Avatar Chronicles
Mei's Quest
Book 1: Earth
Chapter 1: "Steady Heart"
"80 years ago in Republic City, a dark character arose out of the shadows after the
reincarnation of Aang into the next Avatar Korra. Korra and her new team Avatar fought
Armaan and his subordinates in the revolution of benders vs. non-benders and now Korra lives
happily with Mako and their two sons, three daughters and three grandchildren in the renovated
Republic City. Relations between benders and non-benders have improved greatly thanks to
Korra's leadership skills and-" a girl with dark brown hair that had golden-like ripples when the
sun hit squinted her sea-green eyes at the rest of the page of the biography she was supposed to
be reading for her research project.
She tried to be interested but yawned instead, blinking the teary eyed feeling away and
scratching her stomach in a bored manner. It was apparent that she had no interest in what she
was reading and she sighed. "Benders have it so good…" she murmured to herself. She frowned
and getting a random burst of inspiration, grinned and throwing the book onto her bed, she
hopped up and took on a fighting stance in the middle of her cramped bedroom. She closed her
eyes and attempted to think of fire bending, and with quick short movements, she punched
through the air rapidly. Opening her eyes she saw that nothing had changed. "Maybe I'm a water
bender…" she thought out loud, and she went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.
She stared at the toilet for a moment and then taking deep breaths, she tried to get a sense—some
sort of flow or whatever it was—that helped waterbenders do what they did.
She was so concentrated that she didn't notice the door open and her little sister, Miki,
who had green eyes and brown hair tied up into two little buns on her head, poke her head in
with eyes widening. Yelling as loud as her little lungs could support, her sister exclaimed down
the stairs, "Mama! Mei is trying toilet bending! She's lost her screws and I have proof!"
Mei glared at her little mischievious sister and began to chase her down the stairs with
only thoughts of tickling her mercilessly in her mind. Her mother, Kizune, was sitting at the
table, her 8-month pregnant belly very apparent. Her mother had black hair and ice-blue eyes but
her mother's eyes were the warmest pair that Mei knew. Her little sister laughed and hopped
over the stairs, and Mei felt a gust of wind in her face as her little sister blasted a wind in her face
causing her hair to get all messed up. Kizune looked up at her two daughters and chided them
without anger, "It's ok Mei, you're bending ability will reveal itself one day."
Mei frowned, she'd heard that one for the past 18 years of her life. Her sister was only
twelve and already had been an air bender since the age of one and a half. Her mother Kizune
was the youngest of the grandchildren of Korra and Mako but had only healing capabilities with
water and couldn't bend it very well. Mei had planned on her sister getting either fire or water so
it surprised her when she got air. Since her great-grandma had been the Avatar it wasn't entirely
improbable but Mei's heart sank. Why was she the only one unable to bend any elements? Her
theory that she was a late-blooming Avatar number two was extinguished when she was older
and knew more about the Avatar Legacy—and her great-grandmother had still been alive when
Mei was born so—Mei knew her chances of being Avatar were nilch.
She groaned and slumped into a chair across from her mother, who was knitting a small
pair of pink booties for their new baby sister.
"Ma, summer is coming in a month… do you think we can go to the Air Temple? I have
a good feeling about this…" Mei said, brushing off her pessimistic attitude.
"If you want me to help you, I can always help my dear loving older sister in the whole
wide world!" her sister said with an air-head grin.
"You're so full of hot air." Mei rolled her eyes.
"I'm serious! I wanna help you find your element!" her sister Miki, pouted looking hurt
and Mei didn't want to see that and felt bad.
She reconciled and said, "Mmmm…ok… you can help me."
Her little sister's face lit up and in her happiness she made a little rotating ball of air and
sat on it, breezing around the room. Kizune smiled, and it was apparent that she didn't know
what to say about Mei's track record of no bending abilities whatsoever. Mei was envious of her
sister, she was, but she never resented her sister or even her parents for their ability to element
bend. "Where is Pa?" Mei asked curiously, looking at the clock which read it was around noon.
