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A Spirit of Elements Chapter 5 (A Mother's Love)
🕑 Added 2022-03-13 20:53:21 +0000 UTCInside the White Lotus compound
Korra, Tenzin, Naruto and a couple of the White Lotus members were in the dining hall. The sheer awkwardness of the situation was almost palpable. Nobody felt like making small conversation. After finishing the meal, Korra spoke up her doubts.
"So how long until you can teach me airbending? A week? A month?"
"It could be much longer, I'm afraid." Tenzin responded. He didn't like seeing her so frustrated, but it had to be done.
"I just don't get it. Why are you making me wait?"
"I have a responsibility to Republic City as one of its leaders. The situation there is... very unstable right now."
"Maybe, but you also have a responsibility to teach me. Believe me, I'd be happy to find another airbending master but you're the only one. We're stuck with each other."
"I wish there was another way."
Naruto was hearing everything in silence. Then, realization struck him in the face. "Wait, if you can't stay here, how about we bring Korra over to the Air Temple? I could watch her over while you attend your meetings at Republic City." he said trying to support Korra.
'They treat her like she's some kind of animal of an extinct species or something. Nobody should live like that.' Naruto said to himself.
"Hey, you're right! I can stay with the kids and Pema at the Air Temple and visit Republic City with Naruto, It's perfect!" Korra perked up at the words of Naruto.
"Absolutely not!" an old White Lotus member interrupted with near indignation at the proposal. "It's far too dangerous for you to go around Republic City as it is."
"That wouldn't be a problem. I know Republic City fairly well so I could show her the not-so-dangerous areas around, and from what I've heard, Korra seems capable enough to take care of herself if any trouble came to her." Naruto retorted.
"Hmpf, you are clearly too naive and immature for a task such as protecting her, boy. Avatar Aang tasked us with keeping the next Avatar safe from any danger in order to fulfill it's destiny. She will stay here and master the four elements as it is meant to be."
Tenzin immediately bit his lower lip. 'Oh Spirits, this is not good.' Naruto was usually a respectful, educated and friendly young man most of the time. Sure, he could be a little arrogant in occasions, but that wasn't really a problem. Yet if there was one thing he didn't respond well to were insults. He could care less about who he was talking to, if someone bad-mouthed him, he would get right in their faces and get as nasty as needed. The White Lotus members were certainly not an exception.
Naruto's facial expressions changed from calm to pissed off in a matter of seconds. "Hey, who are you calling naive and immature, old man?" he snapped.
The White Lotus member couldn't believe what he just heard. "How... how dare you?!"
"Believe me old man, I dare. I'm not taking any insults from a hypocrite like you."
"Watch your mouth boy" the white lotus threatened but Kya had enough of this.
Several spikes made of ice were suddenly up in the air aimed at the elderly, Kya looked ready to be done with them.
"Next time you talk like that to my son, I will silence you," Kya promised with narrowed eyes looking at them as if they were mere nothingness.
"Oh please, as if he is actu..."
"ENOUGH," Katara suddenly shouted, the white lotus felt their blood go ice-cold, even Naruto felt a chill from his grandmother's sudden tone.
Silence took over the room, Korra now understood why Katara was known as one of the strongest Water Benders of her time, if not the strongest.
"That's quite enough. I'm sorry Korra, but I can't take you with me right now. When the time is right, I will introduce you to the ways of airbending. For the time being, you should stay here and try to improve your bending skills in the other elements." Tenzin said before things heated up more between his nephew and the White Lotus. He had enough stress for the day.
Naruto gave him a disappointed look, he had been looking forward to spending time with Korra.
"Whatever." Korra said as she stood up and left the table to go to her room, leaving the dining hall again in complete silence.
"Anyways, I'm tired. I'll go get some shut-eye. Good night uncle, Good Night Mother and Good Night grandmother." Naruto said.
"Good night Naruto." Tenzin, Kya and Katara replied with a small nod, glad that the situation didn't escalate.
