Southern Air Temple - Reboot

by ayziks

The Southern Air Temple has sat untouched with its dead for over a century since the day it was destroyed, save for one traumatic visit by its only living citizen. Aang decides he must finally bring closure to the tragedy, but finds he is not the only one who wishes to right the terrible wrong. Avatar characters property of Nickelodeon

Aang wasn't himself.

Throughout the day of their week-long, twice-annual world leader summit, Zuko, Kuei, Hakoda, and Arnook all noticed it. His normal exuberance and fun ideas that always broke up the routine and kept the world leaders close friends just wasn't there.

That night back in their guest quarters, Aang picked at the food they were served, even his plate of Malai Kofta, that he so loved. Katara noticed, "What's wrong, Aang?

"I'm not hungry tonight, Katara."

"Did you gentlemen quarrel today?"

"No, everyone was fine. It was a pretty productive day, actually. They didn't really need me."

"Was that it – you felt a little left out?"

"No. Not at all."

"So what's wrong, Aang?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now, Katara," and he got up and went to bed.

Puzzled, she followed him, and started to cuddle. Aang said flatly to her, "Not tonight. Let's just hold on to each other."

Katara was shocked. Aang never turned her down when she initiated the fun. Despite the closeness, she had a troubled sleep worrying about Aang.

...

At breakfast the next morning with all the leaders and spouses together, Katara approached Zuko privately.

"Zuko, there is something wrong with Aang."

"Yeah, we all noticed."

"He was very quiet and subdued last night, didn't eat, and barely said 'good night' to me."

"That's not the Aang I know. From what he's told me over the years, he says 'good night' to you in a really big way..."

Realizing what Zuko really meant, Katara's eyes went wide, she blushed deeply, frowned, and punched his arm hard, "Oh he has, has he? You can tell my husband that there's one of these waiting with his name on it too, wise guy!"

Zuko laughed through Katara's very painful smack, "OK, OK, Katara! We'll work on this."

Despite their best efforts, Aang continued his melancholy mood, "Sorry guys, I can't really get focused on today's meeting."

He walked out on the porch adjoining their meeting room. He didn't return the rest of the day, but instead walked over to the Fire Sage shrine and just meditated in the hot sun. The Fire Sages were worried as he turned away any comfort or refreshment.

Zuko and Kuei were at a loss as they all sat at the meeting room table, which not long ago was Ozai's war room, so they just went back to business. Obviously Aang was going to have to work this out himself.

On a tea break on the balcony overlooking the vast assembly plaza, Zuko watched a brightly-dressed color guard as they were about to raise a special banner on the dais of flags.

He dropped his cup and it shattered, as he exclaimed, "No!"

He spun around and snapped orders to his staff so strongly it shocked his colleagues. "It's Sozin's Victory Anniversary Day! Cancel that ceremony out there - now! And send this message to Katara immediately."

He wrote furiously and sealed the note, handing it to a servant who took off on a dead run to her chambers.

Muttering to himself about forgetting to ban his Great-grandfather's day of infamy years ago, Zuko got right in the face of his Chief of Staff, "Chen, let me make myself very clear. Sozin's Victory Day is never to be celebrated again. Am I understood?"

Chen shook with fear, "Y-y-yes sir."

...

Aang repeated his listless behavior with Katara in their private guest quarters again that night. Based on what she had read from Zuko, Katara was more firm, "Aang we are all very worried about you."

He sat silently.

She stiffened and looked directly at him, but said compassionately, "It's about your people isn't it?"

Aang shuddered and raised an eyebrow, "What about my people?"

Katara sighed, "Today is the anniversary of the day they all died, isn't it, Aang?"

He cleared his throat and strained out an answer, "Yes."

"Aang, you found all of them at the Southern Air Temple right after we first met. It upset you terribly then, but never again since. What's the different now?"

"It's been exactly 125 years. They are all still there. Each one right where they...umm...passed. It's an open tomb. And it's an open wound on my heart, Katara."

"It needn't be that way, Aang."

"What do you mean, Katara?"

"You can lay them all to rest. Only you know how."

Tears dropped from Aang's eyes as he strained for the words, "You're right Katara, but do I have the strength to do so?"

"I will stand by your side as I always have, Aang, and together we will give each one the respect they deserve. We will not stop until all are properly cared for."

Aang managed a weak smile, "Have I told you lately how much I love you, Katara?"

They embraced and kissed tenderly. But that was enough. The intimacy spurned only a day earlier happened between them, and they never felt closer.

