KeyStar11: Indeed…battle shtuffs. Yeah, Ed is just so adorable!

A Mysterious Illusion: Hello, my faithful reviewer! Well, I considered your speech idea, and well…you'll see. Yeah, that punch seemed like a perfect way to end that chapter, given the circumstances.

Fangirl2013: Thanks for the review. Well, I've continued writing….

And here's your update! A day early!

Failure is an Option

Ed was helping Sokka set up his maps in preparation for the invasion meeting. It was a bright morning, and everyone was well rested and getting along. The day was finally here! Ed could help save this country, and he would at last be able to find a way home. He would see Al and everyone else very soon, and he would have a wonderful story to tell.

Katara and Ed both looked out into the vast sea, and noticed a large cloud of fog forming. Would it delay the invasion boats? No, they had to come; stupid fog wasn't going to stop anyone from saving the world.

"Oh no," Katara turned to her older brother. "Is the fog going to delay the invasion?" Sokka squinted his eyes and grinned.

"No, that is the invasion." Ed cocked his head slightly and wondered what Sokka meant. Maybe there were benders like Katara on the boats changing the state of the water. It actually wasn't a bad plan, and when Ed asked out loud about the bending and the fog, Sokka beamed with pride.

"Yep. It was my idea!" Ed couldn't believe it was only a few days ago when he thought Sokka was an absolute moron, and now, he was following him on a very important mission, one that could determine the fate of the world.

"So, who's all in the invasion?" Sokka counted his fingers as he listed off people in his head.

"Friends and allies we've met." Sokka spoke nervously and scratched his head. Ed knew he had to make a speech in front of all those people, who turned out to be people they knew.

"Sokka, you're going to be fine." Ed said reassuringly, and he quickly clapped his hands and pulled a spear out of the ground. He swiped at Sokka, who quickly deflected with his drawn sword. They sparred for only a little bit; they stopped because the sword eventually cut the spear in half.

"What was that for?" Sokka raised an eyebrow, but he didn't sound mad, it was curiosity.

"Words aren't going to win this war, your reflexes are. Stay sharp." Ed patted Sokka's shoulder once and turned his gaze to the oncoming boats. They still weren't going to arrive for awhile. Ed turned to look at his friends, but something looked different about them.

Toph was wearing green and yellow clothes, Katara and Sokka were wearing blue, and Aang was wearing yellow and orange. Did these people really separate themselves by the colors they wore? That seemed ridiculous, as it would be a dead giveaway to ones nationality. Then Ed realized he was still wearing his disguise clothes, but his regular clothes were still Fire Nation red.

He grabbed his bag and changed into his black pants and tank top, then slipped his beloved boots on. Ed decided the folded bandana could stay wrapped around his forehead, since he wasn't wearing his coat and the bandana had the flamel symbol on it. Satisfied with his look, Ed came from around Appa and joined up with his friends.

Aang held a razor blade in his and brought it up to his head. What was he doing? The boy started to shave off his hair, which revealed his strange arrow even more.

"What are you doing?" Ed inquired.

"Preparing. I'm ready to face the Fire Lord now."

"…By shaving your head? Is that a…custom for you people?"

"I'm a monk." Aang answered cheerfully like that explained everything. Ed decided he should finish getting ready, so he walked to the water and dipped his pony tail in. With a quick clap, his muddy brown hair turned back into its original golden color. He took out the tie, and braided his hair.

Before they knew it, the ships landed and tied off on the boardwalks Toph had made. Ed almost felt seasick when he looked at the blue-sailed ships. He had never been on a large boat at sea before, but how different could it be from a train? It couldn't be that bad. People with a mixture of blue and green clothes started to get off the boat and sat down in front of the invasion maps.

"You made it, Dad!" Katara yelled. Dad? Sokka said his dad had left him. Ed zipped his head and saw a burly man adorned with water tribe fastenings. So, this was Sokka and Katara's father?

Ed stormed to the man before anyone could protest. Out of nowhere, Ed slugged the man square between his eyes.

"You bastard!" Ed fumed and his eye twitched slightly.

"Ed!" Sokka and Katara yelled at the same time.

"What are you?" The man looked up at Ed with a little bit of fright in his eyes.

