In a well to do area of the Fire Nation was a boy. Takashi Himura was raised with everything and with nothing. His parents provided all he needed except parenting. He either wasn't good enough or not giving enough. His father was a merchant that was able to bend fire, but never joined the military simply because there wasn't a need in his younger years. But recently the Avatar had grown to be the strongest bender in all the elements and began abusing his power and had formed an army of followers that recently had taken over BaSingSe and dethroned the Earth King. He was able to get out but the Avatar had no plans on releasing the city. He sat on the throne, not looking to expand but to just have his own "chosen" nation, in which all had to show substantial bending abilities in order to be a citizen. If your citizenship was denied, you were put to death for having wasted the "Great One"'s time. But our story shifts back to Takashi who has just disappointed his parents again...

I just tried to do it the "right way", Dad!

"But obviously you didn't try hard enough. You know what? You never do anything right. Why don't you go home and see if you can remember how to breathe before you suffocate yourself."

Bye!

I walked away thinking to myself, I really don't care if they approve of me anymore, I've done my best. I don't have any friends because no one can be trusted. Everything I have done was for myself. My being top of my class at school, my small fire-bending abilities I've taught myself since no one wanted me to expand my skills. I don't even care about anything anymore. If I'm just everyone's punching bag, then I'll leave.

I ran home and gathered my things. In my tightly made and straightened room that my mother forced me to be properly on top of at all times. I gathered clothes and put them in a shoulder bag. My mother saw as I walked into the kitchen to grab some food for my trip.

"Where are you going?"
"Away"
"Well I guess I'll see you later" as she chuckled in disbelief. "Why would you do something stupid like that? The world mistreats and under-appreciates people, and you wouldn't be able to handle that. You'll be back."
"It's ok. I'm used to it."

I walked out of the house and walked east until I hit the beach of Ember Island. I over-heard a conversation of a fisherman who was headed to the Western Air Temple to sell his weeks catch. I asked if I could join, and he responded, "Can you sail?"
"No"
"Son you're asking the wrong person then... Ah ha ha ha..."
Fine, I thought to myself. I look around the beach...

"Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love, that holds them together through anything."




"My daughter, you are 16 now, the age when one will be gifted with the Betrothal Necklace by the man who wishes to take your hand in marriage."

I shook my head. "No father. I don't want to get married. I want to learn how to use my waterbending skills to fight."

"My daughter, as your father and the chief of the Northern Water Tribe, you will not use your waterbending for fighting purpose. You will use it for healing just like all the female waterbenders in our tribe. In fact, I believe it is time for you to go to the Healing Huts for your training."

I lower my head. "Yes, father." I turned and made my way towards the healing huts but at the last minute I turn and walk to the stables and hop onto the Buffalo-yak. I petted the creature's muscular neck and I pull on the rein and I lead it towards the shore. I saw boxes of food and supplies being loaded onto the ship. I hop off of the buffalo-yak and I sneak my way onto the ship. I made my way to the lower deck to hide out. If I can't learn to waterbend in my own homeland then I will travel to my sister tribe and learn from them. I look up as the ship departed from my home then I overheard some men talking.

"Well, go to the Western Air Temple and trade our goods and supplies, hopefully they will have something good in return.

The Western Air Temple?! Oh no!

I look around the beach and realize that there is no one looking so I climb into a basket of fish that was on the loading dock for the fisherman. "Boy, you really had a good catch" said one of the workers as they through me and the stinky fish onto the boat. I waited as the man cast out to sea but didn't think that I would make it.

Boy this fish is making me sick. Or am I sea sick? Oh God, I'm gonna throw up.
I climb out of the fish basket and head over to the side of the boat where I hurl everything I had in my stomach into the sea. After the sick feeling had left me, I figured it was the smell of fish that had now soaked my clothes. I hid on the boat and around the boat for the next few hours, watching the fisherman sail.
What an idiot! He keeps yelling all the things that he's doing as if someone is here listening to him. He can't possibly know that I snuck onto his boat. If he did he would have said something. Oh well, I'm learning how to sail so at least maybe I'll have a ride back if choose to go.

When we arrived at the temple base when I waited for the fisherman to deliver his goods before I snuck back off of the boat. He got to the basket of fish that I had been in and suddenly called out. "Okay boy, if I taught you how to sail, you could at least help me with this basket of fish." Embarrassed, I walked over and picked up one side of the basket as he lifted the other. We walked to a cart where junior monks were waiting to deliver the fish up to the temple. I looked at the man and said, Thank you, sir. He nodded and I followed the monks up to the temple gates.

As I approached, I noticed all the grand statues and the ancient carvings around the doors. I tried to walk in when three elder monks denied me entrance. I guess I'll have to sneak into here as well. I began to walk along the wall outside of the temple until I saw a spot with an opened window. I jumped through, well more like fell, but after I got in, the same three monks were waiting and after an enchanting airbending dance, blasted me back through the window and out about 150 feet. I hit a tree, and then the ground, hard.

As the boxes of supplies was being unloaded, I walk off of the ship. The temperature here was warmer than the temperature in my home land. I took off my heavy coat and I carried it with me towards the temple. I stared in awe at the temple then something caught my eye. A young man was flying through the air and then he hit the tree. After listening to the sound of shaking leaves and snapping branches, the young man landed quite hard on the ground a little away from me. My first recation was to laugh at him but I manage to bring my hand up and subdue my laugh into giggles then I ran up to the young man and smile. "Are you alright? That was quite a fall you took there."

