Azula: "We've got everything we need...but I feel as though something's missing."

Ty Lee: "Me too! But I can't remember what it was..."

Mai: "Y/N. We're missing Y/N."

Ty Lee: "....Oh..."

Azula: *Sigh*
________________________________

Y/N: "Checkmate. Who's next?"

Y/N had been spending his entire morning in a tea shop, decimating anyone and everyone who challenged him in Xiangqi. (Essentially Chinese Chess. Go check it out, actually sounds really fun.)

"Oh, come on! That wa-you-there's no way you didn't cheat!"

Y/N: "No one likes a sore loser. You already lost your money, don't lose your pride too."

"You-you all saw that, R-right?! This kid cheated!"

Y/N: "You should really fix that stutter-"

Suddenly, the door to the shop swings open, Azula and Friends making their entrance as almost everyone cowers behind various furniture to hide from Azula.

Y/N: "Hello."

Azula: "Don't 'hello' me. Have you any idea how long it took to find you?"

Y/N: "....I assume around one or two hours. Why?"

Azula: "We're supposed to be leaving, not cheating in Chess."

Y/N: "I actually didn't cheat this time! I've gotten rather good at this little game...care to try?"

Azula: "No. You have ten minutes. Any more than that and we're leaving you here."

The three walk out, with Ty Lee waving to him as they do, and Y/N stands up with a sigh.

Y/N: "Nice knowing you all. I'm keeping the money, by the way. Cry about it."

Y/N grabs a small bag of his winnings, slowly sliding the coins from his last victory into it before walking out the door.

Once outside, Y/N hops up onto the roof of the tallest building near him, using it as a quick surveillance of his surroundings to try and find where Azula went.

Seeing her, Mai, and Ty Lee walkong down the street while everyone on the road moves to the side in fear, Y/N starts hopping from one roof to another, quickly closing the distance enough for him to land next to them, malimg Ty Lee jump with his sudden appearance.

Ty Lee: "Don't do that! You scared me!"

Y/N; "You have terrible awareness. Anyway, where are we going?"

Azula: "Ba Sing Se."

Y/N: ".....Yes. I know that. How are we going to get-"

Azula: "Through means much faster than walking."

Y/N: "And that's enough questions. How's everyone's morning been?"

Mai: "Boring."

Ty Lee: "Amazing! I had the best sleep of my life!"

Y/N: "I thought you looked more cheery than usual. I feel like I should be worried. As for me, I just got twenty gold pieces richer. And I'm also hungry."

Y/N walks off to a random shop, coming back with a bowl of strange looking meatballs.

Mai: "....What the hell is that?"

Y/N: "Don't know. I was hungry, and this was the first thing I saw."

Ty Lee: "Ew! It smells like dirty socks!"

Y/N picks one up before dropping the whole thing into his mouth, the other three clearly disturbed.

Ty Lee: "Don't eat it!"

Mai: "That is...absolutely vile."

Azula uses her hand to block Y/N from her sight, a clear look of disgust on her face.

Y/N: "It's not bad. Spicy, but pretty good. Wanna try one?"

Mai: "Get that away from me before I hurt you."

Y/N: "You wanted a change of pace, didn't you? Why not push yourself a little."

Mai, noticing he kinda had a point, stared at the weird meatball for several seconds before taking a small nibble out of it. It wasn't bad, but she spit it out anyway.

Mai: "The smell is coating my-*GAG* How can you eat tha-*GAG*"

Y/N: "Huh. I mean, I know it's no home cooked meal, but I didn't think it was that bad."

Mai: "....It's horrid. Literally THE worst thing I've EVER eaten."

Y/N: "I've had worse."

Ty Lee: "Worse how?"

Y/N smiled as Ty Lee asks that question, surprising the three at his genuine happiness.

Y/N: "I had a friend who made this really awful sou-"

Y/N's smile disappears as he stops speaking, being replaced by a much sadder expression as his gaze shifts go the ground.

Y/N: "...Forget everything I just said."

Y/N sadness switches to a glare. Seeing this, Azula changes the subject to something more important.

Azula: "We'll be reaching our destination soon. Everything has already been prepared."

Y/N: "....Is that a drawing of a giant drill? Seriously? That's your big plan?"

Azula: "Oh, I take it that means you have one? Do tell."

Y/N: "Nope. But if I did have one, I know it'd be better than drilling into the MASSIVE WALL OF STONE...how are we even going to get ON this thing??"

Azula: "Well, in the two years it took to make, they couldn't fit stairs-"

Y/N: "Stop. I don't actually care. How long is this going to take?"

Azula: "Only a few days. We'll be taking a ship through West Lake, then we'll board the drill with War Minister Qin. From there, all we need to do is take the drill to the wall, and let it do it's job."

Y/N: "Ship? Oh no...no. No, no, no, no. I'm NOT going on a ship."

Azula: "Aw. Too bad. You don't have a choice."

Y/N: "......*Sigh*"

Y/N walks back to the tea shop while the group continues walking, knowing he'll be back eventually.
________________________________

"We've been ready for half an hour, Princess Azula. We can't afford to wait any-"

Azula: "I don't care what we can't afford. We don't sail until Y/N returns. If you bring this up again, I'm throwing you into the water."

"Y-Yes, Princess...my deepest apologies."

Y/N: "Aw. You care about me."

Everyone in the deck looks up to see Y/N sitting on top of the bridge, drinking a small cup of tea as he looks down at them, a stern expression on his face.

Ty Lee: "There you are! Hi!"

Y/N smirks slightly as he gives Ty Lee a small wave, before returning to his stern look of disapproval.

