Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Korra or Avatar the Last Airbender. I only own my own characters and ideas
Chapter One: A Happy Family
Khari stood in the courtyard as she eagerly waited for her Uncle Bumi and Aunt Kya to arrive. The young earthbender started to jump up and down as she heard footsteps, but soon discovered it was her father. He chuckled a bit as her head dropped a bit. He was not as excited for his siblings to visit as his children. Toph slowly walked up the stairs, making a small boy run over to her. Lin soon walked out of the temple to her husband and kissed his forehead. Katara was helping Aang to a bench in the courtyard. Everyone knew he didn't have very long to live. A year or two max, if he was lucky. Khari smiled at the stairs when she heard her Uncle Bumi. When they got into the courtyard and put their bags down Khari ran over to Kya to hug her. She looked up to the Water Tribe woman with a smile.
"Aunt Kya! I've missed you and Uncle Bumi so much. You're never going to believe what I can do. I can bend now. I'm an earthbender like mom. I started a year ago and Mom has already taught me a lot. She told me that if I keep progressing like this she will teach me to metalbend soon. It is the coolest," Khari was thrilled to announce with a smile on her face.
Kya smiled at her niece before she looked up at Tenzin. She could tell that he looked displeased that he had yet to have a child that could airbend. Tenzin coughed a bit, making everyone look at him. He was holding his side and moved away from Lin a bit. Lin gave Khari a small smile as the child gave the two a confused look. Khari looked at a toy she had gotten stuck on the roof earlier in the day. She reminded herself to let her father she would need help to get it down. She smiled at him innocently as he raised an eyebrow. She walked over to him, making him crouch down. He crouched down to her height to see her signature smile as the Republic City press loved to call it. The press loved Mica and Khari but Khari seemed to be their favorite when it came to covering the siblings. He knew it had to do with the rumors around Khari. He flashed back to the first day of the rumors started.
Aang and Katara asked Tenzin if he was sure it was a good idea to let Khari leave the island at such a young age. Tenzin looked down at Khari who had just started to walk. Tenzin knew people would talk but he couldn't hide Khari forever. The press had been asking to meet Khari for months but Tenzin and Lin thought they should hide her for the time being. Sokka and Toph agreed while it may not be good timing Khari had to leave the island eventually. When the group arrived for the press conference Khari grabbed Tenzin's robes tighter. Kya had agreed to stay in the crowd so Khari had someone to look at while the press was asking their questions. As they got closer to City Hall Khari buried her face into Tenzin's robes. Tenzin began to speak and he soon told Khari to look out at the press. When Khari looked out at the press there was a small gasp before people started to whisper. Aang and Katara looked at each other before they looked at Tenzin. Tenzin was new to the council and the last thing he needed was gossip. The press started to ask multiple questions at a time and Tenzin tried to keep up. Sokka and Toph sighed as they thought about how to get the press to stop. Lin was now Police Chief but she looked at Tenzin, then the press.
"Councilman Tenzin. Councilman Tenzin, over here. Aren't you concerned that your daughter looks like she is from one of the Water Tribes? Doesn't it make you wonder if Chief Beifong was faithful to you?" a reporter asked.
Tenzin stood there for a moment as he tried to let the question sink in. He knew Lin had been faithful, but he didn't know how to respond. Khari's skin color wasn't really something he focused on. To him she was just Khari. His mother and uncle were from the Southern Water Tribe so when Khari did have a darker skin complexion he didn't think anything of it. Tenzin blinked a bit when he felt Khari stir in his arms. He smiled down at her before he answered.
"I am not at all concerned by my daughter's skin complexion. My mother and Uncle Sokka are both from the Southern Water Tribe. My sister has a darker complexion but my brother and I do not. That does not mean my mother cheated on my father. I have complete faith in my wife. It just so happens that we ended up with a green-eyed girl that looks like she is from the Water Tribe. Now since all you people are focused on is my daughter's skin complexion we are done here," Tenzin managed to say.
