A/N: Hi!! This is my first fic that I'm posting! Hope you enjoy :D

Edit: Hello, everyone! If you're a new reader, then welcome, but if you're an OG, you're probably wondering why this chapter looks so different. I've decided to go back and rewrite some earlier chapters, as my writing wasn't nearly as good as it is now. I believe I originally wrote this chapter on August 17th, 2024, so it's been about 6-7 months. Thanks for reading (or rereading) and enjoy the brand new, much better quality, first chapter!

I sat in a small room with my mentor, Penima, the minutes ticking by like hours. I shifted my gaze outside, watching as my older brother, Aang, demonstrated his new airbending technique to some kids outside. His laughter rang through the autumn air, leaving a sense of longing in my mind. I had been paying no attention to what Penima was talking about, instead using my imagination to send myself anywhere but the homework room.

"Akira," Penima said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I blinked, turning to her with a blush creeping up my cheeks.

"Yes, Penima?" I asked in the sweet voice I always used to sound as unsuspecting as possible.

"What is the answer for number five?"

I looked down at the homework paper on the table below me, my eyes turning to the fifth question.

"What were Guru Taoko's three amendments?"

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I struggled to remember the answer.

"Come on, you should know this from class today," Penima guided, her voice soft but tainted with disappointment.

I recalled history class earlier that day, my mind blanking at Monk Dahoma's words. I had most likely been either daydreaming or doodling during class, not hearing a single thing he said.

"I..." I stuttered, embarrassment in my voice, "I'm not sure,"

"Akira, you need to pay more attention in class," Penima sighed, "They're preparing you for your mid-schooling years,"

I sighed, my head hung low. I had always made good marks in writing and art classes, I was somewhat okay at math, and I was top of the fifth year class in airbending, but I had never been good at history. Hearing someone talk for hours on end about things I didn't particularly care for wasn't my idea of a pleasant afternoon, so I usually found myself dreaming away into other worlds. Aang was in seventh year, meaning he was in mid-schooling. He had told me that things had gotten much harder, and that he was having a hard time keeping up.

"I know," I said, "I'm sorry, I'll try to pay more attention,"

Penima gave me a warm smile. Just as she was about to speak, Monk Tashi stepped in, his gaze permanently hard and bitter.

"Sister Penima, we need to speak with you," He stated.

Penima looked back at him, nodding. She stood before turning to me, her voice stern but warm.

"I'll be right back, stay there and don't get into any trouble,"

I nodded, and she turned back around, walking away with Tashi. I waited until the door had shut completely before moving to hop out of the window. Looking outside, I saw the Head Monks walking away with my brother, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion. After they had walked away, I hopped out, cushioning my fall with airbending. I made my way over to the small group of boys Aang had been playing with, noticing the bewildered looks on their faces. A tall kid with a strange looking head turned to look at me. We had never spoken, but I knew he and Aang knew each other, and with how much my brother tended to talk about me, he probably at least knew my name.

"Hey, Akira," He greeted, as if we had known each other.

"Hi," I said, the image of Aang walking alongside the Head Monks apparent in my mind, "Do you know where the monks just took Aang?"

"We have no idea," A little kid named Hizan stated, "They just told him to come with them, and he left,"

My eyebrows furrowed as I wondered what they could've possibly wanted from my brother. Maybe he was in trouble? No, he would've already told them if he had done something bad out of pure guilt. Maybe something had happened to our sky bison, Appa? I really hoped that wasn't the case.

Then, another idea appeared in my thoughts.

Aang's birthday is on the twenty-first day of the eighth month. We had once went to the Fire Nation to celebrate. Normally, the streets would be filled with dancing and laughter, it's atmosphere as warm as the fire it's citizens bent, but on that day, the streets were dull, a sense of sadness lingering in the air. We saw statues of Avatar Roku all about, and when we asked a local, they explained that the nation was honoring the day that he died.

