WELCOME TO EXISTENCE

Disclaimer: This story will follow the main storyline of the show, but I will try to make it a little more original and spice things up a little here and there. Characters and dialogues that you recognize from the show belong to their rightful owners, but the Shou character is mine.

THIS HAS BEEN RE-WRITTEN.

You see, when I finished watching the show, my muse jumped on me and forced me to write this story. It was choppy and bad in some places, so I decided to take some time, control the excitement and sit down to work with a clear head.

Without further ado, please enjoy the story!

Prologue

"You are the next Avatar, Aang."

Even though he knew, deep inside he knew, Aang could still not believe it being said out loud like that. It wasn't only deep in his heart now, it wasn't just a hazy feeling somewhere in the back of his head. Someone had said it out loud, making it more… final. A fact. He was the Avatar. And it wasn't just anybody who'd said it – it was monk Gyatso, his guardian, mentor and best friend in the whole world. Which, for some reason, made it worse.

"Normally, we would have told you of your identity when you turned sixteen." Gyatso let out a small sigh, "But there are troubling signs… Storm clouds are gathering."

"I fear the war might be upon us, young Avatar." The monk sitting in the center said gravely.

"We need you, Aang." Gyatso added, not making the boy's sudden baggage of his title any less easier to deal with. The monk noticed Aang's crushed expression and a worried frown appeared on his old, wise face. "Perhaps we should go and summon the Shou now," he addressed the other monks.

They turned to look at him with wide eyes and alarm. "Gyatso," the one on the left started, "Do you think it wise?"

"There is a natural order to things like that!" another protested.

Aang raised his head to look at his old friend with curiosity. He had never heard the term 'Shou' before.

"He knows his role now, and it is our duty to give him as much help and guidance as we can. The Shou is just that." Gyatso explained calmly. "With the dark clouds almost over our heads, I think we should summon it as soon as possible."

"Perhaps you're right…" another elder muttered, "But it is early. Too early."

"Maybe, but it's better than too late."

"Gyatso?" Aang looked up at the man as he followed him down a steep, spiral staircase. Every boy growing up in the temple knew that the area was out of bounds for everyone except the elder monks, and even they did not enter it too often, as far as Aang could recall. "What is a… shoe?"

"Shou," the old monk corrected gently. "I'm afraid I cannot offer a good explanation, but I will try. A Shou is the Avatar's right hand. It is a Spirit bound to the Human World by a connection with the Avatar. It is a protector of the Avatar line, a guide in the Spirit World and a source of power. Usually, the Avatar summons it upon turning sixteen, but…" he looked down in worry, "I hope it will come today."

"What if it doesn't?" Aang asked, feeling suddenly nervous.

"It should. It is your guardian, after all."

"But… How do I summon it? I have no idea what to – " the boy was so busy looking up at the monk's face that he nearly walked into heavy looking door that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"This is as far as I can go." Gyatso said, putting his hands in his sleeves. "You need to complete this journey alone, Aang."

"What? But what do I have to do?" Aang gulped, looking at the dark door. "Do I… say anything?"

"Just go in." The old monk grabbed the metal circle and pulled the door open. "Don't worry, Aang. You will know what to do."

It was dark inside, too dark to see farther than a few feet. Aang didn't feel to comfortable by the sight, but with one more look at his friend's kind, reassuring face, he managed a shaky smile and slowly walked inside. The door closed behind him on its' own, but he didn't see that. Nor did he catch the worry and unease on the monk's face that immediately appeared once he had his back to him.

"It's so creepy…" Aang said to himself to make the emptiness of the room less scary, and immediately after he said the words, the room lit up slightly. He could see the stone floor and walls, and a weak flicker of light on the far end wall in front of him. Feeling intrigued and scared at the same time, Aang took a few steps towards it. The closer he got, the brighter the light became and soon he reached the wall.

At first sight it looked like a painting. A beautiful, highly realistic painting featuring a forested island in the middle of an ocean, with rocky mountains looming in the distance. There was a small clearing visible between the trees, a small camp fire in the middle. Aang gazed at the painting in wonder, taking in the live colors and realistic shapes. He stared, unblinking, when the colors shifted, the small fire growing to engulf the forest around it, the ocean darkening, high waves appearing, the mountains in the back cracking in half. The whole picture was shaking, but Aang could not look away. He didn't even blink when the whole room wavered around him, everything else but him and the painting blurring away. He didn't react when the echo of a whisper sounded in his ears and grew louder and louder and louder, until his whole body was filled with the mighty sound.

