Running a calloused hand through her tangled hair, Xiaodan watched with trepidation as the rising sun lit the ocean ablaze. She wondered if perhaps the fiery sky was a sign for what was to come today, but she quickly shook those thoughts from her head, taking several deep breaths to calm the sudden bout of nervousness that rushed through her.

'Please,' She closed her eyes and prayed silently,'Please, let everything turn out alright today.'

Xiaodan sighed heavily and turned around, quietly heading back to where her friends still slept. She stepped nimbly over Sokka's snoring form on her way over to the pile of supplies near Appa. The sky bison opened one eye, grumbling lowly as she stopped beside him. Xiaodan smiled and patted his side gently, "It's alright, big guy, go back to sleep."

Appa grumbled again and shut his eye, drifting back to sleep while Xiaodan rummaged around in her pack, pulling out the clothing she'd been working on. Padding quietly over towards a large, semi-flat boulder, the young woman dropped down into a cross-legged seating position and spread the clothes out flat on the boulder. She inspected her handiwork critically for several moments then picked up the small bag containing her needle and thread.

She shifted into a more comfortable position and set to work on adding the finishing touches to the clothes while waiting for the sun to finish its ascent and her friends to wake up.

Sokka sat up and stretched with a jaw-popping yawn. Rubbing one eye with his fist, he glanced around the makeshift campsite they had set up for the past four days and noticed Xiaodan hunched over a flat boulder a few feet away from him. Yawning again, Sokka pushed himself to his feet and wandered over to the dualbender where he then sat down heavily beside her. She glanced up at him briefly before returning her attention to her work, but Sokka still noticed the weary expression on her face.

"What are you doing up?" He asked, curiously taking in the fabric laid out on the flat boulder, "And how long have you been up for that matter?"

Xiaodan shrugged on shoulder dismissively, "Woke up just before sunrise. Couldn't sleep anymore."

Sokka glanced up at the sky and squinted at the sun, estimating that the sun had risen perhaps two or so hours ago. He scooted closer to her and gently nudged her shoulder with his own, "Nervous about today?"

"I-" The young woman faltered and stopped working on the clothes with a heavy sigh. Sokka quirked a brow at her when she turned slightly to face him with a troubled expression on her tanned face, "What's wrong?" He asked in concern.

"It's just..." She made a vague gesture with one hand, "I guess I am a little nervous about...everything really." Xiaodan sighed again and looked away from him to stare out at the ocean, rubbing her mouth the back of her hand before she continued, "The eclipse is going to take away all firebending."

"And that's a bad thing?" Sokka asked in confusion, his brow furrowing when she glanced at him with an unsure expression and gave a jerky shrug in response. He reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder, "Xia, you're like another sister to me. If something's wrong, you can talk to me."

Xiaodan smiled at him softly and covered his hand with her own, "I know, Sokka, you're like another brother to me too." She exhaled heavily and looked up at the sky again, "Ever since Ba Sing Se, I've been trying to come to terms with everything that's happened. Including my ability to firebend."

Understanding dawned on Sokka and he squeezed the dualbender's shoulder comfortingly, "Is that what this is about? Xia, you don't have to worry about accidently firebending today. The eclipse will take care of that."

"That's the problem, Sokka. I've spent so long trying to find a balance between my two natures and I think I've finally done that. Now the eclipse is going to take that away. What if, after the eclipse is over, I can't find that balance again?"

Sokka fidgeted uncomfortably as she turned further to look at him imploringly. He rubbed his forehead quickly and cleared his throat before looking Xiaodan straight in the eye.

"I really can't begin to understand what you're going through, Xia, but for what it's worth, I think you'll be fine." He smiled at her reassuringly, "If there's one person stubborn enough to bend two different elements and not be the Avatar, it's you. You'll find a balance again."

Xiaodan stared at him quietly for several moments then she smiled and playfully shoved his shoulder, "Geez, Sokka, I had no idea you could be philosophical."

"Hey!" The Water Tribe boy clutched at his shoulder and scowled at her mockingly, "I can be plenty philosophical when I want to be!"

She snorted and rolled her eyes teasingly, "Clearly. Now go away and let me get back to work. I certainly don't want to go into this invasion wearing clothes so obviously Fire Nation."

"Tch, rude." Sokka scoffed as he pushed himself to his feet, "See if I ever try to comfort you again if that's the thanks I get." He rolled his eyes affectionately when flashed a cheeky smile at him. Sobering slightly, he put his hand on her shoulder again and squeezed it reassuringly, "In all seriousness though, don't worry so much. Everything will be fine."

"I know, Sokka." She patted his hand once then pushed his legs, causing him to stumble slightly, "Nowgo away. Go play with your maps or something."

Sokka rolled his eyes and grumbled unintelligibly as he walked towards their supplies to gather his maps. Xiaodan smiled and shook her head slightly in amusement then she turned back to the clothes on the boulder.

A few hours later, Xiaodan placed the needle and thread back into their pouch with a sigh of relief. Stretching her arms high above her head, she looked at her finished handiwork with a proud smile.

"All done?" Toph asked from her seat on an open space of the boulder Xiaodan had been using a makeshift work table.

"Yeah, finally. I think Sisters Ekadzati and Lha-mo would be proud." Xiaodan replied happily. She noticed Toph's confused expression and clarified, "They were the nuns that taught needlework to young Airbenders. They always said I was one of the most difficult to teach."

Smiling fondly, she ran her hands along the long, orange and yellow cloth she'd made from Aang's old Air Nomad clothes and reflected on how exasperated the two sisters would get when they had to teach her. Xiaodan folded the samghati and placed it on the ground beside her along with the maroon colored waist cloth that went with it. Once that was done, she pulled out the outfit she'd made for herself and spread it out on her 'work table' to inspect.

