"This is it. This is the lake." Y/N stood on the shore, scanning the water. "Toph. What do you see?" Toph paused for a few moments.

          "An entrance." She walked a bit farther to the left, and stomped on the ground, the earth rumbling as a walkway and hatch rose from the water. "This is our way in. Come on, hurry up. Someone is coming."

          Y/N ran to the hatch, hoisting it open and gesturing for everyone to get in. Their group consisted of the Gaang, plus Jet, Smellerbee, and Longshot. Y/N still didn't know how to feel about the short tempered girl, Smellerbee just kept snapping at her for no reason.

                            —|➖◾️➖|—

         "I don't like this. Jet, are there any rooms big enough for Appa to be held in?" Y/N stepped lightly down the dark corridors, eerie green light being the only thing illuminating their path. Jet swallowed nervously.

          "There are several possibilities, but here's one." He turned to a door on their left, silently pushing it open and peeking inside, Y/N beside him. The room seemed empty, but it was much bigger than what they could see from the doorway.

          The group made their way inside, looking around. It was completely empty. Too empty.

          Y/N wasn't even surprised when Dai Li slid down the walls from the ceiling, all stopping about halfway down to surround the group like weird spiders. She sighed, taking a defensive stance and looking around at the dozens of guards.

          "Think they'd let us leave if we asked politely?" She asked sarcastically to fill the tense silence. Long Feng, the leader, only smiled.

          "Unfortunately, I am afraid that was never an option." He sighed. "You've worn out your welcome."

          The Dai Li moved all at once, shooting strange rock hands at the group. Many dodged, but Y/N didn't react in time, getting pinned to the floor in seconds. 

          "Y/N!" Katara yelled, running forward, but got taken out in the process.

          "Chill, and focus on yourself!" Y/N yelled angrily, forcing water into the cracks of the rock and freezing it to crumble the restraints, seconds before the Dai Li were on her. It was a whirlwind, and she was glad the opposing side all wore the same clothing, otherwise telling friend from foe would be next to impossible in the heat of battle.

          "Long Feng! He's getting away!" Jet yelled, running out the door after the man, closely followed by Aang.

          "Jet you get back here!" Y/N snarled, but he was gone. He's already proven to me that he can't handle himself, Aang better take care of him. I'll kill Jet myself if he gets hurt of captured again. She sliced a few more rock hand side in half, trying to catch enough of a break to chase after the guys.

          "Everyone duck!" Toph yelled, and Y/N hit the dirt, barely missing a large-scale attack of flying boulders. Most of the Dai Li got knocked off their feet, and some trapped in the wall, Toph quickly knocking more out.

          "Where did Aang and Jet go?" Katara asked, running up to Y/N. 

          "I don't know, but we have to find them, fast. We can't split up like this, it's a maze down here." Y/N shook her head, and ran out the door, Smellerbee and Longshot right behind her. They hadn't gone far, Y/N could hear yelling and the rumble of earthbending nearby. 

          "Y/N! Watch out!" As soon as Y/N stepped through the doorway, Aang screamed at her, and she narrowly dodged one of Jet's swinging hooks. Y/N threw a few icicles, pinning Jet to the wall, but he quickly ripped himself free.

          "What's gotten into you?" She yelled, throwing more knives to knock his weapons away, but she only got one, and he picked it right back up, charging her again. 

          "That isn't Jet. You have to help me get him out!" Aang yelled. He was holding off Long Feng, who pummeled the Avatar with relentless attacks. Y/N threw a few more icicles, but Jet smacked them away, and she yelled as she tried to dodge. One of his hooks caught on her arm, pulling her back. 

          He slammed her against the nearest wall, bringing his other hook to slice at her throat. Y/N got the wind knocked out of her, and couldn't think straight as the hook came closer. Longshot spared her the sliced neck by shooting Jet's weapon, a sharp clang and it was knocked from his grasp.

          Jet growled, grabbing Y/N by the neck, cutting off the sharp breaths she was trying to take and lifting her into the air. Through the haze, she could see Longshot notching another arrow, but more yelling, and she quickly realized she was on her own. The others were too focused trying to take out Long Feng.

          "Jet! Listen to me!" Y/N gasped, grabbing at his hands as her feet left the ground. It was so hard to breathe. Her vision was going. She couldn't think about bending, all her hands could accomplish were weakly grasping at Jet's fingers. He was much stronger than she was, and he was only squeezing harder on her throat as she struggled.

          "Fight! Fight!" She rasped desperately. "How does someone like you give in so easily?? I know you're in there! What have you trained your whole life for?" Her vision was gone, all she could feel was the tightness in her neck and aching lungs. She didn't even know if her words were audible, but she felt one of her hands leave his... to touch his forehead.

          "You're a Freedom Fighter, not a government pawn! Snap out of it!" She roared, and she felt his grip loosen. She fell to the ground, gasping and struggling to stand, but once her vision returned, she realized there was no rush.

