ATLA: Book Three: Fire [Makki]

Chapter One

"Twinkle-toes, that's gotta be you," Toph said as we approached him.

"Aang, you're awake," Katara smiled.

"Are you sure? I feel like I'm dreaming," Aang rubbed his eyes, groggily.

"You're not dreaming. You're finally awake," Katara hugged him.

"Honestly, your wake is actually a dream come true," I said.

"Aang! Good to see you back with the living, buddy," Sokka exclaimed inside of his Fire Nation soldier uniform as he also hugged Aang.

"Sokka?" Aang questioned.

Aang slowly exhaled as his eyes started to close and he swayed a bit.

"Uh-oh, somebody catch him, he's gonna...!" Toph said as Aang fainted onto the deck.

Katara quickly knelt down and had him lean on her.

"He'll wake up again soon," said Katara.

Everyone nodded in understanding before they returned to their positions on the deck. Katara, Sokka, Toph, and I all stayed put, waiting for Aang to wake up; which didn't take long. When Aang had his second awakening, he sat up on his own with Katara across from him, and the rest of us still standing by them.

"Why are we on a Fire Nation ship?" Aang asked as Bato placed a blanket around his shoulders. "Why is everyone dressed this way? And why am I the only one who's completely out of it?"

Sokka, Toph, and I all looked at each other. We all had the same thought that we should leave them alone and let Katara explain everything to Aang, who needed some space.

[~][~][~]

The following day, during lunch, Sokka decided that he should go into detail with Aang about what exactly happened after we left Ba Sing Se. He set up his own chair using a wooden crate while the rest of us sat in front of him.

"After what happened in Ba Sing Se, we had to get you to safety," Sokka began. "We flew back to Chameleon Bay, where we found my father and the other Water Tribe men. The Earth King decided he wanted to travel the world in disguise, so he set off alone. Well, not completely alone. Soon, the bay was overrun with Fire Nation ships. Rather than fight them all, we captured a single ship and made it our disguise. Since then, we've been traveling west. We crossed through the Serpent's Pass a few days ago. We've seen a few Fire Nation ships, but none have bothered us."

"...So, what now?" Aang asked.

"We've been working on a modified version of the invasion plan," Dad informed.

"It's Sokka's invasion plan," Katara corrected.

She's been very fierce towards Dad lately. It's really out of character for her...

"...Yes, Sokka's plan," Dad sort of sunk down before looking back at Aang. "We won't be able to mount a massive invasion without the Earth King's armies, but the solar eclipse will still leave the Fire Nation vulnerable."

"So we're planning a smaller invasion," Sokka explained. "Just a ragtag team of our friends and allies from around the Earth Kingdom. We already ran into Pipsqueak and The Duke."

Sokka motioned to the two boys next to us eating dumplings.

"Good to see you again, Aang," said Pipsqueak.

"And the best part is, the eclipse isn't even our biggest advantage. We have a secret..." Sokka whispered the last part. "You."

"Me?" Aang asked.