Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Korra or Avatar the Last Airbender. I only own my own characters and ideas

Chapter Twenty-three: Inventions

It had been a few days, and no one had yelled at Khari about what happened. Khari stood in her Gran Gran's room and stared at her. She walked over to the bed and sat down, grabbing her Gran Gran's hand. She began to stroke her hand as she smiled a bit. The door opened and Kya stepped into the room. Khari wiped the tears out of her eyes. Kya touched her back, making her jump a bit. Khari sighed before she stood. When she exited the room, she saw everyone standing there. She raised an eyebrow for a moment until her aunt Suyin stepped close to her. She took a step back, but she bumped into the door. Her Aunt Suyin got close to her, making her look at the ground.

"Can you hear me?" Suyin spoke loudly, almost yelling.

"Yes," Khari mumbled.

"Good. We have all be talking these past few days about what happened and now we are going to talk to you. What were you thinking Khari? You could have been killed. Did you even think about Korra being killed? Iroh? Noatak? Ling and Shen Tao? You have no regard for your safety let alone anyone else's. You need to think before you do things. If someone would have died, and you lived, you would have had to live with that. Could you live with that?" Suyin was still loud.

"I'm..I'm..I.."

Khari stood there with her mouth open as she tried to form words. The tears started to form in her eyes. She looked over at Tonraq and Senna before she glanced back at her Aunt Suyin. When she looked between the four men that saved her and Korra, they simply stared at her. She flashed back to the fight with the Red Lotus before a bloody beaten version of her Aunt Suki appeared.

"My death was your fault. I blame you and so do they. You should have died that day."

Khari pushed past her Aunt Suyin, trying to get away from her and image. She wiped the tears out of her eyes before she sprinted out of the hut. Sokka and Zuko looked at each other before they looked out the door. Something scared Khari and they knew it. Khari sprinted until she was outside her hut. She opened the door, and the polar pup ran up to her. She started to scratch the pup behind the ear before she whistled.

"Raina, come."

The pup followed her into the kitchen area of her hut. She started to dig around for things until she found something for Raina to eat. She grabbed herself some Kale cookies and seal jerky. She sat on the floor and held on to the food items. They were old and to be honest she should have thrown them out when she started staying in her hut by herself again. It was some of the food her Gran Gran had given her when she had first gotten to the Southern Water Tribe. Khari and Raina went to the bedroom to lay on the bed, but she paused at the picture of her and Iroh on the wall. She clenched her fist before she punched the picture with the side of her fist. The tears started to stream down her eyes. She thought about the day she ran off and how she wished it never happened. She felt the blood run from her hand, making her look down to see blood dripping on the floor. Raina started to sniff the blood before she licked Khari's hand. Khari pulled her hand up and held onto it, trying not to get blood anywhere else. She started to look for wraps for her hand but when she looked up the picture of her with her grandparents caught her eye. She stopped and made her way for the picture, picking it up. She smiled at it as she tried to tell herself that her Gran Gran would wake up. She finally found some wraps and tended to the wound. She suddenly felt a hand on her arm, making her grab dagger and the person who grabbed her. She pushed them against the wall and pushed her dagger against their throat in one quick movement without realizing who it was. When she took a moment, she realized she was staring into Iroh's amber eyes. She pulled the dagger away from his throat, but they still stared at each other. He motioned like it was time to eat.

"That is really rude. If you spoke loudly, I could hear you. You're just being an asshole. I'm not hungry and even if I was, I wouldn't want to eat in the same hut as you."

He waved his hand, dismissing her before he left. She sighed before she grabbed the picture of her with her grandparents again. She leaned against the wall, trying to block out what Shen Tao and Iroh had said to her a few days ago. She glanced at the picture again and thought maybe her Gran Gran's condition had improved. She glanced at her door for a moment but realized she would have to face everyone again. Raina nudged her a bit, making her look down. The pup made its way for the door and began to scratch until Khari opened it. Raina sprinted out and started to bark and jumping up and down. Khari laughed as she ran out after Raina. The two played in the snow, making Khari flashback to when her grandparents had brought her here. The flashback didn't last long. She found herself on the ground laughing as Raina licked her face. She groaned as Raina laid on her and continued to lick her.

"Ugh Dad, is he going to lick me every time he sees me?"

"Tenzin, it means he like you. A bison chooses who they want to be with. He chose you," Aang smiled.