But, the Avatar was revealed on their sixteenth birthday, and Aang had only turned twelve a few weeks prior. There was no way it could be him.

Right?

I realized I had been spacing out, snapping myself back to reality. Figuring Penima would be back from talking to Monk Tashi soon, I quickly thanked the boys and retreated back to the homework room. I was just getting back in when Penima arrived, two other people behind her. She looked concerned, as if something bad had happened, and I wondered if she knew why the Head Monks had taken Aang.

"Akira, your brother would like to speak with you," She stated, her normally happy and peacful tone tightened with worry.

She sidestepped over, revealing Aang and his mentor, Gyatso. Aang looked as if he had been crying, tears dripping down his cheeks. Gyatso, who usually had a calm and collected demeanor, stood stiffly next to him. Aang walked in, sniffing softly as an attempt to collect himself. He took a seat across from me, wiping his eyes. Concern and empathy filled my features as I looked at him. Penima grabbed the door handle, looking back at us with sympathy.

"I'll give you two some space," She stated, closing the door behind her.

"What's wrong?" I asked Aang, my voice filled with soft concern.

"Well, when I was playing with those kids outside, the Head Monks asked me to come with them," He began, emotion heavy in his tone, "They showed me some toys I used to play with when I was little, and they..."

"They said I was the Avatar,"

My eyes widened, the realization my thoughts had been correct resting heavily on my shoulders.

"There's no way," I said, disbelief in my tone, "This must be a mistake, the Avatar isn't told their identity until their sixteen!"

"That's what I thought," Aang said, "They said I was being told earlier because they think something bad's gonna happen, they didn't tell me what,"

"So, what's gonna happen now?" I asked.

"Apparently, I'm going to start being trained extra hard until they send me to the South Pole to learn waterbending," He explained.

"If you're going to the South Pole, then...can I come with you?" I asked apprehensivley, tears forming in my eyes.

"I actually asked them that," Aang replied, the emotion in his voice becoming thicker, "They said you have to continue your training, so you can't come with me,"

A sharp gasp escaped my lips, tears rolling down my cheeks.

"Does that mean we'll have to be...seperated?" I asked, my voice cracking under the weight of my emotions.

Aang nodded, tears rolling down his cheeks. I quickly grabbed him with such fervency that he gasped, my grip strong and unwavering. He wrapped his arms around me, and I cried into his shoulder, my sobs wracked and heavy.

"They can't take you from me!" I exclaimed, pain evident in my cries, "They can't!"

"Please don't leave, Aang," I sobbed, "I don't want you to,"

"I don't want to, either," He said.

I pulled away from our embrace. Aang smiled at me, putting a hand to my cheek. I looked to him, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips.

"But, you know what?" He asked, his tone bringing me comfort, "I won't take too long,"

"I'll be back before you know it,"

He wiped a tear that was rolling down my cheek. A smile broke onto my face as I sniffed, my sobs subduing.

"Will you visit me?" I asked.

"All the time," My brother responded, "And I'll write to you every day,"

"Will you come back to see me get my master tattoos?" I asked.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Aang stated reassuringly.

I pulled him into a less fervent, calmer hug, affection pouring through my features.

"I love you," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

"I love you, too, Kiri," Aang echoed.

For the next three weeks, Aang trained endlessly. I barely ever saw him, only catching glimpses throughout the day. He looked tired, shadows casting lightly under his eyes. One time, I saw him sitting under the stairs in a corridor. When I approached him, he shushed and waved me away. I figured he was trying to escape training.

I had some free time in between airbending training and a math lesson, so I was sitting on my bed, knitting a sweater for my plush squirrel-rabbit, Bun-Bun. I began to quietly hum a tune I had learned in music class that day, thinking about the events of the past few weeks. Suddenly, there was a knock at my door. I paused my knitting, getting up to answer it. I opened the door to see Aang, an estatic look on his face.

"Hey, Aang," I greeted, a smile coming to my face, "What's up?"