"You mean, who are you? I'm human, you bastard. I should-" Ed stopped when he felt someone grab his left arm.

"Ed, that's our dad! Why'd you do that?" Sokka asked while Katara helped her father get up and healed the broken nose Ed had given him.

"You said he ran out on you, so I gave him some justice." Ed glared harshly at the man.

"I never said he ran off. He left so he could fight in the war." Oh. Ed face palmed and reconsidered the man he just punched. He then extended his left arm.

"My name is Ed." The man cautiously looked at his attacker and grabbed Ed's elbow; what the hell was he doing?

"Hakoda." Ed decided to grip Hakoda's elbow in return. The had strange ways of shaking hands. At least the fire people bowed, which Ed knew how to do. Hakoda released his grip and glanced at the boy in front of him.

"Ed. That's a strange name. Where are you from?" Geeze, didn't the old man trust him?

"Not from anywhere nearby."

"When we met him, he didn't know what bending was, or the Avatar. He thinks our animals are strange. He went crazy for awhile when he was adjusting." Katara explained to her dad while Ed scowled.

"I thought we agreed to not mention that again. There was nothing wrong with me…" Ed growled.

"You were insane." Sokka confirmed and rested a hand on Ed's shoulder.

"Are you sure he's not a spy?" Ed rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at the man who was distastefully glaring at him. Sokka chuckled at his father's question.

"No, he's on the top of the Fire Nation's wanted list. They think he's some sort of spirit."

"Are you?" Hakoda turned his head slightly and stared at Ed's hair.

"No! There is nothing wrong with my hair!" Ed could tell people were staring at him. Was everyone here an idiot? Blond hair wasn't that strange…

"Great, now that we all like each other, can we get along with the invasion?" Sokka said while he stood between his dad and Ed. "And did you find everyone I asked for?"

"Yes, but I'm a bit worried. Some of these men don't seem like the warrior type." Ed frowned, not sure if he liked his friends' father. Who was he to judge someone based on appearances? Of course, Ed knew Hakoda was talking about the strange half-naked people who were wearing only leaves. Despite their looks, these people could be vital to winning.

The leaf people were currently babbling about a rock, like they had never seen one in their life.

"I just wish they'd wear pants." Another man stood next to Hakoda, and Ed completely agreed with the stranger.

"Pants are an illusion, and so is death." One of the leaf people said dreamily, while itching his belly. What the hell? Death is an illusion? No, it most certainly was not. Death was very real. Ed decided he didn't like the seemingly harmless leaf men.

"So, Ed?" Hakoda strained his name, and managed to mispronounce it. Seriously?! His name had two freaking letters! "Are you a bender?"

"No."

"So, you're a warrior?" Visions of Xingese martial artists filled his mind when he thought of the word 'warrior', and he chuckled quietly to himself.

"No. I'm an alchemist."

"…What?" Hakoda and the man next to him both asked, and they looked confused. Ed clapped his hands and transmuted his signature blade onto his arm. The men gasped and stared at the blade with wide eyes.

"How did you do that?"

"No, Dad, don't get him started. He'll start rambling on about circles." Sokka smirked.

"But…is that some sort of Fire Nation weapon?" Ed could see now where Sokka inherited his traits from. He reached into a bag and grabbed a poster of himself to show to Hakoda.

The man curiously grabbed it and read it over. "You broke out of prison?"

"Twice, actually."

"You're keeping a wanted poster of yourself?" Sokka questioned.

"Who cares? Now, are we going to stand here all day, or get going?" Ed gestured to the maps, and Sokka hurriedly ran to the pavilion, tripping several times. Ed kept the poster so he could show it off to everyone back home. Being a number one fugitive was awesome! …Right?

"Good morning, everyone!" Sokka stumbled on the stage and dropped all of his scrolls. Ed groaned; this was going to take forever. "Umm…so, as you know, today, we're invading the Fire Nation!" Well, no duh… "I mean I know you know that because otherwise, why would you be here?" Sokka laughed nervously. Way to play it smooth, Ed thought to himself. "Uh, anyway, the Fire Nation palace is here…no here…" Sokka continued to flip the scrolls like a madman until he found the right map. "There's gonna be an eclipse today and Aang's gonna fight the Fire Lord and the firebenders won't have any fire to use, so that's good for us!" Sokka was not good at speeches, but Ed himself had never given a speech. He didn't have time for fancy words, he just liked to directly get into the action.

