Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Last Airbender.
Bodyguard of Azula
Chapter 21: Culture Clash and Visits
"Talking"
"Thinking"
"Bijū/spirit talking"
"Bijū/spirit thinking"
(Location: Royal Palace)
Zuko tossed and turned, trying to sleep. Realizing he couldn't sleep because of one single thing, he got out of the bed and grabbed a heavy cloak. He walked out of his room and down the hall, making sure that no one saw him. He left both the palace and the city, climbing over the rim. Once he was over, he walked the path to the Royal Prison, reaching it while it was still dark. He stopped and looked up at the prison itself. A guard walking on the balcony saw him. "Who's there?" He called, only seeing a cloaked and hooded person who walked away. Taking a last glance at the person, he resumed his watch.
(Location: Team Avatar)
A cloud flew through the air, flying over a couple of islands. "I think I see a cave below." Aang's voice came from within the cloud as it descended to the largest island there.
"Sssh! Keep quiet!" Sokka's voice ordered. The cloud floated down next to the cave and then dispersed, revealing Appa and his passengers. Sokka leapt down from the saddle, Akela alongside him. The wolf raised his head and sniffed the air. He did that for a few seconds before shaking his head at Sokka. He looked at the others. "Great job with the cloud disguise, but next time, let's disguise as the kind of cloud that knows how to keep its mouth shut." He told them all.
"Yeah, we wouldn't want a bird to hear us chattering there and turn us in." Toph remarked with the barest amount of sarcasm in her voice as the rest of the team got off of Appa.
"We're in enemy territory, Toph. If we're not careful, someone will take notice of us." He pointed out to her.
"Sokka, would you stop being paranoid?" Katara asked her brother with slight exasperation in her voice.
He looked her straight in the eye. "The last time you told me to stop being paranoid, I did and we let the Fire Nation walk into Ba Sing Se and take it right under our noses." Both Katara and Aang flinched, as his words had smacked them in the face.
"…Maybe we should get into the cave." Toph suggested, hoping to move past the awkward feeling in the air.
They all nodded in agreement and walked into the cave, seeing that it was big enough and roomy enough to bring in Appa. "Well, this is it." Sokka announced. "We're going to be living like this for a while, just going from one cave to the next."
"We don't need to become cave people." Katara pointed out. "What we need is some new clothes."
"Yeah, blending in is better than hiding out." Aang agreed with the resident Waterbender. "If we get Fire Nation disguises, we'll be just as safe as we would be hiding in a cave." No one would look for them if they looked like they came from the Fire Nation.
"Plus, they have real food out there." Toph pointed out from where she sat. "Does anyone want to sit in the dirt and eat cave hoppers?" She slammed her hand against the wall, making cave hoppers jump out of the wall. Momo snatched one and ate it before looking at the others. Akela looked at the lemur with slight disgust.
"Alright, let's get some new clothes." Sokka declared.
They eventually found clothes that were hanging out to dry outside a house that was right by a waterfall. "I don't know about this." Aang said as they crouched behind a rock wall near the house. "These clothes belong to somebody." It felt wrong to do this.
"I call the silk robe!" Katara shouted before jumping over the wall and running towards the clothes.
Both Sokka and Akela groaned at the same time. "By the Spirits, my sister is an idiot sometimes." The Tribesman swore.
"But if it's essential to our survival…then I call the suit." Aang finally said, keeping his voice down after Akela threw him a look and slightly bared his teeth. They all hoped over the wall and ran between the hanging clothes, grabbing different articles of clothing. They all hid behind a different rock wall and started to redress themselves.
"Ta-da!" declared Aang after he tied a headband around his head, finishing his disguise. "I'm a normal kid." He certainly looked the part, especially since the headband covered his tattoo.
Toph was already dressed in her disguise but was looking down at her feet, which were covered by shoes. "Hmm…I should probably wear shoes. But then I won't be able to see as well." She sat down and began to pull on the shoe. She forced her foot through the sole, sending flying (it would've hit Sokka, had he not ducked). "Sorry, shoes." She said. "Finally, a stylish shoe for the blind Earthbender."
"How do I look?" Katara asked them, coming back from changing in her disguise. She had let her hair out of her braid and dressed in a red dress.
Aang scratched the back of his head, blushing. He thought she looked quite beautiful. He then noticed something. "Uh…Your mom's necklace," He pointed at her neck.
"Oh…oh yeah," She saw what he was talking about and took it off. "I guess it's pretty obviously Water Tribe, isn't it?" Its blueness would stand out against all the red she was now wearing.
"Hey, Katara," Sokka said with an annoyed look. "What part of 'we're in enemy territory' did you decide to ignore? You could've woken the person sleeping by the door with your shouting. And don't even think about telling me to stop being paranoid." He told her as she was about to open her mouth.
"Hey, guys, let's calm down." Aang said, playing peacemaker. "Let's just go into town and get our supplies."
