(Okay! I know it has been a while since I have updated this book, but here it is! I hope you enjoy.)

So, we took a break at a lake where we met some nomads. Who also told us about a cave that we could use to get to Omashu without the Fire Nation following us. (Secret tunnel~!) And we took it after almost getting shot by massive fireballs. Not pleasant. However, Aang, Katara and Appa got separated from us so Sokka, Momo and I were stuck with the nomads. And to be honest, seeing Sokka almost lose his cool by their nonchalant behavior nearly made me die of laughter. But then we learned that the tunnels changed because of badger moles, the original earthbenders. It was such an experience to meet them and learned that they love music. And riding them was so much fun! So, they helped us get to the other side where we met up with Katara, Aang and Appa. We said our goodbyes to the nomads, only to find out that Omashu has been conquered by the Fire Nation.

"I can't believe it. I know The War has spread far, but Omashu always seemed... untouchable." Aang says. I walk over to him and lay my hand on his shoulder. "Up until now, it was. Now Ba Sing Se is the only great Earth Kingdom left." Sokka says. I stare at Omashu as smog comes from it. The Fire Nation needs to be stopped or else there will be nothing left. "This is horrible. But we have to move on." Katara says. I nod my head, "Katara's right. With Omashu conquered, Bumi is locked up someplace where he won't be able to earthbend. And with how strong he is, there is no way they will give him up." I state. "No. I'm going in to find Bumi." Aang says, brushing off my hand as he walks forward. "Aang, stop! We don't even know where Bumi is or if he's still..." Sokka trials off. "If he's still what?" Aang asks, (I ain't saying it. 👀) and I'm glad he's not using that tone at me. And that expression is unusual on him. Bad unusual.

"A-Around." Sokka says. I cross my arms. "I know you had your heart set on Bumi, but there are other people who can teach you earthbending." Katara says. "This isn't about finding a teacher. This is about finding my friend." Aang states, looking back at the city. I look at it too as I think. I close my eyes, Aang is not leaving until he finds Bumi. He is a powerful bender and quite strong for being over 100 years old. I sigh and open my eyes, "Okay. We'll sneak into Omashu and find Bumi to make sure he is still alive. But if we get caught, we're out. No questions." I state, walking over and resting a hand on Aang. He doesn't say anything back but that's fine. I know he won't leave Omashu until we know for sure that Bumi is alive.

I remove my hand from him, "Aang, since we can't fly Appa to the gates, is there another way in the city? Preferably hidden." I ask him. He looks at me and smiles, "Yep. Bumi showed me all kinds of ways to get in and out." He answers. "All right." I smile back. So, we got on Appa and Aang had him fly down into the massive trench surrounding the city. We make it to a ledge and I give Appa a pat, "Stay out of sight, big guy." I say to him. Appa growls as he floats in place. "A secret passage? Why didn't we just use this last time?" Sokka asks. I look up as Aang uses his staff to open a massive pipe. And... I get a bad feeling in my gut and quickly step aside right as the lid pops off and lots of sludge spews out. "Does that answer your question?" Aang asks. "Gross." I comment then take a deep breath and follow after Aang into the pipe. (Blegh! 🤮)

So, after making it through the gross tunnel with Sokka almost drowning in the sludge multiple times, that's what happens when you take the back, we make it to a manhole cover and Aang uses his airbending to pop it loose. I lift it up slightly to look around and check for any Fire Nation soldiers. My father was a Fire Nation-NO! Not now. "It's clear. Come on." I move the cover aside and climb out. Aang flies out and I help Katara out with Momo hopping onto my shoulders. "That wasn't as bad as I thought." Katara comments.

But then Sokka climbs out and is covered in sludge. Momo screeches and curls into my arms. Oh, poor guy. (He scared.) Katara splashes Sokka with water and removes all the sludge off of him then Aang dries him with a gust of wind. Well, that fixes that. Except that Sokka has cute little pentapi on his face. He freaks out, screams then Aang tackles him. Katara and I walk over to them. "Stop making so much noise. It's just a purple pentapus." Aang explains, then lays a hand on one of them and scratches its head. It giggles, which is really cute, (Well, they are. 🟣 🐙 ) and lets go of Sokka. I check Sokka for anymore and find one on the back to his neck. I scratch its head and it lets go. I hold it up to my face, "You're a cutie, aren't ya?" I say to it. It makes a cute squeaky noise and I smile at that.