A clay teacup appeared in front of her and she glanced up from her work, smiling gratefully at Katara as she took the cup and brought it to her lips. She placed the small cup on the ground and looked up at Katara curiously, "How's Sokka doing?"

"Stressed." Katara replied with a small shrug and she cast a concerned glance over her shoulder towards the edge of the cliff where Sokka was poring over several maps intensely, "I'm going to bring him a cup of tea."

Xiaodan nodded in understanding and went back to inspecting her work while Katara walked past her towards her brother.

Sokka frowned slightly as he pondered over the maps spread out in front of him, his chin cupped in one hand. He stared at the maps for several moments then closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead with his hand to relieve some of the tension building up behind his eyes, then he cupped his chin again. A gloved hand holding a teacup suddenly appeared in front of him, but he didn't seem to see it.

Katara sighed quietly and grabbed her brother's wrist with her free one, moving his hand away from his face and pressing the teacup against his palm. Sokka glanced up at his sister as he took the cup and she smiled reassuringly at him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder as she kneeled beside him.

Behind the two siblings, Xiaodan straightened from her hunched over position and stretched her arms above her head. Toph turned her head slightly just as Aang leapt onto the small ridge the foursome where on.

He landed beside Toph and Momo, who'd been napping at the blind girl's feet, leapt on to his shoulder. Aang laughed slightly and scratched the lemur's ears, "Top of the morning, Momo!"

"Well aren't you chipper this morning." Xiaodan quipped as she smiled in amusement at her brother. Katara chuckled lightly and stood up, walking towards the other three and putting her hands on her hips as she addressed Aang, "Sounds like you slept well."

"Like a baby moose-lion." Aang confirmed with a sweeping motion of his hand then he assumed a fighting stance and raised his fists up exuberantly, "I'm ready to face the Fire Lord!"

"That's great, little brother." Xiaodan stated proudly, folding her finished garments and setting them aside so she could hop up onto the rock beside Toph.

"So, what's your strategy for taking him down?" The blind Earthbender asked with a smile and she raised her hands, wiggling her fingers in a playful mimicry of the Avatar State, "Gonna get your glow on and hit him with a little Avatar State action?" She punched the air with a determined expression on her face then chuckled to herself.

"I can't." Aang replied sorrowfully as he looked down at the ground, "When Azula shot me with lightning, my seventh chakra was locked." He closed his eyes and sighed, "Cutting off my connection to all the cosmic energy in the universe."

Toph rolled her eyes slightly, "You know what I just heard?" She held one hand up and began opening and closing it with a bored expression, "Blah, blah, spiritual mumbo-jumbo, blah, blah, blah, something about space."

Xiaodan snorted then smiled sheepishly when Aang gave her a dry look. The two Airbenders were distracted when Katara suddenly exclaimed in concern, "Oh no!"

Turning to look in the direction she was, they saw a thick fog rolling in from across the horizon. Katara touched Sokka's shoulder and gestured towards the fog, "Sokka, do you think that fog will delay the invasion?"

"No." Sokka replied after staring intently at the fog and he got to his feet with an excited expression as the silhouettes of five Water Tribe ships became vaguely visible in the mist, "That is the invasion!"

Xiaodan grinned and grabbed the folded bundle of clothes she'd made for Aang and sat it on the rock when she stood up. She turned to look at the others, her grin widening, "Well then what are we waiting for? Let's go greet them!"

Xiaodan stood patiently beside Katara and Sokka as Toph and Aang stood beside the stone shoreline in the crescent-shaped harbor. Together the two used earthbending to raise several slabs of rock from beneath the water to form five docks for the ships. Xiaodan smiled as the first ship docked and several Southern Water Tribe warriors already in their armor disembarked. Turning towards the large pot of noodles she and Katara had prepared earlier, the dualbender grabbed one of the many stone bowls Toph had crafted using earthbending and set about feeding the warriors that approached her.

"Dad!"

Xiaodan looked up just as the Hakoda disembarked from the last ship to pull into the dock. She looked over at one of the warriors standing near her and she gestured towards the pot, "Could you take over for me?" The warrior nodded and she smiled brightly at him, "Thanks."

On the dock, Sokka stood in front of his father with a hopeful expression as Katara embraced him, "Where you able to locate everyone I told you to find?"

"I did." Hakoda replied just as two familiar members of the Foggy Swamp Tribe disembarked from his ship behind him. He turned slightly and eyed them doubtfully before casting a sidelong glance at his son, "But I'm a little worried, Sokka. Some of these men aren't exactly the 'warrior' type."

"Oooh-whee!" Due exclaimed enthusiastically as he and Tho descended the ramp onto the stone dock. "This place ain't nothing like the swamp." Something in the water beside the dock caught his eye and he pointed at it accusingly with a finger, "What you reckon that is, Tho? Some sort of Fire Nation exploding trap would eat ya?"

Tho eyed the other man with an impartial expression, "It's just a rock, Due."

"Well, I'll be." Due grinned and scratched his head before following after the shorter man as he walked down the dock.

Hakoda sighed and glanced down at his two children as he muttered, "Is it just me, or are those fellas a little loose in the leaf-hat?"

"I just wish they'd wear pants." Bato muttered as he walked behind his friend and Katara and paused beside Sokka with a comical grimace on his face as he eyed the Foggy Swamp Waterbender Huu.

"Pants are an illusion," Huu rumbled idly as he stood in the middle of the dock by himself and he scratched his round belly, "And so is death."