Y/N: "I had to waste five gold pieces for this tea. Wanna know why?"

Azula: "No. How long have you been there?"

Y/N: "Oh, I've been here since you gave the command for them to prepare the ship."

Mai: "....That was almost an hour ago. How did no one notice you?"

Y/N: "I was trained by one of the greatest assassins to ever live. Seriously, look at her accomplishments sometime."

Azula: "....So, let me get this straight. You've been here. Even before WE got here. And since then, you sat there, drinking a cup of tea while we waited for your arrival."

Y/N: "Yep. I do have a reason, but I doubt you'd care to listen."

Mai: "Seriously? You made us wait here for thirty minutes, JUST SO YOU COULD HAVE YOUR-"

Ty Lee: "Hey! Everyone, calm down! Let's atleast hear him out before we start shouting..."

Azula and Mai scowl at Y/N as he takes another sip.

Y/N: "Thank you, Ty. I'll make this quick. I get seasick. I drink this, seasick go away. But it's needs time. If I started drinking it when we were moving, I'd just end up throwing it back up."

Azula: "And it hadn't occurred to you that maybe you should tell someone? Instead of being an assho-"

Y/N: "Would it have mattered? We'd still be delayed and you'd still be pissy. Though, that's assuming you would care enough to stall it. You ended up drugging me last time I trusted you, so...this was a much  better option in my eyes."

Azula holds her head in her hands while Mai walks off, deciding not to care anymore.

".....Does that mean I should-"

Azula: "Perry, if I hear one more sound out of your mouth and this ship isn't moving..."

The ship captain, who's now been named Perry, quickly turns around and signals his men to get moving.

Azula: "And you...get down from there. Before I make you."

Y/N: "But it's nice up-"

Y/N swats a blue fireball out of the air before it hits his face, admiring the scowl Azula gives him as she repeats her command.

Azula: "Down. Now."

Y/N: "Fine, fine. I'll get down."

Y/N finishes the rest of his tea before tossing the cup into the air and jumping down from the bridge, landing perfectly on the deck as Azula angrily walks away.

Ty Lee claps as Y/N catches the cup, much to Azula's annoyance.

Azula: "Ty Lee."

Ty Lee: "But-"

Azula turns around and glares at her, stopping her clapping and causing her smile to drop.

Y/N: "Wow. I thought I was supposed to be the grouch."

Azula walks away, ignoring Y/N's existence while Ty Lee waves goodbye as she follows, leaving him on his own.

Y/N: ".....I already feel like I'm going to throw up."
________________________________

Y/N was kneeling on the side of the deck, with his head and arms weakly resting on the bulwark while he waits for the trio ti come back with his tea...which was a task he gave them ten minutes ago.

Y/N: (My head is spinning...I hate boats. What's taking so long...)
________________________________

Azula: "Don't look at me, I'm a princess. I barely even consume tea, much less make it."

Ty Lee: "I uh...I don't know how to either..."

Mai: "Then why did you act like you did?"

Ty Lee: "...I wanted to be helpful.."

Azula: "I don't think your little crush would be moved my a cup of tea."

Ty Lee: "You know too?.....Am I that obvious?!"

Azula: "Yes. Yes you are. I think the only person on this ship who hasn't noticed is Y/N. But that's not surprising, he's denser than a lead brick when it comes to anything other than assassination."

Mai: "...I'll make the cup of tea. Can you two just...go out there and make sure he doesn't accidentally puke himself overboard?"

Ty Lee: "Yes, ma'am!"

Azula: "If he throws up on me, I'm throwing him overboard, and it's going to be your fault when he drowns."
________________________________

The two cautiously walk over to Y/N as he's now slightly drooping over the edge, completely still.

Azula: "Is he dead? Part of me would be happy if he was."

Ty Lee: "Azula!"

Azula: "What? Sure, another, very very tiny part of me would be sad, but I'm not going to lie and say I wouldn't be happy. Also angry, but that's less important."

Y/N: "Your voices are...so exhausting to listen to right no-*GAG*"

Azula: "Nope, still alive. How's the weather down there, Sailer?"

Ty Lee: "Are you okay...?"

Y/N: "Does it look like I'm-*HURK*"

Azula: "Ew...could you maybe, not?"

Y/N uses all of his limited strength to turn his head and glare at Azula, who just looks back at him with uninterest.

Before the two could get ready to tear each other's heads off, Mai comes over with a small cup of tea.

Mai: "Here."

Y/N weakly grabs the cup from Mai before drinking the entire thing in one gulp, then giving it back to Mai, who just sighs before walking back in to go make another cup, while Y/N puts his back to the bulwark he was just resting on.

Azula: "Since we're stuck babysitting you, let's pass the time. First, why? Why does being on a boat make you sick? Is your body just inferior to the rest of ours?"

Y/N: "The motion.....the swaying, the splashing, the bumping...it messes with me. I don't even know...why."

Ty Lee: "And tea helps?"

Y/N: "Herbal tea...calms my nerves and eases my stomach...Can we talk about literally anything else...?"

Ty Lee: "Uh...do you maybe wanna lie down..?"

Y/N: "...Wha..?"

Azula: "You're swaying."

Y/N: "No I'm...no...ugh, my head..."

Azula kicks Ty Lee in the shin, causing her to jump slightly before looking at her friend confused, only for her to gesture at Y/N, who was still swaying slightly as he held his head in his hand.

Understanding her assignment, Ty Lee takes a seat next to Y/N before slowly guiding his head to her lap, which he clearly tried to fight against, but didn't have to strength.

