"Hey Kanon, you wanna learn earthbending with me too?" I had asked her one day.

"No," she said back before we resumed firebending with each other.

And that was the end of that.

Three months later…

I awoke peacefully. I just slouched up, shuffled to the bathroom, did my business, and entered the kitchen of Air Temple Island…only to have the ground beneath me rocket me into a ceiling-face-plant.

I landed hard on my rear and glared up at Kuvira. "Not cool, man…" I moaned as I rubbed my cheek.

"You're late," was all she said. "Earthbending is about discipline, something which you're not showing."

I didn't respond, just grumbled under my breath as Kanon giggled.

"Now you know what I've had to deal with for the past-" Sakeme started.

"Yeah, I get it," I interrupted him. "Can I just eat in peace?" I asked, rubbing my sore side from when Kanon kicked me yesterday.

"Breakfast was an hour ago," Tenzin commented. "And you know how Pema gets with the food stock."

"Don't worry, fly-boy. I saved you something," Kanon tossed me an apple.

"Much obliged, Kyoshi Warrior," I said before I took a big bite, soon stuffing the entire thing down my throat. "Anyway, Tenzin, you seem to have let up with having Kuvira on Air Temple Island."

"Yes, it seems you've ironed-out her more…" Kuvira eyed him. "Totalitarian ideals, into more socially acceptable ones."

"And I for one am honored to be allowed anywhere close to Republic city again, even if only in hiding," Kuvira added. "Not to mention, I find it amusing when the children have their way with you, Yuuto."

"Okay, just because I lost one air-scooter race to Meelo, doesn't mean-"

"In any case, are you done with your morning routines yet?"

"Actually, I am," I said back, following her outside and sitting across from her.

"Now then; let's start with a dialogue."

"Of course."

"With this being your third element out of four, it's important to know the difference between them. I was taught to separate your understanding of them using their different characteristics, physical and spiritual."

"Um…okay?"

"Allow me to explain. Each element is tied to a physical and spiritual factor, or, if you want to think of it this way, a factor of activity and one of attitude. These factors are active and passive for activity and aggressive and tranquil for attitude. For example, air would be tranquil passive. It remains relatively calm if let on its own, save for the occasional wind storms, making it tranquil, and it always stays in one spot relative to us; the sky, therefore making it passive."

"So then fire would be aggressive active, right? Using your logic, fire is wild and violent if not kept under watch, and it's active because it spreads and changes from inner energy to outward heat from firebenders, and from there to the surroundings."

"That's correct. Water would then be tranquil active. It, like air, remains relatively calm, but unlike air, water is all around us; in the soil, the ocean, in the clouds, sometimes pouring down onto us. This leaves us with earth, aggressive passive."

"More like passive aggressive Kuvira…" I muttered with a snicker, to which I was propelled up into the sky and landed hard. "I deserved that."

"Earth is a stable element. However, instead of growing and being violent itself, it is a unique element in that it can allow others to do so. Earth is the most prominent in our lives by far. We need it to live on, we need it to breathe, we need it for everything."

I nodded, standing. "I understand."

"No, you don't. I can feel it. Before I will teach, you must obtain a connection, a solid point to focus on to gain that connection."

"And…how do I do that?"

"That…" she patted my shoulder. "Is for you to figure out. I'll check back in an hour," she said as she left. I slouched over.

"Great…" I mumbled before I sat back down, rubbing my hand along the dirt. "Connection, connection…" Like a spiritual connection? Or maybe like a physical connection; you need to constantly be in contact with the ground to earthbend, right? But I'm on the ground as it is, so that's out.

What about when I could fly; that was a connection, right? A connection with the sky, sure, but a connection nonetheless, and a powerful one at that. Maybe it was that kind of connection.

I tried to pull the same part of myself out that unlocked that power, to gain this little link to what I need. I folded my legs into a meditative position, and closed my eyes, trying to think. "Connection…"

"Whatcha doin'?" Kanon's voice interrupted my thoughts. I opened my eyes to see her just inches from my face. Only now did I realize that her full weight was on my shoulders, and that she was hand-standing on them.