"Hey!" Shoot! I hide it under my cloak as Momo jumps off me. I move to stand in front of the gang as some Fire Nation soldiers walk up to us. "What are you kids doing out past curfew?" The lead guy says. I remain calm. "Apologies. We lost track of time but will be on our way to our home right now." I reply. We turn around and start walking off. "Wait." Oh, come on. "What's the matter with him?" We stop and I look down at Sokka and the marks left behind by the pentapi. "Uh... He has pentapox, sir." Katara says. Ooooh. I turn around as a solider walks up to us. He moves to touch Sokka's face, but I grab his wrist, "I wouldn't do that. It's contagious." I tell him. Sokka starts groaning, "It's so awful. I'm dying!" He goes along and the man moves away from him. "And deadly." Katara adds. "Might want to leave. Now." I tell them. (Run along now. 😏)

"Hey, I think I've heard of Pentapox. Didn't your cousin Chang die of it? We better go wash our hands." Wow, they're buying it. They run off as Sokka coughs loudly and I let out a sigh in relief. "Thank you, sewer friend." Aang says and I take out the pentapus under my cloak, "You have done a great service." I tell it then lay a kiss on its head. (What? They helped and they're cute.) Aang and I put them back in the sewer and close the cover then make our way through the city.

We make it up some stairs then hide to avoid some soldiers. "Let's find Bumi and get out of here." Katara says. "Where would they be keeping him?" Sokka says. "Someplace he can't earthbend, so in something metal." I answer. We move along as we search on. But then I hear rumbling and stop. I look to see rocks sliding down and Aang blows them away. I look to the left and below see a group of people. "The Resistance!" A woman says. Then a girl with black hair tosses arrows and Aang jumps to avoid them. (We know who that is~) I open a fan and use it block an another from hitting Aang. Then the girl and I make eye contact. She throws another arrow and I take out my knife and block it. "Move!" I shout and we all run.

I stop and look back as Katara knocks some men off with her waterbending then freezes water to block arrows from that girl. "Go!" I push Katara to follow the guys and engage in combat with the girl.

Third Person P.O.V.

The two throw fists at one another to try and land a blow then the black-haired girl's sharp eyes narrow as she blocks a punch then takes out a knife but (Y/N) notices it and moves back. The knife almost grazes her nose and she grabs the girl's wrist and grip it tightly. The girl clenches her teeth in pain as she is forced back. She uses her free hand and swipes a knife across (Y/N)'s face. (Y/N) let go of her and moves back as she takes out her knife and swipes it at her, the girl moves back but the knife cuts her bangs. (Y/N) then spins and delivers a strong back kick that sends the girl back. (Dang, this is good. Popcorn, anyone? 🍿)

The girl slides back and bends forward as she holds a hand to her stomach. She glares at (Y/N) only to find her already running off. She recovers and runs after them then Aang drops and delivers a wind slash that causes a wooden structure to fall. The girl tosses a knife and it bounces off the wall, Aang blocks it with his staff and looks to see it imbedded in the staff. The girl stands on the other side of the wreckage then tosses more knives at them, but the gang yell as the ground beneath them drops down and is replaced with a new slab of earth.

The girl sighs as the excitement is over. She makes her way off the wreckage to get back with her mother. "Those guys were lame. But that girl... she didn't even flinch when I cut her." She says out loud. (Intrigue, lady?)

With the gang, they recover from their sudden fall and look to find themselves surrounded by men. One of them steps forward and (Y/N) looks up at him and give him a warning glare.

