Okay, so I've wanted to write an Avatar fanfic for a while, but I didn't want to write something ordinary, so I thought "why not write about the Avatar after Wan?". So yes, Asha is an OC. I changed it a bit. Air Temples aren't technically established yet. You'll see why later one. The Air Nomads are currently Air Villagers and the live in villages while they go to Temples to train. I really hope Asha doesn't turn out to be a mary-sue. Of course, this only the prologue, so we don't really get to see much of her personality yet... Hold on until the next chapter, she'll be fifteen because the creators of the original series seem to like skipping over that age.


Asha

The flames swirled around one remaining person. He knew that the rest had either fled or died in their suicide mission and he cursed himself for bringing them into it. They'd been loyal to him and he nearly killed them all. For a few seconds, he was quiet as he stared up at the smoke-filled sky with half-lidded eyes. When he spoke, his voice was deep and clear, barely reminiscent of the tone he used in his young adult years. "I'm sorry, Raava... Even with Vaatu locked away, darkness still surrounds humanity," he took a moment to pause, his hand reaching for the wound in his side. Death was imminent and it was to come soon. "There wasn't enough time."

Don't worry... The female voice rang clearly in his mind, nothing but silence to the rest of the world and the old man found comfort in it. We will be together for all of your lifetimes... the man known as Wan closed his eyes. And we will never give up.

Wan relaxed, knowing that Raava was more than right. He let out one last breath as he body went limp. Raava curled herself out of his body, sadness weighing heavily on her as she left him behind. She descended into the sky, flying next to birds and the occasional dragon. Her mind immediately went back to Wan as she searched for his spirit. Firebending was the first element he learned to bend... Then, air...

She dove into the next airbending village, pulling to a stop. Humans wandered by her as if she was invisible. Now, she was. Something yanked her in the opposite direction of she was moving in. After a second, she followed her instinct. Every few seconds, someone would pause when she passed them. However, they mostly seemed confused about the sudden gust of air, not her actual appearance. Nearly sixty years had passed since Wan closed the portal to the spirit world. It didn't surprise her that some had chosen to forget it altogether.

A woman's scream caught her attention and Raava peered into the tent, seeing a figure laying on a bed. Suddenly, she was dragged towards the woman and her child. The baby cried out and she was looking through its eyes. I've found you... Raava whispered to the child, who immediately fell quiet.

The mother looked down at her with a tenderness Raava didn't know humans were capable of. A man appeared by her side, his eyes alight with joy. "What should we call her?" he questioned in a warm voice.

After a few seconds of thinking, the woman looked up at him with a smile, "Asha. Her name will be Asha."

Asha... Raava said the name kindly. Asha the new Avatar.

.::.::.

"Asha!"

The black-haired girl with large gray eyes looked up from the crown of flowers she was weaving. At six years old, she was still a child, but she seemed more mature than a normal girl. Her intelligence was strangely adept for such a young child, something that baffled the tutors, but she was not very social. At first, people thought she was just shy, but when she started avoiding everyone completely, concern arose.

You should go to your mother, Asha.

"She'll make me practice my dancing though..." Asha protested quietly. She had learned to never answer Raava with a raised tone. For now, everyone speculated an imaginary friend, but what about when she was older? What if Raava wasn't gone by then?

I thought you liked dancing, Raava's voice was calm and more motherly than Asha's actual mother. Jin and Zigsa had loved their daughter when she was young, but the bump in Jin's stomach signified their discomfort with the withdrawn child. Perhaps this child would be upbeat and happy, unlike Asha.

They didn't know the real reason she avoided the other children; they wouldn't listen either. It might've just been her, but Asha wasn't particularly fond of being bullied. She was happy Raava was always willing to help her. "I do..." Asha speculated to the voice. Spirit, she corrected herself lightly. She was still too young to truly understand what a Spirit was, but Raava had said that's what she was. "But Mama makes it very boring."

Raava laughed. Asha may have been more mature than most children, but she was still young and bound to complain. When she heard the Spirit laughing, she pouted, "It's true, Raaba."

She couldn't quite pronounce her vs, something that never ceased to amuse Raava, similar to how Wan would often say something ridiculous in the middle of a fight. At the thought of Wan, Raava fell quiet. Asha seemed to notice the sudden silence because Raava never talked a lot, but she never stopped in the middle of a conversation. "Are you okay, Raaba?"

