An old Waterbender, a blind old Earthbender, a powerless Water Tribe man, and the Fire Lord stood over a man. This man wore orange and brown robes, and above them were his long beard and bald head. His head, back, and limbs were lined with the blue arrows of a Master Airbender.
The waterbending woman had her hands held out over the Airbender's torso, attempting to heal him, but to apparently no avail. "He's fading," she said quietly. The Water Tribe man began to shake slightly, tears dripping from his eyes. The Earthbender sank to the ground, sitting with her head between her folded arms. The Fire Lord merely stood, showing little expression due to his scarred eye, but still a tear or two dripped from the other.
"Water…" the Airbender gasped, coughing immediately afterwards. "The next… is water…" His eyes struggled to keep opened but inevitably closed. The Waterbender let out a sob before falling to the floor and bursting into tears. The arrows and eyes of the Airbender glowed for an instant, and then they were gone. The Airbender was gone.
Thousands of miles away, at the Northern Water Tribe, a woman's screams rang out into the night. A large blue tent surrounded her and many others waited before her widespread legs. One in the middle bended a large amount of water between the woman's legs to soothe the pain. The screams stopped for a moment. Then new screams could be heard. High pitched screams and sobbing came from a new infant.
"Kauko," the woman managed to gasp out. She fell limp as the baby's umbilical cord was cut.
"She's fading," one of the men said quietly. A nearby woman in the tent let out a sob.
The infant's eyes flashed. No one seemed to be looking, but for a split second, the eyes flashed a bright white. The baby ceased crying and fell to sleep in the doctor's arms.
"But he has no parents! Who else will raise him!?"
"Silence!" erupted the Chief.
Two men stood before the Northern Chief, angrily staring each other in the eye at close quarters. Kauko sat in one of the many seats behind the two arguing men. A large isle lined the center of the room and the Chief and his family sat on a large stage before the rows of seats.
"Now," the Chief began calmly, "we're here to have a humane discussion. Let's try that now before you two start brawling in front of the entire tribe!"
The man closer to Kauko closed his eyes and took a deep breath, releasing it loudly. "I have cared for Kauko for almost 16 years; why are just now deciding to take him from me!? I've done a fine job! He's healthy and learning to bend just fine! I supply him with what he needs and my wages are by no means small!"
The man opposite Kauko's guardian closed his eyes and began shaking his head as the guardian spoke. "You just don't get it, do you, Hauno? You're not his father! As much as you want to think you are, you are not his father and you will never be his father! Just because you delivered him doesn't mean you should care for him! I believe that his closest living relatives should be his guardians. It only seems right."
Hauno snorted. "You weren't even at your sister's funeral! You hadn't met Kauko until two weeks ago! Just because you're his uncle doesn't mean he should be your child either! You just took off after Sana's death, and now you're back and trying to claim her child? You should be ashamed, Sakodo!"
Silence tore through the room. Kauko loudly muttered something. Most of the people in the room heard it but could not comprehend it. The Chief looked at Kauko who was staring intently at the floor. "What was that, Kauko?" he asked.
"I'm not a child," Kauko said, a little bit louder this time. Hauno looked back at him and managed to catch his eye.
The Chief nodded before declaring loudly, "While you are his blood relative, Sakodo, you have not been there for Kauko. Kauko does not know you, nor should he be forced to for your shameful action of leaving after your sister, his mother's, death. Hauno, while you have been there for Kauko, Sakodo is right on the fact that you are not his father, nor his relative period." The Chief paused for a moment. "Kauko will choose his guardian, and his judgement shall be final. Also, on Kauko's sixteenth birthday in three days, when he comes of age, he shall decide if he is to remain with his guardian or lead his own life. Hauno and Sakodo, neither of you will question this judgement." The room remained silent after the Chief's declaration. "This court is closed." The Chief and his family, his wife and daughter, stood and went beyond the curtains to the private portion of the palace.
Kauko stood and left the room, feeling many eyes watching him as he walked the isle of the courtroom towards the exit. He effortlessly pushed the doors open and stepped outside into the afternoon light. Quickly, he walked around the corner of the building and sat, waiting for Hauno who would surely take longer than Kauko wished to wait.
Kauko was average size for his age, pushing six feet tall, with medium length black hair. His frame was a little skinnier than average, leaving seemingly lanky limbs. Kauko didn't like his long, skinny limbs, but Hauno always told him that they'd help with his bending. Kauko wore a long, dark blue parka with the Water Tribe's symbol on the hood and the right sleeve (near the shoulder).
Eventually, once most of the crowd had poured out of the courtroom, Hauno stepped out into the open. As he walked passed the corner of the building, Kauko began to walk beside him, keeping his gaze straight. Hauno was built similarly to Kauko, but his age increased his size. He stood at about six and a half feet with a slightly larger build than Kauko. A parka similar to Kauko's fell over his body, and shortish gray hair fell from his head, wiry but thick. Wire frame glasses rested on his nose.
It was a quiet walk to the house. Kauko was nervous… He didn't want to deal with the pressures of having to choose his guardian, or just waiting out the days. Sure, his uncle hadn't been there for him, but he was still family…
Hauno glanced down at Kauko occasionally, trying to figure out what he was thinking. When they reached the door, he finally managed to ask the question.
"Whom will you choose?" he asked, pulling a key from his pocket.
Kauko let out a loud sigh. "Why can't I just keep anything to myself?!" He slammed his fist against the house. The ground shook a bit. Hauno was awed at first, but wrote it off as nothing. Kauko didn't seem to notice anything.