Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Bryan Konietzko. The original characters belong to me.
A/N: Don't be upset by my abundance of comma splices and OCs. I can't help liking them. All of the characters are related in some way to the future Gaang (not always by blood), but their actions helped shape the return of the Avatar. I tried to keep things according to the canon timeline.
The Reveal
Tianfu smiled as her friends went home for the night. Her sixteenth birthday had been a great success according to the scattered conversations she heard around her house. Even her father remarked that he had a good time with a group of people in the back playing Pai Sho. Her presents had been wonderful, not that it was very important.
It was getting very chilly in the still autumn night, so she left her porch to help her father clean up inside.
Leaping around the house, Tianfu hummed "Four Seasons" under her breath. She kept a cool grey eye on her father as he put away the dishes they had used. He looked preoccupied.
Under his red robes, Scribe Riondo shifted uncomfortably. His thick black eyebrows practically touched over the bridge of his nose and his lithe fingers were becoming careless with the bowl he was washing. His thoughts were far, far away.
"What's wrong, Papa? Didn't you have a good time tonight?" Tianfu popped up behind him and he dropped the bowl in surprise. She caught it on her foot before it hit the ground. "Are you mad that Ying scorched some grass on the lawn? I'm sorry, he was just showing off."
His voice was softer than usual as he took the bowl from his daughter, "Oh, no, dear. I must say I admire many of your friends."
Tianfu put away a group of cups next to him. She said, "Papa, are you not feeling well? You look sad."
Riondo dried his hands and lightly pushed the thick brown hair from his daughter's eyes. He gulped and said, "I have something to tell you, darling. It's just- I don't want to ruin your birthday night."
She parted her lips slightly. In all of her sixteen years, Tianfu had never seen her father like this. He was usually a chipper, albeit quiet Fire Nation Scribe that had gained the respect of everyone in court. She was afraid of what could make him so bothered.
"It won't ruin my night. I promise! Just tell me now, Papa. I swear I won't be upset."
Closing a cupboard, Riondo said, "Let's sit down then."
They moved to the puffy couch in their living room. Tianfu curled her legs beneath her and leaned toward her father. Curiosity was starting to overcome her fear.
"Before I say anything I need you to know that your mother would be extremely proud of you, Tianfu."
The girl's heart skipped a beat. He never talked about her mother. All Tianfu knew about her was that she was dead and she had brown hair.
Riondo rubbed his eyes.
"I'm sorry it's taken me so long to tell you all of this, but I was afraid you were too young before. But it's time." He took a deep breath and began, "Your mother and I met six years before you were born. She was always very kind to me and made me feel better every time I messed something up. I was an apprentice scribe at that time, and my master was a very strict man. He liked her though. Old Man Shuo always liked Asa."
My mother's name was Asa, thought Tianfu. Her heart was racing.
"I think everyone liked her though. She had an uncanny ability to make people smile," he grinned as he remembered. "Things were wonderful at the beginning. We told each other stories and secrets and I was happier than I had ever been in my life."
He took a small package out of his pocket.
"She wanted me to give you this on your sixteenth birthday. She used it when she worked."
He pulled out a silver necklace on a chain. Tianfu examined it closer and realized it was a whistle. She put it to her lips and forced a light note out. She liked the way it sounded.
He quickly continued, "The Fire Nation was planning something dreadful at the time," his face darkened. "We had no idea. Asa would have fought them if she had known. She was a strong woman. She was strong woman and stronger bender."
I'm the daughter of a bender?! Her mind could hardly process what that meant.
"Tianfu, your mother was a bender. I wanted to train you after she died, but I had no idea how-"
The girl leapt to her feet, "Why didn't you send me to train with the other benders? I could have learned to Firebend from them!"
The man looked deep into her eyes, washing Tianfu's anger away.
"Because your mother was not a Firebender, Tianfu. She was an Airbender."
She felt the breath leave her lungs.
xxxxx
"At school they teach you that the Fire Nation was at war with the Air Nomads. This is a lie. The Nomads are a peaceful, spiritual people who would never fight except to protect a loved one. Your mother, they called her Sister Asa in the Eastern Air Temple, was killed in the Fire Nation's massacre." He growled, "She died protecting someone very important to her."
Tianfu was past the phase of shock. She decided hearing her mother's whole story was more important than being upset with her father. Her eyes were wide.
"Who did she die for?"
"Sister Iio. She and your mother raised Sky Bison at the Temple. That whistle around your neck was one of the tools she used to call them. Those Bison loved her.
