A/N This story serves as my Round 3 entry for season 2 of the Pro-bending Circuit Competition.
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My Main Prompt Using one theme for each color, write your story…
Yellow – positivity, bright, intellect, cowardice (Theme: Bright)
Pink – love, nurturing, girly, young (Theme: Love)
Blue – trust, peace, sadness, cold (Theme: Peace)
My Additional Prompts: (dialogue) "I didn't know you were an artist." (location) Spirit World, (song) Colors of the Wind – Disney Soundtrack (Pocahontas) (Element) Air
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Word Count: 2164
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Note: This is a ATU story
(Together Again Universe)
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Katara awoke finding herself alone in bed, an eerie blue light filled the dark room. She rolled over to face the source of the light and found her husband sitting in the lotus position on his meditation pillow; she smiled, his glowing tattoos gave her a sense of peace. She laid in bad watching him, wondering what could have warranted a trip into the Spirit World. It wasn't long before she could no longer keep her eyes open.
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Aang walked into the center of a large field, it had some of the most beautiful and unique flowers he had ever seen. A light wind blew through the field causing them to bow before him; Avatar Yangchan appeared in front of him. "Hello again young Avatar, it has been quite a while since you last came to me for advice." Avatar Yangchan told him as she bowed to him.
"Yeah… I know… I'm sorry." Aang returned the gesture. "I've been very busy."
"The duties of the Avatar never end." Avatar Yangchan said, remembering back to when it was her time on earth. "You have grown into a very handsome young man." She smiled.
"Yeah, my wife seems to think so too." Aang laughed.
"A wife?" She shook her head at him but laughed at the same time. "A married Airbender, how very rare."
"So I've discovered." Aang chuckled.
"Let's walk a bit," Yangchan told him "What have you come to me for?"
"Well… I don't know if you know but there are now two new Airbenders… and well I needed advice from another airbender and you are the only one I have access to."
"Two tiny Airbenders, how precious!" Avatar Yangchan said to him. "You must be so pleased, I always loved the little ones."
"Yeah, they are learning so quickly… That's why I came to talk to you; I need to know when I should start teaching them?"
Unsure of how it was happening, he and Yangchan were walking through his memories of his family. His strange dream he had in the small hospital where he was running in darkness, Katara crying out in pain, calling to him telling him she needed him, then the sound of the baby crying when he didn't even know who he was. The first time he held his son, watching the infant airbend at only nine months old. His rushed be very much wanted wedding ceremony. Listening to his wife's baby bump and hearing the echoing heartbeats. Sitting in bed with his panting wife leaning on him, holding her hand, telling her how strong she was; hearing his daughters' first cries. Remembering how soft their skin was, staring down into their sapphire blue eyes. Running down the halls of the temple after his son, who learned to run a whole lot sooner than most airbender children did.
"Such a beautiful family!" The woman told him after the memories stopped playing before them. "And wonderful memories."
"Thank you, I love them all so much." Aang told her.
"Love! Love is an earthly attachment!" She jested.
"When I was a boy you told me that being the Avatar meant I could never reach pure enlightenment; that I could never rid myself of all earthly attachments."
"I was joking with you Aang!" She told him. "I myself had two children, I didn't raise them though, like all other children they were raised in the temples by the monks and nuns."
"See right there is one of the reasons I need your guidance. I couldn't picture my life without Katara, without my children."
"Lucky for you, you don't have too." Yangchan smiled. "It looks to me like you have very powerful children, it fills my heart with joy to see the birth of new Airbenders."
"Mine too." Aang smiled.
Their location shifted on them again, they were now standing in a dark room, lit by the blue light that emanated from his eyes and tattoos.
"Your wife truly is beautiful." Avatar Yangchan told him as they stood next to Katara's sleeping form. "She carries another airbender!"
"Wait! What?!" Aang said in shock. "How do you know?"
"It seems you still have a bit to learn still. Can't you feel the airbender's spirit, and like the others, the child has a very powerful spirit." Yangchan told him, her hand was hovering over Katara's growing abdomen.
Their location shifted back to the field of flowers in the Spirit World. "I wish I could show her how beautiful this place is." Aang sighed at the magnificence of the world around him. The pink flowers seemed to glow with love.
"Paint it for her." His past life told him.
"I… I don't know how good it will be, I wasn't really all that great with painting." Aang said glumly.
"Have you forgotten? Anything your past lives can do, you can too. During my time all the Air Temples were decorated with my works." Yangchan smiled comfortingly at him.
"Before I ran away… before I was lost for one hundred years… there were still many of your paintings throughout the temples I visited, I guess that would be all of them, your paintings still decorated them.
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When Katara awoke again the room was filled with bright yellow light coming in through the large window in their room. She like the last time she woke up she found herself alone in bed, and like the last time Aang was still sitting on his pillow, and his tattoos were still glowing.
She got herself up and dressed for the day then went into the kitchen and started two pots of water, one for tea and one for hot cereal. There was a knock on the door then it opened "Good Morning." Jade called as she came waddling in.
"Good morning Jade!" Katara smiled. "Don't you look radiant today!"
"That's what my husband says too." Jade shared a laugh with Katara. "Speaking of husbands, where's yours? Is he in his office?"
