Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. All recognizable characters and settings are, regretfully, someone else's property. The fifth element, the Lost Temple, and any original characters are mine.
This is a potential Taang, with a Zuko/OC somewhere down the line. I'm not sure what pairings I want to have yet
SOKKA AND KATARA ARE NOT GOING TO BE NICE!! IF YOU DON'T LIKE THAT IDEA, PLEASE DON'T READ THIS FIC!!
Beta'd by my good friend The Red Bird!
"Aang, focus!! The eclipse will be here in less than a week!! The fate of this world depends on YOU!! You and your ability to master the elements!!"
Aang gritted his teeth and tried again to make the small flame, borrowed from their campfire, follow his motions as he went through an offensive pattern. But due to Katara's continued yelling, all he managed to do was singe the sleeve of his tunic. Again. With a sigh, the small boy allowed the fire to return and whipped his glider open. He needed time to think.
"Firelord Ozai!! Where are you!!" The day of the Black Sun was almost over. Aang and those loyal to him had been wandering aimlessly about the Firelord's palace. They had yet to encounter a soul.
Time was up. Aang watched with tear-filled grey eyes as the moon shifted, allowing the sunlight to return. He had failed.
He dreamt he was falling. Endlessly, unable to see anything but blackness. Unable to stop the fall. Unable to stop the voices…the accusations…the reminders.
"This was your destiny, Aang!! You were supposed to save us!!" Katara's voice said accusingly in his head.
"We lost our father AGAIN because of you!! And you couldn't even save him!! You couldn't save anyone!!" Sokka continued where his sister left off.
"Face it, Twinkle Toes. You're weak. You're pathetic. I wish I had never agreed to teach you!!" Toph screamed.
"My honor isn't worth chasing down a boy who can't even master the elements." Prince Zuko's voice sneered.
"We were counting on you, Avatar!"
"One hundred years we hoped for you while you were safe and in hiding!"
"You've failed us! You've failed this planet!"
"You betrayed us Avatar!"
"No! I'm sorry! Please…I tried as hard as I could! I tried to save you!" Aang screamed, covering his ears. But the voices didn't go away.
"And now there won't be a world left to save!"
Aang jerked awake with a gasp, hastily muffling the sound with his hand lest his "friends" hear it. The young Avatar lay still for a moment, letting reality return.
It had been nearly a month since his failure on the day of the eclipse. With time against them, there had been only one chance: he had to defeat the Firelord with his own element. But when he needed it most, his firebending had failed.
They had barely gotten out of the palace alive. The Firelord had been pursuing mercilessly, tracking the Avatar and those loyal to him, forcing them deep into the wilderness north of the Earth Kingdom. Even Toph no longer knew where exactly they were.
Since his failure, things had changed. Katara was no longer the sweet, loving girl she had once been. She was harsh, cruel and cynical, with a biting remark for everything Aang did. And Sokka wasn't much better. The siblings from the Southern Water Tribe had made it clear that the only reason they still followed him was because they had nowhere else to go with their father imprisoned and their village destroyed, things they made sure to bring up frequently.
Only Toph, brave, powerful Toph, was still loyal to him. The Bei-Fong warrior had made it clear that should the siblings continue with their behavior, they would find themselves sealed in rock for good. That didn't stop them though: they waited until the all-hearing earthbender was asleep to start in on Aang.
Aang glanced around: to his far left, he could just barely see Katara's form, huddled close to the dying campfire. Sokka slept next to his sister, body turned towards her protectively. Toph and Aang had spread their bedrolls on the opposite side of the fire. It made the Avatar sad to see what they had been reduced to: drawing lines like enemies during war, rather than the friends they were supposed to be.
We've been through so much. How can they abandon me now?
Small fingers raked back a mop of brown hair that was quickly becoming scruffy. Matted with dirt, leaves, and dried blood, not to mention badly in need of a trim, it was quickly becoming a mess. But at least it hid the distinctive blue arrow tattooed on the Avatar's forehead. Another pang of sadness went through the young boy. Marks he once bore so proudly he was now relieved to see disappear.
Very slowly, Aang rolled over onto his other side, focusing on his breathing as he curled in upon himself. He tried to imagine all the negativity inside him leaving with each gust of air he expelled. Some hours later, he drifted into an uneasy slumber.
"Aang…"
The young boy squinted his closed eyes. He knew that voice. He had heard it before. But it couldn't be speaking to him. None of the voices directed his way were that gentle.
"Aang…" it said again, persistent. The one being addressed did his best to drown it out: he was comfortable and, for the first time in a long time, the voices and their accusations were silent.
"You must listen to us, my child." Said a different voice that was no less gentle than the first.
