I appreciate the feedback so far and hope you guys continue to enjoy the story!

Just to clear up some confusion since many expressed confusion at how slavery could still exist in a post Korra world, consider this: just as government, politics and laws advance, so too does crime. As much as the justice system may try to find ways to prevent crime, crime will inevitably find a way to circumvent those laws. Even we live in a more modern world than Korra, and human trafficking still exists. I also apologize if I don't make certain things clear with my writing (like how Rai did not know she was the Avatar until she went into the Avatar State in the Prologue). I've been told (and I've come to notice this over the years) that I give away too much explanations in exposition and descriptive paragraphs. So, I'm going to try and be less revealing like that and show things more through dialogue and actions.

And in case some of you get confused, this chapter takes place roughly six years after the prologue. Once again, hop on over to my deviantart to see the special doodle paired up with the chapter! :D

Anyway, hope that clears some things up. Please let me know if you are confused about anything else. With regards to Rai's past and character, you'll be learning about her as the story goes on. We didn't learn crucial details about Aang and Zuko until The Storm, roughly halfway through Book 1. If I flooded every little detail in one go... what would be the point? So, you'll be learning more about Rai and her future companions as the story goes.

The sun was setting in Republic City's Avatar Korra Park as people began heading home to their families after a hard day at work. A young boy with black spiky hair and a thick red headband strolled through the park on his way home from the market, carrying a bag of groceries with him. The park was one of the most beautiful places in the city and probably the only place to really get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Well, that and the spirit portal. As he entered the park, he quickly spotted the iconic statue of Avatar Korra. He never got the chance to meet her, but he had heard all the stories of her amazing feats. It was almost too amazing and out of this world to believe! But the time of Avatar Korra had passed. She died many years ago and yet, her successor still hadn't been identified. Based on the order of the cycle, everyone knew that the next Avatar had to be born in the Earth Kingdom, but more than a decade went by and still there was no official announcement by the Order of the White Lotus. People had begun to think that now that there was peace between spirits and humans, there wasn't going to be another Avatar. Was the White Lotus just unable to find him or her or had the Avatar disappeared off the face of the earth like Avatar Aang had once?

The boy stood there, gazing at the statue of Avatar Korra for some time before turning to continue on his way. He stopped, however, when he heard a commotion nearby. He peered around a large bush and saw three boys older than he surrounding a hooded figure sitting against a tree with a large eel hound sleeping beside them. This wasn't an uncommon occurrence, privileged snobs assaulting homeless people in the park, but the sight of it did not sit well with him.

"Hey, look at me when I'm talking to you," the middle boy said, leaning down and snatching the small book from the homeless person's hands. The eel hound immediately perked its head up, growling intensely, but the person held their hand up, calming the protective beast. They didn't say or do anything, or even acknowledge the people bothering them. "Oh, what's this?" the boy mused as his two friends looked over his shoulder as he quickly flipped through the manual, "A firebender manual? Haven't seen one of these since I was a kid! You must be a real slow learner then!" he teased.

"Hey, why don't you show us some moves?" asked the second.

"Yeah, you're pretty good lookin' for a homeless bum!" the third added.

"Hey!" the boy shouted, unwilling to watch this go any further.

"What's the matter with you?" the middle boy asked.

The boy immediately regretted his decision as the three boys advanced on him instead. "L-look, just give the book back and leave her alone," he gulped nervously.

"Pfft, whatever, not like this book is worth much," he said, dropping it on the dirt ground.

"Hey, I recognize you!" the second boy exclaimed. "Yeah, he's that genius kid from our school!"

"Oh yeah, Takeuchi or something?" the third asked.

"Takumi," the boy corrected.

"Right, Takumi. I heard you graduated this year with honors, right? Made all the rest of us look bad! Youngest graduate in our school's history. You must think you're so smart, don't ya?" the leader asked, advancing on Takumi and pushing at him. With one final push, Takumi fell onto the ground and his groceries spilled out of the bag. "I think it's about time we teach this little genius a lesson of our own. What d'ya say guys?" the leader smirked, forming a small flame in his hands. Just as the three began laughing, the ground beneath them suddenly swallowed them up and they buried in dirt up to their shoulders with their hands pressed right against them in an uncomfortable position. Takumi stared in shock and awe before looking up and seeing the homeless girl standing behind the boys in a fighting position. She said nothing to the boy, didn't even look at him, as she reached down to pick up her book and went back to her spot beneath the tree.

