"I can't believe it. I know the war has spread far, but Omashu always seemed…untouchable." Aang confessed, looking to the city.

"Up until now, it was." Sokka informed. "Now Ba Sing Se is the only great Earth Kingdom stronghold left." He commented, crossing his arms.

"This is horrible." Katara admitted, walking towards Aang. "But we have to move on."

"No. I'm going in to find Bumi." Aang determined.

"Who's Bumi?" You asked.

"He's a crazy earthbender king, who runs this place, or did, and knew Aang a hundred years ago." Sokka informed. You blinked.

"Oh."

"Aang, stop. We don't even know if Bumi's still…." Sokka began.

"What? Still what?" Aang questioned, a sharp tone to his voice.

"Around." Sokka finished lamely.

"I know you had your heart set on Bumi, but there are other people who can teach you earthbending." Katara comforted.

"This isn't about finding a teacher. It's about finding a friend." Aang informed. You smiled, stepping forward and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Well, you're not going alone."

"Thanks."

"Besides, you're gonna need all the help you can get." You commented, taking another look at the large firenation crest on a banner over the wall.

Appa had dropped everyone off on the side of the mountain, below the bridge.

"A secret passage? Why didn't we just use this last time?" Sokka asked as Aang began prying at a grate with his stick. The lid finally came off and a green substance flowed out of it. Appa flew away, while Sokka made a horrified noise.

"Does that answer your question?" Aang asked, climbing inside. Katara climbed in after him, then you, followed by a hesitant Sokka. Aang was airbending the sewer…..stuff…..out of his way, where it recollected in front of Katara. She used waterbending to move it towards you, and you moved it as well. You heard a bunch of noises from behind you and you turned, seeing Sokka covered with it. Your hesitation caused Katara's overflow to cover you, the surprise knocking you off balance. You slid into Sokka, taking you both back down to near the entrance. You stood.

"Forget this." You muttered. You used bending to have the green liquid surround both your and Sokka's feet. You brought your arms up into the air. "Hold on." You advised. Sokka grabbed ahold of you. You brought your arms down and you skyrocketed upwards, easily catching up with, and passing, Aang and Katara. You made it to the top and instructed Sokka to lift the cover, so he could see if anyone was there. He did, while you used bending to keep you there, and he said the coast was clear. You shot you and Sokka out, landing on your feet, while Sokka landed on his stomach. You used bending to get the grime and grossness off of you. You turned to do the same to Sokka when you saw he was absolutely covered in it. From head to toe.

You cleaned him off as well, just as Katara and Aang emerged, and you saw two pink creatures stuck to his cheeks. Your eyes widened in confusion and alarm. They had several eyes, and several tentacles.

"They won't let go!" Sokka shouted as he tried to pry them off his face. He continued to yell.

"Stop making so much noise. It's just a purple pentapus." Aang told him. You raised your eyebrow. Aang tickled the creature's head…body(?)…..and it popped off. Sokka did the same to the one on his other cheek while Aang took care of the one on the back of his friend's neck.

"Hey!"

You all turned, seeing three firenation guards making their way towards you. You, Sokka and Katara had all decided to wear black cloaks, but Aang did no such thing, causing him to be pretty noticeable. He ducked behind you three, and emerged seconds later, with a red cloth over his head, shielding his arrow from view.

"What are you kids doing out past curfew?" One of them asked.

"Sorry. We were just on our way home." Katara lied, turning and walking away. Sokka and Aang followed in pursuit, you shortly after.

"Wait. What's the matter with him?"

You all stopped, and turned to look at Sokka's marks. The purple pentapus' left behind little red dots.

"He has pentapox, sir." Katara lied again, turning her brother around to face the guard. The man walked forward, and was about to touch the marks when Katara spoke up again. "Um, it's highly contagious."

Sokka seemed to get the hint. "Ugh, it's so awful, I'm dying." He drawled out, reaching his arms towards the guard.

"And deadly." Katara added to her previous statement. The man backed up.

"I think I've heard of pentapox before. Didn't your cousin, Chang, die of it?" He asked, turning to one of his fellow guards. "We'd better go wash our hands." Sokka kept approaching, coughing dramatically. "And burn our clothes." They said, rushing off.

"Well they weren't too bright, were they?" You asked, crossing your arms.

"Thank you, sewer friend." Aang told the small creature, petting it. You all jogged off, getting higher and deeper into the city. You ducked behind a pile of beams, followed by your friends, upon seeing two guards walk by.

"Let's find Bumi and get out of here." Katara whispered.

"Where would they be keeping him?" Sokka asked.

"Somewhere he can't earthbend." Aang noted, looking around. "Somewhere made of metal." He suddenly ran out, forcing you, Katara and Sokka to follow. He had begun the upwards spiral to the center of the city when he slowed to a walk. You had made it about half-way up when you heard a rumble. You turned to your right, and saw two large boulders rolling down. Aang noticed it, too. He sent a large gust of wind, knocking the boulders into a nearby wall. A large dust cloud emitted from it. You looked down and saw a small group of people, with most of them holding torches.

"The resistance!" A woman shouted. Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, a bunch of throwing knifes were shot towards you. You, Sokka and Katara moved to the side, while Aang jumped. You all ran off, Katara stopping to send a water-whip at the two soldiers that followed, sending them off the mountain.

You and your friends made it a little bit further, but a young woman started chasing your gaang as well. Aang used airbending to collapse a wooden structure. He spun his glider, the wood blocking another throwing star. You observed the woman, trying to put her picture in your mind as a threat.

She had black hair that was partly tied up in two small buns on her head, and two small sections reaching past her shoulders. Her eyes were narrow, filled with a scary gleam, and she wore red and black clothes. You didn't get to look her over for very long, because she shot some more weapons at you. However, before they could connect, the ground swallowed you and your friends.

You landed underground, all four of you rubbing your heads. You looked up. You were surrounded by earthbenders.

"So, is King Bumi with you guys?" Aang asked. You were being led through a tunnel. The green crystals on the walls were the only sources of light. "Is he leading the resistance?" Everyone turned to look.

"Of course not!" The leader answered. "The day of the invasion, we readied ourselves for battle." He began. "We were prepared to defend our city; to fight for our lives and our freedom. But before we even had a chance, King Bumi surrendered." He explained. You cocked an eyebrow. "The day of the invasion I asked King Bumi what he wanted to do. He looked me in the eye, and said, 'I'm going to do…nothing.' It doesn't matter now. Fighting the firenation is the only path to freedom. And freedom is worth dying for."

"Actually, there's another path to freedom." Aang informed. "You could leave Omashu. You're directing all of your energy to fight the firenation, but you're outnumbered. You can't win. Now's the time to retreat so you can live to fight another day."

"You don't understand. They've taken our home, and we have to fight them at any cost."

"I don't know, Yung. Living to fight another day is starting to sound pretty good to me." Another earthbender voiced.

"Yeah, I'm with the kid." Another agreed. The crowd began to murmur among themselves.

"Fine. But there's thousands of citizens that need to leave. How are we gonna get them all out?"

"Suckers!" Sokka exclaimed. You cocked an eyebrow.

"Sokka, no need to be rude."

"No, not those kind of suckers. You're all about to come down with a nasty case of pentapox." He clarified. You thought it over for a moment, before a wide smile made its way onto your face.

"Sokka, you're a genius!" You complimented, planting a chaste kiss on his cheek. "I'll go find some!" You announced, jogging off. You re-entered the gross sewer, and spent several minutes using your bending to spread out the sewer water so you could better see. You saw a flash of purple and walked over to the creature, picking it up. You observed it as it began sucking your hand.

"You're so cute." You told it, patting its head. You left it on you, using your own body as a storage unit, and figuring you would need to be covered with marks as well, so win-win. You found a couple more, placing some on your face, arms, neck and legs. You emerged several minutes later and used bending to get the gunk off you, before you marched back to the tunnels. You walked in and stretched out your arms.

"Line up! Grab some and place them on yourself before passing them along!" You instructed. "They let go when you tickle their heads." You informed. You were soon swarmed by people, who took the purple pentapus' off of you, or most of them, anyway. The first one you'd picked up, that had attached itself to your hand, remained there and refused to let go. You stared at it, confused.

