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♯ ❝ YOU SHOW OFF. ❞
CHAPTER ONE ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ACT ONE ── water 🌊 ⁺⑅

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            FREEDOM. THE WAS ONE OF HER FAVOURITE THINGS ABOUT BEING AN AIRBENDER IN THE SOUTHERN AIR TEMPLE, NOTHING COULD TAKE THAT AWAY FROM HER.

Her (H/C) hair blows in the wind, eyes closed with a content smile over her face despite how high she currently was. Her hand held onto the metal pole she was stood on up above, it being one of the highest places in the air temple where she would go a lot to escape her training.

            The shoulder flaps of her airbender wingsuit also blows in the cool breeze, and she open eyes her eyes up when she sensed some familiar presences' walking up to where she was up in the skies above. She tightened her hold on the pole, the tattoos on her skin wrinkling up in effect and beams a grin at the view of her beautiful home.

          "(Y/N)!" A familiar voice of her mentor calls out from below, causing her head to snap down to where he was, and spotted Gyasto, and a waving Aang standing next to him, "(Y/N)!"

              She beams brightly down at the two closest to the family she's ever had, her side piggy tail bouncing as she leaps off the high ledge with a grunt, and spins through the air still she brings her arms out to glide through the air.

This caught the attention of some other Air Nomads who all looked up, and pointed at the talented girl jumping from each golden statue beam through the air.

           She twisted her wrists over each other to create a gust of air, and yelped as she was propelled forward off the ledge she was on, into the air once more.

A chuckle escaped her stretching her fingers out, and ran them across another pole as she circled it skilfully, without breaking her airbending.

            Kicking off the platform she directed her body towards where the two were waiting for her, and pressed her palms down to shoot out air to slow her fall.

    She lands gracefully onto the solid ground, her boots making the surface first as she flicked back some of her locks, and grinned in greeting at the males.

         "That was amazing, (Y/N)!" Aang cheered excitedly running up to where she was walking towards them, and grabbed onto her arm to wrap it around his, making her chuckle some more fondly, "We gotta race each other down that one day!"

          She flashed him a smile in agreement, and wrapped her yellow sleeved covered arm around his shoulders, the both of them wearing the same outfit, "Of course." She drawled out in her laid back tone, "I'm always down for a race, you know that."

        "Show-off." Gyasto commented trying to hide his amusement, him being the opposite of Aang's reaction to what she did, and he gave her a raised eyebrow look, "Aren't you too old to be doing stuff like that?"

     She made a scoffing noise coming to stand in front of him, letting Aang go who still stayed beside her, "I'm only fifteen, Master. Turning sixteen soon." She remined tapping the side of her head, and grinned mischievously, "And I was just enjoying the view we have here."

          "Ha." He sarcastically laughed smiling back down at her, and nodded his head for the two to follow him along the pathway back into the temples, "Monk Tsutop was looking for you. You skipped training again! Aang did too because you weren't there, (Y/N)."

         She shot her younger brother a scolding look, who looked the other way like nothing happened trying to look innocent, and she sighed heavily, "I know I missed the training, like I normally do. But I never planned for Aang to miss it, even if it's the same drills over and over again."

         "(Y/N). Aang." Gyasto called out their names in a strict tone when they started walking ahead, causing the duo to turn back around to him, "You two may be more advanced than the others, but there's much you have to learn." He states smiling a little in between them, "And believe it or not,"

    He placed his hands on their shoulders softly, giving the girls one a short squeeze of comfort, "there may come a day when you wish you'd spent more time with your teachers." He adds on looking at (Y/N) only now, which made her face shift into a frown wondering what he actually meant.

          Aang reached for her hand seeing the change of emotion on her face, and grasped it tightly in his smaller one. Gyasto also sensed the tense atmosphere around them, and brightened back up, "Now, you two and the other students better go help set up for the Great Comet Festival."

         He motioned to all the busy Air Nomads around them, and how most of the yard was filled up with festival deractions, making the two grin widely.

Gyasto nodded at the temple behind them clasping his hands together, "There's still a lot of work to be done before the Air Nomads from the other temples arrive."

        "How many are coming?" Aang beamed his question to their master, jumping a bit in his spot which has (Y/N) smiling watching him get excited over something so little. It warmed her heart to see him happy, and she would do anything to keep him like that.

         Before Gyasto could answer, the sound of animal bellowing from up above beats him to it, and the trio along with everyone else turn to look up into the sky.

They see many, many Sky Bison carrying the Air Nomads from all the different temples, which solved Aang's question without even speaking.

         Gyasto turns back around to the best friends, and had a wide, prideful smile, "All of them." He confirmed gaining two more grins from the pair who watched in awe, remembering their own Bison they had.