"The monks finally let me have free time!" He exclaimed, the excitement in his voice evident.

"That's great!" I gasped, my eyes widening in surprised excitement, "What are you gonna do?"

"I want to go outside and see how my friends are doing at the air scooter," My brother stated, "I saw them playing a game with it, and it looks like fun,"

"Do you wanna come with me?"

I looked back at my unfinished knitted sweater, its yellows and oranges sparkling in the sunlight. Then, I looked back to Aang, seeing the elated grin on his face.

"Yeah,"

Aang's grin became even wider, joy radiating off of him and onto me. I smiled, excitement surging through my body.

"Come on, let's go!" My brothed shouted, racing down the hallway.

We made our way to the front of the South Wall, watching as the kids zoomed by on their air scooters.

"Hey, guys!" Aang greeted ecstatically, his hand waving high in the air, "You've all gotten really good at the air scooter!"

"Thanks!" Hizan said, "We even made up a game with it!"

"Can we play?" I asked, forming a ball of air around me and quickly hopping on.

Aang did the same, and everyone stopped, their scooters dissipating.

"What's wrong?" My brother asked, confusion in his tone.

"Well, since your the Avatar now, it'd be an unfair advantage for whatever team your on," Weird head kid explained.

"But, I'm still the same," Aang protested, sadness creeping into his voice, "Nothing's changed,"

He looked around, frowning at the kids staring at him.

"So, what?" He began, "I can't play?"

"Sorry, Aang," Weird head kid sighed.

He then turned to me, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"You can play though, Akira,"

"No thanks," I said, "I'm not playing if Aang's not playing,"

I got off of my air scooter, noticing the deflated look on my brother's face.

"Come on," I said, my tone soft and sincere, "We'll go find something else to do,"

Aang nodded, unshed tears glistening in his storm gray eyes.

I sat on a pillow in one of the main towers, watching as Gyatso carefully slid a Pai Sho table into a different position on the board. My gaze shifted to Aang, seeing the bothered expression on his face. He softly sighed, mindlessly sliding a tile.

"Interesting move, young one," Gyatso remarked, a hint of playful wisdom in his tone.

"What do you mean?" Aang asked, looking up from his brooding.

As he looked down, pondering why the move he had made was so special, Gyatso created a sprial of wind around him, pulling his shawl over his eyes. I giggled as I watched him swap the pieces around, winning the game. Aang lifted the shawl from his eyes, poitning to the swapped tiles.

"Hey!" He exclaimed through a laugh.

"That was extremely unfair, Gyatso," I stated, amusement in my voice, "I say you now owe Aang two fruit pies,"

"I guess you're right, Akira," He chuckled, ruffling my hair.

Then, the door opened, revealing Monk Tashi.

"You're playing games with him?" He asked, his voice a mix of disbelief and annoyance, "The Avatar should be training,"

"Training?" I repeated, "But, Aang said he had a break!"

Tashi glared at my brother, who nervously chuckled, his cheeks reddening.

"Aang has already had enough training for today," Gyatso stated sternly.

"Time is short," Tashi retorted, "Come with me, I must test you on some high-level techniques,"

My eyebrows furrowed in frustration. Aang had already recieved his tattoos, becoming the youngest airbending master in history. So what more did they need?

I watched as my brother stood to join Tashi out of the door, but Gyatso stopped him, his voice cutting through the silent air.

"No," He said, "As long as I'm his guardian, I will decide when he trains and when he gets his butt kicked at Pai Sho,"

Tashi huffed, stomping out of the room. Aang turned back to us, a smile forming on his face.

"Thanks, Gyatso," He said, his voice full of gratitude.

"Of course," Gyatso replied, "Now, come on, I believe I owe you two fruit pies for my cheating,"

A few days later, I was sitting in my room, continuing Bun-bun's sweater. I hadn't seen Aang all day. He had been pulled out of school for the day to train, leaving me alone at free time. I had seen Monk Tashi strolling arounf the gardens before I retreated to my room, so it was odd that I still hadn't seen Aang. Just then, I heard a knock at the door. I stood, walking over to open it. I was met with the sight of Aang, tears staining his cheeks. Wordlessly, he stepped inside, a hitched sob escaping his lips.

