Chapter 2 Family Bonding Time (It Never Ends!)
Water, Earth, Fire, Wind- Air! I mean air.
The four elements.
Except not really, because technically there's like, a hundred and eighteen elements? At least, I think that was how many the last time I checked, but I haven't been in a chemistry class for a long time, and it's not like I was the teacher.
Besides, those are only the ones we discovered, so there's probably even more than that, so the exact number isn't all that relevant. Unless it's a stupid number like four. Especially when the four 'elements' they cover, are more or less the building blocks or byproducts of the actual elements.
It's why I personally considered anyone who followed the crazy philosophy back home to be way more interested in the theatrics of the sketchy religion, instead of the actual beliefs. Of course, that was before I was reincarnated into a world where there actually are crazy spirit mumbo jumbo gigs.
So, who knows? Maybe I'm the crazy one. (I doubt it.)
Anyways, as I was saying about the four elements, you know, before I lectured myself for some reason, they are a hard thing to grasp. I mean that literally, by the by. Well, and metaphorically, but I don't even want to touch the intangible problems right now.
What I'm trying to say is, it's getting harder. Not to use! Just- Splash. Harder to teach.
"Kane! Did you see?!" Katara cheered proudly, as I wiped off yet another attempt of her failed waterbending. Then I facepalmed, and dried myself the easy way, with water magic. "I almost had it that time!"
"Almost." I repeated dryly, both figuratively and literally. "Almost? Is that what we're trying to do? To kinda water bend. To maybe become a waterbending master. Is that really all we're going to do? Try?"
Katara frowned, like she always did when my cynical nature clashed with her inner (and outer) optimist. "We're making progress." She learned that word from Mom last week, and she's been using it like a lifeline. "Why are you so grouchy?"
"Because I'm tired of getting soaked with freezing cold water?" I offer. "Because you should have gotten this two days ago? Because I kinda just want to go home now? Take your pick."
Katara huffed, and subconsciously smacked me with a water splash. "You're such a jerk!"
I dried my face again, and yet my tone was even drier. "And you're violent. What's your point?"
She sighed again, like she always did when I won an argument, or she just gave up on it. Same thing, basically. "Would it kill you to be happy about something for once."
"Huh." I pretended to muse. "You know, I never thought about it like that before, but… yeah, it probably would. Try it again. But do it right this time."
Katara glared, but she listened, which is already a few points in her favor.
Now, I'm sure you kids at home are wondering why I'm being so hard on her. Well, it's simple: tough love. I'm being tough on her because I want her to be tough. One day, probably sooner than I'd like, we're going to be dealing with some pretty big problems, to put it lightly.
I know when push comes to shove she can handle herself, but I want her to know that. I don't just want her to be good, I want her to be the best. That's not gonna happen if no one ever gives her the push she needs.
So, yeah. To be a little sappy about it, everything I do, I do so out of love.
And maybe a little petty amusement. To be fair, I am a child.
"I got it!" Katara beamed at me expectantly, clearly awaiting praise.
"You got close to it." I corrected, without a trace of gentleness. "Again."
"But-"
"Again."
I lied. But wouldn't you know it, her next three attempts were equally as successful, and her cocky smirk returned with a mighty vengeance. I didn't mind, because I may have also fibbed about expecting her to nail this two days ago. In reality, I was thinking it'd take another two weeks.
At least.
That's how long it took me to do it. But then again, she is a natural, with a pretty hands-on coach. So, I'm not all that surprised. Just… immensely proud, actually. Huh.
Tough love. It works.
"Okay, let's call it for today." I feign a bored tone, that's less challenging than you'd think. As fun and exciting it is to literally bend the elements, it's still got nothing on the entertainment industries back home. "Mom doesn't like it when we practice for too long."
Pretty sensible, on her part. The more water bending that happens, the higher the chance of them 'discovering' a water bender. Still not sure how they found out about the 'last' one, but when I asked dad, he said he 'took care of it'.
I wisely didn't press for details.
"Do we have to?" Katara whined. I really could sympathize with her, having that kind of power at your fingertips, it's almost addictive. If a bit exhausting at times. "It hasn't been that long."
"It's been almost two and a half hours." I retort, to her shock. Like I said, it's addicting, and deceptively distracting. It's why I used to practice so much in my free time. Because I didn't want free time. Free time means thinking time, thinking leads to lamenting, and that leads to me bundling into a ball and rocking myself in a corner.
It hasn't actually come to that yet, but you get my point. Gotta stay busy if I'm gonna stay sane. Even if it's something as simple as counting the seconds go by, which for the record is why I know how long it's been. Or did you think I could tell time based on the sun's location?
Pfft. Yeah right.
"Okay." She reluctantly agreed. But not without pouting some more. That's okay though because she's a child too. It's okay to make a few mistakes, or be a little petulant, I think. It gives us time to learn.
You know, back in my old life, my first life, I always wished I could be a kid again. To just go back ten or so years, and make the right choices, avoid all of my shortcomings. But looking back on it now, a little bit older (kinda?) and a little bit wiser, I think it may have been for the best.