         A few of the younger airbenders in training ran up behind the pair, as one of the kids grabbed onto (Y/N)'s arm, "Come on! They're right up there!" The kid exclaimed beaming up at her, and tugged her forward as she yelped almost tripping, and dragged along Aang with her.

          She looked back over her shoulder from being pulled along by the young kids, and smiled nervously at Gyasto in farewell, who was chuckling amused watching her getting dragged away by them all. She was dearly loved by them all, since she was the oldest one out of them all.

        "Did you tell her?" One of the masters spoke from behind him, instantly knocking Gyasto out of his happy mood knowing what the latter was hinting at, and didn't like it one bit.

         He inhaled heavily trying to calm down, and turned around to face the curious male who asked the question, "It wan't the right time." He admitted truthfully, and unfolded his hand to let them lay by his sides.

    "The right time?" The other master repeated incredulously, a glare making its way across his features as he shakes his head annoyed, "We don't have the luxury of waiting for the right time. We need to go talk to the council now."

        After getting his point across he walked away quickly towards where the council was, leaving Gyasto to sigh heavily and frowned as he reluctantly followed behind him.

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           "(Y/N) HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PRODIGY. THE YOUNGEST AIRBENDER IN HISTORY TO RECEIVE THE MARKINGS OF A MASTER. BUT SHE IS ONLY 15." A male voice echoes through the room of the council, those very few being in a private room where air filled the bottom around their chairs where they sat around in a circle of sorts.

        Gyasto was stressing his concern for the girl he practically raised since she was just a little girl, his dark eye flickering over the quiet council, "We can't ask this of her. She might be incredibly talented, but still has much training to do."

        "Fire Lord Sozin is planning to attack the Earth Kingdom." Tahsi interjected in a loud voice, his glare being thrown at the one holding the mission back, "The Water Tribes already sending the warriors to aid the Earthbenders, and we need to help them a well. And we need the Avatar."

          "Yes, (Y/N) is powerful, but there's much she still needs to learn," Gyasto pointed out still trying to protect the girl, and persuade the elders about keeping her out of the war for now, "about responsibility, expectations, sacrifice. If we go through with this, you'd be ripping away the only home she's ever known, the only family she's grown up with. The one that didn't abandoned her."

       He knew his words had reached the council, as most of their harsh expression wavered a bit into a guilty one, realising what he was saying was true, and he continued to talk seeing that, "Most of all, she needs to know who she is. If we send her away before she learns these things, she could fail to be everything we need her to be."

          The council continue to remain quiet to take in his words, as some of them had lowered their heads to think or were staring right at Gyasto, knowing he had the closet bond to the girl then anyone did other then Aang and their Sky Bison.

         "And she and the world might never recover from that." He finished in a firm voice, looking over each of the members around him deep in their thoughts, before landing on Pasang last.

         "The role of the Avatar is a heavy responsibility, not meant for a child." Pasang now speaks up in his smooth voice, which was hardly raised at any occasion, "But it is not our place to choose who bear that burden, and I fear you've grown too close to (Y/N) to see that, Brother Gyasto."

          Gyasto felt his stomach drop hearing the males words, eyes going a bit wide probably knowing he was right, but he couldn't help it. He cared for the girl like she was his own daughter, and he could do anything to take that burden off her shoulders. She still had so much growing up to do, not go off to fight in a war where she wasn't ready for.

           "(Y/N) must leave immediately to begin training in the other bending disciplines, and we can only hope that it is not too late for her to make a difference."

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           THE SUN WAS GOING DOWN PAST THROUGH THE SOUTHERN AIR TEMPLES, BIRDS COOING WHEN THEY FLEW BY AND INDISTINC CHATTER WAS FLOWING THROUGH THE LAND.  A few Air Nomads were walking out from one of the temples that had a shrine inside of it, while (Y/N) and Gyasto were going inside through the doors, passing those who started to leave.

          "Are comet festivals always this much work?" Her sudden question caught Gyasto's attention, as he leads her over to the massive statue stationed in the middle of the temple, both still wearing their orange and yellow robes.

         He hummed a little to himself before turning his head down to her, and answered, "Well, the last one was a hundred years ago," He tells her walking along side the girl who listened curiously, "and believe it or not, I'm actually not old enough to have seen that."

          She scoffs a small snicker into the back of her marked hand, and pulls it down to smirk teasingly at him, "Could have fooled me, old man."

           Gyasto broke into a jolly full laughter hearing her response causing her to join him, his face scrunching up in effect as he turns back around to face her, to two of them stopping at the massive statue of the last Avatar that was born as an airbender.