"Iio was like Asa's mother. She was trying to protect the stables when a group of Firebenders set them ablaze. They used Airbending to fight them, but Iio was overpowered. She was surrounded by the benders. I thought for sure she would die then."
His chest swelled with pride, "But no. My wife, your mother, flew from the sky and landed next to Iio. She swooped and spun and blew them away, never stopping for a moment. I watched her bend an air shield, flipping through the fire and disable a man from behind. Asa blasted them with gusts more powerful than I could fathom. Her entire body was quick and powerful. I had never seen someone match her Airbending that day…. Asa was at her most beautiful.
"As the last of the soldiers fell, she returned to Iio to pick her up from the ground. They stood and embraced. As they were walking back to me, one of the Fire Nation cowards made a rush to Iio."
Riondo's eyes watered, "He came from behind with a sword. I screamed to move while you were crying in my arms, but Asa pushed Iio out of the way instead. He stabbed her in the back."
Tears fell from Tianfu's eyes unknowingly. She pictured her mother's fall.
"I was there, holding you, when Iio killed the man for his crime. She blasted him into a wall with such force…. His neck broke."
They sat in silence, wiping their faces.
The daughter asked, "Papa, I was there too?"
He nodded, "Yes, darling. You were only three months old. We went to Sister Iio as she was holding your mother's body. She cried that I needed to flee back to the Capitol City where I was from. She said to raise you like a Fire Nation child and tell no one of your mother." He said, "Iio gave you a blessing before we left.
"She said, 'May you live long and spread your truth to the nations, for you are our hope.' Iio said to keep you safe for Asa's sake."
Her father adjusted his glasses. He said, "Together we went to the Fire Nation Capital."
Tianfu felt millions of questions come to mind. She decided to start at the beginning of them, "Why were you at the Eastern Air Temple instead of Fire Nation territory?"
"Ah, yes. The Air Nomads and Fire Nation were never on bad terms with each other until that bastard Sozin put his filthy hands on a map."
Tianfu visibly flinched at the sullying of the Fire Lord's name. She had been taught in school since childhood that the Fire Lord deserved the utmost respect from his subjects. The royal family was untouchable in that way. It shocked her to hear her father say such things. In a way, it almost pleased her too.
"Master Shuo and I were employed in the Capital to write the history of the Air Nomads. We were assigned to the Eastern Air Temple long before Sozin decided to massacre them in search of the Avatar. That's another thing I need to tell you. When we left I only took three things: you, the whistle, and the history scrolls. I still have them hidden under the floorboards of my room. Perhaps one day we can show them to the world." He smiled.
"But, why haven't we told someone? What if the Avatar is out there hiding, just waiting for people to help?"
Riondo patted his daughter's hand, "You have a great sense of justice, Tianfu. Like your mother." She blushed at the compliment. "I have often wondered if there were people sympathetic with the Air Nomads that I could reveal all these secrets to. But if I tell someone I risk losing their history completely and I put your life in danger. It can never fall into the wrong hands. Take a step back and look at our situation. Do you see why I fear for your safety? If Sozin killed all the Airbenders, and you are the only daughter of an Airbender, doesn't it make sense that you could be the Avatar?"
Her jaw dropped.
Riondo shook his head. "You aren't, darling. But for many years I was afraid you would show the signs. I thought you would bend an air funnel at school and be found out. I was afraid you would trip and catch yourself with a gust of wind. But you didn't. Perhaps… perhaps you never learned to Airbend because they were so busy trying make everyone Firebend. You would have been trained incorrectly from the start," he pondered. "I know very little about bending, but I know that it requires a different philosophy for each art. Airbending is dynamic and elusive, but so passive as well. Firebending is much more aggressive. It has been turned into the bending of hate and rage. Somehow I feel that it wasn't always so violent."
Tianfu paced the room, "Do you think I could learn anyway? What if I teach myself to Airbend?"
"Keep in mind, dear, there is always the possibility that you are simply not a bender. I fear that I have weakened your chances of it. No one on my side of the family can bend."
The girl nodded, feeling a bit of disappointment. She sat next to her father.
Riondo winked at her. "But, you know that you move like an Airbender. In fact, some of your teachers were concerned that you might be a Firebender, but your movements were too loose for it to ever develop. It made me quite pleased that you unsuspectingly showed traits from your mother. You look just like her, Tianfu.