The colors melted off the picture, the sound died short and Aang was facing the frame, the picture gone, replaced by a smooth surface of a mirror. His wide eyes stared back at him. The Airbender blinked a couple times and let out a long sigh. Just as his heart started calming down, his reflection disappeared.

"Aah!" Aang cried out in surprise and took a step backwards. His back collided with something, making him yelp out again. Unconsciously, he realized he hadn't passed anything at any point of his stay in the room. He spun around.

The first thing his wide eyes noticed was a loose necklace with the water symbol engraved on a gleaming, upside-down kite-shaped pendant. It almost looked tear-shaped, but more angular. The pendant turned out to be connected to a thin silver chain which was tied around a neck, which turned out to be a part of a girl, who was glaring down at him with narrowed eyes, her arms crossed.

"AAAH!" Aang tumbled back, his hands ready in a bending position. He made a move to send a wave of air towards the stranger, but nothing happened. He looked down at his hands, then at the girl. It was hard to see in the dark, but he registered that she looked like a teenager, not much older than himself.

"What do you think you're doing, Avatar?" she spoke in a quiet but demanding voice, and the echo made him shiver.

The fear gave way to confusion as he stared at her, then back down at his hands. "I… uh,"

"Aren't you a bit too young to summon me?" she asked, her eyes scanning him from head to toe. "You haven't had your sixteenth birthday yet, have you?"

"Well, I…" Aang finally lowered his hands. "No, not yet. But the monks told me who I am because of the war, and Gyatso said I had to come here and -"

"That's enough." The girl interrupted him, uncrossing her arms. Her eyes softened and Aang's widened as he noticed it – when she was glaring at him, her eyes were dark blue, but now they looked a light shade of green. He noticed another strange thing; the way her shoulders slumped when she relaxed and the breath she released… She seemed tired. Exhausted. "Let us find a place to sit and we will talk more. We cannot stay too long in this room," she threw a short glance at the mirror, which was now a blank white canvas.

"Wait a minute," Aang spoke up as she turned towards the door. When she paused and looked at him through her shoulder, he continued, "Who are you?"

"My name is Shui Lian," she said simply, "I am your Shou."

Aang couldn't help but stare at the girl. They were sitting in Gyatso's chamber, where he and the old monk would play Pai Sho from time to time. She was kneeling in Gyatso's usual spot, her fingers entwined on her thighs as she stared back at the young Avatar, with equal curiosity.

She looked just a few years older than him, fifteen or sixteen tops, but her aura held unexplainable wisdom that was far older than anyone he'd known. She had long midnight black hair that was straight and reaching to her waist. Part of it was braided; there were two braids on either side of her face, starting near her temples, going around her head, and two more below the first ones, behind her ears, that also went around her head. The four plaits met at the back of her head and were tied together, forming one, thicker braid. Her eyes were a soft greenish color, glinting with interest like the sun glinted in water.

Her dress was quite simple, the top similar to a sleeveless kimono, with the left flap over the right one, but the neckline was a little too low for it to be called 'traditional'; her collarbone and another inch of skin below exposed, the pendant resting in the center. The dress reached a little past her knees and had slashes on both sides that went all the way up and almost disappeared under the wide piece of fabric that was tied snugly around her waist, with close-fitting shorts peeking out. The whole dress was a dark blue color, but the piece of fabric and the shorts underneath were a lighter shade blue, closer to the color of the sky. What intrigued the young boy the most, however, was her face. Or, rather, the marking on it. A small upside-down kite right in the middle of her forehead. It was a very pale color, almost white, barely visible on her skin, but it was there.

"It is a sign of water."

Aang jumped, immediately prying his eyes away from the mark. "Huh?"

She didn't seem bothered by his staring, though. "The mark on my forehead. It's an ancient sign of water."

"Oh… Why do you have it?"

"Because I am a Water Spirit."

Aang's frame twitched. "T-the Water Spirit?!"

The girl smiled politely. "Oh no. I am a part of the Water Spirit, sent to the Human World to protect the Avatar." The smile vanished when she grew serious again. "Now, I have already told you my name. From now on, you shall call me Lian. Never say my whole name out loud."

"Why?" Aang asked immediately.

"Names bear power, Avatar, and the only one that can have power over me is you." She explained vaguely before moving on. "I am your Shou. Protector and guide. We already share a bond on a spiritual level, but we will need to complete the ritual and once it's done, we will truly be connected. After that, we will – "

"Wait a minute," Aang interrupted, "What ritual?"

