Appa sailed leisurely through the air, the dappled sunlight playing over his fur and the people on his back. Aang was pacing in the saddle, muttering incomprehensibly under his breath, uncaring of the wind tugging at his robes.

"What's eating you, Aang?" Sokka asked from his relaxed pose. "You know if we hit a bump, you'll go flying out of the saddle."

"It's about what Roku said," Aang replied distractedly, rubbing at his arrow. "He said I need to master all four elements before the comet arrives."

Ty Lee pulled herself up, having been hanging upside-down on the edge of the saddle. "Well, you're the Avatar, right? Shouldn't it be easy to master the elements?" She asked curiously. "I mean, you've been the Avatar before, in your past lives."

The Water Tribals looked at her skeptically as Sun set the reins down to face them. "She's right, actually. As soon as the Avatar enters the Avatar State for the first time, the skills from the previous incarnations begin to bleed through to the current one." Sun explained, leaning on the saddle. "Every Avatar seems like a prodigy when it comes to bending, but it's really their former skills getting used to a new body, though most enter the state after mastering their first element."

Aang flopped in the middle with a sigh. "That's all well and good, but it doesn't change the fact that I haven't even started Waterbending and we're still weeks away from the North Pole."

"Don't worry about it, Aang." The blonde bender replied easily. "I can get you started on the basics, and Katara could use the practice. Everybody wins."

The monk perked up. "Really? You'd do that?" He asked excitedly.

Sun shrugged. "Sure. I just need to find a good amount of water."

"I'm sure we can find a puddle to splash in somewhere." Sokka commented dryly as the blond took up the reins.

Within an hour, Sun had found a puddle; if the term 'puddle' was massively misconstrued and actually meant 'huge waterfall'. A low rumble shook through the air as white water pounded the rocks below, pooling below in a wide, deep pool before flowing smoothly out as a river.

"How's that for a puddle?" The blond asked rhetorically with a grin. Appa bellowed happily before belly-flopping in the pool.

"Don't start without me, boy!" Aang whooped, charging towards the water as he tried to pull off his robe. Ty Lee had shucked off her cloak and was working on her slippers when Katara cleared her throat loudly.

"Ahem." She arched an eyebrow at the monk. "Don't forget why we're here."

"Oh, right." Aang smiled sheepishly, stepping away from the water. "How do we start?"

Sun stretched his hands over his head, sighing as his back popped. "Keep your shirt off," He ordered, dropping his armguards to the ground with a pair of loud thuds. "The best way to get a feel for the water is to actually feel the water. So, dunk your head in the water and feel it flow around you."

The monk nodded eagerly and knelt at the water's edge, taking a deep breath before plunging his head into the water. Katara frowned in thought and turned to Sun, her thoughts fleeing as she saw him without a shirt on. She watched him stretch as heat rose in her cheeks, before shaking out of it as Ty Lee dove gracefully into the water. "Uh, Sun? When you were teaching me, you didn't have me stick my head in the water."

"Well yeah, we were in the South Pole, that would be pretty dumb." He replied easily. "And I didn't have you do it because it's not part of the training. I just wanted Aang to stick his head in the water." Sun admitted with a grin.

Katara giggled, trying to keep a straight face. "That's mean." She tried to admonish while smiling, removing her outer clothing.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "You know what they say: 'cooler heads will prevail.'"

The Waterbender snorted, clapping her hands over her mouth in embarrassment. Composing herself, she shook her head. "That was bad."

Sun grinned unrepentantly as Aang surfaced, gasping for air. "That's good enough Aang, come join us. Actually, Ty, Sokka, you should join us as well. The kata are a good way to unwind and exercise, and bending styles aren't exclusive to the bending of one element." He explained as Sokka got up from his spot under the tree and Ty Lee wrung her hair out. "I myself use modified versions of the styles when I bend; like a mix of Airbending and Firebending, or Waterbending and Earthbending."

"Why?" The monk asked curiously.

"Because the meaning behind the stances aren't necessarily how I feel about the elements." The blond bender said simply. He took a Firebending stance, which practically shouted aggression, with a strong base and clenched fists. "I don't think of Fire as destruction and nothing else, as most Firebenders do. I can't really, not after learning from Master Wu." He gestured towards the sun. At their curious looks, he expounded. "The sun is a ball of fire, and without it, the whole world would be cold and dead. So, while it can be destructive, fire also brings life and light. But I've explained this before, so let's get down to Waterbending."