Yes, Raava replied after a second. Nothing to worry about my dear.

Asha stood up, "Okay, Raaba. I'll go see what Mama wants."

She walked over to her mother, who was looking down at her from the door that led into the garden. Her smile seemed fake and forced and Asha's gaze immediately went to the hand resting on Jin's stomach. "What took you so long?"

Asha winced at the harshness in the woman's tone. "I was finishing this," she held up the crown to show her mother.

"For me?" Jin asked and plucked it out of Asha's small hand. Asha wanted to protest and say that it wasn't, but she decided against it in the same moment. "Thank you, Asha. Now, let's go over your routine for the guests tomorrow."

Asha said nothing as she shuffled after her mother into the house. It was not a large house, but it was not small either. Her father was the first-in-command in Anil, so his house would obviously be comfortable. Asha avoided eye contact with the servants that bustled around, preparing for the Aspired Monk's arrival the next day. Asha thought he was most likely kind, considering the fact he was the first monk to access the Spirit World after Avatar Wan closed the portals.

She was excited to meet him. She was not excited to perform her Bison Dance in front of him. One misstep and her parents would be furious with her for embarrassing them in front of such an esteemed person. Asha was grateful Raava was there to whisper the steps to her when she forgot. She followed her mother into the empty room used for Asha's training and started in her first position. Right foot out first.

.::.::.

The Aspired Monk Ketu had traveled for weeks across the war torn terrain of the Earth Kingdom, only touching down when his bison Yun needed to rest or he needed supplies. He was a well-known man, renowned for being the first man to tame a flying bison as well as being the only alive man to enter the Spirit World. Many called him the first to do such a thing, but he knew that Wan, a great man with great purpose, was the only man to physically do so.

He could see that he was now quickly approaching the Air Villages, like one he had grown up in so many years ago. He wished he could stop to see his family, perhaps meet his younger sister, who'd been born after he left for the Air Master Temples. He could not though; Ketu was on a mission given to him by Wan many years ago. Wan had known he would die soon, but he also knew that he would be reincarnated. He gave Ketu, a naive boy that wanted nothing more than to travel, the task of locating his reincarnated self, who would be fused with Raava. The reason as to why he had been bestowed this important duty was one that Ketu often speculated about, but never reached a conclusion to.

However, he knew that this was something he could not fail in and something was drawing him to the Air Village of Anil. He had heard about the leader's strange daughter, a girl that seemed older than she really was. Even at this distance, he could see the prosperous village, which gained much of its money from soldiers passing through. The Air Villagers were peaceful, no doubt, but that did not mean they were unaffected by war.

Yun dived down and they were soon in the middle of the street. People stared at them with wide eyes, both terrified and enthralled. Ketu jumped off the bison, a stunt that did not go unnoticed by the women of Anil.

Ketu was a handsome man, even if he was just barely a man. Nineteen and an airbending master, an impressive feat to most, but Ketu had been taught by one of the first airbenders; he gave all the credit to that man. He ran a hand over his bald head, where a master airbender's tattoos were always displayed. It was used to show both their status and their pacifistic nature so soldiers didn't attack them.

After a few seconds of standing among the gawking villagers, he walked up to the closest woman. "Would you mind telling me where the leader lives?" he asked with a lazy smile.

She practically swooned, but instead she silently pointed to a large house at the end of the street. Well, it seemed large to Ketu, who had grown up with nothing but his room. He smiled at the girl and wandered away with Yun following. He knocked on the door, glancing at his flying bison. "I hope this is the right one, Yun," he muttered and the bison bobbed its head.

The door was opened by a pretty young servant girl, who immediately slammed it closed again at the sight of him. He blinked at the wood blankly before it was reopened, a tall man staring down at him. "What do you want?" he asked in a gruff voice.

"Um, I'm the Aspired Monk Ketu," he said, surprisingly intimidated by the man.

The man raised an eyebrow as he took in Ketu's tattoos. He looked back into Ketu's eyes before he bowed deeply, "You aren't supposed to come until tomorrow, Aspired One."

Ketu noted the man's sudden change in attitude and offered a smile, "I made it through Bei Fong territory quicker than expected.."

"Well, I'm Zigsa, the leader of Anil. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Aspired One. Please, come in."

"What about my bison?"

Zigsa's eyes turned towards the large creature before snapping back to Ketu's face, "You can put it in the garden."