Lian blinked, then her serious expression softened. "Don't be afraid. First, you need to acknowledge the fact that you are the next Avatar. Once you accomplish that, we will proceed. It's painless," she added with a small smile, "Just our spirits connecting to each other. When it happens, I will never lose track of you and will be able to hear you on another level of existence. You shall draw power from me, and I from you."

The boy took a few seconds to let the information sink in. Not only was he suddenly responsible for the whole world, but he also could say goodbye to any kind of privacy he'd like to have. "Why haven't I heard about a Shou before?"

"A Shou is like an Avatar's shadow. It accompanies the Avatar on his journey of learning to control all the elements, but not interfering. I am forbidden to get in the way of anything that is not life threatening. I am here to keep the Avatar from any mortal danger and," she hesitated the slightest second, "from himself."

"From himself? Why?"

"Avatar, you are a bit too young to possibly imagine…" She paused, then sighed. "A master of the four elements is the master of all elements. The power that comes with being able to bend everything there is must be quite… tempting at times," Lian looked at the boy in front of her seriously. "Sometimes, a Shou is the only thing standing between an Avatar and madness. Do you understand?"

Aang nodded, feeling a little sick. Being an Avatar was not fun at all, but now it was dangerous to oneself, as well? Man, no party here.

"Do not worry, young Avatar," the girl smiled reassuringly. "While I am at your side, you shall come to no mortal danger."

Boy, he would love to believe that.

The cold evening air made Aang shiver slightly under his thin clothes. He stood in the middle of the empty playground, a place that once held so much fun and games, and now was like a desert. All his friends abandoned him, because he was the Avatar. Everyone looked at him differently now that he knew who he was. He looked the same and acted the same, he was still the same boy he was a few days before. Nothing changed, he wasn't even stronger from simply hearing about what he can achieve! But, sadly, no one seemed to see it the same way he did. Even the monks. The monks, who had taken care of him and the rest of the young Air Nomads, now wanted to take his best friend, his only friend away from him…

"Avatar?"

Aang turned, a scowl appearing on his face on its' own. He hated that title already.

Lian walked up to him, her eyes darkened by worry.

"Is anything wrong? Forgive me, but without the bond all I can do is guess."

And the Shou. Another reason on the mile-long list of 'what about being the whole world's hope sucks'. He didn't want that bond. He didn't want her in his head every day all day, going through his thoughts and feelings. He really didn't like it when she always tried to be by his side, attempting small-talk or not needed comfort, so he'd done everything he could to avoid her as much as possible. She didn't seem to get the idea and constantly chased after him. If it wasn't so serious, it could have been fun – like an endless game of hide-and-seek.

"Nothing." He snapped and turned to walk away. He knew it wasn't her fault, that she was only there to do her duty, but still… It was hard to accept a total stranger walking behind him like a shadow. She was a Water Spirit, so he was sure to give her some respect, but no one could force him to like her so quickly. And, why did he need a protector, anyway? Wasn't he already powerful enough to take care of himself, being the Avatar and all?

And she insisted on calling him 'Avatar', even when he asked her and told her not to. It was beginning to drive him insane.

"Once we complete the bond, you won't be able to lie to me so easily, Avatar."

"Would you stop calling me that?!" Aang shouted suddenly, twisting his body around and forming his hands to send a blast of air towards the girl. Nothing happened. That made him even more furious. "Why can't I just blow you away?! I don't want your stupid bond! I don't want a protector! I don't want to be the Avatar!"

Lian did not react. She just stood there in the middle of the playfield, watching as the young Avatar stomped away. Once he was out of sight, she let out a sigh. "He's too young for this mess."

She looked up as the storm clouds gathered above. The first drop of rain fell right between her brows.

By the time monk Gyatso discovered that Aang was missing, the boy was far away, flying on the head of his pet bison through the storm, barely hanging on as the animal struggled to keep some distance between them and the raging ocean. By the time Gyatso found Lian, the bison lost the battle with the mad storm and he and the Avatar sank into the freezing water. When Aang slipped into the Avatar state and trapped himself and the animal in a ball of ice, Lian felt it. Briefly and fleetingly, but she did.

And it was the last thing she experienced.

A/N: I hope that raised some interest, even though it's just a prologue :) It's my first fanfic in years, but the show inspired me so strongly that I had to try and get back into writing shape :D

In case you're interested, the Chinese symbol for 'shǒu' (pronounced just like you see it – sho-u) is 守, which, according to the dictionary, means 'to guard; to defend; to keep watch'. Since it has the same meaning in Japanese, I decided to trust the dictionary definition and thus picked the word :)

I hope to see you in the next chapter. If you liked it, please leave me a review :)