Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Duty Versus Love ❯ Reconciliation Pt. 1 ( Chapter 44 )
[ 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: 3 | Words: 3.5K | Visits: 573 | 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: 3 | Words: 3.5K | Visits: 573 | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter XIVL: Reconciliation Pt. 1
It took quite a while for Sho to wake up after Aang disabled him, and the first thing on his mind was that he was glad to be able to feel air in his lungs once again and the flow of air around his body.
He groaned slowly and opened his eyes, but instantly closed them again. He had found himself looking into the disappointed eyes of his father. For a long while, no one said anything, and Sho chanced another look at his father, only to see that there was sorrow in his eyes now.
“Why did you do this?” Aang asked softly.
Sho flinched. There was no anger in Aang’s voice, but sorrow and disappointment. The disappointment was the worst, however. It made Sho want to curl up into a little ball and never see the light of sun again. “I… felt I had no choice.”
“You always have a choice.” Aang said.
“I… I was jealous.” Sho admitted.
“Of Anil?”
“Yes.” Sho said. “He never had to work as hard as I did at Airbending. I’m the harder worker. I have spent the last few weeks Mastering Airbending by myself. But…” He remembered the strange move that Aang had performed on him. “I guess I still have a lot to learn, huh?”
“You’re lucky you didn’t force Anil to do that to you.” Aang said. “Even with my experience, you still almost died.”
“You mean… Anil knows how to do that crazy airless move?” Sho demanded. “Then he…” He paused, realization coming over him. “He could have defeated me any time he wanted to!”
“That’s true.” Aang said. “But doing so could have resulted in your death. But I know Anil. He would not have been able to live with himself if he had caused someone else’s death… even accidentally. I also know that you would not have been able to forgive yourself if you’d killed your own brother. So… why did you duel him?”
“I don’t understand. I was never trying to kill him.” Sho began.
“When two Masters fight, there is always an increased risk that one or both of the combatants will die.” Aang said. “You could have killed each other.”
Sho hung his head. “I didn’t…” He paused. “I was just jealous of your favoring Anil… and I also wanted to become the Air Nomad leader so I could…” Sho paused shamefully. “I wanted to create a world where I would be free to love the woman that I love.”
“Love? You’re in love with someone?” Aang asked, sounding shocked. “Is she someone I know?” Sho did not reply to Aang’s question, nor would he meet his eyes. “It’s still a secret love?” Aang asked.
“You could say that.” Sho said slowly.
“Very well, I’ll ask no more of it.” Aang said, sensing the Sho was a little sensitive about his feelings. “Now, Sho, there are some things that I wanted to tell you when we got in our last… argument, but it didn’t come out right. So I’m going to try to do this again… calmly.”
Aang sighed. “I know that it certainly seems like I’m favoring Anil, but that is not the case. Anil is the eldest, he’s an Airbending prodigy, which meant that he was able to Master Airbending extremely quickly which gave him a lot of time to learn the other subjects that he would need to know as the leader of the Air Nomads. These are the things that he’s been studying with me for the past four years, and in many ways he is still learning and struggling.”
“He’s struggling?”
“Yes. Just because he’s an Airbending prodigy doesn’t mean that he’s good at everything. He’s struggled, just the same as everyone else.” Aang said. “When it came time for me to pick the next leader several years ago, I did not make the decision alone. I took a trip to the Spirit World and spent a week talking to my past lives. They all agreed: Anil would be the best. And they do not have as much affection for my children as I do. But there is one other thing…” Aang met his eyes. “Tenzin was never in the running to be the leader of the Air Nomads. He’s not good enough at Airbending and he’s a little too rebellious. The person who was going to be the heir after Anil was always going to be you.”
Sho did not say anything for very long, and then he glanced up at his father. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” Aang said. “You are the second best Airbender and you are a very hard worker. Even if you don’t get something right away, you are willing to try again and again until you get it. That sort of quality is very good in a leader.”
“Dad… I…” Sho began, but he was shocked into silence when Aang pulled him into a strong embrace.
“Sho… you are all my flesh and blood, no matter who gave birth to you. That’s all that matters to me.” Aang said. “All I want is for you to be happy, and that includes being happy in love.”
Sho embraced his father. “Thank you, Dad.” As they embraced, he remembered what Ammy had told him, to tell his father everything. “There’s something else I have to confess.”
“What is it?”