At dawn's light, they dressed in the colors of an Air Nomad couple, packed lightly, and flew off with Appa and arrived at the decaying Southern Air Temple. Katara dressed as an Air Nomad often to honor Aang and his culture, which Aang loved, but this time it was even more special to him. Aang left behind a message to his colleagues, apologizing that he would be absent for a couple of days at the Temple for personal reflection. What Aang didn't know is that Katara left another, more detailed message for Zuko.

The Temple was a breathtaking but ominous sight, as it had been before. The beautiful architecture existed in only three other places in this world. The scars of age and burnt destruction were very clear as they approached closer. It was as quiet as the first time they visited. The animals had taken leave of this place of death.

They made their way silently through the debris and the human remains, which were still scattered about. Aang stopped before Gyatso's statue, sat cross-legged, and meditated. Katara kneeled by his side and prayed with him. Aang smiled at her, and patted her leg. He loved that she always meditated with him.

Aang reached deep into his mind, and summoned the spirits within. Avatar Yangchen materialized, and spoke to him, "Welcome home, young Avatar. It is good that you have the strength to come again after so long."

"Only because of the love of my life gave me that confidence, Avatar Yangchen. I have come to consecrate our people so that they will finally be at rest."

"I know Aang, and I will show you the path. It is good that your life partner respects us so highly and is committed to help. You are richly blessed with her."

Yangchen herself meditated, closed her eyes, and concentrated on the history of Air Nomad funeral and memorial rituals. She reached out an ethereal hand to touch Aang's forehead, awakening within Aang that inner knowledge.

"Go forward in peace, Aang. I and our forebears will be with you as we mourn and dedicate our dead. I am so pleased that you will to do this final act for us."

Buoyed by the spirits of Yangchen and dozens of Air Nomad Avatars before her, Aang set about the grim business of collecting the special wood for a mass cremation pyre, then began the grimmer task of gathering the remains of his people, and placed them one by one tenderly on the pyre itself. Katara helped him carefully with each body.

The last set of remains was Gyatso himself, placed atop the ceremonial crematory mound. Aang kept his mentor's beads, however, to remember him forever. Katara leaned her head on Aang's shoulder and clutched his arm in shared grief, as they cried for them all. It was a tragically large pyre.

"I'm sorry for you to see me like this, Katara."

She smiled up to him, her eyes also glistening, "It's OK Aang. You can weep for them now, since there was no one to weep for them then."

With a wan smile and filled with the inspiration her words brought him, he began the rites of Air Nomad burial. The air of the Temple was filled with echoes of haunting chants not heard in more than a century. He stretched with the fluidity of the wind itself as each move accentuated every stanza of the chants.

As he began the final steps in the preparation of the ceremonial fire, he and Katara were interrupted by a familiar sound – the drone of an airship. Zuko's royal airship.

They stopped and watched as not only Zuko and Mai debarked, but Hakoda, Arnook, King Kuei and his new bride Queen Hanquiao, a small cadre of Fire Sages, and several Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe shamans and priests joined them.

All eyes were on Fire Lord Zuko, "May we join you in your grief, Avatar Aang? We come to honor the dead, and to make peace with you and your people."

Aang could barely hold back the tears, and could only whisper, "My friends, thank you for this great honor to pay your respects. You are welcome here."

Katara touched her husband's shoulder and encouraged, "Go ahead Aang."

He returned to the funeral rites. His friends had witnessed only a few of the Air Nomad ceremonies he'd conducted over the years. They were filled with awe and moved by Aang's chanting ceremony, choreographed air bending dance, and the remembrance of the great sorrow of long ago. Aang unleashed a blinding stream of fire that set the pyre ablaze. Once again, savage, towering flames roared into the Temple skies, but this time with honor and reverence. Zuko especially felt the heavy weight of the calamity his ancestors had wrought on these innocent people. But now there was closure and forgiveness.

The flames burned late into the night, but no one moved or spoke, until the last ember flickered out, and Aang knelt.

Aang would never be able to erase the painful memory of their agonizing deaths, but finally their terrible passing was remembered with dignity and contrition. Aang offered a final thought as the pyre smoldered, "I pray that we have given you some peace, my brothers and sisters. Thank you, Avatar Yangchen for your blessings and guidance on this day."

He rose and turned to his fellow leaders with outstretched arms, "Thank you all for coming. It means so very much to me. Good night to you all."

There was nothing more to say. The time for socializing would come later. They departed for the guest compartments of the air ship. Zuko lingered, and offered Aang and Katara a berth, "We saved you a cabin, guys..."

