Earth, Fire, Air, Water; the four elements that make up the world. Throughout my whole life, I have heard stories of Avatar Aang and how he took down the 100-year tyrannical reign that was the Fire Nation. Now it's been over 40 years since Ozai's rule and now a new threat emerges and a new generation is there to solve the threat. This is a story of how I met Avatar Korra and her friends as well as the adventures we went on.
———
Kang woke up in the morning. He was in his bedroom that was kept clean after all this time. He hasn't been in his bedroom for the past 5 years and was happy to see it wasn't trashed by his brother and sisters. He got out of bed and started walking to the wardrobe where he put all his clothes back in. He decided to live with his Father because his Mother would give him an earful about everything ranging from his Father to his Grandfather's successor if he were to stay with her. His hair was no longer styled in the usual pomp and was now showing his natural 7/3 parted hairstyle. He no longer cared about styling his hair at that point.
As he got to the wardrobe, he looked at a series of photos that retold Kang's past. One of them was when he was an infant when he was being held by his Grandpa Aang and Grandma Katara standing next to him. Another photo was Kang as a young boy standing next to his Grandma Toph, he remembered that Grandma and his Mother were not speaking to each other so Tenzin would take Kang to Zaofu to see his Grandmother and his Aunt and the rest of his extended family on his Maternal side.
He soon looked at another photo of when he first met Jinora as a newborn baby. It gave him happy memories as he recalled the time that small Jinora would always grab his finger with her small hand, now she's growing up and is starting to be more mature as she is now 10 years-old.
Kang soon looked at a picture frame and saw the photo of him and the rest of his younger siblings during a time when he and Uncle Bumi came back to visit after being deployed by the United Forces. Kang remembered when Ikki and Meelo were born, those two were more wild than Jinora. He remembered that he would have to sometimes keep watch as a young preteen, but he mainly had to watch Jinora and Ikki because Meelo was born shortly after he joined the Royal Fire Navy Academy as a prerequisite to join the United Forces.
Kang soon snapped out of his trance as he heard his door knock and he soon put on a pair of black pants. He was about to grab his weapons, but realized that he was no longer in an active warzone, much less in the barracks. He soon stopped himself as he took a deep breath and walked to the door to open the door. As he opened it, he saw his brother and sisters standing in front of the door.
"How can I help you three?" Kang said.
"Korra's first day of Airbending Training is beginning?" Jinora said.
"Would you like to join us?" Ikki asked.
"I will," Kang said, "I haven't eaten breakfast yet, I'll find you guys after."
"Okay…" Meelo said, "but Daddy is still in the Acolyte dining area."
Kang nodded and told his siblings he would meet with them later. He soon walked out of his room and closed the door behind him and Kang soon went into the kitchen of their residence and saw Pema making a meal for him.
"Hey, sweetie," Pema said, "I just finished making some fish for you."
"Oh thank you," Kang said, "how are you, you know, considering…"
"I'm hanging in there," Pema said as she rubbed her pregnant belly, "though I have been coddled by a lot of Air Acolytes."
"That's them alright," Kang said, "where's my Father?"
"He's in the dining area where the Acolytes are," Pema said.
Kang nodded as he figured that his Father was waiting for Korra to arrive or was sitting with her as she was eating.
"Have you thought about what you're going to do now that you're discharged?" Pema asked.
"No…" Kang said, "I don't know what to do. My Mother wants me to join the police force, but I don't think I want to join."
"Have you thought about anything else?" Pema asked.
"Not really," Kang said, "all I've planned to do is just relax and enjoy being home."
"Well that's good," Pema said, "it's really good to see you Kang, now go to you Father."
"Yes ma'am," Kang said, listening to his stepmother.
She handed Kang a plate of fish that was butterfly cut and dressed in a sour and spicy sauce with rice underneath. He thanked her for the food and then walked to the area where the Acolytes had started eating. He saw his father sitting on the floor, but Korra wasn't present.
"Good morning," Tenzin said after he saw his son.
"Morning," Kang said as he sat down next to him, "how is your sleep?"
