What Happens Next
Chapter 2
"You sure that's everything, we won't be able to turn around once we start moving," Aang said from his seat in front of the saddle on Appa, holding the reins in one hand.
Katara had just fastened down the last of the supplies in the back of the saddle when Aang started talking. "Yep, we should have enough to hold us till we get to the Fire Nation," Katara said turning around to face the two toddlers that sat in front of her.
"Oh, we're not heading for the Fire Nation first, I have a few stops to make before that, you know Avatar duties and all that," Aang told her looking over his shoulder.
"That's fine, I understand," She said, silently relived. The longer it took to reach the Fire Nation, the longer she could stall the inevitable meeting with the Fire Lord.
"If everyone's ready then we're off!," Aang said loudly, turning around and yelling the all too familiar "Yip Yip,", cracking the reins. With a groan sounding roar and a flap of his giant tail, Appa took off into the air.
Katara had to quickly grab Roku from where he was hanging halfway off the saddle, waving to the villagers, before he fell off and sat him in her lap.
"Bye, Yue, see you later!,"
"Bye Bye, Roku," Yue answered from where she at on her fathers shoulders.
Katara just raised a hand in a small wave, having already said her farewells to her family before she started loading the supplies.
Once the village was out of sight, Katara felt a slight tugging on the white fur of her sleeve, having decided to keep her and Roku's heavy Water Tribe outfits on, minus the gloves, until they reached a warmer climate. She looked down at Gyatso who was shyly smiling up at her.
"Watch this," he said, putting both his pale hands together, like he was trying to hold his own hand, in front of him before moving them parallel to each other, a green marble started spinning slowly at first before speeding up to look like a circle of green.
"Wow, Gyatso, that's amazing!," Katara said trying to sound encouraging having already seen Aang perform that trick many times over.
"How are you doing that?," Roku asked, trying to move his head closer to the marble that was seemingly spinning magically between his friends hands.
"It's an airbending trick my daddy showed me," Gyatso's smile now largely resembling that of Aangs.
"Hump," Aang groaned, making Katara turn her attention from his son to him. Aang was now facing the saddle, his back leaning on Appa's head, his yellow clad left leg stretched out with his right foot resting on his left thigh making a four shape, and arms crossed.
Raising an eyebrow, Katara asked, "What?," only for the Avatar to turn his head to the side, refusing to look at her, his bottom lip stuck out like a pouting kid instead of the grown man of twenty-one, or one hundred-twenty one which ever way you looked at it, that he truly was.
"What is your problem?," her voice raising an octave and hands going to her hips, thankfully not disturbing the boys from their mini talent show.
"You didn't have that kind of reaction when I first showed it to you," Aang mumbled.
Katara almost didn't hear him over the wing, but when she did a look of confusion crossed her face, before a slightly annoyed one replaced it when she figured out what her long time friend was talking about. "Oh, would you stop acting like such a child," Katara told him rolling her eyes.
Katara pulled the thick, dark blue blanket higher to the boys chins, Roku sprawled eagle spread, Gyatso curled into a ball, sucking on his thumb. They were both in deep sleep in the back of the saddle. Katara sat back in the front near Aang, who hadn't moved from his spot, and pulled her own blanket tighter around her to shield herself from the chilly night air. They were out of the freezing south, but flying above the ocean didn't make for the warmest place when the sun went down.
"Hey Aang?," Katara called out softly after a while, not wanting to wake the children.
"Hmm?," was the sleepy answer she received.
"Where all do we have to stop before traveling to the Fire Nation?,"
"Mmm, first stop would be back home, to see Toph and Lin," Katara couldn't help but smile at hearing the fondness in Aang's voice when ever he spoke of his wife and children. He would often have to leave them for weeks, if not months at a time, traveling around the world to make sure the peace was maintained, it had to have been lonely, it was only recently that Gyatso had gotten to start leaving with his father, so he could learn airbending.
There were many times, before Roku was born, when she use to wonder if it would have been the same situation if her and Aang had stayed together, but in the end the love she felt for Aang was that of an older sister or maybe even a mother, but never a lover. No, as much as she longed for a proper family, she didn't regret the past and wouldn't trade her son for anything.
"Then I have to make a quick stop at Ba Sing Se and the last would be the Western Air Temples, to check on how the Air Acolytes are doing there,"
The Air Acolytes, men and women Aang had started teaching three years ago, to keep the air nomads culture and traditions from being forgotten by all except him and his airbending children. The Western Air Temple housed only female Air Acolytes, as does the Eastern Temple, just as it had been in the past. The Northern and Southern Air Temple held the Male Air Acolytes.
"Oh, okay," Katara was trying to think of something else to keep the conversation flowing, when she heard soft snores filling the silence. A small smile found it's way on her lips and laying down she said, "Goodnight," closing her clear blue eyes, trying to join her companions in dream land.
Rolling over for what felt like the hundredth time, Katara finally gave up and layed on her back, looking up at the twinkling stars. No matter how hard she tried her brain wouldn't turn off, to many thoughts were filling her head, all of them centered around a certain Fire Lord.
The times when they were enemies, having to be on the constant move with him trailing the Gaang. The times when she didn't trust him, having him join the Gaang to teach Aang firebending. The times they were friends, him helping her track down her mother's killer. The times they were allies, fighting with, and afterwards healing him, when he faced his sister. The times they were confidants, when an Ozai support murdered his fiance, Mei, the time her and Aang went their separate ways. The times they were lovers, the simplest embraces and quick kisses when they thought no one was looking, the drunk aftermath of Sokka and Suki's wedding that led to Roku being conceived.
All of it jumbled up, she missed him, every night she dreamed of him she missed him, every time she looked into her son's eyes she missed him, every time she saw happy couples she missed him. Would she be able to handle seeing him again after three years? What would she say to him? Would she say anything to him? What about Roku? Would he notice the similarities between him and her son? They way Roku's eyes were his amber and slanted instead of her blue and round, or the way Roku's face was becoming more slimmer than her round one?
So many questions that were left unanswered kept her awake until the first signs of dawn painted it's way into the sky.
Next Chapter: We meet a pregnant Toph, and Gyatso's little sister, Lin. A stop to Ba Sing Se reveals an old friend who agrees to teach Roku firebending.
I hope you guys remember the air bending trick Gyatso was showing Katara :)