A/N: So this chapter came fast, but I don't know how long the next one will take. Homework's starting to pile up at college now so I may only be able to write during the weekends now. I'll get started on the next chapter as fast as I can though. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and thanks for the reviews. It was great to hear your thoughts on the first chapter. Enjoy!
Staring at the symbol of the flame hanging on the wall, I felt my blood run cold as I tried to collect myself. I was on a Fire Nation ship, and the ship definitely was moving. What was going on? Where was my water tribe family? Where were my friends? I thought Katara had healed me, so why was I on this ship?
Then a thought struck me. What if after Katara healed me, I somehow got captured by the Fire Nation?
My eyes widened as it all came to me. Katara must've healed me in the crystal caverns back at Ba Sing Sei, but as she was healing me she was forced to flee because there were too many Dai Li agents. Zuko and Azula probably had my body carried on this giant war ship, and I was probably headed straight to my father.
There was no way I was going to my father. I had to get off this ship!
With all the strength I could muster, I sat up and the blanket on top of me fell away. As soon as I sat up, I had to bite my tongue to keep from screaming. The pain in my chest was so intense, that I actually almost blacked out again. Holding myself together though, I took in a few deep breaths trying to push the pain back. Clutching my chest, right where my heart happened to be, I was surprised to find I wasn't wearing a shirt and the only thing covering my chest was bandages. Luckily I was covered so nothing was showing, but still, I wouldn't have minded having a shirt.
As slowly as I could without causing too much pain to my chest, I turned on the bed so I could hang my feet over the side. I was still wearing Water Tribe trousers, and I noticed with utter relief that my Water Tribe bracelet and Fire Nation bracelet were still on my wrist. At least my captors were nice enough to leave them on.
With shaky limbs, I let my bare feet hit the steel floor of the ship, and then I got ready to use my muscles for the first time. Still clutching my chest, which actually felt like a knife was stuck inside it, I used my other hand to push myself off the bed. At first I had to use the bed's edge for support, and I gasped as my muscles burned from lack of use. My head went fuzzy as I stood for the first time in who knows how long.
Giving myself a few minutes to get control of my body, I finally tried to take my first step. Still having my hand over the wound on my chest, I took a step forward and reached out for the chair near me. Stumbling only a bit, I was able to grab the chair to stop myself from falling. My head almost swam as my vision blurred a bit, but I gritted my teeth to keep from blacking out.
Taking another moment to get my vision back, I tried to breathe normally and noticed it was finally becoming easier. My muscles were feeling a bit stronger and my limbs no longer felt like liquid. Deciding to chance it, I let go of the chair and slowly made my way to the steel door of the room I was in. My chest pulsed in pain after each breath I took, but I refused to give up. I had to get off this ship and back to my family.
The ship swayed a bit as I approached the steel door, and I stumbled a bit forward but managed to catch myself. My chest felt like it was being stabbed again, but I ignored the pain as much as I could. Sweat beaded down my forehead from the pain, and I could tell my breathing was hard as I used all the energy I could to escape.
Finally I reached the door, and with a shaky hand I reached for the metal latch. Pulling it up, the door swung open and I took that as my cue to leave. Entering the dimly lit silent hall, I used the wall for support as I stumbled down the hall toward the direction I hoped was the way out. Tears began to fall from my eyes due to the intense pain I felt centered around my chest, and I wished the pain would just stop.
Lu Ten had been right… This wasn't very pleasant. It would've been nice if Lu Ten had given me a heads up about being captured too.
Turning the corner of the long hall, I saw to my utter relief a steel staircase that seemed to head up on deck. Someone stepped on the staircase though just as I approached, and to my horror it was someone in Fire Nation armor. His face was covered by a helmet, and I had no doubt he was Fire Nation. Immediately I backed away, my heart pounding hard and only making the pain worse.
The soldier who came down, looked utterly surprised to see me. "You're awake!" he cried, his voice older and somewhat familiar as he rushed down the remaining stairs toward me. He actually almost sounded like Bato, but the thought quickly went out my head when I remembered he was Fire Nation.
Immediately I panicked, not ready to be captured by this man. With a thrust of my hand, I shot a very weak ball of purple fire toward the soldier. It didn't even hit him as he stepped off his last step, but it did slow him down. Taking his falter, I took off as fast as I could down the hall. "Hey! Wait!" he called.
Gasping, I saw my eyes blur as tears took over my vision. Clutching my chest hard, I gasped for air as I felt my chest burn. The only thing that had me running down the hall right now was adrenaline. When that wore off, I knew I was in trouble.
"Amber! Wait!" the voice called, but I kept running.
The soldier knew my name… but of course he knew my name. I was the wanted princess of the Fire Nation.
Turning a sharp corner, I searched wildly for a place to hide. Immediately I saw a door open about five feet away, and I rushed inside not even hesitating for a moment. Rushing through the door, I turned and grabbed it swinging it shut not even bothering to see what room I had entered. Then I pressed the latch down to lock myself in and to lock the soldier out. Sobs escaped me as my whole body shook with terror. Falling to my knees, I clutched my chest as it pulsed with an agonizing pain. My breathing was very ragged as I tried to catch my breath.
As I continued to sob, I closed my eyes tightly wishing this wasn't happening. There was a pounding on the door, and I heard a shout from the other side but I couldn't hear what was being said. All I wanted was my family and friends right now. Sokka… Katara… Kale… Aang… Toph… I wanted to be with them all so terribly.
I was back in my human body, but I wasn't where I wanted to be. "No!" I cried out. "I'm back! I'm supposed to be back! Why? Why?!" More sobs escaped me as the pain in my chest increased.
