My first Avatar: The Last Airbender fanfic I put online. This story takes place directly after the episode "The Blue Spirit". I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters, etc. I love reviews! Thanks for reading!
Chapter 1: Aang
"You cannot keep protecting him from his destiny!"
Destiny. How many times in his life, in his many past lives, had he heard this word? How many times would harsh decisions and harsh thoughts be directed towards him because of who he was, because of his "destiny". It had taken him away from anything similar to a normal, fun, life he ever had, and now it had made him despised by every being loyal to the Fire Lord's word.
He turned to glance at his two friends, who seemed to be watching him from a distance. They were waiting to leave, he realized. They were patient, though; seeming to recognize that something troubled him. His bison was standing; Katara's and Sokka's sleeping bags now rolled up and tied to his saddle with the rest of their supplies. They were too far for him to make out the expressions on their faces.
Turning back away from them, he thought of their lives. Ordinary. No mystical destinies to fulfill, no life or death missions to carry out. Just ordinary lives.
He thought of the events of the day prior. How foolish of him. How irrational to think a firebender, let alone a Fire Nation prince with a mission of his own to finish, would offer him assistance out of the kindness of his heart.
He was supposed to bring peace, to end a war that had plagued the world for one hundred years. Why was he hated for this? He didn't want his job. He didn't want it when he was told at too young an age by the Monks at his old home. Was it his fault the war started? Yes, perhaps he deserved his fate. Had he not disappeared, the war wouldn't have been given a chance to take wing. Peace would have continued as it had in generations past.
He had thought these things through many times. He'd hoped he had recovered from the thoughts haunting his dreams, and so he had. However, they haunted his mind still. Zuko had rescued him from Zhao, but was it only for the purpose of his own destiny having hope of fulfillment? Was world mostly filled with people whose actions only served to further their own hopes?
He looked once more at Katara and Sokka. Was there some gain they earned for taking him to the North Pole? Were they concerned for him, or only hoping for something for themselves?
Turning away from them and hugging his knees close to his body as he sat, his thoughts grew more and more lonely. He rested his head on his knees tried to hide his slightly watering eyes. He didn't know why he hid them when even Momo was a decent distance away. He didn't feel like telling his friends, or those whom he was fairly certain were his friends about his adventure trying to find the cure for the illness they had developed before. Not for the time being.