Aang bowed but refused, "No thank you Zuko, my final duty - according to custom - is to stand the night watch, guard the remains, and gather them at dawn's first light for burial in the catacombs."

Katara added, "That is nice Zuko, but my duty as an Air Acolyte wife is to be at my husband's side."

Zuko thought to himself that dressed in the saffron, tan, and orange clan colors, Katara could have been Air Nomad in another place and time. Only her dark skin and blue eyes betrayed her Water Tribe heritage. "Truly, these two were made for each other," he thought.

Zuko offered, "Can I help you both in the morning?"

Aang explained, "I'm sorry Zuko, that is very kind, but only family can do this task, so we'll see you at breakfast."

In the context of the rituals, Zuko knew Aang literally meant "breaking the overnight funeral fast".

Zuko bid them goodnight and returned to the airship. Aang stood in the darkness with his staff, protecting the remains of his kinsmen, while Katara slept huddled against his legs.

Aang spent the night thinking of all the friendships with many of the dead before him, felt a remaining touch of shame at abandoning them, but was grateful that the spirits had used that shame to spare him to save the world and grant him his present life – especially the precious gift of the woman sleeping at his feet.

At dawn, Katara rose silently and stood by Aang, exchanging glances. Using his air bending skills, Aang gently gathered all the charred remains into a large ceremonial urn, leaving not a flake. Katara followed by cleansing the area with mountain stream water falling near the Temple. It was not according to Air Nomad custom, but Aang was very pleased she would add one of her Water Tribe funeral traditions in honor of his people.

Suspended by their bending to help move the huge vessel, they went deeper and deeper into the catacombs with the urn, where he and his Air Nomad friends used to play scary games with each other, and placed the urn in a position of honor. On their way back out after a final brief consecration prayer, Aang noticed a door partially hidden by debris and rocks.

"This was never here before, Katara."

He cleared it. It was locked with a special device that only Air Nomads could open. It was a miniature of the giant door at the Northern Temple, but even more complex. After some study, and a couple of mistakes, he opened it, and his eyes went wide with shock. Amassed inside was a treasure trove of Air Nomad history - hundreds of scrolls and artifacts. All of this had escaped destruction. His culture was not lost, even if the people were.

He dropped to his knees in happiness. Katara hugged him, knowing what they had found.

Something big moved in the shadows. Both took a fighting stance.

An enormous owl stepped into the lamp light.

Aang was shocked, "Wan Shi Tong?"

Aang prepared even more to fight, given how they had last met with the great owl – the spirit of knowledge.

The great owl spoke, "Greetings Avatar Aang. Yes, I know it is a bit of a surprise to see me. You may relax. I am not here to fight you anymore. I am here to honor the memory of your people, who honored me often as the spirit of flight as well as knowledge. And thanks to you, all their souls are at rest. I must respond appropriately."

He opened a wing, "This is all for you, Aang. It is the gift of the memories of your people, to teach your children and their children's children and beyond. It is most of the Air Nomad section of my Library. Of all the people of the world, I know you will use the knowledge here for good. And now I must leave you."

"Thank yo-!" Aang barely got the words out before the spirit disappeared. Aang and Katara hugged in joy. He relocked the door for safe keeping.

As they emerged from the catacombs into the beautiful daylight, their friends greeted them with the aroma of breakfast foods. Their mood was decidedly lighter, and Aang showed everyone that he was himself again.

Zuko had unfinished business, and spoke after the meal had concluded, "Aang, thank you for letting us be with you, and letting us pay our respects. But we are not done, and the Fire Nation in particular needs to pay reparation to the Air Nomads."

"But Zuko, that isn't necessary. You owe me nothing, my friend."

Zuko swept out his arm toward the Temple ruins, "Not quite Aang. Look behind you. Once this was a living, thriving Temple. It can be again. We've decided that all the nations will pay for the restoration of your Southern Air Temple, to preserve the memories and wisdom of the Air Nomads, so that the whole world may come here and learn the ways of peace and fellowship you and your people always represented."

Kuei said, "We want this Temple to once again show us of your people's ways, that we may be more enlightened in a long darkened world."

"I'm overwhelmed guys. How?"

"We have plenty of money to donate to reconstruction."

Then Zuko joked, "Aang, you need to make sure you don't ever miss our meetings – see what happens when you leave?"

They all hugged as friends.

Kuei also said, "Aang, we are sorry we can't restore the other Temples to their former glory, but we have enough after we're done with the Southern Temple to build you and Katara a home. You need a safe place to grow a family and continue your work."

"Guys I don't need your charity. Avatars are supposed to live simply."

