Aya's POV

"How could you let them take Appa?! ‌Why didn't you stop them‌?!"

Sandbenders had taken Appa and Toph couldn't stop them because she was busy keeping the library from sinking. Aang was enraged by what just happened and I've never seen him this angry before. I hated it.

"I couldn't! The library was sinking! You guys were still inside and-"

Aang walks up to Toph, interrupting her.

"You could've come to get us. I could've saved him!"

"I can hardly feel any vibrations out here. The sandbenders snuck up on me and there wasn't time for—"

"You just didn't care! You never liked Appa! You wanted him gone!"

Hearing Aang snap like that shocked me. This seriously took a toll on him and he is furious.

Katara approaches Aang to console him. "Aang, stop it. You know Toph did all she could. She saved our lives."

As brave as I am, seeing Aang like this frightened me. I love him but if he gets more emotional and angry he will activate the Avatar State.

"Who's going to save our lives now?" Sokka suddenly asked, looking out at the sea of sand that surrounds us. "We'll never make it out of here."

Aang marched irately away from us.

"That's all any of you guys care about, yourselves! You don't care whether Appa is okay or not!"

"Aang, that's not true." I argued, holding Bubbles in my arms. She was scared of Aang's behavior. "We are all concerned but we can't afford to be fighting right now."

Aang replied in a cold tone. "I'm going after Appa."

Aang opens his glider and flies off. I attempt to chase him but I stopped and called after him.

"Aang! Wait!"

Aang ignored my calls and my shoulders hunched over with sadness. I've never seen Aang like this, he went from a bright, fun loving kid to this dark, angry soul. Losing Appa destroyed him.

"Aya." Katara approached me, touching my shoulder. "We'd better start walking."

I turned to her and walked passed her without speaking. Seeing Aang this way has taken a toll on me and it's affected me immensely.

"We're the only people who know about the solar eclipse. We have to get that information to Ba Sing Se." Katara continued and we all started to trudged along the sand in front of us.

"You think if we dig out the giant owl, he'll give us a ride?"

——

We've been walking for a good period of time and all of us got tired and dehydrated. The sun was beating down on us causing all of us to get exhausted and hot and I was not doing good. None of us were. Bubbles was doing awful, she is normally from the Water Tribe, not the dry, hot desert.

I heard a thud and turned to see that Toph had bumped into Sokka.

"Can't you watch where you're-" He stops when he see that Toph had bumped into him.

"No!"

"Right. Sorry."

"Come on guys, we've got to stick together." Katara turned to us with encouragement and I gave her a weary expression.

"If I sweat anymore, I don't think sticking together will be a problem."

I turned to Sokka and saw that him and Toph were stuck together due to the sweat that was coming off them. I grimaced lightly at this.

Irritated, Toph pushed Sokka off her freeing them both. I looked at Bubbles and she was getting worse.

"Katara. Bubbles doesn't look to good." I told her and Katara looked at the koalaotter.

"This is the opposite of her natural habitat. Here, I'll give her some water." Katara bended a small bubble of water our of her pouch and dizzled it over her face. Bubbles chitters lightly and groaned softly, I stroked her face.

"Can I have some water?" Toph asked.

"Okay, but we've got to try to conserve it." Katara agreed and bended five small bubbles of water into our mouths including Momo and Bubbles.

Sokka tastes the water before swallowing. "We're drinking your bending water?" He smacks his lips together before he exclaims in disgust. "You used this on the swamp guy! Urch!"

I didn't care what it taste like, I was too worried about Aang.

"It does taste swampy." Toph states.

Momo lets out a small cry after recognizing the taste of the water.

"I'm sorry." Katara apologized. "It's all we have."

"Not anymore! Look!" Sokka points in front of us and we turned to see a cactus. Sokka jogs over to the cactus and sliced off a piece before drinking the liquid that was inside. Momo joins him and I rolled my eyes.

