HEY EVERYONE! Ok, this is my very very first Avatar: last airbender fanfic, and I think it's a really … "clean" one. Not "clean" as in no bad words and stuff, but "clean" as in… the whole plot makes sense and it comes together in the end and there aren't any confusing new characters or weird things along the way.

Although… I love to ramble so you'll get to hear plenty of me talking and talking… like I am right now!

Well… I think I'm outta things to say for right now, so let's start with the story!

CHAPTER ONE – A SOMBER BEGINNING (hey, guess what! I'm making titles for all the chapters! Yay!)

The red haired teenager quickly pulled on her armor and stuck a dagger into its sheath. She stepped into her boots and walked out of the room, giving herself a smirk as she passed by the mirror. The guard outside her door bowed and murmured, "Princess" before stepping aside. The girl paid him no attention and quickened her pace, eager to get to her destination. She entered the fire lord's room and bowed.

"Ah, Zula, I see you're all set. Quick to be ready, unlike that brother of yours", the fire lord praised her.

"Thank you, father", she replied.

"Princess, your ship is ready", a guard who'd just entered announced. Zula nodded and followed the guard out to the docks. She boarded the large fire navy ship, ignoring her crew who all bowed respect to her.

"Get ready to leave", she ordered. The captain nodded and hurried away. Zula glanced around to make sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to, then disappeared into the cabins.

She strolled into her private room and sat down on the bed. Her Uncle Iroh had been deemed a traitor and her brother Zuko was a failure. It was up to her to bring honor to the fire kingdom. It was her duty to bring home the Avatar.

Katara looked back at the Northern water city and sniffed softly. She'd barely been there for a week, and now the memories were slowly fading away.

"Katara? You ok?" Aang asked, hading the reins to Sokka. The 12-year-old (or 112) avatar laid a hand on the waterbender's shoulder, trying to comfort her.

"C'mon Katara, we can visit them again", Sokka comforted his sister. Katara smiled sadly and turned to face her two companions.

"Thanks", she murmured.

The three travelers took turns handling the reins while the other two relaxed on Appa's soft fur. Occasionally, Momo the lemur would roll around, then fall asleep again.

"I'm hungry", Sokka said, breaking the silence.

"There's food in the bag over there", Katara replied, pointing to a brown sack. Sokka eagerly untied the strings and picked out an apple. He bit into it, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. Katara laughed and turned towards Aang.

"You want something to eat?" she offered. The avatar shook his head and made no reply. Katara frowned and crawled closer to the little boy (or old guy).

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"It feels like a storm is coming, and I don't see a place we can land on", Aang replied.

"How far away is the Earth kingdom?" Sokka asked.

"Four days form here", Katara replied, checking a scroll.

"It's alright, I'm sure Appa can find a safe place to land", Aang said when he saw the worried looks on his friends' face.

"Sokka, look for an island", Katara ordered, scanning the scrolled map in her hands. The water tribe warrior obeyed and climbed to one side, gripping his boomerang tightly.

The old man tilted back on the wooden barrel and sipped his tea thoughtfully, looking up at the sky. At this time, the sun shone brightest and firebenders on his ship took advantage of this to train. Iroh, once a great war general, now led a somewhat relaxed life. The only fighting he did was verbal, and they were simply arguments between his nephew and himself.

"Your stance is incorrect. You're bending to low", he coached. The teenager in front of him stood a litter taller and continued training. Iroh watched silently as his nephew pushed himself harder, training endlessly until new barriers could be broken. The time flew by and the retired general could see definite improvement.

"I believe that's enough for today. Rest, Zuko, then join me for some tea", he said. Prince Zuko nodded and left the deck, paying no attention to his crew members. Iroh smiled to himself and enjoyed the sunset. Out at sea, the sky and ocean blended together during a sunset. Both the air and water were several shades of pink and purple with just a hint of orange. It was a beautiful sight, just like the beautiful things in life.

Katara looked far ahead and grew extremely worried. Although the sky around them was clear and graced with a gorgeous sunset, dark clouds were gathering in the distance.

"C'mon, fly faster", Sokka urged the flying bison, gripping the reins tightly.