I didn't respond, as something within me clicked. I don't know how this clicked, but it did. A connection, not a physical or spiritual one, but an emotional one, just like I had with Kanon; I needed to connect with Mother Earth herself. I then focused on that, soon feeling a small tug in my gut. I stood and stomped my bare foot onto the ground, with a large stone slab erupting from the ground. I did this with little resistance from the earth itself. I was forcing the earth to my will, and it wasn't fighting back. I then kicked the ground into itself, sending a rock line away from me, and ending with a sphere of earth rising, ready to be shot forward at great force. However, my practice was cut short.

"Yuuto!" Jinora called from the building. "Trouble in the city, one of the center Spirit Wilds!"

I instantaneously changed my mindset, back into the 'by Raava I have to stop the mecha' mode except now it's a 'gotta stop some punk who thinks he's stronger than a mecha' kinda thing.

The other three of the group came out, Kuvira wearing a thin cloak over her usual clothing. "What's…?"

"Fire Lord Izumi suggested I shield my face; to avoid unnecessary attention, remember?"

"And no one here knows my face," Sakeme stated. "Let's go."

I nodded, getting onto a boat and sailing over, after grabbing our equipment of course. Once we got close to the "trouble" it wasn't that hard to find. People were crowding around the wild while Republic City Police were holding them back. Lin was already at the scene.

"What's wrong?" I questioned immediately upon getting there, my team behind me. Lin didn't answer, just gave me a weird look. "You remember me this time, don't you?"

"But I don't remember your posse. Can they be trusted?"

"On my life," I stated. "Now what's wrong? Is it like when Kuvira messed up the balance?"

"Oh no, it's-" the ground shook slightly, causing the cars to hop. Slowly, a massive black form stumbled out of the wild. "No, it's a lot worse," she said casually before turning to her men. "Get all civilians out of here!" she ordered, everyone having scattered upon seeing the monster.

I leapt back from getting stepped on by the thing. "Ling, on me!"

"Got it!" he yelled as we both sent out a blast of sound to push it back. I then ran the other way and picked up speed before extending my glider and taking off, landing on the building next to it. "What the hell is this thing?" I wondered to myself as I watched Sakeme and Kuvira pummel it with rounds of fire and earth, while Kanon retreated back to a wire in the street and siphoned its power into her own lightning. It looked…evil…

Suddenly, the three airbending children were behind me. "Oh no…" Jinora covered her mouth.

"What?"

"The spirits are turning dark again," she claimed. "But by what? Vaatu was destroyed, wasn't he?"

I shook my head, focusing on the task at hand. "It doesn't matter, we need to keep this thing from destroying the city," I stated as I leapt off with my glider, landing on top of it. I was only on it for a few moments though, as I leapt up behind it and swung downward as I descended, sending a slicing current of air through it, but it only got split apart and reformed again.

I let out a frustrated grunt as I took off with my airbending and plunged a hole through it via diving, reuniting myself with my teammates, joining in pummeling it with rounds of our respective elements. "Nothing's working!" Sakeme called over the noise.

"I can tell!" I called back, pushing Kuvira out of the way of its foot and then diving the other way along with my firebending teacher. "Push it back!" I yelled as I sent a potent blast of air towards its torso keeping it from advancing towards Kanon, who was continuing to shoot electricity at it.

As the others began siphoning their elements into a constant stream, I ceased mine. "What are you doing?" Sakeme questioned.

I'm getting rid of this thing!" I called back as I leapt into the sky, riding the air currents ever upward. I took a brief glance down, nearly hurling just from the sheer height coupled with the fact that I could no longer fly. Even still, I kept climbing higher and higher, until my glider began to freeze from the height, at which point I stopped and took just a few seconds flying straight before going into a nose dive. Once I was halfway down, my glider receded and I spun, building up a current of air spiraling behind me as I landed right on top of the Spirit, the air around me softening my landing as the monster's dark form exploded into several tiny particles which dissipated soon after. My landing had created a crater, and the others came to the edge of it, looking at me. "What?"

"You have something on your face," Ling stated. "All over your body in fact."

I blinked and looked down, seeing some of the spirit goo, feeling more like tree sap than anything, and wiping it off, with it dissipating after leaving my body. I gave them one more look before I started laughing. "That was fun, wasn't it?"

"Fun isn't the word I'd use," Sakeme stated.

