33
Kagemi walked beside Princess Azula as they moved through unnaturally dark tunnels of a cave.
"Is there any particular reason we're here, Princess?" Kagemi asked as she followed her through the tunnels, unnerved by its dark caverns.
"I'm here to see someone about the invasion tomorrow," Azula said, "And you're here to be my protection."
"I understand that much." Kagemi said, "But who could you possibly meet down here?"
Her question was answered with a sharp hiss from above. She readied herself with shadows around her, glaring up at the ceiling of the cavern for the one who had made the hissing sound. Azula made a motion for her to lower her defenses.
"Now, is that any way to welcome your guests?" Azula asked the ceiling with her typical confident grin. Another hiss sounded, speech coming from it this time.
"I owe you no favors, Princess." It hissed. A large, dark form moved about the ceiling, "And I have no intention of speaking to you while you have a ni-nin with such power at hand."
"If you don't harm us, Kagemi will not harm you." Azula said, "Now, get down here, I need to speak with you, Lelabah." There was no movement and total silence from the ceiling above.
"Lower your defenses and I will lower myself." The voice hissed. Azula looked back at Kagemi and she lowered her hands, letting the shadows back to where they originated. The dark form moved down the ceiling, crawling towards the wall. Kagemi's eyes widened when she saw just who (Or, more appropriately what) it was. It was a person who was a rare breed of Shinjun, someone whose heritage came from insects, and not animals as most common Shinjuns. It was a woman with dark, shoulder-length hair. She had four eyes, two eyes on each side of her nose, with a pair of dark pincers poking out of the corners of her mouth. She had four, very claw-like hands and arms, one shoulder having been just in the pit of the one on top. Instead of a pair of legs, she had a very spider-like thorax with four large, hairy black legs. On her thorax rested a red hourglass symbol, and Kagemi knew that particular breed of spider had the most venomous poison in the west.
"I owe you no favor, Princess." Lelabah hissed, her speech slightly hindered by her pincers. She walked past them towards another part of the cave, "Leave."
"On the contrary, you serve my family." Azula said, "Favors have nothing to do with it."
"Yes, well, let's just say I'm rebelling." Lelabah said, her tone indicating that she was very sarcastic. She went over to a corner of the room, then came back with a torch in hand and handed it to Azula, who quickly lit it with her blue flames. The flames cooled on the torch and turned an orange color, giving her better light to see in the dark cave. Kagemi saw that this cave was the spider girl's home, seeing it filled with knickknacks of various natures. She saw some furniture that was clearly going to be used for a bed, but it was much larger than Lalebah needed it to be.
And that's when she saw it. The huge silken sack lying in the midst of all the knickknacks, it was huge, about the size of a small palanquin, and she could see the shadows of the eggs resting inside.
"Uh… congratulations?" Kagemi said, pointing to the sack of eggs. Lelabah glanced at it, then looked at Kagemi.
"Thank you." She said, "They should be hatching within the next few weeks."
"How many are there?" Azula asked, keeping conversation with her as she went over to her egg sack. She had a motherly smile as she gently petted the sack.
"Eighty-seven." She said, "A beautiful mix of boys and girls."
"It must be a lot of trouble to care for eighty-seven children." Azula said, Lelabah shook her head.
"Any spider Shinjun worth living can take care of itself." She said, "They only need me to give them the spark of life." She moved away from her eggs and looked at Azula, "Now, what do you want?"
"If there's anyone that has a great experience in building underground tunnels, it's you." Azula said, "I want you to help build an underground protection for my father by tomorrow morning." Lelabah looked at her as if she were crazy.
"I can't do that." She said, "An underground shelter in a few days is one thing, but to add on a new shelter fit for a fire lord in a little under a few hours? Before the sun rises? I cannot do such a thing."
"You have the skill." Azula said.
"Yes, but I do not have the motivation." Lelabah replied jokingly, even if it was the truth.
"Then, perhaps I should give you some." Azula turned to Kagemi, "Rip open the egg sack." Kagemi, not one to argue with a direct order from the princess, brought up some shadows and made them head straight for the egg sack. Before they could reach, Lelabah jumped up and took the blow for her children with an angry hiss.
"How dare you!" She snapped.
"How dare I?" Azula questioned, "How dare you, refusing a request from your princess."
"I am not your servant!" Lelabah growled, her four eyes narrowing into a glare. She hissed as her pincers, which were apparently retractable, began to extend out of her mouth. "I do not obey your orders!"
"And yet, it is thanks to the royal family your home has not been destroyed." Azula said. Lelabah faltered at her words, knowing that if she didn't receive the royal protection she had, her home would be either caved in, or burned away, killing both her and all of her children. She still remained in front of her egg sack as she looked at Azula.
