Chapter 2 p.1: Nothing Can Go Wrong

Four Days Later…

After Naruto had single-handedly decimated the Fire Nation Armada, the Northern Water Tribe celebrated for a good while, before they began to settle and take count of the fighters, to see who was dead and missing.

In a spectacular turn of events, the Tribe had barely suffered any casualties, a welcomed consequence of being well-prepared.

The second day, the Gaang and Naruto helped rebuild the North Pole, bringing the City of Ice back to its' former glory.

Afterward, they celebrated the fact that they were still alive, and someone broke out the alcohol. And then someone also gave Aang alcohol. The rest of the night was a whirlwind of sounds, colors and strange tastes.

The third day was recovery day. Nearly everyone had a hangover, and the entire day was spent holding heads and groaning softly as headaches pounded within their skulls.

Naruto, however, woke up in a very pleasurable fashion, being used as a teddy bear by both Katara and Yue, who were both half-naked and still asleep.

When Katara had woken up, it had taken several minutes for her headache to subside and a few more after that to realize that she was holding on tightly to a warm, male body, wearing only her underwear. And then she blushed bright enough that her face could have been mistaken for beacon.

That day, Katara spent the entire time avoiding Naruto's gaze. Whenever she did meet his eyes, she would flush brightly and look away hurriedly.

Aang spent the whole day comatose, along with Sokka. Someone had scrawled the words 'Light weights' on their foreheads, and they didn't find out until the next day.

On the fourth day, Naruto and the Gaang had been escorted from by Arnook, Yue and Master Paku from the village, and were given a raucous Hero's Farewell.

The group now stood on the deck of a large Water Tribe ship, Aang saddling up Appa behind them. He joined them soon enough, and Arnook began to speak.

"Aang, Katara, Sokka, Naruto and my daughter…for your passionate defense of our village, for saving the Moon Spirit and forewarning us of the Fire Nation Invasion, you are all named Heroes of the Water Tribe." He bowed deeply to them, along with Paku. "Now, I believe that Master Paku has a few gifts he wishes to give."

The venerable Elder Waterbender stepped forward with a small smile. He approached Aang first. "Aang, it's been a pleasure teaching you. Although you have yet to become a master, I fully trust both Katara and Naruto to teach you in my stead. Remember your exercises."

Paku handed Aang a sealed scroll imprinted with the Water Nation Insignia, bowing as he did.

He then approached Katara. "You have great skill Katara, more-so than myself at your age, if I say so myself."

His eyes flickered over to Naruto, and a small smirk crossed his face. "I know Naruto, and I know how dangerous it will be for you to travel with him and Aang. Take this vial, filled with blessed water from the Spirit Oasis, said to have amazing restorative properties."

As he handed her the vial, he leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "By the way…I approve of your choice in boyfriends." He leaned back with a knowing smirk as Katara flushed brightly. "Stay safe, Katara."

Next was Sokka. "Sokka, your devious mind, cunning and intelligent tactics helped save a lot of lives during the Invasion. Take this as a remainder that not all great warriors are simply strong or fast."

He handed the wolf-tailed Tribal a box made of intricately carved and shaped wood. "If you can solve this puzzle, Sokka, then you will find an object that will help your unique skills. Good luck."

Finally, Arnook joined Paku with Naruto and Yue. "The last gift is sort of a double gift, you could say," Arnook mused, "Yue, I know how you have been begging me to let you go with Naruto on his travels…it is after much deliberation that I say…yes, you can go."

A wide, shocked grin broke out on Yue's face before she glomped her dad with great force, nearly knocking both of them off the boat.

Paku pulled Naruto aside, handing him a long, thin wrapped package. "Although I doubt you'll need it, Arnook would still feel better if you carried a proper weapon with you." He whispered. "This blade was carved and forged from the fang of a Giant Polar Caribou-Bear, cooled in water gifted from the Spirit Oasis. Protect our Princess with it, won't you?"

Naruto bowed with a serious and respectful visage. "I will."

Arnook finally released his daughter, hastily wiping away un-manly tears. "Now, I know you are eager to begin your journey, so I will simply say good luck, and stay safe."

Paku smiled and bowed one last time. "Katara, Sokka, you may want to know that I will be visiting Kanna in the imminent future. And who knows, maybe I'll get to carve her another necklace."