"Umm…I'm sorry, let me start from the beginning…" Sokka started to ramble so fast, Ed couldn't understand a word he said. He could've sworn he heard something about Aang being trapped in ice.

"Wow, when he said from the beginning, he meant it." Katara whispered.

"Aang was trapped in ice? What?" Ed asked, figuring he heard Sokka incorrectly.

"Yep. He was trapped in there for a hundred years."

"What?!" The people who were in earshot looked at Ed because of his outburst. When he spoke again, he softened his tone. "How is that possible? He should be dead…"

"He was in the Avatar state."

"You should know by now I have no idea what you are talking about."

"The Avatar's spirit kept him alive. It was our destiny to find him…" Katara stopped, briefly remembering the conversation from the other night.

"Destiny shmestiny. It was luck." Was it? What if this destiny thing was real? No, it couldn't be, that was ridiculous!

"Haru has a moustache now…" Ed could hear Sokka say, and Hakoda started to get up to stop his son. Ed ran in front of Sokka's father and tapped the rambling boy.

"Good job, but I think you need to cool off. I'll take it from here." Sokka lowered his head and hid behind his sister. Ed faced the crowd; all eyes were locked on him.

"Uh…hi…um…" Ed was frozen on the spot. Those damned people kept gawking at him like he was a zoo animal! Of course, he wasn't hiding his automail arm, and his hair was unnatural to their eyes. "…Thanks for…coming…can't wait to kick ass…" Ed laughed nervously and watched as everyone stared at him and began to whisper amongst themselves. Ed panicked and clapped, which resulted with a large transmuted wall. Those prying eyes were no longer on him, and Sokka sarcastically gave Ed a thumbs up.

He rushed off the stage and also hid behind Katara, with his hand on his chest. The brave Edward Elric had weaknesses, after all. The mighty Fullmetal Alchemist couldn't even deliver a simple public speech. How humiliating…

Hakoda took the stage and confidentially spoke. Ed tuned out the man, only catching a few words, like the eclipse lasting eight minutes and such. Sokka and Ed both snuck away from the people and sat on large boulders that overlooked the ocean. They didn't say a word to each other, both ashamed of their stumbling. There was a loud cheer from the gathered crowd, and Ed knew they should get going. He stood up, and offered a hand to Sokka.

"I messed up." Sokka said glumly after Ed helped him up.

"So did I; nobody is good at public speaking, I guess." Ed gave the depressed boy a reassuring smile.

"My dad is! He explained the plan perfectly and inspired everyone, like a real leader should."

"Do you want me to belt him again?" Ed asked innocently, with a sly smirk.

"No! Why don't you like him? He just inspired all of those warriors."

"Bad habits." He shrugged his shoulders. "Like I said earlier, those are just fancy words. What's going to matter is how you act during battle. You'll do great."

"You seem too confident. How do you know I'm going to do great?"

"Hey, you beat and captured me." Ed grimaced slightly at the memory. "That's pretty damn impressive."

"You were missing an arm and a leg; plus, you weren't all there in the head."

"Still, that's impressive. Now, come on, or the boats will leave without us." Sokka nodded and the two boarded a ship.

The ride wasn't as bad as Ed had been anticipating, but he stayed near the edge, just in case. The fog that entwined around them only made it more disorienting.

"There they are. The Great Gates of Azulon." Hakoda spoke while Ed strained his eyes to see the large statues that jutted out of the water. He thought it was strange there were no patrolling boats on the water, with it being the day the fire weirdoes were at their most vulnerable. Then, Ed quickly realized the fire people had defenses.

A loud ear-piercing alarm sounded, and there was a faint groaning noise. A large net rose from the water, and burst into the flame. Ed didn't see how the rope could spontaneously combust if it had been submerged. Nothing made sense here. The whir of motors was becoming louder, and someone spotted boats.

"Everyone below deck!" Hakoda shouted, then turned to his son and spoke confidently, "Let's hope your invention works." Sokka invented something? Oh, dear. They scrambled below deck and packed themselves into a large, what Ed presumed, submarine. The sub departed from the boat and joined with the other underwater vessels.

