Here is my return to the Avatar franchise, and I've got a really special fic for you. Part of the reason for the fic is a tribute to one of my favourite people on the site. Her name is Kelev, and she's currently on hiatus. She is married with a three-year-old daughter, and that daughter made a cameo appearance in my previous Avatar fic. Kelev will be celebrating her fifth-year wedding anniversary this year, and I want this fic to be a tribute to her. Plus, it's also exciting for me because it'll be the first time I ever write a fic featuring an OC that is only a toddler. How will the Avatar characters react to spending time with a toddler, let alone a toddler who happens to be tri-racial? If you want to find out about what Team Avatar will do, then let's get on with the show!

Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko own Avatar.

The front door opened with a loud groan, revealing the face of a young air bending master. "Hey guys, I'm glad you made it," Aang declared, pulling the door wider for his guests. Standing before him was a young family, a couple with their three-year-old child who was well-known to Aang and his friends. "And I haven't seen you in a while, Hana," Aang greeted the little girl, "Looks like you'll be spending a lot of time with Gyatso and me for the next week."

"It's just going to be the next week, when I'm getting my air bending exam done," Hana's mother explained. After a long wait, Hana's mother finally decided to take the final step and challenge the air bending exam. Most air benders would take and pass the exam between the age of eighteen to twenty-one, and in the process get their arrow tattoos. But Hana's mother did not do so until now, leading many to wonder if she even completed all thirty-six forms of air bending. "Mommy will come home looking a lot different, you know that, Hana?"

"That's right. Mommy's going to look exactly like Aang, with a huge blue arrow going down her forehead," Hana's father added. Physically, Hana's parents were totally opposites of each other. Hana's father was over a head taller than Hana's mother, sporting a scruffy beard and dressed fairly casually. People figured it was because of their ethnicity, given each parent had drastically different backgrounds. "She'll also be able to do something Daddy can never do, which is to bend an element. Maybe you'll bend an element too, when you get older."

"I thought you would want Hana to be a non-bender like you, where she can't blast air in your face every five seconds," Gyatso, Aang's guardian and an older air bending master, jokingly pointed out. Hana's father was a non-bender born to a family of non-benders, with his father a non-bender from the United Earth States and his mother a non-bender from the Water Tribes. "You're about to handle an element that's nowhere to be found in your family."

"Well, since we both have Water Tribe blood, I think we're adaptable enough to changes to Hana if she does air bend," Hana's mother responded, evoking laughter from everyone. Unlike her husband, Hana's mother was born to a non-bending Water Tribe father and a pure-blooded Air Nomad mother. As all pure-blooded Air Nomads were benders, it made Hana's maternal grandmother her only grandparent who could bend an element. "I personally want Hana to be an air bender, because once I get my tattoos, there's so much I can teach her," Hana's mother stated.

Gyatso could only grin from ear-to-ear at that remark. "My dear, I am so proud of you," he exclaimed, approaching Hana's mother and placing a hand on her shoulder, "I've see you work so hard at your air bending skills, and to see you on the verge of getting tattooed, I can't be happier. You fought through a lot of adversity, including starting late and having trouble picking it up, but seeing you one step away is truly remarkable."

Hana's mother nodded with a shy smile, while Hana's father wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulder. "It's not all negative, you know," he replied, his grin equalling the one Gyatso had, "Yes, she started late, and didn't learn the final skill until she was twenty-one. But that was also the year that she made me the luckiest man alive. And in the past five years, we had to focus on settling down, starting a family, and raising Hana. She just didn't spend as much time on using her skills, which led some to believe she never mastered all thirty-six of them. But now, she can prove she does deserve those tattoos, and I'm so happy for her."

Hana's mother leaned in her husband's embrace, who in turn kissed the side of her head. "And isn't it amazing that all this is happening within the same week as Mid-Autumn Festival and our fifth year wedding anniversary?" Hana's mother added, "I think when I come back with my tattoos, we should just do a huge celebration for all three things!"

Their train of thought was snapped by Aang, who tilted his head back and forth between the door and the living room. "Can you excuse me for a second? Hana's getting restless, and I better keep an eye on her first," he explained. The youngster was now in the living room, where she was having a stare-down with Appa, a large Komondor, and Momo, a flying lemur. "I know Appa and Momo are friendly and all, but I think they should get used to her before she gets too close to them," Aang added, hustling off to chase down Hana.

The three adults chuckled at Hana's energy and Aang's attempt to convince her to come back. Now Hana turned her eyes on Aang, having a stare-down with the bald teen instead. "Just to cut it short, we already have our parties plans all arranged," Hana's father described, pulling out several cards, "You and Aang are invited, and so are the rest of your friends. We originally wanted to invite Sneers and his family, along with his girlfriend Kori Morishita and her family. But I heard Kori went on exchange as part of her college program, and she invited Sneers with her. So it's just going to be Kori's parents and Sneers' uncle, but not them."