“I never would have attacked Anil like that.” Sho said. “But I ran into someone who told me that it was my best chance to become the new Air Nomad leader. She goaded me into action.”
“Who was this?” Aang asked.
“I… don’t know. She never gave me her name.” Sho said. “But we met while I was in the Fire Nation and she said she was my second cousin, but she insisted that I call her ‘Aunt’.”
“A second cousin would be your mother’s cousin… and you say that this person was a woman?” Aang asked, a horrible thought occurring to him.
“Yes.” Sho answered.
“Oh Spirits… no… it couldn’t be Azula…” Aang gasped, feeling truly afraid for the first time.
“Azula… who is Azula?” Sho asked.
“She’s Zuko’s sister.” Aang said. “So she certainly would be your second cousin. But she’s… Oh Spirits…”
“Dad? What’s wrong?” Sho asked. “What’s so bad about this woman?”
“But it can’t be her… she’s been locked up for years…”
“Dad!”
Aang finally answered Sho’s question. “Azula is the only person in the world who scares me.” He said.
“But… you’re not scared of anyone!” Sho said.
“That’s not true.” Aang said. “Azula terrifies me. In the entire history of the Avatar, no one has ever come close to destroying the reincarnation cycle for good by killing the Avatar while he’s in the Avatar State… except for one person… Azula.”
“She… almost killed you?” Sho asked, amazed.
“She did kill me. Katara was able to bring me back, but I almost lost the Avatar State for good that day. I still have the scar to prove it.” Aang said, gesturing to his back.
Sho’s face went blank. He knew about his father’s scar, but he had never wondered where it had come from. “Oh Spirits… I can’t believe I took the advice of a woman who almost murdered my father…”
“No. This is my fault.” Aang said, rubbing his temples. “I was so scared of her that I never thought to warn any of you. Besides, she’s been locked up, under constant surveillance for years. I… I need more proof.”
With that, Aang pressed his hands to himself to complete the act of Soulbending that his son’s fight had interrupted. There was a bright flash of blue light and Sho cried out in shock.
Inside his own mind, Aang carefully searched his memories from their last reunion. He followed his memories of leaving the party after Toshi and then, suddenly, he was heading back inside. He backed up slightly, and encountered an oddity. There was a slight flaw to his memories, like a mental fold. Aang concentrated on that fold and pulled it out straight.
Memories instantly rushed into his mind. He remembered his encounter with Azula in the woods, and he remembered the Soulbender and he remembered… he got sick just thinking about it… what the Soulbender had done to himself. He had removed his emotions and memories, thus making it impossible for him to be overcome with Soulbending, but at the same time, he had taken away everything that made him human! He could not think or feel emotions… only exist as a puppet for others to manipulate.
Aang gasped as the memories released him. “I need more proof…” Aang gasped, rushing out of the room.
~~~~~~~~~~
Aang found himself rushing to the Temple’s guest rooms, where Anil was sure to have placed Mitsuko. He found her quickly with his Earthbending vision, and rushed into the room. She looked up as he entered, and her eyes lit up. “Oh… Aang… I’m so glad to see you’re…” She got up to embrace him.
Aang quickly stopped her, holding her by her shoulders. “Please, Mitsuko, listen to me. If you love me, answer my question.”
“Anything.” Mitsuko promised.
“Has there been any time recently when it seemed to you that more time has passed then it felt like? Have you had a moment when you’ve only believed a few moments had passed when others told you it was much longer?”
Mitsuko stared at him, confused. “Yes, just before I left to come here.”
“Thank you, Mitsuko. I need you to do one more thing for me… Hold still and don’t fight against me.” Aang said, placing his hands on her forehead and heart. Within seconds, he was inside her mind.
There was a slight resistance on Mitsuko’s part, but that quickly stopped. Aang shifted back through her memories, feeling a pang as he watched the horrors she had gone through to get to the Southern Air Temple. Eventually, he found the mental fold. He made a note of it and traveled back further, first removing her similar fake memories of the time she spent with him, and then going back to the fold. He pulled it out, and both he and Mitsuko were able to witness the memories that had been hidden away.
He saw the love she had for her husband, a Fire Nation man that also had gray eyes. They had a small son together, and they loved him and each other unconditionally. Their love reminded Aang of his love for Katara, and he felt a pang in his heart as he thought of her.
