Snowflakes slowly drifted from the overcast sky, lazily twirling through the air to land on the surface of the water beneath it. The prow of a small boat cut through the water, the rhythmic splashing of an oar hitting the sea was joined by the humming of the one sitting in the boat.
The man in the boat sighed to himself, shaking his blond hair free of snowflakes. "I hope I reach the Southern Water Tribe before nightfall," He muttered to himself, "It's always a bad idea to be out on the water when the snow starts falling."
His blue eyes fell into a dead-pan look. "And I'm going to go crazy if I don't find someone else to talk to. It turns out I'm a horrible conversationalist with no one else around. Who knew?"
Adjusting the dark orange scarf around his neck, the young man continued rowing, humming a tuneless melody. Jumping slightly as his boat came to a sudden stop, the blond man broke out into a wide smile, the whisker-like marks on his cheeks stretching. Before him lay a large, flat iceberg, and just within his vision he could spot a white wall.
The wall was definitely not made by the wind, not unless a wind spirit liked making lookout towers for some reason.
Easily hopping from the small wooden boat, the man proceeded to pull it on top of the ice, withdrawing a large pack that he hefted on to his back with minimal fuss. "Don't go anywhere." He said jokingly, patting the boat like a pet.
Setting off towards the distant encampment, the man whistled and would skip every couple of steps, his pack jingling. "Halt!" A young voice cried as he approached a hole in the wall. "Who goes there?"
Spotting a pair of children peeking at him over a pile of snow, the young man waved and smiled brightly. "Hello there! I'm just a wanderer, looking for shelter and trade!" He paused when he noticed that the pile of snow had blue eyes that were narrowed in suspicion. "Is…there an adult I can speak to?"
One of the kids pushed the other and whispered something to her. She scrambled away as the blond man carefully stepped closer.
The pile of snow burst as a young, lanky teen popped out of it, holding a Water-Tribe club above his head threateningly. "Don't come any closer or the warriors of the Water-Tribe will make you regret it!"
Taking the step back, the other man held his hands out and open. "Easy there, I'm not looking to make any trouble." He said soothingly.
"Sokka!" An elderly voice called out, "Stop threatening the man. Don't you have a wall to rebuild?"
"Gran-Gran!" Sokka whined, his arms falling, "I'm trying to be fearsome!"
Gran-Gran silently pointed away, and the young man sighed and trotted off, but not before shooting the blond wanderer another suspicious look and pointing at his eyes, then pointing at the man in a very clear, 'I'm watching you' gesture.
The other man quirked an eyebrow at the retreating Sokka before smiling at the elder. "Hello there! I don't mean anyone any harm, I'm just a wanderer. I'm looking for a place to stay and trade, that's all."
Gran-Gran looked at him closely, and then nodded. "What is your name, young one?"
"Oh! I forgot to introduce myself," The blond man bowed low, his pack sliding up and smacking the back of his head. "My name is Naruto, though I go by Sun."
The elder's eyes rolled up to look at Sun's shock of bright blond hair. "I can see why," She muttered, before looking at him straight. "You are welcome to stay, though I'm afraid we don't have much in the way of trading."
Sun bowed again, this time making sure his pack didn't slide. "Thank you very much. I don't have much to trade either, but I'm willing to work for a bed and meal." He remarked easily, following the old woman as she walked into the main area of the Southern Water Tribe.
"That would work. Can you sew at all?" She asked, leading him to a tent.
"I'm not the best at it, but sure I can. I repair my own clothes regularly." Sun replied, ducking into the tent, coming upon a scene of several girls, all wearing Water Tribe furs, worked to repair a fishing net together.
They paused as the stranger entered their midst with Gran-Gran, who proceeded to introduce him. "Ladies, this young man is Sun. He will be helping us…though I did forget to ask, how long will you be staying here?" The last part was directed at him.
He sheepishly smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I don't really know. I kinda just…wander. I'll do my best not to overstay my welcome, though."
Gran-Gran nodded and directed him to sit next to a young woman who wore her brown hair in simple bun that connected to loops from her bangs.
Setting aside his pack and taking up a needle and thread, the blond man got to work on the net. "Hi there. What's your name?" He asked cheerfully.
The young woman, who had the usual tanned skin of the Water Tribe, though with deep, emphatic blue eyes, smiled nervously at Sun. "I'm Katara. It's nice to meet you."
His easy smile that reached his bright blue eyes did much to soothe her suspicion. No one could smile like that and not mean it. "It's nice to meet you, too."
"I like your scarf." She complimented with a small smile.
"I like your hair loopies," He replied with, returning the favor. Sun settled in and got to work, occasionally flinching in pain when he inevitably pricked his fingers.
"Er, here, you should hold the needle like this," Katara interjected, nudging the blond man to get his attention.
Sucking his finger, Sun observed as the tribal held her needle in a different way, noticing that she was well-practiced and very quick with her motions. Shifting his grip, he smiled as the task became easier and far less painful. "Thanks, Katara. Is there anything else I'm doing wrong?" He held up the length of net he had been working on to show it to her.
The other girls, who had been subtly watching the bright-haired stranger, took that opportunity to chime in.
…
Later, after the net had been fully fixed and stored away, Sun sat around a large campfire with the Southern Water Tribe, gleefully telling them tales of his travels (with minor embellishments) and enjoy a bowl of delightfully salty stewed seaprunes.
