I'M BAAAAACK! Yeah, that's right, I found my chutzpah, and now I'm back on Kyuri. I have the next few chapters planned out in my head and even a story to work on once I'm finished with Kyuri. I won't do this like Avatar Amaya, with three stories for three season, but just one big long story.

And now for an apology…

Don't get me wrong, I love Jeong Jeong and Teo. But for the love of god, whenever I sat down to write their introductory episodes they did not want to behave! That's partially why this chapter has been so long in coming. I don't know if I offended them in the Avatar Amaya series or what, but they refused to be written. In the interests of keeping the story moving and so you guys wouldn't have to wait on me to kick Jeong Jeong's butt into character, I decided to just leave them alone. Please forgive me.

Kyuri sighed and relaxed against Sangilak's scales. She had forsaken her usual seat in the hollow between his wings and was reclining on top of his head, absently scratching around the base of his long, spiraling horns.

"We're finally getting close."

"Indeed we are. This scenery is familiar, even if it's a completely different half of the world. Did you ever come to the North pole before?"

"Once, long ago, I had a Dragora who married a man from the North Pole but they lived in the Earth Kingdom."

"Oh yes. Hanh. I'd forgotten her."

Kyuri sat up and climbed back down into her usual seat. She leaned down and broke off a chunk of a glacier as they passed, popping the chunk in her mouth and sucking on it as she thought.

They had been through so much on their journey to the North Pole. Most recently had been Teo. She vividly recalled the battle on the mountainside. Sangilak had bathed the tanks in flame and roasted those inside alive. It was a grisly clean-up, but one that had to be done. Before that was Jeong Jeong and the incident with Katara. Kyuri still felt a stab of anger at Aang for what he'd done to Katara, burning her hands. If Sokka hadn't gotten there first, she would have been the one to tackle him, and he wouldn't have walked away without bruises.

"I don't want to complain, but can't Appa fly any higher?" Sokka groaned.

"I've got an idea," Aang snapped irritably. "Why don't we all get on your back and you can fly us to the North Pole. How about that?"

"Great idea," Sokka said, turning around and presenting his back. "Everybody climb on. Sokka's ready for takeoff!"

"Look," Katara said, playing moderator. "We're all just a little cranky because we've been flying for two days straight."

"And for what?" Sokka demanded. "We can't even find the Northern Tribe!"

"Not true."

"What do you know?" Kyuri thought back suspiciously.

Appa jerked out of the way of the glacier that suddenly sprung up in front of him. Sangilak blasted it with a wave of hot air and slammed through the weakened ice easily, going higher and out of reach as Aang steered Appa around another glacier. He couldn't avoid the third one completely though and it caught Appa's foot, pulling him around and throwing him into the water. The water around him turned to ice.

Sangilak roared and dove for the ice, breaking it up with his claws as he passed. Boats slid from concealment behind glaciers as Sangilak set down in the water. Kyuri felt his body heat up under her to compensate for the frigid water.

"They're Waterbenders!" Katara yelled. "We found the Water Tribe!"

"Next time a hello will suffice," Kyuri said coldly to the ship closest to her. "Traps aren't necessary."

"We didn't know if you were Fire Nation of not," said the boat's captain just as icily, narrowing his eyes back. "Little skunk bear."

Sangilak growled and the man withdrew, flinching. Kyuri smirked slightly.

"I'm the Avatar," Aang was saying. "These are my friends Katara and Sokka and Kyuri. They're from the Southern Tribe. I've coming seeking a Waterbending Master."

"The Avatar?"

The mutter went up from every corner of the fleet as many squinted at Aang.

"The tattoos-

"-and he's got a bison-"

"-look at his clothes."

"-they're from the sister tribe in the South so-"

"-don't like the look of that dragon."

"You're welcome in the Northern Tribe, Avatar," One captain finally said. He seemed to be the one leading the fleet. "We'll escort you to our tribe."

The boats got into position around the Avatar and his friends and lead them surely through the glacirs. They passed through one last pair and the wall separating the Northern Water tribe appeared in front of them.