"He's out with your uncle doing manly things," her mother smiled, and Mei rolled her
eyes. Her father's manly thing with her uncle was basically them trying to be hip and young and
cool and her father was a pro…at sucking at it.
"Ma, can you tell me another story about gran-gran Korra?... didn't she have the longest
trouble with airbending?" Mei asked, resting her head in the nook of her arms.
"Yes honey… air-bending was the hardest for her...as you know her fiery spirit was the
complete opposite of a 'leaf on a breeze' sort of sentiment." Her mother laughed and finished up
with the booties, placing them on the table lovingly. Mei reached out a hand and touched them,
and smiled.
"I wonder who the next Avatar is…" Mei murmured and glanced at her little sister.
Kizune laughed, "Ah, it's not your little sister Mei, I'm sure we would have known if it was by now…"
"But if I was, it would be like, totally awesome possum!" Miki squealed gleefully.
"My report is due tommorrow, I'm gonna head upstairs and finish it," Mei said, and she
left the room. Lying on her bed, she had her laptop and typed away at the keyboard… but her
heart felt as empty as the words on the paper. The topic had been about the importance of
knowing who you are and then picking a figure in your life that you admire…. And Mei
admired her gran-gran…but she also felt like there was so much about her gran-gran that her
mother hadn't told her about although she had tried to ask but her mother was very evasive.
What element was she? Would she ever get her element? She was 18 and yet she had no
idea what she was going to do with her life. Her parents wanted her to go into a trade of
some sort, but Mei was not satisfied with a simple life like that. She wanted adventures like
Avatar Aang…she wanted to meet new people and do lots of traveling…and definently…she
definently wanted to find out what type of bender she was.
A new type of bender? But what type of bender could she possibly be? Metal, lightning,
fire, water, earth, air…the forbidden blood bending? She shuddered, she never wanted to do
blood-bending and hoped that wasn't her only bending capability left. She frowned and rolled
over onto her side, leaving her computer on her bedside table. She closed her eyes and tried to
think like an elemental bender…what sorts of thoughts, emotions went on in their minds? What
was it about them that made the elements react the way they did?...
She heard the t.v. get turned on downstairs and the talk about the Pro-Bending
Tournament drifted upstairs and she sat up suddenly. Coming downstairs she listened to the
commentator as he spoke loudly and passionately, "—and there it is folks! The Blue team
number six have taken the lead in that last round with a smashing one hit K.O. triple combo~!
With a tie and only two minutes on the clock, their chances of beating the Red team number
eight is very high with their fire bender having a broken arm!"
Mei blinked. "Oh really… the way they exploit benders in that ridiculous sport… it takes
the importance out of it…" her mother said ruefully. Her little sister Miki on the other hand was
totally into it and shouted about the red team fighting.
"If it was me, I would totally blow them all away!" she declared. Mei raised her eyebrows at her little sister.
"Airbending isn't very common in this sport…most airbenders prefer to meditate about
the importance of life or whatever it is they do over at Air Temple Island…" Mei said shrugging.
Miki stuck her tongue out at her sister and turned back to the t.v.
"When I'm 16, I'm totally doing it!" She grinned excitedly.
Mei heard the doorbell and said, "I'll get it."
She opened the door and then grinned in surprise at seeing her friend Ken give her a "yo"
greeting with a salute. Ken had dark blue eyes and sandy brown hair in a funny haircut that
looked similar to Mei's pop-pop (great-grandfather) Mako and similar eyebrows which if he
grew a 'stache, Mei thought he'd make a pretty intimidating firebender. Except Ken was like her.
A non-bender.
"Hey Ken!" she smiled. Ken grinned back to her and displayed a grocery bag that she had
not noticed before, and there was a mischievious glint in his eyes.
