What had started out as a great day for Avatar Korra of the South Pole had ended on a less-than-satisfactory note.

Things had started out easily-enough; waking up from bed, a hearty breakfast, some light warmups, and then kicking two Firebenders' butts for her Mastery Exam before the White Lotus council. With three elements down and one to go, Korra had looked forward to learning Airbending from Master Tenzin and finally having all four elements under her belt.

It was heartwarming to see Katara with her son and grandchildren, the family dinner they all shared an energetic affair with the three Airbending kids in tow. However… When Tenzin said there would be a delay in her instruction and that she couldn't simply go with them, her appetite had dimmed significantly, leaving the Avatar in a foul mood as she watched their Flying Bison take off for Republic City once again.

Sneaking out of her cabin to the stables where Naga slept, having long-since memorized the White Lotus' patrol patterns, she'd assumed she'd make a clean getaway only to be caught in the act by Grandmaster Katara. However, to the young Avatar's shock, Katara actually insisted she go to Republic City, fulfill her duty as the Avatar.

After a quick visit with her parents, unsure of when she'd return to the South Pole, Korra made her way to the docks, aiming to board a ship bound for Republic City.

Little did she know, a chance encounter would change not only her fate, but the fate of the entire world as well.

*AIR*

Under cover of darkness, Korra made her way to the edge of the Southern Water Tribe's capital city. Despite her size, Naga was light of foot and swift of speed, carrying them soundlessly into the water, which Korra bent away from them as they made their way to the docks, taking the long way around through the salty brine.

Coming across the familiar hull of the ship that made frequent journeys between the South and Republic City, Korra wove a ramp of ice up to the deck of the ship, turning it back to water as she slipped into the cargo hold undetected.

"Good job, girl. We're almost home free," Korra said as they navigated the darkness, looking for a darkened corner where they could hide until their arrival in Republic City.

Passing by a green Satomobile and rounding the corner of a wall of crates, Naga let out a low growl, Korra moving to calm her before an exhale belonging to neither of them signaled they weren't alone down there. Slowly turning her head, Korra froze up upon seeing a Southern Water Tribe boy not that much older than herself sitting against the wall of crates, looking up at her with cyan eyes matching her own.

"Oh! Um… Hey there…" Korra began nervously as the figure regarded her.

Cyan eyes set into a somewhat feminine face topped by deep-brown hair that fell just past their shoulders, the lack of any noticeable feminine… attributes, was all the indicator showing that he was in fact, a he. His attire was a mix of both Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom vestments; Water Tribe fur-lined boots, Earth Kingdom cavalry pants, and a Water Tribe fur-lined jacket.

"Hey," the figure returned evenly.

"So… you uh… You got room for two more?" Korra asked nervously, her tone strained as she fished desperately for words.

" . . . I don't see why not," he said rising from his feet, hefting a well-worn Earth Kingdom-style travel bag with him, allowing her and Naga to slip around the corner, the latter of which laid down against the wall of crates. "So… By that dopey look on your face, I take it you're a stowaway too, huh?"

"Was it that obvious?"

"Very."

"Yeah, well, you're in the same boat as me. Literally. So don't acct all high and mighty," Korra returned, not liking his tone.

"Believe me, I'm well aware of that," he sighed. "So… You have a name?"

"Korra," the girl answered without realizing it, gasping when it dawned one her that she'd just goofed.

"Nice to meet you, Korra. I'm Zhu," the Water Tribe boy returned.

Korra, realizing Zhu didn't know who she was, only her name, let out a relieved sigh.

"Zhu, huh? So where you headed?"

"Republic City, and after that… who knows?" he shrugged. " . . . I can move if you want, give you and your friend here some privacy."

"Actually, I could really use the company," Korra replied as she laid back down against Naga's flank. " . . . Human company, I mean," she reiterated as Naga gave her a look.

"What, you don't have any other human friends?"

"Not really, no…" Korra answered awkwardly, scratching at her cheek.

" . . . I'm not sure if I should envy you, or pity you."

"Hey, you want me to rat you out or not?"

"You and I are in the same boat, princess. You rat me out, you go down too."

" . . . Yeah that's fair," Korra sighed, leaning back against Naga's side.

"So what's got you looking so happy?" Zhu asked, pointing to the goofy grin pulling at her face.

"I'm just so excited to go to Republic City," Korra replied, crossing her arms behind her head.

"Yes, well, first we have to get there without being caught," he said digging into his bag, throwing an old blanket over his legs. "Guess I'll see you in the morning," he said rolling away from her. " . . . Wow, this fur is very soft."