"That's also why Hana has to stay with you for a week, Gyatso," Hana's mother added. Usually, Hana would be babysat by Sneers, but with Sneers away, Hana's mother decided to ask Gyatso, someone she knew for many years. "Are you sure you'll be okay? I know with what happened a couple of years back, you can't really do much physical exercise."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine handling Hana," Gyatso responded with a wave of his hand. Two years ago, Gyatso was hit by a car, resulting in a coma of over a month long. Even after he emerged with no largescale health issues, the recovery period was still over six months long. It was the worst time of Aang's life since the death of his parents, and Aang only got through it with the help of his friends. "I've handled plenty of energetic air bending children before, one of whom being Aang. What makes you think I can't handle Hana?"

Hana's parents looked at each other again and nodded. Gyatso was someone they trusted, and they were fully prepared to let him handle it for the rest of the week. "In that case, I'll just drop this off for you. It's all of Hana's extra clothing," Hana's father declared, placing a suitcase down next to Gyatso, "I also have the schedule for Hana's activities, meal times, nap times, etc. If there are any problems, just call us and we'll help you out. Our cab is waiting outside, so we don't want to take too long. Otherwise, we'll miss our flight!"

Just then, Aang returned holding Hana in his arms. The toddler's attention now returned to her parents, albeit slightly, as she occasionally sneaked peeks over Aang's body at Appa and Momo. "Say goodbye to your parents, Hana," Aang requested, turning his body to let Hana face her parents, "When Mommy comes back, you'll see her new tattoo on her head, just like mine."

"Why do you have that on your head, and why will Mommy have one?" Hana asked, poking the part where the arrow ended on Aang's forehead, "And can I have one too?"

That prompted another round of laughter from the group. "Well, if we find out you're an air bender, and you train hard enough, you'll get one too," Aang answered, "Now can you say goodbye to your parents? And wish your Mommy good luck in her exam?"

"Okay," Hana replied. Leaning forward, she attempted to hug both her parents, who in turn gave her a kiss on each cheek. "Bye Daddy. Bye Mommy."

As Gyatso closed the front door, Aang picked up the suitcase Hana's father left behind. "Why don't you take Hana and I'll set up her room?" he suggested, handing the toddler off to his guardian when Gyatso turned around, "It shouldn't take me more than half an hour."

Gyatso nodded, receiving Hana from Aang while the younger air bender stepped up the stairs. On his way, a buzzing from his pants pocket caught his attention. Pulling his cellphone out, Aang took one glance at the caller ID and could not help but grin. Clicking the green button, Aang raised the phone to his ear. "Hi Sweetie, how are you?" he greeted the caller.

"Hi Hana, I haven't seen you in a little while," Katara greeted the toddler, who trotted into the living room with Aang. Turning to the air bender, Katara asked, "So you and Gyatso will take care of Hana for the next week while her mother gets her air bending tattoos?"

Aang nodded. "I'm going to play a game with Hana," he explained, placing Hana down on one side of the living room. The youngster sat on the ground facing Aang, who sat on the ground on the opposite side of the living room. "This game is similar to something Air Nomad kids play, and I used to be a pro at it. It's called airball."

Katara shifted slightly on the sofa she sat on, craning her neck to get a better look. Aang held a strange-looking wooden ball before him, one that had cuts and slots throughout. "Try to catch the ball before it hits the other wall," Aang called to Hana before pushing it towards her. Turning to Katara, Aang explained, "This is a miniature version that gets played indoors. If we go outside, then we'll have a much larger field and it's a lot more fast-paced."

The water bender nodded, now focusing her attention on Hana. The girl now shifted the ball around and pushed it towards Aang, using both her stubby arms and sending it in the air bender's direction. To no one's surprise, Hana's lack of strength made the ball easy to catch, and Aang soon made quick work of the shot. "Now let's do something a little harder," Aang suggested. This time, he rolled the ball back, but adding a blast of air to it. The air blast shot through the holes in the ball, spinning it faster towards Hana. "Try to catch it, Hana!"

Katara edged over her sofa a bit more, worried that the more forceful roll would overwhelm Hana. Luckily, Hana managed to catch it, her little fingers holding on while flashing another huge grin at Aang. As she pushed it back, Katara asked Aang, "What's the largescale version of this game like? Where can you see people play it?"

"There's a large field in the Southern Air Temple. On the field are these poles that have different heights, some as short as fifteen feet and some as tall as twenty feet," Aang described, his hands moving around the ground before him in emphasis, "The air benders will stand on the poles and shoot the ball at the other side. We can use any air bending skill we want to make the ball go faster, and we can also bounce the ball off the poles to make it go in different directions. If we get the ball into the other goal, then we score a point for our team."

"And isn't the Southern Air Temple where you got your air bending tattoos?" an adult voice asked from the dining room. Aang and Katara both turned to see Hakoda, Katara's father, glance over from the dining room table where he was having tea with Gyatso. Ever since Hakoda found out that Aang and Katara were a couple, he not only gave his blessing to allow them to date, but also took extra steps to learn about Air Nomad culture. "And if I remember correctly, you were the youngest Air Nomad ever to get your tattoos, right Aang?"