Y/N: "Hey, what the he....nevermind, I guess."

Azula: "You need to lie down, and I'm not touching you, so you'll have to deal with thi-"

Y/N: "Yeah, yeah...I...get it...I..."

Y/N slowly trails off before falling asleep, which annoyed Mai as she had just come back with his tea.

Azula: "That was far more effective than I was expecting. That's also my cue to leave, have fun babysitting him for the next four to eight hours."

Azula walks away while Mai sips the tea Y/N was supposed to drink. Not having much to do, Mai sits down next to Ty Lee.

Mai: "...Never would've expected seasickness."

Ty Lee: "I know! I could understand maybe being scared of animals, or water, or something like that but... seasickness?"

Mai: "It's almost like he's a normal person."

Ty Lee: "He is. Just like us...I hope he doesn't throw up on me."

Mai: "That'd be fun. Not for you, obviously. But still fun."
________________________________

Y/N opened his eyes to find he was no longer on a fire nation ship. He didn't see Ty Lee or Azula either, despite them being his most recent memory.

He was...nowhere. It didn't look like he was in any of the four nations. All around him were bright colorful flowers, tall vibrant trees, clear skies. It wasn't like anything he'd ever seen before.

The sun was warm, but there was a slight breeze in the air. It wasn't humid, or wet, just...perfect. Everything, down to the last minuet detail.

It was a Paradise.

Y/N: "Where...where am I? Am...am I dreaming?"

Y/N sat up, confused. How did he get here? Did someone put him here? Is this all some big elaborate joke? If it was...it's working.

Y/N: ".....Hello? Ty? Azula? Anyone??"

Receiving no answer, Y/N decides to stand up and hopefully find out we're he was...only for him to find himself on the ground again.

Y/N tried to sit up again, but once more found himself on the ground. But it never felt like he moved. It felt like he thought about moving, but never actually did it.

This...didn't anger him. He didn't want to move. Something about this spot...it was relaxing. He felt like he could truly relax here, even if only for a while.

So he stayed. He admired to birds flying about, the rustling of leaves in the wind, even what sounded like a steady stream in the distance. It was all so...soothing.

Closing his eyes, Y/N listened to the sounds of nature as if they music. Like they were speaking to him in a way only he could understand. But then they stopped.

Opening his eyes, Y/N finds himself in a rather peculiar situation. He found himself in Ty Lee's lap, but...he didn't mind. He didn't really mind anything, actually.

Y/N: ".....What did you do?"

Ty Lee: "...Wha?"

Y/N: "When I slept I...I didn't see...what did you do?"

Ty Lee: "....I'm confused..."

Mai: "We didn't do anything."

Y/N: "....Oh...okay....Are you petting me?"

Ty Lee: "Oh! Sorry! I didn't notice-"

Y/N: "It feels good. Keep going."

Mai nearly spits out her tea while Ty Lee blushes deep red, neither of which when unnoticed by Azula, who had only just arrived.

Azula: "Am I missing something?.... Nevermind, I don't care. We'll be arriving in less than half an hour. I've also been informed that we've gained another...'asset'."

Y/N: "That doesn't sound good."

Azula: "It might and it might not be. I will say this...don't trust her. I don't want any of you alone while in her presence."

Y/N: "...You actually sound concerned."

Azula: "...You'll see why when we get there."

Azula walks away while Y/N pulls out his knife, inspecting it in case he needs it.

Ty Lee: "....Do..do you really need that?"

Y/N: "Ty, I'm a known assassin. There are people that want me dead. Not carrying some form of steel on me would make my job a lot harder. Plus, you heard the way Azula spoke just now."

Ty Lee: "I know, I just....what if you... didn't?"

Y/N: "....Didn't what."

Hearing Y/N's slight shift in tone, Ty Lee precedes with caution.

Ty Lee: "I just meant...what if you tried...just...disabling them?"

Mai: (Is she really trying to convert an assassin into a pacifist?)

Y/N: "....I don't really do well with fighting defensively."

Ty Lee: "At least say you'll try? Just once?"

Y/N deeply sighs before looking Ty Lee in the eye. She almost looked worried. Whatever the reason was, this meant a lot to her.

Y/N: "......Fine. I'll try to look for other ways to...'dispatch' people. Just for you. Happy?"

Ty Lee blushes again before nodding, causing Mai to cringe inside slightly.

Mai: "....Can you two not be cute right now? I'm still here."

Ty Lee: "S-Sorry-"

*HOOOOOOOONK*

"WE'RE DOCKED!"

Azula: "Was the giant horn really necessary?"

"....War Minister Qin requested it. He said he wanted his-"

Azula: "Yes, yes. I don't care. Prepare a ramp for us."

"Right away, Princess Azula."

The poor foot soldier scurries away to find the ship's commander, while Y/N sits up with a sigh.

Y/N: "Let's hope we don't have to kill someone today."
________________________________

Y/N: "....Oh...shit."

"So nice to see you again, Azula! And your lackeys too...what were their names again?"

Azula: "Please. You can drop the act, Chen."

Chen: "Boo. I thought you'd been more...fun. What about...you.  I remember you. Minerva's Accident-"

Y/N grabs his knife, ready to cut her throat out, but Ty Lee grabs his arm before he could get closer.

Chen: "Oh? So you do still have emotions. I suppose that's one thing the rumors got wrong...what else?"

Mai: "You're exactly as I remember."

Chen: "Am I, though? I think I've changed quite a bit since the last we met. Perhaps...I could show you~?"

Chen steps towards the group, but Azula changes the conversation's direction.

Azula: "The Drill. Is it ready?"

