The moment I find myself in the field, that field, I spur into action. With every passing night, Kilani remained out of reach, only appearing when I am at my wits end and on the verge of giving up. When I do see her, she simply stares at me, like she knows something but still, she refuses to speak or respond to my tirade of questions.

I rush away from the field. It always ends the same; the ground rumbles and drops away, much like an earthquake – or, a bender's work – and it's just me and Kilani on the highest pillars, staring each other down. Being so far apart is not going to cut it tonight.

My feet carry me to a nearby swamp but it's not from my memory, this must belong to her. I drag my feet through the risen water until I make it to high ground, where two tents have been set up and a freshly distinguished fire-pit and just beside it lays a thick leather bound book. I reach out for it, curious –

"Akari," a voice that could only belong to her speaks and I whip around, so fast that I wince as my ankle cracks. Kilani stands a fair distant away from the camp-site, her eyes fixated on the book, not me.

"Kilani," I turn, slowly, scared that I might startle her and she'll disappear. "Please, talk to me…"

Her eyes, now fearful, flick towards me and she takes a step back. Avatars appear how they looked before they perished, Kira had told me not too long ago, at dinner time with the family. If that were true, why did Kilani die at such a young age? She couldn't be that much older than me.

Kilani glances behind her, towards the field and in a blind rush, I stamp the ground and shove my arms behind me; the earth rising and flying me towards her. Just as she turns to see what happened, my hands envelop her forearms – she struggles, trying to break free but I refuse to let up, I cannot let her go without an answer – just one.

"Kilani, please, why won't you tell me what's going on?" I say between grunts of struggling to keep her in place.

"Wake up!" She yells, stilling her movements and I follow suit, confused.


"Akari, wake up!" Kira drags my name out as I blink rapidly, clearing the sleep and disappointment from my eyes. "It's your birthday!"

Ugh, I inwardly groan, wanting desperately to fall back asleep and see Kilani. Then two twin children jump up onto my bed, tackling me with hugs and peppering my face with kisses and I forget my frustration.

"Happy birthday, sister!" The twins echo, as if rehearsed.

Meelo, Liling, Kira, Roza and Takeo stand at the foot of my bed, beaming.

"Don't you look like crap," Roza jests, grinning as Kira warns her about using language around the kids.

"I just woke up," I grumble my defence and ruffle Po's hair as I get out of bed. I wrap my arms immediately around Kira, and then Roza. Awkwardly, I hug Takeo. It was never awkward before but with the way my stomach twists, it's hard to even look him in the eye.

Liling gives me the only motherly hug I have ever experienced and it takes a lot to ignore the sharp pain in my stomach, unravelling the knot that formed from Takeo's gaze. I return Meelo's smile since his arms are full, holding a cake that is decorated, I assume, by the twins given the stick figures.

"Thank you," I'm grateful, truly grateful that I have this family in my life and I realise that I am, for once, glad to be the Avatar. If not, I would never have met them.


For breakfast, the family, Roza and Takeo and I are going to the Triplets' Bar, much to my delight. The main reason being is that the acolytes are working hard to prepare for tonight's event – my party. I can't think or say it without it dripping with disdain.

It caused a very explosive argument with Meelo last night, possibly the first time I've been so angry with him, which was hardly ever. But, he wanted to ignore the fact that the Black Foxes might make an appearance and stubbornly insisted that Shinra's new recruits would work fine as guards for the night. I had my doubts.

"Lin, dear, your menu is upside down," Liling, in her sweet motherly way, attempts to correct her to-be-rebellious daughter.

"You're upside down." Lin retorts and pointedly 'reads' her menu.

I pat her dark hair affectionately as the twins sit on either side of me and Kira squashed into the wall. Roza sits opposite her, Takeo, Meelo and finally, Liling. These booths just did not suit a group of eight.

"I want the dnos," Lin slaps the menu down.

"And what exactly is dnos?"

Feeling sorry for Liling, I open Lin's menu and scan the food upside down, flip the menu and sigh, "soup, she wants soup."