Aang rubbed his bald head and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I got my tattoos just after I turned twelve, so about three and a half years ago," the fifteen-year-old air bending master replied. Even though Aang set a record that still stood, he was surprisingly modest about it, opting to downplay it rather than used it to show off. Part of this was because of his Air Nomad culture to be modest and polite, but also because Aang was never that type of person. "It's not a big deal anyway, because Hana's mother isn't getting them until now."

"Is Hana's mother doing her air bending exam at the Western Air Temple or the Eastern Air Temple?" Hakoda queried, taking another sip of his tea, "I know those are where the girls go do their tests, whereas the boys go to the Northern and Southern ones."

"Hana's mother is at the Western Air Temple, and it is one of the most unique temples you'll ever see," Gyatso explained. The older air bender sat directly across from Hakoda, and there was an excitable twinkle in his eye when he spoke of the Western Air Temple. "It is built right inside a cliff of a large canyon. You can't see it from the top of the canyon, but once you go into the canyon, then you can see it. There's so much to see in there, it's really amazing."

Hakoda nodded, seemingly impressed by the description itself. Even though he actively tried to make an effort to learn more about Air Nomad culture, particularly due to his daughter now dating an air bender, Hakoda realized there was so little that he actually knew. Turning back to Hana, he could not help but grin as Hana caught a ball rolled at her at an angle, courtesy of another one of Aang's air blasts. "Hana will get to learn about all that, thanks to her mom being an air bending master soon," he pointed out, "But then again, Hana can also learn about Water Tribe culture too, since both her parents are half Water Tribe, right?"

"Actually, Hana can learn from three different cultures," Aang responded, rolling the ball back but blasting air to make it go in the angle opposite to the one he did prior, "Don't forget that Hana is one-quarter earth, because her paternal grandfather is from the United Earth States. That means Hana gets to learn earth culture along with air and water."

"With the exception of Fire Nation culture, Hana has as complete a cultural experience as she can possibly get," Gyatso stated, taking a sip of his own tea, "Air Nomads are expected to embrace maximum freedom to achieve peace and spirituality. I think one can also extend that to embracing maximum diversity in ideas and culture, which allows us to appreciate our fellow humans. That in turn will let us cherish life more and make us want to protect life more."

That got both Aang and Katara to pause, realizing how much this mimicked their current situation. Given Aang was an Air Nomad while Katara hailed from the Water Tribes, they were in a situation where two very different cultures would meet. While there were some differences between their cultures, Aang and Katara knew that they were prepared to work with them in order to be with each other. Would that create a situation where both cultures were in play at the same time, leading to a harmonization of the two?

At the same time, they thought of Hana's situation, realizing how fortunate the toddler really was. Not only was she exposed to three different cultures, Hana could ultimately see how each shaped her life, which would go a long way to her personal growth. Given she already had this established in her life, could Hana find a new way to combine the three cultures, allowing her to create something entirely different but still staying true to her background? With her being only three years old, Hana certainly had time on her side to figure it out.

Just then, a juvenile voice cut through their concentration. "Does that mean I win now?" Hana asked. Aang turned his head back to Hana, who now plodded up to him and stared at him with intense but cute eyes. "The ball just hit the wall, so do I win the game?"

Aang and Katara glanced over to the wall behind them. Indeed, the ball was stopped motionless against the wall. Apparently, while Aang and Katara both focused on thinking about the different cultures Hana faced, neither of them realized the ball rolled past them, allowing Hana to score a point. "I want a cacker, Aang," Hana requested, "Can I get a cacker, please?"

Aang and Katara both chuckled at that remark. For some reason, Hana could never say the word cracker properly, always butchering the first syllable. "Of course we can get you a cracker, Hana," Aang responded, reaching out and lifting Hana off the ground, "Let's go to the kitchen and see if we can find where we stored your snacks, okay?"

As Aang and Hana rifled through the kitchen, Katara could only grin. It was obvious that Aang really enjoyed hanging out with Hana, and Hana's background really rubbed off on him. There was so much about Hana that made them rethink their lives. How wild would it be that a three-year-old could impart enough wisdom on them to change the way they viewed the world?

"Hey, Gran Gran and Pakku," Katara greeted the guests, opening her door wider to allow them in. It was the day after Hana arrived at Aang's home, and Katara hoped to return to her usual after-school routine. "Sokka and Dad aren't home right now. Sokka has to go to the library while Dad's meeting at work will run late. Come on in and have a seat!"

"Thank you, Katara," Kanna, Katara's paternal grandmother, replied. It was not long ago that Kanna married Pakku after years as a widow. The old man that Katara learned much of her water bending from was now her step-grandfather, and Katara could not be happier for Kanna and the rest of their family. "How is Sokka enjoying his first year at university?"

"He's really enjoying it. Him and Suki are in the same year, but different majors," Katara pointed out. Sokka started his first year at Republic University earlier this month after graduating high school the past June. However, both Sokka and Suki decided that they would still live at home rather than on campus, as a way to decrease the expenses for the family. Luckily, Hakoda and Oyaji were more than happy to accommodate their son and granddaughter, respectively. "He should be back later tonight, and Suki might drop by for a visit as well."

