Author's Note: Thanks for all the helpful reviews. Gandhara, I fleshed out this chapter because of one of your suggestions, and I think it helped a lot. You rawk!

Previously: Nazumi has survived the wounds he received at the hands of bounty hunters, and has told Azula about the dangerous nature of the men who hired him to free her. Azula, however, remains determined to meet her so-called benefactors, and they continue their trek to the Earth Kingdom capital…

Chapter 10: Long Way Home

The next few weeks passed relatively uneventfully for Azula and Nazumi. Following the events in Minoto, Nazumi recommended that they travel by night. He also suggested that they take a more circuitous path to Ba Sing Se. There were dozens of old smuggler's trails that led to the Earth Kingdom capital, and Nazumi seemed to know them all. Azula had to agree with him; he knew his trade. She was starting to believe that he was as good a thief as he said he was, which made his tongue-tied behavior around her even more bizarre. She doubted the Earth Kingdom authorities had any idea that the infamous Mouse of the Lower Ring and the awkward teenager traveling with her were one and the same.

For that matter, Azula still was unsure why Nazumi had agreed to continue to accompany her. She no longer suspected that he was setting a trap for her. In fact, he had gradually become more and more protective of her, insisting on what seemed to be excessive precautions during their travels. He developed detailed back stories for them that grew in complexity daily, in case they met up with any other travelers. He barely slept due to his desire to keep watch while they rested during the day. And he tried to teach her the bizarre thieves' slang of the Lower Ring, so they could communicate in secret if needed. Eventually, Azula had to gently but firmly insist that he get some rest, and managed to convince him that they were not, in fact, being actively pursued.

Azula doubted Nazumi was helping her out of some hope of a monetary reward; he was still subtlety suggesting to her whenever he got the chance that they should not make their meeting with his mysterious employers. And he didn't seem to care that she would someday be Fire Lord. At first, she was offended, thinking that he believed her goal to be an impossibility. However, she soon realized that despite his detailed planning, he preferred to concentrate only on the present, on those things that immediately affected him. A possible reward from the future ruler of the Fire Kingdom was too far down the road for him to worry about.

And Azula had to admit that Nazumi wasn't following her out of fear, as had been the case with those she lead in the past. During meals, he would tell her stories of his past jobs, and of life among the criminal element of the Lower Ring. She realized that his obsession with planning was matched by an equally strong streak of recklessness and lack of self-preservation. She initially suspected that he was embellishing some of his more noteworthy tales, but he was so up-front with his failures, which numbered equally with his successes, that she gradually realized he was telling her the truth. If anything, he seemed to have an utter disregard for his long-term survival, and instead lived each day like it was his last. No, Nazumi wasn't afraid of her; he was just just intimidated by her. She chalked it up to their different social strata and upbringings.

Still, Azula was glad that Nazumi had elected to stay with her, even though she would never say so. As odd as he was, there was no denying his competence. And despite his shady background, she felt he was trustworthy simply because he had no reason to betray her. Additionally, she didn't need to worry about appearing strong or in charge when she was with him. Partly this was due to the deferential manner in which he treated her, and partly because she knew that these qualities weren't important to him anyway. Finally, as ashamed as she felt at being a wanted criminal, he almost made her feel like it was normal, or as if she had joined an exclusive club. Once, he had even gone so far as to sneak into a nearby town while she was resting to fetch a Wanted poster displaying her face. When she woke up, he presented it to her with a shy grin, as if it was a badge of honor.

If Nazumi's internal motivations were a mystery to Azula, they went unexplored by their owner. He stayed with Azula on the command of his instincts, which had rarely steered him wrong over the years. He also felt an obligation to her after she had saved his life in Minoto, while purposefully forgetting that it was partly due to her initial inaction that his life had been endangered in the first place. The truth was, the life of a professional thief could be a lonely one. It was rare for him to have a traveling companion, especially one who was even more wanted by the authorities than he was. He finally had someone he could tell his numerous stories to without the fear that his audience would report him to the police.