The memories turned bad when Azula arrived at their house late one night. She took the entire family hostage and confirmed that the young child had gray eyes. With a single heartless order, Azula had Mitsuko’s husband killed right before her eyes. Mitsuko had been in too much pain at losing her beloved to fight against the Soulbender as he rearranged her memories to suit their needs. Mitsuko had no more memory of the man she loved, and had been forced to transfer those feelings to a man that she had never met before… Avatar Aang.
Aang gasped as he pulled away from her, almost crying with shared pain. Her memories returned, Mitsuko let out a heart-rending cry and collapsed on the ground, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, and mourning bitterly for her dead husband.
Aang knelt down next to her and pulled her into an embrace. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry this had to happen to you.”
She clutched onto him as she wept, but it was not like before. She no longer had any feelings of love for him. She simply held onto him because he was there, willing to offer what comfort he could.
There was one thing that Aang knew for sure. She really could not go back to her former life. She had no family left to take care of her and her son. He had no affection for the child or her, but he could not abandon her or an innocent child to death.
“I’ll make sure that you are taken care of.” Aang promised, holding her.
~~~~~~~~~~
He eventually left Mitsuko to grieve at her own pace and rushed back up to his office. He sat down at the desk and pulled out a piece of parchment, writing a hasty note to Firelord Zuko.
Zuko,
I know that this is going to sound impossible, but I have come across some evidence that Azula might have escaped her prison. It’s possible that she left a decoy in her place.
Please investigate this matter.
Also, I have in my care a widowed Fire Nation woman and her child. She has no family to take care of her, and I would appreciate it greatly if you would afford her a place in the royal household.
Write back to me at Kyoshi Island as soon as you can.
~Aang
Aang quickly sent the message to the Fire Nation with the fastest Messenger Hawk that he owned, and rushed out to find Toph, The Duke, and Sokka.
He found them gathered down at the training area, along with most of his children, minus Ammy and Sho.
“Anil, I’m leaving. You’re in charge of the Southern Air Temple while I’m gone.” Aang said.
“Yes, father.” Anil said instantly.
“Sho is not to be punished.” Aang said. “He knows that he made a mistake, and he has given me the evidence I need to know who’s behind this. Also, treat Mitsuko with kindness. She has suffered greatly and is very distraught.”
“Yes, father.”
“Sokka, Toph, The Duke…” Aang glanced at the others. “Come with me to Kyoshi Island.”
Everyone smiled. “Good to have you back, Aang.” Sokka said.
“Yes.” Toph said, punching Aang’s arm. “Let’s go get your woman back.” Aang smiled.
Aang barely gave them the time to get on Appa’s back before he was taking to the air and making his way to Kyoshi Island, urging Appa to go as fast as he could. Aang couldn’t help it. He was going to go tell Katara the truth and beg for her to take him back. No matter how long it took, he would not rest until Katara was in his arms once again.
~~~~~~~~~~
Back at the Air Temple, Anil made his way up to his brother’s room, where he was still recovering from having the Final Airbending move used on him. Anil had to admit that he was shaken up too. He had been holding his breath when his father used it, but the loss of his Bending powers had been more of a shock then he thought it would be.
He slowly walked into the room, and Sho looked up at him, shame in his eyes. He couldn’t meet Anil’s gaze for more than a few moments before he dropped his eyes. “I’m sorry.” Sho said.
“Dad’s gone to Kyoshi Island to get mom back.” Anil said. “He left me in charge.”
Sho took a deep breath. “Well, you are the one most suited for the job.”
“We need to talk.” Anil said. “Do you think I would be a different person if our positions were switched? If Dad were married to Lady Nera, and my mother were just a woman part of the Plan… and I was raised by Lady Nera rather than my mother?”
“Probably.” Sho said.
“Why? Aang would still be my father and Katara would still be my mother.” Anil said.
“Because you would be raised by a different woman.” Sho said.
“Exactly. I’m not saying that Lady Nera isn’t a fine woman or a fine mother, but Katara is the one who has raised you. For a long time, you thought of Katara as your mother because you knew of no other. She’s the one who raised you, feed you and clothed you, stayed with you and healed you when you were sick. She gave you nothing more or less than what she has given me, of my full-siblings. You just came into our family differently, that is all. Parents are not the people who give birth to us… but the people who raise us… love us… teach us right from wrong… and eventually give us the freedom to run our own lives.”
“I’m sorry, Anil. I don’t know what I was thinking. And I never meant to insult Katara’s abilities as a mother.”