"Sokka, wait! You shouldn't be eating strange plants!" Katara warned him like he will listen.

Katara drags a confused and weary Toph over to Sokka and I trail behind slowly. Sokka and Momo continue to quench their thirst and Sokka offers a piece of the cactus to us. Katara was skeptical about the content inside the plant.

"There's water trapped inside these!"

"I don't think that's water." I spoke up, standing next to my sister and Toph.

"I don't know..." Katara stepped back unsure.

"Suit yourself. It's very thirst quenching though." He smiled at us with cactus juice dripping from his chin. Suddenly his smile faded and his pupils dilated, he tried to shake the feeling off but it doesn't work.

Oh no, my brother has gone crazy. It's only a matter of time before we all go crazy.

"Drink cactus juice! It will quench ya! Nothing's quenchier."

I watched my brother dance around like an idiot and just sighed. He crawls on the ground like a drunk caterpillar before jumping toward us and smiling like a maniac.

"It's the quenchiest!"

Katara and I share a weird look before she grabs the cactus juice and pours it away.

This desert is making us all delusional. It's only a matter of time before we all start losing our minds and start thinking of ways to make food out of sand.

"Okay, I think you've had enough." Katara said to our brother who was still hacked up on cactus juice.

"Who lit Toph on fire?"

I don't even know what's going on right now. Before Katara could make a remark, Momo began to fly around in a circle at a fast pace. The hallucinating lemur increases his speed before he plummets toward the ground head first. Katara picks up the dazed creature and cradles him.

"Can I get some of that cactus?" Toph asked not understanding what's going on with my brother and Momo.

"I don't think that's a good idea." I wearily told
her and Katara nods.

"Come on, we need to find Aang." Katara told us before we began to walk off. I realized that Sokka wasn't following us because he was busy staring at the sky and I pulled him along.

"How did we get out here in the middle of the ocean?"

I wish it was the ocean.

We continued to trudge across the sandy desert and every minute I got more tired and more thirsty. Bubbles was doing better since she got her water but she still wasn't looking a hundred percent.

Suddenly an explosion was heard in the distance happened and dust got blown on us. A mushroom shaped explosion appeared and we all stared at it.

"What was that?" Katara asked.

"What? What was what?" Toph asked not being able to sense the vibration due to the sand.

"It's a giant mushroom!" Sokka exclaims with excitement. "Maybe it's friendly!"

I grabbed Toph's hand as Katara continued walking and I pulled the blind bender along.

"Let's just keep moving." Katara sighed.

"I hope Aang's okay." I mumbled sadly.

I could still hear Sokka behind us and I groaned.

"Friendly mushroom! Mushy giant friend!"

Oh god.

——

It had become nearly twilight out and we were still walking through the desert. Bubbles had fallen asleep and she looked much better now that the sun had gone away, but I'm scared to see how she will look tomorrow when the sun appears again. I don't think I could get more exhausted or thirsty then I am right now, I feel like passing out but I can't. My head is pounding and I have so much on my mind at the moment. Aang, Bubbles, this Fire Angel, my biological parents, my bending.

Ugh, I wish everything wasn't so complicated.

My thoughts were interrupted when a shadow passes over us and I saw it was Aang who he lands behind us. He didn't stand up straight and remained on the ground.

I immediately went up to him and placed my hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it away. My hearts shank at this and I sighed sadly.

"I'm sorry, Aang."

"I know it's hard for you right now but... we need to focus on getting out of here." Katara adds, standing next to me.

"What's the difference?" Aang asked hopelessly. "We won't survive without Appa. We all know it."

"Come on, Aang. We can do this if we work together. Right Aya?"

I shrugged at my sister and continued to stare at the sorrowful Avatar. I was to upset to response and maybe there is no hope left for us.

"Toph?"

"As far as I can feel, we're trapped in a giant bowl of sand pudding. I got nothin." Toph responded to my sister.

"Sokka? Any ideas how to find Ba Sing Se?" Katara asked our brother like he knew what he was doing.

