Accidental Avatar 3: Totally Lit

Found him

A/N: Sorry about the late update, guys and gals (and others). I ended up working an 11-hour shift the other day, and AmayaDisapproves is overseas, so she couldn't post either. But in other news...

"Over there!" Mogui called, pointing out a mountain that was spewing a constant stream of smoke and ash, with a steady stream of glowing red lava inching slowly down the face of the volcano.

"Did you see him?" I questioned, squinting through the smoggy air towards the crescent moon shaped island.

"Unless that is some suspiciously human shaped sand, I'm like sixty-five per cent sure that's him," Mogui answered.

"Only sixty-five per cent?" Muteki questioned as he carefully guided Appa towards the island.

"It could be suspiciously human shaped sand," Mogui said with a serious expression.

"How're you doing back there?" I asked, turning to a scowling Mangetsu who was huddled at the back of the saddle with his arms folded tightly across his chest.

He had an adorable little pout going on; his eyebrows pulled into a sharp glare over his brown eyes. But other than that glare, he stayed sullenly silent.

"I think Mangetsu is scared of heights," Sokka commented from Mangetsu's left.

"Well, I don't particularly enjoy it either, so can you blame him?" Toph said from his right.

There was an affirmative grunt from the scowling boy, but otherwise, I was not graced with a response.

"It's Aang!" Katara cried as Momo jumped on the unconscious boy while Appa landed in a patch of not on fire earth.

Muteki jumped down and cooled the lava with his lava bending, giving the hairy bison more space to move.

"You're ok!" Katara cried, throwing her arms around Aang's head and hugging him close.

"Geez, kid, you gave me a real spoop," Muteki sighed as he came over to the two hugging kids.

"Group hug!" Mogui cried, pulling me into the body pile that was being built.

Mangetsu almost escaped, but Toph and Sokka pulled him into the hug. I will admit that he held it together remarkably well, but the struggle made the hug all the more awkward.

"I have so much to do," Aang said as he managed to navigate his way out of the mass of human limbs.

"I know," Katara said gently. "But you'll have our help."

"You didn't think you could get out of training just by coming to the Fire Nation, did you?" Toph teased.

"Actually, I did, thanks," Mangetsu sniffed with a scowl, ducking out of Sokka and Toph's hug. "And quit touching me. I did not consent to this ridiculous display of affection."

At the confused expression from Aang, Mogui decided to explain.

"He's allergic to happiness."

"Mogui!" I cried. "He just doesn't like being touched, and clearly affection makes him uncomfortable. Try to respect that."

"Yes, Mother."

"Wait," Aang frowned again. "What about the invasion?"

"We'll join up with my dad and the invasion force on the day of the eclipse," Sokka explained.

"Hey, what's..." Toph picked up a rather battered-looking staff. "Oh... it's your glider..."

Toph handed Aang the glider, and he stood up with a solemn expression.

"That's okay," he said sadly. "If someone saw it, it would give away my identity. It's better for now that no one knows I'm alive."

While Aang went to go dramatically destroy his glider in the lava, Mogui blinked in surprise.

"Wait, wouldn't our hair give us away?"

"We're from the colonies," I said with practised ease. "Weird spirit stuff happens on the frontier, and so some kids are born with weird hair."

"I'll bet you we don't even need a cover," Muteki said absently.

I realised he was right.

If my memory served, Katara and Sokka look nothing like the Fire Nation civilians, but no one really paid attention to it and just assumed they were from colonies.

"The blondes might stand out, though," I pointed out.

"Why's that?" Mogui demanded.

"Just... Iroh mentioned it," I didn't say her name. 

We didn't need Mogui to return to his gloom corner, as heartless as that sounds. We need him to keep it together for Aang.

"Huh?"

"He asked me about your hair once," I lied. 

Mogui thought it over before shrugging with a nod and then turning to talk to Muteki while I threw Toph a sneaky glance.

Hopefully, she understood why I lied and would let it slide.

As Aang rejoined us, it seemed she hadn't even noticed.