Here is chapter seven of After the War! I'm adding more KuzonxAsami romance. I feel like they need some more romantic time together and so do Mako and Korra, but maybe next chapter. Honestly, I have no preference. Makorra, Borra, Tahnorra, idc. But Tahnorra doesn't make sense to me. Why do they pair Korra with every character? Even that Howl guy. They only talked for like, five seconds. Oh, whatever. I 3 fluff!

Tenzin's gonna be in this chapter a lot, btw. Enjoy!

Chapter 7

"Okay, Asami." Kuzon said as he entered the Sato Estate. "I turned in the adoption papers." He was glad that he finally got out of the hospital, after a lot of pleading and bribing. But he still could not go back to work. Lin was at the hospital and the doctors said she might have to stay there for a week or less. Kuzon was staying at Asami's place because she wanted to help take care of him and because he would be at his home alone.

Asami had Lian on her hip and was feeding her milk from a bottle. She smiled when she saw Kuzon and kissed him lightly on the lips. "That's good. Thanks."

"No problem." he said. "I handed them to Tenzin while he was on his way home. He said that he'd look them over with the council because Li isn't in an orphanage and he is gonna try to give us the results as soon as possible."

"That's nice of him. Coffee?"

"Yeah, thanks."

She handed him Lian and went to the kitchen to make coffee. Kuzon adjusted Lian and cradled her head. She yawned and started to sleep. He went upstairs to put her in her crib.

When he came back down, Asami was holding a hot cup of coffee for him.

"Thanks." Kuzon said and kissed her forehead. They sat down on the couch of the living room.

"Kuzon?" she asked after he took a long sip from his coffee.

"Yeah?"

Asami looked at him worriedly. "What if we can't adopt Lian?"

He put his cup down on the coffee table and frowned. "Well, I'm not sure. Tenzin did say we were kind of young but he'd do everything he could to help us adopt her." Kuzon put an arm around her shoulders. "But don't worry. Everything will be just fine."

_line break_

"Pema, I'm home. Sorry about being so late." Tenzin said as he entered their bedroom.

She was standing in the middle of their bedroom, her hands on her hips. She looked angry.

"We need to talk." she said sternly.

He sighed. "What about?"

"The children found about Kuzon being their older half-brother and I thought we should talk about it. He's a decent kid but I want to make sure he's going to be a good influence on our children." she said.

"Kuzon is a good older brother to the children." Tenzin replied.

":Yes, but…"

"But what?"

She sighed and asked the question she had been obsessing with ever since Lin made more of an appearance in their lives: "Do you still have feelings for Lin?" He was shocked. "Uh, of course not! It's been years since we've dated and just because we had a son does not mean I am in love with her!"

Tenzin worried that the answer was too fast and his feelings too obvious. Hopefully Pema didn't notice.

"Alright." she said. "I'm sorry if that was too personal and unsettling but I needed to know. I'm sorry."

"That's quite all right. Seeing the circumstances, it does seem like an appropriate question to ask." he replied, still uneasy.

They went to bed after their conversation.

When Tenzin woke up, it was quiet. Too quiet. He assumed she was in the bathroom. He went to his drawer and accidentally opened Pema's.

It was empty.

He frowned. "That's strange." he muttered. After he had changed, he went to go sleep in their bed but found a letter on the bed with Pema's neat handwriting. Tenzin turned on the lights and read.

Dear Tenzin,

By the time you read this, I would be long gone. I have packed my bags and left. I won't tell you where I am, but I can tell you that I'm safe. I will be back to see the children occasionally.

I know you're wondering why I left. I don't think you're in love with me. You've been spending way too much time with Lin. Don't tell me it's just because you two our friends. Friends don't hang out that long. Even if she is the mother of your oldest child.

Tell the children I'll be back soon and that I love them.

~Pema

He folded the letter and stared at it in shock. Pema had left. Pema had left. She was gone, probably at some little village in the Earth Kingdom. What would the children say?

Tenzin couldn't tell them now. He decided to break the news to them in the morning.

_line break_

Bolin yawned as he woke up, the sunlight hitting his face from the window. He wasn't going to practice probending today because his team members "convinced" him to give them the week off. By convinced, he meant they bribed him with coupons for Narook's.

Mako was about to leave for work when Bolin went to the refrigerator for breakfast.

