After weeks of Fire Nation roleplay with the gang and nights of seeing your dead father and brother, sometimes waking up in a cold sweat with force, waking up a frequently grumpy Toph who always comforted you through the worst ones. It was a chain, one could say. You lamented to Toph, Katara lamented to you. You being a wreck and understanding that, always took the time to listen and give advice. Like a good friend does. Today the cycle is broken as while you feed Momo with Toph, you hear the clunk of a body on metal and look over to see Aang on the ground. Momo jumps onto his shoulder and starts licking his face.
"No shit." you whisper.
"Twinkle-Toes!" Toph cheers, "That's gotta be you!"
"Aang, you're awake!" Katara joins in, everyone rushes towards him and surrounds him.
"Are you sure? I feel like I'm dreaming."
"Shore as the beach." You quip, taking off your Fire Nation helmet. Nobody laughs except Sokka. "Okay, screw you guys, that was clever."
Katara pulls Aang into a hug, scaring Momo away and onto your shoulder. "You're not dreaming, you're finally awake."
Next is Sokka, who gives him a quick bro hug, "Aang, good to see you back with the living, buddy." The mask distorts his voice giving it a robotic sound.
"Sokka?" He asks, confused. Before you see him get woozy and rush over as he faints, barely catching him. Katara grabs him and sits him up before Appa joins the gathering. You sit him up against the giant bison as you look him over.
"He'll need cold water and some food. No meat of any kind, he's vegan and it could make him sick. Make sure it isn't too salty, my cholesterol level has been through the roof for the last week. We don't both need to die before we're fifty. Sokka, get me my bag. Toph, stay here with me. Move, move, move!" And so they do, you check Aang's temperature, not out of the normal. Oral check, aside from the missing tooth where you decked him, no issues. Pulse. A little fast, but not enough to cause alarm and eyes, he's reacting. "Yup, seems good."
"Why'd you need me?"
"Emotional support."
"I'm back." Katara says, giving you a bucket of water.
"Thank you." You say, taking it and splashing him in the face, he wakes up with a start and Appa roars his displeasure. "Could I get a refill." You don't don't really ask it as Katara sighs and walks away with the bucket. Then some guy comes back with Sea Prunes. "Are you trying to kill him? Get him some fecking food! Don't you have carrots or some shit? Grass? Anything with a remotely tolerable taste?"
"Yessir." The Water Tribe warrior replies, running back into the cabin.
"Maybe I am a bad influence." Toph notes as Sokka comes out with your bag.
"Toph wants a sandwich."
"Right on it!" Sokka exclaims, turning back around.
"Woah, you grew a beard." Aang notes.
"Yup! Do you like it?"
"You look weird."
"You do too." You chuckle.
He glares at you and you smile, scratching the long stubble. He sighs and looks at you with a bit of fright, "What's happening?"
"We took Captain Shuku here's ship. Converted him."
"How?" Aang groans.
"I'm persuasive." you chuckle. "How do you feel?"
"Tired."
"Doesn't everyone?" You ask. Before long, Sokka, Katara and the food guy are all back at once. You take a ladle from your bag, fill it with water and offer it to Aang who happily accepts, you give Toph the sandwich, she takes a bite and nods with a thumb up. You grab Aang's vegetable soup and offer him a spoon. He takes the bite and nods. "Good. Kay, you feed him until he can feed himself. He seems pretty okay to me, other than a slightly fast pulse." She nods and takes your position.
"Why are we on a fire nation ship? Why is everyone dressed this way? Why am I the only one who's completely out of it?"
"You need to take it easy, okay?" Katara asks. "You got hurt pretty bad." There's an awkward silence. "I like your hair."
"I have hair?!" Aang exclaims, feeling his head, "How long was I out?"
"A few weeks, Y/N and Dad took care of us mostly. They aren't bad joint leaders surprisingly, although it didn't start out easy."
"It never does with Y/N." Aang rubs his cheek.
"I can still hear you, jackass."
"Sorry!" Aang laughs.
"Everything okay?" Hakoda asks.