"Hey, Huu." Xiaodan called out with a small snort, having caught the tail end of the conversation, as she came up beside the four Southern Water Tribesmen and she waved at the leaf-wearing Waterbender. Huu smiled serenely back at her in acknowledgement and she turned to look at Hakoda and Bato with a welcoming grin, "Hello Chief Hakoda, Bato. Are you hungry? Katara and I prepared noodles for everyone."

Hakoda gave her a grateful look, "Food sounds wonderful, thank you, Xiaodan."

Xiaodan flashed another smile and gestured for the two men, Sokka, and Katara to follow her back to the shore.

"Here you go." Xiaodan stated cheerfully as handed several members of the Foggy Swamp Tribe bowls of noodles then she turned and walked over to where Aang, Toph, and Katara were talking amongst themselves. Playfully, she rested her elbow on Aang's head and pretending to wipe sweat from her brow, "Who knew trying to feed a small invasion force could be so exhausting?"

Aang laughed and playfully brushed the older girl's arm from his head, ducking behind Toph to avoid the half-hearted swipe she took at him while Katara smiled at the two of them.

"Hi, Katara."

Katara perked up and twisted around, an ecstatic smile appearing on her face when she saw a familiar person, "Haru!" She rushed towards him and embraced him quickly, "It's so good to see you!"

"Toph, this is Haru." Aang said as he approached the Earthbender and Katara with Toph at his side while Xiaodan followed a few steps behind them, "When we met him, his town was controlled by the Fire Nation. So he had to hide his earthbending."

"Katara inspired me and my father to take back our village." Haru said as he turned to look at Katara, who blushed and looked away. She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture and smiled modestly, "It was nothing."

Tyro, Haru's father suddenly walked up behind her and his son and rested his large hands on their shoulders, "You helped us find our courage, Katara." He smiled down at her when she turned to look at him, "Now we're here to help you."

"No way!" Toph abruptly turned to the left and narrowed her eyes angrily as she took a fighting stance, "Is that-"

"Hey!" Xiaodan protested when the blind girl she considered a sister was lifted off the ground by the a pair of massive arms belonging to the Earth Rumble VI competitor, the Big Bad Hippo.

"Hippo happy to see Blind Bandit!" Hippo stated loudly, embracing the tiny girl briefly as the Boulder walked up behind him.

Toph clenched her fists and glared in the Hippo's direction, "You guys here for a rematch?"

"Negatory." The Boulder intoned with a shake of his head, "The Boulder and The Hippo no longer fight for others' entertainment. Now, we fight for our kingdom!"

Toph took a moment to process this then she smiled, "Sweet."

"Right on!" Xiaodan cheered and she pumped a fist into the air, a cheesy grin on her face as the Hippo set Toph back down beside her.

Sokka, who had seen the whole exchange, turned to say something to his dad when an explosion suddenly came from the ship at farthest pier, near where they were all standing. Without missing a beat, he ran down the dock leading to the ship with Hakoda, Aang, and Xiaodan right behind him.

They watched as Teo rolled his chair down the wooden ramp onto the stone dock, followed immediately by his father, and Pipsqueak with the Duke on his shoulders. A bright, happy smile spread across Xiaodan's face when she saw Teo and she rushed towards him, happily throwing her arms around his shoulders.

"Teo! It's so good to see you!"

Teo laughed and hugged the older girl with one arm, "Hey, Xia, it's good to see you again."

"What was that explosion? And what is this stuff?" Xiaodan asked as she stepped back and looked down at the brown stuff all over hers and Teo's clothes. Her brow furrowed further when Teo licked some of the stuff off the back of his hand, "Okay, ew."

"Was it a new invention?" Sokka asked from where he was standing with his father and Aang on the pier.

"Yes," The mechanist replied sheepishly as he licked the brown stuff from his fingers, "Unfortunately, the incendiary capabilities of peanut sauce prove to be a failure."

The others stared him in disbelief and disgust. Sokka gaped at the mechanist for a moment and questioned warily, "You're making peanut sauce bombs?"

"They're destructive." Pipsqueak commented with a grin. The Duke giggled and added, "And delicious." Xiaodan watched in amusement as the two licked the sauce that was splashed all over their faces. She chortled when Momo leapt off Aang's shoulder and landed on Pipsqueak's, licking the large young man's face happily much to Pipsqueak and the Duke's amusement.

Shaking his head, Sokka addressed the mechanist, "Where you able to complete work on the plans I sent you?"

"Yes, I was," The mechanist replied excitedly as he approached Sokka and Hakoda, "And I think the Fire Nation will be quite surprised."

"Aang," Teo suddenly spoke up with a smile and he grabbed a staff that had been resting on his chair, "My dad and I made something for you." He handed the staff to Aang, who tapped it on the ground.

"A new glider!" Aang exclaimed in amazement as he stared at the blue wings of the glider, "This is amazing!"

Teo smiled and grabbed another staff from the other side of his chair and held it out to Xiaodan, "We made one for you too, Xia."

Xiaodan beamed at him as she took the staff and tapped it on the ground, a happy sound escaping her as the pale blue wings popped open. She turned towards Teo and the mechanist and bowed to them, "Thank you. This means so much to me."

The mechanist almost skipped towards Aang, "And as a special feature, I added a snack compartment." He rotated one of the glider's handles and several snacks fell out into his mouth.

"Oh..." Aang faltered and smiled awkwardly at the inventor, sharing a bemused look with Xiaodan, "Well, I'm sure that will come in handy."

