A/N: Thank you to my reviewer. I know this chapter needs more detail, I just couldn't find a way to put it in, and please forgive me for the kissing. I am a romantic.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar

Chapter 8: Traditions

Kozu woke at noon, and having checked on Kalaya who was still sleeping, made his way onto the bow to check on the progress of the crew. He was greeted with applause and whooping from the crew who were about as well as Li and Captain Jin.

Jin approached him, and saluted him, a grin stretched across his face. Kozu had only seen the captain this happy once before, when word arrived that his wife had borne a son.

"What is this?" Kozu asked, getting irritated. Li had a sheepish look on his face, but Jin explained.

"We're glad the lady is with us, and that she is safe from the admiral. Also, we're glad you're finally in love. It's about time."

Kozu was shocked that Li had told them, and then started smiling. He would have to get back at his master in some way, but that was for later. The crew had bought the story and they were glad for him and Kalaya. He just needed to do something first before he could be with her.

"Ok, back to work," Kozu said as he walked up to Li. "We need to talk."

Li looked humbled as he followed the prince to the railing. "The men were pestering me, asking what was going on, so I had to tell them. They're happy for you, and…"

"That's not what I want to talk to you about," Kozu interrupted. Li looked at him, questions on his face as he studied the princes' face. Kozu had turned serious and was staring out to sea.

"I need to fight Zow again."

"What?! Have you forgotten what happened the last time you fought him?" Li was shocked and scared for his student. If Kozu lost again, he would be killed. Zow would not hold back because he was a prince like he did the last time.

Kozu turned to face his teacher, determination on his face. "I have to. I have evidence that he will try and dishonor my sister, and Kalaya and I can never be together if I don't face him. I'll need to make arrangements for her until it's finished. If I lose…I need you to watch over her."

Li thought about it. "You're right," he said, "I will protect your lady. What arrangements need to be made?"

"Arrangements? What's this about?" Kalaya said from behind the two men. She stared at Kozu as the men turned to her. "Are you trying to protect me again?"

Kozu nodded, and Li cringed, expecting Kalaya's temper, but it didn't come.

"What's going on?" she asked, worry on her face.

Kozu took her hand, and looked into her eyes. "I need to fight Zow again. I have the evidence that he is going to try to dishonor and force marriage with my sister. I'll give the evidence to the governor of Tu Lon, the next port, who is an old friend and teacher of mine. He will take it to my brother to make sure it never happens.

Honor dictates that I face him, but I also need to make sure he never hurts you again. When we reach town, I'll take you to an inn, where you can be safe until it's over. I'll come get you when it's over. If…if I lose, Li will take care of you."

He studied her face as he went over his plan. He needed her to understand. Her temper rose, but she controlled it and when he finished, she hugged him, the last thing he expected.

"Ok, but if you lose, I get to face Zow." Kalaya pulled back and Kozu saw her smile, though worry was in her dark eyes. "How long until we arrive in Tu Lon?"

"Two days," Kozu replied, smiling. He had two days to practice, but those two days he would also be spending with Kalaya.

"Good," she said, smiling with him.

Li smiled at the couple. They were perfect for each other. He just needed to get some facts straight. "My dear, perhaps you could tell me of your adventure? And I never asked, but how old are you?"

Kalaya blushed. "Sixteen, wait, seventeen. I turned seventeen two days ago."

Kozu's jaw dropped. "You just turned seventeen?"

Kalaya turned back to him, irritated. "Why does that matter? I've been of marrying age for a year now. No one wanted me though. I didn't want any of them either, but that didn't matter."

"Please, lets go and sit with a cup of tea, and perhaps we can learn about each other," Li said, not wanting a confrontation after they had been so civil with each other.

Kalaya nodded and followed Li to a small table that was set out on the bow, and Kozu followed, stunned, but curious. She was young, younger than he had thought she was, but he loved her. What was a few years difference?

Li sat and poured them tea from an old china teapot. "How old do you think Prince Kozu is?" He asked Kalaya as he handed her a cup of tea.

Kalaya thought for a minute. "Eighteen, maybe nineteen. Why?"