Sokka grinned widely. "That would be so cool! If you get married to Gran-gran, we'd get to call you…Gran-Paku!"

The older master laughed slightly, before deadpanning, "No."

The newly extended Gaang laughed at Sokka's forlorn 'Awww…', before climbing into Appa's saddle.

Aang sat on the Sky Bison's furry head, cracking the reins and call out, "Appa! Yip, yip!"

The large six-armed sky mammal gave a low growl, flexing his tail and shooting them into the sky.

They waved at Paku and Arnook until they faded from view. Naruto settled in the saddle with the wrapped blade sitting across his knees. "So, where are we headed to?"

"We're headed to Omashu," Aang said cheerfully as he slid into the saddle. "King Bumi is an amazing Earthbender and an old friend, so I'm going to see if he'll be my Earthbending teacher."

Yue quirked an eyebrow, pausing in the act of brushing of her hair. "I'm sensing a story here."

Sokka scoffed from his part of the saddle. "There's always a story when it come to us. Last time we went that way, we got caught up in a cave-in with a group of hippies."

Naruto looked up from his unwrapping of the blade. "How'd you get out?" He asked curiously.

Sokka's tongue was now sticking between his teeth as he tried to puzzle out the puzzle box. "Aang did his 'connecting-with-nature-thing' and managed to draw two Badger-Moles. We rode them all the way out of there."

Katara spoke up from behind Yue, where she was helping the Princess brush her multitudes of hair. "But Appa can't fly that far in one go, so we'll make a stop along the way." She stopped brushing Yue's hair to ask a question. "Hey Yue, have you ever thought of cutting your hair?"

The white-haired teen looked at her hair, which was streaming out over Appa's saddle. If she had been standing, it would have pooled around her feet. "Maybe I should…though I've never actually had my hair cut before."

Katara smiled brightly at the Princess. "Don't worry about it! I've cut plenty of hair since I was little, it won't hurt a bit."

Yue smiled at her happily, glad to converse with another girl. "That'd be great, Katara."

"Let me just get my scissors."

Aang sat in Appa's saddle, a pensive air about him. "Hey…Naruto?"

The blonde looked up from his blade, which he was admiring in the light. "Yeah, Aang?"

"Have you killed people before?"

The question stopped all activity in the saddle. Everyone's eye turned to Naruto, who sighed and set the blade aside. "Yes, I've killed people. You were there for some of it."

Aang looked genuinely sad. "But why?"

Naruto leaned back against the saddle, his eyes becoming half-lidded and sad. "Sometimes, it's the only way to end conflict. Sometimes…people are beyond second chances."

Aang protested immediately. "Everyone deserves a second chance!"

The scarred blonde turned an icy glare onto the bald Avatar. "Not everyone! There are people out there that are sick, twisted, and evil, that need to die, for the sake of everyone else's safety!"

His voice rose in volume. "It's not nice, it's not good and it's definitely not fun, but it's necessary. Sometimes, that's what it's about; not what's right or wrong, good or evil, but what's absolutely necessary to live another day."

The look on Aang's face could be described perfectly as 'horrified'. He looked around the saddle, seeing everyone else's resigned faces. "But it's wrong!"

Naruto's eyes narrowed, becoming colder than ice. Aang flinched in surprise. "Have you ever heard of a place called Morabashi?"

Everyone shook their heads, and Naruto continued. "Let me tell you about Morabashi. It was a small, unassuming town that was known solely for the high amount of ore that could be mined only by Earthbenders. A dry dock, used for making and repairing Fire Nation ships was the only notable thing about the town. When I was ten, I stumbled across Morabashi after traveling for a long time, and a family took me in. they treated me like family…and the entire town paid for it. Someone saw me practicing my different bending styles, and reported it to the higher-ups, who ordered my capture."

His eyes stared off into space, lost in his recollections. "They put tranquilizers in my food, knocked me out and took me prisoner. Because no one told the Fire Nation about it, they killed everyone there, as all of the ore had been mined, and they no longer had need of the Earthbenders. They sealed them in their own mine, and made collapse on top of them. No one survived."

Horrified looks were present on all of the Gaang's faces. Aang looked like he was about to vomit, sentiment shared by everyone else. "When I woke up in a cage, two days later, one of the guards bragged to me about how they had killed the Earthbenders with their own mine."

