A/N: First off, I want to thank everyone who reviewed my story. Thanks to you guys, I think I have an idea on what could improve my story, and I'm really grateful for that. A lot of the continuity errors and plot holes you guys addressed have been corrected here, thanks again, and keep on reviewing, I'd like to hear your opinions on how it's going.

Don't own Avatar or anything like that, but anti-hero Avin Airiaen is my original character. This fic takes place at no really specific point in the series, so it's up for interpretation. This is my first fanfic for Avatar so please R&R, I want to hear what you guys think. Enjoy

Chapter 1: Beginnings

So, what now, smart guy?

Give me a second…tracking someone isn't an exact science or anything…

Just hurry it up, huh? Look, right there, on the ground.

What is it?

That, look!

Avin Airiaen knelt on the ground. He grabbed the piece of cloth on the ground. It was from an airbender's tunic. The Avatar had been here already. He had been following them for so long. He had been so close, at the swamp...he should have had them there. No matter; the point was, he was getting closer. He scratched his head. What was he going to say? What could he say? He looked back towards the ocean, in the direction of the Fire Nation.

No. He wasn't going back. Anything but back there.

He pushed up the collar of his jacket, and started walking.

Elsewhere

Aang jumped headfirst into the water. "WAA-HOOO!" he yelled. He made a big splash, and Sokka was soaked in water.

"Ah, Aang!!" he groaned.

"Shut up and come join us already, the water's great," Toph retorted.

"Guys, aren't we forgetting something? Like about how we have to keep moving? The Fire Nation could attack at any moment!" Sokka said.

"Relax, Sokka," Katara said calmly as she swam gracefully through the water.

"We've been flying for days, and we've covered our tracks pretty well. I think we can relax for an hour or two," Aang said.

Toph got out of the water, drying herself off, and started walking out of the clearing.

"Hey, Toph, where are you going?" Aang said, "We haven't practiced earthbending today, remember?"

"Don't worry, Twinkle Toes," Toph said, walking deeper into the dense forest, "I'll be back before you know it."

Toph continued her march through the large trees and the soft grass. She found a nice spot at the base of a tree, with soft grass, and a few rocks. She sat down, and the felt the cool that the shade of the tree's long branches gave her.

"I miss you guys, you know that?" Toph said to nobody in particular. After all, no one was around. It was part of why she said it, anyway. "I know you probably don't think I do, and most of the time I try not to think about it. But sometimes I remember you, and I have to let something out."

"So, like…I wonder sometimes. Do you miss me too?" Toph asked, putting her face in her hands.

With Avin

Avin stalked through the forest carefully. He didn't want Avatar and his friends to notice his prescence until HE wanted them to know. They had almost given him the slip, but a little ingenuity and luck (mostly luck, Avin admitted) got him back on their trail. He caught a handful of the bison's hair. Either it was shedding again or the Avatar was doing a terrible job of looking after his bison. Either way, they were probably about a mile or so away. He walked in their direction when he noticed a shuffling sound. He took out his sword and swung it around. Nothing. He looked around carefully. He had heard the sound from behind the base of a tree. He approached the tree carefully. He jumped and pointed his sword at...

A sleeping girl. He put his sword down and bent down to look at her.

The odds of meeting a girl in the middle of the forest, so close to where the Avatar was? She had to be a friend of the Avatar. Thinking about it more, she was probably Toph Beifong, the Avatar's earthbending teacher. Judging from the recent dirt on her feet and the fresh tracks leading to her location, she seemed to have been running. Another thing Avin noticed is that the girl had been crying, due to the undried tears on her face. Her clothes had been wet, and they had dried a little, but she was still soaked. She shivered in her sleep. Avin wasn't surprised; she must have been very cold. He took off his jacket and put it over her. He knew what it felt like to be cold. He dried her tears, and brushed her hair back.

She's a very pretty girl, Avin thought to himself. She looked about a year or two younger than Avin. He lit a fire beside her. Why was he doing this? The girl was a friend of the Avatar's...and consequently, an enemy of his. But he looked at her, and felt a funny warm feeling inside him.