Korra was currently in her room, not feeling happy at all. She had been waiting to learn airbending and leave the South Pole for so long, spending time with Naruto for longer than just a day, and when the opportunity finally presents itself, all she got was a spit in her face. She was even wondering if the whole thing was a fiasco, some sort of mean joke from the White Lotus just for the sole purpose of messing with her. Heck, if it wasn't for Katara, whom she trusted her with her life and was the one who agreed she should start her airbending lessons, she would suspect of the White Lotus actually being behind all of this.
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a knock on her door.
"Can I come in?" the voice behind the door said.
Expecting to be one of the White Lotus members bringing her some dessert, she opened the door ready to grab whatever they had for her. She would shut her door as soon as possible anyways, not feeling like talking right now with anybody.
What she was not expecting, however, was the guy behind the door.
"Naruto? What are you doing here?" Korra asked.
"Just wanted to check on how you're doing." Naruto answered simply.
"Oh. Thanks, but I'm okay, really." Korra said in a not so convincing way.
"Yeah right. That face of yours tells me otherwise. Mind if I enter?"
Korra stepped aside, letting out a sigh. The young Airbender entered her room, looking at the mess in front of him. Clothes were on the floor along with scrolls and other things like that. Naruto let out a small chuckle. "Wow, real well cleaned. Reminds me of mine back home." he said, earning him a small laugh from Korra despite her obvious sadness. His attempt to make her feel a little better succeeded.
"So, why are you really here?" the Avatar questioned.
"I told you, I'm just checking up on you." Naruto answered.
"Really? You are not here to try to convince me that Tenzin is right and that I'm better of here?" she asked again in disbelief. Every time she and the White Lotus had an argument, they would come to her room and tell her how everything they were doing was for her own safety. And she had about enough of that.
"Hey, I would never be against you Korra, unless is something really stupid" Naruto stated, earning a small smile from Korra, appreciating that Naruto always was there.
"Thank You, and I appreciate that you backed me up." Korra said while laughing sheepishly, scratching the back of her head.
Naruto then sat on Korra's bed, patting his left side as a way of telling her to join him, which she obliged.
"What's on your mind?" Naruto started.
The young Avatar sighed. "It's just not fair. I've been waiting my whole life for this, and now I'm stuck again." Korra said as she stared at Naruto's blue eyes. He listened to every word she said while thinking what could cheer her up. He hated seeing her so down like that. "Hey Naruto, can I ask you something?" the water tribe girl asked, stopping Naruto's thoughts for the time being.
"Sure, what's up?"
"Why did you side with me back there?" Korra asked. When Naruto's right eyebrow went up, she decided to elaborate. "Don't get me wrong. I'm glad you did, but I... didn't really expect it. You know, you being Tenzin's nephew and all."
Hearing her explanation, the young man grinned at her. "Well, I do have a couple of reasons. Three to be exact. Number one, keeping somebody locked up like that is not only cruel, but also wrong. Even if you are the Avatar, you are also a person. Number two, these White Lotus members may not have realized this, but they're actually making it harder for you to be the Avatar by keeping you confined like this. How are you supposed to help maintain balance in the world if you have no idea how the world is? By trying to protect you so much they ended up hindering you, so to speak. That's why I called that White Lotus old fart a hypocrite. That and because he called me an immature and naive boy."
Korra pondered over what she just heard. She had never seen things that way. She wanted to explore and get out of the South Pole, that was for sure, but what Naruto just said to her made her realize how right he actually was. She specially recalled one thing he stated. 'How am I supposed to help maintain balance in the world if I have no idea how the world is?'. It really was an eye-opener. Not to mention, the face master Noribu had when Naruto called him an old hypocrite was enough for her to feel genuine joy. Master Noribu had always been strict with her regarding her training and keeping her secluded from anybody else, including her own family.
"Wow, I never really thought about it like that. What about reason number three?"
Naruto let out a small chuckle. "Well, number three would be that I would love for you to be in the Air Temple, it gets kinda boring with an old man like Tenzin. I like the idea of having you in the Air Temple."
The Avatar blushed at the compliment. After a few giggles, she turned around to meet his eyes. "Thanks Naruto, you're a good... friend,"
"Ouch, I come here to make you feel better and all I get is a 'you're a good friend'?" Naruto asked in a mocking way, pretending to be hurt.
