KYA

Kya has always been secretly and incredibly proud of her secret and incredible daughter.

Kya named her "Kateeri," the pure one.

But the family she left Kateeri with called her "Mae Young" since it was a name more suited to the Earth nation legacy that the young girl was born into.

Only Bumi and her mother know about her since Kya feared Tenzin would judge for having a child out of wedlock.

When her father, the great and mighty Avatar, died, Kya showed Katara a photo of her.

"She's beautiful," Katara murmured, "Reminds me of how you were at that age,"

"Actually, I think she looked more like you, Mom," Kya laughed, "At least, from what I can tell from your old photographs. That's why I based her name after yours."

It was true. At the ripe young age of sixteen, Kateeri undoubtedly took after her grandmother with the silhouette of her face, her build and her dark blue eyes. Her long waves of hair, however, were a shade of black chocolate instead of a luscious brown.

But the photo Kya had with her was old and tattered, taken when Kya was a younger mother and Kateeri only seven years old.

"Is she a waterbender?" Katara asked.

Kya's spirits rose. "Yes, and she's incredible! She picked it up so well when we travelled together. She's not much of a healer but she's great, Mom. She truly is."

"You must miss her,"

Kya's face fell, "Just as much as you probably miss Dad." Her voice breaks. Tears began to form and fall.

"I'm so sorry, Mom. I…I should have been a better mother and a better daughter. I should have-,"

Katara placed her hand on Kya's shoulder and softly spoke, "Your father and I couldn't have asked for a better daughter and I know for a fact that your daughter loves you just as much as I do,"

But Kya continues to sob, "No, she doesn't."

While Kya had been proud of Kateeri, her guilt was just as great. Because she left her daughter to be Mae Young.


When Kya went to go find herself as a young woman many years ago, she ended up finding Kateeri's father in the Fire Nation.

His name was Hyong. His father was a minor Earth Nation official that served the council to the Fire Lord. His mother was the descendent of a powerful Earth Nation family, the Changs. He himself was a lover of simple things, of philosophy, of small adventures. Kya was easily added onto that list.

He told her he instantly fell in love with her large, blue and angry eyes. She told him that he was a naïve sycophant.

But soon, his slumped shoulders, his turtle-eyed glasses, his stutter and the fact that he spent more time with books than with people compelled her to him and he became hers. They had their trysts in her small studio apartment in the heart of the Fire Nation Capitol.

She remembered the searches for cool fabric underneath her pillow as she fought against the blanketing humidity. She remembered the siren of the June-cicadas harmonizing with the consistent thumping of redevelopment construction across the street. She remembered how he would sit at her low table, reading a dated book on Air Bender philosophy in a way that suited the image of the studious politician's son that he is.

His practically naked body sitting in her apartment did not, however.

It was only in that apartment that they loved with a passion she had not known in any other way prior or afterwards. Together, their passion could not be bounded and from their bond, Kateeri was conceived. But it was only after Kya had left that their daughter had been born.

Kateeri's father died in an accident that Kya had caused. So she fled into the deserts of the Earth Kingdom and birthed Kateeri in an oasis. Hand in hand, mother and daughter, they traveled the nation and loved and laughed. Kya's little daughter became her oasis in the desert of despair and solitude.

But when Kateeri's power-starved paternal grandmother learned of their existence, she grappled Kya's free spirit to the estate. The family needed an heir. Kateeri needed to be Mae Young. Kya was simply the surrogate mother to bring the family legacy back to fruition.

Confined within the cage of society, Kya suffered abuse after abuse by her mother-in-law while Kateeri was indoctrinated to be Mae Young.

Finally, when Mae Young turned 10, Kya confronted Hyong's mother and seethed, "You can't tie me down."

"Very well, then, leave! See if I care, you whore." Hyong's mother huffed.

"I am the Avatar's daughter, you monster! You cannot treat me this way."

"That. Is. IT! Leave and never return!"

The older lady dug her grip into the shoulder of Kya's daughter. Her daughter.

Kya grimaced in horror.

"Grandmother, you're hurting me," Kateeri's small voice muttered. "Where is mommy going? I want to go with her!"

"Be quiet," the old woman ordered the girl, "Mae Young, you will be staying here."

"Leave her alone!" Kya yelled, "You're crazy if you think I'm going without her."

"No, you're daft if you believe otherwise! This child is of the Chang family and will remain here under my guidance."

Kya quickly readied a stream from her water skins above her head, manifesting her boiling and frothing anger, "She's my daughter and she's coming with me!"

Hearing "Take her away!" and feeling the family guards grab at her limbs was enough to push Kya into a frenzy. A cry left her lips and Kya attacked.

But like a firebender with no restraint, the young and bitter Kya had no control and before she knew it, her daughter was lying on the ground sobbing from an agonizing wound on her shoulder made from ice – a scar that the girl would bear well into adulthood.

