I am so tired right now, but I've worked through worse. So enjoy the next chapter.


Six months had passed since Hama broke out of her prison, and she enjoyed everyday. Her water bending had become even stronger than it was years ago. But she still had to be careful when she water bended since she was still in the Fire Nation. She did have some close calls when soldiers made their monthly inspections. Luckily for her, her skin was not as dark as normal Water Tribe members, so she did not stick out as much.

Her stomach was now unbelievably swollen, so much that she could not even see her feet anymore. And it did not do so much for her bending either. But it was keeping her in shape.

Hama regularly visited Yuki for checkups, much to Yuki's joy. Hama suspected that Yuki did not get a lot of visitors, possibly because people trusted modern medicine more than traditional. But waddling back and forth between her camp site and Yuki's clinic was proving too much for her, so Hama decided, based on Yuki's insistence, that she would stay with her.

"I'm not that bad a roommate," Yuki winked when Hama hesitantly accepted the offer.

"It's not that.. It's--" Hama did not want to say 'because you're a Fire Nationer.'

"I can understand why a Water Tribe member might feel uncomfortable in the Fire Nation," Yuki said casually as she set up Hama's room.

Hama gaped at her. "What do you mean?"

Yuki cast a sidelong glance at her, smiling. "Please. I knew you were from the Water Tribe the moment I met you. Your complexion is a little lighter, but otherwise you're obviously from there. Which one are you from?"

Hama bit her lip. "Southern."

"Never been there. I've been to the Northern one once," Yuki noticed Hama's worried look. "Don't worry, I'm not going to tell anyone."

Yuki's face grew serious for a moment.

"I heard that they wiped out all of the Water benders there, is that why you left?" Yuki threw up her hands, "I'm just asking; if you don't want to tell me, I'll understand."

"Leaving wasn't exactly my choice.." Hama said softly.

Realization flashed across Yuki's face. "You mean you're a..?"

Hama nodded. "Yes. I was in prison for a few years, but I escaped." After she said these words, she felt very stupid for saying them in the first place. She looked at Yuki, a nervous look on her face.

Yuki furrowed her eyebrows, and looked away. "I guess everyone has their secrets." She looked back at her, smiling reassuringly. "I'm not a snitch."

Hama believed her.

The next week was uneventful. Hama tried to help Yuki out as much as she could, but every time she attempted to do any work, Yuki would come and shoo her away.

"It's best for you and the baby to rest! And eat!" Yuki then proceeded to shove a tray of food into Hama's hands, and push her out of the room.

Hama went outside, and enjoyed the sunset. The baby twisted inside her as she ate. She chuckled softly.

"Restless little thing, aren't ya?" She rubbed her stomach, trying to soothe the baby. She watched as the sun sunk down behind the mountains, until it disappeared completely, leaving only a yellowish-orange hue. Her attention now was turned towards the rising moon; it was full.

The higher it went, the more restless the baby seemed to become. Then it became pain. Hama stood up, gripping her stomach, the pain was becoming more intense. Just as she was turning to go back inside, a gush of water trickled between her legs. The pain in her mid-section caused her legs to give out.

"Yuki!" She forced out, "I need help!"

Yuki poked her head out, and when she saw Hama practically doubled over in pain, she quickly ran outside, and tried to pull her up. It took a few tries for Yuki to hold the pregnant woman up steadily. Then she led Hama inside, and took her to one of the birthing rooms. Hama carefully climbed into the bed, and sighed as some of the pain subsided.

"Are you ok? Do you need anything?" Yuki asked, trying to stay calm.

Hama shook her head. "I'm fine.."

"Ok, let me check how much you're dilated." Yuki bent down and felt between Hama's legs. "Wow.. 5 centimeters already. You're halfway there, so this shouldn't be too long."

Hama gripped the mattress as a contraction hit her. She remembered the breathing exercises Yuki taught her, and tried them out. They helped a little, but not as much as she wanted them to.

Hama's labor progressed even more in the next hour. And she even figured out something she could do to ease her pain; she using blood bending on herself, soothing herself by using wavelike motions on the fluids in her body. But even that after awhile began to lose its effect.

Yuki came back in, and checked her again. She looked up at Hama, a big grin on her face. "I think you're ready."

Hama sat up, and bared down when Yuki told her to. She was clenching her teeth so hard, she was afraid they were going to fall out. The pain was blinding, and she felt a powerful urge to pass out, but she shook it off. She heard Yuki say something about a head?

