AN: New Stories are on the horizen! Here's one now! Oh, Naruto will be OOC. Read to find out why. This is a Naruto x Mai story, but if enough people ask I may include Jun or someone else. Naruto is one yar older than Mai, and the same age as Zuko and Sokka in this story. Ursa will leave later in the story, as i want her to have some kind of interaction with Naruto, as well as Mai, Ty Lee, Azula, and Zuko.

(Chapter 1- Hopeless)

The Fire Nation armies had just been recalled from the failed seige of Ba Sing Se,The Dragon of the West having abandoned the fight after the death of his son. The army had, in order to gather supplies and examine losses, taken a nearby Earth Kingdom base.

But not just any base, oh no. This base was the location of the worst prison in the earth Kingdom: The Hole. A p[lace where Firebenders were sent to die. Declared inescapable, it was a beacon to all who oppose the might of the Earth Kingdom.

Here, General Iroh and his army all looked into the gaping darkness that was the prison, before rappelling down the walls into the hopless place. The Firebenders all ignited their hands and gasped at what they saw. Bpodies littered the floor, hundreds of Fire Nation prisoners dead and rotting, their corpses all in various stages of decay and rot.

A sound was heard, muffled by a clothe or hand. The sound broke Iroh out of his shock and sadness as he turned to it, to find a moving form amongst the various dead of this place.

Clad in dirty rags, it was sitting with its knees up to its chest, head wrapped in a scarf that looked ready to fall off. Said scarf was fully wrapped around the forms head, preventing its hair from being seen, nor its face or head.

Walking to the form, Iroh got on one knee and put his hand on the shoulder of the, obvous, child. When his hand made contact with the form, it stopped moving and looked up. Iroh's golden eyes stared into the grey eyes of the child, whom was male, and smiled as he said. "Child, you are safe."

The boy looked shocked for a moment before he shook with silent sobs, having lost his hope of safety and rescue.

(Fire Nation Capital- Two Months Later)

The last two months had been strange and different for Iroh. When they had gotten out of Th Hole, the boy named Naruto had clungto him like a life line. His age was determined to be around the age of 9, the same as his nephew Zuko. Not many knew what he looked like, as he constantly wore the scarf to cover his hair and face, wrapping the garment around his head to ensure that no one saw without his permission.

Iroh had, of course, seen his face and hair. He wished he hadn't. The boy had many scars over his face, some deeper while others were worthy of wincng at. When asked how he acquired them, Naruto would just stare and mumble about the prison.

He was surprisingly intelligent, reading the books given to him by the crew of the ship they were on. He was tall for his age, standing at around 4'7", just a few inches taller than Zuko. When he was given clothes to wear, along with a new scarf, he chose to wear all black colors and covered as much of his skin as possible. He decided to start wearing a black long sleeved shirt with a short sleeve shirt ina lighter shade of blackover it. Black hakama pants with a white flame like pattern on the bottom. Finishing off the look were black boots.

The ship docked at the harbor, with Iroh and Naruto stepping into a carriage ready to take them to the castle. They road to the castle, having a pleasent conversation on the young boys Firebending skills. That had taken them by surprise, especially when he accidently lit a table on fire.

They arrived swiftly, as they did not want to parade around the city. Entering, they made their way to the throne room. Arriving to see all of his family there, Iroh smiled at his father, Azulon, and his brother, Ozai. sitting on his knees in front of the Fire Lord, Naruto following his lead, he waited for his fathers acknowladgement. "Iroh, after so long it is good to see you. I am truly sorry for the death of your son, Lu Ten."

"Thank You father."

"Now, before we begin these pleasentries, would you care to explain who that peasent behind you is?"

Taking a breath, Iroh began. "On my way back from Ba Sing Se, my men and I captured an Earth Kingdom base that held their Maximum Security Prison, The Hole. Upon entering the prison, I found the populace slaughtered. ut before I could leave, I found this boy hiding in the shadows. He is the last of the Firebenders imprisoned within that horrid place, as well as my adopted son."

Azulon regarded Iroh before turning his gaze to Naruto. "Boy, what were you doing in that prison?"

"My mother wa sent there after my father impregnated her. She was a noble of Ba Sing Se, who had had an affair wit a commanding officer in the Fire Nation army. As punishment, her father sent her to The Hole, where I was born." Naruto answered bravely, without a hint of fear or trepidation in his voice.

Inclining his head, Azulon returned his attention to Iroh. "And his skills in Firebending?"

Looking at Naruto, Iroh gave a nod. The boy stood and entered a basic firebending stance and thrust his fist forward, sending a torrent of black flames in the shape of a dragons head into the air. So shocked by the color of the fire, Azulon looked on in wonder at the shear power behind the blast.

"As you can see, Father, he is more than worthy of being a member of the Royal Family."

"Very well. The boy may join our family."

(Later that Afternoon- Turtleduck Pond)

Naruto sat on a bench as he read a book in the peace and quiet of the pond. He didn't know what to think of the series of wonderful turns his life had taken in the past two months.

His thoughts on the matter were interuppted by voices coming his way. Putting the book away, he turned ad gazed in a passive disinterest as Lady Ursa, her children, and (Whom he assumed) her children's friends walk out. Lady Ursa seemed to notice him as she waved gently.

"Why hello, Naruto. Would you care to join us for some tea and cakes?"