His eyes became chips of ice. "I don't remember much after that. I remember indescribable rage, hatred for the ones who killed my friends. When I came to, the dry dock was destroyed…no one survived. Three battalions of Fire Nation soldiers and twenty-five engineers. Not one of them lived to see the next day."

He locked eyes with Aang. "Some people…are beyond saving. Some people are monsters, just waiting to be put down before they harm more innocents. Innocence is the first casualty of war. I learned the hard way that not everyone deserves a second chance."

Naruto stood up in the saddle, hooking small metal rings attached to his cloak to his gauntlets. "I'm going to go think, I'll catch up later."

He then jumped off of Appa's back, spreading his cloak out to catch the air, similar to Aang's Glider. With a twist of his body, he spun and vanished below them.

The Gaang sat in their spots, thinking over Naruto's words. Katara quietly resumed cutting Yue's hair, Sokka looked back to his puzzle box, Aang opened the scroll he had been given, and Yue pensively watched her fingers entwine and separate. None their actions had any real enthusiasm, as they were thinking over what Naruto had said.

Appa spotted an Earth Kingdom base, a tall tower and large grounds surrounded by a large wall. He roared out to Aang, who crawled onto his head and took them down.

They were greeted by a large, muscular man (as most Earthbenders were), who called himself General Fong.

"The Avatar and friends! I bid you welcome to my humble fort." He bowed grandly, his dark green cloak brushing the ground.

Aang greeted him cheerfully, bowing back. "Hi! It's nice to meet you, General Fong."

The General smiled widely and bade them to follow him. He led them into his office in the tower, where he gained a serious look. "Avatar Aang, I've heard tales of your battle with the Fire Nation fleet in the North Pole. How you, in your Avatar State, decimated the entire fleet in minutes."

Aang rubbed the back of his head sheepishly while Sokka chuckled in the back ground. "Actually, I didn't do that. I never went into the Avatar State at all in the North Pole."

Fong blinked in surprise. "Really? Then how was the Fire Nation fleet defeated?"

Katara piped up with the answer. "One of our traveling companions did that."

The General tapped a finger to his chin thoughtfully. "…Really now? Hmm, I'd still trust the Avatar State over someone else. Anyway, you must have heard of the feats your past selves have committed, Avatar? How great they were? If we can get you into the Avatar State, we could take out the Fire Lord right now!"

"That wouldn't work."

The whole room turned, to find Naruto leaning against a pillar. Yue cheered, "Naruto!" and ran over to hug him tightly.

He wrapped his arms around her firmly. "Sorry for running off like that, Yue, but I needed time to clear my head."

She pulled back and glared at him lightly. "You can talk to me about anything, Naruto. Anything at all."

"I like your hair cut, princess." He smiled as he ran a hand through her much shorter hair. Katara had cut Yue's hair very short, leaving the fringes to brush over her shoulders, shortening more in the back. She looked like a completely different person.

"Ahem."

Naruto and Yue turned to see General Fong giving them an irritable look. "And who are you?"

His eyes roved over Naruto's face, narrowing on his trio of scars over his eye. "Ah, no need to tell me, I know who you are. Hawk, the White Assassin."

Naruto bowed shortly. "Indeed I am."

Fong smiled nastily. "I believe I have some one you want to meet, Hawk. You might want to ready yourself, though."

Naruto gave a questioning look, before Fong shouted out, "Bowlen!"

Chapter 2 p.2: Everything Has Gone Wrong

The door was flung open by a great force as Naruto's eyes widened. A huge man, easily nine feet tall and covered by thick muscles that corded underneath his skin, ducked under the door. "What you want, Fong?" He spoke in a deep, rumbling voice, like two boulders being ground together.

His large eyes locked onto a familiar sight, a hated sight. White robes with blue and black highlights. "HAWK!" He roared angrily.

General Fong took advantage of Naruto's distraction to kick his heavy desk with great force at the blonde.

Naruto flipped on top of the heavy lumber, riding it as it slid until it smashed through the window, where he back-flipped off before it crashed to the ground, landing on both feet with ease.

The giant form of Bowlen smashed through the remnants of the window, and about two feet of wall, landing with a loud crash and a pulverization of the ground beneath him.