Elsewhere, as the sun shines down, a circus is set up and Azula then appears before someone. "Ty Lee, could that possibly be you?" She says. The person, Ty Lee, is a young teen girl with long brown hair tied back in a braid and she has big and bright brown eyes. She is currently upside-down on her index fingers. (Okay, this girl is something else.) "Azula!" She says happily. She puts down her feet, stand up, spins around then bows to Azula. She gets up and rushes over to give Azula a hug which Azula reciprocates. "It is so good to see you!" She says, pulling away. "Please, don't let me interrupt your... whatever it is you were doing." Azula says.

Ty Lee smiles then bends back and lays her hands on the ground as she stretches her legs above her head. "What is the daughter of a nobleman doing here? Certainly our parents didn't send us to the Royal Fire Academy for Girls to end up in places like this." Azula says as she sees three men trying to wrangle a platypus bear and it lays an egg. "I have a proposition for you. I'm hunting a traitor. You remember my old, fuddy-duddy uncle, don't you?" Azula state as she gets to the point of her visit. "Oh, yeah. He was so funny." Ty Lee says with a smile, her feet on her head. "I would be honored if you would join me on my mission." Azula states. "Oh, I, uh... would love to." Ty Lee stutters out. (Does she?)

She stands up, "But the truth is I'm really happy here. I mean, my aura has never been pinker." She says. "I'll take your word for it. Well, I wouldn't want you to give up the life you love just to please me." Azula replies. "Thank you, Azula." Ty Lee bows her head to her then turns around and lifts her foot above her head as Azula walks off. "Of course, before I leave, I'm going to catch your show." Azula says. Ty Lee gasps. (Uh-oh. 😨) "Uhm, yeah, sure. Of course." Ty Lee responds, though she sounds frighten.

(Y/N)'s P.O.V.

So, the people that saved us are the Resistance and took us to where the people of the city have taken refuge from the Fire Nation. Which is right below the city. Katara healed the cut on my face and now we stand before the leader and two men. "So, is King Bumi with you guys? Is he leading the Resistance?" Aang asks the leader. "Of course not. The day of the invasion, we readied ourselves for battle. To fight for our lives and for our freedom. But before we even had a chance, King Bumi surrendered." He replies. I look at Aang and lay a hand on his shoulder. "The day of the invasion, I asked King Bumi what he wanted to do. He looked me in the eye and said... He was going to to do nothing. It doesn't matter now. Fighting the Fire Nation is the only path to freedom." The leader says.

I give him a raises brow, "By painting a bigger target on your backs?" I ask them. "Freedom is worth dying for." He replies. I remove my hand from Aang and step towards the man. "Maybe for you, but there are people here who still want to live their lives. Omashu is your city, but the Fire Nation won't let it go. Bumi may have done nothing because in his mad mind he knew you would have lost either way." I tell him. I may have only met Bumi once, but I can tell he always has something up his sleeve. (And he's crazy.) "Actually, there's another path to freedom. You could leave Omashu." I look back at Aang when he said that. "You're directing all your energy to fight the Fire Nation, but you're outnumbered. You can't win. Now is the time to retreat so you can live to fight another day." Aang says.

"You don't understand. They've taken our home, and we have to fight them at any cost!" I look back at the man. "Even the cost of the people you swore to protect?" I ask him. (Oh. Good point.) "I don't know, Yalo. Living to fight another day is starting to sound pretty good to me." "Yeah, I'm with the kid and tall girl." The two men say. I look at the leader again, "You're choice: stay and be killed or leave and live." I tell him. He looks away but I can tell he is thinking about it. "Fine. But there's thousand of citizens that need to leave. How are we gonna get them all out?" He says. "Suckers!" I hear Sokka answer. I look at him with a smirk, knowing exactly what he is talking about. "You're all about to come down with a nasty case of pentapox." He explains.

Third Person P.O.V.

In the morning, everyone went up to the surface and the gang went into the sewers to collect pentapi. The people placed it on them and let them suck their skin for a bit before removing them, leaving behind spots on their bodies. Once everyone had spots on their faces, Sokka faces them. "The marks make you look sick, but you gotta act sick, too. You gotta sell it." Sokka states. An elderly man with a walking stick groans as he passes by Sokka. "Now, that's what I'm talking about." He says to an another. "Years of practice." The elderly man says, knocking his walking stick against his wooden leg.

