I OWN NOTHING

Well, can't touch Legend of Korra without first touching Last Air Bender, right? I could say a lot, but like my other Avatar fic, you'll have to wait to find answers.

Personal reasons for this fic that my friend The Lord Of Pages summed up: I seriously do feel sad for Azula, she could've had A MUCH happier life, she could've been redeemed, she could've been happy, she could've had friends, family, a mother who loved her, a brother who protected her... and all because Ozai was such a bastard, her entire life was screwed up. That man truly is a genuine monster, and Azula is the product of his hatred.

XXXXXX

"Get back here you mongrel!"

"Sorry cap'n, I'm hungry!"

Running away from a group of fire soldiers a lone blond youth laughed as he carried in his arms their food while shoving large bites of their roasted beef down his throat when not giving them a cheeky grin. The soldiers tried to follow the youth on their rides, but to their shock the blond thief was even faster on foot than their supposedly pure breed reptilian carriers. The blond was clad in a skin tight pitch black muscle shirt, wore hakama pants that were a dark shade of orange, and on his left arm was a red set of steel armor consisting of a gauntlet and a pauldron. He looked like a samurai, and even if his short hair was wildly spiked up and bending backwards which gave it the look of flames moving in the wind, he looked quite handsome too. He had fox-like traits, such as his sharp cerulean eyes, the way his face was shaped, and the birthmarks on his cheeks resembling whiskers.

As he laughed, a large soldier carrying a massive war hammer and thick layers of steel armor stood before the blond, making the youth grin as he reached to his back and pulled... a shinai, a simple bamboo sword kept in place by a single strap stitched in a loop to the blond thief's back. The large Fire Nation soldier laughed at the cheap weapon and decided to let the blond attack him. And just as the blond was within range of a swing of the massive hammer... he was gone in a blur of speed. The soldier blinked and turned around while the thief's pursuers tried to find him too, only for the larger man to notice a shadow over his head as it passed over him quickly.

The blond landed harmoniously, and hefted his shinai on his right bare shoulder, with his left armored arm extended waiting for something to fall on it. The hammer carrier roared at the top of his lungs at the brat's cocky attitude and tried to smash him to a pulp, only to watch that all he lifted was half of his hammer's handle, and that his swing missed the blond by a long shot because the heavy head and the rest of the handle were on the ground. A metal click was heard, and the soldier's armor soon fell to the floor, just as the blond thief's not so legally earned food landed on his left arm in a makeshift platter on the soldier's breastplate.

"See ya!" The blond said with a wave and a smile, before running off, leaving behind him a cloud of dust. He then noticed that he was now in the center of the small town, and with no fire benders or Fire Nation soldiers around and some buildings standing to give him way to disappear, he started to laugh as he wondered what to eat next, "Hahaha! Nothing really beats stealing the food of arrogant idiots! Man, that was almost too easy..."

"You don't say." The blond heard to his right before skidding to a halt, dragging his feet so he could turn around with the momentum of his previous run to face his opponent in this alley. He settled down his stolen goods and held his shinai in both hands, ready for any attack. He then swung his weapon at incredible speeds, his arms and the bamboo sword basically disappearing, only for them to stand back where they had been the next second as a dozen knives fell around him.

He chuckled, "I should've noticed you caught up with me, I did hear the fire and felt the heat closing in... But I didn't think you'd have company." He said as a stunning woman with her black hair done in a bun flew down using her blue fire bending to propel herself and now slowly hover down with a brunette with her hair done in a long braid and a stoic black haired girl with hers done in pigtails clinging to the fire bender.

He didn't know whether to make a joke or not, but he knew that when amber cold eyes settled on his that he couldn't exactly run from this fight, not figuratively of course. "I've heard so much about the so called fastest man alive. Are you him?" The fire bender asked with a smirk as she landed harmoniously on the ground with the other girls standing by her side, staring at the blond.

He gave her a grin, "I don't go around shoving that title left and right, but yes, some people do call me that."

The bun haired girl smirked, "And you still haven't let your guard down. Good, I wouldn't want to fight an idiot who steals food and trusts on his luck."

The brunette hummed, "But, you know, Azula... I feel some good vibes out of him, like he's actually one with the universe."

The speedster raised a brow, "I got no idea of what you said, but I'm just a guy who enjoys what he has and lives how he wants."

The stoic girl sighed, "Then he IS an idiot, Ty Lee."

The brunette jumped to his defense, surprising for him, "Hey, that's the way people should try to live, Mai. I enjoyed it while it lasted before my call with Azula."

