Aang the Firebender AKA What if Aang A. is not the Avatar, B. is born a hundred years later, and C. is born a Firebender?
The unscarred son of Ozai took a deep breath. "How did I ever let you talk me into this?" Prince Zuko asked to the grinning twelve year old before him.
He was a short, deceptively scrawny looking boy with short fuzzy black hair, wearing a black outfit with red trim, and a red headband to top it all off.
He was had an adorably shameless smile.
Behind the prince, his uncle chuckled while playing a game with tiles. "Well, you didn't exactly put up much of a fight, Nephew!" Iroh pointed out in amusement.
"Uncle, you're not helping!" Zuko called over his shoulder.
"I did not come to help. Not with curbing young Aang's antics, at the least," Iroh retorted with a smile. "After all, I am retired and need not attempt such an impossible battle."
"And you said I got to pick where we went next, Zooks!" Aang reminded cheerfully.
"That still doesn't explain why we are in the South Pole. Why would anyone want to come to the South Pole!?" Zuko declared in frustration, as he motioned to the frigid sea covered with all sizes of floating ice.
Several soldiers and guards on the deck silently agreeing with the sentiment. They were Firebenders! They didn't travel anywhere this cold without good reason!
"Isn't it obvious?!" Aang declared in excitement. "Penguin Sledding!"
"Penguin. Sledding. Is that even a thing? Tell me that's not a thing and he just made it up for this trip?" Zuko asked, looking behind him. Iroh, the imperial Firebenders, and even the crewmen all shrugged at the question.
"Besides, Zooks, you're suppose to be out "hunting the Avatar" as you travel the world," Aang reminded cheekily.
"Yes, Aang, it's a tradition. Not a real mission. I'm surprised Uncle didn't spend his entire trip touring different tea shops around the world," Zuko stated with an eyeroll, Iroh looking away and taking a long sip of tea while Zuko wasn't looking. "What does THAT have to do with us being here?"
"Well, if the Avatar was hiding somewhere, the South Pole would be a pretty good place now, right?" Aang asked, sitting precariously on the railing of the ship.
"I despise how much sense that makes," Zuko murmurs. "Fine, we'll stay for a few days and I won't complain anymore. Maybe we'll get us and the crew some exotic meat for the trip back."
"Mmm, I wonder if turtle-seal and tiger-seal taste anything alike?" Iroh mused to himself.
"Besides, maybe we'll find some powerful Waterbenders down here!" Aang said with excitement.
Iroh's smile dimmed slightly. "I'm afraid there are no more Waterbenders in the south, only in the north."
"You never know!" Aang said, his mood undimmed. "I've never fought a Waterbender before."
"And you want to, here, in their home terrain," Zuko said with a deadpan.
"Yep!" Aang answered instantly, without hesitation or worry.
Aang's mood was more contagious than it should be, and the entire crew felt their moods growing brighter by proxy.
"Though, even if there aren't any Waterbenders, there should be settlements in the area. We should show some caution," Iroh mused, stroking his beard.
"Don't worry, Uncle Iroh!" Aang promised. "I mean, it's not like I'll end up penguin-sledding into a water tribe village or something."
Zuko and Iroh shared a look. "I bet the next roast duck that he does," Zuko muttered to his uncle.
"One should always be cautious with gambling, nephew," Iroh said with a smirk. "And to not bet against certainty. Speaking of which, there he goes."
"What?!" Zuko yelled, looking back to see Aang was gone. He ran to the railing, seeing that Aang had jumped off and was leaping across a precarious bridge made of different chunks of floating ice. "Aang! Where are you going?!"
"I told you! Penguins! See you at the shore, Zooks!" Aang called back.
"How much trouble would we be in if we left him here?" Zuko asked blankly.
"I believe you were warned to return with Aang or not at all," Iroh said with a chuckle.
"Mmmmm," Zuko seemed to actively debate the pros and cons of leaving his friend in this frozen land before sighing. "Fine, I'll get the helmsman to try and find us a safe place to come ashore."
"And I will prepare the roast duck," Iroh said with a pleased smile.
Meanwhile, Aang had found his way to the icy shores of the South Pole. Despite his less than ideal clothing, he was utterly unbothered by the frigid air as he looked at the landscape. Most would call it a frozen wasteland, but to Aang, it was kind of beautiful, especially with how the sunlight caught on the ice in different ways.
He came to the edge of a small cliff and blinked at his finding. "Well, that's not a penguin, but it sure is interesting!" he said as he looked upon a ship.
A Fire Nation ship, trapped in ice and long abandoned. It must have been here for years, decades maybe.
"Did a Waterbender do this or nature?" Aang wondered to himself before shrugging. "Either way, it's pretty neat. Maybe I should bring back a souvenir?"
With a lightness in his step, he headed inside a large gauge in the hull, seemingly with all the care and worry of a komodo-rhino.