A voice came behind the door then, and I vaguely heard someone snap, "See! I said leaving her side was a bad idea!"
"How were we supposed to know she was going to wake up the one time none of us happened to be with her?" Another voice snapped.
Somehow, as if by magic, the doors latch swung up, and I screamed falling back on my butt and kicking back from the door, trying to pull myself as far away as I could. The door swung open then, and I shut my eyes bracing myself for the soldiers to swarm in and grab me. Footsteps approached me, and I tried to back up more wanting nothing more than to be with the others. I wasn't ready to be the Fire Nation's prisoner.
I probably looked pathetic, scooting back on my butt with one hand while using my other to clutch my pounding chest. My face was probably soaked with tears, and I was sure I looked like an emotional wreck.
"Amber…" Someone suddenly said softly, and I suddenly skipped a breath as I heard him. Immediately my eyes shot open wide when I recognized the voice. What? It couldn't be? Looking up, I saw with utter bewilderment my older brother Sokka. He was wearing some fire nation training armor, which was just the chest plate. Underneath I saw he was still wearing his water tribe clothing. His eyes stared down at me with both a mixture of relief and worry. "Amber… It's okay. You're safe. You're not in danger."
Staring at my brother with amazement, I felt my pulsing heart calm as I stared into his deep blue eyes. My chest still felt like knives were stabbing through it, but I ignored the pain as relief filled inside me.
"Sokka…" I whispered, and it felt so good to say his name.
He looked utterly relieved to see me. "Glad you're finally awake."
With a cry of relief, I somehow found the strength to get to my feet and stumble forward into Sokka's arms. He quickly rushed forward himself to catch me as I stumbled, and as soon as his warm arms circled around me I broke into more sobs. Sokka lowered us both to the floor, and as we were on our knees I fell into Sokka's hold letting out my cries of relief. He placed a hand on the back of my head holding me to him as he too was relieved to see me. "Shh… You're safe now Amber. It's okay. I'm not going to let anything else happen to you," Sokka promised.
In between my sobs, I managed to choke out, "I- I thought that- that I was captured… I-I thought they got me."
Sokka sighed. "No… You're okay. You're safe. There's nothing to be afraid of... We were stupid to leave you alone like that."
Finally I felt myself calm down, and I finally began to relax in Sokka's embrace. He lowered his hand from my head and placed it on my back so he could hug me closer to him. "I'm so glad you're back," he whispered, his voice breaking a bit as he pressed his face into my hair.
Sniffling, I felt my breathing was back to normal and my shaking was starting to cease. I was safe. I wasn't captured by the Fire Nation.
"Told you she'd be back," Toph's voice suddenly said. "Princess is a fighter."
Pulling away from Sokka, I looked over at the door to see Toph was there, and behind her was Katara, Aang, and Kale. They all looked utterly relieved to see I was alive, awake, and okay. Katara actually had tears in her eyes as she looked at me with joy.
My whole body became so tired suddenly, and I knew it was because my adrenaline had finally worn off. "I'm so glad…" I whispered. "I made it back." Closing my eyes, I felt exhaustion suddenly take me over.
As I started to drift, I heard Sokka say, "Let's get her back to the room." Then I was lifted from the floor as unconsciousness took me over.
When I came to sometime later, my chest was still in pain but I could breathe a lot better. Opening my eyes weakly, I looked around to see I was back in the room I had first woken in. Instead of an empty chair though, I saw to my relief Kale was seated beside me. His amazing brown eyes met mine, and I saw him smile glad to see I was awake. His hand was clutched around my own and I was almost relieved by the familiar warmth. "Hey…" he said. "Feeling a little better?"
Staring into his familiar eyes, I said softly, "Yeah."
He took his hand from my own, and then he reached forward and stroked my hair causing me to feel comfort. "Good… That's all that matters." He pulled his hand away again, and I saw he looked like he wanted to say something else to me. He must've decided it would only upset me though, because he didn't say anything.
"What happened?" I asked now, my voice soft. I decided if he wasn't going to talk then I would.
"You don't remember?" Katara suddenly asked, and I jumped a bit surprised to see Kale and I weren't the only ones in the room. The whole group was gathered around the bed, and I saw Aang looked upright and healthy. Toph was leaning against the wall, but I could tell she was glad I was okay. Katara and Sokka stood beside Aang, at the very foot of the bed.
Shaking my head to answer Katara's question, I said softly, "The last thing I remember was dying in Kale's arms."
Now Katara smiled weakly. "Oh… Well you wouldn't remember much after that then. After you were shot by Azula, Kale and I managed to pull you and Aang to safety. Your uncle held off the Dai Li and your evil siblings long enough to give us a chance. When we got out of the crystal catacombs we found the others and got you and Aang on Appa. Aang wasn't hurt as bad as you, so I was able to heal him with regular water. If I didn't have the water from the spirit oasis to use on you, you would've definitely died."
As I took in everything Katara had just said, I tried not to think about Zuko's betrayal, Azula's attack, or the fact that Ba Sing Sei had fallen. Instead I asked, "So, I never died?"
Katara smiled. "No… You've just been in a coma for a while."
"Uncle… Did he make it out?"
Katara shook her head to answer, and I closed my eyes as I felt agony toward my uncle. He was probably locked in a prison by now. He was probably as upset over Zuko's betrayal as me.
Opening my eyes again, I asked to no one in particular, "How long have I been in a coma?"
"It's been a while," Kale answered. "You've been in a coma for four weeks."
My eyes widened and my heartbeat began to accelerate as I took this in. Four weeks! I'd been in the spirit world for four weeks! It had only felt like a day!
