Balance: A Maelstrom's Tale Chapter 4: Kyoshi Island, a Naruto + Avatar: Last Airbender Crossover fanfic

Balance: A Maelstrom's Tale

Chapter Four: Kyoshi Island

Sitting in front of a mirror while fixing her hair was a young woman with gray eyes and brown hair that she had finally finished tying into a long braid that reached her waistline. She was dressed in a predominantly pink outfit that made her stand out compared to most other women her age. She let her hair rest over her shoulder and smiled at her reflection cheerfully before spotting an old image of her and her friend from before he left the Fire Nation.

Her cheerful smile dimmed to a somber one as she reached for the worn image; a testament of how often she held, folded, unfolded, and handled it. She ran her fingertips down the whiskered face of her oldest friend.

A friend she dearly missed and cried over when she heard he had run away with his mother.

"I hope you're doing okay, Naru…" she whispered, fighting tears again.

"Ty Lee," the manager of the circus troupe she had left home with called from outside her tent. "Show's about to start, dear. Ten minutes."

Quickly wiping away the tears before they fell, the lovely acrobat replied, "I'm almost ready, ma'am!"

"Knock them dead tonight, sweetie," the woman bid before she left.

Ty Lee of the Fire Nation quickly put on her costume accessories before standing in front of her mirror one last time. Taking a deep breath, she gingerly placed the worn picture back in the crease of her mirror and smiled at it. Finally, she grabbed a string necklace with a green gemstone attached to it, raising it to her lips to gently kiss it before looking back at the picture. (1)

"Wish me luck, Naru…"

Naruto jerked awake on Appa's saddle, having chosen to sleep on it for the night as he and the others chose to rest on a small, uninhabited island. Rubbing his eyes, he looked up at the starlit skies and absently held the charm Ty Lee had given him years ago.

"Hope you're happy with the circus, Ty Lee…" he wished softly, a faint smile on his face. A chuckle escaped me as he continued, "What would you say if you saw me now? Dressed in Water Tribe clothes, traveling with the Avatar, and once again a target of the Fire Nation…"

His gaze turned distant, staring at nothing in particular as his thoughts flowed.

"Would you greet me with a hug like you love to do, or would you be unable to look at me? Do you still have the necklace I gave you, or did you throw it away?"

He took a deep breath, exhaling it with a small shudder as his emotions threatened to take over.

"I miss you… Hopefully we can see each other again, when everything has calmed down…"

Lying back down he closed his eyes and slowly drifted off back to sleep. He never knew that Katara was also awake, nor that she was saddened by what she had overheard.

It was the earlier hours of the morning where we find Zuko meditating in his quarters of his ship. With each intake of air, the candles of his room dimmed before, with the exhales, they flickered fully once more.

His meditation was cut off by his uncle opening his door. "Zuko? Am I interrupting?"

"Just meditating, Uncle. Was there something you needed?"

Normally, Zuko wouldn't have hesitated to remind Iroh that he wasn't meant to be disturbed unless news of the Avatar was found. But, after reaching a realization about his feelings regarding Naruto, and his relationship with his uncle, Zuko had promised himself to try and be a better nephew for him.

Nobody else had supported him after he was scarred by his father and banished from his homeland. Iroh didn't hesitate to join him on his journey to find the Avatar, despite many rumors saying that they would never return. Zuko was too bitter about losing everything he had tried so hard to obtain to be grateful for his uncle's choices.

No doubt that Iroh would be smeared for willingly leaving with the Banished Prince of the Fire Nation.

"We've heard many rumors about sightings of the Avatar, but most have been waved off as false since none of the rumors mentioned him being joined by members of the Water Tribes," Iroh informed him. "Plus, it'd be hard to forget someone with Naruto's hair color."

Despite the news, Zuko couldn't help his smirk. He had fond memories of teasing his cousin about his weird hair. Of course, Kushina never hesitated to put the fear of the Spirits into him whenever she caught wind of the teasing.

He really should've known not to poke fun about a woman's features, even if the poking wasn't aimed at her directly.