“You weren’t thinking.” Anil said. “But Dad forgives you, and so do I… as long as we can understand that I’m going to keep a very close eye on you. And I think we’re gonna hold off on getting you your tattoos, at least for a while. So… why don’t you tell me why you did what you did?”
Sho sighed and gave Anil the same reasons that he gave to Aang, including the hint of his love.
“You did this for love?” Anil said. “Well, then I guess I can really forgive you. So… who is the lucky woman?”
“I can’t…” Sho said. “I love her with all my heart, but our love can never be. It’s forbidden.”
“Forbidden? How can you think that something as pure and honest as love be forbidden?” Anil asked. “You should never be ashamed of your feelings, Sho.”
“You don’t understand… no one would accept us…” Sho began.
“What? Is she from another culture? You should know that our family would be the last person to object to two people from different cultures falling in love.” Anil asked.
“It’s more serious than that!” Sho said. “There can be no love between…” Sho paused.
“Between…” Anil said leadingly.
Sho sighed. “Swear that you won’t tell anyone… not even her!” He said.
“I swear, I won’t breathe a word.” Anil said.
“There can be no love between… two siblings.” Sho finally confessed. Anil stared at him in shock. “The woman that I’ve fallen in love with… is Ammy.” Sho gazed into the shocked look on Anil’s face, and felt sick with shame.
“I… I’m shocked.” Anil said.
“That’s an understatement, isn’t it?”
“Maybe a little.” Anil said. “You know that there’s certain… complications with this love? You’d never be able to legally marry… nor would she be able to lay with you as a wife or give you children. Pregnancy would surely kill her.”
“I know. I know!” Sho said, pain in his voice. “But it doesn’t matter to me. I still… feel this way about her. I wanted to become the Air Nomad Leader because then I could create a world where we could be together without fear of judgment.” As sick as it made him, he repeated the words that Azula used on him. “No one could tell a leader of a nation who he can and cannot marry, no matter how forbidden it is.”
Anil rubbed his temples. “I fear there is just pain down that path.”
“My heart is set.”
Anil sighed. “You know that I just want you to be happy. If these feelings make you happy, then I won’t judge you for them. And I won’t say anything, I promise.”
LES: This chapter was much longer than I anticipated. This is mainly because I did not include the whole Mitsuko part in the original outline. Oh well. Works out great for you guys, right?
It took quite a while for Sho to wake up after Aang disabled him, and the first thing on his mind was that he was glad to be able to feel air in his lungs once again and the flow of air around his body.
He groaned slowly and opened his eyes, but instantly closed them again. He had found himself looking into the disappointed eyes of his father. For a long while, no one said anything, and Sho chanced another look at his father, only to see that there was sorrow in his eyes now.
“Why did you do this?” Aang asked softly.
Sho flinched. There was no anger in Aang’s voice, but sorrow and disappointment. The disappointment was the worst, however. It made Sho want to curl up into a little ball and never see the light of sun again. “I… felt I had no choice.”
“You always have a choice.” Aang said.
“I… I was jealous.” Sho admitted.
“Of Anil?”
“Yes.” Sho said. “He never had to work as hard as I did at Airbending. I’m the harder worker. I have spent the last few weeks Mastering Airbending by myself. But…” He remembered the strange move that Aang had performed on him. “I guess I still have a lot to learn, huh?”
“You’re lucky you didn’t force Anil to do that to you.” Aang said. “Even with my experience, you still almost died.”
“You mean… Anil knows how to do that crazy airless move?” Sho demanded. “Then he…” He paused, realization coming over him. “He could have defeated me any time he wanted to!”
“That’s true.” Aang said. “But doing so could have resulted in your death. But I know Anil. He would not have been able to live with himself if he had caused someone else’s death… even accidentally. I also know that you would not have been able to forgive yourself if you’d killed your own brother. So… why did you duel him?”
“I don’t understand. I was never trying to kill him.” Sho began.
“When two Masters fight, there is always an increased risk that one or both of the combatants will die.” Aang said. “You could have killed each other.”
Sho hung his head. “I didn’t…” He paused. “I was just jealous of your favoring Anil… and I also wanted to become the Air Nomad leader so I could…” Sho paused shamefully. “I wanted to create a world where I would be free to love the woman that I love.”
“Love? You’re in love with someone?” Aang asked, sounding shocked. “Is she someone I know?” Sho did not reply to Aang’s question, nor would he meet his eyes. “It’s still a secret love?” Aang asked.