"That can't be! I was only in the spirit world for a day or two!" I cried in horror, sitting up and clutching my head with disbelief. My chest burst with pain at my sudden movement, and I gasped clutching my chest again.
"Hey… Don't move so fast," Katara said, taking a step forward as if to help me. Taking in a few deep breaths, I managed to dull the pain some and smiled at her weakly letting her know I was okay. When the pain finally calmed, I dropped my hand again. As soon as I did I felt Kale wrap his hand around my own, and I could tell my words had pained him.
Looking at him with question, I heard him say, "So it's true then… You were trapped in the spirit world." He looked sad by this news. "
"What! You knew this Kale?" Sokka exclaimed, stepping over to Kale furious he hadn't told him.
Kale let go of my hand now and stood from the chair holding his hands up in surrender. "It was a guess, Sokka. I didn't know it was true until now."
Sokka now cried, "So that's what you meant the other day when you said she was trapped! Why didn't you tell me?"
Kale answered calmly, "Because I wasn't sure if it was right. I didn't want to tell you something that could've been wrong."
Aang now stepped forward, and I looked over at him as he said, "You were trapped in the spirit world then… That's why you couldn't return to your body?"
Nodding, I said softly, "Yeah… Huo wouldn't let me leave."
"So how'd you get out?" Aang asked.
Lying back down against the pillow, I closed my eyes as I remembered the deal I'd made. "We made a deal."
"Which was?" Aang asked.
Sighing, I opened my eyes trying to hold in the tears as I lied. "Huo said I could return to my body, as long as I promised to defeat my father once and for all. He said after my dad was defeated he wouldn't bother me anymore."
There was silence in the room as they took in my lie. Toph now said, "Why do I actually not believe you?"
Looking over at her now, I saw she was frowning as if she could sense my lie. "That's the truth," I said, but I knew my voice wasn't very convincing. She seemed like she didn't believe me still.
"So after you made the deal," Aang spoke, trying to get back to the topic at hand, "Huo just let you go?"
Nodding, I said, "Yeah… I mean he didn't exactly put me back in my body himself, but he let me out of his layer and I was able to find help in the spirit world."
"From who?" Katara asked.
Now I smiled weakly. "My cousin Lu Ten. He helped me get back."
Everyone took in what I said, and it seemed like silence passed for a good minute. I'd told them about Lu Ten when I'd first started getting my memories back. They knew he had died at war. After an awkward silence, Kale finally said, "I guess I owe your cousin thanks."
Nodding, I frowned at the thought of my cousin. If he hadn't been there, I probably would've never made it back.
My stomach suddenly growled, and I winced immediately realizing how empty my stomach felt. I sat up once more, but this time I sat up more slowly. As I sat up, I winced clutching my chest again and saying, "I know you guys probably want to know more, but is there a way we can stop this for now. I feel like I haven't eaten in days."
Katara smiled, glad to see I was coming back to my own self. "That's because you haven't."
As Sokka and Aang went to grab me some food and water, I heard Katara say, "While they go fetch you something, I'll try and heal your wound some more so the pain can go down. I can see you're really uncomfortable."
Nodding, I winced again as a sharp pain shot through my chest. Kale crawled on the bed beside me then and held me up into a sitting position so I didn't have to strain too much. Katara crawled behind me so she was at my back, and she pulled some water from a bowl sitting nearby. As her water pressed against my back, I winced as pain shot through me. She started to heal me though, and slowly the pain started to ease.
Katara worked on my wound for a good five minutes, and she only stopped when the others came back in the room. Sokka carried a canteen of water, while Aang carried a plate of fish and sliced apples. As I ate, Katara propped up the pillows behind me so I could sit up on my own. Then I bit into the food with almost a sigh of relief. It felt like I hadn't eaten in weeks, which was very true.
As I ate, Sokka explained to me everything else that had happened while I'd been out. Apparently after the whole getting hit by lightning thing, we escaped from Ba Sing Sei which was taken over, the Earth King was dumped in the woods with his pet bear, then we met up with my water tribe father to plan the invasion, the water tribe warriors infiltrated a fire nation vessel taking it over, and we were now heading a straight course toward the Fire Nation. The idea of going to the Fire Nation kind of gave me an unsettling feeling.
"So, dad's on the ship?" I asked, placing my empty plate down beside me. Toph and Aang had left the room, and it was only Sokka, Katara, and Kale now.
My brother smiled. "Yes… He's really glad you're safe. He was so worried when he first saw the state you were in."
Katara muttered, "He had nothing to worry about. She was in good hands." Immediately I looked at my sister surprised by her attitude, but then I understood. She was mad at dad for ditching us all those years ago.
"So the spirit world… what was it like?" Katara asked now, trying to hide her annoyance with curiosity.
Frowning, I said, "Not that exciting… It was full of a bunch of trees and rocks, there was no sun, scary creatures were lurking all around me, and I had the spirit of fire practically keeping me prisoner. Overall it was a world I do not want to go back to anytime soon. I'd take being human over a spirit any day."
Katara, Kale, and Sokka weren't really sure how to respond to everything I had just said.
Staring down at the blanket that was still covering my lap, I immediately realized how stuffy and warm it happened to be in the room. I really needed some fresh air.
Sighing, I said, "I want to go up on deck. I need some air."
I started to swing my legs off the bed, but immediately Sokka stopped me. "Wait! You're in no condition to go anywhere right now."
Now I looked at my brother with a weak smile. "Sitting in bed isn't going to do me any good. I need to be walking and building my strength back up."
"No! You need to be resting," Sokka said, crossing his arms not liking my plan.
