Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Korra or Avatar the Last Airbender. I only own my own characters and ideas

Chapter Nine: Birthday Troubles

A couple days later

Khari strolled through the palace, letting her thoughts wander. She continued to walk, never paying attention to where she was going. Khari soon bumped into a door that looked familiar but she never entered before. She placed her hand on the door but when she went to open the door a guard pulled her back. She looked up as the guard glared at her as he ordered her to move on. Khari did as she was told but not before she looked at the door again. She wondered what could possibly be so important or scary that the royal family wanted to hide it behind a door from even her. Khari thought about asking what was behind the door but she knew if the guard had gotten forceful, she might not get an answer. She snuck to Izumi's bedroom to see if she could find a clue before she went to her office. Khari started to search through Izumi's drawers but the only things that shocked her were cigarettes and letters from a man in the Earth Kingdom. She soon began to search the closet but she still found nothing. She looked at the bedroom door when she heard the door knob. She sprinted towards the bed, quickly crawling under it before the person could enter. She stayed as still and silent as she possible as what she now knew was Izumi and her Aunt Kya walked through the room. She watched as the shadows got close to the bed then got further away. She tried to listen to the conversation but she was terrified she would get caught. She watched as one shadow got closer to the bed again before a hand suddenly appeared under the bed. She tried not to scream as she avoided the hand. She gently nudged the box towards the hand so it would go away but clearly that was not the only thing Izumi and her Aunt Kya were looking for. She heard the two women laugh as the closet door opened. A short while later the two left the room, letting Khari breathe a sigh of relief. Khari stayed under the bed for a few minutes to make sure no one would come in as she was crawling out from under the bed. As she opened the door she poked her head out slowly before she ran out of the room, quickly closing the door behind her. She spotted a guard so she started to head in the opposite direction. She was so busy trying to avoid the guards that she didn't pay attention to where she was going. She soon ran into Izumi's office door which made her curse under her breath. The door slowly opened and Khari looked down at the ground.

"I'm sorry Izumi. I didn't mean to interrupt you. I promise to be more careful," Khari apologized.

The Fire Lord smiled at the young girl, thinking about how the last few weeks have been. Izumi put her hand up to signal she would return to whatever meeting she was in. She gestured for Khari to walk with her around the palace. She waited for Khari to speak up about what had been bothering her but there was nothing but silence. Khari wondered why Izumi was walking with her around the palace. It didn't take them long until they were in the garden, making Khari smile a bit. She made her way to the pond to see a small turtleduck struggling. She picked the small animal up to see two injuries which made her hold the animal tighter. The turtleduck soon nestled itself in Khari's arm, making the girl smile. Izumi walked over to Khari, placing her hand on Khari's back as she looked down at the small animal in the young girl's arms. Khari looked up at Izumi briefly to see the smile on her face.

"You know Khari, when you do things like this you remind me of Aang. You also remind me of that turtleduck. While you both struggle right now, with a little help and guidance you will come out to be better than you ever thought possible. Remember that you define who you are not your parents, grandparents, or anyone you are related to. I know being a Beifong is hard but I want you to know there are people here that want to help you and care. We even remembered your birthday is in a couple weeks, so let me know if there is anything you would like to do," Izumi told Khari. "Oh, and please put the turtleduck in some form of water if you don't put it back in the pond."

Khari smiled down at the turtleduck as she took it back to Iroh's room. She set it on the bed until she pulled and shaped the earth to make a small pond in the room. After she filled the small pond like area with water she gentle placed the turtleduck in the water, watching it swim. Khari sat on the bed, thinking of what the next couple weeks will hold. Izumi was right about her birthday being in a couple weeks but did she really want to burden the royal family that long by staying that long. There was soon a small knock at the door before it opened. A servant walked in a small box with her name on it. Khari thanked the servant as she stared at the box. The only thing the front of the box had was her name and where she was staying. Khari had no clue who sent the package so she continued to stare at it for awhile. She soon decided to open the box because she knew staring at it wouldn't do much. When she opened the box it was a list from Iroh of things she had to do as soon as she got the box. She raised an eyebrow but grabbed the list and did as it said. As she started the list she wondered what she was trying to accomplish that was so important. When she was midway down the list she had to obtain an item from Izumi but the list still made no sense. Izumi chuckled as Khari grumbled about the list making no sense. Khari had two things on the list left when she was called for dinner. She lightly tapped her chopsticks on her bowl of rice as she tried to concentrate on what the list could possibly mean. Khari soon felt hands go across her face before the room went dark. She placed her hands over the person's hands to feel to see if she could guess who it was. She suddenly felt a kiss on her cheek which made her smile as she stood on her chair. When she turned around she saw her Uncle Bumi with a smile on his face. She smiled at him as she jumped down to hug him.