Mei was really curious, "…What's in the bag?"
"Only the finest bakery goods in all of Republic City!" he said, winking at her.
Mei's eyes lit up and she reached for the bag excitedly. Ken pulled the bag back playfully
and responded, "Not yet, we're gonna eat this together at the usual place."
Mei looked back in and shouted to her mother, "Ma, I'm gonna go eat with Ken, I'll be
back later!" and left with him shortly after.
Walking through the busy streets of Republic City, Mei talked animatedly with Ken
about her newest theory on what it took to unlock her element. Ken listened with an amused
expression and Mei was undetered from her hypothetical out loud speaking. Ken and her arrived
at the edge of the island where they got into a boat owned by Ken's family, and then Ken started
the motor and they made their way for Avatar memorial Island… the island with Aang's statue
and also a place to learn more about the past avatars that had up until Aang and Korra, been
unable to be completely documented and had no place of contribution as a national monument.
Mei liked coming here because she felt that perhaps her elemental connection could be aroused if
she was in the most peaceful part of the city…this island.
"Alright, alright," Ken said raising his eyebrows at her, "You've told me enough Mei,
let's just relax now ok?"
Mei frowned, "but I haven't gotten to my theory of reincarnational elements of the
Avatars yet…"
"Mei, you already know you're not the Avatar," Ken pointed out.
"I know that…" Mei said pouting and she sat down at the patting indication Ken gave her
next to him and she took one of the bakery loaves that Ken had and broke off a chunk of it. Ken
gave her some butter and she slathered it on and then eagerly bit into the warm freshness of the
bread.
Ken and her ate in a silence for a few minutes just enjoying the sound of the small baby
waves lapping against the finely smoothed stones bordering the small island. A little ways in the
distance, the Air Temple Island was visible and a few flying lemurs flew over head. Mei wished
that she could fly just as easily as those lemurs. Meelo was in charge of the place since Tenzen
was no longer around and Ikki was in her late fifties. Jinora was off doing her research and trying
to figure out human nature and all that fun stuff that Mei wasn't entirely into living her whole
life just for. Mei tried to figure out how old that made everyone but her head began to hurt and
she decided to not think too much about it. Ken could tell she was deep in thought and asked,
"Ok…what are you thinking about?"
"Trying to just figure out my family time line…" Mei replied, blinking.
Ken scratched his head, "wasn't your gran-gran like….90 or something when she died
three years ago?"
Mei frowned, "No…I think she was 110…"
Ken's jaw dropped. "No uh, that's not possible. 105 maybe…but 110…she'd be pile of
bones…" he said incredulous.
Mei grinned, "Well…gran-gran had a motto about not giving in without a fight."
Ken scratched his head again and then lay back on the grass, sighing and chuckling to
himself.
"What's so funny?" Mei grumbled.
"Nothing, just thinking…what an interesting family you have." His response was gentle
and teasing and Mei swatted him playfully in response.
Lying on her stomach she stared up at the clouds and pointed to one, "Hey Ken, look!"
"Hm?"
"It's a flying bison cloud."
"Oh… wow, you're right…"
"Yup…ooh…cotton candy…"
"Is food and flying bison the only things you see in the clouds?" he teased.
"I bet all you see is a nice set of boobs," she teased back.
Ken's face turned red and he looked at her getting defensive and Mei laughed, poking
him in the cheek.
"I- I don't see any!"
"I was joking," she snickered.
It was funny because he was very sensitive about this subject and she couldn't help but
tease him about it.
"Mei…you know I don't feel comfortable talking about…lady parts…" he mumbled into
his hands.
Mei patted him on the back, "Aww come on. You're a boy, there's nothing to hide." She
paused.
"No, I'm not gay." He stated this bluntly.
"I wasn't saying you were."
"Were you thinking that?"
"…"
"Ugh. Look, for your information, there is a girl I like."
Mei's face lit up. "Oooh who? Who is it?"
