A/N: Sorry to the *1* follower of this story for waiting so long. I got greedy and took a permanent hiatus from this story for its lack of following. It won't happen again. While I am writing these stories for you, I definitely take pride in knowing I write them, whether anyone sees them or not. So I will continue to write until I am satisfied, not until anyone else is satisfied with me.

That being said, I appreciate the follow. Enjoy.

Chapter 3

After a restful night, Aang wakes beside a sleeping Katara to see Kento and Kim practicing their bending abilities. Kento is in an upright stance, with his arms slightly bent and palms relaxed. One of his wrists are at the inside of his other elbow. He's walking forward in alternating steps, while alternating the two arms. Kim, on the other hand, has her arms spread wide, as if she was hugging a sumo wrestler. Her knees are bent slightly, with her legs shoulder width apart. With every inhale, she glows a little, and her fingers tense. With every exhale, glowing specs of light radiate off her body and fade into the air. It was a beautifully frightening sight to watch.

Kento stops suddenly, turns around, and smiles wide at Aang.

"Up so early?" Aang mumbles. The sun was only just peering over the watery horizon. Most of the world was still asleep.

"Of course," Kento breathes, "life wakes with the sun." With that, he drags over a severed log and begins using it as a bench.

"You have to teach me how to bend that!" Aang exclaims, suddenly full of energy. He rushes over to the bench and sits down on it. Kento raises a brow.

"I don't know if I can teach you anything, Aang. Lifebending is a tricky element to learn, and nearly impossible to master."

"Well, who taught you?" Aang says impatiently. Kento's eyes widen and he looks away.

"My..." His voice cracks slightly, "My dad taught me. When I was a boy."

"Can he teach me now?"

"He's gone." Kento whispers. Aang wilts.

"Gone?" he voices, "like, as in -"

"As in gone." Kim cuts in. "Kento hasn't seen him since he was young, and I only met him once. I accidentally blinded him too, it was a fun story. But after that day, we never saw him again. He bent himself into the roots of a bamboo tree and..." she struggled to find the word, "vanished." Aang was silent. He knew firsthand what losing his parents was like; he lost everything at such a young age, and had only recently redeemed himself. His pity turns into determination.

"I'm sure we'll find him, Kento." Kento turns to him with a flash of rage in his eyes. Kim gasps and leans into Aang's ear.

"I would shut up if I were you."

"No, go ahead." Kento barks, "do everything I've spent the last 7 years doing. Search everywhere. Below the tree, around the tree, inside the tree, go everywhere." Aand stands to his feet.

"Sorry, I didn't mean -"

"No, avatar, this is your job. Search everywhere." Aang starts to notice all the trees around him sag unnaturally. "And when you never find him, be sure to come back to me with that sheepish grin and tell me -"

"Kento!" Kim cuts sharply. "Enough." She points to the deflated flora behind him. And he unclenches his fists. His expression softens, but he goes behind a tree muttering something about his training.

Aang gives his signature guilty smile to Kim, scratching his head.

"Guess I touched a nerve there?"

"Even I'm not allowed to talk about his father, Aang. Not jokingly, not seriously. In fact, if you can help it, don't talk about anyone's dad around him. Okay?" She pats his head comfortingly before running after Kento. Aang hears a yawn in the background, and sees Katara walking towards him. Her eyes widen at the deformed plants behind her.

"Whoa... what happened?" Katara asked, tying her hair back. Aang sighs guiltily.

"I'll tell you later," he mumbles, before sneaking behind Kim in the thick of the jungle.