"So, after the last one falls, I look up to see that their leader has abandoned them and is running away with his tail between his legs and the governor's daughter over his shoulder." He explained, hunched over the fire for dramatic effect. "And so, in one mighty leap, I jumped the distance and landed on his head, making him throw the girl in the air and trip, hitting his head on a rock and knocking him out. I caught the girl and stood over his unconscious form and declared," Sun puffed up his chest and posed. "You really should've quit while you were ahead."
Giggles erupted from the gathered kids, joined with the chuckles from the older women. "Alright, you little penguin hatchlings," Gran-Gran started, a smile on her weathered face, "That's enough excitement for one night. Time for bed."
"Awww!" A chorus of sad voices piped up, but the women would have none of it, and hustled the younglings off to bed.
"Do you mind if I make some tea?" Sun asked, taking a seat between Gran-Gran and Katara and reaching for his pack.
"Of course, go ahead."
He retrieved a battered kettle from his pack and scooped a good amount of snow inside of it before setting over the flickering fire. "Do you have any preference?" The blond man questioned, opening the top of a white teapot. "I particularly enjoy white jasmine on colder nights."
Gran-Gran smiled thankfully and nodded. "That would be wonderful, thank you."
As the water boiled, the rest of the tribe, now bereft of children, circled around the fire again. "That was an interesting tale you made up, Sun." Katara commented, rubbing her hands over the flames. "Where did you get it from?"
Silence answered her.
Looking at the friendly blond man, she was surprised to see a bemused smile on his face as he blinked blankly. "….Made up?" He finally uttered, automatically retrieving the kettle when it whistled.
Sokka nodded, "Well, obviously. No one could jump as far as you did in that story." He explained, giving the confused Sun a look that said, 'are you dumb?'
While his hands were occupied pouring water into the pot and adding the leaves, Sun glanced around the fire and saw similar, though less apparent, looks on their faces. "I didn't make that up. I really did that." He insisted, stirring the tea.
The only other male rolled his eyes. "Oh really, you defeated a gang of Earthbending bandits all by yourself-"
Sun thrust a piece of paper at Sokka with a dissatisfied frown. On the paper was the sketch of a thickly-muscled man with a bald head, except for a topknot and a large, pointy beard. Next to his face was several words, reading, 'Wanted: Gonjo the Rockslide', and under that was a stamp with a seal, meaning the person on the poster had been brought in and the bounty paid. Following that, Sun handed a piece of stationery with a broken wax seal.
It read: Dear Sun, I want to thank you again for rescuing me from those bandits and bringing me home. If you're ever in the area again, please visit my estate and come see me again! ~Love, Kaia.
Next to the signature, which was encapsulated within a heart, was a mark made by lipstick-covered lips being pressed against the paper.
Sokka read both the poster and the letter out-loud, and when he finished, every one of the tribal's had wide eyes, and were looking at the blond man with no small amount of awe.
"That was real?" Katara asked incredulously, accepting a cup of tea from Sun.
Sun nodded, taking the papers back. "Yeah, I wouldn't make something like that up…though, there were only six bandits with the leader, not ten. I rounded up on that."
Sokka shook his head rapidly, crossing his arms. "Okay, so the bandits and the girl were true, but I'm saying no way to the leaping!" He protested loudly.
Sun glanced around the tribe, spotting the snow-built watch tower standing above the wall. "Alright, I'll prove, Pony-tail. See that tower?" He pointed, as they looked, he quickly stood and disappeared in a blur.
"What about my mighty tower, Sun-hea-where'd he go?" The other boy questioned.
They all whipped around just in time to see Sun, with his orange scarf and white cape fluttering in the wind as he sailed through the air, alighting on top of the tower and waving down at them
Despite the spindly appearance of the 'mighty' tower, Sun stood on it with sure footing, and it didn't collapse. Kneeling, he leapt into the air again, nearly flying through the air to land in his previous spot with only a small puff of snow.
He bowed grandly to the awestruck Water Tribe with a wide smile. "How did you do that?" Katara asked in amazement. "Are…are you an Airbender?"
Sun blinked, taken aback. No had discerned that so quickly. "Well, I've never been formally trained," He admitted, "Kind of a hard thing to do when all the Airbenders are…not here anymore."
"But you are one?" She insisted, looking up at him with hopeful eyes.
Sighing, Sun nodded and held out his hand. Air became visible as it swirled in his palm, and the gathered tribals gasped. "But…I'm not just an Airbender." Sun said with a small frown. The air swirled in his palm violently before they erupted into a ball of sunny yellow flames, shining in the dark like a beacon.
The Water Tribe drew back in shock as Sun clenched his hand, extinguishing the flames. "You-you…" Gran-Gran murmured, her eyes wide and jaw slack.
"I know what you're going to say," He cut across quickly, shaking his head. "I'm not the Avatar."
"How do you know that?" Katara asked, somewhat desperately.
Sun shrugged helplessly. "I dunno. I just feel it. Besides, I don't have an animal familiar. And I'm not over a hundred years old. And I've never heard of the Avatar being able to bend things other than the elements." To demonstrate, he retrieved a seed from one of his pockets and held his hand out. His other hand hovered above it, making small twirling and beckoning motions, and before their very eyes, a green shoot emerged from the seed, roots crawling over his hand and hanging through his fingers as a white lotus bloomed in his palm.
Sun held it out to Katara, who took it gingerly, staring at the very real flower in her hand. "How?" Was all she could say.
Sun shrugged. "I dunno."
…
The crescent moon rose into the sky, hanging over the South Pole like an amused grin of some nearly invisible creature.
Sitting beneath it with his legs crossed, Sun breathed deeply and slowly, trying to focus his thoughts. "I shouldn't have showed them that." He muttered, opening his eyes to gaze at the dark horizon. "I've always had a problem with showing off…I blame my Master."
