This is just a little drabble my friend asked me to write for a drawing she did of one of the past Avatars. So here it is. Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender or The Legend of Korra. Any references to real people, places, etc is purely by accident. This is a complete work of fiction.

It was late. The sun was disappearing quickly, as the moon and stars began to shine brighter than she had ever noticed before. She stood near the edge of a cliff, the wind rustling her skirts as she thought about the day. Her parents had planned a lovely party for her sixteenth birthday, but all she could think about right now was how betrayed and alone she felt.

How could they do this? How could they welcome the Fire Priests into their home and then just drop the bomb on her, in front of absolutely everyone she knew? It was embarrassing! She had been mingling with her friends, feeling like it was the best birthday party she'd ever had, when the room became silent, everyone watching the Priests who were suddenly behind her, bowing and calling her 'Avatar.'

She couldn't do anything but stand there, she was so confused. The Avatar, her? It couldn't be possible. Yes, she was an excellent firebender, and yes, she did feel something stir inside herself when stories of past avatars were told, but she had always assumed that everyone felt something when those stories were told. According to the Priests, it was just her.

It was her past lives within her that hummed with energy when she heard the stories, or touched water or earth, or blew out a breath of air to quench the flames of her candles. It was her past lives' reputations that she had to live up to now. The standard was set, and she had no choice in the matter. She would have to become a master of the four elements, connect with the spirits, be kind and strong, compassionate and fierce, be wise but always learning, be a teacher and student, be able to compromise and able to not back down no matter the cost.

Fighting back tears, she thought of how she had reacted at the party. Not well, that was for sure. She had stood there, frozen still, as the Priests bowed to her, followed quickly by her parents and then slowly all of her friends. She wasn't royalty or someone important that people bowed to. She was just a girl in the Fire Nation who just turned sixteen. So she panicked, and ran. Ran from the bowing, her friends, her parents, the Priests, and the knowledge that she was apparently the Avatar. She ran and ended up at the cliff.

Growling, she turned and sent out a blast of fire one of the bushes that were scattered around on the cliff, watching as it quickly went up in flames. Tears now flowing, she bit her lip and sank to the ground. How could she do this? How would she do this? She was only sixteen! Hugging her knees, she looked up, the sun almost gone from the horizon, the moon shining overhead.

"Spirits, help me please! How can I do this? How can they expect me to be the Avatar? I'm just a girl, like anyone else. I just want to please my family, find a husband and raise my own children. Why have you chosen me?" She pleaded silently, hugging her knees close as the wind died down. A few minutes passed, and she realized it was quiet.

Too quiet.

No sound of water from the ocean below to cliff, no rustling of the leaves in the trees, and not a whisper of wind as far as she could tell.

Suddenly, she wasn't alone. There was a man sitting beside her, clothed in the classic colors of the Earth Kingdom. Avatar Dao, she realized, staring at him. He was the last Avatar and an earthbender. He was a big man, though his face showed kindness as he smiled at her. He laid a large hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly.

"Do not be afraid. We are all here for you and we will not abandon you." He smiled again, standing and pulling her up to stand with him. "If you ever need us, simply look inside yourself, young Avatar. You will do great, and will create your own identity." He then turned her around, showing thousands of people on the cliff with her, each and everyone an Avatar of the past. "You will be the Avatar, and no one can deny that. Not even you, for it is in your very spirit that we reside. You're even more than you appear."

Slowly, she smiled, squeezing Avatar Dao's hand before he moved to stand with the other avatars. "Avatar, huh? I guess I could get used to it," she said, her eyes brightening a bit as her smile broadened, her body humming with energy as she accepted her fate, watching as the past Avatars gave her a small bow before disappearing into the night sky, the wind softly blowing now as she quietly spoke her new title.

"Avatar Kusuan."

Word Count: 814

Music: "Quiet" by LIGHTS
The music is just what I listened to mostly while I wrote. It's a good song, and there's a reference to it in the drabble. Can you find it? :)