Please, read the Author Note at the end of the chapter. And yes, I'm alive!
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"You finally managed to do something right, Twinkle-Toes! I thought your bald head would only help you with airbending, but it seems it might give you some earthbending talent too," said Toph with a smile as she slapped Aang's shoulder, causing him to stumble forward. He tried not to fall.
Next to him were several shapeless pieces of earth and rocks, except for one that had the rough shape of a boat. Aang had created it using Earthbending while trying to refine the details of this new elemental art he had just begun to master.
Petra, one of his teachers, crouched in front of the sculpture, examining it critically. The others? Mai and Katara seemed to be discussing something. Ty Lee balanced on the edge of the sculpture with one finger. Shishui sat meditating next to Zuko while Azula sunbathed on a beach chair.
However, her baby bump was already beginning to show. If it weren't for Shisui's insistence, she would be meditating with her brother and fiancé. They had been doing so quite often since Agni communicated with the two royal family members in the spirit world.
Sokka held his bone spear and practiced lunges constantly. His gaze was far from his usual relaxed attitude. The young hunter from the Southern Water Tribe had suddenly felt inspired and believed he could capture the feeling through this type of exercise.
Suki was performing a Kyoshi Warrior kata with her two metal fans. Unlike her boyfriend, she did this as a kind of moving meditation, a custom inherited by her group.
Raava? She stood next to Aang, watching him train. She had always seen the Avatars grow up from a first-person perspective. Only with Wan had she been able to see him grow up from her own perspective, and she had not been able to do so with subsequent Avatars until now.
"But we still have to work on your steadiness. No Earthbender should stumble like that from just a little push," said the blind girl, clicking her tongue in disappointment that it was so easy to push the Avatar.
Aang, who was rubbing his sore shoulder, looked at her, confused. He knew that earthbenders were tough by nature and generally possessed tremendous strength.
But a teenager had just made him hurt! He should be used to it by now; after all, Toph seemed to express her affection bluntly. It was her words that made him smile so widely.
'How can I, an agile, pacifist monk, become as powerful as you in such a short time? Being the Avatar doesn't automatically make me super muscular!' Aang thought, but he didn't dare say it out loud, not since the first and only time he had done so.
"Are you thinking something rude?" Toph asked suddenly, making Aang's heart skip a beat. It wasn't just because of the suddenness of the comment; he knew it would be impossible to lie to the girl. He was about to accept his fate when one phrase saved him.
"Land ho!" shouted a Fire Nation sailor at the top of the ship. He held a spyglass to his eye and pointed into the distance.
Although the coast was not yet visible from the ship, people began to celebrate. After all, they were close to reaching the largest country in the world: the Earth Kingdom! Aang sighed with relief.
"It's about time. I can't stand fish anymore," Azula complained, not knowing why she had suddenly developed an aversion to seafood. She couldn't even look at it without vomiting.
"We also need to get more cinnamon, right? You ate it all like a rodent!" Ty Lee exclaimed. She propelled herself with just her index finger, spun several times in the air, and landed softly on the ship's deck.
"It's the cravings. Her disgust for fish is also a result of her pregnancy," said Katara, who had helped many pregnant women at the South Pole and during her time at the North Pole.
She had even participated in deliveries! Her exceptional healing abilities helped those women give birth safely. So she was the most accustomed to the changes Azula was going through.
"Oh yes, my mom was like that when she was pregnant with my younger brother. She couldn't stand the smell of certain foods. My dad disgusted her throughout the whole process. She developed an obsession with onions," added Mai, wrinkling her nose as she remembered the smell of onions in her house for months because of her mother's compulsion to eat them.
"Mom was like that when she was pregnant with our younger sister. She even refused to let us eat seal meat at home because she couldn't stand it," Sokka commented, remembering how his mother once scolded him for leaving a meatball in front of her, which made her feel nauseous and angry.
"Brother Aang, pregnant women are a mess. Do you really want to bring my sister back to your house? We'll have to put up with her!" Sokka joked with Aang, then tilted his head to dodge a stream of water his sister threw at him.
He was so used to Katara doing that that he already had a kind of sixth sense about projectiles flying toward his head. Little did Sokka know, he would be grateful for this instinctive reaction in the future when it saved his life.
"Hehehe, speaking of bringing her back to your house..." Aang, are you really not going to get a harem? Lots of women will want to have the Avatar's seed!" Feeling that the chaos wasn't enough, Ty Lee joined in with an explosive question, causing Katara and Aang to blush.
"Um... Even though the Air Nomads were flexible, I don't think it's a good idea to do that. I just want to be with Katara," Aang replied in a panic. Sweat beaded on his forehead and floated away, falling into the ocean.
Katara used waterbending to wipe the sweat from her partner's forehead and gave him a slight smile. Raava, who found this topic interesting, placed her hand on her chin before speaking.
"I remember some Avatars had harems. Many people think that the descendants of the Avatars are destined for glory and power. Well, Zuko and Azula are descendants of Roku, so they kind of back up that myth, don't they?" the ancient spirit commented, causing the deck to fall silent. Even the sailors felt it was time to leave, so they slowly withdrew.