Glancing to his side, Sun could very nearly see the blue haze of a spirit with wild hair and a long tail, pointing and laughing at him, rolling on the floor in mirth.
Glaring, Sun smacked some snow at the haze, dispelling it. Taking a deep breath, he flopped on to his back and sighed explosively.
"The Spirits have led me here for some reason…" He murmured to the moon. "Why? What is so important at the South Pole that requires my attention?"
The moon didn't answer. He wasn't in the North Pole, after all.
…
Before anyone really knew, two weeks had passed since Sun had arrived in the Southern Water Tribe. And to them, it seemed as if he had always been there. His presence, attitude and personality attracted them like moths to a flame, without the threat of being burned.
Even Sokka, ever-paranoid, had warmed up to the blond man considerably, though the pranks had put a dampener on that.
And then there were the pranks. Sun had taken to setting up harmless little traps around the tribe, and had even gotten the little kids in on the fun. There wasn't a day that went by that didn't have Sokka step into a rope that whipped him up into the air and dunked his head into a bucket full of mashed seaweed, or a tripwire that launched a snowball filled with sea-prune jelly at his face. Even Katara got in a few pranks.
And then there was Katara…
The young woman approached an oddly quiet Sun as he sat near the sea, his back turned to her. "What are you doing?" She asked.
The blond man yelped in surprise and jumped, flinging the ball of water held between his hands up into the air where it lost shape, raining freezing cold water down on them. "Oh, sorry!" He apologized with an embarrassed blush, twisting his wrist and bending the water off of them.
"You know how to bend water?" She asked with a hopeful look on her face.
Sun nodded with a small smile, his arms flowing as a tendril of water rose from the surface and floated in front of him. Snapping his hands, the tendril took shape and quickly froze as a lily made of ice, which he presented to Katara with a smile. "A pretty snow flower for a pretty snow flower," He flirted with a friendly wink.
Blushing, the young woman cleared her throat, holding it out to him. "The, uh, the reason I ask is-" She trailed off as Sun snapped part of the stem off and tucked the ice bloom behind her ear. "Ahem, is because I'm a Waterbender, too."
"Really?" The cheerful man asked, looking excited. "Show me!"
Taking what she felt was the right stance, Katara waved her arms, concentrating on the water, a small tendril poking from the surface and waving about. Slowly, it floated into the air, forming into an orb, before slowly thinning out into a hoop of water. It dropped back into the water with a splash and a disappointed huff from Katara, who turned to Sun, expecting an unimpressed look.
Sun gaped at her unabashedly, eyes wide and glittering. "You've never been taught?" He asked slowly.
She shook her head, and the blond's jaw fell even farther. "Wow!" He yelled, "That's really impressive! I could barely get to water to ripple when I started out, and you can do that! Imagine if you got a teacher!"
Blushing at the unexpected praise, Katara rubbed her arm sheepishly. "You really think so?"
"Yeah!" Sun replied excitedly. "Oh man, I wish I had known, I would've brought my Waterbending scrolls!"
The blond man flopped on the ground suddenly, cupping his head. "I didn't think I would need them, I'm so sorry!" He apologized tearfully.
Sun quickly leaped back up, taking her hands in his and bouncing in place. "But I do know how to Waterbend, and I can teach you!"
He was suddenly crouching, drawing a circle in the snow, dejectedly muttering, "But I'm not very good, what if I teach you wrong and you get hurt? Oh, I couldn't take that!"
He popped back up and clasped her hands again. "But I will do my very best to help you on this road!"
Katara blinked rapidly, confused as to how someone could have that many mood-swings in ten seconds. "Wait, you'd really teach me?" She asked incredulously.
Sun nodded rapidly, his blond hair shaking as he silently held two thumbs up.
"Thank you!" She cried, lunging forward and wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.
After a few seconds, Katara quickly withdrew with red cheeks and looked away from Sun, coughing in embarrassment as the blond man cleared his throat, his face also flushed.
"So, yeah, when do you want to get started?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head.
"Right now!" She answered enthusiastically.
And so, that was how Katara found herself a Waterbending teacher, albeit not a master. Sun taught her the best he could, though he warned her that most of what he knew was self-taught. Along with using water as a whip, he taught her how to create a shield made of ice (and make ice) and how to skate, though that was with bending. Katara already knew how to ice-skate, she lived in the South Pole.
It all led up to the situation they now found themselves in. Katara, along with Sokka and Sun, had gone on a hunting trip around the pole in a canoe. Taking this as a learning opportunity, the blond man began teaching the lady among them how to catch fish using bending.
"Think of where the fish will go," He instructed, gently leading Katara's hand. "Subtly use the currents to direct the fish where you want it to, and when it arrives…"
She clenched her hand and pulled it up, trapping a large silver fish in a bubble above the water. "Yes!" She cheered, trading high-fives with Sun.
Their parade was rained on by Sokka, who had not been paying attention and was focused on another fish in the water, drawing back his spear to…spear it. The butt of his spear popped the bubble, dropping water on top of them. Sun quickly snatched their catch out of the air and stored it in a box filled with ice, turning an annoyed look on Sokka along with Katara.
"You just had to use your magic water mumbo-jumbo and now I'm soaking wet…and we don't have any fish!" He complained, pointing the butt of the spear at the two of them.
Sun snorted and bent the water off of him and Katara, who nudged open the box to show her brother that they had caught six fish between them…which was six fish more than him.