Hakoda placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "You've really outdone yourself this time, son." Sokka beamed, and Ed made a weird gagging noise. Maybe If Sokka's father were around more, he'd see Sokka was a bright individual. But at least his friend was being praised by his dad. Hohenheim didn't give a damn about Ed or Al. The last time Ed had seen the bastard was when they were at his mother's grave. Oh, how he wanted to punch the slime ball at the time, but he did have some decency to not disrespect his mom.

The subs resurfaced to replenish their air supplies. Aang and Katara were above talking, but it was seriously time to go; they didn't have all day! Ed climbed through the porthole and froze when he saw Aang kiss Katara, then flew away on a blue contraption. The kid could fly?! Then another thought hit him; Winry.

Ed tried to banish the thought. He hadn't fallen for that automail freak! No, she was just a friend!

"Ed! Katara! What are you doing? It's time to submerge." Sokka said while snapping his fingers. Katara nodded and went under the water with Appa. Ed's flushed face returned to normal, and he shut the porthole. He couldn't wait to see Winry again…and Al! Definitely Al.

"Everyone in position. Earthbenders, into your tanks. This is gonna be a rough ride." The green-clad people rushed into a large 'tank', which Ed didn't think resembled a tank at all. It looked more like a large, bone crushing caterpillar. Ed looked around, not so sure what to do. There were yelling about readying torpedoes, then loud underwater explosions trembled the subs.

"Sokka, what should I do?"

"Stay with us. I want you fighting by me." It was almost hard to take Sokka seriously with the ridiculous head mask, but Ed felt touched. Sokka trusted him enough to stay and fight by his side.

The submarines were beached on land, and the warriors and tanks poured out of them. Missiles struck the area immediately, and Ed clapped, which created a large wall to stop the bombs until everyone was safely out. He could hear the awed voices from the earth benders in the tank-erpillar.

Behind them, a large kelp monster rose out of the sea, so Ed prepared to attack the unnatural thing.

"Hey, Huu! Where you been?" One of the leaf men yelled. The kelp opened up to reveal yet another leaf man inside.

"Communin' with nature. Takes a while to collect this much seaweed." It was the same crazy bastard who said death was an illusion. Ed shook his head with disgust and redirected his attention the battlefield. The earth controlling people were already out fighting, so Ed motioned Sokka to follow.

"Come on! Stop staring at the seaweed freak…" The rest of the blue-clad warriors charged and attacked the fire freaks. Large freaky creatures with horns stampeded, and with them, they carried plenty of enemies. Ed figured a lumbering animal couldn't turn fast, so he transmuted walls to stop them. It proved to be effective, and the beasts slammed into the walls, sending their riders into the air and harshly to the ground. He almost attacked another one, but he noticed Sokka and his father were riding on it, so he hesitated.

The battlements on the top of the cliff were causing problems, and the most damage. Katara was taking Sokka and Hakoda to the top to destroy the problem, so Ed went to the opposite cliff wall and transmuted the rock into a fragile substance. The cliff buckled and the battlement on top fell to the bottom of the valley with the avalanche. Satisfied with the result, Ed rushed to the next one and repeated the process.

Ed was suddenly aware of a object lashing out at him. A spear had just swiped at him, and if it hadn't been his automail, his arm would've been history. He lashed out at the soldier and kicked the man to the ground. The spear was made out of metal, and Ed transmuted it into a club. He had been stupid and rushed into battle without a weapon. Sure, he could easily transmute a blade onto his arm, but he still liked to have a weapon not attached him so it wouldn't matter if it broke. There was no Winry here to fix his automail if something happened to it.

Without meaning to, Ed wondered what Winry was up to, then he slapped himself. He was in the middle of a battle! These people needed him to fight, not daydream about his friend.

The club proved to be a worthwhile weapon, as one or two strikes usually brought the soldiers down. After he downed each enemy, he transmuted shackles around their feet and hands so they could do no harm. It took time, but he was not going to kill anyone, especially for a foreign country's cause.

Battlements on both sides were taken care of, so it was much easier on the invasion to fight their way through the enemy. Ed could see Appa flying down from his peripheral vision and he saw Sokka yelling to the troops, but he was too far away to hear the words. The soldier Ed was fighting took advantage of the distracted alchemist and swiped the club out of his hand. Reflexes kicked in and Ed transmuted a short blade onto his arm. The soldier looked terrified, but he held his ground.