"Ok, everyone, into sick formation!" Sokka orders as the people walk off then follows after them. Katara and (Y/N) stay back as they look at Aang who turns and walks in another direction. "Aang, what are you doing? Aren't you coming with us?" Katara asks him. "No. I'm not leaving until I find Bumi." Aang states, Momo landing on his shoulders. (Y/N) sighs as she knows Aang made up his mind. "Alright, but be careful. Don't want another run-in with that knives woman." She tells him. Momo tugs on Aang's mouth, "Sorry, Momo, I'll feed you later." Aang says, putting him down. He then jumps and makes his way along the roofs of houses. "Let's go." (Y/N) tells Katara. and the two make their way to catch up with the people.

Fire soldiers stand in position then hear growing and look to see the people groan and have spots on their faces. The people walk towards them as they groan loudly, one even falls down. The soldiers step back in fear. "Plague! Plague!" One screams. They fall back and a metal plate is banged to warm of the emergency. This gets the attention of the noble family as they look down from their house at the commotion. "What is going on down there?!?" The governor exclaims. "I saw some kids yesterday who were sick with pentapox. It must have spread." A guard states. "Pentapox! Hmm. I'm pretty sure I've heard of that." The governor says. "Oh, this is terrible." His wife says in worry. "What should we do?" The guard asks. "Drive them out of the city, but don't touch them. We have to rid the city of this disease." The governor orders. The guard bows his head then goes to fulfill the order.

The girl with the knives, long black hair put up with two strands hanging on the sides of her face along with having pale skin and sharp eyes watches with a bowl of snacks in her hand. "Fire Flakes, Dad?" She offers. (I'll take some. 🖐️) Her mother gasps and hugs father, "How awful!" She says. However, her toddler son ends up waking off as he babbles.

Aang navigate the streets then bends air to give him a lift as he scales up the buildings and lands on a roof. He hears panting and chains rattling then looks down to see Bumi's pet forced to work. "Flopsy!" Aang says happily, hovering down and lands on the ground. The large creature looks back and smiles as he runs at Aang, but stops because of the chain. Aang frowns and puts down his arms as he jumps over and bends the water from Flopsy's bowl and freezes it on the chain. He uses his staff to break it and Flopsy thanks him by hugging him. Aang chuckles as his face is licked. (Aww~ Such a good boy~ ☺️) "Come on, Flopsy. You gotta help me find Bumi." Aang says.

He climbs up to ride on Flopsy. "Yip, Yip!" He says. Though, Flopsy remains still. "Oh, I guess that doesn't work with you. Let's go." He corrects himself and Flopsy runs off. Both determined to find Bumi.

Ty Lee's P.O.V. (Surprise!)

Okay, so far so good. The crowd's entertained and Azula has not done anything. Yet. "We're deeply honored to have the Fire Lord's daughter at our humble circus. And tell us if there's anything we can do to make the show more enjoyable." "I will." Oh, no.

I balance on one hand on a contraption on a tightrope. I switch from left hand to my right and smile for the crowd to see. But then the net is set on fire. Okay... Don't fall. Stay focused. I lower myself slightly to keep up appearance. But then all the animals are released. They run all over the place like a splatting of paints. She's not going to take no for an answer. (No, she is not.)

(Y/N)'s P.O.V.

The plan was a success. Now we have made camp with multiple fires to keep people warm. Katara, Sokka, Appa and I waited for Aang and he appears with Bumi's pet, Flopsy. But no Bumi. We all walk over to him and I lay a hand on his shoulder. "We looked everywhere. No Bumi." He says. I frown in sympathy then remove my hand from him as Katara hugs him. I look to see Flopsy sad and I walk over to him. I gently caress his face. "It's okay. Bumi is strong. We'll find him." I whisper to him. He whimpers and close his eyes. Sokka hugs him and I look down. We have to move forward at some point.

