Quick and short chapter. Just to show you that Aang isn't the only one being busy right now.

Next chapter, Aang and Azula finally chat again! I apologize for how long it's taken.

On that note, I'm gonna spoil something. For those disappointed by their lack of communication these last 9 or so chapters, if you can get past chapter 12, I plan for them to be stuck together for a long time.

Happy end of Daylight Savings! I know that's not a holiday, but still.

"King Asgore?" General Fong raised an eyebrow. "Not an expert on air nomad culture, but pretty sure they didn't have kings."

Asgore smiled. Somewhat embarrassed at this unfortunate truth. Already a mistake, since Undyne had strongly suggested he not show any lack of comfort.

"It's true. The title of king is something we sort of took out of necessity. When we lost our people, we lost much of our ways. We had to look to other cultures for ways how to build up some semblance of society."

"Doesn't seem like much of a society," the general responded.

His advisors and other military officials stared at him quite stunned at the blatant disrespect. Asgore himself couldn't keep a slight grimace from forming on his face. However, he had enough self-control to reach out a hand and place it on Undyne's who stood by his side on the opposite side of the table. And who very much looked like she was going to leap at the general.

"You're not wrong. As I said, it's been a semblance. I can't say I would have done everything they did."

"I apologize," the General interrupted. "I meant to say that it sounds like you've changed quite a bit."

Asgore felt some relief. Willingness to apologize was a step in the right direction.

"Indeed. We have. Hopefully when this conflict is resolved we can- "

"One thing hasn't changed though. Your cowardice."

And just like that. The relief was gone. Asgore lost control of his facial expression and let the shock come out. The general didn't show any expression himself. He didn't need to. He had taken control of this negotiation. Even as some of his military sergeants displayed shock of their own.

"I asked those brothers you sent our way why you've been so hesitant to send us even the barest assistance until now. Literally less than a year before the comet that spelled your people's doom returns to screw us all again. I asked why you hung out in your little hideaway while the rest of us bleed and died. You've had close to a century to lend us your support. A century of suffering. So please explain why we should bow on our hands and knees for you doing the bare minimum and showing yourself when so much has already been destroyed."

All eyes were on Asgore now. And not all of them sympathetic. In truth, General Fong was not alone in his musings. The revelation of the Air Nation's bare survival had been met with shock and joy, yes. But many also couldn't help feeling a twinge of resentment at them for haven sat on the sidelines for so long.

Asgore took a deep breath. The make it or break it moment.

"We did not join until now because to do so would spell extinction for our kind."

General Fong opened his mouth to retort. But a glance into the king's serious eyes made him close it.

"Do you know how many of our kind exist that we know of? Less than two hundred. The attention brought would have decimated us. All it would take is one mistake to truly doom the air Nation to oblivion. It has taken everything to find and keep safe what little remains of our kind. To expose them before we stood a chance would have damned us."

Asgore took a deep breath then continued.

"And had we gotten involved, what good could we have done with only two hundred people? Most of whom are not warriors?"

"Very well," General Fong nodded. "I understand why you haven't come out for so long. I apologize. I… We… Have given everything to this war. To learn there was another fighting force waiting in the shadows… Waiting while we gave our lives…. It did not make us happy."

"Understandable, General. We appreciate all you've sacrificed for- "

"Which raises another question. Why do you want to join our military now? The avatar does make things easier no doubt. But if you truly have so little people, why join the war effort? Why put your people on the front lines?"

"We do not want all our people to join. And we do not want them to fight on the front lines if we can help it."

"So, you want the Avatar to fight solo? Didn't need to show yourself for that."

"Oh, that's not the only thing we have to offer. The city of Yu Dao for example. Right now, our best warrior is on their way. It's taken a long time, but we've finally come up with an airbender who can go toe to toe with the best of them. Yu Dao should be liberated soon enough. And to help further prove our commitment to the battle, we've brought you a present. A pair of trespasses who defiled our home."

Undyne snapped her fingers at which point a trio of airbenders came walking in with an old man and a boy in chains.

Asgore couldn't help smiling a little bit at the surprise etched on the general and other military leader's faces. Or at the unsurprisingly vengeful look on the boy's face. Or the surprisingly calm look on the old man's face.

"Gentlemen, may I present to you, Prince Zuko and General Iroh. Son and brother of Fire Lord Ozai. A sign that we've been on defense long enough. It's time to go on offense. Take the fight to the Fire Nation."

….

"so that's Yu Dao, huh? doesn't look like much"

The Earth kingdom soldiers near Sans looked at him with some annoyance. They hadn't been impressed with him or his brother so far and weren't afraid to show it on their faces.

