Summary:As the four bending arts were being discovered and the four nations began to form, the Goddess of the Spirit World decided it was time to manifest the Spirit of the World into human form, a form that would be known as the Avatar. The Avatar would keep the world in check as the nations began to grow, for the Spirit of the World sensed the Incarnation of Chaos was also taking human form. This is the story of a young boy, Houkou, the world's first Avatar incarnation along with the first "Team Avatar" and his fight against Medley; The Incarnation of Chaos.

Disclaimer:I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender or anything from the series. I just thought this would be a fun little idea. We'll see where it goes.


Book 1: Earth
Chapter 1: The Four Sages


A young woman sat up in her bed, eyes wide and alert. She looked around frantically and tried to even out her breathing. She felt a presence near her, somewhere, in the house.

"What is it, Lifen?" the woman's husband stirred.

"Something…something is here, Jianyu…" the woman replied slowly.

Jianyu bolted right up in bed and looked around hastily. The room was dark as he scanned; his eyes weren't adjusting as quickly as he would have liked them to.

"Are you sure, Lifen?" Jianyu asked.

Lifen nodded. "I can feel it."

Jianyu couldn't feel anything. He let out a sigh and then frowned.

"It's just nerves, I think," he said, gently placing a hand on his wife's shoulder.

Lifen shook her head. "No. Something is here. I just don't understand why it won't show itself…"

Suddenly, as if Lifen had said the magic words, a bright light appeared before the couple in their bed. They lifted their arms to shield the light, moving them just so in order to see what was appearing before them.

A woman appeared before them. A beautiful woman. She smiled at the couple, who sat frozen in terror.

"Do not be alarmed. It is I, the Goddess of the Spirit World, otherwise known as Queen Gaialin," the women spoke. Her voice was musical and rich. The octaves of her voice were not that of a human, being much too high and sweet. As soon as her voice touched the couples' ears, they relaxed.

"I bring news to thee. I have infused your unborn son with the Spirit of the World," the Queen began. "Dark times are descending upon the world and therefore the world needs a champion. Your son will be known as the Avatar. As the Avatar, he will be able to bend all elements at his command. He will serve as the protector of the world, as his duty will be to bring forth peace and balance for all the lands. When his life ends, the Spirit of the World will find a new host, thus continuing the Avatar Cycle. Do you understand what I am telling you?"

The man and woman nodded at the Spirit Queen.

"In nine months time, the very first Avatar shall be born. He will face the Dark Prince who threatens this world with hatred and evil," the Queen continued. "Your son will have a great duty resting upon his shoulders, but I sense a strong heart and strong will in your son. The strongest I have ever felt in a long time. I have faith in you as parents and as well as in your son."

And with that, the Spirit Queen disappeared, bringing her shining light with her, leaving the couple in their dark bedroom once more.

Lifen bolted right up in bed along with Jianyu and they looked at each other, faces displaying a combination of disbelief and awe.

"Did you just have…?" Jianyu asked.

Lifen nodded. "We had the same dream."

"Do you think it's real?" Jianyu asked slowly.

Lifen placed her small hands on her stomach for a moment and then smiled.

"I think it's very real, Jianyu. I'm pregnant," Lifen said with a smile.

13 years later…

A young boy with chocolate brown hair stood on the roof of a house. His hair was messy and was a little long, passing his ears slightly in length. He wore a black tank top style shirt that was trimmed in white, accompanied by matching white designs on it. The back of his shirt came down to around the boy's knees, giving the shirt a cape-like appearance. Matching to the shirt, separate, kimono-like sleeves hung from just above his forearms. The boy wore matching black baggy pants that were also trimmed in white along with white designs on them. Black boots came up to his knees. His bright blue eyes scanned the area as a smirk appeared on his face.

"GOTCHA!"

Arms tried to reach around for the boy but he easily slipped away before the arms could even wrap around him. The boy delivered two very swift blows to his attacker, causing him to lose his balance. Nearly as fast as the boy struck him, the attacker was falling off the roof.

With a laugh, the boy reached down and grabbed his attacker by the hand, preventing him from hitting the ground hard.

"Dammit, Houkou!" the attacker exclaimed in frustration.

Houkou continued to laugh as he reached down with his other hand and pulled the boy back up onto the roof.

