The Return of the Avatar - Book one: Body

Chapter One - On the way to the Western Air Temple

"Is everything ready, dear?" asked Chou's father. He had a tired demeanor, and a fragile appearance.

"Yes, dad!" replied the girl. Chou brought her last pack from her bedroom to the living room. The Kasai home was a small one, since it was only the two of them, their orange fox cat Daisuke and their slightly larger grayish bear cat Daiki. "And it's not like I'm never going to return."

"You never know. Perhaps you'll get an important job and won't have any more time for your father."

"Don't be silly, dad!" She ran to hug him. "I'll be home for the summer vacations. It's only spring now, the year is barely beginning. And I'll write you every week. Daisuke and I will miss you two."

"Daiki will make me company - and you know how much he enjoys being alone in the apartment," the father answered with a smile on his face. "And don't be late, or you'll miss your first day of school. And don't forget your medication!"

Chou was leaving for the Western Air Temple where she would study to become a diplomat. The Fire Nation was in great need of fine diplomats. For the last thirty years, the Fire Nation has worked hard to maintain good diplomatic relations with all new independent republics being formed from where once stood the mighty Earth Kingdom. And since Chou's nation was the only monarchy of the world, Firelord Rina always tried to build good relationships, especially with their neighbouring nations. And due to this, the Western Air Temple had a diplomatic program to accept students from the Fire Nation. And this is where Chou was heading.

Chou was an average Fire Nation girl, with fair skin and medium sized straight black hair, just like most of the other Fire Nation girls were using. She finished her formal education as an average student, but she always thought she had a calling to go explore the world somehow. Chou's mother died when she was only five, from complications of Fire Madness - the same that afflicted the former Firelord's sister Azula - and she lived with her father in a small apartment in the suburbs of Capital City, a small but thriving village in Capital Island named Iroh Town, where industry - specially the production of equipments derived from the Earthen Fire Refinery - employed most of the inhabitants, including Chou's father. Since Chou's calling was not to work with the industry, her father and she decided that it would be best if she sought education in one of the Air Temples.

He always said that the Kasai family was a traditional one, going back to the first Fire Nation city. But now it was only the two of them, and he was left alone with Daiki, since Daisuke was going with Chou. If their family did indeed go back to the first city, they lost contact with all their other relatives. Especially since her mother died, the two of them started to trust only on themselves. And on their two pets. The acceptance letter told her that she was allowed to take one pet with her, as long as it was small, like Daisuke. He traveled by her side on the airship, secured by a red leash.

"It won't take long, Daisuke," said the girl, as she looked out the window towards the horizon. "And soon we will start our new life at the Temple."

During the flight, Chou decided to study on the Temple's literature, so she'd be prepared once she got there. She took her Portable Pad from her bag and using the move-screen she looked for the texts sent by the Temple to her by VirtualHawk - the common InterWeb messenger program:

The Western Air Temple is an ancient place of learning, once house for female air nomads. It became abandoned after the Air Nomad Genocide, but rather then let this dark part of history be it's mark, the Four Air Siblings - Avatar Aang's grandchildren - decided to rebuild all the Air Temples as open learning centers for all growing adults, making the world's first open Universities for people of all nations, where a variety of subjects and careers are taught. Following Airmaster Jinora's fondness for the spiritual world, the Western Air Temple specializes in a variety of bending disciplines, Spirit World Studies, International Relations and also Non-Bending studies, ranging from Non-bending technologies to non-bending sports. We strongly believe in the Universal People's Rights, giving equal opportunities to benders and nonbenders alike. And we have here an excellent place for you to meet benders and nonbenders from all over the world, living in harmony.