Kale stood now taking my side. "We'll just let her go up for a little bit, Sokka. She could use the fresh air. When it starts to get too much we'll bring her right back."
Sokka seemed like he wanted to argue again, but Katara was already giving in and walking over to me. Both her and Kale grabbed one of my arms and managed to ease me up from the bed to a stand. My bare feet were a little cold on the steel floor, but it didn't really bother me. It actually felt nice. I stumbled a bit as I fully stood, but I was able to catch myself. My chest burned still, and I felt the knife like pain again, but I ignored it trying to be strong. A little pain never stopped me before.
Somehow I found my strength, and we made our way through the hall once more back toward the staircase. At least this time I wasn't running for my life. Right before we went up the steps, Katara helped me put on a loose fitting blue shirt, and she then placed a black cloak around me to keep me warm. When I was bundled up, Kale and Sokka now took both sides of me to help me up the stairs. Sokka still didn't agree with me being out of bed, but he understood that I wasn't going to listen to him.
Finally I emerged from below the ship, and I almost gasped as the wind hit my body and aggravated my chest. Sokka and Kale noticed I tensed, because they both gripped my arms harder in case I fell. Taking in a few hard breaths, I said softly, "I'm okay… It's just going to take a minute."
Katara was still behind us as she spoke with worry, "Are you sure you want to do this Amber? You could give it another day."
Ignoring my sister, I closed my eyes and breathed in the fresh cool air. Sokka and Kale still had a hold on my arm, but I ignored everything as I felt my hair blow from the breeze. The pain in my chest was there, but I pushed it to the back of my mind as I breathed in the salty air.
It felt so good to be back to the human world. It felt so good to be human again. The cold brushing on my face, my heart pounding in my body, and the blood rushing through my veins, felt so good at the moment. Opening my eyes again, I managed to find more strength inside me. Pulling away from Sokka and Kale's holds, I saw they weren't sure if they should let me walk on my own.
"It's okay," I reassured. "I've got this."
Clutching my chest again, I took a step forward and almost was relieved when I didn't stumble or fall. Slowly, I walked across the ship's deck and reached the railing. Clutching the railing, I immediately felt better having something to hold on to. I knew Sokka, Katara, and Kale had followed me but I ignored them as I took in the freedom I felt.
"I'm back…" I whispered, staring at the oceans waters with tear filled eyes. The sun was behind the clouds, but I could feel its warmth seeping through the gray in the sky. "I can't believe I made it back... It feels so good to be human again."
Kale stepped beside me at the railing now, and I felt his hand overlap mine from where it was clutching the rail. "I knew you would come back… You always come back," he said.
Smiling, I leaned into his side and I felt his arm immediately wrap around my shoulders and pull me closer to him. "I had to come back," I said softly. "There was no way I was letting you guys have all the fun."
Kale laughed now, and I smiled glad to hear his laugh again. It was definitely good to be back.
We stood by the railing for a few minutes, and I winced a bit whenever a cold breeze hit me. The cold aggravated my wound, but I tried to hide my pain from Kale and the others so they wouldn't worry anymore. I hated seeing them worry about me when there were more important matters at hand.
"Dad, she just woke up. I don't think now is a good time," Sokka suddenly said a little ways from me, and my eyes widened when I heard his words.
Turning, I looked behind me to see Sokka was standing in between me and my Water Tribe father about four yards away. The man I hadn't seen in what felt like a century, stood in front of Sokka but didn't seem effected by his words. Staring into my father's soft blue eyes, I saw he had changed some since I last saw him at the South Pole so long ago. His brown hair was a little longer as he kept it half up in a ponytail and half down. He had more of a beard than I remembered, though it wasn't too long. His body was much more muscular, and I saw a few scars on his skin from the many battles he had fought. He wore traditional red fire nation armor with a gold trim on the edges, and he had black boots on.
My water tribe father smiled at me when he saw my eyes meet his, and I could tell he was utterly relieved and overjoyed to see me awake and alive. Pulling from Kale, I turned fully to face my adoptive father now and felt tears fall down my cheeks.
"Da-" immediately I stopped myself, my voice catching as I realized what I was about to say. Was it right to still call Chief Hakoda my dad? Did he even see me as his daughter anymore, now that I knew who I truly was?
He stepped around Sokka, who let him go but wasn't sure if he should've. As my adoptive father approached me, I felt more tears fall down my cheeks when I saw relief on his face. He was happy to see me. He didn't care that I found out about my past. He still loved me even when I wasn't his daughter by blood.
"Dad!" I cried.
Rushing forward, I stumbled a bit as I fell into my loving father's arms. Even if he wasn't my biological father, he was the man I thought of as my true father. He hugged me close to him, and I shut my eyes tightly as he placed his warm fatherly hand on the back of my head. "Kaya… It's so good to see you're alive. I was so worried about you," he said, pressing his face into my hair. Even though he used my old name, I wasn't bothered by it. All I cared about at the moment was being in my dad's arms.
"Daddy… I can't believe you're here," I whispered, so glad to see him again… so glad to hear his voice again.
He pulled me closer to him, and I ignored the sharp stab in my chest just glad to see my dad again. "I've heard you've been through a lot these last few months," he said.
Nodding, I opened my eyes and frowned as I remembered everything that had occurred in the past. "Yeah… It's been a rough road, but I'm still trudging on."
He sighed, "You definitely are. I'm so proud of you, Kaya."
Now I smiled, glad to hear those words from my dad's mouth. It felt good to know the father who actually cared about me was proud of me.
Pulling away from him, I said thanks and went to say something else but something stopped me. A sharp pain suddenly shot through my chest, like a sharp dagger, and I cried out clutching the place where my wound was and losing my balance a bit. My dad quickly caught me, and I heard footsteps rush over having heard my cry.
