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Chapter 3 - Dawn

Aang soared through a heavy storm on top of Appa. The sky was a very dark grey and rain fell sideways as lightning struck in several locations.

"Aaaaahhhhhh!" Aang hung on for dear life as Appa plummeted to the sea below. As his face smacked the water, he suddenly awoke, breathing heavily with Goku's hand on his face again.

"For my own safety, I gotta sleep farther away from you next time, buddy." Aang stood up and clumsily made his way outside where the sun was still tucked under the sea. He took a deep breath and sat down in the snow, twisting his finger in it. He made the circular air symbol as he looked over and grinned at Appa who was sleeping just outside the igloo.

A cool breeze brushed against his face as someone stepped out of the home next to them. It was a girl. A tan-skinned girl with brown hair who looked about Aang's age.

He quietly watched as she yawned walked over to the restroom. She stepped inside and shut the door as Aang continued staring at it. After a little while the door swung open-

"Ah!" The girl jumped at the sight of Aang and stared back at him.

"Hi," Aang said, waving and smiling widely. The girl cautiously walked over and tried to make him out in the darkness.

"Hi," she awkwardly said, "who are you?"

"My name's Aang and-" Aang stopped mid-sentence as the girl's face became clearer. She had big blue eyes and a face as soft as a cloud. "Wow, she is..." Aang simply stared for a few seconds before snapping out of it.

"You ok?" She asked.

"Oh... yeah, sorry. So, what's your name?"

"My name's Katara." She sat down next to Aang and looked around at his clothes. "Wait a minute, are you an airbender?" Her face lit up with excitement.

"Yep," Aang answered proudly.

"Wow..." Katara ran her hand across Aang's tattoo as the young airbender was thankful she couldn't see him blushing. "You're actually an airbender, I can't believe it. Gran Gran told us you guys disappeared a long time ago."

"Yeah..." Aang noticed the sky becoming a little brighter. His sorrow faded into excitement. "You wanna watch the sun rise with me?" Aang smiled widely.

"Huh? Oh umm, ok. I'll just let my aunt know I'm- whoa!"

Aang grasped Katara's hand and sped towards the snow-covered wall before she could finish speaking. Then, he leaped in the air and landed softly on the wall, with no guards in sight.

"Or we could do that." Katara giggled and took a seat next to Aang again as they leaned their heads back and looked out at the horizon.

As the sun came out of its hiding spot, Aang couldn't help but look over at the light reflecting off of Katara's eyes. "Hey Katara."

"Yeah?" She continued to stare out at the ocean.

"You wouldn't happen to know any waterbenders would you?"

"Oh... no. Believe it or not, I'm actually the only waterbender left in the entire south pole."

"Really? Can you teach me?"

She looked over at him and grinned. "... How to be the last waterbender left in the south pole?"

"Hehe. What? No, no. I meant how to waterbend."

Katara giggled. "Yeah, I knew what you meant but why would I... wait a minute, you're..." Katara's mouth hung open as Aang smiled. "Are you the Avatar?! That's-"

"-Unbelievable." Zuko thought, looking out at the iceberg infested waters, "after all this time, I'm finally gonna capture the Avatar..." He looked over at Vegeta, who was talking to Sozi... or Suza... whatever her name was. He didn't care. There was only one thing on his mind now. He would regain his honor. The sun shone a bright orange.

"We're getting closer to Kakarot, ugh... I hope this Avatar is as strong as they say he is. Looks like he's the only shot at some redemption for this weak planet. Not even Earth was this weak."

"Hey mountain hair, you listening?" Suza waved her hand in front of Vegeta's face.

"Not really. Did you say anything mildly interesting?"

Suza was obviously annoyed, but she tried again anyway, even if he wouldn't listen. "I was saying how I've been working on a new move called the... are you spacing out again?!"

"Well, spacing out is generally involuntary so... no." Vegeta grinned as Suza tried one more time.

Iroh approached his nephew as the skies slowly shone brighter. "We will arrive at the Avatar's location in about three hours. Are you sure you're ready to face him?"

"You have taught me well, uncle. Yes, I'm sure I have what it takes to defeat him..."

"I believe in you Zuko."

