Story: Through Blind Spirits

Chapter: Not the Birthday I Expected

Summary: Someone is turning another year older, and gets the birthday present of a lifetime…

Author's Note: Finally, onto the happy and feel good chapter. Kind of. Maybe. You'll see ;)

"Happy birthday Jaang!" she heard her brother shout above her.

"What time is it?" Jaang grumbled. She couldn't feel is the sun was out or not, partially because her brother was in the way of her window. Her dark brown hairs was in a tangled mess, while her brothers, as always, was slicked back in a wolf's tail, like his fathers. He only wished he had inherited his father's chocolate hair instead of his mother's black.

Hakoda laughed, his white teeth sparkled against his dark skin, "Early for you, I guess. It's sunrise. Come onnn, let's open presents!"

"You mean let me open the presents?"

He shrugged, "I suppose." Jaang punched him in the arm and leapt out of bed. "Race you to the kitchen!"

"You're on!" Hakoda shouted right as Jaang darted off. Hakoda laughed, but then quickly chased after her younger sister.

Jaang was laughing hard and running so fast, she didn't expect her father to be around the sharp turn she was taking.

Crash!

"Ah!" her father yelped as he caught himself from falling. "Kids, what did I tell you about running in the house?" he looked down at Jaang, who had fallen to the ground, "Jaang, are you okay?"

He held out a hand for her. She dusted off her night gown and got up on her own. "I'm fine dad," she mumbled. Her father frowned as his daughters pale blue eyes drifted towards the ground. Jaang was blind, just like her mother. But she hated being treated as such. Even the littlest thing her father did to try and help his tiny daughter just annoyed her even more.

"Okay." he said softly, more to himself. Remembering that this day was a big one, he said happily, "Hey, happy birthday!" He grinned and picked his daughter up in a big hug.

"Thanks daddy!" she giggled as he gently lowered her back towards the travertine floor. Toph refused to have wood flooring in their house, and Sokka refused to have just dirt. So they worked out a very expensive agreement.

"DADDY LOOK BEHIND YO-" But Hakoda's warnings were received too late, for his mother already tackled her husband from behind.

"GAHH!" He screamed again, and laughing as he swung around, holding onto his wife's legs.

"Okay, OKAY! Let me down Sokka!" Toph screamed as he let go.

"Why do you feel the need to sneak up on me like that?" He frowned playfully.

She rolled her unseeing eyes, "Because it's fun?"

Both of the water/earth tribe kids were stifling laughs. "Oh? Do you think this is funny do you?" The kids frowned. "Well you just angered the Blind Bandit!"

The children's eyes widened. "RUN!" Hakoda screamed as he and his little sister ran off in the opposite direction.

"Should I help you in retrieving our little ones?" Sokka asked with an amused grin on his face.

"Let's give them a head start." Toph replied. "3, 2, 1..."

And they ran.

In Jaang's POV

I didn't want a big party this year. And my parents knew that. But of course, being who they are, they invited pretty much everyone of importance of all of the nations.

There was the Earth King, some royal earth kingdom nobles, grandpa and grandma who are the richest nobles IN the earth kingdom, and even Fire Lord Zuko was there. Not that I minded, since his son was my best friend.

Like I did almost every year, I sat down on my favorite lawn chair outside with my arms crossed, listening in on other people's conversations for fun. There are some upsides of being blind you know. I would be occasionally interrupted by guests or family coming up to me, giving me a hug and their best wishes. Then I'd sit back down and close my eyes. Again, I was interrupted, but by a voice...

"There you are! I was looking everywhere for you!" my friend Roku exclaimed. I smiled. What would I do without him?

"Well it's not like I could look for you silly!" I giggled. He sat next to me and gave me a hug.

"Happy birthday! Wow, you are finally a two digit age!" I blushed. So, he's only two years older than me. I punched him in the arm.

"You're just jealous that I am having a bigger 10th birthday party than you."

Roku smirked, "You are almost right. Though it seems to me like you have 300 guests. I believe I had about...350?"

I laughed, "Shut up."

Ugh. I frowned, rubbing my temples. I hate parties. There's so much noise, I can't think...

"JAANG!" a boy shouted at me. Hakoda.

"WHAT?!" I shouted back.

"Aunt Katara's here! She wants to see you!" He ran up to me and pulled me into the large crowd. "Look..."

And there was my Aunt Katara, with her two daughters by her side, Lei and Mei, giggling and laughing with other patrons of my party. When I approached her, she smiled and said cheerfully, "Happy birthday Jaang!" and gave me a big hug. This was then followed by two more big hugs from my cousins.

"Thanks!" I smiled back. I was confused though. Aunt Katara never came to my birthday parties. She was usually at Aang's memorial all day...

"I'm glad you could make it!" my dad appeared and hugged his sister.

She smiled, and said with a little sadness in her voice, "I am too."

"Hey cuz!" Mei said, putting her hand on my shoulder and leaning in, "Wana see your present early?"

I snorted, "Duh!"

"Okay then." she took my hand and led me away from the party. I was stopped abruptly but another hand on my shoulder.

"Mei, can I borrow Jaang for a second please? It will only be a minute."

She frowned, "Yes ma'am."

"Thank you." Mei strutted off, I'm guessing to look for her twin. Katara whispered to me, "I have to show you something." I nodded and followed her.

She took me away from the crowd, into a secluded section of my mom's garden. The grass was extra soft, and the water of the pond was gently flowing down from a small waterfall. What a perfect place for a private conversation, I thought.

"Sorry, this will only take a second. Sit." Katara said. There was still sadness in her voice. I sat cross-legged in the grass. "Okay, now I was to tell you something important. I want you to have this," she pulled out a necklace from the bag she was carrying. My aunt put it in my hand, and I examined it with my fingers. It had a skinny chain, and a star shaped pendent. It had 8 sides, and each point had a small stone in it. There was a big stone right in the middle. From what I could feel, it was just pure earth.

I smiled, "It's very pretty Aunty. Thank you."

"It's not just a necklace though," she explained, "it had spiritual powers. I bought this when I was with Aang on our honeymoon in the North Pole..." she swallowed hard, but managed a smile, "It supposedly brings spiritual help and guidance to those who need it."

I raised an eyebrow, "Why would I need spiritual guidance?"

"Everyone does at one point. I needed it when Aang died. He did on this day, 10 years ago. I thought I would never get over his death." I could feel a tear crawl down her face, "And I wasn't fair to you. Each year, instead of celebrating your birth, I just mourned over his death. And he wouldn't like that.

"This necklace has served me well, and now I don't need it." she hugged me, and I hugged back. After she finished crying, she pulled back, "I'm so sorry."

I put my hand in hers, "Don't be. If I were you, I wouldn't have been as strong. You took care of my cousins everyday even though you were a single parent. You are the strongest person I know."

She laughed through her tears, "Even stronger than the Blind Bandit?"

"I don't know, but you are definitely up there," I laughed.

"Here, let me put this on you," Katara offered. She unclasped the necklace and put it on my neck. Once it was on, I had a strange feeling, like I was floating...

Ending Author's Note: DUNDUNDUNN cliffhanger! Oh, wait, I already wrote what's going to happen next  R R Please!