Noticing that he was teasing her, she smirked. "Yup. That's all you're getting from me."
"Damn. I was expecting you to at least say something like 'Wow Naruto, you are the most awesome guy I have ever seen' or something."
"Aren't you being just a tad bit cocky?"
"Cocky? Me? Not at all. I'm just pointing out a fact." Naruto responded before both of them started laughing at their own joke.
The young water tribe girl was surprised how could Naruto always cheer her up. Before he entered her room she was sad and in no mood to talk with anybody, but after a few minutes with him she started to feel better about the whole thing. She was still upset about not being able to start her airbending training and all, but at least she now had someone to talk about it.
"You know, I'm sure I can visit more often, I'm not that busy right now?" Naruto asked.
"Really? I'd love that! But, I'm not sure the sentries would like the idea of you 'disturbing my Avatar training' and all. Especially after your little scene with master Noribu back there." Korra responded with a frown on her face. She knew that those old geezers would do anything in their power to prevent Naruto from visiting her. They wouldn't allow her own family to come see her, so why would they let him?
"Don't worry. If anyone has a problem with me coming here, I'll have them introduce to Sozu, see if they change their minds." the young Airbender responded with a grin.
"Sozu? Who's that?" Korra asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Sozu is my Raven Eagle companion. You know, that awesome big bird I came here with."
"Why didn't you tell me about him sooner, Now that I think of it, where did you find a Raven Eagle so big? I have never seen one like that."
"Well I wanted to surprise you, and Sorry, I'll tell you next time."
"Oh come on! Why next time?" Korra pouted in a childish way, earning her a laugh from her friend.
"So I can have an excuse to tell Tenzin to go visit you, of course."
Korra pouted again. That Sozu pet seemed so cool, she was wondering if Naruto would let her meet his Raven Eagle. Naruto seemed to be very fond of him. She shrugged and deduced it was the same kind of human-mascot type of relationship she had with Naga, her Polar Beard Dog.
Naruto yawned. "Well, I'm going to sleep. See you in the morning?" he asked.
The young Avatar smiled. "Sure, good night."
"Good night Korra." Naruto said as he started to leave her room. When he opened the door, however, he was stopped by the voice of the girl behind him.
"Naruto?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for the talk. I actually feel a little better now." she said truthfully. After having him come to her room to check up on her when he didn't have to, she thought she should at least thank him for his kindness.
"Don't mention it. It's the least I could do." Naruto replied with a wink as he closed the door, leaving a young Avatar with a slight pink blush on her cheeks, thanking the Spirits Naruto wasn't there to see her flustered like that.
As she closed her eyes, Korra remembered his blue eyes below her when they were in the snow, his lips, his nose, cheeks, everything...
Naruto
Naruto stood outside patting his eagle, which made a purring sound as he did so. Naruto chuckled as he threw rocks with his airbending a long distance away from where he was standing.
Naruto pointed to another rock, which began to float despite the fact that Naruto had not used airbending to make it float. Naruto had always questioned why he was able to do certain things, such as walking on water, trees, houses, and everything else.
'I'm not sure if it has anything to do with the strange creature inside me,' Naruto thought, instinctively touching his stomach with his hand, his little friend seemed to understand his situation, placing his beak on Naruto's shoulder, as if trying to confront him. 'They might think of me differently,' he thought, instinctively touching his stomach with his hand.
"Naruto," The blonde turned to see his mother approaching him; his friend didn't try to stop her, as if he sensed she wasn't a threat to Naruto in any way.
"He's quite beautiful," Kya said, touching his beak slightly. In response, the eagle raised his crest in pride, giving Naruto the look that said, 'See, someone's appreciates me.' Naruto just shrugged his shoulders as Kya sat close to her son and looked at him.
"Can you tell me what you're doing here?" Kya found herself asking because she had seen him go into Korra's room and it appeared that nothing had happened between the two of them previously.
Grabbing a small rock and throwing it from one hand to another before tossing it into the sea, Naruto explained. "Nothing, just looking at the moon, and a little angry," he added.
