Book 1: Water

Chapter 1: A Boy in the Iceberg & Chapter 2: The Avatar Returns

A/N (Sept. 2018): Hello friends! Thank you for checking back in on this story after another long Haitus. I wanted to start by saying that I started writing this fic when I was very young, and the writing reflects that. One day, I'd like to rewrite the whole first book, and not just this first chapter, but I think the story needs finished first ;) That being said, please don't give up on this story, even if the writing is rough at first; it gets better as you go! I still love writing this fic, and I hope that my writing reflects that. See you at the double bar, my friends, enjoy!

A/N (Original): If a certain part isn't written here, it means I didn't change anything and it remains completely canon. Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. It all belongs to Nickelodeon and all the producers and whatnot. I am making no money off of this work.

"Oh Uncle, how I would love to beat you just once!" Emi sighed, her royal purple robes swishing around her feet as she stood and stretched. Iroh wasn't her real uncle, but after three years of travelling with him, the name had stuck.

"I've had much practice, my dear." He replied with a fond laugh.

"You two and your foolish games!" Zuko sneered, pacing up and down the long length of the ship. "We need to be focusing on capturing the Avatar!"

"Zuko, my nephew, maybe it is time to give up this search. Many generations before you have tried to find the Avatar, and none have succeeded." Iroh said reasonably. Zuko whirled to face him, furious.

"How could you say that? My honor, my throne, everything, everything depends on me finding him! I can't give up. I can't." Zuko yelled, his voice cracking a bit at the end. Emi walked over to him and gave his arm a comforting squeeze. He turned his gaze to her, and she read his silent plea in his eyes. They only looked at each other for a moment, but they'd always been able to understand each other without words. Her decision was surely written all over her face; she understood, and they'd continue their hunt as they always did. Finally, Emi broke the stare and turned to Uncle, never letting go of Zuko's arm.

"Zuko's right Uncle. He's out there somewhere, and we can't go home without-" Emi glanced over Zuko's shoulder, her eyes growing wide. Behind him, a brilliant beam of blue light shot into the air, and her breath caught in her throat. She had only read about that blue light, but she knew what it could mean. She just didn't want to get her hopes up again.

"What is it?" Zuko asked, following Emi's eyes. "No…"

"Do you think…?" Emi whispered.

"It has to be!" Zuko answered. "Men! Follow the light! Now"

"You two, it's probably nothing…the southern lights. Sit down and relax." Uncle suggested, looking disapprovingly at the bright blue beam of light that had shot itself into the air.

"No, Uncle. It's him. It has to be." Zuko walked to the front of the ship and gripped the icy metal railing tightly. Emi joined him, looping one of her arms around one of his.

"We'll find him Zuko." She said. Zuko turned his head to look down at her, his eyes scanning her face. She knew what he'd see; cheeks that were pink from the cold, wavy black hair that flowed easily down her back, and hope. How badly she just wanted to capture the Avatar so that they could finally go home. He dipped his chin in a small nod.

"Yes, we will." Behind them, she could hear Uncle sigh. But she knew that this was actually, finally him. They wouldn't be disappointed like they had in he past, no matter what Uncle thought.

Emi walked up the stairs to the top of the ship at the same time Uncle came inside, holding two cups of tea. She handed him a cup wordlessly and sighed.

"He's not coming in, is he?" she asked.

"I'm afraid not." He said, frowning. "Do you think you can…?" She'd been close to the Fire Nation prince from the moment she came to the palace, it seemed. He was her best friend, and she was often able to ease his temper when others could not.

"I can try, Uncle, but you know how he is." She hugged him, mindful not to spill the tea, and then stepped out into the frigid air.

"Uncle, I already told you I-"

"Zuko, It's me." Emi interrupted.

"What do you want?" Zuko asked harshly. Ignoring his tone, she walked to his side and held out the cup.

"I brought you this." Zuko took the tea from her, wrapping his icy fingers around the still-warm porcelain. He made no move to drink it, or to even look at her, and she frowned. She wouldn't push him tonight. "I'm not going to ask you come inside, if that's what you were wondering. Just…try not to get ill, okay? It's cold and you won't capture him if you are." She said quietly. After getting only a nod in response, gave his arm a small squeeze and left.

Emi watched quietly while Uncle taught Zuko. He had the potential to be a powerful bender, but he didn't listen to Uncle much, she thought. He sent a few more fire blasts towards the crew members he was training with, and then Uncle interrupted.

