The Invasion.
A carefully curated plan, mostly by Sokka.
It also happens to be today.
I stuffed my mask in my pocket and looked over the cliff I was standing on, watching numerous watertribe ships dock in the harbor.
A cool breeze hit my face, and I closed my eyes, taking in the last few moments of peace before the storm.
Katara tapped me on the shoulder, "Are you ready?"
I grinned, "I've been ready, Kat. The Fire Nation won't know what hit them," I turned around.
Katara looked worried, "I don't doubt your physical ability, (Y/N). I was asking if your ready to see Zuko again."
I wasn't sure about that. It's not that I haven't thought about it, because I have. I've thought out of so many scenarios involving seeing Zuko again. I felt ready, but I couldn't know for sure. I was angry at him, that's for sure. What he did... forgiveness isn't even a possibility. Not while he's with Ozai. He isn't my best friend anymore, and he certainly isn't my boyfriend. He's my enemy. If I see him, I have to fight him.
The only question is, will I have the strength to fight without bias in my attack?
"Zuko isn't a problem for me," I lied, "We should worry about Aang fighting Ozai."
"(Y/N)," Katara said firmly, "Tell me the truth."
I turned took a step back and smiled, "Don't worry about it," I jumped up and off the cliff, using firebending to cushion my fall. I landed on the ground below me and went to greet the watertribe ships.
Hakoda walked towards me, smiling.
I smiled back, "Hi, Uncle."
Hakoda smiled, "How are you, (Y/N)."
"Ready to kick some Fire Nation ass!"
Hakoda laughed, "You are Fire Nation, aren't you?"
"Half," I grumbled.
Katara and Sokka ran up from behind me to embraced their dad.
There were quite a few reunions, actually.
Someone named Haru, people with weird names like "The Boulder" and "Big Bad Hippo", people who refused to wear pants and looked like hippies.
Also some person who called himself the mechanist and his son, Teo. Teo gave Aang a new staff/glider (as his last one was destroyed).
Hakoda went over the invasion plan, which isn't that complicated.
Basically we have to get past the Gates of Azulon, and while we attack on the land, during the eclipse (which is only eight minutes) Aang will go to the Fire Nation Royal Palace, and, in simple terms, kick Ozai's ass while he can't bend.
After using submarines to get past the gates of Azulon we surfaced the submarine for air. Aang had shaved his head, revealing his air nomad tattoos.
Sokka, Katara, Toph, and I approached Aang.
Aang smiled at us, "So this is it, huh?"
"Are you ready for the Fire Nation to know the Avatar is alive?" Sokka asked.
"I'm ready," Aang replied.
I smiled at Aang, "Well, kid, tell Ozai I say, 'Fuck you'."
Aang laughed, "I don't think I will," he bowed to me, "Thank you, (Y/N)."
"Ah, get up," I lightly slapped his back, "I don't need the formalities, I didn't do anything worth your thanks."
Toph slapped my back.
"Ow!" I yelled, rubbing my back.
"Don't sell yourself short, (Y/N), you've saved our asses so many times," she said.
"Hey, language!" I chided.
Katara snorted, "You're one to talk, but Toph's right."
Hakoda clapped his hands and everyone turned his attention towards him, "Everyone listen up. The next time we resurface, it'll be on the beaches. So stay alert, and fight smart. Now break times over, back in the subs."
Sokka, Toph, and I headed back into the submarine together. Katara was going to put a sphere of water around Appa's head so he could travel underwater, so she stayed to talk to Aang for a bit.
***
When we finally resurfaced on the beaches we entered a full-blown battle. I walked onto the beaches and met a few Fire Nation tanks.
I engaged in battle with some Fire Nation troops.
"It's the bibender! Someone get reinforcements!"
"But, why? She's just a teenager."
I used the water from the ocean behind me to bend a huge wall of water, encompassing countless Fire Nation troops. Then I froze the water, leaving them encased in the ice.
Katara looked at me, "Woah."
I shrugged, "Let's go."
Some time into the battle, Hakoda got himself hurt, and Sokka took over, leading the invasion for him.
We were winning the battle. The Fire Nation troops were falling back and everything was going smoothly, even before the eclipse started.
That was until Aang came flying back.
Sokka looked at Aang in shock, "Please tell me you're here because the Fire Lord turned out to be a big wimp and you didn't even need the eclipse to take him down."
"He wasn't home. No one was. The entire palace city is abandoned," Aang replied.
"What?" I asked, "That doesn't make sense how-?"
"They knew," Sokka said, cutting me off.