It was a magnificent structure made entirely of ice and snow, not a single flaw in it. A huge copy of the Water Tribe symbol was carved near the top of the wall, just under the lip where a few people wo looked to be the size of ants milled about, watching.

They all watched in awe as one of the teams from the boats raised their hands and moved gracefully, opening a low tunnel at the base of the wall. They sailed through it and into a system of levies, the same group closing the gate behind them. Waterbenders lined the tops of the locks, draining water and lowering walls until Appa was able to pass further into the city.

The city itself was a sight to see. It was a winding mesh of water channels, buildings rising out of the sea. Walkways lined the edges of the canals and boats moved along, propelled by Waterbenders. Bridges arched gracefully over the waterways, each of them embossed on both sides with the moon and ocean symbol of the tribe. The whole thing had a modern, yet traditional feel, the grace of everything testifying to just who lived here.

People stopped what they were doing as Appa passed. It wasn't too surprising; how often did one see a giant bison wandering down the street. New seemed to make its way amongst the citizens quickly, and they began seeing bridges with waiting crowds watching eagerly, excited to see the new arrivals as they made their way towards the highest part of the city.

The Waterbenders seemed put off by Appa, but not Sangilak, which Kyuri found strange. It was like they were used to associating with dragons, which seemed unlikely.

"Tonight, we celebrate the arrival of our brother and sister from the Southern Tribe!" Chief Arnook said, gesturing to the two siblings. "We also welcome our sister, the Dragora of the Southern Tribe. And these three have brought with them someone very special. Someone who many of us believe disappeared from the world until now. The Avatar!" he gestured to Aang, who raised the hand not holding Momo hesitantly. He didn't seem comfortable with all the attention he was getting. "We also celebrate my daughter's sixteenth birthday! Princess Yue is now of marrying age!"

It seemed unlikely until Princess Yue entered with a magnificent emerald dragon at her side, its intelligent yellow eyes fixing on her and Sangilak. Yue's dragon was much smaller than Sangilak, much younger, and Yue's face was unpainted.

"Thank you father," the Princess said. "May the great ocean and moon spirits watch over us during these troubled times!"

"Kyuri, can you believe it," Katara hissed to her. "Another Dragora! I bet you two will have so much to talk about!"

"I doubt it," Sangilak said softly. "This one is barely a century old. The princess is his first Dragora. He knows nothing of traditions and neither does she. I see what attracted him to her though. This Yue has great spiritual energy. It's almost otherworldly."

"Sang, I feel as if you're trying to hint at something."

"Perhaps."

"Tui and La, why must I be stuck with such a cryptic dragon?"

"And now, Master Pakku and his students will perform for us."

An old man back by two younger students stood on a stage across from the chief's table, three elaborate urns in front of them filled with water. They reached out, pulling the liquid up and streaming it around in increasingly elaborate streams. The two students were undoubtedly good, there was no denying it. However, it was the master that stole the show, his skill evident even in this theatrical setting.

After the performance was over, Princess Yue sat down between Sokka and Kyuri.

"So you're Kyuri!" Yue greeted. "I never thought I'd meet another Dragora!"

"Neither did I," Kyuri said stiffly, placing a piece of seal jerky on her tongue and sucking on it.

"I bet we'll be great friends. We have so much in common!"

Kyuri tensed. Was this girl really so stupid as to think that because they were Dragora they were the same? With so many personalities among Dragora and their dragons no pair was the same, had the same relationship. The title only and a series of customs and laws was the only thing Dragora shared, and if Sangilak was right in saying that the emerald dragon was so young, then he had no knowledge of them, and therefore neither did Yue. Dragora she was, but in title only.

Kyuri felt irritation boiling up inside of her. This princess treated as a joke what had been her saving grace after her parents died. She should feel honored, privileged. Instead, Yue was horribly out of tune with her dragon. Kyuri could tell because of the way her dragon would glance at her and turn away and Yue wouldn't even react to the look. She always knew when Sangilak was looking at her, always reacted with a flick of her thoughts or an acknowledging feeling. To ignore one's partner was the highest of snubs.

"We have one thing in common, and even then only in the loosest sense," Kyuri said tightly into her cup.

