Avatar - New Journey

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[KortnyP]

Alright, I've had this story in my head since before Korra, but I never wrote it down until now. So I'm going to. I've changed some things so it happens after Korra. This isn't my first fanfic, but it's the first one I'm posting publicly. So, I'm going to lay some rules out here.

1. I want constructive criticism. Tell me what you think is wrong/needs fixing, and why you think that. Things like "That's stupid" or "I don't like it" are not cool, and I'll either ignore you or delete your comments.

2. Everything I type here is mine. You can show it to others, but please give me credit. If you want to use my characters and create your own story (FanFicFic?) ask me first.

3. If you're going to tell me something you didn't like about it, tell me something you liked about it too! Mostly I only share to known friends, so sharing with you all is something new, and if I get too much negativity I may quit.

4. Input is awesome! If you'd like to see something in this, or something tweaked and changed, tell me! Either post it here, or pm me.

5. My "L" key is sticky, and while I try to pay attention, I may miss a couple L's. Tell me if you notice that, or any typos.

6. My story will be posted in "Document" post style. If you don't wanna see other stuff, like my comments, ignore anything not in that style. That said, don't post here in "Document" style! If you do, I'll delete it. You can use any other style, just not document.

I will try to post one chapter a week minimum, but it all depends on what ideas I have and how I'm feeling, and what work is like. Most likely it'll end up being one a day.

I'm also not going to post the character info. I know who the characters are, but I want it to be a secret for you. After a few chapters, once most of the main characters are introduced, I'll put up a bit of a description/bio of them.

Hope you enjoy!

[KortnyP]

Book one -Intertwined
Chapter 1 - Running

The early morning was a busy time for the lower ring of Ba Sing Se. Vendors began opening shops, drunks stumbled into their dens to hide from the bright sun, and the city woke up. While not nearly as bad as it had been in the time of the Hundred Year War, the lower ring was still a poverty stricken place. Beggars slumped at every corner, or lined up to take the train to the middle ring. Crime was terrible, and the police were harsh, unforgiving, and terrifying.

Shouting filled the sky, startling birds into flight, as a young woman ran through the streets. Her face hidden by a black mask, she smiled as she dodged through the growing crowds. It wasn’t as if she’d known there would be police right near the bakery, or that they would chase her over a measly 3 loaves of bread. Holding tight to her satchel of stolen breakfast, she turned a corner and jumped, blasting fire from her feet and propelling herself to the rooftops.

Pausing for a breath, she watched silently as the police rounded the corner and kept going, her maneuver unknown. Looking across the street, she waved at the pygmy puma staring at her. Trust him to have already escaped his pursuers. In his mouth was another bag, this one carrying fruit. A balanced breakfast for today. He jumped to her roof and butted his head against her, laying his prize at her feet.

The girl took off her hood and tucked it into her pocket, before taking off her black jacket and flipping it inside out, revealing its green core. She pulled a light beige bag from another pocket, and tucked the two black satchels into it before throwing it over her shoulder. She gave her friend a kiss, then sent him off, and jumped down to the streets again. They would meet up soon, when no police were chasing them.

[KortnyP]

Minto sat up with a gasp, his breathing ragged and heart racing. On her perch beside his bed, Kaera ruffled her feathers and cooed at him, urging him back to sleep. The messenger hawk was smart, and knew that once he got up the day would begin. And it was far too early for that.

He couldn’t sleep again though. Adrenaline pumped through him, so with a sign he left his warm bed and walked to the bathroom. He’d had that dream before, or similar to it at least. Every time, running through unknown streets, being chased or doing the chasing. He knew it was real, knew it like he knew turtle ducks quacked, and yet it was so strange.

Staring at his mirror, he committed the dream to memory. He looked into his eyes, left eye blue and right eye green, and tried to will the truth from his brain. Since the dreams started six months ago, he’d been trying in vain to connect to Korra, the previous avatar. His past life. Maybe she would know who this familiar yet mysterious girl was. But, as always, he was unable to contact her.

Rubbing his hands across his face, Minto began his morning routine. Since his head was bald, there was no need to wash or brush any hair. Instead, he washed his face and hands, before cleaning his teeth. Like most from the Earth Empire, his skin was a dusty gold, and he had a few freckles dotting his cheeks. At 5 foot 7 inches, Minto was tall for his age. While he was muscled, he was not near the average weight for Earth Empire. Aside from his skin color, we could be mistaken for a full blood air bender.