"Quite to the contrary err…. What was it again? Eh, doesn't matter. Don't let appearances deceive you. It's kept us at bay for quite some time. The force stationed there has traitorous earth benders amongst their ranks as well. Brainwashed to fight against their own homeland."

Papyrus rubbed his chin.

"Hmm. So, got a plan? Have any of you asked politely if they'd stand down?"

The soldiers blinked and stared at Papyrus with jaws dropped.

"Tried that already, eh? Maybe you didn't offer them food?"

"I... That's… You're airbender guards!?"

"Well, not yet. I'm still sort of in training. But I reckon when we're done here, I'll have to be let in, right?"

"I… Look, I thought you said you had, a plan! I don't- "

"i do," Sans interrupted. "first off i'm going to make everyone here some hot dogs- "

"Hot dogs? What the hell is a hot dog?"

"then come nightfall, i'm going to do my own reconnaissance. See if I can find a way inside."

"We'll come with you. Show you what we discovered."

"oh no need. i'll have a look myself. find it's useful to build your own view from the ground up without bias influencing it. you know what i'm saying?"

The soldier blinked a few times.

"…Not really…"

"ah, too bad. oh well! plenty of time to change that! now, how about some hot dogs?"

"Hold on bro, First the important question. When do we go?"

"not us little brother. not tonight. just me. stay with this bunch and wait for the gates to open."

Papyrus normally would argue and make a claim about his supposed usefulness in such a battle. But he recognized that look in his eyes. The scary look. No subtle smile.

"Bro. What are you going to do?"

"nothing fun. and i don't want you to get hurt. you'll come in with the others. in the meantime, talk with them, won't you? i don't think we gave them the best first impression. it'd mean a lot to me if you changed that, mkay?"

Papyrus gripped his brother's shoulders. It profoundly disturbed him when his brother gave off that look. It was subtle and he could count on one hand the number of times he had seen it. But each time was memorable enough to have been seared into his mind.

Sans placed his hand on his brother's and stared back into his eyes.

"let's just say they're going to have a bad time."

….

"Excuse me? Gentlemen? Can you provide assistance?"

The Fire Nation soldiers turned with raised eyebrows to the little girl who'd seemingly teleported to their side from nowhere. They grinned a little too much for her liking.

"Well, hello there little lady. How might we provide assistance? Need a place to stay for the night? My room's always available!"

The girl struggled not to cringe. She'd had lots of training recently in that department. Whether she wanted it or not.

"No! I mean… No, it's nothing like that. There's a large group of citizens outside of the city right now having a brawl. A few of your fellow officers have already gone out to try and break it up and gotten caught up in it! They need help!"

That made the guards pay more attention. A little more anyway.

"All right. Why don't you show us what's up? It's been too long since we've had any insubordinates. I look forward to cracking some more skulls."

The girl looked over her shoulder in confusion as she began to lead them to the chaos.

"Why do you sound happy about this? Shouldn't you be proud that you've managed to keep order here for so long?"

"But of course! It's just that peace can get quite dull you know. A little rebellion is so fun to put down. And Fire Lord Ozai is kind and wise enough to let us deal with them however we see fit!"

The girl didn't respond. Inside though she felt her mind racing.

Maybe she needn't feel too bad about these ones.

The angry shouting and violence could be heard soon enough. This got the soldier's attention and got them to quit their creepy passes at the girl.

"Spirits! You weren't kidding! Sounds like quite a batch! Let's get in there and- "

"Wait!"

Both guards stared at the girl with confusion.

"I mean… You're going to need the whole watch to do this right? Or do you want to fight them all by yourselves?"

"I… Good point. Let's go! And you! Don't go any further! Don't want you to get caught up in that mess!"

Off they went to summon more guards. Summon them to their doom.

"Hey! Psst! Are they coming?"

She turned to Chit Sang. The burly convict they'd met up with not long ago. She couldn't believe he was friends with the avatar. He must have lied about that to gain their trust.

"Yes. They're coming. Keep the fighting up. They mustn't suspect anything."

"Yeah, no problem. If there's one thing I'm great at, it's rioting."

He disappeared around the corner, leaving her alone to wait for the latest victims.

Soon enough, the soldiers came running down the hill in a humongous drove. Their cheers and yells displayed their excitement about the upcoming fight.

That excitement didn't last long.

They all stopped moving at once. The glee on their faces was immediately replaced with confusion, then fear.

"I… I can't move! Captain! What's happening?"

"I don't… You! Little girl! What have you done!"

"I… Nothing! You think I'm capable of such an act!"

"Oh, come now little On Ji. Don't sell yourself short. You are the perfect little bird. The prime bait to lead your compatriots into my trap."

An old woman came around the bend. She stood grinning menacingly in the light of the full moon.

