Prologue: Diamond and Ice

Finally, I found him!

Hayden yelled down the dirt road. "Colin! I'll kill you!"

Colin turned lazily, his travelers pack slung across his shoulder.

"H…Hayden?" His eyes widened in surprise.

The earth began to churn suddenly around the earthbender, spinning and warping and cracking, becoming a whirlpool of quicksand; he stood on a pillar in the middle of the sand vortex, weaving his hands around him in a circular pattern. The pillar rose in height, as did the sand vortex that rose with him, so that Hayden was ten feet off the ground. His red cloak billowed with the flowing sand, his simple red clothing likewise snapping and whipping as the sand vortex continued to spin.

Hayden outstretched his arms, his body forming a cross, the sand flowing around him, making a tornado of pure earth. He looked down at Colin and scowled.

Colin looked up at him, his mouth and eyes open wide in awe.

Short shocks of blonde-white hair. Azure eyes. High cheekbones. Gap in the left eyebrow.

It was him, there was no doubt; although he was a dozen years older, Colin still recognized him. He hadn't predicted this; he hadn't factored this into his calculations. Still, it was no big deal.

Colin recovered his composure. He hadn't lost it in years. "Ah, nii-chan!" He grinned, flipping his hair with the back of his hand, one hand on his blue sheath.

He sensed a change in the pattern of the flowing sand one instant before it whipped out, like a lash. Colin leapt back, the ground exploding where he just was, pulling his katana free from its sheath, holding it down and to the side. Hayden stared at the blade from his pedestal. He'd seen that blade before.

So, this is Sange. Colin, of all people, has Sange.

Sange was a long katana, the blade purple as if light were always reflecting off of it. The long, thin steel was frosted over, and cold wisps of smoke rose off the steel; where the tip touched the rocky ground it instantly froze. The blade was only an inch thick, and four feet long. His clothes, an expensive robe of rich purples and whites and blues, seemed to be made to match the sword; the insignia of The Aesir was the only black, in the middle of his chest. His gloves and shoes were a bright, stainless white. His eyes, blue and cold as ice, danced with enjoyment, no longer shocked.

Colin spoke, his voice frayed and uneven, as if he were on the edge of sanity. "Well, brother. Alive, are you? I could've sworn I killed you years ago." His words were tinged with amusement.

Hayden didn't respond, gritting his teeth.

Colin cackled as he spoke. "You had potential at the academy, Hayden! What a waste... But I have no business with weaklings." He slashed with the blade, a powerful uppercut swing.

The frost seemed to fly off the blade at Hayden; a crescent shaped frost wave speeding at him, leaving ice crystals in its wake. The sand formed a shield in front of Hayden and solidified into diamonds, catching the wave head on. Still, he grit his teeth; his skin tinged with the intense cold of the wave. He split the sand shield in two, preparing to counter attack, but a bleached white boot shot through the gap, kicking him in the throat. Hayden fell off his pillar and down to the ground, smashing into the ground with a crash. Colin landed next to him, his landing light and effortless.

Colin bent and lifted him off the ground by the throat effortlessly as Hayden squirmed in his iron grip.

He smiled, resheathing his blade with his free hand.

"You still don't know how to pick your battles. Tsk. And you've stained me with your sweat, too. You scum."

Colin casually brushed his blonde hair back from his eyes with his free hand. Still, Hayden squirmed.

Hayden spoke through bloody gritted teeth. "God…God damn you…Colin, you-"

"You should've just ran, Hayden," interrupted Colin. "Ran and lived. But no, you had to find me. You're a fool." He pulled the blade from its sheath with his free hand and slashed downwards.

Hayden looked down from where he was being held in the air. His arm was on the ground, like some piece of a broken, cheap marionette. The wires that were connected to his arm sparked and fizzed. The fingers twitched. His mind couldn't understand what his eyes saw. Blood shot out of his shoulder.

Pain exploded in him, leaving him breathless; his eyes widened, his pupils shrunk, all while Colin smirked at him. Colin cocked his head, looking at him with an "Oops, did I do that?" expression.

Colin, muttered, "Nii-san, haven't we done this once before?" His tone was innocently mocking.

Hayden's mind was racing with cold panic and searing pain, fraying his thought patterns to shreads.

I need to run. I need to run. I need to run. I need to run. I need to run. I need to run. I need to run. I need to run. I need to run. I need to run.

His life flashed before his eyes.

(A/N) This was an interesting concept I thought up while eating breakfast. Lemme know if you like it, and I will continue to write more. C:

Oh, and I wasn't sure about the names. Their original names were "Shouji" and "Kyo", but I figured that since Avatar is more cartoon than anime, I should give them Japanese names. Tell me what you guys think.

-Jakkani