"Here let me help you. I want you to remember I'll be there whenever you need my help," Katara told Tenzin.

They looked so young, Khari told herself. She walked up to her dad to see he didn't even have his tattoos yet. She giggled when Oogie licked her father again, making him make a face.

Khari blinked a bit to see she was laying in the snow with Raina. She scratched behind Raina's ear before she got up. She started to look around a bit, a bit confused about what had just happened. She stared at Raina before she stared at her Gran Gran's hut. She took a step towards the hut before she paused. Raina nudged her forward and licked her hand. Khari finally walked up to the hut and slowly opened the door. Everyone stared at her, but she didn't care. She stared at Katara's bedroom door and thought about what she just saw. She started to walk towards the door when she felt someone grab her wrist.

"How bad does it look?"

"Well Lin, it will leave a scar, but you'll live to continue to fill your mother's shoes," Katara assured her.

"I don't know how I'll fill her shoes now. None of the officers will respect me ever again and with this whole situation I'm lucky if I don't stay on desk duty for the rest of my career. Plus, a scar that will be a daily reminder of this whole thing."

"You know scars always tell a story and show our growth. As for the officers it doesn't matter what they think, only what you can do. Lin, I hope you know I here for you more than Tenzin's mother and a healer. You grew up on this island and I want you to know I worry about you."

Khari stared at the younger version of her mother with the fresh gashes across her face. She always wanted to know how her mother got her scares but whenever she asked, she was told to leave the topic alone. She watched as her Gran Gran patched up her mother's face.

Khari yanked her arm and pulled it close. She didn't know what was happening to her. Why was she seeing memories that weren't even her memories? She reached for Katara's bedroom door, but someone reached towards her. She quickly pulled her hand back to see her Uncle Sokka reaching out. She pulled her hand back as if he had harmed her. She turned to face everyone to see the worried looks on their faces. She didn't know how to tell them because she didn't even know what was going on. She knew that her Gran Gran would know. She always had the answers. Khari felt her legs and knees get weak before they gave out and she collapsed. She had been so reckless and now someone she loved might die. She killed her Aunt Suki and now she killed her Gran Gran. She saw small feet next to her, but she moved back against the door. She closed her eyes and started to silently cry. Korra crouched down next to her and smiled. She reached out for Khari's hand making flash to a memory of her grandparents.

"Katara, Khari isn't like other earthbenders. I just don't get why Lin and Tenzin won't listen to me. Khari is special. She can do things most earthbenders can't." Aang vented.

"Sweetie, we always knew Khari would be different. She is the grandchild of war heroes. Her parents were destined to follow in our footsteps. Even if they don't see it, we know she is special."

"You don't see it either. Khari's special is different, Katara. Ugh, why am I the only one that sees it? No one notices the small marks of obsidian around the island when Khari is angry. Do none of you see that she talks to herself at the highly spiritual areas of the island or the air temples when I took her. Do you remember the Northern Water Tribe trip? We got off Appa and sprinted away from us and when you and I finally found her she was at the Spirit Oasis. She just stared at water and moon spirit. She stared at them like I did when I was a child. She is spiritually connected."

"Aang, she is an earthbender that isn't possible. Please don't be like Tenzin. I know you both wanted Khari to carry on the airbending line, but she is an earthbender and we have to accept it."

"Never mind, no one will get it. One day Khari will. She will be an amazing earthbender with spiritual abilities. She will be something the world has never seen before."

