Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Lion King, Avatar: The Last Airbender or its characters and songs. I only own this merging of the two and my characters:

Haja

Adolescence – Water

Yin and Yang

1 & 1/2 years later

*Simba*

"I just can't wait for our lesson today, Nala. Can you?" I was literally jumping with anticipation to be with the Water Pride. I have not felt this enthusiasm since I was a cub.

Now that we are adolescents, we are no longer allowed to enter the different pride territories together. "It does not feel right without the others." Only myself, the leaders of each territory, and official mates of those leaders can do so. I remember the last day we were together was when we all decided to play hide and seek using all four territories all day. After the game ended, there was a flurry of different emotions from each of us. There was some tears from Kula when it finally sunk in that the gang wouldn't be there to support one another. Tama shrugged with some indifference, while my buds Tojo, Chumvi and Malka all gave big smiles saying that they would be free of the girls cramping their style around prospective mates.

"Yeah, I am a little upset. I wish the gang could all be here to see Tojo 's sparring match, but I know that for our lesson we need silence. Without privacy, something we could never get with them, it would be a waste to try and get anything done." I burst out laughing imagining the original water benders, the Ocean and Moon Spirits. Thankfully over the next few weeks I'll get to visit the other pride nations. That way I will not be going through withdrawal of Tama's smart remarks, or Kula's cheery personality for much longer.

We arrive at the training field here in the Southern Water Pride. All I see are snowy grass fields. It soon becomes clear this is where the young water pride males proved their place as warriors. "So you guys ready to watch me in action?" Asked Tojo as he emerges from behind a snow bank.

"Good Luck Tojo, you'll do great." I gave my friend a butt against his head and then Nala hugged her brother in a way that says he will do fine.

"Tojo!" We all turned and saw Tojo and Nala's father, Ni standing there with a stern look on his face. "It's Time." Tojo nodded and we followed them to one of the field, surrounded by a low wall of ice. Nala and I walked off to the side while Tojo and Ni walked to the center.

"You ready for this son?" Obviously Ni was ready for this fight, but at the same time he wasn't. I could see his sky blue eyes shift around the arena, only making quick glances at his son, only to dart away quickly to avoid eye contact. He seemed lost and worried despite having trained many a lion at this exact spot.

"You are on old timer." Tojo charged at his father without an ounce of hesitation and the battle began. Good Luck Bud!

*Tojo*

"Rah!" I reached for my back and immediately swiped my paw claws extended directly at my father. I felt bad yes, he is my father, but if I want to be a true warrior, I have to be willing to fight anyone, even family.

"Work to your opponent's weaknesses, Tojo." I was shocked when my father caught my paw with his jaws, picked me up and threw me to the side, throwing me off balance. Unknown to him or perhaps he does know, I have trained myself so much that I could readjust to such a maneuver and catch myself, with my eyes closed. I quickly positioned myself and caught my balance with my left forepaw. I was about to retaliate with another swipe when I felt a huge shadow over me. I looked up and my father was standing right above me, with an elephant tusk in his jaws. Elephant tusk for the win!

"Sure thing Dad." As he swung his weapon, I intercepted it and blocked it with my reliable paw. I saw him swing one of his paws and instead of dodge it, I instead tried to wrench his tusk from him and he pulled against me harder as he swung his paw. One minute I was on the ground, the next I am in the air above my Dad's back and about to land a hit on his head. I swung it hard and I heard the 'oof' come from my dad as I hit him square in the back of the head.

"One point to you son. One more and you win." The matches to decide a warrior's worth are divided into a best two out of three matches. We got back into our respective positions that we started from and this time I decided to goad my Dad into making the first move.

"You gonna stand there and look pretty, or are you gonna fight me Ni Uchafu (dirt)!" I saw my Dad's ears twitch and the fur on his back bristle. I had struck a nerve.

"Tojo! What are you doing? Are you trying to get killed?" My sister knew what Dad was about to do, and but I want him to try it.

"You asked for this, son." I saw him hold his tusk behind him to his left. I positioned myself facing to my right and waited. It was unbearable to just wait there as the wind passed over me numerously and all being quiet. That is, until my father disappeared.

I immediately jumped to the right and at that moment my father made a slashing movement from my left which I easily dodged, and threw my boomerang at him. It hit him head on at his muzzle and he dropped his tusk which I stepped on. I smirked proudly as I saw my father looked at me with a shocked expression.

"Son, how did you evade that attack?"

"It is simple Dad, It has a weak spot." I saw his expression change to a mixture of grimacing in defeat and pride.

"Weak spot? I beg to disagree. I have used that technique numerous times in real combat situations, even against benders and it has never failed me. Hell, it even tricked Mufasa." I saw my father freeze as he said that last part and my eyes widened. It worked on the King? I looked to Simba, all the while he was staring off in the distance.

I shook my head. My dad gave me a challenging look. "What is the weakness then if you don't mind young master?" My Dad always called me young master when I thought I knew better than him and more often than not, the opposite was true, but not this time.

I sat down in the snowy grass and then smirked at my father. "Ok weakness of the Zantetsuken is the moment you are about to strike your opponent."

"Why that point? That is the actual attack." He asked amused, as if he knew about it all along.

"When you start the move, you start from one side and slash from the other. When you started this time, you placed your tusk wepon on my left side, but when you reappeared you were swinging from my right side. That alone allowed me to know which way to go so I could move with the attack and then hit you as well." I saw the smug look on my father's muzzle fade as he slowly began to realize that I for the first time was right about what I was saying. I heard Nala gasp and I already knew she was comparing what I just did with Dad to what she does in the game of Pinned Ya'.

"Ah! You took that idea from my secret trick in Pinned Ya', didn't you?" See, even my little sister is predictable, thou it did take me a few painful body slams to figure hers out.