"What was that, Syaoran?" Houkou asked, falling backward to sit down. "Or should I say, twinkle-toes?"

The other boy let out a sigh and sat down on the roof beside his best friend.

Syaoran had a lighter brown hair color than Houkou that was pulled back into a low, messy ponytail. Syaoran's eyes were a dark brown color, contrasting with Houkou's blue eyes. His outfit matched Houkou's, but the trim and designs were of light blue color. Syaoran was also taller than Houkou by a little bit, since Syaoran is a year older than Houkou.

"My parents are ninjutsu masters. Do you really think you can outdo their son?" Houkou asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's in my blood."

"Haha, I know," Syaoran said shaking his head and smiling. "But one day, I will overcome you."

"Bring it," Houkou welcomed, returning the smile.

The two boys laughed and reclined on the roof. The sun was setting magnificently in the west; oranges, golds, pinks, and purples painted the sky, blending into one another and creating a great masterpiece. The village carried on with the end of the day activities, carrying a soft murmur in the air. All was right in the world, as it generally was.

"Oh, Houkou?" Syaoran said, turning his head so that he could face his friend.

"What's up?" Houkou asked curiously, turning his attention back at Syaoran.

"Happy birthday," Syaoran said with a smile.

Houkou blinked for a moment, taking in what Syaoran had just said. Then he laughed.

"Oh yeah! It's my birthday huh?" Houkou said covering his eyes with his hand.

"You would forget," Syaoran said, shaking his head.

"Well sorry. It's not like it's a grand occasion," Houkou replied. "But thanks, Syaoran."

"Don't mention it. So, you're finally a teenager. How does it feel?" Syaoran asked playfully.

Houkou shrugged. "No different than normal really. I feel exactly the same."

"Well, yeah. It's not like you were going to sprout a tail or anything, you dork," Syaoran said shaking his head.

"Then that's just another reason to show you that birthdays, including mine, aren't too big of a deal," Houkou said teasingly. "If you want the truth, birthdays are just counting out each year you manage to continue living since you were born. You know, not dying. So basically it's celebration for some for not dying."

"Oh Houkou. You have such a warped perspective. You know though that that means the entire village is throwing you a birthday dinner. They do every year," Syaoran commented, folding his arms.

Houkou waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah well they don't need to. I mean it's a very kind gesture, but…it isn't necessary. I blame my parents."

"They've gotta have some reason for doing it every year," Syaoran suggested.

Houkou shrugged. "Other than they're crazy? Maybe, but I really don't think so."

"Speaking of which…" Syaoran said as his gaze made his way toward the sunset. He squinted as he tried to estimate the time. "Don't you have to get home anyway to get ready?"

"Ugh you're right! Mom is going to be livid. That's what I get for having crazy parents," Houkou groaned. Syaoran laughed.

Before Syaoran could say another word, Houkou was jumping from roof to roof with extreme speed. You almost couldn't see him if you didn't pay the proper attention. If you even blinked, you'd lose him. Houkou truly was Lifen and Jianyu's son, for they were the greatest ninjutsu practitioners of their time.

"Finally home huh?" Houkou's mother Lifen said when Houkou blew through the front door.

"Hi mom," Houkou said automatically when he came to a halt.

"It's time for you to put on your kimono for dinner," Lifen instructed her son.

"Can I say hi to Susanoo first? I haven't seen him all day," Houkou asked, clasping his hands together.

"I suppose…" Lifen responded. "But make it fast. We've gotta go, Houkou."

"I will!" Houkou yelled as he raced out into their backyard.

Susanoo sat quietly in the backyard. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be smiling. Houkou smiled at the sight. Susanoo was a young Lion Turtle, so he was about the size of a Flying Bison. With the proper saddle, Susanoo could carry around six to seven passengers, depending on the size of said passengers.

"Susanoo!" Houkou said as he rushed over to his Lion Turtle and hugged him.

Susanoo smiled at Houkou in response. Since he was a young Lion Turtle, he had not yet gained the ability to telepathically speak the human language.

"I'm sorry I didn't spend any time with you today. I was out practicing with Syaoran. And today is my birthday so I have to go to the stupid village dinner my mom and dad have arranged," Houkou continued.