"What do you mean?" Yue said in confusion.

"I mean, have you ever heard of the Tradition of the Paint?"

Yue paused and thought "Is that some sort of Southern Tribe custom?"

"No. It's a custom of the Dragora. Have you ever heard of the Rule of Teaching?"

"The what?"

"I thought not."

Nearby, Sangilak and Yue's dragon were growling low at each other and making those nearby nervous.

"This upstart! Calling me grandpa! The nerve… I've half a mind to roast his horns!"

"This girl seems to think the binding is all there is to being a Dragora. Technically that is true, but there is so much she should know that she doesn't seem to care to know."

"Kyuri, be nicer to her!" Sokka snapped across the princess. Kyuri turned to him and raised an eyebrow. Sokka turned to Yue and introduced himself, successfully pulling her into a conversation.

"What is the upstart dragon's name?"

"Alignak."

Kyuri coughed into her drink and Katara reached over to pat her on the back. Kyuri recovered and glanced at Sangilak.

"She has given him a name… of the moon spirit?"

"Yes."

"Fool of a girl! You never give a spirit's name to anything, especially not when a Dragora's bond is spiritual. No wonder they are so out of tune!"

"Are you okay?" Katara asked, looking over at Kyuri in concern. She'd noticed Kyuri's eyes go unfocused and recognized the signs that she was conferring with Sangilak. She'd also noticed when Kyuir's eyes had gone wide and her jaw had clenched. Her hands were gripping the edge of the table, nails digging intot he wood, knuckles white.

"I'm going to retire," Kyuri said coolly, standing from the table. Sangilak stood from where he was crouched over his meal at the exact same moment and followed after her. Katara saw as Sangilak's tail snapped out and caught the younger dragon in the neck when he passed. She understood. Something about Yue being a Dragora was upsetting her. Judging by the way Sangilak was treating Yue's dragon, they were offending the other pair somehow.

Kyuri woke the next day in a bad mood, and it showed on her face. Her muscles were weakening from lack of practice. She worked hard to keep herself at her fighting pinnacle, and even the two days they had spent flying had lessened the flexibility of her muscles. Added to that the fact that her bleeding had started and it made for an even colder Kyuri.

Sokka kept well clear of her as she rose and belted on her usual weapons. Even safe in the walls of the Northern Tribe she still refused to go about unarmed. Kyuri walked through the town, glaring at anyone foolish enough to give her a side-long glance. Sangilak was flying around the tundra, getting a lay of the land, so to speak, and she was cataloguing landforms he saw in the back of her mind. Cave, chasm, glacier, ice floe….

Kyuri found a flat, open area filled with men going at each other with both bending and weapons. Several were sparring with blunted spears or swords. Her shoulders rolled and her fingers flexed as she anticipated a day of uninterrupted training with eagerness.

Kyuri stalked to the middle of the field, heedless of the stir she caused as she passed. What she wasn't aware of was the taboo of women fighting in the Northern Tribe. The men watched with open surprise, and in some cases disdain, as she found an empty spot on the ice and began to launch into a series of stretches. She bent forwards and back, her hair swishing irritatingly around her face. Kyuri made a mental note to cut it soon as she dropped onto the ground into a full split. She rotated into a side split and bent forwards, touching her forehead to the ground. Her legs swept around behind her and she brought them together before leaning back and touching her crown to her pointed toes. She rocked forwards and jumped to her feet. She pulled her swords, gave them a habitual twirl, and then launched into a series of taolu, going slow at first, just warming up, then pushing herself faster and faster through a series of punishing slices and dodges.

Kyuri pulled out of the flow of the movements as the sharp sound of claps invaded her ears. She looked up to see a young Water Tribe boy standing in front of her. He was skinny, with dark hair and blue eyes, just like most Water Tribe members.

"That was really impressive," he said, his eyes big with worship. Kyuri turned away. She was in no mood to talk today. People in general seemed to annoy her simply by existing. The training had not worked off as much of her hormone-fueled irritation as she had hoped, appreantly.

"I'm Pakak," he pressed. "And you're Dragora Kyuri. You caused a big stir when you showed up, and with the Avatar no less!"