"I wish I could tell you more about her side of the family. I knew her parent's names, but nothing else. Her mother was also from the Eastern Air Temple. Her name was Elina; she and Iio were close friends. She died a few years before I came to the Temple. Her father was from the Southern Air Temple. His name was Pasang, but I never got the chance to meet him. She had brothers and sisters scattered around the other Temples, but I presume they were killed as well. I have their names written in the histories.
"Tianfu, it will be hard for you to keep these secrets. I would not have told you so soon, but I feared I would never get the chance to reveal your Air Nomad lineage to the world. In the future, perhaps the Avatar will return. Perhaps not. Maybe there will be people brave enough to overthrow Sozin and his lackeys without an Avatar. All I know is that I will tell this story to you in the hopes of sharing it with good people. You must bide your time, my daughter. When I die, the story must not die with me. Tell someone you completely trust when the time is right. May you live long enough to know the peace that I once knew."
xxxxx
Later that night, Tianfu crept outside in the moonlight to try something she had never tried before. When children were tested at school to be Firebenders they focused with all their might to produce a little flame. Not Tianfu. She bounced around and sighed until the teachers forced her to sit in a corner. She never practiced it because it wasn't something she really cared about. In her experience, all the Firebenders were pompous and rude. Generally they were brutal too.
She sat in the dry grass, remembering the words her teachers said when they meditated.
"Straight back, strong fists, powerful thoughts, controlled breath," she murmured. "Straight back, strong thoughts- no… strong, um, strong breath? No. Strong fists?"
She slouched and flopped on her back.
I thought meditation would help me learn to Airbend, but I can't even do that right!
Closing her eyes, Tianfu breathed deeply and thought of her mother. Her mother, spinning through the air, whipping the wind like a master. Her mother who died to save someone she loved. It made the girl smile.
She used to assume that her mother and father split on bad terms and that one day he simply received word that she died. She was very pleased to be proven wrong.
I will stay in the Fire Nation, she thought. I may not be an Airbender, but I will stay and teach someone. Maybe one of my kids. They'll learn about the Air Nomads. And Asa. My mom.
In the still night, Tianfu relaxed with a small smile on her face, thinking of her mother and the wind until she fell asleep.
Inside the house Riondo watched his daughter from the window.
Just before he was going to retire for the night, he thought he saw some orange and yellow leaves circle in the air above her.
xxxxx
The sands at the harbor had cooked all day in the sun. The group of Fire Nation teenagers playing on the beach were very aware of the pain every little step caused their feet. Finally, one of them spoke up.
"I've had it with this crappy sand! My uncle has a boat at the docks, let's just go sailing!"
The burly boy slicked back his curly black hair.
The others, still skipping from foot to foot, agreed with him.
Tianfu and her friends made their way to the docks. She walked next to a short, amber-eyed girl named Ilah. She was a good bender and a rather saucy person. Her parents were nobles in court.
"What an oaf," she said. "I wouldn't even go near him except he's good for a laugh."
Tianfu couldn't help but smile, "Don't be cruel, Ilah. Ying's a bit goofy, but he means well. Besides, he always does his best to entertain us."
"Right," she drawled. "Last time Ying tried to entertain us he blew a hole in your yard. Was your dad pissed about that?"
"No," said the taller girl. "He was just surprised the trees didn't catch fire too."
They reached the large boat and everyone climbed onboard. The kids let Ying steer against their better judgment until someone else asked to give it a try.
The large boy abandoned his post to sit next to Tianfu and Ilah.
"So ladies, what do you think of my big boat?"
Ilah smirked, "I think you're compensating." Tianfu giggled.
Ying grinned at them, "I guess I walked right into that one. It's alright, you can poke fun at me. I'm still hot stuff." He sparked a little flame on his thumb.
They laughed and talked together until someone called out, "Hey, Ying! Can we put the anchor down? We want to swim!"
Ying stretched and stood up, "Yeah, sure. I'll get it." He strolled along the side of the boat until he came to a twisted rope pile and the anchor. His uncle was clearly not a neat man.
He threw the anchor overboard and felt something abruptly tighten around his ankle. Before he had the chance to think, the rope pulled him overboard and deep in the water.
Ying lost the little amount of air he had in his lungs in shock. His body convulsed as he pulled on the rope, but it was too taut. The boy tightened all of his muscles and knew that he would not be awake much longer.
xxxxx
The girls heard a thud a few seconds after Ying left their side. They followed his path, but didn't see him anywhere.
