Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Duty Versus Love ❯ Did He Love You? ( Chapter 36 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Light-Eco-Sage 
Avatar is owned by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, not me!
Non Anime: Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Fantasy / Martial Arts / Romance / Supernatural / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 02.02.2013 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.2K | Visits: 611 | Status: Work In Progress
Avatar is owned by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, not me!
Non Anime: Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Fantasy / Martial Arts / Romance / Supernatural / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 02.02.2013 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.2K | Visits: 611 | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter XVIL: Did He Love You?
When Aang’s family arrived back at the Southern Air Temple, Sho immediately locked himself in his room and did not come out again for quite some time.
Sho had never felt this badly before. It was almost comparable to the time he discovered that Katara was not his mother, nor was she the mother of more than half his siblings. But he had almost come to terms with the reality of his father’s relationship with his mother. Almost.
But now the knowledge that Aang was going to make Anil the new leader of the Air Nomads had reawakened all those old feelings. Did he ever really love us, or are we just a means to an end?
None of his other siblings would understand. They all practically worshipped the ground that Katara walked on, and were more than happy to continue referring to her as their mother. Although many of them were in contact with their biological mothers, they did not maintain that contact like Sho did.
More than anything, Sho realized, he wanted to talk to his mother. If anyone could help him understand the meaning of his life, it would be his mother.
It was to this end that Sho approached his father soon after returning to the Air Temple.
“Um… Dad?” Sho called, drawing the Avatar’s attention away from helping perfect Kya’s technique.
“Yes, Sho, what is it?” Aang questioned, turning around.
“Um… I was just wondering if I could take a trip to the Fire Nation… to visit my mother, you know?” Sho asked politely.
“Oh… of course.” Aang said, nodding. “Just be careful and don’t push your bison too hard. He’s still a bit young for non-stop flights.”
“I promise I’ll be careful and I won’t push him too hard.” Sho said. He was bound to his bison just like Aang was bound to Appa and could not bear to see him hurt or in pain. He would sooner allow himself to be injured or pushed too far than allow it to happen to his bison.
“If you get into trouble, remember that the power of air can save you.” Aang reminded. “The world isn’t nearly as dangerous as it was during the war, but there are still rogues who are willing to attack travelers.”
“I’ll be careful, Dad, I promise. It’s not like I’ll be camping in fields or anything like that.” Sho said. One of the many perks of being the Avatar’s son is that he was allowed houseroom pretty much anywhere he went. Inns always kept a few rooms open in case VIPs showed up, and Sho would be able to board in those rooms. “I’ll be back soon.” Sho promised, heading up to his room to get his things together for the trip into the Fire Nation.
Within an hour, he was able to leave with very little fanfare. Only Ammy noticed him leave. She waved at him out the window, and Sho felt his throat tighten painfully as he smiled and waved back.
Then he was on his way…
~~~~~~~~~~
It took a little longer than Sho expected to reach the Fire Nation. If Aang were taking Appa, they would be able to fly out straight across the ocean and make a bee-line to the Fire Nation. But Sho’s bison was too young for a trip like that, so Sho shirted the Earth Kingdom until he reached one of their general’s bases and then cut across the ocean to the Fire Nation, which was only a few hours away from there.
When he arrived at the Fire Nation’s royal palace, he was welcomed like royalty. After all, he was both the son of the Avatar and the son of Firelord Zuko’s cousin. The blood of two Avatars flowed through his veins, making him very rare in a world where it was common to have some relation to the Avatar.
Sho’s bison landed in the Palace square, and he leapt off the Bison’s shoulders. They were first greeted by Kin, Firelord Zuko’s bonded companion, the gold dragon. The two animals greeted each other with a sniff and then took off into the Air to show off their natural Bending skills. Dragons had wings, but they could not compare to a Sky Bison in flight, but Kin held his own by showing off his Firebending.