"Was there something you wanted?" Kyuri sighed tiredly, turning back to face him. One hand came up and brushed away the sweat from her brow.

"Well," Pakak began slowly. "I was hoping you could maybe teach me one of those moves. I mean… I'm not the best of warriors, and, well… that's a bit shameful, up here."

Kyuri looked him over. The coat added a bit of bulk to him but it was clear that he was skinnier than most men, and fine-boned, with a weak jaw. She would have pegged him as a scholar or musician, not a warrior, had she seen him in the streets. He would be at a definite disadvantage in a fight, and an obvious target to any testosterone-filled idiots who thought themselves great warriors.

"You're small," she said bluntly. "Your size would be a disadvantage in a fight, but also an advantage. It takes twice as much energy to swing and miss as it does to swing and hit. Let your enemy wear themselves out and then attack with everything you have."

"I understand," Pakak said, straightening his spine and holding his hands behind his back, planting his feet. "I've been told that before. I was wondering, more specifically, if you'd teach me to dodge."

Kyuri scanned him up and down. He was no warrior, true, he didn't seem to have the heart of one to begin with, but she believed quite strongly that no one should be unable to defend themselves, in case a situation arose when they had need to.

"Alright," she agreed finally, cursing herself and wondering what had brought on this charity today. Pakak's face broke into a wide grin, which she quickly wiped away. Her fist flew out and cracked against his cheek, the blow strengthened by the hilt of her sword in her palm. Pakak dropped to the ground, his hand clutching his cheek as a thin trickle of blood rolled down into his collar.

"What was that?" he demanded.

"You've felt how it feels to be hit now."

"No kidding!"

"Hurts, doesn't it?"

"Of course it does!"

"Then don't let it happen again." Kyuri held out a hand and Pakak looked at it in surprise. He took it hesitantly and she hauled him to his feet. "Be warned, I won't pull my punches even for training. Now, try and dodge." She swung again, this time catching him in the nose. There was a crack as it broke and blood trickled out of his nostrils. He raised his hands to cover the injury, blinking away tears rapidly. "Pakak, focus. Don't overthink it. You don't have to be creative and flamboyant. Just trust your body and dodge. React instinctively, and-" Her fist flew forwards again. Pakak rolled his shoulder away from the hit and his hand flew out, grabbing her wrist. His eyes widened. Clearly, he hadn't thought about doing that.

Kyuri nodded approvingly. "Good."

She continued, coaxing him roughly into stances and teaching him how to redirect an opponent's energy from a dodged strike. She ended up so absorbed in her work that she barely even noticed when another boy came over, and another, followed by two more, and then a girl. She taught them all just the same, being brutally honest in both her critique and hits. Kyuri had paired them off and set them sparring before she'd even realized she had enough students to pair off.

"Excuse me?"

She turned and saw an adult standing there with a spear. "I was wondering if you could teach me that block you were doing earlier?"

Kyuri smiled. "Of course."

News spread quickly among the Northern Tribe of Kyuri and her little training session the day before, how she taught anyone who came with no mind to gender or age. When she returned to the training grounds the next day, Kyuri found a group perhaps twenty strong waiting where she had been working the day before, headed up by Pakak.

"I found some people who were interested in you teaching them," he said, almost apologetically. "Sorry. I hope you don't mind."

Kyuri blinked, staring at all the faces. "I… I…"

Pakak's face fell. "Yeah, I guessed you wouldn't be interested. I'll just send them off and go…"

"No!" Kyuri cut him off sharply. "No, it's- it's fine. I'm just… surprised."

She stared at all the faces. There were women, young and old, grizzled warriors and nervous men who looked as if they'd never held a weapon before in their lives. The most surprising was a young girl with a determined expression on her face and a pouty mouth. Her hair was cut sloppily, ragged ends jutting out all over.

"My little sister," Pakak offered when he saw her staring at the young girl. "Akna. Some boys jumped her and cut her hair the other day. I can't be around all the time and I was hoping you could teach her to defend herself."

"Akna," Kyuri said, walking over to the girl. She got down on one knee in front of her. "Is this true?"