"Did he go back to steer?" asked Ilah. "The anchor is already down there."
Tianfu looked in the clear water and saw a shadow. Then bubbles popped on the surface.
Without a word she took a huge breath and dove in after Ying.
She swam quickly enough to see his eyes fluttering in the water. In his panic he had tried to Firebend through the rope and expended all of his energy. Tianfu tugged at the rope on his feet, but nothing happened. She pulled Ying down to her level and the rope slackened.
A large cluster of bubbles left Ying's mouth as he was released. The girl saw his eyes roll back and his mouth partially open. He was not rising in the water.
She pressed her lips to his, as if kissing him, and released pure air into his mouth. His eyes flew open underwater. Tianfu filled his lungs and pushed out the water before swimming back up to the surface.
They drew in so much air when they resurfaced that their lungs were stretched completely. Ying coughed and sputtered while Tianfu just relished the breath in her body.
Everyone on deck stared at them.
Ilah shrieked, "Don't ever do that again! I thought you died!" She threw a rope ladder over the side of the boat.
When they had mostly recovered from the near-drowning experience, everyone thought it would be best to just go back to shore for the day.
They said their goodbyes at the dock before parting ways. Ying offered to walk Tianfu home.
Before they reached her porch he stopped.
His face was very serious. It made Tianfu anxious. "Hey Ti, I know I already thanked you for saving me, but I need to tell you something. Uh, when I was drowning, I never totally passed out. I felt you um, kiss me?" She opened her mouth to interrupt him. He continued, "It wasn't a kiss, I know, but I can't think of a better word. You pushed air in my lungs… from your mouth. It was like I was breathing because you were breathing for me. You controlled it."
Tianfu instinctively reached for the whistle around her neck. She didn't say anything.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is- is that was really weird," he mumbled. "But thanks for doing it anyway."
She sighed in relief that he didn't press the subject.
"You're welcome. I figured that if you died, whose boat would we get to sail on?"
Ying sneered, "Aw great. Another case of using Ying for fun. What would you people do without me?"
"Probably not drown."
They laughed and hugged before Tianfu went inside. She told her father about what happened and he furrowed his brow in thought. In her room alone later, the girl could not help but hope this meant she could Airbend after all.
xxxxx
Eighty-five years later
In the Fire Nation courtyard, a rather large family had gathered to celebrate yesterday's coronation of the new Fire Lord, Zuko.
A brown-haired girl was handed a small note by one of her family messengers. It said, "Please come to my room as soon as you get the chance. It's important. Love, Grammy."
Grammy? She's like one hundred and one years old. I wonder what she wants me for.
The girl shrugged and agilely sauntered to her grandmother's room. It was a large, very open room full of windows and light. It was not quite the same style as the other rooms in the house, but the girl liked it all the same. Golden curtains flowed like sunshine around an old woman staring outside.
Her voice was whispery in her old age, but it was filled with a kind of inner peace that she only shared with one of her descendents.
"Hello, Grammy," said the smiling girl. "Your note said you wanted to see me."
Tianfu stood next to basket of scrolls, wearing the silver whistle around her neck.
She said, "You know, Ty Lee, you were always my favorite granddaughter."
Ty Lee bounced to her side, "Oh, thank you! You've always been my favorite Grammy."
They giggled together.
The woman continued, "I know that you and Avatar Aang have had many adventures, perhaps not always on the same side as the other, but you were always connected to him. I'm going to show you something now and tell you a story, but I need you to promise to help me tell it to him. Ty Lee, you are the only one of my granddaughters that I feel it's affected. You may hold the key to the future. It's very important, and I trust you completely."
Ty Lee looked uncertain, but nodded.
Tianfu took a deep breath and exhaled. A gust of wind flew through the open window and blew Ty Lee's hair and clothes as if she were falling. The wind danced around Tianfu's wrinkled hands until she let it fly back outside, smiling enormously.
Her granddaughter gaped.
"G-Grammy? Did you- did you just Airbend?"
Lightly laughing, Tianfu said, "I did, my darling. It's quite a surprise to me too, because yesterday was the first time I've been able to control it."
A rush of realization hit Ty Lee. She sagged into a chair, "Grammy- how did… how?"
Tianfu sat across from her granddaughter. She had waited for eighty-five years for this moment.
"It started on my sixteenth birthday."
xxxxx
A/N: I always pictured Ty Lee as an Airbender. Jumping through the air, perky personality, good sense of humor, and everything else…. Reviews are welcome.