I decided to post in honor of the series finale. It's over! It's all over! At least Asha's journey is only beginning. ^.^ I'm going to go cry in a corner while you read this...

"So, why aren't you training here?" Miki questioned as everyone situated their stuff on Asha's bison, Maitreya.

The Avatar stroked the snout of the beast and looked up at her new Waterbending master. She let out a small sigh, "The Air Masters think it's time I start doing my duty as the Avatar and try to bring peace to the world."

It is time, Asha. You're fifteen years old.

"I know, Raava," she muttered.

"Do you think you can?" Haruto asked as he laid back against Maitreya's saddle.

Kazuki threw something at him, "Get to work, Haruto."

The younger firebender grumbled something under his breath and started strapping things down. Asha sighed and propelled herself onto the saddle. Miki clapped as if it was some big accomplishment. Asha overlooked their progress. She only had a bag of stuff, considering the fact that the Air Masters didn't believe in materialistic possessions. Of course, she had Bansi and Maitreya, but they didn't really count as possessions. "So, we're leaving when exactly?" Daruka asked as he tied the last of his stuff to the bison's saddle.

That's a good question, how long are you going to put this off, Asha?

Asha ignored the spirit and looked up at the sky, "When the sun is directly above us."

"So... Now?" Kazuki confirmed with slight confusion as he stared up at the clouds.

"No, in about five minutes," she told him. She looked to the side and saw Ketu approaching with some of the other Air Masters and one or two apprentices. With a grin, she jumped off Maitreya. "Thank you for everything, everyone," she said as she bowed to them.

They bowed in return and the eldest of the Air Masters stepped forward. "We want to thank you, Asha," he said. "You will make a wonderful Avatar."

So everyone kept telling her. She genuinely hoped she could live up to their expectations. "Thank you," she said instead.

She jumped onto Maitreya's head and waved to everyone. "Maitreya, iku!"

The bison leaped into the air and the four people behind her gasped in surprise. As Maitreya soared higher, Asha looked back at the place she had called home for the past nine years. It eventually disappeared into the background and Asha turned away. Bansi jumped off her shoulder to fly next the bison while Asha climbed onto the saddle. "So," Miki asked as the Avatar took out her map. "Where to first?"

Somewhere not completely ravaged by war, Raava suggested.

"Good idea," Asha agreed as she looked over the map. Ketu had marked it with places to avoid until she mastered the elements and he had also marked places where small scrimmages were. "How about here?" she pointed to a small Water Settlement in the South called Onartok. It wasn't marked, but it was near the villages of Qaniit and Siku, where small conflicts were rising. "If we go to Onartok, we can rest there and Miki can start teaching me Waterbending. And if there are conflicts that need to be dealt with in Qaniit and Siku, we can deal with them."

"Sounds good to me, but isn't Onartok a bit far?" Haruto questioned.

"Yes, but it's the smallest of the conflicts. We need to start off kind of easy."

"But we're masters," Daruka said a bit condescendingly.

"And I'm an Master Airbender, but I don't want to be in the middle of learning an element when we need to fight in an actual war," Asha snapped.

"I agree with the Avatar," Kazuki said as he watched the skies vigilantly.

"Me too," Miki quipped. "Although, I have to ask why you want to learn Waterbending first?"

"I'm going in the order Wan learned, but I'm doing fire last. It was Ketu's idea. He knew Wan."

"Really? That's so cool!" Miki exclaimed as she clapped her hands together.

Daruka rolled his eyes and leaned over Maitreya's saddle. "I hate being in the air," he grumbled. "Why can't we travel by badger mole or something more practical? What about my needs?"

He thinks a badger mole is practical? Raava questioned a bit skeptically.

Bansi fluttered down next to Asha while she giggled slightly. They stayed silent for a few minutes when Daruka abruptly sat up straight. "I hate to break it to you guys, but a huge fireball is flying right at us," he said with a slightly panicked expression.

At an air bison?

"What? Why would they fire at an air bison?!" Asha leaped forward and saw that he was right. She jumped onto Maitreya's head, guiding the bison away from the fireball. The others gripped the saddle as she turned to the side.

Kazuki jumped up and deflected another incoming fireball. "Haruto, help me out here!"

Haruto attempted to balance himself as Asha navigated through the fireballs, but he slipped and nearly fell off. "Slow down!" Daruka shouted at the Avatar.

