A/N: At last since its premere so long ago, Storm Rising is being re-written! Okay, this version will have some changes and such, don't get all mad those of you who avidly read the original. Since the original was posted when the show first began, this version should make more sense. It will clear all of those spelling/grammatic errors and flow better plot wise. I hope you enjoy it!


The Fire Nation ship sailed through the quiet waters at the edge of Earth Kingdom's territory casting a bleak shadow over the water. The artic regions were close by, so both the air and water were frigid, unfavorable to be in for long. Many of the crew had a cold of some kind, but were kept to their daily tasks by the prince himself. They were nearing the last of the villages of the Earth Kingdom, still far behind the Avatar.

Uncle Iroh sipped his tea and calmly watched the icy surroundings go by. He was silent after trying to quell his nephew's hot temper. Prince Zuko was still fuming about the last encounter the crew had with the Avatar, coming so close to his capture. But, as always, Aang, the young airbending monk, managed to slip from his grasp once more. Zuko sat on deck, carefully studying a map of the region. He got up suddenly and began having a fit about how far behind they were, knocking several crew members over in the process. His eyes burned with frustration, fatigue, and untamed rage.

"Calm yourself, Zuko, things will work out soon. For now, I prefer to relax and enjoy the scenery." Uncle Iroh took another sip of his tea.

Zuko grunted in anger, trying his best to keep from uttering hateful words he'd regret mentioning. Instead he sat back down heavily, crossed his arms, and stared at the passing rocks.

"Zuko," his uncle called in a flat tone, trying to get his attention.

"WHAT uncle?" Zuko's temper was delicately calming down, threatening to heat up once more.

Uncle Iroh nodded to a small town on shore close by, situated on the edge of a low-lying cliff overlooking the open sea. Rocks and debris were flying around in the air as a couple of earthbenders fought with an apparent outsider.

Zuko looked up with a deep frown, bored by the whole thing until something, or someone, caught his attention. He stood up with out realizing while his uncle's eyes widened and mouth dropped as if uttering a silent gasp. Prince Zuko's own eyes grew wide as a large boulder collided with a target.

A girl as young as Zuko was slammed off balance by the boulder. She was too close to the edge at the time and began to free fall towards the freezing ice water. She swung her arms in front of her causing a large burst of fire to erupt from her hands at the water, making only steam rise thickly. Her last effort proved useless as she splashed into the sea and the earthbenders looked on somewhat relieved.

Zuko moved to the edge of the ship without thinking. "Zuko!" his uncle cried, "What are you doing?"

His gaze was focused on the misty spot where the girl impacted the water. He shook his head and dove into the water, almost without thinking. But his thoughts were quickly cleared when the cold water splashed all around him. What was he doing down here?

The girl from the village sank quickly to the bottom, she laid down there motionlessly as Zuko swam towards her. Her red clothing gave away the possibility she was from his own nation and was easy to spot against the dull sandy seafloor. He scooped her up and began to ascend to the surface as he began to run out of air.

Uncle Iroh's heart was pounding against his ribcage as he feared for his only nephew. He saw his nephew's head emerge from the water and sighed with some relief. He quickly shouted out orders to the staring crewmembers to help pull Zuko out of the water.

Zuko felt himself shiver violently. Leaping into water like this was an act of stupidity, and was it really worth his discomfort? The girl's chest rose and fell softly, giving a sign of her existence. Her cheeks, like his, were paled from the swim, and her eyes remained closed. Her hair was darkened from being so wet, but he noticed it was an unfamiliar golden color, it made him doubt her origin. He noticed a couple crewmembers throw a rope overboard. Zuko swam one-handed towards it with difficulty. He twined the rope around his wrist tightly and held on as the men above pulled him slowly back on board holding the teenager against him protectively.

"Zuko! What were you thinking?" His uncle's hand smacked the side of his head. "You could have drowned! You could have-" His uncle was cut off by his nephew's glare and sighed in discontent.

"Uncle, I am fine." Zuko's tone was agitated and wavering as he shivered.

"Come on Zuko," his uncle helped him up as a crewmember walked up to take the girl, "You will catch a chill if you stay up here. Go to your room and warm up." His uncle stated firmly to Zuko, silently saying he was serious. Zuko reluctantly handed her to the man and turned to disappear to his room, casting a puzzling look once more to the girl from the water. Why did he do that anyway?