Okay people this is the Runaway. It's pretty much just about Zuko, Iroh, Azula, the Blue Spirit and a certain other someone. This is how Iroh got to Kyoshi Island and stuff. So enjoy!! And I don't Avatar (….Cursing Bryan Koniezko and Michael Dante Dimartino….)

It had been a very long time since breakfast. Iroh felt like he hadn't eaten for several hours. Ugh. He hated when he was hungry.

The dreary metal cell that he had been put into wasn't much better either. There were cob webs at every angle and there was only a hole to use the bathroom in. There was a bench where he slept sitting up and there was a small rectangular hole that the Dai Lee would bring him food in.

It wasn't a place that you would call home.

And while he was in here, the old general would think of everything that had happened in just a short two seasons. The Avatar had come back from a hundred year hiding, only to find out that he was just a twelve year old kid. Iroh and his nephew chased the Avatar all around the world, just to be out smarted every time.

Then, they found out that Admiral Zhao was also on the Avatar's trail.

They followed them all the way to the North Pole, where Zhao had Zuko's ship blown up and nearly killing Zuko. But, somehow, he survived and put his life in danger again to capture the Avatar.

He had caught the Avatar and continued out into a blizzard and to be out smarted by the Avatar's group again.

And they could have left him for dead.

But they had saved him.

That was enough for Iroh to help the Avatar any day. They had saved his second son from death at least twice, not to mention that the waterbending girl hadn't killed him in those crystallized caves.

And then, Zuko had gone to his sister.

After everything that had happened. Everything they went through. All the times that he had failed, all the times he succeeded, all the good choices he made, all the bad made choices he made, Iroh had really thought that Prince Zuko had changed into something better.

All the people they had met: Song and Jen and that kid Lee that Zuko had mentioned a couple of times. Didn't they mean anything?

"I guess not," Iroh whispered quietly, "I guess not."

Just then, the small slit in his door opened and a Dai Lee officer appeared sliding in a tray with his daily meal: stale bread and side of brown rice.

"Dinner," the Dai Lee officer said.

Iroh took his tray and asked, "I don't suppose Azula has allowed you to give an old man a cup of jasmine tea?"

Iroh's answer was the sliding door, slammed shut.

Humph.

……

"Princess Azula," a Dai Lee officer said, approaching her. The rest of the officers were standing behind him, making it look like it was an army facing his commander. Which in a way, it was.

She looked down at the man, which told him to proceed.

He looked left and right, making sure Zuko and Azula's comrades were out of earshot. They were all out of the room. "You have a letter from your father," he said.

"What did it say?"

"Uh—that—that—Prince Zuko and General Iroh need to be sent back to the Fire Nation for executing, miss."

"Ahh, okay. And the people of Ba Sing Se?" Azula asked. "How are they doing? Still confused I hope."

"Yes, ma'm," the Dai Lee officer replied.

"Good. Anything else?"

"Uh…"

"What is it?"

"Well," the Dai Lee officers said, "you're father says he heard about the incident in Old Ba Sing Se…" She nodded. "And he says…uh…that if you try to kill the Avatar with another lightning bolt, that you'll be joining your brother in exile."

A single black strand of hair fell in front of Azula forehead.

She clutched her hands together, digging her nails into her own flesh. And then, her temper like a very short hurricane, she said, "You are dismissed."

……

Everything was starting to change. For a brief three days Prince Zuko along with several Dai Lee officers had traveled, looking for the Avatar.

The Dai Lee, of course, wouldn't listen to him. And then, to make matters worse, Azula had called him back. She said there was some kind of emergency in the Fire Nation and Zuko had to take care of it right away.

In a way, Zuko was relieved. He would finally get to go home! After three long years, he would finally see his father again; sleep in his own bed…

What about his uncle? What would happen to him?

How was his plan going to work?

He contemplated his thoughts while walking through the huge hallways of the Earth Kingdom's castle. Azula had called him to the throne room, again. She was getting on his last nerve.