"And it looks like Suki won't be the only visitor, Katara. It seems like your boyfriend is here, along with a very young individual," Pakku observed. Katara and Kanna trotted to the living room, where Pakku focused on two individuals seated on the couch. Aang was there with Hana, who had her eyes on her colouring book. "Are you babysitting someone?" Pakku asked.

"Actually, it's Gyatso and me who are babysitting Hana," Aang answered, his eyes tilting between the water bending master and the child to his left, "What picture are you colouring next? Do you know what this picture is supposed to mean?"

Every eye followed Aang's finger to the picture, where a water bending warrior from the past was shown. This included the water pouch on the waist, the bladed clubs, and even war paint on the face. "That's what a water bender looks like from the past," Katara explained, taking a seat to Hana's left, "I'm a water bender, and so is Pakku."

Hana gave Pakku an intense look before picking up a blue pencil crayon. As she coloured in the water bender in the picture, Pakku elaborated, "Water benders don't just use water to fight. In the past, a lot of girls who can water bend will become healers. Nowadays, both boys and girls can learn both battle and healing techniques, kind of like Katara."

"Yeah, and it took you how long before you realize that you can do that?" Kanna chimed in, albeit with a joking tone. Pakku had a reputation for being a stickler for tradition, and insisted that Katara learned healing only when he first met her. It took several arguments, along with a stern lecture from Kanna, before he relented and became more inclusive. "Now that you see how both boys and girls can do all aspects of water bending, you've kept a lot more open mind."

Pakku took a deep breath before exhaling. "Water is the element of change, and I admit I didn't do my part to embrace that," he stated with a tight face, "I still believe that tradition has a huge role to play in our lives, but not having anyone to share these traditions with can mean the traditions will go extinct. It's no different than the Glacier Ice Festival, where a celebration on Winter Solstice to honour spiritual connection is now more closely related with cherishing our family members. A spiritual connection means nothing if you can't cherish your real world connections, especially your loved ones," Pakku pointed out.

Katara nodded. While she did not consider herself spiritual, she was at least aware of the festival's origins. Today, she only celebrated it like modern water benders, having a huge family gathering and just being thankful for family cohesiveness. "Our last Winter Solstice gathering had you proposing to Gran Gran," Katara told Pakku, "I still get a kick out of Sokka calling you Gramp Gramp or Grampakku. I'm just glad we're really one big family now."

Kanna reached over and squeezed Pakku's hand in her left hand, all the while reaching out to Katara's shoulder with her right hand. "We all live under the same moon, the source of all water bending. Even though I can't water bend, I know how significant the moon is for us. When we have our Winter Solstice gathering, the moon is always watching over us," she commented.

Just then, Aang chimed in. "That's actually very similar in Air Nomad culture. We have the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is also dedicated to the moon. It's like Winter Solstice, except it's in autumn instead," he explained, "Like you, we celebrate being together with family, but also other things like a good harvest or general success for everyone. It's a really fun time!"

The three Water Tribe members seemed very curious. They were aware of certain Air Nomad traditions and their similarities with their traditions, but they did not expect how similar the ways Air Nomads and Water Tribes viewed the moon. "So it looks like if we invite each other to each other's celebrations, we can do a lot of stuff together," Katara pointed out.

Aang nodded. "We can, but it doesn't all have to do with bending," Aang clarified. They knew that the moon was the original water bender, pushing and pulling the waves and creating tides. It was through this that humans were able to modify their water bending moves to get maximum effectiveness. "It's a fun event, and I really hope you can enjoy it with me."

"Hey, speaking of which, why don't we try to see what Hana thinks of each celebration?" Katara suggested. Due to Hana having both Air Nomad and Water Tribe blood, the group felt that Hana must have been through both the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Winter Solstice. "Hey Hana, do you and your family do any celebrating in autumn or winter?" Katara asked, placing a hand on Hana's left shoulder.

Hana looked up with an inquisitive look on her face. "What does 'celebrate' mean? Is that where Mommy and Daddy go see lots of people with me?" she queried.

"Yeah, and there's food and music, and sometimes they'll include games as well," Aang described, "The Air Nomad party is in mid-autumn, while the Water Tribe party is in the winter. Do you and your Mommy and Daddy have parties on each of those days?"

Hana stared at the ceiling thoughtfully. The group wondered if she knew the difference between the two celebrations, and if she did, then if she understood the background behind each celebration. After a long few seconds, Hana turned back and answered with a huge smile. "I really like parties. Mommy and Daddy make a lot of food and we're always having fun." She took a deep breath, as if trying to search for the right words in her limited vocabulary. "We have two big parties, but I want to have a party every day with everybody."

That got everybody laughing. Now they knew that Hana did celebrate both Mid-Autumn Festival and Winter Solstice, but given her energetic nature, she probably wanted to celebrate them every single day. "Well, don't you worry, Hana," Kanna stated, brushing Hana's brown hair, "Once Sokka comes home, you'll have a wild time for sure."