"Alright," The Tribesman turned to look at Akela. "You're going to have stay with Appa while we're in town." Akela gave him a look that said "You cannot be serious." "I am perfectly serious. You're a white wolf, I think it's going to be pretty obvious where you're from if you come with us." Akela looked at him again and then looked back at the house. Before anyone could stop him, he trotted back over to the house. He stopped at a big pile of soot and jumped into it. After rolling over in the soot for a couple of minutes, he got out and trotted back to them. His pure white fur had turned into sooty black.
Sokka just looked at the wolf. "…I am buying you the biggest, juiciest bone I can find in town." He declared. Judging by the wolfish grin Akela had on his face and the speed his tail was wagging at, he approved.
(Location: Royal Palace, Training Yard)
"That was a good workout, Kori." Azula complimented as she sheathed her daggers. The two of them had gone out to the yard to spar very early in the morning, having just finished said spar.
"Thanks, Azula. I wasn't sure if I would be able to hold my own against you." Kori replied, lowering her meteor star. It had turned out to be an even match.
The princess of the Fire Nation shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not a master with daggers, so you had an advantage." She was more inclined to use her Bending then her daggers.
"It wasn't much of an advantage." She looked around the training yard, seeing how it empty was. "Funny, I thought that half-sister of yours would've been here before us."
"What? You mean Yāo Jing?" Azula's voice filled with distaste as she said her sister's name.
"You did say she was a Firebender. Don't all Firebenders practice their Bending as the sun rises?" She hadn't seen the bastard daughter of the Fire Lord since the morning before.
"Most of us do. While Yāo Jing is a competent Firebender, she would rather fuss with her hair then practice." It was one of the many things she disliked about her elder sister. She valued how she looked over how she fought.
"Hey, Azula!" called out Ty Lee as she and Mai walked out of the building adjourning the training yard. "Where Naruto and those Sand people go?" The acrobat asked.
"Naruto had to visit one of the military bases on the outer islands, so he decided to take the Sand Siblings with him." Azula answered with a shrug of her shoulders. Her bodyguard did stuff like this all the time.
"…And you're not irritated that he's gone?" She asked with an innocent-looking smile on her face.
"He doesn't have to be at my side all the time, Ty Lee!" She snapped. As a matter of fact, she was irritated, but she had a guest in her house and it would not do to be a bad-tempered host.
"Oh, come on, Azula. We know you 'like' him." The acrobat placed emphasis on the word "like".
She blushed at the implication of the word. Feeling, a hand on her shoulder, she turned around and Kori standing behind her. "I approve." The daughter of Yu Dao's mayor declared.
"Huh?" Azula asked, completely confused by what she said. What did she mean by that?
"You have my approval to date Naruto." She explained.
Clearly, the princess of the Fire Nation had not been expecting that for an answer. "Who said anything about dating?" She half-shouted as her blush got redder. "Wait a minute, why do I need your approval to date him in the first place?"
"He is my big brother. I have to keep an eye out for him."
"He was never actually adopted by your parents." Mai pointed out.
"And I don't need your approval, he's my bodyguard." Azula told her.
"And you've already slept with him." Ty Lee announced, adding fuel to the fire.
"You what!?" shouted Kori, looking at the princess with shock on her face.
"Not like that!" Azula tried to defend herself.
"She's literally slept with him, that's it." Mai said in a deadpan voice. "We know this because every time we find them, it's hard to wake her up. She'll usually tighten her grip and burrow her head into his chest."
The princess of the Fire Nation decided it was time to give her two friends a beating. "Okay, that's it! Come here, you two!" She lunged for Mai and Ty Lee.
"Where do you think you're going?" Kori demanded, leaping after her.
"Free-for-all!" cheered Ty Lee. Mai just readied a knife.
(Location: Team Aang)
They had gone into town and bought a few necessary accessories. Katara got a new necklace, Toph got a new headpiece, and Sokka had gotten a top-knot piece. Aang hid Momo inside his shirt. "I used to visit my friend Kuzon here a hundred years ago." He told the rest of the group as they stood behind a wall, away from the street. "So, everyone just follow my lead and stay cool. Or, as they say in the Fire Nation, stay flamin'." He started to walk out onto the street.
"I've got a better idea." Sokka said, grabbing Aang by his arm and pulling him back. "How about we act like normal citizens and not sound like we're from a hundred years ago."
"Seconded," Toph agreed.
"It would probably be better." Katara said, outvoting Aang.
"Fine, let's go." He grumbled. They walked out onto the street and acted normal. It worked as people didn't pay a second look at any of them, not even the wolf. Eventually, they stopped in front of a restaurant. "Oh, we're going to a meat place?" The disguised Air Nomad asked as they looked at the place.
"Everyone here eats meat, Aang. Even the meat," Sokka pointed to a hippo-cow eating meat.
He was a little disgusted by that. "You guys go ahead. I'll just get some lettuce out of the garbage." He told them. They walked into the restaurant, leaving him alone in the street. He would've greeted everyone who passed by as hotman, except he could've sworn Akela was somehow watching his every move.
After a few minutes, he saw a couple of guards coming his way. "It's over." The lead guard said to him. "We caught you."
"Who, me?" He asked, confused and worried about what was going on.