"I KILL YOU, HAWK!" He shouted loudly, drawing the attention of every Earthbender in the base. They surrounded them quickly, enclosing them in a circle that was wide enough to avoid collateral damage, but tight enough to feel constricting. General Fong also leaped out of the hole in the wall, followed by the rest of the Gaang.

"Fong! Why are you doing this?" Aang yelled angrily.

The General laughed crazily. "You mean you don't recognize the man you're traveling with?! He's Hawk, the White Assassin! He killed a General of the Earth Kingdom Army!"

"He was feeding the Fire Nation important intel, and you know it, Fong!" Naruto shouted over the growls coming from Bowlen.

Yue propelled herself over the crowd of Earthbenders, landing next to Naruto in a Waterbending stance. "I'll believe Naruto over someone who attacked us without warning!"

Aang twirled his Staff and fell into a wide Airbending stance, while Katara pulled water from her pouches and Sokka drew both his boomerang and machete, backing away from Fong warily.

"So, that's how it's going to be, Avatar? Very well! It isn't like we haven't survived the last hundred years of war without you! We'll just have to find the next Avatar before the Fire Nation!" He crowed triumphantly.

(With Naruto and Yue)

Bowlen stomped the ground, Earthbending a spire of rock to erupt out of the ground underneath Yue and Naruto, who dodged out of the way as it ripped out of the earth.

"I crush you and girlie, Hawk!" Bowlen rumbled furiously. He impacted both fists into the ground, forcing a boulder several feet across to launch into the air. He drew his head back and slammed it into the rock, sending it hurtling towards Naruto.

The blonde stood his ground, feet spread evenly in Horse stance. He punched his fists forward, meeting the boulder in an explosion of dust and stone chips. Two rocks, twice the size of his fists remained, which he hovered in front of him. Naruto spun on his right foot, roundhouse kicking the stone as a trail of blue flames followed his foot. The flames engulfed the stones and launched them as two globs of lava at Bowlen.

The nine-foot giant tried to swat them aside, but they splattered across the back of his fist with a hiss of burning flesh.

Bowlen waved his hand wildly through the air, howling in pain. His howl rose sharply as a blade of water sliced through the skin of his chest, leaving a shallow cut that bled slightly.

Yue drew her water back, letting it hover in front of her. The giant turned to her with a growl. He had forgotten her in the blind rage that had taken over his mind when he had seen the white-robed Assassin.

He stomped a foot and launched a rock at the white-haired teen. She dodged nimbly, sending a whip of water that cracked into Bowlen's eye sharply.

He wailed in agony, clutching his injured ocular organ. A fireball exploded on his back, throwing him forward slightly.

Bowlen turned an enraged eye onto Naruto, who had thrown the fire. "Bowlen! It was a mistake leaving you alive! A mistake I will fix…right now!"

(With Aang and the Siblings)

While not as unerringly strong as Bowlen, Fong was more nimble, somewhat. He dodged a whip of water and brought a chunk of rock up to deflect a burst of air from Aang.

He stomped and brought several rocks up in front of himself, punching rapidly, sending a flurry of rocks at the trio.

Katara raised a wall of ice in front of her and dodged as the rocks slammed through it, while Aang bent the air around him into a miniature twister, which pulled the rocks around him and threw them back at Fong. Sokka dived backwards, avoiding the rocks entirely.

He rolled onto his feet, pulling his boomerang back and letting it fly.

The small strip of angled metal blurred through the air, impacting with a dull 'thunk' into the side of Fong's head, dazing him momentarily.

Aang spun his staff, opening the small glider piece and slamming it down, blowing a large gust of air and dust into Fong's face.

The crazed General swore and rubbed his eyes, and Katara took the chance to form several spikes of ice, shooting them at Fong's legs.

The General had a sixth sense from fighting for so long, and was able to dodge most of the spikes, except for the two that lodged into his thighs, one apiece. He roared in pain and Earthbent a large wave of stone towards them blindly.

Aang jumped over the wave, being all airy and whatnot, while Katara made a ramp out of water that she used to ride over the earth. Fong had missed Sokka entirely.

"Just stop attacking! We can work this out!" Aang called desperately.

Fong growled like a wild animal and brought up a large chunk of rock to hurl at the sound of Aang's voice.

(One Moment Earlier, With Naruto and Yue)

Yue hopped away as Bowlen bent several spikes of earth her direction, retaliating with a sharp whip of water that snapped against his shoulder.