"Yeah, you never know when you'll get hungry on the fly." Xiaodan added lightly. She smiled at the group then, "Speaking of which, we've got some noodles cooking, why don't we get you guys a bowl and then beginning the meeting?"

"Good idea." Sokka stated and he gestured for the others to follow him as he walked off the stone pier, "C'mon, let's go."

General Poon smirked slightly as he leaned against the wall in Iroh's cell and filed his nails, "I bet you're tired of being in this cell old man." He commented mockingly and he looked over at the former general with a smirk, "Well too bad. You're never stepping outside these walls again."

"Breakfast." One of the female guards, Ming, called out in her soft voice as she entered the cell with a tray in her hand.

"Careful, Ming." Poon stated mockingly as he stood up, "Don't get too close. His stench will knock you right out."

Ming scowled contemptuously at the General laughed obnoxiously as he left the room. Shaking her head in disapproval, the young female guard approached Iroh's cell and kneeled before it. She carefully placed the tray inside the cell, "I snuck in some white jade tea. I know you like rare teas."

Iroh smiled softly at the young woman, "Thank you, Ming. Ever since I was put in here, you have been very kind to me." His smile became reminiscent as he picked up the tea cup and took a sip, "You're kindness reminds me greatly of someone I know."

Ming smiled in reply and inclined in her head in gratitude while he began to slowly eat the food provided for him.

Xiaodan crossed her legs and leaned back onto the palms of her hands as she sat on a short platform Toph had earthbending into existance with Sokka, Katara, Toph, Aang, and Hakoda . She glanced over at Sokka, who was staring nervously at the crowd they'd managed to amass for the invasion.

"Don't worry," Hakoda murmured to his son reassuringly, "You'll do great."

Sokka nodded and swallowed thickly before getting to his feet and walking up the stone steps that led to the stage Toph had also earthbending next to the platform.

"Good morning everyone." He greeted the crowd nervously as he walked across the stage, only to trip with a small yelp. Xiaodan winced and exchanged sympathetic glances with Aang and Katara before they returned their attention to Sokka as he scrambled back to his feet.

"Umm...so, as you know, today, we're invading the Fire Nation!" Sokka squeaked then cleared his throat and hurriedly backpedaled, "I mean I know you know that because otherwhise why else would you be here? Uh, anyway," He laughed nervously and tried to shift the scrolls in his hand, only to drop them all. He grabbed one quickly and unraveled it, pining it to the wooden board that had been placed on the stage, "Uh the Fire Lord's palace is here."

He pointed at the page then blanched when he realized it wasn't a map. He quickly flipped the chart a couple times, "Uh nope, uh wait, wait, wait. Here it is!" He gestured spasmodically at the map and began to ramble, "And, uh, there's an eclipse today and Aang's gonna fight the Fire Lord and the Firebenders won't have any fire to use so that's good for us!"

"And...um..." Sokka paused and stared at the crowd for a moment before his shoulders slumped slightly, "I'm sorry, let me start at the beginning." He straightened and began talking rapidly, "Katara and I discovered Aang and Xiaodan frozen in an iceberg, now I didn't like Aang or Xia at first, but I grew to love them eventually, then we went to the Southern Air Temple where they used to live and then we met Suki, who's a Kyoshi warrior. She dressed me like a woman and then she kissed me, and then Aang and Xia's friend was this crazy old king..."

Xiaodan tuned Sokka out and turned towards Katara when the young Waterbender mumbled to her, Aang, and Toph, "Wow, when he says the beginning he means the beginning beginning."

Hakoda sighed quietly and stood up, quickly approaching his still rambling son.

"...and then Katara got Haru arrested and then now he's grown a mustache, which if you look at him in the front row you can see it..."

"Thank you, Sokka." Hakoda interrupted Sokka gently as he placed a hand on his son's shoulder, "Why don't you take a break."

Sokka's shoulders slumped and he shuffled off the stage back to the platform where he took a seat beside Xiaodan. The dualbender patted the downtrodden boy's back and smiled at him reassuringly before turning her attention to Hakoda.

"Let me just clarify a few points. Today, is the day of Black Sun, and I want to thank you all for your self-sacrifice, and your courage." Hakoda looked out at the assembled mass as they stared up at him with rapt attention, "There are two steps to the invasion, a naval stage and then the land stage. To gain sea access to the Fire Nation capital, we need to get past our first major obstacle." He pointed at the map still pinned up on the wooden board, "Here. The Great Gates of Azulon. Next we hit the land, and we hit hard."

"We must fight past their battlements and secure the plaza tower. Once we do that, it's up to the Royal Palace. At that point, the eclipse will begin."

"Excuse me." The Boulder called out, drawing everyone's attention to him, "The Boulder is confused. Isn't the point to invade during the eclipse, when the Firebenders are powerless?"

"The eclispe only lasts eight minutes, not enough time for the whole invasion." Hakoda explained patiently, "And the Royal Palace is heavily guarded by Firebenders. So that's where we'll need the eclipse's advantage the most. When this is finished, the Avatar will have defeated the Fire Lord. We will have control of the Fire Nation capital, and this war will be over!"

Xiaodan leapt to her feet and cheered loudly along with Aang, Toph, Katara, and the rest of the crowd. Sokka looked at the crowd at his sister and his friends as they cheered for his father and hung his head in dismay.

After Hakoda had finished his speech and had stepped down from the platform, preparations for the upcoming battle began. Xiaodan, having retrieved the clothes she had been working on the past few weeks from the top of the cliffs, weaved her way through the crowd towards Aang.

"Aang," She called out when she reached him and she placed the bundles she carried on the ground before taking the top on and holding it out to him, "Here, this is for you."