"It couldn't be more obvious that you don't belong here. The next time you play hooky, you might wanna take off your school uniform." He looked down at his clothes before giving a nervous chuckle. The guard grabbed hold of him and took him away. They led him to a school and then shoved him into a classroom. As he regained his balance, he saw that every kid in the class was looking at him. They were surprised to see him, if the looks on their faces were anything to go by.
"Oh, is this a new mind ready for molding?" The teacher asked from where she stood at the front of the classroom.
Aang wasn't sure of this would go, but he decided to go with it for now. "That's right. Let the molding begin." He answered, knocking his head to emphasize his point.
"Wait a minute." The guards who were leaving had stopped when they heard the teacher's voice. "Ah, you're not from the Fire Nation." She walked around him, taking a closer look. "Clearly you're from the colonies."
"Yeah, the colonies, of course, the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom," He quickly agreed. If it helped him not being found out, he would go with it.
"Your etiquette is terrible." She chastised him as the guards left. "In the homeland, we bow to our elders." She walked back to her desk and turned to face him. "Like so." She showed how to salute.
"Sorry, ma'am," He apologized before attempting a salute. He did it wrong and the teacher caught him on it. He glanced at one of the students, who quickly showed him how to do it correctly. He then saluted the teacher correctly.
"And we don't wear head coverings indoors." She pointed her stick at his headband.
"Um…I have a scar. It's really embarrassing."
"Very well," She said, willing to let it go. "What is your name? Or should we just call you 'Mannerless Colony Slob'?"
He chuckled. "Just slob is fine." When he saw that she wasn't laughing with him, he tried a different tactic. "Or, uh, Kuzon," He said the last part like he was introducing himself to the class.
(Location: Military Base)
"Thank you for taking the time to visit our base, Lord Naruto." The commander of the base said, saluting the blonde as he and his companions were leaving.
"Not a problem. I had to give a seminar and I got the excuse to show my friends around." Naruto replied. "I trust you'll be able to handle the troops now?" The soldiers here had been a bit rowdy and full of themselves before he had arrived.
"Yes, sir," The commander promised with a nod of his head.
"Then we'll be off." He and the Sand Siblings walked out of the base and onto the road that led away from it.
"Nice seminar there, Naruto." Kankurō told him with slight praise in his voice. "I wasn't exactly expecting those practical demonstrations, though." But it had been quite amusing to watch.
The blonde shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "If you want to convince a rookie soldier that he is not invincible, you have to deflate his ego and his pride."
"And so, you decided, in the middle of the seminar, to have eighteen of the rookie soldiers try to attack you at the same time." Temari said. She would've thought that had been a bit too much, until she saw him manhandle them all.
"It knocked them off their high horses, which was the point of the entire thing." And if they were off the horse, they were more likely to live through the war rather than die in it.
"What do you plan to do now?" Gaara asked.
Again, he shrugged his shoulders. "Well, we have a couple of days left before we have to go back to the capital. Why don't we just hang around the island?"
"You mean like a vacation from a vacation?" Temari asked.
"That sounds about right."
Kankurō shrugged. "We don't have anything else to do."
(Location: Fire Nation school)
The bell rang, signaling the end of the day. Kids walked out of their classes and into the courtyard. Aang walked through the courtyard. "We made it through the day, Momo." He told the lemur hiding in his shirt. "And it was pretty fun."
"Don't let the headmaster catch you with that monkey." The girl who helped him back in the class said as she stood behind him.
He quickly hid Momo and turned around. "What monkey?" He asked her.
"Don't worry, I'm not a tattletale." She assured him. "My name's On Ji. I like your headband by the way."
Before he could reply, an older student shoved past him. "On Ji, you don't have to babysit the new kid." He told her, placing an arm over her shoulder.
"Wow, you must be one of those popular kids I've been hearing about." Aang said, after giving a quick salute.
"That's right. Now listen, 'friend'. I know you're from the colonies, so I'll say this slowly. On Ji is my girlfriend. Don't forget it." He poked Aang on the chest to emphasize his point. The shirt moved, but Aang pushed the moving object down before giving an apologetic smile. Both On Ji and her supposed boyfriend walked away, but not before the boyfriend made an "I'm watching you" gesture at him.
"It was nice meeting you." Aang said, raising his hand in farewell.
Another boy ran up to him. "I don't believe it, he didn't beat you up. Not even a little." He said in wonder.
"I guess I'm just lucky." The disguised Avatar brushed it off like it was nothing.
"We were on our way to play hide and explode. You wanna come?" The boy offered.
"I'd loved to." He answered. He followed the group and spent the afternoon playing hide and explode (which is probably not good for one's health in the long-term). Once night had fallen, he made his way back to the cave.
"Where have you been?" Katara demanded as he walked into the cave, covered in dust and soot, with Momo on his shoulder. "We've been worried sick." When they had come out of the restaurant and didn't see him, they knew something had happened. But they also knew that they couldn't do anything right off the bat without causing alarm, so they waited.