"You can't rush Appa. He's getting tired", Aang explained, stroking Momo who was sitting on his lap.

"Are you sure there's no where to land?" Sokka asked.

"This map shows no islands along the way! Besides, you've checked and haven't found an island", Katara replied. Aang sagged against a sleeping bag and frowned. He had been so excited about going to the Earth Nation! Now, a storm was hindering them. Maybe he could use airbending to move the storm!

"That's too dangerous", Katara said after the avatar had told her of his plan.

"But it means we can cover more distance!" Aang argued.

"I say we let him do it", Sokka agreed. Katara sighed and wished her friend luck as he flew off.

"Princess, we are now out at sea. Is there any specific location you wish to go to?"

"Head for the Earth kingdom. I suspect the avatar needs to learn Earthbending next. Don't stop by any ports unless we run out of supplies", Zula commanded. The soldier bowed and left the girl alone. She looked out the window and grimaced. A sunset. It was one of the few things that brought her brother happiness. One of the few things that disgusted her. She drummed her fingers impatiently against the windowsill.

I can't wait to get to the Earth Kingdom. She thought, an evil smile creeping onto her face. The princess had full confidence she could easily capture the avatar and bring him home. After all, if Zuko failed, his younger sister would surely succeed.

Katara let out a sigh of relief when she spotted Aang flying towards her, gripping tightly onto his glider.

"How'd it go?" she asked.

"Well, I couldn't airbend the clouds away, but I spotted an island!" Aang replied. He took control of the reins and guided Appa forward.

"Is the island nearby? I think the storm is approaching", Katara said nervously.

"Don't worry, we'll get there", Aang assured her. Appa sped up and his passengers clung on, hoping everything would be alright.

The storm clouds came nearer and it began to drizzle.

"We have to fly closer to the ground!" Katara called out. Aang nodded and Appa descended.

"I see it!" Sokka pointed to his left, yelling excitedly. The island was covered with jagged mountains and few trees. A small sandy beach lay on one end of the island and a forest on the other.

"C'mon, c'mon! We're almost there!" Aang muttered, urging Appa on. The storm clouds were now directly overhead and rain was pounding down on the travelers. The waves below them crashed with a thundering boom and Sokka could hear his heart pounding. He saw tensely in his seat, one hand holding onto the side, the other around his boomerang.

Lightning flashed in the sky and a few seconds later, thunder roared its mighty roar. The intense weather conditions frightened Appa and he lurched to one side. Katara was thrown off the back of the bison and she plunged into the icy water below.

"Katara!" Sokka climbed over the edge and prepared to jump, but Aang pulled him back.

"Sokka! If you jump, who'll save you?"

"But Katara fell! She's in the water! I've got to protect her!" Sokka protested.

"Sokka, listen to me. To protect Katara, you have to be safe! Now help me land Appa and we can go look for her", Aang directed. Sokka glanced at the water one last time, then agreed.

Katara felt herself float to the surface and she took a deep breath before the waves pulled her under once more. Her heavy fur coat kept her from floating and she quickly pulled it off. The cold water pierced her sin and her body began shaking involuntarily. She swam towards the direction where she guess the island would be, taking deep breaths whenever she could. The waves worked against her, causing water to rush over her head.

In a moment, the young waterbender was pushed under water. She struggled to breath and took a big breath when she reached the surface. Katara plunged under the water and kicked furiously, holding on to what was left of her life. She could fell herself lose the struggle as wave after wave pushed her down. She got a mouthful of water and began coughing, spitting out the salty liquid.

Soon, he vision became cloudy and she was no longer aware of her surroundings. Katara's eyes slowly closed as she sank deeper into the water.

SO… how was that for the first chapter? I though it was pretty good, but I'm very open to suggestions! Please please please please review, cuz it'll make me feel better, which will make me update faster, which means you can read! Yay!

Oh yeah, one question… please answer this : do you guys like the story to be with mostly focused on Zuko and Katara? Or do you want me to include a lot of what Aang and Sokka and Zula is doing? Cuz it was supposed to be a romance… but I'd much rather my readers were happy :