OUCH!!! Shit that hurt!

I stood up and brushed myself off then held the back of my head. I looked around for the voice asking if I was ok and noticed that she was holding back her laughter at me. That wasn't funny. It really hurt. I looked around and saw the monks now headed for us. I was too hurt to run and just assumed they were on their way to finish the job.

When they reached us, the head monk, guy that was directly in front of me before they sent me flying, said, "I'm terribly sorry, sir. We assumed you were from the Avatar's armies."
What do you mean? I thought the Avatar keeps the balance and peace?
"He is supposed to. We don't know what caused this change but it is not the natural way of things."

We walk into the temple. I noticed all of the air bending training areas and the worship areas. I can still feel the pounding in the back of my head and begin to rub it. So who are you? I asked to the girl beside me.

I stop giggling and I look at the monk and I bowed to them. I stayed quiet as the monks lead us into the temple. I look around in awe and wonder. Airbenders! It wasn't until I heard the young man's voice did my mind snap back to reality. "Oh, me? My name's Keniko. I'm from the Northern Water Tribe. Who are you?" I asked curiously but I can from his clothes that he was from the Fire Nation.

We enter what we thought was the temple but saw that this was only their practice grounds. "I'm Takashi" I responded to the girl. We get to a staircase and the top goes through the clouds.

"Uh, are we supposed to climb this?"
"Yes" said the monk.
"Um, I'm not sure I can make it. How about we stay here and talk?"
"Nope, you two must see the Council of Elders"
This sounded like trouble, so I quickly responded, "Wait a minute, I don't even know her." I looked around some more and noticed something. "It struck me odd that you guards are, but are all the monks here female?"
"Yes we are. So is the Eastern temple."

We walk, and walk, and climb, and climb, the (seemed to be) never-ending staircase until we broke through the clouds at the top. I looked up and from having my head lean back and my mouth drop open in amazement I almost fell backwards. The temple was built under a cliff. I had heard stories of this and assumed that it was on the ground under a cliff, but this temple was actually built upside-down on the ceiling of the cliffs.



I'm reminded of the reason that we came here, ...Are we in trouble? I wonder.

...Takashi.... I follow Takashi up the stairs. I let Takashi do most of the talking for he was asking all the questions that I had in mind. I was surprise to hear that all the monks in the Eastern Temples were female. I followed Takashi and the monks onward until we all broke through the clouds. I look around and I stood there in total shock and awe. The temples were upside-down and under a cliff. I never saw anything like this in my entire life, yes, I have heard stories but now I saw it....and I believed it. I look back at the monks and I wondered if trouble awaits for us at the Council of Elders.

The council elders gazed sceptically at the young boy and girl being brought forth before them. They were the wisest women in the Eastern Temple but were gentle in their nature. Except for one sour member. But this member had been trialed and tested, pushed and prodded, much like the others around her, and now she was cracking. It wasn't however from the spiritual demands of the life of a monk, or the increased stress of the Avatar's sudden downfall, or even the tough decisions that had to be made as elders of the temples. If was because of one young girl that never gave them, or any of the other inhabitants rest. Yes, they would all agree, Aiko Tokugawa was their biggest pain in the neck.

I was high in the air on my glider, soaring through the clouds. I dipped and swirled in the air, the wind rushing at my face, making my skin tingle with the slight coolness of the air at the high altitude. Today was perfect, the sun was out and shining bright while a soft errant breeze floated around the Temple, the elders were distracted and it was time to strike. Drawing in a deep breath I tipped my glider, sending into a gentle dive as I neared the gathering. Had I managed to notice the guests approaching them I probably would have stopped....maybe. But I had eyes for the elders only. This was going to be one of my best pranks by far.

I turned my glider, aiming for a flock of birds, notorious for their aggression and sailed right into them. As I had hoped they were quick to turn and offer chase. Now it was time. I began my descent again, swooping down lower this time, far lower. I dived down and lifted up, just in time to soar over the heads of the elders, barely missing them. As I did however I outstretched my foot and tipped the bucket on the end of my glider to its side. Red paint spewed out, flowing over the lip of the bucket to splatter over the elders. I laughed out loud at the cries of shock the elders emitted and turned to see the birds in my pursuit. My smile grew broader as I watched the flock bash and collide with the elders, struggling to fly past them. By now I was laughing uncontrollably as I watched the birds finally clear from around the elders to reveal four red soaked, feather covered, very unhappy women.

I heard them shriek my name, making me laugh that much harder. What I didn't expect was what came next. All four of them stood, bowed to their guests and turned to face me. Their elegant movements were flawless and beautiful but the true magic was with what followed. They unleashed a viscous gust of wind that sent my glider spinning and turning, thrashing in the wind until I toppled over the edge of the cliff. I plunged over the edge, falling further and further until I managed to regain control and steady my glider before tipping it up. It wrenched me upwards, sending me flying high till I shot up over the edge of the cliff and past the elders, climbing still before I began my second descent for that day. As I swooped down past the gathering though the ill tempered woman of the elders thrust her hand out and gripped my glider. I was stopped right in my tracks and flung through the air. Had I not had the experience in this situation many times before I would have crashed violently to the ground. Lucky for me, however, this was a regular occurance and I had now learnt to form a puff of swirling air beneath me to cushion the blow.

Laying on the ground I turned to look at the four furious women but I could not stop myself from laughing at the sight of four agressive and oversized chickens. It was only then that I noticed the approaching guests. Guests? Yep, I was definitely dead.