"Whoa…" Takumi sighed before quickly gathering up his groceries and walking over to the girl, ignoring the calls of the three boys she had so easily defeated. "Um, hi! I-I'm Takumi. What's your name?" he asked.

The girl didn't even look up at him and he couldn't see her face with her large hood up. "Rai," she said, not taking her eyes off the book.

"That's a cool name," he complimented. "Sorry about those guys, they're jerks," he laughed, but stopped when she didn't laugh or make any response at all. "Um, here," he said, reaching into his bag and placing an apple on the ground for her.

Confused at the gesture, she finally broke her eye contact with her book and looked up at him, cocking her eyebrow as she eyed him suspiciously. Despite the hood hiding most of her face, he could see that she was young and beautiful and her pale blonde hair fell on either side of her face in long strands. The most notable feature, however, was the scar just over her left eyebrow. The awkward silence began to make him nervous and he quickly turned away and left. He looked back for a quick second just in time to see her reach for the apple and smiled to himself at that.

When Takumi arrived at his empty apartment, he quickly put his groceries away and began making himself dinner. His home was small, but it was still his home. He and his mother were far from wealthy and they lived in one of the poorer districts of Republic City. But they managed. When he was done, he sat in front of a picture of his mother and sighed.

"I, uh, went to see dad the other day. When I mentioned your name and told him who I was, I could have sworn that he recognized me, but he just acted like he didn't know me and told me to get lost. I don't understand why you kept this from me, mom! I wouldn't have thought any less of you for being with him or for accepting his money to keep quiet about me. I guess now I know how you were able to afford to send me to Republic City Academy on a waitress salary… You always told me how smart I was and how I should help people, but… how? I just don't know what to do right now…"

The next day, Takumi came back to the park again, this time with some take-out noodles from his favorite restaurant. He wasn't sure what Rai would like, so he just got two different ones and would eat whichever one she didn't pick. As he walked to the park, he couldn't help but question himself why he was going to so much trouble for this girl. He reasoned with himself that he was simply repaying her kindness for stopping those boys from assaulting him, but even he felt like there was more to it than that. There was something different about her from the other homeless people in the park. He used to pass through it everyday after school and he had never seen her there before. Her clothing was still relatively brightly colored unlike the faded and worn out tones others sported and her face looked very healthy. Then there was also the eel hound she had with her. He only got a quick glance at it, but the saddle looked like it held a sleeping bag. She looked more like a traveler than a homeless person. But still, why was she here and more importantly, why did Takumi care so much? When he arrived at the park, he found her sitting under the same tree with her eel hound, still reading that firebending beginner's manual.

"Hi!" he chirped happily, stopping right in front of her.

She looked up from her book and cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "You again?"

"Yeah, I uh, thought you might be hungry! It gets pretty chilly here this time of year and thought you might like something warm. I've got a beef noodle bowl and a chicken one. I wasn't sure which one you'd like so you can pick first!" he said, smiling as he held out both take-out bowls in his hand and extended them out to her.

She sat still for a moment as his arms began to tire before eventually reaching out and taking the beef bowl. To his joy, she began eating the noodles and slurping the soup loudly like she was savoring the taste and eager to have more. She had even shared some with her eel hound, which Takumi found rather… unhygienic, but he didn't say anything about it. He watched as she ravenously finished the bowl when he had only barely started on his. "Thanks," she muttered, quickly followed by a loud burp, "but I don't need your charity, kid."

"Charity?" he asked, confused. "I'm not doing this for charity."

"Then why else offer a homeless girl food?"

"To be nice, of course. My mom always taught me to be kind and help others. And you did save me from those jerks the other day."

"And what could you possibly have to gain by earning my favor?"

"Gain? I'm not trying to gain anything! Hasn't… hasn't anyone ever done something for you just because?" he asked.

"No," she answered.

"Oh…" Takumi looked away awkwardly, slightly put off by her answer. But something felt off about the way she said that, like there was more she wasn't telling.

"Your parents must not approve of you being so generous to a stranger. Someone could take advantage of that kindness," she said.

"Oh, my parents aren't really in the picture right now. My mom passed away a few months ago. She had this illness and the doctors said they couldn't do anything about it," he recalled sadly.

"And your father?"

