Aya's POV

It was the day of the invasion and I was ready. Aang was gonna face the Firelord, and he was gonna bring peace to the world by ending this war.

After today, everything will be different but I'm ready for different. This war has caused me enough pain and I'm done with it, I'm ready for it to end.

I get to see my mother again after a few weeks and I'm so excited to see her. I'm also happy to see Hakoda, but it's different with my mother, I didn't grow up with her and only got to see her a few times in my life. Hakoda will always by a father figure, but Ruka and Iroh are my mother and father and will always be.

I don't know where Iroh is, but I hope he's okay. He could be in jail for all I know.

I hope he isn't.

Anyway, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and I changed out of the Fire Nation attire and put on our regular clothes. I know I'm part Fire Nation and all, but today I'm not representing the Fire Nation, and I'm not proud of being apart of the Fire Nation culture. I'm a firebender, but I also don't want the world to be taken over by the Firelord. I'm the Fire Angel and I need to help the Avatar restore balance and peace to the world.

I changed back into my regular water tribe attire.

"Top of the mornin, Momo and Bubbles!"

I turn from my position next to my siblings and see Aang jumping ove to us with bright eyes.

I stand up and smiles. "Sounds like you slept well."

"Like a baby moose lion." He remarks and assumes a fighting stance and raises fists; exuberantly. "I'm ready to face the Fire Lord."

I glance at my brother who was going over the invasion plan intensely.

"So, what's your strategy for taking him down?" Toph smiles and raises her hands to her eyes, her fingers wiggling outward in a mimicry of the Avatar State. "Gonna get your glow on and hit him with a little Avatar State action?" She punches the air.

Aang looks down sorrowfully. "I can't. When Azula shot me with lightning, my seventh chakra was locked, cutting off my connection to all the cosmic energy in the universe."

We all became silent for a moment before Toph spoke. "You know what I just heard? Blah, blah, spiritual mumbo jumbo blah, blah, something about space."

I grabbed his hands and Bubbles crawls across his arm and onto mine. "You don't need the Avatar State to defeat him. You can do it without it."

He smiles brightly at me and I returned the smile.

"Thanks, Angel."

"Oh, no." Aang and I both turn when we heard Katara gasp. "Sokka, Aya, do you think the fog will delay the invasion?"

We see fog in the distance and my eyes light up with delight.

I rush a few feet ahead. "No! That is the invasion!"

Water Tribe ships appear from amid the mist and I smile.

"Mom..." I sigh with happiness.

——

We rush to the shoreline and Aang and Toph earthbend docks for the ships to anchor at. All the ships docked and Katara, Sokka, and I rush over when we see Hakoda standing nearby.

"Daddy!" I call and he embraces me tightly. "You're here!"

"You made it, dad!" Katara beams as she and Hakoda embrace.

My mom appears from the ship and she smiles at me. "Momma!"

We hug tightly and she kisses my head. "Hi sweetheart."

I smile at her as we pull away and she greets Katara and Sokka.

"Were you able to locate everyone I told you to find?" Sokka asked Hakoda with a spirited expression.

"We did." Hakoda nods and we see two men from the Foggy Swamp Tribe walk off the ship. "But I'm a little worried, Sokka. Some of these men aren't exactly the "warrior type"."

They aren't normal, but they can protect their tribe like there's no tomorrow. I would know, I was almost swallowed by there giant seaweed friend.

Tho and Due disembark from the ship and Due throws his arms up enthusiastically.

"Oooh-whee!" Due exclaims. "This place ain't nothing like a swamp." He points accusingly to a rock in the water. "What you reckon that is, Tho? Some sort of Fire Nation exploding trap what eat ya?"

"It's just a rock, Due." Tho says impartially.

Due grins, scratching his head. "Well, I'll be."

"Is it just me, or are those fellas a little loose in the leaf-hat?" Hakoda mentions and my mom and I giggle.

"I just wish they would wear pants." Bato comments.

Huu stood nearby by. "Pants are just an illusion, and so is death."

Katara, my mom, Hakoda, and Bato's faces all appear unassured while Sokka and I grin nervously.

——

"Hi, Katara." We all turn to see Haru standing there and Katara beams when she sees our earthbender friend. The only difference is he had a goatee and mustache

"Haru!" She runs over and embraces him. "It's so good to see you!"

Aang and I approach Haru with Toph.

"Toph, this is Haru." Aang introduces. "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 explains and Katara looks away blushing.

Tyro, Haru's father, appears and lays his hand on Haru and Katara's shoulder. "You helped us find our courage, Katara. Now we're here to help you."