"Look how tall you have gotten. I can't believe I'm looking at the same girl I was looking at almost two years ago," Bumi said in disbelief.

Khari hugged him as she thought about the last time she saw him. She remembered it like it was yesterday. Every day it was a vivid image of how she had treated everyone that cared for her. She soon felt her Uncle Bumi place his hands under her chin, making her look up at him. He could see she was upset but his visit was supposed to make her excited. There was soon a knock at the door which made everyone turn their head. Khari stood where she was and stared at Iroh as he smiled at her. Khari rubbed her eyes to make sure Iroh was really in front of her. When she sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her she started to sprint towards the prince. Iroh tried to brace himself but Khari jumped on him, knocking the two against the wall. The two laughed as Iroh tried to steady himself. Khari screamed a bit as the two started to make their way for the ground. When they landed the two stared at each other before they busted up laughing. Iroh stayed where he was as he stared into Khari's olive eyes before he helped her up. Iroh couldn't believe he was standing in front of Khari. Khari tagged Iroh, laughing as she ran out of the dining area.

"Bet you can't catch me!" Khari shouted from the hallway.

"You better run faster than that if you plan on out running me!" Iroh shouted back.

Everyone shook their head as Iroh ran after Khari. She continued to sprint until she found the door that the guard yanked her from before. Khari heard Iroh coming down the hall so she began to look around before she looked up. She sent her cables up, waiting for Iroh to arrive. When Iroh arrived, he began to mumble about how he knew this is where Khari had gone. He started to play with the handle but when it didn't budge, he started to walk away. When Khari no longer saw him, she dropped to the ground, trying to sense if he was around. She quickly took off before he found her again. She started to sprint through the garden when she heard him behind her. When she looked back she saw a giant grin on his face. She smiled when she saw a branch that was low enough for her to grab on one of the trees. She grabbed the branch, swinging herself up into the tree. Iroh stood at the bottom of the tree as he watched Khari climb up the tree with ease. He sighed as he tried to climb after her. When he was about halfway up the tree Khari jumped out as she giggled. He jumped down after her, chasing her again. The two started to sprint to the place Khari felt connected to Aang. She started to look around for a place to hide in time. When he arrived Khari tried to hide a giggle as Iroh searched for her. When Iroh turned his back to her, she jumped on him, pinning him to the ground. He growled as she smiled down at him but he soon grinned before he flipped Khari onto her back, pinning her to the ground. She still continued to smile which confused him. She soon bent her lower portion of her body up, grabbing him in the face with her feet. She pulled her feet towards the ground as hard as she could, trying to pull Iroh to the ground. She finally pinned him against the ground with her feet she flipped around, grabbing his wrist to make sure he couldn't get up. Her hair soon fell down next to her face, making the two smile.

"I won," Khari giggled.

"Only because I let you win," Iroh grunted under Khari's weight.

"Pff, you wish you could say you let me win," she taunted.

She helped him off the ground as the two continued to laugh and talk. To Khari having Iroh back was the best and as they caught up on those two years she realized how much she had missed him. Iroh couldn't believe that after all this time he was talking to Khari again. Iroh tried to avoid the conversation of Khari's birthday. Khari could sense that Iroh was avoiding a conversation. She always thought he was easy to read. She nudged him but he still kept his mouth shut. He knew that Khari would be hurt no matter what he said and he always tried to protect her. The two walked around to find everyone but Iroh still thought about Khari's birthday.