Sho watched the show for a few moments before he was greeted by Firelord Zuko. “Sho! It’s good to see you again!” Zuko walked down the steps and pulled the young boy into an embrace. “Is your father here with you too?”
“No.” Sho said. “Dad’s still back at the Southern Air Temple. Why? Is something wrong?”
Zuko hesitated. “It may be nothing. The Anti-Bending movement has been getting more violent in the past weeks. A group of them tried to commit a terrorist act against the Fire Nation and kill innocent people. Thank the Spirits we found out on time and were able to stop them. We are still trying to discover if this was an isolated incident.”
Sho mulled over this information. It made no sense to him. “But why would they attack the Fire Nation? Compared to the other nations, the Fire Nation has the lowest ratio of Benders. They would accomplish nothing but killing a lot of non-Benders. Wouldn’t they be better off attacking us at the Air Temple? We have the highest ratio of Benders and we are the fewest in number.”
Zuko shook his head. “They would not dare go against the Avatar. You and your family are very well protected at the Air Temple.”
“Good point.” Sho said. “Do you want me to inform my father when I get back?”
Zuko considered it. “No. I believe that I am still capable of handling it at this point. If it gets worse, then I’ll send a message to the Air Temple myself.”
“Very well.” Sho said. “I’m actually here to visit my mother. Is she home?”
“Yes, she is.” Zuko said, looking the young boy in the eyes. “Is everything all right? You don’t look so good.”
“I’m fine, I promise. It was just; you know… a long flight.” Sho lied.
Zuko stared at the young boy for a few moments, as if he suspected the lie. He knew from Aang that Air Nomads loved to travel, that nothing was a greater pleasure. But then the older man shook it off. “Very well. Off you go, then.”
Sho bowed respectfully and then turned to leave the palace for his mother’s house, which was not far from the palace.
~~~~~~~~~~
As usual, it was not a member of Sho’s family that answered the door, but one of their many servants. “Master Sho, welcome back.” The butler said, bowing. “I assume that you want to see your mother?”
“If that’s all right?”
“Of course it’s all right.” The butler said. “Lady Nera would never turn away her own son.” With that, the butler led Sho through the house until he came to the door outside his mother’s quarters. The butler knocked on the door. “Lady Nera, your son has arrived.”
Sho could hear movement inside the room as his mother got up and opened the door. “Sho? Oh, Sho!” She pulled him into an embrace. “It’s so good to see you! How long has it been since we last saw one another?”
“A few months.” Sho said. “I’m sorry, Mom, I’ve been busy with my Airbending training. I should be able to earn my tattoos in a few weeks.”
“That’s completely understandable.” Nera said. “I’m so proud of you. My son, a Master Bender… I never would have believed it possible… I’ll bet that Avatar Aang is very pleased with your progress.”
Sho’s eyes fell, and Nera caught the look in her son’s eyes. “Sho, what’s wrong? Has something happened?”
“I… I don’t know, Mom.” Sho said nervously. “Can I… ask you something?”
“Of course, you know that you can ask me anything.” Nera said.
“In the short time you were, um… with my father, did you ever believe that he loved you at all?” Sho asked.
Lady Nera hesitated in her answer. “Wow, Sho… That was such a long time ago… When I was given the opportunity to join in the plan, I was captivated by him. He was a strong, handsome young man, and I do admit that there was a time when I wished…” Nera trailed off. “No. A silly adolescent fantasy. Avatar Aang was very courteous to myself and the other women, and he had nothing but respect for us. His wife was the same way even though she had enough reason to be jealous of the fact that we had knowledge of her husband. But I never believed that Avatar Aang loved me. He was all ready married to Katara, so none of us could sway his heart, nor did we even try.”
“If he didn’t love you and you didn’t love him, how could you agree to go through with the Earth King’s plan?” Sho asked.
