TAU: Book I Air

Avatar: the TAU Chronicles

Book I. Air

Chapter 1-2: The Boy (Girl) in the Iceberg—the Avatar Returns

Leave it to a girl to screw things up. –Sokka

Sokka considered himself a master fisherman. Well, seeing as he was the ONLY fisherman for miles and there was no one else to compare his skills with, he might as well be a master (it was quite the ego boost, and confidence is everything when it comes time to show fish who’s boss). He had virtually no competition, and in the past fifteen years he’d caught some pretty weird things.

However, he’d never caught an iceberg before. Or, for that matter, an iceberg that contained a person with glowing white eyes and markings…

The person slipped, and fell without warning. With a startled yelp Sokka dropped his spear and instinctively raised his arms to catch the stranger, lowering the body to the ground.

Up close like this, he realized it was a young boy—younger than he was, with long dark hair and a light blue arrow tattooed on his forehead. He also noted similar tattoos on the backs of his hands, half-hidden by his unusual clothing.

The strange light that appeared with the iceberg had faded, and Sokka suddenly wondered if the kid’s life had faded with it. Ripping a mitten off with his teeth, he hollered “Katara! Pass me my boomerang!”

“What kind of way is that to—?” Katara seemed ready to continue with their previous debate (about girl power and rights and respect, blahblahblah, all that), but her concern overrode her anger and she sighed, handing him the steel-blue weapon.

Holding the edge to the stranger’s lips, the Water Tribe warrior whooped when he noticed the light condensation forming on the metal surface. “He’s alive. Lucky for him that we were pas… waitasec.”

Blinking in shock, Sokka looked up at the ridges of the destroyed iceberg they were on, sloping high above him. “Wasn’t he… frozen… inside?”

A soft intake of breath startled him—but it was only Katara, who stared at the boy with eyes wide. “What?”

Wordlessly she pointed and he turned back to see the boy slowly open his eyes, grey and disoriented. “Oh… Who’re you?”

“The guy who rescued you, duh.” Funny how high his voice was, Sokka mused as he stood up and helped the stranger up. Frankly, he sounded almost like a girl.

The kid swayed a little on his feet, holding onto Sokka’s arm for support. “I need to ask you something. Please… come closer…”

“Yeah? What is it?” Sokka leaned in, a bit wary of the way the kid leaned on him so heavily, looking up and meeting his gaze with almost feverishly glowing eyes.

“Will you go penguin-sledding with me?”

………. Oh no fricking WAY.

“KATARA!” Sokka hollered again, shoving off and backing away from the crazy kid. Geez… the one time he decides to help out and possibly save someone’s life, the person turns out to be nuts. Terrific. “You handle the rest.”

Katara leveled her ‘Deeply Disappointed in You’ glare in his direction, but went ahead and helped the kid up again from where he’d fallen, mouthing a wounded “Owww…” Sokka rolled his eyes, and stayed where he was—just to be safe.

The kid blinked at her too, large grey eyes confused as a newborn baby turtle-seal’s. “What’s going on?”

“That’s what WE should be asking,” seethed Sokka. “You tell us! How’d you get in the ice? And why aren’t you frozen?”

“I’m not sure…”

-------------------------------------------

Several hours later, Sokka was buried headfirst in a snowdrift, heartily and thoroughly regretting his solitary act of kindness. He should’ve known as soon as he saw those innocent, puppyish eyes that the kid—Aang, as he called himself—was nothing but trouble. NOBODY looks that innocent, he fumed.

“Where are you hiding him?”

…Not to mention how he really, REALLY hated Firebenders right now.

“I know you’re hiding him!” continued the pompous jerk leader, dressed in his fancy armor and glaring out of his stupid helmet. The other villagers shrunk back in silent fright, and Sokka growled. Pulling himself out of the snow, he charged at his opponent from behind.

Looking back later, Sokka rather thought he could’ve finished Zuko if he’d had more time. (…And, well, if Zuko suddenly lost his firebending skills or something.)

But, for better or for worse, it was then that Aang chose to make his grand entrance on the back of a penguin and save the day.

“Looking for me?” Aang asked casually, cheerfully, hands resting on the staff that held his glider. The lead Firebender seemed more than a little shocked. Not surprising, considering that he’d been looking for someone Sokka’s grandmother’s age.