Khari gasped as she was brought back into to the present. They weren't Khari's memories, and they didn't have anything to do with the individual people just one person. Her Gran Gran was in every single flashback. She smiled a bit as she thought about how this final flashback helped her the most. Then she gagged as she thought about the week she ate food she disliked because her Gran Gran was mad at her Grandpa Aang. Her Gran Gran always made foods her Grandpa Aang hated when she was mad at him but there was one time where it lasted for a while. She thought back to what her Grandpa Aang said in the flashback. She was spiritually connected which means she could fix this. She scrambled to get up and ran towards the door. Sokka stuck his arm out, but Khari pushed it up and opened the door. Kya shouted after her as she ran into the room. She quick spun and crossed her legs, sitting on the floor. She closed her eyes and tried to meditate but Sokka grabbed her. She pushed him away before she looked back at her Gran Gran. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She tried to focus but she didn't know what she was doing or what she was supposed to focus on. Khari wasn't about to give up. Her grandparents always believed in her and never gave up on her. She was not about to give up on her Gran Gran. Don't force it she told herself. Airbending is about freedom and spiritual connections has to do with airbending. Everyone stared at Khari with a concerned look wondering what she was doing. Their eyes widened when a light green aura surrounded her body for a few moments before it disappeared. Raina ran in and laid on the ground in front of her. Khari started to feel different, so she opened her eyes. She looked around at all the bright colors around her and smiled. She did it. She actually did it. She managed to get into the Spirit World. She gasped at how beautiful it was. She stood and spun to take in her surroundings. She started to walk wondering how she would find her Gran Gran in a place as big as the Spirit World. She soon ran into a spirit, making her look up at it. She smiled a bit, but the spirit knocked her back a few feet. She looked up to see the spirit coming towards her. She punched the ground, but nothing happened. She jumped up and started to run to try and get away from the spirit, but it was able to keep up with her. She soon entered a dark forest, making her grow concerned with if this was a good idea. She soon saw a shadow in the trees on her left side. She ran faster hoping to get away from both the spirit and whatever was in the trees. She saw that the thing in the trees wasn't following her just simply standing there. She saw quick movement to her other side, only this time it was following her. The shadow quickly disappeared and when she turned to look at the spirit it was gone. She started to slow down and came to a stop at the top of a cliff. She looked down to see the area covered in fog and she remembered the story of this place. Why would the spirits lead her here? There is no way her Gran Gran's spirit is here. Even being in the Spirit World is a stretch. Something told her to jump down but she didn't know how she would get out. She looked around for something to use since she didn't have her bending. She looked down to see she had her cable holders with her. She grabbed them and looked for the closest rock. She soon found one and looked for the weakest point on the holders. She started to hit it as hard as she could.

"Just. Fucking. Break. Already!" she shouted as she continued to slam the holder on the rock.

She finally managed to break the holders and ran to two trees that were closest to the edge of the cliff. She wrapped her arms around the cables and stuck her foot to the edge of the cliff. She started to slowly work her way down until she was finally in the fog. She let go of the cables and started to look around. She would occasionally pass someone rambling on. She wondered how big the Fog of Lost Souls was. Her Grandpa Aang had told her about this place when she was a little. She knew she couldn't be here long. She started to call out for her Gran Gran but she didn't get a response. She soon heard something, but it wasn't her Gran Gran. She turned her head to see who was there, but no one was there. She turned her head again when she heard something else.

"I'm dead because of you. We never loved you. You've always disappointed me. I should have saved Suki instead of you. You're the family disappointment. I wish you were never born. You'll never live up to our expectations. I joined the United Forces to get away from you. I wished that Yun's poison would have killed you."

Khari covered her ears and told herself none of the things she was hearing were true. In fact, she has problems hearing, so it was the fog. She kept her hands of her ears but tried to focus on her Gran Gran's spirit. There had to be a reason she was told to come down here. She continued to walk and yell out for her Gran Gran. She wasn't paying attention as she walked which made her run into a lost soul. When she looked up, she saw her Gran Gran. She laughed a bit before she grabbed her arm and turned around, but Katara pulled away. Khari grabbed her arm and yanked as she started to look for the way she came. She started to cry a bit and started to lose hope. She saw a bright light which she walked towards, but it disappeared. She held onto her Gran Ran tighter as she walked in the direction the light had been. She soon felt like she was lost again but she kept walking in the same direction. She soon found the way she came in which made her look up. She continued to hear the things she always feared. Her darkest moments and memories. She grabbed one of the cables and tied it around Katara and tied the other cable around herself. She twisted a part of the cables around her arms. She stuck one foot on the wall and pulled up as she stuck the other foot higher up. When her Gran Gran was off the ground, she felt the weight in her arms, but she kept going. She was almost at the top when her foot slipped. Before they could fall, she grabbed a piece of the wall. She stuck her foot against the wall against and managed to get them both up safely. She unwrapped them both and untied her cables from the tree. She grabbed the broken parts of her cables and held it in her hand. She smiled at her Gran Gran who started to look around. Khari sat in front of her and made her look at her for a moment.

"It's time for us to go home," Khari told her.