"You have a map?"

Iroh nodded and handed it to his nephew, who looked it over. "We marked the areas of supposed sightings, and most of them are from many of the small islands leading to the southern part of the Earth Kingdom."

Zuko frowned at the unintelligible pattern of sightings. "We won't be able to predict a trail with the sightings so scatter like this. Any ideas, Uncle?"

"Do you see Kyoshi Island on the map?"

After a moment, he nodded. "Yes, I do. You think he'll go there?"

"Kyoshi was a previous Avatar, Prince Zuko. If the Avatar hoped to learn anything about his role in the world, I wouldn't be surprised if he chose to visit old homelands of past Avatars," Iroh explained.

Zuko hummed in thought before sighing and rolling up the map. "We don't have any other leads… We'll set course for Kyoshi. Hopefully, we can pick up some sort of trail if we don't find them there."

"I'll inform the helmsman."

"You have no idea where you're going, do you?" Sokka asked of Aang as they flew over open ocean with no land in sight for miles.

"Well," Aang began unsurely before his tone became more optimistic, "I know it's near water!"

Sokka had a dull expression while Naruto rolled his eyes. "We must be so close then," the redhead drawled out sarcastically. He then looked to Katara, who was stitching up a tear in Sokka's pants. "Need more thread?"

"I should be fine," she answered, focusing on her work. She looked up for a moment to smile at him. "Thank you, though."

Aang perked up as an idea hit him. "Momo? Marbles, please."

His lemur eagerly obliged and dove into the young Airbender's shirt before reemerging with a pair of marbles and dropping them into his hand.

"Hey guys, check out this Airbending trick!" he said happily before using it to spin the two marbles quickly along an equatorial plane. A grin was on his face as he looked to see their expressions; but his focus was on Katara.

"Cute trick," Naruto commented. "You must be amazing at parties."

"Yeah," Sokka added in amusement. "Bet the kids'll be lining up for your shows."

Ignoring them, Aang asked, "What do you think, Katara?"

"That's great, Aang," she answered nonchalantly, more focused on her sewing.

Disappointed, he stopped the trick and replied, "You didn't even look…"

Looking up from the nearly finished sewing job, she smiled and repeated more enthusiastically, "That's great!"

"I'm not doing it now, though…"

"Stop bugging her, airhead," Sokka waved off casually. "You need to give girls space when they do their sewing."

Now, Katara had a mildly annoyed expression as she asked, "What does me being a girl have to do with sewing?"

Before Sokka could deepen the hole that he was unknowingly digging himself into, Naruto cut in, "Girls aren't the only ones who can sew, Sokka. Men can do it, too. Gran-Gran taught me how to sew when she taught Katara. Why do you think I never had anyone else do my clothes since a couple years ago?"

But, of course, Sokka had to be thick as he answered Katara anyway. "Girls are better at fixing pants than guys, and guys are better at hunting and fighting and stuff like that."

Naruto face palmed while Katara's brow twitched dangerously. She then smiled in false cheer and exclaimed, "I'm all done!" She let the unfinished pants wave wildly in the breeze. "And look what a great job I did!"

With a rightfully irritated throw, the pants flew into Sokka's face while Katara started putting away her thread and needles. Naruto and Aang simply shook their heads at Sokka as he scrambled to free his head.

"Wait! I-I was just kidding!" he tried to plead, as he stuck an arm through the still existing hole. "I can't wear these, Katara! Please!"

"Relax, Sokka," Aang told him enthusiastically. "Where we're going, you won't need any pants!"

Naruto sighed at the whole moment as he sat next to Katara and waited for Aang to have Appa land. "Is it just me, or are we making a lot of unnecessary stops?" he asked in a low tone so only she could hear him.

"No, we have been making a few too many," Katara answered just as lowly. "If we keep going at this rate, we won't get to the North Pole until Spring."

"Wonderful…"

She sighed and leaned against him, resting her head comfortably on his shoulder. A small smile formed when he made no signs of objection.