“You could say that.” Sho said slowly.
“Very well, I’ll ask no more of it.” Aang said, sensing the Sho was a little sensitive about his feelings. “Now, Sho, there are some things that I wanted to tell you when we got in our last… argument, but it didn’t come out right. So I’m going to try to do this again… calmly.”
Aang sighed. “I know that it certainly seems like I’m favoring Anil, but that is not the case. Anil is the eldest, he’s an Airbending prodigy, which meant that he was able to Master Airbending extremely quickly which gave him a lot of time to learn the other subjects that he would need to know as the leader of the Air Nomads. These are the things that he’s been studying with me for the past four years, and in many ways he is still learning and struggling.”
“He’s struggling?”
“Yes. Just because he’s an Airbending prodigy doesn’t mean that he’s good at everything. He’s struggled, just the same as everyone else.” Aang said. “When it came time for me to pick the next leader several years ago, I did not make the decision alone. I took a trip to the Spirit World and spent a week talking to my past lives. They all agreed: Anil would be the best. And they do not have as much affection for my children as I do. But there is one other thing…” Aang met his eyes. “Tenzin was never in the running to be the leader of the Air Nomads. He’s not good enough at Airbending and he’s a little too rebellious. The person who was going to be the heir after Anil was always going to be you.”
Sho did not say anything for very long, and then he glanced up at his father. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” Aang said. “You are the second best Airbender and you are a very hard worker. Even if you don’t get something right away, you are willing to try again and again until you get it. That sort of quality is very good in a leader.”
“Dad… I…” Sho began, but he was shocked into silence when Aang pulled him into a strong embrace.
“Sho… you are all my flesh and blood, no matter who gave birth to you. That’s all that matters to me.” Aang said. “All I want is for you to be happy, and that includes being happy in love.”
Sho embraced his father. “Thank you, Dad.” As they embraced, he remembered what Ammy had told him, to tell his father everything. “There’s something else I have to confess.”
“What is it?”
“I never would have attacked Anil like that.” Sho said. “But I ran into someone who told me that it was my best chance to become the new Air Nomad leader. She goaded me into action.”
“Who was this?” Aang asked.
“I… don’t know. She never gave me her name.” Sho said. “But we met while I was in the Fire Nation and she said she was my second cousin, but she insisted that I call her ‘Aunt’.”
“A second cousin would be your mother’s cousin… and you say that this person was a woman?” Aang asked, a horrible thought occurring to him.
“Yes.” Sho answered.
“Oh Spirits… no… it couldn’t be Azula…” Aang gasped, feeling truly afraid for the first time.
“Azula… who is Azula?” Sho asked.
“She’s Zuko’s sister.” Aang said. “So she certainly would be your second cousin. But she’s… Oh Spirits…”
“Dad? What’s wrong?” Sho asked. “What’s so bad about this woman?”
“But it can’t be her… she’s been locked up for years…”
“Dad!”
Aang finally answered Sho’s question. “Azula is the only person in the world who scares me.” He said.
“But… you’re not scared of anyone!” Sho said.
“That’s not true.” Aang said. “Azula terrifies me. In the entire history of the Avatar, no one has ever come close to destroying the reincarnation cycle for good by killing the Avatar while he’s in the Avatar State… except for one person… Azula.”
“She… almost killed you?” Sho asked, amazed.
“She did kill me. Katara was able to bring me back, but I almost lost the Avatar State for good that day. I still have the scar to prove it.” Aang said, gesturing to his back.
Sho’s face went blank. He knew about his father’s scar, but he had never wondered where it had come from. “Oh Spirits… I can’t believe I took the advice of a woman who almost murdered my father…”
“No. This is my fault.” Aang said, rubbing his temples. “I was so scared of her that I never thought to warn any of you. Besides, she’s been locked up, under constant surveillance for years. I… I need more proof.”
With that, Aang pressed his hands to himself to complete the act of Soulbending that his son’s fight had interrupted. There was a bright flash of blue light and Sho cried out in shock.
Inside his own mind, Aang carefully searched his memories from their last reunion. He followed his memories of leaving the party after Toshi and then, suddenly, he was heading back inside. He backed up slightly, and encountered an oddity. There was a slight flaw to his memories, like a mental fold. Aang concentrated on that fold and pulled it out straight.