Tenzin snapped back into reality as Khari raised an eyebrow at him. She is too much like her mother Tenzin thought to himself. Khari gave Tenzin another smile. Khari ran over to Tenzin and wrapped one arm around his neck. Tenzin sighed as he looked at Khari with all her energy.
"Daddy, earlier I accidently got one of my toys stuck on the temple roof. I can't get it down so I was wondering if you could use your airbending to get it do for me please. I would really appreciate it," Khari said.
Lin saw the look on Tenzin's face and she shot him a look. Tenzin used his bending to jump on the roof, quickly retrieving the toy. When he landed in the courtyard he bent down to give Kari her toy and she hugged him. He hugged her back and the thought of the Air Nation currently slipped away. Kya and Bumi went to their respected rooms as Mica and Khari played in the courtyard. There was soon a cry in the courtyard, making everyone run to the courtyard. When they arrived they saw that Mica was trapped between four large walls. Toph put the walls down, releasing the young boy. Lin walked over to Khari which made to four-year-old start to run in fear of what her punishment would be. Lin shift the earth beneath her daughter's feet so that she could get a hold of her. When she was within arms' reach, she grabbed the collar of her shirt, quickly swatting her butt. Lin smiled down at the small girl before she told her to go wash up for dinner. The women had made food from each nation that night and placed it on the table already. Everyone sat down and talk about their jobs. Bumi talked about how things were going in the United Forces. Kya was telling the group of her travels and where her next destination would be. There was a knock at the door and everyone looked up to see Sokka and Suki standing there.
"Zuko and his family couldn't make it but they say hello. Ty Lee is guarding Zuko and his family so she couldn't come. We hope we didn't miss much," Suki said.
"Actually, we were about to tell everyone the news now," Lin said before Khari interrupted her.
"News? What news?" Khari asked abruptly.
"Khari, sit there and you will find out. Well as you all know Lin and I have to produce an airbending child. Mica has yet to show his bending abilities so we hope that he will be an airbender. The other day Lin discovered she was pregnant and we have high hopes that this child will be an airbender. We are extremely excited for the new baby," Tenzin beamed as he held Lin's hand.
Khari stood and started to run out of the room with tears in her eyes. She heard her mother call her name but she didn't care. They wanted a new airbender baby so they could have one. Khari would go with her Aunt Kya or stay with her Grandma Toph. She didn't understand why she wasn't good enough for them. She slammed the door to her room and wiped the tears out of her eyes. She heard the door slide open but she didn't look up at the person who dared to enter her room. She looked up when she saw the airbending tattoos to see her Grandpa Aang. Aang looked in Khari's light green eyes and smiled at her. He knew Tenzin should have worded that they were expecting a baby better. Khari had so much potential as an earthbender, but the sad truth was Aang knew Tenzin only saw the fact she wasn't an airbender. Aang thought maybe Tenzin could even teach Khari some of the airbending techniques to help her improve her skill. Tenzin had already voiced how he felt about the situation. Aang wiped the tears from Khari's eyes before he hugged her. There was soon a knock at the door before it slid open. Tenzin stood there with an excited look on his face. The two looked at him, hoping he had come to apologize but he did no such thing. He pulled Khari and Aang into the dining room where Mica was sitting with a small ball of air in his hands. Tenzin ran over to the small boy with a smile on his face and picked him up. Khari could see how overjoyed her father was that there was another airbender in the family. Tenzin insisted Aang join him with newest airbender of the family. Aang looked down at his granddaughter for a moment to see the tears were already starting to form. Khari pushed past Aang and ran out of the temple. Kya got up and yelled at Tenzin before she went to look for Khari. Khari continued to run until she was on the far side of the island. She didn't understand why she was born an earthbender. Why couldn't she be an airbender like Mica? Her father would never truly love her the way he would love Mica now she thought to herself. Khari turned around when she heard two sets of footsteps. When she turned around she saw her Uncle Bumi and Aunt Kya standing there.