"Well," she heard Naruto continue, "if we're gonna keep making so many stops on these islands, I say we should get started on helping you with your Waterbending."

Katara perked up at that, lifting her head from his shoulder to look at him with an eager expression. "Really?"

He shrugged and replied, "No sense in not taking advantage of stops when we can. Besides, I promised to help you, remember?"

A small grunt escaped him when she hugged him tightly. "Thank you! I'm so excited to get started!"

Awkwardly, he patted the top of her head, but she refused to let go in her excitement. So, he just sighed once more and waited for Appa to land.

"We just made a pit stop yesterday," Sokka commented as the group stood on the shores of an island. "Shouldn't we get a little more flying done before we camp out?"

"But Appa's tired," Aang argued with an innocent tone. "Aren't you, boy?"

Appa only gave a small grunt in reply, earning Aang a trio of dry looks.

Nudging his oldest friend, he repeated, "I said, aren't you boy?"

This time, Appa gave a low groan that could've been interpreted as a yawn.

Naruto sighed in mild frustration. "Look, Aang… I understand that there are lots of things you want to see and do since you've woken from your frozen nap. But you have a responsibility to uphold. We can't keep wasting time with all these stops."

Aang cringed at Naruto's admonishment, but he perked up when he saw a massive splash in the distance. "Look! That's why we're here; the elephant koi! And I'm gonna ride one!" He was in the middle of disrobing to his undergarment so he could jump in the ocean. "Katara, you've gotta watch me!"

Before anyone could say anything to stop him, Aang dove into the water. After a briefly embarrassing moment of him jumping out and exclaiming how cold the water was, he made his way to the giant fish and dove underwater before resurfacing while grasping onto the back fin. Effectively surfing on the elephant koi, Aang was heard laughing excitedly as a pair of koi swam on the flanks of the one that he was riding.

Katara waved back when Aang waved their way. "He looks pretty good out there."

"Are you kidding?" Sokka shot down, unimpressed. "The fish is doing all the work."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Well, seeing as Aang is preoccupied for the moment, we should use this time to practice some basics, Katara."

She nodded eagerly. "Ready when you are!"

"Sokka, you mind keeping an eye on Aang? Give us a shout if anything happens."

Shrugging, the warrior plopped down on the beach. "Got nothing better to do, I guess. We shouldn't stay for too long, though."

"I know. We'll give Aang some time to enjoy himself and for Katara to get a little practice before we take off," Naruto agreed.

With that, the two Waterbenders moved down the shoreline a few yards. Unknown to them, Aang looked back at them with a wide grin in the hopes of impressing Katara some more. But when he saw that she was walking off with Naruto, he lost his grin for a disappointed expression.

"Aw man…"

Deciding that he could impress her at a later date, the Airbender chose to enjoy the moment and focused on staying on the koi's back. Unseen by him, there was something stalking the elephant koi beneath the water. Thankfully, Sokka saw the disturbed water that was different than what the koi were doing.

"Guys! There's something in the water!" he called out to Katara and Naruto. They hadn't gotten far enough to start their practice, so they rushed back as soon as they heard Sokka's call. "Aang's in trouble!"

"Aang! Get out of there!" Katara yelled to her friend, cupping her mouth to project her voice.

Naruto frowned at the water before clicking his tongue in annoyance. Remembering lessons from his grandfather, he stepped up to the edge of the ocean and calmed his breathing.

'Steady breaths, Naruto. A warrior's greatest enemy is not his opponent, but himself.'

His grandfather's voice echoed in his mind as he took a stance. Brows furrowing faintly, he gave a forward palm thrust, sending forth a narrow ripple in the water that raced ahead. Having estimated the distance, Naruto allowed a pleased smirk to form on his face when his Bending maneuver met the disturbed water, producing a massive splash of water that looked like an explosion.

The force of the disturbed water knocked Aang off the elephant koi, and his form was shadowed by a massive dorsal fin that was several meters tall. Giving out a frightened shout, the Airbender used his gift to run across the water as fast as he could. The large sea serpent gave chase, but thankfully Aang managed to get enough of a head start to escape the ocean and crash into Sokka on the shore.