"So you're advising Aang to have a harem?" Katara asked, placing her hands on her hips and looking at Raava suspiciously. Meanwhile, Mai hit Ty Lee on the back of the head for causing trouble.
"Not exactly, but what assures you that your future children will all be Airbenders, or even benders?" Remember? They could have non-bender or waterbender children. Would you neglect those children if only one is an Airbender?" Raava asked, looking directly at Aang, interested in his response.
"I... The best thing would be to love them all equally, right?" the Avatar replied, doubtfully. He wasn't sure if what he had said was true.
Now that he thought about it, what if it was like Raava said and not all of his children were Airbenders? What if only one of them shared his element of birth?
Would he be able to love and care for all his children equally? Or would his desire to revitalize his people cause him to lavish his affection only on the one born an Airbender like him?
Aang had never thought that far ahead personally. He was in a relationship with Katara and loved her very much, but the events around him consumed him so much that he never considered those details.
He knew what he wanted to do after mastering all the elements: he wanted to be a good Avatar who would help the world understand each other. However, that was a macro goal. What would he do on a micro level?
As he thought about it more, Aang realized that he only knew marriage existed in other cultures, not his own. The union between the Air Nomads was truly free. Except for a few nomads who married each other or others, there was nothing else.
He had never imagined himself married to Katara, settled in one place with a warm home. Besides caring for the good of humanity, what would he live on? He would need a job, wouldn't he?
Even Shisui had a job! The Sage was so prominent that people forgot he was an academic from the Fire Nation and part of its army.
For the first time, Aang began to think about other aspects of his future that he had ignored because he thought they were less important. In the end, though, he realized that those things were equally valuable and significant.
"Then let's find a way to improve our understanding of energy bending. Weren't the Air Nomads nomads? Surely there are many people whose ancestors were Airbenders.
We just have to awaken that latent side in them, right?" It would be arduous, but it would bring balance to the bender population. Besides, wouldn't Aang and Katara's problem be solved if they had more children?
Why limit yourself to just two or three? Have at least ten! Katara is an excellent healer, and you're the Avatar! How could you not take care of and support dozens of children?" Suddenly, Shisui's voice was heard. The Sage had finally finished meditating and was looking at the Avatar seriously.
"Wouldn't that be a problem for Katara? It's not like they're rabbits!" Petra complained, causing Shisui to shrug.
"Their children would be born Airbenders or Waterbenders. Maybe there would be a Non-bender, but Energybending would solve that. Then, it would revitalize the Air Nomads and the South Pole, wouldn't it?" Shisui said with a smile, feeling that his logic was flawless.
"You just want me to have lots of children!" Aang growled, flushing completely, as did Katara, perhaps imagining what it would be like to care for so many children in the future.
"I'm not against it..." the brunette girl murmured, causing Aang to look at her in disbelief. Had he really just heard that?
"See? Problem solved! If you have some unspeakable deficiency, I'm a good apothecary. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about. The third princess of the Fire Nation was born because of me." Shisui wrapped his arm around the Avatar. His words made Zuko slap his face while Azula burst out laughing.
"It's true! Imagine my reaction when I found out those were the bottles of potions Shisui gave my mother when I was little," the princess of the Fire Nation added, making the others laugh.
If they had heard or read something like that somewhere else, they might not have believed it. After all, how could a child be capable of making potions that help men in certain areas?
But when Shisui was mentioned, it became 100% believable to them. After all, the Sage had done many strange and unusual things throughout his life, and they were all true.
"I don't need that kind of help!" Aang said, trying to break free from Shisui's grip. Shisui held on tightly, restraining him.
"Anyway, we're about to reach the Earth Kingdom. Your earthbending skills will start to grow, so we should add fire to the list. What do you think?" Shisui asked before pointing at Zuko, who was standing next to Mai.
"A certain dragon taught Zuko an interesting dance. How well do you dance?" the Sage asked suddenly, causing Aang to hesitate. He didn't fully understand Shisui's intentions, but he sensed that they weren't malicious, so he spoke up.
"I'm an excellent dancer!" the Avatar declared, making the Sage smile broadly.
"Excellent. Now that we are in the Earth Kingdom, how about we visit a fortune teller?" Shisui's golden eyes sparkled as he gazed out to sea as if his gaze could pierce the distance and fall upon an old woman living in a village near a restless volcano.
It was time to set in motion the currents that would help him reach his final destination: Ba Sing Se. The first step? Meet a fortune teller and deal with a volcano!
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AN: I'm on vacation now! There are several reasons why I didn't post a chapter: classes, final exams, final projects, and laziness. I'd like to think it's laziness. I'm free now though. I've already chosen my classes for the next semester at university, but that's more than a month away.
I'm free now! Besides, I've always said that this fan fiction is in its final stages. I don't want to rush things, but it's clear that this is the final arc. If you're still reading, I hope you continue to enjoy it.
TheAnPlayer2 gave me a tip: Promote my original stories every 5 chapters. So, read my original novels: Steam and Heart, Lunar Mechanism, and Witch's Adventure. You may or may not like them, but give them a chance. c: