Sorry I've been gone so long everyone! Been going through a lot these past few months. On the plus side, I did finish the fourth draft of my novel! Two more drafts before I start sending it out to agents. So excited!
Sakura02: Haha, isn't there always emoness for our babies?
Thank you: ilovezim123, AvatarCat12, erica. phoenix16, MS-16 Z Jager, Melody Sparrow, Moonlitdaze, Aims5, and ZabuzasGirl for your reviews!
"Did you sleep well, Lan?" Katara asked as the little girl came over to where she, Toph, and Sokka were all sitting.
Lan nodded and sleepily rubbed her eyes. "Yes. I'm ready to go."
"Glad you're so enthusiastic, but we're not leaving just yet." Sokka mumbled, continuing to pour over the maps in front of him.
Lan plopped down next to him and leaned against his side. "Is Aang still asleep?"
"Good morning everyone!" Aang shouted cheerfully, running over to the group with a huge grin on his face. "I'm ready to face the Fire Lord today!" He went over to Lan and patted her head. "Are you sure you want to go with us, Lan? You can just wait here for us."
Lan quickly shook her head. "No way! I'm going with you guys!" She squinted out at the harbor and frowned. "Are we going to be able to have the invasion with all that fog?"
Sokka grinned and stood up. "That fog is the invasion!"
The group quickly ran towards the shore. Aang and Toph quickly made a dock for the ships. Lan lingered a few yards away as the people on the boats began to descend onto the land. While Hakoda and Bato knew her, she wasn't sure how any of the other newcomers would take to someone from the Fire Nation being there.
Aang noticed Lan keeping her distance. He ran over to her and took her hand. "It's okay, Lan. Nobody's going to pick on you. If they do, I'll have something to say about it."
Lan gave a small smile to Aang and squeezed his hand. She bit her lip thoughtfully. "Aang?"
"What's wrong, Lan?" Aang asked curiously.
"Nothing. Never mind." Lan plaster a smile on her face and tugged Aang back over towards the group. She was introduced to Haru and the waterbenders from the swamp. They all whipped around when they heard a loud explosions from one of the boats.
Aang grinned once they all realized that it was just one of The Mechanist's inventions. "Lan, I want you to meet Teo and his father. They're inventors."
"Lan, long time no see!" The Duke said from his usual spot on Pipsqueak's shoulders.
Lan grinned and waved. "Hey guys!"
Sokka cleared his throat and got everyone's attention. "If everyone could come sit down, we'll get started on the briefing."
Katara pulled Lan into her lap and smoothed her hair down while Sokka started talking. She raised an eyebrow as Sokka began to babble about their adventure from the very beginning. "Does he really think everyone needs to know this stuff?"
"I think he's just nervous." Lan whispered. She hoped Sokka saw her smile of encouragement.
Hakoda finally put a hand on Sokka's shoulder. "Why don't you take a break, Sokka. I'll finish debriefing everyone."
Lan zoned out while Hakoda explained the battle plan. She already knew it by heart because of Sokka. She began mentally preparing herself for what would happen during the eclipse. She'd need to get away from the others. She couldn't be a distraction to them. She blinked when she felt Katara touch her cheek.
"It's time to get ready, Lan." Katara said with a hint of worry in her voice.
"Okay." Lan hopped out of Katara's lap and went over to Appa. She began digging through her bag and arming herself with a few daggers. They wouldn't do her any good, though. She was only putting them on so Aang and the others wouldn't get worried or suspicious.
Once everyone was ready, everyone boarded the boats. Lan kept a firm grip on Sokka's hand as they set sail. It wasn't long before they reached a sight that Lan had not seen since she had left the Fire Nation. "The Great Gates of Azulon." She whispered, eyeing the two giant dragon statues and the statue of Azulon nervously.
Katara looked curiously at the statues. "I don't see any gates."
Hakoda turned to his daughter. "Katara, you and the swamp benders whip up some fog for us."
"That's not going to work." Lan muttered as they drew closer and closer to the statues. Her statement was confirmed when an alarm went off moments later. Fire spewed from the mouths of the two dragons, the nets in their mouths rising up and catching on fire. The fire spread down both nets and ended at the end where Azulon's statue was holding in both his hands.
"Everyone below deck!" Hakoda ordered. "Let's hope your invention works, Sokka."
"Lan, it's going to be okay." Katara consoled. "You need to get on the sub, Sweetie."
"But…all that water…" Lan mumbled nervously. The thought of being completely underwater, surrounded by nothing but water, terrified Lan.
Katara hoisted Lan up. "You're getting heavy. You can stay with me the whole time, okay? I won't let you out of my sight."
Lan held tightly to Katara while they boarded the submarine. As soon as Katara had taken up her position on the sub, Lan plopped down right next to her. She held onto Katara's skirt as they began to fully submerge beneath the water. "Are we there yet?" She groaned out.
