The Next Generation

Chapter 2: Assumptions and Parties

"What…?" Haku asked.

"I'm sorry," Lu Ten said. "But I don't think I feel right about sharing a room with a girl…."

"Yeah, I don't feel right about that, either." Haku said, looking away. "I understand that you might not want me to move in with you…. Mom thinks it's a really good idea…. And I was really excited, too…. But if you don't want me to, I'll just tell my Mom that maybe I should go to that All-Boys' School in Ba Sing Sei…."

"All Boys' School?" Kaya repeated.

"Yeah…. I didn't want to go but then I took a tour and it was nice. But while I was there, they didn't like me there, either…. They all made fun of me because I look like a girl."

"Oh…." Yue went down the few steps to get next to him. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Haku…. I'm sorry that we judged you and assumed that you were a girl. We didn't mean any offense. Please forgive us…."

"It's okay…. I'm used to it."

"No, it's not okay. It was wrong of us. We do want you to live with us. We have been waiting for you to come so you could join our family. We just didn't know anything about you. Please, don't think anything else. We really want you to stay with us!"

"Yue's right," Lu Ten added, nodding.

"Yeah, we are really excited to have all four elements!" Kaya added. Haku smiled and they finished going up the stairs and gave Haku a tour of the house. Finally, they returned down stairs to the dining room where Katara, Aang, and Toph sat.

"Mom!" Haku ran up to Toph, smiling. "I really want to stay here! I really like it! And Kaya, Yue, and Lu Ten are really nice!"

"Yeah, you four seem to click just like we did!" Toph punched Haku's arm.

"Ow…." Haku smiled as he rubbed his arm.

"Well, you know that I would never abandon my only son, my pride and joy. Have I told you when he started Earth bending?"

"Only seven times," Aang sighed, smiling. Katara hit him lightly, glaring.

"You may have mentioned it. Wasn't it before he could walk?" Katara said.

"Yeah! My little boy was bending before he walked! And that's even better than me, cuz I didn't bend until I ran away and met those badger moles."

"Wow," Lu Ten said. "I had no idea you were such an amazing bender…." He looked away from everyone.

"Well, just because I started young, doesn't mean I'm better than anyone…. Mom's really the best earth bender there is…."

"No way, Haku!" Toph said. "You are and you know it. You beat me all the time."

"That's only because you go easy on me cuz I'm your kid, Mom."

Toph frowned. "You are a better bender than you think, Haku. End of discussion." Haku didn't respond.

"Please excuse me." Lu Ten bowed and left. Yue looked after him, but didn't do anything. Kaya frowned and then ran after him.

"Hey, what's with the exit?" Kaya asked, catching up to Lu Ten in the practice yard.

"Nothing." He didn't look at her.

"Obviously something, Lu Ten. What, are you intimidated by Haku being here?"

"This is no time to joke around, Kaya."

"I'm not joking. Look, I know that you have a crush on Yue, but come on. You don't even know if she feels anything toward Haku. He looks like a girl, after all."

"It's not that, Kaya!" Lu Ten turned to face her, glaring. "I'm supposed to be the best fire bender there is! But I'm nothing but a disappointment…. To my father, my mother…. My country…. And even to Yue…."

"What are you talking about? You are not."

"Why do you think my father wanted to send me away to live here? It's because I'm a disappointment to him, and he doesn't want to have to deal with me!"

"Lu Ten, Kaya!" Yue hurried up to them. "What's wrong?"

"Lu Ten thinks that he isn't good enough." Kaya said seriously.

"Lu Ten…. Why would you think that?"

"Never mind…. You wouldn't understand…. Neither of you would…." He stormed off. Kaya glared after him.

"Who does he think he is, mouthing off like that to me?" Kaya said angrily.

"Kaya, maybe he just needs some time to cool off a little…."

Kaya crossed her arms, refusing to accept this. She stormed off after the prince. Yue sighed, covering her face with her hand, and then followed them. Lu Ten had run off to the surrounding forest.

"What's going on?" Haku said, coming up behind Yue.

"Oh, Lu Ten is just a little upset…."

"Is it because of me?"

"No, of course not. I think he just gets a little insecure sometimes. I mean, he has a lot of pressure put on him. He's the prince of the Fire Nation."

"Oh, I see."

"Kaya ran off after him. Sometimes I get a little jealous because Kaya and Lu Ten are really close…. Sometimes I feel like a third wheel, you know?"

"Yeah, I understand…. Are you sure you really are all okay with me living with you?"

"Of course." Yue smiled. Haku smiled, too, putting his hand on the ground.

"They're over there." He pointed to the left. Yue nodded and went in the indicated direction.

