This is loosely based off of Batman Begins and the Dark Knight rises. This first Chapter will seem to basically just follow Batman begins but I plan to make Aang's return to Republic City different from Bruce Waynes.

The other characters of Avatar will appear soon so don't worry. I guess just bear with me for now. I can't remember every detail of Batman Begins so I might get some of it wrong but I'm kind of trying to take my own direction with it I guess. Ok well...thanks :) Comments and constructive criticisms appreciated.

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Aang woke with a jolt. He had had that dream again. It was less of a dream and more of a dark memory, a memory that had haunted him since childhood.

He looked around at the stony, dark walls of his prison cell. How long had he been here? He had lost count of the days long ago. He lived in solitude at the prison, barely speaking to the other prisoners. He didn't belong here. Aang was from a different society. He was a foreigner here. The prisoners knew and disliked him for it. He watched them closely daring them to attack. He could fight. He was an airbending master. He could easily hold his ground against the nonbenders and the earthbenders in prison.

He shook his head still rattled by the dream. Aang squeezed his eyes tight in an effort to block out the haunting memory.

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"Finders keepers!" Katara cried out as she ran through the Gyatso manor. Her dark hair flew behind her as she escaped into the green houses.

"No fair!" a young Aang called out as he followed her. Although an amateur airbender he used the air to propel him forward.

Aang caught up to Katara and stole the heart shaped rock they had found on the rocky drive way. "Hey!"Katara yelled after him.

Aang raced past as Katara pursued him. Aang loved playing with Katara. Even though she was their maid's daughter, she had become a sister to him. He didn't have siblings but Katara had filled the gap.

Aang continued to dash through the yard. As he passed over the old covered well he felt the wood was soft beneath his feet. Before he could propel himself off of the well he fell through the dark, musty hole. "Ahh!"

"Aang?"Katara called out from the top of the well. She could only see darkness below. "I'm going to get help!" she called down to him in a state of panic.

Aang didn't know how long he had been in the well. The darkness enveloped him. The unreachable light at the top of the well was a tease of hope. He wasn't powerful enough to muster a gust of air to send him out of the well.

Eventually he saw a dark figure hop into the well, gliding down to bottom cautiously. "Aang,"his father, Gyatso, said to comfort his son as he finally reached the scared young boy.

Aang grabbed a hold of his father, as Gyatso propelled the two to the top of the well with his expert airbending.

"Sir, I am so sorry, I was-" the maid, Kya, began before Gyatso shushed her. Katara hid behind her mother's blue dress looking worried. As they passed, Aang being carried by his father, Aang passed the heart shaped rock to Katara without saying a word.

Their reliable servant, Appa, met them as Gyatso carried his son through the doors. "Everything alright sir?" he asked.

"Yes, Aang just had a fall. Why do we fall, Aang?"

Aang stared wordlessly at his father.

"So we can get back up" Gyatso answered.

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Aang exhaled sharply. The moment of misery had passed, but the darkness continued to surround his world. That had been so long ago. Fifteen, twenty years?

A fight broke out in the prison that day. Aang found himself caught in the middle. He had been correct in believing the other prisoners knew he was an outsider. It had been him in the middle of five earthbenders, four martial artists, and a firebender. Aang had easily defeated all of them. His dark mood drove his anger which he released on his attackers through his powerful gusts of wind.

The prison guards had quickly gotten involved once Aang hurled one of his last opponents across the muddy prison yard into the concrete wall.

He was sent to solitary confinement for "protection." Of course, the protection was not for his sake, it was to protect the others.

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Once again he was in a sea of darkness. A small window with bars showed what little light the cell could boast. The cell reminded Aang of the well. He sighed knowing the memories would continue to haunt him.

"Impressive what you did out there," a voice came from the shadows.

Aang hurled around in a fighting stance, ready to face any other challengers.

An elder man stepped into the light. "Aang Gyatso,"the man surveyed Aang. He wore robes of a brilliant red color. His hair was greying but his slender face had a spark of youth to it.

"In life we are given many paths to choose between. Some paths lead to luxury and empty happiness. Other paths may lead to wholeness, love, and joy. While the others will lead into twisted, dark woods. I am here to offer you a new pathway Aang. On this path you will learn fulfillment. I will help you reach this fulfillment.

