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Assault

Sado's eyes snapped open as an explosion went off above them. He flipped to his feet, the dragon bird landing on his shoulder a moment later. He pulled his jian on, grabbing his hilt with his free hand, then looked out past the doors to see three massive war balloons. A moment after he saw them, Aang flipped through the doors, using his airbending to slam them closed, blocking several explosions. Suddenly, the roof began to collapse over Katara.

"Look out!" Zuko shouted, tackling her out of the way.

"What are you doing!?" Katara demanded.

"Keeping rocks from crushing you!" Zuko said.

"Okay, I'm not crushed, now get off me!" Katara snapped, pushing him off and standing, walking over to Aang.

"I'll take that as a thank you," Zuko said.

Just then, Toph and Haru formed a tunnel large enough for everyone to get through, including Appa, though Appa was reluctant.

"Come on, we can get out through here!" Toph shouted.

As most of them began to run into the tunnel, Zuko turned toward the crumbling shutters.

"What are you doing!?" Aang asked.

"I'll hold them off!" Zuko said. "I think this is a family visit."

"Just go Aang!" Sado shouted. "You want your swords for this?"

"Take them!" Zuko said.

"You'd better catch up!" Sado shouted as Zuko flipped over the remains of the shutters

Sado grabbed Zuko's broadswords and turned to the tunnel, only to see Appa wouldn't budge toward the tunnel. Sado ran over to help just as the ceiling began to collapse, Toph forming a massive dome around the entrance to stop it.

"I can't get Appa to go in there!" Aang said.

"Aang, there's no way we can fly out of here!" Katara said.

"We'll have to find a way," Aang said.

"I can cover us while we fly, but Appa can't fly fast enough with everyone."

"We'll have to split up!" Sokka said. "Take the tunnel to the stolen airship!"

"No!" Katara said. "The Fire Nation can't split up our family again!"

"It'll be okay Katara," Hakoda said. "Now go!"

Toph and Suki ran over, opting to try to fly, but the others all took the tunnel, leaving quickly. Everyone else climbed on Appa after Toph had decided the best place to exit through. Sado braced himself, preparing himself to fight, choosing to go with normal flames since they needed less energy.

"I can clear this out of the way and we can get out through there," Toph said.

"Um, there's an awful lot of fire in that general direction," Toph said.

"That's why I'm here," Sado said. "Toph, do some damage."

Toph nodded and launched the debris, most of it crashing into the airships but Toph keeping a shield of it in front of Appa, the stone blocking a pair of blue fire blasts before toph let it fall away, hurling the stones back at Azula's air ship. Sado readied himself for a response, but before Azula could attack, another war balloon rose from below the clouds, Zuko standing on it before sprinting forward and leaping at Azula, beginning to fight her. Sado looked back forward as firebenders suddenly lined the lower platform of the other balloons, beginning to fire at them rapidly, Sado working to block everything, as he had done for the tanks and troops during the invasion. However, after several moments, all of them fired at once and Aang pulled up, Appa shooting straight up into the air, Sado clinging to the saddle, his free hand holding Toph's as she hadn't grabbed on in time. Then, Appa rolled and turned, flying back down just as an explosion went off on top of the airship Zuko and Azula had been fighting on. They flew down under it, Katara catching Zuko's hand and pulling him into the saddle before they took off again. Zuko looked back, seeing Azula falling still.

"She's...not gonna make it," Zuko said.

Then, she launched a fireball out of her feet, flipping and landing on the side of the cliff, skidding to a stop.

"Of course she did," Zuko grumbled.

"That's Azula for you," Sado said, handing Zuko his swords. "She always survives."

Zuko sighed, nodding. They flew for hours before finding a place with rocks jutting up everywhere from the grass and landed. They set up camp and Sado started them a fire before they all sat around it, sighing.

"Wow, camping," Aang smiled. "Really feels like old times, doesn't it?"

"If you really want it to feel like old times, I could...chase you around a bit and try to capture you," Zuko offered, everyone but Katara laughing.

"You know, I don't think Toph ever really got to experience one of those," Sado said.

"Did you?" Sokka asked.