"No way! Is that-"

We all turn to see Toph being picked up by the Hippo and The Boulder is behind him. Hoop hugs the smaller earthbender with a happy grin.

Hippo happy to see Blind Bandit!"

Toph glares. "You guys here for a rematch?"

"Negatory. The Boulder and The Hippo no longer fight for others' entertainment. Now, we fight for our kingdom!"

Still annoys me with the third person lingo, but at least he's fighting on our side.

Toph smiles. "Sweet."

When the Hippo puts Toph down, an explosion is heard from one of the ships and Sokka, Hakoda, my mom, and Aang rush over to it. The mechanist appears from below deck coughing, and we see Teo flee from the boat followed by his father and Pipsqueak with The Duke on his back.

"Was that a new invention?" I ask him and see Teo licking his peanut butter covered fingers clean.

"Yes, but unfortunately the incendiary capabilities of peanut sauce prove to be a failure." He explains and this disgusts us.

"You're making peanut sauce bombs?" Sokka asked.

"They're destructive." The mechanist reasons.

"And delicious." The Duke beams and they both lick the sauce that splashed all over their faces. Momo flies over to Pipsqueak and starts licking his face. Bubbles climbs onto him and licks his cheek.

"Where you able to complete work on the plans I send you?" Sokka asks the mechanist.

"Yes, I was, and I think the Fire Nation will be quite surprised." He remarks.

"Aang, my dad and I made this for you." Teo mentions to Aang and hands a staff to Aang. He taps it on the ground and it opens, revealing a new glider with blue wings.

"A new glider! This is amazing!" Aang beams.

"And as a special feature, I added the snack compartment." The mechanist adds and rotated the handling, making snacks pour out.

Aang seemed confused. "Oh ... well, I'm sure that will come in handy."

——

Later, all the warriors and allies were here and Sokka was gonna explain the plan to everyone. He was very nervous and you can see it in his face, he didn't want to mess up.

Aang, Katara, Toph, my mom, and I sat by the podium with Hakoda nearby.

"Don't worry, you'll do great." Hakoda assures him and Sokka walks onto the podium.

"Good morning everyone. Ahh!" Sokka Trips on stage and drops his plans. He picks them up and continues. "Umm ... so, as you know, today, we're invading the Fire Nation! I mean I know you know that because otherwise why else would you be here" He laughs nervously. "Uh anyway, the Fire Lord's palace is here, " He points at map, realizing it isn't the map, flips the chart several times until it is the map. "Uh nope, uh wait, uh wait, uh wait, it's here, 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 ... I'm sorry let me start at the beginning. "He stands up straight, and begins talking very fast. "Aya, Katara and I discovered Aang frozen in an iceberg, now I didn't like Aang at first but grew to love him over time, then we went to the Southern Air Temple where Aang 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's friend was a crazy old king and..."

Katara leans over to us as Sokka spoke. "Wow, when he says the beginning he means the beginning beginning."

Hakoda gets up to assist Sokka.

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

"Thank you, Sokka. It's okay why don't you take a break?" Hakoda interrupts and Sokka leaves the stage to sit down, disappointed in himself. I rub his back assuringly. "Let me just clarify a few points for everyone. Today, is the day of black sun, and I want to thank you all for your self-sacrifice, and your courage. There are two steps to the invasion, a naval stage, and then a land stage. To gain sea access to the Fire Nation capital, we need to get past our first major obstacle here," He points at he map. "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 is confused. Isn't the point to invade during the eclipse, when the firebenders are powerless?" The Boulder wonders aloud.

"The eclipse only lasts eight minutes, not enough time for the whole invasion. And the Royal Palace is heavily guarded by firebenders. So that's where we'll need the eclipse's advantage the most. Aya's the only firebender who can use her bending during the eclipse, so she'll do the best she can." I grin at my father when he says. "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!"

All of us cheer in excitement as he finished his speech.

——

After the speech and invasion planning, we began to get ready for battle. I stood on the edge off a cliff and stared at the sun as it shined in the sky. I was nervous about this eclipse, because my bending will be weakened and I won't be at my highest point. It's only for eight minutes, but a lot can happen in eight minutes.

I released my hair from its ponytail and let it flow to my hips. The red ombré in my hair grew, it was just at my tips, but now it's up to my middle back. I took my hair and put it back into a waterfall braid that draped over my right shoulder. I took the Fire Lily I had and tied it in at the bottom.