He growled and kicked the ground, throwing a large boulder at the white-haired Waterbender, who dodged once again easily.

Behind him, Naruto drew his hands from the ground, now covered in blue crystal gauntlets that shimmered in the light. He punched, shooting shards of crystal at the giant's back, where most shattered uselessly, but a few managed to pierce his thick skin.

The giant whipped around, angrily tearing a piece of earth up and hurling it at Naruto. The blonde spun around it, lightning gathering around his hand and shooting out as he thrusted it at Bowlen's face.

The giant screamed in pain as thousands of volts fried his eyes. "Switch!" Naruto called out as he ran at the Bowlen. Yue sprinted at him from behind, drawing to blades of water and slashing them across the back of Bowlen's thighs as she rolled between his legs.

Naruto jumped, landing on his head and kicking off to complete the circuit over Bowlen, who fell to his knees as he legs bled heavily.

"Oi, Bowlen! What was that about crushing me? I think you may have been mistaken!" Naruto taunted as he back away subtly.

The bleeding giant roared, grabbing a man-sized boulder out of the ground and spinning on his knees, a move that tore the skin and made him bleed even more. He hurled the boulder at Naruto, who at that time, bumped into someone.

Recognizing who it was, he back flipped into the air, landing on the person's shoulders, kicking off from there.

Fong felt someone push off of him, and he swiped wildly. A rush of air confused him, as it seemed to be coming behind him. Cracking his mucked up eyes slightly, he screamed in terror and anger as the last thing he would ever see or feel slammed into him and carried him across the courtyard, crushing him against the wall.

Naruto landed from his flip, hearing the impact as the boulder crashed into a far wall. Bowlen was still on his knees, panting heavily as his energy faded.

Naruto crouched, sticking his right arm towards the ground, the other hand coming to wrap around his forearm. "This ends now!"

Lightning gathered around his pointed hand, cackling excitedly.

With speed only Aang could follow, the blonde blurred towards Bowlen, ripping the ground up as he did. With a small leap, Naruto's lightning covered hand pierced straight through Bowlen's head, killing him instantly.

He rode the corpse down, before pulling his hand out with a sickening squelch and small spray of gore.

All was silent as the Gaang regrouped around the fallen giant with a hand-sized hole in his forehead.

The Earthbenders around them were silent, before loud cheers broke out, startling the group.

"You're not angry?" Aang asked incredulously.

"Spirits no!" One of the soldiers shouted happily. "Fong was an arrogant idiot, and Bowlen just followed Fong! Now we can finally have a smart leader!"

At that, the cheering doubled.

Fire burst over Naruto's body fading to reveal that the blood that had covered him was gone. "We'll leave you to your celebration."

"Are you sure? The least we could do is escort you to Omashu."
Aang nodded uneasily, looking sick. "No, we're good. Thanks anyways."

The group piled onto Appa and flew off into the sky as the base celebrated the death of their own general and his enforcer.

The saddle was silent, Yue leaning against Naruto on one side while Katara did the same on the other.

Everyone except Naruto was pale, and even he was discolored slightly.

"Does…does it ever get easier, watching or even doing something like that?" Sokka asked quietly.

Naruto shook his head. "Never. It never does, and hopefully it never will. Being able to kill someone without feeling anything is a true sign of becoming a monster."

Katara leaned heavily into Naruto's shoulder, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Let's just get to Omashu. I think we could all use some rest."

Appa landed behind a tall hill and slumped over, completely exhausted. The Gaang tiredly crawled off of him, even Momo dragging his wings.

Aang moved a head of them, calling back, "I can't wait to see Bumi again. A slide would feel really good right now."

The next words died on his lips as he crested the hill. "Welcome to O…"

Katara gasped at the sight of factories belching smoke into the air, Fire Nation banners waving from flags, and a statue of Ozai stood on top of the mountain. "Oh no…"

Chapter 2 p.3: What Else Could Go Wrong?

The Gaang had snuck through the canyon separating Omashu from any where else, coming up on a metal grate that stuck out of the wall.

Aang had jammed his staff into part of the grate to pry it off as Sokka complained, "Why didn't we use this entrance before?!"

The grate popped off with a waft of sewage and some actual sewage spilling out of the opening.