The serpent wasn't pleased about missing out on a meal, and it showed that displeasure by unleashing a massive jetstream of water from its mouth that crashed into some outcroppings of rocks along the shore of the island. After a couple of angered blasts, it sank back beneath the waves and vanished from sight.

Taking some time to calm down his adrenaline, Aang asked, "What was that thing?"

"Some sort of sea serpent," Katara answered. "It must've been hunting the elephant koi."

"We should get going," Naruto suggested, helping pull Sokka to his feet.

"I'm all for that. Time to hit the road," he announced.

The group was about to look for Appa, who had wandered off while Aang was riding the elephant koi, but they were ambushed by kimono-clad warriors that dropped from the trees and took them down in moments with perfectly coordinated teamwork.

The next thing they knew was being tied together against a thick post before they heard the accusatory voice of an elderly man.

"You four have some explaining to do."

His voice was accompanied by a younger, feminine one that threatened, "And if you don't answer our questions, we'll throw you back to the Unagi."

Katara and Aang were nervous while Naruto frowned beneath his blindfold and Sokka challenged, "Show yourselves, you cowards!"

The blindfolds were removed, and they were greeted to the sight of the elderly man, some similarly dressed citizens behind him, and a group of armored, kimono-wearing women flanking him. The one standing right next to him had a headpiece that made her stand out from her fellow warriors.

"Who are you? Where are the men who ambushed us?" Sokka demanded.

Naruto gave a frustrated groan. "Sokka, it's obvious that these women took us down. And if you make one more crack about male superiority, I'll be tempted to ask them to beat you senseless."

Sokka scoffed in annoyance while Katara gave an apologetic glance towards the lead warrior. "I'm sorry about my brother. He talks without thinking a lot."

"Clearly," she snarked back, glaring at Sokka.

"I'm sorry that we came here without warning," Aang apologized. "I wanted to ride the elephant koi and we would've left right after."

"How do we know you're not Fire Nation spies?" the old man challenged before pointing at Naruto, who was expecting it at this point. "Who else would have hair that color than someone from the Fire Nation? Kyoshi has been out of the war so far, and we intend to keep it that way!"

Katara looked ready to defend her friend, but Naruto gave her a look and just shook his head. Saddened by this, she backed down, which was noticed by the lead warrior.

"This island is named after Kyoshi?" Aang queried before smiling. "I know Kyoshi!"

"How could you possibly know Kyoshi?" the old man questioned, visibly annoyed at the ridiculous boast. "Avatar Kyoshi was born here over four-hundred years ago. She's been dead for centuries!"

The young-looking teen had a pensive look before replying calmly, "I know her because I'm the newest Avatar."

"That's impossible!" the warrior maiden immediately challenged. "The last Avatar was an Airbender who vanished one-hundred years ago!"

"That's him/me," the group of four answered.

Officially done with the situation, the old man ordered, "Throw this imposter and his accomplices to the Unagi!"

The Kyoshi Warriors got into battle stances and slowly approached them, prompting Katara to nervously tell Aang," Now would be a really good time for some Airbending."

Aang complied by using Airbending to blow loose the ropes around his midsection and leap high into the air, using one of the fans of the Avatar Kyoshi statue to slice the ropes around his wrists. Freed from his bonds, he gently floated back down to the ground before the awestruck islanders.

"It's true…" the lead warrior gasped out. "The Avatar is alive…"

His face was totally serious as Aang declared, "Now, check this out!"

Pulling out his marbles, he performed the same trick he had tried to show Katara before. His serious façade was dropped for a comical grin while the citizens started cheering; one of them being so excited that he foamed at the mouth and fainted.

Zuko was enjoying lunch for the first time in a long while with Iroh. They had stopped at an island under Fire Nation control and restocked their supplies. They still had another day or so of travel before they reached Kyoshi Island.

"I'm glad to see you enjoying yourself for once, Zuko," Iroh commented with a smile as he savored a cup of warm tea. "One cannot be on the constant move. Sometimes, you need to take a step back from everything and relax."