"It was alright considering…" Tenzin said as he knows how rambunctious Meelo can be, "how about you. Surely it was a lot better than sleeping in the quarters of a navy ship."
Kang nodded as the two laughed, but they looked over to the side as Korra sat down with a newspaper.
"Guys listen to this," Korra said, "In the final round, the Buzzard Wasps won with a decisive knockout," Korra said excitedly as she finally set the paper down. "What do you say we go to the arena tonight, catch a few Pro-Bending matches?" she asked.
"That sport is a mockery of the noble tradition of bending," Tenzin replied. Though he was happy for any sort of distraction from that accursed article, he still wasn't pleased about Korra's interest in that nonsense. Kang said nothing as he thought that he thinks he can't put his two senses into this as he is a Nonbender.
"Come on Tenzin. I've dreamed about seeing a pro-bending match since I was a kid," Korra said unperturbed, "and now I'm just a ferry ride away from the arena."
"Korra, you're not here to watch that drivel, you're here to finish your Avatar training," Tenzin said. He was clearly beginning to become frustrated. "In order to learn airbending, I believe you require a calm, quiet environment, free from any distractions," he explained.
"Alright," Korra relented, "you're the master."
Although she said that she agreed, Tenzin could still see the longing look in Korra's eyes as she turned to look across the bay in the same direction as the Pro-bending Arena. Tenzin merely sighed before he and his son took another sip of their morning tea with Kang also starting to eat his food.
…
As Kang and Tenzin were in front of Korra's dorm room he asked his oldest son a question, "So now that you've come home, have you thought of choosing a different career path?"
"I don't know, Pema asked me the same question," Kang said, "now that I've been hearing this a second time, I should think about it."
"You could join being an officer with your Mother," Tenzin said, knowing Kang, he knows Kang could rise through the ranks fast and become the next Chief of Police. He also realized that his Oldest Son would also be the first Nonbending Chief if Kang were to join and the said boy's Mother were to retire. "She would most likely appreciate a Nonbender with your skillset joining the police force."
"And basically join in on the violence that I walked away from, no thank you," Kang said with a scoff, "Mom will have me join a specialized unit. When I was on active duty, she would have or more accurately threaten Uncle Bumi to tell her about my recent assignments."
"Fair enough," Tenzin said, respecting his son's wishes.
Soon Korra exited her dorm in the traditional Air Nomad robes reserved for the Airbender, Kang couldn't help but laugh as she looked funny in the said robes. Korra started to groan as the three started to walk.
"So, my mother informed me that you've never been able to Airbend before," Tenzin said, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, but I don't know why," Korra sighed. "The other elements came so easily to me. But every single time I've tried Airbending… nothing."
"It's perfectly alright, we just need to be patient," Tenzin assured her. "Often the element that's most difficult for the Avatar to master is the one most opposite to the Avatar's personality," he explained. "For my Father, it was Earthbending."
"Yeah, well, I'm about as opposite an Airbender as you can get," Korra said dejectedly.
"Gee, I wonder why?" Kang asked in a cynical manner.
Korra looked at Kang with an offended look while Tenzin looked at him with annoyance.
"Now isn't the time to make fun of the Avatar for her shortcomings," Tenzin said.
"Just saying, if I was made fun of for being a Nonbender, then the Avatar who mastered three elements with ease I must add, who can't Airbend, should face some ridicule as well," Kang said.
Tenzin sighed as the three continued to walk. Tenzin knew that Kang's argument made sense, during his eldest son's younger years, he and Lin would get notified by the Primary School of his violent antics because when kids would bully him, he would fight back. Lin had encouraged it as she knew their son needed to defend himself, but Tenzin was never the person to encourage his son to fight back. He wanted his son to be a peaceful man, but he did agree with Lin that Kang should learn to fight. He only wanted Kang to defend himself, not go on an offensive attack. A part of him now wonders how much violence Kang was involved in. Bumi gave his word to Tenzin that he would look after Kang, but when Kang became a Captain under the Special Forces Division, Tenzin started to worry as his son was no longer under Bumi's battalion.