"We've got a problem." I hear Yalo say. I become serious and turn around to face him. "We just did a head count." He informs. "Oh, no. Did someone get left behind?" Katara asks. "No. We have an extra." Yalo says and points. I follow and see a baby in Fire Nation clothing cling onto Momo. (A baby? 😧) Oooooooh. I walk over to them and kneel down on one knee, "Hey there, little man. What are you doing?" I say to the boy. He looks up at me and smiles widely. He lets go of Momo and grabs my leg. I giggle and pick him up to look at him. He smiles and reaches his hands at me... He is of the Fire Nation... But he is just a child... Innocent.

"(Y/N)?" I blink and look at Katara, "You okay?" She asks. I shake my head and look back at the baby again. He has a frown and reaches at my face. I sigh and stand up, holding him close as he pats my cheeks. "I'm fine." I reply. (I think she's having a little identity crisis.)

We sit at one of the fires and the boy continues to follow Momo around. I still don't know how Momo kidnapped a child, but then again I can believe it. The baby falls on his bum and starts teething Sokka's club. "No! Bad Fire Nation baby." Sokka says. I give him a side-glare. He's a baby. Why the clarification? The baby starts crying and Katara smacks Sokka's face. "Oh, all right." Sokka gives in and lets the baby play with his club. Good thing it's a blunt weapon so it won't hurt him. "Oh, you're so cute!" Katara coos as she lays her hands on the baby's shoulders and gives him a kiss on the cheek.

"Sure, he's cute now. But when's he older, he'll join the Fire Nation Army. You won't think he's so cute then. He'll be a killer." I freeze at Yalo's words. I remember the dream.... My father gave his life for my mother and me... but did he kill before meeting her? (Probably. 🤷‍♀️) "Am I right, (Y/N)?" I blink as I notice the baby in my face. I see Katara look at me too. "Uh..." "I mean, is he really a killer in the making?" She asks. Oh. "With those eyes, the brightness may be blinding." I reply. (Heh. 😏) Katara smiles and moves the baby away from me. I hear a cry and look to see a hawk. "A messenger hawk." I stand up and walk up to the bird slowly. I take out a little treat and hold it up to the bird.

It takes it and while it eats, I open the container on its back and take out the message. I walk over to the others while the hawk lands on my head, (He likes us. 😊) but I don't mind. I give the message to Aang and unrolls it, "It's from the Fire Nation governor. He thinks we kidnapped his son. So, he wants to make a trade. His son... for King Bumi!" He says. It becomes quiet. I look over at Sokka and Katara, they too have a surprised face. I look at Aang and see his face harden. "We accept." He says.

And so, we sent the hawk off with Aang's reply and in the morning. Sokka, Katara and I wait at Appa, ready to go and make the trade. Aang appears with the baby. "You realize we're probably walking into a trap." Sokka comments. "I don't think so. I'm sure the governor wants his son back as much as we want Bumi. It's a new day. I have a good feeling about this." Aang says, smiling at the sleeping baby in his arms. However, my gut is churning in a negative way. Meaning that things are not going to go smoothly with the trade.

I walk over and gently caress the baby's face. "His parents want him back. They are Fire Nation, but they are also parents." I state. And so, we get on Appa and I take the reins as we fly to Omashu.

Third Person P.O.V.

Azula arrives in her palanquin and there to greet her is the daughter of the governor. The palanquin is placed down and Azula exits it with Ty Lee walking beside her. The dark haired girl bows to Azula. "Please tell me you're here to kill me." The gloomy girl says. When she looks up, she smirks at the girls. She and Azula share a laugh, "It's great to see you, Mai." Azula says, laying her hands on Mai's shoulders. Ty Lee then moves and hugs Mai, who hugs her back. "I thought you ran off and joined the circus. You said it was your calling." Mai says to Ty Lee. "Well, Azula called a little louder." Ty Lee replies as she pulls away from Mai. "I have a mission, and I need you both." Azula states, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "Count me in. Anything to get me out of this place." Mai agrees. (She's fun.)