He had them take a loose, easy stance and went about correcting them (with the exception of Katara, who he had already taught), until it was satisfactory. Then, he showed them the basic kata and had them run through it until the motions were somewhat smooth. "Alright, that's good for now. Katara, can you show Aang the basic bending exercise? Ty, I'm going to show you how to fly using your cape."

Both Airbenders perked up and watched intently as their teachers explained the techniques.

Sun pulled his cape back on and stuck his hands through the hidden loops. "This is what you want to do." He said, pulling the cape taut. "Pull it out like this and control the air around you, direct it where you want to fly. You can either try using a running start to catch the wind, or climb to the top of a tree and jump off, either way works."

"Okay, Naruto." Ty Lee nodded, her face scrunched up on concentration as she pulled on her cape. He left her to it and joined Katara and Aang at the water. The monk had his tongue sticking out as he spun his open hand around the surface, trying to create a miniature whirlpool.

"Don't be mad if you don't get it immediately," Katara soothed quietly, "It's really just to get you familiar-"

"Hey, I got it!" The young monk cheered, a little whirlpool spinning merrily in the water.

"Good work." Sun praised while the tribal looked a little disquieted. "Next exercise is to swirl the water into a shoot, like a tentacle. After that, forming that into a ball. Katara, let's exercise while he does that."

The exercise consisted of forming a ball of water and passing it between the two benders. One would catch the ball and bend it behind their back before sending it at the other, who would continue the cycle. This could go on for hours if the benders were so inclined. It was supposed to mirror the push and pull of the tides and build harmony between the two, like the moon and the tides. The next level of the exercise would have the ball of water become a stream, constantly bent around the two. Katara wasn't ready for it yet; her movements were smooth, but still too practiced to be fully natural, though she was getting there.

"You looked unhappy when Aang Watebent." Sun noted as they passed the ball.

Katara flushed slightly. "Oh, you noticed that…" She muttered, her movement stuttering.

"Were you jealous?" He asked bluntly.

The tribal started, the ball of water splashing to the ground. "Wha - how did you know?" She stammered.

Sun shrugged simply, bending another ball from the pool and passing it to her. "I've got an eye for emotions like that. But remember what I said earlier. Aang is a natural at bending, he needs to be; so don't be envious and remember, you got that exercise down in a few minutes when it took me hours." He admonished gently.

Katara sighed, flowing through the motions to send the ball back to him. "I know I shouldn't be, but I guess I felt that Waterbending was my thing, even though I know there's a whole tribe full of them out there." She shrugged. "It's just something I'll have to get used to."

"That's a very mature outlook." Sun complimented with a warm grin, getting a smile from the girl. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Aang using Waterbending to play with a stream of water. "Hold on to that." He pulled some water away from the orb and spread it out, turning it into snow, before compacting it into a ball. "It's not a pie, but it'll work." Sun muttered, before chucking it at the back of the Avatar's head.

Aang yelped in shock and tumbled into the water, surfacing with a splutter. "Sun!" He shouted, "What'd you do that for?!"

"Just because you got it down quickly doesn't mean you can slack off!" The blond bender replied with a grin, tossing another snowball in his hand.

The monk narrowed his eyes in challenge, drawing his arms back and over his head, summoning a wall of water that he sent at Sun. "How's that for slacking off?" He called mischievously.

Sun dropped his snowball as Katara balked, jumping forward and throwing his arms out, creating a wide funnel of wind that slammed into the wall of water, scattering it into the sky as mist, before he gracefully dragged his arms around him and spun his hands, taking the mist and forming it into a miniature raincloud…which proceeded to rain on Aang. And only Aang.

Katara and Sokka fell over themselves laughing as Aang stood in the knee-high water with a dry look, a fluffy white cloud hovering and merrily pouring water on him. Sun grinned unrepentantly and stuck his thumb on his nose, wiggling his fingers at the monk, who joined the others in laughing.