“Because of what the Fire Nation did. If it were not for the Fire Nation’s royal family, the Air Nomads would still be alive and he would have never been faced with repopulating an entire culture single-handedly in the first place. Helping him to rebuild was just paying back a small part of the debt that we owed him.” Nera caught the look in Sho’s eyes. “I know it’s hard for you to understand, but helping the world balance itself again was a great honor.”
“But…”
“Avatar Aang showed a great deal of respect to us, and that’s all that matters.”
“But, respect without love…”
“Sometimes, love is not necessary.” Nera said.
“It is when there are children involved!” Sho spat harshly. “How is a child supposed to learn of love when their parents don’t love each other?”
“You’re parents do love each other.” Nera said. “I’ve never seen two people more in love than Aang and Katar…”
“Katara is not my mother!” Sho shouted. “You are!”
Nera gazed at him sadly. “It’s true… I gave birth to you. But I have not had much part in your upbringing since you were three years old. Aang is your father and Katara is your mother.”
Sho glared at her. “So, what? Is this it? Are you giving me up like Ammy’s mother gave her up?”
“Oh, no! Never! Sho, I’d never give you up! I was just trying to say…” Nera said quickly, trying to spit the words out, but they did not come quickly enough.
Sho turned and began to walk out. “Its fine, Mom. I believe you’ve said enough.”
“Sho!” Nera cried out as Sho slammed the door shut and began to stalk out of the house.
Why did I come here? Sho thought to himself as he left the house and headed towards the city’s outskirts. Was I imagining that Mom was going to tell me that she and my father had a passionate love affair behind his wife’s back? We all know that would never happen. What happened between my parents was a one-night stand, nothing more.
Dad didn’t care for my mother the way he cared for Katara. He doesn’t care about us poor Halflings the way he cares about his precious children with Katara.
Sho’s dark musings continued in this way until he was well outside the city’s limits. In fact, by the time he was consciously aware of his surroundings once again, the Palace City was not in sight.
“Where am I?” Sho asked himself.
“My, my? What are you doing out here in the wilderness?” A sudden, chilling voice said from a short distance away.
Sho spun around, drawing his staff for self-defense. On top of a small bluff several feet away, an older woman looked down on Sho with cold Fire Nation eyes.
Quite by accident, Sho had run straight into Azula.
When Aang’s family arrived back at the Southern Air Temple, Sho immediately locked himself in his room and did not come out again for quite some time.
Sho had never felt this badly before. It was almost comparable to the time he discovered that Katara was not his mother, nor was she the mother of more than half his siblings. But he had almost come to terms with the reality of his father’s relationship with his mother. Almost.
But now the knowledge that Aang was going to make Anil the new leader of the Air Nomads had reawakened all those old feelings. Did he ever really love us, or are we just a means to an end?
None of his other siblings would understand. They all practically worshipped the ground that Katara walked on, and were more than happy to continue referring to her as their mother. Although many of them were in contact with their biological mothers, they did not maintain that contact like Sho did.
More than anything, Sho realized, he wanted to talk to his mother. If anyone could help him understand the meaning of his life, it would be his mother.
It was to this end that Sho approached his father soon after returning to the Air Temple.
“Um… Dad?” Sho called, drawing the Avatar’s attention away from helping perfect Kya’s technique.
“Yes, Sho, what is it?” Aang questioned, turning around.
“Um… I was just wondering if I could take a trip to the Fire Nation… to visit my mother, you know?” Sho asked politely.
“Oh… of course.” Aang said, nodding. “Just be careful and don’t push your bison too hard. He’s still a bit young for non-stop flights.”
“I promise I’ll be careful and I won’t push him too hard.” Sho said. He was bound to his bison just like Aang was bound to Appa and could not bear to see him hurt or in pain. He would sooner allow himself to be injured or pushed too far than allow it to happen to his bison.
“If you get into trouble, remember that the power of air can save you.” Aang reminded. “The world isn’t nearly as dangerous as it was during the war, but there are still rogues who are willing to attack travelers.”
