The first month with Tenzin was quite the adjustment for the family. The day he was born, Katara felt good and was on her way to a speedy recovery. When Sokka and Sukki came along, she was still in the room where she had Tenzin, but stood up to greet her brother and his wife. The pair brought their son, Bato, to come to see the new baby and spend some time with his cousins. Bato was born only a few months after Bumi, and the two of them got along famously.
"Bato! Let's go show Appa those new tricks we learned!" Bumi said excitedly upon seeing his cousin. Bato and Bumi took pride in their non-bending, and instead picked up on other forms of fighting, and even some gymnastics.
When the boys left the room, they left Kya at Katara's side, stuck with the four adults and Tenzin.
"How are you doing?" Suki asked Katara.
"I'm doing pretty well, he didn't take long to get here," Katara smiled back. "How are you doing, though?" Suki was five months pregnant with their second child. Katara sensed the baby's bending abilities, and the pair would welcome a waterbender.
"I'm also doing well, a little tired now. I'm too slow to keep up with the other girls, but I teach chi blocking."
"You're never tired of bossing me around," Sokka said smugly with his arms crossed. Aang gave a little giggle and nodded in agreement.
"Do you want to hold him?" Katara asked. She held Tenzin out to Suki, who took the young infant into her arms.
"This never gets old." Suki smiled down at Tenzin. The infant snuggled up to his aunt, but he still had that same annoyed look on his face. Suki looked up at her friends. "He seems a little…"
"Intense," Aang finished. "He's had that face ever since he was born."
"Nothing like my little niece, Kya, here," Sokka said with pride. He crossed over to where she sat on the bed and sat next to her. "What's up with you?"
"Daddy's teaching me to waterbend while Mommy takes care of the baby," she replied in her little voice.
"Have you started throwing ice at your brother?" Sokka asked. Kya nodded and smiled. "Just like her mother."
"She also healed herself yesterday," Aang said. "She might be able to teach your kid when he or she is ready to bend."
"Kya also healed herself yesterday," Katara interjected.
Suki and Sokka looked at each other, a slight tension had seeped into the room.
"We don't know what we're going to do with a bender," Suki admitted.
Aang placed a hand on Suki's shoulder. "Just do what we do with Bumi, raise them. It'll come naturally."
"Thanks, Aang," she replied. She looked back down at the infant before the thought came to her mind. "Where's Toph?"
"She's still in the city. She had a big case today and she said she'll come later," Aang said. "That reminds me, I need to message Zuko and let him know."
"You didn't send a hawk?" Sokka asked.
Aang shook his head and laughed. "No, Tenzin did not want to wait for anyone."
Over the next two weeks, Katara found herself stuck in bed. The day she delivered Tenzin, she was too caught up in her new infant that she didn't realize the pain she was in. Tenzin was also weaker than his siblings when they were born, and he needed to be with Katara for some healing.
Katara, however, took this as an opportunity to bond with her daughter. Every night, Kya would sit in bed with her and would place her hands on top of her mother's when Katara would run her healing hands over Tenzin. By the end of the first week, Kya learned how to intentionally heal, and would help with Tenzin's sessions. Though he was sickly, Tenzin's face still showed annoyance at his sister.
When Kya was away from her mother, she was with Aang and Bumi. Aang began her waterbending training, teaching the pair the basic forms and movements. Though Bumi could not bend, he watched his sister intently, copying her moves but with no water.
However, three weeks into her training, Bumi went back to school and Aang had to go back into the city to focus on its growth. Sometimes, he took Kya with him if he was going to visit Sokka or Toph to catch up on current affairs. He also took Kya with him to the parks and shops in the town to see what he could do for shopkeepers and groundskeepers.
More often than not, though, Kya was at home with Katara and the baby. She was quite fond of Tenzin, and Tenzin began to make other faces. Kya got him to smile often, and she would tell him all the stories she knew from her parents.