"What's wrong?" I asked, closing the door.

Aang sat down on my bed, another sob emitting as tears regenerated in his eyes.

"The monks want me seperated from you and Gyatso," My brother stated, emotion heavy in his tone, "They're going to send me away to the Eastern Temple,"

"What?" I gasped, shock and hurt in my tone, "They can't do that!"

Aang's grip on my bedsheets tightened, his teeth gritting with newfound anger.

"How could they do this to me?" He grumbled, "They're taking away everything I know and everyone I love!"

He stomped his foot, a blast of air emitting from it and sending my sprawled homework flying.

"Hey, calm down," I said, my voice gentle but stern.

I sat down on the bed, rubbing slow, soothing circles on my brother's back. He buried his face in his hands, quiet sobs wracking his body.

"We'll get through this," I stated, "We always do,"

Aang sniffed, looking up at me with gratitude in his eyes.

"Yeah, you're right," He said, his words barely above a whisper and filled with emotion, "Thanks, Kiri,"

We sat up against my bed, a worried silence shared between us.

"What are we gonna do?" Aang asked, his voice small with apprehension.

"Well, how much time do we have until you're sent away?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," He admitted, "I only found out because I was eavesdropping on the monks conversation,"

"I ran off after I heard I'd be sent away so they wouldn't hear my crying,"

I sighed, disgruntled by the lack of information.

"Okay, well, let's say you have a week," I began, "What's our plan?"

"I don't know," Aang sighed, putting his hands to his head.

"Come on, Aang, work with me here!" I urged, my frustration rising.

I stood, pacing back and forth as I tried to come up with a plan.

"The monks are trying to send you away, and you obviously don't want that," I said, "Right?"

"Yeah," My brother replied.

"So, stop moping around and start coming up with ideas!" I snapped, my frustration boiling, "Neither of us want you to be sent away, and I couldn't handle it because your my best friend and I can't imagine my life without you!"

I took deep, heavy breaths, noticing the tears dripping down my cheeks. I sniffed, wiping them away.

"So..." I said, "Any ideas?"

Aang shifted uncomfortably, his gaze shifting to the floor.

"Well, I do have one idea..." He began apprehensively, "But, it's a bit crazy,"

"An idea's an idea," I stated.

My brother took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling heavily.

"What if we ran away?"

"Ran away?" I repeated, shock and confusion in my voice, "Aang, that's crazy!"

"You told me to give you ideas!" He retorted.

"I know," I stated, my shock lingering in my words, "But, this isn't just a little trip, we'd be leaving behind everything we've ever known,"

"The monks are already trying to seperate me from everything I've known," Aang said, his tone darkening, "What difference would it make if I just did it for them?"

"But, Gyatso and Penima..."

"They aren't gonna be at the Eastern Air Temple, either!" He snapped, "Nobody we know is!"

"If you don't want to run away with me, that's fine," He stated, harshness bleeding into his words, "You still have a whole life ahead of you here,"

I sighed, guilt crossing my mind.

"No, I want to," I stated, "I'll run away with you,"

I set down the brush I had been using to write my runaway letter, which was adressed to both Gyatso and Penima. I grabbed a small piece of ribbon from my sewing drawer, using it to tie the scroll shut. My brother stood next to the table I was sitting at, clutching his own letter. I took a deep breath, standing up and pushing in the chair. I had collected everything I needed and put it into my bag. This included Bun-bun, my sewing supplies, and some random sticks and flowers I would use to make flower crowns.

"Are you ready, Akira?" Aang asked.

"I think I am," I replied, resolve in my tone.

We stood together at the window, looking out into the night. I deeply inhaled, smelling the familar scent of pinewood and pastries that I associated with the Southern Air Temple. My grip on my glider-staff tightened as I tried to swallow down the guilt I began to feel.