Akna nodded. "They grabbed me down the street and cut my braid off."

"Hm," Kyuri mused, fingering the end of the girl's hair. She reached behind her into her sash and pulled out a small knife. She frequently snatched daggers from the belts of soldiers they faced and added them to her collection even as she lost them. She gripped the blade and proffered the hilt to the little girl. "Daggers are usually best for women. They don't require as much strength and power behind them."

"I didn't mean to turn her into a soldier," Pakak began nervously as Akna reached out and took the blade, awe in her big blue eyes. Kyuri looked up at him, raising an eyebrow.

"And why not? Should she not be just as capable of defending herself as any man?"

Pakak hesitated. "Well, I suppose…"

"Good," Kyuri said, standing. She turned to the rest of the group. "Now, who knows how to flip an enemy?"

The lesson continued through the day and Kyuri found herself reveling in teaching. There was something highly fulfilling about it. She had always loathed finding women who could not defend themselves and thought that it was a man's job. She knew that women were forbidden to learn Waterbending in the Northern Tribe, something that had Katara fit to be tied the previous night and ended with Aang kicked out of Pakku's lessons when he tried to teach her. She was proud of these women for taking their self-defense into their own hands.

Some of the men she struggled with at first, particularly a grizzled man with a lined face and a hard jaw. Claw marks raked don his cheek, pulling his mouth into a permanent frown. He seemed dismissive and disdainful of her at first. It made her blood boil. She had handled it by very calmly calling her up to aid her in demonstrating a technique to a group of teenage girls. She had promptly knocked him on his back and held a knife to his throat. He was surprisingly contrite after that and looked at her with a new respect.

"Kyuri!"

Kyuri turned, pulling a punch away from Pakak at the last second. Sokka and Aang stood there with a thunderous Katara.

"What is it?" she asked, wiping her face as she jogged over.

"We're going to talk to Chief Arnook," Katara said coldly. "Master Pakku can't stop teaching Aang just because I made a mistake and asked him to teach me."

"We want you to come too," Sokka explained. "You're the perfect example of a girl fighter. We were hoping you could help make our case about why they should both be allowed to learn."

"Kyuri?" Pakak asked hesitantly.

"Have everybody drill that flip I showed you," Kyuri said.

"I'll get your knife back from Akna," Pakak said, turning to go towards his sister, who was swiping viciously at thin air in a drill Kyuri had showed her.

"She can keep it," Kyuri said as she walked off with the others towards the main building.

Inside, they found Chief Arnook sitting with Master Pakku and the other elders of the tribe. They quickly explained their case, but Kyuri could see that Arnook was truly helpless in this situation.

"What do you want me to do?" Arnook demanded, throwing up his hands. "Force Master Pakku to take Aang back as his student?"

"Yes," Katara said, adding, "Please."

"I suspect he might take Aang back if you swallow your pride and apologize to him," the Chief said coldly. Clearly he was about as pleased by the blatant flouting of tradition as Pakku was. Kyuri reasoned then that he probably didn't know about her little training classes then. If women weren't allowed to learn to Waterbend, then they most certainly weren't allowed to become fighters.'

"Fine," Katara said after a look at Aang. She knew that Aang's teaching was more important than hers.

"I'm waiting, little girl," Pakku said mockingly. Kyuri closed her eyes. A furious Katara was a force to be reckoned with, and he had just annoyed her, judging by her shaking fists.

"No!" Katara shouted, her fist waving. Cracks formed in the ground around her, spreading and shattering an icy pot of water as she screamed and shook her fists. "No way am I apologizing to a sour old man like you!"

Kyuri quickly flicked her wrists and swept one foot in a circle, repairing the damage and refreezing the shattered pots, funneling the water back into them.

"Why not have your illustrious companion teach you?" Pakku asked, narrowing his eyes at Kyuri, who kept her face blank.

"It is against tradition for a Dragora to share knowledge of bending learned from her dragon with another," Kyuri said calmly.

"I've never heard of that," Arnook said suspiciously, looking to his daughter. "Yue?"