"I need more time." She said, "Until midday at least."
"We don't have the luxury of waiting." Azula said.
"But I need to sleep!" Lelabah said desperately.
"You can sleep when your work is done!" Azula snapped, "Now, either you come with us to build the shelter, or you can move aside and give Kagemi a clear shot at your eggs. Your choice." Lelabah looked back at her babies, then back at Kagemi, who had her shadows ready to fight when she needed them. Lelabah hung her head in defeat.
"Yes, your majesty…" She said reluctantly.
The next morning, Kotaro sat, eating some breakfast as Sokka went over the invasion plans a few feet away. He looked over all his maps, going over where they were going to get into the Fire Nation capital in his head over and over again, making sure he got it. He rubbed his eyes, getting rid of any tiredness that was in them, before going back to looking at the maps. Katara held up a cup of water to him and he only glanced at it before going back to looking at the maps. Katara grabbed his hand and made it take the water. Sokka looked up at his sister, who gave him an encouraging smile and put her hand on his shoulder. Sokka smiled at her in thanks and took a sip of the water just as Aang sprung up from the shore, a happy smile on his face.
Momo, excited that his master was awake, flew over to him and landed on his shoulder. Aang smiled and took his paw in his hand.
"Top of the morning, Momo!" He greeted happily.
"Sounds like you slept well." Katara said as she stood up.
"Like a baby moose lion." Aang said, "I'm ready to face the Fire Lord."
"So what's your strategy for taking him down?" Toph asked, "Gonna get your glow on and hit him with a little avatar state action?"
Aang's shoulders slumped at the mention, "I can't. When Azula shot me with lightning, my seventh chakra was locked, cutting off my connection to all the cosmic energy in the universe."
Toph paused for a moment, and then said, "You know what I just heard?" She held up her hand to imitate Aang's mouth, "Blah, blah, spiritual mumbo-jumbo. Blah, blah, something about space." Kotaro let out a laugh at her words. He looked out at the sea, and frowned when he saw an incoming cloud of fog beginning to roll in.
"Oh, come on!" He groaned when he saw it, "That fog better not delay the invasion. I've been looking forward to this!"
Sokka looked out at the same fog and stood up with a smile on his face, "No, that is the invasion!" Kotaro looked more carefully at the fog, he saw a small fleet of Water Tribe ships. He smiled a little when he saw all the people on decks.
Everyone went down to the cove and Toph and Aang bent up some earth-made docks for the ships to come in next to. When all the ships were docked and still, everyone on board began to get off, eager to stretch their legs on solid ground. When one of the warriors from the ship that had been leading the others came out, Sokka and Katara ran to him.
"You made it, Dad!" Katara cried happily, going over to embrace him. Kotaro smiled at the sight of Hakoda, having not recognized him from a distance. He waved at him, and Hakoda returned it.
"Were you able to locate everyone I told you to find?" Sokka asked as he came up to him.
"I did, but I'm a little worried, Sokka." Hakoda said, "Some of these men aren't exactly the warrior type." He looked back at a pair of swamp benders as they walked down onto the docks.
"Hoo-wee! This place ain't nothin' like the swamp!" Du said, looking around his new surroundings, he suddenly jumped and pointed to a rock pointing out of the water. "Whatch'u reckon that is, Tho? Some sorta Fire Nation explodin' trap what eat ya?"
"It's just a rock, Du." Tho said, showing that he was clearly the more intelligent of the two brothers.
"Well, I'll be." Du said, looking at the rock with a surprised smile. Hakoda grimaced.
"Is it just me, or are those fellas a little loose in the leaf hats?" Hakoda said, speaking quietly so only his kids could hear him.
Bato, who was walking past them, heard him and said, "I just wish they would wear pants." He sent a pointed stare to Huu, who was walking around in a leaf loin cloth.
"Pants are an illusion." He said, scratching his protruding belly, "And so is death." Sokka smiled at him, but others who didn't know Huu just grimaced, thinking him crazy.
Katara brought her father over to the docks, where he smiled as he met up with Aang, Toph, and Kotaro again, who all gave their greetings to the Captain.
"Hi Katara." She turned around when she heard her name, and smiled at the sight of a mustachioed, green eyed teenager with a smile on his face.
"Haru!" She said happily, going over to him and embracing him, "It's so good to see you!" Haru smiled and returned the embrace, happy to see her as well. Aang led Kotaro and Toph over to him.
"Toph, Kotaro, this is Haru." Aang said, introducing him, "When we met him, his town was being controlled by the Fire Nation, so he had to hide his earth bending."
"Katara inspired me and my father to take back our village." He said, smiling at Katara, whose face flushed in embarrassment at the mention. A man came up behind them, clapping his arms on Katara and Haru's shoulders with a smile.