I exhaled deeply before spreading my arms and my wings formed. They were red, yellow, and orange colored and gave off a warm and bright sensation to it. My wings weren't at their fullest potential right now, because I'm not in my full Fire Angel state. They are just small wings to help me fly and get through this invasion. If something happens, I will go full Fire Angel.

I looked down below me and saw Aang. I saw he was back in his Air Nomad attire, but it had a distinct difference to it. His shirt was orange and yellow and it draped off his right shoulder, leaving his left one bare an had on brown pants.

I leaped off the cliff and landed behind him as he was shaving off his beautiful brown hair. I will miss his hair, but this is the Aang we all know and love.

"I have to admit, I will miss the hair." I admit and he turns to me with a completely shaved head.

He smiles when he sees me and I approach him.

"Who knows, maybe I'll grow it out again." He jokes and I giggle.

"I wouldn't mind that," I remark and he grins at me.

I grab his hand and he squeezes.

"Ready for this?"

He exhales and nods. "I'm ready."

——

"There they are, the Great Gates of Azulon."

We were traveling across the sea to get to the Fire Nation. Our plan was ready for action and it was full proof, it's not perfect and we may get some bumps in the road, but it will work.

Katara and I look ahead and we don't see any gates.

"I don't see any gates," Katara mentions and I nod.

"Katara, you and the swamp benders whip up a fog cover." Hakoda orders my sister and the other swamp benders.

"We'll sneak by them statues just like we sneak by that Fire Navy blockade!" Tho exclaims and Katara, him, Due and other swamp benders a thunk fog cover.

"Keep it up, we're almost through!" My mom encourages them.

Suddenly a bell rings as a huge net rises out of the water and is set on fire. My eyes grew when we see patrol boats race toward us.

"Everyone below deck!" Hakoda announces and we race below deck. We look at Sokka. "Let's hope your invention works."

I smile up at my brother before we fled from the ships and escaped in Sokka's invention. Sokka's invention were submarines that floated and sunk by waterbending. It was a very clever idea of his, except for the fact that Toph got seasick in a matter of seconds and threw up multiple times.

Anyway, we had to resurface halfway through because we have limited air supply and Aang was gonna take off any minute as well.

I know he can do this. I know he can.

Aang approaches us as we were stretching from being inside for so long.

"So, this is it huh?"

"Are you ready for the Fire Nation to know the Avatar is alive?" Sokka questioned.

"I'm ready." Aang declares and he and Sokka shake hands before we all hug.

"I hope you kick some serious Fire Lord butt, Twinkle Toes." Toph smiles.

"You can do this, Aang," Katara adds on and we pull away when Hakoda speaks.

"Everyone listen up. The next time we resurface, it'll be on the beaches. So stay alert, and fight smart. Now break times over, back in the subs."

Sokka, Katara, Toph, Momo, and Bubbles all leave, leaving Aang and me alone.

"Aya, I..."

"Aang, I..."

We both pause and he chuckles. "You 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." I grin softly at him and he blushes. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm proud of you and that I love you."

"Everything's gonna be different after today, isn't it?" He asks.

"Yes, it is." I nod.

"What if... what if I don't come back?" He asked me with doubt.

"Aang, don't say that of course you'll-" I was cut off by Aang pulling me in for a passionate kiss and I was shocked but kissed him back. He pulls away and I stare at him sadly as he confidently snaps his glider and flies away. I watch him fly away and gave him a soft smile.

"I love you..."

"Aya, what are you doing?" Sokka yells and I snap back into reality. "It's time to submerge!"

"Right, Sorry!" I yell back and fly over to Appa, joining my sister on his head. Katara waterbends a sphere around Appa before we submerge into the water.

——

We were approaching Fire Nation territory and as we got closer an alarm blares and several harpoons are launched at us, but most miss. I saw one get hit and it causes a leak but a swamp bender quickly seals it by turning it to ice and pulls the submarine out of water. Katara pilots Appa out of the water and I fly into the air and use my firebending to free the sub and it drops back into the water. I quickly retreat to Appa and Katara submerges back into the water.

Torpedos are launched from out subs they make holes in the underwater barrier, making it possible for us to swim through. We approach the Fire Nation territory and they immiedalety launch missiles at the submarines, but they don't do any damage. Eath Kingdom tanks leave from the submarines and all the warriors, including my mother, Hakoda, and Sokka run into battle. Appa flies my sister and me into battle and we hop off, ready to take on the Fire Nation. As the Fire Nation brought more and more of their tanks and fleet in, we took them out just as fast. The swampbenders were doing great taking on the firebenders and the earthbenders were taking out the battlement towers. The giant swamp monster that attacked me before came in and took out multiple Fire Nation tanks.

