Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Name of characters;

China - Yao

Japan - Kiku

South Korea - Young Soo

Taiwan - Mei Hui

Macau - Wei

Hong Kong - Hei

Despite his usually very evasive behavior, Kiku was very blunt when he decided he wanted to go to the Earth Kingdom. As a child his parents had been sent there, and they had left him with his cousin,Yao, believing he would be better off staying in the Fire Nation. Perhaps he had, but at 16, he felt it was time to go. There had been no word from his family in years, and things had been tense between himself and Yao. It was time to go and seek out his parents- or at least make a life of his own.

Yao did not agree, "Stay, at least in the village a little longer."

"I'm going to Yu Dao." Kiku insisted.

"The colonies are dangerous! You're too young to travel so far on your own!"

"You were my age when you moved out." Kiku pointed out, looking at Yao with no doubt. He would leave, and Yao could not stop him.

"That is completely different! You cannot compare my moving to a new home, to you leaving to live in the Earth Kingdom!" The way Yao said 'earth kingdom' was the way one might say the name of something disgusting. His lip curled up and he looked particularly distressed. "You cannot leave!"

"I can. And I am."

Kiku's voice stated even, his stance on the subject unchanged and immovable. Yao responded to it with an aggravated groan, and left the room, pausing in the doorway long enough to say, "You're not leaving," over his shoulder.

That night at dinner, Kiku brought it up again.

"I'm leaving for the Earth Kingdom, and I want you to come with me." He said this while looking at Young Soo. Everyone fell silent, and from the annoyed look on Young Soo's face this was far from the first time Kiku had asked this of him.

"I told you, I don't want go. I like it here." Young Soo's words made Kiku frown, but Yao grinned in triumph.

"I wanna go with you, Kiku, I wanna see the Earth Kingdom!" Mei squealed excitedly, looking up at Kiku as if he held the key to some grand treasure. He certainly seemed to, to her young mind. Mei had been attached to him since she was old enough to toddle after him, though recently her attachment had turned to first crush, and Kiku could do no wrong. If he was going, she thought, it must be the place to be!

But Kiku looked at her with a soft smile he reserved for her, he shook his head, and patted her head as if she were far too young to know what she was saying, "You're much too young to come with me, Mei."

Her face fell, heart aching and excitement turning to anger. Across the table, her brothers waited for the tantrum to start. But the next voice heard was Yao's, his face red and fire sparking from clenched fists, "You are not going!"

Wei and Hei scooted away from Yao.

"I am. And Young Soo will go with me." Kiku sounded angry now, though those who did not know him might not have been able to tell. His anger was a cold one, quick and harsh and settling over those around him.

"I'm not going with you." Young Soo stated, but Kiku didn't seem to hear him.

Mei leapt to her feet, ignoring her father snapped at Kiku and Kiku snapped back. She grasped at Kiku's sleeves, tugging on him to try and pull her attention back to him, "Please Kiku, I want to go with you. I'm not too young. I'm old enough to travel with you, I'll be good and you'll hardly notice I'm there!"

"No one is going!" Yao yelled, voice slamming down on all of them.

It should have been the end of the conversation. The smell of smoke filled the room, it seeped from Yao's nose and mouth.

Despite his temper, Yao had never lost his temper enough to lose control of his bending like he appeared to be doing right then.

"I am going." Kiku's voice was quiet, but steady.

For a long few moments no one said anything, afraid to speak. Afraid to move.

"Then leave." Yao's voice was not so quiet, but it was not a yell either. It was cold, despite the smoke and sparks from earlier. Everyone agreed they preferred the fire to the icy tone he had now.

Kiku stood up, the fabric of his sleeve slipping from Mei's grasping fingers, and he left the room, the ten year old on his heels until Yao called for her, "Mei, dinner is not over."

"I want to go with Ki-"

"Mei Hui."

Narrowing her eyes, Mei stared at her father with anger brewing in her gaze. Her fists clenched, stance mimicking his. But at ten, Mei knew well to fear her father when he was this angry, and with all the anger and sulking she could summon, she returned to the table and plopped down beside Young Soo. Wei and Hei scooted back into place with Yao's urging.

Dinner resumed, tense and quiet.