Ken blushed and shook his head. "No way, I'm not telling ya."
"We're best friends!" Mei pouted, "Come on!"
Ken scratched his nose and then sat up. "Fine…but I'm only gonna give ya clues."
"No problemo!" Mei said.
"She's got brown hair, cool eyes, she's smart, beautiful and witty…and she doesn't see
me as anything more than a friend…" he sighed at the last part.
Mei blinked. Was it her he liked?
"I don't know how to tell Maeko this…." He continued. Mei blinked in surprise.
"Oh."
"What? You asked. Why you so dissapointed?" Ken asked surprised.
Mei quickly hid her sudden surprise and grinned at him playfully, "No, I was just
surprised. Maeko…she's a nice girl…isn't she…Uncle Bolin's granddaughter?"
"Yeah…" Ken blushed again. "She's really hot…"
"You saying that because she's a firebender?" Mei teased, ignoring the slight pang in her
chest.
"Well…she is…" he mumbled.
His ears turned red and Mei laughed. "You are so innocent boy."
"Escuse me for not being an A-class pervert of this generation," he grumbled.
"Nah, you're much more interesting… guys like that get really annoying after a while
and you can't trust if they're faithful or not…you are a much more trustworthy sort of young
man," Mei said praisingly.
"You sound like my grandma," Ken teased but Mei could tell he felt good about the
compliment she paid him.
"So… what element is it that you want to be?" Ken asked her.
"I don't know…" Mei said shrugging, "more importantly, have you thought of asking
Maeko out yet?"
"That's yet to be…figured out…" he blushed.
"Hmm…" Mei replied.
"Mei…maybe you and I are really…just non benders…" Ken said gently changing the
subject back to Mei's ideas about bending.
Mei's heart sank. She knew that Ken had given up when they were 13 on them being ever
elemental benders but she couldn't accept it…not just yet…
"Ken…I know that you don't want me to get hurt…but …I just have this feeling you
know?"
"Obsession…"
"Not obsession…I have this …hope."
"Is that another word for overly optimistic idealism?"
"No. It's like faith." Mei didn't want to be discouraged and she knew Ken only wanted
to ground her but she didn't need it. Reality already kept her in check.
"If it keeps you going… then ok but… what is wrong with having no elemental powers?" he asked.
"It's just…life is more boring." She replied without hesitation.
"Plenty of people get by every day without elemental abilities…" he pointed out.
"I know…but I don't feel like that is what life has in store for me," Mei shrugged.
"How long are you going to stubbornly-" Ken caught himself in his frustration and
looked away, "…Nevermind."
"Ken… come on… I think that we both have bending capabilities… we just have to
figure out how to make them… come out." Mei smiled reassuringly at Ken but Ken stood up and
began packing up their food; his back was turned to her.
"Ken… don't be this way."
"I'm not upset with you…I just… there is a time when you have to grow up."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Mei asked, face flushing.
"I just mean…imagining was fine and all when we were kids but Mei…we're not kids
anymore. Elemental bending is not in our…genes…and it never will be if it isn't now." His
words felt like needles piercing through Mei's heart and she tried to ignore the sinking feeling in
her gut. Deep down, she knew he was right.
"I want to believe that there is more to …to our lives than just…this." Mei indicated to
around her. "Ken, I know it seems impossible especially since we're both nearly 18…but… I
think that we really are destined for something greater!"
"If you say so," he brushed her off. Picking up the bag, he headed back for the boat and
beckoned to her to follow. Mei reluctantly did so. Getting into the boat, she turned one last time
and as they left she looked at the statue of Aang and felt another pang in her chest. Looking back
at Ken as he sat in the back near the engine, Mei gazed back into his eyes and then he broke his
gaze away first. Mei and him returned to the main island in silence.
As they were getting out of the boat, Ken and Mei heard a big commotion and much
talking. "What's going on?" Ken asked a man.
