A/N: I do not own Avatar, or any of the characters in the series. I do, however, own Sayuri, biznitches.

So, this one's short, just to get started – the next few chapters won't be coming out for a while - so, do return…just…not for a while.

Chapter 1:

A salty breeze blew across a young girl's face. She hardly noticed as the bitter grains swept through her long brown hair, having become familiar with the sea's companion. Looking out from her post high in the air, the ocean remained undisturbed by any manmade devices – leaving nature to its own course. It would have been peaceful, if not for the uproar of deep voices from the main deck. But the girl didn't wish for peace and serenity – the familiar voices were comforting and reassuring, and she was grateful for that.

"Sayuri!" called one of the voices. The girl looked over the edge of her washtub-like post at an aged man, his eyes squinting from the blazing sun. "Grub's on! Come on down!" Sayuri looked down at the floor of her post to see her shadow was practically nonexistent, but she had no desire to leave quite yet. She didn't want to climb down the mast into a dark, smelly room – she preferred to have a few more moments of fresh sea air before she descended.

"I'll be right down!" She shouted back, holding onto the mast as she sat on the edge of her lookout post.

Sayuri didn't know where she had come from before these pirates had taken her in. For as long as she could remember, she had been an orphan wandering from village to village, surviving on whatever she could get away with stealing…Until one hot summer day…

Sayuri had been gazing out at the sea while reminiscing, but her thoughts were broken by a disturbance in the distance. She squinted…Yes, there was definitely something out there: it was small and black, with large amounts of smoke pouring out – almost impossible to see with the naked eye. She picked up the telescope near her bare foot and looked through the lens – the view became much clearer, and she could easily make out the pointed bow and thick metal plating that decorate the ship. Her pulse quickened slightly as she put the telescope down and leaned over the edge of her post once again and cleared her throat as she felt it tighten. No one was on deck.

They must have all gone in for lunch, she thought. Sayuri quickly maneuvered herself down the rope ladder attached to the mast, pausing as a strong gust disturbed the flimsy rope. Her bare foot barley touched the wooden deck before she started off in a sprint toward the galley. She took one last look off the port side to see that her black dot had grown slightly.

They've seen us.

Sayuri swung the galley's heavy door open – spilling light into a small room, accenting ten familiar faces, leaving the remaining ones in shadow. They looked towards the door almost in sync, eyes squinted and heads cocked awkwardly. Sayuri's eyes had barely adjusted when she heard herself being welcomed.

"Eh, lassie, better sit down – everything'll be gone soo." Sayuri was still out of breath as the middle-aged man addressed her, and as he finished, his eyes narrowed slightly, waiting for a response to come from her troubled expression.

"Captain," she panted, "we've got company."