"Yep. Best pillow ever," Korra chuckled, used to sleeping against Naga's muscular flank, falling asleep in short order.

*AIR*

The following morning, with so-few portholes to see out of, one could scarcely tell it was morning from the confines of the ship's cargo hold.

In fact, most stowaways would've missed the subtle shift in heat as the day's first light was let in through the topside door.

Of course, Zhu wasn't "most stowaways".

His eyes snapping open as the steps to the deck began to creak, Zhu rolled over to his side, shaking his fellow stowaway's shoulder.

"Korra! Korra, wake up!"

"Nnn-NNGH!"?

Any further statements Korra had about the morning's karmic affinity was swiftly cut off as his hand went to her mouth.

"Keep it down! Someone's coming!" Zhu hissed silently into her ear, Naga's own perking up slightly before nodding off once more.

"Oh crap! They are?!" Korra yelped, eyes snapping open. "What do we do!? They catch us down here, they might throw us overboard!"

"Well, we could hide for starters," Zhu said with a flat look.

"But what about Naga? I'm not leaving her behind."

The footsteps were getting closer, a shadow looming around the corner.

"Korra, I have a plan, play along," Zhu said as he dug frantically in his bag.

*AIR*

For Lee, morning duty was the worst. Lowest guy on the totem pole, it was up to him to wake up at the crack of dawn and check every corner of the cargo hold for any stowaways. First morning was to catch anyone who was sloppy, second was to catch anyone who'd gotten sloppy after making it through the first day without being discovered.

As one of the few regular ships between the South Pole and Republic City, their shipping vessel, the Aurora which the captain named after stories his mother told him about the North, was a prime target of such vagabonds.

"Spirits, I hate my job..." the young man groaned as he passed by crates and cargo, eyes slowly adjusting to the light as he did his grunt work.

Rounding the corner, his eyes went wide as he spotted two Water Tribe teenagers kneeling next to a rather lumpy piece of tarp-covered cargo, the boy cupping the girl's cheeks and drawing her in close, the girl's eyes wide from the one he was able to see from that angle.

For a minute it seemed like he was unnoticed, but then the boy separated and nearly jumped out of his skin at the sight of him.

"Hey, you mind? We're trying to find some privacy here!" the Water Tribe boy, rather effeminate in fact, said rounding on him.

"Privacy?" Lee rounded with a raised brow. "What do you two need privacy for-"

A pause as his eye caught the glint of something around the girl's neck; a dark blue choker with two gemstones dangling from it.

In short, a Water Tribe Betrothal Necklace.

"O-Oh, sorry! Sorry to intrude! But uh… Why aren't you in your cabin?"

"The walls aren't really soundproofed," the boy answered, still cupping the girl's cheeks.

"Oh… Yes… That…" Lee said nervously, eyes darting on and away from them. "Well… I'll just leave you two alone. Enjoy your honeymoon."

And with that, Lee walked away.

*AIR*

Being locked away by the White Lotus for as long as she'd been, Korra had never had what most would consider a normal childhood.

Not that she'd wanted one. Being the Avatar was all she'd ever wanted after realizing she could Earthbend and Firebend on top of her father's Waterbending.

However, as a consequence of that isolated upbringing, she was never really around anyone her own age. All the boys around her as she grew up in the compound were old enough to be her father, and being accompanied by a White Lotus escort on the rare occasions she was allowed to venture into town, in addition to her status as the Avatar, were rather intimidating for the Water Tribe boys in the area.

So, when she suddenly found herself brought up-close-and-personal to a cute Water Tribe boy she didn't know, noses touching and upper lips ghosting one another, it left the rather naïve Water Tribe girl understandably flushed.

"Wh-wh-wh-wh-what do you think you're doing!?" Korra yelped as she scuttled backwards away from him, face redder than any flame she'd Bent.

"Stopping us from getting caught," Zhu answered.

"What're you even doing with something like this?" Korra asked as she tugged at the choker around her neck. Dangling from her neck was a round near-black gem with a white star-like marking visible inside it, while dangling beneath it was a tiny tear-shaped ruby. The choker itself had white and blue Water Tribe symbols woven into it.

"It was my mother's. Before she died, she told me to give it to the girl I wanted to marry."

"Oh…" Korra answered, caught flat-footed by the dourness of that response. "I'm… I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's alright," Zhu said as he got to his feet. "I've made peace with that. More or less."

"I see," Korra said in turn, bringing her hands up to the back of her neck.