The old ship was tilted, making all of the floors and halls slanted. Not enough to trip on up, but only if they were careful of the ice. He glanced into every room he saw before finding one filled with armor and weapons.
"So this is what they use to look like. Bet these were a bit hard to get through doors," Aang mused, tapping the sharp shoulders before looking at the helmet that had a uniquely bird like style to them. "Nice helmet designs though."
He hummed thoughtfully as he studied the armor.
Then, he leapt and turned, avoiding a whip of water from behind. The attack struck at the armor while Aang calmly landed to the side, staring at his would-be assailant.
By the darker skin and blue eyes, she was a girl of the Southern Water Tribe. Of course, that wasn't a surprise, given they were in the South Pole and she was wearing a heavy coat of their design.
"That's an interesting way to say hello," Aang greeted with a chuckle. "I think I like it."
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" she demanded, water floating around her defensively.
"Aang. And who are you, Miss Waterbender?" Aang asked curiously, eyes glancing at the water with fascination rather than fear.
"And why would I tell anything to someone from the Fire Nation?" she asked before properly looking Aang up and down. "Someone very poorly dressed. Aren't you freezing?"
"Not really," he answered as he began to approach her.
"Stay back!" she warned, striking at his feet.
He all but danced from the attempt as he dodged just to the side. "If you want to fight, I'd love to, but I like to know people's names beforehand," he answered politely before looking to the entrance. "By the way, is your friend shy or something?"
The girl stiffened, even her water, before a laugh came from the corridor.
"This kid is good, Katara," another female voice said as she stepped into view. "Maybe we should keep him?"
Aang blinked as he looked up. This girl was much taller, and at least a few years older than him. And he felt a little excited as he saw the keen look in her eyes.
"Korra, look at him. There's no way he got here on his own, let alone like that," Katara pointed out. "And who knows why he's here!"
"Well, why don't you just ask him?" Korra suggested, leaning on the door with one arm while motioning to Aang. "Why are you here?"
"Korra, and Katara. Nice names. Is the "K" or "ra" a common thing down here?" Aang asked idly. "As for why I'm here? I came for penguins!"
"See, he came for penguins," Korra said with a chuckle.
"...To eat them...?" Katara asked skeptically, question marks flooding her head.
"What? No! I wanted to go penguin sledding!"Aang corrected quickly.
"Penguin...sledding? " Katara asked, lowering her arms while subconsciously returning her water to a waterskin on her hip.
"Yeah! I heard that was something you can do and I always wanted to try it," Aang said enthusiastically.
Katara stared owlishly while Korra dropped her head into her hand, shaking laughter. "Oh, we have to keep him now, Katara. I told you there had to be good people in the Fire Nation."
"Korra, he's not a something you can keep as a family pet!" Katara scolded.
"Yeah, my current family would have objections to that," Aang agreed sagely.
"Yes...wait, what?" Katara said, confused by the wording of that. "No, back up. How did you even get here?"
"We have a ship. Not like we can walk on water," Aang answered with a shrug before looking to Katara with exterem interest. "Can you walk on water?"
Katara tilted her head. "No?"
Aang seemed vaguely disappointed by that. "Oh."
"Not yet at least," Korra added on with mirth.
Aang's excitement and interest doubled. "Oh?"
"Korra," Katara said, flushing in embarrassment despite her smile.
"Hey, I keep saying you're going to be amazing one day," Korra assured with a confident grin. "As for you, Aang, why on you on my ship exactly?"
"Your ship? "Aang asked with ahead tilt.
"I kind of live here," Korra answered casually. "It's not that bad, once you get used to everything being slanted. And you disable all the traps."
"Korra, triggering every trap is not the same as disabling them," Katara pointedly reminded.
"But isn't it though?" Korra asked shrewdly. "Cause I think it is."
"Do they need to be reset to go off again?" Aang asked curiously.
"Yep," Korra answered with a smile.
"Then yeah, they're all disabled," Aang agreed with a nod.
"Don't encourage her please," Katara requested. "Listen, Aang? I'm pretty sure you know this, but most nations aren't exactly happy to see visitors from the Fire Nation right now."
"Katara," Aang said slowly. "Invaders aren't visitors. They're mass intruders."
Korra's mouth twitched as she struggled not to laugh more.
"I can't tell if that's a token of wisdom or stupid," Katara said.
"Its a token of Aang, Ma'am," he said with mirth. "Now, if you'll both excuse me, I need to go find penguins."
"Oh? Not interested in a fight anymore?" Korra asked idly, not moving out of the way.
"No, I am. But neither of you look like you want to fight," Aang answered, leaping up to jump through the gap in the doorway that Korra partially blocked. "Nice to meet you, Katara, Korra!"
"Are we...just going to let him go?" Katara asked skeptically. "He's literally a kid from the Fire Nation that just popped out of nowhere, we can't just let him go, right?"