"What's the matter with you, my son?" While rubbing his hair, Kya recalled how much Naruto enjoyed it when she rubbed his hair when he was a child.
"Korra is the Avatar, she shouldn't be allowed to remain in this place. She's supposed to be a symbol of hope for everyone, similar to how grandpa Aang was for everyone. How can Korra be that when no one knows her, if she doesn't know anyone outside of this place?" Naruto concluded, pointing to Korra's residence.
Kya sighed, knowing how much his son thought of Korra and her family. When Kya said "I know, don't worry about it," Naruto smiled and said, "Perhaps I can talk with Mother, she might know what to do."
"You're the best," Naruto exclaimed as he kissed her on the cheek.
Kya burst out laughing at his antics. Before calming down, a smirk grow in her face, Naruto didn't have a good feeling from that smirk.
"How is Asami doing? Have you informed her that I would like to meet my future daughter-in-law? "Kya said in amusement, and Naruto blushed and turned his head away from Kya's laughter.
"I'm sure she'll be able to come here the next time I come here," Naruto replied, his gaze remaining fixed on her.
Because she was aware of Naruto's reaction, Kya teased him, "I hope she's as good as you say for my baby boy."
"Mom," Naruto pouted, annoyed that his mother had continued to treat him as if he were still in diapers after all these years.
In response, Naruto pointed to his body as if to say "I'm not a baby boy anymore, I've grown," while his eagle companion shook his head as if to say "No."
"I understand, but no matter how much you grow, you will always be my baby boy, and no matter what happens, you will always be welcome here," Kya said, rubbing his hair once more in a happy manner.
Naruto smiled, realizing that he was feeling much better now, and that he now understood why Uncle Tenzin always said that mothers are always right. The silence took over.
Naruto's gaze was drawn to the stars, recalling something he had never had the courage to ask her, despite the passage of time...
"Mother, C-can I ask you a question?" Naruto inquired, his tone shifting from one of delight to one of sadness.
Something Kya noticed right away, even though her son was still staring up at the night sky above them.
"Of course, my son, you are always welcome to speak with me about anything," Kya responded immediately and without hesitating.
Naruto lowered his gaze and took a deep breath before looking up at the stars as if preparing for something.
"W-wh-who was my father?" Eventually, Naruto inquired, his eyes not looking at his mother, not wanting to look, and immediately regretted his decision. Perhaps is too hard for her to talk about it, he reasoned.
Kya uttered a small "Oh," rubbing her arm with her hand, and her gaze drifted to a small necklace around her neck. Upon opening it, she saw a photograph of her and Konji taken three weeks before everything came to an end.
Konji had brown hair and green eyes, and Naruto had blonde hair and green eyes, so she knew she couldn't claim that he was his father. And still, she knew she couldn't lie to him, she didn't want him to believe that someone else was his father, despite not knowing who could have been his father.
When she closed the necklace, she could feel her eyes welling up. She closed her eyes and forced herself not to cry, wondering if he would recognize her as his mother after knowing the truth. She questioned herself.
When she opened her eyes, she could feel his arms around her, hugging her. Kya returned the hug.
"Nar-Na... My son, I have something I need to show you..." "Kya, you there," they both heard a voice say, and turning around, they saw Katara walking towards them.
"Grandma," Naruto greeted her first, Katara smiled at him before noticing Kya's red eyes, she was about to ask what was wrong when she noticed her hands clutching her medallion.
"Kya, I need to talk to you privately about something," Katara continued. Naruto gave his grandmother a friendly smile before turning to face her.
"Don't worry mother, we can talk later, and know that whatever you say, I will always love you," Naruto stated with a smile, and Kya reciprocated with a bright smile before kissing his cheek and referring to him as 'my baby boy' once more.
Naruto leaned in and kissed Katara on the cheek before walking away.
When Naruto was almost to his house, he had the distinct impression that someone was watching him. He looked around and saw no one, he immediately looked up at the moon... and saw nothing.
Strange? I swear I could have sensed the presence of someone there?!
