Maintaining the Balance: Ch. 12 (Patreon)

Though Toph had never been known for her subtlety, she still waited a few weeks before asking Kahn, "So, what exactly is your relationship with that stone-headed husband of mine?"

Instead of answering Toph's question, Kahn focused on pouring tea for her and Katara before returning the pot to the stove. Toph had her own place nearby, but she often came by to chat with Katara until late in the evening.

"We're acquaintances who periodically share tea and stories..."

Snorting through her nose, Toph quipped, "You know that isn't what I was asking. I want to know if Rokr was sent to watch over me like you were to protect Korra. Was I just some pity project for him? Is that why he died so early?"

Feeling uncharacteristically anxious, Toph had nearly risen to her feet by the time she was finished speaking. She didn't believe Rokr was the kind of man she was imagining, but neither she nor her children had ever been able to reconcile his death. A man who could shatter mountain peaks with a punch and halt rockslides with his mind wasn't just killed off in his 50s.

Annoyed by Toph's questioning, Kahn surprised the two elderly women by sitting down, crossing his legs, and bringing his fingers together. The last thing he said before a strange atmosphere permeated the room was, "Ask him yourself..."

Immediately following Kahn's words, he opened his eyes to reveal that the color had shifted from vibrant green to a luminous gold. His usually standoffish demeanor was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he gave off the impression of an exceptionally bright and cheerful person as he looked towards Toph, smiled, and said, "You've aged beautifully my little badger mole."

While most women would feel insulted being compared to such a large, smelly, and overbearing creature, Toph practically sprang to her feet, her voice shaking as she asked, "Rockybear...is that really you?"

Shaking his head, Rokr's expression became noticeably more apologetic as he answered, "I'm afraid I'm just borrowing little Kahn's body for a bit. Out of consideration for him, I'll have to ask that we don't hug or kiss. As beautiful as you are, I doubt he would appreciate being kissed by an old lady."

Snorting through her nose, Toph resisted the urge to give Rokr/Kahn a Chi-empowered punch for calling her old. She was, but that didn't mean she liked hearing it.

"You still have that bad habit of saying whatever's on your mind..."

Regaining a friendly smile, Rokr nearly reached out to caress Toph's face before stopping himself, retracting his hand, and whispering, "As much as you learned from me, I learned from you..."

Tearing up a bit, Toph closed her eyes before crossing her arms and asking, "Twenty years ago...what happened? How did someone like you, the Grand Marshall of the Earth Kingdom's Military, one of the greatest Earthbenders in the entire world, end up dying in an alleyway?"

Raising his brows, Rokr asked, "One of the best? I don't recall ever losing to anyone.."

Furrowing her brows, Toph shot Rokr a glare, pointedly stating, "You're currently using the body of a brat to speak to me. If you were the best, you wouldn't have died like a dog. Now talk. Did you get wrapped up in some kind of conspiracy? I want to know everything."

Though she couldn't see him, Rokr avoided Toph's gaze as he scratched his head and muttered, "I knew this day would come..."

Exhaling a sigh, Rokr shook his head before forcing himself to meet Toph's gaze and answering, "I got drunk." in a matter-of-factly tone of voice.

"..."

Expecting Rokr to continue, Toph's expression gradually morphed into a scowl as an incredibly awkward silence permeated the previously cozy and comfortable igloo.

Shuddering in response to the blood-curdling aura exuded by Toph, Rokr raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, reminding her, "This isn't my body. Don't lose your cool and do something that would jeopardize little Kahn's trust..."

Inhaling through her nose, Toph did her best to calm down before asking, "You got drunk?" through gritted teeth.

Scratching the back of his head, Rokr offered a wry and apologetic smile before explaining the circumstances of his demise. He had been attending the bachelor party of one of his junior officers, a young Lieutenant named Guh Bamin. Since the other guests had been acting a little tense, he made a show of opening the first bottle of wine and pouring a cup for the young officer. 

Since the Earth Kingdom had a tradition of juniors pouring drinks for their superiors, Rokr's actions had caused quite a stir. To mitigate any potential resentment, he went on to fill the glasses of everyone present before later accepting nearly every beverage offered to him. He was already relatively famous for his tolerance by then, so, as the night progressed and tensions rose, people kept egging him on to consume more and more alcohol.

In the end, the thing that had killed Rokr, the most powerful Earthbender in the entire world, was alcohol poisoning. The only reason the toxicology report came back negative was because his body had filtered out all the toxins by the time it was discovered...

By the time Rokr was finished recounting the circumstances of his death, Toph was sitting in her chair, head cradled in her hands as she muttered, "You stone-brained idiot..."

Unable to refute the claim, Rokr just smiled wryly before stating, "I have to go now. Kahn's mind and body are unsuitable for housing my Spirit. If I stay too long, he could end up in a vegetative state. Take care of yourself, Toph, Katara. I'll see you again when the boundary between the living and Spirits Worlds blurs."

