Disclaimer: Wow, I should have had one of these a while ago… Roku is not mine, but most characters are of my imagination.

Note: Sorry I haven't/may not continue updating this for a while, it's my Senior year and I have way too much to do… I do have good excuses (mostly) and I hope to do better in the future.

Part Three: Saying Goodbye

Roku sighed as he looked around everyone that was going to be accompanying him. He was somewhat disheartened. Now, if he made any mistakes, there would be no denying it. There was no doubt that they were all loyal men, but it didn't mean that they were immune from the human flaw of the need to gossip, especially about people that were somehow "higher" than they were.

"Time to say goodbye, Avatar Roku, and begin your journey," Quan said.

"Yes… I know…" Roku knew this would be perhaps the hardest part, saying goodbye to those he loved. In his journey, he hoped the first step would be the hardest.

Roku walked down to those who stood in the middle of the crowd, his family, and those that he had come to consider as such. "So… um… I'll see you all soon, I hope," he smiled at the proud faces, some, especially that of his mother, glistening in tears.

He felt something tug at his pants, startled, he looked down into the concerned face of Raan. "Will you be back tonight?"

He felt some mixture of wanting to laugh and cry at the same time. "No Raan, I'm afraid I'll be gone for a long time… I need to master all of the elements. But I promise, it will be worth it. Even for you." He knelt down and hugged her.

"Kay… will you do one last trick before you go?" Raan asked, saddened by the news, but always her happy self.

"Sure…" He thought of something that would be great enough to keep him in her memory, if his journey came to be longer than even he thought it would be. In his thoughts, his eyes turned to the dragon that he had almost died on minutes before.

He ignited the air in his hands, and, with a burst of energy, strung out a dragon in perfect image of his; however much smaller. He sent it up into the air and fed it more fire, and, slowly it grew and was soaring, warm and bright above their heads. He toyed with it for a while, trying to differ how much and what the fire was fed, differing its colors and brightness. Eventually, still concentrating wholly on the dragon, he reached down and grabbed a fistful of sand and threw it up to his beast, and surrounded it with the sand. Carefully he twisted the concoction with the sand, taking it higher and, eventually, suffocating the flames.

The dragon died, and a shining crystal fell, cooling on its way to the earth. Roku gently caught it, and it was still warm to the touch.

Leaning down to Raan, he gently placed his creation, a statuette of the fire dragon, into her small hands.

"Don't forget me, alright?"

"Kay," She said, cheerfully.

He smiled. The way she talked, her tone, made it seem that he really would be back by nightfall.

"Roku! If you are done impressing little girls with cheap theatrics, I believe we would like to be on our way now," Quan said.

Roku sighed and stood, waving to everyone as he turned away. He ran up onto the ship and faced the sea, to where he would begin.