"'Morning Mako." he said to his brother.

The firebender looked back. "Hey bro. I'll see you at six."

"Wait! If you're not here then what am I going to do for the day?"

"Why don't you go hang out with a friend?"

Bolin frowned. "But Korra has to practice airbending, Asami's working…and isn't Kuzon in the hospital?"

"Nope. He's out early but he can't work. I saw him talking to his dad when I came home last night." Mako replied.

"Oh! I can hang out with him then! Thanks Mako."

"Yeah, sure. Bye, Bo." Mako said and left.

_line break_

"Whee!" yelled Ikki. "C'mon Korra, it's fun!"

Korra watched Ikki do the air scooter and make circles around her. It did look like a lot of fun. Plus, she had nothing else to do since Tenzin skipped breakfast and locked himself up in his room. She wondered if he and Pema were…ugh, Korra did not want to even think about it.

Meelo cheered on his sister and Jinora occasionally looked up from her book to watch her younger sister.

"Alright, I'm gonna try." Korra said determinedly and made a ball of air. She tried to balance on it, but instead fell on her side. She got up quickly and tried again. Her second try was much better than her first. This time she balanced on the ball of air and rode on top of the roof.

Korra laughed. "This is fun!

She bumped into someone and fell on her back. "Sorry-Tenzin? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." he said. The airbending master looked tired and anxious. She had never seen him like this before.

"You don't look fine, Daddy." Ikki said as she examined her father. Jinora and Meelo ran to Tenzin and looked at him.

"Are you sick? Daddy ARE YOU DYING?!" Meelo yelled and started to panic.

Tenzin shook his head and carried Meelo in his arms. "No, Meelo. I am not dying."

"Then what's wrong?" asked Jinora.

He took a deep breath. Korra sensed that it wasn't good.

"Children," Tenzin began. "I am so sorry to tell you this, but you deserve to know. Your mother left yesterday night. She's only coming back to visit you occasionally, but she will not be living here anymore."

Korra saw the three children's expressions of shock. Their eyes began to water.

Pema left? She left her four children? That was bad parenting. But she must have had a reason to leave. She frowned. Korra had always liked Pema. This didn't seem like something she'd do just because. There had to be a really, really good reason. But she had the feeling Tenzin did not want to share those reasons with his children. She decided to confront him later.

Meelo bawled and buried his face in his father's robes. "But, but…why does she have to go? Daddy, tell me!" he cried.

Tenzin patted his son's back and bent down to hug his daughters. She noticed he avoided Meelo's question.

Korra bit her lip. This was bad.

_line break_

Lin looked at the ceiling from her hospital bed. She was bored.

It wasn't fair that Kuzon got out early just by bribery. She had tried that herself, but the doctor insisted that she stayed because her injuries were far worse than her son's. Lin even offered him a thousand yuans but the doctor wouldn't budge.

"You have to heal completely." he'd said. "You'll be able to leave soon."

Soon was not soon enough.

She drummed her fingers on the sheets and looked out the window. She could see the buildings of Republic City and people walking down the streets.

The door opened and she saw Tenzin walk in, dark shadows under his eyes. He looked sad.

"Hello Tenzin. Is there something wrong?" she asked, sitting up and wincing because of the pain.

He sat on a chair next to Lin and wordlessly took her hand, doodling mindlessly with his finger on the back of her hand. His eyebrows were furrowed and he looked like he was about to cry any second.

"Tenzin, what happened?" Lin asked louder.

He sighed. "Pema left last night."

She froze and looked at him with wide eyes. "What?!"

"It's true. She will be back for visits, apparently. It's in this letter." Tenzin said dully and handed Lin the letter.

She quickly read the letter and looked at him. "I'm so sorry." Lin said sincerely and gave him a hug. He hugged her back and buried his face in the crook of her neck.

"The children did not take it so well." he murmured. "Jinora ran to her room and hasn't come out in hours. Ikki is hiding from the Air Acolytes and sobbing in strange places around the island. Meelo….well, he took the ferry and we haven't seen him since. Korra and Bolin were looking for him the last time I saw them."

Lin sighed. "I would go help you find them, but…" she trailed off and gestured to the hospital bed.

He kissed her forehead. "I know." he said and sighed heavily. "I have to go find them. I'll be back either later today or tomorrow."