"Yes. The perfect bait indeed. How could they resist such a cute little face? You deliver your fellow countrymen willingly into my trap like lambs to the slaughter."

The fake protesters including Chit Sang walked past her to arrest the now helpless soldiers. They made sure to give the old woman a wide space.

When all the soldiers had their hands bound, the old woman finally lowered her hands and walked up to On Ji's side.

"Look at them. Your own countrymen. Imprisoned by your own hand. You're a true patriot to your nation, On Ji. You should feel so proud."

The little girl buried her head in her hands with shame. The old woman laughed.

….

"So, you like it? Really?"

The Earth Kingdom soldiers stared at Papyrus highly perplexed. They'd all heard the famous Air Nation insult of airhead. But it still was bizarre to see with their own eyes.

"Yeah. Credit where it's due. This is some awesome… Pasta. Is that what it's called?"

"Yeah! It's basically noodles mixed with bits of meat and some sauce we poach off Fire Nation Patrols now and then."

"Stuff you scavenge? So, it's not a genuine Air Nation Dish?"

"Well… No. No, I suppose it's not. We don't have the best knowledge of what we ate. Only that it was all vegetarian."

He took a deep breath.

"Well, we obviously didn't have the luxury of which food types we wanted. So, we've had to make do with whatever we found. Maybe when this is all over, we can go back to the old ways. It sure would be fun to live in the sky again."

"So, your people really did live on cities floating in the air?"

"That's what we've been told anyway. Fairly sure only the avatar would know at this point. You should ask him when you get the chance! I'm sure he'd love to talk about it!"

"You know the avatar then?"

"What's he like?"

"Is he really a kid?"

"Yes! Really! I know! A kid! No older than 12! I had a tough time believing it myself! But having seen him in action, well. He's the real deal. Let me tell you."

They truly couldn't believe it. The savior of the world and the most powerful person in it. A child. They didn't know what to think about that. But then they still didn't know what to think about this.

"I bet he had a bit of a shock when he met you. Learned what his people had become."

Papyrus' seemingly impervious smile finally dropped. He seemed guilty of all things.

"He wasn't too thrilled about our kill policy, let me tell you. I can't imagine the realization of the war, or the genocide was great either. I didn't meet him until after he learned those things so I can't say for sure."

The soldiers thought this over while they ate the strange man's admittedly delicious mix of stolen goods. If he had managed to earn the trust of the avatar himself, maybe he did have some worth.

"What about your brother? Do you think it was wise to let him wander off himself? He didn't exactly seem the most… Put together. No offense."

"None taken." Papyrus' smile still did not return to his face. "He's just lazy and needs a little motivation to get moving. But once he does- "

"Hey! Look! Isn't that the main gate opening?"

Papyrus sighed. He knew exactly wha that meant.

"I believe so. Come on then. Let's not keep him waiting."

They all strode with concern towards the open gate. They all marched with their weapons intact except Papyrus. He knew there was no need.

The Earth Kingdom soldiers of course were not ready for what lay within. Not ready for the piles of Fire Soldier corpses. Not ready for the looks of fear from the residents cowering behind their windows.

And certainly not ready for the bald man standing in the middle with a sad smile.

"so, how'd i do? good enough for ya?"

….

"Hey kid! Nice to see you again! Been too long!"

Jet stepped in front of Frisk before Chit Sang could run up and hug her.

"Stay back fire breath! She doesn't need- "

Frisk pushed him aside and walked up to give the burly man a hug. Smart man he may not be, but Chit Sang could tell something was off with her. Her hug was mechanical and stiff. And he'd spent time with enough people to read them.

"You feel… Different. Heavier. You had a rough time of it recently?"

"That's putting it mildly," Jet said angrily. "The boiling Rock will do that to you."

"They sent you to the rock? Spirits. Nearly got sent there myself if not for my strength. I've heard bad things about it."

"And she's quite traumatized about it. So, if you please? Give us some space?"

The big burly man watched as the mute girl was led away by this angry boy.

"I'm sorry. I fear that boy has been a bad influence on her."

Chit Sang raised his eyes at the rather stunning woman extending her hand out to him.

"Toriel. Her adoptive mother of sorts. I must thank you for looking after my…. Are you all right? You look….. Distant."

"Better than all right…. I think I'm in Heaven…."

"Oh dear. Please, sit down. We can't have you collapsing."

"What? Oh no. You misunderstand. I just think you're… well, never mind. I'm simply happy to help."

"And I'm glad you're happy to help."

"Hey. Hang on. Where's the Avatar? And those… other two?"

Toriel opened her mouth to respond but saw movement on the stage nearby. A man in red came out to speak.

"Perhaps we can discuss that later? Sounds like we've some listening to do."