“You’re the Airbender? You’re the AVATAR?”

Now it was Sokka’s turn to be utterly dumbfounded. Aang, that hyperactive little weirdo, was not only one of those supposedly long-dead Air Nomads… but the Avatar, master of the elements?

No way… NO FRICKING WAY!

“I’ve spent YEARS training for this encounter. Training… meditating…” The Firebender scoffed as he and Aang slowly circled in the space they had, sizing each other up. “You’re just a CHILD—a skinny little monkey of a boy!”

Aang cocked his head slightly to one side, eyes narrowing just a bit despite his offhand tone. “Well, YOU’RE just a teenager. Besides, who ever said I was a boy? I’m a GIRL!”

It was right about then that Sokka’s reality crashed to the ground, never to be the same again.

THE MOST POWERFUL BENDING-MAGIC-PERSON IN THE WORLD… IS A GIRL??

"A girl?" Prince Zuko stepped back and sneered. "This just doesn't get any better."

--------------------------------------------

“Why didn’t you TELL me Aang was a girl?! That would’ve been a GREAT thing to know!” Sokka bellowed accusingly at his younger sister after the Fire Nation ship departed with their captured prize.

It was stupid, he knew, but for some reason he felt inexplicably resentful and betrayed. How COULD she leave? Aang gave herself up to save them… a sacrifice she wouldn’t have had to make, if only Sokka had been strong enough to protect them all.

She shouldn’t have HAD to make that choice!

“But Sokka, how was I supposed to know that you didn’t know?” Katara protested, sounding weary and deeply troubled. “You were the one who caught Aang in the first place. At that distance, I’d have thought it was obvious.”

“To a GIRL, maybe,” he snapped defensively in response. What was Katara getting at? “Speaking of girls, I don’t understand how SHE could be the AVATAR!”

“What, because she’s a girl? This is no time to be sexist, you sexist PIG!” flared Katara with a spark of her old anger. “We have to go after that ship, Sokka. Aang saved our tribe; now we have to save her.”

“Katara, I—”

“Why can't you realize that she's on our side?” she went on exasperatedly, overriding his weak interjection. “If we don't help her, no one will. I know you don't like Aang, but we owe her and I—”

“KATARA! That’s not the problem!” Sokka yelled, rolling his eyes. Girls… always so emotional. “Okay, calm down first—”

“Oh, that’s rich. You, telling ME to calm down when YOU were the one who was SHOUTING at me in the FIRST PLACE…”

“AAAAAANYWAYS. Remember how our dad and all the men left to go fight the Fire Nation a couple years ago? Well, they haven’t come back yet.” He hurried on upon seeing that look in her eyes:

“Katara, I KNOW that they will come back someday. I’m just saying, if all the men of our tribe have been out there risking their lives for two entire years, what good do you think some prepubescent, gangly little girl-nun is going to do, huh?”

“That ‘gangly little girl-nun’ is your AVATAR, Sokka!” Katara exploded. "Pay her some respect! I am SICK and TIRED of you looking down on—”

“MY Avatar? Hey, back up. I'm just a guy with a boomerang; I didn't ask for all this flying and magic and—”

“She’s our world’s only chance against the Fire Nation.” Katara whispered, her blue eyes going misty with suppressed tears. “Sokka… for so long I haven’t been able to hope for anything, not even for our family to be together again. In Aang, though… I think I’ve finally found something I can believe in.”

…I was afraid that’d be the case. Sokka sighed, and after a moment’s hesitation he pulled his sister into a tight comforting hug.

I don’t want to see your hopes crushed. I’m afraid they will be.

But the world seemed suddenly full of dreams and possibilities, and if Katara went… he had no choice but to tag along. What kind of big brother would leave his sis in the lurch like that, anyway?

“Sooo… Katara. Are you gonna talk all day, or are you comin’ with me?”


=


Chapter 4: The Warriors of Kyoshi

“Katara!”

“Yes, Aang, what is it?” Katara asked patiently, searching through the vegetables at the stall. Next to her Aang fidgeted and toyed with a loose strand of her hair, ignoring the admiring little girls who were trailing her at a distance.

“Do you… do you know where Sokka is?” she asked finally, in what she obviously thought was a casual, disinterested voice. Katara raised an eyebrow and stopped browsing, turning to regard her young Airbending friend carefully.

