((As I forgot to mention in the prologue, I just want to point out that I don't own any of the Avatar Universe, I'm just a huge fan who suddenly had a desire to tell my own story relating to the universe that Bryke & Co so masterfully created! Hope you all enjoy reading this and reviews and suggestions for improvements, ideas, characters etc are always welcome!))

((Also please note that this is simply a go-with-the-flow story, so it should hopefully improve in quality as it goes. Thanks for reading!))

Startling Discoveries:

The chunk of rock flew through the air and struck the girl solidly head-on. She fell to the floor with a grunt and struggled to her feet. Coughing, she took a stance and launched a boulder back at her assailant. The boy laughed and waited for the boulder to come close. Ripping his hands apart, the rock split at the last minute and hovered either side of the teenager. Punching forward, the rocks flew back and sent the girl back to the floor.

"How are you so damn good at this?" she shouted from the dirt. An arm was offered to her, which she gratefully grabbed to help herself to her feet. "Every time, Jahn. You're a damn good Earthbender, shame you look just like a badgermole!" the girl laughed.

The young man, Jahn, winked back. "Ah Kuvu you know, I'm actually a badgermole in disguise! Anyway, I didn't think I was that bad looking! That's clearly why you keep sparring with me. Unless it's my devilish charm", he joked.

Kuvu rolled her eyes. He did have a point; Jahn was just her type. Strong, lean, tall and that jawline was to die for. Not that she'd ever admit it. His tufty brown hair was always messy and his bright blue eyes were unlike anyone else's in the city, full of life and joy. His sense of humour needed some work though. His fighting skills? Brilliant. Which pissed her off just a little; he was top in the field, even besting grown men far older and more experienced than he was. Jahn was only eighteen, whilst she herself was only sixteen, but that didn't stop him kicking everyone's butts on the field.

"Jahn, Kuvu, good job! King of the hill requires Jahn stays on so Kuvu, get your pretty butt off this field!" their instructor shouted. He was a short, heavyset man called Nilob and was a great fighter. He'd trained for a time with Chief Lin Beifong of Republic City, daughter of the greatest Earthbender ever, Toph Beifong. He didn't seem to mind reminding all the trainees of it all the time either. "If you lot trained with Chief Beifong like I have, you wouldn't all be a bunch of rubbish weaklings! Get your acts together! Saall, get out there and put Jahn on his behind!"

Jahn groaned inwardly. Saall was such a moron. Whereas he always enjoyed sparring with Kuvu, Saall played dirty and generally wasn't the nicest person ever.

"Ha, the ickle badgermole wants to play?" Saall laughed in a childish voice, pulling a face. Jahn didn't react; he'd be wiping that smirk off Saall's face any moment now.

"Begin!", Nilob shouted loudly, stamping his foot on the ground and shaking the earth.

Saall leapt forward, throwing rocks as he came. Jahn sidestepped the assault and waited for an opportunity. He knew all the best Earthbenders had patience; they listened and felt the vibrations for an opening in Saall's defence. Saall slammed his foot into the ground and kicked the huge boulder that ripped forth. It flew across the field and burst into fragments just before it struck Jahn. Parting his hands, Jahn had broken the stone with a cheeky wink.

Saall spat on the floor and rubbed his hands together. Taking a strong stance, he slowly raised his hands above his head. The ground that he stood on cracked and rose into the air precariously. Grinning slightly, with a look of utter concentration on his face, Saall punched downwards, sending himself and the earth slamming back into the ground. The resulting shockwave thundered towards Jahn, sending him flying backwards.

"Oof!" he grunted as he landed on his back. He didn't realise Saall was able to produce that much power. He'd clearly been training hard, just to beat him this one time. Clambering to his feet, he realised he'd been knocked out of the markings. Saall had beaten him.

"Yes! Finally! I knew I was better than you and now everybody knows it!" Saall shouted rudely. "Get out of the way spiderworm, you don't belong on this field!"

Jahn looked at the other young man and sighed quietly. As much as he'd love to just walk up and punch Saall, that wasn't the way things were done. Taking his place among the other defeated, he smiled briefly as Kuvu put her arm around him and gave him a quick squeeze.

"For the record", she said quietly, "I think you're the best Earthbender I've ever seen. Don't let that idiot get to you."

That evening, Jahn lay quietly as he stared up at the stars. Cities like Republic City might have all the latest technology but here, in Taku, life was simpler. Without the bright lights, the stars could shine brightly and there was nothing Jahn liked to do more than just lie and gaze on the bright lights in the sky. His house was a smaller one, his parents not so wealthy, but it was a good life. If a little boring. Jahn knew there was something else, a greater calling that would take him far away one day. There had to be. As great as life was, Taku was still a small city and whilst it was so beautiful….

So beautiful. That also summed up Kuvu rather well. Like most Earth Empire girls, she had dark, glossy hair and stunning wide green eyes which somehow fit in her slim, heart shaped face. She was a tough little thing, but so spirited. Jahn had never been in a relationship with anyone before but Kuvu…well, she was someone he was willing to try with.

