Scurrying their bare feet across the smooth tiles, a two young girls giggle at one another as they escape the wrath of the cook chasing them, his face covered in whatever food he had been preparing before the two menaces known as the Fire Nation princesses came in and ruined it all.

Their giggling is cut short when they suddenly bump into a tall figure, and they both fall backwards. The cook, panting, leaning over and holding his knees, stomps up and angrily points his spoon down at them.

"I would expect better behavior from future heirs to the throne," he spits.

Fire Lord Zuko frowns, and leans down to scoop his daughters up into his arms. "They're children, Osamu," he snorts. "At least give them some more time to be free before they truly take up that responsibility."

The cook just huffs, crosses his arms, and stomps away. The girls muffle their laughter into their father's cloak. With a half-hidden smirk, he walks into the throne room, his eldest daughter almost slipping out of his grip with how big and squirmy she is.

"Father," she asks curiously, blinking up with her wide, amber eyes, "where's Mom?"

"In the Spirit World, remember?" he replies, taking a seat on the throne and letting his children cuddle up to him. "She and Aang have some important duties."

"Oh, yeah," snorts the younger one, a smaller girl around the age of seven. "Mama and Uncle Aang are the coolest in the world!"

"Cooler than me?" Fire Lord Zuko asks jokingly.

"Yeah," replies the younger.

He just rolls his eyes. "Your mother will be back soon, Izumi," he continues onto his eldest. "Just be patient."

Izumi pouts. "But she's gone all the time..."

"When you're older, you'll understand just exactly why."

"Mama is out doing good-guy stuff," explains the younger, nodding as she says so, very confident in her declaration.

Fire Lord Zuko laughs, ruffles his youngest's white hair, and tugs the two of them closer. "We're all trying to do good-guy stuff, Yuzuki. Sometimes it just takes time."

Minder Ka sits next to her husband by the pond, idly watching her children eagerly firebend at one another.

"Y'know," Zuko speaks up, and she turns to look at him, "the girls have been talking about wanting a younger brother."

When he gives her a look, Ka just turns her head away with a scoff. "Absolutely not. We're both too busy with trying to build a republic for that."

"Well, I know, but—"

"Both the Spirit World and the physical world are in alternate forms of chaos," Ka interrupts, dipping her finger into the water and letting the turtle-ducks swim towards the ripples it makes. "Until that is fixed, I am not bringing another child into that."

"They would be safe here," Zuko tries. "In the Fire Nation."

Ka frowns, and looks back towards her daughters. Their fire and their movements have a certain something to them that all other children do not. "Our children are spirits, Zuko," she goes on. "Half, maybe, but spirits nonetheless. They are in danger no matter what."

Her husband blinks, wide-eyed. "You—you mean..."

"Yes," is all she says. "I can sense their abilities. I am not sure of the... extent, however."

As if on cue, their oldest, Izumi, tries to thrust out her hands to send another fire blast but ends up rolling forward, her body going transparent as she phases through her sister, coming out of the other side of her and becoming solid again. The two sisters look at each other with wide eyes, and Zuko abruptly stands up in shock, his jaw dropping.

Ka just gives a tired smile. "It comes from my side of the family."

"What will happen when you die?"

It's a morbid question, one not to be asked as they lay in bed together, the moonlight and cold of the wind seeping through the windows.

Ka turns to look at him, and finds him staring up at the ceiling, his expression blank.

"You're a spirit turned human," Zuko says, "but when you have to go back... what happens?"

Ka purses her lips. "I cannot say," she replies, and Zuko squeezes his eyes shut beside her. "I could not confirm anything, but... I would theorize my physical body would cease to exist, but my spirit... it would live on, as both myself, and the next Minder." She is quiet for a moment. "Why did you ask that?"

"Because I've been thinking about what you being the Minder really means lately," he confesses. "The dangers, the duties, and what's inevitable."

Ka reaches out and takes his hand. "Even when I'm gone I will still be with you."

"I know," he replies, choked up. "I know."

In the end, her Avatar dies young. He does not make it to the rite of an old man, physically, at least.

The hundred years spent in an iceberg, constantly in the shared state, drained much of his life energy, and by the later years of their mission, it very obviously began to weigh on his body. He could not bend as easily, could not move as easily. Going into their shared state or even fusing became painful for the both of them.

His final declaration was to task the Order of the White Lotus to search for and watch over both the next Avatar and Minder.

And at one hundred and sixty-six years, the Avatar who saved the world died.