_line break_

The butler interrupted Kuzon and Lian. They were playing peek-a-boo on the couch. Asami had left for work so he had to watch her.

"Master Beifong, you have a visitor."

"Send him in." he said.

Bolin came in with a big smile on his face. "Hey Kuzon! Hi Lian!"

"Bolin? What are you doing here?" Kuzon asked.

"I don't have anything to do so I thought we could go hang out or something." Bolin said and picked up Lian. "How are you, little princess?"

Lian giggled. "Bo-Bo!" she said and poked his nose.

"Sure." Kuzon said. "We could go for lunch. I am kinda hungry."

The earthbender grinned. "Cool! I've got coupons for Narook's. And we can take Lian."

Kuzon drove them to Narook's in his satomobile. Along the way, Bolin kept on making Lian laugh with silly faces. The metalbender saw some officers glancing uneasily at every corner, as if expecting something-or someone-to come out of the shadows and attack. It worried him. What did Saikhan do?

Before he knew it, they were at Narook's. "We're here, you two." he said.

"Yes! Man, do I love noodles." Bolin said and carried Lian inside.

There were many people. A man and a woman were seated at every small table with customers at one side of the restaurant. A timer went off and the people left with more people replacing them.

"What's going on?" Kuzon asked a lady with brown hair.

"There's a speed dating event." she informed him. "If you're single, you should try it."

"C'mon Kuzon, let's try it!" Bolin exclaimed.

He shook his head. "Bo! I have a girlfriend and a daughter. Asami would kill me."

"Oh. I knew that." Bolin said, frowning. "But I want to. Do you mind? I'll be at our table in awhile."

"No problem." Kuzon said and slapped his friend on the back. "Go for it."

Bolin stood in line and Kuzon and Lian went to sit at a table.

"Daddy?" Lian asked.

"Yes, my little princess?"

"Why Bo-Bo not here?"

Kuzon chuckled. "Because he wants a girlfriend."

She frowned, not understanding. "He buy girlfriend?"

"Nope." he laughed. "He waits to get a chance to find a girlfriend. You can't buy love, silly." He tickled her sides. She giggled.

A waitress walked to their table. "Would you like anything to drink?"

"Jasmine tea for me. And um…" Kuzon thought about Bolin. He wasn't back yet from speed dating so he would have to chose for him. " Two cups of lychee juice."

She scribbled it down on her notepad and left.

"Daddy, where's Mommy?" Lian asked.

"Working, sweetheart." he answered. "She'll be back for dinner."

Her stomach growled and she began to cry. Kuzon carried her and rocked her back and forth. He hadn't realized Lian was hungry. She had breakfast hours ago. He resisted the urge to slap himself. What a great dad he was.

"Shh. Don't cry. Don't worry, food's coming. Well, the drink is."

Thankfully, the waitress came just then and gave them their drinks. Lian stopped crying and eagerly sipped her lychee juice.

Thank the spirits for waiters. Kuzon thought.

"Are you ready to order?" the waitress asked.

"Uh…" Kuzon frowned. Why was Bolin taking so long?

He sighed. "Not yet."

The waitress walked away.

"Let's go get Uncle Bo." Kuzon said to Lian, who was still drinking her lychee juice.

He picked her up and went to go find Bolin. He wasn't in line anymore and was now talking with a beautiful girl that looked Fire Nation. She looked completely bored, but Bolin didn't notice/

"So yeah. I helped take down Amon. I'm the captain of the Fire Ferrets. Our first match is in a couple of da-"

Kuzon grabbed Bolin's arm and dragged him away. The girl looked relieved and mouthed the words, Thanks.

"Hey! Aw, c'mon Kuz. She was perfect for me!" he protested.

"Trust me, she's not your type. We need to go back to our seats and eat. That's why we came here, right?"

He pouted. "Yeah, I guess."

When they walked to their table, it was taken by some tough looking guys. They were laughing and pounding their drinks against the table. As a result, the table was wet.

"Guys, that was our table." Kuzon told them.

One of them spat at his face. He wiped it off and glared, pushing Lian into Bolin's arms.

"Listen, bud. Do that again, and I'll kick your sorry-"

"Kuzon! There's a baby here!" Bolin yelled, causing the men to laugh.

"You heard the man. No swearing in front of babies." a guy sniggered.