Memories instantly rushed into his mind. He remembered his encounter with Azula in the woods, and he remembered the Soulbender and he remembered… he got sick just thinking about it… what the Soulbender had done to himself. He had removed his emotions and memories, thus making it impossible for him to be overcome with Soulbending, but at the same time, he had taken away everything that made him human! He could not think or feel emotions… only exist as a puppet for others to manipulate.
Aang gasped as the memories released him. “I need more proof…” Aang gasped, rushing out of the room.
~~~~~~~~~~
Aang found himself rushing to the Temple’s guest rooms, where Anil was sure to have placed Mitsuko. He found her quickly with his Earthbending vision, and rushed into the room. She looked up as he entered, and her eyes lit up. “Oh… Aang… I’m so glad to see you’re…” She got up to embrace him.
Aang quickly stopped her, holding her by her shoulders. “Please, Mitsuko, listen to me. If you love me, answer my question.”
“Anything.” Mitsuko promised.
“Has there been any time recently when it seemed to you that more time has passed then it felt like? Have you had a moment when you’ve only believed a few moments had passed when others told you it was much longer?”
Mitsuko stared at him, confused. “Yes, just before I left to come here.”
“Thank you, Mitsuko. I need you to do one more thing for me… Hold still and don’t fight against me.” Aang said, placing his hands on her forehead and heart. Within seconds, he was inside her mind.
There was a slight resistance on Mitsuko’s part, but that quickly stopped. Aang shifted back through her memories, feeling a pang as he watched the horrors she had gone through to get to the Southern Air Temple. Eventually, he found the mental fold. He made a note of it and traveled back further, first removing her similar fake memories of the time she spent with him, and then going back to the fold. He pulled it out, and both he and Mitsuko were able to witness the memories that had been hidden away.
He saw the love she had for her husband, a Fire Nation man that also had gray eyes. They had a small son together, and they loved him and each other unconditionally. Their love reminded Aang of his love for Katara, and he felt a pang in his heart as he thought of her.
The memories turned bad when Azula arrived at their house late one night. She took the entire family hostage and confirmed that the young child had gray eyes. With a single heartless order, Azula had Mitsuko’s husband killed right before her eyes. Mitsuko had been in too much pain at losing her beloved to fight against the Soulbender as he rearranged her memories to suit their needs. Mitsuko had no more memory of the man she loved, and had been forced to transfer those feelings to a man that she had never met before… Avatar Aang.
Aang gasped as he pulled away from her, almost crying with shared pain. Her memories returned, Mitsuko let out a heart-rending cry and collapsed on the ground, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, and mourning bitterly for her dead husband.
Aang knelt down next to her and pulled her into an embrace. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry this had to happen to you.”
She clutched onto him as she wept, but it was not like before. She no longer had any feelings of love for him. She simply held onto him because he was there, willing to offer what comfort he could.
There was one thing that Aang knew for sure. She really could not go back to her former life. She had no family left to take care of her and her son. He had no affection for the child or her, but he could not abandon her or an innocent child to death.
“I’ll make sure that you are taken care of.” Aang promised, holding her.
~~~~~~~~~~
He eventually left Mitsuko to grieve at her own pace and rushed back up to his office. He sat down at the desk and pulled out a piece of parchment, writing a hasty note to Firelord Zuko.
Zuko,
I know that this is going to sound impossible, but I have come across some evidence that Azula might have escaped her prison. It’s possible that she left a decoy in her place.
Please investigate this matter.
Also, I have in my care a widowed Fire Nation woman and her child. She has no family to take care of her, and I would appreciate it greatly if you would afford her a place in the royal household.
Write back to me at Kyoshi Island as soon as you can.
~Aang
Aang quickly sent the message to the Fire Nation with the fastest Messenger Hawk that he owned, and rushed out to find Toph, The Duke, and Sokka.
He found them gathered down at the training area, along with most of his children, minus Ammy and Sho.
“Anil, I’m leaving. You’re in charge of the Southern Air Temple while I’m gone.” Aang said.
“Yes, father.” Anil said instantly.
“Sho is not to be punished.” Aang said. “He knows that he made a mistake, and he has given me the evidence I need to know who’s behind this. Also, treat Mitsuko with kindness. She has suffered greatly and is very distraught.”
“Yes, father.”
“Sokka, Toph, The Duke…” Aang glanced at the others. “Come with me to Kyoshi Island.”
Everyone smiled. “Good to have you back, Aang.” Sokka said.
