As stated in the summary, this will be a 4-part story. I've read a lot of stories exploring the potential relationship between Aang and his daughter, Kya, and it's inspired me to write a story of my own!

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I'm actually rather pleased with how it's turned out.

Enjoy Chapter 1!

Kya sat in the back of the classroom, trying desperately not to fall asleep as her history teacher droned on about the various assassination attempts that had been made against Firelord Zuko in the first few years of his reign. While the other students seemed to find the subject extremely fascinating and 'cool', Kya wasn't really interested in imagining the various ways individuals had tried to kill her surrogate uncle. In fact, Kya was really tired of hearing the in-depth versions of the Hundred Year War, the Harmony Restoration Movement, and the founding of the United Republic of Nations. Especially when she knew more about the subjects than her quack of a teacher.

Master Song was an older woman who had probably never smiled in her entire life. She had been a refugee in Ba Sing Se during and after the war, so she did have some personal insight when it came to the state of Ba Sing Se during those times. However, she seemed to speculate about all the other aspects of the conclusion of the war and the HRM.

As if to prove the point, Master Song suddenly said, "As a result of these assassination attempts, Firelord Zuko suffered a temporary mental breakdown. He stopped the removal of Fire Nation citizens from Earth Kingdom colonies, calling the Harmony Restoration Movement off. When Avatar Aang confronted him about this, Firelord Zuko once again attempted to kill the Avatar - "

"What?!" Kya exclaimed. "That never happened!"

All of her peers turned in their seats to look at her while Master Song was stuttering the in front of the classroom. "P-pupil Kya, you will raise your hand if you have a question or comment!"

"Sorry," Kya said sincerely, "But Firelord Zuko never tried to kill the Avatar! Well..." she amended, "... not after the war ended... Besides!" she quickly added, "He called the Movement off because he didn't want to separate families, not because he had a mental breakdown!"

"Now, Kya," Master Song said condescendingly, "That might be your opinion..."

"My opinion?!"

"... but that doesn't mean you can just shoot down other points of view. It's rude and unnecessary."

The waterbender grit her teeth together. This wasn't the first time Master Song had shot Kya down. Master Song had the tendency to throw everything Fire Nation related into a darker light than Kya thought it deserved. Yes, the Fire Nation did a lot of awful things during the war, but that didn't mean all firebenders were inherently bad. Which Master Song constantly implied.

Before Kya could form a rebuttal, a boy named Suluk raised his hand and said, "Master Song... considering the Avatar is Kya's father... can't we safely assume that she probably knows what she's talking about?"

Almost everyone (including Kya) stared at him. Suluk had never spoken out against a teacher. It was part of the reason all of his teachers loved him: because he was both brilliant and a suck-up. He was the school's golden child. Which is why everyone was shocked at this sudden outburst.

Kya was shocked for slightly different reasons. If it were anyone else, Kya would have assumed that person was just trying to suck-up to her. Not a day went by that someone didn't try to win the favor of the Avatar's daughter. However, Suluk had always to talked down to her in the past. They've even had a few heated arguments that had almost come to blows. Coming to her defense was the the last thing she expected from him.

Master Song sputtered out a few false starts before going completely silent. For the first time since Kya started the class, Master Song seemed to have nothing to say. She just turned around and continued with the lesson as though she had never been interrupted.

While most of her peers' attention had returned to the lesson, Kya spotted Suluk looking at her from across the room. When he realized he had her attention, he smiled. Kya blushed and smiled back, realizing for the first time how handsome he was. Thank you, she mouthed. He responded with a shrug, like he was silently saying it was no big deal.

Kya's smile widened. Maybe I should try and get to know him a little better...

"What are you smiling about?" Bumi asked suspiciously.

Kya, who hadn't even realized she was smiling, forced her lips into a neutral position. "None of your business."

"Uh huh..." Bumi leaned against the wall next to his sister. They were standing outside of the primary school, waiting for Tenzin to come out. Bumi usually hated having to escort Tenzin to and from school everyday, but no doubt he saw an opening to torment his sister for a bit. "I don't suppose it has anything to do with that Northern Water Tribe boy, does it?"

Kya visibly flinched. "What? How...?"

"Oh please... like anything can happen to us without the whole school knowing within an hour."