"Oh boy, do I even want that to happen?" Katara retorted jokingly, rolling her eyes in dramatic fashion. Sokka was never good with children, which made Katara wonder what would happen if Hana's parents asked Sokka to babysit. Still, Katara already figured that having a tri-racial child such as Hana around was special. With all the different combinations of cultural events in her life, and the fact that she had three different cultures right before her, could Hana start developing new ideas of her own? If so, then Katara and Aang figured the same could happen to them. With water being the element of change and air being the element of freedom, they had what it took to make those changes from within themselves.

Right to Katara's expectation, Sokka and Suki entered the house shortly after Pakku and Kanna left. "And who's the kid sitting on the couch?" Sokka exclaimed, pointing at Hana and Aang, "Katara, did Aang get you pregnant and hide your baby for all these years?"

Katara could only palm her face at this remark. "Sokka, this is Hana. Do you remember her? You met her at Kori's pool party two years ago, where, believe it or not, you originally thought she was Kori's baby as a result of Kori getting knocked up by Sneers!" Katara retorted. She marched over to Sokka and dragged him over by the shoulder. "I know you haven't seen Hana for a while now, but don't tell me you don't recognize her at all!"

"Hana? That little baby from the pool?" Sokka responded. He took a closer look at the toddler, who entered into a stare-down with the university freshman. "Oh, Hana! I remember her now. She's that baby who was running around the pool, and Aang had to grab her, right?"

By now, Suki also trotted up beside Sokka, s huge smile on her face as she recalled the youngster. "She's really grown since we last saw her, but then again, I don't know her family as well as Sneers or Aang does," she pointed out. She waved her hand at Hana, who reacted a bit more positively to her. "Hi Hana, remember me? I'm Suki, Sokka's girlfriend. Sokka and I are in university together. A university is basically a school for big kids."

"What is a school?" Hana asked, pausing her colouring and tilting her head in curiosity at Suki, "Do only big kids go to school, or can any kid go to school?"

Katara, Sokka, Suki, and Aang all glanced at each other awkwardly. "Oh yeah, I guess you're still too young to go to school," Sokka replied, rubbing the back of his head, "Well, then I say you're in luck, because you got a great teacher in front of you. Did you realize that before we met you, I was the leader of a science team? We won a city science competition, you know!"

"Right, and I'm guessing you forgot the lesson that good teachers teach and not brag?" Suki admonished, tapping Sokka on the shoulder. Turning back to Hana, she told the toddler in a softer voice, "Since you're not in school yet, do you Mommy and Daddy teach you at home?"

Hana nodded. "Mommy teaches me stuff about air bending people," she described, seemingly not remembering the actual term, "She also talks about water people, and Daddy sometimes talks about earth people. They say there are fire people too."

"It's Air Nomad, Water Tribes, United Earth States, and Fire Nation, Hana," Aang gently corrected the toddler. Turning back to his friends, he stated, "I'm glad her family already started talking about the four elements with her. I was telling everyone how special Hana is by being tri-racial. She gets direct contact with three of the four elements, so it has to be great for her."

"Oh yeah? And what did you guys tell Hana about the Water Tribes?" Sokka asked, leaning his face closer to Hana's colouring book, "You got a Water Tribe warrior on this page. Did you tell her about how great Water Tribe people are with boats and sailing? Or maybe you should tell them about our ingenuity and being able to invent things. With Hana being half-water, I think she's got some creative bone in her body, isn't that right?"

"Actually, the good sailor and shipbuilder in Hana's family is her father, who is half-water and half-earth," Aang pointed out. He opened a box of snacks and handed Hana a cookie, to which the youngster promptly took from Aang's hand and thanked the air bender. "He has a job in construction, but likes to build and repair boats in his spare time. I heard he's also a huge meat fan, which should probably get your attention," he teased.

"Alright, now we're talking!" Sokka exclaimed, pumping his fists in the air and hooting like an animal. "I've got to meet him, you guys! Just having an all-meat dinner and talking about what type of meat is best, it doesn't get any better than that!"

Aang and Katara could only shake their heads, while Suki chuckled in embarrassment. "I wonder how that even works. Hana's mother is an air bender, so she should be a vegetarian. If her father likes meat so much, then won't that create a conflict at home?" Suki queried.

"Actually, Hana's parents created a really interesting way to deal with the problem. Her father will still eat meat, but her mother will not prepare any meat dishes for herself or Hana. It means any meat dishes served are for her father only, and any meat Hana eats will be served to her by her father," Aang described, opening Hana's water container and letting her have a sip, "They also said they'll let Hana decide if she wants to eat meat when she grows up, although if Hana turns out to be an air bender, she might give up meat voluntarily."

That got Sokka to pause. "Aw, you don't want to do that," he groaned, leaning onto the arm of the couch, "Can you make some exception to that rule, Aang? I was hoping Hana can have some meat specialties when she grows up. Don't tell me that's against the rules!"

"Actually, we were talking about how Hana might be able to create her own rules," Katara chimed in, gently nudging Sokka to give her some personal space, "She can get the best of Water Tribe, United Earth States, and Air Nomad and mix them into something new. We don't have to agree with her entirely on what she wants to do, but at least she has a chance to do something very few people can do. And hearing their meat arrangement, I think Hana's parents are open enough to let her choose, which can only be good."