Air Temple Island

Lin stared at the invitation once again as she thought about Khari. She couldn't believe that Khari's birthday was coming up already. She walked into Khari's old room, sitting on the bed as she continued to stare at the invitation. She had discussed going to the party with Tenzin for days but he had made it very clear that he thought it wasn't a wise decision. She never heard Tenzin make his way in the room. He placed his hand on her lap as he gave her a concerned look. He noticed that lately Lin has been acting a bit off. Tenzin stared at the invitation in Lin's hand. Kya had tried to convince him to come but Tenzin knew Khari didn't want to see them. Tenzin grabbed the invitation from Lin's hand, ripping it to shreds before he threw it in the trash. He went to write the family's response to the invitation. Lin lowered her head as she shook her head.

Fire Nation Royal Palace

Iroh and Kimiko played Pai Sho as Khari went to the training area. She continued to swing the sword like Sokka had shown her. The sword slipped accidently cutting her arm a bit. She watched as the sword dropped to the ground. She soon felt the blood start to run down her arm. She cursed under her breath as she grabbed the sword again. Khari closed her eyes as she moved swiftly through the courtyard. As Sokka walked into the courtyard he smiled as he continued to watch Khari push herself. Khari continued to move closer to Sokka hiding her smirk. Sokka soon realized what she was doing, soon pulling his own sword out. Khari opened her eye, lunging towards Sokka who avoided her. She managed to turn around as Sokka swung his sword, clashing the two blades together. Khari pushed as hard as she could, soon shoving Sokka to the ground. Khari stuck her hand out to help him off the ground with a smile on her face. She was soon called by a woman from the palace. When Khari started to follow her, she tuned out what the woman was telling her. The two entered a room and the woman started to take Khari's measurements. Khari didn't know why she was being measured but she didn't object. About two hours later she was dismissed. Khari went to Iroh's room, plopping on the bed. She soon heard a knock on the door which made her look up quickly. When the door opened Iroh walked in with a smile on his face. When he sat down next to Khari. she leaned against him and closed her eyes. There was silence between the two for what seemed like forever before Iroh finally spoke.

"Khari, I know that your upset by what happened at the island. You have always been so strong and I think that is because that is all you have known. Tenzin and Lin didn't act like parents which made you burst out in anger more times than I can count. I want you to know that if you need to talk about anything I'm here," he finally offered.

"Get out. GET OUT! I'm fine and I don't need you or anyone else to tell me otherwise. I don't want or need to talk about what they did to me. I'm fine now leave!" Khari shouted at Iroh as she pushed him away.

Iroh looked back at Khari as he left the room but he knew something was wrong. Khari only acted this way when something was wrong. He heard a crash after the door closed but he didn't dare to open the door. On the other side of the door Khari had thrown pictures at the door. In Khari's opinion Iroh had no clue what he was talking about. She was just making herself better than her mother by learning new skills and improving the ones she has. She sighed as she crouched down. She just wanted to be left alone to think about how in a few days she would turn another year old and she wouldn't even be at the place she once called home. She laid on the bed, covering her head as she tried to go to sleep. She tossed and turned for most of the night before she finally fell asleep.

The Day of Khari's Birthday

Khari sat at the table pushing her breakfast around her plate. As she was pushing the food forward she heard someone call her name which made her fling a small amount of food at Bumi. She looked up at him to see him covered in rice and noodles. She giggled a bit before she looked over at Lord Zuko who had called her name. He could see the concerned look on his face so she looked around the table. She noticed he wasn't the only one with the concerned look. She knew they all wanted to know what could possibly bother her on her birthday. She looked down at her plate and sighed. Don't cry she told herself. Not today. Not ever again. Crying was a weakness and she was a Beifong.

"Do you think they are thinking about me today? I mean it's my birthday so they have to think of me at some point, right?" she quietly asked the group.

Kya quickly walked over to Khari and pulled her in front of her. "Of course they are thinking of you. You're beautiful, Intelligent, talented, and that is only a few things. Now today is your birthday don't worry about such silly things," Kya assured the young girl.