"Yue?" Lu Ten said when Yue and Haku reached Kaya and Lu Ten. "What are you doing here?"

"I told Kaya to give you some time, so of course, she came running after you. I didn't want to leave you two alone without having someone to heal you…."

"Gee, thanks for believing in my maturity…." Kaya said sarcastically. Yue sent her a small smile.

"Anyway, I think we should get back. Aunt Katara might get nervous…."

"Yeah, you're right," Lu Ten said. They all went back to the clearing where they lived. Katara, Aang, and Toph were standing in the practice yard, waiting for them. Katara was glaring, her arms crossed.

"Where have you been?" She scolded. "Your parents have left me in charge of you and you, Kaya! You should know better than to do something so reckless! What if something happened to you?"

"Ha!" Toph laughed. "You haven't changed a bit, Katara!"

Katara turned to her. "I'm going to be taking care of your son, now, too, Toph. Do you want me to just allow him to run about getting himself into dangerous situations?"

"Well, of course not! But I don't want him to have absolutely no freedom."

"But structure is still necessary!"

"But have too much structure and you get me before I met you guys!"

"But not enough gets you Azula!"

"Well, you seem to have done a fine job of raising these kids, I'm sure my little badger mole will turn out just fine!" Toph punched Haku's arm, and he rubbed it, smiling.

"Love you, Mom."

"Yeah, you, too, kid." Toph hugged her son. "Well, I really have to get back to Ba Sing Sei. I have a very important meeting with King Boomie…. Remember to practice every day. Just because I won't be here, I expect you to train just as hard as you do with me."

"Yes, Mom."

"It was nice seeing you, Toph." Katara hugged her.

"Yeah, come visit again." Aang hugged her, too.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll visit before school starts." And with that, Toph left. Katara and Aang took the four children into the house.

Summer brought bending practice and a short vacation to the Southern Water Tribe to visit Sokka and Suki. Yue had been given a pet from her parents before leaving; a little furry rabbit-fox with bright purple eyes and white and blue fur. She named him Aki, and he went wherever she did.

As summer was about to end, with only a week left, Zuko and Mai had set up a banquet for their friends and family. Iroh, Lu Ten, Teo, Ty Lee and their kids, Lee and Rin, Sokka, Suki, and Yue, Aang, Katara, and Kaya, Toph, and Haku, Haru and his daughter Bera, the Duke, Pipsqueak, Longshot, Smellerbee, and their son Ginto.

"Thank you all for accepting our invitation," Zuko greeted everyone after a short time of mingling. "I have brought you all here because I wanted to celebrate something very important. My son Lu Ten's 16th birthday."

Everyone applauded. Yue, Haku, and Kaya group hugged Lu Ten.

"See, I told you that your father was proud of you!" Kaya poked him, smirking.

"You're great, Lu Ten," Yue said. "Happy Birthday."

"Thanks." Lu Ten smiled.

The festivities continued, and soon, it was time to sit and eat.

"Katara," Zuko said. "There is a new school opening. And I would really like Lu Ten to go. I'll pay for all four of them to go. It's a school specifically for benders."

"Wow, that sounds great!" Aang said.

"Yeah," Suki added.

"But where is it?" Sokka said skeptically.

"It's here in the Fire Nation. I funded it because I thought it was a good idea to help build relations, having all four nations being able to interact and build friendships for generations to come."

"Wow, Zuko, that's a great idea." Katara smiled.

"And of course, Uncle Iroh is the head master. I figured that it should be run by the most powerful bender in the Fire Nation. But not only is he a powerful bender, but he's a great teacher and wonderful person. He was like a father to me, and I really think that everyone can benefit from his infinite wisdom."

"Yeah, sounds great," Toph said.

"Zuko!" Ty Lee said excitedly. "Could Lee and Rin go, too?"

"Of course, as long as they are benders. But this school is open to all nations."

"Great! Lee is an air bender and Rin is a fire bender!"

"Another air bender!" Aang and Kaya said excitedly.

"Yeah," Teo said. "Apparently my ancestors were air nomads. I never knew that. So Lee turned out to be an air bender. I was going to write you and tell you, but every time I tried, something came up and I got a little distracted. Sorry."

"No, it's fine! I'm just happy that there are other air benders beside Kaya! At school, she'll have someone else just like her, instead of being alone like I was."

"Yeah!" Kaya added.

After dinner, there was more mingling, to the music of the Flameos.

"Hey," Lee came up to Kaya, who was talking to Yue, Lu Ten, and Haku.

"Hi!" Kaya turned to the brown haired, blue eyed boy.

"You're an air bender, too, huh?"

"Well, I am the Avatar's daughter." Kaya smirked. Lee smiled.

"Would you mind dancing with me?"