Chen: "The Drill? Maybe."

Azula: "....Maybe? Do you not know who you're speaking to?"

Chen: "Oh, I know all too well who I'm speaking to~! Which is why I wouldn't dare lie to you, Princess. I don't know the status of The Drill's preparations. Only Master Qin does. I've been sent to accompany yo-"

Y/N: "Can you shut up so we can go? I'm beginning to tire of hearing your voice."

Chen: "....Like father, like son I suppose. Though, I do enjoy that commanding tone of yours...very well. Please follow me."
________________________________

Qin: "Always a pleasure to see you, Chen. Princess Azula. As I've said in my report, The Drill is operational, and will be ready in a few minutes. I only ask that you wait for it to be fueled."

Azula: "Wonderful news. The wait won't be a problem. Just alert me when everything's ready."

Qin: "Of course, Princess. Would your...retinue like anything in the meantime?"

Y/N: "Rich people talk. It confuses me."

Chen: "Are you not the son of a high ranking noble? You have an entire city to your name. Wait, my apologies. Had."

Y/N: "Are you not your father's bastard? How does it feel, to look at him everyday?"

Chen: ".... At least I have a father...what happened to yours again?"

Y/N: "The same thing that happened to your sister-"

Chen goes to draw her sword, only for Qin to hold his hand up to stop her.

Y/N: "Eye for an eye, Sugarti-"

Azula: "Y/N. Shut up. Once again, come to me when The Drill is ready."

Azula walks way while signaling the others to follow her. Which they did, with Y/N giving Chen a smirk as they walked.

Qin: "You lost your temper."

Chen: "Deepest apologies, Master Qin...when he spoke of my sister, I..."

Qin: "I understand. But we can't arouse suspicion. They're already sceptical of you."

Chen: "Yes, I...I will try to be more... cordial with him."

Qin: "Good. You'll need to be close to them, should you want your plan to succeed."

Chen: "....I will try my best, Master Qin."
________________________________

Y/N: "I already want to hang her. Hang her the same way her mother did when she and those traitorous little shi-"

Azula: "Calm yourself. We can't discuss our plan if you're busy doing...whatever this is."

Y/N had been angrily pacing back and forth for the past five to ten minutes since they'd finished their conversation with Chen and Qin.

Y/N: "Alright. I'm sorry. Seeing her face makes my blood boil."

Ty Lee: "Do you two have history? You never really interacted outside of fights. I knew you didn't really get along but...this is a lot worse than I thought..."

Mai: "She really got under your skin, didn't she?"

Y/N: "...Her mother was one of the nobles that...took my parents. She blames me for her sister's death instead."

Ty Lee: "Chen had a sister? She never mentioned her..."

Y/N: "Because my father had her executed for treason."

The room goes quiet as Y/N pauses, letting what he just said fully sink in before he continued.

Y/N: "...I'll give you the short version. Chen had an older sister. I never knew her name, and I doubt Chen would tell me, but one day she...tried to help an assassin that had attempted to take my father's life. Something about resistance and tyranny. Death to the mayor, that kind of thing. Since his word was law, he...ordered for a public execution. Normally, her nobility would warrant a lighter punishment, but she wasn't from my father's city. She was technically only visiting, so due to that technicality, it didn't apply to her."

Azula: "...My father often spoke of Kaleigh's temper, but I never thought it would be bad enough for him to execute a noble. Even given the circumstances, it sounds like a bit much."

Y/N: "It's...the only moment of my father that I wasn't proud of..."

Ty Lee: "But...you had nothing to do with that...it's not fair to push your father's choices onto you..."

Y/N: "Maybe. But that's not how Chen sees it. To her, I'm just as guilty, since I share his blood. But that's fine."

Mai: "How is that fine? You're good at your job, sure...but Chen is dangerous."

Azula: "Even I will admit, she's a dangerous enemy to have. Rumors will tell you she's unrivaled with that sword of hers."

Y/N: "And rumors will tell you I can breathe fire. I don't care what the rumors say."

Ty Lee: "...Can you breath fire?"

Y/N gives Ty Lee a weird look before chuckling at her odd question while shaking his head 'No'.

Azula: "...Just watch your back. We won't be able to tell who's side she's on until it's too late. Now, onto our plan for Ba Sing Se."

Y/N: "About that...what about the Dai Li?"

Azula: "Oh, I have a plan for them. But, that will have to wait. I think it's time we check on our friend Qin."
________________________________

After being alerted of The Drill's fueling, the group boarded the gigantic metal contraption. And after hours of slow transportation to the wall, they began preparing to start to drilling.

Y/N: "Wonder how fast they'll send their forces."

Chen: "Almost certainly the moment we begin. I do love a bit of roughhousing, but we should take care of them fast."

Y/N: "Genius observation. Truly, no one could have guessed such an expertly complicated answer to my rhetorical question."

Chen: "Why, thank you! Do I get a reward~?"

Azula: "Would both of you please shut up for two seconds?"

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Chen: "Approximately two seconds have passed."

Y/N: "Smartass."

Chen: "Only an observation, darling."

"Deploying Drill! We'll be in contact with the wall soon!"

Y/N: "Thank you for announcing that, Perry. I never could have guessed from the loud mechanical whirling outside. Such a treat."

"I...thank you?"

Chen: "Oh, but I'm the smartass?"

Y/N: "Glad to see you agree."

Qin: "...This Drill is a feat of scientific ingenuity...."

Qin starts walking around the command room while literally no one pays attention to him.

Qin: "And raw, destructive power. Once it breaches the wall, out troops will storm the city, and you will claim Ba Sing Se in the name of your father. Nothing can stop us."

