Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Duty Versus Love ❯ Recovery ( Chapter 48 )
[ 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: 2.0K | Visits: 396 | 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: 2.0K | Visits: 396 | Status: Work In Progress
LES: It’s all pretty much downhill from here. The end of this story is in sight… just a little longer… hold it together…
Chapter IIL: Recovery
On the trip back to the Southern Air Temple, the whole family was pretty quiet. Katara and Hitomi both worked around the clock on Sho, making sure that he was healing up properly. For a while, Katara had been worried that Sho would never fully recover from the lightning strike. But the quick administration of Spirit Water had healed the worst of the damage, and she was now hopeful that he would eventually make a full recovery.
There was also another reason for the silence.
Aang had not fallen into a depression like the one that followed Katara leaving the Southern Air Temple, but he was still in a state of shock and horror about what the fight had come to. He had been quick to forgive what Katara did to the Soulbender, but he was having a much harder time forgiving himself. That Soulbender was not alive anymore, but Azula was. She could still feel and experience life… but Aang had ripped that away from her without giving her a chance to defend herself.
Katara watched her husband suffering, and she longed to comfort him, but she also did not want to talk about these things in front of the children. All the children had understood that when you were a battle, sometimes you had to do what you had to do. Katara had been forced into attacking for her life, and Aang had committed an accident… a terrible accident, but still an accident.
A few days later, they landed at the Southern Air Temple and, after Katara went to go check on Ammy, she met up with her husband. “Come with me. We need to talk.” She said softly, drawing him up to their room.
Once they got there, Katara turned to face Aang’s sad and haunted eyes. “I know this must feel terrible for you…”
“I killed her, Katara.” Aang said finally. “I had the power to stop her without using deadly force like I did with Ozai, and I didn’t… I took away her life without a second thought. I…”
“Aang.” Katara whispered, pulling him into an embrace. “What happened was no less worse than what I did to that Soulbender.”
“No, Katara, it isn’t…” Aang said. “His heart may have been beating, but he was not alive, for he could not experience life for its joys, sorrows or pains. Azula could…”
“Yes, Azula could still feel.” Katara accepted. “But did she? Did she really let herself experience life? Her whole life had been dedicated to power, hatred, revenge. Is that really a way to live?” Aang did not answer. “Even if she was truly happy with the life she was living, which I doubt she was, what happened to her was an accident.”
“But I still had a choice…” Aang began.
“Did you really?” Katara asked. “You struck out against Azula for the same reason that I struck out against the Soulbender… for the protection of our children. What parent would not go to any lengths to protect their child?”
“One who doesn’t care.” Aang said.
“But you do care, Aang. You know that if Sho had died, it would have destroyed you. We did what any decent parent would do… defending our children from harm.”
“Katara…” Aang gasped, pulling her into a kiss.
“I still love you Aang. I will always love you, no matter what.” Katara replied into his kiss. “You forgave me for what I did to the Soulbender, so I forgive you what you did to Azula. Now I want you to forgive yourself as well.”
They shared another passionate kiss, having been starved of this sort of affection for almost three weeks.
When they pulled apart, Katara spoke. “I think it’s about time we told the children about their newest sibling.” Katara said, smiling at him.
“I think you’re right. And it’s time for another change as well.” Aang took her hand in his and, together, they headed down into the Temple’s main living quarters, telling their children that they met along the way to gather the rest to meet down there.
~~~~~~~~~~
It took ten minutes for the entire family to gather in the living quarters, all of the children staring expectantly at their father and Katara.
“First of all, I’d like to thank all of you for your help these past few weeks.” Aang said. “It’s been hard on all of us, but we managed to push through the challenges and are now stronger because of it. I am proud to call each and every one of you my sons and daughters. But I’d like to specially congratulate my two sons: Anil and Sho.” Anil acknowledged the praise with pride, but Sho shrunk under it. After all, he had been one of the reasons that things got as bad as it did. “Anil, without your leadership both on and off the battlefield, everything would have turned out a lot worse. And Sho…” Aang smiled down at his son. “It seems like the ability to learn from your mistakes comes from your mother’s side of the family. Yes, you did make mistakes, but you not only learned from them, but paid them back a hundredfold. You gave me the information I needed to realize that Azula was the one behind our troubles and you saved my life almost at the expense of your own. You also saved the fate of the Avatar Cycle as well, and you will always be remembered because of it. Thank you.” Aang said, bowing to Sho.
