THE FARM HAND

Downtown Capital City

"Ming… Ming. MING?! Are you even listening to a thing I'm saying?!" Kyra huffed, watching Ming fumble through the city streets beside her.

"Uh… Sorry Kyra. I get so distracted whenever we come to Republic City. There's so much to see, so much to—"

"EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! THE ELDERS HAVE ANNOUNCED THAT THE NEW AVATAR WILL BE REVEALED IN THE UPCOMING WEEKS! FIND OUT WHO IT'LL BE!"

Kyra squealed as she approached the paper boy, flinging a few yuans and snatching the paper from his hands. "Can you believe the new avatar is from the Earth Kingdom?! Incredible! It could be me for all we know! I already know how to fire bend!"

Ming side-eyed Kyra while dodging an old man driving a truck full of cabbages, "Okay… But how did you learn how to fire bend before earth bending?"

Kira flung her face, tippy toeing herself as much she could to get to Ming's eye level. "What are you getting at Ming?" she bellowed in her most intimidating voice.

Ming started to debate where this was going. This wasn't their first go-around and Kyra, being Kyra, wasn't going to back down from a fight. Ming rubbed the back of his neck, beginning to get anxious. The last time he tried to bring up the fact that Ming can fire bend but can't earth bend, Kyra was fire bending smoke from her nostrils. "Forget it, Ming. I hope you are the avatar. I couldn't think of a braver and nobler bender."

Kyra stood her ground, analyzing his expression. For all the time she's known Ming, he was sometimes very guarded and extremely shy. However, they grew up in the same village together all their lives and she knew Ming better than Ming knew himself sometimes. "You're lying to me Ming, but I'll let it slide since you'll be buying me the jewelry box I need!"

Ming let out a low and sturdy laugh, causing him to stop and throw his head back in amusement.

"Hey, watch it village boy! I'm walkin' here!"

"Oh sorry, sir. I was just—" Kyra began giggling, relishing how easily Ming gets flustered. It surprises her, every time they leave Farming Village, how quick Ming becomes quiet and shy. In the sea of people bustling through Downtown Republic City, Ming towered over the crowd. From all the earth bending and farming he does with his father and brother in the village, he was not too shabby looking. From the scrawny shy boy she once grew up with, he now had a strong frame, chiseled cheek bones and a wide-set jaw, defined broad shoulders, and arms big enough to— "Woah, keep it together girl."

"Huh? What did you say?" Ming looked down at her with a quizzical look. Sometimes she savored the fact that he was so tall, he didn't always hear her.

"Nothing, block head. Lead the way to the Lotus Tea shop please!"

Ming rolled his eyes and grabbed her hand, "As you wish fire tosser." And they disappeared into the crowd.

Road to Farming Village

Under her conical straw hat, Kyra watched as Ming walked their reinhorses to rest by the river. She held her breath as he took off his shirt and took a dive into the water. "Come on in Kyra!" Kyra just waved and sunk deeper as she lay resting against a tree. "I like it better here, thanks though!" The view is a loooooot better from where I'm sitting, trust me. Kyra shook her head as soon as the thought made its way across her mind. Who was she? A school girl? Ming has known Kyra all of their lives, if he had the same feelings for her as she for him, something would've happened by now. Right?

"STOP!" Ming ran out of the river, bending nearby boulders and flinging them right past Kyra as if they were mere pebbles.

"Hey, watch it! You could've killed me! Why are you freaking ou—" Kyra whipped her head around the tree to see the target of Ming's bending. "Thief! STOP!" Kyra jumped up and ran with Ming after the thief. Kyra crouched down, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath in. When she opened her eyes, she threw out a ring of fire that quickly engulfed the thief, causing him to halt, mid-step. A technique she frequently used in the village when helping the farmers to clear up their land for new crops to plant.

Before turning around, the thief took his scarf from around his neck and pulled it over his head, covering his mouth and nose leaving his glowing blue eyes exposed. He turned around to survey the extent of the flames, quickly realizing he had no means of escaping without seriously injuring himself. "Touché. Well played, my friends. How's about I sell you this lovely sack of whatever I'm holding in exchange for keeping my money-maker free of any fire scars?"

"Just give us our water and food back. We have a long journey back and no money left. We will starve. Please." Ming pleaded with the thief while Kyra maintained the flames, tall enough for the thief to think twice before trying to jump through or over them.

Through the flames, Kyra saw the thief look through the bag confirming that their food and water were the only valuable contents in their sacks. "Only food? Garbage! I thought there was something here I could sell! Nothing worth fighting two benders over." The thief threw the bag over the flames, landing by Kyra's feet.

"I have half a mind to roast him and serve him with moon peaches and lychee nuts." Kyra snorted as she began to change her stance to do such a thing.

"No Kyra. He gave us the food back. He doesn't want to fight. It's clear he can't bend. We need to let him go."

"What?! He'll just come back later and steal the stuff that is sellable! We just can't—" Ming put his arm on Kyra's shoulder, startling her. In her rage against the thief, she didn't notice Ming was right next to her. Looking into his big, brown eyes, she knew he'd never forgive her if she didn't let the low-life go. Kyra let out a sigh and broke her stance, causing the robust flames to fall into small embers by the thief's feet.

