Reborn In Water || ATLA

I Won't See You Tonight

"Cry alone, I've gone away. No more nights, no more pain. I've gone alone, took all my strength. I've made the change, I won't see you tonight." - Avenged Sevenfold 

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"No, absolutely not!" Sokka raged. "It's a suicide mission! Besides, why should we trust you this soon?" First, he was supposed to just accept some firebender into their midst and now she wanted to go back to Zuko's ship. It had to be a trap.

"If we go now and go fast hardly anyone will be on board." Aelita pleaded. It was hard enough leaving the life she once knew behind, but she couldn't bring herself to leave Mushu or her keepsakes. Nothing could replace those. "Get me close enough to jump, take cover in the clouds, I already packed a bug-out bag so just give me five minutes to grab what I need and I'll be waiting on the top balcony. We'll be in and out and no one even needs to land."

"I don't know Aelita." Aang rubbed the back of his head. "It's risky. We'll get you your supplies at our next stop, until then I promise we'll make sure you're taken care of. Sokka will even let you borrow his sleeping bag!"

"I will not!" Sokka huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Speak for yourself there fly boy."

"Please," Aelita begged. "These things can't be bought."

"Oh yeah?" Sokka shot her a glare. "What could possibly be so important?"

"Mushu for starters. Shukaku called him my animal guide so I'm assuming he's pretty important." 

"Like Appa is for me." Aang smiled. "The monks said that animals are what help bond us to the human world."

"Can't we find you a new pet?" Sokka waved a hand in the air. "Maybe a nice messenger hawk or something useful." 

"Mushu is useful and I'm not leaving him behind." Aelita glared before her voice softened. "And I need my Dad's tanto. I didn't have time to grab it earlier, it's the only thing I have left of him."

 Shit. Sokka hated that she sounded almost human. 

"I still..."

"What direction is your ship?" Katara interrupted. Her hand had lazily drifted to where her mother's necklace should've been. She still hadn't forgiven herself for losing it. 

"Not far to the west." Aelita looked at the Avatar for approval. His sad eyes met hers as he wondered what exactly she could've been through. Aang made his way to Appa's head and jerked the reigns to the left.

"Yip yip Appa!" He called and the bison flew faster.

"Thank you." Aelita was sincere. This meant more to her than any of them could know. 

"For the record, I still don't like this!" Sokka huffed as he slid back down in the saddle.

"Do you have any paper or ink?" Aelita asked Katara who looked at her with puzzled eyes. "I just have to tell someone goodbye."

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"Five minutes. That's it. " Sokka emphasized and they rapidly approached the growing ship Aelita had called home the few years. "We drop you on board and we fly straight up into the cover of the clouds. You get your stuff, wait for us on the balcony, you hop back on and we're gone. Got it?"

"Gee it's almost like it was my plan," Aelita muttered as she tucked the note securely into her chest plate. 

"What was that?"

"Oh nothing, got it."

"Be careful." The Avatar said from the head of his bison. Aelita was amazed to hear the genuine concern in his voice.