"My name is Roku. Tomorrow, you will be released from this prison and dropped off in the Komodo plains. Ahead of you will be the Kolau Mountains. Pick one of the panda lily flowers and walk to the top of the mountains. Once you are there you will find what you are looking for.

"Do not use your airbending to reach the top of the mountains. The lack of oxygen at the level so quickly will easily kill you. You must walk."

Aang stared at the man with a look half made up of confusion and half made up of confirmation.

"Good day,"Roku said before leaving the cell.

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Just as Roku had promised, the next day Aang was released in the Komodo plains. He found a panda lily and began to make his journey to the top of the mountain.

Aang felt strange walking all the way to the top. Normally, he would have rocketed to the top of the mountain. He realized his reliance on his bending.

Reaching the top, he found a strange temple. Roku greeted him.

"What is this place?"Aang asked.

"We call ourselves the League of Shadows. We have learned the secrets to learning not just one bending element, but all four elements. We have taught ourselves to combine the strength of all elements and use them as one through a spiritual state called the Avatar State. Your training in water, earth, and fire will begin tomorrow.

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Aang worked hard the next few years as he learned how to unlock chakras to allow him to bend the other elements.

He not only learned how to bend the elements, he learned how to fight with them.

Waterbending was not extremely difficult. Roku taught him how to feel the push and the pull of the water. Often at night they observed the moon and discussed its effects on the tide.

"Water is consist and even-tempered,"Roku preached, "It is loyal, persistent, idealist, and most important it is adaptable. If you plan to master waterbending you must learn to adapt to anything your opponent throws at you."

Before Roku had finished his sentence a knife flew through the air at Aangs head. Aang gasped before quickly bending the snow from the ground up to his face to freeze the knife midair. He sighed relief as the knife was frozen in a chamber of ice inches from his face.

Roku nodded his approval.

"Earth is the element of substance. To master earthbending, you must be strong and tough like a rock."

Aang struggled with earthbending. It was so different from airbending. Unlike airbending where you had to be agile and quick on your feet, you had to hold a rooted position and be strong.

"You've spent so much of your life avoiding your problems that they have become your fears and have blocked your earth chakra. You must learn to face your past rather than escape it. You can no longer block out the memories of your past. You must accept them,"Roku told Aang.

Aang continued to have the memories in his sleep, however, rather than blocking them after waking, he focused and meditated upon them. While the memories continued to fill his head with darkness and anger he improved in earthbending. He learned how to become rooted to the ground and push a rock.

Firebending was his final challenge.

"Fire is the least predictable of the elements. It is freedom and strong-willed, but at the same time it is unpredictable and hungry. Before I teach you firebending you must learn to control your anger,"Roku ordered Aang.

Aang looked down contemplating this.

"Your parents death was not your fault. You must learn to stop blocking your grief and guilt with anger and rage. You cannot be trusted to use fire with such rage. You will only burn everything in your path. You must learn to use it sparingly."

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A train sped into Republic City on the bright, starry night. Aang peered out the window, excited to see the glowing city. At the age of eight, Aang had visited the downtown of Republic City many times with his mother and father, but he had never travelled to it in such a fashion.

"Do you enjoy the train?"Gyatso asked Aang to which his son happily nodded, "Did you know Gyatso Enterprises built this train system?"Gyatso boasted proudly before pointing out the window at a tall tower in the middle of the city, "See that right there? That's our building in the middle of the city. Of course, I am rarely there since I'm usually tending to patience with the waterbenders in the hospital."

"Maybe one day you'll work with Katara,"Aang noted happily remembering that his friend had recently realized she was a waterbender.

Gyatso chuckled, "Perhaps if she has healing abilities."

"And then one day,"Gyatso spoke to his son, "You will run Gyatso Enterprises."

Aang looked out to see the building pass, the building that held his future. It towered above the other buildings in Republic City. It was truly a spectacle of the city.

The Opera House was packed that night with Republic City's wealthiest and most notable citizens. Aang was the youngest in the audience.

