I don't own Avatar the last airbender, I'm just playing.
Katara took in several calming breaths while the hustle and bustle of the occasion surrounded her.
Herself, a sea of turmoil.
Her child, an ocean of calm.
Glancing over at both cribs, Katara stubbornly clung to the dead body of Kanna.
A cry erupted from further back; eyes widening, Katara mutely watched as her still live child was brought to her. The corpse was wrested from her grip, as the several hours old child was placed into her empty arms.
Katara closed herself off to her emotions far to raw to touch, Simply staring the new face she had brought into this world.
It had been an exhausting, emotionally spent night; Katara had seen no moon.
Katara once more glanced down at her bundle. The eerily reminiscent coloring of her father's ivory skin, yet the pinnacle of her own peoples power, that of the moon, of princess Yueh. So much like that of her Kanna.
Katara shook her head rather violently, a second later her husband, the leader of his people broke into the room. Charging toward his wife, he eyed the dead corpse, head covered for a split second before it was taken away. He then turned to his wife, golden eyes reflecting the sorrow in his wife's own blue.
He tried to embrace his wife, only to notice at the last second the blanket in her limp arms. Mutely, she handed the bundle to a very surprised servant, who held the bundle awkwardly before quickly putting it into the hands of the stunned Fire Lord, who scarcely passed a glance at the child within before handing it to another servant, then turned slightly and embraced his wife.
The older servant, after aplomb walked towards the cribs, choosing the further one, placed the child inside, propping the child near the pillows, and remorselessly turned away from the darkened corner.
Zuko murmured comforting words to his wife, gently rocking her. Neither noticed, nor cared to notice, the somewhat lighter than red eyes that looked around the room.
The brilliant garnet eyes fixed on little-sister blue. Before the blue broke the contact. The red-eyed child continued towards her habitual haunt. Once within the green leaves, the red eyes peered out once more. Father was here again, with both little sister and brother as assigned to the 'family outing' by the turtle duck pond, watching as she normally did at the antics of her family.
Spectral red eyes continued to taunt far across the pond, tracking the progress of the little sister, when underneath the branch, the blue eyes flashed, and hands went on hips, copying Mother. In an imperial voice demanded, "Come down from there."
Red eyes remained firmly closed, preferring to hear little sister's plaintive demands. "I know you're awake! Get down here and play with me!"
Then little feet took off for a few steps, and called over to their parents. Her caterwauling brought both parents over. Mother put her hands incessantly near the fake tears of her daughter. While Father's gold gaze, barely moved as their daughter told the spur of the moment tale to her parents along with the impetuous command of demanding the disobedient one to come down.
The golden gaze searched for a good minute for the reclining errant child. Father tilted his head and gestured for his daughter to join, before leaving. Their mother was busy doting on make believe injures of her daughter's perceived slight by the elder, as the little sister was marched away.
Nimbly landing, and casting an unintentional baleful eye towards her now seated father, their second daughter leerily followed in Father's receding footsteps.
Choosing a space, and sitting quietly the red-eyed daughter looked distinctly out of place, yet anxious to please. Father's gold eyes fixed once more on the antics of little sister and Mother. Not even registering the near catatonic child a mere two feet from him, he smiled at little sister.
Sokka, however, nudged his red-eyed sibling, desperate for a moment of Kya-less-ness and no mothering. Red eyes blinked and turned to her brother castling a mildly curious glance at the 'homework' assigned. It was a family tree, mostly blank. Sokka handed the brush over before diverting himself toward the stares of several eligible visiting pretty girls on a tour.
Unsurprised at the disappearance of Sokka/her brother, ruby eyes flicked toward her father, who was still enjoying the sight of Mother and little sister still highly involved with their 'game'. Ruby orbs glanced back at the still blank family tree. Then decided to fill in the missing names.
Fire Lord Azulon, Fire Lady Iiah, sons elder Iroh- she added a bit of a flourish to the name- he was her favorite, paused then squeezed in crowned prince before the name – next to it: his wife, and merged under the names Lu Ten. Starting back from Azulon, the straight line arrowed at Fire Lord Ozai, the younger brother, wife Ursa. Children Fire lord Zuko, wife Katara –She deliberately made the name slightly smaller - Fire Lord Zuko's only sibling: Princess Azula.
