Greetings, avid readers!

Now, for those who follow me as an author, I have been made aware that I have not been uploading any new content. "Despite that new content sitting on your doc file for the past year, huh" - Dommie. Well... blep.

I've started to watch Avatar a while ago. (And when I say Avatar, I mean Avatar, not the movies with the blue people. It astounishes me that I even need to distinguish the two.) And so I decided to come up with this little... concept that became a full-bodied story. Don't ask how that happens; I honestly have dificulty in creating one-shots. They always somehow becom multi-chapters.

Regardless, this is my first try at a Avatar fanfiction. Go easy on me. Reviews and flames are always welcomed, for they keep my cat and I warm at night.

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar nor any of the characters. Such credit should go to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. I do own a... certain amount of characters that will be recognized further into the story.

Thank you, and enjoy the chapter!

Chapter I: The Strange Occurence

X—X

It was a beautiful day to fly across the skies. The sun was bright above them, a gentle breeze ran past them, the weather was rather warm, and the gaang was once again on a humanitarian mission to rid the world of the remaining Ozai's supporters. It had been a long journey, to convince everyone to lay arms and be at peace, but it was rewarding.

It had been five years since the defeat of the Fire Lord, and they had all grown older. Aang himself had turned 18 just a few months prior. And at the moment, they were traveling to a small village in the Earth Kingdom, where Suki had led them under almost no explanation. Although Zuko had been worried, Toph had insisted on going.

Aang looked back and smiled. Katara was sitting next to Zuko, the two bending water and fire at the same time, trying to form animal shapes with the two elements. The waterbender giggled when Zuko's flame flickered upwards and hit her water, creating steam. The firebender, currently undergoing the final stages to become Fire Lord himself, smiled softly and pulled his flame back.

"You okay there?"

The airbender looked away to see Toph crawling towards him. She grabbed his orange cloak and sat beside him. "Ah, yeah, I am. You?"

"Wondering why the hell we still haven't touched the ground yet," she grumbled, and Aang smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, Toph. We're almost there, okay?"

"Fine..." she rolled her eyes. "How are you and Katara?"

"We're okay. Steady," he replied.

"Boring. Any babies popping out yet?"

"No, Toph!" the monk turned red. "You know I have my mission, and Katara is busy with her ambassador work."

"Right, right." she nodded. "I'm glad Sokka and Suki finally got together. I don't know what she sees in him, but must be something."

"Sokka is a good person. A good leader. He's taking over his father, and he's making amends with the Northern Water Tribe." Aang explained. "He believes he can join the Tribes again."

"Look at you, always the pacifist." Toph punched his arm. "Just hurry up and put us down."

"Aang, I see something." Zuko pointed down, and the airbender nodded.

"Let's go."

Aang got Appa to start descending, and it wasn't long before they were touching the ground. Zuko jumped down and helped Toph, who thanked him and punched his arm. Katara looked around. The small village they landed in was small and cozy, with the upturned wooden rooftops that the Earth Kingdom was known for. They started walking around, watching as people ran to the center of the village with hopeful smiles.

"Hey," Zuko grabbed one young man. "what's going on?"

"It's the Avatar!" he exclaimed. "We're heading to see them."

"Where is the Avatar?" Katara frowned.

"In the square! Come on!"

He ran off, and the gaang exchanged looks before following him. The Avatar in the village square, when Aang was right next to them? The whole situation was nothing if not strange. Perhaps that was why Suki sent them there with no explanation: there was none. It wasn't long before they got to the square, and Zuko, being the tallest, looked around and frowned.

"How the hell-?" he let out.

They pushed through the crowd, and Katara gasped at what she saw. A young woman, no taller than herself, with a head of wild syrup brown curls, dressed in all the colors of the nations. She watched as the stranger raised her arms, bringing up a water whip with one hand and the other holding a flame. The young woman folded one leg and an air scooter, much similar to Aang's appeared beneath her.

"Aang...?" Katara whispered. "How is that possible?"

"It shouldn't be." he frowned.

One of the villagers threw some coins at the opened satchel the young woman had on the ground, and she nodded. Zuko frowned, unless something supernatural had happened, there was no way someone other than the Aang could bend all elements. The young woman in front of them was either playing the biggest con in all of history, or something had happened.

She moved her hands in front of her and Aang gasped as she gathered all elements in one ball of air and took a deep breath, before dispersing the elements. The crowd started cheering, some even approached the so-called 'Avatar' to ask for blessings. The young woman gathered the satchel and tied it across her chest, twirling a long wooden staff and strapping it to her back. A woman carrying a baby came to her, offering the child to her.

"Please, mighty Avatar, bless my baby. She was born with troubles, please help her."

She nodded and placed two fingers on the child's forehead, before lowering them to her small chest and breathing out. The baby took a deep breath and started crying. The mother gasped and started weeping, a huge smile breaking out on her face. She began coddling her child, bowing her head to the 'Avatar' and thanking her profusely.

