The paraglider caught the morning thermals perfectly, lifting him higher above the mountain peaks than he'd ever been. Below, the Air Temple grew smaller and smaller until it was just another speck of ancient stone among the endless mountains. For the first time in over a year, he was truly free—no walls, no routine, no crushing solitude. Just him, the wind, and an entire world stretched out below.
"Holy shit, this actually works!" he shouted excitedly into the rushing air, grinning so wide his cheeks hurt. The makeshift paraglider he'd constructed from temple fabrics and salvaged wood was holding together beautifully, responding to his weight shifts and air currents like it had been designed by professionals instead of cobbled together by a lonely teenager with too much time on his hands.
The design had come from one of the Air Nomad texts—detailed diagrams of gliding equipment that he'd spent months trying to decode. Finding that rotted wooden frame outside the temple had been like discovering treasure. It had taken him three months to recreate it properly, testing different materials and configurations until he had something that could actually support his weight.
And now here he was, soaring through the sky like he'd dreamed of since arriving in this world. The wind rushed past his face, carrying scents of pine and snow and freedom. For the first time since his arrival, he felt truly alive.
The first sign of civilization appeared after several hours of flight—smoke rising from what looked like a small settlement nestled in a valley. His heart raced with excitement as he adjusted his course toward it. Real people! Actual human beings he could talk to, laugh with, maybe even make friends with.
But as he glided closer, something felt wrong. The buildings below had a distinctly Fire Nation aesthetic—red roofs, angular architecture, military banners fluttering in the breeze. This wasn't just any settlement. This was a Fire Nation colony.
"Oh crap," he muttered, trying to pull up and change direction. But it was too late. Someone below had spotted him.
The first fireball streaked past his paraglider close enough that he could feel the heat on his face. The second one came even closer, singeing the edge of his makeshift wing.
"Are you kidding me?!" he yelled, desperately moving his body and the wind to gain altitude and distance. "I'm just trying to say hello!"
More fireballs followed as he retreated, the Fire Nation soldiers apparently taking his presence as some kind of threat. Which, to be fair, probably got them going crazy, from their perspective. A lone airbender showing up at a Fire Nation colony would definitely seem suspicious, especially given the whole genocide thing.
He flew hard for the next several hours, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the hostile settlement. The encounter had shaken him more than he wanted to admit. This world wasn't just the fun adventure setting he remembered from the show. It was a place at war, where his very existence marked him as an enemy to an entire nation.
But the exhilaration of flight helped wash away the fear. Up here, riding the wind currents with skill that would have made the ancient Air Nomads proud, he felt invincible. The constant breathing technique kept his energy high, and his year of training had given him the core strength and balance needed for extended gliding.
"Next stop, somewhere that won't try to barbecue me," he said, scanning the horizon for other signs of civilization.
After what seemed of an hour of flying he saw a small dot in the distance.
After getting nearby he could look at it properly—it was a small island, green and peaceful-looking, with no visible Fire Nation banners.
Perfect.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Suki was practicing her morning kata on the beach when she saw something impossible streak across the sky.
At first, she thought it might be a large bird, (then a plane, then supermanauthors joke,) but as it drew closer, the shape resolved into something that made her heart stop. A person. Flying. With what looked like some kind of wing apparatus strapped to their back.
"That's not possible," she whispered, lowering her war fans and shading her eyes against the morning sun.
But as the figure circled lower, preparing what looked like a landing approach, there was no denying what she was seeing. Someone was actually flying toward Kyoshi Island, riding the wind like the legendary airbenders from the old stories.
Her mind raced through the implications. Airbenders had been extinct for a hundred years, wiped out by Fire Lord Sozin's genocidal campaign. Even the avatar was claimed to have been killed by the fire nation, the avatar cycle broken. Although Suki knew better than to believe the fire nation specially on their wild claim of breaking the avatar's cycle.
Could it be...?
The flying figure landed on the beach about fifty yards away, the wing apparatus folding as they touched down with surprising grace. From this distance, Suki could make out more details—definitely not a bird, young-looking, with long black hair and clothes that seemed to be a mix of Air Nomad and makeshift styles with some grass patterns.
[Image]
She crept closer, staying low behind the beach rocks, her training kicking in automatically. If this really was the Avatar, it was the most important thing that had happened in the world for a century. If it wasn't... well, he'd be the last airbender alive.
The stranger was examining their gliding equipment, checking for damage and making small adjustments. They moved with the easy confidence of someone completely comfortable with their abilities, but there was something youthful about their manner—the way they bounced slightly on their toes, the animated gestures they made while apparently talking to themselves.
Then the stranger did something that made Suki's breath catch. With a casual wave of their hand, a small whirlwind formed in the sand at their feet, spinning harmlessly for a few seconds before dispersing. Actual airbending. Right there in front of her.