Katara picked up the telling. “And now that all that trouble’s over and our family is back together again, your father and I have a little announcement to make…” She paused, smiling at her husband. “I’m pregnant.” She said.
The reaction was immediate. All the girls reacted with squeals of delight, with little Neela asking her mother loudly if that means she won’t be the baby anymore. The boys were a bit more reserved, slight grins forming on their lips at the thought of having a younger brother. (They desperately wanted another little boy to do manly things with.) Anil stood up and pulled his mother into an embrace.
Aang watched the scene with delight in his heart, but there was still one more thing to do. He raised his hands for silence and the group obeyed immediately. “Anil, come here.” He said.
Anil glanced at his mother, who he still held in an embrace, and she nodded at him, smiling. Reassured, he stepped away from her and walked over to stand before his father.
Aang gave him a reassuring smile and reached out his hands, pressing one to his forehead and one to his heart. Anil’s heart picked up nervously when he realized what was about to happen…
Aang’s eyes and tattoos began to glow as he entered the Avatar State. For several moments, nothing happened, and then Aang began to speak with the layered voice of the Avatar. “The world is in desperate need for the Air Nomad nation to come back, and no one is more qualified to do just that than you. You have the Airbending skill necessary to teach a new generation of Airbenders. You have the compassion and love to lead your family and your nation with wisdom and understanding. The road to rebuilding a Nation is a difficult one, but it is one that you shall overcome. You have our blessing to become the next leader of the Air Nomad nation.” The glow of the Avatar State faded, leaving Aang smiling at his son.
“You… think I’m ready?” Anil asked in amazement.
“I know you are ready.” Aang said. “While I was depressed, you ran the temple and took care of my Avatar duties, you were also able to train your siblings yourself, and you were able to lead them in battle, if necessary. You are more than ready, and I will still be here to help you if you need it. After all, it is the Avatar’s duty to ensure the prosperity of all the Nations.”
“Thank you, father. This is a… great honor. I hope that I will not let you down.” Anil said, bowing to him.
Katara stepped forward, smiling at her son, and kissing his forehead. “Congratulations, Anil.” She whispered to him, showing him a necklace with a medallion on it bearing the Air Nomad symbol. It was to mark him as the Leader of a Nation. He bent down slightly and his mother placed it over his head and around his neck.
Anil turned to face his siblings as the new leader of the Air Nomad nation.
“Bringing back the Air Nomad nation is a task that will take more than one lifetime to complete, but I swear today that I will do everything in my power to ensure the continuance of our culture.” Anil said. “Our first step is to being rebuilding and reclaiming the other Air Temples for the future Air Nomad nation so that our history is not lost. My half-siblings…” He gazed fondly at them. “Soon, you will all earn your Airbending tattoos, and at that time, I would like you to head to one of the Air Temples and begin the rebuilding efforts. To lead in these efforts, I will appoint Sho, Megumi, and Toshi as my fellow head Monks and Nuns. Sho, I want you to go to the Eastern Air Temple and lead there; Megumi, you’ll take the Western Air Temple; and Toshi will lead at the North. Ammy…” He glanced at his beloved half-sibling. “Will you consent to going to the Eastern Air Temple as a Head Nun as well?”
Ammy blinked in surprise. “Me? But I’m not even an Airbender. Now can I help?”
“The Air Nomads were always a highly spiritual people. You will be the new Air Nomad’s connection to the Spirits, ensuring the continuance of that tradition. Besides, the Eastern Temple was traditionally run by both a Monk and a Nun. I’m sure Sho will appreciate the help.”
It was not lost on Sho that Anil had asked Ammy to travel with him to the Eastern Air Temple rather than staying at the Southern Air Temple to advise him on Spiritual matters. Sho sent a look of shock at his older brother just in time to catch the swift wink that Anil sent in his direction. The exchange was lost on the others, but Sho smiled to himself, glad that he had Anil, at least, on his side.
“All I ask is that you will consent to be my personal advisor in Spiritual matters.” Anil said. “This will not be strenuous… merely answering a letter every once in a while.”
Ammy thought about it for some time. “Very well. I accept.”
