A/N: Hello, readers! Happy New Years Eve! I can't believe this is my last post of 2024. Time really does fly :) I want to thank you all for your continued support over these past four months. And although it isn't my best work, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Response from chapter 18:

Vapor23: I'm glad you liked my take on that episode. And I agree, it is heavily underrated in the fandom. What Aang and Akira went through was alot, I agree. I'm happy you think I did well with Teo and The Mechanist. I'm also excited to finish up Book 1! My writing for Book 2 is much better, I can't wait to share it! Thank you for your support, happy reading!


We were flying across the open ocean. My eyelids felt heavy and I felt the urge to yawn every few minutes. We had been flying for two days, not getting much sleep. After we had left the Northern Air Temple, we had realized how close we were to the North Pole and decided to fly all the way there with barely any breaks.

"I'm not one to complain, but can't Appa fly any higher?" Sokka asked.

"I think that was just complaining," I thought, a scowl coming onto my face.

"I have an idea," Aang stated frustratedly, "Why don't we all get on your back, and you can fly us to the North Pole,"

"I'd love to," Sokka replied, "Climb on, everyone, Sokka is ready for takeoff," Momo then hopped onto his back. I sighed before speaking, worried that this little interaction was going to cause another argument between the two.

"Look, we're all just a little tired and cranky because we've been flying for two days straight," I said. Aang still looked annoyed, but his face softened slightly when he tuned to face me.

"And for what?" Sokka asked annoyedly. I internally groaned, realizing there was nothing I could do about Aang and Sokka's irritability.

"We can't even find the Northern Water Tribe, there's nothing up here," Suddenly, ice came up from the water, to which Aang narrowly pulled us away from. We screamed as more and more ice came up from the water, whirling us around. We crashed into the water before more ice surrounded us, and people on weird boats came in.

"They're waterbenders," Katara stated amazedly, "We found the Water Tribe," A smile came to my face as I realized the long, annoying two day journey was over.


"There it is!" Aang called out excitedly, pointing to the beautiful wall of the Northern Water Tribe.

"We're finally here," Katara said. I stared at the wall in awe, wondering how we would get inside since there were no gates. The waterbenders formed a tunnel from the wall, letting us inside. When we got inside the first wall, there were more waterbenders bringing down a secondary wall.

"I can't believe how many waterbenders live up here," Katara stated.

"We'll find a master to teach us no problem," Aang said. We then continued to go through, the beautiful icy scenery making our mouths drop in awe. We waved to passerby's, as if in a parade, smiling as we did. When we crossed paths with a boat, Sokka quickly scrambled off of Appa's saddle to look at something on it. Only when I turned around did I see that he was looking at a beautiful white haired girl, and jealousy gnawed at my insides.

"This place is beautiful," Katara said breathlessly.

"Yeah," Sokka agreed dreamily, "She is," I glared, jealousy still coming up despite my efforts to keep it down.


That night, we attended a special feast in honor of our group arriving at the tribe. There were guys beating drums to create ambiance, and the rushing water in the fountain across from us added to it all. I was sitting in between Aang and Katara. A few people dropped some large thing into the pond in the middle of the dining area, I didn't know what it was. The chief of the tribe, Arnook, then stood.

"Tonight, we celebrate the arrival of our brother and sister from the Southern tribe," He announced, "And they have brought with them some very special people, who many of us believed disappeared and went extinct until now…"

"The avatar and the last airbender," Arnook said, gesturing to Aang and I. Aang waved sheepishly, while I waved with both hands, smiling at everyone. The crowd began to cheer for us, and I felt good being acknowledged.

"We also celebrate my daughter's 16th birthday," Arnook continued. Then, the beautiful white haired girl from earlier appeared, and I barely managed to not gasp.

"Princess Yue is now of marrying age," Arnook said.

"Thank you, Father," Yue said, her voice soft and sweet. I thought of my own voice. It was high pitched, but loud and not soft. I had been told I sounded like a girl version of my brother before, but I never heard it.

"May the great ocean and moon spirits watch over us during these troubled times," Yue continued.