———
As they were arriving at the training grounds, Ikki was jumping with excitement as Jinora and Meelo stood by her.
"Korra's gonna Airbend!" Ikki said, "Korra's gonna Airbend!"
"What is that contraption?" Korra said.
"These Gates are designed to help teach the most fundamental aspects of Airbending," Tenzin said, "Jinora, would you like to explain this exercise?"
"The goal is to weave your way through the gates and make it to the other side without touching them," the young girl said.
"Seems easy enough," Korra said with a smirk.
"Jinora forgot to say you have to make it through while the gates are spinning," Ikki quickly piped up.
And then, almost as if for emphasis, Tenzin stepped forward, raised his arms, and then thrust them forward, sending a massive gust of wind into The Gates. The result was almost instantaneous, as the heavy wooden panels suddenly all began to spin almost blindingly fast.
"The key is to be like the leaf," Tenzin said. As a way to clarify, he pulled a small, green leaf from out of his robes.
"Flow with the movement of the gates," he explained. Sure enough, the leaf made its way through spinning gates, before exiting out the other side without ever touching a single one of the twirling, wooden boards.
"Jinora will demonstrate," Tenzin prompted. Jinora then dashed up towards the spinning gates and quickly entered them, bobbing and weaving, twisting and turning as she expertly avoided touching any of them.
"Airbending is all about spiral movements," Tenzin continued. "When you meet resistance, you must be able to switch direction at a moment's notice." Jinora exited The Gates just as her father finished his explanation.
After making her way clear of the spinning panels, Jinora then sent her own gust of wind into them in order to reset their speed. Kang couldn't help but smile in pride as his little sister executed the exercise perfectly. She really was a natural prodigy.
"All right," Korra said with determination. "Let's do this." She then charged directly into The Gates.
Kang saw the young Avatar botch the exercise as she was being painfully bounced around between the various twirling gates. Eventually, she was thrown out and somehow landed on her bottom in the exact same location as she had entered from.
To her credit and despite her somewhat embarrassing display, Korra immediately jumped back to her feet, undeterred and ready to rush back in. However, just as she was about to run forward again, a hand grabbed her shoulder, stopping her.
"Well hold on a minute," Kang said as he stood beside her.
"What?" Korra asked, slightly frustrated. "I just need to get the timing right."
"Well there's more to it than that," Kang said, "would you like my input on this?"
Korra looked at Tenzin, "Aren't you supposed to teach me?"
"Actually," Jinora interjected, "Kang knows a lot about Airbending, even more than I do."
"Jinora's right," Tenzin said, "even as a Nonbender, Kang has been studying the philosophies and the techniques of Airbending when he was a small child. I have faith he can give you good instruction."
"Thank you for that," Kang said, "now would you like my input this time?"
She groaned and nodded as Kang started to explain, "When there is a wind current, the leaf gets carried by it due to it being extremely light."
"So what you're saying is feel like you're being carried by the wind as if you're the leaf," Korra concluded.
Korra smirked as she now figured out the analogy Kang made.
"Everything in the world causes movement in the air," Kang said, regaining Korra's attention. "Everything from a flying boulder or a fire blast to a single wingbeat from a spider-fly; they all create disruptions in the natural air flow. And Airbenders are able to perceive the world around them by feeling these changes in the air against their skin," he explained.
"That's why most of the Air Nomads shaved their heads. Your scalp is extremely sensitive like the back of your hand," Kang said, motioning to his bald father as an example.
"And I bet you just thought he did that to cover up his receding hairline," the younger man added with a smirk.
Korra couldn't help but snort in amusement at Kang's short and humorous lesson, while Tenzin merely rolled his eyes, but chose not to interrupt. He loved his son, but he would appreciate it if he were to not tease him in front of his son's younger siblings as they may pick up his small bad habits.
"Can you do this?" Kang asked.
Korra looked at the spinning gates as she took a deep breath and looked at it with determination, "I can do this," she said, as she charged in again.
Unlike the first time, she made it several feet in. And although she was hit multiple times, they were mostly glancing blows rather than the full-body hits she suffered the previous time. Nevertheless, she was forced out in the same direction she had entered.
