Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. We've broken the two hundred mark in the follows category. Once again, I can't thank you all enough for your support. Anyway, on with the chapter:

Ah, morning meditation. The warmth of the rising sun bathing my face. A cool, refreshing breeze at my back, coming from the sea. The damp sent of salt on the air, and the distant calming crashing of waves. There really is nothing quite as calming as quiet moments like this.

"TENZIN, HAVE YOU SEEN MY BOOTS? WAIT, NEVER MIND, FOUND THEM!"

I took a shuttering, irritated breath and slowly opened my eyes. Bumi was a character that took a little getting use to. At almost all waking moments of the day he seemed like a kid on a sugar rush with an attention disorder, showing a lot of enthusiasm in whatever happened to be holding his attention during that particular five second span of time.

That being said, he was also one of the most brilliant commanders that had ever graced the ranks of the United Forces, and probably the bravest man I had ever met. Sure he had a tendency to tell outlandish stories, which when coupled with his personality easily held the attention of his nieces and nephews. But the thing is, nine times out of ten what he was telling you was the truth. No matter how rowdy he may have been during his childhood, and even up till now, I had grown to respect my adoptive nephew.

However that didn't mean I wasn't going to shove one of those missing boots so far up his ass he'd taste leather for a solid month if he interrupted my meditation again.

You may be wondering why we were still in Republic City. We had Ashe, we had everything ready to go, we even had Takeko ready to head out. So why were we still here, and not somewhere in the north central Earth Kingdom by now? The answer is quite simple. We were waiting on the arrival of Korra's mother, along with Katara and Kya as well.

Senna had agreed to come up in order to see Korra before we departed on the next leg of our journey, and Katara and Kya had decided to come for a visit. Personally I wasn't overly thrilled about the idea of waiting around. Or seeing Kya. Mainly seeing Kya. Now those of you who have been paying attenion so far may have noticed that I seem to have a problem in my relationship with each of the daughters of my former companions. Well, that's not the case. I never really had a problem with Suyan, Lin's sister, or Izumi for that matter. Just Lin and Kya.

While Lin had hated me for family reasons, Kya's dislike of me came from more of misunderstanding on my part. You see, growing up she was a rambunctious girl, and the spitting image of her mother in both appearance and bending abilities. She also probably had the strongest relationship with 'Uncle Ryou' out of the three siblings. When she was nineteen, she left and traveled the world for a few years on a spiritual trip, expanding on her healing techniques. When she came back a few years later at the age of twenty two, she had beads in her hair and she announced to everyone that she was a lesbian.

Everyone around her was supportive, of course, but she took it hard when I seemed to react with disinterest and uncomfort. Don't get me wrong, I fully supported her coming out just like everyone else. What she failed to realize was that there were two things that dictated my reaction, or seeming lack there of.

The first thing to take into consideration was my age. Now I'm not going to shake my fist and go 'back in my day we didn't have things like that' cause frankly we did. I've maintained pretty much the same stance on the issue my entire life; people can do what they want with whomever they want, so long as it's in private. I don't put my entire sex life out there for all to see, and I expect the same courtesy from others.

The second was the nature of my relationship with her up until that point. Something Kya seemed to have forgotten on her little world tour was the fact that up until she came back, she had been my niece, a little girl with pigtails wanting to have a tea party with me or have me tell her stories of adventure. To have her suddenly bring up her sexuality was...a little jarring.

Still, the damage was done. For several years Kya thought that I had rejected her because of who she chose to love. It was only after a shouting match about ten years ago did I finally find out what had bothered her so badly and we had resolved things. Regardless of that, things were still a little tense and rocky between us, even after all this time.

With a sigh, I got to my feet and drew my sword hilt. I extended the blade before going though the various guards of my chosen form in a sort of dance. Meditating wasn't going to get done, not with Bumi and the airbending kids around anyway. Besides, the dance of the guards helped to past the time. Korra spent most of the morning out with her friends, and Takeko was out doing whatever Takeko did in her downtime. The Red Archer had put forth little more information then what she had provided, holding true to her word to only give more as long as she tagged along. Her master's name, Yusei, was one I had heard before but couldn't quite put my finger on where I had heard it.

"So where are we headed next?" Korra asked. She was alone, surprising considering how much time she had been spending with her friends lately.

"Luo Chui," I answered as I shifted my stance slightly, flowing from one form to the next. A look of puzzlement came over her face.