“I’ll be careful, Dad, I promise. It’s not like I’ll be camping in fields or anything like that.” Sho said. One of the many perks of being the Avatar’s son is that he was allowed houseroom pretty much anywhere he went. Inns always kept a few rooms open in case VIPs showed up, and Sho would be able to board in those rooms. “I’ll be back soon.” Sho promised, heading up to his room to get his things together for the trip into the Fire Nation.
Within an hour, he was able to leave with very little fanfare. Only Ammy noticed him leave. She waved at him out the window, and Sho felt his throat tighten painfully as he smiled and waved back.
Then he was on his way…
~~~~~~~~~~
It took a little longer than Sho expected to reach the Fire Nation. If Aang were taking Appa, they would be able to fly out straight across the ocean and make a bee-line to the Fire Nation. But Sho’s bison was too young for a trip like that, so Sho shirted the Earth Kingdom until he reached one of their general’s bases and then cut across the ocean to the Fire Nation, which was only a few hours away from there.
When he arrived at the Fire Nation’s royal palace, he was welcomed like royalty. After all, he was both the son of the Avatar and the son of Firelord Zuko’s cousin. The blood of two Avatars flowed through his veins, making him very rare in a world where it was common to have some relation to the Avatar.
Sho’s bison landed in the Palace square, and he leapt off the Bison’s shoulders. They were first greeted by Kin, Firelord Zuko’s bonded companion, the gold dragon. The two animals greeted each other with a sniff and then took off into the Air to show off their natural Bending skills. Dragons had wings, but they could not compare to a Sky Bison in flight, but Kin held his own by showing off his Firebending.
Sho watched the show for a few moments before he was greeted by Firelord Zuko. “Sho! It’s good to see you again!” Zuko walked down the steps and pulled the young boy into an embrace. “Is your father here with you too?”
“No.” Sho said. “Dad’s still back at the Southern Air Temple. Why? Is something wrong?”
Zuko hesitated. “It may be nothing. The Anti-Bending movement has been getting more violent in the past weeks. A group of them tried to commit a terrorist act against the Fire Nation and kill innocent people. Thank the Spirits we found out on time and were able to stop them. We are still trying to discover if this was an isolated incident.”
Sho mulled over this information. It made no sense to him. “But why would they attack the Fire Nation? Compared to the other nations, the Fire Nation has the lowest ratio of Benders. They would accomplish nothing but killing a lot of non-Benders. Wouldn’t they be better off attacking us at the Air Temple? We have the highest ratio of Benders and we are the fewest in number.”
Zuko shook his head. “They would not dare go against the Avatar. You and your family are very well protected at the Air Temple.”
“Good point.” Sho said. “Do you want me to inform my father when I get back?”
Zuko considered it. “No. I believe that I am still capable of handling it at this point. If it gets worse, then I’ll send a message to the Air Temple myself.”
“Very well.” Sho said. “I’m actually here to visit my mother. Is she home?”
“Yes, she is.” Zuko said, looking the young boy in the eyes. “Is everything all right? You don’t look so good.”
“I’m fine, I promise. It was just; you know… a long flight.” Sho lied.
Zuko stared at the young boy for a few moments, as if he suspected the lie. He knew from Aang that Air Nomads loved to travel, that nothing was a greater pleasure. But then the older man shook it off. “Very well. Off you go, then.”
Sho bowed respectfully and then turned to leave the palace for his mother’s house, which was not far from the palace.
~~~~~~~~~~
As usual, it was not a member of Sho’s family that answered the door, but one of their many servants. “Master Sho, welcome back.” The butler said, bowing. “I assume that you want to see your mother?”
“If that’s all right?”
“Of course it’s all right.” The butler said. “Lady Nera would never turn away her own son.” With that, the butler led Sho through the house until he came to the door outside his mother’s quarters. The butler knocked on the door. “Lady Nera, your son has arrived.”
