come sooner or later?"

"But... I'm not ready to let you go..." She whispered at his hand. Aang wipes away her tears, with his thumb and keeps his hand on her cheek while smilling, and looking into her eyes, "I'm so happy you found me in that iceberg Katara... remember that I will always be with you, and I will always love you more than anything."

Silent tears now and Aang coaxes her to lay with him for his last few hours. Hand in hand they lay there peacefully, Aang had one arm wrapped around his wife's shoulder and the two fell asleep in the peaceful quiet. Aang had a flashback dream of every moment he lived that was happy and wonderful. He saw Katara for the first time, trained with his friends, met a lot of new people on his journey that fateful summer to defeat Ozai, he kissed Katara for the first time, the second, and third---up until the point of their wedding, then had a beautiful daughter, then a strong son, and then his legacy, Tenzin; he remembered teaching Kya some Waterbending techniques at the waterfall, and he remembered chasing the kids one winter as a monster snowman... then they tackled him and everybody laughed; He remembered that time he tried to show Bumi how to throw a boomerang like Sokka, however Aang wasn't as good as Sokka was at aiming, and they broke a window---running away like lightning before they were caught. He also remembered teaching Tenzin Airbending and Meditation. He remembered many long years with his friends and his wife. Then an old Katara and Aang holding hands tenderly, fades into present day... Aang and Katara are tightly holding hands, Aang has a wide grin across his face, and happy tears were falling from the corners of his eyes. He lets out a small sigh and his face goes still and peaceful; the hand around Katara's shoulder falls off to the side and immediately she wakes up to feel Aang's hand in hers had gone cold...."Aang?" Katara asked breathlessly, and when no one answered her, her voice cracked and she lay her head back on his chest... "Aang..."

A few moments later, Katara left the house with a broken facial expression and everybody realized that Aang was gone. The strong willed Beifong women were crying, Lin strapped onto Tenzin's neck, as he also shed a silent flow of tears. Kya was wrapped around her cousins, sobbing as they tried to comfort her, and Bumi was the same way. Sokka was torn, as well as Suki, and they consoled their niece and nephews alongside their grown kids. Toph coaxed Lin away from Tenzin as Katara headed their way. Zuko embraced her for a moment before she continued her path for her three children... Katara, Kya, Bumi, and Tenzin all mourned the loss of their beloved Avatar, father, and husband... Avatar Aang, was now gone from the world.

Now onto a less-depressing environment, where a young couple had just given birth to a happy, giggling baby girl in the Southern Water Tribe...

"Senna, she's beautiful! What are we going to name her?" The father asked in awe.

"I was thinking---Korra?" the new mother said with a smile, "Our daughter is going to be something very special I just know it Tonraq... she needs a special name."

"Korra----" he repeated, stroking the baby's face tenderly, "it's perfect."

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