"Amber!" Kale said. "Are you okay?"
Nodding, I said through the pain and gritted teeth, "I-I just need a minute."
Sokka's voice now said, "I told you guys we should've kept her in bed."
Katara said with worry, "We should get her back to the room. She's probably overdoing it."
Now I managed to push the pain back again. "No… I'm okay… Just give me a minute."
A shout suddenly rang from across the deck, and I looked over to see to my utter surprise the dude that used to be a part of Jet's freedom fighters and had carried around a giant wooden club. His name was Pipsqueak I believe… Staring at the very tall and strong dude, I was amazed to see him. What was he doing here?
"We've got company!" he said, then pointed towards a fire nation ship in the distance coming toward us.
Bato arrived out of nowhere, and he too was wearing Fire Nation armor. I realized he had been the soldier who had chased after me when I first woke up. To even more of my surprise, he smiled weakly at me. The man who didn't like me, and who had only seen me as the enemy in the past, had actually smiled at me. He must've had a change of heart after seeing the condition I'd been in.
Toph and Aang came over to the group that was forming then, and I also saw the short freedom fighter I'd met before named The Duke arrive too. My dad quickly took charge when the group all met together. "Everyone just stay calm. Bato and I will take care of this."
Sokka suddenly wrapped an arm around me and led me away from the group. Katara dragged Aang along behind us, and I heard Toph and Kale follow.
"Wait… Why are we going to hide?" I asked as Sokka led me behind some really large wooden crates. "Shouldn't we fight them?"
He helped me sit down against the crate as he answered, "Hopefully we won't have to. Besides… You and Aang need to stay here so they don't see you. Plus you wouldn't really be much help in a fight right now, Amber."
Aang scowled. "I'm not just going to sit here! I don't see why I have to hide?"
Kale was the one to speak next. "You know why, Aang… You and Amber are both thought to be dead, and we want to keep it that way. If the Fire Nation learns you're both still alive, they'll be chasing us across the world again."
My eyes widened at what Kale had just spoken. Dead… I was thought to be dead.
Immediately I wondered if Uncle and Zuko thought I was dead. They were probably devastated. Then I remembered Zuko's betrayal and I decided in the end he probably didn't care if I was alive or dead. Trying to push Zuko to the back of my mind, I knew thinking about what he did would only make me hurt more.
The ship came to a halt as I assumed the Fire Nation vessel had pulled up alongside ours. As the soldiers from the other ship came on board and began to converse with my father and Bato, I leaned back against the wooden crate. I was a bit surprised the Fire Nation soldiers couldn't tell they were on a captured ship. As the conversation went on, I saw Aang was fidgeting as he yearned to go knock some Fire Nation soldiers around.
Eventually we heard the two soldiers who had come on the ship turn and leave. As they left, Toph jumped up with sudden terror. "They know!" she shouted.
I guess they could tell they were on a captured ship after all.
As Katara and Toph rushed out to help fight the soldiers, Kale and Sokka stayed with me and Aang to make sure we didn't go anywhere. As the fighting went on, I listened to water and fire shooting back and forth.
"I should go help," Aang said, going to stand.
Sokka grabbed his shoulder and shoved him back down beside me. "No. Stay out of sight. If you want to help, then keep an eye on Amber."
He and Kale then left Aang to watch me- or more like babysit me- as they joined the fight. As the fighting could be heard from behind the crate we sat against, I saw Aang mope a bit, not happy to be out of the battle. "I hate sitting around and doing nothing," Aang muttered.
"Same here," I said, hearing a grunt from behind as someone must've been knocked to the steel deck.
As the fighting went on behind the crate we were against, I saw Aang wanted to say something to me, but he wasn't sure if he should. Then finally he mustered up the courage.
"Um… I know now isn't the best time, but I want to get it off my chest," he began to say. "Thanks for what you did back at Ba Sing Sei. You saved my life back there. Katara said if you hadn't jumped in the way, I probably would've died."
"I'm just glad you're okay," I said sincerely.
"Why'd you do it, though?" Aang asked.
Sighing, I leaned back against the crate saying, "I did it because you're my friend. When Roku told me what Azula was about to do to you, I couldn't just sit by and watch. Even if you're the Avatar, you're like a brother to me. I'd take a blast of lightening for you any day."
Aang blushed a bit, but I could see he liked what I said. "Thanks... That really means a lot."
Another moment of silence fell, and we heard the fighting behind us still. There was the sound of water hitting the deck, swords clashing, and grunts as the enemies were shoved to the deck.
After a minute of the awkward silence Aang broke it. "So what did Huo really say to you? I know you lied earlier."
At first I was shocked by his question, but then I saw he was serious. He had seen right through my lie like Toph.
"You can tell me," Aang said, seeing I was uncertain what to do.
I'd trusted Aang with my secret before back when Zhao had imprisoned me and badly burned me, and Aang was able to keep his promise then. I supposed it wouldn't hurt to tell him. "If I tell you," I began. "You have to promise to keep it between us."
Aang nodded his head to let me know he promised.
The fighting was still happening behind us as I answered, "Truth is… Huo kind of said he would let me live a normal human life, but when I die for good in the human world I'll be stuck with him for all eternity."
"So you're still connected to him then?" Aang asked.
Sighing, I leaned my head back against the crate. "Yeah… I'm hoping one day I can find a way to break the connection between Huo and I, so I won't be trapped in the spirit world for all eternity."
"Is the spirit world really that bad?" Aang asked now, and I looked at him with surprise. "I mean, I've been there a few times and it seems like a really cool place."