          It still wasn't Jet, no, his eyes were still far off, foggy, and full of rage, but he was dead still. She could feel the familiar aching power in her fingertips. Y/N rolling her right wrist, and Jet fell to his knees, breathing heavily with panic. 

          "Now you listen to me, maybe you didn't hear the first time, but I'll spare myself from repeating it." She said coldly, twitching her fingertips to make him look at her in the eyes. "I know you're in there, Jet, and I'm absolutely sick of dying. You can't kill me. No one can. No one but me." She promptly smacked Jet across the face. "Wake up."

          Jet's head hung for a few moments, then he looked back up, eyes clear and alert. With a cry of half relief, and half fear, Y/N released her bloodbending grasp on him, desperate to get away from the growing power that was building behind her skull before it could take her.

          "Finish her." Long Feng ordered, pointing at Y/N. Jet looked at Y/N, slowly standing to his feet. A heartbeat later, he yelled, whipping his hook around and throwing it straight at Long Feng's face.

          Y/N didn't have time to react.

          She could only watch as Long Feng gracefully dodged, and earthebent a large pillar of stone, hitting Jet squarely in the ribs. 

          She could hear the sickening crack of most of them breaking.

          Then the man was gone, Y/N, Smellerbee, and Longshot at Jet's side in an instant. The rest of the group ran in, all questions fading into a ringing in Y/N's ears. Katara quickly took out some water, her hands lighting up as she attempted to heal him.

          "This isn't good." She said gravely, glancing up at the others before concentrating on her work. Y/N reached out, hesitantly touching Jet's shoulder. With traces of the power still left, she could feel his shattered ribs. One of them had punctured his right lung.

          "Breathe. Breathe." Y/N spoke softly as Jet took in shallow breaths, gasping for air. He coughed, blood running from the corner of his mouth. She glanced up at his friends, her heart dropping. Smellerbee and Longshot didn't look panicked, in fact they were strangely calm, both of their faces grim.

          It was quiet in the cavern. Only Jet's labored breaths and the small hum of Katara's healing could be heard.

          Y/N shuffled closer, and Jet managed to look over at her. His eyes were glazed over with pain, and his breathing was only getting worse. His lips moved, but no sound came out.

          "You have to go find Appa." Smellerbee said quietly. "We can take care of him. Now go." Katara and Y/N looked up at her questioningly. "You guys don't have much time. Go." 

          "I can help." Katara insisted, but Smellerbee shook her head.

          "You guys have no time. We'll be fine." She prompted. Jet was not fine. Y/N was about to speak up, but everyone stared in shock as Longshot spoke.

          "Leave Jet to us, you need to find Appa. Now." He commanded, and the Gaang stood, nodding, and began backing towards the door. Y/N could feel the pressing need to find Appa before it was too late, but...

          "I can't leave." Y/N decided halfway. 

          "Y/N..." Jet's voice sounded horribly strained, and the flow of blood from his lips wasn't stopping as he coughed. "I'll be fine, don't worry." 

          "Y/N, come on." Sokka said quietly, grabbing her arm and dragging her towards the door.

          "He's lying." Toph whispered, and Y/N didn't process what she had said until a few seconds later, when she glanced back.

          Longshot was notching an arrow.

          "NO!" Y/N yelled, attempting to run back, but Aang and Sokka held her back. "DON'T KILL HIM! HE'S GOING TO LIVE! I CAN HELP!" 

          "Y/N, he's in pain... this is already hard enough, please..." Smellerbee sobbed, and Longshot aimed the arrow at Jet's chest. 

          "LET ME GO!" Y/N screamed at her brother, but he didn't listen, pulling her back. Sokka was stronger, and with Aang's help, he could hold her back for long enough.

          "It's okay, Y/N." Jet whispered, smiling sadly. 

          Time seemed to slow as Longshot brought the string back, and let go.

          Y/N couldn't lose another friend. She couldn't lose more to the war, not when she didn't have to.

          Not right in front of her.

          She didn't even feel the pain of the arrow piercing her shoulder. If she felt anything, it was rage, and determination. Long Feng, the Fire Nation, the war, it would not break her. Not like this. 

          The bloodshed, the fear, the tears, and death?

          Y/N was going to break herself if it meant something changed.

          Everyone was yelling as she jumped in front of the arrow, Longshot not having time to stop it before it buried itself into her shoulder.

          She placed her hands on Jet's shattered ribs, calling the power in her chest to rise to the surface again. Pressure built behind her skull as people tried pulling her off of him.

          "Go find Appa." She yelled through the haze. "I'll find you guys!"

          Then there was blinding pain, searing right behind her forehead as she pulled the water to work, the blood to stop flowing from his arteries, the bones to piece themselves together. She could vaguely hear herself screaming in pain, but she felt nothing as she worked, concentrating on staying conscious.

          Tissue filled the gaping hole in his lung, and Y/N could feel her firm grasp on the power slipping. With one final gasp, she fell back, and everything faded away.

          Your selflessness has granted you change of fate. It was a mistake to call you a curse, Y/N.

                  Go, and continue to share your gift with the world.