"I don't think I've heard of that place," she said.

"Wouldn't be the first time." Korra shrugged and had to concede my point there. There were a lot of times during our travels when we had passed places that were barely on a map, much less being household name worthy. That being said, I wouldn't have called Luo Chui a place that wasn't household name worthy.

"So...um," Korra started, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

"What?" I asked, not stopping what I was doing. She knew that if she wanted to talk to me about something, she needed to just come out and say it. I never beat around the bush when it came to things that needed to be discussed.

"How are we gonna tell my parents about us?" she asked. I froze mid stance and looked at her with a bewildered expression.

"You haven't told them?"

"I was going to...eventually," she said. We had been together for a little over six months now, so this development was a little surprising.

"Well. Things just got more complicated then they need to be," I said as I collapsed my sword and eased out of the stance I had been in.

"Not really. My parents have always been really understanding and accepting," she said. I just blinked as I regarded her.

"Korra, your dad tried to kill me for traveling alone with you. And that was without him knowing about us being involved romantically," I deadpanned.

"It'll be fine. You'll see," she said, waving it off.

The White Lotus steamer docked at Air Temple Island's dock while we stood waiting for the passengers to disembark. Korra's mother, Senna, as well as Kya and Katara were really the only ones of interest. Korra and her father eagerly greeted her mother, while I turned my attention to my old friend. Katara was busy greeting her grandchildren, so I stayed back a few paces waiting for my turn.

To be honest I felt like I was intruding a little. Everyone here was related in some way. Through Korra, it was all one big family reunion. I felt a pang of sadness run though my chest as it once again dawned on me just how alone I was in the world. The people I had once held close like this were long gone. Sure I still had family out there, but the generations were getting to the point that they were little more then distant relations. I looked on at Korra as she warmly embraced her mother, and I was left wondering if it would be worth it to subject myself to the pain of having to watch another family move on without me.

"Now that is the gaze of someone who has been around for a while," Katara said, bringing me out of my thoughts. The airbending kids had run off, chasing after their Uncle Bumi, leaving the old waterbending master free to address me for the first time.

"Time gives me little more then the ability to think," I replied. We embraced each other warmly, and I found myself hugging her a little tighter then usual. Sokka, Aang, and Suki were gone. How much longer did I have before I lost her as well?

"You let yourself think too much. Worry not about tomorrow, but focus on today," Katara said. I pulled back and gave her an annoyed smirk. That one was one of mine.

"Using my own words against me now?"

"They've helped me in times when I was too worried about something or too focused on something. I figured you needed a reminder," she said with a smile. Though wrinkled and aged, her face still had the warmth and tenderness it had during her youth.

"You always did have a way with emotions," I said.

"I had some help," she replied. My thoughts briefly wandered back to a long ago time, and my cheeks gained a little color.

"Ba Sing Se was a long time ago," I said. Katara smiled again as she realized what I was referring to.

"As I'm sure you're aware, when you get older all you really have left are your memories. There's nothing wrong with revisiting times in the past, pondering over how your actions got you to where you are now, or how things might have played out different," she said. We turned toward the kids, who were working together to try and take Bumi down without using their bending.

"Do you have any regrets?" I asked.

"I wouldn't trade a second of it. Not even the time I had with you," she answered after a long pause. I gave her hand a squeeze, silently telling her how much I appreciated that statement. For those of you wondering just what the hell we're talking about, there was a space of about two weeks or so toward the end of the War where Katara and I...um...dated, kinda.

It was during the time when the group was trying to find Appa as well as get an audience with the Earth King in an effort to tell him about the Day of Black Sun. I had been traveling under an assumed name and had arrived in Ba Sing Se amongst a group of refugees, hoping to find some rest and a little reprieve from the war.

We'd met in a small market while she was out buying groceries for the group and hit it off pretty well. Of course, neither one of us knew who the other actually was. Unfortunately after a couple of weeks experimenting, we found that although we made great friends, being romantic partners wasn't going to work out. So with a final kiss we parted ways on good terms. You can imagine the shock we both experienced a few months later when the war ended and I offered to train Aang in the ways of the sword.

There was an unspoken agreement between the two of us that we never told Aang what had happened in Ba Sing Se. As far as I knew, she never told any of the others either, preferring to keep it a secret that we shared. There was no telling how the others would have reacted, and besides, by the time Aang and Katara had gotten married it was ancient history anyway.

