Ok, second chapter, a bit more korra character related now, and I'm sorry, but my Tahno as Bumi's son refused to stay in his own set of stories and waterbent his way in here. Sorry. Also, someone mentioned something about the monk making Naoki wait 3 weeks. I wanted to put that right as well. Brother Luan is not a bad monk... I like Brother Luan. On another note, this story has opened a whole world of possibilities that I would just love to write.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Tenzin demanded, pacing furiously behind his desk, his chair pushed back against the wall to make room. Brother Luan watched him. When he'd gone out to call Naoki in for some supper, and maybe some Tea and a long overdue talk, he hadn't expected to find Master Tenzin in the spot Naoki had claimed as his own training grounds.
Brother Luan was not a fool; while he had not believed Naoki in the beginning, when it had become clear, after only a few days of watching him that he was telling the truth, Luan had quickly done his best to shield the boy, appointing himself his caretaker until Master Tenzin was ready to take over. The last thing the child needed was for someone to see him airbend, even accidently and go mouthing off to everyone, the last thing he needed was to be rejected by everyone as an unclaimed bastard child.
Luan had seen too many children stuck with this stigmata, he had watched his best friend struggle with it for most of his life. If Master Tenzin chose not to acknowledge him, then at least no one else would know and he could fade back into relative obscurity.
When he'd come upon the scene he knew immediately what had been said, and what had not been said, and to save the boy having to listen to what would follow he had sent him to bed. Naoki had hesitated, unwilling, but he left, his shoulders slumped.
"Well?!" Tenzin snapped, jerking Luan roughly back to the present.
Brother Luan sighed. "I did inform you." He replied simply.
Master Tenzin had been busy, Luan knew that. But he had dutifully left the worn, crumpled letter on top of the usual messages from the city council on the very table Tenzin was pacing behind. He had not mentioned it for a few days, giving Tenzin the time to read the letter. When Tenzin had not called for the boy Luan had been concerned, by this time he'd already seen Naoki Airbend, and had made all the connections he needed to understand the situation.
He'd spoken with Tenzin the following morning. He'd left unsure if Tenzin had actually heard what he'd said. But he'd waited before mentioning it again. Again there had been no summons and Luan could see Naoki becoming more and more frustrated, so he distracted him as best he could.
After the last time, just over a week ago Luan had come to the conclusion that Tenzin must have known, the hints he slipped into his morning meetings with the man had been anything but subtle. So Tenzin must have known and had made the decision not to acknowledge the boy. Luan had been working up the courage for days to sit him down to explain that.
Except, apparently, Tenzin had not known.
Which put everything in a new light.
Tenzin had slumped back into his chair, looking utterly lost.
Brother Luan sighed again, shifting forward. "I apologise Master Tenzin, but I had not thought I was being so subtle as you would not understand my meaning. The boy said the letter would explain everything."
"Letter?" Tenzin asked.
Luan stood, taking in the mess of papers on the desk, and without stopping for permission he began to search through it until he found the envelope, pushed aside and buried under a hundred other things. He held it out, and Tenzin looked grief stricken as he took it. Brother Luan took his leave as Tenzin opened the crumpled paper.
xxxx
Tenzin was practically vibrating with anxious energy, grey eyes tracking all over Pema's face, trying his best to discern what she was thinking. She was breastfeeding Rohan, stroking the baby's head, a look of contentment on her face. He had just spilled everything to her, the whole affair, the fact that he had a fifteen year old son staying in the men's dorms, and here she was, looking as if he'd just mentioned the weather.
"I don't know what you want me to say." She said at last, taking pity on his nerves.
Tenzin scrambled for something to say in return, but before he could string the words together she carried on.
"Yes, it's disappointing to not have borne you're first child, but it isn't like you cheated on me. We only just knew each other fifteen years ago, and yes, I did fall in love with you then, but it would hardly be fair of me to get angry that you slept with someone else. Though… you might want to mention it to Lin before she comes out here again. You were still going out with her at the time as I recall." Pema said.
