The Harvester

By: TrenchcoatedSoldier

Rated: Mature

Pairing: Katara/Zuko, Aang/Katara(briefly), Sokka/Suki

Summary: 10 years after Zuko is crowned Firelord and the end of the 100 year war, Katara has finished restoring the Southern Water Tribe to its former glory. Now considered a strong country, she feels her work is finished and seeks for a new motivation. Remembering her earlier years traveling and helping others, Katara decides to get the Gaang back together. But during their reunion, trouble arises when they stumble into a strange village that hides many secrets. With an unusual connection to the spirit world, the world is thrust into a dangerous fate that only Katara can face.

Words: as of right now: 50,000

Notes: This is mostly a Katara story, and surrounds the lives of the Gaang in total. If you're looking for a heavy romance largely featuring just Zuko and Katara, this is not it.

Chapter 1

Katara dusted her hands off on her workers dress, standing up and putting them on her hips to look down prideful at the new invention. Sokka had been the one to first show her how to craft the water pipe system that could heat the water in the village for baths and cooking. But maybe village wasn't the right word anymore. At that thought, Katara turned and looked up behind her at the impressive walls and buildings adorning the newly rebuilt Southern Water Tribe and felt a surge of pride and wistfulness at her new home.

"Hey, Katara!" Katara turned at the call of her name back to the work area in front of her where a dozen other waterbenders were constructing the pipe system. She found the source of the voice waving at her from across the way. "Have you finished with your section?" he asked, coming over to stare down appreciatively at her work.

"Yeah," she responded to her brother, "just need to attach it to the main system now."

"Great!" Sokka said. "Come on over here," he gestured, leading her to a giant pot of bubbling water with stoppers on the end, ready for the new pipes to be put in place. He gave her a stopper to put on one end, then, carefully began to disconnect the other end for Katara to reattach the section as a whole. They worked together to secure it then stood back and viewed the machine.

"This was really a great idea Sokka," Katara said, still looking on the boiler. "I know dad is proud of all you've done for the tribe." At this, Sokka looked over and smiled, but then gave his sister a confused look and then spoke.

"I'm not the only one that's helped out," he said, a strange tone in his voice, "You've done more for the prosperity of the Southern Water Tribe than anyone in the village. Even more so then dad." Katara looked at him, now her turn to be confused.

"What do you mean? Dad practically rebuilt this place from the ground up with you." Her brother's face softened and he placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"Katara, you're position as ambassador with the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation alone has lessened tension to the point where the Water Tribe has flourished. I mean, the hatred from the war could have destroyed us, but instead you brought peace." Sokka grabbed her other shoulder, now looking at her dead in the eye, "Be proud of that."

Katara didn't know what to say. She of course knew she had done those things, but at the time it just seemed like the right thing to do. Everyone was so angry; she just wanted to focus on helping her people. Bringing back that old happiness that she remembered from her youth. She really didn't even notice that there was a lasting impact. Before Katara had the chance to respond though, a feminine sing-song voice called out above the sounds of welding and hammers.

"Soookaaa!" She called, pleasantly. Sokka's reaction was immediate. He jumped away from Katara, a wide smile taking up half his face and he jumped in unabashed glee.

"Suki!" He called back. Katara noticed that even in his excitement, one hand was still firmly placed on one of her shoulders. Katara was touched by his concern.

Suki raced over and practically jumped into Sokka's arms, and he removed the one holding Katara to properly catch his girlfriend. They had been dating since even before the end of the war and were still going strong. Katara wondered how soon it would be until the declaration of their engagement, but was simply pleased by their contagious happiness.

The couple pulled away and shared a brief kiss, giggling to each other like they shared a secret. Katara pulled herself out of her thoughts, realizing something.

"Suki," she interrupted, "I thought you weren't coming for a visit until next season?" Katara was confused, because the last time they spoke to Suki, she said she was going to wait a little longer to visit the south pole since the weather was, as she'd said at the time, too damn cold.