Aang took the bundle and unfurled it, gasping quietly in surprise as he looked at the yellow and orange samghati. He looked away from the article of clothing to stare at his sister in amazement, "You made this?"

"Yeah," Xiaodan smiled and held out the maroon sash that went with the samghati, "This is for you too. I made one for me too." She gestured towards the other bundle on the rock beside her, "Once we've changed clothes, I'll help you with your hair."

Aang smiled and nodded in agreement, clutching the samghati to his chest before he rushed off to find a place to change. Xiaodan watched him go with a small smile then she picked up her own bundle of clothing and went to find her own changing spot.

She slipped into a small crevice in the cliff wall that was just big enough for her to move around. She leaned her new glider against the wall then quickly shed the red halter top and pulled on the orange tunic she'd found at one of the markets they'd visited on their way to the Black Cliffs. She wrapped her own samghati around her body, leaving her right shoulder exposed, then she tied her dark maroon kushalaka around her waist. She removed the various pieces of jewelry from her body and wrapped them in the halter top.

Taking a fortifying breath, Xiaodan grabbed her glider and exited the crevice with her old clothes wrapped in a bundle under her arm. She dropped the bundle off to be packed with the other supplies then went to search for Aang.

She found him kneeling on a small rock a few yards away from the makeshift harbor where the others were preparing. He glanced up at her as she approached and smiled slightly, holding out the blade he used to shave his head.

Xiaodan took the razor from him and quirked a brow at him, "Ready?"

"Ready." Aang replied with a nodded and he turned to face the water, bowing his head slightly as she stepped up behind him. After placing her staff on the ground, Xiaodan carefully began shaving the dark hair from Aang's head until his Air Nomad tattoos showed proudly.

She kissed the top of his head once then held the razor out to him as he stood up right, holding himself proudly with his staff in hand. They smiled at each other before being distracted by a small koala-sheep joining them with a soft bleat. Shaking her head, Xiaodan rubbed the koala-sheep's head then she picked up her staff and snapped it open.

"Let's go."

Aang nodded, snapping his own glider open, and together the two Airbenders flew back to the others.

Zuko walked silently into his room and closed the door gently behind him. He moved over to his bed and removed his headpiece, allowing his hair to fall messily around his face. With a silent sigh he removed his armor and place it on his bed beside his head piece then he turned and walked over to his desk.

He placed a sheet of parchment on his desk and used the two weights to smooth it out flat before sitting down and picking up his brush. With careful and delicate strokes, he began writing, his heart heavy in his chest.

Sokka stared down at the wolf helmet in his hands with a despondent expression as he stood on a short cliff a little bit away from the harbor. He didn't look away for the helmet even when Aang flew up in front of him then landed beside him.

"We've been looking everywhere for you." The young Avatar exclaimed as he snapped his glider shut and approached the older boy, "The boats are ready to leave.

"I messed up, Aang." Sokka sighed as he let his arm fall to his side, his helmet bumping against his leg.

"What?"

Sokka turned away from him and walked towards the edge of the cliff to stare at the ocean below, "The invasion plan was my moment of truth and I completely flubbed it. I just..." He sighed again, "I just fell apart."

"Sokka," Aang said quietly as he approached his friend and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "That speech wasn't your moment of truth. That was just public speaking, and nobody's really good at that."

"My dad is!" Sokka retorted and he swung his arm out towards where the boats were docked, "He explained the plan perfectly and inspired everyone, like a real leader shoulder."

"Look, your moment of truth isn't gonna be in front of some map." Aang stated patiently and he gestured out towards the ocean, "It's gonna be out there on the battlefield."

Sokka turned towards Aang with an unsure expression, "You seem so confident about everything, how do you know we're gonna win?"

Aang looked down slightly as he explained in a quiet voice, "Because I already failed the world at Ba Sing Se. I won't let myself fail again."

Sokka stared at him for a moment then nodded and together the two returned to the harbor.

Xiaodan stood at the bow of Hakoda's ship, watching through narrowed eyes as they rapidly approached where the Great Gates of Azulon were supposed to be.

"There they are." Bato called out as stood beside Xiaodan and peered through his telescope at the large statue of Fire Lord Azulon, "The Great Gates of Azulon."

"I don't see any gates." Katara commented from behind Bato and Xiaodan nodded in agreement.

"Katara," Hakoda addressed his daughter as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "You and the Swampbenders whip up a fog cover."

"We'll sneak by them statues just like we sneaked by that Fire Navy Blockade." Tho exclaimed proudly as he and the other Swampbenders spread out along the length of the boat and began waterbending a thick fog cover.

"Keep it up!" Hakoda called out as the boats rapidly approached the statue of Azulon, "We're almost through!"

Xiaodan sucked in a breath when a bell began to ring and a huge net began to rise out of the water. She glanced over at the two dragon statues attached to the cliffs on either side of the Azulon statue just as they belched out a ball of fire that ignited the net.

"I think I see the gates now." The dualbender commented wryly as she moved over to stand beside Katara. She made a face when she saw several patrol boats racing towards the Water Tribe boats, "Oh look, here they come.

"Everyone below deck!" Hakoda ordered before turning to Sokka as everyone on his ship went below deck, "Let's hope your invention works."

Sokka's nervous expression became determined and he nodded in agreement then rushed below deck along with his father.

Several Fire Nation soldiers climbed onto the Water Tribe boats and began to thoroughly seach each one, but there was no one on board any of the ships.

"No one's on board, sir." One of the soldiers called up to his commanding officer.

The female soldier straightened from her fighting stance and frowned in confusion, "Where'd they go?"