"Jahn, sweetheart, where's your father? The fire's getting cold, I'm cold", a voice came from his house. The woman standing in the doorway was frail and tiny, clutching at the doorframe with thin hands. She trembled slightly as she stood looking at the young man lying in the grass.

Jahn smiled sadly. "Coming, mother. I'll look after you, don't worry", he said as he attended to his mother. An illness had weakened her beyond belief when he was very young and her wits had begun to wander considerably as he'd grown older. She was a shrivelled woman, weak and confused, and she was only forty-three. Nobody knew what had done it but it had almost killed her. Her father had cared for her for a while but constant care and attention had been too much for him. One night, Jahn had awoken when the door shut with a bang. The letter left on the table had not been read for ten years.

The fire burst into life as he attended it, making his mother smile. She was sat in the chair nearby, rubbing her hands slowly and smiling as she watched the flames dance. Jahn gazed at her face; when watching the fire, her eyes lit up with a joy he had not seen on her face for so long. As much as Jahn would have loved to see the world, he could not leave. Not now. Not like his father had done, so easily and without thought.

A knock on the door broke him from his reverie. Kuvu peered round cautiously, clearly not wanting to intrude. Jahn motioned for her to wait outside and joined her after ensuring his mother was comfortable in her chair.

"How is she? Any better?" Kuvu asked carefully as they sat on the edge of the porch.

"Not really. She keeps forgetting. She won't get better, I can tell."

"Oh. And how are you? You took a pretty heavy knock today", she noted.

"I'm fine. It didn't hurt, it just winded me."

Kuvu looked sideways at her friend. "I didn't mean the physical knock."

Jahn pulled a face. "I never said I was the best, that was Saall, he—"

"I know Jahn, I was only asking!" Kuvu cut him off before he could anger. She knew what stress he was under; caring for a parent was an enormous responsibility when you had your own dreams. What had happened to his parents was heart-breaking. Then, and now.

There was a silence for a while. They didn't need to talk; they were content just being in the presence of each other.

"Anyway, you've still got a while to go before you get to my level", Kuvu joked with a light laugh, nudging Jahn.

This gained a laugh; he chuckled and nudged her back harder so she fell from the porch and landed in the grass. Laughing even more, Jahn wiped the tear from his eye and helped her up. "Smoothly done there Kuvu. A true Earthbender would have created a support for herself", he winked.

A voice came from their left, startling them both. "Well that explains it, you're both just terrible Earthbenders then". Saall emerged from behind a house and walked over the small clearing towards them. He still wore his training gear, dirty and dusty from the day's activities.

"Look Saall, I'm not in the mood for this. Go away", Jahn waved a hand and kept his eyes down. He noticed Kuvu had stiffened slightly next to him. Was it fear…?

"I'm not here for you, ickle badgermole. I'm here for Kuvu; she agreed to go on a date with me earlier", Saall said smugly, keeping his eyes on Jahn for a reaction.

Kuvu shook her head slightly. "No I didn't, you said…you made me…", she stuttered, flushed.

Jahn raised his head. Something was wrong here. It made him uneasy and uneasiness could quickly become anger. Saall was too cocky, too flushed with knowledge that he was clearly eager to tell Jahn. Domination was his aim. It always was.

"Did you agree to that?" he quietly asked Kuvu. If affirmed, his chances with her would be totally ruined. There wasn't much else on offer in Tavu; his once chance at a happy life free of so much burden would be totally, totally lost.

"No." The word was a flutter of joy in his chest, a lessening of tension in his stomach he did not realise he had. "But he won't stop…won't leave me alone…"

Saall narrowed his eyes. "Oh shut up, that wasn't what you thought when we kissed!"

Jahn stood up quickly, making Saall step back slightly and prompting Kuvu to stand too. "You kissed her? And she didn't want you to?"

Shrugging, Saall pulled a face. "Well if she really didn't want me to then she'd have fought me off. Guess you lose again eh, ickle badgermole," he laughed at the other Earthbender.

Jahn's temper flared. Storming up to Saall, he stopped within punching distance and pointed a finger at him. "NO! That's not how it works and you know it! You leave her alone or I'll make sure you'll never earthbend again, got it?" Jahn shouted, letting the chilling threat sink in.

Saall was silent for a second before spitting on the ground. "Like you'd know. You never know what's going on, you're always too busy looking after your stupid crippled mother."

A loud gasp from Kuvu; a raging fury whirled within Jahn, filling him with power. Without thinking, without even knowing whether Earthbending would be involved, he swung for Saall with his right fist with all his strength. The punch was aggressive; more so than he'd ever been in his entire life. Earthbenders were meant to be strong, immovable, patient. This attack…he just Saall to feel the full force of his pain and torment in one punch.

Despite his fury, it was still a total shock when, instead of the punch hitting home, a jet of fire burst from his fist and struck Saall in the chest, sending him flying backwards. He landed heavily, his clothes burnt and blackened by the strike. Wheezing audibly, he struggling to sit up and stared in horror at Jahn, who stood looking at his own fists with confused amazement.

"No. No. It can't be…", Saall spluttered between coughs.

Kuvu stood behind them both, shocked. "He is. He's the Avatar."