The waiter comes over and Meelo orders, intuitively listening as we bark out our requests. He doesn't lose his patience at all, calmly ordering, the waiter seems to be in a other type of frenzy, frantically jotting down the meals and drinks rapidly.

I hide a laugh behind my hand.

"'Kari?" Kira leans over Po to speak to me, her eyes dropping from the table and to Roza, hasty. "Uh, I need to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Roza, well I, asked Roza if she could teach me some self-defence. Kind of like you used to, but you're busy now and I think it's better if I know how to protect myself."

All I can do is stare, curious if she's being serious or not. It becomes apparent that this isn't some joke as her eyes hold mine for the longest time, the waiter having long left and the rest of the family just… watches, waiting for what I'll say.

I frown, "You know plenty. There is no need to put yourself through that to prove a point, Kira."

"I don't know enough. Rin knocked me out in one hit. Do you know how embarrassing that is? I'm not a bender like you, Akari. It is so much harder for me… but I don't want to have to depend on you all the time."

Those last words hit home and she has it all wrong. I depend on her. I want to be there for her, to be the one that comes through because who else can? Roza gave it her best shot; our parents were obviously useless… I sigh and nod, briskly.

"Fine, Roza can teach you self-defence. Just – be… careful, ok?" I glance at Roza for reassurance.

"I won't push her too hard, promise."

Takeo chuckles after we all eat our meals and we're just sitting, chatting amongst ourselves about the upcoming party. "So Akari, what was the word on presents?"

I lower my glass of water that I held up, swirling the liquid inside absently. "That you should spend your money on more important things," I say, slowly, knowing where this was heading.

He and Meelo share a look. "Well, we all pooled in on this, actually."


"Spirits, are you serious?" I exclaim, eyes locked on my present.

We all promptly arrived back at the Island after the present tease and I am so glad they went against what I said. I grin as I remember what Kira said, 'hey, did you know every Avatar has had an animal companion?'

And here was mine, in front of my very eyes.

An Eel Hound that was still young, as tall as my hips and as wide as Shen's satomobile. The animal, skipping around the Sky Bison that seem more than confused by its playful behaviour, finally locks eyes on me and there it is. The connection that Kira had described, a bond that is just formed with eye contact and as my smile grows, it bounds over.

"He is a boy," Meelo explains, proud. "I had him ordered from Ba Sing Se when you first moved in and he arrived a few days ago."

I scratch his slender neck, giggling – and I don't giggle – as he stretches it out so I can hit another spot. Kira falls to her knees beside me, stroking his flank with childlike enthusiasm, something we both had in common at this very moment. Liling was only just restraining Po and Lin, whispering to them that he was only a baby and must be treated with extra care.

I'm overcome with worry and I look over my shoulder at Meelo. "He can stay in my room, right?"

"Of course," he nods. "Do you have a name yet?"

"Kun," the name comes automatically to mind, the meaning behind being 'Earth'.

Kun circles around me and comes to a stop, his nose bumping into mine. His body was basil green in colour, fading into lime around his neck. I rub my finger back and forth along his muzzle.

I received presents on my birthday up until dad left, then my mother just stopped bothering. It wasn't until Kira and I arrived into the city and my sister had blurted to Roza and Takeo one day that my birthday was the next day did I face what a real party is like. Roza had unwittingly acquired fire-whiskey for the event.

"Well, I think it's time we see how Shinra is going with the new recruits." Meelo had insisted I at least check them out for myself and I reluctantly agreed. I give Kun one last scratch behind his ear slits and stand, following Meelo to Shinra's training centre on the far west side where the White Lotus were set up.

Kun stays by my side, straying off every now and then to sniff something new and then returns back to me and I swear the way his mouth is open, teeth baring is his version of a grin.

Shouts and grunts arise from the centre and I glance at Meelo. "Are you sure we can just interrupt like this?"

"If it will ease your worry for tonight, then yes," Meelo swings the door open and our entrance doesn't perturb the trainees in the slightest. They continue to spar as if we aren't there, as if Kun isn't rushing up to each of them to get his own personal read on the new people.

Shinra spots us from his post in the middle, arms crossed rigidly around his large chest and unfolds them, walking towards us.