"No, Prince Zuko. Power in firebending comes from the breath, not the muscles. Breath becomes energy that extends from the limbs and becomes fire. Now, get it right. " He said sternly. Zuko let out a frustrated growl.

"This is ridiculous! I have been running this all day. Teach me the more advanced set!" he snapped.

"No! You have not yet mastered the basics. Run it again!" Uncle snapped back, clearly growing frustrated.

Emi shook her head at the two fire benders. She didn't exactly keep track, but she had a feeling that there weren't a whole lot of lessons where they didn't end up at each other's throats. She saw Zuko let out an angry burst of fire, and stood up to intervene. Nothing would get done if they continued on their own.

"The Avatar is the last air bender. He has had 112 years to master the elements. I cannot defeat him with the basics. You will teach me the advanced set." Zuko snarled. Emi hurried over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"C'mon Zuko, come practice with me. It's important to have the basics down pact…they provide stability. I'm sure Uncle will teach you as soon as they are." Emi insisted, tugging Zuko away from a still irritated looking Uncle. Zuko followed her, grumbling.

"I do have them down! And all that stability stuff is water tribe talk." He said, although it sounded dangerously close to whining.

"Well then, practice anyway! Stability and balance are needed for all elements." Emi dodged the streak of fire he sent at her, and quickly responded with one of her own. Zuko huffed in response to her statement before concentrating solely on their sparring. Emi was glad for the chance to practice her own basics, and she worked hard to match his every movement. As she dove out of the way of a particularly well-placed hit, she grimaced at the discomfort that the movement caused. Zuko halted immediately, recognition flashing across his face.

"Wait." He said, coming towards her. His next words were soft, not to be overheard, and laced with concern. "That's enough. You aren't supposed to be fire bending this much."

"Don't be ridiculous Zuko, I'm a fire bender." She said, frowning as she tucked a stray hair back into her top knot.

"But you know that-"

"Zuko, we will begin your training now." Uncle interrupted his next words, but Emi had already known what he was going to say. It was a discussion that they had often. Zuko nodded, even as his careful eyes swept over her again.

"Go get some rest." He insisted, ushering her towards the door of the ship. She sighed in response.

"Yes, fine." She answered, trying to fight the heaviness of her limbs even as she walked back into the warm ship and made her way to her bedroom.

"Zuko, surely you didn't have to drive the ship right into their walls like that. The village is so small." Emi said, fussing with Zuko's fire nation helmet. He pulled out of her grip and charged forward, ignoring her question altogether. She could feel the pent up energy rolling off of him in waves, agitated and tense.

"Stay in the ship. This doesn't concern you." He snapped. Emi bristled and glared at him.

"Doesn't concern me? Remind me if I have forgotten, but I do believe I have been chasing the Avatar around the world with you for three years. I am coming with you and you can't stop me." She said determinedly, pushing past the few crew members that were also there and joining Zuko.

He huffed in response but said nothing, and she could see his entire focus shift to the task at hand. The thought settled her, made her forget about his tone. She understood how he must feel; could feel how tight his throat must have been, how his fists were clenched at his sides just as hers were. They both stood still as the door opened, revealing a small cluster of water tribe citizens clad in heavy blue coats. A warrior ran at them with a terrific battle cry, but Zuko easily threw him over the edge and into a bank of snow. She sighed and wondered why only one brave man, who had to be right around the same age as her and Zuko, or perhaps a bit older, had been left to protect the village. Her eyes scanned the crowd as she followed her friend, standing just over his shoulder.

"I think the young girl would know." She murmured, standing on her toes to speak into his ear. Zuko nodded and stalked up to where a teenage girl was standing by an older woman. Her heart clenched at the fear on their faces.

"Where are you keeping him?" he growled. He then snagged the older woman by the fur lined hood of her coat, and rattled her a bit. "He would be about this age, master of all the elements." Through her growing guilt, a realization hit her.

"Zuko, wait. They don't know." She said, wrapping her hand around the arm that held the woman, prompting him to let her go. Zuko looked at her, confused, so she elaborated. "They don't know what he is." If the water tribe didn't know that this man was the Avatar, then she did not want to be in charge of telling them. Just then the warrior ran at them again, weapon held high in the air.

Zuko pushed Emi behind him, shielding her from the upcoming blow. He blocked the warrior's hit and tossed him aside, adding a rush of fire for good measure.