"I will say this though. As I have gotten older, I've understood your sadness more and more. My husband, my brother, and many of my friends are gone," Katara said. I glanced down at my boots and lightly turned a rock over.

"The trick isn't learning how to live without them, its learning how to live with yourself after they are gone," I said. We were interrupted by Korra motioning toward me, telling me to go to her. Katara gave me a smile and a pat on the shoulder before sending me off. I was probably going to die horribly, and she'd get some amusement out of watching it. Korra meet me about half way before grabbing me by the arm and pulling me toward her waiting parents.

"Have you figured out how you're going to do this?" I asked, keeping my voice low enough so only she and I could hear.

"I'm going to keep it nice and smooth, ease them into it," she replied without looking back at me. We came to a halt in front of her parents, both of whom were looking between her and me with a curiosity.

"Korra, who's...?" her mother started.

"Mom, Dad, you remember Ryou? My five hundred year old boyfriend?" Korra interrupted, blurting everything out in a hurried tone. Both of her parents blinked in shock, and I face palmed. Oh yeah, this was going so well.

"I...I'd say we have a lot to talk about," her mother said.

"And I have several questions," her father added, a renewed fire alight in his eyes as he regarded me. I swallowed the lump that was in my throat. This was going to go just great.

"I'm really sorry about my Dad," Korra said from her position behind me. Takeko, her, and myself were all riding on Ashe's back, high above the Northern Mountains in the Earth Kingdom. I still had a small ball of ice pressed against my eye in an effort to get the swelling to go down.

"Maybe you shouldn't have blurted out everything right at the beginning," I said. Our talk with her parents had actually been going somewhat well, that is until the topic of my age came up. After using some old paintings and photographs to confirm that I was indeed as old as the claims were, Tonraq had flown off the handle and decked me square.

If I was the age that I appeared to be, namely about twenty or so, then there wouldn't have been an issue as Korra was eighteen. But I wasn't, I was five hundred. I was, as he put it; old enough to be a revered ancestor. So yeah, the age difference was something he took issue with. I had to resort to chi blocking in order to get him to stop attacking me.

With the threat of my head being removed from it's perch on my shoulders out of the way, we managed to calm him down into a talking mood again. While both parents weren't overly happy with the age gap, or the conditions we were traveling under, they both understood that at the moment I was the only one who knew how to unblock her bending. An agreement was reached that we would put this conversation on hold until Korra's bending was fully restored.

Which brings us to where we were at the moment, rapidly approaching the city of Luo Chui.

Now many of you may have been wondering, with nicknames like 'the Great Northern Fortress' and 'The Omashu of the North', why is it that it's not that commonly known? Well the answer is because it doesn't really live up to it's nicknames. When Chin the Conqueror's armies swept over the continent, Luo Chui had fallen without a sword being drawn. During the Hundred Year War, the city's location meant that it formed a natural protection for the Earth Kingdom Capital. However it fell after only two weeks of being besieged by the Fire Nation. The city's fall would serve as the kick start for the Siege of Ba Sing Se, and it would remain in Fire Nation hands till the end of the war.

Luo Chui from the air resembled a city that had been built into a bowl. It had been built in the crater of an extent volcano, or at least that's what I had observed during my visits. According to legend, the city had been founded by an ancient earthbending hero named Yu Guan. Guan had done battle with the god of war, and during the fight had managed to sever the head off of the deity's war hammer before casting it to the Earth. When the battle was over, Guan had recovered the hammer for himself and had built a city in the crater where the hammer had landed, and thus Luo Chui had been formed.

Corny legends aside, the reason we were here was it's close proximity to the next Oasis we were seeking. The spring of Spirit Water was located at the base of a neighboring mountain, and thus made the next leg of this journey little more then a half days walk on foot.

Takeko had kept her part of the bargain for the most part, giving more information about her former master. Yusei was an ancient and powerful man, not a bender, or at least not one that she had observed. He had been involved with the White Lotus for sometime, but that had ended shortly after the end of the war with him leaving the Order. His mission seemed to be manipulating the world governments and leaders from the shadows, although to what end was something she had never gotten to find out.

"Luo Chui, Omashu's inverted belly button," I said as we touched down in the street, sending a few stray animals running for their lives. Ashe snarled after them, but it was mainly for show as she simply hunkered down where she had landed.

