Warning this chapter hasn't been beta'd yet.

Chapter 3: Try Learning to walk before running

"Are you sure about this?" Vidya asked wearily.

It has been well over a year since Cheng was first started to teach Vidya to earthbend. So far, nothing has happened.

Or at least nothing that looked like Earthbending.

"Mr. Long said this is the best for beginners." Her father said before lifting a rock with his bending.

Vidya got into a stance as she faced Cheng, only slightly worried.

"Earthbending is all about facing things head on, and waiting for the perfect moment to strike." Her dad explained, though Vidya has heard this all before.

"Now get ready!"

Vidya panicked for a moment seeing the bolder flying towage her, but out of everyone in this place, she trust Cheng the most. Sure he can be a little... eccentric, but Vidya knows he would do anything that would harm her. On purpose.

Still, Vidya closed her eyes as she tried 'punching' the rock. Now she knows Earthbending was more than just punching things, though at times it did feel like that was all she was doing.

Maybe it was the whole idea of magic that was giving her this apparent block. As much as Vidya thinks it is cool, there is an apart that still thinks it isn't real. Every time she see Cheng or another townie left up a rock just with some martial art move, Vidya feeling like pinching herself.

"You did it!" Cheng yelled, and Vidya opened her eyes.

There was dust everywhere... and it hurt!

"I got dust in my eye." Vidya told him as she ran out of the cloud with her hands covering her eyes.

"I knew you could do it! Long was right about using a dust clump instead of a real rock. Seems like I wasn't starting out small enough little one. Sorry about that."

"My eyes! I'm going blind!" Vidya reminded him, maybe playing it up a bit.

Still, as far as everyone else knows, Vidya is just a very smart 7 year old.

"Right! Let's go back and watch you off. I can't wait to tell your mother! Now my whole side of the family is earthbenders! And to think Li-An was worried because she isn't a bender." Cheng rambled as he carried Vidya to their little house.

I wonder what was different that time. It felt the same but... Vidya shock her head. Bending was magic no matter how much Katara denied it in the show. Instead of saying a word or waving a wand, you use your body.

Maybe Vidya just was over complicating it.

It wouldn't have been the first time.

Cheng ended up leaving a week after Vidya first 'Earthbend'. The Fire Navy has been spotted somewhere to the north, and more than half of the village was gone to help the neighboring village. Considering that her hometown was not only a port city, but also a mining one next to a fairly big mountain range, Vidya could only guess how much the fire nation wanted this village.

Vidya tried Earthbending by herself, but it has been months and nothing happened. No holes, no moving rocks. The most that would happen was some pebbles flying across the air before gravity pulls them back down. It as annoying since Vidya wasn't allowed back in school for being too disruptive and Li-An did want her at home for whatever reason. Uncle Zei came back and gave her a few Earthbending scrolls for her eighth birthday, but Vidya knows she is nowhere near that level yet.

Vidya was getting very frustrated at the whole thing.

"Hey look! It's that kid that flunked out of school because she was too dumb!"

Vidya turned around and groaned at the sight of a group of kids maybe a few years older than her. Physically older. Mentally, Vidya was putting then at maybe five years old since they are going quite out of their way to bully her from the looks of it.

"Can you even talk? Maybe she is too stupid to learn how to." A different kid said and Vidya just continued practicing.

Most cases of bully was either a form of coping or attention. Or mob mentality since there was five boys. How many people does there need to be for it to be called a mob anyways?

"Hey we're talking to you, you dumb girl!"

"Ya, pay attention to us!"

Vidya just rolled her eyes.

Maybe I should try taking off my shoes and... feeling the ground? Like what Toph did... or will do?

Then all of a sudden, Vidya faceplated onto the ground.

"Haha! Dumb girl didn't even see it coming."

The back of her head hurt and she stood up fast enough to that black dots filled her vision for a moment before disappearing.

"Did you throw a rock at me?!" Vidya asked glaring at the boys hard enough at at least two of them looked away.

"Nah, I Earthbend a rock at you. To show you how it is done, stupid!"

"Well, maybe I should have a talk with your parents to see what they think of this misuse of Earthbending." Vidya said crossing her arms as the boys started to whisper to each other.

"MY PARENTS ARE DEAD!" The boy yelled and Vidya did feel bad for him.

"That is even more reason why you should be nice to others. You won't have anyone else to back you up if you act like this." Vidya said, almost laughing at the others running away.

She doesn't even know who their parents are.

"I- well- SHUT UP!" The boy yelled as the ground beneath his feet cracked a little.

Vidya barely dived out of the way as a rock was sent her direction. The boy was pissed, and yet he was still able to earthbend more than Vidya. Vidya sampled back as another flew to where she was, before she stood up.

"Fine. I'll show you Earthbending!" Vidya said as she got into the basic stance her father showed her so many times that is was second nature to her now.

Vidya closed her eyes as she pushed a fist out will as much power as she could, imagining that she could feel the Ki or chakra or whatever energy is needed to bend.

"AHHHHHHH!"

Vidya opened her eye with a smile, thinking that she hit the boy. However to her confusing, he looked to be fine. Just on his back and a few feet away.

"Vidya?"

"Dad? You're back!" Vidya exclaimed, happy to see he was safe and alive.

She forgot all about the boy as she ran over to him, and Cheng picked her up like he always does. Cheng looked a little shocked, but gave her a hug.

That was when he noticed the bright red in her otherwise brown hair.