"This is awesome." Xiaodan stated in awe as she peered out at the small porthole in the submarine she was in with her friends.

Hakoda smiled proudly and put his hand on Sokka's shoulder, "You've really outdone yourself this time, son."

"Yeah, congratulations, Sokka." Toph groaned sarcastically as she sat huddled against the wall of the ship with the Duke sitting beside her, "You managed to invent a worse way of travel than flying." She gagged and clasped her hands over her mouth to prevent herself from throwing up.

The Duke took off his helmet and offered it to the blind Earthbender, "Helmet?"

Xiaodan cringed as Toph accepted the helmet and promptly threw up into. She moved over to sit on the younger girl's other side and rubbed her back soothingly while the Duke patted her shoulder comfortingly.

"Well, I just came up with the idea." Sokka stated with a shrug and he nodded towards the mechanist, who was manning the submarine, "The mechanist did all the work."

"Don't sell yourself short, my boy." The mechanist replied jovially and he gestured towards where Katara and Huu were making waterbending motions, "It was your idea to use waterbending to make the subs sink and float, brilliant." He reached into a pocket of his robe and pulled out a scroll, unrolling it to reveal a crude drawing of a submarine with people inside it, "Though your designs were a bit difficult to decipher."

The inventor placed the scroll back in his pocket and addressed Sokka and Hakoda with a sheepish tone, "Unfortunately there is one problem I couldn't fix. The subs have a limited air supply. Before we land on the beaches, we'll need to resurface."

Xiaodan stood up and walked over to one of the port holes, peering out at the ocean curiously again. She grinned slightly when Appa, with Aang waterbending an air bubble around his head, swam past.

"Lunchtime, General Iroh." Ming smiled as she entered Iroh's cell with the tray of food in her hands. She kneeled before the bars, glancing over her shoulder at the open door, before looking back at whispering conspiratorily, "And this time, I brought you an extra bowl of rice."

"Thank you, Ming." Iroh replied with his own soft smile, "You're little gestures of kindness have made my days in prison bearable." He stared at the young woman for a moment thoughtful then he smiled again, "I think you should take the rest of the day off."

Ming gave him a confused look, "What?"

"You don't look well." Iroh explained easily, "Maybe you should go home and rest."

"No, I feel fine."

Iroh leaned forward and grasped the bars of his cell, "Trust me. It is better that you are not here this afternoon."

Ming stared at him for a moment then nodded in understanding. Iroh watched as she stood up and exited his prison cell then he closed his eyes to meditate.

Xiaodan stretched her arms above her head as she stood with Katara, Sokka, and Toph on top of one of the submarines. She gave her staff a quick, experimental twirl then tucked it into the back of samghati.

She looked over at her brother when he landed beside her on the submarine after jumping from Appa's head. He looked around at his sister and friends, "So, this is it, huh?"

"Are you ready for the Fire Nation to know the Avatar's alive?" Sokka asked eagerly with a grin.

"I'm ready." Aang replied with determination. Sokka nodded and the two grasped each other's forearms in a warrior's handshake. Xiaodan smiled and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around both boys' shoulders in a tight embrace. She was quickly joined by Toph and Katara, the five friends holding onto each other tightly.

"I hope you kick some serious Fire Lord butt, Twinkle Toes." Toph stated with a smile as she rested her head on Aang's shoulder briefly.

"Oh you know he will." Xiaodan chirped with a watery laugh, "We taught him well, little sister."

"Everyone listen up." Hakoda suddenly called out and the five friends broke away from each other to face him, "The next time we resurface, it'll be on the beaches. So stay alert, and fight smart. Now break time's over, back in the subs."

Sokka nodded at Aang one last time before leading Toph, with Momo on her shoulder, back into the sub. Xiaodan moved to stand in front of Aang, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"I wish I was going with you." She murmured as she looked into his eyes, her own eyes watering slightly. Aang gave her his own slightly wobbly smile, "This is something I have to do alone."

"I know." Xiaodan sniffled and pressed her forehead against his, "I am so proud of you, Aang, and I know Monk Gyatso would be proud of you too."

Aang swallowed thickly and wrapped his arms around his older sister in a tight hug, "I love you, Xia."

Xiaodan held him tightly to her and exhaled shakily, "I love you too, Aang." She kissed his forehead quickly then pulled away, "Be safe. I'll see you after you're done kicking some Fire Lord butt."

Aang nodded once and watched as Xiaodan used airbending to push off of the sub and flip through the air to land on Appa's head. Katara, who had remained silent as the two siblings said goodbye, smiled at Aang when he turned to look at her.

"Katara, I..."

"Aang, I..."

The two laughed slightly when they spoke simultaneously and Aang gestured for her to speak first, "You go first."

"We've been through so many things together, and I've seen you grow up so much. You're not that little goofy kid I found in the iceberg anymore. " Katara began with a soft proud smile as Aang blushed at her praise, "I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm really proud of you too."

Aang looked at his feet for a moment then back up at the dark haired girl, "Everything's gonna be different after today, isn't it."

"Yes, it is."

"What if..." Aang took a deep breath and continued, "What if I don't come back."

"Aang don't say that, of course you'll-" Katara's alarmed statement was cut off as Aang kissed her. Her eyes widened then fluttered shut as she kissed him back. Her cheeks burned with her furious blush and, when Aang pulled away, she opened her eyes slowly. She stared at Aang sadly as he confidently snapped his glider open and flew away.

"Katara, what are you doing? It's time to submerge!"

"What?" Katara jumped and spun around to face her brother with a faint blush. She shook her head, "Right, I'm on it." She quickly jumped off the sub and onto a swell of water then onto Appa's head beside Xiaodan.