"Her," the young monk corrected patiently.

"Her."

Ketu watched as the leader of Anil snapped his fingers and a servant came running up. After exchanging a few words, the servant disappeared. The large door to the garden opened as the servant tried to coax Yun into the area. Before he could do anything to help him, Ketu was being led through the halls by the wall of a man named Zigsa. It was hard to believe he was supposed to be a airbending master, but he bared his tattoos proudly on his shiny bald head.

"I was surprised when you contacted us, Aspired Monk. Might I ask what your business is in Anil?" Zigsa asked in a questioning tone.

Ketu wondered whether or not he should answer. Zigsa looked back at him sharply and he gulped. "I'm actually here to speak with your daughter. The monks at the Air Master Temples and I believe she may be the reincarnation of Wan."

A few seconds of silence passed before Zigsa let out a loud laugh. "My daughter? The reincarnation of Avatar Wan? You must be joking. She's nothing more than a strange little girl."

The Aspired Monk was shocked to hear the young girl's father speak of her in such a way. At that moment, a woman rounded the corner. "Who's here to visit us, Zigsa?" she called in a trill of a voice. Ketu saw that she was pregnant, which was odd, considering most didn't have their second child until their first was either dead or sent off to the Temples.

That's when he saw the little girl trailing after her, her eyes fixed on the floor. She seemed as though she didn't want to be seen. "It's the Aspired Monk, dear. And he claims that our daughter is the Avatar!"

The woman also laughed as she went to greet Ketu. She bowed. "Hello, I am Jin and this is my daughter Asha," she pulled Asha towards her sharply and the girl stumbled against her. "Say hello to the Aspired Monk, Asha."

Asha didn't say anything, but she flickered her eyes up to Ketu's quickly. "See," Jin said with a slight laugh. "Asha couldn't possibly be the Avatar. She can't even airbend."

The young girl turned her head to the side and Ketu doubted what her mother said was true. He knelt down so he was eye level with the child, "Is that true, Asha?"

She looked away again, but Ketu was determined to get the truth out of her. "Is that true, Asha?"

"Of course it's true," Jin snapped. "I would know, I'm her mother."

Ketu looked up at the woman before turning to Asha again, "I want to hear her say that. Can you airbend?"

It took a few moments, but Asha gave him the barest of a nod. Her mother looked down at he child as if she were crazy. "Don't lie, Asha!" Zigsa reprimanded his daughter and she dropped her head lower.

"Will you show me?" Ketu questioned softly.

Asha lifted her head the barest amount, her large gray eyes staring into his. She slowly raised her hand and a small ball of air formed on it. Zigsa and Jin gasped, staring at Asha in wonder. "Who taught you that?" Jin grabbed her daughter's arms, destroying the ball of air. She shook her once. "Who?!"

"Raaba..." Asha said in a quiet, almost whispered voice.

"Raaba's not real, Asha she's imaginary. Who actually taught you how to do that?"

Raaba? Raaba? Who was Rabba? He looked at Asha, "Can you say 'vent'?"

She looked at him very seriously, "Bent."

He smiled softly and that smile quickly turned into a laugh. "She's say Raava, not Raaba. She can talk to Raava. Don't you see, your daughter in the reincarnation of Wan."

Jin let go of her daughter, "Raava? Your imaginary friend in Raava?"

Asha nodded and looked away. "Raaba's my friend."

Suddenly, Ketu picked her up and spun her around. Asha let out an involuntary laugh before he set her down. He looked at Asha's parents. "I want to take Asha to the Air Master Temples to learn how to airbend. Then, I'll supervise her and make sure she learns the other elements."

Jin and Zigsa looked at their daughter with a whole new air than they had when Ketu first met them. Jin suddenly hugged Asha tightly, "You can't just take our daughter."

"The Air Masters are willing to compensate you," Ketu offered though he felt like these people didn't deserve it.

"In what?" Zigsa questioned.

"Silks, trade goods, Air Village gold."

Jin and Zigsa shared a glance before pushing Asha towards him. He took off his cloak and put it around her shoulders. "Go get your things," he told her.

"Where are we going?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Somewhere you can become a great Avatar."

She placed her hand on her chest, "Can Raaba come too?"

Ketu smiled, "Yes, Raava can come too."


I hope you all liked it and I would really love if it you commented. ^.^