Zuko nodded confidently as his uncle walked away.

"I will defeat him. I must defeat him."

Aang walked back inside the igloo again as Mikka and her daughter greeted him. Goku had just woken up and was stretching as Aang walked in the room.

"There you are. You ready to head out?"

"Oh, uhh... yeah... except I kinda sorta promised someone I would go penguin sledding with them."

"Oh cool..." Goku then looked puzzled. "What's that?"

"You'll see. It's fun, I promise."

...

"Ow, ow, ow!" Katara's brother was dragged outside by his surprisingly strong sister. Aang and Goku had just stepped outside and were talking to a few kids.

"Hey Aang," Katara said, "here's my brother, he's been dying to meet you."

Katara was focused on Aang, but as soon as she saw his much bigger friend... "Whoa..."

Aang walked over with Goku and introduced him to Katara while greeting her brother who was named-

"Sokka, pleased to meet you oh great Avatar."

"... thanks!"

"... Goku. It's nice to meet you Katara." As the two shook hands, the waterbender observed just how big the man's hands were. She had never felt so small.

"Nice to meet you too."

Outside the village

Vegeta, Iroh, Zuko and the rest of his crew walked over to the walls and looked up at the guards.

"Open the gates!" Zuko commanded.

Most of said guards were noticeably scared at the sight of the Fire Nation. Of course they had prepared most of their lives to fight them, but this was a whole different animal.

One of them cleared his throat again. "What is your business here?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Zuko said, "we know you are hiding the Avatar. Open the gates or we will be forced to take drastic measures."

On the other side of the wall, Aang, Goku, Katara, and Sokka all ran over to see what all the commotion was about.

"What's going on?" Aang asked the guards.

"And what's Vegeta doing here?" Goku flew up into the air and scoped out the scene. "Hey Vegeta! Nice of you drop on by. Did you change your mind?"

Everyone including the Water Tribe guards was terrified. Here was this man, floating above them all and acting like it was just an ordinary day. Katara couldn't believe what she had seen. Goku just flew up in the air with ease, and it didn't even look like he was airbending... but he had to be, right? How else could he do that?

"I didn't change anything. Now stop fooling around and open the gates, Kakarot. Or do I have to open them myself?"

"Y-you know him?" Suza asked, forgetting everything he had told her for a moment.

"Of course I know him. The buffoon."

Goku's tone became more serious. "Why are you here then, Vegeta?"

Zuko shook out of his hallucinations of Goku breaking his everything and shouted. "Open the gates! Give us the Avatar!"

"Avatar?" Goku looked down at Aang who looked a bit scared but then, staff in hand, jumped up next to the guards. He looked down at the Fire Navy with a straight face.

"What do you want with me?"

"You've got to be kidding me," Vegeta and Zuko said. This couldn't be him, the legend. The one who hadn't been seen in one hundred years. The one who could wield all four elements. The Avatar... just a...

"A kid?" Vegeta asked himself, "please tell me this isn't the best your planet has to offer, Zuko."

The Fire Nation prince gritted his teeth. "Tell us who you really are! The Avatar couldn't be a kid."

The sun shone brightly over Aang's shoulder, covering his face in a dark shadow. He stood strong and slammed his staff on the ground.

"I AM the Avatar."

Aang hopped down off the wall as Goku joined him. Zuko came to terms with the revelation and smiled on the inside.

"Back away," Zuko said to his crew as he prepared himself. "I've spent my entire life looking for you. Training, preparing myself for this encounter..."

"Listen," Aang said, "I don't want to fight you..."

Zuko got in a fighting stance as Goku watched with intrigue. Vegeta with a little less.

"You can do it Aang," Goku said with a smile.

Aang looked over to Goku and hesitated a bit before nodding confidently. Then he too got in a fighting stance with his staff. A few tense seconds passed as everyone but the civilians on the other side of the wall were silent.

"Haaa!" Zuko shot a fire blast at Aang, but the young Avatar furiously spun his staff sideways , causing the flames to dissipate. One, two, three, four more blasts came in, Aang blocked them all the same way.

'C'mon kid. Show us your true power." Vegeta looked over at Goku who was no doubt as giddy as a little school girl watching this.