Before she could speak up to berate him, the canoe jerked, throwing them to bottom as it got caught up in a fast current that swept them through a treacherous course of floes. Managing to sit up, Sun quickly bent the water and the boat away from the iceberg they were about to collide with, but not quick enough to prevent the aft end from being crushed between it and another floe.
They leapt from the sinking canoe to safety, the blond managing to grab the box of fish and bring it with him. The trio watched in dismay as the wooden prow disappeared under the ice cold water, never to be seen again.
Turning on the two benders with a frown, Sokka used his spear to point at the spot the boat sunk. "Now look what you did!"
Katara scowled and bent a whip at her brother's head. Wisely realizing the danger, he ducked and the whip missed, traveling through the water and impacting into an iceberg across from them.
With a great crack, the berg split in two and splashed into the sea, causing a large wave to shake the floe they stood on. After the water settled and the trio ad regained their footing, they beheld something unnatural.
A small iceberg, comparatively, popped out of the water. It was mostly round and seemed hollow, the inside glowing and casting blue light.
Sun swallowed nervously, his skin tingling. "Spirits…" He murmured quietly, eyes wide.
Katara skated over the water to examine the strange iceberg while Sun jumped over and joined her, leaving Sokka behind. "Oh sure, just leave me behind, why don't ya." He grumbled, hopping over to them on a few floating patches of ice.
"I think there's someone inside of there," His sister said quietly, peering through the thick sheet of ice.
Inside of the hollow iceberg, the form of someone could be seen sitting down in a meditative position, though their features were shadowed by the light.
The figure opened its' eyes, causing Katara to gasp. She pulled the club off of Sokka's back and started slamming it against the iceberg. "They're alive in there!" She cried as the club hit the ice once more.
The hollow cracked and burst, a spear of light piercing through the clouds and into the sky as a wave of wind washed over the trio, nearly tossing them into water after blinding them.
As the pillar of light faded, they uncovered their eyes to see the figure standing on the ice above them, looking down on them with glowing eyes. The glow quickly faded, and the person flopped to the ground bonelessly, sliding down the short incline to rest at their feet.
Katara, ever the mothering sort, was by the boy's side nearly instantly, gently patting his face.
The boy was obviously young, just on the cusp of being a teenager. But what stood out about him most was the blue arrow tattoo that ended on his forehead and drew back over the top of his bald head and disappeared into the collar of his orange and yellow robes.
Drawing back with a muted gasp of shock, Sun couldn't help but stare at the boy slowly regaining consciousness. "The Avatar…" He whispered, though neither of the two tribals heard him.
Groaning lightly, the boy slowly opened his eyes. "I need…to ask you something…"
Katara cautiously asked, "What?"
"Come closer…" She leaned in with a concerned look on her face.
"Will you go penguin sledding with me?" He asked in a normal, boisterous voice.
Katara blinked in surprise and leaned back at the sudden volume. "Uh, sure. I guess."
The Avatar casually bent the air around him and floated to his feet, looking around him and scratching the back of his head, ignoring Sokka leaping back in alarm. "What's going on here?"
"You tell us!" Sokka replied, pointing the sharp end of his spear at the boy. "How'd you get in the ice? And why aren't you frozen?"
The young boy batted the spear away from, opening his mouth to reply, when a deep, low groan came from within the hollowed-out shell of the iceberg. "Appa!" He cried, jumping over the lip of ice crater. "Are you alright? Wake up, buddy!"
Sokka and Katara climbed up the lip, leaving a still gaping Sun standing alone. He blinked blankly and slowly followed them, his eyes going even wider when they fell on a six-legged, thickly-furred creature with a pair of horn on it's head, and in between those two was an arrow of discolored fur. Along with the arrow, what also stood out about the large animal was its very large, flat tail.
"What is that thing?" Sokka asked, examining the animal suspiciously.
"That's Appa, my flying bison." The boy replied cheerfully.
The Water Tribe warrior rolled his eyes and jacked a thumb at his sister. "Right, and this is Katara, my flying sister."
Sun, still stunned, watched their interactions with a blank look. Even Appa sneezing on Sokka garnered no response.
"The paranoid one is Sokka, my brother, and the silent one is Sun, our friend." Katara introduced politely, after her brother accused the innocent-looking boy of being a Fire Nation spy. "You never told us your name."
The boy went to answer, but was interrupted by a loud, explosive sneeze that sent him sailing into the air. He landed easily and slid down in front of them with a smile. "I'm Aang!"
"You just sneezed…and flew ten feet in the air." Sokka commented dryly, shooting a look at Sun. The blond was the only other person he'd ever seen go that far.
"You're an Airbender!" Katara declared, pointing at Aang with a shocked look.
"Not just an Airbender," Sun spoke up for the first time. "He's the Avatar."
Aang looked panicked, his grey eyes going wide. "N-no, no I'm not!" He tried to deny.
"Airbender, animal familiar, it's possible the ice did freeze him…" Sokka muttered thoughtfully. "And do you feel it?" He asked Sun.
The blond man nodded seriously. "I do. Aang is definitely the Avatar."
The young Avatar sighed in dismay, hanging his head. "Yeah, I am. How did you know, though?"
Sun shook his head. "That's not something I can answer right now," He replied, uncharacteristically serious. "However, we do need to get back home. Nightfall isn't far off, and it's never smart to out in the tundra during the night."
Aang perked back up, smiling. "Well, if you guys need a lift, Appa and I can take you!"
He jumped onto Appa's head and took up the reins attached to the bison's horns. Katara thanked him and climbed into the saddle on Appa while Sokka crossed his arms.