"Can someone explain to me what is going on?" Toph asked.

"She just healed a baby." Katara frowned. "That's..."

"Toph, what can you sense?"

"It's weird," she explained. "Because I can feel her waterbending, earthbending, firebending, airbending. But... it doesn't feel the same way as Aang's."

"How can she fake it, though?" Aang frowned.

"I have an idea. Let's follow her and ask her ourselves." Zuko smirked.

–X–

It was mid-afternoon when the four of them finally found the fake Avatar leaving the village. They followed her quietly, watching her from the shadows. Zuko frowned. He knew both Katara and Aang had doubts over what was happening, Toph was unsure of what she had felt, but the soon-to-be Fire Lord didn't believe the woman one bit.

There was a plan at work, maybe she had friends who bended the elements for her, all in a well-rehearsed play. Or maybe she knew of a bending type that could fool anyone into thinking she was bending elements. Using this masquerade to steal money from unsuspecting villagers was wrong. Anyhow, Zuko had to admit that whatever it was, she was dedicated to her role.

The young woman was pale, she was slender and petite, but rather beautiful. The brown hair was a shade lighter than what was normally seen, and her mannerisms were characteristic of someone that had grown up around air nomads, much like Aang's. But unlike the airbender, she wore clothes of all nations: a dark blue and purple strapless corset, a one-sleeve green kimono with an orange tie around the waist, and yellow pants tucked inside the knee-high dark red boots.

"You can show yourselves, you know." a crystalline voice was carried by the breeze.

Zuko cursed but exited from behind the bush he was hiding behind. He saw Katara, Aang and Toph do the same. They formed a line between the village and her, ready for anything. Toph moved her feet, Katara popped the cork of her water skin and Aang pulled out his staff. Zuko raised an eyebrow when the young woman didn't turn.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Who's asking?"

"Turn around."

She slowly did and smiled. Aang immediately noticed her eyes, big orbs of pewter gray, a shade lighter than his own, looking at all of them. She rolled one shoulder back and raised her hands. "I don't want trouble."

"Who are you?" Katara asked again.

"According to them, I'm the Avatar."

"No, you're not," Toph argued.

"How would you know?"

"Because the Avatar is right there." The earthbender pointed at Aang, and she finally turned to look at Aang.

"Oh." her full lips formed a pretty 'o' shape. "You're the Avatar?"

"Yes, I am. Who are you, and how did you do that thing back at the square? How did you manipulate the elements?"

"Sorry, Mr. Avatar... but a magician never reveals their secrets," she smirked. "If you want, I could demonstrate. For a fee, of course. Surely a man that walks with the soon-to-be Fire Lord finds no problem there."

"You're going to stop this nonsense at once." Katara stepped forward. "And you're going to give back all the money you took."

"Woah, easy there." she kept two fingers up in each hand. "Now, I can be convinced to stop this... Avatar thing. But give everything back? No. Sorry, Droplet."

"You're going to-!" Katara threw a water whip at her. The young woman flickered her hand and the whip fell apart.

"That's not the way you talk people into doing what you want, Droplet." she frowned. "As I was saying... I can be talked into dropping the act... but I won't give stuff back."

"How did you do that?" Katara gasped.

"Again? Damn, you people are slow." she sighed. "Look, I'm rather busy right now, I need to get to the next town before nightfall. Have a good day."

She bowed and turned around, but Zuko shot a fireball at her head, which she dodged. "You're not going anywhere."

"As it turns out, neither are you." she turned her head to look at them.

"What are you...?" Aang asked, but he stumbled as he stepped forward.

"Aang...!" Katara let out, but she stumbled as well.

Toph fell to her knees, eyes drooping, Zuko collapsed to the ground and Katara soon followed. Aang looked up from the lying position he had fallen to see the young woman taking a knee next to him, and felt her cup his face. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was her smile, tiny but sad.

–X–

It was nightfall when Toph finally woke up. She could feel the bruises forming on her side. She touched the ground and felt three more bodies, two of them already waking up. From what she could sense, it was Katara and Zuko. She stretched one leg and kicked the third body.

"Ugh..." Aang rubbed his head and sat up. "Damn, Toph, be a bit gentler next time."

"No can do, Twinkle Toes. Sun is almost set." she rolled her eyes.

"What happened?" Zuko let out. "Toph?"

"I'm starting to really hate this fake-avatar," she grumbled. "How did I not feel her do this?!"

"Easy, Toph... it's fine." Katara frowned. "Something tells me this isn't the last time we'll hear about this girl."

A/N: Okay, that was fun. I'll be rather honest with you, I wasn't sure I was ever going to post this story. But I'll keep it going or drop it depending on your feedback.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to review if you want, or if you don't, I hope you liked it!

First to review gets a cookie!

Lots of love from this weirdo,

LoneeWolf :)