"No, he's on a trip to the Spirit World, he went last night." Katara shared.
"How does he get there?" Jade asked.
"Follow me." Katara said leading the way to her bedroom. She opened the door and both young women entered the room; Katara pointed to Aang.
"Holy wow!" Jade said. "I've never seen him glow! I mean I knew he did, all Avatars do… at least their eyes glow."
"I've seen him glow too many times to count." Katara chuckled as they both quietly exited the room. "Jade could please finish breakfast while I get my little ones up and dressed?" Katara asked her best friend.
"Of course!" Jade told her. "That's my job isn't it?"
"Yeah, I guess so." They both laughed, Jade headed to the kitchen, and Katara went into the twins' room first.
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Aang was sitting with his legs folded under him, Avatar Yangchan was across from him sitting in the same position. "I know what I should teach them but I really want guidance from you. Could you please explain to me everything I need to make sure my airbenders to know?"
"I believe you should teach all your children the ways of the Air Nomads, not just your tiny airbenders." Avatar Yangchan reprimanded him. "It should not matter whether we are white or copper skinned, they should all learn."
"Sorry, you're right I should teach all my children." Aang responded. "This is why I need your guidance Yangchan."
"It is an honor to help you Aang." She smiled. "One of the most important things to teach them is that every rock and tree and creature has a life, has a spirit, has a name. All life is sacred and needs to be respected, and cared for. Other nations think they own whatever land they land on, that the earth is just a dead thing they can claim."
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After breakfast was eaten, dishes washed and everything cleaned up Katara was going about doing her daily chores. The day had passed like usual except one thing, and Katara wasn't the only one missing her husband. She was in the kitchen cutting up vegetables for their lunch when she felt a tug on her apron. "Mommy, where's daddy?" Gyatso asked. "I miss him."
She set he knife down and knelt down in front of him, "He had to go to the Spirit World, I miss him too." She honestly did. His presence brought happiness to her day.
"What's Daddy doing in the Spirit World, Mommy?" The pint-sized airbender asked her.
"I'm not exactly sure Little One, sometimes he goes to find out stuff, and other times he goes to talk to other Avatars." She explained.
Gyatso's brow furrowed "I thought there is only one Avatar."
"You look confused." Katara said taking his hands in hers, she figured it was time to show him what makes the Avatar special. "I want to tell you something, and show you something, but don't be scared. Promise you won't get scared?"
"I promise." Gyatso told her. She stood back up and led the way to her bedroom door.
"Okay, here we go." She held her hand out for the small boy to take it. She pushed the door open and guided him in. "The Avatar is more than a regular person."
"He can bend all four elements!" The boy quickly added.
"Yes he can bend all four elements, but he has another job too." She said as she knelt in front of him again.
"To keep balance in the world!" Again he answered quickly.
"You are too smart Little One." She ruffled his unmanageable black hair. "There is one more that he does, the Avatar is the bridge between our world and the Spirit World." She stood once more and brought the boy around to stand in front of his father.
"Why… Why is he glowing?" Gyatso asked tightening his little hand around his mother's fingers.
"It means that he is in the Spirit World, he could be talking to spirits or another Avatar." She said in a soothing voice.
"How is there another Avatar?" Gyatso asked her.
"They are dead, there can only be one Avatar alive at a time. But he can talk to them in the Spirit World because they are all connected to each other, in a circle, in a hoop that never ends." She explained. "Do you understand?"
"I… I think so…" He still looked a bit confused but was wearing a smile again.
"Okay let's go play with your sisters." Katara told him leading him back out of the room.
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Thank you so much for all your help and advice Yangchan." Aang said, "And the reprimand."
"You're very welcome Aang, I am always here when you need guidance." She extended her hand out, touching two fingers on the tip of his arrow. "Now go paint with all the colors of the wind." She had bestowed her knowledge and skill of painting upon him then pushed his spirit back into his body.
When he opened his eyes he found himself back in his bedroom on his pillow, the amount of light in the room told him he didn't have long to paint the field of flowers for his wife. He airbended himself up and quickly went to get what he needed to paint.
First he went into his office and grabbed his glider, then he hopped out the large window and flew down to the library and storage rooms to gather the supplies.
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Katara had just finished cooking dinner and had the table set, it was now time to get Aang; he had been in his office ever since he got back from the Spirit World. She had heard one door open and shut then before she made it into the front room another had opened and shut; the only reason she knew it was him was because he was no longer in their room. She had been a bit worried but didn't want to disturb any Avatar business, so she left him alone.
She stood before the office door and took a deep breath to calm her anxiety, and knocked three times and waited for a response. "Come in, My Love." She herd him call through the door, her heart skipped a beat from only hearing him say those four words. Relieved she pushed the door open and found him standing in front of an art easel.
"What'cha doin'?" She asked him.
"You're just in time! I wanted to show you how beautiful the Spirit World is!" Aang excitedly. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything to you or the children, I just wanted to do this before I forgot what it looked like, I just finished." He told her.
She came around to see what he had done and gasped at its beauty. "I didn't know you were an artist!"
"I have many talents you don't know I have." He chuckled. "Avatar Yangchan was a very skilled artist."
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A/N Now that you are at the bottom of the page, please take a few moments and leave me a review!