A/N: New chapter! I apologize for the delay in posting, but I've been occupied with some other things. Admittedly, this isn't a request I'm supposed to have up. ^^' This oneshot was written a while ago, but I feel like I should post something until I can get the requests done. So hopefully, this will tide you all over until I finish the requests. I always feel terrible for taking forever and a day, but thank you (to those who sent requests) for being patient! I promise I'll have them up as soon as possible! In the meantime, I hope this is enjoyable! Happy readings!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything!
XXI. With Love
Aang sat atop the frozen rooftop and gazed out at the horizon where the midnight black sky met the vast expanse of the ocean. A short while ago, this wouldn't have been possible because the Southern Water Tribe had been nothing more than a handful of women and children living in a cluster of tents. Now, the Southern Water Tribe had been restored to a fraction of its former glory and construction was still underway to restore it to what it had been originally. So for the first time ever, Aang had the opportunity to sit on a rooftop (albeit one made of ice) in the South Pole and listen to the soft sounds of the ocean waves and stargaze. The chilly winter weather in the South Pole was doing nothing to help him go back to sleep as the cold only served to keep him wide awake, but he supposed the cold was better than the brutal heat of the Fire Nation. Besides, during the little vacation-like breaks he got, sleep wasn't much of a priority; it didn't matter to him if he couldn't fall asleep. It was a bit ironic because he thought he'd spend as much of his break as he could catching up on the sleep he missed when he was working, but oddly enough, he wasn't.
Sighing to himself, Aang shifted his position so he was more comfortable on his place on the rooftop and resumed stargazing. Coincidentally, his place on the roof was just over Katara's room and Aang found himself while thinking about the waterbender. As much as he loved stargazing, he found it wasn't nearly as fun unless Katara was there. But the waterbender was probably fast asleep and though she always said Aang could wake her up whenever he wanted to, he had no intention of disturbing her while she slept. In any case, she needed her rest for the day ahead of her. For the first time ever, the citizens of the tribe were celebrating Kya's birthday. According to Katara and Sokka, the people in their tribe came to offer their condolences on her birthday, but Hakoda had apparently decided on a celebration this year since he reasoned it was a far more fitting form of honoring her than grieving. At first, it was just a family affair, which Aang had been roped into attending (not that he minded) but when word got out, the entire tribe decided to partake in the celebration which was scheduled for tomorrow.
Without quite realizing, the airbender dozed off because the next thing he knew, he was waking up to the sound of tiger seals and penguins crooning to each other in the early morning chill. A fine layer of snow had settled over him during his sleep and the airbender quickly brushed it off before airbending himself down and into the house. Thankfully, no one had realized he had spent the night outside, otherwise he was certain he'd have received a lecture from Kanna or Katara. Thankfully, however, neither of them seemed to notice him slip in from the front door and simply greeted him good morning.
Katara was dressed in a thick sweater and was in the process of slipping on her parka when Aang noticed she was getting ready to head out. As far as he knew, her family had already acquired the necessary items for the feast later in the day and the market wasn't even open, so the airbender couldn't imagine why she was heading out. He had half a mind to accompany her, but Katara waved him off as soon as she realized his intentions.
"You haven't even eaten breakfast yet," she pointed out. "And I won't be gone long. Promise." And with a smile and a swift kiss, she was out the door.
The residents of the Southern Water Tribe were still mostly asleep when Katara set off. As much as she was looking forward to the celebration today, she also dreaded it. Her family had never really done anything on her mother's birthday because it had been too painful for them. During the war, they hadn't had much time to thrown a celebratory feast in her honor; with all the men away and with their family split up, it was increasingly difficult to plan and execute. But now that things had settled down, Hakoda had finally organized something. It seemed wrong to Katara that they should celebrate her mother's birthday when she was very much dead, but she understood why they were. It was difficult to constantly wallow in their grief and remember all that they had lost; it was more fitting, Hakoda had explained, that they should celebrate and honor her and all that she had given them.
That was all well and good, the waterbender thought as she hurried along, but it was also difficult. Even after all these years, the pain of losing her mother still hadn't eased. It was a still sometimes just as sharp as it had been the day of her passing, but Katara was learning to cope with it better. Still, she wasn't sure if she had it in her to celebrate with the rest of the village without bursting into tears. But, she was determined to at least try to enjoy the day instead of moping as she'd always done.
Her wanderings led her away from the village and out onto the open plains of the South Pole. The cluster of cottages and igloos fell behind her as she pushed on deeper into the open plains. Some few thousand feet from the village, there stood a stone cairn marked by a single piece of red cloth that fluttered in the cold, gentle breeze. It was to this memorial that the waterbender drew herself. It had been many years since her entire family had gathered around the unmarked cairn for Kya, but the waterbender tried to visit it at least once when she was in the South Pole. With so much happening in the Earth Kingdom and talks of building the new Republic City, the waterbender hadn't been to the South Pole very often. But, she made it a point to visit this particular place every time she was here. Pushing off her hood and unwrapping her muffler so she could speak, the waterbender knelt at the base of the cairn and smiled sadly.