"You helped us find our courage, Katara." He said, "Now we're here to help you." She smiled up at him.
"It's nice to meet you." Kotaro said, holding out his hand to Haru, who shook it.
"You too." He said.
Toph was about to do the same, but she stopped, "No way," She turned to the side in an earth bending stance, "Is that-?" She let out a yelp as she was suddenly picked up by a large man who had only four large teeth and a little patch of hair on his almost bald head.
"Hippo happy to see Blind Bandit!" He said as he picked her up like a man would a small child and hugged her before holding her out at arms-length.
"You guys here for a rematch?" Toph asked with a scowl, ready to face them if she had to.
"Negatory." A muscled earth bender said from beside the man that called himself 'Hippo', "The Boulder and The Hippo no longer fight for other's entertainment. Now, we fight for our kingdom!"
Toph's scowl disappeared and she smiled, "Sweet." Hippo put her back down on the ground and they started talking like old war buddies, suddenly instant friends.
"KOTAAAH!" A voice shouted before someone thrust themselves on top of the Wolf Shinjun, who fell to the ground with a yelp. He looked to see the mass that was currently latched onto his neck, and smiled when he saw the familiar face.
"Xana!" He exclaimed, returning the embrace she had tackled him with. "What are you doing here?"
"Bato found us!" Xana said.
"'Us'?" Kotaro questioned.
"Yeah, me," Xana turned as a group of reptilian males dressed in clothes suited for a desert came towards him, "And all my brothers!" They all had their wrappings removed and Kotaro could see their faces and blond hair as they smiled at him.
"It's good to see you again, Kotaro. It's been a while." Makozo said, reaching down to lend his hand to help him up. He did, Xana detaching herself from his neck when he got up.
"It has." Kotaro said as he was pulled up, he clapped his hand with Makozo's, "It's good to see you again, Makozo. And you, too, Xenak. And Farx, Zeju, Haxen, Lizan, and… wow, you brought everyone!" Xana giggled as Kotaro began to re-acquaint himself with all of her siblings. Sokka looked at Xana and all of those who had come with her, the reptilians numbering seventeen altogether, the youngest being fourteen years of age, roughly.
"These are all your brothers?" Sokka asked in shock, pointing to them.
Xana looked at the group, then back at Sokka.
"Uh-huh." She said, nodding her head, "We have a biiiiig family." She held out her arms to show him just how big it was, "And that's not even counting all my cousins and aunts and uncles."
"How do you have this many relatives?" Aang asked, just as surprised as Sokka.
"Reptilians lay lots of eggs that hatch at different times." Makozo explained, as if it were obvious.
"Naturally, one reptilian has about ten brothers or sisters." One of Xana's brothers, Xenak, explained.
"But our parents were especially fertile, so there about eighteen of us." Another of Xana's brothers, Haxen, said.
"And that's just one sitting!" Farx said with a grin, "That's not counting the new batch that hatched a few weeks ago!"
"A new batch?" Kotaro said in surprise, "Congratulations! How many were there?"
"Twenty two." Makozo said, holding up two fingers, "It's a personal best for Mom and Pops. Twelve boys, ten girls. We've yet to come up with names for all of them yet."
"Well, still, that's great news!" Kotaro said with a smile, "Tell your parents I send my best for their kids."
Makozo was about to reply, when a sudden explosion from one of the ships caught everyone's attention. A boy in a wooden wheelchair quickly rolled out of the boat, with a man with strangely spiky, and slightly bald hair came running out, Pipsqueak and The Duke following them.
"Was that a new invention?" Sokka asked as he came up to them. Kotaro suddenly smelled peanuts as he came up to the men.
"Yes," The Mechanic said, "But, unfortunately, the incendiary capabilities of peanut sauce proved to be a failure."
"You're making peanut-sauce-bombs?" Sokka asked, his shoulders dropping.
"They're destructive," Pipsqueak began.
"And delicious!" The Duke finished. They licked the remains of the peanut sauce from their lips, but that still left some peanut sauce on their face, which Momo proceeded to happily lick up.
"Were you able to complete work on the plans I sent you?" Sokka asked, deciding to ignore the peanut bombs.
"Yes I was." He said, "And I think the Fire Nation will be quite surprised."
"Aang, my dad and I made this for you." Teo said as he pulled a staff from his chair, holding it out to Aang. He took it and it had a pair of blue, aerodynamic wings pop out with a pair of handles at the top.
"A new glider!" Aang said happily, "This is amazing!"
"And, as a special feature," The Mechanic said, going over to it, "I added a snack compartment!" He bent down and opened his mouth and twisted the handle, making nuts fall out and into his mouth.
