Ryuu's POV:
"Well I can't really remember how it starts, but the punchline is 'leaf me alone, I'm bushed!'" As Zuko finished the joke, everyone went silent and stared at him. I could have sworn I heard crickets chirping in the background, but I didn't even know if the Avatarverse had crickets. "It's funnier when uncle tells is."
"Right." Katara muttered disbelievingly, rolling her eyes. She then gave a sly smile. "Maybe that's because he remembers the whole thing." Everyone immediately started laughing at this statement, and Zuko smiled slightly before he continued to pass the tea around to everyone. Zuko stopped by Shyanne, Kandace, and I, giving each of us a cup of tea.
I sipped a little. "It's not as good as Iroh's, but it's definitely improved." I commented after swallowed. Zuko nodded in thanks, then continued serving the others..
"It's nice to get a chance to relax a little. It hardly ever happens." Toph added cheerily as she also accepted some tea from Zuko.
"No kidding!" Kandace chimed in. "It seems that every time we get settled in to a place, The Fire Nation shows up and serves our butts to us on a silver platter."
"Hey, don't jinx it." Shyanne answered, nudging Kandace. I rolled my eyes. As I did so, I noticed Sokka and Zuko walking slowly away from where everyone else was sitting around the fire, talking to one another. This must be the episode The Boiling Rock. I wonder if my dad will be there? I got up and speed-walked after them.
"It's not good, Sokka." Zuko stated forlornly, shaking his head at Sokka.
Sokka opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when he noticed me listening. "I noticed you leaving the fire. What are you guys talking about?"
"Nothing." Sokka responded, looking away as if he didn't want me to know. I frowned.
"Ryuu is trustworthy, Sokka." Zuko motioned for me to join them, so I did. "Sokka asked me about where prisoners might have been taken after the invasion plan failed."
Of course I had already known this, but I acted interested. "Prisoners? Like… My father?" I questioned, hoping that he might be there as well. But if they singled Hakoda out as the leader, he probably won't be there… Right?
Sokka looked at me sympathetically. "My dad was captured too."
Zuko sighed begrudgingly, as if he didn't want to go on. However, he did anyway. "My guess is… They were taking to the Boiling Rock."
"What's that?" Sokka questioned earnestly.
I frowned. "An island in the middle of a dormant volcano. The magma tunnels underneath it superheat the water, so the lake surrounding the prison is boiling hot." At least, that's how I suspected it worked. No other explanations seemed to make any sense.
"It's inescapable." Zuko added sternly, as if sensing Sokka's eagerness to go. I nodded, as Zuko continued, "No one's ever escaped alive."
"So where is this place?" Sokka asked, a hard-core expression on his face.
I raised an eyebrow at him. "You're kidding right? You're planning to break your father out after everything we told you?"
"No, that's not it. I'm not planning anything!" Sokka retorted defensively. He waved his hand as if indicating for us to forget it, then mocked an aloof expression. "You guys are so paranoid."
"It's in the middle of a volcano between here and the Fire Nation." Zuko answered flatly, intensely scowling at Sokka. "You guys actually flew right past it on your way here."
"Thanks guys." Sokka responded, faking a yawn and stretch as he walked back towards the campsite. "Knowing just makes me feel better." Zuko and I watched him walk away.
"He's going to try to break his father out." Zuko announced as soon as Sokka was out of earshot.
"He's better at lying than you are, though." I admitted, shrugging. Zuko gave me a hard stare. "What? Remember what happened the last time you tried to lie your way out of a situation?"
"Whatever. We can't let Sokka go alone." I declared. Zuko nodded. The two of us walked quietly back towards the group.
Red's POV:
"And just where do you guys think you're going?" I demanded as I approached where Zuko, Sokka, and Ryuu were preparing to leave on their war balloon. Sokka jumped into the defensive position, holding out his boomerang towards me. Zuko nearly shot fire in my direction, but Ryuu stopped him before he could. The three of them looked at one another sheepily.