"You went from defensive to worried very fast," Korra noted idly.
"Yeah, well...I wasn't expect the first person from the Fire Nation I actually met to be a child," Katara pointed out. "He could get lost or hurt out here. I know he has to be with someone, but-"
"But something might happen to him before then," Korra finished knowingly.
Katara grimaced at that.
"It's not a bad thing you feel concerned about someone, Fire Nation or not. Trust me, it's...worse if you didn't," Korra said evasively. "Now come on, I want to see this kid slide on a penguin."
"FIRE NATION INVASION!"
"Or stop your brother from looking like an idiot," Korra corrected, both of them rushing through the halls to get back outside, just in time to see the confrontation.
Sokka was swinging wildly with his boomerang, trying to hit Aang. Said child of the Fire Nation was doing the absolute minimum to dodge, leaning away from the attacks and stepping away only when he had to.
Aang, looking more confused than anything, eventually decided to counter. He deflected a swing, hitting Sokka's arm to the side with his hand, while using a foot to trip Sokka into the snow.
Sokka growled as he turned around, throwing the boomerang at his opponent. Aang naturally dodged it.
"You should probably have another weapon for when you throw that," Aang suggested helpfully.
Sokka only smirked as he waited for his weapon to return.
Aang tilted his head at the sound. "Wait, that actually works?" Aang asked in surprise.
Sokka was just as surprised when Aang managed to duck out of the way of the strike to the head. Sokka caught the boomerang, but Aang swiftly kicked it out of his hand at the same instance.
"Still, very cool! How long did it take you to learn to use that?" Aang asked enthusiastically.
"Umm, a few years?" Sokka answered uncertainly, looking back towards the two females of the Water Tribe. "Katara, Korra, a little help here? Currently being invaded by some Fire Nation freak!"
The scene was almost too funny to ignore, Katara snorting to repress a laugh while Korra made no efforts to hide her laughs. "I don't know, Sokka. Shouldn't a big strong man like you not need help from little women like us?" Korra taunted.
"Oh, hardy, hardy! I said I was sorry about that already! After you kicked my ass!" Sokka complained before pointing at Aang. "Seriously, is no one going to explain the random Fire Nation kid that just kicked my boomerang?"
"Yes, your precious, important, boomerang," Katara said playfully as she approached the pair. "Aang, this is my brother. He's a bit of an idiot."
"Hey!" Sokka complained with a glare, coming off more of a whine.
"Sokka, this is Aang," Korra introduced. "He's here for penguin sledding."
"I...That isn't a thing," Sokka said in confusion.
"Yes it is," Korra assured with a grin. "I used to do it when I was little."
"Really!?" Aang asked in excitement.
"I might be a bit too heavy now though," Korra mused.
"Enough about the penguins!" Sokka cried up, jumping to his feet and launching bits of snow on the trio. "He's obviously a Fire Nation spy! How and why else would he be here?!"
Aang tilted his head. "Why would I be a spy?" he asked, looking down at his clothes while pulling at his shirt. "Aren't spies supposed to blend in?"
"He's got a point there," Katara acknowledged thoughtfully.
"Then he's a scout for an attack!" Sokka changed coursed, still equally as certain and accusatory as the first.
"Sokka, how about you just ask him something," Korra suggested, looking down at Aang. "You said you came here on a boat, right? So, why is the boat all the way down here?"
"I mean, officially, or unofficially?" Aang answered with a head tilt that was far too innocent for Sokka to associate with the Fire Nation. "I mean, honestly, unofficially? We're just here to travel the world, see the sights, maybe get some souvenirs or exotic foods. You know, exploring stuff."
"Oh, I get it. You guys have a do-nothing job," Korra said in understanding.
"Yeah. I mean, we're suppose to be looking for the Avatar, but it's not like we expect to find anything," Aang answered with a shrug.
"The Avatar? Really?" Korra asked in surprise, keeping Aang's attention on her so he didn't notice Katara and Sokka stiffening. "Hasn't she been missing for like, what? Eighty years?"
"Something like that, yeah," Aang answered. "But yeah, no one expects us to find anything. So we're just traveling the world. Kind of wish we did find the Avatar though."
"Why's that?" Katara asked, trying to keep the edge from her voice.
Aang turned to her with a grin. "Why else? I want to fight her."
Korra just smiled.
End of Chapter
So, yeah. Fire Nation Aang. He's still a good kid, strangely wise in some ways, and has many of his canon qualities. But he is also a bit of a Battle-junkie. He's like Goku, he loves a good fight. And yeah, Korra is here. Yes, she's the Avatar.
Will probably make this into a full story one day. Seriously, we have fics with Zuko as the Avatar, or being from the Water Tribe. Not a lot of fic with Aang existing but not being the Avatar, let alone him not being an Airbender.
Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this oneshot.