"Oh, well, I'm sure that'll come in handy." Aang said, not sure what to make of the new addition.
After everyone had stretched their legs and had been handed a good meal from Katara, Hakoda had them all gather up to hear the invasion plan that Sokka had made. And since he made it, they thought it was best for him to explain it. Kotaro had never seen him this nervous before. He was stiff as a board, carefully holding all of the maps and sketches for the invasion in his hands as everyone sat down, waiting to hear the plan.
Hakoda, sensing his son's nervousness, gave him an encouraging smile, "Don't worry. You'll do great." Sokka took deep breath in and out and got up, heading to the earth-made stage Toph had made for him to better explain the invasion plan.
He waved as he came up, "Good morning, everyone- Gyah!" He tripped onto the stage, and Kotaro winced in sympathy. Sokka quickly got back up, grabbing all the plans he had dropped. He looked out at the crowd, "Um… So, as you know, today, we're invading the Fire Nation! I mean- I know you know that, because otherwise why else would you be here?" He laughed nervously, and no one else laughed with him, only making him more nervous. He gulped, "Hah… anyway," He accidentally dropped the plans and quickly picked them back up, putting them on a rock that was to help him display the maps he needed, "The Fire Lord's palace is here." He pointed to a spot on a page that said 'The Invasion plan' "Uh, no. Ah, wait- Ah, wait, -Ah, wait-" With every 'wait' he moved another page to get to the one that showed the Fire Nation and its capital, "And, there's an eclipse today! And Aang's gonna fight the Fire Lord! And, the fire benders won't have any fire to use, so, that's good for us! And… Um…" He looked out at everyone's blank faces and took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, let me start at the beginning. Katara and I discovered Aang in an iceberg. Now, I didn't like Aang at first, but I grew to love him over time. Then we went to the southern air temple where Aang used to live. Then we met Suki and the Kyoshi warriors."
"Wow." Kotaro said as he kept babbling endlessly, "When he says beginning, he means 'beginning' beginning." Hakoda got up and went over to his son, stopping his babbling by putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Thank you, Sokka." He said, "It's okay, why don't you take a break?" Sokka frowned, but did as his father asked, knowing he screwed up a little bit. Hakoda turned to the crowd, "Let me just clarify a few points for everyone. Today is the Day of Black Sun. And I want to thank you all for your self-sacrifice, and your courage. There are two steps to the invasion: A naval stage, and then a land stage. To gain sea access to the Fire Nation capital, we have to get past our first major obstacle here." He pointed to a spot on the map were a small line had been drawn between two pieces of land, "The Great Gates of Azulon. Next, we hit the land," He moved the page to show a better map of the land before the Fire Nation capital, "And we hit hard. We must fight past their battlements and secure the plaza tower. Once we do that, it's up to the royal palace. At that point, the eclipse will begin."
"Excuse me, The Boulder is confused." Boulder said, "Isn't the point to invade during the eclipse? When the fire benders are powerless?"
"The eclipse only lasts eight minutes." Hakoda said, "Not enough time for the whole invasion, and the royal palace is heavily guarded by fire benders. So that's where we'll need the eclipse advantage the most. When this is finished, the avatar will have defeated the Fire Lord, we will have control of the Fire Nation capital, and this war will be over!" He raised his fist up high, and everyone cheered loudly for their victory, except Sokka, who hung his head.
Kagemi growled as a pair of chains were shackled onto her by Fire Nation guards. She struggled against their hold as they began to drag her away.
"You cannot do this to me!" She snarled, "I refuse! I will not!" She looked back at the princess, glaring, "I will not do this! Do you hear me?! You will pay for this!" Azula's face was cold and calculating as they placed a blindfold over Kagemi's eyes, "You will pay, Princess!"
"Oh just shut up and go along with it." Azula said, "It will be over before you know it." Kagemi let out a feral roar as she was dragged away by the guards. Ty Lee watched with pitying eyes as she was pulled underground, where Lelabah had just finished the Fire Lord's shelter. Her feet dug into the ground as the fire benders yanked the chains she was attached to.
"I will not be treated this way!" She snarled, her fangs showing as she spoke, "I will not let you do this! You will pay for this, Azula! By the Gods, you will pay!!" Her voice was drowned out by the tunnel as she was pulled in.
Sokka looked sadly at his helmet as everyone below prepared to leave for the invasion. He looked up when he saw Aang flying to him on his new glider.
"We've been looking everywhere for you." Aang said as he landed beside him, "The boats are ready to leave."
"…I messed up, Aang." Sokka said sadly as he looked at the invasion boats.
"What?" Aang asked, not understanding.
"The invasion plan was my moment of truth," Sokka said, "And I completely flubbed it! I just… fell apart."