Sokka and Suki looked at each other a little sheepish, but Katara could tell Sokka was obviously in on the secret. Suki pulled out of Sokka's arms and directed her response at Katara. "I know, but," she looked down, then back at Sokka," something came up." She finished lamely. Katara only felt more confused and a bit concerned at that response.

"What do you mean?" she asked. The couple gave each other another look, seeming to communicate only through look alone as only people in love could.

"Not here," Sokka said to Katara, looking around suspiciously at the workers standing in the building tent outside of the main walls. "Come with me."

Sokka grabbed Suki's hand and together the three of them made their way through the massive wall surrounding the city and then down a few of the elaborately and newly decorated streets of the capital. Katara merely gave them a passing glance, now intimately familiar with the beauty of her village, having been there every step of the way to witness the change. A fleeting thought left her feeling mildly nostalgic for the simplicity of her small tents and igloos from when she was younger, but it was gone within a moment when she noticed all of the happy citizens strolling through the streets with smiles adorning their faces.

She too smiled. They really had come a long way from when Zuko's Fire Nation war vessel tore through the snowy wall of her tribe. Thinking of Zuko, Katara realized it had been quite a long time since she'd been to see him. The last time they met, it was in the Fire Nation capital to discuss trade agreements, and then it was mostly seeing him from meeting to meeting. They'd sat down once with his uncle to have tea but other than that they hadn't really spent any quality time together in years.

Before Katara could think further on the issue, the group arrived at the palace. Sokka led them through a few hallways until they ended up in his chambers, then ushered the girls inside and slid the door closed like someone was following them.

"Sokka," Katara stated, irritated, "What's with all this sneaking around?" Sokka shushed her and put his ear to the door. They waited a beat, Katara rolling her eyes, and then he breathed a sigh of relief and turned back around.

"She noticed it a few months after the festival." Sokka started, walking over to his girlfriend and grabbing her hands, staring into her eyes.

"We didn't think anything of it at first," Suki continued, "but then I went to a healer, and... well," Katara's eyes widened in shock. No way.

"We wanted to tell you right away," Sokka added, now looking at his sister, eyes sincere, "but we also just wanted to keep it to ourselves for a while." The couple shared a sweet look.

"Oh my Yue," Katara breathed once she could catch her breath. "You're…"

"Yeah," Suki said, smiling. "I'm pregnant."

There was a beat where no one moved, breathed or even blinked.

Then Katara let out a shriek and jumped up and down in excitement, practically barreling into her brother and friend. "That's amazing!" She talked animatedly. "I'm so excited for you two! Do you know if it's a boy or girl yet? How far along are you? You said a couple months after you left? So then around 5 months? I guess I see it now a little, you're kind of showing. Oh my, can I check to see?"

"Katara!" Sokka scolded, "You're suffocating us! Mind the baby!"

"Sorry," she said, not really sorry at all, "there's just so much to do!" Katara pulled away from them and began pacing the floor, thinking hard. "We have to set up a nursery, and get you a private healer to watch over you, and then Dad is going to want to throw a big party- Oh, Dad, have you told him yet?"

"Katara please, slow down," Suki said, putting her arms up like trying to calm an animal. "We wanted to keep it quiet."

Katara stopped her pacing at this, looking up at the two. "Why?" She asked. Sokka stepped forward towards his sister.

"Because we were thinking," he paused to look back at Suki, as if to get her permission, which she nodded to, "that'd we'd have the baby in Kyoshi." Katara was floored. Why would they take the baby there? What was wrong with the South Pole? They'd just gotten everything set up for something like this after all. Did this mean she wasn't invited to help out?

"Oh," she said instead.

Sokka looked down at the ground, not meeting Katara's eyes. She knew she shouldn't ask. It would just make things awkward and she was sure they had their reasons for both keeping this new development a secret for so long and for not wanting Katara to be a part of her brother's kid's life.

"We have good reasons," Suki said softly, obviously not wanting to hurt Katara's feelings any more. "The weather for one," she said with kind of a sad laugh. Then she turned serious again. "Mainly though, because of you."