The brush lifted from the page in thought. Before realizing she had never met her aunt. (Then made a mental note to meet her aunt.) Red eyes raised hopefully at her father. Maybe her aunt would even like her; maybe even, she barely allowed the almost unobtainable joy, she would praise her.
When Kya tired and trudged into a tree root, her upheld arms were enough to gather her small form into Daddy's arms, and walk quietly through their home.
The outing was over and Dad, carrying Kya, with his other sister trailing behind, obviously looking for him, Sokka waved. Then gave a thumbs-up sign. The return grin was infectious, and Sokka found himself smiling back, before glancing at his Mom, who was clearly not as infected as she waded out of the pond.
Mom wrung out her hair with a half-smiled gaze at her departing husband and daughters and then she walked to his 'homework'. Studying it, she said: "This report is excellent." Sokka smiled at the praise and not getting caught. Mom suddenly smirked, "Your sister's hand-writing has certainly improved, hasn't it?" -
Sokka gulped. Mom gingerly picked up the four page long report. "You can start your own report tonight. In my sitting room, away from any opportunity for your sister to do it for you." Sokka groaned, "But that will take forever! My friends and I were gonna play 'Redemption'!"
Mom shook her head, "More like 'hide and explode'."
Sokka turned puppy eyes on her, his chances of escaping glimmering just in front of him, "Does that mean I can go if we play hide and explode?" He didn't give her a chance to correct the deliberate misinterpretation. "Thankyouloveyouseeyoulater!" He ran off mid-sentence, almost out of range before a water tentacle whipped around and grabbed him. Hoisting him off his feet into the air in front of his thoroughly amused mother.
"I don't think so."
"But Mom!"
Katara set her son down, "No Sokka. Finish the family tree, and then come inside." Seeing the mutinous look on her son's face, Katara put her hands on her hips. "None of that young man. Sitting room, my sitting room in ten minutes." Katara ordered, not giving him an opening to misconstrue her order. The Fire Lady, clothes sopping, dripped her way to her quarters where a fresh, dry set of clothing awaited.
Sokka, crowned prince of the fire nation, squished over to the paper, Mom had walked off with the hardest part of the homework. Sokka eyed the precise calligraphy, the paper almost looked like it was a document from the dragon bone catacombs.
Sokka, after a minute of reading, found the last generation. An expert at knowing just how much he had actually written, the last twelve or so generations of the royal family, had been subtly corrected, by his sister, when he had just guessed or made up names, and to top off she had done it in a near perfect mimic of his handwriting.
He really loved his sister in moments like these.
He would never admit it to anyone, he reminded himself. He did have a reputation to maintain after all. Plus the girls in the palace would tease him about it.
Picking up the brush, he added the last few names, under Fire Lord Zuko, and Fire Lady Katara, himself, Crowned Prince Sokka, Princess Kanna who had died and was his beloved red eyed sister's twin, Andra, the surviving twin, and their shared-annoying-pestering-spoiled-sibling Kya.
Done with his family tree, Sokka waited for the ink to dry before heading to where he knew his mother would be waiting.
The open door to his precious daughter Kya's room openly invited him to lay Kya down on her bed, and tuck the sheets over. He leaned over Kya, readjusting the sheets to suit her, then turning. Before jumping in surprise as the stranger at his side also turned to leave. The blank red stare's owner, waited confused. The fire lord managed a (forced) lukewarm smile, the delighted grin that appeared from his child's face was ghastly in it's sheer delight at recognition.
Stunned Zuko reverted to previous mechanical behavior by heading towards the door, pausing a second before realizing his child was once more at his elbow. Zuko swallowed nervously, before barely restraining himself from bolting.
It did not occur to the Fire Lord until later, as Zuko was in his own bed, that while he knew every inch of the palace, Zuko did not know where his garnet eyed daughter slept.
The next few years grew worse.
Whew, now that I found it on my computer.
I hope you liked it, please review!