Children of War Chapter 4: Children of Discord, an avatar: last airbender fanfic

All 5 of us are seated around the dining table.

The children have their eyes glued to the table, trying to avoid any accidental exploitation of secrets through their eyes. Including me.

All of us are avoiding the piercing gaze of my mother, really. Her eyes scan the three children seated across from her, like a falcon-hawk eagerly but patiently waiting for an opening to catch its prey when it least expects it.

My gaze would wonder to the 3 strangers seated across from me on the other side of our rectangular table. Nothing on the worn wood but 5 cups of tea in mismatched cups by colour, size, and design, a tea pot, and some of our hands. Once in a while, some of them would gaze up but would quickly look down whenever their eyes connected with mine.

Our shoulder's jump when my mother suddenly speaks, "Well, I believe we have enough peace and quiet to have a private chat."

The girl is the first to gather her bearings and answer my mother while looking her dead in the eye, "Yes. Lets."

I can only be impressed by her. My mother has an intimidating aura that could even scare sailors. Heck, she does have an intimidating aura that indeed scare my dad's sailor friends.

"Let us introduce ourselves. My name is Katara." She place her thickly gloved hand to where her heart would be and bow her head in respect.

I raise an eyebrow, if I could but I sadly don't have that ability so I could only pretend to raise an eyebrow at her thickly gloved hand. After Katara spoke, the rest of us finally manage to look at something other than wood or evaporating tea. I lift my head up and examine her clothing. It's...kind of thick. I understand that it can really get cold here sometime but no need for something like that!

"That's my brother, Sokka." Katara gestures her hand at the male seated further away from her. Sokka bows his head as well, following his sister's example.

"And this is Aang." Aand grins sheepishly because he knows his eyes are swollen and gives a small, quick bow. Clearly he doesn't feel all that comfortable but he is definitely trying his best to remain cheerful.

"Sorry about your door." Aang croaks as he sink his head further into his shoulders, grin still in place.

I look at our currently poor excuse of a door. No longer connected to the house, it lay uselessly on the ground, further away from the door entrance. As a substitute for the door, Sokka and my mother pushed a wooden cupboard in front of the entrance. I remember how the girl FROM my dreams tried to help me move Aang off the door so Sokka could move the door away from the entrance to make way for the cupboard. It was the biggest 'Go away' sign we could ever put up.

Thankfully, the crowd got the message and left after a while in a mass of huddled gossip.

"My name is Aisha." My mother introduces herself and bows.

"I'm Wan." I introduce myself next and bow my head. Once I raise my head, I found that everyone have seem to relax. Aang is no longer trying to hide in between his shoulders either. I glance at my mother at the corner of my eye though. She has not said a thing about the door.

Which means she's not gonna let it go with just an apology. Oh boy...

My mother waits patiently until the children in front of her sip some of the tea. She could hear in their voice that they're throats are dry and tired.

"So...would someone care to explain what happened that lead to the destruction of my door?"

Yeah, she's definitely not gonna let the door go.

Katara and Sokka exchange glances before settling their eyes on Aang seeing as the reason to chase me didn't come from them but from him. The weight of the responsibility seem to have cause him to sink into the chair but soon realizes that this is not something he can run away from.

"It's my fault, ma'am." Aang raises his hand with a sigh.

My mother raises an eyebrow as a signal for him to continue.

Clearly I did not inherit that very useful trait.

"I...had..uhh..."Aang waves a finger in a circular motion like he was stirring up a reason in his mind. Actually, that's precisely what he is doing.

My mother read his reaction which causes her to raise her arms and rest her elbows on the table. She clasps her fingers together and press them against her lips, patiently waiting to analyze more of Aang's testimony.

I unintentionally lean forward in curiosity as I, too, await an explanation from Aang.

Aang couldn't exactly tell the mother that he felt a spiritual pull that caused him to chase her daughter around and have a sudden emotional breakdown. He turns to his friend for some help but both of them inconspicuously shrug at him. Clearly he is on his own.

"Well, I just sort of had to meet her?" Aang weakly offers. The statement alone is weak enough but his shrugging somehow manages to make it weaker.

Hearing no response from my mother, he know he needs to try harder. With a frustrated sigh and a scratch on his head, he slowly attempts to form sentences that is understandable.

"I felt this some sort of pull. Like I had to meet her. I actually didn't know it was your daughter, though! In fact, I thought she was a man!"

HE THOUGHT I WAS A WHAT!?

Sensing my glaring, he turns to me and apologize with his hands in front of him. As if that will save him.

"I-I mean! Not like you're manly looking or anything! It was just really dark and I couldn't really see that well at-"

Oh fuck.

"At the alleys! Right! Don't worry about it really!" I pull a complete 180 along with one the most cheerful smile I can muster. "I'm sure you couldn't see me that well from behind either. I mean, after all, you were chasing me from behind."

"But it was-"

"In the alley."

"No, it was-"

"Dark because of the alley."

"But-"

"Shadows and all!"

"Wan!"