They were cut off by a sudden girlish scream as Ty Lee burst through the cloud and splashed into the water. She popped up with a wide smile. "I think I'm getting the hang of flying, Naruto!" She called enthusiastically, before her face went slack in horror. "Oh no! I killed a cloud!"

…

After reassuring Ty Lee by telling her that the cloud was about to die anyway and that her actions were actually helpful and it was doubtful the cloud felt anything when she plowed through it, they continued to practice while Sokka gave Appa a cleaning and discovered that they were running low on supplies.

The gang found a port town nearby that, while a little shady and rough around the edges, had all they needed to buy and more. They had split up, with Aang and Sokka going out to find interesting knick-knacks as Sun, Katara and Ty Lee sought out a messenger service, where the acrobat and her childhood friend had written a few letters and stored them to be sent off later.

After they had finished, they walked along the docks to find Sokka and Aang talking to a lean, ratty man outside of a ship. "Hey guys!" The monk waved them over. "These guys curios! And that sounds really interesting, even though I don't know what 'curio' means!"

"Interesting knick-knacks." Sun explained dryly.

"Yup, we've got those too!" The barker smiled cheerfully, his grin showing several missing teeth. He herded them into the hold of the ship, which was stuffed to the brim with random and exotic curios. The group split up to look at all and sundry, Sun being drawn to a shelf the held small accessories.

He examined an orange hair tie that was decorated with a blooming Agni's bloom, thinking of Ty Lee still missing one of her hair ties. His eye was drawn to a pair of lacquered chopsticks with cobalt moon-tulips on them, and a fire-lily hair pin that made him think of Mai and Azula. Sun's mood dropped a little as he stared at the small pieces. I miss my friends. He thought sadly, running his thumb over the piece in his hand. I miss the time we spent together.

An arm thrown over his shoulder pulled the blond from his thoughts. "Oh-ho, eyeing these lovely pieces, I see!" The ratty barker said. "Looking for a gift for one of you 'lady friends', eh?" He asked like a confidant, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Basically." Sun answered. "How much for this?" He held up the Agni's bloom hair tie.

"Well, since I like your style, I'll sell it to you for thirty silver pieces." The man replied confidently.

Sun resisted the urge to look surprised. This is made with actual citrine, and the others with real sapphires and fire opals. It's likely this guy doesn't know their true value. "You throw in these two, and I'll pay you a gold piece." He counter-offered, scooping up the hair sticks and the pin.

"Deal!" The barker exclaimed enthusiastically, shaking his hand to seal the sale. "Anything else catch your eye?"

The blond stiffened for a second, a cold tingling washing up his spine. "Actually…do you have any lotus Pai Sho tiles?"

The barker, after biting the gold piece to make sure it was real, rolled his eyes up in thought. "I think we do…hold on." He looked behind the counter, rattling boxes and jars. "Aha! One lotus tile. One silver piece."

Sun handed the man his money and took the tile, peering at it curiously as it sat innocently in his palm. Why did I suddenly want to buy this? He wondered, before shrugging and pocketing the item with the rest of his purchases and wandering over to see what Katara and Aang were talking about. "A Waterbending scroll?" He asked.

"Yeah, look at all these crazy moves!" Aang said excitedly, nearly hopping in place.

Sun looked closer. "These are all basic moves." He stated with a shrug. "First tier, even. I'll be teaching you these once you get the exercises down."

"Oh." The monk drooped. "That's fine." He rolled it back up and set it on the shelf, looking up as a large older man in wide-brimmed hat with iguana-parrot on his shoulder frowned at them.

"You sure those are basic?" The Captain of the ship asked.

"Pretty sure, yeah." The blond replied easily.

"Huh." The captain hummed thoughtfully, before shrugging. "Oh well! Still got a good price for it."

Katara ended up buying a bracelet that looked to be made of the same material of her necklace, while her brother traded his simple machete and a handful of silver pieces for one made of blue and silver metal (which also matched his outfit, but no one pointed that out), and Aang bought an old wooden medallion that was worn with age, and he went silent as soon as he saw it. Ty Lee had purchased a light orange scarf that bore only a passing resemblance to Naruto's and if it looked exactly like his that was purely coincidental and nothing else, thank you very much.