Thinking it over for a moment, I finally found my answer. "It's not being in the spirit world that's bad Aang… It's being there alone…" I whispered, my voice breaking a bit. "I don't want to be a spirit forever if it means never seeing Kale again."
Aang now saw where I was coming from. "Oh… Now I understand." Then he said, "But… How do we know if Kale won't be in the spirit world after he dies? I mean, when you said Lu Ten was there, I got to thinking... Maybe everyone goes to the spirit world when they die."
His words took me a bit off guard, but they didn't really reassure me. "Still… Even if Kale does come to the spirit world when he dies himself, I think Huo would do everything in his power to keep me away from him."
"Why would he do that?" Aang asked.
Now I muttered, "I think the Spirit of Fire has a crush on me or something."
Aang took this in for a moment, and then he smiled. "Well then I know how to fix your problem! All we have to do is find Huo a girlfriend," Aang said trying to lighten the mood. He wasn't really serious, but I could tell he was trying to cheer me up.
Rolling my eyes, I frowned a bit.
Aang could see he wasn't really helping my mood.
"Okay. In all seriousness now, I get what you're saying, Amber." Aang began, brushing his joke aside. "I wouldn't want to be stuck with some weird obsessed spirit for the rest of my eternity. When this war is over, I'll definitely help you find a way to break from Huo permanently."
"Really?" I asked. "You'd do that for me?" Then I smiled with relief. "Thanks, Aang."
He shrugged. "It's the least I could do. I mean I'm alive because of you."
A load roar suddenly rang through the air, and both Aang and I jumped as we heard the monstrous sound. Aang immediately hopped to his feet and turned so he could peer over the crate. As he did that, I tried to find my own strength and push myself off the steel deck. Using the crate beside me for support, I turned so I too could see what was happening.
To my utter terror, a giant snake like fish extended its long body out of the water. It was probably over a hundred feet long and had purple and teal scales. Its gills which were on the side of its face were a light green, and when it opened its mouth I saw very sharp looking teeth. The sea-serpent looked like it could break our boat into two with one snap of its mouth. Looking around, I saw the Fire Nation soldiers had retreated to their ship and were staring up at the giant sea serpent with terror. As I stared at the creature, I heard Sokka say from a few yards nearby, "The universe just loves proving me wrong, doesn't it?"
Toph shouted from where she stood a little farther away, "You make it too easy!"
As the serpent prepared to strike at us, a fireball from the other ship hit it in the head making it roar in rage. It turned from our ship and dived under the water, causing our ship to lurch forward from the waves it created and gain some distance from our enemies.
As the serpent attacked the enemy Fire Nation ship, our own ship immediately went full speed and we once more shot through the water trying to gain as much distance as we could. As we left the serpent and the enemies behind, I heard Sokka shout, "Thank you, The Universe!"
We were safe once again, and we were once more heading a course toward the Fire Nation. As everyone recovered from the battle that just passed, Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Kale walked back over to Aang and I.
"See… All taken care of," Sokka said with a smirk.
"No… We were just really lucky," Katara muttered.
"I actually saw a different outcome to that one," Toph muttered. Then she smirked. "Ha! Saw! Good one Toph!" We all rolled our eyes at her own blind joke.
Sighing, I leaned back against the crate again glad the everyone was okay. As soon as I did though a sharp pain shot through my chest and I winced clutching it once more. Katara must've noticed my discomfort, because she came over to me with worry. "Come on, Amber… You've had enough excitement for one day."
As she led me away from the others, I closed my eyes enjoying one last breeze as I went down the steel stairs back into the dark.
A few days passed after the whole Fire Nation sea-serpent thing. My strength was slowly coming back, and the pain was easing day by day. Three days after I'd woken, I decided it was time to try and wash the dirt and grime off of me. When I took the bandages off and saw the scar for the first time I winced. It looked pretty bad, and I could see that my skin was raw and blistered right where my heart was. It actually looked like a burn in a way. It was amazing I had survived the attack, but I guess I had Katara and that spirit water to thank for that. After I washed up, which was a bit painful but tolerable, Katara helped me replace my bandages. Then she gave me some fresh clean clothes which consisted of dark blue pants, and a light blue short sleeved shirt. It felt good to feel clean.
After another week of speeding through the ocean toward the Fire Nation, we needed to restock the ship and make some repairs from the previous battle. Also, some of the water tribe warriors who were on the ship with us wanted to get on land again. After Sokka looked on a map to find out where to go, we eventually arrived at a small pier that was actually called Seedy Merchants Pier. The name was familiar and I knew exactly why. It was the same pier we'd come to where we robbed the pirates and met up with my brother Zuko and his soldiers. That felt like so long ago.
My memory took me back to that day, and I remembered that was the big turn point. That was the day I left Kaya behind and accepted being Amber.
After Zuko's betrayal, I kind of wished I'd just stayed Kaya.
As the others went into the small village that the pier belonged to, Aang and I sat in a room trying not to be bored out of our minds. The room was just a small cabin with a bed, a table against the wall, and a chest underneath the table. There was a circular window in the room that you could see the ocean through, and I was kind of relieved to have some natural light.
Now that I was feeling better, I was beginning to see why Aang was so aggravated. It seemed like neither of us could do anything if it meant risking our discovery. We were almost on house arrest as we waited for the others to come back from getting us some dinner. As we sat in the room on the bed, and we played a card game to try and pass time, I could tell Aang's mind was somewhere else.
"It's your turn," I said, trying to get his mind back.
He sighed, not even bothering to take his turn. "I think I'm going to forfeit. I'm not really in the mood to play anymore."
"What's wrong?" I asked.