While this was very true, she didn't realize that her recent... relations... with Suluk had become public knowledge yet. Afterall, she hadn't even done much with Suluk since the incident with Master Song. They had spend some time before and after school talking about their families and other random topics (mostly Suluk's family since, well... he already knew all about her family). They had also skipped a couple classes, namely Master Song's class, to hang out behind the school. On top of that, they usually spent lunches together...

Okay, so maybe it was a little stupid of her to not realize that people would start talking. She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Well, not that it's any of your business, but I was asked out on a date tonight."

Bumi stared at her for a moment before snorting into his hand, trying to hold back his laughter.

Kya glared at her brother. "And what is so funny, Mr. Bumi-raang?"

"C'mon, Kya! You don't really think Mom and Dad are going to let you go on a date, do you?"

Kya shrugged. "I'm fifteen. It would be ridiculous if they didn't. 'Sides, Mom's constantly telling me to bring someone home..."

Bumi rolled his eyes. "Sure, maybe Mom will be okay with it. But Dad? He's barely okay with you spending time alone with Yuen, and he's our cousin!"

Kya maintained her glare, not wanting to concede her point, regardless of the fact that he was right. While the Avatar was generally an easy-going sort of father, he was also fiercely protective of his children. It had only been within the last year that she had been allowed to visit friends without an escort of Air Acolytes. So... yes. Trying to convince her father to allow her to go on a date might be a bit of a challenge.

"Kya! Bumi!" Tenzin was waving at them to get their attention. He was dressed in his usual Air Nomad garb, though still had a head of hair as he was still not willing to go completely bald yet. He seemed to be struggling with something, and when came around the short wall that separated them, Kya saw that he was dragging a large box. "Can you help me carry this?" Tenzin asked pleadingly.

Bumi opened the box and peered inside. "What's all this crap?"

"It's not crap," Tenzin replied indignantly. "It's art. It's close to the end of the year so Master Jin said we could take it all home."

Bumi curled his lip in mock disgust. "I'm sure Mom'll be thrilled..."

Tenzin shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. "So... are you gonna help me carry it?"

"Of course," Kya said, gripping the other side of the box. "It's not like it's that far to the port."

Bumi grumbled his discontent, but begrudgingly grabbed the back side of the box. Between the three of them, it wasn't that heavy, and they made it to their dock at their usual time. Once they loaded up their little boat, Kya waterbent it forward out of the port and toward Air Temple Island.

Tenzin stood at the bow and leaned forward into the rushing air. "I think Dad's gonna let me start flying soon!" he shouted into the wind.

Bumi eyes lit up. "Hmm.. I like the sound of that."

Tenzin turned to his brother, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What do you mean...?"

Bumi shrugged. "You know... When I have a date, you can fly me in, and I can drop down and I can sweep the girl up into my arms... and into my heart," he said dramatically.

The little airbender rolled his eyes. "Airbending techniques are not for showing off. They're sacred and - "

"Blah blah blah," Bumi interrupted. "Like I haven't already heard it a thousand times from Mom."

Kya raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? Mom almost never lectures us about bending. Dad either, for that matter."

"Maybe not you, but I've heard it plenty. Mom seems to think I don't respect the 'ancient forms'..."

Kya slowed her waterbending down as they approached the dock. "Well... you don't, really."

Bumi rolled his eyes, slouching in his seat. "Whatever," he mumbled.

Tenzin and Bumi started carrying Tenzin's box inside as Kya tied the boat to the dock. She was purposefully taking her time, trying to think of the best way to approach her parents about Suluk. She had told him to meet her on the island at eight, so she needed to get her parents' permission before then.

Standing up, Kya turned toward the island. It was late afternoon, so her father was probably still training Acolytes while her mother was probably cooking dinner. Knowing her father would be the harder nut to crack, she decided to talk to her mother first.

The kitchen was hot and humid from the stove top and boiling water. Kya nearly gagged at the strong smell of stewed sea prunes.

Her mother walked into the kitchen, hair tied into a bun on the back of her head, carrying a couple of cabbages. "Oh, Kya! Good, you're home. Will you cut these up for me? I need to get the chili peppers."

Kya nodded and took the cabbages from her mother. "You're putting chili peppers in?"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Well, you and your father like chili peppers, so I figured it might make hide the taste of the sea prunes."

Kya stuck her tongue out in disgust. "Good luck with that..."