And Azula was so interesting. She was a walking contradiction. When Nazumi had first met her, back in her cell, she seemed a psychological wreck, barely able to take care of herself. And she still had a long way to go before anyone would consider her stable. But in an instant, she could revert to the most capable and cunning of allies, able to instantly assess and take charge of any situation. A moment later, she would seem almost clueless as to the way the world really worked outside of the palaces she had grown up in, as when she told him she wished they could hire porters to accompany to Ba Sing Se. Even the way she treated him could vary from second to second. At times, she seemed like the arrogant, conceited princess that had grown up with the world at her feet, ordering him around like he was her servant. Then, in the blink of an eye, she would transform into a socially awkward teenage girl, paying him odd compliments that would end in uncomfortable silences. Still later, she would casually put on a display of firebending that showed the skill and power of a master, seemingly without realizing how impressive it was.

In fact, Azula spent a good portion of her time practicing her newly recovered bending. Her ability to form lightning was not as reliable as it used to be, and she was determined to have regained her control of it by the time they reached Ba Sing Se. She began with the basic forms that she had first learned as a child. They had been drilled into her head relentlessly by Ozai and her tutors. Back then, the pressure placed on her had been enormous, and her training sessions had been like marathons. The primary pleasure she had gotten out of her bending were the accolades she received from others.

Now, for the first time, her practice sessions didn't seem like work; free from the relentless expectations of others, she found that she had rediscovered the joys of bending for its own sake. Initially, Nazumi watched her as he recovered from his injuries. Once his wounds were more healed, he helped her out with her training, by providing her with a moving target. At first, Azula was hesitant to fire on him in his injured condition. She soon realized that her concerns were unnecessary. Even with his arm in a sling, he leapt around like a limping dervish, his preternatural speed making him virtually untouchable. Watching him casually swing from branches and flip through the air, he reminded her of an introverted, kleptomaniacal version of her former friend Ty Lee.

Things were so uneventful that Azula almost forgot that she was a fugitive. Nazumi, though, had healed enough to return to his normal scheming self, this time concerning how to convince Azula to not meet with her so-called supporters. He had gained some time when she agreed that they should stick to back roads until they reached Ba Sing Se. Even then, Azula only went along with this change in their plans with the concession that she would practice her bending daily. Nazumi knew this was far too conspicuous, but for once he needed time more than secrecy. But he was no closer to changing Azula's mind than he at the start of their journey. She simply said what she had back at the beach, that she was meeting her destiny in Ba Sing Se.

Destiny. It must be a royalty thing, he thought to himself as he climbed a tree as dusk approached. Azula was breaking camp, making sure they were leaving no traces behind, and he was gaining altitude in order to scout ahead. In his experience, the only destiny people had was the one they made for themselves. He had only one more night to convince Azula of this belief; by that time, they would have reached the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se.

He reached the tree top and looked out ahead. It looked clear all the way to the capital. He glanced towards their rear, just to be cautious. He hadn't expected to see anything, but…there. He dropped from the tree and landed noiselessly on the ground. "Azula, we've got company."

Azula jumped up in the air, and spun on him. "Nazumi! I thought I told you to stop sneaking up on me!"

Nazumi rubbed the back of his head and shuffled from foot to foot. "Sorry…force of habit." He pointed in the direction of the capital city. "I saw a campfire a half-hour behind us. We're too close to Ba Sing Se to start changing our direction to throw them off. I'll go check it out."

Azula crossed her arms. "I'm coming with you."

Nazumi raised his hands in protest. "It's better if you don't. Two people are noisier than one. I'll sneak in, see who they are, and be right back."

Azula shook her head. "The last time I let you go running off, you were almost killed. I don't want to waste any more time having to rescue you and then nurse you back to health."

Nazumi didn't like where this was heading; after seeing her practice her bending over the last few weeks, she looked like she was ready to burn the forest down if that would get them to Ba Sing Se any faster. "Just trust me. I've gotten us this far. If I'm not back in two hours, you have my permission to come and get me."

Azula pointed at him. "I don't need your permission to do anything!" But Nazumi had already turned and stalked off into the darkness.

Nazumi crept closer the campfire in the distance. He hoped Azula would listen to him for once. While it was comforting to have a powerful bender guarding your back, she wasn't the subtlest person in the world, and this wasn't the time to make a show of force, not when they were so close to the Outer Wall. He heard a chorus of voices talking and laughing amongst themselves. They were familiar voices. He found a patch of darkness to listen in from.

