WOW. This fanfic came to me in sort of a dream. Well not really. I'll try to finish this one extra hard because I love it so much! Thank you The Last Airbender for bringing back my love of avatar! Even though the movie wasn't that good…Please review when done!

The Stowaway: The Hidden Story of Tara

Prologue: Little Fire Girl

Darkness; when she was even younger it was always her enemy. It was something to be afraid of. Now it became her only friend. It used to be so cold but those days it felt more like a warm blanket wrapped around her.

The ship's hull had no windows. There was nothing to bring light to the little girl's world. The only thing that did was fire. So she mastered it. But it wasn't a friend to her like darkness was. No; instead it was her servant.

When she was cold she brought it forth to warm her. When she was angry she let it loose to comfort her. When she was sad she held it in her hand to remind her.

To remind her that he loved her. She was there because he loved her.

And once in a while he would come down to her. He would bring light from the hall above, if only for a moment. He would bring food; good food. Or in the winter he brought blankets.

While the little girl loved these things it was him that she really wanted. She just wanted his love. More than anything she wanted him to hold her in his arms and rock her to sleep. Or to sing that sweet lullaby that her mother used to sing.

Little fire girl

Wake up

The sun in shining here

Won't you come and sing with me

While the sun is still up top

Little fire girl

Don't forget

About your little heart

It's different from the rest of ours

Use it well, my love

But he never did.

Yet every day she would hold fire in her palms to remember when she was even younger. That time when they were both with her always. He would teach the basics of fire and her mother would laugh. Times were simpler than.

They were farmers. Her father loved the work and used to call the crops his other children. But then he would turn to her, a sparkle in his eyes, and say simply, "But I love you more."

He loved her. She knew he must.

But then her mother fell ill. The little girl was too young to care for her, though she tried. So he cared for her instead. Without his loving touch, though, the crops died. No crops meant no money for food, or medicine.

But hope arrived in the form of a letter; a newsletter actually. It stated that any child under eight could be enrolled into the Yu Yan Archers, free of cost. In fact, the fire lord was going to pay the families of students a large sum.

It was their only hope. And so the little girl was enrolled.

Each day she would train brutally to be the best she could. And each day her mother's condition would worsen. But they were paid heartily and bought medicine that would hold her on if only for a bit longer.

Then the day came for the little girl's final test. If she passed she would continue training until the next test. If she failed she would be kicked out, they would no longer be paid, and her mother would surely die.

But it turned out that that day was the day her mother died anyway. Heartbroken, the little girl didn't want to go on. But he grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eye.

"You're not giving up." He told her, "Not like your mother gave up on us. You'll be strong, I know it. Or I'll make you strong. We can be strong together. We don't need this farm or this tiny town. You'll make us stronger."

He had changed. He wasn't her father anymore. There was no sparkle in his eyes.

The little girl was afraid. She knew she was strong but… it wasn't enough. She failed her final test. Everything happened fast after that.

They lost everything, their farm and their house. That's all they had anyway. He couldn't make ends meet. So he joined their nation's army. She could've lived with her grandmother; her stubborn and angry grandmother. But he wouldn't allow it.

"We must be strong together." He kept repeating as she cried.

He kept repeating it as he secretly took her aboard the ship; its flags proudly showed their sea ravens to the world. Again and again as she was shoved into the storage room below. She glanced at the shining sun from down the hall.

The little girl didn't see it again for a year.

She hated her whole situation. Each time they docked she would consider escaping. She could live off the land. She could be happy; maybe. Sometimes she would be at the top of the stairs, her little hand grasping the handle. Yet each time she couldn't do it. She couldn't leave him. She made him stronger. He loved her. And she loved him.

One day, deep into summer, he came down and visited. He brought a new supply of water and food and a strange contraption. He said that you could fly in it; literally glide through the air. He told her that he got it from a man who invented new things they could use for war in return for safety.

He didn't elaborate much. The little girl figured that her nation was protecting the man from something. She didn't think then what her nation did.

But she was curious and was determined to fly. She wanted to be free in the sky, a warm sun against her skin. He also mentioned that his ship was going on an important mission to the South Pole. At first she was proud of him. He always seemed to be so happy when he was given something important to do. But he wasn't this time.

He said that he was going to kill someone; just one specific person. The little girl was horrified. After that, he didn't say anything else, but instead walked calmly up the stairs, opened the door, and slammed it with force that shook her to her bones.

Immediately, she brought forth fire from her palm and held it in her hands; its warmth bringing comfort. Then she made it dance in front of her. It invaded her friend, darkness, and she became happy again.

Once she put her fire away and her eyes adjusted, she inspected the flier. It was a bright red and had a black fire on each wing, the color and symbol of her nation. There was a place to sit and a place for your hands. The more the little girl looked and studied it, the more she understood how it worked.

She was determined more than ever to fly in it. And so a plan was devised in her mind.

The day came when they arrived at the South Pole. She sat at the top step, flier in hand, listening to the sounds of the soldiers preparing for battle. Her heart was racing in anticipation.

When she couldn't hear any more noises, the little girl opened the door. Instantly, her eyes were blinded by the sunlight, but she kept walking. She knew that moment was her only chance. Once her eyes finally adjusted, she took in the full sight.