"Well, there was the North Pole," Sado said. "Actually, that was me and Zuko against Zhao. Hm. I was there when you guys met Bato."

"Oh yeah," Sado said. "I forgot about that one. There was that chick with the animal, right?"

"A shirshu," Sado said. "Yeah."

"And in the end, me and her got paralyzed by it," Zuko said. "And since she landed on Uncle, he pretended he got his so he could pretend they were cuddling."

Again, everyone but Katara laughed.

"Hah hah," Katara said.

"To Zuko," Sokka said, holding up a cup of tea. "Who knew that after all those time of trying to snuff us out, today he'd be our hero."

"Here here," everyone but Katara toasted.

"I'm touched," Zuko said. "I don't deserve this."

"Yeah, no kidding," Katara said flatly, standing and walking away.

"What's with her?" Sokka asked.

"I wish I knew," Zuko said, following her.

"If I had to guess, it's that he was trying to capture Aang for so long," Sado said. "Or, maybe she had some feeling for him when he made her sympathize with him before he attacked us at Ba Sing Se."

"I doubt it," Aang said.

"So do I," Sado said. "Like I said, probably because it was you he was after."

Aang blushed slightly. "So, Toph, did you ever find out what Sado was so worried about at the prison?"

Toph accidentally inhaled some of her tea and began to cough for a moment before clearing her throat. "Uh, it was nothing. He just didn't want me deciding I liked it there too much."

Aang stared at her suspiciously before nodding. "If you say so. Anyway, I'm going to head to bed."

"Actually, you're going to go and work on your firebending," Sado said, sipping his tea.

"What?" Aang asked. "But it's the middle of the night!"

"Alright," Sado said. "Make a fireball."

Aang held his hand out, a fireball bursting to life instantly.

"Good," Sado said. "Now go a hundred meters away from camp, and stand in your beginning stance while keeping it at that exact heat and size."

Aang groaned. "How long?"

"I'll come and get you," Sado said.

Aang turned, walking away from camp with his fireball before beginning. Sado drank the rest of his tea and picked up his bowl, beginning to eat his rice just as Sokka stood.

"Well, I think I'm going to head to bed too," Sokka said, winking at Suki. "Good night."

"If you wake me up, I'm burning the tent down before you have a chance to stop whatever you wake me up doing," Sado warned.

Both turned crimson instantly denying that they'd be doing anything before Sokka quickly walked away. Sado finished his rice and stood, walking over to Aang.

"You can stop," Sado said, Aang sighing and letting the fireball go out, standing up straight. "Think fast."

He threw a punch at Aang, flames surround his fist, only for a blast of air to slam into him, hurling him away. He bounced off the ground before landing on his feet and skidding to a stop.

"Good reaction time," Sado said. "But I meant as a firebender."

"Sorry," Aang said. "Force of habit."

Sado dusted himself off and took a basic stance. "Attack me."

Aang nodded, beginning to attack him rapidly, sending fire blasts at him much faster than Sado expected, though still slowly for an experienced firebender. Sado dispersed them all easily, walking forward as he did. Then, finally, As Aang moved to use a high kick for a blast, Sado caught his ankle.

"Too slow," Sado said. "Besides that, if you can do faster techniques, or more practiced ones and still hurl fireballs, do it. Don't stick to the specific attacks I've taught you in a real fight if you have something better. If you're just practicing technique, then yes, use what Zuko and I have taught you. But if using airbending movements while throwing fire is easier or more effective, do that."

"Is that a thing?" Aang asked.

"I would assume so," Sado said. "All bending is is martial arts with fire, air, water, or rocks flying at your enemy while you're doing random poses or strikes."

"Huh...I guess it is," Aang said. "Fair enough."

Sado nodded. "You can go to bed now."

Aang nodded, speeding away into his tent and Sado walked to his and Toph's stone tent. She was already laying on her bed roll and he smiled, dropping onto his.

"You missed it," Toph said.

"What?" Sado asked.

"Zuko went to talk to Sokka at the same time as Suki was going to see him, so Suki left and Sokka thought Zuko was her," Toph said.

Sado snorted in amusement. "I bet the look on Zuko's face was priceless."

Toph laughed for a moment before cuddling up next to Sado.


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