"Avatar, Meelo," he greets and jerks his thumb over his shoulder. "These are our new guys. We had hundreds of applicants and these are the thirty that made it." Thirty new people among the already fifty others we had for the island.

"There is nothing to worry about, Avatar," Shinra speaks to me and he remains to be the only one that can address me by my title without boiling my blood. It is, after all, his job to protect the Avatar.

I force a smile, proving that fine, I get it, we're prepared for an attack but it doesn't mean I have to like it.


"There," Jinora finishes up adding the kohl around my eyes. I stare into the mirror behind her, set up on my bedroom's dresser cabinet. It was the perfect height so I helped Jinora drag over a chair for met so sit in and let her make me pretty.

It isn't as bad as I thought it would look on me; fitting, in a way. The black line faded half way beneath my eye, straight and not smudged. I even let Jinora put some red lipstick on. 'Juniper's orders', she smiled and I did not wish for her to face Juniper's wrath had I disagreed.

Jinora chuckles, pocketing the kohl in her dress; she ditched the robes for the night. "You look like you're going to rule a nation… and, I suppose you are, one day."

Doubtful with my track record but I join in her laughter because, in a way, I do appear as some powerful person with an agenda – get through the night with no hitches.

The dress Jinora did have to force me in is beautiful, of course, but hardly suitable for me. I wasn't the dress type. It proved difficult to fight in a long skirt and heels, but, it's a special occasion and again, leaving Jinora to deal with Juniper for my lack of cooperation left a sour taste in my mouth.

It was black, just… black. There were no colours to it to which Jinora had explained that colours may make you seem biased – and I was hoping for a green one, but what can you do?

It fell straight to my ankles, stopping a good distance above the heels that my feet started to ache just upon setting eyes on them. The right side of the dress had a long slit, starting at mid-thigh. The bodice was restricting, but a reasonable amount to where I could still breathe and I wasn't entirely uncomfortable. Two straps wrapped around my neck to secure the dress in place. The material was thick, for the winter.

All in all, I didn't hate the way I looked for the night.


Kira's mouth drops upon seeing me and I avoid her eyes. It's so embarrassing.

"I had no idea you were capable of looking like this," she reaches up to poke my hair, pulled up into a messy ponytail with tendrils hanging around my face. "Takeo won't be able to believe it."

I ignore the last comment. "You look beautiful, Kira."

My sister was by far the prettier of the two of us. Her hair was shorter and had bangs that she often just put up and left it at that, but today she took the time to curl it. Her complexion was paler than me which made her eyes stand out. She is dressed in a green dress and I push the envious feeling away.

She brings her hands to mine, adopting a strange expression. I tilt my head and catch her eyes. We've been able to communicate this way for quite some time; it was a skill that came in handy when on the run, mainly when faced with strange people and needing to think quick about what their 'story' would be.

"I'm sorry I sprung the training idea on you like that…" Kira admits.

I shake my head, cutting off anything else she might feel guilty about and pull her close enough to kiss her forehead. "Don't be. I thought about it and… what happened with Rin scared me half to death. I won't always be there for you, especially now that I'm…" I trail off, because I seem to blame everything that goes wrong on what I am and I don't have an interest in becoming a mocking-frog. "I want you to be safe and if Roza is training you, I have nothing to worry about."

Roza was a tough teacher, something I learned the hard way when first starting out with the White Dragons. Most of my skills had been learned while travelling between Ba Sing Se and here, but I owed Roza a lot of my talents.

"My only request is that you are not late to any sessions she has in mind." I squeeze her hands, lifting and dropping them as a plea. "Roza is tough, but she's worse when angered."

Kira huffs, a smile replacing her earlier frown.

Music starts to play from behind the curtain – Juniper had been quite busy at the Island with the Acolytes while Kun and I played with the Sky Bison, urging the younger ones into a game of chase.

A stage had been set up – which I now stood behind, only a curtain separating me from the people that have shown up – maybe tables and chairs had been brought over, enough for hundreds. Upon seeing the setting, I had a bit of anxiety – just how many people were expected to turn up? Juniper did basically have me invite all of Republic City…

Juniper must have also wrangled up a musical performance as an upbeat melody fills the air and Kira starts to sway, shoulders bouncing.

