A/N: This story has all but consumed my thoughts, you have no idea. I have just been too busy to post anything. Anyways, please review and tell me what you think. Not that it will change the plot, but I still want to know what you all are thinking out there. Here's chapter three.

Kiko was cooking breakfast in the kitchen when she heard the noise. A low scratching sound coming from down the hall way, just audible over the food's snaps and pops. She put down her spatula and turned down the heat of the eggs, walking down the hall. The scratching got louder and louder the closer she got to Tei's door. She knocked loudly and asked before opening.

"Tei? You up?"

She didn't get a human response, just a low growl and more scratching. Kiko slowly opened the door and Misa came bounding out, going towards the kitchen.

"Don't eat anything! That food isn't for you!" She shouted and the door creaked open fully. She sighed and walked into the room.

"Tei, you need to- Ah!" She looked away but it was too late. She had seen Tei completely uncovered, sleeping naked. Kiko blushed and turned away from her. Tei stirred and opened her eyes.

"Is it morning already?" She asked, groggy and unashamed.

"Yeah, breakfast is almost ready. You should um, get dressed and come out."

"Alright." She sighed and grumbled and Kiko left quickly, shutting her door.

She sat up and looked out the window, the light coming in was orange and warm. She felt a sense of familiarity. This was about the time she usually was woken up by Misa. She folded her legs, looking around the room. She slowly started to realize that today was her first day of avatar training and her stomach started to knot. Before she could talk herself out of it she got up and dressed herself in a light grey tank top and some dark green shorts, putting her hair up in her usual style and putting on her locket and bracelet. She would never leave without them. Tei opened her door and walked to the bathroom, brushing her teeth and washing her face before coming out to the kitchen. When she did, she saw Kiko setting the table and Jinru at the end, paperwork all over the table and his eyes completely averted from her. She frowned. If this guy was going to train her she wanted to be on good terms with him. She didn't see that as possible right now. Tei grabbed her arm and walked over to the table as a plate of eggs and a bowl of rice was set before her.

"Thank you. It smells amazing." She said and pulled out her chair, sitting and folding her hands in her lap.

"It's no trouble. Just our morning routine." Kiko smiled and sat across from her, her brother at the end. "Plan on eating with us?"

"Hmm?" He asked and looked up from the paperwork, seeing his food. "Oh, yeah."

He put down his pen, said a quick prayer and they ate in silence, utensil in one of his hands, a pen in the other. Tei looked him over and looked at the paper work, seeing her name a few times.

"Is all that paper work about me?" She asked without thinking.

He wasn't too kind in his response. "Unfortunately."

Tei tore her eyes away from the papers and finished her breakfast, washing her dishes when done.

"What does Misa eat?" Kiko asked as she got up with her dishes and Jinru's.

"About 2 pounds of raw meat twice a day. Are you sure you don't want me to pitch in for groceries?"

"No, it's okay. We can totally cover it." She smiled and put the dishes in the sink.

"She's going to be mopey without me. Just a warning."

"It's okay. I'll feed her and let her out and stuff. If my brother is an Avatar sitter, I guess that makes me a sand leopard sitter." She frowned a little.

"I'm really sorry. She's just… she's everything to me." Tei said softly.

"It's fine, I can relate." She said and looked over to her brother with a smile.

"Lieutenant, should we get going?" Tei asked as she looked to the clock.

He looked up from his papers and glanced at the clock. "I suppose so." He sighed and started to get his paper work together, putting all the folders together and gathering them under his arm.

"I'll see you later tonight." He said to Kiko, walking past them towards the door. Tei followed and slipped on her shoes.

"Bye! Have a great day training and good luck." Kiko smiled and waved as Tei shut the door.

The car ride was silent. Tei folded her hands together and stared out the window. She felt vibes of negativity rolling off of Jinru and that made her completely anxious. Streets and people passed in a blur. The sun rising over the bay was beautiful. Much better that rising over a wall in Ba Sing Se. But she still missed home and missed her city where she was comfortable in what she knew. This place was full of people and customs she didn't know. Unfamiliar and new. It would have been exciting if this was a vacation and not a life changing journey.

He parked the car in the lot behind the United Forces Center and got out, grabbing his paperwork. She climbed out and followed him through the alley and to the front door, walking up to the reception desk.

"Good morning Lieutenant Jinru." The receptionist said brightly and smiled to him. She looked pleased to see him until she saw Tei standing behind him.

"Good morning Riza." He smiled to her then gestured towards Tei. "She needs to be escorted to the new recruit examination."