Susanoo nodded at Houkou. At the very least, Susanoo could understand the human language. Houkou would swear by it.

"Anyway, I'll be back, boy. I have to go get ready. Hopefully I can bring you back some goodies from the dinner!" Houkou said with a smile. Houkou ran a hand through Susanoo's small mane and then made his way back into the house so he could get ready for the dinner.

Houkou donned his white and black kimono and sighed. These village dinners on his birthday weren't particularly his favorite way to spend his evening. It was weird and he had no idea how his mother and father pulled off getting the entire village to attend. He was just another regular kid. Sure, he's the son of Lifen and Jianyu, the village's greatest ninjutsu masters, but did that really call for attending a dinner with the entire village?

Once he and his parents were ready to go, they headed off to City Hall, which was transformed into a great dining room. Torches burned brightly, music played, and festive decor was all over the room. The feel in the room seemed more over-the-top than they normally were, causing Houkou to feel rather uneasy. He bit his lip and frowned as they made their way to the end of the room to sit at the table on a raised platform, sort of like a stage, with Syaoran and his mother.

"Hi Houkou. Why the long face?" Syaoran's mother greeted when Houkou and his parents sat down in front of the whole room.

Houkou shrugged. He didn't know how to answer her. Syaoran took this as a cue to lean in close to Houkou so he could quietly explain why he wasn't feeling so great.

"This seems more…overbearing than normal…" Houkou muttered quietly to his friend.

"You're a kid. You'd think you'd like parties," Syaoran said carefully.

Syaoran's tone and word choice made Houkou turn and study his friend. Syaoran knows something. Houkou was sure of it.

"What do you know, Syaoran?" Houkou asked slowly.

Before Syaoran could answer, the village leader was standing before their table, facing the rest of the room, attempting to quiet everyone down.

"Quiet, quiet!" He commanded loudly. "Dinner, is served." The village leader smiled as servers appeared and lifted the lids off of all the foods on the table. Happy chatter then followed as everyone dug in.

"Why aren't you touching your cow hippo, son?" Jianyu asked, nudging Houkou with his elbow.

"I'm not terribly hungry…" Houkou said with a sigh.

"Why not? It's perfectly good cow hippo. It's fresh. I could've sworn you loved it," Jianyu continued.

"I'm just not hungry," Houkou repeated.

"I don't understand. How can you, a thirteen-year-old kid, act like this at a party? Especially when it's your own birthday," Jianyu said shaking his head and dropping his fork and knife onto his plate. "Your mother and I go through all this trouble for you—"

"Maybe the boy doesn't like all this attention, you two," Syaoran's mother chimed in. "Just because he is a young boy does not mean he likes this sort of thing."

Jianyu looked at Syaoran's mother for a moment, trying to communicate a silent message.

"Thanks for that, Meihui," Jianyu said to Syaoran's mother, still not breaking contact with her.

Meihui shrugged and gave Jianyu a small nervous smile.

At the conclusion of the dinner portion of the festivities, four sages walked into the room, causing the chatter to be completely silenced and for the torch lights to dim; work of the firebending sage. Each was dressed in their respective element colors; red for fire, blue for water, green for earth, and yellow for air. This was something that has never happened before at Houkou's birthday dinners.

The sages stopped at the raised platform Houkou, Syaoran, and their families were sitting on. The four stretched out their arms and gestured for Houkou to come to them.

"We request the boy, Houkou," one of the sages said in a booming voice, startling Houkou. He wasn't even sure which sage asked for him.

Houkou looked at the sages, then at his parents. Lifen and Jianyu nodded, giving Houkou their permission for him to go to the sages. Houkou turned his attention back at the sages and stared.

"Come, quickly," a sage commanded.

Shakily, Houkou got to his feet and hesitantly made his way over to the sages that were beckoning for him. Once Houkou was before them, the earthbending sage turned Houkou to face the room full of villagers that were here because of him. He was truly paralyzed with fear.

"We have come bearing great news!" Boomed the earthbending sage to the room.

"Her Grace, Goddess Queen Gaialin of the Spirit World, has sent us a magnificent gift!" Another sage chimed in.