He frowned now. "This all just sucks… This whole invasion plan is going to get everyone killed. Storming into the Fire Lord's home is a risk, and I don't see anything good coming out of it." He then looked at me with sad eyes. "I mean look at you… We tried to invade the Fire Nation with the Earth King, and in the end we lost Ba Sing Sei and almost lost you." He placed his cards down now, and I watched him stand from where he sat on the bed across from me.
"I don't want you getting hurt again, and I definitely don't want Katara getting hurt either. Plus I'd never forgive myself if Sokka, Kale, and Toph got injured. I have to do this on my own. I need to face the Fire Lord alone."
When he said this I looked at him with terror. "Aang! You're crazy! I know the Fire Lord and he isn't a man to be taken lightly. He'll slaughter you in a single second if you do this alone. You can't even go into the avatar state, so how are you going to fight him on your own anyway?"
Aang turned away from me, and I heard him say, "I'll figure it out. All I know is I'm not taking you with me. It's my fault you almost died in the first place, so I'm not taking that risk again."
He started to walk toward the door, and I quickly got off the bed rushing after him. The pain in my chest was still there, but it didn't bother me as much as before. "Aang, stop! You don't know what you're saying," I said, grabbing his arm so he couldn't reach the door.
He turned sharply and said, "I do! I'm not going to let my friends die because of me!" Then suddenly he flung his hand toward me and a hard wind knocked me back. Falling to the floor on my butt, I winced as my chest complained from the sudden movement. Looking up, I saw Aang was already through the door and he shut it behind.
Jumping to my feet and rushing to the door, I tried to open it but it wouldn't budge. Ice suddenly began to seep through the doors cracks, and I immediately knew Aang was locking me in; or more like freezing me in. "Aang!" I cried.
"I'm sorry Amber, but I can't let you stop me!" Aang shouted, and then I heard nothing more. I assumed he was racing as fast as he could to flyaway before the others arrived. Immediately I lit a purple flame in my hand and shot the door with what power I had. My flame was still weak, but it was enough to heat up the door and melt the ice. As soon as the ice was gone, I shoved the door open and took off down the hall. Racing up the stairs that led to the deck, I caught sight of Aang as he now had his glider and was preparing to take off.
"Aang! Please stop!" I called, rushing across the sunset lit deck as fast as I could.
Aang looked back at me, then turned away saying, "I'm sorry! I have to do this!" I was just about twenty feet from him when he made his move. Putting his glider behind him, he raced forward and took off into the sky.
"AANG!" I cried, rushing to the ship railing and gripping it as I watched my friend soar off over the ocean. Horror filled me as I watched the young air bender fly farther and farther away. "AANG!" My chest suddenly pulsed in pain and I winced. The run probably didn't make my chest very happy. Falling on my knees, I felt exhausted from my sudden run. Though my strength was coming back every day, I still wasn't to my fullest health yet.
When the others got back to the ship, it was dad who found me still clutching onto the railing as I sat on my knees. Katara had completely not noticed me as she went down below deck to give me and Aang our supper. It took my dad a few moments to notice me, and I think the only reason he did finally see me was because he heard me sniffle.
My dad quickly rushed over to me when he finally saw me across the deck, and I looked up at him with agony. Tears were falling down my cheeks as I worried about my air bender friend.
"What happened?" he asked, kneeling beside me so he could grab my shoulders and look me over to see if I was hurt.
Hanging my head, I felt utterly at fault for letting Aang get past me. "Aang… He's gone," I whispered. "I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen."
My dad sighed and pulled me to him hugging me close to comfort me. "Kaya… Oh…" He realized he used the wrong name, though it didn't matter to me all that much. "I mean, Amber… It wasn't your fault."
I knew it wasn't, but I still felt I could've done more.
"Amber! Where's Aang?" Katara suddenly asked, and I jumped when I heard her voice come from nowhere. Both dad and I looked over at her to see she was breathing hard from taking a sudden run. Sokka, Toph, and Kale had heard Katara's shouts and rushed over to see what was going on. Sokka had Momo on his shoulder, and I could tell Momo was looking around for Aang too. When Kale saw me on the steel floor, he gave me a concerned look and I looked away to hide my guilt.
Answering Katara's question, I said weakly, "He left… I tried to stop him, but he was too fast. He said he was going to defeat the Fire Lord alone."
"What?!" Katara cried. "Is he crazy?! What is he thinking?!" When I looked back up at my sister, I saw she was crying, and I mean the sobs and everything. Nudging dad, I gave him a look telling him to go comfort her. He nodded in understanding, let me go, and got up. Walking over to his daughter, I smiled weakly as he hugged her close to him. Katara needed dad right now.
Kale's hands suddenly grabbed my arms and helped me up. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Nodding weakly, I wiped my eyes which were still filled with tears.
Sokka suddenly began to discuss what we should do next. Still hanging my head with guilt, I listened to Sokka, Kale, and Toph as they discussed what we should do about Aang's sudden disappearance. Katara was having a heart to heart with dad, so we decided not to bug her.
"What should we do now?" Toph asked. "With Twinkletoes flying off there's no way this ship will catch up to him."
"I hate to say it," Sokka said. "But we have to take Appa and split from the group. We need to get to Aang before he seriously hurts himself. There's a storm coming, and his glider's not going to be able to hold him long." Now that he mentioned it, I did see some dark clouds in the distance.
"Will we be able to catch up?" Kale asked.
"I hope so," Sokka said. "We have to go now though if we want to even have a chance."
Now my spirits were back up. "Let's go then," I said, suddenly feeling confident. Aang got away, and I should've stopped him. This was my fault in a way.