The two doors that led into the throne room were already open when Zuko reached them. He walked inside to find several Dai Lee officers on either side of him. There was a strip of a walkway in the middle of the room.

Zuko walked down the narrow pathway to his sister's throne. And bent down, in a bow and looked to the left and to his right.

And he gasped.

There, standing next to him, was his uncle. "Uncle," he said, rising.

"Yes," Azula said, standing. "Our beloved uncle needs to be shipped back to the Fire Nation"—

Shipped, like luggage.

—"And he will be executed."

Zuko's eyes widened. "Yes," Azula continued. "It is tragic that our uncle be put to death…at such a young age." She shot a look at her uncle. "And I need you to escort him there along with several other rebels from the city. Then, you'll stay there until we find the Avatar and bring him to the Fire Nation."

Azula studied her brother to see if he had any reaction that wasn't Fire Nation. She waited to see if he would attack her because his beloved uncle was going to be killed in a short amount of time.

"When are leaving?" Zuko asked, staring at his uncle.

Good answer.

"In two days," she replied. "You are dismissed."

……

And like Azula said, two days later Prince Zuko boarded a ship with several Dai Lee officers. His uncle had been boarded early that morning was sitting in a cell down at the bottom of the ship.

They had been going for a long time. Prince Zuko wasn't used to ships anymore. It didn't feel right to be there.

Something was wrong.

The way the Dai Lee officers were standing and looking at him made Zuko very uneasy. He paced the main deck of the ship yelling out commands that, of course, the Dai Lee weren't following.

……

Ships made him very sick. He had only been on a ship once before, when he was very small. His parents told him that they were going to start a new life, at a brand new place. And they told him that they would live there forever.

But it wasn't forever.

Because, they had been killed in a Fire Nation raid not two years later.

And so, that is why Jet hated ships so much. Because, they made him think of his mother and his father constantly. He hated thinking of his parents. They made him feel sad and lonely, like he did on a daily basis.

But yet, here he was again. He was sitting in a cell with his last two comrades, Smellerbee and Longshot.

After Katara and the rest of her group had left Lake Loagai, Longshot had pulled out his bow and shot an arrow with a rope attached to it to a nearby passageway.

Then, Jet's group members had picked him up, despite his protests, and they had tied the rope around his waist.

And they were gone. They had left to climb up the cliff that had the rope hanging right above it. After Longshot and Smellerbee did, they then lifted Jet to the cliff.

It wasn't good for his injuries to say the least.

And after a terrible ten minutes they had reached the top. And then after throwing Jet's arms around his friends' shoulders they had walked to an exit.

And then the ground shook.

And then, the ceiling started to crumble. The rocks under they're feet were shaking violently. So violently, that Smellerbee lost her grip and fell. She was about to go over the edge of what was left of the cliff when Jet grabbed her arm.

He moaned in pain.

"Jet…"

"Just get up," was all he said, before looking back in front of them to the exit. "We've gotta get out of here!" he said more urgently.

But the cliff giving way to the underground earthquake, Jet's injuries, and the fact that they had no idea how to get out of this place was the least of the Freedom Fighters' problems.

Because, in front of them, stood a lone Dai Lee officer.

They had been arrested, taken to another jail cell, and had been starved for three weeks. And they along with several other prisoners had been taken to a huge Fire Nation ship.

That only meant one thing.

Jet, Smellerbee, and Longshot were in huge trouble.

……

Iroh swayed with the boat as it took off from the dock. It was strange. He was going home after so many years of being away.

He knew that he was going to be executed.

And surprisingly, he was okay with it. If he was going to be killed, he would see his son again. And his wife. He would be happy.

But what about everything in the living world that was important to the Dragon of the West? What about Prince Zuko? What about the Avatar?

What about his son?

Lu Tenn might not be living, but inside Iroh, he was the most alive ghost in the spirit world. He was everything there. Everything that he never had the chance to be here.

