Prelude:

This story came from an idea I've had for quite a while. And some research is what inspired me to write this.

I read that bending isn't purely genetics, it's based on personality. Well, what if someone had the personality of an airbender, and thus was presented with the gift?

I set this to start before book one, but very shortly before. Hardly two months before Aang is rescued from the iceberg.

My story will not conflict with the continuity of the show. I am very respectful of the series, and will not hurt the run.

Please, enjoy.

...

It begun with a sneeze. One a rather clouded day, a young boy of Kyoshi Island had accidentally reincarnated an entire society.

Quixin was only sixteen, and his features were unusual for his family. The other three members of his immediate family all had strictly tanned skin, brown hair and dark eyes. They stood strongly, like the thick trees surrounding their home.

Life was simple on Kyoshi Island, Everyone knew their own place. Everyone knew the places of the other citizens. Rice was the constant source of food, his family maintaining a rice plantation. His older brother, Rontin had left to aid in the war with the fire nation, he wanted to do whatever possible to halt the war from Kyoshi Island.

One a typical morning, Quixin had left his home to go watch the Kyoshi warriors train. He excitedly ran towards the town, toward the Kyoshi warriors training centre. He was friends with most of the Kyoshi warriors, especially Suki. Him and Suki had known each other since toddler hood, probably before that. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but had always pondered what would happen if he were to ask Suki on a date. What would they do, And what the Island would think.

He arrived to the Kyoshi training centre, said his usual greetings to the girls, and went off to train on his own. Quixin was a moderate fighter at best, he was light on his feet. But he lacked the proper training to do any real damage to a foe. Suki had shown him some basic forms, but he didn't grasp them well.

He trained on a punching bag for about an hour before stopping for a rest, He wiped the sweat off his forehead, shook the sweat of his short dark brown, almost black, hair. His hardly sun kissed skin glistened with the sweat of his early morning workout. He ate a very small bowl of rice and decided to go for a jog around the island, he could easily lap the island two or three times without tiring out. He started down the town, past the statue of Kyoshi and over the small brown fence and headed toward the beach. The elephant koi were especially feisty today, so he stopped of a watch.

That's when it happened. Whilst watching the koi at play, Quixin sneezed. But this was no ordinary sneeze. This sneeze caused the elephant koi to flee. This sneeze had created a divot in the sand, blowing the rest to the sides of the beach. Quixin was an air bender. The only one on Kyoshi island, and the world.

He was unsure of what had just happened. There was a lack of bending on Kyoshi, he had basic knowledge of earth and fire bending, and very little knowledge on water bending. But air bending, he knew nothing about except what the rest of the world knew; they were extinct. No one had seen an air bender in nearly a hundred years. He didn't know who to tell, he didn't know who to trust. He didn't know who would believe him, he didn't even know how to show proof of his ability. He swished his arms around in a violent motion, but nothing. The blew air out of his mouth. Nothing happened. He wondered if it was a fluke, a one time happening. He laid in the divot he created on the beach and pondered.

He decided to recreate the air bending he'd have to recreate the feeling he felt when he sneezed, recollecting the thoughts he felt earlier while watching the koi fish. The feelings of fun and freedom came to mind, Quixin had always related the way the elephant koi frolicked in the ocean to those feelings.

He closed his eyes and brought forth those emotions, this wasn't hard for Quixin, from early childhood others would call Quixin one of the most energetic, enthusiastic children on the island. It took almost an hour, but he did it. His mouth was dry and exhausted from blowing air, but this time he blew a rather large gust of wind from his mouth, he blew it straight into the air. Quixin was ecstatic, it wasn't a fluke. He was an air bender, know one would know how or why but it didn't matter.

Under the cloudy sky, he scurried through the town to find Suki. He decided she'd be the most helpful. She was in the place he left her, the training centre. The kyoshi warriors were just starting up there training again, after a lunch break. He told her this was very important to him, and she and the other warriors understood and he and Suki ran off.

He wanted to go someplace very excluded. At the far end of his fathers rice plantation was an old barn, his father built one closer to the house and stopped using the older structure many years ago. The barn was at one point pure white, but now was faded and molded, filled with Spiderflys. At the pace Quixin was dragging her, they arrived at the barn in no time.

Nearly out of breath, Suki asked him what was the matter. She pondered into his eyes and saw both excitement and nervousness. Suki had always loved Quixin's eyes, they were white. Where her eyes were brown, his were white. And he had unusually large eyes, so his unusual eye color was very noticeable upon first meeting him. He quickly silenced Suki and instructed her to watch, he took the same lightly planted stance as before, and blew. She was stunned.