"And it's not like she doesn't have some similarities to work with already," Aang added, taking the now-closed water container back from Hana, "Earlier, when your grandmother and Pakku were here, we were talking about how water benders and air benders see the moon in almost similar ways. Do you think about the moon sometimes, Sokka?"

That caused Sokka to pause. "Not just sometimes, Aang. I think about the moon all the time," he responded. Sokka's eyes were now glazed, his body lifting off the couch and heading towards the closest window. "I know about Water Tribe traditions and how we see the moon as a source of power or a symbol of togetherness. But for me, togetherness also means including Yue. It's been almost three years since she's gone, but I still feel it today."

Sokka turned back to the group and gestured at the darkening sky outside. "Sometimes, when I feel sad about Yue, I stare at the moon," he described, "If the moon is extra bright that night, then I feel like Yue is there, and everything will be fine for me in the future."

Aang, Katara, and Suki all lowered their heads in silence. They knew Sokka still had trouble moving on from Yue, despite living in a new city and having a new girlfriend. While all three understood Sokka's situation, to hear Sokka speak this personally about this matter still shocked them. Deciding to break the ice, Katara leaned over and grabbed Sokka's wrist. "I'm sure if Yue and the moon became one, then she'll always be watching over us," she stated, "If the moon does represent cohesiveness, then Yue will definitely want us to treasure our friends."

Sokka turned back and eked out a weak smile. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he replied. Turning his smile back one, he marched his way to the dining room. "Aang, are you and Hana staying for dinner, or do you have to go back to Gyatso's? If you're staying, then I'm more than happy to whip up some of my meat dishes for Hana. What do you say?"

With that, Sokka grabbed Hana by the hand and led her into the kitchen. Aang decided to follow, leaving Suki with Katara. "I'm really glad to see Sokka getting along with Hana. Earlier, I was making fun of him for not being able to handle kids," Katara teased.

Suki chuckled. "Well, he's being more open-minded, which is always a good thing," she added, "My family is from Kyoshi Island, which is a pretty isolationist place. I was born shortly after my parents moved here, and they always taught me to keep an open mind. Since my dad is no longer with us, I do it to keep his memory alive. I won't be forgetting what he taught me about open-mindedness, and I don't think anyone of us, including Sokka, should forget it either."

"Well, look who's visiting the store? And who are they bringing as a guest?" Haru cooed, stepping out from the counter and approaching the new visitors. It was the next day, and again Aang and Katara brought Hana to visit their friends after school. This time, they decided to go to Haru's family store, where the earth bender could be found every afternoon. "I haven't seen you in a while, Hana. You've grown quite a bit!" Haru exclaimed.

"She sure has, hasn't she?" Katara responded, stopping the stroller and pulling Hana out from the seat. She lifted Hana up so she could be at eye level with Haru. "Say hi to Haru, Hana. You remember Haru, don't you? Have you and your parents ever bought things from his store?"

Hana took a gander around the store before staring back at Haru. The earth bender, now a university sophomore, could not help but smile at Hana's cute look. "They sure have, although they usually don't bring Hana with them," Haru pointed out, "You are still as curious as ever, aren't you? It was just like the first time when you were at the pool. You were racing around so fast that Aang was having trouble catching you."

"Oh, believe me, she can still run like crazy," Aang chimed in, pushing the stroller to the side and joining into the conversation, "I still think she'll be an air bender, but so far we haven't found out if she can bend anything yet. With her tri-racial background, it could be one of three."

"And I bet you'll teach her your Air Scooter technique if she's an air bender, right?" Katara stated, nudging Aang's shoulder, "That will make Hana even harder to chase down!"

"Not unless I put a jetpack to my wheelchair or something," a voice called from the back. Everyone's eyes turned to see a young man in a wheelchair roll up to them. "I still remember you, Hana. Do you remember me? I'm Teo," the young scientist greeted the toddler.

Hana glanced down at Teo, curious at the wheelchair he was on. "Why are you sitting down? Why does your chair look so funny?" she asked inquisitively.

"This is a wheelchair," Teo explained, running his hands down the metal bars on the sides. At Teo's urging, Katara placed Hana down onto Teo's lap, allowing her to sit patiently. "I can't walk with my legs, so I have to use a wheelchair to get around. But I don't think it makes me different from you, and it's not stopping me from becoming an aerospace engineer."

"You have an unbelievable obsession with flying things, you know that?" Haru ribbed the wheelchair-bound university freshman, "On the other hand, I am sticking pretty close to what I'm used to. I'm an earth bender, so I'm majoring with geology with an emphasis on mining."

Aang and Katara could only shake their heads. They always found it fascinating that Haru and Teo, two people with so many differences, could become best friends. Haru was a year older than Teo, a well-trained earth bender, an all-start basketball player in high school, and emphasized hard work and perseverance. Teo, the younger of the two, was addicted to anything related to flight, part of the school science team, guided by his imagination, and had a spirit to achieve that was similar to Air Nomads. On paper, there was no way these two would have gotten along, but in real life they were near inseparable. "Seeing you two around almost makes me wonder what will happen if air and earth mixed," Katara commented.

