A/N: So I kinda noticed some canon issues. Apparently, Kya's supposed to be a healer and sort of a hippie, while in this story, she's the total opposite (I was actually thinking of Korra when I wrote about Kya.) Let's just say that she had a life-changing experience (hehe, life-changing field trip with Zuko? :))) sometime in the future which made her attitude change. Okay? Okay. :D

And THANK YOU SO MUCH for the RFFs! 3 They never fail to put a smile on my face :)

I admit, this was the hardest chapter to write so far. I had a hard time thinking of ideas for this one, and now I'm mentally drained. Ugh, I must've thought my brain dry x| The overwhelming sense of relief after finishing this chap . . . all right I won't keep you waiting :)))

I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or Legend of Korra.


Meanwhile, the children were growing more and more restless under the acolyte's watch.

"Why can't we at least watch them from a window?" Bumi demanded.

Ling groaned in frustration. "How many times do I have to tell you, Bumi? It's too dangerous." Bumi and Kya exchanged an eye roll. Pfft, danger. "What if a rebel saw you?"

"We can handle it," Kya insisted. "I can waterbend, Ten can airbend, and in case you forgot, Bumi's REALLY good with a boomerang." She grinned.

The acolyte's expression soured, obviously remembering an encounter with the boy and the said boomerang. "I haven't forgotten," he said, and Bumi grinned with pleasure at the annoyance in his voice. "I know you children are talented, but you heard your father; I'm under strict orders to watch over you three and keep you safe."

"I'm worried about Mom and Dad," Tenzin spoke up, his lower lip trembling. "What if they get hurt?"

"Of course they won't, Ten!" Kya reassured him confidently. "Dad's the Avatar, and Mom's a master waterbender. They've both kicked Fire Nation butt when they were teenagers."

"The Fire Nation regrets its actions and strives to restore its honor by living in peace and harmony under the rule of Fire Lord Zuko," Ling said sharply. "Only fools like those rebels stay loyal to Azula."

Kya cringed. "Um, sorry . . . you're from the Fire Nation?"

He responded with a curt nod, and the waterbender chuckled nervously. "Just stating some history . . ." She turned back to her youngest brother to avoid the awkward situation. "Anyway, Ten, Mom's a really good healer, remember?" He nodded. "So if they get hurt—and I'm pretty sure they won't—then Mom will heal it before you can say 'seal jerky'!"

Tenzin made a face. "I don't eat seal jerky. It's meat."

"Right, airbender culture," she muttered. "Um, before you can say 'fruit cakes' then?"

"Hey, Mr. Acolyte!" Bumi called out. Everyone in the room turned to him, surprised at the suddenness.

Kya, realizing he had been quiet for an abnormally long time, eyed him suspiciously. It was unlike him to be silent for so long—unless he was planning something. True enough, she noticed the mischievous glint in his eyes; the glint she and Tenzin had both learned to watch out for, the glint when he was about to pull a prank.

Kya caught his eye, and his gaze flickered to something in front of her. She followed his eyes to an untouched bowl of stew.

"Yes?" The acolyte had an eyebrow raised.

"Well, you said you were under strict orders to watch over us, right? Then why don't you just watch over us while we're at the window?" he asked.

"Nice try, boy, but your father also tasked me with the job of keep you three safe, and putting you in the rebels' sight would be doing the opposite. I'm not as stupid as you think," he said haughtily.

"No, you're not stupid," he agreed. I thought you were going to say that, he thought, smirking. "But you must be hungry."

"As a matter of fact, I am, now that you mention it." Bumi winked at Kya, who grinned slyly.

"Have some stew then," he offered kindly.

"Why, thank you, young man, that's very—" The stew rose out of the bowl and hit him square in the face. Ling was left spluttering and trying to wipe the stew off his face.

Bumi burst into laughter. "Eat up, Ling!" He turned to his sister, who was also laughing. "Nice one! Now, c'mon, let's go watch our parents kick some Fire—er, rebel butt!" He grabbed his two siblings by their wrists and ran out of the kitchen.

"Bumi, are you sure about this?" Tenzin asked, trying to keep himself from tripping.

"C'mon! You're training to become an airbender. Don't you wanna see Dad's cool moves?"

"I do!" he grinned. Before Bumi knew it, his brother had given himself a boost using his airbending, and now it was him and Kya who were being pulled along.

"Sure didn't see that coming," Kya muttered when Tenzin stopped at their living room. She was feeling a bit dizzy.

"Are you kidding me? THAT WAS AWESOME, TEN!" Bumi exclaimed. The young airbender grinned, pleased.

"But it's time to see something even more awesome!" He dragged a chair over to the window and climbed up on it.

"I wanna see! I wanna see!" Tenzin scrambled up.

Kya opened her mouth to complain that they didn't leave any space for her, but eventually decided that grabbing her own chair would be faster and more spacious.