Zuko smirked and fired back, "Sometimes someone could be too relaxed."

Iroh took the barb in stride and chuckled. "Perhaps so, my nephew."

A knock was heard at the door before one of the soldiers opened it to enter. "Sorry for interrupting, sir. We just received confirmation that the Avatar is on Kyoshi Island. The rumors started from the island itself and we heard it from one of the fishermen on the docks."

Zuko's enjoyment was cut short at that bit of news. "Get the rest of the supplies loaded and the ship moving. We won't lose him this time."

"Yes, Prince Zuko," the soldier replied before leaving to relay the orders.

Iroh sighed as he took another bite of their lunch. "There goes our rest."

"The sooner we reach the Avatar, the sooner we reach Naruto, Uncle," he reminded the man.

"I would be fine missing him if it means he can avoid capture," the retired General relied honestly.

Zuko sighed this time. He couldn't bring himself to comment on the treasonous comment, for he felt similar to his uncle's sentiment. Zuko missed Naruto, but he'd rather not be forced to capture him. After all, it wouldn't just result in Naruto being brought back to the Fire Nation to be punished.

It would break Iroh's and Ty Lee's hearts.

Naruto sat on the edge of one of the docks of Kyoshi Island, keeping his distance from the islanders. While Aang and the others were accepted openly, his blood-red hair repelled the people of the island from him. In their eyes, he only saw wariness about him being from the Fire Nation; despite being a traveling companion of the Avatar.

While they weren't wrong about him being from the Fire Nation, it still stung to be so openly distrusted. It was the same back home at the South Pole during the first year he and his mother had stayed there. Despite Kushina once calling the place home before she left, their hair was unique in the world. In fact, the only hair colors Naruto ever saw were black, brown, and gray when someone reached a certain age.

Never red.

He sighed as he stared out towards the horizon, watching the sun slowly setting. It was only in remembering that he never got started on helping Katara practice Waterbending that he decided to get up and head back. However, the sound of music and singing gave him pause.

Curious, he followed the sounds to the source and came across a small group of people playing musical instruments and singing. He slowly approached them, getting a nod in greeting from one of the younger members that was playing the drum. Nodding back, the redhead sat down and leaned against a tree as he listened to the group play, unaware of the faint smile on his face.

When the music ended, the group applauded one another, and Naruto clapped along earning him their attention. The apparent leader of the group smiled at him and nodded in thanks.

"Much obliged, fellow music lover. Are you living the life you imagined?" he asked in a carefree tone.

"Not really," Naruto answered. "But it's the life I've been given."

The man chuckled at that. "I can respect that. Name's Chong, and this is my wife, Lily."

"Nice to meet you," Lily greeted with a lovely smile.

Her greeting was followed by the remaining members of their group, and Naruto nodded to them in reception. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

"If you don't mind my asking," Lily began, "what brings you to Kyoshi Island, Naruto?"

"My friends and I are traveling with the Avatar, and we're stopping here to resupply before continuing to the North Pole."

"Destination Fever~!" Chong drawled out with a laugh that the others shared while Naruto rose a brow. "You guys are so focused on the destination and ignoring the journey."

"You need to focus less on the where and more on the going," Lily agreed.

Naruto smiled at that. "I think I get it…"

Lily smiled at him before turning to her husband. "Dear, let him play your dramyin."

Chong was curious about his wife's suggestion before shrugging and offering the instrument to the redheaded young man. "Got any songs, kid?"

Naruto awkwardly waved away the offer. "No, I don't have…"

He trailed off as a song came to him. A song that his grandfather sang for his father, and that his parents sang for him when he was a child. A soft smile was seen on his face as he reached over and took the dramyin.

"Actually, I think I have one. My grandfather made this song for my father, and my father hoped to complete it someday." His smile became more somber as he added, "He died before he had the chance, though…"

Chong and Lily looked saddened by this. "An incomplete song is like a broken heart. It hurts to witness, but it can be fixed with the right person," Lily commented.