“I thought he went off to find those girls who captured us when we first came here. Isn’t that what he told us?”

Aang seemed to visibly crumble at that. “…That was more than a week ago.”

“Yesssss… well, I don’t think anything’s happened to him, do you?” Katara shrugged and resumed her perusal of the stall’s wares. “I doubt anything’s been damaged other than his ego, and knowing Sokka he’s just getting a dose of his own medicine. Hanging out with a group of trained warrior women and girls will probably be good for his male—”

“I want to leave, Katara,” interrupted Aang miserably. “Can’t we just leave?”

“—superiority complex…” Katara trailed off, and then seriously looked at Aang in concern. “Wait, leave? As in, leave Kyoshi Island?”

“Yeah.”

Well, Katara had no problem with that, considering she felt they’d been staying far too long in one place already… but… “But I thought you liked it here.”

“Well, I do… but like you said, it’s time to move on!” Aang suddenly smiled brightly, holding her arms out with a smile. “Need help?”

Katara held off for a moment, eyeing Aang’s expression… noting the light blush on her cheeks, and the despondency beneath the false cheer. What in the world…?

Her blue eyes widened and she dropped the basket with a thud. “Oh Spirits. You LIKE him, don’t you?”

“Wha-WHAT?!” Aang’s face immediately went a shade of deep crimson. “How did… Uhhh, who HIM? I don’t know any Hims! I mean, I have absolutely no idea who you mean!”

“My idiotic, pig-headed brother… that’s who I mean. Of all the people, Aang—!” The Waterbender shook her head in half-shocked, half-amused disbelief.

Aang merely flushed darker and hung her head, mumbling something about how she didn’t have any control over the silly doings of her blood-pumping organ, and would Katara please please PLEASE not tell Sokka about it?

Aww… she’s so cute when she’s embarrassed! Katara concealed a grin and reassuringly patted Aang on the head.

“I won’t breathe a word of it to anyone, I promise. Although I’m amazed that it’s Sokka you’ve set your hat on—he’s not exactly a dreamboat, in manners or personality.”

Aang didn’t respond to that, but looked somewhat anxious. “You don’t think he already KNOWS, do you?”

“I’m about one hundred percent sure it’s the furthest thing from his mind,” Katara said truthfully.


=


Chapter 14: The Fortuneteller

One hundred years ago, no one had ever mistaken Aang for a male.  

Whether it was just the changing times, or a side effect of being raised by nuns (technically Monk Gyatso had been her guardian, but really it was the Airbender nuns who had dressed her, groomed her, and generally brought her up) Aang wasn’t sure… but there were days she met people who made her doubt, and wonder if something was really wrong.

For example, this girl Meng who’d introduced herself as Aunt Wu's assistant.

“So, what's your name?” the pink-clothed girl asked, bending toward her with a sugary smile.

“Aang.”

“That rhymes with Meng!” she said excitedly, clasping her hands together (It does?? Aang thought privately). “And you've got some pretty BIG ears, don't you?”

“I… guess…?” replied Aang in some bewilderment, wondering if it was somehow a trick question. Her ears were a little larger than usual, sure, but they were nowhere near as large as Momo’s—

“Oh, don't be modest. They're HUGE!” snickered Sokka on the side. Feeling somewhat hurt despite herself, Aang turned away from the other boy and cupped her ears protectively.

“Well Aang, it is very nice to meet you. VERY nice.”

“Likewise.” Aang smiled weakly, sweatdropping. For some reason, the other girl made her feel a little uneasy...

In a few minutes Meng reappeared with a tray of refreshments, and moved toward them. Just as she approached, a young woman emerged from an inner door and rushed to the small pigtailed girl.

“Oh Meng! Aunt Wu says I'm going to meet my true love! He's going to give me a rare panda lily.”

A what? Aang had never heard of it in all her travels.  

Oh wait, maybe she had… this one time she’d interrupted Bumi and Kuzon in a deep discussion about the flowers—why or how the topic came up, Aang had no clue. She remembered that Kuzon had merely scratched his head in a slightly embarrassed manner when she asked, while Bumi grinned at her and told her that someday in the future she could expect to get a bunch from the both of them.