"You guys owe me one!" the thief shouted as he burst into a sprint and fled into the woods.

"Thank you." Ming said looking down at Kyra. "You would not have been happy had you done with him what you wanted."

"You're right. He would've been tastier with berries and mangos."

Ming shook his head and laughed. Pulling Kyra into a platypus bear hug and engulfing Kyra in his warm body and hard chest. Kyra let out a sigh of content, I can just live here forever. "You okay Kyra?"

"Would be better if you'd let me breathe block head." She said, pushing him off her.

Farming Village

"Ming! Come quickly! You too, Ky! We have very honorable guests waiting to speak to you!" Ming's father shouted from the door of their home. Ming and Kyra had just arrived to the village and were exhausted, hungry, and dirty from their ride back. The poor reinhorses were struggling to walk up the path to their homes.

"Can I first—"

"NO! In here. Now!" Ming's father shouted, interrupting Ming's plea to bathe and rest. Ming and Kyra shuffled their feet slowly through the front doors to see a group of older men and women quietly sipping tea in the tiny parlor of his home. The parlor was nearly packed with the amount of people present and the small amount of room available. "Ming, show respect to these elders. They have wonderful news to tell you!"

Kyra immediately realized the gravity of the situation and slowly turned her head to Ming, watching him visibly gulp in fear and anxiety. "Ming… Do you want me to…"

"Yes, please stay." Ming said in a low, nearly silent voice.

The eldest of the group, a man dressed in elaborate shades of green with gold trimmings obviously from the wealthier part of the Earth Kingdom, stood up to speak. "Have a seat Ming. For what we are about to tell you will be a shock to you."

Ming stood there. Not registering a word. Kyra softly took his hand and pulled him to the floor with her. She watched him fumble onto one of the shabby mats available to sit and his huge frame hunched over as if all the air had been punched out of him.

The eldest man, observing that Ming was visibly shaken, continued on, "Ming, you are 18 years old, now. Since Avatar Korra, the co-existence of the spiritual world and our physical world has brought us many years of peace and joy. Under the guidance of the Order of the White Lotus, we chose to follow tradition and wait until your 18th birthday to tell you that… Well…" The old man looked around the room as if to find some help in announcing it, "To tell you that you, Ming, are the next Avatar."

The room felt heavy and the air was suddenly thicker, making it harder to breathe. Ming leaned forward, resting his hands on his legs, "How? Don't I have to take a test or something? I didn't even sign up for anything like this. I don't want this. I'm happy being a farmer's hand."

A woman began to speak, dressed in Fire Nation nobility clothing, "You're right and wrong. Back in Avatar Aang's era, the monks presented each new born a set of toys to choose from. The child would be presented numerous toys; however, the reincarnation of the Avatar would choose the four relics familiar to them as a result of their past lives. These relics would move from one nation to the next to ensure that the relics would be available to each nation. However, when the fire nation attacked the Air Temples, they destroyed those relics to ensure that the next Avatar would never be found. However, the Order of the White Lotus has heavily documented the ways and methods of finding the next Avatar. As a result, they were able to recreate those relics so that the next Avatar would recognize them and select them at birth. You, Avatar Ming, selected those very four relics the previous Avatars did when you were old enough to walk."

A third woman spoke up, "We knew from the Avatar's cycle that the next Avatar would be an earth bender from the Earth Kingdom. You, my dear, are him."

Ming blankly stared at the floor. Some time went by before anyone said another word.

Kyra watched him and saw turmoil boil within his heart. She put a hand softly to his arm and asked, "How do you know it's Ming? He only knows how to earth bend."

The eldest man who spoke earlier turned to face Ming, "Boy, have you been having weird visions or dreams lately? Have you spoken to any of the Avatars from your past lives?"

Ming shot his head up. "One time, I thought I— Well… I don't know… It was just a dream."

The eldest man grew impatient, "Tell us about this dream."

Ming looked over to his mother and father who were standing at the door of their kitchen as there was no room in the living room for everyone to sit comfortably. His mother was silently crying— tears of joy? Sadness? "I had a dream. It was, I think it was Avatar Korra. I don't know… We were sitting outside, in my dad's farm, and she asked me if I was ready."

"Ready for what?" asked another elder.

Ming turned to look the man in the eyes, "She told me that she made a mistake during her time in the physical world and I needed to fix it before it was too late. She told me that I had something important to do for her but I wouldn't be able to until I learned to deal with a great loss."

The elders started murmuring excitedly to one another, analyzing the possible meaning of his dream. "Quiet!" the eldest man shouted. "Clearly Avatar Korra, his most recent reincarnation, was reaching out to tell him he must reach his full Avatar potential. She is warning you of something bad to come soon, Avatar Ming. You must quickly master the elements if we are to maintain the peace of our world."

Ming's father walked into the living room and threw his hands up, "Wait a minute, hold on just a second. You're telling me you got all of this from a two-sentence description of a dream? Like Ming said, it was just a dream. He wasn't even sure if it was Avatar Korra."