I glanced at my brother who was laying on the ground with Momo and was smiling blissfully.

"Why don't we ask the circle birds?" Sokka points above us and I looked up to see four buzzard wasps circling above our heads. I looked back at Aang and slide my hand off and sighed sadly. I hav no idea what's wrong with me right now, but it seems like when Aang is uspet I get upset. Maybe our relationship is more then what it seems.

"Ugh ... We're getting out of this desert, and we're going to do it together!" Katara suddenly proclaims and grabbed Aang pulling him up. "Aang, get up. Everybody, hold hands. We can do this. We have to."

Katara pulled us all along with her grabbing Aang's hand, me grabbing his, Toph was holding mine who was holding a dazed and blissful Sokka's.

The sun began to set and the sun was completely gone from our sight. We had been walking for a good period of time and all of us felt dead. I wanted to pass out, I couldn't feel my feet and my mouth was dry like the desert.

"I think we should stop for the night." Katara suggested and the rest of us sigh and fall on the ground. It felt nice to put my head down for once and get some rest.

"Is there anymore water?" Toph asked my sister.

"This is the last of it. Everyone can have a little drink." Katara bends the rest of the water out of her pouch but Momo leaped through the water causing it to burst and land on the sand.

Sokka panicks at this and grabs his head. "Momo, no! You've killed us all!"

"No, he hasn't." Katara denied as she bended the water out of the sand. She put the water back into her pouch and gave it to Toph for her to drink.

"Oh, right." Sokka said with relief. "Bending."

"Sokka, let me see the things you got from the library." Katara told our brother who backs away and defensively grabs the scrolls he got from the library.

"What?! I didn't steal anything! Who told you that?!" He asked offensively and points an accusing finger at Momo. "It was you! You ratted me out!"

"Sokka, I was there." Katara remarks before she take the scrolls and looks through them.

"It doesn't matter." Aang muttered sadly and I looked at him. "None of those will tell us where Appa is."

"None of those will tell us where Appa is." Katara mentions pulling out a map of the stars. Before she could finish, I shut my eyes and fell asleep.

Aya's Dream

My eyes shot open and they blinked a few times before I realized I woke up but I wasn't in the desert anymore. I let out a small groan and sat up, scanning my surroundings.

White clouds were all around me and I was sitting on a giant, fluffy cloud. I was very confused on what was happening but I couldn't find the strength to yell or scream for help. I felt a calm feeling as the light breeze touched my skin and blew through my long hair.

I stood up on my feet and slowly stepped forward.

"What is happening?" I asked myself. "Why am I on a giant, floating cloud?"

I knew I wasn't gonna get a response. I'm probably just dreaming right now.

"Hello, Aya."

I jumped and turned around at the sound of the voice. I went to take out my daggers but they weren't there. I looked up when I saw a figure and my eyes found a woman with red wings that had fire all over them and she had brown hair. Her skin was as pale as snow and had golden eyes that could capture you in a instant. She was a beautiful woman or angel considering she had wings.

"Who-Who are you?" I asked her feeling alarmed and uneasy. "Why am I here?"

The angel woman floated closer. Her outfit was a long red and orange sleeveless dress that flowed halfway across the cloud that was behind her.

"I am Sapphire the Fire Angel." Her voice echoed around me and it was soft and delicate. She seemed harmless at the moment but I didn't want to let my guard down completely. "And I have brought you here to inform you of your destiny."

"Destiny?" I asked her. "What destiny?"

"You destiny in helping the Avatar. I've been watching you ever since you've learned about your firebending. I am your past life, Aya." Sapphire explained, floating down until her feet touched the cloud. She was about Katara's height and her wings gave off a powerful feeling along with a strong heat wave.

My eyes went wide and I chuckled nervously. "Past life? I thought only the Avatar had past lives."

She shook her head at this and held out her hand. I got this feeling inside me that made me place my own hand in hers.