Kya fell to her knees and watched her child, her Kateeri, run into another woman's arms as the guards pulled her away and away.


Kya never saw her daughter again until the young girl of Kateeri became the young woman of Mae Young.

Nearly six years.

For nearly six years, Kya tried to forget about her life in Fire Nation and only when everything seemed like lifetimes ago, Kya ventured into the country again to visit her old friend, the daughter of the Fire Lord. Izumi - with eyes gleaming behind her wired glasses - welcomed Kya to the palace with open and eager arms.

Kya smiled weakly as she was led around the large mansion and finally into a tea room where both women prattled on about the extents of their lives. Kya spoke about her adventures abroad and her intent to whisk away to the edges of the seas to explore what the world could offer and maps could not. Izumi sighed with wistful jealousy then voiced her utter thankfulness in seeing Kya again.

"I missed you and your visits," the princess murmured into her tea, "It's been lonely."

"Oh, I'm sure. With your husband's passing and Iroh off with the United Forces."

Izumi sighed her sorrows in and then slowly out. "Yes, it has." The princess turned to her friend, "Which is why I'm thankful you're here."


While Izumi started explaining about her attempts at reforming relations with both Water Tribes, a woman of sixteen came in to discuss administrative matters.

"Oh, Kya. This is my assistant, Mae Young," Izumi noted, gesturing to her.

Kya swerved and stood, her eyes fixated on this girl with full dark hair framing a dark beige complexion illuminated by dark indigo eyes.

"Kateeri?"

Mae Young transfigured into Kateeri through silence and tears. The girl covered her face with her hands, collapsed onto the carpet, and wept out a faint "Mother."

Kya ran to her, held her and sobbed apology after apology.

"Kateeri, my dear Kateeri, I am so sorry. I'm sorry that you had to have me as your mother. I'm sorry that I couldn't do more. I'm sorry that I didn't take you away from her."

Kateeri gripped the folds of her mother's skirts. "I know why you couldn't. I know and I understand. But there will always be a part of me that is angry at you for leaving me behind with her," she sniffed. "You don't understand how awful she is to me. How awful she is to everyone."

"I'm sorry," is all Kya mutters, "I am so sorry."

They stay like this for hours.

Kateeri weeping into her mother's lap. Kya trembling while she caressing her daughter.

"Can you forgive me?" Kya finally whispered.

"Of course," Kateeri gave her a weak smile, "You're my mother."


Izumi easily made accommodations for the two to spend enough time with each other throughout the following year. Kya finally felt like the mother she thought she needed to be and Kateeri finally had the mother she thought she needed.

But when Aang died suddenly within that year, Kya knew that she had to be with Katara.

"So you're leaving me? Again?" Kateeri asked, in horror.

"Kateeri, my father - your grandfather – the Avatar died. I need to be with my mother."

"And I can't be with mine?!"

"Come with me then! You can meet everyone and it'll be-,"

"I can't!"

"Why not?" Kya pleaded.

"You don't seem to understand that I have a life here. I have responsibilities. I can't just drop everything and go with you."

"But Izumi will understand, she'll-,"

"Princess Izumi and Fire Lord Zuko will both probably go to the Avatar's funeral- meaning that someone needs to be here and maintain-,"

"Kateeri, he's your grandfather."

"A grandfather that I never knew. How could you expect me to…Mother, I can't," the girl muttered dejectedly. "This is the life I know. And Lady Izumi is not the only one who has control over my life," Kateeri says bitterly. "There's a reason that I am called 'Mae Young'."

So this time, Kateeri left Kya.

This time, Kateeri chose to be "Mae Young."


Kya voyaged a great distance from the Fire Nation to the Southern Water tribe, spending the time travelling to ruminate on why her daughter would choose to be with a domineering old hag over her – to be "Mae Young" instead of her "Kateeri."

But she had to admit that she was proud that Mae Young had a better grasp on life than she ever would be, and more mature than she had been at that age. Deciding to be with Katara may be the only responsible thing Kya had ever thought to do.

Still, as Kya spent time with her own mother, she thinks about what would happen if she herself had been a better mother to her daughter.

She wonders what could have been.


A/N: I gave Kya's daughter two names to capture the situation she and many others find themselves in - at a crossroads of their identity.

"Kateeri" is based on "Kateri," a Native American name based off of "Katherine", meaning pure. I figured it would be fitting since it was similar to "Katara."

The Earth kingdom is based off a collaboration of many Asian cultures but refers to Korean culture most heavily so I based the name of "Mae Young" after "Mi-Young," a common Korean unisex name and a lot of character traits/bg off of my own mother who is ethnically Korean. "Mae" is a reference to Mae Whitman - the voice actress of Katara.