"And that's how Aunt Toph became the greatest earthbender ever. She even started to teach other earthbenders how to metal bend," Kya said to Tenzin while she held him in her lap. Katara was in the restroom but trusted her four-year-old to watch Tenzin for a few minutes.
"Aunt Toph is going to have a baby soon." Katara emerged from the bathroom and joined her children on the bed. "Would you like to go on a short walk? The sun will do all of us some good." Kya nodded her head and slipped off of the bed. Katara folded Tenzin into a carrier against her chest and led her daughter out of the room.
When they were outside, the sun hit their faces hard and shone brightly down on them. Katara grabbed Kya's hand and they walked around the island. Acolytes were everywhere; some were tending to the bison, while others were doing some housekeeping. A group of acolytes sat in the courtyard that the children frequently played in, meditating and stretching. Birds flew overhead and a breeze blew across the island. Katara led Kya further down to where the lighthouse was finishing construction. The tall, white tower made Kya feel even shorter, like an ant. The earthbenders and waterbenders working on the tower didn't help her case either.
One of the earthbenders approached Katara. "Good to see you," he said.
Katara's face lit up with a smile and her eyes brimmed with tears, "Haru," she gasped. The two embraced each other as friends. After the war, Haru found a wife and they as well had children.
"I didn't know you got into construction," Katara said.
"Well, after spending so much of my life not bending, I realized this was a good way to make it up," he explained.
"That's a great idea," Katara exclaimed.
Haru shifted his focus to the bundle on Katara's chest. "Who is this little guy?" he asked. He placed a soft hand on Tenzin's back and rubbed it a little.
"This is our little Tenzin. He was born two weeks ago," Katara smiled.
"And this little one?" Haru had bent down on one knee to get a better look at Kya.
"This is Kya, she's our little waterbending prodigy."
Kya crossed her legs and leaned back into her mother. She was a little shy when meeting new people. "Hello," she peeped.
"Hello," Haru replied. He stood back up and addressed Katara again, "Well I better get back to work, your lighthouse is coming along quite nice. I can't wait to see it finished. Goodbye, Katara."
"Goodbye, Haru. It was good to see you again. You should come for dinner one day after work," Katara replied.
"I'll keep that in mind." With that, Haru resumed his duties at work. Katara picked up Kya's hand again, and they made their way back to the house.
While the first two weeks brought peace, the next two were wild. Tenzin, finally feeling better after his sessions, became a much more demanding and vocal baby. He was up throughout the night, and everything had to be just right before he would settle down. If he didn't like the way Katara held him while she was feeding him, he moved around and whined. If Aang wasn't holding him the right way to be burped or cuddled, Tenzin would cry. Tenzin also developed an aversion to Bumi, so much so that even a touch from his big brother would bring on the tears.
"I don't think he likes me that much." Bumi frowned at him.
"He'll come around," Aang said, adjusting Tenzin for the third time.
"He likes Kya, though," Bumi pouted. It was true, Tenzin did not mind Kya all that much. He never whined or cried in her arms. There were times when he preferred Kya to Aang.
Katara was feeling better and got out of bed every day, but she was beginning to feel the stress of a constantly demanding baby. Bumi was energetic and easy to please, and Kya was fine with anything, but not Tenzin. The infant demanded perfection.
Because of Tenzin's attitude, Katara would get snappy with her other children easily. She felt bad for Bumi, Tenzin hated him, and she had yelled at Bumi for trying to hold his brother. She felt immediate guilt for that, Bumi had been rejected by his brother and now his mother.
Kya, however, was the bridge between her siblings and parents. When Bumi felt down, she would cheer him up with some ice chucking outside. Though she was young, she felt the need to give back to her brother for all the times he cheered her up. Kya also helped Katara out with certain chores. If Katara or an acolyte could pour the soap for her, she could bend the water in circles to clean the clothes. It kept her entertained. She could also help in picking up her toys if things got messy. To Katara and Aang, she was a golden child
Yet, her status would be tested soon when her time at school began.