"Wow, those are a lot of rebels," Kya said upon joining them.

They were everywhere. But every time any of them started to get close to the house, they were either knocked unconscious by a tendril of water or frozen to the spot.

She grinned. She didn't have to guess who was close by.

"Look at Mom!" she announced, pointing at a blue figure outside. They watched as Katara washed away about ten men with a single wave of her hand. "I'm going to be able to do that someday," she bragged to her brothers.

"Where's Dad?" Tenzin asked. "I wanna see some airbending moves!"

"Over there!" Bumi pointed at a distant figure in red. "He's kinda far, so you can only see his robes. He's—"

"Where?!" He pushed forward hastily, almost knocking his brother off balance.

"Hey, watch it, Tenzin!" his big brother said crossly.

"He's not moving! What if he's hurt?" Tenzin was worried again.

"That's impossible. I'm sure he's just—" Kya was cut off by Bumi's sudden yell.

"Do you see Dad?! Do you see Dad?!" Bumi pointed wildly at the red figure, who was now zooming across the sky. "He's flying! Using fire!"

"How can he do that?" Tenzin sounded; he had thought only airbenders could fly.

"I don't know. But we gotta ask him later!" Bumi was jumping up and down. "Maybe he'll even give us a piggyback ride!"

Tenzin didn't seem too excited at the idea. "I'll just stick with a glider."

"Wait a minute, why isn't Dad using his glider?"

"It's in there!" Tenzin pointed at the wooden weapons cabinet. It was easy to see the long brown staff through the cabinet's glass door. "But Dad always brings it. He told me that a staff is an airbender's greatest weapon."

"I think he forgot it!" Bumi said. "I'm to give it to him. It's going to help him fight the rebels." He jumped off the chair and ran to the cabinet. He opened the glass door and carefully took out the precious staff.

"Oh no, you don't!" a wet and tasty-smelling Ling cried, running into the living room. "Avatar Aang and Lady Katara specifically told you to stay here!"

"Yeah, but Avatar Aang needs this!" Bumi countered, waving the glider.

"Come back here!" Ling made a grab for him, but the boy was too fast; he landed .

"Can't catch me!" Bumi said cheerfuly. Ling got up from the ground and started chasing the boy around the living room, knocking down various pieces of furniture.

"You're in big trouble, you conniving child!"

"Um, I don't really know what that means, but I guess I'll take that as a compliment!" he said, jumping agilely over a table they had upturned. He looked at his siblings, who seemed to be at a loss. "A little help?"

Kya blinked. "Um, right. Hold on!" She drew out the stew that was still on the acolyte and bended it so that it was on the floor instead. Ling soon stepped on it and slipped, landing with a crash into some clay jars.

Bumi walked up to him. "Are you all right, Mr. Acolyte?" he asked. "Oh, cool, that rhymes." He grinned.

Ling could only respond with a half-conscious groan.

"Well, he's down for the count," Bumi said.

"Mom'll have to heal him up later. That bruise on his face doesn't look good," Kya observed.

"But he'll be fine," Bumi said dismissively. "Now come on, let's go give this to Dad."

Kya looked out the window. "Actually, Bumi, I think it's over."

"What do you mean it's over?"

"There's no one fighting anymore," Tenzin said. "Mom and Dad are just standing there."

"Oh." Bumi was disappointed. He had been given the chance to help, and he had missed it. "Guess Dad won't be needing this anymore. I'll just go put it back." He was about to walk back towards the cabinet when Kya gasped.

"Oh no!"

He turned around sharply. "What? What's happening?"

"There are more rebels! Lots of them," she said.

"I've got to get this to Dad!" He leaped off the chair and ran for the door.

"Wait, Bumi, some of them are-" Kya tried to say, but the little warrior was already outside. "-headed this way."


"Dad! Dad! You left your glider!" little Bumi yelled.

Katara felt something cold grip her heart when she heard the shrill voice. She immediately turned towards the sound of it, hoping it wasn't who she thought it was.

Unfortunately, there was Bumi, waving Aang's staff in the air and calling for his Dad. Her eyes widened in horror as a nearby firebender caught sight of him and started moving closer.

"NO!" she screamed. She quickly jumped on a wave of water, freezing it into a path of ice as she slid across it to get to her son faster.

Just as she scooped him up in his arms, something hit her on her left side. A hot, searing pain overwhelmed her, and a cry escaped her lips as she crumpled to the ground. She felt Bumi tumble out of her arms just as she hit the grass.

Then everything was black.


The story's atmosphere is getting heavy :( I'll give you a heads-up: the mood is sort of going to be like this for the rest of the story, so lighthearted family fluff will have to be put on hold for a while. But don't worry, it'll make a reappearance sometime later :)

And in case you don't get Katara sliding across the ice, remember what she did in her final battle with Azula? While she was dodging the mentally unstable princess's fire blasts?

Leave a review for a mentally tired author? Please? :)