"I got invited to play with some kids after school." He told her as he undid the headband. Momo leapt off his shoulder and landed next to Akela, who was chewing on a bone.
Sokka sprang up. "After what?!" He demanded.
"I enrolled in a Fire Nation school, and I'm going back tomorrow." The Air Nomad explained to him.
"Enrolled in what?!" The Tribesman repeated before sitting down again. "He's an idiot. I swear he's an idiot." He muttered to himself. Akela heard him and nodded in agreement.
(Location: Royal Prison)
The guard stood outside a cell door, facing one end of the hallway. Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned around and leveled his spear. "You again?" He said as the same cloaked person he saw the previous night walked towards him. "Stop where you are!" He ordered. The cloaked person raised his head, allowing the guard to see his face. "Prince Zuko…?"
Zuko grabbed the guard by the shirt and slammed him into the wall, making him drop his spear. "I'm going in for a visit. You're going to stand guard here, and no one is going to know about this." He released his grip on the guard and then walked into the cell. "Uncle, it's me." He announced, lowering the hood. Iroh said nothing. He just turned his back to look away.
(Location: Cave)
"Aang, I'm trying to be mature and not immediately shoot down your idea, but it sounds…really terrible." Sokka stated bluntly.
"Yeah, we got our outfits. Why do you need to go to school for?" asked Toph, a slight disgust emphasized on the word "school".
"Every minute I'm in that classroom, I'm learning new things about the Fire Nation." Aang told them. "I already have a picture of Fire Lord Ozai." He held up a painting of the Fire Lord for them to see. "And here's one I made out of noodles!" He held up a second picture.
"While that is impressive, it's still too dangerous for you to go there." Sokka told him. It was too risky to even try again.
"I guess we'll never find out about the secret river then. It goes right to the Fire Lord's palace. We were supposed to learn about it in class tomorrow." He said, trying to be sly.
Sokka just look at Akela. "Could you bite him, please?" The wolf stood and lunged for Aang's arm, which he pulled out of the way with a yelp. "Don't try and fool me, Aang. If there was a secret river, why would they tell kids its location?" The Tribesman told him.
"C'mon, Sokka, just a few more days, please?" He pleaded. He really wanted to do this. It was fun.
He gave a small groan, knowing that the Air Nomad would not let it go. "Fine, but if we get noticed, we're leaving."
"Flamey-o, hotman!" cheered Aang before he ran out of the cave.
"Flamey-o?" repeated Sokka as he looked at Katara. She just shrugged.
(Location: Royal Prison)
Zuko stared at his uncle's back. "You brought this on yourself you know." He said. "We could've returned together. You could have been a hero!" Iroh said nothing. He just shifted his weight and stared at the wall. "You have no right to judge me, Uncle. I did what I had to do in Ba Sing Se, and you're a fool for not joining me." Iroh still just sat there. "You're not going to say anything?" When he didn't get a reply, Zuko destroyed a stool with a fire-enhanced punch in anger. "You're a crazy old man! You're crazy! And if you weren't in jail, you'd be sleeping in a gutter!" He stormed out of the cell, slamming the door behind him.
(Location: Fire Nation school)
The teacher walked into the classroom and the students stood up (one particular student stood up slower than the rest). "Good morning, class." The teacher said as she sat down in front of her desk. "Recite the Fire Nation oath."
The students turned to the back of the room where a painting of Ozai hung on the wall. They bowed their heads and saluted. "My life I give to my country, with my hands I fight for Fire Lord Ozai and our forefathers before him. With my mind, I seek ways to better my country, and with my feet may our March of Civilization continue." They all recited.
Aang tried to follow the oath, but failed due to the fact he didn't know it. His attempt made the other students giggle and caught the attention of the teacher. "Since it's obviously hilarious to mock our national oath, we'll begin with a pop quiz on our great March of Civilization." She announced as the students sat back down. The students groaned, but grabbed their paper and pens. "Question one: what year did Fire Lord Sozin battle the Air Nation armies?" Seeing Aang's raised hand, she looked at him. "Kuzon?"
"Is that a trick question?" He asked standing. The other students looked at him. "The Air Nomads didn't have a formal military. Sozin defeated them by ambush." His statement made the students look at him like he had grown a second head.
"Well, I don't know how you could possibly know more than our national history book. Not unless you were there a hundred years ago." She said with barbed sarcasm.
Realizing that he was treading on thin ice, he sat back down. "I'll just write down my best guess." He replied, quickly writing down his answers. The class continued on and once they were down, they went to the music hall. He was given the tsungi horn. When the music started, he took a deep breath and began to play very loudly and badly, all-the-while doing a tap dance with his feet. The other people playing stopped and watched him.
"Kuzon?" asked the music teacher.
He stopped playing and saw that everyone was looking at him. "I know. I'm a terrible tsungi horn player." It was a little embarrassing to admit, but he was.
"No, child," The teacher said. "That hullabaloo going on with your feet, is that a nervous disorder?"
He looked at his feet and then back at the teacher. "I was just dancing. You do dances here in the homeland, right?" He asked the students around him.
"Not really, no." One of the students told him.