"Why is it Earth Kingdom cities always smell like piss and spices?" Takeko asked as she slid from the dragon's back and landed on the street.

"This is my first trek inland from the coast, I wouldn't really know," Korra answered as she landed next to her. I had my eyes narrowed as I scanned the street for any signs of danger. Pretty much everyone had run off at the sight of the giant fire breathing lizard. Those that were still around were watching from store fronts or peaking around corners, ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble. But, if anyone was planning on making trouble, they were no doubt having second or even third thoughts.

"Here," I said, tossing a small sack of coins to Korra,"there's an inn not far up the street. You know the drill, couple rooms for the night and some hot meals."

"Where are you going?" Korra asked.

"To find a place to put Ashe. Can't have her sleeping in the middle of the street," I replied before the dragon took to the sky again. We circled the city once before finding a nice clearing not far from the city gates. I had trained Ashe enough that I was confident she wouldn't burn half the mountain to the ground while chasing a catdeer. Plus if we found ourselves in any trouble, all I had to was whistle and she would come.

I made my way back into the city and began to ask around about the local landscape and wildlife. As far as I knew, the next Oasis might have had a platypus bear making it's nest. Turns out the place had a name. Fang's Barrow was what the locals referred to it as. However, it always came with a warning about strange happenings and people disappearing around it.

Ordinarily I wouldn't have cared, considering we only needed to use the spring for a grand total of about ten minutes at the max. But the nature of the stories, and the fact that the Solstice was fast approaching meant that I was now worried about the possibility of a Spirit attack. I didn't have the means to fight a Spirit properly, so that meant we'd have to avoid it if at all possible.

A light tug and the sudden feel of my sword hilt leaving my hip brought me out of my thoughts. Before my mind had even fully regestered what had happened, my hand shot out and caught the pick pocket by the scruff of his neck as he tried to run off. He was a boy of about twelve or so with dark hair and a dark completion.

"I didn't do anything!" he yelled as I picked him up and turned him so he was facing me. I held up my free hand and wagged my fingers. Reluctantly he placed the sword hilt in my palm.

"You're lucky you didn't stab yourself," I said.

"Come on, man. You got your thing back, just let me go. No harm, no foul," he said.

"You think theft counts as 'no harm'?" I asked.

"It's just a thing."

"Just a thing, huh," I said before extending the blade and holding the tip up to his throat. He let out a yelp and pulled his head back, trying to get away from the razor sharp edge.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Kai, my name's Kai," he answered.

"Do you know what the punishment for theft is, Kai? It's the removal of one's left hand," I said moving the blade away from his neck toward his wrist. But I stopped just as the edge lightly brushed his skin. He remained tense the whole time.

"Theft is still a crime, and as such should only be done if it's that or death. In that case, don't get caught," I said before I released him and collapsed the blade.

"Wait, you're just gonna let me go?" he asked, confused about my sudden change.

"Consider this your one warning, kid. If I catch you again, I'll take a pinky, got it?" I said. He nodded in a hurried motion before running off. I watched him go before holding up a small coin purse and shaking it to get a read on the amount of money inside. The young man had enough on him that I figured one would be compensation for me not taking his hand.

When it comes to pickpockets, I'm kind of on the fence about them. The ones who do it because they're starving have my sympathies, the ones who do it for pleasure have my contempt. Kai? Kai was somewhere in between. He was skinny enough that it was clear he needed it to survive, but the amount of wallets, watches, and purses that were on him stated that either he was buying steak for dinner or he got a thrill out of stealing. If he didn't nip that in the bud now, one day it would get him killed.

Tossing the purse in the air, I caught it as I started toward the Inn I had directed Korra toward, my thoughts turning toward what we may have to come up against. Hopefully we could unblock her earthbending, give Takeko the cure she sought, and be on the road again before trouble of any kind found us. Personally I was looking forward to being parted from Takeko. The red head had tried to kill me a couple of times, and had blinded me during one of her attempts. Needless to say she wasn't all that high on my list. At this point if she was on fire and I had a cup of water, I'd drink the water.

But a deal is a deal, and trouble always has a way of finding me. Tomorrow was going to be interesting to say the least.

And cut. Some back story, some more back story, and some things to come. What did you guys think? I wanna know! Drop a review, leave a PM, use a mirror or something. Let me know what you liked or didn't like, or feel free to ask a question or ten, and I'll see you guys next time.