"Fishing trip."
"Man stuff."
"Training."
The three of them said the different answers at the same time, then gave one another exasperated, panicked expressions. Ryuu sighed. "We're going to a top secret Fire Nation prison to rescue Sokka's dad and my dad." He explained, knowing that I already knew the situation.
"Then I'm coming too." I answered, hopping in the war balloon. "If there's a chance that Jet was sent there, then there's no way you can stop me."
"She's right. Her and Jet are like two magnets. They just keep finding their way back to one another no matter how many times they get seperated." Sokka observed, shrugging. "Trying to keep them apart will just disrupt the laws of science."
Zuko's eyes widened. "Jet?" He gave me an incredulous look. "Tall, skinny, has a weed sticking out of his mouth?"
"He doesn't always have a weed sticking out of his mouth." I answered, rolling my eyes. I then nodded. "But yeah, that's a pretty accurate description of him. Have you met him before?"
"He tried to kill me while I was living in Ba Sing Se!" Zuko shot back defensively, obviously agitated.
I shrugged. "People change. After all, you did. Anyway, he's not the vengeful, hate-filled person he was back then." Zuko gave me a doubtful look. "If you want proof, my dad's the one who killed his parents and we're still dating, so he's obviously over that whole 'firebenders are evil' thing. You know, probably"
"Fine." Zuko stated, albeit very begrudgingly. "You can come. But if he is there and tries to kill me again, we're leaving him behind."
"No we're not." I snapped in response. "Under no circumstances whatsoever will we leave Jet behind. And trust me: he'll be there. He has a bad habit of trying to incite rebellion. No prison in the Fire Nation could hold him for long."
Ryuu's POV:
"There it is!" Zuko called out, awakening Sokka and I from our slumber. We all stood up and looked to see the volcano in the distance, steam billowing out of the top of it. "There's plenty of steam to keep us covered. As long as we're quiet, we should be able to navigate through it without being caught." He observed astutely as we neared the volcano. As soon as we entered the steam cloud, the balloon began to sink rapidly in altitude. After all efforts to keep the balloon up failed, it crashed onto the shore, though most of the noise from the crash was muffled by the sound of the boiling, bubbling lake.
"Nice going." Shyanne snapped snarkily, giving Sokka the stink eye. "Didn't you think about this beforehand Mr. Science-and-technology man?"
"We'll figure something out. I suspected it might be a one way ticket." Sokka admitted, staring at the war balloon's wreckage.
"And you decided to come anyway?" I demanded, staring at him dumbfoundedly. "And you let us come anyway without telling us?"
Sokka frowned, slightly guilty. "If I told you, you might not have let me come." He admitted as he began packing the war balloon together. "My dad might be here. I couldn't have let you jeopardize this opportunity."
"Uncle always said I never thought things through. But this…" Zuko shook his head as if he was trying to comprehend what Sokka was saying. "This is just crazy! And Ryuu is right. You should have told us."
Shyanne shrugged. "Eh. It's more fun this way." Zuko gave her an incredulous look as she began to help Sokka pack up the balloon. "Thinking in my feet is what I do best. Besides, the best prison breakout plans are born through spontaneity." Sokka and Shyanne both helped one another push she balloon into the steaming hot water.
"What are you doing?" Zuko demanded.
"Well the balloon's obviously getting us nowhere. It's completely wrecked. Might as well get rid of any evidence that we were here." I reasoned. Sokka and Shyanne finished the work and we all turned around to face the prison. Dark gray brick stacked as far as the eye could see, looming above us forebodingly.
"There's no turning back now." Zuko said as the four of us stared up at the structure.
Red's POV:
I stepped out of the female guard changing room just as Zuko, Sokka, and Ryuu stepped out of the male guard changing rooms. "I hope these disguises work." Zuko whispered.