"You have anything to add to it yet?" Chong asked.

Shaking his head as he settled the instrument in his lap, Naruto answered, "No… But I hope to, someday. I can play what my grandfather had when he first made the song, though."

"Let's hear it, then!" the man exclaimed with a smile that was shared by his wife and their companions.

Naruto chuckled nervously before taking a breath to calm his nerves. Eyes closed, he started to strum the dramyin to the melody that helped lull him to sleep as a child. His parents' voices echoed in his mind, and he started to sing alongside them.

Leaves from the vine

Falling so slow

Like fragile tiny shells

Drifting in the foam

The musicians listened to Naruto softly singing the melody, witnessing the small tears forming in his eyes.

Little soldier boy

Come marching home

The tears slowly rolled down his cheeks as memories of his time with his family drifted through his mind.

Brave soldier boy

Comes marching home

When the song finished, Naruto slowly opened his eyes and had a soft smile on his face, his gaze distant as he was still lost in memories of the past. He was snapped out of them when he heard applause, and he looked up to see that the musicians, and some passerby islanders, were the ones doing so. Bashful at the praise, he rubbed the back of his head and smiled at them gratefully.

"That was lovely," Lily praised gently. "The melody is simple, but the lyrics are full of heart. Your grandfather must've put so much of himself in this song."

Naruto looked down at the instrument, his smile softening as he replied, "Yeah, he did…"

"Then you know what you need to do, right?" Chong spoke up.

"What?"

"You gotta finish the song and put your heart into the lyrics you add. This was passed from father to son, right?"

Naruto nodded.

"Then make sure to have something worthwhile to pass down to your kid someday."

Dark blue eyes widened at that before Naruto chuckled and grinned; perhaps for the first time in years that he could remember. A true grin that he hadn't shown anyone since he left the Fire Nation.

"Yeah… I've got my work cut out for me," he commented.

"But it will all be worth it in the end," Lily reminded him. "And when you finish it, I hope we meet again."

"Yeah," Chong agreed. "I'd love to hear what you come up with."

Giving another chuckle, Naruto nodded. "It's a promise."

The following day, Naruto watched the musicians depart on a small boat that was headed for the mainland. Never would he have imagined that such an eccentric group of people could impact him as deeply as they did.

They brought forth memories of his past that he never thought he'd recall happily. For so long, he had looked at those memories with guilt and shame. But now, he found the strength to look at them with happiness once more.

He still felt guilty about pulling his mother away from her life back in the Fire Nation, but he didn't feel as weighed down by it as he did before. And it was amazing how freeing it felt to let go of some of that guilt.

Turning away from the boat that was near the horizon, he bore witness to Aang being pulled toward the beach by a gaggle of excitedly giggling and excited girls. A frustrated sigh escaped him, and he was about to follow, but he then saw a concerned Katara heading towards the beach.

Deciding to let her handle it, he made his way towards where Appa was staying to double-check their supplies. Looking over the bags of food, spices, and cloths, he nodded to himself with a faint smile.

"This should be enough. We can leave today or tomorrow morning," he commented to himself before getting off the saddle and petting Appa beneath his horn. "Ready to get going, buddy?"

Appa groaned in approval, though he didn't move.

"Yeah, me too. Hopefully, we can get a move on soon. We've been here too long…"

As soon as he finished that statement, he heard shouts of panic from the buildings closer to the beach. "The Fire Nation! The Fire Nation is here!"

Glaring towards the ocean, Naruto growled out, "Me and my big mouth…" He looked to the bison and asked, "Appa, could you be ready for a quick takeoff?"

The bison groaned and nodded, earning a smile from the redhead as he grabbed his waterskin.

"Good. I'm gonna find the others and hurry back."

With that, he took off.

"Nice try, Avatar!" Zuko called as he stood surrounded by knocked out Kyoshi Warriors. "But these little girls can't save you!"

"Y'know," a familiar voice spoke up, making Zuko close his eyes in slight regret, "I would've thought that knowing girls like Mai and Ty Lee would've let you know that they kick just as much ass as men. Not to mention your sociopath of a sister."