"You haven't heard? Someone's claiming to be the Avatar…and he just might be!"
Ken and Mei shared a glance.
"That's impossible."
The man looked at Mei surprised.
"My gran-gran died three years ago…there is no way that the Avatar can be older than
three!" Mei continued.
"That's what the guy was saying just now," the man continued, "he says that the Avatar
has chosen him to be the next one…instead of a reincarnation…the power was passed onto the
one most worthy."
Ken snorted.
"That's a load of flying lemur crap!" Mei replied angrily.
"Then why is he able to bend three of the four elements?" the man challenged. Ken and
Mei looked at each other and then pushed past the man and into the ring that had gathered around
a man standing on a box. The man had short bangs and his ink black hair was tied back into a
short cropped ponytail on his head and he was wearing an outfit similar to the one the statue of
Aang wore, with gold and red coloring and his eyes fell upon Mei and Mei felt a shiver run down
her spine. She didn't know why she was getting a bad vibe, but there was something
unconvincing about this whole thing.
"Behold!" the man boomed, "I am Tai Lee, your next…protector of the people!" and he
made some movements and Some rocks were bended from the street around and hovered in the
air about him. People gasped and whispered but Tai Lee wasn't finished yet. He next executed
some fire bender moves and ended up singing the cabbages belonging to a cabbage seller who
began to cry until the man unleashed the water element and put out the fire. "There, I have fixed
the problem with my Avatar way!"
The man was still unhappy with his burnt cabbages but for the rest of the crowd, it was an
uproar. People were amazed and the buzz became a slow and steady roar as people crowded
around him. Ken and Mei looked at each other worried.
"We should tell your father," Ken said serious, "and your Uncle's son… Haren."
"Yeah," Mei agreed.
"In other circumstances I'd be inclined to think that he was in fact the next Avatar…but
you're right. There is something fishy about this story…" Ken whispered to her, shooting a
glance in Tai Lee's direction.
"Hey," Mei whispered back, "I wanna see if I can trip him up."
"What? No Mei! You're a non-bender! Don't piss him off!" Ken whispered annoyed.
Mei ignored him and made her way to the front of the crowd, and her heart began to
pound with each step closer to what she was planning to do. Standing amongst the crowd as the
suspicious man did some more bending of the three elements, she cupped her hands and called
out, "Those are some pretty flashy moves, why not do some airbending?"
"I …would," he calmly deflected, "…but it seems I too have inherited that…inability to
master air bending right away."
Mei blinked. She hadn't seen that one coming. "The Avatar would only be around three
right now!" she retaliated.
"Yes…that has been the case for the past avatars…but girl, do you not see what I can do?
What more can I do to prove to you who I am? I am not worthy? If that is the case than young
lady," He gracefully jumped down and knelt on one knee in front of Mei as though he was a
knight in shining armor, and took her hand and looked at her with a fiery passion, "I will do
anything to prove myself to you so that your heart may be at rest. Friends," he stood up and held
out his arms in a welcoming mannerism, "Let us not judge one another. I understand your
concern…but there is…a need for my existance here…I have been called upon from Ba Sing
Se…and come to you …citizens of Republic City…only to serve-"
"I don't believe a word of it."
Tai Lee looked up startled to see Fei Bei Fong –head of the metal benders police task
force—standing smartly with her hands on her hips and a dark look on her face. Fair skinned
and with long black hair tied back in a waist length braid, her metal outfit made her look like a
knight warrior …Fei Bei Fong had a thing about her own unique fashion sense she liked. Mei
smiled and Ken shot her a confident smile. Fei Bei Fong was not a force to be reckoned with.
"Madam, you are merely blind to the truth of what is in front of you." The man
swaggered in front of her confidently.
Fei Bei Fong lifted her gaze –her blind eyes—and glared him down, "Is that a crack
about my inability to see physically? Because I can assure you, my feet…and my earthbending
can rat out a liar better than any level of ocular vision."