"They'd probably work better if you didn't call them disguises out loud." I whispered, rolling my eyes. "Is this your first time infiltrating a prison?" Ryuu and Zuko both said no at the same time that Sokka said yes. "Well so far Sokka is acting like the more experienced of you three."
Ryuu opened his mouth to say something, but stopped as a bunch of guards raced past the hallway we were standing in. One of them stopped to look at us. "Guards! There's a scuffle in the yard. Come on!" We followed after him out into the prison yard, where Chit Sang was being harassed by one of the prison's guards.
"I didn't do anything. I'm going back to my cell." As Chit Sang turned to walk away, the guard created a fire whip and lashed it towards him, ordering him to stop. Chit Sang did so , frowning. Zuko moved forward as if wanting to help, but Sokka held him back. How is it that Sokka is more experienced at infiltrating a prison when Zuko secretly visited Iroh multiple times? I guess sneaking in to visit someone is different from sneaking in to break someone out. As the guard harassed Chit Sang, I scanned the crowds surrounding the fight. I didn't see Jet anywhere. That doesn't mean he's not here. "What did I do?"
"He wants to know what he did." The guard seemed incredibly amused by this and leaned over to Sokka, Zuko, Ryuu, and I. "Isn't that cute?" The guard turned back towards Chit Sang, but stopped when he heard Sokka gulp. He lifted up his helmet's eye plate and narrowed his eyes at Sokka scrutinizingly.
"Uh… Very cute sir." Zuko responded, drawing the guard's attention towards him.
"Adorable even!" Ryuu added.
"Super cute." Sokka agree, smiling.
The guard assumed a smug expression and walked back towards Chit Sang. "Seriously?" I whispered to them. "That was pretty bad acting."
"You didn't bow down when I walked by, Chit Sang." The guard chastised, much to Chit Sang's annoyance.
"What? That's not a prison rule!" He protested angrily.
"Do it!" The guard demanded harshly.
"Make me." Chit Sang retorted. The guard began to walk away, smiling, then suddenly turned and lashed a fire whip towards Chit Sang. I watched angrily as Chit Sang firebended to defend himself, and was then punished for it by the abusive guard. Sokka was called off to go with him.
"Meet back here in an hour." Sokka said, then followed the guard and Chit Sang out of the prison yard.
"Corrupt throne, corrupt prisons, corrupt authorities… Is there anything in the Fire Nation that isn't corrupt?" Ryuu inquired, a slight whine to his voice.
"No." Zuko answered flatly, but honestly.
"I asked around the lounge. There are no Water Tribe prisoners." Zuko announced as we met Sokka later that day in the center of the prison. Zuko lifted his eye plate as he gave Sokka a sympathetic look. "I'm afraid your father's not here."
Sokka's eyes widened in shock, and also in regret. "Are you sure, did you double check?" He insisted, worry entering his voice again.
Ryuu nodded solemnly. "We asked around as much as we could without seeming suspicious."
"No… No!" Sokka banged his fists and head against the wall. I turned my attention to looking at the crowds of prisoners gathered below.
"I'm really sorry, Sokka." Zuko murmured glumly. I continued intensely scanning the prison yard for a familiar face-specifically Jet's familiar face. I spotted Suki walking through the crowd of prisoners. But I already knew she would be here. Where's- I cut myself off as I watched Suki walk towards a group of other prisoners. I couldn't see the leader of the group since he had his back turned towards us, but as I stared my heart skipped a beat. His hair was certainly bushy enough to belong to Jet. Suki walked up behind the supposed leader and whispered something to him. As she did so, he turned his head slightly so I could see his face. It is Jet! He's here!
"So we came all this way for nothing?" Sokka shouted, anger and self-frustration seeping from every pore. "I failed… Again." Sokka fell back against the wall in exasperation.
"Hold that thought, Sokka." I announced, pointing out into the prison yard. Sokka woefully made his way to the railing and looked over the edge. As he did so, his eyes widened, forming little hearts.
