Avatar: The Spirit Wars (Aang's Legacy)
Summary: 16 years after the war, the world seems at peace, but from underneath the surface a new danger is lurking. Join the next avatar and her friends in her quest to keep the world at peace. A story of a heroine in the making, containing lots of consequences from the Gaang's journeys. Kataang, Sukka and Maiko pairings, in the future ofcourse.
Notes: The beginning might be a little heavy and serious, but it'll lighten up later. Plus, I suck at humor, but I'll try. Second chapter is already finished, and I will post it when either I feel like it, or I get enough reviews. And please ppl, do review, I want to know who I'm writing for ;-).
Disclaimer: Last time I checked, I didn't own Avatar.
Chapter 1: Leaving Home Pt. 1
A clear starry night allowed the moon to cast its shadows over the icy metropolis called the Northern Water Tribe. A teenage girl, just about average height, was sitting on a bridge with another Northern Water Tribe citizen. The girl had a big smile on her face, still thinking about a really bad joke the boy just told her.
As a soft breeze flowed by, she held onto her dark brown hair so it wouldn't cover her bright blue eyes. The boy on the other hand didn't have to, as his hair was just a bit too short reach his eyes and was held together by a blue headband.
Daku's gray eyes reminded Enai of many things, like the moon, clouds and storms. Just a few years ago the duo discovered their bending abilities, and they would battle each other for fun and practise. Enai's mother wasn't allowed to do anything but healing until avatar Aang and his friends showed up – including Master Katara. She was the one who single-handedly fought for equality between water tribe men and women.
Even though she was allowed to fight since then, her mother never saw the need to learn battling with water bending though. From time to time, Enai would try to teach her mom how to fight, but they would always end up laughing, annoying spectators and people walking past with water whips. Enai liked to think her mother was just too kind and carefree to even think about fighting.
Daku on the other hand, who was trained by the best waterbending masters on the northern hemisphere because of his high status, and would fight Enai with all he's got. In addition to his bending skills, he used the katana he got from his father a lot, sometimes with and sometimes without bending. This katana seemed to consist out of darker metal than their battle bracers, and it was fairly light too. They wondered why, but they never asked; this wasn't the only peculiar object Daku's dad had in his possession.
Enai didn't have any top-of-the-notch teachers, but strangely she invented her very own unique moves. Every once in a while they would find a quiet place and teach each other their moves in a duel. The result of those fights was a close friendship and lots of battle experience, which they were gonna need later on.
They were silently enjoying each others presence until Daku broke the silence. "You're never gonna guess what I've got you for your birthday."
"A flying bison?" She asked with a girly glitter in her eyes.
Daku frowned and said "Yeah, I stumbled upon an extinct animal by accident, so I thought I'd give it to you. Now make a realistic guess."
Enai smiled. "You know, I don't need any birthday present. I got everything I want: a close friend, my mother and a careless life in the water tribe. Everything else is just a welcome addition."
"I know you think that way, so can you realise how hard it was for me to find you a special present you won't forget about a few days later?" "Haha, sorry, but I just couldn't resist melting that icy blob you gave me last year and throw it to your face."
"Hey, it was a penguin, and it took me a while to make it. I'm not half as good in ice sculpturing as I am in bending battles."
"I sure hope so, or else you wouldn't be able to make a proper water whip."
Enai started laughing at him and a few seconds later Daku decided to join her. After they cooled down Daku continued the conversation.
"Okay okay, I admit it wasn't that much of a sculpture anyway, but I'm sure you'll like this present. Now I gotta go home and get some rest, because we'll be hunting early tomorrow. I'll be back around noon to hand over your birthday gift."
"That's okay, I'll probably be in bed tomorrow morning. That's why I love Avatar day, we can just relax all day and do nothing."
"You can relax and do nothing" he corrected, "I have to hunt with the other guys." "And in return, we turn the meat you bring back into a tasty meal, and everyone is happy." Enai added. Daku shrugged and stood up to walk towards his home. "I'll see you tomorrow Enai." "Sleep well Daku." She replied.
Enai was lazy if no-one needed her for anything important. She lived in a normal house in the suburbs of the Northern Water Tribe with her mother. Her father was a warrior who died defending avatar Aang in the final battle against fire lord Ozai just before she was born. Her mother always told Enai she was just like her father, both physically and mentally. She figured her father must have outslept every other soldier in the army back then.
Enai wasn't sleeping, but she wasn't awake either when she heard her mother talking to someone downstairs. As she was lying comfortably on her bed with one arm hanging over the edge and a leg just poking out under the other side of the blanket, she decided not to stand up. Until she was forced to.
"WATCH OUT BELOW!"
Enai was catapulted off her bed when Daku jumped on it. "Spirits, how late is it?"
"It's one o'clock snoozles. I returned from hunting about an hour ago, and took the time to wash myself and get rid of that fishy smell before I headed over to your place. And jeez, couldn't you tidy it up just a little bit?"
"Oh yeah, I was planning to do that this morning." She said with a big grin on her face and scratching the back of her head with one arm, like she used to do when she was embarrassed.
"Anyway, here's your super awesome gift." Daku handed over a simple cardboard box to Enai. Still in her pyjama, she examined the box for any oddities, but she couldn't find any. She tore open the box expecting another slightly smaller ice sculptured blob, but instead she found a beautiful necklace, a dark blue ribbon with a turquoise crystal heart.