Tai Lee was beginning to sweat. "I can assure you…" he declared and he levitated some
rocks while making rings of fire. The buzz started up again but ended when Fei Bei Fong with a
mere twist of her right foot, sent an unnoticable man flying up into the air and while this
happened, the rocks that Tai Lee had been levitating collapsed to the ground. People buzzed
angrily and Tai Lee gasped in shock as his accomplice landed knocked out, in front of his feet.
"That was my turn to earth bend, it's your turn again." Fei Bei Fong said coolly and Mei
whooped, jumping in the air gleefully. Ken smiled too.
Tai Lee glared at Fei Bei Fong and said, "Alright, this is my turn!" He twisted his foot
and Fei Bei Fong gasped… He was earthbending again!
Mei and Ken exchanged incredulous glances. Hadn't she just ousted the cheap trick!
"I see…you have more accomplices to do your dirty work…" Fei Bei Fong said coolly.
"Arrest this man!"
"Who does he think he is?"
"What if he really is the Avatar?"
"What's the meaning of this?"
The crowd was buzzing with these questions and Ken and Mei looked around, trying to
locate where another possible earth bender could be located.
Tai Lee was no match for Fei Bei Fong but he wasn't aiming to fight her. He held his
hands up and said, "I am not here to cause chaos. I am here to help inspire peace…"
This was greeted with more confused murmurings from the crowd and Fei Bei Fong, it
seemed, was unable to locate the other earth bender(s) if there were more. People wanted Fei Bei
Fong to arrest him…and others wanted to trust him and believe he was the Avatar and thought
that the law was blind to the truth. Ken and Mei waited to see what would happen but Fei Bei
Fong made no move to arrest Tai Lee. Instead, she sighed and said, "It would appear…that you
are lying…but as I have no sufficient proof, I cannot arrest you. Since you are not here to cause
trouble, I suggest your actions, follow your words." With that warning, she turned and left with
her officers.
Mei wasn't satisfied with that. She sensed nothing about her gran-gran whatsoever from
this man. She felt like if it was the Avatar…she'd know…she didn't know how she'd know…but
she felt like she would definently be able to tell.
"Come on…" Ken replied, "Let's get back home…it's nearing dinner time now."
Mei reluctantly agreed.
At dinner that night, as Miki was showing her father and mother the new little airbending
trick she'd learned at the Air Temple, Mei's thoughts drifted to that strange man. Who was he?
Why was he impersonating the Avatar? Was this perhaps…her calling? What could she do? How
could she clear her gran-gran's identity?
"Mei?" her mother asked softly, "What's wrong honey?"
"It's about that man claiming to be the Avatar isn't it honey?" her father said bristly.
"It's ludicrous…" her mother agreed.
"I wanna go down and show him what the real Avatar family is made of!" Miki gleefully said.
"He claims he can bend three of the four elements…fire was a definent one…but…water and earth? Not to mention him claiming to be like gran-gran Korra and be unable to master airbending currently…" Mei said.
"Humph… hopefully Fei Bei Fong will gather enough intel to put that fraud out of work…" her father said.
"Yeah!" Miki piped up gleefully.
"We don't need any discord in this city…not after all the hard work that my parents have put into keeping this city safe…" her mother said with a note of sadness.
Her father got up from his chair and walked over in a few strides, bending down and embracing his wife in a deep hug. He beckoned to Miki and Mei and said, "No matter what, we're all a family, and we'll definently defend our gran-gran's good memory."
Mei lay in bed that night, the crescent moon's light entering and spanning out on her bed. She looked out her window, at the city lights ahead of her, and the mountains in the distance…She wondered where those mountains lead…and where that man was right now. She couldn't sleep well. Tossing and turning, she kept having the same dream over and over. It was dark, wet, and cold and she kept waking up, gasping for air as though she had just been drowning.