Without bothering to elaborate, Rokr relinquished his control over Kahn's body. When the latter regained consciousness, a painful throbbing unlike anything he had ever experienced shook his mind as blood began flowing from his nostrils like open faucets.

"Kahn...!"

Worried about the boy's health, Katara practically sprang from her rocking chair to check his condition. He did his best to assure her everything was okay, but the older woman refused to listen. She had long since regarded Kahn as one of her grandchildren, so there was absolutely no way she could remain calm when he was practically hemorrhaging blood from his nostrils...

"Just sit still and let me do my job...!"

"..."

...

..

.

Unaccustomed to the aggressively fretful version of the old woman, Kahn just sat in silence as Katara healed the capillaries in his nose and relieved the painful throbbing in his head. 

The culprit of Kahn's headache turned out to be a series of minor brain hemorrhages causing blood to pool around his brain. When Toph learned of this, most of her frustration regarding Rokr's departure evaporated into thin air. She was still a little upset, but she forced herself to apologize and express her gratitude before retiring to her private quarters to sulk. 

When Kahn first saw Toph drift away, he felt genuine empathy for the old, clearly lonely woman. In the days, months, and even years that followed, they would both be a little nicer to each other whenever they met. More importantly, the evening's incident served as a suitable deterrent against further questioning. Katara was genuinely worried that Kahn would injure or even cripple himself trying to answer their questions, so, in the months that followed, she only asked questions about Korra and her training.

The next time Kahn was asked about his status and the purpose of the Four Avatars was during the eve of Korra's ninth birthday. Two of Katara's children, Tenzin and the Waterbending Master Kya, had journeyed to the South Pole alongside their families. Their main reason for visiting was to celebrate Korra's birthday, but, later that evening, they approached Kahn to ask about the Air and Water Avatars.

While they had yet to find out any information related to Yao Yoko, it had only taken a few days for Tenzin to learn everything there was to know, at least publically, about Regina Akua. After all, the Akua family was second only to the Sato Family in terms of wealth and status. 

Regina, though she preferred to be called Akua, was the only daughter of the Akua Family. Despite her young age, she had made a name for herself as a prodigy in the arts of song, dance, and music. Alongside Asami Sato, she was regarded as one of the most graceful and elegant young buds in the entirety of Republic City. Everyone was eagerly awaiting the day the two heiresses would blossom into even more breathtaking beauties.

Since the name Regina Akua wasn't exactly common, it was natural to conclude that the one in Republic City was the Avatar of Water and Virtue. The only problem was that Akua was registered as a non-bender. She had never displayed her abilities in public, so, as far as the people of Republic City were concerned, she was just a normal, albeit exceptional young girl.

Though Tenzin was a member of the United Republic Council, the highest governing body in Republic City, it wouldn't exactly be appropriate for him to request a private meeting with the eleven-year-old heiress of the Akua Family. He had tried meeting with her after one of her piano recitals, but the pale-haired virtuoso had politely refused his invitation before leaving alongside her mother.

Without knowing for certain that Akua was the person Kahn had been referring to, neither Tenzin nor the Order of the White Lotus had a proper justification for approaching her. They could approach her on suspicions of her being the White Demon, but, depending on how things played out, they risked provoking the Akua, Sato, and practically every other affluent, non-bending family in the city.

Since approaching Akua was like trying to navigate a minefield in the dark, Tenzin decided the most innocuous approach was to ask Kahn if she was the person they suspected her of being. Unfortunately, while Kahn knew of Akua's existence, the two of them had never met. He would be able to identify her if their paths crossed, but, for the time being, they were total strangers to one another. All he knew for certain was that they probably wouldn't get along.

When asked why he and Akua wouldn't get along, Kahn explained that his Creator, the Sage Dragon Emperor, had hard-coded personality traits into each of the Avatars. More specifically, they were nearly the antithesis of what people expected when dealing with a specific type of Bender.

Traditionally, Firebenders were aggressive and easily swayed by their emotions. Kahn was much the same internally, but you wouldn't know it from how he acted. His expression was always calm and serene, and no matter how people tried to rile him up, he would just ignore them unless they showed genuine hostility.

Though he had never met Akua, Kahn could already imagine what kind of person she was. Most Waterbenders were as gentle and soothing as the water they manipulated. They could be temperamental at times, but, more often than not, they were the subset of Benders that showed the greatest concern for others.

While they were free to shape themselves into whoever they wanted to be, Kahn knew that Akua would, at least for a time, exhibit the personality traits ascribed to her by their Creator. In other words, she would secretly be a calm and caring person, but, on the surface, she would be as violent and unforgiving as an icy mountain river. The moment you got swept up in her current, your only options were to allow yourself to be dragged along or to swim against it until you were, inevitably, pulled under.

Few could oppose the might of a mountain stream and walk away with a smile...