"He… doesn't even want me around. Up until before my mom died, I didn't even know who he was. After she passed, I went to tell him who I was, but he just turned me away. What about you? What happened to your parents?"

"Died… a long time ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Takumi sat in silence as he felt Rai's eyes on him, watching his every move as he nervously played with the noodles in his bowl. "So, i-is that an eel hound?" he asked. She nodded. "Aren't they really hard to train?"

"I didn't train Haku," she answered. "He's my friend. He and I are the same." As if knowing he was being talked about, Haku lifted his head and nuzzled up to Rai's face affectionately as she gently pat her hand on his cheek.

"What do you mean?"

"You wouldn't understand," she said. Rai's eyes drifted to the statue of Avatar Korra, something Takumi quickly noticed.

"Pretty cool, right? Avatar Korra? I heard she found out she was the Avatar by herself when she was four years old! How cool is that?"

"Yeah," she replied plainly.

"Not to mention all the amazing things she did: stopping the Equalists and the Red Lotus, Harmonic Convergence, and the coolest thing of all, stopping Kuvira and the Earth Empire! Man, it must be so cool to get to be the Avatar!" he exclaimed excitedly like a giddy fanboy.

"Hardly."

"Huh?"
"From your perspective, it seems cool, like a fantasy in reality. But they never retell all the trauma and hardships in these stories. They only highlight all the achievements, not the mistakes. Being the Avatar is an awful thing."

"Why would you say that?"

"All that responsibility? The weight of the world on your shoulders? Not everyone can handle it and not everyone wants it."

"I heard Korra loved being the Avatar," he pointed out.

"Heh, sure, Korra loved it. But that doesn't mean every other Avatar loved the job. Having people come and take you from your home and force you into this life with such responsibilities over you? Pass."

"Hm… I guess I never thought of it that way. Say, if you're an earthbender, then why were you reading a firebending manual?" he asked.

"I was interested in the fighting style and movements. A lot of people never consider adopting the fighting style of another bending art into their own." Rai suddenly stood up, followed quickly by Haku, as she began packing up her things. "Thanks for the noodles, kid."

"Y-you're leaving?" he asked in a mix of fear and sadness.

"Yeah, it's time for me to head out. I can't afford to stick around here any further," she said.

"But," he protested as she mounted Haku.

"You're a nice kid, Takumi. Don't let someone take advantage of that," she said before Haku took off and disappeared down the street in the blink of an eye. Takumi could hardly believe it. She was gone… just like that!

As Haku sped down the streets, Rai thought back to Avatar Korra. Normally, she wouldn't have come to such a big city like this one, especially when there were so many connections to the Avatar here. But she wanted to know more about Korra, without having to talk to her. And she certainly didn't want to talk to Korra. Rai knew what Korra would say if she gave the previous Avatar a chance to speak with her. Korra would urge her to accept the position she had been chosen for and Rai didn't want to give her the chance to say it. But she did want to get a sense of her predecessor's life. She patted Haku's shoulder, signaling for him to stop.

"Hang on, buddy. I've gotta use the bathroom." Haku lowered his body so Rai could climb off him as she entered a bustling restaurant. Once she finished and came out from the bathroom, she overheard a conversation taking place in a booth nearby.

"I don't know, man. Offing a kid doesn't sound like a good idea," said the first, a tone of uncertainty evident in his voice.

"What are you growing a conscience? It's the President's orders!" exclaimed a second discreetly.

"Well, technically he ain't the President yet," the first one said again.

"What does it matter? Peng says the kid's a threat to his campaign!"

"How is a kid a threat to his campaign?"

"I heard a few years back, Peng was getting some on the side. The old ball and chain had no idea! The way I hear it, he knocked up one of the girl's he was seeing and paid her to keep quiet about it. But she kicked the bucket a few months ago and now the kid's got nowhere to go. Peng doesn't want his wife to know about the affair or the kid and he definitely doesn't want news of this getting out there. Can you imagine the scandal?"

"And that's why he wants us to off this kid? What was his name again?"

"Takumi." Rai gasped when she heard that name. It couldn't possibly be the same boy, could it? Then again, she didn't know how common of a name Takumi was. And he did mention his mother recently passed AND that his father didn't want anything to do with him. The details all lined up. "The other guys are supposed to meet us there, so we better get moving."

"But my dessert isn't here yet!" the second complained.