LES: Whoo-hoo… sneaky Anil! Are we done? No, we are not done! But almost… almost… The next chapter will reveal, among other things, just WHAT Toshi was doing the night Aang tried to follow him. Though, compared to the other things that have been revealed in this story, it probably won’t be that much of a shock…
Chapter IIL: Recovery
On the trip back to the Southern Air Temple, the whole family was pretty quiet. Katara and Hitomi both worked around the clock on Sho, making sure that he was healing up properly. For a while, Katara had been worried that Sho would never fully recover from the lightning strike. But the quick administration of Spirit Water had healed the worst of the damage, and she was now hopeful that he would eventually make a full recovery.
There was also another reason for the silence.
Aang had not fallen into a depression like the one that followed Katara leaving the Southern Air Temple, but he was still in a state of shock and horror about what the fight had come to. He had been quick to forgive what Katara did to the Soulbender, but he was having a much harder time forgiving himself. That Soulbender was not alive anymore, but Azula was. She could still feel and experience life… but Aang had ripped that away from her without giving her a chance to defend herself.
Katara watched her husband suffering, and she longed to comfort him, but she also did not want to talk about these things in front of the children. All the children had understood that when you were a battle, sometimes you had to do what you had to do. Katara had been forced into attacking for her life, and Aang had committed an accident… a terrible accident, but still an accident.
A few days later, they landed at the Southern Air Temple and, after Katara went to go check on Ammy, she met up with her husband. “Come with me. We need to talk.” She said softly, drawing him up to their room.
Once they got there, Katara turned to face Aang’s sad and haunted eyes. “I know this must feel terrible for you…”
“I killed her, Katara.” Aang said finally. “I had the power to stop her without using deadly force like I did with Ozai, and I didn’t… I took away her life without a second thought. I…”
“Aang.” Katara whispered, pulling him into an embrace. “What happened was no less worse than what I did to that Soulbender.”
“No, Katara, it isn’t…” Aang said. “His heart may have been beating, but he was not alive, for he could not experience life for its joys, sorrows or pains. Azula could…”
“Yes, Azula could still feel.” Katara accepted. “But did she? Did she really let herself experience life? Her whole life had been dedicated to power, hatred, revenge. Is that really a way to live?” Aang did not answer. “Even if she was truly happy with the life she was living, which I doubt she was, what happened to her was an accident.”
“But I still had a choice…” Aang began.
“Did you really?” Katara asked. “You struck out against Azula for the same reason that I struck out against the Soulbender… for the protection of our children. What parent would not go to any lengths to protect their child?”
“One who doesn’t care.” Aang said.
“But you do care, Aang. You know that if Sho had died, it would have destroyed you. We did what any decent parent would do… defending our children from harm.”
“Katara…” Aang gasped, pulling her into a kiss.
“I still love you Aang. I will always love you, no matter what.” Katara replied into his kiss. “You forgave me for what I did to the Soulbender, so I forgive you what you did to Azula. Now I want you to forgive yourself as well.”
They shared another passionate kiss, having been starved of this sort of affection for almost three weeks.
When they pulled apart, Katara spoke. “I think it’s about time we told the children about their newest sibling.” Katara said, smiling at him.
“I think you’re right. And it’s time for another change as well.” Aang took her hand in his and, together, they headed down into the Temple’s main living quarters, telling their children that they met along the way to gather the rest to meet down there.
~~~~~~~~~~
It took ten minutes for the entire family to gather in the living quarters, all of the children staring expectantly at their father and Katara.
“First of all, I’d like to thank all of you for your help these past few weeks.” Aang said. “It’s been hard on all of us, but we managed to push through the challenges and are now stronger because of it. I am proud to call each and every one of you my sons and daughters. But I’d like to specially congratulate my two sons: Anil and Sho.” Anil acknowledged the praise with pride, but Sho shrunk under it. After all, he had been one of the reasons that things got as bad as it did. “Anil, without your leadership both on and off the battlefield, everything would have turned out a lot worse. And Sho…” Aang smiled down at his son. “It seems like the ability to learn from your mistakes comes from your mother’s side of the family. Yes, you did make mistakes, but you not only learned from them, but paid them back a hundredfold. You gave me the information I needed to realize that Azula was the one behind our troubles and you saved my life almost at the expense of your own. You also saved the fate of the Avatar Cycle as well, and you will always be remembered because of it. Thank you.” Aang said, bowing to Sho.