And it was beautiful. The sun made the snow on the ground look like it was sparkling. But it was also a terrible scene. Black soot was falling from the sky, mixing with the pure white snow. But what were worse were the sounds. People were screaming, children were crying, and fire was crackling.

Normally, crackling fire was soothing to the little girl; another reminder. But when the fire was engulfing the small village, it was a terrible, terrible thing. Hot tears ran down her cheeks. Her nation, her people… what were they doing?

She forgot all about the flier still attached to her clenched fist. She ran as fast as she could; off the ship, across the snow. She ran away from it all. Finally she collapsed onto the cold ground and let go of her flier.

There she stayed for who knows how long, crying into her arms. Then when her eyes ran out of tears and she realized how freezing she was, she stopped. That's when the little girl saw exactly what she just accomplished by running.

His ship was gone. The water was calm, save for the waves lapping at the ice. No. It wasn't possible. He had to come back. She made him strong. He… he loved her. Right?

She stood up feebly and stumbled to the edge of the ice. She yelled his name; first soft but then stronger. No answer came back and no ship's silhouette appeared on the horizon.

She would have cried, but all her strength was gone. It left when he did. The little girl sat cross-legged onto the ice, holding onto her arms shivering. That last year she mostly lived off three outfits. The one she wore then was the coolest. A red tank trimmed with gold, a red skirt with two little pockets, thin golden leggings, and red flats also trimmed with gold.

Her long jet-black hair fell down to her thighs, but was made nicer by her bright red flower stuck behind her ear. Her eyes were brilliant amber and complimented the light freckles that dotted her cheeks. Her ears were pierced with small dangling gold earrings. They were nothing special; delicate chains that she liked to play with when she was nervous.

So the little girl sat there and stared at the horizon, expecting nothing. Suddenly the sound of running came from behind her. She tensed thinking that someone had seen her, especially when the running stopped right behind her. But then a strange sound came; crying.

Nervously, she turned her head to look… and found a little boy maybe one year younger than she. His head was pulled back into a tiny ponytail. He wore a blue Water Tribe get-up. And he was in the same position she had been when she had finished running; on the ground, crying into his arms.

She guessed he didn't see her. Yet… she wanted him to know.

"Are you okay?" she squeaked out of lack of anything else to say.

The boy stopped dead and slowly raised his head. Tear stains lined his face but his eyes were huge in fright. He eyed her outfit before quickly getting up and began running off.

"No, come back!" she pleaded as she stood up too, "I won't hurt you!"

Something must've possessed the boy to come back, because he did.

"What?" he managed.

"What's the matter?"

Surprisingly, his gaze turned cold.

"Like you don't know!" he yelled at her as he took a step towards her.

"I-I don't."

"Yeah… sure,"

"I really don't."

That time the boy seemed to believe her. Maybe it was because she was back on the verge of tears. His face softened and his eyes turned to the ground.

Then he collapsed back onto the snow and burst into tears. The little girl ran and knelt down next to him. She hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, "I'm sorry."

The boy pulled away and stared at her in confusion.

"For what?" he asked.

"I…," she stuttered with a shrug, "I don't know."

"You really don't?"

The little girl shook her head.

"They… they killed my mother."

That's when the world crashed down onto her. She stood up and walked backwards a bit.

"No." she whispered under her breath, "No."

"What?" the boy asked, obviously stunned by her large reaction.

"He went through with it." She said, still not looking at the boy, "He actually…"

"Who?" he asked, suddenly interested, "You know who…who…?"

Leaning against a wall of snow, she slid to the ground and nodded gravely.

"Who?" the boy asked urgently.

"My… my father,"

The boy turned angry again. She could tell he was ready to give her a real piece of his mind. So she broke down.

"He's not evil, though!" she told him, "He's just confused. I know it! He's different than… He's changed… He-He,"

Then she told him everything. She didn't care who he was. In the end it felt so good to not be holding it all inside. Through the whole thing, the boy sat down and just stared. Near the end, she started crying. And when she was finished he just kept looking at her.

"Stay here." He stated.

"What?"

"Stay with us."

"I…I,"

"Please?"

"They'll never accept me."

"Why not?"

"My father…"

"It wasn't you.'

"I'm happy you think that, but will the others?"

The boy took a moment to think, his eyebrows furrowed together. Eventually, he sighed.

"No." he whispered.

She only nodded. She knew what the answer was.

"But where will you go?"

The question stunned her. Where was she going?

"You can still stay here. I'll take care of you. I'll bring you food and water and… and…"

A smile broke out on the little girl's face.

"You'd do that?"

"Why not?"

She gave the boy another tight hug.

"Thank you." She whispered shyly when she was done.

"Yeah. I'll be back with dinner and a sleeping bag. Oh, and is that the… uh,"

He was pointing at her flier still lying on the ground.

"Yes."

"Cool."

Then he began running back to his village. Suddenly, a thought popped into the little girl's head.

"What's you name?" she yelled after him.

"Sokka! And yours?"

"Tara!"

Yay! I figured everyone knew who the little girl was anyway but I like dramatic endings like this. Don't expect all of the chapters to be this long. Though they very well could be… Also, a reminder that this story is going to be completely canon. Everything that happens will happen 'behind the scenes' so to speak. Please review!