But that was before Aang realized she was the Avatar, and ran away—effectively disappearing from the Four Nations for one hundred years. Kuzon had probably been forced to join the Fire Nation army when he grew older, to fight in a war that sought to destroy his old friends.

“That's so romantic,” sighed Meng, and Aang snapped back to the present. “I wonder if my true love will give me a rare flower.”

There was nothing that Aang could really say to that, except wish her luck.

To her surprise Meng blushed, while the woman tittered. “Is that the big-eared guy who Aunt Wu predicted you'd marry?”

Aang blinked, looking over at Sokka. “Who is she talking about?”

“NO ONE!” Meng grinned as she shooed her companion away. As she neared, her foot snagged on the step and she tripped, the tray with the snacks tilting forward at a precarious angle. Instinctively Aang reached out and steadied her, clasping her hands where they gripped the tray.

There was a moment in which they just kind of stared at each other, before Meng quickly withdrew her hands in a somewhat embarrassed fashion. “Enjoy your snack!”

Aang held the tray and stared after her, feeling an ominous sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

----------------------

Katara went in first to get her fortune told, winking at Aang. Her departure effectively left Aang and Sokka alone, although Sokka was too preoccupied with the bean curd puffs to notice Katara’s wink.

“Not bad, not bad. Mmm!” In an unexpected act of courtesy, he offered some to Aang.

Aang blushed and waved them away. “I'm good on puffs.” Sokka shrugged as if to say ‘Your loss’ and continued snacking, apparently oblivious to how the silence caught and extended awkwardly.

“So... what do you think they're talking about back there?” Aang finally offered in desperation. Sokka shrugged again.

“Boring stuff, I'm sure. Love… Who she's going to marry. How many babies she's gonna have—”

Aang laughed nervously, nibbling at the edge of her thumbnail. “Yeah, I get it… dumb stuff.”

In reality, she felt somewhat crestfallen. Sokka had listed the subjects so dismissively… what's more, the very mention of love brought up a thought that had been niggling at her since Meng had brought it up earlier…

“Hey Sokka, do you think I look like a boy?”

Sokka choked on his puff, and Aang waited patiently as he took a few minutes to clear his throat. “Wh-what? Where’d THAT come from?”

“I was just thinking about it,” she muttered, staring down and twiddling her thumbs in her lap. “I mean, the first time we met Zuko called me a…”

“Why do you care what Zuko thinks? The guy’s got no sense of humor.” Sokka leaned forward and picked up another puff, examined it, and then popped it into his mouth. “Don’t let it bother you.”

Aang eyed him carefully, trying not to appear eager. “You didn’t really answer my question.”

Sokka coughed again and looked away, muttering something indistinct.

“What?”

“You know how a lot of guys these days have long hair?” the Water Tribe boy burst out suddenly, making Aang jump. “Yeah, LOTS of guys… like Zuko, with his dumb ponytail... and Haru, yeah. My dad, and Bato, and lots of warriors have long hair—”

Aang frowned, biting her bottom lip unsurely. “Does that mean… you do?”

Sokka hesitated, then slumped his shoulders in an expression of defeat. “It’s a possibility, at the beginning—before I really KNEW you, you understand—that I maaaybe… yeah. I thought you were a guy.”

I KNEW IT. Aang bowed her head in bitter disappointment. Sokka quickly added:

“But it was just an honest mistake! I mean…” he laughed nervously, brushing the crumbs off his lap. “Your hair, Aang… it’s very, uh. Interestingly styled.”

“You don’t like my hairstyle?”

“NO! No, that’s not—that’s not what I meant to say at all.” Sokka sighed, and despite the crushing feeling Aang couldn’t help but notice how charming he looked when he was thinking things over.

“It’s not very… modern. Nobody remembers how the Airbenders looked like when they were alive—”

“I do,” Aang pointed out logically. “So does Bumi.”

“Yeah, but you’re like, what, TWO people? Aang, we’re talking a whole world here.” Sokka made a sweeping motion with his arms. “As far as I knew, all Airbenders were monks, and bald.”

“Ugh.” Aang dropped her head again and sighed.

Before Sokka could respond, Aunt Wu and Katara returned—and from the smile on Katara’s face, Aang guessed it had gone well. “Who's next?”