"With all due respect sir, your daughter is useless as a reference," Kyuri said calmly. The elders gasped at the blatant disrespect and Sokka shot her a glare. "Her dragon is young, without the knowledge of a previous Dragora to pass on and she has no one to learn our customs from. She is highly out of sync with her dragon, in fact, and, I suspect, knows little about what it means to be a real Dragora beyond the Sankole."

"Kyuri!" Sokka hissed, glaring at her. "Shut up!"

"How dare you address my daughter in such a way?" Arnook demanded. "You think you're a better Dragora than her?"

"In the times when Dragora were peacekeepers those whose dragons had attained the greatest age and bonded with the most women were given the highest respect. Sangilak is nearly three thousand years old with more than thirty past Dragora. Your daughter's dragon is barely a hundred and has had exactly one Dragora. Yes, I think I am above her in terms of ranking and knowledge, and therefore the better reference. However, the matter at hand is not my opinion of your daughter. The matter at hand is Aang's training, and the fact that it must be completed unless you want to snub your one hope at ending this war for the attempt to help a friend accomplish a goal."

"It's true," Aang broke in. "I just knew how much learning to Waterbend meant to Katara and I didn't want her to have to give up that dream. There's no Waterbenders in the South Pole for her to learn from. I promise Master Pakku, that I didn't mean to disrespect you!"

"The fact remains that you did," Pakku said calmly. "And even if your hadn't, your friend has an absolutely abominable attitude. I have no desire to teach her even if it wasn't forbidden. I have no use for such rebellious and foolhardy students."

"You don't know anything about me! I'll be outside if you're man enough to fight me!"

Kyuri raised an eyebrow and her head snapped around. The elders gasped again s they beheld a steaming Katara, her eyes flaming with hatred as she stared on Master Pakku. She was very close to snapping; Kyuri saw it in her posture and the tenseness to her frame as she turend on her heel and stomped proudly from the audience chamber.

"I'm sure she didn't mean that," Aang said, attempting to smooth things over.

"Yes she did," Kyuri said, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the room after Katara. "Come on."

They caught up to her on the stairs. She ripped off her coat and threw it at Sokka.

"You understand what you're doing?" Kyuri asked calmly.

"Uh huh."

"You understand you're facing an opponent with many years of experience more than you?"

"Yes."

"And you are determined?"

"Absolutely."

"Are you crazy Katara?" Sokka demanded. "You know you're not going to win this fight!"

"I know, and I don't care!"

"You don't have to do this for me!" Aang said hastily. "I can find another teacher!"

"I'm not doing it for you. Someone needs to slap some sense into that guy!"

"Katara," Kyuri said calmly, stepping out in front of her and forcing her to stop her furious march.

"Kyuri, are you going to try and stop me too?" Katara demanded. "I figured you'd be all for this!"

"Oh, I am," Kyuri said calmly. "I'm merely attempting to tell you that it is impossible for you to win this fight. That being said; give it your all. Remember that he is old. He is also stuck in tradition. Make things up. Use your imagination. Against someone so rooted in custom and form, it will be your greatest asset."

"I thought you couldn't teach me?" Katara snapped.

"I can't, not things I learn from Sangilak. But I can impart things I've learned from observation. And my advice is this: be inventive."

Katara's face softened slightly and she laid a hand on Kyuri's shoulder. "Thanks Kyuri."

"Katara," Kyuri said, nodding to the stairs behind her where Pakku was exiting.

"So, you decided to show up?" Katara snapped, the rage coming back to her face easily. Pakku just walked by her calmly and ignored her. "Aren't you going to fight?"

"Go back to the healing huts with the other women."

Katara's hand reached down, her teeth gritted. Water coiled up into her hand. She grabbed it like a whip and cracked it across the back of Pakku's head. The man jerked a little from the hit but was not injured.

"Fine," he said calmly, turning to face her. "You want to learn to fight so bad? Study closely!"

He struck, pulling water from two pools on either side. Katara ducked to the side and ran in a wide arc, going for him from the side. He rotated easily and blasted her backwards.

"Don't charge head on!" Kyuri called. "Weave!"