"Sokka, that speech wasn't your moment of truth." Aang said, "That was just public speaking, and no one's really good at that."
"My dad is." Sokka said, "He explained the plan perfectly and inspired everyone! Like a real leader should…" His shoulders slumped sadly.
"Look, your moment of truth isn't going to be in front of some map." Aang said, "It's going to be out there, on the battlefield."
"You seem so confident about everything." Sokka said, "How do you know we're gonna win?"
"Because I already failed the world once in Ba-Sing-Se." Aang said, "I won't let myself fail again. Not after the price we paid." Sokka's expression softened when Aang mentioned Hoshiko. He nodded in agreement and put on his helmet, walking down to the boats with Aang. He looked around, seeing all the Water Tribe warriors were armored and ready to fight, as were the swamp benders, minus the armor, and the newly armored sand benders, all dressed in different wraps to make them comfortable in the grey and brown armor. Toph was dressed in the traditional Earth Kingdom armor for any earth bender, Katara was ready with her water canteens filled to bursting, and Aang had changed his appearance as well, his head newly shaved and dressed in something similar to his old Air Temple robes. Kotaro wore some armor he had designed and made himself with the left over supplies from Appa's armor. His was all black and grey, save for a small, metal lightning bolt on the chest, the rest of him was a completely dark being, like a living storm cloud.
They all got onto the boats and they shipped off, heading for the Fire Nation capital.
As the boat rode on the waters of the ocean, Kotaro looked down at the bracelet on his wrist. His eyes softened as he remembered Hoshiko, his hanbun tamashi. He sighed as he remembered his last moments with her.
"…And Kotaro and I will go with Toph to warn the Earth King about Azula's coup."
"What? No. I'm not leaving Hoshiko alone."
"Kota, relax. It's not like I won't come back."
"But… still…"
"Look, if it makes you feel any better, you can hold onto this for me. That way, I have to make sure I come back in order to get it back. Okay?"
"Alright… But you will come back, right?"
"Of course. I mean, how bad could it possibly be? I'll be fine. You just worry about yourself." She leaned up on her tiptoes and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. He smiled softly at her and she smiled back.
Kotaro put his hand over the bracelet. His eyes closed as he thought of her. He couldn't let himself fail on this invasion, not because the Fire Nation needed to be brought down, but because Hoshiko, if she was truly dead, was watching him from the Spirit World, and he wouldn't let himself fail. He would fight to the very end. And if Kagemi was in control, then he would find her, and get Hoshiko back. That was his plan for the invasion.
"How close are we to the gates?" He asked Hakoda as he looked out through the telescope.
"Not far." He said, handing him the telescope so he could see for himself, "They're just ahead."
"I don't see any gates." Katara said, looking out into the distance, seeing only a statue of Azulon and a dragon.
"The gates are actually the statues." Kotaro said, "Between them is a very thick net that they set on fire. I doubt any ship would head into that." He handed the telescope back to Hakoda, "How are we getting through?"
"Well, if we can't sneak past, then we're going to have to rely on an invention of Sokka's." Hakoda said, he turned to his daughter, "Katara, you and the swamp benders whip up a fog cover."
"We'll sneak by them statues just like we sneaked by that Fire Navy blockade!" Tho said. He and the other water benders got into a good place and used their bending to create a huge fog that surrounded their ships. Everyone was silent as they waited to move past the statues, which were much more visible now.
"Keep it up!" Hakoda said to them, "We're almost through."
A bell began to ring, and smoke puffed out of the dragon's nose. The net began to rise up between the two statues and it was lit soon after, creating a huge wall of fire that was impossible for them to get past on the boats.
"Damn!" Kotaro cursed angrily.
"Everyone below decks!" Hakoda said, having everyone move quickly. He clapped his hand on Sokka's shoulder, "Let's hope this invention of yours works, Sokka." He nodded and they all headed into the submarines that had been hidden on the bottom of the boats. They detached the subs from the boat and the water benders moved the sub under the water while a special engine helped move it forward in the water, moving underneath the gates like five, large, metal fish.
Hakoda smiled at his son, proud of him. "You've really outdone yourself this time, son."
"Yeah," Toph moaned, "Congratulations, Sokka. You've managed to invent a worse way of travel than flying." She looked like she was about to vomit.
"Helmet?" The Duke asked, offering it to her. She took it and soon puked inside it.
"Well, I just came up with the idea." Sokka said, ignoring Toph's seasickness, "The Mechanist did all the work." He smiled at his inventing friend at the wheel.