"Wait… I don't know if you should-" Sokka began.
"I'm coming! I came back to the human world to be with you guys and help you, not to be left behind!" I snapped. "Besides, I'm the only one who knows which way Aang went, and I feel responsible for not stopping him."
Sokka now looked amazed at what I'd said, and I could tell he didn't know how to respond.
Dad was actually the one to speak. "You kids go and catch up to Aang." Katara stood beside him, and she looked like she was in better spirits, probably because she had her heart to heart with dad. Dad continued, "We'll see you at the Black Cliff's with the invasion force. We'll prepare for battle when we all get there. Take care of each other."
As Sokka and Katara hugged dad one last time, I stood aside waiting for my turn. When they were done and walked off to prepare Appa (who was on the other side of the ship) for flight, it was my turn. Rushing forward, I wrapped my arms around my dad and he pulled me close to him.
"Be safe," he said.
"You too," I responded. Then I felt the need to say something else. "Just so you know…" I began, smiling at his fatherly embrace. "You're my true dad."
He sighed when he heard this. "I'm glad." He then kissed me on top of the head. "Take care of your brother and sister."
Now I laughed. "I think they'll take care of me more."
We all then piled on Appa, and I saw dad watch us with proud eyes. Bato stood beside him to wish us luck, and Pipsqueak and The Duke waved goodbye from the distance. Appa had a new saddle now, thanks to the water tribe warriors, so it was easier to sit on him now. Kale, Toph, and Katara sat in the saddle with me, while Sokka sat at the front taking Appa's reins. "Yip! Yip!" He said.
Appa took flight then, and I felt Momo grab my arm to have something to hold onto. As soon as we hit the air, and I told Sokka which way to go, Momo let me go and crawled over to Sokka's shoulder again. Sometimes I forgot the little lemur was even with us.
It was only ten minutes of flying when the rain started to come down. The storm that Sokka had mentioned earlier had finally hit us, and I had a feeling Aang was already feeling its force. As we went through the storm, trying to avoid lightning that struck down at us, I scanned below trying to find any sign of Aang. All I could see was water.
"Amber… Tell your brother to turn more toward the west. Aang is on Crescent Island, back where my temple once stood," Roku suddenly said, coming out of nowhere. It felt like forever since I'd last heard his voice.
"Where have you been?" I asked in my head.
"I've been a little everywhere," he answered. "Now go… Aang's unconscious right now."
Deciding now to argue with Roku, I did as he said. "Sokka!" I called. "Turn more to the west. Head toward where Roku's temple used to be!"
My brother looked back at me with amazement. "What? Why would I do that?"
"You're really questioning me?" I asked.
My brother went to say something back, but then he realized he didn't know what to say. Turning Appa toward the west, I heard him say, "I sure hope you know where were going."
Continuing to glance down below, I stared at the darkening waters more as I searched for Aang. The sun was down, and the sky was covered in clouds hiding the moon and stars. The lightening and wind had stopped, but the rain continued. As we flew more across the water, I saw a shape in the dark that almost appeared like an island.
Immediately I shouted, "Down there!"
Sokka didn't question me this time. Instead he sent Appa downward toward the island, and when we got closer we saw lava streaming from the place that was now a volcano. Aang was by the water, his body unconscious just as Roku had said.
"Amber… You're amazing!" Katara exclaimed, hugging me with delight that I'd helped to find Aang. Her hug made me wince a bit, but I smiled glad to see she was happy. She let go of me a second later, ready to get to Aang.
"Thanks Roku…" I said low enough for only me to hear. It was his help that got us to Aang in the first place.
When we finally landed, Katara, Sokka, and Toph slid off Appa to run over to Aang. Kale helped me down Appa's tail, and I was grateful because the flying and Katara's previous hug had really aggravated my injury enough.
When Kale and I caught up to the others, we saw Aang was awake and sitting up now. Katara and Sokka knelt on both sides of him while Toph stood in front. Aang looked utterly ashamed at what he had done, and at the worry he had given to everyone. "What about the invasion?" I heard him ask.
"We'll join up with my dad and the invasion force on the day of the eclipse," Sokka said. Aang looked like he was taking these words in.
Toph suddenly pointed over at something on the ground and walked over to it. "Hey what's…" Aang's staff was split in half and burnt as she picked it up in her hands. "Oh… It's your glider."
Aang brushed it off. "That's okay. If someone saw it, it would give away my identity. It's better for now that no one knows I'm alive." He took the glider from Toph then, and walked about ten yards away to the stream of flowing lava. With guarded eyes, he placed his busted staff into the lava. The stick caught fire as it sat in the burning liquid, and then it sunk below.
"Glad he finally understands," Sokka muttered.
As we started to load back on Appa, Aang walked over to me with guilt. Wringing his hand as he looked down with regret, he said, "Sorry for earlier Amber… I hope I didn't hurt you too much."
Smiling, I said, "It takes a lot more than wind to hurt me… I forgive you."
He smiled, glad to hear he'd been forgiven.
When we all got back on Appa, and the giant bison took off into the air, I pulled my knees close to me as we started to head deeper into the Fire Nation. Head closer to the Fire Lord…Closer to my insane sister… Closer to my brother Zuko who had betrayed me... Was I ready for this?
Was I ready to fight the Fire Lord and save the world?
Looking around, I saw the confident faces of Sokka, Katara, Kale, Aang, and Toph as we headed closer to my father. They were ready to end this war once and for all. They all had so much hope that we would win, and I could tell they weren't afraid of losing. If they were ready, then I knew I was ready.
My confidence grew as we flew toward the looming battle ahead.
A/N: Thanks for reading, and let me know what you thought. =)