Heartless

My name is Toph Bei Fong. I am a blind, thirteen year old earth bender. The greatest in the world.

My name means supported lotus. I have my parents to thank for that. They think I'm a scared, helpless little girl. My own parents… they don't know me. They never will. Because they have their mind sets, and I know those aren't going to change anytime soon. They won't alter their ways.

And then there are the people who try to know me. But they give up before they make any progress. Those people tell me I'm cold hearted. They say that I'm incapable of feeling.

That I'm heartless.

And maybe I am. Maybe because I've been denied friendship and relationships my entire life, I don't know how to act. I'm sorry I can't find it in myself to pour my eyes out over everything. So, they can go on thinking that I live in a shell. They can think that I'm unbreakable.

Because it's better than them thinking I'm a fragile porcelain doll. I don't need protection. I don't need guidance. I don't need love. Or at least, that is what I tell myself.

All I need- all I want- is freedom.

Freedom.

Of course, I've tried to run away. But the security guards that they have set up around the perimeter of my house make that almost impossible. But I'll escape. Someday, I know I'll be free from this prison my mother and father have encased me in. No walls will be able to hold me. No guards will be able to break my stance. Nothing can break my heart. I know that. And they know that too.

Because you can't break something that's not there.

0.o

My name is Zuko Agni. I am a sixteen year old fire bender. The disgrace of my nation.

I don't actually know what my name means. But considering that it was my father who named me, I wouldn't be surprised if it means failure. My father, who challenged me to an Agni Kai. I was thirteen years old. The scar that adorns my left eye is a permanent reminder of my goal. My drive, my motivation. I need to capture the Avatar. I can't look into the mirror without staring at it. Sometimes I think I'm blinded.

Maybe when I could see clearly out of both of my eyes, I could understand two separate points of view. Maybe I wouldn't do the things I do. I've destroyed towns. I've destroyed families and lives. But I don't care. I'm just hunting for the Avatar. And I will do whatever it takes to find him. Sometimes I ride my motorcycle through towns people yell and tell me I'm evil. They tell me I'm brutal.

That I'm heartless.

But honestly, I'm not sure anymore. I used to know exactly who I was. But now, I'm not so sure. I'm so confused. But I won't ever admit that. No one knows who I really am. No one knows what I've been through. They never think that maybe I'm just a kid. Because that's all I am- just a kid with a bad past. But they don't know that. They won't even consider it.

But I don't care. Just because I'm called a failure, doesn't mean I am one. I'll prove them all wrong.

Because that's what I do: I defy.

0.o

My name is Katara Jala. I am a fourteen year old water bender. The first in ten years.

My name means waterfall. I've always liked my name. Waterfalls are beautiful, serene, calming, peaceful. But they are also strong, powerful… and deadly. My mother died six years ago. She was killed, actually. I was broken.

But I had to put the pieces back together. I have to be strong. For my father. For my brother. And for myself. So I don't cry about anything. Because I'm afraid that if one tear falls, they all will.

So when I have to will myself to not cry when dogs get run over, when people die in front of me, they tell me I'm a horrible person. They tell me that I'm not being strong; they tell me that I'm to weak to feel anything.

That I'm heartless.

I know I have a heart. I wear it on my sleeve. But I think the heart that I use might be a fake one. It's sometimes hard for me to decipher my true feelings and my imaginary ones. But I don't care right now. Maybe someday I'll try to understand myself. Right now I won't though; because there are other things I need to do.

My family has always been there for me. But I want to make a difference. I need to leave and create my own destiny. So I won't be fleeing from anything. I have a direction and a dream. I just don't know what it is. I need to stop the Fire Nation. But I'm just one person, and I don't know what to do.

And until this battle is won, until the world is free, I'll just go on pretending not to feel.

Because sometime not feeling is the only way to survive.

0.o

My name is Sokka Jala. I am a fifteen year old boy… excuse me, man. I have a boomerang.

My name means one who understands. But when I used to go to school, the other kids would make fun of me and call "Sokka sucks!" They thought it was the funniest thing since our teacher fell into a cream pie. Please, my jokes are way funnier. But they didn't laugh at those.

I am incredibly sarcastic. Unfortunately, some people don't understand sarcasm or witty remarks. Especially girls. So sometimes, when I use sarcasm, I get slapped.

Well, that only happened once.

But people who don't think it's funny, or just plain don't get it, think I'm mean. I attribute that to my problem with girls. Not that there's that many girls in my town, but still. So, people don't think call me funny or sardonic. They think that I'm cruel and insensitive.

That I'm heartless.

I have a heart, honest! I just need sarcasm though.

Because humor isn't just my form of speaking. I rely on it. It's my savior. Humor- sarcasm, specifically- is the only possible way I can open my mouth without screaming.

It's hard. My life is hard. I won't even admit that out loud, but my life is no bed of panda lilies.

My mother died when I was nine. It was the most difficult time in my life. I had my sister and my father and my grandma. But it was impossible to replace my mom. No one could be a filler for one of the most important people in my life.

So, I suppose now I want to make a difference. I don't want others to go through the same thing I have. All I know is that I need to do something. I want others to be able to open their mouths without shouting. Maybe I really just want revenge. I hope not. But even if I do, I have good reason.

Because all men kill the thing they hate, unless, of course, it kills them first.

0.o

My name is Aang. I am the last air bender in the world. And the Avatar. The one and only.

My name means coercer of wind. Not very original. I don't have a last name. Or, at least, I don't know it. I've never had parents. And my guardian Gystso was killed along with everyone else. That was last year.

The only thing I can do is run. I've been in the Earth Kingdom for about a year now. Surprisingly, most people are nice to me. To them, I'm just a thirteen year old boy looking for food or a place to stay. They don't know my destiny.

I'm supposed to save the world. I'm supposed to be the Avatar. I'm supposed to be the most powerful being in the universe.

The "scuffle" as the government calls it, has been going on for thirty years. Millions of people have died. The kind families that give me a place to stay for a few nights at a time tell me stories of the brave young men who go to war, but come back in a wooden coffin. They tell me how the Avatar is a coward and how he should come out from hiding to save us. It's makes me fell sick to know that they're talking about me. I know that all of the innocent blood is on my hands.

If they knew who I was though, they'd be furious. They'd taunt me. I don't want to think of what they would call me. They would be blinded with rage, I'm sure. They would think that I'm a coward. That I don't care about the lives of others.

That I'm heartless.

Here's my heart. Right there in the center of my chest beating on rhythm. I'll serve you my heart on a silver platter. You can look at it, examine in. Read me.

I'm just a kid. What am I supposed to do? I don't stay in one place long enough to make any really friends. And I have so many secrets that I'm sure no one would ever trust.

But in my heart, you'll find that I'm scared. I'm horrified. I have to save the world. I'm the last air bender. And I have to carry all that guilt with me. I wasn't there when my nation- my entire culture and history- was destroyed. When my friends and family were annihilated.

So for now I wait in hiding. I wait for the right chance to take the world back. To create peace for a new generation.

My heart is right there under my skin. But it hurts to know that I would be thought of like that. And those people wouldn't even know what they were talking about either. They don't know that a thirteen year old is supposed master all four elements and save them all.

They say that it's the Avatar- that it's my- destiny to stop the Fire Nation. They think that it's in my destiny. They think that it should be easy. But I know for a fact that it won't be.

Because destiny isn't carved in stone; it's written in sand.

0.o

Oh. My. Gosh. That took me forever! I really hope you guys liked it. So, that was the prologue. The characters will meet each other later. And this is adventure and romance. You guys know what I ship! Please please drop me a line. Thanks! And happy summer! Over and out.