"Dancing is not conducive to a proper learning environment." The music teacher told him, walking away from his podium. "Young people must have rigid discipline and order."
"But what about expressing yourself?" He asked back. Surely, they had to have had that.
"I know sometimes we're so ruled by our love for our nation that we can't control our own bodies." The teacher said as he walked back to the podium. "If you must, you may march in place quietly next time the urge hits you." He waved his conducting stick and the others started playing again. Aang played a few notes while quietly marching before stopping completely, feeling somewhat dejected.
After the music class, they were let outside for break. As he walked outside, Aang could hear the other kids whispering about what he did. He stopped walking before he crashed into On Ji. "Hi, Kuzon," She greeted him. "I really liked that crazy dance you were doing."
"Thanks, On Ji. I could show it to you again if you like." He offered. A burst fire hit the books he was carrying in his arms, reducing them to ashes and surprising him.
"What'd you say, colony trash?" Hide demanded from where he stood in a Firebending stance. "You're going to show her something?" He got out of the stance and walked up to Aang.
"Just some dance movements." The disguised Air Nomad told him, seeing nothing wrong with what he said.
"Nobody shows my On Ji anything, especially movements!" He tried to attack Aang, but he kept missing because the disguised Avatar kept dodging. The end result almost looked like a dance (key word: almost).
Hide tried to hit Aang with a haymaker, only to have his fist incased in sand, stopping the punch. "That is enough." Everyone turned to look at who had spoken. Aang had a look of shock and surprise when he saw that it was Gaara, who he hadn't seen since Ba Sing Se.
"Who are you?" Hide demanded, glaring at the foreigner. "You're another one from the colonies, aren't you? Protecting your fellow trash, I see. Maybe I should teach you how to respect your betters."
"It would not be wise of you to attack me." Gaara told him.
"I don't want to hear it, trash!" He charged, swinging wildly. His efforts to hit Gaara were futile, as his opponent would lean to the side to avoid the punch, tilt his head, or use his sand to block the punches. Eventually, the redhead had enough and used his sand to push Hide away, knocking him to the ground.
That was when the headmaster decided to make his appearance. "What is going on here?" He demanded as he helped Hide stand up.
"The new kid attacked Hide and then that stranger joined in!" One of Hide's flunkies cried, pointing at Aang and then at Gaara.
The headmaster looked at Aang. "Picking fights on your second day?" He asked rhetorically. "We need to have a conference to discuss your punishment. Bring your parents to my office after school."
"Parents?" repeated Aang. "But—"
"Don't be late!" He turned his attention to Gaara. "And you. You are going to be in a lot of trouble for attacking my star pupil!" He threatened.
"That's funny." Naruto's voice rang as he joined them with Kankurō and Temari right behind him. "From what I saw, your 'star pupil' attacked a foreign head of state and a close friend of mine." He told the headmaster.
While Aang was having a panic attack from seeing the blonde, Hide sneered at him. "Who in Agni's name are you?" He demanded in an arrogant voice.
Naruto didn't even spare him a glance. He just looked straight at the headmaster. "And here I thought your school taught children how to respect their betters." He remarked with a slight frown on his face.
The headmaster bowed in apology. "I am sorry, my lord." He said. He had no idea the man before him would be here. Otherwise, he would've welcomed him.
"You don't have to bow to him, sir." Hide said aloud, still sneering at the blonde. "He's a piece of trash."
"Quiet, Hide!" The headmaster barked at him. "You will be respectful. This is Lord Naruto, Paragon of the Fire Nation and bodyguard to Princess Azula!" Hide's sneer was replaced with a mixture of horror and shock. The rest of the students stared at the Paragon with awe and wonder in their eyes.
"And this is Gaara no Sabaku, the Godaime of Sunagakure, and his brother and sister, Kankurō and Temari." Naruto introduced the Sand Siblings. Once he did, he looked at Hide, examining him very carefully. "If he is going to be a part of the future of the Fire Nation, then the Fire Nation is doomed." He finally declared.
"What?!" yelled Hide, the look he wore turned from horror and shock to outrage.
"Kid, I can tell what your entire military career is going to be like just from your actions." He said.
"Oh yeah, what's it going to be like?" The outrage vanished and replaced by a cocky arrogance. He was sure to be a top ranking general, perhaps even on the Fire Lord's council.
"Dead. Within a week. Killed by your own soldiers." The blonde answered with a deadpan voice.
"You will keep quiet, Hide." The headmaster ordered as the student was about to open his mouth. They did not need to suffer any more embarrassment.
"So what actually happened here?" Naruto asked aloud, looking at all the students there.
"Kuzon here offered to show me some dancing moves." On Ji said, pointing at Aang. "Hide overheard us and tried to attack him."
"Did Kouzan fight back?" The blonde asked her.
She shook her head. "No, my lord, he just avoided the punches."
"And your name is…?"
"On Ji, my lord," She introduced herself, bowing to him.
"Okay, number one: don't call me lord. It makes me sound like I have a stick up my ass." Giggling ensured around the courtyard when he said that. "Number two: is all that happened?"