I wince when my mother roars my name. I was desperately rude but I really do not want my mother to know I wondered out at night.

If this kid is going down, which he obviously is, he is not dragging me down with him.

"Why don't you let him explain himself."

The amount of force in that sentence clearly means that it is not a question at all but an order.

The moment my mother turns to Aang, so did I, with a fierce glare with an even fiercer message behind it.

You tell, you die.

"Aaaah..." Aang is momentarily stunned from my expression before turning to my mother who turns to me to see what was he staring at. I project a practiced smile at my mother until she turns to focus back on Aang.

The Water Tribe Siblings stay at the edge of their seat, sipping tea to pull off an image that there are too busy to participate in this conversation.

"Right...The alley. At the market. Dark...shadows? Very tall! It was really hard to see."

Bemuse expressions were his response. Was that really the best he could do? He needs to learn how to lie better.

"He chased me at the market. Quite all of a sudden starting from the fruit stall. The fruit vendor saw." I say, creating a starting point for this lie.

Half-truth but close enough.

"Yeah. I..felt a pull like something was calling for my attention and when I turned, I saw a man! Which..I thought was the fruit vendor but it was actually your daughter. I tried to talk to her but she just suddenly ran away."

Oh thank the Heavens. He CAN lie!

My mother turns to me and I saywith a straight face easily, since it wasn't a lie actually, "He had weird clothes and he looked weird."

"I looked weird?" Aang turns to his friends. "Do I look weird?"

"You're bald with tattoos and wearing the colours of sunshine." I bluntly state and everyone takes in all of the features that I have pointed out all at once.

No one can argue with me that he indeed stands out a little too much.

"That's still not a good reason to run." My mother argues as her shoulders start to relax. She's buying the story.

"What if a man suddenly runs to you for no good reason with great enthusiasm?"I ask seriously as I want this topic to just end as soon as possible.

My mother pauses for a moment to picture the scenario before raising her hands up in surrender.

"Okay. I see your point."

Oh thank the Heavens again. Karma must be trying to make it up to me for yesterday and today.

She rise from her seat and heads towards the door.

"You kids stay here, alright? I'm gonna go find someone who can fix our door."

"Um...We should really leave-"

"Stay." That is an order. Not a request.

All of us nod quickly obediently and watch her move the cupboard slightly and squeezes through the gap. I went to close the gap after my mother calls out for me to do so. Nobody says anything until we hear her footsteps slowly fade off into nothing.

Then all of us release the tense air in our lungs in unison. I look up and realize that I'm stuck in my house with three strange kids...wonderful.

"So...mind telling me what's really going on?" I ask as I cross my arms while leaning against the cupboard.

"It's what I just said. I just felt some kind of pull that made me feel like I needed to find it. To find you."

I once again pretend to raise my eyebrow at Aang.

"...Didn't you feel it too?"

I shake my head with confidence.

"Anything?"

I take a moment to think about it.

I don't think being scared for my life to the point I was reduced to tears count as this 'pull'. A repellent more like it but definitely not 'pull'.

I shake my head again. I feel a little sorry when Aang's shoulders slump once again but I really shouldn't. I don't really owe him that, do I?

"Look, Aang. This is clearly a mistake. We should just go back to Appa. He's been out there waiting for us." Sokka says as he get off his seat.

"Oooh no. Where do you think you're going?" I ask as I stand defiantly in front of the cupboard.

This damn cupboard is really confusing me.

As I stood defiantly in front of the entrance.

"Back to our other friends? We came here to help Aang find you but since this is really going no where, we should really get going." Sokka explains it simply as he walks toward me. Seeing as I have not move from my spot, Sokka stands in front of me as he attempts to use his height to intimidate me but I remain rooted to where I stand stubbornly.

In the background, Katara is trying to get Aang to get up from his chair so they could leave but he seem reluctant. Yet, Katara manages to guide him off the chair but slowly.

"Would you mind getting away from the entrance? We would like to leave."

"No way. My mom would have my head if I just 'let you leave'"

"Well, it's not like a little girl like you could force me to stay here anyway."

Both of us are getting slightly irritated. Sokka pulls the first move by putting a hand on my shoulder as he attempts to move me out of the way.

"Please." I snap as I smack his hand off my shoulder. I glare maliciously at Sokka and he returns a slightly less threatening glare. Or maybe I was making myself think that way just so I would feel like I have the upper hand? Either way, my determination is set. My mother told us to stay? I'll make sure everybody stays even if it means I have to use force.

Sokka's eyes starts to twitch involuntarily. Just like how his fists are tightening involuntarily and how he scowls involuntarily. He is too tired for this after the physically draining chase around the market and the emotional stress from witnessing a friend's breakdown and being interrogated by a woman.

But he still have some honour and will not raise a hand against a woman. His father taught him better than that. So instead, he tries again but with both arms.

When he places both of his hands on both side of my arms, I smack them both off and pushed him on his chest aggressively that he stumbles a few steps back and fell onto the carpet below him.

"Sokka!" His sister cries and run to his side. Katara glares at me as she kneels down and have a hand out protectively in front of Sokka. I looks back with a blank face as if I had done nothing wrong.

