Chapter 1 - Kea

"Okay sweetie, it's time to get up. Master Yong is waiting for you in the academy." Kea's mother said from the living room. Kea was awake, but he really didn't want to get out of bed.

"Why do I need to go? I graduated already. I'm better than the other students and I don't really feel like it," he retorted weakly.

"Come on Kea, now's not the time to be lazy. I know you never liked going to school, but Master Yong has personally requested for you to teach along side him. You're sixteen now, plenty old enough to earn some money while you're at it."

Learning didn't motivate him, and teaching really didn't motivate him. Truth be told, he was never a very excited person. The last time he ever truly felt exitement was six years ago when the war had ended. Now that peace was in place and the avatar was about his normal duties, everything became boring.

Do I have to? I've been going there for five years already. And now he wants me to teach? He better have a good amount of money for me.

"…ugh…fine," he sighed, rolling out of bed and throwing on his simple peasant's garb. He could wear his uniform, but he was tired of seeing that thing. So instead, he just put on some sandals and his basic attire and headed out after getting a drink of water.

"Be safe hon," Kea's mother sang as he left his house.

She's always like that. he thought to himself as he walked down the main streets of Ba Sing Se. He liked his home city, but once again, he found it boring.

"Good morning Kea," an elderly man called from his left. He chose to ignore the elder and instead focused on lumbering to the academy. It wasn't too far away, just a fifteen minute walk. "Okay then," the elder mumbled when Kea didn't reply. People were always like this. They didn't know why they bothered with this unmotivated, disrespectful kid. He imagined they just did it to be nice, but he didn't care about that. He was only concerned with himself and doing what he wanted to do (which usually meant sitting around and staring at the wind chimes in his mother's house). Luckily, his mother was around to prod him in the right direction.

"You'll thank me later," is what she'd always say.

After a short walk, Kea ended up within the walls of the academy. The place was built right after the war and so far was the Earth Kingdom's main means of educating its young earth benders. After entering the large halls, he walked straight into the ring of the academy, better known as The Gauntlet.

Great, back where I started, He thought with a sigh. He could see eleven earth benders doing their morning drills. It always started off this way. They would begin by doing their forms perfectly, followed by lifting small rocks and then eventually shifting large boulders.

Kea watched intently for a short while, seeing the eleven students trying their best to learn their art. Ten of them were doing well, but the eleventh…she was pathetic. The eleventh was a small girl and although she did her forms properly, she couldn't even get the earth beneath her feet to shift. The others were lifting and moving stones throughout the air whilst she couldn't even make stones pop out of the ground. He could see the frustration on her face. Strangely, she bore a small resemblance to the legendary Toph. Black hair with green clothes, and an intense look about her.

"Ah, Kea! Good to see you accepted my invitation!" the loud voice of Master Yong rang in his hear from his left side. Kea didn't have trouble holding in the enthusiasm that wasn't there.

"Ugh…Master Yong. I didn't exactly come down here because I wanted to. I graduated from the advanced course a week ago, and now you've summoned me here. Why?"

Master Yong held a face of disappointment for a few seconds, but then brought his trademark smile on. "Isn't it obvious? You, my best student, are going to teach with me."

Kea's eyes scanned the students. They were all green behind the ears and although they grasped a simple stuff easily, they were far from even passing their beginners exams.

"What's in it for me?"

"Hmm…well first, the honor of teaching in this prestigious school…and of course, good pay for as long as you're here."

That hooked him.

"Master Yong, what will you have me do?"

The master looked to his students and eyed them carefully.

"Well, as you probably noticed, I've got my hands full. Most of them are ready to begin practicing for their beginner's exam. But…." Kea saw where this was going. "The last one, the girl, she needs some serious tutoring. I don't know what it is, but her parents believe she is an earth bender. I haven't seen her make anything move though. I want you to take her under your wing. You grasped earth bending faster than any student I've had. So this should be cakewalk for you."

Greaaat, now I get to teach the inept. Kea cursed himself inside for showing up. Not only did he have to teach a brand new student, but he had to teach a girl with no skill at all.

"…Alright master, whatever you say." With that, the young man stepped forward and pointed to the little girl practicing on the sidelines. She looked at him for a moment with a blank stare as he pointed. He looked so serious to her. She stopped practicing her forms and pointed at herself questioningly and he nodded.

And she's a dimwit.

The girl immediately dropped what she was doing and walked over to him. As she got closer, he looked her up and down.

Not very impressive.

"What's your name?" Kea asked, keeping his normal bored tone.

"…S-Sera." she stuttered. She stared him in the eye as if expecting him to attack her.

"Hmph, Sera huh? Are you sure you're an earth bender?" he asked with scrutiny.

"I believe so, master," she replied.

"Don't call me master. Call me Kea." He demanded. He motioned for her to walk with him towards the outskirts of The Gauntlet. As they did, he looked at her again. She was small, and looked very fragile.

"The reason I ask," he spoke as they stopped at their destination. "Is because you seem to be unable to do even basic earth bending."

Sera looked at her feet for a brief moment, not sure how to answer. She didn't like it when her flaws were pointed out. Kea watched her do this, definitely not impressed.

"…I'll tell you what Sera. I'm going to leave now. Tomorrow I'll begin training you, but not here."

"What?" she asked, looking him in the eye again.

"As I said, we'll train, but not here. I want to take you somewhere where the other students won't bother you. Besides, you're my pupil now, so I get to decide where we train." He didn't know where his authoritative manners were, but they somehow came out. This was going beyond his normal comfort zone.

"O-okay Kea," she answered.

"We'll start at eight tomorrow outside the gates of Ba Sing Se. There's a small hill roughly half a mile from the main gate. You can't miss it. I'll see you there."

He watched as she reached in her pockets for anything to write on. Eventually, she gave up, huffing a bit in frustration as she brushed her hair out of her face.

"Alright Kea." she almost whispered.

With a nod, Kea turned and walked away, leaving her to train with the other students. Master Yong watched, but didn't say anything as the new teacher left The Gauntlet.

I don't know where I'm going with this, but if she's an earth bender, I will teach her.

Whew. Done with the first chapter. Please R&R. I know it's a bit weak right now, but I'm always bad at beginning a story. =3