Katara glanced over at Xiaodan, who was staring at her knowingly, and she blushed brightly. Xiaodan merely chuckled quietly and laid her staff horizontally across her lap as Katara waterbended a sphere of water around his head. The sky bison gae a low, grumbling roar before diving into the ocean, the submarines submerging moments later.

Zuko exhaled heavily as he walked into Mai's empty house and headed towards her room. He paused in front of a painting of them and looked down with another sigh.

"I'm sorry, Mai." He murmured sadly as he walked further into the room and placed the letter he'd written on her bed then he left.

Aang squinted his eyes slightly as he soared towards the Fire Nation capital. Suddenly, his stomach growled loudly and he frowned then rotated the handle of his glider. He opened his mouth as the snacks flew into his mouth, chewing happily.

"What do you know?" He chuckled to himself, "It didcome in handy."

Hakoda peered through the submarine's periscope, his eyes narrowing as he realized where the subs were located. Quickly, he turned to address the Earthbenders standing below him, "Everyone in position. Earthbenders, into your tanks. This is gonna be a rough ride."

Toph turned on her heel and followed the other Earthbenders down a ladder in the submarine and prepared themselves.

Even underwater, Xiaodan still heard the shrill ring of the Fire Nation soldiers sounding the alarms as the submarines approached. She glanced over at Katara before nimbly shifting into a standing position behind her, her staff held tightly in her hands and a grimly determined expression on her face.

The two girls watched as several harpoons were launched at the submarines, missing most of them.

"There!" Xiaodan shouted as one of the harpoons struck one of the submarines and began pulling the attached sub out of water. Katara quickly piloted Appa out of the water and together, she and Xiaodan slice through the chain with waterbending and airbending respectively. The sub dropped back into the water with a splash and continued on its way towards the gates with the others.

Inside the lead submarine, Hakoda called out loudly, "Ready the torpedo!"

An ice covered torpedo was loaded and at Hakoda's signal, Huu launched the torpedo with waterbending. Hakoda watched through the submarines front window as six torpedoes surged through the water and struck the underwater barrier, allowing the submarines to pass through the gate.

Standing silently with the other Earthbenders, Toph breathed steadily as she stood in the large metal tank waiting for the submarines to surface.

Sokka stood with the rest of the Water Tribe warriors and the Foggy Swamp Waterbenders in another part of the sub. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly as he mentally prepared for the battle to come.

As soon as the subs rose on the other side of the barrier, they were attacked by missiles. The subs quickly opened and several tanks manned by the Earthbenders emerged, while the other warriors surged from the submarines with loud battle cries.

Several rock filled trucks drop boulders on the ground and the Earthbenders proceeded to launch the boulders at the battlements as the invasion force made their way inland.

Xiaodan watched grimly as Katara directed Appa towards the ground just as several Fire Nation tanks arrived. The sky bison landed with a roar and the two girls leapt from his head. Xiaodan nodded once at Katara then ran into the battle, leaving the young girl with the sky bison.

Sliding across the ground on her knees, Xiaodan ducked a fire blast and swung her staff, knocking the Firebender off his feet. She leapt nimbly to her feet, jumping over another soldier that had lunged at her. Swinging her staff around her body, she struck the back of the man's head before moving on to the next.

She looked up just in time to see the tank manned by Teo climb onto a battlement and crush it. She smirked briefly and spun around with her staff outstretch, bending a powerful crescent of air at the approaching ground soldiers. She quickly sheathed her staff in her samghati and began moving her arms around her body until an air spout appeared and lifted her from the ground. Thrusting her arms behind her, Xiaodan surged across the battlefield, knocking any Fire Nation tanks, soldiers, and komodo-rhinos from her path.

"We're a man down." Tho shouted as he and the other Swampbender used water to keep several Fire Nation tanks away, "Where in tarnation is Huu?"

Suddenly a massive monster made of seaweed lurched out of the water and destroyed several of the enemy tanks, even throwing one into a battlement on the ledge above.

"Hey, Huu!" Due called out with a wave, "Where you been?"

The seaweed parted and Huu smiled at the other two men, "Communin' with nature. Takes a while to collect this much seaweed." His eyes widened and he quickly closed the seaweed again just in time to block a large fireball.

"Sokka, we've got to take out those battlements!" Hakoda shouted after watching an Earthbender tank be destroyed by a battlement above. Sokka looked up at the battlements critically then nodded.

"I've got an idea." He said determinedly as he directed the komodo-rhino he'd commandeered from one of the Fire Nation soldiers over to where Katara was standing with Appa.

Sokka and Hakoda clung to either side of Appa as he flew towards the battlements with Katara standing on his head. Sokka quickly raised his sword and sliced the end of a missle launcher off as they flew past it while his father threw two bombs inside another battlement, the soldiers running from it as it exploded.

Katara lifted her arms and the two barrels attached to Appa's saddle shattered, the water inside them surging towards Katara and coating her arms. As Appa flew past another battlement, she launched the water inside and froze the soldiers and the launcher inside. Appa landed between the two still operational battlements and the three jumped off.

"You two take out that battlement." Hakoda instructed as he pointed towards the battlement in front of them then he turned towards the one behind them, "I got this one. Watch each other's backs!"

Sokka and Katara nodded once and ran towards their battlement. Sokka slashed through the door and kneeled quickly while Katara lauched the water on her arms into the room, freezing the soldiers inside to the walls. Sokka leapt to his feet and climbed the ladder leading to the launching, which he used his sword to cut in half. Katara and Sokka rushed out of the battlement just as the laucher exploded.