After the cabbages and chili peppers were cut, they were thrown into the pot with various other seasonings. Katara put the lid on and said, "Now we let it sit for a bit. It should be ready in about an hour."

"Great," Kya said nervously. "'Cause there's something I want to talk to you about..."

Katara closed her eyes and sat down with a sigh. "What'd you do now?"

Kya quickly shook her head. "I'm not in trouble, I swear." Her mother looked skeptical, but indicated for her to continue. "Well... you see... I've kinda been... well, I mean... I..." Kya paused in her rambling and took a deep breath. "There's this guy..."

Katara immediately perked up. "Really?" she said excitedly. "What's his name? What's he like?"

Kya couldn't help but smile at her mother's enthusiasm. "His name's Suluk. And he's... great," she said with a blush, knowing she sounded like a little school girl. "Anyway, he wants to take me to see this performance tonight and - "

"Tonight? You're already dating this boy and I haven't even heard about him?"

"I mean..." Kya said hesitantly, "We've only been hanging out a lot recently, and he got these tickets for free from his father, and - "

"Whoa, whoa..." Katara interrupted, hand in the air. "Let me get this straight. You're trying to get permission to go on a date with a boy you barely know?"

Kya rolled her eyes. "I haven't actually asked for permission yet... but yes, that's what I was hoping for."

Katara brought her hand up to her face with a sigh. For several long seconds, she didn't say anything, putting Kya on edge. If her mother didn't agree to this, there was no way her father would.

Finally, with another sigh, Katara looked back up at her daughter and gave her a reluctant nod. "Alright. But..." she continued as Kya fist-pumped the air, "... only if your father is okay with it, as well."

Kya's expression fell. "Yeah, well that's definitely going to be a challenge..." She peered at her mother hopefully. "Don't suppose you could give me any pointers on how to soften him up?"

"Oh no..." Katara said with a playful smile. "That is a battle you're going to have to fight a-a-all on your own." She looked out the window at the orange and red sky. "What time are you supposed to meet this boy?"

"Eight. I told him to come to the island, since I know you and Dad will probably want to meet him first..."

Katara grunted in affirmation. "You've got that right."

"Mom, please don't scare this guy away," Kya beseeched. "I really like him..."

"Hey," her mother warned, "If your new boyfriend can't handle the idea of an independent woman..."

"No, no, no," Kya quickly said, "I just don't want him to think that you or Dad are going to kill him at any moment."

Katara laughed. "I'll try to be as unthreatening as possible." She chuckled with afterthought. "I can't make any promises about your father."

Kya slumped in her chair. "Assuming he even lets me go..." she mumbled dejectedly.

Katara stood to check on the sea prunes. "Well, you're never going to know unless you ask. He should be done teaching by now. Go talk to him before he hears about tonight's dinner and his mood goes sour."

Smiling, Kya stood and left the kitchen with a small thank you to her mother. She took a deliberately slow pace toward the training areas, thinking of every possible turn this next conversation could have and carefully wording her possible responses for each and every one.

As she neared her destination, she passed a few lingering Acolytes. She exchanged greetings and a friendly wave with those she recognized and smiled warmly at those she didn't. Thankfully, none of them seemed interested in small talk, so she didn't have to break her line of thought.

Her father was sitting in a lotus position on the grass, looking over the papers in front of him. He didn't look up, but Kya knew that he could 'see' her approach with his earthbending. Knowing her father, he was probably just waiting for Kya to come to him on her own. Realizing how pointless it was to just stand there and wait, Kya took a deep breath and hoped for the best.

"Hey, Dad."

Aang looked up from his papers with a smile. "Hey there, Kya." Airbending himself into a standing position, he gave his daughter a tight, quick hug.

A few years ago, Kya had sworn off all hugs and kisses from her parents, declaring that it was 'childish' and that she should be treated as an adult. However, her overly affectionate father would have none of this and took every opportunity to tackle her to the ground with an overzealous bear hug. While this was embarrassing, it became absolutely mortifying when he did this in front of her cousins. It was after this that they made an agreement. She would allow her father to hug her if and only if there was no one around to see. This included her mother and brothers. While, at fifteen, Kya no longer found physical affection to be merely childish, she still only allowed her father to hug her.

Aang released her from his embrace and held her at arm's length. "How was your day?"

