Aang told Katara about his deteriorating health years ago. She would shake her head, telling him that it wouldn't happen, and even if it did, it was decades away; that the spirits wouldn't kill him like that after everything that had happened, not to mention how much he'd done for the world.
She conceded that Aang's body had been through so much more than anyone should have ever have to go through, but he was the Avatar. He should have been able to pull through without breaking a sweat.
Katara cursed her stubborn foolishness whenever Aang attempted to broach the subject. The only thing he was able to achieve was receiving the brunt of her anger and words she didn't entirely mean. He'd even gone to the efforts of asking their friends to try to talk to her about it. She pretended to not know what he was doing while continuing to rebuff their attempts.
Now, it had actually happened. Aang was gone. He was gone and he wasn't coming back.
It sounded easy when people used flowery language in explaining how he would be reborn; that he'd be a different person but you would still be able to feel the Avatar's spirit. Katara's sensible side told her that at least part of it was true, but the other side of herself felt that they were empty promises to reassure his loved ones. But, there was never going to be another Aang, no matter how many times the Avatar was reborn
Katara watches as Tenzin approaches her. His words almost fall flat when he tells her that Kya and Bumi are coming in two days' time. She's only able to smile and nod.
One of the things she'd learned during the Hundred Year War was that her smile brightened people's mood, no matter how much she felt like she wanted to shatter into a million pieces.
She can't stop smiling for her son, or anyone else. She'll smile for those she loves until the very end. People depended on it.
§~§~§
Katara, Tenzin, and Sokka meet Kya and Bumi at the docks upon their arrival. Immediately, Kya goes to Katara and hugs her tightly. She asks how she's doing and Katara smiles. She tells her daughter that she's fine. Tenzin and Bumi stand in a solemn silence. She didn't want their mourning to be disturbed for her sake. They didn't need to worry about her. She'd manage, like always.
Her daughter purses her lips at Katara's response but thankfully doesn't pursue the subject. After a few seconds, she eventually decides to share Katara with her brothers. When awkward silence finds its way into their conversation, Sokka hastily speaks up, asking them if they were hungry.
When they eat at dinner, conversation is quiet and minimal, leaving everyone to their thoughts, the only sound being that of chopsticks occasionally tapping softly against their plates.
Aang wouldn't have liked this, especially from his family. He would have kept everyone in good spirits and tried to keep the subject matter light-hearted.
Katara looks at everyone around the table and asks what was going on with their life. She chuckles when Bumi started telling everyone of his stories and Tenzin and Kya sigh loudly in annoyance of hearing the same story over again.
§~§~§
When Toph arrives in Republic City, she marches over to Katara and slugs her in the shoulder. She tells her that she doesn't look very good then grins at her own joke.
Katara scolds her, telling her that one shouldn't greet an old friend they haven't seen in years by punching them in the shoulder. The earthbender rolls her eyes at that but doesn't retaliate.
Toph asked Katara how she was, and like every other time, Katara told her that she was well.
Toph's eyebrows knitted together, most likely able to see through her lie as easily as one would be able to see through a window. Despite herself, Toph doesn't push the matter. She rubbed her hands together and demanded a proper meal.
Toph had never been one for sympathy, and Katara was glad that she didn't change her ways. She didn't know exactly what she would do if she was prodded.
The way Toph cheered someone up is chucking a rock at someone's head. She attempted it with Tenzin before who hadn't appreciated it in the slightest. She had went of in a tangent telling him that all airbenders just can't seem to take a joke. In a way, Katara finds it endearing. Though she'd never tell her son.
When Katara catches Toph standing despondently next to Aang's memorial, she smiles even though she knew Toph can't see it. She tells her that she misses Aang too, carefully hiding the tears in her voice and places a hand on her shoulder.
Her smile became more sincere when Toph recalls a time with rueful amusement when she'd dared Aang to act like a complete moron during a meeting involving Republic City's zoning. Toph tells Katara that was why she finally agreed to teach Aang how to metalbend.
§~§~§
Katara couldn't help but remember how broken up Aang was when Appa died only two weeks prior to his own death. Even when he lost his best friend, his only true lifelong companion, he said that he accepted that it was a natural part of life to age and to die with grace. He told everyone that he'd be fine.
It wasn't something that one would think about, but Aang was a good liar. He lied all of the time. He lied about being fine. Katara dubbed those lies "selfless selfish lies," because she knew them for what they were. Aang was trying to be selfless but was really being selfish by pushing people who loved him away and only causing more hurt without realizing it.
A lot of people in Katara's life were like that, if she thought about it. It occurs to her that that was what she was doing now, but dismisses it quickly. People still depend her and she was not about to let her mask fall just yet. Seeing them able to express their grief in front of her without as much as a thought was enough to keep her going. She figures it was what must have kept Aang smiling, too.
§~§~§
Katara was mildly surprised when Sokka marches in the room to announce that Zuko had come to visit.
The latter had sent her letters throughout the past few months, albeit short and curt ones. She appreciated that he'd tried of course, but it was easy to see them as nothing but polite platitudes from a world leader out of respect for the Avatar, and not from a lifelong friend. She knew him well enough that it wasn't what he'd intended, but it was what it felt like. It was especially insulting when it took him so long to come around and visit.
