Journey Through The Chakras

Intuition

*Bumi is age 10, Kya is age 5, and Tenzin is age 2*

The chattering of the people at the stalls filled the open marketplace. These were the kind of days that made Aang smile the most. People moving in the open air. A symphony of individuals from all walks of life coming together to get what they need. He loved to see life continuing after so many years of death and destruction. He walked leisurely with his wife and three children through Republic City's marketplace in the hope that they would all get what they desired. Katara kept the household kitchen organized, so she was interested in stocking up as a home of five quickly devoured any food in the home.

Bumi, much to his parents dismay, was very fond of warrior items and excitedly ran to the stall with tools and weapons. Kya sprinted towards the stall with hundreds of books with a quick "I'm going over there!" Tenzin was just happy to be sat upon his dad's shoulders. Aang echoed his youngest son's motivation for going to the marketplace. They both seemed to love new adventures and the freedom of outdoors. Katara smiled at the sight of her distinguished and older looking husband bouncing and singing their toddler on his shoulders. She gasped at the view of a fruit stall and motioned for her husband to follow.

The woman behind the fruit stand appeared to be in her 50's or 60's and smelled of lavender. Her kind eyes opened widely at the sight of the family approaching her stall. "Oh, Avatar Aang and Master Katara. I'm so honored," she said with a timid bow. Waving the formalities away, Aang replied, "Please, just 'Aang'. Also, we are honored as well. It looks like you have many different kinds of fruit here. Some are even pretty exotic." Tenzin reached out his hands to his mom, asking to be held by her. She then leaned over the rows of fruit as she walked with Tenzin on her hip, inspecting them to make sure they were up to her standard. Her eyes widened at the ripe apples, oranges, watermelon, and even blueberries, which were difficult to find in Republic City. A slight impulsiveness overtook the older woman as she blurted out to Aang, "So, you're not the last airbender I see. You must be proud!"

Katara stopped what she was doing and turned to look at her husband as if he knew something she didn't. Fortunately for him, he shared his wife's confused look and frowned at the older woman. "He's only two. We don't know if he's an airbender yet or even if he is a bender at all. Sometimes bending abilities don't show up until as late as 5. I am curious though, what makes you think he's an airbender?" The older woman continued to smile, still surprised by the Avatar's illusion surrounding his son, "Oh, I'm sorry if I overstepped, I just assumed you knew. I could feel the energy in your aura, it has specks of green, which is pretty uncommon for non-airbenders. I wasn't sure until your little one moved away. I sense the green auras on both of you right now, with your son's being very large" The couple remained dumbfounded with mouths wide open in surprise. Aang was the first to respond, "Well...that's certainly an interesting theory. No one really knows for sure how to predict bending but that is something to consider." Aang paid for the fruit in a heavy silence and began to walk around scanning the crowd for their other children.

Tenzin's squealing and laughter masked the tension between the couple as they walked over to where Bumi was playing with children in a park. Katara asked her husband a question that has been hanging in the air but unsaid. "Do...you think there was any truth to that? That-um-Tenzin could be an airbender?" She tried to get a good read on her husband's face but failed. Aang's face was scrunched but his eyes remained kind and soft. "I really don't know, Katara. I have never known any other way to tell about bending besides it just happening one day. I try not to overtly look for signs because that can lead to disappointment. All I care about is that our kids are healthy and loved. But..", Aang came to a thoughtful pause. He glanced away from Katara briefly before returning to her eyes. "I think I might be curious to find out. Maybe I can meditate and gain some knowledge from one of my past lives or something."

Aang had a knot in his stomach while waiting for his wife to respond. He didn't know why he thought she might be angry about this. "Aang, I think that's a great idea. Maybe you'll get answers and maybe not. But I think you have to try." With an encouraging smile from his wife, he beamed at her and gave her a passionate kiss on the lips. "Oogies!" laughed Bumi as he began to run to his parents. Tenzin, securely held by his mother, lifted up his arms in excitement "Oogies, mommy!" The couple rolled their eyes and laughed at how fast the word "oogie" spread amongst their family. The family pried Kya away from another book stall as they all began to walk home, with Aang carrying more than a handful of books.