She tried again with the same result. However, her third attempt was more reminiscent of her very first as she was once again thrown bodily out of the spinning contraption.
And just like before, Korra was ready to charge headlong into The Gates once again when a hand grabbed her shoulder, stopping her. Kang had stopped her… again.
"Korra, it's okay to not be able to get it on your first day," Kang said, "You just aren't ready yet. You need more practice."
Korra was a do-er, not a thinker. She learned best through actions, not by sitting around in a library and reading. She needed to master Airbending as quickly as possible. She promised the people of Republic City that she would protect them. Korra wanted to know why Kang was trying to hold her back, to slow her down. What did he know about the expectation of becoming an Airbender?
"Oh yeah?" Korra asked in anger. "Well if you're such an expert, then why don't you try making it through those gates?"
Kang looked at her with a glare, he wanted to say something back at her, but he didn't as he knew it wouldn't help. His face shifted into a smug grin as he stepped up to the gates while rolling his shoulders and popping his neck.
"Wait, he's not serious, is he?" Korra asked Tenzin in surprise, "He's a Nonbender!"
Both remained silent as they observed the young man. Kang soon closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Ikki, Meelo, reset The Gates," Kang said.
"Aye eye, Captain!" Meelo saluted.
Both of the young airbenders enthusiastically sent an incredibly strong gust of wind into The Gates. In their excitement, they accidentally made their blast a bit too strong as Jinora was forced to move out of the way. "You guys are messing up my hair," she complained.
Kang ignored the bickering of his younger siblings as he stepped up to The Gates, completely blinded with his eyes closed. Korra held her breath in anticipation as she waited for Kang to inevitably get mauled by the spinning panels just as she had been.
Yet, to her astonishment, Kang used cartwheels and other acrobatic movements to nimbly dodge every obstacle as he glided through The Gates way better than Jinora had. However, unlike his younger sister who had moved through in a relatively straight line, Kang seemed determined to move through every square inch of the network of spinning gates. He was moving with almost unnatural agility and speed that made it seem as though he was being carried by the air itself.
Just when it seemed as though Kang was about to exit The Gates out the opposite side, he astounded Korra once again as he abruptly stopped and began to move backwards towards the position he had originally entered.
Kang had been making his way throughout The Gates for several minutes by the time he finally made it back out from his point of entry, so the spinning gates had become noticeably slower than they were when he had first entered. After he finished his demonstration, he started walking away with his back facing Korra.
———
He was inside the stables where he was tending to his sky bison by feeding it grass. This specific Bison was named Kojo and the tale of how Kang adopted him was a noble one. It all happened when Tenzin and Kang were visiting the Southern Air Temple as a young boy, 10 years old to be exact. He managed to sneak off away from his father and had come across a newborn bison calf who seemed like it lost their Mother. Kang had managed to comfort the small calf and brought it over to Tenzin and the older man was stunned as the calf was one of the first sky bison to form a bond with a Nonbender.
Kojo couldn't help, but muzzle his nose against his rescuer's hand. The sky bison was happy that Kang had returned home and was soon glad as it wanted to fly Kang into Republic City.
…
Kang was at Republic City University as he was waiting for some people in the Roku Plaza. He was waiting in the courtyard which was located in the center of campus, but was soon greeted by a young man who was his age. He wore a blue short-sleeved tunic with black pants as well as a conical hat that covered his hair.
"Kang!" the man called out.
Kang smiled as he ran and hugged him, "Kung Lao! It's good to see you man."
"It's good to see you man," Kung Lao said, "my goodness, the United Forces really made you put on some pounds!"
"Yeah," Kang said, "I used to be a scrawny kid who weighed 54 kilograms, now I weigh 95 kilos."
It was true because Kang before leaving for the military was very skinny and the physical training from the Royal Fire Naval Academy wasn't kind to him. So he had to work twice as hard, be more athletic, stronger, faster, and acrobatic than his Bending peers. He also is proficient in chi-blocking and was a master at hand-to-hand combat [A/N: His fighting style is a blend of Taekwondo and Muay Thai]. Over time in the academy, he had started to gain muscle mass and was extremely strong and built.