Purchases bagged and payments paid, the group bid the high-risk traders goodbye and set off to find Appa, who was waiting outside of town. Sun split off to send his gifts to Azula and Mai, and as he was leaving the shop, he paused in shock upon seeing the backs of Zuko and Uncle.

The banished prince had his arms crossed and was looking away from Uncle, obviously scowling and tapping his foot impatiently. Uncle, on the other hand, was peering at every stall and worrying his fingers. Sun followed them stealthily as they walked through the market, Zuko complaining every few minutes while the older Firebender seemed to get more stressed as time went by. He had to bite his fist to stop from laughing out loud as Zuko acted like a pouting child and Uncle like a worried parent.

When they reached the pier area, Sun detached from the shadows and approached them from behind. "Ahem." He cleared his throat, grinning as Zuko jumped and spun around. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Naruto!" Zuko shouted, taking a hostile stance. "If you're here, the Avatar must be here, too. You must lead me to him!"

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Zu-Zu," he muttered amusedly. "I'm not going to do that."

The banished prince narrowed his eyes. "If you won't do it willingly, I'll have to force you." He growled out. "And don't call me 'Zu-Zu'!" He didn't notice Uncle stepping away from him.

"Don't blink." Naruto replied, before hitting Zuko in the face with handful of glitter. As he sputtered and coughed, the blond reached out and gave him an Airbending-enhanced flick, sending him flying into the water. "How have you been, Uncle?"

The older man smiled warmly at the young bender he considered a second nephew. "I have been well, Naruto. Though Prince Zuko has been pushing the crew to chase after the Avatar, I've enjoyed traveling to all these new places." He frowned. "Though, I lost my lotus Pai Sho tile today. I've been looking for one all day, but none of these shops have it."

The made Naruto blink in surprise as he pulled the tile he had bought earlier. "You mean-"

"Naruto!" Zuko growled as he pulled himself onto the dock, sopping wet with seaweed clinging to his shoulders. "You little-"

Naruto pushed him back into the water with his foot. "It's rude to interrupt." He turned back to Uncle and held the tile out. "I had the sudden urge to buy this for some reason, and I think it's so I could give it to you."

"Ah, thank you!" Uncle said happily, taking the tile and storing it in his sleeve. "My whole game has been put off without the lotus. Where did you find it, perchance?"

The blond pointed down the docks to the large ship, where the ratty barker was barking. "Down there. I remember seeing a Tsungi horn in there, too."

"Wonderful! Music night on the ship has felt like it was missing something," The Older Firebender remarked thoughtfully. "Now all we need is some woodwinds. And in any case, it was a pleasure to see you again, Naruto."

"Same here, Uncle." Sun replied with a smile. "Take care of Zuko, yeah?"

Uncle nodded in agreement as the prince they were talking about climbed out of the water, nearly apoplectic with rage, growling through clenched teeth. He stepped forward to charge Sun, but was stopped cold, literally, when the blond froze the water dripping off of him.

Problem thus dealt with, Sun bade Iroh goodbye and left the port town quickly as the older man headed for the ship. When Zuko burst from his ice-shell with a yell, he found Uncle stocked up on various goods, including a Tsungi horn and a stone monkey statue with rubies for eyes. "Zuko! Come help your old uncle carry all his merchandise! Music night just became three times as fun!"

The prince quickly scanned the area, finding it to be devoid of blonds and monks. "Where did he go? Why did you let him go?!"

"Ah, I couldn't let such great deals get away from me, nephew!" Uncle replied cheerfully, as if Zuko hadn't just screamed at him. "Now, my old back can't carry all these, come help!"

Zuko shook with fury, releasing a gout of flame from his mouth as he shouted at the sky.

…

Later that night, after having taken to the sky on Appa to leave the banished prince behind, the group found a nice area to camp out for the night. The pot was hanging over the fire, pleasant smells wafting from the top, though Ty Lee was sitting a bit away from them, as she was trying to create the swirling ball of air she'd seen Naruto use, and after the first time she blew out the fire, she realized some distance would be best.

She looked up as Sun plopped down next to her, the half-formed technique dispersing. "Oh, hey Naruto. Dinner ready?"

"Just about." He shrugged, relaxing next to her. "So, while we were in town today, I found something I think you'll like." He withdrew the Agni's bloom hair-tie and held it out.

