The Escape

Year 95 AG

Western Earth Kingdom

"Just remember not to do anything stupid to alert them, Foxy," Azula groaned.

She had to explain to Naruto what NOT to do when they plan their escape three times to get it through his thick skull. Azula never understood how someone can be a genius firebender and a dumb idiot at the same time. Morning had arrived, and the weather conditions were perfect for their escape. Nu Wa had informed them that the land was shrouded in thick fog which was perfect enough to hide their tracks.

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto said. "I heard you the first time, princess."

Fake it, make it, break it. That was all Naruto needed to know about their escape plan. He had been on the run many times before when he was younger; this wasn't something new to him.

Azula rolled her eyes, "You just love to irritate me, don't you."

"I try."

The door suddenly opened, and a squad of soldiers entered the room. Nu Wa stood amongst the soldiers and nodded her head at Azula and Naruto. One of the soldiers unlocked the chains that imprisoned them and tied the two of their arms together with iron cuffs and linking chains.

Naruto winced in pain, "Hey, easy there, buddy."

"Shut up."

"Sheesh, talk about grumpy," Naruto grumbled to himself.

More soldiers, including Nu Wa, assisted the other soldier to lift Naruto and Azula onto their feet. Then, a man with a stern visage walked into the jail room. He wore light armor and a red metallic headband around his top knot. His hands clasped behind his back as the soldiers made way for him.

"Oh, how the princess had fallen from grace," The captain stood over her with a sneer. "You can call me Captain Zemin."

Azula glanced at the captain's form with an unimpressed look, her mouth curled with disdain. She found it quite amusing that this lowly captain thought he stood at a higher pedestal than Azula in her current state.

"Why would I remember the name of some lowly soldier?" Azula scoffed.

"Watch what you say, princess; you're in enemy hands," Zemin narrowed his eyes. "You're a total disappointment to all of the Fire Nation; you betrayed the Fire Lord, your brother and the people, you traitorous scum."

"Are you just here to blabber your big mouth, captain?"

Suddenly, Zemin slapped her across the face. The slap echoed across the room as everyone watched in silence. Azula's cheek turned red with pain, but she remained unperturbed. However, her golden eyes gleamed with a bit of malice as she stared back at him.

"Hey, bastard," Anger laced Naruto's voice. "Why don't you pick a fight with me, instead?"

Zemin turned towards the blonde boy, "So, you're the rumored fox demon boy. You don't look like much."

"Get these cuffs off of me, and I'll show you what I'm made of," Naruto retorted.

Zemin slowly stood up, "I would have killed you both right here, but the Fire Lord wanted you both to rot in our prisons, so I'll see to it."

He then walked out of the room, "Men, take these brats out of here."

A soldier grabbed the chains that were connected to their iron cuffs and pulled the two kids along. They marched through the quiet halls of the ship, and Azula focused on the two soldiers in front of her with a confident smirk. She took a quick glance at the dangling keys on the waist of one of them and winked at Naruto. Whistling to herself, Azula gently kicked the keys off of the soldier's waist.

"Hey, I think you dropped something," Azula said with a face of innocence.

The soldier turned around and noticed his keys were on the floor, "Oh, I guess you're right." He bent over to pick them up.

Azula quickly took the opportunity and threw a powerful knee right at the skull mask of the soldier, splitting it in half. His eyes rolled into his head as he fell backwards. A clean knockout.

The other soldier turned around with shock, "What the hell!"

Azula and Naruto pulled against the iron chains that held them together and charged at him. Using the chains, they tripped the soldier over before he even had the chance fo firebend.

"They're trying to escape!"

The remaining squad of soldiers stood defensively and launched torrents of fire at the two prisoners. Azula and Naruto quickly countered by breathing out a combine force of blue and gold flames. Their flames quickly overwhelmed the soldiers, and they soon fell.

Nu Wa suddenly ran over to them, "Both of you need to be quick, hurry!"

She hurriedly unlocked the cuffs that held them back. "The deck is just up ahead."

"Thank you for everything, Nu Wa," Azula bowed her head.

Nu Wa pushed them along, "Thank me later when you escape. Now go."

"I hope we meet again, Nu Wa!" Naruto waved her goodbye before he ran for the exit. Fog covered the deck as the two of them approached the ramp.

"Sound the horns!" A soldier cried. "The prisoners are escaping!"

The horns quickly blared which alerted the rest of the crew on the ship.