Kya looked at Khria's tear stained face for a moment before she crouched down next to her. Khari started to cry again about not being an airbender. Kya assured her that it didn't matter if she was airbender or not. Kya told Khari that she was perfect and loved the way she was. Bumi sat down next to two and explained how he felt being the only non-bender in the family. Bumi told Khari at least she had her mother to relate to. The siblings could see that they were at least getting somewhere with the young girl. After about an hour the three finally made their way back to the temple but Khari still didn't see Tenzin. Everyone gave the small girl a sympathetic look as she started to walk towards her room. Lin grabbed her arm but Khari pulled away from her, but she turned around.
"Daddy doesn't love me because of YOU! He wished I was an airbender and I ended up being an earthbender because of YOU! He will never love me. Never accept me. I'LL JUST BE HIS EARTHBENIG DAUGHTER! HE HATES ME! Why couldn't you just make me an airbender? I HATE YOU! I HATE ALL OF YOU!" she shouted before she ran to her room.
Lin sighed as she thought back to the day Khari came up to them saying she could bend. Tenzin was so excited until Khari pulled a small piece of earth out of the ground. He walked away and Khari could tell since that day Tenzin wasn't happy she was an earthbender. Khari will never understand that even though she isn't an airbender she is very important to this family. When Tenzin came back in the room from laying Mica down for the night Lin looked up at him. Tenzin gave her a concerned look after he saw the worried look on her face. Tenzin went to sit next to Lin but she was getting up to go check on Khari. When Lin slid Khari's bedroom door open she saw an earth wall in her face. Lin touched the wall before she pulled it down. When she looked in the room Khari was already asleep in her bed. Lin quietly walked in, covering the young girl. She moved the hair out of her face before she kissed her forehead. Lin started to walk towards her room where she collected some blankets and a pillow. She walked into the dining area, shoving the things at Tenzin. Everyone looked at the two before Lin barricaded herself in her room for the night. Kya shook her head at Tenzin as she got up to start to clean things up. The following morning Khari woke before anyone so she decided to go for a small walk around the island. When she reached the spinning gates she stared at them for a moment before the wind started to make them spin. She lifted a chunk of earth and was about to throw it at the gates but then she thought about it would make her grandfather feel. She dropped the chunk of earth, making the ground rumble a bit. Tenzin lifted his head before he got up to find out what had caused the rumble. When Tenzin found Khari she had earth standing up everywhere. He started to walk towards her until the ground became uneven in front of him. Lin walked out into the courtyard to see Khari stomp, making a pillar appear. She looked at Tenzin before she looked back at Khari. When Khari was done, she looked back at the temple entrance to see her parents standing there with a shocked expression on their faces'. Khari grabbed a chunk of earth that was sticking up and pulled it, making it snap a bit. She walked over to Tenzin and Lin slowly with tears in her eyes. She threw the piece of earth at their feet before she walked into the temple. Khari walked towards her room but she stopped for a moment. She felt a gust of wind around her and she tightened her fist. She felt another small gust before a small piece of earth popped up in front of her foot. She heard someone chuckle behind her, making her grin a bit.
"If you are going to try and scare me make sure your bending doesn't give you away Grandpa Aang. I mean two elements in one is a dead giveaway someone is there. The only person it could be is the avatar. Please if you have to use the more than one element could you please avoid air," Khari said.
Aang gave Khari a sympathetic smile as she walked on the piece of earth he pulled up. That morning at breakfast Tenzin continued to talk to Lin about the new baby but she was distracted. She thought about what Khari had said the night before. Lin looked up when she heard a noise to see Khari pulling earth up with her fingers then pushed it back down. Lin cleared her throat but Khari still continued to bend the table. When Lin saw Khari wasn't going to listen she slammed her fist on the table to get the young girl's attention. Khari final looked up to see the displeased look on her mother's face. Khari knew bending at the table wasn't allowed but she knew that was the only way she would get their attention. Khari looked at her breakfast for a moment before she hit the table, sending the plate in the air with a small piece of the table. Lin shot Khari a look but the small girl didn't to care.