Everything was going well until we noticed all the battlements attacking our allies and we had to do something. I took out another tank before flying over to my dad and Sokka, who were riding an ostrich horse.

"Dad, Sokka! We have to take out those battlements!" I warn them and Sokka looks up at one with narrowed eyes.

"I've got an idea," Sokka says

----

Sokka told us his idea and Hakoda, Sokka, my mom, and Katara all board Appa while I fly next to them. As we passed by a battlement, Sokka slices off the end of a missile launcher and my dad tosses two bombs inside of it. I look back and see two soldiers rushing out before it explodes. We fly by another battlement and I form a large fireball in my hands and launch it at the battlement, causing it to burst into flames. Katara breaks the water barrels on Appa's back and forms the water on her arms, and she freezes the battlement and the solider inside as we pass by another one.

Appa lands and we all hop onto the ground.

"You three take out that battlement." Hakoda orders. "Ruka and I got this one. Watch each other's backs."

We split up and Sokka, Katara, and I rush into the battlement to our right. Once we broke into it. I trapped the soliders arms with my fire whips and Katara freezes them. Sokka uses his sword to cut through the launcher, causing part of it to fall out and explode outside. We rush out and we watch my mother and Hakoda take out the other battlement. We see Hakoda and my mother on the roof of the battlement and they climb inside. We hear noises from the inside ensuing fight until the launcher shoots and explodes, and hear Hakoda yelling out in pain.

The doors open and smoke emits from the inside. We see my mother dragging out an injured Hakoda and I gasp as he falls.

"Dad!" Katara and I yell.

"Dad!" Sokka yells and we rush over to them. I look up at my mother and she had worry and concern all over her face as we check over him.

This is not good.

---

We rushed Hakoda away from the battle and we laid him down outside of the battlefield. I form my yellow fire in my hands as Katara pulls out her healing water and we gently touch his open wound.

"How does that feel, dad?" I ask him.

He groans. "Ah, a little better. I need to get back to the troops." He attempts to stand back couldn't. "Ah!"

"You're hurt." Katara says. "Badly."

"You can't fight anymore." My mother adds on.

"But everyone is counting on me to lead this mission, Ruka." Hakoda reasons, wincing in pain every few seconds. "I won't let them down." He attempts to stand again but fails again. "Ahh!"

"Can't you two heal him any faster?" Sokka questioned.

"We're doing everything we can," I remark and sigh. "Healing takes time."

My mom looks down before speaking. "I'll do it."

"No offense Ruka, but you're not exactly Miss Healing Hands." Katara mentions and she shakes her head.

"No. I'll lead the invasion force." She corrects and I smile. "And Sokka, I could use your help."

Sokka smiles at her as he joins her side. "I'll do it."

"Don't be crazy, Sokka." Katara mentions.

"Maybe I am a little crazy, but the eclipse is about to start and we need to be up that volcano by the time it does." Sokka remarks.

My mother smiles at him and Hakoda looks up his son and fellow warrior. "Ruka, I always knew you had the capability of being a leader and I'm proud of you, Sokka."

"I've always thought you were crazy, but I'm crazy proud of you." I hug my brother and he hugs me back without touching my wings.

"Me too." Katara adds. "I still think you're crazy, but I'm proud of you too."

My mom and Sokka put their helmets on and board Appa. "Yip yip!"

I hug my sister and Hakoda before flying away with Appa. We approach the battlefield and we see a mess of Fire Nation tanks destroyed everywhere. Several raised battlements fire on the army below. Appa lands and takes out an enemy tank as Sokka and my mother makes their way to the back of the saddle to rally the soldiers. I land next to them and my mother speaks loud and clear.

"Listen up, everyone. I want the tanks in wedge formation. Warriors and benders in the middle." She announces and let's Sokka finish.

"We're taking that tower, and heading for the royal palace!"

All the tanks come together in wedge formation behind Appa, soldiers protected in the middle.
Sokka draws his sword and thrusts it forward.

"Charge!"

——

We were making our way up the volcano and the firebenders did no damage as we passed by them. I formed my fire whip and tossed them off the side of the volcano where they fell and we continued forward.

Sokka steers full of explosives into a wall, before hopping off and it explodes. Once they all exploded, we charged inside. I took on the firebenders and knocked them all out before they could attack us.

"The Fire Nation is falling back!" Tyro exclaims.

"Sokka, Ruka, Aya, we are on our way to victory!" Bato says.

I look ahead and nod.

Nothing can stop us now.

——

Just casually writing this chapter at Starbucks:)

Next chapter you might hate me🤭