"It was good. Really good. In fact, I actually need to talk to you about something..."

Aang's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What'd you do now?"

Kya huffed. "Why do you and Mom always assume I'm in trouble?"

Aang eyed his daughter incredulously. "You're joking, right?"

With a resigned sigh, she gave a small nod. "Okay, I admit I tend to get into... rough spots occasionally..."

Aang scoffed. "Kya, I don't think you've ever had a teacher that didn't report you for acting out in class."

"Yeah, well, maybe they should try teaching facts instead of creating their own and shoving them down everybody's throat!" she replied defensively. "I mean, I swear half these people think Zuko causes natural disasters!"

"Ahh..." her father gave a knowing nod, a sad smile on his face. "I see..."

Kya shook her head, looking a little defeated. "I'm just... really tired of everyone demonizing Zuko all the time. They don't even know him."

"The Fire Nation laid siege on the entire world for a hundred years. It's going to take a lot longer than a couple of decades to heal those wounds," Aang reasoned.

"It's not fair... and Zuko doesn't deserve it!"

A small smile adorned her father's face. "No, it's not fair. But trust me when I say that Zuko couldn't care less about the opinions of people like your teachers. He's more preoccupied with trying to quell insurgencies than with creating a positive public image."

Kya let out a sigh. "I guess so..."

"Now..." Aang sat back down on the ground in lotus position, "You wanted to talk to me about something? Something not about you being in trouble?"

Kya smiled as she joined her father on the ground. "Yeah... Well, first, I just want to say that I'm fifteen. I stay out of trouble. For the most part... And my grades in school have been really good."

Her father raised an eyebrow. "Where are you going with this, Kya?"

The young waterbender took a deep breath. It was now or never. "I was wondering... if I could go out tonight."

Aang looked mildly surprised. "Go out? To do what?"

Encouraged that her father didn't immediately reject it, she elaborated. "There's a group of elite waterbenders from the Northern Water Tribe that are going to be performing downtown. I'm friends with Councilman Rouki's son and he asked if I wanted to go with him since his father has free tickets."

"Councilman Rouki's son?" Aang questioned. "I think I remember Rouki mentioning his son once or twice... Sulak, right? And you two will be going to this performance as friends?"

"Suluk..." Kya quietly corrected. "And... it's more of a... date... situation..."

Kya could see her father's shoulders stiffen slightly. "I see... and how long have you known this boy?"

"Well... I've known him for months."

Aang gave her a small glare.

"Okay, so it's only been the last week that we've gotten close... Dad..." Kya pleaded. "Please let me go! I'm fifteen! More than old enough to go on a single date!"

"Not in my book," Aang said. "If you want to go out with a group of friends, I don't have a problem with that. But I don't want you wandering around the city at night with a boy you barely know! Maybe in a couple of years, but not now."

Kya's eyes narrowed. "Really, Dad? You want to go down that road?"

Aang gave his daughter an exasperated look. "What road?"

Kya leaned back and crossed her arms, a smug smile growing on her face. "How old were you when you started dated Mom?"

"W-what?" Aang sputtered. "Kya, my relationship with your mother has nothing to do with this...!"

"Oh, that's right, you were twelve," Kya continued. "Heck, even Mom was only fourteen!"

Aang stuttered for a moment before his voice trailed off into a disgruntled mumble. "That's beside the point..."

"No it's not! The world is so much safer now than it was when you guys were kids!"

"I had known your mother for a year," Aang stressed. "We were friends long before we started dating."

Kya leaned forward, grabbing her father's arm earnestly. "Daddy... please. Just one date. That's all I'm asking for." She could see her father's defenses breaking down, so she wrapped herself around his arm, leaning her chin on his shoulder. "Please?"

Aang met his daughter's gaze, knowing perfectly well that he was being played. Kya didn't back down, fully determined to get her way.

Finally, her father closed his eyes and sighed. "Alright."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Kya exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Aang's neck.

"Yeah, yeah..." Aang wrapped his arms around his daughter. He gave her a squeeze before putting his hands on her shoulders and holding her at arm's length. "You owe me."

A bit giddy that she was able to get her father's permission, she nodded enthusiastically. "Of course, Dad!" She leapt forward again, giving her father another hug. "I love you."

Aang smiled. "I love you, too, Kya."

So what did you all think so far? Leave a review letting me know :)