The Avatar. It had to be.
She was still processing this revelation when the stranger noticed her. Their head snapped up, dark eyes meeting hers across the beach. For a moment, they both froze.
Then the stranger smiled—a bright, genuine expression that transformed their entire face—and waved enthusiastically.
"Hey there!" they called out, their voice carrying clearly across the sand. "Sorry if I startled you. I'm looking for people to talk to. Are you people? You look like people."
Suki blinked in confusion. The words were completely unfamiliar, spoken in a language she'd never heard before. The voice was young, maybe even younger than her own fourteen years, and despite not understanding the meaning, the tone was oddly casual. Almost silly.
She stood up slowly, hands near her weapons but not threatening. "You're... you're an airbender," she said in her native tongue, the words feeling strange in her mouth.
The stranger's expression shifted to confusion, tilting their head like a curious bird. "Uh... what?" They gestured to themselves, then to her, then shrugged with an exaggerated expression of bewilderment. "I have absolutely no idea what you just said, but you sound nice enough."
"But that's impossible," Suki continued, more to herself than to him. "All the airbenders are gone. Except..."
The boy—she was certain it was a boy now—responded with more incomprehensible words, gesturing animatedly. His tone was friendly but clearly frustrated, and he kept pointing between them with questioning expressions.
That's when Suki realized the problem. This person couldn't understand her at all. They were speaking completely different languages, picking up only tone and body language for communication.
"Are you...?" she began in her language, then trailed off, not sure how to ask the question.
The boy seemed to pick up on her uncertainty. He held up his hands in a 'wait' gesture, then pointed to himself and spoke slowly in his strange language, though the words meant nothing to her. When Suki still looked confused, he tried a different approach—pointing to the glider, then making swooping motions with his arms and grinning widely.
The complete language barrier was becoming clear now. They were both trying to communicate but getting nowhere with words. The boy seemed just as frustrated as she was, running his hands through his long black hair before his face brightened with an idea.
Moving to a patch of smooth sand, he began drawing with a stick.
First, he drew a simple picture of a person with a glider. Then he drew the island. Then he drew several stick figures around a fire, with question marks scattered around them.
Suki approached cautiously, studying the crude drawings. The meaning seemed clear enough—he wanted to meet people, talk to them, despite the obvious communication barrier.
He nodded enthusiastically when he saw her understanding, then drew more pictures—himself sitting with the stick figures, wavy lines coming from their mouths. He looked up at her hopefully, then said something in his language that sounded like a question.
The earnest expression on his young face made something twist in Suki's chest. Here was possibly the most important person in the world, and yet he was lonely. He just wanted to talk to people, even if they couldn't understand each other.
But she also had responsibilities to her village, to her people's safety. An unknown airbender, Avatar or not, represented a massive problem. She needed to inform the other warriors, needed to—
The boy had drawn something new in the sand. A simple smiley face, followed by what looked like a peace sign. Then he pointed to himself and nodded vigorously, speaking words she couldn't understand but with a tone that clearly meant 'I'm friendly, I promise.'
Despite herself, despite all her training and caution, Suki felt her guard dropping slightly. He seemed so young, so genuinely hopeful. And the way he moved, the unconscious grace and the constant slight smile—there was something about him that felt more like freedom incarnate than a potential threat.
"I should get the other warriors," she said in her language, more to herself than to him.
He tilted his head, clearly not understanding the words but picking up on her hesitation. In response, he held up both hands in surrender, then sat down cross-legged in the sand, making himself as non-threatening as possible. He said something in his strange language that sounded reassuring, though she couldn't understand it.
The gesture decided her. Threatening people didn't usually volunteer to sit down and make themselves vulnerable. And if this really was the Avatar—if this cheerful, silly, lonely boy was the one prophesied to restore balance to the world—then Kyoshi Island could help out in some way as it was taken care of before by the Avatar.
She pointed to herself, said "Suki" clearly, then pointed toward the village and used gestures to indicate she'd be back.
He gave her a thumbs up that somehow managed to convey both understanding and good-natured patience, then said what sounded like his name, though the pronunciation was unlike anything she'd heard before. As she turned to jog back toward the village, she could hear him humming behind her—a tune she didn't recognize, carried on a breeze that seemed to dance around him like a living thing.
This was either going to be the best day in the island's history, or the most complicated one.
Probably both.
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AN: Heyo! for those wondering, this is not a translation, and this is not a harem, the clear love interest is Toph and any others shall be purged!!! jokes aside, just letting ya'll know Suki isn't considered, she'll just be a big sisterly figure.
Also I wanted to make him extra cheerful since he's finally meeting people, did I go overboard? I do wonder now...