They made their way to seats amongst the crowd. They'd joined up with a band of Fire Nation rebels lead by a former Fire sage named Shyu. And here they were, meeting in a city recently "liberated" by these rebels. Not the word, the locals would probably use. But regardless.

The Fire Sage, Shyu, strode out onto the stage. His eyes passed over the crowd. He smiled somewhat sadly when they passed over Frisk, Likely due to the conflicting happiness over the sight of her and the sadness over the Avatar's absence. Frisk did not smile back.

Shyu looked out over the crowd. Who'd have thought that he a humble sage would be leading a resistance against his own nation?

Not against hi nation, he reminded himself. Against the corrupt family leading it.

"Welcome one and all! True children of the Fire Nation, and outsiders! Thank you all for your bravery and patriotism in coming here today!"

He took a deep breath before continuing.

"Now before some of you perhaps roll your eyes, understand the risk you all have taken by showing yourself here with wanted enemies of the state!"

"And the world," Jet muttered. Frisk nodded.

"Let me thank my fellow brethren who have long seen the corruption of the ruling family! A family that sends our children to die for their own ego! To satisfy the selfish desires of a long dead maniac! To see so many of us standing against such injustice makes my heart swell. Our ancestors are proud of us, make no mistake!"

Cheers rang out amongst the crowd. Jet and Frisk did not join in. Toriel placed her hand on Frisk's shoulder.

"Please my child. Try and loosen up."

"But we alone cannot pat ourselves on the back. We must also pay tribute to those from other nations who have risked their lives in the name of fairness. Take this city for example. We could not have liberated it on our own."

Shyu gestured to an old woman in the crowd. She sat alone and separate from everyone else. All who seemed to try and keep as much distance from her as possible. Not that she seemed to mind it, however. In fact, she appeared to relish in their discomfort. Only one person sat next to her. A young girl who looked incredibly sullen and withdrawn. Frisk's eyes widened In recognition.

"This is Hama. A waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe. When young, she was abducted from her home and imprisoned with fellow waterbenders behind bars. She suffered. She endured. And Through her persistence and ingenuity, she escaped. And now stands here years later with us, using her gifts to help ensure a better future not just for her own tribe. But for the whole world!"

Hama's smirk did not lend much credence to that.

"Furthermore, beyond the borders of this nation, other brave men and women are moving to reclaim their homeland. Far to the north, Earthbenders and the Northern Water tribe have joined forces and are growing in number with every passing day."

Hama's smirk faded and seemed replaced by something of a genuine smile and surprise. She'd heard nothing of the tribes since she'd been taken away. To see more waterbenders… And to pass on her skill….

But even more importantly…" Shyu took a deep breath.

"I wish to confirm a rumor that most of you if not all have no doubt heard. And that rumor is true. The Avatar has returned. At the head of an army of air nomads! And they are currently in route to the ancient city of Ba Sing Se to mobilize the Earth Kingdom army to our cause!"

Shouting erupted from the crowd. Cries of both disbelief and hope.

"Army of airbenders," Toriel repeated more than asked. "Asgore. Do you hear that child? Your friend is alive."

Frisk felt her heartbeat faster than it had in months. She felt the beginning of tears born from joy in her irises.

Aang was alive. The best thing in her life in years. Maybe there was some good in this world after all.

"The time is fast approaching when they will sail across the sea and land upon these shores. Without their aid, we do not have the numbers to free this nation. So, until they land, our job is disruption."

"Finally," Jet sat forward. "This geezer is speaking my language."

"We will go town to town and upset this false order! We will seek every weak link and pull on it until it breaks. We will create whatever little crack we can in the Fire Nation's defenses. And while they are preoccupied with us and working to contain the damage and truth we spread, they will be unprepared for the righteous assault coming their way!"

Jet snorted.

"Righteous assault? This guy wrote this speech himself, didn't he?"

"The road ahead is hard and will take everything we have. Some of us gathered here today to witness the beginning of this revolution may not live to see its end. But make no mistake. Everyone here will be remembered as an agent of change. A champion of peace who headed the call to arms. And when the time comes to tear the tyrant Ozai from his bloody throne, we will be there to see this war end, and the world restored to its former glory!"

Amidst all the cheers, the children in the crowd, aka Jet's gang, Frisk, and the girl next to Hama. The girl who caught Frisk's eye. Whose eyes widened in shock upon recognizing her.

She didn't wave or say anything. She merely gave Frisk a pleading look and kept moving her eyes in Hama's direction.

Frisk stared for a moment. Eventually she nodded.

The girl smiled sadly, but there was relief in those eyes.

Though she could not see it, she could feel Jet's eyes glaring into the back of her head.

She took a deep breath. It was time. No more running. She wanted revenge and soon she would have it.

It was time to go to war.

If you could only see me now, Suki.