Ty Lee gasped as she beheld it, taking it gently in her hands as if it were the actual flower. "You…you got this for me?" She asked him with wet eyes.

"I know you felt bad about losing your tie on the prison barge, so I wanted to get you something to cheer you up." The blond said honestly. "Do you like it?"

The acrobat sniffled quietly, tying her braid up with a practiced hand with the flower at the base. Then, she tackled him with a mighty hug. "I love it!"

He laughed at her exuberance, hugging her back. "I'm glad you're happy."

She pulled back for a second before darting forward, pressing her lips to his. "Thank you so much." She murmured, kissing him again.

From her spot by the fire, Katara could barely see what the two were doing, but even with the noise Sokka and Aang were making, she had a good idea. A sudden flare of jealousy made her heart burn, and she loudly cleared her throat. "Dinner's ready!" She announced clearly, feeling some satisfaction at watching them break apart.

As they ate, the Waterbender tried to get her feelings for the sunny blond in order, but found it difficult. She liked Sun, she really did, and she loved the private moments they shared where they talked about whatever came to mind. It was really easy for Katara to talk to him, and she didn't have to mother him like she did Sokka and Aang.

On the other hand, it was obvious that the feelings Ty Lee had for Naruto were returned, if tentatively, and Katara didn't truly know if she had it in her to take the blond for herself and leave the acrobat heartbroken. Either way, someone lost.

When she went to sleep that night, Katara still didn't have an answer.

…

Azula sighed to herself, burning another piece of paper that was covered in artful calligraphy that was a little wobbly in some places. Though she would much rather be outside practicing her Firebending, feeding the turtle-ducks or throwing rocks at the stone dummies they used for target practice; her father would not be pleased if she shirked her calligraphy practice. Her need to be perfect also kept her trapped in her room, practicing the forms and drills over and over again, even though she couldn't help but wonder and worry about Naruto.

She hadn't received a reply, even though her letter had been sent nearly two weeks ago; and while she knew messenger hawks took time to fly, a little part of her mind whispered insidiously in her ear.

The Fire Nation Princess huffed in annoyance as her bedroom door opened, even though she specifically told the servants to leave her alone. She turned to give the idiot interrupting her damned practice a piece of her mind, only to stop upon realizing who had entered.

Mai, her typically placid face troubled, closed the door behind her and unceremoniously flopped on Azula's bed with a loud sigh. "Yes, make yourself at home." Azula snarked from her desk. "Can I get you some tea or a pastry?"

"I got a couple of letters from Naruto." Mai replied, pulling a pair of heavy scrolls from her pockets. "One of them is for you."

Azula had moved across the room before she was even aware of it, snatching the scroll with her name on it from her friend and opening it quickly. She started at the sound of metal hitting stone, looking down to find a well-made fire lily hair pin resting on the floor. She picked it up and admired the fire opals in the sunlight streaming through her window.

"Why haven't you opened yours?" The princess asked curiously upon noticing that Mai was still lying on her bed, looking unhappy.

The placid girl shook her head with a sigh, sitting up and unrolling her scroll, looking surprised at the pair of blue hair-sticks that landed in her lap. Together, the two read their letters, feeling a mixture of sadness, elation and anger. Their letters were similar in that both had an explanation from Naruto, revealing that he had tried to contact them years ago, but without receiving a reply, he had thought they had moved on and had no desire to be friends any longer. He said that when he had met Zuko and discovered that they hadn't received any letters from him, he realized that Fire Lord Ozai must have burned his missives.

The similarities between the letters ended a few lines later, when Naruto told them that he was traveling with the Avatar and 'Please don't hate me. Things are not as they seem in the Fire Nation.' After that, the two ladies found personal messages from the blond, saying how much he missed them and wished to see them again and if they weren't too angry, to write back.

Along with that was a hastily scribbled post-script saying he hoped they liked his gifts. He had seen them and thought of them.

Then, on the other side of letter, the Fire Nationals had received another surprise, written in Ty Lee's looping, girlish scribble. Their long-time friend was not only an Airbender, but traveling with the Avatar to learn the Airbending ways and with Naruto, who was also an Airbender! And a Firebender, Waterbender and Earthbender, but they couldn't decide if they believed that or not. Their acrobatic friend had long had a wild imagination, but if she was telling the truth, then that raised even more questions.