At his deathbed, Ka felt his soul leave her body, and she sobbed for him, cried into the sheets, more alone than she has ever felt in her life. That night, she returned to the Fire Nation, for she knew she would not live long without her other half.

Minder Ka lived for three more days after the death of Avatar Aang, and at seventy-one years old, she passed away surrounded by her family—her husband, her daughter, Izumi, the newly-crowned Fire Lord, her second daughter, Yuzuki, her son, Ryuu, and her grandchild, Iroh II.

Her physical body spirited away, and the life of the Minder moved on.

"When I was a boy, my father, Avatar Aang, told me the story of how he, his Minder, and his friends heroically ended the Hundred Year War. Avatar Aang, Minder Ka, and Fire Lord Zuko transformed the Fire Nation colonies into the United Republic of Nations, a society where benders and nonbenders from all over the world could live and thrive together in peace and harmony. They named the capital of this great land Republic City.

"Avatar Aang and Minder Ka accomplished many remarkable things in their lives. But sadly, their time in the world came to an end, and like the cycle of the seasons, the cycles of the Avatar and the Minder began anew."

"The White Lotus has honored my family by coming," says the Water Tribe man, inclining his head. "Thank you."

He pushes the door open to allow the three Lotus members into his home. A woman with two braids immediately stops sweeping, straightening her back and bowing her head, tucking one of her braids behind her ear. "Welcome."

"We have investigated many claims," says the leader of the small group, lowering the hood of her coat, "both here and in the Northern Tribe. All have turned out to be false."

The woman smiles brightly, her husband walking over and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Then you should be happy to know, your search has come to an end."

The leader just raises her eyebrow. "What makes you so sure your daughter is the one? "

"Korra! Please come in here!"

After a moment, a slab of earth suddenly flies past the three White Lotus members, and their eyes all go wide in shock. A young girl dressed in Water Tribe clothing stands in the hole made in the wall, raising her fists in the air.

"I'm the Avatar, you gotta deal with it!"

To emphasize her claim, she jumps forward and punches to the left, leaving a trail of fire and sending a small arc of it towards the White Lotus members. She extends a small portion of the earth from the ground and pushes them backwards, and finishing them off by setting the corner of the leader's coat on fire. After it is successfully put out, they look back at the young girl, who has a trail of water to her left, a chunk of earth to her right, and her fists covered in flames.

Their search truly has come to an end, at least, this first part.

"He's always been a quiet boy," comments the mother, putting a hand on her face and sighing. "All he does is sit on the garden."

"What led you to believe that he truly is the Minder?" asks the White Lotus member.

"He talks about—something about past lives, in—in his dreams," his mother stammers out. "A woman with white hair and violet eyes—like the Minder before! And sometimes, when he's in the garden and he thinks nobody is watching, I think I see him... waterbending."

The two Lotus members look at one another and nod. "Thank you, ma'am. May we speak to him?"

The mother nods, and opens the back door to let them walk into the garden. The young boy in question, sure enough, is sitting in the garden, in the middle of a field of golden flowers. His skin is dark and so are his hair and eyes. Everything about him screams Earth Nation but when he lifts his hands to brush along the flowers there is a certain kind of patience, of tenderness.

"Excuse me," calls one of the Lotus members. "You are Tae, correct?"

When the boy slowly turns, there is a gleam of light, a quick flash of orange. Behind him is the faint figure, a whisper of a woman, with glowing violet eyes.

(so, a quick word. while going through some reviews i did notice that some people were very unhappy with some events in this story. how the story never really changed from canon, how ka was portrayed, etc. they are good criticisms, but i did not write this story to be an incredible, epic tale about a spirit amongst humans.

this was a letter to myself from when i was a child. like i said in the first chapter, this is a rewrite of a story i had up on this site when i was young. i was never able to finish the first draft of this, so i'm finishing it now, as a gift.

this story means a lot to me, personally. it doesn't matter if you didn't like it, because i had fun writing it, and it's important to me.

with that, i want to thank the people who are reading this now, and who have seen this story to the end. you reading this also means a lot to me, and to the young child who was never able to really finish their first version, because of family issues.

thank you all for following the story of ka. this story will not be going into legend of korra, simply because i don't have the time. use your own imagination.

a fiery girl named korra is the new avatar. a quiet, gentle boy named tae is the new minder. that is the end of ka's story, and the beginning of theirs.)

all that said and done, here is the thing i've been waiting to say since i was young:

the end.