Again
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender… well I do own the DVDs, but I don't think that counts.
Summary: Nearly 100 years after the Final Battle and 12 years after Aang dies, the world is embroiled in war again; an old waterbending master discovers something that will restore hope to the world…. Again. One-shot, implied Kataang
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The Southern Water Tribe lived in fear. For the last 10 years, the water tribes had lived in fear, ever since the Earth Kingdom had set out to occupy the rest of the world. The war wasn't going well.
Fire Lord Zuko struggled to keep his nation together as Earth Kingdom armies besieged the capital, The Air Nomads- descendants of Avatar Aang, had fled after Earth benders and tunneled through the mountains that separated them off from the world. Meanwhile, it seemed that every week, another member of the Water Army was reported dead. Every week, there was another funeral.
Katara had seen it all before, 100 years ago. Many people had looked to her for guidance, she was one of the few people in the entire city who even remembered a war, yet she knew she couldn't help. Her time had passed, she had made a difference on the battlefield ages ago and she knew that someone else had to step up.
Katara prepared herself to walk out of the door of her home. She touched the necklace around her neck, "I'll see you soon" She whispered inaudibly, a single tear slid down her cheek. She looked up, a look of resolve on crossing her face, and pushed the door open.
A cold breeze hit her face, but she was used to it, she was used to everything now, pain, sadness, war, destruction, she had seen all too much of it all in her life to be shocked by what was happening.
Perhaps her acceptance of all of this had come with age, maybe subconsciously, she had realized that all that was happening now had happened before and would happen again, in an eternal cycle of war and peace, of good and evil, just like Tui and La.
Those thoughts didn't occur to her as she trudged through the snow though. All that was on her mind was the day ahead. That was how she lived ever since he died one day at a time until it was her time to go and join him.
Right now, she had to go to the Waterbending academy where she was one of the teachers; she had come to accept how practical her lesson would become for her students in years, months for some.
It was amazing, she thought; how much things could change and yet stay the same. She now lived in a splendid city of thousands, she was a master waterbender, yet here she was, watching as another war unfolded, it reminded her so strongly of the last war.
She was brought from her thoughts by yelling. "No! No! NO!" She heard a boy yell. The boy ran out of one of the houses near her, to her surprise it was someone she knew.
It was Kyushu, one of her favorite waterbending students. She walked up to the sobbing boy, compassion shone in her eyes as he collapsed on the ground in tears. She didn't need to be told what had happened; she had seen it to many times.
Kyushu had never known his mother; she had died in childbirth, so his father was all he had left. Until now, Katara thought to herself sadly. His father was one of the waterbenders that were sent off to war. She had no doubts about his fate now.
She knelt down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder; she had mastered the art of comfort long ago…
Something was different now or maybe eerily similar as she looked comfortingly into his eyes. He looked back at her helplessly; yes, she affirmed something was diffidently familiar, she felt the wind pick up slightly.
A look of shock passed over her face as she looked into his eyes again. They were glowing. It all made sense now. Already, the slight breeze she felt earlier had picked up into a cyclone as Kyushu rose into the air.
Katara knew what to do immediately: it was just like with Aang. She grabbed onto him, whispering soft reassurances into his ear. Later, she would realize how close her speech to Kyushu was to what she said to Aang at the Sothern Air Temple.
As the winds began to subside, her words became a dull mantra, "Kyushu, Kyushu, Kyushu…" They touched the ice "Kyushu…" she whispered, and then, so softly that he couldn't possibly hear "…Aang…" However, one person did hear.
She hugged the boy tightly. As he finally came out of the avatar state, she released him slightly. "Master Katara…" He trailed off and then paled immensely; he knew what this meant.
"Come on Kyushu" She said warmly "Let's go inside" He grinned halfheartedly at her as they walked into his house together. She let him go in first. After he entered, she stayed behind.
Katara touched the necklace again, the same necklace that Aang had given her nearly 100 years ago as a proposal necklace. She smiled wistfully as she remembered her beloved husband. She looked up at the boy ahead of her. A slight twinkle returned to her eye. Maybe, just maybe she could hand one more grand adventure.
Somewhere in the spirit world, Aang smiled.
A/N: Well, this is a oneshot, but if I get good feedback feel very ambitious I might make this into a full fledged story.
I started this story at 10:00 PM on Saturday, exactly one week before the end of the finale. I thought that this story offered a good sense of closure to such an epic series.
Also, I'm planning on doing a sequel oneshot after the finale. So keep your eyes open.