She shook her head again. "No sir. When…um…uh…" She looked uncertainly at Gaara.
"Just call him Gaara, kid." Naruto told her. "If you're feeling formal, call him the Kazekage."
"Oh, okay. When the Kazekage stopped Hide from attacking Kuzon, he tried to attack him."
"Yeah, we saw that part." He turned his attention to Aang. "When were you planning to show On Ji these dances moves?" He asked.
"What?" The disguised Avatar squeaked out, feeling very nervous. He wasn't sure if the Fire Paragon knew who he was or not and, quite frankly, he was hoping for not.
"You heard me. When were you going to show her the dancing moves?"
"A-after school, I swear!"
"Alright then," He turned to face the headmaster. "I assume that your 'star pupil' will be properly punished?" He asked the man.
The headmaster had a look of defeat as he bowed. "Yes sir." He didn't want to do it, but the Paragon would now be expecting it. So he had to do it.
"Why am I being punished!?" demanded Hide. "He was the one who was going to teach her dancing movements."
"He was going to do it after school." Naruto told him. "If Kuzon was going to teach her the dance moves outside of school, then there is nothing the school can do." He looked around the courtyard as the headmaster and the "star pupil" left. "Now that's done and since I'm here, I've got a question for you all here"
"What's that, sir?" On Ji asked.
He gave a goofy grin that made him looker younger. "Anybody up for a game of tag?"
(Location: Fire Nation Capital)
"Orange is such an awful color." Mai stated as she and Zuko watched the sun setting. They were having a little picnic on a cliff facing the sea and the setting sun.
He couldn't help but snicker at those words. "You're so beautiful when you hate the world." He told her.
"I don't hate you." She replied.
"I don't hate you too." They kissed, but were interrupted when Azula cleared her throat. They looked to see her standing just off of the sheet they were sitting on.
"Zuko, could I have a word with you?" She asked her brother.
"Can't you see we're busy?" He asked in reply, annoyed that she would show up now of all times.
"Please." She said, surprising him.
Mai stood up, realizing that Azula wasn't going to go away. "I'll leave you two alone." She told Zuko before walking away.
Azula waited until her friend was out of earshot before speaking. "So, you've been visiting Uncle in the prison tower." She said to her brother.
He stood up. "Who told you?" He demanded. He had tried to keep those visits a secret.
"You did, just now." She answered with a small smirk on her face.
He sighed in defeat and sat back down. "Okay, you caught me."
"You need to be more careful." She warned him, the smirk disappearing from her face. She was now serious. "If people find out you've been to see Uncle, they'll think you're plotting with him."
"And then Yāo Jing will whip those people into a frenzy which she'll use to get me killed." He finished for her, seeing where she was going with that thought.
She nodded in agreement. "Exactly, and it will take her one more step closer to the throne."
(Location: Cave)
"Okay, that's it. We're leaving!" Sokka declared after Aang told him what happened at the school. The fact that Naruto showed was enough to make the Tribesman want to keep moving.
"I'm not ready to leave yet." Aang protested. "I'm having fun for once, just being a normal kid. You don't know what it's like, Sokka. You get to be normal all the time."
"Ha, ha," Toph laughed. Sokka ignored her. Instead, he focused on the problem they were having.
"Listen guys, those kids at school are the future of the Fire Nation." The Air Nomad explained to the rest of the team. "If we want to change this place for the better, we need to show them a little taste of freedom."
"What could you possibly do for them?" Sokka asked.
"I'm gonna throw them a secret dance party!" He did a little tap dance to emphasize his point. The others just stared at him like they couldn't believe what he had just said. Finally, Sokka walked up to him and smacked him across the back of the head. "OW! What was that for?!" He demanded, clutching his head.
"I was making sure your brain was actually working." The Tribesman told him. "For the love of the Spirits, you were almost caught today, Aang! If Naruto had recognized you, we would've had the entire Fire Nation army coming after us!" And if that happened, there goes the invasion plan!
"But he didn't come after me." The Avatar protested. "And it's not like he'll be there if we hold the party. Besides, we know that Gaara, Kankurō and Temari are alive."
"But now they're with him now." Toph pointed out. It had been a little surprising to learn that the Sand Siblings were with the Fire Nation now.
"Asuma and the others told us that Gaara considers Naruto to be one of his closest friends." Katara reminded the blind Earthbender.
"And besides, Naruto seemed a little different." Aang said. He remembered the game of tag they played. Naruto didn't look like the person who had been after them. He looked like someone who was having fun.
"What do you mean?" The Waterbender asked him.
"I think there are things about the Fire Nation he doesn't like. He looked a little disgusted when he looked at Hide and the headmaster. And the way he talked about the Fire Lord, it sounded like he didn't hold him in high esteem. Maybe we can…" He trailed off into silence.
"Maybe we can what?" Sokka asked him.
"Maybe we can convince him to join us."
"…I'm sorry. I think I just heard something stupid." The Tribesman said. "Could you repeat yourself?"
"You heard me, Sokka." Aang told him. "If we can get convince Naruto to join us, Gaara, Kankurō and Temari would join us as well."