Kozu smiled. "I am twenty-one; do women get married so young in the water tribe? That isn't much time to court."

Kalaya frowned. "There's no courting. If a man wants a woman for his wife, his family asks her family. If her family or nearest male relative agrees, they are engaged, and she is given a necklace carved by her fiancé. They are married a month later, but the marrying age is sixteen. No woman can be married before that age. If she turns eighteen before being engaged, she is usually considered a spinster."

Kozu and Li were shocked at this. But she did come from a tribe, not a powerful, more advanced nation. She looked at Kozu and was surprised by his shocked expression. "That isn't what it's like with you?"

Kozu straightened his expression. "No, sometimes marriages are arranged among nobles and royalty, but mostly there is courting. If they love or even like each other, the man asks her father and then her for her hand, then they are engaged and later, married. But not usually till the age of eighteen and sometimes not until much later."

"I'm not too young, if that's what you're thinking." Kalaya said, giving him a wry smile with her arms folded. "My father was five years older than my mother, but he waited for her. They loved each other very much and my brother was born when she was eighteen."

Kozu smiled and leaned over to kiss Kalaya. "No, you're definitely not too young," he whispered before he kissed her again.

"I hate to break you two lovebirds up," Li said, looking sternly at the two. They blushed and separated, at nwhich Li smiled. "You two are perfect for each other. Perhaps you should practice, Prince Kozu, while the lady tells me what happened last night."

Kozu frowned at his master, who was grinning, but got up and headed inside to change into training clothes. When he came out, Li and several of the crew were standing around Kalaya, entranced as she retold the events of the night before. She had just reached where she had kneed Zow and he hit her.

Kozu started warming up, doing stretches, as she recounted how she had opened her eyes to see the blue spirit standing over an unconscious Zow. She then went on to how he had tossed her a water skin and led her out. Kozu smiled as she told of coming upon soldiers and using the water to freeze them in place while the thief pulled her across their backs. He started doing kicks and punches and almost fell when Kalaya told of deciding to bring a giant wave to save them both. He forgot his training as she told of swimming past the thief, then seeing him get shot.

"What happened then?" Li asked, sitting on the edge of his seat like a boy entranced. Kalaya smiled and glanced at Kozu as he joined the men surrounding her.

"I saw him sink into the water, unconscious. I couldn't leave him; he had saved my life, and risked everything. I don't know how I did it, but I bent the water around my feet into a circle of ice and skated back to him. I saw the archers come to the railing and start shooting as I reached him.

I grabbed the blue spirit with one arm and raised my other, bringing a sheet of ice between myself and the archers, and skated away. He came to and directed me to his boat. I was exhausted and the sun had almost set. We came to his boat and he helped me in. I must have fallen asleep, for when I was awake again, the blue spirit was swerving his boat around.

I saw archers on the shore by my canoe, and Zow's ship closing in on us from the harbor. I offered my help and brought up fog around us and felt a delta close by. I directed the thief towards it, and let enough of the fog disappear so that the admiral would see us and follow. At the perfect moment, I told him to turn and heard Zow's ship run aground."

She grinned along with the men as some of them cheered. Kozu had to admit that she was a good storyteller. He had known she had saved him and skated on an ice platform, but he didn't know she had created the wall of ice between the arrows and them. He returned to practicing, but listened in, smiling, as she revised the end to their tale.

The men were taken with her and applauded as she finished. Li shooed them away after Kalaya had finished, and grinned as he poured her more tea. Kozu stopped as the men went about their business, and joined Kalaya and Li.

Li looked at Kozu as he sat down next to Kalaya. He was quite taken by the young waterbender, but if there was to be a wedding soon, Li would have to make sure everything was done properly. He started by laying down some ground rules.

"Now that you two aren't trying to kill each other by out shouting each other, things should be done properly. Neither of you are to be in the washroom while the other is, or in the others' room without an older chaperone."

Li grinned as the young couple turned to stare in shock at him. Kozu started frowning, but Kalaya blushed. She had not had anyone care for her in many years, and it was nice that so many now did.

"And further more, if you two must be together, it must be outside, where I know nothing can happen."

"How can you think that I…that we would do anything?" Kozu asked, his temper rising.