"Happy birthday, Mom," she said softly, thankful no one could hear her. She didn't want to be caught talking to the cairn as if her mother was really there. When she'd done it long ago as a young child, Sokka had called her silly. Of course, now he admitted to doing the same thing, but Katara still felt self-conscious about it.
"I wish you were here," Katara admitted. "We all miss you very much even though it's been so long since you left." She remained silent for a moment before continuing. "Dad's throwing a party for you, but it'll be awfully hard to celebrate with you not with us. Still, I hope you like it."
The silence descended over them once again and Katara spent a few moments, just kneeling in the snow at the base of the cairn and fiddling with her fingers in her lap, before speaking again. She rambled to one on in particular, just hoping her mother could somehow hear her. She spoke of her adventures since ending the war, the trials she and her friends faced regarding the Harmony Restoration movement, and the talks of building a new united republic and a grand capital city where all benders and nonbenders could live together in harmony. She talked of Aang and Sokka, her family, her other friends, Appa, Momo, life as the Avatar's girlfriend and a master waterbender. She spoke of her training and how she was still learning and growing and how much she missed her mother and having her guidance. And when all that was exhausted, she spoke of the celebration and all they were doing in her honor. Sokka found his sister as she was talking and joined her, narrating all that he'd accomplished. It seemed silly that the two of them were talking to a pile of stones in the hopes that their mother (or her spirit) would hear, but they continued on regardless. When it was clear they'd spent nearly the entire morning there, the two siblings paid their last respects and hurried back to the house.
"You don't ask Mom to watch over us anymore," Sokka noted, as they hurried along.
Katara shrugged and threw her braid over her shoulder. "Why should I? I know she's always watching. And if she's not-well, we've got other friends to watch over us."
A strange look passed over Sokka's face when he realized who she was referring to but he managed a smile and nodded.
When they returned to the house, Hakoda and Aang were in the process of helping the villagers set up the feast. The central plaza had been elegantly decorated in banners and lanterns and several long tables had been erected from the solid ice, courtesy of Pakku and the few waterbenders with some help from Aang. The matrons of the tribe were busy cooking and the children scurried to and fro from the bonfires to the tables, placing all assortments of dishes on them. Katara watched them all, smiling softly to herself and hoping her mother could see all this.
When the food was finally ready, the various members of the tribe arranged themselves around the food and the warm fires that had been lit throughout the area and feasted. Since the end of the war, Katara had never seen so much food. The Southern Water Tribe was still quite small compared to its sister tribe, but glancing at the vast array of dishes and delicacies, Katara thought they had enough food to feed the denizens of the Northern Water Tribe several times over. Still, a good majority of the food was eaten, though Katara was sure that was mostly due to Sokka's ravenous appetite and Appa and Momo. When all the food had been cleared, there was singing and dancing and games to be played. A few of the villagers had learned Kya's favorite songs and played old Water Tribe melodies while the villagers danced and sang along with them. There were small speeches afterwards, by people who remembered Kya and all the little things she'd done. Even Aang and Pakku, who'd never met Kya, gave speeches. The airbender took to the platform rather shyly and gave an eloquent little speech about Kya's bravery and how thankful he was that her children were his friends, for he was hard pressed to find better ones. And he was ever so grateful for her heroic act, he explained, because as trite as it sounded, meeting Katara was one of the greatest things that had happened to him and he owed all his present happiness to the waterbender and consequently her mother who'd made that possible. The waterbender was a mess of happy tears after that and couldn't seem to stop laughing and crying. She didn't think she could celebrate much more after all the wonderful things everyone had said but had managed to, somehow. The day passed in a whirl of gaiety and it was well into the night before Katara realized how much fun she'd had. The pain was no longer there. Granted, it would never leave her completely but it was a dull ache, not the all-consuming, sharp pain that had plagued her for months after her mother's passing. She'd realized it was actually quite easy to celebrate everything her mother had done and it felt much better than grieving and wishing she hadn't sacrificed herself. It was too late to change the past, so Katara heeded her father's sage advice and celebrated her mother instead.
Eventually, the celebrations became routine. Every year, the villagers would gather and help Hakoda and his family and they'd all spend the day celebrating. Naturally, the newcomers to the tribe were invited too and travelers were always welcome to join. And, every year on Kya's birthday, Katara and Sokka would visit her cairn on the outskirts of the tribe and talk to her, hoping she'd hear. They'd fill her in on everything that had happened after their last visit and promise to return again. Sometimes, the airbender accompanied his girlfriend and together, the two would walk to the outskirts of the tribe and spend time sitting in the snow and talking. Aang, at first, felt strange talking to Kya as if she were really there, but several times, he could've sworn he felt an ethereal presence. He didn't know if it was Katara's mother or not, but he supposed it didn't matter. He had a feeling Kya would be listening, regardless.
The airbender even ventured to speak to Kya alone. It was a few months after his first visit to her cairn with Katara and he'd gone secretly, without the waterbender knowing. He'd already asked for Hakoda's permission for Katara's hand in marriage and he wanted to ask Kya too, irrespective of her condition. He didn't know how he'd get permission from a spirit, but he hoped being the Avatar, he might get some response. So, he set out, one cold, still, morning, to visit the place she'd been interred. There was no breeze and all around him, the icy tundra was silent. It was a bit strange, but the airbender hurried along until he was kneeling before the stele.