Later that night as everyone was getting ready for the party Khari walked around the palace. She knew the guest would be arriving shortly but she needed to go for a walk. Her parents never came so she already knew they weren't going to be at the party. She started to rub her arms to try and warm up. She soon saw a flame light next to her. She smiled as she looked over at Iroh who like always was there when she needed him. He pulled a small paper lantern out and he lit a small piece of wax in the center. He handed Khari part of the lantern before two released the small lantern into the night. The two watched as the lantern continued into the sky before they walked back into the palace. When they arrived at the area where the party was being held Khari saw that a few guest had already arrived. To Khari this party felt like one of the political galas more than a birthday party. As she walked through the room she smiled at people as the wished her a happy birthday. She soon stopped where she stood as Hikarri and her friends walked in the room. It had been some time since she had seen the group and she wasn't expecting them at the party. Khari smiled when she saw Mala walk through the door. As the night went on Khari continued to look at the door for her parents. Kya and Bumi looked at each other before they looked at Khari with a saddened look on their faces. They knew Khari only wanted Lin and Tenzin to show up but it wasn't going to happen. Khari soon felt a hand on her back that pushed lightly to guide her to a stack of gift. Iroh handed Khari a small box that was wrapped in red paper. She looked at him before she opened it. Inside she found a tiara made out of meteorite rock that had four different color gems to represent the four nations. She pulled the tiara, slowly looking at it. Iroh grabbed it from her, gently placing it in her hair. The two stared at each other for a few moments before she was handed another box. When she opened it she saw a metal box that was a built a tad abstract in her opinion. She recognized it or the concept of the box anyway. Her mother had one in her office that her grandmother gave her but she has never been able to change its shape. The harder she concentrated on the object the harder it was to bend. She sighed before she set it down. She was handed a smaller box which made a clicking noise. When she opened it she saw a few throwing knives. She stared at them in awe before she looked up at Mai and Zuko. Khari picked one up but before she could do anything Iroh took the small knife and the box with the remaining knives. Khari opened her gift from Sokka and Suki which was something for her sword. Khari continued to open her presents until she reached the final gift. She paused for a second before she walked over to the medium sized box. She crouched down to open it but soon stopped. She saw three more books, letters, items from the Water Tribe, items from the war, but the items that made Khari stop were the items that clearly came from the Air Nation. She reached into the box and grabbed Aang's meditation beads. Khari knew these were the beads he used during the war. He had another set that he had been buried with but Katara had kept these. She cherished these so Khari didn't understand why they were in the box.

Khari stood, walking over to Katara. She wrapped her arms around the older woman as the tears ran down her cheeks. Khari looked up for a moment to see her parents walk through the entrance. She didn't let them see that she had noticed their arrival. She scanned the room for her brothers but didn't see them anywhere. She slowly let go of Katara, grabbing a throwing knife before anyone noticed. She quickly weaved through the people, making her way to her parents. The guest watched Khari as she moved quickly, and gracefully. When she stood in front of her parents, they looked down at her. She bawled her fist before she punched Tenzin in the gut then, kicking him in the face. Tenzin looked up at Khari from the ground as the blood dripped from his nose and the blood started to run down the side of his mouth.

"How dare you? How dare the both of you!? You came to my party after casting me aside like some filth. That's right folks the respected Chief Beifong and Councilman Tenzin threw their own daughter off of the island, her HOME like trash! What did you expect when you got here? A hug? A wow, Mom and Dad came to take me home? You're not getting it. I don't even want you here," Khari raged.

"Khari, we just want-" Tenzin was soon cut off by Khari.

"I don't care what you want. You had your chance to show you loved me. To show me that you appreciated me but you didn't. You lost it and that is your fault. I don't feel bad for you. Now leave and don't ever try to come back into my life again," Khari spat.

Tenzin could see the anger in Khari's eyes. He saw no hint of her soft, caring personality in her eyes. Lin walked around Khari to help Tenzin off the ground. When they looked up at Khari she was turning her back to them. Tenzin looked over at Lin to see the tears in her eyes. He then looked around the room to see everyone staring at the two. He quickly guided Lin out of the Palace and over to Oogi. Back at the party Khari felt eyes on her but refused to look up at anyone. She walked past her gifts dropping the throwing knife in a box before she excused herself. She quickly ran down the hall and shut herself into one of the rooms. She eventually heard her name but she didn't make a sound. She wanted to be left alone in her thoughts for a bit. She closed her eyes as she thought about what had just happened. She fell to the floor, crying at the thought of finally cutting the two people she thought loved her out of her life. She soon heard the door open and a hand on her back. When she finally decided to look up she saw Kimiko, Izumi and Kya, kneeling before her. She looked away as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Never will they hurt her again she thought to herself. She soon got up and exited the room as if nothing had ever happened. When she came back to the party she could tell people were staring at her. She held her head high as she continued to stroll through the room. When Zuko saw Izumi come back to the party with Kya and Kimiko he knew something was going to happen eventually. Zuko looked over at Katara as Hikarri and her friends strolled over to Khari. Khari glared into Hikarri's piercing blue eyes.