"Ugh! I thought prison food was bad! If the war was still going on, I'd think you were trying to kill us for the Fire Nation." This came from a female voice, young.

"C'mon, Smellerbee, s'not that bad. Besides, the last time I asked you to cook you pushed me into a river!" A deeper voice, male. "Hey, Longshot, tell her it's good."

This was followed by silence. Then, the first voice, the female, resumed. "OK, OK, I know I'm complaining because I'm on edge. We all are. Sorry, Pipsqueak. It's just that…we haven't faced anyone like Azula since the war."

A new voice chimed in. This one came from a young boy. "We can take her. She's just one person…and she's a girl. HEY! No hitting!"

One, two, three voices…there should be another…

Another male voice chimed in. "She's not alone, guys, remember? We're tracking two people, and whoever's with her is a mystery to us. So let's not start celebrating just yet. We stick to the plan…we'll take them just outside the Outer Wall. That way, if they give us trouble, the guards will be there to back us up."

Nazumi quickly thought out the variables in his head. He knew these people. If he went back and told Azula that they were being ambushed, she would come back to deal with them, and he knew what the outcome of that would be. The voices talking around the campfire belonged to good people. They didn't deserve the same fate as the bounty hunters who had ambushed him back in Minoto. But if Azula and Nazumi proceeded to Ba Sing Se, they would be pinned between their pursuers and the guards on the Outer Wall. That would be too much for anyone to handle, even Azula, and regardless, their cover would be blown. They could try doubling back, to lose their trackers…but Azula would never agree to it, she was too close to Ba Sing Se to turn back now. And if he didn't make up his mind soon, Azula would be on her way over here anyway.

The female voice spoke up again. "Yeah, I guess between us and the guards, we should be able to take them in without anyone getting hurt."

On an impulse, Nazumi stepped out of the shadows and into the light of the campfire. "That won't be necessary."

Back at their campsite, Azula fumed. Despite having dropped her title, Nazumi still insisted on treated her like a fragile princess, someone who needed protecting. I'm the one who saved his life! He'd be a bloody pulp lying in the gutter if it wasn't for me! She got up to pace around the clearing; it was a bad habit she seemed to have picked up from Nazumi. Well, if he wants to get killed, that's fine with me. I'm not his bodyguard. She looked into the darkness of the forest. I'm not like I'm worried about him or anything. She resumed her pacing. I'm sure they're just part of a caravan heading to the capital, not like those thugs back in Minoto…those killers…

She stopped short. That's right, some merchant going to Ba Sing Se…and I bet Nazumi won't be able to help himself from stealing something from them. He'll ruin everything. I'll have to go after him…to keep him from doing anything stupid. That's right. I won't let him screw us up now. Feeling better at having made up her mind, she stormed off in the direction that Nazumi was heading.

"Nazumi!" exclaimed the small form of the Duke as he ran over to Nazumi to greet him. The others came over as well, pleasantly surprised to see the thief. Nazumi looked around at them. They were all here: the enormous Pipsqueak, the gentle giant who served as the group's muscle; Sneer, the scout, whose normally surly expression had temporarily broken into a smile; the Duke, the youngest, smallest and loudest of the five; Smellerbee, whose warm heart was hidden by her gruff exterior; and Longshot, the silent archer who Nazumi couldn't help but think of as the backbone of the group of friends.

Nazumi had met them in the messy days after the war. They were orphans, and like many who were displaced during the hundred-year war, had no homes to return to. Instead, they had volunteered to assist the government of Earth King Kuei in helping the war's refugees as they travelled across the land. The post-war period was chaotic, and the government needed all the help it could get. The group was informally deputized, all except for the Duke, who was still too young to officially help them out. The Duke still went with them on their trips, though, and in between missions they had made a new home for themselves in Ba Sing Se. That was how they had first run in to Nazumi.

It was an odd friendship. Nazumi considered anyone working for the government akin to the police, and thus suspect. Longshot and the others, for their part, were initially weary of being on good terms with someone who actively took pride in being wanted by the law. However, he had won them over with the nonviolent nature of his crimes and the way he limited his "unauthorized borrowing" of money and goods to those who could afford to have a small portion of their wealth "redistributed." They also noted that, though Nazumi would never admit it, a good portion of what he stole somehow found its way into the hands of the refugees and dispossessed that had flooded the Lower Ring since the war's end.