"Emi, get back." He told her as the warrior flung his boomerang at their heads. Emi complied. She was a good bender, but fighting was not something she enjoyed doing if she didn't have to, especially against someone who was just trying to protect his people. The warrior ran at Zuko with a whale-tooth spear, which Zuko simply broke and tossed aside. The boomerang, however, came back with a vengeance, whacking Zuko in the back of the head, making Emi very grateful that she had fixed the infernal helmet. When fire daggers shot out of his hands in fury, she decided to step in.

"Zuko, stop." She said firmly, stepping in front of him to be between him and the villagers. "Please," she said softly. "We mean no harm. But it is very important that we find this man." The warrior opened his mouth furiously to retort, but he was cut off as a whirl of black, white, and orange flew past them and covered them all with snow. A young boy wearing orange and yellow robes greeted the two teenagers, calling the girl Katara and the warrior Sokka. Both Emi and Zuko went into a defensive stance at the arrival of this new threat, but Emi dropped back so that Zuko was in front of her. A sudden burst of air blew her hair back from her face, and she dropped her stance in surprise.

You're the air bender?" Zuko asked, shocked. "You are the Avatar?" The boy couldn't have been older than 13. The collective gasps from the tribe confirmed her suspicions that they didn't know the identity of the young Avatar.

"Aang?" Katara asked, confused.

"No way." Sokka added, amazed. Zuko paid no attention to either of them, and instead began circling the avatar. Emi moved off to the side. She had accompanied Zuko this far, but she knew this was not her fight. She looked to the tribe, whose every member was glaring at Zuko in hatred. All except Katara; she was glaring at Emi. She tried not to balk under the fury in that stare. She couldn't help but think that they deserved it for what they were doing. But there was nothing she could do. "I'm sorry." Her lips formed the words but no sound came out. She could only hope Katara knew how much she meant it. Part of her didn't even know why she cared. Her attention was drawn back to the fight as one of Zuko's fire blasts came dangerously close to the members of the tribe. Small screams of terror lit the air and Aang immediately came to a halt.

"If I go with you, will you leave them alone?" he asked, motioning to the tribe. Zuko nodded and in a flash, two of the crewmen were flanking Aang, leading him to the ship.

"Please Aang, don't do this!" Katara begged, her eyes filling with tears.

"It will be fine Katara. Take care of Appa until I get back." Aang called over his shoulder. Emi followed Zuko and the Crew to the ship, but not before casting another apologetic glance in the direction of the tribe. None of it mattered now, but she was sorry.

Katara stared at the spot where the fire nation ship was with tears in her eyes, but her mind was whirling. There was something about that girl that was with the fire bender that she couldn't quite put her finger on. The strange thing was that she apologized. She had looked Katara in the eyes and said 'I'm Sorry'. Katara didn't understand. If she knew what she was doing was wrong, then why was she travelling around with the hot-tempered fire bender? And why had she saved Sokka from being hurt.

Katara wrung her hands together, trying to make sense of the situation. But then she remembered how the fire bender had thrown himself in front of her when Sokka attacked. They must be really close, she thought, for there was no way the selfish fire bender, intent on hurting people, would have done that if they weren't. No matter her fury that they had taken Aang, that apology mattered to her. She needed to know more.

"This," Zuko said, holding up Aang's staff, "will make an excellent present for my father. Take the avatar to the prison chambers, and take this to my quarters." He commanded, handing the staff to Uncle, who then in turn handed it to a different random crew member. Zuko went inside, but neither Emi nor Uncle followed. Instead they walked together to the edge of the ship and looked out over the waves.

"Something is bothering you." Uncle stated. He had a habit of doing things like that…just knowing that something was wrong without even having to ask.

"When we captured him…all those people…the hope just kind of left their eyes. I always knew that the avatar was the only one who could defeat the fire nation, and that we had to capture him to win…but what if we aren't meant to?" Emi asked quietly, not wanting to risk anyone but Uncle hearing her say such treacherous things. But she could see their despaired eyes every time she closed her own.

Uncle didn't disagree with her; instead he placed a hand on her shoulder and tried to comfort her. "That may be the case, but no matter what happens, the side who was meant to claim victory will. After all-" He was cut off as a loud crashing of metal gave way to the Avatar jumping up out of the prisoner quarters and sprinting into the main part of the ship. Emi and Uncle were too shocked to move, but when one of the crew members announced that the avatar had escaped, they shook their heads.

