Thank-you to all reading this chapter. Hope you enjoy.

1: "Without a Plan, but with a Strategy; Part 1"

Suzu's eyelids were growing heavy as she stared out the window, and her arms numb as she rested her head on them. It was taking all the energy she had left trying to stay awake. And of all nights she had to stay awake, it had to be completely silent and so soothing. Usually there would be people out, creating enough noise for her to concentrate on. While she lived a bit of a walk away from the partying district – aka the red-light district – she tended to be able to hear the partying of the aberrant persons of the night with the echoes of music and laughter. But none of that tonight; no, it was an unusual silence. It was quiet enough to make a person wonder. Well, a person who was attentive enough to truly notice. The only thing Suzu was ready enough to do was to sigh.

She needed to stay awake, but it was getting harder and harder for her to do so. And it was quiet irritating. Normally, when the moon was high into the sky, she would be asleep; like her little sister, Avaron, in the room beside hers or Keiichi, her older brother, in the room down the hallway. She would be tucked into bed and dreaming, probably of clouds and cabbage slugs – whatever that meant.

But this night she was stuck awake, staring out a window for Youta's "signal". All she could do was complain in her head and wait.

Earlier that day…

"Seriously, to hide is one things," Suzu mumbled under her breath. "To get out is a completely different thing. What was he thinking?

The streets of Harbor City were packed. So much so, Suzu felt like she was getting more elbows to the gut than anything else, including getting any distance. It was like she was stuck in the same little area, just being pushed in circles. She appeared to be walking, but nothing around her seemed to change. And that was the problem with the streets being packed; nothing moved easily. Nothing flowed. All Suzu wanted to do was get to where she needed to be. Which she assumed the crowd around her wanted the same thing – to get to their points of interest – but everyone wanted to be first. Everyone was pushing and rushing, and yet, no one was moving.

Of all the days to tell me to sneak out, she thought, grinding her teeth as a man knocked into her shoulder.

Suzu's good friend and confidante, Youta, had told her to meet him in a spot well outside the city. Usually if he wanted to chat, they would find a place inside the city, away from the straying eyes of any guards. This time however was different. He had insisted on meeting her outside the walls. There was no chance she could, or would ever, miss it, but getting out was a whole lot easier said than done.

Really, Suzu lived in the Capital City of the Fire Nation, which was one of the most secure places in the world. It had to be, as it was where the Fire Lord and his family resided. And while it sounded nice, it wasn't always. If you wanted some place nice to live, you best be rich or you were stuck in Harbor City. You see, the Capital was split into two sections; Harbor City and Caldera City. If you were of noble or royal blood, you would live in Caldera City. It was apparently clean and orderly, though that was only what Suzu had heard. Normal people couldn't just stroll into Caldera, not unless you were formally invited by the Fire Lord. As for Suzu, she lived in Harbor City, where the rest of the people of the Capital lived; everyone from the middle-class down to the scum. The two "cities" were split, so the privileged wouldn't have to deal with the unprivileged.

After the fall of Ba Sing Se, and the subsequent fall of the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation cities had been under strict rules; especially the Capital. One would think it would be the opposite, that after the fall of their enemy and with the Fire Nation taking control of the world, they would allow more freedom on the mainland for all the Nationals. However it seemed the Fire Nation was scared of an uprising – fear well placed, Suzu believed – and thus even kept its own citizens under lock and key. So trying to leave the walls without a special pass would be near right impossible.

"New silk! Please, ma'am, look at our silk! Just in! Made by the Earth People!"

A seller is shouting out, targeting a nearby lady and shoving a sample of red silk at her. Suzu pushed to the side, trying to avoid him – the seller – all together. And while she got a couple of glares from the housewives she pushed out of the way, it was worth it. She didn't like it when people shouted at her. Really, no one likes being shouted at, but Suzu truly hated it; especially when the person shouting was trying to entice you to do something, whether it to buy their product or something else. It felt counterproductive to her; to yell at someone, hoping to get them to like you enough to buy from you.