"The Fire Angel was born to assist the Avatar protect the world." Sapphire began and shifted our hands to where our fingers were facing upward.

"I read about the Fire Angel in a book I found at a library." I informed her. "So, it's true then?"

"Yes, and the reason you are so attached to the Avatar is because you two are destined for one another." She gave me a soft smile as my cheeks heated up.

I gave her a look of confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You, Aya. You are the next Fire Angel and you must help Aang learn firebending so he can defeat the Fire lord.

I gave her a shocked look. "What?!"

She can't be serious. This is not real.

"Aya, you have the potential of being a stronger firebender than Ozai himself." Sapphire told me and I let my hand fall to my side. "The Fire Angel is the most powerful firebender in the world."

I was in to much shock to reply and shook my head.

"I know it's hard to believe, but your mother and father know you were special the day you were born. Ruka could see it in your eyes."

That caught my attention and I looked up at her. "So, Ruka is my mother? I thought it was just a dream."

"I don't want to stress you out and overload your brain with too much information but you have to help the Avatar. He needs it." Sapphire told me with her eyes staring into my soul. "He needs you."

"But he doesn't know that I am the Fire Angel How am I gonna help him?" I asked her with pleading eyes.

"Aang will figure it out but it's up to you to tell him that you are the Fire Angel." Sapphire remarked. "Good luck, Aya."

After that, I woke up.

——

"Aya, wake up."

I was gently shaken awake and I opened my eyes to see Katara shaking me. I drowsily sit up and recalled the dream I just had. I'm the Fire Angel?

I can't think about the dream that just happened. I will think about it later, now we have to get out of here.

"Yesterday my mouth tasted like mud. Now it just tastes like sand." Toph comments and smacks her lips together. "I never thought I'd miss the taste of mud so much."

I turned to Aang who hasn't moved a muscle and I went to wake up him.

"I'm awake. I couldn't sleep."

My eyes darkened with sadness at this. I hate seeing him this way, I truly do.

"Well, we need to get moving if we want to get out of this sand pit." Katara told him and I picked up a weary Bubbles in my arms. In the sky, I spotted a large object floating passed the moon and it looked like Appa but it was just a stupid cloud. Aang saw this and he smiled for the first time since we lost the bison.

"Appa!" He exclaims with joy. Seeing him smile brought me happiness but that shattered when I realized that if won't last.

"Appa‌? But why would Princess Yue need him‌? She's the moon!" Sokka projects and I rolled my eyes. "She flies by herself."

"It's just a cloud." Katara informed sadly and Aang looked down. "Wait! A cloud!" Katara offered Aang her pouch. "Here, fly up and bend the water from that cloud into my pouch."

Aang gave my sister an angry look before he took the pouch and flew up to the sky. We watched as Aang zoomed by the cloud twice causing it to dissolve and evaporate. Aang returns and hands my sister her pouch who peeks inside it.

"Wow... there's hardly any in here." She states with disappointment.

"I'm sorry, okay!" Aang lashes out causing me to jump. "It's a desert cloud; I did all I could! What's anyone else doing?!" Aang angrily points his staff at my sister. "What are you doing?!"

I gave him a shocked look and stepped away.

Katara sighs at this, "Trying to keep everyone together. Let's just get moving. We need to head this direction."

Katara looks at the charts again and we followed her in a certain direction in hopes of getting out of this place. We were walking silently through the desert when Toph tripped over an object that was sticking out of the sand.

"Ow! Crud!" She cried holding her foot in pain. "I am so sick of not feeling where I'm going!" She gestures to the object she tripped over. "And what idiot buried a boat in the middle of the desert‌?"

"A boat?" Katara asked, running up to the object.

"Believe me, I kicked it hard enough to feel plenty of vibrations." Toph remarked.

Katara brushes away some of the sand to reveal that it was made out of wood. Aang steps up with his staff in hand and we back away before he uses his staff to create a gust of wind to reveal a huge boat like object.