"Oh, we haven't seen a musical performance in ages," Kira sighs, her smile widening. "Can I…?"

I nod, pushing her slightly to the side so she can join the others. Kira had originally come to help calm my nerves about going up on stage, but I was more than happy knowing she was having fun.

With no more distractions but my mind, I sit on the edge of the stage, my back to the curtain. There wasn't much room back here, only the left over space of the cobblestone path, bordered by naturally grown bushes and flora.

"Am I interrupting?"

I glance up at Meelo where he stands, stoic at the corner.

"Not at all… how many people came?"

"Heaps," he doesn't sugar-coat it. "There is some still arriving."

Well, that makes me feel a hell of a lot better. I lace and unlace my fingers, chewing my bottom lip and going over what I should say to those that showed up. Thanks for coming, I appreciate this? My hand reaches up to rub the knot that is forming between my eyebrows but stop – 'don't touch your face, the powder will rub off' Jinora's words replay and I drop my hand to rest in my lap.

I pride myself for keeping it together this long. I haven't shed one tear since arriving on this Island – I let a few slip when I was stuck at the Council, angry at the world for playing this sick joke on me – but, even though I have been more than difficult, there has been some improvement from the first agonizing weeks of denial and indifference.

Right now, I'm scared. I am petrified to face these people that expect something from me. I hardly know how to cook, why I'm expected to lead this world to harmony and peace is a pipe dream, at best.

So you can't blame me that the moment Meelo pulls me up from the stage and hugs me that a sob escapes. No tears follow, my eyes remain dry but I continue to cry like this with my face pressed into Meelo's robes, muffling the choking sounds.

"You held it together for some time, Akari," His fingers comb through my hair – out of its usual tie and curled – comfortingly.

I hate this. I cannot stand the pressure that has been put on me for these weeks, bordering on two months, ripping everything I knew away. I was forced to be the Avatar and I just know that if I had found this out on my own, I never would have come forward with this information.

"It's fine to not want this. I believe my grandfather Aang never wished to be the Avatar, either." That was left out of those books Kira read – I lean my head back to look at my mentor.

"However," he stresses, swiping his thumbs over my shoulders. "Instead of running away, he accepted his fate. You may be known as the Avatar, Akari… but you must become the Avatar before you start doubting yourself."

When he puts it like that, I have a hard time coming up with a feasible excuse as to why this role isn't meant for me.

He releases me and reaches over to part the curtains slightly. I peer through the gap, at the many people enjoying the music and sipping on drinks, conversing with others and some dancing.

"You are taking out your frustrations on them. I understand that this was forced on you, that you had no choice in the matter but not all of us get a say when it comes to life." Meelo lets the curtain drop back into place. "There may be no great threat to them yet. If there is, who is going to be there to help?"

As I am rendered speechless, Meelo places a kiss to my temple and departs, back to the party and I am left to stare at the bushes.


With her eyes shut tightly Kira sways and turns to the music, arms outstretched above her head, fingers curling together with only the rhythm reaching her ears.

Dancing was a good way to forget the crap that follows anyone around, to finally be free – and it's for that reason when the music stops she actually growls in a very un-Kira like fashion.

Juniper takes over the stage, announcing that Akari would be making a first-time appearance in front of a large crowd.

Kira joins Republic City's people in cheering for Akari and low and behold, she is helped up on stage by Meelo, crossing the distance between her and Juniper in long, purposeful strides and Kira notices something different. There's an air of… authority, almost, that comes over the crowd. Akari takes the microphone from Juniper, not nervously like she should be.

Akari smiles – genuinely – at the crowd. "Thank you all for coming to my eighteenth birthday, it's quite a big day as you can imagine."

This isn't her; Kira narrows her eyes, wondering what was said to her for the sudden change of behaviour.

"I have a confession to make," she starts, voice wavering ever so slightly. "I was quite unfair in the way I approached this new life of mine. I gave the people around me a hard time and earned myself a bad reputation among the papers and reporters." Akari smiles, eyes shining and Kira suspects she might be about to cry. "Probably let most of you down in the process."