It wasn't fair for either one of them.

Iroh was sure, that Lu Tenn wanted Iroh to stay alive. For Lu Tenn. And his mother. So, Iroh sat there, hoping that, somehow, he would be rescued by someone, anyone that could help.

And as the thought came to mind, he heard the lock outside his jail cell brake. He stood up.

The door opened.

And in front of him, there was a man in all dark clothing. And instead of a face, he had…a…a…mask.

The Blue Spirit's mask.

Zuko's mask.

"Zuko," Iroh whispered, mentally thinking how dry and crackly his voice sounded. "Prince Zuko, is that you?"

The Blue Spirit shook his head, no.

Then who had found the mask of the Blue Spirit?

It probably floated ashore, Iroh thought dismissing the thought that it was in fact his nephew coming to save him.

The new Blue Spirit waved him toward the outside of the cell. Iroh did as he was motioned to do.

They were headed toward the entrance of the bottom deck, when the Blue Spirit stopped. He motioned Iroh to stay there and he ran back.

……

The door of Jet and his comrade's jail cell cracked. The lock had been broken, Jet was sure of it.

Slowly, he rose up so he was standing.

The metal door opened to his cell and there was a man standing there with a Blue mask on.

Jet had seen before. He was Fire Nation wanted posters.

The man waved for Jet, Smellerbee, and Longshot to follow him. And they did, without a word.

……

The group of firebenders, Freedom Fighters, and the mysterious man ran toward the top deck of the ship.

One by one they climbed up the ladder to the upper deck of the ship. When they reached it, the Blue Spirit turned to the prisoners, and he put his finger to the lips that had long pointed teeth coming out of them.

The Blue Spirit went first.

Iroh, who had been right behind the Blue Spirit stayed put. He waited. Above them, they heard grunts of pain, and the clashing of sword and rock.

And then, the man appeared at the trapdoor and he waved them up. Iroh climbed and reached the top, along with the boy he had seen at the teashop and on the ship along with the two kids that were traveling with him.

The sky over head was black and had the millions and billions of stars shining, with a big bright moon shining, giving them enough light to see.

They traveled along the side of the boat until the reached the stairs that led up to the helm of the ship. The Blue Spirit extended his right index finger toward a small boat that was drifting in mid air.

The man in the mask walked over to a rope and pulled the boat so it was hanging over where Iroh, Jet, Smellerbee, and Longshot. It dropped on the deck with a loud thud.

Quickly and silently, Iroh and the three other kids climbed into the boat. Then, the man lifted them back into the water.

Iroh and Jet picked up a paddle and they started rowing away from the boat, not both wondering why and how that man had only saved them and no one else.

……

Princess Azula fixed her hair that morning with much delicacy. She tied her top knot up so it was perfect and pinned back the few annoying pieces of hair that always seemed to fall in front of her face.

Today was a special.

Today was the day that she would announce what she had in store for the people of Ba Sing Se.

And she had to look nice.

Even if they were only peasants.

An urgent knock on the door, erupted her thoughts of victory and scorching the peasants if they got in her way. Her eyes narrowed, so she was glaring toward whoever was on the other side of the entrance to her room.

She stood up from the mirror that she had been sitting at, and Azula walked over to the door and opened it.

There, standing in front of her, was the same Dai Lee officer that had given her the news about sending her brother back to the Fire Nation, not two days before.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Um—your highness, a waterbender, one of the prisoners on Prince Zuko's ship, just appeared at the gates of the kingdom—and—and…"

"Get to the point or you won't be alive much longer," she said coldly.

"And—he said that he was sent by the head Dai Lee officer on Prince Zuko's ship and he said that Prince Zuko along with three rebels, and General Iroh all went missing last night. And the two life boats were missing."

Zuko.

……

Later on that day, Azula stood in front of the people of Ba Sing Se. All of their faces were confused and scared, as the Dai Lee officers surrounded the Fire Nation Princess.