"Now, Master Pakku and his students will perform!" Arnook announced, gesturing to three men. They began to waterbend in unison, making beautiful shapes with their art. The water intertwined and circled in all sorts of ways, and I clapped in glee. Aang and Katara looked at each other, making me feel like a third wheel. As they performed, I noticed Yue walking over and sitting next to Sokka, and my lingering jealousy came in full swing. My eyes narrowed as I watched Sokka attempt so impress her.

"Hi there," He said, a fake coolness in his tone, "Sokka, Southern Water Tribe,"

"Very nice to meet you," Yue said sweetly with a bow. There then was a bit of awkward silence between the two, before Sokka broke it.

"So, uh…" He began, "You're a princess, huh?!" Yue nodded eagerly in response.

"You know, back in my tribe, I'm kind of like a prince myself," Sokka said.

"Ha! The Prince of what!?" Katara asked.

"A lot of things!" Sokka retorted, turning to his sister, "Do you mind? I'm trying to have a conversation here,"

"My apologies, Prince Sokka," Katara said in a fancy voice, bowing as she did. Normally, I would've laughed, but the jealousy inside me didn't want to.

"So, it looks like I'm gonna be in town for a while," Sokka stated, turning back to Yue, "I'm thinking maybe we could…do an activity together?" This was too much for me to handle. Sokka had just met this girl, and he was already asking her out? Tears stung my eyes as I stood and quietly slipped away, hoping nobody would follow me. When I was away from the dining area, I picked up my pace, searching for a good place to sulk in. I found some weird little cave and stepped inside, the cold air blowing on my face. Warm tears rolled down my cheeks as I covered my face with my hands. Suddenly, I felt a shift in the air. Someone was in the cave with me. I looked up to see Aang, a look of concern etched on his features.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked softly, "You left the feast without a word,"

"It's Sokka and that princess girl," I replied bitterly, "They just met, and now they're already planning to go on a date," Tears began to roll down my cheeks again.

"Why does it bother you so much?" Aang asked, cocking his head. Frustration added to my jealousy, and I felt my emotions boiling over.

"Because I like Sokka, Aang!" I said, stomping my foot, air swirling up around me as I did, "I really like Sokka!"

"How would you feel if Katara went out with someone she met, like, ten minutes ago?!" I asked angrily, pointing at my brother.

"I'd feel jealous too," Aang admitted. He then took my hands in his, causing me to look at his face.

"But listen, you need to deal with your jealousy better," He said, "Try taking some deep breaths or counting to five the next time you feel that way," I nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Thanks, Aang," I said, a smile coming to my face.

"Of course," He replied, "Now come on, let's get back to the feast before people start worrying about us," I nodded, wiping the tears from my cheeks. We then slowly walked back to feast so I could collect myself completely. When we got back, Katara was standing at the exit, a worried look on her face. When she saw us, the look faded and she smiled.

"Is she okay?" Katara asked Aang in a hushed tone. Aang nodded.

"Yeah," My brother replied.

"What was going on, Akira?" Katara asked, sincerity in her tone.

"I…uh," I began. In all honesty, I didn't want to explain to Katara my crush problem with her brother, so I figured I had to come up with a quick lie.

"She doesn't wanna talk about it," Aang stated. I internally sighed in relief.

"Oh, okay," Katara said, "Well, if you wanna talk, I'm always here," I nodded and she turned around, going back to the table.

"Thanks," I mouthed to Aang.

"No problem," He mouthed back.


Aang had gone to see Master Pakku after the feast. When he returned, Sokka had already fallen asleep, and I was getting ready to drift off.

"How'd your talk with Master Pakku go?" Katara asked.

"Good, I guess," Aang replied, "He didn't seem too, uh, how do I put this…"

"Oh, I've got it!" He said, "He seemed rude," Katara sighed before speaking.

"He might've just been tired," She stated, "It was a long feast,"

"Yeah," Aang replied, "Well see how he is in the morning," After that, sleep overtook me, and I found myself having a dream about Yue stealing Sokka from me.