Sitting between his mother and his father he watched as the opera commenced. The opera became dark and terrifying. Aang began to worry and panic. His fear overwhelmed him.

"Can we leave?" he whispered to his father. "Please?" he pushed anxiously.

Gyatso nodded understandably. "What's wrong?" his wife asked as he motioned to her.

The family left the opera through the side, depositing out into a dark alleyway. "Are you alright sweety?"Aang's mother asked protectively.

"Hey!" a voice interrupted the family.

A scruffy looking man stumbled into their path with a loaded gun. Aang's stomach tightened. The man was probably not a bender. Clearly his father could stop the man with his airbending. Right?

"Give me your money," the man said pointing the gun directly at the family.

"Ok, let's stay calm," Gyatso said calmly taking out his wallet.

Then it all happened so fast. The man made a move toward Aang's mother causing Gyatso to step in front of her. The man panicked and shot the gun directly at Gyatso. In a state of fear, Aang's mother made a move too fast and was shot by a second blow from the gun. They both fell to the ground before Aang. The man gave one look at Aang before running off into the dark.

Aang fell to his knees, sobbing. With his last words his father turned to Aang and said, "Don't be afraid, Aang."

Aang remembered sirens wailing in the background as he sat with his parents' bodies. He felt as though he was there for a lifetime. However, he never could recall what had happened in that thirty minutes of waiting before the police arrived.

He was immediately taken to the police station. There, a kind officer tried to comfort him, placing a jacket around the boy. "If…if I hadn't gotten scared and made them leave…maybe…maybe they'd still be…"

"This isn't your fault," the kind officer shushed the grief stricken boy.

"Officer Pakku, you're needed up front," the second officer told the kind officer before turning his attention to Aang. "Well son, we've found the man." The officer smiled as though this was some sort of victory. Aang didn't see how it could be one since it wouldn't bring back his parents.

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"Learn to channel your rage and accept your grief. This will make you a good firebender,"Roku advised.

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Once Aang started learning firebending he felt the power he possessed. It was an amazing feeling that was strangely calming to him.

Finally he had mastered the element.

"For your final test,"Roku said as he paced the main room of the temple, "You must learn to fight by compiling all the elements as one."

Suddenly, many other members of the League of Dark Shadows appeared. The stood together allowing Roku to disappear among them. Every one of them was concealed in a black fighting suit. Aang paced through the crowd of concealed men, searching for his master.

The men turned and Aang was suddenly attacked by a rocket of fire from Roku. Aang nearly avoided the fire. Before he could answer the blast the men turned again and Roku had disappeared among the sea of black uniforms.

Roku continued to surprise him. Aang got a few moves through himself. At last, Roku sliced Aang with a slick piece of ice on his elbow. Using this same technique, Aang ingeniously sliced a few others with ice on their elbow before blending into the sea of black.

Thinking he had found Aang, Roku grabbed the man and held him at fire point. "Looks like you don't pass this test."

Swiftly Aang stepped out and held Roku at fire point. "Looks like I do."

Roku smiled and the men parted.

A strange woman stood before them. She was clapping. She was towered over the others. Her face was painted with white and red was caked above her eyes. "Welcome to the League of Shadows, Avatar Aang. I am Avatar Kyoshi. You have successfully mastered all four elements and have learned how to use them together. You have one final test."

Aang bowed before the Kyoshi showing his respect.

"Your final task will be…to kill this man."

From above a man in a cage was lowered before them.

"K-kill?" the words barely escaped Aang. "How can I justify killing this man?"

"He is a murderer. He murdered his wife. He needs justice," Kyoshi answered with a stoney face.

"No," Aang declared, "I can't kill another human being. I was always taught to treat each life sacredly."

"This man deserves his justice. You have disobeyed the League of Shadows. For that you must be punished with death," Kyoshi said coldly.

Warriors of the League of Shadows seemed to descend upon Aang. "Roku?" he called out with no answer. His master had given up on him too.

Aang saw no way for him to win this fight. He made a huge airblast to drive himself through the wall of the temple. From there he escaped out into the cold terrain. He knew he was being followed. The League of Shadows would try to stop him. Aang hopped down the mountain using his best element, air.