"Don't sell yourself short, my boy." He said, "It was your idea to use water bending to make the subs sink and float. Brilliant! Though, your original designs were a bit difficult to decipher…" He pulled out a scroll that looked like a grade school child's doodle. Kotaro snorted in laughter when he realized that was Sokka's original design. He rolled it back up, "Unfortunately, there was one problem I couldn't fix. The subs have a limited air supply, before we land on the beaches, we'll need to resurface."
Nobody protested the need to resurface, in fact, many supported it, eager to get back in the sunshine and enjoy it for what might be their last time. Aang and the others were no exception. Aang was flying around in the air, getting used to his new glider, while the others simply stood at the top of the subs, stretching their limbs. The Duke was off to the side, cleaning out his helmet of Toph's vomit. Aang circled around the main sub and landed near his friends, who all went up to him when he landed. They knew that they wouldn't see him again until after the Fire Lord had been defeated after this.
"So… this is it, huh?" He asked them.
"Are you ready for the Fire Nation to know the avatar's alive?" Sokka asked encouragingly.
Aang looked up at them, determination shining in his eyes, "I'm ready." Sokka reached over and clasped his hand in Aang's in the typical Water Tribe greeting. Then everyone moved around Aang for a group hug.
"We know you can do this, Aang." Kotaro said to Aang.
"I hope you kick some serious Fire Lord butt, Twinkle Toes." Toph said.
"Everyone listen up!" Hakoda's voice came from the main sub, carrying out to the others. "The next time we resurface, we'll be on the beaches. So stay alert and fight smart. Now break time's over, back in the subs!" Everyone began to file back into the sub. As Kotaro headed back in, he could hear the soft tones of Aang and Katara speaking to each other, though he couldn't quite make out what they were saying. As he was about to head in, he saw Aang take Katara's shoulder and pull her in, kissing her.
"About freaking time…" He muttered as he went back in. Aang flew off shortly after, and Katara headed to Appa, getting him ready to submerge with the subs.
Kagemi sat, blindfolded and chained in a cell. She growled angrily to herself as she moved her hands, feeling the heaviness of the chains on her arms. She wasn't even sure she was in a cell, she just knew that she was underground somewhere. She sat, waiting until Azula's invasion plan took place.
She hissed when she suddenly felt a familiar pain under her eye. With a start, she realized what was happening. Hoshiko was trying to get out again.
"Oh, no you don't!" Kagemi growled quietly, reaching up to move the cracks from her eyes again, only to have them form back. She removed it again, but it still remained. She tried again, and it still remained. "What the hell?" She tried once more, only to fail again. She growled, seeing that she was going to be stubborn about this. Kagemi could only guess the reason she was trying so hard was because she knew today was the invasion and she had a chance of being saved if she made it through. Kagemi, letting her have her moment, let the cracks remain, but did not let them grow any further. Once the invasion was ended by the fire benders, she would still be there, ready to fight for the Fire Nation. She refused to let them lose and have her give up her body. Not now, not ever.
Everyone waited as they went further into the Fire Nation. Hakoda looked out through a periscope and saw that they were approaching the beaches.
"Everyone in position!" He ordered, "Earth benders, into your tanks! This is going to be a rough ride." Everyone did as he ordered the earth benders going to the specially designed tanks, and everyone else going to either help man the torpedoes on the submarines or getting their weapons. Everyone waited for the Fire Nation to be alerted of their arrival. And they soon were found, the Fire Nation firing off something similar to harpoons at them as they moved through the water, the drivers of the subs had to maneuver carefully to avoid them.
Once they got past that, it was just a matter of getting through a wall that bordered them from the beaches, but they were ready for it.
"Ready the torpedoes." Hakoda ordered, and they were readied, each one frozen in ice so a water bender could shoot them out of the hull of the submarine with ease, "Launch!" The torpedoes fired and blasted through metal fencing in the walls, giving them three holes perfect for them to travel through to the beach. They began to move through the water to the shore. Then, there was nothing, just silence. You could hear a pin drop in the quietness of it all. Everyone's heart was pounding with adrenaline. Sokka hated it, What was it Hoshiko had said? He thought to himself, thinking of his short time with her at the Northern Water Tribe, The stillness before battle is unbearable.
It was unbearable, everyone was itching for an attack, either theirs, or the enemies, just so this crazed feeling would end. Their wish was granted when they were fired at by the Fire Nation soldiers as soon as they surfaced. They fired endlessly as they set themselves on the shore. The hull of the subs opened up and tanks began traveling out, filled with powerful earth benders. The warriors moved with them, letting out war cries as they ran out onto the beach, moving between the tanks so they wouldn't get the brunt of the blows that were being delivered to them. Boulders were given to the earth benders from the tanks, which they readily fired at the buildings that were shooting at them, disabling their weapons, if only temporarily. Seeing they had to step it up, the Fire Nation soldiers brought out tanks of their own and started shooting jets of blazing fire at the invasion force. The Earth Kingdom tanks were more than capable of taking them out, their special designs allowing them to move up, like a caterpillar, and come crashing down on the Fire Nation tanks, destroying it.