"Khari! Why would you do that? You know there is no bending allowed at the table," Lin said.
"The airbenders in the family can airbend at the table. I don't understand why I can't as the earthbender of the family. I feel like I'm being singled out because I'm different. They get to use their talent and show their differences but I have to sit here. It simply isn't fair. I'm sure Aunt Suyin doesn't do this to her children. I bet she even lets them use their bending at the table," Khari said before Lin slapped her in the face.
"You know we do not say that name in our house. I never want to hear you say that name again. Understood? I SAID UNDERSTOOD!" Lin snapped at Khari.
Khari nodded, but still looked at the ground. Khari didn't dare to touch what she knew was the handprint on her face. She sat there as everyone stared her. She soon felt her face start to sting when the tears rolled down her face. She tried to stop crying, knowing it would only result in another punishment. Kya got up and walked over to Khari to examine the handprint on her face better. She was about to pull water out of her pouch but Khari got up to leave the room. Katara looked at Khari then Lin. Katara thought Lin was being a bit rash about Khari mentioning Suyin. Katara felt Aang grab her hand. Khari sat on a bench in the courtyard and tried to stop crying. She heard the clicking of metal armor which made her bite her lip. She started to breathe a bit heavier as she tried to force herself to stop crying. She heard the clicking get closer so she wiped her face. When Lin looked down at Khari she sighed. Lin saw that Khari still wouldn't look up at her so she decided to crouch down. Khari turned to the side to avoid eye contact with Lin but Lin could tell Khari was still fighting tears. Lin took her hand and grabbed Khari's face a lightly so she could see the handprint. Khari winced as Lin let go of her face. Lin grabbed Khari's arm and pulled her into the middle of the courtyard. Lin tossed her before she pulled her cables out. Khari looked up at Lin for a moment with a smile until Lin sent the cables in her direction. Khari used her earthbending to launch herself in the air. Lin shook her head as she tried to grab Khari's ankle but Khari pulled a piece of the temple off, hitting Lin. Lin put small pieces of earth behind her feet to prevent her from falling. When Khari landed Lin threw a chunk of earth at Khari. Khari tried to catch it but she was unable to so she and the chunk of earth both flew into the temple. The two finally stopped in the dining room where some people were still eating. Khari blinked her eyes for a moment before she destroyed the chunk of earth. Khari was so frustrated that she was knocked down so easily. Khari started to run towards the table as fast as she could. She placed her foot on the edge of the table, bending part of it up so that she could get some air. She turned slightly so she would avoid colliding into Bumi and Kya. Tenzin pinched the bridge of his nose as the young girl landed and ran through the hole in the wall. Tenzin got up and quickly walked through the hole to see Lin and Khari sparing. Khari slammed her hand on the ground making pillars pop up everywhere. The corner of one of the pillars hit Lin, sending her into another pillar. Tenzin ran over to Lin. Khari then heard him mention the baby again. Khari felt hurt that her father wouldn't even let her spar with her mother.
"I don't care about that stupid baby. I just want to be loved too," Khari fumed.
Khari threw her hands down making the earth go uneven in every direction. Everyone came into the courtyard after they heard Khari mention the baby and they felt the earth shake. Khari threw her hands in the air, making spikes appear near Tenzin and Lin. Khari eventually lost all control. If she couldn't spar her mother for fun then both of her parents would be forced to spar with her. Khari picked up four benches and sent them at both Lin and Tenzin. Lin destroyed two of the benches with cables, while Tenzin tried to stop the other two with a large gust of wind. Everyone's eyes widened when Khari pulled pillars out of the temple before she sent them at Tenzin. Lin was busy trying to break the pillars but never noticed that Khari was about to hit her with the steps until it was too late. Khari knocked Lin into Tenzin and they both fell to the ground. Khari collapsed the ground under Lin and Tenzin before she collapsed. Bumi and Kya ran over to Khari to make sure she was alright while Tenzin and Lin climbed out of the hole.