"Gah!" Sokka jumped back, covering his face with the collar of his shirt. "Okay, now I know."

"Come on!" Aang said, "Let's get in Omashu and find out what happened to Bumi."

He hopped into grate without any more words. Naruto, Yue and Katara glanced at each other, simultaneously shrugged, and then followed him, Waterbending the sewage out of the way.

Sokka gagged at the smell, even through his shirt, and followed after them reluctantly.

…

A manhole cover in the middle of a street popped out of place as a burst of air dislodged it. Two tattooed hands lifted it slightly, letting two grey eyes peer out.

Making sure the area was clear, Aang pushed the cover aside, jumping out afterwards. Katara climbed out, commenting, "That wasn't so bad."

Yue followed her, taking Katara's hand to pull herself up. "Yeah, I don't know why Sokka made such a big deal about it."

Naruto popped out next, taking both of the girl's hands to get out. "He sure can whine sometimes."

A groan sounded out from behind them, coming from a figure covered head-to-toe in sludge, completely hiding the identity.

Katara and Yue bent water from a nearby barrel and sent it into the figure, clearing away the sludge and revealing it to be Sokka. He breathed a sigh of relief at smelling fresh air again, before a weird suction drew his eyes down to his cheeks, where two small purple creatures sat.

A loud cry of alarm came from his mouth as he hopped around wildly, trying vainly to pull the pentapus off of his face.

Aang slapped a hand over Sokka's mouth, hissing, "Quiet down, Sokka! It's just a purple pentapus!" He tickled the head of the little purple creature, which gave of tiny 'Squee!' sound, and let go of Sokka's face with multiple pops, leaving behind a pattern of red marks on his visage.

He tickled the other pentapus and detached it from his face, showing more red marks on the other side of his face.

"Hey! What are do you think you're doing?" A trio of Fire Nation soldiers came upon them with stern faces.

Naruto, Yue and Katara stepped in front of Aang, who quickly twisted part of his clothes into a hat that hid his arrow.

"We were just going for walk." Katara explained.

The guards glanced at each other, before giving them hard looks. "'Going for a walk'? After curfew? There's something you're not telling us."

One of the soldiers, the youngest there, suddenly pointed at Sokka, or more specifically, the marks on his face. "What's wrong with your friend?"

Yue looked over the marks, before an idea struck her. "It's pentapox!" She exclaimed loudly.

Katara's eyes widened, and she caught on. "Yes! It's very painful, very contagious!"

She elbowed her brother, who stuck his arms out and began to groan, shuffling towards the guards. "Ooh, help me! It's burning me! It's horrible!"

Naruto removed the pentapus he had surreptitiously stuck to his hand, sticking it out with an exclamation. "Oh Spirits! It's spreading already! Help me, please!"

The three guards recoiled in fear, the oldest one pointing a shaking finger at them. "Pentapox! I-I've heard of that! Stay away from me!" He then ran off, screaming, followed by the other two.

The Gaang chuckled to themselves, before turning serious. "Bumi's a powerful Earthbender. They probably have him somewhere he can't use it." Sokka reasoned.

The others agreed, and began to make their way up to the statue of Ozai, which was surrounded by scaffolding on the lower levels.

They had made it to a part of the Omashu mail system, when they heard talking coming from below them.

The Gaang hid quickly, watching as a group of people, most of them wearing noble clothing, preceded beneath them.

Naruto's eyes, however, were locked onto the teenager near the front. She had long, silky black hair that was partially done up in two buns, wearing noble robes and slim fingerless gloves. Her pretty face held a look of perpetual boredom.

A shifting of rock drew the Gaang's attention to a group of Earthbenders wearing armor, who shifted a large boulder onto a chute, ready to launch it at the group of noble below.

Naruto's eyes widened as looked back at the group, more specifically, the child a noble lady was holding.

"Shit! A kid! Look out!" the Earthbenders sent the boulder towards the group, who looked up from Naruto's shout to see a large chunk of earth hurtling towards them.

Naruto dashed into the path of the rock, slamming into it with a shoulder thrust, shattering it into dust.

The Earthbenders, who hadn't seen Naruto come out of hiding to stop the rock, sent another one, just to make sure they hit someone.

As the dust from the first boulder faded, another boulder hurtled towards Naruto. He only had a little time to react, punching forward with a fist encased in flame.

