.: Prologue: 7 Years Before :.

"Mommy, look!" I shouted, scampering up to her. My chubby eight year old body would only move so fast, but my mother dashed forward and met me halfway. She seized me in her arms and flung me into the air. I laughed in spite of myself, but when she started doing it again, I had to stop her. "Mommy, no!"

"Why not, Xin?" Her brown eyes danced as she set me down on the ground.

"Because you'll crush them!" I told her proudly, sticking out my hand.

She gasped and one hand flew to her heart. "Flowers? Oh, Xin, they're lovely!" My mother took them and disappeared inside. It was the last time I would ever see her, but I didn't know that then and ran down to the pond. Cherry blossoms spun in the air around me, as scattered as my thoughts.

"Son!" a voice boomed. I felt my face break into a wide grin and sprinted down the hill towards him.

"Daddy!" I shrieked, leaping into his arms. He held me tight for a minute before turning me loose and tousling my hair.

"There's my little warrior," he growled proudly. "So, tell me, Sergeant Jet, is there any news on the war front?" I straightened at the use of our secret name. Jet. It was so much better than my real name.

"I licked a whole legion of soldiers just for you, dad," I told him happily. He clapped me on the shoulder like I was a real war hero, as if the soldiers I'd fought had actually existed.

"Great job, son. Learn any new moves today?" I smiled – THIS was what I'd been waiting for. Those battles with legions of soldiers might not have been real, but my skills were. I pulled my hooked swords out from behind my back and shouted fiercely, cutting down my imaginary opponent. He dodged and I went after him.

"Get back here!" I shouted.

"Got him on the run, son?" my dad hollered. I turned and wheeled back towards him. His words from the other day bounced around in my head – a true warrior admits defeat – and I hung my head sadly.

"He was too far away. He got away," I grumbled.

"Oh, really? Let me show you something that you can do with those swords, Sergeant Jet. No one will ever get away from you again." He plucked them from my hands and linked the hooks together. My father gripped one handle and spun it around expertly. The other sword whirled and twirled until it was a glimmering blur in the setting sun. Gradually, dad slowed down and returned the swords to me.

"Can you show me how to do that?" I gasped. My dad laughed, a deep rumbling noise in his chest.

"Of course, Sergeant—" We both froze at the same time and tuned towards the top of the hill. Our house was hidden from view, but something else lazily wound its way into eyesight. This was the image that started off my waking nightmare. Smoke was rising into the crystal blue sky. My dad sprinted up the hill towards our house. I started up after him, but he stopped and stared at me with wild chestnut eyes.

"Jet, stay here!" he commanded. I froze instinctively and he continued up the hill. Curiosity took over, and I did the unthinkable as a soldier: I disobeyed the direct order and went up anyway.

I crested the hill just in time to see my dad disappear in the back door of our house. But something was wrong – the air was superheated and our house was on fire.

"Daddy!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. A loud groan overpowered my voice and my home collapsed in upon itself. In a blaze of heat and light, my world was gone. Time froze for me, but the flames kept burning and ash swept over me. I started coughing violently and fell to my knees. That was how they found me, I suppose. All I know was that after I started coughing, I heard their voices for the first time. I saw them for the first time.

They were metallic, echoing, and fake sounding. Three of them were riding armored rhinos, and at least ten others were on foot. They all wore the masks, those terrifying masks that reminded me of skulls. Fire Nation Soldiers! I pulled out my swords and prepared to fight. The one closest to me laughed and kicked at me. I scrambled away from the flames he threw, clinging to my swords for dear life.

"Where's my daddy?" I demanded hoarsely. "What did you do to him?"

The soldier who'd kicked at me laughed and pointed to the charred rubble that was once my home. "Your dad's in there, kid. I don't think you'll be seeing him again." Even my eight-year-old brain understood what that meant. Tears burned in my eyes – a thousand times more painful than the flames that had burned in my home. My heart seared with anger. A single scorched cherry blossom twirled through the air and landed on my sleeve. I brushed it off thoughtlessly, my body trembling.

"I hate you!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. It had literally ripped from my mouth, a strange inhuman sound. It hurt to do that, but I wanted the pain. Pain was safer than sorrow. "I'm going to destroy your lives like you destroyed mine!" Then I turned and ran away into the foothills, one sword in each fist. I turned and ran away, leaving my burning home and dead parents and ruined life behind me.

Those last words might have seemed a little harsh to you, but I think they were just the right words to say. The Fire Nation has destroyed so many lives, and yet no one's done anything to stop them. They deserve payback, and I'm dishing it out, me and my Freedom Fighters. One town at a time, we're winning this war. We're stopping the Fire Nation. We're doing the impossible.

"Jet." Smellerbee's voice snapped me out of my reverie. I looked over into her intelligent brown eyes, saying nothing. If she had something to tell me, she'd get around to it. Smellerbee ran her fingers through her light brown bands nervously. She'd redone the paint under her eyes, I'd noticed. It looked nice. "We've found our next target, Jet. The Fire Nation's just arrived."

"Where?" I asked, my mind making up various plans. If it was a far away village, we'd have to go in three week shifts. I'd stay round the clock, of course. The Freedom Fighters might be helping me with this war, but it was still MY war. It was still MY fight, my revenge, and my vendetta. They were all too young to understand. Maybe Smellerbee and Longshot could rotate staying here while I'm gone… but then, Longshot was never one to give orders.

"Jet, they're here in the valley," Smellerbee told me tentatively.

I jumped to my feet, furious. "What? How DARE they come here!"

A/N: I wrote Doing The Impossible while in high school, and I have not edited it since. I figured this was the best way to stay away from OOC tendencies, because ATLA ended before Junior Year.

I believe I wrote this as a personal challenge to myself. Feel free to R&R if you'd like, but if not then that's cool too.

Poor Jet :(