"Paju?" A six-year old Korra asked the old, graying Water Tribe member of the White Lotus, as he sat accross the table from her, eating his sea-prunes with an utmost craving, "Tomorrow's my seventh birthday, and I don't get why everybody's so sad! Especially Master Katara! Gran Gran always spends every weekened with me, and she plays with me, and we go penguin sledding...but when I turned six last year, she didn't want to see me! She was crying-I could tell! Why was she so sad, Paju? Aren't birthdays supposed to be happy? Is she mad at me?" Korra gave a pout, tears forming in her eyes at the very thought of the women she loved enough to think of as her Gran Gran ever being mad at her. "I don't want presents, I just want Gran Gran and everyone to be happy again!"
Paju sighed, a sad look crossing his face, his eyes holding a knowing kind of pain that would only be able to be told to Korra when she was old enough to understand. But, Paju and most of the other members of the Order thought Korra was very bright for a child of her age. Never in history for decades had there been recordings of an Avatar knowing of thier Identity at as young of an age as Korra; she knew who she was meant to be at five short years. Most Avatars had to be told of thier Identity at age sixteen, if they hadn't been tracked and found by then from the Order, or if they hadn't figuered it out by then from accidentaly bending another element or by some kind of spiritutal enlightenment; otherwise, a few just somehow knew and insisted they were the One.
Korra was a prodigy, simply put, and Paju thought that she ought deserve to know why the people around her were sad on a day that was supposed to be happy for her.
"Korra, darling..." he began, trying to put this as simply and delicately as he could to not upset the child more, "You undertand as the Avatar, that there are Avatars that came before you and will come after you, correct?"
"Yes, I know! Like the Cycle; Earth, Fire, Air, and Water! Aang was the Air Avatar before me, and Ruko was Fire, before him, and Kyoshi was Earth before him and-...that's all I know so far...but-but after me is Earth again, right, Paju!?" She asked, excitement at showing her teacher she had been indeed listening to her lessons, gleaming in her blue eyes.
The elder smiled sadly, and ruffled the young Avatar's messy hair, "Yes, sweetie, you're exactly right. Which is why you need to understand; the Avatars before you all had familes and friends and lives of thier own, just like you. Don't you think that the people who loved them, all missed them when they died and reiencarnated into the Cycle with the next Avatar? Katara has known Aang for most of her life, and he was known by many of the Members of the Order here. We aren't mad at you, Korra, it's just that your birthday also signifies when the previous Avatar passed on. It's just that we all miss Aang very much- you can unserstand that, right, sweetie?"
"So..." Korra considered, "So it's my fault that Gran Gran is sad. She misses Aang and I took him away!" Korra exclaimed, eyes watering, little fists curling.
"No, no, Korra! Korra, sweetheart, listen to me... It is not your fault- it is not something you can help. You must always remember that Aang is still a part of you and Katara loves you so much, just seeing you makes her happy, alright?"
Korra wiped her eyes roughly. "I wish I wasn't the Avatar." she said with as much bitterness as a seven-year old could muster.
"Oh, Korra...don't say that! Of course you like being the Avatar- it is who you are meant to be. Now, I promise you tomorrow will be special for you. You get a whole day off of training, and get to see your Mom and Dad, and have your favorite cake and seal-otter dumplings! Isn't that something to look foward to?
"It is! But only if Gran Gran comes to!" She whined.
"She will, I promise. She wouldn't want to miss seeing you on your special day for anything, I know. Besides, she said she has a super special Waterbending move to teach you that only birthday girls can learn..."
"Ohhhh what, what, what!" She sprang up in her chair, hopping on the balls of her feet, "Tell me, tell me!"
"You'll have to wait untill tomorrow." Paju said smugly as he smiled at the young Avatar. "Now finish your sea-prunes." He pointed to the half-eaten dish.
She had taken his explanation fairly well, Paju concluded as he watched her eat the sea-prunes like the Water Tribe girl she was. He had no doubt in his mind that she would an exceptional Avatar.
And even if she didn't know it, she and Aang shared many qualities.
"You picked a good one, Aang," Paju whispered, "She loves just as much as you."