For his part, Nazumi was impressed with the group's selfless behavior and related to their lack of family. He was also perplexed by their ability to refuse bribes, something he had never encountered before when dealing with the Ba Sing Se police. They had an unspoken agreement; the group of five wouldn't interfere with Nazumi's criminal activities or report him to the police, and Nazumi would give them information on refugees who could use their help, and wouldn't do anything too crazy that would increase the instability of the Earth Kingdom. It was a relationship that had worked…up till now.

Nazumi would have to play this delicately. He greeted them all in turn. "Well, look at this, I'm surrounded by the heroes of the Black Sun invasion. You guys still trying to save the world?"

Smellerbee punched him in the arm. "You still trying to crack into Ba Sing Se's Top Ten Most Wanted?"

Nazumi made a mock display of hurt pride. "Smellerbee, you wound me. You know it's not easy when I'm competing against murderers and kidnappers. I'm just a thief. But have faith, I think this is my year."

They sat down around the fire. Nazumi made sure to position himself opposite from the rest of the five; it couldn't hurt to be a bit careful. Well, better get this over with, before Azula shows up and torches the place. "So what brings you out here in the middle of the night? You know it's a school night for the Duke."

Pipsqueak's deep voice rumbled a reply. "We're helping out King Kuei. Azula's escaped, and we're tracking her. Heck, everyone is. We heard from some villagers a few days ago that they saw blue fire deep in the forest. We've been following her ever since."

Nazumi's stomach did a back flip, and he swallowed. He hoped that he could still talk his way out of this. "Why would you guys go and get mixed up in politics? Bounty hunting doesn't seem like your usual thing."

Sneer interjected. "We're not bounty hunters, Nazumi. If we were, we'd be tracking you." He laughed, and tossed a stick in Nazumi's direction.

Nazumi caught it nonchalantly, and spun it around his fingers. "Glad to hear it, Sneer, I'd hate to see you guys sink so low that you'd actually become full-fledged police. I think too highly of you. But seriously…you're usually all about helping people. Why go looking for Azula?"

"We are helping people," Smellerbee responded hotly. "Azula's dangerous. Who knows what she's got planned? She's probably looking for a way to restart the war."

Nazumi scowled. "You don't know that, Smellerbee. Maybe she just wanted to get out of prison. That's something we all can relate to, right?"

"I doubt that, Nazumi. She's not like us. Not like you either. Besides, she's not alone. She had help escaping. Whoever it was, they were good. Anyway, what do you care about Azula?" Suddenly Smellerbee's eyes widened. She had realized why Nazumi was out here in the forest in the middle of the night. "Oh, no. Nazumi…what have you done?"

Azula muttered profanities as she navigated the muddy terrain. She could barely see her hands in front of her. Suddenly, she slipped and fell in the mud. It was not the first time it had happened since she had set out from camp. Cursing, she clambered to her feet. She glanced down at her torn, muddied clothing, and could only imagine what she looked like. He had better be in real trouble…or I'm going to kill him.

Nazumi stared into the fire, silent. The others had quickly realized what Smellerbee meant. Azula had supposedly been held under the tightest of security. Only a professional could have freed her, someone good at getting into and out of prisons, someone like…

The Duke looked at Nazumi with an expression of hurt and betrayal. "Nazumi…you're with Azula? You're with the Fire Nation?" The others slowly stood up to surround Nazumi. The mood had quickly shifted from friendly to hostile; the five friends still bore grudges against the Fire Nation from the war.

Nazumi knew he should be getting out of there, but he seemed to be rooted to the ground. For some reason, he felt he had to explain himself to the five young heroes. "It's not like that. You know I don't care about politics. It was just a job, that's it."

Sneer asked the obvious question. "Whose job, Nazumi? Who hired you to free her? And more importantly, why? Did you even think of that?"

Nazumi couldn't meet his gaze. "A bit, I guess. I mean, I knew it was crazy, but they were offering so much money…I just got carried away. And then…when I saw her in prison…what that place was doing to her…I had to get her out. She's just a teenager; just like us. She didn't deserve to be locked up like an animal."

Smellerbee stood in front of him. "I told you, she's not like us!" She looked at the young thief, and saw his face collapse. She softened her tone, and bent down. "Nazumi…you lost everything to the war. We all did. How could you risk it starting up again?"