"I would if I could! Everyone hold on." she responded before she took a nosedive.

The others yelped in surprise and abruptly found themselves next to a Fire Nation ship. They weren't big, constructed on wood and some stone. It was a wonder they didn't burn up and Asha assumed they used some kind of fire resilient covering. Kazuki pushed himself into a standing position as the Fire Nation soldiers stared at Maitreya in surprise. "Stop this!" he yelled, holding his hands up. "We are not warring folk."

A moment of silence passed over the people before a gruff voice shouted out. "How can we believe you?" a large man pushed himself to the front of the crowd. He was obviously the captain on the ship

Asha stood, "The flying bison should be enough to indicate-"

"Indicate what? That you're peaceful? The last time we trusted people riding sky bison, our fleet was almost annihilated."

This must be some kind of mistake, Asha.

The Avatar stared at the ship's captain in disbelief. Air Masters had attacked the Fire Nation ships? She honestly couldn't believe it. "There must be some mis-"

"I know they were Air Masters," the captain interrupted her again, seeming to get more agitated with each passing moment. "They had the tattoos and everything. So I ask again: why should we believe you?"

Confused, Asha looked down at Bansi, who had landed next to her. She then glanced at her new masters and Haruto. How could Air Masters attack anyone? They were supposed to be neutral in all wars unless it directly involved them. They must have had some reason. She turned back to the captain, "Will you give me one minute?"

Without waiting for his permission, she jumped on the saddle and took out her map again. She knew for a fact it wasn't the East Air Temple that attacked them. She would've noticed that many bison taking off. Anyone would've. Her eyes scanned for the nearest Air Temple and she found it easily. The Central Air Temple. She recalled Ketu saying something about them being cut off from the other Temples. It hadn't seemed like anything then, but now... Do you really think they could be attacking people?

"I don't know..."

"What is it, Miss Asha?" Miki asked in a soft voice next to her.

"It looks like we have our first problem to solve," Asha muttered before she turned back to the captain. "I promise you, we will stop these raids. I'm sorry for your losses."

Before he could reply she moved back to Maitreya's head and mumbled "iku". The beast lifted into the air. Bansi settled down on her lap as Asha turned her bison in the direction on the Central Air Master Temple. "Are there actually Air Masters attacking the Fire Nation?" Daruka questioned once the ships had become nothing more than a dot.

"I dearly hope not,"Asha replied. "But the Central Air Masters cut themselves off from the world before the death of Wan. There's no telling what they've been doing. What I don't understand is why I'm only learning about this now. Ketu has companions all over the world. He surely would've known about something like this."

Kazuki sighed and flopped onto his back again, "Aren't Air Masters supposed to be detached from the world though? You know, freedom and all that jazz?"

"In a way, yes," Asha nodded. "However, with the world engulfed in war, it is a bit difficult to avoid becoming attached. The Central Air Temple is the only one that's achieved it so far."

"Is that where we're going?" Miki asked as she stroked Bansi, who had settled down in her lap. "The Central Air Master Temple?"

"Yes, but I'm afraid of what we may find."

It wasn't long until night fell and they were forced to land because Maitreya was exhausted. The boys set up camp while Miki decided it would be a good time to start teaching Asha Waterbending. Asha stood ready next to the river as Miki bended a ball of water out of it. She passed it around her head a few times. "Water is a loose element. The element of change," she explained quietly. "It relies mostly on arm movement. Close your eyes, imagine yourself floating on a still lake."

Asha did as she was told. She could practically feel the water surrounding her as she a deep breath. "Now, relax," Miki's voice was soothing enough that she did relax. It was more than she had relaxed in a long time. "Move your arms towards and away from your body like the tides of the ocean. Now, open your eyes."

The Avatar opened her gray eyes and found the ball of water floating in front of her.

You're waterbending, Asha. Raava said in delight.

When she moved her arms out, it followed the movement. In, towards her. She guided the water back to the river. "That felt..."

"Amazing? Yeah, waterbending is very relaxing."

With a small sigh of contentment, Asha stretched out her arms. "Can we do it again?"

Miki grinned brightly, "I thought you'd never ask!"

Sorry it's a little short. Looks like we've got an issue going on. Yes, I know there is not Central Air Temple, but that's kind of the point. It's located halfway between the other Air Temples, in case you're wondering.