Her letter ended with a brief plea: 'I also kinda, sorta, told Naruto how I felt and kissed him. I know you said we could share, Azula, but that was years ago and you were lying. Don't be angry please! I couldn't hold myself back, you would have been the same way! And he is soooo handsome now!'

Azula set her letters aside with conflicting feelings warring inside of her. She was happy that Naruto wanted to communicate, and that both he and Ty Lee were safe, or as safe as they could be traveling with an enemy of the Fire Nation. But the letters seemed fantastical. Ty Lee an Airbender? …Actually, Azula could see that; her acrobatic friend was flighty and free, classic Airbending attitudes. But Naruto being an Airbender? Let alone any other kind, besides a Firebender? It seemed impossible, unless…

…Zuko. That was the answer. He'd fought Naruto before, he would know.

Before Azula stood, she noticed that Mai was once more looking troubled, or as troubled as she could look. Mai had a neutral mask even the princess was jealous of. "Why the long face, Mai? Aren't you happy?"

"I am." She replied shortly, playing with the hair sticks. "I'm glad to hear from Naruto and Ty Lee, but there's something going on. The Army took over an Earth Kingdom, some place called 'O-mushy' or something. They didn't even put up a fight. Anyway, my father's been promoted as the Governor of this town, so we'll be moving there soon."

Azula sighed softly, sitting next to her friend on the bed with her arm around her shoulders. "While we won't be able to spend as much time as we want together, this could be a good thing." At Mai's curious look, she explained. "Zu-Zu hasn't been that successful when it comes to catching the Avatar; and, as we know, Naruto and Ty Lee are traveling with him. And we all know I'm more powerful than my brother."

"You're thinking your father would send you after him?" Mai asked shrewdly.

Azula shrugged, an utterly pedestrian gesture that somehow came across as cultured when she did it. "It's possible, but I think it would take a great failure on someone's part. And I heard a rumor going around that my father hired a bounty hunter to track down the Avatar." She huffed in dry amusement. "Seems he doesn't trust my brother to complete the job."

"Since when has Fire Lord Ozai ever believed in Zuko?" Mai muttered distastefully.

"Speaking of which, did you notice how Ty Lee said that Naruto could bend more than one element?" She asked rhetorically. Of course Mai did. She was very detailed-oriented. "Zuko wrote me a few weeks ago, saying he had fought Naruto, who was Firebending; naturally." He had grown up with a bunch of Firebenders in the home of the Firebenders, of course he was a Firebender. "I'm going to write Zu-Zu and see what he thinks. And another to send to Ty Lee and Naruto. Sit around for a bit while I write them. Apparently the palace mail is being watched, so I need you to send them for me."

"What makes you think I'm going to just sit here playing with my knives while you try and fail to write perfectly?" The placid woman said with knowing smirk. "I have letters I want to write too. And I could get them perfectly written on the first try."

Azula's eyebrow twitched. She hated being reminded of her imperfections. "You can use my calligraphy set to write your letters when I'm done and I'll cover the postage, alright?"

Mai shrugged uncaringly and sprawled out on Azula's bed. "That's fine, Princess. As long as you order a fruit tart."

"Good. And Mai?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

…

The metal of his boots clinked softly against the wooden planks of the pier. Even among the pirate-infested port town, the man in the black and red cloak was given a wide berth. His sulfurous yellow and red eyes and pale skin around them was the only evidence of his face, the rest covered in mask that looked to be made of some sort of leather.

Hawk was on the hunt. His primary targets had been through the port that day, and he would make no more progress with night falling. Thus he had taken a small bounty to sate his appetite.

He stopped outside of a tavern, the yellow light escaping through grimy window panes, joined by rough, raucous laughter. This was the place; his target's favored watering hole. Hawk stepped through the doors and scanned the room with his piercing gaze, his eyes immediately being drawn to the far side of the room where his target sat, laughing and sloppily drinking a mug of grog.

He slipped through the crowded tavern, pushing past the mass of bodies and making way towards his target. The bearded man looked up at the cloaked newcomer with glazed, drunken eyes. "Waddya want, freaky?"