"It's over. The Fire Lord is probably long-gone; far away on some remote island where he'll be safe during the eclipse," Aang looked dismayed.
"No. My instincts tell me he wouldn't go too far. He would have a secret bunker; somewhere he could go and be safe during the siege but still be close enough to lead his nation," Sokka said.
Secret bunker...
"So," I was asking Azula, "Wanna see what I found?"
"Why are you asking me, and not Zuko?"
"Because, I don't only live with Zuko, I live with you too."
Azula smiled, "Is that right, (Y/N)?"
"Shut up," I grinned, "I found this secret bunker place thing."
Azula's eyes lit up, "Well, let's go."
"Oh!" I exclaimed, "I know about a secret bunker. It's under the Caldera Volcano."
Sokka nodded and we all, minus Katara, got on Appa to go to the Volcano.
Sure enough, the bunker was still there.
We found some random government officials and got them to tell us the location of the Fire Lord.
Sokka checked his phone, "Thirty seconds until the eclipse."
I stared at the doors.
Strength started to leave my body.
The eclipse had started.
I looked at Aang, "You ready to face Ozai?"
"Yeah," he looked determined and Toph opened the door to reveal...
Azula.
I groaned, "Are you shitting me?"
Aang looked angry, "Where is he? Where's the Fire Lord?"
"You mean I'm not good enough for you?" Azula asked us.
"Azula, where's your father?"
Where's your brother?
"Hello, (Y/N). This place is so nostalgic, isn't it? The only times we interacted without my brother was here."
"Azula, I'm not here to catch up with you. Where is your father."
Azula sighed, "We could have been great, (Y/N). Together no one would have been able to stop us. But," she paused, "I can't say I'm surprised that you're a traitor."
"I'm no traitor. You're a traitor. Ozai's a traitor. You guys think that power, that war, makes you strong? The four elements are supposed to exist in harmony. Instead, you've wiped out all the airbenders, invaded the Earth kingdom, slaughtered most of the Southern Waterbenders," I shook my head, "I'm not a traitor."
Toph trapped Azula using earthbending, "Tell us where the Fire Lord is."
Azula looked unphased.
The earth trap crumbled to dust.
"What-?"
Azula smiled as Dai Li agents descended onto the ground, "When I left Ba Sing Se I brought home some souvenirs: Dai Li agents!"
The Dai Li agents lunged at us. Toph fought their earthbending with earthbending, breaking any rocks that they sent her way. Aang started chasing after Azula who was jumping through metal beams. I bent water at a Dai Li agent, hardening it into ice, knocking him out in the process.
Aang panted, "I can't pin her down! She's too quick!"
Azula raced past the door into a tunnel. We all followed her.
Aang continued chasing Azula with all he had.
I stopped to catch my breath, "Oh, fuck this," I raised my hand and Azula stopped mid-run.
Azula gritted her teeth, "(Y/N), you have quite the waterbending technique."
I smiled at her and pulled her closer so that she was just a few feet away from us.
"You're stalling us," I said to her.
"That's not true," she smiled slyly, "I'm trying my best."
"You're trying to keep us here and waste all our time!" Toph yelled.
"Um, right, (Y/N) just said that, genius. And since you can't see, I should tell you I'm rolling my eyes," Azula rolled her eyes and then turned back to me, "You really downgraded, (Y/N). It's not too late. Father will welcome you back with-"
I used bloodbending to hurl her into a wall, and she fell to the ground with a thump.
She grinned, "Don't you want to know how Zuko is?"
"Shut up, Azula."
"I wonder if you saw that whole talk show fiasco. Can you believe that he talked about you instead of poor Mai?"
I started to lunge at Azula but Sokka put a hand in front of me, "(Y/N), she's baiting you. Calm down."
"I'm going to kill her," I created an ice dagger.
"(Y/N)," Sokka said, "Let's go. We just have to get out of here and find the Fire Lord on our own somehow."
I glared at Azula one more time then nodded. The four of us turned around.
"It's a trap. Don't say I didn't warn you," Azula said coolly.
Sokka put a hand up, "Ignored."
We kept walking.
"So, Sokka's your name, right? My favorite prisoner used to mention you all the time," Azula said craftily, causing Sokka to stop in his tracks, "She was convinced you were going to come rescue her. Of course, you never came, and she gave up on you."
Sokka lunged at Azula in a blind rage. Toph looked at me alarmed, "She has a weapon-"
I blood bent Azula's hand up and Toph used a rock to pin Azula's hand to the wall. Azula dropped her dagger.
Sokka looked at Azula, "Where. Is. Suki?!"
Who? Wow, I am really behind with this team.