"Pema…" Tenzin breathed.
Pema smiled. "You said his mother mentioned she would be arriving in a few months."
Tenzin nodded, overawed at how wonderful his wife was.
"Well, at least that gives us time to build some extra rooms… I do feel a bit bad that we don't have a spare room to give-Naoki was it?-a room with us now… but I don't suppose he'd want to share with Meelo."
"You mean you-" Tenzin began.
Pema glared at him. "Of course he'll be staying in our family quarters. As will his mother when she arrives! I will not have them thinking I'm some jealous wife who won't even acknowledge my husband's long lost son." Then she looked thoughtful. "We'll need to have him over for dinner… and we'll need to tell the children…"
Tenzin could only be glad that he had married such a forgiving, wonderful woman as Pema.
xxxx
"I have been sent with a message."
Tenzin groaned and looked up to find his nephew leaning against the door of his office, a smirk far too close to Bumi's for comfort on his face.
"Well, two messages really." Tahno continued, leaving his place by the door to cross the room. "The first one's from Pa." With this he gave Tenzin a hearty slap to the shoulder, and said in a fair imitation of his father. "I never knew you had it in you boy!"
Tenzin groaned. He'd known sending a letter to his brother had been a bad idea, but he could hardly not tell him about his new nephew. He buried his head into his hands and Tahno gave a small laugh. A small part of Tenzin was glad to hear it even if it was at his expense; he had been truly worried for Tahno after his bending had been taken.
The hand didn't leave his shoulder. "The second is from Aunt Kya. She wants you to know how happy she is that, even if only for a short time, you embraced the ethos of 'Free Love'. And also that she might be coming to steal her brand new nephews away from you for a few years."
Tenzin sighed.
Tahno smiled again. "Anything I can help with?"
Every so often Tenzin was reminded of how much of his nephew's 'badass' image was put on. "Unless you can magically make my children accept each other…" he eyed Tahno speculatively, he had inherited Bumi's ability to work a crowd, there was no reason it couldn't be applied to his cousins, was there?
Tahno shrugged. "I'll do my best. I make no promises with Jinora, but the others I can work with." He pulled his hand away and made to move to the door. "Oh, by the way, Gran Gran is looking for the Kid. She wants you to join her."
xxxx
It was hard to see at first, with all the hair in the way, but at last she caught sight of Aang in his delighted grin as he managed to knock an apple from the tree he was practicing under. He was every inch a young Airbender, in his training clothes.
She had found him easily enough; he had become the talk of the Island quickly. She had been conflicted when she'd received Tenzin's letter, finishing up her errands as quickly as she could to take an earlier ship. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the news that her ever so serious youngest son had a child with a previously unknown woman. It was so unlike the Tenzin she knew that she couldn't help being concerned.
"Tenzin." She said, hearing her son approach. "I see you got my message."
Tenzin came to stand next to her. "Mother."
They stood in silence watching Naoki for a time.
"Talk to me Tenzin. I know you are worried." Katara said finally.
"I don't…" Tenzin sighed. "Mother I don't know what to do. I don't know what to say to him. He's not like Jinora, or the others. He comes to dinner reluctantly, and he doesn't say a word the whole time except to thank Pema for the food after. It's the same during training, he shows up at the appointed time. (Which reminds me, I need to thank Grand Fire Lord Zuko for taking over as head of the council for me, so I can devote more time to this). Takes part in the lesson, and no matter how often I try to speak to him after, he excuses himself to do some chores Brother Luan set him, even though I know Luan's relieved him of all chores for the next few weeks so he can catch up on his training… I just don't know what to do."
Katara laid a hand on her sons arm and looked at him. "You need to remember Tenzin; he spent over a month believing you knew who he was and were rejecting him. It will take time for that to heal. You just need to keep trying with him. Never start thinking of giving up. He's as unsure as you are, and remember, he's in a completely new environment, away from his home and mother, he probably hasn't started to really trust anyone yet."