"Keep it. At least until we get to Republic City," Zhu stated. "It'll be easier if we let everyone think we're a couple of kids on their honeymoon."

"R-Right, of course," Korra answered, realizing she hadn't really thought this stowing-away plan through all the way. "So… I guess we'll be spending a bit of time together."

"I guess so. Hope no-one checks the passenger manifest," Zhu chuckled.

"Yeah… Kinda new at the whole stowing away thing…" Korra returned before something dawned on her. "Hey wait a minute! Have you had practice doing this?!"

"Those who live in glass houses shouldn't Bend stones."

" . . . Okay, you've got a point," Korra admitted, her stomach rumbling a moment later. "You uh… wouldn't happen to have packed any food, would you?"

"Didn't you?" Zhu asked, turning to Naga's saddle bag.

Or rather, the lack thereof.

"It… might've slipped my mind," Korra blushed nervously, raking her fingers through her hair.

At this, Zhu could only slap his forehead.

"Well, I've got some dried jerky, but not nearly enough to last us to Republic City. Add your rather large friend to the mix, and my emergency rations won't even last the hour."

"Well, we are on the high seas. I'll see about rustling something up for the three of us," Korra returned, confident in her ability to do that much on her unpaid voyage.

*AIR*

Finding themselves atop the ship's deck, intermingled around crew and their fellow legitimate passengers, Korra and Zhu walked to the bow, arms linked together. Korra fidgeted nervously, unused to both the lightly-muscled arm wrapping around her own, and the added weight of the Betrothal Necklace dangling from her neck. Whenever they passed riding couples, eyes would turn to them before nostalgic chuckles and giggles followed, forcing Korra to drift further into Zhu's side, face reddening, unused to that kind of scrutiny.

"Korra, I get that you're trying to play the 'blushing bride', but you're over-selling it," Zhu chastised.

"Quiet you. I'm not used to this sort of thing," she said leaning a little more into his side.

"Well, at least we have the hand-holding down," Zhu returned as the sea breeze blew through his hair. A rather odd feeling for a stowaway who wasn't supposed to be out in the open like this. "So, how you gonna rustle up some grub? I don't see a fishing pole anywhere," he said in a normal tone.

"Fishing pole? Ha! Your words amuse me. I am the fishing pole!" Korra chuckled jovially as she stood at the edge of the deck, waving her arms in sweeping circular motions. Crew and passengers giving them weird looks, all eyes went wide as a large globule of water several meters wide rose from off the starboard side, a multitude of fish swimming about in rings of confusion as their surroundings were hauled away from the sea. "So, see anything you like?" she asked looking over her shoulder, a cocky grin on her face as she showed off her Bending prowess.

"I think something we're all seeing sees something it likes," Zhu said pointing into the large globule of water, Korra looking back over her shoulder only for her eyes to widen like dinner plates as a large shark-squid swam in circles before suddenly shooting towards them, its undulating tentacles thrusting it through the water like a torpedo.

"SHARK-SQUIIIIID!" one of the crew cried sending everyone on-deck into a panic.

"IT BE THE BASTARD WHO TOOK ME LEG!" another cried, pointing to the scarred-over left eye.

"Korra! Get rid of it!" Zhu cried as the shark/squid hybrid dove their way.

"Right!" Korra said throwing her arms down, the water falling away only for the shark-squid's momentum to carry it over the railing and right into- "ZHU!" Korra cried as the Water Tribe boy's hands gripped the upper and lower jaws, spittle flying all over him between rows of serrated teeth, the tentacles dominating its rear half flailing about as they skid out into the center of the deck. "ZHU! HOLD ON! I'LL STOP IT!" she said getting into a Fire Nation stance.

However, before the Water Tribe girl could follow through, Zhu's boot planted itself atop the shark-squid's tongue, pinning the creature to the deck. His hands going to the upper jaw and avoiding the rows of sharpened teeth, veins bulging in his arms, with a mighty yell Zhu dove forward and broke the upper half of the sea monster's jaw with a sickening *CRACK!* that punched through the air, the shark-squid's sole eye going wide and quivering before it rolled up inside its head, the once wildly-flailing tentacles dropping to the deck like wet noodles.

"Haaa… Haaa… Haaa… Haaa…" Zhu panted, leaping away from the shark-squid's mouth and breathing heavily, passenger and crew alike poking their heads out of their hiding spots.

"Wow… Great job, Zhu"-

"WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING?!" a crewman raged at her.