"It's Suki!" He exclaimed. Geeze, I hope I didn't look like that when I saw Jet.
"And Jet!" I added.
"Hooray." Zuko muttered sarcastically.
"I guess my dad's not here after all…" Ryuu said. "But I'm happy for you two and your romance things."
"Prisoners back in your cells!" A voice sounded loudly over the prison as the bell started ringing. All the prisoners, including Jet and Suki, began to go back to their cells.
I looked around to make sure there were no guards watching as I slid open the door to Jet's cell, slipped inside, and closed the viewing port. I turned around to see that Jet was already on his feet and in a fighting stance.
"If you think you're here to rough me up, you've got another thing coming." He growled threateningly. I felt my heart melt a little at the sound of his voice. "I'll give you three seconds to get out of here before I make you regret coming in here."
"Trust me: you don't want to fight me." I told him with a coy smile. Jet's eyes narrowed and he dashed at me, preparing a fighting move that I knew all too well. As he jabbed his arm forward, I stepped out of the way, grabbed him by the arm, and spun him, pinning him to the wall. I was holding both of his arms now, with my foot on his back to press him into the wall and lock him in place.
Jet's eyes widened as he looked back at me. "Red?" I dropped out of the defensive position I was in, letting him go. As he faced me I removed my helmet and he hugged me. "I can't believe you're here."
"Well believe it." I demanded as I kissed him.
As soon as the kiss was over, Jet bombarded me with questions. "How did you get here? Are the others here too?"
"I can't answer all your questions now. It might be suspicious." I explained as I walked over to the viewport and peered out. Luckily, it seemed that there weren't any guards around at the time being. "We'll meet later."
"Where?" Jet inquired eagerly.
"The next time you're sent to a working station, try to work in the far left corner behind the staircase." I informed, then slipped out of Jet's cell. They really need to send more frequent patrols. How has no one escaped this prison yet?
Ryuu's POV:
Sokka, Shyanne and I walked down the staircase to see Zuko, Jet, and Shyanne mopping the floors in that particular corner of the room. The staircase served to shield us from the eyes and the ears of the other guards. It didn't seem like there were many guards in this place, and they all seemed to be conveniently preoccupied whenever we were planning anything. Again with the plot convenience. This show makes everything way too easy. Not that I'm complaining about the easy part.
"Great, you three have met." Sokka greeted as we approached the concealed corner. Suki, Jet, and Zuko turned to look, but continued mopping in order to seem inconspicuous.
"Actually, I met him a long time ago." Suki responded, giving Zuko a dirty look. She then turned her gaze on me with her eyes narrowed. "And he looks familiar."
"We did?" Zuko asked, his facial expression not changing.
"Uh… Yeah, dude. We burned down her village." I explained, awkwardly rubbing the back of my helmet. Jet shot me a dirty look and I felt a little awkward. "I had lightning-induced amnesia. I'm sure if I hadn't lost my memory, I wouldn't have burnt down your village."
Zuko paused slightly before responding. "Oh. Sorry about that. Nice to-"
"Enough pleasantries." Jet interjected, glaring at Zuko and I. His gaze then turned towards Shyanne. "What are they doing here?"
"They're not evil." Shyanne explained, rolling her eyes as if it was supposed to be obvious. "Zuko switched sides after the Day of Black Sun, and Ryuu was hiding out in the air temple after his secret informational letters were discovered by the Fire Nation. They're trustworthy."
"I'll decide if they're trustworthy or not." Jet shot back hotly, though he seemed to relax a bit after Shyanne's reassurance. Sokka, Shyanne and I stepped a bit further behind the staircase, making us completely hidden. Jet, Suki, and Zuko set their brooms against the wall and kneeled on the floor.