Katara looked around a bit confused, but Khari knew it was probably from the fog. Khari thought maybe if she had something to help her along it would be easier. She made sure she had all the parts to her cables and sat in front of her Gran Gran. She grabbed her Gran Gran's hand and told her to focus on going back. Khari closed her eyes and she suddenly felt her hand drop. She looked to see she was alone. She felt like someone was staring at her. She focused harder on trying to get back. She soon sensed someone in front of her. She opened her eyes to be startled by Korra. She yelled as she fell back. She sat up and looked over at her Gran Gran to see her Aunt Kya sitting on the bed with a smile on her face. Khari soon felt someone tap on her shoulder, making her look up. She saw Izumi standing there with a smile on her face and her hand extended. Khari glanced at Iroh then back at Izumi. She hesitated but she finally grabbed Izumi's hand. Khari stood but instead of taking her to her Gran Gran Izumi guided her out of the room. Khari looked back then at Izumi to see why she pulled her out of the room. The two walked out of the hut which confused Khari a bit. They soon got to another hut where Izumi knocked. A man opened the door making Khari tilt her head a bit. She didn't understand why she was here instead of with her Gran Gran. They were soon invited into the hut but she paused a bit before she stepped in. The man stepped into a room before he came back with a box. He placed the box on the table and opened it, quickly turning around. Khari saw two tiny pieces of plastic and metal combined in his hand. He pointed at them then Khari and her ears. The man put both pieces in her ear and Khari looked up at Izumi.

"So young lady, how do those work for you? Can you hear me?" the man asked.

"I... I umm... how?" she managed to say.

"Well, this is my friend Hiroshi Sato. Actually, he knows all the world leaders but that isn't the point. He wanted to return the favor. Those people you took care of well you already know why. I hope you like them." Izumi smiled.

"There is a slight buzzing sound, but I can hear."

"Here I have another pair. I was having problems with those. I thought I fixed them, but I guess not. I hope these pair are okay."

Khari placed them in her ears and let Hiroshi know she didn't hear a buzzing. She smiled and thanked both Hiroshi and Izumi. Izumi and Khari walked back to Katara's hut, and she smiled when she heard everyone talking amongst each other. Khari was so excited she ran straight to Iroh and hugged him. She giggled a bit, but he pushed her away, making her stop. Everyone stopped talking and stared at the two. She looked down at the ground as she walked over to her Aunt Kya and Gran Gran. She smiled and kissed her Gran Gran on the cheek, but Katara saw the hurt in Khari's eyes. Khari told her she would be back to see her the next day. She told her how happy she was that she was finally awake. She smiled before she told everyone she could hear better now thanks to Izumi and Hiroshi. Everyone started to talk to her at once and tell her how happy they were for her but Iroh. She nodded at everyone before she started to leave. She felt someone grab her wrist, but she tried to pull away. She soon found herself staring Iroh in the eyes. She stood as still as she could as she stared in his eyes. He leaned close to her ear, making everyone stare at them even more than they already were.

"Training tomorrow morning. You and me at our spot. Let's say sunrise," he whispered.

Khari's cheeks turned red as she thought about training with Iroh. He laughed as she nodded a bit too eagerly. She looked around to see everyone trying to hide a smile or a laugh. She gave everyone a small smile before she left. She and Raina had entered her hut when she sensed something. She shut the door and began to look around. She froze when she reached the doorway to her bedroom. Raina got close to her and started to growl. She stood there for a moment as she tried to process what was going on. She placed her hand on Raina's head, making the pup look at her. She watched the man place one of her pictures on her bedside table and stand. He started to walk towards her but she took a step back. She looked down and back up when she saw feet in front of her.

"Khari, sweetheart can we talk?" Tenzin asked her.

"Daddy, I'm really tired. Plus, I don't think there is much more for us to talk about,"

"You don't really mean that. You have been gone for almost four years. Four years of little conversation. Tell me do you really think your mother and I don't love you?"

"Whose fault is it that we didn't talk?! Not mine! It was you and Mom who kicked me off the island. How was I supposed to feel? You knew things were wrong and you still didn't come. You even showed up to Zaofu last year and didn't say anything to me. You simply stared at me and left. I was heartbroken for days! There is a reason you're here and it isn't me."

"Khari? Khari?! Are you okay in here? We all heard shouting." She heard her Uncle Sokka's voice. "Oh, um Tenzin you're in the Southern Water Tribe. Uh what are you doing here?"

"I'm here for Mother and Khari. I received your letter about them. I wanted to check on them and I have something to tell everyone."