"Aang, have the past couple of months taught you nothing about Naruto?!" The blonde was more likely to attack them then talk to them!
"We can still try!" He replied stubbornly.
"Hey, back on the subject of the secret dance party." Toph said. "Are we still doing it?"
"Yes, we are." The Air Nomad declared.
The rest of the day was spent passing the information out to the students and getting ready for it. By the time night had fallen, they had lit the cave up with a lot of candles while Toph bent the earth up into a stage for the musicians to play on. "It seems so silly to have a dance party." Sokka said, placing down candles.
"Don't think of it as a dance party." Aang told him as he put on his headband. "But as a cultural event celebrating the art of fancy footwork," He did a little dance to emphasize his point.
Toph felt vibrations coming from her feet, telling her that people were getting closer. "They're coming!" She announced for everyone in the cave to hear. "Everybody stop bending."
Aang walked over to Appa. "Sorry, buddy. You should probably wait out back. The sky bison grumbled as it walked out the back door. "I know. You've got fancier feet then anybody, and six of 'em!" The Air Nomad called after him as he left.
Sokka looked at Akela. "You're going too. We're not risking someone petting you and finding the soot." He told the wolf. Akela just padded after Appa. Soon enough, both animals had disappeared from sight.
Aang noticed that the students had arrived, so he put on a smile. The student musicians took their places on the stage and started a tune. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Flamey-O's!" He announced in a loud voice to all of the students there. "This is ought to get everyone dancing." He said to himself, before turning around. Not one of the students was even moving.
"Now what do we do?" One of them asked.
"This is when you start dancing." Aang told him, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I don't think my parents want me dancing in a cave." A somewhat chubby boy said.
"Yeah, what if someone finds out?!" asked another student before running back into the crowd.
"Oh boy," Aang muttered, rubbing the back of his head. This was going to be a lot harder than he thought. "Listen guys, dancing isn't something you think about." He explained to them. "It's a form of self-expression that no one can ever take away from you."
"Maybe it was different in the colonies, Kuzon, but we don't do that here." The first student told him.
"Sure you do, you have for generations! It just so happens that I know several classic Fire Nation dances. A hundred years ago, this was known as the 'Phoenix Flight'." He got down low and started doing the movement, earning the kids' attention. "And this is the 'Camelephant Strut'." He went off into a different dance, which got a couple of girls to giggle. The boys were awed by his moves.
"Who knew Twinkle Toes could dance?" Toph asked Katara as they sat at a table, watching him move. Katara just smiled at his actions.
(Location: Royal Prison)
Zuko knelt in front of Iroh's cell, a basket of food in front of him. "I brought you some komodo chicken." He said as he pushed the basket into the cell. "I know you don't care for it but I figure it beats prison food." There was silence for a few minutes. "I admit it, I have everything I always wanted, but it's not at all how I thought it would be. The truth is, I need your advice." He gripped the bars. "I think the Avatar is still alive. I know he's out there. I'm losing my mind. Please, Uncle, I'm so confused. I need your help." Iroh remained silent. "Forget it, I'll solve this myself! Waste away in here for all I care!" He walked away from the cell. He opened the door and glanced back before leaving. Iroh still said nothing. The only thing he did was shed a single tear.
(Location: Cave)
Aang did a front flip through the air and landed on his feet, getting applause from the audience. He grabbed On Ji and pulled her out onto the dance floor. "And this is how they do it in the ballrooms of Ba Sing Se." He started another dance, which On Ji soon joined in.
"They looked pretty good together." Sokka commented as he watched the two of them dance together.
"Eh, if that's what you like." Katara muttered, looking away. However, she snuck a glance at them, feeling a little jealous.
More kids started to join the two of them on the dance floor. "Yeah, that's it! That's the sound of happy feet." Aang said. Even more kids joined in. "Alright, go with that. Everybody freestyle!" And freestyle they did. Soon, some of the shyer kids joined in the dancing.
Katara just sat at one of the tables. Aang appeared in front of her and held out his hand, surprising her. "I don't know, Aang." She said, looking away nervously. "These shoes aren't really right for dancing, and I-I'm not sure I know how to—"
"Take my hand." He told her.
"Okay." She took his hand and he pulled her onto the dance floor. He whispered something in her ear and she nodded in agreement. They bowed to each other, crossed arms and began to circle one another. "Aang, everyone's watching." She told as the others had stopped dancing and were watching them. It was a little embarrassing.
"Don't worry about them. It's just you and me right now." His reply made her blush. They began to dance. While it was a dance, it also looked like a fight between Benders. There were quite a few spins, kicks, flips, and twists in the dance. The audience watched in stunned amazement as they danced. When they stopped, they clapped and cheered.
Outside of the cave, the headmaster of the school arrived with guards. He heard the noise coming from inside the cave. "It is a dancing party." He said. "You did the right thing by telling me, Hide."
"Anytime, Headmastersir," Hide replied with a salute.
