Okay, so this is my first multi-chapter story for this fandom. I would like to dedicate this whole story to Ba-Sing-Tei as she gave me the idea. I hope I do the characters justice. This is AU so there will be huge differences from the current world. If you don't like that, then please don't read. I'm doing this as a test for myself as well for my fans.

Katara - 16

Aang - 15

Toph - 15

Sokka - 17

Zuko - 17

Azula - 16

Mai - 17

Ty lee - 16

(I don't own Avatar)

It was a chilly day within the Earth Kingdom. Katara was used to the chill since back at home, it was always cold. She wasn't used to the warmer days however, and always felt she was sweating when the other kids were dressed properly. She scowled at the thought, for she never used to pay any attention to the other students at Regional Republic High.

Sighing, she looked up at the sky as she walked at a decent pace. She was currently living with her best friend, Toph, as she couldn't afford to live on her own. She didn't want to force her grandma to move into the big city with her and leave their home in the water tribe. She got letters from Gran Gran every other week, and called her when she had the chance. She knew her Gran Gran wasn't one for talking on the phone, so she chose to write letters as a way of communication.

She clutched her books closer to her chest as she continued her walk to school. She should've just taken Toph's advice and skipped, but Katara was hoping to go to University and didn't want to miss any classes. She didn't understand how Toph was one of the top kids in her class when she constantly skipped out.

"I'm sure Toph would enjoy school more if she actually went."

Katara knew how crazy Toph was and decided it was a waste of her time to try and talk her out of it. Still, she couldn't help but feel lonely as she walked down the narrow path that lead to the front doors. She always kept her head down, not wanting to pay any attention to the popular kids or give them any ammunition. When Toph was around, the kids didn't pick on her, knowing just how tough she was and knew better than to pick on a Beifong. However, she was a target the moment she was alone, and while she wanted to attack them or use her waterbending to freeze them, she wasn't exactly skilled in it.

She was an ametur, causing others to look down on her for not knowing her element.

There were no other waterbenders at the South Pole, which made learning very difficult. It was only her and her gran gran, but she wasn't a bender, so she wasn't able to help. Her parents weren't around anymore, which made growing up very lonely. She was the last waterbender, and she didn't fit in anywhere.

"Well well.. Look who decides to show her face. It's the water peasant."

She turned her gaze to the voice, only to scowl at the girl. Azula was always known for being Katara's biggest bully. And of course, she wasn't alone. Her brother Zuko, along with her best friends Ty lee and Mai, were a few steps behind. This always made Katara on edge, seeing as she was always backed into a corner.

"What do you want Azula?"

She sneered, "From a water peasant? Nothing. You have nothing of worth. You're just a lowly peasant."

Rolling her eyes, she turned on her heels, just wanting the day to end despite just arriving.

"If that's all you have to say, I have no time to chat. I have to get to class."

Growling, Azula shot a fireball at Katara, just missing her by an inch. Halting, Katara turned her gaze slightly to see the fire nation princess preparing for another attack.

"You will not turn your back on me, freak! You don't belong here! I'm surprised you're still here to begin with!"

Not dealing with her bantering, Katara turned her attention to the stairs and walked from the group. She had no patience for her today and her mood had already worsened.

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She was always the first to arrive to class. Despite being home schooled, Katara was pretty smart for her age. She was in her junior year, and she was just happy enough to be able to come. She had to beg her Gran Gran to let her come, and while she was against it from the start, she didn't want to make her little waterbender upset.

Turning her gaze out the window, she scowled as she saw Azula and Ty lee's reflections. They sat up at the front, where all the popular children sat while she remained in the back, away from everyone else. This class she had consisted of kids from all three years, and while Katara was one of the few from her grade to attend, she was a little happy to discover that others who were younger also joined this class. It made her feel like she fit in with the class.

"Oh look! It's Avatar Aang!~"

"Isn't he so dreamy?"

"I wish he would look at me!"

She could hear the whispers but chose to ignore them. It didn't matter where she went, all she heard about was 'Avatar Aang' this, 'Avatar Aang' that. It annoyed her to no end, seeing as he was a year younger than her. It made her upset, knowing that the avatar was more skilled in waterbending than she, and though she wanted to take out her frustrations on him, she chose to distance herself. It was better to avoid drama than to start it.

"Alright class! Take your seats!" A voice echoed through the room as the children ran to their desks. Katara smiled when she saw Mr. Iroh enter the class, a cup of tea in his hand. He was always understanding and knew of her family situation. He was very patient and treated her like she was like everyone else. It was nice to not be picked on for once in her life.

"Today, I am going to give you an assignment that will require about a week or two to complete. It will be up to you to fit it in between social time, but I look forward to seeing your papers. I have assigned each of you a partner and their names will be written on your piece of paper."

With that, Katara perked up. She didn't expect this to happen and while she knew Mr. Iroh meant well, she couldn't help the nervousness that formed in her stomach. She felt the emotion stir up more when he walked up to her desk with a smile on his face. He slipped the paper on her desk, knowing she would probably hate him for it, but he knew it was the best course of action for her.