"No way! No way am I getting on that fluffy snot monster!" He denied, turning away.
His sister gave him an unimpressed look as Sun climbed up next to her. "What, are you going to wait for some other monster to give you a ride? You know, before you freeze to death?"
Her brother sighed in defeat and climbed on, and Aang grasped the reins. "Alright, first time fliers, hold on tight!" He flicked the reins and shouted, "Yip-yip!"
Appa raised his tail and slammed it onto the ice, launching them into the air…before they splashed back down into the water.
"Wow," Sokka muttered sarcastically. "That was truly amazing."
Aang patted his horned friends' head comfortingly as he lowed. "He's just tired! Don't worry, buddy, take your time."
Sun sat in the saddle comfortably, watching Aang with a very serious gleam in his eyes, muttering to himself under his breath. "At the rate we're going, we won't make it back home until tomorrow," He spoke up suddenly. "It would be a good idea to get to sleep soon."
Having said his piece, the normally cheerful blond man drew his cape around him like a blanket and laid down, falling asleep within seconds. Katara and Sokka exchanged shrugs, and her brother stuck a piece of blubbered seal jerky in his mouth before kicking back. His sister, on the other hand, spent the next few hours switching between shooting worried looks Sun's way and shooting questioning looks Aang's way.
However, in another world, Sun was having an important conversation.
He opened his eyes, finding himself standing on top of a mountain. Similar rocky, nearly barren mountains spread as far as the eye could see, each peak rising far above the clouds, the light of a nearly-setting sun glinting off of the rocks.
Sun suddenly crouched and rolled back, avoiding a projectile that would've hit his face in the process and catching another, hurling it back at the source. An orange blur flipped over the object, landing in the branches of a tree.
"Mhmh, staying on your toes, I see, my student." The spirit slipped from the tree, hanging by the branch by its' long orange tail.
With his hairy arms and legs and long, prehensile tail, he looked very much like a monkey. A monkey with a human face, wearing loose blue clothes and a mischievous smile.
Sun sighed and gave his master a fond, if exasperated, look. "Master, we need to talk, not throw pies at each other…which I would win if you didn't cheat with your tail, you old monkey!"
The monkey man giggled excitedly. "If you aren't cheating, you aren't trying!"
"Yes, I know…you old bastard." He muttered, before coughing into his fist. "Anyway, when you said I was to be the Avatar's Spiritual Guide, I didn't expect him to be a kid. And I certainly didn't expect him to be running away from his destiny."
The monkey man frowned, playfully wagging his finger. "I gave you part of my name, the least you could do is use the rest of it. You'll break your poor old master's heart!"
Sun sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, Master Wu, my questions still stand. Why didn't you tell me more?"
Master Wu grimaced, flipping from his perch and alighting on the ground. "Spirits have rules, as you know, one of which is non-interference. And not interfering includes telling one's challenges they will face in life. After all, that's what makes life a challenge, no?"
Wu giggled again and Sun nodded reluctantly. "That is true…but what about the Avatar? If he runs from his destiny much longer, there won't be four nations to balance."
"One most often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it," His master replied wisely, leaning on the tree, snacking on a peach.
Sun narrowed his eyes on the monkey spirit. "You must've stolen that from some far wiser spirit," He declared dryly. "There's no way you could actually be that wise."
Wu flipped over him, hanging precariously over the edge of the mountain. "You would be surprised at the depths one posses when their surface seems so shallow, my student. And that is also why the Spirits linked your destiny to the Avatar's. When we first became aware of you, most of them wanted you dead." He explained, losing his amusement. "You had no destiny, no fate, you changed the fate of others just by existing, and even now, your future is still cloudy, despite their efforts. But…"
"You took me under your wing, and trained me." Sun recounted with a small, genuine smile. "A student who would use your teachings to change the world."
"And play the greatest prank of them all, on everyone, Humans and Spirits alike." Wu smiled widely, showing surprisingly sharp teeth. "The fate they hold so sovereign, the destiny the see as inexorable, changed beyond their wildest dreams, by one they would've ended, all because they were afraid. Afraid of the unknown. But I, I don't fear the unknown, I love it! So many new things to discover, so many new things to learn, so many new people to trick and make themselves look like fools!"
Wu giggled happily, doing a short back-flip that ended with him reclining on the rocks as if they were cushions. "But that is the farthest even my interference can go before the big ones decided to attack me." He admitted with a shrug. "I have given you the tools and the training to succeed, and it's now up to you do so. All I can offer is my occasional guidance, to point you in the right direction…well, maybe not the right direction, at first anyway. I have to amuse myself somehow."
Rolling his eyes, Sun turned away and watched the setting sun as it disappeared beyond the horizon. "Evil old monkey…" He grumbled, kicking a pebble off the mountain. "I can see your meaning, Master Wu. Thank you for telling me."
"You are my only student, young Sun." He replied with a nod, "I may not be able to tell you everything, but what I can, I won't hide. But for now, I believe it is time for you to sleep." His tail rose from behind a rock, a cream pie balanced delicately on the tip.
Sun turned to his master to say good-bye and was met with a face full of cream. The sudden impact made him stumble and fall from the mountain, his muffled shout ringing through the air.
Wu giggled as the stars blinked into the sky.
…
"Not the pie again." Sun muttered in his sleep, causing Katara to give him a strange look.
…
The next morning, the group arrived at the Southern Water Tribe and introduced Aang to them.
"Aang, this is entire Water Tribe. Entire Water Tribe, this is Aang." Katara introduced.
The tribe drew back a little as he waved, and he asked the young woman next to him why that was.
