Dawn of a New Prince (Star Wars/Avatar Crossover)

I don't mind.

(No problem here.)

(Same here, seeing as I suggested it. )

General Narrative

Soon morning came and Aang and his companions got onto Appa and began to travel again. Within a few hours they arrived at their destination, where the Force had been calling Mara and Zareal from.

"We're...heading to the Eastern Air Temple?" Aang asked with some confusion as he guided Appa to land.

((By the way, anyone willing to take the Guru? It's been awhile since I last saw the season 2 finale of Avatar, so I'm not sure how to play him. And, for the moment, we'll take the focus away from Vader and the gang and mainly concentrate on the Avatar Gaang. If just for a litlte while.))

(I'll take him.)

"Well, it's the last place that they'd come looking for you," Sokka commented as he surveyed the ruins of the temple, which was overgrown with plants and the remnants of the old plumbing system.

Out in front of the Temple sat a dark-skinned old man with his eyes closed in deep meditation, countless birds perching on his shoulders and an outstretched hand as he radiated peace and the Light Side of the Force.

"Um... guys?" said Katara. She slid out of the saddle and pointed at the old man. "I don't think we're the only ones here."

Toph sat up a little. "Who is it?"

"Looks like an old man... Or a statue of one," Sokka commented before blushing a little. He had been feeling a little awkward since waking up that morning and being told exactly what he said the night before. He scowled. Of all the times to feel nervous around Toph, it had to be now.

He looked over at the old man again before turning to Aang, "You go talk to him, Aang. He looks to be more of your type."

"We go together," said Katara. "We don't know who this old man is; he could be dangerous."

Toph sighed. "Well, he is outnumbered, at any rate."

"Pfft... He's an old man! How could he possibly be dangerous!" Sokka commented before images of Bumi flashed through his mind. He closed his mouth, "Never mind."

He took a couple steps towards him, unsure on how they should disturb him.

Katara was not far behind Sokka. Toph trailed after them as well. Once they were close enough, they stood in front of the old man, silent and wondering. It was Toph who broke the silence.

"Hey, gramps," she said. "You even awake?"

Katara almost lectured her on her rudeness.

Guru Pathik opened his eyes, exhaling a breath he seemed to be holding. He regarded Toph with a look of mild amusement.

"I was traveling through the Spirit World, if you must know, visiting a couple of old friends. It's a shame that Master Yoda isn't dead yet. I haven't seen him in decades. Still, talking to Gyatso and Qui-Gon Jinn was pleasant," the Guru admitted as he took in the appearances of his visitors. The Force was strong with them, especially the bald one.

"I am Guru Pathik," he stated before raising an eyebrow at Zarael, "Though I was something else. Once."

Zareal

"Ah," Zareal said, once he got near enough. "The Force is strong here, but it's even stronger for having one trained in the Force residing here." He looked the man over and remarked, "I don't recall your face or name, though."

"What..." Toph offered one of her rare blinks. She lifted her brows. "Say what?"

Katara, too, was more than a bit surprised. "You were a Jedi, once?" she asked. "Is that what you mean, Guru?"

Aang

"Um...nice to meet you, Guru Pathik. I'm Aang." the Avatar said, respectfully bowing to the Guru. Mara regarded the former Jedi wearily. As if she didn't have enough problems already...now she had to deal with another Jedi? Things were already complicated enough. Well, hopefully Vader would kill them both before she took him out.

"A Jedi. Just as I thought," Pathik said happily at Zarael's words, "It has been a long time since I've seen one. About, 115 years, this Sun's Day."

"Wait, let me get this straight," Sokka told the old man skeptically who, despite having wrinkled, sun-dried skin, didn't look over 100 years old, "You not only claim to have lived 115 years ago, but you've also seen someone from across the stars then, too."

"Yes," Pathik told him simply before turning to Katara, "Yes, I was a Jedi once. Then I crash-landed here 115 years ago and decided to stay. You don't find banana-onion juice at the Jedi Temple."

Sokka smacked his forehead, "Okay. He's delusional!"

Pathik simply ignored him and inclined his head slightly to Aang. He spoke, "It is nice to meet you, Avatar Aang."

Toph wondered who in their right mind would want onion and banana juice. It sounded disgusting. She could tell the old man was telling the truth, though, and said as much. "Maybe he's crazy, but he's not lying."

"Are you the one who led us here?" asked Katara.

"A crazy man believes he's telling the truth," Sokka pointed out darkly, but again, Pathik had the grace to ignore the paranoid teen. He paused for a moment, "Still... I am intrigued by this onion and banana juice."

"It was not I who led you here. This place has always been a place of cosmic energy, what the Jedi call the Force. It has many wonderful secrets," Pathik told Katara with a smile.

Toph rounded on Sokka. "You're kidding, right?" she said, pulling a face. "It sounds nasty!"

Katara sighed, ignoring the two. They were worse than toddlers sometimes. Well, at least Toph seemed to be returning to being herself, as was Sokka. She supposed she could be grateful for that.

To Pathik, she said, "Secrets? What kind of secrets?" She shook her head. "Oh, I'm sorry. I hope we're not intruding or anything. It's just... We need a place to stay. You wouldn't mind if we rested here, would you?"

"Hey, you know me," Sokka told here with a relaxed smile, seemingly recovered from the tortures of the previous day or two, "I have a curious palette."

Pathik, for his part, laughed at Katara's eagerness. He had known many young people with such curiosity. He replied, "I do not consider this place my own any more than the Air Nomads that preceded me. The temple has no owner. You are welcome to stay."

He turned to Aang and continued, "You have formidable enemies, young Avatar, ones greater than any Avatar has faced in recent history. You must master the Avatar State among other things."

"The Avatar State..." breathed Katara. She glanced sidelong at Aang. So far, the Avatar State was the only effective weapon against the likes of Vader and Zuko. If Aang had control of it, perhaps he could defeat them.

More than that, though, he could defend himself. He could be safer...

"What're you saying, gramps?" Toph again. "Can you teach Twinkle Toes how to master his mojo?"

"To master the Avatar State requires years of focus and hard work, but Avatar Aang needs to learn it soon. I can help him master it by opening his Chakras. Do you know what Chakras are?" Pathik stated, asking the last part to Aang.

Aang

"Uh, I don't entirely remember. Could you refresh my memory?" Aang asked sheepishly.

Pathik sighed. It seemed that he would have a blank slate. He felt like he was training a youngling once again. Slowly, he stood up, gesturing for Aang and the others to follow him as he picked up a walking stick and headed for a different part of the Temple, stopping at a group of pools with a stream of water cascading slowly through one into the next and the next until it formed a creek that entered a cave.

He prodded the first murky pool and began, "The water flows through this creek much like the energy flows through your body. As you see there are several pools where the water swirls around before flowing on. These pools are like our chakras. If nothing else were around, this creek would flow pure and clear. However, life is messy, and things tend to fall in the creek, and then what happens?"

(Love Avatarspirit. Transcripts of the episodes: http://www.avatarspiritmedia.net/transcripts.php?ep=219)

"Things get clogged up," said Toph. She knew the old guru was most likely talking to Aang, but she could not help herself. "And they won't work like they should."

"Yes. But if we open the paths between the pools..." Pathik started, poking at the gunk in the pool and causing to to run into the gunk in the other pools and flow downriver, making the water clean and flowing faster.

"The energy flows," the Guru finished with a satisfied smile. He turned to Aang, "Any bender that opens all Seven Chakras achieves great clarity and powers. When an Avatar does so, however, he or she can completely control the Avatar State as well."