The next day, I didn't know exactly what to do. Aang and Katara had gone off to train with Master Pakku, and Sokka was probably somewhere with Yue. I walked around the Northern Water Tribe, taking in the place's beauty. Suddenly, I heard something that made me stop.

"Psst!" Someone called out from an alley, "You, over there!" I turned my head to see a girl who looked maybe a year or two older than me, her blue eyes prominent despite the darkness of the alley.

"Me?" I asked, pointing to myself.

"Yes!" She whisper-shouted, "Come here!" I came closer and she pulled me into the alley. When my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I took the time to really look at her. Her dark brown hair was tied into braided pigtails and her blue parka had a Water Tribe symbol on it. Honestly, she kind of looked like a younger version of Katara.

"Are you the avatar's sister?" She asked quietly. I nodded in response.

"My name is Avonlea," She said, "In our tribe, the women aren't allowed to fight,"

"I'm sorry about that, it seems really unfair," I sighed, "But, how does this apply to me? I'm an airbender, not a waterbender,"

"You're traveling with people from our sister tribe, right?" Avonlea asked. I nodded.

"Well, I was wondering if you had any waterbending scrolls," She continued, "And if you do, if my friend and I could learn from them," I thought for a moment.

"We do have waterbending scrolls," I thought, "But I don't know if Katara would be okay with me taking them,"

"We do, I'll get you them," I responded. Avonlea smiled brightly.

"Thank you!" She exclaimed gratefully, "Uh…"

"Akira," I stated.

"Thank you, Akira," Avonlea said, "Once you have the scrolls, meet me back here,"


When I got back to the hut we were staying in, I looked in the window to make sure nobody was home. Luckily, there was nobody inside, so I could easily slip in and out. I scoured through Katara's bags, smiling when I found the scroll. I knew she would be mad if she found out I had went through her things, so I tried to place them back in the bag as similarly to how they were as possible. I went back out of the house, looking around suspiciously to see if Aang, Sokka, or Katara were coming back. Once I knew none of them were coming, I walked to the alley where Avonlea said to meet.

"You've got the scrolls?" She asked me once I had gotten there.

"Yep," I responded, nodding.

"Great," Avonlea said.

"This is my friend, Nixie," She stated, gesturing to the girl next to her. Nixie was taller than Avonlea, who looked to be about my brother's height. Her brown hair was cut short and she had dangly moon earrings.

"Thank you for your help, Akira," Nixie said. I smiled.

"No problem," I replied.

"Hey, would you like to guide us while we bend?" Avonlea asked, "You obviously know waterbenders, so you could correct us if our stances are wrong,"

"Sure," I said, causing her to smile. After a while of helping Nixie and Avonlea with their waterbending, I noticed it was starting to get dark and bid my new friends farewell.


"How's warrior training going?" Katara asked Sokka. I had gotten back from helping Avonlea and Nixie, and soon after, Sokka had arrived. He groaned and kicked his sleeping bag.

"Woah, what's going on?" I asked.

"Was it that bad?" Aang added.

"No, it's princess Yue," Sokka grumbled. I barely managed to not gasp. Had their date gone bad?

"I don't get it," Sokka said, "One minute, she wants to go out with me, and the next she's telling me to get lost," I struggled to keep down the smile tugging at the corner of my lips, feeling pity for Sokka at the same time as gratitude for the fact he and Yue hadn't gotten together.

"So, how's your waterbending training?" Sokka asked. From meeting Avonlea, I knew that girls weren't allowed to train their waterbending, so I figured Katara had been turned down.

"Master poop-head won't teach her because she's a girl," Aang grumbled.

"Why don't you guys just use the scrolls again?" Sokka asked, "Or, you could teach her, Aang," Sokka talking about the scrolls made me realize that I hadn't picked them up when I left from helping Avonlea and Nixie. Guilt gnawed at my insides as Katara picked her head up excitedly.

"Why didn't I think of that?!" She asked, "The scrolls are in my bag, I'll get them," She then rushed off and rummaged through her stuff. I bit my lip, as I knew she wouldn't find them in there.