Within the main room of the governor's house, Azula sits in the chair as the governor speaks, "I apologize. You've come to Omashu at a difficult time. At noon, we're making a trade with the Resistance to get Tom-Tom back." He informs her. "Yes, I'm so sorry to hear about your son. But, really, what did you expect by just letting all the citizens leave?" Azula says in a mocking sympathy. She stands up, "My father has trusted you with this city, and you're making a mess of things." She says. "Forgive me, princess." The governor bows to her along with his wife, Mai and Ty Lee. "You stay here. Mai will handle the hostage trade so you don't have a chance to mess it up. And there is no more Omashu. I am renaming it in honor of my father. The City of New Ozai!" Azula states as Mai and Ty Lee stand up. (How creative. 😒)

The gang wait at the meeting spot, a wooden structure with a statue of Fire Lord Ozai on the other side of a wooden structure. The three girls arrive and stand on the other end of the floor. (Y/N) eyes narrow and walk to stand next to Aang. A crane lowers a metal contains, revealing to be Bumi as he laughs and snorts, "Hi, everybody!" He greets. (Hi, Bumi. 👋) Aang smiles at seeing him alive. (Y/N) smiles at Bumi and nods her head at him then frowns as she watches the three girls. Bumi is placed behind the three. "You brought my brother?" Mai says. "He's here. We're ready to trade." Aang states. "I'm sorry, but a thought just occurred to me. Do you mind?" Azula speaks up. "Of course not, Princess Azula." Mai says. "We're trading a two-year-old for a king- A powerful earthbending king." Azula states, Bumi nods on this head at her words. "It just doesn't seem like a fair trade. Does it?" Azula asks.

Mai looks at her brother to see him safe in Sokka's arms. But then her gaze shifts to (Y/N), finding the tall girl looking at her with a piercing stare. "You're right." Mai says, stepping forward while Azula has a victorious smirk. "The deal's off." She tells the group, raising her hand up for Bumi to be taken away. "Whoa! See you all later!" Bumi laughs. "Bumi!" Aang calls out to his friend. (Y/N) steps forward, "Valuing power over family. A coward's choice." She says in disappointment at Mai. (Oh!) Aang runs and Azula bends blue flames at him, only for Aang to use his airbending to jump and avoid it. This surprises Azula and as Aang opens his glider, his head tattoo is revealed. "The Avatar. My lucky day." Azula says.

She then steps back as a fan almost cut her. It curves in the air and returns to (Y/N). "Good luck trying to catch him." She tells Azula. The princess runs off and bends a cable system, grabbing a line as it takes her up quickly. "Get the baby to safety." (Y/N) says to Sokka and Katara as she runs off and grabs the cable too, shooting up into the air. (It's on!)

Aang lands on Bumi's container. "Aang! Is that you? Where did you come from?" Bumi asks calmly. "Hang on. We're gonna get you out of here." Aang tells him. He takes a deep breath and starts blowing on the chain, it starting to freeze as ice appears on it.

Mai and Ty Lee have run at Sokka and Katara. Mai takes out knives. "Come on, let's get out of here!" Katara exclaims. Sokka blows Aang's bison whistle. "Way ahead of you." Sokka tells her, Tom-Tom snatching the whistle from him. Sokka and Katara run off but Sokka grunts as his foot is punched from below and moves to land on his back while keeping a hold on the baby. He thankfully stops before he fell off the structure. Ty Lee appears from below and runs at Sokka, but looks back to see Mai toss knives at her and she thinks quickly by bending water and whipping it at the floor. Boards flies up and block the knives, they get sent at Mai then Katara bends the water to wrap around Ty Lee's ankle and pull her away from Sokka. Taking the chance, Sokka gets up, slides down a latter and runs off while Katara continues to fight the two women.

"Aang! Stop your blowing for a minute." Bumi says, but Aang continues to freeze the chains. Azula then breaks through boards and kicks a stream of fire at him. "Now hold on just a-Waaah!" Bumi screams as Aang cuts the e chain and they both fall. Azula watches them fall by then feels herself her launched up and looks back to find (Y/N) punching a board that she stood on. (Dang, this girl is strong. 💪) The two having a small stare down before Azula disappears from (Y/N)'s sight. Not willing to lose her until Aang and Bumi are safe, (Y/N) runs off and hops in a stone crate as she uses it to slide down.