"Sure, I'll take her." She smiled to him, completely ignoring her.

He turned to Tei and whispered softly but firmly. "Meet me in the 4th basement when you are done."

She nodded once and watched him walk off towards the elevators, papers and all.

The woman, Riza, stood and walked away from her desk, motioning for Tei to follow. She did, hands folded, and was lead down a hall and through a set of swinging double doors. Riza stopped and pointed.

"Go down the rest of the way and off to the left there will be a nurses station. Check in there and follow their instructions." She said in a sour tone and Tei couldn't help but notice.

"Riza, was it? You don't like me much." She said and looked down the hall. Riza put her arm down and came a step closer to her.

"You are a liar, therefore unsafe. But I will continue to operate under the commands of the officers here. After all, I am just a secretary." She said and took her leave, not wanting to have her station unmanned for very long. As she left Tei was sure the hall got colder.

She walked herself down the hall and sure enough, there was a nurse sitting behind a desk, in a slate blue dress and shoes with a matching hat. She looked up from her newspaper and saw Tei, smiled and stood.

"New recruit?" She said in a warm friendly tone that helped thaw Tei's limbs.

"I am here under Lieutenant Jinru's direction. I am supposed to get an exam?" She questioned, hoping it sounded good enough. The nurse came from behind the desk and grabbed a chart.

"Alright then, follow me please." She said with another smile and started walking away. Tei followed her to room and walked inside, closing the door behind them.

"Okay, name and origin please?"

"Tei of the Earth Kingdom."

She scribbled onto the chart.

"Nice to meet you Tei. My name is Seba. Your age?"

"Twenty-two."

She scribbled again.

"Okay, I need you to undress please and step on the scale. You can put your clothes in the chair."

She nodded and tripped, putting her clothes in a little pile on the chair. Tei stepped onto the metal contraption and the nurse took her weight.

"Normal. As suspected." She pulled out a metal bar that rested on top of Tei's head. "On the short side though, 152." She scribbled again and pointed to a cushioned table. "Please come and lie on your back."

Tei did as told and was a little uncomfortable. She wondered if this was normal, never having been to any type of doctor's office. She lay on her back and the coldness of the table made her skin prick all over. The nurse set her chart down and bent water from a bucket near the sink. She made the water hover over Tei's body, focusing on her chest and abdomen.

"You have a good pulse. Strong muscles but flexible." She smiled again and sent the water away, grabbing her pen and writing some more on Tei's chart. "Are you sexually active?"

"What?!" She squeaked and her legs came together reflexively. Seba gave her a curious look.

"You're an adult, it's fine. I just need to know if you are so I can examine your-"

"No! Spirits!" Tei's eyes were wide with horror. "No need for that. I'm not… active." She said softly.

Seba nodded and wrote a quick note on her chart.

"Have you even been?"

"No." She murmured and looked away. Seba scribbled again.

"Tei, I'm not here to judge you. I am a skilled healer and nurse for the United Forces. My only job is to make sure you are completely healthy."

Tei nodded and fiddled with her necklace.

"Have you ever been to a women's clinic before?"

Tei shook her head.

"I know it will be uncomfortable, but I think you really should let me examine you."

She sighed and finally nodded.

"If you think it's best."

X

"Okay, all finished. I'll leave your chart with you. Please take it to the Lieutenant when you are done." Seba took her gloves off the threw them away, turning to Tei before leaving. "And don't worry, you did fine." She smiled and let herself out, Tei sitting up with a shaky sigh. That was the most uncomfortable thing she had ever experienced. She hopped off the table and dressed quickly, grabbing her papers and leaving the exam room. She came back up to the desk and Seba was there again.

"Which way to the elevators please?"

"Take that hallway and then take a right, go through the silver doors. Can't miss them. "

"Thank you, for everything." She said and realized she was blushing.

"Of course. Say hi to the Lieutenant for me!" She smiled and went back to her newspaper.

Tei took the hall and went through the doors finding the same elevators she had yesterday. She pushed the button and eventually one opened up for her. She stepped in and pressed the button for the fourth basement. The ride was quicker this time and she was thankful for that, her legs shaky from her exam. When the doors opened she was met with a soldier that held a deadly glare and an even more offensive posture.

"This area is off limits under the command of General Tashi himself."

She stepped off the elevator and smirked at him.

"My name is Tei, I'm the reason those orders were given. Stand down."

He blinked and returned to a normal, respectable stance.

"Apologies Miss Tei." He said in a softer tone. He must have been older than her by just a few years. She thought to herself he was really cute, but not why she was here.