"That's weird," Katara stated after going through her bag for a few minutes, "The scrolls aren't in there, I must have misplaced them,"

"Well, for now, I can teach you some of the stuff I've been learning," Aang said. Katara smiled and they both walked out, leaving me with Sokka and my thoughts. Normally, I would be eager to have some time alone with Sokka, but with guilt and anxiety filling my mind, I wasn't really feeling like talking.

"So, what did you do today?" Sokka asked, breaking the awkward silence. I obviously couldn't tell him I stole and lost his sister's waterbending scrolls, so I simplified what I did greatly.

"I just walked around the tribe, not much else," I replied fake-cooly. Sokka nodded and looked at a wall, leaving me alone with my thoughts again. A few minutes later, Aang and Katara arrived again, crestfallen looks on both of their faces.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Master Pakku caught us," Katara explained, "He said that Aang isn't welcome as his student anymore,"

"It's all my fault, I was the one who wanted him to teach me," She sighed.

"No, it's not," Aang protested, "It's not your fault that Master Pakku is a dumb woman hater,"

"We'll go and talk to him tomorrow," Katara stated, "For now, we should all get some sleep," I drifted off into an uneasy sleep, guilty thoughts still running wild in my mind.


"What do you want me to do?" Chief Arnook asked, "Force Master Pakku to take Aang back as his student?"

"Yes, please," Katara replied.

"I suspect he might change his mind if you swallow your pride and apologize to him," Arnook stated. I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering what he meant by telling Katara to "swallow her pride,".

"Fine," Katara grumbled reluctantly.

"I'm waiting, little girl," Pakku said.

"No!" Katara shouted, Pakku's words seemingly putting her over the edge, "Now way am I apologizing to a sour old man like you!" The icy ground began to crack benath her as she stomped, her fury powering her bending.

"Uh, Katara…" Aang mumbled.

"I'll be outside if you're man enough to fight me," Katara stated, stomping away.

"I'm sure she didn't mean that," Aang said.

"Yeah, I think she did," Sokka replied, causing my brother to make an exasperated expression. Remembering the fact that I had lost the scrolls, I made a mental note to get them back when I got the opportunity. We followed her outside, she was walking fast down the icy stairs.

"Are you crazy, Katara?" Sokka asked, "You're not gonna win this fight,"

"I know," Katara replied, taking off her parka and handing it to him, "I don't care,"

"You don't have to do this for me," Aang stated, "I can find another teacher,"

"I'm not doing it for you," Katara said, "Someone needs to slap some sense into that guy," She then turned around, seeing Pakku walking down the stairs behind her.

"So, you decided to show up?" Katara asked, fire in her tone. Pakku ignored her, simply walking past.

"Aren't you gonna fight?" Katara asked.

"Go back to the healing huts with the other women, where you belong," Pakku said. My mouth dropped in shock. Did he seriously say that? Katara gritted her teeth in anger, slapping Pakku with water.

"Fine," He grumbled, "You want to learn to fight so bad, study closely," He bent water from two pools, and Katara began to run at him. Pakku pushed her aside with the water and then surrounded her with it, pulling them closer and closer.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," He said slyly. I saw that there was a crowd forming, and took this as the perfect opportunity to slip away and find the scrolls. I quickly ran over to the pool of water I had been helping Avonlea and Nixie at the day before. Luckily, I saw the scrolls immediately, and ran to go grab them. Suddenly, water wrapped all around me, and I screamed as I was dragged away by a wave, losing consciousness when it came above my face.


When I awoke next, I was chained. Much like how I was when Aang and I had gotten captured by Zhao. I saw that the scrolls were on a table near me, but I couldn't get to them. Then, a man in a black hood walked in, his aura mysterious and haunting.

"Who are you?" I asked, fear evident in my tone.

"The real question is, who are you?" He asked, "Stealing ancient Northern Water Tribe scrolls," My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What does he mean by 'stealing ancient Northern Water Tribe scrolls?'" I thought. Then, I remembered the pirates we had received the scrolls from had stolen them from there, and it all clicked in my head.

"I heard some pirates stole them," He said, "But you don't look like a pirate,"

"It's because I'm not," I told him quickly, "The scrolls are my friend's,"

"Who is your friend?" The man asked coldly. Realizing that if I told him Katara's name, he would probable do something bad to her, I decided to refuse to tell.

