Chapter 10:  Epilogue
     It was the dead middle of summer, sweat came more as rain then rain actually ever did.  The old wolfhound rested in the shade, he wasn’t a stupid dog, big, but not stupid.  The cat sat perched in the window of the air conditioned house, he wasn’t stupid either, smarter than the dog it seemed.  Brother and sister played the common game of tag with their cousins, while their parents watched form a far.  
     Their mother smiled as the two ran about laughing, and the twins in her womb gave a small kick.  The father was not far off, talking to her brother about something.  Her sister-in-law was adding her own comments in from time to time, as witty and wild as they may be.  It had been along time since she had heard that yard be filled with laughter from young children.
     “You should be resting.”  Her husband said softly taking the tray from her and sitting her down in a chair.  “If their anything like Juu was, we have a handful.”
     “You should listen, Katara.” Her brother said smiling at her.   “You’re bad enough without children growing in you.”
     “What does that mean?”  Katara said laughing.
     “Look out Snoozles.”  Toph warned with a laugh.
     “As long as kids and Aang are present, I’m perfectly fine.”  Sokka teased.
     “I don’t know if you need it, I might suddenly notice a cloud.”  Aang said darkly before sipping his lemonade.
     The whole table burst out in laughter, and the four children in the yard stopped to turn to them.  They rushed over noticing the glasses of lemonade.  The oldest was only eight, but was more Aang then anything else, Katara only got his eyes.  His sister on the other hand was Katara more than she was Aang, but her eyes were that lovely shade of stormy gray.  There cousins were close to the same, one parent with only the eyes for the other.
     “So who won?”  Sokka asked his daughter, Tui, more mother than father.
     “Dad, it was tag, but no one can get Juu.”  Tui said pointing angrily at her only older cousin, who was smiling widely.
     “Why is that?”  Katara asked.
     “He’s fast.”  Haroda the youngest of them said.  “He’s there than he’s gone.”
     “Really?” Aang asked, and his daughter piped up.
     “He’s uncatchable.”  Yugi said.
     “Nay-uh, Dad can catch me anytime.”  Juu corrected, before the whole table started laughing.
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     “Hey, slow down.”  Juu shouted at his youngest siblings, which was a phrase that hardly came out of his mouth without a sarcastic tone.
     “Did that just come out of your mouth?”  Yugi teased.  
     “You make it sound worse.”  Juu retorted.
     “Because they’re eight and you’re the schools track star.”  Aang said butting in.
     “They’re on a sugar.”  Katara pointed out.  “Not even you can catch them.”
     Both Father and son smiled before making that silent bet and running off.  Each managed to grab one twin and race back, placing them on the counter for Katara to see.  The smiles said ‘look I got one’, which was usually how everyday went.  Katara rolled her eyes thanking both, before explaining the basic rules of the house while they were gone.  
     “And no parties.”  It was for both but it was directed to Juu.
     “Why do I always get glared at that when you say that?”  Juu questioned popping a grape into his mouth.
     “Cause there’s more me, then you mother in you.”  Aang said and Juu almost choked on his laughter.
     “What’s so funny?”  Katara asked.
     “Nothing, nothing.”  Juu said straightening up.  “Kaze, Taki, Let’s go start that homework.” The twin sisters groaned.  “I know the feeling.”
     “I’ll watch them mom.” Yugi assured, before pushing her parents out of the house.
     “I don’t trust them.”  Katara said.
     “They’re your kids, but you trust me enough to give me a place to stay.”  Aang pointed out raising an eyebrow.
     “You were a stray.”
     “You were too, if I remember correctly.”
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     “Life was something that took them by storm, more than anything.  It drove him down the path of wrong in the beginning, and her down lonely street.  They meet somewhere in the crossroads, his come back, her depression.  Both alone and strayed, uncle murdered, parents killed in a tragic car crash, yet together they were happy.  His past hurt, her heart ached, gateways to death seemed everywhere to them, yet they stayed a little long and meet.  She threaten to jump, he pulled her off.”  Juu stated at the toast for his parents renewing their vows.  
     “She helped, he stayed.  Another came, and he cared still, while she ran off for a while, they fought.  The other used her, heartbroken once again and she went to jump.”  Yugi said chiming in.  “He confessed, and she fell, a leap of faith that her shoe made for her.  Brother and wife set them up, along with their friends.  First kiss the sky was painted just for them, to bad they didn’t notice, dance till they danced off to sleep.”
     “Nine months later, he asked her hand, she claimed she came with it.  Soon after they were nervous wrecks, their helpers weren’t very helpful in advice.  Music started, and doubt was some foreign language.”  Kaze said picking up were her older sister left off.  “Nine months later the first and only son started living on the outside.  Two years later a sister joined him, and six years after that, twins did as well.”
     “Off they went one by one, out the door, flew the nest.  There was no more laughter in that backyard, no, not till son brought fiancé home.  Years past and slowly sisters brought their own.  Grand kids filled the yard with that laughter again.  And now their back here, renewing the vows and the promise.”  Taki finished and everyone clapped.
     “By the way, that was not planned.”  Juu pointed out before sitting down, and the whole room laughed.
     “It sure sounded planned.”  Haroda shouted.
     “Thank your father for that.”  Yugi shouted back.
     Laughter filled the room again, if it was one thing the four managed to bring back to life was a story and laughter.  Katara and Aang watched from a far and the laughter washed over the room, between comments between them.  They were all older with their own families to run, yet they still had times to be the kids in the backyard, the track star, the swimmer, and the actors they were in school.
     “I think we did good.”  Katara whispered.  
     “We did more than good.”  Aang whispered backed.  “We helped a fellow stray.”
     “And past the tradition on.”
     “Yes that indeed.”  Aang agreed looking at one of his grandson’s friends his son had taken under his wing when thing were getting rough.  “Strays are far too common.”