"Red, Ryuu, and I have been discussing possible escape plans, and we think we've found one that's pretty good." Sokka explained as the three of us kneeled and lifted up the eye plates on our masks. "I checked out the coolers again, and the whole point of them is to keep firebenders contained, right?"
"Yeah." Zuko responded, shrugging.
"Get to the point." Jet advised rushingly. "The faster you relay the plan, the less chance there is that someone will here you."
"Okay, okay… The point is, the coolers have to be insulated to keep the cold in-and the heat out." Sokka looked at each of the three prisoners to see if they got what he was saying. They just stared at him blankly. He sighed. "We can use a cooler as a boat to get across the boiling lake."
"We patrolled the perimeter this morning." Shyanne added. "There's a blind spot between two guard towers. We also tested the water's current. It'll take us right across the water, through the steam cover. As long as we're quiet, we can use the cooler to escape."
"Will it be big enough for all six of us?" Suki questioned, looking doubtful. Sokka, Shyanne, and I frowned and exchanged glances.
"We should be able to all squeeze in together, as long as no other prisoners find out about this escape plan and try to get in on it." I explained, hoping for plot convenience's sake that Chit Sang hadn't overheard our entire conversation.
"Then how do you plan on getting the cooler out?" Jet asked.
"Yeah, how are you going to get the cooler out?" Chit Sang's voice questioned quietly from above. We all looked up in shock to see him swing under the railing of the stairs, down into the corner where we were talking. "I heard the whole thing. And I want in."
"We don't even know you." Jet snarled, glaring at Chit Sang. "We don't know what you did to get into this prison. How do we know we can trust you?"
"You don't. But if you don't let me in on the escape plan, the warden will hear about this escape plan before it happens." Chit Sang threatened.
Shyanne pouted at him. "We don't have a choice then. You're in. But don't bring anyone else in on it, or we won't all fit in the cooler."
"Okay… You're in." Sokka announced, somewhat annoyed. "To get the cooler out, we'll need to have someone unbolt it from the inside." Sokka handed a wrench to Zuko, who took it and concealed it in his clothes.
"Oh, I can get you inside." Chit Sang announced, smiling deviously.
Red's POV:
"This here's my girl and my best buddy, they're coming too." Chit Sang announced as we rolled the cooler down the cliffside to see two extra people waiting by the shore.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "You didn't listen to what I said? I'm not even sure the seven of us will fit in here and you decide to go tell two extra people about our escape plan? Our escape plan?"
"We find a way to make it work, or i tell the Warden." Chit Sang replied, his hands on his hips.
Sokka seemed extremely aggravated by this unexpected turn. "Fine. Everybody in the cooler. Let's go." We moved the cooler until it faced the water vertically. We then walked over to the rock where our real clothes were hidden. Sokka and Ryuu sighed.
"Are you sure you want to go?" Zuko asked them. "You don't want to stay and rescue your dads?"
"Your dads?" Suki asked, walking forward and looking between us. I saw Jet looking at both Sokka and Ryuu with a sympathetic look. He's able to show sympathy for Ryuu. That's a step in the right direction.
"Are we going or not?" Chit Sang demanded from where he was holding the cooler, keeping it on shore to wait for us.
"No. I'm staying." Sokka decided, a look of determination on his face.
Ryuu nodded. "Me too. This could be my only chance to reunite with my father."
"You guys go." Sokka said to the rest of us. He walked up to Suki and put his hand on her shoulder. "You've been here long enough."
Suki put her hand on his. "I'm not leaving without you, Sokka."
"I'm staying too." Zuko announced, walking up behind Suki and smiling.
"You can count me in." I agreed, stepping up to join the circle.
"Where she goes, I go." Jet stated, taking the spot next to me.
At this, Sokka laughed. "Science! What did I tell you?" At the discovery that the rest of us were staying, Chit Sang jumped into the cooler and scooted off the bank, leaving the six of us standing on the gray shore. "We gave up our only chance of escaping. I hope we haven't just made a huge mistake."