"What?" She asked stupidly.

"I said, I can see the head. You're almost there!"

'She said that ten minutes ago,' Hama thought angrily.

Finally, after one powerful push, the baby came out. It cried the moment it was born. And boy, did it cry.

"It's a girl!" Yuki called to the exhausted Hama. Yuki took out a knife, and cleanly cut the umbilical cord.

Hama breathed a sigh of happiness as she fell back in the bed. Yuki went to the other side of the room and cleaned the infant up, then wrapped her up in a blanket. She went back to Hama and placed the newborn on her chest. Hama marveled at her baby. She looked like a classic Water Tribe baby; the brown skin, soft brown hair. She couldn't tell what color eyes she had since they were closed, and were also most likely the newborn dark blue color.

She stroked the baby's cheek, and stared transfixed on the tiny person.

"Do you have any names picked out?" Yuki asked softly.

Hama gasped; she didn't. She stared at the baby for a moment, and then looked out the window. The moon could not be seen at that moment, so Hama guessed that it was around midnight. She remembered a name she had heard once she liked.

"I think I'll name her, Pamuya," she whispered the name into the baby's ear, who just let out a soft moan as she fell back asleep. Hama did not think that was such a bad idea as the stress of the delivery was beginning to wear on her. She wrapped an arm around Pamuya, and closed her eyes.

"Sleep well," Yuki said as she left the room.

Hama fell asleep, into a very deep sleep, right away. Something woke her up, not the baby, but Yuki. Her face looked panicked.

"Hama, you have to hide!" She said quickly. Hama blinked at her, her mind still sleepy. "Come on!"

Yuki forced Hama onto her weak legs, and made her go into a cupboard. Without any explanation, she ran out of sight.

"Can I help you, sir?" Yuki's muffled voice asked.

"Yes you can, we have reason to believe that you are from the Earth Kingdom. Illegally." An unrecognizable voice replied. Hama mentally gasped, she was from the Earth Kingdom, which explained why she was so accepting of where Hama was from. "And that you are also performing strange, medicinal rituals."

"They are not rituals! I use herbs to treat people, rather than this fancy technology," Yuki snapped at him.

Hama could feel Pamuya wriggle around in her arms, then she stopped for a moment, and then began moving again. Hama felt a warm, wet, stickiness on her arm. She grimaced as she realized it was meconium, something Yuki had explained to her as the baby's first bowel movement, but she dared not move.

"I can't leave here!" She heard Yuki shout.

"I don't really think you're in a position to bargain with me," the man's voice oozed with malice.

"I don't care what you do to me!"

"Oh, that's good, because I was worried that you would," the man said sarcastically.

Hama struggled to hear what was going on, and without warning, Pamuya began crying. Hama tensed as she tried to calm the baby down. But her cries just grew louder.

"Shit.." She muttered. The footsteps of heavy boots came towards the cupboard.

"Oh, what do we have in here?" The man said, more to the closet than Yuki. He threw the doors open, and Hama stared into the eyes of a Fire Nation soldier. She tried to scoot back, but the cupboard was not very large, so she did not go very far. He reached in and pulled Hama out by the scruff of her shirt. She held onto Pamuya as tightly as she could as she was pulled into a standing position.

Yuki came running at the soldier, and put all of the force of her body into one tackle. It did not do much, it just made the soldier angrier. He let go of Hama, and unsheathed a knife. Yuki was still pressing up against him, and what happened next stuck in Hama's mind for the rest of her life.

He pushed Yuki away at arm's length, brought back the knifed hand back, and forced it into Yuki's chest. She gasped as it pierced her, and collapsed onto the floor. The soldier smirked, and then spit on her.

Hama was frozen where she stood, her mouth gaping. She let out a shuddering breath as she looked up at the soldier. She took a few steps back, her guard up.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything to you. As far as I know, you haven't done anything," the soldier turned his back on her, and without another word, left the clinic.

Hama sunk down next to Yuki's body, and completely broke down as she laid herself next to her. Pamuya did not make a sound as her mother cried mournfully.


This was an interesting chapter to write; mostly because of the sudden jump in tone.

Update on Becky, (our pregnant youth pastor) she was in the hospital a few days ago because of a kidney infection, but she's ok now, she just needs some bed rest. She left me a message a few days ago, saying she was in the hospital, and naturally I got really nervous. Luckily I found out that she, and baby Sammy, are ok. So, ja. Just to let you guys know, in case you care. :)