Water. Earth. Fire. Air. My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of peace when the Avatar kept balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. But that all changed when the Water Tribes attacked. Only the Avatar mastered all four elements. Only he could stop the ruthless bloodbenders. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years have passed and the Water Tribes are nearing victory in the War. Two years ago, my father and the men of our province journeyed to the barren Earth Kingdom to help fight against the Water Tribes, leaving me and my brother to look after our town. Some people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Earth Kingdom, and that the cycle is broken. But I haven't lost hope. I still believe that somehow, the Avatar will return to save the world.

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Visions

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He's heard of the Swamp before, mostly through rumors of spirit-y stuff going around. Since he was the Avatar, he was inclined to believe them. Aang never really thought about coming here though, and he was pretty sure Appa never even considered it. Now he was stuck in a stinky swamp, hopelessly lost from his companions while he had a creepy feeling of being watched. He's been walking for what seems like ages, looking for his friends and he thinks the swamp is either anit-Avatar or just plain anti-human. After a while, the feeling of eyes on him starts to bother the Avatar. Suddenly, he hears it. It's a strange sound, definitely not something that would normally come from a swamp. Aang slows, straining his ears to listen over the sound of the swamp's critters. The sound is distant and soft but it's melodious and bell-like. Aang realizes it's the sound of laughter. He turns and catches a glimpse of someone. "Katara? Sokka?" He calls but receives no answer. He hears the laugh again and this time he feels compelled to follow. Aang decides then that he will. The closer he gets the clearer he hears the laughter, the giggles. He won't deny it, he likes the sound, and he's particularly curious about the source. He runs as fast as he can, trying to catch up, but it only seems like she (he's not sure how he pinned a gender on the sound but he did) only got faster. He hears her giggle and dashes into a clearing where the sunlight seeps through. Pausing in his tracks, he finally sees her. Aang feels his breath catch. She's a vision, he thinks, of beauty and grace and innocence.

Standing a few feet away was a girl around his age with billowy robes and ebony black hair tied back into a large bun. He was too far to really see her face but he had a feeling she was beautiful. She turns to look at him and that's when he notices the small drum in her arms. She giggles and taps it before turning away. "Wait!"

When he almost reaches her, he stumbles into Katara and finds that she really was just a vision made by the swamp. He's severely disappointed.

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(He later learns that the swamp gives visions of people they've loved and people they've lost and that time is an illusion. He thinks he'll meet the girl in his vision. Well, he really hopes he does.)

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Titles

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She doesn't know what made her even show up. Sure, he was the Avatar and all, but he was just a kid! Sister Hui's words about being hospitable and kind be damned, Toph knew she was putting herself in danger by showing up to the dinner. But for some reason, she couldn't help it. She knew that he recognized her from the bandit fiasco; it had only been a few days, after all. She just hoped he'd keep his mouth shut about it. She had enough trouble from Bumi, she didn't need Sister Hui on her case, too.

When she enters the dining hall, it is filled with the quiet chatter of the Sisters and Mothers, and Toph thinks she can probably be hidden tonight. But then she hears a loud, booming voice from the other end of the hall, "Toph!" Biting her tongue, Toph turns to him in a flourish, not to show-off, really, it's to send a tiny, minuscule gust that overturns his cup of tea and send its contents onto his lap. She thinks she was discreet enough but she notices Sister Hui's sharp turn toward her. Uh-oh.

"Monkey feathers!"

"Toph!"

"..oops." She was definitely not sorry, but she'll take any excuse to leave the room. "I'll go get a rag or something to clean it up." With that, she turns on her heels and is so close to sweet escape when Aang's voice reaches her ears.

"I'll just go with her to look, don't worry about my clothes."

Stupid Avatar, she thinks.

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(He's not stupid, she admits later. But she still takes to calling him Pebblebrain.)

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DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER. This is going to be my disclaimer for the whole story.

Extra Notes

* This is Taang fanfiction, so if you'd rather a drabble series on this AU that follows canon, I'm sorry but I don't know anyone who has written it. If you do, let me know because I'd like to read it too.

* If you don't understand this AU, look for venidel on tumblr. She started it all and she and some others have this amazing world thought up.

* If any of you are following Celebi's Tale, I'm sorry but I'm putting that on a temporary hiatus and I'm going to use this story as practice to get back into writing as well as a trial to see how far I can go with my writing.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. Maybe you even have your own headcanons, and I'd love to hear them!

Sincerely,

Empress