"None needed." She smiled and walked off down the hall to the large gym doors. She didn't see anyone but entered anyways, not getting a few steps in before realizing he was waiting in a chair by the door.

"Took you long enough." Jinru said and stood, walking over to her and holding his hands out for the charts. She passed them and sighed.

"It wasn't my fault. Blame your nurse, Seba. She wanted to examine every orifice I had! She sends her regards by the way."

Tei swore she saw a smile play on his lips before he really started to read her chart. She crossed her arms while he read the five page report, flipping through the pages at a turtleduck's pace. It crossed her mind that there were things on that chart she didn't exactly want him to see. She thought about ripping it out of his hands but that would probably earn her a scolding. So instead she just blushed furiously and looked at her shoes. He got to the last page and let out a laugh.

"Something funny, Lieu?"

"Oh, just Seba being Seba." He smiled and took the chart over to his chair and set it down.

"What does that mean?"

"She feels the need to examine every woman that comes through here no matter what. She's always a little over worried about women's health."

"You knew and you didn't warn me?"

"It's not a big deal. It's just a medical exam. You're 22. You should have had, what, 8 of them by now?"

"Easy for you to say." She said and crossed her arms again. "Can we just get to training already?"

"Alright." He said and strode to the side of the gym, grabbing some cushioned mats and unfolding them in the center of the room. "On your back."

"My back? How can I firebend on my back?"

"Firebending? Yeah right. You aren't ready for that."

"Excuse me?"

"You have no breath control, no muscle control, no knowledge of forms, and you are way too soft."

"Too soft?"

"Lift your shirt. Show me your stomach."

She blushed but did as told, lifting her tank up to just under her breasts. She wished she had worn a bra today.

"See all that skin? Baby fat. I have never seen an earthbender with that much baby fat. It's got to go. Are you sure you are even an earthbender? Most of you are already bulked up by the time we get you."

"Well, now who's stereotyping?" She sneered and dropped her shirt. "Most of my bending is refined and intricate. I'm a blacksmith who can bend metal. So no, I'm not super buff like you. But I'm not scrawny either. Nurse Seba said I have strong, flexible muscles -"

"Let's exploit that. On your back, Avatar." He interrupted her rant and pointed to the mat. She wanted to growl at him but realized he was her trainer, whether she liked it or not. She kicked off her shoes and stomped over to him and flopped on her back.

"Hands under your ass." He commanded and she rolled her eyes but did so. He took the sash from around his waist and tied her feet together.

"Hey! What gives?"

"Balance. So your legs move together." He stood and looked her over. "Alright, legs up."

She did so and formed an L with her body.

"Half way down."

She hovered and felt the pull of her abs, just a mild burning. He waited 15 second but it felt like forever.

"15 centimeters from the ground."

She hovered over the mat and struggled to keep from falling. This 15 second was painful and hard.

"Halfway up."

An even worse struggle. She felt sweat beading on her neck. The wait to move was horrible.

"Up all the way."

She let out a sigh.

"The position you are in right now is your resting position. You will start and end each rep in this position. You will never touch the ground during this exercise. I have just showed you the five steps of this training exercise. You are only to move to the next step when I tell you."

"What's the purpose of this exercise?"

"So you learn to breath correctly."

"You're working out my abs, not my lungs."

"You'll figure it out sooner or later. Down!"

This lasted about twenty minutes before Tei gave up and her legs dropped to the ground. Her breathing was heavy and she was dripping in sweat. She closed her eyes and waited for him to start yelling at her, but instead he came forward and untied her legs. She pulled her knees up and let her legs slide away from each other, trying to catch her breath.

"Good, you're warmed up. Flip over."

She didn't have the energy to argue. She turned onto her stomach rather ungracefully and rested her elbows on the mat to hold up her head.

"Push-ups. Nice and slow. Only your nose can touch the mat."

She hung her head in disapproval and hesitated.

"Now, Avatar!"

x

By the time the day was done, she had done a million push-ups, too many leg rises to count as he made her come back to that twice more, ran a couple miles and finished off the day with a billion crunches and some muscle stretches. She had her legs split to each side at a complete 180˚ and she was on her arms in the middle, stretching out the inside of her thighs. He had said she was done for the day three minutes ago, but she wasn't sure she could move. He moved behind her and something caught his eye. There were thick black markings on the back of her neck. At first he thought it was paint, but as sweat rolled down her neck he realized what it really was.

"I like your tattoo."

"What?" She asked, suddenly remembering what was scrolled on the back of her neck.