"You're bleeding! What happened? Did he do this to you?" Cheng asked with such anger that Vidya could help but laugh.

She never had a over protective father like this before, and it was ironic considering how often she got injured with him.

"No, we were just playing. He didn't mean to hurt me... right?" Vidya asked, looking over at the boy.

Hopefully he isn't too stupid to understand the situation he is in.

"N-no I didn't mean to. I-I'm sorry!" The boy said, standing up on weak legs.

"Just make sure it doesn't happen again." Cheng said, and Vidya wondered if the is was his soldier voice.

"Y-yes Sir!" The boy said before running off.

"Let's get home and fix this up. Does it hurt?" Cheng ask as they started walking, not even bothering to put Vidya down even though he was still carrying his bags.

"It's fine. Did you just get home? What happened to the firebenders?" Vidya asked, feeling lighter then she has all year.

Hopefully that isn't because of blood loss.

When Cheng didn't answer right ways, Vidya twisted around to look at him. In fact, Cheng look to be lost in thought. That was something Vidya has never seen before, and she had a bad feeling about what could have cause her happy-go-lucky father to look so serious.

"Um, Dad? He~llo are you there?" Vidya asked, waving her hand in front of his face.

"Hey my little flower, have you even done that before?"

"Done what before?" Vidya asked cautiously, assuming he was talking about the fight.

"You know, I have been wondering why Earthbending seems to be so challenging to you when you understand everything else so quickly. It makes sense." Cheng said, sounding more like he was thinking out loud then talking to Vidya.

"Ah... what makes sense?" Vidya asked, completely lost now.

For the first time that day, Cheng looked to her and smiled.

"You're not an Earthbender, you're an airbender!"

"I'm a... what?!"

"An Airbender. No, not just an airbender, but the Avatar! My little girl is the Avatar!" Cheng exclaimed and Vidya almost fell out of his arms from what he said.

"Wha-what? No, no no, I can't be the Avatar!"

Aang is the Avatar... but I can't tell him that because he is still frozen in a iceberg!

"But honey buns, that avatar was an airbender, and that was Airbending you did with your friend." Cheng said, a bit more quietly.

Vidya stared at him for a long moment, just taking in the craziness of this situation. It was a good thing they were almost home and there was no one else on the dirt road. The last time Vidya wants was someone selling her out to the fire nation and spending the rest of her life until Aang appears in jail. Then they would kill her because apparently she is an Airbender!

"B-but... if I was the avatar, wouldn't I have been able to earthbend?" Vidya asked, and she sighed in relief as the fallen experience on her father's face.

"That is true."

"Yep, so I can't be the avatar." Vidya said once more, never more happy to see their tiny house on the edge of the village.

"Still, that was Airbending. And before you must have airbender the dirt clump instead of earthbend it..." Cheng mumbled as she was placed down.

"I'm going to go wash the blood off, and get mom to look at it. Or uncle Zei." Vidya announced as she walked to the door.

"Welcome back Vidya... why is it whenever I visit you come back bloody?" Zei asked from the table he was sitting at with Li-An who looked liked she was 100% done with this situation.

Vidya just shrugged before continuing out to the back were the shower was.

Another thing Vidya has made a blueprint for was a real shower, not just a bucket of water with string. However, without plumbing it was going to be hard to get it set up. Which lead to Vidya inventing a more portable version but Vidya doubt it will ever get past planning. A lot of metal was going to be needed for any of Vidya's projects and it will be hard for an eight year old to get.

Her first plan was to get a job in the mine, but that is solely for earthbender and now Vidya knows she is an Airbender.

Looking back, it was obvious. However whenever Vidya pictured airbending, she thought of the show and the ball of air that you could see. It never acrossed her mind that might have been just an artistic effect done by the creators.

No. Like an idiot, Vidya assumed that airbending would somehow cause the air to become visible.

She went back into the main room to see all the 'adults' talking.

Cheng was waving his arms around like he usually does when he is excited, but this time Zei was acting just as animated.

"Vidya! How long has this been happening? Can you give us a demonstration?" Zei asked as he walked over to examine Vidya's head.

"Um, I can try? I don't really know I airbend in the first place." Vidya told them.

That didn't seem to damp Zei's spirits, but since the man loves mysteries, Vidya didn't expect it to. Cheng was just smiling and Vidya was about to smile back when she caught sight of her mother in this life.

Li-An looked horrified.

Vidya figured that the women was either expecting Vidya to be an earthbender or not. Other elements weren't even in her mind and now she didn't know what to think.

Or maybe Li-An default opinion of surprising situations is that it is bad.

Either way it hurt to see that women making that expression at her.

You think I would be use to it by now. Vidya thought before Zei pulled her attention back to him.

She gave her uncle a smile and pushed her worries away. Vidya could always deal with it later.

She had time.

Originally I was going to cover more in this chapter, but it has been long enough since this has updated. Anyways, thank you everyone who favorited/followed this story. As for Luna Latanya, TrueNecromancer, lilyoftheval5, Matecito, SandwichGoddess (Your review along with your guest name is hilarious), jdude281, Rosezelene Ersa, Aralys, and DannyPhantom619 thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review.

I have decided to take the water route, manly because I ended up coming up with names for everyone on the ship. I doubt more the one or two will appear by name in this story, but it's the thought that counts? Anyways, feel free to point out any mistakes you see or just tell me what you liked/disliked about this chapter.

Until next time, I hope you all have a fantastic day/night!