"It's one of the gliders the sandbenders used." I spoke, going up to the glider along with my sister.

"And look! It's got some kind of compass on it!" Katara exclaims, tapping the compass. "I bet it can point us out of here! Aang, you can bend a breeze so we can sail it. We're going to make it!"

I heard laughter behind us and saw that Sokka was joyfully burying Momo like a child.

——

We were making our way through the desert on the sand sailer with Katara navigating and Aang was driving it by airbending. I sat next to Aang, holding my knees to my chest with sorrow. I just couldn't find any reason to be happy, I try and try but I still come out as sad.

"The needle on this compass doesn't seem to be pointing north according to my charts." Katara points out.

"Take it easy, little lady." I glanced up at my sister and saw Sokka was sitting there holding Momo by his tail who was gliding with the wind. "I'm sure the sand folks who built this baby know how to get around here."

I gasped when I saw a huge rock in the distance.

"Katara! Look!" I pointed, rising to my feet.

I heard her gasp. "That's what the compass is pointing to! That giant rock! It must be the magnetic center of the desert."

"A rock?!" Toph gasped. "Yes! Let's go!"

"Maybe we can find some water there." Katara wondered.

"Maybe we can find some sandbenders." Aang added in a dark tone.

——

At sunrise, we climbed to the top of the giant rock and I heard Toph sigh with happiness.

"Ahhh... finally! Solid ground!"

Toph falls flat on the ground and starts to make a rock angel. On the rock, there were multiple holes on the rock and it didn't look natural. I had a feeling something was off but I couldn't put my finger on it.

All of us enter one of the caves and inside the cave there was yellow gooey substance all over the surface of the cave. The cave itself looked manmade and something was off with this cave.

Sokka breathes deeply. "I think my head is starting to clear out the cactus juice." Sokka spots the yellow substance and scoops some up. "And look!"

I grimaced when he licked his hand and gave some to Momo. Why? Just why?

Sokka and Momo immediately spit out the content in disgust.

"Taste like rotten penguin! Oh, I feel woozy."

"Maybe you shouldn't eat strange substance off cave walls!" I scolded my brother with a glare.

"You've been hallucinating on cactus juice all day and then you just lick something you find stuck to the wall of a cave‌?!" Katara berated our brother with irritation.

"I have a natural curiosity." Sokka simply stated.

"I don't think this is a normal cave." Toph comments and I nodded, holding Bubbles to my chest.

"Glad I'm not the only one." I said, looking around the odd shaped cave. "This seems like it was craved by something."

"Yeah, look at the shape." Aang agreed.

"There's something buzzing in here." Toph mentions. "Something that's coming for us!"

Right then, a flock of buzzard wasps flew right out of the darkness and we all ran out of the cave screaming with fear. Multiple wasps flew out of the holes on the rock and we were surrounded by them. I let go of Bubbles and got my daggers out ready to attack them.

Aang airbended one of the wasps and Toph sensed a wasp land on the ground and bended a pillar under it to send it flying away.

A wasp flew by us and Toph heard it but couldn't see it so she bended a rock beside her and throws it in the direction she heard it. Sokka and I let out a yell when the rock landed next to us.

"What are you doing? That rock almost crushed us!" Sokka asked her.

"Sorry, I cant tell where they are in the air!" She spoke defensively.

A wasp flew by and Sokka chased after it. "I got this one!"

Sokka swung his machete at what he thought was a wasp but it was actually just air and lets out a battle cry. I sigh, shaking my head.

"Sokka." I called, "there's nothing there."

He lowered his weapon and looked around for his imaginary foe.

"I guess my heads not as clear as I thought." Sokka remarked.

The wasps kept coming and didn't stop. I fought off multiple wasps but it seems like I haven't fought any.

"We have to get out of here! I'm completely out of water to bend!" Katara exclaims and right then we heard a small cry.

I gasped when I saw a wasp fly off with Bubbles.

