Almost late but not quite. I made it! Kataang Week Part 7.
Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra belong to Nick and Bryke.
"Katara! Look at this!" The waterbender sighed for the umpteenth time in four hours, grudgingly approaching her husband who had again become fascinated with a display. Katara was quickly beginning to curse the day she ever supported the Republic City Exposition. Her husband currently had his face pressed against the glass of what appeared to be a ring of some kind, with a track inside. A model of one of the Satomobiles racing around the track stood outside of the enclosed track. "We need one."
"No, Aang. You can fly. Why would we need a car."
"For the kids!"
"Aang. Tenzin is nineteen."
"Look at it! It's so neat!"
"Aang…" Katara found herself cut off by a rather overeager young man.
"Ah, Avatar Aang!" The dark haired man offered his hand, which Aang shook rather distractedly, still shooting glances toward the vehicles circling the track. "I'm Hiroshi Sato. I take it you like our newest model?"
"Oh, wow! These are yours?" Katara had never wanted to strangle her husband more in her life. She was starving and tired. There was nothing but cabbages at the stupid exhibition.
"Yes, sir. My design." The young man grinned broadly at the Avatar's clear awe and enthusiasm. "Would you like to drive one?"
"No. No. No. No. Aang." The waterbender's protests were ignored as Hiroshi took her husband by the arm and guided him around the track, unlocking the nearly invisible door. Katara followed reluctantly, rubbing her throbbing temples.
The young tycoon signaled the drivers to stop, both of the gleaming metal carriages halting a few feet away from the trio. Aang clambered into the one nearest them almost as soon as he could, his head bobbing as he nodded to Hiroshi's quick instructions. The drivers ushered Katara into the passenger seat before she could protest. They nearly carried her and shut the door before she could manage a word.
She slid down in the seat, having noticed there was a crowd beginning to form around the track, obviously having been drawn by the sight of the Avatar. A scream tore from her lips as Aang slammed on the accelerator. The Satomobile flew forward and through what Katara thought was a substantial wall, sending the admirers fleeing in terror. The waterbender slammed into the dashboard. Hard. Blood began dripping down her forehead and hindering her vision as they continued to careen and slam into various displays, people jumping away screaming. Aang was shouting apologizes as he struggled to gain control, his already pale knuckles white on the steering wheel.
"MY CARS!" Aang swerved around the CEO of Cabbage Corp, who had jumped in front of them after they had slammed into a set of vehicles marketed for the common citizen. The third Cabbagemobile finally ended the chaos, the airbender creating a large cushion of air between the green vehicle and the Satomobile, giving up on manually operating the metal death trap. Even with his aid, the stop was horribly sudden, sending both him and Katara through the windshield and over the Cabbage Corp model. Aang's quick reflexes again saved him and his wife, softening their landing.
"Katara!" The Avatar had barely recovered himself before he was holding the bloody waterbender. He had already begun healing her, apologizing profusely by the time Hiroshi had climbed through the wreckage.
"Avatar Aang, Master Katara…" The engineer fell silent at the look of utter guilt and worry on Aang's face. He swallowed visibly, running a hand backwards through his hair as the Avatar continued to heal is wife.
"Aang, it's fine." He continued to move his hands over her face. "Aang!" He jolted, jerking his hands back, his face flushing. She stood without his aid, smoothing her bloodstained clothes. Silence reigned for several minutes. No one could bear to be angry at the Avatar and his wife, not even Hiroshi. However, the Cabbage Corp exec was howling about his cabbages.
"I find, Avatar, that I need to thank you." Aang and Katara were attempting to leave as quickly and quietly as possible only to stop at Hiroshi's voice. They turned, brows arching in unison. "It is obvious to me that my Satomobiles are not yet safe. You and your son are the only airbenders in the world. If you hadn't managed to react so quickly, I believe we would have lost two of our greatest heroes today. I would appreciate your help in designing an impact response system." The couple blinked, sharing a short glance.
"I don't think I'm really the best man for the job, Mr. Sato. Chief Sokka is in the city for a few weeks. This would definitely be more up…his alley." The young man did not bother to hide his disappointment. Aang hopped over one of the mangled Cabbagemobiles, a blast of air aiding him. He looked back as he landed, running a hand over his arrow, guilt crossing his features. "Maybe try some sort of straps? For the seats?" He said the first thing he could think of, floundering for any semblance of logic. "To hold people in place? Or a cushion in front of where people sit? Um. Going through the…uh…glass is definitely the biggest problem." He nodded slightly to himself, proud of his quick thinking before walking hurriedly away, Katara picking glass out of his face as they escaped the scene.
Hiroshi Sato stood in thought for nearly two hours while the destruction was cleared away around him.
Much to Aang and Katara's surprise, a new set of Satomobile models were introduced a few months later. Even more shocking was that they were invited to the unveiling. The new models featured something called "air bags" which burst from the dashboard at impact and "seat belts," allowing riders and drivers to be more secure. The Avatar was rather pleased with his contribution. They found out also that Sokka had helped with the "air bags." As they were leaving the thankfully test drive free event, Aang wrapped an arm around his wife's waist.
"You know…it'd be pretty nice just to drive around town. I know your feet get sore sometimes-" Katara silenced him with a wicked glare.
"No. Never. Absolutely not. Driving is officially not one of the Avatar's abilities. No." Aang pouted for a bit but was soon frightened into submission by his wife. They were still picking glass out of various body parts. Katara didn't care what "new features" they had. Satomobiles could cook a meal and she still would never ride in one again. Tenzin, Bumi, and Kya soon found out, through numerous letters and meetings, that no one in the family was ever to own or ride in "those metal cages on wheels." Katara had deemed them eternally unsafe.