Ty Lee: "Hmm....what about those muscle-y guys down there...?"

Y/N: "I get that my legs are amazing, but I don't think they're a danger to The Drill."

Ty Lee giggles before correcting him, while Chen facepalms at Y/N's lack of professionalism.

Ty Lee: "I'm not talking about your legs, silly! Look through this!"

Ty Lee moves out of the way so Y/N can look through the weird mechanical telescope, only to find several dozen earth soldiers climbing into trenches.

Y/N: "Oh...yeah, that might be a problem."

Qin: "Please."

Qin whacks the telescope, causing Ty Lee to jump back and Y/N to peek out from the side of it.

Qin: "The Drill's metal walls are impenetrable."

Y/N: "Until they're not. They might be difficult to get through, but it's not impossible."

Qin: "....Are you questioning my expertise..?"

Y/N: "Yes. Yes I am. I've broken enough weapons to know that steel has a weakness. You just have to find it."

Qin: "I assure you that the walls are more than capable."

Azula: "I'm sure they are, but just in case...Mai, Y/N, Ty Lee, go down there and deal with them."

Mai: "Finally, something to do."

Y/N: "Yay, something to do. How fun."

Ty Lee gives Y/N a worried look, to which he replies by taking his dagger out of his sleeve and giving it to her.

Y/N: "There. Happy now? No sharpies to do stabs with."

Ty Lee gives him a smile and a nods before they all head down to protect The Drill, with Y/N quickly thinking of ways to take down earth benders without cutting their throats.
________________________________

A small compartment opens up to let steam out of The Drill, but also gave Azula's Team space to jump out from, leaving them to slide down the side while Mai threw knives to cover them.

As the closest earth benders form a wall to block Mai's knives, Y/N leaps from The Drill in a burst of fire, landing behind them and in front of what he assumed to be their reinforcements.

With a large sweeping kick, Y/N throws the few in front of him to the ground with his bending, allowing the rest of the team to reach the ground with no issue while he turned to face his adversaries behind him.

Y/N: (Four soldiers, all somewhat experienced earth benders... I can work with that.)

Two rush forward while the other two stay back to provide support, throwing small rocks at Y/N to cover for their comrades.

Y/N dodges three of them, but punches the last one he couldn't dodge, cursing to himself as he shakes his hand.

Y/N: "FUCK! Why did I do that?!"

Unable to answer his own question, Y/N ducks under a rock gauntlet before kicking the earth bender's knee so hard, a loud crack rang throughout the immediate area, quickly followed by a stifled scream as Y/N covers his mouth.

Seeing his friend advancing quickly, Y/N jabs a pressure point on the back of his neck before charging his next opponent, dodging four more rocks as he closes the distance.

The earth bender stops his advance before stomping the ground in front of him, sending a large rock pillar shooting out of the ground, only for Y/N to do the same movement, sending out a massive wall of flames.

Knowing this wouldn't block the attack, Y/N instead used it as a separate attack, jumping over his own wall and flipping mid air, redirecting all the flames onto the poor unsuspecting earth bender, then dashing towards the other two while they panic, recklessly throwing rocks at him as he grows closer.

It didn't take long before those two were incapacitated as well. Taking a moment to rest, Y/N inspects his now bleeding hand.

Y/N: "Bleeding, but not broken...I'll be fine-"

Y/N's interrupted as he's thrown through the air by a block of earth, then hit by two small boulders immediately afterwards.

Y/N weakly gets back up as he faces his new adversary, who was dressed slightly different from the other soldiers.

Y/N: "Fancy get up for someone who likes to sneak up on people...I think I bit my tongue."

Watching as Y/N spits out a bit of blood from his mouth, the earth kingdom soldier laughs in amusement.

???: "That's rich. Ba Sing Se remembers, Little Shadow. Your atrocities won't be forgiven."

Y/N: "....You're a general, I take it?....How did you know I'd be here?"

???: "We've been watching you. Ever since you left Omashu. Bigger isn't always better. It makes you noticable."

Y/N: "Oh, great. So there's more? Wonderful. Can I at least have a name?"

???: "My individual name is irrelevant to you. Unfortunately you'll have nothing to put of your grave."

Y/N: "Oh, you're one of those people...this won't take long."

Y/N: (I don't have my dragger...fuck, why did I agree to do this? She's not THAT important to me...is she?)

As his opponent throws three rather large rocks towards him, Y/N ducks under the first, then jumps over the second, before catching the last one mid air and dropping it.

Taking a deep breath, Y/N throws two quick jabs, followed by three hooks, then a side kick, each of them shooting their own fireball in a different direction.

Noticing his opponent trying to decipher which would hit first, Y/N rushes straight towards him before kicking him in the chest, the impact immediately burning a hole through his uniform and scorching his chest.

When he tried to counter by locking Y/N's feet in place, Y/N grabbed his hand and pulled him in, punching him in the same spot and worsening his already burnt chest.

As he stumbled, the fireballs Y/N shot up earlier all hit him one by one, leaving several painful burn marks on his body as he start to lose consciousness.

Breaking free of the earth restraints on his feet, Y/N grabbed the dazed general by his face before slamming the back of his head to the ground.

Preparing to finish him off, Y/N steps over him before bringing his foot up, ready to crush the general's chest before he felt someone grab him.

Ty Lee: "Wait! He's not a threat anymore!"

Y/N: "He knows who I am, Ty. He will stay a threat until he stops breathing-"

Ty Lee: "Please! Don't..don't kill him..."

