"You're banned." Sokka stated. 

          "I already knew that, thanks." F/N scrunched her knees up to her chin. "No more Cactus Juice until we figure it out. I know, now leave me alone, please?" 

          Sokka sighed, turning to join the others at the campfire, the light of his torch fading into a vague flickering light several yards away, leaving F/N in the darkness again. 

          It was a dark night, despite the recent full moon, thick clouds covering the waning light. F/N hadn't asked how many days she'd been unconscious, in fact, the interaction with Sokka she'd just had was the first time she had spoken at all in awhile.

          Y/N had tried to protect her family, and failed. Again. Like always.

          So the group had agreed that, temporarily, Y/N wouldn't exist, not even when the words Cactus Juice were uttered. 

          For safety.

          F/N was cold, not sitting with the others at the warm fire at camp in the cold night air, and the breeze picking up wasn't helping. She hadn't looked a single one of them in the eyes since the incident, since waking up. She didn't want to even be around them.

          The invasion was coming, fast, and they had enough problems without worrying about the crazy lunatic traveling with them lurking around nearby.

          F/N wouldn't make the mistakes Y/N did. The mask stayed on, piece in, and guard up. 

          F/N would charge into battle, and keep the Avatar safe.

          And win the war, avenging her dead parents.

                    Like F/N L/N was supposed to.

                              —| § ථ § |—

          It took seemingly forever, but today was finally the day. F/N kept to herself during the reuniting of old friends the group had made, and the Southern Water Tribe warriors. It was painful to not greet Y/N's father, but Hakoda was well aware of the situation, and the warriors had obviously spread her new reputation well.

          F/N was a foreboding presence in the submersible ship, even though the Water Tribe warriors new who she was, they still had a nervous, fidgety demeanor the entire trip. 

          They easily went underneath the flaming nets of the Great Gates of Azulon, and resurfaced before reaching the shore. The Gaang met on top of one of the subs, ready to split up. 

          "Wait, F/N is going with you?" Sokka asked suddenly, Aang commenting on how his new glider could probably carry two people easily. "But he's going to fight the Fire Lord."

          "It's my job to keep him alive, I won't be fighting Ozai directly, but only as support if he really needs it." F/N stated. "I will defend him until he reaches the Fire Lord, then draw back."

          "I thought this had already been decided." Aang wondered, looking at the concerned looks on Katara and Sokka's faces. "Look, I know the group has been a little tense recently, but I wholeheartedly believe that we can still trust F/N as we did before. Nothing has changed."

           "Thank you, Aang." F/N whispered, and he nodded, Katara pulling him off to the side as F/N faced Sokka.

          "....I'll be honest," he started when they were out of earshot. "I wish you'd stayed home. You would be safe, take care of Gran Gran..." Sokka kicked at the metal, not meeting her cold, white eyes. "You'd never had met Zuko, never had to go through all this pain... and- and I would still trust you."

          "...maybe things can be mended with Y/N once this is over." F/N gave a small nod. "But this isn't the time to worry about it." 

          "Let's go, F/N!" Aang called.

          "I'm sorry." F/N said quickly. "There's a 12 year old that needs protecting." She reaches up a hand, which Aang caught as he flew by, whisking her feet off the submarine and swinging her up on top of the glider as he sailed off towards shore.

                              —| § ථ § |—

          Something was wrong, and F/N was starting to get a horrible feeling in her stomach. The capital city was empty, completely deserted, and she wasn't surprised when she kicked the doors of the throne room wide open to find the place empty.

          "They knew." F/N growled, kicking ashes onto the throne. "And this wasn't last minute either. Who knows if the Fire Lord is even on the island now, they obviously had a heads-up long before we arrived." 

          "We need to fly back to the others." Aang said, sounding equally as frustrated. "Regroup. This whole thing might be a trap."

                              —| § ථ § |—

          "All of it? Empty?" Sokka asked, F/N nodding. 

          "I'm sure you know what it probably means, Sokka." Aang sighed.

          "He's in a bunker, and it's probably a trap?" Sokka guessed, and F/N cracked a small smile under the mask.

          "Nothing new, let's go bois." She said dryly. "All aboard the Gaang express, we have an angry fire man to kill."

          "We aren't killing him." Aang reminded. 

          "We'll work on that mindset." Toph snorted. 

          "I'm concerned that I have to wonder whether you were talking to F/N, or Aang." Katara frowned down at her.

          "You'll never know."

                              —| § ථ § |—

          Toph was quickly able to feel an underground series of tunnels and bunkers, and she got them down with a few rock slides and a lot of screaming. Katara found a noble, and got the correct location from him, sending the group on their way. 

          They blasted another pair of doors off their hinges, just to be disappointed again, but not with an empty room.

          "I finally get to meet your replacement." Azula smiled, looking F/N up and down. F/N couldn't say she was exactly surprised, but she didn't miss that cruel smirk of hers. 

          "I've known about your little invasion plan for months." The princess began pacing the metal room, never taking her eyes off them. "And I can't say I'm surprised you're still alive." She nodded at Aang. "Unfortunate. At least I go to one of my two targets off the list. What a tragic loss for your little group."

          "Her goals, and the lives of her friends and family go on." F/N said evenly. "While she dies, her rage lives on, princess." Before Azula could move a finger, F/N threw three knives, pinning Azula to the wall behind her.

          "I'm impressed." Azula admitted, staring straight into F/N's icy eyes. "But this fight isn't currently fair, I have no bending." She made a little pouty face, and two Dai Li dropped from the ceiling, one creating a pillar of rock that nearly shattered F/N's ribs. She flew backwards, slamming against the wall.

          "I'm tired of getting thrown against stuff, you scrappy dustmunchers!" F/N yelled angrily, a little blood dripping into her eyes. "Get over here!" 

          She blinked away the red, throwing out a shuriken, which wrapped around right leg of one of the Dai Li. She yanked out the string, hard, and his feet were pulled out from under him, his hands scrabbling in the dust in a panicked attempt to flee as F/N pulled him in, slamming an iron soled boot into his skull as soon as he was close enough.

          Aang and Toph were there, easily taking out the other agent, but Azula had freed herself by the time they were done.

          She laughed, running out into the rocky corridors, F/N stumbling after her, the others running past while Katara quickly healed her skull, washing the water off her face.

          "Thanks." F/N breathed, running after, only to be stopped by Sokka, holding out an arm. 

          "Don't go after her. She's trying to waste the rest of our time." 

          "I highly doubt the Fire Lord is even here." F/N commented, but Sokka didn't lower his arm.

          "I learned of the invasion from the Earth King himself, disguised as one of your little warrior girls. I've captured the lot of them, even your special friend. What was her name again? I can't quite remember..." Azula taunted from the end of the hallway. Sokka dropped his arm.

          "Sounds like we've got time to waste..." F/N muttered to herself, quickly throwing five knives before Azula could move, pinning her to the wall again, reenforced by a block of earth made by Toph.

          "Where. Is. Suki?" Sokka asked, approaching her with a dangerously low tone in his voice.

                              —| § ථ § |—

          Azula had been right, they had known months before. Reinforcements bore down on the invasion force, making it impossible to escape. 

          They were defeated, horribly outnumbered.

          It was agreed that the invasion would surrender, and live to see another day, rather than try fighting and get shot down in a massacre. The Gaang said their farewells, and flew off on Appa, escaping the Fire Nation troops.

          They had failed, and the war went on.

          And all of the Southern Water tribe was taken as prisoners.