Once finished, Minto whistled at Kaera and opened his door. The bird flew out ahead of him, whistling grumpily. She could have gone out the open window, but preferred flying through the halls. Minto thought it was because the other Air Acolytes dodged out of her way, and she loved annoying others. With a smile, Minto broke into a jog and began his morning laps around Air Temple Island.

[KortnyP]

So I'm thinking for each page I write on my google doc, I'll post that here. If it doesn't make sense to stop where I am, they may be a little longer or shorter. We'll see.

[KortnyP]

He was barely done the first lap around the island when Rin joined. They jogged in silence, letting the morning speak. Out of the corner of his eye, Minto studied his best friend. Rins skin was a shade or two darker than his own, and his wavy brown hair was shoulder length and pulled back in a tight ponytail. Sometimes Minto envied his hair, but he mostly wanted Rins muscles. He was the stereotypical earth bender, tall and brawny, with the strength to move boulders.

Rins pale grey eyes met his and flashed in a smile. He knew Minto was jealous, of his body and ability to earth bend. He’d never said so, never had to, but Rin knew. Likewise, he knew Rin was jealous of his ability to fly with air bending. Opposites, but brothers.

With a smirk, Rin let his foot slide on a step, bending the ground beneath Minto into sand, and ran in earnest. Minto let out a yelp as he sank to his knees in the soft sand. Blasting air around him, he pulled himself out, and sprinted after his friend. While he could fly, that wouldn’t be a fair race, and he wasn’t far enough behind to resort to cheating. Yet.

He stretched his arms behind him, feeling the air running through his fingers, before pulling the wind behind him. It propelled him forwards, his body acting like a sail, and he easily passed Rin. As a bit of a jab, he blew a head wind at Rin, pushing against him and forcing him to slow.

The battle continued, Rin dropping beneath the surface of the ground, running under Minto where his wind couldn’t reach. Underneath Mintos feet, he thrust mounds of earth up, laughing as Minto tripped and stumbled, before jumping to the surface ahead of him. Pulling some water from the fountains around him, Minto splashed the cold liquid on Rin before creating a sheet of ice for the other boy to slip on.

Finally, the two drew to a gasping halt in the main courtyard and collapsing on the ground. They lay on their backs, sucking air into their lungs and watching the clouds pass. Soon Tano would be out, and their training would begin, but for now they were free. Minto clenched his fists, and used the air to bring them both to their feet. The boys walked to breakfast in companionable silence, enjoying the quiet.

[KortnyP]

The eating hall was nearly empty when they entered, a benefit of getting up before the sun did, so they grabbed their bowls and went to the usual spot. For a bit they ate quietly, but Minto fidgeted. Noticing, Rin stopped eating and waited.

“I had another dream.” Minto started, glad his friend was finally ready to listen. “I was her again. I stole some fruit, and gave it to the pygmy puma, and then stole some bread. But there were police around the corner, and they saw me as I was leaving. So I ran.” Minto never ran from police, except in his dreams. Normally, he was helping them catch robbers, not robbing someone himself.

“But I got a hint. I think she’s in the Earth Empire, Ba Sing Se or maybe Omashu. There were more people today, and they all wear greens or browns.” Minto and Rin had come to Republic city when they were 8, and only visited the Earth Empire on holidays. They’d been to Ba Sing Se before, a couple times actually, but only ever in the upper or middle rings. Tano, Minto’s advisor and water bending master, didn’t let them go to the lower ring. He’d told them there was too much crime, and if that’s where this mystery girl was, he was right.

“And?” Rin asked, dipping his bread in his milk. “What are you going to do about it? Travel to Omashu and search for her?” Always pragmatic, Rin sounded condescending when he spoke, but Minto knew he was just being honest.

Even if they could convince Tano, there was no where for him to start looking. His dreams of her never lasted more than a few minutes, and since he saw everything from her perspective, he had never even seen her face. He knew the pygmy puma she ran with. It was larger than most pygmy puma, his shoulder reaching her knee easily. His colors were also strange, being black as pitch instead of the usual browns.

“She’s got a pygmy puma with her. There’s lots of those in the lower ring of Ba Sing Se. You’ve already passed master Yin in earth bending, and I need an earth bending master who can teach me, so maybe we can convince master Tano.” Even to his own ears, the reasoning was useless.

[KortnyP]

“Convince me of what?” Came the clipped voice of Tano. Both boys flinched, then turned and looked at their teacher. He was tall, nearly 6 feet, and looked every inch the stereotypical water bender. His skin was darker than Mintos or Rins, and his brown hair was kept in a top pony, with the sides shaved off. Minto knew he was around his mid thirties, but was unsure of his true age. He and Rin had been training under Tano for 10 years, and even at 15 they still felt ridiculously young.