Eventually, the subs finally surfaced. It took a good deal of coaxing on Katara's part and Sokka finally taking her hand to convince Lan to go on top of the submarine once she found out they weren't actually on shore. "Aang!" Lan rushed over to the Avatar and hugged him tightly.
Aang gave her a quick hug back. "Are you ready, Lan?"
"Yes." Lan said with some reluctance. "Are you? Once we attack, the Fire Nation will know you're alive."
"I'm ready." Aang said firmly. The rest of the group came over and they all hugged.
Lan hugged all of them as tightly as she could. This would be the last time she'd get to hug any of them. She bit her lip to keep her tears at bay.
"All right, come with me, Lan." Toph took Lan's hand and dragged her away from the rest of the group. "What is going on with you? You better tell me right now. If you aren't prepared to fight then you need to stay here!"
Lan quickly shook her head. "I can't tell you right now. I promise I'll tell you after the eclipse."
"Fine. Just don't get distracted." Toph said firmly. "Come on. We need to get back in that horrible contraption. We'll be at land soon enough."
Lan gave a small smile and quickly followed Toph back into the submarine. She latched onto Sokka as soon as they were inside since Katara had to steer Appa. Lan silently prayed that Aang would be all right, as well as the rest of the group once they landed.
"Stay close to me, Lan." Sokka whispered.
Lan clung tightly to Sokka. There wasn't much she could do during the initial phase of the invasion. She listened quietly to the sounds outside. She looked up when Sokka gave her shoulders a squeeze.
"Ready?" Sokka asked.
Lan gave an affirmative nod. She followed after Sokka as he charged out of the sub. It took her a moment to gain her bearings in the chaos around her. They were on land now. Fire Nation soldiers were charging at them on their komodo rhinos. Lan quickly shot a multitude of fire balls at a group of soldiers that were heading straight towards her. She continued sending shot after shot of fire at the oncoming soldiers. As she fought, she tried to slowly but surely put some distance between her and the others.
"Come with me, Lan!" Sokka said suddenly. He grabbed Lan's hand and led her over to Appa. "Where were you going?"
"I guess I just wasn't paying attention." Lan muttered lamely. "Where's Hakoda? I thought he was going to lead."
"Dad got hurt." Sokka grit out. "I'm going to lead now." He looked down when he felt Lan's hand on his.
Lan gave him a bright smile. "You can do it, Sokka."
Sokka grinned. "Thanks, Lan." He looked down at his troops. "I want the tanks in a wedge formation! Benders, you're in the middle! We're taking that tower and heading for the palace! Charge!"
The invasion force began to quickly push the Fire Nation soldiers back. Lan beamed proudly at Sokka as they leapt from Appa's back and down to the ground. "I knew you'd be a great leader!"
Sokka's chest swelled proudly. "Thanks, Lan." He quickly led Lan over to one of the tanks where he began pouring over a map with one of the Earthbenders. He looked up and saw Katara helping Hakoda walk towards them. "Dad, you're okay!"
"Thanks to Katara." Hakoda answered as Toph ran over to join the group.
Lan squinted up thoughtfully at the sky. "Um…is that Aang?"
The rest of the group looked up in alarm. They all rushed over to Aang when he landed on the ground. "Please tell me the Fire Lord was a super wimp and you were able to defeat him without the eclipse."
"Nobody was there." Aang grit out, furious. "They must've known we were going to try something. The Fire Lord is long gone by now."
Sokka shook his head. "No. He wouldn't want to go too far. He's probably in a secret bunker somewhere where he'll be safe, but still be able to lead his army. I don't suppose you know of any secret bunkers." He directed the last part towards Lan.
"Uncle Ozai and I were never exactly close. I don't know much about the palace layout." Lan answered, saying the word 'uncle' mockingly.
Toph grinned. "Don't worry; if it's a secret bunker we need to find, I'm the girl to find it."
Sokka pulled a watch-like device out of his pocket. "The Mechanist gave this to me. We've got about ten minutes before the eclipse happens."
"We can still do this. We can still win the day." Aang said confidently, missing just how white Lan's face went when Sokka mentioned the time left. "Sokka, you and Toph come with me. We'll go back to the volcano and see if there's anything there."
"I want to go too!" Lan said abruptly. "Before the eclipse happens, I want to help as much as I can."
Aang hesitated for a moment. "All right. Let's go." He led them over to Appa and they all quickly hopped on. "Lan, are you going to be okay when the eclipse happens?"
Lan bit her lip. They were almost to the volcano now. "I really don't know what will happen. No matter what happens, you guys can't worry about me. Just focus on beating the Fire Lord, okay? Promise, Aang?"
Aang looked at Lan with worry. "I promise." He said reluctantly. They finally landed on the side of the volcano.
While Toph searched the ground, Sokka knelt in front of Lan. He gripped both her shoulders firmly. "Hey, everything's going to be okay. I won't let anything happen to you."