The two Water Tribe siblings turned towards the other battlement and watched as their father climbed across the battlement's roof and swung inside. They could hear the sound of a struggle and then the launcher suddenly exploded, Hakoda's cry of pain reaching their ears.

"Dad?!" Katara shouted worriedly as their father stumbled out of the battlement and fell to the ground.

"Dad!" Sokka screamed, he and his sister rushing to Hakoda's side.

Xiaodan, still riding her air spout, surged over a Fire Nation tank, sucking it up into the vortex of air. She swung her arms up over her head then thrust them in front of her, airbending the tank out of the air spout and into on of the upper battlements. She watched with grim satisfaction as the both the battlement and the tank exploded then she quickly moved onto the next tank.

Zuko kneeled before a painting of his mother with his head bowed, "I know I've made some bad choices, but today I'm gonna set things right." He stood, picked up his sword, and pulled the hood of his robe over his head. Taking a deep breath, he turned his back on the painting and exited the room.

Xiaodan frowned when she caught sight of Appa landing on the edge of the battlefield and she quickly dispersed the air spout, snapping her glider open and flying towards the sky bison. She landed on the ground just as Katara and Sokka were carefully laying their father on the ground.

"What happened?" She asked worriedly, kneeling next to Sokka beside Hakoda.

"He was injured taking out one of the battlements." Katara replied quickly as she bending some water from her pouch and began healing the nasty wound on his side, "How does that feel, dad?"

"Ah, a little, better." Hakoda replied tightly and he tried to push himself up, "I need, to get back to the troops."

"You're hurt, badly." Katara chided as she stopped her father from rising any further, "You can't fight anymore."

"Everyone's counting on me to lead this mission, Katara. I won't let them down." Hakoda replied as he tried to stand again, only to fall back with a groan, "Ahh!"

"Can you heal him any faster?" Sokka demanded and Xiaodan placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

Katara gave her brother a sharp look, "I'm doing everything I can!"

Sokka pursed his lips and looked around then sucked in a deep breath. He looked down at his father with a confident expression, "I'll do it."

"No offense, Sokka, but you're not exactly Mr. Healing Hands." Katara stated drily as she continued healing her father's wound.

"No," Sokka corrected her and he stood proudly, "I'll lead the invasion force."

Xiaodan blinked and stared up at him in shock while Katara just stared at him in disbelief. She shook her head at him, "Don't be crazy, Sokka."

"May I am a little crazy," Sokka retorted angrily, "But the eclipse is about to start and we need to be up that volcano by the time it does."

Hakoda smiled up at his son, "You can do this. I'm proud of you son."

"Yeah," Xiaodan piped in with her own grin as she stood and placed her hand on Sokka's shoulder, "I'm with you Sokka."

"I still think you crazy." Katara stated and she smirked up at her brother, "But I'm proud of you too."

Sokka nodded gratefully and put on his helment. He gestured for Xiaodan to follow him and together, the two climbed onto Appa's head.

"Yip-yip!" Xiaodan said loudly and Appa leapt into the air, flying back towards the battle.

Xiaodan hurriedly landed the sky bison, who growled and tossed a Fire Nation tank out of the way with his head while Sokka made his way to the back of the saddle.

"Listen up, everyone!" Sokka shouted, catching the invasion force's attention, "I want the tanks in wedge formation! Warriors and benders in the middle." He pointed behind at the tower, "We're taking that tower and heading for the royal palace!"

The tanks all came together in a wedge formation behind Appa, the benders and soldiers standing in the protected middle. Xiaodan easily leapt over Sokka as he moved back towards Appa's head and she landed beside Toph among the rest of the soldiers.

Sokka took a deep breath and unsheathed his sword, thrusting it forward as he let loose a loud battle cry, "Charge!"

Behind him, the soldiers standing in the middle of the tanks echoed his cry as they surged forward.

Aang landed on the edge of the volcano, the sounds of the battle raging below reaching his ears even from this high up. He stared down at the city nestled in the middle of the volcano for a moment then snapped his glider open and glided towards it.

He landed on one of the buildings and crouched down, attempting to hide. Aang paused and stood up right with a confused expression when he saw that the streets were completely empty. He frowned and looked around in confusion, "That's strange."

Shrugging it off, he continued towards the royal palace, breaking open the door and leaping inside as he took a fighting stance.

"The Avatar is back!" Aang shouted then looked around in befuddlement when he saw that no one was around. He slowly relaxed and walked further into the palace, heading towards a set of large ornate doors at the end of the hall he was in, "Hello? Anyone home?"

The tanks steadily advanced towards the towers, completely unaffected by the fire blasts being launched at them by the Firebenders in front. Bato, driving a truck full of explosives towards the wall, quickly leapt out of the vehicle moments before it hit the barrier. He sat up and watched as it blasted a massive hole in the wall, a similar occurence happening on the other end.

Bato smirked and rushed towards the front of the line and before several other soldiers and tanks, leading the charge through the hole. The Firebenders attempted to stop them but were continuously pushed back.

"The Fire Nation is falling back!" Tyro shouted to Bato before running with the other troops.

"Sokka," Bato called up to the younger man as he landed Appa behind him, "We're on our way to victory!"

Sokka nodded once and looked towards the volcano with determined eyes.

Still inside the seemingly empty palace, Aang airbended himself into a dark and empty throne room. He straightened from his fighting stance and stared in shock at the empty throne at the end of the room.

"No." He growled in frustration as he dropped his staff and fell to his knees, "No, no, no! Fire Lord Ozai, where are you!?"