She gasped and said "Wow Daku, this is beautiful! How.. When.. Where did you get it?"
"My dad gave it to me. He said it would be the perfect gift for you, probably even more fitting than I'd think. But in my opinion a beautiful necklace from the Earth Kingdom is as perfect as it gets." Enai gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Thanks Daku, you're the best." "I know, I know." he said with a satisfied grin on his face. "And now leave, I have to get changed." "Oh right, I almost forgot I just launched you out of your bed. I'll see you downstairs I guess?"
"Oooooooh it's so pretty!" Enai's mom exclaimed." She didn't even notice Enai's new hairdo, with a knot on the back of her head and braids hanging down in front of her shoulders.
"Where did you get that? It's Earth Kingdom crystal isn't it?" She continued. Enai was a bit embarrassed at her mom, but she couldn't help but smile at her everlasting girliness.
"Actually I didn't get it myself, my dad gave it to me. He told me it would be a perfect gift for Enai's 16th birthday."
"It's more than perfect! It's awesome, pretty, beautif.."
"Yeah mom, cut it out already." Enai interrupted, afraid that her mom would keep talking for hours.
"Sorry dear, I guess I got a bit too over-excited." She said calmly before she went to the kitchen to get some tea.
"So uuhm, how did the hunting go today?" Enai asked.
"Same as usual. We went out, caught some pigfish and seacows and went back. But I did hear one of the hunters say something to my dad about the monks of the Northern Water Temple. I could hear them say something about the Avatar before I got dragged away by a wild seacow."
Enai's mom came back into the room with the biggest grin on her face. "Oh, my dearest daughter is sixteen now. The guests should arrive any minute now. Is your father coming too, Daku?"
"I guess not, he's probably busy with I-don't-know-what-kind-of-boring-stuff." He said, his mind drifting off a bit.
"Oh, that's too bad. I'd love to talk to chief Arnook again."
Daku didn't like being reminded about him being the prince. He'd rather be a normal peasant like Enai, so he wouldn't be treated like he's the king of the world all the time. That was one of the reasons he liked hanging out with Enai so much, she didn't really care if he were a prince or just a bum.
His mother always treated him like he was a normal kid, but his father had always been a little absent-minded. His mother told him it had to do with his deceased sister Yue, now the moon spirit. Daku had dreams in which he would see her and talk to his white-haired sister. For all he knew, he's had those dreams ever since he could remember.
Most of the time she would ask Daku what's new, and Daku would tell about his personal experiences and news from around the globe. She probably already knew everything, but they would have something to talk about. A few times she told him about Avatar Aang, Master Katara and her brother Sokka and when it was full moon, Daku would just sit and watch at the celestial appearance, swearing he could feel the presence of his sister.
"Daku?" Enai saw that he was thinking about something.
"Oh sorry, I guess I was daydreaming a little. So, how has your day be.." He was interrupted by a few firm knocks on the door.
"Oh, I think the guests have arrived." Enai's mom stated. When she opened the door, a group of monks stepped into the house.
"Enai? We need to talk to you." Daku remembered a conversation with Yue about Avatar Aang a while ago, when suddenly he came to a realization.
Enai is a talented bender.
It's been 16 years now.
Avatar Aang was an airbender.
Next in line would be..
"No.. Way.." he softly said to himself.
Three dark figures gathered on a hilltop in the western Earth Kingdom at night. The first person was a bulky and large man, who seemed to be very well-trained and agile in spite of his posture. The second was skinny tan male with dark hair and dark eyes. He carried a very large bag on his back. The last person was a female with yellow eyes.
"Any progress?" she asked.
"Those pesky earth monks refused to tell anything. I made sure they'll never tell anything anymore." The big man said.
"Rikuto, you might be the most dangerous earthbender I've ever met, but you don't really think ahead don't you." The skinny man said. "You just barge in and kill people. I on the other hand manipulate them to be useful to me, and then I might not kill them."
"Easy for you to say, mister bloodbender, but I haven't played with water since I was 12." Rikuto said with a mocking voice.
"Oh yeah? Well I haven't thrown rocks at anyone since.."
"Oh shut up you two." Azula interrupted, shaking her head. "We'll have to keep a low profile if we want to find them. I suggest Rikuto keeps the Dai Li moving and Moko keeps his erm.. people gathering information concerning the Stones."
"They're top notch spies.." Moko hissed at Azula.
"Sure they are, but they haven't been of much use lately haven't they? I mean, my rebels found out about those pebbles while your spies were drinking tea on our expense!"
"Hey, people NEED TEA!"
Azula shook her head again. "Right, this isn't going anywhere. We'll meet here again in a month unless it's important enough to send the others a message. Moko, I expect your outcast bums to find things out like they should."
"Spies." He whispered softly, much like a disappointed little kid whose mother didn't take a look at his newest drawing.
"Whatever." Azula mounted her mongoose dragon and sped off west towards a small fleet of old fire nation ships. Rikuto earthbended himself into the ground, probably heading east towards Ba Sing Se. Moko just stood there for a while before jumping to the conclusion: "I have no idea where to go." He decided to walk towards a random Earth Kingdom town for some calming tea. A messenger hawk would reach him sooner or later.