Chapter One

Awakening

How long had it been since she had felt the wind on her face? Since she had seen the sky, felt the rays of the sun caress her skin? How long would it be until she felt it all again?

She was captured in some inner bliss, floating in some ethereal space not known by everyone. There was no word for this joy she felt, and yet, she was impatient to taste life again. To experience its triumphs and its disasters. But no, she had promised-

Don't think about it. Don't think about any of it, she told herself. Thinking about it would only shatter the existence she had right now. Even now, the outside world was only a faint memory of color. The only color she knew now was the color of sleep, but you couldn't' really call it sleep.

Focus on the inside, she said to herself. Feel the peace of looking inwards, pay no attention to anything else because it will only distract you from the greater goal. Focus, focus, focus-

The summons came abruptly. Energy coursed through her spirit in a crackling of blue light. For the first time in many, many years, she opened her eyes, but all she could see was a blinding blue light. All she could feel was rage and hate directed towards…the Fire Nation? Yes, she wanted to rend them apart and watch them all die a painful death for hurting the ones she loved.

But the ones she loved had all died a long time ago. And the Fire Nation did nothing to harm anybody, didn't they? They were a peaceful group, so why did she hate them so much?

Then, as suddenly as it came, the energy vanished. She was certain, though, that it was the summons. How else was she able to feel things she hadn't been able to feel for many years? How was she able to open her eyes when she had only just existed before? How could she see light when all had been dark before?

She exhaled carefully, letting out the air that had been trapped in her lungs for hundreds of years. Dust rose from the sudden disturbance, reminding her of how long she had probably been asleep. She took another breath, reveling in the control that she had over her breathing. Suddenly she was afraid. What if she breathed all the air available within a few breaths? There had to be a way out of this dark, cramped space she had occupied. She wouldn't have let them put her in here otherwise, would she?

Calm down, she told herself. You'll get out of here soon enough. You just have to remember. Remember, remember, remember. She chanted that word in her mind like a prayer. Her memories came trickling back, but painfully slow. She was aware that there wasn't much time until she ran out of oxygen, but she couldn't panic. If she did, it would be so much harder to focus.

There! That was the memory she needed. There was a button in the wall somewhere in front of her. That button would unlock the door in front of her, letting it swing open. Out of desperation, she recklessly lit a fireball to give her light; aware that fire would burn up the oxygen in the room quicker than she would. There was the button, a large, brutish thing, but she had no time to waste thinking about its aesthetic appeal. She smacked it with her palm, and the door opened with a long, painful creak. Greedily, she breathed in the fresh air, so different from the stale air she had been accustomed to.

Unfortunately, another problem presented itself when she discovered that her clothes had deteriorated over the years as well. Her once practical, white, homespun robe had become an ash-colored rag with pieces falling off. That wouldn't do if she was to go into town again. She didn't want to seem like a beggar.

The stone felt cool underneath her feet as she stepped gingerly out onto the floor outside her prison. That reminded her that her shoes had decayed as well. So many things had to be acquired if she was to fit in this time. Speaking of time, her hair had apparently grown quite a bit while she had been in her slumber, but not as much as it could have, given the length of time. Now it was waist-length and contrasted starkly with her white skin, bleached from years of no contact with the sun. And she hadn't even reached a mirror yet. What must her face look like?

The hall was quiet when she looked around, searching for signs of life. When she was last conscious, this hallway had been fairly busy. Apparently, this outpost had been abandoned many years ago, for the floor was thick with dust and she heard several somethings skitter across the floor. She felt as if something wasn't right, but brushed the feeling away. After all, there could be several reasons why the building was empty. Her greatest inconvenience was finding the necessities on her own, since her memory wasn't the best.

She groped her way down the hall, not wanting to light anything in case someone saw, though how someone would be around to see anything was beyond her. At last she came out in what must have been the main room, for it was grand still. It had a kind of haunting beauty to it, but she felt as if she shouldn't stay long. Fortunately, the supply room was right off of the main room, so she hurried there quickly.

It was still intact, though the previous inhabitants had probably taken all of the valuable things on their journey elsewhere. All of the scrolls were gone, as were the gold decorations and the lovely fabrics which had made that outpost famous. It was only by chance that she found a box hidden away under rubbish heaps-made by the flurry of packing, no doubt, because she never knew them to be messy people-containing a store of clothing and coins of small denominations.

To her disappointment, the clothing was not what she would have normally worn, but at least it wasn't male clothing. It was a blue dress, complete with white borders and a white sash. She appreciated the fact that it was reasonably new and was even in her size. There was also a red handkerchief in there which she tore up into strips to tie her hair back into pigtails, although they were very long ones. She couldn't bring herself to cut her hair, especially since she knew it would take such a long time to grow it back. For shoes, she found a pair of well-made leather slippers, although they were a bit large. It was sheer fortune that everything seemed to be going her way with a minimal amount of effort. Almost too lucky.

She tucked the coins in her sash and took the last item in the box, a canteen with a long strap, for good measure. She didn't feel disturbed at taking the items. The elders of the outpost had promised her that they would provide everything that she needed when she surfaced, but as they were not there, she was entitled to whatever she could find. She was only puzzled as to why they were not there.

Almost timidly, she approached the door leading out of the main room and into the outside world. The sunlight almost overwhelmed her when she finally pushed the door open, but with the light came the rest of her memories.

"My name is Sakuyo," she began, her voice squeaky from disuse. "And I am the sixty-fifth Avatar."

I'm just putting this out here to see if people are receptive to this idea. More will come later, if I get enough reviews, but I'm hoping that you all like the idea. Recognize the outfit? Picture what Katara wears, and you'll get a general idea of it, if you don't.