He didn't waste much time asking. He explained (feeling a bit silly as he did so) that he loved Katara and wanted to ask her to marry him, but he'd have liked Kya's permission, though how he'd get it, he hadn't the faintest idea. In response, the red cloth tied around the stele (as a marker, Katara had explained, so her family could always find it) fluttered despite the lack of breeze and one frayed end came to rest gently on the airbender's shoulder before falling limply against the stones. The airbender simply grinned and thanked Kya profusely (though whether or not she could hear him was another matter) and returned to the village, grinning widely.
It wasn't long before Katara visited and she told her mother all about Aang's proposal and everything, from how surprised she'd been to how giddy she was feeling now.
"I don't know where we'll have the wedding," she admitted. "But there'll be a place for you there, Mom. I hope you can come…somehow."
The waterbender was as good as her word. At her family's table during the reception, there was an unoccupied chair for Kya's spirit and, if it had been possible, the guests and the happy couple would've noticed a flickering figure in blue seated amongst the guests with a happy smile on her face.
In the months that followed, Kya's stele didn't see very many visitors. Occasionally, Hakoda passed by with a sad smile on his face, but he didn't come very often; he felt his wife's absence keenly, but he knew she was always with them. So, for many weeks, the cairn saw neither human nor beast, but remained there on the outskirts of the village, its red ribbon the only indication it was there. But, one day, many months later, a small family graced it with their presence.
It was cold out, and Katara and Aang had some reservations about being out here, but Katara had been adamant about returning here and Aang certainly wasn't going to stop her. Kanna and Hakoda had protested, but Katara had been set on coming and in the end, Aang promised to accompany her. So, once again the young couple found themselves huddled by the cairn.
"Happy birthday, Mom," Katara said, softly. She adjusted the bundle of blankets in her hand and knelt in the cold snow. "I know we shouldn't be out here, but I really wanted you to meet someone."
The waterbender shifted the bundle of blankets in her hand and carefully peeled by a layer to reveal a small baby girl, no older than five months.
"This is Kya," Katara said, smiling and laughing softly as her daughter's tiny hands attempted to free themselves from the mass of blankets. "We named her after you. She doesn't seem to be a waterbender or an airbender yet, but I guess it's too soon to tell. I wish you could be here, Mom. I could use all the help; I've never raised a baby before. I don't know if I can do it."
"I think you'll do fine," Aang told Katara, grinning. "Besides, if you're half the mother your mom was, you'll be great."
Katara laughed. "If you say so."
"I do. Little Kya is going to grow up to be a beautiful young lady because she has the greatest mother and grandmother in the world." The airbender turned to the cairn and bowed in deference. "Thank you, Kya."
For the second time, the red ribbon on the cairn fluttered despite the lack of breeze and baby Kya cooed happily as one end brushed against her face before settling down. She gave a little laugh and blinked up at her parents and Katara's heart broke a little realizing her daughter would never meet her namesake. But she quickly cast that thought aside and consoled herself with the thought that her daughter would hear plenty of her grandmother.
"Aang and I are going back to Air Temple Island soon to oversee construction," Katara said. "I don't know when we'll come back here to visit, but I'll see you again soon, Mom. I promise. I love you."
The waterbender brushed her hand reverently against the stele and stood up, rearranging her daughter in her arms and cast one last glance at the cairn before she and Aang retreated back to the village.
A flicker of movement caught the airbender's eye and he could've sworn he saw, very faintly, the outline of a young woman in her late thirties behind the cairn, but whatever it was he'd seen, it vanished so quickly, the airbender hadn't a hope of being sure. If the Avatar had possessed some manner of a sixth sense, he'd likely have seen the ethereal figure that materialized beside him. Corporeal Kya walked with Aang, Katara, and her granddaughter back to the village and saw them safely to the door. She paused momentarily, gazing fondly at her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter (though none of them could see her) and smiled.
"I'm so proud of you and Sokka," she said, giving Katara a kiss. "I love you both so very much."
The waterbender only felt a gentle breeze caress her face and whisper unintelligibly in her ear, but if she closed her eyes and concentrated hard enough, she could almost hear her mother's voice and feel her touch. Her cerulean eyes brightened and she cast a glance in the direction of her mother's cairn before she and her small family retreated indoors.
Kya stood outside the snug home for some time longer, watching her husband play with her granddaughter and how radiant her daughter and her husband looked. A warm fire crackled in the hearth and filled the room with a soft, orange glow and baby Kya was sprawled on the floor, some distance away, cooing in delight as her parents and grandfather played with her. Kya stood there for some minutes, committing the image to memory before smiling to herself. And, with one last wave, she faded into the twilight
Thank you all so much for reading. And, as always, thank you to everyone who left such lovely reviews! I can't tell you how grateful I am! You're all wonderful!
~ Cassidy Alice