Ryuu's POV:
As we were stealthily making our way back up towards the prison, we heard Chit Sang's shout and the alarm began to sound through the entire prison. We hurried up the prison wall as the harpoon began to real in the wayward cooler that Chit Sang and his friends had tried escaping in. The gondola stopped briefly, then began to move back towards the central point of the prison. From our position, we watched as the gondola stopped and one by one prisoners began to step out. I examined each of the prisoners. He's not here.
"You two! Get off the gondola!" A guard snapped aggressively. Two?
I watched as Hakoda and another man stepped off of the gondola. "That's him! That's my dad!"
I carefully looked around the hall to make sure there were no other guards nearby. Then, I turned to face the cell my dad was in. This is it… I took a deep breath and opened the door. He looks… Exactly like our dad in real life! But anime. And with a more water-tribe styled look. The only thing that was significantly different about him was his hair. He had long dreads pulled back in a ponytail with a blue band. There were two strands of hair on either side of his face tied together with white bands.
As I entered the room, he looked up at me, hostility in his eyes. "What do you want from me, firebender?"
I removed my helmet. "I just want to talk. It's me."
At this he tilted his head, studying me as if I were some long-forgotten friend and he was trying to figure out how we knew each other. Then, the realization suddenly hit him and he sprung to his feet, pulling me in to a hug. "Ryuu, I've missed you so much." He pulled away, putting his hands on my shoulders. "You've grown so much… I can't believe you're here." He froze, studying me with a pensive frown. "Why are you here?"
"I'm here to rescue you." I answered, smiling. He didn't smile back. "What is it?"
"You didn't have to come all this way just to rescue me." He responded, shaking his head. "You're risking your own freedom."
"But I have to make it up to you." I responded, not really thinking about what I was saying. Make what up? I didn't do anything wrong to him.
"Make it up to me?" He stares at me, dumbfounded. "Make what up?"
I didn't exactly know how to answer that question. "I… I did so many terrible things when I had amnesia. I forgot who you were, I forgot who Tikaani was." I sighed. "If I save you I can make it up to both of you."
"You don't need to make up for anything. You're my son and I love you." He answered, smiling warmly at me. He put his hand on my shoulder. "But I'm glad you're here. I'm glad you came for me. I haven't seen you in so long…"
Red's POV:
"A prison riot? Please." Chit Sang rolled his eyes as he walked out into the prison yard, grabbing a scrawny gray-haired man as he did so. "Hey!" Everyone turned to look at him as he lifted the man in the air. "Riot!" As soon as Chit Sang began lifting the man in the air, all the prisoners started shooting fire everywhere and going crazy.
I chuckled. "This reminds me of the time we broke into the Fire Nation prison in the Earth Kingdom to free Longshot and Smellerbee after they were captured." I told Jet as we watched the prisoners let loose.
"You and I remember that very differently." Jet retorted, giving me a weird look.
"Impressive." Hakoda stated as he observed. Darek nodded in agreement. As we were watching, Zuko eventually came running into the yard. "Zuko! Good, we're all here. Now all we need to do is grab the warden and get to the gondolas."
"How are we going to do that?" Ryuu questioned earnestly.
"Uh… I'm not sure." Sokka answered sheepishly. Almost as soon as it was out of Sokka's mouth, Jet and Suki began to run through the crowd of rioters (and by through I mean on top of), and masterfully scaled the vertical watchtower.
Zuko and Sokka were still arguing when Chit Sang interrupted, "Guys, I think it's being taken care of." By the time we caught up, the warden had already been apprehended and we were well on our way to the gondolas.
Ryuu's POV:
"Who are they?" Jet asked as he peered out the gondola, back towards the platform. I turned to see my crazy lightning-bending fake ex-girlfriend and Ti-Li watching the gondola leave. I flipped the eye plate on my helmet down over my eyes.