It's not my fault that they just wont listen to my mother. Didn't their parents teach them any manners?

"Wan, please! We don't have to fight. Please let us go and we wont bother you ever again." Aang pleas as the situation starts to get hostile.

"Sorry, Aang but I can't. I need to listen to the-"

"Fire nation..."

A breath suddenly interrupt me. All of our attention are pulled to the ground. Sokka's wide eyes are staring at my carpet. Particularly, the corner of the carpet.

"Fire nation carpet..." Sokka's discovery seems to have left him dumbfounded. He stares at that particular spot like he was witnessing the truth of the universe unraveling in front of him. When his mind regain the ability to control his body, he shoots up from the ground a hand is gripping the handle of his boomerang.

"She's fire nation!"

I can only respond in irritate disbelief showing all over my face. This stupidity doesn't even deserve a vocal response.

"You can't seriously be judging me by the junk in my house!?" Maybe an angry one.

"Sokka, calm down." Katara say with the tone that sets an example of what kind of calm Sokka should project but he rejects her advice. Katara looks up worryingly at her brother. The face is that not of the goofy older brother she was usually annoyed with. It is of a warrior with a deadly calling for blood.

I open the cupboard behind me to pull out anything in there to use as a weapon. My hand gropes blindly as I refuse to let Sokka leave my sight. That's just asking for a slice to the throat. Feeling something that feels like I could grip easily with my hand, I pull it out. The object was longer than I expected as it pushes out some other junks to the ground.

"Hey! Isn't that an airbender's staff!?" Aang exclaimss with new found energy from the shock of seeing a familiar item from a place that he would least expect it.

"A what?" I blurt out confusedly. He is pointing at the stick I am holding but I still don't get it.

"And are those Betrothal Necklaces!?" Katara hisses at the ground next to my feet.

I quickly snap my attention to find a box that has opened from falling out of the cupboard and sprawled out a bunch on necklaces.

"There's 5 of them! Where did you get them?" Sokka hisses as the boomerang is raise to the air.

Clearly I must be missing something important with all of this junk. My confused eyes continuously shifts between Aang, the siblings, the carpet, the staff, and the necklaces on the floor. This situation advanced way too quickly for my taste and completely flew waaaaaaaaaaaay over my head. I am not willing to waste my energy on attempting to grasp this situation and dropped the 'airbender's staff' like how I dropped my hostility.

The Avatar could only watch the situation progressively get worse and instead of taking charge of the situation naturally like his job demands of him, he froze.

His eyes shifts to Katara and Sokka. Both hostile over the bunch of necklaces and the carpet. They are standing side by side and yet both of them have a hand in front of each other, trying to protect the other sibling. Aang have to stress his overwhelmingly panicking mind to quickly understand the situation.

He knows he need to dissolve this discord.

The necklaces must mean something as they are the same as the one Katara wears. Blue with the emblem of the Water Tribe. Maybe they are important relics to the Water Tribe?

Oooh...I need to step up and ask. I need to dissolve this discord.

He focuses on Sokka, the one who has the boomerang up high, enforcing that he is the one with the upper hand of this situation. Aang looks down at the red and gold carpet below his feet. Other than the colour scheme, there are small emblems of the Fire Nation at the corners of the carpet. Those must have been the switch that made Sokka suddenly aggressive.

He's just trying to protect his sister but he is jumping to conclusions. I need to dissolve this discord.

Aang looks at Wan. Her posture is not one that has been to battle. She has the standard fighting stance on her legs but she's not putting enough strength in holding her ground. Her stance stance is only good for balance but not for resistance. She was gripping the staff too tightly as well, locking her wrist in place which would be difficult for her to use the staff like it should.

She's just a normal kid listening to her mother. I need to dissolve this discord.

Aang looks at the staff, the necklace, the carpet, and the entire room.

None of these point this family as a danger but just a house messily filled with collections all around the world. Not just fire, water, and air but earth relics too.

There is no danger here. And there shouldn't be but here they are. A steaming pot of tea threatening to over boil.

He now understands the situation but still doesn't have the conclusion.

Do they try to convince Wan once again to let them leave or stay until the mother returns. The obvious choice would have been the second one since it's the most peaceful and they could always leave later but his mind drifts to Appa. He's been in the woods for a long time now and Aang is starting to get worried. He wants to leave and return to his pet as soon as possible. But there's still that airbender's staff. He wants to know how she got it. He feels like he needs to stay.

His decision is made.

Monk Gyatso...Am I making the right decisions?

But he hesitates to execute. He doubted himself because he knows deep in his heart that the only reason he chooses to stay is not because of courtesy to the owners of this house but out of his own selfish curiosity for the staff. If that desire is not here, would his decision be different?

Am I wrong or am I right?

"Oh fuck this."-

Katara's hand hovered over her water skin and the other hand in front of Sokka. Even though Sokka too have one of his hands in front of her that doesn't mean she'll stand back and watch.

Those necklaces are not just any necklaces.