He connected solidly, as the rock did to him. It burst into pieces, but hit him hard enough to knock him unconscious.

His body landed in front of the group of nobles who gasped in horrification. "Oh Spirits! The Rebels are attacking!"

An older gentleman with graying hair pointed at the Gaang and the two Earth Kingdom soldiers. "Guards! Stop them!"

The teen pulled a pair of red knives from her sleeves, throwing them at the running group, barely missing and impacting into a stack of wood. She chased after them, losing them around a corner when the Earthbenders flipped a slab of stone that they were standing on, leaving no trace of them except for rapidly dissipating dust.

The teen scoffed and walked back to her parents, who were fretting over Naruto. "Oh, this poor boy! Those horrible Rebels tried to kill us and this brave young man got hurt defending us!"

The governor nodded. "Unfortunately yes. Guards! Bring this man to the infirmary in our house! Be gentle with him!"

The pair of guards saluted and hurried over to pick him up.

The teen sighed in boredom, a small, hidden smile barely twitching her lips. So this is how we meet again, huh Naruto?

…

Three Hours Later…

Naruto was sprawled over a bed in a guest room in the governor's mansion, still unconscious.

The door slid open quietly, and the soft brushing of slippered feet was the only noise, before the door slid quietly closed.

"You can stop faking sleep, Naruto." A bored, feminine voice said from above Naruto's head.

His blue eyes snapped open, fixing on the coal black of Mai's. A soft smile crossed his lips. "Hey Mai. Lovely view."

Mai was leaning over his head, a smile lifting her normally expressionless face from pretty to beautiful. She wore a small nightgown that covered her modesty and nothing else, letting her long, creamy white legs to be seen. The top was open slightly, letting Naruto get a peak down her shirt.

"Hey Naruto. It's been a while since I've seen you last." She said jokingly.

Naruto chuckled softly. "Every second away from you is too long, Mai."

The young woman laughed gently as Naruto stood up from the bed and embraced her tightly. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her body to his firmly, inhaling his scent with her face buried in his shoulder. "It's so good to be back in your arms, Naruto. I hate having to wait for something to do when you're not around."

He laughed and pulled away, only enough to touch noses with her. "I knew you missed me," he teased.

She smiled coyly. "There's something else I missed about you as well."

Mai leaned forward and pressed her lips to his softly, her arms pulling him tight against her. She licked his lips in question, and as he always did, he obliged her happily.

When they finally ran out of breath, Naruto separated from her, allowing her to shed her gown. She wore very little underneath, only a pair of lacy black panties and bra of a similar nature. He pulled the covers back on the bed, sliding in and letting her join him.

Mai cuddled up to him with a sigh of content, brushing a hand through his blonde hair. "There will be plenty of time for this when we succeed. I honestly can't wait for it." She murmured.

Naruto squeezed her tightly. "Whenever you want me, Mai, you can always have me."

She smiled at him and kissed him one more time. "And that's why I love you, Naruto."

They settled in to sleep, basking in the warmth they received from each other.

That night, they slept peacefully as the rest of the Gaang made plans to escape Omashu with the Rebels.

A/N: It's not usually my style to leave a (somewhat) cliffhanger, but here we go.

Now, I want to be clear: If I answer a question in the A/N that someone asks me immediately after I post this chapter, I'm gonna be pissed.

So here's the down low in this story:

Naruto: He's lived in the Avatar world for long time, though I haven't specified how long. He will be paired with the following: Azula, Yue, Katara, Mai, Ty Lee and Toph. Someone asked if Suki was going to join them. I hadn't planned on it, but I do have a way of making it happen, if I so desire.

Zuko will be paired with Jin, the girl from the Ba Sing Se.

Aang will be paired with that one girl from the Fortune Teller episode.

Sokka is currently up for debate with the whole Suki thing.

Aang will still face off against Ozai, but Naruto will face off with a group of people, Bowlen being one of them,

That was not the Chidori, that was Naruto knowing that lightning has piercing power and used it in conjunction with his fist,

No, no one else will be coming from the Naruto world, so don't ask.

No, Naruto does not have the Rinnegan, it will all be explained later.

Questions or comments, either review or PM me, and I'll do my best to answer them.

Other than that,

Keep Being Awesome!

-Soleneus