"No one's seen an Airbender, not since they went extinct…or so we thought." Gran-Gran explained, her eyes shifting to a stretching Sun.
"Extinct?!" Aang said loudly.
Katara quickly grabbed the young Airbender by the arm and gestured to the old woman. "Aang, this is my grandmother."
"Call me Gran-Gran." She replied simply.
Sokka, having watched the conversation from in front of their tent, decided to ask a question that had been on his mind, Sokka-style. "What is this, a weapon?" He asked, snatching the staff Aang carried with him, examining it with a critical eye. "You can't even stab anything with it!"
Aang bent a current of air, pulling the staff back into his hands. "It's not for stabbing, it's for Airbending!" He replied, spinning his staff and causing two wing-like cloth pieces to pop out, with two smaller ones on the bottom. "It lets me bend air currents around me and fly."
"Last time I checked, humans can't fly." Sokka retorted dryly. Sun arched an eyebrow at him. "That was jumping, not flying."
"I'll show you!" The Avatar said with a smile, crouching and leaping into the air. He held onto his glider and flew through the air with ease, looping and flipping through the air to the awe of the Water Tribe.
"Can you do that?" Sokka whispered to Sun, who nodded and pulled on the knee-length white cape hanging on his back.
"What, do you think I wear a cape because they're awesome?" He asked rhetorically, sticking his arms through small cloth hoops in fabric and stretching it out. Sun knelt and jumped, sailing into the air to join Aang in the sky.
Compared to the young Airbender, Sun's flying was somewhat rougher, but that was to be expected. Only one of them had actually been trained to do so.
The two of them looped and twirled around each other, putting on a show for the watching tribals. Showing off, the blond flipped onto his back and put his hands behind his head. Aang answered by closing his eyes and flying sideways, the grin on both of their faces showing how much they were enjoying flying.
Sun rolled around just in time to see the watchtower made of snow looming in front of him. Quickly, he flipped and landed on the tower, gently pushing off of the snow and landing on the ground safely.
The other Airbender was not so lucky, and plowed into the tower of snow head-first, knocking it over, to Sokka's dismay.
Still smiling, Sun heaved Aang out of the snow and onto his feet as the Water Tribe warrior desperately tried to prop his tower back up, only for it to collapse on top of him.
"You're an Airbender?" Aang asked with surprise and delight.
The blond nodded, before sticking out his hand and wobbling it. "…Ish. I'll tell you more later."
Katara ran up to join them with wide, glittering eyes. "That was a amazing! I didn't know you could fly!" She exclaimed in amazement.
Sokka pulled himself out from under his collapsed tower and stalked off, grumbling.
…
Later that day, Sun stood in the center of a ring, surrounded by pillars of ice he had just formed, breathing deeply. He retrieved a silver coin from one of his pouches and placed it on his thumb, flicking it into the air.
As soon as the spinning silver disk left his hand, he burst into action, acrobatically spinning and swinging, bending water from the snow and lashing out at the pillars around him. Moving as fast as he could, Sun attacked the pillars with whips and slashes, grunting with effort.
As he whipped his hand down, slicing the last pillar in half, the coin fell in front of his face and landed on the ground with a soft ping.
"Damn it." He sighed, wiping the seat from his brow, kneeling to pick up the coin. "I'm still not as fast as I'd like to be."
He bent more pillars up from the snow and breathed deep, before flicking the coin into the air and attacking again. As his whip lashed out and smashed a pillar, a sudden flare of light from off in the distance startled him, causing Sun to lose his footing and tumble to the ground.
He narrowed his eyes as the flare arced in the sky. "Why is there a Fire Nation flare in sky above the South Pole?" He asked himself. "That can't be good."
The coin bounced off of his head and landed in the snow with a sad plink. Snatching the coin up and pocketing it, Sun leaped off, back towards the Water Tribe.
…
When he arrived, a palpable aura of sadness permeated the village, causing Sun to frown thoughtfully. He spied Katara marching angrily away from the village, stopping and kneeling some distance away with her face in her hands.
Pushing off, he landed next to her quietly and sat down. "What's wrong, Katara? Did something happen?"
She quickly wiped her angry tears away and faced the blond man. "Yes! Sokka banished Aang!"
Sun's face fell slack. "What? Why?"
She looked away, ashamed. "It was…we went penguin sledding, and ended up near the Fire Nation ship that's been there for years…and is forbidden to go to. We-"
"You went exploring the ship and ended up setting off a booby-trap." He finished, looking unsurprised.
"You know?" Katara asked in surprise.
"Yeah," He nodded, "It's Fire Nation policy to trap every ship they lose. And I saw the flare. Kinda hard not to."
She nodded unhappily and continued her story. "After we came back, Sokka banished him!"
Sun narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Why do you sound so upset about this? I mean, you've known Aang for nearly a day."
"Well," She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "He offered to take me to North Pole, so that I could learn from a master…" Realizing who she was talking, Katara waved her hands, "Not that I don't like learning from you, it's just…"
"My style of bending doesn't work for you." He finished with a nod. "I know. Katara, I have been to the North Pole and have learned at the feet of a Master…and I sucked at it. You, on the other hand, would only benefit from the rigidity of a schedule like that."
Katara slumped as he put an arm around her shoulders. "Well, I'll never find out now. Aang is gone and so are my chances."
Sun frowned, shaking her slightly. "What am I, chopped seal liver? You know I came here on a boat, right? It's more than big enough for two people. And with our Waterbending, we would make good time."
"I…" She blinked in surprise, her eyes watering. "You would do that for me?"