Aang positions Bumi's container and bends a sphere of air to soften their fall as they start going down a slide. Azula rides in her own crate as she gives chase. She grunts as she feels something land in her crate and look back to narrowly avoid a punch from (Y/N). "Don't forget about me." She states. The two engage in close combat and Azula tries to bend fire at her, but (Y/N) blocks it with one of her fans then takes out her knife and tries swiping at her. Azula moves back and the blade manages to cut a tiny part of her hair. The Fire Princess' eyes sharpen then thrusts her hand with index and middle fingers pointed out to shoot a stream of fire at (Y/N), only for the tall girl to lean back and feel the intense heat of the flames. (Wow. This is intense.)

Aang laughs as he and Bumi slide down. "It's just like old times, isn't it, Bumi?" He says to his friend. "Aang, I need to talk to you!" Bumi exclaims. "It's good to see you, too!" Aang replies, mishearing Bumi's words. He then drops his smile and look back to see (Y/N) fighting Azula, and the princess shoots fire at him. He quickly spins his staff to deflect them and (Y/N) takes the opportunity to punch Azula in the face. Ticked off, Azula grabs her and throws her off the crate. Aang stops spinning his staff and catches (Y/N) in his arms. He sets her down on the container as the two sides merge into one and Azula is right behind them.

Aang bends a strong gust of air at Azula and the princess closes her hands together to dispel it. She then send a wave of fire at them, (Y/N) thinking quickly and ducks her and Aang down to avoid it. Aang stands up and rows his staff to bend air to try and make them go faster. They keep sliding down until they come upon some gates and Aang sends a wave of air to cut them down to stop Azula. The Fire Princess enters the dust cloud and only the crate remains. Aang sighs in relief only to scream as Azula reveals herself after hiding in the crate. (Eek! 😱) (Y/N) grabs Aang and press the both of them onto Bumi's container, narrowly avoiding the flames. "Who is this crazy chick?!?" (Y/N) shouts in frustration.

Katara sends a steam of water at Mai, who bends back and holds up her leg which has a contraption that stores arrows and one shoots out. Katara makes an ice barrier to block it and Mai runs at her. Katara melts the ice and bends the water entrap Mai's hand before she shot another knife. Mai tries to break it but it does not crack. Ty Lee appears behind Katara and sneaks up to the waterbender as she applies pressure on her shoulders and arms. Katara grunts and her water then melts, freeing Mai as Ty Lee stands behind her. Katara tries to bend the water but it only rises a little until it falls back into a puddle. "How are you gonna fight without your bending?" Mai mocks her. She takes out a three-pointed knife and as she readies to throw it at Katara, it gets knocked out of her hand by a boomerang. "I seem to manage!" Sokka state, catching his boomerang as he arrives with Appa. (Boomerang for the win!)

He has the bison land and Appa slams his tail down which blows a powerful wind that blows Mai and Ty Lee away. Katara gets on Appa and they go to help Aang and (Y/N). "There they are!" Katara points to see them slide downwards. "We can catch them!" Sokka says, maneuvering Appa down to get them. Azula sends more fire at Aang and (Y/N), and the young monk uses his staff to block them. Appa appears beside them. "Hang on, Bumi! Our ride's here!" Aang exclaims. However, blue flames shoot at them and Aang sweeps his staff to bend air that blows them over Appa. "Just our luck." (Y/N) says with a deadpanned expression.

"Aang!" Bumi shouts to get Aang's attention. Aang and (Y/N) hold onto the container as they free fall. They land on a slide, which breaks and the three land onto another continuing to slide down. Azula catch up to them and bends a wheel of fire and sends it at them. "Shoot! Hot wheel!" (Y/N) exclaims as her eyes widen in worry at the quickly approaching blue flames. Bumi lifts his chin up and a pillar of earth on rises, stopping the fire wheel. Azula gasps at seeing the earth pillar and jumps right as the crate collides and becomes rubble. Azula screeches to a stop and watches with a frown as they get away. (Bye, Bye! ✌️)

(Y/N)'s P.O.V.