This blow was more powerful than before, knocking him to his feet. Thankfully, it was the dry season, so no rice was harmed. Suki was speechless. She shot a barrage of questions at him. "How long have you known about this". "When did this happen". In this familiar format, she went on with the questions. Quixin slowed her down and told her what had happened after he left today. He instructed her not to tell anyone, even her fellow warriors about this. She agreed. She also proposed something, that they work and try to develop this newly found talent, Quixin looked into her eager eyes and happily accepted the offer.

Suki went to the oldest person in town, and asked about the air benders. Out of curiosity, of course. The old man told her of the air bending culture, of the nomads. And how they were exterminated from their world. Suki listened and questioned there fighting style. He told her that he was unsure of how they fought, he never saw one in person. She decided to help Quixin by giving him a foundation in air bending, by helping him create his own fighting style. She decided that he needed to learn how to control air by other means than his mouth. Luckily, the Kyoshi warriors used fans as a weapon, this would be used to help Quixin guide the air and unleash it until he was strong enough to have a stronger hold over his element.

Laying in his bead, Quixin entered a pondering state. He wondered when it would be appropriate to inform his family of his new found, gift. Maybe never, unsure of how his family would react, he decided to wait a bit. The tension had been building lately in his household, his older brother was injured and his family worried. They were praying to get another letter from him, but while they waited on the next letter, they were very easily agitated.

Quixin was almost always happy, his face didn't look right when he was frowning. He didn't practice fighting to be the best, he simply did it to stay have fun. He was genuinely care free, and why not? There was little to nothing to worry about on Kyoshi. He was a hard worker, when interested in what he was doing. His attention span was somewhat of an Achilles heel, as he lost interest in almost everything very quickly. Which is why him and Suki made such an excellent team, he would start strongly and she would finish the job.

The sun would not rise until an hour after Quixin woke up. He decided to get a very early start. As he rose out of his bed, he stretched towards the sky with a look that read he was ready ton start a new day. He got dressed very quietly, in his usual ocean blue attire, knee length pants sleeveless shirt and pale yellow tie on belt. He never wore shoes, he liked his feet to feel free as he walked the earth.

As he stepped outside his humble abode he could feel the coldness of the island from the night before, he felt the coldness on his toes. As he stepped he could hear the grass crinkle beneath him. The morning was fresh and crisp, the air felt clear yet refreshing. He quietly followed the familiar trail to Suki's home. He was surprised to see her already ready and on the path to him. They greeted and decided to train on the far off beach past the forest on the other side of Kyoshi. The trees would give them total seclusion from the world.

The walk was far, the sun had just barely started to rise by time the reached the beach. They started with stretches. Then Suki instructed him on the importance of the battlers stance. She told him a strong stance could make a fighter unstoppable. She took him and positioned his feet wider, she told him to be fluid with his weight. To be quick foot, yet stable. He is never to fall over or lose his balance.

Then she gave him two fans. Quixin was puzzled, she kindly explained to him the fans would act as training supplies. To help him gather the air to better control it. He smiled and took a fan into each of his hands. He started by lightly fanning up and down. He applied his bending and glided across the sand.

He worked hard. The swiped his fans. Gaining more momentum with each he instructed him on trying to focus on his air. Trying to sharpen it into a slicing formation. She realized he had the power. He needed the control. She also realized he should start trying to control the wind farther than beyond the fan. That he can further direct it after it's been unleashed. It would take time. He would need patience, which she knew he didn't have naturally.

It took two weeks, but Quixin cut a medium sized tree in two. He could create air slashes. He could create incredible bursts of oxygen. And breathtaking air slashes. His form had improved, but still needed worked. He flicked his wrists whenever possible. They were strong. His air forms needed work. He tried to create a ball of air. No luck. He could create a concaving current, but that was it.

Suki was impressed, they had never spent so much time together. She didn't let Quixin interrupt or harm her training as a Kyoshi warrior, but they were together every morning, late afternoon and night. They had practice sparring matches, Suki held back. Quixin practiced further by moving medium sized boulders and tree trunks he knocked down himself. At night they'd lay alone in the cool fresh green grass, and looked into the bright purple sky.

They questioned his ability, his purpose of having it. They started training to better control his ability, but what after that? He had no standard to live up too, to master. He had no need to fight. As they lay they could hear the elephant koi splashing about, the town steadily getting quieter and settling in for the night. The excitement of his new found ability couldn't create anymore excitement to the small island of Kyoshi.