Will and Jet meet

Years passed and Will grew into an energetic 7 year old. She was walking around the edge of the palace in front of the courtyard. Will looked from side to side making sure the coast was clear. Then she took off as fast as she could toward the palace gates, before anyone saw her.

Suddenly Zuko caught his daughter and lifted her up off the ground. "Whoa there young lady. Where are you going in such a hurry?" Zuko asked, with a smirk.

Will giggled. "Daddy, let go!"

Zuko smiled and placed her back on the ground. "Well I just want you to be careful," He said.

Will saw a butterfly and tried to catch it. Zuko frowned slightly. "Will, are you listening? Accidents can happen. You could easily get hurt or stepped-"

Will interrupted her father, having heard this speech several times before. "Hurt or stepped on or even get lost.

Zuko nodded. "And I want you to stay in sight of the palace at all-"

Will interrupted again. "At all times, I know! And if I see any strangers don't talk to them. Come straight home. Okay I get it can I go now? Please!" She begged.

"That's very funny," Zuko said, raising an eyebrow at his daughter, as Taranee and Cornelia walked up to them.

"Mind you father, Will," Taranee said.

"Yes, mom," Will replied.

"And stay away from the outlands," Zuko warned.

Cornelia nodded. "Listen to your father on that Taranee. Nothing out there, but a bunch of backstabbing, murderous outsiders!"

"Cornelia's right," Zuko said. "You can't turn your back on them."

Will got a confused look on her face. "Really? How come?"

Zuko sighed. "Never mind. Just run along."

"But dad I-" Will said.

Zuko spoke. "You'll understand someday. Go on."

Will rolled her eyes. Then she hugged her parents quickly before she took off. "Stay on the path I marked for you!" Zuko called after her.

Taranee giggled. "Hey, Zuko, doesn't Taranee remind you of someone?"

Zuko gave his wife a totally clueless look. "Huh? What? Who?"

"She's exactly like you were when you were young," Taranee said.

"Exactly," Zuko said. "Do you remember the dangers we put ourselves in?"

Taranee softly punched her husband's shoulder. "You mean the dangers that you put us in."

Taranee gave Zuko a kiss. "She'll be just fine," She said, before walking off.

Zuko waited until his wife was out of ear shot, before calling his friends over. "Irma? Sokka?"

"Good morning, mon Capitan!" The couple greeted as they walked over.

"I want you guys to keep a close watch on Will. You know she's bound to run off," Zuko said.

Irma nodded. "No problem. We'll be on her like a ponytail on the water tribe guys."

"Hey!" Sokka cried in protest to the words 'ponytail'.

"It's a hard truth Sokka, live with it!" His wife responded.

"Guys I'm serious here," Zuko said. "I'm counting on you. Danger could be lurking behind every rock."

Irma and Sokka shrugged, than they followed after Will.

A few minutes later, Will was playing in field when she spotted a butterfly. She went after it. "Hey come back. I just want to play!" She called. She saw the butterfly land on the ground, smirked, and went into a crouch and began to go forward. "The mighty hunter has cornered her pray."

Then Will pounced toward the butterfly. She missed and watched as it flew away. Then she looked up and saw a large dark plain. She immediately knew what it was. "Whoa! Cool the outlands! I wonder what's out there."

Suddenly she heard a snap behind her. She slowly turned around and screamed. Sokka and Irma screamed as well. Will backed up until she fell into a shallow pool of water.

"Uh oh! Don't worry Will. Uncle Sokka's coming!" Sokka yelled jumping into the water to save her. Instead he landed on top of her.

Irma slapped her forehead. "Oh crap!" Then she began to talk, pretending like she was talking to Zuko. "Well Zuko the good news is we found your daughter. The bad news is we dropped a water tribe man on her."

"Will? Will?" Sokka asked looking around confused.

"Hey Sokka, let me define…BABYSITTING!" Irma yelled.

Sokka immediately understood and stood up. Will popped out of the water coughing. She glared at Sokka. "Sorry," He said.

As they walked out of the water Sokka started to lecture her. "Now Will as Zuko's daughter you know better than to go off all alone you could get hurt."

As she walked to them, all Irma heard was the word 'hurt.' She panicked. "Hurt!? Oh, Zuko's gonna kill us!" Then she began to examine Taranee. "You didn't slip a disc did ya?"

"But…but," Will stuttered.

"Catch a fever, get a hangnail?" Irma said.

"Ugh, Aunt Irma," Will said.

"I had one once you know," Irma said.

"Very painful and excruciating," Sokka added.

Then Irma picked up a large leaf and covered Will with it. "You know, honey, with your complexion you should really stay out of the sun."

Will grabbed the leaf and threw it to the side. "What? Do you want to wrinkle?" Irma asked.

"Will somebody please just listen to me?" Will cried.

"I'm sorry I wasn't listening. Did you say something sweetie?" Irma asked.

"I'm not just a princess you know! That's only half of who I am!" Will cried.

"Well who's the other half?" Sokka asked.

"Well…uh…" Will stuttered.

Irma shrugged. "Well while you're figuring it out, lets eat!"

She and Sokka knelt on the ground and lifted up a log revealing several bugs crawling around.

"Grubs!" Irma said victoriously

"The other white meat," Sokka agreed.

"And so high in protein," Irma added, putting grubs on a leaf and offering Will some.

"Ew! That's so gross!" Will cried.

Irma shrugged. Then she turned to Sokka. "How about you big boy?"

Sokka sniffed the grubs and smiled. "I love grubs."

"Not like," Irma said.

"Love," The two said in unison.

Irma tossed a bug in Sokka's mouth for him to eat. He started to chew, then he coughed and gagged, spitting out the chewed up bug back on the leaf.

