Naruto/Azula

Chapter 4

With Azula

The crew and Imperial Firebenders had disembarked and had also set up camp for the night. A few of the Imperial Firebenders were on the deck, bowing on front of palanquin that held the Fire Nation Princess. On each side of the palanquin were the twins, Lo and Li. "When tracking your brother and uncle, traveling with the Royal Procession may no longer be an option." Lo told the princess. "May no longer be wise," Li continued. "If you wish to keep the element of surprise." finished the two in perfect synchronization.

"You're right. The Royal Procession is dead weight. If I want to catch my brother and uncle, I must be agile, nimble." Azula agreed. "I need a small, elite team. It's time to visit some old friends." She then looked up. "What do you think, Naruto?"

"It sounds like an plan." Naruto said from where he sat on the roof of the palanquin. If she had people she considered friends around, she would have more people to help with the plan.

Azula silently nodded. "Then we leave tomorrow."

Naruto leapt off the roof and onto the deck. "I'll go notify the captain. We'll send the ship home in the morning. We'll only take a squad with us when we leave." He started to leave but stopped. "I just have one thing to ask you two." He told the twins.

"Yes," Li asked and Lo continued. "What is it?"

"Do you have to take turns speaking the same sentence?" He held up a hand, stopping them from speaking. "You know what? Forget it. Odds are you'll just give me an answer the same way." he left the ship to go talk to the captain.

"The nerve of that boy," said Lo but Li continued. "For him to insult us."

Neither of them noticed the small grin that Azula had on her face.

(Location: Omashu)

The group moved up to the next level of the city and quickly hid behind a lumber pile to avoid a patrol. "Let's find Bumi and get out of here." Katara said.

"Where would they be keeping him?" Sokka asked Aang.

Aang gave it some quick thought. "Somewhere he can't Earthbend. Somewhere made of metal," He finally said. After looking out at the city to figure out where what place would be able to have those conditions to hold Bumi, they quickly moved on.

Meanwhile, on the next level down, there was a guard procession that was guarding a family: a mother with her toddler son as well as her teenage daughter. "There really is no fathoming the depths of my hatred of this place." The teenager said in a bored tone while scowling slightly.

"Mai, your father was appointed governor. We're like royalty here." Her mother told her. "Be happy and enjoy it."

"I thought my life was boring in the Fire Nation but this place is unbearably bleak." Mai replied. "Nothing ever happens."

As Aang and the others tried to make their way across the level, they saw two big boulders coming down one of the ramps fast. Turning to see what on the lower level, he saw the family and the guard procession. Thinking that they would be crushed by the boulders, he used his staff to Airbend the boulders out of the way. However it caused a great deal of noise and dust, alerting the guard procession.

"The resistance!" Mai's mother cried out, pointing to Aang. Mai moved quickly. She flung out her arms, releasing a good amount of small arrows at Aang, who dodged by jumping onto the lumber pile behind him. Touching the pile only once, he then leapt to the side and began to run away along with Katara and Sokka while Momo flew away.

As the two guards climbed up the latter and onto the next level, they began to chase after the group. Katara quickly used her water whip to swat them back down to the lower level. As they fell, Mai climbed up the ladder and attacked Katara. She fired more projectiles at the Waterbender, but they were blocked when she bent water into a shield of ice and then ran away with Mai in pursuit.