Bolin grabbed Kuzon's arm before he attacked them and tried to pull him away without much success. The metalbender was stronger than he was and he was barely moving him away.

"Kiss my a**!" he growled before leaving.

Lian giggled. "Kiss my a**!"

_line break_

Mako was riding his motorcycle to the Police Headquarters when he spotted a blur of orange and red robes. He frowned. Not many people wore that clothing.

Only airbenders or Air Acolytes.

He followed the direction where he had seen the robes. It led him into an alley full of garbage cans and trash on the floor. It smelled.

"Ah! Rat!" Mako heard a little boy scream.

Meelo jumped into his arms and sat on his shoulders. The young airbender started nervously gnawing on Mako's head.

"Meelo? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I ran away." Meelo casually replied. "Do you have candy, Police Guy?"

"No." Mako said slowly then had an idea. "But I do know where I can get a lot of candy."

He perked up and pulled Mako's ears. "Really? Where? Where?"

"Close your eyes and I'll lead you to the candy." he said. "But let go of my ears. That hurts."

Meelo let go and shut his eyes tightly. "My eyes are closed. Where's the candy? Where's the candy?"

"I'll lead you to it."

_line break_

"Thank you for finding him." Korra said as she picked up the struggling young boy from Mako.

Meelo shook his head. "No! Police Guy tricked me! I hate you, Police Guy! Korra, go away!" Mako looked at the ground, feeling guilty about lying to the little airbender. But he was glad that Meelo was safe and going to be with his father. Tenzin had found Ikki and Jinora had finally came out of her room for food. Their family was safe and together. He had learned about Pema, how she had left them all. Mako felt really sorry for them and hoped they'd get through this soon.

"You're welcome. I hope everything turns out okay." he said to Korra.

She sighed. "I hope so too. Tenzin's really worried about the air bending kids. They've been crying for a long time. I don't think they're going to get over it any time soon."

He hugged her. "I'm sorry. I'll come over tomorrow to help you out, if you want. I've got a day off anyway."

"I'd like that. Thanks Mako." Korra said and gave him a small smile.

"Eew!" Meelo screamed. "You guys are gross!"

_line break_

"Hey Kuzon! Hi Lian." Asami greeted as she entered the large mansion. No one was in the living room. They must be in Lian's bedroom or in the kitchen. She went into the kitchen. It was empty.

She went upstairs and heard voices.

"Before Mommy gets home, you've got to stop saying that. For Daddy, okay?"

There was a giggle. "Kiss my-"

"No, no, no. No more of that. If your mother finds out, I'm dead." Entering with a scowl on her face, Asami glared at Kuzon. He was standing over Lian's crib. The little girl was sitting and staring at him. "So what are you trying to keep from me?"

His mouth was agape. "Uh, um…" he stuttered. "This is not what it looks like!"

"What was Lian saying, Kuzon?" she asked demandedly.

Kuzon gulped.

Lian looked at Asami and said, "Kiss my a**!"

Her jaw dropped. "Where did you learn to say that?!"

"Well, she may have possibly overheard some dashing young man swear at big buffoons that may have taken his table at a restaurant where he, his goofy friend, and her were trying to have lunch at but instead settled for take-out." Kuzon said, looking at the floor. "Possibly."

"I can't believe you! I've told you multiple times not to swear in front of her." Asami scolded her boyfriend.

"Hey, one of those guys spat at my face." he protested.

Before she could say another word, the doorbell rang. She sighed and gave Kuzon a glare before going downstairs to answer it.

Asami answered the door. Tenzin was standing there looked weary. "Hi Tenzin." she said.

"Hello Asami. There's something I need to talk to you and Kuzon about."

She blinked, a little surprised. Then, she realized what he was talking about. "Oh, right. Sit down. I'll go get him."

"Thank you." he said pleasantly and sat down on an armchair.

Kuzon came down the stairs holding Asami's hand. They sat on the couch nervously. She was really scared.

"So Dad, what were the results? Can Lian be our daughter?" Kuzon asked and gave Tenzin a pleading stare.

He cleared his throat and gave him an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry, you two. The council feels like it would not be a good idea for you both to adopt Lian."

"What?! Why?" Asami asked him.

"It would be best for Lian if you were married."

Bum, bum, BAH! *dramatic moment*