"No!" I yelled when I saw her fly off.

"Bubbles!" Aang called. "I'm not losing anyone else out here!"

Aang opened his glider and took off with Momo flying at his side.

"Come on, we're going down." Katara declared and we began to scale the mountain down. We stopped when Katara instructed Toph where to fire her bending.

"Toph, shot a rock right there. Fire!"

Toph kicks up some rocks and fires them at a wasp which takes it down.

"Yeah! You got it!" Sokka cheered before looking at us. "She got it, right?"

"Yes." I nodded.

"Now, lets move!" Katara instructed before we started to move again.

We made it to the bottom of the rock without any harm down to us because Toph was taking care of all the wasps.

"On your left!" Katara instructed and Toph took out the wasp with a rock.

Out of nowhere, gigantic pillars of sand rise from the ground and scare off the swarm of wasps. All of us shield our faces from the sand and slowly lower them as the sand vanishing to reveal a bunch of sandbenders in front of us.

Aang suddenly lands on the ground in front of us ready to face the sandbenders. Momo flies by and drops Bubbles in my arms and I held her close, kissing her head.

"What are you doing in our land with a sandbender sailer?" The first sandbender asked us. "From the looks of it, you stole it from the Hami tribe."

"We found the sailer abandoned in the desert. We're traveling with the Avatar." Katara explains motioning to Aang. "Our bison was stolen and we have to get to Ba Sing Se.

"You dare accuse our people of theft while you ride in on a stolen sand sailer‌?!" The younger sandbender stepped forward accusingly.

"Quiet, Ghashiun." The man snapped. "No one accused our people of anything. If what they say is true, we must give them hospitality."

"Sorry, father." Ghashiun apologizes.

"I recognize the son's voice." Toph spoke. "He's the one that stole Appa."

"Are you sure?" I asked her.

"I never forget a voice."

Aang marched up and threatened to use his staff. "You stole, Appa! Where is he?! What did you do to him?!"

The sandbenders stepped back with alarm when they saw the Avatar step up.

"They're lying! They're the thieves!" Ghashiun protested.

Aang angrily smacks his staff on the ground and sends a blade of wind toward a glider, destroying it.

"Where is my bison?! You tell me where he is now?!" Aang asked, enraged and sends another strong blast of wind toward another sailor, destroying it.

"What did you do?" The man asked Ghashiun.

Ghashiun shook his head with fear. "I-it wasn't me!"

"You said to put a muzzle on him!" Toph scolded and this put Aang over the top.

"You muzzled, Appa?!"

Aang's eyes and tattoos began to glow and and he sent a powerful blast of air at the remaining sailor.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know that it belonged to the Avatar!" Ghashiun frantically apologized but it was too late.

"Tell me where Appa is!"

When Aang spoke, you could hear all of the other Avatars speak. It was a terrifying sight to see.

"I traded him. To some merchants! He's probably in Ba Sing Se by now! They were going to sell him there!" Ghashiun spoke with a shaky voice. "Please! We'll escort you out of the desert! We'll help however we can!"

Suddenly, wind began to form around Aang as his anger increased.

"Just get out of here! Run!"

Sokka pushes my sister and Toph away from Aang but I didn't move. I'm one of the only ones who can take Aang out of the Avatar State. Everybody else fled when a wind bubble formed around Aang and he ascended into the air. I ignored the sand and wind that got blasted into my face, I needed to help Aang. I need him.

I went up to Aang with tears flowing down my cheeks and I grabbed his arm. Aang turned to me with an angry look and I pulled him down to my level.

I held him close and gently attached our lips together. I knew my destiny, it took my a while but I know it now. The dreams I have are real, I am the Fire Angel and I'm destined to be with Aang.

Aang didn't kiss back at first but I felt his tears fall on my cheeks. Moments later, I felt the wind calm down and the sand dissolved from the air and Aang kissed back.

I'm never leaving him. Never.