Another elder man interrupted his father's stream of consciousness, "It is quite common for the previous Avatars to appear in dreams or what would appear as visions to warn their current selves of an impending doom or danger. This is to ensure that the Avatar cycle will not be broken. We cannot take this lightly. We must take him to Air Temple Island to help him master the elements. Air Temple Island is safe and it will allow Ming to learn of his role as a liaison between the spiritual and physical world."

"Plus, he'll need to meet with his publicist, stylist, and manager who are all waiting for him in Republic City." Added one of the women.

"His what?" Spouted Ming's mother.

The elder woman turned around to face Ming's mother, "Yes, the Avatar is a celebrity among the people! He will need a team to help ensure he maintains a good rapport with the public so that the Avatar is able to carry authority in political discussions among the nations and to be taken seriously in peace-keeping talks among the nations' leaders. He will be useful in some matters of peacekeeping such as fixing a broken road or cutting a few ribbons at a few events."

Ming jumped up, "Excuse me." He took two long strides and was quickly out the door.

"Where is he going?" Shouted his father.

"I know where. I'll get him." Kyra said as she quickly bowed out of the room.

"Quickly girl! Avatar Korra anticipates danger and we must get him ready. And soon!" Shouted the eldest man as Kyra sprinted out the door.

…..

Kyra finally reached Ming, frantically panting. "I knew you'd be here." Ming slowly turned his head to see who it was and turned back around. He was sitting on the top of a small mountainside, overlooking their entire village. If it weren't for the context of the situation, Kyra would have laughed. He hugged his legs to his chest the same way he did when he was a little boy when he ran away from the other kids who liked to tease and taunt him. Kyra found a spot next to him and sprawled her legs out in front of her. "Ming. Tell me what you really wanted to say about the dream."

Ming picked his chin up from his knees and looked at Kyra in shock. He let out a sigh, "How am I surprised that you can tell these things." Kyra just shrugged her shoulders and intensely watched Ming as he was figuring out the next words to string together. "It was Avatar Korra— I mean, she was in my dreams. I know it was her. But it felt like… I don't know. We knew each other. I wasn't scared. I wasn't intimidated. It was like, old friends seeing each other after a long period of time." Ming paused to look at Kyra who was still locked in on him, patiently waiting- as she always did. Ming began rubbing the back of his neck, "But… Korra told me that I'm going to be dealt a great loss. A loss that, if I don't learn to overcome, I might never become a fully realized Avatar."

Kyra let out a deep sigh. "That sounds serious."

"Yeah."

"Well, did she say what you would lose?"

"She said it will be the greatest loss I will ever know."

"Creepy…"

Ming looked down at her and couldn't help but crack a smile. "What do you think she means?"

Kyra looked up at him, "Honestly, I have no clue. It sounds like, before you can help her, you have to help yourself? It just sounds all so mysterious."

"I know. I've been having the dream every-so-often and the dreams become more and more clear. Like, with each dream I can see a detail that I didn't see before like the features of Korra's face, notice the infliction of her voice, and a bunch of other details. I just— I don't know Ky." Ming brought his legs down and turned to her, "What should I do?"

Kyra's jaw dropped in shock, "Me? Tell you?"

"Yeah you. Who else? Tell me what to do?"

"What did Avatar Korra tell you to do?"

"She wants me to 'right a wrong.' Whatever that means."

"Well… Do you want to do it?"

"I'm content being a farm hand for my dad!" Ming stood up frustrated, pacing back and forth.

Kyra turned around to watch him. "If the Avatar came to me in multiple dreams to ask for my help, I'd do whatever it takes to help her. Avatar Korra says she needs your help, not somebody else's help. She's been trying to reach you not me, not your parents, not anybody else. You."

"Why, though? Why me?"

Kyra sat there, watching Ming as he continued to frantically pace back and forth. "I don't know why. But don't you think if you went to Air Temple Island, you might be a step closer to finding out the answer? Heck, you may find out that you're not the Avatar and all she needed you to do was to turn off her stove or something that she left on before leaving the physical world!"

Ming stopped pacing and looked at her, causing Kyra to start laughing. "This isn't funny Ky!" Seriously! The stove?!" Which prompted Kyra's laughter to bellow even louder. Ming dropped his head, trying to hide his own smile. "Come with me?"

Kyra stopped laughing. "Back to your house? You know, they're all still waiting for you there."

"No." Ming picked his head up to look into Kyra's eyes, "Please come with me to Air Temple Island."

Kyra's heart jumped to her throat. Her mouth went dry. Her mind, for once, went blank.

"Don't answer now. I know it's a lot to ask. You'll have to leave your family for I don't know how long, but… Think about it. I can go for weeks, months, without my family. I just never spent a day without you."

For once in her entire life, Kyra was speechless.

"Ky! Please don't look so sad. I know it's a lot to ask of you."

"I'll go. There's nothing here holding me back."

"REALLY?!"

Kyra watched as Ming could hardly contain his joy. "Didn't you hear me the first time block head?"