Katara's heart plummeted in her chest. So they really didn't want her bugging them and their new family. She understood. Sure. Suki's eyes widened, as if realizing how that sounded and quickly backtracked.

"I didn't mean it like that," she hurried, " just that, ugh, Sokka help me out here!"

"She means that it's because of all that you've done for the Southern Water Tribe." Sokka finished.

Katara gave them a confused look. "I don't follow."

"Now that the tribe has a steady economy, a strong army, and a solid foundation, this place doesn't really need Sokka anymore." Suki said. "You've done so much for your people, that we think it's time for Sokka and me to settle down and start building a future together."

"But why Kyoshi?" Katara asked. Sokka looked sad.

"Because no matter how much I love the South Pole, it's just easier to raise a kid on Kyoshi." Katara thought about that for a moment. She guessed it was easier to keep a child warm at night, but after the new heating system Sokka developed, that shouldn't be a problem anymore. "Not only that," he continued, "I think it's time I left the nest, you know? We traveled so much as kids, and then we came back here and never left. I'm ready to see the world again, to be a part of the global community."

"You already are!" Katara cut in. "We frequently communicate with the other countries, you're an international diplomat for the South! You have friends in high places all over the world, why do you suddenly feel trapped?"

"I don't feel trapped!" Sokka defended, "I just feel like this is the right thing to do. It's what I want. I knew you wouldn't understand, this is why we didn't tell you right away. We wanted to be happy about the upcoming plans for our future, not feel judged for going after my goals!"

Katara felt like she'd been slapped and recoiled from her brother's tone. Judging him? How could he think that? She just wanted to know why the south pole suddenly wasn't good enough.

"So we spend all this time, ten years, working every day to make the south pole a prosperous and developing city again, only for you to leave the second things are steady? Sokka, you're right, I don't understand."

"You don't need me anymore Katara," he said, cutting through her words to find the real meaning behind her resistance. "The Tribe doesn't need me anymore. I'm tired of being a diplomat, of being a leader and not being able to just live my life. I want to go somewhere new and start something with Suki." At this he grabbed his girlfriend's hand and the two of them obviously left no room for argument. "We're packing tonight and plan to leave in the morning." Sokka then led Suki out of the room and left Katara standing there feeling like the rug had just been pulled out from under her. What do I do now?

Katara sat by the fountain in the court yard, twisting her bracelet between her fingers. She had a meeting with a dignitary from the Northern Tribe later today, but she didn't think she would be attending. After her argument with Sokka she went to get changed to greet the guests, but at the last minute headed for the fountain instead. Now she sat with her large Water Tribe gown billowing around her ankles and tears dropping out of her eyes.

Everything was going so well, the tribe was strong, her father taking on the role of chief once again and Sokka and her working through international as well as domestic tensions. As a team. Without Sokka, where did she fit in to this? She thought about her friends that she'd left behind when she moved back to the South Pole. She kept in contact enough to know that Toph was doing well with three different metal bending schools in the Earth Kingdom with Haru, and the freedom fighters were recruited to be Fire Nation elites. She thought about how easy everything was before the war, her brother's words coming back to her.

I think it's time I left the nest. We traveled so much as kids, and then we came back here and never left. I'm ready to see the world again.

Maybe that's what she needed, a change of pace. She'd been so focused on rebuilding in the south, that now that it was over, she felt lost. Did the south really still need her? She'd done her job and completed her mission. A part of Katara suddenly began to understand Sokka's desires.

She guessed it made sense. These fancy gowns and elaborate city living never really was something she'd ever imagined doing, but it was what was required of her in order to work towards peace. But now they had it. Maybe her brother was on to something. Maybe it was time to start thinking about what she wanted, and not what was best for everyone else.

Katara raised her head, wiping tears from her face, and put her bracelet back on. She'd tell her dad her decision after supper, and then pack her things. Katara had made up her mind, now for the first time thinking about the after. She knew what she wanted and where she wanted to go. She was going to join Sokka and Suki. She was going to start rebuilding something new. Sokka was right; it was time to leave the nest.