"Let's catch up," Kung Lao said, "I know a Tavern we can go to, my treat!"
While they were drinking Kang told his friend stories of his time in the Royal Fire Navy Academy. He recalled how he was the small fry of the group and the United Forces wasn't forgiving about that as well. Kang also revealed to his friend about his adventures with his Uncle Bumi while being his right hand man.
…
"Dude your time in the Military sounds awesome!" Kung Lao said, "Not to mention that you became a Captain!"
"Yeah," Kang said, rubbing the back of his head.
"Oh now that you've come back home, have you said hi to Asami?" Kung Lao asked.
This made Kang choke on his drink which served as an indicator to his friend that he didn't.
"Yeah about that," Kang said, "we uhh, broke up."
Kung Lao looked at Kang as if he was a crazy man. He thought his friend and one of the most popular girls in the school would at some point lay the hatchet and get married, but perhaps that wouldn't come to fruition.
"What happened?"
"Just kind of drifted apart," Kang said, "we wrote to each other more often than we actually saw each other."
"Well she's still here in Republic City," Kung Lao said, "she actually works under her father. Thinking about it now, you should too. Your Dad is one of the most respected Councilmembers of Republic City."
"No thanks," Kang said, "I have promised myself to never get involved in Political matters, besides I have been hearing there has been a secret group of Nonbenders who want change. They call themselves the Equalists I think."
"Yeah, you're correct," Kung Lao said, "Their leader, who wears a white mask, has been gathering more followers. I can't really blame them for joining though, a lot of these Nonbenders like us believe in such a notion because of the crimes they have to suffer from Benders ranging from small petty thugs to big name Triads."
Kang sat as he crossed his arms, he indeed agreed, "I agree, but this kind of movement will not change anything. For real change to happen, it has to happen by talking to Councilmembers and telling them what needs to change."
"And what do you think needs to change, Kang? You're a Nonbender, you speak your mind."
Kang thought for a minute before answering, "I don't know, I grew up with two parents who were Benders."
Kung Lao looked at Kang with confusion from what he said, "But people will listen to you. You're the Nonbending Grandson of Avatar Aang, surely they will listen to you."
"Sure, but keep in mind, I joined the United Forces, which is composed mainly of Benders," Kang said, "as far as I know, my uncle and I are the only Nonbenders who are high ranking officers."
After a moment, Kung Lao thought of something as a way to change the topic.
"Let's see a Pro-Bending match!" Kung Lao proposed, "There is this upcoming team known as the Fire Ferrets, c'mon!"
"I'm sorry," Kang said, "but I have to go home, it's late, how about tomorrow? I'll pick you up."
"Tomorrow is good," Kung Lao said.
Kang nodded as he exited and took out his Bison whistle, when he blew into it, it blew a low hum instead of the high ring that Airbenders would be able to pull off. Kojo soon landed in the middle of the street where Satomobiles were stopping. Kang soon jumped on Kojo's head, "Kojo, yip-yip!"
———
The next day had occurred and Kang was mainly relaxing until he had to pick up Kung Lao to attend a Pro-Bending match. The boys managed to get dropped off by Kojo nearby the admissions area and they soon got in line.
"Did you get tickets?" Kang asked.
"No, did you?" Kung Lao asked.
Kang shook his head, they went to the ticket vendor kiosk, but saw the sold out sign. The two started groaning, but Kung Lao had an idea.
"You want to sneak the old way?" Kung Lao asked.
"I don't know," Kang said, "we're 18 now."
"I know, but these Fire Ferrets are real Badasses," Kung Lao said, "c'mon…"
Kang took a deep breath as he was thinking about this, in fairness he knows they won't get caught as he then comes up with a decision.
"Alright let's go," Kang said.
Kang and Kung Lao used the crowd to blend in and they managed to get underneath the dock that had beams where they maneuvered to another side of the building using some Parkour techniques and they managed to get to an open window on the back of the building and entered from there. They snuck into the hall and managed to go to a door that led to a beam where the lights were hanging from. Kang and Kung Lao were sitting in the said area.