“Me, I suppose,” Sokka sighed, getting to his feet. “Okay, let's get this over with—”

“Your future is full of struggle and anguish, most of it self-inflicted,” intoned Aunt Wu, examining him critically. Sokka stopped, disbelieving and disgruntled.

“But you didn't read my palms or anything!”

“I don't need to… it's written all over your face. You then,” she indicated Aang while Sokka looked ready to protest. “Come with me.”

------------

“Well, now you got to see for yourselves that fortunetelling is just a big, STUPID hoax.”

“Oh please,” scoffed Katara as all three of them walked out of Aunt Wu’s. “You're just saying that because you're going to make yourself unhappy your whole life.”

“That woman is CRAZY! My life will be calm, and happy and joyful!” exploded Sokka angrily, kicking at a stone (which, eerily enough, ended up somehow hitting him in the head and knocking him to the ground). “Ow! …That doesn't prove anything!”

“Well, I liked MY predictions. Certain things are going to turn out very well,” sighed Katara happily. Aang sighed in unison, and Katara turned to her with a smile. “What did she tell you, Aang?”



/FLASHBACK/

“This is incredible! You will be involved in a great battle; an awesome conflict between the forces of good and evil, a battle whose outcome will determine the fate of the whole world!”

“Yeah, well, I knew that already. Did it say anything about a boy?”

“A… boy?  You want to know about love?”

“Yes!”

“I’m sorry, but… don’t you mean a girl, in that case?”

She must have seen the stricken look on Aang’s face, for all of a sudden she exclaimed “Oh look!  I must have missed something.”

Aang waited with bated breath as Aunt Wu examined the tiny bone fragment that she had very nearly missed.“It says… ‘Trust your heart and you will be with the one you love.’”

“Really!? Thank you, Aunt Wu!”

/END FLASHBACK/



Aang gave her a knowing little smile. “Some stuff. You'll find out.”

“Was it about…?” Katara trailed off meaningfully. Aang merely grinned wider and even more blindingly, which was answer enough by itself.

-----------------

“I can't believe all these saps,” fumed Sokka as he stomped through the village, Aang trailing behind him. “Someone really needs to scream some sense at them.”

“They seem happy, Sokka,” Aang offered with a smile, feeling the warm fuzzy glow of her own prediction held close. I know I sure am.

“Not for long. I'm gonna prove Aunt Wu's predictions are nonsense.” Sokka said, and with his usual impulsiveness he entered the fray.

After about an hour or so of watching the guy she liked completely embarrass himself by trying to convince a village full of contented people that the cause of their contentment was a fraud, Aang decided to take action.

“So, Sokka, you know some stuff about ladies, right?”

“Some stuff?” Sokka’s ears perked up, but he seemed cautious. “Depends on what you want to know. Is it something you can ask Katara about?”

“Oh, I just wanted your opinion on something…”

“Mm. Well, go on.”

“Well, say there's this girl… and she really likes this guy…”

“Uh-huh… I’m with you so far…” Sokka prompted distractedly, his attention seemingly absorbed by something going on behind Aang. Nevertheless Aang determinedly plowed on:

“But she doesn’t know what the guy thinks about her. Still, she doesn’t want to ask him directly to his face—”

“I think I know who you mean.”

“Y-you DO?” Aang felt her face suffused with heat, and stammered. Had she really been so transparent? “A-a-and you're… you’re OKAY with it?”

“Of course I am, and I completely understand. You’re just being a good person, Aang—it’s part of what makes you so great to be around.”

“Oh, Sokka...” Aang ducked her head bashfully, heart beating like crazy. Aunt Wu’s prediction had come true, and so quickly! “It’s not just that… I don’t know what to—”

“I can’t believe how quickly you make new friends. You’re quite popular, huh?” Sokka clapped Aang on the shoulder and winked. “You can tell your friend—Meng, was it?—that while I’m flattered by her attention, my heart’s already taken. So long, I’ll see you around.”

He sidled off cheerfully, leaving Aang behind in a morass of confusion and shattering disappointment. “Well… okay.”

Of course, it was then that Meng popped up out of nowhere and latched onto her. “Hey Aang, I was wondering—”

“Wait up Sokka, I need to ask you something else!” Aang called quickly, shaking her off and speeding up. “Sorry Meng, I have to go. See you later!”

Much, much later.