Khari rolled her eyes before she looked back at her Uncle Sokka. He smiled at her a bit, but she was not finding this visit to be the highlight of her week. She sighed as she followed her father and Uncle Sokka to her Gran Gran's hut. When they arrived, she saw the smile form on her Gran Gran's face when her father walked in. Of all her children Khari knew her Gran Gran needed to see Tenzin. While she may not get along with him her father, he and her Gran Gran get along. She watched the two hug but she soon looked down. She felt someone staring at her, making her look up to see her Gran Gran smiling at her. She knew that she was concerning the aging woman, so she gave her a smile. She looked at her father who was sitting on her Gran Gran's bed as he turned a bit to face everyone. Khari saw this expression on his face before. He seemed so excited to share his news.

"So, Lin and I have some exciting news. She's pregnant."

Khari stiffened as he shared their idea for baby names and when they found out. She soon zoned out and didn't hear what was being said. She couldn't believe it. They replaced her and just continued to build their family. They didn't miss her at all. She felt someone touch her arm, but she pulled away. She blinked a few times before she walked towards her father. She smacked Tenzin across the face with a loud crack. Everyone stared at the two for a moment, but Khari wasn't going to stand there and be turned into some pity party. She turned and made her way for the door, but she sensed someone behind her. She turned quickly, grabbing the person. When she saw it was her father she pushed against his arm until he fell to the ground. She slammed his face into the ground before she stood. She started to walk out the door when she heard her Gran Gran call her name. Tenzin got off the ground and darted after her. He used his airbending to try and pull her back but when she got close enough, she pulled her cables out and knocked him against a wall. She stepped outside only to find she was still being followed. She turned to face her father, quickly grabbing his arms. She could tell she startled him by the look on his face. She felt her eyes start to burn a bit and she started to blink before she could cry.

"Couldn't you at least pretend to love me? Even if it was just once. Goodbye Daddy, I love you."

She let him go but he grabbed her and pulled her close. She stood there for a moment before she wrapped her arms around him and placed her face against his robes like she did when she was a child. She didn't know if he was doing it because he actually cared or if he was upset by what she said. Right now, she didn't care. She missed his hugs. She had almost forgotten what they felt like. He pulled away and walked away from her without another word. She looked down at the ground as soon as she started crying. Khari soon felt eyes on her, but she didn't look up. She collapsed as she continued to cry. She soon saw feet in front of her. She tilted her head a bit before she wiped her eyes.

"Khari, you shouldn't be upset. You're too strong to be upset about him. Your eyes are too pretty for those tears," Korra said.

Khari looked up to see Korra crouch down in front of her. The two smiled at each for a moment but Khari saw Iroh start to head in the direction of her father. She started to run after him before he could do anything stupid. When she caught up to him, she saw that he had her father pinned against a post. She sprinted over to the two and grabbed Iroh's arm before she looked at him. She shook her head before she started to pull him a bit. He smiled at her a bit before he dropped Tenzin to the ground. Khari turned to face Tenzin briefly. He reached out for her, but she pulled her hand up. He stood and stared at her before he left.

"You know you don't need him K. You have us. You have Korra. You're going to train Korra. You're going to prove to them that you didn't need their love. I know what you're thinking and don't think of it like that. Think of it as someone else for you to love. You already have Mica and Meelo so now you'll have someone else that will love you and you can love them back. You may be stubborn, but Aang always said you were full of love."

Khari laughed at him as he picked her up. When the two came back everyone had their eyebrows raised. Iroh finally set her down but the two continued to laugh. Iroh turned her, grabbing her arm lightly. He leaned in to kiss her, but she pulled away. She pressed her lips tightly as she looked down. She soon took a step back and looked up at him. She took a few more steps back before she darted. She heard her name but ran until she was at her hut. She swung the door open and almost screamed but the person on the other side covered her mouth before they put a finger up to tell her to be quiet. She rushed in and blocked the door.

"It has been some time Khari. You've gotten big and you look good." the person said.

(Author's Note: Sorry about the long wait. I hope you guys think that it was worth it. So, I wanted to have Tenzin show Khari some form of attention but as you can see it has her confused. So, someone else visited Khari. I wanted to leave this one up to you to guess who visited. We got a little glimpse of Khari's spiritual abilities that Aang has always talked about. Yes, Lin and Tenzin are still expanding the family. We also got to meet Hiroshi Sato and see what he does for Khari. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Reviews are welcome and always appreciated.)