Li just smiled. "I know you wouldn't mean it, but young people in love tend to let things get to far, and you must wait for the wedding."

Kozu's jaw dropped at the word 'wedding', but he recuperated quickly. He loved Kalaya, and wanted to be with her. Marriage was the next logical step, but it still surprised him to think of it.

Li started to get up. "My lady," he addressed Kalaya, "that clothing will not do. Please come with me. I have a gift for my granddaughter that should fit you perfectly."

Kalaya smiled and took his proffered arm and went with him. Li turned back before they entered the interior of the ship. "Prince Kozu, I suggest you keep training. You only have two days." He grinned as he saw his student sigh before getting up to train again.

Li led Kalaya to the storage hold, and picked up a small box from the surrounding crates. He opened it, showing Kalaya an exquisite long dress. She gasped as she took it out. It was a long, silk red dress with a flower pattern in the earth kingdom style with a collared neck, and a row of shoulder knots in the shape of jasmine flowers. A slit also went up the sides to the knees.

"It's beautiful," she whispered. She smiled up at Li, trying to hand the dress back. "I can't accept this; it's too beautiful for me."

He smiled, and refused to take it back. "It's not as beautiful as the one who will wear it. It suits you, and I can always get another for my granddaughter."

Kalaya smiled, and Li saw tears forming in her eyes. "Come, you can change into it and show it off to Kozu."

Kalaya nodded and followed him to her room, the happiest she had been in her life.

After Li had left her, she headed to the washroom to wash thoroughly before changing into the dress. She didn't want any dirt on the silk. She looked at her old clothes as she got out of the tub. Her new earth kingdom clothes were dirty and ruined, with tears and snags riddling the fabric, but her red shirt which she had worn underneath was ok, just dirty.

She smiled as she slipped into the new dress. The silk felt good on her skin. She braided her hair again with her last ribbon in it, and made sure the red ribbon was still on her neck before she headed out to the bow once more. The wind felt good on her face as she left the interior and saw Kozu training with his back to her. He was doing a series of punches and kicks, sending fire up and out to sea with every punch and kick. She was entranced as she watched him train, and was interrupted as Li criticized him.

"Don't aim for the sky! Kick to the face! And remember your basics!" He turned back to his tea with a tired look on his face and saw Kalaya. "Ah, I told you that dress would suit you. You look beautiful."

Kalaya blushed and looked at her feet. "Thank you," she said shyly before looking back up to Li.

Kozu turned and glanced at Kalaya, and almost fell as he looked again, staring at her. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. The red dress she wore suited her perfectly, showing off her curves, but was still proper, showing nothing but a little bit of calf from her feet to her neck. He saw around her neck the ribbon he had given her and remembered her comment about a fiancé giving his betrothed a necklace. He knew that no woman could ever compare to her. All the ladies in the court were like pale daisies to his rose.

"Back to your training, Kozu!" Li said, snapping him back into time. Kozu turned back and started the routine again, but fell at the first kick. Every time he caught a glimpse of Kalaya, he fell apart.

"All right, you can stop for now," Li said after the fifth fall. "I can see you won't do anything right at this moment. But you will continue after dinner." He turned and walked away, tired of trying to correct his student.

Kozu saw Kalaya watching the sun begin to set at the railing and joined her.

"I'm sorry I interrupted your training," she said softly as he leaned against the railing next to her.

"Don't be," he said grinning. "You're beautiful and I can use the rest."

"Do you really think so?"

Kozu looked at her, trying to catch her eye. Her head was down and he saw a blush on her cheeks. He smiled. "I know so."

She looked at him and he took the moment to lean in and kiss her. The kiss deepened and he tried to put his arms around her, but she stepped back, a mischievous look in her eyes.

"I just put this on, and you're all dirty. I'm not going to let you ruin such a nice dress."

Kozu grinned back at her and reached for her again, but she stayed well out of reach.

"I can wash you off, or you can go get cleaned up yourself," she said, moving her arms.

His jaw dropped as he saw a large globe of seawater raise up to his eye level just outside the ship. He hurried inside, away from the cold seawater, and heard her laugh as he reached the interior.