Y/N: "....I might have an alternate solution. You won't like it though."

Ty Lee: "...What do you mean...?"

Y/N: "Paraplegia. It's not permanent, but I can hit his spinal cord hard enough to paralyze him from the waist down. He'll eventually be able to walk again, but with little feeling in his legs. He probably won't earth bend for the rest of his life. Can you handle that on your conscience?"

Ty Lee thinks about it for a second before looking up at Y/N, giving a sad look at how serious he was.

Ty Lee: "...There's really no other way..?"

Y/N: "No. Next time he'll bring a friend. Then another after that. Eventually, he and whoever he brings with him will kill me."

Ty Lee: "....Okay....as long as he doesn't die."

Y/N: "...I'm sorry, but this is the only other option."
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Y/N: "Anyone got a update on the drill?"

Y/N rejoins the group in The Drill's command room after dealing with his business, only to find another problem arise as a sudden dust cloud kicks up on the side of the drill head.

Ty Lee: "Hey...look at that dust cloud...it's so...poofy!....poof!"

Y/N chuckles as Ty Lee's lack of seriousness, while Azula looks at her as if she were a foreign concept.

Qin: "Don't worry, Princess. I'm sure it's nothing."

Y/N: "And I'm sure you have no idea what you're talking about."

Chen: "You're speaking to a War Counselor. I advise you hold your tongue."

Y/N: "I would, if he weren't so blatantly wrong."

Qin: "I've had enough of your-"

Azula: "Qin. Let him speak."

Y/N: "Thank you, Princess. What our 'War counselor' is failing to realize, is we're fighting EARTHBENDERS. You have to think like your prey. Their assault failed, whats their next plan? Infiltration."

Azula: "... You're saying the dust is a cover?"

Y/N: "Trust me, as an assassin, I know when someone or something doesn't want to be seen. That's NOT a natural dust cloud."

Azula: "And, you do realize that in order to confirm this-"

Y/N: "I'd have to find them? That won't be an issue."

Azula: "Very well. If you're not back in less than ten minutes, I'm sending Mai to find you."

Y/N: "I doubt it will take that long...unless it's another general. Then I might need help...I might have gotten lucky last time."

Y/N runs into the hallway and down the first set of stairs before immediately collapsing, holding his side as he tries to catch his breath.

Y/N: (That was close...come on, Y/N. Get your ass up. You have work to do... If a few broken ribs couldn't stop you when you were a kid, they won't now. You're better than that.)

Y/N stands up with an exhale, steadying himself enough to continue down the hall at a moderate speed.
________________________________

Y/N stumbles into an engine room, immediately taking notice of the slightly frozen engineer in the middle of it.

Sighing in disappointment, Y/N waves his hand, waving a small flame that was just barely enough to thaw the ice covering one of the man's arms.

Y/N: "Which direction did they go. Point for me."

The engineer weakly points at on door adjacent from them, and Y/N walks through it while letting out another sigh of major disappointment, making the engineer feel a little sad.

As the door closes behind him, he hears a speaker ring out before what sounds like Qin's voice follows soon after.

"Congratulations, crew. The Drill has made contact with the wall of Ba Sing Se. Start the countdown, to VICTORY!"

Paying the announcement no mind, Y/N continues down the hall until he stumbles upon multiple doorways...and voices.

"And BOOM! The whole thing comes crashing down!"

"Everyone behind that wall...even the whole world...they're counting on us."

"Except the fire nation...right?"

Y/N: "Sound like a lot of pressure. Makes me glad I'm not you."

Y/N walks through a doorway to find the Avatar and his two water tribe friends. Not who he was expecting...this is gonna hurt.

Avatar: "Don't come any closer!"

Y/N: "I wouldn't dare. Three on one...not good odds."

The three remain in an aggressive stance, making sure Y/N knows they are messing around.

Y/N: "Not gonna work, huh?.....Then you should check behind you."

The three actually turn to look behind them, giving Y/N enough time to run up and grab two of them before throwing them towards the door, purposely putting himself between the three.
________________________________

Minerva: "What do we do when we're surrounded?"

Y/N: "Uuuuh...hit them till they stop moving...?"

Minerva bursts into laughter. After a solid ten seconds, she manages to calm herself, but can't drop the smile from her face.

Minerva: "Not quite. We make it so that the situation benefits is as much as possible. You don't take direct attacks well, so maybe if you position the enemy in a way that fits how you fight, you'd have a better chance."

Y/N: "Oh...that makes more sense."

Minerva: "At least you tried, Y/N. That's what matters to me."
________________________________

Y/N: (Good. The Avatar and the Lackey are behind me, while the water bender's in front. I can use that and this narrow platform to my advantage.)

Y/N: "I can't believe you fell for that... Katara, right? I think that's what Ponytail said once..."

Ponytail: "It's a WARRIORS WOLFTAIL!"

Katara: "What do you want with Ba Sing Se?!"

Y/N: "Me? I don't want anything. Hell, I don't even really want to be here. Azula, on the other hand...different story."

Katara: "That doesn't answer my question!"

Y/N: "If that doesn't count, then I don't have an answer to your question. Sorry, Water Girl. But I have orders to follow."

Ponytail: "Why do the bad guys have to be so cryptic?!?"

The girl, whom Y/N assumes is Katara (Since he didn't get a solid answer...), attempts to attack him with what little water she had, but he ducked and countered by shooting a tiny fireball out of his fingertips, which was enough to make her stumble, but not enough to actually harm her.

Already knowing their thought process, Y/N jumps into the air to dodge an attack from the Avatar, which hit Katara instead, knocking her into the support beams behind her, leading Y/N to realize it's been cut. Not good.