Aang then stopped spinning his staff and dodged more blasts. After a few seconds of this, Zuko charged after Aang but he leaped over the prince and landed in front of the Fire Navy.

You could practically see the fumes coming out of Zuko's ears and nose. "Fight me like a man!"

"What's going on? What's going on?" Sokka hopped up and down, trying to listen.

"He's getting furious," Goku thought, "let's see Aang use that to his advantage."

"I don't know if you noticed this..." Aang said, "but I'm just a kid... and so are you."

"What did you say!?"

"Oh, not like that... I meant- Whoa!" Aang dodged an attempted cheap shot and airbended a strong gust of wind at Zuko, knocking his back into the wall.

"Yeah! Way to go Aang!" Goku shouted and clenched his fist. Zuko slowly got up and noticed some of his crew looking slightly worried.

"C'mon Vegeta," Suza whispered, "you can take this little kid. Our all mighty prince here is gonna embarrass himself."

Vegeta thought about it for about one tenth of a second. This was a collosal disappointment; the planet's strongest fighter was a kid. A weakling. He wouldn't be even fit to shine his shoes. He wouldn't even be fit to shine Raditz's shoes.

Vegeta let out a chuckle.

"May I ask what is funny? Iroh said as the battle resumed with Aang dodging Zuko's attacks again.

"This really is your strongest warrior isn't it?" Vegeta chuckled, "what a joke."

"Not exactly..." Iroh said, catching Vegeta's interest.

"What do you mean?" Vegeta asked.

"I know of much more powerful benders in the world. Some from our own Fire Nation. The boy obviously has the potential but he's young... and holding back..."

Zuko finally caught Aang with an attack that burned a piece of his sleeve off, along with some of his skin. "Aaahh!" The airbender had no time to recover as Zuko charged, looking to take advantage. He jumped in the air and blasted Aang as he barely got away. Aang then swept Zuko's feet, causing him to fall flat on his back.

"Hey hotshot!" Vegeta grinned at his intended pun. Both fighters froze. "Playtime's over and we've got a long day of sailing ahead of us. I suggest you get a move on."

"What?!" The Fire prince tried hard to calm himself or risk being thrown all the way back to the Fire Nation. Still, why was he listening to Vegeta? It's not like he was the prince. "But I can beat him!"

"Maybe you can... but how do you plan on getting him back to your nation with him in your way?"

Zuko looked over at Goku and noticed his similar goofy hair, his bigger frame... and he was friends with the Avatar!? "You can take him!"

"Hehe. Sorry kid, that fight is for another day. Now let's go."

Zuko stared angrily down at the ground. How could this happen? After all this time, he had found the Avatar... but as luck would have it, he was friends with one of the two most powerful people he had ever seen; and by the looks of it, this guy might be even stronger than Vegeta. He stood and faced Aang.

"We will meet again. Hopefully on more even terms." With that, he turned and walked over to his crew. He took a long look at Vegeta who was staring at Goku who was walking over to Aang.

"Hey Vegeta!" Goku called out to his Saiyan rival. "You sure you don't wanna stick around for lunch? I know someone who makes a-"

"No."

"Well uh... OK. Just be careful out there, you never know what you'll find on these planets."

Vegeta grinned and floated up and across the crew before landing and gesturing for them to follow him back the way they came. No one dared to hesitate as Suza rushed over to him.

"Hey, who was that guy? And are you calling the shots now, Mr. Hair of Flames?"

"Hehe. Hilarious. Tell me, do you know the way back to the Fire Nation?"

"What?" Zuko ran up to Vegeta along with his uncle. "You can't seriously be thinking about going into the Fire Nation."

"Well how else am I supposed to do it?" Vegeta asked, "jokingly? Besides, weren't you two about to send me over there?"

"Yes," said Iroh, "but I thought you didn't want to cause any trouble."

Zuko gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. What was he doing? This was his crew, his ship. What right does he have to call the shots? Still, with Vegeta on his side, this might be an alternative to capturing the Avatar.

"What trouble?" Vegeta asked, "I just want to see what this place is made of."

"May I remind you that my nephew here is banished..." Iroh said, very concerned. "I understand you are very powerful, but you do no want to tempt the Fire Lord."