"Your bounty." Hawk answered simply.

The tone among the group instantly changed, the air filling with tension. "You must have some kinda nerve, walking up to me like this." The pirate sneered. "Do you even know what kind of trouble you're in?"

The hunter shrugged. "I don't particularly care. The contract says 'Dead or Alive'. It's up to you which one it is." He replied bluntly.

A group of pirates around the target stood up, hands grasping weapons, obviously the crew coming to the defense of their captain. "You think you can take on all of my crew?" The captain asked roughly, drawing a wide, curved sword.

"I know so." Hawk muttered easily.

"Hey!" The owner shouted from behind the counter. "No fighting in the building! Take it outside!"

The bounty hunter sniffed in irritation, turning his back on the pirate crew and striding towards the door, the crowd parting before him. The crew followed quickly, one carrying a short sword darting forward to stab him in the back.

Hawk spun on his heel, dodging the blade neatly and brought his hand up, three large gashes opening up on the pirate's arm. The pirate dropped to his knees, clutching his arm, only to be kicked in the head. The rest of the crew paused in surprise upon seeing the weapons the hunter wore.

Both hands held a pair of black gauntlets trimmed in gold, three curved foot-long blades extending out from the knuckles and back, resembling a pair of talons. He wore similar weapons on his feet with an angled blade along the ankle and his foot, with another jutting from the top.

He gave them no chance, dashing into the fray with a whirling flurry of blades and blood. Every slash sliced through skin, and wild attacks were dodged and met with steel and focused, piercing yellow eyes.

The captain gasped in fear as the last of his men fell to the ground in a heap, his blood soaking into the dirt. "What the hell-what are you?" He stuttered fearfully.

"Just a bounty hunter looking for a payday." Hawk answered simply, sounding completely calm despite the combat and the red staining his clothes. "All your men are down, though they should survive."

Behind him, one of the pirates shuddered and vomited a torrent of blood before going still. "Almost all of them." He amended. "Now, are you going to come quietly, or will I have to make you?"

"You-you bastard!" The captain screamed, charging at the bounty hunter with his sword raised.

Hawk rolled his eyes and flicked his wrists, tongues of flame streaming from his hands to wrap around his weapons, leaving the blades glowing from the heat. With one swing, his talons sliced neatly through the pirate's swords, leaving him holding the hilt. Another lazy swipe divested the captain of his hands, the stench of cauterized flesh filling the air.

The captain fell to his knees, gazing in shock at the burnt stumps of his wrists, before Hawk kicked him in the face with the bottom of his foot.

Hawk stored his talons away and grabbed the unconscious pirate by his hair, dragging him along the ground. "Waste of my time." He muttered in disgust.

…

…

…

A/N: And there you go, Chapter Ten. It took awhile to come out, but I've had classes and homework and other stories and looking for a job and just all that BS. Whew.

So, some of the effects of Naruto being here and come through, such as the pirates. Since Sun is there and he knows Waterbending, Katara doesn't do the dumb thing and steal the Waterbending scroll and they have no problems with the pirates.

And money: Since I've got no idea on how money works, I've gone with the currency system in WoW (and I don't care if it started somewhere, it's where I found it) where a hundred copper equals one silver, and a hundred silver equals one gold. All the Nations use different-looking coins, but with the same rate.

And you saw more of Azula, Mai, and the mysterious Hawk, who I think I showed his character off pretty well. This is to set up for future events concerning all three, as Hawk is still hunting the Avatar and Friends, and Azula and Mai are plotting.

Thanks once again to Kurogane7 for helping edit and whatnot. Why not give his account a look. See what he's got to offer?

Kuro: Another chapter…another battle. Hopefully, we succeeded in delivering consistent quality.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to reading the next, which concerns Jet and his freedom fighters.

Stay Awesome.

~Soleneus

P.S….I can't think of anything. I guess, maybe…read my other stories? Dare to Wander is up for updating next. The Life With Monster Girls is pretty popular, and so is Jinchuriki of the World-Eater and Still No A Hero. My FF12 crossover is…there. Sci-fi, fantasy, post-apocalyptic, and slice-of-life, I've got it all!

Except for, you know, all the ones I don't.

Stay Awesome Some More.

~still Soleneus