“Yes.” Toph said, punching Aang’s arm. “Let’s go get your woman back.” Aang smiled.
Aang barely gave them the time to get on Appa’s back before he was taking to the air and making his way to Kyoshi Island, urging Appa to go as fast as he could. Aang couldn’t help it. He was going to go tell Katara the truth and beg for her to take him back. No matter how long it took, he would not rest until Katara was in his arms once again.
~~~~~~~~~~
Back at the Air Temple, Anil made his way up to his brother’s room, where he was still recovering from having the Final Airbending move used on him. Anil had to admit that he was shaken up too. He had been holding his breath when his father used it, but the loss of his Bending powers had been more of a shock then he thought it would be.
He slowly walked into the room, and Sho looked up at him, shame in his eyes. He couldn’t meet Anil’s gaze for more than a few moments before he dropped his eyes. “I’m sorry.” Sho said.
“Dad’s gone to Kyoshi Island to get mom back.” Anil said. “He left me in charge.”
Sho took a deep breath. “Well, you are the one most suited for the job.”
“We need to talk.” Anil said. “Do you think I would be a different person if our positions were switched? If Dad were married to Lady Nera, and my mother were just a woman part of the Plan… and I was raised by Lady Nera rather than my mother?”
“Probably.” Sho said.
“Why? Aang would still be my father and Katara would still be my mother.” Anil said.
“Because you would be raised by a different woman.” Sho said.
“Exactly. I’m not saying that Lady Nera isn’t a fine woman or a fine mother, but Katara is the one who has raised you. For a long time, you thought of Katara as your mother because you knew of no other. She’s the one who raised you, feed you and clothed you, stayed with you and healed you when you were sick. She gave you nothing more or less than what she has given me, of my full-siblings. You just came into our family differently, that is all. Parents are not the people who give birth to us… but the people who raise us… love us… teach us right from wrong… and eventually give us the freedom to run our own lives.”
“I’m sorry, Anil. I don’t know what I was thinking. And I never meant to insult Katara’s abilities as a mother.”
“You weren’t thinking.” Anil said. “But Dad forgives you, and so do I… as long as we can understand that I’m going to keep a very close eye on you. And I think we’re gonna hold off on getting you your tattoos, at least for a while. So… why don’t you tell me why you did what you did?”
Sho sighed and gave Anil the same reasons that he gave to Aang, including the hint of his love.
“You did this for love?” Anil said. “Well, then I guess I can really forgive you. So… who is the lucky woman?”
“I can’t…” Sho said. “I love her with all my heart, but our love can never be. It’s forbidden.”
“Forbidden? How can you think that something as pure and honest as love be forbidden?” Anil asked. “You should never be ashamed of your feelings, Sho.”
“You don’t understand… no one would accept us…” Sho began.
“What? Is she from another culture? You should know that our family would be the last person to object to two people from different cultures falling in love.” Anil asked.
“It’s more serious than that!” Sho said. “There can be no love between…” Sho paused.
“Between…” Anil said leadingly.
Sho sighed. “Swear that you won’t tell anyone… not even her!” He said.
“I swear, I won’t breathe a word.” Anil said.
“There can be no love between… two siblings.” Sho finally confessed. Anil stared at him in shock. “The woman that I’ve fallen in love with… is Ammy.” Sho gazed into the shocked look on Anil’s face, and felt sick with shame.
“I… I’m shocked.” Anil said.
“That’s an understatement, isn’t it?”
“Maybe a little.” Anil said. “You know that there’s certain… complications with this love? You’d never be able to legally marry… nor would she be able to lay with you as a wife or give you children. Pregnancy would surely kill her.”
“I know. I know!” Sho said, pain in his voice. “But it doesn’t matter to me. I still… feel this way about her. I wanted to become the Air Nomad Leader because then I could create a world where we could be together without fear of judgment.” As sick as it made him, he repeated the words that Azula used on him. “No one could tell a leader of a nation who he can and cannot marry, no matter how forbidden it is.”
Anil rubbed his temples. “I fear there is just pain down that path.”
“My heart is set.”
Anil sighed. “You know that I just want you to be happy. If these feelings make you happy, then I won’t judge you for them. And I won’t say anything, I promise.”
LES: This chapter was much longer than I anticipated. This is mainly because I did not include the whole Mitsuko part in the original outline. Oh well. Works out great for you guys, right?