"Fire Lord, eh? Hehe. I assume he was the one who did the bannishing?... Well, you have nothing to worry about. Just wait until this lord looks into the eyes of a true warrior."

"Goku and Aang landed on the other side of the wall where they were mobbed by children.

"Since when do people fly!?" Sokka poked Goku with his boomerang while observing him closely. Katara then walked up to Aang and inspected his wounded arm.

"Are you alright? It looks really bad." She placed her hand on the wound.

"No, it's ok." Aang feigned toughness and let a small tear find its way to his eyelash. "It's just a scratch. Just ask Goku."

Katara looked to Goku for a second, then back to Aang before dragging him away and towards her aunt's igloo. "C'mon, Gran Gran taught me all about treating wounds."

"Hey, Katara, I said I was fine." Aang looked back in envy as Goku waved at him.

"Yeah, he said you were fine... but I don't think he's like you and me." They stepped inside as Katara cleared out some space on the bed. Her aunt was outside with the others.

"Ok, Aang. Lie down please."

After a few minutes, Aang had a bandage around his left arm and was still lying down on the bed. "Thanks Katara."

"No problem." She sat down next to his feet and looked at the ground. "So... when are you leaving? I know you have to find a waterbending teacher."

"Well, we could stay a little while longer but I need to learn fast with all that's going on. Who knows what other people may fall from the stars? Hehe."

"The stars?"

"Yeah. Well... Goku said he and his friend came from something called a planet. He said they came from the sky and only have a little bit of time before they go back."

"Wow..."

"I know right? I think he can take out the Fire Lord by himself if he wanted to."

"I wouldn't get my hopes up, Aang. Goku looks really strong... and he can fly, but he can't bend can he?"

Aang scratched his bandage. "I don't think so."

"And besides. You said it yourself, he's not gonna be here forever. You still have to master all four elements."

"Yeah, I think we should go to the north pole to find a waterbending teacher."

"Oh... I would love to go but I have responsibilities with my village."

Aang rubbed the back of his head. "Well I kinda meant me and Goku."

"Oh."

Aang quickly noticed his mistake. "But you can come too if you want... and Sokka, there's plenty of room on Appa."

"Appa?"

"Yeah, my flying bison. You wanna meet him?"

Zuko lied on his bed as he stared at the ceiling. The crackling from the fire rattled around his head, along with the thoughts of what he was about to do. He couldn't stop Vegeta from going to the Fire Nation; he might as well be on his good side. Nostalgic memories flooded his head as he closed his eyes. He couldn't move.

Later...

Vegeta stood at the front of the ship, overlooking the ocean as it passed by. Wherever it was, he would be there soon. This planet had to have stronger fighters didn't it? Not that he thought anyone could rival his or Kakarot's powers, but their so-called "bending" techniques intrigued him. He was more than curious about what a highly skilled fighter would do with them.

"... Hey Vegetable."

"What did you call me?" Vegeta turned around and saw Suza walking up to him. "Oh... what do you want now?"

"Nothing. Can't I just talk?"

"Hm... you talk too much."

"And you stare out at the ocean contemplating your life too much." She grinned.

"I'm not contemplating my life."

"Ooh. So what are you contemplating?"

"... I'm contemplating... eh, nevermind. Why do you care?"

"Why shouldn't I care?" Her grin grew into a smile.

"Because its none of your business."

"How do I know that? I don't know what you're thinking, it could be about me."

"Well it's not."

"What if it is?"

"Will you..." Vegeta pinched the bridge of his node. "Just leave me alone, alright? You're getting annoying. Even more so."

"OK, OK... so... what do you plan on doing once we get there?"

"What do you think? I'm going to challenge this so called fire lord to a fight."

Suza sighed, "... just don't get killed OK?" She then paused a little, as if expecting a response. After getting none, she turned back and walked away. "See ya in the morning, sunshine."

"What is wrong with that woman?

After a day of introductions and penguin sledding, Aang and Goku waved goodbye to the village and hopped on Appa's back. Only this time, they had two other companions, Katara and Sokka.

"Everyone ready?" Aang sat in front and looked back to get the OK from everyone. "OK Appa, Yip yip!"

