This was requested by @Gottaloveit21 as a Sokka x Tulane. Tulane is her OC from an ATLA fanfic she's writing, which you can find on her profile. Her story is called 'Avatar: Not the last airbender', which is what I also used as a title for this OS. I asked @Gottaloveit21 for her permission to change Tulane to Y/N since it's her OC and I would be using the backstory she came up with, which she gave. Thank you for that :)
I'm so incredibly sorry this has taken me so long to write.
Anyways. Enjoy, hopefully?
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'Be careful today, please Y/N', Sokka began the conversation. He had asked to speak to you before everyone went on with their mission of defeating the Firelord on the day of the black sun. In only a few hours the gang, you and all of your friends from around the world would challenge the Firenation during their weakest minutes in history.
'Of course, I will', you huffed while playing with the glider Aang gave you, 'I might be a girl but I can easily fight for myself. Besides, Aang taught me a few tricks so I'm a much better bender now.'
Sokka softly smiled at you, 'I didn't doubt that for a second. I'm just saying that I.. eh...' 'We, like Katara, Aang, Toph and I. We just really care about you. Especially Aang cause you're also an Airbender, but not just Aang cause well I... Oh never mind.'
You raised an eyebrow at the warrior, 'Sokka, I'll be fine. We'll all be fine. You came up with an amazing plan to defeat the Firenation. If all goes well, it means the war is finally over at the end of the day.'
You watched as Sokka's eyes lit up a little during your little speech and at the end, he quickly wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into his embrace. Smiling to yourself at the tingles this caused in your body, you hugged him back while he gently patted your head.
It wasn't long before the ships left to the Firenation. You would stay on them until they'd reach the shore, that's where your important role came. As the only airbender, aside from Aang, Sokka thought it'd be good to use this to your advantage. With the element of surprise, both Aang and you would glide up in the sky, flying over the firebenders and posing as a temporary distraction while the warriors on the ground would have an easier time advancing.
'Are you ready, Y/N?', Aang asked while standing next to you on top of the ship. You shuddered for a moment, thinking this through.
Up until recently, you hadn't been a great airbender. The years of moving from town to town with your brother, and having to hide your bending abilities ever since you were a child, had made it much more difficult to practice your element. Up until the day you met Aang and his friends, you hadn't believed you would ever find yourself an airbender teacher, but Aang gladly fulfilled that role. The young Avatar excited to find out he wasn't the last of his kind.
Aang had a fun way of teaching you bending, through simple games and vividly told stories, you learned more about your element. You didn't always like this, somedays you just wanted to learn how to protect yourself and knock down your enemy with a strong move. After all you were in the middle of a war. Aang just refused to teach you in this manner, it didn't fit the element of freedom nor the way he was taught by the monks. You'd often rant to Sokka about this, upset that Aang didn't seem to take the situation at hand as serious as it was. You wanted to end the war the Firenation had cost, make them pay for what they did to you and your family and here you were, about to help your teacher infiltrate in the royal palace of the people that destroyed your family.
'I'm ready.' With that, the two of you flew up high in the skies, shots of fire surrounding you within a matter of seconds. You circled around for a moment, avoiding as many of the burning bombs as you could, while Aang was quick to use his bending and sent several flying the opposite direction.
Sokka watched you from a distance, trying his hardest not to worry about the fire flying your way. He knew you were strong, he knew you could do it, but there was so much fire and flying was only one of your recent abilities. He would never forgive himself for giving you such an important role in the mission, if something happened to you. Not because he would've made a mistake, but because he would've made a mistake that would cost him the girl he loved. He regretted not telling you earlier when he had the chance, he tried, he really did. The words just hadn't come to him and he didn't know how to say it to you. You were looking so beautiful and cute, and he had just forgotten his little speech and somehow he had made it all about him and his plans.
'Sokka!', he heard his father yell him out of his momentarily daydream about you. The warrior hummed in response, focusing his gaze on the man he dreamt to be like and immediately noticing his distress posture, 'I think Aang just got shot!' Sokka quickly grabbed the telescope from his father, zooming in on the falling figure in the sky. It didn't take him long to recognize the H/C hair as he dropped the lens with a loud thud.
'Change of plans, we have to save Y/N from the Firenation.'
[Timeskip since it's been months since I wrote this and I have no clue where I wanted to go with it]
The days after the invasion were spent searching for Y/N continuously. Sokka wouldn't let anyone take a rest even if they wanted to. After their failed attack on the Firenation, Y/N had completely vanished from the earth. By the time the smoke had cleared and they had reached the spot she had last been seen, she and the Firenation soldiers had all disappeared.
It had been two days since Sokka started pushing himself and the others to find her. It was when Katara, Aang and Toph were about to tell him they should take a break to rest and restore for a new gameplan, when the news reached the little group of friends causing a spark of hope and worry. "Avatar captured. Tomorrow by sunset the Firelord will kill the Avatar at the Royal Square. Watch as Firelord Ozai creates the beginning of a new era."
During the days the gang spent searching for her, Y/N watched the soldiers from her chains. She wasn't sure how she'd get herself out of this situation. The soldiers had locked her hands and feet away in tight chains, spreading her out and leaving her hanging in the air. She couldn't move and therefore couldn't bent her element. Her body was covered in bruises and untreated disgusting burns that would surely turn into scars, if she stayed alive long enough. Luckily enough her body had become numb hours, or days, ago. She wasn't sure herself how long she'd been down here. The guards would constantly mock her, thinking she was the Avatar and then they would mock the failed attack on the Firenation, making sure to remind her of her upcoming faith.