"Wow, you're such a freak your own parents don't even want you. I mean that is so pathetic," Hikarri laughed.

Khari stiffed a bit but stayed silent. She didn't even know how to respond. Hikarri was right her parents didn't want her. She knew she could always agree but she knew the girls would only rub it in her face.

"Yea, I mean do we even know if the councilman is your dad? I mean look at you. There is no way he is your dad," another girl chimed in.

The group laughed at Khari as a tear rolled down her cheek. Zuko sighed as he walked towards the group but stopped as soon as he saw Khari swing at Hikarri. Hikarri mumbled under her breath as she charged for Khari. Before Hikkari could slam into her Khari swiftly moved to the side and kicked Hikkari in the ribs. Hikkari hit the ground with a thud. Khari took a step towards but before she could get any further she felt an arm around her, pulling her back. She tried to pull away but the person held onto her tighter. As she was pulled further back Hikkari started to laugh. Khari clenched her jaw as Hikkari and her friends laughed at her.

"Oh look, Iroh is protecting Khari again. That's right just go hide behind the Royal Family like always," Hikkari laughed.

Khari was about to pull away but she saw movement in the corner of her eye. When she turned her head she saw Kimiko rushing towards Hikkari. Kimiko crouched down in front of Hikkari, grabbing the front of her dress. Hikkari looked Kimiko in the eyes before Kimiko punched her in the face, knocking her unconscious. Everyone watched Kimiko with wide eyes. Kimiko let go of Hikkari, letting her hit the ground with a thud. When Kimiko stood she wiped her hands together before fixing her dress then her hair. Kimiko looked around the room as everyone stared at her.

"What? Someone had to do something. You all stood there as she treated poor... Khari? Khari? Khari, where did you go? Seriously Iroh, you had one job and that was to keep Khari here! Khari, come back!" Kimiko shouted as she went to look for the young girl.

Khari ran through the palace grounds but had no clue where she was going. She soon tripped over her feet and fell on the ground. She quickly got up and continued to run. Khari eventually left the palace grounds but she continued to run as fast as she could until she felt like she couldn't run anymore. When she stopped she looked around to see where she was. She had no clue where she was so she walked to an area she felt like she could hide for the night. She tucked herself close so no one would see her and closed her eyes. Back at the palace everyone was searching every where for her. After a few hours of searching the group met in the throne room. When the last of the group entered the room the siblings knew that Khari was still missing. Iroh stared at everyone for a moment before he left the room. Later in the night Khari pulled her legs closer to her body trying to get warmer. She still continued to sleep but her dreams soon made it difficult.

Khari looked around but at first there was nothing but darkness. Air Temple Island started to appear around her, making her smile. As she walked to spinning gates she felt a gust of air. She giggled a little before she spun around but when she turned around she didn't find her Grandpa Aang but a little Water Tribe girl. She gave the girl a confused look before she looked around but saw no sign of her grandfather. When she looked back for the girl she was gone. She ran inside the temple to search for her but found someone much better. She smiled at her grandfather as a tear rolled down her cheek. He strolled towards her and hugged her as she cried. When Khari pulled away she saw the small girl again. She didn't understand why this was happening. Aang reappeared in front of her making her blink again but the little girl came back.

"C'mon Khari, let's go train. It will be fun and I think you need it. We could put a smile on that face and get the tears out of those pretty green eyes. Remember those are the prettiest green eyes I've ever seen and I've been around the world so I've seen a lot. Now let's go have some fun," the girl said but in Aang's voice.

Khari tilted her head a bit as she continued to stare at the girl. The girl giggle at Khari's confusion but didn't say anything else. The girl laughed one final time before she disappeared. Khari looked around but the island soon started to vanish around her as well. She was soon surrounded by darkness which made her cross her arms and pull them tighter to her body. She soon felt like she was falling and couldn't stop. She tried grabbing on to something but there was nothing to grab.

