The Avatar Abandoned

Summary: Aang wasn't frozen for 100 years, he wasn't even born in the Eastern Air Temple. He was born into a family of travelling Air Nomads who were living in the Earth Kingdom of Ba Sing Se. However, when he was five, his parents discovered him playing with little figures made of fire; even though he was an Air Bender. Knowing their son could only be the Avatar - the first in over 100 years, they panicked and abandoned him in the Fire Nation, hoping they would never have to see him again.

Chapter Summary: In which the Blind Bandit runs away and Aang and Toph have a heart to heart. (Based (loosely this time) on Book 2: Chapter 6 - The Blind Bandit)

Warnings: AU/AR, slash, Zukaang, possible rating increase.

A/N: Excellent stuff, I'm already back with a new chapter! Isn't life grand? No, wait, that's me. This chapter is where I completely derail the episode, because NONE of this happens in the series. Complete remake, eh? *Waggles eyebrows* Oh yes. SO READ!

Thanks to the following people for reviewing (despite my very long absense):

Pen-Name-Kitsune-Chan - Yeah, I felt kind of grotty basically rewriting that part, but I had no idea how to change it. This chapter is completely orginal though! Good times, eh? And thank you a lot for pointing that stuff out, I might have to change a few things to make it work now. Urk. I'm glad you noticed that though, otherwise I would have got to the chapter and been like ' ... FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDGE!'

I LUV SETH - Hehe, glad you thought it was good. I wasn't too keen on that chapter though, it was basically the original episode written out and changed slightly.

prepare4trouble - Well, I know that Zuko would be worried, but I haven't found a good spot to put it in. ((Lmfao, that's what she said.)) But I'll try and find a bit where I can get Zuko to think about his sister. Maybe next chapter? And Iroh will definately be coming back, he's too awesome to just bring him in for a few chapters then leave him in the South Pole!

Chapter 13

'I need to find out who she is though!' Aang tried to reason with the guard who had told earlier him that the fighters didn't give out autographs.

'Look kid, I've told you before, and I'll tell you again, I can't tell you where she lives or who she is. I don't know!' the man said gruffly, folding his overly muscular arms across his chest.

'Isn't there anything you could tell us that might help us track her down?' Katara asked, batting her eyelashes.

The guard paused for a minute, thinking. 'You can't be telling a bunch of fans, alright ... ? And don't be telling anyone that I told you either, I got a family to support. But you look like honest kids. All I know is that the Bandit lives somewhere in the fancier parts of town, in one of those 'apartment' things they've started building, alright?'

Aangs face practically split in two as he grinned. 'Thanks! I really appriciate it!' he cried, running off.

'Wait up Aang!' Sokka cried as he, Zuko and Katara all chased after the excited Air Bender.

'Aang, lets think about this,' Zuko said after the group had finally caught up with him. 'This Bandit girl could be almost anywhere in the whole city.'

'Nu-uh,' Sokka butted in, loving to point out something that Zuko had missed. 'She's living in an apartment building. And there's only gonna be a few of them. So we can easy track her down if we split up!'

Katara ran back up to the group. 'Look what I've just bought!'

'A new hairbrush?' Zuko muttered so that she couldn't hear him. Aang flicked his wrist subtley, so that the Water Tribe siblings didn't see.

'What did you get this time?' Sokka asked his sister.

'I got a map of the city,' she grinned.

'So?'

'Sooo, it says where all the buildings are. Including - '

'The apartments!' Aang finished for her, catching on. 'That's great, Katara! Where are they, then?' Peering over Kataras shoulder, he tried to find them, but Katara stepped away from him, examining the map herself.

'Well, there's five apartment buildings, and there's only four of us, so we should split up and look through one each and then meet up to search the last one together,' Katara said, tapping the map with her finger. 'I'll do this one here, Sokka, you can do the one which is north from here, Zuko, you can get the one that's right down this road,' the told him, pointing to her left. 'And Aang, you can get the one that should be about two or three miles stright ahead. We'll meet up here after we've looked around them, alright?'

'Okay!' Aang cheered. 'See you guys later!' and with that, he zipped off through the alleyways and around the buildings before they could say anything to him.

-.-.-.-

Aang was officially bored. At first it had been a great excitement; seeing the towering structure of the apartments, looking around the place, knocking at all the apartment doors, almost like an adventure. But after the seventh door had been slammed in his face, his amusment and enthusiasm was starting to wane. By the time he had asked for 'The Blind Bandit' in at fourty third door (Fourth floor, third room along, hehe) any energy he had to be excited and enthusiastic was long gone.

The Air Bender was now on the sixth floor and knocking at the seventh door along the corridor. As the door opened he started to ask if the Blind Bandit was there when he realised - the girl at the door was the Blind Bandit. She snarled as she heard his voice.

'You! You've taken my title and my belt, can't you leave me alone now?' she shouted, going to slam the door on him, but Aang stuck his foot in the way, slipping through the door.

'Please, listen to me! Just for a minute!' Aang begged, making the girl pause.