Suzu tried to clear her mind with a shake of the head. She had no time to think about shopkeepers. She had to worry about something else. How was she going to get out? She couldn't just walk out through the front gate. But with her patience draining due to the crowd, she was thinking about trying. The worse that would happen would be getting arrested. At least she would be away from the crowds. Maybe she could find a hole along the wall so she could climb through or an unprotected area that she could climb over… Two more ideas she quickly shook out of her head. Neither of those would work, as the walls surrounding each area were thick, well taken care of, and constantly protected. She knew she would be wasting her time even humoring those ideas.

As she pushed forward, she managed to get past the market area, with a few new bruises as mementoes. People were beginning to space out. She could actually breathe, which was a nice change of pace. Even though there were still a lot of people, she at least wasn't getting struck in the stomach anymore.

How was Youta able to get out? she wondered.

He had to have had a plan, as he suggested it. Why didn't he give her any tips? Sometimes Suzu questioned what went on it that boy's head.

"I wonder if he is there now," Suzu muttered.

"Who you talking about sweety? Maybe I can help you."

Suzu jumped at the sudden intrusion and looked up. Standing in front of her was an escort. Somehow Suzu had wondered into the red-light district without noticing.

Escorts were common in the red-light district. In fact, it would be weird if you didn't see one while visiting the district. And it wasn't the first time Suzu had been in the district. It was a common meeting place for Youta and her. But this escort gave the teenaged girl a strange feeling. The woman was wearing a loose fitting kimono that draped over her reedy frame. It didn't leave much to the imagination, though gave any buyers a peak at what they would spending their money one. Not a really feminine body, but fit. The kimono looked expensive, so she was possibly one of the more expensive escorts. Still, on the woman, it felt cheap. The woman seemed cheap as her amber eyes met Suzu's with a seductive glaze.

"No thank-you," the brunette said, slowly trying to walk around the woman.

"You seem shy," the woman said, getting closer. "Don't worry, sweetie."

The woman's voice was hoarse, and somehow familiar. But the woman's actions were making Suzu feel uncomfortable; too much for her to be able to continue this conversation. Without saying another word, Suzu rushed away. She could feel the woman's gaze on her back as she sped away. She could only guess what expression the streetwalker was wearing.

Oh, how mother would be angry at me not using my manners, Suzu thought.

It took about an hour for Suzu to finally reach a part of the wall surrounding Harbor City. She had been walking in circles – thanks to even more crowds. When she finally reached the wall, she was greeted by the sight of at least eight guards perched up along the wall, and quite the few walking along the ground. A few of them along the wall were staring outwards, while a few of them looked down at the people inside the city. Suzu could have sword she made eye contact with one of the guards, not that she particularly wanted to. She quickly averted her gaze and looked around for somewhere else to look.

Well, what's my idea now?

Even though she knocked the ideas down, now it was confirmed she wasn't going to be going over or through the wall any time soon.

The only way I'm going to get out is if I could go under, she thought.

Except she was not an earthbender and could not create tunnels at will.

Feeling defeated, she found a clear space on a wall of a rather dirty building and leaned against it. She slid down to the ground and, while balancing her elbows on her knees, placed her chin in her hands. She didn't care if anyone looked down at her. They weren't in any position to speak – they were in the red-light district, and probably weren't there to escape. So their opinions didn't really matter. Looking forward, she once again tried to come up with yet another idea on how to get out. And once again, she was drawing a blank.

"You look puzzled, sweetie. Maybe I could help?"

This chapter is just part one. Part two coming soon? Remember to review. If I made any mistakes, tell me politely. I will happily listen and fix whatever I can.

Thank-you to all who had submitted a character. I received a whole lot. Sadly, I could not accept them all. I even accepted more than I was planning on because it was so hard to turn some characters away. So, before I list the main characters, I would like to say; even though your character did not make the main list, there is still a chance they will show up as a side character. That being said, I will not list the side characters; only main characters.

Those accepted as part of the main characters…

- Akemi Daichi, anim8or
- Baoh, reven228
- Fei, KingKatsu
- Guan, KingKatsu
- Ilah, Iristmr
- Koren, W. R. Winters
- Kyou, TaleOfTwoLovers
- Weisheng, confections101
- Xiao-Liu, GenuineHarajukuDoll

*Please note that each character, both side and main, will be introduced when appropriate. I.e. An Earth Kingdom native who currently resides in Ba Sing Se will not be introduced when we are still in the Fire Nation.