"Fine! We'll finish your dessert and then go!"

"Where is the kid's place again?"

"One of those apartments above that fancy tailor a couple blocks down. You know, the one with the little mover character on the window?"

"Oh yeah, that one!"

When the conversation ended, Rai exited the restaurant and climbed back onto Haku. This had nothing to do with her and she didn't have any obligation to this boy. It would be easy to just keep going on her way and not look back. So… why couldn't she do it? Haku sensed something wrong and turned his head around to look at her. 'Just walk away,' she thought to herself, 'it's not like I owe this kind any favors.' But… he had shown her kindness. His offer of food may have been small, but it was a genuine and kind offer from the heart. She lied when she told him no one had ever done something for her out of the goodness of their own heart. One person had risked her own life to help her out of the goodness of her heart, and she was dead now because of it. If she had known what she was capable of then, she would have saved her. She couldn't let this kid die if she had the chance to prevent it. "Change of plans," she said with renewed and determined vigor. On her call, Haku turned around and sprinted down the street, all the while Rai kept a lookout for a tailor with a mover character on the window. This was completely unlike her. She couldn't afford to let herself get close to anyone and she didn't want to get close to anyone! She was better off with only Haku by her side. But Takumi was a good kid and if these people were trying to get rid of him just for existing, then it wasn't right for him to be the one to suffer for something that wasn't his fault.

She finally spotted a tailor store with a little mover character in the window. "That's gotta be it," she said, jumping off Haku. "If any goons show up, I need you to stay out of sight, all right?" Haku nodded and disappeared into the nearby alleyway while Rai kicked open the door leading to the upper apartments. She closed her eyes and slammed her foot on the ground, reading the seismic waves. "There you are," she said, recognizing Takumi's heartbeat. She raced up the stairs and reached the door to Takumi's apartment and knocked. Within seconds he opened it, but nearly doubled back in shock at the sight of her.

"R-Rai? What are you doing here? How do you know where I live?" he cried in shock as she pushed past him and into the apartment.

"Your life is in danger. You need to leave now," she said in a serious tone.

"Danger? What are you talking about?"

"Who is your father Takumi? I need you to tell me right now!"

"Y-you wouldn't believe me if I told you!" Takumi hesitated.

"Try me," she said, crossing her arms.

"H-he's Councilor Peng," Takumi answered, hanging his head.

"The presidential candidate," she quickly added.

"Yeah, how did you know that?"

"Have you spoken with him recently?" she asked, moving the conversation along.

"Well, I went to talk to him after my mom died, but he just told me to get lost. He didn't want anything to do with me! What does this have to do with him?" he asked as Rai moved to the window and moved the curtain outside.

"Because your father just hired some thugs to get rid of you," she said, spotting a car parking in front of the building as four men exited the vehicle and entered the building.

"What? Get rid of me? As in… kill me?" he gulped nervously. "What are you talking about?"

"I think your father doesn't want anyone to know that you exist," she said.

"Why not?"

"Because the very knowledge of you is a threat to him. Think about it, he had an affair with your mother behind his own wife's back and now he's running for President. If the news of a secret love child came out, he'd be ruined. That's why he wants to get rid of you before a scandal even happens. Grab whatever you need and fast. You need to get out of the city." Just then, there was a knock on the door and Takumi froze in fear. "Go and pack! I'll deal with this." Takumi nodded and disappeared into the bedroom. Rai quickly removed her hood and scarf and straightened up her hair before opening the door. The men on the other side immediately softened when they saw her open the door.

"Uh, 'scuse me, ma'am, but we're looking for Takumi. Is he home?" one of them asked.

"Takumi?" Rai asked, putting her index finger on her chin as she thought for a moment, or at least, made it look like that. "Oh, I'm sorry, but I think you have the wrong number. Takumi actually lives two floors up in apartment 4C," she smiled.

"Oh, sorry for the mistake. Thank you," they smiled graciously. Rai returned the smile and slowly shut the door. Once it was closed, she scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Men are stupid," she muttered. "But that should buy us some time. Hey," she said, moving to the bedroom where Takumi was packing things into a large backpack, "you almost done?"

"Y-yeah, I'm done. Now what?" he asked. Before Rai could answer, they heard a crash from the living room as the same men from before smashed through the apartment door.

"Nice try, lady!" one of them shouted, thrusting his arm forward to blast them both with fire.