'Well, I hate you for stealing my title, but you do sound horribly pathetic, so I guess I could give you a few minutes,' the small ex-Champion said in a matter-of-fact voice, going to sit down at a table. 'Besides, you're already in my home now, so you might as well stay.'

Aang grinned, sitting opposite her. 'Thanks, I really appriciate this,' he grinned at her.

'Whatever,' she snorted, leaning back on her chair, propping her feet on the table. 'I'm Toph. Are you going to tell me your name, or am I calling you Twinkle Toes?' the Earth Bender asked sarcastically.

'I'm Aang,' Aang told her holding out a hand for her to shake. In response she just spat into a spitoon made of clay near her feet. Aangs outstretched hand shiveled up and he tucked it away quickly. 'Anyway ... I came to ask you to be my Earth Bending teacher,' came the hurried confession.

Toph raised her eyebrows. 'What? Why? Surely you could learn better from someone with more experiance and someone who could actually see what they're teaching you?'

Aang shook his head. 'No, I don't think so. The way you Earth Bend is much better than anything else I've seen. You actually listen to the Earth and the Earth listens back. Most Earth Benders just listen to force and use it as the Bend, but you don't. You use skill and talent and I need to be able to do that!'

'Why should I teach you anything? You stole my title and now I'll have to work my way up from the bottom again,' Toph said, turning her head away.

Aang bit his lip. Should he tell this girl who he barely knew, who could go and tell Ozai? But this was his only chance of getting a half-decent Earth Bending teacher. 'I'm trying to take down Ozai,' he told her. 'I'm trying to get the world back to the way it should be, but the only way I can get that to happen is if you teach me Earth Bending.'

'What has Earth Bending got to do with stopping Ozai?' Toph asked curiously, pulling her legs off the table, rocking forwards on her chair, leaning in, putting her chin in her hands, frowning slightly.

'I have to master all the Elements. I'm the Avatar.' Aang scrunched up his face, waiting for laughter or shouting or anything. He opened his eyes slightly, looking at the small girl. Suddenly she stood up.

'Alright then, let's go.'

'What?' Aang asked, nonplussed, his expression slack.

'Well, you want me to teach you Earth Bending, I'm assuming you don't know the others, and even if you did, you'd still have a camp set up somewhere, right?' she said, grabbing a bag and chucking some stuff in it.

'You just believe me? And you coming with me? Just like that?'

Toph pulled a face. 'Well, duh. Since you took my title, I won't get the money I need to pay the rent on this place, so I'd be getting kicked out anyway. I might as well come and live with you for free,' she said nonchalantly.

'What about your parents?' Aang asked curiously.

Toph stopped for a second, before sniffing and continuing tossing her stuff in her sack. 'I haven't seen them for years. They're rich people, you see, famous for their Earth Bending abilities. When they found out I was blind and could probably never see anything, they left me in the tunnels near here. I was about one or something, I don't really remember it that well. My sister found me later, and told me what had happened. She's eighteen or something and she has a family away from out parents, so she doesn't listen to them any more. But anyway. A BadgerMole found me, when I was little, and took me in. They taught me how to see using the Earth. BadgerMoles are blind too, so they knew how to teach me. I feel the earth using my feet, and that's how I know where things are. When I came back outside of the caves, I made a living fighting in Earth Rumble battles, and I made my way up to the top of the foodchain there. I started earning enough money to live here by myself. So I did. It's kind of lonely sometimes, but I make a living doing what I love; Earth Bending.'

Aang put a hand on Tophs shoulder. 'When my parents found out I was the Avatar, they abandoned me in the Fire Nation so that they wouldn't have to deal with me. I was five at the time,' the Air Bender told Toph, letting her know he understood what she went through. 'All the family I have now is Zuko,' he said somewhat sadly.

'Who's he? Your brother?' Toph asked suddenly.

Aang blushed. 'Y-yes,' he replied quickly.

An evil grin split Tophs face. 'No he isn't. I can feel your heart rate through the floor. He's something more than that, isn't he? Is he your boyfriend?' the young girl teased Aang, poking his ribs, still grinning maliciously.

'I ... That ... I mean ... Kind of,' Aang mumbled, blushing beet red.

'How cute!' Toph exclaimed. 'That's adorable,' she giggled, throwing her sack over her shoulder. 'But if you ever tell anyone I even know words like cute and adorable, I will make sure you wake up with a certain part of your male anatomy missing,' she growled. 'Shall we go then?' With that, Toph headed out of the door a white-faced Aang following closely, who was making a very serious mental note to never bring up this talk with anyone. Ever.

A/N: Jinx do geeeewd? I'm amazed I actually managed to write an emotional scene here. And to be honest, I feel quite proud to say this chapter is completely mine and mine alone. No bits from the show here! Well, except for the refence to BadgerMoles teaching Toph how to Earth Bend. But ya knoooow.

Huzzah for quick update, ja? I think so. Five+ reviews for Jinx before new chapter is to be posted, m'kay? Also my new fic 'Restless' in the Danny Phantom fan-iverse is up and running, chapter three to be posted soon. So check it out! Pocky for all reviewers!