"We're fine, Dad." Katara says, looking away. You sense hostility and sigh. You tried to help, but you failed. Again. You feel Toph's hand brush across your arm and you smile at her before returning the favor, grabbing her hand.
"I'm Hakoda, Katara and Sokka's father." He extends his hand.
"He knows who you are." Katara snaps, "I just called you 'Dad' didn't I?"
"I guess you're right." Hakoda looks down sadly. You remember what your mother told you once about your father after he'd beaten you for staying out late, A father's love, no matter how far from perfect, is still a father's love, there is nothing in the world that can replace that. He wants to be a good father, you can make it easier by just meeting him halfway.
"Well, it's nice to officially meet you, Chief Hakoda!" Aang greets, extending his hand. They share a quick greeting.
"Great, great. Now you guys have finally met, now would you mind giving us a little privacy?"
"Of course." Hakoda says, walking away.
You squeeze Toph's hand, "Come on." You lead her to a place separated from the group. "I'm too tired for this shit." You grumble as Toph finishes her sandwich, "Are you ready to face the Fire Nation?"
"Yes." Toph confidently states, "Are you?"
"I don't know." You admit, "I used to fight them all the time but something doesn't feel right about this eclipse, almost too good to be true, y'know?"
"You do know that good things can happen for us, right?"
"Yeah, every time I look at you." She smiles. "Maybe I'm just stressed. I could go for a steak. Like actual bull-deer steak"
"Yeah, next time we stop, I'm getting a chocolate cake."
"Didn't take you for a sweets person."
"There's a lot you don't know." Toph shrugs.
"I do love a mystery." you say.
"You also love me."
"Toph: International Woman of Mystery."
"I like that."
"I like you."
She smiles, "You are such a sap."
"Yeah," You walk forwards, "But you seem to like it. I think we're becoming more like each other. That's quite the prospect."
Toph shrugs, looking up at you, "I've become better and you are still arrogant, but you just keep impressing me."
"Thank you. Let's sit down for lunch, maybe it's edible."
"If not, sandwich boy will fetch you and me a sandwich." You can sense that she wants to pull you instead and you allow it, falling back behind her as she guides you into the cafeteria where a man gives you both some sort of fish. You both bow in thanks and walk out onto the deck where you see your group and join them.
"Ay, Not-So Cueball, it's good to see you again!" You greet, putting a firm grip on his shoulder and shaking him rather than clapping his shoulder and potentially hurting him. Aang smiles weakly as you sit down next to him. "So, how are you feeling?"
"Tired." Aang admits, wearily, "But I could be worse. How're you guys?"
"Alive." you say. Toph hits you playfully and you wheeze, "More alive than ever, I mean."
"I'm good too."
"What happened while I was out?" Sokka starts to fill him in as you eat the lunch you were given, sitting down on the ground as Toph leans onto your shoulder. Shuku and Hakoda idle on either side of Sokka, nodding along to his story and you hardly listen when Sokka's monologue is finished, Aang wearilly asks, "So what now?"
"We've been working on a modified version of the invasion plan."
Katara cuts in, "It's Sokka's invasion plan." You realize that you did all you could to help and only one man can settle her anger. Hakoda.
He shies away from conflict and corrects himself, "Yes, Sokka's plan. 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 explains, "Just a ragtag team of our friends and allies from around the Earth Kingdom. We already ran into Pipsqueak and the Duke."
He gestures towards the large guy with a smaller boy perched on his shoulder. You distinctly remember finding them trying to steal from the ship after waking up in the middle of the night to take a piss. "Good to see you again, Aang." Pipsqueak says, cheerilly.
"And the best part is: the eclipse isn't our biggest advantage. We have a secret." His eyes glance left and right, "You."
"Me?" Aang asks.
"Yep! The whole world thinks you're dead! Isn't that great?!" Sokka cheers triumphantly. Aang's face is filled with shock, similar to yours, but for an obviously different reason. Aang's shocked because of the realization, you're shocked that Sokka would be stupid enough to bring that up right away and not even attempt to ease Aang into it.
"The world thinks I'm dead?!" he demands, standing up. "How is that good news?! That's terrible!"