Katara picked up the telling. “And now that all that trouble’s over and our family is back together again, your father and I have a little announcement to make…” She paused, smiling at her husband. “I’m pregnant.” She said.
The reaction was immediate. All the girls reacted with squeals of delight, with little Neela asking her mother loudly if that means she won’t be the baby anymore. The boys were a bit more reserved, slight grins forming on their lips at the thought of having a younger brother. (They desperately wanted another little boy to do manly things with.) Anil stood up and pulled his mother into an embrace.
Aang watched the scene with delight in his heart, but there was still one more thing to do. He raised his hands for silence and the group obeyed immediately. “Anil, come here.” He said.
Anil glanced at his mother, who he still held in an embrace, and she nodded at him, smiling. Reassured, he stepped away from her and walked over to stand before his father.
Aang gave him a reassuring smile and reached out his hands, pressing one to his forehead and one to his heart. Anil’s heart picked up nervously when he realized what was about to happen…
Aang’s eyes and tattoos began to glow as he entered the Avatar State. For several moments, nothing happened, and then Aang began to speak with the layered voice of the Avatar. “The world is in desperate need for the Air Nomad nation to come back, and no one is more qualified to do just that than you. You have the Airbending skill necessary to teach a new generation of Airbenders. You have the compassion and love to lead your family and your nation with wisdom and understanding. The road to rebuilding a Nation is a difficult one, but it is one that you shall overcome. You have our blessing to become the next leader of the Air Nomad nation.” The glow of the Avatar State faded, leaving Aang smiling at his son.
“You… think I’m ready?” Anil asked in amazement.
“I know you are ready.” Aang said. “While I was depressed, you ran the temple and took care of my Avatar duties, you were also able to train your siblings yourself, and you were able to lead them in battle, if necessary. You are more than ready, and I will still be here to help you if you need it. After all, it is the Avatar’s duty to ensure the prosperity of all the Nations.”
“Thank you, father. This is a… great honor. I hope that I will not let you down.” Anil said, bowing to him.
Katara stepped forward, smiling at her son, and kissing his forehead. “Congratulations, Anil.” She whispered to him, showing him a necklace with a medallion on it bearing the Air Nomad symbol. It was to mark him as the Leader of a Nation. He bent down slightly and his mother placed it over his head and around his neck.
Anil turned to face his siblings as the new leader of the Air Nomad nation.
“Bringing back the Air Nomad nation is a task that will take more than one lifetime to complete, but I swear today that I will do everything in my power to ensure the continuance of our culture.” Anil said. “Our first step is to being rebuilding and reclaiming the other Air Temples for the future Air Nomad nation so that our history is not lost. My half-siblings…” He gazed fondly at them. “Soon, you will all earn your Airbending tattoos, and at that time, I would like you to head to one of the Air Temples and begin the rebuilding efforts. To lead in these efforts, I will appoint Sho, Megumi, and Toshi as my fellow head Monks and Nuns. Sho, I want you to go to the Eastern Air Temple and lead there; Megumi, you’ll take the Western Air Temple; and Toshi will lead at the North. Ammy…” He glanced at his beloved half-sibling. “Will you consent to going to the Eastern Air Temple as a Head Nun as well?”
Ammy blinked in surprise. “Me? But I’m not even an Airbender. Now can I help?”
“The Air Nomads were always a highly spiritual people. You will be the new Air Nomad’s connection to the Spirits, ensuring the continuance of that tradition. Besides, the Eastern Temple was traditionally run by both a Monk and a Nun. I’m sure Sho will appreciate the help.”
It was not lost on Sho that Anil had asked Ammy to travel with him to the Eastern Air Temple rather than staying at the Southern Air Temple to advise him on Spiritual matters. Sho sent a look of shock at his older brother just in time to catch the swift wink that Anil sent in his direction. The exchange was lost on the others, but Sho smiled to himself, glad that he had Anil, at least, on his side.
“All I ask is that you will consent to be my personal advisor in Spiritual matters.” Anil said. “This will not be strenuous… merely answering a letter every once in a while.”
Ammy thought about it for some time. “Very well. I accept.”
LES: Whoo-hoo… sneaky Anil! Are we done? No, we are not done! But almost… almost… The next chapter will reveal, among other things, just WHAT Toshi was doing the night Aang tried to follow him. Though, compared to the other things that have been revealed in this story, it probably won’t be that much of a shock…