When he got back to the front of the class, he spoke. "Alright class, you may turn your papers over."

Blowing out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, she turned her paper over. Dread filled her being as she stared for what felt like hours at the name on the piece of paper.

"Oh no."

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Aang blew out a breath as he turned his gaze to the girl who had her name on his paper. He didn't know much about her, but that didn't stop him from having a bit of a crush on her. Feeling heat rise to his cheeks, he watched as she lifted her gaze from the paper to look in his direction. He felt his heart stop as their gaze intensified. He wasn't sure how to react to this development, and while he wanted to approach her, he knew if he did so otherwise, people would question his actions.

He had a reputation as the Avatar to uphold. If it wasn't for the fact that he was one of the most popular guys in the school, he would've already befriended Katara. He still didn't understand why he had to listen to the rules of the school and only socialize with people of the same status as him. It made him feel ridiculous and while he has fought that law many times, it didn't change.

"Alright now class. You may approach your partner and start discussing the assignment. I will let you do so for the entire class. Try to use your time wisely."

Feeling as though he was going to be swallowed whole, he took a deep breath before standing up and heading towards the young girl's desk. After their intense gaze, he was able to sense that she was uncomfortable. Though he wasn't sure if it was because he was the avatar or because they were complete strangers. Regardless, he decided to start the talking.

"Uh.. Hi. I'm Aang. Though I guess you'd know seeing as my name is on your paper."

He was tempted to scratch the back of his head but felt his hand pause as she turned to look at him, her sapphire eyes boring into his.

He was feeling her study him, though he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or bad thing. But he couldn't deny that she was indeed beautiful and while he wanted to say anything else, he felt that saying something would upset her.

She nodded. "I'm Katara. Nice to meet you."

Feeling the pressure slide from his back, he sighed before sliding into the chair that sat beside her desk. He noticed a sketchbook underneath her textbooks and couldn't help but smile.

"You're an artist."

She raised an eyebrow before realizing she left it out in the open. She shrugged his accusation off, as though it was no big deal.

"I only draw sometimes. I'm not very good at it, so it doesn't matter."

Feeling the awkwardness coming back, he coughed before looking at the piece of paper.

"So, Mr. Iroh said we needed to learn more about each other. I'm curious to know why he put us together."

"Why, you got a problem with being my partner, oh great mighty avatar?"

He looked up at his paper to see her gaze hard and cold. He swallowed when he realized how he worded that sentence and cursed mentally at his own stupidity.

"That's not what I-"

"It's okay. No one likes being my partner anyway. If it's such a bother to you, we can switch. It must be uncomfortable for you to talk to someone whose below your social status."

He saw her glare intensify on the paper, but more than that, he could see the loneliness that was hidden within those orbs. He wanted to comment on it, but he felt so out of place. He wanted to get her to open up, but again, he could feel that dreadful feeling creeping up again.

"Katara... That's not what I'm saying."

She shrugged, "It doesn't matter. Let's just focus on this assignment so you can get away from me."

He felt he should say something else, but pride made him keep quiet, and so they both worked on the project together.

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It was lunch time and though Aang was usually quiet and reserved, he couldn't help but feel mentally exhausted.

"What's up lil bro? You seem upset." Sokka said before shoving food in his mouth. He couldn't ignore the weariness of his brother when he was usually so upbeat and happy.

"It's this girl in my class. We ended up being partners and because we're from different social classes, it's hard to work with her. She gets so upset and she hardly answered any of my questions."

He quirked an eyebrow before a smile came to his face. "Ah, you must mean Katara."

His eyes widened, "You know her?"

He took a bite before replying, "She's Toph's best friend. Of course I'd know her. She's generally quiet and reserved. She hardly associates with anyone, though who could blame her when Azula constantly attacks her. Anyway, she lives with Toph. I don't know much about her but if you want to know anything else, you should ask Toph. I'm sure she'd answer your questions."

Aang pondered this thought as he took a bite of his tofu. If it was during school hours, he would've approached her already and talked with her.

"Damn these laws! If there was some way I could change them."

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Katara felt as equally exhausted as Aang. She couldn't understand why, seeing as it was only about an hour with him. And yet, he made her feel things she wish she didn't.

"Must be an Avatar thing."

Shaking her head of these thoughts, she approached her teacher, who had already been waiting for her in the classroom.

"Ah, Katara.. I knew you'd come back."

"Mr. Iroh, I'm so confused. Why did you put me with the avatar?"

"Do you know what the purpose of this assignment is Katara?"

She blinked before looking down. "Umm.. No. Not really."

"The purpose of this assignment is to get to know people from different nations. And who would know more about the nations than the avatar? I know there's restrictions when it comes to this assignment, but it may not be as bad as you think. Just give it a chance. I assure you, it won't be as bad as you think."

She watched as Mr. Iroh poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of her.

"Now, drink some tea. It will replenish your thoughts."

Smiling at her teacher, she raised the cup to her lips and took a sip. She let her mind wander to the young boy who had become her partner. And for some reason, she felt that something big was going to happen sometime soon.