People often say that youth is wasted on the young, but I disagree. Youth isn't about who we are, rather it's about who we're becoming. It's our time to grow, in mind and body, and discover more about the person we want to one day be.
Not for the first time that day, or even that year, I wonder what it would have been like for me, if I was reincarnated without my memories.
…
Sokka was a genius. When he got older.
That's not to say that I think he's stupid now, I just think he's a little… inexperienced. He's still got a lot to learn, and that's fine. True enlightenment is the work of a lifetime. Two, in my case. Actually, he's exceptionally bright for his age.
Why, just last week, he-. Uhh, okay, he didn't really do anything that would seem particularly brilliant. But the way I see it, when the media set the bar on progenies for OP characters like Tony Stark, Peter Parker, or even this world's Azula, we all started looking like idiots.
It's more in the way he talks, and walks. How quickly he can grasp onto a concept or a thought, even if he's limited by a lack of information. In other words, while he certainly wasn't the second coming of Benjamin Franklin, or Harrison Ford, he was still a precocious little scamp.
That's why I always had to watch myself around him. Don't want to seem like the weird kid.
Ah, but avoiding my older brother, the short little mother then he was (or whatever cross breed equivalent this world had), was a lot easier said than done.
"Found you!" Sokka surprised me gleefully.
Literally. He's a master tracker in the making, and I've never been great at hiding. Not that there's many places I could hide. The South Pole is not known for its many discrete broom closets, or haystacks, or whatever places you could sneak away in, like in an Assassin's Creed game.
"So, you have." I sighed. "Congratulations." Hide and Seek, it seems that even in a completely different world, some parallels slip through. Although, I'm sure the game probably has a different name, that I either don't know about, or don't care to mentally file. "Would you like a cookie?"
"Yeah! Do you have one?!"
"No."
"Then- what-" Sokka sputtered. "Why would you do that?!"
"Do what?" I feigned innocence.
"Offer me a cookie!" He accused/demanded indignantly.
"Did I?" I, of course, continued to act guiltless.
"YES!"
"No, I think it's coming back to me now." I tease, fingers mockingly rubbing my chin in thought. I miss my peach fuzz beard. "Yup!" I snapped. "My exact words were 'would you like a cookie', I never actually offered you one."
"Okay." Sokka paused, giving me a blank unamused stare, before bursting. "So why would you do that?!"
"You mean acting like I had something of value to give you, in order to entice you, implying that I was going to reward you for winning, subsequently by finding me and causing me to lose? You mean that?" I am many things, and a sore loser happens to be one of them.
"Uh- yeah! All of that!"
"Haven't the foggiest idea." I respond dryly. "I dunno, maybe it's like a life lesson or whatever. Learn from it, and grow into a wise and cunning man, able to see through even the boldest face of lies."
Or was it called 'bold faced lie', 'bold face lie', look, I haven't been on Earth in a while, and language skills, like many others, begin to atrophy without use. Thankfully, I remember that 'atrophy' means 'starts to suck'. There's definitely some kind of irony in there.
I think there is anyway. What am I an author or something?
…
Shut up.
Sokka didn't buy it, but he also didn't care that much about it, because he let it go almost immediately. Or he might have pretended to. This could all be some hidden agenda of his, a master plot, or nefarious scheme. Say what you will about my brother, but he is one- ew!
He's picking his nose! He's picking his nose! Sooo gross!
"Stop that!" I ordered, with as much authority as my prepubescent body commanded. "That is seriously nasty! Go wash your hands."
Sokka rolled his eyes, and I crossed my arms. Partly in annoyance, and partly to avoid my hands accidentally touching my germ infested meat head of an older brother. "It's fine."
"It's really, really not." I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Can we just- go home now? Please?"
…
We did. Eventually.
Sokka really knows how to drag his feet, let me tell you. As stubborn as a mule, as smart as a dolphin that got into a good university, and as hungry as a bear that hasn't eaten in over three weeks. Or whatever those equivalent animals are in this wacky world. I dunno.
It feels like whoever made this place, be it a god, or the spirits, or whatever, should've written some pretty strict guidelines about animal breeding. Specifically, nothing cross-species. Not to sound like a speciest, but at some point, you're pushing Mother Nature too far.
For example, the cross species fish that I'm eating for dinner.
I was never particularly interested in seafood in my last life, but in this one, I still hate it. Yeah, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Honestly, besides the taste, smell, and texture, it wasn't so bad. Better than starving, at any rate.
Mind you, I'm not really sure what kind of fish I'm eating in the first place. Heck, I still wouldn't know, even if it stuck to its gene pool. That's why one of my favorite parts of dinner is to guess what kind of menagerie mix-up of Ariel's best friends is being served.
My guess is cat-fish (not like cats and fish) and maybe bass?
To be honest, the most fishing I did in my old life was usually just a side activity on a video game. It was never a particularly fun hobby. I quit it pretty early when I was eight, and I fell off a pear. I was even yelling at my dad that it was gonna happen. He didn't listen, of course.
No one ever listens to kids.