"Of course I would. You're my friend, right?" At her happy nod, Sun smiled and gave her a one-armed hug. "There are always more options than what appear at first, Katara. If you want to, we can be gone within the hour."
Katara sighed and shook her head, turning and giving the blond a full hug. "I can't do that, even though I want to. I don't want to leave Gran-Gran and Sokka with what I said. I don't think I could take that."
Sun patted her back and put his hands on her shoulders. "Let's go talk to them, maybe we can change their minds if we work together."
"I doubt that, but I would like to try." She stood up and dusted herself off, sniffing. Sun stood with her, offering his arm. Katara smiled and took it, and they walked back to the tribe together. "Thanks for listening, Sun. You're a good friend."
He winked playfully at her. "I couldn't just let you be all alone and sad, Katara, you're much to pretty."
She playfully shoved him away and laughed with him, though it petered out when they became aware of the greyish-black snow falling from the sky.
"Oh no." Katara whispered worriedly. "The Fire Nation."
"Get on my back," Sun ordered, kneeling in front of her. "I'm faster."
Wordlessly, she hopped onto his back and held on as he sprinted towards the tribe at great speeds. He slid to a stop just inside the walled area as it began to shake, Katara hopping off to go help hide some of the kids.
Sokka stood on his crumbling wall as the black prow of a Fire Nation vessel rose above him. "Sokka, get out of the way!" His sister cried.
As the prow of the ship met the wall, the wall crumbled into a pile, taking Sokka with it. They all stared up at the length of black metal in fear and trepidation as it steamed ominously. With a hellish screech of metal on metal, the prow of the ship tilted and fell onto the snow, forming a ramp for a company of armored Firebenders to descend from.
Their leader, who seemed to have a scar on the right side of his face, though it was hard to tell from the helmet, stepped down the ramp with a haughty spring in his step.
Sokka, having gathered his courage, charged at the leader with his war club held high over his head. The leader calmly and expertly kicked the weapon out of his hands, and in the same motion, kicked Sokka in the face and into a pile of snow.
The Water Tribe drew back in fear at the ease shown by the Fire Nation in defeating their only warrior.
Sun, crouched behind the crowd of tribals, watching the events transpiring through their legs, narrowed his eyes as the leader approached Katara and Gran-Gran. "Where are you hiding him?!" He barked angrily, making them draw back.
"Zuko…" The blond man muttered, drawing up the hood on his clothing and securing the scarf around his nose and mouth to hide his features.
Zuko grabbed the elder woman roughly by the arm and dragged her in front of the gathered tribals. "He'd be about this age? Master of all elements?"
Sun tilted his head curiously. "Why is Zuko looking for the Avatar?" He asked himself, rolling up his sleeves to reveal thick, carved wrist guards that extend up to his elbows and gleamed white and gold.
Having received no response except stunned, fearful silence, Zuko threw Gran-Gran back at Katara and released a blast of fire over their heads, making a noise of frustration. "I know you're hiding him! Where is he?!"
Sokka managed to pull himself from the snow he was stuck in and retrieved his weapon, charging again at Zuko's back. The Fire Nation Prince made a face of annoyance and turned to face the charge, dodging the first swing before grabbing the Water Tribe and flipping him over his head, stripping the club away. He turned and shot a blast of fire at Sokka, who nimbly dodged the attack and whipped the boomerang off of his back and hurled it at Zuko's head.
Zuko barely dodged the metal weapon, his face twisting in anger. One of the kids had grabbed a spear from nearby and tossed it to Sokka, who grabbed it out of the air and charged at the Fire Nation soldiers again.
Sun gave a dead-pan look as Zuko easily disarmed the Water Tribe warrior, breaking his spear into pieces with his wrist-guards, before pulling the remainder away and harshly poking Sokka in the forehead with it before snapping it in half and tossing the pieces to the ground. "Note to self, Sokka's strengths do not include open combat." He said to himself.
He stood and parted the crowd as Sokka's boomerang came back around and impacted off of Zuko's helmet, enraging the Firebender, who launched a blast the warrior, having finally tired of dealing with.
Sun pushed through the tribals and jumped in front of Sokka, the fire being deflected by his arm guards. His jump carried him over the distance and he lashed out, throwing Zuko onto his back ten feet away.
Sun landed and immediately dropped to his hands, spinning and kicking the feet out from under a Firebender, rapidly coming back to his feet to snatch the falling enemy by the ankle and whip him into another, sending both sailing back.
He spun, deflecting a blast fire away and jumped, landing with his legs around the Firebender's neck before throwing himself back, flipping the soldier into air. He planted his hands and swung his feet out, tripping another soldier, using his momentum from the spin to launch himself at another, landing both of his feet on the Firebender's chest, throwing him back.
As Sun flipped and dodged the blasts heading his way, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Aang standing before Zuko, who was attacking him with rapid punches and kicks. The young Airbender was hard-pressed to defend himself, his face showing obvious fear.
Sun caught the arm of Firebender and twisted, throwing him into another. As he fought, Katara was hard-pressed to take her eyes off of him, even when the heat of Zuko's flames flared near her face. He was agile, so fast, spinning and flipping, his punches and kicks throwing grown men around like dolls and causing obvious pain when they landed.
It was at that point that Katara remembered the stories the young blond man would tell around the campfire, of attacking and defeating bandits and mercenaries and winning…and that was when she realized he hadn't been exaggerating his skills at all. If anything, the way he could pick up full grown men, in heavy metal armor no less, and toss them around as if they were snowballs, he had downplayed his strength.