Deciding to worry about it later, Y/N spin around just in time to see Ponytail trying to swing an...an
Axe-Boomerang? At him. He pushes Ponytail's weapon out of the way and uppercuts his chin. Y/N walks forward slightly while Ponytail stumbles back, closing the distance enough to kick him back into the Avatar.

Hearing what sounded like rushing water behind him, Y/N purposely walks off the narrow support beam to let the attack fly past him, then he boosts himself back up before headbutting Katara and punching her in the stomach. It made him feel a little bad, but he couldn't worry about that right now.

Spinning back around, Y/N ducks under what he assumes was an attack from the Avatar. Seeing Ponytail stay back, he copies any movement the Avatar makes to counter his Airbending, which was his only option since he couldn't see it.

This didn't last long, as Y/N managed to slip a fireball through one of his attacks, hitting the Avatar straight in the chest and knocking him into the pipes behind him.

Ponytail threw his METAL BOOMERANG at Y/N's head, but Y/N caught it and threw it back, flames spiraling around it as it flies back to it's owner.

Just as Y/N planned, the flames died halfway through, but the boomerang remained hot, burning Ponytail's hands when he tried to catch it.

Ponytail: "Ah! Hot, hot, hot, hot! Ow-"

Y/N kicks him in the chest before he's hit in the back by a water whip, which cuts straight through his shirt and into his back. Blood drips onto the floor as Katara gasps. It seems she didn't mean to do that.

It didn't bother Y/N, though. Sure, it hurt, but everything hurts right now. He could barely even see straight...since when was he this exhausted?

Y/N waves his hands towards her, sending two walls of flames towards Katara. But when she tried to guard, nothing happened. The moment she let her guard down, however, Y/N was standing in front of her.

Y/N: "Sorry about this."

Y/N uses two knuckles and jabs Katara twice in her side, and once in her neck, turning more than half of her body numb as she hunches over, gagging as if something were choking her.

Turning around and seeing both Ponytail and the Avatar get up, Y/N attempts to sweep their feet with his bending, but a sharp pain shoots through his torso, interrupting his attack and almost sending him off the edge.

Blinking to try and clear his blurry vision, Y/N steadies his breathing before trying to stand up, only to be knocked back down by a gust of air.

Y/N slips off the side, but a hand catches him just before he could fall all the way down, his savior just barely managing to pull him up as he blacks out.
________________________________

Y/N weakly opens his eyes to find himself being dragged by a large burly man with an engineer mask, who was also currently using a radio to notify everyone of his findings.

"I found another engineer! He's been incapacitated and his schematics were stolen! Three enemies were spotted near the one of the engine rooms. I've also found Y/N, but I think he's in bad shape! I'm bringing him to you now!"

Y/N hears a door slide open, and a voice he could only recognize as Azula's followed soon after.

"Girls, lets-"

"Wait!"

"Darling, he'll be fine. Now let's-"

"I'm not going until I know he's okay!"

A deep sigh fills the silence, before Azula speaks up again.

".....Thirty seconds. I'm keeping count."

Y/N feels the familiar sensation of a cold metal floor. Then immediately feels the unfamiliar sensation of someone holding his face.

This caused Y/N to sit up on instinct, his eyes focusing on the closest thing near him.

Ty Lee: "Woah!"

Y/N: "....That hurt. Shouldn't have done that...what happened?"

Ty Lee: "That's what I trying to figure out! What happened to you?! Why didn't you...are you...are you bleeding?"

Y/N: "Yes. It's not deep, don't worry about it. I'm fi-"

Ty Lee: "You're not fine if you're bleedi-"

Y/N: "Ty Lee. Calm down. I'm okay. We'll assess my injuries later, but for now, we have some rats we need to take care of."

Azula: "We?"

Chen: "Oh...oh, no, no...you must be mistaken-"

Y/N: "I'm going. Whether you like it or not."

Azula: "Normally I admire your dedication, but you need to-"

Y/N: "I passed out from exhaustion, not my injuries. It's not the first time it's happened."

Azula: "Regardless, I-"

Mai: "Just let him come. We're wasting time. They might have already gotten away."

Y/N: "My thoughts exactly."

Y/N springs up with surprising vigor, leaving most of the room to think he was actually in top shape...but Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee knew. They'd need to watch him in case anything went bad. He could falter at any moment.

Azula: "...Fine. Don't slow us down."

The five of them hurry out of the command room while Qin looks in the direction they went with uncertainty.

Qin: (Either he doesn't know how deep that wound truly is...or he's downplaying it while enduring the immense amount of pain it must be causing him... he's much stronger than I anticipated. That could be a problem.)
________________________________

The group follows Y/N's lead to where he last spotted their intruders. They already had a feeling, but they let Y/N lead so they could get a good look at his wound. It was deep. It had almost looked like he'd been cut but a sword. It was a wonder he was even standing.

Y/N: "Over here. I can hear them."

The moment the pass through the door, Azula spots the Avatar and his friends, and immediately shoots two fireballs at them, both of which we dodged.

Ty Lee: "You were right! It is the Avatar!-"

Y/N: "...Kinda hard to miss the arrows."

Ty Lee: "...And friends.."

Ponytail awkwardly holds his hand up, which made Y/N's rather...angry, for some reason.

Chen: "I'll let you girls have your fun. I'll help if I'm needed."

Katara quickly drags Ponytail away, but they weren't just going to let them leave.

Y/N stays back for a second, while the other three jump over to the adjacent support structure. Chen, just sits down to read a book, nonchalantly waving while not even paying attention.

