[a/n]: Alright, before anyone asks, yes, I am still working on my other stories. I have discontinued Bad Fortunetelling, unfortunately, but the other three I'm working on are still in progress. This story has turned into a way for me to burn off stress and write something fresh and new, without drowning in writer's block. In other words, this may not be up to my usual standards, because this story is purely for the heck of it.

I hope you all enjoy it anyway.

[Rogue waves]: (also known as freak waves, monster waves, killer waves, extreme waves, and abnormal waves) Relatively large and spontaneous ocean surface waves that occur far out at sea, and are a threat even to large ships and ocean liners.

He expects his soldiers to put up more of a fight, but then he catches sight of exactly what they're up against. She's a waterbender, but she must also be part kraken or octopus-whale or whatever creature could be capable of flinging arms of rushing water with enough force to down dozens of men with each blow. Beside her strength, her crew is almost inconsequential. It's filled with the usual measure of earth and water benders, even a single firebending woman. And that's when he realizes it. They're all women.

This pirate is Katara of the Southern Water Tribe and she has some serious nerve to attack the Fire Lord's ship. But then she's standing in front of him, tentacles of water splashing harmlessly to the ground and the only thought he has is that she's much prettier than the caricatures in the news sheets. The woman bows, her form perfect and expression completely sardonic, just as her crew has finishes incapacitating his entire guard.

The ship is enveloped in silence.

"Have you come to surrender yourself?" he asks imperiously.

She straightens, rolling those pretty blue eyes and snorting.

"Hardly, Fire Lord Zuko," she says, twisting his title with her mocking tone, "But I do have a gift for you."

He tenses, forces himself to stare her down. There's a good chance he could fight his way out of this, if he could his mind off how good-looking this woman is. Zuko tries to ignore the way little hairs have escaped her braid and curled tightly, pretends that her blue tunic does not drape itself over her upper body in the most annoyingly attractive way. The pirate Katara is supposed to be greatly feared, but all he can think of is how easily she'd fit into his arms. Zuko watches as she half turns away from him, whistles sharply.

Something appears in the sky, a tiny dot that grows larger and larger until there is a thud and there is a little boy standing behind Katara. The fierceness in her eyes fades for a moment and she reaches back to nudge the boy back into plain sight, much like a mother dragon presenting her baby to his sire for the first time.

Zuko inhales sharply, surprise hitting him like a blow to the stomach.

The little boy is dressed in yellows and oranges, carrying a little wooden staff. His eyes are gray and his smile shy, but there is a blue arrow tattoo on his bald little head pointing out for all the world to see that this child is an airbender.

"Hi, I'm Aang!" the boy says, "I'm the Avatar!"