When tanks came from behind them, the swamp benders made themselves useful by taking buckets of water and using them to crash one tank into another. Kotaro was right alongside them, shooting out bolts of lightning at any tanks they missed.
"We're a man down!" Tho said to his brother, "Where in tarnation is Huu?!" He fired off again, and Kotaro was amazed as he saw a huge beast made of seaweed rise out of the water. It easily took out three tanks in a matter of minutes. It smashed one tank on top of another, threw the next into the water, and threw a fourth one into one of the buildings that had been shooting at them.
"Hey Huu!" Du called out to it, shocking Kotaro further, "Where you been?"
Kotaro gaped as he saw the inside of the beast open up to reveal Huu's smiling face, "Communin' with nature." He said, "It takes a while to get this much seaweed." He quickly closed the seaweed back up as another tank fired at him. Kotaro was quick to act, building up his lightning powers and firing off a bolt at the tank. The power of the blast burned the metal on the tank, leaving a huge black mark, but also incapacitated the fire benders within. When he was finished, he heard a low whistle and looked back at Tho and Du.
"You sure got some mighty good aim!" Tho complimented.
"Thanks." Kotaro said shortly, running to take out another tank.
The warriors at the front were quick to challenge the soldiers on rhinos. Sokka took out one of the soldiers by splitting his spear in half with his black sword, and he knocked the man over and took his rhino. He looked over at his father, and saw that he was easily battling five Fire Benders at once, taking them out one at a time, disarming one, then knocking out another, then using the spears he had taken from the soldiers to take out the ones firing at him. Sokka had the rhino move towards his father, and he grabbed onto the saddle, letting his son pull him back to their troops.
As well as they were doing, the Fire Nationers still seemed to have the advantage as the battlements along the walls continued to fire at them, taking out one of their tanks, Huu's sea beasts' arm, the boulder distributing machine that the mechanist was driving.
"Sokka, we've got to take out those battlements." Hakoda said to him, "It's our only chance."
Sokka looked up at the battlements, his brow furrowing as he formed a plan, "I've got an idea."
Moments later, he was hanging from Appa's horn with Katara and Kotaro riding in the saddle, as well as Hakoda. They went to the air to take out the battlements before they could take out the rest of their invasion force. Sokka used his blade to cut the battlement weapon, rendering it useless. Hakoda threw special hand bombs into the battlements, destroying the weapons, and incapacitating the soldiers inside. Kotaro used his lightning bending to take out the weapons, shooting out a bolt at the weapon, the force of it causing to explode. Katara used water from barrels that had been set on either side of Appa to freeze the soldiers inside the battlements to the walls, giving them plenty of time to continue the invasion without their interference. Finally, it came down to the last two battlements, and they landed Appa.
"Sokka, you and Katara take out that battlement." Hakoda pointed to the one on his right, "Kotaro and I will take this one. Watch each other's backs." The two nodded and went to do as Hakoda ordered, and Kotaro followed the Water Tribe warrior to the other battlement. Hakoda climbed the wall, planning on going in through the roof to sneak up on them, but Kotaro decided to take a different route. He kicked open the doors of the battlement, and immediately the soldiers' attention was on him. They fired at him, and Kotaro fired a small bolt at the first one. It wasn't enough electrocution to kill him, but it was enough to temporarily paralyze him. Hakoda moved in through the opening to destroy the weapon, but the second soldier caught on, and just as Hakoda threw a hand bomb to take it out, the soldier blasted it with his fire, and it exploded. It did serious damage to the weapon and the soldier, making them no longer able to fight, but Hakoda was hurt as well. The bomb was too close to him for him not to avoid getting hit, and the sheer shockwave of the bomb seriously injured him. He grasped his side, his face contorting to one of pain.
"Hakoda!" Kotaro shouted, quickly going to catch the man before he fell. He draped the man's arm over his shoulder and they walked out of the battlement as best they could. Once they were outside, Kotaro saw Katara and Sokka looking at their father worriedly.
"Dad?" Katara called to him, he didn't answer her.
"Dad!" Sokka cried. They both ran to their father, and Kotaro started walking towards them. Sokka was instantly by his side, taking his father's other arm and putting it over his shoulders. They both walked to Appa, and Katara flew them back down to the battlefield. Once they were down, they took Hakoda out of the saddle and lay him on the ground. Katara had her water wrap around her hands, and she pressed them to her father's stomach, her hands glowing as she began to try and heal him.
"How does that feel, Dad?" She asked.