In their home, Tenzin was successfully napping from the adventure at the marketplace. Kya and Katara practiced waterbending beginning stances in complete view of Bumi sharpening his tools. Aang nodded to Katara with a knowing look that he would be undisturbed for a while. After lighting incense and placing his spiritual beads around his neck, Aang folded his legs into lotus position. Feeling himself leave his physical body, he was soon standing next to Avatar Yangchen. "Hello, Avatar Aang, what can I help you with?", she questioned the young airbender. "Avatar Yangchen, thank you for answering. I was wondering if you have heard of a way of sensing if someone is a bender or not?" Avatar Yangchen smiled and answered, "I assume you are asking about your youngest son." Aang nodded and asked, "Yes, I was told today by a stranger that she could see his aura, and it was similar to mine. Have you heard of that before?" She replied, "Yes, it is a very old way to determine a bender. It is from when humans used to bend the energy in themselves. The air chakra is green, which permeates your aura and Tenzin's. Even Though you cannot see it, I believe you sensed it. Your son's name is a common Air Nomad name, after all."

Aang was silent for a few moments, processing what he had just heard. "I guess that makes sense. As soon as I met him, I knew. I knew his name was Tenzin. It just felt right, and I never questioned it," he said. Avatar Yangchen smiled and said, "You were listening to your instincts, Avatar Aang. The universe has a way of telling us the truth in nondirective ways. With Tenzin's help, in his lifetime he will see the Air Nomads repopulated greatly and the world will be balanced again." He remained deep in thought for a moment. He didn't know what to say, but he knew he needed to talk to Katara. Aang bowed respectfully before leaving, "Thank you for your wisdom, Avatar Yangchen."

Aang came out of his meditative state and walked out of his bedroom in search of Katara. He found her outside, sweaty but encouraging their daughter in her waterbending stances. "Good job, Kya. You're getting so good! How about we take a break and you play with Bumi?" As Kya screamed and rushed her older brother in a sneak attack, Katara walked over to Aang. She wrapped her arms tightly around Aang, resting her head on her shoulders. "That woman at the fruit stall was right, Katara. Avatar Yangchen told me reading auras is an old way to determine if someone is a bender. She confirmed that Tenzin will be an airbender and he will see the Air Nomads repopulated in his lifetime" he said softly, almost not wanting to get his hopes up.

Katara pulled away and kissed him on the lips, "Wow, that's great news! I'm so happy for you, Aang. How are you feeling about it?" He smiled with a hint of hesitation, "I am excited and happy. But, we haven't seen any bending yet. I'm just...worried. What if it's too good to be true?" "I would worry if it was just the older woman, but the revelation came from two people. One was a stranger so, yeah, kind of weird, but her story was confirmed by Avatar Yangchen! I think you told me once that spirits and energy transcend time so it's not impossible to see the future. Maybe trust your intuition? Not everything is logical. You should know that, simple monk." He laughed before stating, "You're right, Katara. My heart says it's true and I think I have known it since he was born, somehow. I guess we'll see what happens." Just as the couple began to hug, they're attention was turned towards the window of Tenzin's nursery. Tenzin was squealing in excitement as he was airbending his blanket above his crib.

Katara's heart fluttered as she squeezed her husband's hand. "Aang...", she whispered. He didn't say anything. Tears rolled down his face as he stared at the window. He leaned his weight into his wife's shoulder, hugging her close. Years of shame and sadness that have haunted him, now lifting from his mind. His heart leapt as he sighed into her shoulder. Although he had left the thoughts of shame for running away behind him so many years ago, it never felt truly gone. Sometimes, every once in a while, a pang of regret would appear in his thoughts. He always rationalized it and mindfully remembered to tell himself that it wasn't his fault. But the thoughts never stopped completely. He did not tell anyone this, not even Katara. He imagined the little piece of shame and regret he still carried leaving his body in a cloud of black smoke. Those thoughts never appeared again.