"Buddy, you have to let go." You urged. The creature remained unmoved. You sighed and tickled it. It slowly detached itself, but once you tried to give it to someone it clung on to your other hand. You frowned, looking at it. "Why are you like this?"

"Y/n, we're ready to go." Sokka informed. You looked up at him and nodded, heading above ground. It was day, and the sun was shining pretty bright. The creature had moved up your arm to cling onto your shoulder.

"The marks make you look sick, but you gotta act sick, too." Sokka told the people. "You gotta sell it." An elderly man walked by, with his cane, moaning. Everyone watched in curiosity. "Now that's what I'm talking about." Sokka said.

"Years of practice." The man said, hitting his peg-leg with his cane. Your eyes widened in alarm.

"Okay everyone, into 'sick formation'!" Sokka instructed.

"There's a formation?" You asked, crossing your arms.

"Hey, you gotta be prepared." He defended.

"Speaking of, you gotta get off." You told the pentapus. "They can't see you, or it'll give it away." The creature let go and scurried inside your shirt, clinging to your stomach. "Well, at least you can't see him." You muttered.

"Aang, what are you doing? Aren't you coming with us?" Katara asked upon seeing Aang walk away.

"No. I'm not leaving until I find Bumi." He declared, Momo hopping atop his shoulder, tugging at his mouth. Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion and alarm. "Sorry Momo. I'll feed you later." He assured. You raised an eyebrow. Aang leapt into the air, disappearing behind a building. You looked to Katara and shrugged, before both of you followed the large group.

Everyone entered a courtyard, moaning loudly and walking slowly. The firenation soldiers were clearly alarmed. You all got closer.

"Plague! Plague!" One shouted. They all ran away while one in a tower starting hitting a warning bell. A few moments later the gate opened. Everyone slowly made their way to it. So close, you thought. And in what felt like ages, you had all made it out. Well, except Aang.

You had set up camp some distance away, when you saw Aang walking towards the group, a giant creature walking next to him. Your eyes shot open wide, and you began bending some water out of your canteen, when you realized Aang didn't seem to be in peril. You cocked an eyebrow and put the water back. Katara and Sokka walked towards him, so you did as well.

"I looked everywhere." He started, voice tired. "No Bumi." He declared. Katara wrapped him up in a hug, while the creature gently pushed Sokka's back with its nose. Sokka turned around and hugged the creature's face. You watched the interaction with a heavy heart. You hadn't met Bumi, but you knew Aang cared about him deeply.

"We've got a problem. We just did a headcount." Yung announced, jogging up. Katara asked what everyone was thinking.

"Oh, no. Did someone get left behind?" She questioned.

"No, we have an extra." He said, turning and pointing to Momo. Attached to Momo, was a child. No older than three. He was being drug around by the poor lemur. You made a face.

"Oh, great." Sokka voiced sarcastically.

"I don't like kids." You informed, watching the child skeptically. "They're nothing but trouble."

And trouble it was. Everyone was split up into groups, sitting around their own campfires. Momo sat with your group, consisting of you, Sokka, Katara, Aang, Appa, and Flopsy, as you learned the creature's name was. So, since Momo was there, so was the child. It reached for Sokka's club, and began sucking on it. Sokka pulled it out of his mouth and held it up high.

"No! Bad fire-nation baby!" He scolded. The child began to wail, and Katara slapped her brother's arm. "Oh, alright." He said, defeated. He handed his club back to the child, who stopped crying.

"Aw, you're so cute!" Katara told the child in a baby voice. You winced.

"Ew, Katara."

"Sure, it's cute now. But when he's older he'll join the fire-nation army." Yung announced. "You won't think he's so cute, then. He'll be a killer."

"Does that look like the face of a killer to you?" Katara asked, holding the child up.

"Even the Firelord was a child, once." You told her, tearing your gaze away from the fire to look her in the eyes. The group went silent. The only noises being that of the crackling flames, and the faint voices of the other groups. A loud noise was heard, and you all turned. A bird landed on a rock, not very far from you.

"A messenger hawk." Yung observed. Aang walked forward and opened the container on its back, rolling open the parchment.

"It's from the fire-nation governor." He informed. "He thinks we kidnapped his son. So, he wants to make a trade." Aang read. "His son, for King Bumi."

