After a few days have passed, the Gaang helped to prepare the festivities. They didn't have to do much, the locals of the tribe had already taken care of most of the arrangements, so they had few tasks to handle on their own. King Kuei and his court had also arrived and not a lot of excitement was passed around, the Earth King wasn't exactly the most popular among people and it was no surprise. The celebrations were going to start at night until the late hour, the Gaang was looking forward to how the festivities were carried out.
Katara and Sen were taking a quiet walk on the outskirts of the city, the rest of the Gaang were following them from a distance while talking and laughing. After a moment of walking, he noticed how she came to a stop at a small patch of earth that was slightly covered by the ice and he looked ahead of him and saw her approach a small mountain of rocks that sat in the middle. He looked at it carefully for a moment before he realized what it actually was.
"Is this your mother's burial ground?". He asked solemnly.
"Yes, she was buried here". Katara said as she hugged herself while looking at her mother's grave.
"It's beautiful". He said with a small smile.
"Thank you". She smiled a little.
He looked back at the rest of their friends and saw that they were still talking in the distance, he turned back and slowly approached the grounds and stood next to the young waterbender woman.
"I'm sure she's very proud of you, Katara". Sen said with sincereness in his voice,"You accomplished many amazing things in your life so far and it will only get even better. Your mother couldn't have asked for a better daughter such as great as you, you're very special".
Tears slowly streamed down her face and she quickly sniffed before wiping away her tears, then she slowly turned around and hugged the airbender with a smile on her face. Sen was surprised by her action but he slowly found himself hugging back, he knew she needed it more than anything else.
"Thank you, Sen". She sobbed.
"I'm here for you, Katara". He spoke to her softly,"We all are".
Then she nodded before breaking contact with him.
"We should probably head back". Katara said as she turned to leave.
He was about to follow her when he noticed someone in the distance, he squinted his to get a better look and he noticed that it was a woman dressed in Water Tribe garb and she had Katara's old hair loop style. What caught his attention was that she looked a lot like Katara and his eyes widened slightly, she smiled at him and did a small bow before disappearing.
"Sen, come on!".
The white haired airbender snapped out of his trance before he turned around and headed back for his friends.
Did I just see a ghost?
......................................................
Three hooded figures stood on a nearby hill and watched the water tribe city bustling around, the leader of the group who was slightly shorter than the other two hooded figures stepped forward and looked down further. She knew she came back home at the right moment to exact her revenge on all of them, but there were specific ones she first had to deal with.
"The Avatar and his friends will give us trouble". The second hooded figure said who turned out to be a man.
"I agree". Said the third figure who sounded like a woman.
"Not this time. The Avatar and his friends were once defenseless against my power". The leader said,"It was only the waterbender that bested me".
"Then she won't be a problem". The second figure said.
"You trained us well in your art and we will follow through for you". The third figure said.
"Don't get too overconfident. She is highly skilled, a prodigy". The leader said,"Do not underestimate her".
"You seem to know her well". The second figure said with a observant tone.
"Yes, Hakan. I know her well and taught her well". The leader said while still staring at the city.
"When should we attack?". The third figure asked impatiently.
"Wait for darkness to fall".
............................................
There were only a few hours left until the celebrations began, so before they did begin Hakoda decided it was a good idea to call the boys to his homestead to talk to them privately.
"We're not in trouble, are we?". Sokka asked.
"You tell me, he's your dad". Zuko replied with a obvious look.
"Why did Chief Hakoda call us here?". Aang asked.
"I have no idea". Sen said as he looked around the room.
Then they footsteps approaching from the next room, they quickly straightened when they saw Chief Hakoda enter the room and they noticed that he seemed to be carrying a small box in his hands. A minute later, Kanna stepped into the room as well with a neutral look on her face and eyed them all carefully.
"What do you think they're gonna do to us?". Aang whispered.
"I don't know let's just wait and see". Zuko responded under his breath.
Then there was a moment of silence as everyone stared at each other.
"Uh, dad? What is this about?". Sokka decided to be the braver one.
"I needed to talk to you boys about something very important". Hakoda said with a solemn look.
This got the boys nervous.
"As you know, your female counterparts are getting ready for the festival and we want you all to enjoy this auspicious time". Kanna said watching them like a hawk.
"And?". Aang decided to put in bravely.
"Do you boys love your partners?". Hakoda asked with narrowed eyes.
The boys quickly nodded, not wanting to know what would happen if they hesitated.
"Do you care for them?". Kanna asked.
Another nod.
"Do you appreciate that you have them in your lives? Do you appreciate them?". Hakoda asked.
The boys looked at each other for a moment. Then it finally hit them like a rock, they didn't really appreciate them. Well, they did but in a way they didn't appreciate them subconsciously and that made them feel guilty.
" No". Zuko spoke for all of them.
"I see". Hakoda smiled,"Then let me help you, in the box that I have with me I have something that might help you show them your appreciation. Trust me, it took a lot of convincing for Kuei to get me these".
The boys looked confused and didn't know what he was talking about. Hakoda stepped closer to them and opened the box, the boys looked inside and found four beautiful Panda lilies lying on the inside.
"These are for you". Hakoda smiled at them,"During the celebration I want each of you to give a Panda lily to your partner to show your appreciation for her".
"Is there like a time we should be giving it to them?". Aang asked.
"Give it to them anytime you feel like it, as long as it's during the festivities". Kanna said with a smile.
The boys smiled before each took a Panda lily, they all closely examined each of their flowers before slipping them away.
"I don't think Toph is a flower type of girl but I'll just have to try". Sen said with a shrug.
"Based on how long she's been with you, I think you're slowly wearing her walls down". Kanna said with a knowing look.
Sen smiled nervously.
"Mai might be a challenge but I'm up to it". Zuko said with a small confident smile.
Then they started to leave the house, Hakoda watched them leave with a proud smile. Kanna just sighed as she watched them leave.
"It's times like this I wish Kya was still alive to see moments like this".
Hakoda gave a sad smile.
"Me too, mom. Me too".