Y/N watches as the Avatar pushes Ty Lee back before darting after his friends, which forced him to slide down the side of the support and position his arms like a ramp, which she used to spring off of.

This wasn't just because he wanted to help Ty Lee. Y/N flips his newly repossessed dragger between his fingers with a smile before deciding to follow after them.
________________________________

Y/N manages to catch up right as they come across a split, which obviously leads to Azula heading after the Avatar alone again, while the other three were stuck with the other two.

Not feeling like wasting more time, none of them argue as they quickly dart down the long hallway. And for some reason, Mai saw this as a perfect time to lecture Y/N.

Mai: "You shouldn't lie to us."

Y/N: "No idea what you're-"

Mai: "Shut up. If you don't want to confide in us, that's not an issue. But down lie to our faces when we're worried about you. We're not children anymore."

Y/N: "....Fine. But let's not talk about this now."

Mai: "Later, then. I'm holding you to it."

The three glance into a room as they rush past it, jusy barely catching a glimpse of the two water tribesmen jump down a hatch. After quickly turning around, the three lean over the edge to find...earth slurry. Ew.

Mai: "Eugh. Disgusting!"

Ty Lee: "Come on! You heard Azula, we HAVE to follow them!"

Mai: "She can shoot all the lightning she wants, I'm not going in that wall sludge juice."

As the two bicker for a bit, Y/N hears what sounds like footsteps in the corridor next to them.

Y/N: (An engineer? No, too light. A girl? But Chen said she was staying back...who the hell is that?)

Ty Lee suddenly jumps down the hatch, leaving Mai with a disgusted look on her face. Without thinking, Y/N jumps down the hatch after her, which he immediately regretted as some of the slurry got into his mouth.

The moment Y/N and Ty Lee are about to exit the slurry chamber after Katara and Ponytail, Katara got up and forced the slurry, and them, back into the tube. Unfortunately, this caused even MORE slurry to end up in Y/N's mouth.

Katara: "Why don't you try blocking my chi now, Circus Freak!?"

Ponytail: "Katara, keep that up! The pressure will build up in the chamber, and when Aang delivers the final blow, it'll be ready to pop!"

Smiling, Y/N uses his limited movement to free his arm. With the blade of his knife in his hand, he throws it in Katara's direction and shallowly cuts her leg, which led to a slight interruption in her bending, allowing him enough time to free himself.

Y/N: "That...was disgusting."

Ponytail: "Oh, COME ON! You couldn't keep him there for like, five minutes??"

Katara: "Oh, I'm sorry, WHO'S the water bender again?!"

Y/N: "Speaking of, I need you to-"

As he steps forward, the ground beneath Y/N's feet shifts, and he faceplants into the slurry before feeling multiple rock-like bars wrap around him, leaving him immobilized and in a significant amount of pain.

Y/N: *Muffled gurgling and screams*

???: "You guys needs help?"

A small earth bender, likely the one responsible for Y/N's predicament, walks past him and up to her...allies? Were they allies? They look like allies. Probably allies. Maybe friends.

Katara: "Help me plug this chamber!"

Y/N: "Could you not do that with my friend in-"

Y/N feels some of the slurry enter his mouth as he talks. A smirk appears over the earth bender's face....did she just bend slurry into his mouth??

Y/N desperately tries to break out of the earth restraints, but unfortunately just ends up exhausting himself. Unable to wiggle out, Y/N watches as Ty Lee is forced back up to chamber by the two benders, hoping she doesn't drown before it blows.

After a few seconds of silence, nearly every crevice of the drill is over filled by slurry, and it eventually rushes back out of it's original passage. Which Team Avatar minus the Avatar avoided by earthbending a pillar. Cause it's okay if we drown, right?

Immediately after the spilling subsides, They leave quickly enough to miss Azula's arrival.

Ty Lee bursts out the puddle of slurry while spitting some out her mouth and wiping her face off while Azula glances over at Y/N.

Azula: "....Should I even ask?"

A hatch on the side of the chamber opens up, and Mai sticks her head out, her usual stone cold expression present.

Mai: "We lost."

Y/N: "No shi-....give me a second."

Y/N wiggles enough to free his hands and make a torch, burning through the stone while Azula watches his struggle in amusement.

Azula: "Try going a little slower. You could hurt yourself."

After a few seconds, Y/N manages to push himself free. With a few minor grunts and groans, he pushes himself to him feet before hearing a sigh.

Chen: ".....Maybe I should have helped. That was a disaster."

Y/N: "You don't say? Really? Who would've thought?"

Chen: "We could do without the sarcasm, darling. It was a simple oversight-"

Y/N: "Was it?"

Chen stops as Y/N's annoyance switches to anger.

Y/N: "Was it just a mistake? Did you just happen to lose interest? Or did you do it on purpose? Did you intentionally abandon your ONE fucking job because of boredom? Or resentment?"

Y/N walks towards her, growing angrier with every step.

Y/N: "Did you sit out of that fight because you thought we could handle it, or was it because you just didn't-"

Ty Lee: "Y/N. I think you should-"

Y/N passes out in the middle of his step, dropping face first into the thick slurry under him, which led Chen to burst out laughing.

Chen: "...That went well, didn't it?"

Ty Lee: "...Should we help him?"

Mai and Azula sigh before looking at the unconscious Y/N with disappointment.

Mai: "We need to have a serious talk about him..."

Azula: "Yes...yes, we do."
________________________________

That was...longer than I wanted it to be. I don't even know why, it just kept drawing out.

Thas all, see y'all later!

8569 Words.