"So, I ask that tonight you forget the way I acted from the beginning and give me a new chance; a chance to be your Avatar."

This must be how she felt when I first showed my skill in aiming, Kira realises, proud that her sister has apparently accepted her role as the Avatar, the protector of the world and someone that will bring balance instead of harsh actions and sarcasm.

The crowd, quite predictably, hollers their approval.

Akari exits the stage, handing the microphone back to Juniper who recites the attractions that the guests may enjoy on the Island, such as; Sky Bison rides for children, a speedboat run with Shen and of course, the musical entertainment.

Kira makes a beeline for her sister, speaking with Meelo and never has she seen such brazen adoration on his face before. She is like a daughter to him, Kira smiles.

"Akari," she calls to her sister. "I can't believe… you really meant it?"

She smiles at Kira, content with her decision. "Yeah, I meant it."


Two hours pass by in a rush.

I spent that time patiently answering people's questions and helping the children on the Sky Bison – that was quite fun, really. Children were much easier to get along with and were less judgemental, so I fit right in over there.

Now I'm sipping on some fire-whiskey by the buffet table, watching the people dancing with a sincere smile.

"That was quite the speech."

The glass almost slips from my hand as Rin blocks my field of view. His hair is styled up and is wearing brown contacts, diminishing the gold of his eyes.

"Nice disguise," I shake off the shock; letting him know that I am fearful for what could possibly take place will only urge him on. "The White Lotus are all around this Island and if you so much as breathe the wrong way –"

"Dance with me," Rin seizes my wrist and pulls me into the crowd. "Draw attention to us and the guards I have in your White Lotus will start their attack."

I fucking knew that new recruits weren't the best idea, especially the way it was broadcasted all around the City. Not to mention the invitation to the party. All of Republic City, possibly more villages across the Empire heard of the announcement.

He gives me an expectant look and I reluctantly place my arms on his shoulders, wrists crossed at the nape of his neck. We sway, back and forth, not following the rhythm of the music. This won't last long. I will let him say what he wants and urge him to just leave without causing a scene – and if he doesn't, I have no problem enforcing it.

"You have the whole City fooled…" Rin mutters, incredulous. His attention is drawn to the band playing.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Don't pretend," he snaps, looking anywhere but at me. "You aren't fooling me, Avatar."

What an enigma, my subconscious snarks.

For once, I have no retort to that – mainly because I have no idea what he's even talking about. Fooling the City? Is he referring to my 'speech' about accepting what – no, who – I am? Though the way his hands clench the dress around my waist makes me think otherwise. This has to go back to his father.

"How do I get you and your cult to leave without any bloodshed?" I tighten my arms around his neck, afraid that the people round might notice my aversion to being close to him. If Juniper saw us, it would just reinforce her belief that we're working together… I much rather he leave without being spotted.

Rin finally looks down at me; he is standing at a head taller than me, stretching to over six foot, easily. His height must work with intimidation. Then he leans forward, as if he's about to kiss my cheek – keeping up appearances, possibly. He shocks me further when his lips skim my skin, not on purpose by the way he stiffens but he continues until the heat of his breath is ghosting over my ear.

"Happy birthday..." And he's striding away, just like that.

"Who was that?" Takeo comes to stand beside me, but I don't look at him, I cannot tear my eyes away from Rin's retreating back.

"No one," I manage when Rin is gone from sight. "Just wanted a dance."

"Well, that makes two of us," his holds his hand out and after a beat, I take it.


Kun wakes me up the next morning – a dreamless sleep – taking up permanent residency at the foot of my bed while he is still small enough. In a year he should be fully grown.

We walk out together, well; I walk as Kun leaps about.

"Akari," Liling calls me from the flower bed. She nods to where I planted the Fire Lily and it's now in full bloom, the exact way I see them in the field where Kilani is.


I think this length is good for chapters and I will continue to aim for 4,000 words. Thanks for reading!

Extra thank you to jamc509, your reviews make me smile 3