"What!" Captain Zemin cried in shock. He walked over to the balcony of the bridge and stared down at the escaping prisoners. "How the hell did they get away, you incompetent fools!"

"Sir!" The soldier responded immediately. "The squad that have been assigned to transport the prisoners were taken out!"

Captain Zemin's rage reached a boiling point, and the teacup in his hand were smashed into pieces. Fire Lord Ozai will have his head for such incompetence.

"Then, what are you waiting for!" Captain Zemin screamed in rage. "Go after them!"

Azula and Naruto sprinted down the ramp and onto the wooden port while squads of soldiers chased after them. Blasts of fire nearly missed them by a hairs length as they ran for dear life.

"Shit, what do we now!" Naruto yelled.

"We use the fog to our advantage, dum-dum," Azula replied, sending blue fire at their pursuers. "There, we can escape through those woods."

"Don't let them get away!"

The soldiers tried everything they could to prevent their escape but to no avail. The two kids vanished into the midst of the foggy forest. The soldiers halted, and Captain Zemin stepped out from the rank, his venomous glare eyed their disappeared figures, "They can't go that far. Track them down!"

*****

"I think we lost them," Naruto slowed down to a stop to catch his breath. Running from soldiers was a lot different compared to the people he often stole from. He'd rather be chased with pitchforks rather than flamethrowers.

Azula tied her hair into a messy bun, "They won't stop at just that, so we should disguise ourselves."

Naruto scratched his head, "That's sounds good and all but what about my hair? It sticks out like a sore thumb."

"That is certainly true," Azula tapped her chin in thought. "We can worry about this later; we should find a settlement."

Azula scooped up a handful of dirt and spread it across her face.

"Why did you do that for?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"We're in Fire Nation territories, so I expect some people to recognize me," Azula replied. "This will provide a bit of cover for now."

Hours passed as the two of them travelled along the dirt trail. The sun sat just above the horizon as dusk slowly approached. The cold breeze of the winter cold sent chills down Naruto's spine.

Naruto blew fire into his shivering hands , "Holy crap, it's so damn cold out here." His frosted breath mixed with the chilly air.

Azula raised her hand out, "Then come closer to me, doofus. We'll be warmer if we maintain close contact."

"I don't know, princess," Naruto raised his eyebrows. "Sounds like fake science to me."

"You are sooo stupid," Azula quickly grabbed his hand and pulled Naruto towards her until their shoulders touched. Their fingers curled with one another as they walked.

"You know I was joking, right?" Naruto playfully nudged her.

"That's a bit questionable; sometimes I can't tell between your stupidity and your jokes."

"Hey, I ain't that dumb, dattebayo!"

Time passed once more as the two joked and bantered with each other like young lovers. In the distance, a large town gradually appeared. The town shined like bright lanterns in the approaching darkness. They approached the gates, and a guard suddenly stopped them.

"Halt! State your names and business here!" He said.

Azula stepped forward, "My name is Meili, and this is my boyfriend, Kuro. We're simply travelers looking for a place to live."

"Boyfriend?" Naruto quickly whispered in her ear.

"Shut up...."

The guard glanced down at their younger form, "And where are your parents?"

"My parents are..." Azula glanced at the ground in sadness as she wiped the fake tears. "We were attacked by bandits, and they tried to stop them. They died while protecting us," Azula covered her face and weeped.

"O-oh, my condolences, Meili," The guard rubbed his neck in awkwardness. "You both may enter. Welcome to Yu Dao."

Azula and Naruto entered Yu Dao as they giggled amongst themselves. The large town was a unique blend of both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom cultures. A clash of red and green dominated the color scheme of both clothes and buildings alike. On the streets, Fire Nation immigrants and Earth Kingdom natives walked alongside each other in peace.

"I didn't know you were such a great actor, princess!" Naruto laughed.

"Well, I do have some experience after all," Azula crossed her arms with a bit of haughtiness in her voice. "Manipulation comes second nature to me."

"But, hey! We're finally here!" Naruto cheered. "Let's go get something to eat; I'm starving!"

"Eat? We got no money, Foxy," Azula replied, showing her empty pockets.

They were practically poor and homeless. Not to mention, the Fire Nation were still on their tail. Not exactly an ideal situation for them.

"Heh, I know a way we can grab a quick buck," Naruto mischievously grinned.

"Oh? And what genius idea do you have now?"

Naruto chuckled, "A little bit of stealing wouldn't hurt, right?"