Reflections by Amphoterus
Chapter 1: Aang

Aang's eyes roamed up his family's cherry tree whose leaves would soon begin to change with the seasons from a lavish green to deep saffron and tangerine to a withered, crinkly brown. The tree held the last few cherries that were just waiting to fall with summer's end…

Aang's time had come. He knew it had. He just could not come to terms with it. His heart hurt with this knowledge lingering in the back of his mind. He sat down in his favorite spot, just underneath the branch that would hold massive foliage come the following spring. Closing his eyes, he pleaded, "Avatar Roku… I need your guidance. Please?"

A bright light emerged from Aang's body and Roku appeared before him. He smiled warmly, "I sense you are fighting a great battle, Aang."

"Avatar Roku. My time has come." Aang said.

"That it has, Aang."

Tears began to well up in Aang's eyes, "I'm scared."

Roku's expression softened, "What is there to be scared of?"

Aang hesitated. What was he afraid of? The uncertainty of what is to come in the afterlife? Or that he did not want to leave his family?

"Death is another journey just as how life is a journey itself. Your adventure does not end here," Roku replied.

Aang wiped away the tears before speaking, "What do you mean?"

"Reincarnation. The Avatar cycle is continuous; you will live a new life through another… just as how your past lives have lived through you."

A lump swelled up in his throat as he felt a pang in his chest, "W-what about Katara and-?" He asked hurriedly, his voice cracking a tinge. He didn't want to leave his family. What would happen to them when he was gone?

Roku brought up a hand to silence Aang, "They will be fine. You will meet everyone again, Aang. For now, it is your time that has come."

Aang creased his brows, "I just… Avatar Kyoshi lived a long life. Longer than me," He whispered, his words filled with a trace of distress.

Roku smiled once more, "Yes, she did. The universe works in mysterious ways. Show gratitude for the years you have been given. You have accomplished many feats in this lifetime as short as it may have seemed."

Aang sighed, "I'll miss them." He ached so desperately to hold on.

"You are much stronger than the boy I had met all those years ago. Death is inevitable. It is another voyage from this world to the next. I will see you soon."

"Thank you," Aang said.

Roku disappeared in another flash of light. Aang stayed beneath the tree, meditating, and thinking. His heart ached. He knew his time in this world was coming to an end.

He also knew it was time to say goodbye. He spent the afternoon in the barn with Appa who seemed to know what burdened Aang. Aang knew Appa would follow him to the ends of the earth, "We've been through so much, haven't we, buddy?" Aang asked sadly, running his hand through the bison's fur. Momo curled up on Aang's shoulders causing Aang to emit a bitter-sweet laugh. "You too, buddy." He offered Appa and Momo extra apples like he had been doing ever since he was thirteen.

He spent the evening with Katara. He would glance at her shyly every second he could, hoping she wouldn't notice the odd behavior. That night, he lay down in the bed he shared with his wife. "Katara?" he asked, uncertainly, wondering if she was she still awake.

"Yes, sweetie?" she replied, turning around to face her husband with a pretty smile. 'Still beautiful even after all these years,' he thought.

Aang hesitated for a moment. He swallowed before cracking a smile as best as he could, finally saying, "I love you." He tried to keep the anguish out of his tone.

"I love you too." She kissed his cheek. He captured her lips in a kiss and held her in a tight embrace. Even he could feel his own heart thumping in his chest filled with much sorrow. He was beginning to come to terms with his grief.

He closed his eyes, thinking of how much he missed his friends and his children who were now strewn all around the world. That night, he slept peacefully dreaming of new adventures he'd share with his friends, not in this lifetime but in another.

Outside, the last few cherries fell from Aang's cherry tree. The seeds would eventually scatter only to take root and cultivate in a new location…