Sun flipped away from a sweeping leg of fire, jumping into one of his stances, left foot planted, right foot near his knee, right arm crooked over his head and left arm bent upwards from his waist, ready to attack…
"Stop!" Aang yelled pleadingly, "I'll surrender!"
Sun, still in his stance, glanced at the young Airbender incredulously. "Aang, we're winning," He pointed out, nodding towards the limping and injured Firebenders. "We can beat them."
Ignoring him, Aang pleaded with Zuko. "If I go with you, will you leave them alone?"
Zuko glanced at Sun, still in his stance, before glancing at Aang and nodding once, stiffly.
The Avatar handed the scarred prince his glider and held his hands out to be restrained. He was quickly tied up led away, shooting the tribals a comforting look.
Sun, still in his stance, gaped at the leaving ship in disbelief. "What the hell?!" He shouted, "I had them on the ropes, you idiot! Self-sacrifice is worthless if you're capable of winning!"
Sokka nudged the fuming blond bender, who he noted that, despite the stance being a short transitional type, Sun hadn't wobbled once despite the off-balance nature of it. "Let it go, Sun. He made his choice."
Sun stomped the ground, cracking the ice even further, to the pair's shock. That ice was several feet thick, and the fact that the Fire Nation ship had been steaming full-power was the only reason it pierced through it. "Yeah, but it was a stupid-ass choice!" He growled, pulling his hood and scarf away from his face. He turned on his heel and headed to his tent. "How am I supposed to protect and guide the Avatar when does something like this? I can see why the Spirits charged me with this task."
He ducked into his tent and started stuffing his things into his pack. "Wait, you're supposed to guide the Avatar?" Katara asked in shock
Sun sighed and sat back on his legs. "Yes. For the most part, I grew up in the Spirit world. They gave me the task of guiding and protecting the Avatar in his duty of bringing balance to the world."
The siblings traded shocked looks as he tied the strings on his pack. "So…you're going to rescue Aang?" The Waterbender asked cautiously.
Sun shot her a dry look. "Well, duh. I can't very well protect him if he gets killed by the Fire Lord, can I?"
Katara glanced at her brother before leaving the tent, followed shortly by Sokka. Shaking his head, Sun threw on his pack and marched out of the Water Tribe. He put his fingers to his lips and whistled sharply.
After waiting a few moments, the ground rumbled slightly as the large form of Appa lumbered up to the blond bender, who patted him on the head. "Hey there, big guy." He greeted softly. "We're going to go rescue your foolish partner. Are you rested up and ready to fly?"
Appa growled lowly, and he took that as a yes. Sun secured his pack to the saddle and climbed up onto Appa's head, taking the reins firmly in his hands. As he directed the sky-bison away from the Southern Water Tribe, two voices called out to him.
Turning, he was surprised to see Sokka and Katara running at them, calling for him to wait. "I'm sorry I have to leave so soon, but-"
"We're coming with you!" Katara declared firmly, climbing into the saddle with her brother. "We have permission, and we're ready."
Sun arched an eyebrow at them, before giving a genuine smile. "Thanks, guys. Are you ready?"
"I was not born ready, but I totally am!" Sokka exclaimed, securing his stuff.
"Well alright," Sun said determinedly. "Let's go save us an Avatar. Appa! Yip-Yip!"
…
…
…
A/N: This is going to be a long author's note, I just know it.
Alright, this is another rewrite of the Avatar / Naruto story I wrote a long time ago, which was also a rewrite of a similar story. However, if you've seen that one, then you know things have definitely been changed around. So, to answer the questions I know will be asked:
Questions I Know Will Be Frequently Asked (QIKNBFA):
Q: What is Naruto doing in the Avatar world and how did he get there?
A: He's the Guardian and Spiritual Guide of the Avatar, who will protect and guide Aang on his journey to North, East and West. As for the second part, I'm not going to answer that. Spoilers.
Q: Why isn't Naruto like canon-Naruto?
A: 1, this isn't canon. Naruto grew up in the Avatar world, and thus his childhood and how developed has been changed. 2, canon Naruto, despite his strengths, is really, really fucking irritating. After growing up, for the most part, in the Spirit World and training under his master, he has matured, with elements of his playfulness and general personality still there.
Q: Who is Naruto's Master?
A: Since I doubt there are that many people who read Chinese mythology all that much, I will simply say who it is. He is known as Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. Google him. His appearance is based on that one movie with Jackie Chan and Jet Li and that one white guy. His skills and abilities, and those trained with Naruto, play a big part in how Naruto fights and acts. Google him, seriously, it will explain a lot.
Except for the 'clones from his hair' part. No clones for Naruto. How would know how if he grew up in the Avatar world? And Sun Wukong is a spirit.
Q: Why does Naruto go by 'Sun'?
A: Avatar's various cultures are based on various things, with mostly Chinese influences. A Japanese name would not be common at all, and thus would draw attention to him, and his appearance does that already.
Elements of realism, people.
There are probably more question, but I'm done for now. I hadn't meant for this chapter be so long, and the ones that follow will definitely be shorter. Naruto is also wearing predominantly white because he's in an arctic environment.
So, I hope you enjoyed this. Leave a review and tell me what you thought.
Stay Awesome.
~Soleneus
P.S.: How does this rank of my priorities for stories? Not all that high, I'm afraid. I just had an idea while I was watching Ultimate Spider-Man and suddenly, I was like, "I can fix this." How did I come to this conclusion?
…I don't know, man. I don't know how my mind works, it just does.
Stay Awesome Some More.
~still Soleneus