"Spirits! They've got spirits on their side!" The man yelled to his comrades. Ed rolled his eyes and slashed the sword out of the man's hand. He was getting real sick of everybody thinking he was some sort of demon, but it was slightly helpful in this situation, since many of the soldiers hesitated to attack.

Ed tried his best to make sure he only destroyed the weapons and captured the fallen quickly. He left harmless wounds on the soldiers, but he was becoming slowly trapped. The Fire Nation knew Ed, or the Golden Haired Spirit as they kept yelling, was a great threat that must be taken care of. One of the soldiers ran to Ed, who he saw coming from the corner of his eye. He raised his arm, but he miscalculated.

The man crumpled to the ground and held his bleeding stomach. Ed had accidentally punctured the soldier's guts. Horrified, Ed looked around, not knowing what to do. The man was innocent; sure, he was fighting for the wrong side, but it wasn't his fault. He was fighting to protect his country…and his family. Ed gulped. What if he had a wife and children waiting for him?

"Katara!" Ed shrieked, even though he knew she was too far away to hear his desperate cries. She could, no, had to heal the man he mortally wounded. "Help!" Then, a searing pain hit him in the back of his right leg. Ed plummeted to the ground and bit his cheek to hold in his scream. He could taste blood, and his leg felt like it was on fire. He whipped his head around, and his heart seemed to skip a beat. His leg was on fire.

The fire quickly died away, but the pain did not. He turned his head and helplessly looked at the man who was slowly bleeding out beside him. Ed struggled to get back on his feet, and he prepared to clap, only to be struck with not one, but two fire blasts. One hit his flesh arm, and the other hit him in the same spot as the first one.

Ed fell to his hands and knees, shaken. Then, he fell to his side, and got one last look at the soldier, as well as the feet of many others surrounding him. There was no more movement in the soldier's chest, and the blood was so dark, it was nearly black.

"…No…" Ed croaked. Someone came behind Ed and unkindly pinned both arms behind his back, and tied them together. There was no way he could clap his hands, so he resorted to his last option. He flailed his right leg pathetically around, but his legs were quickly tied together, and they hadn't been mindful of his fresh wounds. He hollered with all his might for anyone to come and help but the invasion force was too far ahead for anybody to hear his pleas.

Ed was thrown onto one of the beasts, and trapped in between two soldiers. They hurriedly took a small path that went well around the invasion, and they headed into the seemingly deserted city. They reached a tall stone building, and Ed was slumped on one of the men's shoulders. There was a clanging of keys, and the injured alchemist was taken inside the building, which turned out to be a prison.

The prison was dark, but some light seeped through the tiny barred windows. Ed was tossed into a cell without care, and the barred door slammed behind him.

"Without this spirit's help, we can defeat the invasion." One of the soldiers said, then spat in Ed's face, then they both rushed out. Ed couldn't wipe the spit off of his nose with his hands, so he desperately rubbed his face against the stone floor.

Some of it came off, but the loogie was the least of his problems. The ropes were chaffing horribly against his burns, and all he could do about it was moan.

"Help! Anybody! Please!" Ed bellowed, even though he knew no one would answer. Aang was busy in the palace, and his other friends were busy fighting outside the city's walls. They probably didn't even realize he was missing yet.

"My friends need me! My brother needs me! Help! …It hurts, somebody…save me." Ed's yelling reduced to whispers as his throat became dry. His hair, that had long fallen out of its braid, clung to his sweaty face and neck. It was going to be okay, once the invasion won, he would be saved. He wouldn't have to be in excruciating pain for much longer.

Then Ed remembered the whole city had been deserted. The people were gone, so the leader would be as well. Aang wouldn't be able to find the leader because he wasn't here. Ed panicked and tried to move. Pain shot through him, so he stopped struggling. What was he going to do? What were these people going to do with him?

The sky suddenly went dark, and Ed could barely see. The eclipse was finally starting, and Ed wasn't out there to support his friends. There were several loud crashes and bangs from within the prison, and the sound of footsteps filled the dank hall.

