One Hundred Years Ago, Over The Southern Sea

The winds were blowing Appa all over as Ikki watched her younger twin pull at the reins, trying to steady his friend. Another crack of lightning in front of them caused Aang to go into a steep dive to dodge it.

'He shouldn't be here.' She thought. 'He should be back at the temple with Gyatso and the others, why did he come with me?' She knew why. When Ikki had overheard that the monks wanted to separate her and Aang so she could focus on her training, she tried to run away. Yet her brother, her kind hearted, innocent baby brother joined her in her escape.

"No one should be alone… even if they do have past lives to talk to." Was all he said. So this led to Avatar Ikki, twelve years old, Airbender Master, to flee with her twin brother. Right into the worst storm she had ever seen.

Ikki channeled her chi as she worked to bend the worst of the winds away from Aang so he could focus on flying Appa, but it simply wasn't enough. A loud thunderstrike and a towering wave knocked the three from the sky as Ikki fell from the saddle. She watched in almost horrified slow motion as her little brother fell to the waters below.

No.

Not today.

Not like this.

And not her little brother.

Ikki didn't know how to describe it. One moment she was falling and the next, she felt it all. Water, from the sea below and the raindrops above, the pushing and pulling. Earth, from the mainland so far away and the temples, faint yet stalwart and true. Fire, all the way in the fire nation she felt the heat of the volcanos faintly and the small light of Agni that was reflecting off of Tui. Air, from the storms all around her and the roaring winds, to the breezes that carried flying lemurs back home, she felt it all. Raising her hand the waters rose to her call and surrounded Aang and Appa, to keep them safe, her little brother would be safe. The water froze around him and Appa and descended, charged with Chi and hidden beneath the waves to keep the two of them safe and alive. The feeling of power left Ikki as she continued to fall, twisting and turning. And then she felt it. Like a hot knife, the lightning dug through her back and burned through her. She couldn't even scream as her body seized and her vision went black, and her spirit became peaceful.

Fifty Six Years Later, In The Southern Tundra

Mari was dying. She knew that as she lay in the cave. The camber she lay in was formed of Ice and was cooled to soothe her burns. She was old now, far too old for this kind of fighting. But it had to be done, she had gathered those of the different nations together for what was meant to be one final strike, and then he came. Mari recognized him from Hama's rare letters. The Burner of the Southern Fleet. Her forces were routed. Her alliance shattered. And she was betrayed.

She knew there was a traitor in her forces. She just never expected it to come from Taka, her brother in all but blood. A fellow water bender too. She pushed herself against the cave wall as she heard snow and ice being crunched under boots. And they entered the cave. Taka, his hair starting to grey, dressed in water tribe armor, bloodied water tribe armor. Mari managed to raise a hand, water tried to collect in her palm, but she couldn't even whip it, let alone freeze it into a spike, her bone sword was just out of reach as well, she was unarmed and unable to defend herself. Her blood was continuing to soak her furs from the impaled ice spikes in her stomach, chest, and shoulder. Courtesy of Taka.

Taka stode forward, a grin on his face, the Burner behind him with a frown, as he knelt down in front of her.

"I should have been the Avatar Mari." She coughed, blood coming up and out of her mouth as she laughed, only to stop because of the pain.

"You… is that why you did this… because you were jealous?" She looked at Taka and realized then and there that this is who he was, a shallow petty fool. "You killed me… you damned us… we could have stopped it all… I… will… never… forgive… you…" Each word was a struggle to get out as Taka grinned, pulling out a whalebone knife.

"You look tired Mari. Rest, and we'll just take care of your successor." Mari glared as she tried to reach out once more. But she didn't need to. Taka was suddenly having difficulty breathing. As he looked down he saw the Jian sticking out of his chest as he let go of the knife and dropped to the ground. Revealing the Burner, who looked like he was about to weep. Only he kneeled before her, the tip of his sword in the ice.

"Forgive me for my sins Avatar Mari. But let me aid you… I can't do this anymore.." He was young, she noticed. Younger than her.

"What... is... your... name?"

"I am Jeong Jeong Avatar."

"End… my… pain…" she could hear more boots on the ice, they would take her, bind her, keep her locked away in a dark vault so they could complete their work. Jeong Jeong nodded as he picked up his sword. He shot his hand forward and Mari saw a burst of flame and felt fire wash over her before her vision darkened and her spirit was at peace.

Twenty Years Later, Ba Sing Se

He was so tired. Han honestly felt like he had been sleeping for years, though that rumble feeling under him just wanted to wake him up. Han's eyes shot open as he felt another tremor under him. He shot out of his bed and looked around the room... This wasn't his room, it was too nice, he lived in the lower ring, he lived in a cramped apartment that was constantly covered in a fine layer of dirt, he didn't live in a home with jade doorknobs and gilted engravings on the walls. He put that thought aside as he pulled his leather scale breastplate off of a nearby armor stand and grabbed his metal staff that was kept in the corner of the room. Han burst through the door and into two Dai Li.

"Avatar Han? What are you doing here?" One of the agents called out, the other one standing with a blank expression. He remembered now… Long Feng, Lake Laogai… the years of brainwashing and being paraded around the palace like a pet. Han shot out with one end of his staff, slamming it into the face of one Dai Li agent, the other one stepped into a ready stance but was unprepared for Han's more… creative side. The agent realized this as he began screaming when spikes of earth shot up and impaled the agent in the feet and hands.