Not wanting tio be rude, Naruto accepted. "If I may, Lady Ursa."

"Now now, none of that. Just call me Aunt or Ursa if you must."

Sitting at the table, he was immediatly bombarded with questions by the bubbly girl wearing pink.

"What's your name? Why do you wear that scarf? Is black your favorite color? Do you like cake? How do you like the capitol?"

Blinking, Naruto calmly replied to her questions. "My name is Naruto. i wear this scarf because i wear this scarf. Yes. I have never had cake. The capitol is nice, I suppose."

Ty Lee smiled at him as Azula looked him over curiously. "You don't seem like much to me."

"Appearances can be decieving."

Next it was Mai who asked a question. "So, can we see what's under your scarf?"

Ty Lee didnt wait for an answer, she just reached for the clothe. Naruto grasped her hand firmly, but gently. "Ty lee, I must kindly ask you to never do that again. I wear this scarf for a reason. You should respect my privacy and leave it alone."

Bringing her hand back, Ty lee gave a nod of confirmation that she understood. The tea and cakes arrived and everyone started eating, being sure to keep an eye on Naruto. They heard a noise, and turning their heads they saw a turtleduck fly off. Looking back, they saw Naruto's plate clean and his tea drunken as he leaned back, his grey eyes staring at the clouds.

(Three years later)

Three years had passed since Naruto had joined the Royal Family, and many things had happened. Lady Ursa had dissapeared on night, and Ozai had claimed the throne. Not only that, but Azula had become even more of a self-centered brat.

For Naruto, thenext three years were fairly good. He had managed to train his Black Fire and was considered a firebending prodigy, as well as a swordsman prodigy. He had grown to a good 5'6", two inches taller than Zuko, much to the princes ire, and had yet to show his face to anyone, something Ty Lee was constantly trying to see.

His relationship with Mai and Ty Lee was interesting. Ty Lee had latchd onto him, calling him her Big Brother, a title Naruto accepted. With Mai...many of he staff had taken bets as to when the two of them would admit that they had feelings for one another.

Two years ago, Naruto, Iroh, Mai, Zuko, and Ursa had gone to the markets to see if they had anything that would interest them. There, Naruto had found a shop full of animals. Upon entering, he found the most curious of animals.

A simple salamander.

Getting the money he had been given as an allowence, he haggled with the shop owner for an hour, amusing Ursa and Iroh as they watched a ten year old out haggle a grown man, Naruto walked away with five thousand yuans more mony than he had entered with.

He named the salamander Ibuse, and where Naruto went, he went.

We find Naruto in the middle of a training ground, going through sword katas as his teacher, Mifune, watched. The legendary warrior had trained the boy in the art of the sword and was thoroughly impressed by his progress. "Naruto, that is enough for today."

Standing, Naruto sheathed his sword, witch was black and had a red wave going down it, in it's sheathe across his back. Bowing to Mifune, he walked off, Ibuse quickly following him. The last two years had made the salamander quite big, almost big enough to ride.

He found his friends sitting at the Turtleduck pond, relaxing. Zuko and Ty Lee sitting off to the side, whispering to eachother, and Mai flipping a knife she had in her hand. Seeing Naruto, her normally borded eyes gained a noticable shine in them.

Sitting next to her, Naruto said. "Hello Mai. How are you today?"

"Better now that i have you for company. it gets so boring without you to keep me entertained."

They sat in silence as they watched the clouds. After a while, they heard footsteps and an arrogant voice that belonged to a certain princess.

Looking at Azula as she marched into the peaceful area, Naruto crossed his arms as she glared at him. The girl had always been jealous of him and his skills, going so far as to demand that he teach her his skills. When he refused, she had blown a gasket.

Azula said in an authoritive voice. "Naruto fight me so that I can prove that I am superior to you!"

"Hmm, did you say something?" Came her lazy reply.

Mai, Ty Lee, and Zuko had to work hard at seeing Azula turn a dark shade of red at that. She gained a gleam in her eye as she said. "Then I challenge you to Agni Kai!"

That stopped them as Naruto calmly stood. "When and where?"

"Today after lunch, in the Agni kai chamber."

At his nod, she went to tell her father of this.

(At the Agni Kai chamber)

It was time. The match was set to begin and Naruto had his back to Azula as he waited for the start. At the gong, he turned around and dodged a fireball launched at him from the girl, before bending backwards to avoid a jet of flames, all the while moving steadily forward.

Azula kept up the attacks as she became more and more frustrated with his constant dodging. Having enough, she said something that made everyone gasp. "Naruto you coward! Just like your whore of a mother!"

That stopped Naruto as his normally kind eyes turned to stone. All was silent as they held their breath. His mother was always a touchy subject for him, and had been the cause of more than one violent attack in a regulated fight with proctors.

"Azula, while you may have been trained in the darkness..." Naruto said as he dissapeared. Reappearing behind her, he covered his fist in black flames and gave her a viscious uppercut that sent her into the air. breathing deeply, he released a torrent of flames that made contact with her. "... I was born in the darkness!"

Azula laid defeated in front of the pre-teen. "Winner, Naruto Uzumaki!"

AN: And that ends the intro chapter. next chapter we begin at Omasshu when it s occupied by the Fire Nation. i will reiterate: This can only go two ways, Naruto x Mai or Naruto x Mai x Jun. Please review and give your opinion. Peace out homies!