Sokka shook Azula's shoulder, "Where's Suki? Answer me!"
Azula simply smiled.
"Sokka!" I yelled, "Take your own advice. Let's go."
Sokka ignored me and continued to yell at Azula, "Where are you keeping her?"
I checked my phone, "Sokka, the eclipse..."
Three.
Two.
One.
I felt strength return to my body. Azula grinned, "Sounds like firebending's back on," she bent an arc of fire with her foot, which nearly hit Sokka. He stumbled backward.
Azula used firebending to break out of her earth cuffs.
Azula stood in a defensive stance, "Dad's all the way at the end of the hall then down a secret stairway on the left. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to see you now."
Azula started to run away.
"Oh hell no," I said.
I raised my hands to bloodbend her back, but Aang put a hand on my shoulder signifying that I shouldn't.
Sokka looked dismayed, "I fell for it! I used up all our time."
I gave him a weak smile, "Azula has always been cunning, it would be impossible not to fall for her mind games. No one is blaming you, Sokka."
"It's too late now," Sokka shook his head.
"Maybe it's not too late. The eclipse is over. But I can face the Fire Lord anyway," Aang said.
"Ooh," I said, "Bad idea. Ozai would squash you like a bug."
Aang looked offended, "But I'm ready! I came here with a job to do and everyone's counting on me."
"The Fire Lord knew we were coming this time. We thought we had surprise on our side but we didn't. It just wasn't our day. What we need to do now is go and help our friends," Toph said.
Aang hung is head sadly, "I guess you guys are right."
"Hey," I smiled, "Don't worry about it kid, you'll have other chances."
We headed back to the battle area and met Katara and Hakoda.
Of course, now that the firebenders had their power back, and they caught on to our plan we were in a word... screwed.
The Firebenders started heading towards the beach.
"Why aren't they turning around to attack us again?" Katara asked.
"They're heading for the beach..." I said, confused.
Aang's eyes widened, "They're gonna destroy the submarines!"
"Oh, shit," I said.
Aang turned to me, "Can you stall them?"
"All of them?" I bent a huge wave of water and froze countless soldiers to their spots.
But, they kept coming.
I looked back at Aang, "There's too many."
Sokka looked hopeless, "How are we all going to escape?"
Hakoda and another watertribe soldier, Bato, approached us, "We're not."
How can we possibly fight all of these people...?
Sokka looked determined, "Then our only choice is to stand and fight. We have the Avatar, and the Bibender, we could still win."
"Sokka," I said, "I'm flattered, but..."
"Yes, with the Avatar we could still win. On another day. You kids have to leave. You have to escape on Appa together," Hakoda said,
"What?" I asked, "Uncle, you can't be serious-?"
Katara ran to her father, "We can't leave you behind! We won't leave anyone behind!" She glanced back at the whole invasion force.
"You're our only chance in the long run. You, Sokka, and (Y/N) have to go with Aang somewhere safe. It's the only way to keep hope alive."
"No," I said, "Aang and I are the top priority for the Fire Nation. If you guys all escape and I stay behind, I might be able to stall them, just for a moment, I'll let them take me as a prisoner."
"I appreciate the hero sacrifice, (Y/N)," Hakoda sighed nostalgically, "But your mother would slaughter me if I let you do that."
Bato smiled, "The youngest of our group should go with you. The adults will stay behind and surrender. We'll be prisoners, but we'll all survive this battle."
Aang prepared Appa and everyone started saying their goodbyes.
Haru, The Duke, and Teo were coming with us.
"We'll miss you, Dad," Katara and Sokka hugged their father.
"Bye, Dad. We won't be apart for too long this time. I promise," Sokka said.
I coughed and started walking to Appa.
"(Y/N)," Hakoda said.
I stopped and turned around, "Yes?"
"You're not going to give your Uncle a hug?"
I smiled and ran to embrace him.
"I know that we haven't known each other long, but you are like your mother in so many ways."
"What?" I asked, "I look nothing like my mother."
"It's not that, (Y/N). It's your personality, your aura. If Katya were here... she'd be so proud of you. I know I am."
My eyes felt wet.
"Thank you, Uncle," I bowed to him.
We all got on Appa.
Aang paused for a moment and turned around to face the invasion force, "Thank you all for being so brave and so strong. I'm gonna make this up to you."
He got on Appa and we left.
"Where are we going?" I asked Aang.
Aang grinned, "The Western Air Temple."
"That place is a ghost city," I told him.
"Maybe, but we'll be safe."
I nodded and looked at the sky. The sun was starting to set.
I guess I didn't get to see you, Zuko.