An old jacked man came running down the corridor, and past Ed's cell. He stopped, and backed up to look at the strange boy. Ed goggled at the geezer, noticing how buff he was. He almost reminded Ed of what an old Armstrong would look like. The man suddenly broke down the door and knelt next to Ed.

His eyes were amber, just like most of the other fire freaks, so Ed was mortified and tried to squirm away, only causing more pain.

"It's okay, I'm a friend." The man had a kind raspy voice, and he gently untied the binds. Ed sat up and tried to stand, but he felt too weak. How pathetic…

"Try not to move." Carefully, the man picked Ed up with one arm and carried him like a baby. "Where are you from?" The man took Ed outside, and the sun was completely engulfed by the moon.

"…Invasion…" Ed's voice was now very hoarse from his useless shouting. The man nodded and smiled. Quite unexpectedly, the image of the man Ed stabbed invaded his mind. No, now was not the time. But, he was a killer now, and this kind man was saving him. He didn't deserve this kindness…

"Please, put me back." The man stared at Ed with shock.

"What? Why?"

"I…I k-killed him. He's dead. A-all my fault." Ed looked at his still transmuted blade and saw the blood that was encrusted on it.

"You're going to be fine." The man patted the distraught boy's head. "I'm sure it wasn't your fault. Now, we need to find your friends." The man readjusted Ed so he was carrying him with both arms, and he quickly, but carefully, rushed towards the warriors.

The man was careful, as it seemed like he didn't want to be seen by either side of the soldiers and warriors. He rushed to the beach and caught up with the invasion, and got the attention of a person in the back of the group.

"Who're you? Ed?" The warrior in blue asked, but Ed did not recognize who it was.

"This child is hurt, make sure he is healed right away." The man delicately put Ed in the warrior's arms, and quickly vanished. The warrior ran to Appa, yelling at the others to get out of the way.

"Ed!" Came the cry from multiple people. He was gently placed into Appa's saddle, and he positioned himself on his side.

"I'll miss you, Pipsqueak." Ed vaguely heard from a small boy.

"…I'm not dead yet, and don' call me short…" Ed growled, with still not enough energy to yell. He realized the voice wasn't aimed at him, but a large guy standing next to Appa. Why did everyone look so sad? They must've lost, and now, it was time to part ways. Ed couldn't concentrate on any of the good byes, and he started to slip into unconsciousness. He didn't want to, but he ached and his burns still felt like they were on fire, so Ed's mind shut down.

Slowly, and still in pain, Ed woke up with heavy eyes. His burns didn't hurt as much, and they kind of felt cool. He suddenly realized Katara was using water to heal them, which he was immediately grateful for. With the number of times Katara had saved him, he was never going to be able to repay her.

"Ed, are you up?" Katara asked. Ed nodded his head slightly and shut his eyes. "We were so worried."

"Yeah," Sokka said softly. "One minute, you were fine, and the next, you vanished. What happened?"

"…I…" Ed gulped. "I killed somebody…I ended his life." Ed scrunched his face and bit the bottom of his lip. "I don't deserve your help." Ed pulled away from Katara's healing hands. "Take me back and get rid of me." Ed felt very unclean, and his arm was still covered with dried blood.

"Don't talk like that." Aang called from the top of Appa's head.

"He's gone. What if he had children?" Ed's mind wandered, and he thought of Hughes. His stomach churned so bad, he thought he was going to puke.

"Please, it wasn't your fault. Let me heal you." Ed didn't oppose, not that he had the energy to say otherwise. His head hung low as Katara healed his burns, and he made sure he wouldn't cry from the pain and guilt. He sniffled and stared into the sky.

Toph clutched onto Ed's automail arm, and she spoke softly, "I don't like flying. Can I hold your arm?" Ed was shocked, Toph usually held on to the saddle, but that was very rare. She seemed perfectly fine with flying, but she was gripping his automail now.

"Sure." Ed mustered a tiny smile.

Alrighty. How did you like them apples?

Here's the scoop. I will not have internet access for a little over a week, so your next update won't be for awhile. Probably 8/14 or 8/15. Thanks for understanding.

As always, I write these chapters late, so if you see any obvious mistakes, don't hesitate to tell me.

Thanks for reading and reviewing!