Fours For Quitters

Katara rested her elbows on the window ledge, looking down and out over the expanse of the game arena where Aang and their daughter played air ball; her baby may look everything like her but she was Aang's daughter through and through. Little Aiti had been his pride and joy since they discovered she could bend air like him. The rest of her children had become her own little army of waterbenders. She smiled, trailing her hand over the bulge in her stomach and smiled. Well, so far, the count was three to one. It could change.

"Yes! Another point for me!" squealed the little girl and Katara looked up in time to see Aang swaying dramatically on his post. She giggled and shook her head. "Can't beat me, can ya, daddy?"

Aiti was only five but was determined that she was as good as, if not better than her father. He didn't do anything to down play that little fantasy in the slightest, going so far as to say that she showed signs of mastering other elements . . . She would learn about the Avatar cycle in good time. There was no point in squishing her childhood play.

And it thrilled Sokka to no end when she proudly informed him that she was a boomerang-bender too.

She shook her head, glancing down at the most recent letter from her brother, saying he was on his way, family in tow. He should be here today or tomorrow . . . he had to be close . . .

She turned slightly, hearing the soft patter of feet on stone.

"Mom?"

The cool air from the window seemed to follow her as she turned around completely, facing her eldest daughter. She smiled and raised her eyebrows at the numerous rolls of scrolls cradled in the young girl's arms.

"Been busy this morning, haven't you Sesi?"

At the tender age of thirteen, Sesi had taken on the daunting task of learning everything she could about waterbending. When she couldn't train with her daughter and Aang was preoccupied, Sesi had resorted to locking herself in her father's study, pouring over scrolls, books and anything else that she could get her hands on. Her daughter smiled widely and Katara walked over and gently removed a stray hair away from her daughter's eyes.

"Dad said it was okay if I snoop." She stated, getting straight down to business, laying the scrolls on the bed. "I wanted to learn more about healing and chakras and how they connected with each other . . ."

"Chakras? Now this sounds more like a conversation for your father."

"I'm not here to talk about chakras!" she said jutting her hip out to one side and Katara smiled apologetically.

She studied her daughter in the bright, noon sunlight, the small room lighting up despite her daughter's determined demeanor. The day just had that perfect feel to it, the fresh scent of spring in the air, crisp, gentle wind. Katara had spent the day cleaning, tidying up her room in particular. Getting after her younger children to clean their rooms . . . except for Sesi. Everything was clean and pristine with her . . . especially when she was in the mood for studying. Things had to be organized.

Katara leaned back against the open window.

"I'm sorry." She said softly. "I haven't been able to spend much time with you. I promise . . . I'll go over some more moves with you. Just you and me, sound good?"

Sesi's face softened from her previous determined-for-information look and she ran up and flung her thin, little arms around her mother's neck. Katara smiled and hugged her close.

"Mom . . . I didn't mean it like that." She said, pulling back. "I know you're busy . . . and you're tired more now . . . I just . . ."

Katara put her fingers under her daughter's chin, looking in those soft, knowledgeable brown eyes and then planted a kiss on her forehead.

"I'm never too busy for my little waterbender."

Sesi grinned a little and pushed her hair behind her ear again and shuffled her feet. Katara chuckled and looked over at the new pile on her bed, taking a few cautious steps toward it.

"So what have you got here?"

She drew up short with surprise as Sesi dashed in front of her, pushing the scrolls to the side, scratching behind her ear nervously. Katara knew this look . . . something was on her mind, itching to get out. With the practiced patience of motherhood, she settled herself next to her daughter, waiting for the confession or question that Katara knew Sesi couldn't keep bottled up for long.

Sesi twiddled her thumbs and gazed at the cracks in the floor for a long time, scrunching her toes. Finally with a sigh and a quick glance out the window, she cast a sideways glance up at her mother.

"You know how . . . um . . . Toph can bend metal? And it seems completely out of her element but it really isn't?"

"Yes," Katara said slowly.

"Well, I was reading through some of things that dad wrote . . . about the things you guys learned or did when you were fighting." She took a deep breath, clearly uncomfortable but her yearning to know always outweighed her other emotions, no matter the topic. "Mom, what's bloodbending?"

Katara's skin went cold and she turned away slightly. She felt her face pale at the memory of that horrid time when she was forced to use it, something so corrupt . . . so . . . so . . . dark. She sat in silence for a few moments, her fingers pressed against her lips. There was so much she could say, but she wanted so badly to hold it back. This innocent young girl did not need to be exposed to this, not yet . . . this was one thing she could live without knowing.

"Mom? Are you okay?"

Katara looked over at her daughter, her eyes bright now that the question was out and touched the young waterbender's hand.

"I'm fine." But she knew she had to tell her. She hadn't been that much older than Sesi when she had learned, though it had been a rather forced lesson, one she didn't care to relive. Yet, it felt wrong to keep this knowledge from her. As corrupt as it seemed, it was, in a sense, still apart of waterbending, though not a regular part of training. She took a deep breath.

"I am a bloodbender." She said softly, gently clutching her daughter's fingers. "But . . . I never wanted to be."

Sesi's eyes grew wide. "You're a bloodbender? So . . . so does that mean you can, you know, stop blood flow when it's coming out of the wound or something? Does it help you with healing? Dad didn't seem to write much about it so I – Can you teach me? Mom?"

