Chapter 6

As night began to draw near, all the students turned in for the night. Each floor of the sleeping quarters had a head mother or father which were appointed to help the students with anything for their dorms. Jin didn't think much of their head father. He was an energetic young adult with an uncomfortable smile. He had finished unpacking his things in no time. He made sure to place the drawing of his parents on his desk in plain sight. The next morning, all the students were awakened by their head mother or father. Jin rubbed his eyes as he looked around. The room looked so nice with the slight sunlight breaking in through the window. Jin walked to it and drew back the curtains letting in the sunlight fully. He turned to his sleeping friend then laughed.

"Hey. Kuma wake up." Jin said while looking out the window. He could already see some of the students heading towards the eating hall. Kuma grumbled slightly before turning in his bed.

"Five more minutes….."

"No way man. It's the first day and you already want to start slacking? Some student you are." He said with a laugh.

Kuma groaned before siting up in his bed. "Meeeh. Whatever…."

The boys both cleaned and prepared themselves for their day. All the students had a specific uniform depending on their gender and nation of birth. Jin placed his uniform on then smiled slightly. It even had the emblem of the earth kingdom on it. He was happy that the academy had this for them. It reminded him of his home and made his clothes a bit more personal. He looked over at Kuma who had the emblem of the water tribe. He laughed a bit while seeing him a bit upset.

"What's the matter?"

Kuma sighed. "I'm really starting to wonder if coming to this place was a good idea."

"Why do you say that? I mean you wanted to be a strong bender didn't you?"

"Yeah…. But my siblings… I sometimes wonder how they will do on their own. Or if they will get anything done without hurting each other."

Jin smiled. "Heh. Must be nice having siblings."

"No way. It's a pain in my rump. Especially with arguments. I mean sometimes it's so difficult to take sides."

Jin laughed. "Wow. Actually that does sound like a handful. I wish I could see that for myself."

Kuma smirked. "Hey how about after the first semester we go to the Northern Water Tribe? I can show you my home and everything. Plus I could be a bonding opportunity for our friendship."

Jin blinked blankly. "Really? Do you mean that? I mean… I've always thought about traveling around but... Wow… The Northern Water tribe's so far away."

Kuma smiled. "I'm sure you'll like it. I mean, it's not like the Earth Kingdom but hey, it's pretty friendly."

Jin smiled. "Well I'd have to talk it over with Gran Gran but I'm sure she'd say yes."

"Excellent!" Kuma yelled while wrapping his arm around Jin's shoulder. "Now! Let's go get some food! I'm starving."

The boys began to walk out of the housing area and too the dining hall. The dining hall was quite large and was able to hold all the students of the academy. The girls and boys all chatted happily while eating their meals. Jin looked around as a few head mothers and fathers handed the students a piece of paper. He paused as their head father handed him one.

"Huh?... What's this sir?"
"Well that's your schedule Jin. These are all your classes on certain days of the week."

Jin began to skim through the paper and rub his head slightly. "Wow….. Do we have any classes together Kuma?"

Kuma groaned slightly. "Well we've got Bending History and Philosophy together… Other than that it seems that it seems that all the other classes are based on what student bend's what."

Jin began to read through his schedule again. The majority of his classes were centered on earth bending basics and practices. The only classes that were not bending specific were Bending History and Beginner's Philosophy.

"Eh… These classes look pretty difficult." Jin said while pouting slightly. He didn't expect action school like functions. He wasn't the smartest kid but he could hold his own.

Kuma glared angrily at the ground and folded his arms. "Man, I came here for bending instruction not school work."

Jin sighed. "Well….. I suppose the less we think about it, the less it will bother us."

The boys say down to enjoy their food then began to depart at the sound of the chimes. Since his first class, everything seemed to be going downhill for Jin. It seemed like every student in his earth bending classes had some sort of tutor or instructor before the academy. They were all so advance and knew terms and stances so well. Jin had much to learn if he did not want to fall behind.

Soon the last class of the day had come and he was quite grateful that it wasn't another bending class. He walked into the classroom and sat down by Kuma.

"Huh? What's the matter with you Jin?"

"These kids are so good at bending… I feel like I'm way behind."

Kuma smiled. "Hey don't feel like that. I mean, some of these kids devote their lives to this kind of stuff. We call them losers."

Jin laughed slightly. "Yeah well…. I still should study and train a bit so that I don't get left behind. I plan to be the best so I better start acting like it."

Kuma laughed. "That's the spirit!"

The boy's paused as they heard footsteps approaching the room.

"That must be the teacher." Jin thought as he prepared his things for his Philosophy class. He didn't know much about Philosophy or why they had to take it to become good benders but all he knew was that he was going to be the best at it. His attitude had completely changed and he was determined to learn what he could. Soon the footsteps came to a halt as the teacher began to show himself. The two boys gasped slightly.

"Mister Fang?!"

Fang paused as he saw the two boys then smiled. "That is correct. I am Mr. Fang. Please, quiet down boys."

The boys paused slightly as they looked at each other than nodded. "Sorry sir."

Fang walked to the board slightly and began to write a sentence. Jin paused as he read the sentence in his mind. It was quite simple but why did he write it.

"Why do we bend?" Fang read out loud. He then began to scan through the students. "Can anyone answer this?"

The class went silent. They students looked around. No one seemed to know the answer to this question. Fang smiled slightly while turning back towards the bored.

'Don't worry children. By the end of the year you will be able to answer this question and a lot more. You see, here in Philosophy your main purpose is to answer the questions that humble innocents will never answer. From the meaning of life to the purpose of avatars; everything will be address at least once. I am Mr. Fang. I am a Philosopher and instructor for the year. I hope to answer many of the world's questions with you."

Jin paused slightly while listening to Fang's speech. Was everyone's sponsor somehow teaching at the academy? He couldn't help but wonder this and what Fang was capable of teaching. He never really considered why he bends. All he knew was that he was born with the ability. He gulped slightly while nodding to himself.

"This must be a test! In order to become the best, I must understand why I bend!" Jin thought while quickly taking out his things to take notes.