"Her Grace has given us a Champion of Time, Champion of the World! She has blessed us with a mortal incarnation of the Spirit of the World, which shall hence forth be known as the Avatar!" Another sage boomed to the silenced village sitting at various tables in awe.

"The Avatar shall be able to bend all the arts and shall be the keeper of peace and balance within our world. He shall be the bridge between our world and the Spirit World. He will conquer any evil that threatens this balance and bring justice!"

The four sages left Houkou's side and went down to the middle of the room, lining up one behind another. Houkou was puzzled and even more frightened than before. He always felt sages were a little batty, but this, this took the cake and frosting with it.

The earthbending sage was first in line.

"Earth," He said pounding his foot in the ground, causing rock to fly up before him. He swiftly punched at the rock, sending it hurtling towards Houkou.

In a state of panic, Houkou threw his arms up to defend himself. Instead, the rock reacted to his movements and stopped before him, hovering before his face.

Satisfied, the earthbending sage moved aside, allowing for the firebending sage to proceed.

"Fire," the firebending sage said as he performed a simple maneuver to project fire. The flames charged at Houkou and he threw his arms up once more to protect himself. He spun around, causing his back to face the flames, and continued to spin around without meaning to, causing him to face the crowd once more. The flames had stopped before him, just as the rock had.

The firebending sage stepped out of the way, allowing for the Airbending sage to come forward and perform his technique.

"Air," the airbending sage said as he tossed a small sphere made of air at Houkou.

As a reflex, Houkou caught the sphere made of air in his hands and held it; the sphere kept its shape and continued to rotate. The waterbending sage was the final sage in line.

"Water," the waterbending sage said simply as he performed a simple, yet graceful maneuver that caused water to fly toward Houkou.

As Houkou moved his arms to block the water from hitting him, the water followed each motion Houkou made with his arms. Intrigued, Houkou moved his arms upward, half expecting the water to hit him in the face. Instead, the water followed his motion upward and went above his head, as his arms did. When Houkou broke the block, the water collapsed into a puddle on the ground.

The four sages stood side by side in the center of the room now.

"We present to you, the very first Avatar, Avatar Houkou!" The four sages said in unison. The instantly dropped to their knees and bowed. The entire village followed suit.

Houkou looked behind him just to check, and sure enough, his parents, Syaoran, and Syaoran's mother were all bowing to him, just as everyone else in the room were doing.

"Long live Avatar Houkou!" one of the villagers cried out. Cheers and whistling followed.

"But…but there must be some kind of mistake! I can't bend!" Houkou said nervously. Those that heard his comment laughed.

Houkou scanned the entire room and shook his head. He bolted down from the raised platform and pushed past the sages and people that blocked his way out of City Hall.

"I don't think this went as well as you guys were planning," Syaoran said to Lifen and Jianyu.

"He was going to find out sooner or later," Jianyu said with a shrug. "Sooner is better, for now he has plenty of time to learn and master the elements."

"I'm going after him," Syaoran responded, ignoring Jianyu's comment.

Syaoran hopped over the table and dashed down and out of City Hall, trying to keep Houkou in his line of sight.

Houkou ran all the way home and went straight to Susanoo. He threw his arms around the great Lion Turtle's head and tried to hold it together. Syaoran stopped a couple feet away from Houkou.

"You knew," Houkou said bitterly.

"Aside from your parents, my mom and I were the only ones that did know," Syaoran replied. "Well, the sages knew also, obviously. They felt that telling you on your thirteenth birthday was the way to go."

"But you knew and you didn't tell me!" Houkou shouted at Syaoran.

"It wasn't my place to tell you!" Syaoran shot back. "Do you think you would've even believed me if I had told you? You would've said there was no way that was possible because your parents are non-benders. There wasn't even a right time to tell you!"

Houkou didn't say anything. He just hugged and sobbed into Susanoo.

"Didn't you ever find it odd whenever water reacted to you? Or fire? Or earth? Even the air?" Syaoran asked. "When you got near any kind of flames, be it candles, torches, what have you, the flames would always bend toward you. You didn't find that odd? Fire doesn't normally do that sort of thing. Water puddles always came together and became spherical in your presence. On some occasions when you weren't paying attention, water would begin flying up into the air. Water always did all kinds of peculiar things around you. And clearly you didn't notice that small rocks would always shake when you were near them. Even just standing by them caused the rocks to shake. And air…you have definitely bent air whenever you used powerful ninjutsu. You just never took any sort of notice to these things. I did. That's how my mother and I found out in the first place. I asked her about it and we approached your parents."