As the two were watching the competition, Kang was looking towards the competitor's box where the teams would relax before going into the ring and saw Korra with his good vision. This made him chuckle and shake his head in amusement. This led to Kang having Kung Lao go without him as he decided to sneak into the Pro-Bending gym and tried to find Korra.
It didn't take long as he heard two teenagers talking and he went to where the talking was the loudest and managed to get into a training room where Korra was throwing rings with Earthbending, the one who was training her was a bulky teenage boy who had his hair raked back, but had one bang that was hanging down and curled. Another teen was sitting on the stairs. He was taller and had spiked hair and had kind of that wannabe 'I want to be alone' persona.
The said taller teenage boy looked towards Kang and narrowed his eyes.
"Who are you?" the boy said.
Korra and the stocky boy looked back to see Kang who had his arms crossed and smirking towards Korra.
"Took you long enough to actually escape," Kang said.
"Wait, what?" Korra was confused.
"Oh please," Kang said, "I have countlessly escaped from a heavily guarded place before as well. The White Lotus suck at their job."
"So you're not going to tell your Dad?" Korra asked.
Kang started to scoff as if it was a stupid question.
"It's not my job to watch you," Kang said, "so why should I?"
"Uhhh," the bulky teen said, "who is that?"
"Oh right," Korra said, "Kang meet the Fire Ferrets. Next to me is Bolin and the one sitting on the stairs is Mako. Mako, Bolin meet Kang Beifong."
"Wait, he's Kang Beifong?" Bolin asked.
"Wait, how do you know him?" Korra asked.
"Everybody knows him," Mako said, "he's the grandson of Avatar Aang, Katara, and Toph."
"And his Grandma Toph was my hero," Bolin said.
Kang chuckled as he walked towards Korra and Bolin, "So what are you two doing?"
"Bolin was just showing some new stuff," Korra said. Kang nodded as he went towards the net and looked at the disks. He picked one up and spun it with one finger, he then tossed it and let it flip and soon caught it. He looked at Korra and threw it at her with fast speed. She caught it and saw Kang who was in what we would call a Muay Thai stance.
"Throw the disks at me," Kang said, "I want to show you how I move."
Korra shrugged as she threw two disks at the same time. Kang smirked and simply weaved between the two. Korra soon started to throw four at once and it led to Kang doing a corkscrew flip dodging all of them with precision, but little did she know that Kang caught one of them and threw it back at Korra who stopped it. Bolin, Korra, and even Mako who had his eyes slightly wide were shocked to witness what Kang did. He managed to redirect the projectile towards the sender and it has never been done before.
"How are you able to do that?!" Bolin asked with amazement in his voice.
"Months of excruciating training in redirecting many projectiles starting from small rocks from Earthbenders to sharp metal shards from Metalbenders, shurikens, and kunais," Kang said, "you name it."
Korra and Bolin nodded with amazement as Mako simply stood up.
"Well, I'm going to turn in," Mako said, "good night Bo."
Bolin waved to his older brother as Korra asked, "You guys live here?"
Bolin nodded, "Mhm," he said, "in the attic. It's nothin' fancy, but we have some good views."
"Oh I bet," Kang said, "hey, Korra, we should head back."
"Oh right," Korra said, realizing that it was getting late, "I have to get back, see you around Bolin."
"Yeah," Bolin said, waving at the duo as they started to go back to the Air Temple Island.
———
In the morning, Kang decided to watch Korra go through the gates and saying that her performance was poor was an understatement, it was downright horrendous. Kang had a look of disgust as he saw Korra's abhorrent showing at passing the gates.
"Patience, Korra!" Tenzin called and just as he said that, Kang noticed that Korra was about to do something she was going to regret so he dashed towards her faster than a blinking eye and used a chi-blocking technique to stop her from what seemed like Firebending. Korra at that moment started to go limp as Kang caught her.
"What did you do to me?" Korra said.
