Katu, Son of the Avatar – Chapter 2

Disclaimer: 'Avatar' does not belong to me.

Aang should return soon, she mused. Being the Avatar required him to see that the world was safe, especially after a hundred years of war, and that meant that he would take his glider and fly to the outlying towns and villages every few days to gather news of any events, which the townspeople happily aided him in. It was better than having to go search for said events oneself, and allowed him more time with his family. Soon, Tenko, now at ten years of age, would be old enough to join him, and then Kya would, as well. Which would leave her only with Katu for the day.

Thoughts of her youngest son, only six, suddenly brought a smile to her face. As she sat there in their bedroom, thinking about this afternoon, she heard Aang land on the balcony of their house and close his glider. He walked into the living room, and saw her expression as she turned to face him. He raised an eyebrow.

"Are you this happy to see me back?"

Katara quickly got up and hugged him. "Oh, Aang..."

--

Katara was enjoying the beautiful autumn day in the garden in front of the house. The sounds of her children playing drifted over to her from the nearby pond, where they were playing in the water while the warm weather still lasted. She looked over, and saw that Tenko and Kya were off to the side, trying to master the air scooter Aang had taught them recently. Katu, however, was content to sit in the water by himself, splashing around. A smile formed on her face as she got up and walked over to the pond.

Katu heard his siblings talking excitedly, and chanced a look over at them. Tenko was sitting on a ball of swirling air, looking proud, when suddenly he wavered and fell off, at which his sister started to laugh and point at the boy on the floor. Katu couldn't help but join in. He was old enough to understand that they were airbending, and that next to their father, they were the only two people in the world with this ability. Sometimes Katu wondered if he would airbend when he grew up, but something about the fragility of air made him dislike it. He didn't know why, but he did not want to become an airbender. He knew his mother was a waterbender, and he had seen her bend, and it looked so beautiful and graceful that he promised himself that if he were ever to become a bender, he would want to waterbend.

He hadn't really talked to his parents about bending, and he couldn't help but feel a little lost. He was told that Tenko and Kya had both discovered their talent for airbending a few years back, after he was born, but still too young to remember. He wasn't sure what to make of it, to him, they had always been airbenders. His parents had also told him that they didn't want to force him into bending, that he should see for himself what he wanted to do. His uncle Sokka wasn't a bender, they said, and he seemed to be perfectly comfortable with that whenever he saw him during visits, Katu had even asked him about it. But he didn't want to become like his uncle. He wanted to waterbend.

Which is why Katu loved playing with water so much. Their house had a little pond in the garden, and when the weather was warm enough, he would be at it all day, splashing around in the water, or just sitting in it, liking how it felt cool and kept him warm at the same time. Often he would mimic moves he saw his mother perform, and in his imagination, the water would flow along, moving as he directed it.

But today was different.

He waved his hands around gently, once again playing with the thought of being a waterbender, when he saw ripples form on the surface of the pond, getting stronger the more he moved his hand. He quickly stopped, eyes wide with surprise. Before he got a chance to try again, and to verify that it was indeed him, and not some breeze (or perhaps even his siblings tricking him) that was moving the water, he heard his mother's footsteps behind him and turned around.

Katara immediately noticed the strange look on her son's face. It's like he had just seen a ghost, his eyes were wide, looking at her with a sense of uncertainty. "Katu, what's wrong?" Worry crept into Katara's mind as she crouched down next to him.

"I think..." he started, but then trailed off, thoughtfully looking back at his hands and the water. Under his mother's concerned gaze, he repeated the motions of his hands, and once again the ripples appeared on the surface. This time he was sure it was him, and he heard his mother gasp. He tried some different moves, willing the water to bend as he unconsciously directed chi into it. And indeed, the water swirled around, forming small tendrils that rose and fell back into the pond. He looked back at his mother and saw that she had tears in her eyes. "Mommy?" he asked.

Katara embraced her son and held him in a tight hug. "Oh, Katu, you're a waterbender!" She felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She had been anticipating this day with much anxiety. Her other children have also discovered their bending at this age, and after two airbenders, she had not dared to hope that her youngest child, if he should become a bender at all, would learn to control her element.

"I'm so proud of you." She let go of him, but kept her hands on his shoulders. Surprise was evident in his eyes. "I'm really a waterbender?" He asked this as if he still had some trouble grasping his newfound ability. Katara smiled at him. "If you'd like, I can teach you. You'll become a great waterbender, I know it."

The smile of joy that appeared on Katu's face as he nodded warmed her heart.

--

Katara was lying awake, remembering that autumn day three years ago. Aang was lying behind her, his arm draped around his waist, already asleep. She gently stroked the back of his hand with her thumb, wishing she could find peace. How happy their family had been, how untroubled. But these thoughts just brought back the recent memory of their talk not long ago. She had a dreadful journey ahead of her, all the way to the Fire Nation. The more Katara dwelt upon this, the more she felt like she was abandoning her family, and the more unreasonable this whole endeavor seemed.

She sighed and closed her eyes, listening to her husband's steady breathing behind her. She cursed her fate for being so unfair. She cursed the resistance for still causing so much trouble even so long after the war. And she cursed herself for not being able to find any sleep. And she knew why.

Fear had gripped her. Fear of the unknown. She knew that she would be much safer at the Fire Nation capital, and she feared for Aang and her children. She hadn't felt something like this in so long that she had allowed herself to let her guard down against such feelings, finally enjoying life. Opening her eyes again, she gazed around the moonlit room, trying to take her mind of these thoughts. She told herself to be strong. Aang was the Avatar, just like he said, and he should be able to handle the resistance. She would just have to hurry, tell Zuko what was going on, then come back. I can do this, she thought.

With this bit of solace she managed to drift into a dreamless slumber.