Takumi's eyes widened in fear as the flames grew closer to them, but Rai quickly stepped in front of him and dispelled the flames with a blast of air, before blowing the four men back out the door. "What the? How did? But you-" Before Takumi could even try to form a complete sentence, Rai grabbed him by the arm and pulled him towards the window. "Wait, wait, wait!" he screamed as she pulled him out the window with her. He screamed at the top of his lungs as they began to fall to the ground below, but Rai thrust her hand forward and slowed their descent with a gust of wind. "H-how did you do that? You were airbending! But you were earthbending before!" Takumi cried in shock as his breathing became uneven.

"Calm down! The last thing I need from you is to pass out! Come on!" Rai whistled and Haku appeared from the alleyway. She threw Takumi onto the saddle effortlessly before climbing up after him and taking a hold of the saddle. "Let's get out of here!" With that, Haku took off down the street with amazing speed. Takumi nearly fell off but Rai managed to grab the collar of his shirt. "Hang on or you'll fall off!" she shouted. Takumi nodded frantically and wrapped his arms around her waist.

As they neared the end of the city, Takumi turned around spotted a car fast approaching them. "Behind us!" he shouted.

Rai turned around and spotted the car as well before cursing under her breath. One of the men in the car tried blasting them with fire, but she pushed it aside with a gust of wind. Rai lowered her arm and suddenly raised it, causing a portion of the road to suddenly rise up across the entire width of the street. They heard the car screeching to a halt, shortly followed by the sound of a crash.

Haku swiftly carried them out of the city and deep into the woods, where they stopped to make camp. With a single thrust of her arm, fire came out from her palm and lit the stack of firewood she had collected. Takumi sat there with a dumbfounded look on his face while Rai sat on the other side of the fire, removing her hood. "Just come out and say it already," she said.

"Y-you're the Avatar, aren't you? I mean, that's the only reason you could earthbend, airbend and firebend, isn't it?" Rai nodded. "But, why haven't you come forward? Why not tell people that you're the Avatar?"

"What difference would it make? Balance is no longer required between the four nations and humans and spirits are living in harmony now. The Avatar isn't needed anymore."

"Of course he...she, I mean, you are!"

"For what then? The Avatar's only duty to humans was bridging them to spirits and keeping balance between the four nations. With the way the world is now, neither of those things are necessary anymore," she answered plainly.

"But what about all the bad stuff that's still happening? There's still bandits and criminals and-"

"Even if I wanted to, the Avatar can't stop crime from happening. No one can. Besides, people give too much leeway to the Avatar. They want the Avatar to solve all their problems and give them supreme authority to do it. But for every person who follows the Avatar in blind loyalty, there's another who sees the Avatar as a menace and that the world would be better off without them. Personally, I don't want the authority and I don't need to put a target on my own back."

"But, still, I don't understand why you haven't revealed yourself to everyone yet!"

"And let the White Lotus dictate what to do for the rest of my life? No thanks! I never asked to be the Avatar and I won't have anyone tell me what to do or who to be. I won't be a slave to them. Once was enough."

"Slave? What do you mean?"

"I don't want to talk about this anymore. In the morning, I'm moving on. You do what you want," she said, pulling out her bedroll from Haku's saddle and laying it on the ground.

"Where am I supposed to go? There's no way I can even set foot back in Republic City now!"

"Beats me. Your mom have any other family?"

"I think she said she had a sister that lives somewhere in the Fire Nation capital or something. So I guess I could go there," he said, staring into the fire.

"That'll be at least a month's journey on foot," Rai replied. "Tell you what, I'll take you to the capital. I'm heading that direction anyway. It'll be faster on Haku and you're less likely to be attacked by bandits with me around."

"Who'd be stupid enough to attack the Avatar?"

"And that's another thing. Don't go around telling anyone that I'm the Avatar, got it? Otherwise, I'll finish what those thugs your father hired started," she said with a serious glare.

"Yes ma'am," Takumi squeaked.

"One last thing: don't expect me to take care of you. You're hungry, you get food yourself. And if you fall behind, I'm not waiting."

"I-I understand!"

"Good. You should get some sleep. I'm leaving at sunrise."

Well, I you guys enjoyed this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it XD

Now, I don't really know what I should write the next chapter about (and I don't want to introduce the next companions right away), so if you guys have any ideas, I welcome suggestions!