"Stopped you from making a mistake," Kang said as he threw her over his shoulder, leading to accidentally being a little too rough as her arms were flailing around.
"Hey," Korra said, "can you be a bit more gentle."
"Nope," Kang said as he walked off. Meanwhile, Tenzin was just simply stunned at his oldest son's speed, he wasn't able to react and see what he was doing as it was all just a blur. As for the Chi-blocking, he knew it was a very different version than the ones known in the whole world. Though at the moment, he was thankful that an ancient training tool wasn't burned by some angry teenager for an Avatar.
…
The sun had just set on Air Temple Island. It was getting later in the fall, so the temperatures were getting lower and lower each night. Tenzin and his family were wearing their heavier, long-sleeved garbs as a way to stay warm before they would eventually be forced to use their gas heaters later in the season. Ikki and Meelo were fidgeting around in their seats as they waited for the food to arrive. Jinora meanwhile was reading from a small red-covered book. He and most of his children with the exception of his eldest son were sitting around the dinner table as his wife brought them their meals. Well… at least most of his children were.
"Okay, everyone here?" Pema asked, looking around as she brought in a tray with bowls of soup and a large plate of salad. "Wait, where're Korra and Kang?"
"All I know is that Kang is with Kung Lao," Tenzin said, "Honestly, Pema, I'm at my wits end with that girl!" Tenzin groaned as he put an elbow on the table and rested his head in his hand. "I don't know how to get through to her," he brought his fist down on the table in frustration.
"Dear," Pema reassured her husband, rubbing his shoulder with her free hand. "Granted that Korra may be the Avatar , but she's still a girl. The best thing you can do right now is just give her some space," she sagely advised.
Tenzin smiled warmly at his wife's comforting words. He then turned his determined gaze to his children sitting across the table. "You must promise me that your teenage years won't be like this," he intoned.
Ikki and Meelo merely looked on in confusion as they failed to properly understand what the adults were talking about. Jinora, however, merely looked over the top edge of her text and boredly stated, "I will make no such promises," before turning her attention back to her reading.
…
Tenzin was looking out to the statue of Aang as he was thinking about Korra joining the Fire Ferrets and the way she moved until a voice called out for him.
"Figured I'd see you here."
Tenzin looked back and saw Kang who was walking towards him.
"You just came back," Tenzin asked.
Kang nodded and looked at the statue of his Grandfather while standing next to his Father.
"I've been thinking a lot lately," Kang said.
"About what?" Tenzin asked as he looked at his older son.
"About everything, my life I have been living, the choices I made, the consequences that came with it, all of it," Kang said, "I have always blamed myself for my biggest personal problem which was being a Nonbender. And in doing so, I rebelled and made you and Mom worried, disappointed, and upset with me."
"What are you trying to say?" Tenzin said.
"What I'm trying to say is that," Kang bowed down and kept bowing as he said, "I'm sorry for everything, Dad."
Tenzin's eyes widened as he heard his oldest son call him Dad. This made him sad as he didn't know how much his son was drowning himself in this self-hate. Tenzin simply put an arm around his son and gave him a hug.
"I forgave you for your troubles a long time ago," Tenzin said, while hugging his son, "it's time you forgive yourself."
He didn't feel anything until he felt his son's back twitch and soon the instant return for the hug, but a stronger one.
Tenzin's eyes softened as he simply just patted his son's back, letting his son cry for all the terrible things he had done towards his family.
———
A/N: This is a rewrite of the story and this will take longer to write! I also want to let people know that this story is inspired by Ominious442's story, a Test of Metal as it has an interesting what-if scenario; that being while Lin and Tenzin were together, what if they had a son. I took some liberties as instead of Kang being an Earthbender, he couldn't bend any element at all. But to make up for it, Kang is not only a master martial artist and acrobat, he also has a sense that assassins do which is called Eagle Sense in the Assassin's Creed fandom, but in LOK, it's a sixth sense that only Kang has. Here is the character and his VA:
Kang Beifong - (CV: Crispin Freeman - Sounds like Roy Harper from Young Justice and Kyon from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)