"No!" she snapped at first and then seeing the shock and surprise on her daughter's face, she softened again and looked her in the eye. "No. It might be best . . . if that knowledge stays with me."

Katara was shaking her head. Such an innocent question, such innocent ideas about it. And in reality, Katara hadn't initially thought about it that way but could see the benefits of knowing how to blend blood, for healing.

But that hadn't been her first lesson with it.

"I was taught by an old waterbender." She began slowly. "Under a fullmoon. But she . . . she never had good intentions. She was seeking revenge for the people that kidnapped her when she was younger and had been taken away from her village."

"What did she use it for?" Sesi asked, one eyebrow raised.

Katara smiled slightly, sadly, facing the memory for only a moment before she answered in a soft voice. "To control others. She could force them to move as she willed them too and in the end . . . I had to use it on her."

"Oh . . ." Sesi muttered, scooting closer to her mother. "Mom, I'm sorry . . . I didn't mean to upset you. We can talk about this later I was just . . . I can go ask dad about chakras."

Katara shook her head and pulled her daughter into a one armed hug, resting her cheek against her frazzled, unkempt hair.

"How about you go put your father's scrolls back and get ready for some waterbending practice, hm?"

Sesi nodded vigorously. "Okay! I've been trying that water whip but I can't seem to get my stance right . . . it doesn't help that Aiti thinks it's funny to airbend under my feet . . ."

Katara giggled and helped gather up the scrolls, stacking them in Sesi's outstretched arms. "I'll be outside in a moment."

"You're sure your going to be okay mom? I mean . . ." she gestured over Katara's stomach. "It's not too . . . strenuous?"

Katara rolled her eyes and patted her daughter's back. "I'll be fine . . . really. After four of you, the fifth one is nothing to worry about."

"But I read somewhere that – "

"I know my limits." Katara said dryly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Now go get ready . . .  your Aunt and Uncle might be here tonight and I meet need you to wrestle your brother into something nice. Without holes or stains."

Sesi giggled. "Okay mom. I'll be fast!"

Katara kissed her nose before she ran out the bedroom door. "And I'll be faster."

There would be questions, Katara knew. This conversation wasn't done yet, there was still more of the story to be told about bloodbending. And maybe, she should tell it. In reminder that even the most simple things can be used for harm. Maybe, in her daughter's hands, it would more of a miracle than a curse.

She watched Sesi bolt from the room, knowing how excited she was to finally get some physical action in after all her studying. She was a promising student, very focused . . . she wished she hadn't kept herself so distracted recently. Already, Sesi was thirteen. And soon the baby would be here and she'd be distracted for a little while longer and before she knew it . . .

"You'll have one of your own." She whispered, rubbing her belly.

She saw a shadow coming down the hall then, and she stood up, laughing behind her hand when she saw Aang, tanned and tired with his little airbender propped up on his shoulders, her head drooped over carelessly next to his cheek where it rested in the palm of his hand. Her tiny arms dangled by his neck. He ducked under the door frame and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Wow . . . you really wore her out, didn't you?" Katara asked him in a whisper.

He smiled and glanced at his little girl with pride. "Hey. When you gotta sleep, you gotta sleep."

"To bad she doesn't crash like this at night . . . is she drooling?"

Aang's shoulders shook as he chuckled. "Worse than Sokka."

Katara shook her head. "I'm surprised your arm hasn't fallen off."

Aang shrugged slightly, careful not to move Aiti's limp body to much. "Mm . . . it went numb about five minutes ago. So what have you been doing up here, mommy-to-be?"

"Oh . . . just had a quick little talk with Sesi. I'm actually going to go down a meet her for a training session."

Aang smiled and rested his free hand on her shoulder. "She'll like that."

Katara smiled. "Well, I figure it's going to be busy for the next few days, with Sokka and Toph here . . . and their little clan."

"Speaking of which . . ." Aang looked around suspiciously. "Where are our two middle children?"

"They better be cleaning their rooms." Katara huffed. "I just know, especially after their cousins get here, this place will not be fit for man or beast, so I'm enjoying what little peace we have while it lasts."

Aiti stirred slightly then, peeking at her father through one eye.

"Daddy? Is Auntie Toph here yet?"

He grinned, rubbing her cheek with his thumb. "Not yet, baby."

She yawned and buried her face in his hand, muttering. "Mmkay . . . tell her when she get's here that I learned new metalbending moves . . . they might help her out."

Both Aang and Katara chuckled as she drifted off again.

"You know, as soon as I put her down, she'll just wake right back up . . ."

Katara shrugged. "She's all yours . . . I've got a student that needs my assistance with a water whip."

He chuckled and leaned down carefully, keeping his daughter propped up on his shoulders as Katara stood on her tiptoes, leaning in for a kiss when he simply rested his head against hers, looking down at her belly.

"So . . . why did we go for five again?"

Katara snorted back a laugh, pulled him down by his ears and kissed him softly. As she pulled away, she patted his chest and whispered, "Because four's for quitters . . . that's why."

Pushing her hair behind her ear, she walked towards the door and then peeked back over her shoulder, smiling as he rocked his sleeping airbender back and forth on his shoulder, his right arm pulled in tight to his body as he hand served as her pillow. It probably ached to no end, tingled mercilessly, but he didn't care. If he could, she was sure he would stay in that moment forever.