"You really think he's gonna fly?" Sokka was cut off as Appa soared into the air, much to his surprise.

"You really think he's gonna fly?" Katara mimicked her brother in a high-pitched voice, getting a laugh out of Aang and Goku. Meanwhile, Sokka was left speechless at this revelation.

A few minutes passed as Appa rose even higher. He rose above the few clouds that covered the sky. The sun was setting for the second time since Aang had returned, the young Avatar pondered over how many of these he had missed.

"Wow," Katara said to herself as she looked over the icy terrain. "It's beautiful, isn't it Sokka?... Sokka?"

Katara looked over to see her brother poking the tips of Goku's hair.

"How many times are you gonna do that?" She asked.

"... Hey, don't judge me. Goku doesn't. Right Goku?..." Sokka turned around to see Goku standing on the edge of Appa and falling over.

"Are you crazy?!" Sokka looked down and was relieved to see Goku flying along side them.

"..."

...

Appa and Goku landed next to the village Katara and Sokka had guided them to. They jumped off as a small group of the villagers walked outside. An old lady went over to Katara and Sokka and gave them each a tight hug.

"I almost couldn't believe my eyes. What are you doing back so early?"

"It's a long story Gran Gran," Katara said.

"No, it's actually pretty short," her brother joked, earning him glare.

Gran Gran shifted her eyes to Aang and Goku. "Is that who I think it is?"

"Does my name get around that quickly?" Goku chuckled.

The old lady ignored Goku and walked over to Aang and Appa. "You're an airbender... we thought you were extinct."

"Hehe, Nice to meet you too, mam. My name's Aang and this are my friends, Goku, Appa, and Momo."

"Goku, this is Gran Gran," Sokka said, pushing Goku over towards their grandmother. "Gran Gran, meet Goku."

"Hi," she said, looking at Goku's physique. "You're a strong man, you could teach Sokka here a thing or two."

After everyone got to know each other, Katara and Sokka's went inside their home with Gran Gran. Goku and Aang stayed outside to entertain the children.

"Gran Gran, we need to talk." Katara sat down, gesturing for Sokka to do the same.

"You sure do," Gran Gran followed their lead and sat on the floor across from them. "You can start by explaining why there's an airbender and his flying bison outside."

"Well, you see..." Katara began, "Aang is the avatar."

"Really?"Gran Gran asked.

"Still skeptical myself," Sokka added.

"If any of the airbenders survived, it had to be him. The Fire Nation threatened to destroy our aunt's village if they didn't hand him over."

"But... he's just a boy..."

"Goku said he found him in an iceberg. Aang doesn't want to talk about how he got in there."

"Not only that," Sokka said, standing up to add enthusiasm, "but Goku broke the iceberg just by flicking it. I mean, how strong do you have to be to do that?"

"... Sit down Sokka."

"Yes, Gran Gran."

"So," Katara continued, "we came back because Aang asked me to come with him to the north pole to find a waterbending teacher."

"Mhmm..."

"So..." Katara continued, "is it OK?"

"OK?" Gran Gran asked, "we've spent most of our lives fearing the Fire Nation, waiting for the Avatar to come back... now you two have a chance to help him bring balance to the world. Yes, it's OK, Katara."

Katara gave her grandmother a tight hug as Sokka joined them. She wiped away a few tears and jogged outside.

"Hey Aang!" Katara came running out of the house as Aang and Goku were running around with a group of kids.

"How'd it go?" Aang asked.

"She said yes."

"Really? That's great!"

Katara then gave Aang a tight hug. "Thank you."

"Hehe, no problem." Aang blushed.

"Give me a hug big guy!" Sokka also hugged Goku. The Saiyan hesitated, but once he put his arms around him, Sokka squealed. "Not too tight. Not too tight!"

The next day...

Appa took off to the north as the gang waved goodbye to the tiny village. It was early in the morning again and the north sky awaited them. Two siblings, the Avatar, and a mysterious man from the sky.

The legend of the two gods and four elements had just begun.

A/N: Thank you to those you who have left comments/reviews, I feel so terrible seeing the interest this story had a few months ago. I recently edited the first chapter as some of you suggested. Check my profile for some goodies.