"No, it's great! It means the Fire Nation won't be hunting us anymore, and even better, they won't be expecting you on the Day of Black Sun."
"No no no no no, you have no idea. This is so messed up." Aang is experiencing a crisis. The foghorn of another boat blares and everyone snaps their attention towards another ship. You put on your helmet. "No. I'll handle this. The Avatar is back." He whips out his glider then grunts in pain.
"Aang, wait! Remember, they don't know that we're not Fire Nation." Aang reluctantly puts the glider away.
"Everyone be calm. Bato, Hakoda, Shuku and I will take care of this. Hide Appa and Momo. Toph, Katara, Aang, wait inside. Make sure our cover isn't blown, I need Sokka to be my eyes and ears inside. We've only got one shot. We can't fuck it up. Shuku, take lead. They'll know you. Don't even try to code anything or that ship will be at the bottom of the lake. You'll probably be on it. I won't hesitate." Shuku nods at your command and takes the lead. When they pull up alongside you, they drop a bridge. Three men walk towards you.
"Captain Shuku." he bows.
"Lee."
"Why are you off course, Shuku? All western fleet ships are supposed to be moving toward Ba Sing Se to support the occupation."
"We were ordered by General Fei to deliver supplies and come back. He said that another matter needed to be attended to back home."
"Fei isn't ahead of the Admiral."
"I'm doing as I was ordered by the leader of this fleet. Surely you can miss out on fifty soldiers."
"Fine. Although I wish I'd get notice about these things."
"Our private fleet is none of your concern, Private. Good day, sir."
Lee looks down, slightly dejected. "Good day, Captain Shuku." Shuku motions for the ship to move forward before it does. No conflict arises.
"Good job, Shuku. I'm glad we can trust you." You whisper. Shuku nods and you continue on your merry way. Eventually you pull up to a dock, where you momentarily station. You, Sokka, Toph and Katara find Aang resting restlessly in the captain's den.
"Hey, Aang. We're going into town to find some dinner."
"Well, Me and Toph are gonna break off after you guys find a place. We have specific food in mind." You add.
Aang rubs his stomach, "Well I am pretty hungry." He admits, "Maybe dinner's a good idea."
Sokka walks forward, holding a bandana. "Here, tie this around your head, it'll hide your arrow."
"I'm not going out if I can't wear my arrow proudly." Aang retorts.
"Bud, you can wear it all you want after we kick the Firelord's ass." You try, semi-cheerily. He gives you a plain look and you get defensive, "Just trying to cheer you up a bit but fuck me, I guess." You say in sing-song.
"You guys go ahead without us, we'll catch up with you." Katara suggests. You shrug before grabbing Toph's hand and leading the way, being sure to keep pace with her. You lead the way towards the restaurant district, Katara catches up with you there. Katara and Sokka eat at a noodle place and you take Toph to the grill. You and toph both get a bull-deer steak that's about the size of your head. You pay and lead Toph away, holding yours in your hand and she carries hers. You lead her towards a baker where she orders a small cake and you throw up a gold piece. She gets her cake and you both settle down in a quiet place just outside of town. A small bench overlooking a large crater. At the bottom is a world unseen by man, just beyond a beach at the bottom. The hole is as deep as Everest is tall.
"This is The Portal Through Time." You say. "It was carved by ancient dragons. The sand at the bottom is said to contain the most beautiful treasures ever found. The only way down is to jump."
"Why hasn't anyone gotten it?"
"Your bending stops working halfway down. There's no way down. No rope long enough, no knot strong enough. Rumor has it that the dragons have been hibernating down there, considering the impossibility of entry by a human," you take a bite of your steak, "it's possible. This crater is an extremely sacred site to these people. They meditate here, they sleep here, they mourn here. This place is more than a hole. Spirits are said to live here. hundreds of them. Can you feel it?"
Toph nods, "Yeah."