"You realize we're probably walking right into a trap." Sokka told him. It was now morning, and Aang had his head wrapped again, concealing his arrow, as he carried the child towards Appa.

"I don't think so." Aang disagreed. "I'm sure the governor wants his son back as much as we want Bumi."

"Not all parents care for their children like ours did." You announced, thinking back briefly to your conversation with Zuko at the North Pole. You wrapped your arms around yourself. "I don't trust it."

"It's a new day. I have a good feeling about this." Aang said, looking at the child. You sighed.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

Sokka held the boy, while you, Katara and Aang stood next to him. Three women made their way closer, and you recognized the one in the front as the girl that had attacked you earlier. On her right was a girl in pink, with her hair tied up. On her left, wearing a crown and dressed in reds, browns and blacks, was who you assumed to be the Firelord's daughter. Zuko's sister. Again, your mind replayed the words Zuko had said when he captured Aang.

"You're like my sister. Everything always came easy for her. She's a firebending protégé. And everyone adores her. My father says she was born lucky. He says I was lucky to be born."

You immediately felt distaste as you watched her approach. A terrible feeling settled in your stomach.

"Hi, everybody!" A sudden voice yelled. You looked up and saw an old man's face inside a coffin-shaped restraining box. This must be Bumi.

"You brought my brother?"

"He's here." Aang answered. "We're ready to trade."

You resisted the urge to look at the child. You were cautious of taking your eyes off the enemies. They talked quietly amongst themselves before the one in front stepped forward.

"The deal's off." She announced, signaling for King Bumi to be raised.

"Woah! See you all later!" He shouted.

"Bumi!" Aang yelled. He charged forward, but the Princess stepped forward, shooting blue fire at him. Your eyes widened and you let out a gasp. Aang leapt into the air and pulled out his glider. His head-wrap came off, revealing his arrow. You looked back to the trio, and watched as the Princess ran inside. Aang landed on the cage and began blowing on it. You looked ahead of you, just in time to see the other two charge.

"We've got to get the baby out of here!" Katara announced.

"Way ahead of ya." Sokka assured, taking a break from blowing into the bison-whistle. You all ran, trying to put more distance between you. Sokka suddenly fell, and slid to the edge of the platform. The girl in pink jumped out of a hole in the ground before running after him. You wrapped water around her ankle, pulling. She fell, giving Sokka enough time to escape. Katara dealt with the other one, while you avoided the punches. The girl in pink flipped past you suddenly, striking Katara on the arms and back.

The ice that Katara had encased her opponent's arm in splashed onto the ground. Katara tried to raise it again, but it was no use.

"How are you gonna fight without your bending?" The girl in red asked. You glared deeply. She didn't have to sound so patronizing. She pulled out a dagger, and just as you were about to bend, a boomerang hit it out of her hand.

"I seem to manage!" Sokka shouted from his spot atop Appa. The large bison landed and smacked his tail on the ground, sending the girls backwards. You helped Katara into the saddle and just managed to climb in yourself before Appa took off.

"There's Aang!" Katara told her brother, pointing at some sort of slide. Your brows furrowed.

"What?" You asked yourself.

"We can catch 'em!" Sokka announced, brining Appa closer. Aang shouted something, but you couldn't make out any of it. He threw the cage, but it went to high, and you all missed. Aang jumped after it.

"Aang!" You shouted, looking over the edge of the saddle. You watched helplessly as the cage landed on the slide, and Aang atop the cage. The princess was following them quickly in her own boat-shaped object. Sokka groaned.

"We have to find another way around!" He shouted, steering Appa. The large bison flew through the city, getting lower. He turned a corner, seeing a gap, and flew upwards, just in time to see the king going back up the slide.

"He can still earthbend!?" You asked. Aang jumped into the saddle.

"He said he still has something to do here. That he has to wait for the right time. He said I need to find an earthbending teacher that stops and listens." He explained. You nodded in understanding.

A small cry was heard and you turned, seeing the baby. You let out a groan.

"We'll take him back once it gets dark." Sokka informed. You slid to the other end of the saddle.

"That long?" You complained.

I'm getting back into the swing of things! In the next one you get to find out more about Y/n! Then, (if you'd like), you can re-read some (if not all) chapters to see where I dropped hints! (Because I did.)