Legacy

Chapter 5

Katara left the room quietly, softly shutting the door behind her. She leaned against the wall by the door for a second. She let a single tear escape and run down her face. Then, with another check in Tenzin's room to find him sleeping, she walked down the hall, down the stairs, and into the kitchen. She got a cup of water and drained it slowly. She set it down, deep in thought. She knew she had to tell Aang, but what was she going to say?

She sighed and brushed her hair out of her face. Guess she wouldn't know until she was facing him. She turned and left the kitchen. She walked down the hall to the door that led to Aang's study. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then she opened the door and walked in.

"Aang, we need to talk." she said as she entered, closed the door, and walked briskly to his desk.

He looked up from his paperwork.

"About what?" he asked wearily.

"I just had a long talk with Tenzin."

His eyes widened. He stood up and walked around his desk until he came to her. He lightly put his hands on her shoulders.

"What did he say?"

She sighed. "He said that he's picked on all the time, but he never bothers to tell us. They call him all kinds of all awful names, and tell him-"

She paused, trying to get a hold of her emotions.

"Tell him what?" Aang said gently, encouraging her to continue.

"They tell him that he's a spoiled brat, and that he'll never be like you."

The pained look on Aang's face pushed her over the edge. She broke down in sobs and leaned into him, hiding her face in his robes and muffling her sobs. It broke her heart to see her baby hurting, and seeing her husband hurt wasn't any better.

Aang wrapped his arms around her. He buried his face in her hair, letting a few tears of his own escape. He also felt pain in hearing of his son's troubles. It seemed that, already, people expected him to live up to his father's legacy. He was so young, and already, the burden of being one of the last Airbenders and the Avatar's son was resting on his shoulders. It was so unfair to the poor boy.

Aang sighed and released his wife. He took her hands in his.

"I'll go talk to him." he assured her. "We'll get him through this mess."

Katara nodded, but looked at the floor. Aang released one of her hands and gently tilted her head up.

"Everything's going to be okay."

She gave him a tiny smile. "I know."

Aang bent down and gave her a quick kiss, then released her. He left his study and walked down the hall to the bottom of the stairs. There, he found Kya and Bumi in a deep conversation.

"Hey, Dad." Bumi muttered. Both Bumi and Kya looked sad. They weren't acting like themselves. He knew Kya wasn't as crazy as her brother, but she still had a decent amount of energy, while Bumi had about as much as his two siblings combined.

"Hey," he said. He took a seat by them. "What's wrong with you two?"

They glanced at each other, then looked back to him.

"Daddy?" Kya asked timidly, "Is Tenzin going to be okay?"

The two siblings stared at him, waiting for an answer.

"So, you two are worried about Tenzin?" He was a little surprised. The two siblings resented their little brother, and weren't shy about showing it. Kya was certainly a little more sympathetic towards Tenzin, but he didn't realize just how much. And Bumi, he wasn't exactly close with his little brother.

In response, they nodded. "He's so sad all the time now." Bumi said. Then he frowned. "I don't like it."

Aang sighed and beckoned his two children closer to him.

"Look," he said. "I'm going to go talk to him. We'll get him out of this mess."

The two siblings smiled at each other in relief.

"But," Aang continued. "I'm going to need you two to help me."

"How?" Kya asked.

"You two are his older siblings. You're job is to protect him, and help him through these hard times. Take care of him. Make him feel loved. Can you two do that?"

They both nodded. Bumi, somewhat hesitantly. He didn't like his dad using the "l" word when referring to his relationship with his siblings.

Aang smiled. "Good."

He pulled his two older children into a hug. Then he released them.

"I need to go talk to your brother."
He turned and began to walk up the stairs. Then, he turned around.

"Oh, and I'm really proud of you two. Tenzin would be touched to know how much his siblings care for him,"

He smiled at them once more before turning and going up the stairs.

Kya and Bumi smiled at each other. Maybe everything would be alright after all.