𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔫𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱

𝖎𝖛

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sorry for the wait...

but here's the longest chapter i've ever written to make up for it :)

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the next day..
4:56 am

"katara.."

"my love, don't be afraid. it's just me."

katara's frantic behavior stopped when she recognized that tender, loving voice.

her tight grip on her blanket loosened as she looked around the empty room.

"what are you doing here, gran gran?"

katara watched as the bed dipped right beside her, and the gentle caress of a warm hand enveloped her own.

though she couldn't see her, katara knew she was there.

"i just wanted to talk to you, your brother and your father before i officially go. i couldn't bear to leave you behind without a proper goodbye."

katara grasped the invisible hand, using her mind to fabricate her grandmother's silhouette and warm, comforting smile.

"i already met with them, so that leaves just you, darling. i knew this goodbye would be the most difficult but at least i'm here to do it."

kanna sighed, closing her eyes. transulcent tears fell down her dress, disappearing into the void below her.

"katara, i don't have much time but i just want you to know that i am so, so, proud of you. just like i taught you, you never give up or lose hope. through your greatest struggles, you braved them with the valor and spunk that makes you you."

"the way you care for your friends, your brother, your father. you remind me so much of your mother." kanna said, placing her hand on katara's reddening cheek.

"i'd like to think so too."

katara gasped, feeling her eyes water even more as she laughed.

"mom?"

katara felt two slender hands wrap carefully around her head, overwhelming her in a weightless hug.

"i couldn't pass up the oppurtunity to see you one last time, my love. i've missed you and your brother so much, you don't understand."

kya chuckled, sniffling as she placed her hand on top of kanna's.

"you know, when your grandmother offered to cross back into the physical world, i thought she was crazy. i've been trying for a decade and it's never worked."

"but somehow, this event brought me here. i was meant to wait this long, no matter how painful those ten years were."

kya embraced her daughter once again, holding in a sickeningly somber sob.

"but seeing you after all this time has made me forget. i'd wait a century if it meant i could see you two again, if only for a minute." 

katara returned the cold hug, imagining the mother she knew when she was a little girl sitting before her now.

"mama, i've missed you so, so, so much. it's been so hard without you, and i always question myself at the end of the day. i always wonder who i'd be if you were still here, if i could see you right now."