He had no idea he was feeling compassion.

"Toph!" yelled Katara.

"Toph!" shouted Aang, "Where are you?"

Sokka cut his machete through some vines, and the group continued the search for their lost friend.

With Toph and Avin

Toph woke up. She felt around, and noticed a long piece of cloth covering her. Where had this come from...? She listened intently to her surroundings.

Hmm, no birds chirping or anything, and the temperature's dropped a bit, she thought, must be nighttime.

She put her hand to her face to dry her tears, only to notice that her face was already dry. She was also warm, due to the fire that had been lit next to her. She felt a plate of food sitting on the ground near the fire. Who ever had done this, they were very sweet. She took off the jacket and started eating when she felt someone drop from the treetops.

She got up quickly as a boy's voice said, "Hey, hold on. I'm not your enemy."

She stopped. "You...are you the one that did all this for me?" She motioned towards the fire and food.

"Yeah," the boy replied, "I was expecting a better welcome..."

"Sorry," Toph said as she sat down. The boy sat down too.

"Thanks for helping me, but I'm doing just fine on my own." she said.

"Didn't look that way to me..." the boy muttered. She looked in the direction of the voice. She felt the boy's slight surprise as he looked into her eyes. "You're blind?"

She returned the stare. "Yes." she said defiantly. Figures he would be just like everyone else...

Avin looked into her milky-white eyes. "I-I didn't mean to offend you." he said. And he hadn't; he just hadn't been expecting it. Toph looked at him. How she could look into his eyes perfectly when she was blind was beyond him. The girl was definitely special, no doubt about that. Well, she was traveling with the Avatar...

"Well, don't worry, because you don't. I'm used to people treating me different because I'm blind."

Avin shook his head. "I didn't mean it like that. I know you're a powerful warrior. You don't need anyone's help."

Toph looked up, surprised. "How did you know that?"

Avin could have kicked himself. How could he have let that slip...? Luckily enough for him, he didn't have time to respond, as Aang, Katara, and Sokka came out of the darkness.

"Avatar!" Avin got up hastily and grabbed his sword. Of all the times...! "Finally, I've been searching for you for a long time."

Aang took out his staff. "What do you want?"

Toph got up. "Guys?"

"Let Toph go!" Sokka said angrily as he grabbed his boomerang.

"Hey, wait," said Avin. He began to think they were getting the wrong impression, "I didn't kidnap her..." He pointed his sword at Aang. "But I do want to fight you."

His sword and Aang's staff clashed. Katara sent a blast of water at Avin, but he dodged it effortlessly. He retaliated by sending a burst of compressed air her way. She was too surprised to react, and the blast hit her and she went flying through the bushes. Aang's face was a mixture of shock and anger, and he rushed at Avin. "You're...an airbender!?" Aang asked. He swung his staff at Avin.

"No, I'm not, that blast of air must have been the wind, huh?" replied Avin sarcastically as their weapons clashed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Toph getting ready to earthbend. No, no, no!! Avin thought, I have no idea how to fight an earthbender...much less HER...

Toph shot a boulder at Avin, and he opted to dodge Toph's attack, rolling out of the way. Sokka slashed at Avin with his machete. Avin blocked and parried each blow. He rolled behind Sokka, grabbed him, and threw him into a tree. Out of all the Avatar's friends, Avin had thought Sokka would be the easiest to fight, and the warrior hadn't disappointed him. Aang sent a blast of air at Avin, and Avin blocked it with a shield of air. Aang stopped for a second. His airbending...Aang thought to himself, it has power even to rival mine's...

"Surprised, Avatar?" Avin cried triumphantly, "I doubt you can win this fight!"

Yeah, I can SAY that, Avin thought, but I'm so totally screwed. Common sense says I should beg for mercy at this point, but…

He got ready to resume his attack as Sokka got up and threw his boomerang.

Sokka's boomerang whizzed through the air. Avin looked on in shock as the boomerang headed for Toph. The idiot's aim was way off...! He dove at her with inhuman speed, and shoved her aside. The boomerang connected with his skull and everything went black.