She tried not to let her brother get to her.

Not when she was supposed to be having her fun, terrorizing people.

"I suppose you are wondering why I am here," she stated flatly. "Well, I am going to tell you:

"In a short amount of weeks, Sozen's Comet will arrive leaving my people, the Fire Nation, inevitable to victory of the very long war between our nations.

"And I'm sure you're wondering what anything I'm saying as to do with you. Well, I will tell you. We need your city. We're going to take this city and use it as my palace. The Fire Nation is going to be world wide, starting in Ba Sing Se, and then Omashu, and finally the North and South Poles.

"And so, we need you to leave. Leave and never come back. You have exactly one week to get all of your belongings and you'll be escorted out of the wall and to your new home." She paused, and smiled at the people as they became more and more frightened.

"What about the Avatar?" she heard a lone voice, a woman's voice say.

A small girl, of sixteen or so walked out in front of the crowd. She was thin, wearing a traditional pink and white hanbok. She had her dark hair wrapped in a braid and short bangs were hanging in front of her forehead. She had soft, brown eyes that were scared and frightened.

"He's alive, you know," she added.

Azula smiled toward the girl. "You think the Avatar can save you? He's nearly dead if not already that and if he is still alive, he's very weak. And he doesn't have a firebending teacher.

"The Avatar is only twelve years old. The fate of the world is resting in the shoulders of a little kid. Do you really think he can save you?"

The girl looked like she was on the verge of tears.

And then, with all the courage she had, she said, "Yes."

But no one backed her up. She stood, a lone woman, between the Earth Kingdom peasants and the Dai Lee officers. She stood, afraid, but not showing it. "I know he'll win," she said.

And Azula waved her hand. Two Dai Lee officers grabbed the girl's arms and led her away.

She walked without kicking or screaming.

She marched.

And the people of Ba Sing Se watched, stunned as a girl of sixteen could do the thing that none of them could any longer: believe.

Hope.

……

For a long time it seemed, neither Jet nor Iroh talked. They had been floating for almost a day and already the heat of the summer and the lack of food and water was getting to them.

They all were feeling death.

Jet broke the silence. "You are Fire Nation, aren't you?"

"Yes," Iroh replied, nodding. But, surprisingly, Jet didn't attack him. "But I've changed. I believe every one deserves a second chance. And that includes men such as me and my nephew. Even if we are Fire Nation."

"I believe in second chances," Jet said suddenly. "Recently, a group forgave me for something that I had done to them. And now, they're probably in danger. They helped me realize what I was doing wrong. And then, I came here for a new start and immediately went after you and Lee.

"I'm sorry," Jet said looking the man square in the eye, "about what I did to your shop. But I'm not sorry about what I said. Where is your nephew anyway?"

Iroh broke eye contact.

"Exactly," Jet said leaning back on the small boat, making it tip back and forth. "Firebenders don't deserve second chances."

Silence.

……

For three days total, Jet, Iroh, Smellerbee, and Longshot didn't talked, savoring every bit of shade from the clouds and every time it rained.

As dusk approached an island appeared not a mile away. Jet looked at it and said to his friends, "Come on, guys. Let's get off of this boat."

And with that, the Freedom Fighters stood and jumped off the boat and into the water. And they swam off.

Iroh looked up toward the sky. The slightest signs of night were approaching such as the faint outline of the moon and the few sparkling stars. He looked over to the island and knew that he was headed to Kyoshi.

That island was Kyoshi.

And when he was only about thirty feet away from shore, his eyes widened considerably. When he squinted his eyes he saw the outline of five figures.

And one was the none other than the last hope of the world, the young monk, the last airbender, the Avatar.

Okay, that's it. That was a pretty long chapter. And I sorry that the story is going so slow, but now that I have all the preset chapter names out of the way then the story will start to go a lot faster.

Can anyone guess who that lone woman was that was being taken away from Azula's meeting with the peasants?

Thanks, guys. Bye!!!