Sho could hear movement inside the room as his mother got up and opened the door. “Sho? Oh, Sho!” She pulled him into an embrace. “It’s so good to see you! How long has it been since we last saw one another?”
“A few months.” Sho said. “I’m sorry, Mom, I’ve been busy with my Airbending training. I should be able to earn my tattoos in a few weeks.”
“That’s completely understandable.” Nera said. “I’m so proud of you. My son, a Master Bender… I never would have believed it possible… I’ll bet that Avatar Aang is very pleased with your progress.”
Sho’s eyes fell, and Nera caught the look in her son’s eyes. “Sho, what’s wrong? Has something happened?”
“I… I don’t know, Mom.” Sho said nervously. “Can I… ask you something?”
“Of course, you know that you can ask me anything.” Nera said.
“In the short time you were, um… with my father, did you ever believe that he loved you at all?” Sho asked.
Lady Nera hesitated in her answer. “Wow, Sho… That was such a long time ago… When I was given the opportunity to join in the plan, I was captivated by him. He was a strong, handsome young man, and I do admit that there was a time when I wished…” Nera trailed off. “No. A silly adolescent fantasy. Avatar Aang was very courteous to myself and the other women, and he had nothing but respect for us. His wife was the same way even though she had enough reason to be jealous of the fact that we had knowledge of her husband. But I never believed that Avatar Aang loved me. He was all ready married to Katara, so none of us could sway his heart, nor did we even try.”
“If he didn’t love you and you didn’t love him, how could you agree to go through with the Earth King’s plan?” Sho asked.
“Because of what the Fire Nation did. If it were not for the Fire Nation’s royal family, the Air Nomads would still be alive and he would have never been faced with repopulating an entire culture single-handedly in the first place. Helping him to rebuild was just paying back a small part of the debt that we owed him.” Nera caught the look in Sho’s eyes. “I know it’s hard for you to understand, but helping the world balance itself again was a great honor.”
“But…”
“Avatar Aang showed a great deal of respect to us, and that’s all that matters.”
“But, respect without love…”
“Sometimes, love is not necessary.” Nera said.
“It is when there are children involved!” Sho spat harshly. “How is a child supposed to learn of love when their parents don’t love each other?”
“You’re parents do love each other.” Nera said. “I’ve never seen two people more in love than Aang and Katar…”
“Katara is not my mother!” Sho shouted. “You are!”
Nera gazed at him sadly. “It’s true… I gave birth to you. But I have not had much part in your upbringing since you were three years old. Aang is your father and Katara is your mother.”
Sho glared at her. “So, what? Is this it? Are you giving me up like Ammy’s mother gave her up?”
“Oh, no! Never! Sho, I’d never give you up! I was just trying to say…” Nera said quickly, trying to spit the words out, but they did not come quickly enough.
Sho turned and began to walk out. “Its fine, Mom. I believe you’ve said enough.”
“Sho!” Nera cried out as Sho slammed the door shut and began to stalk out of the house.
Why did I come here? Sho thought to himself as he left the house and headed towards the city’s outskirts. Was I imagining that Mom was going to tell me that she and my father had a passionate love affair behind his wife’s back? We all know that would never happen. What happened between my parents was a one-night stand, nothing more.
Dad didn’t care for my mother the way he cared for Katara. He doesn’t care about us poor Halflings the way he cares about his precious children with Katara.
Sho’s dark musings continued in this way until he was well outside the city’s limits. In fact, by the time he was consciously aware of his surroundings once again, the Palace City was not in sight.
“Where am I?” Sho asked himself.
“My, my? What are you doing out here in the wilderness?” A sudden, chilling voice said from a short distance away.
Sho spun around, drawing his staff for self-defense. On top of a small bluff several feet away, an older woman looked down on Sho with cold Fire Nation eyes.
Quite by accident, Sho had run straight into Azula.