"Isn't that kind of like what Hana is like? She's quarter earth courtesy of her father, and quarter air courtesy of her mother," Teo pointed out, shifting Hana's squirming body around, "I think Hana would have a lot of exposure to both Air Nomad and United Earth States cultures. Maybe she already knows what it's like if air and earth mixed."

"What do you think Hana will like to do, given all the mixed traits she has?" Haru wondered aloud. Turning to Hana, he crouched down and asked, "If you can choose, what would you do? Do you want to build airplanes like Teo or study rocks like me?"

Aang chuckled at the earth bender's question. "You make it sound like Hana has to start choosing a future job or something," he observed amongst giggles, "She's only three years old, so chances are she might not even know what some of that stuff is about. Besides, I'm in the eleventh grade and I still haven't decided what exactly I want to do yet."

"Not me, Aang. I've always wanted to be a doctor and that's exactly where my focus is next year," Katara interrupted, placing an arm around Aang's shoulder. Katara was in her final year of high school, and next year she would be attending university. "I'll do my undergrad in health sciences, and then I'll try to get into med school. There's no stopping me on that part."

"And doesn't that sound a little like a fire bender?" Teo pointed out, now handing Hana off to Haru, "Iroh said fire benders are people of power. They have desire, will, and energy to drive and achieve whatever they want. It sounds like Katara is taking on her opposite there."

"If you put it that way, then I guess that's true," Katara murmured to herself, rubbing her forehead with her free hand. Katara would be the first to admit that she did not really do much soul-searching in her free time. While Katara did encounter personal tragedy before, particularly with the death of her mother, but she felt she had enough personal and life support from family and friends to move past it. Hakoda, Sokka, Aang, and others were there to help her pick up the pieces, and in turn allowed Katara to help others with their tragedies. It was because she helped Aang through his personal struggles when Gyatso was in a coma that allowed her to bond with Aang. But other than that, personal reflection was something Katara did not do much of.

Yet now she thought about it, maybe Katara was influenced by the other elements more than she originally believed. She did have the Fire Nation spirit to achieve, while being able to stand her ground on important issues like those from the United Earth States. And of course, now she was in a relationship with an Air Nomad, it was only fitting that she now had all the elements within her grasp. Given the amount of experiences that changed her outlook, Katara could only wonder what it would be like for Hana to grow with all three elements related to her ethnicity present. "Anyway, what does Hana like better? Rocks, airplanes, or something else?" she asked.

Hana's eyes tiled around a bit, as if in thought, before answering. "I like to watch Daddy make boats," she replied with a nod and smile, "I wish Daddy can make a boat for me. If Daddy makes a boat for me, then I want to go sailing with him and Mommy."

Haru and Teo stared at each other with surprise. Apparently, Hana took her third element and threw that into the mix. "So she acts like an air bender, likes her father's construction skills, which indicate earth bender, and now she wants to go sailing like a water bender?" Haru counted out, "That is one of the most amazing mixes I've ever seen!"

"Yeah, that's for sure. And if Hana has never lived anywhere outside Republic City, then it's even more amazing," Teo added, rubbing his own forehead in thought, "It reminds me of a story my dad told me about hermit crabs. They find empty shells and live in them, and when they outgrow a shell they will find a new one. My dad said even though the hermit crab wasn't born with a shell, it can find an empty shell to grow into and make it its home. I guess Hana's like that too, not being born in an Air Temple or a Water Tribe or a town in the United Earth States, but she can make those cultures part of herself, and that's why we see such a great mix."

Aang and Katara both nodded. "Growing into a culture that she wasn't born into," Aang murmured, his grey eyes staring into a distance. To an extent, this was applicable to them all, as they all lived in Republic City, but still accepted and practiced their respective cultures. It was just that Hana could practice three and mixed them in ways that no one could imagine. "I think that makes perfect sense, for all of us," the air bender concluded.

"Okay Hana, time for bed!" Gyatso declared, placing the little girl in her bed and unfolding her blanket. Hana had now spent two full days with Aang and Gyatso, and it had been quite an experience for her. She visited Katara's home, where she came across Katara's Gran Gran Kanna and her husband Pakku, not to mention Katara's brother Sokka and his girlfriend Suki. Then today's adventure included a visit to a store owned by Haru's family, which also let Hana see Haru's best friend Teo, who happened to use a wheelchair. It was an exciting few days for Hana, and even though she didn't always understand what the people around her were saying, it had been quite an eye-opener for her.

As Gyatso tucked her in, Aang slipped into her room. "Your Mommy will be taking her air bending exam tomorrow," he reported to Hana, "I think we'll leave her alone tonight and not call her, but once she passes tomorrow, I'm sure she'll want to hear you congratulate her."

Hana tilted her head at Aang, not sure what the second last word meant. "Can I say hi to Mommy before the test?" she inquired, "And if Mommy does well, does she get arrows? What does Mommy look like if she gets arrows on her head?"