"Well, I-"

"YEAH! YOU COULD'VE GOTTEN US ALL KILLED!?" another said getting in her face.

"But, I-"

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR SPIRIT-DAMNED MIND?!" a Fire Nation businessman chastised.

"If you could just let me explain-"

"HEY! NO-ONE TALKS TO KORRA THAT WAY!" Zhu raged, a vein in his forehead throbbing as his bellowing voice washed over the crew. "ALL SHE WANTED WAS TO SAVE SOME YUANS FOR OUR TRIP TO BA SING SE, SO EITHER CUT HER SOME SLACK, OR I'LL BE THE ONE DOING THE CUTTING!" he growled as he fished a knife from the small of his back and planted it atop the shark-squid's skull, hammering it in for good measure causing the creature to convulse once more.

The crew and passengers, all cowed by the Water Tribe boy's words and his feat of strength from moments ago, glanced between him and Korra before their eyes fell on the choker around their neck, a few of them averting their eyes so they wouldn't meet his.

" . . . Korra, are you okay?" Zhu asked worriedly, taking her hands.

"Y-Yeah, but I should be asking you that-Oh my god! You're bleeding!" she cried as red ran down her fingers.

"Tch, must've grazed a tooth," Zhu said biting back a curse.

"Don't worry, I've got you," Korra said popping the cork of the water skin Katara had given her before she left; the very same she'd carried on her journey with the previous Avatar through so many battles.

Bending a globule of water out and weaving it to cover his hands, her own cupped his. Releasing a sigh, the water began to glow an iridescent blue, those nearby awed, but none moreso than Zhu who saw unmarred flesh as the water was drawn back.

"Wow… You're amazing, Korra," Zhu said looking up at her. "But, I guess I already knew that."

"Y-Yeah, you do," Korra nodded, coughing into her hand as her cheeks tinged red. "So uh… What do you wanna do with this guy?" she asked jerking a thumb at the slain shark-squid, the occasional tentacle twitching.

"Eh. I could eat," Zhu shrugged. " . . . What're you doing down there?" he asked as one of the crewmen pried open the shark-squid's mouth.

"Checking to see if I can get back me leg," the aged crewman with the timber toes said as he started to crawl into the dead beast's mouth, much to the revulsion of those nearby as he wriggled around in its gullet.

"Ew," Korra shuddered as she witnessed the most-disgusting thing she'd ever witnessed in her life.

Or any life for that matter, and the previous Avatar had seem some really grody stuff.

*AIR*

"Well… That was rather fortuitous," Zhu said as he and Korra ate within the confines of their new digs.

After "vanquishing" the shark-squid, as well as adding some much-needed variety to the evening's dinner menu, Zhu and Korra had been "upgraded" to what the crew liked to call "the honeymoon suite".

Though in actuality, it was nothing more than a regular two-person cabin with a vase of flowers, some scented candles, and a couple heart-shaped throw pillows they'd managed to scrounge up from some of the unclaimed merchandise.

So-grateful were they that things hadn't ended in catastrophe, that the crew hadn't even bothered to check if they were part of the passenger manifest.

"Yeah, I guess we lucked out," Korra said eyeing the nearby heart-shaped throw pillows on the bunk bed with mixed emotions before turning her attention back to their lunch; a hearty serving of fried shark-squid tentacles with tartar sauce. "So… about what happened…"

"You're really quite amazing," Zhu said in turn. "Your Waterbending, I mean."

"R-Right. Waterbending. Because I'm a Water Tribe girl… Yeah."

"Well, you can Bend water, so being a Waterbender's a given, isn't it?" Zhu asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah," Korra replied. "So… You handled yourself pretty well out there. Really strong."

"Yeah. Don't let my girlish looks fool you. I'm stronger then I look," Zhu said as he reached for another piece of calamari.

His jacket off, Korra was able to get a look at Zhu's body for the first time. Beneath his Water Tribe jacket which now hung on the nearby wall, now clad in a green Earth Kingdom tank top, Zhu's figure was slim and lean, still-muscular, but not as muscular as she-herself was. Were it not for the flatness of his chest, he could've easily been mistaken for a girl. All in all, not unpleasing to the eye.

"So… I take it you fight killer animals often?" Korra asked fumbling for her words.

"A bit," Zhu replied. "After my parents died, I left the North Pole and traveled the Earth Kingdom for a while. Saw all sorts of people, and places, and of course, animals. Some were friendlier than others. Lots of carnivores that wanted to turn me into a mid-day snack. Especially in parts of the world where meat ate other meat."