Not even their parents. Especially not their parents. "No." I repeated, for the fourth time that night. My mom and I have been arguing about Katara's training for a good half hour now. I knew about five minutes in that I was gonna lose it anyways.
How did I know that, you might ask? Because when she dismissed every logical argument I had against advancement, all that's left was sheer stubbornness. I'm not afraid to admit that my mom is way more stubborn than me.
Sadly, that doesn't change the fact that I am stubborn, and won't roll over and accept defeat, just because I know I'm going to lose. "She's not ready."
"She's as ready as she'll ever be." Mom countered, though not unkindly. I just sullenly ate the terrible fish in response, and my look of distaste couldn't be entirely attributed to the flavor. "I know you're hesitant, but time won't always be on our side. Have faith in your sister, she won't let you down."
"I know that." I sighed to myself. At least Mom gave us some privacy, otherwise I'd never hear the end of it from Katara.
All of my life, people have talked about how alike those two are. That my twin was basically Kanna Jr. And I can get why, they're both intelligent, outspoken women, with the inclination to show all of us up.
But the difference between them, at least in my opinion, is that Katara's the more… passionate one. Feisty, rebellious, practically fearless. Whereas Mom's more calm, cool, and collected. I can hear it in everything. The way they lecture, the way they admonish, and definitely in the way they argue.
Katara would match you blow for blow, trading every biting remark for another, in equal measure. An insult for an insult, a tease for a tease, and so on. But Mom? She'd never lose her cool. She'd overpower you with but a few guilt inducing comments that only a mother could muster.
And for all the stubbornness, that I know I must've inherited for her, it was undeniably clear to anyone who the real victor was.
"And you won't let her down either." Mom assured me gently, pulling me in for another Mom patented hug. "I know this won't be easy, but I promise that I wouldn't have asked if I didn't think you were ready."
I sighed into her shoulder. "I still think it's too soon, and I absolutely reserve my right to say, 'I told you so'."
She chuckled. "Naturally."
"But… alright. We'll give it a try."
…
Do, or do not. There is no try. Yoda clearly hasn't met Katara.
I admit, I was skeptical. More than skeptical. I wholeheartedly, sincerely, and with every fiber of my being believed that she wasn't ready. I was wrong. And weirdly happy about it.
Could you really blame me, though? Moving a wave back and forth, giving a splash attack like you're a Pokémon, is one thing. But, healing? Healing's something else entirely. Basically, it's the only 'school', so to speak, in any of the four elements that has the ability to actually repair the human body. Animals too, I guess, but let's not get too technical.
The point is, actually being able to do a simple fix-it to injuries that would otherwise cripple, impair, or scar, is a huge step. Especially for a girl, who only a week before, was just barely capable of freezing water in the South Pole.
Turns out that she was a natural. Which is… great. Awesome. I am definitely not jealous.
Okay, I am a little jealous, but I'm also not my twin. I won't get passive aggressive about it, and I'm not gonna begrudge her for her progress. Honestly, her work has been very impressive, and now isn't the time to make her doubt that.
"Nice work." I complemented sincerely. And silently envious. But she doesn't have to know that.
Katara had that smug look again, but thankfully she settled for smiling proudly, instead of gloating. It's why I like her, and why I didn't splash her. "I had a good teacher."
"Your teacher," I rolled my eyes fondly. "Had a student that actually listened to him. Trust me, he didn't have to try too hard. Don't let it go to your head." I finished with a warning.
She chuckled and punched me in the shoulder. It kinda hurt, but I was a master at hiding my pain. Emo kids for life. Or, wait, do they hide it, or are they flaunting it-? Nevermind. I don't want to go down that road. It's dark and filled with eyeliner. "-Hey, are you even paying attention?"
She was talking?!
"Of course, I was." I lied.
"You totally weren't!"
"You're imagining things."
…
It was… nice.
Spending time with the family, I mean. I've never really been a social butterfly and making connections with people has always been something of a challenge of mine. Usually, they're the ones that need to make the first step, and then the next, and even another one after that.
I've gotten pretty good at distancing myself.
But, I think they figured that out. So, as much as the isolationist in me rebelled against all this social interaction, I found that the rest of me had a hard time complaining. Maybe these people weren't my first family, but they're definitely the family I had now.
Sokka, the gross older brother, who I, in a weird kinda way, looked up to. Karata, my twin sister, and practically the anti-me in any theoretical situation, who was as gifted as she was obstinate. Mom, who was as kind as she was wise, to say nothing on her mom.
And Dad, the warrior, the leader of men. Honorable and courageous, noble and just, a man all men should inspire to be. Most importantly, one of the best fathers a boy could have. If anyone saw me cry when he left, they never said a word.
Which was good because I'd most assuredly deny it.
…
So, this one took a while, and it still feels a little short. Sorry! Truth be told, I was a little busy, with more than a few things to work on, on top of writing for my other stories, one of which I hope to one day actually bring to market. But still, it's here!
I wish I could tell you when the next chapter is gonna come out, but frankly I have no idea! It'll be a Saturday, though! Swearsies!
Until then, please Follow, Favorite, and Review!