Khari's eyes shot open as she gasped for air. She pulled her arms tighter to her body, rubbing her hands across her arms in hopes to get warmer. She soon started to shiver. She soon realized she was too cold and tired to move. She stayed in the same position as her teeth started to chatter. She heard noise near her but she didn't have the energy to move. She closed her eyes for a moment but opened them again. As she started to close them again she saw someone running towards her. When she opened them once again she saw Iroh crouched in front of her taking his jacket off. She closed her eyes again but was too tired to open them again. She soon felt something warm come across her body before he picked her up. Khari laid her head on his shoulder as Iroh ran back to the palace as fast as he could. Khari enjoyed Iroh's body heat considering that was her only source of heat right now. When they got back to the palace Iroh ran as fast as he could to the throne room where everyone was still sitting. They all looked up as Iroh ran in to see a shivering Khari in his arms. Kya and Katara rushed over to check on her condition. The three took Khari into her room to make sure everything was okay. As the night continued on everyone waited for some form of answer from the two Water Tribe women. When they eventually came out everyone gave them with a concerned look. The two women looked at each other before they looked at the group.

"She's okay, just a little cold and dirty. We cleaned her up and put her in some warmer clothes. She is under warm blankets so she should warm quickly. She should be fine by morning," Kya assured the group.

When they went into the room Khari was mumbling in her sleep. Iroh touched her hand which made her talk a bit louder. Katara and Kya took a few steps forward as Khari talked about Korra. Everyone could see that whatever dream Khari was having was not pleasant. Khari's eyes flung open, making her look around the room in a panic. She started to breath a bit quicker and heavier but when she realized what was going on. Everyone stared at her for a bit but Khari stayed silent. The group figured maybe it was best to give her some space. As they were walking out Khari grabbed Iroh's hand, making him pause. He looked at everyone before he looked back at Khari. He sat on the edge of the bed as everyone left but he gave Khari a concerned look. The concern faded when Khari gave him a smile.

"Iroh, when I first got here, I found a book that my Grandpa Aang wrote. He basically didn't think I was like earthbenders. He thinks that being the daughter of an airbender and earthbender made me different in a not so obvious way. Well for a couple weeks I have been having these dreams and they didn't make sense to me. Now they are starting to make more sense to me. Grandpa Aang is telling me that I broke the laws of bending. I can do something an airbender can do. I am spiritually connected to things. I shouldn't be able to do that. I think he wants me to go find the new avatar. Iroh, I think it's my destiny to help the next avatar," Khari said.

"Khari, are you sure? I mean that is a pretty big task. I don't doubt that you could find the next avatar and help them but we don't even know if they have an earthbending teacher yet. We don't know anything about the next avatar," Iroh said as he tried to talk some sense into Khari.

"I think it is my job. Aang was my grandfather. I of all people should be teaching the next avatar earthbending. I've trained with him. I really think right now I could be beneficial to the avatar. Please understand," Khari stressed.

"I don't really understand but I will try. Only because it is you. I'm happy you're okay," Iroh replied as he moved Khari's hair out of her face.

Iroh stood to walk out of the room but he paused again for a moment. He looked at Khari who had already placed her head on the pillow. He smiled as he thought about all the trouble the two would get in throughout the years. He turned around but stopped in the doorway as Kimiko stepped in front of him with a smirk. He sighed as he tried to move around his sister. She laughed a little as Iroh got annoyed.

"You kissed her, didn't you?" Kimiko asked.

"No, I didn't," Iroh replied.

"You thought about it though," Kimiko tormented.

Iroh sighed as he looked up. Before he could respond his mother and grandparents standing close by. He pushed Kimiko out of the way so he could go to his room for the time being. Kimiko looked at him with a surprised look. She looked back at her mother for a moment before she looked in the direction Iroh walked.

"Oh, my spirits he really did think about it," Kimiko mumbled to herself.

(Author's Note: So I just wanted to say sorry about the long wait for the update. Also, yes we got to see the royal siblings again. I also wanted to see a bit of Korra. I thought I'd through some Lin and Tenzin in there for some drama. Hope you guys liked the chapter and it was worth the wait. Let me know what you think)