"So you're a traveler, then? You're so lucky. My guardians kept me penned up at the South Pole all my life."

"Why?"

"Oh, um, well…" Korra said, caught off-guard. "You know. Just… really worried, I guess."

"Well, the bird's gotta leave the nest sometime," Zhu hummed. "So, why'd you leave the South?"

"Well… I just felt so caged, and I want to see the world, more than anything!"

"Well, I hope you have a plan. Because no offense, but you seem a little… green."

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

"Once again, no offense, but you seem a little… naïve to be leaving home for the first time."

"Naïve?! I'll show you naïve!" Korra growled as she hauled him up by his collar and reared her fist back.

"Not the face!"

*AIR*

Their "lover's spat", while momentarily intense, eventually abated, the two managing to have a good laugh over it as they made their way to the cargo hold and retrieve their things. Sneaking Naga enough food to satisfy her until their arrival at Republic City the following morning, the two returned too their suite, belongings in tow.

"Oh man… Your voice when I was about to hit you… priceless, hahahaha," Korra laughed as she threw an arm over his shoulder.

"Yes, yes, laugh it up. I take after my mother," Zhu replied, drawing her to him by the small of her back and smiling amicably for a couple they passed in the hall. "I'm guessing you have the opposite problem?" he said eyeing her up and down.

"Hey, I'm proud of my muscle!" Korra said flexing her bicep.

"I don't have a problem with strong girls," Zhu returned with a smile. "That's why I married you, after all," he said tapping her on the nose.

"Y-Yeah… Of course," Korra replied, blushing at the cheeks as they passed another couple. "So how long we have to keep this up?" she whispered once they were out of earshot.

"Just until we get to shore," Zhu whispered… right into her ear. "Heh. You're really cute when you blush."

"W-Well don't get used to it, buddy," Korra pouted, crossing her arms.

*AIR*

"Korra. Korra, wake up."

"Mmmgh… Go away…" Korra groaned as she rolled over in her bed. "The morning is evil."

"You know what else is evil? Irate ship captains who find out you've been stowing away when it's time to disembark" he said perking his ears, swiveling his head as though he could see through the walls. "Now get up. The sooner we get to Naga, the better-off we'll be in case someone finds out we aren't on the manifest."

"Okay… fine…" Korra groaned, her hair a complete and total mess.

" . . . C'mon. Sit down. Let me fix your hair," Zhu said digging through his bag before fishing out a Fire Nation comb. "I wouldn't be a very good husband if I let my lovely wife walk out of here looking like that, now would I?" he asked mirthfully.

At this, Korra could only glance up at the unruly state of her hair before leveling a half-pout half-glare at him.

" . . . Fine. But no pulling," she huffed, grabbing a nearby chair and sitting down, letting Zhu work the tangles out of her hair.

*AIR*

The Aurora mooring in Republic City a few hours after dawn, the crew began unloading their cargo, a moving car-owner driving their Satomobile down the ramp ready to begin his new life. In the midst of these departures, 1,500 pounds of Polar Bear Dog rushed out of the cargo hold at speeds bellying her massive size, two Water Tribesmen atop her saddled back.

"Whoohoo! We finally made it!" Korra whooped.

"Yeah! Great!" Zhu yelped, struggling to remain atop the Polar Bear Dog's back, arms wrapped firmly around the girl's toned stomach so he wouldn't be flung off. "Can I get off now?"

"What's the rush? We just got here! Let's enjoy it a little longer!" Korra said snapping Naga's reigns. "Atta-girl! Go, go, go!" she said, urging the Avatar and Animal Guide pair into a brand new world.

To be continued…

*AIR*

If you've watched The Legend of Korra, then you know what happens in the Canon. That being the case, there's no reason for me to re-hash the happenings of the show word-for-word unless something different is slated to happen. I've seen stories do word-for-word recaps for no reason other than to increase the word-count, and I'm proud to say I won't be doing that. Not unless there are changes to events & dialogue.
I want this story to be about the Quality of the material, not the Quantity of the words (i.e. word count).

As for why I'm using an OC, it's because I don't want to contribute to the done-to-death tradition of using Naruto re-skins in crossovers; especially in cases where Naruto is made so-different from his canonical self he might-as-well be an OC.

OC are actually something I've gotten good at and consider to be my forte as a writer of fanfiction, flaws and everything, so don't expect Zhu to be some goody-goody who has the answer for everything. Any level of "ability" he displays is a result of hard work, circumstance, and any hard work he had to do as a result of said circumstance.

Hope to hear from you soon!