"Khari, what were you thinking? You could have killed us. You could have killed the baby. Khari? Are you even listening to me?" Tenzin questioned as he turned around to see Khari unconsciouss in Bumi's arms.
Kya looked up for a moment to see the worried look on Tenzin's face. He ran over to her and grabbed her from Bumi. He started to tap her face but Khari still didn't wake. Tenzin blew air in Khari's face but she still laid in his arms. Tenzin shook Khari slightly but her head just plopped forward. Tenzin looked at Kya before he looked back at Lin.
"Khari! Khari, wake up! This isn't funny. Kya, why won't she wake up? Mother, please do something. Khari, please wake up," Tenzin said.
Tenzin pushed the hair out of Khari's face before he picked her up and walked into the temple. Kya and Katara looked at each other before Kya got up. Kya smirked at Bumi a bit before she followed Tenzin. Bumi raised an eyebrow at Kya as Katara also followed the two into the temple. When they got into the small room that Katara used for healing. Kya pushed Tenzin out of the room and quickly shut the door. She leaned against the door, staring at her mother.
"I'm not telling him. I told Lin to tell him last night when she came to me that there was no baby. That sometimes our bodies can play tricks on us. Make us think things we want to believe. Tenzin wants another airbending child so bad and Lin wants to make him happy. Her body tricked her and now she is heartbroken. Who knows what my idiot brother will do. Look how he treats poor Khari. Speaking of Khari. Look at her mom. That child is so deprived of attention from Tenzin because she isn't an airbender I'm surprised she has social skills anymore. I'm surprised she even uses her bending at all. I've been on the island for two days and I've seen Tenzin neglect her more than dad neglected Bumi and I in a week. We both already know Khari is fine. We have seen this before in many young benders. There is too much output for their bodies to handle so this is the outcome. Tenzin! Tenzin did this to her! He and Lin both," Kya ranted.
Aang soon tried to slide the door open but Kya was still leaning against the door. Kya stood so Aang could walk in the room, who was soon followed by Bumi. Kya huffed as she slammed the door shut. Katara put a rag in some water before she rung it out and started to gently place it on Khari's face. Khari turned her face a bit when the cool rag touched her face. Kya walked over to Khari and squeezed her hand. Aang gave Kya a small smile, trying to avoid asking her the question. He looked over at Khari for a brief moment before looking over at Katara and Kya. He pinched his nose and sighed as he thought about the whole situation.
"You both already know what's wrong with her, don't you?" Aang guessed.
"Of course, we do. Tenzin's an asshole. That's what happened to her. He is just like you and is so concerned with the Air Nation. The thing is Khari is entirely too much like Lin. Khari won't take his shit long before she snaps again like she did today. There was too much output for Khari to handle. Tenzin better love that girl soon or she will distance herself until she can leave this island. Apparently being different in this family is a bad thing. Lin will always stand by Tenzin. That will either be gasoline on Khari's fire or water. We all know that is going to end badly one day," Kya snapped.
Khari turned on her side away from everyone as soon as Kya finished yelling at Aang. Kya looked over at Khari with a sympathetic smile. She knew Khari had heard everything she had said but Kya couldn't take it back. Kya placed her hand on Khari's shoulder but Kya was soon pushed away. Everyone looked at Khari one more time before they opened the door. They knew that she was still exhausted from everything that had just happened. Bumi and Kya didn't say a word to Lin or Tenzin as they walked by. Katara reassured the two that Khari just needed to rest but from now on to make sure that Khari was not placed in a situation where she did something like she did in the courtyard. Tenzin looked at Khari with a raised eyebrow before he nodded at Katara. The group left Khari to rest until she was ready to come out on her own.
(Author Note: So, I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter of Family Ties. I hope that you guys will continue to enjoy it if you are. Once again I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for the read.)