Tenzin shook his head with a smile. "Oh, I don't know, he seems rather taken with Brother Luan."
Katara nodded with a smile of her own. "Luan has a good head on his shoulders; he'll make sure the boy doesn't give up on you completely before you have the chance to make amends. Now, Introduce me to my grandson." She ordered.
Tenzin nodded, thankful for how quickly and easily his family had accepted their new addition… well, most of the family, if only he could stop his children from feeling jealous of Naoki coming into their lives. Hopefully Tahno would be able to get through to them where he had failed.
"Naoki!" he called.
Naoki instantly tensed, but turned obediently towards his father. Katara saw him hesitate when he saw her, but he came forward anyway.
"Naoki, this is your grandmother." Tenzin introduced her.
Katara smiled. "You can call me Gran Gran. Everyone else does."
Naoki looked star struck. His mouth open, before he caught himself and bowed low. "Master Katara." He said. "Mom would always read me the stories, of you and Avatar Aang." He glanced up at her with Aang's smile again. "They were my favourite stories."
She reached out and tapped under his chin, making him stand up straight again. "Gran Gran." She reminded him gently. "No grandson of mine if going to call me Master Katara, and they most definitely aren't going to call their grandfather Avatar Aang, I'll bet he's howling with laughter in the spirit world right now at the very thought of it." She smiled kindly at the rush of unsure emotion, and was saddened at how his eyes flicked to Tenzin, unspoken questions in his eyes that she wasn't sure her son understood yet.
"Now, how about you get me one of those apples as well. They look especially lovely." She suggested.
He turned away to do as she asked and she turned back to Tenzin to see the same sort of conflict in his eyes that was in his sons. "Don't worry Tenzin. It will get easier. I promise." She told him.
xxxx
"What's troubling you?" Brother Luan asked, setting his teacup down on the table.
Naoki shrugged. "Nothing."
Luan raised a hairy eyebrow, looking pointedly at the tea left to go cold in the cup in front of the boy. "Naoki." He said simply.
Naoki sighed. "I don't know what he expects me to do." He said at last. "What any of them want me to do."
Luan was silent, waiting.
"I mean, Gran Gran is brilliant, she's told me so many stories about Grandfather Aang. And Pema been really kind… she's made a lot of Fire nation dishes since I started joining them for dinner, and she's organising to get more rooms built onto their house, which she really doesn't need to do, but it doesn't seem to matter how often I tell her that she's still insisting. Ikki and Meelo don't seem to hate me now at least… I think Tahno has something to do with that; but Jinora… and fath-I mean Master Tenzin… What am I supposed to do Brother Luan?"
Luan lifted his teacup again and contemplate all the conflicting emotions in Naoki's rushed statement. "I think." He began slowly. "I think you should probably start by calling him 'father'."
He drank his tea and waited for Naoki to find his voice.
"That's it?" the boy asked. "That's your advice?"
Luan smiled. "When we get older Naoki, we start to become set in our ways. We don't like to admit to things we've done in the past, especially when it doesn't fit neatly into the lives we have settled into. It doesn't mean we're ashamed, or that we don't care. It's just that we're not sure how to behave. We can't just accept the truth without over thinking everything to do with it." Luan shrugged. "Your father doesn't know how to reconcile you with the life he has now, with his wife, his children with her, he doesn't know how that will affect the life he leads, and the people he loves. Tenzin has always been one for overcomplicating a situation."
"And what is the situation?" Naoki asked sullenly.
"You are his son, he is your father. You have a grandmother, a stepmother, aunt, uncle and cousin who accept you unconditionally into their family. You have four siblings, who will likely drive you crazy for the rest of your life, and in a few months your mother will be here." Luan looked at him, willing him to understand."They are your family."