Lan had to choke back a sob. She'd been so close to telling them the truth, but she couldn't. She gave Sokka a shaky smile and hugged him tightly. "I love you so much, Sokka."
"Hey, now, there'll be plenty of time for mushy stuff after the eclipse." Sokka said, giving Lan a quick hug.
"I found the secret bunker!" Toph crowed triumphantly. She made a large hole in the ground and the group slipped through. They ran quickly through the tunnels with Toph leading the way. They sped through a room with active lave vents into a room filled with nothing but lava.
"Climb on!" Aang said, opening up his glider.
Sokka wrapped an arm around Lan and held onto the glider with his other. Lan held onto Sokka as tight as she could until they finally reached the other side. They ran down another long tunnel before coming across a huge metal door at the end. "I think we're going the right way."
Toph grinned and cracked her knuckles. "Let's find out." She easily kicked the doors down after a few moments.
"I'm so glad we added you to the group." Sokka said with a grin as they ran down yet another tunnel. "Just a few more minutes until the eclipse!"
Lan could barely breathe. The group ran quickly down the hallway, stopping long enough to threaten one of the War Minister's for information on the Fire Lord's whereabouts. They finally came to a stop in front of a large set of metal doors with the Fire Nation symbol on it.
"Only thirty seconds until the eclipse." Sokka said. "Ready, Aang?"
Aang nodded. "Yes." He knocked down the doors with a blast of air.
It wasn't the Fire Lord sitting on the large throne, but Azula. She smirked evilly at them. "Hello, everyone." She cooed when she saw how white Lan's face was. "Hello, darling little cousin. Shall we do a countdown to your last breath? Ten…nine…eight…"
"Lan?" Sokka caught Lan as she fell to the ground gasping for breath. "Lan, what's wrong?"
"What are you doing to her?" Aang shouted furiously.
Azula simply continued to smirk. "Two…one…"
Lan gasped and opened her eyes to find herself in the Spirit World. She sat up and found the woman sitting in front of her. "Why do I have to go with you?"
"You were supposed to die in your mother's womb." The woman said softly. She reached out and gently stroked Lan's cheek. "She prayed to me, begged me to save your life. I agreed to give you some of my energy, but only if your mother agreed that you would return to me on the eclipse. She agreed, but I'm sure she was going to try and find a way to stop me."
"Who are you?" Lan asked curiously.
"I am the Sun Spirit." The woman answered. "Just as Yue became the Moon Spirit when she returned her energy to the dead Moon Spirit, so too will you become a part of me." She held her hand out to Lan.
Lan hesitated. "I would like to return to the world of the living, please."
The Sun Spirit curled her hand back. "Why? Your mother made a deal with me. I want my energy back."
"I want to help the Avatar." Lan said. "I want to help my friends. I want to see my grandfather and Zuko again. Please, I don't want to die yet or become a spirit or whatever. I finally feel like I'm doing what's right and something that'll help the whole world. I want to live my life the way I want to!"
The Sun Spirit was silent for a moment. "You remind me of myself when I was just a young spirit. Yue has told me a great deal about you and your friends. Very well, Lan. I will wait."
"Thank you! Oh, I forgot to ask; what's your name?" Lan blurted out. The Spirit World around her was fading away.
The Sun Spirit smiled. "You can call me Ri."
Lan slowly opened her eyes and sat up. It took her a moment to realize she was no longer in the volcano, but on Appa's back. "What happened?"
Katara was the first to whip around at Lan's voice. She launched herself at the little girl and kissed her forehead, cheeks, and nose over and over. Tears were spilling down Katara's cheeks. "Lan! You were dead! You weren't breathing and you were so white!"
"You knew that was going to happen!" Toph shouted angrily, roughly punching Lan in the arm and causing the little girl to yelp.
"Toph, leave her alone right now!" Aang said.
Lan began bawling hysterically. She latched onto Sokka when he came over to her. "I'm so sorry! I was scared she wouldn't let me come back!"
"What are you talking about, Lan?" Sokka asked.
Lan told the group everything. She held onto Sokka the whole time, having to take breaks to try and calm herself down. When she finished her story, she noticed for the first time that it was only the children that were present. "Where's everyone else? What happened?"
"We had to leave." Sokka finally said when no one else spoke up. "The adults are all still on the beach. We didn't stop the Fire Lord."
"It's okay." Lan said, hugging Sokka tightly. "We'll win another day. We'll get everyone back."
Sokka nodded. He looked at the rest of the group and nodded to them. Lan yelped as Aang, Toph, Katara, and Sokka all smacked her on the head.
"Don't you ever keep a secret like that from us again!" Sokka said firmly. "Do you understand me?"
Lan nodded quickly, rubbing her head. "I won't. I promise. So, where are we going?"
"Somewhere we can regroup and rest." Aang answered. "We're heading to the Western Air Temple."