Houkou didn't say anything for a long while.

"Of course I notice. Of course I knew…" Houkou said at last.

"Well, now you need to go and find teachers to instruct you on how to bend! My guess would be in the order the sages demonstrated to you; earth, fire, air, and finally water. If I were you, I'd be thrilled! I'd love to be able to bend any one of those elements," Syaoran said to his best friend.

"What if I don't want to? What if I want to just stay right here?" the dark brown haired boy asked, finally turning to face his friend.

"Well, for a start, you don't really have a choice. You have a duty to this world and its people. Second, I really don't think you truly want to stay—"

"You have no idea what it's like, Syaoran!" Houkou yelled. "None! Do you know what kind of pressure is on me now?"

"Not really any because as far as I or anyone else knows, there's no major threat to the world. Your "pressure" is learning how to bend the four elements," Syaoran said coolly.

"Obviously a threat is on the way otherwise I wouldn't be here," Houkou responded angrily.

"Or maybe Queen Gaialin felt it was time to bring the Avatar into this world since the world is dividing according to bending. Terraguard is disappearing. We're becoming a part of the Earth Kingdom. The world is probably going to need a peacekeeper," Syaoran said folding his arms. "You need to stop being so ridiculous, kid. It's been done. You have no choice."

Houkou collapsed onto the ground and silently sobbed. "I know. I know, I know, I know."

Syaoran's face softened and he sat down by Houkou.

"You don't have to do this alone you know. I would be more than happy to accompany you on your journey. I'd love to see the world with you and meet new people," Syaoran offered.

"R-really?" Houkou asked.

Syaoran smiled and nodded. "Absolutely. I don't want to stay in this village forever. I want to broaden my horizons dammit. And I want to become the greatest ninjutsu master. Your parents are great, but I want to surpass them. Even you. I want to meet ninjutsu masters all over the world and become the best. Staying here, I won't achieve that."

"Where would I even begin?" Houkou asked, calming down a bit.

"Omashu isn't far from here. I'm not sure exactly how far it is, but I know it's the closest city to us," Syaoran suggested. "You could find an earthbending teacher there. Maybe even the Great Oma will teach you!"

Houkou snorted trying to suppress a laugh. "I highly doubt the Great Oma, founder of Omashu, who single handedly ended a war between her village and her lover's village will instruct little me in earthbending."

"You never know. She's great, you're great, it could work. You're the Avatar," Syaoran said with a lighthearted shrug. He was glad he was able to turn Houkou's attitude around, even if it was slight.

"Who's going to believe me though? I'm the first Avatar, apparently," Houkou said with a sigh.

"That's why you've gotta learn! The more you know, the more you'll be able to demonstrate and show people who you are and what you can do," Syaoran explained.

"Or they can think I'm a yōkai," Houkou said with a chuckle.

"Maybe! Either way, you will learn and you will be great. I truly believe in that, Houkou," Syaoran said, patting his friend on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Syaoran," Houkou said with a smile.

"No problem. You're my best friend, man," Syaoran said smiling back. "That's why I'm here."

The two sat in silence for a moment, taking everything in. Houkou was mulling it over in his mind when Syaoran broke the short silence.

"So when do you want to leave? I imagine the sages told you so that way you could leave and learn as soon as possible," Syaoran asked.

"I guess…tomorrow morning. That sounds best. My life has completely changed. I can't just go back to my old routine…and I've learned all that I can from my parents so…tomorrow is probably best," Houkou replied.

"Awesome! I get to pack tonight!" Syaoran said as he punched the air above his head.

"Will your mom be alright by herself?" Houkou asked.

Syaoran nodded. "Yeah, I think so. If anything, she has your parents."

Houkou nodded. "I'll get the big saddle then tonight for Susanoo after I'm done packing. Remember to pack only necessities. Susanoo can only carry so much." He stroked the lion turtle's mane once more.

"Will do!" Syaoran said getting to his feet. He pulled his friend up off the grounded and then headed home to get ready for the big journey they were about to have.