Zuko turned to see Naruto standing in the middle of the road, his twin iron rods already having icy clubs. "Come quietly, Naruto. I don't want to fight you."

"The feeling's mutual, Zuko."

"Then why face me?"

"Someone has to do something to help these people," Naruto answered simply, unaware that some of the islanders were witnessing the faceoff. "I may not have been well received here like the others, but that won't stop me from doing the right thing and helping them."

"And if I targeted them to get you to back off?" Zuko challenged calmly.

"Then you're not the man I grew up with," the redhead answered just as calmly.

The two glared at one another, Zuko forming fiery daggers while Naruto tightened his grip on his iron rods. The tension could've been cut with a blunted knife before the duo heard Aang's voice.

"Over here!" he challenged.

Zuko turned to him while Naruto used his distraction to rush him. He was in Zuko's guard in a few strides, and the duo engaged in a fierce flow of swings, dodged, and parries. Naruto would swing a club, Zuko would duck or side-step it before retaliating with a small burst of flame, and Naruto would leap away from it in a way that reminded Aang of the Airbenders.

Naruto then connected his iron rods into an iron staff and used Waterbending to change the ends from two clubs to a single bladed end, making his weapon resemble a glaive. With practiced grace, he twirled the weapon and swung it at the Prince, who was kept on his toes as he bobbed and weaved away from the sharpened blade of ice.

He was then caught off guard when Naruto went for a thrust aimed at his torso that he jumped back from, only to get slammed in his chest when the icy blade suddenly melted and shot at him a condensed ball of water. Knocked off his feet, Zuko fell on his back and was about to get up to resume the fight.

But it was over when Naruto ran to him, pressed a knee into his armored chest, and reformed some of the remaining water into an ice dagger held to Zuko's throat. The two Fire Nation royals glared at one another for a few moments, neither one moving.

"Do it, then," Zuko challenged.

"You think I want to?" Naruto fired back, looking conflicted but never removing the blade. "You think I enjoy fighting you like this; like you're my enemy and not my brother?"

"I am your enemy. So long as you're on the run with the Avatar, I will be your enemy," he reminded the whisker-faced teen.

Naruto said nothing, pressing the icy dagger to Zuko's throat a bit further and barely breaking the skin. After a few tense seconds, he growled out, "We're leaving. You will follow us and leave Kyoshi alone. Stop dragging innocent people into our shit."

Zuko kept his glare as Naruto pulled the dagger away just enough for him to nod in acceptance without getting cut. Fully stepping back, Naruto walked away from Zuko with his back to him. He had a clear shot, but Zuko refused to take it.

'Next time, Naruto,' he mentally promised before he turned around and returned to the ship with his men.

Team Avatar quickly got to Appa and flew away from Kyoshi, watching as it still burned. Aang, feeling guilty about what he had brought to these people, jumped off of Appa and dove into the ocean. A few moments later, he was seen atop the head of the Unagi with its whiskers in his grasp. Taking control of the serpent, Aang had it aim the water in its mouth to spray onto the burning island town, dousing the remaining flames before he leapt off with Airbending and landed back on Appa's saddle.

Watching them depart were the islanders, who were grateful to not only the Avatar for saving their homes, but to the young redheaded man that they treated poorly. Despite feeling unwelcome, he still fought the Fire Nation's Prince in their defense and got them to leave.

Unknown to Team Avatar, words of their deeds would start to spread from the island of Kyoshi to the mainland of the Earth Kingdom.

1~ Picture Tsunade's necklace. That's what Naruto gave to Ty Lee

And that's it!

I hope that this didn't feel like a rehash of the episode. If I did that, then it'd basically be you all reading what you could easily watch on TV.

Where's the fun in that?

Next time, I'm honestly not sure what I'll do. Maybe do Omashu, or maybe skim it and do something else.

We'll see when the time comes.

So, until next time!

Stay safe, healthy, and positive!

Dreaming of the Future

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