"I'd better go in and help them." Uncle said, heading inside and leaving Emi to glance around anxiously, searching for Zuko. A movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she saw the Avatar and his orange glider flying overhead. Zuko was right behind him, leaping out to snag his foot and dragging him down.

"Zuko be careful!" Emi yelled up at him as they descended, the Avatar's glider unable to handle the weight of them both. When they hit the ground, Emi rushed towards them, mirroring Zuko's fighting stance as she came up beside him. She didn't want to fight this boy, but she would, she realized. If it meant she could still stand alongside Zuko, she would. A loud roar suddenly echoed around them, and Zuko threw an arm out in front of her as a massive beast flew overhead.

"What is that?" Zuko asked as the Avatar happily yelled out 'Appa!' Zuko took this moment of hesitation to send blast after blast of fire at the Avatar, eventually knocking him off the ship and into the water. Above their heads, Katara's desperate voice rang out, calling out for Aang over and over again. The sea around them flared that bright, unnatural blue and Emi felt Zuko's arms come around her as he tried to shield her from the threat. Over his shoulder, she saw the Avatar rise on a towering elevator f water, and their crew members cowered around them. She hid her head in Zuko's shoulder as the Avatar barreled towards their ship. His grip on her tightened as they were suddenly thrown into the the air, her own cry impossibly loud in her ears. She grunted in pain as she slammed into the railing, gasping as Zuko slipped from her own grasp, falling into the water below.

"Did you see what he did?" Katara asked, leading the massive beast down to their ship.

"Now that is what I call water bending!" Sokka exclaimed.

""I dropped my staff." said, standing up shakily. Emi watched it all without moving, frozen in terror and guilt and a thousand other emotions. She should stop them. She owed it to Zuko to do something, anything. But when Sokka's wide eyes met hers, holding the Avatar's staff in his hands, she didn't charge at them. She didn't drop into the same fighting stance she'd practiced until her feet were numb, ready to fight. No, instead she waved them off frantically, mouthing "Go, go, go." until they burst into action. She didn't stop to think too much about that action. She rushed over to the side of the ship and gripped Zuko's icy hands, tugging him back onto the ship.

"Zuko I couldn't fight them by myself, I'm sorry." Emi said, the lie falling from her lips with no hesitation. Zuko ignored her and quickly pulled her to the center of their ship, urging her to move faster.

"Hurry, help me shoot them down!" he said, and together they sent a massive fire ball at the bison. Before it could reach them, the Avatar swept his glider through the air with a broad stroke, causing the fireball to crash into an iceberg instead. Ice and snow rained down on the ship in heavy chunks, and Emi could hear the trio laughing in the distance.

"Well, good news for the fire nation." Uncle said, finally reemerging from the ship. "The fire nation's biggest threat is just a little kid."

"That little Kid just did this, Uncle." Emi said, indicating to the half-buried ship.

"We won't underestimate him again." Zuko added. "Men! Dig out the ship and follow him." He commanded. Uncle pulled Emi aside and said quietly to her "You did the right thing."

"You saw?" she asked, blushing. If he did, then who else? He nodded.

"But don't worry, I can keep a secret."

"Hey guys, did you see what that girl did?" Sokka asked after they had made their escape.

"Yeah…" Katara said slowly. "She let us go. It's strange. When Zuko and Aang were fighting, she looked so sad, and then she apologized." Now that Aang was safe, Katara couldn't help but run the Fire Nation girl's actions in her head, over and over again. "She mouthed the words 'I'm sorry' to me, that way no one else could hear, just like when she was telling us to go." She explained.

"So…does that mean we can trust her?" Sokka wondered aloud, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I don't know." Katara replied.

A/N (Original): Okay, so if you are wondering what this is, I am essentially just adding in a character to the original story that we all know and love. If you dont see a certain part written here, that means that I havent changed anything about it and don't need to, so those parts are completely canon:) The name Emi in Japanese can mean 'beautiful blessing' which I saw as a fit meaning for her character:) And If you are wondering about the end there, I always thought that Iroh was always on the good side, but wouldnt leave Zuko because he loved him so much and wanted him to find his way on his own. So there is a method to my madness:)

But, Love it, hate it, please let me know:) And if you think I should continue!

Thanks:)

Much love,

Em