Avatar: The Last Hope

Chapter 1: What Started It All

AN: Hey well, here's the chapter! Enjoy! I know you all have been waiting patiently for it! So thanks and here it is! DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN AVATAR, NICK DOES. Remember to have your mind set in Avatar mode and just imagine what it'd be like in episode form. Yah, I know. Amazing! Anyways, thanks for being so patient, and here it is!

The fires flared high around the chamber as Zuko's voice boomed out.

"You will not leave! You will not betray your own nation" Zuko yelled to his son Aine, standing defiantly in the chamber. How it hurt Fire Lord Zuko to see his son about to go out into the still-dangerous world and go against the Fire Nation, and his own father. He must not make the same mistake as I did. He's not like me. The world isn't like it was before. It's worse. Everything's unsafe. Everything's dangerous. The outcome won't be the same—he'll end up destroying himself. Zuko thought to himself.

Fire Lady Katara stood up swiftly. "No, Aine. We won't let you leave," tears at the edge of her fierce eyes. Her body was wrapped in a blue gown like usual, as it was after dinner. Aine remembered picking at his food, thinking the whole time about his escape. He had written down some planned ideas in a random journal, tucked under his quilt and hidden. Or not. Because obviously it wasn't hidden, for right then, a maid rushed in, whispering something to his father, and then father said "One minute. I'll be right back," staring stonily at Aine. Mom stood up too to leave with father. Jade, his sister, looked at him questioningly, then after a glare from him, she turned back to her food. Later they had come back and said nothing until after dinner when they told Jade to go to bed and brought him to the chamber he was in now.

Aine didn't care. He would leave anyway. "What are you going to do anyways, Mom? Go cry on father's shoulder and whimper and wish me to come back? Or are you, father, going to order for me to stay here, lock me in the room I have always before been able to break out of secretly behind your back. You all no you have no way of stopping what I want to do!

Zuko bit the inside of his mouth, angered horribly but not wanting things to resolve to this. I'm not banishing my own son. He chose to leave. I'm not like my father. He thought to himself, and then said, "Fine. Come back only when you are ready to make up for it. We don't care if you ever capture him or not. Take your ship and a mentor with you. Leave. Now! Get out!"

Aine glared in return, and then smirked, whirled around, and went up to his room for a last pack. He wouldn't even bother telling his sister where he was going. Who cared if little Jade missed him? And she wouldn't, anyways. He went to his teacher's, Toru's, room to summon him to accompany him.

Aine looked out across the blank sea, his high ponytail of black hair whipping in the strong wind.

Enraged at the blank expanse of ocean that he had only been seeing for nearly a month after he'd left the Fire Nation, he flipped his 16 year old body around and paced the deck furiously.

Suddenly, he felt a strong hand against his shoulder, and he turned around to find Toru looking at him, concerned but almost angered at his ignorance and impatience.

"He's at the North Pole, and we're headed that direction. What use will it be to act frustrated that you can't get there in a week? The more time we have in the ocean, the better; for we'll have more time to get you fully trained and for you to fully understand what must come of you to capture him. And it gives you time to think, meditate, and sleep. You will hardly have that time once the chase begins.

"You've been thinking about the Fire Nation. Your father, haven't you?" he continued, looking at the strained expression on Aine's face that wasn't only from his desperate goal to get to the North Pole.

It was true. Aine had kept thinking about father and mom, and even his annoying, 12 year old sister, Jade, all safe and back at home without a worry. Maybe they had already forgotten about him. Maybe they never cared. At least it had always felt that way. Aine had always gotten in trouble for what Jade did. One time, she had knocked over a beautiful, special vase and he had gotten yelled at for not watching her close again. But still, he sometimes longed to just turn around the boat, and go back to a regular way of life with his family. But that couldn't happen anyways.

"No," he answered shortly, and then added in, "they don't want me and they never did. Why should I miss them?"

"True." Toru answered. "You know, I have always despised the Fire Nation leaders, and your parents aren't any better. They didn't stop or win the war, and all they've been doing is living in the throne, raising your sister to be spoiled, and abusing you."

Back at home, Toru usually did this whenever he was mad at his parents. He always seemed to want to turn Aine against the Fire Nation and his parents. But now, Aine believed him. It was all true. And he had made the right decision to leave.

Aine smirked and went back into his room to meditate, a new view in his mind.

(A few days later)

Sirska stretched her strong, fit body as she climbed out of her blue bed and walked out of her two-room home of ice to go take a walk. She walked past glistening ice sculptures, pouring fountains, and other sights, not much admiring the beauty of it all for the simple fact that she had lived there for fourteen years—since birth.

She walked past many other ice homes and commoners, and many of the girls from her class at school, who looked at her with envy and shallow, childish loathing.

She continued on across the North Pole city, until she came to the wall that separated the Northern Water Tribe from the expanded ocean and protected them from other certain nations.

There was a small window broken out from the wall of ice, and Sirska looked out through it to the freezing ocean, in which blocks of ice and miniature ice burgs were scattered.

And just as she was about to turn away and go about her daily things, something caught her eye.

Producing small but fearsome amounts of soot to the air, there was a black, ugly, FIRE NATION SHIP.

"Oh no." Sirska said.

AN: Ok I know it wasn't that great of a start, and you all might be confused about the new characters and plot and everything, but I guess it will all unravel just after a few chappies and you can just sit at your compooper or laptop and enjoy it! Don't worry it only gets better! Well, read and reply, please, and tell me how it's coming along! New chappie's coming out in two weeks or more, for I will be VERY busy! Then, after school ends, I will write up a storm for you all! R&R!

-Arianna-

-zuko luva 1-