Reluctantly, the Avatar opened his eyes and sat up, blinking in surprise. He was sitting in the midst of a field of flowers that were such a deep shade of purple they were nearly black. For some reason, the sight of them soothed him and he reached out to run his fingers along the satiny petals of one blossom.
"Aang," finally he looked up, acknowledging the voices that had called him into awareness.
A familiar, wizened form met his bewildered gaze. "Avatar Roku!" The young airbender scrambled to his feet and bowed deeply to his predecessor.
"Aang, listen to me. There is hope yet. There is still time for you to accomplish what you were meant to do." The firebender said in his soft, wise voice.
"But how? I've failed to master firebending, and now the eclipse has passed…" Aang trailed off uncertainly when Roku raised a hand.
"There is still a way, Aang. But it will be difficult, and it will take time." The older man's voice turned cautioning at the end.
"Whatever it is, I'll do it. I owe this world a debt that must be repaid." The younger one's eyes glinted with a determination they had lacked since the day of the Black Sun.
"Then listen carefully, Aang. The way to defeat Ozai, the Fire Nation, and your own fears lies in the fifth element."
"There is no fifth element," Aang cut in, already confused.
"There is, Aang, I assure you. But it is not one that man can manipulate, and therefore knowledge of it has been lost. If you can discover the secrets of the fifth element's power, you will find the key to defeating the Fire Nation, and your fears as well." Roku spoke patiently, giving the young one time to digest the news he brought.
"How can I find something that has been forgotten?" Aang asked quietly.
"Not all have forgotten the fifth element. And those who once worshipped its power left pieces of its secrets scattered about this world. Put together, the pieces of the puzzle will lead you to the lost temple where the fifth element is still revered. There, you will find the key to your victory."
"But that's all so vague. Where would I even begin? How will I know a clue when I see one?" Aang was growing more and more despondent as Roku's explanation wore on.
"Return to your home at the Southern Air Temple. Begin there. You will find the first piece of the puzzle in the place where you were most at home, and the least welcomed during your time there."
Aang frowned, confused by the seeming contradiction. "What is the fifth element anyway?"
"The answer will reveal itself along the way." Roku was beginning to fade into mist and Aang knew his time was almost up.
"But Avatar Roku, what if I fail again? What if I can't find the lost temple, or find all the puzzle pieces?" Aang asked desperately.
"You must not fail, Aang. This world, and its balance, depend upon you. It is up to you to return knowledge of the fifth element to this world and with it, restore balance once and for all. I have faith in you." With a kind smile, Roku faded from Aang's view, leaving the young Airbender surrounded by mists.
From out of them, the gentle voice from earlier spoke again. It was a woman's voice, a voice that made Aang feel safe, protected, powerful. A mother's voice.
"We will meet again soon, Aang…"
Aang awoke more slowly this time, rolling onto his back and giving a long stretch before his eyes even opened. He was met by the sight of the lightening sky. Dawn was coming.
For a long moment he lay still, turning Avatar Roku's words over in his mind. The more he thought, the more sense they made. He could sense the absence of the fifth element: like a hole somewhere deep inside him: preventing him from coming fully into balance. He knew on some deep, intuitive level that until he had unearthed it and united himself with its power, he would not be able to defeat Firelord Ozai.
He also knew that if he did not leave soon, the only chance he had would be gone. Moving quietly, Aang secured his bedroll and moved to saddle Appa, his faithful companion through all of their many trials. Momo awakened from his burrow atop the flying bison's head and chattered sleepily.
"Shh," the Avatar held a finger up to his lips and smiled when the lemur imitated him with another chittery noise that somehow made it clear that he understood. Aang secured his bedroll and turned to the bag of supplies. He gathered a hanful of lici nuts, and another of dried berries and a few strips of tough, cured meat. Somehow he sensed that he needed to go for long-lasting over good-tasting.
The young airbender sadly cast his eyes over the forms of Katara and Sokka, still oblivious in sleep. It broke his heart that his first friends, the ones to awaken him, had fallen so far. So far that he had to leave them behind.
When he was sure that everything was ready he went over and shook Toph gently awake. The earthbender opened her eyes, sightless gaze zeroing in on Aang exactly. Using the sixth sense she seemed to possess, she nodded her head at his unspoken plea of silence on her part.
Minutes later the two of them flew away, leaving the siblings sleeping in blissful ignorance, and turned so that the rising sun was at their left shoulders. They would begin their search with the Air Temples.
As he gripped Appa's reins tightly, the last of the airbenders sent up a silent prayer that this time, he would not fail.
And there you have Chapter 1!! Reviews are lovely and highly encouraged. Let me know what you think and if I should continue!!