"Will they be a problem?" My dad questioned, also looking back.
"Yes, that is a very big problem!" I explained hurriedly, watching as Ti-Li ran up the cable connected to the gondola. Azula walked to the end of the platform, then blasted blue fire out of her hands and feet, launching herself towards the cable to attach a pair of handcuffs to it. She then propelled herself forward faster with her free hand and foot. Sokka, Zuko, Suki, Red and Jet climbed our way to the roof of the gondola to fend them off.
My dad held my arm as I was about to climb onto the roof as well. "It's already five on two." He informed, watching Azula and Ti-Li come closer from the gondola window. "Do they really need you out there?"
"This is Azula, the Princess of the Fire Nation, and Ti-Li, her chi-blocking friend. Together, they're incredibly powerful. And Mai might also be around. They need me." I explained, my dad loosening his grip and nodding in understanding. I climbed onto the roof and prepared myself in a fighting stance just as Azula and Ti-Li reached the gondola. Red, Jet, and Suki faced Ti-Li, while Sokka, Zuko, and I faced off against Azula.
As soon as Azula landed, she glared at me, her eyes burning with rage. She attempted to make herself look composed, but I could still tell she was somewhat unsettled. "Ryuu, why don't you take that silly thing off so we can have a sophisticated conversation? Face-to-face." I took my helmet off and tossed it to the side. It clanked against the edge of the gondola, then bounced off into the boiling water below. "Better." With a swift kick of her foot, Azula swept a streak of blue flames towards the three of us, which Zuko and I combated with our own flaming kicks.
"CUT THE LINE!" The warden suddenly shouted, leaning out the window of the gondola as he did so. Chit Sang grabbed him, covering his mouth again, but it was too late. The gondola began slowing drastically, then lurched to a sudden halt, shaking those of us who were still battling on its roof.
"They're about to cut the line!" Ti-Li shouted from her spot attop the gondola.
"Then it's time to leave. I suppose we'll have to continue this conversation another time, Ryuu." As another gondola came down towards ours from the other side, Azula and Ti-Li jumped aboard. "Goodbye Zuko."
However, as the guards were cutting the line, Mai showed up, defeating all the guards and freeing the gondola so the cables could move again. Sokka peered out of the gondola. "Who's that?"
Zuko's eyes widened. "It's Mai!" Zuko's voice sang with adoration as he watched her. I raised an eyebrow at him. He better not break my sister's heart. Otherwise, I'll have to break him.
Tikaani's POV:
"Uh… So you guys went on a fishing trip… And caught a Fire Nation war blimp?" I questioned as Ryuu, Red, Sokka, and Zuko walked out of the blimp. "Seriously, it's a wonder we didn't attack you on the way in."
"What happened to the war balloon?" Katara demanded.
"It kind of got destroyed." Zuko admitted, shrugging and smiling. Still can't get over how cute that smile is.
"Sounds like a crazy fishing trip." Aang responded, the expression on his face practically begging for a story.
"Oh, we didn't really go fishing." Ryuu admitted, shrugging nonchalantly. "We just broke into a high-security Fire Nation prison and freed a bunch of people from tyranny and oppression. No biggie." At this, Suki, Jet, Hakoda, my dad, and Chit Sang all walked out of the war blimp.
I gasped in complete shock, then ran forward to give him and Ryuu a big hug. "Tikaani!" He cried, joy and excitement in his voice. He hugged both of us and we hugged him back. "Finally… We're all together again."
Note- I am considering whether or not to skip the episodes "The Southern Raiders" and "The Ember Island" players. If I do skip these episodes, I will likely give summaries of what my characters did during these episodes, as well as writing out parts of the episodes that are important to certain characters, or parts that would be funny (at least to me). However, if you want these chapters fully written out (it will take longer to get to Sozin's Comet this way) I will write them out fully. Please tell me whether you want the full episodes, or just parts of these episodes written out. Thank you.