When she sees him, she give him a slight laugh that came out more as a huff than anything else. She tells him that it took him long enough to visit and has to remind him that she's only teasing when he offers awkward apologies.
When Zuko asked to see Aang's memorial later that day, Katara volunteers to take him to see it herself. She gives Tenzin "The Look" when he offers to do it himself. He was either more observant than she gave him credit for or he was in cahoots with Toph, innocently picking at her feet in the corner of the room. She demands to know if he was insinuating that she was too old to take an old friend to see Aang's memorial.
Sokka nudges his nephew's shoulder when he begins vehemently denying it, telling him that it was something that he wanted to do, and it would please him. There was some kind of sarcastic comment in there that involved "staying on her good side" that received a snort from Bumi.
§~§~§
Zuko stares contemplatively at the memorial with a certain intensity that makes Katara wonder if he'd burst into tears or set the entire room ablaze. Her lips tighten slightly when she asked him what he was thinking. He doesn't answer her question, but muses aloud how cruelly ironic it was that it took someone to die for everyone to suddenly have a reunion. There was a faint twinge of bitterness as he spoke.
Katara couldn't exactly deny his words. Her entire living family was around her to offer whatever support they could. She hated to admit it, but if Aang hadn't died, it was very likely that none of them would be together now.
She sighs and tells him that their next reunion won't be because of someone's death. Zuko barely reacts, but Katara was able to catch the indirect disagreement in his body language. She repeats her words, an unsaid "lighten up" to her her tone.
After several moments of silence, he looks at her and asks her how she's doing. Smiling, Katara says that she was doing fine. He shakes his head and tells her not to lie to him.
Neither of them say anything else, and that's fine for Katara.
§~§~§
The day afterwards, Katara is drinking tea with Sokka when she turns to him and asks if he remembers when they first went to the Southern Water Tribe a few years after the Hundred Year War. He has to think about it for a minute before nodding. He arches a brow and asks her what her point is.
Katara doesn't have much of an answer. She remembers that Sokka described home as the people that one is around and not as a location. That anywhere could be home. Every living person that Katara loves dearly is around her at the same place at the same time, but Aang's death left a void and she didn't know if she would ever be able to get over it.
She doesn't think that she'll ever be able to get that feeling of home ever again. Somehow, losing her mother didn't leave her nearly as empty as this.
She didn't notice she said it out loud until Sokka embraces her, telling her that he's there for her and will do whatever he can to make her feel whole again, because that's what Dad told him to do. Katara tells him she wouldn't know what to do without him.
She loves her big brother so very much.
§~§~§
Tenzin looks surprised when Katara announces that she will be going back to the South Pole to live out the rest of her life. He asks why she won't stay in Republic City and Katara smiles wistfully and responds that she thinks it's about time she went back home, regardless of how much the Southern Water Tribe has changed since she was a girl.
Zuko remarks drily that it is probably a good thing that it has changed so much and he could possibly consider them something slightly higher than peasants, and snorts in amusement when Sokka shoots him a mock-glare. Toph grins and tells Tenzin loudly that him being away from his mom for a while should do him some good, and he might finally grow a spine.
Katara balefully glowers at Toph. She didn't care that the earthbender was blind. She knew for a fact that she knew what she was doing. Katara, for one, is tired of her picking on her poor baby. She wasn't sure how, but the way she leaned back casually and began to pick her toes was a good indicator that she picked up Katara's annoyance.
Tenzin doesn't look too happy about Katara's decision, but he knows all too well that when his mother made up her mind, there wasn't any way to change it.
She assures him that she'll be fine. Katara feels unsure whether he knew the main reason that she was leaving was to try to rekindle her feelings of home and security. She forces a smile and tells him that he could visit whenever he wanted.
§~§~§
When Katara met Avatar Korra for the first time, she was unsure what to make of the child. She was nothing like Aang and was, honestly, a little unpleasant. Katara couldn't say that she disliked her, but she feels a little unsure about how to act around her.
Even Sokka admitted that she wasn't the most enjoyable child to be around—he grimaced slightly as he said that—but said that she'll come around eventually. Korra was still very young and she would surely mature after a few years. Katara was almost certain he was right, but hoped that she'd grow up quickly.
§~§~§
Katara began training Korra in waterbending and she was surprised at her raw talent for it, even when compared to Aang and how quickly he had been able to pick it up. She told her that she was a gifted waterbender and that she has the potential to be a great bender.
The smile on Korra's face when Katara praises the girl reminded her very much of Aang's. Her eyes dart away, as she finds it difficult to look at for too long.
Katara forced a smile and adjusted Korra's stance by softly tapping her on the back, telling her that she shouldn't slouch so much, and needs to practice her posture. She had to blink back tears when Korra finds Katara's comment amusing and laughs and tells her that she can stop mothering her.
§~§~§
She wasn't sure how Korra found out, but there came a point when Katara was certain that she knew that there was some bitterness toward her. With tear-filled blue eyes, Korra came to her and asked if she hated her.
She told her no. No, of course she didn't hate her. She couldn't hate her. How could she hate her? She bent down and hugged Korra tightly.
Her tearful smile was enough for Katara to smile for herself for the first time in a long time.
She whispered softly to her, "You were always able to make me smile."
Prompts: (word) age, (character) Katara, (restriction) only one of dialogue, (AU) sick
Word count: 2,358
modifications made 8/12/2016