"Earth Is Strength." He read the calligraphy down her neck. "Is that where you draw your determination from, your native element?" He sounded honestly curious and kind. A stark contrast to the rest of the day.

"Some of it, yeah. From my own experience, I know I can do anything if I just try hard enough."

"Is that what made you get the tattoo? A reminder to others and yourself?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Just wondering. I'm not sure about Ba Sing Se, but around here, in the city, tattoos usually mean gang affiliation."

His accusation hung in the air and Tei's patience with him had worn thin.

"I'm not in a gang or a delinquent if that's what you're getting at." She sat up and folded in her legs, gripping her knees. "Life in the lower ring is very different than it is here." She gripped her locket and closed her eyes. He didn't bring it up again and let her get up and walk away to the door without any other conversation.

The car ride was silent, this time it was because of her. She didn't really want to talk about her dad yet. She didn't want pity in any form. No matter how much she missed him, she wanted to be strong and be able to stand on her own feet without handouts. She rolled her eyes. She was living for free in her Firebending Master's house, eating his food, and his sister was a sand leopard sitter. All of this was a handout. And General Tashi's involvement made things even easier for her. It was like all those years alone didn't matter now and she was going to be handled and taken care of until she was ready to save the world, something she couldn't even comprehend doing.

She felt guilty. She didn't want to be labeled a burden on anyone, much less this man she barely knew. She wanted that to change. She wanted to know him. Maybe even get a friendship out of this. She took in a breath and put her hands in her lap.

"So, Lieutenant. How long has your sister lived with you?"

He hesitated in answering, not really the type to open up and share just like Tashi had warned. Something whispered inside him to answer though.

"A-a few years."

"Did something happen with your parents?"

"Something like that." His tone was flat and stiff, telling her not to push the subject. She tried another subject.

"What about your arm bands? Do you always wear those?" She pointed to the black wrappings around both of his wrists and forearms. He shot her a look and she backed down immediately. She didn't ask any more questions for the remainder of the ride.

When they got home she stumbled out of the car, catching herself on the door. He stopped and looked to her but didn't ask anything, just watched to see if she was going to be okay. She got her bearings with shaky legs and shut the door. They walked together to the lobby and he waited for her to get inside the elevator. She had never been happier to ride in one than at that moment as she leaned against the wall for support. She closed her eyes for what felt like just a second and it was longer.

"Are you coming?" He called from far away and she opened her eyes, seeing him halfway down the hall way. She didn't even remember the elevator moving. She nodded and stumbled out of the metal box and to the door, following him inside. She closed the door and slipped off her shoed, collapsing on the couch just seconds after Misa jumped down.

"Welcome home!" Kiko called and came out from the kitchen. She smiled and looked Tei over, trying not to laugh. "How was training?"

Tei flung am arm over her eyes and groaned. "He's trying to kill me, I know it."

"No I'm not." He said from the other room loud enough for her to hear. She groaned again and one of her legs fell off the couch. Kiko laughed and crossed her arms.

"Either way, dinner is ready if you want to drag yourself in there." She walked back into the kitchen and Tei sighed, slipping her arm to her forehead. She contemplated not moving and sleeping on the couch, trying to forget that awful smell wafting off her body and how hungry she was. Eventually her stomach protested and she agreed with it; she needed food. Tei dragged herself into the kitchen like Kiko said and her food was already set for her. She didn't even ask what it was when she plopped down, just eating silently. Kiko asked her brother what exactly he did to her today and Jinru recalled all the exercises like it was no big deal. Tei was too quiet to give him attitude. She finished dinner and washed her dishes.

"I'm going to take a shower and go to bed, that okay?"

"Sure." "Mmhm." They said together and looked to her. She nodded and went into the bathroom and took a long hot shower, assisted heavily by the tiled wall. When she was done she dried herself and realized not only did she forget to take off her jewelry, she forgot to grab clean clothes. She grunted and wrapped her body in a towel, tossing her clothes in the hamper and turning off the lights, planning on sneaking into her room.

She opened the door and turned the corner to go to her room, bumping into a wall. No it wasn't a wall. It was too warm to be a wall. And too red. She looked up and Jinru was looking down at her with a flushed expression. She looked away and pushed passed him.

"Sorry Lieu, forgot my clothes." She said like it was no big deal. He was left speechless and she was thankful. She wasn't really embarrassed about her body, but she didn't exactly want her Master to see her nude either. She closed the door and tossed the towel into the corning, slipping into bed and passing out almost instantly, despite it only being seven o'clock.