In the cave, the dancing was going strong. "This is incredible!" The chubby student said as he danced. "It's like my inhibitions just disappear!" Then he and the rest of the students saw the headmaster and the guards. "Okay, they're back again."
The music stopped. "He's the one we want! The boy with the headband!" shouted the headmaster as he pointed at Aang. The guards charged forward, intent on grabbing him.
"Uh-oh!" yelped Aang before he ran into the crowd. The music started up again, faster. The guards plunged into the crowd of students.
One of them reached for what he thought was Aang. "Gotcha!" He said, grabbing the student's arm.
"Looking for me?" The student asked, turning around. He had taken the school belt and wore it as a headband to fool him. The guard got confused and looked back at the headmaster.
"That's not the one." The headmaster told him. "He's here somewhere. Don't let him leave the cave!"
The guards kept trying to find him, but they kept grabbing students who put on the headbands. Even the headmaster tried to find him. In the end, both he and the guards were surrounded by the students, all wearing headbands.
In the back, Team Avatar was leaving. Aang was the last to leave. Seeing a student wink at him, he returned it with a salute. He escaped through the back entrance and closed it with Earthbending, missing the student's stunned expression.
The headmaster and the guards had been trapped in the middle. "Stop that!" He ordered one of the guards as he started dancing to the music. "Stop that!" He ordered another guard as she tapped her foot to the beat.
"Oh, relax. Even guards need to enjoy themselves." Naruto's voice said. The music died as everyone stared at who was standing at the cave entrance. "But more importantly, what are you doing here?" The Paragon asked the headmaster.
"Hide informed me that there was a dancing party that students of the school were attending." He promptly answered. "As you know, Lord Naruto, something like this is illegal."
"…You've never really read the rules about the education system, have you?" The blonde asked him, making the Sand Siblings smirk in unison.
"Excuse me?"
"A dancing party is illegal. That is true." The faces of the students fell when they heard those words. "But only on school grounds. And as far as I can tell, this is not school grounds. So, you're out of line." The headmaster tried to come up with a reply, but could only splutter. "Just leave and take your snitch with you." He pointed to Hide. The headmaster scowled at him and marched out of the cave, the guards and Hide following him. Turning his gaze back onto the students, he saw that they were all looking at him. "What?"
"Are you going to tell us to go home now?" A student asked him.
"Are you kidding? I just pulled your rear ends out of the fire. You kids go play and dance your hearts out. That's an order!" He told them all.
"Yes sir!" The students replied, giving him a salute with mock formality. Naruto and the Sand Siblings just stayed in the back and played crowd control for the rest of the party. It was a good way to spend the night, watching kids have fun.
(Location: Team Avatar)
Appa flew out of the back of the cave and into the night. "We're safe." Katara announced, looking away from the edge.
"Hold on." Sokka said as he looked over the edge.
"What?" Aang asked him.
"I just saw Naruto and the Sand Siblings go into the cave. We might want to go a little faster." The Tribesman announced. Appa had seemed to have heard him because he picked up the pace.
"Way to go, dancey pants." Toph congratulated Aang. "I think you really did help those kids, you taught them to be free."
"I don't know. It was just a dance party, that's all." He replied.
"Well, that was some dance party Aang." Katara told him, kissing him on the cheek and making him blush.
But when he saw one of them not looking happy, the blush faded. "Hey, Sokka, what's the matter?" He asked as he saw the Tribesman still looking over the side of the saddle.
"We got lucky back there." Sokka stated.
"Don't worry, Sokka. Naruto should able to see what we're trying to do if we talk to him." The Air Nomad assured him. He was sure of it.
"Don't get your hopes up. Otherwise, you might be getting a big disappointment." He replied as they flew through the night.
(Location: Fire Nation Capital)
Zuko walked down the street in the harbor. Night had fallen and the darkness cast shadows everywhere, making it look like the place you wouldn't go visit after dark. Not without a purpose. He arrived at the spot, lowered the hood of his heavy robe and waited. Soon, he heard a heavy foot and the clank of metal. Turning around, he saw the man he was looking for. "You sure you weren't followed?" He asked the man, who stayed silent. "I've heard about you. They say you're good at what you do and even better at keeping secrets. The Avatar is alive. I want you to find him and end him."
The assassin didn't say anything, he didn't have to. His metal leg, metal arm, and his tattoo of a red eye said enough.
End
Author's note: Thanks for all the reviews you've sent me.
Yes, Aang seems to think that if he talks to Naruto, he'll come over to their side. This is why that boy would never last in an actual school. He would be eaten alive within five minutes. Don't worry, that will be taken care of later.
Now, I'm going to say this one more so I can my point across. Only original Zanpakutō will be used. There will be no using Zanpakutō from the Bleach series itself. Those of you who want me to give them ones from the series like Ichigo's Zanpakutō or Renji's Zanpakutō or even Aizen's Zanpakutō, my answer is this: no, no, and HELL NO! STOP BUGGING ME ABOUT THAT, IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!
If anyone can tell me where I got the idea for Akela and the soot, I'll give you a cyber-cake. Here's a hint: Disney.
I'll see you all next chapter!