"A… A little better…" Hakoda said, forcing the words out. He pushed himself up, "I have to… get back to the troops…" Kotaro pushed him back down.
"You're hurt. Badly." He said, "You're in no condition to keep fighting."
"Everyone's counting on me to… lead this mission, Kotaro!" Hakoda said, "I won't let them down…!" He pushed himself up again, only to let out a cry of pain.
Sokka looked to his sister worriedly, "Can't you heal him any faster?"
"I'm doing everything I can." Katara said, placing her hands back on her father's wound.
Sokka looked at his father, then away, thinking for a moment. This invasion meant everything. It was the best chance they had to take down the Fire Lord. They couldn't just let this chance slip through their fingers because their leader was injured, they needed someone to take his place, just until the eclipse started.
"I'll do it." Sokka said.
"No offense, Sokka, but you're not exactly 'Mr. Healing Hands'." Katara said.
"No." Sokka stood up, "I'll lead the invasion force."
"Sokka, don't be an idiot." Kotaro said quickly, "Taking on an entire invasion force on your own when you have no experience is just crazy!"
"Maybe I am a little crazy." Sokka said, "But the eclipse is about to start, and we need to be up that volcano by the time it does."
"You can do this." Hakoda said, getting their attention, "I'm proud of you, son."
"I also think you're being an idiot." Katara said, she looked up at Sokka with a smile, "But I'm proud of you, too." Sokka smiled at her. He put his helmet on his head and climbed up so he could take Appa's reigns.
"Kotaro, I'm gonna need you at the front lines." Sokka said. The wolf Shinjun sighed, but got up. He wasn't going to let this invasion pass through his fingers. He needed to have a little faith in Sokka. He designed the battle plans, he came up with the idea to invade during a solar eclipse, maybe he could lead an army, too.
Kotaro climbed up and got in the saddle and they took off. They flew over the battlefield, where they could see their soldiers fighting against the fire benders. They landed Appa in front of a tank, and he knocked it aside with an angry growl. Kotaro made to get out of the saddle, but Sokka motioned for him to stay. He stood up and raised his voice so all his soldiers could hear him.
"Listen up, everyone!" He shouted, "I want the tanks in wedge formation! Benders and warriors in the middle! We're taking that tower and heading for the royal palace!"
"What about me?" Kotaro asked.
"You stay here." Sokka said, "You're our most powerful bender at this moment, and we need you at the front to help take down any more tanks efficiently and easily." Kotaro nodded, and went to stand on Appa's head, using his horns to hang on to the bison as everyone got into position. Once they were ready, Sokka pulled out his sword and shouted, "Charge!!" Everyone let out a war cry as they headed for the tower, not letting anyone stand in their way. Fire benders ran away from the tanks as they moved up to the tower.
One of the smaller tanks had an entire arsenal of blasting jelly and they drove it straight into the wall, blasting a hole through it. Kotaro did the same to the other wall, blasting through it with a powerful lightning bolt. The warriors and benders let out roars as they charged in, the soldiers of the Fire Nation taking a few steps back to keep space between them, and to keep together so as to better face this army.
"The Fire Nation is falling back!" Haru's father cried, going after the soldiers.
Bato looked up at where Kotaro and Sokka were, his eyes resting on the son of his good friend.
"Sokka, we're on our way to victory!" He said to him, pointing to where the volcano rested in the distance. Sokka looked up at the volcano, knowing that Aang must have arrived there by now, and he was probably challenging the Fire Lord at that very moment.
Aang flew down to the capital, landing on the roof of one of the homes in the town, doing his best not to be noticed. He looked up from where he was hiding, and saw that the streets were completely empty, and the city was totally silent.
"That's strange…" He noted aloud. He let the thought leave his mind so he could focus on the mission and flew up high into the air, heading straight for the royal palace. He charged towards the front doors and blasted them open with air bending, when inside, he took a fighting stance and said, "The avatar is back!" Surprisingly, no guards attacked him. In fact, there were no guards at all. The front hall of the palace was completely empty. He relaxed his stance and started walking through the halls of the palace, "Hello? Anybody home?" No response. Maybe they're all down at the front lines to protect from the invasion force?
He walked further in, and when he reached the throne room, he prepared himself. He blasted through and went in, expecting the Fire Lord to fire at him immediately. But what he saw only surprised him. The throne room was as empty as the capital city, and there were no guards to be found. The Fire Lord's throne sat just ahead of him, with no Fire Lord there.
"No…" Aang murmured, his hands going loose and dropping his new staff. He fell to his knees, "No, no, no!" He grit his teeth in frustration, balling up his hands into fists. They had come all this way… and the Fire Lord wasn't even there?!
"Fire Lord Ozai…Where are you?!"