           Once their laughter died down a bit, he took a large breath in to centre himself, and folded his hands together against his front body, "Remember the last time I brought you and Aang here?"

           She nodded looking up to the statues frozen face, feeling that same pull she always felt in her heart whenever she came into the temple, "Yes, I do. When I got my tattoos at twelve and where Aang got his years after mine."

           "Most receive their markings in the main hall, but I wanted you to receive yours in the presence of Yangchen," He motioned to the statue of the woman, her legs crossed and knuckles touching together in a meditating pose, "the last Air Nomad to be the Avatar. When she died, the next Avatar was born into the following nation in the eternal cycle, so after Yangchen's death came Kururk of the Water Tribes, the Kyoshi of the Earth Kingdom-"

          "And then Roku in the Fire Nation." (Y/N) finished off knowing those names by heart, as she was told about the history of the Avatars everyday by the elders and masters. She fiddled with the threaded bracelet Aaang recently made her out of nerves, wondering where her master was going with his speech.

          "Which mean the next Avatar will once again be an airbender." Gyasto told her once more gesturing with his hand to the statue, "Her spirit echoes in one of us." He turns back to the girl seeing how anxious she was, and smiled warmly, "(Y/N), you have always been special. The most talented and kindest airbender I have ever known."

           She pulled her lower lip in between her teeth getting more nervous now, and shakes her head, "I'm not special. I'm just someone who got lucky with my training and powers." She denied in a quieter voice, looking down at the bracelet Aang gave her before going to the temple.

        "But you are." Her clouded (E/C) eye glance up a little hearing his voice becoming stern, but also softer as a serious expression takes over his features now, "(Y/N), you are the Avatar."

         All the colour drained from her face at the sudden news, feeling like she was just slapped in the face as she gasped in a strangled way. Her eyes go wide in horror, and feels her breathing starting to pick up rapidly the more she thought about what her destiny was now.

           "The Fire Nation has embarked on a dark path. Their actions threaten to throw the world out of balance." Gyasto continued to explain to her, as she barely hears what was being said from her own panic effecting her, "Only the Avatar, the one person who can master all four element, can save the world. The world needs the Avatar. The world needs you, (Y/N). You're to leave right away so you can begin training in the other disciplines."

          Her head snaps up at the last bit not excepting that, all her anxiety washing away for a few seconds to be replaced with furry, "What? Right away?" She repeated incredulously with a frown, "Leave the only home I've ever known, the only one I actually fit into? Leave Aang? Leave you?" Her voice gets choked up a bit, and shakes her head rapidly in denial.

          His face softens into a guilty one realising she was still a child and that this responsibility was far too much for her to bare alone, "Now, this would be a huge burden for anyone," He placed a gentle hand onto her shoulder, and directed her watery gaze to his, "but you're not just anyone, (Y/N). You're strong and kindhearted and selfless. Remember that. Always remember who you are because I can't imaging a better person to have been given this power."

         She shakes his hand off of her, and walk around him staring down at her trembling hand, "I don't want this power..." She claimed in a mutter, blinking back the stingy sensation in her eyes, "But I also don't wish this heavy burden upon anyone else.."

         "Which is why you will make a great Avatar." Gyasto assured firmly with a warm smile across his wrinkly face, lifting up a hand to brush some of her hair out of her face like a fatherly touch, before placing that hand on her shoulder again.

           She clenches her knuckles by her side, trying to calm down from having a freak out as she shakes her head stubbornly once more to him, "Why do I have to be different? I already felt like I was, but now I actually am." She sniffled with a hopeless expression, "Can't I just...stay here with Aang and keep pretending that I'm your friend?"

          Gyasto sighed softly with a sad smile across his face, and takes both her smaller hands in between one of his, "You are my friend." He reassured giving her hands a squeeze, a fond look in his eyes staring at the girl whom he watched grow up, "And you... will always be the daughter that I wish I had."

         The tears she was holding at by finally broke free hearing that last part, and they ran down her face in rapid movements, as she leaps forward into his arms for a fatherly embrace.

She digs her face into his lower shoulder trying to hide her tears, and feels one of his hand behind her head, and the other around her back, hugging her for the very last time.

❪ ✏️ ❫ 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳𝚂 : 3089
─►☆ AUTHOR'S NOTE :

HEY HIII GUYSS welcome to the first chap of this fic and im so excited to actually start full on writing again since i wasn't doing it as much as i hoped i would before this but anywayss.... next update will be a bit longer and hopefully that means sokka might be in it soo tehe 🤭

don't forget to vote and comment if you want to guys, i really don't like silent readers not ghost readers cause i need validation for me and my writing if its good or not lmaooaa <3