Before long, President Reiko and the press arrived, along with Lin and the Metalbending Police aiding any civilians who were unfortunate enough to get stuck here during the fighting. I playfully saluted Reiko. "Hey there!" I greeted him. "Sorry about the mess."

"Do you know what attacked the people of Republic City?"

"Um…" I looked around for Jinora, but she was gone investigating the other Spirit Wilds. "I think it was a Spirit, but not the kind that we've come to know."

"Are you saying the spirits have turned on us?"

"Well, not exactly. I'd need more time to look into it, but for now, I think people should avoid the Spirit Wilds," I turned to the press. "Be sure to tell them that, alright? Also tell them that Air Temple Island is the home of anyone who needs refuge should their home be compromised at any point, right Tenzin?" I looked around, not seeing him either. "Jeez, didn't even come to clean up," I slouched a bit before standing straight, seeing the press leaving to get words from the Police or whatever the press did.

"Yuuto, I need to talk to you," Reiko pulled me aside. "Is there any particular reason you didn't just let Lin and the police handle this?"

"Well, I am the closest thing to an Avatar you've got," I said nonchalantly. "Though if you want a serious answer, I'll say that I care about this city as much as you do. I want to help it however I can. Though, if all you'll let me do is offer refuge, then so be it," I relented.

Reiko blinked. "I…didn't think you would keel over like that."

"Please, I'm not as stubborn as our previous Avatar," I claimed. "So do you really mind if I help with this spirit problem or is it something your super-secret book club said you should keep me from doing?"

"If you're referring to the other world leaders, then no. But I need to know that I can rely on you, if this is what you'll choose to do."

I nodded. "If I hear of trouble like this, I'll make sure that no one gets hurt," I said confidently as I offered my hand to shake on it. He took my hand and the deal was made.

Once the commotion had died down, we all returned to Air Temple Island, where Tenzin, surprisingly, said I handled the situation well. "I think it was the right move to offer refuge. It was a sign of good intentions of the willingness to provide respite," he concluded.

"I just wanted to look good for the press actually," I claimed.

"Yeah right!" Kanon playfully hit my arm. "If that were the case then I would've been able to tell."

"Hey, relax! It was just a joke!"

With that conversation then turning to harmless argument, the night went by and the next day rolled in, where I'd finally woken up at a decent hour, though even then everyone was still waiting on me.

I sipped a bit of tea as Meelo and Ikki barged in, with Jinora waltzing in behind them. "Big news! Big news!" the younger two cried.

"What? What?" Tenzin questioned. "Good or bad!"

"Super good! Like super awesome good!" Meelo exclaimed as Jinora held up today's newspaper to us. "Yuuto made the front page!"

Tenzin read it aloud. "Spirit Wild Crisis Averted by Guardian of Republic City: A mysterious creature emerged from one of the Spirit Wilds yesterday and began wreaking havoc. Luckily for Lady Republic, though its Avatar has left her, she has a new protector. Newly appointed Airbending Master Yuuto and his team of other benders warded off the creature and ensured Republic City's safety."

"Lady Republic?" I wondered, confused.

"I think you took the wrong part of the article," Jinora said. "You're a hero now! The Hero of Republic City."

"What? Me? No way, I'm not a hero, of anything or any Lady."

"But it's what the paper says!" Meelo said.

"I know what the paper says, but-"

"And you told Reiko that you'd handle all of these problems!"

"You were eavesdropping?!" I snapped, giving Meelo a noogie. "Why I oughta!"

"Yuuto," Tenzin began. "This could be a new start for you."

"But…what if I don't live up to their expectations? What would I have to say for myself?"

"Well, just be you. You've made a name for yourself in the city overnight. You'll wear it with you, always."

Jinora handed me the paper, and I read it over again. I sighed. "I guess…I might as well, it'll look good when I apply for a real job, right?" I joked. "And hey, I suppose being a Guardian wouldn't be too bad, now would it?"

Author's Note:

Hooray, this story still exists!

Not much to say about this one other than that little Guardian thing at the end. It won't amount to much. It'll just be a title like the Avatar or the bending brothers, or some other thing like that, so don't get your hopes up.

Also, from this point onwards, things are going to get...let's say, dark. Like dark dark, so be prepared and, uh...sorry in advance.

Anyway, don't forget to review, and I'll see you guys in the next one, where it'll totally pick up directly where this one leaves off!