"Ugh! Sokka what the heck?! You always do that! You take a bite out of every bug we see and then spit it back out! It's driving me crazy here!" Irma cried.

"But Irma, you can't tell on the outside which bugs the slimy ones are," Sokka said defensively.

Irma scoffed. "Slimy?! Ha! Sokka my dear husband, it's the crunchy ones that make the meal."

"Slimy," Sokka insisted.

"Crunchy," Irma argued.

"Slimy!"

"Crunchy!"

"Slimy!"

"Crunchy!"

"Slimy!"

"Crunchy!"

"Less filling!"

"Tastes good!"

"Less filling!"

Tastes good!"

While Irma and Sokka were bickering, Will slyly snuck away to get closer to the outlands. She walked across a log into the forbidden lands with a daring smile on her face. Suddenly she tripped and rolled onto the ground hitting someone else in the process.

The persons Will had hit was a young boy around her age. He had shaggy brown hair and wore ragged clothes. His name was Jet. When he saw Will he immediately recognized her as one of the 'good' fire benders. He growled angrily at Will, who backed away.

"Who are you, girly?" He asked.

Will didn't answer, but every time Jet moved, so did she, never turning her back on him.

"What are you doing?" Jet asked, confused.

"My father says to never turn your back on an Outsider!" Will cried.

"Do you always do what daddy says?" Jet mocked.

"No!" Will cried.

"Bet you do!" Jet laughed. "Bet you're daddy's little girl!" He walked on some logs in a river. "An outsider doesn't need anybody. I take care of myself."

"Really? That's so cool!" Will said, coming up behind him on another log.

As Jet looked at her, his eyes widened in horror as he saw the logs weren't logs at all. They were crocodiles! And one was about to chomp down on Will.

Will turned around to see what he was looking at and screamed. Jet grabbed her arm. "Run! This way! He yelled as they ran. More crocodiles snapped at them and the kids narrowly dodged each time. They stopped on more 'logs' panting. Then they giggled.

"That was a close one," Jet laughed.

"Yeah," Will said, with a laugh.

Then the 'logs' underneath them moved. It was more crocodiles! They both screamed and Will jumped onto a branch while Jet started to run.

"Hey! What about me?" Wll cried.

"I'll distract them! You run!" Jet called back. Then he fell into the water. He came up and came face to face with a crocodile, its jaws wide open.

"Look out!" Will screamed.

Jet was frozen with fear as the crocodile was about to chomp him. Suddenly its jaws snapped shut as Will jumped down on it.

"Move it!" The red head cried. Both kids took off running. They ran up a branch onto a higher bank and out of danger. Will and Jet looked over the ledge and saw the crocodiles below them.

"I did it," Will breathed. Then a huge smiled lit up her face. "I did it!" She cried. She sent a raspberry at the crocodiles as Jet laughed.

"Whoa man did you see the size of those teeth!?" Will asked, very excited. "They were going 'rrrarrarrarr!'" She laughed. "He was totally eating you up right there. Then I jumped on his head and I bopped him so good!"

What the two kids didn't realized was that figure was crouched low in the grass watching them. It was Nerissa's Jet's mother and leader of the Outsiders.

"We make such a good team!" Will cried. "And you! You were really brave," Will told Jet.

Jet smiled. "Yeah, well you were pretty brave too. My name's Jet."

"I'm Will."

When she heard the name of the girl, Nerissa clenched her teeth and fists in anger, letting out a snarl. She knew that Will was Zuko's daughter.

Will smiled and playfully togged Jet's shoulder. "Tag you're it!" She cried.

When Jet didn't respond Will began to get confused. "What's wrong? Don't you know how to play?" She asked. Then Will got an idea. She crouched and began to jump around growling playfully. Jet caught on and was about to join the game when suddenly Zuko jumped in front of Jet with a angry roar. Nerissa leapt in front of Jet with a snarl of her own.

"Nerissa!" Zuko growled.

"Zuko," Nerissa hissed back.

Suddenly Nerissa noticed that Taranee, Irma, Sokka, and some of Zuko's followers were with him.

"Taranee," Nerissa said looking at the queen.

"Nerissa!" Taranee growled.

"Irma, Sokka," Irma said pointing at herself and her husband. "Great, now that we all know each other…GET OUT OF OUR NATION!" She screamed.

"Your nation!?" Nerissa cried. She snarled at Irma, who dove behind her husband.

Nerissa turned to Zuko with a scowl on her face. "This nation belongs to Ozai!"

"I banished you from the Fire Nation," Zuko said. "Now you and your son. Get out!"

Will and Jet cringed at their fighting parents.

"Oh! Haven't you met my son, Jet?" Nerissa asked Zuko. "He was hand chosen by Ozai to follow in his footsteps and become king!"

Zuko growled at Jet who shook like crazy. Sokka scoffed.

"Pft! That not a king! That's a puny maraca!" He laughed.

Nerissa continued. "Jet was the last born, before you exiled us to the Outlands. Where we have little food…less water."

"You know the penalty for returning to the Fire Nation!" Zuko cried.

"But the child does not!" Nerissa cried. "However if you need your pound of flesh, here," Nerissa said, pushing the shaking Jet toward Zuko.

Zuko glared at Nerissa and she smirked back, daring Zuko to harm the child.

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "Take your son and get out. We're finished here," He said, picking up his daughter.

"Oh no, Zuko. We have barely begun," Nerissa sneered. She glared at Will who cringed in her father's arms. Nerissa turned around and picked Jet up. As the two parents walked away Will peeked over her father's shoulder at Jet.

"Bye," She whispered.

"Bye," Jet whispered, over his mother's shoulder.