"You know, you don't have to come with me," Aang said, his voice soft and gentle, "You can stay if you want,"

"No, I want to go with you," I stated.

"Okay," He replied, "Ready to head off into the unknown?"

I looked into my brother's eyes. Aang had always been there for me, not only being my older brother, but also my biggest comfort and best friend. I knew he would stick by my side no matter what, and that I'd do the same for him.

"Yeah," I said, "Let's do this,"

We took off from the window, feeling the cool late summer air hitting our faces. We made our way over to the bison stables, where we found Appa. We descended to the ground, snapping our gliders shut. As Aang retrieved the saddle, I began to pet Appa.

"You ready for an adventure, buddy?" I asked, my voice soft and soothing.

Appa grumbled in response. Aang had already airbent himself onto the bison's head, his grip on the reins tight.

"Come on, Kiri!" He whisper-shouted, urgency in his tone.

"Sorry," I replied shespishly, my voice barely above a whisper.

I hopped onto Appa's back, landing in the saddle. The bison took small steps out of the stable, shaking himself slightly to prepare for flight.

"Appa, yip-yip!" Aang commanded.

Appa let out a deep bellow, taking off into the sky.

I positioned myself at the back of his saddle, watching as the Southern Air Temple became increasingly farther. It had been the only home I'd ever known.

"Aang?" I said, my gaze still locked on the shrinking temple.

My brother hummed in response, an indication for me to continue.

"Are we ever coming back?"

I turned around, looking to Aang. He lowered his head, looking to his hands.

"I'm not sure, Kiri," He admitted, a saddened edge to his tone.

I sighed deeply, deciding not pry any further. I lie down, looking at the stars above me. Eventually, I felt my eyes droop, and let the sounds of nighttime lull me into a dreamless slumber.

My eyes snapped open, the sounds of crashing waves and Aang's frantic screams filling my ears. I sat up, feeling a wave crash over Appa's saddle and soak my clothes.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?!" I asked, my words loud and frantic over the roar of thunder.

Before Aang could answer, a large wave loomed ominously above us. I let out a sharp gasp, gripping the side of the saddle with all my might. I shut my eyes, loud, terrified sobs wracking my body.

"I can't die now!" I thought, "I'm only ten, I have so much to live for!"

"This can't be the end!"

I shut my eyes tighter, letting out one last sob as I braced for impact. None came. I opened my eyes, seeing that Aang has steered us out of the way. I sighed deeply in gratitude, putting a hand to my pounding heart. The storm was still raging on, cracks of lightning illuminating the sky. Smaller waves crashed against Appa's legs, pulling him into the water. I watched as Aang desperately pulled the reins, trying as hard as he could to get Appa higher. As we were dragged into the waves, my grip on the side of Appa's saddle intensified, causing my knuckles to turn white. I felt my whole life flash before my eyes, images of my fondest memories filling my mind. I didn't want to become a memory in the minds of those I had loved, remembered only in stories. I sobbed, regret for running away resting heavily on my shoulders.

"I DON'T WANNA DIE, AANG!" I screamed, desperation in my cries, "I DON'T WANNA DIE!"

A crack of lightning filled the sky, it's light illuminating my tears.

"EVERYTHING'S GOING TO BE OKAY, KIRI!" My brother shouted, panic in his voice, "I PROMISE!"

Just then, a wave even larger than the last began crashing toward us. My breath hitched. Before I could react, before I could even scream, the wave crashed into us, and everything went black.

A/N: So, there you have it, the first chapter! I have so many chapters written, so I'm going to post weekly :3

Edit: Hey, thanks for reading! I'll be updating chapter two soon, but the original version is obviously still up. Reviews are appreciated, I love hearing your feedback. Stay tuned for the rewrite of chapter two, and, if you've been following along since the beginning, the release of chapter 28 on Tuesday :)