"Damn it, you don't get it!" Nazumi sprung to his feet and stood apart from the group, his back to them. The five, in turn, stepped back in surprise. They had never seen the normally cheerful Nazumi angry before. "You don't know what it's like, growing up in a place like that! You get locked up for a few months after your stupid invasion, and you think you understand, but you don't. You don't know what it does to you. Maybe you could have left her there to rot, but I couldn't."

Nazumi stood in silence, trying to control his emotions. This wasn't going the way he had pictured. Suddenly he felt someone grab his hand, and looked down to see the sad face of the Duke. "Nazumi …"

Nazumi rubbed his eyes with his free hand. "Listen, I know I've made a mess of things. But I took a job to get her safely to Ba Sing Se, and that's what I'm going to do. She's my responsibility. I won't let anyone else get hurt. You know I'm good for my word."

The group said nothing. Finally, Nazumi turned to Longshot, who had remained quiet throughout their argument. Longshot merely watched Nazumi with his normal reserve. "Well, Longshot? You've not your usual chatty self. What do you have to say?"

Longshot stared at Nazumi from beneath the brim of his straw cap. "How were you planning on getting out of this?"

Nazumi looked away and kicked the dirt. The truth was, he had no idea. "I'm a long way from home."

Longshot sighed quietly, and put his hand on the thief's shoulder. "Nazumi, I know how hard you had it growing up. Seeing Azula locked up like that, it must have brought back some memories. But her situation isn't like yours was. Her prison isn't made of stone walls and metal bars…it's in her mind. Until she changes her life, she'll never be free. You may believe you're helping her, but you're not."

Nazumi scowled at Longshot, as if the archer had shot an arrow in his heart. Damn it...he always knows what to say. "You know, Longshot, I like you better when you don't say anything."

He eyed the former freedom fighters, people who might have been his friends, if circumstances had been different. "So what now? Are you going to turn me in?"

The others looked at each other. Nazumi tensed himself for a hasty retreat. He knew how good they were; he wouldn't be able to escape from them easily.

Then, Smellerbee stepped forward. She looked at him sadly, as if he had disappointed her. "We won't fight you, Nazumi. And we'll stop following Azula. But we'll have to let the Earth King know that we saw her. That's the best we can do. We'll let you play this your way for now. If she does try something, I think you're smart enough to know that the Avatar will stop her. But if she hurts anyone, I'm holding you responsible. Do you understand me?"

Nazumi nodded and tried to look confident. "Thanks. I mean it. I…I won't forget this. And I'll make this right somehow." He gave them a shaky grin, and muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "Told you this would be my year…top ten or bust."

They made their goodbyes, and Nazumi wearily headed back towards where he left Azula. He felt worse than he had after being beaten by the bounty hunters back in Minoto. For the first time, he fully appreciated how much he was caught in the eye of a storm that was gradually raging out of control.

Suddenly, he ran into a startled Azula, and they fell to the ground in a heap. He looked at her incredulously. She appeared as if she had been dragged through a riverbed. Despite himself, he started to laugh, and then quickly restrained himself when he saw the fiery look on Azula's face. "Azula…what're you doing here? What happened to you?"

Azula sputtered, trying to clean the mud off her face. "I…though you might be in trouble...I wanted to…It's so blasted dark out here, I kept falling…"

Nazumi got up and helped her to her feet. How long had she been here? "Azula…did you hear any of that back there?"

Azula smoothed out her filthy clothing in a futile attempt to improve her appearances. She thought about what she had just overheard. What on earth had Nazumi meant back there? And what that archer had said...how could her situation be similar to Nazumi's? She had her questions, but they could wait until later. And the others…they had been wrong about her. She wasn't afraid of the Avatar, or anyone else. They were lucky she didn't have time to show him that personally. "I just got here. Who were those people? No trouble, I assume?"

Nazumi looked at her, relieved. There were some things that he preferred to keep to himself. "No, no trouble. Just some random travelers. No trouble at all. C'mon, let's get going. We need to make up for lost time. There's a river up ahead where we can get you cleaned up." With that, he set out back the way they had come, leading her further into the darkness.

Next: Down and Out in Ba Sing Se