'In a few days, the Firelord will want to see you for himself. I can't wait to watch as he destroys you once and for all.'
'Poor little girl, such a pathetic excuse for an Avatar. You're so weak you needed help from a group of weak kids to attack an entire army. No wonder you're stuck up there.'
Their words didn't hurt half as bad as the times they'd let you down to hit you. However, you kept telling yourself to be strong, you'd find a way out there and if not, then maybe the others would find you and help you out there. There was no way you'd let them know the real Avatar was still out there, at least this way you knew Aang would be save and maybe, just maybe, he and the others would find a way to defeat the Firelord before anything bad happened.
The last hours had been different from the days you spent before, no one had come in to mock or abuse you anymore and you had even managed to get some sort of rest in your uncomfortable hanging position. Upon hearing the loud screeching sound of the metal door you tried to open your eyes, but were blinded by the sudden light. You heard the rattling of your chains and suddenly landed face flat on the hard floor. 'Get up, you little weakling, such a poor excuse for an Avatar.'
You blinked a couple of times, helping your eyes adjust to the sudden change of light and vaguely saw the outlines of two Firenation soldiers hovering over you.
'We don't have all day, little girl. The Firelord is waiting for you. Now, come on!' One of them yelled and unleashed a hand of fire in your direction. The heat of the fire seared just past your arm, only lightly grazing the already painful burns there. You hissed in pain as your limbs gave up underneath you from the lack of use over the last two days.
You felt yourself being dragged out of the cell by the two soldiers, each of them holding onto one of your arms to make the walk as painful as possible for you. You were so extremely tired you couldn't hold yourself up yet, nor could you open your eyes so you decided to rely on your other senses instead. It was then you realized your environment had changed, you were no longer in the cold, damp and dark cell, but instead you seemed to be outside. The fresh air filled your lungs and the heat of some sunrays blessed your skin with their existence. You smiled lightly to yourself, listening in to the complaints of the soldiers that were dragging you to who knows where. This would be your chance at escaping, you'd just need to wait for the perfect time to do so.
It wasn't till after another few moments you heard the sound of cheering, buzzing, screaming from people and the situation clicked in your mind. The sudden realization of the doom scenario ahead of you caused a boost of strength in your body. Your eyes opened and with a little help of your airbending you got yourself to your feet, blasting away the two soldiers supposed to hold you captive and you fled in the opposite direction.
After running and blasting yourself forward with airbending through the streets for awhile you ended up just outside the Firenation capital. Your exhaustion kicked in again and you knew you were in desperate need for a safe place to rest for a little while. The Firenation would surely be on their way to look for you now. Your years of constantly moving finally came into use as you quickly found yourself a hidden place of shelter, where you could close your eyes in peace and rest.
Meanwhile at a safe hiding distance from the people on the square, the rest of the gang was watching nervously for your appearance on the stage, but when some soldiers came running up and a sudden commotion started, they all realized something must be terribly wrong. Sokka feared the worst for your wellbeing and the longer it took him and the others to find you, the more he blamed himself for all the pain and fear you must be going through for every second he hadn't found you yet. 'What's going on?', he whisper-shouted to Zuko who was closer to the crowd than he had been. Zuko shrugged, trying his hardest to understand the commotion going through the crowd that had formed.
'She's gone', Toph suddenly answered the question, 'she's attacked the soldiers, she escaped before...' The young girl didn't want to finish the sentence, already having a slight idea of the pain her friend was in from the way she felt his body move. Even if she had wanted to, she wouldn't have had a chance to. The good news brightened up Sokka's mood immediately, directing the group to go out and find you before the Firenation would.
It didn't take them long to reach just outside the city capital, running in the opposite direction as the Firenation soldiers. Still they had no clue where Y/N could be, if it hadn't been for Toph's incredible senses.
'Someone's sleeping in there', Toph pointed at a moss covered rock causing the others to raise their eyebrows at the young girl.
'And, how would they have gotten in?' Zuko was the first to loudly question her idea.
'Easy. There's an entrance, right... here', the blind bender easily tracked the little hole at the back, covered up by a few branches and leaves.
'Do we even know for sure it's Y/N?', Katara spoke up cautiously, 'who knows who it could be. If we struggled finding the entrance, then why wouldn't she have?'
'It's Y/N alright, she sleeps just as light as Twinkletoes here. Unless there's more airbenders than the two of them, my feet and I are sure that's Y/N.'
'I'll go in to get her then', Sokka spoke up, already working on his way to remove the leaves and branches from the entrance, causing a little light to shine into the small cave. He didn't wait up for a reply from the others, forcing himself in through the small gap he created and following the small light it caused. After a few seconds of letting his eyes adjust to the darker space, he quickly made out the figure of a sleeping girl wearing a dress in the color you wore.
'Oh, Y/N', he whispered to himself once he got to you, kneeling down beside you and removing a few hairs from your face. The lack of light made it hard for him to make out a lot of your features, but he surely noticed the darker spots standing out on your skin. You seemed severely hurt. The sight of you so vulnerable because of him caused a severe pang in his heart, ignoring this to the best of his ability, he quickly but carefully lifted you up in his arms, your head rolling against his chest.
'I found her. Aang, Toph, can you make the hole bigger so I can get out with Y/N? And Katara, get some water so you can start on healing her.'