"I'm not going to tell you," I stated harshly. The guy smirked slyly and raised some water above his head, turning it into ice. He then threw the ice at me with waterbending, and I narrowly dodged it, leaving me with a bleeding cut on my cheek.

"The next time I come in, you better have an answer," He stated, his voice as sharp as the ice he cut me with, "Or else it'll be worse," I gritted my teeth, biting back tears that were threatening to fall. I had to be strong. I had to be brave.


Many questionings and ice-beatings later, my endurance was beginning to waver. I didn't know how long it had been since I had gotten captured, all I knew was that wanted to leave. I wanted to see Aang, Sokka, and Katara again, I wanted to pet Appa and Momo. I wanted to feel the cool wind on my skin, to breathe in the chilly winter air. I was bleeding in all sorts of places, tears that I tried so hard to hold back dripped down my cheeks, mixing with dried blood. My clothes were torn, everything hurt, and I was still shackled. I began to hear yelling, yelling that sort of sounded like…Aang? I then heard a loud bang, and the yelling was gone. Suddenly, the door opened. Figuring it would be the man again, I gulped and braced for impact. The door opening was a lot louder than normal, and it sounded like it had been opened with so much force that it had fallen off.

"Kiri!" I heard my brother exclaim. I opened my eyes and looked up, seeing Aang, Sokka, and Katara before me.

"Aang," I said gratefully, my voice hoarse and weak.

"Oh, no," My brother gasped, his eyes filling with tears, "What did he do to you?" I realized how badly beaten I had probably looked. Aang cut my chains with ice and picked me up as if I were little again.

"Hey, are those my scrolls?" Katara asked. I looked over to scrolls, which were still in the table.

"Yes, yesterday I used them to help some girls," I replied, "I'm so sorry, Katara, I shouldn't have taken them," A sympathetic look came to Katara's face.

"You're completely okay, Akira," She replied softly. I nodded gratefully, not being able to do much else due to my pain and exhaustion. When we walked out of the room, I noticed that the man who had taken me was on the ground and injured, seemingly unconscious. When we got back to our hut, Aang set me down and I almost immediately fell asleep.


When I woke up, Aang was next to me, tears staining his cheeks. He was holding me tight, and it was slightly hurting due to the soreness of my body. Aang opened his eyes, his breathing irregular. A smile came to his face.

"Good morning," He said weakly.

"Hi," I replied, not knowing what to say.

"Aang, I'm gonna need you to-" Katara started walking into the hut, "She's awake!" I sat up slowly, and Aang did too. Katara smiled brightly, setting down the bowl of water she was holding to kneel down and hug me.

"I'm so glad you're awake, Akira," She said, her voice heavy with emotion, "I'll go get Sokka,"

"So, what happened after I fell asleep?" I asked, turning to Aang.

"You were out for three days," He said, "Since then, Katara's been working on your injuries, and I haven't left your side," A frown came to my face as I realized my brother had been missing out on his waterbending training to stay with me.

"But, what about your training with Master Pakku?" I asked.

"You are way more important," Aang stated, "I love you so much, Kiri, I can't just leave you when you're hurt," Tears began to roll down my cheeks and I pulled Aang into a hug.

"You're the best brother ever," I said, completely meaning it.

"That means more to me than you will ever know," Aang replied. Then, Katara arrived with Sokka.

"Hey, kid," Sokka said, kneeling down to me. I pulled out of Aang and I's hug and looked at him, a fluttery feeling in my chest.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything to you before you passed out," Sokka stated, "I just didn't have the words to,"

"But I do have them now," He continued, "Akira, you are stronger and braver than you will ever know," I smiled gratefully, tears dropping down my cheeks yet again.

"Thank you, Sokka," I said. He then hugged me, causing the fluttery feeling to go wild. Aang and Katara joined the hug, and I got a warm sense of home.


A/N: Only one more chapter to go until Book 1 is done! I'm so excited! Thanks for reading, don't forget to review :)