Katara got back to her feet and ran for him again. The water around her picked up, spiraling in a circle around the two combatants. Kyuri could see the dark shape of Katara staggering inside.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you!" Pakku mocked.

"Watch your footing!" Kyuri called over the rushing water. "Keep your center!"

Katara found her feet again and swept her hand around. Kyuri smiled as she dodged the resulting stream of water, recalling that move from a taolu. Katara was getting inventive and applying what she knew from the t'ai chi ch'uan she had learned to her fight. It would not be enough to throw Pakku off his game, but he was definitely surprised by her knowledge.

Katara rushed him again and he simply raised a wall of ice in front of himself. Katara skated up the side of that wall and landed at the end of the stair rail lightly. Pakku turned his wall into a wave that rushed at her. Katara rotated her feet, sealing them in ice as she caught the wave and diffused it.

"You can't knock me down!"

"Go Katara!" Aang cheered as the women in the watching crowd cheered.

Katara jumped down and ran at Pakku again. She diffused his next attack and exchanged a series of hand to hand blows before Pakku swept water from under her feet and hurled her into the pool. She sat up, sopping wet and furious. She raised a pillar of ice in front of her and began hurling disks of ice from it towards him. Pakku dodged them, obviously surprised by how close some came.

Katara followed the disks up with a stream of water. Pakku caught it and turned it back on her. Katara was washed back to the foot of the stairs. She rose to her hands and knees, panting. She hopped up and toppled two pillars towards Pakku. He turned them to a flurry of snow.

"Well I am impressed," he admitted. "You are an excellent Waterbender."

"But you still won't teach me, will you?"

"No."

Katara replied with a rolling wave of ice toward Pakku. He jumped over it on a column of ice and rode it towards her in a wave, icing it and sliding around her attacks, knocking her to the ground. He twirled into place on the side of the pool and raised the water over his head, turning it into spikes that pinned Katara down, coming dangerously close to her.

"This fight is over," Pakku proclaimed, hopping down spryly and walking off.

"Get back here! I'm not finished with you!" Katara demanded ,struggling helplessly against the ice.

"Yes, you are," Pakku said. He paused suddenly, glancing down. He bent and held up the end of Katara's necklace, staring at it like he'd seen a ghost. "This is my necklace…"

"No it's not! It's mine! Give it back!"

"I made this sixty years ago… for the love of my life. For Kanna."

The ice around Katara dropped away as Pakku's concentration broke.

"My Gran-Gran was supposed to marry you?" Katara whispered.

"I carved this necklace for her when we got engaged," Pakku said sorrowfully, staring at the necklace as if it physically pained him. "I thought we'd have a long, happy life together. I loved her."

"But she didn't love you, did she?" Katara realized. "It was an arranged marriage. Gran-Gran wouldn't let your tribes stupid customs run her life. That's why she left. It must have taken a lot of courage."

Yur suddenly burst into tears and ran from the group, her dragon lumbering after her quietly.

"Go get her," Aang encouraged Sokka, who nodded and followed after the princess.

From then on, things went smoother. Katara was allowed into Pakku's classes. Kyuri even sat down and shared a few moves with him, and he gave her a few tips in return. Her classes were revealed and Chief Arnook, though he was obviously annoyed at first, gave in and submitted that perhaps it was a good idea for the women to know how to defend themselves, given the dangerous times they lived in.

He was surprisingly helpful once she persuaded him to her way of thinking. He had an old training ground cleaned up for her to teach in and helped spread the word abotut eh lessons she was teaching. Kyuri walked into the training field the next morning to find almost forty people of all ages there, predominantly women, and all headed by Pakak.

"Hey Kyuri!" he waved. Akna ran from his side and hugged Kyuri around the knees. Kyuri picked the girl up and looked at her hands.

"You have good calluses forming," she praised.

"I've been working hard," Akna swore seriously.

"Good. Let's see how you've improved."

"You seem to be enjoying yourself."

Kyuri smiled at the familiar and comforting brush of Sangilak's mind. "I am. I think that maybe, when and if this is all over, I may become a teacher. I like this more than I ever thought I would."

"I think you'd be an excellent teacher. Just do go easy on them."

"Why on earth would I do that?"