Avatar: The Last Descent

Chapter One: New Beginnings

Rebirth, forgiveness, and balance. The Avatar is a being that transcends life or immortality. They are made plain and forced to live within the world their past life guided—devoid of the memories and wisdom garnered from the previous life they lived and every other life before it. Indeed, when the Avatar is born anew, they are a reflection of the society they helped build. Such is the way nature intended, for great leaders can only emerge when challenged and forced to overcome hardships.

Avatar Aang, in his wisdom, dedicated his life to the sustainability of harmony and peace. Having seen the relentless nature of suffering and war, he embraced the ideology of democracy and free enterprise. Republic City stood as the culmination of his life's mission. The city welcomed people from all nations, and all were given fair treatment under the law. Citizens were granted protections, rights, and—most importantly—the irrevocable right to vote.

When on his death bed, Avatar Aang laid weakened, but grudgingly satisfied. He had not eradicated war entirely, yet great strides were made—people were assimilating amongst one another, and it seemed, perhaps for the first time in history, that a fully connected world could exist. As his wife and children stood beside him, tears in their eyes, Aang summoned his last drop of remaining strength and murmured to Katara, the love of his life,

"I have so much love for you. Please, I don't want you to be sad. I am so happy for every laugh we ever had. Every fight we ever fought. I... I wanted to say something profound as my last words but, now that I'm here..."

He chuckled slightly.

"It all seems so trivial now. I think I'm ready. Katara, I hope that I did well. I hope I didn't waste my life."

His breath slowed and his eyes shut reluctantly. The pride of all four nations, the great uniter, the bringer of peace, Avatar Aang, was now dead.

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Deep in the grimy streets of Brownsville, located ten miles from the downtown of Republic City, sat a woman, screaming and in intense pain.

"WHY COULDN'T WE GET A REAL DOCTOR!?!"

Kohana clutched the sheets of her bed and directed her anger at the only man presently trying to help her.

"I know this isn't easy, but please remain composed."

Hiro spoke calmly, believing his words would soothe Kohana and relieve her stress. Such was optimistic thinking.

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! HAVE YOU EVER GIVEN BIRTH? NEWSFLASH, ITS NOT EASY AND YOU'RE A PRICK FOR IMPLYING IT IS."

"I wasn't-"

"SAVE IT."

After many hours of Kohana hurling verbal insults at Hiro, she gave birth to a baby boy.

She looked into her newborn's innocent, pure eyes. Every small movement, every little noise brought Kohana comfort. This comfort was matched by an intense anxiety spurred by the absence of her husband. See, Hiro was not the father of this child, contrary to how his overt dedication to the birth would appear. Months earlier, Kohana's husband had abandoned her and the family, too apathetic to even leave a note or explain why he'd disappear.

Hiro, known as an honest man and someone who had always been interested in Kohana, heard of what happened and embedded himself in her life—attempting to fill the void left by her husband. The dynamic felt strange to the heartbroken Kohana, who felt overwhelming sadness and desperation. Hiro sensed her vulnerability and knew she couldn't reject his support in her current state. He waited on her hand and foot throughout her pregnancy.

Kohana appreciated him on some level but recognized how quickly he made claim of her life. It's as if he had rehearsed being her husband for years and simply slipped into the role. This didn't bother Kohana as much as his insistence on being a father figure for her two other children, six year old Takumi and three year old Yuna. After only a few weeks, Hiro told the kids that he would be their new step-father and inundated their minds into appreciating him as a savior.

The kids were too young to feel anger toward him. It was Kohana who felt resentment towards Hiro. Was she expected to let Hiro enter her life and replace the father of her children? As if nothing even happened? She looked down at her newborn son—he will never know his real father and may grow up viewing Hiro in that role; would that cause a rift between him and the other children? These were the worries bouncing around in Kohana's mind. She didn't want to focus on such negativity when holding her newborn son for the first time.

"So, what will you name him? Hiro junior?"

Hiro gave a hearty laugh at his own joke. Kohana chuckled in mild appeasement. Humor was Hiro's way of normalizing the idea that he was now part of the family. She'd known Hiro for a long time and did have love for him, or rather, she loved the stability he brought. Kohana looked up at Hiro and muttered,

"Actually, I had a name in mind already: Kato."

"Kato? I don't really like it. Maybe we can find one we both like. Something less bland, you know."

Kohana's face involuntarily snarled. The nerve of him to assume he could contribute to naming her child. She closed her eyes and reeled herself back in.

"Hiro, I appreciate your input, but this is my child. And I am naming him Kato."

She studied his reaction carefully. At first, his face went stoic and unmoving. Usually he held a goofy smile and a comforting disposition, so it was a little off-putting to see him look unamused. After a few seconds, his face morphed back to its usual loving look.

"Haha okay, you're the boss after all. But don't blame me when he's bullied some day."

Hiro escorted Kohana and Kato to the living room, where Kohana's two other children sat eagerly to see their new brother.

"Is he here?!"

"We wanna see him!"

Takumi and Yuna gathered around to see their new baby brother. The room around them smelled of marijuana and appeared visibly empty, with little decorations or furniture beyond a single couch. The carpeting on the floor looked worn down and untangled. It was not the life Kohana envisioned for herself or her children, and yet, for a brief moment, as Yuna stared at Kato with bewilderment and Takumi proclaimed his love for having a baby brother, everything felt right. The family felt together.

It didn't last.