"Avatar Han." The agent began, able to speak through his pain. "The Earth King invites you to.." CRACK! Han swung his staff again causing the agent to fall to the ground, unconscious.

"Thanks for the invite, I'll pass though." He told the unconscious Agent before taking off through the streets, shaking off the bindings of the brainwashing as he did so.

The tremors were becoming far more threatening when he reached the inner wall and slammed the end of his staff on the ground, bending a pillar to reach the top. Stepping off he saw the world quaking in fury, the agriculture district was rolling, and the walls were actually shaking. The outer wall actually began to break and fall apart from the intensity of the tremors. The earth benders on the wall were unable to stop the tremors and they would shake the city apart! Han reached out only for the earth to push back against him. And the spirits that were causing this…. Han could feel their rage. He couldn't allow this to happen, Long Feng's idiocy in attempting to chain Han would destroy Ba Sing Se.

He reached out again. And focussed on the earth, from the light dustings on the surface down to the hardened bedrock he reached out. The strain was starting to get to him, he hadn't been able to bend while he was brainwashed and the spikes and pillar had taken a lot out of him. He continued to reach out, by now the weight of the earth was starting to get to him as beads of sweat dripped down him. He could feel his insides burning from using so much chi. He reached further. And then with a roar, Han pushed. The earth smoothed and calmed, the tremors ceased. And he was so tired. Han dropped to one knee as he heard a pillar rise up behind him, and he recognized the man stepping off. Dark green robes, gold trim, thin braid. Long Feng. the leader of the Dai Li stepped forward.

"Avatar Han,,, You need medical attention immediately."

"NO!" Han yelled. He would not be going back to the Lake.

"You will die, the Chi exhaustion will kill you. It is killing you." Long Feng was worried now, Han knew why. The next Avatar would be of the Fire Nation.

"I know." He pushed himself into a sitting position and patted the ground next to him. The Dai Li leader, someone he once considered a friend and ally, stepped over, sitting in a lotus position. "Do you know what happened here?" Long Feng shook his head. "I know why you did it, an avatar completely loyal to the Earth Kingdom, I would applaud you if it didn't nearly get us all killed." Long Feng looked confused as Han continued. "The Avatar is not meant to be controlled, you could never get me to bend while I was under your power, nor could I enter the Avatar State. This was to protect the power of the Avatar…. But you caused this." he gestured out to the destroyed lands before them.

"What do you mean?"

"You attempted, no, you did control the Avatar, and that angered the spirits. It angered them that they tried to destroy Ba Sing Se." Long Feng looked on in horror and realization. Han placed his staff on the ground next to him. "I am not a weapon Long Feng, I am meant to be the bridge between worlds, your actions prevented me from being the bridge." He was feeling tired, and he was so sore, his insides were in pain. "I need you to swear to me Long Feng…. Swear you will not do this again…. The damage and chaos will be far worse, and I don't think Ba Sing Se will survive." Long Feng nodded at this. "Don't let the world know I'm dead, the fire nation will be after my successor. Wait six years and then say I died. This will throw them off the scent."

"I will." Long Feng replied. "I promise." And Han knew he meant it as he looked out to the sun high in the sky.

"I guess you'll be a tough one… Won't…. You…" Han finished as he lay back before his vision turned black. And his spirit became at peace.

Same Time, Imperial Palace, Caldera City

Princess Ursa screamed as she pushed down again, her hands were gripping the back of her knees to the point that they would leave marks, the maids that were assisting in the birth doing the best they could, wiping sweat off her and guiding her through the birth of her second child. She screamed and cried out again as she pushed down on Ozai's child, hoping to get it out of her. The baby was brutal. She hoped it wouldn't be like him, but she could feel the heat in her womb the moment the babe began to kick and knew it would be a powerful bender. Ursa pushed again as she cried in pain, and then it stopped. The pain was gone. And she heard screaming and crying coming from the baby in the arms of one of the nursemaids. The babe was wrapped and passed to her as the door opened.

First came him, Ozai, followed by her little Zuko, who looked at his new baby sister in awe as if she had hung Agni in the sky. Following them came her goodbrother Iroh and her nephew Lu Ten. Then she watched all the royals bow as Fire Lord Azulon entered the room. He stepped over to Ursa and looked down at her daughter.

"A girl, how interesting. What is her name Ozai?" His disinterest was clear to everyone.

"Her name is Azula father." And Ursa wept inside as she looked down at her daughter, and those far too golden eyes, her fate already chosen for her.

"A child born at Agni's height. This is a blessed one indeed." Azulon continued.

"One who will far outshine my current heir." Ozai replied as Zuko and Lu Ten looked over baby Azula, not hearing his father's words. Iroh however, he looked distracted by something, Ursa looked at him and saw he was smiling at the air around Azula. What could he see?

Iroh looked around the room and saw them. The girl in Airbender robes, her mastery tattoos on full display as she was trying to tickle his new niece, the woman in Water Tribe regalia, a pair of hardened leather guards on her arms and a bone sword at her side had a serene face as she looked at the baby, a small smile on her face. And the man in Earth Kingdom armor, staff in hand as he made funny faces causing Azula to giggle, as the three spirits looked down on the newborn princess, Iroh had a feeling of hope. 'Perhaps a new age is coming after all.' He thought as he led his son out after wishing Ursa and his new niece well. He had a game of Pai Sho to play, and some old friends to meet.