“Convince you to take us to Ba Sing Se.” Minto answered quickly. Lying was against everything he believed in, but there was nothing wrong with telling selective truth. “I-”

“We,” interjected Rin, glancing at Minto before going back to his meal. He’d done his part to help.

“We need a new earth master. I’m not learning anything from master Yin, and Rin is better than him. We both need someone stronger to teach us.” Minto looked at Tano with wide eyes. In his experiences with half-truths, which were few, Tano responded well if you could meet his eyes. There were rumors that he would feel how fast your blood was pumping through your heart, and could tell if you were lying, but Minto didn’t believe those. Mostly.
Surprisingly, Tano sat down at the end of the low table with a sigh. He steepled his fingers, and immediately both boys came to attention and focused on him. He was going to say something important. They knew his quirks and tells by now.

“I agree.” The words seemed to drag themselves out of Tanos mouth with great regret. Minto was stunned, and Rin even stopped eating to listen. “Master Yin is old, and not the best to deal with your ...antics.”

Minto and Rin exchanged a quick glance, then covered up their smirks by shoving bread into their mouths. Whenever either got too exasperated in master Yins class, the other would create a distraction. Mostly just harmless pranks, like using the wind to make all the bells go off, or making the earth under his feet a bit softer than usual. The old master never seemed to catch on, but they both knew Tano knew.

“But I was thinking of Omashu. The city is calmer, there will be less to distract you from your studies.” Tano continued thoughtfully, seemingly unaware of the panicked look Minto gave Rin.

“Sir.” Rin spoke up, taking Tanos attention. “They are building a new healing temple in Ba Sing Se. It’s going to be the biggest one yet. I would like to learn how they build it.” His request stunned Minto. He knew about the temple of course, his skill at water healing was pretty good, but was surprised Rin knew.

“Do you now?” Murmerd Tano, giving Rin the full effect of his stare. Minto watched as his friend returned it unwaveringly. Always amazing. It was also probably the most Rin would likely speak during the day. He may have even filled his weekly quota with that. Not much one for words.

The silence seemed to stretch on indefinitely, before Tano nodded decisively. “We leave tomorrow. You will train as usual this morning, but will have this afternoon to get ready and pack. Only pack what you can carry.” With that he stood and walked from the room. The boys missed his knowing smile as they high fived.

[KortnyP]

Ok, so chapter 1 is done! I'll get to work on chapter 2. Tell me what you think! I feed off attention! But please be nice.

[FanficWriter]

i like it so far! can't wait to see where this is going. cat_3nodding

[KortnyP]

I didn't think anyone had read it! I'll get the next chapter up asap

[KortnyP]

Chapter 2 - Family Matters

Landing lightly on the ground, Ajani reached up and undid her bun, letting her long black hair flow against her back. She hated wearing that mask, not only did it obstruct her view, but it made her head terribly itchy. Still, it was either that or get caught, so she put up with it.

Quickly she made her way home, stopping to talk to a vendor when the police force ran past. Idiots were still looking for her. Or, more specifically, the Black Mask. Such an original name, her and Kami laughed about it all the time. The route she took was a bit convoluted, making sure no one was following her. Home was where they were safe, no way was she bringing some idiot to her family.

Home being a flexible word. If she was being literal, it was actually an abandoned building they were squatting in. It was the longest they’d stayed in the same building, just under 4 months, and the group was enjoying having their own place. Before this other squatters or the police had always kicked them out. Luckily, this building looked terrible from the outside, and without Ajanis earth bending it would have fallen down weeks ago.

She pushed open the slab of clay that served as a door and went inside. The main entrance was deceptively empty, with only some rocks and garbage littering the floor. At the back wall tattered and faded tapestries hung. Nudging one aside, Ajani slipped into the secret tunnel and staircase she had made when they first found the building. The building itself was 4 stories tall, and had once been an apartment or hotel, they never could figure out which. Ajani and her family left the bottom 3 floors empty, and she had purposely destroyed the original stairs leading to the fourth floor.

Finally her climb was complete and she emerged on the top floor to be greeted by Moto, her pygmy puma and partner in crime, and the loud grating sound of Sokka snoring. Honestly, Ajani had no clue how the other boys, Taro and Lan, managed to sleep in the same room. Scratching Moto behind his half gone ear, Ajani silently made her way to the ‘dining’ room. While it was where they ate, it was also where they held family meetings, planned their next less than legal activities, or just hung about. Ajani had even managed to find a couple old couches and get them here.