The blond tilted his head to the side, "Well, I have no idea what any of you are up to, but thank you for your names, Mai, Ty Lee, and Azula." He gave them a wisecracking smile.

The last one to be named smirked, "Oh, a so you're smart too... Let's skip the unneeded formalities then... and get to the fun!" She threw her hand forward, throwing a lightning shot from her fingers at the blond. She was expecting him to move out of the way, or do something with that legendary speed of his... She certainly didn't think of the blond being gutsy enough to run at her lightning, duck just as it was about to hit his eye directly, and dash below it as he neared her at incredible speeds.

His shinai would've hit her had she not swung her leg to deflect the weapon, and then he was forced to jump high in the air, far too high for the girls to believe he was human. With a single leap, he was three stories above them, smirking. Ty Lee grinned and started jumping from ledge to ledge on the nearby buildings using her acrobatic tricks until reaching a rooftop, where she met the blond just as he readied himself to escape.

He chuckled, "You're good, and real cute." He then got into a defensive stance, "But I'd enjoy my freedom if you don't mind, or a date at least."

She giggled, her hands balled to her grinning face like a schoolgirl who got asked to prom, "Thanks, but I don't even know your name, so stay still." Both dashed at each other, and she was beyond surprised as the blond weaved around her quick jabs and used his sword to block the ones that got too close to him for comfort. She however would amaze him as she bent at incredible angles to avoid getting knocked sillier into the next week. And the blond had to admit he was actually scared, for those jabs were meant to seal chi, meaning that if he was hit once he could be wide open for her.

However, the brunette soon giggled and started cart-wheeling away from him, making the blond raise a brow until he noticed how wet his feet felt. He turned and watched a water container with several knives making the water spill all over the roof, and on the edge near the water was Azula, with a hand reaching the liquid and lightning cracking on it.

"Ok, you girls are good..." the blond said as he reluctantly threw his shinai at them, admitting defeat rather than wanting to get fried, "Do you want to throw me in a cell?" He asked with a smirk.

Azula grinned, "I know about you, Naruto the Hiraishin. Your speed is legendary, but what you ahave been best known for is to be a master of infiltration... Sad to see this kind of potential wasted doing this, stealing food to stay alive."

Naruto chuckled, "Not much of a choice considering what the world's come to these days. I just want to earn my keep and stay away from fights, if you understand that." He then looked at her, mockingly examining her, "Then again, being the daughter of your father, I guess you'd like to get things done your way. So, what do you want from me?"

Azula smiled, ignoring his jabs with mastered ease, "Tell me, what if I could give you an actual purpose?" She asked, making the laidback thief show genuine curiosity, so she elaborated, barely holding back her smirk, "You see, why waste your life as another face from the bunch when you're far more than what you seem to be? You have potential, you have power, and you are also quite wisened with this street rat life of yours. Don't you want to have more meaning than a few rumors that would be turned into forgettable legends? Perhaps leave your name throughout history as more than a thief?"

Naruto whistled, "You're good... Fine, I'll bite, what's the catch?"

Azula chuckled, "You follow my lead, and I'll show you how to make others remember you for ages."

He smiled in a laidback way, "You're a scary one, lady... But I kinda like you now, so okay, I guess I may as well have some fun."

The princess smirked, 'Oh, this is going to get fun. No point in running now, Avatar.'

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And that's my rap! This Naruto is an experiment of mine, a laidback, carefree guy who wants to stay out of trouble but always get dragged into it no matter how hard he tries to not give a shit. Though his reasons for doing it in this case are... I could say two very good ones, if you get what I mean. That's right... fun and a possibility at fame. What did you think I was talking about?

But the main reason he's here is because of what Kishimoto wanted to do with him... and failed miserably at, making a believable, heartfelt redemption of someone who fell into darkness. Azula is somewhat redeemable due to her being nothing but a pawn to Ozai. I'll admit, it's not easy with what she's done and how twisted she is, but looking into her story... I would like to say I hate her but I just end up pitying her. Which is far more than what can be said of the typical "pawn of darkness" villains I've seen. Azula is a very interesting character, and if we could've seen her be redeemed then Last Air Bender would've been truly perfect for yours truly. That was the only flaw I felt bothered about in the story of Aang's adventure: Azula not getting help when she could've been redeemed.

So, I thought to myself: let's add in her total opposite, see how they could balance themselves out, and try to make her more human with a guy who does give a damn for others when not thinking about his stomach.

Swordslinger out!