Upon hearing Hana's request, Aang whispered something to Gyatso before shuffling out of Hana's room. Hana's eyes tilted between the door and Gyatso, who described the process to Hana. "Your mother will get her tattoos after she passes the exam. When she does, we'll have a huge party at the Air Temple to celebrate her achievement."

Hana tilted her head the other way. She kept hearing about the huge party, but no one actually told her what it was about. "Can I come to Mommy's party?" she asked.

Just then, Aang trotted back into Hana's room, holding a large photo album in his hands. "I want to show you something," he suggested. Gyatso stepped away from the bed, letting Aang sit on the foot of the bed while turning the album to Hana. "This is my mother, Iio. She got her tattoos at the Eastern Air Temple. This is what she looked like at her ceremony."

Hana leaned her head forward, seeing the worn-out photographs in the album. "These photos are about thirty years old, so they might be a bit hard to see," Aang pointed out. Hana saw someone knelt before a large altar, her head covered by a hood. Standing next to her was another woman looking like she was addressing the crowd. Behind them were many young students, but none of them had tattoos on their heads. "They don't actually let you take pictures or videos of the tattooing process, but the reveal is okay," Aang explained.

Aang flipped the page, showing the part when the female air bending master pulled the hood off Iio's head. "The air bending master would then give a speech about you, kind of like explaining what hard work you did to get to where you are. Once that's done, that's when they will lift the hood and show your tattoos to everyone," Aang added.

Aang flipped the page once more, this time showing a few panoramic shots of the altar. Iio was now front and centre, the blue tattoo clearly visible against her bald head. Hana could see the air bending students whip up some smoke from behind, and in the next photo the smoke was in the shape of a vortex. "The smoke is from incense, which is burning the whole time she was at the altar," Aang described, "The students use air bending to create the wind that hits the chimes near the roof. It's really an amazing thing to be a part of."

Hana leaned her face closer to the pictures. If Aang claimed he knew about the ceremony, was he in there? "Where were you? Did you see your Mommy get her arrows?" Hana queried.

Aang chuckled. "No, my mother got her tattoos before I was born. But I did get to see the same thing when I got my tattoos at the Southern Air Temple." Aang flipped a few more pages, letting Hana see some newer and clearer photos. Instead of the blurry and poorly-coloured ones of Iio's ceremony, Hana could now see Aang standing before a male air bending master and a similar group of air bending students. "The air bending master who revealed my tattoos is one of Gyatso's friends. His name is Pasang, and he trained with Gyatso when they were younger."

Hana glanced at the photo and her eyes increased to the size of plate. The strange-looking air bending master had only one eyebrow streaking across his forehead, almost blocking the tip of the blue arrow. "Why does he look so weird? And why is he with you?" she asked.

Aang and Gyatso both chuckled as Hana pointed at the unibrow. "I assure you that it's rare, but perfectly normal," Gyatso chimed in, "And as for why Aang is presented by Pasang and not me, it's because I was in the crowd taking these pictures. Even though I'm officially a master at the Southern Air Temple, I count as Aang's family member. That's why I was in the crowd and not at the altar, but that only gave me the chance to take the photos."

Gyatso flipped the page again, this time showing Aang being revealed while the students at the back created the vortex of smoke. "Aang's ceremony was extra special, because he's the youngest air bender to get his tattoos," Gyatso pointed out, "I was so proud of his achievement, and if his parents were there, I'm sure they would be just as proud."

"Oh, did your parents not go because you didn't want them to be hurt by sharp things? That's what Mommy and Daddy said when they left," Hana answered, her cute eyes betraying the pout on her face, "I wish I could see Mommy's tattoos."

Aang and Gyatso looked at each other nervously. They never explained that Aang's parents did not attend due to their deaths, and with a three-year-old who might not have been exposed to that topic around, they were not sure if that should be divulged. "Well, I'm sure your Daddy will take lots of pictures, and maybe even a video," Aang exclaimed, rubbing the back of his bald head anxiously, "It'll be the same as being there, so don't worry about it. Now let's all go to bed and we'll have more fun tomorrow. It'll only be a few more days before your Mommy comes home with the arrows, and you don't want to miss that, right?"

I hope I really got Hana (Hannah in real life) and her family right, mainly because I'm working with limited knowledge of their family. Kelev currently has limited internet access, so it's not possible for me to email her and just get her confirmation on the spot. Otherwise, I tried to include various aspects of Air Nomads in here, including airball, the hermit crab story, Monk Pasang, and the air bending master anointment (courtesy of Jinora's coronation scene). I also included some aspects of real-life cultural events, such as the Winter Solstice and the Mid-Autumn Festival, both of which are real-life Chinese cultural events. I figure that since Water Tribes value winter and Air Nomads value autumn, these two festivals will be ideal to elaborate on in the Avatar world. As Mid-Autumn will be in late September this year, the goal is to finish this fic before then, and you will see more references to this festival in later chapters. Please feel free to leave me any comments you wish, and hope you drop by next chapter!