"Yes but we need to protect you, too. No other Avatar has been the last of his kind. There's an island nearby that is deserted, isolated, and easily defended. You can surf with Katara, too."

That perked him, "Well OK, I guess. But I need to work with you on this. No lavish quarters. Just the basics for me and my family."

"Agreed."

Over the next weeks artisans and construction workers arrived, set up camp, and the construction and renovation began in earnest. Aang was constantly uplifted and ecstatic guiding the work. Many times he looked inward to get advice from Yangchen and the others for the look, colors, and other design and decoration aspects of the original Temple. Some of the growing group of Air Acolytes with construction skills came to help also.

The work on the Southern Air Temple continued for months, but finally all the crews were done, and as they left, they were profusely thanked by Aang, and it stood, perhaps better than when it was new.

It was no longer a tomb.

Instead, it was a restored, lasting memorial to the honor of his people and their ways, for the world to visit and learn. While it was sadly devoid of its people, it would become a museum and enclave of Air Acolytes who would teach the citizens of the world. Visitors would come by riding on airships – not on Sky Bison and gliders. The museum staff, tour guides, historical scholars, and groundskeepers who were on their way to live and to work here in a few days would make it function again much like the Air Nomads lived. A small group of Air Acolyte families would join the museum staff to live and act as Aang had taught them of the ways of the Air Nomads.

It was so beautiful, and it looked like it did to a 12 year old Aang so many years ago. Katara hugged Aang as they beheld the sight of the finished restoration, "Oh Aang, I do so wish I had known you then and been one of you, even though I love my own people and traditions."

Aang smiled at that wish, "Well Katara - we have each other now. Let's pretend you are an Air Nomad and we can explore it all together today."

Looking exactly like Temple citizens of old in their Air Nomad clothing, laughter echoed all over the Temple once again, as they raced hand-in-hand from chamber to chamber, admiring all the restored painting, tapestries, relics, and calligraphy – all reminders of happier days, hugging and kissing as they went. They fixed a simple celebratory dinner together in the communal dining area.

At sunset, Katara had a serious look in her eyes, "Come with me Aang. I want to show you something."

She took his hand they climbed the stairs to the living quarters part of the Temple. Aang lit torches with small bursts of fire as they ascended.

All the rooms appeared to be empty. One was not. Aang's.

He was wide-eyed in surprise. His room had been restored exactly as it had been as a boy. Replicas of his flying toy and top were on the desk, with calligraphy. And two fruit tarts with tea.

"Whoa, Katara! How did you do this?"

But instead of answering him, Katara just smiled and smothered him in kisses, hugged him tightly, and pulled him toward his old bed. He yielded to her, and relished loving her in his old bed. His cold and hard bed felt like never before in the arms and softness of Katara. He had only dreamed then of having an Air Nomad spouse and being together that simple room. The reality of Katara as his lifemate and sharing his room with her was far better than that adolescent boy's dream had ever been.

Afterward, both dressed loosely in Air Nomad robes and snuggled while eating their tarts. By candlelight, she excitedly chattered about how easy it was to sneak away from him during the many days of construction to come here and work on his room with several artisans, restoring everything – the rattan carpets, simple furniture, tapestries, toys, and writing instruments. It had been a fun surprise.

They started to get weary, and nestled deeper into each other's grasp to sleep for the night, accentuated by the sounds of crickets and night birds, whose sounds had returned the Temple.

In the morning, Aang awoke and looked lovingly at Katara. He was happy beyond words. She stirred, yawned, stretched, and beamed back at him.

"Time to get up, sleepyhead..." he mused as he twirled her hair locks.

"Do we have to?" giggled Katara who proceeded to trace his tattoos.

While they knew it was time to get up and get ready for the staff arriving later in the day, neither could resist their desires and the special moment of being intimately together one more time in his old bedroom.

For the first time in a century and a quarter, the Temple seemed filled and happy again, even with just the two of them there.

Soon the Temple would begin to live again, albeit on a very small scale, in the care of people who loved its culture, and guided by one whose life started there. Air Nomad artifacts, stories, and traditions would be shown and taught again to the people of the world. Because of the generosity and thoughtfulness of Aang's friends Zuko and Kuei, the Southern Air Temple would never be truly empty again.

The Temple staff and Acolytes began to arrive, all dressed in authentic Air Nomad clothing. Katara and Aang stood together arm in arm at the main gate to welcome them. She squeezed Aang, and whispered, "How do you feel, Aang?"

He took a very deep breath, exhaled, smiled as he looked at her, and said, "Katara, I feel renewed."