"This place is the second-most beautiful thing on Earth." She punches you in the shoulder and you laugh heartily, before taking another bite of your steak. "But really, this is the first place Zei ever took me. We took a ride disguised as Fire Nation to get here, and the world came to life. It's said that if you die here, you become one with this place, living eternally in the spirit realm. It's also said that if you die in the arms of a lover, you share the embrace in eternity. That one's a little more shifty, I'll admit." He takes another bite of his steak. "This is a little bland. I could've done it better."
"You're a complainer."
"That I am, Darling, that I am." You finish your steak slowly, keeping pace with Toph. You both finish at a similar time. Toph starts to eat her cake, with her head laid on your shoulder. Occasionally, she'll feed you a bite and you both sit in silence, letting the feeling of the place wash over you.
"How do you have so much money?" Toph asks.
"Unfortunately because I was a liberator, I made money through that. They always insisted on paying me and I declined several times, so now I just have a whole bunch of coins. More than I know what to do with." You kiss her head, "Without you guys, I don't know what I'd do when Zei died. You gave me the will to fight another day. Without you I'd-"
"Don't focus on the 'what if's Graceless. Just shut up and kiss me." You oblige.
After a few seconds, you feel the ground rumble as Appa sets onto the ground. "Y/N, Toph, it's an emergency!" Sokka calls, you look at him expectantly. "Aang ran away."
"Son of a bitch." You grunt, standing up.
"Yeah, Katara demanded that I get you and head back to the ship."
On the ship, you see Katara crying in her father's arms. He catches your eye and gestures you towards him. Katara is still in his arms as he speaks, "Y/N, we may have differences, but what you've done for us, for my family, I will never forget. You truly have the dignity of your father. Unfortunately, You got your mother's snappy, foul mouth attitude." He lets one arm drop from his daughter. "I haven't been entirely honest, Y/N. I knew your family. Your father and I were pen pals, he told me that you'd be the one to carry on the bloodline. He somehow knew that from the moment you were born. He made work harder for you because he wanted his grandchildren to be strong even if he never got to see them." You feel tears leaking down your face. "When I first met you, I thought you'd be huge, I didn't expect such a lanky kid to be the son of a man I looked up to my entire life. Then I saw you fight, I saw you spare and I heard your advice. You are truly the makings of a great leader, Y/N. I'm proud to have met you."
"And I'm proud to have met you, sir."
"Good. How are you gonna find the Avatar."
"You said you knew my mother right?" You look at Katara, "Are you ready?"
"Yeah let's kick some ass!"
"Language!" You, Hakoda and Sokka shout in unison.
You have been flying for Appa for several hours as Toph sleeps in your lap. "How do you even know that he went here?"
"If he didn't, he's dead." You say, poking Toph awake until she glares at you. "I've gone over every variable, every numerical solution, this is the only island he could've possibly ended up on. You hover low over the erupting volcanic island and spot Aang. "Ooh, it hurts to be right!" You exclaim, landing down on the island. Momo flies towards Aang and licks him until he stirs from his sleep, seeing everyone with wide eyes. "You didn't think you'd get rid of me that easily, did ya?" You ask as Katara hugs him.
"I almost did." He groans.
"Motherfucker, I knew you were here before your ass washed up." Everyone else joins in on the hug, "I'm glad you're back, Not-So Cueball."
"Glad to be back, Pubic Beard." You smile as Appa joins the hug. Aang is the first to retract. "I have so much to do."
"I know. But you'll have our help." Katara ensures.
"I'm not gonna let your stupid ass have all the fun." You joke. Aang smiles.
"Yeah, you didn't think you could get out of training just by going to the Fire Nation, did you?" Toph asks.
Aang's smile shortly fades, "What about the invasion?"
"We'll join up with my dad and the invasion force on the day of the eclipse." Sokka explains.
Something pokes Toph's feet in the water. Water spiders? You shudder at the thought. Luckily, it was just Aang's staff which has been unfortunately destroyed. Everyone gives him an apologetic look, "It's okay." He says after a moment, "If someone were to see it, it'd give away my identity. It's better for now that no one knows I'm alive." You place a hand on his shoulder, giving him the you've got this look, he nods before shoving it into a crack where it erupts into flames as you all leave this island behind.