"You got it Sis!"

"Thanks Tojo, now I bet I can beat your sis." Simba must either have a death wish or is just crazy if he thinks that just watching me will help him pin Nala. Her trick is more complicated than that.

*Nala*

"Well Tojo, while you and Dad celebrate you being recognized as a future warrior, me and Simba have to go find Gran Gran for our lesson." I started to tug on the prince until I felt him pull in the other direction. Great! Now he wants to stay and watch Tojo receive a unique scar on his forehead to mark him as potential warrior. No thanks! He can see it later!

"Come on Nala, Just a little longer!. PLEASE?" He gave me his patented Simba smirk and I raised an eyebrow. Really? He is going try that one on me?

"No Simba, we need to go now."

"Make me!" OH I shall.

I quickly manipulated the the snow and wrapped it around Simba and trapped his paws before he could resist, and turn it into ice. "There, now I can bring you there myself. Bye bro, congrats on passing." I began walking off towards the spirit pool with Simba in tow.

"Nala! Come on! Isn't this a little much for me? Let me down!" Fat chance I am going to let you down Simba! You can just squirm there until we get to our destination. "Good, I didn't feel like walking anyway" Simba said with a smug tone causing me to laugh and stop pulling him before he creates a flame to thaw himself.

It did not take me long to get me and Simba to the pool when I saw the familiar shape of my grandmother or Gran Gran as I called her. "Gran Gran!" At the moment I went to hug her I release my hold on Simba who fell to the ground and then was drenched in freezing cold water. I chuckled under my breath as Simba got up and looked at me with his drenched mane covering his eyes. It covered his eyes until I saw steam start coming off his fur and panicked cause he was drying himself with fire bending and this meant he was either in a playful mood or was P I SS E D! Since he did not seem to have a smile I think it's the latter.

"I am gonna get you for that Nala!" He charged me and it seemed like that arrow on his forehead was guiding him right towards.

"You did it to yourself." I almost thought he was gonna get me until a shape got in between us and I saw it was Gran Gran. Yay! Grand save from a Grandma!

*Gran Gran*

Call me an old fool if you dare. Despite being a non-bender, I, Kanna of the Northern Water Pride am no old fool. I have dealt with young benders like Simba since the days of Mohatu when I myself was a cub. Seeing how scared Simba seems of me, despite him being an adolescent, it obviously shows in my face. "Hold it, Simba! Don't even think about going after Nala."

"But miss Kanna, she…" I cut him off with a glare that resembled an angry rhino.

"No excuses young lion! You will not touch her, or else you will be punished severely." I heard chuckling behind me and then turned on my granddaughter with a less stern but no less potent glare which she was surprised I was giving.

"Grandma? Why are you looking at me like that?" She gives me a cute looped smile that Ni tried when he was a cub, but by now I am used to it so I simply increased my glare.

"Nala, you are no better, you instigated him. You don't instigate fights Nala. A lady must always finish a fight, never start them. Understand?" I gave her another glare and she bowed her head in shame and then looked at me.

"I understand." She looked past me and at what I assumed was Simba and walked over to the young avatar prince and gave him an apologetic nuzzle to his shoulder. My mind recalled the time when my best friend did the same thing when she left to fight years ago after Mohatu's reign ended. I was pulled from the memory as I saw the two young lions laughing and then turn to look at me. That was quick.

"Ok Miss Kanna. Nala and I are good here. Can we start now?" I loved the look of cub like curiosity on the Prince's face and could not wait for it to be replaced with confusion. I smirked at the thought and then answered him. Are teens cute? should he huff out air or something wanting to get it overwith so he can hang with friends?

"You already did young airbender?" I was right! His face immediately scrunched up into that of a cub who hates it when a parent gives them a puzzle. I saw that even Nala's face was the same and smiled at myself for doing so well. I don't get why they would make those faces. Please explain.

"What do you mean Gran? I thought we were supposed to learn about the spirits today."

"Nala, Simba. You already learned the most important lesson in terms of the Ocean and Moon Spirits," I saw their faces still did not have that look of realization. What? Do I have to just tell them? I fear for the future if this is what the next generation is like. "The way you two were just arguing and almost fighting is exactly like the spirits."

"How so Gran?"

"The ocean and moon spirits, or Yin and Yang as they are also called exist in a perfect balance. Two forces, the moon and ocean, they oppose each other and yet never do they touch each pushes while the other pulls." I saw I was loosing their attention. Time to change tactics.

"Nala when you got Simba all wet, you pushed his buttons which in turn caused him to be pulled towards you."

"But he did that to himself when he melted himself out. He could of bent the water away." She was always one to speak her mind. Not wanting to lose my point, I try to continue.

"Simba, when you do things like charge at Nala, you're really pushing her to pull you closer into one of her pranks." I smiled as the two actually looked at each other as they realized the truth of my words. Then, I heard a laugh, a laugh which I thought I would never hear again. I turned around and couldn't believe my eyes.

"You still have that wise tone don't you, eh Kanna?" They were the words of none other than an elderly tawny lioness with a white tinted hair tuft and ocean blue eyes.

"Excuse me miss, but how do you know my grandmother?" I looked to Nala and then back to the lioness who nodded to me.

"This is Haja. A Water bender of the Southern Water Pride and my best cubhood friend" I said after retrieving my jaw from the ground.

My apologies for my delays on this chapter my dear readers. I have been unable to update my chapter due to overwork, exhaustion and school.

Water is the flowing element. Water is the element of the heart. Life was said to have been born from the earth but the truth is humanity is born from the sea. We change like the great waves of the ocean. We are fierce in war like a tsunami but gentle and soothing in peace.