"Phew." I sigh in relief. Finally lost that crazy chick. But something about her was... familiar. "You could earthbend... all along?!?" I blink when Aang said that and look down at Bumi. "Well, they didn't cover my face." Bumi responds. (Good point.) That's when it hits me, "Right, because benders often use their hands and feet." I say. "Exactly." He lifts his chin up and an earth pillar appears again. Aang and I jump off and land on the ground then look up at Bumi. "I don't understand. Why didn't you free yourself? Why did you surrender when Omashu was invaded? What's the matter with you, Bumi?!?" Aang asks angrily.

I lay a hand on his shoulder, "Whoa, whoa, easy, bud. Let's let Bumi explain why." I say to him gently. He calms down and we pay attention to Bumi. "Thank you, (Y/N). Now, what I was trying to say before is that there are options in fighting called Jing. It's a choice of how you direct your energy." Bumi says. "I know! There's positive Jing when you're attacking, and negative Jing when you're retreating." Aang says. "And neutral Jing: when you do nothing." Bumi adds. "There are 3 Jings?" Aang asks.

"Well. Technically, there are 85. But let's just focus on the third." Bumi clarifies. "Wait, 85- Nope, not finishing that." I say, or wanting to have that discussion. (Yeah, not gonna think about it.) But then it clicks, "Wait, by doing nothing and knowing that Aang would need to start his earthbending training, we would come here for you and he would want your people to avoid getting themselves killed by leaving the city." I say. Now that I think about it, Bumi's gamble paid off. (Thankfully. 😮‍💨) "Exactly. But neutral Jing is the key to earthbending. It involves listening and waiting for the right moment to stroke." Bumi explains. "And that's why you surrendered, isn't it?" Aang asks Bumi.

"Yes, and it's why I can't leave now." Bumi says. "So you can take back your city when the moment presents itself." I say. "Yes. You really do get my thinking, Warrior (Y/N)." He says. I smile at the compliment then look at Aang but frown as he turns away with a sad expression. "I guess I need to find someone else to teach me earthbending." He says. I frown as I pat his shoulder, "Hey, the Earth Kingdom is filled with earthbenders. And who knows, maybe the one that becomes your teacher will teach you things that Bumi couldn't." I say to cheer him up.

"Your friend is right, Aang. Your teacher will be someone who has mastered neutral Jing. You need to find someone who waits and listens before striking." Bumi says. I jump as Momo lands on my head and I laugh as he goes and lands on Aang's shoulder. "Hey, Momo." I pet the cute guy on the head. "Momo's mastered a few Jings himself." Bumi says. I chuckle, "Maybe Momo could teach Aang some of them." I joke. (He is filled with surprises.) "Goodbye, Aang. So long, (Y/N). I'll see you both when the time is right." I look at Bumi and bow in respect to him. He then cackles and uses earthbending to go back up the slide.

I shake my head with a smile, "He's a mad genius." I say. I hear groaning and look back to see Appa, Katara and Sokka. I then remember the baby. "Come on." I tap Aang's shoulder. "They may not have respected the deal, but we can't keep a child from his parents." I state. Aang nods his head and we get on Appa.

It became night and I hold the baby in my arms as he smiles up at me. "Don't worry. If things go accordingly, you won't have to be a killer. You can grow up with your mom and dad, and your gloomy older sister. And have the love of a family to guide you." I whisper to him. He smiles and pats my cheek. (Why are babies so cute? 🥰) I smile as I look at him... He is of Fire Nation, but so am I. Not all of us are bad. But... "Ready." I blink and look at Aang. He would be the one to return the baby. I inhale deeply then pass the baby to him. "Be careful." I say to him. He smiles, "I will." He says.

He then flies off and I gently rub the jade stone on my bracelet. My father gave his life for my mother and I. Despite all that the Fire Nation has done... There is good in them. But probably not that blue fire chick. She's crazy. (Oh, for real. 🙂‍↕️)

(Okay! I hope you all have enjoyed this chapter. Will be a while until the next one. We be entering the swamp~ Ooooh~ Until next time!)